CHAMPION | NCT

o45

I felt my body tremble as the cold wind hit my skin. At least, the blizzard had passed away. But the falling of snow, although mild, was still evident.

"Yuta!" I screamed, but the sound of the waves seemed too loud for him to hear me.

Troublesome little prince.

I looked around, until my eyes dropped on the woods just behind the shore. And when I saw the same pair of yellow eyes and sharp fangs flicker in the dark, I felt my heart drop. They weren't moving, but their eyes were trained on Yuta.

Without thinking properly, I was already dashing from the house to where Yuta was, a distance separating us by every grain of white sand. The waves of the sea clashed angrily, but I could hear the wolves' growl loud and clear as the movement of my feet.

"Yuta, the wolves!" I screamed.

Finally, Yuta noticed me. He turned his head to my direction, the expression on his face a mix of shock and displeasure. "Sooji?! Get back to the house, you-"

"There are wolves behind you, you idiot-"

Wrong move, Champion.

I noticed that the wolves only started moving when I went out of the house. Or when they saw me.

Yuta saw this too, cursed, and ran to my direction.

My body turned to a stone. I paralyzed, feeling terror travel down my body. The wolves and Yuta were having a race as to who would reach me first. My eyes squeezed in fear, heart hammering wildly against my chest. The waves roared, the animals growled with their hungry mouth, and the wind howled, as if mocking me with a sound of recklessness.

Then I felt a weight slam me to the sand, the sediments flying in the air and sticking to my body and face and hair. Arms were wrapped tightly around me and a cold breath fanned my cheeks and a voice, Yuta's voice, was telling me that I was alright.

"Soo," he said. "You're okay, you're fine, just, just hold the Regulate."

I was about to open eyes, but Yuta objected. "Don't! Keep them close or the sand will enter your eyes."

Nodding and panting, I tried to locate where his face was and when I did, I slowly stroked it to confirm that he's real, that this wasn't a wolf hovering on top of me now.

"What happe-"

"I said hold the Regulate, not me," his hand found mine as he guided it near his chest, where the machine was located. He made me wrap my hands around it, and he blew a puff of air to my face, letting the sand dust away from my eyes.

I still had my eyes closed.

"I told you I'll be the one doing it," he said with a sharp click on his teeth.

"The wolves, where are they-"

"They're slowly," he panted, "slowly moving away," he said in between his breaths. Then his fingers traced my eyelids, wiping away the sands that were accidentally caught by it. "I was right. The wolves don't target someone who wears the same Regulate as them. But, damn it, I was wrong about you too. Suddenly barging out of the house, unprotected, and running to me-"

"You should've warned me!" I shouted.

"I did!" he snapped back. "I did but you ignored me. For you, I am not worth listening-"

"That's not true," I said. "That's not true... Next time you do this, this..." I bit my lower lip. "This ridiculous stunt of yours then make sure not to make others dead worry and clueless about it!"