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The Solaris Pack

Summary:

Courting season.

Two words that elicit a wide variety of reactions in their pack.

While Donghyuck is trying to balance being a strong independent omega and beating Mark Lee at everything he does with simultaneously getting an alpha to court him, Renjun is far more relaxed about the whole ordeal - that is until Prince Lee Jeno is announced to join this year's courting rituals.

What starts as innocent spring feelings between the wolves soon becomes a lot more complicated when their pack life is disrupted by more and more attacks.

Faced with dangerous decisions and trying to maintain peace - is it even possible to follow your heart?

Notes:

Hello and welcome to this story!!
Thank you for somehow finding your way here - I'm so excited to share this story with you!!

First of all, I'm really bad at story summaries...so I'm glad you decided to check this story out despite that! There is so much that is going to happen, it was kind of hard to somehow get it all into a few words...so...stay tuned? :)

Secondly, English is not my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes - feel free to correct me or ignore them :3

Lastly, I just hope you have as much fun reading this story as I had writing it!!
Enjoy <3

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: The Start of Courting Season

Chapter Text

The night was dark and filled with quiet whispers as the last minutes of the year passed away. Their whole pack had gathered at the forest clearing, waiting for their pack leader to start the ceremony.

"That could've been you," Donghyuck snickered to Renjun as he nodded his head towards Xiaojun and Jungwoo, both dressed in traditional coats among all the other to be mated couples.

"Please, I was only Xiaojun's back-up plan," Renjun whispered back. "He was just too embarrassed to go for Jungwoo at first since he's older."

Donghyuck rolled his eyes at him, but both of them knew that he was telling the truth. While Renjun hadn't minded being courted by Xiaojun at the beginning of the year, he knew they weren't meant for each other the way Jungwoo and Xiaojun were. Just by the look in their eyes you could tell that there had never been someone more in love.

Donghyuck wanted to comment something further, but their chief spoke up first, interrupting any of the excited banter.

"With the utmost happiness I congratulate all these young people to have found their mates. Exchange your rings as a sign of your commitment to each other," the proud leader of the Solaris pack started off the whole ceremony.

All the couples turned to each other with smiles on their faces, giddily exchanging the rings they gifted each other during the courting season.

"Let us set free our lights for that their love will shine and glow for the rest of their lifes," their chief continued in a festive tone, voice vibrating with tenor. That had always been Renjun's favorite part - even as a little wolf he had always looked forward to the moment all the couples would would light up a lantern that would drift away into the night sky.

Soon dozens of little lights filled the air, flying higher and higher, ultimately joining the stars.

"With this the year has ended and a new courting season will start tomorrow," their chief announced with a bright smile, closing the ceremony. "For that it will bring joy and luck into our lifes and new love to be found. Our pack, the Solaris pack, shall prosper like never before."

The couples left the clearing first and Renjun discreetly turned away, knowing what was about to happen now - the actual mating, concealed with the bite that would bind two wolves together for a whole happy lifetime. It made him a bit flustered that a lot of the couples seemed like they couldn't get away faster, eager to conceal their fate.

"Man, I'm spend," Donghyuck yawned as the rest of the crowd started to disperse. He saw his mom and dad waving him over so that they could make their way home as well. "See you tomorrow, Junnie. Tell me if someone decides to leave you some gifts overnight."

"Haha," Renjun said dryly and nudged him in his side. It wasn't unusual for some alphas to start courting right on the first night, but normally that were for couples that had already agreed upon courting beforehand. And Renjun had nobdy like that in the back and didn't really want to think about that right now.

Not that he disliked the idea of courting and mating in general...but it wasn't on top of his list of priorities right now. And since he didn't have any pressure from his parents like Donghyuck did, whose parents had been encouraging him to find a mate ever since he turned of age, it didn't bug him that much. Although, by their pack standards, he was the perfect age to get mated.

He and Donghyuck had officially turned 18 last year - the first year you were included in the courting rituals. Needless to say neither of them ended up getting mated that time.

But now that they would turn 19 and therefore end their pack training in a few months in summer, it was high time to find someone to settle down with. They would be consider fully adult by then and still living with your parents afterwards...would be a bit sad.

Not that Renjun lived with his parents anyways, so he guessed there was even less pressure on him. He had lived in their pack’s orphanage all his life, both his parents having been killed in the war that had been going on at the time of his birth almost twenty years ago.

Luckily these times had passed as well. And will their newest alliance - the marriage between prince Kim Doyoung, first born omega son of their chief, and the leader of the Lunaris pack Lee Taeyong - peace seemed to be secured more than ever.

So with a little sting in his heart - thinking about the parents he had never gotten the chance to meet always made him a bit sad - he walked his way to the huge hut all the orphans lived in.

He tried to get to his sleeping place as quietly as possible, his furs in the far end of the room, not really up for a conversation this late in the night. It had been a long day and his bones were aching in exhaustion.

"And? Enjoyed the lights?" He was greeted by Sicheng non the less. The older always waited for him to come back home - he was probably the closest Renjun had to a brother, Sicheng having lived in the orphanage with him ever since he could remember.

"Oh, yeah. Pretty as always," Renjun answered quietly, not wanting to wake up any of the younger kids.

"I was actually expecting you among the couples this year," Sicheng teased him playfully.

"I just turned 18. I still have time. Not like you're one to talk," Renjun huffed as he quickly stripped out of his clothes and into something warmer for the night.

Sicheng didn't reply anything - because Renjun was right. He hadn't accepted any courting effort ever since he had been old enough himself. He was currently the oldest omega living in the orphanage.

"Just shut up and go to sleep," he murmured, turning around in his furs and Renjun snickered at him.

It had been an exciting year. A very long one. His eyes fell shut as a deep slumber took over him, not knowing what the year to come had in store for him.

 

 

Donghyuck was pulled out of his sleep rather harshly - his mother had ripped his furs away mercilessly, exposing him to the cold air.

"Get up or you're gonna be late," she scolded him when Donghyuck whined in protest, trying to grab after his furs and go back to sleep.

"Mom!" He screeched when his face was hit with cold water, effectively making him wide awake.

"Get up already!" She said, stemming her hands in her hips, only leaving the room when her son was on his feet by his own.

Donghyuck quickly got dressed and ready for the day, trying to tame his wild locks with his hands. His mother still scowled at him when he entered their little kitchen.

"Yah, you sure you wanna look like this the first day of courting season?" She accused him and Donghyuck pouted insulted. But his mother had hit a nerve - Donghyuck had been one of the few omegas that hadn't been courted last year.

However, he was sure things would change this year. A few alphas had already expressed an interest in him these past few weeks, hinting that they would like to court him the upcoming season. Donghyuck was actually more than excited about it.

If it weren't for these stupid traditions Donghyuck would've probably tried courting someone himself. But as an omega there were certain times and spaces you could act upon your courting wishes - and the alpha had to initiate all of them. So Donghyuck would have to wait for someone to take the first step.

"You're becoming an adult this year. I hope you know that comes with more responsibilities," Donghyuck's father joined the conversation with a stern look.

"I know that," Donghyuck said, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. His parents had been lecturing him about becoming an adult at least half his life.

"Yah, at least eat something before you leave!" His mother said when Donghyuck got up to escape any further reprimanding. "Don't you have hunting training today?"

"I'll be fine, mom!" Donghyuck insisted. "Didn't you just tell me I was gonna be late?"

And with that he was out of the door, ignoring any more nagging thrown after him. He probably should've listened to his mom, though, his stomach protesting with a loud rumble as he made his way to the forest, joining the rest of the hunters.



Donghyuck was the only omega among his peers in hunting training. Since you could choose which skills you wanted to pursue, not many omegas went for the more physical activities. And if Donghyuck was completely honest, he hadn’t enjoyed hunting all that much himself at first - his cooking and child caring training much more to his natural given abilities. Still, he was here to prove something.

Yuta was on training duty today. He never went easy on anyone.

"Okay guys!" He yelled loudly and everybody stood a bit straighter. "Since you're about to graduate all this year, we're gonna join the real hunting team from now on. Get you guys the real experience, so if you decide to join you'll be prepared."

Excited murmurs went through the students, everybody had been looking forward to going on the actual hunts. Usually the training team went on separate hunts, perfecting their tracking senses, working on their speed and agility and not actually bringing home prey with them.

"Ah, there they are!" Yuta clapped his hands loudly when a few wolves made their way to the forest clearing where hunting training took place. Donghyuck recognized a few of the brown fur shades from last years hunting training.

"What are you waiting for? Shift and then try not to fall behind!" Yuta instructed them impatiently, leading by example and turning into his wolf form with a big leap.

Donghyuck, always a bit faster than the rest, was quick to follow and join the ranks of the real hunters. He usually made up for the fact that he was a lot smaller than the other hunting students by holding his head up high - but being among all the adults made him feel a bit insecure. He had no problem putting some of his alpha peers in place – but an experienced hunter was another story. Maybe for today he should just lay low?

No, he shook his head firmly. He shouldn’t let himself be intimidated by a few alphas. Laying low was never an option for Donghyuck. It would only strengthen the negative stigma around omegas.

So when the wolves began to surge ahead, Donghyuck was determined to not be left behind. With his strong legs he pushed himself forward, snout always close to the ground, trying to find a trace of something edible.

The pack split into two soon and Donghyuck followed the smaller half, having gotten a trace of deer where they had headed off to.

There it was again! The faintest smell of deer - Donghyuck fixed his sharp eyes to the ground. In the snow it might be possible to spot its tracks. He rushed ahead, the delicate hooves of deer becoming unmistakable. Oh, what an accomplishment it would be if he could bring down his own game on his first day! That would surely made everybody shut up.

The smell got stronger and stronger and Donghyuck broke apart from the rest of the pack, seeing the tracks head off to the left. It could not be far away anymore and Donghyuck slowed down, carefully placing one paw after the other, trying to be as quiet as possible to not accidentally scare it away. He hid behind a bare bush, hoping his light brown fur would blend in well enough to not be spotted.

There it was! A small deer was browsing through a few spare grasses that peeked out of the snow. Donghyuck was sure he could take it down on his own if he was clever about it.

He was about to jump forward when another wolf came from the opposite direction and preempted him, skillfully burying his teeth in the throat of the deer, making it twitch for a few seconds before falling to the ground lifelessly.

Donghyuck could only stand and watch as his first prey was taken from him - and oh what a maddening feeling as he recognized the shade of dark fur only all too well that was currently dragging the deer back to the pack.

 

"You!" He stomped through the snow. Hunting training had ended and everybody seemed aesthetic - a lot of them getting their first real prey today.

"You stole my first kill!" He said in a threatening tone as he closed in on the alpha, harshly pointing his finger into his chest.

"Sorry, guess you just have to be faster," Mark said with a shrug and Donghyuck almost exploded.

Because Mark Lee - stupid alpha Mark Lee! - seemed to be always one step ahead of him. It was infuriating!

"I was there first! I tracked that deer down and I was just about to-"

"Look, I was just faster than you. You'll get there, I'm sure," Mark interrupted his rant with an encouraging smile and Donghyuck growled in his throat, wanting to strangle the alpha with his bare hands. Maybe he could just turn Mark into his first kill.

If it weren't for Yuta, he really might've.

"Everybody!" The alpha yelled, gathering his students for an evaluation.

Mark waved him goodbye with a small smile playing on his lips (oh, it was taunting Donghyuck!) as he threw his deer over his shoulders and followed the other hunters to store their catch of the day.

"I saw a lot of good work today already!" Yuta praised them as Donghyuck went over to the rest of his group. "Try to integrate yourself into the team more next time. If we hunt as a pack we are invincible. That's our strong suit," Yuta reminded them. "That's it for today."

Again faster than everybody else Donghyuck stormed off, still frustrated about Mark.

His mood remained sour all through cooking classes - he almost ruined his stew because of it, only catching himself when Taeil, their teacher, snapped him out of it, waving his spatula at him. Great. What a great start into the new year.

 

"Wow, someone looks happy," Renjun commented when Donghyuck slumped down next to him. Child care was the only class they had together. The older omega handed the toddler he had been holding in his arms over to Donghyuck, whose omega instinct immediately kicked in, turning his frown upside down.

"Just...hunting training," Donghyuck explained as he began to bop the toddler softly, making her laugh brightly.

Child care classes were really just a euphemism for babysitting. But neither Donghyuck nor Renjun minded. Having to take care of babies for a few hours in exchange for not having to join building classes, that included chopping wood most of the time, seemed like a good deal to them.

"Still don't get why you decided to take hunting classes," Renjun sighed. Back when they had to choose their specialty skills everybody had been surprised by Donghyuck's choice. Even Renjun - and Renjun could proudly claim the spot of Donghyuck's best friend who knew him inside out. He probably knew more stuff about the omega than he really wanted to know.

"Because one omega had to!" Donghyuck said and Renjun raised his eyebrows at him.

"You don't even enjoy it," he stated irritated.

"That's not true," Donghyuck argued. Well, at least not fully. Not everything was bad about hunting training. He liked the running and the adrenaline. "But if I don't do it, nobody ever will. Because everybody still thinks that omegas can't do it."

"I think you are exaggerating," Renjun shook his head. "I mean, nobody stopped you when you joined. You were welcomed, weren't you?"

"Of course I was! But they still don't think I can do it," Donghyuck huffed stubbornly. "But trust me I can. I will graduate top of that stupid class - and once younger omegas see that they can in fact do it, lots of them will follow me."

"You actually think that? Maybe they just don't join because they don't want to," Renjun sighed, but he knew fighting with Donghyuck was usually useless.

"Yah, you should be on my side!" Donghyuck pouted in betrayal and Renjun gave up.

"I'm only saying that you make being an omega in this pack seem worse than it is," he said.

"Still worse than being an alpha," Donghyuck murmured underneath his breath and Renjun threw him a pointed look. "I mean, just think about courting season! We can't start the stupid courting, even if we wanted to!"

"You want to court somebody?" Renjun cocked an eyebrow.

"Not someone in peculiar," Donghyuck admitted. "But if I wanted to, I couldn't!"

"Hey, you talking about courting season?" Yangyang, another one of their friends, joined them, cradling a newborn baby in his arms. "Did you hear about the prince?"

Donghyuck and Renjun exchanged a knowing look as the fellow omega took a seat between them. Yangyang was known for his love of gossip, always having a story to tell whenever someone should ask.

"Prince Doyoung? But he's already married," Renjun gave in and asked and Yangyang gave him a mysterious grin.

"Not Prince Doyoung. Prince Jeno, the alpha son of our chief," Yangyang explained to them giddily.

"Prince Jeno?" Donghyuck asked surprised. "He still exists? Haven't seen him leave the castle...since forever!"

"Pff, because Prince Jeno would personally tell you whenever he leaves the castle," Renjun mocked him. Donghyuck hit him in his side with his elbow.

"Still, he's not seen often in public, is he? Don't even know what he's supposed to look like," Donghyuck defended his argument.

"Well, that might change soon," Yangyang grinned, eyes sparkling in a way that they only did when he had information that nobody else had.

"What do you mean?" Renjun asked and Yangyang gave him a meaningful smile.

"Rumors say he's supposed to join courting season this year. He's searching for a mate within the pack," Yangyang enclosed and Donghyuck snorted.

"Yeah, sure," he said ironically. "Even if - wouldn't he stick to the noble circles? I doubt we'd even get to talk to him."

"He's supposed to join training classes," Yangyang argued, obviously the most excited between the three of them.

"Training classes?" Renjun questioned. "Doesn't he get privately educated in the castle?"

"I mean, how's he supposed to find a mate if he doesn't get to know his people?" Yangyang said as if it was obvious. "Prince Doyoung also joined a few training classes back in the day, before he got engaged to Lee Taeyong."

"But Prince Doyoung is actually sweet and kind. He showed up to all the festivities and helped a lot with taking care of the elderly," Donghyuck mentioned. Everybody in their pack loved the omega Prince Doyoung. "I don't remember seeing Jeno anywhere."

"He's our age though, so we might really get to see him," Yangyang didn’t give up. "Imagine getting courted by a prince!"

Renjun shook his head amused by Yangyang's swooning.

"I'm just happy if anyone would court me. Doesn't even have to be a prince," Donghyuck mentioned level-headed. "I hope Nick follows through with it. He said he'd do it."

"Really? Nick?!" Renjun asked in disbelief. "The same Nick that eats like a pig and stares at your butt every time you turn around?"

"A real catch," Yangyang laughed at him and Donghyuck scoffed.

"You can laugh, but my parents have been breathing down my neck about finding a mate and becoming a responsible adult for over a year," the omega frowned.

"Still - Nick?" Renjun questioned his choice. "You could do better."

"No, actually, I can't do, as was demonstrated very clearly last year," Donghyuck snapped back annoyed.

"Oh, come on, many omegas don't get mated their first courting season," Yangyang told him.

"Easy for you to say - how many alphas courted you again?" Donghyuck asked and Yangyang quickly turned his head away. “And I didn’t only not get mated. I didn’t even get courted!”

"Hey, I only got courted because Xiaojun is a coward," Renjun reminded him.

"No, you got courted by Xiaojun because you're perfect omega material. And then Xiaojun, of course, scared anybody else off - like, who would go against Xiaojun?" Donghyuck corrected him. "If it weren't for Xiaojun you would've had even more suitors than Yangyang. There's probably a courting gift waiting in front of your door right now."

Renjun rolled his eyes at his friend’s exaggeration.

"You are a perfectly fine omega as well and you will definitely be courted this year," he stated. "And I doubt anybody would court anyone this early into the year without having talked about it beforehand."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll only believe that once I see Nick personally deliver a courting gift for me," Donghyuck huffed.

"Can't believe you'll settle for Nick," Yangyang shook his head.

"I just don't want to be the reject again this year," Donghyuck said.

"Who knows, maybe the prince decides to court you," Yangyang teased him.

"That would get my parents off my back for sure," Donghyuck laughed and then pulled a face, looking down to the toddler in his arms. The boy had started to squirm around and a distinct smell rose to his nose. "I'm gonna get this one cleaned up," he informed his friends before he stood up.

"So? What about you? Also waiting for Nick to court you?" Yangyang turned to Renjun, wiggling his eyebrows, always hunting for new gossip.

"No, thank you," Renjun declined without hesitation. He had seen Nick basically inhale some of the dirty omega laundry one time and that had scarred him for life.

"Then the prince?" Yangyang suggested teasingly and Renjun scoffed.

"Sure, I will charm him with my riches," he joked. "Don't think he's that big of a deal anyways. If he'll even come," he added. Then he frowned as the smell returned. "I think yours could need a clean up as well," he pointed at the baby in Yangyang's arms and the younger omega pulled a grimace before he quickly followed Donghyuck to the clean up station.

 

Despite what Renjun had thought the rumors about the prince possibly joining them in their training classes were a big deal. Nobody was shutting up about it, everybody was gossiping about the chief’s son. It seemed to be all the more intriguing because Jeno was such a mystery, most of his life spend safely away in the castle. Not even the first courting efforts of some alphas - which were usually at the top of the gossiping list - could make people pay less attention to the news.

So the week passed by and Renjun couldn't stand to hear the words 'prince' or 'Jeno' anymore - especially not from Yangyang, who seemed to have made it his personal mission to haunt him with the newest gossip. He actually volunteered that weekend to take over laundry duty at the orphanage so he could get a few minutes away from everyone.

Sicheng cocked an eyebrow at him when he collected everything into one huge basket without complaining once, but Renjun really needed a break from anyone asking him invasive questions about courting season (he really needed to overthink his friendship with Yangyang).

 

He went down to the river, heading upwards the stream a bit were the water was the clearest. He filled up his basket with water and then put the soap inside, waiting for it to dissolve.

Lost in his own daydreams he blinked a few times when a big red towel came floating down the stream all of a sudden. Thanks to his quick reflexes he grabbed it, pulling it out of the water. It was huge and fluffy and made with the finest stitches Renjun had ever seen. Who would throw that into the river?

A huge, dark wolf suddenly came splashing down the stream, water splashing everywhere around it as it picked up speed - Renjun couldn't even look twice before the wolf took a leap at him, throwing him off his feet.

So that was who would throw a perfectly good towel into the river.

Renjun waited as the weight on him shifted, the wolf slowly turning into a human. Despite the transformation Renjun wasn't able to move away, the boy on top of him way bigger than himself, effectively pinning him to the ground.

"Uhm," he cleared his throat uncomfortably, trying to wiggle out of his grasp.

"You have my towel!" The boy said oblivious to his struggles and not moving away. He was spurting a huge smile, eyes turned into little crescents. Until now Renjun hadn't noticed how close their faces were - but like this he could see the little mole underneath the alpha's eye so clearly and could count every single one of his lashes. A potent scent of a mixture between dark chocolate and vanilla was lingering in the air they shared.

"Could you...maybe...?" Renjun said, trying to wiggle out again.

"Oh, yeah, sure!" The alpha finally stood up. He sheepishly reached out his hand to help Renjun up. "Sorry for knocking you over. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Renjun told him. "But what the hell were you doing? Chasing a towel down the river for fun like a maniac?"

"Oh, no, I was doing laundry up the stream. My towel just took off on it's own - I was just trying to get it back," the alpha explained hastily, pointing up the river to where Renjun now supposed his laundry to be.

"You're towel took off doing laundry?" The omega asked him, trying to suppress his laughter.

"Yeah?" The boy shrugged helplessly.

"I think you're doing your laundry wrong," Renjun commented merciless. "Or you just really suck at it."

"I...I’m not really used to doing it on my own," the boy answered a bit embarrassed.

"What's your name? I don't think I've seen you around...Are you from the castle?" Renjun questioned because every wolf he knows had at least done his laundry one time.

"Oh, yeah, I'm Je- Jaemin! I'm Jaemin, yeah," the alpha replied, stumbling over his own words. Renjun raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"You don't sound so sure about that," he chuckled.

"No, no, I'm Jaemin, totally," Jaemin affirmed him.

"And...you're from the castle?" Renjun pried again.

"Oh...uhm, yeah, that obvious?" Jaemin smiled, hand ruffling through his slightly wet hair raffishly.

"Everyone that's not a noble knows how to do laundry without getting their towels lost," Renjun mentioned casually. It was not that hard to tell castle people apart from the rest of the pack.

"Mhh, yeah, guess I'm a lost cause then," Jaemin grimaced, giving him a troubled expression.

Renjun gave him an assessing look, for some reason feeling sympathy for the alpha.

"Come on, show me your laundry," he said and Jaemin gave him a surprised look.

"You’re serious?" He asked puzzled.

"As long as you carry my basket there," Renjun confirmed, pointing to his own laundry.

"Oh, yeah!" Jaemin didn’t hesitate to agree, quickly grabbing the basket and almost spilling the water inside. Renjun shook his head at him, laughing softly. Whatever they taught in the castle, it wasn't balance.

Renjun piled the laundry in his arms and followed Jaemin to where he had been washing (or trying to wash) his laundry. The alpha put his basket to the ground and Renjun got to work.

"So, what made you decide to learn how to do laundry?" Renjun asked him friendly. His soap had fully dissolved by now and he could slowly rinse his clothes in the water.

"Oh...er...kind of...have to leave the castle for a while soon. Thought it would be a practical skill to have," Jaemin explained, watching Renjun closely.

"Leave the castle?" Renjun asked interested. "Is it because of the prince? People keep talking about him coming to the pack."

"They do?" Jaemin questioned, ears pricked. "What are they saying?"

"Oh, mostly gossip. They say he's looking for a mate. Nobody's really seen him these past few years, so they're all deadly curious," Renjun answered him.

"Oh yeah, he's been kept in the castle...very overprotective parents," Jaemin told him nonchalant.

"You know the chief personally? Sure you can talk about him like this?" Renjun raised his eyebrows. Most people treated their chief with the utmost respect.

"Oh, yeah, I'm...a close friend of the prince. And the chief...he wouldn't mind. He knows he's a bit overprotective," Jaemin explained vaguely. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Renjun returned the question.

"Are you...curious about the prince as well?"

Renjun actually snorted - but then he caught himself again. He was talking to a supposedly close friend of the prince (he wasn’t sure if he believed that piece of information just yet).

"Uhm, not really. I mean...he's just a normal person, probably, right?" Renjun answered with a shrug. "Even if he came to court someone, I'm sure I wouldn't be high on the list."

"What would make you think that?" Jaemin asked.

"Well, I don't have any money or any land. Don't even have a family name," Renjun answered honestly.

"I don't think the prince would care about that," Jaemin protested offended and Renjun send him a wary look.

"Sure? I mean, Prince Doyoung married for an alliance, didn't he?"

"Prince Doyoung and Lunaris Leader Taeyong are very much in love!" Jaemin fought back and Renjun backed off a bit surprised.

"Sorry, I didn't...I didn't want to assume anything," Renjun apologized at the sudden outburst. Jaemin took a few deep breaths, a lot calmer when he continued talking.

"No...no, I get where you're coming from," Jaemin gave in as well. "The...the royal family...yeah, I get why you think they wouldn't marry for love."

"But they do?" Renjun asked curiously.

"They don't marry just because," Jaemin explained carefully. "But I guess it's a mixture of love and politics. They...they want m- Prince Jeno to find a mate within the pack. To show we're still loyal to our own people. Especially after Doyoung got mated to someone outside the pack. But he's allowed to find someone he likes...to fall in love."

"I guess that's nice for him," Renjun commented. "Your laundry is all done, no need to thank me," he added as he stood up, throwing the now dirty water away and gathering the wet clothes. "I hope I don't have to show you how to hang them to dry?"

"Oh," Jaemin said, sounding disappointed for some reason. Then his eyes formed little crescents again. "Thank you. I suppose I can manage from now on."

"You're welcome, Jaemin," Renjun replied politely, before turning around and heading back to the pack.

"Wait!" He heard the alpha call after him. "You never told me your name."

"Oh, it's Renjun," the omega replied shortly. Jaemin gave him a warm smile.

"See you around, Renjun."

Chapter 2: Reveal

Notes:

Welcome back to the second chapter :3 Enjoy!!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Donghyuck was focused. The adrenaline was rushing high in his veins, making him speed up, long and elegant strides taking him deeper and deeper into the forest. He could smell the boar. He had smelled it ever since they had passed the lake. He would take it down. This was gonna be his first kill.

As if having listened to his thoughts and determined to prevent just that, he heard another pair of paws approach him from the back. No, Donghyuck clenched his teeth together when the penetrating scent of cinnamon crept up his nose. Not again. Not this time. Angrily he bit down on his tongue as he tried to block the path of the wolf catching up to him.

The wolf let out a frustrated growl once he noticed his spiel and Donghyuck grinned satisfied.

The smell of boar got stronger and stronger - it had to be close now. Cautiously Donghyuck slowed down, trying to get a good look at his surroundings to evaluate the situation. This caused the other wolf to finally stride past him, his larger frame obscuring Donghyuck's view. Annoyed he nudged him away, snapping at him in warning.

However the wolf didn't pay him any attention, eyes fixated on something between the trees. The boar! Donghyuck got into position, ready to take a leap at it. But the boar must have smelled them as well, raising its head alarmed. Donghyuck took a tentative step closer, trying to circle in on it, but Mark pushed him out the way, full on attack mode as he jumped on top of the boar.

It squeaked in panic, took a few leaps, trying to throw Mark off, but the wolf had buried his teeth deep into his pulsating vein. In a last act of hopeless desperation the boar rammed itself into the nearest tree, crashing Mark harshly against it.

The omega winced at the ugly sound of bones cracking at the impact, but Mark seemed to be just fine, not letting go of the boar with his teeth until it finally sank to its knees.

Donghyuck's blood was boiling as Mark dragged the boar away, walk almost parading when he passed him.

 

"Ah, Donghyuck, how did you do?" Yuta asked him when they all returned from the forest. "I'm sure you'll get something next time. Just ask one of the others for help," he added when he noticed Donghyuck's lack of game.

"I don't need help," Donghyuck muttered mad at himself for loosing to Mark again.

"There's really no shame in admitting it," Yuta said with a warm smile.

"I know, but I really don't need help," he grumbled. Then he spotted him. "Excuse me."

Mark was laughing together with Johnny as they made their way to the storage hut with their prey thrown around their shoulders. Oh, Donghyuck could strangle him.

"Mark Lee!" He shouted with all his lungs, making the air around them vibrate. "Are you fucking serious?"

Mark cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Stealing my kill? Again? Are you doing it on purpose or are you actually just unable to find your own?" Donghyuck spat out in utter frustration.

"I told you, I'm just faster," Mark shrugged nonchalantly.

"You aren't faster!" Donghyuck growled, eyes flaming up. "I was there first! You were just more reckless."

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Mark replied as if it wasn’t a big deal, pointing to the boar on his shoulders.

"The way I would've done it would've worked as well," Donghyuck commented snappily. "And it would've gotten nobody hurt," he pointed to the bruise forming on Mark's shoulder, where the boar had pushed him into the tree.

"Are you worried about me?" Mark asked with that weird sparkle in his eyes.

"No, I'm just pointing out your stupid mistakes, you stupid moron," Donghyuck shot back at him. "Next time you'll steal my kill, I won't hesitate to fight you for it."

"No need," Mark declined cooly. "We could just share the kill if you want one that desperately."

"Share?" Donghyuck snorted sarcastically. "Because an omega like me needs help with everything, right? Can't even get my own kill because stupid privileged alphas like you can't get it in their head to just leave us alone."

"Hey, that's not-"

"It's not?" Donghyuck interrupted Mark before he could even attempt an excuse. "So you would've sneaked up on another alpha as well and stolen their kill? No, that would've been disrespectful, right?"

"So you want me to not challenge you because you're an omega?" Mark asked, obviously agitated by that accusation. "Kind of hypocrite, isn't it?"

Donghyuck's eyes twitched as he tried to come up with another argument. He was so sick of Mark.

"Just - just- argh!" He growled, stomping his feet very maturely. Deciding he should at least make a dramatic exit he turned around and angrily walked away.

He would beat Mark Lee and get his stupid kill. Even if that meant to train even harder. Even if it meant to sacrifice himself. Donghyuck knew who he was and what he could do. If he had set his mind on something, he would make it happen. Just wait.

 

He was on his way to eat when someone caught him by his ear, making him let out a high pitched squeal of pain.

"Yah! Mom, what are you doing?" He whined as his mother dragged him back to the forest.

"Didn't you hear? The prince is coming down to the village today," his mother reprimanded him, grip fierce around his ear. With rough motherly love he yanked him across the snowy fields and towards the lake.

"And what does that have to do with me?" Donghyuck complained – he had never really cared that much about the royal family. He was not a gossip lover like Yangyang. If course, he respected their chief and chiefess and obeyed their orders, but a prince coming to town was not one of his priorities right now.

"He's looking for a mate. And you reek of sweat and mud, you need to take a bath!" His mother instructed sternly.

"Mom, I'm sure the prince doesn't care for me!" Donghyuck kept whining, trying to struggle free from his mother’s tight grasp on his ear.

"I don't see anyone else courting you either!" His mother shot him down with the ultimate blow. "No wonder if you go hunting and then don't clean up afterwards."

Donghyuck glared at her. A bitter feeling spread inside his chest as he remembered last year. She knew that that was his sore spot. Being the only omega uncourted last year - yeah, it hadn't done great things for Donghyuck's confidence.

"Okay, mom, I get it. Let go of me, I'll take a bath!" He said, fighting himself out of his mother's grip. Her eyes suddenly went soft, letting go of Donghyuck's ear and holding his cheeks instead.

"I'm only trying to help you," she said tenderly. She loved her only son very dearly, even she showed it in rough manners sometimes. "I'm so proud of you. And I want you to be happy, okay?"

Donghyuck let out a deep sigh. He knew his mother was only this on edge about him getting courted because she had seen the toll it had taken on Donghyuck last year.

"I know," he said quietly, not wanting to make his mother even more upset. Bravely he forced a grin on his face. "Now let me go take that bath. Or I'll be alone forever."

"I'm sure you'll fine your perfect mate. We all do," his mother reassured him. "I'll safe some lunch for you."

Donghyuck gave her a last smile before heading towards the huge lake.

 

There was a secluded spot, just for omegas like him to take long and relaxing baths. Maybe this was just what he needed after his hunting disaster. Just the perfect quiet place to take his mind off of things and have some time for himself.

Since everybody was at lunch, he was even the only one there. Donghyuck smiled giddily as he stripped out of his shirt and pants, leaving them scattered on the shore. Like a little pup he jumped into the lake, emerging completely in the cold water.

It was freezing and Donghyuck regretted it immediately. A shiver went through his whole body as goosebumps rose up his spine. Maybe he should’ve eased into the water gradually to get used to the cold sensation. But now that he was in, he could at least make the most of it. Balling his fist together bravely he walked in deeper until the water was up to his collarbones, covering his whole body. Teeth chattering he kept jumping up and down a little, trying to warm himself in this sea of ice.

Suddenly a high whistle disturbed the peaceful silence. Confused Donghyuck turned back around to the shore to face some surprise visitors to his private bath. Squinting his eyes to see better he could recognized Nick and a few of his alpha friends standing there, watching him with low chuckles.

He was about to yell at them to get lost – alphas had no business being down at the omega bathing spots – but then he stopped himself. If this was the prize he had to pay to get courted...maybe letting them see just a little skin wasn’t that bad of a deal. Maybe Nick would finally leave him an official courting gift if he knew what Donghyuck had to offer. Almost two weeks had passed since the new year and despite what Nick had promised him, he had yet to make a move.

Still, Donghyuck felt highly uncomfortable being watched like this. Nobody except omegas were allowed near here, so he had never been exposed to this kind of attention. He didn't know how Nick and his friends had gotten here.

On the other hand, Donghyuck was really desperate. Seeing his mother so torn up because of him had only made the situation worse, knowing that he wasn’t the only one suffering from him not being courted. He hesitated to make a next move as he gazed at the alphas frazzled, hiding his body safely underneath the water surface.

Before Donghyuck could decide how to act though, something - or someone - made the alphas panic. A low growl resonated through the woods, leading to Nick and his friends scrambling away from him and the lake in seconds. The only thing Donghyuck could make out behind the trees was a dark piece of fur. It seemed familiar, but Donghyuck couldn't see it clear enough to match it to someone.

Confused he turned back around, quickly finishing his bath now.

Maybe that little glimpse of his bare shoulder was enough to encourage Nick anyways.

 

 

"Hey, Hyuckie, where were you? You don't usually skip lunch," Renjun greeted him when he sat down in their child care class.

"Took a bath in the lake," Donghyuck explained shortly.

"It's freezing!" Renjun exclaimed shocked. Most of them warmed their bathing water in their huts during the winter.

"I needed it after hunting classes and had no time," Donghyuck shrugged casually. "Besides, the prince is supposed to arrive today. Gotta look presentable."

"You heard that too? My father said he saw a few guards this morning, preparing a hut for him and his fellowship," Yangyang said excitedly, happy to indulge into any sort of chat about the recent hot topic.

"Him and his fellowship?" Renjun asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I guess a few guards and noble friends of his," Yangyang explained to him. "I doubt the leader would let his son leave the castle all on his own. Not after they kept him safe in there for so long."

"What do you guys think he looks like?" Donghyuck asked mildly curious.

"I bet he's super hideous," Yangyang giggled. "Why else would they lock him away from sight?"

"Oh, you're mean," Renjun laughed, nudging Yangyang in his side.

"I'm just kidding," Yangyang took back his first statement. "Knowing how Prince Doyoung and his parents look like – he must be super handsome. Or his genes played a very unfair games with him."

Their little chat about the mysterious appearance of the prince was ended before they could come to a proper conclusion if Prince Jeno was ugly or not.

"Everybody listen up!" Their teacher interrupted the lesson, making everybody turn their heads from the kids to him. "Let's all gather outside - Prince Lee Jeno is about to arrive. We're supposed to welcome him with open arms."

Excited chatter broke out in the class room as everybody rose to their feet. It was almost a fight to get outside first as everybody wanted to have front seat to the event of the year.

"Oh, this is going to be good," Yangyang snickered, enjoying the hustle and bustle surrounding them. Expertly he pulled Donghyuck and Renjun with him right to the front row.

More and more people of their pack gathered and formed a circle, all curious to see the young prince. For some minutes nothing happened except people pushing and shoving each other, trying to get a better view.

The sound of a signalling horn echoed through the air and the pack split in two, creating a path for the royal family arriving.

A few guards walked ahead, the royal crest stitched over their chests. Then two horses followed, galloping with long and graceful strides and their dark fur shined luxuriously. They looked completely different from the horses Renjun had seen used for the field work in their pack. With trained movements the two riders halted the horses and jumped down with elegance.

Their whole pack seemed to hold their breath as they stopped in front of them, right in the center of the huge field they had all come together on.

Renjun's own breath hitched in shock as they pulled of their helmets and he could see their faces properly for the first time - one of the riders was Jaemin!

Now, Renjun had known he was from the castle, he just hadn't known he was that close to the royal family. Although he had said he was a close friend, Renjun had honestly suspected the alpha to be a guard, maybe a swamper at most. But if he was riding with the prince he must’ve told the truth about his tight connections to their chief and chiefess.

A third horse appeared - their leader sitting high and mighty on top. He greeted his pack with a wide wave and a warm smile - he was very beloved by his people. Not only because he was close to many of them, always present at every feast or traditional ceremony, but because he was a peace maker, not out for war or blood or revenge. Under him their pack had blossomed like never before and everybody was thankful for having him guiding them to prosper to their full potential.

"Everybody! It’s so nice to meet you again - seems like only two weeks ago that we've last seen each other," he said as he swung himself down his horse with charismatic ease.

A few chuckles went through the crowd, since it in fact had been only two weeks since their chief had last been here to open the mating ceremony at the start of the new year.

"Can't say the same for my son - he's a bit of a homebody," he continued his speech in good humour. "I hope you can forgive him. All the greater is my happiness to send him here to join pack training until his graduation in summer. Hopefully he won't come back to the castle alone."

More excited whispers followed - so the rumors were true. The prince was here to court and find a mate, the words of their chief could not have been clearer.

"So, let me introduce you to my son - Lee Jeno!"

Renjun was looking at the wolf beside Jaemin expectantly, but he stayed completely still. Instead, Jaemin himself took a steps forward, the chief patting his back fatherly.

"I'm very excited to join pack training. Thanks for welcoming me so friendly. I'm sure this will be a great opportunity to bond," Jaemin said with a charming smile...but was it really Jaemin?

Renjun's head was spinning. Jaemin...Jaemin was the prince? So Jaemin was really Prince Jeno?

Their eyes suddenly found each other, Yangyang having searched them a spot right front and center and Renjun felt his food come up as he realized what was happening.

Prince Jeno had lied to him, hidden his true identity when they had met at the river. His face paled in horror. The things he had said to Jae - Jeno! No, the prince!

"I...I need to go," he whispered to his friends. Before they could even ask what was up he made his way through the crowd.

 

He needed a quiet place to breathe. The prince - the prince! He had talked to the prince! He had insulted his laundry skills! Oh god, what had he done?

To his defense - he hadn't known it was the prince! He...wait - it totally wasn't his fault! The prince had lied to him! Why had he lied to him? Oh, but Renjun had still made fun of him! What was the punishment for mocking a prince? Was there a punishment? Renjun had no money, so it wasn't like he could give him much. Oh, he was so done for.

 

The omega had curled himself up in his furs for the rest of the day, wallowing in his self-pity. His only hope left was that whatever training Prince Jeno had decided to join wasn’t be with him. At this point complete avoidance was his only option. Under no circumstances could he look him in the eyes again.

The quiet creak of the orphanage door let him know that someone had entered the hut.

"I heard someone skipped classes today," Sicheng sat down by his side. It must be late already if Sicheng was back from his pack duties for the day.

"I'm an embarrassment," Renjun whined, drowning in his misery and turning around in his furs. Sicheng, like the good friend he was, laughed straight at his face.

"What happened? Did one of the little ones poop on you?" He joked, but Renjun gave him a serious look.

"Worse," Renjun said dryly. "I insulted a royal. They're going to behead me."

Sicheng snorted at the blatant overstatement.

"Way to be dramatic," he said, patting Renjun's head comfortingly.

"No, I'm dead serious," Renjun insisted. "Sicheng, I insulted the prince!"

"The prince? Prince Jeno?" Sicheng raised his eyebrows, a confused frown forming on his face. "When did you even talk to him? Didn't he just arrive today?"

"I...I met him doing laundry a week ago," Renjun told him honestly. Until now he hadn’t spoken to everyone about the mysterious castle encounter. "But I didn't know he was the prince! How should I have know! Nobody has seen him in ages! He told me his name was Jaemin! And I said he sucked at doing laundry!"

Sicheng looked at him in silence for a few seconds. Then he started cackling like a hungry chicken on his search for kernel.

"You're telling me you met the prince - not knowing it was the prince - and the first thing you did was mock him over his laundry?" Sicheng was laughing so hard Renjun was afraid he would suffocate any second.

"This is not funny!" He complained with a big pout, but Sicheng had tears in his eyes by now, obviously finding the whole situation a lot more amusing than Renjun. "I insulted a prince!"

"So what? You didn't know he was Prince Jeno! Not your fault he lied to you," Sicheng at least tried to be sympathetic when his laughing fit calmed down a little.

"I just hope he doesn't join any of my classes," Renjun huffed, seeking calmness in the thought that there was technically not a single reason he would ever have to talk to Prince Jeno again. Hell, Prince Jeno was looking for a mate! And Renjun was most certainly not a candidate for that.

Yeah, yeah - he would be fine.



Except, he would not.

Renjun had deemed himself safe when there had been no sign of anything royal in child care or tailoring classes. And from what he had heard Jeno had joined hunting and building training, much more typical classes for alphas to take.

Well, never praise the day before its evening. Renjun had to learn that the hard way.

The omega had already taken his seat in healing class, for sure his most demanding but also most interesting class. And it was usually a wild mixture of people taking the class - so an alpha being part was not really uncommon. Still, Renjun almost fell off his chair when Jeno entered the room, his sole aura immediately gaining the attention of everyone in a radius of ten meters.

"Everybody calm down," their teacher said strictly - the excited whispers that followed Jeno everywhere he went picking up in volume in their classroom. "You two can take a seat," he instructed Jeno shortly - only now Renjun noticed the second alpha beside him that had accompanied the prince here.

The two ducked their heads, ignoring the obvious conversations about them going around the room. Renjun tuned out, not really interested in anything about the prince besides getting out of his way. If he pretended he didn’t exist, he didn’t exist. Ignorance can be such a bliss.

"Today we're gonna learn about the effects of wolfberry," their teacher started the lecture and Renjun's ears peeked interested. He had heard about wolfberry before. It was by far the most toxic poison he knew of. "What can you tell me about it?"

"It's fatal. When consumed it leads to instant death," someone said and the teacher nodded.

"Correct. Does anybody know the symptoms?" He questioned them further, but everybody remained silent. "The toxins in the berry have severe effects on the heart. It causes arrhythmia and uncontrollable beating, making the consumer feel like their heart would explode. So even if not consumed via mouth it can cause severe psychological trauma on one," the teacher went on to explain as nobody seemed to know the answer.

The class fell silent in mortification of the horrendous images of the effects of wolfberry.

"What is the treatment for wolfberry?" Another student asked.

"That's the worst part. There is no known antidote. Once in your system it makes your heart go wild to the point it bursts. No way out and no cure," the teacher elaborated. "Does anybody know where wolfberry was used?"

Nobody seemed to have an answer, until Prince Jeno cleared his throat and the room fell extra silent.

"It was used in battle. Arrows dunked in the poison made enemies unable to fight back once shot," Jeno stated. "Also...also it was used for interrogations. The symptoms made hostages feel so afraid...they would start talking out of pure fear of dying, not knowing that..."

"That they would face death inevitably," the teacher finished for Jeno who had stopped in the midst of his sentence. "Correct."

"What about medical purposes?" Renjun raised his voice, regretting it right after when Prince Jeno turned around to him.

"What do you think?" The teacher returned the question.

"If...if it has positive effects on heart rate...couldn't it treat hypoactivity? Or heart failure?" Renjun suggested a bit unsure under the gaze of the prince.

"It doesn't have positive effects on heart rate," their teacher retorted. "It exhausts the heart to a point of no return."

"Then what about a...smaller doses of toxins? Or watered down?" Renjun thought out loud.

"I appreciate your positive thinking, Renjun, but there is no positive side of wolfberry. It's a dangerous thing, used for torture and killing. It should never be experimented with," the teacher shot him down with finality. "Does anybody else have questions? Otherwise I would proceed to the exact toxins in wolfberry."

The remaining lesson was more theoretical, learning about the structure and chemicals in the plant and how they reacted inside the body. Renjun was so focused on writing everything down, he completely forgot that Prince Jeno was in this class as well.

He seemed to be the only one to do so, though, since everybody else was still whispering and giggling, not as interested in the current lecture as Renjun was. Only now Renjun noticed that a few of the omegas had even dressed up more than usual. With amusement he rolled his eyes and laughed to himself. He must be the only omega that didn't want to be anywhere near Prince Jeno.

Only his luck that apparently Prince Jeno had made is his personal mission to be near him.

Renjun had noticed Prince Jeno approaching him after class was over - but Renjun wasn't that easy. After years and years of living in this village he knew his way around. Like a slick spy slipped past his peers and was out the door before Prince Jeno could even realize he was gone. Even during dinner he avoided the prince like he was wolfberry himself, grabbing himself a bite and eating in the orphanage.

Renjun was pretty satisfied with himself when he went to bed that night, ignoring the way Sicheng shook his head at him.

 

A whole week went by like this - Renjun sneaking around, avoiding the prince with all his might. It was a bit ridiculous, he admitted that. But at least it wasn't as ridiculous as all the other omegas. Renjun had never seen more of them wear their best clothes, always cleaned up - some even wearing their family's jewelry. Donghyuck had told him his mother had tried to get him to wear theirs as well one morning - but Donghyuck had downright refused, avoiding his parents just as well as Renjun avoided Prince Jeno.

Only Yangyang's mood seemed to have risen considerably - all the gossip in their pack since Prince Jeno's arrival juicier than ever. It was like every other day there was a new omega that claimed that Prince Jeno had smiled at them or winked at them or complimented them. Everybody was speculating who Jeno would end up courting.

Well...let's just say nobody's first speculations turned out to be correct.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!
I'm so thankful for all the support this story is getting, like, I never expected it and wow, you guys are just amazing!! <3
I hope you liked the chapter - leave me a comment if you want to!!

Chapter 3: Alarm

Notes:

Welcome to the new chapter!! Hope you'll enjoy it :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Weekend. Renjun would miss that once his training was over. Sleeping in and worrying about nothing on a Saturday morning. But after graduating and therefore considered fully adult you were expected to go after your duties no matter the weekday. So, Renjun would enjoy his last months of lazy mornings before that would become his reality to the fullest.

He stretched his arms up in the air as he walked out of the orphanage - even the sun was shining a little today, melting some of the snow away and leaving wet patches on the ground. This would be a beautiful day. He could work on his traditional omega gown for the Spring Dance. Or he could hit up Donghyuck for a bath or a run through the forest. (He for sure wouldn't go looking for Yangyang though, being more than done with his gossip for the week.)

"You are hard to track down."

"Holy crap - what the-?!" Renjun jumped at least three meters in the air, surprised by the sudden voice addressing him. Prince Jeno was standing right behind him and Renjun immediately slapped his hands over his mouth as he recognized him. Are you even allowed to curse in front of a prince?

"Oh shit, I didn't mean to scare you!" Prince Jeno responded equally as shocked at his reaction - well, at least that answered Renjun's cursing question.

"Yeah. Never do that again," Renjun said, trying to calm down his beating heart. His first thought after that was to somehow get out of this situation and flee from the prince - still feeling uncomfortable after their disaster of a first meeting. But the shier determination that the prince seemed to have developed to track him down and talk to him made him reconsider. So he stayed still, watching Prince Jeno expectantly and waiting for him to talk.

"I actually - uhm, I wanted to apologize," Prince Jeno mumbled and Renjun was surprised to see him so insecure. But he guessed he shouldn't be. The wolf he had first gotten to know as Jeno (or at that point in time, Jaemin) had also been...a bit of a hot mess. Why should he be treating him differently now only because he knew he was a prince?

"You wanted to apologize? For what?" Renjun asked him. If anyone had to apologize it was probably himself.

"Lying to you," Prince Jeno stated, expression apologetic and smile contrite.

"Oh yeah, right, Jaemin," Renjun replied with amusement. But he wasn’t one to hold grudges. "It's fine."

"I just...when you didn't know who I was...I guess I just wanted to escape from all this...just for a moment," Jeno said, pointing over his shoulder where a few omegas had already gathered and were giggling and batting their eyelashes at him. Renjun was once again surprised but this time it was by the prince’s honesty.

"I get it, I think," he allied Jeno’s guilt. "I mean, I'm not a prince, but I guess everybody needs to escape some time."

"Totally! Yeah, but...yeah, I'm Jeno. Jeno, not Jaemin," Jeno introduced himself for real this time and Renjun let out a friendly laugh. Prince or not, Jeno was kind of a dork. Suddenly he didn't know why he had been so resolute about avoiding him at all costs in the first place.

"I know. Everybody knows, did you forget, prince?" Renjun teased him, nodding his head to the omegas that were still throwing Jeno less than subtle glances. The alpha gave him a crooked smile, awkwardly running a hand through his hair. "Who's the real Jaemin then? Does he even exist?"

"Oh, he's sort of my best friend. He lived in the castle with me all my life - his parents are nobles as well," Jeno explained with a sheepish grin. “It was just the first name that slipped my mind. And we’ve sort of been getting mixed up all our childhood.”

"The boy who came here with you?" Renjun asked, putting the pieces together and Jeno nodded in confirmation. The snickering behind them got louder, the omegas near them now shoving each other to approach Jeno.

"Oh...uhm...can we maybe walk somewhere? I just...I'm a bit...they just keep staring at me," Jeno mumbled helplessly and Renjun laughed again.

"Follow me, I know a place," he said and Jeno looked more relieved than he had ever seen him before.

"You must be...so busy. I've been trying to talk to you since I got here," Jeno kept the conversation going, following Renjun into the forest away from the prying eyes.

"Oh yeah," Renjun agreed at first, but then he decided to be honest as well. "Actually, I've been trying to avoid you. I was kind of afraid you would order to behead me."

Jeno outright laughed - Renjun had never heard him laugh so carelessly before. It was kind of nice.

"I deceived you. If anyone I would be the beheaded one," the alpha stated in obvious merriment.

"Well, I did insult you about your laundry," Renjun shrugged, defending his concerns, although he reckoned in hindsight they had been a bit overdramatic and unreasonable.

"Oh, right," Jeno remembered, a sly smirk forming on his face. "Well, I guess punishment is in order then."

Renjun raised his eyebrows in question, waiting for his sentence from the prince.

"Your punishment is to...help me with my laundry whenever I ask," Jeno decided and Renjun laughed at that ridiculous penalty, deciding to play along.

"Ouh, that's a bit harsh, don’t you think? Besides, how will you ever learn to do it yourself if I keep doing it for you?" He commented teasingly.

"Well, what do you suggest instead?" Jeno asked in return.

"How about I show you my hideout spot and we're even?" Renjun proposed with a playful glint in his eyes. Joking around with the alpha was kind of fun. Jeno made a face as if he had to deeply consider and weigh out his options.

"Deal," he agreed in the end. "I could really use a hideout."

"Why?" Renjun grinned. "Not enjoying all the attention, prince?"

"Didn't you hear my dad introduce me? I'm a homebody," Jeno replied with a grimace.

"Well, realistically speaking - you gotta know your people if you'll become chief some day," Renjun told him. He couldn’t imagine what it was like to be a prince, but it must be a lot of responsibility and hard work. Especially growing up knowing that there was an entire population depending on your leadership.

"I know," Jeno let out a deep sigh. "It's not that I don't like them. I've been raised to die for them, trust me, I care for this pack with all my life."

"Wow, I think that was the most prince-like thing I ever heard you say," Renjun said honestly impressed by the compassion in Jeno's voice. "When I think about it you’re hardly what I'd expected a prince to be like."

"Thanks?" Jeno smiled uncertainly. "I've been trying to do things differently. Not so...traditional."

"What do you mean?" Renjun asked interested and intrigued by this more serious side of Jen after their light banter.

"I mean, my dad is a great chief. But there's still some things in this pack that I think should change. There are a lot of traditions, especially in the royal circles, that I think-" Jeno stopped himself before getting too into his monologue. "But you probably don't want to hear all about politics. Sorry, I can get a bit carried away."

"No, no, it's fine!" Renjun quickly assured him. "I think it's good you’re passionate about change. Kind of the qualities a good chief should have."

"Thanks," Jeno's smile seemed genuine at the compliment. Renjun felt his heart drop a little.

"Uhm, we're here," he turned his head away.

They had reached a small clearing, hidden away behind a few bushes. In his teen years Renjun had arranged a few stones so you could sit down comfortably while you hid away from the world. He used to come here all the time, just to think or when everything became too much. No one had ever been here with him before. Not even Sicheng. Now that he thought about it, it was kind of surprising that Jeno was the first person he had ever shared this with.

"In summer it's really beautiful. And these are all raspberry bushes, so you can snack while you hide."

"How practical," Jeno commented, swiftly brushing the snow that had piled on top of the stones away and taking a seat.

"Well, never thought I would ever take the prince here," Renjun said as he took in the scenery in front of him - Prince Jeno in his hidden spot. But he didn’t regret bringing him here at all. Truly a picture he had never imagined. "Never thought I would even talk to you. Or insult you."

"I like that you don't treat me like a prince," Jeno said, giving Renjun a meaningful look. "Back then at the river you told me that the prince was also just a person. And that's true."

Renjun smiled at him. He hadn't expected that talking to Jeno - Prince Jeno - would be so easy. Guess treating him like a regular person was the whole trick.

"Okay, I'll leave you alone then," he said and Jeno made a confused noise.

"What? Why?" He asked, rising to his feet as if to protest and reach after him.

"Didn't you come here to be alone? I thought you wanted to take a walk to get away from your admirers," Renjun replied as if it was obvious.

"Oh, yeah, right," Jeno said slowly as if only remembering that now.

"I'll get going then. Enjoy your alone time," Renjun waved at him as he turned around to leave. Jeno could barely suppress a disappointed look as he watched him retreat.

"Yeah, see you. Uhm, thanks for showing me here."

"You're welcome."

 

Renjun should've known that his little talk with Jeno wouldn't stay just a little talk. At least not in the eyes and ears of their pack.

"Say, Renjun, I've heard you've been getting cozy with the prince," Yangyang threw an arm around his shoulder in child care class.

It hadn't even taken two full days for rumors about their trip into the forest to spread - some even going as far as saying that Jeno had been hunting for a courting gift for him. Everybody had been anticipating a deer, a rabbit or a weasel perhaps to show up in front of Renjun's porch this morning. But none of the sorts had happened.

"Not you, too!" Renjun groaned in misery, hiding his face in his hands. "Sicheng didn't stop teasing me all Sunday!"

"Your own fault, going on walks to secluded areas with the prince, who we all know is looking for a mate," Yangyang accused him blatantly.

"I just showed him my hideout space - he needed it, he's being watched wherever he goes," Renjun told the same story for the umpteenth time. It was ridiculous that people even believed in any of the rumors. There was no way any of them could be true. "And I didn't even stay with him. I left right after I showed him there."

Yangyang slapped his arm in frustration and Renjun gasped in pain at the sting, throwing Yangyang an enraged look.

"Are you stupid? Why didn't you stay? He's looking for someone to court and he talked to you!"

"He's definitely not interested in courting me! Remember - I'm an orphan, no family name, no land, no money?" Renjun pointed out the obvious. "Besides, I bet he's talking to a lot of omegas daily."

"But he didn't go on walks with them!" Yangyang insisted exasperated. "You should make use of this opportunity. He's a prince!"

"Donghyuck, could you please back me up in this and talk some sense into Yangyang?" Renjun turned to his other friend, having more than enough of Yangyang’s antics. But Donghyuck hadn't been paying attention to their conversation at all, angrily folding baby clothes on his table.

"What's wrong with him?" Yangyang asked with a nudge and Donghyuck huffed.

"Stupid Mark Lee! Stupid, stupid, stupid," he muttered to himself, aggressively slapping a bunch of pants into a basket.

"What did he do now? Call you slow again?" Renjun asked, well aware of the ongoing anger Donghyuck had for the alpha for unknown reasons.

"He's stealing all my kills!" Donghyuck complained with rage in his voice. "Every time I come close he just appears out of nowhere and jumps in totally reckless and steals my kill!"

"Still can't believe you're taking hunting classes voluntarily," Yangyang commented dryly.

"Watch me! One day, one day you'll understand! I'm doing this for all the omegas," Donghyuck spurted with passion, pointing his finger at him.

"Yeah, yeah," Yangyang put him off, having heard that speech multiple times already. "Did you know all the omegas are jealous of you because you're the only omega in hunting classes with Prince Jeno?"

"My god, is there anything else on your mind?" Renjun groaned and Yangyang snickered.

"Well, did he speak to you? All the alphas are not really talkative about Prince Jeno," Yangyang pried – nothing could stop him from getting his information.

"Prince Jeno?" Donghyuck asked with a frown, trying to remember if he had ever even talked to him. "I think he asked me about Yuta once. You don't really talk much during hunting classes and I don't really pay attention to him. I'm just trying to get my first-"

"-kill, I get it, you're so boring," Yangyang moaned, frustrated at the lack of gossip he got out of his friends. "Well, what does his wolf look like then? I never saw him shift before."

"Well...big and dark I guess?" Donghyuck shrugged, noticing how suddenly a lot more ears were turned their direction. "My goodness, Renjun, okay, I'm on your side now. That poor prince needs some privacy."



A few days later Donghyuck was going back to his parent's hut in the early evening - done with his training for the day. He was completely spend, muscles sore and aching. He had tried his best during hunting training today. And he had gotten so close to a perfect first kill. But of course, as always, Mark had jumped into his way. It was just so irritating and annoying! But if Mark wanted to challenge him - oh, Donghyuck was up for a challenge. Mark was messing with the wrong omega. Donghyuck would destroy him. He wasn't weak and he wasn't someone who just gave up when faced with difficulties.

He was strong and independent and he knew what he wanted.

He sighed deeply when he reached the front door of his parents hut, a dull feeling settling in his stomach. Why couldn't anybody else see how great he was?

Just as every other day the porch was empty. Not giving up hope just yet he looked around the area in front of their hut a bit. Rabbits were small, squirrels even smaller and a bird was easy to overlook. (All not the best courting gifts. But Donghyuck would accept a rat at this point.)

Was he really that undesirable? Was it because he took hunting training? Because he was too outspoken? Was that maybe intimidating? But Donghyuck was also one of the best omega cooks in his class! You almost couldn't get more traditional omega than cooking! And he loved children - every omega did!

He might not be all pliant and submissive...but he was still likable. Wasn't he?

He shook his head. He shouldn't define his worth by how many alphas were courting him. Still, another deep sigh left him. At least one would be nice.

Why hadn't Nick left a gift for him? When he had asked him last year, the alpha had seemed on board with the idea of courting him. Nick might not be his first choice, but he was still better than nobody.

 

"Ah, Donghyuck, just how are you looking again? Your hair is all messy!" His mother nagged him when he made up his mind and stepped inside the hut.

"It's so dark outside I doubt anybody can even see my hair," Donghyuck argued and his mother clicked her tongue in disapproval.

"You know appearance is everything during courting season," his mother reminded him and Donghyuck rolled his eyes.

"I'm taking a bath every day," he defended himself.

"Sure you don’t want to try wearing our family jewelry?" His mother asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"No, mom, I really don't. I would look like a Christmas tree in summer," Donghyuck shut her down.

"I've seen lots of young omegas wear their family jewelry lately," his father chimed in, only meaning well. "I'm sure it would look lovely on you."

"Yeah, they are wearing it because they want to impress the prince," Donghyuck huffed. "As if he hasn't enough money himself."

"So you're not interested in the prince?" His father asked him. Donghyuck almost snorted.

"I really don't think he's interested in me. I'm the only omega in hunting training with him and I don't think he even noticed I'm not an alpha," he mentioned, the sole idea of him with a prince funny to him.

"That's because you always roll around in dirt and smell like animals! If you would just dress up a bit more, let your scent do the talking-"

"Yeah, mom, I'm good, thanks. Don't think I'm cut out for royal life anyways," Donghyuck interrupted her before she could nag him any further.

"I'm just saying you are such a beautiful, young omega. I can see that, and I just want other people to see that as well," his mother said softly, stroking through his messy hair.

"Thanks," Donghyuck mumbled bitterly. "Glad at least one person sees that."

 

 

Renjun was sleeping deeply, lulled into the quietness of the night. His furs were warm and comfortable and there should be nothing that should wake him up right now.

Except, there was.

A loud howl resonated through the woods, simultaneously waking up all the wolves in their pack, automatically on high alert. One of their own had called for help.

"Sicheng?" Renjun asked, scrambling to his feet. But the omega was nowhere to be found.

No.

All the smaller kids in the orphanage woke up one after another, blinking in fear and confusion. Renjun tried his best to calm them down, being one of the oldest here currently, but he was frantic himself.

Where was Sicheng? Why wasn't he in his furs? When had he sneaked away? And why had someone howled alarm?

"Renjun?" A few of the caretakers in charge of the orphans had found their way into orphanage by now, walking in through the door and quickly taking over the children for him. Renjun pushed past them, mind blank. "Where are you going?"

"Sicheng is missing," he informed them, making his way to the door.

"You shouldn't go out in the dark alone," someone warned him with concern.

"I have to find him! What if something happened to him?" Renjun insisted, not listening.

"We could really use your help here," they told him, picking up the scared and agitated kids, trying to calm them down and rock them back to sleep.

"I...I'm sorry," Renjun said before he bolted outside. He needed to find Sicheng. He needed to!

 

A few people were running around outside, shifting into wolf form and heading into the forest where the howl had come from.

"Sicheng!" Renjun started screaming with full lung capacity in lack of a better plan. "Sicheng!"

At least he wasn't the only one who was not supposed to be out there.

"Renjun? What are you doing outside?" Donghyuck ran up to him frazzled once he spotted his friend shouting his heart out.

"What are you doing out?" Renjun returned the question, startled to see the younger omega.

"I'm a trained hunter. I can help," Donghyuck said confidently, puffing his chest.

"Renjun, Donghyuck, back into your huts! We don't know what the threat is - you're not safe out here!" Johnny, one of the hunting trainers, yelled at them as he hurried over, easily detecting the two omegas that had no business being out of the safeness of their hut.

"Hey, I'm trained for this!" Donghyuck complained loudly.

"You are not yet graduated!" Johnny argued without room for objections. "Back to your hut!"

Donghyuck glared at him, watching how a few of his alpha peers shifted and ran into the forest.

"I need to find Sicheng!" Renjun pleaded desperately. "Please, he wasn't in his furs! W-what if-"

"Renjun, calm down, we'll find Sicheng for you," Johnny told the agitated the omega. "I'm sure he's somewhere safe."

"No, you don't understand! Sicheng-"

"Back inside! Both of you," Johnny interrupted him tensed. His priority right now was to keep everyone safe and two young omegas running around freely was exactly the opposite of that.

"Donghyuck!" Donghyuck's mother came running across the place. "I told you to stay inside! Sorry Johnny," she apologized for her son, grabbing Donghyuck by his ear and pulling the protesting omega back to their hut.

Renjun, sensing his opportunity, used the short distraction, transforming into his wolf shape and rushing off to the forest. He had to find Sicheng. He had to make sure he was okay.

 

Once he was past the first branches of wood and therefore out of Johnny's sight he stopped running, trying to get a whiff of Sicheng. But he couldn't track him down. There was no trace of Sicheng anywhere.

Panic rose in him. If he couldn't track down Sicheng in the forest...what if someone had dragged him away? They were friendly with the Lunaris pack...but they didn't have any alliance with the Noctis pack that bordered on the other side of their land to the north. Renjun tried again - just the smallest hint of Sicheng would be enough for him. But there was nothing he could find. Sicheng must not be in the forest. Or even worse - if you couldn't smell a wolf anymore...that could mean...the only reason a wolf completely lost their scent...no.

Renjun heard someone running towards him. Probably Johnny fulfilling his duty, trying to get him back inside. But Renjun couldn't just give up. If Sicheng was out here he had to find him. He started sprinting away, but he heard the steps get closer and closer.

A wolf suddenly jumped out the bushes, knocking Renjun over, who could only whimper in fear as he was pinned down to the ground. The wolf growled at him and Renjun instinctively bared his neck in submission. Then the familiar scent of dark chocolate rose to his nose - like a déjà vu things fell into place.

The weight on top of him shifted and Renjun followed, back to human form in a few seconds.

"Renjun? What are you doing out here?" Jeno pulled him up to his feet.

"I- I need to find Sicheng. I can't track him down - I- I can't! What if he...what if he...?" Renjun stuttered, everything inside of him a mess - his thoughts, his feelings, his whole being in distress.

"Hey, hey, slowly, breathe with me," Jeno said, voice calm and deep and soothing as he inhaled and exhaled with him a few times. Despite it all it made Renjun relax for a moment.

"Jeno, Sicheng is all I have left. Please, I need to find him," Renjun said, tears in his eyes. Jeno looked at him for a few seconds, silence heavy between him. "Please," Renjun whispered, voice close to breaking.

"I'll find him. I'll find him, if he's out here, I'll find him," Jeno assured him, locking their gazes determined.

"You will?" Renjun asked hopefully.

"Yes, yes I will. But you need to promise me to go back to your hut, where you're safe, okay?" Jeno said and Renjun nodded, trying to hold back his tears from falling. He wasn't trained to track other wolves. He had become more than aware of that ever since he had stormed off into the forest alone. Even if he wanted to find Sicheng - a trained hunter would do a way better job at tracking Sicheng down than he ever could.

"H-he smells like lemons, okay? Lemons," Renjun told him urgently.

"Okay," Jeno said earnestly. "I'll find him."

"I...-" Renjun was a bit speechless. He hadn't expected that level of compassion from Jeno, someone he had only known for a short while. Maybe it was because of his duty as the future chief of their pack to care for each and every one of them, but Renjun felt like he couldn't have given this task into safer hands. In this moment he trusted Jeno, trusted him with Sicheng's life.

No matter what it was that drove the alpha to do this - Renjun was only grateful. He pulled Jeno into a short hug, not knowing how else to express his gratitude. Jeno's scent was engulfing him as the alpha carefully rested his arms around his waist in return. If it weren't for their dire situation, Renjun might've enjoyed this hug a lot more.

"Be careful," Renjun said after he pulled away, giving Jeno one last, piercing look before quickly turning around and heading back to his hut, fulfilling his part of the deal. He heard the swift sound of Jeno shifting behind him, the wolf heading deeper into the forest.

 

His knees were wobbly, fear creeping through every fiber of his body.

He hadn't felt so cold in a long time. But Sicheng was gone and he didn't know where he was.

Back at the orphanage he distracted himself with the younger kids, telling them stories and singing them to sleep. He didn't know what exactly had been the reason for the alarm, but as long as he was concerned the kids didn't need to be worried about anything else than getting a good nights sleep.

It was calming, watching all the other orphans crawl back into their furs. Renjun would've given so much to join them. But the fear kept him awake.

He didn't know how long he waited - and every minute the coldness got worse, eating him from the inside and the worst part was that there was nothing he could do about it. Renjun didn't know what he would do should he loose Sicheng. He couldn't handle the cold on his own. He would freeze to death.

Then there was a slight knock on the door. The sun was already rising behind the trees - it must've been hours since he had returned from the forest. Renjun begged all deities he knew as he heaved himself up to his feet and walked to the door, prayed as hard as he could. Oh please, please, if there was anyone out there listening to him-

"Sicheng!"

"Renjun!"

All the coldness seeped out of his body as he was pulled into the warmest of hugs.

"You're okay!" Renjun said, stepping away to take a closer look at Sicheng. But the older omega was completely unharmed, giving him a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine, oh, Renjun!" Sicheng sighed, hugging Renjun even tighter. "I'm sorry for worrying you. I didn't expect an alarm to happen tonight."

"W-what happened?" Renjun asked him, confusion mingling into his relief as he held the omega safely in his arms.

"Oh, err...I'll tell you inside," Sicheng said a bit embarrassed. "You had someone really stubborn searching for me."

Only then Renjun noticed Jeno standing behind Sicheng, having discreetly turned his head away from the emotional scene. He quickly let go of Sicheng.

"Thanks. Thank you so much," Renjun told him but Jeno shook his head.

"Nah, it's fine. It's my job to keep everyone safe. Or...it will be," the alpha said casually.

"Do you...do you know what was up with the alarm? Is anyone hurt?" Renjun asked him, hoping that the rest of the pack was as unharmed as Sicheng appeared to be.

"Ah, no, nothing really happened. Someone on border patrol spotted someone he didn't recognize, probably a rogue wolf. He panicked and howled for back-up," Jeno explained shortly and Renjun let out a sigh. What a relief. Just a false alarm.

"Oh, erm, you should probably head back to your hut," Renjun said, noticing the tiredness in Jeno's eyes. "Maybe you can catch a couple hours of sleep."

"Yeah, I'll try. You should too," Jeno replied kindly.

"Okay," Renjun said with a soft smile. "Good night."

Jeno waved before he headed off. Renjun let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

 

"So," Renjun turned back to Sicheng. "Where the hell were you?!"

Sicheng made an awkward grimace. They walked back inside, careful to not wake up anyone else.

"I might've sneaked away with someone these past couple nights," he admitted, shuffling deeper into his furs, eyes threatening to fall shut.

"What?" Renjun asked in disbelief. "You were out on a date?"

"Yeah...we quickly headed off to his hut when the alarm hit. I didn't know you would be so worried," Sicheng said sheepishly. "But I probably should've known. I'm sorry for scaring you."

"I'll forgive you," Renjun said quickly. "If..."

"If?"

"If you tell who you went on a date with," Renjun pried and Sicheng's face turned a deep shade of scarlet.

"It's...it's Yuta," he mumbled timidly.

"Yuta?" Renjun gasped. "But that's great! Why are you keeping it so secret? You two would be great together!"

"I just...I don't think someone like me should be courted openly," Sicheng muttered, avoiding eye contact.

"Oh, come on! Does Yuta say that?" Renjun questioned, not understanding why Sicheng was acting so secretive about seeing an alpha.

"No, he wants to court me," Sicheng denied. "I...I'm just not ready for it yet."

"You mean you don't think you're worth it?" Renjun stated, knowing the expression on Sicheng's face all too well.

"Enough about that!" Sicheng said, and before Renjun could protest he added- "Now tell me why the prince himself was looking for me?"

"Oh," it was Renjun's turn to blush. "Well, you heard him, it's his job to make sure everybody's safe."

"Yeah, I got that. And I was safe at Yuta's place - but he insisted on walking me back home over here for you to see me," Sicheng pointed out to him.

"Oh, yeah, have fun with the rumors tomorrow," Renjun snickered.

"Very funny," Sicheng said dryly. "At least warn me next time you send a prince after me, okay?"

"Will do," Renjun laughed.

"Prince Jeno's nice, though," Sicheng yawned, fatigue slowly overcoming him. "Not at all how you'd expect a prince to be. Much more chill."

"Yeah, I know," Renjun said, finally letting himself rest in his furs. "He's kind of a dork."

"I think he likes you," Sicheng muttered, also taken over by sleep.

"As if," Renjun snorted.

"Why else would he come looking for me himself? He could've send literally anybody else," Sicheng reasoned.

"You know me - I can be very persuasive," Renjun said. "He must've felt pity for me."

"Mhh, sure, pity," Sicheng said teasingly.

"Oh, shut up and let me sleep," Renjun grumbled, turning around and finally letting sleep embrace him.

But maybe...just maybe the thought of Jeno feeling something else than pity for him made him feel weirdly excited.

Notes:

Thanks so much for reading!!

I can't believe the support this story is getting!! All your comments are so lovely, I couldn't be happier and I'm so grateful to anyone who takes the time to write me one!! Honestly, you guys are the best <3

Stay safe and healthy everyone :3

Chapter 4: Apple

Notes:

Heyho, new chapter!! Enjoy :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The next morning everybody gathered in the town's center again, their chief riding in on his horse, even his mate, their chiefess, had come. She was a beautiful omega woman - much like Jeno she didn't show up at many festivities. But people still loved her for her generous nature. Every year she'd gift the people in their village hand-made gowns, embedded with the finest fabrics. Renjun, when he had been a young orphan, had been gifted one himself. It didn't fit him anymore, but he still kept it in his closet and treasured it like the rare possession it was. He remembered how it had made him feel like he fit in between all the other wolves in their beautiful gowns at the traditional dances.

But her showing up out of nowhere was still a bit unusual.

The chief went over to her horse, helping his mate slip off. Side by side they took place in front of the pack.

"People!" The chief started speaking with a vibrant voice and everybody turned their attention to him. "I'm glad to see everybody healthy and unharmed after last night. I came to tell you that there is nothing to be worried about. We were not under attack - it was only a rogue wolf spotted, but we chased them away and they will not cause trouble again."

"We want to thank all our guards and hunters that protected our pack last night," the chiefess added. "As a sign of our gratitude we bring fresh fruits for everyone. My son's, Prince Doyoung's, mate and leader of the Lunaris pack Taeyong gifted them to us as a sign of his support and peace between our packs."

Everybody cheered at that news. Fruits were rare in their pack during winter. And the Lunaris pack just giving some to them clearly raised everyone's spirits, but of course it was not only a gesture of pure friendship. Renjn reckoned they were obviously trying to gain their trust and strengthen the loyalty towards the Lunaris pack - the bond between Doyoung and Taeyong still fresh, barely a year old. After the big war ties to other packs had been cut, so a new connection the another pack could easily spread discomfort between them.

"Feast, everyone. So that the shock of last night will leave your minds," the noble omega woman said, her smile warm, but her stance high and elegant. She was truly an ethereal being - the perfect mixture between soft and stoic. She could make any omega feel insecure in her presence, her gaze piercing as if she could see right through you.

The guards started distributing apples and pears, even some strawberries and oranges. The sweet nutrition was quickly welcomed by their pack - Renjun himself hurried to grab some as well, keeping them in his pocket so he could give them to the other orphan children later, who were often too shy to ask for anything themselves.

Renjun watched their chief smile, talking to some of the guards as he helped distribute the fruits. His mate had disappeared in the crowd - Renjun saw her approach Jeno, linking their arms and walking her son away, heads stuck together as they discussed something.

Maybe there was more to her visit than fruits.

Renjun disregarded any curiosity for the rest of the day. Just like him Sicheng had also sneaked a few fruits away and they had fun making little pieces of apple appear for the little children like amateur magic tricks, pulling them out behind their ears or from their sleeves.

 

Donghyuck came to visit him later that day and they went for a run in the forest. Of course, Donghyuck had also had ulterior motives, but Renjun let his best friend get away with that. The younger omega made him train with him for a good part of what should’ve been an easy and relaxed run - Renjun having to act as the clueless prey Donghyuck was to hunt down.

After being playfully brought down for the seventh time Renjun had enough, fighting Donghyuck off and shifting back to his human form.

"And? What do you think? I'm quite good, right?" Donghyuck followed him, standing up and brushing the snow out of his hair.

"Sure," Renjun groaned in agreement, rubbing his sore back.

"Next hunting training I'm totally gonna get something. Even if it's just a bunny," Donghyuck said determined, walking around Renjun and massaging his shoulders. At least he wasn’t ungrateful for Renjun’s services.

The omega watched Donghyuck’s tensed face from the corner of his eyes – he was usually good at reading his emotions so it wasn’t hard to pick up on the hidden concern in his eyes. Lately, that mostly had one reason.

"So...still no one courting you?" Renjun asked cautiously, knowing that Donghyuck's insecurities always spiked when confronted with that topic. He almost regretted bringing it up when he saw Donghyuck’s features visibly darken.

"I just...don't get it!" Donghyuck muttered frustrated, his massage getting noticeably rougher. "Nick told me he would!"

"On the other hand - is Nick really that big of a loss?" Renjun commented behind his gritted teeth, letting his head fall back with a pained moan when Donghyuck pressed on a particular sore spot between his shoulder blades.

"It is for me!" Donghyuck insisted vigorously.

"You really like Nick?" Renjun raised his eyebrows, doing his best to swallow his pain to not add to Donghyuck’s insecurities and insult his massage skills.

"No, urgh, of course I don't like Nick. I just want him to court me," Donghyuck answered and Renjun was relieved when the force of his grip lessened. "It’s not like I want to mate him."

"Well, if it comforts you, hardly a month has passed since courting season started. Lots of omegas aren't courted yet. Myself included," Renjun offered condolence.

"I know, but Nick told me he would court me! We had a deal! What's holding him back?" Donghyuck huffed with a deep frown. "If he doesn't court me, who ever will?"

"Hyuckie," Renjun pouted, upset that Donghyuck was always so pessimistic when it came to courting. Although Renjun also had no explanation why on earth nobody had decided to court Donghyuck last year. "I'm sure there is a nice, handsome alpha in our pack that's just waiting for their chance to court you."

"I'm starting to doubt it," Donghyuck sighed hopelessly, letting go of Renjun's shoulders. "I mean, I'm in hunting training with all of them. I'm so approachable. But nobody ever does. Do you think I look scary?"

"You? Scary?" Renjun threw him a pointed look. Maybe your massage skills, but he kept that thought to himself.

"Hey, I'm being serious!" Donghyuck said insulted. "My mom keeps telling me to dress up."

"You don't need to dress up," Renjun assured him. "You're beautiful just the way you are. And really, you are a bigger loss for Nick than he is for you."

Donghyuck sunk back to his knees thoughtfully. His rationality knew that Renjun was right. His emotions, however, were a whole other story. But there was nothing he could do about it as of now.

"So, you up for another round?" Donghyuck said, patting on Renjun's back as he finished his massage and Renjun's eyes widened in panic.

"How about you ask Yangyang? I'm sure he's up for being shoved into the ground. He certainly deserves it," Renjun said, pupils shaking at the prospect of being thrown around just one more time.

"I was just kidding," Donghyuck laughed at him. "But I think I'm gonna find Yangyang anyways. I lent him my best pair of knives for cooking class."

"You lent Yangyang your knives?" Renjun asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, now that you say out loud it I can hear how that might've been a bad idea," Donghyuck muttered concerned. "I hope he didn't stab himself."

"I hope he didn't stab anybody else!"

 

However, before they could find Yangyang, the omega found them. He was wearing a new fur around his shoulders, proudly parading it around.

"Guys, look at this," he said, waving teasingly with his new scarf.

"Ouh, who is it?" Renjun asked with a smile, knowing very well that the scarf must be made from a courting gift.

"The question is not who - it's how many," Yangyang bragged with a giggle.

"No, the question is still very much who," Donghyuck stated clearly. "Anybody worth your attention?"

"Well, this one is from Hendery," Yangyang disclosed, throwing the scarf back over his shoulder in a dramatic fashion. "I also got a rabbit from Nick and a weasel from Dan. But, you know, they’re Nick and Dan."

"Wait - Nick?" Donghyuck asked surprised and Yangyang shrugged.

"Yeah, definitely scented by him," he answered without doubt. "I mean, alphas can court more than one omega if they want to."

"I know," Donghyuck said, biting down on his lips in mild concern. "Just...why hasn't he courted me then by now?"

"Well, if you want to have him - I'm not keen on being courted by him," Yangyang told him honestly.

Donghyuck huffed at his comment. It was not that he wanted Nick, it was that he wanted anybody, even if that meant Nick. But Yangyang could probably never understand what Donghyuck must feel like, always having more than one suitor after him.

But maybe this was a good sign. If Nick was getting ready to court an omega it shouldn't take him long to court Donghyuck as well.

"So, Hendery then?" Renjun wiggled his eyebrows at the youngest one.

"Maybe," Yangyang said with a flirty smile. "He's nice. Helped me with the firewood that one time. And let me tell you - he's really strong. Strong and handsome."

Renjun fondly rolled his eyes at him. The omega had never been shy to express his feelings. But he was glad Yangyang was having fun. And who knows? Maybe Hendery and Yangyang would be a good match.

"Well, now that he's courting you, you can get to know him better. He might be the one for you," Renjun suggested and Yangyang smiled happily.

"Wouldn't say no to that," the younger omega said, before turning his head to Donghyuck with an interesting look. "Say, Donghyuck, Hendery's in hunting training, too, right?"

"Yeah, he's on the hunting team, he’s graduated last year. But we're training with them," Donghyuck confirmed Yangyang’s knowledge.

"So...how is he?" Yangyang asked curiously and Donghyuck snorted.

"Go ask him yourself, he's courting you!" He told him amused, having no doubt that Yangyang had enough gossip sources to find out about Hendery’s hunting skills without his help. "And you still have to give me my knives back!"

"Oh yeah, about that," Yangyang said with an apologetic grin. "I used them to skin my courting gifts and now they are kinda...blunt?"

Not even a second later the omega bolted forward as fast as his legs would carry him.

"Yah! You used my good cooking knives to skin a weasel!" Donghyuck yelled after him with wide eyes, already on his tracks. "Oh, wait till I get you!"

Renjun laughed as he watched Donghyuck chase Yangyang across the different huts. Seems like Donghyuck was getting his hunting training after all.

 

When Donghyuck returned home that evening, he was more than ever anticipating something waiting in front of the porch. Yangyang had gotten a rabbit from Nick...a rabbit would be a nice start for a courting gift.

"Come on!" He whispered to himself, taking a trip around their hut to see if maybe Nick had missed the porch. But there was still nothing. Not a single trace of even the smallest prey or anything else that could be considered a courting gift.

Donghyuck scowled disappointed, stomping his feet in the few remainders of snow left. His feet got wet and a few splatters hit his pants. Great, his mother would probably reprimand him for that later. But that would be later. For now he needed some time alone.

Gracefully he shifted into his wolf form, paws hitting the wet, cold ground. With strong strides he ran off into the forest. Just like Renjun he knew a few hideout spots.

He ran and ran and ran, forcing himself to not think about courting. This wouldn't be like last year. No, it wouldn't. Just a month passed. Only a month. Renjun wasn't courted yet either. (But he heard a few alphas talking about courting him during hunting class and he knew it was only a matter of time by now.)

Last year had just been horrible.

Everybody had been thrilled and happy. The first time joining courting season was an exciting thing. And Donghyuck had by far been one of the most excited ones. Although he liked to act tough on the outside, he just really wanted what everyone else had - someone he could trust and fall in love with. He would never admit it out loud, but Donghyuck's biggest fear had always been to end up alone.

Ever since his presentation at the tender age of fourteen...when he knew he wouldn't have the upper hand in deciding if he would ultimately end up with someone...

Oh, it had been the worst feeling.

When he had been younger Donghyuck had never really cared about his presentation. Alpha or omega - in their pack for the most part that didn't matter. Sure, there were still certain traditions that they stuck to. But Donghyuck had never thought that he would end up like this. Uncourted. Unwanted. And if it weren't for the stupid custom that only alphas could start courting he could at least try to change that!

He didn't even understand in the first place why alphas and omegas were so exclusive of each other. When they were younger they had all been friends. Donghyuck let out an ugly laugh. Yeah, he even remembered a time where Mark Lee and him had been friends. Good friends, in fact.

But then Mark had presented as an alpha and he as an omega and things had changed. Overnight Mark had changed his mind about their friendship and left him behind. Maybe that's when Donghyuck's fear of being left alone had truly started.

Oh, what an irony - just when he had been thinking about him. The sound of Mark catching up to him was horribly familiar by now - and almost automatically Donghyuck sniffed for prey. A deer, no, something bigger - a stag!

Was Mark thinking of bringing that down on his own? Not even the most skilled hunters went for something as big as a stag on their own. It was a dangerous challenge.

Donghyuck growled in warning when Mark finally jumped out the bushes and rushed past him, but the alpha didn't even really seem to look at him, eyes fixated on the ground, getting faster and faster.

It was already very dark, so Donghyuck mostly relied on scents to track the stag down, turning the tables and for a change it was him following Mark’s steps on a hunt. Soon he could spot the huge animal between the bushes, searching for some grass underneath the melting snow.

A few meters away from the stag Donghyuck slowed down and stopped his chase, watching as Mark continued his hunt. He held his breath - would Mark really dare?

Yes, yes he would. Without hesitation the alpha attacked the animal, but it seemed like it had expected Mark coming. It kicked with its back hoof, throwing Mark into a tree. It blew at the alpha, lowering its antlers in defense mode.

Donghyuck watched breathlessly what Mark's next move would be. The alpha growled dangerously as he got back up on his feet, circling in on his prey. The stag chomped at the bit, taking the challenge. But Mark wouldn't be that insane, would he? Taking down a stag in a surprise attack was already dangerous enough - but going into a real battle?

Mark seemed to consider it for a moment, eyes flashing with adrenaline. But then he turned around, chasing away through the trees and bushes, leaving the stag behind him.

Donghyuck let out a relieved sigh. Even though Mark was an obnoxious idiot - he was pack and he really didn't want him to die.

What was Mark doing out here anyways, headlessly chasing after a stag? Such an idiotic thing to do, Donghyuck thought to himself as he turned around, ready to go home.

Then realization dawned upon him. Mark was hunting for a courting gift. Man, as if Donghyuck's mood couldn't get any worse.

 

"Hey, you're making the floor dirty! You're all wet! Did you go for a run this late?!" His mother started nagging him as soon as he entered their hut.

"Yeah," Donghyuck muttered gloomily.

"Yah! Get out of your dirty clothes! You're dragging the water everywhere!" His mother yelled, going after him to wish up his trail of water.

Donghyuck exhaled disgruntled, throwing his door shut and stripping out of his wet clothes as soon as he reached his room. He didn't listen to his mother's complaints, he was done with the day, he just wanted it to end. He fell into his furs - at least his spontaneous run had made him tired physically. Mentally? Not so much.

Even Mark Lee was getting ready to court someone! Stupid, reckless Mark Lee! Urgh! Donghyuck rolled around in his furs, kicking and punching the air. This was just unfair! Tears of rage gathered in his eyes. Why couldn't he just be courted! This was tearing him up inside! No wonder Mark always upped him during hunting - the alpha had probably nothing else but hunting on his mind. Meanwhile Donghyuck was tormenting himself with so many other things.

He’s had enough of it. He had just watched Mark almost challenge a stag - and Donghyuck knew that was stupid and way too dangerous. But maybe that was exactly what Donghyuck was lacking. Maybe he was too careful, too fixated on training and plans. Maybe he just needed to get a bit crazy...

Oh, no matter the cost, Donghyuck would get what he wanted! No more holding back. He would show them, oh he would show all of them!

 

 

Renjun did not expect an apple to be thrown straight to his face when he stepped out of his hut first thing in the morning.

"Oh, sh-"

Renjun winced, holding his left eye where the apple had hit him. He turned around, spotting the perpetrator with his right, unharmed eye.

"Are you okay?" Jeno asked him worriedly, hurrying over to his side.

"Y-yeah," Renjun gritted his teeth, crouching down to the snow, forming a make-shift cold pack. Then he formed another ball, throwing it straight to Jeno's chest. "You moron!"

"I'm sorry," Jeno replied sheepishly, just accepting being attacked by snow in revenge. "Does it hurt badly?"

"I'll be fine," Renjun assured him, now that he was cooling it, the throbbing pain went away – he would probably get away without a bruise.

"Wait, let me see," Jeno insisted, softly pulling Renjun's hand away from his eyes.

The prince leaned down, hand carefully cradling Renjun's face as he inspecting the harm he had caused.

"Uhm, I don't think you should..." Renjun mumbled, face flushing red at the sudden proximity.

"It's a little red, but I don't think it'll bruise or swell," Jeno concluded his assessment. He gave Renjun a bright smile, letting go of his face and stepping back a bit. "And the apple is fine as well."

Renjun rolled his eyes, glancing down at the apple he had caught despite the surprise.

"Thanks," Renjun said gratefully, softly brushing some snow off the fruit. "You still didn't have to throw it at me."

"Sorry," Jeno apologized with a charming grin. "I've been trying to be more assertive. Thought it would be another quality you should have as a leader."

Renjun chuckled at that explanation. Another thing on the list he had never thought would happen in his life - being pelted with apples by a prince.

He was about to reply something when the whispers around them picked up. Renjun glanced behind Jeno, where a small crowd of omegas had gathered.

"Uhm....Jeno, are you sure you should be here?" Renjun asked, feeling a bit queasy under the attention.

"Why not?" Jeno questioned, frowning in confusion.

"Last time we talked, people kinda started talking, you know? I don't want them to get the wrong impression," Renjun whispered, hoping that his words weren’t overheard from anyone.

"Oh, yeah, they always talk, though," Jeno shrugged unbothered. "You get used to it."

"B-but they were...they were saying..." Renjun mumbled, he couldn't even look Jeno in his eyes.

"What?" Jeno laughed amused at his sudden shyness.

Get your head straight, Renjun! You are probably one of the few people here that are treating Jeno like a normal person. Don't get weird now.

"Doesn't matter," he disregarded any of the rumors and Jeno gave him another smile. "So, what are you doing here? Besides throwing apples in my face, of course."

"Oh, just wanted to see how you were holding up," Jeno replied kindly, casually starting to walk away from the small crowd of omegas.

Renjun quickly followed him - he also wanted to get away from all the stares on him. They made their way through the small passages between their huts and then into the forest. The only place you were really safe from curious ears.

"Oh, I'm okay," Renjun replied honestly. "Thanks again. For that night."

"Ah, it's fine," Jeno said. "So...er...Sicheng. Is he your...brother?"

"Oh no," Renjun quickly denied, throwing the prince a cautious glance.

He didn't know how many puzzle pieces Jeno had gathered together about his family life and past. Jeno had seen the orphanage, knew Renjun lived there. It was not like Renjun was ashamed of his roots - it was just usually a big mood killer. But considering he knew all about Jeno's heritage, he guessed it was only fair to enclose that piece of information of himself.

"I'm an orphan. My parents died in battle when I was very young," Renjun told him and Jeno's eyes turned sad, as they normally did when Renjun talked about his late parents. "Sicheng has always been by my side. He's an orphan as well. I guess we're almost like brothers, he always took care of me."

"I'm sorry," Jeno said compassionately and Renjun gave him a tough smile. It was not the first time he has had this conversation. He knew how to handle himself by now.

"It's okay. I never knew anything else. And I know my parents wouldn't want me to be sad," Renjun said with the positive mindset he had adapted during all his life. "They fought so that I could live a happy and safe life. So that's what I'm doing."

"Wow," Jeno breathed out impressed.

"What?" Renjun laughed.

"You are...so much stronger than I thought," Jeno stated fascinated.

"So you thought I was weak?" Renjun asked teasingly.

"No, it's just...you don't look like you're strong," Jeno said bluntly and Renjun raised his eyebrows.

"Excuse me?"

"No! No, no, no, that's not what I meant!" Jeno quickly back-paddled, eyes widening in shock of his own words.

"I know you're a prince and stuff, but if you insult me, I will fight you," Renjun told him in good humor and Jeno blushed a deep red.

"I just...you are very small and petite! Even your wolf is very...graceful!" Jeno rambled in his panic. "Am I making it worse?"

"Keep talking," Renjun prompted, curious what Jeno had to say.

"Just...it's impressive how strong you are. You are still very bright, despite what you went through. It's really admirable," Jeno said, letting out a relieved sigh when he saw Renjun’s expression melt into smile.

"Thanks, I guess," the omega said flattered.

Jeno was biting down on his lip, still a bit embarrassed. Renjun glanced at him from the side, smiling to himself.

"So, your mother was here," he broke the silence again for Jeno’s sake. "Any trouble?"

"Oh, yeah!" Jeno said promptly, jumping at the opportunity to change the subject. "I mean, no, no problems. She only came to distribute the fruits and talk to me."

"She's really beautiful. The chiefess. I think a lot of omegas are intimidated by her," Renjun told him a little village secret and Jeno chuckled lowly.

"Yeah, I can understand that. Sometimes even I am scared of her," he admitted lightheartedly. "She's also very strong. Just like you."

Now Renjun was left speechless as a blush spread on his face.

"So...uhm, what did you talk about? Politics?" Renjun tried to change the topic, this time for his own sake.

"Yeah. I think you probably guessed that the whole fruits from the Lunaris pack thing was a plan to gain back trust," Jeno enclosed a little about the castle dealings. "Since people thought we were attacked we were worried they were gonna accuse the Lunaris pack."

"But it was not the Lunaris pack, right?" Renjun questioned interested.

"No! No, in fact..." Jeno said, biting down on his lips, checking around them if anyone was near them before he continued speaking. "They spotted a few rogue wolves themselves near their grounds."

"You think it's a rogue pack?" Renjun asked surprised.

"We don't know yet," Jeno answered truthfully. "We only know that they haven't attacked any of us and that we're well prepared for if they should. No need to alarm everyone."

"What could they want?" Renjun thought out loud.

"Well, food is always a hot topic during winter," Jeno suggested the obvious.

"Could be," Renjun hummed. "Well, as long as they don't attack it should be fine."

"Jeno!" They both turned around startled, a boy running towards them. Renjun threw Jeno a curious look as he recognized the boy once he was close enough to properly see him.

With a slight grin the alpha stopped in front of them, a warm smile decorating his handsome face. If he wasn't wrong this was the real Jaemin.

Nobody said anything at first as the alpha caught his breath form the sudden sprint.

"Oh, right, Renjun, this is my friend Jaemin," Jeno introduced him once he noticed the awkward silence between them, both Renjun and Jaemin throwing each other glances. "Jaemin, this is Renjun."

"Oh, Renjun," Jaemin said in realization, as if things suddenly started to make a lot of sense to him. He gave Jeno a cheeky smile. "Well, I don't want to interrupt you, but building class is about to start."

"Oh right, I should probably get going," Jeno remembered, flailing his hands in the direction the pack village laid.

"Yeah, I also have to get back," Renjun said dutifully, also having classes to attend. "It was nice to finally meet you for real, Jaemin."

"Right, I've heard my identity has been stolen before," Jaemin smirked. "I think you'll find the real Jaemin much better."

Renjun laughed brightly at the blatant boast. The alpha was tall and equally as handsome as Jeno, emitting a calm, sugary scent. His smile suggested warmth and his eyes were trustworthy and awake, while holding a silent mischief to them as well. Without having to think much about it he decided that he liked Jaemin.

"Didn't we have to get going?" Jeno was suddenly very keen on getting back to the pack.

"Yes," Jaemin agreed, eyes still twinkling with roguishness. "Well, I think we'll get to see a lot more of each other soon, Renjun."

Before Renjun could ask what exactly Jaemin meant with that statement, Jeno pulled him away with long strides. Renjun stared after them a bit confused. Then he remembered that if building classes were about to start soon, tailoring classes were starting as well and hurried back to the village.

 

"Oh, please tell me you are getting courted as well now," Yangyang skipped the greeting when Renjun arrived in tailoring classes.

"What do you mean?" Renjun asked with a frown.

"The apple? Lots of alphas are giving them as courting gifts since yesterday," Yangyang said, excitement sparkling in his eyes as he pointed to the apple Renjun was still carrying in his hands. "I got a whole basket of strawberries from Hendery."

"Courting gifts?" Renjun thought out loud, glancing at the red fruit. For sure Jeno didn't mean it that way.

"Yes!" Yangyang said exasperated, frustrated by how slow Renjun’s thinking was. "Did you forget? Courting season?"

"What? No, of course not," Renjun replied, avoiding eye contact.

"So, who gave it to you?" Yangyang questioned, wanting to get to the juicy part already.

"Uhm...nobody. Myself," Renjun lied straight to his teeth. "I kept it for today."

"Oh, and here I was getting excited," Yangyang moaned disappointed.

"Sorry, no courting for me yet," Renjun gave him a tight lipped smile. He knew that if he told Yangyang the truth he would make a much bigger deal out of it than it actually was. Hell, Jeno literally chucked the apple in his face! Nobody would handle courting like that. Non the less a prince!

Plus, there were probably enough rumors going around without Renjun adding fuel to the fire.

He just hoped Yangyang wouldn't hear about them.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!
I'm smiling so much reading through all you lovely comments - I can't believe there are people who really enjoy my writing :D

I hope you are having a great time <3
Stay safe and healthy :3

Chapter 5: First Kill

Notes:

Welcome back to the story!! Enjoy the chapter :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Donghyuck was motivated. Donghyuck was ready. And he was just in the right mindset - bordering to insanity. Today was the day. He could feel it in his bones.

"Yah! Are you a pig? Don't bolt your food like that!" His mother scolded him as he stuffed his face that morning.

"Oh, let him, he has hunting training. He needs the energy," his father told her, putting another portion on his son’s plate.

"I'm gonna get my first kill today!" Donghyuck said, mouth still full of food.

"Mhh, sure you will," his mother said, pursing her lips and throwing him another scolding look as he gulped down another bite.

"We're proud of you, no matter if you get your kill or not," his father said and Donghyuck pouted.

"I will get it!" He insisted strongly, taking his last huge bite. "Watch me!"

Then he stood up powerfully, making the table shake and his mother hiss at him disapprovingly – but he didn’t even hear her anymore. He felt strength like he never had before.

 

He knew that as an omega he didn't possess over the same physical advantages as alphas. So the way he had usually gone about hunting was a bit more strategic. And it had usually paid off. Most of his hunting trainers had always praised him about his quick wits and careful approaches to dangerous situations.

Today, Donghyuck would not do that. Today, he was gonna hunt like an alpha. Fearless and fast and without having to think twice about consequences.

"Ah, someone looks energetic today," Yuta commented kindly when he saw Donghyuck jump up and down in one spot during their warm ups. Donghyuck gave him a wide smile in return, taking an extra high jump for good measure.

Just then the rest of the hunting team arrived, already in their wolf form.

"Okay, let's go! Food ratios have been a bit tight lately, so let's make up for that today!" Yuta clapped in his hands and Donghyuck had shifted even before Yuta could, surging ahead of the team.

A trace, a trace, he just needed to find a trace!

There, a rabbit - no, that wasn't big enough. He would go all out today, hit or miss, ride or die, no risk, no fun or whatever you wanted to call it.

So he kept running, senses in tune with nature as he listened and smelled for a bigger prey - a deer! That would certainly do it! He kept his nose on the ground, the snow had almost completely melted by now, so looking out for traces in there was not really useful. He had to rely on his senses alone, focusing on his scent and hearing.

Today he was unstoppable, nothing would slow him down. As per usual it didn’t take him long to perceive the familiar sound of another wolf following him – he smirked to himself. Mark. Well, that wouldn't stop him today.

Without an ounce of hesitation he kept dashing through bushes and grasses, skillfully preventing Mark from passing by him and therefore getting to the deer first. No, this was his prey, and his alone. His focus narrowed. The scent of deer was taking over in the air as it got stronger with every step he took.

Suddenly there was another scent in the mix - a second animal was close by. But Donghyuck didn't care for that. He could already spot the deer between the trees!

Normally this was when he would stop running, sneaking around it and use the element of surprise to make taking it down easier.

Today, however, he was just crazy enough to keep going. Of course the deer had noticed him by now, turning his head and jumping away in panic.

But Donghyuck had the effects of adrenaline on his side, making him even faster, breaking his boundaries and pushing him farther than he ever thought possible. He took a leap – for a second he felt like he was flying - and landed on the deer’s back, making its knees buckle and give out underneath his weight. Mercilessly he bit down in its neck, feeling the deer tremble under him.

Then he was knocked off harshly - a boar! Donghyuck rolled through the mud and forced himself back on his feet.

The boar grunted at him in displeasure, foam spilling over its tusks, surging towards him with steaming rage.

But Donghyuck felt no fear, facing it head on.

He took a hit to his side, but the momentary insanity flooding his judgment made Donghyuck fight back with all his might, scratching and biting around him with vigor – making quick process of the boar that kept squealing in hopeless, desperate aggression. But today Donghyuck was not going down.

One more well placed bite and the boar went quiet, leaving Donghyuck victorious.

It was silent for a second, his chest was rising and falling rapidly, his adrenaline high yet to vanish. Donghyuck took a look around. There he was, in the middle of the forest, a deer and a boar to his feet.

He roared in accomplishment. He had done it! He, Lee Donghyuck, an omega, had not only faced a deer, but a boar as well, and had brought them down all on his own.

"Are you completely insane?!" Mark kept stumbling through the bushes towards him, back in his human form.

Donghyuck growled at him, considering for a second to not shift back and avoid talking to him. But he had to carry his prey back to the pack anyways, and he reckoned that would be easier with two hands instead of paws. Slowly he let his body morph, bones and muscles melting back into shape as he stood up on two feet.

"What do you mean? That was awesome!" Donghyuck said defensively, chest filled with pride.

"You could've gotten yourself killed!" Mark argued, for some reason visibly upset with him. "Didn't you smell there was a boar? You're usually so careful!"

"Didn't you tell me to be more reckless?" Donghyuck fought back, not letting anyone bring down his spirits. "And see? It paid off! I don't think someone who was still in training ever took down a deer and a boar all on their own!"

"Don't you understand?! You could've died! That boar was aggressive!" Mark shouted angrily and Donghyuck flinched a bit at the sudden volume.

"Why do you even care? Angry you couldn't steal my kill this time? Sorry, guess you have to be faster from now on," Donghyuck snapped at him.

"Donghyuck, that was very dangerous!" Mark said, taking a deep breath and calming himself down. "You can't hunt like that! You're gonna get hurt."

"Clearly, I can," Donghyuck pointed out, going over to his prey. He threw the deer over his shoulder and began to drag the boar behind him.

"Let me at least help you get that back," Mark offered, stepping to his side and wanting to take the boar off his hands.

"Back off!" Donghyuck yelled protectively. "That's my first kill. You're not taking that away."

"Jeez, I just wanted to help you carry that," Mark hissed, but backed off like he was told. "You're so stubborn."

"Well, sorry I won't let you take credit for my victory," Donghyuck scoffed. The boar was heavy, but he was not going to give Mark the satisfaction of helping him.

"I wasn't going to-" Mark sighed, scanning Donghyuck up and down. "You're bleeding!"

There was a small scratch on Donghyuck’s cheek, where the boar had gotten him in their fight - but the omega slapped Mark's hand away when he tried to wipe it clean.

"I said back off!" Donghyuck scowled at him. "I don't want your dirty hands anywhere near me. Now leave me alone."

They stared at each other challengingly, neither backing off from their stance. But Mark was not leaving.

So Donghyuck huffed, striding forward with Mark on his heels.

 

"Donghyuck! What happened?" Yuta and a few of the other hunters that were already back gave him concerned looks.

"I took them down!" Donghyuck explained proudly, putting the deer and the boar down in front of everybody, showing off what he had done.

"Oh, with Mark-?" Yuta glanced at the alpha following Donghyuck's tracks.

"No! No, on my own! Without Mark, without anybody!" Donghyuck corrected him right away, taking full credit for his skills. "I did that, without any help."

Stunned silence took over between the hunters as Donghyuck kept standing in front of them, breathing heavily.

"Woah, that's...that's..." Yuta stuttered at a lack of words. "Very impressive."

Praise had never felt so good. If he wasn't so exhausted, he would've danced and sung in joy. But that also wouldn't have gone well with the heroic vibe he was aiming for in this moment.

"Well, if you excuse me now. I need to take a bath," Donghyuck said, trying to act casual about the whole deal, despite internally freaking out.

Head held high he strutted away from the hunting grounds. Only when he was sure that nobody could see him any longer did he start slouching, holding his left arm that was numbly throbbing. It would probably start bruising. Now that his adrenaline high had passed he started to feel the pain in his body, an overall soreness settling in his muscles. His cheek was also stinging. Yeah, a bath was probably the right call right now.

 

The lake was still icy cold, but that was exactly what Donghyuck needed. He emerged himself fully in the water, letting the coldness engulf him and treat his bruises. Oh, this was heaven on earth.

Only now, that he was completely alone did he comprehend what he had just done. Two kills. Two kills! Nobody his age had done that before. Let alone an omega.

Finally. Finally he had shown them all. This would go down in history. With this he had surely surpassed each and every alpha in his hunting class. He had even impressed Yuta!

If that hadn't proven his point, nothing ever would.

He let himself fall back in the water, laughter erupting through his body. No way anyone would ever doubt his skills after that! Nobody would question him if he needed help, looking at him like he was not as strong, not as capable ever again. He had gotten his first kill and his second one! Oh, he had to tell his parents! And Renjun! The eyes Yangyang would make when he would tell him! He couldn’t wait to spread word about this day.

Right here, right now, in this freezing lake, Donghyuck felt like he was on top of the world.

He had proven what he had wanted to prove all along - omegas could be damn good at hunting. Not only that - they could be better than anyone if they put their mind to it.

And Donghyuck had done it all on his own!

There was nothing stopping him now. He had done something amazing. Nobody could ever take that away from him. Now the only thing left to do was getting courted and Donghyuck's do-to list for the year was accomplished.

If only he could get all hands on concerning courting as well...but wait, why couldn't he? If he had to wait for Nick to make the first move...then he would make damn sure that Nick would do that first move. In fact, he would make sure of that today.



When Renjun stepped out of his hut this morning together with Sicheng, he almost took a faceplant to the floor, the ground weirdly wobbly underneath his feet. Seemed like fate didn't like him leaving his hut, something always happened to him once he left the safeness of his home. At least it wasn't an apple to the face this time.

"Ouh, Renjun," Sicheng said teasingly, picking up the two rabbits in front of the porch of the ground that Renjun had stepped on. "Someone's being courted again. And by two different alphas. Not bad."

"Can you recognize the scent?" Renjun asked, quickly realizing that someone had left him a courting gift overnight. He had no idea who could probably be interested in him, not really concerned about courting like Yangyang or Donghyuck were.

"This one is very herb," Sicheng answered, sniffing the first rabbit. Renjun picked up the second one, a deep pinewood scent lingered on it.

"I think this one is Bao’s," Renjun said, remembering the scent. He knew the alpha from healing classes. He seemed friendly, although a bit goofy. Renjun had never really talked to him much. But hey, maybe that would change now. If Bao was really interested in courting him.

"Oh, lucky you, this one is definitely Dan's," Sicheng giggled, pushing the first rabbit into Renjun’s arms and the omega groaned in despise. Dan was Nick's best buddy and he was equally as gross.

"Guess that makes my choice easy," Renjun grinned, the herb scent of Dan very unpleasant to him.

"Come on, let's take them inside," Sicheng holding the door of the orphanage open for him. "Maybe you can make a cute hat out of them. And some soup."

"Yeah, maybe," Renjun agreed, trying to figure out what to make of the two rabbits. "Or we'll use them for our gowns!"

"You can use them for your gown," Sicheng snorted at him. "I don't want to wear anything that smells like Dan. Besides, I'm not even sure I'm going to the dance this year."

"What do you mean you're not going? It's tradition! You have to go!" Renjun said puzzled. "And you love dancing!"

That was true - Sicheng had always loved dancing more than anything. And the Spring Dance that took place as soon as the first marigolds bloomed was definitely something he had always looked forward to. It marked the end of the alpha's courting effort and the start of the omega deciding to return the courting or not.

"Well, it's not like I'm gonna do much dancing without an alpha asking me to," Sicheng shrugged like it was not a big deal.

Ah, yeah, another stupid tradition. An alpha could ask any omega he wanted to for a dance - the omega having no choice but to accept. But if you were to go for a second dance with the alpha was decided by the omega alone, the alpha having to accept the decision in return. A symbol of the change in courting dynamic afterwards.

"I'll dance with you!" Renjun offered with a warm smile. There were no rules about omegas dancing with other omegas outside of courting.

"You'll have other people to dance with," Sicheng declined, pointing to the two rabbits in Renjun’s hands.

"I'll still have time for you," Renjun argued with a pout.

"Renjun," Sicheng sighed deeply. "You're growing up. And you should be. You should be dancing with all the alphas, okay? You don't want to end up living here forever like me."

"What about Yuta?" Renjun challenged, not liking being the only one put on the spot.

"What about him?" Sicheng acted nonchalant.

"If you would let him court you, you could dance with him. Move out of here. Live your life," Renjun said and Sicheng turned away, avoiding his eyes.

"That's different," he mumbled.

"How's it different?" Renjun asked, stemming his hands in his hips.

"You know there's a difference between you and me," Sicheng said coldly, face completely motionless.

"No, there's not," Renjun argued passionately. "We're both orphans. We've lived here like this all our life."

"You're pack, Renjun," Sicheng stated. "I am not."

"Of course you are," Renjun said angrily, hating it when Sicheng would pull this card. "Just because your parents weren't, doesn't mean you aren't."

"My parents fought this pack," Sicheng corrected him, voice heavy with gravitas. "They died trying to kill it. Hell, they could've possibly killed your parents! They were rogues, meddling in wars they had no place in!"

That took Renjun aback – Sicheng had never spoken this graphically about his parents, never with this much hatred and regret. He knew Sicheng had a different history than him. He knew that Sicheng had been a victim of the war, abandoned by his parents who had died in battle just like Renjun's had - the only difference being the sides they had been fighting for.

The Solaris pack still had taken Sicheng in when they found him, forgotten in the woods after the lost battle, seeing nothing but innocence in a baby too young to understand the actions of his parents, and raised him as their own.

However, there was a stigma on Sicheng. He had been treated like an outsider at times, especially when they had been younger and Sicheng's story had first come to light.

But Renjun hadn't known that Sicheng still felt like he didn't belong. He had been part of their pack for most of his life - people had stopped questioning his loyalty or treating him like a dangerous stranger a long time ago.

"Sicheng," Renjun hadn't realized the tears that had gathered in his eyes. "You are not...we are not our parents. We don't even know them."

"I'm just stating the truth, Renjun," Sicheng said emotionless. "If you see it or not, there is a difference between you and me. And I have to live with that."

"Si-"

"You should get to your class, Renjun," Sicheng said, turning his back to him. "I will skin the rabbits for you. I'm sure they'll look very nice on you."

Renjun had so much more he wanted to say. It just wouldn't come out, the words stuck in his dry throat.

Blinking away his tears he stormed outside.

At least he had child care class today. That usually always made him happy. And a little happiness was something he could really use right now.

 

 

With new found confidence Donghyuck paraded through their little village, the high of his first kills still making him smile. He had only child care lessons left for today. He couldn't wait to see Yangyang's face after he told him about his accomplishment.

"Hey guys, guess what!" He said excitedly, sitting down in between his friends, grabbing the next best baby and cradling it in his lap.

"Renjun got courted!" Yangyang said first, even more excited as he fed the kid in his arms with mashed up apple.

"What? By whom?" Donghyuck asked Renjun nosily, who was silently watching the children play.

Renjun wasn't listening. His conversation with Sicheng this morning still lingering in his mind like a dark cloud blocking the sun. He wouldn't even call it a fight. No, this was more depressing.

"Well, you don't seem happy about it," Donghyuck commented on his gloomy expression. "Are they that bad?"

"What?" Renjun snapped out of his brooding momentarily when Donghyuck started frantically waving a hand in front of his face.

"Who's courting you?" Donghyuck repeated very slowly like Renjun was a little child himself that just learned its first words. Renjun threw him a glare.

"Bao," he answered shortly and then after a small pause he added "- and Dan."

"But Bao is clearly the superior option," Donghyuck understood immediately and Renjun nodded.

"Yes," Renjun agreed, trying to push the negative thoughts aside for now. "I think I'll like him. He seems fun."

"Ah, I'm so excited!" Yangyang squealed, shaking the kid in his lap a little whose eyes went wide in confusion. "I'm sure someone will court you soon as well, Hyuck."

"Oh, yeah, I'm positive," Donghyuck said with a secretive smile.

"Oh, that's new," Renjun pointed out surprised. "Never seen you so optimistic about courting before. Good for you!"

"I killed a deer today," Donghyuck blurted out, not being able to keep the news to himself for even a second longer. "And a boar. All on my own - one after another."

"What?"

"WHAT?!"

Oh, Yangyang's reaction was even better than he had expected! The omega’s eyes were wider than plates and his mouth was gaping, chin almost down to the ground.

"I did it, I got my first kill," Donghyuck said giddily. "Yuta said it was impressive."

"Oh, so that's what happened to your cheek!" Renjun commented, glancing at Donghyuck's face, where a small scratch went from his ear to his nose.

"Yeah, that stupid boar fought back," Donghyuck explained, before proudly puffing his chest. "But I took it down anyway."

"How?!" Yangyang spluttered in utter disbelief. "You lost arm wrestling against Renjun once!"

"Sheer determination," Donghyuck told him, ignoring that last comment. "And a little bit of insanity."

"Well, I never doubted you," Renjun said, patting his back amicably. "You sure showed them all with this."

"I know," Donghyuck said confidently. "And that's why I'm gonna get courted. Today."

"Today?" Renjun asked surprised by Donghyuck’s sudden optimism. "Well, go for it."

"I will," Donghyuck said with a grin. "With determination. I'm gonna confront Nick into courting me."

"That's insane," Yangyang stated. Donghyuck just shrugged.

"Worked for me one time. Might as well try it again."

 

Donghyuck was scanning over dozen of heads. Their pack usually had dinner together, eating what was hunted and prepared in cooking classes that day. Donghyuck had been thrilled when he had seen people eat what he had caught today. He had even noticed a few of the older hunters throwing him impressed glances. Gossip always traveled fast in their pack - and this might be the first time Donghyuck was glad about that.

But tonight, there was only one alpha he really wanted to know about his deeds.

His eyes narrowed in on his target. Here it goes one more time, all or nothing.

Nick and a few of his friends were standing near the bonfire when Donghyuck approached him. He patted Nick on his shoulder confidently, making the alpha turn around.

"I killed a deer today," Donghyuck said, seeing no use in beating around the bush. "And a boar."

Nick gave him a greasy smile.

"I heard," he said, gazing his body up and down. "Not bad for a pretty omega like you."

Donghyuck pretended to not have heard that comment, determined to get his message across.

"I've outdone myself in hunting. I'm very capable. I'm more than a decent cook," he listed each of his skills. "I would be a great catch."

"Plus, that butt," one of Nick's friends hollered and Donghyuck threw him a glare.

"You said you would court me," Donghyuck said, pointing a finger to Nick's chest. "So you should."

"It's not like I don't want you," Nick told him, holding his hands at gunpoint. "Trust me, that butt is a great argument for you."

"You courted Yangyang. So you should court me as well," Donghyuck stated clearly.

"Look, doll, I get that you want me, but I'm not messing with someone else's omega," Nick replied with a smug smile.

"You...w-what?" That had thrown Donghyuck off his tracks. What was Nick saying? Someone else's omega?

"He's afraid of Mark Lee," some of his friends behind him snickered.

"I'm not afraid," Nick growled, boxing his friend in anger.

"Dude, I understand, Mark Lee is hella strong," his friend said defensively.

"Yeah, I backed off as well," Dan agreed with the rest of his friend group. "Your butt's awesome, but it's not worth getting kicked in the nards for."

"Stop, just, stop," Donghyuck said disturbed, not understanding what was happening. "What the hell are you all talking about?"

"Mark Lee, duh," Nick said as if pointing out the obvious. "Dude said he had a claim on you."

"Mark Lee said what?!" Donghyuck almost shouted.

"Just told everyone to stay away from you," Dan elaborated. "You haven't heard that from me but that guy can be hella scary."

"Mark Lee told everyone to...to what, not court me?" Donghyuck blinked confused and angry.

"Why do you think nobody was courting you?" Nick shrugged as if it was obvious.

"So...so last year nobody was courting me because Mark Lee...threatened you?" Donghyuck asked, completely taken aback.

"Like I said, your butt is great," Dan repeated, eyes swiftly drifting down his body. "Just not worth Mark's wrath."

"I...I..." Donghyuck brain went into overdrive. "I need to go."

 

All his suffering, his endless fear and torturing himself over courting season...was stupid Mark Lee's fault?!

"How did it go?" Renjun asked when Donghyuck stormed past him, but the omega only shook his head, running off.

He couldn't talk right now. Tears of rage blurred his vision.

How come one stupid alpha could ruin his life all on his own?! Donghyuck had felt like he was on top of the world just this morning, like there was nothing that could hold him back!

Turns out all Mark Lee had to do was to threaten a few guys to kick their balls to bring Donghyuck back to the ground.

Life wasn't fair after all. Everything sucked. So much. He ignored his parent's worried looks when he banged their door open, rushing to his bedroom without saying a word. His mother didn't even nag him for slamming his door.

"AHHH!" Donghyuck screamed into his furs. He had never despised Mark Lee more.

 

 

Renjun was sitting outside of the orphanage. Sicheng had kept his word and skinned Renjun's rabbits for him and now Renjun was running his fingers through the soft fur. Maybe he would follow Sicheng's suggestion and make a hat out of it. It was certainly still cold enough for that.

A long sigh left him. Renjun didn't know what to do about the whole Sicheng situation. He wanted to tell him that he was worthy of love, worthy of being part of this pack. He just didn't know what he could do to make Sicheng believe that.

He heard steps approach him and the whispers following them. Without even looking up Renjun knew who it was.

"Hey," Jeno gave him a crooked smile.

"Hi," Renjun replied, glancing at the group of people that inevitably followed Jeno around. "You should try jumping off a cliff."

"What?" Jeno made a confused noise.

"Just to see if they will follow you down there," Renjun explained further.

"Not sure if that would be such a good idea. Don't want to lead my pack to die," Jeno commented and Renjun huffed.

"Sorry, stupid joke," he realized. "Just...feeling a bit down today."

"Oh," Jeno said, awkwardly shuffling on his feet before taking a seat beside Renjun on the porch. "Uhm, what's up?"

Renjun gave him a look.

"Nothing, really. Just...Sicheng," Renjun replied after a short pause.

"Is he in trouble?" Jeno asked compassionately.

"Oh, no...Just..." Renjun stopped himself. "I guess it's not really my story to tell."

Jeno nodded in understanding, biting down on his lips.

"Uhm...you got some nice fur there," he tactfully changed the conversation topic. "Rabbit?"

"Oh, yeah," Renjun accepted the different subject gratefully. "Courting gifts. Sicheng skinned them for me. I’m thinking of making a hat."

Jeno was quiet for so long after that that Renjun thought for a second he had fallen asleep.

"So...uhm...you have like...you like...you did talk...er...are you..."

Okay, scratch the sleep theory - stroke was much more likely.

"Are you okay?" Renjun interrupted Jeno's rambling.

"Yes!" Jeno replied in a high pitch. Renjun laughed a bit unsure. "Uhm, the one courting you...do you like them?"

"Don't know yet," Renjun shrugged honestly. "Definitely not Dan. Bao seems alright. Haven't talked to him much yet."

"Good," Jeno mumbled more to himself, before remembering that Renjun was sitting right next to him and could hear every word he said. "I mean, good for you! Getting courted, yeah, good for you."

"Did you eat something bad tonight?" Renjun questioned amused. Jeno seemed weirdly on edge this evening. "Maybe Donghyuck did poison his kills..."

"No, I'm fine," Jeno reassured him quickly, awkwardly clearing his throat and changing topics again. "Who's Donghyuck?"

"Oh, you haven't heard of Donghyuck? He's the only omega in hunting training with you!" Renjun said, surprised Jeno hadn’t noticed him there. Donghyuck was very loud, his presence was hard to miss. "He got his first kills today."

"Oh, right, that Donghyuck!" Jeno’s eyes lit up in realization. "People are saying he took down a boar and a deer all on his own."

"Yes!" Renjun nodded. "He's really one of a kind."

The giggling and whispering around them got a bit louder and Renjun saw more and more omegas gather at the corner of the orphanage. Seemed like word got around where Jeno had been hiding.

"I'll better get inside," Renjun said with an awkward smile.

"Wait!" Jeno said, grabbing his wrist. Renjun swore he heard someone squeal in the crowd behind them. "Uhm...whatever is bothering you...with Sicheng...I hope you'll feel better soon."

Jeno’s eyes looked so genuine - if Renjun wasn't so blatantly aware of all the looks on him, he would totally give him a hug right now.

"Thanks," Renjun said with a fond smile. "I'm sure I'll figure something out."

"Good night," Jeno whispered and Renjun smiled at him one last time before getting inside, finally escaping from the prying gazes.

Notes:

Thanks for reading!!

Who would've thought I'd learn something about Greek mythology while writing this, huh? Well, I'm glad you all seemed to like the last chapter - I hope this one doesn't disappoint :3
Leave me your thoughts in the comments if you want too <3

Stay safe and healthy!!

Chapter 6: A Stag

Notes:

Welcome back to the story :3
(Or welcome for the first time, depending on when you read this :D)
Hope you enjoy the chapter!!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"Come on, you have to eat something. Yesterday you ate like there was no tomorrow," Donghyuck's mother nudged him, but the omega only frowned, continuing to listlessly push around the food on his plate. He had lost every sense of appetite. Until now he hadn't known you could be too angry to eat.

"Aren't you happy? You got your first kill, just like you told us," his father tried to cheer him up. "There are lots of hunters praising you."

"Mhh," Donghyuck hummed lackluster. He had never thought his mood could sour so badly in just a few hours. He should've really turned Mark into his first kill when he had the chance.

Who did he even think he was?! Oh, the entitlement of some alphas! Donghyuck hadn't even done anything to Mark. Okay, maybe he had always liked teasing and picking on him whenever he could - but that did not justify destroying any chance Donghyuck had at love!

He balled his hand into fist, clenching his fingers into his thigh. All his anger was forming a fire in him, seething dangerously and his fight returned bigger than ever before.

"Hey, at least put on your coat!" His mother yelled after him when Donghyuck harshly stood up from the table and rushed outside.

But Donghyuck didn't listen. He had made up his mind. He was going to kill Mark Lee.

It was raining cats and dogs outside, the weather already warm enough to transform the soft snowflakes into heavy raindrops. For all Donghyuck cared it could've stormed and snowed and hailed - he was going to find Mark Lee and he was going to kill him.

He paused for a second, trying to pick out the scent of cinnamon in between all the different sensations of nature. The rain had swept the air clean and once Donghyuck closed his eyes it wasn't hard to track down Mark's familiar cinnamon scent. It was coming straight from the forest.

He stalked towards the trees, hair falling wet in front of his eyes and clothes drenched in seconds - he didn't know exactly what he was going to say yet, but it was going to be loud and it was going to be angry.

Luckily Mark for once made things easier for Donghyuck - just as the omega arrived in the forest, Mark crawled out of the bushes. He looked sweaty and damp from the rain - and Donghyuck's breath hitched for a second when he saw the stag that Mark was carrying on his shoulders. He had really taken that thing down all on his own!

Wait - that was not what he was here for.

"YOU!" Donghyuck screamed as loud as he could, the rain still drowning his voice a little bit.

"Donghyuck!" Mark said, eyes lighting up - and was he actually trying to smile at him? Whatever he was going to do, Donghyuck was not having it.

He took the last few steps towards Mark and then he slapped him across his cheek with everything he had.

Hitting Mark had certainly not been his plan when he woke up this morning - but damn, felt that good.

Mark looked at him in shook, slowly putting a hand to his left cheek that was turning red from the impact - you could even distinct between some of Donghyuck's fingers, so clear was the print of his slap that seemed to resonate through the entire forest.

"Who do you think you are?!" Donghyuck continued shouting furiously. "You fucking asshole! You stupid moron! You total jerk!" He kept shoving Mark against his chest vigorously, who was just watching his outburst in silent confusion.

"What are you talking about?" The alpha asked when Donghyuck took a break to breathe, only to fill his lungs with new air to keep yelling, volume rising with every word.

"You told people to stay away from me! You threatened people to not court me!" Donghyuck screamed out his pent up frustration. "Do you know what that did to me?! Do you know how many nights I lost sleep thinking I was ugly and unlovable?"

"I...I-"

"Of course you didn't think! You didn't think because you didn't fucking care!" Donghyuck yelled, letting his entire accrued anger out once and for all. "Because you can just go about your day, court ten omegas and one of them will surely court you back! Meanwhile I am stuck in my hut, alone, for the rest of my life!"

"I'm not courting ten omegas-"

"You even scared Nick away! Fucking Nick, that's how desperate I am!" Donghyuck heaved, slowly breaking down in front of Mark as his emotions overcame him.

"Shouldn't you be glad I chased him away then?" Mark asked stubbornly and Donghyuck growled at him, eyes turning into dangerous slits.

"So you admit it? You admit you told people to not court me?!"

Mark bit down on the inside of his cheek, jaw tensing up.

"You really want pigs like Nick courting you?" Mark asked back, a deep-rooted anger audible in his voice now.

"You don't get it, do you?!" Donghyuck said exasperated, shaking Mark violently as he grabbed him by his shoulders. "The thing is it shouldn't be your choice! It should be my choice and my choice alone! You have no right! No right just because you are an alpha to decide anything about me!"

"That jerk sneaked up on you when you were naked and vulnerable in the lake! He doesn't care about you - the way he talks about omegas-"

"You were at the lake that day!" Donghyuck interrupted him in realization, the memory of that one day returning clearly to him. Mark turned his head away in defiance. "Oh my god, were you following me?!"

"No, what the hell? I just passed by and saw them near there!" Mark clarified sternly. "You should be thankful I chased them away!"

"Thankful?! Thankful you took yet another decision away from me?!" Donghyuck said, eyes shooting death glares. "I could've sent them away on my own if I wanted to! I can fight on my own! I don't need you to take over my life!"

"I'm, I'm not-"

"Just why?!" Donghyuck said, finally letting go of the last bit of restrain he had, tears rolling hot and heavy over his cheeks and mixing with the cold rain. His voice broke as he continued, emotionally drained from the past day. "I never thought...I never thought you would do something like that. I know we're not friends anymore, hell, we're not even close. But I never took you for someone that would be capable of something like that."

"Donghyuck-"

"You really think I'm that repelling? That disgusting that nobody should ever love me? Is that why you stopped everybody from approaching me?" Donghyuck said, tears and rain becoming one on his cheeks.

"No," Mark said. "No-"

"What am I even trying to achieve here? You don't care about me," Donghyuck spat out. "Go and court your ten omegas with that thing. I don't care about you either! I'm sure you'll be so happy together! But if I ever hear about you threatening anyone over me again, I will do a lot more than slap you once."

"Donghyuck, that's not true. That's not why I did it," Mark disagreed powerfully and Donghyuck snorted.

"Why then? Do you like seeing people suffer? Did you just want to get on my nerves?" Donghyuck asked and Mark's jaw tensed up a bit.

"I did it because I care about you," he stated confidently, looking straight into his eyes.

"Don't lie to me," Donghyuck said dryly. "You already did your damage. Isn't that enough for you?"

"I'm not lying!" Mark huffed irritated. They held intense eye contact, until Donghyuck turned his head away with a mocking sigh.

There was a loud dull noise as Mark let the stack slide over his shoulders to the ground, right in front of Donghyuck's feet.

"That's for you," Mark said and Donghyuck raised his eyebrows at him. Mark turned his head away again - and was that a blush on his cheeks? "I've actually been on my way to drop it off in front of your hut."

"Mark - what the fuck?" Donghyuck said, staring at him in pure disbelief.

"I'm...I'm courting you," Mark said, straightening his shoulders.

"Why?" Donghyuck asked completely shattered - had Mark hit his head?!

"Because I like you, okay?!" Mark said with slight impatience visible in his features. Then he calmed down a second later as their gazes connected and repeated much more calmly. "I like you."

"What the hell?!" Donghyuck said irritated. "You think this is going to fix things? Are you doing this out of pity now?!"

"What -no!" Mark protested right away. "You think I would lie about this?"

"Right now I don't really know what to think about you," Donghyuck told him coldly. "Just that you are an asshole that ruined my last year."

Donghyuck didn't wait for any further reaction from Mark, storming away through the merciless rain. This had not turned out how he had thought it would. His head was buzzing - why did Mark have to be so infuriating?! Telling him he liked him? Wanting to court him? Mark courting him?! Donghyuck couldn't even wrap his head around that idea. Mark had to be delusional. Donghyuck didn't...Mark couldn't...

This was even more of a mess than it had been yesterday. Well...at least he had gotten to slap Mark.



Renjun still hadn't really talked to Sicheng. While the older omega had acted like there was nothing wrong, Renjun felt uneasy after their fight - if he could even call it that. He just wanted Sicheng to know that he was very much loved in this pack. That he belonged here.

Thinking hard he sat down in his healing class. From the corner of his eye he saw Jeno wave at him as he and Jaemin entered the room with a few of his other peers - and the usual flock of swooning omegas behind them. Absentmindedly he lifted his hand in return - but then someone else captured his attention.

Bao smoothly slid in the seat next to him, a charming smile on his face.

"Hey," the alpha said and Renjun quickly reciprocated his smile. "Did you get my gift?"

"Oh, yeah, thank you," Renjun replied politely. "I think I'll might make a hat out of it. Since it's still winter."

"Sounds like a good idea," Bao agreed. "The rain is getting sort of heavy lately."

"Yes," Renjun said with a short glance outside where dark clouds were suffusing the sky. "Maybe I can even make an umbrella."

"Isn't that hard?" Bao wondered out loud

"Oh, not really," Renjun answered – he was fairly confident in his fine motor skills. "I could show you if you wanted to."

"You're good at that stuff?" Bao said interested. "Crafting?"

"I take tailoring classes," Renjun disclosed to the alpha. "I think I'm quite good at it."

"Well, then you should definitely show me," Bao insisted with a playful wink. Renjun gave him a soft smile. Bao seemed very genuine. Maybe this could lead somewhere.

"How about this afternoon?" Renjun suggested, taking the initiative.

"Yeah, I'm in," Bao agreed eagerly. "I'll meet you in front of the tailoring hut?"

"Or maybe inside, if this rain keeps pouring," Renjun joked and Jun gave him a tiny laugh.

Their teacher came in and cut their conversation short. But hey, Yangyang would definitely be proud of him - making dates with alphas.

 

Well, maybe Renjun didn't know Yangyang as well as he thought he did. The omega seemed downright furious when he told him about his meeting with Bao later that day during child care class.

"Why are you even so upset about this?" Renjun asked him confused when Yangyang kept frowning at him in disappointment.

"Because you shouldn't pursue Bao!" Yangyang reprimanded him.

"What? I should go for Dan? Are you crazy?" Renjun cocked an eyebrow at him.

"No! You should be going for Prince Jeno!" Yangyang told him like that was a realistic option. Renjun chocked on his own spit.

"Jeno is not courting me!" He hissed, hoping that nobody had overheard Yangyang’s insane fantasies. "What are you even thinking?"

"I'm not thinking anything else than the majority of this pack," Yangyang claimed nonchalantly. "You've been seen with him multiple times."

"So what?" Renjun said agitated. "We're just...friends? I bet he's talked with a bunch of different omegas here. He's looking for a mate."

"That's what I'm saying!" Yangyang pointed out and Renjun sighed exhausted.

"No, let me rephrase that. Jeno is looking for a mate - that is not. me." Renjun stated clearly.

"So why is he talking to you all the time?" Yangyang inquired, squinting his eyes in suspicion.

"Because I'm...I don't know, I guess because I'm sort of the only omega that doesn't giggle and swoon at him every step he takes," Renjun guessed, done with Yangyang's silly antics.

"But that's what you should be doing!" Yangyang groaned as if Renjun was the dumb one in this scenario. "Trust me, you are the only omega Prince Jeno has talked to on multiple occasions."

"I'm sure that's not true," Renjun protested right away. "And I'm not going to be batting my eyelashes at Jeno just because you're clearly delusional."

"It is true! I know all the gossip!" Yangyang insisted stubbornly. "In fact, I know all the omegas Prince Jeno has talked to since he's gotten here."

"What? Are you his stalker?" Renjun snorted and Yangyang inhaled deeply, ready to prove his point once and for all.

"He mostly sticks to Jaemin, but he is not an omega. He talked to Donghyuck once during hunting classes, as we know. Then he walked with you into the forest alone, where no one could see you. He talked to Sooyoung once in his building classes, and apparently he's asked Mina for directions when he was looking for the hunting grounds. He's also been spotted with Sicheng one time - walking him to the orphanage - where people say he only left after he had seen you safe and sound the day after the supposed attack. Then he gave you that apple, which you lied to me about, by the way, don't think you're getting away with that so easily, and he talked to you again last night, so-"

"Okay, I get it!" Renjun pressed his hand over Yangyang's mouth, but the omega looked more than satisfied with himself. Prying Renjun’s hand away from his mouth Yangyang gave him a pointed look.

"So, you should start batting your eyelashes at Prince Jeno, it's pretty obvious he's interested in you," the omega concluded.

"You're ridiculous," Renjun rolled his eyes. "Donghyuck, back me up here."

"Huh?" Donghyuck startled, completely tuned out of the conversation.

"Renjun's so gonna be carrying our heir in a few years," Yangyang tried to catch him up.

"Urgh, Yangyang, what the hell!" Renjun groaned, slapping Yangyang on his arm.

"Can we...can we please talk about something else than courting right now?" Donghyuck requested hollowly. "I'm kind of sick of that topic."

"Agreed!" Renjun said, equally as eager to change topics. "I've been meaning to ask you two something."

"Urgh fine," Yangyang gave in reluctantly. "What is it?"

"Is there something that makes you feel like you really belong in this pack?" Renjun asked carefully.

Donghyuck and Yangyang shot him strange looks – Renjun couldn’t blame them. He supposed it was a bit of an odd question coming out of the blue.

"Uh, not really?" Donghyuck answered first. "It's just a feeling, I guess. When I look at my parents. Or you two. I feel like we're connected."

"Maybe all the traditions?" Yangyang suggested after pondering for a while. "Wearing the gowns and going to the dances. Any pack activity, basically."

"Mhh," Renjun hummed in thoughts. Nothing he could really work with. It's not like Sicheng had any parents he could look at to feel a connection. And the traditions made Sicheng only feel more excluded for some reason.

"Why are you asking?" Donghyuck nudged him curiously.

"Oh, nothing. Just...because," Renjun shrugged him off. He'd have to think of something else he could do for Sicheng.

But he guessed that had to wait for later. First he had a date.

 

After child care class was over he quickly went back to the orphanage. In an attempt to make his hair appear neat he grabbed after his old brush - maybe he should go for a bath as well? No, that wouldn't make much sense - the rain had calmed down a little by now, but it was still drizzling. So his effort to make his hair look a bit nicer would probably also go to waste as soon as he stepped outside.

It's not like he had much time for such things as looking nice anyways. In fact, he had to hurry if he wanted to make it on time.

Hastily he grabbed the piece of fur that Bao had gifted him and sprinted towards the tailoring hut. A little out of breath he pushed the door open, leaning on his knees to recover from his short run.

Luckily the alpha wasn't there yet, Renjun realized as he went inside to look around. Maybe he could get some things ready beforehand then.

Familiar with the place he grabbed a few pieces of twine and sticks. He had made an umbrella once before, but it's been a while. It probably was a good idea to make a new one anyways – his old one close to crumbling in on itself.

Once he had gathered all the materials from the storage room he sat down at one of the tables. The hut was nearly empty, only a few people rushing in and out as time passed. There was another omega working on her festive gown in a corner. But apart from that Renjun was alone. This was a nice quiet spot to get to know one another, he thought to himself, happy he had come up with this idea. Renjun was actually looking forward to spending a hopefully nice time with Bao.

He peeked up in anticipation every time someone stepped inside the hut and then felt the slight disappointment hit him afterwards every time it wasn't Bao.

But it was still early. Maybe the alpha had been caught up somewhere. More time passed and Renjun began to nervously tap his fingers on the table to a made-up beat. The omega in the corner threw him a nasty glare after a few minutes. Renjun smiled apologetically, sitting down on his hands to stop his annoying habit.

Some more time passed. The girl finished her work for today and got up, carefully putting her gown away before leaving. Now Renjun was really alone in the hut.

Bored he stood up and looked outside, hoping he could see Bao anywhere near the hut. But no sign of the alpha. He sighed and went back inside since the rain was picking up again.

He drew pointless patterns into the dust that had collected on top of the old shelves. Had Bao forgotten about their date? Or did something happen to him?

The door opened one more time and Renjun turned around hopefully. It wasn't Bao coming in - but weirdly he didn't feel disappointed when he saw who had entered instead.

"Oh, hey!" Jeno smiled at him. "Didn't know you where in here. I was just trying to get out of the rain."

"Well, you didn't do a good job then," Renjun pointed out the puddle of water that was forming at Jeno's feet, the alpha dripping wet.

"Yeah, I should probably clean that up," Jeno said, shrugging off his wet shirt and revealing his toned stomach and lean torso. Renjun's blinked a few times before heating up like a firecracker.

"What are you doing?!" He wheezed, turning his back to the alpha.

"Trying to get dry," Jeno told him nonchalant, wringing out his wet shirt with his hands, creating an even bigger puddle of water on the floor.

"If your loyal swarm of admirers follows you inside here and...and sees you undressed they're gonna think...things!" Renjun hissed panicked and Jeno had the audacity to laugh.

"Don't worry, nobody was following me through that rain," the prince said calmly. "I'm dressed again, you can turn around."

"That was highly inappropriate!" Renjun scolded him when they were face to face again. "You're a prince, you should know that!"

Jeno grinned cheekily.

"Since when do you care that I'm a prince?" He asked playfully and Renjun huffed.

"Urgh, shut up and sit down. I'm gonna clean up your mess," he ordered and Jeno obediently followed his instructions as Renjun went back to the storage and got a few useless training furs to wipe the floor with.

"So, what are you doing here?" Jeno asked him with open interest, eyes solely focused on his frame as he squatted down and started drying the floor.

At least Jeno wasn't a bumbling idiot anymore like last night.

"Oh, I've been waiting for Bao. We wanted to meet up here," Renjun answered causally, getting up from the floor after the furs had soaked in all the water and looked back at Jeno.

Yeah, he shouldn't have jinxed it.

"Bao, er...the one...er...the alpha...rabbit...furs...he...courting," Jeno babbled, then he seemed to catch himself, regaining some of his brain cells. "Sorry. I meant, the alpha who's been courting you?"

Renjun gave him a long, concerned look.

"Yes," he replied slowly. "He didn't show up though. He must've forgotten."

"Maybe he'll still come," Jeno said and Renjun appreciated his attempt at comfort.

"Don't think so," he said, knowing full well that he had been stood up. "But it's fine."

"It is?" Jeno questioned, locking their gazes with an intent that Renjun couldn’t identify.

"Yes," Renjun answered honestly.

"So...what did you want to do here?" Jeno asked, standing up and walking over to the table Renjun had gathered his supplies on.

"Oh, we wanted to make an umbrella," Renjun informed him.

"You know how to make an umbrella?" Jeno said curiously, picking up the different sticks.

"Yes," Renjun confirmed, smile forming as he observed Jeno playing around with the supplies cluelessly. "At least I used to."

