Ga-Eun pressed her purple powder coated fingers into Jaci's wound. The sizzling sound coming from the wound caused alarm in everyone else.
"Stay here," murmured Taehyung to Sunny before hurriedly making his way over to the bed.
Jaci was now writhing in pain, and Jungkook was losing control. His eyes lit up a bright gold and the guttural growl that came from him caused Ga-Eun to look up.
"You hurt her," came a voice Taehyung had never heard come out of Jungkook.
He approached the wolf carefully, not wanting to cause more harm but to be ready to take Jungkook down if need be.
Ga-Eun's eyes glowed a bright amber. "I'm doing what needed to be done. She will not suffer harm for long. This was a test, wolf."
Jungkook was snarling and looked ready to pounce onto Ga-Eun.
"Sit down!" snarled Ga-Eun.
Taehyung hovered nearby, looking back and forth between the two.
Once Ga-Eun removed her hand from Jaci's wound, Jungkook visibly relaxed, though his eyes never dulled.
"What did you do to her?" asked Taehyung curiously.
"It's an old way of testing for changes. This is monkshood." Ga-Eun held up her stone bowl that still had some of the crushed purple flowers in it.
"Monkshood is a close cousin to wolfsbane," said Jungkook, now thoroughly irritated, as if he wasn't angry enough before.
Ga-Eun's eyes locked on him and nodded. "It is. But less deadly to us. It just hurts a lot. To humans it is harmless. So, what do you think her reaction means, Jungkook?"
Jungkook's golden eyes shifted nervously between Jaci and Ga-Eun.
"She's becoming a werewolf," said Sunny softly, walking up behind them.
"Ridiculous!" shouted Jungkook. "That is merely an old legend and isn't real."
Ga-Eun sighed and leaned back, removing her gloves carefully so as not to get the powder on her own skin. Then she reached into her bag and pulled out a small plastic bag filled with a pasty substance. With a wooden tongue depressor, she scooped out some of the paste and gently spread it across the ugly wound.
"Well, I guess we will know if that legend is real in a few weeks when the full moon comes again. That is when changes like this are supposed to be complete." Ga-Eun handed Sunny the little bag.
"Apply this tomorrow as well. After two days, only apply it if she's feeling pain at the site of the wound, though I suspect after two days she won't need that anymore. But I will leave it just in case."
"What is it?" asked Sunny.
Ga-Eun winked and smiled. "Secret family recipe."
The Luna then turned towards her packmate. "We should go."
Jungkook was struggling and everyone in the room could feel it. "I...Luna, I need to stay. Why do I feel like I need to stay? I'm so confused. I want to go home, but I literally can't."
Ga-Eun smiled. "Do what feels right to you, Kookie. This is something you have to find out on your own."
Jungkook frowned. He wasn't thrilled with Ga-Eun's vague answer, but he was relieved she gave him permission to stay. He needed to figure this out and soon. His head was filled with too many thoughts and it was driving him insane.
"I'll explain to Hoseok where you are. Don't worry." Ga-Eun moved closer to Jungkook and gave him a gentle hug.
"Listen to your wolf, Jungkook," she whispered near his ear. Stepping back, she smiled and said her goodbye's.
Once she was gone, Jungkook sat next to Jaci's bed and frowned deeply. Taehyung could practically hear the wheels in the wolf's head turning and grinding.
"Stop thinking so loudly," groused Taehyung.
Sunny stood at the foot of the bed with her arms folded. "This is too much to process this late at night."
"I agree," piped Taehyung, grabbing his wife's arm. "Let's go get some shut eye before something else happens. I'm exhausted."
"But you haven't really done anything," said Sunny.
"Yep, and that's why I am so tired. Come on. I can't sleep with all the brain fumes in this room anyway."
Taehyung tugged her against her will and drug her to their bedroom, shutting the door firmly.
Finally, the room was silent and Jungkook slumped down in the seat, his eyes staying glued to Jaci's face. His mind threaded through all of his thoughts and he deliberately tried to focus on one at a time.
This human was nothing special to him. Yet, all of a sudden, he couldn't bring himself to be away from her. He literally felt pain in his chest at just the thought of leaving her right now.
His hand subconsciously moved upwards to clutch at his chest, the thought of leaving Jaci's side making his heart throb.
Why had she responded to Ga-Eun's test like that? What did Luna mean by advising him to listen to his wolf? Why did he get so riled up when he thought Jaci was in pain? What was going on?
His thoughts took off again and he dropped his head into his hands, weaving his fingers into his hair. Jungkook was still a young wolf, and despite living among a well-functioning wolfpack of his own for the last twenty years, he was quite inexperienced in everything that involved inner wolves and all that it entailed.
His inexperience was causing him a great deal of frustration at the moment. He felt like there was something he should know, but he was having a terrible time putting two and two together. He was too exhausted and all he wanted to do was shift and crawl up next to Jaci.
Wait...
Why would I do that?
"Do it."
Jungkook froze as a voice he hadn't heard since he presented echoed throughout his head. His eyes darted right and left and he sat perfectly still, wondering if the voice would speak again. He wasn't disappointed.
