For five seconds, Finlay stood silently, watching her coming closer like in a slow motion. She was glowing and everything faded. His knees weakened as his heart fluttered like crazy. 

"Yeah, tell him that, Eunyoung," a slap landed on his back. Matthew did it on purpose. One part because he's irritated with Finlay's lack of confidence, the other simply to push him closer to her. 

"You have a better chance to counter this than I do," said Eunyoung. "I don't believe fairies don't know how to reverse this situation. You’re an Irish fairy, aren’t you?”

“What does it have anything to do with...”

“Can’t you find a way to turn werewolves back to faoladh?”

Finlay was stunned. He didn’t expect her to know about that nor to pronounce the word perfectly.

“No,” he wailed. “Today’s werewolf and faoladh are two different beings. They were never faoladhs in the first place.”

“Wait, wait, hold up, what’s a faoladh?” asked Matthew who understandably had never heard of it before.

“It’s an Irish word for werewolf,” answered Finlay. “A long time ago, they were considered guardian spirits who protected children, the wounded and the lost. Luka’s werewolf is not a spirit, nor a guardian, it’s a curse. It’s irreversible, incurable, inevitable.”

“There must be a way!” snapped Eunyoung. “There has to be something you can do to minimize the damage a werewolf can cause. With your friend being a little extra ferocious, every bit of your effort will be helpful. Fairies are good with animals. If you use that approach, maybe there's something you can do." 

"But werewolves are not animals either! I could kill myself if I try to treat them like animals." 

"If witches, warlocks, fairies and shamans in my country trick kumiho the way they trick a fox, that means there is an animal within them, no?"

"And human," continued Matthew. “Maybe you can exploit the Laws of Deeds and find some loopholes.”

"Need I remind you that werewolves and fairies have been there for thousands of years?" Finlay calmed them down. "If there's anything fairies can do about them, they must have done it already." 

"It's not about all of them," insisted Matthew. "It's just about Luka."

Finlay stared back at Eunyoung. Did she come all the way here because she was concerned about Luka?

"One step at a time," she said. "While you're still at Erebus." 

Then she walked past him to the other side of Main Lane that led to Aether Woods. 

"I will look into it," said Finlay as she kept walking. "If you will too." 

Eunyoung stopped and turned back, "I'm going to practice immobilization spell. I am looking into it." 

Then she continued her trek into the woods, leaving the two boys still wondering about her intentions. 

"I said 'we could compare notes'," Matthew nudged Finlay. He chuckled. "But that works too. She turned around." 

Finlay was still staring at Eunyoung's figure that slowly faded into darkness. Her words burned at the back of his mind. He had to find out about what she meant. Hopefully she was still interested in it when he did. 

Matthew poked him, "You okay, dude?" 

"That was the longest she will ever speak to me," Finlay monotonously sighed. 

Matthew rolled his different colored eyes. "You need to spend more time with Emily, maybe she'll rub some of her confidence on you," he grumbled. "Anyway, about Eunyoung's theory, do you think it's possible?" 

"I wish I could say yes, mate," Finlay scratched his curly do. "But to be honest, I don't know." 

The two continued their walk into the health center. They had a catch up with Luka and Ariane before Dr. Oxendine came. After she told them that Luka could leave in the morning, the three left to let Luka rest.

The night changed into day. Luka was finally released from the hospital. He came back to Olympus Hall on his own because it was earlier than expected and he didn't have his phone to contact anyone. It's not like he needed to be picked up anyway. 

The dorm was quiet when he got there. He was all alone in the elevator and in the hallway of his floor. When he opened the door, Castor jumped backward, crashing the coat rack with his back and sweeping the room with his wings. 

"Whoa, sorry for startling you," Luka came inside. Castor backed off further. The white haired guy stopped moving and examined his roommate. "You okay, dude?" 

"I'm... I'm okay," answered Castor. His expression was tense. He clearly wasn't okay. "Are... are you? Heh-heh. I didn't know they let you go already." 

"Yeah, I was already awake yesterday. You look like you're seeing a ghost, Cas. What's going..." 

"I think you need more rest. I will leave you so you can have the room for your own, okay? Bye." 

