[Oneshot] Enemies Beware - Part One
Title: Enemies Beware
Pairing: Chanyeol/Chen, side Kris/Suho & Kai/Taemin, mentioned D.O/Sehun & Kangin/Leeteuk
Genre: Supernatural, Romance
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 30,972
Summary: The war between wolves and vampires has raged on for centuries. Chanyeol, the Lead Alpha of his pack, has no idea what caused it, only that the vampires are his enemy... Until one night when he runs into a vampire that he can't seem to get out of his head.
Warning:[Spoiler (click to open)]war setting, minor character death, imprinting, knotting, smut, blood drinking, mention of guns, minor violence, A/B/O dynamics, humans as pets
Author's Notes: I'm really thankful for my amazing betas, queenbee_12 and thesockmonster! Seriously, this fic wouldn't have been possible without their endless amount of patience and support. ;~;
Thank you to everyone on TList who cheered me on the entire time I was writing, and I'm sorry for complaining so much about writing. It was such a struggle to get this damn thing done on time. OTL
And last, but not least, a big thank you goes out the mods, because without them, I would never have thought I was capable of writing a story that's over 30k! <3
Originally posted here for the_exordium challenge.
They’re on a routine supply run - one they have done many times before - so they shouldn’t run into any problems tonight. But Chanyeol’s luck quickly changes when he hears the sound of Jongin howling, and he pauses in the middle of the empty street, listening intently. The only reason to call for his attention is if one of them runs into vampires. Hearing Sehun growling soon after kicks Chanyeol into action, and by the time he catches up to his packmates, it’s to see a couple of vampires walking down the street toward them.
He calls out to the wolves and they are by his side in a second, taking a defensive stance on either side of him, the supplies they had gathered lay forgotten on the ground. The vampires in front of them do the same, straightening up and standing closer together, one slightly in front of the other, protective. They are both relatively the same height with a similar small build, but the sworn enemies of the wolves are not to be underestimated no matter how unimposing they seem.
Chanyeol has never seen these particular vampires before, doesn’t know what they’re capable of, but somehow he senses that there is something different about them. They’re almost like the wolves, they look scared, as if they’re not looking for a fight either.
Chanyeol knows that Jongin and Sehun would have his back, but he always waits until the vampires make the first move. And these vampires look like they’d rather feed on rats for the rest of their lives than be the ones to strike first. Chanyeol goes with what his gut tells him and takes a chance, taking a step back. His wolves follow, putting even more distance in between them and the vampires.
“What are you doing?” Jongin hisses, his eyes never once leaving their enemies. He doesn’t trust them and Chanyeol doesn’t blame him. They’ve all lost loved ones in the war against the vampires.
“We have them outnumbered,” Chanyeol replies quietly, cautious of being overheard. “They’re not going to attack us.” He hopes.
“They’ll just come back with reinforcements,” Sehun whispers. “Then we’ll be the ones that are outnumbered.”
“They won’t,” Chanyeol says, even if he’s not entirely sure that Sehun is wrong. Vampires may be faster, but wolves are a hell of a lot stronger; it’ll take more than a few of them to talk a wolf down. They should be fine as long as they can make it back to the forest before they’re followed.
So far, so good. The vampires haven’t moved a muscle, Chanyeol isn’t even sure if they’re blinking. And when Chanyeol gets to the end of the street, right where they need to turn their backs on the vampires, the wind picks up. Chanyeol sees the vampires’ hair sway and the wind carries the scent through the air, all the way to Chanyeol’s nose. He freezes, and beside him, Jongin and Sehun do the same.
“What is it?” Sehun asks.
“N-nothing,” Chanyeol replies, because he’s not sure how well it’d go over with his packmates if he told them that one of those vampires smells better to him than any wolf ever has. “Let’s get out of here. Go.”
Chanyeol waits until Sehun and Jongin have already started running in the direction of their den. With one last glance over his shoulder at the vampires, he takes off after them. Because if he stays any longer, he might be tempted to go over there and that is definitely a Very Bad Idea.
Jongdae doesn’t wait for Joonmyun this time. He wants some time alone, needs some fresh air again and he can’t even hear himself think over Joonmyun’s constant nagging. He waits in a dark corner of the mansion until Taemin moves into position, barely wearing anything so he can seduce Jongdae’s body guards. The guards easily fall into Jongdae’s trap, making a quick meal out of the human’s blood. Jongdae can hear Taemin’s quiet moans echo as he makes his way down the hallway towards the back entrance and he’s out the door.
It only takes a moment before he’s out of sight from the coven and into the streets. It’s still a bit crowded since the sun has only just set, but Jongdae doesn’t have to worry about that, easily blending in with the humans. He attracts a few stares from people as they go about their business, but they mostly leave him be. There’s something so relaxing about losing himself in between the humans, where he can pretend he’s still alive and doesn’t have the whole weight of a coven and a raging war on his small shoulders.
Out here, he is nothing more than a stranger, not a vampire, not a prince. Out here, he doesn’t have the pressure of someday taking over and ruling the coven, a position that once belonged to his brother, but now falls to Jongdae after Jongdeok’s unfortunate death.
Time flies the more Jongdae walks among the humans, and eventually it’s late enough that the crowds start to thin and he’s left alone in the night. He finds himself in a not-so-familiar part of town, too far away from the coven. Jongdae has been here before, but only once - the other night on a walk with Joonmyun, when they spotted three wolves stalking through the night.
Jongdae’s nearly standing in the same spot he was that night, when Joonmyun stepped in front of him at the sight of their enemies. Tonight the wolves are nowhere to be seen, but somehow Jongdae can still feel them there, sense their lingering hatred and fear.
Jongdae is young enough that he doesn’t know what started a war between the two kinds, and the elders refuse to speak of it. He wonders if the wolves remember why they’ve been fighting for the past several hundred years, or if they have just been taught to hate the vampires. He remembers the look in those wolves’ eyes when they had crossed paths that night. The wolves hadn’t attacked them, but pulled back instead. They left, lived to fight another day.
It was a good call for both sides. Jongdae and Joonmyun are not fighters. In the event of a battle, they both would have lost their undead lives to the wolves.
As Jongdae makes his way over to where the wolves had been that night, and movement in the shadows catches his attention. The beating of a heart takes over the silence of the empty street. It’s too loud to be an animal, too fast to be a human. That could only mean one thing...
A wolf in human form steps out from the darkness, but not just any wolf. It’s one of the wolves from that night, the biggest one, the one in charge. The main alpha, perhaps? He’s tall and broad, thick with muscle. The wolf could easily tear him apart before Jongdae would even know what is happening.
The monster takes a step toward him and Jongdae feels the panic overtake him, paralyzing him where he stands virtually defenceless in the middle of the street. To make matters worse, he’s completely alone, doesn’t stand a chance against this beast. “Please,” he says before he can stop himself, trying to keep the fear that’s creeping over him from showing.
“I won’t attack unless you move against me first,” the wolf tells him in a deep voice, but despite his words he continues to advance on Jongdae.
Jongdae should have brought Joonmyun with him, some guards. Or better yet, he should never have left the coven in the first place. That would look really great for the vampires, the last surviving member of their royal family sneaking out of the mansion to get himself killed by a wolf. Or worse, if they decide to take him alive. There are many secrets Jongdae could tell if they were to torture him. He takes another step away and shudders in fear when his back connects with the brick wall behind him. He’s trapped.
“What are you doing here?” Jongdae asks, attempting to straighten up, stand his ground. Maybe he can trick the wolf into thinking he’s not afraid.
It works, or at least Jongdae thinks it does. The wolf stops with a fair amount of distance still between them. “What are you?” he counters. “Why did you come here alone?”
Shit. “I’m not alone!” Jongdae lies, but the wolf doesn’t seem convinced. Jongdae can hear the rapid beating of his heart, adrenaline pumping as if he’s getting ready for a fight. Jongdae only stands a chance if he can make a run for it. If all else fails he can always outrun a wolf, he may be small but he’s incredibly fast. He just needs to get away without being captured.
“What’s your name?” The wolf asks and Jongdae merely blinks up at him. It’s not what he was expecting to hear. “I’m Chanyeol.”
“Jongdae,” he replies after a moment, not really sure why it’s important for the wolf to know his name, but he’ll do whatever it takes to distract him. If he’s lucky he can slip away before the wolf realizes it.
“Jongdae,” Chanyeol repeats, deep and slowly. And it’s not just fear that Jongdae’s feeling anymore, but something else. Something he can’t put a name to. Maybe it’s just the sound of his heart beating or the intense look in his eyes as he stares Jongdae down.