"Well, I'm sure we can figure it out together," Jeno said, picking up the fur and trying to stretch it over the sticks.

"Oh wait, I don't think it's supposed to be like this," Renjun stopped him before he could rip the fur apart. Their fingers touched when Renjun took the fur away from Jeno - and maybe, just maybe Renjun let their touch linger a bit longer than necessary.

"Okay, lead the way," Jeno said and Renjun quickly pulled his hand away.

"You need to stitch it up first. Make it a bit more sturdy before you stretch it," Renjun explained to him, picking up a needle and threat. He passed them to Jeno and watched for a while how the alpha struggled to get the threat through the needle.

"I can do this," Jeno told him when he noticed Renjun's amused expression.

Renjun laughed, picking up a needle himself and threaded the twine through effortlessly, having done it countless of times. Jeno gaped at him.

"Okay, what kind of black magic are you using?" He squinted his eyes at him in suspicion and Renjun couldn't help the giggle leaving him.

"I thought you could do it," he challenged the alpha and Jeno huffed, turning his attention back to the problem at hand.

Renjun caught himself staring at Jeno's focused expression. The alpha’s tongue was peeking out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated. It was kind of cute...Then he shook his head. Yangyang had gotten into his mind. He would not bat his eyelashes at Jeno!

"Hah, I did it!" Jeno roared, successfully holding up his needle.

"Great job!" Renjun praised him. "Now we need to sturdy the fur."

"Totally," Jeno said, staring at the fur helplessly. "How do you do that?"

"They don't teach you a lot in the castle, do they?" Renjun teased him and Jeno pouted.

"I've been taught a lot," Jeno defended his honor. "Just not...this stuff."

"So what have you been taught?" Renjun asked curiously – he had never learned much about life in the castle, but he reckoned it had to be quite different from his own life down in the village.

"Lots of hunting and fighting. Healing...and history, diplomacy and that stuff. How to keep a pack safe," Jeno replied and Renjun nodded, the answer making a lot of sense to him.

"Right, I remember. You knew a lot about wolfberry in healing classes," Renjun mentioned, still recalling the lecture.

"Yeah...it's definitely part of one of the darkest times this pack has seen," Jeno commented with a heavy sigh.

"Well, everything has a bright and a dark side," Renjun mumbled, picking up the fur and getting to work. With swift but neat stitches he sewed the fur, preparing it for the later stretching.

"You think there is something good about wolfberry?" Jeno questioned him, but there was no judgement in his voice.

"Maybe?" Renjun shrugged, deciding he could talk to Jeno about these thing without having to be afraid. "I don't think we should let fear control what we learn."

"Well, sometimes you gotta join or...or accept the system to beat the system," Jeno said and Renjun looked up from his work.

"What does that mean?" Renjun asked a bit confused.

"That...maybe you first need to learn and accept that wolfberry is dangerous. And then, once you're one the same level as everybody else, you can slowly bring up other ideas on how it could be helpful."

"Is that what you plan to do as chief?" Renjun asked and Jeno laughed – Renjun had seen right through him.

"Yes. At least that's what I hope to do," the alpha confirmed.

"Well, I'm sure you'll do a lot of good as chief," Renjun smiled at him.

"Thanks, I'll try my best," Jeno said genuinely. "Do you wanna be a healer? After training is over?"

"Maybe," Renjun said uncertainly. "I haven't decided yet. I also quite like tailoring. And as an omega I am basically programmed to love children."

"Well, it's good to be skilled in multiple areas," Jeno told him open-minded. "Good leaders not only know how to fight, that's what my father keeps telling me. They should also learn, you know, other stuff."

"Okay then," Renjun smirked at the perfect opportunity, passing the fur over to Jeno. "Your turn."

"Are you...er...I'm not-"

"Come on, you already suck at doing laundry," Renjun urged him on. "You gotta have more than one skill, right?"

Jeno scoffed at the mockery.

"At least tell me how this works then," he huffed as he picked up his needle and threat.

"It's really easy," Renjun said, gently grabbing Jeno's hands and helping him complete the first few stitches. He couldn’t help but notice that Jeno’s hands were a lot bigger than his own, but they were still gentle as he guided them, softer than his own, prettier even. He quite liked Jeno’s hands.

Once he let go the alpha continued on his own. His stitches weren't nearly as neat as Renjun's, but he made that cute concentrated face again, so Renjun didn't complain.

"Hey, I have a question," Renjun remembered something, making Jeno look up from his work.

"Yes?" He pried.

"If there was one thing that would make you feel like you're truly part of this pack, what would it be?"

"Family," Jeno replied without thinking.

"Maybe something more...physical?" Renjun specified, realizing that he was asking that question way too vaguely if he wanted to get an answer that would actually allow him to do something.

"Mhh...my father gave me and Doyoung these rings when we were young. All crested with brilliants and rubies," Jeno said, seemingly lost in memory for a short second. "Whenever I look at them I just feel...love."

Renjun hummed and Jeno's face turned red.

"Sorry, that was cheesy," he said, rubbing his neck embarrassed.

"No, no, it was very helpful," Renjun reassured him, not wanting Jeno to feel shy to express his feelings to him.

"It was?" Jeno asked confused.

"Yeah," Renjun said, an idea already forming in his head. "Actually, now that I showed you how to stitch and do your laundry, I need you to return a favor."

"Oh, okay. Anything you want," Jeno agreed without hesitation and Renjun smiled.

 

When he walked home much later that night under his brand new umbrella he felt a weird warmth in his chest. Just before he got inside the orphanage he saw someone come out the forest. As he squinted his eyes he recognized Bao, a deer hanging over his shoulders. Renjun watched quietly as the alpha brought the deer to a hut that Renjun couldn't see from his position.

But considering how his afternoon had turned out, Renjun wasn't even upset or disappointed that Bao hadn't shown up. (Maybe, just maybe, he was even happy.)



Donghyuck was more than ready to call it a day. His mind had been a mess since the moment he had left Mark in the forest, he had hardly paid attention in classes - even Taeil hadn't been able to fix his salty soup.

Completely spend he made his way to his hut - he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the huge stag laying on his porch, a distinct cinnamon smell lingering on it. Oh, the audacity! Mark's head was even bigger than he thought possible!

His parents were grinning at him like maniacs when he opened the door. Of course they had seen the huge courting gift. It was very hard to miss, alone the size of it was enormous, not to mention the obvious scent of alpha on it. Donghyuck had never seen someone getting a courting gift that big before. The risk of killing a stack mostly making alphas go for rabbits or weasels. What only proved that Mark was really an idiot extraordinaire.

"So, how was your day?" His mother asked first, not being able to hide the excitement in her voice.

"Sh" -itty, was what Donghyuck wanted to say, but he stopped himself before the word could really slip out of his mouth. He wasn't the only one who had suffered last year. And seeing his parents so happy for him...he couldn't ruin that. "Good."

"So, who is the lucky alpha?" His father asked curiously.

"Mark Lee," Donghyuck answered shortly.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" His mother clapped her hands in joy. "Weren't you two close when you were younger?"

"Yeah," Donghyuck confirmed. Distant memories.

"Glad you found back together again," his mother said happily.

"He must like you a mad amount," his father added impressed. "A stag! Not many take that risk for just courting."

"Yeah, he tends to be kind of reckless," Donghyuck agreed, and at least that wasn't a lie.

"Why didn't you bring it in? I'm sure it'll make a nice new coat," his mother said, her nagging coming out a bit again.

"Oh...I'm just really tired," Donghyuck excused himself. He exaggerated a yawn just for good measure, stretching his hands in the air.

"I'll carry it in for you," his father offered immediately. "That thing must be heavy."

"Thanks," Donghyuck said, feigning gratefulness. "I'm just...gonna hit my furs for tonight, okay?"

"Sure," his mother agreed and Donghyuck wished his parents a good night with a soft smile.

At least someone was happy about the courting.

Notes:

Thank you sooooo much for reading!!
Honestly, I feel like I'm saying this every time, but the support you are showing this story means so much to me and it's really, really amazing me every time I update a new chapter.
I really didn't expect this and whenever I see your comments I'm so happy that apparently so many people are liking this story and like, guys, please, you're so kind to me :((

I hope you are all doing well and are safe and healthy - leave me your thoughts about the chapter in the comments if you want to (There was some Markhyuck drama today, haha) :3

Again, thank you so much for reading!! <3

Chapter 7: Black Out

Notes:

Hey!! I know we're all waiting for favorite to drop, so, in the meantime, enjoy this :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Renjun was cradling their newest addition to the pack in his arms. The girl was blubbering happily, only a few months old. Her parents had taken good care of her until now, before they returned to their own duties and handed their baby off to child care.

"Naw, she's a beauty," Donghyuck cooed, sitting down next to Renjun with some fresh warm milk.

"I know," Renjun agreed, accepting the milk from Donghyuck and feeding it to the babygirl, whose eyes widened at the taste.

"Aww, she likes it," Donghyuck laughed at her cute reaction and Renjun smiled as well.

"Donghyuck!" The sudden loud voice scared the little baby, who chocked and started crying. Luckily Renjun’s omega instinct kicked in and he was fast to hold her over his shoulder and burp her.

"Yangyang!" Donghyuck hissed angrily, giving his friend a death glare who was skipping towards them.

"I'm sorry," Yangyang said with an apologetic expression. They all gave the baby concerned looks - only feeling calm again when she stopped crying.

"Be careful," Renjun scolded him, relieved that nothing serious had happened to the girl.

"I'm so sorry," Yangyang repeated truly genuine as he sat down next to them. Then his eyes flickered to Donghyuck – his expression looked constipated for a second, but he couldn’t hold himself back for long. "Just - Donghyuck!"

"What?" Donghyuck cocked his eyebrow.

"Why didn't you tell us you were being courted? By Mark Lee!" Yangyang questioned with unashamed curiosity.

Donghyuck sighed deeply. But it had only been a matter of time for Yangyang to find out.

"Because he's an idiot," he grumbled, already in a sour mood by just hearing the name.

"What? You want to be courted by Nick - but not Mark?" Yangyang asked in disbelief.

"It's complicated," Donghyuck disregarded him coldly and Yangyang huffed annoyed.

"Renjun - please tell me at least you have good news. How was your date with Bao?" Yangyang turned to the other omega, obviously not getting his gossip from Donghyuck today.

"Oh, he didn't show up," Renjun shrugged light-hearted. "I think he's still looking for the right omega to court."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Yangyang said in empathy. "What an idiot, right?"

"No, it's really fine," Renjun said and Yangyang huffed a second time, upset that he was not getting the juicy details he thought he would get from this conversation.

The baby in Renjun's arms started screaming again and a certain smell spread between them. Renjun grimaced before handing her off to Yangyang.

"Oh, why me?" The omega whined – nobody liked being on diaper duty.

"You made her cry the first time," Renjun pointed out without mercy and Yangyang glared at him before stomping away with the girl in his arms.

 

"So, what's up with you and Mark?" Renjun asked, now that Yangyang was gone and whatever they said wouldn't be tomorrow's new hot topic.

"He's the worst," Donghyuck mumbled pissed off. "He's the reason nobody courted me last year. And then he told me he liked me? And he gifted me a stag!"

"That sounds...messy," Renjun commented, not sure if he was getting the whole story. "But didn't you use to be close? Back when we were kids?"

"Yeah, until Mark started avoiding me like I was some deadly disease," Donghyuck said bitterly. "And now he's supposed to like me? Yeah, no."

"I don't know," Renjun offered his insight. "You and Mark...I mean, you were never completely out of each other's life with all the...competition? It might be his weird way of caring for you."

"Yeah, well, I don't buy it," Donghyuck said shortly. "If it weren't for my parents being so happy for me, I would tell him to stop courting me immediately."

"Fate is a funny thing," Renjun said and Donghyuck nodded, he couldn’t agree more to that statement.

"So? What happened with you and Bao? Did he really not come or didn't you want Yangyang to know all the details of your dating life?" Donghyuck turned the conversation around.

"Oh...erm, both?" Renjun said and Donghyuck gave him a curious look. "Okay, but you have to promise me you won't tell Yangyang. He will freak out and by tomorrow the whole pack will know."

"My lips are sealed," Donghyuck said trustworthy.

"So, it's true that Bao didn't come...but Jeno did," Renjun whispered, conscious about the other omegas in their child care class.

"Prince Jeno?" Donghyuck asked excitedly and Renjun nodded, motioning for him to keep his voice down.

"It was kind of nice. We get along really well. But in a friendship kind of way, you know. Not...courting or anything like that," Renjun said and Donghyuck gave him a teasing grin.

"Well, according to the rumors the prince might think otherwise," Donghyuck nudged him slyly and Renjun rolled his eyes.

"He's not courting me!" Renjun groaned frustrated.

"I'm sorry," Donghyuck laughed at the older’s misery. "Do you like him, though?"

"I mean...I mean he's nice...but I'm not...I don't think I'd be his type. You know, with my background," Renjun told him honestly.

"Well, you never know. Remember, Mark told me he liked me. And he's been the last person I expected to start courting me," Donghyuck snorted.

"Yeah," Renjun mumbled thoughtfully. "Yeah, you never know."

Just then Yangyang came back with the little girl on his arm, already blabbering loudly about his own courtship with Hendery. Donghyuck and Renjun exchanged amused glances as they slightly shook their heads. Yangyang could never be stopped.

 

But before Renjun could even think one more second about courting and Bao...or...or Jeno...he had something to talk about with Sicheng.

He and Jeno had worked well into the night for this and Renjun hoped it would get the message across.

"Renjun?" Sicheng was a bit surprised to find Renjun waiting for him in the orphanage when he returned from his duties.

"Hey," Renjun replied with a smile. "We have to talk."

"What about?" Sicheng asked, sitting down on Renjun's furs next to him.

"You remember...a few days ago. You told me you didn't belong to the pack," Renjun started and Sicheng sighed.

"Renjun," he said. "That's really not your problem to worry about. I might've been a bit overdramatic. To be honest, things haven't been too great with Yuta after I...after I told him not to court me, so...I've been a bit emotional. Forget about it."

"No," Renjun insisted, knowing there was more to it and taking Sicheng's hands. "No, I understand why you might feel this way. So I wanted to give you something."

"Renjun, you don't have to-" Sicheng began to protest when Renjun turned around to grab something from underneath his furs.

"I've been thinking about what people in this pack make them feel like they belong. What represented them and their pack and their family," Renjun explained to him. "And it occurred to me that every family in this pack has their own family's jewelry that's passed down from generation to generation."

"Oh, Renjun," Sicheng gasped when Renjun got out two plain metal necklaces.

"So...uhm, I thought it'd be nice to have our own family jewelry," Renjun elaborated his thoughts further. "They're made from left over metal from building classes. I thought it'd be fitting, since we're also both kind of the leftovers from our families."

"This is so sweet," Sicheng said softly, accepting one of the simple metal chains.

"Yeah, but the best thing about them is that you can add to them," Renjun pointed out to him. "So, if you ever get a nice gem for a courting gift, you can just attach that to it. And make it the most beautiful jewelry in this whole pack."

"Courting gift?" Sicheng cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes. Because you deserve to be courted and loved, okay?" Renjun said with unrefusable certainty and Sicheng gave him a tight lipped smile. "Promise me you'll at least think about it?"

Sicheng looked at him silently and then laughed softly. Gently he pulled Renjun into a hug, ruffling through his hair.

"Okay. But only because you are so good at bribing me," he agreed brotherly and Renjun smiled happily.

"So you'll let Yuta court you?" Renjun asked full of hope.

"It's not that easy," Sicheng let out a deep sigh. "But I'll think about it, okay? I'll be fine, I promise."

"Really, promise?" Renjun checked again, holding out his pinky finger. Sicheng laughed as he linked them.

"I promise with all my heart," the older omega agreed. Then he eyed the necklace a bit closer. "How did you make this? It looks so neat - you don't secretly take building classes, do you?"

"Oh, no...but...let's just say I had a favor open," Renjun smiled secretively.

"A favor? Someone did this as a favor?" Sicheng asked astounded. "Probably took them hours to make."

"Well, only the best for you," Renjun replied nonchalantly. Sicheng threw him a knowing look.

"It was Prince Jeno, wasn't it?"

Renjun chocked on his own spit in surprise - how-?

"No!" He lied, but his red cheeks and high pitch gave him away.

"I'm not deaf, you know, I hear the rumors going around," Sicheng nudged him playfully.

"Whatever you heard - it's not true!" Renjun spluttered embarrassed - why was everyone...urgh!

"Really? Because I know first hand that Jeno walked me to our hut and only left after he was sure you were okay," Sicheng teased him.

"Okay, that might be true. But everything else isn't!" Renjun defended himself. "Jeno's not...he's not..."

"Mhh..." Sicheng hummed, still smiling. "I wouldn't be surprised if Jeno would be the first one to get you something for that necklace."

"Yah! Stop it!" Renjun yelled, grabbing after one of his furs and slapping Sicheng with it. "Yangyang is already getting on my nerves! Only because I treat Jeno like a normal person."

"Well, it is a big deal. No matter how normal you treat Jeno, he is still a prince and he is looking for a mate," Sicheng pointed out. "Of course people are gonna talk."

"I'm sure Jeno doesn't even consider me for mating, okay? Remember, first thing I told him was that he sucked at doing laundry," Renjun huffed and Sicheng started laughing brightly.

'You never know' Renjun suddenly remembered Donghyuck's words. But no, that was just ridiculous. Jeno wouldn't...No, Renjun wouldn't even let himself think that. Just...just why was his heart beating so fast?

 

 

Donghyuck was heading to hunting training early in the morning. Ever since he had managed that double kill people had been a lot more respectful towards him. Yuta didn't even bother him anymore about asking other's for help. And the fact that he had brought back game with him every hunting trip since had only reinstated his new status as the best hunter of their class.

Probably the only good thing that had come with the whole Mark-courting-him-situation was that the alpha wasn't relentlessly tracking him down every hunt anymore, stealing away his prey. In fact, Mark hadn't talked to him at all since their fight.

Not that Donghyuck would've like him to!

Although that made their relationship a bit ambiguous. Was Mark even still courting him? After the stag Mark hadn't left anything else on his front porch.

Not that Donghyuck wanted him to!

But his parents kept pestering him about his progress with Mark. And he ran out of excuses he could tell them.

"Hey...uhm, Donghyuck?" Someone hesitantly patted Donghyuck on his shoulder, interrupting his train of thoughts running wild.

The omega was more than surprised to find the prince standing behind him with an unsure expression.

"Oh, Prince Jeno!" He said, smiling politely and bowing his head lightly in respect. Truthfully he hadn't had a lot of chances to talk with the prince personally, and the prince had mostly let him be as well, both of them focused on hunting training. "Can I help you?"

"Yes!" Prince Jeno said, as if he had hoped Donghyuck would ask. "Do you...do you perhaps...so...erm...I've heard you are friends with Renjun?"

Oh.

Oh!

Maybe Yangyang was right after all. A smirk spread on Donghyuck's face.

"That depends," the omega answered, glancing Jeno up and down. "What do you want from him?"

"I...er...just wanted to ask if you know...if he fancies somebody? Like...he's being courted right now, right? Is he...does he like him?"

Donghyuck had to remind himself multiple times that Jeno was a prince for him to not burst out laughing straight into his face. No wonder Renjun found talking to him so easy - Jeno was not what you expected a prince to be like.

"I don't think they really had the chance to talk much yet," Donghyuck replied honestly. Jeno looked relieved and Donghyuck snickered to himself. He couldn't believe Renjun had scored himself a prince!

"Good!" Jeno said without thinking, before catching himself. "I mean, not good, obviously, I want him to be happy...I mean, I want everybody in this pack to be happy, you know, as their future chief it is kind of my duty to ensure everybody's happiness and Renjun's as well, I mean, he is also part of this pack, so of course he's..."

Yeah, on the other hand, was this bumbling mess really that much of a catch?

"Listen," Donghyuck interrupted him impatiently. "Just, hypothetically, if anyone would be interested in courting Renjun, I think they should hurry up. He's very popular with the alphas and I'm sure it's not gonna stay just two that are going to court him."

Giving Jeno a long, meaningful look, Donghyuck hoped that the prince would understand what he was trying to imply. Donghyuck had tried to be as obvious as possible. But then again, some alphas can be sort of idiots

"Yes!" Jeno said eagerly. "Uhm...thanks. I'm gonna warm up for hunting training, now."

"Yeah, me too," Donghyuck said, shaking his legs and arms to loosen his muscles before the shift.

"Oh, uh, by the way - you are a great hunter!" Jeno kept rambling. "And uhm...maybe don't tell Renjun about this, please?"

Okay, prince or not, Donghyuck just had to laugh.

"Thanks," the omega said amused. "I think I'll leave the talking with Renjun to you then."

With that Donghyuck turned around, leaving the so-called prince behind and making his way to the front of the class. He saw Mark watching him with an unreadable expression, gaze solely fixated on Donghyuck. The omega huffed, turning his head away. Like he said, some alphas were idiots.

 

Soon everybody started shifting into their wolf forms, ready for another successful hunting trip. Hopefully this would get Donghyuck's head free - he had been doing way too much thinking lately and needed a break. Hunting required a lot of his attention and focus, so when he was out in the forest there was nothing but him and nature. It was kind of healing to him and definitely effective in getting his mind off of things.

The first wolves started surging forward, brushing past branches and trees in long strides. Donghyuck was quick to follow, not wanting to fall behind. After he had gone all berserk that one time he had returned to his more thought through hunting attacks - and with Mark not constantly on his back, ruining them with his recklessness, they had worked out just fine.

Take that Mark - looks like he was fast enough after all! Mark really didn't -wait!

Why was he thinking about Mark again? Hadn't he just decided to not think about him anymore? He shook his head as if trying to shake any Mark related thoughts off, getting angry at himself for letting his mind wander. He was hunting! Hunting, right...

Actively dismissing any alpha related thoughts he focused his mind, keen on finding a scent he could follow. Slowing down a little he concentrated on the smell that lingered in the air - there, he picked up the trail of a rabbit! Not the best prey, but it'll do for today. Donghyuck had brought back multiple deer the last few trips, so he could get away with a rabbit one time.

He began running again, effortlessly following where the rabbit had once scampered across. Donghyuck must've picked up on a really old track, since he needed a while for it to get stronger. As he kept running he got closer and closer to the border of their hunting grounds.

He considered half-heartedly if he should just turn around without anything - in the end it was only a rabbit - but then again, he had just earned some sort of respect by his peers and trainers. If he returned empty handed, that could fade away quicker than Donghyuck could make a freshly cooked kimchi stew disappear into his stomach. (And Donghyuck loved kimchi stew.)

Donghyuck had just heard the rabbit move, finally getting close to it, when a sound resonated in his ears, moving through his whole body and making his bones vibrate. A howl. An alarm howl, someone in their pack had howled for help.

Donghyuck could almost feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins. This could only mean one thing - an attack. Maybe another rogue wolf had been spotted. Donghyuck was relatively close to the border - maybe he could help catch them and chase them away.

He had completely forgotten about the rabbit, instead listening carefully if he could hear something foreign in the forest.

Then, out of nowhere, two wolves as black as the night jumped out between the trees. Donghyuck howled - partly in shock, partly in fear. These were no wolves from their pack.

Now, Donghyuck was by no means a coward, but he knew when to fight and when to run - and this was without a doubt a situation to run. He couldn't fight alone against two alpha wolves.

So, running it was. His legs worked on autopilot, trying to get him away as fast as possible. Donghyuck was sensible enough to not lead them back to their pack, but instead took a turn that would hopefully bring him closer to the other hunters.

He cut a corner behind a tree, when suddenly a third wolf appeared, even darker than the first two, stopping Donghyuck on his escape. Donghyuck tried to surge past it, but the wolf quickly buried his teeth in Donghyuck's front leg, keeping him in place and making him whimper in pain.

Donghyuck struggled against the grip, trying to get free, but he was deeply wounded. The other two wolves closed in on him, knocking Donghyuck over and pinning him down to the hard ground.

To his surprise they didn't immediately go for his neck, where one well placed bite could easily knock him out for good, but searched for his scent glands.

Donghyuck growled in defiance, still wiggling violently - which probably hadn't been a good call, since the three wolves got a lot more aggressive at his stubborn struggling, another one biting down in Donghyuck's shoulder to keep him from moving.

Pain overtook Donghyuck's whole being and mind as the teeth bored into him. And then fear and panic mingled with the pain. He couldn't move, he couldn't fight. This would be his end. He felt sorry for his parents - he couldn't even remember the last thing he said to them.

Suddenly the faint scent of cinnamon crept into Donghyuck's mind. No, he was getting delusional. There was no way - but then the weight on top of him disappeared.

His vision started to fade in and out of blackness, but Donghyuck would recognized that distinct shade of brown fur everywhere - not to mention the stinging scent of cinnamon spreading all around him.

Donghyuck whined alarmingly, trying to tell Mark to get away, but the alpha didn't listen. Of course, he never listened. Instead he got into a fighting position, challenging all three alphas to a match.

They sneered at him, but Mark wouldn't back off, taking a protective stance in front of Donghyuck's unmoving body.

This was a death sentence. Donghyuck knew it and Mark knew it too. Three against one wasn't fair, no matter how good of a fighter Mark might be.

Then there were steps approaching, and lots of them - the ground starting to tremble from the impact underneath him.

The last thing Donghyuck remembered was that someone that smelled an awful lot like cinnamon picked him up from the ground. Then everything was black.



"This is bad," the chief said as he paced up and down Jeno's little hut. "You were sure there were multiple wolves?"

"Yes, three at least," Jeno confirmed. "And all black. I've never seen wolves with fur so dark."

The chief hummed. He had come straight down to the pack when he had heard about the second attack.

"They can't be from the Lunaris pack," Taeyong argued, who had also come to show support. "Our fur is bright."

"I know," the chief said. "I also don't think anyone is going to suspect your pack, Taeyong."

"What are we going to tell people?" Jeno asked concerned. "Another rouge attack? You and I both know that's very unlikely."

His father was silent for a second.

"I just don't want to start a war where there is none," he voiced his thoughts, keeping peace always his utmost priority.

"But father, three wolves, all black fur," Jeno stated the facts. "It can only be-"

"I know, Jeno, I know," his father interrupted him, knowing fully well what his son was implying. "But they were only three. That doesn't count as an official war declaration."

"How about Taeyong and I take a trip up north? See if they are open to talk?" Prince Doyoung suggested.

"Are you sure Doyoung? That could be dangerous," his father questioned him with uncertainty.

"Hey, I can be very persuasive," Doyoung commented. "Not that I'm bragging, but I scored us an alliance with the biggest pack bordering our south."

Taeyong gave Doyoung a smitten smile, interlocking their fingers.

"I'm just saying, be careful," the chief said, having nothing but faith in his son’s abilities...but the north was dangerous.

"Don't worry, I won't let anybody do any harm to your son," Taeyong assured his father-in-law.

"I trust you two," the chief said. Then he let out a heavy sigh, eyes suddenly tired as he looked at Jeno. "Jeno, did you hear who got hurt by the attack?"

"Oh, it's Lee Donghyuck. He's the only omega hunter - they surprised him, we couldn't be there fast enough, he was hunting on the far border," Jeno said, somehow feeling sick to his stomach. He had talked to Donghyuck just minutes before the omega...

"An omega hunter?" His mother, who had been silently observing the conversation until now, chimed in. "How is he?"

"They said his condition was unstable," Jeno replied, the nausea not leaving him. Although he hadn't known Donghyuck for long, the thought of losing even one of his pack members was absolutely terrifying.

"We'll get our best healers tending to him," the chief said and a straining silence settled in the air between him.

"Taeyong and I better head off rather sooner than later," Doyoung concluded their meeting. "We can't afford any more attacks like this."

"What we really can't afford is a war," his father reminded him. "You know if it comes to that, there's a high chance I won't come out alive."

"All the more important that Jeno finally starts courting someone," his mother chimed in again and Jeno groaned. His mother had been pestering him about a mate ever since courting season had started.

"I'm working on it," he grumbled a bit annoyed.

"No, your mother is right, Jeno," his father agreed. "We should be prepared. Worst case scenario is this will cost us a war and I don’t make it - we need you to have a mate to take over."

"You know the custom, Jeno. If you don't have a mate you're not qualified for the chief position," his mother gratefully reminded him.

Doyoung snickered at his younger brother's pained expression. He ruffled through his hair and pulled Taeyong with him.

"We're gonna leave then, I think we discussed the most important things," Doyoung bid his goodbye.

"Oh, be careful, please," his mother said, standing up to reach for her son's face. She softly caressed his cheeks, before shooting Taeyong a piercing look.

"I will bring us there and back safely," the alpha promised, feeling scrutinized underneath her gaze.

"Okay. You were right, it's probably better if you go as soon as possible," the chief said. "Take our fastest horses."

"Thanks," Taeyong bowed his head. "We'll be back soon."

With that the two Lunaris leaders left Jeno's hut.

"Well, we should probably head back to the castle as well," his father sighed. "Nothing much we can do here. And I need to do some reading."

"Keep us updated about the injured omega, okay?" His mother asked Jeno and her son nodded obediently.

"Oh, and son, promise you're really working on the courting?" His father said and Jeno almost rolled his eyes.

"Promise," Jeno said and his father looked satisfied.

Now only the omega Jeno wanted to court had to be on board with that too.



Renjun was quietly sitting next to Donghyuck's bed. He had stepped by every afternoon since the attack four days ago, but Donghyuck had never been awake. Their healers have been doing their best, trying to stop Donghyuck's bleeding from where he had been bitten in his arm and shoulder, but his wounds were deep. If they were to get infected chances of life would be slipping for Donghyuck.

But Renjun couldn't be thinking like this. No, Donghyuck would survive. Renjun had already lost too many precious people in his life. He couldn't deal with one more loss. He just couldn't.

Next to him Mark let out a loud snort and Renjun startled a little.

Yeah, Mark had not left Donghyuck's side at all (not even to bathe, it seemed, as Renjun took in his greasy hair).

The alpha was currently half sitting, half lying across Donghyuck's bed. Renjun gave him a fond look.

"You're in for a big surprise when you wake up," he told his friend. "I know you think he's kind of an idiot, but at least he's a very sweet idiot. And I think he actually cares about you."

Mark snorted again and Renjun laughed quietly.

"I know he's not making the best case for himself right now. I'll tell him to bathe and clean up when he's awake," Renjun kept talking. He knew Yangyang had also stepped by earlier and had probably updated the unconscious Donghyuck on all the newest gossip.

But at least Renjun liked to think Donghyuck would appreciate some normal conversation as well. Especially if it contained mocking Mark.

"I still remember when we were kids and we went mud surfing that one time. You broke your arm and cried so much. Mark has been like this too back then - never leaving your side, always so worried about you," Renjun remembered their distant childhood memories. "Never understood why you two grew apart so much. But we should definitely go mud surfing again. One last time before we graduate. It has always been fun, right?"

Mark snorted louder than ever before and his head snapped up as if surprised by his own noise. He blinked a few times confused as he oriented himself after his nap.

Renjun suppressed a laugh.

"He told me to tell you to take a bath," Renjun said straight away and Mark's eyes went wide with hope.

"He's been awake?" Yeah, Renjun's should've probably rephrased that.

"No...but I know he would tell me if he were," Renjun said, feeling sorry when he saw Mark's expression dim, eye loosing their sparkle.

"I'd rather just stay here, if you don't mind," he mumbled, fixating his gaze on Donghyuck's lifeless face.

"Mark, he's gonna wake up," Renjun tried to comfort him. "And when he wakes up, do you really want him to see you like that? After you saved his life and he might actually be happy to talk to you?"

"I...just...er...you think-?"

"Just take a bath Mark," Renjun deadpanned. "You stink the whole place up."

Some alphas just needed to get clear orders. Mark seemed to be one of them as he gaped but didn't protest anymore.

"O-okay," he agreed, slowly standing up and stumbling as his legs had gone numb from all the sitting.

Renjun shook his head as the alpha somehow made his way out of the healing station.

"You're welcome," Renjun said to Donghyuck. He reached for his hand, softly stroking over its back.

Seeing Donghyuck this peaceful was actually kind of a rare sight - he was usually so full of fight and energy. Hell, his first kill had been a double kill! It was hard to imagine Donghyuck loosing a battle.

 

The door to the hut opened again and Renjun half expected it to be Mark coming back, deciding that a bath wouldn't be worth leaving Donghyuck alone after all. Renjun was getting ready to properly scold the alpha about personal hygiene, but stopped himself when he saw who instead came in.

Jaemin gave him a small smile, sitting down on the chair Mark had previously occupied.

"Just saying if you intend on staying here, you'll have to get another chair. Mark was apparently ready to fight three alphas over Donghyuck, he will not back off for you," Renjun pointed out and Jaemin chuckled.

"Yeah, I've seen it myself. And I don't want Mark on my bad side to be honest," Jaemin laughed friendly. He had been in hunting class that day as well. They had all seen Mark stand off to the intruders by himself (and then, as usual in this pack, the news had spread like wildfire).

"Seriously? You're scared of Mark, too?" Renjun raised his eyebrows.

"Me? Scared? Never!" Jaemin boasted. Then he quickly switched topics. "How's Donghyuck doing?"

"Still unstable," Renjun replied, letting out a deep breath. "They are afraid his wounds might get infected and that might cause a deathly fever."

"I'm sorry. You are good friends, right?" Jaemin asked with compassion in his voice and Renjun nodded.

They both went silent, just watching Donghyuck breathe.

"So, what are you really doing here? Not that I accuse you of not caring about Donghyuck, but I don't think you were very close. Besides, you're scared of Mark and he's here like all the time."

"I'm not-" Jaemin protested, but then stopped when he saw Renjun's teasing smile. "Jeno sent me. He requests to talk to you."

"He requests to talk to me?" Renjun laughed at the formal expression. "He's never been shy to sneak up on me before."

"Uhm, yeah, I think he wants this talk to be private. Like...he doesn't want people to know you're talking," Jaemin explained carefully.

"Ah," Renjun said a bit taken aback. Since when did Jeno care so much about public opinion? "I understand."

"He said to come to your hideout spot tomorrow after your classes are over," Jaemin added. "I suppose you know where that is, because I have no idea."

"No, yeah, I know where to go," Renjun confirmed. He was kind of happy Jeno kept his hideout spot hidden even from his best friend.

"Good," Jaemin nodded. Then he stood up, giving Donghyuck another glance. "I'm sure he'll wake up soon."

"Yeah, I'm sure too," Renjun agreed. “He’s very tough.”

"I'll better go then," Jaemin said and Renjun gave him an assessing look.

"You are scared of Mark, aren't you?" He figured in the end.

"You haven't seen him in the forest," Jaemin defended himself and Renjun laughed.

"Better hurry then, he'll be back soon," Renjun teased him and Jaemin playfully rolled his eyes before he left.

Huh, so Jeno wanted to talk to him in private. Maybe he had heard about the courting rumors as well by now and didn't want people to believe the wrong thing. Renjun felt a sting in his heart. No, Jeno was a prince. And it was important for him to find someone suitable.

He looked at Donghyuck.

"Guess we're both in for surprises."

 

When Renjun got ready to leave Donghyuck, Mark had returned, smelling a lot cleaner and looking a lot nicer. The alpha remained behind, sitting on his chair quietly, eyes not leaving Donghyuck's body for a second.

"He's a fighter," Renjun said as he stood up.

"I know," Mark replied, sounding heartbroken. "Just wish I could've been there sooner."

Renjun noticed the wet shimmer in his eyes.

"It's not your fault," he told him and Mark nodded, but he turned his head away, clearly blaming himself for what had happened.

Renjun decided to give him some privacy. He didn't know what exactly was going on with Mark and Donghyuck...but he guessed they deserved to figure things out themselves first.

 

Sicheng tried his best to cheer him up these days but Donghyuck's situation made all their peers a bit distracted and gloomy. In fact, Renjun's thoughts were so preoccupied with worrying about Donghyuck that he almost forgot about his meeting with Jeno that afternoon.

He made up an excuse for Yangyang, who wanted to visit Donghyuck together, and sneaked off into the woods.

Deciding it would be faster he spontaneously shifted into his wolf form, his paws gracefully carrying him past the different trees and bushes he had explored ever since he was a little kid.

To his surprise Jeno was also in his wolf form when he arrived at his hideout. Renjun was about to shift back, but Jeno walked over to him, nuzzling his side and communicating with his eyes to stay like this.

Renjun purred, letting Jeno play with his fur for a while, playfully snapping at him when Jeno began licking him clean from some of the mud sprinkles he had gotten on his light fur from running.

Jeno squeaked, but Renjun could see the amusement in his eyes. The alpha nodded his head forward. Renjun gently pushed him away with his snout, then he started running in the direction Jeno had pointed to.

Jeno didn't need long to catch up to him though, surging past him and then slowing his tempo down so Renjun could keep up with him.

They spotted the river in front of them - Jeno stopped but Renjun took a big leap, jumping right in and creating a wide splash. His wolf rumbled in laughter when he spotted the startled Jeno staring at him, dripping with water.

Jeno's wolf sneezed, shaking off the water before he shifted back to his human form. Renjun walked out of the river as well, purposely shaking himself so that the water would get all over Jeno, who playfully shoved him away. Then he shifted back as well, giving Jeno a cheeky smile.

"That was fun," Renjun breathed out and Jeno smiled back at him.

"Thought you'd like a run," Jeno said brightly. "Frees your mind."

"Guess that's true," Renjun agreed. He let out a big sigh. It had usually been Donghyuck and him going on runs like this, roaming around the forest. He took a seat underneath the big oak tree near them, resting his back against it.

They had their fun, but now he felt sort of guilty, playing around like this when Donghyuck...

"Uhm...how's Donghyuck doing?" Jeno asked as if reading his mind, sitting down next to Renjun. He hesitated for a bit, awkwardly struggling where to put his hands. In the end he folded them in his lap.

"He's still unconscious," Renjun answered honestly.

"I'm sorry," Jeno told him, sounding nothing but genuine.

They sat next to each other quietly, both going after their own thoughts. Then Renjun remembered why he was here in the first place.

"You sent Jaemin after me," he stated. "Why the sudden discreetness?"

"Oh, right," Jeno said, shuffling a bit. "I...kind of have...a serious question to ask you."

"About politics?" Renjun wondered out loud. What else could require this form of secrecy?

"No...about you," Jeno replied bashfully.

"Okay...?" Renjun said, giving Jeno a questioning look. The alpha looked a bit sheepish, running a hand through his hair and fiddling with his shirt.

"I...I asked you to meet me in private because...this is a very sensitive topic. And people are gonna talk. So...I wanted to clear this with you before anyone else could get notice of this," Jeno started and Renjun could practically feel his nervous energy. "And...I mean, I don't mind people talking, it's been that way all my life. But I think...you seem to mind and I wanted you to have a choice...to back out if you really don't want this. But I kind of really hope you do."

"You're not making much sense to me right now," Renjun said a bit confused. "What is the question?"

"Okay, here it goes," Jeno said, taking a deep breath. "Would you be okay with me courting you?"

Renjun stared at Jeno for a few seconds, thinking he misheard. But there was no way he did, besides them there was nobody around, not even a single bird singing in the trees.

"You're asking me if you can court me?" Renjun still needed to clarify.

"Yes," Jeno confirmed.

"Me?" Renjun asked again.

"Yes, you," Jeno said without a doubt.

"Why me?" Renjun asked, still not fully believing this was happening. The prince wanted to court him?

"Because you are kind and smart and funny. And...I kind of like you, Renjun, if you haven’t noticed by now. No, I really like you," Jeno said like it was obvious. "And I think the two of us...I think there is something between us."

"But Jeno-" Renjun said with a frown. "You are a prince."

Jeno chuckled, giving Renjun an amused look.

"I know that," the alpha said.

"No, I mean, you are a prince. Don't you remember, right when we met I told you - I don't have any money or land or a family name," Renjun repeated. "Not that I'm not flattered! But do you really think you should court me out of all the people in this pack?"

"Don't you remember that when we first met I told you I don't care about these things?" Jeno replied with certainty. "And my family doesn't either. You only have to be from our pack, which, luckily, you are."

"B-but Jeno," Renjun stuttered. His mind began spiraling. He couldn't decide this now. Not with Donghyuck still on the edge of life, and then there was also Bao, who he had thought would might be a good suitor, and he definitely needed to ask Sicheng before making such an important decision! What would it even mean being courted by the prince? Renjun had no clue about royal life! Oh, and people would talk so much...

"What do you say?" Jeno asked one more time. "Can I get you a courting gift?"

"No," Renjun replied and the hope in Jeno's eyes drowned within a second. "I mean, not no! Just, can you give me some time to think about it?"

"Oh-" Jeno muttered.

"Just with Donghyuck and everything else right now - I'm not sure if I am in the right state to decide such a thing," Renjun explained and Jeno nodded slowly, biting down on his lips.

"Sure. Take your time," the alpha said.

"Thanks," Renjun told him. "Also, thanks for...asking me before courting me. Not many would do that."

"Yeah, no...it's alright," Jeno said, but Renjun could clearly sense that he was disappointed.

"This is...not a no, okay?" Renjun said when he stood up. "I'm very honored you even consider me for this."

Jeno gave him a tough smile.

"We should probably get back," he said, standing up as well.

The alpha shifted and was gone before Renjun could blink twice. Suddenly he felt weirdly lost.

Notes:

Thank you sooo much for reading!!
Again, I'm overwhelmed with you support and you lovely, lovely comments!! I can't thank you guys enough, like, this is just really special to me and wow, you guys don't know how much all your support means to me!! Like, I smile everytime I get one of your comments and yeah, man, I'm so happy :3

Everybody stay safe and healthy <3

Chapter 8: A Deal

Notes:

Woop, woop, next chapter :3 Enjoy :D

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Excruciating pain. Pain and blackness - everything around him was dark and everything he could feel was hurt. Like his whole being had been stripped bare and then thrown into a field of stinging nettles.

As a kid he had once fallen into a field of stinging nettles. He had screamed his lungs out, every centimeter of his skin burning like fire, the flames swallowing him mercilessly as they peeled off every inch of his skin.

Back then his mother had made him cinnamon apples for consolation (and probably to stop him from bawling tears and snot).

What an irony that now it was the scent of cinnamon that somehow lifted him from the field of stinging nettles.

The pain was suddenly only numb, throbbing through his body, but the scent of cinnamon was growing stronger each second, as if calling out for him. Donghyuck shuffled and frowned, feeling uncomfortable in his paralyzed state. Like waking up from a deep slumber Donghyuck realized that he was suddenly able to think and move, back in control over his body and mind.

With one movement of his eyelid the blackness disappeared - although it was still a bit dusky, everything grey around him.

He tried to sit up but a stinging pain shot from his shoulder to the tip of his pinkie finger, making him hiss and immediately fall back in his furs, curling in on himself.

"Donghyuck!" Someone beside him snapped up.

Their eyes met and the scent of cinnamon spread in the whole room, clouding Donghyuck's senses a little.

"Oh," Mark breathed, eyes sparkling as if he was witnessing a miracle.

Donghyuck tried to clear his throat, but ended up coughing violently. It hurt horribly from the dryness, as if someone was scratching his lungs with nails. Mark's eyes widened in concern as he scrambled to his feet. Quickly he got a cup of water, bringing it to Donghyuck's lips and helping him drink.

When Mark put the empty cup away Donghyuck tried clearing his throat again, luckily not ending in a coughing fit this time.

"Thanks," he said, voice still a bit rough.

"Thank you!" Mark replied overwhelmed. "Thank you so much. For waking up. For...for being alive."

"I..." Donghyuck glanced across the room, for the first time taking in his surroundings as his pain and discomfort became bearable. He must be in the healing hut, only the dim moonlight falling through the window, making everything appear in a mysterious shade of blue. "How long...since I?"

"Eight days," Mark told him and Donghyuck nodded. Eight days...that was a long time.

"What about my parents?" Donghyuck asked - he must've worried them so much.

"They come by every morning," Mark answered. "Do you want me to get them?"

"No!" Donghyuck immediately denied, not wanting to cause more trouble than he already had. "They must be sleeping by now. It's dark outside."

"Yeah, probably," Mark agreed, biting down on his lips as he inspected Donghyuck with a worried frown. "Should I get a healer? Are you in pain? Do you want more water? Or food? I can-"

"Mark, I'm fine," Donghyuck stopped Mark's rant. "I mean, mostly."

He looked down on his bandaged arm and shoulder. When he turned his eyes back to Mark he looked sadder than Donghyuck had ever seen him before. Probably the right time to address the giant elephant in the room, a thought that had been in the back of his head the moment he had woken up to find Mark by his side.

"Mark, why are you here?"

"Do you want me to leave?" Mark asked instead of answering, all his attention on Donghyuck's well-being. As if Donghyuck was...important.

"No," Donghyuck replied honestly. His last memories flashed by before the black out. The three black wolves, Mark coming to his rescue last second, challenging them all on his own. If not for Mark he wouldn’t be alive right now. "You were ready to die for me."

Mark looked a bit taken aback by his forwardness. But then his gaze shifted into determination.

"I was," he admitted.

"You weren't just being reckless?" Donghyuck needed to know. Mark smiled fondly as he shook his head.

"No," he affirmed.

"Oh," Donghyuck muttered, his heart doing a weird thing at the confession. Even back in the forest, when Mark had rescued him, he hadn’t been capable of understanding Mark’s actions. Now hearing it aloud – it was scary, scary how far Mark was willing to apparently go for him.

"I'm sorry, Donghyuck," Mark apologized, breaking the silence that had settled between them. "Last year...and this year, when I told everybody to stay away from you. That wasn't right. I know this will not fix things, but I already told everybody that they are free to court you."

"Oh," Donghyuck repeated. "Uhm...thanks. I appreciate that."

Mark looked at him longingly and Donghyuck felt himself suffocate under all his affection.

"I'm sorry," Mark said again, but this time it sounded heartbroken, almost as if something was hurting him. "I...I should've been there sooner. You wouldn't have...they wouldn't have..."

Okay, Mark might be an idiot, but he just apologized and Donghyuck really didn't need Mark to blame himself for something he could neither control or change.

"They would've still gotten to me," Donghyuck reasoned with him. "I was too far out at the border. There was no way anyone would've gotten to me in time."

"Still, if I had kept track-"

"If you even so much as think of following me every hunt again, I'm not forgiving you anymore," Donghyuck told him threateningly.

Mark promptly shut up.

"Good," Donghyuck said satisfied. He threw Mark a short glance, who was nervously fidgeting in his seat, and he wanted to dissolve this heavy atmosphere around them. So he flicked Mark's forehead with his unharmed fingers. "Now, why are you such an idiot?"

"I - what?!" Mark spluttered surprised, rubbing his forehead to ease the sudden pain.

"If you...like me...why were you such an idiot about it? I mean, we used to be friends!" Donghyuck said frustrated. "Until you got all weird and distant and never talked to me again."

Mark turned his head away, but Donghyuck swore that even in the dim room he could make out a blush on his cheeks.

"I just...I...well...you smell like watermelons!" Mark stuttered as if that was explanation enough. Donghyuck simply cocked an eyebrow at him and Mark huffed, scrambling for words. "When I presented as an alpha and you as an omega, you started smelling like watermelons. And it made me get all these thoughts and feelings and I didn't know how to deal with that."

"That's not an excuse," Donghyuck pointed out irritated. Mark might’ve saved his life – but he had still been a major idiot. "Everybody gets weird thoughts and feelings when presenting. But only you decided to leave me."

"I'm sorry," Mark replied quietly. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Well, you did," Donghyuck said coldly. "Multiple times."

"I'm really sorry," Mark could only repeat. "It's just...when I'm near you I can't think straight."

"That's a lame excuse," Donghyuck said. "You could think straight enough to steal all my kills, relentlessly compete against me in hunting training and then tease me for it."

"That was...I was...only trying to flirt with you," Mark mumbled embarrassed, getting quieter and quieter at the end. "And try to show you that I am capable. Kind of hard to do when the omega you like is better at everything."

And why didn’t you try to court me sooner?”

“Because…because I’m not...I’m not brave like you. And I was afraid you’d reject me.”

Donghyuck almost snorted in disbelief.

"Stop talking, you're only making things worse for yourself," Donghyuck told him and Mark looked away more than flustered.

"I'm sorry," he said.

It was silent for a while as Donghyuck inspected the alpha carefully.

"You slept here?" He asked, noticing the dent in his sheets that fit the shape of Mark's head and the older's ears turned a dark pink.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm sorry."

"Gods, stop apologizing," Donghyuck groaned annoyed. "Go sleep in your hut, you look like you are about to drop dead any second. And take a bath, this whole place smells of cinnamon and you reek."

"I'm sorry," Mark repeated once more, then biting down on his tongue in realization. "I'll...I'll leave. If there isn't anything you want me to do for you?"

"I'm fine," Donghyuck assured him.

"Okay," Mark nodded, slowly standing up and walking to the door.

"Mark!" Donghyuck called after him when he opened it.

"Yes?" The alpha immediately turned around.

"I expect another courting gift on my porch once I'm out of here," he said and Mark looked stunned. Donghyuck's sudden spur of confidence wavered. "You're still courting me, aren't you?"

"Yes!" Mark said quickly, wildly nodding his head in conformation. "Yes, I am."

"Good," Donghyuck replied, feeling his own face heat up. "Now go. You still reek."

He didn't miss the smile that formed formed on Mar's lips after his words...but it was way too soon to acknowledge the warmth spreading in his heart at the sight.



The second word got around about Donghyuck's recovery, Renjun and Yangyang made their way to the healing hut. However, they weren't the only ones visiting the omega - Renjun almost froze in place when the chief and chiefess stepped out of the hut just when they were about to enter.

Renjun was so shocked at suddenly seeing them that he didn't notice Jeno behind them. He hadn't really seen him since their talk in the woods a few days ago.

The alpha gave him a small smile as he walked by him, but didn't say anything. Renjun tried to swallow the strange emotion rising in him.

"Oh, you're surely here to see Donghyuck, right?" The chief suddenly addressed them and both Yangyang and Renjun lowered their heads in respect.

"We are," Yangyang replied to him.

"Good to see that he has so many people that support him. It will make his recovery a lot easier," the chief said in his typical warm nature.

"Yes, we'll take good care of him," Renjun said, subtly stepping on Yangyang's toes when the omega looked like he wanted to ask intruding questions.

"I'm sure of that," the beautiful omega woman next to the chief said with a radiating smile.

Renjun ducked his head again at her presence, overwhelmed by her beauty and effortless confidence.

"Come on, Jeno, we have some things to discuss," the chief said, pulling his son to his side and the royal family walked away.

Yangyang gave Renjun a pointed look, eyes widening with the seconds passing - then he stormed inside the healing hut.

 

"Donghyuck! Why on earth was the chief and his family here?" Yangyang asked straight away when they entered Donghyuck's room.

"So you haven't changed the eight days I was out," Donghyuck groaned, Yangyang’s voice already ringing in his ear.

Renjun finally felt the stress inside him fled away - Donghyuck was alive and healthy. He had survived. All was well again.

"Hey, how are you?" Renjun smiled at him.

"I've been better," Donghyuck answered honestly. "But I've also been worse. So, I'm gonna be fine."

"Oh, I'm so happy," Renjun exhaled. "We've been so worried."

"You know I wouldn't leave this place without a fight," Donghyuck boasted and Renjun laughed at the way he tried to crack his knuckles with only one hand – it was good to see Donghyuck back to his playful, cocky self.

"Never doubted that," he indulged him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm also glad you're feeling better. But can you please answer my question now?" Yangyang whined impatiently, puckering his lips in a disturbing pout.

Donghyuck rolled his eyes fondly.

"He just asked me about the attack. What I remember from it. Wasn't really interesting," he shrugged – he had spent the last hour answering questions he barely had answers to. Everything had happened too fast.

"Oh," Yangyang looked quite disappointed.

"What were you thinking they were doing here?" Donghyuck questioned him, confused by his reaction.

"Well, since Prince Jeno was here as well...might've been about the courting," Yangyang replied slyly.

Renjun quickly turned his head away. He hadn't told anybody about Jeno's courting offer. (And the last person he considered consulting was without a doubt Yangyang.)

"Why would Prince Jeno court me? We talked like twice," Donghyuck snorted at the omega.

"Well, it's about time he decides on someone," the youngest among them defended himself.

"Well, if he's deciding on anyone it would be-"

"Hey, on the topic of courting - where's Mark? He usually wouldn't leave your side," Renjun interrupted Donghyuck loudly. His friend threw him a knowing glance and Renjun tried desperately to avoid eye contact.

"I sent him away to sleep and bathe," Donghyuck replied, letting Renjun slide. Then he gave the omega a reluctant look. "He really didn't leave me?"

"He was glued to your side," Yangyang answered dramatically. "Seriously, that guy is something else. Is it true that he tried to fight off three alphas for you?"

"Uhm," Donghyuck mumbled, but the blush on his face was answer enough.

"Did you talk to him? About the courting?" Renjun asked – sensing that something had shifted inside Donghyuck.

"Yeah," Donghyuck replied. "I...I might give it a shot. With him. Maybe...maybe he isn't too bad. Maybe."

Renjun gave him a bright smile, perhaps some things happened for a reason, for everything to turn out well in the end.

"Yaaay for us!" Yangyang cheered animatedly. "We're all being courted now!"

"What? I'm not - I haven't - Nobody's courting me!" Renjun wanted to object, but Yangyang raised an eyebrow at him.

"Erm, there is? Bao and Dan, right?" Yangyang reminded him.

Oh, right. He let out a relieved breath. He hadn't thought about them in a while. Not since Jeno...

"Right!" Renjun said out loud. Yangyang glanced at him bewildered. "I've been so distracted because of Donghyuck! Haven't thought about courting in a while," he excused his scattered mind.

"Well, then you should definitely start thinking about it more," Yangyang told him. "Didn't you like Bao?"

"I mean, I don't dislike him. I haven't talked to him much," Renjun corrected the younger omega.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Yangyang asked exasperated. "Or did you change your mind about the prince?"

"What's there to change my mind about?" Renjun countered, voice rising in pitch.

"Well, you told me you wouldn't try getting him to court you," Yangyang said slowly, squinting his eyes in suspicion. "But since you're not pursuing Bao - I still think the prince is an option for you."

"Haha, what makes you even think that?!" Renjun said, flailing around with his arms awkwardly.

His two friends looked at him concerned by now.

"You're being weird," Yangyang commented dryly.

"That's...that's because I promised Sicheng to do the laundry! I completely forgot!" Renjun went with the first excuse that came to mind, and before there could be any more questions asked he rushed outside.

Goodness, he really needed to get his head straight.

 

 

A few days went by and soon Donghyuck was well enough to be transferred into his parent's hut. Donghyuck hadn't seen Mark around personally, but he knew by the lingering scent of cinnamon that the alpha had been lurking around the healing hut a lot. To be honest Donghyuck wasn't sure what to make of it.

What Mark had told him...about getting weird feelings after their presentations seemed at least somewhat plausible. Hell, Donghyuck had been confused about his new instincts more often than not when he was a teenager. And if Mark had decided that back then the only option to get in control over them was to cut Donghyuck out of his life he could only imagine the confusion Mark must've experienced. It was still a bit cowardly to just run away without an explanation, though.

He supposed all their bickering and cat fights had been mostly initiated by him out of spite over Mark just throwing their friendship away.

And that Mark was just terribly at flirting was a fact he could wholeheartedly believe. But threatening people over courting him? That was worse than terrible flirting. Although Mark had apologized and tried to make things right for that.

The only thing Donghyuck wasn't brave enough to consider in his wandering mind was...were the feelings Mark seemed to have for him. They seemed too big for Donghyuck. What Mark had done and was willing to do for him...Donghyuck wasn't ready to fully grasp.

"Hey, eat up!" His mother ripped him out of his thoughts, staring at him from across the kitchen table.

"But I'm so full," Donghyuck whined, rubbing his belly demonstratively. His mother had done nothing but stuff him with food ever since he had woken up. "I already ate three bowls of rice."

"You need all that energy to recover!" His mother scolded him with a stern glance. "Look at you, you look like a skeleton - you lost so much weight!"

Donghyuck rolled his eyes - but he knew his mother was only acting like this because she had been worried.

"If I eat this - am I allowed to go for a walk outside?" Donghyuck tried to bargain. He hadn't left the hut at all, not yet allowed to strain himself too much.

"No, the healers said you needed to rest for at least two more days," his mother denied him and Donghyuck groaned.

"A walk outside won't kill me!" Donghyuck argued with his best pouty lips. "Please? I feel like a dying plant inside here."

"You can take a walk to your room after you finished eating," his mother said, showing no mercy.

Donghyuck huffed, shoving the last few spoons inside his mouth. He ostentatiously skipped his way to his room, his powerful steps making the hut shake a little.

"Yah, Donghyuck!" His mother yelled after him, but Donghyuck had already closed the door.

 

He let his body drop onto his furs, a brand new stag one among them. His mother must've skinned it while he had been unconscious.

It still smelled faintly of cinnamon. Maybe it was because Donghyuck was getting so familiar to the scent by now that it had a somewhat calming effect on him. Well, he guessed Mark could've smelled worse. Cinnamon was a rather pleasant scent.

Bored out of his mind, he rolled around a bit and ended up staring at the ceiling. He couldn't wait to get back to all his classes.

Figuring that there was nothing better to do right now he decided to take a nap. He was feeling a little tired from eating so much anyways.

He rolled in on himself and closed his eyes, slipping into a light sleep easily.

 

When he woke up from his short slumber it was already afternoon. He heard subdued conversation from outside his room. Was his father home yet? He usually was on building duty until dinner.

There was a soft knock on his door and Donghyuck sat up. Maybe Renjun and Yangyang had come to visit after classes were over?

"Yeah?" Donghyuck called out and his mother opened the door. To his surprise it wasn't Renjun or Yangyang awkwardly shuffling on his feet behind her - but Mark.

"Someone just came to leave another courting gift," his mother smiled, letting her eyes wander between Mark and Donghyuck excitedly.

"Oh, erm...thanks," Donghyuck said with a curt nod. Mark looked a bit embarrassed at being caught in the act by Donghyuck's mother, keeping his gaze fixed to the ground.

"I invited him in. Thought he could keep you some company, since you've been feeling lonely," his mother explained Mark's presence.

"I'm not lonely!" Donghyuck quickly argued. "Just bored."

"Same difference," his mother disregarded him. She eyed Mark one more time, before leaving them alone in Donghyuck's room.

"Uhm...how are you feeling?" Mark asked, slowly taking a few steps closer to the omega.

"Like I said, bored," Donghyuck huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I...I meant the injury," Mark specified.

"Oh, I don't even feel it anymore," Donghyuck claimed loudly. Then he bit down on his lip in reconsideration and added much more quietly - "Just don't...touch it."

Mark nodded, balancing from one feet to another, clearly feeling out of place in Donghyuck's room and personal space.

"I can leave if you don't want me to be here. Er...I only came in because your mom told me to," Mark offered awkwardly.

Donghyuck shrugged, just about to tell Mark that he could do whatever he wanted to do. But then an idea formed in his head.

"Mom!" He yelled loudly, making Mark startle a little by the sudden volume in his voice. Not a second later his mother rushed back into his room. Donghyuck grinned. "Mark said he wanted to take me for a walk outside."

"What? I didn-" Mark wanted to protest irritated, but Donghyuck's urgent glare shut him up.

"Oh, you really think that's a good idea?" Donghyuck's mother asked the alpha with a concerned frown. "He's supposed to be resting."

"We'll only go for a quick walk!" Donghyuck intercepted, not letting the alpha come to word. "And Mark will look out for me, right?"

Mark seemed a bit perplexed, but still nodded.

"See? It's gonna be fine," Donghyuck concluded victoriously.

Donghyuck's mother looked conflicted, but ultimately gave in to the request. She wanted her son to have a normal courting experience, especially after the disaster that last year had been.

"Okay, but you are back for dinner!" She said sternly and Donghyuck squealed in happiness, jumping up to his feet.

"Thank you!" He said, giving his mother a bright smile.

"No running or jumping around! And no shifting!" His mother reminded him and Donghyuck nodded impatiently.

"Can we go now?" He asked, eyes round and big and his mother sighed.

"Don't let him get away with anything, Mark," she instructed the alpha and Mark nodded obediently.

 

Before she could change her mind Donghyuck forcefully grabbed Mark's hand and pulled him outside. He almost stumbled over the courting gift Mark had left him in front of their door, so eager to get some fresh air.

"Another stag?" Donghyuck asked Mark when he saw the huge animal on his porch.

"Y-yeah?" Mark replied unsure.

"You need to stop giving me stags," Donghyuck stated with a deadpan.

"But y-you told me to get you another courting gift!" Mark spluttered embarrassed.

"Yeah, but if you keep bringing me stags, you're gonna be the next one laying in that bed unconscious soon," Donghyuck told him. "Stags can be dangerous."

"I can keep up with a stag," Mark defended himself, puffing out his chest and Donghyuck raised his eyebrows unimpressed.

"Then why are you limping?" He questioned, having noticed the way Mark shifted his weight onto his right foot as they started walking.

"I...I'm not, I can-"

"Besides, I don't need you to give me such big gifts," Donghyuck interrupted Mark.

"But I feel like I still have to make things up to you," Mark said and Donghyuck glanced at him.

"Well, you can do that with smaller gifts," the omega insisted.

"But-"

"No more stags from now on, okay? That's an order," Donghyuck said clearly, no room for objections.

"Fine," Mark agreed without any further fight. "Is...is there anything else you want?"

Donghyuck laughed at the question. Mark was an idiot, but he was kind of sweet sometimes.

"Aren't you supposed to come up with gift ideas? I'm not going to make this easier for you," he said cheekily.

They had made it to the forest by now and Donghyuck halted for a short second. He closed his eyes, letting himself breathe in the fresh air. His bones tingled, everything inside him screaming to just surge ahead through the woods. Without thinking he took a step towards the calling - but his knee hit a low hanging gnarl and he stumbled forward.

Mark reacted quickly, arms slinging around Donghyuck's waist. Strong arms pulled him against Mark's chest, keeping him upright and preventing him from a possibly fatal fall on his injury. The omega's heart was beating rapidly as he felt the secure grip around him.

"Be careful," Mark said, slowly retreating his arms again when he was sure Donghyuck was standing steady on his own.

"Yeah," Donghyuck mumbled flustered. "Uh, thanks for catching me. Quick reaction there."

Mark chuckled as they resumed walking.

"My speed is the only thing that makes me a good hunter," he said, sheepishly ruffling through his hair.

"True, you're pretty fast," Donghyuck admitted, watching a bit puzzled as Mark's face turned a deep shape of red. "You alright?"

"Yep," Mark breathed out. Donghyuck only shrugged, focusing his gaze back on the path in front of them.

"You could need some help with your technique though. If you get better at sneaking up to your prey, injuries are far more unlikely and you won't need so much strength," Donghyuck educated him with his own experiences.

"Is that why you slow down before you approach anything?" Mark asked curiously and Donghyuck nodded.

"I'll have to play to my strengths, since I don't have the physical advantages," he explained. "I'll show you some time, after I'm cleared to shift from the healers."

He had offered his help without much thought, but Mark's eyes had a special sparkle in them when Donghyuck turned to look at him again.

"I'd like that," the alpha said with a warm smile and Donghyuck quickly turned his head away, not being able to handle the intensity of Mark's gaze.

They walked in silence for a bit after that until Donghyuck found one of his favorite big rocks and took a seat. Mark watched him precariously, only sitting down when Donghyuck patted the empty space next to him.

"Remember how we used to play hide and seek in these woods?" Donghyuck asked in bittersweet nostalgia. "Renjun was so tiny back then, we could never find him."

"He's still tiny," Mark chuckled in reminiscence.

"Don't let him hear you say that," Donghyuck replied, but he was also smiling. "He's small but vicious."

"Mhh," Mark hummed amused. "Why did you decide to join hunting training? When we were younger you hated any kind of physical labor."

Donghyuck sighed. It was not the first time he had been asked this question, but it was still hard to answer some times. Nobody ever seemed to just understand.

"I don't hate it," Donghyuck replied after some thought. "I think I've grown to like hunting quite a bit. And I think I can be quite useful for this pack in the future."

"Because of your strategies?" Mark asked interested.

"Because nobody expects an omega to be a hunter," Donghyuck told him. "I think I started hunting as a form of rebelling. And then I thought, if I join and show that an omega can do it, it might be an inspiration to a bunch of younger omegas, who weren't brave enough to take the first step."

"I always thought omegas just don't enjoy hunting," Mark pointed out with a shrug.

"I think most of them don't," Donghyuck agreed with him. "But I think a few of them would at least like to try. And while this pack is very progressive and forward thinking concerning omegas, I still think omegas are looked at a bit differently. Like...we are weaker - and not only physically. I feel like there is judgement against us."

They were both quiet after that, sinking into their own thoughts. The trees surrounding them gave some sense of hidden secrecy, away from any other people, any responsibilities that waited for them in the village. Nature was truly a beauty full of mysteries.

All of a sudden Donghyuck felt strangely reminded to the olden days, where they had sneaked away from home to play in the woods until the sun went down, also loosing all sense of duty. Being here together like this awoke some distant memories – but weirdly the feelings he had held back then hadn’t changed. The only difference was that now they were all grown up.

Talking to Mark was still easy and Donghyuck didn't seem to mind sharing a space with him out here.

"We...we should probably head back. Dinner should be ready soon and I don't want to anger your mother," Mark suggested after a while of peaceful silence. The sun had slowly started setting, turning the sky into soft orange hues.

"I guess you're right," Donghyuck sighed reluctantly, standing back up.

Mark walked him all the way back to his hut - the stag on the porch had disappeared by now. His mother had probably brought it in for him.

"Thanks for taking me on a walk," Donghyuck said earnestly when Mark was about to say goodbye and get dinner with everyone else. "I was dwindling in there all by myself."

"Oh, yeah, no problem," Mark said, eyes full of kindness. "Anytime."

Donghyuck smirked at him.

"I expect a more unique courting gift next time," he ordered. "Come up with something good."

"I...I will," Mark assured him eagerly and Donghyuck giggled. Getting courted was kind of fun.

"Well, goodnight," Donghyuck said, heading inside.

That had been...a pleasant afternoon.



Everybody was glad to see Donghyuck return to his classes two days later - his short injury caused break only seemed to have doubled his energy. Even though he wasn't allowed to shift yet, he participated every hunting training, staying behind and practicing his technique with whoever was available. Mark seemed to have wanted to offer to stay with him a few times, but the older hunters never let him stray too far, needing him to pull his weight for the pack in hunting.

February was coming to an end and rain became more and more frequent, washing away even the last reminders of frost.

Renjun couldn't have made a better decision concerning his courting gifts - the umbrella he and Jeno had made coming in handy almost everyday.

He still hadn't spoken to Jeno about the courting offer. Actually, Renjun hadn't spoken to anybody about the courting offer.

Because wasn't it just insane? Renjun being courted by a prince? That was just...ridiculous, wasn't it?

During the days that Renjun had been contemplating how to best talk to Jeno, two more alphas had left courting gifts at his porch. Bao had also apologized for missing their date, explaining how he had gotten carried away in hunting training that afternoon – but he wanted to make up for that and had left Renjun another rabbit on his porch.

Wouldn't anyone of them be a better choice for Renjun?

Not that Renjun knew any of them very well personally, but at least Bao seemed to be decent. And he hadn't heard bad things about the other two as well. One of them had even given Renjun a very nice silk cloth as a courting gift. From an objective perspective Renjun should definitely just chose anyone among them to get to know closer.

So, why wasn't he?

 

"Renjun? Renjun!" Sicheng was snapping his fingers in front of his face. It was evening and Sicheng had just been telling him about his day before they would go to sleep.

"Sorry, I spaced out," Renjun apologized with a crooked smile. "What were you saying?"

Sicheng gave him a long look, before sighing.

"Nothing," he replied. "But I want to know what's on your mind lately? I thought it was because of Donghyuck, but he's been better for over a week now. So that can't be it."

Renjun dropped his gaze to his lap, where he was playing with the silk cloth, the material feeling soft against his fingers.

"Who's this from?" Sicheng asked him. "Is this about courting?"

"No," Renjun quickly replied, before contemplating. "I mean...yeah, it is, but..."

Sicheng shuffled in his furs, making room for Renjun who took the invitation and leaned against him.

"So? Who is it?" Sicheng nudged him in his side. "Who made you get this distracted?"

"I...-" Renjun didn't know how to start. "Okay, this is very...secret information. Nobody can know, okay?"

Sicheng gestured how he locked his lips and threw the key away. Renjun chortled at the childishness of it but appreciated the sentiment.

"So, you know the rumors about Jeno and I?" Renjun started in a low voice and Sicheng nodded.

"Do they bug you this much?" The older omega asked.

"No...it's just...they are...kind of...true?" Renjun's voice was barely a whisper at the end. He watched a bit scared how Sicheng's eyes became the size of plates.

"Prince Jeno...-" he said, obviously trying his best to stay calm. "Is courting you?"

"No, he's not," Renjun denied right away. "But he did ask me about it. If I would be okay with that."

"And?" Sicheng pried on the edge of his seat.

"I told him I needed some time to think about it," Renjun explained his current situation. "Because it's just insane, right? He shouldn't court me! I'm an orphan! He can't be serious, right? And I have no clue about the....royal lifestyle or whatever. Besides, I need to focus on Donghyuck - he's just recovered and he still needs a lot of help."

Sicheng was silent after Renjun's little rant, eyeing him thoughtfully.

"I think you are just looking for excuses," he stated and Renjun gasped in betrayal – he had expected Sicheng’s support, not his exposure.

"I'm not-"

"Well, everything you said was just an excuse," Sicheng remained firm. "Prince Jeno is clearly serious. He knows about your background, so he doesn't seem to mind you're an orphan. And Donghyuck by god doesn't need any help recovering - he's been jumping around without a break every time I saw him these past days."

"But...but-" Renjun tried to defend himself.

"I think you are just scared," Sicheng concluded. "Because you like Prince Jeno. And you don't know what that means."

Renjun was stunned silent. Then he shyly cleared his throat.

"So...so what if I like Jeno?" Renjun asked cautiously. "What would that mean?"

Sicheng gave him a warm, brotherly smile.

"Well, first of all that would mean that he would start to court you," Sicheng said, throwing an arm around Renjun. "And you can just explore whatever you feel for each other from then on. Easy as that."

"But Jeno's a prince," Renjun repeated one more time. "And I don't know...about tradition and royal customs and all that stuff."

"Considering the first interaction you had with Jeno was teaching him how to do his laundry - I think Jeno would be more than happy to return the favor every once in a while and teach you about royal lifestyle," Sicheng chuckled. "And you don't have to be worried about all that just yet. It's just courting. If you don't like it - you can just decide to not court him back."

"Still...if I tell him to court me people are gonna start talking and it's gonna be a whole...thing!" Renjun argued, feeling like he had gotten into a dilemma. "Imagine what they are gonna say if I decide to not court a prince back?!"

"You worry too much," Sicheng shook his head. "You like Jeno, right?"

Renjun bit down on his lip before slowly nodding.

"See, that's all that's important. Whatever will happen, will happen. So just take this chance and be happy about the fact that Jeno seems to like you back," Sicheng encouraged him.

"I'm not sure," Renjun sighed. It was a big deal. All the rumors going around whenever he had just as much as talked to Jeno had made that more than clear.

Sicheng flopped back in his furs exasperated. Then he sat back up with determination in his eyes.

"How about we make a deal?" He suggested and Renjun looked at him confused.

"What kind of deal?" He asked carefully.

"If you tell Jeno that he can court you...I'll go and tell Yuta the same," Sicheng said as if he wasn't believing he was bringing this up himself. The lengths he went to see Renjun happy, really.

But Sicheng knew this would work, because Renjun would go just as far to see Sicheng happy as well.

"You're serious?" Renjun asked suspiciously.

"Yes," Sicheng confirmed, honesty resonating in his voice. "I'll let Yuta court me. But only if you talk to Jeno."

Renjun squinted his eyes at him, trying to figure out if there was a loophole in this. But Sicheng looked serious.

"Fine," Renjun said.

"Good," Sicheng said.

With that they ended their conversation and went to sleep.

Somehow the prospect of talking to Jeno made Renjun feel weirdly excited. But who was he even trying to fool by now? Maybe he should just finally start embracing that he was falling for the prince.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!
Luckily my lecture for the afternoon got cancelled, so that I can share this chapter with you now :3

NCT's favorite is really growing on me more and more, like, that chorus is just world class.

Again, thanks for all the support and all the lovely comments underneath the last chapter - you guys just continue to be the best readers I could wish for :3

Have a lovely day and stay healthy <3

Chapter 9: Sunflower

Notes:

New chapter - hope you enjoy :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was like Jeno was beating him at his own game.

Renjun remembered how a few weeks back he had dreaded no costs to avoid the prince - now Jeno seemed to be taking his sweet revenge on him, dodging every attempt of Renjun to get near him.

The prince was never alone, always surrounded by his inevitable following of omegas, giggling and whispering and swooning. (Renjun was too proud to admit that he was happy that Jeno at least didn't seem to pay them any more attention than he did Renjun.)

And then there was also Jaemin. Jaemin, who seemed to be glued to Jeno's side these past days. Renjun had never really noticed how much time the two alphas spend together. Maybe that was because usually it had been Jeno searching for him, so Renjun never had to mind much weather Jeno was alone or not.

Now, however, Renjun did mind. And he was pretty sure he didn't need Jaemin or every omega in this pack to witness what he had to tell Jeno.

The only thing that eased Renjun's conscience a little was the fact that until now Sicheng hadn't received a courting gift either. That meant Renjun would have a little more time before he had to fulfill his part of the deal.

That changed however when after a week of trying to get Jeno alone there was a brand new bowl of honey waiting on their porch, the golden sweet liquid inside unmistakably a courting gift.

It obviously couldn't be for Renjun - Renjun's designated space for courting gifts was far more right. Besides, the alphas who had been courting Renjun had stuck to more traditional courting gifts, mostly bringing him their hunting prey to skin.

But the biggest give-away that the bowl wasn't for him was the fact that Sicheng loved honey. (And that Yuta smelled like honey ten miles against the wind.)

At first the older omega acted a bit coy as he spotted the bowl one morning when they left the orphanage together. Then he glanced at Renjun, who was hardly suppressing his giddy smile, and puffed out his chest.

"Your turn," he simply said as he walked past him, the bowl of honey held dearly to his chest. "I'm waiting."

Renjun's smile slipped right off his face.

Just like that his only viable excuse to procrastinate the talk with Jeno vanished into thin air.

 

 

Donghyuck was sitting by the lake, carefully washing his wounds. His arm and shoulder looked almost completely normal again, his flesh healed to its best capability. You almost didn’t notice that he had been hurt at all - apart from the big, fresh scar forming on his tanned skin. Donghyuck wasn't sure how he felt about that just yet. Sure, it looked fierce and scary. And that wasn't usually something an omega could pride himself with.

But the scar reached from his wrist up all the way to his shoulder, almost reaching the place were a mating bite would hopefully one day be placed.

And that would probably look silly. Like his mate had tried to bite him and then slipped with their teeth, all the way down his arm.

What could now be seen as a fierce battle scar could easily become a laughing stock in the future. Not to say that it wasn’t quite the depiction of untouched omegan beauty.

Slowly Donghyuck traced the scar with his fingers. His skin was still sensitive and when he passed over a certain spot near his elbow he felt pain shoot through his whole arm up to his neck. He hissed and winced but still traced the scar down to his palm.

What once had been his golden unblemished skin was now tainted with pain and violence. He looked at his other arm in comparison. It was a weird feeling, like it didn't belong to his body anymore, no trace of any of his struggles on his right arm. Two arms that suddenly didn't match anymore. Like his left arm had aged and grown up and his right arm was still the one he was born with, a leftover from his childhood.

Which was a silly thought, because Donghyuck had been born with both his arms. The feeling of somewhat being split in half still didn't leave him, sitting queasy and alien and ugly in his chest.

A nearby rustle snapped him out of his thoughts. He listened carefully and made out paws circling around the area behind the bushes.

He rolled his eyes as he recognized the by now very familiar noise.

"Come out," he yelled commandingly. "By now I know what you sound like sneaking up on me."

There was complete silence for a second but Donghyuck knew that Mark was near him.

"Come out or I'll shift and track you down," Donghyuck challenged into the apparent nothingness.

It didn't take long for the rustling to pick up again and soon Mark made his way out of the bushes, quickly transforming from his wolf to his human form.

"You're...um, you're not allowed to shift yet," Mark said awkwardly and Donghyuck rolled his eyes.

"I know," he mocked him. "Stop sneaking up on me though."

Mark's ears turned pink and Donghyuck smiled satisfied.

"I wasn't sneaking up on you," Mark defended himself half-heartedly. "I was about to come out. I want to give you something."

Donghyuck raised his eyebrows as Mark made his way towards him.

"My new courting gift?" He questioned curiously and Mark's ears turned impossibly pinker.

"N-no, erm, not yet, I'm still working on that," Mark mumbled sheepishly. "I stopped by the healing hut this morning and they told me to give you this. It's an ointment, it's supposed to help with the healing process in this stage."

Somehow Donghyuck couldn't help but feel a tad bit disappointed. He had kind of been looking forward to what Mark would come up with for his courting gift.

"Thanks," he still said, accepting the little bowl Mark handed him. It was filled with a weird green substance. He pulled a face as he dunked two of his fingers in the slimy mush - he had just washed himself!

A bit flustered he noticed Mark's eyes follow his movement as he traced his fingers up his arm to his shoulder, halting at his neck. When Donghyuck cleared his throat Mark flushed red and quickly turned his head away, embarrassed at being caught staring.

"It's kind of ugly, right?" Donghyuck asked him nonchalant, covering up his scar with the green paste.

"Oh, but it's supposed to be very helpful! I think it's made out of sunset foxglove, I don't take healing classes though, so maybe you should confirm about this with someone else bec-"

"I didn't mean the ointment," Donghyuck interrupted Mark's rambling. The alpha looked confused, eyes wide with innocence. "I meant my arm. The scar is quite ugly, isn't it? Makes me look old."

"I...I find it hard to find anything about you ugly, Donghyuck," Mark muttered and Donghyuck snapped his head around.

Mark's eyes were still wide, but now purposeful, a fascinating sparkle glistering in his dark pupils.

No, Donghyuck, no, you are not going to blush at Mark Lee complementing you!

Against his will his cheeks warmed up. How embarrassing, Donghyuck thought, quickly ending their eye contact and focusing back on applying the green paste to his scar. Somehow he could now understand a little why Mark had avoided him after presenting. These feelings were indeed very weird.

"Did they tell you for how long this has to stay on?" Donghyuck asked as casually as his voice allowed him.

"Just...er...just until it dries," Mark told him and Donghyuck nodded.

Shyly he glanced at Mark, who was still looking at him with those sparkling eyes. Donghyuck swallowed, throat suddenly dry.

"Uhm, thanks," he mumbled quietly, catching Mark by surprise, who had expected a lot more fight and bark from the outspoken omega.

"You're welcome," he smiled softly.

Donghyuck glanced at him again.

"You should...you should probably go. Renjun and I are about to meet up here. And you probably have a lot of stuff to do," he said awkwardly and Mark scrambled to his feet.

"Right, yeah," he agreed, dusting off his pants. "Uhm, I hope this helps. And that you can shift again soon. We kind of...need you during the hunt."

"Oh," Donghyuck breathed out flustered. This whole blushing thing was getting on his nerves! Where was his usual confidence? Demonstratively the omega straightened his back and held his chin a bit higher. "Sure you do. I'm the best in my class."

"Yeah," Mark chuckled softly, a hand running through his hair and Donghyuck couldn't stop his thoughts before they ran wild and told him that Mark was looking kind of attractive right now.

"You should really go," he said, ignoring how his voice had risen in pitch a little.

How had they gone from their bitter rivalry to this?!

"Okay, see you" Mark said, with one elegant stride turning back to his wolf form and brushing away past the trees.

Donghyuck snorted before dropping to his back, limbs spread apart like a starfish. He closed his eyes, letting his thoughts wander freely for a second then he sat back up frustrated when he noticed that his thoughts kept unwillingly drifting towards Mark.

Argh, what was that thickheaded moron doing to him?!

 

The green paste on his arm was as dry as sand by now and Donghyuck slowly began to brush it off, dipping his hands in the water of the lake and cleaning over his injury once more.

Just as he rolled his sleeves back down another wolf jumped out of the bushes. This one albeit much smaller than Mark's alpha, its light brown fur matching the bright scent of vanilla it carried around.

"You're late," Donghyuck grumbled as Renjun shifted back to human form.

"Sorry, I got caught up in healing classes," Renjun grinned in apology, flopping down on the ground next to him.

"Well, I'm all cleaned up now. As you can see, I don't need your help," Donghyuck pointed out. Renjun had actually offered to help him wash earlier today - even though Donghyuck had insisted multiple times that he was perfectly capable to bathe on his own.

"I know," Renjun said and Donghyuck gave him a puzzled look.

"Then why did you say you wanted to help me?" He asked, watching how Renjun's face turned a dark shade of red, much similar to the color Mark's had been a few minutes ago. Huh, seemed like Donghyuck just had that effect on people.

"I need your help with something and it's...something private," Renjun muttered hesitantly.

"Shoot. You know I won't talk," Donghyuck prompted him, always happy to be needed and help someone out. Renjun took a deep breath, as if bracing himself for what he was about to tell him.

"So...you have some experience in telling alphas to start courting you, right?" Renjun said and Donghyuck's jaw dropped. That had been the last thing he had ever expected Renjun to ask.

"You want to confront an alpha into courting you?!" He exclaimed shocked and Renjun quickly pressed his hands over his mouth.

"I don't want to confront him!" Renjun clarified sternly. "Just...tell him?"

"And what's the problem? You forgot how to talk?" Donghyuck joked around and Renjun scoffed annoyed.

"I can't...He's always surrounded by people!" Renjun huffed exasperated. Donghyuck looked at him, the puzzle pieces slowly setting into place in his head.

"Wait - Prince Jeno?!" Donghyuck shouted again - because that was the only alpha he knew that was being followed everywhere.

"I- how? No! Yes!" Renjun spluttered embarrassed. Then he groaned and buried his head in his knees.

"Should I start bowing to you?" Donghyuck teased him and Renjun slapped his healthy arm.

"This is not funny!" Renjun pouted upset. "Jeno asked if he could court me...but I told him I needed time to think. And now he's avoiding me? Help?"

Donghyuck chortled at Renjun's misery, but then regained seriousness when Renjun threw him a deadpan, obviously expecting some actual help instead of just being made fun of. So Donghyuck gathered himself for the sake of his friend – he supposed he owed him that.

"Listen, Jeno's the prince. If you tell him when he's alone or when he's in the middle of the whole pack doesn't matter. Everyone will know about the courting anyway," Donghyuck reasoned with him.

That made sense, Renjun thought. But it didn't make the thing less scary.

"Tell me when to start calling you highness, though. Don't want to be exiled," Donghyuck was back to making fun of him and Renjun hit him one more time.

"It's just courting! I'm not...I'm not a noble all of a sudden," Renjun muttered pointedly and Donghyuck giggled.

"Can't believe you scored the prince. Wait till Yangyang hears about this!" He cackled while Renjun murdered him with his eyes.

"Don't remind me," he sighed with discontent. He waited for Donghyuck to calm down again before he added quietly - "Do you think it's gonna be fine though? I'm gonna be fine?"

Donghyuck gave his friend a gentle smile. He remembered how the last conversation he had had before his injury was with Prince Jeno about Renjun - the royal alpha more than nervous and clearly fond of the omega.

"You're gonna be more than fine," Donghyuck assured him with all his confidence. "And about people gossiping - I'll have your back."

Renjun eyed Donghyuck cautiously. But he guessed if the strongest omega in this pack would have his back...there was not too much to worry about.



Renjun was chewing on his lips nervously, the skin slowly pealing off and leaving his lip stinging in subtle pain. Just like so many other omegas he had followed Jeno out of healing classes the next day and was now watching him from afar. The prince and Jaemin were sitting underneath a tree, woodcarving something as they talked casually with each other maybe they were working a building class assignment. Their group of admirers was whispering only a few meters away, stealing glances at both alphas, probably hoping for one of them to notice them.

Renjun couldn't believe what he was about to do.

Since there was a lack of apples this time of the year, Renjun had opted for a small roll of bread. He closed his eyes took a deep breath, trying to pull himself together. He opened his eyes, fixating his gaze on Jeno. Here goes nothing.

"Yah, Prince Jeno!" With all his might Renjun threw the bread towards the alpha as he walked up to him.

Jeno, albeit surprised, reacted quickly and dropped his wood to catch the bread.

"Renjun?" He asked a bit puzzled as the omega approached him with powerful strides.

Renjun heard the whispers behind him pick up, but he was on a mission and for the sake of this mission’s success he tried to tune them out.

"You've been avoiding me," Renjun stated, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he came to a halt directly in front of Jeno.

"You've told me you needed space," Jeno replied, blinking confused.

"I told you I needed some time to think," Renjun corrected him. "Not that I didn't want to see you anymore."

"Sorry," Jeno apologized, uncertainly fiddling with the loaf of bread he had caught. "I just...wanted you to be sure about this? I thought if I give you some space you can think clearer."

"Well, you can stop with that now," Renjun said determined. "I'm done thinking."

"You are?" Jeno asked hopefully. "What is...what is your answer then?"

Renjun watched as Jeno basically destroyed the loaf of bread in his hands, picking it apart into tiny pieces that trickled to the ground like snowflakes. Jeno's whole body language screamed that he was tensed to the max. There was suspension building up in the air - not even the whispers could be heard anymore, like everybody was holding their breath.

Renjun let Jeno fidget for a little while longer before he had mercy on him.

"Yes," he said, short and simple.

"Y-yes?" Jeno repeated, voice flipping. "So...that means you want me to court you? I can...I can...get you a gift now?"

"Yes," Renjun confirmed, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks. There were excited gasps behind him but he tried to ignore them.

Jeno's whole face lit up with joy, eyes turning into little crescents, lips spread into a wide grin. Somehow that reassured Renjun more than anything in his decision and he felt his own face mirroring Jeno's smile.

The alpha took Renjun by surprise when he threw his arms around his waist and swirled him around, his feet leaving the ground - Renjun heard actual squeals and screams behind them at the sudden action.

He ducked his head embarrassed when Jeno put him back down.

"You won't regret it!" Jeno promised him, patting Renjun on his shoulders.

"G-good," Renjun said, trying to regain his composure.

Jeno was still smiling at him like a maniac. One ounce more and he would combust with happiness.

"I...I'll go then. Uhm...yeah...just wanted to tell you that," Renjun said awkwardly, more aware than ever of the stares in his back.

"Or you can stay," Jeno offered, pointing to the empty space next to Jaemin, who grinned at him cheekily.

"Erm..." Renjun muttered, turning around to the onlookers that were scrutinizing him with their curious gazes. Yeah, he needed to get away. "No...I have to help Sicheng at the orphanage with...erm..Laundry! I'll see you though! When you...when you...er...yes! See you!"

Renjun's legs quickly carried him away, not waiting for Jeno's reply. In the corner of his eyes he could see Jaemin patting Jeno's back supportively, obviously happy for his best friend about this accomplishment.

Then he passed the group of omegas who had been watching their exchange. They inspected him, suddenly dead silent, partly in envy, partly in excitement. But Renjun supposed he would have to get used to that in the future. With Jeno courting him there would be a lot of eyes following his every move.

With Jeno courting him...alone the sound of that made a pleasant shiver run down Renjun's spine.

He had never expected his life to take such a turn. Jeno would be courting him! Jeno!

Oh, and Jeno had seemed so happy. It made Renjun's heart fill with warmth. Seeing Jeno so unabashedly happy about this was making him happy as well. He had never thought that someone could be so happy about getting to court him. He also had never thought he would be so happy about someone courting him.

Maybe this was what mates felt like? This feeling of pure joy and excitement - it was running through Renjun body, like a physical shower of warmth and affection pouring down him.

Wait - he shouldn't get ahead of himself. Jeno was only courting him. He could decide any moment to court two or three more omegas and not be exclusive about him. This was just the start, just courting. Way too early to think about mating or anything of the sorts.

 

However, when Renjun woke up the next morning and found the most beautiful fox fur on his porch he couldn't help the giddiness rising inside of him. This was not a dream. This was really happening.

Carefully he picked up the fur and pressed it to his face. It was soft and drenched in the scent of dark chocolate, leaving no doubt about who had brought it here. There was no damage to the fur and Jeno had even put in the effort and skinned it for Renjun before gifting it to him. Alone the fact that it hadn't even taken Jeno a full day to give to him made Renjun overwhelmed with just pure, unashamed, indescribably happiness.

Jeno must've been really excited about this. Maybe this would be worth all the gossip.

 

"Ouuu - OH!" Sicheng commented when Renjun came back inside with the fox fur in his arms and a bright smile on his face. "Is that-?"

"Yes!" Renjun answered before Sicheng could even end his question. "Isn't it nice? He even skinned it for me!"

"Wow, he's going all out," Sicheng chuckled over Renjun's cute excitement.

"I just - wah, I can't believe this is happening!" Renjun exclaimed, carefully storing the fur away.

"For that I had to push you into this so much you do seem very chirpy right now," Sicheng teased him like the big brother he was.

"Well, I just, I'm...I don't know, I feel...like there is...this tingling inside me?" Renjun tried to describe his feelings, somehow at a loss for words. Nothing had ever felt like his before.

"Naw, you're having butterflies in your stomach!" Sicheng cooed at him. "You're in love!"

"I'm not - I didn't say that!" Renjun quickly disagreed.

"Naw, you're still in denial?" Sicheng continued teasing him. "I thought you were over that."

"I'm not in denial!" Renjun pouted defensively.

"So you admit you like Jeno?" Sicheng kept prying.

"Of course I like him!" Renjun huffed. "Wouldn't have told him to court me otherwise."

"You're so cute!" Sicheng said, pinching Renjun in his cheeks. "Keep me updated on the Jeno topic okay? If he starts to bother you I'll chase him away."

"Doubt you could chase a prince away," Renjun told him skeptically.

"Watch me! Nobody messes with my little brother!" Sicheng said, ruffling through the younger’s hair. Although Renjun knew it was more meant as a joke he was still glad Sicheng was so supportive. Most omegas had fathers or mothers who could get rid of any overbearing suitors. It was really heartwarming to know that Sicheng was willing to take over that position for Renjun. And Renjun was more than willing to do the same for Sicheng. They might not be blood related but they definitely felt like family.

"Focus on your own courting," Renjun mumbled a bit flustered. That shut Sicheng up who seemed a bit shy himself now. Renjun glanced at him with a teasing smile. "How's that going, by the way?"

"Yuta is...really nice. Yeah...it's going well," Sicheng muttered bashfully.

"I've noticed you've been sneaking out during the night again," Renjun mentioned, watching in amusement as Sicheng's face turned red.

"Just going on walks," he said and Renjun couldn't help the giggle.

"I'm glad you're enjoying this. You deserve it, okay?" Renjun told him earnestly.

"Yeah...uhm, thanks, Renjun. Really, without you...I don't think I would've made it far in this pack," Sicheng said with a genuine expression of gratefulness.

Renjun smiled at him.

"The same goes for me," Renjun said and Sicheng pulled him into a tight hug.

"Hah, I don't want you to grow up," the older mumbled. "Still remember how you used to chase butterflies through the fields and came back all dirty after going mud surfing."

Renjun chortled at the memories of his childhood - he's had a lot of joyful days despite everything. Carefully Sicheng pulled away and looked Renjun in his eyes with a fond expression.

"No matter what happens, you're always gonna be my little brother, okay?" Sicheng told him and Renjun nodded.

Somehow he knew what that sentence implied. Things were gonna change. With Sicheng and Yuta and...him and Jeno. If this courting was successful they would both move out of the orphanage and live their separate lifes, going different paths for the first time. It was a weird thought but an unavoidable one.

"Okay," Renjun simply replied and Sicheng smiled at him.

"Good. And now get ready for your classes or you're gonna be late," Sicheng scolded him playfully and Renjun rolled his eyes. Maybe not having a big brother would have some perks after all.

 

 

Donghyuck was woken up in the morning by a loud knock on his door, his mother storming in excitedly.

"Yah! Wake up!" She shook him harshly, pulling his furs away.

Donghyuck groaned as the warmth and the calming scent of cinnamon was harshly ripped away from him. He came to like the huge stag furs Mark had gifted him – they were warm and cozy and made a perfect addition to his sleeping fur collection during cold days.

"Come on, Donghyuck, get up quickly!" His mother said urgently, pushing him up into a sitting position.

It was way too early for his mother's nagging. Donghyuck didn't even comprehend what his mother was doing, only letting her manhandle him, brain too tired to function.

He was a bit confused when she began to brush her fingers through his hair and tried to tidy him up.

"What time is it?" He yawned. Usually his mother just woke him up. It had been ages since she helped him to get ready, Donghyuck having long since outgrown the need for help for dressing himself.

His mother didn't answer and instead began to rub at his scent glands with her fingers to activate them and get his scent to come out stronger. Donghyuck snapped out of his sleepiness and slapped her hand away.

"What are you doing?" He spluttered flabbergasted.

"Put on some nice clothes. You have a visitor," she told him before leaving his room.

"What the hell?" Donghyuck mumbled to himself more than confused. With one quick look out his window he could see that it was still early - the sun had just begun to rise. Who would come by this early? And why was his mother so excited about it? Donghyuck's brain worked slowly as he was still half asleep. Only after he had changed out of his nightwear into something warmer it finally occurred to him who this ominous visitor was.

He groaned to himself. Now Mark was making him get up early? Maybe that would cost him some of his good points.

His mother and father watched him giddily when he made his way out of his room and to the door. Donghyuck swallowed his embarrassment, powerfully strode through the room and swung the door open.

"Hey," Mark said softly once he laid his eyes on Donghyuck.

"Are you insane showing up here this early?" Donghyuck whispered as quietly as he could, knowing full well that his parents were probably eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Oh, uhm, I'm sorry, I just...I finished your courting gift and I wanted to give it to you," Mark said sheepishly.

"Oh," Donghyuck cleared his throat a bit flustered. "Well, I hope for you it's a good one."

"So...uhm, I remember as kids you really used to like sunflowers. You would always stand next to them and say they were following you because you were their new sun. And...well, I actually tried to get you some real sunflowers but they don't really bloom this early in the year. So I made you one on my own," Mark explained and Donghyuck listened carefully.

Memories of his childhood days suddenly came back to him - playing in the sunflower fields and bragging about how they were looking at him instead of the sun. He was kind of surprised Mark remembered that specific fact - Donghyuck had told a lot of silly stories when he had been younger.

With a coy smile Mark pulled out a delicate metal figure from behind his back and held it out for the omega. Cautiously Donghyuck took it - it was so dainty he was afraid to break it, the metal processed with the uttermost care and most precised technique. The finest golden leaves Donghyuck had ever seen were forming a sunflower, polished until they were shimmering. Small carving details made the flower look like a real work of art, something unique, something just made for Donghyuck.

"I used to take building classes but I was really bad at it so it took me the whole week to make this because I wanted it to look nice," Mark mumbled rushed. "Sorry you had to wait for so long."

"Oh...erm...," Donghyuck muttered, gently grazing the metal sunflower.

"Do you like it?" Mark asked insecurely.

"It's very beautiful," Donghyuck replied honestly. It really was. He couldn't imagine how much work this must've been for Mark, how much time he must've spend on this. The flower was even more effort than killing a stag.

"Uhm, it's actually a barrette. So you can wear it," Mark pointed out to him, taking the flower back and turning it around, revealing a claps at the backside.

He carefully looked Donghyuck in his eyes before taking a step closer. Slowly he raised his hand to Donghyuck's hair, pushing it back a little before attaching the sunflower to a streak of his brown locks. Donghyuck's stomach was doing weird things when Mark let go off him again.

"It looks nice. On you. It looks nice on you," Mark complimented him, eyes sparkling.

 

Nope. Donghyuck was not doing this so early in the morning. Forcefully he slammed the door shut in Mark's face.

Why was his heart beating so fast and his face feeling so hot? Mark was not allowed to make him feel like that! Especially not after he had woken him up in the wee hours of the day!

His parents gave him confused looks when he stormed back into his room, but Donghyuck didn't care.

He stared at himself in the mirror, the sunflower in his hair looking way too pretty for him right now, only dressed in his normal day clothes.

Scoffing he plucked it out of his hair, before fondling it in between his fingers.

This was really way too beautiful. Donghyuck sensed how his heart clenched at the sight.

What was Mark idiot Lee doing to him?

Notes:

Hey, sorry this is a day later than usual, but I don't think I'll be able to update every four days from now on :(
But there should be a new chapter at least every fifth day!
Sorry if you were waiting yesterday :(

Well, thanks for reading!! We got a bit of relationship development in this, haha, hope that's fine :D

Stay safe and healthy :3

Chapter 10: Whispers

Notes:

Hey, new chapter!! Enjoy!! :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Whispers. With every step he took there were new ones. Like his own personal sigh of wind tracing after him. Whispers behind his back, creeping up to his ears and into his head.

Renjun had expected that. But he had not been prepared.

People were trying to be subtle about it - trying, however not really succeeding at it. Renjun still saw their looks, curious and judging. He still heard their rumors, more than ever before. And it hadn't even been a day since his proclamation towards Jeno.

"Huang Renjun, how could you?!" Well, one person was for sure not even gonna try to be subtle about this.

"Good morning, Yangyang," Renjun gave him a tensed smile. He knew this had been coming.

"Can't say I'm not disappointed," Yangyang pouted at him, crossing his arms in front of his chest like a disapproving mother. Then his whole demeanor changed and an almost scary grin spread on his face. "But I'll let you not telling me anything slide if you spill the tea now."

"Knowing you, you probably already heard most of it," Renjun said, taking his seat beside him. Tailoring classes were about to start and he hoped at least that would distract him from the piercing stares he felt in his back.

"So Prince Jeno is really courting you?" Yangyang asked and Renjun nodded, no point in denying it. "And did he really say he loves you? And did he really kiss you?"

"W-what?! W-who told you that?" Renjun spluttered. Their pack seriously had an issue with exaggerating their gossip.

"Hendery heard it from his younger sister who heard it from her friend's cousin," Yangyang replied, counting the number of people the story had traveled through with his fingers. "But I already thought that she was making stuff up."

"None of that happened, okay? Tell your gossiping circle to stop spreading false rumors," Renjun mumbled flustered.

"Don't worry. If you tell me the truth I will spread nothing else than your words," Yangyang winked at him, nudging him in his side pryingly.

"He...he just hugged me, I guess?" Renjun admitted shyly and Yangyang squealed.

"A hug! How cute!" He clapped in his hands. "Prince Jeno is truly a gentleman. As expected from an alpha like him. He's really dreamy, isn't he?"

"Uhm...yeah. He's very nice," Renjun agreed awkwardly and Yangyang swooned dramatically.

"Can't believe one of my friends is getting courted by the prince," he sighed. "That means I'm sitting right at the source! Please Renjun, you have to keep me updated about the courting! I'll make sure no one will talk badly behind your back!"

Renjun laughed. Somehow he felt like Yangyang was more excited about the fact that he could get the juicy gossip first hand than about the fact that Jeno was actually courting him.

"I'll trust you to watch out for my reputation then," Renjun chuckled. "There's not much to tell you for now, though. He gave me a pretty fox fur this morning."

"Fox fur? Nice, they're rare," Yangyang commented, soaking every piece of information in. Then he turned serious for a second. "Renjun, I'll really have your back about this. Seriously, if someone talks shit about you I will smack them."

Renjun laughed at the younger omega. But he guessed having one of the most notorious gossip lovers in this pack on his side was not a bad ally to have. Both his best friends immediately showing their support after they heard the news couldn’t be too bad of a sign, right?

"Thanks," he replied gratefully.

"No problem, just don't forget me when you claim the throne," Yangyang retorted playfully and before Renjun could protest that he wouldn't be claiming any thrones (he wasn't even sure their chief owned a throne), tailoring class started and he had to focus on his work.

 

The whole day Renjun was mostly preoccupied with escaping invading questions about his relationship with Prince Jeno, staying behind in classes to avoid people and hiding behind corners to not be seen.

It was the most stressed out and out of place Renjun had felt in a long time. Like he had to hide in his own home. Would it continue to be this way from now on? Would this be his life? Running away from his own pack?

Renjun was surprised as he laid in bed that night that the worst thing about the day had not been the gossip, but the fact that he hadn't even gotten to talk to Jeno about it.

He clutched his new fox fur to his face, gently playing with the soft fabric as his thoughts kept drifting. He hadn't really gotten the chance to talk to anybody about this, besides Yangyang. And Yangyang was, well, Yangyang.

His eyes instinctively searched for Sicheng next to him, but the other omega was nowhere to be found in the orphanage. Probably out on another nightly walk with Yuta.

That was the clever way, Renjun thought. Meeting up in the night, where everybody was asleep and nobody could see you. No imploring eyes, no fear of being overheard or backed into a questioning.

Jeno would probably have some other clever tricks up his sleeves on how to disappear when he wanted to. Or just how to deal with all that attention. Renjun could really use some guidance on how to handle this. He had never been in the spotlights just like that. To be completely honest he wasn't sure if he liked it.

 

Renjun woke up still tired. It had been a sort of rough night with all the overthinking he's been doing. Sicheng also hadn't returned last night, so Renjun had to get ready by himself before making his way to his classes. Even the older kids at the orphanage kept throwing him curious looks. He had never felt quite this watched before, as if he was under permanent observation.

And again, as soon as he stepped out the door there were more people whispering. Renjun noticed a group of younger girls giggling to each other in the corner of his eye. Then a few meters away he saw some of his peers eyeing him. Instinctively he walked a bit faster, trying to outrun the whispers.

He only stopped between two secluded storage huts, sure he was shielded from anyone's curious gazes in this forgotten corner of the pack. A big exhale left him. He needed to gather himself. Gain some courage. He had to hold his head up high, otherwise he wouldn't survive this.

Just when he was about to walk back out and face the world, he heard whispers coming nearer.

"You've seen him before, right? He's like a stick," someone cackled condescendingly and Renjun didn't know why, but he decided to stay still and keep listening.

"He doesn't even have broad shoulders," another one replied in a mean tone. "Don't know why anyone would find him attractive. Like, omegas are supposed to have some curves, right?"

"I mean, I would understand if he had money," the first voice was back.

"Imagine him being our chief! He doesn't even know what it's like to have a family. How could he ever care for an entire pack?"

"Prince Jeno is clearly courting underneath his worth."

"Who should he court instead? You? With that face?!" Someone else sneered.

"At least I have some hips!" The voice defended itself.

That was the last thing Renjun was able to make out before the voices were too far away to keep listening. His heart was beating faster than usual, pounding against his ribs like he had just run a marathon.

They had clearly been talking about him. There was no doubt.

"Renjun?"

Renjun's head snapped around as he heard his name being called, ready to bolt if this was one more person asking him if Jeno had kissed him or not. Luckily it was only Donghyuck looking at him confused.

"What are you doing here?" Donghyuck asked puzzled and Renjun gave him a crooked smile as he quickly moved out of the niche he had been hiding in.

"Nothing, really," he answered, clearing his throat awkwardly. "What are you doing here?"

Donghyuck cocked his eyebrows at him but didn't pry any further.

"I was just heading to hunting training. Don't you have classes, too?" Donghyuck explained and Renjun nodded slowly.

"Right," Renjun agreed, fiddling with his empty hands. "I'm just...yeah, gonna go."

Donghyuck was still looking at him weirdly as Renjun wiggled away.

But they both more important things to worry about than one strange encounter.

 

Hunting training was a lot more boring when you were not allowed to shift and chase after something. While it usually meant that Donghyuck got some one-on-one combat training with one of the hunting instructors, which also wasn't bad, he still missed brushing past branches and bushes, a target in eyes and a plan in head.

So he was over the moon when after his daily check up later that afternoon in the healing hut he was officially allowed to shift into his wolf form again (only under supervision of someone else at first, but he conveniently overheard that fact.)

With newfound purpose he stormed out of the hut and back into the woods. How fortunate that he hadn't listened to his mother and directly bathed after training. Now he could roam around freely, roll around in all the mud-pits he found and get as dirty as he wanted.

Wind was brushing past his cheeks, the weather was still gloomy and wet this early in the year and Donghyuck couldn't have wished for a better day to take a run through the forest.

Maybe he should invite Renjun or Yangyang along. No, no time for that. He needed to let out his energy and he needed to do it now.

Just as he reached the forest clearing and was about to take a big leap and change, an all too familiar wolf stopped him, jumping against his chest, turning into human form as their bodies collided.

"Mark, what the hell was that?" Donghyuck groaned, clutching his hand to his chest that started to feel a bit sore because of the impact of Mark's whole wolf hitting him at once.

"I'm so sorry, but you looked like you were about to shift and I know you're not allowed to so I had to stop you!" Mark rambled, arms awkwardly wrapped around Donghyuck as he tried to steady them, both of them thrown off their balance from his spontaneous act of tackling Donghyuck.

"Well, goods news then, I guess - I just got cleared to shift! So if you'd excuse me," Donghyuck commented a bit annoyed by being interrupted from his plans.

"Really? That's great!" Mark's whole face lit up and Donghyuck didn't know what to do as the alpha gently pressed him into a gentle hug.

"Yeah, so...if you could let me go," the younger cleared his throat awkwardly - if not to say flustered.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Mark mumbled sheepishly, taking a step away and Donghyuck felt like he was finally able to breathe again. "Can I come with you?"

"Why?" Donghyuck asked confused. "For a run? You just came from one?"

"Just...I like to see you shift, your wolf is very beautiful," Mark replied at the same time brave and shy.

Donghyuck's brain malfunctioned for a second as he stared at Mark helplessly.

"Shut up and follow me," he finally got out of his mouth somehow.

Luckily he had the prefect excuse to stop both of them from talking.

 

Finally, after all these weeks, he felt his bones melt and shape, his muscles becoming firmer, his senses sharper. His whole being fell back in place and he almost let out a loud howl at the electrifying feeling. The ground underneath his paws was soft and wet and the air smelled clean and fresh, both sensations stronger now that his wolf was connecting with nature. It was like he could hear to whole forest, early birds singing in their nests, small ants tripling over fallen leaves.

And the smells! Donghyuck could make out two dears alone right away, almost tempted to chase after them. However, nothing was quite as strong as the scent of cinnamon next to him, the smell that was holding him back from doing anything reckless along those lines and keeping him grounded.

Mark's wolf was standing tall and strong next to him, but his eyes were awake and playful, only a hint of worry in them as he studied Donghyuck's body language carefully. Their gazes met and for a second the scent of cinnamon was so overbearingly prominent in Donghyuck's head that he almost whimpered in pleasure.

Before he could do anything embarrassing of the sorts though he got his head straight and surged forward.

His muscles strained a bit, not used to this sudden work out after weeks of resting, but Donghyuck pushed through the pain, the feeling of utter euphoria stronger than anything else.

He heard Mark's powerful strides follow him and he couldn't think of a better way to spend his first run than to tease the alpha. Donghyuck knew that Mark was faster, but he was not smarter than him.

After his head-start he let him catch up a bit and then took a sharp left turn, listening to Mark slide and slitter to break his speed and take a turn as well. Donghyuck playfully wiggled his tail before rushing ahead, zigzag motions making it harder for Mark to keep track.

It almost reminded him of those hunting sessions where Mark wouldn't let go off him, always on his trails and Donghyuck thought now was the right time to give Mark a little revenge for that.

He calculatingly ducked under a few low hanging branches that his smaller frame easily fit underneath, laughing to himself when he saw them hit Mark's face.

Not so great being that tall all of a sudden, right?

 

They've reached a huge clearing, a wide field of grass stretching out in front of them and if Donghyuck remembered correctly the sunflower field shouldn't be too far off as well.

Now that he was out of hindrances to make life harder for Mark it was almost too easy for the alpha to finally dash past him and Donghyuck let him with an amused eye-roll as he slowed his own pace down.

The alpha kept jumping around him, as if to show how happy he was to do this with Donghyuck, how happy he was to see Donghyuck back in wolf form and Donghyuck snorted at his ridiculous display of joy, but he couldn't deny the warmth rising in his heart. Somehow it was nice not doing this alone after all.

Playing along he nudged Mark in his side, snapping after his tail and the alpha let out a playful growl, bending down to get ready for a leap. Donghyuck mirrored his movements and in the next second they were on top of each other, rolling around the field as they fought for the upper hand.

From being a very active kid Donghyuck had quite the experience in wrestling (not to mention he got most of that with Mark when they had been way younger). He put up a good fight, using all his body weight and momentum to pin Mark underneath him and let out a satisfied sound as he found the alpha staring up at him in defeat.

What he didn't expect was a sudden wet sensation going from his throat to his cheek - and using this second of defenseless surprise Mark quickly reacted and changed the playing field again, now forcing Donghyuck on his back and making him look up.

The omega's heart was beating heavily - Mark had just licked him. Only his parents did that to him and sometimes Renjun when he was having an affectionate day. He blinked a few times, their current position not doing his heart rate any good either.

Mark looked strong and protective over him, shielding him with his body. (And what could Donghyuck do? In the end he was an omega as well and some instincts were hard to fight against.)

There was another lick, behind his ear this time and a shiver went through Donghyuck's body at the sensation. Why did this feel so good? It never had felt like this when his parents or even Renjun had done it!

Irritated he growled and shoved Mark away, who easily let him go from underneath him.

Knowing no other escape Donghyuck changed back to his human form, his chest rising rapidly and his skin now drenched with sweat. Silently he listened to the familiar sound of Mark's shape shifting.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Mark asked innocently, also back in human form, sitting only a few meters behind Donghyuck.

The younger blinked a few times.

"Yeah, I really missed that," he admitted. "Hope I can go back on the hunts now. Don't think I'd survive one more one-on-one drill with Yuta. Or Johnny."

"Oh, I know Johnny's training all too well. I've been getting special drills all my life," Mark groaned, flopping his body flat on the grass.

"Right, don't tell him I complained. Or else he's gonna train me even harder," Donghyuck whined and Mark laughed.

"Don't worry, my big brother won't hear a single thing," Mark promised and Donghyuck gave him a thankful smile.

Back in the days, when they had still been pups, Mark's bigger brother Johnny who had always been too tall for his own good had made it his personal mission to taunt both of them, chasing them around the fields and getting into playfights. (Although Donghyuck had to admit Johnny had been way worse towards Mark, who had the younger sibling disadvantage.) Needless to say that hadn't really changed ever since.

 

It was quiet for a while between them, Donghyuck had begun to mindlessly pluck out clumps of grass as his body recovered from their run, while Mark was staring up at the cloudy sky, trying to find interesting shapes. It was a calm silence, Donghyuck would even go as far as describing it as soothing.

Mark's eyes flickered to Donghyuck as he sat back up.

"You're not wearing the sunflower," he observed and Donghyuck hummed lowly.

"It's too pretty to wear on normal occasions. I'll save it for something special," he reasoned, also turning to look at Mark.

"If you think so," the alpha shrugged. He shuffled a bit closer to Donghyuck but the omega was quick to keep their distance.

"I must smell terribly. I didn't bathe all day," he explained his behavior when Mark gave him a questioning look.

"You don't. You smell like watermelons," Mark frowned.

"Urgh, Mark, I know you like me for whatever reasons but you don't have to lie to me when I reek," Donghyuck snorted at the alpha.

"But you really don't!" Mark insisted. "I love watermelons."

"I know you do. You ate them three meals a day back when we were kids," Donghyuck retorted amused.

"Well, they're very delicious," Mark defended his old taste buds and Donghyuck chuckled in remembrance. Mark was such a dork. "And I also have very good reasons to like you," Mark added quietly as if that would make things better for himself.

It did, however, make Donghyuck curious.

"Yeah? Like what?" He challenged, smirking when he saw Mark's ears redden.

"Just...you're very precious to me. Have always been," the alpha mumbled coyly. "Your laughter. And your heart. They're too lovely. They need to be protected."

Donghyuck’s heart skipped a beat – but he forced himself with all his willpower to stay cool and collected.

"I still can't believe you of all people are telling me these things," Donghyuck stated and Mark gave him a painful smile.

"Probably my own fault," he admitted. "I...was very stupid. But I do like you. Everything I did, I did to protect you. I only want you to be happy."

They held eye contact for a long second and the sincerity in Mark's eyes was making Donghyuck feel things inside of him he had never felt before. Like fire and ice meeting and melting and combining and creating something so fragile but strong he needed to hold it close to his heart for it to not disappear. And for some reason Donghyuck was holding on to it with all his might.

He swallowed and turned his head away.

"Race me back to the lake. I need a bath," he said, standing up, stretching and letting his joints all pop once before smoothly shifting back into wolf form.

Mark didn't need to be told twice, competitive spirit rising as he surged ahead back to the pack village.

Donghyuck stomach turned when the alpha stopped after a few steps, wondering why Donghyuck didn't follow.

No. No, not yet. He wasn't there yet.

With a low growl he challenged Mark and ran back into the forest, the alpha right on his track as they raced to the village.



Renjun had tried his best to live his life normally. But somehow it had become somewhat of an instinctual reaction to run or hide behind the next corner when he saw someone approaching him.

He felt like the whispers were getting louder with every passing second.

And even though he had seen Jeno in healing classes every now and again, they hadn't really gotten the chance to talk. Somehow that made Renjun feel even more uneasy. He hadn't even thanked Jeno for his courting gift yet.

However, right after healing class someone else had taken the chance to start a conversation with him.

"Hey, Renjun!"

If it weren't for the familiarity in that voice Renjun would've alone out of habit sped up his steps and jumped behind the nearest bushes. But now he slowed down, looked around to check if he was somewhat alone, only to find a group of omegas near him quickly turn away their eyes from him.

Renjun sighed. Seemed like nobody in this pack valued privacy anymore. He forced a smile on his face as he turned around to where the voice had come from.

"Hey Bao," he said softly. After their failure of a date the alpha hadn't talked to him much, although Renjun had received a few more courting gifts from him. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm doing well, thanks," Bao replied, shuffling awkwardly on his feet, also blatantly aware of the ears surrounding them.

"Wanna go for a walk?" Renjun asked him, knowing by now that was the only way to get some sort of distance from the onlookers and Bao nodded thankfully.

It was harder to be eavesdropped on when walking so they both fell into a fast tempo, getting away from the busy packhuts.

 

"How have you been? You're surely gaining popularity these days," Bao asked him friendly after a while, once they were on a more isolated path near the forest.

"Oh, don't mention it - it's horrible," Renjun enclosed honestly and Bao laughed with him.

"I'm sorry. That must be quite stressful," he comforted him.

"I'll learn how to deal with it eventually," Renjun shrugged, although he wasn't so sure of that.

"I'm gonna be frank," Bao said, voice suddenly a lot more confident and determined. "I still want to court you, Renjun."

Renjun's steps staggered for a bit as he threw Bao a cautious glance from the side.

"Oh, erm, I mean, nothing can really stop you from doing that, right?" He pointed out.

"Well, technically, that's true. But since the prince has decided to court you most of your suitors will back off now," Bao replied.

"And you won't?" Renjun questioned.

"I don't think I should," Bao said slowly and deliberate.

"Why not? I mean...you didn't even show up when we were supposed to go on that date, remember?" Renjun reminded him.

"I know. And I can only apologize for that again. So, I'm sorry," Bao said, looking genuinely sincere about his words.

"It's alright," Renjun forgave him. He hadn't even been bothered that much about being ditched in the first place. But now it made him even more puzzled why Bao of all people wanted to keep courting him.

"I'm gonna make it up to you," Bao promised and Renjun felt like he should say something.

"Listen, Bao, I'm also gonna be frank since you've been so honest with me," he interrupted the alpha. "I mean, you and I both know that I can't really stop you from courting me. But I need you to know that I do...I do really like Prince Jeno."

"Well, it's not like that can't change," Bao said.

"Bao-"

"No, Renjun, I think you are a very pretty and smart and friendly omega. And I'm pretty friendly as well. I don't see a reason why you shouldn't like me at some point in the future," Bao said with a strong look in his eyes.

"Bao, I think you are very nice, but-"

"Listen, Renjun," Bao stopped him from talking again. "Being courted by the prince might be a nice thought at first. But do you really like all the attention? Do you really want that - to be followed everywhere you go? Rumors spread about you every step you take? Number one gossip topic everyday? Is that the life you want?"

Renjun swallowed as he remembered the conversation about him he overheard that morning. It wasn't untrue that his life had been much easier before the news of Prince Jeno courting him had spread.

"With me, that wouldn't be a problem. And I could care for you just as well as the prince could," Bao added. "You can't stop me from courting you as much as I can't force you to choose me over the prince. But I do think you should at least have a choice before you decide."

Bao grabbed after his wrist, making them stand face to face. Renjun exhaled a short breath as he noticed Bao’s intense stare.

"Just think about it. Is Prince Jeno worth the trouble?"

"Erm...I..." Renjun mumbled, feeling more than flustered by being put on the spot like this, the strong gaze of the alpha focused on him.

Bao’s serious expression changed to a smile as he let go off his wrist.

"I'll have to get back now. That's all I wanted to tell you," the taller said and Renjun could only nod before he turned around and walked back towards the huts, leaving Renjun's mind frazzled.



Back in his furs he couldn't sleep again. Sicheng was nowhere to be found. And his conversation with Bao was running through his mind in a loop.

Is that the life you want?

Is Prince Jeno worth the trouble?

Imagine him being our chief . He doesn't even know what it's like to have a family.

Prince Jeno is clearly courting underneath his worth.

Was Renjun really the only one that wanted this courtship?

Wouldn't he be a much better fit with Bao? Bao, who had made it clear that he was still an option?

His mind was spiraling. He had to focus. This was his life. What did he want?



Jeno woke up from his sleep with a startle. Someone was knocking on his door like a madman. He shook his head just to be sure this wasn’t a dream – but the insistent knocking didn’t stop. Hopefully this didn't mean trouble. He had sent his guard away for tonight. He could only wish he wouldn't regret that choice.

Silently he made his way to the door. Okay, who could this be?

His father? No, he would announce himself.

His mother? No, she wouldn't knock like she wanted to burst his door.

Jaemin? Most probably.

But what if it was an intruder? A rouge? Should he ask?

No, that would ruin his element of surprise, his only advantage if there really were to be an enemy waiting behind that door. He looked around in his room and then reached after his sword that he had carefully hidden behind his cupboard. Just in case.

The knocking on his door picked up and the alpha got into a defense position.

Powerfully he flung his wooden door open only to be met with the most beautiful pair of brown eyes staring at him in surprise.

"Renjun!" He exclaimed, quickly dropping his sword and hiding it behind his back.

"Erm, yeah," the omega said taken aback, eyeing the silver metal that still glistered visible behind the alpha. "Who did you expect?"

"Oh...uhm, honestly, probably Jaemin. But you can't be cautious enough, right?" Jeno replied flustered. He had more than overreacted. Probably his sleepless mind making him act a bit illogical.

"Erm...okay?" Renjun said and they both stared at each other in awkward silence for a long second.

"Oh, please come inside! What brings you here?" Jeno remembered how to be a functioning human being and stepped aside to let Renjun in.

"Thanks," Renjun replied, quickly getting into the hut. Paranoid he took one last glance over his shoulder before the door was shut. He hadn't noticed anyone following him here but as Jeno just demonstrated you couldn't be cautious enough.

Once Jeno closed the door it was silent again. Renjun noticed that it's been a while since they've been alone like that. Jeno gave him a crooked smile as he put his sword back in its place behind the cupboard.

"Uhm, I just wanted to thank you. For the fox fur. It was very beautiful. Foxes are rare," Renjun mumbled, trying to get a conversation going and end the unbearable silence.

"Oh, don't mention it. I'm working on your next courting gift already," Jeno replied humbly. "You wanna take a look?"

"I have to tell you something," Renjun disregarded his question. He had come here with a goal in his mind and he needed to get something off his chest.

"Oh," Jeno looked a bit confused. "Okay."

"These past days...or better ever since you've started courting me I've been doing a lot of thinking," Renjun elaborated carefully. "There's been a lot of talking and rumors. And I don't think there are very many people that are happy about your courting choice."

"Renjun-"

"Can I please talk first? I really need to say all this," Renjun asked when Jeno interrupted him and the alpha quickly shut up and nodded. "Thanks."

Renjun exhaled and inhaled.

"So, today Bao came to me and said he would like to continue courting me. He pointed out that being with you would...entail certain difficulties. He made a good case for himself and he really seems to like me...or he thinks it could be possible that we two would work in the future. And to be very honest I've been kind of struggling with all the attention and the whispers and the rumors because of our...relation."

Renjun licked his lips, taking a break to let Jeno process what he just said. The prince's eyes looked weirdly gloomy after he finished talking.

"So you’re choosing Bao?" Jeno asked into the tensed silence.

"I'm not done yet," Renjun said and Jeno nodded, shutting up again.

Renjun took a deep breath. He had done a lot of thinking. And he was sure this was what he wanted.

"So, I've been struggling. And I've been wondering if this was the right path for me. And if I wasn't the only one happy about you courting me," Renjun said before looking Jeno straight into his eyes. "I've felt a bit overwhelmed and I asked myself what I wanted to do. And I came to the conclusion that I really wanted to talk to someone about this. And that someone I wanted to talk to about all this was you. And that the reason I struggled so much these past days was because I didn't get to see you. Didn't get to talk to you. And I really did need to talk to you to feel better again. So...uhm... here I am. And that's all."

Jeno’s initial frown changed to a warm smile as he took a step closer to Renjun. He reached after his hand and a pleasant tingle shot up through Renjun's arm when he finally graced his skin, completely different from when Bao had touched him.

"You're wrong," the alpha said firmly and Renjun tilted his head in confusion. "You're not the only one happy about this courtship. I am very happy as well."

Renjun let out a tiny laugh as he ducked his head flustered. That was what had been missing.

"Uhm, I can go now...so you can go back to sleep. I'm sorry for barging in here," Renjun said, about to turn around, but Jeno's hold on his hand tightened.

"You don't have to go!" Jeno assured him. "You said you wanted to talk to me. We can talk some more."

Renjun couldn't help the smile creeping on his lips.

"Okay. Yeah, I'd really like that," he agreed and Jeno returned his smile. "Do you have tea?" He asked. There was nothing better than a hot cup of tea and some late night conversation.

"Oh, yes, I do!" Jeno confirmed, before awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "But I don't really know how do make it..."

Renjun snorted as he playfully rolled his eyes.

"You're really living some different life up there in the castle," he teased him. "Greeting people with swords at the doorstep. Not knowing how to make tea."

Jeno couldn't even defend himself, just silently getting a kettle and herbs ready while Renjun started a small fire in his kitchen area.

"Don't worry. I'll show you what it's like to be a normal guy," Renjun said amused when Jeno's eyes followed his steps attentively.

It didn't take long for their tea to boil and Renjun carefully prepared two cups, the water still steaming hot as he filled them with water and herbs.

He was about to sit down in Jeno's furs when he stopped, as if realizing what he had just been about to do.

"Oh no, it's alright! Sit down, be comfortable!" Jeno noticed his hesitation, sitting down first and patting the furs next to him invitingly.

Renjun smiled, trying hard to not feel too awkward about this. It was someone else’s personal space – nonetheless an alpha’s furs. An alpha he really liked.

Carefully he put their cups down, shuffling a bit deeper into the furs, trying to get used to the strong scent of dark chocolate that made a pleasant shiver run down his back. Jeno watched him in content silence, happy to have Renjun all for his own.

And as they sat their, huddled up in Jeno's furs, Renjun felt a deep sense of safeness and belonging form inside him. This was different from when he did this with Sicheng, different from his heart to hearts with Donghyuck or his gossiping with Yangyang.

This was calm and warm. Like the tea they were slowly sipping. This was home.

Renjun couldn't deny it anymore as Jeno kept talking and rambling on about his life. How he grew up in the castle, brought up all proper and good. How he had dealt with the whispers all his life, how it would never stop but how it would get easier. How he had been taught to be a leader ever since he presented. How his parents had protected him all his life, kept him away from any danger and the public eye, knowing that the future of their pack was resting on his shoulders.

It was so easy listening to Jeno. And it was easy talking to him as well. About his classes, his family, the orphanage.

Like something had been lacking all his life and now like a final missing puzzle piece everything merged together in one beautiful picture.

And unconsciously, just like putting the pieces together, they had shuffled closer and closer to each other, both cups of tea long since empty.

Their eyes were getting heavy by now, both bodies and minds tired.

Renjun's head fell against Jeno's chest first, who like a domino stone tipped over on his back.

They laid like that, together and away from anyone’s ears and eyes. And Renjun had never felt like he had wanted anything this much before as Jeno's heart was beating slow and rhythmical underneath him.

Notes:

Hey, thank you so much for reading - I hope you are all having a great Sunday!!

I just really wanted to say thank you - every single one of you was sooo nice and kind in the comments last time about my upload schedule. Really, that means the world to me, and I can't express how happy it made me to read all you lovely words <3

So, yeah, a little more relationship development in this one as well, how did you like it?
Haha, it's been very fluffy for a few chapters now :D

Everybody stay safe and healthy :3

Chapter 11: Soup

Notes:

Welcome to the new chapter - hope you enjoy :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Sunbeams were tingling his face, making Renjun scrunch his nose. He wiggled around, trying to escape from the dawn rising, wanting to get just a few more minutes of precious sleep. But no matter how hard he tried to stay in the calming darkness of sleep he felt his unconscious mind slipping into a state of wakefulness that left him with no other choice than to get ready for the upcoming day.

Annoyed he turned around one more time, only to be met with a firm body digging into his shoulder. Wait – a body?

Shocked he sat up straight, face to face with Prince Jeno, who was also rustling awake right now.

Memories of last night flashed by. How he had shown up at Jeno's door late at night and the alpha had invited him in. They must've fallen asleep over their cup of tea.

Renjun startled away once he realized how inappropriate their current position was. Fallen asleep next to each other, an unmated alpha and omega! What had they been thinking?!

"I have to go!" Renjun informed Jeno curtly, who was still blinking confused – obviously still half in dreamland.

"Wait!" Jeno seemed to snap out of his sleepy daze when Renjun's warmth next to him suddenly disappeared, grabbing after his arm before Renjun could get up. "I'm not dreaming, right? You're really here, right?"

"Yes. I am. I think that's the problem," Renjun confirmed alarmed.

Slowly the alpha let go of his arms – but not after he had squeezed his hand once, as if checking that Renjun was indeed next to him in flesh and blood. Jeno seemed much calmer than him, even going as far as smirking satisfied at their current situation.

"Hey, this is serious! People are already badmouthing me enough!" Renjun slapped him against his chest when he noticed the smug expression.

"Sorry, right," Jeno agreed, but he was still smiling sheepishly. Then he cleared his throat. "I should leave first. The attention will be on me and you can sneak out afterwards. There shouldn't be anyone lurking around my hut after I'm gone."

"Okay," Renjun nodded, glad that Jeno seemed to have a clear plan on how to best go about this. Nervously he bit down on his lips. Hopefully nobody had noticed his absence in the orphanage...

"Hey, it's fine. It's not like we did anything forbidden. We only slept," Jeno noticed his concerned energy. He squeezed his hand reassuringly one more time before he got up, neatly folding his furs and stretching himself to his full height.

He stole another glance at Renjun, who was still wearing his clothes from yesterday. He looked crinkled and a bit messy, hair standing wildly as if taking personal offense to the law of gravity. A fond smile crept up Jeno's lips. Adorable.

"Do you want to borrow some of my clothes before you leave? Or do you need anything else?"

"Oh, no thanks. I'm just gonna head straight to the orphanage and then for a bath," Renjun denied quickly. He doubted him wearing the alpha's clothes would make things any better. A scent of dark chocolate was already lingering on his skin, faint but noticeable if you got a little too close.

"Okay," Jeno replied, before casually shrugging his own sleeping shirt off, revealing his muscular upper body.

"Jeno! What the hell!" Renjun wheezed, covering his eyes with his hands - but the view of Jeno's naked torso was already engraved in his brain. How was anyone even allowed to look like that?

"What? I can't leave in my sleeping wear!" Jeno defended himself amused at the flustered reaction.

"Y-you shouldn't-! Y-you-!" Renjun turned his body around completely so that they'd be facing opposite directions. All of a sudden he felt hot underneath his collar.

Renjun heard the wooden floor creak as Jeno continued to shuffle around behind him, getting himself dressed and washed up for the day. It was kind of tempting to steal a peek. Just a glimpse...

"I'm dressed again. You can turn around," Jeno chuckled before Renjun could make up his mind and the omega exhaled, perhaps a bit disappointed.

Jeno was smirking again as Renjun's red face came back into his view and the omega huffed, demonstratively turning his head in the opposite direction.

"I'll get going then. See you later," Jeno chuckled, having the audacity to wink at him when Renjun did give him another shy glance before leaving his hut.

What a way to wake up.

 

Fortunately Jeno had been right in his assumption that nobody would be paying him much attention. After the prince had left his hut there was nobody sneaking around the area and Renjun let out a relieved sigh when nobody seemed to spot him coming out of the door so early in the morning. Swiftly Renjun sneaked his way to the orphanage and to the lake without anyone even questioning him about his whereabouts.

Mind eased he began to quietly scrub his body clean, hoping that there would be no scent of dark chocolate remaining on him after this.

He couldn't believe he had spend the night cuddled up with Jeno in his furs! That had been very irresponsible of him – alone the thought of anybody ever finding out absolutely mortifying. But then again – deep down Renjun couldn't find a single serious regret for his actions. If he was completely honest with himself...he had quite liked sleeping next to Jeno.

There was a loud splash forcefully stopping his wandering thoughts as someone in his wolf form had jumped into the lake right next to him and Renjun almost screamed in shock.

Donghyuck's head plopped out a few meters away from him with a wide grin forming on his face.

"Hyuck! You scared me!" Renjun scoffed at the younger as Donghyuck continued to laugh at his loud reaction.

"Sorry not sorry," the younger omega replied cheekily while he continued giggling.

"Wait - since when are you allowed to shift again?" Renjun asked confused, only now realizing that Donghyuck had just transformed in front of him.

"Yesterday," Donghyuck revealed giddily. "I'm fully healed!"

"You should still take things slow," Renjun reminded him and Donghyuck rolled his eyes.

"Yes, mom," he said teasingly, splashing a tiny bit of water at Renjun.

Renjun glared at him, but didn't indulge his antics.

"It looks like rain today," he changed the topic, knowing there was no use in arguing with Donghyuck about taking things slow. Both of them looked up at the dark, gray sky simultaneously.

"Mhh," Donghyuck hummed, an idea plopping up in his head. "Kind of perfect to go mud surfing. What do you say?"

"Not today, though. Let's go on Sunday. It should still be wet by then," Renjun agreed, having promised Donghyuck to go mud surfing once more before they'd graduate. Donghyuck squealed in glee, excited to relive one of the best memories of his childhood.

"Great! Should we get Yangyang to join us?" He asked, almost bursting with happiness.

"You really think he would let us go without him?" Renjun replied with a chuckle - there was no way Yangyang would forgive them if they excluded him from mud surfing.

"True," Donghyuck laughed. He took a deep breath, letting his whole body sink under the water before emerging with a refreshed noise.

"Hey, erm..." Renjun said as Donghyuck shook his head wildly to dry his hair, having thought of something. He gave the younger omega a cautious look. "Would you mind if I'd invite Jeno as well?"

"Prince Jeno?" Donghyuck asked surprised and Renjun nodded slowly. Donghyuck began grinning, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You're seriously asking me if I want to watch the prince make a fool out of himself in the mud? I thought you knew me."

"I'll take this as a yes then," Renjun chuckled, playfully flicking some water at his friend. But he couldn't help but laugh to himself after Donghyuck's words. There was no denying that there was something inherently funny about the imagination of the prince all dirty. His usual glamour and natural grace put to a rest as he would exchange that for a batch of filthy laundry.

And there was no doubt Jeno would end up covered in mud.

"Hey, you could ask Mark to join us as well. He always came with us back then," Renjun suggested and Donghyuck almost chortled, chocking on his own spit.

"Oh...yeah, probably not," he replied, awkwardly avoiding the question. He'd been dealing with his weird feelings towards Mark for too long. Spending more time with him would surely only make things even worse.

"Why not? Are you still not getting along? I thought you'd give him a shot," Renjun pried, not letting him off that quickly.

"No...erm...we're doing just fine. Yeah...er...I just think Mark wouldn't enjoy going mud surfing," Donghyuck mumbled an excuse and Renjun cocked an eyebrow at him, clearly not believing a word he just said.

"Alright, if you think so," the omega said unconvinced, but knowing it was not his place to stick his nose into.

"Would you look at that, I'm all clean! See you later!" Donghyuck quickly bid his goodbye, scrambling out of the lake and leaving a laughing Renjun behind.

He was not ready to talk about Mark. Nope.

 

As if speaking of the devil. Donghyuck's hair was still wet as he made his way from the bathing spot to his parent's hut where he found Mark standing in front of the door. The alpha raised and dropped his fist repeatedly, as if trying to built up his courage to knock – but still undecided if that was a good idea after all.

For a second Donghyuck thought about turning around on his heels and ditching him. But his hair was wet and he needed to dry himself. (And there might be another reason why he didn't.)

"You really have to stop showing up at my hut this early," Donghyuck said, watching as Mark startled a little and faced him with wide eyes.

"Oh, erm...good morning!" The alpha greeted him with an awkward smile.

"Yeah, yeah, what are you doing here?" Donghyuck asked, pushing all thoughts of Mark looking adorable into the far back of his conscious thoughts.

"Right!" Mark suddenly remembered something, getting a little thing out of his pocket. Donghyuck watched with raised eyebrows as he fiddled with it, revealing a simple string necklace with a wooden sun pendant. "I brought you another courting gift. I thought, since you said the barrette was too fancy...I wanted to make something that isn't as sparkly so you can wear it on normal days. Although I do think you could wear the barrette everyday as well. It's very pretty on you."

Donghyuck listened in silence as Mark rambled on. His heartbeat was racing, pounding loudly in his ears and for some reason he suddenly felt weirdly out of breath.

His hands were almost trembling as he accepted the necklace, but he berated himself in his mind to stay cool.

"You made it?" He asked curiously, tracing the small wooden sun with his finger. It was sanded smoothly, round around the edges. That had at least taken a few hours of work.

"Yeah, I carved it," Mark explained coyly. "Um, it's a sun...because of sunflowers, you know, and you were their sun..."

"Yeah, I got that," Donghyuck intercepted Mark before his words would turn into long, nonsensical rambling again and the alpha's ears turned pink in embarrassment.

"D-do you like it?" The alpha stuttered, voice breaking in the middle of his sentence.

"It's very neat. You did a good job. Thanks," Donghyuck replied earnestly, making eye contact with the older and Mark's whole face lit up – the sparkle returning to his eyes.

"You're welcome," Mark said humbly and Donghyuck's heart clenched. How could someone be so endearing while also being so infuriating?

"I'm...I'm gonna go inside now. Have to dry my hair," the younger pointed out, effectively ending the topic of courting gifts and Mark awkwardly shuffled out of his way to give the path to the door free.

"Y-yeah, totally, erm, you shouldn't get sick! See you around!" Mark said and Donghyuck gave him a tiny wave before disappearing inside.

 

Once he was in his room he looked down to his hands where he was still holding the necklace. It was very beautiful indeed, perfectly to wear everyday. Mark must've put a lot of thought into this. Must've thought a lot about Donghyuck.

He squeezed his hand shut around the gift, the sun burning in his hand.

Then he put the necklace aside and grabbed after his towel.

 

 

Donghyuck's blood was rushing through his veins loaded with adrenaline. He was back in his place. He felt strong and free and powerful.

To his left and right were wolves sprinting ahead, tracing and tracking down prey.

He sidestepped and broke away, having caught a very strong hint of deer in the air. It wasn't far away, the trail still fresh and soon Donghyuck began to slow down cautiously so he could sneak up on it.

He sniffed again, orienting himself in the forest, but a sudden potent scent of cinnamon distracted him, alluring, almost as if singing seductively and calling towards him. It was tempting to just follow that trail instead, way more inviting than anything Donghyuck had ever smelled before.

No, he had to concentrate. He was here to hunt. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. With a displeased grunt he continued the chase.

 

Donghyuck was dragging the deer he had brought down behind him. Most of the hunters were already back, chatting with each other about their prey.

Johnny was on training duty today and threw him an appreciative look when he saw the deer he brought. Mark was standing right beside his older brother, smiling brightly at the omega. The alpha looked like he was about to approach him, but before he could Donghyuck started jogging away.

The scent of cinnamon was still sticking to him, making his mind fuzzy.

 

 

Once again Jeno was harshly woken up in the midst of the night because someone was knocking on his door.

Excitement rose in his chest as he scrambled out of his furs, thinking it might be a certain omega again. He ran a hand through his hair and tidied his clothes up a bit before going to the door.

"That was very dangerous," his father greeted him sternly. "I could've been an enemy."

"Last time I checked we weren't at war with anybody," Jeno retorted, trying his best to hide the disappointment he felt.

"We're not," his mother stepped in after his father. "But you still should be more careful if you decide to open your door at night."

"Sorry," Jeno rolled his eyes, shutting the door again. Especially his mother has always been a tad bit too protective of him. "So? What are you doing here? In the middle of the night."

"We need to update you," the chief informed him, striding through his hut and taking a seat around his kitchen table.

"Are there any news from Doyoung? Or Taeyong?" Jeno asked hopefully. His older brother and his mate had been dead silent ever since they sallied and they were all impatiently waiting for a life sign of them.

"Not yet," his mother sighed deeply. "He didn't reach out to you either?"

"No. No, I haven't heard from him," Jeno replied honestly, sharing her concern.

They were all worried. The two Lunaris leaders had been gone for far too long, the travel up north usually didn't take that much time. Not even a single letter had been addressed to them. Something was definitely up.

"Shouldn't we send someone after them? It's not like Doyoung to not reach out at all," his mother asked with the same protectiveness she held for Jeno.

"We can't. What if that is part of their plan? For all we know they made it there safely. The guards we sent out two weeks ago to look for them inside our territory didn't find anything that would lead us to assume otherwise," his father disagreed. "We don't want to bring anyone into danger. We have to look out for our pack."

The chiefess sighed again, but she knew her mate was right in the end.

"So, what news do you have then?" Jeno asked into the heavy silence that had settled between them.

"Kun, second in command in the Lunaris pack, contacted us," his father let him know. "They've spotted more black wolves just around their borders. We've sent some of our guards to their pack to help find them. But it's been pretty fruitless until now."

