The midnight adventure had turned into a nightmare in an instant.

Namjoon lurched in the seat and heard the screeching of the van's tires against the pavement. In his half-asleep state, he almost slammed face-first into the back of the driver's seat. Yoongi was jostled by the sudden movement but still barely awake.

Hoba let out a strange scream and opened the car door. A rush of cold air bit at Namjoon's skin. He was about to complain about the cold when he caught the scent of smoke.

He closed his mouth and turned in his seat to look out his window.

For a moment, his mind refused to load the scenery around him. It denied the existence of it all; the monstrous plumes of black smoke, the violent flames consuming the pack houses, and the darting of wolves and their shadows among the chaos.

The alcohol he so irresponsibly drank came up in his throat without warning.

He shoved Yoongi off his lap and jumped out of the car. He fell to his knees and threw up on the pavement, crying from the acid's pain against the tender insides of his throat and mouth.

Hoseok staggered out of the door and stood still. His eyes were trained on the disastrous scene laid before him.

Yoongi remained in the car.

Namjoon coughed out the remains of the puke. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand. He stared out at the burning houses, stunned.

"Oh my God ," Hobi whispered. His voice cracked, "Oh my God! Seokjin hyung, he's--, where's--, everybody is..."

Namjoon forced himself to stand from the ground, swaying on his feet. "Where is everybody?" he croaked.

Among the flames, he caught glimpses of wolves dashing from house to house. The echoes of growls sounded through the midnight air. Somebody screamed. Glass shattered. A body fell from a window with a dull thud.

Hoseok gasped and began moving towards the body.

Namjoon gathered his senses and grabbed Hoseok by the arm. He yanked him backward with eyes wide with fear. "No, Hobi, don't!"

Hoseok's head snapped back and glared at him with bewilderment. "What's wrong with you?!" he shouted, fighting to break free from Namjoon's grip. "We have to help them!"

"We don't even know what's happening!" Namjoon argued.

"People are dying! We're not going to stand here and do nothing! What kind of Alpha are you?"

An arrow struck through Namjoon's heart. He dropped Hoseok's arm as if he had been burned and backed away from the older wolf.

Hoseok's eyes blazed with the same intensity that destroyed his home. The corners of his lips turned down into a dark frown. "I'm going. Take care of Yoongi hyung if you're going to stay." Then he turned and started towards the fires without hesitation.

Hoseok's body turned into a shadow as he entered the wall of smoke before vanishing into the darkness.

Namjoon's mouth hung open, frozen in mid-argument. His arm slowly lowered from the air and hung pathetically at his side. He's gone. He went into the fire.

For all the jokes they made about Hobi being the most cowardly among them, he realized that fear did not extend past trivial things like snakes and large cockroaches. He remained the same self-sacrificing hyung Namjoon came to know and love in the face of disaster.

Hoseok would have been an excellent Alpha.

Namjoon didn't deserve the title. He believed he never would, not after tonight.

"HOBA!" Yoongi screamed as he nearly fell out of the car. He stumbled forward and look around wildly. "HOBA!"

Namjoon's heartbeat spiked with terror. He ran to Yoongi and tried to cover his mouth, "No! Shh!" He looked fearfully over his shoulder as one of the running wolves stopped in its track. The wolf's yellow eyes were fixated on them.

Yoongi shoved him off with drunk strength. "Where did he go?" he demanded.

Namjoon glanced at the staring wolf again with mounting fear. I don't think that's one of Iris's wolves.

"ANSWER ME!" Yoongi shouted again, completely ignoring the wolf in the smoke.

Namjoon beat his hands against Yoongi's chest to push him back. "Stop it, hung!!"

Yoongi's eyes were unfocused, too drunk to understand what was happening. "WHERE DID HE GO!?"

"He isn't here, but you have to be quiet because--!"

A guttural growl came from behind them. A blunt force knocked Namjoon to the ground. He barely caught himself and rolled to the side in surprise. He looked up and found a wolf standing over him with their teeth bared. The wolf growled loudly with its fur standing up on its back.

They're going to kill him.

Yoongi cursed.

The wolf shot Yoongi a withering look, taking his eyes off Namjoon for a second.

