To be clear, Marcus had thought that the whole open-door-find-mythical-creature thing was a one time deal.

Though his living room full of hostile strangers covered in fur suggested that it was going to become a regular thing.

"Ah. Mr. Norris. Thank you so much for returning the sirin," Sammy said as she walked through his fixed balcony door, a young blonde man with his bare torso on display following behind her.

Marcus didn't keep his attention on her for long, sliding slightly to his right to stand in front of Kuzma. The sirin's claws were drawing out and Marcus didn't want the explosive guy to start an uneven fight. Sure, Kuzma was strong and the wolves needing about ten members around only proved that, but he was also vulnerable. Who knows what else could trigger something?

Marcus slowly eyed each humanoid wolf, all of them looking at Kuzma like he were some kind of demon and they were ready to send him back to hell.

Then he looked at Penny who sat on his couch, elbows on her knees and eyes on her feet, not looking up at Marcus or saying a word. She looked guilty, for lack of a better term.

"Did you threaten her?" Marcus asked Sammy, his worry for Penny showing as he slowly glanced at Sammy, his trigger finger twitching.

"Threaten?" Sammy asked, confused as she looked at Penny. "Why would I threaten our former Alpha?"

And that was probably the most shocking thing he had heard all day.

Marcus' eyes widened as he looked at Penny, her hands clasped so tight together, it didn't look like blood was getting to her fingers, and then he relaxed somewhat and sighed, running a hand through his hair and making his ponytail finally come undone.

"You think you know a person," he mumbled, mind going to his hair that was growing way too fast before returning to the current situation.

"Penny a werewolf. I mean...wow," he said, huffing slightly. He was in a state of disbelief and it wasn't just because of what he had found out about the person he thought was his friend of five years.

It was because he had left her with Kuzma. He had practically handed the poor guy over, and it didn't matter that he didn't know. It didn't because what kind of flimsy excuse was that if Kuzma had been captured and taken to who knew where?

He felt like such a dumbass.

"Mark..." Penny said softly, raising her head. "I'm so sorry but I couldn't have told you. The law states that humans aren't to know of us. I couldn--"

"I left Kuzma with you. You were helping them and I just left him with you," Marcus said, cutting her off as he thought out loud and rubbed his tired face with both hands.

His torso was beginning to burn with pain and his head was pounding, his eyes stinging from holding back his emotions as he took deep breaths.

"We thought he was controlling you!" Penny said, shooting off the bed. "I had no idea that you knew anything at all! I thought he was manipulating you somehow. Using you. It's what they do, Marcus."

"Like how you used me to get close to him?" Marcus asked, surprised with himself. He hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Penny kept quiet and pressed her lips together, eyebrows furrowed.

"As entertaining as this is--"

All eyes turned to Sammy, her arms folded as she looked up at Kuzma.

"--I have duties to get to. Move aside, Mr. Norris so we can apprehend the sirin."

"Just fucking try, bitch," Kuzma said calmly from behind Marcus, the words making Sammy growl.

"Over my rotten, maggot-infested corpse," Marcus said, not moving an inch and his words seemed to stun everyone into silence.

"What?" Kuzma mumbled.

Marcus looked behind him to see Kuzma staring down at him with wide eyes, as surprised as everyone else and Marcus shrugged before turning back.

"You gotta kill me first. Sorry, but unless I'm dead, I ain't letting you touch a hair on the guy. Sure, he's rude but that's about all he has done and I completely disagree that being rude deserves execution."

"Enough of this. You humans simply could not understand what is going on in this world and leave it at that. Stop playing with some childish sense of heroism and hand him over!"

"Childish sense of heroism. I like that. And no. Also, get out of my house, the way you came in. I've got a cake to bake," Marcus said as he crossed his arms and looked at the pissed off Sammy square in her glowing eyes.

"We cannot leave him her--"

"Breaking and entering, attempting to kidnap and then attempting to murder. Let's not forget the fact that you all sprout fur and claws. How you think the police is going to take to all that, huh?" Marcus wasn't going to do that as it would've incriminated Kuzma as well, giving the sirin more attention which he didn't need, but he doubted Sammy would think about that while looking so enraged.