“I have to go,” Jongdae abruptly tells him and surprisingly Chanyeol doesn’t budge as Jongdae sweeps passed him.
Being too close to Chanyeol, too close to the rapid pulsing of the blood in the wolf’s veins serves as a reminder of just how long it has been since Jongdae last fed. It makes his fangs itch with the need to sink them into something soft and warm. He flees before he’s tempted to take a bite out of a wolf, out of Chanyeol. He’ll send for one of the human pets they keep at the coven and drink until his belly is full and all thoughts of the wolf have been erased from his mind.
Chanyeol had been coming back to this spot for days, as if he is drawn to it. Like the lingering scent of the vampire kept pulling him back. He never thought that he’d ever see the vampire again. Never thought he’d get to see Jongdae again. And now that he knows which one had been giving off the scent, he has a name and a face to blame for why he’s been so distracted lately.
He lets Jongdae go only because he can’t bear to stop him. He wants to keep Jongdae close, but at the same time he wants to get as far away as possible. He shakes the disturbing thoughts from his head. Jongdae is a vampire and Chanyeol is wolf, the only thing he should be thinking about is how to kill him. Take him out and there will be one less vampire for his pack to worry about.
In his wolf form, Chanyeol races back to the forest where his pack lives. He concentrates on nothing but the wind rushing through his fur, the sounds that his paws make against the ground, his heart beating wildly inside his chest. If he thinks about other things, there will be no room in his head for Jongdae.
“You’ve been spacing out a lot,” Kris comments, startling Chanyeol out of this thoughts. He’d been looking up at the wind rushing through the trees and got lost in thoughts about a certain tiny vampire.
“No, I haven't,” Chanyeol replies automatically, despite how obvious the lie is. There isn’t a moment when he can’t get that stupid vampire out of his head and it’s enough to drive him mad. If only he had these kinds of thoughts about a fellow wolf instead. Chanyeol feels like he’s betraying the sacred trust of his own pack.
“You have,” Kris insists, taking a seat next to Chanyeol on the deerskin blanket. “For one thing, I was able to sneak up on you too easily. I didn’t even have to try.” And when Chanyeol stays silent, he asks, “Is there anything you want to tell me?”
Chanyeol sighs. He can’t possibly burden Kris with his problems. He’ll deal with it on his own. Somehow. Maybe he just needs to finally choose a mate out of the available wolves in his pack. But there is no one that has caught his eye yet. He’ll just have to deal with his need to be around Jongdae until he finds a suitable mate.
“Well, then talk about this,” Kris says in that tone that means trouble. “Our food supplies are getting low again. Are you planning on waiting until we actually run out before we go out for the next hunt?”
“Damn it,” Chanyeol curses. He’s been letting himself get too caught up in his own head that he’s been neglecting the needs of his pack. Some Alpha he’s turning out to be. “Go find Jongin and Sehun. We leave in ten minutes.”
Kris nods at the order, but he doesn’t leave right away.
“Is there something else you wanted to tell me?”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Kris asks. He knows Kris is asking as his best friend now instead of the pack’s second in command alpha.
“I’m fine,” Chanyeol assures him. He gives Kris the best impression of a smile that he can manage. Kris doesn’t look like he’s buying it. Chanyeol sighs. “I will be.”
Jongin comes to find him right away, while Sehun only shows up right before they’re about to leave. It doesn’t surprise him because he knows how lazy Sehun can be, always choosing the last possible moment to follow through with the orders he’s been given.
Chanyeol leaves instructions with Zitao and a couple other betas to go gather any berries and fruits that they can find near the den. He doesn’t want them wandering too far off without any protection, especially since he’ll be taking the strongest and fastest wolves with him on the hunt.
Once Chanyeol’s satisfied that the pack will be fine for a few hours without them, he leads Kris, Jongin and Sehun into the forest. They’re quieter, faster in wolf form, darting in between the trees as they race each other East, toward the edge of their territory. It’s not long until they reach one of their usual hunting spots. Kris slinks off like he always does, waiting in the shadows until Jongin and Sehun can sniff out their next meal.
Jongin picks up the trail of a buck and they follow his lead through the forest until they reach the stream that flows along the edge of their territory. There are a number of deer in the clearing and Chanyeol nuzzles his face against Jongin’s neck in appreciation for his great find. If all goes well they’ll be able to take down four or five of them and Chanyeol’s pack will be well fed for another week at least.
Chanyeol nudges Jongin and Sehun into action and as soon as they leap into the clearing, the deer take off straight ahead. Chanyeol’s only a second behind them, taking up the rear. Jongin works on keeping the deer together while Sehun’s howling into the night. Once Kris answers back, he steers them in that direction.
They’ve done this a million times, everything is going according to plan. That is, until Sehun gets his foot caught on a root that’s protruding from the ground. He stumbles and lands face first in the dirt. Chanyeol growls in Sehun’s direction but he doesn’t have time to stop because their food is getting away. Now that Sehun’s gone from their right, a couple of the deer have escaped and Chanyeol has to pick up the pace to keep the others from getting away too.
In the end they only manage to catch one deer, and Chanyeol is pissed. They’ll have to go out hunting again later and see if they can sneak up on any deer when they’re sleeping. It’s a lot harder to do though, but his pack needs the food. Chanyeol toys with the idea of not letting Sehun come back to the den until he catches a deer by himself. That would certainly teach him not to screw up on a hunt again.
“Take the buck back to the den,” Chanyeol tells Kris and Jongin. “I’ll go deal with Sehun.”
Except when Chanyeol reaches the spot where he had left Sehun, he’s not expecting to find the wolf in the same position he left him in. “Sehun?” He doesn't even budge, and Chanyeol rushes over to him, the anger from earlier dissipating into worry. Chanyeol carefully lifts Sehun’s head off the ground, brushing the dirt from his cheeks with his thumb. His skin is warm to the touch, much hotter than it should be.
“Sehun?” Chanyeol repeats, gently prodding at Sehun’s shoulder. “Can you hear me?” There’s no movement save for a slight fluttering of eyelids and the shallow rise and fall of Sehun’s chest. “Shit,” he curses, dreading finding out about whatever has practically sucked the life out of the youngest member of the pack.
Chanyeol quickly and easily lifts the unconscious wolf off the ground and cradles him protectively against his chest. He has to hurry back to the den, but with the extra weight and only using two legs, it’ll take a while. Chanyeol just hopes that Sehun will last the journey through the woods.
An hour later and Chanyeol is close enough to be heard when he howls. His pack comes out of the den to greet him, not expecting to see their alpha carrying Sehun in his arms.
“What the hell happened?” Kris demands, not afraid to be the first one to break the silence. “I thought you were going to teach him a lesson, not kick the shit out of him.”
Chanyeol growls, snapping his jaw threateningly in Kris’ direction for daring to insinuate that he had anything to do with Sehun’s current condition. “Fuck you,” he practically hisses. “This wasn’t me. Someone bring me Yixing. Now.” A pair of omegas rush off back toward the den.
“He’s going to be okay, right?” Jongin asks from Chanyeol’s right, nuzzling his cheek against Sehun’s unmoving shoulder.
“Don’t do that,” Chanyeol snaps and Jongin shrinks away, hurt by Chanyeol’s harsh tone. Chanyeol sighs. “He has some sort of fever,” he explains. “It’s best if no one else gets exposed to it. We won’t know if he’ll be okay until we can figure out what’s wrong with him.”
“Let me through,” Yixing’s soft voice comes from behind the crowd gathered around Chanyeol and Sehun. Chanyeol watches as the wolves part to make room for Yixing, the pack’s expert healer. “What happened?” he asks, placing his hand on Sehun’s forehead to check his temperature. “He’s burning up.”
“He was slower than usual earlier,” Chanyeol says, trying to remember every detail about Sehun from earlier. “He tripped in the forest during the hunt, or maybe he just collapsed, I don’t know. When I went back for him... He hadn’t moved an inch from where he fell.”
Yixing hums, gesturing for Chanyeol to bring Sehun back to the den. “He hasn't been eating much today,” Jongin pipes up, and Chanyeol’s thankful he decided to stick around. He spends the most time around Sehun, knows him better than anyone else. “He didn’t get up until around noon and then was napping the rest of the day. Until we needed to go hunt, that is.”
“I see,” Yixing comments as Chanyeol very carefully places Sehun down on the fur blankets spread out on the floor where Yixing sleeps in the den. “Thank you.”
Chanyeol waits around while Yixing asks the pack members to fetch him things for Sehun, water, more blankets, clean rags. Finally, when it’s just the two of them and Sehun, Chanyeol puts his hand on Yixing’s shoulder to get his attention. “You already know what this is, don’t you?” he asks, afraid to know the answer. “Is this what I think it is?”