Namjoon's blood surged in his body as the adrenaline kicked in. He balled his fist and swung at the wolf's face without warning. His fist slammed into the wolf's muzzle and he scrambled to his feet. His hand ached for only a moment then he shook it out to relieve the tension.

The wolf whimpered before lowering to the ground in an attack position, readying to lunge for him.

Namjoon was about to transform when Yoongi in his wolf form jumped in front of him. Yoongi growled deeply, a sound coming from the back of his throat, and his scent was almost strong enough to mask the smoke. Yoongi's tail was held straight and the fur bristled on his neck.

Yoongi was protecting him, drunk as he was.

The attacking wolf snarled in response. The wolf's muscles tensed as it readied to leap when a gunshot caused its body to stiffen. A loud whimper fell from the wolf's mouth before it stumbled away in pain.

Yoongi turned into a statue.

Namjoon's head snapped over and found a human standing at the edge of the fire, aiming the gun toward them. He squinted in the darkness but he couldn't make out their face.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" the person shouted at them. "It's not safe here!"

The aggressive wolf growled and turned towards them again. Blood dripped from its wound but Namjoon knew it wasn't enough to disable them. He backed away and held his arm out in front of Yoongi. He pressed it back against Yoongi's furry chest and shot him a fearful look. "We have to find Hobi and Jin and get out of here."

Yoongi snorted.

BANG!

Namjoon and Yoongi jolted at the sound and realized the human was still trying to shoot the wolf. The wolf roared and started sprinting towards the person with the gun. The gunman ran into the haze of smoke and vanished from view with the wolf hot on their heels.

Yoongi transformed back into his human form and nearly lost his balance. Namjoon caught him and steadied him on his feet. Yoongi stared at the blaze in front of him as if he had been hypnotized.

"Why is this happening?" he croaked.

"I don't know," Namjoon's heart was pounding as he stared into the fire. "But we're not safe here. Hobi went in to find Jin, but..."

Yoongi shook his head. "Of course he did." Then he gestured to the van. "There's pants in there. Grab them for me."

Namjoon jogged to the van and grabbed Yoongi's bag. He found pants for him and tossed them over to him. Yoongi put them on quickly and started towards the fire. "Come on, we're going to find them."

Namjoon wanted to protest again but the stinging of Hoseok's words left their mark. He kept his mouth shut and reminded himself to be brave. He'll become a wolf that they can be proud of. An Alpha they can trust. He wasn't sure who the "they" meant yet. But he knew they mattered more to him than anything else.

Namjoon and Yoongi went carefully into the clouds of smoke. Namjoon was alert of his surroundings and purposefully heightened his senses to catch any signs of incoming danger. The scent of smoke and burning wood hurt his nose, but he caught glimpses of scent trails amidst the chaos.

Then he found Hoseok's trail of desert flowers and succulents. It was faint, almost swallowed up by the rancid scent of destruction, but he was able to trace it.

"Come on," Namjoon motioned for Yoongi to stay close. "He went this way."

They searched through the maze of smoke. Yoongi hopped over patches of broken glass on barefeet. The fragments of glass reflected the fire like glowing embers.

They ran across the ash-coated grass and headed towards their house. When Namjoon reached the front door, he realized it had been kicked down from the outside. Somebody broke into the house.

Namjoon carefully entered the burning house and reeled at the intensity of the smoke. He covered his mouth and leaned down towards the ground. His eyes burned from the heat. Fire crawled up the wooden walls and ate at the decoration like small demons.

He heard a rumbling sound from within the walls. He feared the house would collapse on them if they ventured any further.

"HOSEOK!" Namjoon shouted with all the power in his lungs. "HOSEOK! JIN!" He inched further into the entryway and looked fearfully at the ceiling.

The house could fall on top of them at any moment. This was too dangerous.

"HOBA!" Yoongi screamed, still waiting outside. He was looking up at the windows. "JIN HYUNG! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

"IS ANYBODY HERE?" Namjoon cupped his hands around his mouth as he yelled.

Nothing but the sound of cracking wood and hungry flames answered his call.

