Chapter 27

Y/n's POV.

What was he thinking?

Blood pumps through my veins as I race ahead of the group. Seungri stays in the back of the formation, making sure nobody is left behind. Some of the brash young wolves try to keep up with my pace but fall short just by a few meters.

Does he miss us?

My mind drifts back to the surprising confrontation a few hours ago. We were separated for just a few days, but it felt like an eternity of self-loathing and remorse. All I could feel was relief when I saw him standing there.

I should've said something.

But what was there to say?

My wolf's dismal mood pushes me to run even harder against the rugged floor of the forest. The crisp air fills my lungs and keeps my mind clear amongst the hundreds of different thoughts flooding my mind.

I need to focus on the mission at hand. I can't lose track of what I am here for.

The paws running behind me fade to a stop, and before I run too far off, I hear a couple of barks. My chest heaves up and down as I dig into the soil beneath me, my muscles burning from the run.

"I forgot you're not part of the pack link," Seungri shifts to his human form while I trot back. The others follow in turning to their human form. A few of them collapse on the forest floor, trying to catch their breath.

I shift back and rest my hands over my head, "You're fine. I just got a bit lost in my thoughts." We settle down near a stream while a few of us rehydrate. The chilled water flows down from the mounted boulders, carving in and out of the land.

"How far along are we Beta?" A wolf that I had just met earlier this morning steps closer to us while wiping the water off his chin.

"We'll be over halfway by sundown, Sangchul," Seungri looks up to the sky, looking for the location of the sun, "Our party is moving fairly fast. Hopefully, we won't lose the track of the two wolves"

Inhaling the dewy atmosphere, I turn to Seungri, "There are no other wolves here. Do you think maybe they got lost? Or perhaps an accident?"

He lets out a sigh, "It's possible. We still have a lot of land to cover."

After a short rest, we advanced through the forest, maintaining a tight formation as the sun fell. I stick to the group this time, hoping to save some of my energy for the destination.

Since I am not part of the pack link, I am unable to chat with anybody else. It is just me and my own thoughts for the entire journey.

The red sun swells near the horizon, consuming the trees and the foliage.

"We will rest here. Yejun, Jihae. Take the first watch," Seungri starts making a fire while the rest of us find some firewood.

My eyes linger on the tree line watching the earth swallow the red sun whole, the curtain of darkness finally draped over the sky.

"Are you good?" A young girl by the name of Narae steps beside me.

I pick up a strip of wood, "Yeah, I think."

The girl notices my sluggish movements, "I can take those back," she extends her arms out, gesturing for me to give her the wood, "You look tired."

My eyelids droop to the side and then back at the she-wolf.

"Thanks.." I mumble while the young wolf ushers me back to the camp.

The newly made fire burns brightly against the dark and cold night. A few of us had already shifted to our wolves to keep warm.

I shift into my wolf and settle near the large fire, the heat seeping through my fur and skin. Finally letting my eyes rest, I allow the darkness of the night to lull me to sleep.

———

"This is the spot."

We arrive at the location of the distress call. The scent is faint, barely even there. We spread out to search for any tracks or clues to where the missing wolves could have gone.

I find myself climbing down a ridge, the rocky edge crumbling beneath my hands. I tighten my grip on the terrain.

Seungri calls from above, "See anything there?!" I jump down, carefully surveying the forest floor.

Gigantic concrete pillars covered in vines and moss jut out from the earth. The forest floor disappears beneath the stone platforms that are haphazardly scattered around with gaping holes and sharp edges.

"There's some kind of ruin!" I yell back to Seungri. Few more wolves join me, widening their eyes at the massive pillars.

"Woah..," Sangchul gasps, "What is this place?" Fallen signs barely swing as the wind flows in and out of the place.

"It's from the Lost Age," Jihae hops down beside us, "Did you fall asleep during class or something?"

With each step, I shuffle forward hoping nothing collapses from underneath me.

The wolves behind me bicker as the rest of the party climbs down, "I was one time, Jihae! I bet you've never even thought about skipping one day of training!"

Something ruffles past the shrubbery.

"Hey, hey, shhh!" I turn towards the two quarrelsome wolves who immediately shut their mouths.

My eyes burn bright red, narrowing at the slight movement of a limb.

Seungri whispers from behind, "Y/n, it's too dangerous."

The body moves again. It is another person for sure, a rogue from the looks of it.

I hear a snarl from behind me, "Let's get the rogue!" Yejun dashes forward, climbing over the platforms and racing towards the wolf.

"Shit! Yejun!" Seungri calls for the young wolf, but he is already gone.

"Come on!" I leap forward, climbing up and onto the raised stone floor while the other wolves follow suit.

I hold my breath while the rickety rocks crack and crumble beneath us. Sheets of stone slide and tumble down the gaping ravines torn into the earth.

The rogue gracefully climbs higher up the floors of the ancient building, stone pillars falling behind to block our path.

I hear a shout to the right and my eyes widen seeing Yejun sliding off a collapsing ledge. Frantically I slide over, the broken glass and dirt cutting into my skin.

