A Lone Wolf • Mark Tuan

{Fifteen}

The screams echoed in his ears, and his blood turned to lava. He was supposed to be there for you, to protect you, to love you, to make sure this kind of thing didn't happen. Instead, he pushed you away, and it was his fault you had been alone. His body moved like lightning, even though his mind was frozen in the moment. Who had done this to you and why? What had you ever to anyone?

Mark paused when he saw you lying on the floor. There was so much blood, and he didn't know how you were still conscious. Immediately, he scooped you into his arms, holding you tight against his body.

"Shhh... It's all right. It'll be okay. I have you now," Mark cooed, but it didn't work. Your screams continued to echo in his ears, reminding him that this pain was all his fault. He shouldn't have pushed you away in the first place. "You'll be okay," Mark muttered over and over, even though he doubted you could actually hear him. It was more to reassure himself than anything else. Your sobs pushed his own tears, and he was terrified and angry all in the same moment. He couldn't lose you, not like this. Even if you chose Jaebum in the end, at least you'd be alive and happy.

Bambam gasped, catching up to Mark and seeing the sight. "What, what..." He couldn't even finish his sentence.

The others weren't far behind. They had all split up to go find you, and Mark was lucky enough to be close to you, but nothing about this situation was lucky. Mark held you closer to his body, trying to stop him himself from shaking. Everyone was talking around him, but he was barely listening.

"How could this happen?" Yugyeom asked, his voice quiet.

"Was she mugged?" Youngjae's eyes were watering. The sight of you alone scared him.

"Do you see that arrow in her leg?" Jaebum pointed out. His voice sounded the most stable out of everyone. "That's no regular arrow, and we've seen it before."

"That can't be." Junior stared at the arrow, knowing exactly what Jaebum was referring to.

"It doesn't matter right now," Jackson interrupted. "Y/n needs help. Now, or else..."

"Jackson's right," Jaebum agreed. "Mark and I will make sure she gets to a hospital immediately." He turned towards Mark to see his reaction, but Mark was only focusing on you. Jaebum turned back towards his pack. "Yugyeom, Bambam, will you check the perimeter to see if it really is them?"

They both nodded, looking at you solemnly. Everyone here wanted to make sure you'd be okay. "All right."

"Just make sure you don't engage with them. If I know them, they are more than prepared for us already." Jaebum looked at you, and his frown deepened. "I'm not even sure how y/n made it away from them alive." He shook his head, placing a hand on Yugyeom back. "Just be careful, okay?"

Jackson stepped forward. "I'll go with them."

Surprisingly, Jaebum nodded, not arguing. They couldn't afford to argue. "Go." Jaebum then touched Mark's arm. "Let's get her to the hospital immediately. We need to give her the best chance possible."

Mark looked at Jaebum, barely registering what he had said. It would've been easy for him to blame all of this on Jaebum. He was the last person you had seen, and if he really cared about you, he wouldn't have let you go by yourself. Then again, Mark cared about you more than life, yet he pushed you away. There was no way he could be mad at Jaebum and not himself. He nodded, agreeing to the other alpha's plan and following along like a vessel full of regret.

"I can carry her, if you need a break," Jaebum offered as they moved through the forest as quickly as possible. It would've been so much faster if they could transform into wolves, but there was no way your body could take being carried like that, so they had to hope they'd be fast enough on foot.