Namjoon's heart sank as the eerie silence of humans continued. Where are they? Hobi would know to come back to the van. If he found Seokjin, they would have run into him on their way here.

"NAMJOON! LOOK OUT!"

He whirled around and saw the head of a snarling wolf in the open doorway. Its eyes burned with hatred as it stared him down.

Namjoon gasped and inhaled too much smoke. He coughed and pressed his wrist against his mouth again.

The wolf growled deeply as it entered the house. Its broad shoulders forced its way through the doorway.

Namjoon backed away from the wolf, still coughing.

Who were these wolves? Why did they attack Alpha Iris's pack?

Then Namjoon remembered what Alpha Samuel told him.

"People are scared. And it's only going to get worse. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw an attack in the coming months. Some packs are afraid of losing territory, or thinking it's the time to take it from others. We have to be prepared for the worst."

And that was what happened here.

This is a hostile pack attempting to drive out Alpha Iris's pack by burning down their houses.

The wolf was advancing toward him, forcing him further into the burning house. The wolf was trying to trap him.

Namjoon uncovered his mouth and forced himself to gather his wits. The alcohol made it difficult to adjust, but the adrenaline was beginning to take over his senses. He locked eyes with the hostile wolf and spoke calmly, as he had practiced, "Stay."

The wolf's lifted paw froze.

Confusion flashed in the wolf's eyes, as it usually does.

Namjoon coughed once and looked back at the rest of the burning house. "HOSEOK!" he screamed again, in a last attempt to check if they were still in the house.

Nothing.

Namjoon turned back to the paralyzed wolf with a gaze of disgust. "Stay," he repeated firmly.

The wolf's eyes widened at the words and their body remained still.

Then Namjoon carefully walked around the wolf, then dashed out the door and breathed in the somewhat fresh night air. It was a thousand times better than inside the house.

But Yoongi was gone.

Namjoon's stomach dropped.

"YOONGI!"

"OVER HERE!"

He ran towards Yoongi's voice, deeper into the pack's territory. He barely recognized the houses. The once peaceful area had turned into a hellscape.

"Namjoon!"

His heart lifted with relief at the sound of Hoseok's voice. He ran faster but stopped short.

Yoongi and Hoseok were struggling to lift Seokjin from the ground. His hyung was covered with blood. There were scratches running down his face. The torn flesh on his arm was leaking with blood, far too much blood to be shallow. His dark hair hung in front of his face and was already matted with blood.

"What happened?" Namjoon asked in shock, running towards them. He looked over Seokjin with wide eyes and realized that his hyung was barely conscious.

"We found him trying to protect the nursery," Hobi explained, breathless from running and the smoke clogging the air. "Everybody is out, but Jin hyung suffered for it."

Guilt filled Namjoon's chest. I'm a coward. But he shook his head and dismissed those thoughts. Now is not the time.

"Who are these guys? Why are we being attacked?" Yoongi asked Hobi while they held Seokjin in their arms.

Namjoon kept watch as they walked down the once peaceful dirt path. He paid close attention to the hulking shadows in the dark, illuminated by the raging fire. He listened to the distant sound of shouts and howling. He couldn't identify who was making those sounds.

"I think it's Jessi's pack, but I can't be sure. It's hard to tell when everybody is a wolf."

"You haven't seen anybody in their human form?"

"No."

"If they wanted territory, why are they setting things on fire?" Yoongi questioned.

Hoseok shook his head. "I have no idea."

Seokjin's moan cut off their conversation. The trio looked at him with deep concern in their eyes. Hoseok leaned closer and whispered to him that it would be okay.

Yoongi scanned over their surroundings, now eerily quiet aside from the crackle of the fire on wood. "Where are we going?"

Hoseok hesitated. "Somewhere else. I don't know how many are left..." His eyes watered. "I don't know how many we lost, but I know we lost our territory. I haven't seen Alpha Iris yet."

"Do we try to hide nearby? Wait this out?"

Namjoon finally spoke up. "No. We can't stay here. It's too dangerous."

Seokjin whimpered as he tried to hold himself up by his feet. He grimaced as he attempted to move his stiff limbs.