"This isn't a coincidence anymore. They're definitely planning something," Jeno concluded and his father nodded, pressing his lips together.

"I know. And that's why we can't endanger the success of Doyoung's mission. He's our only source of information. Our only shot at communication right now," the chief elaborated, stressing the importance of Doyoung's and Taeyong's visit.

"If anyone knows how to charm a leader it would be Doyoung," his mother agreed, although her face looked more than tired.

"We need you to be careful, Jeno. We don't know what's coming. We just know that something's coming. So be prepared," his father advised him, voice heavy with meaning.

"And don't just open your door at night. You have a sword for a reason," his mother scolded him.

Jeno nodded obediently. Deep down he had expected that information, but it was still unnerving to really hear it.

"And work on your courting. It's going well, right?" His father threw into the room, changing topics.

"Yes, don't worry. You're gonna love him," Jeno replied with a fond smile and the chief looked pleased.

"We'll decide once we meet him," his mother told him.

Jeno almost rolled his eyes again. There was just no way that there was even the slightest chance that his parents wouldn't like Renjun.

"We have to head back now. Keep your eyes and ears open. Especially when you go on hunts. Tell Jaemin to be watchful, too," his father patted him on his shoulders after he slowly got up from his chair.

"I will. Take care of yourselves," Jeno answered as he walked his parents to the door.

"We'll be back to see you soon, son. We're very proud of you," his mother held his face with her delicate hands, giving him a loving look. Jeno gave her a reassuring smile and his mother patted his cheek softly before letting go and leaving his hut together with her mate.

Chief and chiefess disappeared in the safeness of the dark night as quick and unnoticed as they had arrived.

Jeno sat back down in his furs with a long breath escaping him. A visit from Renjun would've been so much more fun.

 

 

Child care class was usually a place for peace and quiet, to calm down and indulge in silly games with the bright future of their pack. There was no such thing as violence or hate when they were around the children

Perhaps that was why the shock was even bigger when Renjun and Donghyuck saw Yangyang walk into class that day. The omega was showcasing a busted lip and his cheek was bruised red.

"Yangyang! What happened? Are you okay?" Renjun asked concerned when he first spotted the injured omega.

"What? Oh, yeah, my face, don't worry," Yangyang replied causally. "Just a cat fight."

"That looks nasty, Yangyang. Are you sure you're fine?" Donghyuck inquired worried but the younger omega only shrugged.

"Yeah, I've been checked out in the healing hut earlier. It looks worse than it is," Yangyang assured him. "You're not the only omega that can fight."

Donghyuck rolled his eyes at that comment as Yangyang took a seat next to him.

"Who did you even fight?" He asked sympathetic.

"Oh, Amy, that bitch," Yangyang scoffed, before pressing his hands over his mouth and checking if any of the children had heard his insult.

"Why?" Donghyuck pried and Yangyang's expression turned from mad to slightly conflicted as he glanced at Renjun.

"What?" The omega questioned confused.

"She was talking shi- things about you. Saying some evil stuff," Yangyang answered lowly and Renjun felt like he had been punched instead of Yangyang. "And I said I'd have your back! She was obviously just lying and jealous! Seriously, if you had heard what she said you would've punched her as well!"

"Yangyang," Renjun sighed. His gut was painfully deforming and rearranging himself, leaving him with a throbbing stomach ache at the thought of Yangyang getting hurt because of him. "I appreciate your sentiment but you really shouldn't go around punching anyone that gossips about me."

"It wasn't just gossip! She was being disgusting," Yangyang muttered. "Saying ugly things about your family..."

"Still," Renjun insisted – having a very clear imagination of what must've been said about him without needing to hear the details from Yangyang. "No more fights because of me, okay?"

"Okay," Yangyang murmured upset.

"Hey, Yangyang, we wanted to go mud surfing on the weekend," Donghyuck switched topics and Renjun sent him a thankful smile.

"Mud surfing? Like when we were kids?" Yangyang was immediately distracted.

"Yes," Donghyuck nodded excitedly.

"Don't know, aren't we too old for that?" Yangyang was a bit skeptical – they hadn't gone mud surfing since they had presented.

"Jeno's coming along," Renjun mentioned nonchalant, but it had the desired outcome.

"Count me in!" Yangyang changed his mind and Renjun grinned pleased.

Now the only thing left to do was to actually invite Jeno.

 

It took two more days for him to actually get that chance. Although they had been talking to each other in between classes, their talks mostly remained short chats, because Jeno kept being ripped away from their peers by his guards. Apparently there were important castle happenings going on behind the scenes. But Renjun tried not to be too curious, respecting Jeno's privacy.

Friday seemed to be more of a calm day for the prince and Renjun wittered his chance for a quiet conversation when he spotted the alpha working on a carving assignment from building classes, sitting near the huge fire spot. Of course there were still some onlookers, but even they seemed to be fewer than usual today.

With confident strides Renjun made his way towards the alpha - but he was too late. Before he could claim the spot next to Jeno someone else did.

Jaemin sat down, then saw Renjun a few meters away from them. He smirked and nudged Jeno in his side, who looked up from his piece of wood, eyes falling on Renjun. With a happy smile the prince waved at him.

Well, no backing out now.

Renjun cleared his throat and closed the distance between them.

"Hey," he smiled, sitting down on the other side of Jeno.

"Hey, how are you?" Jeno asked warmly, pushing Jaemin away to create more space for Renjun to sit.

"Oh, I'm fine, thanks. What about you? No more urgent meetings?" Renjun replied teasingly.

"What meetings? Everything is fine," Jeno put him off and Renjun giggled at the obvious tension in his voice.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna ask what they're about," the omega assured him and Jeno's tension immediately vanished. "But I do have another request."

"Whatever you want," Jeno offered generously.

"Even if it's dirty?" Renjun questioned and then watched in silent amusement how Jeno's face turned red. Yeah, Renjun could also make him flustered - just a little revenge for the other morning.

"W-what...what do you mean?" The alpha stuttered, almost dropping his carving assignment into the dust.

"Did you ever go mud surfing?" Renjun asked and Jeno went from embarrassed to confused.

"Mud surfing? What's that?" He replied baffled.

"I can show you. Sunday, if you're up for it," Renjun offered with a bright smile. "It's really fun. And I kind of promised Yangyang you'd be there."

"Seems like I don't have a choice," Jeno chuckled.

"Nope, you really don't," Renjun confirmed and someone snorted loudly at their playful banter.

"Yeah, I'm also still here," Jaemin commented when they both turned their heads to him.

"Oh, err, sorry. You're of course also invited. The more the merrier!" Renjun said, giving Jaemin a crooked smile.

"It's not just gonna be us three? I don't wanna thirdwheel with the two of you," Jaemin questioned and Jeno harshly nudged his elbow in his side, making the alpha pout at him. Renjun laughed at their bickering.

"No, Yangyang's gonna be there. And Donghyuck, too. It's gonna be tons of fun," Renjun answered him. "Besides, you can't become an adult without going mud surfing once. So, you're both coming, no objections."

"Wow, you chose a good one, Jeno," Jaemin laughed. "He knows what he wants."

"I know," Jeno smiled and Renjun tried to keep the confident act up. But Jeno's fond eyes were making him weak.

"Okay. Sunday morning, we meet at the hunting circle," he said shortly and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Jeno asked right away.

"Doing laundry!" Renjun replied loudly and then stomped away. He had totally owned that conversation.

 

 

Donghyuck was tiredly stirring his bowl of soup. Hunting training had been especially straining today. He didn't want to admit it but he still felt the aftermath of his injury. Not that he could ever tell anyone about that. Especially none of the alphas. They would just find new excuses to make him hold back again. After he had earned their respect Donghyuck was the last person to do anything to risk loosing it. And whining about a dull pain in his shoulder was certainly not the way to go.

It wasn't even that bad of a pain. Donghyuck was sure he would recover from it soon. But now it was annoying how he couldn't move as swiftly as he used to, afraid the pain would overwhelm him. He still always got his prey, don't get him wrong, but currently it wasn't as easy as it used to be!

"Are you not eating that?"

Donghyuck raised his head lackluster at the familiar voice. Mark was hovering behind him with a sheepish look on his face.

"You can have it," he muttered, pushing his bowl aside and Mark happily sat down next to him.

"Thanks," the alpha smiled, already beginning to slurp down the soup.

Donghyuck watched him eat for a while and felt something weird happening inside of him. His sour mood slowly disappeared, making way for a deep content feeling rising in his chest.

Then he decided that he needed to get out of here. He couldn't believe Mark didn't even let himself mope around anymore. Donghyuck deserved to be sulky every once in a while!

Harshly he stood up, knees bumping into the table as he did so, but he wouldn't let that stop himself – he had dealt with pain much worse. He should've expected Mark having an issue with him just disappearing though.

"Wait!" Mark surged after him, leaving the still unfinished soup behind on the table. "Where are you going?"

"Just away," Donghyuck muttered, speeding up but Mark didn't hesitate to walk after the younger until he could step in front of him, making the omega halt in his steps.

"Is this because I ate your soup? I'm sorry, I can get you a new one!" The alpha offered with an apologetic expression.

"What? No, this is not about my soup. If I had wanted that soup you wouldn't have been able to even eat one spoonful," Donghyuck retorted bewildered.

"Is it anything else I did? Because I really didn't mean to make you upset or anything-"

"What the hell are you even talking about? This is not about you," Donghyuck told him, maybe a bit too harshly to come out as unbothered as he had wanted it to.

"It's not? Because I feel like-" Mark said and then paused, opening and closing his mouth as if he wasn't sure what to say next. "You aren't wearing the necklace."

"I'm not- I...what?" Donghyuck frowned in confusion.

"The necklace I made you. I've never seen you wear it. Do you...not like it?" Mark elaborated slowly.

"No...no, I already told you it was nice," Donghyuck replied perplexed. Why were they suddenly talking about the necklace?

"Then it has to be because it's from me," Mark concluded. "Do you...do you not want me to court you anymore? Because...I mean, I know you probably don't like me like that just yet, but you used to tell me to get you gifts, so I did, because I really want you to like me like that, but now you're sort of avoiding me and you're not really wearing what I got you and you don't really ask me to hang out, which is also fine! But like, if you really don't want me to court you I can...I can stop, because I really don't want to do anything you don't want and-"

"Okay, stop, just stop right there," Donghyuck interrupted Mark's rambling.

The alpha's expression looked like a mixture of fear and curiosity as he stared at Donghyuck patiently. A lot of conflicting thoughts started battling in Donghyuck's mind as he stared at Mark's awaiting expression – the silence between them almost overbearingly tense.

Oh, Mark was probably expecting a real answer!

Donghyuck swallowed as he tried to gather his thoughts. He guessed Mark had a point. Until now the alpha had put a lot more effort into this courting. And Donghyuck had been a bit cranky as of lately. And he had never really sought out Mark's company on his own. He could see how Mark could've gotten the wrong impression.

But that didn't mean that Donghyuck didn't like him like that! Not that he did like him like that! No...he just...he...didn't know. One thing he did know, however, was that he didn't want Mark to stop courting him.

"Renjun, Yangyang and I are going mud surfing on Sunday," the omega said a bit matter of fact and Mark's face understandably showed a puzzled expression at the seemingly unrelated answer.

"Okay?" He questioned, voice tilting a bit towards the end.

"You should come along," Donghyuck added curtly, before biting down on the inside of his cheek and deciding that he wasn't a coward and should do this properly. "No...I...I'd really like it if you'd come along. Yeah," he bravely specified.

Mark's eyes crinkled up, sparkling in that way that was just so uniquely Mark and that made Donghyuck's heart warm up.

"Okay...I'd love to come," the older one accepted the invitation gratefully.

"Good," Donghyuck nodded, clearing his throat. "You still want that soup? I can make you a fresh one. Mine is probably cold by now."

"Oh, you don't have to!" Mark denied, awkwardly waving around with his hands.

"Seriously? Because I make a damn good soup," Donghyuck boasted confidently.

"Only...only if it's no trouble for you," Mark finally agreed sheepishly and Donghyuck smiled satisfied.

"Follow me," he ordered the alpha, leading the way towards their cooking space, where the cooking classes were held and where he knew his way around.

Mark followed him like an obedient puppy, eyes still sparkling in that adorable way as he silently watched Donghyuck prepare a fresh batch of soup just for him.

That he still hadn't gotten his chance to mope around didn't even concern him anymore.

Notes:

Hey, thank you so much for reading!! <3

Haha, there's not that much happening in this chapter - but I guess that calms down all your upcoming angst suspicions, right? ;)

I hope you are all having a lovely day and get a lot of rest during the next weekend!! Stay safe and healthy :3

Chapter 12: Mud Surfing

Notes:

Hey, welcome back!! Enjoy :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Soft rain was pouring - the sky covered with dark gray clouds.

Under normal circumstances the perfect excuse to huddle up inside for the whole day. But not if you wanted to go mud surfing. For mud surfing this was exactly the weather you were looking for.

Renjun made his way to the forest early in the morning. It's been a while since they've done this, but luckily his old mud board was still intact.

He and Sicheng had carved their own boards when they had been little kids with the help of the orphanage caretakers. Renjun's delicate board made from sprout wood had a tiny 'R' engraved in the middle, while Sicheng's heavier oak board had the matching 'S', so they wouldn't get them accidentally mixed up. Both of them had been childishly protective about their respective belongings when they had been little.

Now, however, the older omega hadn't even blinked an eye when Renjun had asked to borrow his mud board. He had even helped him dust them off since they've been laying around in a forgotten corner for almost a decade.

 

"Wow, haven't seen those in a while!" Donghyuck greeted him with a wide grin as they met at the forest clearing. "Man, I remember I was so jealous of your boards when we were little."

"I would've been mad if you weren't," Renjun replied cheekily, scanning Donghyuck's old board that was a lot rougher around the edges from years and years of being mistreated. Then something - or rather someone - else caught his eye.

A smirk spread on his face as he nudged Donghyuck teasingly, nodding his head to point at someone behind him and Donghyuck turned around.

"Guess you changed your mind about inviting him," Renjun commented slyly and Donghyuck glared at him.

"Not a word," he said in a low tone and Renjun chuckled to himself.

"Hey, guess what! I still had my old board!" Mark said excitedly once he was near enough to talk. "I hope it still works."

"It only needs to slide downhill," Donghyuck told him dryly. "How can it not work?"

"That's probably true," Mark agreed with an awkward smile.

Renjun’s gaze flickered between the two of them. Somehow he could picture them together.

"I told Jeno and Jaemin to meet us at the hunting grounds," Renjun said, clamping the two boards underneath his arms and stomping ahead. "So we should probably hurry."

 

Yangyang was already waiting for them at the designated meeting spot, but to Renjun's surprise he wasn't alone. A handsome young alpha was standing beside him, carrying two huge wooden boards.

"Guys, there you are! We've been waiting!" Yangyang nagged them impatiently.

"Well, look who's been up early," Renjun retorted with a fond eye-roll.

"And you even got someone to carry your board," Donghyuck added, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Right!” Yangyang seemed to remember – and was there a slight blush on his cheeks? “This is Hendery," the youngest introduced them to each other.

"I know, we have hunting training together," Donghyuck said, giving Hendery a friendly smile.

"Yeah, you're Donghyuck, right?" Hendery confirmed and the omega nodded. "And Mark, haven't talked to you in a while," he turned to the other alpha and the two exchanged a short handshake.

"I'm Renjun," the only one left out said when Hendery's eyes fell on him.

"Oh, I know," Hendery said a bit tactless and Yangyang boxed him in his side. "What, everybody knows him! He's being courted by Prince Jeno!"

Renjun's smile faltered a little, but he couldn't hold it against Hendery that he knew him. Especially since the alpha was courting Yangyang, the biggest gossip Renjun had ever encountered.

"It's alright. So you've been mud surfing before?" Renjun said calmly.

"I mean, everybody does it as a child," Hendery shrugged, the two boards he was holding wavering a little at the motion.

"And I thought it would only be fair that he comes along since you're bringing...company as well," Yangyang said, giving Mark a short but pointed look. Donghyuck’s was shooting daggers at him, but Yangyang knew no fear when it came to his friends.

"Well, I'm not complaining. It's gonna be fun," Renjun tried to prevent the worst, only for Yangyang to suddenly shush him.

"They're coming!" He whispered agitatedly.

Nobody needed to ask who he meant. It was like the whole atmosphere changed around them as the two alphas stepped onto the clearing, their natural charm working in mysterious ways. All of nature seemed to stop for just a second to hold their breath and the clouds above them parted to cast a ray of light onto them.

The prince and his noble friend were oozing with confidence and ease as they walked up to their little group, light smirks on their faces. Due to the slight drizzle both their delicate shirts were clued to their chests and their hair was slicked back neatly.

"You made it," Renjun smiled happily at Jeno when the alpha finally reached him.

"Wouldn't miss it for anything," the alpha replied, eyes forming little crescents.

"Your highness!" Yangyang breathed out in admiration and both Hendery and Mark lowered their heads in respect. Renjun almost busted a lung trying not to laugh.

"Oh, please, just treat me like your friends! You don't need to do that," Jeno said a bit embarrassed. "I'm just Jeno. And this is Jaemin."

"Nice to meet everybody," Jaemin said in a chirpy voice. "I hope you can teach us how to mud surf. We've never went before."

"What?!" Donghyuck asked as if Jaemin had just confessed to committing a terrible crime.

"They don't have that kind of fun in the castle," Renjun snickered amused at the extreme reaction.

"We're not here to get mocked," Jeno pouted and Renjun laughed at him.

"Come on, let's get going," he said, turning to Donghyuck. "Are we going to the sunflower fields? They are at the best hillside."

"Sure," the omega agreed, taking the lead and heading towards that direction.

 

The small group of friends followed him and Renjun watched with a small smile how Mark took a few quicker steps to catch up to Donghyuck and clued himself to the omega’s side. Somehow they made so much sense together.

"Hey, can I help you carry that?" Jeno fell into step with him, pointing to the two pieces of heavy wood in Renjun's arms.

"Oh, sure, yeah, but be careful. We need them," Renjun accepted the offer gratefully. His arms felt like they were about to fall off from the weight.

"So you really use these to slide down a hill?" Jeno questioned curiously, taking Sicheng's heavier board from him.

"Basically," Renjun confirmed with a crooked grin. "You'll understand once you try it. It's awesome."

"Okay," Jeno chuckled. "Can't wait."

Renjun gave him a soft smile. This whole situation could've went down so much different. Jeno could've been judging and snobbish, not wanting to indulge in those childish activities. But he wasn't. Instead he was here by his side, along for the ride without any prejudices, seemingly just happy to spend some time together.

It was still lightly drizzling down on them, but that was probably a good thing. None of Jeno's admirers were out in that kind of weather, although Renjun had by now learned how to ignore the whispers - or at least he liked to believe he was getting better at it. Still, it was nice to not be followed by anyone for a change.

 

A few meters in front of them Mark was throwing unsure glances at Donghyuck.

"Do you want me to carry your board as well?" He asked politely after a while of awkward silence.

"I think I can handle it," Donghyuck replied nonchalant. His board wasn't that heavy to begin with and he had no trouble holding it.

"Because I'm strong. You know," Mark added, trying too hard to sound casual and Donghyuck gave him an amused look.

"Suit yourself then," he said and handed his board over to the alpha, who took the second board with ease, demonstratively flexing his muscles. Donghyuck almost snorted out loud. Sometimes alphas were so transparent.

"You're wearing the necklace today," Mark pointed out delighted and as if he had to check Donghyuck's hand reached after the small sun pendant that was dangling around his neck. But he had in fact put on the simple necklace that morning.

"I am," he affirmed and Mark's lips formed a tiny smile.

"It suits you," he complimented him. "It's very pretty on you."

For a second Donghyuck’s brain threatened to spiral, searching for an appropriate reaction and response, torn between accepting or dismissing Mark’s advances. But rejection was for the weak and Donghyuck wanted to be a decision maker.

"Thanks," Donghyuck replied flattered - for the first time letting himself just enjoy Mark's compliment and fond gaze on him.

It had been more of an impulsive decision to wear the necklace, but seemed like it had been the right choice after all.

 

They arrived at the sunflower fields not long afterwards. Of course there were no flowers blooming right now, as they had yet to be planted, leaving them standing in front of a vast, muddy landscape.

At the end of the field was a steep hill with no vegetation whatsoever. It was perfectly wet and slippery from the rain, inviting them for a fun time.

Donghyuck quickly snatched his board back from Mark, the squelching sound of his feet stomping through the mud getting louder as he hurried forward.

As you stood at the edge of the hill you could oversee almost all of the forest stretching out in front of them - most of the trees were still bare from the winter, but you could make out the first green leaves on some of them.

With a loud clonk Donghyuck's board dropped to the ground, the omega steadying it with his feet as he stepped onto it. By now all the others had caught up to him, admiring the view quietly.

Then Renjun also let his board fall to his feet, grinning when he saw Jeno's uncertain expression.

"Uhm, so...what exactly are we supposed to do now?" Jaemin asked, equally as unsure in this situation.

"You grab a board and surf downwards," Renjun shrugged as if it was the most simple thing in the world. "Care to demonstrate, Hyuck?"

"It's my pleasure," Donghyuck answered giddily, kicking his board through the mud, waving his friends goodbye before pushing himself forward with his feet. The omega elegantly surfed down the hill, curving slightly as he picked up speed and then slowly ran out of tempo as he reached the plain.

"We're supposed to do that?" Jaemin asked in disbelief, mouth gaping.

"Yep," Renjun confirmed. "You can have my board for now if you want to."

Jaemin looked like he'd rather not take Renjun up on that offer, but the omega did not let him object, pushing his board over to Jaemin with his feet.

"Any last advice?" Jeno asked, carefully putting Sicheng's board to the ground with his hands.

"It's more of a learning by doing kind of situation," Renjun replied cheekily and Jeno sighed.

"Alright then, here we go," he mumbled, slowly sliding over the edge.

In opposite to Donghyuck, who had glided over the mud smoothly, the prince got stuck a few meters afterwards, the momentum throwing him forward and making him roll down the hill by himself.

Renjun giggled at the sight, observing Jeno's puzzled expression as he finally came to a halt at roughly halfway down. Picking himself up he tried to climb out of the mud and walk uphill to where his board had left him, only to fall down face forward again. The alpha was by now completely covered in dirt from head to toe, looking like a toddler who had fallen into a mud pit. His previously light gray shirt had turned to a spotless brown – even his hair had little clumps in it.

After he had gathered himself from his second fall Jeno started laughing as well, looking down on himself and his ruined clothes.

"Come on Jaemin, you gotta try!" He yelled up the hill with a bright voice, encouraging his friend to join the fun.

Jaemin still looked hesitant, but Renjun nudged him forward without mercy.

"I'm not sure if I -" Jaemin’s last words morphed into a high pitched scream as he suddenly slid over the edge. Unlike Jeno he did not get stuck, but he didn't know how to control his speed and balance on the board and fell down to the side after a few meters, his board making its way down without him.

"Thank you so much for inviting me to this," Yangyang whispered next to him, sounding the happiest Renjun had ever heard him.

But Renjun was feeling awfully gleeful as well, watching amused how Jaemin scrambled back to his feet, somehow even more covered in mud than Jeno. It was a very nice change of sight to see the two otherwise very charismatic alphas out of their element. His eyes drifted over to Jeno, who was trying his best to walk the hill back up to get his board back, but who kept sliding downhill every few steps.

Like this he could almost imagine Jeno being part of this for all his life. Just a friend he had gone mud surfing with, nobody you had to act formal around, nobody who would once hold the power over this pack. Just a normal boy who had spent his childhood with silly games.

Although, he reconsidered, if Jeno had been his friend all along, he would've been much better at mud surfing.

To his left and right everybody got their boards ready as well. Mark was down the hill the fastest, smiling brightly as he didn't even break his speed, the wind whipping his face as he made it down in record time. Yangyang and Hendery were a bit slower but equally as smooth as they made their way downhill, drawing light curves through the mud and leaving their traces. Yeah, mud surfing was like breathing - you never forgot how to do it.

Having mercy on Jeno, who was still stuck in the middle of the hill, Renjun clambered his way down, feet immediately sinking into the wet mud after his first step.

"You have to put your feet sideways. Otherwise you will keep sliding," he advised Jeno, who was crawling on all fours in lack of a better strategy.

Renjun kept stumbling and gliding until he had reached Sicheng's board, pulling it out of the mud with a loud squelch. Jeno was still fighting against the hill, a seemingly lost battle as he kept falling over and over. In a skillful manner Renjun repositioned the board sideways before he got on it, surfed a wide curve and stopped right next to Jeno.

"You're much better at this than I am," Jeno grinned as he got up to his feet, only to stumble and being forced back to his knees.

"Years of practice," Renjun shrugged with a cocky smirk. "Come on, I'll help you get down. We can walk around the field and more to the side where the grass is growing. It's much easier to get back up there."

"You're my savior," Jeno said relieved. "I thought I'd die on this hill."

"Watching you the past few minutes I thought the same," Renjun teased him and Jeno gasped dramatically.

"I feel like you only brought me here to watch me make a fool out of myself," he accused him and Renjun giggled.

"That might've been part of it," the omega admitted laughing. "But look at yourself!"

Jeno inhaled insulted, but then he lunged forward, pulling Renjun into a hug, pressing him tight against his body.

"Jeno-?!" Renjun squeaked surprised and Jeno let go of him with a smirk.

"Now you look as foolish as I do," the alpha said and now it was Renjun's turn to gasp. It was true, his clothes were full of mud like he had just bathed in it, matching Jeno’s appearance. He stemmed his hands in his hips and cocked an eyebrow as Jeno kept laughing at him.

"Are you sure you want to mess with your ride down?" He asked and Jeno's cackling stopped immediately.

"Please don't let me die on this hill," he pleaded and Renjun broke out into laughter. Jeno looked too funny right now, messy from head to toe and big puppy eyes on display.

"Come on, we're gonna do it like the little kids," he gave in, sticking the board back into the mud so it wouldn't slide down without them. He sat down in the front, patting the free space behind him for Jeno to climb on. The alpha crawled over, slinging his arms and legs around Renjun’s torso.

"This is much more my speed," he whispered into his ear, resting his chin on Renjun's shoulder. The omega blushed, their sudden proximity making him flustered. He swallowed as he took a breath in, subconsciously resting his back against Jeno's firm chest who hummed in satisfaction in return.

"Uhm, don't get used to it," Renjun muttered, trying to put confidence into his voice. "I'll teach you how to surf down. Can't have somebody court me who can't even get down this hill on his feet."

"I'll do whatever you say," Jeno agreed without complaint, fastening his grip around Renjun's waist.

"Well then," Renjun mumbled as he swallowed his own spit. "Hold on tight."

With a powerful push of his legs he yanked them forward, getting the board out of the mud and sliding above the ground. Gravity pressed them even further together and a deep feeling of sedateness spread inside Renjun's chest when they came to a stop at the end of the hill and Jeno's touch lingered on him.

"Hey, why was I not allowed to sit down?" Jaemin complained as he trudged his way over to them, having found a way down on his own.

"Special privilege for the prince," Jeno explained with a grin, slowly letting go of Renjun and standing up. Jaemin snorted as he watched his best friend help the omega get up.

"Sure, it's because you're the prince," he muttered sarcastically underneath his breath, before tramping away to collect Renjun's board that had ended up in between some bushes.

Renjun laughed as he watched him leave - they were still drenched in wet mud and nothing anybody said in this state could've been taken seriously. This had been his best idea ever.

"Come on, you said you'd teach me," Jeno said, grabbing after his hand and picking up their board with the other one. An electrifying spark shot through his fingers as Jeno tightened his grip around them as he pulled him along to the side of the hill where the grass was sprouting. Best idea ever.

 

In the end none of them managed to stay clean. But that was half the fun anyways. Yangyang and Hendery had made a show out of surfing downhill while holding hands, which lead them to more than one bump in and unavoidable fall into the sludge.

Meanwhile Donghyuck had made it his mission to take the sharpest turns and let the mud fly around and onto whoever was passing by, although most of it always landed on himself. After a few turns you couldn't differentiate between his real moles and the mud splashes on his skin.

Due to Renjun's patient teaching Jeno and Jaemin had made huge progress, showing some real improvement as both of them were now able to surf down the hill without loosing their balance. (Although Jaemin had more than once knocked Mark over on his way down and then cowered in fear whenever they crossed paths.)

 

It was already afternoon when the rain suddenly picked up, the lazy drizzle turning into big splashes of water and thus ending their mud surfing session.

Everybody else was already packing and hurrying away, but Mark hesitated to leave when he noticed that Donghyuck was still down the hill, seemingly looking for something on the ground.

Without much further thought he dropped his old board to the ground and made one last trip downhill. As he slid over the ground he already sensed that something was off. The heavy rain had made the mud much stickier and harder to glide over. Maybe he should've walk instead of using his board, but now it was too late to jump off as he felt how he gradually gained speed.

Even with years and years of experience he could feel his balance fail him, the sludge making him bump and get stuck unexpectedly. After one more turn the board underneath his feet bid him goodbye, sending him flying through the air.

Fate worked in mysterious ways. Like two magnets being drawn to each other Mark saw Donghyuck's frame getting closer and closer and he couldn't even do anything against it. Literally, he was a mess of limbs sailing towards the ground, no control over where he was going - at the complete mercy of the laws of physics.

The air was punched out of Donghyuck's lungs as Mark landed on top of him, the impact making both of them fall down and roll over, leaving Donghyuck on top of Mark’s chest.

Mark's wide eyes stared up at him, chest rising and falling rapidly and face utterly filthy from the mud.

For a second Donghyuck was considering to scold Mark about the safeness of him and the people around him – but then he couldn’t help but find the whole situation extremely hilarious.

"Not your smoothest landing today," Donghyuck commented playfully and Mark grinned sheepishly.

"I wanted to walk you back home," he replied breathlessly, acting as if he hadn't just tackled Donghyuck to the ground. "Are you coming?"

But Donghyuck wasn't moving off of him, frown forming on his face.

"I can't..." he mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

"Why not? It's pouring and you're gonna get sick," Mark argued and Donghyuck huffed.

"I lost your necklace when I fell," he admitted, his guilty conscience making him honest. "I'll have to find it."

"Oh," Mark breathed out, eyes dropping to Donghyuck's throat that was now missing a wooden sun pendant. "I can make you a new one."

"No, it was a courting gift and-" Donghyuck stopped himself when Mark's eyes flickered back up to meet his, not really sure what he had wanted to say in the first place.

He should've gotten up by now from Mark's chest. Should've done so right away instead of starting a silly conversation. But now it was too late. Mark's eyes had captured him.

His lips suddenly felt very dry and he let his tongue lick over them.

Mark's face was so close to him for no good reason. And the more he looked at it the more it drew him in.

He took a breath and the painfully familiar scent of cinnamon was stronger than ever before, completely engulfing him and sweeping his mind empty. There was nothing left in his thoughts except for Mark and the comforting scent of cinnamon that came from him.

His heart was beating erratically against his chest, as if wanting to pound a hole in his body and make him bleed out.

However, before that could happen, Donghyuck gave in to his inner voice and lowered his head, his wet, round lips meeting Mark's chapped ones as his eyes fell shut.

He could feel Mark's breath hitch underneath him and how his lashes brushed against his skin as he closed his eyes. He could taste the mud on his face and the rain in his mouth, nothing as sweet and spicy as the cinnamon he smelt of.

A hand found its way to his cheek as Mark's lips gently moved against his.

Everything was dirty and wet and full of the mud they had spend their morning and their childhood in.

The sound of thunder harshly ripped Donghyuck back to reality.

There was a loud smack as Donghyuck abruptly pulled away from where their lips had locked just seconds ago, almost sounding like they had fallen into the mud again.

The omega was breathing heavily as he found Mark's eyes that stared up at him with a mixture of utter disbelief and total fascination.

"I need to go," he said in a mechanical voice because he didn't know what to do anymore. He kind of wanted to kiss Mark more but he also kind of wanted to punch him in the face for making him feel this way.

He stemmed his arms against Mark's chest as he pushed himself off the ground.

Oh, what had he done? Just what had he done?

Frazzled he picked up his board and then ran away as fast as his legs would carry him.

 

Renjun was a bit surprised when Donghyuck suddenly pushed past him, but the omega was too quick to stop him and ask about it.

"Well, he's in a hurry," Jeno chuckled, who had insisted on helping Renjun carrying the boards back to the orphanage. Renjun looked after Donghyuck for a while, but something told him to leave him alone for now. (Maybe he also didn't want to say goodbye to Jeno just yet.)

"Anyways, I had a nice time with you today," Renjun said. "Although I don't know if Jaemin had that much fun."

"Ah, don't worry, I'm sure he liked it as well. He just nags a lot sometimes," Jeno assured him with a chuckle and Renjun joined his soft laughter.

The rain was still dripping down on them and Jeno raised his hand to wipe some of the dirt off Renjun's cheek. The omega reached after his hand and gently pulled it away.

"Don't bother, I'm all messy, I'm gonna have to take a bath," he muttered embarrassed.

"Maybe I wasn't trying to clean you up," Jeno retorted, playfully bopping Renjun's nose and leaving a stripe of mud there. Renjun glared at him in betrayal, about to counterattack when a voice stopped them.

"Jeno?"

Renjun's heart dropped to the underworld.

A few feet away the chief and chiefess were standing underneath a giant umbrella. It was made from red fabric, embedded with golden adornments and petite willow branches holding it open and steady. It was much nicer constructed than the one Renjun had made and it screamed of wealth and power.

Next to the couple were two guards on horses, attentively observing their surroundings with serious faces. Renjun felt himself shrink underneath their gazes.

"Mother, father, I didn't know you'd come!" Jeno greeted his parents surprised, closing the distance between him and his family with a few steps. Renjun was just frozen in place, not daring to move.

He didn’t even dare to imagine what he must look like. Drenched in mud and sweat and rain, filthy to his bones. Way to go to leave a good first impression. Humiliation and embarrassment took over him and his face felt flaming hot against the cold rain.

"We have...urgent news," the chiefess said and Renjun dutifully lowered his gaze and bowed his head as her eyes wandered towards him.

"Oh, right, err, this is Renjun, the omega I'm courting," Jeno noticed his mother's interest, reaching out for Renjun. He gently laid his arm around his waist and lead him forward to his side.

Renjun still wasn't able to lift his head, instead continuing to stare at his feet. They must think Jeno had to be crazy to court him!

"Nice to meet you, Renjun," the chief said in a warm voice. "You don't have to keep bowing."

"Oh...er, I...uh, it's an honor," Renjun felt panic rise inside of him. Now it would only be impolite to keep looking at the ground, so he self-consciously straightened his back and faced their rulers.

The chief was actually smiling warmly, radiating the fatherly protection the pack loved him so much for. His wife's face was not less friendly, but her eyes were scanning him intensively. Renjun felt a shiver run down his spine. She was truly terrifyingly beautiful.

"We'll be pleased to get to know you better in the future," she said in icy politeness. "But we have to discuss something with Jeno."

"Yes, I'll have to go as well...erm...take a bath, I don't usually look like this," Renjun muttered clumsily. "It was an honor," he repeated before scrambling away, hoping he wouldn't stumble over his feet.

He couldn't believe that just happened! He might just dig his own grave already.

 

"He seems nice," Jeno's father said, turning around to make his way to Jeno's little hut.

"Doesn't he?" Jeno smiled smitten, falling into step with his parents, joining them under the big umbrella. "He showed me how to mud surf today."

"Aha," his mother said shortly. "Well, I'm sure you'll introduce us properly another time. Right now we have something else that's more important."

They had reached Jeno's hut by now. The chief nodded to the two guards accompanying them to wait outside the door and handed them the umbrella as they stepped inside. First thing Jeno grabbed a towel and began rubbing his face clean. The mud was slowly drying and it was starting to get itchy.

"So? What's the news?" Jeno asked, trying to get the mud out of his hair.

"We've gotten a letter from Doyoung," his father informed him and Jeno's towel dropped to the floor.

"What?" He exclaimed, turning his full attention to his father. "You did? When? What did he say? Is he okay?"

"Read for yourself," the chief said, handing him a rolled piece of paper that he had been carrying safely underneath his coat.

Everything was silent as Jeno skimmed over the few words written down.

'Dear mother and father,

We are both fine. We were very welcomed and strongly encouraged to stay a few days longer, an offer we couldn’t refuse . Things are different here than they used to be.

Sadly we had to leave early and are now on our way to the Lunaris pack, we think they need our help more right now because off food shortages. We hope the marigolds will wait for us.

Talk to you soon,

Love, Doyoung.'

 

Jeno reread the few lines over and over again, trying to make sense of them.

"What does he mean?" He raised his head from the paper confused.

"I think his mail was being watched, so he couldn't be completely honest and upfront," his father explained. "But he's trying to tell us something."

"They've been strongly encouraged to stay," Jeno mumbled. "Probably means they've sort of been held captive, right?"

"Not officially, though. That would've been an aggressive act and a valid reason for a war declaration," his mothered countered. "They were probably watched. And then they've used the opportunity to spy a bit themselves."

"And now they're on their way to the Lunaris pack?" Jeno kept going through the lines.

"That's probably true. Except for the food shortage – I’ve spoken to Kun and he never mentioned anything of the sorts to me. So there has to be a different reason," the chief elaborated.

"Which probably has to do with the things that are different now," Jeno mumbled in thoughts. "If only we knew what was different."

"Well, one things is certain," his father concluded. "The Noctis pack is preparing for something and it's nothing good."



The next morning Donghyuck was up early again. He had tried his best to get rid of all the mud yesterday, but he supposed another bath couldn't hurt. Somehow he was still itching behind his ears.

Even his parents weren't up yet, so he tried his best to sneak around their hut and get a towel and new clothes ready before he would head to the lake without waking them up. He was being so quiet and careful that his heart almost jumped out of his chest when there was a loud knock on their door, disrupting the peaceful morning.

Donghyuck sighed. Only one person in this pack would knock at his door this early.

He poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue, for a second considering to pretend being asleep and not opening the door. Especially for the guy that was the reason he hadn't been able to sleep at all last night. His mind had been replaying their short kiss over and over again, making him feel hot underneath his fur and crazy inside his head.

The knocking got a bit louder and Donghyuck heard his parents shuffle inside their room.

Okay, nope, better he would open the door than his mom.

"Didn't I talk to you about showing up here at ass o'clock?" Donghyuck hissed as he opened the door, quickly stepping outside and closing it behind him so his parents would hear their conversation.

Instead of getting all shy and jumpy like he usually did when Donghyuck got a bit mad at him, Mark straightened his back and shoulders, standing to his full height. Like this he was hovering a bit over him, although he was barely taller than Donghyuck.

"I found your necklace," Mark said firmly, holding out the wooden accessory to him, the little sun pendant dangling unharmed from the string.

"Oh..." Donghyuck was a bit taken aback by Mark's unwavering confidence. "Thanks," he added, carefully taking the necklace back. The wood had obviously been polished free from the mud, but it still looked as good as new. It must've taken Mark ages to find and clean it.

His stomach was feeling weird as he gazed at the alpha. It was not really helpful that his eyes kept being drawn to Mark's lips, flashes of how they had felt against his own shooting through his mind like they had ever since he had fled from the sunflower fields.

He cleared his throat, trying to force those thoughts out of his head.

"Anything else?" He asked, hoping to cut this interaction short and return to spiraling on his own. But Mark looked like he was brazing himself for a big battle.

"Yes!" He said certainly. "You were being unfair to me."

"W-what? I-"

"You kissed me. And then you ran away. It was not fair," Mark specified and Donghyuck felt guilt creep into his consciousness. Mark had expressed to him before that there was sort of an imbalance between their efforts in making this courting successful. And considering that Donghyuck had once been more than mad at Mark for running away from him he kind of felt like a hypocrite right now.

"I'm sor-"

"So I was thinking, to make things even, I should get to kiss you once as well."

Donghyuck blinked a few times, not having expected that conclusion, but Mark's face looked absolutely serious. Like it was the absolute easiest solution to solve this problem.

Well, he guessed you had to own up to your mistakes, right?

"Okay, good," the omega replied bravely and a sudden flash of surprise went over Mark's face. But then he gathered himself, back to emitting nothing but confidence.

"Good," the alpha said.

There was a short awkward moment where they just looked at each other, both knowing what was about to happen but not knowing how to go about it.

Slowly Mark moved forward, backing Donghyuck against the door. He leaned a hand beside the omega's head and closed in, guiding their lips to each other in what seemed to take ages. They shared a few breaths, eyes focused one another in building anticipation.

The scent of cinnamon engulfed Donghyuck, but for the first time ever he smelled his own watermelon scent starting to mingle with it, creating a harmonious together.

Not being able to stand the tension any longer he put his hands behind in Mark's head and pulled their lips flush against each other.

Donghyuck melted as Mark kept pushing into him, this time not tasting like mud and rain, neither like cinnamon but instead of something so familiar and so Mark that Donghyuck couldn't help but to lick against his lips, wanting more and never getting enough.

Mark gasped only to open his mouth in return and gently gliding his tongue over his bottom lip. The omega shivered at the sensation, running his finger through Mark's hair, softly sucking on Mark's tongue. The older pulled away to tilt his head, his free hand coming to Donghyuck's chin to angle them in a way that allowed him to brush against his lips a bit rougher.

Donghyuck felt his breath leave him as Mark captured his lips over and over again, each time growing in passion, but maintaining the same fondness that was making his heart race.

A faint rumbling inside the hut snapped him back to the presence. Anxiously he pushed Mark away.

"My parents are waking up," he whispered against Mark's lips who looked a bit out of it as Donghyuck was so suddenly ripped away from him.

It had probably not been the brightest idea to do this in front of his parents' hut.

Both of them were breathing heavily, and Donghyuck let his hands slip from Mark's hair over to his chest. A bit flustered he fiddled with the seam of Mark's sweater. He should probably calm down before returning inside and facing his parents.

"Did that..." he swallowed, trying to not sound too affected by the fact that Mark was an incredible kisser. "Make things even?"

"Yes, that was very...good," Mark's voice was hoarse and raspy and Donghyuck had never heard anything sound more attractive in his life. It took him a second to realize that he was the one that made Mark sound like that. But then the thought made him feel very satisfied.

"Good," he replied and Mark let out a soft chuckle, sheepishly tucking one of Donghyuck's loose strands of hair back in place.

There was more creaking and subdued voices coming from inside the hut and Donghyuck caught himself feeling more than disappointed having to send Mark away.

"It's your turn to run away," he mumbled and the alpha grinned.

"Right," he agreed, stepping away and Donghyuck almost whined when the scent of cinnamon left with him. "I'll see you later. During hunting training."

"Yep," Donghyuck plopped his lips, watching Mark awkwardly shuffling on his feet.

Quicker than lightning and to his complete surprise, Mark suddenly leaned closer, pressing a short peck on Donghyuck's lips.

"Now I owe you another kiss. Whenever you're up for it," he whispered rushed, before turning around and jogging away.

Donghyuck was a left stunned, the thought that he was apparently able to kiss Mark whenever he wanted to taking a while to settle in his brain.

 

On the other side of the hut Mark was fist bumping the air in victory. He couldn't believe that had worked.

Notes:

Thanks for reading!!
I hope you are all doing well and getting lots of rest!!

I had a lot of fun with this chapter and would love to hear your thoughts about it :3

Everybody stay safe and healthy and don't catch a cold <3

Chapter 13: History

Notes:

Hey, sorry this is up a day later than planned, thank you all for waiting :3
Now, enjoy <3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The weather remained rainy and gloomy for a few more days. With a smile on his face Renjun observed how more and more children returned to their homes covered in mud in the evening and he gladly helped out the kids in the orphanage to build their own boards. He didn't exactly know when mud surfing had became a tradition for kids in their pack, but it had been that way ever since he could think.

Maybe that was why he felt a little sad when he remembered last weekend. That had probably been the last time he would ever mud surf.

He didn't seem to be the only one who felt sad, however. Every time he crossed paths with Jeno the alpha seemed to be deeply in thoughts as well, mood as gloomy as the weather.

One day Jeno didn't show up to healing classes and Renjun started to really worry about him. Did it have something to do with the sudden visit of his parents? Could it maybe even be...that they didn't approve of their courting? No, Renjun thought. Not everything is about you.

Still, he worried.

There was only one person he could bother with his concerns about Jeno, who might actually have some answers for him.

 

"Jaemin?" Renjun had been searching for the alpha all day and had now found him near their cooking hut, carrying some firewood.

"Oh, Renjun. What a nice surprise," Jaemin flashed his white pearly teeth at him. Then his smile turned into a suspicious look. "You're not here to drag me through the mud again, are you?"

Renjun snorted, but didn't comment on Jaemin's remark.

"Have you spoken to Jeno lately?" He got straight to the point, holding the door to the cooking hut open for Jaemin, who brought the firewood to the stove.

"Jeno?" Jaemin asked after he had unloaded his arms. "Honestly, I think he's spoken to you more than to me these past days. And if he spoke with me it was mostly about you."

Renjun blushed flustered as Jaemin wiggled his eyebrows at him with a smirk.

"He wasn't in healing class today. And he seemed...troubled to me. Distracted," Renjun explained, relieved that Jaemin lost his teasing nature and let out a big sigh.

"Yeah, he-" Jaemin stopped himself, glancing at Renjun uncertainly. The omega gave him a prying look, motioning for him to keep talking. "I think I'm not supposed to talk to you about this, as much as I'd liked to."

Renjun felt a bit disappointed hearing that information, letting his shoulders slump in defeat.

"But," Jaemin continued and the omega turned to him hopeful. "I think you should talk to Jeno yourself."

"Oh," Renjun said, blinking surprised. "Could you maybe just tell me...Does it have anything to do with me? I mean, does Jeno...have doubts about the courting?"

"What? No," Jaemin answered confused, as if that was the last thing on earth to be considered. "Just find a way to talk to him in private. I'm sure you know how to do that by now. At least if what Jeno's been telling me is true."

Renjun face heated up at the implications of that - Jeno must share much more details with his best friend than he had assumed until now. But well, since Jaemin had already mentioned it, he might just give it a go.

 

The night was clouded and dark, not a single star could be seen as Renjun sneaked his way out of the orphanage. Only Sicheng knew about his little night trip because Renjun didn't want him to worry in case he'd wake up and find Renjun's furs empty. But the older omega was mostly not at the orphanage himself during the nights, returning in the mornings smelling faintly of honey despite having obviously bathed.

Renjun took a deep breath, reveling in the cold, quiet night for a moment. It was weird not seeing a single soul outside. Far away Renjun could hear faint rustles in the trees and a queasy feeling crept up his spine. He was really alone out here with only the wind and the darkness.

Wanting to escape the uneasiness of being totally alone at night he kept going, trying to not step on branches or gravel to make as few noises as possible. If he'd be caught sneaking to Jeno's hut, the rumors would never end.

The prince's hut was a bit outlying - while most huts were close to the forest, the big fire spot or the crop fields, Jeno's was facing the direction of the castle. It had been built especially for him - most alphas moved out from home when they turned off-age and built their own huts, so it had only been appropriate for the prince to live on his own as well.

Slight goosebumps were forming on Renjun's skin and his body was shivering from the cold when he reached the hut. He clenched his teeth together and leaned towards the wooden door, pressing his ear against it just to check if Jeno was alone in there.

But like everything else around him it was quiet, eerily so.

Bravely Renjun raised his fist, knocking a stern three times and waiting for any noise afterwards. He hoped Jeno wouldn't be asleep yet. The alpha had looked tired whenever they had spoken and Renjun didn't want to be the reason behind the circles underneath his eyes getting darker and darker.

His breath hitched when he heard something shuffle inside. Flashes of his last late night visit shot through his mind.

"Jeno, it's me, Renjun," he whispered as loudly as he could, not wanting Jeno to panic and get out his sword again.

The shuffling stopped and steps were coming closer, seconds after Jeno opened the door for him just a creak, as if to check if it was really Renjun disturbing his peace so late into the night.

"Hey," Renjun breathed out with a crooked smile and Jeno quickly opened his door fully, letting him come inside.

"What are you doing here?" Jeno asked but there was no malicious intent in his voice. No, he sounded rather delighted to have Renjun back with him.

Renjun felt a bit flustered as he remember the reason for coming here in the first place, but he was already here now, so he might as well just be honest.

"I worried about you. You weren't in healing classes," he admitted genuinely and Jeno's eyes seemed to light up at his words.

"You were worried about me?" He wanted to ensure he heard right and Renjun scoffed as he turned his head away.

"I just said so," he mumbled embarrassed, but Jeno's mood seemed to be lifted.

"You want some tea?" The alpha offered, walking to his small kitchen pantry and getting some herbs ready.

"Do you remember how to make some?" Renjun cocked his eyebrows in return and Jeno smiled sheepishly.

"Maybe you could show me one more time?" He asked and Renjun snorted as he took over brewing them some tea.

They spend the following minutes in peaceful silence – this one was much different from the silence outside when Renjun had come here. He didn't know exactly why that was - maybe it was because Jeno was right beside him (it was definitely because of Jeno right beside him).

The prince watched attentively as Renjun poured the tea into two cups, the steam heating up the whole hut and the herbs emitting warmth from their calming scent.

Without much thought Jeno picked up both cups and walked over to his furs, motioning for Renjun to sit down first. With a smug smile he noticed the omega's red cheeks as he did so, before joining him and handing him one of the cups back.

"So, did I miss anything important in healing class today?" Jeno started the conversation.

"Not really, we just repeated the effects of buckhorn," Renjun told him, warming his fingers on the hot cup and curling up further into the furs, the coldness of the night engulfing his body.

"Oh, it's good for mosquito bites, right?" Jeno remembered their last class and Renjun nodded, tensing his muscles up so he wouldn't start shivering.

"Basically, yeah," he said and a sudden chill ran down his spine, making his whole body shake.

"Are you cold?" Jeno caught up on his freezing by now, eyes filled with worry.

"A little. But it's fine," Renjun answered with a tough smile. He had survived worse winter nights.

"Here, I have blankets. I don't really use them much, I rarely get cold," Jeno told him, pulling a nicely knitted red blanket out from behind his furs. It was embedded with golden strings, forming the royal crest. From being huddled up in Jeno's furs it also smelled invitingly of dark chocolate and Renjun could feel his inner omega crave for it. Badly.

Swallowing that sudden desire he accepted the blanket in a much more reserved way, muttering a quiet 'thank you' as he wrapped himself up. Jeno watched him with fondness in his chest before subtly shuffling closer, hoping to emit some of his body heat and contribute to warming Renjun up with that.

"Was there a reason you couldn't come to healing class?" Renjun asked timidly, hoping not to overstep with that question. "You've seemed...a bit down lately."

He watched Jeno's expression with great apprehension, ready to apologize for his nosiness and leave any second. The alpha let out a deep sigh.

"Just...politics. I'm not sure if you're interested in that," Jeno told him, no sign of discomfort on his face.

"I'm...I might not understand everything. But I'd be happy to listen to whatever is giving you trouble," Renjun said earnestly and Jeno glanced at him, a smirk forming on his lips.

"You're really cute sometimes," he mentioned and Renjun quickly took a huge gulp from his tea to not have to reply something to that. "It's about my brother Doyoung."

"Prince Doyoung? Nothing happened to him, did it?" Renjun inquired worried. He hadn't heard or seen from the prince in some time, figuring he would be busy with his leader duties in the Lunaris pack.

"I hope not, well...I don't think so. But..." Jeno stopped, glancing at Renjun again. "How much do you learn about history in the village?"

Renjun was a bit taken aback by that question, not having expected to be tested on his history knowledge tonight.

"Just the basics, I guess. After the pack war...I think they were afraid to teach us too much, not wanting anyone to get stupid ideas," Renjun replied honestly what he remembered from his general education when he was still a young wolf.

"That's so-" Jeno bit down on his lips in frustration. "Unfortunate. Well, in my opinion at least. We should learn from our mistakes in the past and how can we do that if we don't teach them?"

"Teach me then," Renjun prompted, tearing Jeno's permanent gaze on him. The alpha looked surprised for a second, but then caught himself. He took a deep breath, as if preparing for a long monologue.

"So, as you probably know around twenty years ago there was a huge war against the humans," Jeno started and Renjun nodded, showing he was listening. Of course he knew about the war against the humans. His parents had lost their life in that war.

"At that time my grandfather was the chief of this pack. The humans found our pack back then, as well as the Lunaris pack bordering our south and the Noctis pack bordering our north. They didn't understand our way of living, so they brought my grandfather and the leader of the packs bordering ours to their city in a huge machine. From what I've been told they live in huge steel buildings and invent all kinds of constructions for transportation and working. It must’ve been fascinating, but it didn't fit with our life and values. My grandfather has left us many drawings and journals of his visit to the human city."

Renjun was captured by Jeno's simple words - he had never heard about the humans and their life in depth. It was thrilling to get to know all about them for the first time.

"But the humans didn't tolerate the decision all three pack leaders had made back then. They wanted to free us and our children from the straining life we were living, full of hard labor and unfair dynamics. Personally, I don't think they were wrong with everything they criticized about our way of living, but many things have changed since then. The humans saw right in their beliefs, right in their sense of superiority and thus right in freeing us from our own. So they attacked with weapons of iron and death bringing machines, tearing down trees and taking down our people. The three packs, Lunaris, Noctis and Solaris, had to form an alliance to survive, too many wolves had died."

Jeno's eyes were a bit hesitating, looking at Renjun with deep condolence. The omega felt the everlasting sadness deep in his heart, knowing that his parents had been part of the many victims.

"United we overpowered the humans in the end. Things were chaotic for a while afterwards, rouge wolves attacking our weakened pack for some time, creating huge misery and distrust, effectively splitting the alliance between the three packs. What happened next is unfortunately not transcribed well, even though it happened merely twenty years ago. For some reason people just wanted to forget, silence the war to death."

Jeno took a short break, eyes distant and i deep thoughts.

"Well, my dad told me that after his father had died, all he focused on was bringing peace to our people and feeding each and every wolf through a long and hard winter. He succeeded and actually learned from what his father had left him. He took a few of the good ideas the humans had - equality between genders for example, for the first time allowing omegas to get educated and choose their partners - but rejected their terrible ones - like the destruction of nature and their everlasting greed."

Renjun was actually more than surprised to hear that - he didn't know that he had basically been given his rights because of the humans. There was really always a good and a bad side to everything.

"Our ties to the Lunaris and Noctis pack were cut, until Doyoung made an effort to make amends with the Lunaris pack and fell in love with their new leader Taeyong," Jeno continued the story. "From what Taeyong told us, their pack coped with the war in a similar way. I think nowadays they are even more liberal than our pack and less stern about traditions."

With a small smile Renjun remembered the first conversation he ever had with Jeno and how he had accused Taeyong and Doyoung to have married because of politics. Seemed like there was much more to it and Jeno had been right to get upset back then.

"We don't know much about the Noctis pack, only that their leader was killed by the humans. Taeyong said after that they rejected every human idea, but neither his nor our pack ever traveled up north to see how they moved on after the battle."

Both their tea cups had been barely touched and were ice cold by now. Neither of them noticed though, both too immersed into history.

"Has Donghyuck ever told you about the wolves that attacked him in the woods?" Jeno asked him all of a sudden, transitioning from the past to the presence. Renjun was caught a bit of guard by the sudden switch and tried to remember if he had asked Donghyuck about that - but concluded he didn't. He had been more concerned about his best friend back then and not about his attackers.

"Weren't they rogues?" He replied uncertainly, not knowing where this question was leading and how it connected to their pack history.

"That's what we thought until we found out that...that all wolves he encountered had fur...as black as the night," Jeno told him meaningfully. "And that multiple black wolves had been spotted near the Lunaris pack as well."

"Why does their fur color matter?" Renjun inquired confused and Jeno actually chuckled softly at that.

"Well, our packs are named after them," he answered simply. "The Lunaris pack has light fur, almost white sometimes, like the moonlight at night. Our pack, Solaris, has golden brown fur, like a warm sun in autumn. And the Noctis pack has fur as black and dark as the night."

Renjun gaped at that. Nobody had ever told him about the meaning behind their pack name. Of course he knew that all the wolves in their pack had a brown fur - but to his defense he had never actually encountered a wolf from another pack, so making a connection between their furs and names was perhaps a bit far-fetched for someone like him. But now that he knew it was very obvious. So that was the origin behind their pack names. He really wondered why he had never been taught.

"So that means the Noctis pack is attacking our pack?" Renjun slowly put the puzzle pieces together. "But why would they do that?"

They were all wolves and in the past there had even been an alliance between their packs! Why would they turn their back on them?

"That's what we've been wondering as well. We don't know if it's really them or if it's just an unlucky coincidence. So, for the first time in years, Doyoung and Taeyong traveled north to get in contact," Jeno replied and the omega gasped.

"I've thought they were with the Lunaris pack!" He exclaimed and Jeno shook his head.

"It should've been a quick, secretive visit, just to check if we had to worry," Jeno let him in about the mission. "But they were gone for weeks with no trace of them."

Without thinking about it much Renjun took Jeno's hand, squeezing it in support. He knew what if was like to worry about people close to you, he knew what it was like to loose his family.

Jeno's heart jumped when the omega's soft fingers traced the back of his hand. He had never felt skin so soft and smooth, never seen a hand this pale and tender - the contrast of his own big, veined hands making it appear even delicate. Only after a few seconds of processing all the important information about Renjun's hand did Jeno remember that he had been telling a story.

"We've gotten a letter from him a few days ago. It was very cryptic, but it said that they were on their way to the Lunaris pack," Jeno continued speaking. "If they travel on the direct route then they should've crossed our borders today and we've been on the lookout for them. That's why I wasn't in healing class today - my father asked me to help look for them."

"You didn't find them then?" Renjun asked carefully, but reading Jeno's defeated expression he already knew the answer.

"Not even a single trace. We don't know though which way they are traveling, so I really hope they are just taking a detour and arrive safely. We really need to talk to them and find out what they discovered," Jeno told him, electricity shooting up his arm when Renjun's fingers clenched around his hand, completely emptying his mind from his worries in that moment.

"I'm sorry about your brother. This must really suck for you," the omega said with empathy in his voice.

"Oh, yeah," Jeno tore his thoughts away from the way Renjun's hand fitted so perfect into his and focused back on their actual conversation topic. "I mean, I know Doyoung has a way with people. I'm pretty sure he's fine. But there are things happening that we don't know about. Things that could be really dangerous."

There was a heavy silence in his hut after these words had left his mouth.

"Well, there is nothing we can do right now to make things better," Jeno shrugged, trying to lighten the atmosphere. His body almost physically retreated into itself in protest when Renjun pulled his hand away.

"Well, there is one thing," the omega said with a playful smile as he picked up his cold cup of tea. "A freshly brewed tea by the prince himself."

Jeno chuckled in mild disbelief, but Renjun was expectantly holding his cup of tea towards him. Slowly he got out of his furs.

"Alright, but don't complain if it's bad."

 

 

The air was moving vividly around him, the wind and branches hitting his face as he surged forward through the bushes. He couldn't even feel the slightest bit of his past injury as he took long powerful strides, his lean wolf cooperating with his brain in perfect harmony. There was a faint scent of boar near them and he heard a low growl behind him - Mark signaling that he had also smelled the prey.

The alpha was following him dutifully, letting him take the lead in their practice hunt. Donghyuck slowed down as the scent continued to grow stronger. Focusing on his sense of smell and hearing Donghyuck tried to locate it and Mark watched him attentively. With years of practice it was a simple task for the omega - he had spend most of his time in hunting training to perfect his tracking skills and attacking techniques. While most alphas worked on their strength and speed, he had taken a more tactical approach to bringing down prey and he firmly believed it was equally if not even more successful than the simple jump and bite strategy.

Intimating Mark to be quiet he followed the scent of the boar, watching his steps to not make any telltale sounds to give away their position. The whole trick behind Donghyuck's way of hunting was uttermost prudence, sneaking as close as you can get, preferably out of sight and making a fatal hit without the victim even knowing you were there.

The boar was mindlessly tunneling through the mud, not noticing the presence of its doom. Donghyuck almost growled in victory - he had this in the bag.

Just then Mark made a wrong steps behind him and a loud crack of wood echoed through the otherwise silent forest. A few birds flushed up in the trees near them, revealing their location and making the boar aware that it was not alone.

Donghyuck sent Mark an annoyed look as the boar took off, obviously deciding that it didn't want to die today and that flight was the better option.

The alpha nudged him in apology, nuzzling his neck and licking behind his ears, but Donghyuck shooed him away, snapping after his tail with his teeth, mad that he had ruined their hunting trip.

Mark continued to wiggle his tail, whimpering in regret and Donghyuck rolled his eyes before taking a leap at him and playfully wrestling him to the ground.

Snarling as his fight instinct kicked in Mark rolled them around, his bigger wolf frame giving him an advantage. With ease he pinned the omega down underneath him, who kept squirming violently, desperate to get the upper hand back, but Mark was ruthless when it came to playfights, pressing his snout down and making him bare his neck for him.

Trapped in that compromising position Donghyuck felt his own instincts snap into place and mortified he smelled his own release of aroused pheromones. Over him Mark's pupils dilated to dark, black orbs, nuzzling even deeper into his neck where the scent was strongest.

Not knowing what else to do he tried to push Mark away, unsuccessfully, and then proceeded to slowly turn back to his human form in which he had better control over his instincts.

Mark watched him puzzled, licking over his cheek one more time and making Donghyuck scrunch up his face in disgust. Then he also transformed, still hovering over the omega as he regained his arms and legs, caging him to the ground.

Leaving his unfair strength and size disadvantage behind, Donghyuck was quick to turn things around, finally pushing Mark away and pressing him to the ground, settling his thighs on the sides of Mark’s torso as he pinned his hands to the dusty earth next to his head.

They were both breathing rapidly and Donghyuck noticed the flush of pink in Mark's cheeks with interest.

"You gave us away, idiot. That bore was an easy kill," he swallowed heavily and Mark smiled up at him sheepishly.

"Sorry," the alpha replied. "But I think I still learned a lot from just watching you. So, err - thanks for asking me to come with you."

Donghyuck felt his own face flush, but he didn't regret asking Mark this morning to join him for some private training. For some reason he had developed a need to have Mark around him. A need to have Mark close. Not that he would ever say that out loud.

"You're welcome," he breathed out shallowly, not moving an inch away from Mark as he kept lingering above him.

"You're truly magnificent when you hunt. There's something in your eyes. I feel like I could watch you for hours just running next to me," Mark kept complimenting him, also not hinting that he was in any way uncomfortable with their current position.

Not strong enough to fight his desire a second longer Donghyuck closed the remaining space between their lips, harshly pressing their mouths together.

As if he had expected that, no, as if he had just been waiting for this, Mark captured his movements, letting out a satisfied growl. Donghyuck felt his smooth tongue glide over his bottom lip and shivered in pleasure as his mouth fell open with a heavy breath. Seizing the opportunity Mark licked inside his mouth eagerly, velvety tongues brushing against each other and Donghyuck couldn't control the whiny moan that left him at the pleasant sensation.

A low rumble went through Mark's chest as they parted, both out of breath like they had just been running for their life. Donghyuck looked flushed and dizzy above him, lips still hovering close over his own as they shared the same air. His thighs were snugly pressed against his hips, feeling hot beside him and an urge to touch them overcame Mark that he was too weak to resist.

With surprisingly no fight Donghyuck let himself be rolled over, Mark settling in between his legs as he let his hands trail over his thighs, squeezing them in satisfaction where they felt most plush. The omega went pliant for a second when Mark rested his chest on top of his, pressing his face to his neck, placing a smooth kiss to where a mating bite would be one day the in the future.

His chest was rising and falling rapidly as Mark kissed his way up his throat and over his jaw, only stopping when he reached his lips. Taking in the addictive sight underneath him Mark hovered teasingly close over Donghyuck's face.

Not standing the distance Donghyuck took charge, tangling his fingers in Mark's hair and pushing his head down so their lips could meet again. The omega harshly sucked on his bottom lip, making Mark let out a surprised gasp, which Donghyuck used as a chance to slide his tongue between his lips.

Mark lightly bit down and then fully emerging in his primal urges rolled his hips down in deep, animalistic desire. Donghyuck whined, throwing his head back. Nobody had ever touched him like this before, no touch had ever felt as intimate. It was a maddening sensation and the only thought he was able to form in this moment was that he wanted more, needed more of Mark.

Body taking over he bucked his hips up and Mark groaned before grinding down, coaxing another sweet moan out of Donghyuck's lips.

"Mark," the younger one gasped, their gazes meeting and forming a deep connection between them. Mark's attention rested on his face hot and heavy as he continued to press their bodies closer and closer, breaths mingling as he let their foreheads touch, scents melting into one.

"Hyuck, I-"

A sudden rustle made them startle apart in shock, Donghyuck shoving Mark away from him in cold panic. A tall wolf with dark brown fur appeared between the bushes and they both recognized him with horror.

The wolf morphed into his human form, an instant smirk adorning his face as he cocked his eyebrows at the sight in front of him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt, but we need Mark back at the pack," Johnny said, holding his laughter back as he watched the younger two flush a deep red.

"Y-yeah, I...I need to get back, too. My mom is probably waiting for me already," Donghyuck mumbled flustered, avoiding eye contact with the older alpha. He glanced at Mark shyly, muttering a quiet "See you later," before transforming mid jump and chasing away through the trees.

Mark stared after his disappearing frame for a few more seconds, before his chuckling brother remembered him of his presence.

"So, that's what you meant when telling me you were going on some private hunting training with Donghyuck," Johnny teased him and Mark turned his head away in embarrassment.

"We were training," he defended himself weakly.

"And then you just happened to fall on top of him, sure," Johnny finished his story for him amused. Mark's blush rose to the tip of his ears as he evaded to look at his brother. "Dude, I'm not judging! I'm happy for you, it's been ages that you've been pining over Donghyuck. Good to see you finally got your head out of your ass."

Johnny reached out a hand for him, helping a reluctant Mark up to his feet. He patted the younger alpha on his back in a brotherly nature. It had been hard to watch Mark make a fool out of himself for years instead of going after Donghyuck seriously. So when his brother had announced to him that he had started courting the omega this season, he had been nothing but thrilled.

"So, I take it courting is going well then?" Johnny asked him as they started walking back towards their pack.

"Well...I...I'm not sure?" Mark replied with uncertainty and Johnny deadpanned at him.

"Dude, I just caught you with your tongue down his throat," he said and Mark chocked on air at the crude description. "According to my standards I'd say courting is going pretty well for you."

"Well, it's – it’s a- a recent development! I'm not sure if he likes me just yet. I don't know, I just...I want him to feel safe with me," Mark tried to explain himself, stumbling over his own words.

"You're such a sap," Johnny commented and Mark scoffed insulted.

"Yeah, well, he's very important to me. I don't want to mess up again," he argued and Johnny laughed in good nature.

"I'm sure he wouldn't kiss you if he didn't like you," he assured him. "Just have a bit more confidence in yourself."

"I'm just nervous. Since...you know, spring is coming," Mark mumbled and Johnny nodded in understanding, knowing how nerve wrecking that time of the year was if you were courting someone special.

With the blooming of the first marigolds spring would be announced and a huge spring dance would take place. It signaled the end of the first term of courting season and was the day an omega got to decide if they wanted to return a courting effort.

"Don't fret about it too much. I'm sure it will turn out fine," Johnny comforted him and Mark forced a smile on his face for his brother’s sake.

They both made their way to the pack, not knowing that Mark's little worries about the spring dance were far too little for what was about to come.

Notes:

Thanks for reading!! :3
Again, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, and thank you all very much for being so sweet about the delay!!
I hope this chapter made up for it, even though it was a bit more plot focused :)

I hope everybody is doing well and happy!! Stay safe!! <3

Chapter 14: Feelings

Notes:

Hey and welcome back!! Enjoy and leave me a comment if you want to :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Renjun watched the dust float around in the beam of sunlight that fell through a creak of Jeno's partly closed window. The alpha's chest was calmly rising and falling underneath his head. Deeply asleep Jeno looked strangely ethereal, relaxed and peaceful - a polar opposite of the worried and agitated Jeno he had been last night, enlightening him all about history.

It had not been the conversation Renjun had expected them to have, but it had been by far one of the most interesting conversations he had ever had in his life. He supposed that due to being courted by a highly political figure such as Prince Jeno he would be enriched by many more of these in the future. There was just so much he didn't know, so much to learn.

A loud knock on Jeno's door made both of them startle, the alpha confusedly blinking his sleep away. Renjun sat up as straight as a pole, limbs still entangled in the blanket as he tried to struggle his way out of Jeno's furs.

He shouldn't have stayed over last night, but Jeno's warm presence and annoyingly nice smelling furs had been too inviting.

A second knock followed when neither of them went to open the door - Jeno too tired and Renjun too panicked to react to the noise appropriately.

"Who is that?" Renjun whispered, trying to think of a way out of the situation. Maybe he could climb out the window?

Barely hiding a yawn behind his hands Jeno groaned, "Maybe my parents?"

"Your parents?!" Renjun shrieked high-pitched. This was worse than he expected. "I need to get out of here!" He had already left a horrible first impression on their chief and chiefess. Not to imagine what they would think of him if they were to find him in their son's furs!

"Okay, yeah wait-" Jeno's sleepy brain seemed to slowly catch up on their incriminating position. At least, that was what Renjun had thought, until Jeno did the last thing he had expected. With utter nonchalance he pressed his nose into Renjun's scent glands, rubbing softly against him and efficiently leaving his dark chocolate scent on the omega.

"J-jeno! What the-?!" Renjun pressed out between his lips in slight shock as he found himself scented by the alpha. If he hadn't been so panicked in this situation he might've even enjoyed it - he really liked Jeno's scent, liked it more than any other scent he had ever encountered.

"They won't smell you if you smell like me," Jeno explained hastily as he pulled away, before manhandling Renjun out of his furs and into a small secluded storage room that was dark and dusty, filled with only a single old broom. "I'll distract them and take them away for breakfast. So you can sneak out," Jeno elaborated his plan as the knocking on the door got more intense.

Renjun, head still a bit dizzy from the sudden scenting, simply nodded and then the door closed in front of him, leaving him hovering in the darkness.

Jeno ran a frazzled hand through his hair. While his parents surely weren't the most conservative people in the pack, he knew that it was very inappropriate to be found with the omega he liked in his furs. And he wasn't up for another lengthy lecture from his mother. Besides he wanted to spare Renjun the embarrassment since he had been the one convincing the omega to stay the night.

Hoping to appear as normal as ever he leaned against his door frame before finally unlocking his door.

"Goodness, I thought you died in your sleep," Jaemin greeted him with an amused gruff as he entered his hut without waiting for further invitation.

"Sorry, I was...very tired yesterday," Jeno explained, rubbing the back of his neck. Relief flooded him. At least it weren’t his parents.

"So? Did you find Doyoung or Taeyong?" Jaemin asked, eyes falling onto the messy blanket on the floor and Jeno quickly went to pick it up and store it in between his furs.

Sheepishly shuffling on his feet he tried to block Jaemin’s view towards his furs, "Why don't I tell you all about it over breakfast?" He replied, trying his hardest to not glance to the door Renjun was currently hiding behind.

However, his best friend wouldn’t be his best friend without a reason. With suspicion his gazes drifted over to the small supply closet and then back to the prince, who gave him a crooked smile.

"Okay, what are you hiding?" Jaemin cocked his eyebrows and Jeno felt cold sweat form on his forehead.

Backing up against the door protectively, he cleared his throat, "N-nothing, what?"

"So it's not Renjun?" Jaemin questioned knowingly and Jeno gulped.

"No. No, of course not," Jeno mumbled, voice trembling.

"So then, since we're alone in your hut, I can freely talk about that one dream you had about him where-"

"YAH!" Jeno surged forward, pressing his hand over Jaemin's mouth, who cackled to himself, finding the whole situation simply hilarious. Playfully he bit in Jeno's hand, who retreated it with a pained hiss.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," Jaemin winked while gasping for air. "I'll leave first so you can...get dressed properly."

Jeno did not hesitate to shove the laughing alpha out of his hut. For some reason already feeling exhausted he sunk to the ground.



Renjun was taking the most extensive bath after he finally had managed to escape from Jeno's hut unseen. The scent of dark chocolate still lingered on his skin and it made a shiver run down his spine. Jeno had scented him so casually, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Maybe if he asked him, he would do it again. This time in a less stressful and compromising context, though, where Renjun could actually revel in it.

His skin was pink from all the scrubbing when he made his way back to the orphanage. Halfway on his way there he heard someone jog up to him, joining his steps.

"Good morning," Bao greeted him with a charming smile.

"Oh, good morning," Renjun replied friendly - he hadn't talked much with the alpha since he had made his intentions of courting Renjun clear. He had, however, received a few more courting gifts from him. Nice and soft rabbit furs, a new, skillfully carved bowl and even a self-made candle.

"Did you like my new courting gift?" Bao asked him curiously. "I left it in front of your hut last night."

"Oh," Renjun breathed out, trying to find an excuse for why he hadn't seen the new gift yet. "Uhm, I went to bed very early. And I was not...I was in a rush to bathe this morning, I suppose I haven't seen it on my way to the lake."

"Oh, well, I hope you like it. It's a new set of wooden spoons," Bao nudged him, smile not leaving his face as he watched Renjun.

Renjun shighed deeply, "Erm, Bao..."

He felt like he was leading the alpha on with this courting. Sure, he liked his gifts, had no choice but to accept them, anything else would be considered an insult...but he had no intention of ever reciprocating his efforts.

Before he could voice these thoughts in a friendly way, another alpha joined their walk.

"Renjun," Jeno must've also taken a bath. His hair was wet and brushed back, revealing his masculine face. The prince gave Bao a short look, who bowed his head in respect. "I thought we could have breakfast together. Haven't talked to you in a while."

Renjun almost snorted at the blatant lie. "Sure. I just need to get a change of clothes, then I'm ready," he agreed, stomach already rumbling at the thought of food.

"Maybe you can use the new spoons I gifted you," Bao commented all of a sudden, making Renjun snap his head back to him.

The whole atmosphere seemed to change around them as Jeno reared up to his full height, straightening his shoulders and a strong, potent, maybe even possessive scent spread across them.

Sensing that keeping the two alphas together longer than necessary would not bring any good, Renjun quickly stepped in, "Why don't you go ahead and save us a nice seat? I'll hurry," the omega suggested towards Jeno.

The prince tore his heavy gaze away from Bao, expression softening as soon as his eyes rested on Renjun.

"Sure," he agreed lightly and the omega smiled in return, watching as Jeno glanced at Bao once more before jogging away.

"Well, I have to hurry now. See you," Renjun also excused himself from Bao, who looked like he had wanted to talk some more.

 

Shortly after he reached the orphanage, seeing where Bao had left the wooden spoons on their porch. Letting out a deep sigh he collected them - they were nicely crafted, light in his hands and obviously made with a lot of care.

 

Jeno was sitting on the far end of a table when Renjun came to join him for breakfast.

"What was that earlier? Haven't talked to you in so long?" The omega said jokingly as he took a seat across of him, holding a bowl of porridge. "You're a ruthless liar. Shouldn't a prince be honest?"

"Well, even a prince is allowed to have his little secrets. You seemed to understand that earlier," Jeno retorted with a smirk and Renjun laughed. In hindsight it had been quite the funny morning.

"We need to work out an escape route for next time," he commented only half serious.

"Next time?" Jeno immediately picked up and Renjun gave him an innocent shrug.

He grinned cheekily, digging into his bowl with his spoon. "Who knows?"

Jeno was silent after that and Renjun felt that something was up with him. Gulping down his bite he raised his eyebrows, prompting the alpha to speak.

"Are these-" Jeno avoided his eyes as he kept mumbling. "His spoons?"

Renjun almost laughed out loud. This Jeno was so different from the one that had subtly tried to chase Bao away just minutes ago. The layers of Jeno's behavior never failed to surprise him.

"No, these are mine," Renjun answered calmly and Jeno nodded.

"So...he's still courting you?" He kept asking, feigning nonchalance, but it was more than obvious that the topic bothered him.

Since there was nothing to hide Renjun decided to be honest, "Yeah, he's the only one besides you. Everybody else stopped after you started courting me.

"He stood you up though. That one time, he didn't come," Jeno felt the need to argue.

"Yeah. He apologized for that," Renjun told him. "He's been giving me lots of courting gifts, trying to make up for it."

"I see," Jeno muttered gloomily and Renjun frowned. Wasn't it clear that Bao was not a serious threat? He had just spend the night at Jeno's hut - why would he even consider another alpha?

Wanting to tell Jeno just that he look straight into Jeno's eyes. "Jeno, there is nothing to worry about," he assured him, trying to reach for Jeno's hand, but the alpha suddenly stood up with a determined gaze.

"Can you meet me by my hut before dinner?" He asked and Renjun blinked confused.

"Okay?" He agreed unsure about where this was suddenly heading.

"Great," Jeno said and then strode away, breakfast only half eaten on his plate.

Renjun furrowed his eyebrows as he watched his frame retreat. That was...weird?

 

Jeno didn't join training classes today either, Renjun noticed when he didn't spot the alpha in healing class. Somehow he couldn't get rid of the thought that he had upset him. At least they had scheduled to meet up later so he could get to the bottom of this.

 

However, Renjun wasn't the only one that noticed Jeno's repeated absence from pack training.

"Say, Renjun, you don't know what Prince Jeno is up to lately?" Yangyang queried him in the afternoon during their childcare class. "People say he's been skipping classes."

"Oh well," Renjun muttered - he didn't know how classified the information about the journey of Doyoung and Taeyong was. "He's been tending to a few castle issues."

Technically that was not a lie.

"But you're still seeing him regularly, right? Your courtship is going well?" Yangyang asked curious as ever.

"Yeah, Jeno and I are good," Renjun replied, a shy smile sneaked up on his lips as he remembered last night. "Very good."

"I knew Amy was just talking nonsense - she's been spreading the rumor that Jeno is leaving you," Yangyang told him, always up to date with the newest gossip. "I told her he was just too busy kissing you to show his face in public."

"You - what?!" Renjun spluttered, startling the toddler he had been feeding and making her spit out the carrot pap all over his shirt.

Donghyuck cackled in malicious glee and Renjun glowered at him as he got a few wet wipes to clean up the mess on himself.

"Yangyang - you promised to only tell the truth to these people!" Renjun hissed scoldingly, but Yangyang shrugged unconcerned.

"I just had to shut her up. I mean, you and Jeno are kissing, right? So it's not really a lie," the youngest omega explained and Renjun blushed a dark pink, turning his head away. Yangyang's eyes went wide with realization. "What? You haven't kissed yet?!"

"Shut up!" Renjun reprimanded him, well aware of everybody else in this class eavesdropping on their private conversation, drawn in by Donghyuck's loud laughter.

For the first time Yangyang seemed to feel somewhat sorry, glancing at Renjun in apology. "I didn't...I mean...I'm sorry I assumed...just...you really didn't?" He whispered and Renjun curtly shook his head.

"No, and I'd really appreciate it if you didn't go around the pack and announce to people that we are, no matter if we do or not," the omega pointed out.

"Sorry," Yangyang ducked his head sheepishly. "But like...you and Jeno are...getting there, right?"

"Why are you so interested in this?" Renjun asked embarrassed, ignoring Donghyuck who was wheezing at this point.

"Well, because Hendery and I were pretty much kissing from the start and it's very nice. Like, it's the best part of having someone court you. And...like, I want you to have that experience," Yangyang explained and Renjun thought that Yangyang was being sweet for a moment. "And maybe I also want to know if the prince is a good kisser."

Less sweet, Renjun corrected his earlier assumptions, glaring at Yangyang. Sometimes his love for gossip was questionable to him.

"Oh, come on, don't be mad, the first part is of course the main reason!" Yangyang pouted at Renjun's angry expression. "Right, Hyuck, kissing is nice! Support me on this!"

Donghyuck chocked on his spit, stopping his roaring laughter. A deep blush rose up his face and Renjun grinned satisfied at his misery - Karma was always right.

"Why would I know?" Donghyuck croaked out with a hoarse voice.

"Oh, seriously - I've heard from Hendery, who heard from his sister, who heard from Ten, who knows from Johnny that you and Mark kissed! My sources are reliable on this one!" Yangyang deadpanned and Donghyuck's face got impossibly redder.

Now Renjun was the one laughing as Donghyuck hastily scrambled some words together.

Luckily they were both saved from Yangyang's questioning as childcare class ended only a few minutes later, completing their pack-training for today.

 

Still a bit flustered Donghyuck stormed away from his friends. He had to pick a serious bone with Mark about keeping their...private encounters private. Although, it was probably hardly Mark's fault that Yangyang had gotten information - Johnny had found them in the woods without any of Mark's help. Still, Johnny was Mark's brother! So it was more Mark's fault than his own.

Already set on getting into that argument with Mark he made his way to the alpha's hut. He had only seen him earlier during hunting training, but this was a serious enough issue to go see him again. With a bit of surprise Donghyuck noticed that he had never in fact been to Mark's hut before.

He knew which one belonged to him, had seen him run in and out of there often enough to locate it with no problem - but he had never visited him inside. Would it be messy like he expected? Or organized?

From the outside it looked like the most regular hut, not standing out between similar wooden buildings on its left or right. Donghyuck recognized Mark's parents hut not too far away, the alpha having settled down close to his family.

Clearing his throat Donghyuck took the last few steps to his front door, knocking confidently.

Mark seemed pleasantly surprised by his sudden appearance when he opened his door for him. "Hyu- Donghyuck!"

"I have to talk with you!" Donghyuck said firmly and Mark took a step aside, waving him inside his hut.

"That's good! I was actually going to come look for you later because I wanted to talk to you as well," Mark chattered, lightly closing the door after Donghyuck had entered his humble four walls.

With interest Donghyuck took in Mark's space - it wasn't extremely chaotic, neither was it very neat. A pair of muddy shoes were laying around in the middle of the room, next to Mark's slightly messy furs that looked like Mark had not bothered to put them back together after waking up in the morning. The sudden realization that Mark really lived here shot through Donghyuck. Not only that, but he lived here all alone - very much so as evident by the lack of cleanliness and order that his own mother would never allow Donghyuck to have in his room.

"So?" Mark asked with a crooked smile after he had watched the omega inspect his hut for a while. "What did you wanna talk about?"

For a short second Donghyuck was confused before he remembered that he had indeed told Mark he that he came here to talk. Now, however, the only thing he really wanted to do was something completely different. The lack of people around them and the secure sense of privacy combined with the earthy scent of cinnamon lingering very prominently in the air surrounding them swept Donghyuck mind empty.

Disregarding any sense of rationality he pushed Mark against the wall, pressing an almost longing kiss to his lips.

The alpha huffed in surprise, frozen for a second until the omega playfully sucked on his bottom lip, making him groan in pleasure. Vigorously reciprocating the Donghyuck’s advances he captured his lips roughly, nipping and licking with his tongue as if trying to paint every smallest piece of Donghyuck with his desire.

When Mark's strong fingers found their way to his waist, pressing their hips against each other harshly, a breathy moan left Donghyuck's mouth before he melted their lips together even harder, fighting his way inside Mark's mouth with his tongue.

"Donghyuck-" Mark exhaled when Donghyuck parted away from him to breathe, softly tugging at the hair in Mark's nape.

Surging forward Donghyuck let their lips collide, but Mark suddenly seemed to remember something, carefully pushing the omega away for a second.

"Wait," Mark said breathlessly and Donghyuck frowned in hazy confusion. "I really wanted to talk to you about something."

Suddenly a bit flustered by his own display of eagerness Donghyuck flushed red as he attempted to step away from Mark. The alpha reacted quickly, tightening his hold around Donghyuck's hips, keeping their bodies close and warm against each other - strong enough to reassure Donghyuck that he wanted him near but weak enough for the omega to tear away if he really wanted to.

Only that the gesture made Donghyuck's heart flutter even more, not helping the bright red on his cheeks to disappear. Shyly he ducked his head, but did not move away any further.

As if having waited for that decision Mark cleared his throat.

"So, uhm, I just, I mean, I really like kissing you, Donghyuck," he started awkwardly. "I'm sort of regretting stopping you right now, because I really, really like kissing you."

"I get it, Mark," Donghyuck mumbled embarrassed, honestly just wanting Mark to shut up - he really couldn't take his compliments.

"Okay, good," Mark replied and Donghyuck felt how his fingers were nervously tapping against his waist. "Well, I just thought that I would really like it if we could try some other things as well."

Donghyuck head snapped up, "Other things?"

Mark looked like he was mortified by his own words once he understood their implication.

"I meant like cuddling! And holding hands! And you like...resting your head on my shoulder!" The alpha clarified quickly and Donghyuck's stare intensified.

"You're asking me if we can hold hands?" He asked puzzled.

"Yes," Mark nodded in all seriousness, like this had been something that had been bugging him for quite some time.

"Uh, sure I guess," Donghyuck replied with a shrug. Holding hands with Mark didn't seem like such a big deal to him. Not after everything else they had already done.

"So I can hold your hand in public? Like, you know, if we walk somewhere together?" Mark asked excitedly. If Mark hadn't looked so adorable Donghyuck would've made fun of him.

"Sure," he just repeated cooly instead and Mark bit down on his lip to stop the wide grin on his face from spreading.

"Nice," Mark said giddily, mentally high-fiving himself for this accomplishment. Then, with no warning whatsoever, he leaned forward and pressed the softest of kisses to Donghyuck's cheek. There was no urge of desire behind that simple kiss - only fondness.

The kiss left Donghyuck spluttering, "I, err---I, um-"

Abruptly he freed himself from Mark's hold.

"I just remembered that I need to go," he said lamely, before his panic overcame him and he rushed straight out of Mark's hut, almost stumbling over Mark’s dirty shoes on his way.

His heart was beating rapidly as he threw the door shut behind him harshly. What had that been?



As promised Renjun showed up in front of Jeno's hut in the evening. Not really knowing what to expect after Jeno's weird behavior this morning he hesitantly knocked on his door.

It only took a second for the door to swing open, Jeno greeting him with a wide smile.

"Renjun!" He said brightly. "Just a second. Why don't we go for a walk?"

Not less confused Renjun waited patiently for Jeno to return from inside his hut, now a small leather bag hung over his shoulder.

"Let's go," Jeno said, claiming Renjun's hand and softly pulling him towards the forest, a place of privacy. His steps seemed restless as he mindlessly accelerated their tempo further and further, as if rushing to get somewhere.

Glancing at the alpha every now and again Renjun remained quiet, waiting for some sort of explanation. Something was clearly on Jeno's mind but the alpha didn't seem to have any intention to let Renjun know just what exactly that something was.

Not standing the silence any longer Renjun raised his voice, "Okay, Jeno, what is going on?" He asked, stemming his feet to the ground, effectively stopping Jeno from pulling him along even one inch further.

The alpha let out an impatient breath, "I have something for you," he said, expression unreadable.

"Okay?" Renjun questioned, not understanding. "Why did you drag me out here then?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I was just nervous," Jeno rambled and Renjun gave him a fond laugh. He squeezed his hand reassuringly, looking at him with soft affection.

"You don't need to be nervous with me," the omega told him.

"It's a courting gift," Jeno announced, still obviously nervous. "I've been working on it for quite some time now, because I wanted it to be perfect."

With trembling fingers he opened his bag, pulling out a dark violet velvet sac.

Renjun had never touched anything smoother than the fabric that glided into his fingers when Jeno handed the sac to him. Uncertainly his eyes met Jeno's. Then, very slowly and cautiously he opened the sac, revealing a small silver pendant.

It was shaped like a leave, two rows of sparkling rubies running diagonally across it surrounded by a stunning arrangements of pure brilliants. In the soft glow of the setting sun it shimmered brightly, light breaking in the clear, perfect gems and reflecting in all the colors of a rainbow. Renjun had never seen something so beautiful.

He had also never owned anything as valuable.

"This is-" he breathed out, but Jeno was already getting out another velvet pouch from his bag, this one slightly bigger.

"I also made you these. I realized I've not been getting you as many courting gifts as you deserve," Jeno interrupted him, revealing a small set of matching silver spoons. "I spent all day making these. I can give you all these things, too."

Renjun let out a heavy sigh, finally understanding.

A faint giggling sound reached his ears and low whispers mixed with the soft spring breeze that rushed through the trees on which the first green foliage blossomed.

"Come with me," Renjun said in a low voice, deeming this conversation worthy of some actual privacy.

Now he was the one leading the alpha over the fields and in between huts, straight into the forest. He didn't stop walking until they reached his - well now their - secret hiding spot behind the raspberry bushes.

"Sit," he instructed Jeno who obediently took a seat on one of the flat stones. Satisfied Renjun settled down next to him, interlocking their fingers and turning sideways so he could directly look into Jeno's eyes.

"Do you not like my gifts?" Jeno asked more insecure than Renjun had ever seen him more.

"No, Jeno, I love them," the omega replied with a calm smile. "But you do know that I don't like you because of your gifts, right? As an orphan I never got to have many belongings to call mine in the first place, so I don't really care about these things. Of course, I value them, but ultimately I don't need them."

"Mhh," Jeno hummed unconvinced. "I still feel like I could've made a bigger effort with the courting gifts. Spring is almost here and I barely got you two."

"Is this because of Bao?" Renjun inquired unafraid, noticing how Jeno's facial muscles tensed up at the sound of that name.

"Well, he seemed to have gotten you tons of gifts," Jeno replied pettily, turning his face away to stare at the ground.

"Jeno," Renjun said, shuffling closer to him and putting his second hand on Jeno's wrist. The alpha hummed lightly, signaling he was listening. "I don't like Bao. I don't want Bao. I like you and only you. I've told Bao that before, okay? But as an omega I don't really have much choice in who gets to court me, okay? And if he doesn't give up, I can't do much else than telling him that it's hopeless to stop him."

Jeno's features seemed to soothe after his words and the alpha carefully squeezed his hand.

"So, you really like me?" Jeno asked quietly.

"I do, Jeno, very much," Renjun replied, and then, wanting to extinct that last bit of uncertainty and insecurity in Jeno's eyes he got an idea. "Actually, I have a request."

"Whatever you want. Literally, whatever," Jeno immediately offered and Renjun almost laughed at his enthusiasm if i weren't for his heart beating so fast because of the request he was going to make.

"Do you remember this morning, uhm, you sort of scented me?" Renjun began slowly and Jeno's eyes widened.

"Oh," he muttered, letting go of Renjun's hands to sheepishly run his fingers through his hair.

Before his bravery would leave him Renjun spoke up, "So, I was wondering if you could do that again? Now?"

Jeno's eyes got even wider and for a second Renjun worried they would fall right out of his head.

"You want me to scent you?" The alpha croaked out as if that had been the last thing he had expected Renjun's request to be.

"Yes. I mean, I really like your scent. And I thought it would be nice smelling like you...just not after I just spent the night at yours and had to sneak out," Renjun repeated and with one blink of his eye Jeno's whole demeanor changed - a pleased smirk creeping up his face.

"So you think it's better that you smell like me after you dragged me into a secret spot into the forest?" Jeno said smugly and Renjun gaped.

"Well, Yangyang's been telling people that you are too busy smooching me for you to show up to classes. So this can't be worse," he fought back and Jeno's mouth fell open in shock. For a second they were both quiet – then they busted into laughter.

"Okay, come here," Jeno said, still chuckling as he urged Renjun closer.

Their laughter died down once their eyes connected. Slowly the omega bared his neck, making his scent glands available for Jeno. With the uttermost caution and in a lot less panicked state than this morning Jeno nuzzled his face against his neck, effectively rubbing his own scent on Renjun.

A content sigh left Renjun's lips as he let himself be engulfed in the grounding scent of dark chocolate, closing his eyes to fully appreciate just how nice Jeno smelled.

After one last soft touch with his nose Jeno pulled away, swallowing his own spit and licking over his dry lips.

The alpha was suddenly breathing a lot heavier than before, also not unaffected by the scenting. "Was that okay?"

"Yes," Renjun's voice almost broke. "It was very nice. Uhm, thanks."

"No problem," Jeno replied hoarsely. "Like I said, whatever you want."

"Yeah, erm," Renjun said, taking a deep breath trying to calm down his raging heart, only to notice the strong scent of chocolate in the air and on his skin, only resulting in his heart to skip another beat. "We should probably get back now. You know, for dinner."

"Yes," Jeno agreed, standing up straight and pulling Renjun up with him.

 

When the snickers and whispers were audibly louder as they returned to the pack, everybody clearly smelling Jeno's scent on him - well, Renjun for the first time couldn't have cared less.

 

 

Donghyuck was chewing on his lips as he watched Mark sit at the table near their fire spot, eating dinner all on his own.

After a while of scrutinizing and going crazy he had figured out why Mark's cheek kiss had made him react so severely. Softly he grazed the spot on his cheek with his fingers - his skin was still tingling where Mark's lips had touched him.

At first he had felt a bit ridiculous and childish - Mark and him had done much more than innocent cheek kisses! It was stupid to freak out over something as simple as that.

But it wasn't the kiss that had made him freak out - it was the affection behind it. Kissing in the mud, grinding on the forest ground, pulling Mark close and feeling his firm body pressed up against him in his hut - all these thing were hot and left him wanting more.

But a kiss on the cheek wasn't hot - it was warm.

It was not something he could in the end blame on his desires or his needs as an omega - it was not something that nature controlled, not something that came down their biology.

It was domesticity, affection, fondness. Love.

Now Donghyuck understood why Mark had asked him about holding hands because it wasn't just about actually holding hands.

It was an acknowledgment, a very open acknowledgment of his feelings, their feelings for each other.

And that was what had made him freak out. Because that was something he had always avoided thinking too hard about. But now, forced to make a decision, to face facts and get things sorted straight, it was making his heart race with the rational side of his brain, both competing and not living in harmony with each other.

His eyes were fixated on Mark's stupidly handsome face, watching how he dropped a spoon full of rice on his pants and flicking the grains away to the ground. Then he checked his left and right, as if wanting to check that nobody had seen him spill food.

Donghyuck chuckled to himself. Mark was such a dork.

And suddenly everything was warm inside of him.

With confident strides he made his way to the alpha, putting his own plate next to his and sliding against him, their thighs touching.

"I saw you spill your rice," he told him and Mark's ears turned red in embarrassment.

Slowly but with purpose Donghyuck slithered his hand down Mark thigh until it reached his hand, intertwining their fingers with each other. Then, going even one step further, he gently rested his head against Mark's shoulder.

"Oh," Mark breathed out in wonder as Donghyuck's fluffy locks grazed his chin. The summery scent of fresh watermelons reached his nose and the soft weight of Donghyuck against him was making his heart flutter.

"This is what you wanted, right?" Donghyuck asked quietly, raising his head to look for Mark's reaction.

"It's all I ever wanted," the alpha replied with a fond gaze, squeezing their interlocked hands beneath the table.

"Good," Donghyuck nodded, taking his spoon with his free hand and beginning to eat.

Maybe having feelings for Mark wasn't that bad after all.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!

This story has already reached 1000 Kudos - I feel like it's been yesterday that I started this baby!! Thank you all so much!! I already talked to some of you over on Twitter and you are all being so kind and nice to me, I really don't deserve all of this :((

You're the best readers I could wish for!! <3

Thank you so much, everybody, stay happy and healthy and safe!! :3

Chapter 15: The first marigold

Notes:

Hey and welcome back to the story!! Hope you enjoy this chapter - leave me a comment if you want to :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The trees formed their high and mighty crowns above them, the ground was solid and beginning to green as the year progressed. The earth was trembling.

Left and right of him Donghyuck saw the wolves of their pack spread out over the hunting grounds. A distant scent of deer was in the air and Donghyuck didn't hesitate to follow it.

With every step he took, every stride he made as the bushes and branches kept rushing past him, the feeling that he had earned his place among the others settled in. Soon he would have to pick a role within their pack and even though he hadn't believed it himself all those years ago, joining the hunting team became a more and more realistic option.

As he carried his body forward with smooth movements the decision became clearer and clearer. He had not only earned his place here, he had fought for it like no other before him. He had become better than the rest, he had trained relentlessly - even getting attacked and injured had not stopped him. Nobody else could do what he could do. A new sense of responsibility overcame him - there was no other role in this pack where he could be of more use. While child care or cooking and preparing food was equally as important, Donghyuck knew it wasn't his place. Outside, in the woods was where he belonged, free and chasing and ensuring the survival of their pack.

With a big leap Donghyuck jumped over the bushes, easily bringing the deer down that hadn't even seen him coming with one cleverly placed bite.

Confident and strong he stood over his prey, having made his choice - he would become the first omega hunter of the Solaris pack.

 

The most tedious part about hunting was always to get your prey back to the pack. It was mostly a long and persevering act, having to drag whatever you had brought down over the uneven ground, getting stuck on roots and high grasses.

Most alphas actually shifted back, finding it easier to carry the bag with their human arms and hands. But as much as Donghyuck's pride would never allow him to admit it out loud, his muscles were far weaker in his arms as a human. So he went for the unconventional way, tearing into the fur with his teeth and hauling his prey over stick and stones.

He was dirty and sweaty when he reached their pack grounds. Johnny was on training duty today, already waiting for his students, doing a headcount to make sure nobody had gotten stranded alone in the forest.

"Donghyuck, there you are!" The alpha greeted him with a sly smirk. "And another deer, good work."

The omega gave him a simple nod after he swiftly shifted back, feeling too exhausted to actually say something.

Everything would've been fine if it weren't for what Johnny said next. "You didn't get hurt, right?" The alpha was checking him up and down for any bruising and if Donghyuck would've not have the respect he had for Johnny, he would've said something he would later regret.

He was the only one in the team that was constantly asked if he had gotten hurt. He was the only one all the hunting instructors checked for injuries after their hunt. Seriously, Donghyuck would've been fine with that question if they would also ask all the alphas if they had gotten hurt. Because Donghyuck was far more skilled and thus far less likely to get injured than most of them.

"I'm fine," he pressed out in between his lips and Johnny let him go with another examining look.

Mood a little bit damped Donghyuck strained his muscles to heave the deer over his shoulder, carrying it the last few meters to the supply hut.

A warm voice called after him. "Hey, wait up!"

Of course it was Mark who almost tumbled over his feet to catch up to him.

Donghyuck raised his eyebrows as he noticed his empty arms."You didn't get anything today?"

"No. I tried your sneaking up technique today, but I scared the rabbit away," Mark answered honestly. "Guess you need to train me more."

"Maybe you're just too clumsy for my superior hunting technique," Donghyuck took a snide at him and Mark sheepishly rubbed his neck.

"Maybe," he admitted, glancing at the omega softly.

His gaze made Donghyuck's heart waver for a second and he momentarily lost his balance, only catching himself last minute before hitting the ground face forward.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked concerned and Donghyuck felt his face heat up as he nodded frantically. "Do you want me to carry that for you? You must be exhausted."

Normally Donghyuck would've been too proud to accept the help, but Mark was starting to become an exception.

Before he could answer him though, three little omega girls came running up to them. They stopped once they reached him, catching their breaths and staring at him with their big round eyes.

"Can I help you?" He asked friendly, albeit a bit confused by their sudden appearance.

"You are Lee Donghyuck, right? You are the omega in the hunting class, right?" The girl on the left asked him with admiration.

"That's me," he confirmed, rucking the deer on his shoulder slightly to make it obvious that he was indeed on the hunting team.

"We just, we- well, we-"

"We also want to join hunting training after summer!" The girls kept talking excitedly.

"Yeah, we presented last year and after summer we have to pick our classes!"

"But, well...erm, we wanted to ask you about joining the team as an omega. Is it hard?"

All three were blinking up at him expectantly.

Donghyuck's heart bloomed. It took him everything to not start squealing and dancing in joy.

That second the world changed.

Slowly he leaned down to the three omegas. "It was probably the hardest class I took. But it was also the one I learned in the most," he answered honestly and the three girls exchanged unsure glances.

"But do you think we can do it?" They asked timidly.

"Yes," Donghyuck said firmly. "I did it. And I am nothing special. I was just like you. So if there is one thing I believe in, then that each one of you can easily become the top of the class if you try hard."

His heart swelled with pride when he saw the smiles on the girls’ faces as they started giggling excitedly.

"Okay, thank you so much!" They said before holding each other's hands and skipping away happily, obviously reassured in their wishes.

A weird sensation overcame Donghyuck as he watched them leave. His whole body shivered - he had been waiting for this moment ever since he had joined hunting classes. And now it had finally happened. Which was just incredible. It almost seemed unreal to him after all this time.

"I did that," he whispered more to himself than to anyone else.

"Mhh?" Mark hummed and just then did Donghyuck remember his presence, despite the alpha standing right next to him.

"I did that. Omegas joining hunting training. It only took me to do it first," he repeated a bit louder. "That's why I joined in the first place."

"Oh, really?" Mark asked astounded, realisation forming behind his eyes. "That's - wow."

Donghyuck nodded - he had never felt more rewarded than in this very second.

Suddenly Donghyuck wanted to cry, feeling chocked up with accomplishment. "It's incredible," he whispered.

"It is," Mark agreed fondly. "It is. But if someone could've done it, it would've been you."

Donghyuck turned to look at Mark to find nothing but pure understanding in his kind eyes. That was a first.

Whenever Donghyuck had tried to explain to someone why exactly he was working so hard, going through so much to join hunting training and keep up with the alphas, they had just dismissively nodded their heads. Of course, everybody had been supportive, but nobody had ever truly understood the bigger picture.

And there it was, the bigger picture finally happening. And there was Mark, right by his side and completely understanding without even needing his long explanation and rant about the latent inequality and oppression that still existed in their pack.

The deer dropped in between his feet with a dull sound as Donghyuck fell into Mark's arms, hugging him tightly with unshed tears in his eyes.

Maybe there was something in the air today for him to have so many epiphanies, but right here and right now there was no doubt left in his mind that Mark was his person.

Contently he buried his face in Mark's neck, letting the pleasant and comforting scent of cinnamon engulf him.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked a bit stunned by the sudden display of affection - they had only recently established holding hands.

"Yes, just give me a moment. This was everything for me," Donghyuck mumbled and without any further questions, as if simply understanding, Mark gently put his arms around Donghyuck, holding him close to his heart.

 

 

Renjun was lazily laying on his furs, done with his classes for the day. In his fingers he carefully fondled the ruby and brilliant pendant Jeno had gifted him just a few days ago. Even in the dim room of the orphanage it glistered and glimmered fabulously.

"What have you got there?"

Renjun's whole demeanor lit up at the familiar voice.

"Sicheng!" He exclaimed happily when the omega scooted into the furs next to him. It had been a while since had last seen him, much less had an actual conversation with him. "You here? I thought you already moved in with Yuta?" He added teasingly and the older omega playfully rolled his eyes.

"From what I've heard you've been very busy yourself," he teased right back and Renjun smiled shyly. "Is that from Jeno?" Sicheng asked, pointing to the pendant and Renjun gave it to him to properly look at.

He timidly ducked his head as Sicheng inspected it carefully. "Yes, a courting gift," he confirmed and Sicheng whistled in appreciation.

"It's very beautiful. And in the royal red! He must be very serious about you," he commented, handing the pendant back to Renjun who blushed a faint pink.

He exhaled, a small frown forming on his face."Well, I hope he won't be too disappointed that I can't give him anything as valuable in return."

"I don't think he really needs anything as valuable since he’s a prince," Sicheng pointed out. "And at this point Jeno knows who you are and where you come from. It would be silly of him to expect something like that."

That was true, Renjun admitted in hies head. Sicheng always found the right words.

Wanting to turn the conversation around Renjun gave Sicheng a cheeky nudge in his side, "So, what about Yuta? You two already act like you are mated.”

"Oh, come on, we aren't that bad," Sicheng scoffed and Renjun cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. "We're not!" The elder insisted and Renjun broke out into soft laughter.

Sicheng slightly hit his elbow in his side with a pout.

"Where's your necklace? I'll help you attach the pendant," he asked, looking for the plain metal chain Renjun had made for them.

"Oh, wait, here it is-" Renjun said, swiftly pulling the simple jewelry out from underneath his furs.

With his graceful fingers Sicheng attached the pendant, making the necklace look much fancier than seconds ago.

"There we go," he said, motioning for Renjun to turn around so he could put it on him. The younger omega followed the silent instructions and Sicheng skillfully clasped the necklace shut around his neck.

The ruby pendant was resting cold and heavy between Renjun's collarbones when he turned around to face Sicheng.

"It looks great on you," the omega complimented him with a warm smile. "And we're still matching, see."

Carefully Sicheng pulled out a small silver heart pendant that had been hidden underneath his shirt - much simpler and far less valuable than Renjun's. The only thing their jewellery had left in common was the simple necklace and their undeniable beauty.

"Well, at least Yuta has taste," Renjun said and Sicheng bit down on his lip, trying to suppress a giddy grin.

A loud knock made both of them startle and Renjun gave Sicheng a crooked smile.

"That's probably Jeno. We wanted to go for a walk in the evening," he explained himself. The older looked at him in silent judgment, before he started laughing.

He shook his head in feigned disapproval, "And here you were saying me and Yuta were bad." Now it was Renjun hitting him with a pout.

Defensively he crossed his arms in front of his chest."At least I spent my nights here," he advocated for himself. Well, most of them anyways, he added in his head.

Playfully Sicheng pushed him away. "Just go on your date!"

"Gladly," Renjun said, standing up and leaving the snickering Sicheng behind as he stepped out of the door.

 

"Hey!" Jeno greeted him with a bright smile, automatically reaching for his hand as Renjun joined him outside and they started walking. "How was your day?"

"Pretty normal," Renju replied with a shrug intertwining their fingers. Then he lowered his voice. "What about you? Any news from Doyoung?"

A long sigh left Jeno before he answered, "Unfortunately not. The Lunaris pack also didn't hear anything."

Compassion overcame Renjun and he gently squeezed Jeno’s hand. "I'm sorry. I'm sure he'll be fine," he said in sympathy and Jeno gave him a brave smile. Then his eyes fell on the necklace currently adorning Renjun's neck.

"Wow, it's much prettier on you," he said nonchalantly and shocked Renjun grasped after the pendant. He had forgotten that he was wearing it! After he had gotten it, he had decided that it was far too valuable to just wear around on a normal day like this.

Flabbergasted his spurred his words together, "Oh, I didn't mean to wear it!" Quickly he let the pendant slip underneath his shirt.

"Why not? It suits you," Jeno asked puzzled, eyebrows furrowed.

"Well, erm, it's a bit much...to wear for such a normal occasion? I planned on wearing it for the spring dance," Renjun explained sheepishly, fiddling with the seam of his shirt. "And I don't want people to think I'm parading your wealth around."

"You really think people would be mad about you wearing a courting gift?" Jeno questioned and Renjun bit down on his lip.

People were mad alone about the fact that Jeno was courting him - they had said far nastier things about him than they would ever dare to say about Jeno. Usually rumors and gossip slowed down after a while - but with them they only seemed to get more intense. Jeno probably didn't notice because he grew up with it, completely used to the fact that people were constantly talking about him.

Renjun, however,...well, he couldn't say that it left him fully unaffected. He wished he could be as unbothered as he pretended to be. But especially after that one time Yangyang had show up with a black eye because he had defended him over a rumor it had gotten harder to downplay his discomfort.

Not wanting to bring the mood down Renjun dismissed Jeno lightly. "Forget about it."

Jeno had already more than enough to worry about with his brother still missing.

They took their usual route into the forest, away from the prying eyes and ears and Renjun felt a lot more at ease now that they were truly alone.

"I did my own laundry today," Jeno said after a while of comfortable silence and Renjun laughed at the random comment.

"Wow, I'm proud of you!" He joked impressed. "You're finally growing up. I can't believe it."

Jeno sent him a playful glare, nudging him in his side.

"You took me mud surfing one time. I don't think I am the only childish one here," the alpha fought back, although not really offended.

"Hey, I'm only trying to show you what a normal life looks like in this pack," Renjun laughed brightly. "You were way too protected in that castle."

"Hey, that was not my fault! My parents were the ones worried I might stumble over a flower - A flower!"

Jeno suddenly let go of Renjun's hand as he scrambled ahead. There, in between two shy sunbeams falling through the trees were a few blooming marigolds. A single spot of glowing yellow and orange in the otherwise mostly dark forest.

According to their traditions with the blooming of the first marigolds spring was officially starting. Whoever were to find the first flower was to bring it to the chiefess in the castle, who would reward the finder with a gown for the spring dance that would be prepared from that point forward.

Jeno was already crouching down to pluck the flower when Renjun harshly pulled him back.

"Stop it, you can't just pick them!" He told him and Jeno turned around confused.

"What? Why not? We have to bring them to my mother so they can start planning the spring dance," Jeno stated baffled and Renjun let out a light laugh.

Amused he patted Jeno’s back, "You seriously have never lived in this pack."

Jeno blinked, even more confused. "But that's literally how the tradition works?" He questioned, making Renjun chuckle fondly.

"Yes, but you let the kids find the first flower," he let him in on the secret. "They always get so excited about it. And what use would it be if you get a gown from your own mother?"

Understanding spread on Jeno's face and he nodded slowly. "That makes sense," he said, before realizing something. "So that's why it's always a kid coming to the castle to announce the start of spring!"

"No adult would be so cruel to take that away from them," Renjun confirmed, remembering his own childhood and how excited he and his friends had always been once all the snow had melted, searching for the first marigold until it got dark outside and they could no longer see. "I actually found them first when I was five years old. A caretaker from the orphanage took me to the castle. I still have your mother's gown."

"You did?" Jeno asked surprised. "Then we've probably seen each other before. There's always a ceremony where they gather the whole family to put the flower into its golden vase."

"We probably did. But I don't remember much from my visit to the castle," Renjun replied honestly, trying to pull the distant memories back into his consciousness. “Except for the many stairs leading to the door.”

"It's only thirty-three," Jeno said and Renjun turned his head to him with a silent question. "Thirty-three steps, I mean."

He giggled in disbelief."You counted?" The omega asked and Jeno nodded sheepishly.

"Well, you might not believe it, but life can get sort of boring when you spend it only in one place," the alpha disclosed. "At least boring enough to count the stairs."

"No, I totally believe that," Renjun laughed, although his own memories of the castle were everything but boring. Everything had been exciting about the travel to the castle when he had been a young five year old boy. Jeno, on the other hand, having been locked up there most his life must’ve had a completely different experience. "Wasn't it lonely?"

"Lonely?" Jeno hummed thoughtfully. "No, not really. I always had my family. And Jaemin. And once I got older I was also allowed outside - I learned how to ride horses. It wasn't as boring afterwards."

"Is it hard? Horseback riding?" Renjun asked curiously. Only few people living down in the pack village owned their own horses - and even fewer knew how to ride them properly as they were mostly used for the harvest in autumn and not for enjoyment.

Jeno seemed to consider his answer for a short while, "I wouldn't say very hard. I could show you one day," he replied. "I mean, after all you've already taught me so much here."

Gently squeezing Jeno's hand, Renjun smiled. "I'd like that."



It didn't even take the kids a full day to discover the blooming marigolds. The next morning Renjun saw a little boy holding them high above his head, a flock of other children following him with loud roars. The flowers were so bright it looked like he was carrying a flaming torch in his hand.

Of course, with that, the atmosphere in the pack changed. As the boy and his mother started their journey to the castle to report about the flowers, the rest of the pack got ready for the huge spring dance - after the mating ceremony at the end of the year probably the biggest and most important courting event.

Wherever you looked people where preparing garlands or candles. More often than not Donghyuck would complain about cooking classes, where they started to gather ingredients for a big feast, annoying his friends with his whining.

Renjun could relate to his struggles - his fingers were rough from all the work they had to do in tailoring classes. Everybody wanted their festive gown to be the most beautiful, and not seldom Renjun saw the omegas in his tailoring classes stay behind to work on their own dresses.

Luckily Renjun had started making his gown much earlier and was long since finished - he had started to collect the leftover yarn from their classes to reuse it. With neat stitched he had weaved a delicate shirt before dying it a light red with rowan berries.

It was by far the most fancy garment he owned - the fabric light and hard to wash should it get dirty. The shirt was also a bit too long for him, but that problem was easily fixed with a brown leather belt that tightened the shirt around his waist. Since he had spent most of his time on the shirt, he ended up with a simple pair of black pants underneath, but he thought combined with Jeno's stunning necklace he would look nothing short of stunning for the event.

 

However, not everybody was as prepared and handy when it came to creating festive attires. So, Renjun still ended up staying behind in classes, working on Donghyuck's gown since the omega was not taking tailoring classes himself and only had basic knowledge of the art.

"I'm seriously such a good friend," Renjun sighed as he smoothly sewed nice leathers together that would become Donghyuck's pants.

"Yes you are, you are the very best friend," Donghyuck sucked up to him, at least keeping him company while he did his work.

"Don't let Yangyang hear that," Renjun mumbled underneath his breath, holding the pants up so he could oversee his progress.

Donghyuck squinted his eyes as he inspected Renjun’s work, acting as if he had any sense of professional assessment about sewing. "How about you leave them open at the sides?" Donghyuck suggested, clicking his tongue. "Just up to my thighs? I think that would look nice."

Renjun deadpanned at him. "Now you even have special wishes," he commented with a stern tone and Donghyuck gave him a crooked smile.

"Did I already tell you how you are the best friend of all time?" He repeated and Renjun sighed as he got back to the pants, quickly figuring out a way he could make Donghyuck's wishes come true.

"You should've at least come to me with this a bit earlier. The dance is in three days already," Renjun scolded him, even though they both knew he had a soft spot for Donghyuck and wasn’t really mad at him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize spring would come so soon," Donghyuck apologized, feeling truly bad for making Renjun work so late.

Renjun almost snorted. Considering the previous years spring had taken it’s sweet time to come, the marigolds blooming later than was usual.

"Yeah, yeah. Just save me some of the chocolate, I knew the kitchen got some from the Lunaris pack," Renjun dismissed him anyway.

Donghyuck gasped surprised. "Wait, that was supposed to be a secret! How did you know?" Donghyuck asked and Renjun gave him a pointed look.

"Yangyang," the said at the same time and the started laughing.

"Did you already make his gown?" Donghyuck questioned, watching as Renjun pulled a new threat through his needle.

"Yes. Unlike you he came to me much earlier," Renjun said and Donghyuck, again, could do nothing else than smile in apology. "He's already got a courting gift prepared for Hendery."

"I can't believe Yangyang is getting mated," Donghyuck exhaled as if that statement was completely out of this world.

"Well, I mean, it's still just courting. You need to get a ring for the mating promise," Renjun reminded him, as if Donghyuck himself wasn't all too aware of how the courting rituals in their pack took place.

"I know, but do you really think Hendery is not going to get him that stupid ring?" Donghyuck queried. "They are made for each other. I've never seen someone keep up with Yangyang's energy that long."

Renjun shrugged, not finding the idea f Yangyang getting mated that ridiculous. "Well, I mean, we're all in perfect mating age. Don't tell me you haven't considered it," he said, frowning when he accidentally made a loose stitch. "And I'm happy Yangyang found his someone."

"Yeah, but-" Donghyuck bit down on his lip and Renjun's eyes flipped up from his stitching to Donghyuck at his sudden pause.

"What? You don't think Mark is your someone?" Renjun asked openly, as knowing where Donghyuck’s hesitation was coming from and Donghyuck blushed as he quickly turned his head away.

"It's...it's rather the opposite," he mumbled coyly. Never before had he admitted his feeling out loud like this.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Renjun asked, returning to his stitching.

"I suppose," Donghyuck agreed before frowning. "Feelings are weird."

Renjun smiled fondly at Donghyuck silly struggle. "You've talked to Mark about this?" Renjun asked and Donghyuck let out a long dramatic sigh.

"I'm not really good at that. Talking about my feelings," the omega admitted and Renjun raised his eyebrows.

"Well, I'm sure Mark would appreciate it if you'd open up to him," he advised him.

"Do you talk to Jeno about this stuff?" Donghyuck asked and Renjun felt how he got a bit hotter.

"We do," he replied honestly. "I mean, we spent a lot of time talking."

Leaning closer Donghyuck pried even further, "So you're going to court him back?"

Renjun was sure that by now his ears must be a perfect match to his own festive shirt.

"I think so. I like him," he answered bravely.

Donghyuck hummed, obviously lost in his own thoughts.

"Well, for what's it worth I think you and Mark make a great pair," Renjun tried to assure him. "And we all know he cares a big deal about you."

"Yeah," Donghyuck agreed. That's the problem. It might sound strange, but knowing just how much Mark liked him was making him feel a lot more nervous about the whole ordeal.

Renjun glanced at him before he put his needle away and stood up.

"Here, put these on. I need to see them on you for the finishing touches," he instructed his friend, handing the pants over.

Donghyuck obediently stripped out of his loose linen pants, throwing them aside for now. His new leather pants were fitted tightly, hugging his gentle curves as he slid them over his long legs. Just as requested Renjun had left slits on the outer left and right side of them, giving a teasing view of his tanned skin up to his thighs.

"Do you like it open like that? Or do you wanted me to stitch them shut?" Renjun asked, marking a few areas with needles as Donghyuck stood as still as he could.

"No, I think it's fine like this," Donghyuck replied, looking at himself in the mirror in the corner of the room. "I like it a bit revealing. We don't get to dress up like this often."

Renjun words slurred from the needles he was holding with his lips when he replied, "Well, it's certainly gonna get you some attention." He stood back to get a full view of his work. "But you look great."

"Thanks," Donghyuck smiled sweetly, twirling a little when Renjun moved even farer away to examine him the whole picture. The fabric was moving smoothly around him, showcasing his toned thighs more than any other pair of pants he owned. It was exciting and empowering to see himself like this.

"You can pull them off. I just need to fix a few things around your butt and inner thigh area," Renjun let him know as he sat back down in front of his friend, collecting all his needles.

"You're really good at this stuff," Donghyuck complimented him after he had removed the pants and was slipping into his old pair. Renjun was already leaning over the table, concentrating on perfecting the last few stitches. "You wanna pursue tailoring after we graduate?"

"Maybe," Renjun shrugged absentmindedly. "I'm not really sure. I quite like healing classes as well. I wanna do some good, you know?"

"Well, I mean making clothes is also something good," Donghyuck thought out loud. "You could make some nice clothes for the kids in the orphanage. Don't you say they always wear old rags?"

"Yeah, but that's mostly because they are kids and every piece of clothing they own gets ripped to shreds or dirty beyond repair," Renjun answered with a chuckle. "But I suppose I could dedicate my work to some of their festive gown. Orphans don't really have them unless they're old enough to make their own. And most alphas never learn how to make clothes."

Donghyuck leaned back in his chair with a smug expression. "See? You're already doing some good. Starting an initiative to promote the joy of making clothes to young alphas," he said and Renjun laughed.

"You can't even make your own gown, Donghyuck," he reminded the younger omega, demonstratively holding up the pair of pants he was currently sewing for him.

"Well, am I an alpha? You shouldn't blame me, I'm not even part of your target demographic," Donghyuck defended himself playfully and Renjun rolled his eyes amused.

"Do you really wanna mess with me while I'm making your pants?" He asked and Donghyuck quickly shut up. With a light shake of his head Renjun returned to his work.

But even though their conversation had just been light banter, a deep concern settled in Renjun's stomach. He had never been sure which duty he should pursue after his graduation. And with Jeno in the mix things only got even more complicated.

He suppressed a heavy sigh, listening to Donghyuck ramble on about something unimportant.

At least he should try to enjoy his last peaceful months like this.

If only he'd known that he'd only have days instead of months like this.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend and had a great start into December :3

Everybody, if you are living in an area where it's getting cold around this time of the year - remember to dress warmly so you don't get sick :)
If you aren't, well, please still don't get sick and drink lots of water <3

Chapter 16: Spring Dance

Notes:

Hellooo!! Hope you enjoy :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Donghyuck was trying his best not to whine in protest as his mother kept ripping through his hair and fiddling with the golden sunflower barrette that Mark had gifted him.

He couldn't hold himself back any longer when his mother encountered a rather stubborn knot in his brown locks. "Ow, mom, you're hurting me!"

"If you'd stay still for just a second it wouldn't hurt as much," his mother scolded him and Donghyuck let out a petty huff, having no choice but to endure his mother's grooming.

Luckily his father came to his rescue. "Dear, we have to leave now if we wanna help set up the fire," his father called out for his mate and Donghyuck scalp screamed in gratefulness as his mother pulled her fingers away from his hair. "Leave him alone, he's an adult, he can handle himself," he added when his mother was reluctant to leave.

His mother sighed as she brushed an imaginary piece of dust off of Donghyuck’s shoulders. "Okay," she finally agreed. "But don't be late. You know how important this dance is."

Donghyuck pushed his mother’s hands away and watched her retreat out of the room. "Don't worry, I'm not a child anymore," Donghyuck argued with her, making his mother stop in the door frame and turn around. To his surprise her eyes were not full of fight but rather glistened with sadness.

"I know," she told him, voice softer than Donghyuck had ever heard it. "Don't forget to put on our family's jewelry."

Not knowing how to handle this unexpected change of emotions from his mother Donghyuck was thankful that his dad stepped in once again. "Come on, we really have to go," he said, gently nudging his mate to come with him.

His mother gave him one last almost wistful look before turning around to leave the hut to take care of the last few preparations.

 

Donghyuck let out a long breath. Seeing his mother like that had made it even more real. Another ceremony that would document him leaving his childhood in the past as he stepped forward into adulthood.

Was he really ready? While getting courted had been fun, light and didn't have to mean anything serious, tonight would put the ball in his court.

An alpha could ask any omega he had courted for a first dance. However, the second dance would have to be initiated by the omega as a sign of returning the courting efforts.

Equal courtship - that meant something. It meant equal feelings, equal affection for each other. And it was only the bridge for the next step: An official mating promise, which included the exchange of a ring from the alpha to the omega. Then things were getting really serious, only to be sealed with the last step: the mating ceremony and the mating bite at the end of the year.

You are thinking too far ahead, Donghyuck reminded himself. It was only spring. There were many, many things to come before the year would end. Like the spring dance.

Would Mark even ask him for a first dance? Stupid question, of course he would. You are the only omega he's courting. There is no one else for him to ask.

The only open question would be if he asked Mark for a second dance?

There was no denying it - he felt things for Mark. Things that were more than pack belonging, childhood friendship or even simple desire.

With trembling fingers he touched the barrette that sat snugly in his hair. Somehow feeling the cold metal, assuring himself that Mark’s and his feelings were indeed reality, gave him an unknown sense of comfort. Holding on to that feeling Donghyuck strode through the room, put on their family's jewelry - a nice golden necklace, with a half-moon and polished bright yellow amber pendant - and took a last look in the mirror. Back stared a more mature version of himself than he had ever seen before.

He was ready.

 

 

Renjun was nervously making his way through the crowd, trying to not step on anyone's toes. People were looking at him everywhere he went, whispers almost as loud as a hurricane. A relieved sigh left him when he spotted his friends in between the mess of people.

Yangyang and Donghyuck were frantically waving at him as he took a turn in their direction. They were gathered with all the other omegas of mating age in their pack, waiting impatiently for the dance to be officially opened.

Yangyang immediately pulled him to his side once he was close enough. "Renjun, finally! I thought you were going to be late!"

"Sorry, a kid at the orphanage lost her shoe - it's a long story. Have you seen Sicheng?" Renjun explained himself, stretching his neck to look around for who he considered to be his older brother.

"He's in the back, I've seen him talk with Yuta. They looked quite busy, so I let them be," Donghyuck answered him, eyes searching through the crowd himself. "Hendery's looking at you," he let Yangyang know, who promptly ran a hand through his hair and smiled charmingly.

"Does he look mesmerized?" The youngest of them asked, not daring to turn his head to check for himself.

Renjun searched the crowd opposite of them, where all the alphas of mating age had gathered. A smile formed on his lips when he found Hendery, unapologetically staring in their direction with hearts in his eyes.

He turned to Yangyang with a snicker. "He's basically drooling." Yangyang looked more than satisfied with that description, a smug grin on display as he brushed his hair back once again.

"Do you see Mark anywhere?" Donghyuck asked him with a frown, not being able to spot the alpha in between all the other people. Renjun helped him look, but he also couldn't make him out in the large group of people.

"Maybe he's more in the back?" He suggested and Donghyuck nodded, albeit unsure.

Suddenly Yangyang pointed to the edge of their gathering place, where the crowd had started to split apart. "Well, I know where Prince Jeno is."

 

Like gliding over water the chief and chiefess strode forward, the glow of the huge bonfire in the middle of their village center making them appear mystical and powerful. Renjun breath hitched as his eyes fell on the face of the chiefess, her eternal beauty even more ethereal than in the broad daylight.

Behind the two leaders, Prince Jeno and Jaemin followed, both walking with oozing confidence and subtle smirks on their faces. One thing was for sure - they knew how to make an entrance.

With a racing heart Renjun took in the prince - while Jeno had always worn finer clothes than the rest of the pack, made with the best craftsmanship and the nicest fabrics, he had usually tended to more muted colors, not sticking out too much.

Tonight, however, he was wearing a dark, deep red velvet jacket, perfectly fitted around his broad shoulders. The white shirt underneath had silver buttons that sparkled in the dim firelight, catching everyone's gaze. Black pants and black boots, made from strong leather with stitches so fine you couldn't spot him with the eye rounded his whole look.

It was no doubt the tonight the prince was by far the best dressed person in their entire pack.

Renjun sucked in a sharp breath when the gloom of the fire hit Jeno's face in the best possible angle, accentuating his strong jaw line and tall nose. He had always known that Jeno was handsome. But seeing him tonight was different. Jeno didn't just look handsome - he looked strong, masculine, capable, like he could protect their whole pack on his own. He looked like a leader.

The royal family positioned themselves right in front of the excited ground.

"Welcome, everyone, it's my greatest pleasure to see you all again for this happy occasion!" The chief's loud voice boomed over the place and everyone went silent, only the crackling of the fire disrupting the silent night.

"As every year to celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of spring we gathered here all together. So let's celebrate the end of dark, gloomy days of coldness and instead welcome the beginning of blooming flowers, harvest and days of sunshine."

The chief made a short pause to let his words resonate.

"Me and my mate, your chiefess, are happy to see our very own son Jeno join the festivities. From what we heard he was accepted warmly in the village as we've always known he would," he carried on with his speech and Jeno waved tentatively as his name was mentioned.

"We are sure that you are all thrilled to start the dance, especially the young wolves that are here for a certain someone, and we don't want to keep you from doing just that for too long," the chief said with a knowing smile towards the young alphas and omegas. Then he looked at his wife, who smiled and stepped forward.

"But first we do have to express our gratitude to each and everyone of you, who helped put this ceremony together. So, we don't only want to celebrate spring or the start of a second courting season - but we want to celebrate all of you, who never give up and work hard everyday of the year for the well-being of our pack," she said, her whole aura emitting grace and glamour. "And especially we want to thank the Lunaris pack, who gifted us with some of their first chocolate harvest of the season. I hope you all get to enjoy their treat"

A few of the younger kids squealed excitedly - chocolate was a rarity in their pack since it was too cold to plant chocolate trees where their huts and fields were located.

"And with that we want to open the dance. You all know the rules by now - first dance is the alpha's choice. A second dance, the omega's. Treat each other with respect and accept each other's decisions," the chief took over again, spreading his arms wide open as if he wanted to hug them all at once. "Enjoy!"

The chief nodded towards the castle orchestra that immediately got their instruments ready and started the first song. Soon an upbeat rhythm resounded over the place, perfect to start off the ceremony.

 

Renjun laughed brightly as he pulled his friends to an open space. "Come on, you two owe me a dance before you get snatched away."

Yangyang and Donghyuck stumbled a bit, surprised by his sudden force, but Renjun didn't give them any opportunity to protest. Swiftly he grasped their hands and started dancing in a circle. Yangyang and Donghyuck quickly caught up, joining his practiced steps.

Dancing was something you learned since you were old enough to walk. It was an old tradition in this pack and one that was held up highly. Not even an orphan like Renjun, who had no parents to teach him, could escape dancing lessons. But he couldn't complain. It was by far one of his favorite traditions this pack valued.

 

Yangyang was the first one who got whisked away from their little circle, Hendery awkwardly tipping on his shoulder and waiting for him to turn around.

It was awfully endearing to see the alpha stumble over his words in his request for a first dance, even though Yangyang would have no choice but to agree. Still, it was nice to see him nervous and caring for Yangyang’s opinion.

Of course Yangyang went with him, waving his friend's goodbye as they disappeared among all the other couples.

Renjun was about to ask Donghyuck for a second dance when he himself got tipped onto his shoulder.

"May I have this dance?" Bao asked, standing tall and handsomely behind him.

Renjun was a bit surprised although he should've expected that request from Bao. With a small smile he reached for the hand Bao was extending for him, only turning around to wave Donghyuck goodbye as they made their way to the dancing crowd.

 

As the next piece of music began Bao gently pulled him into position, placing a hand around his waist. Renjun smoothly followed his movements as he began to lead them through the dance.

Bao was a good dancer, his steps were rhythmical and swift, and his eyes were warm and gentle as they gazed down on Renjun.

The omega took a long breath, feeling more than bad for what he was about to say. "Bao-"

"I know," the alpha interrupted him before he could even start. Renjun looked puzzled. "I know you're not going to court me back. I’m not blind. After some time I realized that I don't stand a chance."

"You did?" Renjun asked, surprised. "But then why did you keep courting me?"

Bao gave him an amused look, as if he had asked a question of which everybody but him knew the answer to. "Because you are a lovely omega, Renjun," he replied simply in the end. "You deserve to at least have a choice. And I know, Prince Jeno is very dreamy. But you, Renjun, you are special. Everyone would fall for you."

Renjun ducked his head embarrassed by being praised so shamelessly. "How can you say that when you barely even know me?" He muttered shyly

"I've seen your smile and it made me feel warmth like nothing else before," Bao said, before his expression morphed into a grimace. "And maybe I was trying to change your mind. Maybe the hopeless romantic in me still hopes for you to give me a chance."

"I'm sorry," Renjun blurted out perhaps a bit bluntly, but he didn’t know any better way to address his feelings right now. "I'm sorry if you felt like I led you on or something. I just don't feel that way for you. I mean, I like you, you are very kind. But when I'm with..."

"Prince Jeno," Bao filled in for him almost painfully when Renjun hesitated for a second, not wanting to inflict more harm onto a person who had been nothing but kind to him.

"I feel different with him," he still nodded, deciding that Bao deserved his full honesty. Maybe even needed it.

Bao sighed, but he was still smiling, although far less brightly. "Well, I sure hope the prince knows how lucky he is," he said before straightening his shoulders. "But if he should ever not fulfill your expectations, I will be right here."

"Thanks, Bao, for everything," Renjun said, truly meaning it. "I'm sure you'll find your someone. Someone that can return your love the way you deserve it."

"Don't thank me. It was my pleasure to get to court you," Bao denied just when the music stopped. The first dance between them was over.

Slowly Renjun pulled away from the alpha. "Thanks for the dance," he said earnestly. "I'm sorry I won't ask you for a second one."

Bao smiled, but now the hint of sadness and disappointment in his eyes was taking over. Then his gaze focused on something behind Renjun.

"Have a lovely night, Renjun," he said, stepping away from the omega. "I hope he loves you the way you deserve to be loved."

It hurt to see Bao walk away defeated, but it wouldn't be fair for either of them to pretend there was something that was not.

 

Someone cleared his throat behind him and Renjun turned around. His breath got stuck when his eyes landed on Jeno, tall and handsome and so close .

"Dance with me," Jeno said full of confidence, and Renjun could only nod speechless as the alpha pulled him tight against his body as the music picked up.

Bao had been a good dancer. But to be honest, everyone in their pack was at least decent at dancing.

Now, Jeno was different.

His steps were powerful and purposeful. His whole aura was commanding and strong as he held Renjun with the proper posture, leading the dance with great assertiveness.

The tension between them was almost palpable once their gazes connected. "Guess they at least teach you dancing in the castle," Renjun broke the charged silence and Jeno chuckled charmingly.

"Even I have to know some stuff," Jeno said with a smirk, spinning Renjun around before pulling him even closer against his chest. "You look very stunning tonight," he breathed into his ear as he leaned down.

The alpha was overflowing with charisma and it was probably the first time Renjun saw him like this, like he was completely in his element. It had never been more obvious to him that Jeno, indeed, was a prince.

"Thank you," he replied flattered, before returning the compliment. "You look very good as well."

Jeno smiled cheekily, his unwavering confidence making him even more attractive. "I sure hope so," he retorted playfully. "My mother made the jacket herself."

"She's an amazing seamstress," Renjun said with great admiration, even though a cold shiver ran down his spine at the pure memory of her piercing eyes on him whenever they had encountered each other.

"You don't seem too bad yourself," Jeno commented, the hand on his waist grazing the soft fabric of his shirt.

Humbly Renjun lowered his gaze. "I'm no comparison to your mother."

"Well, to me you are much better," Jeno whispered charmingly, before a tad bit of seriousness sneaked onto his face. He looked deeply into the omega’s eyes, stressing the importance of his next words. "Renjun, I don't think I properly thanked you yet."

A puzzled noise escaped Renjun. "Thank me? For what?" He didn't remember doing anything worth thanking for.

"Teaching me so much," Jeno replied earnestly. "If I wouldn't have met you, I don't think I would've survived in the village."

"You're exaggerating," Renjun denied promptly. "You aren't that bad."

"Well, you still helped me out a lot. I think I've never felt more normal than when I'm with you," Jeno insisted and like seeing past the curtain Renjun saw the nervous, rambling mess that he first met at the river, incapable of doing his own laundry.

They both realized the piece of music picking up, signaling the end of the song coming closer.

"Renjun," Jeno said hushed, knowing their first dance was almost over. "I really do like you, but I don't want you to feel pressured into this. I will accept whatever decision you make."

As if on cue the music stopped and around them the other couples kept rustling and moving, new couples forming and breaking up. Jeno loosened his hold around him, giving him space and room to make his decision. Tension rose in the air between them, Renjun could see how Jeno bit down on the inside of his cheek and his jaw clenched.

"Jeno," Renjun said, trying his best to sound serious. But he couldn't fight the smile. "I'd be honored if you would give me a second dance."

"Oh," Jeno breathed out, taut shoulders relaxing in pure relief. "It's all my honor."

Renjun giggled as Jeno reached after his hand and waist, getting them into posture as the music started again.

As they started dancing Renjun couldn’t help but find Jeno’s reaction awfully endearing. "You really thought I wouldn't ask you?"

Jeno ducked his head coyly. "Well, I can positively say I've not been this nervous since I asked to court you," the alpha admitted.

"You're good at overplaying your nervousness then," Renjun complimented him. "If I didn't know you so well, I would've bought your whole confident act."

Jeno grinned down at him. "I mean, I was confident, just right until this moment," he stated. "But what can I do? You make me nervous, Huang Renjun."

"Glad I have that effect," the omega replied cheekily.

Somehow, now that all the formalities were out of the way, he could also feel a bit of his tension dispense. Jeno wasn't the only one who had been nervous about this day. Now, however, things have settled between them. They were both on the same page regarding their future. Their feelings were all out in the open, transparent, real and absolutely clear. Clear enough to do some other things. As if Jeno's earlier confidence had swept over to him, Renjun felt himself become brave.

Teasingly slow he let his hands wander over Jeno's arms until they were settled around the alpha's neck, playing with the soft hair that had fallen out of his neat hairdo. And then he did what he had sworn to never do.

Sweetly he batted his eyelashes at the prince.

"You know, it's a little crowded here," he whispered with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Jeno quickly picked up on the mood changing and he instinctively matched Renjun's flirting nature. He lowered his gaze, meeting Renjun's with the same glimmer.

"Maybe we should get out of here then," he suggested with a wink and Renjun nodded eagerly.

 

Not even caring about finishing their second dance Jeno pulled him away from the ceremony and towards the forest.

Excitement was spreading in Renjun's chest as they stumbled over a few roots in the darkness on their way. A soft giggle left him once they reached the first trees. The huge bonfire was only a far away spark of light by now, the loud voices and music muffled.

"Are you sure they won't miss a prince?" Renjun asked playfully when Jeno walked up to him until his back was hitting a big tree.

Getting even closer until their breaths were mingling Jeno put his hands against the tree next to his head. "I really don't care about that right now," the alpha whispered.

A sugary sweet mixture of dark chocolate and vanilla filled the air, both their scents intertwining and complementing each other perfectly.

His whole body was on fire as Jeno let their foreheads fall against each other. They had only ever been this close when Jeno had scented him. Renjun's heart was beating wildly as he realized that he wanted far more than scenting right now.

"Jeno," a soft breath left his lips as he tangled his fingers into the alpha’s hair. "Kiss me."

Not even a second passed for his wish to be fulfilled.

Both their eyes fell shut as their lips brushed against each other in one magical moment. Renjun could almost feel the sparks between them, hot and prickling on his skin like little shooting stars falling on him.

Jeno sucked in a sharp breath, shortly pulling away, only to tilt his head and capture Renjun's lips with a lot more vigor. The omega shivered as he felt Jeno's smooth tongue glide over his lips and he gasped, desperately gripping his fingers into Jeno’s hair.

The rough bark of the tree pressed uncomfortably into his back as Jeno kept getting closer and closer, leaving no space between them, but the rush of having his lips on him didn't allow him to feel any pain.

Only Jeno counted in this second.



Donghyuck was heartlessly sitting on a stool on the edge of the dancing crowd. After both Renjun and Yangyang had been stolen away for a dance he had spent a few songs looking for Mark. Of course not because he needed him to dance. No, Donghyuck could dance alone if he really wanted to.

With a heavy sigh he realized that this year's spring dance was turning out to be just like the last year. Donghyuck, the reject. The only unwanted omega.

Mark was nowhere to be found. Not that he needed him to redefine his worth.

In the corner of his eye he noticed someone approach him. Hopeful he raised his head, only to see Nick walk straight towards him with a sleazy grin on his face.

Mildly disturbed Donghyuck stood up, trying his best to mingle with the crowd. If Nick asked him he would have to dance with him, that was the stupid rule.

Last year's Donghyuck would've actually agreed to that gladly. Hell, even the Donghyuck from a few months ago would have agreed, might've even confronted someone like Nick into asking him for a dance.

But now Donghyuck couldn't get away from him any faster, hoping to escape his unwanted advances.

Things had changed when Mark had entered the picture. Donghyuck didn't want just some alpha to ask him for a dance, only for the sake of him actually getting to have a first dance.

No, there was only one alpha who he truly wanted to ask him for a dance. Too bad that that alpha didn't deem the dance important enough to actually show his face.

 

Without getting in anyone's way Donghyuck skillfully slithered his way through the dancing couples. Nick was still very obviously following him, his tall frame hovering over most other heads as he brushed past the people far less smoothly than Donghyuck had.

