#wlfgng

adrenaline coursed through your veins, various flora and fauna blurring past your vision. the pain of bare feet on tree roots and rocks barely registering as you dart between tree trunks that had taken root in this forest long before even you were born. the cloak around you whipped in the wind as shouts and screams echoed behind you, forcing you to move faster around the terrain. arrows suddenly whip past your head, arms coming up in an attempt to shield yourself from their stinging tips. an arrow grazes past your hip and sends a spark of pain across your skin while knocking you off balance, legs slipping out from under you and sending you tumbling down a hill. you scramble to your feet at the bottom as the sounds of soldiers' shouts draw near, ignoring the screaming in your lungs.

you're only a few feet into your sprint when searing pain radiating from your ankle forces you to join the fallen leaves on the forest floor. you bite your tongue to keep the scream bubbling in your throat down, eyes darting to the bear trap now latched to your foot. ice floods your veins in panic, your nimble fingers attempting to wretch yourself free from the metal teeth of the trap while the kings guard draw ever closer. "over here!" a guard shouts to his companions from behind you, dangerously close. your head snaps up in time to see him charging straight towards you, arm held high above his head as the blade of his sword reflects the light of the full moon over head. your bloodied hands lift up, magic dancing just below the skin of your finger tips, before a blur of white and gray tackles the guard. the magic curling at your fingertips dissipates while high pitched howls, gruff growls, and thunderous barks pierce your ears. screams from your pursuers are quick to follow the cacophony of animalistic sounds encompassing you.

you realize now that you had crossed into werewolf territory. you knew they were in the area not far from your cottage, but you hadn't realized their borders spanned this far into the woods. somehow, in the commotion of the wolf pack's hunting chorus, you had managed to drag yourself behind a tree, chest heaving with spent energy. your adrenaline high was fading now, the pain in your ankle and hip worsening in the next moments of silence. black dots threaten the edges of your vision while you catch your breath, fingernails digging into the skin of your palm in an attempt to keep you from succumbing to unconsciousness. rustling branches from a bush of witch hazel a few feet in front of you cuts through the silenced forest. icy blue irises meet your own as a massive wolf the color of night steps out from the pointed branches. the moment they do, a spark of fire ignites from somewhere within your chest and your breath hitches. through blurry vision, you watch the wolf stop only a few feet from you before your world goes dark.

the smell of musk and earth hits your nostrils when you wake next, flinching slightly when rays from the sun greet your corneas. a soft groan escapes your dry throat while a hand comes up to rub at your face. flashes of memories from before your unwelcomed slumber has you shooting up from where you lay, eyes darting around frantically. you're not in your cottage on the edge of the forest, yet your eyes find some of your belongings in a neat pile beside the door of the room.

the room's cedar walls are carved with designs of the stars and, near the floorboards, tribal designs of two wolves can be found where the walls meet. the door to the room has a crescent moon burned into its face, allowing you to wonder little about where you are. the furniture in the room is simple compared to the carvings on the walls. shelves and cupboards line a couple of the walls while a desk sits in the corner, its chair currently set beside your bed with a basket of healing herbs and tinctures resting in it.

pain from your ankle throbs suddenly through your observation of the room, breaking through your thoughts. you grasp the bedsheets that had been strewn over you in your slumber, quickly tossing them off of you. your ankle is wrapped in strips of white cloth that have large dots of crimson where your injury lays beneath. blood is smeared on your ripped pant leg near where the bear trap caught you and you begin checking the rest of you. you find more bandages on your hip where the soldier's arrow had grazed the skin there, the cloth of your once white shirt now untucked from where you had previously had it. at least whoever treated your injuries did so with decency for your unconscious state.

the sound of a door shutting without care echoes from somewhere else in the home, snapping you from your thoughts. the lilting voice of a man outside teases whoever had just entered while you grab your cloak from off the bed post near the head of the bed. a set of footsteps echo down the hallway to your room as you pull the hood of the cloak over your head to hide your features.

"checking on him again?" a melodic voice snickers from elsewhere in the house. you prepare a quick force spell just as the doorknob turns.

"shut up, i'm changing his bandages," the male outside your room huffs, features turned down the hall to his companion. dark irises meet yours when he opens the door, that same spark from last time igniting deep in your chest and your breath hitches. the male before you freezes in the door way, eyes flashing a familiar icy blue hue for a moment. the world around you blurs as if the two of you were the only ones in it before refocusing when your force spell goes haywire. forcing the man in the doorway to duck, your magic slices through the decorative pots on the wall behind him. the shattering of pottery catches the attention of the other occupant in the house.

"minho?!" they yell in concern, footsteps thundering through the home. the one in the doorway - minho - just sighs with a roll of his eyes and enters the room like you hadn't nearly decapitated him seconds ago. you eye minho warily as he walks towards you and you move yourself back into the corner of the bed. his hands are already moving around the herb basket next to you when his blonde companion reaches the doorway with a look of concern. the blonde's hand rests on the doorway while his gaze darts between the two of you, anxiously.

minho moves the basket off the chair before sitting in it. he offers up the medical tincture in his hand so you can see what's inside the bottle, words of comfort to his companions leaving his lips, "i'm fine, chan. you worry too much." a sigh of relief exits the blonde in the doorway before the front door bangs open and closed again, multiple voices now echoing off the walls.

"the fuck was that noise?!"

"is everyone okay?!"

"what happened?!"

"i'll deal with them while you handle that," chan huffs to minho before turning towards the six boys currently in the other room. "yah!" chan yells to them as he closes the door to the room, leaving you and minho alone together. minho recaptures your attention when you catch him moving to sit on the edge of the chair. one hand holds out the bottle of liquid medicine for you to hold while the other hovers over your wounded ankle. his gaze catches yours under your hood in an attempt at asking permission to touch you without breaking the silence that had settled over the room. your eyes search his for any ill intent, anxiety about what burns in your chest when you look at him still lingering in the back of your mind. you nod slowly after weighing your options and shift your leg a little closer to his hovering hand, your fingers cautiously taking the tincture from him.

minho begins to unwrap the bloodied bandages around your ankle, his cool fingers brushing your skin and making you hiss under your breath. he stills and a soft "sorry" falls from his lips before he continues his ministrations. once the bandage is off, the dark haired male leans over to the herb basket again to retrieve something else. a clean, white cloth is produced before he gingerly takes the tincture back from you. minho uncorks the potion and the scent of turmeric, calendula, and yarrow hits your nostrils before he puts some of the concoction to the cloth. "this is going to sting, okay?" minho's voice is just barely above a whisper as if he were afraid you'd bolt if he was any louder. and, to be fair, you're not sure if he's wrong right now.

a whimper slips past your lips when the cloth touches the swollen skin around your ankle and your grip tightens into the sheets below you. minho cleans the wound as quickly and thoroughly as he can, trying to ignore the ache in his chest every time you gasp or hiss in pain under your breath. a quiet crash followed by chan yelling can be heard somewhere off in another part of the house. a relieved sigh leaves you when he sets your ankle down gently on the bed and minho leans back into the basket, looking for some clean bandages to rewrap your wound with. you take this moment to study his features. minho is handsome - his jawline is strong in a way that reminds you of the warriors written about in your favorite ancient literature while his lips make you think the moon goddess sculpted them herself. another round of boisterous bickering can be heard from elsewhere in the house before someone shushes the source.

minho's gaze moves to meet yours when he feels you staring at him, but you're quick to move your line of sight back to your wounded ankle, pretending you weren't just admiring him. you miss the smirk that plays on his lips for a second before his expression is neutral once again. his hands are quick to wrap up your ankle. a loud yelp and more scolding sounds a bit closer to your door before it's moved deeper into the house. minho sits back in his chair once his hands still and his eyes glance down to your side where your arrow wound is. you shake your head at him and he notes how your jaw tightens when you do so. he sighs through his nose, but nods in silent understanding.

