Yuta was used to working late, but tonight the overtime felt endless. His eyes burned, his wrists ached, and the cheap coffee tasted horrible.
He packed up after midnight, rubbing at the dull pain in his temples. Outside, the rain had begun to pour.
No one else was on the street.
He tried not to think about how empty his apartment would feel. No messages. No calls. No one waiting.
His footsteps echoed as he crossed toward the station.
That was when he saw them.
Two shadows, hooded, blocking the path under the footbridge.
He hesitated. Looked for another route. Too late.
One stepped forward, grin flashing in the dull lamplight. "Hey, salaryman. Got any spare cash?"
Yuta's stomach dropped. He tried to move past, but a second figure blocked him, shoulder-checking him hard enough to knock the breath out of his chest.
"C'mon, bro. Don't make this hard."
Yuta held up his hands. "I don't have anything. Just—"
A fist slammed into his ribs, folding him over.
Pain, hot and sharp, shot through his side. He staggered, hands fumbling for balance.
They didn't stop.
One grabbed his bag, yanking it away. The other kneed him in the gut, and he went down hard on the wet concrete.
He tried to stand, but something heavy cracked against the back of his head.
Stars exploded behind his eyes.
"Wallet!"
He couldn't answer.
Another blow, and then a boot came down on his shoulder, pinning him.
He felt the cold metal of a knife against his ribs.
And then, a terrible weight.
Something inside him tore.
He couldn't even scream.
When the shadows ran, all he could do was stare at the filthy concrete, his vision going dark.
Blood spread beneath him, warm and sticky, mixing with the rain.
There was no light at the end of a tunnel.
No peaceful voice to lead him on.
Just cold.
Bone-deep, gnawing cold.
Then —
A sharp, raw gasp, dragging air that tasted of dirt and leaves.
Yuta opened his eyes to a forest.
Tall, black trees stretching so high. A sky he'd never seen, filled with pale, unfamiliar moons and stars.
He got up, coughing, palms pressed to a floor of grass.
No wound. No blood. His office clothes were torn and filthy, but he was alive.
He sucked in a breath, sharp and shaky.
I died.
I died, right?
But here he was.
The wind carried scents he didn't know — raw earth, wet fur, something metallic and wrong.
Then he heard it.
A howl, far away, answering the tremor of panic already rising in his chest.
He gripped the only thing left to him — his beat-up black backpack. Inside, three rice balls and beef jerky.
He swallowed hard.
What kind of nightmare is this?
He forced himself to move. The forest floor was cold, clawing at his ankles with thorny weeds.
Every sound felt magnified — branches creaking, something small scurrying under the roots.
His head spun. The pain from the mugging was gone, but the memory still scared him.
As he traversed through the forest, he saw a shape on the ground, barely moving.
At first, he thought it was a wild animal.
Then he saw a flash of white hair, tangled and soaked with blood. Long, clawed fingers. Animal ears, twitching weakly.
A girl.
Half-beast, half-human, curled in a heap.
A snare bit into her ankle, cutting deep. Blood trickled onto the moss, dark and thick.
She lifted her head when he stepped closer, golden eyes locking onto him with a fierce stare.
Feral. Starving.
He froze, heart hammering.
She'll rip me apart.
But her gaze shifted, smelling the food in his backpack.
"Food…"
Her voice cracked, broken, wild.
Yuta swallowed, his whole body screaming to run.
But instead, he crouched, peeled open the bag, and held one out to her.
The moment she took it, something in her broke open — a shuddering breath, tears catching in her fur.
She devoured it in ragged bites, never breaking eye contact.
"…mine," she rasped, voice shaking.
Yuta blinked. "Huh?"
Her claws closed around his wrist, shockingly gentle for how battered she looked.
"You're mine," she repeated, fiercer now, as if daring the world to steal him away.
And then she collapsed against him, breathing uneven, her blood soaking through his sleeve.
Yuta stared at the wolf girl clinging to him, stunned and shaking.
The rain began to fall harder, dripping through the leaves, and somewhere distant another wolf howled.
He had no idea what had just happened.
But he knew one thing —
He couldn't leave her.