Trying to come up with a superior escape plan on the fly, Donghyuck almost had a heart attack when someone grabbed his wrist.

At first he thought Nick had already caught up to him and he had no choice but to endure a very uncomfortable dance with him. Then the scent of cinnamon reached his nose.

Mark. Finally.

"Hey, I've been looking for you!" Donghyuck greeted him honestly, because he had decided that that was the path he wanted to take with Mark from now on. Honesty above everything else. Even if that included his weird feelings.

"I'm so sorry, I was late because I-" Mark apologized with the same sincerity. He let go of Donghyuck's wrist to pull something out of his pocket.

Only now Donghyuck noticed that Mark was far more dressed up than usually, a nice black coat slung over his shoulders and the dark shirt underneath so fine you could almost see through it.

Mark interrupted Donghyuck's running thoughts when he reached for his wrist again. "I wanted to give you your last courting gift."

Carefully, as if Donghyuck was made out of glass, he snapped a delicate golden band around it, a matching sunflower to the one on his barrette attached to it.

"It fell behind my cupboard when I grabbed it just when I was about to go and then I ripped it apart when I moved the cupboard and I had to fix it," Mark explained hastily. "I missed the whole opening ceremony, didn't I?"

"You did," Donghyuck confirmed, eyes glued to the beautiful jewelry around his wrist. He didn't know how Mark had done it, but it fitted him perfectly.

The alpha had a deep frown on his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you wait," he apologized and Donghyuck tore his eyes from the bracelet to look at him.

"It's alright, you're here now," he told him softly.

Mark looked at him with those wide, sparkling eyes that made Donghyuck's stomach do somersaults.

A short silence settled between them, Donghyuck's gaze waiting and expectant.

Awkwardly Mark cleared his throat, both knowing what he was about to say.

Until Donghyuck didn't.

"I know I'm supposed to ask you for a dance now. And I know that technically you have no choice but to agree, but I don't think that's fair. Because...because I understand now what you have told me when...when I first started courting you. It's not my choice and I have no right to decide anything for you. So I'm offering you to opt out. You can very much say no to me," Mark stated and Donghyuck listened to him attentively, lips slightly apart in surprise.

"Even though I very much hope you won't say no," the alpha added, before taking a deep breath as if bracing himself for one last big battle. "Donghyuck, will you please give me a first dance with you?"

Never had he heard anything sweeter before. Never before had he seen an alpha give up on their own right to choose, forgoing old traditions.

But Mark was doing it, and he was doing it for Donghyuck's comfort only, putting him first. Putting him over custom and pride.

Donghyuck had never been more confident in his decision to give Mark a chance.

"Yes, you can have a first dance," he agreed with a smile, watching with great fondness as Mark's eyes began to sparkle even brighter, in a way that they only ever did when he was around.

"Thank you," Mark said, overjoyed, reaching out a hand for him. Donghyuck took it, letting Mark pull him close as he slung his other arm around his waist.

"Do you mind if we dance in that direction, though?" Donghyuck nodded his head to the left as Mark began to lead their steps with the security and grace of years of dance classes. "I think Nick is still waiting for his chance to get a dance from me."

"Nick?" For a short moment the scent of cinnamon flared up. "Well, we can't have that," he calmed down, skillfully turning them a few times until they were on the opposite side of the fire, far away from where Nick had been lingering around.

 

Dancing with Mark was almost painfully familiar. They had often paired up together when they had still been kids and considered each other friends. Although Mark had grown a lot taller and wasn't as clumsy with his steps anymore. Back then Donghyuck had often teased him about his two left feet.

But now they were both adults, grown up and much more mature than they had been in their childhood. Still, dancing with Mark again after all these years provided a comfort that Donghyuck couldn't describe as anything else than the utter definition of safeness.

Mark's thoughts must've taken a similar route as Donghyuck could see his own feelings openly displayed on the alpha's face. It was like looking into a mirror.

"You are unbelievably pretty," Mark whispered breathlessly. "I mean, you look pretty. Tonight."

Donghyuck gave him a flattered smile. "Well, I'd have to give most of the credits to you for that. Your barrette is beautiful," he returned the compliment humbly. "And Renjun sewed my gown. Aren't my pants nice?"

With a satisfied smirk Donghyuck watched as Mark's eyes drifted down to his pants. His Adam's apple bopped as he swallowed his own spit, gaze momentarily stuck on Donghyuck's exposed legs.

"Very nice," Mark hummed lowly, licking over his dry lips. "But erm, I mean, you are handsome even without the clothes," he added, fixating his eyes back on Donghyuck's face.

The omega raised his eyebrows and Mark looked confused for a second, before he spluttered, realizing what he had just said.

"That's not what I meant!" He tried to save his attempt at a compliment and Donghyuck giggled at his mortified expression.

"It's fine," he told him, although his eyes still glinted with mischief.

"Really?" Mark asked, biting down on his lip nervously. "Because tonight is kind of very important to me and I already messed up so much with you. And I really care about you and...you know..."

"Yes?" Donghyuck pried and their gazes met.

"I don't want this to be our first and last dance," Mark said bravely.

"Well-"

"Not that I am forcing you to ask me for a second dance-"

"Mark-"

"Just know that I respect your decision-"

"Mark-"

"But it would make me very happy. The happiest. And I will try to become better for you-"

"Mark, stop it," Donghyuck laughed, intercepting Mark before he could fully start ranting. The alpha took a deep breath, having spilled all his thoughts without taking a break.

Donghyuck's eyes softened as he carefully raised his hand, massaging the deep worry lines on Mark's forehead to loosen the frown on Mark's face.

He leaned in closer to Mark so he could hear him over the music. "Haven't you noticed?"

"W-what do you mean?" Mark returned the question, mind a bit distracted from having the omega so close to him.

A tender smile spread on Donghyuck’s face. "This is already our second dance."

Mark blinked confused, before actually turning some of his attention away from the omega in his arms and to the music playing in the background. He had been so busy focusing on Donghyuck and rambling that in his nervousness he hadn't noticed that the song had already changed. Which meant that Donghyuck was right. This was in fact their second dance.

"Y-you mean it?" Mark questioned unsure. Maybe Donghyuck also hadn't noticed the music change. Maybe this was just a lucky mistake.

"I do," Donghyuck disregarded his uncertainty with confidence. He had wanted to be honest. This was his chance. "I know I haven't been the best at expressing my feelings...at least not with words."

He paused to gather himself. For too long he had swallowed all of these emotions and thoughts, too afraid, too much of a coward to address them. However, Mark's sweet gaze on him, his gentle hold around his waist made him become brave.

"I really like you, Mark. I'm falling for you more and more each day," Donghyuck confessed, studying Mark's face for his reaction.

But the older was stunned silent. So Donghyuck inhaled, deciding to keep talking himself, revealing even his innermost thoughts.

"I don't know what...what you must feel for you to start courting me after all these years. But I'm really happy you did. At first I was a bit confused and overwhelmed, but now all I am is happy that things happened the way they happened, because somehow, in a weird way, it brought the two of us together," Donghyuck admitted coyly. "And that makes me really happy. I'm happy it's you Mark."

Now Mark was completely frozen, even stopping the dance right in the middle of their pack.

With a sudden impact Donghyuck was pulled into a tight embrace, face pressed in the crook of Mark's neck where the comforting scent of cinnamon immediately calmed down his running mind.

Shy hands caressed over his back. As they separated Mark gave him a sheepish smile, tucking a strand of Donghyuck’s hair back behind his ears. "I'm so happy, too, Hyuck," he whispered.

Donghyuck returned his smile as Mark cautiously held his face, carefully putting his sunflower barrette back in place that had fallen a bit to the right from their sudden hug.

Everything seemed perfect for a moment.

 

And then a loud, terrifying howl ripped the night apart, making all their blood curl.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!
Were you as surprised as me when 'Let's play ball' dropped today? Lol, but not lying, that song is so catchy!! Can't wait for the rest of the album to be released :3

Anyways, how did you like the chapter?? Leave me a comment if you want to :3
And have a lovely weekend!! <3

Chapter 17: The Downfall

Notes:

Hey, welcome back!!
There is an important announcement concerning the updating schedule of this fic at the end of the chapter, haha, but for now enjoy :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

With a shocked hitch of his breath Jeno pulled away from the sweet temptation that were Renjun's lips.

The howl had frozen the blood in his veins, resonating through his bones in a queasy frequency that made him shiver in discomfort.

Fear overcoming him Renjun clutched his hands to the alpha's shirt. "Jeno," he whispered out of breath. The howl had sounded so close.

"We need to get back," Jeno said clearly. "We need to find my parents. Right now."

"Jeno, that came straight out of the forest," Renjun said, turning around to stare into the dark woods that seemed a lot scarier all of a sudden. "Jeno, that howl did not come from our pack."

"I know," Jeno agreed, taking Renjun's hand and urgently pulling him away from the forest. It had been very clear that the howl hadn't come from their own pack. While a howl from one of their packmates usually alarmed them, this one had straight out given him icy chills. There was no doubt the howl had come from an outsider. You could just feel it.

It had been naive to come to a secluded area alone. Jeno had known about the unstable conditions between their packs, he shouldn’t have taken the risk. Now his stupidity had gotten both Renjun and him in a possibly dangerous situation.

They were still far away from the first huts of the pack when a familiar shape approached them.

Jeno let out a relieved exhale when his father transformed back into his human form in front of them.

"Jeno, thank god you are here!" The chief said, voice vibrating with authority. "You're coming with me. We need to find out who that howl was from - and if they are here to attack."

The prince nodded determinedly. He shortly glanced at his father before he turned back to face Renjun, grabbing bot his wrists. "Listen, you need to get to the village as fast as possible. Find Sicheng or anybody else, help with the people and try to get everyone inside their huts where they are safe," Jeno instructed him quickly and Renjun felt how his breathing was getting shorter with each second, panic starting to cord up his chest.

This was turning into a serious threat they were heading into. He had not been prepared for this. No one had been prepared for this.

Jeno lightly shook him by his forearms and Renjun tried to gather his mind to focus on what Jeno was telling him. "Renjun, promise me you won't go into the forest until I'm back. Hide in the orphanage, I'm gonna come see you there as soon as I can," Jeno kept talking with urgency and Renjun somehow found himself nodding along to everything he was saying without really listening, mind completely frazzled.

Just before Jeno could turn back to his father and shift, he snapped out of it, reaching after Jeno's arm and holding him back.

"You will be back, right?" He asked fearfully and Jeno softly squeezed his hand.

"I will," the alpha assured him, before letting go and smoothly melting into his wolf form, following his father into the dark woods.

Renjun swallowed heavily, for a second drowning in the lonely coldness.

Then he took a deep breath, trying to loosen the knots in his lungs. He needed to pull himself together. With big steps he ran towards the pack village.

 

The spring dance had turned into complete chaos.

Left and right of them alphas were shifting, the trained hunters and guards yelling instructions and delegating everybody around them.

The howl had obviously not been a friendly one and everybody who was deemed qualified was quickly escorted into one troop, to stand together against a possible intruder.

Among everybody else rushing to different places, seemingly headless, one tall wolf stood out, screaming orders on the top of his lungs as he pushed himself forward through the crowd.

"Johnny!" Mark yelled as loud as he could and waved his hands, recognizing his older brother.

The older wolf turned around, spotting Donghyuck and Mark fighting his way through to him.

Bodies were tightly squeezing against each other and Donghyuck felt the air around him get sticky, voices mingling into one loud noise of terror.

Finally Johnny reached them, what was once a neat dress shirt was now sticking to his chest drenched in sweat and he was heaving in stress. "Mark, shift and get with the other alphas to the forest clearing! Our chief and Prince Jeno are already heading towards the howl, they might need our back up," Johnny instructed his brother curtly.

"I can help!" Donghyuck immediately chimed in, set on pulling his weight in the pack. "I'm a trained hunter. I can help."

Johnny frowned, obviously conflicted about the idea of Donghyuck heading into the danger with them. "Donghyuck, you're not yet graduated. You should get back to your parents' hut where you are safe," he said sternly and Donghyuck growled frustrated.

"What if this is a serious attack! You could need me! It's not long until I graduate anyways! And I saw some of my peers rush into the woods already!" He argued with fire in his eyes.

There was no way they didn’t need all hands on deck in a life or death situation. Everybody with reason could see that Donghyuck was a good addition - there was just no sense, no justice in forbidding him. Surely Johnny had to see that!

Donghyuck kept his intense gaze on Johnny, just waiting for his decision. To his surprise it wasn't Johnny denying him. It was Mark.

"No, he can't go," the alpha stated, looking at his older brother with a pointed look. "It's not safe out there."

Donghyuck couldn't believe what he was hearing. With a feeling of utter betrayal he faced Mark. "What are you doing?" He gasped angrily. "I'm trained for this!” Desperately he grabbed Johnny’s arm, eyes not lacking any of their previous determination. “Johnny, you know I can help."

"No, Johnny, he can't go," Mark insisted, not looking at Donghyuck but straight at his brother. "He's been hurt before."

It was like a splash of ice cold water was smashed right into his face. This couldn't be true, Donghyuck thought. He couldn't believe Mark of all people was doing this to him. Had he fallen into a parallel universe?

Johnny seemed to hesitate for a second, biting down on his lips - you could basically see the inner conflict play out on his face - but Mark's gaze suddenly sharpened, leading to Johnny reaching a decision.

His expression turned serious as he removed Donghyuck’s tight grasp from his arm. "Sorry, Donghyuck, rules are you are not allowed with the hunters until you’re graduated," Johnny called the shots and Donghyuck almost laughed at the sheer ridiculousness.

"This is not fair," he protested, upset and disappointed.

"You should head back into your hut," Johnny told him with finality in his voice. "Now."

That had been a clear order, leaving no room for further argument. Even though Donghyuck hated this, he couldn't openly disobey a superior wolf.

Angrily he sucked in a breath and tore his livid gaze away from Johnny and towards Mark. He clutched his fingers into Mark's arm and harshly pulled him around. The alpha strictly avoided eye contact - as if he was clearly aware of what he had done - and Donghyuck felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. After everything, after he had opened his heart and soul to Mark, he couldn't feel anything but disappointment when he looked at him now, too much a coward to even meet Donghyuck’s eyes and look at the damage he was causing. Could he seriously have misjudged Mark this much?

Against his will he felt hot tears filling his eyes. "So all that talk about it being my choice was just a lie?" He said through gritted teeth. He hadn't expected this. Especially not from Mark. "I trusted you. You've learned nothing, Mark. Nothing."

For the first time Mark forced himself to look at the omega, only to see his eyes filled with betrayal and disappointment and deep and utter pain.

"Donghyuck, please understand-"

"No," Donghyuck pushed him away carelessly and Mark winced at the blatant hurt in his voice. "I've had enough."

With the first of his tears streaming down his cheeks he turned around, punching his way through heavy bodies of panic.

"Donghyuck!" Mark called after the omega, but Donghyuck kept running, quickly disappearing in the crowd without taking a second glance back.

Involuntarily having become a witness to the emotional showdown, Johnny nudged his younger brother with concern. "You sure that was the right call?" 

Mark clenched his fists as he lost sight of the one person in his life he never wanted to see hurt.

"I needed him to be safe," he answered shortly, even though there was an equal amount of pain and regret already reflecting in his glassy eyes. 

Johnny let out a deep sigh. "We'll talk later. Right now we don't have time and we need to go," he said, patting his younger brother on the back.

With an uneasy feeling in his gut Mark followed him, swiftly transforming as they headed towards the forest.

 

Most of the hunters and guards were already gathered at the forest clearing. A few of the older and most respected hunters parted them into search groups and soon all of them surged forward, looking for any traces of endangering or unfamiliar scents.

 

Having grown up in peace and heavily guarded by his mother Jeno had never before found himself in a situation where he felt so close to an enemy. The howl was still ringing in his ears and bones, like an ugly monster hovering over his body.

Of course he had been trained for any possible threats. As a prince he had been obliged to go through any kind of training for dangerous situations - from kidnappings to civilian coups. But it all had always seemed like a game of sorts. Something you prepared for, but that you never had to put to use.

Now that it was becoming reality he felt that all this training had been nothing but a waste of time. All the drills he had run together with Doyoung since they were little kids were forgotten memories now. His mind was completely blank and if it weren't for his father by his side he probably would have no clue how to go about this.

The chief's eyes were lively and focused, scenting the air where they had passed to mark the places they had already searched for any possible attackers.

Even though they went forward with a strategy, Jeno felt like they were running in circles. It could've been only minutes that they were out here, but it felt like days to him.

His paws were getting sore and his eyes tired, but his father was not giving up, fighting the tiredness with his sheer will and the duty to protect his people urging him on.

They passed a few of the other hunters on their search for the source of the mysterious howl - Jeno had recognized Jaemin among them and quickly motioned for him to stay by his side from then on.

 

Only when the sky had started to clear his father began to send every hunting group they encountered to go back to the pack, ending the seemingly endless hunt for them after hours of running across their borders with no results.

By now it must only be the three of them left out in the woods, but Jeno knew his father wouldn't return before he had flicked every stone and looked behind every bush and could say with not the slightest doubt left that the pack was safe.

The prince had never had more respect for his father. While his own eyes were burning from exhaustion at this point, his father seemed as alarmed and strong as ever, not letting the hours they had spent roaming around the woods affect the thoroughness with which he checked every corner that could be a possible hiding spot.

Jaemin next to him was having a hard time keeping up with their pace, trailing his body more than he was carrying it. Jeno was about to tell his best friend to head home as well, when a scent different from his father's peppermint one hit his nose.

Suddenly not tired anymore he stood up a bit straighter, letting out a quiet growl to alarm his father. But the chief had also noticed the change of scent, rearing up his body in protectiveness.

There was a rustle behind a few of the bushes and next to him Jaemin lowered into an attacking position, getting ready for a jump.

Before anyone could make a move, however, the familiar sound of shapeshifting cut through the quiet morning.

They halted - if they were about to be attacked the last thing an enemy would do was turn into human form. Any wolf knew they were far more vulnerable and far less lethal in that state. 

There was more rustling and then two all too familiar faces appeared between the bushes.

"It was a trap," Doyoung breathed out, sweaty and dirty as if he had just run for his life. Taeyong was holding him up by his waist, but the Lunaris leader seemed equally exhausted.

"They tricked us. The Noctis pack tricked us."

 

 

It had been a long and rough night for everyone. Renjun watched the first sun rays fall through the creaks of their closed windows. A small girl was resting her head on his lap, scrunching her nose as the light hit her face. Slowly Renjun raised his hand to create a shadow over her eyes and block the sun from waking her up.

He was tired. But he couldn't sleep.

After Jeno and him had parted ways he had tried his best to help gather all the orphans that were scared and scattered around the spring dance. A few of the caretakers had assisted him, but most of them had their own families to watch over.

Nobody had been prepared for an attack, nobody had even expected it.

Luckily Sicheng had also been calm enough to think of the younger kids and together they had somehow collected all the little children. As the two oldest omegas living in the orphanage they had seen it as their responsibility to make sure everyone else was safe with them as they shut the orphanage gate that night.

Now, after a lot of soothing and comforting, all the children were soundly asleep. Renjun would give so much to just join them in their slumber, but his mind and body were cold with fear, keeping him awake without mercy.

It was like that night weeks and weeks ago, when Sicheng had gone missing. Only now the omega was laying  peacefully and safe beside him, breathing calmly with two boys cradled in his arms - and Renjun still felt as cold as he had back them.

 

Renjun had heard a few of the hunters return to the village, muffled voices reaching his ears even through the walls of the orphanage. That had been hours ago.

Jeno had not come to the orphanage yet. If he had known Jeno a little bit less, he could've convinced himself that the alpha had just forgotten and went to bed instead. But by now Renjun knew that Jeno wouldn't forget to come if he said he would.

So that could only mean that Jeno was still out in the woods. Possibly hurt, possibly alone, possibly gone forever.

The coldness made Renjun's whole body shiver, breathing speeding up in fear and panic at the thought of Jeno not returning.

The reasonable side of his brain was trying to fight back. He shouldn't let his emotions swallow him.

Alone the fact that some of the other hunters had already returned could only mean that the howl had not been an attack. At least that's what his rationality was desperately trying to make him believe

It still didn't explain why Jeno hadn't come to see him yet.

 

Just then a soft knock disrupted the peaceful silence in the orphanage, almost making Renjun startle the girl in his lap awake.

With trembling fingers Renjun maneuvered the girl sleeping on him into her soft furs. His legs were shaking as he stood up and he nearly fell over on his way to the door. If this was anybody other than Jeno knocking on his door, he would faint.

He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the worst and hoping for the best.

A quiet voice called out for him through the closed door. "Renjun?"

Never had Renjun's heart felt lighter.

 

Jeno's embrace was warm, so warm when he finally opened the door for him and more or less fell forward into his arms.

Seemed like life was trying to make things up to him.

With nothing but sweet relief he tightened his hold around Jeno's firm body, determined to seek in all his warmth and never feel cold again.

"Hey, you okay?" Jeno whispered softly and Renjun, despite having been anything but okay these last few hours, nodded against his chest, because getting to hug Jeno like this was making everything slightly better already.

A striking voice cut through the air, disrupting their spontaneous cuddling session. "Jeno, we have important things to discuss,"

For the first time Renjun raised his head enough to see past Jeno, only to find the chiefess looking at them impatiently. Next to her the chief was managing a light smirk, but his eyes wore seriousness, and Jaemin beside him looked half dead. The biggest surprise, however, was seeing Prince Doyoung and Lunaris leader Taeyong stand behind everyone.

Startled Renjun pulled away from Jeno. A hot blush rose to his cheek as he realized that the entire royal family had just witnessed their intimate moment.

"Yeah...some things happened," Jeno said, having noticed Renjun's perplexed expression. "Let's go to my hut so we can talk about everything."

The alpha tugged at Renjun's wrist, closing the door of the orphanage behind him with his feet.

"He's coming with us, Jeno?" The chiefess asked. Her voice seemed calm, but her eyes were skeptical.

Jeno tightened his grip on Renjun's hand, when the omega had tried to pull away from him, intimidated by the comment. "I've told him about everything already," the prince answered.

The chiefess scanned Renjun up and down with her evaluating gaze and the omega swallowed, feeling scrutinized down to his bones. He must look like a mess again - he had not slept at all last night and was still wearing his formal coat, by now crinkled and sweaty.

"I don't have to...to come with you," Renjun said insecurely. This seemed to be a castle related issue, and while Jeno had told him a lot about the different packs and their history, he doubted he was equipped to contribute to any sort of political talk just yet.

"He has to learn eventually," the chief shrugged. "Let's go."

 

 

And just like that Renjun found himself in Jeno's hut, trying to be at least somewhat useful in between all these important people with knowledge far exceeding his own as he prepared a kettle of tea.

Taeyong and Doyoung had taken the only two chairs in Jeno's hut and everybody else was just somewhat splayed across the room. It was weird seeing the chief and chiefess in such a private environment.

Renjun's hands quivered as he spilled tea into seven cups, a clank resonating through the quiet room as he clumsily hit them with the kettle.

Cold sweat ran down his back as he felt the gaze of Jeno's mother on him.

Jeno gave him a sweet smile when he passed him his cup, laying a reassuring arm around his waist.

The chief was the first one to raise his voice. "Taeyong, Doyoung, you have a lot to explain." He nodded his head towards his son. "We got your letter and tried to catch you on your way back. But we never found you."

"We had to leave our horses behind on our escape from the Noctis pack," Taeyong started what seemed to be the beginning of a long story.

"Why?" The chiefess asked concerned, tenderly brushing her fingers through her oldest son's hair.

"A few rogue wolves surprised us. We had to give them our horses in exchange for them letting us travel safely," Doyoung answered, rolling his eyes at the motherly worry. "Unfortunately that meant that we were much slower. And we came too late to warn you or the Lunaris pack."

"My pack must've gotten attacked last night," Taeyong chimed in, a very grim and torn expression on his face. "It was all a plan. They knew your people would be here, celebrating the start of spring. It was the perfect distraction to make a move against the Lunaris pack."

The alpha bit down on his lips, obviously angry and upset. His eyes flickered over to the Solaris chief. "You haven't heard anything from them since last night, have you?" He asked, voice tensed.

The chief shook his head. "Not since last night. But we've been in contact with Kun, your second in command. Your message was very cryptic, but as precaution we sent a few of our own guards to protect your borders. At least thirty of our men and women were patrolling your borders last night," the chief let him know honestly. "It would've been fifty, but some of them came back to join the ceremony."

Taeyong still seemed deeply shattered, but Doyoung was quick to take his hand, softly caressing it. "We did everything we could. Perhaps the extra guards were enough to prevent the worst," the omega prince told his mate.

Taeyong's lips were trembling with anger and sadness. "We have to get there as soon as possible," he stated, emotions stormy in his eyes. "These are our people, Doyoung. And we weren't there when they needed us."

"I know, Taeyong, I know, and I am as upset and angry as you are. I've sworn to protect them with my life when I mated you," Doyoung agreed with him without hesitation. "But there's nothing we could've done. And at least our messages seemed to have arrived in time. Maybe Kun was also clever enough to understand the warning."

"Still," Taeyong said with the feeling of failure only a leader could have. Renjun felt almost uncomfortable seeing the alpha like this.

The chief patted his fellow leader on the shoulder, obviously understanding what Taeyong was going through at the moment. "Taeyong, I'm very sorry about your situation and I'm sure our guards did their best to protect your pack," the chief said with empathy in his voice. Then he took a long breath, the frown on his face deepening. "But none of this is making much sense to us just yet. What happened while you were with the Noctis pack?"

Taeyong and Doyoung exchanged a deep, meaningful gaze, interlocking their fingers as if needing each other’s support for what they were about to unveil. Shivers went down Renjun's spine. Whatever must've gone down - it was certainly not good news.

Taeyong’s face was almost expressionless as he turned to look at the rest of them. "Things have changed after the war," the Lunaris leader said in a motionless tone.

"After their old king had been killed by the humans, the Noctis pack wasn’t the same anymore," Doyoung continued and with every word his face got paler. "They learned from the war. But only the wrong things. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. Nothing I ever dared to imagine."

Doyoung's voice broke, horror flashing through his eyes at the sole memory of their journey. Taeyong sensed his stress right away, patting his thigh in a soothing manner.

 "The day we arrived in front of their gates, they greeted us with open arms," he took over for his mate, knowing that the burden of telling the story was a huge weight to carry right now. "We were surprised by their welcoming reception. The king seemed pleasant when we were brought to him. We've asked him straight away about the black wolves circling our borders and he assured us that the Noctis pack had not left their grounds ever since the war twenty years ago."

The room was deadly silent as Taeyong took a break, glancing at Doyoung to make sure his mate was okay, as if bracing himself for what he was about to reveal.

"Of course we were skeptical of his words. Multiple black wolves spotted near our borders seemed to be too unlikely to be a coincidence. So he invited us to stay a few days, to make sure for ourselves that he was not lying and that his pack held no ill intent towards Lunaris or Solaris," Taeyong kept talking, slowly and carefully to not miss any detail of the story.

A queasy feeling spread in Renjun's stomach, like he had eaten something terribly wrong. Prince Doyoung was as pale as snow by now, his eyes looked like he was some place far away. Gently Jeno brushed over his back, as if he had felt Renjun's uneasiness and tried to keep him secure by his side.

The Solaris chief sucked in a breath. "What happened during your stay? Did they hold you captive?" He pried, although throwing his oldest son a cautious glance, sensing that the conversation was taking a toll on him.

"At first everything seemed normal. They showed us to a room in their castle, invited us to dinner that evening. That was when we first noticed..." Taeyong said, stopping to look at Doyoung once more, who had started to tremble.

"There were no omegas in the Noctis pack," Doyoung suddenly said loud and clear, forcefully pushing himself back to reality. He pulled away from his mother's hand in his hair and stood up, beginning to stride up and down the room.

Taeyong threw a worried glance to his mate, but remained seated. "Which was impossible, because there were omegas all around us," he added, only causing more confusion.

The chief formed a deep frown. "What do you mean?".

"He means that there were wolves that were obviously omegas, greeting us, showing us to our room, helping us with our horses," Doyoung said sharply. "But their scent..."

His voice cut off as he sat back down on his chair, as if his legs were about to give out underneath him any second. Taeyong immediately reached out to caress his thigh again soothingly.

"They didn't have a scent," Taeyong said when Doyoung seemed unable to finish his sentence.

"But that is impossible!" The chiefess protested immediately - it was common knowledge that every wolf possessed a unique scent that was distinctly their own from the day they presented until the day they died. "Only a dead wolf loses their scent."

"There's another way," Taeyong breathed out and the mortification in Doyoung's face seemed to have reached its peak.

"What? How-"

"They're infertile," the omega prince said with his eyes closed.

A throbbing silence filled the room after the words had been spoken, pulsating in the air and turning every fiber of their bodies inside out.

The chief furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't understand? All of them are infertile? How does that work?" 

"They make them infertile, father. That's what makes them lose their scent," Doyoung said and suddenly Renjun felt the strong need to throw up.

Now he could understand the horror in Doyoung's eyes and in his voice. Alone the thought of anyone making him infertile and robbing him of his scent made his skin crawl in protest. There was no way this was happening. It was too cruel.

"When we first noticed the lack of scent, we asked one of the tailoring workers about it," Taeyong tried to explain further, still aware of the remaining confusion in the room. "After the war the Noctis pack...well, they decided that they weren't safe anymore. And the only way to protect themselves was to rear a population of strong alphas."

"So, to make sure most of their children would present as such, they invented...some sort of drug. They give it to every presenting wolf - it increases the likelihood of an alpha presentation. But as a side effect it turns every presented omega infertile, thus leaving them without any scent."

"Over time they've reached their goal of a strong alpha population. Over half their pack are alphas, even the king's son grew up to become one. But now...now they don't have any omegas to ensure the survival of the pack and the royal lineage. All of them are infertile, a minority nonetheless and they lost all their rights to choose a mate themselves."

The more Renjun listened, the more it sounded like a bad bedtime story that the children at the orphanage used to tell each other when they were younger to scare one another. No one could be so cruel. No leader could allow this ferocity, leading his own pack into doom.

"After we found out about the drugging, we decided to snoop around a bit further. We couldn't just leave there. Not with all those omegas..." Doyoung picked up where Taeyong had left off. "And then we overheard the king talk about his big plan."

Tension was rising as Doyoung carefully pronounced each and every word.

"Do you remember when that one omega hunter got attacked? Back in Winter?" The omega prince asked, seemingly out of context.

"Donghyuck-" Renjun breathed out but quickly fell silent when he noticed everybody turning their heads to look at him.

Doyoung hummed in agreement. "Well, they easily could've killed him. It was three against one, there was no reason why they shouldn't have killed him back then - but they didn't. Do you remember what he, Donghyuck, told us?" Doyoung kept going with this seemingly unrelated part of the story. "He told us that they sniffed for his scent instead."

The chiefess grunted irritated. "Why is this important all of a sudden?" She wondered out loud, but Renjun was beginning to put the clues next to each other and slowly a horrible, terrifying picture formed.

"Because they never intended to kill Donghyuck," Renjun blurted out again, fitting all the puzzle pieces together.

"Right. They didn't want to kill him. They wanted him," Doyoung concluded, painting a harsh reality that no one ever ventured to speak out loud before. "They need omegas. Fertile omegas. Otherwise their pack is going to die out with the next generation."

The chief’s eyes widened as he came to a terrifying understanding. "So last night, when they distracted us with a single howl and instead attacked the Lunaris pack-" the chief said, turning to Taeyong and the Lunaris leader nodded.

"They were after our omegas, hoping to find them unprotected, hoping that there was less protection at our borders because of your ceremony, maybe even hoping that we would sent help your way when the howl went off near your borders and far away from our own," Taeyong said and the chief let out a deep breath, features showing nothing but devastation.

"The Noctis king must've somehow found out about us spying on him. He was very reluctant to let us go. He had us followed by his guards, he was watching with whom we were communicating. We only managed to slip one of the traders a note, hoping it would somehow reach you and not be intercepted by the Noctis hunters," Doyoung continued the story. "We've come up with a plan to flee the castle unseen, but it wasn't easy. We snug out of our room in the dead of the night, bribed a few of the servers and somehow got to the stables, where we escaped on our horses. We wanted to get to the Lunaris pack before the attack would happen, but we had to give up our horses to the rouges, slowing down our journey drastically."

Now it was Taeyong's expression that darkened, his already pale complexion whitening - making him look as if he was on the verge of sickness.

"It was hell. We knew we would never get to the Lunairs pack on our feet. So, since the Solaris castle is nearer, we decided to come here first, hoping we would still make it in time to at least sent a warning towards Lunaris," Doyoung said, also getting more and more agitated, knowing that the people of Lunaris were also his responsibility and that he had failed them utterly.

Taeyong snorted bitterly. "We found the first marigolds blooming days and days ago on our way through the forest.”

Silence has never felt as painful before to Renjun. Both Lunaris leaders sat on their chairs defeated, having no one else but themselves to blame. Never before had Renjun seen as clearly what it meant to be a leader, what it could do to you and how devastatingly hard it was.

"We don't know yet if they were successful in their plan, Taeyong," the chief said in a compassionate voice. "We haven't heard anything from your pack."

Taeyong pressed his lips tightly together. "We need to get back immediately."

"Shouldn't you stay a night here to rest? You two have been out in the forest without a proper meal for days and you look exhausted," the chiefess offered, stroking through Doyoung's hair again.

"No, we can't stay here any longer," the omega agreed with his mate. "We have a duty to our people and we need to make sure they are safe. We are going."

Taeyong sent his mate a thankful look, summoning a bit of hope from Doyoung's strength.

"At least have a meal then. It won't take long and you need to eat!" The chiefess insisted.

Both Taeyong and Doyoung looked like they were about to protest again when a loud horn penetrated the early morning.

It was the sound of a royal horn, announcing the arrival of a noble. Then a second horn followed, a much deeper one, playing a painful tune that hadn't been heard in many years. Renjun's internal organs twisted themselves as he recognized the melody that he associated with his own parents. The melody played for a fallen pack member.

Taeyong was the first one that stormed out of the hut, pushing the chair over in his rush. The chief and Doyoung didn't wait for long either, running to the edge of the village where the sound had come from.

 

Two horses appeared between the woods, carrying two riders.

"Kun!" Taeyong yelled when he recognized his trusted right hand.

The wolf slipped down his horse frantically. "Leader," he quickly bowed his head, but Taeyong motioned for him to forgo the formalities. "We've been attacked last night, but due to your message we could prepare for the worst."

A few curious pack members had started to come out of their huts and gather around the two horses, awoken by the horn and curious to see what was going on after the events of last night. Renjun was pushed and pulled in different directions as everybody fought their way forward, losing Jeno who was swept aside by his mother and pulled among the crowd of people.

"Kun - they've played the horn-" Doyoung said, eyes flickering to the second horse that was carrying a lifeless body fallen over.

Just then the body's arm moved, letting out a painful groan.

"Okay, HELP!" Taeyong called out and everybody surrounding them flinched at the sudden volume, creating a path for the royal family.

The chief stepped forward, carefully pulling his pack member from the horse and handing her over to one of the healers of their pack, who hurriedly escorted the woman to the healing huts.

Taeyong looked at Kun with questioning eyes and the chief was building up to his full frame beside him. "Kun, what happened to her?" 

"The Noctis pack attacked us, just like you said they would. Thanks to the Solaris pack's support we could maintain our safety and prevent the worst," Kun said in a hushed voice, knowing that this wasn’t a conversation to be held in front of an agitated crowd.

Doyoung nudged him impatiently. "Did they get any omegas? Kun, did they?" 

"No, no, they didn't even come near our huts. But they managed to injure three of our guards deeply, and one of the Solaris hunters. She insisted I bring her here to her family, in case she wouldn't make it..." Kun answered quickly.

Rushed whispers resonated through the crowd, outraged and worried, angry and upset.

The chief took a deep breath. "We will make sure she will." 

He heard the voices surrounding him get louder and knew there was no way preventing this from happening anymore. They couldn't pretend everything was alright any longer. Although he had tried his best to maintain peace and not concern his pack unnecessarily, there was no hiding it anymore.

This meant one thing and one thing only.

 

He turned around to face his pack and the raised his booming voice:

"Peace like we knew it is over. Get ready."

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!
I'm so thankful for all the support you've been showing me until now!!
So I hope you understand this:

The Solaris Pack will take a short vacation of three weeks.

Since I'm home over the holidays I wanted to take a break from updating this fic and just enjoy my time with my family. Haha, this is actually a bit weird to me too, since I have never taking a bigger break from updating and writing since I started my journey on ao3 well over a year ago :)

So, yeah, for you that means that the next chapter will only be up on January, the 7th!!

Stay tuned until then, hehe :)
If we don't see each other until then I wish you happy Holidays, whichever you may celebrate (or even if you don't celebrate any) and a happy New Year :D

For further updates you can also follow me on Twitter, but only if you want to :)

Again, thanks for your support, I'm gonna end this long ending note now :D
Everybody stay safe and healthy <3

Chapter 18: Healing

Notes:

Hello and welcome back!! Finally the long wait is over - thank you so much for you patience. Enjoy the new chapter :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Emptiness.

Inside him there was nothing left, he was stripped bare to his bones.

He was completely empty.

At least that was how he felt. Shallow, as if there was nothing left of his usual will to fight. The fire that was igniting his soul and urging him on every step he took, only a shadow of itself. He was hollow.

Donghyuck had hardly left his furs since he had returned home from the Spring Dance. The events of the evening were still flashing through his mind - moments of panic and fear, utter chaos and screaming and people running everywhere. The insatiable wish inside of him to just help.

Donghyuck turned around on his back, staring at the ceiling above him and let out a long sigh.

Mark's words had cut him deeply.

He felt like a complete fool, especially after having expressed his feelings to Mark so openly and vulnerably, he had not expected the alpha to turn his back on him.

The worst part of it was that Donghyuck couldn't even despise Mark for it. As much as he wanted to go back to hating him, it was no longer a possibility - his heart had made a decision. Hell, he had even been worried about Mark the whole night, knowing that he was out there in the forest, potentially running straight into danger.

Donghyuck really wanted to be mad at Mark. And, oh, he was mad - he had cried at least as many angry tears as sad and disappointed ones. But in the end he could not bring himself to hate Mark.

He rubbed his eyes dry, the sensation painful as if he was massaging sand into his skin. His room was dark and Donghyuck didn't know how much time had passed since he had locked himself in here.

He had heard his parents come back through the door, but that must've been several hours ago. His throat hurt from all the crying, desperate for some water, but Donghyuck didn't feel like moving. He didn't feel like doing anything right now, except for laying in his dark room, feeling empty.

 

Well, his parents had other plans for him.

His door was threateningly close to falling off its hinges under a sudden force. "Lee Donghyuck! Open this door or I will ask your father to break it!" His mother yelled, knocking her fists violently against the wooden door, making the whole hut shake.

"Leave me alone!" Donghyuck shouted back, not up to seeing anyone's face.

"YAH! Donghyuck, come outside right now!" His mother kept yelling and hammering. "This is important! There's a pack meeting!"

A pack meeting? Donghyuck wondered. Probably about last night's attack...

Intrigued, Donghyuck turned around in his furs, facing the stag fur that was smelling strongly of cinnamon. With a huff he threw it aside. Yeah, maybe it was better if he left his room. Some fresh air might be exactly what he needed.

"Give me a minute," Donghyuck muttered, slowly heaving his body off the ground and pushing away his blinds. It was dawning outside. He must've been in here for the entire day.

As he looked into the mirror he was almost scared by his own face - there were dark circles underneath his bloodshot eyes, his skin looked fair and dry and his hair was standing up in every possible direction as if taking personal offense to gravity. In summary he looked as miserable as he felt.

Time to change that.

If he’d had the time for a bath, he would've gone for that, but the knocking on his door was getting more and more impatient. In all honesty he was seriously worried his mother might really bust it. So he tamed his messy hair with a brush, put on fresh clothes and pulled his hood deep over his face, trying to hide as much of his complexion as possible.

With another glance in the mirror he noted that he looked slightly less horrible.

 

Keeping his eyes fixated on his feet and his head down he stepped out of his room - he didn't need his parents questioning him about the reason why he looked like he had cried his life's worth of tears.

Luckily his mother brushed his demeanor off, letting out an impatient scoff. "Hurry, we need to go. The chief is expecting all of us at the town center," she told him hastily, pulling him out of their hut by his arm.

A bit surprised Donghyuck just let himself be dragged. Whatever had happened last night must've been serious. A queasy feeling started to spread in his stomach - what if there had been a real attack last night? What if something horrible had happened to their pack?

And he had been wallowing over his broken heart in his room all day instead of helping out! He wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

His conscience didn’t let himself be quiet any longer. "Mom, did someone get hurt? W-what happened? Did you hear something?" Donghyuck asked his mother as they kept striding in between huts towards the center of the village. More and more people joined them on their way. This must be a big announcement.

"Apparently one of our guards was injured," his mother replied curtly. "But there's a lot of uncertainty. The chief wants to inform everybody about what is going on. People are saying it might be another war."

Donghyuck swallowed heavily. A war?

The thought alone felt alien to him. All his life he had known nothing but peace.

 

A few reminders of the Spring Dance were still left in the town's center - small bouquets of blooming marigolds, burnt firewood and the huge table that had functioned as a buffet. It felt like a century ago that Donghyuck had prepared the food on top of it.

The chief and chiefess were already standing in the middle of the field, waiting as their pack gathered together around them, forming a circle. Prince Jeno was watching the crowd from slightly behind them with a serious expression on his face.

 

His mother left to find his father, but Donghyuck stayed behind, having spotted Renjun amidst the other wolves.

Using his elbows Donghyuck fought his way through the mass of people. After a few steps he bumped harshly into someone and couldn't believe his own luck.

The scent of cinnamon stuck to him like an annoying burr.

"Donghyuck," Mark said, trying to reach after him but Donghyuck didn't even look, resolutely pushing himself further.

Mark seemed to follow him for a few meters and kept calling his name, but Donghyuck was much quicker, effectively bringing more and more bodies between them, making it impossible for Mark to get to him.

 

Not even bothering to apologize as he stepped on people's toes, Donghyuck bumped his way through the crowd, only stopping when he arrived at Renjun's side.

Quickly he grabbed his hand so they would not get separated in the jostle, earning Renjun’s attention who had been focused on the chief and chiefess in front. "Renjun, do you know what's going on?" Donghyuck asked him. 

"Donghyuck!" Renjun exclaimed, relieved. "I've been looking for you all day! I thought for a second you'd been out with the other hunters, but they told me you went home after the dance."

A shadow cast over Donghyuck's face and Renjun ducked his head a little to look at him properly underneath his hood.

Once he saw Donghyuck’s dark features he started frowning in concern. "Are you okay?" 

Donghyuck pulled his hood a little bit deeper, turning his head away. "Yeah, I'm...that's not important. Do you know what's happening?" He dismissed him. Swiftly changing the topic he pointed to the chief who was still waiting for everyone to convene.

"A little?" Renjun answered unhelpfully. "But that's why we're here. They're going to address everything."

Donghyuck nodded, clutching a little bit tighter onto Renjun as the people around them kept pushing and pulling, everybody eager to get as close to their chief as possible to hear every word he’d say.

 

Suddenly a loud sound echoed through the crowd, one of the royal guards holding a wooden horn to her mouth.

Immediately, silence fell upon the pack and Donghyuck sighed, relieved when everybody stopped moving.

The chief took a step forward, raising his arms.

"It's good that you all gathered here quickly. I don't want to keep you in the dark any longer, as the situation is becoming more severe every day," he started the meeting and everybody’s eyes were glued to his lips.

"There's been an attack. The Lunaris pack got attacked last night, while we were distracted by a single howl from a stranger and the Spring Dance. It pains me to say this, but the Noctis pack has broken the peace between our packs that has lasted for two decades."

Rushed whispers erupted through the pack and Donghyuck felt how his blood froze in his veins. So it was true - a war was coming.

"Thanks to my son Prince Doyoung and his mate Lunaris leader Taeyong, who have been in contact with the Noctis pack, we could prevent the worst from happening. Sadly, one of our own guards got badly injured while helping to protect the Lunaris borders - but our healers say she is on her best way of recovery."

Everybody seemed agitated at the news and the chief had to wait a few seconds until it was quiet again to proceed.

"The Noctis pack is facing an omega shortage. They are at risk of extinction due to their king's poor decisions. So last night they tried to attack the Lunaris pack with the goal of stealing their omegas. And I mean steal in every sense of the word. The Noctis pack sees omegas as their property and nothing else," the chief continued, his voice deep and resonating in the air with meaning.

Now Donghyuck's blood was boiling in anger. He had not learned much about the Noctis pack except that it was bordering their grounds to the south, but he already despised them. How could there still be a pack with these backwards thinking policies?

"But there is no need to be scared. Starting tomorrow we will put together special forces of our best hunters to protect our borders and be on the lookout," the chief tried to console his pack, although everybody seemed understandably upset.

"I hope that this will not tear us apart as a pack but strengthen our bonds. Especially the connection to the Lunaris pack is our greatest link," the chief reminded them. "We cannot survive on our own and we will not let anyone suffer from injustice."

"I know this comes as shocking news to everybody. But we will make sure that everybody can live peacefully. And with our strengthened protective forces there should be no need for you to worry," the chief said with his captivating and reassuring nature. "As strange as it might sound, we encourage everyone to not panic and continue with their life as normal as possible."

The chiefess chimed in with a voice as clear as crystals, gathering everyone’s attention, "Of course it doesn't hurt to be careful." Her eyes were piercing, as if giving a silent warning.

"But as long as we protect ourselves, we are safe. The Noctis pack is not strong enough right now to face the alliance between Lunaris and Solaris alone," the chief added. "So we will do our best to prevent a war that will undoubtedly only have losers and keep to ourselves the best we can."

The chiefess ended the gathering with a warm smile. "Thank you for coming and for your trust. As we couldn't finish our festivities last night, there is still a lot of food left. Help yourself to it."

 

Murmurs and mutters kept rising as the chief and chiefess were escorted to their horses. Donghyuck stretched his neck after them. They seemed to be answering a few more questions from concerned pack members, before saddling up and starting their journey back to the castle.

Not sure what to make of all this information just yet Donghyuck turned to Renjun, who was looking for someone himself, rising to his tiptoes to oversee the crowd.

"Jeno is in that direction," Donghyuck helped him out, having spotted the alpha near the buffet table.

"Oh, I wasn't-" Renjun said but Donghyuck cocked an eyebrow. "Thanks."

Slowly unlatching their hands, Donghyuck smiled. "You're welcome.”

Renjun hesitated before taking off. "Are you gonna be okay here?" He asked, once again eyeing Donghyuck's face with worry and the omega remembered that he must still look like a corpse.

"It's alright. I'm gonna go find my parents. Or Yangyang," Donghyuck said, throwing a glance over to the prince that kept getting crowded by more and more people, pestering the poor soul with questions nobody had answers to. "I think Jeno needs you more right now."

"Thanks," Renjun repeated, pulling Donghyuck into a short hug before beginning to fight his way through to Jeno. Little children were screaming in high pitched voices, mothers and fathers chasing after them, desperately trying to soothe their crying and calm down the noises while being in shock themselves. Their pack was in shambles.

 

Jeno was caught right in the middle of the chaos. He seemed more than relieved when Renjun finally maneuvered himself through the jungle of bodies and joined him by his side.

Even though Renjun felt like he couldn't be of much help as more and more people were bombarding Jeno with questions that the prince hardly had answers to, he gladly returned the gentle squeeze whenever the alpha tightened the hold on his hand.

 

Only after the biggest onslaught of people had passed did Jeno excuse himself with a charming smile that was in no way inferior to one from his father and seemed to do a better job of reassuring people than any of his words had.

Softly tugging at their linked hands, Renjun found himself pulled away towards the alpha's hut.

Chivalrously Jeno held the door open for him, only trudging inside after the omega.

The contrast couldn't have been bigger to the crowd that they had just faced seconds ago. Renjun noticed a bit surprised that it was the first time that they were alone since they had snuck away to the woods at the Spring Dance that seemed ages ago now.

Jeno was hovering behind him as Renjun slowly turned around.

Their gazes met in the darkness of the unlit hut. A weird tingling spread low in his body - a foreign feeling that was a mixture of nostalgia and the fear of the future. After today things would change. No matter how much they tried to keep going on normally.

Without thinking Renjun slung his arms around Jeno's middle and rested his head on his chest. The alpha let out a palpable exhale as he returned the embrace.

"Are you okay?" Renjun asked quietly even though he knew it was a ridiculous question.

"I'm scared," Jeno answered as honestly as ever. "I don't know what this all means. I mean, I know what it means, but...There is so much uncertainty all of a sudden. I never thought that..."

Jeno's thoughts trailed off into thin air, but Renjun completely understood what he was feeling. What had always been a bright outlook to a safe future had become covered with gray fog of impending doom.

It must be so much harder for Jeno. Jeno, who was a prince, next in line to lead this pack, responsible for not only his own safety but the safety of an entire population. Today had made it clearer than ever that their pack was already relying on Jeno.

"I know this must be a lot for you," Renjun mumbled, slowly pulling away to take a look at Jeno's face. Deep folds were forming on his forehead and Renjun really wanted to soothe at least some of his worries. "A lot of things are uncertain as of right now. And I don't know if this helps a lot, but one thing you can be certain about is that I am here for you."

Not expecting his words to provide much comfort, Renjun was even more surprised when Jeno pulled him back into his arms, hiding his face in his neck.

"You are the only thing I want to see right now," Jeno breathed out. "You don't know how much just looking at your face gives me confidence that everything will be fine again. Please don't ever stop giving me hope."

At least with his face nuzzled against his scent glands Jeno couldn't see the faint blush creeping up on his face. Softly Renjun let his fingers run through Jeno's hair, heart beating fondly.

"Jeno," he whispered into the peaceful silence and the alpha reluctantly separated from him, standing back up straight to his full height.

Slowly and steadily Renjun lifted his hand to caress his cheek. "You might not think so right now, but you're gonna be a great chief," Renjun told him earnestly. "I know it."

With a small smile Jeno laid his own hand on top of Renjun's, taking a step closer to the omega so that their bodies were only centimeters away from each other. Renjun could feel the warmth of Jeno on his own skin - it was addicting.

He didn't know if Jeno or him took the next step, but barely a second later their lips connected in a calm spark of dying embers.

A hot breath left Jeno's mouth as he parted from his lips, but only for a second before he surged forward, smashing them back together with newfound fire.

Renjun gasped and felt a velvet tongue swipe over his bottom lip. Letting go of Jeno's cheeks his hands found their way back to the alpha's hair, playing with the messy black strands as they angled their heads to match their passion.

A pleasant tingle shot up his spine as Jeno grabbed him by his waist, pressing their bodies tight against each other.

He managed to elicit a soft growl from the alpha when he bit down on his lip before sucking on it in apology.

Jeno was breathing heavily when he pulled away, pupils blown wide and lips spit-shined.

It was an ease for the alpha to lift him up from the ground, carrying him over to his furs with his legs dangling in the air helplessly just a few inches over the ground.

Renjun's heart was beating with excitement as Jeno settled over him, a loose strand of his hair dangling between both their faces.

Jeno left a series of kisses from Renjun's nose down to his collarbones. "You're beautiful," Jeno murmured breathlessly. Not being able to control himself, a few soft moans escaped from Renjun's mouth, body squirming in flurry.

Playfully Jeno sucked on the spot on Renjun's neck that would one day be home to a mating bite and the omega startled at the foreign sensation, a high groan tearing the silence apart, his mind overrun with nothing but pleasure.

With a teasing smirk Jeno pulled away, pressing one last kiss to Renjun's slightly opened lips, panting as if he had just returned from a run through the woods.

Jeno shuffled away in the furs, trying to get them comfortable for the night. Renjun's chest was still rising and falling rapidly as the alpha smoothly pushed an arm underneath him, making him roll into his side.

Satisfied with their position Jeno placed a single kiss to Renjun's hair.

And even just for that moment, that short moment, both their minds were filled with nothing but happiness.

 

 

The next morning Donghyuck had recollected his usual fight. Or at least he didn't feel empty anymore. At least not as empty as before.

Holding his head high and putting on a confident facade he made his way to hunting training - usually just the place to get his mind off of things and let out some of his frustration.

To his surprise everybody was standing in neat lines when he arrived on the hunting grounds. Not only his hunting class was gathered but all of the senior hunters and a few guards from the castle.

He easily spotted Mark among the others, eyes drawn to him out of habit. For a second their gazes met, before Donghyuck demonstratively turned the other direction, taking a spot between his peers.

Not long after another guard from the castle joined them, his gear shining brightly and the royal crest stitched on his chest was embedded with golden threats. Even without knowing his face Donghyuck understood that he was important, someone of higher rank.

Donghyuck nudged the alpha next to him. "Do you know what's going on?"

Usually no guards whatsoever attended hunting training, busy ensuring everybody's safety at the castle and the borders. For a short while Donghyuck had considered joining the guards, back when he first had started hunting training, but becoming a guard required special training for two years after graduation. And from what he had heard it entailed a lot of sitting still and observing, which had not been his field of interest after he had started to experience the joy of running free.

"I think they're recruiting for the special force," the alpha answered him with a shrug and Donghyuck nodded - he had already thought that this must've been connected to the declaration from their chief last night.

Suddenly the fact that their peace was in danger was more real than ever.

The guard loudly cleared his throat, effectively stopping any more chatter among the ranks of hunters. "I'm sure you are wondering why we asked you all to come here," the guard spoke with a heavy voice, capturing everyone's attention. "After yesterday's pack meeting it's been confirmed with our chief that the guards are to put together a special force - a group of wolves to protect our pack under these new circumstances. And frankly speaking, the current guard lacks members to face such a task alone."

So it was true - they were recruiting. A sudden excitement rose in Donghyuck's chest. The thought of being of help was irresistibly appealing to him. He knew he could be of help - whether it was as a guard or as a hunter.

"So we wanted to give everyone of the hunters, who have excellent tracking skills, a chance to join the special force. Including the current graduating class of hunters, as they are over the age of 18 and thus qualify for guard duties," the guard spoke, taking a dramatic pause as he inspected each and everyone one of them intensively.

Donghyuck swallowed. The urge to prove himself was stronger than ever.

"Please understand that this job is highly dangerous. If you don't do well, you won't only endanger yourself, but the entire pack. So consider wisely before making your decision. Becoming a guard is not easy and will require you to give it your all," the guard kept talking, voice vibrating with importance. "In return you will be doing one of the most important things for this pack - ensuring peace and protecting everyone's safety. It is honorary work, without the guard we could not live in peace like we did until today."

Donghyuck didn't need time to consider. He had already made up his mind. He knew what he could do, he knew of his boundaries, and he knew how far he could push himself. If there's one thing that Donghyuck learned from these past years of hunting training, it was how to endure pain and to overcome setbacks. He knew he was perfect for this job.

"If you decide to join the team, you will be going through a short, intense training period, in which we teach you the most important elements about being a guard. Afterwards you will be patrolling the borders with trained guard members, collaborating with the guard of the Lunaris pack," the guard explained. "It will be long, hard work. But it is worth it."

Sharp whispers went through the hunters. Some of the older hunters seemed like they had been expecting this, while some looked very reluctant. Understandable, hunting and being a guard were two very different things, requiring different skill sets that usually needed a long time to consolidate. But Donghyuck knew he was ready.

The guard stopped his short stride up and down the hunters. "So, now that I've told you a bit about the risk you will be facing. Is there anybody who says they're ready to sign up, willing to enroll for the special force?" The guard ended his short speech, eyes shifting over the faces of hunters, equally inviting and repelling.

Before anyone else could speak up, Donghyuck raised his hand, fighting his way to the front of the ranks.

With no hesitation he raised his voice. "I am. I want to join," he stated loud and clearly.

"You want to join?" The guard said a tad bit surprised when Donghyuck was finally standing in front of him. His eyes drifted his frame up and down and his nose twitched - Donghyuck knew he was checking if he was indeed an omega.

Not backing off and straightening his back, so the obvious physical differences between him and the alpha hunters weren't as visible, Donghyuck stood his ground. "Yes, I do. I want to help keep this pack safe." 

The guard’s eyebrows rose to meet his receding hairline. "Have you thought this through?" The man asked him.

"I have and I'm sure I want to join," Donghyuck repeated, eyes fierce as they met the dark gaze of the guard.

"Well, I'm not sure about this," the guard said slowly. "You are..."

He stopped in the middle of his sentence, glancing Donghyuck up and down again in hesitation.

"An omega?" Donghyuck fearlessly finished for him. The silence afterwards was answer enough.

Anger and injustice were seething deep in Donghyuck's stomach.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can allow this," the guard told him in a friendly voice, as if trying to soften the blow for him, but that only made Donghyuck's anger worse.

However, before he could speak up for himself, someone else did.

"You're making a huge mistake!"

Mark was standing in front of the other hunters, shortly meeting Donghyuck's shocked eyes, before turning to the guard.

"Lee Donghyuck is the most skilled hunter I've ever met. He's better than most of us, hell, he's better than me! If you don't take him into your guard, you should take nobody," Mark confronted the guard.

The guard backed off surprised, he had not been expecting anyone to contradict his decision. "It's not that I don't trust his skills. It's that the Noctis pack is after omegas. He would be in danger," the guard tried to console Mark, but the alpha was not having it.

"He's in danger whether he's in the guard or not. And it's his choice if he wants to join or not. He knows the risk better than anybody, he's been attacked by the Noctis pack before and he survived. He has the same right to decide if he wants to join as every other alpha in the hunting team," Mark argued powerfully, voice getting louder with every word he said.

Everybody fell silent, only the sound of some far away birds disrupting the eerie quietness. Donghyuck's heart was beating rapidly - the last person he had expected to speak up for him had been Mark. But his words were making him confident, getting rid of the deep rooted anger.

Mark was still on his side. Would always be.

The guard bit down on his lips, eyes resting heavily on Mark before switching back to Donghyuck, clearly having lost the argument and at a loss of further excuses or reasons to exclude the omega. The omega could feel his pulse in his throat at the tension.

"What's your size?" The guard asked him seemingly out of context, making Donghyuck frown in confusion. "We need it to customize your gear. I doubt we have anything that fits an omega as of now, there's never been one in the guard before."

Donghyuck's breathing stopped for a second. Had he heard right?

"So I can join?" He asked the guard just to be sure he was not misinterpreting the situation.

"Your choice. But be prepared for hard training. I will not go easier on you," the guard replied and Donghyuck almost jumped in joy. But he had to maintain his fierce image.

"Good," he simply told the guard, who nodded and dismissed him.

Just like that it was decided, Donghyuck was the first omega to join the guard. He could not have been prouder of himself.

A few more hunters signed up for the special force - Donghyuck heard Mark and Johnny enroll one after another.

Donghyuck was still only starting to comprehend what Mark had done for him. Especially after the Spring Dance, where he had prevented him from doing anything to help with the supposed attack, he was in utter disbelief.

Either Mark was changing his opinions quicker than his underwear, or he must've had a serious epiphany in the short time they hadn’t spoken to each other.

Whatever it was, Donghyuck deserved an explanation. And he was finally ready to talk.

 

After their first instructional guard class, which basically only consisted of basic rules and prepping them for future classest, fitting the uniforms and gear to them before any real training could start, Donghyuck stayed behind, leaning casually against a tree as he watched the few remaining wolves get handed their equipment.

While none of the armor had fitted Donghyuck just yet, he had still been presented with an old sword. He had actually never learned sword fighting, most of his combat training having been in wolf form, but he was looking forward to learning.

With ease he swung the new weapon around, subtly glancing in the direction where Mark was still getting provided with various harnesses, the royal crest glistering on the metal.

Not wanting to show that he had been waiting for him, Donghyuck pointedly turned his head away when Mark was finished and started walking towards him. Feigning interest in his sword Donghyuck focused all his attention on the blunt edges, tracing them with his fingers. He would have to sharpen them.

"Hey," Mark said once he was standing in front of him and Donghyuck slowly raised his gaze, gifting the alpha with an unbothered look.

Mark seemed more than intimidated by his disinterested demeanor, awkwardly shuffling on his feet as he burned under Donghyuck's intense stare.

Fiddling with his hands that were also holding an old sword, Mark’s voice broke a couple times trying to form a coherent sentence. "C-can we please talk?" He finally managed to say nervously. Just the words Donghyuck had been waiting to hear.

Coolly he swung his sword around, making Mark flinch as it missed his face dangerously close.

"Follow me," Donghyuck ordered him, turning around and striding forward.

Mark was quick to scramble after him, keeping a safe distance as Donghyuck's sword was still swinging back and forth threateningly. Soon he noticed that the omega was heading straight to his hut.

With his arms crossed in front of his chest Donghyuck stopped in front of his door, raising his eyebrows expectantly when Mark just stared at him cluelessly for a few seconds.

"Won't you open the door for me?" Donghyuck asked and Mark almost stumbled forward to unlock his door and let them both in.

He tried not to feel too excited as he watched Donghyuck make himself comfortable in his chair, pulling his legs up to his chest as he sat down, as if he was already feeling right at home in his hut.

Slowly Mark closed the door behind himself, giving them the privacy that Donghyuck had probably wanted when he had led them here.

 

Biting down on his lip Mark watched Donghyuck trace his sword one more time before he put it aside on the table. 

Then the omega caught his gaze, cocking his eyebrow at him again. "So? What's your excuse?" He asked cockily and Mark felt his throat get dry.

"I have none," Mark answered honestly as he took a hesitant step closer to the omega. 

Donghyuck frowned. "I thought you wanted to talk," he pointed out and Mark quickly closed the remaining space between them, sitting down on the chair opposite of Donghyuck.

"I do. But I don't have an excuse. I only have an explanation. And an apology," Mark told him earnestly, holding eye contact as he did so.

A short, tense silence settled between them, in which Mark felt like Donghyuck was evaluating his sincerity.

"Okay. Talk," the younger decided and Mark exhaled relieved. He didn't know what he did to deserve yet another chance.

"I'm sorry, Donghyuck. I truly am. What I did at the Spring Dance was wrong and I had no right to do what I did," Mark started apologizing, already feeling better by just getting it off his chest. There had been nothing but regret on his mind ever since he had returned from the useless search in the woods.

Donghyuck hummed coldly. "Then why did you do it?" He prompted, before sitting up a bit straighter and staring straight into Mark’s eyes. "Because I need to know if all the things you said about understanding that my choices are my choices were just an act or if you truly mean it."

"I mean it, Hyuck. I do mean it," Mark assured him without any further consideration. "I know I wasn't being fair to you that night."

Wanting to get to the root of Mark's decision Donghyuck leaned over the table. "Then why? If you mean it, why did you not let me help that night? Because I am an omega?" He asked.

"No. I would've let any other omega but you join the hunters," Mark told him straight away.

Donghyuck huffed in disbelief. "So, it's just a me thing? I'm the only one that's too weak to help?" Donghyuck confronted him.

"No, it's not because you're weak. Didn't you just listen to me tell everybody that you are the best hunter in our pack?" Mark retorted immediately.

"Then why?" Donghyuck asked frustrated one more time, out of his own options.

Mark inhaled a shaky breath, hesitantly reaching for Donghyuck's hands, the tension in his jaw only easing when Donghyuck didn't pull away and let his hand be hold.

"It's because you are the only person I cannot stand to see getting hurt," Mark said in utter vulnerability. "It's always been like this, ever since we were kids and you would just get a tiny scratch on your knees from running and falling. I could not deal with that, even back then it made me so upset. When I kept everybody from courting you, it was mostly because I didn't want you to get hurt by anybody. And when you...when you got attacked and were unconscious for so long - It was like my life stopped. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't breathe. My world was gray and all I could think about was how I wouldn't survive without you."

Donghyuck watched in stunned fascination how a small tear had gathered in Mark's eye. Listening to Mark reveal all these feelings, feelings higher than mountains and deeper than the sea made his heart flutter and his body shiver.

"But I realized that that's my problem, and it shouldn't be yours. I shouldn't let my weakness affect your strength. I know your potential; I know how big your heart is and how passionate you are. It's what I love about you," Mark added, voice on the verge of breaking as his emotions were laid bare in front of Donghyuck. "It was egoistical of me to keep you safe for my own sake. I'm really sorry and...and I hope you can forgive me."

His heart was pounding in his chest, wanting to reach out and comfort Mark's obvious distress. All of a sudden Donghyuck realized that he was no longer afraid of Mark's larger than life feelings for him. No, knowing that Mark treasured him with his whole being was giving him a deep sense of security. Security that no matter what would happen, Mark would still be there, and he would still look at him with the same fondness and affection.

Mark was a safe place.

Slowly Donghyuck lifted his hand, guiding it to Mark's face where he softly wiped the fallen tears away. The sparkle in Mark's dark eyes was bright - as it usually was when he looked at him.

He took Mark's hand and rolled up his sleeves, exposing his arm and the large scar that was adorning his tanned skin.

The alpha looked like he was in physical pain as Donghyuck put his hand right on top of it, like he had been the one bitten and scratched.

"I've been hurt before," Donghyuck said with a soft voice. "Many times. And you especially always knew how to do the one thing that would hurt me."

"I'm sorry," Mark pressed out between his tight lips, eyes glued to the scar that was proof of all his pain.

"But the best thing about my injuries is that they all heal," Donghyuck added, smiling a little when Mark raised his head to look at him. "And luckily you are also especially good at making me heal."

There was a shimmer of hope rushing over Mark's face.

"So that means...you're...we are still-?" He asked unsure.

"Well, it's my turn to court you now," Donghyuck answered with a smirk. "Can't wait to prove to you that I am even better at courting than you are."

 

Notes:

Thank you for reading everyone!!

And thank you to my lovely beta reader sunshine, you are the best <3

I hope you all had a good start into the new year and nice holidays!! I'm so happy to come back to this story now and share new chapters with you!!

Haha, after all the interesting comments I got for the last chapter, I hope I resolved the Markhyuck issue well enough. But of course you are more than welcome to tell my your opinion again, I love reading them :3

Anyway, stay safe and healthy <3

Chapter 19: Flower Crowns

Notes:

Heyho and welcome back!!

This one is mostly fluff and a bit steamy, hehe :3 Hope you enjoy!!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"Urgh, this sucks," Donghyuck growled frustrated, throwing his stack of twigs and twine away.

Renjun gave him a pointed look. "Oh, come on, you wanted to do this."

Donghyuck scowled as he picked up his unfinished work - but Renjun was right. He had agreed to do this. That didn't mean he couldn’t whine about it. Whose idea had it been in the first place to make flower crowns as courting gifts?

"I think this is fun," Yangyang sided with Renjun, already halfway done with his crown, a beautiful arrangement of lilacs and lavender – in homage to Hendery's scent - coming together nicely.

Renjun had stuck to deep red colors for his own crown in resemblance to the royal colors, having picked red Begonias and poppy flowers on their earlier flower hunt this morning.

Renjun glanced at Donghyuck's stray twigs that hardly resembled a circle as of now. "I can help you once I'm done with mine," he offered, feeling bad for Donghyuck’s poor excuse of a flower crown.

"No, I can do it," Donghyuck insisted stubbornly, biting down on his tongue as he concentrated back on the task at hand. While he appreciated Renjun’s kindness, he needed to do this himself. This courting gift was special - he wanted it to be completely his own.

After short consideration he had stuck to the sunflower concepts that Mark had started and had chosen bright yellow flowers - mostly Hibiscus and daisies, since the actual sunflowers hadn't fully bloomed yet and were far too huge to use for a flower crown.

They continued to work in silence, only Donghyuck's frustrated huffs when the twigs and flowers wouldn't do as he wanted, disrupting their work flow.

Renjun was the first one to finish, holding the striking red headgear against the light to inspect his craft.

It had been his idea to make a flower crown - only because he thought it was funny to gift Jeno, a prince, a crown. But the result ended up looking quite pretty, his efforts not betraying him - now, what had started as a little joke actually made him proud. He liked the courting gift and he hoped Jeno would, too.

Since flower crowns were a rather short lived beauty he decided to head over straight to Jeno's hut after they had all finished their courting gifts - even Donghyuck's crown looked round and lush in the end, despite him complaining half of the time about his lacking skills.

 

Bidding his friends goodbye, he giddily skipped down the path to Jeno's hut. He was more than excited to give the alpha his first courting gift.

Once he reached the front door of Jeno's hut he stopped, taking a deep breath. He really hoped Jeno was home - he couldn't wait any longer, otherwise he would explode with excitement. With a beating heart and full of positivity he raised his fist and knocked loudly, the wood resonating under the impact.

Relieved he heard footsteps inside and prepared himself to see Jeno - but who opened the door made his blood freeze.

The chiefess was staring down at him and Renjun quickly made the flower crown disappear behind his back as he bowed his head in respect. Her presence was still intimidating, her beauty of such grace that it made his knees weak to simply look at her.

"Renjun?" Jeno appeared next to his mother, smiling softly at him and Renjun raised his head.

Fiddling nervously with the flower crown behind his back, Renjun started to tap his toes.  "Uhm, I can come back later if you're busy," he mumbled quietly, not wanting to interrupt anything important that they might’ve been discussing.

"No, we're done for today, right?" Jeno quickly said, looking at his mother questioningly.

The chiefess paused before answering and Renjun felt like time had stopped for that moment. "Yes, we're done," she finally confirmed. "I'll report back to your father. Keep me updated on the sentiment in the pack."

Renjun bowed his head again as she stepped past him, a shiver running down his spine as he felt her gaze rest upon him.

 

With a soft chuckle Jeno nudged him in his side, taking a step back and making an inviting gesture for Renjun to come inside.

"You don't need to act all formal. My family doesn't really care that much," Jeno said in light amusement.

Renjun blushed. "Well, she's still the chiefess," he defended himself. "I have to pay respect to her."

"I'm a prince, you don't bow every time I enter a room, do you?" Jeno challenged playfully.

Renjun snorted, cocking an eyebrow. "Do you want me to bow for you?" He asked him mockingly. "Prince?"

Jeno bit down on his inner lip as he tried to suppress a smile. "So, what brings you here?" He changed the topic, letting the door fall shut behind Renjun. "Not that I'm complaining."

Right, Renjun remembered the gift that his damp hands were holding.

With a smirk he pulled it out behind his back, swiftly placing it on top of Jeno's dark hair - the contrast between the red and black was very satisfying to look at, only bringing out Jeno's good looks and sharp features even more.

Continuing to mess around he playfully bowed in front of the alpha. "Now you have a crown, prince." 

Not even commenting on the joke, Jeno quickly reached for the flower crown on his head, taking it off to inspect it properly. Carefully he traced over the red blossoms, appreciating the sturdy ring of flowers and twigs that were bound together by the finest of strings. It was impressive artwork.

"You did this for me?" Jeno asked softly as Renjun got out of his bowing position.

"Do you like it?" Renjun asked in return - he had been confident about his courting gift until now, but waiting for Jeno's actual reaction made him anxious.

"It's astounding," the alpha replied in genuine appreciation. "Is this your courting gift?"

Shyly Renjun nodded his head, nodding in agreement. "I know it's nothing expensive, but I thought it'd be fitting, since you are a prince. And you know, I'm good at crafts."

"It's perfect," Jeno said with a wide smile, putting the crown back on his head. He twirled around laughing brightly. "And? How do I look?"

Renjun giggled at his silliness. "Well, it's been made for you," he chuckled, watching Jeno’s eyes crinkle into crescents. "Of course it looks nice."

"So, this means this is now an equal courtship," Jeno stated, unmistakable happiness in his voice. It made Renjun’s heart skip a beat. With confident steps he closed the distance between them, slinging his arms around Renjun's waist.

"Correct," Renjun said with the same amount of happiness. "Can't wait for all the gossip."

"Oh, ignore them," Jeno whispered, lips ghosting over Renjun's. "You should only care about me."

"That sounds quite narcissistic," Renjun replied, lips brushing against Jeno's as he spoke.

"I don't care," Jeno hummed before leaning in.

A pleased sigh left Renjuns's mouth as he reciprocated Jeno's movements, catching his lips over and over again. The flower crown fell to the floor with a soft noise as he ran his fingers through Jeno's hair, curling them in his locks as Jeno swept his tongue over his teeth.

Suddenly feeling very hot Renjun moved away, panting as Jeno surged after him, pressing him against the wall of his hut. The alpha kept trailing kisses down his neck to his collarbones and a quiet moan escaped Renjun.

"You okay?" Jeno asked in between kisses.

Renjun felt like he could melt on the spot. Every time their lips touched he thought he would slowly get used to the burning feeling of passion coiling in his stomach, but it only got more intense with each kiss. Kissing Jeno was like lighting up a fire that only grew bigger and bigger, needing more and more oxygen to stay alive.

"Yes," Renjun breathed out, pulling Jeno closer and tighter against his body. The deep desire and need for more was lingering in every cell of his body. "Can you scent me?"

A low growl fell out of Jeno's mouth at the request, but he was more than happy to obey. Pressing a series of wet kisses down Renjun's throat he stopped right above his scent glands, possessively rubbing his own scent onto the omega as he reached them.

Renjun was gasping in pleasure as he fully drowned in the scent, pupils blown wide as the only thing he could focus on was Jeno, and Jeno, Jeno, Jeno. His skin was burning as he gripped the front of Jeno's shirt and let his neck fall back in trusting submission, baring himself completely for the alpha.

Soft teeth grazed his skin, nibbling playfully and Renjun almost combusted at the sensation - but then Jeno pulled away. His gaze was hooded, his hair disheveled and his clothes wrinkled.

Panting heavily the alpha took a step back, giving both of them some room to breathe and calm down.

Renjun's skin was still on fire, but slowly he felt the prickling feeling subside. Only Jeno's scent on him was left, steady and comforting.

Jeno cleared his throat, pulling at the hem of his shirt as if to get some fresh air underneath his collar. "Y-you want some water?"

Only now Renjun realized how dry his throat had gotten.

"Yes, please," he answered thankfully and Jeno nodded, walking over to his small kitchen and getting two cups of water ready for them.

Both their faces still red they sipped on their water in silence, a few minutes passing in which they tried to get their breathing under control.

 

A bit coyly Renjun glanced at Jeno, who had red blotches all over his face. "So, erm, is everything alright with your mother?" Renjun asked, hoping to defy the sudden awkwardness.

"Oh, yeah. She checked up on the injured guard member and then stepped by shortly," Jeno explained, putting his cup down.

"Are they worried? Your parents?" Renjun wanted to know.

A deep frown formed on Jeno’s forehead. "I mean, how couldn't they be? But they also don't want to cause panic in the pack," Jeno replied honestly, ever so entrusting about these things with Renjun. "Hence why they told everybody to stay calm and act normal."

Renjun made a soft noise of understanding. He could only imagine what it would be like to be in charge in such troubling times. "Donghyuck said they’re putting together a special guard force," Renjun mentioned and Jeno nodded.

"Yeah, they want to secure our borders more tightly. And the one's from the Lunaris pack. It might be two against one, but our grounds are so wide that we are not able to protect every spot," Jeno confirmed, before sighing deeply. "I wanted to join as well, but my mother said they needed me in the pack to watch over the people, calm them down if needed."

"Mhh," Renjun hummed, secretly glad that Jeno decided to stay with the pack in the end where he would be considered relatively safe. At least Renjun liked knowing that Jeno was close.

"Well, we're graduating soon anyways," Jeno said, walking over to where the flower crown had dropped to the floor and picking it up.

At the word ‘graduating’ Renjun’s head snapped around. There was just so much…uncertainty. "What's going to happen after graduation?" Renjun asked cautiously, not really sure if he wanted to hear the answer. "I mean, are you like...taking over for your father?"

"Oh no, not yet," Jeno chuckled softly, brushing over the flowers gently. "But I'm gonna be entrusted with a lot more chief duties. I think I'm going to take over the guard."

Not really knowing much about royal matters, Renjun could only stay quiet. He hoped there was also a place for him in Jeno’s future, but he was too afraid to ask.

"I can...I mean, you can only become chief after you're mated and wedded. That's the tradition," Jeno mumbled, fingers playing with the fastened twigs.

"Oh," Renjun said, turning his head away. "I guess that makes sense."

There was a big, unanswered question hanging in the air as they fell silent again. They were both so close to the issue that was screaming at them to be talked about, but neither of them dared to. 

Renjun knew he should've asked about it. Or at least he should've prompted Jeno to ask him. But none of them opened their mouths, both somehow too cowardly, too fearful of what the other might answer.

Just like that a certain uncertainty entered their minds, resting so eerily in their stomachs that ignoring it for now seemed like the best solution. 

 

 

Donghyuck was clenching the flower crown in his hands. After Renjun had announced that he was going over to Jeno's right away he had been contemplating what to do.

Instinctually his feet had carried him to Mark's hut. The place had never felt as scary.

Before he could change his mind Donghyuck knocked, but nobody answered. When he put his ear against the door to listen if anyone was inside, he was met with dead silence. Was this a sign? Should he not have come?

"Mark's not here," someone politely let him know and Donghyuck spun around on his heels in panic, almost throwing the flower crown away.

Johnny was smirking at him.

Feeling the heat rise up his cheeks Donghyuck started stuttering. "I'm not...I wasn't here for Mark," he told Johnny dumbly, as if there was any other reason for why he could be in front of the alpha's hut.

"He's in the forge," Johnny told him with a knowing look, eyes shortly dropping to the flower crown in his hands and Donghyuck was about to hide it behind his back - when he stopped himself.

Who was he even trying to fool?

Confidently he held his head high. "Thank you," he smiled at Johnny, who nodded at him with a playful wink.

 

With hurried steps Donghyuck rushed past the alpha, making his way to the forge. He hadn't been there often, only occasionally with his dad when he had been younger. His father excelled in forging, specializing in cutlery and jewelry. (Donghyuck always boasted that they had the nicest cups at their home.)

The door of the forge was wide open when Donghyuck approached the hut. He could hear the clear clinks of metal brushing against each other. It was a satisfying sound to him, so reminiscent of his childhood.

 

Mark was hovering over the huge grindstone, face concentrated as he held an old sword against the rough surface, small sparks flying through the air from the heat of the grind.

For a second Donghyuck just stood next to the door, watching Mark in silent fascination. There was a small pearl of sweat running down Mark's forehead as he used all his strength to sharpen his sword. Donghyuck felt his palms get sweaty. Mark looked incredibly attractive.

Not paying much attention to his surroundings Donghyuck accidentally pushed over a small bronze bowl that had been standing at the entrance, forcefully ripping Mark out of his focused state.

His head snapped up in slight surprise, which transformed into fond happiness when he noticed Donghyuck stand in the doorway. "Hyuck! What are you doing here?" He beamed at him, casually rubbing the sweat out of his face with his sleeves. 

Donghyuck swallowed, throat suddenly very dry.

The flower crown hidden behind his back started to feel very heavy all of a sudden. 

Without a second thought he threw it behind a nearby stone, out of Mark's sight. "Nothing, really. What are you doing?" Donghyuck asked him in return, walking into the forge.

"Oh, just getting my sword ready before the guard training starts next week," Mark replied, holding up his sword, which edges looked dangerously sharp by now.

"That's probably a good idea," Donghyuck commented, thinking back to his own training sword that was more than overdue for some sharpening.

As if he had been following his thoughts, Mark’s face lightened up. "I could do yours as well," he offered generously.

"Didn't you tell me you sucked at building classes?" Donghyuck mocked him, but there was no real bite behind his words.

Mark pouted, insulted. "I didn't totally suck! I'm fairly decent at this! Really, you can trust me, I won't ruin your sword, I'm good at this," the alpha began defending his skills and Donghyuck giggled softly.

"You don't have to keep doing that," he told him, making Mark frown in confusion. "Trying to show off. Or prove yourself," Donghyuck explained further, watching with amusement how the tip of Mark's ears turned pink.

It was kind of endearing that Mark cared so much about wanting him to see that he was capable. Especially because there was no longer a need for that.

"I've known you since we were kids," Donghyuck added. "I know you are very much a mess."

"Hey, that was-"

"Also, I'm already impressed," Donghyuck leaned over to Mark's ears, whispering seductively against his skin.

All of Mark's outrage was gone, but his ears were an even deeper shade of red. "Oh. Erm. Good."

Donghyuck couldn’t believe how Mark was capable of being so attractive while being so adorable at the same time. "I'm gonna go get my sword, okay?" He said with a soft smile, and Mark nodded dumbfounded.

 

When he left the forge his eyes fell on the bright yellow flower arrangement that was still messily hidden behind a pot. Had this been a stupid idea? Should he just throw that away and come up with something better?

It was not that Donghyuck didn't like the flower crown. He thought that in the end it had turned out fairly decent. But would decent be enough for Mark?

It was also not that he was afraid Mark wouldn't be happy about the courting gift. He was pretty much sure that Mark would be happy over a dead rat. But he really didn't want Mark to be happy over a dead rat. He wanted Mark to like the courting gift.

Although he had teased him about it in the beginning, all of Mark's courting gifts had been nothing short of beautiful. Hell, how could you even match someone who had gifted you not one, but two stags!

The trip to his parent’s hut and back suddenly appeared much shorter to him. Way too soon for his liking he was back at the forge, his sword swinging back and forth as his hands got sweaty.

Overcome with tension Donghyuck walked straight past the hidden flower crown again.

 

He put on a confident facade as he handed his sword to Mark, who had been patiently waiting for his return, ears now back to a normal shade. "There you go," 

Mark lifted the sword carefully, running his fingers over the dull edges. "Well, this doesn't look so bad in the first place," Mark commented after his swift inspection. "It's very light."

"It's a lot smaller than yours," Donghyuck shrugged as Mark got to work, starting to quickly spin the grinding stone and then holding his sword against it.

Up close the sound was higher and shriller than Donghyuck remembered it and a shiver ran down his spine as the sparks hit his skin.

"Step back, please," Mark told him worriedly and the omega quickly complied, shuffling over to the wall.

Like this he could watch the muscles in Mark's back tense up under his strength, straining his shirt a little around his shoulders.

Sweat was forming on Mark's nape, slowly dripping down his spine and Donghyuck felt weirdly allured to trace it with his fingers.

He restrained himself, biting down on his lips and repressing any thoughts of touching Mark as he silently watched him work on his sword.

After a few minutes Mark stopped the grinding and held up the sword. "That should be it."

It had regained some of its shine - the edges now cutting through the air as if splitting it in half.

"Thanks," Donghyuck said as Mark handed it back to him. To test it he swung it around a few times, listening to the soft swishing sounds that echoed through the room. Somehow this made him feel powerful already.

"Looks great," Mark complimented him and Donghyuck smiled.

Playfully he pointed the weapon in Mark’s direction. "Can't wait to spar with you," he teased him, making Mark chuckle fondly.

He made a few more purposeless clumsy movements, his lack of proper training evident, when the sword suddenly glided out of his hands. With a pained hiss he dropped it to the floor, the rough metal handle leaving a burning abrasion in his palm.

Mark was by his side in not even two seconds. "Are you alright?" He asked with deep concern.

"Yeah, just the stupid handle. It's hard to hold onto," Donghyuck explained quickly, attempting to pick up his sword from the ground, but Mark held him gently by his wrist.

Expression back to complete concentration Mark turned his hands around, inspecting his palms with sharp eyes. A single red stripe adorned Donghyuck's skin where he had been holding the sword and Mark gently graced the sore spot.

"Does it hurt?" He asked softly.

"No, it's really fine," Donghyuck answered honestly - the pain had subsided almost immediately. "It looks worse than it is."

Mark sighed, tracing the stripe up to his wrist, where the golden bracelet he had given Donghyuck was tightly clasped.

Their eyes met when Mark touched it, and when Donghyuck looked up, Mark’s eyes held the familiar sparkle, obviously happy that Donghyuck was wearing the courting gift.

Thoughts abruptly snapping back to his own courting gift still hidden right in front of the forge, Donghyuck tore his gaze away, staring at his hands instead.

Not noticing his sudden flash of thoughts Mark let go of his hands. "I can wrap some leather around your handle," he suggested, picking up Donghyuck's sword.

Still fighting with himself on the inside, Donghyuck watched as Mark got out a few strings of leather from one of the cupboards and began tying it around the handle.

Why was he so afraid of this? He knew Mark liked him. He knew the flower crown was pretty. And Donghyuck was everything but a coward!

"Mark," he said with a loud and clear voice, making the alpha look up at him. "I want to give you something."

No backing out now, he had said it. Mark was staring at him with expectant eyes, waiting for him to continue speaking.

Donghyuck opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to find the right words. "Close your eyes," Donghyuck instructed him and even though Mark seemed slightly puzzled he followed his orders, shutting his eyes obediently.

On his tiptoes Donghyuck sneaked out of the hut, quickly picking up the flower crown. A few of the blossoms were creased from being thrown to the ground in his panic, but Donghyuck quickly plucked everything back in place.

It was truly a beautiful gift.

With shy steps he approached Mark, who still had his eyes closed, trusting him completely. His face was calm, although his hair was still sticking to his forehead from his earlier sweating.

Once again Donghyuck was hit in the face with Mark's sheer attractiveness.

Before he could help himself he pressed a chaste kiss against Mark's lips, prompting the alpha to open his eyes in light surprise as Donghyuck pulled away.

Then his lips formed a smug grin. "You can give me more of these anytime you want," he said cockily and Donghyuck snorted, for a moment forgetting his nerves.

"That's not what I wanted to give you," he retorted and Mark made a confused noise.

"Not?" He asked and Donghyuck shyly ducked his head.

With a beating hard he pulled out the flower crown. Mark's eyes widened as he took it.

"It's my first courting gift. For you," Donghyuck mumbled, although he had probably not needed to explain it. The fond excitement in Mark's eyes, his sparkle lighting up like it only did for him, showing that Mark had understood immediately.

With a huge smile, none of his cockiness left, only happiness in that smile, Mark put the flower crown on his head.

At first Donghyuck had thought a flower crown would look ridiculous on an alpha like Mark. But weirdly it didn't.

"You look very pretty," Donghyuck voiced his thoughts and the impossible thing happened and Mark's smile got even happier, his sparkle even brighter.

"Thanks," the alpha replied genuinely. "I really like it. It's perfect."

"Well, I did my best. I suck at crafting," Donghyuck enclosed and Mark laughed, pulling him into a warm hug.

"You are amazing," Mark muttered into his hair and Donghyuck felt a hot blush crept on his cheeks with all the affection he was suddenly receiving.

"I try," he replied, letting his head rest against Mark's chest.

"Hyuck," Mark hummed, tenderly grazing Donghyuck’s chin.

Donghyuck raised his head. "You only call me that when you're being soft," he mentioned. "You used to call me Hyuck all the time when we were kids."

Mark laughed. "I only call you Hyuck when I know you won't have my head for it," he explained and Donghyuck fondly rolled his eyes.

"I like it," the omega admitted in a spur of honesty. "It feels familiar. Safe."

"You feel safe with me?" Mark asked and Donghyuck noticed how Mark’s heartbeat sped up.

 The look in Mark's eyes seemed as if this was a matter of utter importance.

Carefully he placed his hand above Mark's beating heart, as if to caress it in comfort. "I do," Donghyuck confirmed.

"Can I kiss you?" Mark asked bluntly, as if that was the only thing, he could think of to showcase what he was feeling. If Donghyuck hadn't been so desperate for Mark, he might've laughed at the eagerness in his voice.

But Donghyuck felt the same way. "You can," he allowed the alpha, clutching the hand that was resting on Mark's chest into his shirt when the alpha leaned in, closing the small distance between them.

 

It felt like an eternity had passed since they had done this. Honestly, Donghyuck wasn't sure how he had survived this long without Mark's kisses.

The alpha seemed to have similar thoughts, pushing closer and closer to Donghyuck as if he was his life line in the vast ocean, not even separating to catch his breath as he brushed their lips together in what could only be described as complete longing.

Fingers trembling from nothing but excitement Donghyuck let his hands wander to Mark's shoulders, down his firm biceps, back to his chest. Every touch of Mark's skin underneath him was electrifying in a way that would always keep him coming back for more.

"Hyuck," Mark breathed out and the omega shivered at the way his name sounded so precious coming from Mark.

Submissively he bared his neck, and Mark's pupils blew wide in arousal at the gesture of complete trust. A shy hand traced Donghyuck's jaw, before making its way down to his throat. He stopped at his scent glands, rubbing over them teasingly and causing Donghyuck's scent to spread across the hut.

"Fuck, I love watermelons," Mark said in a hoarse voice, clearly affected by his own doings and diving into Donghyuck's scent and skin, pressing clumsy open-mouthed kisses to his neck and leaving his own cinnamon scent behind on the omega.

Donghyuck let out a pleased whine when he noticed Mark scenting him, clawing his fingers into his shirt even tighter just to hold onto something, grounding his body to Mark’s as his soul wanted to leave him behind.

Yearningly he pushed his hands into Mark's hair, tilting his head away from his neck so he could connect their lips again.

Mark was kissing him more fiercely, smelling his own scent on the omega having activated some of his more primal instincts, instincts that wanted to claim and hold and never let go.

With great assertiveness he backed Donghyuck against the working table, heaving him up on the worktop and spreading his legs apart so he could press their bodies together.

"Mark," Donghyuck gasped in surprise as the alpha clutched his hands to his thighs. He threw his head back in pleasure, gripping Mark's hair again.

The older grinned satisfied against his skin as he kissed his way down Donghyuck's throat, sucking softly at the most sensitive areas.

Biting down on his lips to suppress some of his noises Donghyuck clutched his hands back into Mark's shirt. Swiftly he backed up on the huge table, pulling Mark with him, who climbed on top of him as he laid down flat on his back.

His chest was rising and falling rapidly as the alpha hovered over him, promising the security and safeness that his omega longed for.

Mark's lips were plush and red from where he had bitten them and he wanted nothing more than to feel them back on his own.

One step ahead of him Mark was already surging in, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth, teasingly alternating between biting and licking as he drove Donghyuck to the edge of insanity.

Suddenly he felt a cold hand slip underneath his shirt and his breath hitched as he felt Mark's fingers spread over his small waist, holding him protectively as he melted their lips together with great passion.

Wanting to change positions and return all the pleasure Mark was giving him, Donghyuck put his hands on Mark's chest, pushing him with wild desire so he would turn around.

Forgetting that they had been laying on a table he swung them around, rolling Mark over the edge of the worktop and sending him flying to the ground with a surprised yelp.

 

Shocked Donghyuck sat up - back to bitter reality in the way that cold water hit you in the face.

He panicked, sliding down the table to where Mark was frazzled on the ground. "Fuck, I'm sorry, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," Mark answered, picking himself up from the floor. "Wow."

"I'm sorry, I forgot we were on a table," Donghyuck muttered apologetically, but Mark was already back to grinning.

"No, no, it's fine," he assured him, running a sheepish hand through his hair, getting stuck in the flower crown that had miraculously stay on his head all this time. "Maybe next time we should not do this on a table though."

They looked at each other for a long second, both still out of breath and the arousal in their scent evident in the air.

A short chortle left Donghyuck's mouth. He had just thrown Mark off a table.

Mark glanced at him, before also starting to chuckle.

Before they knew it they were laughing freely.

Yeah, next time they won't do this on a table. Or maybe not a narrow one, at least.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!

For everyone who doesn't follow me on Twitter (which you don't have to, I'm pretty lame on there) or simply hasn't seen it yet - this story is from now on going to be updated every Friday!

I'm really sorry I can't update as fast as I used to, but my workload always increases a bit at the end of the semester and my exams are coming up soon - hope you understand :)

Anyways, hope you stay safe and healthy <3

Chapter 20: Pure Silver

Notes:

Welcome back!! 20 chapters already!! Well, hope you enjoy :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

His heart was beating wildly against his chest, his pants so loud they rang in his ears as he clutched onto the handle of his sword with the last ounce of strength he had.

The sound of metal clanking resonated through the forest as he raised his sword, blocking two more hits of the head guard before his muscles gave up. Easily the instructor disarmed him, his sword slipping from his grip and falling the to the ground near his feet.

Donghyuck was more than glad that Mark had wrapped it in leather - that would've burned if not for the soft fabric softening the slide.

Only a second later he had the sword of the instructor against his neck, officially ending their fight as he reluctantly bared his neck.

"That was even worse than last time," the alpha told him as he put his own sword away. "Your endurance is what saves you for now. But your strength is still completely lacking."

Donghyuck gritted his teeth as he went to pick up his own sword. The head guard, who had become the instructor for the special force, had been going extra hard on him ever since they had started training. For some reason Donghyuck had expected that - he was used to working more than every other alpha. Up until now he had also somehow always made it work.

"That's it for today!" The guard yelled, ending everybody else's fights around them.

The clashing sounds of swords meeting died down, replaced with soft chatter as the special force in training dispersed, heading back to the village

 

Leaning against a tree, Donghyuck eyed Johnny ruffle through Mark's hair, the two brothers having paired up for practice. Sparing with Mark was actually something Donghyuck had been looking forward to, but he had always been pulled away by the instructor, forced to train and run drills exclusively with him.

"How did it go?" Mark asked him when they reached him, smoothly slipping his hand in his, intertwining their fingers.

Softly squeezing Mark's hand in return, Donghyuck let out a long sigh. "He said I was getting worse," he replied honestly.

Mark frowned in confusion. "From what I saw you were already doing better than some of the others," he tried to cheer him up.

"And he was looking your way for almost half of our fight," Johnny commented cheekily and Mark's ears turned a bright pink.

He punched Johnny in his shoulder who didn’t even seem to feel the impact. "I still beat you," he fought back and Johnny chuckled at his little brother.

"I was just letting you show off in front of Hyuck," the older said, winking at the omega, whose face in turn heated up as well.

"I...err...I need to get back. Uhm, I still have cooking classes," Donghyuck mumbled embarrassed, trying to slither his way out of Mark's hands to flee from Johnny's teasing, but Mark quickly tightened his grip.

Holding him back with hopeful eyes, Mark ignored Johnny’s snickering. "Will I see you later?"

Donghyuck's heart did an involuntary jump. "Sure," Donghyuck gave him a small smile, and only now did Mark soften his grasp, letting go of him so he could hurry back to the village.

"Naw, you guys are so cute together," Johnny cooed at them.

Not waiting a second longer Donghyuck bolted away through the trees and out of Johnny's range.

Watching the omega retreat Mark boxed his brother in his side once more.

"What?" Johnny laughed as Mark could only glare at him.

 

When Donghyuck arrived at cooking classes he was still panting. He was also very much late, but as one of Taeil's favorite students, he easily got away with a bit of tardiness.

Once again the contrast between him and all the other neatly put together omegas couldn't be more obvious. Cooking class was, with only a few exceptions, an all-omega event.

"You look...ready for a good night of sleep," Yangyang commented when he got to his place next to him.

Donghyuck snorted at the comment, getting his knives and plates ready for the meal they would be cooking today. "Thanks, my mom keeps telling me the same thing." 

Deep down he knew Yangyang and his mother were right. Training was hard on him and staying behind after classes were over to train some more on his own, was starting to take a toll on him. Whenever he looked in the mirror the bags underneath his eyes got darker. Adding to that, the sleep he was getting was not really refreshing. Mostly, he slipped in and out of consciousness only to realize that the sun was already rising again.

"Maybe you need some new furs," Yangyang suggested warmly, genuinely concerned with his friend’s well-being. "Sleeping with Hendery's furs always helps me calm down."

Donghyuck threw him a glare, biting down on the inside of his left cheek and then avoiding eye contact. "I already have furs from Mark. Remember the stags?" He muttered coyly. 

However, Yangyang was, again, right. Usually huddling himself up in Mark's scent had soothed him into a state of utter comfort. Nowadays it just wasn’t doing the trick anymore like it used to.

Yangyang pouted. "Well, if that's the case, maybe you should try the next step," the younger said and Donghyuck cocked his eyebrow in anticipation. "Sleeping with Mark."

There was a loud noise tearing through the light chatter of cooking class as Donghyuck dropped his knives to the floor. Taeil threw him a concerned look and Donghyuck put on his sweetest smile to keep him from scolding him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Donghyuck hissed, face flaming hot as he bent down to pick up the fallen knives.

Yangyang crouched down next to him, helping him gather his cooking utensils. "I don't mean sleeping in that way. I mean, you can do that, no judgment, but I meant sleeping side by side," Yangyang explained to him before lowering his voice. "I sneak out all the time. That's the best thing about having an older alpha court you - they have their own hut."

"You sneak out all the time to sleep in Hendery's hut?" Donghyuck questioned quietly.

"Duh?" Yangyang said, he glanced over his back, but the attention Donghyuck’s clumsiness had gotten them had faded back into the usual chitchat. "I even had to shut down some rumors about Renjun doing the same."

"Renjun slept in Jeno's hut?"

Yangyang quickly shushed him and Donghyuck slapped a hand over his mouth, realizing that due to his surprise the volume of his voice had risen involuntarily.

 "Yes, but if anybody else brings that up, tell him they're delusional. Usually works," Yangyang told him mutedly. Donghyuck probably shouldn't be so shocked that Yangyang had acquired all that information somehow.

"Just how much do you actually know?" He asked astounded, if not even a bit creeped out. 

Yangyang only smiled secretively. "I have my sources. And they say that you have never slept over at Mark's. So it's about time," the younger one nudged him and Donghyuck turned his head away feeling flustered.

Maybe there was a point. If even Renjun had snug out at night despite the consequences of being caught with the prince himself at night - there had to be something worth it about sleeping next to an alpha.

Perhaps he should give it a try.

 

 

Arms fully loaded with laundry Renjun blew a loose strand of hair out of his eyes. It was his turn to deal with the laundry at the orphanage and it seemed like everybody had gotten extra dirty this time, the mountain of clothes needing to be washed seemingly endless.

As he stepped outside the whispers immediately rose around him.

"He shouldn't have courted him back."

"What does he even have to offer?"

"I'm so jealous!"

"I think Prince Jeno could've done better."

Ever since the Spring Dance the whispers following him had shifted a bit in their tone. While most of them were purely curious, or sometimes envious, it wasn't even rare nowadays that a total stranger would throw him a friendly smile - the negative one's stuck out much more to him. It was not that he wasn't used to hearing these things - by now he had heard so many insults behind his back that he could write a whole book filled with them. Still, it wasn't exactly something that made him happy.

His muscles were straining underneath the weight of the basket and he exhaled relieved when he finally reached the river, dropping the basket to the ground with no hesitation.

As he got out the first piece of dirty clothes to wash in the clear river - a bright red shirt - he was reminded of that one fateful day. A towel just as red had made its way down the stream.

A small smile sneaked on his lips as he remembered the frazzled alpha chasing after it. But the smile was soon replaced with wonder.

If it hadn't been for that towel, that special day - would Jeno have even talked to him? Would he have even noticed him? Would Renjun even let Jeno have talked to him? Or would he just have made fun of all the omegas for swooning over the prince? If he wouldn't have learned about Jeno beforehand, if he wouldn't have talked to him unaware of his true identity - would anything of this even have happened?

The ruby pendant he was wearing was dangling from his throat as he leaned forward to fill the basket with water and soap.

Were they really meant to be?

Renjun tried as hard as he could to imagine a parallel universe in which he had never gotten to know Jeno as Jaemin. There would've been no reason for Jeno to seek him out afterwards. And Renjun would've probably just agreed to get to know any of the other alphas courting him - Bao perhaps.

As he tried to picture him with the alpha an uncomfortable tingle spread all over his skin - like his body was physically revolting that thought.

Even worse, the thought of Jeno with another omega was making him feel sick to his stomach.

 

Shaking his head in dismissal he began drenching the clothes in the soap water.

He let out a long sigh - there was still a huge pile to go though. It would take him a while.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead he took a short break, relishing in the shy spring sun that was slowly starting to set after a long day or work.

As he lazily let his eyes drift over the wildflowers on the other side of the river he noticed something strange. There was something moving behind some of the branches.

He squinted his eyes, trying to make out what it was - perhaps a wandering animal - and he once again cursed himself for not having paid more attention back when they had learned how to track and distinguish different scents. Donghyuck had truly been onto something when he had joined hunting training.

However, it was not the scent that threw him off - but instead the small spot of black fur that he discovered, almost perfectly disguised between the bushes and the dark forest.

All of a sudden his heart was pounding, mind spiraling back to one of his conversations with Jeno.

It was fur, fur as black as the night - nobody of their pack had a fur shade that dark. It was a signature feature of the Noctis pack.

He swallowed, throat as dry as the desert, trying desperately to stay calm. Assessing his surroundings Renjun hoped to find anyone else beside him at the river. But of course the area was vast - he was the only one out here.

It was at least a five minute walk back to the pack where he could ask for help. Maybe three if he shifted and made a run for it.

His eyes flickered back to the black spot that was unmoving behind a big bush. The wolf must not be aware that Renjun had noticed him. Why wasn't he attacking Renjun? Weren't they after omegas? Wasn't Renjun the perfect target right now?

A dawning realization dropped on Renjun - the wolf couldn't smell him. The river was between them, clearing the air, plus the enormous pile of smelly laundry next to him was not making it easier to pick up a single scent. The wolf wasn't sure yet if Renjun was an omega. Hence why he was waiting and not attacking.

With trembling fingers Renjun tried to stand up straight and rise to his full height, attempting to broaden his slim frame to appear bigger and more intimidating.

He had always been happy with his body, but right now he cursed his genes for making his shoulders so narrow. His body and scent were the only things that could possibly give him away in a situation like this. If he'd shift it was over - his wolf form was even smaller and so unmistakably omega that the wolf would notice within seconds.

Without thinking about it too much Renjun started digging through the dirty laundry, grabbing after an especially smelly shirt. It belonged to one of the younger alphas of the orphanage, hardly a year presented and thus still very unable to contain their pheromones.

It stunk so extremely of alpha that Renjun wouldn't have touched it under any circumstances. However now, with one more unsure glance to the other side of the river, he quickly slipped it on, drowning in the fabric that was way too big on him.

He closed his eyes and counted to ten, focusing on containing his own scent. Then he took a deep breath and began taking huge steps, hoping it would make him appear big and powerful. Leaving the laundry behind he stomped his way in the direction of the village. With a beating heart he listened closely if there were any steps following him.

Luckily everything remained eerily quiet.

After he was sure you could no longer see him from the river he began running as fast as he could, the huge shirt fluttering around him as he picked up speed.

 

Soon he reached the first huts and like it was their second nature Renjun's feet carried him towards Jeno's home.

Without even bothering to knock he busted in through the door, catching both Jeno and Jaemin by surprise, who were sitting around the table in shock.

Jeno startled up from his chair, his whole being immediately attuned to Renjun. "Renjun? Are you okay?"

Relief washed over Renjun and mindlessly he threw himself into Jeno's arms. Breathing too heavily to form any words he pressed his face against his chest, the familiar scent immediately having a calming effect on him.

After a few seconds of being held by Jeno so securely he was finally able to talk. "T-there was someone at the river."

"Who?" Jeno asked, slowly pulling away from Renjun to look at him properly.

"I think... I only saw black fur," Renjun explained and Jeno's expression tensed up.

"Shit. Black fur?" Jeno asked urgently. You could see his mind rushing behind his eyes.

Renjun nodded in confirmation. "I think they were trying to figure out if I was an omega. I... I just ran when I noticed." 

Jeno's hold around him tightened protectively. "Where did you see them?" The alpha questioned him with an intense gaze.

"At the river. I was...I was doing laundry," Renjun answered, trying to not let Jeno’s sudden flare up of pheromones affect him too much.

Luckily Jeno tore his heavy gaze from him to look at Jaemin. "We have to find out if they are still there," Jeno told him and Jaemin nodded, already up on his feet.

"I'll get your guards," Jaemin said, already out the door where some of Jeno's personal guards were stationed.

Jeno turned his head back to the omega in his arms. "Listen, Renjun, I need you to tell me where exactly you saw them." 

"I can show you. I left my laundry basket there," Renjun said - if the black wolf was still there their whole pack was in danger. They needed to find them and make sure they would not attempt anything.

Jeno's forehead furrowed with concern. "Wouldn't...wouldn't it be better if you'd stay here? Just to be safe?" 

"No, I know exactly where they were hiding," Renjun argued, even though the thought of returning was scary.

Jeno bit down on his lip in contemplation. "Okay," he finally agreed. "But you will stay close to me."

Renjun wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

 

With strong strides Jeno walked out of his hut, smoothly pulling his sword out from where it had been hidden away behind the door. Renjun watched in awe as the blade glistered in shimmering silver, before quickly following Jeno outside.

Jaemin and three extra guards were waiting in front of the door.

"Follow me. There might've been a wolf of the Noctis pack at the river. We need to check," Jeno instructed them with authority.

Nobody even questioned his command, everybody falling in step behind him.

"Renjun," Jeno called out, pulling the omega to his side and slinging a strong arm around his waist. "Lead the way."

It was still weird to him, seeing Jeno this serious, this powerful and in charge. He supposed it was a side of Jeno he'd get to see more often in the future.

Trying to match Jeno's confidence he began to take certain steps back to where he had come from.

Jeno's eyes were constantly checking on him, as if waiting to pick up any sort of discomfort. So Renjun put on a tough front. He could do this.

"What are you wearing?" Jeno suddenly asked, picking at the huge shirt draped around his shoulders. Right, Renjun had almost forgotten about that.

"Just some alpha's dirty laundry. Thought it'd be safer if I didn't smell like an omega," Renjun explained the attire and Jeno growled quietly.

Letting go of Renjun momentarily he shrugged off his jacket, securely putting it on Renjun before he slung his arm possessively around his waist.

Renjun would've commented on that, maybe even blushed - but they had reached the river by now.

 

It didn't take him long to find where he had dropped the laundry basket. Steps becoming less certain and more tentative as they got closer Renjun fixated his gaze on the bushes on the other riverside.

The blackness was gone.

"It was right there," he said slowly, pointing to where he had spotted the dark piece of fur. "They were hiding between the bushes."

Everybody around him followed his hand, sharpening their gazes to possibly make out a stranger in disguise.

But there was not a sound, only the smooth river gliding over stones, splashing freshly.

"Let's take a closer look," Jeno ordered, stepping ahead and into the river where it was shallow, only reaching up to his calves. He held out a helping hand for Renjun, who carefully followed him into the water.

Jaemin and the guards were right behind them, crossing the river towards the previous hiding spot.

Jeno sniffed the air, scrunching his nose. "Well, you can definitely smell them," he pointed out. There was a smoky scent of burnt coal hovering around them, threatening and dangerous.

Renjun surged forward, pushing a few of the branches aside and revealing a trampled spot, where you could clearly make out paws in the mud.

"They were right here," he mumbled, a shiver running down his back as he once again realized how close they had been.

Jaemin took a step closer, inspecting the tracks. "They must've fled after you left," he guessed, tracing to where the steps disappeared into the forest. "They probably knew you were getting help."

"Yes," Renjun agreed, but suddenly his bones felt weak and his legs were shaking, close to giving up underneath him. That could've been his end.

Jeno seemed to notice his inner commotion, wrapping a steadying arm around him.

"Can you make sure nobody is here? Track him back to the border if necessary. Howl if you need help," Jeno asked the guards and Jaemin.

Jaemin clenched his jaw and cracked his knuckles. "I'll chase that bastard back to the end of the world if I have to," he said determinedly and Jeno gave him a grateful look.

No more instructions needed the alphas shifted and sprinted past the bushes, following a trace that Renjun had trouble even telling apart.

 

Carefully Jeno nudged him in his side, softly pulling him back towards the river. "Come on. I'll walk you back.”.

"You're not going with them?" Renjun asked, puzzled.

"You think I'm leaving you alone right now?" Jeno replied seriously, carefully guiding Renjun back through the river.

Renjun shrugged, although he felt flattered by all of Jeno’s worrying. "I don't know, isn't it your job to ensure the safety of this pack?" Renjun pointed out. "I don't want to hold you back."

"Well, luckily, you are also part of this pack," Jeno retorted. "So now I'm keeping you safe."

Renjun's heart skipped a beat as he bashfully turned his head away, cheeks flaming up. Gratefully Jeno didn't comment on his sudden coyness and instead just walked him back to the village like promised.

A bit surprised Renjun noticed how they weren't heading for the orphanage, but for Jeno's hut instead. Not protesting Jeno's firm lead he let the alpha pull him forward.

Maybe the idea of some privacy wasn't so bad.

Carefully, as if Renjun was made out of glass, Jeno guided him inside, patting down on his furs and making him sit down.

With his recently acquired knowledge Jeno walked back into the kitchen, brewing herbal tea for them. A soft smile spread on Renjun's lips as he remembered how Jeno had been unable to do that just a few weeks ago.

Carrying two hot cups in his hands the alpha joined him in his furs, handing him the boiling hot beverage.

"Thanks," Renjun mumbled as he gently blew against the liquid to cool it down before taking a sip.

As soon as Jeno sat down all of his confidence vanished, revealing his true self hidden behind the strong leader he needed to become. 

Awkwardly he glanced at Renjun before clearing his throat. "Uhm, I'm usually not like this, but...er...could you please take off that shirt?" Jeno requested reluctantly. "It's just...really smelly."

Renjun’s eyes widened. "Oh, yeah sure," he quickly agreed, putting his tea aside. There was no use in wearing that shirt any longer anyways.

First he slowly peeled off Jeno's coat, before shrugging off the huge shirt that fell off without any problem, gliding to the ground smoothly. Seeing it lay there reminded him-

"I still have to do laundry," he remembered at the sight of the stains on the fabric. People at the orphanage would at least like to have their unwashed clothes back, he supposed. He couldn't just leave them out at the river.

"What? No," Jeno denied immediately, pulling Renjun taut beside him and throwing his coat back around his shoulders.

Renjun almost laughed at the sudden protest. "No, really, I have to get the clothes back. Otherwise the whole orphanage won't have anything to wear tomorrow," Renjun argued rationally, giving Jeno a reassuring smile as he leaned into his embrace.

Jeno hummed in dissatisfaction, but ultimately couldn’t resist Renjun. "Fine, but I'll go with you," Jeno gave in, pressing a soft kiss to Renjun's hair.

A pleased sigh left Renjun as he felt utterly comfortable in this position, all of the previous agitation slowly subsiding.

"It was scary," he whispered lowly. "For a second I thought they might...but luckily they couldn't smell me."

"You amaze me," Jeno said in disbelief. "You are so brave. And so smart. You reacted perfectly in that situation."

Renjun shook his head, not feeling like he deserved that kind of praise. "It was just dumb luck," he insisted - he didn't want to imagine a scenario where he wouldn't have thought as quickly, where the odds hadn't been on his side.

For a second Jeno looked like he wanted to argue - but then he let it slide. "I need to give you something," the alpha said, moving away from him and Renjun almost whined at the loss of his warmth.

In confusion he watched Jeno rummage through a drawer, before pulling out a small, shimmering object.

"I know you do things differently in the castle. But it's still my turn to court you," Renjun commented when Jeno revealed a dagger to him, a vibrant red ruby inserted in the handle.

Jeno chuckled before his expression turned serious again. "I know," he told the omega, biting down on his lip. "This is also more of a gift to me anyways. For the peace of my mind."

Cautiously Renjun accepted the dagger. It laid light and smooth in his hand, just the right size for him.

"I usually keep it beside my bed. But now I want you to carry it with you. At all times," Jeno explained to him. "It's made from real, pure silver. So, you know, it will cut effortlessly through anything. And it burns a wolf’s skin."

Renjun hissed - having just made that experience himself as he had let his index finger trace the sharp blade. His finger was pulsing red, but luckily Jeno had reacted quickly enough and pulled his hand away from the dangerous weapon so it wouldn’t cause a serious injury.

As the pain slowly subsided Renjun raised his head. "Isn't this far too valuable for me to carry around?" He questioned, thumb gliding over the ruby. 

Pure silver was rare. He had never even seen it before, it was not used in building classes and only the most influential families of their pack possessed it.

"Nothing is more valuable than your life, Renjun," Jeno replied in pure seriousness, trying to catch Renjun's eyes that were suddenly glued to the ground.

The rhythm of his beating heart would soon become a problem if Jeno continued to just say things like this.

Flustered Renjun wrapped the blade into a piece of fabric so it wouldn’t accidentally burn him again before he slipped the small weapon into his pocket. "I'll take good care of it. I promise," he mumbled with all the sincerity he had.

A soft hand cradled his face, pulling his chin up and making their gazes meet.

"Please, never get yourself into dangerous situations again," Jeno whispered - and Renjun had hardly heard him sound this desperate before.

A deep fondness spread in his chest. It was almost hurting him, stinging like touching the blade had made him feel - so strong was his yearning for Jeno. Not being able to voice out this emotion, Renjun leaned forward, pressing an impossibly soft kiss to Jeno's chapped lips.

With a bashful smile he pulled away, eyes shifted to Jeno's hand between them. Gently he traced over his strong fingers, over his visible veins and bony knuckles. This was the hand he never wanted to let go again. The hand he wanted to hold, wanted to hold him.

The longing for Jeno was almost unbearable inside of him.

Gulping down the last of his tea and pulling Jeno up with him, he snapped out of his thoughts, not knowing how to deal with all of them just yet. "Come on, we still have some laundry to do."

 

 

Donghyuck looked down at the two bowls in his hands. A frown sneaked on his face when he noticed that a few vegetables had moved from where he had arranged them neatly. Picking up a spoon he carefully put the peas back in place. Smiling satisfied, he leaned back, inspecting the food again.

Now it was perfect. Definitely the best food presentation he had ever showcased. Too bad Taeil wasn't here to see what his student had accomplished.

Impatiently he stuck his head out of the cooking hut, where he had been preparing the meals for the past hour. He let his eyes glide over the few people that had already gathered to have dinner together, taking their portion out of the huge bowls and batches that their pack cooks had prepared over the day.

With an excited gasp Donghyuck spotted who he was looking for and grabbed the two bowls.

Trying to act as casually as possible he bumped into Mark, who was waiting in line to get his own portion. "Hey, I already got you food. Let's go eat in your hut," Donghyuck told him, showing him the two bowls.

Mark's face visibly lit up, the sparkle in his eyes flashing at him. "You did? Thanks," he said happily.

"Yes, let's go," Donghyuck nodded, heading towards Mark's hut before the alpha could protest against it.

Quickly Mark caught up to him, falling in step as they made their way to his hut.

 

As softly as possible Donghyuck set down the two bowls on Mark's table once they entered the small space. Annoyed, he furrowed his eyebrows when some of the peas scrambled out of place again at the impact.

Grabbing the spoon he precisely moved them back in place, so that the colors and shapes of the food were in perfect harmony with each other, just the way he had intended them.

Pleased he sat back in his chair, only now noticing Mark's fond gaze on him.

"What?" He scoffed, trying to hide his shyness.

"Nothing," Mark quickly answered, sitting down opposite of him. "These look great. Did you make them?"

His initial plan had been to tell Mark he had been to dinner early, act nonchalant about it and pretend he had grabbed Mark a bowl as well when he had gotten his own food - completely dismissing the fact that he had spend well over an hour preparing this meal for him. However, suddenly there was something inside him, perhaps his pride, that wanted Mark to know that he had cooked the food.

"Yes. Did it all on my own," Donghyuck confirmed confidently.

"Like a courting gift?" Mark asked further and Donghyuck blushed in realization - it was very typical of omegas to cook for their alphas. Especially during courting season. Then again, why should he be embarrassed? After all, he was courting Mark.

He cleared his throat, which had suddenly gone very dry. "I mean...erm, if you want it to be. It's just rice. Nothing special," he replied flustered, but Mark's smile was worth everything.

"Thank you. I'm sure it's delicious," the alpha said, taking a spoon and digging in.

Curiously Donghyuck watched how Mark chewed and swallowed his first bite.

The older's eyes widened at the taste and he licked over his lips. "It's good!" The alpha announced impressed, going for another spoonful right away.

Donghyuck let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. His unconsciously tensed up body relaxed as he watched Mark devour the food he made him, relief and pride flooding him.

"Didn't I tell you I was a great cook?" Donghyuck overplayed his weird thoughts about Mark eating his food with cockiness.

Mark’s mouth was still filled with rice as he answered him, "Yes, but this is seriously amazing!" 

Without having any control over it Donghyuck smelled how he started emitting sweet pheromones, the scent of watermelon drowning out every other scent of the room.

Shocked, Donghyuck stared at Mark, who's pupils had widened in surprise, before he quickly turned his head away in embarrassment.

"Keep eating," he mumbled flustered, eyes fixated on his own bowl as he began to eat his own share. Why did his instincts have to act up right now? Stupid pheromones, being so tuned in wanting to be praised and please his alpha.

Thankfully Mark didn't say anything, but Donghyuck could pick up a soothing scent of cinnamon mingling with his own, as if trying to signal him without words that everything was okay between them and that he didn’t mind.

With a warm blush on his cheeks Donghyuck glanced up at him, seeing Mark giving him a soft smile.

His heart was beating faster than it had this morning, after he had finished his guard training.

 

Silently they both finished their food and Donghyuck was glad when he noticed how his own scent had dissolved in the air after some time, his sudden flush of pheromones barely noticeable anymore.

 Wanting to clean the two bowls after eating, Donghyuck pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. "Where are your towels?" 

"Oh, erm, in the cupboard on the left. But I can do this later," Mark told him as Donghyuck went to look in his cupboard, getting out some old cleaning towel. They weren't in the best condition, but he supposed they would do for today as he wet them.

"It's fine. It's just us two," Donghyuck assured him, beginning to wipe their dishes clean. "You can do them next time."

"You'll cook for me again?" 

Of course that was what Mark had picked up from that reply.

Donghyuck turned his back to him to hide his red cheeks. "If you'd like me to," he answered, concentrating on his scrubbing.

"Very much. That was the best food I ever had," Mark confirmed and Donghyuck couldn't help but chuckle at his enthusiasm. Mark was sort of cute.

"We'd have to get better towels, though," Donghyuck commented, putting the rags away once he finished cleaning up. "Or I can get us some. Renjun's a good sewer, I'm sure if I ask him he'll make us some."

"Us?" Mark pointed out softly and Donghyuck almost dropped the spoons when he noticed his mistake. Had he really just referred to Mark's stuff as their stuff?

He snapped his head around to look at Mark. "I meant you! Of course, your towels," he corrected himself panicked.

"No! No, I liked it," Mark quickly countered. "I mean, this...this hut. You should erm...feel at home here."

Their eyes met. The implication behind these words was clear. Even if they were only courting right now, things were getting serious. They’re courting was equal now. They were exclusive. And they both knew the next step to take in this courtship was a mating proposal. After that they would be allowed to mate at the end of the year. Which would mean that Donghyuck were to move in with Mark. In Mark's hut. Into this very hut.

Awkwardly Donghyuck turned his head away again, clearing his throat.

"Should I walk you back home?" Mark asked him carefully. "It's getting late."

"No," Donghyuck declined the offer. 

Swallowing his embarrassment he connected their gazes. After his conversation with Yangyang this morning he had taken certain precautions, telling his parents that he would be staying out late to train and that they shouldn't wait for him to return home. He had come here with a plan. He was not leaving before even attempting to go through with it.

"No?" Mark questioned, disappointed when Donghyuck remained silent for a few seconds.

"I wanna stay here tonight. With you," the omega disclosed, almost stumbling over his words as he wanted to get it over with. "I've been having trouble sleeping lately. So, erm...I wanted to try sleeping here. I've been really tired from all the training."

Observing Mark's expression closely he saw the older one look at him with that innocent surprise, as if not believing what was happening. He waited for an actual response, but his palms were starting to get damp when Mark wouldn't say anything for several long moments.

Donghyuck tried to backpedal, turning to leave "If that's okay with you. Maybe this was a bad idea," but Mark jumped up all of a sudden, swiftly taking his hands.

"No! No, not at all. You can stay here whenever you want," Mark reassured him and Donghyuck exhaled relieved. That could've been awkward.

He took a deep breath in. "Good," he nodded, biting down on his lip. "Can you lend me some clothes to sleep in then? I've told my parents I'd be out late, but they would've asked questions if I left our hut with spare clothes."

Mark blinked a few times. "S-sure. Wait, let me grab some," the alpha said and Donghyuck felt somewhat comforted by the fact that Mark also seemed nervous, at least if his bright pink ears were any indication of his feelings.

The alpha returned from his bedroom with pants and a huge, green shirt, clean, but nonetheless smelling faintly of cinnamon.

 Donghyuck gave him a grateful smile as he passed him the clothes. "Thanks." 

"You can change first. I'll wait here," Mark said, rubbing his neck with fidgeting fingers and Donghyuck nodded, heading into the bedroom and closing the door behind him.

The fabric was a bit rougher than what Donghyuck was used to from his own clothes - the material was cold as it slipped over his frame, falling loosely over his shoulders and revealing his collarbones. Throwing a checking glance to the closed door Donghyuck allowed himself to take a good sniff, burying his face in the shirt.

He wasn't sure when it had happened or if it maybe always had been this way - but he realized that cinnamon had somehow become his favorite scent.

Indulging in the scent for only a second longer Donghyuck let go of the shirt, straightening his back.

He stepped out of the bedroom, hoping his cheeks weren’t too flushed. "I'm done. You can change now," he told Mark.

The alpha licked over his lips, taking in the revealed skin and his own scent lingering on Donghyuck with an animalistic satisfaction foreign to him until now.

Quickly heading into his bedroom and locking the door behind him, leaving the alluring sight behind him, he tried to suppress these thoughts. They reminded him way too much of his feelings back when Donghyuck had first presented and his scent alone had made him want to do unspeakable things.

He slipped on some sleepwear himself, using the opportunity of being alone in his room to tidy up his furs a bit, hoping that Donghyuck would feel comfortable here with him.

 

A soft knock interrupted his assembling.

"Can I come back in?" Donghyuck asked in a quiet voice and Mark swallowed his own spit, throat suddenly more than dry.

"Y-yeah," he squeaked - for a second time completely enchanted by the omega's enthralling appearance as he stepped into his room.

He was probably staring like an idiot, but Donghyuck didn't mention it as he joined him in his furs with a shy smile. If it weren't for some of his brain cells luckily regenerating he would've started downright drooling at the sight. The silver moonlight that was falling in through his window was making the omega glow - not the way he always glowed in Mark's mind, warm and bright, but mysterious and alluring. It was not helping that his shirt had slid even further down Donghyuck's shoulder, showing off more of his golden tanned skin.

"You're beautiful," Mark whispered breathlessly and Donghyuck snorted, but there was a lovely blush sitting on his cheeks.

"Thanks," he mumbled timidly. "Your shirt smells nice."

His alpha roared in accomplishment at these words, like he had personally defeated all evil in this world.

Noticing that they were still sitting awkwardly far away from each other in his furs Mark shuffled a little closer. "Erm, do you wanna lay down?" He suggested, trying to not sound too eager even though right now there was not a thing in the world he would like to do more than hold Donghyuck close.

Instead of answering him Donghyuck laid a hand on his chest, before carefully pressing him down on his back. With silent wonder Mark felt the soft weight of Donghyuck's head settle on his chest. Like this the omega must be blatantly aware of the speed his pulse was racing, his ear positioned directly on top of his beating heart.

Slowly he rested his arms around Donghyuck's waist, hoping to not scare him away, but Donghyuck seemed perfectly content snuggled against him. Mark wished to never have to let go of him.

"Why couldn't you sleep these past nights?" He asked concerned, lips brushing over Donghyuck's soft hair that was right beneath his chin.

"Don't know," Donghyuck muttered. "It felt like I was too tired to sleep." He let out a deep breath. "Sounds weird, right?"

"No," Mark told him. "Is it because of guard training?"

Donghyuck hummed in thought. "I think so. I feel like I'm lacking so much," the omega admitted, allowing Mark insight of his vulnerability, his insecurities that he usually hid away from the world.

"You're not," Mark said right away. "You're doing better than most of them."

Of course Mark would say that, Donghyuck thought. "But I feel like I have to be better than all of them," he disclosed, hoping Mark would understand him. "There is always this need inside me. To prove something. I don't know. Usually that helps me get where I want to be. But sometimes it's exhausting."

Mark let out a long sigh, cautiously shifting Donghyuck around so he was laying next to him, head tucked in underneath his chin. Softly he guided his lips to Donghyuck's forehead, leaving a loving kiss on his skin.

"I don't know what this must feel like. Probably never fully will," he whispered. "But I will be here for you. In whatever way you need me. I'll be by your side."

A flower bloomed in Donghyuck's chest, yellow and big, reaching out for the sun longingly. Maybe it had been there all along as well.

"How do you feel now?" Mark asked, breaking the comfortable silence they had fallen into, drawing random patterns around Donghyuck's small waist. "Still too tired to sleep?"

"Still tired," Donghyuck said honestly. "But it's not an exhausted tired. More...a calm tired?"

"So you think you can sleep tonight?" Mark asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Donghyuck breathed, before giving Mark a cheeky smile. "But you'll have to stop asking me questions."

Mark chuckled fondly, pressing another peck to Donghyuck's head.

Listening to the omega he remained silent for the rest of the night. His protective urges settling down for a change as he watched the younger fall asleep next to him, a peaceful slumber gracing his delicate features.

Only after he was absolutely sure Donghyuck had reached his dreamlands did he close his own eyes, allowing sleep to catch up to him as well.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!

All this support means so much to me, I can't help smiling when I get to read all of you lovely comments!!
Wishing you all the best!!

Stay safe and healthy <3

Chapter 21: Waking up

Notes:

Hello and welcome back!! Markhyuck are getting a bit steamy in this one again ;)
Hope you enjoy :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Letting his thoughts wander freely, Jeno was drawing little shapes on Renjun's shoulder, whose back was snugly fitted against his chest.

After they had finished doing Renjun's laundry yesterday night, it had somehow happened naturally to fall asleep together in his hut.

With the omega in his arms, it had been easy to stay distracted, leave his worries behind for one night and just enjoy each other's company.

However, now that the morning was breaking in, he couldn't help the dark clouds of concern occupying his mind. Jaemin hadn't returned until now. Neither had his guards.

Even though there had not been an alarming howl, Jeno still wondered if anything had happened to them. Spending a whole night chasing a dangerous wolf was not the safest plan they could’ve come up with. Had it been foolish to send Jaemin and his guards after them? What if they had gotten into an ambush?

But his concern for Renjun had distorted his judgment - in that moment he had just wanted the intruder gone, far away from Renjun and the pack. Now he realized that impulsively letting Jaemin go after them had not been his smartest move. Shouldn't it be about time for him to return by now?

Just as the thought of getting a search party to go after them crossed his mind, a soft knock disturbed the illusionary peace of a quiet morning. Sleepily Renjun shuffled against him, being startled awake by the noise.

Once again, sleeping together in his hut bit them in the back, as Renjun's eyes widened in panic, realizing that, once again, they were about to be discovered in a promiscuous position.

"Just a second," Jeno shouted, wanting to give Renjun some time to hide somewhere, but the door opened without consideration.

"You don't have to hide Renjun again. I won't snitch to your parents," Jaemin entered the hut and a big sigh of relief left the couple.

"Jaemin!" Jeno greeted him alleviated, scrambling out of his furs. "Finally you are back! I've been starting to worry. Did anything happen?"

The alpha let the door fall close behind him. "Oh no, we chased that scumbag until he crossed the border. We wanted to catch him at first, interrogate him about the plans of the Noctis pack, but thought it'd be too risky to trespass on their territory," Jaemin explained to him, throwing Renjun a cheeky smile as the omega shuffled out of the furs as well, cheeks a light pink at being caught here. Considering everything - there were definitely worse options than Jaemin finding them.

Jeno poked an accusatory finger to Jaemin's chest. "So where were you the whole night? And the guards? Why didn't you come talk to me straight away?" The prince asked, agitated after being left in the dark for the whole night.

Jaemin pushed his index finger away with an eye-roll. "I sent the guards back home. It was already dark when we returned and everybody was asleep," he consoled the prince.

"But you could've at least come to me," Jeno mentioned, clearly unhappy about how the situation had been handled.

Jaemin huffed, stemming his hands in his hips. "I went straight to the castle to report the incident," he defended himself. "I just came back."

That made Renjun snap his head around. "You've been traveling all night?" He chimed in for the first time. "Let me make you some tea. You must be exhausted."

Jaemin gave Jeno a pointed look. "Now, that's how you greet a friend," the alpha let his friend know as Renjun scrambled together some hot water and herbs for him.

"Sorry. I...I was just worried. I thought you might've gotten hurt," Jeno apologized, feeling guilty for judging Jaemin so quickly.

"It's alright," Jaemin forgave, not one to hold grudges for long. Especially not with Jeno, who he had called his closest friend for all his life. "Thanks," he added when Renjun handed him a cup of boiling hot tea.

Jeno leaned over the table as they sat down, eager to get all the information. "So, what did my parents say? Any announcements? New rules?" 

"They thought the best idea was to lay low. They don't want to cause a ruckus and spread mistrust. Since nothing actually happened," Jaemin replied, slowly sipping on the hot liquid.

Jeno huffed, irritated. "So what? We don't do anything?" 

Jaemin only shrugged. "Your parents said to be on the lookout. But they doubt that the Noctis pack would attack out of nowhere right now. They've been weakened from their last attack," he forwarded the orders he had gotten. "They must be scouting the area."

"But we can't stay silent!" Renjun protested promptly. Both alphas turned their heads to him in surprise. "Sorry, but I could've easily been attacked. If we don't tell people about this, there might be someone who actually gets hurt."

This was not right! They had to do something, tell people about this.

Jeno sighed deeply, obviously not happy with his parent's orders. "I know," he agreed with the omega.

Jaemin made a thoughtful noise. "But I mean, there's no way we can just go against the chief and chiefess. They have a point and mean well," he stated. "They told me to keep quiet and not concern anybody."

"If only there was a way to spread word in the village - so that it won't reach the castle," Jeno thought out loud. If he was to make an announcement, his parents would surely get notice. And he respected his parents very much, even though he was not at all content with their decision. He knew they had more leadership experience than him - but this was an issue regarding the safety of their pack. He felt like he needed to do something, despite better judgment.

Renjun hummed absentmindedly, understanding Jeno's dilemma. Suddenly an idea plopped up in his head.

"What if we spread a rumor?" He suggested carefully. "You know, so that omegas will be more cautious if they go out, get some company if they want to leave the village."

"A rumor?" Jeno questioned, but Jaemin’s ears peaked up.

"That's not a bad idea!” He exclaimed. “Since it's just a rumor, it won't be regarded as important enough to be reported to the castle. But it will surely make people more aware," he concluded and Renjun nodded.

Jeno frowned as he considered the idea. "But how do we spread a rumor without people knowing it's from us? If they know I spread the rumor, the news will surely travel all the way to my parents," the prince voiced his concerns.

Renjun only grinned.

"Trust me. I know just the guy."

 

Consulting Yangyang about spreading a rumor that would make omegas be careful about leaving village grounds was probably the easiest thing Renjun had ever done.

When he mentioned to Yangyang that people could under no circumstance know that he had started the rumor, but should still take it seriously, the omega had just smiled, claiming he came to the right place.

In the past Renjun had sometimes questioned Yangyang's contacts and love for gossip - even going as far as doubting Yangyang morals - but honestly, right now he was taking it all back. Yangyang's way of networking, knowing just the right people to spread just the right information to get his desired outcome was quite impressive. A bit scary if you thought about it too much, but mostly impressive. (Let's just say Renjun was more than glad that Yangyang and him had become close friends. He would not like to be on the other end of his gossiping line.)

It didn't even take a whole day for information to spread. First it was nerve-wracking. Every whisper that passed him was making his body tense, frozen in his current movement to listen closely. 

However, there had been no reason to ever doubt Yangyang’s skills.

When Renjun noticed omegas sticking together whenever they left the village to go to the river or the forest, even some alphas offering to accompany them, he knew this had been an excellent decision to make. Everybody was careful, but nobody was panicking. Somehow their little plan had worked out perfectly.

Just another example that Jeno's leadership skills were already more advanced than people gave him credit for. Subconsciously Renjun wondered if he could ever live up to that.

 

 

Absentmindedly Mark brushed a loose strand of hair behind Donghyuck's ear. It was far past morning, but he couldn't bring himself to wake the omega up. (Especially not if he was snuggled into his side so dearly.)

Donghyuck must've been more than tired, he had slept soundly through any noises and sounds invading the hut from outside.

To this day he wondered how someone as shining as Donghyuck had ever looked twice in his direction. Maybe to other people his feelings for the omega seemed unfounded, but Mark knew why he had fallen for Donghyuck. It was like he had seen his soul, his sun kissed soul, bright and untouched from every kind of evil.

And while Mark in his younger years had never understood why exactly he had been drawn to Donghyuck, like a planet circling the sun, he had always understood that Donghyuck was his destiny. Loving Donghyuck unconditionally, keeping him safe and unharmed, shielded from the evil of this world - some days he felt like that was his sole purpose in life.

At the beginning all these feelings had been overwhelming, leading him to make stupid decisions, pushing Donghyuck away while desperately wanting him close. He had been a big mess of larger than life feelings.

Thus, he found it even more surprising that after all this time, here he was, holding who he found most precious in his arms.

At some point in his life he had stopped wondering if Donghyuck had ever felt the same pull towards him. Because in the end, it didn't matter. He knew his feelings for the omega were strong, and he couldn't imagine anyone ever bearing anything as intense in their heart. It was special, and he knew he needed to protect it. Some might think the universe had burdened him with the need to care about another being so much that not knowing he was safe was making his throat close up in anxiety.

Donghyuck let out a long breath as he turned around, scrunching his nose cutely as sleep finally let him go.

Mark's heart swelled in fondness when Donghyuck clutched his fists into his shirt, nuzzling his face deeper into his scented clothes.

At least, if you'd consider this to be a burden - which Mark never had - the universe repaid him with something.

"Mark?" Donghyuck mumbled in a husky voice, blinking his eyes open.

"Hey," Mark replied with a soft chuckle. "Good morning."

Donghyuck rubbed his eyes in the furs around him. "What time is it?" He hummed roughly, hiding his face from the sun sneaking in through the creaks of his hut.

"Probably noon soon," Mark told him quietly. "You slept the whole morning."

"I did?" Donghyuck asked, turning back around to take in his surroundings. It was in fact already  broad day. He hadn't slept this well in quite some time.

"Yeah," Mark confirmed with a soft smile, tugging another strand of hair in place for Donghyuck. "Are you still feeling tired?"

Donghyuck thought for a short second, taking a moment to listen to his body. "No," he replied honestly, sitting up and looking down at Mark. "No. Not at all."

Mark's smile brightened, the voice that constantly told him to worry about Donghyuck momentarily soothed.

"I should still get some more training done. I can't slack off like this," Donghyuck mentioned, furrowing his brows and the voice immediately roared up.

"We can go train together later," Mark offered, reaching his arms out for Donghyuck and gently guiding him down to lay on his chest. The voice was buzzing contently when Donghyuck settled, obviously comfortable with their new position. Confidently Mark slung his arms around the younger's waist, pulling him even closer.

Donghyuck began caressing Mark’s chest in small circles. "How long have you been awake?" He asked the alpha, not struggling at all against his hold.

"A few hours," Mark admitted and Donghyuck shifted his head so he could look at Mark's face.

"Hours?" He questioned. "Weren't you bored?"

Mark gave him a cheesy wink. "I never get bored looking at you," he told him earnestly and Donghyuck chortled, but the faint blush rising on his cheeks was enough for Mark to know that he liked the compliment.

"Are you my stalker?" Donghyuck accused him, but there was no real bite behind his words.

"Just think you're beautiful," Mark retorted with a smirk. He lowered his voice, softly whispering into Donghyuck’s ear, "Hyuck."

Donghyuck gave him a look. "I could very much rip your head off right now," he stated when he heard the nickname.

"I know," Mark commented, very much aware of how hard Donghyuck's punches could be. "The point is you won't."

Donghyuck sat up a bit straighter so he could look Mark into his eyes, the mischief in his gaze clearer than day. "What makes you so sure?"

Forgoing a verbal answer Mark surged up the small distance, pressing a short but effective kiss to Donghyuck's tempting, plush lips that left the omega speechless for a second.

"This," Mark said cheekily and Donghyuck's gaze shifted into something more alluring - one look into his eyes made Mark lose his mind.

Donghyuck hovered over Mark's mouth seductively. "Are you challenging me?" He whispered against his lips.

"Maybe," Mark replied, swallowing his own spit as his eyes kept being drawn to Donghyuck's lips teasingly close to his own ones. "Hyuck."

Not having any more patience Donghyuck swung a leg over Mark's torso, snugly placing himself in his lap before leaping forwards and smashing their lips together passionately.

The voice inside of Mark started hollering - and Mark gave in, pushing himself upwards to match Donghyuck's pace, letting his hands wander to his waist and the small of his back.

With skilled movements he coaxed Donghyuck's lips open, gliding his tongue over his bottom lips and then nudging his tongue playfully, before pulling back with a sharp gasp.

Hot breath hit his face as he looked at Donghyuck slowly coming undone on top of him, face rosy and cheeks flushed.

The voice inside him growled possessively. A longing that had always been there, but only manifested after Donghyuck had presented as the omega with the loveliest scent Mark would ever encounter, spread inside his chest. Claim, bite, mate - the voice was chanting, urging him on to take Donghyuck and make him his completely.

But Mark was quick to shut it down, gaining back control over his primal instincts. All these years of suppressed desire had surely made him a professional in containing these urges.

"Why'd you stop?" Donghyuck asked, breaths still shallow when Mark leaned back, retreating his hands from Donghyuck's waist to put them behind himself on the ground, creating some space between both their heads.

Involuntary Mark's eyes dropped to where Donghyuck's and his body were still very much connected, the omega firmly seated on his thighs, only inches away from his crotch. His ears heated up when he noticed Donghyuck follow his gaze, but he hoped this would at least be explanation enough for him to not have to explain his situation with words.

In contrast to what he expected, Donghyuck didn't leave his lap - no, he sensually rolled his hips down against him, enticing a moan from Mark, whose hand snapped back to Donghyuck's waist, holding him in place.

"You don't want this?" Donghyuck whispered, feigning innocence as he let his fingers travel up over Mark's spine to his hair, making shivers run all over the alpha's body.

Once again he tried grinding their hips against each other, but his attempt failed due to Mark's strong grip around him. A frustrated whine left Donghyuck's lips, more needy than anything Mark had ever heard before.

"Mark, I want you," Donghyuck moaned, throwing his head back to reveal his neck. Blatant arousal seeded in the air around them, both their scents intermingling in pure desire for each other. "Please," Donghyuck added almost pleadingly - and that was the breaking point for Mark. How could he deny Donghyuck anything he wanted?

Tightening his grasp on Donghyuck he rutted their bodies against each other, a deep groan leaving him at the sensation of pleasure as he buried his nose in Donghyuck's neck, the scent of watermelon thick and sweet on him.