"no! hyunjin! changbin!" chan scolds from down the hall again before your door is swung open by two figures. you react out of instinct and let another force spell whip towards the two. luckily, they duck and another mark is added to the wall behind them, the scent of magic suddenly making the air thick. you hear whispers of "not the wall!" and "he's a witch!" from down the hall. the figure on the right stands slowly first, the ribbon tying some of his long, raven colored hair back now loosening its grip on the strands. his lanky figure is draped in simple, but elegant clothes. if you didn't know you were in werewolf territory, you would have thought he were of noble blood. his cohort, a stockier male in a sleeveless shirt and flowy pants, stood next with his mouth agape in shock.

"what the hell was that?!" the muscular one yells in disbelief. chan is quick to grab the back of his shirt, pulling the male back slightly with a yelp. "i believe that was clearly you scaring the poor kid, changbin!" changbin is quick to try and escape chan's hold on his shirt only to be caught in a headlock by what you're starting to realize is their alpha.

"how were we supposed to know he was gonna throw magic at us?!" the princely male defends his companion boldly only to shrink under chan's gaze. "hyunjin, just shut up before you make it worse for me," changbin chokes out from between chan's bicep. they stay like that for a moment before chan lets changbin go, shoving him into hyunjin who instinctually yelps. "go," chan sighs, hands on his hips before he turns his attention to minho, "you, too."

"but-" minho begins to protest before chan holds his hand up. "no, go. you can talk to him afterwards." minho gives you one last look before he looks back at the blonde with a determined fire in his eyes. chan sighs again, but relents, "at least move, so i can sit down." a small smile tugs at the corners of minho's lips for a second before he stands, allowing chan to take the seat beside your bed instead. minho shifts slightly to lean on the door frame, allowing the other six wolves from the living room to peer into the room now.

"sorry 'bout those two," chan chuckles to you, a hand sheepishly rubbing at the back of his neck, "they mean well, they're just… enthusiastic." chan ignores the quiet whine from changbin as silence settles over you, stretching for longer than it should.

"what's the matter? wolf got your tongue?" one of the younger looking wolves quips from the doorway. this wolf has streaks of blonde in his dark brown hair that match one of the other wolves and it makes you wonder if the two are related somehow. the rest of the pack starts howling with laughter at seungmin's words despite the glares from both chan and minho. "kim seungmin, i swear-" minho growls at the perpetrator before being cut off by the second youngest. "what? i was trying to ease the tension. it's not like he's actually…" seungmin trails off when he notices you staring at him instead of laughing.

"…no way, you can't speak, can you." it's not a question, but you shake your head anyways. the rest of the pack are quick to turn against seungmin, suddenly yelling at him about how insensitive his joke was while chan's face falls into his hand with a soft smack. minho shifts to stand, looking like he's going to swing at seungmin at any second. the chaotic scene draws a small chuckle from your chest that allows minho to relax back against the doorway, effectively preventing the younger wolf's punishment.

"hang on, i think there's some parchment in the other room," another wolf comments before scurrying off to look for the item. he returns moments later with the parchment and a writing quill in hand, entering the room with light footsteps while you observe him carefully. this one, similar to chan, is blonde, but his shoulders are not nearly as wide as his alpha's. you note that the freckles adorning his cheeks look similar to the constellations etched into the walls of the room. he offers you the items you need and you tentatively take them, using the wall to scrawl on the blank paper before showing it to them.

"thank you for treating my wounds."

minho's gaze softens as he reads your words before he feels an elbow from jisung beside him, drawing his attention. jisung gives the older wolf a quick wiggle of his eyebrows which makes minho half heartedly swat him away. the younger cackles to himself quietly at the reaction. chan ignores them and continues, his demeanor shifting when his face gets serious. he leans forward in the chair, "you're welcome. but i have to ask, why were you being chased by the king's guard? the peace treaty between wolves and the empire is still new and the tension between us and them is still a… delicate situation." your gaze drops from chan to the parchment in your lap. you know very well how fresh those wounds are. you take a moment before you lift the paper again.

"i was searching for some ingredients for a spell when they found me. they tried to rob me, so i ran." it's a weak lie, you know that, but you can't risk them knowing the truth. a protective growl emanates deep from minho's chest at your words, making you look at him. his face was still as neutral as it was when he was treating your wounds, but you catch how his nostrils flare angrily. chan clicks his tongue in disappointment for a moment and your heart pounds in your ears. he sits back in the chair, arms now crossing over his chest. "why does that not surprise me," chan comments under his breath, making you relax. "you're welcome to stay with us until you've healed up," chan smiles at you, his alpha mask slipping away now before he turns towards the door, "felix, hyunjin, why don't you show…" he trails off, realizing you never mentioned your name. you fumble with your inked quill clumsily for a moment before writing your name hastily on the parchment, something that has the tiniest of smiles slip onto minho's face.

"yn. why don't you two show yn around a bit?" chan finishes after reading your name aloud, "i'm chan, by the way." he reaches out to shake your hand which you hesitantly take. the tension in the room melts away before the rest of the boys file into the room now to greet you. "i'm jisung!" the boy who had elbowed minho earlier grins at you, "let me know if minho hyung is an asshole and i'll whip him into shape." "says the one who got scared by a lizard the other day," minho shoots back from his spot in the doorway with chan now beside him. "that lizard was huge!" jisung defends before he's nudged out of the way by seungmin.

"anyways, i'm seungmin and the moody one over there is jeongin," the boy points to the younger one behind him who's glaring at you, "sorry, by the way, for the distasteful joke." you let out a quiet, breathy laugh and respond on your paper, "it's okay. you didn't know." seungmin sheepishly stares at the paper a moment before he's being picked up.

"yeah, yeah, yeah, you're very sorry, now move," changbin grins impatiently, practically tossing seungmin into jeongin behind him with a yelp from the youngest, "i'm changbin! let me know if you need anything heavy moved." you tilt your head quizzically at the muscle man to which he just laughs like he knows something you don't before he's tackled to the floor by jeongin and seungmin in revenge. hyunjin steps over the three wrestling wolves as he approaches you with a kind smile, "i'm hyunjin. you won't have a dull moment while you're staying here, if you couldn't tell."

"you make that sound like a bad thing," the boy who handed you the parchment and quill earlier chimed in, a smile pulling at his freckled cheeks, "i'm felix. it's nice to meet you, yn! hyunjin and i are the ones showing you around."

"take the wrestling outside!" chan suddenly cuts in to scold the three on the ground. jeongin and seungmin cackle when they remove themselves from changbin, the pair of wolves rushing out of the room with the older one hot on their heels. jisung laughs after them as he, too, exits the room after the trio.

"shall we go?" felix drew your attention back to your conversation. you look at felix questioningly, curious as to how you'd move given your current ankle injury. felix's grin widens before he lowers himself to the ground, his back to you. hyunjin sidles up next to him with his hand out stretched towards you. you hesitate for a moment. "your chariot awaits," hyunjin jokes, sensing the hesitation, before you take his hand and gingerly moved from your corner to the edge of the bed. felix gently grips your thighs and gingerly helps you onto his back, lifting you up from the bed once your arms were secured safely around his neck. the two almost immediately start yapping to you about how much they know you'll end up liking the place. minho moves to follow after the three of you, ready to accompany you on your tour of the grounds.

the weight of chan's hand on his shoulder stops him and chan shaking his head when minho looks back at him. "we need to talk."