Yixing covers Chanyeol’s hand with his own, giving it a quick squeeze. “Unfortunately, it’s exactly what you think it is.”
Chanyeol remembers quite clearly, the deadly fever that spread through the pack many years ago when he was just a pup. It took out nearly as many wolves as the war with the vampires did, including Chanyeol’s mother. He hasn’t forgotten how devastating the virus had been and he’ll be damned if he lets it happen again.
“There’s a cure for it though,” Chanyeol says. “I survived it and others did too.”
“Yes,” Yixing agrees, busying himself with tending to Sehun. “The cure is quite easy to produce, once I have all the ingredients.”
“Okay, tell the others what you need and-”
Yixing shakes his head sadly. “If only the ingredients were that easy to obtain. Then maybe we wouldn’t have lost so many wolves last time.”
“What are you talking about?”
Yixing thanks Jongin when he comes in with a fresh bowl of water for Sehun. He dips a rag in the cool water, ringing out the excess and drapes it over Sehun’s forehead. He uses another rag to wipe the sweat collecting on Sehun’s overheated skin. “One of the main ingredients, petals of a special kind of wildflower... Well, the only known location that it grows is on the grounds of the vampire’s coven. Everything else is easily obtainable.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Chanyeol groans, cursing his luck. “We’ve got no other choice, “I’ll have to go get it myself.”
“You don’t know what the flower looks like,” Yixing says. “I’ll go.”
“I need you here with Sehun,” Chanyeol argues. “How long is this pack going to last without a healer?”
“And just how long do you think we’d last without our leader?” Kris asks, stepping into the room as well. He glances down at Sehun’s unmoving form with worry before continuing. “I’m going with you.”
“Fine,” Chanyeol agrees. Turning to Yixing, he asks, “So what does this flower look like?”
Chanyeol and Kris will only be gone for an hour or two at most, but just in case, he leaves Jongin and Zitao in charge. They’re still pretty young, but they both know how to handle themselves in a fight. Chanyeol can count on the two of them to take care of the pack while he’s away.
“It’s time to go,” Chanyeol decides. With one last look at Sehun, he shifts. Kris is right behind him and they set off at a fast pace, racing through the trees. It’s not long before they reach the edge of the forest where they live and they jump the man-made fence into the human’s land.
They follow the road into town, where the buildings are closer together, rise higher into the sky. They’re getting closer. Chanyeol doesn’t know exactly where the vampire’s territory starts, it’s not like he’s had the opportunity to stop and ask one before, but he at least knows that they’re getting closer to it. In the heart of it lies their coven, a huge plot of land with a mansion on it. Chanyeol’s never been close enough to see it before, but he’s heard stories.
It really is hard to miss. The tall, four story high building looks small in the middle of all the apartment buildings and shopping malls, but no less luxurious. A large wall surrounds the perimeter, the only gate at the front entrance, guarded by surveillance cameras, and at least two armed human guards.
“This way,” Kris whispers. Chanyeol looks over to see him gesturing to the tallest apartment building closest to the coven. “We can get a better look from up there.”
Chanyeol nods, shifting back into human form as well. Kris gives him a boost to reach the fire escape and they’re as quiet as possible as they climb the stairs. “Are you sure this is the right place?” Chanyeol asks once they’re high enough to see beyond the walls. “I haven’t seen a single vampire yet.”
“There,” Kris points and sure enough, there is a pair of vampires circling the grounds just inside the wall.
“Damn it.” Chanyeol curses. This is going to be a lot harder than he thought.
“As soon as they’re out of sight, we jump the wall,” Kris suggests. “We stay out of the camera’s line of sight, grab the flower and get the hell out of there before any of the vampires even notice we’re inside.”
Chanyeol takes a moment to think it through, weighing the options in his head. It’s risky, but they’re all out of ideas. “Okay, but stay upwind from them. We’ve got one chance, if we get caught we’re dead.” And so is Sehun.
“We’ll get the flower,” Kris assures him. “Sehun’s going to be okay.”
“I hope you’re right,” Chanyeol says. “Now’s our chance, come on.”
Back in wolf form, Chanyeol leaps from the fire escape, easily making it onto the wall. An alarm sounds before Chanyeol can even think about getting to the ground. Shit. There’s no way that they’ll be able to get in and out with the flower now, not with the vampires aware of their presence. The wall is too tall for them to get over easily with humans and vampires crawling the grounds looking for intruders, they’d never make it out alive.
Voices fill the air, humans panicking while vampires shout out orders. Chanyeol hesitates, but in the end he jumps from the wall onto the street, internally cursing the vampires’ advanced technology. He should have known that their coven would have been protected by more than just cameras and guards. They’ll need to get out of here for now. At least now that Chanyeol has seen the place, he’ll have a better chance of coming up with a plan that will actually work the next time.
With Kris beside him, Chanyeol races back through the streets. Luckily at this time of night there are considerably less cars and stray humans that they have to worry about avoiding, and escaping is easy.
Jongdae and Joonmyun are away from the coven, getting some much needed fresh air, when they hear the alarm sound. They both turn in the direction of the mansion.
“Wolves?” Jongdae wonders, a feeling of dread washing over him.
“What else could it be?” Joonmyun replies in a hushed tone. “But they haven’t gotten that close to the coven in years... We should get back.”
“And end up right in the middle of a fight?” Jongdae snorts. “We’re better off staying right he-” Something large slamming into Jongdae’s shoulder knocks him off his feet.
“Wolves!” Joonmyun hisses and when Jongdae rights himself there is a pair of wolves standing only a few feet away from them. There’s a sense of deja vu, from that time when the two of them came across wolves when they were out for a walk a few weeks ago. Even more so because Jongdae swears that he’s seen one of the wolves before, there’s something strangely familiar about it.
For a terrifying moment, everyone just stares at each other. Joonmyun makes an attempt to hold his ground, but Jongdae can see that he’s shaking, scared out of his mind. But even so, Joonmyun bravely steps in front of Jongdae, blocking him from the wolves’ view.
The unfamiliar wolf snarls, crouching low to the ground. Its sharp claws scraping against the pavement is the only warning before it attacks, headed straight for Joonmyun. Jongdae can see Joonmyun freezing up, he’s not a fighter, neither of them are, so all he can do is push his best friend out of the way and hope for the best.
Joonmyun's gasp rings in Jongdae’s ears as he braces for an impact that never comes. As the most delicious scent of blood fills the air, Jongdae opens his eyes to an unbelievable sight. Never in a million years would he have ever thought that a wolf would defend him again its own kind, but there Chanyeol stands, in human form, in between him and the other wolf.
“Get back to the den,” Chanyeol’s deep voice orders. The other wolf doesn’t move an inch, its strong jaw still tightly clamped onto Chanyeol’s arm. And fuck, is that what a wolf’s blood smells like? Because the scent of it is driving Jongdae wild, as if he hasn’t eaten in days.
“Now!” Chanyeol shouts. The wolf rips its teeth from Chanyeol’s flesh, growling at him. Chanyeol snarls right back, louder, scarier. Eventually the wolf ducks its head a bit before making a hasty retreat.
Even though Jongdae knows that Chanyeol is a wolf, an enemy, he feels that they are safe now. Maybe it’s just the scent of his blood wafting through the air that makes Jongdae reckless. He finds himself taking a step toward Chanyeol, against his better judgement, eyes fixed on the wolf’s injured arm.
Jongdae's mouth feels dry. How long has it been since he last fed? Jongdae doesn’t even remember. He’s so hungry and Chanyeol’s already bleeding... If he could just get a taste-
Joonmyun rushes over to him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and he tugs Jongdae away from Chanyeol. His first instinct is to struggle, to fight back. He belongs with Chanyeol, why is Joonmyun taking him away?
“Jongdae!” Joonmyun’s voice rings in Jongdae’s ears. “What are you doing!?”
The panic in Joonmyun’s words snaps Jongdae back to reality. He blinks, completely coming back to his senses. Chanyeol is staring at him with wide eyes and Joonmyun’s still frantically trying to pull him away.
“Come on!” Joonmyun hisses and this time Jongdae listens. He follows as Joonmyun darts between two buildings, racing along the streets heading back toward the coven.
“What the fuck were you doing back there?” Joonmyun asks as they reach the safety of the front gate. “What were you thinking? He's a wolf, Jongdae. He could have killed you.”
“But he didn’t,” Jongdae says, stopping dead in his tracks as realization hits him. “Joonmyun, he... he protected me. Why would he do that?”
Joonmyun stays silent for a long moment. “I don’t know.” he answers eventually.
