King held onto his hat as he ran, werewolves in men form chasing him from behind. He threw curses as he ran and sent his feet faster against the pavement while bellows erupted from his tail. The lad didn't dare look back, throwing himself forward with even greater vigor. Though his leg still felt the strain, he was still fast. The were-genetics really do come in handy. 

As he ran, questions stormed inside King's head. Why was he being chased? Why were those damn werewolves hounding them again? He could ask, but he couldn't think clearly of an answer. All he saw was his life flashing before his eyes.

Before reaching a corner by the end of the street, King gasped as he crashed into someone. Due to his momentum from running, both of them were sent rolling on the ground from the impact.

King grunted. He propped his arms against the ground and then joggled the daze off his head. He then heard the other person groan, and he turned his head, finding himself locking eyes to eyes with the other guy. Both of their eyes widened.

"King?" Axel said.

... La naiba, King thought. He snapped back to reality when he heard the loud, baying chaos close in on them.

"Why are you here—"

"Hold it!" King said, a whack sounding off when he slapped a palm against Axel's face. "We gotta go." He paled as he saw his chasers close in. "We gotta go!"

"Wait a moment—" Axel was cut off when King bolted upright and pulled him up. "What's going on—"

"Save your chitchat for later! Just run!" Well, King was already dragging the blonde chap with him. Axel was so confused, but he still went along. But when he became aware of the men tailing them, he finally complied without a struggle. Not that he didn't in the first place.

King panted. He didn't know where he was going. He just dragged himself and the other person behind him to wherever his feet led him. Axel didn't seem to lose his breath. Curse this guy's stamina, King thought. It was understandable, though. Axel had been training ever since they were kids compared to him, who had stopped after they left for Italy.

King was shaken off of his thoughts when Axel shook his grip off. He blinked, confused,  turning his head around to glower at Axel. But before he could do so, Axel clasped his wrist. The next thing that happened, Axel was now the one running and dragging the other.

King glared at Axel. "Hey—"

"I know a place to hide," Axel said.

King looked at him in disbelief. His mouth remained slightly parted open, wondering if it should hurl the words that King wanted to spill out of his throat. But King kept silent, his torn trust slightly leaning again at his old best friend's words.

King panted. It felt like forever when they finally arrived at the place Axel promised — the decrepit old house in a minimally populated place in Sinaia. They both discovered the place when their fathers brought them into the town for business when they were kids and had made it one of their bases. King had forgotten about it. It's been many years, stashed away memories like thousands of records.

Axel peeked out beyond the heavily mold-reeking windows. On the other hand, King scrunched his nose from the horrid smell that the house had built. He could feel the thick cloud of dust in the air, and he sneezed. 

Axel stared at King before sliding down against the wall and sitting on the floor. "You can relax now. The smell here might be a little rough, but it'd completely cover ours," Axel said.

King slightly grunted, his nose turning runny. He looked around and scanned the items in the room. His throat burned from the amount of dust.

"What's going on—"

"Why are you here?" King cut Axel, almost letting out a sneeze again. He grumbled in annoyance and pinched his nose close.

"I remember you telling me to run."

"No, rasca— I meant here, in Sinaia?" 

Axel gave a slight chuckle. For a heartwarming sight, it brought the opposite for King. Axel brought one knee up and tucked a foot under as he laid his weight on one arm. "Pride matters," he said.

King flipped the cover and dusted one of the antique chairs with his hand before he sat backward, crossing his arms and laying them on the chair's backrest. He stared down at Axel, who was on the floor. "Right. I see you're going to be the Beta now, huh? Probably even King."

Axel diverted his eyes and slightly moved from where he sat, not replying. King studied him, eyeing the features that had changed. Axel's hair was now more grown than the short one he previously kept. His facial features became sharper, too, all a product of adulthood. King then drew his eyes away.

After that, almost a full minute went on without them saying anything to one another. King had his head burrowed on the crook between his chest and crossed arms, catching his eyes for some rest. He'd spend a few more minutes before leaving just to ensure that the werewolves were already off their tracks.

"... Can I ask now?" Axel suddenly said.

King's eyelids slightly parted. He didn't raise his head.

"Why are you here?"

"Didn't you bring me here?" King knew that wasn't the question and that he could have laced his answer with a little less snark, but his suppressed irritation got to him first.

Axel pressed his tongue against his cheek and chuckled as he looked at the dusty ground. "Still spirited, aren't you?" he mumbled. He then ran the tip of his finger against the floor. "So why are they chasing you?"

"Don't know. Same pack as the werewolves we encountered before. That's all." King let out a sharp audible sigh.

"The werewolves?" A worried expression crossed Axel's face. King didn't reply. Axel knew he wouldn't speak more, so he didn't pry anymore. He looked back down at the ground and sighed. "You really do attract trouble, don't you? You—"

"What exactly are you trying to do?" King said, raising his head.

Axel frowned. "... What do you mean?"

King snorted. "Oh. It's just that I seem to recall some events from before. You know, that time when you avoided and pretended that you didn't even know me," he said, gesturing a hand. "The sudden shift in the air just made me a little baffled."

"... We were young... I didn't know what to do at that time," he answered, fiddling with his fingers. King stared at him and snorted. "Before I got my sense of everything, you guys had already left."