"oh, i guess you haven't seen the rest of this house, huh?" hyunjin hummed absent mindedly as the three of you moved down the hallway. you shook your head in response, eyes trailing across the living room. it was small, but cozy. there's a coffee table in the center of the room that has all manner of books strewn about its surface. a couch stood near by with a soft checkered blanket neatly folded over the back of it while the sun beat down on its cushions. clearly, it had been placed there with the idea of sunning whoever laid on its surface in mind. your eyes wander the open floor layout to the kitchen, cooking utensils and various pots and pans hanging above the wash basin. a plain, wooden dining table isn't far from the counter top against the kitchen wall, a set of nine chairs sat around it. it was simple, but it told a story. behind the kitchen stood four floor to ceiling windows etched with different colors, a screen door nestled between the panes of stained glass. overgrown foliage and varying crops stick into view from the quick glance you caught from behind the door, a gentle breeze rattling the wooden frame as if beckoning you to tend to whatever interesting plants lay behind it. but, you were being escorted out the front door before you could try to get felix or hyunjin's attention to ask about it.

the sun is high in the sky when you, hyunjin, and felix step out of the house sat nestled between two massive oak trees. you assume it's likely some time in the afternoon based on the positioning of the blazing ball in the sky. and your assumption is correct when you hear jisung yelling something off in the distance about going out to catch some deer with changbin for lunch.

there are a total of eight other houses forming a circle in the clearing around you. each building has its own personality to it and has a varying amount of floors. there's one home with an easel in it's front yard, a weathered stool not too far from it. another with a rope hammock hanging from the branch of a tree near the balcony of it's second story. some of the houses stick to just a single story while others have two. one house, however, bears three stories on its foundation and a wrap around porch. it has enough room to house all eight pack members and still have room for eight more. in the middle of all the homes is a makeshift firepit with eight different seats settled around it. hyunjin's proud voice breaks you from your observations when he points to the house next door, the one with the easel and stool outside. "that house is mine. we're neighbors, so don't hesitate to stop by if you need help with anything." despite hyunjin's words, you can't help but catch the guarded tone that comes out and you know he doesn't really mean the help he offers. it's a formality, not an invitation. there is no trust in his voice, but you nod anyways.

the duo banter a bit as they walk along the path beside your temporary home, felix weaving tales of misadventures the pack have had together. occasionally, felix has to readjust you from the spot on his back to ensure you don't fall off while he moves. it's a ten minute walk to your next destination - the lake. it's massive when it comes into view and you're shocked you hadn't stumbled upon it the night prior, before your run in with the king's guard. at the end of the worn path lies a pair of alcoves that cradle the shore line. as you get closer, you realize that while the main alcoves are natural, but there are smaller ledges within that are man made. they have all manner of soaps and perfumes slotted between the dirt.

"this is the last stop of our encampment," felix grins at you, "all wolves need a good bath with a view, so we figured this side of the lake was the perfect spot for both." you nod in understanding, a soft smile pulling at your lips. "it's not much, but it's home," hyunjin adds, a wistful look on his handsome features. the three of you take a moment to soak in the peaceful atmosphere of the area, water gently lapping at the shore near hyunjin and felix's feet. your sharp eyes scan the horizon, mind already cataloging the plants on the opposite shore that you could use for spell components and potions. it helps take your mind off the throbbing in your hip from being on felix's back for so long. you shift uncomfortably on felix's back and hyunjin's eyes dart over to felix's. the two share a knowing look that has you puzzled before moving in tandem with one another back up the hill, hyunjin's hand hovering gently behind you in case you fall.

you reach the clearing where everyone's houses stand just as minho and chan exit the big pack house, a lazy smile on chan's face while minho's brows are knit together in an expression you can't quite read. just as the two hit the bottom step, minho looks toward you and his expression evens out. you stare at each other while felix and hyunjin's words become quieter with each passing second, despite your proximity. you're searching minho's gaze for any answers to the lingering inquiries in your mind and he's searching yours for any recognition as to what's happening to the two of you. chan's hand grips the back of minho's neck in a silent farewell before the alpha leaves. if minho felt it, he didn't acknowledge it, too preoccupied with staring you down. your eye contact doesn't break until hyunjin shuts the door to your new home with a slight bang. you have a feeling these boys don't know the word gentle when it comes to doors.

it's been a month since your arrival into the pack of stray kids and, between minho diligently checking for signs of infection and you pumping a healing spell into the wound daily, your ankle has been healing quite nicely. you were now able to put some pressure on the limb without much pain, but you're still unable to walk without help. luckily, a few days into your stay, minho had brought you a makeshift crutch, dismissively mentioning he had fashioned it for you out of the trunk of an old apple tree. you noticed the blush dusting the tips of his ears when he told you, your heart skipping a beat at the gesture.

despite your good relationship so far with minho, the rest of the pack were still wary of you and you can't exactly blame them. historically, witches and warlocks alike did nothing to ease werewolf suffering when humans began their assault on all manner of magical folk only a few centuries ago. most humans still fear the howls of wolves in the forests neighboring their homes while the few witches and warlocks that remain live lavishly among nobles and royalty. though you've never given the pack a reason to distrust you so far, they don't trust easily. some more than others. you can see it in the way eyes follow your movements when you're hobbling down the stairs of your porch in the morning for breakfast. you see it in the way hyunjin moves his canvas out of your sight when he's painting or goes inside his home entirely when you pass by. you see it in the way changbin stands a little straighter when he spots you, like he's preparing to defend himself and his pack from you. you see it in the way seungmin's words trail off while talking to the others upon your approach. you see it in the way chan's smile never reaches his eyes when he's speaking with you. you see it in the way jisung's hands subtly shake when passing food to you during meals. you see it in the way jeongin constantly glares at you from across a room as if you'd slaughtered his entire family. felix is the only one other than minho who doesn't seem bothered by you, treating you as an equal rather than a potential threat. and it bothers you more than it should. your heart clenches when the quiet distrust rears its head and it makes no sense to you. you don't know these people, why does it matter what they think? but, you can't ignore the discomfort settling into your chest about the situation.

that's how you ended up on the edge of the wolves' territory in the middle of the night, knife in hand as you carve protective wards into the bark of ancient trees. by the time you're able to limp back to camp, the sun is beginning to crest over the horizon. chan exits the pack house just as you reach the edge of the first home in the clearing, making you pause. he takes in a deep breath and feels calm, the wards settling into the woods around the two of you with the wind. you continue forward when he nods. chan meets you at the steps of your home. he places a hand on your shoulder, giving you a tired, but grateful smile when he notices how exhausted you look. for the first time, the smile reaches his eyes and you know you've earned his trust. with a quiet "get some sleep", the alpha's hand falls away from your shoulder. he watches you closely to make sure you don't trip while heading inside before turning and heading back into the pack home, no longer worried about his early morning patrol.

gaining chan's trust now meant you could gain the others' trust more easily. your next target is seungmin and jisung. you noticed the blank stares the two would give when you held up your parchment to speak with them or laugh awkwardly at "my ankle hurts" as if you were telling an unfunny joke. you figure out fairly quickly that neither of them know how to read. you enlist the help of felix to change that at first before realizing that felix, although can recognize enough words to get by, he can't fully read either. which means you now have to get creative. at first you start writing things down and showing them the object. you start with an apple, then move to stick, then move to drawing more abstract words like human and wolf. seungmin takes to reading easier than jisung does, but that doesn't deter the older wolf. if anything, it pushes him more. in combination with teaching them to read, you start trying to communicate with them outside of the paper, gesturing and moving your hands in ways that help them understand what you were trying to express. it doesn't take long before not only seungmin and jisung can understand you, but the whole pack can, too.