High noises left Donghyuck as he clutched his fingers in Mark's hair. Purposefully he moved his hips down, needing more of this feeling, needing to satiate his hunger.

The alpha was hard and hot underneath him, matching his desperate movements with sharps thrust, both letting their feral side take over between them. His breath hitched when Mark's strong fingers harshly grabbed his butt, pressing him impossibly closer. Then he rocked his hips up, slipping his hands underneath the fabric of his clothes, leaving tingles where he grazed Donghyuck's naked skin.

The pleasure was overwhelming for Donghyuck, the way their bodies fitted together seamlessly, the pressure on him just perfect - he felt himself getting closer and closer to the bliss of release.

"Mark," he hissed deliriously when Mark sneaked a hand around to his front, holding him down with just enough force.

"You can let go," Mark told him in a husky voice, clearly affected by Donghyuck's heightened sense of arousal.

Biting down on his lip Donghyuck let his head fall forward against Mark's shoulder, bringing down his hips more rigorously, nothing but bare want behind his rough movements. He could feel Mark harden underneath him even more, could smell how close the alpha was, how much he was wanted in this moment.

And then, in one perfect picture of delight, he let go, effectively pushing Mark over the edge as well as the alpha lazily rolled his hips a few more times before going boneless underneath him.

The sound of their heavy breathing filled the quiet room, both spent from their respective highs.

Flopping forward and making Mark tumble over on his back, Donghyuck rested safely on top of Mark's broad chest.

For the first time in all of his life it seemed like his head had been swept empty. There was no nagging, no pressure for improvement, no feeling of injustice.

There was only Mark, safe and sound like a steady rock in the ocean.

And when he listened into the comfortable silence close enough, he could hear a quiet voice telling him to never let him go.

 

"Erm...was that like...okay?" Mark asked after a few minutes when Donghyuck got uncomfortable and stood up - the heat lingering on them and the sweat on his skin starting to make him itch.

Donghyuck winked cheekily, running fingers through his hair to tidy it up. "What do you think?" Mark swallowed when his own big shirt slid off Donghyuck's shoulder, the scents around them still very much charged. "Where did you put my clothes? I need to take a bath before I can show up at home."

Quickly Mark also scrambled out of his furs, stumbling over his feet in his hurry to give Donghyuck his old clothes back, before leaving the room so Donghyuck could change. Donghyuck couldn’t suppress the whipped smile sneaking onto his lips. Mark was such a dork. His dork.

 

"So, let's say one hour?" Donghyuck said as he stepped out of the bedroom and Mark frowned confused.

"What?" He asked puzzled, his hair still tousled and cheeks a light pink.

Donghyuck chuckled amused. "One hour to get ready for practice, silly. I'll meet you at the hunting grounds, alright?" Donghyuck specified and Mark could only nod dumbly before the omega sneaked out of his hut.

 

Trying to be as discreet as possible about where he had come from, Donghyuck made his way to the lake. Short snippets of their morning together kept flashing through his mind, making his cheeks burn and his heart pound. The cold bath did him more than good - even though it made the soothing scent of cinnamon that had been stuck to him disappear.

When he finally made it home he didn't expect his parents to be there. A cold shiver ran down his back - he thought he would have some more time to come up with an excuse for them. His initial plan had been to sleep over at Mark's and sneak back home before his parents woke up and realized he hadn't been in his room. Maybe they hadn't noticed he had been out the whole night?

Well, that hope left him the second he saw his mother's sour expression. "Where have you been?" She asked, stemming her hands in her hips.

"Uhm..." Donghyuck stuttered very eloquently. "Training?"

"Yah!" His mother yelled and Donghyuck winced at the high pitch of her voice. "Next time you sleep over at that Mark Lee boy's hut, tell us!"

Donghyuck had gotten ready to defend and deny everything - but that had still caught him off guard. "I'm sorry, I - what?"

His father laughed at him, having been silent until now. "Listen, Donghyuck, we've been young once, too. We don't have a problem with you sleeping over at Mark’s. You are an adult and are allowed to do whatever you like as long as you are respectful and safe about it," the alpha told him with his responsible fatherly nature.

Donghyuck felt his cheeks heat up again - this time for a whole different reason. He had just reached a new level of embarrassment.

"But don't lie to us about it!" His mother snapped in. "Especially with recent events we want to know where you are, okay?"

Mortified and wanting to escape this conversation as quickly as possible Donghyuck just nodded silently. His parents seemed satisfied with that response though, not protesting when he went into his room.

Well, that had been awful. But at least now he was in the perfect mood to fight someone.

 

Mark was already waiting for him when he arrived at the hunting grounds. To his defense - he had come here in human form, which was a lot slower. Mark also seemed a bit confused by that decision, but Donghyuck had a reason for this choice.

"I brought you breakfast," he exhaled, catching his breath for a second before handing Mark a bowl of freshly picked berries.

"Oh," Mark smiled, surprised, albeit very happy - the sparkle in his eyes twinkling like a thousand stars. "Thank you!"

Donghyuck just nodded, still too exhausted to say much more. He let his body glide to the ground and rest for the time that Mark took to eat the berries. It had been a spontaneous decision to pick them - and there weren't that many to begin with - but one look at the sparkle in Mark's made it worth it.

After Donghyuck had recovered and Mark was done eating they both got out their swords.

"So, do you want to attack first? Or defense?" Mark questioned as they got in position opposite of each other.

Donghyuck hummed in consideration. "I wanna attack," He decided. "Don't go easy on me, okay?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Mark smirked - spurring Donghyuck on in just the right way.

With a heavy grunt Donghyuck ran forward, bringing his sword down with all his might. But Mark had seen it coming, effortlessly blocking his attack, making the metal vibrate from the impact.

Donghyuck's fingers twitched as he lunged out for a second hit, but Mark took his short moment of vulnerability to plant his feet against his stomach, softly kicking him back. Surprised Donghyuck stumbled before falling on his back.

His mouth fell open, before he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Hey, I thought we were using our weapons only," Donghyuck pouted, upset that he had been defeated so early.

"You think a real enemy would stick to these rules?" Mark chuckled, reaching out his hand for Donghyuck and helping him up to his feet.

Donghyuck grumbled, but he supposed that was a good argument. He had told Mark to not go easy on him and he would learn the most if Mark was showing him all his tricks.

"Again," the omega demanded, picking his sword up. "You attack."

Mark was swift and strong with his movements, not giving him any opportunity to turn the tables, his body shielded and closed off every hit he took. Donghyuck could only try to keep up and block all his attacks, but his arms were getting heavy and his strength slowly left him. The alpha aimed at his sword with precision and Donghyuck, fearing this would be his last strike, didn't even attempt to effectively block it, instead letting loose and letting Mark clash their sword together.

However, that move set the alpha in momentary imbalance, as he had expected at least some sort of resistance. Just for a second he had lost control in their fight. If Donghyuck hadn't already been too exhausted blocking all his hits, he could've made so much use of that.

Instead, Mark caught himself - everything happening in just mere seconds, Donghyuck didn't even have a chance to react.

One well placed hit and Mark knocked his sword to the ground. His knuckles hurt and he hissed in pain - but a smile crept up on his face.

He might've lost that fight, but he had learned so much in only seconds. For once, that he would never win a fight with his strength. He hardly ever did. Fighting with swords was not completely different from fighting with his claws. It didn't require strength like the guard had been trying to teach him up until now. It required wits, technique - and luckily Donghyuck didn't need to be taught that.

"Again!" He said picking his fallen sword up from the ground, plans and strategies slowly starting to construct themselves in his brain.

As if sensing the change in Donghyuck's attitude, Mark smirked knowingly.

 

They spent the rest of the day practicing. At the end Donghyuck felt like his arms were about to fall off - Mark didn't look much better, equally as exhausted. A deep gratefulness filled Donghyuck when he looked at Mark's damp hair and sweaty back.

Before the alpha could rush off to take a well-deserved bath he grabbed after his wrist, pulling him back.

"Thanks for today," he whispered before planting the softest of kisses on his lips.

Mark looked stunned for a second before smiling goofily. Donghyuck couldn't help but kiss that smile one more time before heading off to take a bath himself.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!

It's Friday already, so I wish you all a nice weekend with lots of rest :3
I'm diligently studying for my upcoming exams :)

Stay safe and healthy everyone <3

Chapter 22: Over

Notes:

Hey, welcome back!! Enjoy and leave me a comment if you want to :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was a quiet night. The wind was whistling over the roofs of the wooden huts, sweetly murmuring the pack to sleep. The darkness swallowed all the noise, only the occasional owl calling at the stars and crickets singing for each other.

It was a quiet night until Jeno's sleep was disturbed by a loud knock on his door. Disgruntled, he rolled out of his furs. The only night visitor he came to appreciate was Renjun - but he knew the omega was not the one knocking on his door (they were past the stage of knocking at this point).

So, that left him with not that many other pleasant options. Heightening his senses to possibly hear anything that would give away the identity of the person in front of his door, he quietly got out his sword from behind his cupboard. On edge he tiptoed to his door and pressed his ear against it - he heard two all too familiar whispers.

He sighed - but at least this was a better option than an actual intruder.

 

"We have to talk," his father said straight away after Jeno had opened the door. Jeno could only nod silently as his parents entered his hut and swiftly shut the door behind them.

"Any news from the Noctis pack?" Jeno asked, feeling a bit tensed - both his parents looked very serious.

"No," his father shook his head. "But I think you have something to tell us."

Jeno swallowed. Could it be that his parents had heard about the rumor?

His mother clicked her tongue. "You really think we don't have our ears down here?" She answered his silent question, having read Jeno's thoughts off his face.

"I thought Jaemin told you to stay low about the issue," the chief followed and Jeno started to feel a bit guilty for going behind his parents’ back like that. He still believed they had done the right thing but looking at the disapproval in their faces was making him think that they hadn’t chosen the right way to go about this.

Trying to defend his actions he straightened his shoulders. "The pack deserved to be warned. No omega should roam around alone considering the circumstances." 

"So you just went and took matters into your own hands instead of consulting us first?" His father countered. "Have we ever made you feel like we wouldn't listen to you? That we didn't value your opinion?"

That hit. Because ever since he was a kid his parents had always paid special attention to his and Doyoung's opinion, including them in every important decision. In hindsight he should've at least tried to talk to them about this issue first.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, truly feeling bad. His parents trusted him and Jeno returned that trust with every cell of his body. "I guess I was just shaken up because of Renjun. I wasn't...thinking straight. And I should've talked to you about it before spreading that rumor."

"Renjun?" His mother hummed. "Well, I see."

"I still think we should make the pack aware of what's going on," Jeno insisted. His actions had always been out of good intention and protectiveness over his people 

His father let out a long sigh. "I get that, Jeno. Keeping everyone safe is the most important thing. But you have to think about the bigger picture," the chief told his son. "If we cause a mass panic in this pack it will not help. Truth is our borders are not protected enough right now. The land we own abut to the Noctis pack is wide and our guards are few in comparison. If we show that weakness it will only be a matter of time for the Noctis pack to know and use that weakness against us. We need to appear strong and unafraid."

"But we have to do something! If we are not safe right now we need to tell people to protect themselves," Jeno argued. "If the Noctis pack managed to cross our borders once, they could do it again and steal away some unassuming omega just because they didn't know about the threat!"

"We are doing something, Jeno," his father said authoritatively. "We're working closely together with the Lunaris pack. The borders they share with the Noctis pack aren't as huge and soon a few of their guards will join ours. Besides that we're also preparing the special force to patrol."

His mother nodded in agreement, walking around Jeno to put her hands on his shoulders. "We are as concerned as you are about keeping every member of this pack safe," she reminded him and Jeno clenched his jaw. He understood his parents' point, but he still didn't think what he did was completely wrong.

"You're graduating in a few weeks," his father said, patting him on his shoulder. "Then you can take more charge concerning the guard and everything. But until then, as long as you are living here with the pack, I want you to stay calm and project an image of stability and safeness. People look up to you - if they see your strength, they will feel secure."

Jeno supposed he could do that. Just for a few weeks until he was back at the castle, where he could be more involved in politics again. He understood that he held a certain responsibility as a figure of power. He might not be chief now, but people still expected him to act a certain way, showing strength and secure protection.

As Jeno hummed in agreement his parents let go of him. His mother’s shoes were clattering on his wooden floor as she went to sit back down.

His father cleared his throat. "Different subject - but did you speak to Renjun about your return to the castle?" The alpha suddenly asked and Jeno snapped his head up.

Honestly, that had been a topic both of them had always danced around. It came with a lot of implications and expectations. And Jeno would rather spend his time just being with Renjun than scare him away with that kind of talk.

"I didn't...get the chance to," he replied slowly.

His mother clicked her tongue again, an old habit of hers. "Well, it's important for Renjun to make a decision soon. He needs to know what he's getting into. He needs to know if he's suited and prepared to take over such a role," she told him.

"Your mother is right," his father added. "I know your feelings for each other might feel strong right now. But you have a duty to this pack. And Renjun needs to understand that."

"I'll talk to him," Jeno promised his parents.

"You better hurry up. Three weeks until your graduation. He needs to make a decision until then," his mother reminded him.

Jeno's jaw tensed up. Three weeks left. Depending on Renjun's decision, perhaps their last three weeks together.

Yeah, there's been a reason he hadn't brought this talk up.

His father patted his back with an encouraging smile. "It's gonna be fine, son."

The alpha tried to return the expression, but it felt more like he was grimacing due to having severe stomach aches.

"We're leaving now. But I guess we'll see you soon," his father said, helping his mate up from the chair and holding the door open for her.

"Three weeks," his mother turned around one last time and Jeno nodded with tight lips.

Deep worries clouded his mind as he watched his parents saddle their horses and ride back to the castle. How come they never brought good news when they visited?

 

 

Just as usual Donghyuck showed up to guard training early in the morning. For the past few days, the head guard who had been overseeing them had not been here, apparently busy dealing with some important issues at the castle. Honestly, Donghyuck had been kind of relieved that they had been trained by another guard - the woman had let him pair up with Mark or any other of his alpha peers, not insisting on fighting with him herself like the head guard had.

So when Donghyuck arrived at the forest clearing and saw that the head guard had returned, watching the special force gather with his hawk eyes his mood immediately soured.

Mark, who had walked him all the way from his hut to the training grounds, squeezed his hand in silent reassurance, sensing that Donghyuck was feeling upset about something.

With a heavy sigh Donghyuck let go of Mark's hand to properly stand in line.

After everybody was in position the head guard cleared his throat loudly, gaining everybody's undivided attention.

"Hello, I'm glad to see you're all still committed to this training. For some of you all that hard work will now pay off," he started talking, slowly striding up and down the line. "Today is not a normal training day. I'm going to watch each and every one of you fight and then I'm going to evaluate you. Those who are good enough will effectively be inaugurated into guard henceforth. I hope you all understand what an honor that is."

There were excited murmurs among them. Donghyuck felt his fingers itch with the desire to prove himself - he had trained harder than anyone else here, fought on his own or dragged Mark out of bed in the early hours of the morning just to get a few more minutes with his sword. He knew he was good and he knew he had what it takes to join.

One after another the head guard asked them to step forward, paired them into teams of two and watched them fight for a while. Most of them put on a decent performance - and regardless if they lost or won their fight, the head guard congratulated them for completing the training successfully and finally joining the official guard.

Until now there were only three people who hadn't made the guard - two of which had dropped their sword by accident and one who had stumbled over his own feet when wanting to attack.

Donghyuck held his breath when Mark and Johnny stepped forward, both their gazes determined as they lunged at each other. Where Johnny had a height and strength advantage, Mark was clearly more swift and skilled handling the sword. Donghyuck smiled to himself when he saw Mark feint an attack before hitting from the other direction - a trick Donghyuck had come up with in their private training sessions.

It was by far the best fight up to then, everybody following their movements in silent awe and when Mark finally brought Johnny down even the guard nodded with respect. Of course it wasn’t even a question if they were added to the guard after that spectacular show.

Slowly they moved along the lines, their names being called one after another. Impatiently Donghyuck began to bite on his nails. In his head he ran the numbers, counting how many alphas were left he could fight against.

A realization slowly dawned upon him when he realized they were an odd number.

Each time his name wasn't called, Donghyuck knew what was about to happen.

When only he was left, the head guard smiled at him and Donghyuck had to bite down on his tongue to not say something incredibly stupid.

A smug grin spread on the head guard’s face. "So, you're up against me then, I guess," the alpha said and Donghyuck snorted in his head. As if that hadn't been the stupid plan from the very beginning.

However, Donghyuck wasn't one to back down. Head held high he stepped forward, swinging his sword around dangerously.

"To make this fair for everybody - you'll get to join the guard only if you beat me. I don't want to seem like I'm playing favorites by having trained so much with you," the guard said almost tauntingly.

Donghyuck could hear the agitated whispers behind him - everybody knew this wasn't fair. Nobody had to win their fight to get to join. It was obvious how Donghyuck was held to a different standard under false pretenses.

In the corner of his eyes Donghyuck saw how Mark stepped forward, but he quickly stopped him with a sharp look in his eyes. The alpha hesitated for a second but backed off as Donghyuck wished.

Slowly he turned his head back to the head guard. "Fine," Donghyuck agreed to the conditions.

The omega had been fighting these battles on his own ever since he presented. He knew what injustice felt like, knew how poisonous it was integrated in some of their minds. While he appreciated Mark supporting and standing up for Donghyuck, he knew that he needed to win this on his own. Otherwise he couldn’t prove anybody wrong. Otherwise there would be no progress made.

With a patronizing smile the guard pulled his sword out of its sheath, getting into position for the fight.

Donghyuck's heart pounded in his chest as he watched the alpha's eyes change into something dark and dangerous. His muscles tensed up in anticipation.

This was his chance. There was no time for doubting himself now. Donghyuck knew what he could do. He knew that he had never won against the head guard before, that his opponent had years of training, more strength and experience, more knowledge and a sharper sword.

He also knew that the head guard had never once before fought against an omega like him. And Donghyuck would give him hell for that.

 

The guard took the first stride, running towards him with his sword held high. Donghyuck's muscles strained under the impact when he brought his own sword up to block the attack. Quickly the guard lunged at him, each of his hits executed with more and more strength. Sweat was forming on Donghyuck's back and forehead as he met each hit with his own sword. Slowly he felt his muscles giving up, his power leaving him with each time that he had to block the blows.

His fingers were throbbing in pain from clutching the handle of his sword so tightly. The leather Mark had fastened around the grip was loosening slowly, making it even harder to hold on.

Relentlessly the guard kept pushing and pushing. As Donghyuck's energy left he only seemed to gain more and more, high on the fact that he was apparently crushing the battle without even doing much for it.

As if he knew that the game was over with one last hit, the head guard lunged out over his head.

Donghyuck held his sword up to block - and then he finally let go.

With full might the guard knocked against his sword, only to be met with no resistance. Having not expected that, the guard lost his balance and stumbled forward helplessly.

Thinking quickly Donghyuck stepped aside as to not be in the way and block the fall. Surprised the guard shot past him and losing no second, Donghyuck turned around, and kicked him in his back with all the remaining strength he had in his leg.

With a pained huff the guard went to the ground face forward, his weapon uselessly trapped underneath his own body.

Breathing heavily, Donghyuck stepped on his back with one foot, keeping him secure to the ground as he brought his own sword to the guard's neck.

"It's over," were the only two words he said.

 

The guard struggled underneath him, trying desperately to somehow wiggle free, but Donghyuck only put more of his weight onto his body, the pressure almost making the alpha immobile underneath him.

The fight was over. Donghyuck had won. Donghyuck knew. Everybody knew it. The guard knew it, although he obviously had a hard time accepting it as he continued to lay still on the ground for a few more seconds completely speechless.

He huffed, struggling a bit more but stopping when Donghyuck pressed his sword against his throat. "You won. Remove your sword," he growled when he finally realized that there was no other way out of this situation.

Exhausted, drenched in his own sweat and every single muscle fiber hurting in his body Donghyuck backed off, giving the head guard free. This had cost him almost everything. But it had given so much to so many.

Visibly embarrassed the head guard scrambled back to his feet, dusting off his clothes and gear and picking up his sword.

"So," Donghyuck heaved, chest still rising and falling rapidly. "That means I'm in the guard now, right?"

He needed to hear it out loud. Needed the confirmation that he had in fact won, had proven once again how capable he was.

The head guard looked around - but there was no way he could somehow turn this story around. Not with all the other alphas surrounding them, having been witness to it all.

A sudden thought seemed to cross his mind, his glance twinkling with malicious intent. "You're not graduated yet, right?" The guard asked him with hostility in his eyes.

Donghyuck wouldn’t let himself be pushed back this easily. "Lot's of the alphas you accepted already aren't," he replied firmly.

"Well, according to rules you still need your parents’ permission to join then," the alpha pulled out his last resort.

Donghyuck's eyes formed tiny slits as the head guard waved some of his men over, getting a quick piece of paper out. He scribbled something down in messy letters before holding it in front of Donghyuck’s nose arrogantly.

"Go run to your parents. Tell them their little omega is going to need their signature to fight off dangerous alphas away from home," he said condescendingly.

The omega's fingers twitched with the deep urge to slap the guard across his face. He knew what this was about. Treating Donghyuck like a little kid in front of everybody. Taking away some of his power, some of his independence by making him have to get his parent's permission. Belittling him to feel tall himself.

But this was all just a mind game. A pathetic last attempt to hold on to an old belief that was now slowly crumbling inside of him. Something Donghyuck had just shown him, something that he had demonstrated on his own body.

And that knowledge, that he had shaken the alpha up so much that he was clinging onto the last strand of tiny power over him, was enough to make Donghyuck hold back. He was the bigger person here. And he would not stoop low for someone like that.

Donghyuck put on his sweetest smile. "I will," he said, calmly taking the permission slip from the head guard.

Their eyes met - you could almost feel the heat burning wildly between them, nobody willing to give in even though the battle was long since won and over.

The head guard tore away first. "Why are you all still standing here?!" He yelled loudly towards the other alphas. "Get lost! Training is over. I'll see you tomorrow in the guard."

Everybody startled a little at the sudden volume, before scrambling to leave the training grounds.

 

The guard didn't spare Donghyuck another look as he went over to his men and disappeared in the forest. Finally the tension left Donghyuck's body and he let himself breathe.

"Asshole," he mumbled underneath his breath, letting his sword drop to the ground to inspect the blisters on his fingers. That would need some treatment. Maybe he should step by the healing hut later.

When he lifted his head he was surprised to find Mark staring at him in stunned silence, eyes wide open. He cocked his eyebrow and slowly Mark began walking towards him.

"You are absolutely amazing," Mark breathed out once he was standing only inches away from Donghyuck. "That was amazing. You are amazing."

His heart jumped a little at the shower of compliments from the alpha.

"I'm sorry," Mark suddenly said genuinely. "I'm so sorry."

Donghyuck frowned, confused at the sudden apology.

"Why are you sorry?" He asked perplexed - at least from what he remembered Mark hadn't done anything to upset him recently.

"I'm just sorry," Mark repeated sincerely. "We don't know what it's like being an omega. We don't understand what you have to go through. I think we all think there is no such thing as prejudice left because nobody ever challenged things like you did."

There was so much emotion in Mark's eyes as he said these words it made Donghyuck feel choked up. Often he had tried to explain these things, often not even his fellow omegas had understood to the depths that Mark had just come to realize.

"It's screwed up and it's not okay. And you are so right for fighting against it. And as an alpha myself, I can only say I'm sorry. You are amazing and I'm sorry," Mark closed his little monolog.

His throat was suddenly dry and his eyes dangerously wet.

Slowly he let his head fall against Mark's strong chest. "It's okay," he whispered quietly. "It's okay because now you know. And now the guard is starting to think. And everybody who watched is going to start thinking."

Mark began slowly stroking over his back, resting his nose in Donghyuck's hair. "I'm sorry it has to be this way," he muttered.

"It's alright," Donghyuck assured him again. Maybe there were still some battles left for him to fight. But it was nice to know that he wouldn't be alone afterwards.

 

 

The opportunity to talk to Renjun came sooner than Jeno might've hoped for.

After he had washed up from his classes and returned to his hut it didn't take long for Renjun to show up. Usually the sight of the omega would fill him with nothing but joy - but after his parents' urgent words he almost dreaded having a quiet moment with him.

Only adding to his inner conflict Renjun was carrying a small bundle in his arms, wrapped neatly with a cute ribbon on top. It was blatantly obvious that it was another courting gift, if not than Renjun pink cheeks and coy smile as he walked up to him gave it away.

"Hey," the omega said sheepishly. "How was your day?"

Awkwardly he ran a hand through his hair. "Erm...fine, yeah, considering everything," Jeno replied and Renjun nodded understandingly. A short exhale left him before he reached out his hands, pressing the bundle into Jeno's arms and dropping his gaze to the floor.

"Yeah, uhm...that's for you," he explained perhaps a bit unnecessarily, brushing his hair back flustered.

Despite his inner turmoil of worries Jeno felt deep happiness as he received the courting gift. It was nice to know Renjun thought about him, cared enough about him to prepare something for him. Sadly, it would only make the talk they needed to have soon harder.

"Thank you," Jeno smiled earnestly, slowly pulling at the string that formed a ribbon.

Amazement filled him when a few embroidered cloths came to light. The material might've been a bit rough, not as delicate as the fabric Jeno was used to from the castle, but the stitching work was of high quality. The colors were vivid and bright, forming different pictures of nature - golden leaves and red roses.

"They're beautiful," Jeno said gratefully as he inspected them one by one, letting them glide through his fingers. "You're so good at these things. I think you must be a saint for not laughing at me back then when I wasn't even capable of doing my own laundry."

Renjun ducked his head, feeling a bit shy from being complimented so openly. "You weren't that bad," he mumbled, quite opposite to what he had said back when they had first met.

 Jeno snorted. "I was a mess," he corrected truthfully and Renjun giggled lightly, raising his gaze so their eyes could meet.

There was an almost electric connection between them - and like two magnets being attracted to one another Renjun slowly closed the small distance between them, slinging his arms around Jeno's neck, bringing his head down.

"Well, you are much better now," Renjun bit down on his lip.

Maybe the last bit of Jeno's brain tried to act reasonable and told him that he needed to talk to Renjun about something serious - but the much bigger part was screaming loudly at him to just dive in and kiss the lovely omega in front of him.

There wasn't even a question which competing side won.

By now kissing Renjun was something that felt very familiar to him. But that didn't make it any less intense of an experience.

With every short gasp that left Renjun's mouth, with each lick against his lips and each sound that even just resembled a moan Jeno got more riled up. The desire for one another had always been there, omnipotent and never-leaving, only controlled by their own restriction. But it got harder and harder to resist the more often they gave in to these passionate needs of lust.

Even through the thin layer of Renjun clothes every part of the omega felt alluringly soft and the urge to touch every single inch of that pure skin was growing inside of Jeno with each kiss that they shared. Luckily Renjun seemed to have similar thoughts, pressing his body impossibly close against Jeno's - not even a single sheet of paper would've fit between them at this point.

A dirty grunt left Jeno's mouth when Renjun's hands brushed over his scent glands in passing, only to squeeze his biceps in a display of pure want.

The temperature in his hut was suddenly thrice as hot as it had been just minutes ago, only their desperate sounds and quick breaths filling the silence. Teasing cold fingers slipped underneath Jeno's shirt and without thinking much about it he slipped it over his head and mindlessly threw it to the ground. A high whimper fell from Renjun's lips as Jeno hooked his arms around his waist and their bodies clashed forcefully back together, his hands now resting on the alpha's naked skin. But Jeno was quick to silence his whines with kisses that made both of their minds float around, the only thought occupying them the need for each other.

There were sparks flying around them when Renjun separated from him to gasp for air. Jeno shivered when he noticed the dangerous glint in Renjun's eyes - not breaking eye contact the omega reached for his own shirt, about to lift it.

Suddenly something kicked in for Jeno and he grabbed after Renjun's wrist, stopping him from undressing.

"Wait," he breathed out, head still a bit fuzzy and Renjun's confident gaze wavered.

With an unsure expression Renjun let go of his shirt.

"We...uhm...we need to talk," Jeno tried to form somewhat sensible sentences, but the lack of oxygen in his brain was making it hard for him to think about anything that wasn't related to the seductive scent of vanilla that Renjun emitted.

The omega's expression brightened however, the insecurity disappearing and making way for something calm and understanding. "Yeah, you're right." 

Jeno almost made a questionable noise of surprise at these words. Had Renjun already guessed what conversation Jeno had wanted to have?

"H-huh?" Was what ended up coming out of his mouth.

Renjun smiled fondly, taking a step back. "Obviously, we need to have a serious talk."

Jeno blinked confused. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad if Renjun was already having similar thoughts?

In an almost pragmatic fashion Renjun turned around to pick up his shirt from the floor before taking a seat in Jeno's furs. A bit embarrassed Jeno quickly put his clothes back on and joined Renjun, who had patted the spot beside him invitingly.

"So, uhm, actually I wanted to talk to you about this for quite some time now. You know, with summer getting closer and graduation," Renjun opened up.

"Really? You too?" Jeno asked pleasantly surprised.

Renjun shrugged. "I mean, it will be heat season soon...so of course it's on my mind," the omega replied and Jeno's jaw almost dropped to the floor at the sudden turn this had taken.

"H-heat season?" He wheezed and Renjun gave him a mildly disturbed look.

"Surely they've taught you about heats at the castle, right?" He asked pretty nonchalantly as Jeno's face burned up to the temperature of a thousand suns burning.

"Uhm...I do...I know...I've been taught...-" he stuttered helplessly. 

Renjun let out a long sigh. "Listen, it's just-" he interrupted Jeno’s rambling before it could get any worse and his brain would completely shut off. "I really like you. And we're two adults. Of course we're starting to get intimate with each other, that's only natural."

A big realization hit Jeno like a rock to the face. So that was what Renjun had wanted to talk about. Considering what they had just been doing, that made a lot more sense.

"So, as you probably know every omega goes through a heat in summer," Renjun kept talking, deciding it would be better if he took over the conversation on his own. "And I think at this point in our relationship we should be open about these things, right?"

"Y-yeah, totally!" Jeno agreed a bit clumsy - but he did want Renjun to feel comfortable enough around him to express any of his thoughts and feelings. "We're adults, after all."

Renjun eyes lightened up in delight. "Okay, so, I really like it when we kiss. And when we touch. And your scent," Renjun revealed and Jeno felt like his soul would leave him any minute now and bring him to heaven. "And maybe that I gifted you cloths had...a bit of an ulterior motive."

"I like...I like all that, too, yeah, you're really great," Jeno quickly replied and Renjun gave him a flattered smile. "So, uhm, what about the cloths?"

A rosy blush rose to Renjun’s cheeks. "Well, I thought, if you are comfortable, and only if you are comfortable with that, you could scent them for me before my heat hits so I could have them with me?" The omega suggested. 

Yeah, that was it - wave goodbye to Jeno's soul.

No, he should at least try to be mature about this. Renjun deserved having this sort of conversation with a functioning adult. No matter how stupid his alpha was going at all these thoughts of Renjun in heat and Renjun liking his scent and Renjun, Renjun, Renjun.

"Of course, I'd love to do that," Jeno answered and then regretted his word choice right away. He'd love to scent cloths for Renjun's heat? What was wrong with him?

At least Renjun didn't seem too weirded out.

"Great, thank you. I think that will help out a lot with the heat pain," Renjun smiled, reaching for his hand and squeezing it softly.

"N-no problem," Jeno answered, only for his voice to crack in the end. Could the ground just please open and swallow him so he would stop embarrassing himself?

But Renjun still smiled, even leaning over to leave a fleeting kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks," he said before getting up. "I have to leave now. But I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

To be safe Jeno only nodded and waved until Renjun had really left his hut.

With a miserable huff he let his body drop into his fur, ripping at his hair in frustration. Why was he such a mess? And he hadn't even talked about what he had wanted to talk about...

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!
:
AHH, CHILD dropped today - I don't feel worthy of sharing this release date >.<
It's soooo goood - if I didn't have to study, I'd be listening to it all day. Mark truly is an artist.

Anyways, leave me a comment if you want to? :)
Thank you so much for reading, stay safe and healthy always :3

Chapter 23: Borders and Boundaries

Notes:

Hey, glad you found your way back :)
Enjoy :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Metaphorical thunder erupted through their hut as Donghyuck slapped the permission slip on the dinner table. Both his parents raised their eyebrows, both just back from their duties and looking forward to enjoying a quiet evening.

His father reacted first, leaning over the table to inspect the piece of paper. "What's that?"

"I need your signature to join the guard," Donghyuck stated coldly and his mother snorted in disbelief.

"You're an adult, sign that yourself if you want to join so badly," she huffed exasperatedly.

"I would, but I need your permission since I'm not graduated yet," Donghyuck laid out the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

"So what? It's like three weeks until you graduate?" His mother sneered. "I don't think the guard is that picky about age at the moment anyways. They need every support they can get."

His father seemed equally baffled after he had scanned over the paper, but remained silent.

"They're not picky about age," Donghyuck agreed with his mother. "They're picky about gender."

That made his mother snap her head around. "What?" She asked in a low tone that made a chill run down Donghyuck's back. "They're making us sign this because you're an omega?"

"Officially it's because of the graduation thing," Donghyuck pointed out. "But yeah, actually it's about that, since nobody else got that kind of permission slip to bring to their parents."

His mother rose to her full height, anger making her sweet omega pheromones turn sour. "Those bastards!" She growled dangerously. Donghyuck was actually relieved to not be at the receiving end of that wrath for once.

"Calm down. We can just sign this and he can join," his father tried to be reasonable about the situation.

However, calm was the last thing Donghyuck would use to describe her in that second. "Listen, Donghyuck, I'm not over the moon about you joining the guard like that - we both know I'd rather have you close and safe here in the pack," his mother disregarded her mate. "But I'm not gonna let some morons take that decision away from you. My son should be able to make all the stupid decisions himself, if it's the last thing he does."

For a second Donghyuck was completely dumbfounded. The last thing he had expected from his mother was to stand up for him like that - he had very much known about her concerns over him joining guard training. Hell, he maybe even considered her to not sign the permission slip to force him to choose a safer profession. But this...maybe the frustration of some omegas was bigger than he had always assumed.

"It's fine, mom, really," he found himself in the very weird position to console his mother about the subtle discrimination against their kind, even though their roles had been reversed all through his teenage years.

His mother was still seething, but after a few deep inhales and exhales she seemed to collect herself again.

"Donghyuck, bring me a stupid pen. I'm gonna sign that stupid paper a hundred times if that gives you the right to do what you want," she said - her whole aura was still a bit scary so Donghyuck was glad to have an excuse to put some distance between them.

Quickly he brought a pen to the table and his mother signed so harshly that her knuckles started to turn white from how tightly she was clutching her fists.

His father gave him a thin smile as he put his signature next to hers. "Don't let them bring you down, boy," he said as he handed the document to him, patting his back encouragingly. "You're fighting for the right thing."

"Thanks," Donghyuck replied, for some reason feeling weirdly emotional all of a sudden. He supposed knowing that he had his parent's full support in this fight was kind of nice. Especially since they had been arguing about these issues a lot and Donghyuck more than often had considered himself alone on his side.

His mother was still steaming when he headed to bed that night. Maybe Donghyuck had initiated more change than he had previously thought.

 

It was still humiliating as he stomped past his peers the next morning to hand over his permission slip like a little kid. But he took the blow with the preparedness and courage that he knew would be the biggest revenge to the people that had done this to him.

Mark was giving him a proud smile when he returned to his side and Donghyuck felt all his anger subside at the sight. His father was right. He was fighting for the right thing.

"Everybody shift and follow me. Don't slack off and don't get lost on the way," was the only instruction they got before the head guard transformed into wolf form and surged away through the forest.

Quickly all the new guards chased after him, trying to keep on his track.

With every stride he took Donghyuck felt his heart pound faster. Soon they were beyond the grounds he knew like the back of his hand, beyond the hunting grounds and the sunflower fields.

Donghyuck had known that their territory was wide before, but actually exploring it, reaching for the borders, was showing him just how much he had never seen before.

If he could trust his orientation sense they were heading to the south west border. The trees were a lot less dense and dark the farther they ran - the thick firs and spruces making way for light birches.

How come he had never explored these grounds on his own?

To his right Mark's eyes were constantly flickering between Donghyuck and the new environment around them, wanting to watch both of them equally. It was quite adorable to see Mark's curiosity.

 

They ran for a whole hour until their pace slowly started to fade out. The first wolves in the far front were already beginning to shift back, following the head guard’s example.

On a huge clearing a few more old guards had gathered, the royal crest shining in stunning red on their chests. This must be all the experienced guards that had served for the royal family and their pack for years. You usually didn't get to see them often, as most of them resided in special quarters near the castle, which took almost a day's travel from the pack village by foot.

They were standing in neat and tidy rows as if waiting for something.

Mark and Donghyuck uncertainly joined their peers that had started to form a row on their own behind the other guards.

Suddenly the earth started vibrating, the sound of hooves coming closer resonating through the forest, announcing the arrival of a horse and its rider.

Donghyuck wondered in silence as he furrowed his brows - who would come here by horse? It couldn't be their chief, could it?

The sound got louder with each second, and soon Donghyuck was able to make out the pattering of paws as well.

With a long jump a gray horse surged ahead through the bushes, riding a big circle around them before coming to a halt with a loud snort. A big group of wolves with light gray or sandy fur came rushing behind, shifting smoothly in their run.

Instead of the red crest that adorned the gear of the Solaris pack, they had a light blue embellishment on their armor.

Of course, Donghyuck realized as the newly arrived guards got into position in front of the horse. The Lunaris pack.

 

With smooth elegance the person on top of the horse slid out of the saddle, patting the horse's neck in a gentle fashion.

Then the man turned to face the group of guards, his gaze dead serious for a second, before he began smirking.

"Well, glad to finally meet some new faces. I almost began to think the Solaris pack was scamming us when they said they were training a special force, with how long they’ve been holding out on us," the man said and light chuckling erupted within the group.

The man was striding up and down the rows, checking out all the new guards - Donghyuck felt his hands get clammy when his eyes rested on him for a while longer. To his relief the evaluating expression morphed into a friendly smile as they made eye contact.

Finally, the man went to the head guard of the Solaris pack, standing side by side in front of their guards.

Donghyuck's breath hitched - only now did he realize how short the man was in comparison to their own head guard, how gentle his physical features were. An omega - it shot through his head.

"For those who don't know me - I'm Kun. I'm sort of the right hand man to our leaders Doyoung and Taeyong, but my main purpose is to watch over the guard and coordinate the cooperation between the Lunaris and the Solaris pack," Kun introduced himself.

Kun. Donghyuck had heard of that name before, but he had never seen the man with his own two eyes. Nonetheless had he known that Kun was an omega in charge of the guard.

"Don't worry if you're new here, we came up with a plan to slowly ease you into your guard duties," Kun kept talking and Donghyuck felt very delighted that their own head guard had his mouth tightly shut, obviously lower in rank than Kun. "Which does not mean that you don't have to give it your all. Both packs rely on you keeping them safe."

An exciting tingle was making Donghyuck's fingers tense with the urge to finally help. He had trained hard for this and now he could finally make use of this hard-earned opportunity.

"But let's not waste more time. We're gonna pair you up in teams of two. One experienced guard with a new one. Listen to your partner and pay attention to your surroundings. You have to trust one another that you'll have each other’s back in case of an attack," Kun explained how they would proceed. "This is your first day on shift, so you'll relieve the night guard once you arrive at your position and keep watch until the evening."

True to his words Kun did not waste anymore time. Efficiently he sorted them into teams of two, making rounds and matching them together.

Mark gave Donghyuck a small wave and an encouraging smile as Kun grabbed him by his wrist and dragged him off to a guard member of the Lunaris pack.

It made him a bit nervous to be separated from Mark all of a sudden - until now all his hunting and guard training had been together with the alpha. But Donghyuck knew that being nervous would only bring his own downfall. He needed to concentrate and believe in his skills.

"Hey," Kun said quietly as he went up to Donghyuck to lead him to his new partner.

Now close to the leader it was blatantly obvious by the sweet rose scent that Kun was an omega. How hadn't he noticed right away?

The leader stretched his neck, obviously looking for a particular person. "I feel like the alphas gave you a hard time," Kun whispered slyly, eyes lighting up when he found who he had been looking for. "So I'm gonna pair you off with one of our best."

Donghyuck didn't know what to reply to that. Ever since Kun had started smiling and lightly joking around with them he came to the conclusion that the Lunaris pack must handle things differently. Hearing Kun just nonchalantly calling out alphas in a criticizing way was almost like a culture shock to him. And it only got better.

"Shotaro, you'll take care of him, right?" Kun tapped a guard of the Lunaris pack on his shoulder and the addressed wolf turned around.

He was smiling brightly before giving Kun a firm nod, who went off to pair up the last few remaining guards.

Donghyuck couldn't believe his own eyes. Another omega hunter!

"Hey, I'm Shotaro," his partner introduced himself softly. But Donghyuck's brain was still trying to catch up with the fact that Shotaro was an omega.

"Err..," he blinked eloquently. "Erm...Uhhh...-"

Shotaro raised his eyebrows in mild concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just-," Donghyuck tried to collect himself. "I've never met another omega in the guard."

"Oh," Shotaro's eyes widened. "Right, they don't really do that in Solaris, I remember."

Donghyuck smiled crookedly. "Yeah, no, not really." 

"Well, they're a few of us in the Lunaris guard. Of course it's mainly alphas, I think most omegas don't really like this kind of work, but I quite enjoy it," Shotaro shrugged and excited Donghyuck looked around the guard with the blue crests.

Again - how hadn't he noticed right away? Judging by only their appearance Donghyuck could make out at least three more omegas!

"That's...wow," Donghyuck breathed out stunned.

"I feel like we're going to get along," Shotaro commented with a smirk. "If you'd only tell me your name...?"

Immediately Donghyuck stopped his fascinated staring, giving Shotaro an apologetic smile. "Donghyuck, sorry, yeah, I'm Donghyuck," the Solaris guard introduced himself.

Shotaro winked at him. "Well, I'll make sure to show you the ropes. Just follow my lead." 

Donghyuck almost exploded with giddiness.

 

The actual guard duty wasn't as exciting. Shotaro shifted and led them even further out, where they took over for two other guys. After that it was mostly strolling up and down their assigned area, listening closely and being watchful of their surroundings.

A few hours passed and the summer sun was burning down on them. Donghyuck wiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm, dampening his protective gear a little.

"Hey, why do we do this in human form?" Donghyuck asked as he stretched his back. His legs were starting to tense up from the long period of standing. "Aren't our senses better as wolves?"

"Yeah, but it's also easier to smell you," Shotaro explained. "Since we're only the first guard to pass, we'll remain in human form so the Noctis pack or any rogues won't track down our location by our scent. There's a second guard that's closer to our packs that stays in wolf form. They do the chasing if we report to them that someone has passed our borders."

Donghyuck made a curious noise. "There's a second guard?" He asked - their job sounded a lot more interesting than what they were doing. "Do we get to do that too, sometime?"

 Shotaro smiled when he saw Donghyuck's eyes lighten up. "Yeah, we usually rotate after a week," he told him. "You seem way more excited about that than the average guard," he commented amused when Donghyuck’s grin widened even further.

"Well, I worked hard for this," Donghyuck pointed out. Probably harder than the average guard, he added in his head.

Shotaro started frowning. "Is it really that bad as an omega in the Solaris pack?" He asked cautiously, obviously having understood the implication behind these words. "I mean, I know you are a bit more traditional than we are..."

"No...I mean," Donghyuck answered quickly, trying to find fitting words. He didn't want to portray the Solaris pack in a negative light when considering most things, they were pretty progressive. "We do have a lot of traditions, that's right. But mostly they are very fun and respectful. Just...some stereotypes are harder to break than others."

Shotaro hummed in thought. "I think I get it," he muttered. "Some alphas can be idiots."

Donghyuck snorted at the simple but accurate conclusion.

"Well, I think it's cool that you are doing whatever you want, though," Shotaro said with an encouraging pat on his back. It felt kind of nice to hear that from a fellow omega.

 

For the rest of their shift they continued to chat lightly with each other - as much as their duty as guards would allow them to. One time Donghyuck swore he had heard something rustle in the bushes, but when they went to take a look, it had only been a stray squirrel.

In the evening, just as the sun was starting to set, two new guards came to relieve them and Shotaro and him swiftly shifted before returning to the clearing they had all gathered on this morning.

Tired and eager to get back home Shotaro bid him a short goodbye before heading south, where Donghyuck assumed the Lunaris pack to be.

Donghyuck himself decided to stay behind and wait for Mark, who soon made his way out of the forest in companion of another wolf with light gray fur.

"Hey, how was your day?" Mark asked as he shifted back and the gray wolf had followed to where Shotaro had run to only minutes ago.

Donghyuck couldn’t hide his happiness. "Awesome!" He exclaimed excitedly. "I mean, pretty boring, since nothing happened, but you know - I met another omega guard!"

Mark immediately began smiling brightly, matching his own mood to Donghyuck's. "Yeah, I've noticed they do have a few of them in Lunaris."

"Which shows that it's possible," Donghyuck told him exhilarated. The existence of people like Shotaro, to whom it was so natural to be in the guard as an omega, was living proof that Donghyuck was not fighting for a farfetched fantasy. No, it was already a reality. A reality that was very achievable.

"I'm very happy for you," Mark said, and the emotion in his eyes seemed genuine. "But I'm also completely spent. And we still have a long way home."

"Yeah, you're right," Donghyuck agreed. "Let's get home first and then we can talk some more."

Mark seemed surprised for a second by that plan - but very pleasantly so. His eyes sparkled as he watched Donghyuck transform in front of him, before quickly following suit.

 

The way back seemed even farther than this morning. Every muscle in his body was starting to ache, exhausted straight to the bone. He was glad that he had Mark by his side, because without him it wouldn't have been too unlikely for him to get distracted in his tiredness and lose his track in the woods. Mark seemed to be level headed, though, continuously checking up on him as they surged past the branches and bushes.

Not wanting to be a burden, Donghyuck tried his best to keep up and not slow them down, pulling the last energy of his cells together.

When he slowly started to recognize his surroundings again he was more than relieved. Soon they passed the sunflower fields and the first huts started to appear on the horizon.

They arrived at Mark's hut first, the alpha melting back to his human shape as they stood in front of his door.

"Should I walk you home?" Mark offered as he waited for Donghyuck's transformation to be complete.

"No," Donghyuck said, shaking his limbs once. His legs were straining from the long run.

Mark looked slightly disappointed by the response, ducking his head as he nodded.

"No, I meant," Donghyuck corrected himself quickly when he noticed Mark’s demeanor. "I need to take a bath. And then I thought...I'd come back here to stay the night?"

Mark's head immediately snapped back up.

"Yes!" He said eagerly and Donghyuck giggled at his uncontained happiness. Mark cleared his throat sheepishly. "Err, I mean, yeah, sure... cool, very cool with me, if you'd like that. You can always stay here."

"Give me half an hour to freshen up, okay?" Donghyuck said with a soft chuckle and Mark bit down on his lip to stop himself from spurting any more embarrassing nonsense.

Skipping lightly Donghyuck headed off, hurrying to his parents’ hut to grab some fresh clothes and a towel. Before leaving for the lake he wrote his parents a quick note that he wouldn't be coming home tonight for them to find later, so they wouldn't be worried.

 

Despite having run so much already Donghyuck still took a leap into the cold lake, feeling his body scream in joy as the soothing water engulfed him.

The refreshing sensation made him feel alive, completely ridding himself from any form of tiredness. This had been a nearly perfect day. A sly smile crept onto his face when his thoughts drifted towards Mark, who was probably waiting for him in his hut already. Maybe he should take this chance to end this day in utter perfection.

 

His hair was still slightly dripping on his light shirt, making it appear even more transparent in the blue moonlight. Quietly he opened the door to Mark's hut, stealing himself inside.

"Mark?" He whispered into the silence, but nobody replied - had Mark fallen asleep already?

Slowly he trod further, knocking against the door of Mark's bedroom, but not a single noise was heard. With slight hesitancy he pushed the door open, but the room was empty, no sight of Mark anywhere.

An unnerving feeling shot through Donghyuck's bones - nothing could’ve happened to Mark in the short time they had been apart, could it?

But then the front door opened and the alpha shuffled inside, hair also wet and upper body bare - only a loose towel draped over his shoulders.

"Hyuck!" Mark spluttered with wide eyes once he spotted him, trying to cover up his chest but failing miserably as he dropped the towel onto the floor in surprise. "I didn't know you were back already!"

"Yeah, I hurried," Donghyuck explained, finding it hard to look at Mark's face and not the sudden display of smooth skin.

"Uhmm, I'm sorry...let me...let me put something on," Mark muttered sheepishly, ears a hot pink as he noticed Donghyuck's not so subtle ogling.

"Or I could lose some clothes as well," Donghyuck suggested teasingly, wiggling his eyebrows. You could almost see the engine in Mark's head explode.

Biting down on his lips Donghyuck took a few strides across the room until he was only centimeters away from the alpha, who visibly gulped as Donghyuck stepped into his personal space.

"You smell good," Donghyuck commented boldly, the potent scent of cinnamon laying on Mark's naked skin intoxicatingly.

"Y-you...too. Yeah, I love watermelons," Mark swallowed nervously, lips painfully dry as he licked over them.

"You weren't so shy a few days ago," Donghyuck teased him, playfully brushing his fingertips over Mark's arms, before wandering up to his biceps and shoulders. He ducked his head in feigned innocence - only to look up at Mark through his eyelashes.

Every muscle in Mark's body was strained and tense as he tried to control himself and not lunge at Donghyuck right this second. However, the omega was making it extra hard for him, sucking on his own lips only to make them appear even plumper and redder than they naturally were.

The cinnamon scent in the room became almost overbearingly thick and Donghyuck smirked as he sensed the shift in Mark.

He retreated his hands from Mark's chest and turned around. Calculatingly he began to seductively sway his hips as he walked away from him and to where Mark's furs were laying. Then he took a glance back over his shoulder, smiling teasingly at the older who was staring at him stunned - but the lust in his eyes was equally as prominent.

Effortlessly Donghyuck played with the seams of his shirt, before finally pulling it over his head and letting it slither to the ground.

The next second he was engulfed by a strong pair of arms - took him long enough.

Mark was resting his hands protectively around his waist as he lowered his head to Donghyuck's neck, taking a deep inhale.

With a soft gasp, Donghyuck let his head fall back against Mark's shoulder, baring his neck and pressing their naked skin against each other.

It was hot where they touched, electrifyingly so, as every cell of his that was in contact with Mark sent little sparks traveling up and down his spine.

"Donghyuck," Mark growled lowly and Donghyuck shivered at the pleasure Mark’s voice alone was making him feel.

Slow, sensual kisses were being placed on his neck as Mark sucked his way down to his shoulder and Donghyuck couldn't stay still at the thrilling sensation, breathing speeding up uncontrollably as he continued to wriggle around in Mark's hold that only tightened in return.

Once he reached a certain spot on his shoulder Mark's sweet ministrations stopped and Donghyuck whined at the loss of Mark's lips on his skin.

Confused, he turned around to ask Mark why he stopped - but the question answered itself as he found Mark's eyes fixated on the scar that decorated his entire left arm up to his shoulder.

It had faded quite a lot since his initial injury, only a thin red line reminding him of that one fateful attack that - in some sense - had started this all. Until today Donghyuck had been quite happy with the way it had healed, invisible to the eyes if you weren't too close to him. But Mark was close and his dark eyes were fixated on the one blemish on his otherwise untarnished golden skin.

Self-consciously Donghyuck pulled away from Mark, covering the scar up the best he could with his hands.

"No," Mark immediately protested, grabbing after his hand and prying it away from his blemished skin.

"Really? I could...I could put my shirt back on..." Donghyuck said, lowering his head timidly.

"No," Mark repeated firmly, before he reconnected his lips with his neck, sucking lightly on the exact spot his scar started.

"Y-you don't have to-" Donghyuck mumbled as Mark began to kiss his way along the scar, following the trace down to his little finger.

He lifted his hand up, connecting their gazes with each other with intensity, before he pressed four more kisses to each of his knuckles.

"You're beautiful," Mark whispered enthralled and Donghyuck’s breath hitched as he gently moved him closer, putting his arms back around his waist. "It just reminded me of my failure."

"Your failure?" Donghyuck questioned, irritated - in his memory Mark had been his savior that day.

"My failure to protect you," Mark elaborated with a scratchy voice.

 Donghyuck rolled his eyes. "Seriously? I thought we went over that - it was not your fault," the omega told him with a frown.

"Yeah, I know," Mark nodded. "I still don't think I deserve to be kissing you as I am now. But I don't think anyone will ever be worthy of kissing you. Every inch of you is painfully beautiful, Donghyuck, and I want to worship it with my whole being so much. It rips me apart."

"N-now you're just saying corny nonsense," Donghyuck retorted flustered.

"No, I mean every word," Mark said seriously, leaning closer to his ear. "Let me show you that I'm telling the truth."

Mark's whisper was making goosebumps appear all over Donghyuck's body.

He fluttered his eyes at Mark impatiently. "What are you waiting for?" The omega replied breathlessly.

As if that had been his cue, Mark roughly manhandled them to the floor, laying Donghyuck on top of his furs.

Suddenly Mark's lips were everywhere, licking into his mouth, coaxing out sounds of pleasure, at his neck, sucking harshly, creating red love bites that would take a while to fade away. Teasingly his teeth crazed at the crook of his neck, where a mating bite would traditionally be placed. Letting go of his restraints Donghyuck bucked his hips up to get some friction, but Mark's strong hands were holding him down around his waist.

Frustrated, he pulled Mark's head back up to his lips, kissing him harshly, but Mark had other plans than to indulge in Donghyuck's kisses. Pinning his hands down beside him he licked his way down to Donghyuck's chest.

The omega's breath hitched as his tongue began to trace over his chest, his torso rising and falling rapidly at the wet but pleasing sensation.

A high whine left his lips, mouth falling open as Mark bit down gently, only to lick over in apology. Desperately he moved his hips again, throwing his neck back and this time Mark didn't stop him.

Kissing his way back up to Donghyuck's mouth the omega was distracted by Mark's lips so much that he almost didn't notice the hand that sneaked its way from the inside of his thighs to his crotch.

"Mark!" He called out completely consumed by desire when Mark pressed down, clawing his hands in Mark's hair and burying his face in Mark's neck, where the scent of cinnamon was the strongest, clouding his senses.

The alpha wore a smug expression on his face as he slipped his fingers underneath Donghyuck's waistband. The sight in front of him was absolutely breathtaking - Donghyuck had never been more beautiful than in this second, completely unraveled and painted with his affection. But then again, Donghyuck had never been more beautiful to him the second before that, and the second before that. His beauty was growing exponentially to infinity and Mark had never been able to keep up with it other than to bow down in front of the omega and worship him like the sun he was.

Hands traveling from Donghyuck's front to his back he hesitantly caressed Donghyuck's butt, watching the omega's reaction carefully. Falling apart even more, the omega pressed his hips down against Mark's touch eagerly.

His legs trembled and threatened to close around Mark as the alpha started prodding his hole, gathering some of the slick that had formed with his finger, making the slide smooth and pleasurable. The omega was shaking in pleasure, gasping for air as soft moans echoed through Mark's hut.

Everything was hot around them, hot skin pressed tightly against each other, hot sweat running down their bodies, hot breaths mingling.

It was burning in a way that made you delirious, crazy enough to crave even more heat.

Mark was groaning as he began to move on top of Donghyuck, thrusting his hips and fingers in identical rhythms.

With quivering hips Donghyuck was pushed over the edge, clutching his hands around Mark's hair as he pulled the alpha down on him. Mark growled, taking only a few more thrusts - the combination of Donghyuck's alluring scent and the hot touch of their skin enough to follow suit.

 

Breaths heavy, they remained in each other's arms. Their pants were filling the charged silence between them, fast heartbeats slowly syncing up as they reveled in their closeness.

 

"What was that?" Donghyuck breathed out stunned when Mark moved away from on top of him. His whole body was still shaking, lungs rising and falling with air as he tried to catch his breath and come down from the adrenaline rush.

"W-why?" Mark asked with a sore voice, clearing his throat awkwardly. He was avoiding eye contact, fiddling with his hands nervously and nibbling at his lip - a complete opposite to the man that had just kissed him so passionately. "Was that bad?"

"Are you kidding me?" Donghyuck laughed out in disbelief. "Warn a guy before you do that."

Mark's shy demeanor vanished in the blink of an eye, instead a satisfied grin took over on his face.

"You want a drink?" He asked boyishly, a hand brushing through his messy hair as he sat up properly.

"That's the least you can do," Donghyuck replied, still in the middle of recovering, cheeks rosy and eyes hazed.

Mark giggled sweetly as he scrambled to his feet, leaving to get them some water.

"Goodness, Mark Lee," Donghyuck exhaled to himself, staring at the ceiling in complete bliss.



 

 

Jeno was striding up and down the orphanage, chewing on his lips that were bleeding red already. The gazes of a few omegas were glued to his back, whispering in hushed voices - but Jeno's mind was not concerned with any of them.

His thoughts were rushing wildly with anxiety of what was to come. But there was no time left to postpone. They would graduate by the end of next week and he wanted to give Renjun at least a few days to think about their future properly. He had to do this now, otherwise it would be too late and he would miss his chance. And Renjun was too precious to just leave behind like that.

"Prince Jeno!" Someone called out for him and Jeno was about to politely dismiss them, too frazzled for small talk - but he luckily stopped himself when he recognized who had spoken to him. "Are you looking for someone?"

Sicheng was smiling knowingly as he approached him in front of the orphanage door. Jeno immediately stood up a bit straighter - he knew that Sicheng was like family to Renjun. Even if he didn't have to seek permission from any parents, Sicheng's approval was probably the next best thing.

"Renjun's not in there. He's still in the tailoring hut," Sicheng let him know and Jeno was about to nod thankfully, when the omega grabbed his wrist. "Why don't you keep me company while we wait for him?"

"Oh, I don't know...-" Jeno started an excuse but Sicheng cocked an eyebrow. "I mean, I'd love to! If it's no trouble."

Sicheng smiled pleased. "Not at all," he said, opening the door for them and dragging the prince behind him like a little puppy. With a loud clonk the heavy door fell shut behind them and Sicheng's friendly smile turned serious. "Besides, I wanted to have a little chat with you for a while. And in here we don't have an unwanted audience."

Jeno gulped in fear.

"W-what do you want to talk to me about?" The alpha asked hesitantly.

"Renjun, obviously," Sicheng pointed out, leading him through the entrance and bedroom to a secluded corner with some spare furs where they could sit down.

Uncertainly Jeno took a cross legged seat opposite of Sicheng, folding his hands in his lap.

"W-what about him?" He pried cautiously.

"That's what I'm asking you," Sicheng retorted. "You're serious about him, right?"

"Yes! Yes, Renjun...I care deeply for him," Jeno quickly confirmed, playing with open cards from the very beginning.

 Sicheng squinted his eyes at him. "So I suppose you want to take him to the castle with you?" 

Jeno's chest tightened - seemed like he wasn't the only one thinking about this huge step they were about to take.

"T-that's why I'm here," Jeno disclosed honestly. "We haven't really spoken about what would happen after I return to the castle. I want him there with me, but I'm not going to force him to leave his life here behind."

Sicheng hummed in approval. "Very noble," he commented, but Jeno saw in his eyes that there was more to this conversation. "Well, in the end it's up to Renjun, but if he should decide to go with you, I need to request one thing from you."

There it was. 

"Anything you want," Jeno's generosity for Renjun transferred to Sicheng without question.

Suddenly the tough act of the omega dropped like a curtain, revealing the real and genuine concern of an older brother. "Take good care of him. Don't hurt him, please," Sicheng said almost pleadingly. "Renjun is strong and brave and he can withstand a lot. You can punch and punch and punch and Renjun will be hurt - but he will still be alive in the end."

"I-"

"He's gonna need your support, Jeno, more than anything. Renjun cares about everything, and he cares about everything too much. He's not gonna show you, but he's going to be overwhelmed and confused," Sicheng didn't let him come to word. His gaze was intense, piercing eyes staring down into Jeno's very soul. "Please don't let him sacrifice his happiness. Please, that's all I'm asking of you - promise me you'll take care of him. Make sure he doesn't get hurt."

For a second Jeno was speechless. Sicheng's plea was as heartwarming as it was heartbreaking.

"I promise you," was all he could say in the end and Sicheng nodded, the emotions slowly disappearing from his delicate features.

"I have your word," the omega said, both knowing just how much that meant for each of them.

Before either of them could resolve the heavy atmosphere around them with some light banter, the door to the orphanage fell open and shut once again. Renjun stepped inside, surprised to find Jeno and Sicheng sitting together.

The alpha gave him a tight lipped smile as Renjun approached him, sighing internally. Great, from one hard conversation right into the next one.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Renjun smiled brightly as he sat down next to him, swiftly brushing their finger against each other in a greeting. It was too tempting to just let that single touch distract him again.

"He was looking for you, so I decided to entertain him while we waited," Sicheng replied cheekily, brushing off his pants as he got back up. "I'm gonna leave you two alone then. You have a lot to talk about."

Renjun was sending Jeno a questioning look as Sicheng headed outside.

Jeno grinned nervously. "How was your day?"

"Fine," Renjun replied with a frown. "What did Sicheng mean? Do you have to tell me something?"

Yeah, he should've expected Renjun going all in right away, not indulging in his beating around the bush.

Jeno took a deep breath. Honesty had always been his strong suit. 

"We're graduating soon," Jeno decided to be upfront. The sooner they had this conversation, the better. They had been delaying it for way too long. "That means I'll be going back to the castle."

Suddenly avoiding eye-contact Renjun ducked his head. "I know…erm…yeah,” he muttered quietly.

Of course the omega wasn't stupid. He had known this moment would come, where they had to face the severity of their courting, the implications. Their future together.

Until now they had both been avoiding any of these topics - way too heavy for a fresh relationship like theirs. Why would you let go of the moments of easiness and happiness if you could just silence everything to death?

Now time had caught up to them. Very real choices had to be made.

"I want you to come with me," Jeno was the first one brave enough to break the tense silence. Uncertainly he studied Renjun's expression.

Renjun's breath hitched as he snapped his head up, eyes wide in surprise.

"Of course, only if you are fine with that. I'm sure we could make something else work as well if you're completely opposed to it-" Jeno interpreted Renjun's reaction as apprehension.

The omega quickly shook his head. "No... no... I'm just... you want me to come with you? You're...you're not just gonna stop seeing me?" Renjun intercepted him. Ever since he had started to court Jeno back that thought had been spooking around in the back of his head. There was no promise that Jeno would want to mate him - even though their courting could be considered successful until now.

"What do you mean stopping to see you?" Jeno asked perplexed.

Renjun bit down on his lip as he shrugged shyly, not having wanted to assume anything. 

Jeno sighed as he shuffled closer, taking both of Renjun's hands and connecting their gazes with intent. "I came here with the goal to find a mate, Renjun. You were aware of that, right?" Jeno said in a slow but gentle voice.

"Yes, of course," Renjun nodded - that had been clear the second Jeno's visit had been announced to them. "It's just...lots of couples break up after courting, afraid it'll not work out in the future...you know, when things get serious."

"I was serious about you from the very beginning, Renjun," Jeno told him with no hesitation. "But if you feel different, you have to tell me now."

"No, I feel...I really like you. I would've never courted you back if I didn't have feelings for you," Renjun assured him. "It's just...with you...being a prince..."

Finally the elephant in the room had been addressed. They had always been dancing around the very obvious consequences of Jeno being the future chief of their pack. For Renjun it had never really mattered in the first place if Jeno was a prince or not. In reality, however, it did matter.

"I know this might be intimidating for you right now," Jeno understood Renjun right away. "If you come with me to the castle it would imply to people that we're going to mate."

Alone speaking out the words made Jeno's skin tingle. The imagination of binding himself to Renjun for a lifetime enticing sparks in his soul that had never been there before.

"And if I'm your mate..." Renjun continued for him.

"You'd be chief of this pack," Jeno finished what Renjun was too afraid to even think about.

Renjun's head dropped, fiddling with Jeno's fingers. Jeno could basically see his thoughts running wildly.

"Hey," he gently nudged Renjun to look at him again. "I might seem like a lot at once. You don't have to decide now, you can have some time to think about it. But if you come along - I promise you, you won't have to do it all alone. I'll teach you, just how you taught me. I'll be there for you every step of the way."

Sicheng's words still fresh in his mind Jeno felt like it was his most important duty to protect Renjun from anything. If the omega would let him.

"No," Renjun said and Jeno felt his heartbeat in his eardrums. "I don't need more time to think. I wanna come with you."

A weight as heavy as the sun fell off of Jeno's shoulders. Crinkling his eyes into crescents he beamed at Renjun.

"Really?" He exhaled out happily, slight disbelief swinging in his voice.

Renjun returned his smile. "Yes," he confirmed, taking a deep breath. "I might not know what this life entails. But whatever it is, I wanna do it with you."

Not able to contain his relief and excitement any longer Jeno took a quick glance around before swiftly leaning forward and pressing a chaste kiss to Renjun's lips.

Giggling Renjun playfully slapped Jeno against his chest.

Now he could only hope this all hadn't been one big mistake.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!
And thanks to my lovely beta Sunshine who gave me this chapter title :3

Sorry the update was a bit later today, I...had a busy day :)

Anyways, stay safe and healthy <3

Chapter 24: Graduation

Notes:

Hello :)
So, first of all I want to thank everybody for showing this story so much support until now. I really don't want to come across as ungrateful, I do appreciate every reader here, so please don't take this the wrong way :)

I just wanted to clarify this one and for all.

This story has TWO main couples: Noren AND Markhyuck. (I tagged both of them for a reason.)

That means that both ships will get their time in the spotlight equally. It does not mean that for every chapter they will get exactly the same amount of scenes.
I want this story to flow naturally and I don't want to add unnecessary scenes just for the sake of them.
I try to give both couples the quantity and quality of scenes that they deserve, to the best of my abilities.

I know not everybody is here for both ships and it can be frustrating if your preferred ship came a bit shorter lately. Just, please be patient - they will probably get more scenes again in the next updates. I love both Markhyuck and Noren equally, trust me, and I won't just neglect one for the other.

It's just that sometimes one ship will be more integral for the plot, and sometimes the other will. That's just how it's going to be. There's a lot going on in this story, and I'm trying my hardest here to balance everything so that it doesn't become overwhelming or confusing.

I know when you are asking for more content for a ship that you don't mean to hurt me with that comment and that you only do it because you love one ship so much. I understand, but at this point I can't change the story to feature one ship more, neither do I want to do that.

So, I hope you understand as well :)

Again, thank you so much for reading and showing this story the love it has gotten :3
Now, enough of my ranting, enjoy the new chapter <3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Renjun had imagined this day for years. The day he would finally be accepted as an adult, helping the pack strive and give back to the people who had given to him all his life.

Needless to say in none of his imaginations their pack had been in a crucial state of unstable peace. Neither had Prince Jeno been in any of his plans. Nor going to live in the castle.

When Jeno had proposed to come with him last week, he had been overwhelmed by mixed feelings - two conflicting sides fighting inside of him. Ultimately the side that so desperately wanted to be with Jeno had won him over - but how could he resist when Jeno had been looking at him so full of hope? Jeno was a dream he never dared to dream, an imagination that sometimes seemed too good to be true. How could he not just follow it when he was given the chance?

However, now that what initially seemed like a dream was slowly morphing into reality more and more - a reality that meant he’d be leaving the orphanage behind - doubts started to crawl into his mind.

Whenever he looked at Jeno, so confident in his own position, the thought that he would never measure up was forming in his mind. Wherever Jeno went, people would follow. They would look at him for advice, for counsel, for comfort. While Renjun could still see the insecurity in Jeno's eyes when someone would approach him with questions about the border security, the Noctis pack or anything safety related, the alpha carried himself greatly. Nobody ever suspected that Jeno was as uncertain as many of them felt.

With each day that passed Renjun noticed the self consciousness in Jeno's eyes disappear, his feigned act of complete confidence slowly becoming his reality. It had only been a matter of time.

After all, Jeno was a born leader.

 

Summer was fully hitting by now, the temperatures rising steadily with the weeks that passed. The sun was shining brightly when Renjun woke up the day of his graduation, causing the air in the orphanage to be unbearably sticky.

Under normal circumstances there would be a big feast for graduation to celebrate the next generation entering adulthood, but due to the current circumstances of impending danger in the mood for dancing and music.

The rumor that Jeno and he had started through Yangyang had for sure done its work and was still affecting the atmosphere in their pack. People had gotten more cautious, only traveling outside in groups of two or more. Parents had gotten more concerned about their children, especially their omega sons and daughters.

Summer time was heat time as well. Many of the young wolves would finally present, only making the parents of their pack more careful about leaving their children alone. 

Sicheng had gone into heat as well yesterday morning, which meant that he couldn't attend Renjun's graduation ceremony. At first Renjun had been a bit sad about that, but since there wasn't going to be a big celebration anyways, he supposed it wasn't too bad. Besides, he couldn't just make Sicheng's heat disappear. The omega had to wait the three days out in the designated heat rooms the orphanage provided for them, there was nothing he could change about that.

Heats were always straining, painful and boring. Omegas went through them every summer, locked away in safe spaces so they wouldn't accidentally trigger an alpha's rut. Renjun wished he would only have heats when triggered - but of course nature had to screw them over.

At least maybe having Jeno's scented blankets with him would make it a bit less insufferable.

The thought of the dark chocolate musk on Jeno's skin alone made Renjun feel hot underneath his collar. Whenever they kissed he was burning up with desire. During the night, images of Jeno on top of him made his head fuzzy and filled his dreams with unspeakable things.

His need for Jeno seemed to be growing each and every day. He wanted to have all of him. He wanted to give himself to the alpha fully.

Maybe it was his upcoming heat clouding his mind a little, but Renjun just wanted. He wanted so desperately.

That was a conversation for later, though.

First, they had to graduate.

                                                                                                                             

Most of his peers had made the effort to look nice for this day, clothes neat and hair brushed. Renjun had also put on the stunning necklace Jeno had given to him. This was a sign of maturing. He wanted to look the part.

Excited parents had gathered around the fire spot as well as some curious pack members that didn't have to work this early in the morning.

Renjun spotted Yangyang with his sisters and parents chattering excitedly. Donghyuck was standing in another corner with his parents, Mark awkwardly shuffling beside them. A sad smile crossed Renjun's face. Too bad Sicheng couldn't be here today.

"Hey, also all alone?" Someone suddenly sneaked up on him and Renjun startled in surprise, clutching his hand to his chest.

Jaemin was grinning at him cheekily, also in his best clothes. Renjun took a deep breath of relief, calming down his jittery heart.

"Oh, yeah, Sicheng's in heat," he explained and Jaemin hummed in understanding. "What about your parents? Aren't they coming?"

Jaemin's smile didn't falter, but his eyes lost some of their usual shine. "They're not really around currently. They have their duties."

Renjun frowned in compassion. "They couldn't have made it for today?"

"Well, it's not th-"

A festive horn interrupted Jaemin's answer and four horses galloped onto the marketplace.

Of course, the chief and chiefess were coming for this day. At least the chief came each year to conduct the ceremony. What was special about their arrival were the two white horses accompanying them that carried the two Lunaris leaders.

The chief slid down his saddle first, before helping his mate off the horse, who elegantly glided to the ground.

Doyoung and Taeyong jumped off with youthful ease, following the chief and chiefess of Solaris a few steps behind.

They smiled reassuringly as a few people began to surround them immediately. Politely they dismissed the crowd, walking up to Jeno, who greeted them with a short hug.

The prince was wearing the same red jacket he had worn for the Spring Dance, but in the bright daylight instead of the gloomy shine of the fire it looked even more vibrant. The golden buttons showing off his wealth while still being classy and subdued.

Renjun swallowed heavily as he took in the sight of Jeno's slightly unbuttoned white shirt underneath, revealing his sharp collar bones.

Jeno gave him a small wave when he picked him out in the crowd of people as his parents went to stand in front of the small gathering of graduating young adults and parents.

 

Everybody's whispers lapsed into silence when the chief cleared his throat. He opened his arms with a calm smile on his face.

"I'm so happy to see everybody happy and healthy on our return," he started speaking, voice as soothing and calm as ever. "I know we're not here today to discuss politics, but since I understand all of your concerns, I'm going to say a few words before we start the ceremony."

The chief had effectively gathered the attention of the entire pack on him. Slowly his warm smile faded away, making space for a more serious expression.

"Most of you probably want to know about the situation concerning the Noctis pack and possible future attacks. I can only reassure you all - our special force has successfully joined the guard and is patrolling around the clock at our borders."

The chief halted for a second, motioning over to Taeyong and Doyoung.

 "We are working closely together with the Lunaris pack. I know you are all worried, but as of right now we don't have any reason to assume any further attacks from the Noctis pack. As long as we stick together and trust each other, we are stronger - which means we are safe."

Low murmurs went through the small crowd, but they all shut down when the chiefess stepped forward, her eyes piercing, her presence captivating.

"We all appreciate your work for our pack. We will do our best to keep everybody safe - especially our omegas. You can trust that we are doing everything necessary to protect this pack and its people," she said, her words equally as sharp as they were calming. Nobody would ever dare to speak up against the beautiful omega woman.

The chief clapped in his hands once, effectively breaking the tension. "Enough of that now," he announced, his usual smile back on his face as he got out a long list. "Today we are here to welcome our youth into this pack, who are now old enough to fulfill their duties and provide for this pack."

The chief had always had an infectious nature, a gift admired by many of them. Soon his cheerful mood spread to the rest of them and the atmosphere of the people gathered shifted into a lighter one, matching the chief's warm and comforting aura.

One after another the chief began to call out each of their names and their future profession. Everybody who's been announced hurried up front, shaking his and the chiefess' hand under the applause of their peers and parents.

Renjun's own name was called relatively up front, together with the duty "Tailoring" - but now that he would be going to the castle he wasn't quite sure what his future duties would entail.

Donghyuck got by far the loudest applause, all his alpha peers from hunting and guard training as well as his past instructors cheering loudly as his name was called.

"Lee Donghyuck - Hunting and Guard duties!"

Chest filled with pride Donghyuck accepted the warm handshake - the chiefess even smiled at him encouragingly.

Skipping his way back to his parents he first threw himself into his mother's and father's arms, before almost tackling Mark to the ground.

Finally he was a real adult! He had shown everybody what he could do, that there were no limits to what you could achieve if you worked hard enough. Now there were no more excuses to hold him back. Finally he was fully able to make his own decisions, take his life into his own hands.

 

Despite the initial gloomy mood that had hung over the ceremony, it had been a beacon of hope for many of them. Things were still moving forward. More people were moving towards adulthood, able to pull their strings to protect them.

Donghyuck would surely do his most to be a role model for all the omegas that were yet to follow his footsteps. He had heard from Yangyang that the three omega girls that had come to him for advice a few months ago had indeed enrolled for hunting classes after all.

This was a huge step in the right direction. Not just for him, but for the entire pack. And he was proud to be a part of it.

 

After the ceremony was over, the chief and chiefess as well as everybody else dispersed, still having to fulfill their duties for the day. Only the graduating adults were granted one last free day to properly celebrate. 

What an irony that Donghyuck, Renjun and Yangyang ended up in the cooking hut together.

Left on their own they had decided to prepare a small cake for just themselves. When else would they have the perfect excuse to treat themselves to something delicious?

They stuffed themselves with the sweet treat, munching on the sugary icing as they reminisced about their old days as students.

While the greater part of Donghyuck was excited for this new part of his life, there was still a smaller part inside of him that was a bit sad that they were now going separate ways. Luckily he wasn't the only one who had these thoughts.

"Hey, guys, not to be the sentimental one here, but can't we just make this our tradition?" Yangyang questioned after he had licked his plate clean.

Donghyuck chuckled amused. "Another tradition? You would think we already have enough of them in our pack."

Yangyang scoffed, putting his plate down. "I just mean with Renjun away in the castle and you out with the guard, it'll be harder to keep in touch from now on," the youngest of them pouted and Donghyuck cooed at him.

"Does the baby miss us already?" He teased him and Yangyang glared the best he could.

He slapped Donghyuck's hand away from where they were pinching his cheeks. "You should be careful with that. I'm not a baby, I'm almost twenty." He gave them a sly grin. "Also, I have dirt on everybody in this pack. You don't know my power."

Donghyuck laughed - although he was lightly terrified by that statement.

"I think that's a great idea," Renjun chimed in, taking over the arbitrating role he had grown into ever since the three of them had become friends. "I really don't know what will happen from now on. And it would be nice to know there is at least one thing that is gonna be certain."

"Yah, don't you dare forget about us once you're all about that noble life," Donghyuck threatened him playfully and Renjun rolled his eyes.

Lightly he shoved Donghyuck in his side. "As if - I'm not a noble anyways. I'm gonna be so lost in the castle."

"But you're gonna tell me all the juicy details when you come to visit, right?" Yangyang inquired sneakily and Renjun snorted. At least that wouldn’t change. 

"Sure," he sighed and Yangyang smiled satisfied.

"So what, we're gonna be meeting here on this day every year now? Eat cake?" Donghyuck wanted to make sure.

Renjun shrugged. "Sounds good to me," he concluded. "It doesn't have to be this exact day or just once a year. Just, you know, so that we have something to hold onto."

"Let's do it," Yangyang nodded and Donghyuck hummed in agreement.

Making an arrangement like this right now seemed so strange when they had been seeing each other almost every day for all their life, their friendship strong enough to survive through all the growing pains that maturing into an adult entailed. Realistically, however, they would probably need a set tradition like this with the completely different directions they were heading into.

It might be silly, but it was important enough that they didn’t want to take a gamble on their friendship.

 

Late in the evening, Donghyuck - stomach hurting from too much sugar - was about to make his way home when Mark caught up to him. The alpha was obviously just back from guard duty, skin glistening with fresh sweat. After the official graduation ceremony the alpha had run off straight into the forest to make it in time for his border patrol.

He was still breathing heavily as he wrapped his hands around his wrists.

"Hey, give me a second to freshen up, but then I'd really...really appreciate it if you'd come over to my hut," Mark explained in between his panting. "I have to give you your graduation gift."

Intrigued, Donghyuck raised his eyebrows. "A gift?"

"Only if you come, though," Mark winked playfully and Donghyuck giggled.

"Let me just tell my parents I won't be home tonight," he said, before grinning, "Then I'm all yours."

Mark smiled, even though a faint blush crept up his cheeks. "Great. I'll just go take a quick bath, but you can let yourself in if I'm not home yet."

Swiftly the alpha jogged off towards the lake, leaving Donghyuck behind with a soft smile on his face.

His parents were surprisingly cool about him spending another night out, even though Donghyuck was still a bit embarrassed announcing to them whenever he'd not be home. Although his parents were the ones who had suggested this deal, it was more than awkward.

On the other hand he didn't want to worry them, so like a dutiful son he let them know in as few words as possible where he would be staying the night, before quickly ditching any further questions about the relationship status between him and Mark.

 

The older one wasn't back from his bath yet when Donghyuck entered his hut. The space felt so familiar to him by now that he had no problem making himself right at home.

He took a seat at the kitchen table which was scratchy despite Mark having made it just recently. The kitchen space behind him, with a small fireplace and a few pots and shelves, was the complete opposite. Almost unused everything sparkled in cleanliness. Except for the old rugs that Mark used as towels, that he had brought over from his mom’s hut after she had wanted to get rid of them.

From his seat he could also take a peek into Mark’s bedroom. As always it was slightly messy - like Mark had tried to tidy up, but given up halfway through. A few furs were falling out of place, the closet still slightly open and a sleeve of an old shirt hanging out of it. 

Next to Mark’s bedroom was a small spare room, where Donghyuck knew Mark kept his mudboard and a small working bench. He must’ve made all the jewelry he had gifted Donghyuck during his turn of courting in there. 

A smile spread on Donghyuck’s lips as he imagined Mark living in this space - everything seemed so natural, homely even. 

 

It didn't take Mark long to show up as well, hair still moist as he pulled out an old towel to throw around his shoulders.

"Did you wait for long?" He asked when he joined Donghyuck at the kitchen table.

The omega shook his head. "No, I just arrived." His fingers twitched when he saw the way Mark's hair dripped onto his fresh and dry shirt, so he stood up, walked around the table and took the towel off Mark's shoulder. Softly he began to rub the alpha's hair dry. "How was your day?"

"Pretty normal," Mark shrugged, leaning back with a satisfied smirk as Donghyuck continued to massage his head with the towel. "Although your absence was very noticeable."

"Is that your way of saying you missed me?" Donghyuck replied teasingly.

"Yeah," Mark admitted bluntly and Donghyuck spluttered at the straight forwardness.

Flustered, he let go of the towel, sliding it back over Mark's shoulders.

Face burning up he changed topics, "You said something about a present?"

Mark's eyes lit up and eagerly he got up from his chair.

"Yes," he nodded, before falling back in his nervous disposition. "It's...er...it's nothing big though...just thought of you when...yeah."

Curiously Donghyuck watched as Mark retreated to his spare room for a second, coming back with a small bouquet of flowers.

His breath hitched when he realized that they were sunflowers, probably the first blooming ones of the year. They grew a bit far out - Mark must've gone all the way to the sunflower fields to get them just for him. A neat yellow ribbon held them together at the stalks, matching the bright blossoms of the flowers.

"H-happy graduation?" Mark said shakily as he handed the bouquet over to Donghyuck.

The omega pressed the flowers to his chest dearly, the faint scent of nature surfacing in the air around them.

"Thank you," he exhaled happily. "They're beautiful. I love them."

Mark let out a relieved breath and Donghyuck wondered if he had actually been worried that he wouldn't like the flowers.

"Do you have a vase or something where I can put them?" The omega asked, standing up to look through Mark's cupboards, even though judging from the state of Mark’s kitchen attire he doubted it.

"Oh, erm, I err, I, you wanna leave them here-" Mar spluttered surprised before seemingly gathering his thoughts. "I'm not sure. I might have a big cup or something."

Donghyuck chuckled, but accepted the clunky jar Mark found for him. "Let's put that on the list of things we need to get for this place."

Mark's brain seemed to circuit for a second again. This time he caught himself quicker than before, returning to his task of filling the jar with water.

"We'd have to renovate this hut a little bit anyways," Donghyuck kept talking unconcerned, putting the flowers into the jar once Mark had placed it onto the kitchen table. "If that's okay with you, of course."

"More than okay!" Mark replied eagerly, voice risen a little in pitch. "My place is your place. Really, you can treat it like it's your own."

Donghyuck smiled contently, a slight blush adorning his cheeks.

"I think the sunflowers fit right in already," he said, taking in the bright yellow in the otherwise pretty mundane hut that Mark had kept in muted colors, lacking decorations.

"They always fit right in," Mark smiled fondly. Slowly he reached out his hand over the table, Donghyuck's fingers meeting him halfway. They exchanged a few seconds of meaningful eye contact until Mark broke the silence, "I've just never been brave enough to get them here. So they've been missing for a long time. But they've always belonged."

 

 

 

Renjun was skipping stones at the lake, watching the sunset with a nostalgic feeling sitting heavy in his chest. It was too early to return to the orphanage yet, and Renjun didn't really feel like dealing with so many people right now.

Growing up was weird.

With a heavy sigh Renjun threw a stone. It bounced on top of the water, once, twice, thrice, before it sank to the bottom of the lake, leaving small waves behind that spread all the way to the shore.

"Impressive," a voice behind him said and in a shocked reflex Renjun gripped the small dagger Jeno had gifted him and that he was dutifully carrying around wherever he went.

After taking a second to process he quickly relaxed, realizing that said gift giver was the one that had snug up on him.

He tucked the dagger back in his pocket securely, giving Jeno a crooked smile, whose eyes were crinkling with amusement.

"Good reflexes," he complimented him.

Renjun huffed, before laughing softly. "I learned from the best. I still remember you opening your door for me with a sword in your hand," he replied teasingly and Jeno rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

He closed the remaining distance between them, carefully wrapping his hands around Renjun's waist. "Happy graduation," he hummed, pressing a soft kiss to Renjun's lips.

"Happy graduation," Renjun giggled in return, resting his hands on Jeno's chest. "Did you have a nice time with your parents?"

Jeno pulled a grimace. "Not really. It was more of a long lecture about responsibilities.” Then he shrugged. “The food was nice, though."

Renjun chuckled, softly tucking at Jeno’s jacket. "What about Doyoung and Taeyong? They don't usually come to these ceremonies, do they?"

"No, that was to exude a bigger sense of security than there actually is," Jeno sighed honestly. "It was a very political dinner in that sense."

Renjun gave him a compassionate smile. "Sounds like a treat."

"Mhh," Jeno murmured, stealing another swift kiss from Renjun's lips. "We also talked about you."

Alarm bells went off in Renjun's head. Jeno had let him know a few days prior that he would inform his parents about his decision to return to the castle with him today. Until now he had successfully suppressed thinking about that conversation. However, now that Jeno had brought it up, he couldn't run away any longer. In the end he had made a decision.

"So, what did they say?" Renjun asked, feigning calmness where there was none.

As if sensing Renjun's tension Jeno teasingly waited a little longer, before breaking out into a sweet smile.  "They are looking forward to getting to know you better."

The tightness in Renjun's chest loosened a little. At least that didn't sound too bad.

"But there's something else...that they made me think about," Jeno swallowed, voice trembling a little. "About the status of our relationship."

Renjun's heart sped up. Was this a good news first, then bad news second kind of situation? Had Jeno been reconsidering their relationship? Did he want to take a break?

Slowly Jeno retreated his hands from where they were placed around his waist and confused Renjun noticed his quivering fingers.

He raised his gaze, trying to meet Jeno's eyes, but the alpha's pupils were shaking.

Renjun could feel his pulse speed up in anxiety. What was going on?

Attentively he watched Jeno's every move, who kept fumbling with his hands as he pulled something out of his pocket. Then he reached out for Renjun's hand and the omega glanced down to where they were touching.

His breath hitched when he saw the sparkling ring in Jeno's hand. A single red ruby was attached to the most delicate of silver bands, the glow of the evening summer sun making it radiate in fiery glowing colors.

"Renjun," Jeno whispered as his trembling fingers slipped the ring onto Renjun's unmoving ones. "Ever since I've been little I felt like I was searching for something. I tried to find it in books and out in nature and in myself, but I always felt incomplete."

Softly the alpha caressed over Renjun's soft skin with his thumb, the ring fitting just right for him.

"But then I met you. And that second my search ended."

The omega listened in stunned silence as Jeno continued to bear his soul open for him. His own emotions were wavering between wanting to cry and hug Jeno with all his strength.

"When you told me you'd come with me you took a big step. And I feel like in return I should show you that I am serious about this as well," Jeno elaborated further, still sounding a bit choked up. "So this is my mating promise, Renjun. I want to mate you. I want to be with you. Whenever I envision my future nowadays, you are in it. You are my future, Renjun. And you are the future of this pack."

Renjun's heart stopped beating for that moment, before continuing to pump twice the speed than before.

He released a shaky breath. "Jeno, I...I don't know what to say."

"Just say yes," the prince told him with a small smile, but Renjun could see the insecurity behind his eyes.

At a loss for words Renjun took a hasty leap into Jeno's arms, who stumbled backwards, surprised by the sudden impact.

They crashed into a tree and then fell to the ground together, but before either of them could really understand what had happened, Renjun had melted their lips together.

Passionately he captured Jeno's lips, running a tongue over his mouth, before muttering a breathless, "Yes," into the kiss.

"Really?" Jeno exhaled in between their kisses, running his hands over Renjun's body, settling on his small waist in the end as the omega moved on top of him.

"Yes," Renjun confirmed, clashing their tongues against each other before pulling away with a wet smack, stemming his hands on Jeno's chest.

His desire for the alpha underneath him was flaring up as their hooded gazes connected, sparks flying in the air between them. Closer, closer, closer, the voice inside him chanted.

"Jeno," he gasped as he leaned down to suck on Jeno's lips. "Before we go to the castle I have one last request."

Jeno moaned as he returned Renjun’s efforts with vigor, squeezing the omega’s waist gently. "Anything."

Jeno pressed a trail of wet kisses down his throat, rendering Renjun incapable of speaking for the time being. He whined when Jeno pressed one last kiss to his neck, right where he would place a mating bite at the year-end ceremony, as the ring he was now wearing was promising.

Slowly he leaned back from Jeno, softly playing with the strands of hair in Jeno’s neck. His alpha smiled up at him, panting heavily as he teasingly slipped a finger underneath Renjun’s shirt, grazing his naked skin. 

A shiver ran down Renjun’s body and he whimpered in pleasure. Letting their heads fall against each other he breathed against Jeno’s lips, "I want you. All of you. Please, will you have me?"

All of a sudden the alpha froze underneath him, stopping his sweet ministrations, pulling away from where Renjun’s lips had faintly brushed over his only moments ago.

Confused, Renjun sat up straight again, only for Jeno to push him off his lap completely.

"Is...is something wrong?" Renjun asked, baffled. Had he messed up? Had he been too forward? But until now Jeno had never rejected any of his advances. Had he read the situation wrongly?

Jeno cleared his throat awkwardly, "I...erm...what do you mean you want me?"

Renjun blinked confused - Jeno couldn't be this dense, could he?

Frustrated, he let out a huff, "I wanna sleep with you, Jeno. What do you think?"

"But you...you can't," Jeno retorted bluntly, making Renjun frown.

"Why can't I?" He questioned bewildered.

"Because of the examination!" Jeno spluttered, only making Renjun more irritated. "Before we mate there is an examination."

The inkling of suspicion dawned in Renjun’s mind. "What kind of examination?" The omega pried and Jeno's cheeks flushed.

He stuttered a little nonsensical before forming a coherent sentence, "They're gonna examine your pureness. It's an old tradition in royal circles."

Renjun thought he wasn't hearing right- "You mean they're gonna check if I'm a virgin?"

Jeno choked on air but his uncomfortable expression was answer enough. So his suspicion had been right after all. All of the previous tension between them was gone, exchanged with the sensation that usually only a cold bathe in the morning gave you.

"Do you have to be examined as well?" Renjun asked dryly.

Jeno avoided his eyes as he kept mumbling, "Erm...it's usually just the omega."

Renjun felt like the air had been knocked out of his lungs. Was Jeno serious right now?

"I'm obviously not gonna do that," he stated, but Jeno kept staring at the ground, his mouth tightly shut. Renjun couldn't believe this. "So what? I can't mate you if I'm not a virgin?" He snorted.

"We'd have to find...find a way then," Jeno muttered, before shyly meeting Renjun's gaze. "Are you not?"

Renjun let out a disbelieving laugh at the question. "Didn't you tell me you wanted to do things differently? Don't stick to traditions?"

"Well, sometimes you gotta join the system to beat the system, remember?" Jeno argued back.

"So what? You can sleep around and I have to be a pure little omega?" Renjun spelled out the blatant injustice.

"No, no - I'm not sleeping around, Renjun, I promise, I don't think like that," Jeno protested right away but Renjun had heard enough. How had this situation escalated so quickly?

Shoving the prince away he scrambled back to his feet, angrily rushing off to the orphanage.

If Jeno called after him, he didn't care.

 

Notes:

Thanks for reading!!

Leave me your thoughts in the comment if you want to!! :3
Stay safe and healthy and have the loveliest of weekends with lots of rest <3

Chapter 25: Heatwave

Notes:

Hello and welcome back!! Thank you all for the great feedback underneath the last chapter!! Really, I can't thank you guy enough, you're just wonderful <3
Enjoy the new chapter!!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

That night Renjun slept very unwell, rolling around in his furs restlessly. When he finally did fall asleep for a short moment, he got shaken awake by one of the orphanage caretakers right away, telling him that his pheromones were getting stronger. 

So, Renjun packed his things and moved to one of the vacant heat rooms the orphanage kept available for this season.

At least like this, he had the perfect excuse to not talk to Jeno for the upcoming three days, not allowed to leave his little comfort space where only fellow omegas had entrance to.

 

However, this situation left him with not much else to do than actively spiral around that conversation they had held last night over and over again.

While he could admit that he hadn't really given Jeno a chance to talk and explain his thoughts, the sheer fact that he was expected to go through with an unnecessary and incriminating examination was reason enough for him to have a right to get angry.

Until now Renjun had never experienced discrimination like that personally, but the way Jeno had just casually brought the subject up without acknowledging how utterly disgusting it was right away was sickening.

Finally Renjun understood what Donghyuck had been fighting against all along. He owed his friend a genuine apology for not understanding his rants about the subdued suppression whenever he had gone on about it in one of his long rants.

As he laid there, heat cramps making his day arguably worse, Renjun felt madder than ever before. The most infuriating thing about the issue was that he wasn't even sure who he was mad at.

Jeno? But Jeno had not started with that stupid tradition. Still, seemingly expecting Renjun to just go through with it was almost even worse. Especially because Jeno of all people had never struck him as a particularly conservative person.

Was Renjun maybe overreacting? Was he blaming Jeno for things that were out of the alpha’s hands completely? Something that had always been unpreventable to happen? Wasn't this whole argument just proof of how unfit Renjun was for a life in the castle, how little he knew about royal traditions and how lacking he was as a diplomatic political figure?

Was he maybe just reflecting his anger on Jeno because the alpha had rejected his advances?

Their fight - Renjun wasn't even sure if he could call it a real fight - was settling down heavy in his stomach. Wasn't he also a little at fault for not listening to Jeno properly? Give him at least a chance to explain his point of view properly?

No, Renjun decided after a while of serious thinking. He was not mad because Jeno had rejected him. He had been right to get mad. This was a bigger issue than them not communicating properly. It was a serious topic. A reminder of how wrong some things still were in their pack, even after years of progression. It was a reminder of what there was to fight for and that someone had to do it. And that someone had just happened to be him. He had just wished he had gotten Jeno’s direct support in this fight.

The thought of them having to part ways because of a disagreement like this was tightening his chest with anxiety, making it hard to breathe in the already pheromone drenched air around him.

He did not want to leave Jeno behind. He needed the alpha. That had become more than clear in these past days to him. Spending time with Jeno had become an essential part of him. He couldn’t leave that behind because of his own pettiness. 

Having an argument just before his heat had also been the worst timing possible. Already weakened in the most vulnerable physical state possible, his inner turmoil concerning Jeno was only making his suffering worse.

And all of this when Renjun had hoped that this heat might be a little more bearable with an alpha courting him to provide comforting nesting material. He could probably forget about the blankets he had given Jeno, hoping for the prince to scent them for him.

Curling into an embryo position Renjun grit his teeth together, enduring the pain a heat brought with it for the first day all on his own, not even reacting when an older omega stepped by to bring him food and water.

Needless to say he didn't get much sleep that night either.

 

He didn't exactly know what time of the day it was or how many hours had passed when he woke up again. The only thing he was really sure about at this point was that he was so hot.

Every inch of his skin felt like it had caught on fire and the sweat that was running down his back was hardly efficient in cooling him down. Everything was burning, from his toes to the tip of his hair - including his longing for the intimacy of an alpha.

Even though their current relationship was kind of ambiguous right now, Renjun felt his omega craving for the company of Jeno.

The ring that Jeno had given to him, symbolizing their mating promise, felt like it was leaving burning marks on his finger, but Renjun - despite everything - couldn't bring himself to take it off, holding on to that fantasy-like reality with desperation.

The next time someone knocked on his door Renjun was already set on pretending to be asleep, but then a faint familiar scent of dark chocolate reached his nose.

Almost being pulled by that scent he sat up straight, wanting to follow it to the end of the world.

"Hey," a calm voice reached out to him through his daze. "Renjun?"

Slightly catching his breath, Renjun shook off his hazy mind, seeing Sicheng stand in the door. But his eyes didn't stay on his face for long, dropping to the blankets he was carrying that Renjun recognized immediately and that had drawn all his attention the moment he had gotten a whiff of them. He wanted them.

Following his thought process Sicheng chuckled, "A certain someone passed me on my way here and asked me to deliver these to you." With one toss the blankets were all up in Renjun's face and he almost purred in satisfaction as the scent started to embrace him warmly.

"Thanks," he barely croaked out, burying his nose in the soft blankets in search of some sort of relief from the excruciating heat.

"You're welcome," Sicheng smiled knowingly. "Sorry I couldn't come to your graduation."

"'s okay," Renjun slurred. "Heats suck."

A faint laugh erupted from Sicheng and he was about to leave Renjun alone again, when he stopped in his step, seemingly stuck in his own thoughts. Slowly he pulled out a crinkled letter from his back pocket.

"Jeno also told me to give you this," he remembered, letting the letter drop in front of Renjun, who was still blindly nuzzling his face in the blanket, glad to smell something that wasn’t the sweet vanilla of his own scent. Especially when it was Jeno’s scent that he could smell. "He said it was urgent. You guys didn't fight, did you?"

Confused, Renjun took a break from his scenting and frowned at the single piece of paper. It took him a lot of concentration and willpower to focus his mind to form coherent thoughts that didn’t circle around how good Jeno smelled. 

"It's a long story." Hesitantly he picked up the letter, inspecting it carefully. What was so important that Jeno couldn't have waited a few days to talk to him in person?

"You better tell me all about that once this is over," Sicheng said, throwing a pointed look to the ring on Renjun's finger. "Don't think I haven't noticed that."

Before Renjun could gather his mind to form a sensible response the door had already fallen back shut, once again leaving him alone with his thoughts that now centered even more around Jeno than before.

He inspected the letter for a few more seconds, squinting his eyes at it to see if it would reveal its content by itself if he just stared long and hard enough.

Would this be Jeno's official declaration that they were no longer courting? Was that the notice that Renjun would no longer be welcomed in the castle?

There was only one way to find out.

With trembling fingers Renjun ripped the sealed envelope open. A small piece of paper fell out, tiny letters forming long sentences in the neatest fond Renjun had ever seen.

He took a deep breath before actually focusing his mind on reading what was written.

 

Dear Renjun,

First of all, I hope it's not inappropriate for me to reach out to you like this. I came by the orphanage yesterday and one of the caretakers told me you were currently unavailable for a talk, so I put two and two together. I hope you forgive me for being so…curious?

I gave Sicheng the cloths you made for me; I've scented them this morning - even though I'm not sure if you really want my scent around you currently.

 

Renjun snorted, inhaling the dark chocolate scent that sent a shiver down his spine. As if he could ever resist that scent.

 

Which brings me right to the reason I'm addressing this letter to you. I'm afraid I expressed myself rather poorly to you during our last talk. Your reaction got me thinking - and I apologize for making you feel upset.

I do not think the examination is fair or that it should be mandatory. Regardless of your past experiences, I do still want to mate you. I don't care about an old fashioned tradition that discriminates against omegas and you were right to call my ignorance out. I do want to be more progressive and lead this pack into a brighter future, where things like that are not even up for consideration.

So, if you don't want to do the examination, you won't. It's your choice and it doesn't matter to me. Only you matter to me. I’m sorry I wasn’t clearer about this when I first brought it up.

However, and I hope you do not understand this wrongly, I don't want to sleep with you before we officially get mated and I can make you mine for the start of our eternity. I care a great deal about you, Renjun, and I want our first time to be a promise and an expression of my feelings for you. You may call me conservative for that belief, but I only want to be with you in that way when you can be infinitely sure that I will be there with you forever.

I hope you accept my apology and my poor explanation - this would be much easier to speak about in person. Not that I'm blaming you for your heat! I mean, that’s just biology, nothing you can control. I hope you are doing well. Yeah. 

Just, I would really like it if you'd come seek me out as soon as it is safe for you so we can talk about this more.

Sincerely apologetic,

Yours Jeno

 

A small smile hushed over Renjun's lips as he reached the end of the letter. While some of it was clumsily worded, so typical of the way Jeno used to speak whenever he was flustered, it made most of his restlessness vanish into thin air. All his concerns were gone just like that. 

Jeno was not leaving him behind. Jeno didn't care about the exam. Jeno wanted to mate him, be with him until eternity.

Giddily Renjun pressed the letter against his chest.

Now even more impatient to get this stupid heat over with he covered himself with Jeno's cloths, the scent getting straight to his head and making him moan in pleasure.

He couldn't wait to smell that intoxicating scent on the person it belonged to again.

 

 

 

It was his first day on guard duty as an official adult. Donghyuck had been looking forward to this day for weeks.

However, when he had woken up that morning, feeling a bit dizzy, skin damp from his own sweat he had to reconsider his enthusiasm about this day.

His heat must be close - at least judging by the red splotches that were already forming on his throat. A typical sign of his heat nearing. A frustrated sigh left Donghyuck.

Once again his biology was making things harder for him than they should be. Now he had to ask the stupid head guard for a leave on his first day. Great.

 

When he reached the forest clearing where all the Solaris guard members gathered before heading southwest to meet the Lunaris guard his head had cooled down a little from the early morning freshness. While the summer sun was making them burn up during the middle of the day, the first hours of the day were still chilly. Usually Donghyuck hated feeling cold, but this time he appreciated it. Carefully he touched his face, pleased to feel that the heat in his cheeks had lessened.

The head guard was scanning the group of people that slowly started to scramble together with hawk eyes. To be honest Donghyuck could think of about a hundred things he would rather do than tell him about his upcoming heat. But there seemed to be no way around it. It would be stupid to not stay home today, where he would be safe. Even his pride didn’t prevent him from acknowledging that fact.

Swallowing his embarrassment and disregarding the possible humiliation he would be facing he took determined strides towards the head guard. The sooner he would do this, the quicker it would be over and done with and Donghyuck could rest safely at home.

The second the head guard noticed Donghyuck's frame approaching his eyes fixated on him, expression getting even more grim.

Once he reached him Donghyuck stood straight and tall, trying to assert a false sense of confidence and power. It all vanished once he lowered his voice in fear to be overheard as he talked to him. "I need to ask for a leave."

The head guard snorted in disapproval. "Already slacking off? We're expecting more from you now."

Donghyuck clenched his jaw, trying to figure out a way to not share his personal details with the alpha. "It's urgent. I wouldn't ask if I didn't have a good reason."

"What's your reason, then?" The head guard prompted right away, not letting Donghyuck get away with his vague explanation. Donghyuck cursed him out internally, eyes twitching in frustration. He should've expected that this wouldn’t be easy, but it was still driving him mad.

"It's personal," he tried again, but the head guard already turned around to brush him off. Swallowing his last ounce of apprehension he raised his voice, "It's because of the summer!"

Stopping in his motion the head guard slowly turned back around. A smug grin spread on his face as he eyed Donghyuck up and down. He took a taunting step closer and demonstratively sniffed the air around him. Donghyuck's face reddened in humiliation and seething anger. How dare he check if his scent had changed! As if Donghyuck's words weren't to be trusted! As if Donghyuck was a liar, trying to get out of guard duty when he had fought for weeks to get here!

The head guard's eyes shifted to rest on Donghyuck's face with condescension, who stared at him in suppressed madness, eye shooting daggers.

"No, I suppose I can't let you off today. We need every man we can get at the border. Our safety is more important than anything. But if you feel like you're not up for the challenge, you can always step down from the guard."

The alpha grinned devilishly as he dismissed Donghyuck with a flick of his wrist, turning to his men to continue giving instructions.

Donghyuck's knuckles turned white from how hard he was clenching his fists.

There was no way he would give up his well-earned position in the guard. He deserved his place in the guard! No way would he give in now, only to obey to some stupid alpha’s demands. No way would he let him take this away from him.

 

"Hey, are you alright?" A voice next to him asked.

Donghyuck blinked confused. He had been so trapped in his thoughts he hadn’t noticed that around him people were already shifting and surging ahead through the woods.

Mark was looking at him worriedly, sensing that something was wrong - but there was no time to rant about all the injustice to Mark right now. He had to wait for later to get out his frustration. Now he had a job to do.

"Yeah, let's go," Donghyuck said, before immediately transforming to wolf form and chasing after his pack members.

Perhaps the heat scent on him wasn't strong enough yet, maybe his heat was farther away than he had thought and this morning he had just felt a little off. At least nobody noticed any change of scent on him when they arrived at their shared meeting spot with the Lunaris pack. Nobody was even looking his way, concentrated on themselves fully. Donghyuck was sure he could make it through this day. He had survived worse.

Only Mark was throwing him unsure glances every now and again, but Mark was always looking at him more than the average person, so Donghyuck didn't count that.

He clenched his teeth together as a hot shiver ran through his blood. He could do this.

 

Shotaro and him were on outer guard duty today, meaning they both shifted to human form once they reached their designated spot. For once Donghyuck was glad about being stationed on the outer border. Usually, he preferred staying in his wolf form, finding it easier to focus on his senses and feeling stronger in that state. However, it was far easier to control your instincts as a human. So today he wouldn't complain.

Marching up and down their area with hawk eyes inspecting their surroundings Donghyuck felt his knees grow weak. An uncomfortable sting was tearing his lower abdomen apart. Sticky sweat was running down his back, gluing his uniform to his skin. Discomfort consumed Donghyuck’s entire being.  All he really wanted to do for the rest of the day was curl into himself and wait for the pain to subside again.

Unfortunately, that was not an option for him. If they wanted to test him, Donghyuck was more than willing to endure the pain.

Still, with every hour that passed Donghyuck felt his senses dulling. Most of his energy was spent desperately trying to contain his scent , instead of actually focusing on being attentive to anything around him like he was supposed to. Every step he took felt like needles prickling his feet, draining him of his spirits completely. Everything was just so exhausting - even simply staying upright. 

His breathing was shallow and he was barely listening to whatever Shotaro was telling him. All his words blurred together to one mushy sound in his head, not being able to distinguish between his own thoughts and reality anymore. It was just one continuous buzz, making his head throb, begging to be released from this hell of sensory overload.

"Donghyuck! Donghyuck!" A far away voice punched its way through to his conscious mind.

Trying to pull himself together for the last few hours that they were on duty Donghyuck rubbed his head, but the world remained muted, dull sounds and colors barely reaching him.

"Are you okay? You've been acting weird all day?" Shotaro's voice echoed through his head as if he had been calling him from an empty cave.

Donghyuck squinted his eyes, a desperate attempt to get a hint of what Shotaro wanted from his facial expressions, but everything was starting to get foggy.

On top of it all the trees around him started spinning. He closed his eyes for a second, needing to drown out the world for just a moment - when he opened his eyes again he found that the forest had turned sideways.

 

"Donghyuck! Donghyuck!" Shotaro was shaking his partner frantically who had just fainted right in front of him. The scent of watermelon thickened suffocatingly around them. "Come on, Donghyuck. Focus for just a second!"

Shotaro snapped his fingers in front of Donghyuck's face, hoping to pull him out of his daze long enough to speak with him.

Carefully he pressed a hand to Donghyuck's forehead, where sweat was dampening his hair that was now stuck to his skin. "Shit, you're burning up," he mumbled, gently patting Donghyuck's cheeks that were showing dark red splotches all over, going all the way down to his neck. "Come on, Donghyuck, can you hear me?"

Donghyuck's half lidded eyes fluttered open for just a second. "Mark," he croaked hoarsely, reaching his hand out into the air as if grabbing for something that only he could see, levitating over him. Then a fierce shiver made his body tense.

"You idiot, you're in heat," Shotaro stated what was slowly becoming obvious. He should’ve noticed sooner - all the signs had been there! "What are you doing here?"

Feeling lost in this situation Shotaro scanned the woods, checking if any alphas had already been lured in from the intoxicating scent. Luckily they seemed to be all alone for now.

He let out a long sigh, watching with worry as Donghyuck trembled on the ground in front of him. He couldn't leave the omega here alone to get help. Like this Donghyuck was completely vulnerable and helpless. In case anyone would find him while Shotaro was gone Donghyuck had no chance to protect himself.

No, he needed to summon someone to them.

Swiftly he turned into his wolf shape. There was a special code for when they needed to talk to their leader that Kun had taught them. Shotaro deemed it safer to only call for Kun instead of giving out an actual alarm howl in this situation.

He yowled three times in a moderate volume, varying rhythms in the way he remembered the call to go and then waited in expecting silence. Hopefully Kun had heard him.

By now Donghyuck was shaking uncontrollably, rolled into a tiny ball and his clothes drenched through and through.

Why had he decided it was a good idea to go on guard duty with his heat due? Why hadn't he stayed home where he was safe?

Shotaro knew first-hand how much a heat sucked the life out of you - he couldn't even imagine going out during that time! Donghyuck must've been fighting it all day - but sometimes your body is just stronger than your mind.

When Shotaro heard paws approach he protectively took a stance in front of his partner, ready to defend him from any allured alphas. He only relaxed when he figured that a fight wouldn't be necessary - Kun's familiar light fur appeared between the trees, followed by only the Solaris head guard who must've also responded to his cry for help.

Once he was halfway there Kun shifted, running the last few meters to where Shotaro was still protecting Donghyuck.

Shotaro transformed back as well, throwing the alpha head guard a wary look, whose eyes had fixated on Donghyuck's frame immediately, undoubtedly more than tempted by the attractive scent.

Kun frowned, by now also very much aware of the thick air around them. "Shotaro, what happened?"

"He went into heat," Shotaro explained shortly. "I didn't know what to do."

Concerned Kun crouched down in front of the withering Donghyuck, putting a gentle hand on his trembling shoulder.

"Shhh," he said softly, trying to soothe the omega. "It's alright. It's going to be okay. Can you talk to me?"

But all that came from Donghyuck was the faint sound of the name "Mark" leaving his lips over and over.

Kun exhaled deeply as he stood back up, facing Shotaro. "He's too far gone. He won't be able to make it back to his pack by himself. Somebody needs to carry him."

As if he had been waiting for that cue another wolf came surging forward through the woods. Both Kun and Shotaro immediately stepped in front of Donghyuck, ready to defend the omega in case this was unwanted company.

However, the alpha approaching them shifted a few meters away from them. Shotaro recognized him - he had seen him around Donghyuck a few times.

"Not a step closer or I'll have to fight you," Kun said threateningly, pulling out his sword that glistened in the bright sun.

"I don't- what's happening?" The alpha asked taken aback, eyes full of worry as his gaze drifted to the shivering omega on the ground. He kept his distance, although it was clear to see that he was holding himself back. "Is Donghyuck okay?"

Kun scanned the alpha up and down in contemplation. "Are you his mate?"

In response the alpha's face flushed a deep red. "No. No, I'm, err, I’m Mark...we're courting each other."

Kun waited for a second longer as if testing Mark's resistance. Then he let his sword sink. "Come over here."

Mark didn't hesitate to scramble closer, immediately kneeling down next to Donghyuck. His pupils dilated once he stepped into the thick cloud of pheromones and he had to clear his throat.

"Is he in h-heat?" His voice cracked in the middle of his sentence.

"Yeah. You think you're in control enough to carry him home?" Kun replied, hands still on the handle of his sword.

Mark nodded determinedly, tender hands brushing a strand of Donghyuck's damp hair behind his ear. "Yes. I could never hurt him."

Kun seemed satisfied with that answer. But he still turned to Shotaro, "Go with them. Just in case."

Carefully Mark heaved Donghyuck off the ground, who immediately clutched onto Mark like he was a lifeline in the ocean. Mark swallowed visibly, inhaling deeply as their bodies came in contact.

Kun watched him attentively, but Mark didn't show any sign of losing control over his rational side. True to his words he’d never be a threat to Donghyuck.

However, before they could leave to the Solaris grounds, Kun turned to the head guard of Solaris, who had watched the whole ordeal from a safe distance.

Angrily he stomped his way to him, sword swinging around dangerously in his grip. "Now why in hell is one of your guards out here in his heat?!"

His voice was sharper than his sword as he attacked the head guard with vicious glares.

"I told him to quit if he couldn't handle it," the head guard shrugged as if he had no fault for bringing this dangerous situation upon Donghyuck. "I can't just give him a day off." 

He flinched when Kun bared his teeth at him, growling lowly.

"He had to ask to get a day off for his heat? And you didn't even allow him?" The leader snarled dangerously.

"What was I supposed to do? We never had this kind of situation before," the head guard defended himself weakly and Kun's eyes sparkled with rage.

He turned to the three guards, executing a few skilled moves with his sword, slicing through the air. "Go, I need to teach this moron a lesson - you don't want to see that," he told them, leisurely swinging his sword around before ramming it into the ground only an inch away from the head guard's feet.

Mark and Shotaro didn't need to be told twice. Kun's wrath was scary.

 

They fell into a light jog as Mark led the way to the Solaris pack. Only Donghyuck was making soft noises as they surged ahead, burying his head into Mark's neck and subconsciously scenting the alpha.

At every moment Shotaro was ready to pull out his own sword and separate Mark from the defenseless omega, but Mark stayed in control at all times. Not even the thought of abusing this kind of situation crossed his mind. The only thing important right now was getting Donghyuck home and to a safe place.

In human form it took them almost two entire hours to reach the Solaris hunting grounds, and then almost another to reach the first pack huts.

Shotaro relied on Mark to find them the least busy path, having never been to the Solaris pack before. If they didn't have an urgent…cargo with them, he might've spent more time to fully take in this totally different culture.

The pack huts didn't seem too different - although the wood they were made of seemed a lot heavier and sturdier, the design a bit simpler than what he was used to from the Lunaris pack.

Mark's speed didn't give him much time to really inspect all the little details, though, as he headed straight to a specific hut.

 

He gave Shotaro a sheepish glance when they stopped in front of the door. "Could you maybe knock? My hands are sort of full."

"Is this not Donghyuck's hut?" Shotaro wondered out loud, but still went ahead and knocked.

Mark shook his head. "He lives with his parents. All omegas do until they move in with their mate," he explained shortly.

Shotaro was about to comment on how weird that was when the door swung open.

"Mark?" A friendly looking woman exclaimed, surprised. She had a lot of similarities to Donghyuck, down to the tan skin and kind eyes.

"Can you please take care of Donghyuck? He went into heat - I had to carry him back," Mark explained awkwardly, wanting to pass the omega in his arms over.

Donghyuck in his intoxicated state didn't seem to be a fan of that idea, though, holding onto Mark tightly, who struggled to put the omega down at the sudden resistance.

"Hyuck, please, you need to let go," Mark whispered, resting his forehead against Donghyuck's, who went limb at the sweet touch, humming pliantly as he nuzzled his face back into Mark’s neck.

Shotaro felt like an intruder, witnessing such an intimate scene of pure affection between two wolves.

Mark seemed to whisper a few more words, somehow getting through to Donghyuck even in his dazed mind, who let himself be handed over to his mother without a fight afterwards.

One last longing look between the two wolves - then Donghyuck's mother threw the door shut.

 

Awkwardly clearing his throat, Shotaro gained Mark's attention, who had been wistfully staring at the closed door for a few long moments.

"Could you show me the way back? I'm not sure I'll find the way on my own," Shotaro requested.

Mark brushed a hand through his hair. "Sure, yeah. Of course. You've never been here."

"I'm Shotaro, by the way. I don't think we've ever been properly introduced," the omega said and Mark hummed in agreement.

"Yeah, Donghyuck talked about you before," he said - before spluttering, "And I'm Mark, err...Donghyuck's...yeah...uhm..."

"Soulmate?" Shotaro suggested teasingly, giggling when he saw Mark's ears turn pink at the word. "How did you find us in the woods anyway? Did you smell him?"

Mark made an incomprehensible noise, blushing an even deeper red. "No. No... I heard his voice? I don't know, it was weird, but I just felt like he needed me."

Shotaro raised his eyebrows. "I was joking with the soulmates part. But that sounds like straight out of a fairy tale."

Mark only rubbed his neck sheepishly, but his pink ears spoke volumes.

 

Soon they reached the forest - the sun had lowered a good amount by now, tuning the sky all shades of red and orange.

"You wanna shift? It's gonna be faster that way," Mark suggested, feet hurting from walking around all day.

Shotaro forwent an answer, back to his wolf form in seconds. They raced through the forest with swift moves, both eager to get back home as fast as possible after this straining day.

 

Shotaro fell into his bed that night back at the Lunaris pack with one thought passing through his mind. Maybe both packs still had to learn a lot from each other.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!

Haha, I hope this dissolves the Noren angst a little bit for now :D

I hope you are all safe and healthy!! Wishing you guys only the best <3

Chapter 26: Lake underneath the moonlight

Notes:

Welcome back!! Enjoy the new chapter :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The night was cool when Renjun stepped out of the orphanage. Like a comforting blanket the dark sky hovered over the world, only the beautiful constellations of stars and the lonely moon shining waning light onto the dew grass.

Renjun took a deep breath. After the days he had spent inside - the one sensation that had been dominating his consciousness being the insufferable heat that had been throbbing through every cell of his body - this felt like a sip of ice-cold water on a hot summer day.

He let himself revel in the refreshing coolness for a second longer, closing his eyes and simply enjoying the pleasant chills that spread down his spine as the soft wind hit his skin, making his hair flutter lightly in the breeze.

With a clear purpose he began striding towards the great lake. Checking his surroundings cautiously for any sign of danger or possible curious onlookers he fought himself through the low hanging branches of the forest. During these times you couldn’t be careful enough, especially when the darkness swallowed everything like a beast lurking around the next corner and the entire village was dead asleep in their huts.

There was a reason he had decided to come to a secluded part of the lake, however, opposed to the easily accessible bathing spot that he usually frequented.

A familiar silhouette glistened against the dark needles of a fir - Renjun could make out a sheath tightened to his belt, a neat white shirt starkly contrasting against the gloominess of their surroundings. Just in case Renjun reached after the small dagger he carried with him precariously, clutching it in his fists.

He listened into the silence, but apart from his own breathing not a sound could be heard.

Luckily they seemed to be totally alone out here. Exactly the way Renjun had wanted it.

 

Jeno turned around once he heard Renjun approaching, a hand on his sword handle that he pulled out a few inches in precaution, the silver twinkling in the pale moonlight.

"It's just me," Renjun whispered soothingly, stepping into the faint light that the moon provided and the tension in Jeno's shoulders visibly dwindled. "Have you been waiting long?"

When he had asked Sicheng to play messenger again to ask Jeno to meet him out here he had only vaguely specified the time, saying to meet him once the night had fully fallen over their pack.

Swiftly Jeno dropped his sword back into its cover. "Just a few minutes."

Renjun nodded, relieved that he hadn't exposed Jeno to the darkness of the night for too long on his own. "I got your letter."

Jeno shuffled awkwardly on his feet, gaze dropped to where their feet were leaving faint tracks in the dusty earth near the shore of the lake. "I wanted to apologize in person as soon as you left me after our graduation. I'm really sorry."

Jeno was pulling a contrite grimace, but not even that ruined the handsome features of his face that glowed mystically alluring under the blue light of the moon.

"It's alright," Renjun told him, keen on getting this misunderstanding out of the way.

"It was really not," Jeno insisted. "I shouldn't have implied that...that it was important that you get the exam. I'm not like that."

A soft chuckle left Renjun, who slowly reached out his hand to tenderly graze over Jeno's cheek. "I know," he said, connecting their gazes. "I guess there is a lot we both have to learn moving forward."

"Yes," Jeno agreed, putting his hand on top of Renjun's smaller one. A warm smile crept up his lips as he felt the mating ring still firmly placed on Renjun's finger. "So you're still coming to the castle with me? You still want to get mated to me?"

Renjun ducked his head sheepishly, trying to hide his overjoyed smile. "I do. As long as I don't have to engage in any kind of degrading traditions..." he paused shortly, before fluttering his eyes back up at Jeno. "I'm all yours."

Jeno's eyes crinkled in pure happiness as he pressed a chaste kiss to Renjun's hand. "We'll find a way. I promise we will. I want to make progress in this pack and I want to do it with you. Starting today."

Renjun bit down on his lip, but he couldn't help the wide grin from spreading across his face. Despite all the doubts he had been facing the past few days, hearing these words from Jeno gave him the needed reassurance to know that this might just be the path he had been destined to go. More than anything else the fact that Jeno wanted to do everything together was soothing his troubled mind. For some reason there was this strong feeling inside of him that as long as Jeno would be with him, that as long as they stayed together, nothing could drag them down.

He rose to his tiptoes, overcoming their height difference to kiss Jeno's tempting lips. The alpha hummed in satisfaction, arms wrapping around Renjun's waist like it was already becoming a natural response for him. 

Everything felt right again, things falling into the place they belonged to. They were here, in each other’s arms, smiling happily against each other’s lips like the love-drunken kids they were.

Before Renjun could deepen the kiss, however, Jeno pulled away just a smidge, making him unable to reach his lips.

"Erm, Renjun," Jeno said in a low tone. There was hesitation swinging in his voice, almost making it tremble with insecurity. "Are you also okay with...with the second part of my letter?"

Renjun sighed heavily, watching as Jeno's expression got more and more concerned with each second he remained quiet. Having mercy on the alpha he giggled, playfully rolling his eyes. "It's a bit old fashioned, you have to admit."

Jeno let out an eased laugh, sensing that Renjun was not actually having a problem with his disposition. "Maybe I am a bit old fashioned in that department. It's just - I've been raised to respect the special moment that mating is supposed to be. I want to cherish you properly when we do it."

There was still a teasing glint left in Renjun's eyes as he played with the hair in Jeno’s nape. "I guess I just have to live with that," he acted devastated. "Just kidding," he added swiftly when Jeno's face depicted that huge cloud of worry again. "I respect your decision. In a sense it's also very romantic."

Jeno grinned sheepishly, but it was obvious that he had needed to hear that.

"Besides," Renjun leaned over to Jeno's ear. "That doesn't mean we can't do other things."

A pleasant shiver traveled down Jeno's spine as Renjun's seductive breath hit his skin. The heat scent was still very prominent on Renjun and it was doing things to Jeno that he would never dare to speak out loud. He swallowed his own spit before biting down on his tongue, trying to focus on the pain his teeth inflicted instead of the presence of arousal in the air between them.

He was almost relieved when Renjun took a step away from him, the alluring scent of vanilla leaving with him.

That initial relief subsided quickly, however, when Renjun began to pull at the strings of his shirt, revealing his sharp collarbones and then even more skin than Jeno had ever seen him show.

"Tell me to stop if you don't want this," Renjun said and Jeno's breath hitched when the omega grabbed after the seam of his shirt and pulled it over his head in one swift movement, leaving him bare from the waist up.

Jeno's pupils dilated with suppressed desire as he took in every inch of Renjun's smooth skin. Even though he knew how improper it was he stared at the omega's chest shamelessly, almost drooling at the sight of the small waist and the subtle curves of his hips that were not revealed for him. He licked over his dry lips as his gaze sharpened. Never before had he wanted something so badly.

He sucked in a panicked breath when Renjun didn't stop there but instead started to pull at the seam of his pants. "What are you doing?" He asked, not quite sure if he wanted this to continue or stop just yet.

An almost devilish smile tainted Renjun's lips. "I want you to watch me bathe," he stated in a seductive whisper. It made the little hairs on Jeno's arm rise - he couldn't believe that solely Renjun's voice had such an impact on his body.

After he gave Jeno one last reassuring look, Renjun turned around - but there was no voice stopping him. Slowly he loosened the waistband of his pants that dropped to the ground effortlessly, leaving him completely naked.

While he had acted confident up until now this was still a thrilling experience. He couldn’t remember a time where he had undressed himself in front of an alpha. This was also a first for him, too.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, perhaps waiting for a reaction, perhaps to gain some courage. According to the thickening scent of dark chocolate in the air he had nothing to worry about, however. Even though Jeno hadn’t said anything until now, Renjun’s confidence spiked. Before stepping forward into the lake he threw Jeno a last teasing look over his shoulder.

He almost giggled when he saw Jeno's expression - the internal struggle he was facing could almost be read right off his face.

Swinging his hips a little in what he hoped would look graceful he submerged himself in the water. The cold liquid made his skin prickle, but it was a very welcomed change after the days he had spent in the stuffy orphanage heat room.

He walked ahead until his bottom half was fully covered with water before he began to scrub himself clean of the remaining hints of heat on him. Tiny pearls of water were running along his narrow shoulders, dipping in his collarbones before leaving down the curve of his back, sparkling in the moonlight as if wanting to decorate his skin with diamonds.

He didn't come far with his cleaning though as loud splashes of water disrupted his sensual bath. Soon he could feel a warm presence just a few inches behind him, the scent of dark chocolate more prominent than ever.

His chest was falling and rising rapidly in excitement. Slowly he turned around. "What happened to your plea of chastity?"

Jeno was standing tall and broad in front of him, his pale skin seemingly glowing as it reflected the moonlight. In the corner of his eyes Renjun saw Jeno's abandoned clothes laying on the shore right next to his.

"It was your idea to try different things first," Jeno answered deeply, lifting a hand out of the water. He began to paint a small trace over Renjun's shoulders down his arms, leaving more glistering pearls of water behind.

Renjun's heart was pounding wildly when Jeno's hand reached his waist, stroking it a few times teasingly.

Then in total contrast to his thus far gentle caresses he roughly pulled Renjun's body flush against his own.

It was like electricity was passing through them where their skin touched, crackling sparks dancing between their bodies. The sensation of having each other so close was dangerously foreign but addicting at the same time.

"You weren't really thinking I would just stand and watch, were you?" Jeno breathed out and the sound left goosebumps all over Renjun’s body. "You're beautiful.”

Completely left speechless, Renjun's brain was having trouble coming up with an appropriate response. Hadn’t he been the one in charge? What had happened to the fumbling alpha?

When Jeno grabbed him by his thighs, lifting him off the lake ground - in reflex making him hook his legs around Jeno's hips all his brain cells went into overdrive. There was no more need, no more capacities left for his mind to overthink this and so he simply let his body take over.

Slowly he wrapped his arms around Jeno's neck, before pressing against Jeno’s middle, enticing a dark groan from Jeno. Since Renjun was floating in the water, holding onto him Jeno let go of his thighs to nudge the omega even closer, encircling the small of his back.

It gave him a thrill once he noticed that he could almost cover all of Renjun's back with just one of his hands, the omega so dainty and pretty in his arms.

Apart from the realization of just how small Renjun was, the omega’s defined collarbones were also putting up a battle for the title of Jeno's favorite feature of Renjun. Everything about the omega was just so delicate, as if one too harsh hold could easily break him. Maybe some of his alpha instincts were also playing into this but something deep down in Jeno's gut wanted to claim each and every piece of that fragile body, protect it from the harm of the world.

For now he would be satisfied with kissing all his favorite parts, worshiping Renjun's beauty like it should be. The omega threw his head back when Jeno began to suck on the sensitive skin around his collarbones, without a doubt leaving red and purple marks that would still be there from him to cover up tomorrow.

He tightened the hold he had around Jeno's hips with his leg, slowly beginning to roll his hips against the alpha as Jeno continued to claw his fingers in his back, urging his movements on further.

Both their breaths began to get irregular, low grunts and soft moans whispered against each other's lips, leaving behind secret traces of lust as they pushed each other into absolute bliss.

The world faded into the background as the only reality that mattered in that moment was only the closeness they shared.

Renjun hadn’t even noticed how tense his legs had become until he slowly pried them away from Jeno’s torso. The alpha was catching his breath as Renjun’s toes hit the soft sand underneath them, still not letting go of the grip he had around Renjun’s waist. 

Jeno buried his nose in Renjun’s neck, inhaling deeply, the scent much calmer than only seconds ago. His slightly wet hair was tickling Renjun’s skin, who couldn’t help the laughter leaving him at the sensation. At the sound Jeno loosened his hold around the omega, pulling away so their eyes could meet underneath the stars.

Their voices melted into one, eyes crinkling in pure happiness as they giggled the night away.

 

 

Donghyuck was staring at the ceiling of his room. The dust in the air was unmoving, like time had stopped for a moment. Maybe time could just stop forever.

Frustrated, he threw his fur across the room, harshly tearing through the frozen dust. He let out an angry growl, balling his hands into fists until his knuckles went white.

He needed to cool off.

He blew an annoying strand of hair away that kept falling into his eyes before he grabbed a batch of fresh clothes and a towel. With a strong push he threw his door open - if his parents had been home he would've been scolded for using that much strength, making the whole hut shake as the door thrashed into the wall. But Donghyuck found the harsh sound rather satisfying, matching his mood perfectly - loud, angry and hurt.

It was still early noon when he stepped outside the hut for the first time since his heat had hit him a few days ago. People were busy going after their pack duties, not really paying him much attention as he made his way to the lake.

Carelessly he threw his clothes into a nearby bush before stripping down and running into the lake with a loud war cry.

The cold water was effective in cooling his body off, washing the reminiscence of his heat away successfully. However, it did not ease the turmoil in his mind in the slightest.

Donghyuck barely remembered the last few days. His memories were all blurred, like someone had drawn over the pictures with a big sponge, wiping important details away and messing up the sharp lines that had once been there.

The last thing that was clear in his mind was the second he had fainted, stripped of his energy. After that it was single sounds and scents making up the big blurry spot that had been the past few days. Usually his heats weren't this intense. But Donghyuck supposed pushing himself too far had not only taken a toll on his body but on his brain as well, that was now trying to get his revenge on him.

He took a deep breath. The water surrounding him reflected his face and Donghyuck couldn't help himself to punch into it with all his might. He created a big splash around him, water dripping down on nobody but himself. Donghyuck felt like crying.

Was this really the end now? After all his fight he was just done because his body betrayed him? Didn't his failure just prove that an omega was after all unfit for a challenging position? Had Donghyuck been the one in the wrong in the end? Did omegas just not belong in the guard? Was there a reason for all the injustice?

"ARGHHHH!"                                                                                                

His lungs hurt as the scratchy scream left his throat and he boxed his own reflection multiple times. Not only had he let himself down, he had let everyone down who had been counting on him. Which probably hadn't been that many people to start with - right now, however, Donghyuck felt like nothing else but an utter disappointment to all of omega kind.

His hair was dripping wet but Donghyuck couldn't even be bothered to dry it. He wanted to hide away from the world, but he knew he couldn't. Maybe he could hide just long enough until the world had at least forgotten about him.

 

With determined strides he headed back to his parent's hut, ready to lock himself into his room for a few more days when he heard light steps approach him from behind. The sound was still familiar, even after months since they had sneaked up on him daily.

"Hey," Mark caught up to him, slightly out of breath. "How...err...how are you?"

Donghyuck snorted as he turned his head away. Mark was the last person he wanted to see right now. He bit down on his tongue, feeling the anger boil up in him like an ugly monster ready to leash out any moment.

Tensed to his limit he clenched his jaw. "I don't wanna talk about it, Mark. Now leave me alone."

Mark blinked puzzled, obviously not having expected to be blown off like this. "W-what's wrong?"

Donghyuck couldn’t hold himself back anymore - even though he kind of suspected regretting this later on.

"Idiot, everything is wrong! Just leave me alone, okay?!" Donghyuck snapped at the alpha and Mark took a step back in surprise.

Donghyuck was heaving at this point. He wanted to scream again, maybe rip out some trees at the roots - mostly he didn't want to look at Mark.

The alpha's gaze rested on him, shocked for a few more seconds, before something in his head seemed to click and his confusion turned into a challenging glimmer.

Suddenly Mark slapped him lightly on his arm, grinning provokingly. "Tag, you're it."

Donghyuck hissed confused, giving Mark his deadliest glare. "What the hell, Mark?!"

"Come on, you have to catch me!" Mark called teasingly, distancing himself from the omega.

Donghyuck growled irritated. "What are you doing? We don't- what'?"

"Come on, or are you too slow?" Mark yelled almost tauntingly.

That's when Donghyuck had enough. Nobody was allowed to call him slow - not even Mark. He transformed mid-jump, chasing after Mark who had been grinning stupidly from a safe distance. The alpha seemed to have expected that, however, quick to shift as well and run away at high speed.

Donghyuck grinded his teeth together as he watched Mark's larger wolf retreat into the forest. His mind fixated on his brown tail and automatically his years of hunting practice took over.

Mark was faster, always had been - but Donghyuck would not let him get away this easily. As if wanting to ridicule him the brown tail kept bouncing up and down in front of him, only getting farer and farer away the more Donghyuck tried to get keep up.

A flood of information rained down on Donghyuck. The different scents around them reached his nose, different paths they had taken before being laid out in front of his inner eye. Mark was surging ahead with sharp turns - just how they learned to flee, never straight forward - but Donghyuck was quick to realize his pattern. The sound of the river was getting louder with every jump, making Donghyuck think that Mark was tending to an eastern direction.

All the places near the river flashed through his mind in seconds. The hunting grounds, the cliff and - the sunflower fields!

This was a risk, but Donghyuck knew it was his only shot at beating Mark. Gambling all his chances on one card he broke out from his current lane of following Mark and took a shortcut that would bring him to the sunflower fields faster.

The wind was brushing through his fur as his paws carried him further and further, getting faster and faster with each stride, freeing him of all his previous restraints.

Soon he saw the now blooming fields of sunflowers, yellow and bright with their blossoms looking right at the shining sun above them in the clear blue sky.

He slowed down once he reached the edge, closing his eyes to concentrate on his hearing and smelling. For a second everything was eerily quiet, like the perfect peaceful Sunday. Had he read Mark wrong?

Suddenly the sound of paws and panting approached from the woods, the scent of cinnamon getting stronger. Donghyuck grinned satisfied.

With one huge leap he tackled Mark to the ground once he tore through the bushes and onto the field. Obviously startled by the sudden attack Mark let out a high whimper, immediately baring his throat to Donghyuck who stood victoriously above him.

The omega hummed pleased before letting Mark free.

They were both catching their breaths as they shifted back to their human form. Sweat was running down Donghyuck's spine, the heat of summer not doing him any good. Mark was sitting a few meters away from him, leaning onto his hands as he looked up at the sky with closed eyes, chest rising and falling rapidly from their sudden sprint.

Then he turned his head to where Donghyuck was leaning on his knees, gasping for air. "Feeling better?"

For a second Donghyuck frowned - then realization dawned upon him. Mark was seriously a huge idiot. But he was Donghyuck's idiot and he would do anything to make Donghyuck feel better - including playing an impromptu game of catch to make him calm down.

A bright laugh erupted through Donghyuck's chest as he let himself drop onto his back. "Much better," he confirmed. Maybe he was just as much of an idiot as Mark was.

It was the truth anyways. Most of his seething anger was subsiding now that his body was too exhausted to bring up the energy to feel furious in the first place.

Mark's giggles joined his laughter. With a dull sound he threw his body next to Donghyuck, raising his arm above their heads and casting a shadow over their faces to not be blinded by the burning sunlight.

"So what was this game of catch all about?" Donghyuck asked amused, slightly rotating his head so he could look at Mark.

"Don't know - just remembered you would get really into beating me when we were still kids. And I thought you could need an outlet like that," the alpha shrugged.

Donghyuck felt tenderness rise in his chest at the sweet explanation, heart swelling with adoration for the man next to him.

Mark turned his head, meeting his eyes openly. "So? You ready to talk about it now?"

A long sigh left the omega as he let his head fall back, narrowing his eyes as the sun dazzled him and Mark quickly moved his hand so it was blocking the sun again. Donghyuck hummed in appreciation - he supposed after all of Mark's effort it would only be fair to let him in.

"I don't even remember much from that day. Just me fainting," he disclosed.

He rolled flat onto his stomach, raising his chin a little so he could rest it on Mark's chest to make it easier to look at him while talking.

"You need to fill me in on the blanks."

Mark's gaze rested tenderly on him, brushing Donghyuck's long locks out of his face. "Shotaro called for help. Kun came and err...our former head guard, I guess. We carried you home."

Donghyuck made a confused noise, a frown forming on his face. "I don't even know where I should start asking?"

"It...it really wasn't a big deal. Kun made sure everything was taken care of. So...erm, there really isn't a need for you to be mad," Mark assured him, only making the creases on Donghyuck's forehead deepen.

"Well, it's a big deal to me!" He argued. "I have to leave the guard now! I thought after all the work I put in you'd at least understand why I'm upset about this."

Now Mark's expression started to mirror Donghyuck, matching his confusion. "Why would you have to leave the guard?"

Donghyuck sat up, taken aback by that unexpected question. Mark followed his example, not ready to let go of the omega’s closeness, straightening his back as he pushed himself off the ground. Donghyuck squinted his eyes as their gazes met, more than irritated by the conversation.

"What are you talking about? Our head guard explicitly told me I had to quit if I couldn't handle being a guard!"

Mark's lips formed a silent 'oh'. "Right, you haven't heard yet."

"What, Mark?" Donghyuck huffed, feeling his frustration return at being left out of something seemingly important.

"The head guard had to step down. He's no longer in charge of the guard," Mark finally told him.

Donghyuck almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. "He had to step down? Why?"

Mark gave him a pointed look. "Isn't it obvious? Because of you." Donghyuck blinked confused, still not fully understanding. "Well, he didn't treat you fairly? That day was just too much - Kun personally made sure that he would no longer be in charge of anybody since he wasn't able to properly look out for all his guards."

A disbelieving exhale left Donghyuck. After years of fighting against a system everybody was just accepting without questioning, this had been the last thing he had expected.

Maybe things were finally changing - different to how he had imagined them. Whenever Donghyuck had pictured the progress, he had always assumed it would be a long and difficult journey of changing everyone's mind - not forcefully removing someone who was unwilling to adapt from their position of power. Working closer with the Lunaris pack must've had a bigger impact than Donghyuck had expected.

"So what happens now? Who's in charge?" He asked - Mark's answers only generated new questions instead of satisfying his already existing ones.

"Kun has taken over for the time being," Mark replied. "But there are rumors that Prince Jeno is supposed to take over after some time."

Donghyuck was still baffled. "So that means I can remain in the guard?"

Another befuddled frown formed on Mark’s face. "Why shouldn't you? You did nothing wrong?"

Sudden relief flooded Donghyuck's entire being - all his worries and concerns vanishing into thin air. His hard work was not going to go to waste. There was only one way up and right now he felt like he was on it.

"This is the best news I have heard since...since a long time," he smiled, unapologetically happy.

Mark shrugged. "I mean, there's not a lot of good news these days..."

Donghyuck didn't really listen, instead opting for tackling Mark to the ground once more in a powerful hug, punching the air out of both their lungs as they landed on top of each other.

"Sorry," the omega grinned, but Mark didn't look mad in the slightest as he carefully wrapped his hands around Donghyuck's waist, glad to have him back in his arms. "So wait - how did I get home again?"

A dark blush rose in Mark's cheeks all the way to his ears and he awkwardly turned his head away so their eyes wouldn't meet. "Like I said...err...Shotaro called Kun for help."

"And then?"

Mark cleared his throat after his voice broke before he could even form a proper sentence. "Shotaro and I brought you home."

"Mark?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you find me?"

Donghyuck watched in slight fascination how Mark's face burst into literal flames at the question and he could feel how Mark's fingers clenched into his sides.