Chanyeol reluctantly watches them go, telling himself that he doesn’t want to follow Jongdae. It’s strangely difficult, as if his body can’t stand the increasing distance separating them. He almost gives into the urge, but he’s got more important things to think about. Like figuring out how he’s supposed to get his hands on that flower to save Sehun, and what to do about Kris’ disobedience. And he might need to get Yixing to take a look at his arm. It’s already started to heal, but not nearly as fast as it should.
Zitao is waiting for Chanyeol when he finally makes it back to the den. He rushes to Chanyeol’s side as soon as he’s in sight. “Yixing needs to speak-”
“Yixing can wait,” Chanyeol interrupts. “Where is Kris?”
“But Yixing-”
Chanyeol growls and Zitao flinches away from him. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Zitao stays silent at first, but it’s not long before he gives into the order from the alpha. “He took off into the forest soon after he got back,” Zitao says, pointing toward the path that leads to the stream that they use to collect their drinking water.
Chanyeol mutters his thanks and quickly follows the path, moving passed the stream. He knows where he’ll find Kris now, in the place where the trees are the thickest, where the leaves block out all sun or moonlight. There’s a boulder protruding from the earth, it’s Kris’ favourite spot, where he goes when he wants to be alone. Chanyeol seeks Kris out there anyway.
Kris is glaring at nothing in particular, pacing up and down the length of the boulder, when Chanyeol finds him. He doesn’t even bother acknowledging the alpha’s presence until Chanyeol growls at him.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Chanyeol starts.
“Chanyeol-”
“Shut up,” Chanyeol snaps. “What is the one rule that I made when I became the leader of this pack?” This time he waits to hear Kris’ answer.
Surprisingly, Kris growls back at him. “Don’t attack first,” he answers.
“Exactly,” Chanyeol says, the anger in him making his blood boil. “And what did you do?” Chanyeol’s aware that he’s shouting now, and that everyone back at the den can probably hear him, but he doesn’t care. “You attacked first!”
Kris shrinks back from a bit, but he steps forward, holding his ground. “I didn’t,” he insists. “I would never.”
“This-” Chanyeol says, holding up his right arm, almost shoving his still bleeding wound into Kris’ face, “-proves otherwise.”
Kris ducks his head in shame, turning away from Chanyeol. “It was the vampires,” he explains quietly. “One of them did something to me.”
“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asks, narrowing his eyes at Kris.
“I don’t know,” Kris sighs. “He... bewitched me or something.”
Chanyeol snorts. “Do vampires even have that kind of power?”
“I don’t know,” Kris repeats, the frustration clear in his voice. He growls again, making his way over to a tree that is covered in claw marks and he rests his forehead against it. “It was like... I don’t know how to explain it.”
Chanyeol sighs. Even if Kris doesn’t say anything, Chanyeol knows exactly what he’s talking about. “Like.. you have a need for the vampire?”
Kris’s head snaps in Chanyeol’s direction. “I- You felt it too?”
Chanyeol shrugs. He doesn’t want to go into detail about all the thoughts he’s had about Jongdae. He would rather not admit that a vampire is the reason he’s been distracted lately either.
“That’s why you defended them,” Kris says. It’s not a question but Chanyeol nods anyway. He’s glad he doesn’t have to explain to Kris that he doesn’t know what he would have done if anything happened to Jongdae. He shudders at the thought.
“If it’s the vampires that are poisoning our minds, then we must put a stop to it,” Chanyeol says. He needs to get Jongdae out of his head, for once and for all.
Kris nods in agreement. “But first, we need to get that damn flower for Sehun and Jongin.”
“What?” Chanyeol frowns. “Jongin too?”
Kris pauses. “You haven’t gone to see Yixing yet, have you?”
“No, I came straight here to talk to you,” Chanyeol replies. Fuck.
As soon as Chanyeol wakes up the next night, he goes to see how Sehun and Jongin are doing. Sehun is fading fast, his chest barely rising and falling anymore as he struggles to breathe. Jongin, at least, is still conscious, but he won’t last long like that. And who knows how many wolves the fever will spread to before they can get their hands on that stupid flower.
Chanyeol only stays with them for a few more minutes, not wanting to get in the way as Yixing looks after them. He makes sure the pack is well taken care of before he slips out of the room, heading to the edge of the forest. When he gets to the start of town, he shifts and stays in the shadows as he makes his way back to the vampire’s coven. He needs to find a way to get in there and get that flower before Sehun and Jongin get any worse.
Chanyeol ends up wasting hours pacing outside the coven, trying to work out a way to get in and out without being seen. He can’t even risk the vampires seeing him or they might mistake his actions as an attack on their home. Chanyeol’s not looking for a fight, just a way to prevent his pack members from dying.
So he sits and waits, hoping that the answer will reveal itself in time.
The doorknob turns, startling Jongdae out of his thoughts and he automatically jumps back from the window, flustered at being caught staring.
Joonmyun takes one look at him and then narrows his eyes in suspicion. “What are you doing?” he asks. “I hope you’re not planning on sneaking out again. You know that the council isn’t pleased because of what happened last time, if anything had happened to you-”
“I’m fine,” Jongdae insists. He can’t resist turning back toward the window, but nothing has changed since he last looked. “Chanyeol saved me from that other wolf remember?”
Joonmyun makes a face, crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t remind me. Those disgusting creatures are up to something. I don’t like them one bit.”
Jongdae hums in response. He knows that he should feel the same. He has even more reason to hate the wolves, since those animals are to be blamed for the untimely death of his beloved brother. But he can’t help feeling that he’s missing something and the answer lies with their so-called enemies.
Lost in his thoughts about the wolves again, Jongdae glances out of the window, momentarily forgetting about Joonmyun’s presence until his best friend steps forward. “What are you looking at?” he asks curiously.
“No-nothing,” Jongdae replies, trying to act normal but it’s a lost cause, Joonmyun already knows that he’s hiding something. He curses the fact that he’s like an open book to his best friend, never being able to keep any secrets from him.
Joonmyun steps in front of the window, gazing out into the night and it doesn’t take long until he spots what has been keeping Jongdae’s attention. “Another wolf,” he gasps turning to stare wide-eyed at Jongdae. “What’s it doing out there? We have to inform the guards at once.”
“No, Joonmyun, please,” Jongdae says, grabbing hold of Joonmyun’s hand before he can go anywhere. “It’s just Chanyeol and-”
“How can you- Never mind.” Joonmyun sighs, rubbing his fingers over his temples like he’s got a headache. “You’re our prince,” he starts over in a more serious, pleading tone. “And that wolf is your enemy.”
“If he’s my enemy then why did he save me?” Jongdae asks, looking out the window again to where Chanyeol is settled on the fire escape of the closest building to the coven. “He’s been there for hours, Joonmyun. Just sitting there. Do you think... Do you think he could be waiting for me?”
“What?” Joonmyun nearly yells, taken aback. “If he is, then it’s a trap.”
Jongdae sighs, his gaze softening the longer he stares out at the wolf. No, he doesn’t believe that Chanyeol would hurt him. There’s something different about this particular wolf. “I don’t think he’s like that. He’s hasn’t been unkind-”
“Don’t tell me you like him,” Joonmyun scoffs, shaking his head. When Jongdae doesn’t answer right away, Joonmyun rips his hand out of Jongdae’s grasp as if he’s been burned. “You do like him!?” he practically shrieks. “Have you gone completely mad? For fuck’s sake, he’s a wolf.”
“Keep your voice down!” Jongdae hisses, his cheeks burning red. The last thing he needs is the entire coven finding about how much he doesn’t hate the wolves like he’s supposed to. “I don’t know how I feel about him,” he continues softly. “But I can’t stop thinking about him.”
“Can’t you see that it’s a trick? That wolf has you under his spell.”
“If he was trying to kill me he would have let that other one tear me to pieces already,” Jongdae huffs. He can’t explain to Joonmyun how he knows that Chanyeol isn’t dangerous, it’s just a feeling in his gut. “I’m going out there,” he decides.
“Jongdae, you can’t,” Joonmyun hisses, placing himself in between Jongdae and the door. “The wolf has done something to you, clouded your mind. I won’t let you leave.”
Jongdae glares. He doesn’t want to do this but Joonmyun has left him no choice. “You will let me leave,” he says, voice low and dangerous. “I am your prince and I’m ordering you to stand down.”
Joonmyun’s eyes widen and his jaw drops. Jongdae’s never once used his higher status against him before and he’s too shocked to protest any further as Jongdae moves around him toward the door.
“Wait here,” Jongdae commands, just as he’s about to leave. “If I’m not back in a hour, inform the guards. Until then, speak to no one.”