the other's trust comes a little less on purpose after that. hyunjin was fortunately easy. you had overheard him gushing to changbin one day about a flower that grew on the east side of their territory. the flower had hyunjin practically swoonin over its sweet scent, describing what you assumed to be jade vine. a few days later, there's a vile of the flower's perfume beside hyunjin's bathing supplies. hyunjin noticed it had mysteriously appeared there after one of your weekly baths. then, hyunjin took notice that there would be new, fresh paint near his easel when he would run out of a color and your hands were slightly stained that same color for days after. changbin's trust comes when you're trying to fix up the green house behind the stained glass windows in your kitchen. it had been a day where your ankle ached had ached all night, keeping sleep just out of reach. changbin had come in to inform you dinner was ready only to find you sitting in the dirt angrily hacking away at a stubborn weed with a knife. he placed a hand on your shoulder before grasping the plant at its base and ripping it out for you. he attempted to hand it back to you, a look of confusion on his face when tears rolled down your cheeks. he sat next to you in the dirt and patted your head while you silently cried in frustration. it clicked to both wolves that someone who cries over dirt and mixes scents and colors wasn't someone looking to harm their pack.

there was still one left who hadn't begun to fully trust you - jeongin. though the outward hostility towards you had eased since gaining the other pack member's trust, you still caught an occasional glare or scoff from him. when you started teaching seungmin and jisung to read, you'd sometimes catch seungmin teaching jeongin what he had just learned from you. additionally, you liked to think your sign language lessons with the pack helped ease the distrust the youngest felt for you. despite the slow progress, jeongin's issues with you started to bother the others. at first, if someone saw jeongin glare at you, they'd glare back or nudge him in silent warning. once - and only once - minho had caught a scoff come from jeongin at something you had said and a deep, territorial growl rumbled over the group. nobody in the pack had ever growled like that to one another before, not even chan when he was pissed off. nobody blamed minho, though, as jeongin had been instigating this for weeks. later that night, you and jeongin had agreed just to give each other space in order to keep the peace between the pack. you two would be cordial with one another, but that's as deep as it went.

"you're spacing out again," minho's voice suddenly shook you from your thoughts about the past month. you were currently sitting on the porch of the same open floor home you'd been staying in while with the pack, a book open in your lap. you were quick to save your place before signing back to him, "sorry, i was thinking."

"does it hurt?" minho joked. the wolf plopped himself in the space beside you. his knee brushing your thigh sent sparks across the skin beneath your pant leg. you shook your head in response to his question, a small smile forming on your lips. you two sat in silence like this, just soaking in each others presence for a while. you did this most days, actually. you never conversed with one another past a greeting or a bit of light teasing, but being next to minho just felt... right. like you'd known him your whole life and words were never needed. you peered over at minho and watched him for a while. his eyes were closed and the afternoon sun hit his features in such a way that it made him look god like. you studied the way his nose would twitch when the light summer breeze changed direction, the way his lips would tilt upwards when his keen ears caught laughter from his pack members. your eyes trailed down to his throat where his adam's apple bobbed gently when he swallowed, then your eyes caught the missing top button on his shirt. a little bit of his collarbone peaked out from it and you wondered what it would feel like to have his chest against yours, feeling his heart beat against your own.

the tug on minho's shirt caught him by surprise, his eyes darting to where your fingers were smoothing the fabric in order to shield his bare chest from prying eyes. minho felt giddy now that there was proof you felt the same mating pull he did. your hands left his shirt to return to your book and he almost let out a whine at the loss of contact. a pensive calm set over the two of you again as you began to read your book once more and minho closed his eyes go back to sun bathing.

"there's a full moon tonight," minho commented after a while, focusing his gaze on you, "we're going out in the forest tonight." "is that why i haven't been hearing a whole lot of wolven mischief today?" you joke and minho lets out a laugh that has your heart skipping. you shut your book before hesitantly adding, "will you be going?" he nods and a look minho can't read settles onto your face. he doesn't like it. "don't look so disappointed, i'll come back," he reassures you, patting your cloaked head lightly. "i know."

you stare at minho a moment before standing, offering him a hand which he accepts. now that the both of you are on your feet, your hands move in a question, "will you help me with something before you go?"

the trek back to your cottage on the edge of the wolves' territory doesn't take long and, as much as you would like to think you're leading the way, you know minho actually is. he holds his hand out to you when you two reach a small stream, helping you cross over it without getting your injured ankle wet. the warmth from his hands feels like it'll burn your skin when it makes contact with your own, your stomach doing flips. you both stare at each other, holding eye contact for what feels like an eternity, before you give minho a quick "thanks" and remove your hand from his. minho almost deflates at the loss of skinship, but stops himself when he remembers you likely don't fully understand what's sparking between the two of you. he wants to tell you. god, does he want to tell you, but chan's words play in his head on repeat. let it come naturally and the rest will fall into place. there's something in the tone chan used when he said it that makes minho's skin crawl just thinking back on it, like chan knows more than he's letting on. but, minho trusts his fellow alpha.

turning on his heel, minho continues to follow you to the old, rundown cottage in the distance. "you seemed like you knew where you were going just a minute ago," you finally manage to ask him. "this used to be the old pack house," he answers simply.

"there is no way all eight of you crammed yourselves into that tiny ass cottage together."

minho chuckles at the thought of eight barely adult wolves stepping over one another in the old cottage. "no, that was when chan, jisung, and i were teenagers. changbin and hyunjin stayed with us, too, for while," minho supplies you before adding almost absentmindedly, "this was all long before seungmin, jeongin, and felix came along, though." you shoot minho an incredulous look after doing the mental math; five werewolves in a house that would fit maybe three of them - comfortably - has you baffled at how they hadn't killed each other long ago. minho shrugs at you, "we made it work and nobody got seriously injured." you sigh at minho's words, suddenly feeling like you'd aged ten years with this knowledge, before another question pops into your head.

"wait, chan's the alpha of your pack, right? does that make you an omega?"

"good question, but no. i'm, also, an alpha. so is changbin and jeongin," minho responds nonchalantly. his answer only makes more questions swirl around your head since, from what you understood of werewolf hierarchies, there was only ever one alpha in a pack at a time and the rest consisted of varying degrees of omegas and betas. minho can practically see the steam coming out of your ears while you try to piece the information he'd given you together.

"pack dynamics are weird," he shrugs simply to you.

before you can say anything else, minho nudges the door of the home open with his foot. pages of books rustle when the breeze from the entrance hits them, kicking up dust that makes minho almost immediately sneeze. you giggle at him and he shoots you a playful glare, making you put your hands up in mock truce. "so, what d'ya need my help with?" minho inquires while you busy yourself around the room.

"i know you're not as strong as changbin-," a growl radiates from minho's chest at your words, causing you to snort. "but, can you help me carry some books back?"

"is that all i'm good for? free labor?" minho teases you and you roll your eyes at him. "if i'd known you were going to be dramatic about this, i would have asked for hyunjin's help instead." you move over to one of the bookshelves to pick up an ancient tome you had placed there when you're suddenly hyperaware of minho's arms beside your head. you turn to look at him and your heart skips a beat when you recognize the possessive look in his suddenly ice blue eyes. minho leans his face closer to yours, hearing your breath hitch when his chest brushes your own and his lips brush the shell of your ear. "don't even think about it."

before you know it, minho's on the other side of the room with one of your books in hand before he tosses it into an empty crate not far from him. your face burns with embarrassment and a hand grips the collar of your cloak. you really need to figure out what's happening between you two and fast otherwise you're afraid your heart will explode.

it's dinner time when you and minho reach the edge of the clearing. the scent of spiced meats from an evening hunt and boiled vegetables from your greenhouse wafts its way into your nostrils, making your stomach groan in hunger. minho thinks it's cute. you would rather die than acknowledge the playful look he gives you about it.

"yn! minho! hurry up or changbin's gonna eat your half!" jisung shouts from the edge of the firepit, hands waving in the air to emphasize his words. you go to grab the crate of books from minho only for him to move them out of your reach, "you heard jisung, go or you'll go to bed hungry." you huff at him, but comply and make your way towards the others. minho, on the other hand, makes his way towards your house instead.

"is anybody else seeing way minho looks at yn? or is it just me?" hyunjin comments wistfully as he watches your interaction with their second in command.