"I need to be near her. She needs me."
Jungkook was even more confused but he could no longer control the impulse to shift. Rushing to the bathroom, he disrobed and shifted as quickly as he could.
The click of his nails on the floor was the only sound as he approached the bed, lithely jumping up onto it. He allowed his thoughts to be drowned out as the being the voice belonged to took over.
"Jungkook, you don't understand right now, but you will. You and I need this woman. Let me be near her."
Jungkook struggled to let his inner wolf fully take over, but when he did, Jungkook allowed himself to fall asleep.
The black wolf slid himself between the wall and Jaci, wrapping himself around her as much as he could. He laid his big shaggy head behind hers so that his muzzle was near her ear and the wound. He sniffed and whimpered, smelling the infection, the monkshood, and the healing paste.
He felt an overwhelming sense of pride when she nestled closer to him, turning her head to face his fur. A sweet calm washed over them both.
Soon, both wolf and woman were sound asleep, one basking in the feeling of being protected and safe, and the other proud he could do so.
***
"The sun is going to be up soon. Shouldn't we be heading home?" Derrick was getting hungry. Not to mention he was still fighting with jet lag.
Fixer did not look the least bit tired or bothered. "Not yet."
Derrick shifted around in his seat and sighed with frustration. "Obviously, she's either not coming back or took a different way home-"
"Shhh!" hissed Fixer, raising a boney finger to his thin lips.
Derrick hushed and heard the sounds of paws hitting the ground. His eyes searched the forest for signs of movement.
"Ready," said Fixer, nudging Derrick to ready his gun.
Derrick's stomach flipped upside down and he felt his old friend, adrenaline, kick in. His Hunter instincts also went into high gear, allowing him to more precisely locate his prey.
He raised his specialized rifle loaded with poison-laced silver bullets to his shoulder. His finger laid against the trigger and he stopped breathing.
Soon, the gray wolf was coming into view. He saw her clearly through the twilight, and as she bounded across the forest floor, he breathed out and squeezed the trigger.
***
The Hunters wasted no time gathering up their kill and hurrying back to their accommodations. The town was quiet and sleeping still, but one pair of eyes followed the Hunters as they entered the house.
With a swagger to their step, they strode right up to where the Hunters were staying and knocked on the door. They didn't wait for someone to answer the door, but shoved it open and brazenly walked in.
"Yoo hoo, come out. I know you're Hunters."
Derrick and Fixer came around the corner of the hallway, weapons drawn.
"Who might you be?" glared Fixer, already aiming his gun at the intruder.
"Someone who wants to help you. Obviously."
"I don't think that was obvious," murmured Derrick.
"How did you know we were Hunters?" asked Fixer, already knowing the answer but wanting this stranger to be upfront.
"Oh give me a break, I could smell the Hunter all over you. By the way, you guys stink bad enough with just that scent, but you added all those others and it's downright offensive to my nose."
Fixer's eyes narrowed. "And why would a she-wolf want to help us?"
The woman laughed and set herself down on the sofa. "Because. I saw who you just dragged in here. She is...oh, I guess I should use the past tense... she was the Luna of the Blood Mountain pack. And it just so happens my mother and I were recently drummed out of that pack for no good reason."
Derrick shot Fixer a quick glance before returning his eyes to the pack traitor on the sofa.
"Where is your mother? Why isn't she with you?"
The she-wolf looked at her nails and frowned before looking up again. "She was just loose baggage. It was her fault we got kicked out anyway. She won't be a bother to us. Now, are you going to accept my help or not?"
"Why should we trust you?"
Derrick couldn't believe Fixer was seriously contemplating her offer.
"Because I could just run up that mountain and warn the entire pack of your presence and how you killed their Luna, or I could tell you what I know, and believe me, what I know is worth your while."
"How do you know our job isn't over?"
"Please. You have a whole mountain full of werewolves and a couple of vampires. I know enough about you guys that I know you wouldn't walk away and let all of them live."
Derrick had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. This she-wolf was wanting to satisfy her own vendetta. She could turn against them at any moment and blow their entire cover. Hunters might be hard to kill, but when pitted against an entire wolf pack and a few vampires, the odds were not going to be in the Hunters' favor.
"Fine. What's your name?" said Fixer, slowly lowering his weapon.
"Yun Hee. And I need a place to stay."
Fixer nodded slowly and looked at Derrick only once before he motioned towards the only other room in the house. "Take that one. Just shove the stuff into a corner. Doubt that person is coming back anyway."
Derrick kept his weapon trained on Yun Hee as he listened to Fixer speak. The smirk Fixer had on his face told Derrick everything he needed to know. Fixer knew about Jaci and Fixer knew she was Derrick's weakness.
"Ah, I bet it was that human girl! Don't worry about her. She's as good as dead if she isn't already. I took care of her." Yun Hee shrugged and then casually walked to the room, slamming the door behind her.
White rage filled Derrick and he spun with his weapon ready to fire at the door she just walked through.
