🐈🐈🐈

For a wine cellar, you'd think there would be more wine. Instead the wine racks sit empty, collecting a thin layer of dust that makes my nose itch. The stone walls illuminated in the soft lighting give me reassurance that there was no way I'll be able to get anywhere near Y/n tonight.

I sit in the one chair available, a hideous green, overstuffed piece of furniture set by a small, round table that is decorated with a lamp. Should I call Y/n? I shouldn't have embarrassed her at lunch like that, but I seriously couldn't help myself. If she hadn't stop smiling like that I would have done something stupid.

Lick her neck.

Yes, something stupid like that. The moment we'd stepped into the courtyard I knew it was a bad decision, but going a day without seeing her would hurt too much. Her scent was everywhere. There were too many people around her. The thought of someone else touching her drove me insane.

It wasn't so much that she needed to be marked. It was that she needed to be protected. To be able to have her locked up, away from any danger and away from another wolf even smelling her would be perfect.

Those thoughts had made me feel like a terrible, controlling boyfriend and a crazy person. You can't just lock your girlfriend up.

Why not, she's ours. No.

The only thing able to calm me down at the time was that she still smelled like me.

I hate this. I feel like a wild animal.

I am a wild animal.

My eyes seem to move without my directing them to the thick door and the bolted lock keeping me in here.

You can break it.

No.

🐈🐈🐈

Dad and stupid Ronald drive away and I almost instantly wish they would come back. With the exception of Ronald, of course.

The storm clouds in the distance look ominous and every single sound in the house can now be heard. Why is my house creaking so much?

The tumble of the washing machine, the scratching sound coming from the litter box, the wind hitting the side of the house and making the wind chimes go crazy. All of it brings me more paranoia than I expected. What if I was right? What if an ax murderer decides that tonight is the night, and my house is the first stop?

I sit on the couch with a blanket wrapped around my head, hoping I'm wrong. I didn't want to wuss out on the first day and tell Eun-ji to come over, but should I? Let's see, in horror movies (because, sure, this is now the basis for which I will measure all of my decisions), there's always a news report that everyone ignores about a recently escaped killer.

I grab the remote and flip to the news, fully expecting at this point to find my expectations to be true.

"And tonight, we're going to learn how to make toast!"

Who the fuck doesn't know how to make toast? This ignites an unnecessary amount of rage in me. Who do these people think they are?!?

"But before that, watch as this monkey hits another monkey with a robot monkey."

I watch, dumbfounded as 'scientists' built a fake monkey and then set it out to the jungle, only for it to find friendship. In a very dramatic turn, Milo (the actual monkey) became enraged when Enrique (who named these monkeys?) attempted to take Babbette (the robot monkey) from him. In his jealous rage, because this is totally acceptable, Milo throws Babbette at Enrique.

"Oh, SHIT!" I shout, now fully engaged in the monkey soap opera. What had the news become?

After hitting Enrique a few times, Milo accidentally threw Babbette a bit too hard, sending her over a cliff and into the river below. I actually gasped.

The narrator speaks as the camera pans to show the cliff and the orange sunset beyond, a soft piano tune bringing emotion to the scene. "And so with a heavy heart, Milo rejoins his troop, his once beautiful friendship, lost. But as Alfred Lord Tennyson once famously said, 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

Wiping a few tears, I go to check my phone when I hear it ding.

So now he's back to normal? His demeanor at lunch had been nothing less than intense, to say the least. I wish I knew what set him off and why he was so weird. Like, all the time.

My thumbs pause over the screen as I debate on asking about the behavior from earlier. How would I even word that? 'So I was wondering why you looked kind of crazy earlier, what's with that shit?'

Yeah, that's the perfect way to phrase that question.

Now that I think about it, why were Jimin and Taehyung there? Coming along and eating with us was fine, but all they did was sit way too close, didn't partake in any conversation, and in the end rushed Namjoon off like he was a ticking time bomb.

All that I can conclude is the same thing that's been running through my head all day. These people are weird.

Instead of laying it right out, I decide to approach the subject in a more broad manner.

✅

I watch the screen in anticipation as Namjoon begins typing and then stops, only to start again before stopping once more. What the hell?

Thunder crashes and I nearly jump out of my skin. Somewhere in the house I hear a crash and I can only assume one of my kitties was just as startled as I was. Skipping from the couch, I move to glance out of the window, checking for any of the strays I like to feed in case they want in from the storm. Dad has specially forbade letting in strange animals but what he doesn't know won't kill him. Three fur babies are waiting outside so I hastily bring them in and lock them in the laundry room to keep them separate from the others.