"it has to be the mating pull, right? otherwise the two wouldn't be eye fucking each other all the time," changbin mutters through a mouthful of food. jeongin fake gags though nobody is quite sure if it's because changbin's has half chewed food in his mouth or because the mention of minho having some form of sex with you is repulsive to the youngest.

"eye fucking is not what the mating pull does. and don't talk with your mouth full, you're gonna choke," chan scolds his fellow alpha, tactfully changing the subject upon your swift approach. chan is quick to stand and walk over to where you've sat yourself between jisung and felix, two stacked plates of food in one hand and his own half eaten plate in the other.

"the larger portion is minho's," chan informs you when you take the plates from him, "he's gonna need the fuel for the full moon tonight." you nod at him and chan returns to his seat just as minho comes down the stairs of your home, taking quick strides over to your group. he seats himself in the space between you and felix, taking his plate from your hands. his fingers graze your own and you feel those same sparks under your skin, your mind drifting to what you had caught on the tail end of the group's pre-dinner conversation. the mating pull, you make a mental note to look it up in one of your books later.

conversation between the pack flows easily whilst you eat. since gaining their trust, it's become tradition that, during dinner, a pack member tells you stories of their misadventures prior to you coming around. tonight, it's jisung's turn to tell you the story about the time he, chan, and changbin had accidentally stumbled upon a hunter's camp. apparently, the trio had to disguise themselves as really big dogs in order to live amongst the hunters before they could make a break for it. you catch movement in the corner of your eye while jisung is very animatedly recounting the chase the hunters gave when they figured out no dogs get as big as werewolves did. you watch hyunjin sign something to felix about the story from across the light of the fire. felix quickly stifles a laugh, putting his fingers to his lips, and it makes your chest swell with pride.

the moon begins to streak light over the forest as dinner, and jisung's story, concludes. you're enthralled as each pack member's eyes begin to glow various shades of golds and oranges. you note that, other than minho's blue, jeongin has an odd shine to his eyes. a ruby red color coats over jeongin's once chocolate irises and the color reminds you of a memory you wish you could forget. you see the pack off soon after. seungmin shouts over his shoulder to you, "don't get stuck in a bear trap while we're gone!" you snort and choose to flip him off which he quickly returns before jeongin's hand pulls him deeper into the forest by his collar.

once the eight wolves are out of view, you enter your home and light a candle. you bring the light over to the kitchen table where minho had set the books from the cottage, careful not to extinguish the flame. you take a moment to sort through the books and put them in order on a nearby bookshelf. it doesn't take long before you reach into the bottom of the crate for the last book, confusion washing over you when you pull it out. you don't remember owning this book. the leather bound book is old and weathered with age, the cover of it no longer keeping the pages weighed down. to someone else, it would look like all the other tomes of old you own. but, to you, the parchment is foreign and it unnerves you.

upon opening the cover, you're even more confused when the title of a children's story greets you. the moon goddess and her children. all magical folk know this story, it's the story of werewolf origins. you thumb through the pages as curiosity grips your mind and instead of a picture book, you find paragraphs of ancient lore hidden within. chan's voice from earlier and you mouth the words "mating pull" before flicking through the books pages for the words. you're surprised to find what you're looking for in the third chapter of the book.

"a wolf may only ever have one mate per life time," the book reads, "the moon goddess made the strings of fate decide who needs their other half. many will feel the mating pull, but none will find the end of the string until the time is right." in the margins is a note written in foreign cursive, "what happens when a human mate dies before the mating connection can be completed?" a shiver runs up your spine at the words and howls echo in the distance. you slam the book closed, chest heaving as if you had been running a marathon. something about this book makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and you can't stand the thought of being in the same room as this strange book right now. you hobble over to your room and grab a clean set of clothes before practically bolting out the door and down towards the lake.

there's a slight breeze that rattles the bushes around the lake as minho approaches it for a drink, pink tongue lapping the cold water into his furry muzzle. he's already tired from running around with the younger ones - he and chan had been taking turns keeping them preoccupied and out of trouble - and staying awake for most of the day to spend time with you. your smile comes to mind for a moment and he swears he can smell the bergamot and witch hazel that clings to your skin. raising his head from the water, he realizes just how close to home he had unintentionally wandered. he turns to start heading back to his pack before movement in the trees catch his blue eyes.

minho's pupils dilate when he spots you heading down to the lake bed, a set of fresh clothes in your hands. he's quick to duck down low to the ground, wanting to give you a playful fright. his paws are silent in the underbrush as he begins to follow you. a tree blocks his line of sight on you for a moment and he moves to find a better angle. minho freezes when he spots you again, cloak lying on the ground while your fingers unbutton the front of your shirt. i should leave, minho thinks, but he's frozen in place. maybe it's because his rut cycle is close, maybe it's because you're his mate, but he can't seem to bring himself to turn around to go. you undo the last button of your shirt, shrugging it off before lazily tossing it off to the side somewhere. minho's breath catches in his throat at the scars etched down your arms and your back. runes are carved into your skin and they almost seem to glow under the light of the full moon. some runes look older than others and there are varying degrees of depth to them. the lean muscles in your back reveal a scarred rune in the center of your spine that seems to glow a brighter blue than the others do under the moonlight. magic bubbles just beneath the surface of its jagged edges. your hands move to the waist band of your pants and you shed them, revealing more runes on the skin underneath. minho's ice blue eyes scan every detail of the runes as if trying to commit their shapes to memory. most of the runes are in placed in locations you can reach and he thinks back reading about a coming of age ceremony over your shoulder a few weeks ago. he assumes it's likely a ritual you may have gone through when you were younger. but the fur on minho's back suddenly raises as you step waist deep into the calm waters of the lake, a sinking feeling settling into the pit of his stomach when he realizes the glowing rune embedded in your spine was put there by someone else.

a lone howl sounds from the west, breaking the silence over the lake. to you, it must sound like the boys having fun in the light of the moon, but, to minho, chan is calling him back with light worry in his vocalizations. you turn towards the noise and minho can see the scars under your pectoral muscles, confirming what he'd pieced together about you days into your stay here. minho moves silently in the underbrush while your attention is else where, returning quickly to his pack.

you don't know how long exactly you stay in the calming confines of the lake's waters, staring up at the moon in search of answers to the questions swirling in your mind. your mind races about the book inside your home up on the hill, about what this strange connection is between you and minho, about why jeongin glares at you, about everything. you have no answers for any of it and you hate that. the moon starts to dip below the horizon and you realize you've been in the lake all night, your fingers and toes having pruned long ago. you exhale through your nose in a defeated sigh before ducking beneath the lake to wet your hair one last time. you're quick to head back to shore after that, putting a fresh set of clothes on just as the sun hits the tops of the trees. by the time you make it back up the hill, you can faintly hear eight boisterous werewolves returning from their night with the moon. you make it in the door of your home just as they hit the edge of the pack home, slipping inside and shutting the door as quietly as you can. you turn to face the rest of the room and your eyes immediately find the book on your kitchen table. the ominous feeling returns to your chest.

you move through the room over to the book, a glare set on it. you lift your hand to your chest, fingers shaking slightly, and hesitantly reach for it's torn cover. "what's that?" minho's voice nearly sends your soul to the ceiling. a loud squeak making your throat itch uncomfortably and you start coughing. you hadn't heard him enter despite the boys not knowing what closing a door quietly is. minho is suddenly appearing by your side with a glass of water and his hand between your shoulder blades while you struggle to contain your coughing fit. he rubs your back as the liquid slides down your throat, his eyes locked in on the supple skin there as if in a trance. the thought of his lips against the muscles there crosses his mind before he shrugs it off as pre-rut brain.

"sorry," he whispers to you shyly, ears pink with embarrassment, "i thought you heard me knock." you wave your hands at his words once you finish your water, ignoring the slightly metallic aftertaste lingering on your taste buds from your coughing fit. "it's okay. i was just thinking."