Part 02
Pairing: Chanyeol/Chen, side Kris/Suho & Kai/Taemin, mentioned D.O/Sehun & Kangin/Leeteuk
Genre: Supernatural, Romance
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 30,972
Summary: The war between wolves and vampires has raged on for centuries. Chanyeol, the Lead Alpha of his pack, has no idea what caused it, only that the vampires are his enemy... Until one night when he runs into a vampire that he can't seem to get out of his head.
Warning:[Spoiler (click to open)]war setting, minor character death, imprinting, knotting, smut, blood drinking, mention of guns, minor violence, A/B/O dynamics, humans as pets
Author's Notes: I'm really thankful for my amazing betas, queenbee_12 and thesockmonster! Seriously, this fic wouldn't have been possible without their endless amount of patience and support. ;~;
Thank you to everyone on TList who cheered me on the entire time I was writing, and I'm sorry for complaining so much about writing. It was such a struggle to get this damn thing done on time. OTL
And last, but not least, a big thank you goes out the mods, because without them, I would never have thought I was capable of writing a story that's over 30k! <3
Originally posted here for the_exordium challenge.
They’re on a routine supply run - one they have done many times before - so they shouldn’t run into any problems tonight. But Chanyeol’s luck quickly changes when he hears the sound of Jongin howling, and he pauses in the middle of the empty street, listening intently. The only reason to call for his attention is if one of them runs into vampires. Hearing Sehun growling soon after kicks Chanyeol into action, and by the time he catches up to his packmates, it’s to see a couple of vampires walking down the street toward them.
He calls out to the wolves and they are by his side in a second, taking a defensive stance on either side of him, the supplies they had gathered lay forgotten on the ground. The vampires in front of them do the same, straightening up and standing closer together, one slightly in front of the other, protective. They are both relatively the same height with a similar small build, but the sworn enemies of the wolves are not to be underestimated no matter how unimposing they seem.
Chanyeol has never seen these particular vampires before, doesn’t know what they’re capable of, but somehow he senses that there is something different about them. They’re almost like the wolves, they look scared, as if they’re not looking for a fight either.
Chanyeol knows that Jongin and Sehun would have his back, but he always waits until the vampires make the first move. And these vampires look like they’d rather feed on rats for the rest of their lives than be the ones to strike first. Chanyeol goes with what his gut tells him and takes a chance, taking a step back. His wolves follow, putting even more distance in between them and the vampires.
“What are you doing?” Jongin hisses, his eyes never once leaving their enemies. He doesn’t trust them and Chanyeol doesn’t blame him. They’ve all lost loved ones in the war against the vampires.
“We have them outnumbered,” Chanyeol replies quietly, cautious of being overheard. “They’re not going to attack us.” He hopes.
“They’ll just come back with reinforcements,” Sehun whispers. “Then we’ll be the ones that are outnumbered.”
“They won’t,” Chanyeol says, even if he’s not entirely sure that Sehun is wrong. Vampires may be faster, but wolves are a hell of a lot stronger; it’ll take more than a few of them to talk a wolf down. They should be fine as long as they can make it back to the forest before they’re followed.
So far, so good. The vampires haven’t moved a muscle, Chanyeol isn’t even sure if they’re blinking. And when Chanyeol gets to the end of the street, right where they need to turn their backs on the vampires, the wind picks up. Chanyeol sees the vampires’ hair sway and the wind carries the scent through the air, all the way to Chanyeol’s nose. He freezes, and beside him, Jongin and Sehun do the same.
“What is it?” Sehun asks.
“N-nothing,” Chanyeol replies, because he’s not sure how well it’d go over with his packmates if he told them that one of those vampires smells better to him than any wolf ever has. “Let’s get out of here. Go.”
Chanyeol waits until Sehun and Jongin have already started running in the direction of their den. With one last glance over his shoulder at the vampires, he takes off after them. Because if he stays any longer, he might be tempted to go over there and that is definitely a Very Bad Idea.
Jongdae doesn’t wait for Joonmyun this time. He wants some time alone, needs some fresh air again and he can’t even hear himself think over Joonmyun’s constant nagging. He waits in a dark corner of the mansion until Taemin moves into position, barely wearing anything so he can seduce Jongdae’s body guards. The guards easily fall into Jongdae’s trap, making a quick meal out of the human’s blood. Jongdae can hear Taemin’s quiet moans echo as he makes his way down the hallway towards the back entrance and he’s out the door.
It only takes a moment before he’s out of sight from the coven and into the streets. It’s still a bit crowded since the sun has only just set, but Jongdae doesn’t have to worry about that, easily blending in with the humans. He attracts a few stares from people as they go about their business, but they mostly leave him be. There’s something so relaxing about losing himself in between the humans, where he can pretend he’s still alive and doesn’t have the whole weight of a coven and a raging war on his small shoulders.
Out here, he is nothing more than a stranger, not a vampire, not a prince. Out here, he doesn’t have the pressure of someday taking over and ruling the coven, a position that once belonged to his brother, but now falls to Jongdae after Jongdeok’s unfortunate death.
Time flies the more Jongdae walks among the humans, and eventually it’s late enough that the crowds start to thin and he’s left alone in the night. He finds himself in a not-so-familiar part of town, too far away from the coven. Jongdae has been here before, but only once - the other night on a walk with Joonmyun, when they spotted three wolves stalking through the night.
Jongdae’s nearly standing in the same spot he was that night, when Joonmyun stepped in front of him at the sight of their enemies. Tonight the wolves are nowhere to be seen, but somehow Jongdae can still feel them there, sense their lingering hatred and fear.
Jongdae is young enough that he doesn’t know what started a war between the two kinds, and the elders refuse to speak of it. He wonders if the wolves remember why they’ve been fighting for the past several hundred years, or if they have just been taught to hate the vampires. He remembers the look in those wolves’ eyes when they had crossed paths that night. The wolves hadn’t attacked them, but pulled back instead. They left, lived to fight another day.
It was a good call for both sides. Jongdae and Joonmyun are not fighters. In the event of a battle, they both would have lost their undead lives to the wolves.
As Jongdae makes his way over to where the wolves had been that night, and movement in the shadows catches his attention. The beating of a heart takes over the silence of the empty street. It’s too loud to be an animal, too fast to be a human. That could only mean one thing...
A wolf in human form steps out from the darkness, but not just any wolf. It’s one of the wolves from that night, the biggest one, the one in charge. The main alpha, perhaps? He’s tall and broad, thick with muscle. The wolf could easily tear him apart before Jongdae would even know what is happening.
The monster takes a step toward him and Jongdae feels the panic overtake him, paralyzing him where he stands virtually defenceless in the middle of the street. To make matters worse, he’s completely alone, doesn’t stand a chance against this beast. “Please,” he says before he can stop himself, trying to keep the fear that’s creeping over him from showing.
“I won’t attack unless you move against me first,” the wolf tells him in a deep voice, but despite his words he continues to advance on Jongdae.
Jongdae should have brought Joonmyun with him, some guards. Or better yet, he should never have left the coven in the first place. That would look really great for the vampires, the last surviving member of their royal family sneaking out of the mansion to get himself killed by a wolf. Or worse, if they decide to take him alive. There are many secrets Jongdae could tell if they were to torture him. He takes another step away and shudders in fear when his back connects with the brick wall behind him. He’s trapped.
“What are you doing here?” Jongdae asks, attempting to straighten up, stand his ground. Maybe he can trick the wolf into thinking he’s not afraid.
It works, or at least Jongdae thinks it does. The wolf stops with a fair amount of distance still between them. “What are you?” he counters. “Why did you come here alone?”
Shit. “I’m not alone!” Jongdae lies, but the wolf doesn’t seem convinced. Jongdae can hear the rapid beating of his heart, adrenaline pumping as if he’s getting ready for a fight. Jongdae only stands a chance if he can make a run for it. If all else fails he can always outrun a wolf, he may be small but he’s incredibly fast. He just needs to get away without being captured.
“What’s your name?” The wolf asks and Jongdae merely blinks up at him. It’s not what he was expecting to hear. “I’m Chanyeol.”
“Jongdae,” he replies after a moment, not really sure why it’s important for the wolf to know his name, but he’ll do whatever it takes to distract him. If he’s lucky he can slip away before the wolf realizes it.
“Jongdae,” Chanyeol repeats, deep and slowly. And it’s not just fear that Jongdae’s feeling anymore, but something else. Something he can’t put a name to. Maybe it’s just the sound of his heart beating or the intense look in his eyes as he stares Jongdae down.
“I have to go,” Jongdae abruptly tells him and surprisingly Chanyeol doesn’t budge as Jongdae sweeps passed him.
