A Lone Wolf • Mark Tuan

|Five|

Almost instantly after Mark had said Jaebum's name, the scent of the other alpha hit your nose, and you knew it to be true. It was a little strange that you could even smell Jaebum, since when you were around Mark, usually your mate's scent overpowered anything else, and he was the only smell that came through your nose. Maybe it was an alpha thing, and Jaebum's scent was stronger than the others because of it.

"Stay here," Mark order, getting out of bed and instantly getting dressed.

You ignored his order and followed suit, pulling on your clothes as quickly as possible. Since you weren't a part of Mark's pack, his alpha influence did nothing to you, and you weren't about to sit around while whatever was going to happen happened. "There's no way I'm going to let you go alone. What if they attack you?"

"I won't be alone. I have Youngjae and Jackson." Mark pulled his shirt over his head and straightened it out. "And if they attack, that's just more reason for you to stay behind."

You finished buttoning your pants and saw Mark heading towards the bedroom door. Moving towards him, you grabbed his arm and made him look at you. "There's three of you and four of them. I don't like those odds. If I was there, then it'd be even."

"If you were there, he might-"

"What?" you interrupted. "Hurt me? I can handle my own, Mark." For the first time, you felt defensive about yourself. You had always been fine on your own, and now you realized why; you didn't like being told what to do.

Mark looked down, and you knew he was thinking about what to do. He wanted to protect you, but he realized he couldn't tell you what to do. "Okay, but be careful. We still don't know what Jaebum wants, and you're not linked into our communication yet." Mark's forehead was creased, and you knew he was worried.

"And that's why we need to go find out." You reached up on your tippy toes and gave Mark a kiss, before grabbing his hand and leading him out of the apartment.

The moment you were out the door, Mark whispered, "Youngjae," and started running.

There was a sinking feeling in your gut, and you charged after Mark, hoping it wasn't too late. Mark bolted down the alley behind the apartment complex. Shadows started creeping down the buildings as the sun sank behind the horizon. You couldn't believe that Jaebum would dare to approach you guys during the day, because it was too risky. Anyone human could've walked in on you werewolves, which would've been dangerous for both sides.

A whimper echoed throughout the buildings and Mark picked up his pace. Soon the two of you were standing on the edge of the tree line and apartment buildings. Youngjae was standing in the middle of a circle, and he was surrounded by Jaebum and his pack. "Please, can't you just go home? We don't want any issues," Youngjae begged.

"You know why we're here," the taller one said. "Just tell us where she is, and we won't have any issues."

"Yugyeom, we used to be friends," Youngjae pouted. "What happened?"

Yugyeom turned his head to the side. "You picked the wrong side."

Youngjae dropped to his knees. "I just want us all to be friends again."

"That's not going to happen," the one with a calm voice said. "Chances of that happening were ruined a long time ago."

"Junior, please." Youngjae's voice was soft, and he seemed so defeated.

"Leave him alone!" Jackson said, pushing past two of them to get to Youngjae. "This is just cruel."

"Just tell us where the girl is, and no one will get hurt," the thin one said.

Jaebum smirked. "There's no need. She came to us." He turned around and made eye contact with you. "I see you couldn't stay away from me."

Mark instantly stepped in front of you and snarled. "Don't you dare come near her, and leave my pack alone. We made an agreement when you left. You would never bother us again."

"I can't quite recall that. Besides, if it wasn't in writing, then you have no proof," Jaebum said smugly. He wasn't the slightest bit worried in this situation. "Plus it's not my fault you weren't strong enough to kill me." There was poison in Jaebum's voice, and you knew that he was very bitter over what happened long before you were around.

Jackson helped Youngjae to his feet. "Why are you trying to cause issues, Jaebum?" Jackson tried to push past Yugyeom and Junior, but they blocked his way.

"You're not going anywhere," Junior snapped.

Jackson looked to the thin one, but he looked away from Jackson, unable to make eye contact. "Bambam, it doesn't have to be like this."

"Don't try going after Bambam," Yugyeom said. "He's not yours anymore."

"He can speak for himself." There was hurt in Jackson's voice, making you wonder their relationship was exactly.

The sky was almost completely dark now, and you knew it wouldn't be long until the moon rose, which worried you. It would be best if the situation was under control, before that happened, so no one could turn into wolf form and attack. You had never seen a werewolf brawl before, but you heard that they could get extremely bloody, and that was the last thing you wanted.

Stepping forward, you said, "Let's just stay calm. Tell us what you want, and I'm sure we can figure this out peacefully."

"I doubt that," Jaebum said, "at least not with what I want. There is no way this is going to end peacefully."

"What do you want?" you asked.

"You," Jaebum said simply. "I want your mind, your soul, and your body under mine."

Mark snarled and tried jumping forward, but you quickly stepped in front him, sensing his anger before he took any actions. Your hands rested on Mark's chest as it heaved up and down with fury. "It's not going to happen," you whispered to Mark, trying to reassure him.

"You might fight it, y/n, and you can deny it all you want, but I'm sure you feel it, too." Jaebum was looking at you with his dark eyes, making your body tingle.

"What are you talking about?" you asked.

Jaebum hummed, thinking. "You really don't know what it is, do you?"

"Will you just spit it out already?" Mark snapped, making you tighten your grip on him.

Jaebum shrugged. "If you insist. You see, y/n..." His dark eyes continued to pierce your soul, making you feel weak. "I'm sure you sense what I'm talking about. You just don't know why you're feeling this way. You know how my scent is overwhelming, and even just being around me makes you feel weak? I can see on your face that you hate me, but your body wants me, and do you want to know why? It's because we're mates."

Your chest tightened at Jaebum's words, and you wanted to call him a liar, but you couldn't. Everything he was saying was true, and you weren't sure if you could deny it, but it didn't make sense at the same time. Mark was your mate, right?

"Liar!" Mark barked, his claws pushing out of his fingertips.

"Mark is her mate," Jackson said. "I can feel it, so I know it's true."

"I'm not denying that," Jaebum said. "All I'm saying is that I'm her mate, too. Don't believe me? Ask her yourself."

You were speechless and didn't know how to respond.

"Wolves can't have multiple mates," Youngjae said.

"Most wolves can't," Jaebum corrected, "but female alphas can."

Mark turned to you and looked at you with his wide eyes. You could see the hurt in them, and it broke your heart. "Is what he's saying true?"