"you do that a lot," minho chuckles, moving his hand from your back to take the now empty glass in your hands for you, "did you sleep well?" you hesitate before replying to the wolf, "if not having to put up a silencing spell over my window from how loud chan and hyunjin snore counts as sleeping well, then yes." minho knows you're lying, but it lets it go and instead chooses to chuckle at your words. "well, if you're up for it, i'm going to be cooking breakfast for everyone. you're welcome to join me in the kitchen." you give him a sheepish look. "don't tell me you can't cook..." he sighs and you just smile awkwardly in response. "c'mon, then," minho chuckles, offering out his hand, "a cooking lesson awaits." it's small, but you give him a genuine smile as you take his hand. the book on your kitchen table is long forgotten in favor of spending time with minho.

the rest of the pack gathers in the dining room while minho teaches you some basic cooking skills, making you comment on how similar to making potions it is only for minho to mock faux offense at the comparison if only to tease you. chan watches the two of you fondly as you move about the kitchen together, a tightness he can't explain settling into his chest. he's quick to shrug it off when felix nudges him, speaking in their native tongue, "they look good together, don't they?" the eldest nods, "yeah. i think yn is a good fit for..." he trails off, but felix grins at the implication in chan's loss of words. "so, you'll let him stay?" felix asks, switching back to everyone's common tongue. minho's ears twinge red and his hands stutter while he cuts vegetables from the kitchen. "i don't see why not," chan shrugs, sitting back in his chair, "this house was built to hold everybody, after all." the other wolves cheer at their head alpha's words while jeongin lets out a soft groan followed by someone kicking him under the table.

"so, you were just playing hard to get," jisung pokes at chan's cheek, the older swatting his hand away. "yes," chan thinks for a moment, "and no. there were other other factors i had to take into consideration, but, ultimately, it's not really my choice. it's the moon's." a mug is raised to chan's lips and a long sip follows, the other boys quieting for a moment.

"speaking of the moon," jeongin finally speaks up, a mischievous grin growing on his face, "does anybody else wanna talk about hyunjin running back with that pack of weasels biting his ankles last night?" the group howls in laughter with their discussion shifting towards the event, much to hyunjin's embarrassment. later that afternoon, minho is searching around for you, his heart beating quickly as the impending fate of his rut begins to set in. he wants to explain to you the distance he's about to have from you isn't personal, but he's unable to locate your whereabouts. you're not reading on your porch, nor are you anywhere in your home. he checked down by the lake, knowing you liked to sit the by calming waters when the pack's endless energy became too much. he thinks maybe you've gone back to the old pack house for more books, but there's no sign of you or anyone around the premises. minho's ready to panic on his trek back to the clearing when his nose catches the scent of bergamot and witch hazel on the wind. his sense of smell guides him to a field of wildflowers on the edge of his pack's territory, a field he hadn't realized existed until now. the wind makes the marigolds and lavender dance in between the rows of sage and rosemary. minho finds you beside a plot of forget-me-nots, your breathing even as you slumber with a book as your pillow. a soft smile graces his lips and he kneels down on the balls of his feet, fingers gently brushing a few stray flower petals from your cheeks. his hands move under your sleeping figure before he lifts you up into his arms. minho stills when you begin to stir only to lean into his touch more, fingers hooking onto his shirt tight. he places a fleeting kiss to the crown of your head before his eyes wander to the book you were reading. though some of the ink on the pages are too faded for him to read without dropping you, he can make out some of what's written on the parchment. his smile grows when he realizes it's a historical book about werwolves and he knows you'll be just fine while he's in rut.

the days that follow the night of the full moon are unusually quiet. minho hasn't left his home since he brought you back from your afternoon nap and it worries you. you'd tried to ask the felix about why he's been under house arrest, but he gave you a sheepish look before telling you to ask hyunjin. hyunjin, on the other hand, shrugged and said he wasn't sure, but the guilty look in his eyes told you he was lying. you asked changbin next, figuring maybe an alpha would have more information about it. changbin simply changed the subject as if you hadn't asked him at all. after that, you tried seungmin, who you assumed would be his usual honest self, but he waved you off with a "he's fine" instead. huffing at their secrecy, you sought jisung out since he was the closest with minho. at first, jisung shrugged and told you he didn't know. when you pressed him further, he squeaked out something about chan having the answers you seek and scurried away to join changbin at the lake. unfortunately, the head alpha wasn't much help, either. when you asked him, he only patted your head, told you not to worry, and sent you away with something from the pack snack pantry.

that's how you find yourself in front of jeongin's door after dinner on the fourth night of minho's sudden disappearance. your hand raises to knock on the wooden slab only to freeze in place. you and jeongin aren't exactly on good terms. sure, you've both stayed cordial with one another since minho had snapped at him. but, he wasn't exactly your biggest fan. you're lost in thought as to how you're going to approach jeongin until the door suddenly opens and the youngest stands on the other side with a glare. "are you gonna stand there with your mouth open? or are you gonna come inside?" he snaps at you before stepping further into his home. you stand there before hesitantly crossing the threshold into jeongin's house.

the inside of his abode is warm from a smoldering fire. candles illuminate various trinkets and bobbles hanging on the walls and the earthy scent of incense catches your nose. jeongin's home is neat, but lived in. an empty glass sits in his wash basin and there's crumbs from a mid afternoon snack still on the kitchen table. jeongin stands against the entrance to his kitchen, arms crossed sternly over his chest when he raises an eyebrow at your prying eyes. "it's cozy in here. it suits you," you comment, trying to ease the tension between you two. he scoffs, "you didn't come here to make small talk, we both know that. you're here to ask about minho hyung, right?" your hands fall back to your sides and you nod, a look of disappointment at his crossness with you melting over your face. he ignores it and rolls his eyes, "he's in rut." your blank expression makes him groan. "for someone so damn smart, you sure are stupid..." he mutters to himself before continuing, "a rut. its when a werewolf's hormones go haywire and the wolf gets... agitated. they have a hard time controlling themselves, especially when their mate lives across the way from them." you don't think jeongin meant to say that last bit out loud, but he doesn't show it if he cares or not. his words make something in your head click. mate, like soulmate. the realization that you and minho are bound together by the moon's bond, that you two are soulmates, hits you like a ton of bricks. jeongin's sigh breaks you from your revelation, "go home, yn. minho needs space right now and i don't want you in here ever again." you nod and jeongin turns to leave before stopping when your hand catches his sleeve gently. he whips around, ready to yell at you for touching him, but your hands move before he can get any scathing words out.

"thank you."

you quickly exit the dwelling, leaving jeongin with a conflicted feelings swirling beneath his chest. you head back home with a new understanding.

three more days pass before minho steps out of his home, the effects of his rut subsiding. it had been hard to keep himself from seeking you out in the seven days he was locked away. granted, chan made sure he was taken care of, bringing him food and water when needed. but, it took every ounce of self control and patience in minho not to tear his front door from its hinges in order to get a glimpse of your figure. on days where your scent wafted into his nostrils, he had to bite his hand so the pain would bring his head back down to earth. minho rubbed lightly at the marks between his wrist and thumb, the skin there tender and irritated. early morning sun shown down on the congregation of pack homes as minho makes it down the stairs of his porch. a chill is already on the wind, signaling summer's reprieve. the pack was buzzing about despite how early it was, making the second oldest wolf wonder why everyone was so busy. nobody seemed to notice him yet and he took this chance to observe. dark eyes danced lazily around in search of you. it didn't take minho very long to spot your silhouette rounding the corner of felix's home, the blonde talking your ear off about something he couldn't make out. minho's eyes raked slowly over your figure and something felt different about you, something softer, lighter. he assumes it must be a lingering effect of his rut now that he's found his mate.