"Get over it, Fenton. Now that your little hang up has been taken care of, you won't have any trouble following orders, am I right?"
Derrick was left alone, wallowing in his own rage and anger as Fixer snickered and walked off to his own room.
Jaci could be dead. Or that she-wolf could be lying. Or she could be psycho enough to kill a human. Wolves hadn't been known to do that in centuries, due to their desire to lay low.
The she-wolf reeked of blood and Derrick suspected she had murdered her own mother. That alone made her difficult to trust. He would contain his anger until he found out further details to confirm the she-wolf's story.
Then, when all of this was over, he would murder her himself.
***
"Hey, Jimin, has Ha Yoon heard anything from Ga-Eun?"
Jimin set down the pup he was playing with and walked over to the door of his home. "Ha Yoon, can you come here for a second?"
Jimin's mate walked out, drying her hands on a small towel. "What's the matter?"
Hoseok looked at her and tried to keep his nervousness concealed. "Have you seen Ga-Eun today?"
"No, I'm sorry, Alpha, I haven't. Is she with the kids?"
"No, they're all at home wondering where their mother is." Hoseok sighed and Jimin sent his wife back into the house.
"Hyung, what's going on? Is Ga-Eun missing?" Jimin's firm voice held a tint of worry.
Hoseok dropped his head and nodded. "I'm going to go see the vampires and see if they know where she is. Jungkook doesn't seem to have come home last night either, but that's not as worrisome. Ga-Eun promised me she would be home by sun up ."
Jimin placed a reassuring hand on Hoseok's shoulder and squeezed it. "Don't worry. I'm sure she's fine. Want me to come along?"
Hoseok looked away but nodded. "Yes, two noses are better than one, I guess."
"I'm going to assume you want to leave right away, so let me just let Ha Yoon know I'm going out."
"Hey, don't tell her that Ga-Eun is missing," said Hoseok quietly. "I don't want to stir up any unnecessary panic till we for sure know something."
"Understood. Be right back." Jimin went into the house leaving Hoseok with his thoughts.
His wife was missing. She hadn't come home when she said she would. He hadn't felt their mated connection since early this morning and he was dreading what they would find. He was only holding together by a thread and that was so Jimin wouldn't get upset.
He needed to find his wife and find her soon. To lose one's mate was a heartbreaking ordeal and he desperately didn't want to go through it.
***
Jaci awoke to broad daylight, a quiet house, and a giant black wolf coiled around her head.
Oddly enough, it wasn't the wolf that bothered her, but the sunlight. It was too bright and she wondered how the vampires lived here with that dreadful brightness pouring into their house.
She breathed in and the scent of pine and rain filled her nostrils, filling her with a calm. She turned her head and buried her nose further into the fur.
The fur!
This was her chance!
With slow movements, she raised her hand to the dark fur and lightly stroked it. It was just as soft as she had imagined, and before she knew it, she had buried her fingers into it and was basking in its softness.
"Are you...enjoying yourself?" came a rough voice from behind her head.
Jaci froze and immediately dropped her hand to the blanket. "Sorry," she whispered.
The wolf huffed but never moved. "How are you feeling?"
Jaci blinked a few times as she evaluated her body. "Not too bad. The burn isn't there at all. It's strange, but anytime you're near me the pain just goes away."
Jungkook closed his eyes and smiled to himself. His wolf had settled down enough to allow Jungkook's consciousness to re-emerge sometime in the last hour or so. Since then, Jungkook was very much awake, and very much aware of the woman he was currently wrapped around.
He knew when she had awakened and when she had begun to play with his fur, it filled him with the most amazing feelings of peace, calm, and then excitement. It took all the self control he possessed to keep his tail from wagging furiously.
"Jungkook?"
"Hm?" he answered sleepily, wondering what tender thing she might say next.
"I...well, um...can you move so I can get up? I need to use the bathroom."
Warm fuzzy feelings gone. Jungkook grumbled and slowly moved away from her, flopping off the bed and onto the floor, stretching his paws out in front of him as far as they would go.
Jaci got out of bed and hurried to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
Jungkook, trying his hardest ignore his expert hearing, repeated his stretch with his back legs and shook himself out. He walked over to the Kim's bedroom and scratched at the door. His bathroom was taken and he needed to find a tree. He had no shame in waking them up.
A groggy Taehyung opened the door and glared down at the him. Jungkook put on his best puppy eyes and whimpered.
Taehyung looked behind Jungkook and saw the empty bed. "Oh. She woke up, huh? Got a woman occupying the bathroom, huh? Forgot to warn you about how bad that can be. Fine, I will let you out. But I'm not waiting on you to come back. I'll leave the door cracked instead."
Taehyung shuffled over to the door and begrudgingly opened it, almost snickering as Jungkook bolted out into the snow.
He left the door cracked open and hurried back to his bed that held his sleeping wife. At least one of them was sleeping. Hopefully, these houseguests would not be extending their stay for much longer.
He was anxious to get back to the peace and quiet of just he and Sunny.
And definitely no werewolf drama.