"Was it my scent?" Donghyuck pried, thinking that that was the most logical solution. An omega in heat released pheromones to lure in any kind of alpha.

"N-no", Mark's voice shook a little. His eyes flickered, catching Donghyuck's expecting gaze for only the fraction of a second before focusing on the sunflowers above them. "I heard your voice. Calling me."

Now Donghyuck's own face heated up. Embarrassed, he separated from Mark, who kept lying on his back. "I was calling you?"

Mark stared at the blue sky a bit longer in deep concentration before sitting up as well. "N-not loudly. I just...felt you? Like you needed me?"

"Oh," Donghyuck breathed out. He had never heard about a connection like that apart from old fairy tales that the elderly used to tell them back when they had been little children. It couldn't be real, could it?

Has Mark felt like this all along?

The alpha had resumed to picking grasses, obviously not able to sit still in his awkwardness and trying to keep his hands busy to fight his fluttering nerves.

Donghyuck felt his own heart pound with implication.

Softly he reached out his hand, grazing Mark's chin and his red cheeks. Mark let him guide his face, keeping eye-contact as Donghyuck slowly leaned over. "Thanks," the omega whispered, pressing a featherlight kiss on Mark's cheek. "For carrying me home."

Immediately after Donghyuck's plush lips had left his skin Mark had reached after the spot where they had blessed him with his hand. His breath hitched as he looked once more into Donghyuck's shy eyes.

"A-always," he mumbled with a hoarse voice.

Donghyuck coyly lowered his gaze, focusing his eyes on the ground where a small company of ants was scuttling their path through the sunflower field. 

"Are you hungry?" He raised his voice after what appeared to have been an endless silence.

Mark made a confused noise, but then he understood. "A little," he replied with a warm smile.

Donghyuck swallowed, nodding slowly as he hummed. "Good. I'll cook something for you," he let him know and Mark's eyes sparkled. Donghyuck cleared his throat loudly, brushing off his pants and shirt as he rose to his feet. "Let's go. Last one there has to do the dishes."

Mark giggled as he followed Donghyuck's example and stood up.

Their gazes met, however now charged with the familiar competitive tension. With one leap both of them surged ahead through the woods.

Notes:

Haha, wjfwjbdjwb, I'm really trying to not be embarrassed lol, hope you all enjoyed that Noren :)

Thanks for reading!! Hope you are all safe and healthy <3

Chapter 27: Clams

Notes:

Heyho and welcome back!! It's a long one this time, hehe, enjoy :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

A deep sigh of nostalgia left Renjun.

Right now, the orphanage was almost empty, all the kids either playing outside or still in their classes. Only one girl was left sitting in a corner, drawing a bright red flower on a piece of paper with her fingers - judging by her red-stained clothes she must've made the paint herself.

Renjun had cleaned out all his stuff that he had aggregated over the years living in this very hut. All his furs were packed, his clothes folded neatly and his old assignments that he deemed at least possibly helpful for the future carefully organized into folders. Luckily he hadn't owned that much in the first place, making it easier to stuff all his belongings into bags.

It still hadn’t fully hit him that he was moving out. The orphanage had been his home all his life. He had slept here, eaten here, argued and played with Sicheng, gotten into trouble as a little kid for staying up too late - he couldn’t believe that he would leave this part of his life behind.

Despite never having wanted to call the orphanage his home - because who would ever want such a thing? - Renjun felt a deep attachment to the place.

With a soft smile he traced over the carvings they had scratched into the wall to keep track of their heights. His first one was at roughly half of his current height - his messy initials claiming the mark as his own.

He followed the marks with his eyes. Unfortunately his mark’s had never quite reached the height of Sicheng’s that were right next to his. It was as if through their silly tradition he could see the little Renjun he had once been grow up into the adult he was today.

One last time he went over to his old sleeping spot and closet to check if he had missed anything important - but there wasn't even a single hint left that he had spent over 19 years in here except for the marks on the walls of who would soon be a stranger to the kids that would take his place. 

Apart from that there were no traces of his existence left. Like he had been erased from this place.

Renjun's breath hitched - he had indeed forgotten one thing! Oh, how could he have missed that!

Quickly he hurried over to the huge storage room where they all had separate sections to store bigger belongings. Most of the space was vast - no orphan ever owned something big except for when they had made it themselves.

Renjun's eyes fell on his huge mudboard that had once been the object of desire of so many of his peers. It had been his most prized possession - but now he had matured, grown too big for him to keep carrying it around.

Seemed like it was someone's lucky day.

The little girl who had been drawing in a corner quietly startled a little when Renjun tipped her on her shoulder. Her name was Ningning - Renjun had always been quite fond of her for her bubbly and sunny nature. "Hey Ning, you know how to mudsurf, right?"

The girl’s eyes sparkled as she puffed out her chest with a pride that reminded Renjun so much of his younger self. "Of course! I'm the best in my class!" She boasted confidently before she coyly tapped her index fingers against each other. "Except for maybe Mina."

Renjun grinned at her, before brotherly ruffling through her hair. "Do you have your own mudboard?"

Ningning scrunched her nose as she flattened her hair. "No, I have to borrow it from my friends. But if I had my own I would definitely become the best in my class!"

"Well," Renjun leaned down to her as if he was about to reveal very secret information. "How would you feel about inheriting my mudboard from me?"

"Yours!" Ningning exclaimed stunned, eyes widened with childlike wonder. "That’s the big pretty one, right? Oh, I always wanted to have my own!"

"Well, it's all yours," Renjun laughed at her excitement. "But you have to promise me to take good care of it, okay?"

Ningning nodded eagerly. "I promise! And you can use it whenever you want! We can share!"

Renjun felt his heart melt at the cuteness. If he had been left alone only a second longer with the adorable sight of Ningning beaming at him, they would have to scoop him off the ground.

Luckily, Sicheng stuck his head into the room just in time. "Are you coming, Renjun? All your things are already loaded."

Renjun winked at Ningning one last time, who giggled sweetly in return, before standing up and following Sicheng outdoors.

 

As usual when the prince was concerned there was a small crowd of onlookers surrounding the scene of attraction.

A bit surprised Renjun noticed how they parted in the middle to make way for him when Sicheng and he approached the small forest clearing. He swallowed his own spit, slightly embarrassed by suddenly standing in the middle of all the attention and hastily rushed forward to where Jeno and Jaemin were already waiting.

Three horses were prepared for their journey to the castle. Renjun stared at them with respect, noticing how his bags had been equally divided between them, fastened professionally to the riding gear.

Once Jeno noticed his return he smiled brightly at him, reaching out his arms to wrap them around his waist. "Hey, are you ready?"

Renjun blushed a little as he heard the gushing behind them and Jaemin not so subtly cleared his throat. Jeno laughed amused as he let go of Renjun again, who ducked his head shyly.

"Yeah, everything is taken care of," he muttered in reply.

"Great," Jaemin exclaimed a bit impatiently. Apparently Renjun wasn't the only one slightly uncomfortable under the eyes of the crowd that only grew bigger and bigger the longer they waited.

Sicheng pulled Renjun into a short but warm hug.

"Didn't we say we wanted to not make this emotional?" Renjun muttered against Sicheng's embrace, already feeling himself get choked up at the soothing scent of lemons that had been his anchor for many, many years.

With a long sigh Sicheng pulled away, a sad smile on his face. "Yeah, you're right," he agreed, trying to pull himself together. Lowering his voice he leaned over to Renjun’s ear, "We don't need all these people to see us bawl our eyes out."

Renjun couldn't have put it better. It wasn't like they needed to express their feelings for each other out loud anyways. It was a silent understanding by now that they were brothers, and would always be brothers.

"I'll come visit you soon," Renjun managed to say with the remaining composure he had.

"You better," Sicheng replied playfully. Fondly he patted Renjun's cheeks, his gaze a mixture of pride and worry as it rested on his younger brother. "Take care of yourself. Be strong. Don't give up."

This time not even trying to be subtle, Jaemin cleared his throat again.

Renjun nodded in understanding, turning away from Sicheng to not break out into tears at the last second and ruin his dignity.

He missed the very pointed look Sicheng gave Jeno behind his back and the small nod Jeno returned.

"Let's do this then!" Jaemin clapped his hands, walking over to the dark brown horse on the right and skillfully swinging himself on top. You could basically hear the omegas in the crowd swoon as he rolled his sleeves up and brushed the hair out of his face.

Jeno smirked, wanting to head to his own horse but Renjun held him back by his wrist. "Jeno, I've never...I don't know-"

Jeno's expression lit up in realization before Renjun could finish his sentence. "Oh, right! I'm so sorry!"

The omega lowered his gaze sheepishly - he hadn't expected his first lack of knowledge to be evident this early. What a great start.

Gently Jeno grasped his hand. "Do you want to ride with me? Jaemin can guide your horse. You'd just have to hold on to me," the alpha offered sweetly.

Renjun eyed the horse once again. It was a bit intimidating and he supposed he would only slow them down should he attempt to ride a horse on his own. 

"Yes, please, if that's not trouble for you or the horse," Renjun agreed and Jeno gave him a soft smile.

"Don't worry," he said, patting the horse's neck. "He's a strong boy, he can carry both of us."

Renjun took a deep breath, slowly approaching the horse next to Jeno. The prince smoothly pulled himself into the saddle first, before holding out his hand for Renjun.

He must've looked by far the least elegant as he struggled to heave himself up the horse. In all honesty Renjun was only glad he had been able to get up in the first place, even facing the right way around and not falling over to the other side.

"Hold on tight," Jeno whispered, grabbing his hands and putting them around his hips.

This was suddenly becoming more intimate than Renjun had anticipated as he pressed himself into Jeno's back, tightly clutching his fingers in his shirt. However, he'd rather be seen clinging to Jeno for his dear life than flying down a horse.

He was still glad when Jaemin clicked with his tongue, setting his horse in motion and they finally started moving, leaving the curious crowd of whispers behind them.

 

This being his first time riding on a horse Renjun startled a little as he felt his light body being roughly thrown around and he fearfully tightened his hold around Jeno.

His voice was trembling due to him being continuously shaken, "H-how far is it to the castle?"

Jeno smirked but Renjun couldn't see his amusement. "If we hurry it should be around three hours by horse."

Renjun swallowed heavily as he hid his face in Jeno's back - he was already feeling a bit nauseous.

Jeno softened up in worry when he felt Renjun nuzzle into him, the omega’s scent getting a bit agitated at the foreign form of traveling that his stomach was already protesting against. "Tell me when you need to slow down. We have all day to get there."

"Mhh," Renjun hummed, not feeling like speaking anymore as he pressed his eyes tightly shut.

 

 

When Donghyuck returned to the guard it was for a night patrol. With his head held high he ignored the glances thrown at him from some of his fellow guards. Rumors had spread about him being the reason behind the demotion of their old head guard.

While most people didn't seem to mind being led by Kun for the time being, a few took issue with the sudden change, blaming Donghyuck for losing a capable fighter in their ranks.

Luckily Kun did not take disobedience from anyone, quickly proving himself to be in charge of the situation without needing any leadership support from the Solaris pack. He didn't not hesitate to threateningly swing around his sword should anybody question his authority, shutting up everybody who had been whispering maliciously behind his back.

Once Kun met Donghyuck's admiring eyes he gave him a playful wink, before raising his commanding voice and dividing them into teams to guard certain areas across the borders, splitting them up to relieve the guards who had been on duty until now.

Shotaro and Donghyuck were a well attuned team by now, reading each other's body language flawlessly, knowing how to best protect each other while also not getting in each other’s way.

What had happened a few days prior - the scary heat incident - was almost handled without words.

It was only a short, "Don't do that shit again. Things are changing," from Shotaro

And an equally short, "Thank you," from Donghyuck.

After all, that was really all they needed to know that they would always have each other's backs, would always be fighting on the same side, despite being from very different backgrounds.

Night patrols were always a bit more eerie. Every hush of wind, every rustle of leaves, every owl hooting appeared twice as loud. It made everybody more alert, constantly checking their surroundings to see if there wasn't a pair of yellow wolf eyes spying on them from the merciless darkness.

It only came in handy for the Noctis pack that their fur was as pitch black as the night, giving them a perfect disguise. Donghyuck's whole body was tense as he listened into the impending silence, lurking at them like waiting for their prey.

Whenever one of the branches would move from the wind his muscles clenched. Flashes of the wolves that had attacked him many months ago were playing back in his head. How they had overwhelmed him so easily, judging him as such a vulnerable target that hadn't been prepared.

Well, now Donghyuck was prepared. And he couldn't wait to take them down.

 

When the sun rose early in the morning, turning the sky peachy colors and making the clouds glow in bright orange hues, two wolves came to relieve them from their duty.

With a curt nod towards each other Shotaro and Donghyuck separated paths at the forest clearing and headed home with the other guards of their respective packs.

After a night full of concentration and alarm Donghyuck felt his energy positively drained to the bottom. He couldn't wait to get home and curl up in Mark's hut with said alpha, getting a few hours of sleep with him before eventually Mark had to leave for his own shift.

Just when they passed the sunflower fields did Donghyuck slow down. A sudden thought crossed his mind. For a second he already wanted to disregard it, deeming it silly before he had even thought to the end of it.

Then, however, he reminded himself of all the efforts that Mark had gone through for him. It might be silly, but Donghyuck couldn't help himself - the feeling that this would probably make Mark very happy was winning him over.

He couldn't believe he would sacrifice his sleep over this.

 

When Mark woke up it was not by the sun falling into the creaks of his hut, making it impossible for him to sleep any longer - but because of a loud rattle coming from outside. Confused, he furrowed his eyebrows. Who was being so loud right in front of his hut this early in the morning?

Disgruntled at being awakened so rudely, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, noticing with a tint of disappointment that Donghyuck hadn't snuggled into his side by now like he had promised to do. Maybe his shift had taken a little longer and he would only come back when it was already time for Mark to leave.

The alpha sighed, turning onto his back and optimistically trying to find his way back to his dreams, but the rustle outside continued, ignorant of his need for sleep. Irritated Mark sat up straight, blinking a few times when little black dots tainted his vision from his sudden movement.

Not being able to stand the noise any longer he got up from his furs. Angrily he strode through his hut to the front door, hoping to evoke sympathy in the mysterious stranger who was disrupting his precious rest.

However, once he opened the door all thoughts of getting mad vaporized into thin air.

 

Donghyuck was digging into the earth in front of his hut with an old, rusty shovel he had found in the building hut. His face and clothes were full of mud - if Mark hadn't known better he would've guessed the omega had just been mudsurfing.

Donghyuck puffed out his cheeks as he wiped sweat from his forehead. A fond smile crept onto Mark's lips. Adorable.

"What are you doing?" He chuckled, making the omega take note of his presence, who startled in shock, having turned his back to the front door.

"Nooo," he whined in annoyance, making Mark frown. "This was supposed to be a surprise!"

Mark cocked an eyebrow in amusement. "Should've thought about that before you woke up the entire pack with your noise."

Donghyuck huffed defiantly and Mark couldn't help the giggle escaping him at the display of cuteness.

"So, what is this supposed to be once you're finished?" The alpha repeated his question as he stepped out of his door to inspect what Donghyuck was doing.

"Isn't it obvious?" Donghyuck pointed out, gesturing to the holes he was digging. "I'm planting sunflowers for you. It's a courting gift."

With slight surprise Mark noticed the few sunflowers that were already planted in front of his hut. A few more flowers were laying next to the unfinished project, roots carefully dug out as Donghyuck continued to shovel more and more holes to put them in the ground.

A laugh of disbelief left Mark, "Did you bring them all the way from the sunflower field?"

Donghyuck nodded, fully concentrated on his task, grunting as he put all his strength into a stubborn piece of earth that didn't want to move under his force.

Mark's fingers twitched. "Can I help you?"

"Obviously not,” Donghyuck denied him immediately. “This is still a courting gift, even if it's not a surprise any longer." 

Having already expected that answer Mark let out a long sigh. But he could understand. He would've never allowed anybody to help him with his courting gifts for Donghyuck either.

"You don't-" he started and Donghyuck turned around to him with an expectant expression. "I mean, you don't have to give me gifts anymore. I know you're courting me, I don't..."

"You don't like my courting gifts?" Donghyuck raised his eyebrows.

Mark spluttered at the statement that had been the opposite of what he had wanted to express. "No! No, I love them! Especially this!" He corrected himself, making Donghyuck tilt his head and cross his arms. "I just...I don't want you to put yourself into more stress. Your life is busy enough as it is."

"Well," Donghyuck sighed, back to punching the shovel into the ground and making more holes. His ears turned red before he continued his sentence, "According to traditions I have to keep courting you until we make a mating promise."

Mark's heart throbbed in his chest. His face felt too warm all of a sudden.

"M-mating?" He croaked and Donghyuck suddenly dug with way more force than before. "You want that? M-mate me?"

"No, I'm doing all this because I developed a sudden passion for gardening, idiot," Donghyuck muttered embarrassed.

Mark practically flung himself over to the omega, engulfing Donghyuck in a careful hug from behind. His heart was pounding with giddiness as he pressed a single kiss to Donghyuck's cheek.

"Give me a little time to get the ring ready, okay?" He breathed against Donghyuck's neck.

Donghyuck's fingers started to tremble, almost dropping the shovel. "Okay," he agreed with a hoarse voice and Mark planted another kiss on his rosy cheeks before letting him go.

"I'll get us some food while you finish this, okay?" The alpha said and Donghyuck nodded quietly, not a single word more leaving his lips.

Mark almost skipped his way to the cooking hut. How could life give him so much happiness?

 

 

Renjun's stomach was screaming in relief when Jeno and Jaemin finally slowed down their horses. In between the treetops you could make out the dark red tiles on top of the castle towers. A huge banner with the royal crest hung over a big gate that presented the only entryway to the castle.

The horses were trotting onwards carefully, the clip-clop of their hoofs getting more pronounced as they left the soft dirt ground of the forest and continued forward on the paved path that led up to the castle.

A few people in livery had gathered in the castle yard, waving at the prince excitedly. The guards positioned at the gate gave them a curt nod as they passed them, faces unmoving with seriousness.

A new rush of whispers welcomed them as they came to a halt in front of the steps that led up to the castle.

Renjun felt the curious glances on his back from the people in formal attire, the royal crest neatly stitched to their uniform. Immediately he sat up a bit straighter and loosened his hold around Jeno. He didn't need to give them more attack surface than there already was.

Jaemin jumped down from his horse first, gracefully brushing the hair out of his face which gained him a few high pitched squeals from the crowd.

Hesitantly Renjun looked down to his left and right, finding the way down far more intimidating than getting up on the horse had been.

As if sensing his fear a man in a neat uniform approached their horse, reaching out his hand to him to help him down.

Renjun flushed red, feeling already overwhelmed - and he hadn't even sat foot into the actual castle yet.

Luckily Jeno got him. The prince smoothly slithered down the horse's back, motioning for the server to take reins. "Come on, jump. I'll catch you," he encouraged Renjun, stretching out both his arms for him.

The omega swallowed heavily, heat rising underneath his skin as he threw a cautious look around them. People were staring - but they would always be staring, whether he accepted Jeno’s help or succumbed to his fate and took a harsh plant to the ground. Might as well go for the less embarrassing - and less painful - option.

Carefully he swung his legs around and then leaned on Jeno's shoulders, clumsily gliding into his arms and to the ground. Jeno gave him a light chuckle, squeezing his waist soothingly before letting him go.

The whispers behind them had turned into a storm and Renjun was finding it hard to drown them out.

"Prince Jeno, where should we carry your bags?" The servers around them asked Jeno.

"Bring mine to my bedroom," Jeno instructed them, before stopping to think. "These," he pointed to Renjun's bags that were still attached to the third riderless horse that Jaemin had been leading alongside him. "Please take them to one of the spare bedrooms in the west wing."

"As you wish," came the reply and people started to work on unloading all his bags.

Jeno gifted them with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much," he said, grabbing Renjun's hand and pulling him towards the stairs. Jaemin was already waiting for them halfway up.

"I can carry my own stuff," Renjun mumbled underneath his breath, not used to having people tend to his needs like this. It was uncomfortable.

Jeno put him off without a worry, "Don't fret about it. It's faster this way."

Renjun threw a glance back over his shoulder, watching the men and women caring for his bags and the horses.

Jeno softly tugged at his hand, making Renjun face forward as they started heading up the stairs. This was one of the few memories Renjun had left from his visit to the castle many, many years ago. Stairs upon stairs, ending at a huge wooden door that today was also guarded by two alphas in full amour.

Back then the castle had seemed infinitely big, the path to it endlessly long - Renjun was a bit surprised that he still shared the same sentiment as his little five year old self. The magnitude of the castle was making him too stunned to speak.

Thick and dark stones formed three main towers, warm light shining through the countless windows, promising life behind the huge door. Green moss was growing at the bottom and ivy adorned a corner of the strong castle walls, giving it an almost fairytale-like charm.

The red tiles on top of the castle were a welcome sprinkle of color in the dominating shades of stone grays, giving the whole castle a more inviting atmosphere while simultaneously showcasing the royal color in the perfectly constructed composition of a magnificent castle.

Down to the last detail the building portrayed the traits that identified their pack.

Even the doorknob was in the form of a sun, attached to a large wooden door, the words 'In Solaris confidimus. Pacem servamus. Veniam credimus.' engraved over it.

"Prince Jeno," the two guards lowered their heads in respect once they reached the top. "Jaemin."

Jeno smiled at them before reaching for the doorknob and knocking loudly against the wood. He gave Renjun a playful nudge who had gone stiff beside him.

A few seconds passed in which Renjun contemplated his decision to come here. He already felt so out of place.

Then the door swung open.

The interior of the castle was bright and warm - whoever had decorated it had done a great job in hiding away the dark stones underneath carpets and banners, paintings and flowers.

For a short second Renjun wondered if the gold embroidered into the carpets they were stepping on was real but a voice distracted him.

"Jeno! We've been waiting for you!" The chief and chiefess were striding down the long hallway, surrounded by a group of busy looking people.

"Hurry up, please, we need you right now!" The chiefess said in a strict voice, waving at Jeno to follow them quickly.

"Jaemin, Renjun, we're sorry for the lack of welcome right now, but things are very chaotic today," the chief added, also not stopping in his pace. "We're going to greet you all properly over dinner tonight."

A bit perplexed, Renjun turned to Jeno, who gave him an apologetic grin.

"Jeno, please," the chief called after him when Jeno wasn't following them immediately.

The alpha leaned down to press a swift kiss to Renjun's forehead. "I'm sorry, I wanted to show you around myself-"

"It's alright," Renjun stopped him with a light blush on his cheeks. "Hurry, they need you."

With one last squeeze of his hands Jeno rushed after his parents.

What a great start to his life at the castle.

 

Jaemin gave him a wide smile. "Guess that leaves me to be your personal guide." 

"You don't have any urgent meetings?" Renjun questioned and Jaemin laughed.

"I'm not that important, don't worry," he reassured him. "Come on, Jeno said you were gonna stay in the west wing, right?"

Renjun gave him an unsure glance - everything had happened so fast, his brain was having a hard time processing it all. "I think so?"

Jaemin only grinned again. "I'm pretty sure he did. Jeno's bedroom is in the west wing. I think we can assume that he wants you close."

"Oh," Renjun breathed coyly at that new piece of information.

Jaemin gave him a cheeky expression. With a swing to his step he began leading Renjun through the castle.

He stopped whenever he deemed something important enough to point it out, letting Renjun know about old paintings that depicted people he had never seen before or - much more convenient - where the dining room was.

They climbed another circular staircase leading up to another hallway. The second floor looked far less formal and like it was an actual living space, dusty portraits mostly replaced with fresh flowers and plants, light curtains and comfortable looking furniture.

"That's my room," Jaemin pointed to a door on their right. "Just, whenever you need company and Jeno's not available."

Renjun smiled thankfully. He had never been so happy about Jaemin's existence. While they had not spent a lot of time with only the two of them, the alpha was so friendly and open it felt like they had been friends for years.

Jaemin halted in front of another door, making a posh gesture as he let Renjun step in first. "That will be your room, I suppose."

Renjun's breath hitched as he took in the room. It was as big as the common sleeping area that all the orphans shared down in the village. The curtains and furniture were kept in a light blue, a sturdy looking white cupboard ready for him to fill with his belongings and a small wooden desk placed right underneath a window that had actual glass in it, colored in various shades of red and orange.

However, that wasn't the best part-

"A bed!" Renjun exclaimed, amazed as he walked up to the blue sheets and pillows.

Most people down at the pack didn't own beds, only sleeping on their furs. A few elderly people had their own beds, as well as the infirmary, but most people Renjun knew still made themselves comfortable in only blankets and furs. It was just more convenient and didn’t take up too much space in their little, but comfortable huts.

Jaemin smirked as he watched Renjun caress the soft fabrics with wide eyes.

The omega turned around to the alpha with a look of utter disbelief. "For me?"

"No, for your mudboard," Jaemin joked ironically, but Renjun still felt like this was unreal. A bed, only for him!

Jaemin let him roam around the room in silence a bit longer before he raised his voice, "I think they're gonna bring up your stuff later." A smirk played on his lips. "You wanna see Jeno's room in the meantime?"

Renjun had a hard time suppressing his interest as his head snapped around. "Can I?"

Jaemin cackled, motioning Renjun to follow him.

They walked all the way to the end of the floor. Giving him a playful wink, Jaemin pushed the door open, revealing an even bigger bedroom than the one Renjun would be residing in.

Jeno's room was kept in traditional royal colors, red and gold carrying themselves through all elements inside. It was also a lot more lived in than Renjun's room, a few pieces of stray paper laying on the desk and messy pairs of left over clothes hanging in the half opened closet.

A deep rooted scent of dark chocolate was lingering in the air and Renjun immediately felt comforted and safe.

He smiled when he saw a tiny collection of wooden toys displayed on the windowsill, ranging from horses to butterflies. This room was basically screaming Jeno out of every corner. Even though it was not quite what Renjun had expected, now that he was seeing it, it fit Jeno perfectly.

"Man, I was hoping this would be a bit more embarrassing, but I guess he cleaned up before we left," Jaemin sounded a bit disappointed, pouting at the apparent lack of dirty underwear that he had been hoping for.

"I like it," Renjun commented with a fond laugh. Then another thought crossed his mind. "Where...erm...where do the chief and chiefess sleep?"

Jaemin snorted at the question and Renjun felt his face heat up. "Don't worry, they are not in the west wing. But if you want me to show you around in their room as well I’m afraid I have to disappoint you."

With playful exasperation Renjun chucked one of Jeno's many pillows at Jaemin. "Idiot, I don't want to see their room."

"Right, you only wanna know if you can sneakily spend the nights with Jeno, I get it." Jaemin wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, throwing the pillow right back at Renjun.

Hiding his face behind the pillow, Renjun groaned in embarrassment, "How much exactly does Jeno tell you?"

Jaemin grinned almost devilishly. "You'd be surprised how talkative he gets when it concerns you."

"Urgh," Renjun murmured - he might have to have a serious talk with Jeno himself. Desperate to change topics, Renjun came up with a question, "What about your parents? Don't you have to greet them as well? You've been gone for half a year, I'm sure they want to see you."

"Why, you wanna get rid of me so badly?" Jaemin still sounded lighthearted, but the mischievous glimmer in his eyes faded like a candle going out.

"No, just thought...you might miss them," Renjun explained cautiously, feeling like he had accidentally touched on a sensitive topic.

Jaemin sighed, giving Renjun a long, contemplating look. "Well, I do. But they are not really available right now."

"You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to," Renjun immediately told him, not wanting to pry into Jaemin's private life.

Jaemin slowly shook his head. "Nah, it's alright. I suppose you can understand a little, since your parents are also...not here."

Shocked, Renjun sucked in a breath. Did that mean-? "Your parents are...are dead?"

"Oh my god, no, they are alive! I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have said that, it's actually not comparable now that I think about it," Jaemin hastily corrected himself, almost stumbling over his own words at the pace he was speaking in and Renjun let out a relieved breath.

However, now even more curious Renjun furrowed his eyebrows at the alpha. "Where are your parents, then?"

Jaemin bit down on his lips consciously before leaning closer. "This is classified information, alright?" He told him secretively. Intrigued Renjun nodded, giving Jaemin his most trustworthy look. "They are correspondents. They live among the humans, trying to maintain good relations and keep the locations of our packs secret."

Renjun's mind was blown away. His mouth fell open in bewilderment.  "Your parents...live with the humans?"

Jaemin pressed a finger over his lips, signaling him to be quiet even though they were the only ones in the room. "Yeah, they were always very close to Jeno's parents. After the war the chief said they were the only people he could entrust with such an important task."

"I'm so sorry," Renjun breathed out in compassion. "You don't get to see them a lot then, do you?"

"Not really. They come to visit every New Year, but they can't stay away for too long to not raise suspicion," Jaemin explained honestly, before putting on a brave smile. "But it's alright. I know what they are doing is very important. And Jeno's parents have always treated me kindly."

"That still sucks, though," Renjun huffed, actually making Jaemin chuckle.

He stood up from Jeno’s bed, not even bothering to fix the slight mess they had caused by throwing around his pillows and wrinkling his sheets.

"Come on, they must've brought all your stuff up by now. I'll help you unpack," he said, waiting for Renjun to leave the room first, who at least made an attempt to straighten the blankets and arrange the pillows back in their place before heading outside.

 

After they had stored all of Renjun's belongings away into the closet and cupboard - which hadn't taken all too long considering he didn't own that many things - Jaemin left Renjun alone to freshen up before dinner.

The omega stared at himself in the mirror and let out a heavy sigh.

An amused snort resonated through the room as Renjun realized that this would be his chance to present himself decently in front of Jeno's parents for the first time - and not after he had just went mudsurfing, spend the whole night awake or was fumbling with nervosity, about to deliver Jeno a courting gift.

However, now that he was starting to think about it Renjun began to doubt himself. Should he dress up nicely for the dinner? Was it a casual thing? Or something more formal? Were you expected to wear fancy clothes at all times in the castle? At least the chief and chiefess always carried themselves with an elegant chic that would make every fashion enthusiast envious.

Figuring that it wouldn't hurt to show himself from his best side Renjun dug through his clothes, finding that the shirt he had sewed for the Spring Dance was the nicest garment he owned. It also perfectly matched with all the red jewelry Jeno had gifted him until now, the rubies on the mating ring and the pendant that had been a courting gift sparkling nicely under the light of the setting sun as he put them on.

As he took another glance in the mirror he felt satisfied with his appearance. At least it was better than his mud covered self had been.

 

Just as he had finished brushing his hair until it was perfectly soft there was a knock on his door. That must be Jaemin again, having offered to walk him down to the dining room later.

Practicing his graceful walk, copying the way he had seen the chiefess move, he strode through the room. Due to the colorful glass of his window everything was glowing in warm shades of red, making little particles of dust visible that were floating around in the air. Placing one foot in front of the other Renjun reached the doorknob.

His face paled when he opened the door. "Oh no."

Jaemin had changed his at least partly formal shirt and jacket to a much more casual sweater. His hair was washed and hung slightly messy over his eyes. They couldn't have dressed more differently, looking like they were about to head to two completely unrelated events.

Suddenly his confidence vanished, making room for deep humiliation.

"Wow, you look...nice?" Jaemin seemed equally surprised by his getup.

Renjun groaned in misery, letting his head fall back. "I thought this was supposed to be formal?"

"Not everything at the castle is formal," Jaemin let him know a little too late and Renjun sent him a glare.

"Do I have time to change?" He tried to save himself but Jaemin gave him an apologetic grimace.

"Not if you don't want to be late," he answered.

Renjun wished the ground would open and just swallow him whole, rid this earth of his embarrassing existence.

Jaemin offered him an encouraging smile. "Come on, it's not that bad,” he said, holding the door open for Renjun. "At least Jeno's going to like it."

"Great," Renjun muttered underneath his breath. For a change Jeno was not the one who he was trying to impress this evening.

 

It was hard to ignore the surprised glances he got when they arrived at the dining hall. Only Jeno's parents and Jeno himself were seated at a small table, making it blatantly obvious that this was not a formal affair, but rather a nice, intimate family dinner.

Uncomfortable Renjun tucked at his sleeves, trying his best not to blush underneath the gazes.

The chief was the first one to speak up, "Renjun, Jaemin, come, join us." He waved them over with the warm charisma that their pack loved him for. "I hope you can forgive us for earlier."

Jeno's eyes widened when he turned around in his chair and got a full view of Renjun for the first time. Awed, he clumsily stood up, almost throwing his own chair over as he pulled out the chair next to him for the omega to sit.

Jaemin smirked, whispering an almost soundless, "Told you so," towards Renjun, who was sure that his own face was now perfectly matching the red theme in his clothes.

"You look fabulous," Jeno told him with an affectionate smile when Renjun went to sit down next to him, keeping his gaze lowered on his lap.

"T-thanks," he mumbled quietly. He awkwardly cleared his throat before coyly raising his head. "I'm sorry, I assumed this would be a more formal...event."

The chiefess gave him an unreadable smile. "It's alright," she said, piercing through him with her bright eyes. "Did you make that yourself?"

Insecurely Renjun nodded his head. The chiefess was a famous seamstress, her skills known to everybody in their pack. Her talent equaled nobody and Renjun couldn't help but feel like his own work was lacking in comparison. How had he ever considered wearing his self made shirt would be a good idea?

Before she could comment anything further on his attire two servers entered the room, bringing various dishes to their table on silver trays. Renjun’s throat closed up as he took in all the food - some of which he had never seen before, different sorts of meats and vegetables and soups assembled in front of them.

The chief stood up once everything was ready. "Well, I'm sure you're all hungry. Let's just dig in," he said unceremoniously, holding out his hand for his mate's plate. She handed her plate over and the chief put a little bit of everything on top before giving it back, then proceeding to get his own share.

Renjun threw Jeno an unsure glance. Was he supposed to wait? Was he supposed to get his own food? What should he even get? He was overwhelmed with choice.

Luckily Jeno seemed to notice his confusion. "Do you want me to get you something?"

Renjun nodded eagerly and Jeno didn't hesitate to take his plate and place a nice variety of food on top.

"Thanks," Renjun said as Jeno set his plate back down in front of him.

Jaemin, who was sitting opposite of him, gestured for him to breathe and Renjun almost snickered at him. The alpha gave him a cheeky wink and for some reason Renjun felt himself relax seeing Jaemin being himself so easily. Once again he was grateful for Jaemin's sheer existence.

 

They started eating in silence. Well, everyone apart from Renjun, who only observed at first what kind of cutlery he was supposed to use for the different dishes. He had never felt more out of place - and they were only eating dinner.

More than overwhelmed, perhaps even shocked, Renjun came to realize just how much there was to learn for him. This was only the beginning.

Subtly Jeno sneaked his hand over to him, pointing at the different forks and spoons that were used to dine correctly. Renjun gave him a thankful smile once he noticed Jeno helping him out so sweetly, apparently aware that Renjun felt a bit embarrassed about his lack of knowledge.

Jeno had put a few clams on his plate and after discreetly trying to open them but failing to do so – and being too shy to ask for help out loud – he let them slip into his pocket when nobody was looking, acting as if they had never been on his plate in the first place.

They would leave an icky stain to clean up later, he knew it, but he deemed this better than leaving them on his plate and appearing as a picky eater. He just hoped nobody would notice the damp spot on his pants once he stood up.

After everybody had a few quiet bites of their food the chiefess put her fork down, looking straight at Renjun. "So, Renjun – what was your surname again?"

Renjun almost choked, perplexed by being addressed so directly. Hastily he swallowed the only partly chewed food in his mouth. "Huang, err, Huang Renjun."

"You're not by chance related to the famous builders of the Huang family?" The chiefess asked, leaning onto her elbows as her gaze sharpened on him. "We have good connections to them."

Awkwardly Renjun cleared his throat, trying to find the most light-hearted way to say what he was about to say. He figured there wasn't really a way. "I'm afraid not. My parents both died young in the war shortly after I was born. I don’t have any other living relatives."

A depressing silence that Renjun had already anticipated followed.

"I'm so sorry, I forgot," the chiefess said, her eyes losing some of their sharpness. "Jeno mentioned before that you were an orphan."

"It's alright," Renjun tried to soften the blow, only to now find the chief staring at him in thought.

"You're the son of Yichen and Ai, aren't you?" He asked him and Jeno threw his father a pointed look, begging him with his eyes to shut up.

Renjun raised his head surprised. There weren't many people who knew his parents by name. Some of the caretakers mentioned them every once in a while in passing. Apparently his parents had been very reserved people, not many close friends or family.

"Yeah, I knew them," the chief told him, seeing the curiosity on Renjun’s face. "Two very lovely people. It's a tragedy they had to go so soon."

Now the silence in the air was even heavier. Jaemin awkwardly shuffled in his seat, obviously at a complete loss of what to do and Jeno let out a big sigh, dropping his head into his hands.

Renjun wanted this to end, desperately so. "They fought for a good thing. I'm sure they wouldn't want people to be sad about it."

The chief nodded, festively raising his glass. "To your parents."

After that the atmosphere was a bit dampened. There were a few attempts of more small talk, but they all left Renjun out of the conversation.

The omega had never felt more out of place.

 

They all finished their food and the servers came back to clean up the table. Renjun's fingers itched with the desire to help, still uncomfortable letting others do work he was very much capable of doing himself.

Having noticed his restlessness, Jeno reached after his hand, guiding it underneath the table and interlocking their fingers.

The prince leaned closer to his ear. "Did Jaemin show you the gardens yet?"

The soothing timbre of his voice made Renjun's tensed muscles instinctually relax. "No," he answered quietly.

Jeno seemed pleased as he pulled him up from his seat. "I'm going to show Renjun around now," he excused them from his parents, who dismissed them with a small smile.

There were dooming whispers again as Jeno gently led him out of the dining room and into the hallways, echoing off the high walls and narrow spaces. It only made them increase in volume, while staying incomprehensible at the same time - Renjun already sensed a headache coming.

Only when Jeno pushed open a gate that led them outside was Renjun able to breathe freely.

Jeno smiled, nudging him further along on a dirt path that led into a patch of roses. Even though the inside of the castle had not been cold in the least – Renjun immediately felt much more welcome here. The feeling of being out in nature was familiar to him, reminding him of the fields and woods down in the pack village that he had roamed since he was old enough to walk on his own.

There was a small pavilion in the middle of the beautiful rose garden that was glowing under the light of the setting sun. With determined eyes Jeno directed their steps towards it.

The dainty building was made completely out of white marble, closing towards the top like an old bird cage. It was a beautiful, intricate design - but it almost seemed delicate and simple in direct contrast to the massive castle. A hidden beauty indeed.

 

Once they reached the pavilion Jeno playfully spun him around in a twirl, making Renjun giggle joyously.

He let out a long breath that had been stuck in him until now and rested his hands on Jeno's chest. "Well, that was a disaster, wasn't it?"

"You mean when my parents kept prying about your dead parents?" The alpha huffed annoyed.

Renjun laughed fondly. "I meant everything," he clarified. "I must look so silly."

Jeno scowled, as if having never heard a more untrue statement. "You look amazing. Don't be embarrassed."

Shyly Renjun ducked his head. How could he not be embarrassed? He had been a complete mess this entire day.

However, he couldn't burden Jeno with all these insecurities, who already had more than enough to worry about on his own - as had been demonstrated by their stressful arrival. 

Instead he gave the alpha a brave smile, before turning his head away, gesturing to the pavilion. "This place is beautiful. Is this your hideout here?"

Jeno softly rubbed his sides, carefully stepping away from Renjun to show him around the small structure. "I guess you could say so," he replied, before pointing to the walls. "We hang all the first blooms here. They dry and press them and put them in little frames with the names of who found them."

Fascinated, Renjun took a step closer to the walls, inspecting all the dried flowers. A thought hit him and he began searching.

"There," he suddenly pointed out. Jeno followed his fingers and then chuckled.

"Yeah, that's why I brought you here," he admitted. "Ever since you told me you found them once I wanted to come back here to see for myself."

They both stared at the old wooden frame that held a single marigold, the name 'Huang Renjun' written underneath in cursive letters.

A weird feeling overcame Renjun. Without his knowledge just like in the orphanage he had been part of this place for such a long time. Although the contrast between his name messily engraved into an old wooden wall and his name being neatly handwritten on a piece of parchment couldn't have been bigger – Renjun, for the first time since he came here, felt a connection to this place. Maybe a part of him had always belonged here. He just hadn't seen it yet.

With a teasing grin he turned around to face Jeno. "Why? Didn't you believe me?"

The alpha returned his smile with a boyish glint in his eyes. He pressed a cheeky kiss to his lips and Renjun pulled away with a baffled gasp.

Jeno started laughing at his bewilderment and Renjun angrily hit him on his chest, before hiding his face just there.

"You can't just do that here without warning me," he mumbled flustered as Jeno comfortingly patted his back. For a second, just for that one second, Renjun truly believed they could make this work.

 

However, when he was back in his room later that night, having wandered the gardens a bit longer with Jeno, the doubts started to come back, crawling their way into his troubled mind with nasty claws.

With a long sigh he crammed the clams out of his pocket, throwing them on his desk with slight disgust as they covered his fingers in long slimy threads. He didn't know if he should laugh or cry at himself.

Has this been the right decision?

Notes:

Ahh, you made it all the way to the end!!
Hope you liked it - leave me your opinions in the comments, hehe :D

Thank you all so much for reading!! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and that you are safe and healthy <3

Chapter 28: New Things

Notes:

Hello, enjoy the chapter!! :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Renjun had never slept better.

The huge bed that he still couldn’t believe had been provided to him was as soft as clouds and the sheets were made from smooth silk that was pleasantly cold against his skin. He might miss the comforting scent of old wood that had been ever present in the orphanage or the soft rustle of quiet whispers from the younger kids that were staying up late against all better judgment. However, this bed was definitely one of the perks that came with living in the castle.

Gentle knocking on his door forced Renjun out of his morning daze. Confused, the omega slithered out of his blankets, wondering who would step by his room this early into the day. Quickly he threw on some more covering clothes than the light night gown he had been wearing due to last heat of the summer. Consciously he checked his appearance in the mirror, not wanting to seem messy in front of the people in the castle that always carried themselves with such effortless grace.

He cleared his throat before toddling to the door, opening it slowly.

The tension in his shoulders faded as soon as he saw the familiar face smiling at him.

"Can I come in?" Jeno said with a charming smirk on his face, carrying a tray with breakfast in his hands.

Renjun giggled as he opened the door wider to let the alpha in.

"Wow, I'm getting the prince as my server. What an honor," he said as Jeno placed the food on his bed.

Joining his laughter Jeno contorted his face into a grimace. "I thought I'd make it up to you after last night's dinner."

Renjun groaned as he remembered the embarrassment he had brought on himself yesterday. His mind was already trying to bury that memory deep down in his unconsciousness.

He was about to close the door when Jeno stopped him suddenly, placing a foot on the floor. "Wait. Maybe we leave that open for now."

Renjun frowned in confusion. Wasn't it better to talk in private? "Why?"

Sheepishly Jeno rubbed his neck. "We don't want to get the gossip spreading right away, do we?"

"Oh," Renjun hummed, leaving the door slightly open as it was. "I guess."

"Sorry, it's just...people like to talk," Jeno sighed deeply. "And now that you're here...I don't want you to get caught in the middle of it."

Renjun almost snorted at that statement. Little did Jeno know that he had been caught in the middle of it ever since they had officially started courting, the number of rumors spread only increasing with every day that had passed since.

Nevertheless, he put on a brave smile. "It's alright." He strode over to the bed, sitting down so he could eat. "Do you want something, too?" He offered the alpha, patting on the empty space next to him but Jeno shook his head.

"That's just for you," he declined, sitting down next to Renjun anyways. "I already ate earlier - we had another meeting with Lunaris."

Renjun suddenly felt weirdly self-conscious as he took a bite from the bread. Jeno's life here seemed so settled, the prince was always busy running around. Not that Renjun had even considered expecting that Jeno would have more time to tend to Renjun than he had down in the village. No, Renjun wasn’t that delusional. Realistically speaking it was only logical that Jeno would be more involved with politics now that he returned, freshly graduated and ready to take over more serious duties. However, he would’ve at least liked to have an outlook on what his own role would be here. He didn't want to just sleep in his bed and do nothing all day.

Coyly he glanced at Jeno. "Erm...is there anything I can do? To help?"

Jeno's face lightened up, like he had been waiting for Renjun to ask that. "Actually, my parents wanted me to ask you this," he nodded enthusiastically. "If you'd be interested in getting some further education here in the castle."

Renjun frowned, a bit taken aback. So they've been talking about his lack of education. How flattering. But then again, after his behavior last night, could he really blame them?

"Not that you have to! I know you graduated just now down in the pack," Jeno quickly told him, sensing that his words might’ve come across in a wrong way. "You can also just enjoy your free time as you get to know the castle on your own. But we thought some additional training might help you get adjusted faster."

Renjun slowly swallowed his bite of bread as he considered the offer. He'd rather stay at Jeno's side to learn, but if his parents deemed it better for him to undergo some sort of formal training, did he really have a choice?

"What kind of classes would I be taking?" He questioned, at least wanting to know what he was getting himself into before giving it a chance.

"Oh, you'd be joining the other royal kids here. Usually we get Latin lessons, history lessons, diplomacy lessons and horseback riding," Jeno replied, glad to answer all of Renjun’s questions and lessen his worries.

That seemed to be a lot, Renjun thought. Especially a lot of things that he had never even dabbled into. He’d have a lot to catch up to.

Jeno seemed like he wanted to keep speaking, but he wasn't exactly sure how to word it. Renjun gave him a prompt look. If he’d be doing this, he wanted full transparency about everything.

Jeno scratched his ear awkwardly. "Actually, err...I mean, only if you want to, but I'd also think it might be good for you to join a few fighting lessons. Considering the circumstances."

Oh. Well - it seemed like Renjun's wish to get something to do here was getting more than granted. Right now, he wasn't sure if he would be able to handle all these things. Still, he tried to put on his most confident smile. He couldn't give up without at least trying, right?

"Sounds fun," he said and Jeno beamed at him.

How could he not try if Jeno was this happy to have him here?

To his disappointment Jeno rose from where he had been resting on his bed. "I'm sorry, I have to get back to the meeting." He leaned down to Renjun to press a single innocent kiss to his temple. "Enjoy your breakfast."

Once Jeno was gone, Renjun let himself fall back into bed, a big huff escaping him at the impact of his back hitting the pillows. He was already exhausted.

 

Later that day Jaemin came to pick him up and show him to his classes. At first Renjun had foolishly hoped that Jaemin might join his lessons. However, Jaemin dropped him off to his first Latin class with a compassionate look in his eyes and a weird grimace that seemed to be an attempt of an uplifting smile as he patted his shoulder.

It didn't really encourage Renjun as he took a seat next to the only other kid in the class that was sitting at the desk right in the front.

The boy seemed to be a bit younger than himself, his facial features still unmatured and soft. Renjun cleared his throat, effectively gaining his attention. "Hey, I'm Renjun."

The boy looked him up and down once, before a spark of understanding lit behind his eyes. "Oh, it's you," he said and Renjun felt weirdly judged for being scrutinized by someone who he guessed was barely 16 years old. "I'm Chenle."

Renjun nodded as he turned his body away, getting the paper and pens ready that Jaemin had given him earlier.

Not much later an older woman entered the small room, hair pulled into a strict bun and small round glasses on her nose. She barely acknowledged Renjun's presence as she got her books out.

Well, the first thing Renjun learned was why Jaemin had looked so apologetic when he had left Renjun here.

He barely understood a word as their teacher began reciting pages and pages of old Latin transcripts. Cold sweat was running down Renjun's back as he turned to Chenle, who was lazily noting down a few translations every now and again.

Too shy to ask the teacher to slow down and explain what she was talking about Renjun remained silent in his seat, listening to the foreign language for roughly an hour before the teacher closed her book.

She handed both of them long lists of words. "Vocabulary to learn for tomorrow."

Then she rushed out of the room. Renjun still wasn't sure if she noticed that she had never even seen him before.

"Chenle-" Renjun called out before Chenle could leave just as fast as the teacher had. The boy turned around to him with raised eyebrows. "Is there like...erm...how do I-?"

Chenle rolled his eyes at his nonsensical rambling. With an exasperated sigh he motioned Renjun to follow him.

They walked down two cases of stairs, took three lefts and passed a countless amount of rusty knight armor - Renjun tried desperately to memorize every path he took as he also tried to keep up with Chenle's fast pace. He only hoped he would find his way back.

Finally, they stopped walking in front of a heavy wooden door. Renjun looked at it in respectful awe, but Chenle very unceremoniously pushed it open.

"This is the library," Chenle announced to him as they entered a huge room, stocked with shelves over shelves so high they reached the ceiling.

Books of all colors and ages were neatly sorted into them, the titles already fading or covered by dust on some of them. Renjun wasn't able to take in the full magnitude of this room as Chenle was not giving him a break and walking ahead until they stood in a section that seemed to contain only the most ancient of books.

Renjun's breath stuck in his throat. Never before had he seen so many books, so much knowledge gathered in one place. He almost couldn't believe this was real.

"This is the Latin section. I'm sure this'll help you out, try starting with the basic grammar." Chenle pointed out a few books that he pulled out of their place, causing dust to spread in the air around them, making Renjun cough. "And always memorize the vocab she gives you. Otherwise, you won't survive."

Renjun nodded, arms almost giving out under the weight of books Chenle kept staggering in his arms. "Thank you," he said, but Chenle only hummed dismissively.

"Don't. Latin is a pain for everybody," Chenle told him with an expression of complete disgust. Seemed like it was a consensus among the students in the castle to dislike Latin and not just Jaemin’s personal opinion. "I'm gonna go now, if you don't need anything else?"

Gratefully Renjun shook his head. Chenle had already helped him out more than enough.

And just like that Renjun was left with a concerning amount of books in his arms and an even more concerning amount of stuff he had to study tonight. And this had only been his first day!

 

To his relief no class left him as helpless as Latin had. History was interesting, but sometimes equally as hard since some of the books they were reading were also in Latin. Apart from that Renjun was quite relieved.

Fighting lessons were actually quite fun, even though it was slightly embarrassing that Chenle kept winning over him every battle they fought, despite being younger.

Then Friday came around. And with that came horseback riding - which was a whole different issue. It seemed to be the class Chenle enjoyed the most, saddling and riding his horse as soon as they got outside. Meanwhile Renjun was unable to get on the horse himself, having to ask their instructor to help him.

However, all things considered, life at the castle was not looking totally bad for him. With all the revision and studying he was doing in Latin every night, he even found himself understanding little snippets here and there, happy to see even the slightest bit of progress he made.

The biggest help he had found when searching the library was a small little booklet that had a lot of translations of the most important Latin speeches in it. So at least now he could read afterwards what the teacher had told him, whenever he was lucky enough to recognize what had been taught today.

 

As he was kept busy with his new tight study schedule, he barely noticed how he got to see Jeno less than usual. They mostly saw each other during dinner or shortly in the mornings when Jeno decided to bring him breakfast. However, their time together was so limited that their conversations rarely lasted longer than a few minutes and barely scratched the surface.

When he was lying awake in his bed late at night or was caught up in the library, Renjun found himself missing the sweet privacy of Jeno's hut down in the pack, where they had spent hours just talking or holding each other. It was draining being alone.

 

Today he had understood disappointingly few of what their teacher had said in Latin - and sadly his little cheat sheet had let him down as well. So now he was desperately trying to catch up on the notes Chenle had so graciously lent him. At least Chenle and him were finally warming up to each other. So, that was a positive.

Renjun was so focused on his studying he didn't even notice someone sliding into the chair opposite of him.

"Thought I'd find you here."

Renjun startled, almost throwing the papers he had been scribbling on off the desk.

Jaemin was cackling at him and Renjun gave him a deathly glare.

Taking pity on him the alpha glanced down on his notes. An understanding expression sneaked on his face once he read what Renjun had been writing. "Ah, Latin. I see."

Groaning in misery, Renjun let his head drop on the table. Jaemin gave him another one of those compassionate smiles. "Please tell me it's gonna get better."

"Oh, don't make me lie to you," Jaemin chuckled and Renjun huffed. What a great comfort. "But you are already doing great. You've only been doing this for what? Two weeks? It'll take some time."

"But I wanna be good now," Renjun whined, admittedly a bit childishly and Jaemin laughed at his sudden display of cuteness.

"Honestly, I'm not sad about not having to take Latin anymore," Jaemin agreed with him.

Deciding that he had done enough for today, Renjun let his book fall shut. His head was pounding with all the different conjugations and declensions he had been trying to forcefully punch into his brain. "Let's talk about something else."

Jaemin grinned at him. "There's something you'd rather talk about than Latin?"

Renjun deadpanned at him and Jaemin defensively raised his arms, before erupting in soft giggles.

Seemed like he had to do everything on his own, Renjun thought to himself angrily.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you," he changed topics away from anything Latin themed. "Why didn't you decide to court someone down at the pack? Would be nice to share the class with someone other than Chenle."

Jaemin's laughter stopped immediately and for a second Renjun thought he had made a terrible mistake. Maybe there was a worse conversation topic than Latin.

However, Jaemin quickly recovered, changing his gloomy expression to one of his charming smiles. "Why? Is Chenle not nice company?"

Renjun frowned, pouting at the alpha. "You know what I meant. It would be nice not being the only one clueless here. And there were lots of omegas interested in you."

A dark shadow cast over Jaemin's face - Renjun felt like now he had seriously done the damage. He should've dropped the topic when he’d had the chance.

"Sorry, is this...I didn't mean to pry," the omega apologized when Jaemin, who was usually very talkative, one of Renjun's favorite traits about him, became eerily quiet all of a sudden.

The alpha gave him a tight-lipped smile. "It's alright." He gave him a long look of consideration - similar to the one he had given him before he had decided to tell Renjun about his parents. "I'm just not very interested in omegas."

"I get that, most omegas down in the village are quite nosy," Renjun hummed in understanding. "So you have someone here? In the castle?"

Jaemin was silent again, only making Renjun more confused. Had he said something wrong again? Maybe he should just shut up once and for all.

"I didn't mean the omegas down in the village," Jaemin clarified carefully. "I meant omegas. Like, in general."

Renjun's eyes widened, lips forming a silent 'Oh' as he finally understood.

It wasn't really common in their pack for alphas to not like omegas. However, Renjun had heard that such relationships existed in the Lunaris pack.

"That's err...I mean, nice," Renjun spluttered clumsily, not knowing what the right reaction to such a confession was. "I mean, I don't...I don't think it's weird or anything. It's nice, yeah."

Jaemin looked at him in silence, face expressionless or maybe…nervous? This time, Renjun was really sure he had dug his own grave.

"Thanks," Jaemin replied to his surprise, almost hesitantly as he began to spot a small smile. 

A heavy stone fell off of Renjun's heart. He couldn't afford to lose Jaemin when he already had nobody else here in the castle to call his friend. 

"For not finding it weird, I guess? Most people do. So... maybe don't go around telling everybody,” Jaemin added, toying with the seams of his shirt as if he had been equally as relieved as Renjun.

The omega nodded eagerly. There was no way he would betray Jaemin's trust like that.

"No problem. I don't really think it matters who you like," Renjun said, actually making Jaemin lift his head and beam at him in blatant happiness. "I mean, I like Jeno and you - wait, you don't like Jeno, right?"

Jaemin choked on air, face getting redder and redder. Concerned Renjun watched the alpha, about to call for help, not wanting him to suffocate - then he realized that Jaemin was laughing.

Slapping his thigh, Jaemin gasped for air. "That is the funniest thing you ever said," he managed to say, still giggling like a maniac. Renjun just glared at him again. "Jeno is like a brother to me. Yuck, I could never see him that way," Jaemin finally calmed down enough to talk.

Renjun pouted in defiance. He had only tried to be respectful. "Well, I'm sorry for assuming," he huffed and Jaemin wheezed again, wiping a tear of laughter out of his eyes. "So, do you have an alpha to court then?" Renjun asked loudly over Jaemin’s laughter, ending it all in one second.

The question seemed to have dampened Jaemin's mood and Renjun regretted speaking once more. This was not his evening. Where did his social skills go all of a sudden? He’d rather have Jaemin laugh at him than this. Hell, he might’ve even rather studied Latin.

"No, not really. It's a little bit frowned upon to like alphas as an alpha, isn't it?" Jaemin answered honestly. "So I can't really act on it."

Renjun furrowed his eyebrows. "That's not fair."

Jaemin managed a sad smile. "Guess I'll have to wait until Jeno and you take over the pack then," he said.

"Is this why Jeno always says he wants to bring change to the pack?" Renjun wondered out loud.

Jaemin shrugged. "Among other things, I suppose. But I think...back when...Jeno was the first person I told about preferring alphas." Jaemin put his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his palms. "I like to think it was the starting point of him deciding to do things differently."

Renjun was impressed by how deep the friendship between Jeno and Jaemin went. He felt honored that Jaemin seemed to give Renjun the same amount of trust he had been giving Jeno seemingly his entire life.

"What about your parents?" He asked carefully.

Jaemin clenched his jaw, his shoulders tensing up. "They know, of course. But they don't really understand it, I think," he hummed lowly, before sighing deeply. "Jeno's parents know, too, I think. We rarely mention it though. They just never bring up that I'm not courting anybody. So neither do I."

"I'm sorry," Renjun said, genuinely feeling bad for Jaemin. “It must be hard to not be able to act on your feelings freely.”

"There are worse things," Jaemin shrugged, light-hearted and obviously already used to his current situation.

Renjun snorted at his optimism. "Like what?" He prompted.

Jaemin grinned. "Like Latin."

That actually made Renjun laugh in surprise.

However, he thought to himself, if all he'd have to do was study some stupid Latin to possibly get the right to make Jaemin's future a little brighter, he'd gladly suffer though the whole Illias.



 

Donghyuck was watching the last sun rays disappear behind the trees. It seemed like summer had come and gone in the blink of an eye.

While the weather was still nicely warm during the midday hours, the days were starting to get shorter and shorter already. Donghyuck didn't like the darkness that early autumn brought over the pack. The night was a cover for everything.

People were even tighter stuck together nowadays and parents were especially guarded about their freshly presented omega children that had developed their sweet scent over the summer. Even though it had been a few weeks since they last heard of an attack - the rumors of a Noctis wolf having surpassed their borders over a month old - caution was only growing within their pack.

Donghyuck was only glad that he was an adult already. He would've hated being stuck inside under the guise of being protected by four measly wooden walls. It might seem counterintuitive, but he felt much safer being on guard duty together with Shotaro or roaming the woods with Mark.

Although he did notice a slight shift of protectiveness in Mark whenever their shifts matched up and they could leave guard duty together. While Mark had always been paying that extra attention to Donghyuck, these days his eyes barely seemed to leave him, and his body tensed as soon as the sun had set and they weren't back at the pack yet.

Perhaps a younger and less mature Donghyuck would've found that annoying. Maybe a little part of him still did, that constant need to prove himself capable not fully resided yet. However, the bigger part of him actually enjoyed having Mark's gaze resting on him and nobody else. And he couldn't deny that he also felt much safer knowing that Mark was near and that neither of them were in acute danger.

It's been a few weeks since Donghyuck had let Mark know about his wish to mate. Donghyuck pretended he didn't know, but he noticed how Mark had been spending a little more time in the crafting hut, probably working on the promised ring to accompany the agreement. Their hearts were blooming in each other’s company, more so than ever before and not seldom did Donghyuck catch Mark staring at him with nothing but pure happiness on his face. Some days Donghyuck worried that his heart wouldn't survive the everlasting pressure that Mark's smile put on it.

Life seemed brighter with Mark around, even though the nights got darker. And Donghyuck couldn't help but feel more impatient with each day that passed.

 

He had finished washing up and was about to head back to Mark's hut for the night. These days he wasn't even letting his parents know anymore where he was since it had become normal for him to be spending the night with Mark. And it saved Donghyuck the embarrassment of his parents' lectures on safety and respect.

Today, however, it wasn't his own parents that were giving him trouble.

A loud, chirpy voice was calling his name, stopping him a few meters from Mark's hut. 

Irritated, he turned around to look for the source of the noise to find a small, chubby woman waving at him frantically a few huts away.

Donghyuck swallowed heavily, recognizing both the woman and the hut. He raised his hand, giving the woman a tiny wave in return.

That didn't seem to be enough of a greeting for her though, as she continued to enthusiastically gesture for him to come over.

With hesitant steps Donghyuck complied to her wishes, trudging his way over to the small woman.

"Good evening," he said politely once they were within hearing distance. He lowered his head slightly in respect.

Mark's mother immediately reached out for his cheeks, cradling his dirty face in her warm hands. "Donghyuck, you've grown up so well," she said, chubby fingers patting Donghyuck's skin. "I've been wanting to talk to you ever since the Spring Dance. But, you know, things have been busy."

Donghyuck smiled, nodding along to her words. It had been a while since he had spoken to Mark's mother. However, he still remembered her warm and nursing nature from when he had been a little kid and Mark had been his favorite ruffling buddy.

He knew that she had been raising Mark and Johnny all on her own ever since Mark's father had passed away when they had still been very young. Back then he had felt mainly sad for her, but now he also felt deep admiration. Especially because she still seemed as bright as his first memory of her, offering him neatly cut watermelon slices after playing around all day in summer, clothes covered in mud and sweat as they returned to the village.

"Come inside, I was just making tea," she said, grabbing him by his arm and ushering him inside the small hut that was built so close to Mark's own. Before Donghyuck could utter something in protest - he was still dirty and sweaty from running back to the pack and really needed to take a bath, he found himself sitting down at the old kitchen table that was peppered with hundreds of scratches. Probably courtesy of young Mark and Johnny playing with their knives and forks while eating.

"Ten was just stepping by to bring me some bread. He's an excellent baker!" Misses Lee kept chattering.

Donghyuck gave the omega that was also sitting down at the table a shy nod. Of course, Donghyuck had heard of Ten before, Mark had mentioned him a few times when talking about Johnny. If he remembered correctly, they had mated a few years ago.

Ten's eyes sparkled with silent mischief, like a cat that was planning its next move with caution.

Misses Lee kept rumbling in the small kitchen, getting a kettle and three cups ready before starting to boil some water and distribute herbs.

Her hair was slightly messy as she turned around to face them, a loose strand falling over her eyes that she blew out of her face. "Do you bake, too, Donghyuck?"

Donghyuck had never thought he would be thrown so off guard by such a simple question. However, as he sat there, right next to Ten and Mark's mother in his sweaty guard attire, the thought occurred to him that he was hardly what you imagined your son's omega to be.

Could he ever measure up to someone like Mark's mother? A true omega woman, who was caring and proud and so full of light? Who had raised a family all on her own? 

Meanwhile Donghyuck was still struggling so much to find his place.

He lowered his head. "I'm afraid not," he muttered honestly. While he had always had a knack for cooking, baking and him had never been a good match. "At least not often."

Mark's mother hummed. "Yeah, I doubt you'd find the time for it. Mark also never comes home anymore with all the guard duties."

Donghyuck felt his throat get dry, his stomach filling with guilt. Wasn't he the one always with Mark, preventing him from seeing his mother because he claimed all of Mark's time for himself?

Suddenly Mark's mother started chuckling. "I raised true gentlemen, really." The ironic undertone in her voice wasn’t missed, neither was the sparkle of the amusement in her eyes. She turned around, spilling the now boiled water in their cups as she winked at the two younger omegas. "I hope they are at least treating you right."

Ten joined her amusement, his sly features softening as he began smiling genuinely. Awkwardly Donghyuck followed the soft laughter.

"I always wanted an omega child," Mark's mother sighed cheekily. Then she pinched both of Donghyuck's cheeks. "But at least now I have you two."

Ten smirked at him as he took a sip from his tea and Donghyuck felt his face heat up.

"I reminded Johnny about the firewood. He wanted to step by tomorrow after he comes back from the border," Ten informed her about an earlier conversation that Donghyuck hadn't been part of.

Mark's mother nodded. "Thank you. I've been getting my own wood, but lately my back is giving me trouble."

"Maybe you could step by the healing hut, let someone take a look," Ten suggested with warm concern.

"That's sweet, but I think it's just age slowly getting to me."

"Oh, don't say that, you're still young and fit."

"You always knew how to charm me."

Donghyuck followed the light conversation silently, not knowing what to say and not wanting to chime in at the wrong time. It felt like he was intruding on an already established relationship that held a level of intimacy that Donghyuck was not used to yet.

Just when Donghyuck was about to make up an excuse to leave, Ten addressed him. "Your belt is a little ripped," the omega pointed out and Donghyuck automatically reached after his leather belt that was fastened around his waist and held his sword. Since his armor had been altered for an omega, nothing was new and nothing fitted just right.

"Uhm, yeah, it's alright, it's always been this way," Donghyuck let him know, self-consciously chewing on his lips as he kept fiddling with it.

Ten's cat-like eyes crinkled. "I can fix it for you, if you want to."

"Ten is a professional tailor. He's very talented with his hands," Mark's mother agreed enthusiastically. "Or do you know how to sew?"

Again, Donghyuck had to shake his head. "No. I never really learned."

"Just bring it to the tailoring hut later. I will get right to it," Ten offered him once more nothing but kindness in his words. Donghyuck couldn't refuse him twice - not wanting to seem rude - so he simply nodded.

They kept chatting as they drank their tea. Mostly it was Ten and Misses Lee talking as Donghyuck listened, not feeling like he could contribute anything valuable to the conversation about Ten's tailoring or Misses Lee's duties at the children care-center.

Only a few times did they ask him questions that Donghyuck tried his hardest to answer. However, the only thing he could really speak about a little more was when Misses Lee asked him about his day at the border and guard duty.

Normally he would be proud of his work, knowing it was important to protect their pack, but right now he felt like he would enjoy talking about his other skills more. He didn't know why, but all of a sudden it seemed important to him to let Mark's mother know that he was a decent cook and really liked children, and not that he had once defeated the head guard with his sword.

The opportunity to talk about these things just never came. And so Donghyuck remained quiet, strangely intimidated by someone who only seemed to want the best for him.

 

Mark's mother bid him goodbye with a piece of the bread that Ten had made her and a warm hug. Ten reminded him about his belt as well as they left the hut and separated ways and Donghyuck, still at a loss for words, only nodded silently.

When he finally reached Mark's hut, the alpha was already dressed in his black guard uniform, the protective leather neatly snug around his chest and waist, the red royal crest stitched on top of it, showing off which pack he belonged to.

Mark smiled joyously as soon as he saw Donghyuck enter his hut, putting down his sword. "You're back late. Did something happen?"

Donghyuck threw Mark a look through the mirror, making the alpha turn around to actually look him in the eyes.

"Is everything alright?"

Donghyuck knew it was silly, it was the silliest thing he had ever thought, but he could not get rid of the thought. He felt stupid even bringing this up.

"Mark, do you ever...." He stopped, trying to think of the right words. "Do you ever feel like I am not omega enough?"

The confusion on Mark's face was expected, but it still made Donghyuck feel stupid for asking. And even more stupid for really wanting an answer.

"I'm not sure I'm following you," Mark told him, the puzzled expression on his face almost cute.

Donghyuck sighed, close to just dismissing the topic. However, he knew if he would let this go now, it would never leave him be. "I just...I'm not really the typical omega, am I? Does that ever bother you?"

Now Mark was giving him a look that matched how stupid Donghyuck felt.

"Why would it bother me?" Mark asked with a deep frown. "What does being a typical omega even mean?"

"I don't know," Donghyuck quickly replied, now feeling embarrassed and letting his gaze drop to the floor to avoid looking at Mark. "I don't know, forget I asked. I was just being dumb."

Mark's gaze rested on him heavily, the silence in the room getting heavier each second. Slowly he walked over to him until he could touch Donghyuck's face, lifting his chin up slightly so they were looking into each other's eyes.

"You are the perfect omega for me, Hyuck." Mark's voice was a little raspy as he breathed onto Donghyuck's lips. It made a pleasant shiver run down his back. "I'm madly in love with you and every day I fall a little deeper. Don't ever doubt that."

Donghyuck's heart fluttered as he nodded, biting down on his lips to suppress the giddiness that overcame him hearing these words from Mark.

Tenderly Mark brushed his hair behind his ear, before capturing his lips in one short but so giving kiss it took Donghyuck's breath away.

"I have to leave now, okay?" Mark muttered deeply as he rested his head against Donghyuck's.

The omega hummed, although his body screamed in protest when Mark pulled away from him. He pressed one more kiss to Donghyuck's forehead before really separating from him, turning around to get his sword from the corner of the room.

When the door fell shut behind him, Donghyuck couldn't help the giddy smile spreading on his face. His heart was pounding in his chest, Mark's words lingering in his mind.

Oh silly love. Oh silly heart. Oh silly him.

Notes:

Hehe, thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!!

Stay safe and healthy everyone <3

Chapter 29: Panic

Notes:

Heyho, before you read this, I have to give a trigger warning: Donghyuck is having sort of a panic attack in this chapter. So, if that is something that makes you uncomfortable, please be careful when reading this chapter :)

TW: Panic attack

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Renjun was panting from exhaustion.

He hadn't slept much last night due to a late night study session, trying desperately to catch up in his Latin lecture. Now that decision was backfiring on him as he was barely able to heave himself on top of his horse, arms burning in protest as he tightened his grip on the saddle, only for him to fail getting up on his horse for the third time.

In the distance he could already see Chenle on his gray horse, jumping elegantly over small hurdles that their riding instructor had placed around the huge field near the castle grounds.

"Come on, Renjun!" The instructor yelled over to him when he saw that Renjun was still struggling to swing himself into the saddle. His patience was running low today, it seemed, as he shook his head in disapproval and rode over to where Chenle was practicing his parkour.

Renjun clenched his teeth together. His fingers were hurting from how tightly he was grasping the saddle, trying desperately to carry himself up. His whole body felt sore and tired - his mind even more so.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to deal with his frustration and calm down before his next attempt. Chasing all thoughts of negativity away, Renjun searched for the last remainder of his confidence. He could do this. Determined he opened his eyes, forcing his muscles to strain themselves one more time.

With a heavy grunt he somehow managed to maneuver his leg over the horse with enough power, finally sitting upright in his saddle.

Relieved he almost sunk down, but then the horse took its first step and automatically all his muscles tensed up again, trying to maintain balance in his shaky seat.

Renjun still didn't like the feeling of being rattled around on top of a horse very much. It always made him nauseous - the fear of falling down upset his stomach in the worst possible way. 

Swallowing his first moment of queasiness, Renjun straightened his back and got into the correct posture.

Anxiously he clenched his fingers into the reins, trying to guide the horse with the pressure of his thighs like he had been taught.

After a few attempts the horse finally listened to him, slowly trudging over to the training field where their instructor was actively cheering Chenle on, who was effortlessly riding hoops and slaloms, mastering every hurdle presented in front of him.

"Renjun, finally," the man acknowledged him once he was close enough.

Renjun was too concentrated on keeping his balance to even have the strength left to answer him.

"Listen, I was thinking Chenle and I could take a ride through the forest. You could join us, but I think I'd be better for you to stay here and do the exercises I showed you last time," the instructor let him know, eyes still fixated on Chenle, who had just jumped over a small tower of trunks and was smiling brightly.

Renjun gulped. While the prospect of being left alone here to train on his own was mildly terrifying, the thought of going on a ride through the forest was even worse. Renjun knew where his boundaries were and that his skills were far too underdeveloped to challenge them in this way. Besides, he would only be a burden to Chenle if he decided to go on this ride with them - and he was already a burden to Chenle in all their other classes with his constant questions and requests for help. He couldn’t ruin this as well.

Slowly he nodded in agreement to staying here on his own, not wanting to cause trouble. The instructor had spent more than enough time on him already. It wasn't his fault that Renjun was miserable at horseback riding and it was only fair that Chenle would get some of the attention as well.

"Great. We'll be back in an hour," the instructor smiled, obviously content with his decision before whistling through his teeth and waving Chenle to follow him.

With a big sigh Renjun watched how the two riders left for the woods in a fast gallop, faces filled with pure joy as the wind got caught in their hair. Joy - something Renjun could only dream of at this moment in time. He wondered if he would ever possess the same ease Chenle showcased every day.

The horse underneath him neighed in impatience, suddenly shaking its head violently and Renjun startled in fear, quickly grabbing the reins firmer.

Don't panic. Stay calm.

After a few seconds of steady breathing Renjun felt confident enough to start his lesson. If he’d ever want to improve, there was only one way he could do so - Practice. Practice as hard as he could, trying over and over again no matter how often he would fail. And then try some more.

Most of the exercises he had been doing were simple balance and technique drills, focused on correcting his posture and making him get familiar with the feeling of riding a horse. Even though Renjun wasn't confident in doing them all on his own just yet, he had no other choice than to try if he wanted to make this work.

Cautiously he nudged the horse with his thighs, making it walk in very slow circles around the field. Like he had been taught in his previous lessons, Renjun tried to match the rhythm of the rocking with his body so he wouldn't feel like a sack of potatoes on top of the poor horse.

He doubted he looked very elegant doing so, feeling his body roughly thrown around like a ragdoll without any control or grace and was slightly jealous of the way Chenle always just seemed to melt into one with his horse. Then again, Chenle had been growing up at the castle and been on the back of a horse since he was old enough to hold the reins. It probably wasn't a fair comparison, but it was the only comparison he got.

As he focused on the way he had to hold his body and positioned his thighs properly, he lost awareness of his surroundings, not noticing that he had been drifting away to the wild bushes.

All of a sudden a flock of birds emerged from the underwood as he approached a shrub, cawing and croaking in almost malicious noises.

His horse squeaked in shock and started rising to its back hooves - before Renjun could even process what was happening, tighten his grip and prevent the worst he found himself already falling through the air helplessly.

He hit the ground with a numb noise, landing straight on his bottom. He groaned as the pain shot all the way up his spine, the most stinging, ugly form of pain. The horse let out an angry snort, shooing the birds away before it found its peace and began grazing through the grass, disregarding its fallen rider on the ground next to it.

Distraught Renjun dropped on his back, closing his eyes as a few hot tears made his vision blurry.

"Renjun!" A loud voice shouted his name from all the way across the field.

For a second Renjun thought Chenle and the instructor had returned, but when he opened his eyes he was surprised with a much more pleasant sight.

Jeno was sprinting his way over to him, concern written all over his face. He was by Renjun's side before the omega could even pick himself up off the ground on his own, carefully putting his hands around Renjun's waist and pulling him upright.

"Are you hurt? I just saw you fall! Are you okay?" Jeno rambled distressed, looking Renjun up and down to check for any major injuries.

Renjun put on his most soothing smile. "I'm fine. Just a few bruises, really," he interrupted Jeno's fussing, who let out a sigh of relief.

"What are you even doing out here all on your own?" The alpha stemmed his hands in his hips in disapproval. "Where's your teacher?"

"Oh, no, it's alright - he's out with Chenle for a ride. He asked me to join, but I didn't feel ready," Renjun explained, perhaps sugarcoating the story a little because he didn't want to worry Jeno further.

The prince still seemed conflicted about the issue. "You shouldn't be left alone."

Renjun resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead he just lifted his hand to pat Jeno’s cheek. "Well, now you are here."

Renjun felt proud when he achieved what he wanted - Jeno smiling at him fondly, the creases on his forehead flattening.

The alpha grinned as he circled his arms around Renjun's waist once more, pulling him taut against his chest. "That's right. Now I am here."

He glanced around the field, but upon noticing that they were completely alone he planted a chaste kiss on Renjun's lips.

It made a thrilling shudder run down Renjun's back - it had been way too long since he had last been kissed by Jeno.

"So, I guess that means I'm going to teach you today."

Renjun's expression fell as Jeno let go of him. After his fall he had been sure he would be spared any additional horseback riding for today.

"Don't you have...I don't know...important stuff to do?" He asked, but Jeno firmly shook his head, already turning his attention away from Renjun and towards the horse.

"No, nothing as important as you," the alpha denied with a quick wink towards the omega. It was very sweet, however Renjun would much rather spend Jeno's sudden free time with other activities than riding horses.

Jeno didn't let himself be distracted, though, catching Renjun’s straying horse with a firm hand and gently guiding it back towards them.

"I'm not really good at-" Renjun tried to stop him one last time, but Jeno's excited eye-smile was so endearing that Renjun felt all his apprehension fade. "Can you at least help me get up?"

Jeno chuckled charmingly, before putting his long fingers on Renjun's slender waist. "On three, you jump, okay?"

Renjun nodded, jumping with all the power left in his body as Jeno counted down. It was surprisingly easy to let Jeno manhandle him on top of the horse - and a lot less exhausting than pushing his body on top with all his mind on his own.

At first, Renjun thought that had been it and Jeno would remain on the ground to teach him since he had no horse for himself. However, in the next second he was proven wrong as Jeno skillfully lifted himself up the horse behind him.

Swiftly he grabbed the reins, caging Renjun in between his arms as he clicked his tongue and made the horse move in smooth hops.

"So, where do you want to go?" Jeno asked as he rested his chin on Renjun's shoulders.

A smirk passed Renjun's lips. So it hadn't been Jeno's intention to teach him all along.

Satisfied he let his body rest against Jeno's chest, enjoying that they could be close like this after a long time of distance. "You decide."

 

Perhaps, Renjun had to reevaluate his opinion on horse riding. Jeno had taken him on a slow stroll through the forest, passing by the river and a few corn fields. It was nice, having Jeno all for his own for a change. Jeno was even considerate enough to decelerate their pace once he noticed Renjun’s struggle with nausea. Besides, it was much easier to talk riding at a slow tempo - and Jeno didn’t hesitate to let Renjun in on all the times Jaemin and he had secretly discovered these same paths when they had been way too young to do so on their own, bored out of their minds to stay within the castle walls for just a day longer. It almost reminded him of their time in the village, when things had still been easy. 

Yeah, everything had been easier back then. However, snuggled so warm against Jeno, Renjun knew that it was worth it to endure it all. He might not be overly confident in his horseback riding abilities, but if it meant getting to be here with Jeno, he was more than confident that he could endure it. And after he had spent the entire afternoon together with Jeno, securely held in the alpha’s arm he couldn’t not come to the conclusion that perhaps not everything was bad about horseback riding.

 

 

As the seasons slowly started changing again, the last days of summer turning into the first days of autumn, another month went by in the blink of an eye. By now Donghyuck felt right at home in Mark's hut. Officially he wasn't allowed to move in with the alpha until they were mated - but luckily his parents were very lenient about that rule, letting him stay over whenever he wanted.

One by one he had brought his belongings over, taking up more and more of Mark's closet space. This morning he was rummaging through it, trying to find his spare guard belt, since his usual one was still with Ten, getting fixed for him in the tailoring hut.

Suddenly a pleasant shiver rushed down his spine as a series of kisses was placed on his bare shoulder. He closed his eyes, letting his head fall back in his neck as he allowed Mark to worship his skin with kisses.

"You should quickly put on a shirt or we'll both be late," Mark muttered in a low tone that elicited an excited tingle in the base of Donghyuck's stomach.

Sadly Mark stopped his ministrations with one last kiss to the end of Donghyuck's scar and the omega almost whined in protest when Mark’s warmth disappeared behind him, only holding himself back last second.

As Mark stepped back to get dressed himself Donghyuck found his spare belt in the corner of the closet, glad he didn’t have to return home to get it. 

Glancing at Mark he couldn’t help himself staring, dropping his own quest to get dressed to admire just how well the guard uniform suited Mark. The black leather was neatly wrapped around his waist, showing off his slim but muscular physique. Knowing that a sharp sword was strapped to it only made it more attractive. Dark red leather armor was protecting Mark’s chest and shoulders, making them appear even broader than they already were. Right over his heart the Solaris crest was stitched on top of the uniform, a golden sun shining over a blooming flower. 

Mark caught his eyes, an attractive smirk grazing his face as he flexed the muscles in his arms and back. Had Donghyuck any less self control, he might’ve started drooling.

Only when Mark cocked an eyebrow and started chuckling, did Donghyuck snap out of it. Flustered, he shook his head, trying to rid himself of any Mark related thoughts.

Quickly he slipped on his uniform. They really couldn't afford to be late.

 

Today was one of the rare occasions that their shifts matched up, so they could leave and return from guard duties together.

They raced each other through the woods to the meeting spot, Mark winning only by a second. All the guard members were well accustomed to their system by now, so Kun barely needed to instruct them anymore before they split up into teams of two and headed to their positions.

Mark gave Donghyuck a gentle nuzzle before running off with his partner and Donghyuck purred in content at the sweet gesture, when Shotaro came to get him, nudging him in his side. Concentrating himself on his work Donghyuck gave Shotaro a teasing snap, before they left the clearing as well.

 

They were positioned on the inner guard today, which meant they could stay in their wolf forms. Donghyuck actually preferred this over being stationed at the outer borders. While he liked having conversations with Shotaro as they waited for their shift to end, he felt much safer and stronger in his wolf skin, having trained this way ever since he had started hunting training years ago.

They were striding up and down their assigned area, but never so far that they would lose sight of each other. With attuned senses Donghyuck scanned his surroundings, all his attention focused on tracking any possible intruders that might’ve slipped past the first border of guards.

Until now there had never been a serious attack when he had been on duty. Only a few false alarms from when people had mistaken boars or foxes as potential enemies.

This day seemed to turn out equally as peaceful. It was tempting to just tune out, let boredom overtake him - but once the night broke in Donghyuck's awareness only heightened. They would have a few more hours to patrol before they would be relieved by other guards.

The wail of an owl made Donghyuck's ears peek and Shotaro stopped in his tracks for a second. They exchanged an alarmed look, staying quiet but no other noises followed that would hint at the presence of an uninvited guest.

A few times the rustling of the nearby bushes made Donghyuck's muscles tense, ready to jump on any attacker that might breach past the branches. But the scent always revealed to him that it was merely a deer or rabbit lost in the woods. At least his years of tracking training came in handy for this.

The moon had risen above them, although it was barely visible today, hidden behind dark gray clouds. Only occasionally the pale shimmer of the moon would enlighten their surroundings enough so they could see the trees next to them. Apart from that the darkness swallowed all colors and shapes.

The comforting sound of the wind breezing through the treetops gave Donghyuck a false sense of calmness, reminding him of nights spent outside with his friends in his youth catching fireflies.

Their shift must be close to ending by now - Donghyuck could feel the exhaustion down to his bones. Even his paws were slowly getting sore and the thought of having to run all the way back to the pack was already tiring him even more.

There was more rustling in the bushes, only much louder this time. For a second Donghyuck thought it were the guards that came to take over for them.

But then a loud, terrifying howl tore the night sky in halves, so close to them that Donghyuck could feel the sound vibrate through his body.

Immediately Shotaro and him flocked together. Donghyuck's ears turned into the direction from which the noise still echoed towards them.

The howl had come from their guard, unmistakably alarming them of unwanted company surpassing on their grounds. For some reason Donghyuck was sure that this time it wasn't just a boar roaming the woods. The uneasy feeling in his stomach was telling him that the danger was real and that it was close. He hoped Mark was safe.

An unfamiliar and pungent scent of rotten fruit penetrated the air around them. Next to him Shotaro started growling threateningly, lowering his body to get ready for a leap. Donghyuck snarled, bearing his teeth, ready to fight whoever dared to cross their borders.

As if waiting for just this moment the clouds in front of the moon moved, letting the moon throw its mystical shine all around them.

In the next second two wolves emerged from the bushes, snapping their teeth in the air as they lunged forward. The moonlight reflected on their pitch black fur shortly, before being swallowed entirely by the darkness.

Donghyuck froze.

For a second he felt like reality was rushing past him and time was moving backwards. All of a sudden he wasn't with Shotaro any longer. Instead, he was helplessly pinned to the dirty ground, three wolves with equally black fur biting down on his legs to keep him from moving, giving him the scars that still tarnished his skin even after many months had passed. Fear spread in his head. The feeling of his nearing death cutting off his lungs.

Somebody pushed him aside and Donghyuck was back to reality.

Unable to move he watched how more members of their guards had gathered, chasing the two intruders away, Shotaro right in the lead.

Donghyuck gasped for air, fighting the feeling of suffocation and nausea.

What had just happened to him?

He had to actively will himself to move, but by now the two black wolves were far away, expelled from their grounds.

Donghyuck had never felt more like a failure. His muscles were still only listening to him reluctantly, clumsily carrying himself forward.

He shifted back to his human form, only for his legs to give out underneath him. His head was still dizzy - and while Donghyuck felt like he was breathing too much, the sensation of not having enough air was choking him.

He crawled over to the nearest tree, clutching his hands into the rough bark. The emotional overload and his physical reaction to it was getting too much.

As a last resort and even though he knew it was the stupidest thing he could possibly do in a situation like this, where more potential enemies could be right behind the corner, he closed his eyes.

He tried to shut out all the thoughts that were battering his brain, concentration fully on the sensations around him.

The bark underneath his fingers smelled like oak wood, the ground he was sitting on was slightly wet and the air was cool, making his skin form goosebumps.

He clutched a hand to his chest, feeling it rise and fall rapidly. Mindlessly he started to tap the bark with his hand in a soothing pattern, focusing his ears on the sound of his drumming, hoping like this he could steady his breathing again.

The world seemed to be spinning around him. Even though it was not a particularly cold night Donghyuck felt like his fingers were close to falling off, the blood running through his veins having turned into ice.

He shouldn't be like this. He couldn't be like this. Especially not right now, when the pack needed him. He knew that as an omega, being left behind like this on his own was basically serving himself on a silver platter.

It would only need one wolf from the Noctis pack to find him right now. It was like he was signing his own death sentence.

The worst thing was that Donghyuck couldn't even put up a fight. No matter how much he wanted to, he was completely drained. This was a worse feeling than dying.

He pressed his eyes even tighter together, wanting to escape reality with all his might.

The sweet scent of cinnamon was nearing. For a moment Donghyuck fully believed he was having flashbacks once again. Or maybe this was just his mind hallucinating before he would eventually pass out.

Desperately he clutched himself to the tree, hugging it like it was his only savior.

A voice was calling out to him. It was warm and sweet and so inviting. He couldn't understand what they were saying, but they sounded so nice that Donghyuck gave up all his resistance.

Suddenly there was a hand on his, slowly detaching him from the tree. First Donghyuck wanted to struggle, but the force was so gentle, he couldn't help but trust it.

His eyes fluttered open.

"Donghyuck? Please, can you hear me?" Mark's face was hovering over his frame, concern written all over it.

Donghyuck shivered when warm fingers began to cradle his cheeks. A weak smile formed on his lips. It didn't last long, however, as his relief to see Mark quickly transformed into heavy sobs.

As if Mark was his new grounding tree he clawed his fingers into Mark's uniform, hiding his face from the world. Mark was much better than the tree, as he soothingly patted his back.

The scent of cinnamon was lingering on Mark, promising of the familiar safety Donghyuck longed for more than anything right now. 

The fabric of Mark's uniform was much softer against his skin than the hard bark of the tree. Donghyuck rubbed his tears dry against it, only for new ones to run down his cheeks. He didn't know why, but he somehow couldn't stop crying.

Laying there on the muddy forest ground sobbing like a little kid, he realized that only Mark holding him was what was keeping him from dying. Once again, Mark was here, saving him.

Has it ever been not Mark?

Only Mark would ever see him like this. Only Mark would ever see him like this and still love him.

Because wasn't Donghyuck just pathetic? Useless?

He sniffled as he heard more steps approaching. He could pick out Shotaro's scent between them, deeming them safe right away.

He needed to pull himself together.

Perhaps a tad bit too harshly he pushed Mark away, separating from him as he swiftly transformed into wolf form to hide his tears.

It was bad enough that he had been of no help with the attack. He didn't need the other guard members to know that he had been sobbing on the floor ever since, an open target to everyone.

Mark gave him a perplexed look, but then he followed Donghyuck's example and shifted back into his alpha frame.

 

On the way back to the clearing Donghyuck tried his hardest to avoid Shotaro's glances. He knew he had let his partner down. He felt terrible for it. Because of his panic Shotaro could've been killed. Or kidnapped by the Noctis pack.

There was nothing more that Donghyuck wanted to do than apologize for his shortcoming, but he was afraid that as soon as he would open his mouth he would start uncontrollably sobbing again.

Absentmindedly he listened to all the guard members involved report to Kun about what had happened.

In hindsight it had been a weird attempt at an attack. There had only been two wolves that had surged across their well protected borders. Under no circumstance was the Noctis pack foolish enough to consider that two wolves, who apparently hadn't even been very good at fighting, would be able to possibly get through to the pack and steal any omegas.

The news also made Kun frown. However, there was nothing they could do about it for now, except for being relieved that nobody had gotten seriously injured.

Still, it didn't sit right with Donghyuck.

 

On the way back to the pack a lot of things were running through Donghyuck's mind. Apart from the attack being a very weird occasion, doubts were clawing their way through to his consciousness.

After today, could Donghyuck even justify his place among the guards? Hadn't he just proven himself completely incompetent in the face of actual danger?

If anything bad had happened today, there would've been no one else but him to blame for it.

Guilt. After his panic had subsided that had been the emotion dominating him.

Wouldn't it be the most responsible move to resign from the guard after all? Maybe people had been wrong about omegas not being fit for the guard. But they had been right about Donghyuck not being worthy.

Alone the thought of it was like he was pulling the rug from underneath his feet. Now that he had experienced what it was like to be a guard, he couldn't imagine anything else that he wanted to do for the rest of his life. However, in a situation like this he couldn't be selfish and only think about himself. There was Shotaro relying on him, all the other guards. Two entire packs trusting him to keep their borders safe. And he had failed them all tonight.

Maybe this was the right time to let his silly dreams be just that. Dreams.

 

When they finally reached their pack village Donghyuck wanted to head straight to his parent's hut, curl into himself and shut out the world.

Unfortunately, Mark was not on board with that plan.

"Hey, where are you going?" He caught Donghyuck by his wrist before the omega could run away like he had wanted to.

"Home?" Donghyuck replied shortly, trying to pull away.

Mark frowned sternly. "Home is in the other direction."

The alpha pointed his head over his shoulder where Mark's hut was. All of a sudden Donghyuck felt like crying again.

"I don't...I can't," he stuttered. "I need to be alone."

Mark was not letting him go. "No."

"Mark, please understand-"

"We don't have to talk. We don't have to do anything you're not ready for. I can sleep in another room if that's what you want," Mark stated with finality. "But I'm not going to leave you alone."

Donghyuck's breath hitched, his eyes feeling dangerously wet.

Slowly he nodded his head and Mark let out a relieved sigh. Tugging at Donghyuck's wrist softly, he guided the omega back to his hut.

Just like Mark had promised he wasn't asking any questions, leaving Donghyuck his space as they ate a small dinner that Donghyuck could hardly swallow and dressed for bed.

Mark started to quietly gather a few of his furs, about to drag them into the kitchen to leave Donghyuck the bedroom on his own.

However, before he could completely disappear, Donghyuck hesitantly reached out for Mark's arm, holding him back.

He lowered his gaze. "No. Please stay."

Without needing anything further Mark dropped the furs pack in place, slipping underneath the covers with Donghyuck in complete silence.

An eternal gratefulness filled Donghyuck. Even if everything else was in shambles right now, he would always have Mark to come back to.

A heartfelt sob erupted through Donghyuck's body and a careful hand sneaked around his waist, pulling him closer and soothing his crying.

At least this dream of his was still alive.

Notes:

Thank you all for reading!!
Wishing you all the best of weekends and lots of rest!!
Stay safe and healthy <3

Chapter 30: My youth is yours

Notes:

Haha, almost forgot it was Friday, but here is the new chapter :3
Hope you enjoy it ;)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Renjun fell to the ground harshly.

He felt the dust on his tongue as he breathed in and almost wanted to spit out his dirty saliva. Sweat was running down his forehead and he groaned when a foot was placed on his back, keeping him locked to the ground.

"Very good, Chenle."

The pressure on him vanished immediately and despite revolting against it Renjun swallowed his spit. Chenle was grinning triumphantly above him, reaching out his hand and helping him up.

"That was already better, Renjun," the instructor complimented him as Renjun dusted off his clothes. "But you can't panic once you lose your sword. There are still many more ways to fight and defend yourself."

Renjun hummed. He had tried to fight - it was just that Chenle was so quick in discovering his weak spots, he could barely form the thought of reaching after his dagger before he was already thrown to the ground.

Jeno would probably rethink his decision of giving him the valuable weapon if he knew just how useless it was in Renjun’s possession. However, Renjun was determined to learn. He knew that, especially right now, it was very important to know how to protect oneself.

It actually made him question why fighting lessons weren't mandatory down in the village.

After being overthrown by Chenle two more times the instructor finally ended their lesson, leaving Renjun's skin covered in dirt while Chenle was still only mildly sweating, Renjun’s lacking fighting technique not being a real challenge for him.

Renjun still counted this as progress. He had lasted several minutes today before losing to the teenager.

Luckily this was his last lesson for the day, so Renjun had all the time in the world to recover from the bodily exhaustion and cleanse himself from all the dirt.

The concept of not going for a bath in the lake, but instead having fresh water brought in by the servers was still a bit weird to him. Even though it had been several weeks that he had lived like this, his roots, the years he had spent doing all kinds of physical labor himself were making it hard for him to just accept this new treatment.

Especially since Renjun was not from any noble family or wealth, neither were his parents doing important work for the royal house like Jaemin's parents did or owned many of the fields they grew their food on like Chenle's, it felt weird to be treated just like them.

No, Renjun always thought if there was any role in the castle that suited him, it would probably be that of a server itself. Working hard and diligently had never been a problem for him.

But he doubted that it would be appropriate of him to voice any of these thoughts.

Especially since so much more was expected from him.

 

Most of the servers were very nice to him. The association between him and Jeno was guaranteeing him a certain degree of respect amongst the people in the castle. However, Renjun had also soon learnt why Jeno had been much more restricted since they had come here.

While there were people like Yangyang down in the village, who loved gossip, but who were harmless in the end, and whom you could escape from whenever you really wanted to - there was no such thing as a secret corner in the castle.

Servers were everywhere, and while Renjun still thought most of them were nice, whenever he did catch a rumor traveling past him, they were usually much nastier and much more dangerous than the gossip spread in the village.

Not only once did he have to witness his own name being dragged through the mud, proclaiming him the devil or a spy from the Noctis pack, here to betray them to get revenge on his late parents. He heard evil tongues whisper about how he had manipulated and seduced Prince Jeno and how he was now infiltrating the castle. 

It always made Renjun shiver in discomfort when he heard his name being whispered. Maybe to soothe his own mind he liked to tell himself that nobody was truly believing in these things. It was only the boredom of being stuck here that created the wildest fantasies, only concern about their safety that forced people to be overly cautious and find enemies where there were none.

It wasn't like Renjun could blame them. Perhaps he was a bit of an intruder.

 

After having drenched himself fully in a bath with various fragrances and soaps, positive there were no traces left of his intense training, Renjun dragged himself out of the luxurious bathtub.

For a second he stared at himself in the huge bathroom mirror, rubbing his hair dry the best he could. There were slight bruises on his bottom from when he had fallen off the horse days ago, and small scratches on his arms and legs from where Chenle had pushed him to the ground.

His body looked like it deserved a break.

Quickly Renjun shook his head, slipping into his fresh clothes. No time for breaks. He was already behind in everything. He urgently needed to revise his History and Latin lessons, having only scraped the surface in both of them today.

At least today he allowed himself to take all the books up to his room instead of keeping himself locked in the library for hours with no end in sight.

 

Since yesterday’s reported surprise attack was still keeping the chief and chiefess busy, they were not having dinner together, so this would be a very quiet evening for him.

With a heavy sigh he sat down in front of his desk, lighting a few candles as he pulled out his own notes as well as the transcripts Chenle had lent him.

As always, he started with memorizing the new vocabulary he would need for tomorrow's lesson, before diving deeper and translating what he remembered from the lecture.

His head started buzzing much sooner than usual. Seemed like it was not only his body that needed a break.

As if hearing his silent prayers for some sort of relief, there was a soft knock on his door. Most probably a few servers bringing him food - but Renjun really hoped that it was Jaemin, giving him an excuse to stop studying.

However, even that wish got surpassed when he opened the door and was face to face with Jeno. Instinctively a wide smile spread on his face.

"Jeno! What gives me the honor?" He asked excitedly, stepping back into the room so Jeno could enter.

To his surprise the alpha threw a quick glance over his shoulder, before closing the door behind them. Jeno had always left the door open to prevent the worst kinds of rumors from spreading. This was new.

Before Renjun could ask about the reason behind this new decision, Jeno captured his face with both his hands and connected their lips.

He made a surprised noise, before closing his eyes and just enjoying the kiss. A lot of time had passed since they last had been alone together like this, getting to be close without any disturbances.

Satisfied Renjun started to match Jeno’s gentle movements, smiling contently against the alpha’s lips.

It didn't stay innocent very long, the kiss turning heated as soon as Jeno let his tongue slip over Renjun's lips. The omega gasped and Jeno used the opportunity to taste the inside of his mouth.

Almost desperate Renjun pushed his hands in Jeno's hair, pulling the alpha down to him, returning the kiss with an equal amount of passion.

Jeno's hands left his face and began traveling down his body, stopping only when they reached his bottoms.

With a wet smack Jeno separated their lips, leaving Renjun puzzled and dazed, the kiss having turned his brain into mush. Then the alpha bent his knees and picked Renjun off the ground.

Renjun yelped in shock, clutching his fingers into Jeno's shoulder. He didn't stay in the air for long, as Jeno carried him through his room and dropped him on top of his bed.

A soft giggle escaped him as he bounced on the mattress from the impact. Jeno smirked as he crawled above him, nuzzling his face into Renjun's neck.

"You smell good," he muttered against Renjun's skin.

Renjun laughed as the tips of Jeno's hair tingled his chin. "Thanks. But what is this all about?"

Jeno raised himself a little so he could look into Renjun's eyes. "Just missed you."

That made Renjun's heart clench in fondness and tenderly he grazed over Jeno's cheeks. "I have Latin to revise."

Jeno snorted, playfully rolling his eyes. "You really want me to leave?"

Just as the alpha attempted to climb off of him, Renjun tangled his legs around Jeno's hips, keeping him right in place.

"That's what I thought," Jeno chuckled, before leaning down and catching Renjun's lips once more.

The omega let out a pleased hum, obediently opening his mouth when Jeno's tongue asked for entrance.

The grip Jeno's fingers had on his waist tightened possessively as Jeno left Renjun's lips and instead started to suck on Renjun's neck, near the place where he hoped to one day place his bite.

Feeling his body heat up in pleasure, Renjun threw his head back into the pillow, pressing a hand over his mouth to stop his moans from spilling, afraid any curious ears could hear them through the thick stone walls.

"Jeno," Renjun whimpered when Jeno's hands sneaked underneath his waistband.

The arousal was palpable in both their scents, contaminating the air around them.

With hasty movements Jeno sat back up, pulling his own shirt over his head and mindlessly throwing it in the corner of a room. Clumsily he attempted to do the same with Renjun's shirt but his hands were shaking too much to do so.

Gently Renjun reached after his hands, pulling them away from where they were fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"Hey, calm down," he breathed. "I'm not gonna run away."

An embarrassed flush rose in Jeno's face and Renjun could only smile warmly.

"Sorry, I was just-" Jeno took a deep breath and his pupils widened as he took in the full intensity of Renjun's aroused scent. "Fuck."

Renjun giggled, but he understood what Jeno was going through. The charged tension between them was making him excited as well.

Carefully he changed their positions, pressing Jeno into the pillows as he settled on top of his lap. Jeno gulped at the sight in front of him. It only got worse when Renjun reached down to his shirt again and then almost teasingly slow pulled it over his head.

A sharp hiss escaped Jeno's lips as his hands twitched to touch the smooth skin that seemed to glow enticingly under the warm candlelight.

Before he could act on his desires, however, Renjun moved his hips down with purpose. It put pressure on the sudden tightness in his pants in just the right way and a low groan fell from his lips.

"Is this alright?" Renjun panted, leaning himself onto Jeno's shoulders as he kept circling his hips.

Not being able to hold back a second longer Jeno grabbed his waist harshly, pressing their bodies together roughly to finally release the tension.

The soft gasps and whines that Renjun failed to suppress made Jeno’s confidence rise as he rutted his hips up to meet Renjun's downwards movements.

It didn't take either of them long to fall apart, both having been pent up for quite some time.

For a few moments they only breathed in the same air, calming down from their high.

Then Renjun started giggling, slowly climbing off of Jeno's legs. The prince seemed to need a little more time to gather himself again.

Awkwardly he cleared his throat, the uncomfortable feeling in his pants finally making him move out of the bed as well.

He threw Renjun a grateful smile when the omega wordlessly passed him a clean pair of pants and the shirt he had disregarded. Chivalrously he turned his back to Renjun when the omega started to undress himself to change into something fresh himself.

Once they were both back to a decent state Jeno caught Renjun around his waist again, playfully swinging him around until they fell back on the bed.

Laughing mellowly Renjun cuddled into Jeno's side, getting comfortable against the alpha. Smoothly Jeno put an arm around him, pressing a chaste kiss into his hair. It reminded him of the nights they had spent together back in the village. Back then everything had seemed so easy. Now things were different.

A heavy sigh left Renjun. "When do you have to leave?"

Jeno chuckled. "What? You wanna get rid of me that badly?"

Renjun huffed, slapping Jeno on his chest. "Of course not. But don't you have a meeting to get to? Because of the attack?"

"Not until tomorrow," Jeno replied, stroking his fingers through Renjun's hair. "I'm all yours for tonight."

Hearing that made Renjun happier than he had ever thought it would. Contently he snuggled into Jeno's chest. The scent of dark chocolate was now calm and soothing, immediately making him feel safe in Jeno's arms.

"But Renjun," Jeno disrupted the comfortable silence. "After today...I...-"

Jeno’s words trailed off into silence again.

"What?" Renjun prompted, sensing that what was to come would not be as nice.

"I'm gonna take over our guard officially. I'm not gonna be at the castle as much as long as we're at war with the Noctis pack," Jeno answered honestly.

Renjun's heart dropped a little.

As if feeling his sadness Jeno quickly added, "I'm still gonna be here. Just not during the day."

Renjun nodded, knowing that Jeno had duties he needed to fulfill. He needed to accept that and be strong if he wanted this relationship to work.

"So, you're still mine for the nights?" He tried to lighten the mood with a teasing remark.

It worked, as Jeno's chest underneath him rocked with laughter. "I'll be yours whenever I can sneak in here unseen. Maybe I can convince Jaemin to distract everybody when I come back."

"Then I'm gonna be fine," Renjun told him. If he believed in it strongly enough, he was sure it was going to be fine. What other choice than to believe did he have?

With a loving gaze Jeno pressed a kiss to his temple. "Sleep?"

Renjun nodded, ignoring the rummaging storm of emotions inside of him.

They would be fine.



 

Mark was nervously walking up and down in front of his bedroom. More than once he had made up his mind, reached for the door knob, only to hesitate again and go back to walk mindless patterns up and down his kitchen.

Donghyuck had not come out of the bedroom for two days, even missing his guard duties.

While Mark had promised to give Donghyuck space, he worried. He always worried.

There was an uncomfortable pull in his chest that made him feel miserable. Alone the thought of Donghyuck being in distress made his body feel like thousands of tiny ants were crawling all over his body.

This had to end.

With determination he almost punched the door open. The sad little lump that was Donghyuck lying in his furs didn't even startle, only staring soullessly ahead of him.

Mark’s alpha was growling at him, urging him to just lay down next to the omega and cuddle until all sadness would fade. However, today was a day where he could not give in to these desires, no matter how tempting they were.

Clearly Donghyuck had given up fighting. So now it was Mark's turn.

Forcefully Mark strode across the room, pushing the windows wide open to let in some light and fresh air. That action made the omega actually pay some attention to him, as he slowly turned around to see what Mark was doing.

Mark's determinedness wavered when he heard Donghyuck's little whimper once the sunlight hit him. No, he couldn't give in.

"It's time," Mark said, turning his head away so he wouldn't succumb to Donghyuck's sad eyes.

"For what?" A quiet voice asked in return. Never before had Mark heard Donghyuck sound so weak.

In this moment, he would give everything to just make it go away. He'd rather have Donghyuck scream and yell at him than having to witness this weakness. This hopelessness.

A long sigh left Mark as he walked over to Donghyuck, kneeling down next to him. "To talk. Please, Donghyuck."

The omega lowered his gaze, wanting to disappear from underneath Mark's intense eyes.

"Please, Donghyuck. You can be mad at me or...or cry or...anything," Mark was pleading at this point, desperation evident in his every word. "Just please don't shut me out."

Quiet tears started falling down Donghyuck's cheeks, body trembling under the effort of containing his emotions.

Without words Mark pulled Donghyuck into his arms, who immediately hid his face in the crook of his neck. Mark felt the salty tears hit his shoulder, staining his freshly washed shirt, but he couldn't have cared less.

"What is it?" Mark whispered softly, slowly rocking Donghyuck to soothe him.

"I don't know if I can do this anymore," the omega finally opened up and Mark thanked the heavens.

"What do you mean?" He asked carefully.

Donghyuck sniffled. "I just froze, Mark. I froze. I couldn't do anything. I was...-"

Heavy sobs erupted through Donghyuck's body. It broke Mark's heart. He could only imagine what Donghyuck was going through. When he had found him in that helpless state in the forest, he had not known what he should do.

Every time a tear left Donghyuck, he died a little.

"I put everyone in danger, Mark. Just...when I saw the black fur...it was like time rewound and I was reliving the day I got attacked," Donghyuck enclosed in between his sniffles, although Mark's continuous patting had slowly calmed him down. "I think they were right. I'm not made to be a guard."

That was the last thing Mark had ever expected to hear Donghyuck say.

Slowly he pushed the younger out of his arms so he could connect their gazes. "That is not true."

Donghyuck snorted, wiping some of his tears away. "I was completely useless, Mark. You saw me. I was in no state to fight."

"You've had an understandable reaction to a sudden danger. It could've happened to anyone," Mark argued with him.

"But it happened to me, Mark," Donghyuck denied firmly. "It's just...the second I saw the black fur it triggered something inside me."

Gently Mark caressed Donghyuck's cheeks, but the omega turned his face away defiantly.

"I can't fight the Noctis pack if I melt down every time I see their fur," Donghyuck insisted, voice sounding close to breaking again. "I can't let people down like this. I think it's time I leave the guard behind."

Mark couldn't believe how stubborn Donghyuck was being. There was no better fighter than Donghyuck. No one who cared more. It would be fatal to waste all this bravery because of one setback.

He knew Donghyuck was struggling, and he understood the point he was making. And he badly wanted to help. He reached out for Donghyuck again but the omega only pushed his hands away coldly.

Mark bit down on his bottom lip. Figuring that being sweet and understanding - no matter how much he just wanted to cuddle Donghyuck through it all - would not achieve anything in this situation. He needed to take more drastic measures.

An idea plopped into his head.

"So you're saying seeing the black fur is what made you panic?" Mark questioned.

"I was completely useless once I saw it. I'm only bringing danger to everyone if I stay," Donghyuck confirmed, sounding so empty everything in Mark was screaming to just hold him.

But not today.

"Get up," he stated firmly.

Surprised at the sudden harsh tone Donghyuck snapped his head around. His face was still glistering from his tears. "What?"

"Get up," Mark repeated, leading by example and scrambling out of the furs.

When Donghyuck continued to stare at him puzzled, Mark took matters into his own hands, grabbing Donghyuck around his waist and heaving him up.

"Mark, no- I -"

Mark wasn't listening to the protests as he threw Donghyuck over his shoulders.

The sudden action made Donghyuck yelp in surprise before he started laughing.

"Mark Lee, you better let me down or you're not gonna live to see the end of the day!" He threatened the alpha.

But Mark was not stupid. "Are you going to come with me?"

Donghyuck was quiet for a second, and Mark simply shrugged, proceeding to carry Donghyuck to the door.

"Fine, okay, I'll come with you!" The omega gave in once they reached the front door. "Just let me down."

With a satisfied grin Mark gently let Donghyuck glide to the floor. The omega gave him an angry look once they were face to face. Mark was only glad that his eyes had gotten back their shine and were no longer empty.

"Well, go!" Donghyuck ordered him impatiently when Mark continued to stare at him captivated.

Right, Mark did have a plan to fulfill.

 

Their first destination was the building and crafting hut. Donghyuck watched a bit skeptical how Mark disappeared into the storage room and came back with two huge buckets.

The alpha didn't explain the meaning behind any of it, and just continued with his purposeful stride.

Soon Donghyuck realized that Mark was leading them into the forest, near the hunting grounds where they used to get trained.

Was this Mark's plan? Train more with Donghyuck? He doubted that would help with his problem. It wasn't that Donghyuck didn't know how to fight. It was that he simply couldn't.

With a loud clonk Mark set the two buckets on the ground once they reached a small clearing, big enough so they could practice fighting.

Curiously, Donghyuck peeked into the buckets, only to see them filled with black paint. It made him frown. Were they going to paint? On the training grounds? Nothing made sense to him.

However, his confusion was nothing in comparison to the complete incomprehension he felt when Mark shifted in front of him and proceeded to knock over both buckets.

The black gooey paint spread across the ground, leaving a huge puddle.

Donghyuck gaped when Mark began to roll around in the paint like the pups did in the mud, covering him in the color from ears to tail.

The wolf hummed pleased after a few minutes of wiggling around and Donghyuck didn't know what was happening anymore.

Only when Mark took a few steps away from him and he could see the wolf in his new attire completely did he realize - Mark had now black fur.

Due to the paint, it was a lot less smooth than his natural fur, but from far away he could easily be mistaken for a member of the Noctis pack.

At first the unfamiliar sight of Mark with black fur made his stomach stir. The haunting memories of his attackers were still in the back of his mind. However, then the familiar scent of cinnamon reached his nose.

This was Mark. And it was only black fur.

The alpha growled playfully, challenging him to a fight.

Donghyuck grinned competitively. Who was he to back down from a fight?

In seconds he had shifted and was already halfway on his way to Mark.

The sunlight hit the black fur of Mark, all its light being swallowed. Donghyuck hesitated, a violent memory of a wolf biting down in his shoulder flashing through his mind.

Then Mark teasingly wiggled his tail and Donghyuck was back to reality.

It was only black fur. He knew how to fight it.

He surged forward, snapping his teeth at Mark, who quickly jumped back, fleeing into the bushes.

Like this their wild chase began. Whenever Donghyuck caught a glimpse of the black fur in front of him and an unwanted intrusion came back, he reminded himself of the fact that it was just that - black fur. He had survived it once. He would survive it again.

The more he chased Mark around, the less these thoughts distracted him from his mission of catching Mark. Getting used to the unfamiliar sight of the color disconnected it from the only memory he had of it.

Instead, it made Donghyuck focus more.

Just like it always did, his mind started rushing. Different tactics and plans were forming in front of his inner eye. All the possible tracks Mark could take from here were running through his brain as he tried to find a possibility to cut off his path.

If he remembered correctly, they were near the place where the river flowed into the big lake. Starting to cage in on Mark from his right the alpha had no choice but to take a left once they reached the river.

Donghyuck knew this would be the end. He had Mark right where he wanted him. Slowly he began to approach Mark from his left, the older having no escape route due to the river on his right except the wild chase to the front.

Soon simply being faster than Donghyuck was not saving Mark from being caught any longer when the river took a left turn.

Donghyuck was howling victoriously, expecting Mark to simply stop running. However, the alpha didn't stop his pace and instead of giving in, he surged into the river with full force.

The water splashed around them as Donghyuck, still set on Mark's tracks, crashed into the river right behind him.

Laughter filled the silence as Mark shifted back to human form so he could stand in the river. Donghyuck quickly did the same to not be carried down the stream.

"You moron!" He huffed, but he also couldn't stop laughing.

There were still streaks of black paint all over Mark's body and hair, although the river had already washed him clean, leaving long black trails in the water.

"Figured I needed to take a bath anyways," Mark shrugged with a goofy grin and Donghyuck flicked water at him.

At least Mark felt bad enough for leading them into the water that he helped Donghyuck climb out of the river.

Wet to the bones they laid down in the grass. Luckily the late autumn sun was showing them mercy, sharing its warmth. They were in a pretty secluded area, shielded from any curious eyes and ears by the tight bushes and branches around them - not that many people of the pack came this far anyways, crossing the river.

Donghyuck gave Mark a shy glance. "You're really good at this," he mumbled, turning his head towards Mark who was already looking at him. "Making me happy."

A smile spread on Mark's face. "Are you feeling better?"

Donghyuck hummed in agreement.

"Do you still want to leave the guard?"

Donghyuck shook his head. He rolled over onto his side, so he was slightly hovering over Mark. "Thank you," he whispered into Mark's ear before pressing a chaste kiss to it.

Suddenly Mark sat up straight. He looked around frantically, ripping out a few of the grasses they were laying on.

Donghyuck frowned in confusion when Mark continued to fiddle with the plants in his hands.

"Donghyuck, I..." he started muttering. "I can't wait any longer."

The omega made a bewildered noise, but Mark stopped fumbling with his hands. His eyes widened when he saw that Mark had formed a messy ring.

Sheepishly Mark reached after Donghyuck's hands, carefully slipping the ring around his finger to not accidentally rip the fragile strings of grass.

"I promise," he started talking, but his voice cracked. Donghyuck laughed softly as Mark cleared his throat. "I promise," he started over again, meeting Donghyuck's eyes. "To always make you happy. To be with you for the rest of our life. I promise to love you with my entire being."

Donghyuck's cheeks were hurting from how much he was smiling. Oh, what a rollercoaster of emotions the day had been.

Mark's eyes flickered down to his finger that was now adorned by a ring. He swallowed. "So...erm, if you'd...if you want that, could you please accept this mating promise?"

Donghyuck's heart was jumping out of his chest.

"Are you sure you want a life full of this?" He asked Mark.

"There's nothing I want more."

In the next second the air was punched out of Mark's lungs as Donghyuck threw himself on top of him.  He pressed a series of pecks all over Mark's face.

Longing for more, Mark pushed himself upwards, meeting Donghyuck’s advances halfway as their lips met in the middle.

Suddenly feeling the heat rise inside of him Donghyuck moved himself closer to Mark’s body, accidentally putting pressure right on Mark’s crotch, making the alpha groan in desire.

Separating for a second to assess the situation, they stared into each other’s eyes. Donghyuck could taste the tension on his tongue, just like he could taste Mark on his lips as he licked over them seductively.

The sparkle in Mark’s eyes lit up dangerously as he surged forward with much more force this time, prying Donghyuck’s mouth open with his tongue to kiss the omega breathless.

Teasingly Donghyuck shifted on top of Mark, now purposefully rolling his hips down – an action Mark only encouraged as he put his hands around Donghyuck’s waist to guide his movements.

A soft moan left Donghyuck as he let his head fall backwards. Immediately seizing the opportunity Mark began to suck on his throat, leaving playful bites across his skin.

Feeling way too hot Donghyuck took the next step, reaching for his shirt and pulling it over his head without much hesitation.

Eagerly Mark followed his example, from the redness in his face probably experiencing the same kind of heat.

Donghyuck let out a surprised gasp when Mark powerfully manhandled him to the ground afterwards, crawling over his partly exposed body with a lustful glint in his eyes.

Donghyuck’s heart skipped a beat when Mark, after kissing his lips one last time, moved downwards, grazing his chest with soft ministrations that made his chest rise and fall erratically.

Once he reached the seam of his pants, touching just the right places Donghyuck’s mouth fell open with a moan, back arching at the pleasure that consumed him.

For the first time the desire in Mark’s scent shifted to something more timid as he searched for Donghyuck’s eyes in a questioning manner.

Not wanting any of this to stop, Donghyuck encircled Mark’s hips with his legs, pushing the alpha down against him. Simultaneously sounds of pleasure mingled in the air around them as Mark continued to hover above Donghyuck.

“What do you want?” Mark asked, voice barely more than a whisper.

“You,” Donghyuck muttered in reply, running his hands through Mark’s hair. “All of you.”

Reassured by Donghyuck’s words Mark let his hands travel back to Donghyuck’s pants.

“May I?” He asked, back to his slightly awkward self that made Donghyuck smile in fondness.

Excitedly he lifted his hips for Mark, who slowly pulled down his trousers while not breaking eye-contact with the omega.

This was as nerve-wracking as it was exhilarating. Never before had Donghyuck felt so naked, so vulnerable but so safe and strong in front of anyone. Especially in front of an alpha.

But Mark’s sweet smile, his frazzled hair and the adoration in his eyes were enough to let him know that Donghyuck could trust him with his everything.

Nervously Donghyuck lowered his gaze as Mark got to see him fully for the first time. He had never done this before.

“You’re beautiful,” Mark told him in awe, making the small concerns that had started forming in the back of Donghyuck’s mind disappear.

Flustered Donghyuck gave Mark a small smile, before pulling him back towards his lips and kissing him.

Kissing Mark was familiar and warm and it still made Donghyuck’s stomach tingle every time. In a moment like this, where they were diving into new territory, it was just the right comfort.

However, judging by the nervous tremble of Mark’s hands as he gently caressed over Donghyuck’s cheek, he knew that they were in the same boat.

“I’ve never before,” Donghyuck breathed between two kisses.

“Me neither,” Mark replied, before capturing Donghyuck’s lips once more. “We can wait, if you want to?”

“No, I don’t,” Donghyuck denied right away.

He did not want to wait. He wanted Mark.

In a new spur of confidence Donghyuck began exploring Mark’s upper body with his hands, tracing over his defined chest and muscular abdomen. Touching Mark was equally as sensational as getting touched by Mark, Donghyuck figured, the skin underneath his fingers alluringly hot and smooth.

Separating for another awkward pause, Mark removed his own pants – or at least, he tried to. Donghyuck couldn’t help giggling when Mark started struggling, legs suddenly entangled in the wet clothes that seemed to be glued to his skin.

It broke the tension a little, getting rid of the nervous energy between them.

Once he managed to free himself of his garment, Mark moved back on top of Donghyuck with a crooked smile. Tenderly he pushed his thighs apart, creating more space between the omegas legs for him.

Immediately Donghyuck’s laughter stopped, breath stuck in his throat as pleasant shivers ran down his spine.

Cautiously Mark started inserting his fingers into him and Donghyuck bit down on his lips harshly to keep his sounds to himself.

“Is this okay?” Mark asked, as if his fingers weren’t already covered in Donghyuck’s wetness, proof of his arousal.

“Mhhh,” Donghyuck could only hum in reply, eyes shut tightly as he clawed his fingers into the grass around him.

The few moans and whimpers that Donghyuck wasn’t able to control only spurred Mark on further in his apparent mission to drive him insane, hitting spots that made Donghyuck see stars.

All of a sudden the feeling was gone and Donghyuck only partly suppressed his disappointed whine.

Mark moved impossibly closer to him, placing his hands in Donghyuck’s right next to his head, shortly playing with the self-made ring before intertwining their fingers.

“Can I-?”

Almost imploding with impatience and nervosity Donghyuck only nodded his head, his whole body on fire when he finally felt Mark inside of him.

It was a foreign feeling at first, new to both of them. However, once they fully settled, connected like never before, it felt nothing but right.

A small smile hushed over Donghyuck’s face when he opened his eyes to see Mark looking right back at him in stunned fascination, as if not really believing this moment was real.

“It feels good,” he spoke the truth, because somehow he felt that Mark needed to hear it. “Don’t stop.”

As always listening to his every command Mark began moving back and forth, expression soon contorted into utter bliss as Donghyuck met his thrusts rhythmically.

More and more they got lost in each other, melting into one as nothing but the other mattered anymore, until they eventually found their release.

Thoughts still a bit clouded, cheeks flushed pink and legs quivering they laid side by side, trying to find calmness and catch their breath.

With a heart full of joy Donghyuck lifted his hand to look at the mating ring, Mark following his gaze with a blissed out smile on his face, before pulling him into a hug and nuzzling his neck as if Donghyuck wasn’t smelling enough like him already.

Laughing for no apparent reason apart from happiness Donghyuck cuddled into Mark’s side.

The future had never seemed brighter.

Notes:

Omg, so much to say!! Sorry if this is going to be a bit rambly!!

First of all, thank you all for over 2000 Kudos!! This story is really getting so much support and love, I never imagined it to become like this!! Really, thank you all so much!!
This is literally so weird and random to me, and honestly, it makes me a bit anxious to know that apparently so many people are reading this...so, I hope I don't disappoint you too much :)

As I'm saying this, please don't judge my smut too much >.<
I know it's not my strong suit...but I tried?? So I hope it's not too bad :)

Anyways, if you haven't seen it yet, to thank you all for the 2000 Kudos, I wrote a little prequel?? to this?? It's called 'The Solaris Past', it's part of this series now, but you can also find it on my account. So, if you are interest in Noren's first meeting and Markhyuck's...teenage shenanigans? You can go check that out if you want to :3

Thank you all again for reading!! Don't get fooled too much today, hehe :D
Stay safe and healthy <3

Chapter 31: A Black Theory

Notes:

Heyho and welcome back, hope you enjoy the new chapter :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Donghyuck was caught by a windstorm.

It was rushing through his fur, carrying him forward. It felt like he would take off from the ground any second, ready to spread his wings and fly.

The windstorm got stronger as he kept running. For some reason Donghyuck felt like he could keep running right until the edge of the world.

He glanced towards the wolf running by his side. Deep happiness spread inside of Donghyuck, his heart fluttering lightly with all the fondness it held. He didn't know why, but as the cold windstorm kept hitting his face, cooling and refreshing and freeing, the happiness inside of him seemed to be growing and growing.

Perhaps it wasn't the windstorm who had caught him.

 

Donghyuck returned to his next guard shift with an equal amount of insecurity and self esteem. Leave it to him to feel contradicting emotions all at once. Ever since he had become an adult, he was truly understanding just how complicated feelings could be.

Once he stepped onto the clearing he swallowed any fear that was still lingering uncomfortably in his stomach. Mark squeezed his hand in reassurance as the assembled guards quickly sorted themselves out and paired up into their established teams of two.

"If anything happens, I'll be right there when you need me," Mark whispered to him in reassurance and Donghyuck nodded, fully trusting that Mark was speaking nothing but the pure truth. He had proven himself to always be by his side when he really needed him. There was no reason anymore to not trust Mark with everything he said. With one last uplifting smile Mark headed off to his guard partner, leaving Donghyuck on his own.

However, Donghyuck wasn't alone for long. A slight pat on his shoulder made him spin around.

Shotaro was raising an eyebrow at him. "You're back?"

Donghyuck gulped heavily. This had been the conversation he had been fearing the most. "I am."

Before Donghyuck could even start to apologize for all his shortcomings, risking both their life and endangering everyone in their packs and so much more that had been weighing him down, Shotaro raised his hand, shutting him up before he had the chance to open his mouth fully. 

"Listen, I don't know what happened with you last time. But I trust you that you'd only come back once you're sure it won't happen again."

Donghyuck nodded eagerly. There was no way he would screw this up twice.

"Good. Well, I'm glad you're back. It was kind of boring without you," Shotaro patted his back with a cheeky smile.

His body felt ten pounds lighter all of a sudden. Donghyuck wished everyone would be as forgiving and easy-going as Shotaro. At this point he was quite convinced the omega physically couldn't get mad. But he supposed that was what made Shotaro one of the best. He didn't need long explanations or apologies. He only needed you to have his back. And in turn he would have yours unconditionally. Really, an attitude that more people of their pack should make use of.

Everybody was waiting for Kun to show up and instruct them on their positions. Usually it was a fast process, the guard by now well trained and prepared, knowing the borders they were assigned to like the back of their hands. However, today it wasn't only Kun who marched onto the clearing, shoulders broad with authority.

Prince Jeno was right by his side. Next to Kun's laid-back style of leadership he almost seemed tense, but his appearance was not less powerful.

Having gotten to know the prince on a personal basis before made Donghyuck feel empathetic for him. If you looked past the surface, you could see the slight tremble of Jeno’s fingers. Jeno must be really nervous right now.

Kun stepped in front of them leisurely, throwing Jeno a light smirk, the alpha straightening his back as he stood in front of the guard for the first time.

"Attention!" Kun's voice resonated over the clearing and Donghyuck tried hard to suppress the chuckle when he saw Jeno startle at the sudden volume.

The second in command in the Lunaris pack subtly nudged the future Solaris chief in his side with his elbow. Jeno seemed to be caught in his own headspace for a second longer, before gathering himself.

The last hint of self-consciousness faded from his eyes.

"Listen, everybody!" He said with a strong tone, effectively gaining the undivided attention of everybody. "From now on I'm gonna take over the Solaris guard. Of course, we'll still be working together with the Lunaris guard and Kun, who has done a good job while I was preparing for this new task."

Jeno's eyes glided over the two packs. When they reached Donghyuck the omega gave him an uplifting smile - it made the prince's lips twitch, lightly relaxing at the sight of the familiar face.

"Starting today, all my people report to me concerning their duties. You can come to me for anything, I will listen to you with an open mind," he specifically looked at Donghyuck as he said these words. "So, let's not waste any more time!"

Jeno clapped into his hands and together with Kun he arranged their shifts. Even though Jeno had hardly been in charge for five minutes, Donghyuck already liked him better than their last head guard. (But he guessed that was not a hard thing to achieve. Still, Jeno seemed like a good leader regardless.)

 

As soon as they had gotten their instructions and positions Donghyuck and Shotaro headed off into the woods. They were on inner guard duty again, which meant they could stay in their wolf forms.

The guards they relieved from their duty sighed in relief when they finally showed up. Donghyuck felt for them. The night shifts were always the hardest.

Shotaro and him fell back into their old pattern, roaming up and down the small area they were designated to protect. The leaves underneath his paws were crunching pleasantly, yellows and oranges and browns drawing a colorful scenery.

If he'd be in any other situation, Donghyuck would've actually found joy in the beauty that autumn created every year. The sun was surprisingly warm today as well, inviting you to just take a rest and let life breathe.

Sadly, their current conditions weren't ones that let you be as carefree as you were as a kid, jumping into big piles of wet leaves or puddles of mud. Playing and fighting with each other until your parents called you for dinner, cheeks rosy and fingers frozen from the cold wind.

Donghyuck had to force himself to not drown in childhood nostalgia. He was here with a goal. Protect their pack. And this time he would not fail again.

 

The wonderful day passed by with not a single disturbing sound. But it wasn't the day they needed to worry about. It was the dusk, the impending darkness that doomed over their grounds that was the real danger.

As the sun set, leaving its warmth behind, Donghyuck senses heightened. A few meters away from him he could see Shotaro's almost white fur glisten against the dark silhouette of the trees. It provided a welcoming sense of security, battling the fear and panic that was still brooding somewhere deep down inside of Donghyuck. He was not alone in this. Shotaro was here. Mark was just one call away.

They stuck a little closer together as the last bit of sunlight disappeared. Now only the moon on the nearly cloudless sky provided them with silver light.

Soon Donghyuck's eyes got accustomed to the new darkness and he was able to make out the basic outlines of his surroundings.

The leaves underneath him were still the same, though now they didn't shine as bright, all their colors faded into various shades of gray instead.

A breeze went through the bushes and a few squirrels hushed over the ground, their small taps making the leaves rattle.

Donghyuck's whole body was charged as he listened closely for any suspicious sounds. He was praying for this to remain a quiet night. Maybe deep down he had already known that it wouldn't be.

 

The world had long gone to sleep when a howl alarmed every waking creature.

While this howl had not been as close as the last one a few days ago, it was still near, perhaps a little to their left.

It only took them one look of understanding before the two omegas started chasing.

Keeping his nose close to the ground Donghyuck tried to track down the unwanted visitors. For a few meters he smelled nothing except the faint mist that laid in the air.

Then he picked up on a fresh trail that almost made him pull a disgusted grimace. The scent of rotten fruit and old sweat penetrated his nose - whoever this wolf was, he certainly did not care about hygiene.

With a low growl he let Shotaro know to follow him. Even though the light was sparse, Donghyuck could make out the enemy's tracks, the run over branches and disturbed leaves giving their position away.

The scent got stronger and stronger every stride they took. The smell was so rotten that Donghyuck almost wanted to turn around only to breathe in something else and get rid of the stinging stench.

Shotaro lightly snapped after his tail, making him stop in his chase. At first Donghyuck was confused, but as they halted their movements he could hear why Shotaro had wanted him to pause.

There were flat pants coming from one of the bushes near them, where the scent was so thick Donghyuck actually wanted to vomit on the spot.

Quietly they sneaked closer, hoping to not alarm the wolf of their presence.

Shotaro hit the first stroke, leaping forward and catching the strange wolf by its leg. As he dragged him out of the bushes Donghyuck froze - the black fur swallowed even the tiniest bit of light.

Then the wolf snapped after Shotaro, violently struggling against his grip and Donghyuck narrowed his eyes with determination. His mind clicked into the right place and in the next second he was helping Shotaro to keep the wolf down.

Suddenly there were steps approaching - the rotten scent made Donghyuck choke, afraid he would actually puke. He whimpered, letting Shotaro know that there were more enemies coming.

The Lunaris wolf was still fighting to keep the first wolf pinned to the ground, as Donghyuck had taken a protective stance in front of him, hoping to at least shield him from the upcoming attack long enough to knock out the first wolf.

The earth trembled underneath the force of the approaching steps. Donghyuck lowered his head, ready to jump them and defend Shotaro.

However, before he even had a chance to, they were rushing past them. He barely scraped one of them by their tails with his teeth as they knocked over Shotaro from the helpless black wolf underneath him.

Startled, Donghyuck scud towards them, wanting to help Shotaro fight them off. He howled for help, hoping that they hadn't been the only ones going after the intruders and that back-up was already on their way.

There were now four of the black wolves and Shotaro was growling at them threateningly as they kept circling in on them.

The only thing in Donghyuck's mind was to protect Shotaro and so he surged forward with no further plan, making them scatter apart.

Back to back Shotaro and him kept baring their teeth as the black wolves eyed them warily, apparently just as planless as Donghyuck had been as he threw himself into the middle of the fight without any thought about the actual consequences.

Suddenly one of them turned their head around. They made an ugly hissing sound, before surprisingly chasing away through the woods, right in the direction that their borders would be.

Only a moment later four more guards tore through the bushes, already on the trail of the wolves that were on their way back, trying to get off their grounds.

Donghyuck and Shotaro continued to chase them off for a while, but the longer they ran and the closer they came to the borders, the better the wolves seemed to know their way around, making it impossible to catch them.

They slithered over the mud as they clawed their paws into the ground, coming to a halt right where the Noctis pack began - the actual border invisible, but very much threatening not to be crossed.

Donghyuck's eyes twitched as he watched the intruders get away, unable to follow them any further.

Next to him Shotaro was growling in frustration. Donghyuck knew how he felt - they had been so close.

Calmly he nudged his friend, playfully licking around his ears, hoping he would not feel upset for long. They had still chased them off and protected their packs in doing so.

Shotaro glared at him, but he couldn't suppress his tail beginning to fawn. He snapped after Donghyuck, however his mood seemed to be lifted as he licked all over Donghyuck's face in return.

 

Together they started trudging their way back. By now their shift had to be over and they needed to report the incident to Kun.

Once they reached the clearing they smoothly transformed back to their human forms. To their surprise Kun was nowhere to be seen - usually the omega was always around during shift changes, especially after alarms had occurred.

Before Donghyuck could mention it to Shotaro, he was tackled in a tight hug.

The scent of cinnamon engulfed him. "Thank god, you're okay!"

Mark was nuzzling his face into his neck, leaving his scent all over him. Donghyuck threw Shotaro a shy glance, who watched the exchange with slight amusement twinkling in his eyes.

Donghyuck cleared his throat. "Mark. Could you-?"

At first Mark frowned when Donghyuck lightly pushed him away. Then he noticed Shotaro's raised eyebrows and he almost stumbled over his feet as he retreated.

"Sorry," the alpha apologized, sheepishly rubbing his neck. "Erm...so, what happened? You were near the alarm again, weren't you?"

Donghyuck tried to force the blush off his cheeks when Shotaro kept snickering to himself.

"Yeah. There were four of them this time. We nearly got one, but they got away."

"So...you didn't-?" Mark asked and Donghyuck gave him a reassuring look.

"I am completely fine. Don't worry."

Mark let out a relieved breath.

"Where's Kun?" Shotaro chimed in, stretching his neck to look for his leader. "Shouldn't we report to him?"

Mark wasn't really paying attention, his gaze fixated on something in Donghyuck's hair. "Oh, some other guys who were also chasing them already talked to him." He raised his hand, brushing it through Donghyuck's locks.  "There's something in your hair."

"Probably just dirt. We ran quite a lot," Donghyuck brushed him off but Mark furrowed his eyebrows as he pulled his hand away that was now covered in black dust.

Puzzled Donghyuck took a step back. It almost looked like burnt ashes. How had that gotten into his hair?

"You have it as well," Mark commented towards Shotaro, who let his hands run through his hair, making it flutter black snow all around him.

A surprised gasp let Donghyuck as he realized something - it wasn't only in Shotaro's hair! There were streaks of black powder all over him, staining his clothes.

Shotaro seemed equally confused. "That's weird. Did we pass by a fireplace or something?"

"Not that I remember," Donghyuck shook his head firmly.

This was indeed very weird. He let the whole chase run back through his mind. Where could he and Shotaro possibly have gotten so dirty?

He was about to just dismiss it when another recent picture flashed through his head.

"Paint!" He exclaimed, making both Shotaro and Mark give him bewildered looks.

This was crazy! If this was true then-

"Mark, do you remember how you covered your fur with black paint?" Donghyuck asked the alpha, seemingly off topic.

In lack of understanding Mark blinked at him a few times. "Yeah. Why?"

"It was stuck in your hair afterwards as well," Donghyuck continued as if it all made sense. "You had to wash it multiple times."

"What are you talking about?" Shotaro asked him, irritated. This must make even less sense to him than to Mark.

"Their fur wasn't actually black! They colored it black!" Donghyuck explained hurriedly. "It brushed off on us when we were fighting!"

Shotaro looked skeptical but Mark's eyes widened in realization. "You're right!"

"No, why would they color it? The already have black fur!" Shotaro argued.

That made Donghyuck pause. It was true that the Noctis pack wouldn't need color to disappear in the night. He had seen how dark the fur was with his own eyes. But back then, when he had gotten attacked, he wasn't left with black dust all over him!

He brushed over Shotaro's shoulder, where the black color was the most prominent. "See, that's where they grabbed you!" He stood his point, not listening to Shotaro’s justified questions.

Donghyuck didn't know why, but his gut was telling him that his hunch was right.

Shotaro tried to shrug the ashes off his shoulder, only to be left with more black dust on his fingers. "This powder is really sticky," he frowned, wiping it over his clothes, staining them even further.

Donghyuck was nodding enthusiastically, hoping to convince Shotaro that there was some truth to his theory.

Shotaro sighed as he gave in. "Okay, I suppose it could be paint. But it still doesn't make any sense."

Donghyuck knew that. However, in this scenario there wasn't really a better explanation.

"You don't suppose someone in our packs disguised themselves, do you?" Mark carefully brought up.

"No," Donghyuck denied strongly. "They stunk. Heavily. Like rotten fruits. At least nobody in Solaris smells like this."

"Neither in Lunaris. They were definitely not from here," Shotaro confirmed.

They reached an impasse. It didn't make sense, but every other explanation made even less sense. Just who would cover oneself in black dust and fake an attack from the Noctis pack? Especially during these times, where everybody was on edge. This surely could not have been a prank!

The fact that they had nearly caught one of them was building up to a whole new level of frustration. All their questions could've been answered had the wolf not slipped away right underneath them.

Donghyuck straightened his shoulders. "Well, whatever this is, we have to inform Kun about this."

They all looked over the clearing again, but there was still no sign of the omega. The guards for the next shift were all slowly disappearing, leaving to take over for them and take their positions for the rest of the day.

The sky was slowly lighting up, the night having passed during the commotion.

All of a sudden a loud voice reached Donghyuck's ears. Firm commands were passed through the guards and soon Prince Jeno stepped onto the clearing.

Right - Kun wasn't in charge on his own any longer! They could just tell Jeno.

With fast strides Donghyuck began approaching the prince when two royal guards stepped in his way.

They're uniforms were neatly fitted and looked a bit fancier than what Donghyuck was used to guards wearing. He figured they must be close to the royal family, perhaps the prince's personal safety guard.

"Where are you going?" The taller one asked him.

Donghyuck snorted in defiance. Why were they questioning him when it was obvious that he was also in the guard? Their uniforms might not look totally alike, but the royal crest was stitched right across his chest, clearly indicating which pack he belonged to. 

"I need to talk to the prince."

He tried to push them aside, but they held him back fiercely. Donghyuck struggled against their grip. Why were they making such a big deal out of this? They never had to go through any sort of trouble when they wanted to talk to Kun!

Prince Jeno himself had told them earlier that they could approach him whenever they needed to! This was simply ridiculous!

"Let me go!" Donghyuck grunted, kicking around him.

"We have commands from the chiefess herself to keep anyone unwanted away from the prince," the guards told him.

Donghyuck sneered in disbelief. "I'm not unwanted! The prince told us to come talk to him!"

Despite his protests the guards weren't letting go of him.

"We'll have to check with the prince first whether you are unwanted or not," the guard let him know in a calm voice.

This was plain stupid! Donghyuck had trained together with the prince! They had gone mud surfing together! He doubted that the Jeno he had gotten to know back would mind Donghyuck approaching him!

Well, they had wanted it this way. 

"YAH! Prince Jeno!" He yelled with his full lung capacity.

Jeno, who had been speaking with some of the other guards turned his head around at the loud volume, a puzzled expression on his face.

Once he recognized Donghyuck being held by his personal guards he hurried over.

"Prince Jeno, he requested to talk to you. We only wanted to ask you first if that would be okay," the guards began explaining.

Jeno frowned in confusion. "Yeah, it's okay. You don't have to do that."

"The chiefess-"

A long sigh left Jeno after he heard these words. Of course his mother had told his personal guards to be extra attentive about him.

"Well, I'm telling you now that everybody in the guard can come talk to me whenever," he cut them off. “You don’t need to confirm with me beforehand.”

The two alphas nodded, having no choice but to accept the decision of their new leader.

Donghyuck cleared his throat, cocking an eyebrow at Jeno and motioning to where the guards were still holding him by his arms.

"Oh, right. Please let go of him," Jeno ordered them. "And then let us talk in private."

Quickly the two guards scrambled away, hopefully at least a little bit embarrassed about their behavior.

Donghyuck brushed over his arms, shaking them a little to loosen his muscles.

He rolled his eyes when Mark and Shotaro slowly stepped beside him. "Oh, now you're coming."