"Where do we go?" Yoongi asked.

"We're going to my pack," Namjoon replied. He didn't think about what Alpha Samuel would say. He didn't care. They needed a place to go, and he would take them with him. And Charlotte...

"What if we weren't the only pack attacked?" Yoongi voiced Namjoon's next thought.

Namjoon shook his head. "I don't know. But that's the only place I can come up with."

If their pack wasn't the only pack to be attacked, then it was more important that Namjoon returned home. He couldn't leave Charlotte behind. This assumed she would come with him and his new friends. He hoped she would, he wasn't sure what he would do without her.

"It's better than here. I think everybody already evacuated."

I hope that's the case.

Namjoon looked over their surroundings again and realized there were fewer ominous shadows. It appeared like the enemy wolves were clearing out. However, his eye was caught by one of the windows in the Main House. Blood, glistening like rubies, was splattered on the glass and dripping from the windowsill. The blood watered the once blooming flowers on the ground level. Namjoon's stomach twisted with nausea as they passed by. He turned his head away, unable to look closer at the strange lumps blocking the open door.

They finally reached the van, thankfully untouched. Namjoon traded with Hoseok and helped Seokjin into the back. Yoongi and Namjoon were gentle with handling their injured hyung. Seokjin's eyes were watery with pain-induced tears and he kept mumbling about "safety".

Namjoon sat in the back with Jin. He adjusted his head to lay on Namjoon's thighs. He held Seokjin close to his body, not bothering with a seatbelt. Blood began to drench Namjoon's clothes with sticky wetness. He paid it no mind. All that mattered was keeping Seokjin awake.

"Get back onto the main road, I'll guide you from there," Namjoon called up to the front. "I'm going to call home and warn them."

Hoseok nodded and turned on the van. He didn't turn on the headlights and was slow-moving to avoid attracting attention.

Namjoon found his phone and tapped on Alpha Samuel's number. He held the phone to his ear and held his breath, praying his Alpha would pick up.

Seokjin whined and grabbed at Namjoon's lifted arm. His bloody hand encircled around his wrist and held on tight.

"I'm here," Namjoon whispered to his hyung. "Don't worry, you're safe now."

Seokjin stared up at him with a dazed expression. He could have been sleepwalking and they wouldn't be the wiser. "I'm sorry," he rasped.

"Don't be, you did all you could," Namjoon reassured him, shoving down feelings of guilt again. "There's nothing else you could have done."

Seokjin shook his head and reached up to Namjoon's face. His trembling finger traced a line down his cheek. A drop of blood formed from his touch and dripped down his skin like a tear. "I'm sorry..." he cried. "I'm so sorry , I couldn't do enough--, I wasn't strong enough--"

"Save your breath," Namjoon cut him off. He leaned his face into Seokjin's palm. "You were so brave, braver than I could ever be, hyung."

Seokjin sniffled loudly but the tears continued to flow. "Alpha Iris--" his voice tightened. He choked on his cries and turned his head away, grimacing in pain. "She's--, she's--"

"Don't," Namjoon said softly.

Seokjin broke down and started to cry with an ache of grief. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

The ringing of the phone went silent in Namjoon's ear.

Alpha Samuel wasn't picking up.

"LOOK OUT!"

Before Namjoon could brace himself, something hit the side of the van and caused it to rock dangerously. Hoseok shrieked and gripped the steering wheel while Yoongi clung to the safety handle above the car door. Namjoon was thrown forward and Seokjin rolled out of his lap. Namjoon messily caught Seokjin and dragged him back onto the seat, gasping for breath out of fear.

"The fuck --" Yoongi started when the glass in the back of the van shattered.

Namjoon yelled and ducked down, shielding Seokjin with his body. Jin's face was smothered into Namjoon's chest but he was too afraid to move back, scared the glass would get on him.

"Go go go!" Yoongi panicked.

The van screeched and shot forward with a burst of speed. Hoseok was making loud and strange noises as if his scream was caught in his throat. Yoongi was banging his hand against his seat, shouting at Hoseok to drive faster.

"They're behind us! Go go go!"

"I know, I know!" Hoseok screamed back.