"minho!" jisung grinned at him, forcing said male's eyes to dart over to his best friend, "how ya feelin'?" "like shit, thanks," minho grumbles, shoving his hands into his pockets, "what's with all the commotion?" "we're going into town," jeongin grins excitedly from where he and seungmin are stacking empty crates onto a wagon. "what for? didn't we stock up on supplies like... two months ago," minho inquires, puzzled as to what the pack could possibly need from the humans so soon. he's trying to do the math in his head, baffled at how four months worth of food and medicine could be gone in two. "well, someone," chan speaks up, giving changbin and jeongin a pointed stare, "ate up most of our supplies. and with another mouth to feed, we've had to make more food than normal. besides, i think we all need a little bit of fresh air." the two culprits look away like they hadn't heard the pack alpha.

"there's fresh air all around us, what could a stinky human village give us other than tar in our lungs?" seungmin complains from where he now sits beside the wagon. "that's not how that works," you chide the younger wolf. "didn't you mention you needed stuff from the village, too, ynie?" changbin nudges you, moving you closer to minho's proximity as he wanders to join your group. minho nearly growls at the nickname in jealousy. "yeah," you confirm before expanding on the topic, "i need some herbs for samhain. it's not for a few months, but there are things that i need to dry in preparation." "what's sandhand?" hyunjin whispers over to jisung louder than intended, earning himself a soft smack to the back of the head from chan who was now standing beside them. you let out a breathy chuckle, "not sandhand, samhain. the autumn equinox." murmurs of understanding suddenly pass over the group and your smile faulters slightly when their excitement doesn't match your own. "what all does samhain entail?" minho pipes up when you start to deflate, his curiosity genuine, though the added bonus of watching you talk about your passions creates incentive as well. you grin at him and move your hands up to begin your rant about the old witchy traditions. chan is quick to interject, however. "why don't you tell us on the way? that way we're not stuck returning home after dark," chan suggests, impatiently, before everyone piles into the back of the wagon. minho holds out his hand for you to take when you approach the wagon. you stare at his hand a moment before taking it. if you notice the bites on his hands, you don't say anything about it. you're sat between minho and hyunjin when chan calls from the driver's seat of the wagon, "everyone ready?" a chorus of confirmation echoes out over your pack before the wheels lurch forward and your journey begins. conversations between various pack members flow like a river and you're nudged by one of the two sat next to you to start your discussion of what exactly samhain is.

you tell tales of the bonfires you and your fellow witches would burn on warm sandy beaches and dank river beds, of the sweet apple cider and spiced pumpkin seeds you would offer to your ancestors. you speak of the elaborate animal masks children would wear while elders divined what the next six months would bring their covens and teenagers on the cusp of adulthood would get their first runes. you explained that thinning of the veil amplified your magical abilities and, sometimes, you'd be able to hear the words of loved ones no longer in this world. you even recounted the time you swore you saw the moon goddess smiling down at you from her perch in the sky. "there's no way you saw her," jeongin scoffs at you in disbelief. "i was still a kid, so maybe it was my imagination," you acknowledge, but your grin only widens with your next statement, "but i think it really was her." "ohhh, i think i get it," hyunjin interjects, "it's kinda like a witch version of what we do during the full moon." you nod excitedly at hyunjin in confirmation. "honestly, it sounds kinda fun," chan chuckles from the front, arm slung over the back of his seat, so he could be included in the conversation. "aren't you supposed to be driving?" jeongin chides. "changbin's got it," the blonde shrugs. "wait, is changbin pulling the cart?!" you ask, incredulously, before standing slightly. sure enough, a massive umber wolf stands at the opposite end of the wagon when you peer past chan. if it weren't for how his tail wagged happily whilst pulling the eight of you along, you would worry for changbin's health. it's then that the cart goes over a particularly large rock on the forest floor, causing you to lose your balance. everyone braces themselves and your injured ankle gives out from under you. you wait to bounce your face off the floor, but a pair of strong hands shoot to your waist in an attempt to steady you. another rock gets tossed under the wagon's wheel and you're knocked back into a solid chest. "changbin!" chan shouts in warning from where he was nearly thrown off the side. a low grumble from the wolf in front is all chan gets in response and you think it sounds almost like a laugh. "you okay?" minho's lips are beside your ear, hands still at your waist until you nod. your face feels hot at the contact. he lets out a chuckle and moves you out of his lap, back into your seat. you wipe your sweaty palms on your trousers and try to still the beating of your heart. you think you hear jeongin and seungmin gag through the heart beat in your ears.

it takes your group two more hours before you reach any semblance of a road. the edge of the forest draws closer and the wagon comes to a stop in the underbrush a few feet from the roadway. chan gets out first to unhook changbin from the cart, the younger of the two immediately laying flat in the grass with heavy panting once freed. "minho, i'm gonna stay with changbin til he's rested up, so you're in charge of the pups," chan calls while everyone else unloads. "got it!" minho replies, leaning over chan's seat to check on changbin. hyunjin stretches out beside you while he waits for everyone else to get out, "i hope the apothecary lady's there today." "which one?" jisung snorts from beside him. "the one that always smells like dahlias, duh," hyunjin replies, arms around jisung's neck while a hand ruffles his hair. jisung shoves hyunjin's hands away from his head with a pout before following behind felix to exit, muttering under his breath about personal space. hyunjin follows after with a sharp laugh and minho expects you to follow soon after. instead, you suddenly grab his hand and it sends a shiver down his spine. his dark eyes meet yours under that damn cloak you always wear and your eyes flicker from his down to where your hand gingerly grips his own. your fingers ghost over the teeth marks on his skin before you let go and get up. minho's brows knit together in confusion. he doesn't have a moment to dwell on it, however, when felix goes to race jeongin to the village. "not so fast!" minho growls, "grab a crate before you race." the boys groan, but do as they're told. once your group is far enough away, chan turns to changbin's wolven form, "you hit those rocks on purpose."

the village market is small compared to the ones you're used to. but small in size doesn't mean lacking in quality. your group of seven is dispersed into pairs once minho gives everyone their shopping lists and a crate to carry. hyunjin and felix are paired together to grab fruits and vegetables while jeongin and jisung are instructed to gather materials to replace old clothes and blankets. minho puts himself with seungmin to collect all the other miscellaneous supplies before turning to you. you've already migrated down into some of the stalls, looking at jewelry in one of the many booths. a small smile tugs on his lips when you pick up one of the anklets there, the intricate charms laced around its edges jingle lightly against one another on the simple gold band. "you have great tastes," the shop keep grins at you, hoping to make a sale off of you, "it has a partner as well." the old woman is quick to pick up another circlet nearby as minho approaches. the band on the partnered set is smaller, likely to be worn as a bracelet rather than an anklet. the charms are different on the two pieces, but they tell a story that goes together. you smile when you spot a howling wolf charm on both accessories. "how much?" minho asks the old shop keep. "five gold," she grins at the both of you, making minho cringe at the price. you look up at him and frown. "maybe a different day," he smiles to you apologetically, your hands already setting the jewelry back down on the table. a pout forms on your lips as minho ushers you over to a different stall where seungmin is currently haggling heatedly with the shop keep.

an hour or two passes and the pack's errands are nearly complete, the market now suddenly bustling with people crowding the stalls. you choose to stand back from where minho and seungmin are currently arguing with one of the other customers over the last herb at a stall. you laugh quietly to yourself at the two before your eyes are turned to people watch instead - a tired young man at one of the stalls yawns while his head lulls to the side on the cusp of sleep. a group of children run past with a ball rolling beneath their feet. a couple speak in hushed voices and giggles, their hands intertwined while they walk. you spot a mother wrangling her two sons while their father holds an infant in his arms, smiles on all of their faces. for a moment, the scene makes your heart twinge in longing. longing not for a family, but for belonging. you yearn for a sense of purpose to be renewed within you. you move your gaze from the family quickly, eyes now falling on a store front that has "apothecary" written on its door. there's a faint symbol below the script, a witch's rune staring at those who know to look for it. you think back to what hyunjin said at the beginning of your trek about a woman smelling of dahlias and you move towards it, eager to see what the building has to offer you.