"Well, you handled yourself well on your own," Shotaro replied, not apologetic in the slightest for letting him deal with the guards on his own.

Then his eyes flickered to Jeno and he made a clumsy attempt at a bow.

"Okay, what's going on?" The prince questioned as Donghyuck pulled Shotaro upright again.

Mark took a step forward, voice urgent, "We really need to talk to you. About today's attack."

Jeno's expression went from befuddled amusement to utter seriousness within the blink of an eye.

"Why? Didn't you just chase them to the border?" The prince inquired.

The three guards exchanged looks. "We did. Well, sort of - Shotaro and I got into a little fight and now...-"

"We have this black dust all over us," Shotaro finished Donghyuck's sentence, ruffling through his hair, making it rain black ashes only to emphasize his point.

Jeno frowned, the wheels behind his head turning. "You guys weren't near a fire recently, were you?"

Everybody shook their heads. The solution that these were actual ashes from a fire was simply not a possibility.

Mark lowered his voice, "We suspect that the wolves covered themselves in this black stuff."

"Why would they do it?" Jeno immediately followed with the only logical question that they had yet to find an answer to.

Donghyuck let out a long breath. "I know this sounds...weird. But I just know that there is more to this."

Jeno eyed him in consideration. He must've sensed how serious Donghyuck was about this matter. "Okay. I'll look into it. We'll get to the bottom of this."

"Thank you," Donghyuck replied gratefully. "For listening."

A short smile slipped over Jeno's lips. "Always. Just yell again if they are giving you trouble." The prince nodded to his two personal guards.

Donghyuck grinned. "Will do."

Donghyuck was already looking forward to the day Jeno would become their chief. He couldn't help but feel like Jeno was exactly the change this pack needed.

"Well, I gotta do my rounds now," Jeno said, pointing over his shoulders.

The three guards retreated respectfully, letting the new head guard tend to his duties.

"Greet Renjun from us," Donghyuck shouted after him before Jeno could fully disappear between the trees.

The prince chuckled, giving him a quick thumbs up, before he shifted and surged away through the bushes.

"I already like him much more than your old guy," Shotaro hummed, turning into the direction of the Lunaris pack. They all agreed in silence.

With a short wave Shotaro bid his goodbye, elegantly transforming mid air and surging away between the trees.

"Come on, let's go home," Mark patted him on his shoulder when Donghyuck kept looking after the omega. 

For some reason he felt like they just discovered the tip of the iceberg today.

 

 

Renjun was roaming the floors of the castle late at night, only the warm glow of the candles on the wall lighting up his path. Since he had gotten here he had learned a lot. However, some days he still had trouble only finding his way. Especially late at night, when the castle lost all of its color and the paintings on the wall were barely visible anymore.

Renjun knew that he had to make a left turn once he passed the huge oil painting of an elderly lady with a purple head. The tower of books he was carrying in his arms wasn't making his task easier. All Latin and history, of course.

His feet were pitter-pattering over the cold stone floor, echoing through the long halls.

Renjun squinted his eyes to take a look at the paintings - now was that a lady with a purple hat or the knight with an overproportionally big helmet?

Before he could decide, someone else appeared around the corner, the sound of her heels clattering loudly.

Not having seen Renjun standing right in her way, they bumped into each other roughly, making Renjun drop his books to the floor at the sudden impact. The omega flinched at the sudden noise. That had probably woken up everybody in the range of ten miles.

His horror only amplified when he raised his head to see who had caused this accident and he found the chiefess staring down at him.

"E-excuse me, I didn't...see you," he apologized, lowering his eyes.

"How could you with that stack of books in front of you," she retorted.

Renjun wasn't sure if she was joking or scolding him.

Quickly he kneeled down to collect the books. "I'm really sorry."

"Why don't you just ask someone to help you carry these?" The chiefess asked. "Would lower the chances of mishaps like this happening."

Awkwardly Renjun rubbed his fingers over the bound back of the books. "I don't...like...asking the servers to do stuff for me," he admitted shyly.

The chiefess raised her eyebrows. "You know that that is their job? And that they are well taken care of in return for their help?"

"Yes! Yes, of course," Renjun nodded in reassurance. He had not wanted to insinuate that the royal family were not treating their people right. "I'm just not used to it, I guess?"

The chiefess watched him in eerie silence as he continued to gather his books.

Renjun was about to bid her goodnight and then vanish as fast as possible when she called out his name. "Renjun."

He turned around, peeking his head from behind the books.

"Why don't you come to my tailoring room? Say Sunday, in the afternoon?" The chiefess asked, even though Renjun felt like it was more of an order than a request. "I would love to sew you a nice shirt."

Was that an insult to his clothes? Everything about the chiefess was so hard to judge.

"I...erm...only if it's no trouble," he stuttered, not really sure if he actually wanted to spend more time with the chiefess all alone.

She clicked her tongue. "I just asked you to come. So you can assume it's no trouble for me."

Renjun nodded quickly. "Sure, yes. Uhm, I'll be there."

A sly smile spread on the woman's lips. "Great."

Her shoes clattered over the ground as she rushed past him.

Renjun swallowed his own spit, not knowing what to feel at that moment. For some reason he sensed that this had been a very bad idea.

 

When Renjun finally reached his room he almost got a heart attack when he ran right into the next person. For a few seconds he struggled to balance all the books, taking precarious steps to the left and right as the tower in his arms wobbled, dangerously close to tipping over once again.

After a few seconds of his little dance the books were finally steady - giving Renjun the opportunity to glare at the reason behind the almost accident.

"What the hell, Jeno?!"

The alpha smiled apologetically, quickly heaving the books out of Renjun's arms to put them down on his desk. "Sorry."

Renjun couldn't be mad at him for long. They weren't seeing each other enough to have time to fight. With enthusiasm he threw himself into Jeno's arms, who caught him despite the surprise in his eyes.

"You're back early," Renjun said in between kisses.

Jeno caught him by his bottom lips, teasingly pulling on it. "Why? You want me gone?"

"I want you right where you are," Renjun breathed heavily, passionately smashing their lips back together.

"Right where I am?" Jeno smirked, before kissing a wet trail down Renjun's neck. "What about your bed?"

Renjun gasped, letting his head fall back to grant Jeno all the access he needed. "Yeah, the bed is fine as well."

Jeno didn't need to be told twice. With a few steps he carried the omega through the room, gently laying him on top of the soft pillows before moving down on him.

 

Only after they had exchanged the satisfying amount of kisses and cuddles did Renjun's thoughts circle back - he hadn't expected to see Jeno for at least a few more hours.

He placed a hand on Jeno's chest that was still rising and falling in patternless rhythms. Slowly he raised his head, placing his chin right on top of his hand, looking up at the alpha.

"So, why are you back early?" He asked, slightly tilting his head.

Jeno glanced down at him, before caressing over Renjun's cheeks. "Something happened that I needed to report to my parents right away."

Renjun frowned worriedly. "Another attack?"

Jeno hummed in agreement. "Yeah. Nobody got hurt, don't worry."

"So what's the issue?" Renjun pried further. Between all his lessons he barely got to hear any of the political talks.

"Donghyuck-" Renjun's head immediately snapped around. "He's fine, don't worry. But he had reasons to assume that the wolves had colored their fur black." Jeno assured him right away.

Relieved, Renjun let his head sink back on Jeno's chest. A scowl tainted his features. "You think someone is impersonating the wolves from the Noctis pack?"

Jeno was silent for a second. "But who would do that? Lunaris and Solaris are working closer together than ever," he answered thoughtfully. "My parents said to be very careful with that kind of assumption. Our biggest strength is that we are united. We can't destroy that with unreasonable mistrust."

"I wasn't saying it was either Lunaris or Solaris," Renjun defended himself. "There are still rogue wolves roaming through the forest."

Jeno didn't seem convinced just yet. "Why would they disguise themselves though?"

Renjun shrugged, also reaching the end of possible explanations. "Don't know."

"Yeah, that's where everybody ends up," Jeno sighed. "We'd have to catch one of them to find out more."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Renjun asked, concerned.

Jeno chuckled softly. "My guard and the Lunaris guard are trained fighters. Don't worry too much."

Still, the thought of Jeno bringing himself into danger was making Renjun's stomach twist in protest. He knew that Jeno, as the prince, always had the safety of the pack as his first priority. Maybe Renjun was not here long enough to grasp that feeling just yet.

If he could, he would like to keep Jeno right where he was - next to Renjun, tucked away in his bed sheets. He knew that wasn't possible. Never would be.

"How's your studying going?" Jeno changed topics, ripping Renjun out of his trail of thoughts.

While it didn't make all of Renjun's concerns disappear, it was a welcome distraction. "I almost beat Chenle today. My horse is slowly listening to what I want it to do. And I understood nearly half of the last Latin lecture," he counted all of his recent accomplishments.

He conveniently let out the fact that until now he still had trouble even getting up on his horse, was far behind in his Latin repetition schedule and Chenle had obviously held back on today's training.

It wasn't only that Renjun was clinging onto straws, desperately wanting to stay positive - mostly he didn't want to burden Jeno. The alpha had enough to worry about on his own. As the new head guard he had enough work that needed his full focus. He didn't also need to listen to Renjun's frustrations.

"Hey, I'm proud of you," Jeno pressed down a chaste kiss to Renjun's hair. "I knew you'd do great."

"Mhh," Renjun hummed. "Jaemin's helping me out a lot."

Jeno smiled softly. "I'm so happy you've warmed up to everyone here."

Renjun nodded, throat very dry. He wasn't sure if he should bring up the encounter with Jeno's mother. Or that she had requested to speak to him privately.

Jeno shuffled around, slinging his arms around Renjun's waist and resting his chin on top of Renjun's hair. He took a deep long breath, drowning himself in the sweet scent of vanilla.

His eyes fell shut. "Let's sleep, hmm?"

The tight feeling in Renjun's chest was getting heavier as he closed his eyes, trying his best to find sleep.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!
A little more plot focused today, hehe, hope that's fine :) Leave me a comment of your thoughts if you want to :3

As you might've noticed, I set the chapter count to 46 - which means I finished writing this story!! You can all sleep peacefully now, knowing that this story will be completed :D

Hope you are safe and healthy!! <3

Chapter 32: Blessing in Disguise

Notes:

Hello and welcome back to the chapter!! Enjoy :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Renjun silently slouched his way through the halls. He had been chewing on his lips all morning long, slowly peeling the skin off of it.

Jaemin had shown him the way to the chiefess’ sewing chambers earlier, wishing him good luck for whatever was in store for him. Renjun felt like he would need it.

At this moment, Renjun would actually prefer Latin lessons. Maybe he could come up with an excuse to avoid this meeting after all?

What was he even thinking - this was the chiefess! There was no way he could decline an offer like this. At least no way that would be deemed acceptable. And he really wanted to be accepted by the chiefess.

His fingers were trembling as he brought them to the door knob. He closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths and counting to ten. When had he become so insecure? This wasn’t his normal self. 

Trying to gain his confidence back he pushed the door open powerfully.

 

Astounded, he took in the big room that was revealed in turn. High ceilings made it appear infinitely open, huge windows with a view right into the garden emphasized the natural atmosphere. The ground was made of clear marble, as well as the pillars that stretched all the way up to the ceiling and that were decorated with small golden streaks that formed marigolds.

A light wooden table was standing in the middle of the chamber and clothing rails were splattered across the room. All sorts of fabrics were displayed, filling the space with a bright arrangement of colors.

Fascinated, Renjun walked past the dark velvet fabrics and the airy tulle materials, so fine you could see through them. Renjun's breath hitched when he saw threats of actual gold coiled around huge spindles, waiting to be used for festive garments and display wealth.

A few mannequins showed off the newest designs of the chiefess - wide, colorful dresses and elegant jackets, similar to the one Jeno had worn to the Spring Dance.

Renjun's fingers itched when he passed a mannequin wearing fabric looking so soft he could hardly suppress the urge to run his hands through it.

"Renjun! You found your way here."

Shocked, Renjun retreated his hand as if it had been burned, hiding it behind his back.

The chiefess was piercing him with her dark eyes as she slowly approached him, slithering her way through the rails and mannequins. Renjun gulped heavily, swallowing his own spit as his throat was more than dry all of a sudden.

With what he hoped was a polite smile he slightly lowered his head in respect before answering, "Yes, Jaemin showed me the way."

The chiefess nodded, her walk effortlessly graceful as she stepped towards him, her hips swaying lightly, making her simple dress move in just the right way around her body.

"Well, I'm glad you could make it," she returned his smile, stopping right in front of him. She turned her head to the design Renjun had been looking at. "This is the new gown for the next finder of the first marigolds. I know it’s a bit early, but I like getting a headstart on my projects. Do you like it?"

Renjun felt his palms get sweaty. "It's very beautiful."

The chiefess gave him a grateful look, although it wasn’t as warm as the chief’s. "Thank you."

She strode past him and Renjun watched her graceful frame move through the labyrinth of fabrics without one hint of self consciousness.

The chiefess halted, throwing him a pointed look over her shoulder. "Are you coming?"

Renjun spluttered, quickly hurrying after her once he noticed his mistake. Awkwardly he tried to match her long steps, but he had never felt more like a toddler learning how to walk than in this moment as he waddled next to the elegant lady.

The chiefess guided them out of the clothing lines and towards the big windows. She pointed Renjun to a small podium, right in the center of the three windows.

Slowly Renjun trudged his way forward, stepping on top of the enhancement.

In this spot the light falling in through the windows was hitting him perfectly, making him the focus point of the room.

The chiefess' gaze followed him, scanning his body up and down as she took a walk around him.

Swiftly she pulled out some dainty strings. "I'll start taking your measurements," she informed him before getting to work.

Renjun could only nod in silence, trying not to feel too uncomfortable as the chiefess got into his personal space.

She started by taking Renjun's height, before writing down the size of his arms and shoulders, leaning over the table with a concentrated expression on her face.

The silence was awful and even though Renjun felt like staying quiet was the superior option in this case, he couldn't stand it any longer or else he would suffocate. "I actually already own a gown made by you. I once found the marigolds first."

The chiefess hummed, throwing him a glance from where she was scrabbling down his measurements on the table. "Is that so?"

"Yes. I actually carry it around with me to this day," Renjun attempted to break the wall of ice between them with some friendly conversation. "It really meant a lot to me when I was a kid."

The chiefess came back to him with her measurement strings in hand. "Well, I'm glad you like my work." 

Getting straight back to business, she circled her arms around the young omega. Renjun almost choked when she suddenly pulled the string tight around his waist. 

"You have a very slender waist," she commented. "Hips as well."

Renjun blushed. Was that a compliment? An insult? Or just a neutral observation about his figure?

"That might make childbearing a bit harder for you."

This time Renjun really choked, coughing slightly to overplay his embarrassment as the chiefess continued to pull the string tight around him. He certainly had not expected their talk to turn into that direction. He needed a few seconds to come up with a reply that wasn't nonsensical stuttering as the chiefess removed her measurement string from him, allowing him to breathe again.

"I haven't thought about that," he said with uncertainty. "I'm still young."

The chiefess only clicked her tongue. Renjun wasn't sure if she did it out of disapproval or because she was concentrating on her work.

"That might be true," she admitted after a while. "But it's already autumn. The mating ceremony is close. Of course you don't have to bear children right away, but it will be expected in a few years."

Renjun's mouth opened and closed without a sound leaving it. His face was heating up once again, feeling like it was about to explode any second now. He had not been prepared for this conversation. Maybe the uncomfortable silence really would’ve been the better option.

"You'll need to do the purity exam first, of course," the chiefess kept chattering, back to scribbling down on her paper.

"I won't," Renjun stated promptly, talking before thinking too much.

For the first time since she had started working, the chiefess devoted her whole attention to Renjun as a person. Her eyes focused on him with intensity.

Renjun started sweating, suddenly feeling a different heat rise in his body. Hadn't Jeno talked about this with his parents? He had assumed his stance about the whole exam topic had been clarified with the chief and chiefess before he had even arrived at the castle since nobody had ever brought it up to him. Then again, he supposed it was a sensitive topic and not that easy to bring up. Especially not to your parents.

Renjun cleared his throat. "J-jeno and I agreed that the exam was old fashioned. I won't do it."

The chiefess' lips twitched. "It's a requirement to mate in the royal family," she told him. "It's a long and sacred tradition."

Renjun lowered his gaze, not able to endure the piercing eyes resting on him only a second longer. "I'm sure we can find a way around it."

The mating ring was sitting heavily on his finger, holding a promise that was the only anchor Renjun had in this moment, his only real argument in a fight that he would’ve otherwise had no right to have.

The chiefess hummed in thought as she furrowed her eyebrows. Renjun let out the tensed breath he had been holding when she finally tore her gaze away from him and turned around to look for fabrics.

Her shoes made cold noises on the floor as she maneuvered herself through the huge choice that she had.

Renjun watched as she stopped in front of a red cloth. She seemed to consider it for a second, before disregarding it with another glance towards Renjun. She pursed her lips, choosing a violet tone instead.

The piece was indescribably soft as she threw it over Renjun. It felt like a flowing river against his skin, so smooth it slid over his shoulders like melted butter.

The heavy silence was back as the woman tightened the fabric on his body with a few needles, before cutting it down little by little with a pair of scissors.

It caught Renjun by surprise when the chiefess raised her voice again, thinking that she wouldn’t be keen on making any more casual conversation after their earlier disagreement.

 "How did you and Jeno meet?"

The content and friendly nature of the question was almost scary to Renjun. But he pleasantly accepted the conversation heading towards lighter topics, happy to avoid anything concerning traditions that he hadn’t known about until recently.

A fond smile spread on his lips as he remembered their first meeting. "It's a funny story," he said, reminiscing about the time months ago, where he had never expected all of this to happen. "I was doing laundry when Jeno appeared out of nowhere, chasing a towel that had gotten lost in the river. He actually told me his name was Jaemin."

The chiefess raised her eyebrows. "So you didn't know he was the prince?"

Seeing no harm in telling the truth and eager to open up to the chiefess to create a bond, Renjun shook his head. Even though Jeno had lied to him back then, it was still one of his fondest memories of the alpha.

"So you didn't know what you were getting into at all when you fell for him?"

Again, a question that took Renjun aback. He shouldn't have assumed the hard part of this to be over already.

He took his time to reply. Firstly, he would say that he had hardly fallen for Jeno at that point in time. His laundry skills had been nothing to brag about - and while he had been nice, Renjun was sure that he had not even truly considered getting to see the handsome stranger he had met at the river a second time.

Seemingly taking Renjun's silence for his answer, the chiefess didn't wait for him to finish his thought and speak. 

"That's not a bad thing per se. But you do have to understand that mating a prince entails a lot more than loving each other."

A slight frown formed on Renjun’s face. He wasn't stupid. He knew what mating Jeno would mean for him. They had talked about it before.

"You're not only mating for you. You're mating for the pack. The pack needs to be your first priority in everything you do," the chiefess still explained to him. "Jeno understands that. He might love you - but he lives and dies for this pack. That's the way we raised him."

Renjun was speechless. He did not understand what the chiefess was trying to tell him.

"I'm not saying all of this to intimidate you. I'm saying it because I'm looking out for you and for Jeno and first and foremost for the pack," the chiefess kept talking, not giving Renjun time to process all her words. "Can you confidently say you would give your life for this pack? That you would give Jeno's life for this pack? Could you?"

Awful pictures slashed violently through Renjun's mind. Him dying, Jeno dying. Could he handle all of this? All these sudden questions were making huge clouds of doubt appear over him, darkening his envision of the future. How could he claim to be a good future for this pack when he was already lacking so much?

There was only one reason why he was doing all this. Jeno.

"I still have a lot to learn," Renjun admitted truthfully. "I don't want to give up. I can only try for now." For Jeno.

The chiefess clicked her tongue again. "I don't know if trying is enough."

 

Even as he found himself in his bed later at night, these words continued ghosting through Renjun's mind over and over. Maybe it was him who wasn't enough.

 

 

During the past weeks the attacks had gotten more and more frequent. By now it was almost a daily occurrence that an alarm howl went off when either Donghyuck or Mark was on duty.

A few of the guards had been injured, temporarily unable to protect their borders. The intruders always went for the alphas, recklessly fighting for every hit they could make before crossing the border back into safety. Omegas were handled differently - treated like precious prey, slowly circling in on them but not causing actual harm.

Donghyuck always shivered when he thought of the reason behind the very different treatment. If he were to make a mistake and be separated from the pack only to end up in the fangs of the enemy - he knew him would bloom a vastly different fate than the scratches the alpha's got. 

More and more often Donghyuck noticed the black patches on the guard's fur when they returned from fending off the intruders. Jeno seemed to see them as well, deep wrinkles tainting his face whenever another attack had occurred only to find one more member of their guard injured for the time being.

Unfortunately nobody ever came close to catching one of them. Jeno and Kun were always intent on keeping their pack safe, not wanting to risk any more fallen guards. So their focus was on defending - not attacking back.

Donghyuck thought he was fine with that. It was his understanding that they should prevent harm as much as they could, not cause more of it.

Donghyuck thought he was fine with it - until one night.

His shift had ended a few hours earlier than Mark's, so he had returned to their hut first to catch a few more hours of sleep before the sun would rise.

Like his gut had been telling him that something was terribly, terribly wrong he hadn't been able to get a single minute of rest the whole night. He was rolling from one side to another, the restless energy inside of him never leaving. Not even curling into Mark's furs brought him peace.

Their front door busted open loudly - and as if to make the entrance even more dramatic lightning flashed their hut in cruel brightness, before thunder erupted, tearing the cloudy night sky apart.

Donghyuck shrieked up in his furs at the noise, shivers of fear overcoming him. On high alert, he scrambled through the room, picking up his sword.

Holding his breath he watched the door to the bedroom attentively. Slowly the door creaked open.

Lightning occurred once again, flashing whoever had come in - and Donghyuck felt nothing but horror at the sight that was revealed to him.

Shocked, he dropped his sword to the floor, rushing over to Mark. There was blood, so much blood all over him.

"Mark! Oh my god, Mark," he whispered, grabbing one of their furs to press against the alpha's arm, where most of the blood was coming from.

"Hey," Mark smiled weakly, suddenly wobbling in place as if his strength had left him.

Donghyuck's vision was blurred with tears of panic. "Fuck, Mark."

His whole body was shaking as he pushed Mark into the furs. Hot tears were falling down his cheeks, landing all over Mark’s uniform. Sniffling to himself and wiping his tears away over and over again so he could see properly, he began frantically to try and wash the blood away. He needed to stay level-headed, but the sight of all the blood was making him sick.

"Shhh, don't cry," Mark whispered softly when Donghyuck broke down sobbing. "I'm fine. Really."

Donghyuck shook his head, movement almost static. "W-we need to get a healer."

"I know, I know," Mark agreed as Donghyuck tried helplessly to stop his blood flow. "I just needed to see you first."

Donghyuck could only shake his head over and over again. This wasn't true. He didn't want to believe it. "Don't leave me."

"I won't, Hyuck, I won't," Mark assured him, but his complexion was paling with every second.

"No, Mark, no - you can't-"

Donghyuck stopped when cold hands reached after his palms. A smooth ring was slipped onto his trembling fingers, a delicate array of five yellow gemstones creating a flower-like aesthetic that vaguely resembled a sunflower.

"I promise. I love you. I'll be yours. Forever."

Donghyuck shook his head over and over again as new tears streamed down his cheeks. "No. Mark, no."

The door to their bedroom swung open a second time, but Donghyuck didn't even react. His eyes couldn't leave Mark's weak frame.

A soft hand was placed on his shoulder as a pack healer kneeled down next to him.

Donghyuck only heard the healer and who he later recognized was Johnny talking in a faraway place, their mumbles almost sounding like ominous chants to him. His heart shattered in sorrow when Mark's eyes fell shut, his breathing getting unsteady.

Someone called his name, but Donghyuck didn’t really acknowledge it. The healer shook him slightly when he didn't react.

 "You might wanna spend the night at your parents’ hut tonight. This is going to take a while,” the healer advised him.

"Is he- is he-?" He couldn't even speak those words, didn't even dare to think them.

The healer gave him a compassionate smile. "He's going to be okay, don't worry. He got very lucky."

Donghyuck felt like crying all over again. "Please take care of him."

He was pulled onto his feet by Johnny. "Come on, you don't need to see that."

At first Donghyuck felt like protesting. He wanted to stay by Mark's side. Until their forever.

However, he didn't have a chance against Johnny’s strength, the alpha dragging him outside with gentle but firm force.

 

The storm was still raging over their heads, thunder and lightning battling each other in a competition to elicit more fear.

The harsh rain was like needles against Donghyuck's skin, but at this moment he didn't want to move one more step.

"What happened?" He almost asked soundlessly. It was a wonder that Johnny had heard him over the storm.

"Another attack," Johnny told him. "They must've caught him by surprise. I only got there after they were gone. I carried him back here."

Donghyuck didn't want to imagine it. He should've taught Mark to sneak around properly back when he still had the chance.

"I wanted to bring him to the healing hut right away. All the blood looked pretty bad," Johnny kept recounting their night. "But he insisted on seeing you first." Johnny's eyes dropped down to Donghyuck's hands, the new ring so bright it caught his attention immediately. "I guess I now know why."

Donghyuck scoffed, wiping the mixture of tears and rain off his face. "He's an idiot."

Johnny chuckled amused. "I'd say he is just very much in love," he said. "And he's going to be fine. You heard the healer."

Yeah, Mark was going to be fine. Desperately, Donghyuck grasped onto that string of hope. Mark was okay.

All of a sudden the anxiety in his stomach started changing, making way for an even more powerful emotion. His eyes flashed with anger, clenching his fists so tightly his knuckles were turning white.

Mark might be fine, but whoever had done this to him would not be.

"I need to go," Donghyuck spat out between his teeth.

Johnny quickly grabbed his arm. "Where?" It was like he was sensing Donghyuck was about to do something incredibly stupid.

Donghyuck only grinned. He was not that easy. He was not young and reckless anymore. He had learned his lessons and he had learned them the hard way. Now it was time to bring all of that to good use. "To talk to the prince."

Confusion was written all over Johnny's face. "Prince Jeno?" He was still hesitant to let Donghyuck go.

"Exactly," the omega confirmed. "You can come with me if you don't trust me. But I'm not going to be sitting around here any longer, waiting for the next attack."

Johnny seemed conflicted for a second, but the severity of Donghyuck's gaze made him give in. "Okay. Let's go."

 

The forest was suspiciously quiet as Jeno did his rounds. There had been an attack earlier, but according to Kun the perpetrators had already been chased off. A queasy feeling spread in Jeno's stomach. It had probably caused a few more injuries among them.

While his parents were always insisting on keeping up a tough front, he knew that they couldn't afford to lose one more of the guards on the border. The situation had been severe enough without members of the force being knocked out left and right - their borders were wide and they were not sure of the power the Noctis pack held, how many men of theirs were currently preparing for a possible invasion.

If things continued like this at least, it would not take long for a big battle to happen. Jeno didn't want to think about it - an actual battle would most definitely cost them lifes, not only injuries that they would eventually recover from.

He heard the leaves rustle behind him. The sky was slowly clearing from the storm, dark gray clouds turning into light gray hues as the sun was shyly sharing its first light of the rising day.

"Who's there?" He asked into the silence as he pulled out his sword.

Two wolves slowly crawled their way out of the bushes - their fur a golden brown tone that made Jeno relax immediately.

He swung his weapon around skillfully, sliding it back into its sheath smoothly as the two wolves shifted into their human forms.

Even though Jeno knew he had nothing to fear, the dangerous glint in Donghyuck's eyes made a cold shiver run down his spine.

"What brings you here?" He asked, baffled, before realizing something. "Wait, how did you even track me down?"

Donghyuck scoffed dismissively. "It's not that hard if you’ve been practicing for years."

Jeno was a bit surprised to hear his voice sound so serious. While he had seen the omega angry before - this was a side of him that he had yet to discover.

"We have a problem, prince," Donghyuck spat out, spewing fire with every word and Jeno swallowed heavily. Donghyuck was scary.

The wolf standing slightly behind the omega seemed to take mercy on him. "Not with you, prince, erm...-" The tall guard chimed in, seemingly unsure what the right etiquette was at the moment. He settled for lowering his head in a short bow, before proceeding. "I'm Johnny, by the way."

Jeno nodded slowly, eyes drifting back to Donghyuck who was still seething in apparent anger. "W-what's the problem then?"

"The attacks!" Donghyuck answered exasperatedly as if that had been obvious.

Jeno could only frown in irritation. "I know that myself, you don't need to come find me in the middle of the night to tell me that-"

"No, I want to end them. I want to catch them," Donghyuck interrupted him. Johnny looked mildly scandalized that Donghyuck had just spoken over a prince. "Jeno, you don't understand. These attacks are not what we think they are."

Jeno clenched his jaw, letting his tongue run over his teeth.

"Come on, Jeno, you see it too, don't you? The black paint, the way it's always small groups going after only one of us and then disappearing once they caused their harm." Donghyuck kept talking, voice getting more and more urgent. "They don't even try to invade further into the pack. They go after the guard specifically. It's not normal."

The prince knew that every word of Donghyuck was the truth. He also knew that striking back was a huge risk to take. Even though capturing one of these mysterious attackers seemed to be the only way of getting some of their questions answered.

He let out a long sigh. "It's not that easy. I have people to look out for."

Donghyuck's gaze shifted, eyes wild with the call for action. "You don't have to look out for me. I wanna do it."

That did intrigue Jeno. Despite his parents' concerns he had always thought that only defending themselves wasn't the right way to go here. Not when they could prevent a lot of pain if they'd just take a risk.

Donghyuck seemed to read the decision off his face, slowly cracking a dangerous smile.

"Well, you can't do it alone," Jeno pointed out.

"So? You wanna help me or not?" Donghyuck said almost challengingly.

Jeno's eyes twinkled competitively. "What's the plan?"

 

When Donghyuck returned back to the pack village his head was buzzing. While he had yet to form an elaborate plan, his mind was already filled with schemes and strategies on how to best catch one of the attackers.

With Jeno's support on his side, he was sure they could come up with something good that wouldn't need too many people bringing themselves into danger.

The sun had fully risen by now, breaking in the start of a new day, leaving the stormy night behind them.

The mud underneath his feet was squelching as Donghyuck stomped his way back to Mark's hut. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go in there yet. The images of Mark were still flashing through his mind intrusively. While he wanted to be with the alpha through it all, he wasn't sure if he could take any more of it, no more tears left in him to cry.

As he kept wandering up and down the door, unable to make a decision, the healer stepped out. Donghyuck stood straight immediately. He wasn't sure if he dared to ask-

"He's fine," the woman told him with a sweet smile. "I just changed his bandages. He's awake now. You can talk to him."

Donghyuck almost slumped to the ground in relief. Before he could fully believe that Mark was okay, though, he needed to see for himself. Hold Mark’s hand and see the warmth return to his cheeks.

Impatiently he lunged through the door, running into the bedroom.

Mark was laying in their furs, looking bright and proper as he played with the excess piece of bandage that was hanging down his arm.

Donghyuck blinked a few times. Was this a hallucination? Mark had looked like he was on the bridge of death last night. Did the alpha have magical healing powers that he hadn’t told him about yet?

Mark beamed at him once he noticed Donghyuck's presence. "Hyuck!"

A whole waterfall of emotions overcame Donghyuck. Trying to express them all at once he threw himself on top of Mark, hugging and punching and crying and laughing at the same time.

"You idiot, you scared me!" His voice was something between an accusation and a sniffle.

Mark chuckled a bit helplessly as he tried to remove himself from Donghyuck's death grip. "I'm fine. I told you I was okay."

Donghyuck pulled away to take a better look at Mark. But it was true. Apart from the bandage around his upper arm there was not a scratch on Mark. "T-there was so m-much blood-" he stuttered confused.

Mark gave him a crooked smile. "Yeah, it turns out most of that wasn't mine."

"W-what?"

"Yeah, I got the Noctis wolf pretty good. I think most of the blood was from them," Mark explained casually.

"But you fainted!" Donghyuck remembered.

Mark ruffled through his hair sheepishly. "Oh, probably exhaustion. I had a couple of rough night shifts and couldn't sleep well because I kept worrying about you."

Donghyuck sat back. Huh. He squinted his eyes at Mark. 

"So, you came back here in the middle of the night, covered in blood, fainting and making me think you were going to die - when all you got was a little scratch?"

Mark's face pulled into an apologetic grimace. "I'm sorry?"

"I hate you," Donghyuck pouted, hitting Mark on his uninjured arm before nuzzling his face against his neck. "Don't ever do that again."

Mark laughed softly, patting Donghyuck's back soothingly. "In my defense, I did feel like I was gonna die. It was an ugly fight and my arm felt like it would fall off any second."

"So then you decided you wanted to see me instead of letting a professional healer take a look first?" Donghyuck grumbled, still not completely over the shock of last night.

"Hey, it all worked out in the end," the alpha defended himself. Slowly he let his fingers trace down Donghyuck's arm. He stopped when he felt the ring on Donghyuck's finger and smiled satisfied. "Also I've been waiting for a good opportunity to give you this."

Donghyuck snorted, retreating a little from Mark so he could deadpan at him. "You consider both of us thinking you were going to die a good opportunity?"

Mark only smiled, lifting Donghyuck's hand slightly so he could press a kiss to each of his knuckles, before rubbing over the promise ring one more time, making both their gazes drop down to it. "Do you like it?"

The omega could only roll his eyes fondly. "I love it," he admitted. He leaned down to kiss Mark on his lips. "Thank you."

Mark looked smug when they separated. Too smug.

"I would've loved it a lot more if you hadn't given it to me while I thought you were dying!"

A groan left Mark as he threw his head back. "You're never going to forgive me for that, are you?"

Donghyuck smiled innocently, shrugging with his shoulders. "Depends."

The sparkle in Mark's eyes started twinkling. "Depends? On what?"

Seductively Donghyuck licked over his lips, pleased when he noticed Mark's gaze follow it with open interest. "How you're going to make it up to me."

Mark didn't need further hints as he surged up, capturing Donghyuck's lips in a passionate kiss.

Maybe the attack had brought some good after all.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading, hehe, little angsty?? today? Hope you don't mind :)

Stay safe and healthy everyone <3

Chapter 33: In the end

Notes:

Heyho and welcome back...
Err...guess I have to say sorry for this??

Also, trigger warning: vomit
Nothing graphic, but just in case you get queasy around that topic :)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Renjun was having a bad day. Bad was probably still a euphemism if you were currently hugging a toilet, bawling your eyes out after you had just bid your lunch goodbye into said toilet multiple times.

If he were to recall when it all had started to go south, the answer would probably be since the last time he had seen Jeno, which was now a couple of days ago.

He had barely slept during the nights, his mind distracted, in a constant state of worry. Almost every night there had been an alarming howl, notifying the pack of yet another attack.

While word about the prince usually traveled fast and Renjun knew that Jeno was alive and well, it was still starting to take a toll on him. Having to fear Jeno never returning to him was making him sick to his stomach.

Jaemin had also not been around as much. Since the guard was facing a sudden shortage due to the brutal attacks, he had joined their ranks permanently, traveling back and forth to the borders with Jeno. Sadly, that meant Renjun had lost his one true friend here and was now utterly alone.

It was not only that - the conversation he’d had with Jeno's mother was also still spooking around inside his head, taunting him like a ghost. Whenever they crossed paths in the hallways, she would look at him with disapproval - like he didn’t belong here. It was the only expression of hers that Renjun was sure he interpreted right. The piercing eyes of the chiefess were always hard to read, but Renjun knew when he wasn’t welcome somewhere.

Honestly, Renjun wasn't really sure what exactly he had done wrong to upset her this much. Didn't she see that he was trying? He might not be perfect yet, but he was fighting and struggling every day to get there. He wanted to fit in, he wanted to make this work - lately it seemed though as if he was the only one who believed he ever could.

Unfortunately, with his head splattered all over the place Renjun had not been able to keep up with his repetition schedule either. Usually, he would be in the library until his eyes were too tired to stay open, memorizing Latin vocabulary and grammar so that he wouldn't fall too far behind. By now his Latin guide was more of a pillow than the luxurious ones provided in his bed.

Most days the Latin instructor didn't pay them much attention, letting them do their own thing as she recited old poems or philosophical scriptures. Whether they took their education seriously was their own responsibility, a mindset Renjun had integrated since his very first lesson. However, today something inside of her must've snapped. Maybe she was also having a bad day.

When she had seen that Renjun was not diligently writing down every word she was saying, she downright screamed at him until the color of her face had matched the ruby pendant dangling from Renjun’s neck. It had been many things, ugly things - but 'You're a waste of space and time' was what had stuck to Renjun the most, echoing in his ears even now.

He also remembered Chenle's compassionate glances as Renjun barely held himself together for the remaining lesson, rushing out the room as soon as the teacher had ended her monologue. Tears had started to stream down his face the second he had been alone and he hadn't stopped crying for a whole hour, his body desperately trying to relieve him of the stress somehow.

Never before had he felt like such a failure when it came to studying. Back in the village he had even quite enjoyed his healing classes that had also demanded a lot of memorizing.

Now he dreaded every lesson he had to take. Latin was making him cry, fighting was making every inch of his body ache - and horseback riding! He didn't even want to start thinking about it.

 

Today, horseback riding lessons had just been the tip of the iceberg, the one drop it took to break the surface and made him give in under the unyielding pressure. The one drop that finally made everything simply too much, forcing him to spill what he had worked so hard to keep inside.

Involuntarily Renjun felt the puke climb its way back up - for a moment he tried to fight it, but then he couldn't any longer, power completely drained. Leaning over the toilet, he spit out what must've been the last remainder of any food he still had inside of him.

They had gone on a spontaneous trip through the woods today.

Renjun hadn't dared to speak up and say that he was still uncomfortable riding in faster tempo. He knew that both Chenle and the instructor were getting impatient with his learning process, fed up with the fact that Renjun was barely able to keep himself upright for more than an hour. So, he had just clenched his teeth together when the instructor had guided them forward, animating his horse into a fast gallop that Chenle followed with enthusiasm and Renjun therefore had no choice but to comply.

Now he was facing the ugly consequences of his silence.

His guts had not liked the shaky ride one bit. With every step Renjun had started to feel more and more nauseous - but again, he hadn't wanted to be a burden. (At least, not more of a burden than he already was.) Especially not when Chenle had been having such a great time, laughing brightly as they jumped over sticks and stones.

Renjun still wondered how he had managed to take it all for the entire length of the ride - but then again, the second his feet had hit the ground he had excused himself to the washrooms.

His instructor would probably be mad at him since he hadn't properly cared for his horse after the ride and just handed the reins over to Chenle, but Renjun wasn't sure if he would've survived the humiliation of emptying his stomach in front of him.

That's how he had ended up here - in a bathroom somewhere in the east wing, hugging the toilet like it was his only savior, his only friend. At this moment it really felt like it was. There was no Sicheng here who he could talk to for hours into the night, no Donghyuck who somehow always knew what to do in situations like this. There wasn’t even a Yangyang here who could distract him from any worries with the newest gossip. No, all he had here was a cold toilet that couldn’t even hug him back.

Renjun snorted at his own pathetic thoughts.

 

He had watched the sun set through the mirror. He must've missed dinner, but he doubted that the chief and chiefess had even noticed his absence. Their dinners were mostly awkward and quiet affairs ever since Jeno and Jaemin weren't joining them anymore. Even though lately they hadn't even sat down together, both leaders engaged in urgent conversations that made them rush in and out of the room multiple times, too busy to converse with him - which Renjun honestly preferred some days. At the very least being alone like this didn’t give him much chance to prove how unworthy he was in front of them more than he already had.

 

His legs were weak and his knees wobbled as he finally managed to pull himself off the ground. His face was wet with tears, his eyes bloodshot. When Renjun dared to take a look into the mirror he was met with a lifeless body staring back and he shivered in horror.

Never before had walking been so exhausting. Every step he took was like climbing up a never-ending mountain. It reminded him of that myth they had learned about in Latin class – Sisyphos. A man punished to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity, never allowed to find rest, never deserving of peace. Only Renjun didn’t know what exactly he was being punished for.

He had to balance himself against the walls so he wouldn't stumble and fall, feeling slightly dizzy and his muscles sore.

Slowly, very slowly he made his way forward. He knew he still needed to repeat his Latin lecture and learn the new vocabulary, but maybe he could do that after he had rested just a little while in his bed. Just a few minutes of rest, perhaps.

Suddenly he heard voices coming closer, chattering with each other in sly whispers.

Not wanting anybody to see him like this, Renjun panicked and pushed the next door open to hide - luckily he was met with an empty room.

There was only a big table in the middle, displaying a huge map of their grounds and multiple sketches and notes that Renjun didn't have the time to properly comprehend. The voices were still growing closer, seemingly headed into the very room he had just escaped into.

Frantic he looked around the room - A closet! Without thinking twice, he climbed inside the shallow space, pulling the door closed behind him so that there was only a small crack open for him to see.

A few servers came into the room, mindlessly talking as they set down a tray of scorching hot tea. Renjun's stomach churned when the smell of peppermint reached him and he quickly pressed a hand over his mouth, hoping to keep his insides where they belonged.

 

'He wasn't even at dinner tonight.'

'Probably thinks he's too good for our food'

'He'd need it. He's scrawny like a stick.'

Cackles.

 

Renjun tried to tune out, not wanting to hear what they were saying about him - but it was hard not to listen when you were currently very much stuck in a tight space with nowhere to go.

Luckily the voices died down before they could get any uglier. Renjun let out a relieved breath. He’s heard much worse.

He was just about to climb his way out of the closet when two new voices appeared. Quickly he shut the door again, making himself as small as possible to not be found. He did not have an explanation for why he was hiding in a closet.

His face paled when he recognized the new voices.

The low and gentle timbre of their chief's voice resonated through the room, only interrupted by the pristine tone of the chiefess herself.

 

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no.

 

"Well, it's a dire situation. And Jeno might have a point with his theory."

The click of a tongue. "He would be bringing himself into danger."

Papers rustling. "He's already in danger," the chief sighed. "He's trying to protect his people. We should give him a chance. We made him head guard for a reason."

"The best way for Jeno to protect his people is to stay alive and be at the castle," the chiefess argued sharply. "Without him this pack ends. We don't have any more sons."

Silence.

Renjun felt awful eavesdropping on what was clearly a private conversation. But once again, there wasn't really a way out for him. Except revealing himself, but the shame of that seemed even more awful.

"Is this what you really want to talk about?" The chief suddenly asked off topic. It was hard to follow their conversation without seeing their facial expressions and body language.

Renjun heard the shoes of the chiefess clatter as she walked up and down, dangerously close to where he was hiding and he held his breath. "Well, we have to at some point."

"Jeno seems to really like Renjun," the chief stated diplomatically. "And Renjun seems equally as fond."

No. No, just - Maybe revealing himself was the better option after all. However, Renjun couldn't move an inch, body completely frozen as the conversation took a turn he had dreaded, never had wanted to be a witness of.

"I'm not doubting their feelings for each other," the chiefess replied, but her tone was not nearly as generous. "But you have to admit that Renjun is not quite what we had imagined."

The chief let out a long breath. "Well, we gave him the freedom to choose whoever. As long as they are from this pack."

"You know we wanted him to choose someone who was raised like him," the chiefess chimed in right away - Renjun could clearly imagine the way her eyes must be piercing through her mate. "Someone who understands what becoming his mate truly means."

Someone sipped on their tea. "Renjun seems like a nice omega-"

"You're not listening to what I am saying," the chiefess stated, clearly agitated. "Renjun is not prepared. He is not ready. He never will be. He wasn't raised like Jeno."

The chief hummed lowly, still keeping his calm where Renjun would’ve cowered in fear long ago. "He can learn."

A noise of disapproval. "Do you really think Renjun can learn all that?" Shoes clattering. "You know what they are saying about him, right?"

"And you know that the whispers hardly hold any truth."

"All rumors have a little truth," the chiefess fought back. "Someone with Renjun's past - don't you think that there is at least some resentment in him? How can he give everything for this pack when this pack has taken everything from him? How can he die for his people, when his people have died because of this pack?"

These words made Renjun freeze. A cold shiver traveled through all of his body. So this is what everybody was really thinking? Was this the truth?

"Renjun is not made for any of this. He can try as hard as he wants to, he never will be," the chiefess made her point clear.

A silent tear dropped down on his legs. Surprised Renjun wiped his face. He hadn't even noticed he had been crying all along.

Movement, then a low grumble. "What about Jeno?"

"He'll have to understand."

"We can't just-"

The conversation was interrupted. A new voice had entered the room.

"Chief, chiefess - the leader of the Lunaris pack has just arrived. He wants to speak with you."

Busy rustling and shuffling of feet. "We'll be right with him."

The steps disappeared and a door fell shut.

"Let's talk about this later," the chief said, voice a lot less emotional and a lot more rational than just seconds ago.

The door opened and shut once more. Complete silence fell over the room.

 

Renjun let out a shaky breath, hopelessly trying but failing to contain his tears. He counted to twenty to be absolutely sure there was no one coming back.

Then he pushed the closet open, crawling outside. His limbs were hurting from being compressed so tightly for so long. But it was nothing compared to the pain in his chest.

Deep down he had already known. All this had been a silly fantasy. A dream so big nobody would ever dare to dream it. But he had. He had and now he had been woken up by cold reality.

He was not enough. Would never be enough. Everybody knew. And now he had finally accepted the fact.

Sobbing violently, he broke down on the floor.

 

 

 

 

Donghyuck was washing some of Mark's old bandages in the lake when someone approached him from behind. He watched their reflection come closer in the clear water, unable to recognize the two faces until he finally turned around.

Mark's mother was smiling warmly at him, Ten standing beside her with a mischievous grin. "Donghyuck! How are you?"

Awkwardly Donghyuck held up the wet bandages, caught off guard by the woman. "Just washing Mark's...erm...-"

Suddenly two hands were cradling his cheeks. "Thank you so much for taking care of my son. Johnny told us all about it! I knew he was a bit accident prone ever since he was a kid. I'm so glad he has you now."

Ten was snickering quietly as Donghyuck's face turned dark shades of red. "I-it's nothing," he stuttered flustered. "It was just a scratch after all."

The warm hands left his face, but the heat in his cheeks stayed. "Would it be possible if we step by later? I wanted to bring Mark some of my chicken soup. And Ten made bread again."

"I made an extra loaf for you two, since you don't bake," Ten offered generously, but his eyes always seemed to sparkle with humor - like there was a joke Donghyuck wasn’t in on.

Donghyuck blinked confused. Ten had made them bread? Why was Mark's mother asking for his permission to see her own son?

Maybe there really was a joke he wasn’t getting.

"Sure. You can step by whenever you want. Mark's actually quite fine," he let them know, trying not to show how puzzled he was by the question. A cheeky grin sneaked onto his face and he couldn't help his next remark, "Perhaps a bit whiny. But you know how alphas are."

Ten groaned in immediate understanding. "Johnny is the worst whenever he has a cold."

Misses Lee started giggling and Donghyuck joined her laughter - finally getting the joke. Maybe they did have something to bond over after all.

"Well, we were just on our way to do laundry," Misses Lee said, pointing to the basket Ten was holding. "We omegas have to stick together these days. But I'm sure a skilled fighter like you has some tricks up his sleeves." She winked at him and Donghyuck blushed at the compliment.

Ten also gave him an impressed look. "I always thought it was pretty cool what you were doing," he agreed with admiration. "Going against the grain. Joining the hunters and now the guard. You have a lot of people looking up to you."

Donghyuck spluttered a bit overwhelmed, "T-thank you? Erm...I was just doing what- what felt right to me, I guess?"

Mark's mother pinched his cheek again. "Couldn't have wished for a better mate for my son. Only you could've kept up with him."

Ten was back to grinning at him as his mouth fell open slightly. M-mate? Had Mark told her? No, he couldn’t have- Johnny maybe?

With a gentle pat Misses Lee retreated from him. "Well, I guess we'll see each other later."

Donghyuck nodded dumbfounded, perhaps for the first time in his life rendered completely speechless.

 

He was still a bit stunned when he returned to their hut.

Mark was dutifully resting in their furs. While his injury was far less severe than they all had assumed, the healer had still advised him to take a few days break for him to fully heal and to fight his exhaustion.

As always when Donghyuck entered the room, his eyes began to sparkle. "You're back!" He cheered as if Donghyuck had actually been on a world trip and not only to the lake.

The omega kneeled down next to him, biting down on his lips. "Yeah."

Mark's face formed a frown the second he noticed that something was up. "What's wrong?"

Carefully, Donghyuck began to undo Mark's bandages. "Nothing," Donghyuck quickly reassured him. "I met your mom."

Mark began moving restlessly, but Donghyuck quickly stopped him, sitting down straight in his lap. "Did she say anything weird?"

Donghyuck couldn’t help laughing at Mark’s concerned expression. "No. No, she only wanted to step by later. Bring you some soup."

He applied some of the healing paste on Mark's skin. It reminded him of the time when he had been the one injured. Back then Mark had delivered the paste to him and told him that he found him beautiful for the first time. To this day the memory made Donghyuck's stomach tingle pleasantly.

The alpha would probably get away without a scar. Even though it would've been funny if they had gotten matching scars, Donghyuck was quite glad that Mark wouldn't have to deal with the painful aftermath of getting hurt, constantly reminded of his injury. Besides... Donghyuck would hopefully have a bite on his throat by the end of this year. That was more than enough to show other people that they belonged together.

Mark hummed satisfied, obviously very pleased with their current position as he leaned back in his furs comfortably and rested his uninjured arm on Donghyuck's waist and pulled him a bit closer.

"Ten is also coming. Apparently he made bread for us?" Donghyuck let him in on his earlier encounter.

The alpha made a surprised noise. "He never made bread for me before!" He whined as if personally offended. With a childish pout he watched as Donghyuck wrapped his arm with a clean bandage. "He must really like you."

Donghyuck smiled. Yeah, he supposed. That might just be the joke.



 

 

Renjun had made a decision.

The pale moonlight was falling through his window, turning the room into muted blue colors. A broken laugh left Renjun when he found the old clam shells he had brought here after that first catastrophic dinner as he went through his stuff. After a few attempts he had managed to break them open and clean them out. He had only kept the shells - a symbol that with hard work he could achieve everything.

He closed his fist around the shells, before letting go of them and dropping them to the ground. A sharp hiss fell from his lips as they left a stinging cut in his palm. Before he could wipe the blood away a tiny dark red droplet had run up his sleeve, tainting his once white shirt. Quickly Renjun put some pressure on his wound and it stopped bleeding – the cut not deep but still painful. Only a single more drop of blood landed on the ground, right next to the clam shells. He wouldn't need them anymore. He had proven himself wrong. Some things he just couldn't do, no matter how hard he tried. Being here was one of them.

A shadow passed his window. Momentarily distracted, Renjun walked over, watching a black crow fly across the garden, landing on top of the small pavilion.

His chest tightened as he remembered Jeno bringing him there, excitedly searching for his marigold. That's all he should've ever been to this castle. A forgotten marigold. A child too young to understand what was happening around him.  A distant memory of the huge staircase leading up to these walls.

It was too much.

Not being able to look at the pavilion a second longer, Renjun turned around, pressing a hand over his aching heart. He had made a decision. He was going to leave the castle. Return to the village. Back to the orphanage. The only place he really belonged to.

Without much system Renjun began to pull all of his clothes out of the closet, throwing them on a big pile. The gown he had sewn for the Spring Dance glided through his hands smoothly.

He still remembered the excitement when he had first worn it. The exhilarating feeling of dancing with Jeno. The intoxicating sensation of Jeno's lips on his as they had shared their first kiss that night.

A hot tear dropped onto the red shirt, leaving a dark stain. Renjun bit down on his lip, trying to suppress his sobs. He rolled his eyes back, looking at the gray ceiling to hold back the new tears forming. His throat hurt as he swallowed. He took a deep breath before he continued.

Disregarding his Latin notes, he made a second pile of all his other belongings, furs and old scrabbles. Then he pulled out the bags he had stored underneath his bed.

He began sorting through the clothes first, separating the clean and dirty ones. He urgently needed to do laundry soon. Laundry - it felt like ages ago.

Overcome with emotions Renjun fell forward, hiding his face in the clothes.

Why - just why - did Jeno have to lose that one damn towel? Why did he have to do his stupid laundry that day? Why hadn't Renjun just let that towel pass?

All this mess because of one towel.

Never once before had Renjun wanted to regret something as much as that one day. Why did it have to be him?

Leaving Jeno behind had been the hardest decision he had ever made. But the chiefess had been right about everything. Jeno would understand. It was only for the best. The pack would be better off without Renjun as chief. Renjun was not made to be with him. Was not meant to be a leader. No matter how much it hurt him. It was the truth and nothing but the truth.

 

He was in the middle of folding his clothes when the door to his room opened.

Renjun had never dreaded seeing Jeno this much before.

The alpha smiled as he quietly closed the door behind him. Renjun tried his best to mirror his expression - but his mouth only twitched weakly.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Jeno asked him with visible confusion as he took in the mess Renjun had created. "Autumn cleaning?"

It hurt. It hurt so much Renjun wanted to die.

Jeno deserved the truth. Even if it hurt.

Not wanting to see that light in Jeno's eyes fade, he turned his head away, focusing on folding his clothes neatly.

"I'm packing," he answered shortly, but honestly.

Jeno made a puzzled noise. "Packing? For what?"

Renjun closed his eyes as new tears threatened to spill over his cheeks. "I'm leaving, Jeno. I'm going back to the village."

It was silent for a moment. It made him so queasy that Renjun took a glance at Jeno, only to see him frown in irritation.

"What? No? What?"

Taking a deep breath Renjun let go of the clothes he had been clutching with his fingers and stood up. "I'm leaving, Jeno." He took a hesitant step towards the alpha, hating himself for being the reason behind Jeno's spark dimming. "I'm sorry."

"N-no, but...why?" Jeno asked, more distraught than Renjun had ever seen him. "Do you...do you miss Sicheng? Or your friends? We can visit them-"

"No," Renjun shook his head determinedly. "I'm not meant to be here, Jeno. You know that as well as I do."

A laugh of disbelief left Jeno. "What do you mean? I don't know anything!"

Why was this so hard? Every second longer that he spent looking at Jeno made him want to reconsider. Fall into his arms and forget about everything. He wanted to love Jeno. He wanted to be loved by Jeno. But it wasn't up to love what he wanted. What he needed to do.

"I don't belong here, Jeno," Renjun repeated himself. "I never did."

The alpha seemed taken aback. He looked to the side, as if wanting to find the answer for all of this there. With a determined glimmer he turned back to Renjun. "Okay. Okay, you don't want to stay here," he said, trying his best to stay rational, to make some sense of this situation. "We can go back to the village. Live in my hut there."

It broke Renjun's heart. Seeing Jeno trying so hard. Grasping so desperately onto something that both of them knew was falling into shambles in this very second.

"You know that's not possible," Renjun reminded him. "There are rules for unmated couples."

"Screw the rules!" Jeno argued emotionally, giving up on his composure. "I don't...I can't...-" He tried to reach for Renjun's hands but the omega pulled them away, hiding them behind his back. Jeno stopped for a second, utterly frazzled, before facing Renjun straight on. "I just want to be with you."

Renjun's heart clenched, reaching out for Jeno, but his body didn’t listen, couldn’t listen. "We can't."

A frustrated sigh left Jeno. "Why not? Why-" He ran his hand through his hair frantically. "I don't understand what is happening. Where is all this coming from? Did something happen?"

Renjun shook his head, lips pressed tightly together. "No. I just realized that...I need to leave."

"Can I...can I visit you?" Jeno questioned carefully, obviously still confused. "Or like...what do you want?"

"Please don't," Renjun asked him quietly, but certainly.

The alpha looked visibly distressed now. "But we are...Renjun I promised...We were going to mate." He huffed in desperation. "How is that going to work if I can't see you?"

"It isn't," Renjun replied simply. His whole body trembled as he brought his hands up. With shaking fingers he removed the mating promise ring he had been wearing every night and day and that had once made him so incredibly happy.

"Renjun-" Jeno breathed out shakily as the omega gave it back to him.

"I'm very sorry," Renjun whispered, breaking eye contact. "This is for the best."

Jeno opened and closed his mouth, as if searching for words, any words. "No, you can't. Renjun, please, why-"

A slight sniffle left Renjun. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm telling you this now. But it was never going to work. I'm not...I'm not what the pack needs."

Soft hands lifted his chin up, but Renjun avoided Jeno’s eyes desperately. "Renjun, you are what I need."

New tears were running over his cheeks, moistening Jeno's hands. "That's not what's important. I'm just not enough."

Jeno's strong facade broke, eyes beginning to glister with unshed tears as well. "Renjun, please don't go. I can't do this without you."

Renjun forced a sad smile on his face, bravely meeting Jeno’s gaze to comfort him. "You can. You are a great leader. You'll be a great chief one day. You are exactly what this pack needs. And you don't need me."

"No," Jeno shook his head in complete disagreement. "No. I don't want any of it without you."

"You can't put me over the pack, Jeno. And you won't," Renjun insisted, softly grabbing Jeno's hand and guiding it away from his face. Slowly he unfastened the necklace he had been wearing and slipped the ruby pendant off. Jeno watched silently as Renjun placed it in his palms. "Thank you for everything. But I have to leave."

Jeno looked torn, so torn as he started crying. "No, Renjun. You can't be serious."

Renjun lowered his head. He had nothing more to say.

Not giving up just yet, Jeno took him by his shoulders. 

"Renjun, I love you."

Renjun's breath hitched as he heard these words. He raised his head to look at the prince and he could see it all in his eyes. This is what people were talking about when they wished for a love so pure it would move mountains, so grant it would last a lifetime. This is what everyone dreamed off, what Renjun had dreamed off.

Everything inside him was calling out for Jeno. Renjun wanted to give in so badly, it was physically hurting him.

"I'm sorry," he muttered with his utmost willpower, dropping his gaze to their feet.

Finally defeated, Jeno let his hands sink. As if the realization of what Renjun had been saying was finally dawning on him. As if finally he knew what all this meant.

"You're really leaving?" He asked, voice sounding broken and drained.

Renjun nodded, a whole river of tears dampening his cheeks and the ground underneath him.

"There is nothing I can do?"

Renjun shook his head.

Jeno sucked in a deep breath. "I can't believe you're doing this."

Suddenly there was anger swinging in Jeno's voice.

"I have no choice," Renjun mumbled.

"You do," Jeno argued fiercely, but there was more hurt than real anger in his words. "You do and you know it. You're breaking my heart, Renjun."

"Jeno, please don't-"

Suddenly all of Jeno's affect vanished. Like his face had turned into stone, his expressions were frozen.

"Fine," he said in a neutral voice. "I'll get Jaemin to take you back to the village tomorrow."

Renjun sniffled. "Thanks."

 

As if fighting with himself Jeno was glued to the spot. He wanted to scream, yell, embrace Renjun. He wanted to end this nightmare. He wanted to turn back time. Wanted to know what he had done wrong, why Renjun was thinking all these things that were so far from the truth.

His whole being longed for the omega. Why was the feeling no longer mutual?

Jeno didn't understand. He didn't want to understand. He would never understand.

How could he understand when Renjun was so perfect in his eyes? When there was not one person in this whole world he would ever love this much? Who he wanted to spend his eternity with? Who had finally made him feel whole?

The ring was burning in his hand, as if mockingly reminding him of his rejection. Where had this all gone wrong? His search had finally been over. With Renjun everything had made sense. Every tiny little thing had made sense. Every moment spent with him meaningful.

Perhaps it had been too good to be true. Maybe he should've never expected Renjun to feel the same way. Never should've dreamed of finding true love like normal people did. Perhaps he was tied to the fate of his birth.

In the end, this was how it always turned out to be.

Left in despair, alone and broken. Not everyone could get the love story they deserved. He supposed the time he had gotten to spend with Renjun had been more than he ever should've asked for. Maybe there was a limit on how much happiness, how much luck one person was allowed to have. Too bad that Jeno had spent all of his with Renjun.

He couldn't look at the omega any longer. While he did not understand a single thing, he would never force Renjun into something he did not want. Honoring and respecting Renjun had always been his first rule stepping into this relationship. Despite it coming to an end now, he still believed in these principles. Even if it was the last thing Jeno wanted to do, he had to let Renjun go.

And so he was rendered helpless. He couldn't do anything except beg Renjun to not leave him. Now, after he had done just that, there was nothing more that he was able to do.

Renjun was gone.

He could see the clear tears reflecting the moonlight that dabbled on Renjun's cheeks. It did not make sense. Why couldn't he hold Renjun anymore? Why couldn't he hold him, wipe his tears?

It was tearing him apart, body, soul and heart. He had been ripped apart into little pieces. Renjun had broken him.

Hurt. Hurt was all Jeno felt as he looked at Renjun, the tears still streaming down his face.

No one could endure this much pain. Not even Jeno.

After one last look at the omega, wanting to keep Renjun and his image and memory in his heart the best he could, so he could at least carry that around with him, he turned around.

The door fell in its lock behind him with a heavy noise.

Closed. Forever.

Notes:

Thanks for reading!!
I was very excited for this chapter :3
The last Noren scene was one of the first scene I came up with when planning out this story :)

Well...guess the angst is starting now :)

Everybody stay safe and healthy <3

Chapter 34: Take me back to the start

Notes:

Heeeey...sorry for all that angst last time...and sorry again for all the angst this time?? Enjoy <3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The morning after was awkward. But wasn't it always?

Jaemin looked more than disappointed when he came to collect his bags. Renjun couldn't stand seeing his face, his expressions portraying his thoughts way too clearly. The bitter feelings that Jaemin held were too much for Renjun to handle. In the end he probably deserved it.

Without exchanging a single word Jaemin grabbed all his bags, shouldering them with ease before walking outside, strong steps not taking a single break. Renjun kept his eyes strictly glued to the ground as he tried to keep up with Jaemin’s speed, not wanting to see or hear the reactions to his sudden departure.

The big gate to the castle opened slowly and loudly, mercilessly destroying Renjun’s plan to leave without anyone noticing. By now, a few servers had gathered in curiosity and Renjun tried hard not to meet their gazes, keeping his head ducked. It was not like their whispers would concern him any longer. He'd be gone, far away from their judging eyes.

Jaemin grumbled impatiently when Renjun didn't follow right away once the gate had fully opened and the omega quickly hurried outside.

As he felt the stares on his back, the stairs leading up to the castle had never felt longer. Not even when he had been a kid and his perception had been flawed by childlike wonder.

 

Two horses were already saddled, waiting for them at the end of the staircase. With one nod Jaemin sent the servers holding the reins away and they scrambled up to the castle, even though they couldn't help their interested expression as they recognized Renjun beside the noble alpha.

Jaemin worked in silence as he fastened Renjun's bag to the horses. Renjun chewed on his lips, never having felt so uncomfortable in Jaemin's presence, who he had always considered a friend. It was eating him up. Literally.

Renjun wanted to say something, anything, really, but he thought he didn’t have any right to defend himself. Not to Jaemin. Glancing at Jaemin he took a deep breath, already feeling his voice cracking before he had even raised it.

"Do you hate me?" He asked, voice barely a whisper. For a short second Renjun believed Jaemin hadn’t heard him, his face still fixated on the bags, expression contorted with concentration. Perhaps Renjun didn’t want a reply to that question anyway, afraid of what he’ll hear.

Jaemin grunted, turning his head away from the bags. "No," he answered with an honesty that Renjun would’ve usually appreciated.

Renjun swallowed heavily, throat feeling parched. "I'm very sorry. I never wanted it to come to this."

The alpha huffed in deprecation. "Then why are you doing this?" He tied a strong knot, muscles flexing as he pulled it tight. Then he faced Renjun fully, eyes glistening with emotions of regret that Renjun hadn’t expected. "You might think this is the right choice. But Jeno is hurting right now, he cried the whole night."

Renjun didn't want to hear this. Hurting Jeno was the last thing he had ever wanted to do. There had simply been no other way.

"Listen, Renjun, it's not too late," Jaemin told him with urgency. "You can still stay. Nobody would judge you. Jeno is still waiting. Probably always will be if you leave now."

A single tear fell on Renjun's cheek, rolling down until it dropped to the earthy ground. "I can't."

Jaemin stared at him intensely for a few seconds, lips pressed into a thin line. Then he shook his head, turning to one of the horses.

"Jaemin," Renjun quickly said and Jaemin's head snapped back around. "I know I'm probably not...not the one to make a request right now-" Renjun fumbled with his fingers. "But can you please look out for Jeno? Don't...don't leave him alone."

"You mean like you are?" Jaemin bit back harshly. It stung like a cut to the heart. But again, Renjun probably deserved that. "Don't worry. He's my best friend. I'm gonna make sure he'll be fine."

The omega nodded, glad that Jeno had someone like Jaemin by his side. If he could no longer take care of Jeno, there was no other person than Jaemin who he would rather entrust to do so. "Thanks."

Jaemin let out a sharp hiss, swinging his leg over the horse swiftly.

Guess this was it then, Renjun thought, jumping up on his horse far less smoothly. With a firm click of his tongue he ran his horse, trying to match the rhythm of the animal with his body. He looked back over his shoulder, watching the castle get smaller and smaller until it eventually disappeared completely behind the treetops.

Time to go home.

 

Jaemin was surging through the woods quite quickly, but for the first time he didn't mind the fast tempo. He didn't want to prolong this anymore. He wasn't sure that he wouldn't change his mind if he had been given more time.

And he really couldn’t change his mind.

There was no turning back, he thought to himself, as he clenched his fingers into the mane of his horse, which carried him over the dirty ground in wide strides, always chasing after Jaemin a few meters in front of him.

 

It was an hour of torture. Not only because Renjun's stomach still got upset, but also because now Renjun couldn't stop worrying about what people in the village would say about his return. Rumors had been bad before he had left. He doubted people would be able to contain themselves after his failure to secure a mating with the prince. Maybe they’d even blame him. Well, who else but him was there to blame?

He'd probably just have to suck it all up. There was no way out of this. He had brought it all on himself when he had agreed to Jeno's courtship offer all these months back. Now he would reap what he sawed.

 

As the first huts approached on the horizon Jaemin slowed down, letting Renjun catch up to him.

"Where to? The orphanage?" Jaemin questioned, short of words this entire ride.

"Actually," Renjun considered carefully. "You can just leave me here. I will walk the rest of the way."

Jaemin hummed but didn't seem to have anything against that idea. He was probably also not that keen to be seen in the village. His presence always got some sort of attention. Appearing on a horse usually only added to the commotion.

Gracefully he glided off his horse, swift fingers starting to untie the bags. "Are you sure you can make it alone? I can help you carry some of this," he offered, full of the kindness that Renjun had grown to love about him.

"No, it's alright," Renjun insisted. He couldn’t take it. Jaemin’s kindness. He didn’t deserve it. The two bags weren't that heavy to begin with. "You probably have to get back."

Before Renjun could take his two bags and disappear, Jaemin held him back. "Renjun, please be careful," he said, meeting Renjun’s eyes not with his previous fire but genuine concern. This was even worse than the resentment. "I still care about you as a friend, even though I think you are doing the wrong thing here."

These words pulled at Renjun's heartstrings. He didn't deserve all this kindness. He didn’t deserve any of it - why was Jaemin still so nice to him? It would only make everything harder.

"Also," Jaemin added, letting go of Renjun. "You leaving is one thing. But I don't think Jeno could take it if you'd actually get hurt. So please don't."

A small smile formed on Renjun's lips. "Don't worry. I learned a lot. I'm gonna be fine."

To his surprise Jaemin pulled him into a warm embrace. "Goodbye, Renjun."

The warmth it brought was familiar and foreign at the same time. Something had changed and it wasn’t Jaemin.

Gently, Renjun patted his back. "Goodbye, Jaemin."

The alpha took a big breath before separating them. Renjun waited until he was back on his horse, watching his frame retreat into the woods until he was nothing more than a small dot.

 

A heavy feeling overcame him. Had this been the right decision?

No, he shouldn't doubt himself. Not when this had been the only choice.

He threw the bags over his shoulders. The orphanage was waiting for him.

 

Not much had changed since he had left. The amount of furs had increased due to the weather getting colder. The corner where he used to sleep was still free, maybe a bit dusty, but otherwise just how he had left it. Waiting for his return. As if it had known all along. Perhaps everyone but him had known.

Renjun took a deep breath. He'd be fine here.

Slowly he started unpacking. 

 

Contrary to his expectations, the people who had seen him return had not started whispering right away. Instead, he had been greeted with speechlessness. With a lowered head he had quickly gone his way, not stopping to look for anyone.

The silence had been better than the whispers. But he was sure that until now people had found their voices again and that the news of his return would spread like a wildfire. Perhaps he should just bury himself in the orphanage until the worst had passed. It wasn't like Renjun was very keen on seeing people at the moment anyways. He didn't even want to see himself.

 

Unfortunately, other people did want to see him. True to his assumption it didn't take long for someone to barge into the orphanage.

"Renjun!"

The omega managed a crooked smile as Sicheng's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Surprise?"

His older brother stormed across the room to pull him into a tight hug. Again, the warmth made Renjun shiver.

"You're actually back! I thought people were lying, you know how they are-" Sicheng started rambling into their embrace excitedly, before pulling back and grabbing Renjun by his arms. "What are you doing here so early? Did you miss me so much you just had to visit?"

For a second Renjun considered just agreeing to that statement. It would’ve been easier. But there was no purpose in lying to Sicheng when the truth would come to light sooner or later, when people would start to notice the missing mating ring and Jeno's absence from his life.

"N-no, I'm back," Renjun told him as neutrally as he could.

Sicheng smiled confused. "I see that. But why?"

Renjun licked over his lips, thinking about his words. He didn't want to relive the past days. Only the thought of his goodbye to Jeno would make him tear up. He didn't need Sicheng to see that.

He swallowed his upcoming tears, throat hurting as he did so. "We decided it was for the best," he said simply. "It wasn't working out."

Sicheng's mouth dropped open. Devastated, he pulled Renjun into another hug. "I'm so sorry."

Trying to enjoy Sicheng's scent, one that had calmed him down since childhood, Renjun closed his eyes - but it wasn’t the same. 

"It's alright," he said bravely. "Like I said, it was for the best."

Gently Sicheng stroked over his back. "Do you want to talk about it? I could make us some tea? Cookies? Whatever you need."

Renjun shook his head sternly. "No. No, I'm fine, really. I just want to be alone right now."

"Oh," Sicheng pulled away from him, his eyes compassionate. "Okay. Well, I'll be at Yuta's then. If you need me."

Renjun gave him a grateful smile, but it felt hollow. He felt hollow. "Thanks. But I'm really fine. Just need some time for myself."

Sicheng nodded in understanding. One last time he pressed Renjun to his heart, before ruffling through his hair with fondness. Slowly he left the orphanage, following Renjun's wish of being left alone.

A heavy breath left Renjun as he sank to the ground, his heart constricted for some reason. How many more of these conversations could he avoid? He wasn't sure if he could take just one more. Why did everything feel different when nothing had changed?

 

 

Donghyuck was warming up some of the soup Mark's mother had brought over a few days ago. The sweet woman had made so much, it seemed like she had wanted to feed both of them through the entire winter.

Mark's injury had healed without any complications. Tomorrow he would be able to join the guard again. Donghyuck had perhaps been anticipating that day more than Mark himself.

Ever since he had tracked down Jeno to tell him he wanted to bring down these mysterious attackers he had been more than thrilled to go back and forth between the border and their hut, full of energy to fine-tune their scheme into perfection.

Shotaro had agreed to join in on their plan without hesitation and Johnny had immediately offered to help as well, so the four of them had been carefully forming strategies on how to best catch one of the attackers without getting anyone else in danger.

Shotaro and Johnny were of course not the only ones who had wanted to support him in this dangerous quest. Mark had been on board the second Donghyuck had mentioned it to him. Maybe not so much because he was as keen on getting to the ground of this enigma, but because he wanted to stay by Donghyuck's side as closely as possible if they would proceed with any risky plans.

And since Donghyuck had agreed to wait until Mark's would be better and back on the guard, now that Mark was fully healed, he was more than impatient to let actions follow their crafted plans. It would probably only need a few more tweaks - and then the only thing left to do was to wait for another attack.

 

With a wide grin Donghyuck placed the bowl of hot soup on the kitchen table.

Mark beamed at him as if he was serving a three-course meal. "Thanks."

A fond smile crept on Donghyuck's lips as he watched the alpha start slurping contently.

Feelings of pure affection and incredible fondness spread in his chest - some time ago he might've denied those, suppressed them the best he could. However, at this moment in time, he just let himself feel. Happy that he was here, that Mark was here, that they found their way together. What had seemed unimaginable at the start of the year had become a reality. Like a mysterious force had always known that he and Mark belonged, had to be together to truly be happy.

"What?" Mark's soft chuckle ripped him out of his drifting thoughts. "Daydreaming?"

"Just thinking," Donghyuck hummed. "Who would've thought this day would come? You and me, here, together?"

"Me," Mark answered without hesitation. "I always knew it would end up like this."

Donghyuck snorted in disbelief, raising his eyebrows at the alpha. "Seriously?"

But Mark didn't let himself be deterred by Donghyuck's skepticism. "Always."

Donghyuck fell. Hard.

"I lo-"

A loud banging against their door made him shriek in shock before he could finish his sentence. The couple exchanged wide eyed glances. Neither of them had expected a visitor. Not to mention said visitor apparently trying to knock their door out of its hinges.

With increased force the person started knocking ever more recklessly.

"YAH! Donghyuck, open up!"

Well, Donghyuck recognized that voice all too well.

Quickly he rose from his chair, rushing to the front door before it would give in under the force of the intense knocking.

Yangyang stumbled forward when Donghyuck opened the door. He was breathing heavily, seemingly having just run from wherever he had been right to Mark's hut.

Mildly concerned for his friend, Donghyuck let Yangyang lean on him as he caught his breath. Mark stretched his neck to see what was happening from where he was still seated at the kitchen table, intrigued by this dramatic entrance.

"Renjun," Yangyang gasped after a few seconds, pressing a hand over his chest. "He's back."

Donghyuck frowned in confusion. "Renjun?"

Yangyang nodded energetically. "He's at the orphanage. There's lots of people."

All the little pieces of information were not really helping Donghyuck. Yangyang seldom made sense to him - but this seemed even more illogical than most of his gossip.

Suddenly Yangyang grabbed him by his collar, for some reason frustrated at Donghyuck’s lack of understanding. "You need to come. Right now."

Still not completely sure what Yangyang wanted to say but at least getting that this seemed to be an important issue, Donghyuck turned around to look at Mark.

"I'll be right back," he called out, signaling he would leave with Yangyang.

Before Mark could even answer anything, Yangyang had already pulled him outside.

 

The door fell shut behind them and Yangyang didn't waste a second to drag Donghyuck further impatiently.

"Yangyang, what's going on?" Donghyuck questioned, puzzled, but following obediently - they were heading right towards the orphanage.

Yangyang didn't answer. As soon as they reached the orphanage Donghyuck knew why.

 

There was a real commotion happening in front of the orphanage. People of their pack had gathered, speaking in loud voices to each other and nobody in particular.

Donghyuck saw a desperate Sicheng scramble in front of the orphanage entrance, trying to prevent people from barging in. Yuta was right by his side, his guard uniform at least eliciting so much respect in their pack that people stayed away from him, not daring to break past the barrier he created with his body.

Needing no more explanation Donghyuck fought his way through the crowd.

"Back off!" He started yelling multiple times, but it was like his voice drowned in between an ocean of screams. "Back off! Everybody who doesn't live in the orphanage, back off!"

"We want answers!"

"Is our pack in danger?

"What about the future heir?"

"Why is he back?"

It was almost impossible to break through the loud yells of the people.

Donghyuck noticed how Yangyang started purposefully stepping on people's feet to shut them up. Clenching his teeth together he followed his example and unapologetically pushed himself forward with his elbows.

Sicheng seemed relieved when Donghyuck finally made it to his side, an extra hindrance to stop people from just invading the private living space of all the orphans.

Donghyuck regretted not wearing his guard uniform when he saw how easily Yuta shooed off the nosy onlookers.

"What's going on?" Donghyuck asked him, leaning over to the omega so his voice would be heard over the buzzing noise.

Sicheng sighed frustrated, his face telling more than any words could’ve. "Well, Renjun's back."

Donghyuck huffed. Yeah. He had noticed thus far.

 

With each minute that they tried to fend off the masses of people, the more people seemed to come, the noise getting louder and louder, demanding to see Renjun.

Some part of Donghyuck understood their concern. He couldn't say that he wasn't curious why Renjun had returned so suddenly. Especially in uncertain times like this, the knowledge that the future of their pack had been in safe hands had been a huge comfort for many in their pack. The alliance to the Lunaris pack was strong, and so was the trust that their own pack would soon be provided with a mating that would only strengthen their defenses as well - a safety net for if the worst was to come.

However, this was pushing it too far.

Renjun might've become a public figure during his courtship with Prince Jeno. But he was still a member of their pack first. This was simply not right. Renjun didn’t deserve to be treated like some kind of meat, some rare object or exotic animal.

As the struggle to keep the crowd tame got harder and harder, bordering on impossible - the door to the orphanage swung open.

All of a sudden, the whole commotion stopped, voices fading and finally dying out.

Like in slow motion Renjun stepped into the light.

A few people gasped and hushed, yelling questions but they were soon shushed by the rest of the crowd.

In comparison to the previous loudness, it was almost comically quiet.

Donghyuck felt himself stop fighting against the masses, eyes solely focused on Renjun, completely enthralled by his appearance.

It had been a few weeks since he had last seen him. Somehow his whole aura had changed, his presence captivating even though he hadn't spoken a single word yet. He had captured everyone's attention without even raising his voice. It was almost magical. Dangerously magnificent.

For a few seconds Donghyuck thought it had to be a newfound confidence that made Renjun appear so strong and capable. But as he took a closer look, he saw that his whole body trembled slightly, like he was looking at something that brought him tremendous fear.

As he caught Renjun's eyes his breath hitched. Something had changed. Only now, he was not so sure if that change was something positive.

"I hear you," Renjun's first words resonated over all their heads, like he was standing on an elevation, despite him being on the same level as they were. "And I'll answer your questions."

Donghyuck noticed how Renjun clutched his hands into his shirt behind his back. His whole body language screamed of discomfort, but his voice was voluminous and his gaze was fierce. He was portraying a picture for their pack and he was doing it almost perfectly. If Donghyuck hadn't known him so well, hadn't been so observant he would've been fooled, too.

"Prince Jeno and I are no longer promised mates," he fearlessly addressed what was probably the biggest question mark.

Devastated whispers rushed through the crowd. A shiver of fright crawled down Donghyuck's spine. To him Jeno and Renjun had always appeared stronger together than separated. He didn't want to believe that it was supposed to be over. Not when he had seen the way they had looked at each other.

"No, our pack is not in more danger than it was before because of this. Our future is still secure because Prince Jeno is our future," Renjun announced unaffected by any sort of reaction. "And I'm sure he'll soon find an omega that is more suited for the position of his mate."

Everybody seemed to be in shock. The tremble in Renjun's body got more severe and the omega pressed his hands together more tightly, trying to hide it.

"I understand your concern. But I'll appreciate it if you'd leave the orphanage unoccupied in the future since this is a home to many people and not a place for public gatherings," Renjun's voice was still calm and collected, but his words held a sharpness that made it impossible to object him.

Time seemed to have frozen as the whole crowd stayed unmoving, eerily quiet at the announcement.

"Didn't you hear him?" Yangyang suddenly yelled from where he had been caught up right in the middle of the commotion, his fingers still entangled in some woman’s hair. "Get lost!"

Surprisingly peaceful, the people slowly started to leave. A lot of them still seemed dissatisfied with the information they had gotten, but Renjun's presence alone seemed to have impressed them enough to back off for now.

An empty feeling filled Donghyuck as he looked at Renjun, his eyes now glassy and his whole body shaking violently. Something had happened to the omega. And it was nothing good, Donghyuck was sure of that now.

 

Before anyone could reach out to Renjun, offer him help in any form he might want, the door of the orphanage fell close again, shutting the world out.

Helpless and still more than confused, Donghyuck turned to Sicheng.

The elder omega only shook his head. "Leave him alone for now. I think he went through enough for one day."

Finally free from the pushing and pulling of the crowd, Yangyang stomped his way over to them.

His energy screamed of anger and frustration. "I tried so hard to keep the rumors down! I didn't - I tried to-"

"It's alright, Yangyang. This wasn't your fault," Sicheng quickly soothed him. "Who would've thought there was such an interest in Renjun's return?"

Yuta cleared his throat. "Well, I mean, lately people did see Prince Jeno and his bond as a beacon of hope."

Sicheng shot him a pointed look.

"But nobody could've expected this, you're right," Yuta added dutifully.

"Let's just hope people will stay away from him from now on," Donghyuck huffed, irritated.

"Maybe we should find him another place to stay?" Yangyang suggested carefully. "I mean...the orphanage is a bit..."

"No," Sicheng cut him off straight away. "It's been his home all his life. If there is one thing I know for sure then it is that Renjun does not want to stay anywhere else right now."

Donghyuck hummed in thoughts. He understood Sicheng’s point and he didn’t want to put Renjun in more stress and make him leave his home, even though he would’ve preferred knowing Renjun was staying in a place a little less…public. At least until the worst had passed – but he couldn’t do that to his friend.

 "Let's just watch out for him then? So that there isn't a repeat of today?" Donghyuck suggested, looking into the round of people that all wanted the same: protect Renjun.

"I'll try to get people off his back," Yangyang agreed enthusiastically. "But he is a hot topic these days."

Deafening silence. It was like nobody knew what to do to help Renjun, even though that was the sole thing they all really wanted to do. Donghyuck just felt sorry that he couldn't have been there for his friend earlier. Now it seemed almost too late, like something in Renjun was already broken. And broken things could always be fixed, but they’d never be the same again.

Sicheng seemed to be hurt the most. Thoughts obviously clouded with nothing but worry he let out a deep sigh.  "Well, I'm gonna stay here for a few more hours. Just in case."

"Then I'll stay as well," Yuta immediately declared. Sicheng gave him a thankful look.

"I'll step by whenever I'm off guard duty," Donghyuck offered as well.

As a guard it was in fact his job to keep their pack safe, especially the royal family. And as of now Renjun was sort of both.

"And I'll keep my eyes and ear open," Yangyang nodded, knowing that he could provide a different kind of protection for his friend, apart from physically shielding him.

They all eyed the door. If they had wanted to, they could've just pushed it open and asked Renjun how he wanted to proceed. But the wood suddenly seemed so heavy and sturdy. Like a barrier that should not be crossed.

While everything in Donghyuck itched with the wish to see Renjun and speak with him, he respected his privacy. In this situation it was probably one of the things that Renjun valued most. What he needed most. Nobody dared to take that from him. Nobody wanted to put a single grain more onto Renjun’s shoulders, afraid he would break completely. They all knew Renjun was strong - but to Donghyuck, he had never seemed more fragile.

His heart hurt, but there was nothing more he could do right now.

 

Lightly nudging Yangyang in his side he motioned for them to leave as Sicheng took a seat in front of the orphanage porch.

They were both silent as they left the orphanage. Even though right now there would be so much to talk about, neither of them knew how to start, still somewhat numbed from what had just happened. Maybe there weren’t even words to express what they were feeling. 

Donghyuck swallowed. He couldn’t even imagine what Renjun must be feeling if he already felt like this. 

They came by Mark's hut first.

"If you hear anything," Donghyuck muttered, his throat sore for some reason. "You know where to find me."

Yangyang smirked and somehow that teasing glint in his eyes gave Donghyuck some comfort. At least Yangyang was still the same and happy person he always had been. He hadn’t failed all of his friends. There was still some of their carefree childhood left, some of their innocence.

"Yeah, next time I'll save myself the trip to your parent's hut."

Donghyuck scoffed embarrassed as he boxed Yangyang in his side.

It was such a familiar action, Donghyuck almost felt like the world was back to normal. Only that the blatant absence of Renjun, who had always been part of their banter, was painfully reminding himself of the change that had occurred.

Donghyuck had always looked forward to the day he would become an adult. But right now, his biggest wish was to turn back time. Sit through one more childcare class together with Yangyang and Renjun, go mud surfing with his friends in the rain and leave all the trouble of the world behind, his biggest concern being what they would have for dinner today.

Yangyang reached out for his hand, squeezing it softly like he was reading his thoughts.

"He's gonna be fine. We're gonna make sure of that," he said, with a seriousness that Yangyang rarely bore. "It's all gonna be okay."

Donghyuck smiled gratefully as he tenderly squeezed Yangyang's hand in return. Those were just the words he had needed to hear.

And coming from Yangyang made him only believe more in the truth of them.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!
Not as angsty as last time, so I hope you made it through alright - I promise better times will come...at some point :)

Stay safe and healthy, everyone <3

Chapter 35: Puzzle Piece

Notes:

Time for some action, enjoy ;)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

A week had passed since Jeno’s last appearance in the guard.

While Kun with his competent and professional attitude had no problems taking over the Solaris guard once again, it caused an uncomfortable mood in between their ranks. Prince Jeno had always been a promising prospect, his leadership skills - while still developing - already auguring a prospering future, giving them guidance when they needed it. With him missing, there was another uncertainty entering everyone's life in this most fragile of times.

No wonder everyone was speculating about the reason behind his absence.

Well, speculating might be the wrong word. Everybody seemed to silently agree on what the real reason was.

Even though, when they had asked him about it, Kun had brushed them off with a few remarks about 'personal issues' and the promise that the prince would return soon, everybody just knew.

How could they not when Sicheng had basically started camping outside the orphanage, hissing at everyone who got a little too close to the building and the person currently residing in it?

 

Donghyuck had also somehow become some sort of personal guard for the omega. After hearing a few of the ugly rumors, blaming Renjun for their dire situation, he didn't really have a choice. And neither did Renjun, no matter how hard he denied needing any sort of protection around him.

It was like Donghyuck, Sicheng and Yangyang had sworn a pact, keeping Renjun safe as best as they could in their own unique ways.

At first Donghyuck had thought that getting to talk to Renjun after most of the turmoil had faded would reassure him. However, whenever he got to see Renjun nowadays it only made him feel more on edge.

On the outside Renjun hadn't changed that much. He was as talkative as usual, joined their banter, smiled when appropriate - but there was a tension in his every move that kept everyone around him on edge as well. More than once Donghyuck caught Renjun hiding his shaking hands behind his back, always claiming he was just feeling a bit cold when someone mentioned it to him.

Renjun was good at keeping the appearance up. Sadly, that made it impossible to reach through to him, the mask of feigned happiness so thick it tricked everyone who wasn't actively searching for the person behind it. There was something hollow behind his eyes, something shallow about his words that couldn't be hidden behind Renjun's facade of normalcy.

After Renjun had brushed his attempts of an honest conversation off a few times, Donghyuck had given up in defeat. He didn’t want to push Renjun when his friend already seemed to be standing on the far edge. He could only hope Renjun would open up when he felt like it. After all, time heals all wounds, right?

 

 

Jeno was staring at the ceiling.

He didn't know what time it was - he had lost track of day and night a long time ago. He didn't know when he had last eaten or slept, when he had moved or talked. It all felt like such a long time ago, everything mushing together in one never-ending state of being.

The only thing he did know was that he felt lost.

Like he wanted to torture himself, Renjun's words kept repeating in his head over and over again. His last look at the omega, tears glistening on his cheeks, lips trembling and eyes bloodshot was ingrained in his brain. Even in his most painful of memories, Renjun was as beautiful as the day they had first met. Perhaps even more so.

If he closed his eyes long enough, he could still smell that faint scent of vanilla, could feel the petite body next to him, hear the soft voice laughing with him. Sometimes the fantasy was so vivid, Jeno had to reach out next to him, only to feel the empty space, ensuring him that Renjun was indeed gone.

It didn't feel right. Nothing felt right. But Jeno hardly felt anyway. His whole world was numbed. Except for a deep pain that lingered around him, poisoning his mind and the air he was breathing.

The worst thing was that Jeno still didn't understand. It just didn't make sense.

Just why had Renjun left him? Why had he not given Jeno a chance to make it right if it had been something that he had done wrong? Why hadn't he talked to him?

His eyes hurt as hot tears rolled down his cheeks.

Jeno closed his eyes and when he opened them again, it was because someone had started knocking on his door harshly. He didn't know how much time had passed, if he’d fallen asleep or not - only that his tears had dried by now.

Slowly he sat up in his bed. He felt so tired lately. Exhausted from doing nothing.

Expecting the person in front of his door to be Jaemin, who had kept him company as much as he could, brought him food, aired out his room and tried cheering him up, Jeno didn't even bother to make his appearance a bit more acceptable.

If it weren't for Jaemin, Jeno was fully convinced his whole existence would've decayed like a flower with no water by now.

 

Not even properly lifting his feet, Jeno scuffled towards his door. However, he wasn't met with Jaemin's kind smile and compassionate eyes, but instead with the piercing presence of his own mother.

His father had shown up before when Jeno hadn't followed through with his head guard duties, but his mother had yet to come see him, probably too busy with the more and more frequent attacks.

While his father had shown at least some sort of sympathy for Jeno's circumstances, allowing him to sit out until he felt better, his mother seemed to have far less patience with him.

"You need a bath," she greeted him, stepping inside the room so Jeno could close the door behind her and give them some privacy.

"Don't feel like it," Jeno mumbled, sitting back down on his bed, too tired to stand for long.

His mother clicked her tongue. "This can't go on any longer, Jeno."

Defiantly, Jeno turned his head away. He doubted he had any strength left to argue with his mother, neither did he want to fight with her, but he felt like it would be inevitable.

"Jeno, when we made you head guard, we put a lot of trust in you and your abilities," his mother started her reprimanding. "The pack put a lot of trust in you. You can't let them down like this."

Jeno understood that. But he also felt like in his current state he would be no good in providing any sort of leadership.

"You have to get over this," his mother continued. "It's only an omega. You'll find someone new."

No, that was where his mother was more than wrong. Renjun was never only. And nobody would ever compare to him.

His voice was hoarse as he spoke up, "I love him."

His mother snorted, before taking a few steps closer to her son. She rested her arms on his shoulders and leaned down so she could take a proper look at his face.

"It might feel like this for now," she told him, warm but with a distinct finality. "But there are a lot more nice omegas out there. Even right here in the castle."

Jeno shook his head violently, not wanting to hear about other options when there really weren’t any for him. "I don't...I can't-"

His mother sighed as Jeno was unable to finish his sentence.

 "Listen Jeno, I'm gonna be very honest with you right now, because the pack needs you to get over this." She gave her son a poignant look. "Renjun probably wasn't the right choice for you. He wasn't made for this. He wasn't raised like you."

These words made Jeno frown. Irritated, he raised his head. They sounded oddly familiar to what Renjun had told him back then. 

"Why does it matter how he was raised? You told me to find someone in this pack I could fall in love with. Which I did. Renjun was, no, Renjun is just right for me. I know it."

A long exhale left his mother as she stood up straight. "I know that a first infatuation might feel like something stronger, Jeno. But if you're completely honest with yourself, you have to admit that Renjun was hardly right for this pack."

After a few days of what had only been deep and utter pain, a new emotion awoke inside of Jeno. Anger.

"Why would you say that? Renjun was perfect!" Jeno argued confused. "You don't know him like I do!"

His mother huffed, also getting worked up now. "Well, I did have some time to talk to him. And he didn't seem very headstrong to me. And with his background-"

"What about his background?" Jeno snapped, infuriated.

The gaze of his mother turned sharper. "He wasn't prepared for this if he decided to leave, was he?"

Jeno growled, gaze flashing with fury. "Did you say something to him?" His eyes twitched when his mother stayed silent. "What did you say to him?"

"I only made it clear what a life as your mate would entail," his mother said coolly. "He didn't seem like he knew what he was getting into."

"Renjun always knew - I always told him-" Jeno stuttered, not believing this was everything.

He was right when his mother added, "Well, he told me he was trying. But you know that trying is never good enough."

There it was.

Jeno's voice was dangerously calm as he stood up, all of his strength suddenly returning to his body. "Did you say that to him? That he wasn't good enough?"

His mother stared him down. "Maybe something along those lines. But he needed to hear it."

There was a loud crash as Jeno punched his fist against his bed frame. His hand was throbbing in pain but it was nothing compared to the pain he felt inside of him. And nothing compared to the anger that was slowly seething its way up.

"It was you," he said, voice swinging with rage now. "You made him leave."

"No," his mother replied coldly. "He left on his own free will. Which only shows that he wasn't ready for this life."

Jeno laughed soullessly. He couldn't believe his own mother had betrayed him like this. The woman who had pushed him to find a mate ever since he had become an adult. He couldn’t stand looking at her face any longer.

He needed to get out of here.

Swiftly he began rummaging through his cupboard.

"Jeno, Renjun has made a choice," his mother told him, her rationality couldn’t have been a bigger contrast to Jeno’s swirl of emotions that blazed away like a fire. "He decided to leave you. You have to accept that."

"I know," Jeno hissed. While his mother might've been the one pushing Renjun in that direction, he still respected Renjun's decision. The omega had explicitly asked him to not go see him. To this day he had never not followed one of Renjun's requests. He wouldn't start going against Renjun’s wishes now.

With a fierce grip he pulled out his sword, before fastening it to his belt.

"Where are you going?" His mother asked him, agitated.

"Guard duty," Jeno said through gritted teeth. "I'm gonna end the Noctis pack."

Without any more explanation the alpha rushed out of his room.

"Jeno!" His mother's voice called after him. "You can't- Jeno!"

Jeno was faster. If he couldn't have Renjun back, then he had to do something else to not feel as lost anymore.

 

 

Hushed whispers mingled with the soft whistling of the wind brushing through the treetops.

Prince Jeno stepped in front of his guard as if nothing had happened and he hadn’t been missing at all. Kun seemed as surprised as everyone else to see him return so suddenly - but only for a second, before he collected himself and delegated the Solaris guard over to the prince.

 

Donghyuck was more than elated to have the prince back. Although he was a bit unsure about how to approach him. Should he act as if the whole pack hadn't been whispering the last few days about his failed mating attempt? Or should he address it openly? Was it even the right call to approach Jeno at all? They still had their plan about catching one of the attackers, but he wasn't sure how much time Jeno had spent going over the details the past week.

Luckily, Donghyuck didn't have to spiral for long, because Prince Jeno took the first step and approached him. Shotaro was already by his side and when they noticed the small gathering, Johnny and Mark quickly hurried over as well.

Without further ado Jeno got straight to the point. "So, we're still doing this right? We're gonna catch them today."

The small group seemed a bit perplexed at the forwardness. "Erm...are you sure you wanna do this today?"

Jeno's eyes flickered over to Donghyuck, who had voiced his concerns first.

"My leave didn't impact any of my skills - physical or mental. I'm ready. I wanna do this if you are still okay with that," the prince assured them strongly.

They exchanged a few glances. "Well, I did hide the ashes," Johnny mentioned with a shrug.

"We still need an attack, though, if we wanna catch them," Mark pointed out one of the key elements of their plan.

"Actually, about that, I've been thinking," Shotaro chimed in. "What if we give them a temptation?"

Jeno hummed in thought. "You mean, like, a bait?"

Shotaro nodded in agreement.

Usually, Jeno would've considered that sudden addition to the plan as too dangerous. But today he was not in the mood for further setbacks. Maybe he needed to prove something to himself as well.

Mark threw Shotaro a cautious look. "Who are you suggesting?"

Shotaro made a nonchalant gesture. "I was thinking I should do it," he answered fearlessly. "Logically speaking my fur is the lightest out of all of us, it's gonna be the hardest to cover up with ashes. And they don't go as harsh on omegas, so the risk of getting injured is lower for me."

Donghyuck snorted, seeing an obvious flaw. "But the risk for getting taken is far higher."

Shotaro rolled his eyes, but Johnny seemed to be on Donghyuck's side. "Are you really sure you want to do this?"

"It's not like I'm gonna be out there by myself. You guys will be right behind me," Shotaro reassured them. His expression was more than serious. "I want to end this."

Jeno was the first one to answer. "Okay. It's your call."

Shotaro smiled satisfied, eyes glimmering with thirst for action.

"So, Donghyuck's gonna be with Shotaro anyway since they’re partners," Jeno thought out loud, going through the mental checklist of things to consider before they’d start their operation. "And I'm gonna assign you to patrol near them," he nodded towards Johnny and Mark. "I'll be around as well. If there's an attack, you know what to do."

With that, Jeno dismissed them, going back to Kun to arrange today's guard duties. The Lunaris leader glanced at Shotaro as Jeno kept talking to him, his eyes reflecting all their worry.

For a second, it looked like Kun would put a stop to their plan. Since he was in charge of Shotaro, he could deny him participation. The two head guards exchanged a few more words, making the entire group hold their breath in anticipation.

Once Kun dismissed Jeno, they all looked at the two leaders in tense silence. Then Jeno turned around, giving them a quick thumbs up, before raising his voice to address the whole guard and sending them to their spots to patrol the borders.

Relieved sighs erupted all around Donghyuck. Their plan stood.

 

Just as agreed upon, Jeno put them all in the same general area, so they would be near each other as soon as an attack would happen.

On command, they all shifted to relieve the guards who had been on duty until now. After everyone was in position, it didn't take long for Jeno to do a quick check up on them. He was carrying a big sack of dark, black ashes that Johnny had hidden in the bushes in preparation a few days ago. The prince himself was already covered in them, the sight of his unfamiliar black fur made a shiver run down Donghyuck's back.

Then he shook his discomfort off, rolling around in the ashes that Jeno had spilled in front of them. Jeno gave him an approving nudge before heading off, probably to Johnny and Mark so they could darken their fur as well.

Anxiously, Donghyuck kept shuffling on his paws. Now he could only hope everything would work out.

By now, even Shotaro was exuding nervous energy, walking in small circles as they waited for Jeno to return.

 

The sun was still casting its light upon them, but slowly it was starting to set, turning the sky a beautiful mixture of oranges and reds. Initially, they had only wanted to carry this plan out if it was broad daylight. But he supposed as long as they could still see, it would do.

Soon, the prince appeared between the bushes. He gave Shotaro a confirmative nod, who purred in understanding. Before the omega could leave and surpass their borders, Donghyuck licked him over his ears affectionately. Even without words Shotaro knew what Donghyuck had wanted to say, quickly licking over his nose in return.

Then his eyes shifted into full attention mode and with a few quick jumps he was out of sight, gone to grounds Donghyuck had never been on before.

 

Waiting had been torture enough, but waiting with the knowledge of Shotaro now on hostile territory made Donghyuck reach new levels of stress.

Prince Jeno next to him was as quiet and unmoving as a statue, concentrating each of his senses on their surroundings. Taking an example, Donghyuck also stopped shuffling, instead listening to the sounds of the setting evening.

 

Dawn was falling upon them quickly. Soon, the last sunbeams were fighting for their survival, getting lost in the evergreen needles of the firs. Donghyuck was considering asking Jeno to stop for today and try again tomorrow, it would be too dangerous to continue once night would fall - but then a howl made the adrenaline in his veins rush.

That had been Shotaro - there was no doubt, the howl had come from only a few meters to their right.

Faster than lightning, Jeno and Donghyuck started bolting towards it.

The first thing Donghyuck saw was Shotaro's light gray fur, flashing in between the dark shadows of the forest. The omega was rushing carelessly over bushes and branches, chased by a group of four black wolves. 

The distance between them was getting shorter and shorter and Donghyuck clenched his teeth together, speeding up even more.

All of a sudden, the familiar sound of paws following him appeared and relief flooded Donghyuck. With strong movements Mark pushed himself to his side, wanting to stay there apparently, but Donghyuck growled at him, motioning towards Shotaro, who was only barely ahead of the group of black wolves.

Surging past him, Mark didn't waste time, surpassing Jeno and then soon mingling with the black wolves, his now black fur not distinguishable from any of them. Jeno had reached the group as well by now, and Donghyuck heard a new pair of paws approach him from behind that he assumed to be Johnny.

In front, Mark was intentionally dividing the group, thus slowing them down and giving Shotaro the chance to widen the distance between them. Meanwhile Jeno was focused on the slowest member of the group, subtly nudging him more and more to the right.

Their disguise seemed to work for now, as none of them seemed to notice the two black wolves that initially hadn't belonged to their group.

Johnny and Donghyuck had caught up to Jeno and their target. Squeezing himself in front of the black wolf, Johnny created even more separation between him and the remaining group that was still led by Mark and focused on catching Shotaro.

 

Donghyuck closed his eyes and prayed that they would get away. Then he growled.

Taking the risk he snapped after the wolf's leg, grabbing it with his teeth and making him take a fall.

Reacting immediately, Jeno tackled him to the ground and Johnny jumped on top of them all, fastening the enemy to the earth.

In the corner of his eyes Donghyuck saw how the other black wolves didn't seem to mind their sudden hassle, only chasing and chasing, and soon disappearing from their sight.

The wolf had started growling and whimpering in fear, by now probably noticing that he had fallen victim to their scheme. He fought his head free, about to howl for help - but Donghyuck didn't let him.

Swiftly switching to his human form, he pulled out his sword and guided it to his neck.

"Not a sound or this will be your last day."

The wolf bared his teeth and Donghyuck pressed the sword against him threateningly. His eyes were shooting daggers, but he did as told and didn't howl.

Crouching down, Donghyuck ran his fingers through the dark fur while Jeno and Johnny were still pinning the intruder to the ground, who could only lay and let it happen in silence.

Even though he had already expected this, Donghyuck's breath hitched in surprise when his hand was covered in ashes afterwards. He started rubbing a bit harsher and underneath the black dust a reddish, muddy fur came to light.

Standing back up, Donghyuck gave his next command, "Shift back."

The wolf growled defiantly, but it only took Donghyuck swinging his sword near his head for him to obey.

Not letting go of him for even a second, Jeno and Johnny shifted back as well. With skilled movements, Jeno untied a piece of rope from his belt, enchaining the man's hands behind his back as Johnny held him in place. Not fazed by the man’s struggle, he bound his legs as well, leaving the man nearly immobile.

"Don't try anything funny," Jeno warned him. "Or we won't be as nice."

The man snorted, spitting in front of their feet. He was reeking of rotten food, unkempt and unshaven. His hair, face and clothes were covered in black streaks in exactly the same way they were. Ashes.

"What's your name and where are you from?" Donghyuck started the interrogation.

"Why would I answer you?" The man hissed.

"Because your life is in our hands right now," Jeno answered unimpressed. "So, you better answer our questions."

Jeno's sword was shimmering dangerously. That seemed to be enough to intimidate the man.

"My name is Chang," he said with as much contempt as he could.

Jeno squinted his eyes at him. "You're not from the Noctis pack, are you?"

Chang gave him a dirty grin. "You tell me, since you seemed to have figured out our little trick."

"Why are you attacking us?" Jeno inquired unshaken.

"Many reasons."

Donghyuck grew more and more frustrated with each word Chang said. He was glad that Jeno was leading the confrontation, because he would not have been this patient.

"You know, this is made out of pure silver," Jeno mentioned almost casually, holding the tip of his sword only inches away from Chang's nose. "You know what that does to our kind, right?"

Chang scoffed, but he still anxiously leaned his head away, clearly not keen on finding out the effect of pure silver on his own body.

"There's a deal. We have a deal," he announced disdainfully.

"Who?" Jeno pried, not backing off.

"The Noctis pack and the rogues," Chang answered, full of scorn.

The prince furrowed his eyebrows. "What kind of deal?"

There was an evil glint in Chang's eyes as he answered, "For every one of you that we injure, we get food. For every kill, we get gold. For every omega we bring to them, we will be granted eternal immunity on their grounds."

Jeno frowned, even more questions forming in his mind at this new information. "Now, why would the Noctis pack make such a deal?"

Chang shrugged, again. "Probably outsourcing their dirty work."

That seemed too easy of an explanation. Why would a pack as advanced as the Noctis pack stoop to such low measures as recruiting rogue wolves? Why would they waste their resources on them, when their success rate had not been very high thus far? Especially since they were after omegas, which the rogues had gotten none of.

That made Jeno think. "Why do you agree to such a deal? What about your omegas? Aren't they in danger as well?"

Chang cackled in an ugly pitch that made Donghyuck cringe. "The Noctis pack doesn't want us. We're scum. They only want the pure, soft omegas that are fertile and unused, ready to bear their children." His eyes flickered over to Donghyuck with implication.

Johnny took a protective step in front of the omega, but Donghyuck only rolled his eyes and shoved him aside.

"Why do you have to color your fur black?" Donghyuck asked him unafraid.

Chang licked over his lips. "Probably to intimidate you. They want you to fear them." His nose twitched as he narrowed his gaze on Donghyuck. "Aren't you afraid, omega?"

Jeno's sword was near his face right in the next second. "Who made this deal with you?"

Chang's eyes switched back to the prince with spite. "The Noctis king himself. We made a blood pact."

All three of them exchanged shocked looks. A blood pact was the highest promise you could make, even higher in value than a mating promise. It was the ultimate sacrifice - it was a promise that could never be broken.

"What made you give your trust to him to do such a thing?" Jeno questioned him.

"They have their ways," Chang replied cunningly. "They are very powerful."

Sensing that there was more to it Jeno took a step forward. He squinted his eyes. "What does that mean?"

"Only that they have a big plan," Chang said with a sleazy grin. "One that will destroy you."

Jeno's voice was slow and dangerously calm. "What plan?"

"Can't tell you," Chang smiled slyly. "Blood pact."

Jeno growled but understood that a blood pact could not be broken. "What can we offer you and your people to stop attacking us? Feed you through the winter?"

Chang cackled again, the sound making chills runs down Donghyuck's entire body. "Oh, very tempting. But you're too late."

"Immunity on our grounds for the winter?" Jeno raised his offer.

Chang leaned forward. "I don't think you understand. There won't be any grounds to call yours soon." With a pleased smile he watched Jeno clench his fists. "And that's all I can tell you."

Jeno grunted, swinging his sword through the air and bringing it down with violent force. He stopped right in front of Chang's neck, who flinched at the sudden movement.

"I hope you're not lying," Jeno whispered. Chang swallowed heavily. The prince turned to Johnny and Donghyuck. "Help me get him to the clearing. I'm gonna bring him to the castle, where we will have a nice cell for him in case, he should change his mind about that alleged blood pact."

Needing no further instruction Johnny heaved Chang off the ground, harshly steering him after Jeno, who was leading the way back.

Donghyuck went to grab his other arm, not wanting to risk Chang ripping himself free and fleeing.

 

Lastly, the sun had done its deed for the day, completely disappearing behind the horizon.

Donghyuck was quite surprised how far they had run, considering they had only been chasing the intruders for a few minutes. However, they always traveled faster as wolves, so what had only been minutes then, seemed to stretch endlessly on their way back. Adding to that was the fact that Chang was not very cooperative, slowing them down as much as he could manage, stemming his feet to the ground until Johnny had enough and started carrying him over his shoulder.

Finally, Donghyuck could make out a few other guards already gathered on the clearing, probably here for the next shift change.

Instinctually his tempo sped up. If Mark and Shotaro had made it, they must also be here, waiting for them.

 

As soon as they stepped onto the clearing Donghyuck was engulfed in a strong pair of arms. The calming scent of cinnamon surrounded him. Of course, Mark would find him first.

"Thank goodness, you're okay!" Mark said, inhaling a deep breath of the watermelon scent he had come to love more than his life.

Donghyuck smiled softly, before pulling away. "I'm alright. Thank goodness, you're okay."

Mark returned his smile, softly caressing over his waist.

Someone cleared his throat loudly. "Seriously? Again, guys?"

Donghyuck tore his gaze away from Mark, finding Shotaro standing a few meters behind him.

He fell right into the next embrace, hugging Shotaro to his chest. "You are insane! I thought I was a tough omega, but you are something else."

Shotaro laughed as he patted his back. "I'll teach you my ways some day." Then his eyes drifted to the struggling man in Johnny's arms. "So, who's that?"

"Chang," Jeno replied coldly. "Is Kun here?"

Shotaro pointed behind him, where the omega was instructing a few of the Lunaris guards.

Without hesitation Jeno stomped his way towards him, waving to Johnny to follow him.

"Chang?" Mark asked out loud.

Donghyuck let out a long sigh. "I'm gonna tell you everything on our way home." When Shotaro opened his mouth he quickly added, "And you I'm gonna tell everything tomorrow. I'm pretty sure we're on outer border duty."

Shotaro pouted, obviously not happy to have to wait so long. "I'm just gonna ask Kun."

"Good idea," Donghyuck agreed. "But I'm really spent and want to go home now."

As if only now realizing that he was tired as well, Shotaro's shoulders slumped. "Okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Donghyuck gave him an affirmative nod, before turning to Mark. "Come on, let's go. I'm pretty sure Johnny will have to make a stop at the castle."

Judging from the way Jeno was keeping Johnny around, the alpha still handling the by now unmoving Chang in his arms, that was probably the case. So, Mark simply grabbed Donghyuck's hand and started their walk home.

 

The stars were twinkling high above their heads as Donghyuck leaned his head against Mark's shoulder. The sound of silent windstorms and the leaves rustling underneath their feet created a calm atmosphere. It would've almost been romantic, if not for everything else.

A long sigh left Donghyuck and Mark tightened the hold on his hand in return.

Only a year ago Donghyuck would've thought a day like this would never come. Not only concerning the impending war on their borders, but also that he'd find somebody who'd stay with him through it all.

The universe worked in mysterious ways but Donghyuck would always be eternally grateful that it had brought Mark to him despite all his defiance.

Before Donghyuck could express any of these thoughts, however, Mark spoke up first, "You're all dirty."

Donghyuck sorted, softly pushing his elbow into Mark's side. "Thank you very much."

Mark laughed as he pulled Donghyuck closer, throwing an arm around his waist. "You were very brave today."

The omega gave Mark a glance. "Thank you," he said, genuinely this time, all previous sarcasm vanished. "You were great, too."

Mark shrugged humbly. "It was nothing."

"No, really, thank you for...trusting me," Donghyuck insisted. "For going with Shotaro and trusting that I'd be okay."

Mark sucked in a sharp breath. "Well, it wasn't an easy decision," he admitted, seemingly still a bit troubled about that choice. "I would’ve rather stayed by your side, just in case."

"Thank you that you didn't," Donghyuck reassured him. "You made the right call, trusting my judgment. Shotaro needed your help more."

Sheepishly Mark ducked his head. "Well, I also learned some things, you know?"

With a smile Donghyuck nuzzled his nose in Mark's arm affectionately. "Sure you do," he agreed. "That's why I l-"

Suddenly the alpha next to him disappeared out of sight. A shocked gasp left Donghyuck's mouth as Mark took a sudden fall to the ground, right into a big muddy puddle.

For a second Donghyuck could only stare in stunned silence, mouth slightly agape. Then he started laughing.

Mark made a gruntled noise as he tried to stand up, only to slip and fall right back over, leading to Donghyuck laughing even harder.

"Look who's all dirty now!" He heaved in between filling his lungs with new air.

Light gurgles erupted from Mark as he lifted his hands, completely covered in mud. He made grabby hands towards Donghyuck, who shrieked and jumped away. Slowly Mark started crawling out of the slippery puddle. As he stood up there was brown water dripping down his pants and sleeves, leaving dirty traces all over his skin.

Donghyuck was bending with laughter at the sight. A glimmer appeared in Mark's pupils.

"Come here!" He exclaimed, starting to chase after Donghyuck who switched between screaming and laughing as he tried to get away from the alpha.

After their exhausting day neither of them could keep up with this sudden game of catch for long.

Donghyuck was breathing heavily as Mark backed him up against a tree. "Don't!" He squealed as Mark lifted his hands, bringing them closer and closer to his face.

He squinted his eyes shut, surrendering to his fate when he felt a soft brush over his nose.

Mark was giggling sweetly as he brushed off the remaining mud on his pants. 

"Cute," he muttered when Donghyuck looked up at him with his wide doe eyes.

And then, before Donghyuck could counter with any witty comment himself, he closed the distance between them and connected their lips in a sweet kiss, swiping Donghyuck's brain empty, getting rid of any attempt of further resistance.

Pleasant shivers rushed down Donghyuck's back as Mark's fingers traced down his arm to his hand, playing with his fingertips.

He whined in discontent as Mark pulled away, letting their breaths mingle for a few seconds longer.

"Come on, let's go home," Mark whispered, lips still brushing over each other.

Donghyuck would much rather stay here if that meant he’d get to kiss Mark some more. But deep down he knew Mark was right. They were both dirty and tired and they had another shift tomorrow they needed to be well rested for.

Stealing one more peck from Mark he intertwined their fingers, pulling the alpha behind him.

 

As they laid together in Mark's furs, much later and both clean again, an overwhelming fondness overcame Donghyuck. Looking at Mark sleep peacefully by his side, his heart clenched with warmth. It had found the one. The missing puzzle piece to his life, his partner in crime, his mate.

One day Donghyuck would tell Mark all of that. But as he watched Mark cutely scrunch his nose in his sleep, having the alpha all for his own...yeah, one day.

In the end, they would have forever to tell each other everything, right? No need to rush.

Notes:

Hehe, thank you so much for reading!!

The angst continues...I guess...but now we're also getting some more plot action, krrrr >.<

Hope everyone is safe and healthy!! <3

Chapter 36: Trembling Facade

Notes:

And we're back with the angst, hehe....sorry >.<

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

A few days had passed since they had caught the rogue wolf. Of course, the news had traveled through the village already - but that didn't stop Donghyuck from retelling every single detail he remembered to Renjun.

The omega was cutting a few herbs and flowers next to him, mixing them into a smooth ointment, seemingly absorbed in his task. After Renjun had hummed mindlessly for the fifth time, not reacting properly to the climax of the story, Donghyuck began snapping his fingers in front of him.

"Hey, Renjun, are you even listening to me?" He scowled with a pout.

Renjun glanced at him, before releasing a long sigh. "I've already heard that story from Yangyang. You gotta be a lot faster if you want to have the newest gossip."

Donghyuck crossed his arms in front of his chest, sulking at his friend. "Just thought you wanted some firsthand information," he argued, upset, but not really mad. "I mean, I was there when we caught him."

"And you did very well," Renjun praised him consolingly, ruffling through his hair with sweet affection, but his smile didn't seem genuine.

Carefully Donghyuck cleared his throat, considering his next words. "I mean...Jeno helped a lot as well..."

It was a weird situation to be in. Because Donghyuck felt like Renjun always paid more attention when he mentioned the prince, like he really wanted to hear about him. On the other hand, Renjun's hands always started shaking more severely whenever they crossed that topic, like the thought of Jeno alone caused him great turmoil.

As Donghyuck had predicted, Renjun’s hands started trembling once the name had fallen from his lips. In precaution, Renjun stopped stirring the new healing mixture he had been working on, putting the pestle away, afraid he would ruin his effort. After he had returned from the castle he had started to dabble into healing duties more seriously. Initially, he had wanted to pursue his tailoring skills more...but for some reason that hadn't felt right anymore.

Renjun forced a smile on his face as he turned his face away from his work and towards Donghyuck. "Good. I knew he'd do well as head guard."

Helplessly, Donghyuck watched Renjun knead his hands to stop them from quivering uncontrollably.

"Erm...yeah, he's a great leader."

Renjun nodded, lips pressed together tightly. For a second, he wanted to completely dismiss this conversation, come up with an excuse to leave Donghyuck on his own - but then a thought flashed through his mind. He leaned down, patting down his pants until he reached his feet. Ever since Jeno had given him the silver dagger, he had carried it around with him, wrapped carefully in leather and snugly pressed to the side of his boots.

Slowly he pulled it out, handing it to Donghyuck, whose eyebrows had risen in surprise. "Actually, if you don't mind, could you please return this to him when you see him?"

Donghyuck swallowed heavily as Renjun slowly revealed the small dagger to him, shimmering in the light that fell through the window of the healing hut. His eyes widened once he realized that the weapon must be made from pure silver, the reflection too clear for it to be a simple metal like his own sword.

"Y-you know you can keep your courting gifts, even after-"

"I know," Renjun interrupted him, maybe a tad bit too harshly because Donghyuck started frowning at him in irritation. His voice was much softer as he continued. "But this wasn't a courting gift. And it's very valuable."

With skilled movements, Renjun wrapped the dagger back into its leather. Hesitantly, Donghyuck accepted the weapon, holding it with great respect. Renjun was right, it was indeed very valuable. Probably the most valuable thing Donghyuck had ever held in his hands. He understood that it must be a burden to carry around for Renjun, but it still felt a bit wrong to take it from him. Deep down he didn't believe that Renjun and Jeno were over just yet.

"Are you sure?" He asked one more time, wanting to give Renjun the chance to reconsider.

Renjun nodded his head stubbornly. "Yes. Please."

Well, there was nothing that Donghyuck could do now. Renjun didn't want the dagger, and Donghyuck for sure did not want to keep it himself. He supposed he could just deliver it to Jeno during his next guard shift. Even if it felt wrong. 

 

 

The days seemed to stretch endlessly long. Even though the sun had started setting much earlier and the days actually got shorter, Renjun felt like time was passing far slower than it had before. Maybe it was because every day to him seemed to be a useless routine. A chore you had to get done - only that there was no reason for him to get the chores done. Even though he'd never say it out loud, Renjun couldn't remember the last time he had felt joy. No matter how hard he tried to not think about it, his return to the village had only caused him constant unhappiness, which seemed to grow bigger and bigger with each second that he spent here.

The worst thing was that Renjun didn't even know what to do against it. Maybe this was what being an adult was all about? Suffering in silence until eventually you just get so used to feeling cold that you don't even notice it anymore. Wait for normalcy to take over, make you forget that there ever was a different state of being that wasn’t freezing. He might just freeze to his death.

In the end, it was all his fault.

He had made this decision and now he had to live with it.

If only people would let him live with it in peace.

 

Fortunately, nothing similar to the commotion in front of the orphanage had happened again. He wouldn't have survived a repetition of that. Not only would it put him in an uncomfortable situation, it also caused immense stress to the other orphans - which was the last thing he had ever wanted.

Renjun felt sorry for them enough as it was. More than once a day, whenever he was not accompanied by any of his friends, people would approach him. Mostly, they were asking about Jeno. As much as Renjun pretended that it didn't bother him, being confronted with the person he wanted to forget so desperately was taking a toll on him.

And again, it was all his fault.

Could he really blame people for worrying about their pack's future? There wasn't a lot of information that came from the castle. There was nobody their pack could really turn to, that would listen to their concerns. At least nobody who could actually do something about it.

 Renjun was just the next best thing. In the end, for a short time, a few of them had already accepted him as future chief and the mate of their prince.

So, Renjun listened. He listened in silence, because he, as well, didn't have a lot of information. The only thing he found himself repeating over and over, was that Jeno was doing his absolute best to keep them safe. Because that was the only thing he fully believed was the truth.

In comparison to the whispers, the actual questions that got to him were relatively tame. Nobody dared to speak up against him in front of him. Behind his back, however, everybody was talking, like Renjun wasn’t even there.

Renjun knew that Yangyang was probably protecting him from the worst. It still stung whenever he would catch a few people being cheerful that he and Jeno hadn't worked out. Which was stupid, because Renjun should be on their side. He was the one who had ended their relationship. He was the reason they hadn’t worked out.

After his stay at the castle, however, where rumors had been more malicious, Renjun was pretty numbed to all their talk. It was by far not the worst thing that had ever been said about him. So usually, he coped well with the whispers that seemed to penetrate his life once again and would probably be a part of his life until he died.

Things changed, when suddenly it wasn't him that was the victim of the whispers.

 

It had been a normal day for Renjun. He had somehow woken up, gathered some energy to get up and go about his day with as much enthusiasm as his drained mind would allow him.

Maybe it was because all of that sadness inside of him was slowly becoming sick of him. Maybe the limit of hardships he could take had finally been reached. Maybe it was just because he had been alone for a change.

'They say the rogues made a deal with the Noctis pack.'

'The rogues. Always mingling where they don't belong.'

'I would avoid certain kinds of people, just to be safe.'

'You know who's a rogue here.'

Anger.

Pure, seething, ruthless anger.

He clenched his fingers so tightly he began drawing blood from his own hands, his nails creating little crescent shaped wounds in his palms.

Before he could stop himself, he stepped out of his corner behind the healing hut, where he had been hiding from the few passing peoples' view.

"HEY!"

His vocal chords actually hurt from the volume, not used to being abused like this, but the pain mixed well with his anger.

The three people that had been chatting with each other turned around in shock once they spotted Renjun.

With big steps he closed the distance between them. He was fuming as he looked into their faces.

"Take that back."

Each word he said came out like a sharp arrow. For a second the three exchanged glances. Then the alpha amongst them took a step forward, his whole demeanor a bit menacing as he smiled down at Renjun.

 "Why would we? It's the truth."

Renjun's eyes formed tiny slits. He let out a dangerous growl. "Sicheng is not a rogue."

The alpha shrugged, obviously not taking Renjun very seriously. "He's not part of this pack either. For all we know, he could be on their side."

Renjun's eyes twitched. His voice was cold as he spoke, "Take that back. Now."

A disbelieving chuckle left the alpha. "No? I can say what I want."

A sudden impulse surged through Renjun's body, and before thinking it over twice he shoved the alpha harshly, making him stumble a few meters backwards.

"Take that back!" He yelled almost desperately, as if that would change anything. His breath was speeding up with rage. 

The alpha watched him in stunned disbelief, before his features were tainted by anger as well. "What's wrong with you?"

"YOU!" Renjun heaved. "You are what's wrong!"

"Did your dead parents not teach you manners?" The alpha mocked him. "Or are you just as much of a dirty rogue as your so-called brother is?"

Renjun's fist twitched. In his mind he could already picture himself punching the alpha right in his stupid face.

However, before he could make that fantasy a reality, someone jumped in front of him, tackling him in a tight hug.

"Renjun!" Yangyang exclaimed in a high pitch. He grabbed the omega by his shoulders, before hissing underneath his breath, "What the hell are you doing?!"

Renjun snarled, shooting daggers at the alpha behind Yangyang. "Nothing."

"Great," Yangyang said, assertively nudging Renjun away from the group of three.

As soon as they were out of sight, Renjun felt his rationality return to him. Surprised, he noticed that his hands were shaking again. Quickly he folded them together, hiding them behind his back so he wouldn’t have to look at them.

Yangyang could only shake his head next to him.

 

 

Jeno was nervously balancing his weight from his toes to his heel. There would be a shift change between the guards soon that he'd have to coordinate. Kun wasn't here yet, probably not having finished his own patrol.

His parents had been quite impressed when they had brought the rogue wolf to the castle. Well, partly at least. His father had openly expressed his admiration, praised his strategic thinking and quick wits. His mother had not been unhappy about their catch as it had gotten them new information that they wouldn't have obtained otherwise. However, the way she had pursed her lips and clicked her tongue, let Jeno know that she did not approve of his methods.

While she had been the one motivating him to return to his guard duties, Jeno saw right through her. She didn't like it whenever he brought himself or the pack in danger. But she had hated him wallowing over Renjun even more, so she couldn’t openly criticize him for his recklessness.

Their relationship had become very tense ever since their last confrontation. Jeno hadn't forgiven his mother for driving away the one person he loved with all his soul - not that she had ever tried apologizing. So, they only exchanged a few words, the air dropping a hundred degrees whenever they were left alone in a room without the chief to lighten the atmosphere.

Jeno had always respected his parents. That was just the way he had been raised. He still loved his mother. It was just that he loved Renjun just as much. He could not get over him that easily. He didn’t want to get over Renjun, no matter how much his mother wanted him to move on.

The prince snapped out of his thoughts when Kun finally strode onto the clearing, mingling with the first guards that had arrived for their next shifts.

Jaemin gave him an encouraging pat on his back when he noticed Jeno's muscles tensing up. The other alpha was the only one nowadays who seemed to really understand how he felt.

Jeno was always a bit nervous about taking charge. The first thing he had learned had always been to never show weakness, to hide his insecurities from other people. As long as he could keep up a confident facade it would get him through the day, give his pack hope and contain the raging fear that would only bring more harm than good should he express it.

Jeno had also learned that there were certain times and people where he should express his vulnerability. Nowadays, it just seemed like the world was taking all these times and people away from him.

In the end it always came back to Renjun leaving him and everything that had gone with him.

Jaemin nudged him in his side when he noticed Jeno’s attention drifting again, clearing his throat.

Jeno frowned in confusion, before he finally noticed that the number of guards assembled had increased drastically, staring at him in expectation.

Gathering himself and his running thoughts, he smoothly started with his instructions. Luckily, Kun and him had gone over everything earlier. Over time, he had become quite practiced in delegating the guard, making sure all the border posts were occupied and everybody knew where they had to be.

It always made Jeno feel good to be out here with his guards. Despite his mother wanting to keep him safe and sound behind the castle walls, he had always preferred to run around outside. Jaemin and him had gotten into quite some trouble when they had been younger for roaming the fields that they hadn't been allowed to seek out on their own as kids.

Jeno had always regretted not being such a public figure to his pack. Back in the day, Doyoung had always fought for his right to visit the village, help with their parents' duties, and be a presence that was visible to their people.

Jeno had not been as brave to speak up for himself as a kid. Maybe his mother had also coddled him a bit more as the younger sibling.

If Doyoung had not presented as an omega and in turn married and mated Taeyong, Jeno was sure he would be a promising chief to their pack right now.

However, now all that responsibility was passed down onto Jeno's shoulders and after...Renjun had left him, he had nobody to share it with. He couldn't allow himself any longer to be shy and hide in the castle. Not that he wanted to do that anyway.

All his life he had been raised to take care and protect his pack. And now was his time to prove himself. No matter how much his mother was against the idea of him out in the fields, she couldn't decide for him any longer. He had become an adult and he was ready to face the life he had been prepared for so diligently. The life he was destined to lead, despite the dangers waiting for him on his way.

Satisfied with his short and compact direction, Jeno was about to turn around, make one last arrangement with Kun and then start doing his rounds to check on all the borders himself.

A loud call for his name made him stop right in his step. There was only one person in the guard who dared to shout his name like that and he had come to appreciate him a lot because of it.

With a hint of amusement in his eyes he watched how Donghyuck shoved his personal guards off. He almost rolled his eyes when he saw them reluctantly let Donghyuck through to him. Knowing his mother's overprotective nature, he wouldn't doubt it if she had reinforced the ‘no unwanted people near him’-rule.

It only took a reaffirming short nod towards the two guards for them to stray away and leave Donghyuck alone, who huffed exasperated.

"Still keeping your bodyguards close?" The omega started their conversation.

Jeno could only grin in apology. "Probably my mother's doing. I told them multiple times that you can come talk to me any time."

Donghyuck brushed some imaginary dust off his gear, exaggerating the impact the guard's hold on him had done. Jeno chuckled lightly at his actions.

"There's no news from the rogue wolf, if you wanted to ask about that," Jeno let him know. Since they had caught Chang, Donghyuck had asked him about any updates every shift. "My father is interrogating him personally every day, but Chang's still swearing on his blood pact."

A scowl spread on Donghyuck's face, obviously unhappy with the news. "That sucks. I really wanna know what that alleged big plan is."

Jeno let out a heavy sigh. "Trust me, we all do. For now, the best we can do is keep our borders as safe as possible and try to not get hurt. I feel like we're gonna need everyone healthy and at full strength for what's to come."

"What if we catch another one?" Donghyuck suggested, all sorts of new schemes already forming in his head. "Maybe they'd talk more."

Jeno shook his head in dismissal. "No, if all the rogues made a blood pact it would be no use," he thought out loud. "Besides, we took a huge risk last time. We were lucky that nothing happened to any of us. We got what we wanted, so let's not bring ourselves in more unnecessary danger."

Donghyuck did not look particularly satisfied with that answer, but even he didn't dare to go against a prince directly. Also, his respect for Jeno was too big to even try anything behind his back.

"So, that's it?" Jeno asked him. Most people had already left for their positions. Jeno pointed at Shotaro waiting for them to finish their conversation impatiently. "Your partner wants to go, I think."

"One more thing," Donghyuck quickly said, beginning to scramble with his belt, where he had stuck something wrapped in a white cloth.

Carefully he handed it over to the prince, as if scared to break it. At first Jeno was more than confused what Donghyuck could possibly be giving him that needed to be handled this delicately, but then Donghyuck spoke up, much more quietly than Jeno had ever heard him speak before.

"Renjun asked me to return this to you," he muttered awkwardly.

Having unwrapped the weapon by now, Jeno recognized the small dagger he had gifted Renjun so many months ago. Emotion overcame him all of a sudden, but he quickly swallowed all of those thoughts that wouldn’t let him sleep at night.

He clenched his fists around the dagger, before folding it back in its concealment. "Tell him to keep it. I don't need it. It's for his own protection."

Again, Donghyuck hesitated. He hated being stuck in this position. But he guessed among Renjun's and Jeno's wishes, he ultimately had to follow Jeno's order, as he was the prince and his head guard.

Carefully, he stuck it back underneath his belt, checking if it was wrapped securely so that it wouldn't touch him accidentally.

He gave Jeno a curt nod, ready to escape this uncomfortable situation, but the alpha suddenly grabbed after his arm.

Even though Jeno had desperately tried to hold himself back, never asked anybody about Renjun before, he broke down at this very moment. It was just too tempting, Renjun hadn't felt this close to him in weeks.

"H-how is Renjun?"

Donghyuck let out a long sigh. Great, now he was becoming the official spokesperson for the couple. Just what he had wanted.

"He's...okay, I guess?" He answered, not wanting to concern Jeno but also not wanting to give him the impression that Renjun was fine, when clearly, he was not.

That much information seemed to be enough for Jeno, though, who pressed his lips together tightly and nodded. It was a sweet torture for Jeno, asking about Renjun's well-being. While he was relieved and eager to hear from him, to know that he was fine - it crushed him that there was this big, uncrossable distance between them.

He dismissed Donghyuck, who retreated eagerly and was gone with Shotaro within only a few seconds.

Trying to bottle up all his upcoming feelings he took a deep breath. Focus. He had work to do.

 

 

Renjun had curled into himself in the furthest corner of the orphanage, knees pressed to his chest as he tried to make himself as small and unnoticeable as humanly possible. A few people had given him nasty glares after the news of his...outburst...had spread.

While Yangyang had been a great friend, staying by his side almost the entire day, fighting everyone who looked at him the wrong way, it still tugged at Renjun's mood. After all his anger had vanished as sudden as it had come, he had returned to his weird emotionless state.

He didn't know what was wrong with him or if whatever it was would eventually become okay again after some time. He only knew that all his thoughts were pulling him down an endless ravine of coldness. So much so that the only thing Renjun really wanted was to just stop thinking, stop feeling.

All the beauty he had once known had faded. There were no more colors, no more warmth, no more flowers.

He heard how the orphanage door opened and closed silently. Protectively he hid his face away, disappearing almost completely underneath his furs. He didn't want to be seen.

"Renjun," a soft voice said, compassionate and sweet and oh so familiar.

Slowly he let his furs sink, taking a peek at the person standing in front of him before quickly covering himself again.

Sicheng sighed, dropping down to his knees once he had reached Renjun’s side. It was a slight struggle and fight, but in the end, he managed to slip underneath Renjun's covers, pressing himself snugly against the younger.

For a moment they were both quiet, the silence of the orphanage drowning every thought.

"Reminds me of the tents we used to build when we were younger," Sicheng commented lightheartedly and Renjun snorted.

Sicheng glanced at him, grinning to himself when he saw Renjun's sulky pout.

"A little birdie told me you went picking fights today," Sicheng said in a scolding manner. "Didn't I raise you better than that?"

Renjun huffed, rubbing his hands over his face and hair. "Yangyang."

A light chuckle left Sicheng. "Yes. But also, everyone else." Carefully, he nudged Renjun in his side. "So, what happened?"

Renjun grunted exasperated, not wanting to make a big deal out of this. "They were talking all that stuff about you," he told his older brother. "Nasty stuff, you know. Someone had to tell them off."

Sicheng sighed, letting his arm fall around Renjun's shoulder. "Well, you know, someone once told me I was part of this pack," he said and Renjun bit down on the inside of his cheek. "And since I value that someone's opinion very much, I don't really mind all the rumors. So you shouldn't either."

Demonstrating his words, Sicheng pulled out the silver necklace he was wearing, pointing to Renjun's matching one, now plain and without pendant - but the chain was still the same, showing their belonging to each other as one family and one pack.

There was not much Renjun could counter. In the end, it had been him who had tried everything to help Sicheng overcome his fear about being seen as an outcast. He would only admit to his own stupidity if he now couldn't follow his own advice.

"So, that's all?" Sicheng pried a little further. "You just got a bit defensive about me?"

Renjun made a confused noise, furrowing his eyebrows at the implication of Sicheng’s words. "What else should there be?"

It was silent for a second. Then Sicheng turned on his side, looking straight at Renjun, whose eyes flickered to the ground in an instant.

"You tell me," Sicheng prompted. "People spread much uglier rumors about you, but you never reacted like this before."

Renjun fixated his eyes onto a dark stain on the wooden floor. All of a sudden, his hands started trembling and quickly he sat down on them, trying to hide all his signs of weakness. He didn't want to be weak. He couldn't be weak.

But it was too late. Sicheng had seen him. Perhaps, Sicheng had always seen. No wonder, ever since they were kids, Sicheng had always seen through all his lies. In some situations that had been good, in others it had been disastrous. Renjun wasn't so sure what kind of situation this was.

In a last attempt to hide it all behind his carefully crafted mask to keep himself together he muttered defiantly, "I don't know what you mean."

Sicheng gave him a deadpan and Renjun avoided his eyes, afraid to be read even though they were long past that state.

"You've changed," Sicheng said out loud what everyone else had been too cautious to address directly. "Ever since you came back from the castle, you're different."

As if trying to prove his point, Sicheng pulled out Renjun’s hands from underneath his legs that were still shaking slightly. Sicheng’s warm fingers interlocked with his cold ones, reducing the shaking to a minimum.

"You're always on edge. You're tense, all the time. I love you, Renjun, always will," Sicheng continued his little intervention speech. "But this has to stop. You're suffering. Everyone who cares about you is seeing how you fall apart a little bit more each day. We're all just waiting for the day you open up to any of us so we can help."

Renjun's eyes felt threateningly wet at this point, his throat hurting.

"I don't know what happened between you and Jeno," Sicheng took the final blow. "But it hurts you deeply. And I want you to know that it's okay that you are hurting right now. I just wish you would talk to me."

The first tears started streaming down his face. He had always hated crying, but at this moment it felt so relieving that even though he felt nothing but pure desperation, he was just so glad he could cry again.

Sicheng immediately pulled him into a gentle hug once he noticed the shiny pearls drop onto the floor, holding him close and caressing over his back in comfort.

It felt so warm, so incredibly warm, Renjun felt choked up by all this love.

"W-hy did he have to be a p-prince?" He sobbed into the embrace. "I d-didn't- I never asked for this. Why does it hurt so much?"

Sicheng cooed as he began rocking them from side to side soothingly.

"I've never...why did I have to meet him? Why me? Why him?" Renjun sniffled sadly.

"The heart chooses what it needs," Sicheng told him calmly and with a wisdom that Renjun would’ve usually made fun of. "Whether we want that or not."

Renjun swallowed, causing a stabbing pain in the back of his throat. "I don't want that. I wish I never met Jeno."

Sicheng couldn't suppress his laughter. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Renjun huffed, upset and stubborn.

"Renjun-"

"Fine," Renjun irked, annoyed. "I don't. I..."

Sicheng gave him time as Renjun was searching for the right words.

"I never wanted to hurt Jeno. I never would've hurt anyone if I had never met him." Renjun still felt his words were lacking. "It's just not fair."

Slowly Sicheng let go of Renjun, detangling their limbs. Renjun's cheeks glistened with tears and Sicheng wiped them gently with his thumb.

He hummed in thought. "What is not fair?"

Renjun's skin felt sore as he rubbed over his burning eyes, trying to get them dry. "Everything. It's not fair that I... I love Jeno. That he loves me."

Sicheng tilted his head in slight confusion. "Now, you have to explain that a bit more if you want me to understand."

"It's just...I want to be with him so much," Renjun explained, voice breaking in the end. "Everything hurts. Everything hurts because I miss him so much. And yet I can't..."

Sicheng raised his eyebrows. "Can't what?"

"Can't be with him," Renjun concluded, shedding a few more tears. "There was never a chance we could make it. It's like...the universe gave me this...this perfect partner, the perfect mate. And then it just...it just made it impossible for us to be together."

Sicheng caressed over Renjun's cheek, before letting his fingers run gently through his long hair. "Why did you leave Jeno?"

"Because he is a prince. He is a chief, a leader. He is what this pack needs," Renjun said in all honesty. "And I'm not saying this because I want you to feel bad for me. I'm saying this because it is the truth." Renjun took a deep breath. "But I am not what this pack needs. I tried my best at the castle and I just failed over and over again. I really did give it everything I got, but I know I don't have what it takes to lead this pack. I really wanted it to work, I really believed I could do it. But I just couldn't."

"Renjun-"

"And that's...that's just how it is. It hurts and it's gonna hurt for a while, maybe forever. And if Jeno wouldn't be a prince, it would all not be a problem," Renjun didn't let Sicheng get a word in. "But Jeno is a prince. And I have to live with that. Life is not fair to everyone. And I can't change anything about that."

It was a vicious cycle.

And even though Sicheng didn't believe that Renjun was not enough to be their future chief, at this moment he couldn't argue against him. Couldn't find any words that would make Renjun feel better, give him hope for a better tomorrow, because he wasn’t sure if there would be such a thing for Renjun. And he didn’t want to lie.

How could he, when Renjun was shaking and shaking and drowning and drowning and suffocating from all the suffering he had already experienced in his young life?

All he could do was embrace Renjun again, hold him close and not let him suffer on his own.

Notes:

Hope you enjoyed this chapter??
Sorry for making you all go through the feels again, huhu, I also don't like making Renjun suffer :((

Thank you so much for reading, though!!
(If I don't get back to your comments right away as usual, please forgive me...I'm seeing Dream this weekend and might be a bit busy :))

Stay safe and healthy <3

Chapter 37: Sparkling Mist

Notes:

Heyho, sorry for the delay, to make up for it this chapter is extra long :D
Enjoy!!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Dinner was tense. These past weeks it always had been. Jeno pushed his food around on his plate absentmindedly. His mother clicked her tongue in disapproval. Jeno didn't pay her any attention.

Underneath the table Jaemin lightly kicked him into his shin, making Jeno lift his head irritated, their eyes meeting over the plates of food. His best friend gave him a smile, obviously trying to cheer him up, but Jeno could only return it half-heartedly.