Being too close to Chanyeol, too close to the rapid pulsing of the blood in the wolf’s veins serves as a reminder of just how long it has been since Jongdae last fed. It makes his fangs itch with the need to sink them into something soft and warm. He flees before he’s tempted to take a bite out of a wolf, out of Chanyeol. He’ll send for one of the human pets they keep at the coven and drink until his belly is full and all thoughts of the wolf have been erased from his mind.
Chanyeol had been coming back to this spot for days, as if he is drawn to it. Like the lingering scent of the vampire kept pulling him back. He never thought that he’d ever see the vampire again. Never thought he’d get to see Jongdae again. And now that he knows which one had been giving off the scent, he has a name and a face to blame for why he’s been so distracted lately.
He lets Jongdae go only because he can’t bear to stop him. He wants to keep Jongdae close, but at the same time he wants to get as far away as possible. He shakes the disturbing thoughts from his head. Jongdae is a vampire and Chanyeol is wolf, the only thing he should be thinking about is how to kill him. Take him out and there will be one less vampire for his pack to worry about.
In his wolf form, Chanyeol races back to the forest where his pack lives. He concentrates on nothing but the wind rushing through his fur, the sounds that his paws make against the ground, his heart beating wildly inside his chest. If he thinks about other things, there will be no room in his head for Jongdae.
“You’ve been spacing out a lot,” Kris comments, startling Chanyeol out of this thoughts. He’d been looking up at the wind rushing through the trees and got lost in thoughts about a certain tiny vampire.
“No, I haven't,” Chanyeol replies automatically, despite how obvious the lie is. There isn’t a moment when he can’t get that stupid vampire out of his head and it’s enough to drive him mad. If only he had these kinds of thoughts about a fellow wolf instead. Chanyeol feels like he’s betraying the sacred trust of his own pack.
“You have,” Kris insists, taking a seat next to Chanyeol on the deerskin blanket. “For one thing, I was able to sneak up on you too easily. I didn’t even have to try.” And when Chanyeol stays silent, he asks, “Is there anything you want to tell me?”
Chanyeol sighs. He can’t possibly burden Kris with his problems. He’ll deal with it on his own. Somehow. Maybe he just needs to finally choose a mate out of the available wolves in his pack. But there is no one that has caught his eye yet. He’ll just have to deal with his need to be around Jongdae until he finds a suitable mate.
“Well, then talk about this,” Kris says in that tone that means trouble. “Our food supplies are getting low again. Are you planning on waiting until we actually run out before we go out for the next hunt?”
“Damn it,” Chanyeol curses. He’s been letting himself get too caught up in his own head that he’s been neglecting the needs of his pack. Some Alpha he’s turning out to be. “Go find Jongin and Sehun. We leave in ten minutes.”
Kris nods at the order, but he doesn’t leave right away.
“Is there something else you wanted to tell me?”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Kris asks. He knows Kris is asking as his best friend now instead of the pack’s second in command alpha.
“I’m fine,” Chanyeol assures him. He gives Kris the best impression of a smile that he can manage. Kris doesn’t look like he’s buying it. Chanyeol sighs. “I will be.”
Jongin comes to find him right away, while Sehun only shows up right before they’re about to leave. It doesn’t surprise him because he knows how lazy Sehun can be, always choosing the last possible moment to follow through with the orders he’s been given.
Chanyeol leaves instructions with Zitao and a couple other betas to go gather any berries and fruits that they can find near the den. He doesn’t want them wandering too far off without any protection, especially since he’ll be taking the strongest and fastest wolves with him on the hunt.
Once Chanyeol’s satisfied that the pack will be fine for a few hours without them, he leads Kris, Jongin and Sehun into the forest. They’re quieter, faster in wolf form, darting in between the trees as they race each other East, toward the edge of their territory. It’s not long until they reach one of their usual hunting spots. Kris slinks off like he always does, waiting in the shadows until Jongin and Sehun can sniff out their next meal.
Jongin picks up the trail of a buck and they follow his lead through the forest until they reach the stream that flows along the edge of their territory. There are a number of deer in the clearing and Chanyeol nuzzles his face against Jongin’s neck in appreciation for his great find. If all goes well they’ll be able to take down four or five of them and Chanyeol’s pack will be well fed for another week at least.
Chanyeol nudges Jongin and Sehun into action and as soon as they leap into the clearing, the deer take off straight ahead. Chanyeol’s only a second behind them, taking up the rear. Jongin works on keeping the deer together while Sehun’s howling into the night. Once Kris answers back, he steers them in that direction.
They’ve done this a million times, everything is going according to plan. That is, until Sehun gets his foot caught on a root that’s protruding from the ground. He stumbles and lands face first in the dirt. Chanyeol growls in Sehun’s direction but he doesn’t have time to stop because their food is getting away. Now that Sehun’s gone from their right, a couple of the deer have escaped and Chanyeol has to pick up the pace to keep the others from getting away too.
In the end they only manage to catch one deer, and Chanyeol is pissed. They’ll have to go out hunting again later and see if they can sneak up on any deer when they’re sleeping. It’s a lot harder to do though, but his pack needs the food. Chanyeol toys with the idea of not letting Sehun come back to the den until he catches a deer by himself. That would certainly teach him not to screw up on a hunt again.
“Take the buck back to the den,” Chanyeol tells Kris and Jongin. “I’ll go deal with Sehun.”
Except when Chanyeol reaches the spot where he had left Sehun, he’s not expecting to find the wolf in the same position he left him in. “Sehun?” He doesn't even budge, and Chanyeol rushes over to him, the anger from earlier dissipating into worry. Chanyeol carefully lifts Sehun’s head off the ground, brushing the dirt from his cheeks with his thumb. His skin is warm to the touch, much hotter than it should be.
“Sehun?” Chanyeol repeats, gently prodding at Sehun’s shoulder. “Can you hear me?” There’s no movement save for a slight fluttering of eyelids and the shallow rise and fall of Sehun’s chest. “Shit,” he curses, dreading finding out about whatever has practically sucked the life out of the youngest member of the pack.
Chanyeol quickly and easily lifts the unconscious wolf off the ground and cradles him protectively against his chest. He has to hurry back to the den, but with the extra weight and only using two legs, it’ll take a while. Chanyeol just hopes that Sehun will last the journey through the woods.
An hour later and Chanyeol is close enough to be heard when he howls. His pack comes out of the den to greet him, not expecting to see their alpha carrying Sehun in his arms.
“What the hell happened?” Kris demands, not afraid to be the first one to break the silence. “I thought you were going to teach him a lesson, not kick the shit out of him.”
Chanyeol growls, snapping his jaw threateningly in Kris’ direction for daring to insinuate that he had anything to do with Sehun’s current condition. “Fuck you,” he practically hisses. “This wasn’t me. Someone bring me Yixing. Now.” A pair of omegas rush off back toward the den.
“He’s going to be okay, right?” Jongin asks from Chanyeol’s right, nuzzling his cheek against Sehun’s unmoving shoulder.
“Don’t do that,” Chanyeol snaps and Jongin shrinks away, hurt by Chanyeol’s harsh tone. Chanyeol sighs. “He has some sort of fever,” he explains. “It’s best if no one else gets exposed to it. We won’t know if he’ll be okay until we can figure out what’s wrong with him.”
“Let me through,” Yixing’s soft voice comes from behind the crowd gathered around Chanyeol and Sehun. Chanyeol watches as the wolves part to make room for Yixing, the pack’s expert healer. “What happened?” he asks, placing his hand on Sehun’s forehead to check his temperature. “He’s burning up.”
“He was slower than usual earlier,” Chanyeol says, trying to remember every detail about Sehun from earlier. “He tripped in the forest during the hunt, or maybe he just collapsed, I don’t know. When I went back for him... He hadn’t moved an inch from where he fell.”
Yixing hums, gesturing for Chanyeol to bring Sehun back to the den. “He hasn't been eating much today,” Jongin pipes up, and Chanyeol’s thankful he decided to stick around. He spends the most time around Sehun, knows him better than anyone else. “He didn’t get up until around noon and then was napping the rest of the day. Until we needed to go hunt, that is.”
“I see,” Yixing comments as Chanyeol very carefully places Sehun down on the fur blankets spread out on the floor where Yixing sleeps in the den. “Thank you.”
Chanyeol waits around while Yixing asks the pack members to fetch him things for Sehun, water, more blankets, clean rags. Finally, when it’s just the two of them and Sehun, Chanyeol puts his hand on Yixing’s shoulder to get his attention. “You already know what this is, don’t you?” he asks, afraid to know the answer. “Is this what I think it is?”