By the time I get back to the couch and check my phone, Namjoon has answered. My eyes bulge out as the texts he has sent progressively get stranger.

What the fuck? I was gone for three minutes! I knew this was too good to be true. I'm dating a psycho, aren't I? Because this is not normal.

Thunder continues to boom and is soon followed by the rain. The wind pushes it into the windows, creating a loud pelting sound that fills the room. Questioning whether it's a good idea or not, I go ahead and try to call Namjoon. It rings and rings before eventually going to voicemail.

Seriously?

Annoyed now, I shoot him a text telling him I'm ok and to call me back. The fucking weirdo. I swear to god the next time I talk to him, he's gonna find out just how unacceptably clingy he's being.

Letting out a yawn, I stretch out on the sofa and cuddle under my blanket, laying out to watch the idiot news reporters making toast.

"You know what makes toast better?" The guest 'chef' asks the news anchors surrounding her. "Butter!"

WHO DOESN'T KNOW THAT? These fucking people—

The 'chef' spreads butter and jam on the toast and the morons around her applaud as if she just won a Grammy. Then all holding their select pieces of toast, they make a toast to the best chef in town.

This. This is why I hate everyone.

The explosive thunder outside startles me once again and I clutch the blanket tighter. The red and white logo of the news station flashes across the screen before the picture shifts to the meteorologist, who finds it completely necessary to look as panicked as possible as he yells dramatically with spit flying, "BREAKING NEWS! A severe thunderstorm warning is in affect for these following areas."

How is that breaking news? It started raining five minutes ago! Why the hell am I still watching this?

Because I'm too lazy to find the remote and now have three cats sitting on top of me, that's why.

After a while I feel myself starting to drift off, the thunderstorm loud but Madam Sparklepuss' purrs in my ear relax me.

I'm not sure how long I spend dozing, but I do know I almost shit my pants when something starts pounding on the front door.

My heart hammers into my ribs painfully as I shoot up, sending cats sprawling in all directions. Oh god. It's the ax murderer. I KNEW there would be an ax murderer. Fuck my life.

The pounding continues and I grab my phone, panic making my brain go stupid and confusing me on what I should do in this situation. Calling the police without pause seems like a good idea right off, but before I can do that, my device in my hand starts ringing.

Relief floods me when Namjoon's name flashes across the screen, but gets sucked right out again when I answer and hear Taehyung speaking on the other end.

"Y/n! Are you ok?"

I flinch as the pounding on the door resumes. "Taehyung? I'm ok but someone's at the door-"

"That's Namjoon."

I sigh, relief coming back once again. More annoyed than ever now, I toss the blanket off and stomp towards the door. Sure it's weird that Namjoon came here at night, on foot in a rain storm but...wait. That's really weird.

"Don't answer the door." Taehyung warns and I halt, my hand frozen halfway to the doorknob.

"Huh? Why not?" I question incredulously.

Taehyung pauses, making me more confused than before, if that's possible.

"Y/N!" Now I hear Namjoon's voice outside, stressed and desperate. "Y/n I know you're there! Please open the door."

Taehyung seems to hear this and urges me once again to leave it. Thunder booms and lightening flashes, giving me the worry that Namjoon will most definitely die or be seriously injured if he stays out in this. But Taehyung is trying to persuade me to keep Namjoon out in horrid conditions and my boyfriend is screaming for me in a thunderstorm while I debate on helping him.

What is my life.

See, this is it. This is why I've always kept to myself.

Being honest, I never thought this exact situation would happen. Hell, who would?

But now I can't help but think back on how peaceful my life was before all these strange people entered it. Maybe lonely, but peaceful. My biggest worry back then was that people might want to talk to me, hence annoy me. Now I've got this guy, that I truly do like a lot, and I have to choose whether he lives or dies.

Ok, so maybe 'lives or dies' is an extreme version of this. If I leave him outside he could get struck by lightening or catch hypothermia or...wait, why am I hesitating?

Seriously, what am I supposed to do in this stupid situation?

"Taehyung, why shouldn't I let him in?" I finally ask the question I should have asked initially.

The call cuts off right then. WHY.

"Y/n, please." Namjoon is begging outside.

This is so stupid. Of course I should let him in. Without giving it anymore thought, I open the door.

—

Edited 7/24/21