Namjoon kept low and continued to shield Seokjin from harm. He managed to keep hold of his phone in the chaos. He was scarcely breathing.

Jin hyung wrapped his arms around Namjoon's body, clinging to him like a koala cub. He buried his face into Namjoon's chest. Namjoon felt tear-stains form on his shirt. "They're coming for me..." he said.

"They're not going to get us," Namjoon replied quietly. "They won't get us."

Seokjin tried to pull his arms back and push Namjoon back. "They're coming for me," he repeated with a rising note of panic. "I--, I did... I killed..."

"You were defending yourself, don't apologize--"

With a surprising amount of strength, Jin pushed Namjoon up and forced him to sit up. Seokjin's eyes were cloudy with fear. "I think I killed their Alpha."

Namjoon froze at those words. "How do you know?"

Seokjin covered his wet face with his hands. "He used his power, on me, on them," he explained shakily. "Or, I thought he did. Maybe we were all afraid of them made it feel like he used his power, but... but I fought back. I wasn't thinking about his voice so I just lunged and... I got him."

"Did you recognize him?"

"It was too dark, I couldn't."

"But you did what you had to do," Namjoon argued gently. "If he was the Alpha, then he deserved it. For causing this. You..." His words were heavy in his mouth. It felt wrong to say, but it was the truth. You did the world a favor by getting rid of him.

"Are they gone?" Yoongi shouted over his shoulder.

Namjoon glanced back and found nothing but a dark road behind the van. "I think so."

"Directions. We need directions, Joon," Hoba said, keeping his head fixated on the road.

Namjoon squinted at the winding path and scanned over the wall of trees lining the edges. It's almost pitch black without the headlights. "Take the road back to town. Stay on this road until town, hyung."

Hoseok nodded tensely. "Okay." He forced out a shaky breath. "I can do that."

"Who are you trying to call?" Yoongi asked.

"Alpha Samuel, but he isn't picking up..." Namjoon hurriedly scrolled through his contacts. "I'm going to call Charlotte. She'll pick up. I know she will."

Hoba struggled to breathe out again. "I hope this isn't a coordinated attack. On everybody. In the area. I really hope that everybody's--," he gulped, "that everyone is out. And safe. Do you think they're okay? Jin hyung? Did you see them?"

Yoongi placed his hand on Hoseok's shoulder and gave him a calming look. "Deep breaths, Hoba. Don't worry about that right now. You need to focus on driving unless you want to switch?"

Hoseok shook his head. "N-No. I'm okay, hyungie."

Namjoon held the phone to his ear and mentally pleaded that she picked it up. The phone rang a few times before he heard the sound of her breath. "Hello?"

An unexpected smile rose to his lips at the mere sound of her voice. For a brief moment, the relief of her presence calmed his heart. It made him feel as if everything was finally going to be okay.

"Charlotte, I--," reality crashed on him once again and he lost track of his thoughts. "I..."

He heard the shifting of blankets on her end. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Namjoon glanced down at Seokjin, still clutching at his injured arm and grimacing. "No. Actually. We're not." He forced himself to refocus on the matter at hand. To say the words out loud was to make them a reality. To solidify the nightmare he had been wandering through in a hungover daze.

"What's going on? What happened?"

"Alpha Iris's pack was attacked by another pack," he began. "We don't know which pack, but they burned everything to the ground. We're coming back home. Seokjin hyung isn't doing well, he got hurt trying to fight them off."

"Oh my gosh..."

"I tried to call Alpha Samuel, but he didn't pick up. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's quiet. But--." Her voice hitches with shock. "Oh my goodness."

Namjoon swallowed hard against his throat and forced the truth from his mouth. "They came in the night. They went to the Main House, there were no survivors." His heart ached at the grim declaration but his brain still echoed those misshapen bodies littering the front door. "There was blood dripping from the windows... I don't think it's safe for us anymore. I think we need to leave."

"To leave? What do you mean?"

"I... I'll explain it more when we get there. We have a bit of driving left. Please wake up Alpha Samuel and tell him what happened. I'm worried this might spread to the other packs. That things are going to fall apart soon."