Yixing covers Chanyeol’s hand with his own, giving it a quick squeeze. “Unfortunately, it’s exactly what you think it is.”
Chanyeol remembers quite clearly, the deadly fever that spread through the pack many years ago when he was just a pup. It took out nearly as many wolves as the war with the vampires did, including Chanyeol’s mother. He hasn’t forgotten how devastating the virus had been and he’ll be damned if he lets it happen again.
“There’s a cure for it though,” Chanyeol says. “I survived it and others did too.”
“Yes,” Yixing agrees, busying himself with tending to Sehun. “The cure is quite easy to produce, once I have all the ingredients.”
“Okay, tell the others what you need and-”
Yixing shakes his head sadly. “If only the ingredients were that easy to obtain. Then maybe we wouldn’t have lost so many wolves last time.”
“What are you talking about?”
Yixing thanks Jongin when he comes in with a fresh bowl of water for Sehun. He dips a rag in the cool water, ringing out the excess and drapes it over Sehun’s forehead. He uses another rag to wipe the sweat collecting on Sehun’s overheated skin. “One of the main ingredients, petals of a special kind of wildflower... Well, the only known location that it grows is on the grounds of the vampire’s coven. Everything else is easily obtainable.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Chanyeol groans, cursing his luck. “We’ve got no other choice, “I’ll have to go get it myself.”
“You don’t know what the flower looks like,” Yixing says. “I’ll go.”
“I need you here with Sehun,” Chanyeol argues. “How long is this pack going to last without a healer?”
“And just how long do you think we’d last without our leader?” Kris asks, stepping into the room as well. He glances down at Sehun’s unmoving form with worry before continuing. “I’m going with you.”
“Fine,” Chanyeol agrees. Turning to Yixing, he asks, “So what does this flower look like?”
Chanyeol and Kris will only be gone for an hour or two at most, but just in case, he leaves Jongin and Zitao in charge. They’re still pretty young, but they both know how to handle themselves in a fight. Chanyeol can count on the two of them to take care of the pack while he’s away.
“It’s time to go,” Chanyeol decides. With one last look at Sehun, he shifts. Kris is right behind him and they set off at a fast pace, racing through the trees. It’s not long before they reach the edge of the forest where they live and they jump the man-made fence into the human’s land.
They follow the road into town, where the buildings are closer together, rise higher into the sky. They’re getting closer. Chanyeol doesn’t know exactly where the vampire’s territory starts, it’s not like he’s had the opportunity to stop and ask one before, but he at least knows that they’re getting closer to it. In the heart of it lies their coven, a huge plot of land with a mansion on it. Chanyeol’s never been close enough to see it before, but he’s heard stories.
It really is hard to miss. The tall, four story high building looks small in the middle of all the apartment buildings and shopping malls, but no less luxurious. A large wall surrounds the perimeter, the only gate at the front entrance, guarded by surveillance cameras, and at least two armed human guards.
“This way,” Kris whispers. Chanyeol looks over to see him gesturing to the tallest apartment building closest to the coven. “We can get a better look from up there.”
Chanyeol nods, shifting back into human form as well. Kris gives him a boost to reach the fire escape and they’re as quiet as possible as they climb the stairs. “Are you sure this is the right place?” Chanyeol asks once they’re high enough to see beyond the walls. “I haven’t seen a single vampire yet.”
“There,” Kris points and sure enough, there is a pair of vampires circling the grounds just inside the wall.
“Damn it.” Chanyeol curses. This is going to be a lot harder than he thought.
“As soon as they’re out of sight, we jump the wall,” Kris suggests. “We stay out of the camera’s line of sight, grab the flower and get the hell out of there before any of the vampires even notice we’re inside.”
Chanyeol takes a moment to think it through, weighing the options in his head. It’s risky, but they’re all out of ideas. “Okay, but stay upwind from them. We’ve got one chance, if we get caught we’re dead.” And so is Sehun.
“We’ll get the flower,” Kris assures him. “Sehun’s going to be okay.”
“I hope you’re right,” Chanyeol says. “Now’s our chance, come on.”
Back in wolf form, Chanyeol leaps from the fire escape, easily making it onto the wall. An alarm sounds before Chanyeol can even think about getting to the ground. Shit. There’s no way that they’ll be able to get in and out with the flower now, not with the vampires aware of their presence. The wall is too tall for them to get over easily with humans and vampires crawling the grounds looking for intruders, they’d never make it out alive.
Voices fill the air, humans panicking while vampires shout out orders. Chanyeol hesitates, but in the end he jumps from the wall onto the street, internally cursing the vampires’ advanced technology. He should have known that their coven would have been protected by more than just cameras and guards. They’ll need to get out of here for now. At least now that Chanyeol has seen the place, he’ll have a better chance of coming up with a plan that will actually work the next time.
With Kris beside him, Chanyeol races back through the streets. Luckily at this time of night there are considerably less cars and stray humans that they have to worry about avoiding, and escaping is easy.
Jongdae and Joonmyun are away from the coven, getting some much needed fresh air, when they hear the alarm sound. They both turn in the direction of the mansion.
“Wolves?” Jongdae wonders, a feeling of dread washing over him.
“What else could it be?” Joonmyun replies in a hushed tone. “But they haven’t gotten that close to the coven in years... We should get back.”
“And end up right in the middle of a fight?” Jongdae snorts. “We’re better off staying right he-” Something large slamming into Jongdae’s shoulder knocks him off his feet.
“Wolves!” Joonmyun hisses and when Jongdae rights himself there is a pair of wolves standing only a few feet away from them. There’s a sense of deja vu, from that time when the two of them came across wolves when they were out for a walk a few weeks ago. Even more so because Jongdae swears that he’s seen one of the wolves before, there’s something strangely familiar about it.
For a terrifying moment, everyone just stares at each other. Joonmyun makes an attempt to hold his ground, but Jongdae can see that he’s shaking, scared out of his mind. But even so, Joonmyun bravely steps in front of Jongdae, blocking him from the wolves’ view.
The unfamiliar wolf snarls, crouching low to the ground. Its sharp claws scraping against the pavement is the only warning before it attacks, headed straight for Joonmyun. Jongdae can see Joonmyun freezing up, he’s not a fighter, neither of them are, so all he can do is push his best friend out of the way and hope for the best.
Joonmyun's gasp rings in Jongdae’s ears as he braces for an impact that never comes. As the most delicious scent of blood fills the air, Jongdae opens his eyes to an unbelievable sight. Never in a million years would he have ever thought that a wolf would defend him again its own kind, but there Chanyeol stands, in human form, in between him and the other wolf.
“Get back to the den,” Chanyeol’s deep voice orders. The other wolf doesn’t move an inch, its strong jaw still tightly clamped onto Chanyeol’s arm. And fuck, is that what a wolf’s blood smells like? Because the scent of it is driving Jongdae wild, as if he hasn’t eaten in days.
“Now!” Chanyeol shouts. The wolf rips its teeth from Chanyeol’s flesh, growling at him. Chanyeol snarls right back, louder, scarier. Eventually the wolf ducks its head a bit before making a hasty retreat.
Even though Jongdae knows that Chanyeol is a wolf, an enemy, he feels that they are safe now. Maybe it’s just the scent of his blood wafting through the air that makes Jongdae reckless. He finds himself taking a step toward Chanyeol, against his better judgement, eyes fixed on the wolf’s injured arm.
Jongdae's mouth feels dry. How long has it been since he last fed? Jongdae doesn’t even remember. He’s so hungry and Chanyeol’s already bleeding... If he could just get a taste-
Joonmyun rushes over to him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and he tugs Jongdae away from Chanyeol. His first instinct is to struggle, to fight back. He belongs with Chanyeol, why is Joonmyun taking him away?
“Jongdae!” Joonmyun’s voice rings in Jongdae’s ears. “What are you doing!?”
The panic in Joonmyun’s words snaps Jongdae back to reality. He blinks, completely coming back to his senses. Chanyeol is staring at him with wide eyes and Joonmyun’s still frantically trying to pull him away.
“Come on!” Joonmyun hisses and this time Jongdae listens. He follows as Joonmyun darts between two buildings, racing along the streets heading back toward the coven.
“What the fuck were you doing back there?” Joonmyun asks as they reach the safety of the front gate. “What were you thinking? He's a wolf, Jongdae. He could have killed you.”
“But he didn’t,” Jongdae says, stopping dead in his tracks as realization hits him. “Joonmyun, he... he protected me. Why would he do that?”
Joonmyun stays silent for a long moment. “I don’t know.” he answers eventually.
