chapter three: soul mates

“Who’s there?” Her voice rang out in the night and he was overcome with a strange emotion. He silently rolled his eyes, trying to ration why she would call out to whatever danger was creeping out at night.

  Mark watched as she glanced around, the fear clear in her eyes. Finally, she let her arms relax as she figured it really was the wind making the noise. She turned away from him, looking back to where she originally was, which caused a strange feeling of sadness in Mark. His eyes widened slightly at his thoughts and he shook his head.

     He took a step away from her, back to where he came from, before freezing. It was so much harder to move away than he had expected it to be. The strange thrills that ran down his spine were just borderline painful and he abruptly gasped for air, “Stupid girl.” he muttered angrily.

He heard footsteps walking away from him and shut his eyes as the thrills heightened. And then, all at once, they were gone. His eyes snapped open and he let out a desperate breath of air in relief. He wasn’t sure if that happened every time she would walk away from him but he desperately hoped not.

Mark stood to his full height before beginning to sprint down the path, his feet easily avoiding the obstacles in his path. He noticed a large trunk coming up in his way and he used it to launch himself into the air, shifting mid air into his brown wolf. He ran the rest of the way in wolf form, reaching back to Jin Young’s house in minutes.

He slipped on his clothes before opening the door and stepping back into the house, his expression composing. She wouldn’t leave his mind and she was all he could think of on the run back but he had bigger things to worry about now than the fact that she wasn’t with him at that moment. Like the fact that he had found his mate.

“Mark!” Jin Young appeared around the corner of the dining room with a surprised expression, “Where did you go? You’re late.” He paused, noticing something strange about Mark’s expression. He stepped closer to his best friend, studying him in the way only Jin Young did. “Did… something happen on your run?”

Mark hesitated, wondering whether he should tell Jin Young or not. Finally, he made a split second decision and shook his head, “No, it’s fine.” He slipped past Jin Young and entered the chaotic mess that was dinner with his pack. Jin Young watched him take a seat next to Jackson with a confused expression. Something was off about Mark but he wasn’t sure what it is and he was sure it would trouble him until he knew.

Dinner passed as it usually did, with messiness and yelling. Jaebum and Bam Bam were in charge of dishes that night but Jin Young’s mother stayed back to encourage them with motherly smiles. They all adored her and she was the same with them so she didn’t hesitate to tease the boys and play around with them as they smiled back to her.

Jackson looked up from where he was seated on the floor of the living room as Mark took a seat beside him. Although Jackson was the opposite of Mark, there was an understanding between them that was different than with everyone else. Like Mark, Jackson was from another country so when he had first come to Korea, Mark had helped him adjust to life there. Jackson always looked out for Mark and even loved hanging out with Mark, although he was sure that he annoyed the hell out of the older boy.

“You smell different.” Jackson said after a moment before he leaned closer to sniff Mark’s shoulder. Mark shot him a look and moved back as Jackson kept moving forward. Jackson’s eyes suddenly widened as his face lit up in surprise, “Like a human!”

“A human?” Jin Young asked as he stepped into the room, as well. “What human?”

“Yeah, Mark.” Jackson stretched out the boy’s name with the accent that only Jackson could pull off. “