"But I..." Luka was just looking up when the incubus dissolved into thin air. 

He was still surprised to see Castor's strange behavior when the door opened and his other friends came in while talking and giggling. They were carrying food, drinks, cups and all when they suddenly stopped seeing him. 

"Aw, man!" Emily groaned. "Why is he already here? You said he'd be here by 9." 

"Maybe they need his bed for someone important," said Finlay. 

"Oh, fuck it, surprise!" Matthew walked in while carrying a whole crate of drinks. "We were going to cook together in the kitchen, but this lad over here said he shall never step into the kitchen ever again." 

Finlay quickly yapped about the whole kitchen incident while Ariane noticed the unhappiness on Luka's face. 

"What's wrong?" she asked as she put some chips on the desk. "What happened here? Typhoon?" 

"I think Castor is avoiding me," said Luka. His friends shut their mouths and started listening. "He backed away and just left. Does anyone know what happened to him?" 

"Pfft... maybe he just heard bad things people say about you," Matthew dismissed him. "Children believe everything they hear, don't they?" 

"What did they say about me?" 

The room got quieter after Luka shot that question. 

"Finlay," Luka turned to the freckled guy. "What did they say about me?" 

"That ye're dangerous," Finlay spilled it out. "Erebus made a mistake for letting you in, because ye're a fucked up..." 

"You know how these bitches' mouths run," Emily cut him off. "I've heard worse when I was in high school. I gave my friend my prescribed cough syrup once and they said I'm a drug dealer. I even had to go to the principal's office for that and got my mom picking me up from school, like Jesus Christ, some people's mouths are just horrible. So don't worry about it, okay?" 

"Just don't listen to what they say," added Ariane. "They know nothing about you. We all know you're so much safer here than anywhere else." 

"Tell that to the guards I attacked," barked Luka. 

His friends stopped doing what they were doing. They could only hear the air conditioner now. None of them could imagine what went through those guards' mind when they saw a werewolf on the loose on a full moon night in Erebus University. And whatever they could say would not convince Luka that everything was going to be okay. 

"My mom used to say," Emily took a gander at her twin brother, "you can't change what happened..." 

"But you can make changes happen," finished Matthew. "Starting with yourself." 

Luka probed at the twins. He didn’t know Emily cared that much about him to be there at all. She seemed biased since he’s just another frat boy that her brother hung out with. But she’s there with Matthew, Finlay and Ariane despite what happened. They'd even intended to throw a surprise party for him. It would be idiotic to dismiss them and sulk over what irrelevant people said about him. 

"I think I've read it somewhere," Finlay squinted at the two of them. "Tell yer ma that she's not that creative. And it doesn't make any sense. I mean, it totally contradicts the previous..." 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, you're just jealous nobody finishes your sentence," Matthew playfully gave Finlay a chokehold. "Come on, let's eat all these junks. I'm famished." 

Once they lifted Luka's spirit, they started enjoying the breakfast they put together in his room. He managed to feel better. However, when he left them to go to Nyx Hall, he detected the unwelcoming air from his surroundings. 

The rowdy crowd lowered their voices into whispers. Demeaning glances were on every turn. They cleared his path as he moved forward, avoiding him like a shark in a shoal of fishes. Some girls even mentioned the word full moon while pointing at him. They ran away snorting once they found Luka staring at them. 

"Why the fuck is he still here?" someone asked. 

"They should've sent him home," another one said. 

"Erebus should stop thinking of saving him and start thinking of saving us from him," grumbled Tom. 

"My boyfriend splintered his ankle running away from him," murmured Dick. 

"Someone should start a petition to get him out," hissed Harry. 

Luka had always been well liked all his life, or at least, ignored. This negative attention was completely new to him. He didn't know that people could disdain him that much. And it's all for something he had no control of. 

His steps became heavier and heavier as the whispers got louder and louder. As soon as he picked up the word 'parents', he stopped. Really? They blamed his parents? They wouldn't try to have kids if they had known what a frightening terror he'd become. 

He was just going to turn back when a gentle touch and a solid push was placed on his back. "Keep walking," a British voice whispered behind his back. It's not a hateful tone. In fact, it's a calming one. 