a bell rings when the door opens and you find yourself the only customer in the store at the moment. "welcome," a young woman's voice calls from behind the counter. you nod at her in greeting. "is there anything i can help you find?" she inquires, eyeing you warily when you don't verbally respond. instead, you walk up to her and produce a list from your pockets. she reads it a moment and grins at you, "ah, i recognize a samhain list when i see one. give me just a moment, hun." she's up and past the door leading to the back in a second to gather your supplies, leaving you alone again. you catch a whiff of dahlia perfume on her and smile, knowing hyunjin will be happy if he comes by. your eyes wander the shop while you wait. it's full of various plants, potions, and tinctures. a fern sticks out of a pot near the door while petrified roots of adder's tongue and begonia sit in jars on one wall. the other wall has books lining dustless shelves that beckon you to them. your hand instinctually ghosts over the delicate spines of the books, titles you've already read or own flying by. you stop on the last book on the fifth row, the familiar script on the spine is worn with age, but still legible. you pull the book of curses out from its spot on the shelf and take it in your hands like an old friend, heart suddenly pounding in your chest. a shaking finger peels the cover back and your handwriting stares back at you, property of one yn yln. please return if found. the young woman comes out of the back and sees which book you're holding, "ah, good choice. there's no actual curses in that book, but it's good if you're looking to break one. i can add it to your purchase if you'd like." while her hands busy themselves with wrapping up your order, you turn to her slowly. it takes a moment for your brain to register what she said to you before you nod, hands still trembling when you place the book down. you pay for the items before you grab your list back from her, miming writing to ask for a quill. she happily gives it to you, believing you'll ask her for something else. you frantically write down a question as your panic rises the longer you stand in this shop. "who sold you this book?" "ah," she responds, a hand coming up to her chin while she thinks, "it was a younger girl, maybe in her twenties? she had dark hair and the most unusual looking eyes, even for a warlock. said its owner was on their death bed and she had no use for it." you want to vomit at her words. "when?" you scribble in response. "a couple weeks ago, i think. why? do you know her?" you don't reply. the panic and fear in your chest causing you to bolt out of the shop. you slam into a warm chest when you exit, a sharp yelp coming out of the person in front of you. "yn! oh shit, what's wrong? wait- where are you going?!" you ignore hyunjin and felix's calls as you race down alley ways and side streets, searching for the safety of the forest.

you charge down the road to the forest, the ankle you had injured screaming at you. you don't stop. you can't stop. not until you're legs give out from under you and you've collapsed onto the ground, chest heaving painfully. panicked sobs rip violently through your body as you lay amongst dead leaves and roots coming up for air, your breathing quickening its pace while dark spots dance at the edges of your vision. one of your shaking hands grasp at your chest while the other grips the dirt below you. roots and vines from nearby trees creak and whine as they curl around your trembling body, your magic reacting protectively to your emotional state. you think you hear your name being called off in the distance somewhere. your hands move to cover your ears, eyes squeezing shut. you're on the verge of passing out when the roots and vines of your mini dome creating an entrance, your magic reacting to something approaching. when they finish, your mate crouches down to investigate the inside. the image of you curled up on the forest floor, hyperventilating with tears cascading down your cheeks, has minho feeling light headed. somehow, he manages to stay calm. he crawls into the protective shell with you and the roots quickly repair themselves shut. "yn," he calls to you quietly. you shake your head in response and he pushes further, "yn. listen to my voice, love. it's me, it's minho." your eyes open at his name and he lays down with you. he reaches for your hand, his calloused palm moving your soft fingers to rest on one of his pecs. you go to rip your hand away from his, but he holds it firm. "hey, hey, hey, it's okay," minho is quick to soothe you, "just focus on my heart beat, 'kay?" your wild eyes stare into his, your pupils blown wide with fear, before you close them again. minho's heart beat is soothing, the steady thumping in his chest making your muscles relax. "good," he praises you, "now breathe with me, baby." minho doesn't wait for you to reply, instead taking a deep breath before exhaling slowly. you match him on the second breath until the faint feeling in your legs goes away. "that's my good boy," minho whispers, pulling you closer. one arm wraps around your waist and the other wipes tears from your reddened cheeks. your eyelids flutter open, the protective barrier retreating back into the soil of the earth. the two of you stay like this for a while, soaking in each others body heat and presence. your faces are close to one another and minho has the fleeting idea to kiss you, claim your lips for himself. he lets the idea go and stands slowly with you. you sniff and wipe your eyes with the heel of your palm one last time, your other hand never leaving minho's. you didn't realize how much time had passed until your eyes shoot to where the sun is preparing to kiss the horizon. "c'mon," the wolf beside you instructs, his hand tugging you along, "everyone's waiting." you go to move and groan at the pain shooting through your ankle. you look down and see the ankle you had previously injured now swollen. minho sighs and releases your hand. you feel cold at the loss of his touch before he warms you again, placing you on his back. the scent of mint and petrichor makes its way into your nostrils, your arms locking around his neck, and you find yourself suddenly exhausted. your eyelids droop and, before you know it, you're lulled into the land of dreams.

chan is cursing himself as he paces through trampled underbrush. you and minho haven't been seen since you nearly tackled hyunjin outside of the apothecary. he's lucky seungmin had been beside minho when felix approached the two, words of your distraught state sending the second in command sending minho scrambling into the surrounding area after you. chan has half a mind to send a search party for you both as the sun gets lower in the sky. "you're gonna burn a hole in the ground," changbin mutters to his friend from where he sits on the ground, fists clenched together as if he were holding himself back. "i don't understand why we can't just leave yn's ass and go home," jeongin complains dully from his seat on the edge of the wagon. "dude, what the fuck is your problem?!" seungmin scolds the youngest before chan can, "you've been nothing but cruel and mean to yn since he got here. and he's done nothing to you, but be nice." jeongin glares at his brother, nostrils flaring angrily, "maybe it's because you're all too trusting of some witch that randomly showed up, claiming minho is his mate." "that's not what happened and you know it," seungmin growls at jeongin, "yn has tried time and time again to get to know you - to know all of us. he's tried to bond with you and get to know you and every single time you snap at him like the dirt under your fucking paw! do you see the look on his face after you snap at him?! do you see the way his shoulders tense when you're being an asshole?! no, you don't! you have your head too far up your-!" "enough!" chan bellows at the two siblings. a tense silence lingers in the air between everyone, a few members of the pack shrinking back slightly. "seungmin, don't curse at your brother," chan sighs before turning to the youngest, a stern look set on him, "jeongin, he's right. yn is part of this pack now, whether you like it or not. you could at least learn to be kinder to him." jeongin glares at chan for a moment before his gaze moves away from everyone, his arms coming to rest on his chest. a heavy sigh comes from the eldest before he turns his line of sight back to the horizon just in time to see minho carrying you on his back through the trees. jisung, felix, and hyunjin race towards the pair and changbin relaxes with a shaky sigh. the worry blooming in chan's chest ebbs away only to spike back up when he sees you slumped over minho's dirt covered clothes. he only relaxes when he sees the steady rise and fall of your back. the group quiets when they see you sleeping and seungmin helps minho place you into the back of the wagon. chan stops minho as the second eldest goes to grab a blanket that jeongin had bought at the market, voice low, "what happened?" minho looks away, fists clenching so hard on the edge of the wagon chan fears he may break the wood. "i... i don't know," is all the eldest receives before his hand is shrugged off. minho slips your head gently into his lap once the blanket is placed over you. changbin shifts with jeongin and the two take up pulling your cart back home.

nobody speaks on the journey back. some are too afraid they'll wake you and others are still trying to come down from heightened emotions.