Everyone was quiet for a good minute, Marcus and Sammy looking like they were having some kind of western showdown.

"Glynn," Sammy suddenly said after sighing and closing her eyes, pressing two fingers to the side of her head.

"Alpha?" the blonde behind her said after jumping, his blue eyes widening with surprise.

Cute blonde wolf? Marcus thought as he eyed him up and down, having the sudden urge to give the guy's parents a thumbs up.

"You're on patrol duty of this building. Hear, see or smell anything suspicious, you let us know immediately. This is not how this was supposed to go," Sammy said, growling that last part before turning around and heading out to the balcony.

"The Council will have my head!" she snapped just before jumping over the railing, all of the wolves following her except for Penny who remained with Marcus and Kuzma.

"I suggest you let me pass now, human."

Marcus sighed before stepping further to the right, watching as Kuzma slammed the front door then marched back to the bedroom, giving Penny the middle finger on the way.

Even though he had no idea why everyone had been so reluctant to harm him, he was too tired to argue or think and was just glad they all left. A thanks would have been nice though but he took what he could get.

"You're welcome," Marcus mumbled to himself with a glance to his feet before looking up at Penny.

"Why're you still here?" he asked curiously, tilting his head to the right as he looked at the conflicted looking elder.

"Marcus...You don't understand how big this is," Penny said softly as she walked up to him, standing in front of him with a worried expression.

"Gods want Kuzma's head separated from his body for being born into a race that worried them with how strong they were getting so fed their loyal masses propaganda so they'd agree to a ludicrous ideology that Kuzma, despite being a victim of a kidnapping and torture that I'm probably the only that cares about, is some kind of monster. Oh, and werewolves are real and you're one. Did I miss anything?" Marcus listed off rapidly, sounding like a robot even to himself.

Penny blinked her narrow blue eyes at him before shaking her head.

"Marcus that's...You don't know the full story. His race and the other fallen, they were actually planning to kill the gods. They were planning treason! One of them already did in the past! They betrayed their creators!"

"I'm guessing the children also deserved it. The babies were the strategists, right? And the old people that spent their days with their gardens or the dad trying to get his pregnant spouse all their cravings, those were all obviously murderous soldiers. Listen to yourself, Penny," Marcus said, sounding calm but his words holding contempt.

"You judge the good with the bad, add in the innocent with the guilty, consider the baby of a killer the same as their mummy or daddy and what does that just sound like? At the end of the day, you and your people and your gods sound like the unfair monsters in all this, not Kuzma. And I hate to say this to someone I considered a good friend for five years but get out of my house and please, tell Tom I said thank you for the door."

Penny stepped back, looking slightly shocked before pressing her thin lips together and giving Marcus a look so sad, it would've probably made Marcus hug her if she weren't someone so keen on killing an innocent.

He didn't stop staring at the spot she had stood at even when she moved to the door, letting out a heavy breath when he heard the door open then close.

And there was just silence, Marcus turning around to lock his door before pressing his forehead against it.

Breathe, Marcus. Just breathe.

The fact that his internal voice of reason sounded like his Gran wasn't helping him much in staying together.

Marcus let in a shaky breath before letting it out, doing it over and over again until his rapidly beating heart began to calm down, his nausea not leaving him.

"Human?"

Marcus opened his eyes and tilted his head to the right to see Kuzma glaring down at him. He was starting to think that was just how the guy's face originally was.

"What is it?" Marcus asked softly, the day making him feel completely drained and it wasn't even past two in the afternoon yet.

"...I'm hungry," Kuzma asked slowly, looking at Marcus skeptically like he was worried Marcus was going to explode.

If it were anyone else, they might have lost it then and there, the stress of such a day being let out. Not Marcus.

That just wasn't his style.

He let out a short laugh and asked, "What you hungry for? Cake or cake?"