Luka held his binder tighter and kept walking like he said. He arrived in front of the elevator. It was empty. 

The person came to view. It was Mohan. 

He smirked. “Won’t you look at that? A werewolf on the loose and a weretiger who lost it.”

Luka scoffed. “We’d make a pretty good team if the goal is human genocide.”

“Good thing you chose Delta.”

“I had no other choice, did I? Sanzhar told me they’ll give me a better home.”

“Sanzhar is an impeccable judge of character.”   

Luka cleared his throat. "You think Brayden and Delta guys can help me? From what I see, what Brayden does best is bringing out the worst in you." 

"Hmmm... Brayden is one of the most composed and collected werewolves I've ever met. He doesn't flinch at anything. So naturally, he should be able to show you the ropes."

"Is that why you don't get along? Because he likes to piss you off and you actually envy him?" 

Mohan laughed out loud. "That is the most moronic guess someone could come up with about our hostility." 

"Sounds like the most make sense to me." 

"You know he fails his classes on purpose so he can stay in charge within Delta, do you not? Old arsewipe doesn't even move out of the fucking house. What's to envy about that?" 

"Or is it the other way around?" 

"Brayden is not the type to envy people." 

"He seems to envy me." 

Mohan stopped walking. He examined Luka. "You?" he raised his right eyebrow. "Of what?" 

"Of my blood? My relations to the Bjorneviks? I don't know. He just doesn't seem to like me the moment he met me. I was surprised that Delta bid for me after all." 

Again, Mohan smirked. “I believe Brayden is the kind of man that can’t be arsed. He can’t possibly envy you or anyone on that matter, especially about your lineage. It’s such an aristocratic concern for a mongrel like Brayden.”

“Hey, I’m a mongrel too. If that’s an insult for a crossborn.”

“I stand by my previous statement,” Mohan stated without remorse.

The elevator door opened. People came out of it, ignoring the two of them. Luka came in, but Mohan stayed out. He held the door so they kept open. "I know that feeling. I was always the one to help too, not the one who asks for help. But this isn't just about you, pup, it's about the safety of others. Don't wait until that very person who can help you leave Erebus like I did. Swallow your pride and ask for his help."

He pulled his hand away and the door closed, leaving Luka standing alone in the elevator.

When Luka was summoned to the Delta house along with other pledges that night, the actives picked on him right away. 

"Tell me, pledge," Stickman, the pledge educator who looked nothing like a stickman, walked in front of Luka while he was standing at attention. "Which evil overlord are you conspiring with? First, you picked a fight with a d'Auvrecher. Second, you hung out with Mohan Khan. Third, you broke out of The Vaults. What next? The demolition of Erebus University?" 

"On a serious note, I think you should be set free with us on Full Moon Forest," stated Vest who was having a drink on the sofa.

"Yeah, don't you think you should talk to Dean Karageorgis about this, Brayden?" Bowtie turned to the alpha. 

"As a matter of fact, I did," answered Brayden, surprising everyone in that room. Not only he acted sensible toward Luka, but he was also quick to take the action. He had always singled him out on every occasion, so this was an unexpected announcement. "We have discussed about the possibility of Luka getting out, but even so, he's not convinced that it's the best solution. With his current state, he will most definitely attack me. And if he does, you all are going to kill him for me." 

"Oh, right," said Bowtie. "He won't take you as the alpha yet. We have a whole year to train him for that." 

"Maybe we should make more pack training sessions," suggested Vest. "Or hold the first pack training earlier."

"All that for him?" Brayden lay back on his chair and crossed his legs. "What is he? Son of a sultan? We don't have to change anything to cater to his needs. It's him who needs to make more effort, not us, and above all, not me."

"The question is what's he gonna do?" asked Stickman. "What can he do?"

"No, the real question is," Brayden sized Luka up alongside with his other werewolf brothers, "can he do whatever it takes?"

Luka gulped. Brayden was right. Just because he's part of them now, didn't mean they're responsible to take care of him. And just because Brayden was the alpha, didn't mean it's acceptable for him to put him above everyone else. It's Luka's job to fix his own problem and hold himself accountable in front of his fraternity, pack and community. It's up to him and his capacity to turn this thing around.