Chanyeol reluctantly watches them go, telling himself that he doesn’t want to follow Jongdae. It’s strangely difficult, as if his body can’t stand the increasing distance separating them. He almost gives into the urge, but he’s got more important things to think about. Like figuring out how he’s supposed to get his hands on that flower to save Sehun, and what to do about Kris’ disobedience. And he might need to get Yixing to take a look at his arm. It’s already started to heal, but not nearly as fast as it should.
Zitao is waiting for Chanyeol when he finally makes it back to the den. He rushes to Chanyeol’s side as soon as he’s in sight. “Yixing needs to speak-”
“Yixing can wait,” Chanyeol interrupts. “Where is Kris?”
“But Yixing-”
Chanyeol growls and Zitao flinches away from him. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Zitao stays silent at first, but it’s not long before he gives into the order from the alpha. “He took off into the forest soon after he got back,” Zitao says, pointing toward the path that leads to the stream that they use to collect their drinking water.
Chanyeol mutters his thanks and quickly follows the path, moving passed the stream. He knows where he’ll find Kris now, in the place where the trees are the thickest, where the leaves block out all sun or moonlight. There’s a boulder protruding from the earth, it’s Kris’ favourite spot, where he goes when he wants to be alone. Chanyeol seeks Kris out there anyway.
Kris is glaring at nothing in particular, pacing up and down the length of the boulder, when Chanyeol finds him. He doesn’t even bother acknowledging the alpha’s presence until Chanyeol growls at him.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Chanyeol starts.
“Chanyeol-”
“Shut up,” Chanyeol snaps. “What is the one rule that I made when I became the leader of this pack?” This time he waits to hear Kris’ answer.
Surprisingly, Kris growls back at him. “Don’t attack first,” he answers.
“Exactly,” Chanyeol says, the anger in him making his blood boil. “And what did you do?” Chanyeol’s aware that he’s shouting now, and that everyone back at the den can probably hear him, but he doesn’t care. “You attacked first!”
Kris shrinks back from a bit, but he steps forward, holding his ground. “I didn’t,” he insists. “I would never.”
“This-” Chanyeol says, holding up his right arm, almost shoving his still bleeding wound into Kris’ face, “-proves otherwise.”
Kris ducks his head in shame, turning away from Chanyeol. “It was the vampires,” he explains quietly. “One of them did something to me.”
“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asks, narrowing his eyes at Kris.
“I don’t know,” Kris sighs. “He... bewitched me or something.”
Chanyeol snorts. “Do vampires even have that kind of power?”
“I don’t know,” Kris repeats, the frustration clear in his voice. He growls again, making his way over to a tree that is covered in claw marks and he rests his forehead against it. “It was like... I don’t know how to explain it.”
Chanyeol sighs. Even if Kris doesn’t say anything, Chanyeol knows exactly what he’s talking about. “Like.. you have a need for the vampire?”
Kris’s head snaps in Chanyeol’s direction. “I- You felt it too?”
Chanyeol shrugs. He doesn’t want to go into detail about all the thoughts he’s had about Jongdae. He would rather not admit that a vampire is the reason he’s been distracted lately either.
“That’s why you defended them,” Kris says. It’s not a question but Chanyeol nods anyway. He’s glad he doesn’t have to explain to Kris that he doesn’t know what he would have done if anything happened to Jongdae. He shudders at the thought.
“If it’s the vampires that are poisoning our minds, then we must put a stop to it,” Chanyeol says. He needs to get Jongdae out of his head, for once and for all.
Kris nods in agreement. “But first, we need to get that damn flower for Sehun and Jongin.”
“What?” Chanyeol frowns. “Jongin too?”
Kris pauses. “You haven’t gone to see Yixing yet, have you?”
“No, I came straight here to talk to you,” Chanyeol replies. Fuck.
As soon as Chanyeol wakes up the next night, he goes to see how Sehun and Jongin are doing. Sehun is fading fast, his chest barely rising and falling anymore as he struggles to breathe. Jongin, at least, is still conscious, but he won’t last long like that. And who knows how many wolves the fever will spread to before they can get their hands on that stupid flower.
Chanyeol only stays with them for a few more minutes, not wanting to get in the way as Yixing looks after them. He makes sure the pack is well taken care of before he slips out of the room, heading to the edge of the forest. When he gets to the start of town, he shifts and stays in the shadows as he makes his way back to the vampire’s coven. He needs to find a way to get in there and get that flower before Sehun and Jongin get any worse.
Chanyeol ends up wasting hours pacing outside the coven, trying to work out a way to get in and out without being seen. He can’t even risk the vampires seeing him or they might mistake his actions as an attack on their home. Chanyeol’s not looking for a fight, just a way to prevent his pack members from dying.
So he sits and waits, hoping that the answer will reveal itself in time.
The doorknob turns, startling Jongdae out of his thoughts and he automatically jumps back from the window, flustered at being caught staring.
Joonmyun takes one look at him and then narrows his eyes in suspicion. “What are you doing?” he asks. “I hope you’re not planning on sneaking out again. You know that the council isn’t pleased because of what happened last time, if anything had happened to you-”
“I’m fine,” Jongdae insists. He can’t resist turning back toward the window, but nothing has changed since he last looked. “Chanyeol saved me from that other wolf remember?”
Joonmyun makes a face, crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t remind me. Those disgusting creatures are up to something. I don’t like them one bit.”
Jongdae hums in response. He knows that he should feel the same. He has even more reason to hate the wolves, since those animals are to be blamed for the untimely death of his beloved brother. But he can’t help feeling that he’s missing something and the answer lies with their so-called enemies.
Lost in his thoughts about the wolves again, Jongdae glances out of the window, momentarily forgetting about Joonmyun’s presence until his best friend steps forward. “What are you looking at?” he asks curiously.
“No-nothing,” Jongdae replies, trying to act normal but it’s a lost cause, Joonmyun already knows that he’s hiding something. He curses the fact that he’s like an open book to his best friend, never being able to keep any secrets from him.
Joonmyun steps in front of the window, gazing out into the night and it doesn’t take long until he spots what has been keeping Jongdae’s attention. “Another wolf,” he gasps turning to stare wide-eyed at Jongdae. “What’s it doing out there? We have to inform the guards at once.”
“No, Joonmyun, please,” Jongdae says, grabbing hold of Joonmyun’s hand before he can go anywhere. “It’s just Chanyeol and-”
“How can you- Never mind.” Joonmyun sighs, rubbing his fingers over his temples like he’s got a headache. “You’re our prince,” he starts over in a more serious, pleading tone. “And that wolf is your enemy.”
“If he’s my enemy then why did he save me?” Jongdae asks, looking out the window again to where Chanyeol is settled on the fire escape of the closest building to the coven. “He’s been there for hours, Joonmyun. Just sitting there. Do you think... Do you think he could be waiting for me?”
“What?” Joonmyun nearly yells, taken aback. “If he is, then it’s a trap.”
Jongdae sighs, his gaze softening the longer he stares out at the wolf. No, he doesn’t believe that Chanyeol would hurt him. There’s something different about this particular wolf. “I don’t think he’s like that. He’s hasn’t been unkind-”
“Don’t tell me you like him,” Joonmyun scoffs, shaking his head. When Jongdae doesn’t answer right away, Joonmyun rips his hand out of Jongdae’s grasp as if he’s been burned. “You do like him!?” he practically shrieks. “Have you gone completely mad? For fuck’s sake, he’s a wolf.”
“Keep your voice down!” Jongdae hisses, his cheeks burning red. The last thing he needs is the entire coven finding about how much he doesn’t hate the wolves like he’s supposed to. “I don’t know how I feel about him,” he continues softly. “But I can’t stop thinking about him.”
“Can’t you see that it’s a trick? That wolf has you under his spell.”
“If he was trying to kill me he would have let that other one tear me to pieces already,” Jongdae huffs. He can’t explain to Joonmyun how he knows that Chanyeol isn’t dangerous, it’s just a feeling in his gut. “I’m going out there,” he decides.
“Jongdae, you can’t,” Joonmyun hisses, placing himself in between Jongdae and the door. “The wolf has done something to you, clouded your mind. I won’t let you leave.”
Jongdae glares. He doesn’t want to do this but Joonmyun has left him no choice. “You will let me leave,” he says, voice low and dangerous. “I am your prince and I’m ordering you to stand down.”
Joonmyun’s eyes widen and his jaw drops. Jongdae’s never once used his higher status against him before and he’s too shocked to protest any further as Jongdae moves around him toward the door.
“Wait here,” Jongdae commands, just as he’s about to leave. “If I’m not back in a hour, inform the guards. Until then, speak to no one.”
Part 02