"Okay. Okay, I'll wake him up. Please hurry home, I'll try to get everything ready, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Lottie..."

"Be safe, Joonie. I'll see you then. I love you."

Namjoon nodded as small tears formed in the corners of his eyes. The pain in his chest was growing worse. Everything he saw earlier was beginning to affect him. He needed to regain control over himself but he felt himself slipping. There was only so much his buzzed state could filter. The lingering images were becoming clearer by the second. All the bodies, the stains on the wood, the distant screams, it was too much for him.

"I love you too. Bye."

Namjoon hung up and stared at the back of the driver's seat in silent shock. His own words rolled through his head. He wasn't sure what he meant about leaving. He didn't know where they would go, or how to start that process. There were too many unknowns.

It could be the worst or the best moment to leave the boundaries of the pack.

He didn't know what to do next.

"Sounds like the world is ending," Seokjin whispered.

Namjoon placed his hand on Jin's forehead and frowned. It was surprisingly warm. "Are you doing okay?"

"I wonder how it'll end," he continued. He winced as he unstuck his hand from his bloody shoulder, pulling at the bloody skin and open wounds. "What's that quote? Fire and ice, something's nice?"

"I think things are going to get crazy, but I don't think the world will actually end," Namjoon said. "It's just going to... get off track."

"Is leaving really the best decision?"

Namjoon hadn't realized Yoongi was listening too.

Yoongi glanced back at him and Namjoon caught a whiff of his sweet bourbon scent. It was comforting and normal. "Trying to leave your pack to go elsewhere? Where would you go if the world was ending?"

Namjoon sighed. "I don't know. I guess I was just talking... just thinking about something."

"You're smart, Joon, you'll figure it out..." Seokjin trailed off.

Namjoon's heart jumped. "Wait, hyung, don't sleep!"

Seokjin's eyes drooped dangerously low. "It'll only be for a second..."

"No no you have to stay awake," Namjoon urged and almost shook him, but stopped when he remembered Seokjin was injured. "You can't go to sleep, hyung."

Seokjin slowly blinked at him. "I don't... I don't see the problem..."

Namjoon lifted his chin slightly and a surge of emotion filled the base of his stomach. He locked eyes with Jin and spoke calmly. "You still stay awake."

Seokjin's eyes widened in surprise.

Yoongi's head snapped to Namjoon, mirroring the same expression.

Namjoon held his gaze, absolutely serious. "Seokjin hyung, you will stay awake."

"Can you even do that...?" Yoongi trailed off when he looked down at Jin. "I guess you can."

Namjoon grimaced. "I'm sorry, hyung. You need to hold on." He hated using his power, but he couldn't let Jin fall asleep. He has to keep him awake. It's his one job, and he's going to do it well.

Seokjin slowly nodded, unblinking for a while. "Yeah. Okay. I get it."

"What does it feel like? To use it?" Yoongi asked quietly.

Namjoon's head lowered with shame. "To be honest, I don't really feel it. Just a small rush and then... just talking with certainty. Sometimes I don't realize I'm using it. I'm sorry, Jin hyung."

Jin stared up at the van ceiling in silence.

"Hyung?"

He sighed loudly through his nose. "It hurts. Everything hurts."

"I know," Namjoon's voice reflected his guilt. "I'm sorry."

Hoseok cleared his throat. "We're nearing town. Namjoon?"

Namjoon rubbed his tired eyes. "Yeah. You're going to take the highway and head east. It's close to Eddysville."

"Thanks."

Namjoon's shoulders drooped with exhaustion. "I don't know. Let's just get home before we talk about the end of the world."

Yoongi turned to face the front. "Yeah. Good plan."

The van fell silent, and Namjoon started to feel the weight of the world on his shoulders for the first time.

A/N: I find myself often wishing I could create a prequel! I really do love doing these flashbacks XD This is probably the last BIG flashback as this is really one of the main turning points concerning the "backstory arc". Also, thank you for 300 reads!! It means the world to me that you read this! This is my favorite story, in comparison to the others. As much as I adore Ethereal, WOL might take the cake! Let me know your thoughts, I love to see comments! <3 Thank you again, take care of yourselves, lovelies!!