A Moonlit Dream

Chapter 12

  Tao sighed before sitting down at his desk. He distributed the blood sample into different test tubes and wrote down all the tests he was planning on doing.

  "Hopefully everything comes back negative." He mumbled to himself. The first test he wanted to do was to test how the compounds in her blood reacted to Jongdae's DNA.

  When he first joined the pack, Tao took DNA samples from every single one of the pack members. He opened his freezer and paused when he saw three names that brought bad memories. Luhan, Yifan, and Yixing.

  "You should've listened to me..." Tao sighed before reaching in and grabbing what he was looking for. Jongdae's sample.

  As he worked, Tao thought about his old friends. Yixing, Luhan, and Yifan were his birth brothers before they found the pack. They had always been together since he could remember. They took care of him and watched out for him. Until one day...

Flashback

  Tao ran alongside his brothers while the rest of the pack followed behind. They were trying to run away but the pack wouldn't let go.

  "Hyungs! Just stop running! They can help us!" Tao screamed into their heads.

  "No, Zitao. They are trying to hold us back from our true potential. We can destroy the village and live in peace! We don't have to live like this!" Luhan responded before coming to a halt. They were on the edge of the village.

  "Luhan! You can't do this! You are putting every pack in the Forest in danger by doing this!" Junmyeon screamed as he shifted. Tao looked back at the alpha before making eye contact with Yixing. He shook his head and retreated back to Junmyeon and the pack. Xuimin nudged his cheek softly, letting him know that he would be alright.

  "Zitao! Get back here!" Luhan bellowed as he shifted. The large white wolf now seemed so small as his brother yelled at him. Minseok and Chanyeol stood in front of Tao as Luhan approached him.

  "Don't touch him." Chanyeol growled in Luhan's head.

  "He's my brother. I can do whatever I want!" Luhan growled before shifting and lunging at Tao. He bit his neck hard, making the younger wolf yelp in pain. Luhan dragged Tao back to where his brothers stood. Xuimin barked and attacked Luhan. He tore at his face and scratched at his neck.

  "Go back to Suho, Tao!" Xuimin ordered. Tao whimpered and crawled back to the pack. Chanyeol shifted and helped him up.

  "You're gonna be okay. We'll protect you." Chanyeol said softly before loud gunshots rang through the air. Tao's eyes grew wide as he turned around, gasping as he saw his brothers fall to the ground. A hunter from the village had seen them and he had killed them.

  "L-Luhan! Yixing! Yifan!" Tao howled. He tried to crawl over to where they were lying but Xuimin gently bit the back of his neck and dragged him back.

  "We need to go, Tao." The older wolf said quietly.

  "I need to see them! I can help them! Xuimin please!" Tao sobbed as he shifted. He ran to where his brothers were and fell beside Luhan. He gently picked up his head and rested it in his lap.

  "Why? Why didn't you just listen to me? I know you didn't like Suho but he could help us adapt to being in a pack. You didn't listen." Tao sobbed into his brother's neck, forgetting about the pain and blood coming from his own. He felt around for a pulse but couldn't find one.

  "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." Tao whimpered, hugging his brother's body close to his.

Present

  Tao sighed and wiped the tears from his eyes before continuing to test the samples. He squeezed a little blood into a slide and examined it under a microscope. He saw the chemicals mixing with her blood and was shocked to see that her cells were deteriorating.

  "Oh no..." Tao mumbled. He then took a melted down sample of Jongdae's saliva and mixed it into the blood sample. He gasped when the chemicals in (y/n)'s blood vaporized Jongdae's cells almost immediately.

  "Shit..." Tao groaned, leaning back in his chair. She was dying and Jongdae was going to die being around her. Tao knew what he had to do but he also knew that Jongdae wasn't going to like it.

  Tao walked out of his lab and up the stairs to Jongdae's room. He knocked on the door and waited for someone to open it.

  "Oh! Hey, Tao! Did you find anything?" Jongdae asked. Tao nodded and motioned for him to follow him. Jongdae followed the healer down the stairs and into the lab. Tao showed him the slide and waited for him to say something.

  "What does this mean?" Jongdae asked, worried for his mate.

  "She's dying and if you stay near her for too long, so will you." Tao sighed, staring at the floor. Jongdae's fist slammed down onto the table in anger.

  "No!! She can't be dying! She's perfectly healthy, how can she be dying?!" Jongdae screamed. Tao flinched but remained calm.

  "She's not dying quickly but her cells are being deteriorated by this chemical from the metal. I need Kai to go back to the dungeon and find the poker and bring it back. It's the only way I can figure what caused this." Tao explained. Jongdae nodded before storming out of the lab. Tao hated being the bearer of bad news but he felt like Jongdae needed to know.