"Hold on!" I shout. He firmly grips my hand and pulls himself up.

An angered growl leaves his mouth, "I lost him!"

My eyes lift up watching the wolf running on the level above us in the opposite direction. Sand and dirt fall from the ceiling, the floors continuing to shift and sway from the instability.

"Go back to the others!" I command before turning back towards the treeline.

My wolf growls, loving the thrill of the chase. I lock my eyes on the wolf sprinting above us. More pillars come crashing down around us, the dusty concrete clouding my vision. The rogue makes a final leap to the forest floor, painfully rolling across the ground.

I manage to catch up to him while he winces from the rough impact.

Slamming into the base of a tree, he hisses and growls while trying to escape my grip.

"Get the hell off me, pack wolf!" He trashes about as I press harder against his throat.

I draw closer, allowing my eyes to burn bright red, "What happened to the messenger wolves who passed through here?"

He doesn't shrink from my gaze, "I have no clue what you're talking about! Let me go! I didn't do anything to you bastards!"

"Two pack wolves passed through the main route a couple of days ago. There was a distress call and we haven't heard from them since. Where the hell are they!"

The rogue barks back, "The only damn thing I saw was more of you fucking pack wolves running through here."

My grip loosens slightly, "What?"

He huffs in amusement, "You commit your own crimes, yet blame it on us lone wolves. You pack wolves are truly pitiful." With a glint of amusement, he snickers at my confusion.

A mellow smile lifts on his lips, "I'm sorry for you and your kind."

I stumble back feeling a stabbing pain below my shoulder, a painful groan leaves my lips. The rogue lands a blow at my stomach as I crash to the ground.

Blood trickles down my arm while I watch the man dart away with a knife in his hand.

Two wolves race past me, continuing the chase. I clutch my arm tightly trying to stop the bleeding.

Narae pants heavily as she crouches beside me, "We need to wrap that with something." She frantically looks around for something that can be used.

My face grimaces, "A shirt. Rip the edge of your shirt." She nods promptly while ripping a strip of fabric and tightly tying it around my bleeding arm. A gasp leaves my lips at the sudden tightness of the cloth.

A howl can be heard from where the man ran off to, followed by the two trainee wolves.

"What happened?" I demand as I hear more growls of frustration echoing from the forest.

Narae furrows her eyes, listening through the mind link, " They...killed him..."

My heart drops from hearing her words, "They what."

Another couple of shouts fade from between the trees. I scramble to my feet hoping to reach the scene as fast as I can. Narae silently follows behind me while making sure I don't carelessly swing my arm into anything.

"Sangchul didn't mean to, Alpha Y/n—" Jihae lays on the ground, her head lifting to meet my eyes.

My eyes burn red at the young wolves' recklessness, "We lost our only damn lead—" I snarl between my teeth as the Alpha voice inside rises steadily.

Sangchul shifts to his human form, nearly collapsing to the forest floor.

"I..I..," fresh blood drips down the side of his mouth and smudges all over his chin, "He was going to stab Jihae. I had no choice, Alpha." He looks up to me, still shaken up from the fight.

"No, you had a choice, Delta. You should've controlled your wolf and disarmed the rogue instead of going straight for his neck. You saw your friend in danger and fucking panicked—"

"Y/n!" Seungri catches up to us along with Yejun, "That's enough."

My chest heaves with rage while Seungri checks up on the two wolves. I take a step back examining the dead man disfigured on the ground.

His eyes remain frozen in place staring up at the heavens, jaw completely unhinged and slack. I recoil at the sight of bloodied flesh and torn off skin hanging loose around the neck. A chunk of flesh rests a foot away from the body itself, although a pool of coppery blood begins to swell in size, soaking up the stray flesh.

Yejun gags from behind me, "I'm going to throw up," he announces before leaning behind a tree and vomiting what is left in his stomach.

Seungri checks up on the two wolves, "Are you guys okay? Did anybody get hurt?" Both of them stand to their feet, still very shaken up.

Narae faintly speaks, "He managed to graze Y/n's arm."

My mind is far away from the conversation at hand. That wolf—that wolf said something back there. More Blood Pack wolves passed through here. Committing our own crimes and blaming the rogues, the violent exchange resurfaces so clearly in my mind.

"Y/n," My attention is brought back to the present as Seungri calls my name, "Is your arm okay? Are you hurt anywhere else?"

My voice mumbles frustratedly, "My arm is fine," I reply even though the stinging from the bandage fails to cease.

Seungri lets out an exhausted sigh, taking in all the chaos and bloodshed that had just happened. "Let's head back to the main route. It's still not safe here."

"What about the body?" Narae's eyes flicker to the bloodied corpse.

"We're leaving it."

AU Fact: Scenting is the act of rubbing a wolf's scent glands (commonly found on the neck) onto their partner. It is a very intimate action done between family members and mates.

Sorry, Taehyung isn't in this chapter, but he will be back!

Thank you for reading!