The air was so thick, you could almost see the seconds stretching in front of you, the silence dreadful and slow.

 

Luckily, their relief came right in the next second.

The door to the dining room was pushed open with momentum, making everybody turn their heads.

Doyoung and Taeyong strode into the room, smiling brightly and cheeks rosy from the cold wind. Immediately, the chiefess jumped out of her seat to greet her oldest son. Her husband also stood up, shaking hands with Taeyong.

"We didn't hear any horns," the chief commented, surprised by the sudden visit of the Lunaris leaders. Usually, people of high status like Doyoung and Taeyong had their presence announced whenever they reached the castle.

"We didn't want to wake anybody up. It's already late," Doyoung explained pragmatically, his smile charming.

His mother started fussing right away. "Please, sit down, we have enough food for everybody. Your travel must’ve been exhausting."

Not having much of a choice, Taeyong and Doyoung were quickly seated at the table and tended to with the most delicious of dishes.

 

The atmosphere got much lighter as the couple relieved some of the tension, unaware of recent events and fights that had occurred in these castle walls. Soon, they were chatting with each other cheerfully, conversation flowing naturally between them.

Jaemin gestured to heaven, a silent thank you falling from his lips and Jeno snorted underneath his breath. But in some sense, he was right. The presence of Taeyong and Doyoung seemed to be a gift sent from above.

"Yeah, Jeno's the new head guard," the chief joined the conversation, giving his son a proud pat on his back.

Taeyong also gave him an impressed look of acknowledgement. "I’ve heard only great things from Kun."

Jeno managed a tight-lipped smile, humming gratefully.

Doyoung leaned over the table with a twinkle in his eyes. "Is it true you helped catch that rogue?"

This time Jeno's smile was genuine. He smugly cocked his eyebrows at Doyoung, but that simple mimic was enough for his older brother.

"No way! You?" Doyoung laughed in stunned happiness. "Taking such a risk? Never been prouder to call you my brother."

Their mother clicked her tongue. "Well, we've all been lucky that nobody got hurt that day."

"At least thanks to Jeno we got a clearer view on what is happening at our borders," the chief defended his son.

Before Jeno could deny all the praise and humbly admit that he never could've done any of it alone, Taeyong chimed in, "Do you keep the rogue here in your cells?" The leader asked, more than interested. "Can we speak with him?"

His father let out a long sigh. "You can, but I doubt you'll get anything new out of him." He took a sip from his glass.

Doyoung started frowning. "Why not?” A sly smirk crept onto his features. “You know I can be very persuasive."

"Even you can't make him break a blood pact," the chief said, putting his glass back down on the table with a clear clank.

The couple exchanged surprised glances. "He made a blood pact? With the Noctis pack?"

Jeno nodded in confirmation. "We've been interrogating him multiple times, but he's not budging from his story. The only thing he keeps repeating is that there is a big plan coming soon that's going to be all our doom."

"A big plan?" Taeyong thought out loud. "What would that be?"

Nobody had an answer to that. All they knew was that it could certainly not be anything good. The only hope they had was that they'd be well enough prepared.

 

After they finished eating everybody got up from their seats, ready to retreat for the night.

However, before each of them could go their separate way for the night, Doyoung suddenly remembered something.

He held Jaemin back, grabbing him by his wrist. "Wait, I almost forgot to give you this."

All the eyes turned to Jaemin as Doyoung got out a foreign looking piece of paper, much brighter and thinner than the paper they used within their pack.

Jaemin's eyes immediately lit up, before he furrowed his brows. He recognized this sort of paper - his parents had written him!

Everybody else had by now also taken notice of the letter that had undoubtedly come from the human city.

"It arrived at the Lunaris castle yesterday morning. It must've been urgent if they sent it to us instead of right here, so I thought we'd come by to deliver it ourselves," Doyoung explained when he noticed the question marks on Jaemin's face.

The whole room was holding its breath as Jaemin slowly and carefully unwrapped the letter. For a few seconds there was dead silence, only Jaemin's frown growing deeper and deeper the more he read.

"What are they saying? Are they okay?" Jeno was the first one to ask, not at all happy by how his best friend's smile faded more and more, exchanged for dark clouds of worry.

Jaemin blinked confused a few times, pupils flickering left and right as he read the letter a second time. "They seem to be alright. But-"

Not saying a word more, Jaemin handed the letter to Jeno, who eagerly began scanning its content.

 

'Our dearest Jaemin,

We hope this letter arrives to you in the fastest way possible. Sending letters from here to you usually takes a couple days, but this seems to be a matter of utter importance.

Only show this letter to people who you trust, since it appears that nowadays there are people whose intentions are evil.

Something strange has occurred today. These past months we spotted a few strangers in this little village. They didn't seem human, but they didn't have a scent, so we didn't speak to them to keep our cover.

They were in close contact with a few humans that are working in a big fabric here. We caught them sneaking a few strange looking objects into the forest. We didn’t know what they were up to, but we decided to keep a closer look on them.

They seem to know that we are not human, because they stare at us with such knowing eyes. But they can't be wolves, since they don't have a smell, do they? How would they know about us?

Today, when we followed them, they dropped a copy of some kind of instruction. We've spotted them a lot more these past weeks.

We drew you the instructions underneath this letter, we think it might be some kind of dangerous machine, but we don’t know what exactly it is supposed to be, since there seem to be pieces still missing.

We don't know who these people are, but they don't look like they have good intentions and they keep disappearing into the woods.

We've never seen them shift, but we also never found a possible human residence they could live in.

They haven't returned to the human village in a while, which is strange, since they came here almost every day the past week. It seems, whatever they came looking for, they finally found it.

Please be careful, Jaemin. Talk to nobody who you don't trust. We don't know who or what these people are.

Loving and missing you always,

mom and dad.'

 

Now Jeno was also frowning. The letter was long and seemed to hold a lot of information, while simultaneously not saying much.

Strangers? Not human? But not their kind?

He scanned the letter again. The messy drawing underneath only contained a few descriptions and Jeno had no clue what it could be.

His parents were looking at him and Jaemin confused, impatiently expecting him to explain what seemed to be the issue.

Jeno threw Jaemin a look, who nodded. Wordlessly he passed the letter on to his parents, Doyoung and Taeyong.

One after another they started furrowing their eyebrows in wonder. The letter seemed clear enough so they could understand what it should mean, but at the same time, it was like Jaemin's parents were speaking in riddles.

Jeno was going over the same line in his head over and over again.

They didn't seem human, but they didn't have a scent.

 

A sudden epiphany hid him.

"It's the Noctis pack!" He exclaimed, the volume of his voice making everybody startle. "Their omegas don't have a scent, right? They sent their omegas to the village to trade with the humans! They distract and weaken us at our borders with rogues. They paint their fur black, so we think they are staying within their borders, meanwhile they travel all the way to the human village! That must be the big plan!"

It was like lightning had struck. Suddenly everything made sense.

"That's why they know that your parents are wolves, but since they don't have a scent, your parents can't recognize them. And I'm sure they can hide quite well, since their fur is black!" Jeno kept explaining further, then he pointed to the messy drawing on the letter. "They are building some kind of weapon! A human weapon!"

The severity of his words hit them all like a brick.

His father studied the drawing underneath the letter in deep concentration. All of a sudden, he stormed out of the room.

"Wh-what-?" Taeyong muttered confused.

"A human weapon," the chiefess whispered breathlessly, knees giving out underneath her as she sank back in her chair.

"Are we sure this is the only explanation?" Doyoung asked, trying to be rational, but only the imagination of a human weapon was making fear run through his blood. "I mean, this drawing could be almost anything."

Jaemin's complexion had also paled significantly. Everybody was shaken up by the sudden revelation.

They heard the chief's steps echo through the halls, returning to the dining hall. With puzzled gazes they all looked at him, but then he dropped a few old scriptures onto the table.

It didn't even take Jeno a second to recognize them as his grandfather's old reports of his excursion to the human world, before the big war had happened and they went back into hiding.

The chief kept mumbling to himself as he flicked through the pages. His pupils were shaking as he kept looking at Jaemin's letter and the old handwriting on the scriptures.

Suddenly his breath hitched. "I knew I had seen this before," he said, holding up a single sheet of parchment.

Quickly, Jeno stepped around the table to take a look over his shoulder. While the drawing was a bit sloppy, the resemblance was too close to be a coincidence. The parts were all fitting, missing pieces falling right into place with the drawing of Jaemin’s parents.

"So? What is it?" The chiefess asked, agitated.

"Bombs."

Nobody made a single sound. Maybe the rogue had been right all along. This was their doom.

The chiefess jumped out of her seat, clenching her fists. "What are we all standing around for here!" She shouted, all fear vanished from her features, the call for action taking over her. "If that letter arrived yesterday, I'm pretty sure the Noctis pack has finished building their bombs by now!"

Her neat hair bun was falling apart as her breathing sped up.

"We have no time! We have to evacuate the village! Bring them all to the castle, it's the only place safe right now!"

Her heavy panting was the only sound in the room.

The chief took her side. "You heard her! We have to save our people!" He seemed to think for a moment, looking at their small round. "Doyoung, Taeyong, I want you to ride down to the village as fast as possible and start leading people here. I'll come with you - they'll feel safer if we leaders stay together and lead them here as a combined front."

Then he turned to his son. "Jeno, Jaemin, I want you to ride to the borders. They're gonna attack there first - you need to warn all the guards. They need to leave, right now!"

"I'll stay here and prepare the castle for the arrival," the chiefess said, giving each of them a piercing look. "Hurry. We don't know how much time we have left. The longer we wait, the higher the risk that we lose lives tonight."

There were no more words needed.

 

As he was running, the chief kept yelling more and more commands to his personal guards and servers, instructing them to help evacuate the village.

Jeno and Jaemin were off to the stables, not stopping for anyone on their way. Skillfully, they swung themselves on their horses, tearing through the trees they had roamed ever since they had been old enough to hold themselves upright on top of a horse.

They exchanged anxious looks as they surged ahead along the familiar path. The borders had never seemed farther.

 

 

Renjun had been watching the little orphanage children return from their mud surfing adventure peacefully. It had drizzled today, the perfect weather to go spend a day in the mud. Oh, how much would he give to return to these happiest of days, where nothing seemed as important as breaking the speed record in surfing down the hill.

After a day full of fun, everybody was coming back home. The sun was slowly setting, breaking through the cloudy sky every now and again.

It seemed like every other day.

And then the air was torn apart.

An alarming horn went off, multiple times.

As he was the only adult currently present in the orphanage all the children immediately turned to look at him for guidance. Half of them still were in the process of pulling off their muddy boots, faces covered with dirt, hair damp from the light rain.

Motioning for them to stay inside Renjun rose from his furs, heading to their main entrance. Carefully, he peeked his head outside the orphanage - he was almost thrown over as three horses surged right past his face.

To his left and right people were also coming out of their huts, looking after the three horses that were riding through the small alleys, carrying the leaders of the Lunaris and Solaris pack.

Renjun hurried after them, as he expected them to take a stop near their fireplace - the common gathering spot for their village.

 

People were already squeezing against each other, everybody screaming in confusion at the sudden arrival and alarming noises. Panic was starting to spread and Renjun was nearly pushed to the ground a second time.

A loud horn disrupted the commotion.

All three leaders were seated highly on their horses. It took a few seconds until it was quiet enough for them to speak.

"We're vacating the village!" The chief's booming voice resonated over their heads. "We have reason to believe that the Noctis pack might invade our borders tonight. They have bombs, which our guards are not prepared to face!"

Now Renjun actually fell to the ground, pushed by someone who wasn't paying attention in their panic as everybody started screaming in fear.

"STAY CALM!" The chief yelled, but he could hardly be heard over their uproar.

Another guard played the horn again, but this time it took even longer for the pack to become quiet.

"Everybody, get your children! And then please follow my son and Taeyong calmly to the castle, where you will be safe!" He instructed them with his usual composure. "Don't take any belongings! Don't panic! Nothing will happen to you if you follow our orders! We'll meet at the forest clearing in ten minutes, from where we will all leave for the castle together!"

Curling in on himself to not be stepped on, Renjun waited for a while before he moved, as more and more people started pushing and pulling, screaming and yelling, all eager to get to the forest clearing or to collect their children.

All three leaders slowly rode through the crowd, spreading them apart a little. Renjun feared being trampled to death for a moment.

 

Suddenly a strong pair of arms pulled him upright.

"Renjun!" Yuta was holding him up straight. "Are you alright?"

People kept pushing each other, so Renjun quickly held onto Yuta to not be thrown onto the ground again.

Determinedly, the alpha started guiding them after the horses towards the clearing. "Come on, we need to leave!" Yuta shouted into his ear.

Renjun  clawed his nails into Yuta's arm with desperation. "NO!"

Confused, Yuta turned to look at Renjun.

"I have to fetch the kids from the orphanage! Please, take Sicheng and get out of here!" Renjun yelled with all his lung capacity. When Yuta seemed unsure, he added, "I'll be right with you! But someone has to get the kids! We can't leave them here!"

As Renjun gave him a stubborn look, Yuta understood that Renjun wouldn't budge. Hesitantly, he let go of him. "Be careful. And hurry."

Renjun nodded, before using what he had learned from Yangyang and elbowing his way through the crowd. It was a fight - but he doubted that in this state anybody else but him would think about the orphanage kids. Everybody was too busy looking after themselves, their mate, kids - their own family. And the orphanage was Renjun's.

He took a relieved breath, almost falling to his knees exhausted when he finally reached the orphanage gate. But there was no time. Danger had never been closer, threatening them from behind where they couldn't see it.

 

All the children had waited dutifully for his return inside. Seven big pairs of eyes were looking at him in anxious anticipation.

Renjun swallowed.

"Everybody, put your boots back on," he said, trying to emit a calm energy. There was already enough panic in the village. "We're going on a trip to the castle."

As if sensing that this situation was serious, all the children started getting themselves ready.

"What's going on?"

"Why are we leaving?"

"We're just safer in the castle," Renjun said with a warm smile. "The chief wants us to be there."

"But I like it here," a small girl pouted, struggling with her shoelaces. Swiftly, Renjun crouched down in front of her, tying them for her with practiced movements.

He gave her a sweet smile. "They have a very nice garden at the castle. You're gonna love it there."

He stood up, doing a quick head count. He did one last round through the orphanage, to be sure he wasn't forgetting anyone.

His heart dropped when he passed the storage room. The absence of his mudboard was so blatantly obvious next to Sicheng's.

Shocked, he returned to the entrance, where all the children had paired up neatly, holding each other by their hands.

"Where's Ningning?" Renjun asked after counting once more, not seeing the girl with them.

"She was mud surfing with us," a boy told him.

Oh no. No, just...no.

Renjun felt panic creep up his throat. No, he couldn’t lose his mind now. He had to stay focused, otherwise not only him, but all the kids would be lost as well. He took a deep breath, trying to sort his thoughts.

Okay, one step after another. He had to get the orphans to the clearing first. Then he could search for Ningning on his own.

 

Luckily the chaos outside had subsided a little as he opened the gate, most people had already left. Grabbing the first kid by his hand, Renjun started leading the little group towards the forest clearing. They followed him like little ducklings and Renjun thanked the heavens that no one was acting up right now.

Once they reached the clearing, where everybody had gathered around the two Lunaris leaders, their own chief doing rounds through the village, Renjun kneeled down.

"Stay with all the others, okay?" He told them insistently. "You can go with Sicheng when you find him, okay? He's somewhere here."

At least that's what Renjun hoped. The kids nodded to him, holding onto each other bravely. He patted their heads, praying for the best.

Then he stood back up straight. "Where did you go mud surfing today?" He asked them.

"The sunflower fields!" They all yelled in reply.

Renjun nodded, before giving them a smile. "Okay. Stay together, everyone. I'll be right back."

Even though he felt icky leaving the kids without a direct supervisor, he had enough faith in his pack that someone would look after them from now on.

People had already started surrounding him, so it was harder to fight his way back to the village. Clenching his teeth together, Renjun pushed his body forward mercilessly. There was no way he could leave Ningning behind just like this. The least he could do was go look for the girl.

Once he had left most of the people behind him, he shifted to his wolf form and started surging forward.

The sunflower fields were a little further out than all their other fields. But they did have the best hills to go mud surfing. He only hoped Ningning hadn't wandered off on her own. Knowing she liked exploring the woods sometimes, Renjun’s stomach churned. He didn't want to imagine what could happen to her all on her own.

 

Never before had he run faster - it had barely taken him ten minutes to the fields.

Adrenaline rushing through his veins he transformed back, standing up as tall as he could so he could have the best overview. At first, he felt like he would faint - he couldn't see a sign of the missing girl. Squinting his eyes, he slowly scanned the area one more time - there, something had moved!

He released an audible sigh of relief. There, in between the bushes he spotted the light wood of his mudboard.

Sliding down the hill on his feet he quickly ran towards it. "Ningning!"

The girl crawled out of the trees when she heard her name being called. Once he reached her the first thing Renjun did was pull her into a tight hug. Oh, did that feel good, Ningning was safe.

Then he remembered what he was here for. They weren’t safe just yet.

"Come on, we have to go!" He said urgently, grabbing her hand.

"We can't!" Ningning argued with a pout. "The mudboard!"

Confused, Renjun turned around.

Ningning ducked her head sheepishly. "It's stuck in the tree," she mumbled quietly. "I can't leave without it! You said to take good care of it!"

Renjun almost laughed out loud, the concern of the young girl feeling almost ridiculous to him considering their situation. Instead, he leaned down to her. "It's okay. But we have to leave. Didn't you hear the alarm horns? It's not safe here, so everybody's leaving to go to the castle."

"But the board-"

"It's okay," Renjun told her full of compassion. "I'll help you get it once this is over. But first, we have to go, okay?"

Ningning looked up at him reluctantly through her lashes, but eventually she nodded in agreement.

Renjun interlocked their hands tightly. He would not let go of the girl until he had delivered her to the castle himself.

 

The mud underneath their feet was squelching as they climbed their way up the hill. It was almost comically loud.

Ningning kept sliding and stumbling clumsily, the rain had turned every inch of the hill into a slippery slope. It was a whole balance act to not only get himself but the girl back up to the sunflower fields.

Everything was wet and dirty and Renjun wanted nothing more than a hot bath once they finally reached the top.

The sun was barely visible anymore, the sky a dark gray, making it harder to see ahead.

They took a short break after their climb, both breathing heavily. It should've been quiet except for their breathing. But it wasn't.

 

There was still the sound of mud being squashed. Puzzled, Renjun turned his head around.

His heart leaped out of his chest when he saw a stranger suddenly behind them, struggling his way uphill much faster than they had.

Once he noticed Renjun looking at him, he grinned devilishly. Renjun saw a crest stitched onto his clothing, two dark clouds hiding a full moon. The Noctis crest, he recognized from his history lessons at the castle.

Ningning yelped in pain when he clutched their fingers together - but Renjun didn't care at this moment. He pulled her along harshly as he started running.

The man behind them growled and howled.

"Renjun!" Ningning screeched fearfully, having noticed the man as well by now, who kept getting closer and closer.

Renjun had no breath to answer her. All his energy was being used to keep pushing them forward, dragging the stumbling Ningning behind him relentlessly.

He threw an anxious glance over his shoulder. The man was so close, only a few more meters and he would have them.

Without thinking, he picked Ningning up and slid her as far away as possible over the muddy ground. Then he turned around, facing the dangerous stranger.

The man bared his teeth as he realized that Renjun had stopped the chase. It didn't even take him a second to catch up to him.

The dagger!

Swiftly, Renjun bent down, trying to fish it out of his boots - when the man threw himself on top of him.

Renjun's face hit the ground painfully and he grunted as an unpleasant sting traveled up his spine. His muscles strained underneath the weight of the man, but he managed to pull his knees up to his chest, getting his fingers into his boots.

The man smelled of coal, he was heavy and huge as he pressed down on Renjun's chest.

"Your scent," he growled, pupils flushing wide as he rubbed his nose against Renjun's neck, inhaling deeply.

Renjun whined in disgust, trying to wriggle himself free - his fingers grazed the handle of the dagger! He wrapped his fingers around the handle, just as the alpha grabbed both his wrists, pinning him to the ground.

With his teeth Renjun got hold of the cloth wrapping the dagger, pulling it apart from the weapon. Using all his force he pushed his knee up into the alpha's groin, who howled in pain, giving him the chance to pull his wrist free.

Not thinking about it for too long, Renjun pressed the silver against the face of the man, before letting the flat side of the blade slide over his throat.

The scream of agony made chills run down his back as the man clutched his hand over his burned skin that formed red and purple spots immediately.

After a few seconds Renjun pulled the blade away, but the man kept kneeling on the ground helplessly, victim to his own wounds, unable to move.

His heart was wildly beating against his ribs as Renjun brushed him off, leaving him on the ground, wallowing in pain.

 

Ningning was watching him in stunned silence. Quickly, Renjun pulled her off her feet, and started running again. One hand was holding Ningning tightly, the other one was still clutching the dagger.

If that man had made it past their borders, there could be more.

Slowly, his legs were getting tired from running and fighting. One thing was for sure, he couldn't keep running much longer. And like this they would never catch up to the rest of the pack, that must already be on the way to the castle.

 

They had only reached their other fields by now but were still far away from the forest clearing.

A sudden thought crossed his mind. Abruptly Renjun stopped as he spotted the stables in the distance, making Ningning run into him face first. She scrunched her nose, rubbing it in pain. But then Renjun was already yanking her forward again, straight into the stables.

There weren't many horses in their village. And they had certainly never been ridden before, only used for field work. But they couldn't keep running, and Ningning was too young to shift. This was the only other option.

He could only hope that his lessons at the castle wouldn’t turn out to be completely useless.

The horse seemed pretty unbothered as Renjun helped Ningning climb on top, only munching on its feed.

"Hold onto the mane," Renjun instructed Ningning, who clawed her little fingers into the long, ragged hairs.

Renjun took a deep breath. Time to prove what he had learned.

He jumped as high as he could, throwing his leg over the horse's back and landing on top almost smoothly. Circling Ningning with his arms, who was sitting right in front of him, he also held onto the mane.

Without a saddle it was even more shaky to sit on top of a horse.

Carefully he pressed his thighs into the sides of the horses, clicking with his tongue to get it to move.

He exhaled relieved when the horse listened to his basic commands and started trotting comfortably. 

Okay. Well, now that that had worked-

"Hold on tight," Renjun told Ningning.

Time to test his stomach.

Pressing into its sides a little bit harder with his boots the horse neighed in protest, before it started galloping forward in fast strides.

 

 

 

Donghyuck was on outer border duty today. Had been for a few hours already - it was already getting dark, so the night guard should take over soon. He stretched his arms up to the sky. His back was sore from all the standing.

He would make a last patrol up their area and then stay together with Shotaro so the next guards could relieve them together. Maybe he had taken a few more trips to the end of their assigned border than he usually would. But who could blame him? He cared deeply about the safeness of their pack. (Especially when Mark was assigned right to the area next to theirs.)

The alpha was already waiting for him, leaning leisurely against a tree with a crooked smile on his face.

"We are working here, you know that?" Donghyuck told him when Mark wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him close.

Mark only smirked, closing the small distance between their lips and stealing a chaste kiss. "Doesn't mean we can't enjoy it."

Donghyuck snorted, rolling his eyes fondly as he caressed over Mark's chest. "Well, I have to head back now. Shotaro is probably already waiting with our relief guards."

Mark pouted in disappointment, but let him go reluctantly. "I'll see you at the clearing?"

"Sure." Donghyuck winked teasingly. "If you're fast enough."

Mark gasped insulted, about to chase after the omega - when loud screams reached their ears, coming from a far distance. Alarmed, they both tensed up, listening into the disrupted silence. There were more shouts all of a sudden, like turmoil had broken out between the guards.

"What's going on?" Donghyuck asked, staring off into the direction the noise was coming from.

When someone attacked, they usually howled in alarm. This was different.

Mark seemed equally lost. "Should we take a look?"

Donghyuck was already ahead of him, running straight towards the screams, distressed by the sudden commotion.

Before Mark could follow him, a loud bang ripped the world apart.

 

It was so loud and hot - as Donghyuck lost the ground under his feet, being thrown through the air by the immense force of the bang he thought-

'This was it. I'm gonna die today.'

Whatever was happening, it had gotten him. The sheer power of it was overwhelming, numbing and robbing him of any opportunity of defense.

For a second it all stopped. The heat, the ringing in his ears. Everything was dead.

 

Harshly, he was hurled against a tree, feeling the bark press into his back uncomfortably, knocking the air out of his lungs.

After that it was silent. When Donghyuck slowly forced his eyes open, smoke was rising all around him. He was lying on the muddy ground, wrapped around a tree whose leaves had caught on fire.

Coughing, Donghyuck pulled himself on his knees and hands. His head was bursting, and his back felt like it had been broken in two halves.

What the hell had just happened?

He blinked a few times, trying to see through the gray fog that was almost taking all his vision. He could hardly see his own fingers on the ground as he carefully dragged himself forward.

Wait - Something was missing-

"MARK!"

Donghyuck's voice was hoarse, but so full of panic it rose to a pitch it had never reached before. Where was Mark, he needed to find Mark. Mark had been just by his side. He needed to be here. He needed to be, he had to be.

"MARK!" His voice was gaining volume.

Desperately, Donghyuck crawled over the ground, not aware of the direction he was heading in. He needed to find Mark.

The smoke was itching in his eyes, forcing tears to form and spill over his cheeks. Everything was black, so black. His heartbeat sped up. He couldn't see, he couldn't breathe. He was alone in the darkness.

His eyelids got heavier with each second and it was tempting, so tempting to succumb to the pressure and let the darkness engulf him.

No. Not him, not today. Not now that he knew how precious his life what not only to himself but to so many other people.

Gathering his last remaining strength Donghyuck heaved his body forward, just forward in one direction, any direction really, the only thing in his mind that he couldn't stop, couldn't give up now.

"MARK!"

His scream resonated into the foggy void, scratchy but firm, shaky but determined. He would survive this, for Mark if not for himself.

"Hyuck?" A tiny voice suddenly asked back, much weaker than his own and Donghyuck's whole body tensed up before relief flooded him.

Donghyuck's breathing sped up, causing him to cough violently. Frantically, he moved towards the sound, shouting Mark's name over and over again.

Mark’s silhouette appeared in the smoke, lying flat on his stomach as he heaved himself in Donghyuck’s direction.

"Donghyuck!"

Donghyuck felt new tears run over his cheeks as he let out the breath he had been holding in fear.

There was a streak of blood running down Mark's head, but apart from that he seemed fine.

"Are you okay?" Donghyuck asked, voice cracking as he wiped the blood away from Mark's face.

"Y-yeah, I think so," Mark replied, not caring about his own injuries as he scanned Donghyuck up and down. "You? Were you hurt?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Donghyuck assured him, ignoring the throbbing pain in his back. "What happened?"

Mark suddenly leaned over, coughing violently, tears filling his eyes. "I think- I don't know? An explosion?"

"We need to get out of here," Donghyuck concluded, feeling more than uneasy watching Mark curl over from his coughing fit. "Can you move?"

Mark nodded, clearing his throat over and over again.

"Hold my hand," Donghyuck said, reaching his hand out for Mark, which the alpha took without hesitation.

He still didn’t have a single clue where he was going, if he was crawling straight into the smoke or out of it - all Donghyuck knew was that if they could endure this long enough, they would eventually get out.

His heart pounded in his chest, jumping alleviated when the fog around them seemed to lighten and it got easier to see and breathe. Not letting go of Mark's hand, who was returning his pressure in assurance, he led them further out.

Soon the air seemed almost clear again, and they could spot the treetops above them.

Donghyuck took a deep breath, enjoying the relative freshness that filled his lungs. Next to him Mark was slowly pulling himself upright to his feet, using the trees next to them as support. Carefully, he helped Donghyuck up as well.

Horrified, they looked at the hole they had just crawled out of. Bushes and trees around them were still burning, and the dark, black smoke got thicker and thicker the farther you looked.

Suddenly there was a second terrifying bang in the distance, just as loud and mortifying as the first one - but it didn't hit them. Both of them still flinched in shock as the earth seemed to shake from the impact of brute force. Something was going very, very wrong.

"We have to leave," Mark's rusty voice cut through the deafening silence that followed afterwards. "We have to leave."

Donghyuck choked up in fear. He didn't want to imagine what had happened to the other guards. Was Shotaro okay? Johnny?

But Mark was here. And Mark was right. They needed to leave.

There was no sense in seeking any of their friends. No use in trying to protect their borders anymore. Their protection had fallen. The smoke was making it impossible to search for anybody, their injuries keeping them from even trying to lift their swords. The possibility of falling victim to another bang was too frightening. They had lost.

As if knowing what Donghyuck was going through, feeling all his conflicting emotions storming down on him, Mark reached for his hand again. His own eyes were shimmering with tears as he started leading them away from the smoke - whatever direction that was.

No words left them as they slowly fought their way through the forest. The only thing that they could trust was each other. And so, they did, holding onto each other as their last hope of survival. Their last light in the smoke. Their last resort of comfort.

Donghyuck felt if it wasn't for Mark, he actually would've died. Once again, Mark was saving him from his death.

 

In the distance the sound of hooves was audible. Afraid, Mark stopped their walk, pulling Donghyuck behind him. All their defenses were down, all he had left for protection was his weakened body.

A white horse appeared in the smoke, almost comically bright against the darkness around them.

"Mark? Donghyuck?"

Oh, luck really was on their side today it seemed.

The familiar figure of Jaemin greeted them, concern written all over his face.

"Help," was all Donghyuck managed to say, threateningly close to falling over, legs weak underneath him.

Jaemin did not wait for more explanation. Within the blink of an eye, he slid down his horse, heaving first Donghyuck and then Mark on top of its back.

"What about the others?" Donghyuck asked desperately. "Shotar-"

"There are a few more search parties out here," Jaemin quickly soothed him. "Jeno and a few more guards from the castle."

"Where are we going?" Mark questioned, resting his exhausted body against Donghyuck's.

"The castle," Jaemin said. "Don't worry. You'll be safe."

Maybe that's what their bodies were waiting to hear, because in the next second both of them finally gave in, falling into deep slumber.

 

 

Ningning was braver than he was, Renjun thought quietly to himself. The girl hadn't complained a single time during the hours they were by now wandering through the forest. She had only whimpered in fear twice, when they had heard two loud noises in the distance and the smell of burnt wood had spread around them.

Beside from that she was putting up a tough front, obediently clutching her little fingers into the mane of the horse like Renjun had told her when they had started their journey.

Meanwhile Renjun himself was having a hard time holding himself together.

He didn't know where his friends were, if Sicheng had made it out of the village, the orphanage kids, Yangyang. If Donghyuck and Mark were safe or just like him, straying around on their pack grounds with nothing to guide them.

Renjun didn't even know where he was. The two noises had disoriented him so much that he didn't even know which way home was, not to mention in which direction the castle was located. He had lost his way and once again, was all on his own.

Pictures were flashing through his mind, violent pictures. The hand that was still holding the dagger in fear was trembling slightly.

He doubted that he had killed the stranger, but he had definitely seriously injured him. In that moment, Renjun hadn't even thought about it, the only thing on his mind protecting Ningning and his own life. At least the fighting lessons he had gotten at the castle had paid themselves off a little. Even though Renjun would prefer it if he would never have to make use of his weapon again, the screams of the man still haunting him. No matter how much he didn't want to feel sorry, his stomach twisted at the brutal memory.

The fact that he was alive due to his survival instincts was as overwhelming as it was reassuring to him.

The thoughts about the attack and evacuation of the village were still occupying his mind, but now there was a new restlessness mingling with them. Not knowing where he was, where everyone else was drove him to the very edge.

If only he could talk to anybody. And with anybody, Renjun had to admit, he mostly meant Jeno. The alpha had always been honest with him, never lying about what was truly happening. He had always provided Renjun with the sort of information he urgently needed in this very situation.

If only someone could find them.

 

 

Jeno was nervously chewing on his lips, the metallic taste of blood already spreading on his tongue.

The moon had risen, sharing its pale light through the windows.

The castle had never been fuller. There were members of their pack everywhere. His mother had done a great job at distributing everyone into different rooms while also keeping everyone together, turning their great ball room into a resting area and their dining hall into a bedroom for all the children.

Still, the place was packed.

There was just one person missing.

After Jeno had returned from his trip to the border with Jaemin, rescuing all the guards from the Lunaris and Solaris pack, carrying all the victims of the two bombs that had exploded into their healing quarters, he had immediately done a round through the crowd.

Renjun was yet to be found.

A few more personal guards of his were still out, looking for people possibly left behind at the borders - but the pack had been swept empty. Jeno's father had assured him so himself, having searched behind every corner before he had started the journey back to the castle.

Where was Renjun?

"You're making everybody nervous," Jaemin whispered to him as Jeno took his place by his side, watching over the people in the ballroom.

"How?" Jeno frowned as he kept wandering around restlessly.

"Just...your energy," Jaemin told him. "Calm down. I'm sure he's somewhere here."

Oh, if only Jeno could believe that. He wholeheartedly wanted to believe that. But by now he had done six rounds, offering drinks and blankets to all the people. All the people except Renjun.

He swallowed his own blood. His body was on alert, but at the same time, it screamed for him to take a break. Not that there was any way that Jeno would get away with sneaking off to bed.

Both his parents were still mingling with the people, answering questions that came from fearful and concerned places, while being equally as hopeless. Everything was falling apart.

Meanwhile, Doyoung and Taeyong had set up camp in a corner, doing first aid and trying to calm down all the guards from the Lunaris pack that had gotten roped into this situation while on border patrol.

Yeah, there was no way Jeno could leave his duty. While people were mostly looking up to all the leaders, he knew there was still responsibility resting on his shoulders, to protect and nourish his people to the best of his abilities. His presence had an influence on the pack, as Jaemin had just kindly let him know.

 

The sound of the gate to the hall falling into its lock made Jeno snap his head around.

All the tension fell off his shoulders. Renjun looked small and roughed up, standing in front of the huge wooden door. Not only Jeno's head had turned when he had entered the room, accompanied by one of the guards, but many people had been made aware of his arrival by the noise of the heavy gate. Shifting uncomfortably under the sudden attention, Renjun's eyes flickered over their heads.

Their gazes met and Jeno stopped breathing.

Renjun looked as lovely as the day he had left him.

Without even trying to resist the urge he disregarded Jaemin's quiet mumbling and strode across the hall with big steps.

He didn't care that people were looking. As soon as he was close enough to smell Renjun's scent, every ounce of control he had over his emotions vanished. His body, his heart and soul were calling out for Renjun and there was no universe in which he could resist the calling.

It only stopped once Jeno pulled the omega into a tight embrace, inhaling the vanilla scent he had been missing every day, which had followed him through all his dreams. It was so wonderful, Jeno wondered if he was perhaps dreaming at this very moment.

For the first time in a long while he just felt whole. Only getting to hold Renjun close was making his heart bloom with colors, mending the broken pieces inside of him, despite everything looking gloomier than ever.

"Jeno," Renjun's voice was small and hesitant as he cleared his throat.

Letting himself revel only a second longer, Jeno closed his eyes, before setting Renjun free of his hug.

He almost couldn't believe Renjun was standing right in front of him. His soft hair, his red lips and warm eyes - it all was so real. It was all Jeno had ever longed for.

"I'm sorry," he apologized curtly. "I probably shouldn't have done that. I was just so relieved to see you."

Renjun's gaze dropped to both their feet, so reminiscent of when he had gotten shy whenever Jeno had expressed his feelings for him in the past.

"Erm...it's fine," he mumbled quietly. "I'm glad you're safe as well."

His heart skipped a beat. Oh, how much he had missed this. Just hearing Renjun's voice was enough.  If he could, he would stand here and listen to it for hours.

The omega glanced up at him uneasily. "We need to talk. Please."

"Yes," Jeno agreed immediately. "Of course. Follow me."

 

Chivalrously, he held the gate open and together they slipped out of the ballroom. They walked in silence until they had left most of the servers, guards and other people roaming the halls behind.

Jeno brought them to a small balcony where they could be certain to be completely alone. The night was cool, opposite to the heat of people inside the castle.

When the moonlight hit Renjun's pale skin Jeno couldn't help but admire the way Renjun glowed with effortless beauty. How had he ever been allowed to touch that skin?

Renjun traced the handrail, looking over their pack grounds - in a far away distance there was still smoke rising over the forest - before sighing and turning around to face Jeno. They both swallowed nervously. The space was narrow and they were unexpectedly close to each other.

"What happened? Why didn't you arrive with the others?" Jeno broke the silence first.

Renjun fiddled with his shirt, which was dirty and ripped in a few places. "A kid from the orphanage had decided to go mud surfing. I had to get her before I left." He took a deep breath. "When we returned to the village everybody was already gone. I got here by horse, but I wasn't really good at finding the directions to the castle and the noises...we just got lost. Until we met one of your guards, who lead us here."

Of course, Jeno should have thought of that. Renjun, sweet Renjun always caring about everybody else and not himself first.

"But Jeno," Renjun sounded a lot more agitated. "We were attacked by a Noctis pack member. I recognized the crest he was wearing."

Jeno's protective instinct flared up, his hands forming fists as they enclosed the handrail tightly to the point that his knuckles turned white.

"Are you okay?" He asked between gritted teeth, trying to contain his anger as he concluded in his head where all of Renjun's scratches and torn pieces of clothes had come from. "A-and the kid?"

"Yeah, we're both fine," Renjun said calmly, pulling out something from his belt. Jeno recognized the dagger that he had gifted Renjun way back. "Thanks for letting me keep this."

"Don't," Jeno said hoarsely, the imaginary pictures of Renjun getting attacked still ghosting through his head. "It's what I gave it to you for. Protection."

Renjun nodded before carefully clamping the weapon back to his belt. Eyes full of uncertainty he glanced up at the alpha. "Jeno. What's going on here? Why is everyone here? What were these loud noises?"

A long exhale left Jeno. Even back then he had always been honest and transparent with Renjun. He doubted he could ever not be. Not to Renjun. 

"The Noctis pack. They built bombs - human weapons, that cause explosions and mass destruction. We just got the message today," Jeno explained to him what they had gotten to know just hours prior. "That was the noise. We tried to get everyone here in time, but some of the guards were still patrolling when the bombs went off."

Renjun sucked in a sharp breath. "Who got hurt?" He asked directly.

"Nobody you know personally, I think," Jeno quickly assured him. "Mark and Donghyuck were quite close to one of the bombs, but they didn't get seriously injured. There were a few other guards injured by the second bomb, they got burned quite badly. They're receiving treatment right now."

Renjun's lips were only a small line, expression painful. He was glad that none of his friends had gotten hurt, but their situation was still dire. It seemed like there was no way out of it now. Nobody was protecting their borders anymore. Renjun had seen firsthand how the first Noctis wolves had invaded their territory. The castle walls could only keep them safe for so long.

Jeno reached after his hand that was resting on top of the railing. His touch left a pleasant tingle and his heart was beating loudly in his ears. Cautiously, Jeno took a step closer, their bodies lingering only a few centimeters away from each other, sharing warmth.

"Renjun," Jeno's breath hit Renjun's lips. "I still care about you."

Renjun's vision got blurry and he felt his eyes get watery with hot tears. Quickly, he ducked his head.

But Jeno wasn't done yet. Now that he had Renjun back with him, he couldn't give up so easily. Not when he knew with his entire being that this was the way they belonged, always had. He couldn't lose him. Not again.

"I know my mother said some things to you about not being enough," Jeno told him. "Trust me, none of that is true. And I’m sorry I haven’t… I haven’t been there for you the way I should’ve been. You are more than enough for me and this pack. You are my life, Renjun. And I still love you."

Hearing these words was kind of healing. It gave him hope.

 

However, in the end, it had never been about Jeno's mother. He himself had come to the conclusion that he was not made for this life. The fact alone that he had given up was proof that he wasn't ready, not strong enough to be Jeno's mate. Anyone who would want to lead this pack, would’ve had the confidence to stay. Not flee like a coward. Anyone who would become Jeno's mate had to be willing to die for this pack. Fight in the first row.

Meanwhile, Renjun hadn't even endured going through the basic training. How could he assure the pack that he was the right choice? That he would be a good leader? Weren't all these doubts the exact reason why he couldn't be Jeno's mate?

Even though Renjun had always considered Jeno's side as his place in the pack, the only place he'd ever consider being at for a lifetime - he understood that it could never happen.

Because it didn't come down to what his heart wanted.

Trying to smile, Renjun looked up, wanting to prevent the first tears that had spilled to roll over his cheeks. He sniffled, glassy eyes meeting Jeno's loving ones.

"I already broke your heart once, Jeno. Please don't make me do it again."

Perhaps the worst thing about looking at Jeno was not that the love in his eyes faded. No, the love stayed - but it turned sad, broken and unreachable. Painful.

Jeno took in a shaky breath, heart clenching when Renjun carefully pulled his hand away. Devastated he nodded, running a frazzled hand over his clothes. His whole body started to shake in pain.

By now the sun was already slowly starting to rise, turning the sky a light gray. The clouds looked like rain, thick and merciless.

 

All of a sudden, another noble horn resonated through the forest. The tune was that of an arrival - only played when the leader of a pack was making an entrance.

Both Renjun and Jeno shrieked up at the sound, exchanging a worried, tearful look.

Neither the Lunaris nor the Solaris leader could be the ones announcing themselves, as both of them were currently in this very castle.

Which could only mean one thing. The Noctis king had arrived.

Notes:

Wheeeeew, a lot happened here, didn't it?

Sorry if there isn't as much fluff and relationship based plot anymore, but we gotta give some space for the real plot of the story now, otherwise we'll never finish this story :)

Of course, we will return to the relationship at some point again, but for now please bare with me - the plot has to thicken a bit first :)

Anyways, thank you for reading!! Everybody stay safe and healthy <3

Chapter 38: Black Flood

Notes:

Er...welcome back to the angst fest? :)

Disclaimer: Just so you know it, this chapter is very plot focused and there will be no Markhyuck in this, sorry, but we'll get to see them again right next chapter!! <3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Everything and everyone was rushing.

Time seemed to have slowed down as people started running, leaving colorful streaks of motion behind them as the world continued to spin twice the speed.

All the voices sounded like they were drowning, muffled and far away. Everything was unfolding behind a glass window, unreachable and unstoppable.

As if a splash of cold water had hit him, Renjun zoomed back into reality.

The voices of fear were drumming in his head. Loud, louder, even louder until they were all Renjun could hear, everyone could hear.

 

Hastily, the chief and chiefess were trying to barricade all the children, elderly and injured. Meanwhile, Jeno was shouting instructions on top of his lungs, gathering all the guards that would be able to fight.

Swallowing his own fear, Renjun tightened his grip around the dagger he was still clutching in his fingers. If they were going down today, he'd not go without a fight. He surged ahead, mingling with the crowd of guards that were standing in line in front of the main entrance of the castle. People were throwing him glances, but in the wild chaos his presence hardly stood out.

The heavy wooden door of the ballroom fell shut as the chief and chiefess stepped out. Two guards let the big latch down, separating everybody who was unable to fight from the guards and whoever had volunteered to help out.

Everybody was whispering agitated to each other as they readied their weapons, expectant about the next move.

Together with the two Lunaris leaders, the chief and chiefess took a stance in front of the gathered crowd.

The air was cut in half as the chief pulled out his own sword, the blade shimmering like only pure silver would.

"Stay behind us. If we have to fight, we will," the chief announced, his strong voice booming through the hall. "This situation might seem hopeless, but we are not going to give up."

Mumbles of mixed feelings erupted within the ground.

"We can only hope for a miracle now," Renjun heard someone whisper beside him.

A miracle.

Yeah, Renjun snorted. That's exactly what they'd need.

Too many of their guards had been injured over the past weeks of attacks, nonetheless the two bombs today that had wounded them badly. They were crowded in a compact space. And most of the Lunaris guard was not with them, probably guarding and defending their own borders and castle.

If not for a miracle, their chances of leaving this confrontation unscarred were diminishingly low.

With a curt nod from the chief, two guards started pushing the main gate that led to the big staircase outside the castle open.

Inch by inch the sight of their doom was revealing itself in front of them. An army of hundreds was slowly starting to occupy the place in front of the castle, screaming and growling in hawkishness. Their dark gear made them look like a black sea.

Right in the front of the approaching army, a few people on horses led the group.

A man with a big, dark fur coat around his shoulders and a golden crown on his head instead of the protective leather gear that his entourage was wearing, was riding at the very top of the upcoming flock. He grinned devilishly as he raised his sword.

Renjun’s stomach dropped. That must be the Noctis king.

Once the Noctis pack reached the huge staircase, the king swung his sword around in commando, harshly bringing his horse to a halt. He lifted his arm up, motioning to the army behind him to stand still and wait as well.

Everybody was holding their breath as the Noctis king turned his horse so it would face forward again. The tension was heating the air up as nobody made a sound, waiting in silent anticipation for what was about to happen.

Their chief was the first one to take a step forward, sword held protectively in front of his pack as he raised his voice.

"You trespassed on our territory!" He yelled loudly, the accusation behind these words not hidden in the slightest. "You've hurt many of our pack members. You should know what that means!"

The Noctis king chuckled dangerously. The sound made a chill run down Renjun's spine.

"We're just here to talk," the king said casually, as if he hadn’t just invaded their borders in the most brutal of ways.

"Then why did you bring your whole army? Afraid we'll bite?" The chiefess' sharp words cut through the silence.

The Noctis king's eyes glimmered with fire as he met her piercing gaze. "Just to demonstrate to you what awaits you if you don't cooperate."

"Now, why would we listen to you?!" The chief shouted full of anger, none of his usual fatherly nature left. "You broke pack rules. Ancient rules that even our ancestors respected!"

"You see, I don't think you really have a choice here," the Noctis king said almost patronizingly, before turning around to his black sea of guards. "Right?"

The army of Noctis wolves started hollering, war screams deafening to the ears, the clinking of swords - demonstrating just how much the Noctis king had the upper hand should it come to a fight.

"Meanwhile your guard is hurt. You're cornered in your own walls," the Noctis king pointed out. His eyes flickered over to Doyoung and Taeyong. "Even your alliance won't help you now."

It was a harsh reality. Hearing it out loud like that was almost like hearing your own death sentence. But there was no denying it - they were at the mercy of the Noctis king.

"Come on, it won't hurt to hear me out, will it?" The Noctis king said, the delivery of his words almost charming, as if talking to an old friend.

The chief bit down on his tongue, the weight of the sword resting heavy in his hand. It was more than obvious that he did not want to negotiate with the Noctis king. Not when he had caused so much harm to his pack. But the Noctis king had been right - what choice did they have?

"Fine. What do you have to say?"

A pleased twinkle appeared in the king's eyes. "You should be grateful. I'm giving you a huge opportunity here," he said. "You might just spare some lives today."

"Cut it out," the chiefess interrupted him, even less keen on talking to the man. "What do you want?"

The Noctis king was shooting daggers at her but continued his little speech just as calm. "Well, as your little spies-" he looked straight at Doyoung and Taeyong again "-have probably told you, we've fortunately been blessed with a lot of alpha presentations lately."

Renjun's fingers twitched at these words. What a twisted way to say that they had strategically drugged their offspring. It was simply cruel what the Noctis pack had done to their children, there was no excuse. In a way they deserved their fate.

"Which leaves us in the awkward position of not finding enough suitable mates for all of them," the Noctis king elaborated. "We don't want much from you. You see, we all strive for the same thing. A secure pack, a safe life. Isn't that right?"

The crowd behind him started roaring in support, cheering and screaming for their king. The noise only stopped when the king raised his hand.

"And we can only have that if our bloodline is secure, right?" The king stated. "You understand that, right? The royal line has to continue, so that there will be a leader to secure the safety of the pack."

The tension was so thick in the air, it was hard to breathe. Everybody was only waiting for the next words, to hear what the king demanded, what might save them their life today and prevent a battle they were destined to lose.

"My eldest son is in the ripe age of his youth. The perfect age for mating an omega who'd bear his heir, securing my family’s right to rule for the next generation," the Noctis king said. "So, the only thing I'm asking of you is to provide such a mate for us."

The chiefess growled in rage. "You want us to hand one of our omegas over to you? After what you've done to your own?"

"Why should we even trust you?" The chief added, full of anger by even hearing the proposal.

"Oh, don't get all upset," the Noctis king dismissed them with mocking concern. "I'd of course provide a blood pact. One of your omegas for us, and for both of your packs we'll grant that there will be no attack as long as I'm king."

Renjun's heart was beating against his chest. Slowly, his brain started to process the words he just witnessed. It would only take one omega to prevent hundreds of deaths? What kind of deal was this?

"This is non-negotiable," the chief said coldly, not budging from his position. "We won't give one of our omegas to you. That's final."

The Noctis kings clenched his jaw, before smiling sweetly. "You see, it's either you give one of them to us, or we'll take you down first, and then take all the omegas we need forcefully." He motioned over his shoulder, his army only waiting for his command. "And that'd be quite sad for you. Imagine your costs. You'd lose everything."

Renjun's head was buzzing. There was a way out. The pack would lose everything if they didn’t agree - but Renjun had nothing to lose.

Wasn't his life in this pack over anyways? He'd never find another mate here, he couldn't mate Jeno - what was left for him here?

There was nothing. Nothing.

"Are you really sure you can't get rid of just a single omega?" The Noctis king asked once more.

A heavy realization of what he had to do was traveling down Renjun's body, sitting heavy in his guts.

Harshly he began pushing the people in front of him out of his way, not paying the stares on him any attention. His blood was rushing through his veins as he finally made his way right to the front.

He could see how Jeno noticed him first, only a few meters away now from where Renjun had broken free from the guards. His eyes widened in shock.

Renjun took a deep breath. Then he shouted with all his confidence, "I'll do it!"

Renjun gulped, before stepping up front, now gathering everyone's attention on him. He walked down a few of the steps, only for Jeno to rush after him, roughly pulling him behind his back.

"Renjun, no- "

Renjun didn't listen, trying to push Jeno away as he fixated on the Noctis king. "I'll go with you!"

"He won't!" Jeno shouted over him, desperately turning around to his parents for help, who were only watching the scene unfold motionlessly, too stunned to act.

The Noctis king chuckled lowly. "No, where are your manners? Let the omega speak!" He reprimanded the prince.

"Renjun, please don't, whatever you think you're doing, don't," Jeno began whispering to him breathlessly. "Just get back inside, please."

Renjun looked at Jeno's devastated face, the sight making his heart clench in pain.

Then he ripped himself apart from the alpha, facing the Noctis king head on.

"I said I'll go with you," he repeated himself firmly. "I'm young and healthy and-" he swallowed heavily before saying the next words. "Fertile. I'll mate your son and bear his heir."

The Noctis king smiled satisfied. His gaze drifted over to Jeno, who was still hovering around Renjun, expression torn.

"You're the prince's omega?" The Noctis king asked, almost amused as he fitted the puzzle pieces together.

"Yes!"

"No!"

Renjun glared at Jeno, who had responded first. Determinedly, he kept going down the stairs, shaking Jeno off and leaving the prince behind.

"The prince and I are not mated," he told the Noctis king.

"He seems to think otherwise," the alpha commented. "If we take you, wouldn't that mean trouble for us? We don't want anyone mingling in our private pack affairs. Especially not the royal family of Solaris."

Renjun took a deep breath, carefully forming his next sentence in his head.

"That won't be a problem. I don't have a family that could resent you."

Images of Sicheng flashed through his mind. Donghyuck and Yangyang, sharing cake together after their graduation. Laughing together with Jaemin about his failed attempts of translating Latin. Going mud surfing during spring rain as he grew up. 

"And the prince won't come looking for me if I tell him not to. He respects my decisions."

Renjun almost dared to take one last glance over his shoulder at said prince. But he wasn't brave enough. He knew it would break him.

By now Renjun had almost reached the bottom of the stairs. The Noctis king grinned pleased, sliding down from his horse as he awaited him with open arms.

The last few steps towards him were surprisingly the hardest, his rusty scent more than foreign and unpleasant.

He held out a hand for Renjun, who took it despite feeling utterly repulsed.

Disgusted chills ran down his spine as the Noctis king held him close, leaning down to his neck and inhaling a deep breath of Renjun's very own vanilla scent. He heard a threatening growl somewhere in the background - he suspected Jeno, but he didn't dare to check.

Renjun only noticed how he had clenched his whole body together when the Noctis king finally let go of him and his shoulders relaxed slightly.

Striding past him, the Noctis king started to climb up the stairs.

With a smug smirk he passed Jeno, who was still standing in the middle of the staircase, snarling arrogantly at the prince who was glaring at him.

Once he stood in front of the chief, he pulled out his sword. With one quick, smooth movement he let the blade run over his palm. He didn't even hiss when blood started to run over his hand, as he held it out for the chief.

Having only silently observed the whole exchange until now, the chief tore his gaze away from the Noctis king. For a second his eyes rested on Renjun, who was standing together with the Noctis army, his back turned to their pack. Then he glanced at Jeno, whose eyes were teary with heartbreaking pain. His lips formed a silent plea, begging his father to do anything to stop this nightmare.

Now, the chief had always prided himself to be a good father. He raised his sons with warmth and love, happy to see them grow into their own confident selves. He had always listened to them, always helped them when they were in need, always trusted them with his life.

But in this situation, he felt like there was nothing he could do for his son anymore.

Not when Renjun had offered himself so willingly. When his mind had sounded so set on doing this for the pack. While he hated even seeing one of their pack members leave, he knew the only way to change Renjun's mind was with force.

And force was the last thing he wanted to use against the omega right now. Not when he was taking a sacrifice for all of them.

He hoped Jeno would forgive him.

It didn't take him long to create a matching cut on his hand.

The Noctis king grinned victoriously. "You're making the right decision."

Clenching his jaw, the chief's eyes shortly flickered back to his son, who was staring at him in utter betrayal.

"As long as I am king of the Noctis pack I promise I will never attack or hurt any members of the Solaris pack or the Lunaris pack," the king said almost solemnly, stretching out his hand.

The chief took it, shaking it firmly. "I promise that this omega is free to go with you. The royal family won't go after him. He's to mate your son."

As soon as the blood pact was made, they both pulled their hands away.

"Great talking to you," the Noctis king concluded as if this had been a pleasant business trip for him, before turning around on his heels. "Withdraw!" He loudly commanded his army.

Slowly, the black horde started to retreat, the ground shaking underneath the force of all their weight.

"No!" Jeno shouted frazzled as he watched how the Noctis king helped Renjun on top of one of the horses. He threw himself up the stairs, shaking his father harshly, hoping to get him back to his senses. "No!"

At the lack of reaction, he turned back around, wanting to surge after Renjun - he needed to do something! Why was nobody else doing anything?!

A strong grip on his arm held him back. "We made a pact."

"You made a pact! I'm not going to let him take Renjun! I-" Jeno fought against his father.

"Jeno, it's over," his mother interrupted him. "We made a pact. What happens to Renjun is no longer under our control." And then, surprisingly quiet and genuine she dropped her usual untouchable demeanor. Her portrayal of the strong, independent, fierce omega chiefess wavered, making room for a bare soul that had been deeply moved. "I'm sorry."

Hearing these words from his mother made Jeno give up his fight.

It was true. Now Renjun was really gone. There was nothing he could do. He'd never see him again.

Defeated, he struggled his way out of his father's grip. Head empty and too full at the same time he hurried inside.

 

Without looking where he was going, he started running and running. He made his way to the small pavilion in their garden. Frantically, he searched for Renjun's marigold. Once he had found it, he ripped it from the wall, creating cracks in the nice marble of the building. For a moment, the impulse to smash the frame overcame him, but he suppressed it right the next second. Gently, he traced over the delicate letters that spelled the name of the person that might've just killed him. Then he hugged it tightly to his chest.

 

In the end he found himself locked in his own room. The frame of Renjun's marigold was leaning against his bed frame. He couldn't tear his eyes away from it. In a sense it was all he had left from Renjun.

He hadn't even spilled one tear. He felt too hollow to cry.

 

He dismissed the knocks on his door. He knew he had locked it. He just couldn't meet anyone right now. He couldn't put up a tough front for his pack like he knew he needed to. Not right now.

Then his door burst open, making Jeno startle in surprise.

His door was made out of sturdy oak wood - it'd take quite the strength to bust it open just like this.

 

However, when Jeno saw who had been the one to break open his door, he completely understood.

"You!" Sicheng was fuming as he lunged at him. Jeno didn't even question how the omega had found his private bedroom. In the end, love made everything possible. "How could you!"

Jeno didn't have an answer for the omega. He didn't even have an answer for himself.

"You gave me your word! You said you'd look out for him! You said you'll protect him!" Sicheng kept shouting at him, full of the rage that Jeno deserved. "You promised me you wouldn't let him sacrifice his happiness!"

There were huge tears rolling down Sicheng's cheeks as he began punching against Jeno's chest, who just let himself be hit without a single sound of protest leaving him.

"And you just let him go! You let him go!"  Sicheng's punches were getting less and less forceful and he finally sank down on his knees. "How could you!"

There was nothing Jeno could say in his defense. It was entirely his fault. If he had never courted Renjun, never brought him to the castle, never fallen in love with him, nothing of this would've happened. It was entirely his fault Renjun had left.

Sicheng was sobbing, head pressed against Jeno's legs.

And finally, Jeno's dam broke as well and tears started falling.

 

 

It was like Renjun's body had been consumed by a constant state of passivity. When someone had heaved him on top of a horse, behind a strange rider, he had just let it happen. The world was rushing past him again as he was shaken around during the ride. Trees flashed by, crop fields, the river - but none of that seemed to really reach Renjun anymore.

He was trapped in inactivity as he tried to hold himself upright without touching the guard that was sitting in front of him that smelled like steel.

Silent tears had been streaming down his face ever since they had left. But he didn't regret his decision. Someone had to make this sacrifice - and Renjun had been the perfect choice. Not that turning back was an option anyways. The Noctis guards kept a close eye on him. Whenever they took breaks, at least two alphas were glued to his sides.

Renjun hated their watchful gazes on him. It made him feel like a prisoner. However, that might not be so far from the truth. In the end, Renjun had no idea what it would be like for him in the Noctis pack. From what he had heard, he could only assume the worst.

The only thing Renjun did regret, was that hadn't even been able to bid his goodbye to any of his friends. Sicheng would probably worry a lot. Donghyuck would get all upset, crying out about the injustice of this deal. Yangyang would probably just hate him.

Maybe, if Renjun obeyed all their orders, the Noctis king would allow him to reach out to them at some point. He knew that staying in contact with the Solaris pack would probably be an impossibility for the near future. Not until some time had passed and the peace between their borders was secured again.

Perhaps after Renjun had borne the new Noctis heir, they would start to trust him a little.

The thought alone made him want to puke.

The thought of mating an alpha that wasn't Jeno was repulsive. However, Renjun wasn't stupid. He knew what he had agreed to. And if it took him being claimed by a complete stranger to protect his pack, he was more than willing to do it.

Better him than anyone else. Renjun was strong. He had already suffered a lot and survived through it all. Maybe it was a bit arrogant to think like this, but he doubted that many other omegas would survive what he had put himself up to. And if Renjun was sure of one thing, that he would come out of this alive.

Besides, there really was nothing for him to lose. His future in the Solaris pack had ended the second he had left Jeno.

The only options for him had been staying alone all his life, dying a lonely and miserable death one day or going with the Noctis pack, securing his own pack members a life full of peace and happiness.

Now, Renjun didn't need to excel in Latin to understand what the superior choice was.

 

Once the night broke in, they stopped their journey. Renjun was more than relieved as he slipped down the horse's back, his butt was starting to get sore. They had traveled for hours already.

All the guards that had accompanied them by foot were shifting back to their human form, starting small fires around them. A few of them surged into the woods, probably hunting for dinner. The king had left as well, his large dark wolf frame disappearing into the woods.

Hesitantly, Renjun stepped towards the flames. As soon as the sun had set, the cold of the night had made him shiver. Of course, he hadn't brought any warmer clothes. He hadn't brought anything apart from his body.

Distanced from the remaining guards, Renjun took a seat on some dry leaves. Drawing his knees to his chest he tried to keep at least his body warmth to himself, or else he might freeze to death during the night. And then this whole deal wouldn't have helped anyone.

A guard glanced at him suspiciously. Renjun suspected that he was on look-out duty, ensuring that he wouldn't try to run away.

With heavy steps he approached him, leaves crinkling underneath the heavy weight of his boots. Would they lock him in overnight? Tie him up? 

Instinctively, Renjun wanted to curl into himself in fear, but he fought against that urge with all his might. If he showed them how afraid he was, it would be over for him. His courage was all he had left.

He stretched his neck a bit, lifting his chin as he bravely met the gaze of the guard with fierceness.

To his surprise, he wasn't manhandled or fastened up with ropes. Instead, the guard swiftly checked his left and right, before shrugging his coat off his shoulders. It landed a few meters away from Renjun, where it rested untouched for a few seconds.

In disbelief Renjun stared at the guard member, who wasn't even looking at him, but straight at the fire in front of them. With a dull sound something dropped right on top of the coat. Renjun nearly gaped in shock when he saw a perfectly red apple.

The guard cleared his throat, probably about to explain himself, when loud rustles drowned out the calm crackling of the fire.

The hunters had returned, up front the king dragging a wild boar with his teeth.

Not a sound left the guard’s mouth as he quickly disregarded Renjun as if nothing had happened.

The king started boasting about his accomplishments for the pack as they prepared their meal and everyone quickly started agreeing and laughing with him, nobody really focusing on Renjun sitting in a corner anymore.

 

As subtle as possible, Renjun reached out for the coat and apple. He doubted it would look good for anyone if they had mercy with him. And Renjun knew when to shut up and just be grateful. He especially didn't want to cause trouble for someone who had just shown him kindness and probably saved him from trembling through the whole night.

 

Even though he had been fed and kept warm for the night, Renjun hardly slept. It had been quite some time since he had last spent a night under the stars.

Memories of him and Sicheng sneaking out after everybody in the orphanage had fallen asleep slipped his mind. Everything had been so carefree then. Easy. Their biggest concern being to not get caught by an adult as they laid under the stars.

Renjun liked to think that two of the far away blinking lights were his parents looking down on him. Even though they had been taken from him far too young to create a real connection and leave lasting memories with each other, Renjun was deeply attached to the bond he had built through late night thoughts and stargazing.

Every time something good in his life had happened, he remembered looking up to the sky and thanking his parents for looking out for him. After Jeno had started courting him and promised to become his mate, he had spent hours talking to them in his thoughts.

Whenever something bad had happened he had looked at them for guidance. So, he tried to do it that night as well.

Sadly, most of the time clouds had crowded the dark sky, making it impossible for him to spot the calming lights. You could hardly see the pale moonlight break through the gray canvas.

Maybe it was a sign. A sign that Renjun was truly on his own this time. He had gotten himself into this willingly - and there was simply no way out. His fate had been sealed with his decision. Nobody but himself could give him guidance right now. All he could do was try to stay alive and make the best of what would probably be the worst.

It was hard staying positive when not even the stars were with him anymore.

 

After catching at least a little bit of restless sleep Renjun was the first one to be awake. He had felt watched during his slumber. Probably because he had been.

 Silently chasing after his own thoughts, he watched the sky turn from dark gray to light gray. A slight breeze rushed through the trees and in the distance some animals started running.

Most of the guards had shifted into wolf form over the night, probably to keep themselves warm. So had the king, whose huge, black frame was resting near the biggest fire spot, that was smoldering lowly, the embers glowing out with each second that passed.

Cautiously, Renjun let the coat slide off his shoulders, nudging it away from his body and towards one of the guards that had been sleeping near him. It probably wouldn't be a good impression if they woke up to find Renjun with one of their uniforms. Accepting the shivers, he curled into himself, rubbing over his arms to create at least a little bit of heat.

 

Soon, a few of the guards started shuffling, awakened from their dreams by the light of day. One after another they transformed back.

The first thing the Noctis king did was roam his eyes around the forest, only fixating his gaze once it fell on Renjun.

The omega shot him a determined look. Yeah, he was indeed still here. They had made a deal and Renjun was set on following through with it.

With a pleased grin, the king started striding through his men, harshly waking them up with the clanking of his sword. They all startled, scattering away quickly.

For a second, Renjun believed to see fear in their eyes, and not the usual awe whenever they looked at their strong king.

But that had probably only been his tired mind imagining things. It was still early in the morning.

 

The king didn't hesitate for long, yanking his horse by its reins as he wanted to continue his journey as fast as possible. Two guards came up to Renjun, grabbing both his arms and escorting him to a horse as well. He climbed on top of it, settling into the saddle behind one of them.

"Let's not waste time!" The king yelled commandingly, even waking up the last few of his guard.

Roughly, he pressed his heels into the side of his horse, which slightly rose, making a dissatisfied sound before surging forward through the woods.

Not wanting to fall behind, the rider in front of Renjun followed his example.

The trees that grew around them were far darker than the trees Renjun was used to from the Solaris grounds. There were only coniferous trees, none of the warm oaks and light birches.

The chill that went through his body wasn't leaving him even as the sun started rising. Renjun figured that the air got colder around them the further they traveled north as what he had first blamed on the cold temperature of the night and morning turned out to be a general trend.

Renjun really wished he could've at least brought a jacket with him. He hoped they would allow him to make a new one in the Noctis pack.

Once the sun had passed its highest point, the wood started to lighten. Trees grew fewer and farer apart.

 

The moment they stepped out of the forest onto a wide field, Renjun’s breath hitched.

In the distance a mountain ridge appeared. Stunned, Renjun's mouth fell open. He had heard of the mountains before, seen them in paintings - but none of his imaginations had ever measured up to the real magnitude of them.

Their height seemed endless, stretching into the sky as their tips were covered by white clouds. Renjun wondered if anyone had ever climbed them. And if they had touched the clouds once they had reached the top.

A small stream could be seen flowing down the mountains towards them. The river that connected all the packs making its way down from its spring. It was quite mesmerizing to see where the water he had bathed in all his life came from.

Fascinated, Renjun discovered that the grey stone of the mountains was covered in white snow the higher they reached into the sky. They looked like baked goods that had been sprinkled with powdered sugar on top, slowly dripping down their sides.

While snow was not a rarity in the Solaris pack, it only occurred in the deepest winter months and usually melted at the start of the year. So, it was quite fascinating to see it right now. He wondered if the children of the Noctis pack ever got to play in it like the children in the Solaris pack played in the mud. They had to, right?

 

Being able to stride out freely over the wide fields, their horses sped up, seemingly happy to be out of the narrow spaces between the trees. Behind them, the large group of guards that hadn't traveled by horse were also running faster and faster, their black fur glistening with sweat despite the cold.

Soon, Renjun realized what had caused the sudden rise of energy. As he squinted his eyes he could spot a few huts in the distance, encircled by a high fence.

Apparently spurred on by the sight of their home, everybody started chasing after the wind, the only goal in their eyes the village that grew bigger and bigger the closer they got.

Soon after, Renjun could make out a stone castle with various towers, flags that showcased the Noctis crest waving on top of them.

The king let out a triumphant scream as they neared the fence and all the guards joined him, howling in euphoria.

Two horns went off in the distance - Renjun guessed that they were announcing the return of the Noctis king and the guard in the village.

The king was the first one to reach the fence, slowing down his horse as they approached a big, dark gate.

Two high stone towers were built to its left and right. Renjun looked up to find two more guard members standing on top, spotting into the distance as if on constant look out. They started cranking once they spotted their king, pulling two ropes in turn and the gate opened in front of them.

Renjun swallowed as his horse was guided forward, trudging into the Noctis pack village for the first time.

So, this would be his new home.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!

Hehe, so many of you were already guessing Renjun to leave...but I hope I surprised at least some of you with this :)

Anyways, stay safe and healthy everyone <3

Chapter 39: Surrender

Notes:

Hello and welcome back!! Giving the angst a little break today :D
Hope you'll like it <3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The light was blinding, causing a painful sting to bolt through his skull, threatening to split it in half.

Everything around him was white, shining so brightly it hurt his eyes as he opened them just a crack. For a second, Donghyuck believed he had died and this was the afterlife.

Then the pain torturing his head made him reconsider. Only life could hurt you this bad.

Slowly, he sat up, realizing that he was sitting in a bed. White sheets, white ceiling, white curtains - the drapes providing him a false sense of privacy.

Whatever this place was, the people here must be very clean. Not a bad thing, Donghyuck's scattered mind concluded. Maybe he and the clean people could become friends. He liked making new friends. He didn’t like cleaning as much, though. Would they make him clean?

All of a sudden the curtains were ripped open and Donghyuck had to squint his eyes as a figure, also entirely dressed in white, approached him. Was this the cleaner? Would they clean him as well?

Someone spoke to him, but the words were slow and gluey, stretching and overlapping in his ears, making him unable to pick up on any of their meanings. The fog in his brain was just too thick.

Soft but firm hands helped him sit upright. A cold liquid was brought to his mouth and once it touched his dry lips, Donghyuck couldn't help but swallow it greedily with huge gulps. The cold liquid felt incredibly soothing to his parched throat.

With each sip that he took, his thoughts also began to get clearer and clearer. Different pictures in his head started to rearrange themselves, memories piecing themselves together to form what Donghyuck had temporarily forgotten.

Soon, his mind had recovered enough to remember what exactly had happened to them. The explosions at the border, Jaemin finding them and wanting to bring them to the castle, until he passed out. Had they made it to their destination.

Curiously, Donghyuck stretched his neck to get a closer look of his surroundings. Through the slightly opened curtains, he could steal a peek of the room he was in. Multiple beds, like the one he was currently laying in, were arrayed across the walls, all equally as white as his. The ceiling was high, higher than Donghyuck was used to from the huts in the village, and the windows even had real glass in them, breaking the sunlight and making tiny pieces of dust visible in the air. 

Yeah, there was no doubt, they had to be in the castle.

The woman who had given him his medication was smiling at him gently, her face promising trust and security. "How do you feel? Can you tell me your name?"

At first, Donghyuck frowned in confusion. What kind of question was that? - Wait. How long had he been here?

"My name is Donghyuck. I'm a guard of the Solaris pack, I'm feeling fine, really," he assured the lady, surprised by how steady his voice sounded. He gulped before asking his next question. "When did I get here?"

"Yesterday, dear," the woman told him sweetly and Donghyuck let out a relieved breath. Only one day. That didn't sound too bad. Donghyuck had been unconscious for much longer before. This was fine.

"Could you please tell me what happened?" He requested kindly, still mostly confused about everything. What had happened after the explosions? Hadn't the Noctis pack attacked? Why did the woman seem so calm?

Carefully, she tucked Donghyuck back in his bed. "Don't worry about that. You still need rest. Everything is taken care of. We're safe. You're safe."

That did not help with any of the questions that still lingered in Donghyuck's frantic mind. He was bursting at the seams with curiosity, bordering on anxiety - what did all this mean? Had they won over the Noctis pack? But they couldn’t have! The bombs…

However, the healing lady was already about to head away, probably having multiple other patients to tend to. That reminded the omega...a queasy feeling spread in Donghyuck's stomach.

"Wait!" He called after her and this time his voice cracked. The healer turned around to him, the curtain already in her hands so she could pull it close behind her.

Donghyuck fiddled with his fingers nervously as he cleared his throat. He needed to know. He just wasn't sure if he'd like the answer.

"Erm...I was brought here together with someone," Donghyuck asked her with uncertainty. "An alpha? Another guard. He's around my height, dark hair...his name is Mark."

A soft smile grazed the woman's features. "He's right next to you. I just checked on him. He hasn't woken up yet."

Donghyuck nodded thankfully as she finally closed his curtains again. He had so much more to ask her, so many more people he wanted to know about - but he knew that the healer had to be very busy and didn’t want to take up more of her time.

He now knew that Mark was here with him. That had been the most important thing.

 

He waited a few more seconds, before quietly removing his sheets and climbing out of his bed. His feet were cold on the floor and a shiver rushed down Donghyuck’s spine as he stared at the white marble underneath him.

Sneakily, he pushed his curtains aside, checking if the healer was watching. Luckily, she was already preoccupied with someone else a few beds away, therefore Donghyuck seized the opportunity and quickly slipped through the drapes of the bed next to his.

His heart clenched as his eyes fell on Mark's peaceful, motionless figure.

The alpha was laying in the white bed, sheets rising steadily up and down with his breaths. It almost looked like he was simply sleeping.

All his bruises were neatly stitched up and his face was cleaned from the ashes and blood that Donghyuck still painfully remembered from the explosions. Almost nothing on Mark reminded of the horrifying experience they had gone through together anymore.

As cautiously as possible, he neared Mark. Gently, he nudged him a little to the side, making room for him in the narrow bed.

Mark seemed undisturbed by Donghyuck’s presence as the omega snuggled into his side, listening to his beating heart and touching his warm cheeks to calm down the worst of his fears. Mark was alive and he was here. Donghyuck was so relieved, he felt tears forming in his eyes. Quickly, he swallowed them, resting his head on Mark’s chest instead to soothe his mind with the calming sound of his heartbeat.

As if sensing Donghyuck’s vicinity and using it as his personal remedy, Mark began to shuffle.

Donghyuck's breath hitched in awe as he watched the alpha scrunch his nose and furrow his brows. He removed himself from Mark’s chest, opting to hold Mark's hand instead in silent support as he cheered him on to come back to him. 

The older's eyes fluttered open with difficulty. He blinked a few times, probably also overwhelmed by all the bright whiteness around them.

Donghyuck almost screamed, his whole body suddenly feeling alleviated. Mark was awake. Again, they had outplayed death and survived together. They had made it.

He squeezed Mark's hand fondly, giving him an affectionate smile, heart blooming as Mark's eyes tried to fixate on him.

"Are you an angel?" The alpha asked befuddled, voice rough and scruffy.

Donghyuck giggled his tears away, feeling ten pounds lighter getting to hear Mark speak. He lifted Mark's hand up to his lips, pressing a grateful kiss to each of his knuckles. "No. No, I'm not an angel."

Mark stared at him in fascination, obviously not having expected that answer.

"But you're so pretty."                                          

Donghyuck couldn't help but laugh. Even in his dazed, scattered state Mark was still nothing short of adorable.

"Well, I hope so," Donghyuck replied cheerfully. His eyes dropped down to the ring on his finger and he started grinning. "Since you're going to mate me."

That seemed to blow post-unconscious Mark's mind as his eyes widened to the size of plates. Donghyuck found it almost amusing how you could read every thought off of Mark’s expression. Then a smug grin spread on Mark’s lips, obviously very satisfied with the piece of information he just acquired.

As much as Donghyuck would like to enjoy this delirious, but very honest, Mark a little bit more, his instincts to care for the alpha kicked in.

Swiftly, he checked his surroundings, seeing the cup of medicine he had been given earlier by the healer on Mark's bedside table.

With caution. he grabbed it, guiding it to Mark's lips, who eagerly accepted anything Donghyuck offered him, completely trusting the omega even with his impaired mind.

Mark downed the cup in one go, chugging down the liquid with big gulps just like Donghyuck had a few minutes ago.

Donghyuck observed how Mark's pupils shrunk back to their normal size, his features slowly losing the peaceful carelessness that had inhabited his body until now.

"Hey," Donghyuck mumbled quietly, still stroking over Mark’s hand with his fingers.

Mark just looked at him stunned for a few seconds. Then he surged forwards with a powerful motion, tackling him in a tight hug. Donghyuck’s body instinctively relaxed. Breathing in Mark's familiar cinnamon scent was the best remedy after all.

Tenderly pushing Mark back into his sheets, he guided them back into their initial position again, resting his head on Mark's chest. Mark's arms were wrapped around him in protectiveness, caressing over his back fondly as he pressed his nose into Donghyuck's hair, obviously gaining just as much comfort from Donghyuck’s scent as Donghyuck did from his.

"We're alive," Mark breathed out, as if he was only now really processing everything. "My goodness. We really survived."

"I know, right?" Donghyuck agreed in disbelief. "Who would've thought? We're defying all odds."

"Seems like something really wants us to be together on this earth," Mark pointed out, his voice making his chest vibrate underneath the omega.

Donghyuck hummed softly, snuggling deeper into Mark’s embrace. "Maybe," he wondered out loud, even though he almost couldn’t believe it. "I'm just happy you're here. And I'm here."

Mark's hold around him got a little tighter as he pulled him even closer, pressing the sweetest of kisses to his temples, demonstrating just how much the feeling was mutual.

Overcome by all these raw emotions, Donghyuck was about to say something else -

But Mark was faster, raising his voice before Donghyuck could gather the courage.

"What do you think happened?" Mark asked puzzled, Donghyuck could feel his hot breath in his neck. "The last thing I remember is Jaemin."

Maybe later then, Donghyuck thought to himself. Seemed like fate was giving them enough time anyway.

"I don't know," Donghyuck sighed deeply, just as much in the dark as Mark was. "I tried asking the healer here. She only told me that we're safe and that it's over."

A conflicted noise left Mark. "It's over? What does that mean?"

Donghyuck shrugged, feeling the same cluelessness that Mark expressed. "I hope it means something good. Even though I can't imagine right now how it could all be over."

Mark shook his head in agreement. "Neither can I."

It was silence for a moment in which they both tried to sort out their thoughts.

An idea formed in Donghyuck's mind. He angled his head upwards so he could look at Mark's face. 

"Since we're currently at the castle anyways," he suggested. "How about we... rest a few more hours, because my bones still hurt like hell. And then we'll go looking for Jeno. Or Jaemin. Or Renjun. Or anyone, really."

Mark smiled down at him before reaching over and giving Donghyuck's forehead another kiss. "Best plan of yours yet."

Donghyuck hummed pleased, cuddling into Mark's side contently.

Neither of them suspected just how much they had missed yet. But in that moment, the only thing that really counted for them, was that they still had each other.

 

 

Curious eyes were resting heavily on his back.

One thing that seemed to be universal wherever he'd go were the whispers. Albeit these ones were a lot more silent than the ones he used to endure.

People were mumbling in silence. The sound of hushed whispers mingled into one static noise, like the brushing of waves on the shore. For the first time, Renjun found himself actively trying to listen to the whispers.

Usually, they had haunted him in his sleep before clawing their way into his consciousness, despite his best efforts to not pay them any attention and shut them out of his head.

Now, however, Renjun was almost desperate to catch some of the words. He really wanted to know what people in the Noctis pack were saying. At this point, he'd value the most unreliable source of gossip, just to get some new information about what would be happening to him here. Every single piece of information could be crucial for his future and so Renjun listened to everything.

Sadly, for some reason the people here were very cautious about what they were whispering, lowering their voices enough so that one couldn't make out a single word they were uttering. 

In between all the cheering for the king, it was in general quite hard to hear anyone whispering. But by now Renjun knew what the whispers sounded like, knew the looks people threw at each other before leaning over and sharing their most malicious but perhaps also most honest opinion with their neighbor.

Whenever he turned his head, he'd catch someone just in the middle of whispering, whose eyes would widen in shock before averting his gaze at all costs. After that, they started cheering even more enthusiastically for the returned king, throwing flowers onto the path their horses were carrying them on.

It was frustrating. Like everyone was in on a game that only Renjun was left out of. Like there had been a big plan all along and only Renjun wasn't in on it, not understanding that people were only playing their part in this elaborate play of lies. This kind of whispering was nothing like the whispers in the Solaris pack. It felt more like a sworn secrecy, a deathly secrecy.

The king wasn't as indifferent about his presence anymore than he had been during the journey here. Once they had reached the village, he had insisted on Renjun remaining right by his side, showing him off like some trophy he had acquired in battle. In his eyes, Renjun was probably just that. A prize they had won on their quest.

He wondered if the Noctis pack would all think of him as a mere trophy. They would probably never accept him as one of them. On the other hand, Renjun would also never want to be one of them. He was here for one reason, and one reason alone: To protect his pack.

He was not here to make friends. As cruel as it sounded, he was here to make babies. Apart from that there was no real value in Renjun for the Noctis pack. And he had to use that one advantage he had to his best abilities, since he felt it was the only thing keeping him safe and alive. It was the only thing that he was sure would gain him some sort of independence here. They couldn't hurt him, because they needed something from Renjun.

While he was here to fulfill a deal, a promise he himself had made, Renjun would not like to die sooner than he had to. If that was where things were ultimately headed once he'd given birth to an heir and become worthless to them, then so be it. But for now Renjun knew what his cards were, and he intended on playing them all. 

When Renjun thought about it, it was kind of funny in an insane way. After spending an entire year getting to know one prince that he ended up not mating due to this very reason, here he was about to mate another prince he had yet to meet. From one prince to another - seemed like destiny had been having a field day when deciding what turns Renjun’s life would take.

While Renjun certainly did not expect any of the responsibilities that would've come with mating Jeno to transfer over into this new situation, he was worried about what his role here would be. Surely, the Noctis pack didn't bring him here to be their next king. No, he was brought here to bring their next king.

Still, Renjun would be mating the king's son. The implications of that were so unclear to him that he didn’t know if this aspect was simply terrifying or his last hope. This life entailed so many uncertainties that Renjun was literally grasping at straws trying to gain any new insights from people whispering around him.

He looked up to the sky, now covered with dark heavy clouds that were announcing rain to fall soon. He would be fine, wouldn’t he?

 

They halted in front of the huge gate that led to the Noctis castle. Renjun gulped. The big stone walls were intimidating - but in a completely different way than the Solaris castle had been. It seemed darker. Scarier. Maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

More and more people had gathered, surrounding them and welcoming them back to the pack. It was almost sweet, Renjun thought, seeing families reunite, guards falling into each other's arms, relieved that nobody had gotten hurt on this quest.

Then the Noctis king jumped off his horse. His heavy boots left an impact on the gravel underneath him. With every step he took, the stones underneath him crunched unpleasantly, the sound making Renjun cringe internally.

Still, he kept up an unaffected facade. It was over for him, should he show any form of weakness.

His heart started pounding against his ribs once he noticed that the Noctis king was walking towards him.

With a devilish grin, he reached out a hand towards Renjun, eyes silently threatening him to comply.

Biting down on his tongue, Renjun grabbed the hand and let himself be helped off his horse, feet landing smoothly on the ground.

"Open the gates!" The Noctis king shouted over the rustle, immediately silencing the entire pack.

Two guards heaved the massy gate open, stemming their entire bodies against the sturdy construction of wood and iron.

Revealed was a neat lawn, a trimmed path leading the last few meters to the entrance door of the castle. To the left and right a deep forest concealed any view, dark firs hiding any surroundings apart from the entrance of the castle. Goosebumps formed on Renjun’s skin as he imagined what could go down behind these trees, engulfed by utter darkness and shielded from the general public.

A lonely squirrel scattered around on the ground, climbing up a tree and disappearing into the dark void. Renjun wondered if there were also marigolds blooming in the forest, just how they did back home. Somehow he couldn’t imagine even a single flower surviving underneath the thick leaves of the massive trees.

He closed his eyes for a second, trying to steady his breath, but the Noctis king nudged him forwards without mercy. Offering Renjun his arm and then forcefully pulling Renjun along when he didn’t react immediately, he started striding down the path of gravel.

After the first few meters Renjun caught up to his tempo, falling into step with him. He didn't want to be dragged anywhere against his will. It was still him who was in charge of his decision. It might not mean much to the rest of the Noctis pack, but to him walking on his own was a first triumph.

Halfway down the path, the huge door to the castle opened as well. Renjun squinted his eyes. However, they were still too far away to make out more than two silhouettes stepping out since the trees around them swallowed most of the light, casting shadows over them.

The closer they got, the more of their features Renjun could distinguish. A pale looking woman was waiting for them. Her face was blank, if not a bit timid, loose hairs from her bun falling around her round face. The crest of the royal house of Noctis was stitched across her dress, showing off her belonging.

If Renjun was not totally off, this had to be the Noctis queen.

She seemed like the polar opposite of the Solaris chiefess. Her eyes were not piercing, her stance not strong and commanding, her presence not all consuming.

No, if it weren't for her expensive looking gown, Renjun could've almost mistaken her for any other regular woman. Her presence seemed to be fading, almost blending into the castle walls. Powerless.

Would that be his fate as well?

A young boy was standing next to the woman. He couldn't be much older than Chenle had been, Renjun assumed. Probably even younger, judging from his lanky limbs and his boyish facial features. The kid was awkwardly fiddling with the sleeves of his shirt, shuffling on his feet, partly hidden behind his mother.

For a second, Renjun feared absolute horror as his brain made the connection that this had to be the prince. He could not be expected to mate that kid, could he? He barely looked over the age of fifteen. Even the Noctis pack couldn't be that cruel. Especially not to a child - the child of their own king and queen. However, considering everything he knew about the Noctis pack, Renjun seriously doubted their morals concerning children.

The queen smiled faintly as they finally reached her. Finally letting go of Renjun, the Noctis king took a step forward to embrace his wife. A chill ran down Renjun's spine as the queen hugged her husband and their eyes met over his shoulder.

It was almost like her eyes were anxious. Asking for help. No, begging for help. He blinked once in surprise and the emotion in her eyes faded, just like everything about her seemed to fade into one neutral, gray being.

"Where's our other son?" The Noctis king asked in a lowered voice, only regarding the kid next to his wife with a curt nod.

"Probably in his study. Preparing himself for the mating," the queen told him in a monotonous pitch.

The Noctis king nodded, a proud look in his eyes.

Relief flooded Renjun once he heard these words. His gaze drifted towards the shy kid again, who hadn't said a word until now and was still using his mother’s body as a protective shield. At least that was not the prince he was supposed to mate.

Now focusing his attention back on Renjun, the Noctis king turned around, gaze hardening. Harshly, he pulled Renjun next to his wife and son, walking behind him and putting his hands on his shoulders.

Like this, Renjun was faced with the entire Noctis pack that had followed them up to the castle entrance, expectantly looking at their leaders, shushing each other whenever someone dared to make a sound.

Renjun glanced at the woman beside him. With all the undivided, uncomfortable attention on him, he understood why it was so tempting to just let yourself fade into the background.

His shoulder's lost their tension as the Noctis king finally let go of him, taking a step towards his followers. He punched his fist into the air.

"We've won!"

His booming voice resonated over their heads and as if on command, the silence was broken; everybody started cheering.

Feeling extremely out of place, Renjun watched hundreds of people yell in joy over having won. Won him?

The Noctis king waved his hand, and within seconds, the whole pack was quiet again.

"This omega is ours now," he announced, pointing at Renjun, who tried to put on his most stoic face. "He's going to bear my son's children and keep the royal line alive!"

Applause erupted once more, but the king was quick to shut it down. An evil smirk crept onto his face.

"The best thing about him is-" the Noctis king cackled menacingly. "He belonged to the Solaris prince! But once they saw our power, our strength, they handed him over without a fight!"

Everybody joined his laughter, mean and ugly. Renjun fidgeted, fingers twitching. That was not the truth. Not even close to the truth.

His jaw clenched; it took all his willpower to not react. No weakness.

Besides, the truth of how he had gotten here was of no use. It didn't make a difference if anyone knew how he had gotten here for the Noctis pack. It was only important that Renjun knew why he was here. He had to keep it in his head and heart. For his own sanity.

"But now, now he is ours!" The Noctis king kept boasting. "This is only the beginning of our fortune!"

Letting the pack cheer and laugh to their heart's content, he grabbed after Renjun's arm and his wife’s waist. Roughly, he showed off both his queen and his trophy one more time, celebrating under the joyous scream of the pack.

Accompanied by the noise of his followers, he retreated into the castle, a tight grip on both omegas by his side.

 

Only after the door had closed behind them, the voices of the pack now muffled, did he loosen his hold on them.

"Get him ready for the mating," he barked at two servants near them. "He still needs to be approved by the counsel."

"Is that really necessary?" The queen spoke up so quietly, Renjun barely heard her.

Her mate gave her a displeased look.

"I'm just saying, you know how they are. Always so slow in their decision making," the queen elaborated, tone sly as she touched the king's arm. "And didn't you say he was promised to the Solaris prince? I'm sure he's been examined already."

Renjun's brain was rushing, trying to keep up and stay on top of what was happening. A counsel? Examination?

His and the queen's gazes crossed once more, but she quickly ducked her head away, as if afraid to look at him openly.

Well, Renjun had to try at least. Now that this door had opened, for whatever reason, he would take it.

He lowered his eyes as he stepped underneath the contemplating gaze of the king.

"It's true. I've been examined about my pureness. Otherwise, I would not have been allowed to mate with the prince."

The king grunted, still not fully convinced.

For whatever reason, the queen leaned over to his ear, whispering, "The sooner they follow through with the mating, the better. The counsel can't question this decision after it has already happened, right? Let’s just proceed with the preparations as fast as possible."

That seemed to do the trick. The king nodded in agreement, giving his wife an approving grin.

"You're right. Let's not take any risks," the king hummed, a conceited smirk on his face.

Renjun was not sure who he had to thank for this decision. Subtly, he tried to glance at the queen again, but she was strictly avoiding turning her head in his direction. Maybe Renjun was just imagining things, but there was something about her that didn’t sit right with him.

The king clapped into his hands, harshly interrupting Renjun’s forming suspicions. "I want this done and over by tomorrow morning. Dress him appropriately and then bring him to my son’s chambers for the mating."

The two servers quickly followed his orders, rushing to Renjun's side to escort him.

 

Renjun couldn't help the uneasy tingle that spread in his gut when they got close to him but he couldn't detect a scent on them. The scentless omegas Doyoung had told them about so many months back, they really existed. Here they were, silently suffering their fate. Just like Renjun was about to.

He threw one last glance over his shoulder as they guided him through the halls of the castle, trying to catch the queen's attention one more time, but he remained unsuccessful as she had already turned her back to them.

Accepting his fate Renjun let himself be separated from the Noctis royal family.

The feeling that perhaps he wasn't the only one surrendering here, didn't leave him.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!

Sorry for all the angst...at least here we have some Markhyuck to break the tension... :)

Also: Beatbox!! Omg, it's the song of the summer!! I love it so much!!

Thanks for suffering through it all with me!!
Everybody stay safe and healthy!! <3

Chapter 40: The Fall of Spring

Notes:

Err...sorry? Enjoy?

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Donghyuck was lurking behind his curtains, watching the healers scramble around from bed to bed attentively. Mark was pressed against his back, holding his breath in silence as they waited for a chance to leave the healing quarters.

After they had first tried to just walk out of the room, an elderly but very energetic woman had mercilessly nudged them back into their beds, her gaze strict as she lectured them about their bodies needing at least one more day of rest.

So, now they were a little smarter, trying to find a moment to sneak out unseen and avoid another scolding.

Sticking his tongue out in concentration, Donghyuck observed the two healers that were tending to the other injured guards. One of them had their back turned to him, but the other one was standing only a few beds away and would undoubtedly notice them should they attempt another escape.

The seconds passed crucially slow, but then the healer finally stepped behind the curtains of someone’s bed, disappearing from their sight.

"Now!" Donghyuck hissed quietly, grabbing Mark's hand and pulling the alpha behind him.

On their tiptoes, they crossed the hall, heading straight for the door. Checking one last time, Donghyuck threw a cautious look over his shoulder - his heart froze when his eyes met one of the healers who had turned around at this very moment.

Luckily, Mark's instincts kicked in, giving up on their secretive attempt of stealing themselves outside without anyone noticing and instead bolting the last few meters to the door without any regards to the attention they were attracting.

 

The sound of the door falling shut behind them was almost comically loud.

Glances were exchanged between them.

"Well, that went well."

Donghyuck could only snort as Mark broke out in a fit of giggles. Interlocking their fingers, he began dragging Mark forward, even though he had no real clue what direction they should head into.

"Let's go before someone decides to follow us."

The squeeze he got from Mark's fingers in return sent a pleasant tingle up his arm. Together they wandered through the castle halls, in awe of the big colorful windows, expensive looking paintings and high ceilings.

While it was all quite fascinating to take in for the first time, Donghyuck couldn't help but think that he very much preferred Mark's and his little hut down in the village. In no way was the castle uninviting or cold - but the sheer size of it alone made it lose some of its charm. It could be quite intimidating. 

"Just checking, but you also have no idea where we are, right?" Mark asked after they had turned around a corner with a painting that Donghyuck was sure they had passed at least three times already.

"No clue," Donghyuck admitted with a crooked smile. "Maybe we should try some of these doors?"

At the suggestion, Mark rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "You think we're allowed to do that?"

"Technically, we weren't allowed to leave the healing station," Donghyuck reminded him.

Mark tilted his head, still a bit unsure about the plan, but Donghyuck only rolled his eyes. He wasn't planning on roaming these halls for hours. All he wanted to do was find Jeno or Kun - or anyone who could explain to them what exactly had happened. While it had been nice to rest for a couple hours - and his body had definitely needed the break - the frustration of being left in the dark didn’t allow his mind to find the same peace. The healers had all been vague when he had pestered them with questions. Apart from telling them that there hadn't been a fight, everybody had survived the explosions and that the Noctis pack had left on their own, they remained silent, saying that they didn’t want to put stress on their healing bodies.

Well, Donghyuck was not a force to be easily brushed off like that. With determination, he let go of Mark's hands.

Knocking on the first door he saw and pushing it open without waiting for an answer, he found himself greeted with an empty room. Not letting himself be deterred by that momentary disappointment he closed it and went straight ahead to the next one.

Somewhere in this castle someone had to be that could give them answers! And Donghyuck would not rest until he found them.

The more doors they tried the more Mark seemed to relax, eventually giving up on his indecisive lingering behind Donghyuck to join him in his quest to find people.

 

Their search seemed to become endless - there were just too many rooms! - until Mark knocked on a door, waiting patiently and tensing up when he heard voices and feet shuffling behind it.

Quickly, he waved Donghyuck to his side and neither of them dared to breathe as the handle of the door was slowly moved down.

A huge sigh of relief left them when they were greeted by a familiar face.

"Jaemin!" Donghyuck couldn't hide his excitement, glad to see someone who he knew would have all the information they needed.

The alpha didn't look as happy to see them, lifting his index finger to his mouth to indicate them to be quiet. More curious than ever, Donghyuck stretched his neck to catch a glimpse of the room behind Jaemin.

His face morphed into an even more confused expression when he recognized the chief and chiefess as well as both Lunaris leaders and, for some reason, Sicheng sitting at a huge round table. That was not the weirdest part, however, because not only was Sicheng there with them, he was sitting in the center, expression emotionless as his eyes shimmered with tears.

Mouth falling open, Donghyuck tore his gaze away from the scene to look at Jaemin. Before he could express any of his messy thoughts, however, Jaemin pushed them aside, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him, making the strange constellation of people disappear from their sights.

"What are you guys doing out here? Weren't you supposed to be in the healing wing?" Jaemin hissed, slightly irritated.

Mark’s lips formed an apologetic grin. "We were, but... we kind of sneaked out?"

Jaemin rubbed the creases that were slowly forming on his forehead and a long sigh left him. "You need to rest. You went through something extremely stressful. All the smoke you probably inhaled-"

"We want answers!" Donghyuck interrupted him recklessly, caring much less about the fact that Jaemin was a noble and their superior than Mark probably did, who slightly cringed at his fierce tone. "Jaemin, please, what's going on? Why wasn't there a fight? What is Sicheng doing back there? Just, what happened?"

Jaemin bit down on his lip, obviously torn apart as he looked into Donghyuck's desperate eyes. "We weren't supposed to tell anyone injured about anything yet. Not until they recovered. You know, stress slows down the healing process-"

"Jaemin, we don't care," Donghyuck intercepted once again, tone growing even more impatient. "Please, I'm gonna go crazy if you don't tell me right now what is going on."

Mark nodded firmly next to him, but his eyes were silently apologizing.

Conflicted, Jaemin let out a deep sigh - but Donghyuck's fierce glare made him give in. Taking the lead, he motioned for Mark and Donghyuck to follow him into yet another room where they could talk in peace.

Carefully, he closed the door behind them, before turning around to face the couple he had rescued from the forest what seemed like ages ago and who were oblivious to everything that had happened since. His heart ached as he looked at them, heavy with the information he was about to unveil.

Stemming his hands in his hips, Donghyuck cocked an eyebrow when Jaemin was quiet for a few seconds, waiting for the alpha to start elaborating.

"It's Renjun," Jaemin began, although it seemed to cost him immense strength to just say the name. "He... he went with the Noctis pack."

"What?!" Donghyuck almost yelled, hadn't it been for Mark placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Renjun would never betray our pack like that!"

"He didn't betray us. He...-"

Donghyuck gave Jaemin an expectant look when he paused and took a deep breath as if gearing up for a battle.

"It was a blood pact. The Noctis king promised to abstain from attacking us if... if we'd hand over an omega."

Suddenly, Donghyuck felt like falling. Surely, this couldn't be true. Surely their chief would've never agreed to such a deal. This had to be false. It had to be!

"Of course... the chief declined the Noctis king. But Renjun... Renjun offered himself up-"

"And you let him?!" Donghyuck snapped angrily, not wanting to believe anything Jaemin had just said.

Jaemin started and dropped his head, voice quivering as he spoke the next words, "It was his choice. He wanted to... he wanted to protect this pack."

Realization dawned upon them. Slowly, like an ugly monster eating him up from the inside, Donghyuck began to understand… He felt sick. Very sick, like he wanted to purge. And angry. So angry at everything. He choked up with emotions.

"No, please, no- '' Donghyuck was close to tears. Legs weak all of a sudden, he sought support in Mark, clutching his fingers into Mark's shirt, but the alpha seemed equally shaken, holding onto Donghyuck's frame in support.

When Jaemin raised his head again, his eyes were shimmering with wetness. "Since Renjun doesn't have any parents, the chief and chiefess are now trying to reimburse Sicheng for... his loss."

"Reimburse?" Donghyuck whispered speechlessly. That sounded wrong. So wrong. You couldn’t… not a person. Not Renjun.

"We're all...-" Jaemin’s voice gave up as an invisible force erupted through his body, shaking him like a storm. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. We have to do something! Just - what can we do? There has to be a way-"

Jaemin shook his head defeated, staring at the ceiling to hold his tears back. "I'm sorry but there is nothing we can do. Just... go back home and... make the best use of the peace Renjun has gotten for us."

Without further words, Jaemin turned around, his body still shaking as he left them alone in the empty room.

Needing no words, Mark gently pulled Donghyuck into his arms, soothingly stroking over his back as the omega began sobbing. Unbothered by the fact that Donghyuck's tears were wetting his shirt he buried his nose in his hair, the scent of watermelon having never smelled so sad to him.

Time wasn't real anymore. Because pain surpassed all dimensions. It clawed its way into you, leaving bruises that made you forget about yourself and everything around you. In a way pain was what connected them all. Because pain didn't discriminate. Pain didn't need a language. You just felt it and you had two options - let it win or fight it.

Maybe for the first time in his life, Donghyuck considered not fighting it.

Then he pulled himself together. Because he needed to pull himself together. If there was one person left to fight, it would always be him. Even if everyone else had already given up, Donghyuck had proven numerous times that just one person can make a difference. And if he needed to be that one person, he would be that one person. Because Renjun deserved to be fought for. 

Cheeks damp with tears, he pulled away from Mark's comforting embrace.

Knowing the fire in his eyes very well by now, Mark gave him a small smile as he brushed a strand of hair behind his ear and wiped his tears.

"What do you wanna do?"

"I don't know yet," Donghyuck sniffled, but his voice was gaining back its previous strength. "Something. Something for Renjun. To remember him. If we cannot get him back right now, we should at least make sure everyone remembers him."

"Okay," Mark agreed sweetly. “I’ll help you.”

Fondness filled Donghyuck at these simple words. Knowing that this time he wasn’t the only one fighting already made it a little more bearable.

 

The idea for what exactly they could do to honor Renjun, only occurred to him the next day. After the healers had deemed them safe to leave, Mark and Donghyuck had not hesitated a second to gather their things.

Both their families had traveled back to the village already, luckily neither of them having gotten hurt in the evacuation process. Since Donghyuck had been informed - after very persistent questioning - that Shotaro had only been mildly injured and thus immediately transferred to the Lunaris pack to be treated in his own home, there was no reason to stay at the castle any longer. They had gotten all the information they needed - or at least, Donghyuck doubted they would get any more if they stayed longer.

As Sicheng had also still been at the castle, they decided to travel back to the village together. Although Donghyuck had not expected it, Jeno and Jaemin both showed up at the gates the morning of their leave to accompany them, even providing them with horses so they wouldn't have to walk on their own.

Donghyuck wasn't sure if Jeno or Sicheng looked more hollow. Neither of them were talking, faces expressionless. It was almost like watching two soulless corpses instead of what had once been two people full of life. Their bodies were moving on autopilot, Jeno wordlessly helping Sicheng saddle up on the horse behind him as they started their short trip.

Maybe it was one of these situations where when everybody else around you loses their hope, you gain even more to keep the balance. Maybe it was just because Donghyuck had always been a fighter.

Whatever it was, seeing all the spirits drained from two of his friends lit up a fire inside of Donghyuck. It burned in his heart and it made his fingers tingle. It was warm and bright and it wouldn’t let him give up.

Renjun had always been a person full of life. Full of compassion and love. The opposite of what Jeno and Sicheng were at the moment, mourning the loss of their loved one.

If there was one thing Donghyuck was sure of, then it was that Renjun did not want this. Being an orphan, the omega had dealt with loss all his life - and he had never let himself be brought down by it. He had gained strength from it, grown and surpassed himself. So Donghyuck wanted to do the same for him. Set Renjun as an example and let people gain strength from it.

 

Once they had reached their pack village - or rather once they passed by the orphanage - Donghyuck had made up his mind, an idea fleeting through his head.

Jumping off the horse, without thinking about repercussions and only letting his intuition guide him, Donghyuck took a few determined strides towards the building Renjun had grown up in.

He felt the rest of their little travel group staring at him in slight confusion. There were surprised gasps as Donghyuck shrugged off his jacket and then tore the sleeves of his white shirt apart that he had been wearing underneath.

Attracted by the noise of the horses, a few curious people had gathered around them, watching the omega's action in baffled silence.

Not letting himself be influenced by any of them, Donghyuck went to the apple tree that was planted in front of the orphanage. With skilled movements he tied the piece of fabric around the tree, securing it with a tight knot.

It looked bright and pure against the dark and rough bark of the tree. Like a single beacon of hope in the tough world of injustice they were living in.

Suddenly, there was the sound of another tear. Donghyuck turned his head around to see Mark by his side, also having ripped off his sleeve in a silent act of unconditional support.

Seemed like Mark hadn't needed an explanation about what Donghyuck had tried to symbolize with this gesture. With a look of understanding towards Donghyuck, he stepped up to the tree, tying his sleeve right underneath his.

Not a single word was uttered as the prince himself jumped off his horse. Uncaring about the fact that his own shirt was embedded with silver strings and was of far more value than Mark's and Donghyuck's had been, he tore it apart.

Suddenly, more and more people started following their example. After Jeno had bound his sleeve to the tree, Jaemin and Sicheng had stepped forward, fastening their own ripped off clothes underneath and above of Donghyuck's.

One after another all the people that had watched, added their own piece of fabric to the tree - Donghyuck noticed Yangyang right at the front. The omega walked over to him, pulling him into a tight hug that needed no words as they both felt the same thing. With an appreciative look, Yangyang patted his back before rubbing an unshed tear out of his eyes. Taking a deep breath, they separated. To his right Sicheng reached for his hand, gently squeezing it as if silently wanting to thank him. Connected by their grief and their hope, they all looked at the apple tree.

In the end, it was almost completely covered by clothes of all varying colors.

Donghyuck's white sleeve was right in the center, shining even brighter than it had before.

Nobody exchanged a word as they decorated the tree. Everyone knew what they were doing. What it meant. Who they were doing this for.

It was deathly silent. Until the door of the orphanage opened.

Swept up with enthusiasm, all the orphanage kids stormed outside, imitating what they had observed through the windows and ripping their sleeves apart, clumsy children's fingers fumbling with the material as they fixed it to the tree.

They were yelling in joy, obviously excited about getting to destroy their clothes like only a child could be.

Donghyuck watched with satisfaction how a small girl went up to Jeno, asking the prince to help her bind her sleeve to the tree. A small smile stole itself on Jeno's lips as he heaved her off the ground - and Sicheng was already in the middle of a whole tumult of kids, asking for his help to get their fabric to the highest branches of the tree.

Fingers were brushing over the back Donghyuck's hand, causing him to look to his right. Mark was giving him a proud smile.

"You did well," he mumbled silently, pressing a soft kiss behind Donghyuck’s ear. “Renjun would’ve loved this.

There was no explanation for why he had done what he had done - and yet it explained everything.

Sometimes you just had to trust your intuition. Sometimes you just had to follow your heart, risk something and put yourself out there. Renjun had always understood that.

Looking at the tree and the children dancing around it, Donghyuck felt like this would've been far more to Renjun's liking than the depressed silence this morning. Even though the pain was still prominent in his chest, Donghyuck was happy to have passed down the essence of Renjun, because in these times it was probably what they all needed the most.

 

The small crowd dispersed slowly, everyone trailing after their own thoughts and emotions. When Jeno bid the tree a silent goodbye, Jaemin intuitively followed him. Even when Jeno's path didn't seem to lead right back to the castle, but instead took a detour along the river he didn't question his friend.

While he had no words, nobody really had, he still wanted to be there for Jeno. His heart ached when he remembered the last conversation, he and Renjun had had roughly a month ago. The memory of the omega was so clear in his mind, the way his eyes had sparkled with life, face full of worry as he asked him to look after Jeno. Holding on to that last wish Renjun had confided in him, Jaemin stalked after the prince with determination.

Once they reached a part of the river that seemed in no way different from the rest of the flowing water, Jeno suddenly stopped as if having searched right for this spot that appeared so ordinary to anyone else except him.

"Here's where I first met him. Really met him," Jeno's voice tore the heavy silence apart.

A little bit surprised, Jaemin's head snapped around. Besides a few monotonous words Jeno had not talked to him these past two days. However, now his voice was full of emotions, on the brink of falling apart from how hurt it sounded.

A sad smile spread on Jeno's lips as tears started falling. "He told me I sucked at doing laundry."

The prince was doing a mixture of crying and laughing as he sniffled his way through his words, that Jaemin could only follow mesmerized.

"And I told him my name was Jaemin," Jeno continued speaking, not even attempting to make his voice appear calm or collected, instead embracing the tears that kept spilling. "He ignored me for a week because of that. It would've been so easy to just forget about him, but I somehow couldn't. I saw him and - I just stopped. I stopped because deep down I already knew. He was the one for me. And nothing would ever change that."

At a complete loss of what to do, Jaemin could only stand and stare. Jeno and him had shared a lot of memories, moments of happiness and sadness - but never before had he seen Jeno so vulnerable. So shaken to his core. It was heartbreaking.

The alpha took a deep breath, his entire upper body trembling from just how much he was feeling.

"Even after... even after he ended our courtship, I still knew. I knew we would find our way back together. I knew it would not be today, not tomorrow, maybe not for a long time. But in the end, it would be Renjun. It would always be Renjun."

He swallowed, throat closing up as he formed his next thoughts.

"And now he's really gone. He's really gone and for the first time I... I have to consider that after all, we're not gonna be together." Jeno's voice was quivering, barely holding itself together as he kept speaking what had been burdening his heart. "Life suddenly seems so worthless. Which, I know it's not, I still have so much left to live for. But the thought of having to do it all without Renjun is making me feel so empty, like it's pointless. It's making me so sad and so... so afraid-"

A wave of pain, grander than everything before took over Jeno's body and without thinking about it Jaemin pulled him into a tight hug.

His own eyes were watery as he held Jeno close. People always said that shared pain is half the pain - but in that moment, holding the crying Jeno in his arm, Jaemin wondered if some pain was just simply too big to be lessened. Infinity had no beginning or end - how could it be split in half? Even when that was all Jaemin wanted to do, take some of Jeno's pain away, soothe his crying, he felt like everything he could do or say would be lacking.

He wanted to save Jeno, but how could he do that when he himself was drowning?

No words could leave Jaemin's mouth, but in his head, he was repeating over and over again 'I'm here. I'm here, you're not alone. I'm here.' - desperately hoping Jeno would get the message of his embrace tightening around him, so much it probably hurt the alpha.

"Do you think Renjun is doing okay? Do you think he is hurt?" Jeno muttered against Jaemin’s torn apart shirt, voice quiet and muffled.

"I... I don't know," Jaemin answered truthfully. Until now he hadn't dared to think about what was possibly happening to Renjun in this very second, the horror too big to stomach for him. "B-but Renjun's very strong. Stronger than anyone else."

"I just want to know he's safe. Protected," Jeno said tearfully. "He's strong. But he's also very soft."

Gently, Jaemin patted Jeno's back, who in turn slowly moved out of their hug. Jeno’s cheeks were damp, eyes red as he rubbed over them repeatedly.

"I don't think anyone knows what Renjun is really capable of," Jaemin tried to come up with an answer that was not a lie but would also comfort Jeno. "Renjun probably knows the least of what he's capable of."

Jeno's quivering lips were pulled into a grimace that almost resembled a smile. Huang Renjun was indeed a force to be reckoned with. He could only hope Renjun would make use of his own strength.

"I don't think he got mated yet," Jeno stated, straying off topic.

It perplexed Jaemin a little. While he really tried to contain his skepticism about that fact - the Noctis king had not seemed very patient to him - his face involuntarily depicted his inner conflict. He knew Jeno would not want to hear that Renjun had gotten mated to someone else but him. However, it was just very unlikely that the Noctis pack would wait for much longer with how urgent they needed an heir.

Even though he had tried to contain his honest thoughts to himself, Jeno saw right through Jaemin. "I know that you don't believe that. But... I just think if... if he'd gotten mated, I would've felt it. I don't know, maybe I'm just being silly."

"No," Jaemin immediately protested, realizing some truth in Jeno's words. "I think you're right. You would've felt it."

"You really mean that?" Jeno asked, full of fragility, like he wanted to believe, but didn’t dare to hope.

Jaemin nodded his head reassuringly. "Bonds are special... and weird. And you and Renjun shared a bond - albeit not a mated one. I think you would've felt it... if something had affected that bond."

The tears had stopped flowing by now as Jeno gave Jaemin a grateful smile. He did not know if Jaemin really meant it, or if he was just saying stuff to make Jeno feel better - but in the end it didn't matter, because either way, it gave Jeno a tiny little inkling of hope. Hope, that he hadn't felt since Renjun had left. Hope that in the end, there was a small, small chance that everything would be fine.

"Do you think they'd let him communicate with us?" Jeno asked, his newfound hope growing faster than he had expected, providing him with possible positive outlooks that were far too soon to make.

Jaemin gave him an understanding pat on his shoulder. "Maybe," he replied with a shrug. "I mean, Doyoung and Taeyong found a way to communicate back when they were captured. And we all know Renjun is smart. I'm sure he'll find a way."

Inhaling and exhaling, Jeno felt some of his tension recede. Waiting was something he could do. He could wait for Renjun. Yes, he could wait. Maybe it would take months, maybe it would take years - but if waiting meant getting to hear from Renjun he could do it.

He turned back to the river, the water purling and gliding in a completely unchanged manner. It was always flowing, never stopping. In a way it was just like time.

If he only waited long enough, he was sure the water would bring Renjun back to him. Just like it had brought them together the first time.

Tearing his gaze away from the enchanting sparkle of the water, he turned back to Jaemin.

"You are a great friend. I'm not sure if I ever told you that. But you are," Jeno said, full of sincerity. "Renjun thought so, too. Trust me."

The last thing Jaemin had expected from Jeno at this moment was for him to console him. Not when Jeno had been the one who had been hit a lot harder, who had been suffering an amount of pain Jaemin couldn't even imagine.

They had never been shy to get emotional with each other, but the sudden declaration still made Jaemin a bit flustered.

"Thanks," he managed to croak out, and while Jeno's smile didn't reach his eyes the same way it used to do, it was a lot more genuine than his previous ones.

"Let's go home?" The prince suggested. "I'm sure they are already waiting for us."

They fell into silence again as they walked back to the village, where they had left their horses behind. However, the silence was far less heavy than it had been on their way here.

Jeno was clutching onto the reins of his horse tightly. The small spark of hope that had been elicited in him today weakly flaring inside of him. He had to hold it close to his heart, because - even though small - it was warm enough to keep him alive.

Fate had a way to bring people together. If Jeno trusted in fate, there had to be a reason the river had once brought him and Renjun together in the first place.

Their story was not over yet.

Notes:

Grrr, thanks for reading!! I know, I'm making all of us suffer a lot these last few chapter >.<
But it will get better soon!! We've almost made it to the happy end!! <33
Thanks for reading!! :3

Chapter 41: Blessed-Cursed

Notes:

Waaaah, welcome back for the big reveal :)
Let's see who was right about their theories....
Enjoy :D

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The air around him smelled weirdly clean. Even though Renjun knew he shouldn't feel like this, the scentless omegas around him were making him feel on edge. Like there was danger incoming. Perhaps it was because scent was one of their most instinctual, basic forms of communication and now that they were robbed of it, they were unreadable.

It was twisted. Twisted, that the real victims in this situation - the omegas who had been drugged, too young to consent to any of it - were now going to be seen as predators because of the consequences they were suffering. Meanwhile, the perpetrators remained on top, untouchable as they continued their crime with no repercussions.

Looking at the omegas busily rushing around him, a deep sudden compassion spread in Renjun's stomach. While they had always painted the Noctis pack as the enemies, there were again two sides of the story.

The servers had shown Renjun to a big washroom, where more omegas had joined them, carrying in buckets of water to prepare a bath for him.

At first, Renjun had been surprised that the Noctis king cared enough to let him wash up before getting mated - but he supposed there were certain traditions that had to be upheld, even in the most unconventional kinds of situations.

"Wait, let me help," Renjun offered when he saw some of the servers struggling with starting a fire to warm the water in his bath.

Shocked at being addressed so directly by him they lowered their heads. "My apologies."

Renjun frowned, perplexed, before walking over to them. Getting a closer look, they all looked quite young, perhaps thirteen. "It's alright. Let me show you - have you ever lit a fire?"

The girl, who had been failing to get the wood to burn, shook her head. "No. I only started serving the royal family recently."

Gifting her a gentle smile, Renjun took over fire duty. It was his bath anyway. He didn't need all these people – hell, he had been bathing in a lake most of his life. The concept of being treated like this had never made sense to him, even back in the Solaris castle. Here, it felt even more out of place.

"You shouldn't have to do that," another girl joined their conversation, emptying the last bucket of clear water into the tub that was now close to spilling over. The resemblance between the two girls was uncanny. Probably sisters, Renjun concluded in his head when the second girl nudged the younger one in her side with a disapproving glare.

"No, it's really fine. I'm not noble or anything. I used to do this all my life," Renjun disclosed to them, not wanting to make them feel bad or get them in any sort of trouble.

A few curious glances were shot in his directions, but then the older sister - who seemed to be in charge here - ushered everyone outside.

Feigning disinterest, the older sister began to pour all kinds of oils and fragrances into the water, turning it a dark purple color. Then she glanced at him. "Weren't you the omega for the Solaris prince?" She questioned, despite her nonchalant act, obviously intrigued by Renjun’s persona.

An empty smile appeared and then quickly vanished from Renjun's face. Seemed like gossip traveled fast, no matter where he went. He swallowed his own spit, a heavy feeling sitting in his throat as he was reminded of Jeno and their once promised mating.

"Yeah. But I wasn't royal or anything," Renjun replied honestly in the end. He knew he should probably be more wary around anyone here, since he didn’t know who to trust, but somehow, he couldn't see the harm in sharing some information with the girl.

Not really acknowledging him further after his answer, the girl helped him out of his terribly dirty clothes and into the bath. Renjun wasn't really sure what to make of her. After all, he was in a very unique position here. It was like nobody really knew the right way to treat him. He was an outsider, but at the same time he was also going to get mated to their prince.

However, in the end, the girl was Renjun's only source of information right now. And she didn't seem too rude. No, she felt rather friendly to him. Nevertheless, Renjun had many questions about what was going to happen to him from now on, and he didn't think that they were going to get answers if he didn't shoot his shot here.

"Could you tell me about the mating? Are there any rules?" Renjun asked straight forward as the water covered him and the girl turned her back to where he submerged into the bath, laying out wide gowns for him to wear afterwards.

When she walked back to him, Renjun was surprised to see a faint, pained smile on her face. It was obvious something tormented her - or at least made her really sad. "Not really rules. Just traditions."

"Could you please tell me about them, er-?" Renjun carefully pried further, not wanting to step on her toes when this seemed to be a sensitive issue for her. “I’m sorry, may I ask you for your name?”

The girl took a seat behind him, making it impossible for Renjun to read her facial expressions any longer. Even though he had gotten used to her lack of scent by now, not getting to witness any of her reactions made him feel a bit uneasy. Skilled fingers went through his wet hair, brushing it gently before swiftly beginning to braid a few strands.

“I’m Winter.”

A name, as simple as that. Renjun had never thought just getting to put a name to a person would bring him so much comfort. Despite his omega subconsciously still being on edge because of Winter’s scentlessness, Renjun felt like there was a connection forming between them. A sign of trust, even if it was the smallest one.

A long sigh left the girl and Renjun’s body tensed up in attention, trying to gain as much information as possible, since this could be crucial for his future.

"The mating. Well, it's what every omega used to dream of. You get to wear the finest clothing. You get the brightest flowers. It's... a day of joy. A day just for you and your loved one."

She sounded almost wistful as she kept speaking. It made Renjun’s heart  instinctually clench up in compassion. Despite not seeing or smelling it, he knew she was suffering in silence.

"Unfortunately, there are no flowers this late into the year. That's why most people get mated in spring. At least that's what my parents told me. Nowadays nobody gets mated anymore."

For a fleeting moment Renjun actually considered asking why, but he could stop himself in time. It was obvious why. That thought hadn't even occurred to him yet - he supposed it was possible for unfertile omegas to get mated - but it was probably harder to find a mate. Maybe it was even prohibited for them to get mated - he wouldn't put it past this pack to exclude their victims even further like this. Punishing the ones who had done no wrong.

"My parents told me it was the most magical night," Winter concluded her little story.

Now that she was warming up to him, Renjun felt more comfortable sharing with her as well, deeming her no longer a threat. "In the Solaris pack we have a big mating ceremony at the end of the year. That's when all the couples get mated. And we get these lanterns and send them flying - it used to be my favorite thing as a kid."

Even though Renjun couldn't see it, he was certain Winter was smiling as she replied, "That sounds lovely."

"It is," Renjun agreed, filled with childhood nostalgia. However, he probably shouldn't indulge in these thoughts too much - it would only make it hurt more that he would never experience the mating ceremony on his own. Another one of his dreams crushed. His heart sank.

No, he should focus. He was here for one reason and one reason only, as had been demonstrated very clearly to him.

"So, then everyone gets mated on the same day?" Winter asked him, keeping up the light conversation as she finished the braids and stood up from her stool.

"Oh yeah," Renjun answered, thankful that she was trying to make him feel a bit more comfortable in this foreign environment by talking to him. "It's like a big celebration. The whole pack comes together to celebrate the couples. And then... erm-"

Winter lifted an eyebrow at him, an incredulous expression on her face. "They don't proceed with the mating in public, do they?"

Renjun's eyes widened, cheeks heating up in embarrassment. "No! No, goodness no!" He spluttered, Winter gave him a cheeky laugh. "Do they... do that here?"

"No," she told him with a soft giggle and Renjun exhaled relieved. "The bite and... the rest of the mating are an intimate affair that's only for you and your mate to witness."

The tension in Renjun’s shoulder relaxed slightly. When he noticed the happy twinkle in the Winter's eyes, maybe for the first time the primary emotion he felt when looking at her wasn't fear or pity.

"Come on, let's get you ready. I'm sure everyone is already getting impatient," she instructed him, reaching out a hand to help him out of the bath.

A little bit clumsily, Renjun heaved his wet body out of the tub, shivering for a second as the cold air hit his naked skin before the girl handed him a towel that he quickly wrapped himself into.

Once he was completely dried, Winter held out the gown she had previously prepared for him.

It was quite beautiful, as dark as the night, swallowing even the tiniest piece of moonlight that fell through the creak of the windows. The sleeves were entirely made of lace, a neat pattern stitched all the way down to his fingers, embroidered with the tiniest crystals that Renjun had ever seen, sparkling enticingly. Long, fine fabric fell down below his feet, tracing behind him like a long veil. The gown opened at the front, revealing his silky black pants, held around his waist by only a single string that he had tied into a neat ribbon.

 

After Winter had laid out his long gown that created a black river behind him wherever he went, Renjun turned to look at himself in the mirror.

He had not expected to look this beautiful.                         

His skin looked even paler against the dark fabric than it usually did, bringing out the red in his lips and cheeks. Not even in his wildest fantasies had Renjun imagined himself wearing something like this.

It was a tragic beauty. A sad graze. A frozen flower. A blessed curse.

Forgetting everything around him for a second, Renjun stared at his reflection intensively, perhaps only now truly realizing what was about to happen. Today he would get mated to a stranger. This was his last moment as an unmated omega.

Just like the girl had said - this was a day many people dreamt of their entire life.

Slowly tilting his head, Renjun bared his throat, wanting to get a glimpse of his neck without any claim on it yet. His skin sparkled enchantingly under the pale moonlight, untarnished and pure. Inviting. Renjun swallowed heavily.

The harder he tried to brand into his memory what he used to look like, what he looked like in this very memory, the more it seemed to be fading, like trying to capture air with your hands, slipping through your fingers like running sand.

This was a goodbye. Now, Renjun had his fair share of goodbyes in his young life. One more painful than the next. Nothing, however, had ever felt quite like this - saying goodbye to himself.

No matter how much he wanted to pretend it wouldn't, he knew this would change him. A mating bond did something to a person. Whether you wanted it or not.

 

"Are you ready?" The girl asked him gently, ripping Renjun out of his spiraling thoughts.

The honest answer would be a clear no. No, Renjun would never be ready for this - but that was more than besides the point. Lives depended on him. He couldn’t hesitate now, not with so much at stake.

The omega put on his toughest smile, tearing his gaze away from himself in the mirror. With a firm nod, he allowed the girl to open the door, following her outside.

A few torches lit up the long, cold halls of the castle as the girl began to guide him up a tower. The circle staircase seemed to never end and Renjun started to get dizzy, his long gown so heavy as it dragged over the ground behind him, that it made his muscles ache.

Finally, they reached a wooden door, an iron lock before it.

Carefully, the girl raised her fist to knock against it. "Your highness?" Her clear voice called out, but nobody answered.

With practiced movements, the girl removed the lock, forcing the door open with all her strength as she stemmed her entire body against it, revealing a spacious chamber.

She held the door open until Renjun had stepped inside the room.

"Wait here for the prince to arrive. Don't try to run away. There are guards at every exit."

Her voice was a lot less warm than when it had been just the two of them in the safe space of the bathroom, catching Renjun a bit off guard. The prospect of being totally left alone, for the first time since he came, scared Renjun a little, but before he could ask the girl to stay with him, she had closed the door already.

 

A breath he had unknowingly been holding left Renjun.

There was no way out of this now.

Trying to soothe his running nerves, he began to look around the spacious room. It smelled of pinewood. That wasn’t too bad. At least whoever this room belonged to had a pleasant scent.

There was a huge shelf on one of the walls, holding books and maps and more books. Fascinated, Renjun traced over some of their backs, almost snorting to himself when he encountered a familiar Latin guide.

Upon inspecting the room further, Renjun's eyes inevitably landed on the huge bed. A queasy feeling spread in his guts. Cautiously, he let his fingers trace over the cold sheets. In comparison to the ones he had been provided with in the Solaris castle, these were a lot rougher, not as thin. Perhaps because of the colder climate, Renjun guessed, as he caressed over the thick blanket, straightening the already neat sheets.

Full of uncertainty, he stood in front of the bed. Was he expected to wait in there? In the end, that was the place they would definitely end up in.

Not really sure what to do, Renjun took a seat at the foot of the bed, trying to tidy up the long train of his gown. Nervously, his eyes kept flickering to the door. He didn't know if he wanted the prince to come already or if he wanted him to never show up.

Suddenly, he heard loud footsteps approach. His heart sped up rapidly, pounding against his chest as if wanting to break all of his ribs. His palms felt sweaty and he heard his pulse beat in his eardrums, rushing and rushing. Panic rose inside of him - for a second and against all better judgement Renjun truly considered running.

Then the door opened.

 

A tall man stepped inside, the shadow still hiding his face as he carefully locked the door behind him.

The man was also dressed in black robes, even though they were a lot simpler in design than Renjun's were. His whole silhouette was swallowed by the darkness of the night, except for the diamonds blinking around his fingers.

In an almost predatory way, the alpha started approaching him.

No. No, Renjun's omega was screaming in his head. This was not right. This is not who you're supposed to mate. Get away. Run.

His flight instincts started kicking in and he backed up on the bed as much as he could, eventually being fully pressed against the headboard.

Slowly, the alpha crawled on top of the bed, closing the distance between them. His whole body started shaking.

Renjun was trapped. This was the end.

Surrendering mentally, Renjun felt tears spill out of the corner of his eyes. All along he had tried to be brave and strong. But he would only be kidding himself if he'd say that he could be brave right now. He could not. He did not want this, but he knew he had to do it.

Shutting his eyes tightly, Renjun prayed to the heavens, to his parents, to anyone. Please, help me get through this. Please, help me endure this. Please, help me survive this.

His whole body froze when he felt the alpha hover over his body completely, his soft hair brushing over his cheeks and tingling his skin. The alpha was sniffing him, slowly moving his head down to Renjun's neck.

In absolute fear, Renjun bit down on his tongue, doing what he had to do and baring his throat.

He held his breath, waiting for the bite. He waited and waited - but the pain he expected never came.

His breathing was still unsteady and his body had gone from scared shock to uncontrollable shaking.

A chaste kiss was pressed where the mating bite was supposed to go. "I'm not going to mate you," he whispered breathlessly against his skin and a fearful shiver traveled down Renjun's spine.

Then the man on top of him retreated, leaving Renjun panting and trembling on the bed. The omega took a few seconds, trying to calm down his racing heart. What had just happened?

In utter disbelief, he pried his eyes open, only to see the alpha sitting at the far end of the bed, looking at him with a patient gaze.

What was going on? Was this some sick game?

His throat had unexpectedly become very parched, no spit left in his mouth and his voice cracked as he tried to form a sentence.

"Why? Why not? I'm... I'm willing - there's a blood pact! You have to-"

"Shhhh, calm down." The gentle timbre of the alpha's voice was very soothing, almost like a lullaby trying to lure him to sleep. "I'm Jaehyun. I'm not going to mate you. Please, I'm gonna make sure nothing will happen to you. You can calm down now."

Blinking at the man in pure confusion, Renjun drew his legs to his chest, curling in on himself in protectiveness.

"What are you trying to do here? Is this a trick?"

Jaehyun shook his head with certainty. "No, this is not a trick. I promise, I'm not going to mate you. If I wanted to, I already would’ve. But I didn’t."

"I don't... I don't understand," Renjun stuttered in bewilderment. "I'm supposed to bear your heir! I'm here - I-"

"I know. I know," Jaehyun quickly shut him down. "I know why you are here," the alpha paused, looking at him in question. "What's your name?"

"I'm... I - Renjun," the omega answered, perplexed. While he had not wanted to get mated, he had been ready to do it for his pack. Why wouldn't Jaehyun just do it?

"Okay, Renjun, please, I need you to listen to me," Jaehyun said, voice almost pleading at this point.

Just then the cloud that had been hiding the moon moved, and a shine of light hit Jaehyun's face in the perfect angle, making it visible to Renjun for the first time.

He was surprised to see warm eyes, soft features distorted in worry and... and fear? But why would Jaehyun be afraid?

Sensing Renjun’s apprehension, Jaehyun stood up from the bed, making the distance between them even bigger.

Carrying himself through the room, Jaehyun swiftly pulled out some matches, lighting up a few candles that gave the room a warmer glow.

Pain shot through his heart when Renjun realized the smelled like dark chocolate.

Now finally able to take in all of Jaehyun's appearance, Renjun was slightly surprised again. The darkness had made Jaehyun seem scary and beastly - but now he looked not unlike all the alphas in the Solaris pack. He resembled his mother a lot more than his father. His hair was a dark shade of brown instead of pitch black, his face - while handsome - not cruel like Renjun had expected.

Cautiously, as if not wanting to scare Renjun away, he took a seat at the far end of the bed again.

"I need your help," Jaehyun disclosed to him, as if that would help Renjun understand the situation better in the slightest. "I need your help to dethrone my father."

Shock. That was the only thing Renjun felt. Shocked.

"I know this is going to be a lot for you now. But please just listen to me first, okay?" Jaehyun was back to begging.

Maybe Renjun had always been too nice for his own good, too soft for other people, but something about Jaehyun made him want to give the alpha a chance. Slowly, he nodded his head.

A relieved sigh left Jaehyun. He stood up from the bed, taking a fierce stance for a few seconds, before beginning to stride up and down the room with a concentrated expression.

"I don't know what people have told you about the Noctis pack and our practices," Jaehyun started, rubbing his chin with his thumb aggressively. "But whatever they said - it's worse. This pack - my pack! - is falling apart under my father’s reign. We may have five more years if my father stays in control and runs our people into the ground. After that, we’re done."

The silence in the room was thick as Jaehyun let out what had been brooding inside of him for what seemed to have been a long time. It was quite fascinating to witness, even though it had been the last thing Renjun had expected to see coming here.

"If your father is the doom of this pack, why do people still follow him blindly?" Renjun questioned critically, having seen the hundreds of men that had invaded their borders and injured his people, running after a king that failed to see his own mistakes.

A demeaning hiss left Jaehyun. "Because it's not really my father who rules this pack,” he said, letting Renjun sit in anticipating silence before he resumed talking. “It's fear. The fear he inflicts upon everyone. Since the war, fear was the thing that drove people in this pack - and my father more than anyone. Fear of another war. Fear that makes him drug the children of this pack. Fear of this pack ending, turning us into rouges that makes our guards comply with my father's command, starting a war that we have no right to start and that we also still fear. My father lost his own father in the war. This pack lost their leader. And ever since, he became afraid of losing. Hence, everybody became afraid of losing. And now we’re at the end and my father can’t see that he has already lost because of all this stupid fear making everybody unable to think straight."

Jaehyun was heaving, not having stopped for a second to breathe as he explained how the Noctis pack had operated these past twenty years in a spiral of never-ending fear that only grew and grew and that seemed inescapable.

"You might not believe me that my people are not evil - and that it's only because of my father who they fear so much why they do these awful things. But I lived here my entire life, and I know that that's not who we are," Jaehyun took his stance. “It’s not who I am.”

It was true that Renjun was reluctant to just believe the alpha's words. In the end, he had no real reason to trust Jaehyun. Especially, since the Noctis pack had been the enemy for almost the entire year, inflicting pain on him and his friends, ripping their pack apart.

However, a few contrasting images flashed through his mind. The one guard lending him a jacket in the safety of darkness, too afraid to do it in the light. The queen subtly helping him out, too afraid to openly defy her husband. The servant girl, sad and broken and too afraid to show her true self outside of complete privacy.

This pack was deeply scared. No matter how much Renjun had learned to despise them, he could see the truth in what Jaehyun had told him. These people were scared and they were forced into a war that would leave no winner. No war ever did.

"But wait - your father made a blood pact," Renjun remembered his sole motive for coming here. "He promised that neither the Solaris pack nor the Lunaris pack is going to get hurt as long as he is king. He promised us safety under the condition of me getting mated to you. I know you want to save your pack, but I'm here exactly for the same reason. If I have to pick between our packs, I'm sorry but I choose mine."

A frustrated huff left Jaehyun. "You said it, Renjun. He said there is not going to be an attack as long as he is king. Once I get a mate, I'm qualified for that position. Which means the blood pact ends - he'll make me king, give himself some new, arbitrary title and march over to the border to take what he wants."

A cold sensation spread in Renjun's body. This had all been a hoax? A trick from the Noctis king, who had never wanted peace in the first place?

"Can't you just refuse to become king?" He questioned desperately, not wanting his sacrifice to become meaningless.

"Renjun," Jaehyun sighed in desperation. "I understand that you want to save your pack as much as I want to save mine, but my father is a ruthless man. Did you really think he was going to be satisfied with one omega? No, he weakened your guard with this first attack, he lured you into a false sense of security with a fake peace offering, probably making you loosen up your border patrol, while simultaneously getting security for his heir. Be honest with yourself, did you really think my father would accept peace this easily?"

No. The truth was that something had seemed off since the very beginning. A deal too good to be true, but the blood pact had reassured every scepsis they had. Blood pacts were ancient and sacred - it was impossible to break them, people who tried, had all succumbed to a merciless fate. It had been the only reason they hadn't considered the words of the Noctis king to be a lie, a play pretend. Learning that they had been toyed with the entire time, was devastating.

Jaehyun stopped his headless walking for a second, looking straight in Renjun's eyes full of ambition.

"But I have a plan, Renjun. I have a plan that will save your pack and mine," the alpha assured him. "I just need your help."

The ball was in Renjun's court now. If he could believe Jaehyun, which he came to realize was probably the only way out of this, he needed to trust him. Even if Jaehyun was just lying to him for another ulterior motive that was still hidden to Renjun, there was not much he could lose. Not after the eye-opening revelation Jaehyun had just made him a witness of.

"Okay," he agreed, trying to sound as sure about his decision as he could, despite not being sure at all. "Okay, I'll give your plan a chance. But if it doesn't work, you have to promise to mate me so that the blood pact stays intact and my pack is safe for the time being."

Jaehyun's head fell back as he exhaled, rubbing over his face in obvious relief. "Thank you. I promise I'll do my best to keep you and your pack safe."

Renjun's stare was piercing as he connected their gazes, wordlessly conveying that Jaehyun would regret it if this was another ugly trick. The alpha swallowed in intimidation, obviously getting the message.

"So," Renjun started negotiating, getting straight to business. "You said you want to dethrone your father. How can I help you with that?"

A fleeting smile crossed over Jaehyun's lips as he sat back down on the bed, still keeping a comfortable distance between them.

"There are not many ways that a king can be dethroned. Only a few reasons allow the council to exile a king," Jaehyun began elaborating. "But I have a plan."

"What about your mother?" Renjun questioned suspiciously. "Does she know about this?"

For a second Jaehyun seemed to hesitate. "How... how did you figure that out?"

A pleased smirk spread on Renjun's lips. So, his intuition hadn't failed him. "She helped me out with the examination. She seemed... different from your father."

Jaehyun's gaze turned serious. "Please, Renjun, you can't tell anyone that my mother knew about this plot. I try to keep her out of this as much as I can, otherwise she'll be in great danger," he whispered in a lowered voice, even though it was physically impossible to hear them talking through the thick stone walls. "But the truth is my mother... was also forced into this mating when she was very young during the war. She's not... she's not evil like my father, but she's also very afraid. She's on our side, but nobody can know that, otherwise my whole plan won't work."

It probably shouldn't be such a surprise that unjust, loveless matings had been daily practice in this pack for decades, but it still sent a shiver down Renjun's spine. Mating was something intimate - it was against nature to force someone into a connection that would last a lifetime without their consent. Somehow, this made him feel weirdly connected to the queen, in some way almost having shared her fate.

"Okay. Okay, I won't say a word. But you have to tell me everything about your plan. And I mean everything, every little detail," Renjun agreed to Jaehyun's condition.

"Good," the alpha nodded in agreement. "I will tell you everything. Don't worry, but first - when is your heat due?"

Appalled by the invasive question Renjun shifted back in the bed, pulling the covers closer to his body. Defensively he glared in Jaehyun's direction - what did that have to do with anything they just discussed?

"I'm sorry, but we'll have to come up with a lie why we didn't mate today," Jaehyun quickly explained his inappropriate directness. "I thought we could say that your heat suddenly started - even here you are not allowed to mate someone during their heat. It would buy us some time."

Renjun frowned, seeing an obvious flaw in that plan. "All omegas get their heats in summer. Wouldn't it be a very obvious lie?"

Jaehyun snorted, clearly amused by Renjun’s concern. "You really think my father understands how an omega's heat works? Trust me, he won't suspect a thing."

Trust - there was the word again. But what else could Renjun even do? Jaehyun was his last hope.

"Okay. Okay, we can say that. That gives us about three days. Is that enough time?" Renjun stated, nerves already fluttering just thinking about the risks they were taking.

"It has to be." Jaehyun bit down on his lip.

"So, what's next?" Renjun pried, knowing that this could not be everything.

"We need to send a letter to your pack," Jaehyun answered. As he noticed the creases on Renjun's forehead deepening he quickly added, "Don't worry, I know how to send secret letters. You just need to help me out with the address."

Sitting up a bit straighter Renjun narrowed his eyes at the alpha. "What else do you need from my pack?"

"Another omega," Jaehyun disclosed - Renjun was about to wildly protest but Jaehyun was faster. "Hear me out first, please?"

Still apprehensive, Renjun sank back into the sheets, nodding his head for Jaehyun to explain further.

"So, I'm not gonna lie to you, but this part is going to be dangerous," Jaehyun started off. "That's why we need an omega that's strong, very strong. Who can fight against an alpha in the worst-case scenario. Someone who's fierce and fearless. Do you happen to know an omega like that?"

Oh, for the first time in his life Renjun regretted having the perfect solution for a problem. "I might... I might know someone like that," he sighed, rubbing over his forehead in worry. "But I'm not gonna just ask him to do this. If we send him a letter, the whole plan has to be in there with all the risks. In fact, I want to write that letter. And if he doesn't want to do this, he won't."

Jaehyun seemed conflicted, but upon looking in Renjun's face he understood that this was non-negotiable. "Alright. We also need another alpha. Also needs to be a good fighter. And fast, very fast. Preferably an alpha the omega trusts with his life. We can write them the exact same letter."

"Okay," Renjun confirmed, almost grinning at the irony of all the pieces seemingly fitting together, like his life had just built up to this moment. He had never wanted it to come to this, but it seemed like this was his destiny after all. There was no other choice.

If he would ask his friends for something dangerous, including them in a plot that he wasn't sure himself was worth participating in, he would only do it with complete transparency. Reading Jaehyun's face, he understood that they were coming to the most crucial part of his big plan - but he would not risk any more people getting hurt.  Especially not people who he cared so dearly about.

"So? What's your big plan now?" Renjun cut through the silence. "The sooner you tell me everything, the sooner I can write that letter."

Jaehyun gave him a tight-lipped smile. "It's gonna take a while to explain."

Renjun returned the smile fiercely. "Don't worry. We have all night."

Notes:

Tada!! As most of you have already guessed, Jaehyun finally made an appearance!!
Hope you are all satisfied with that outcome :D
Thank you so much for reading!! Stay safe and healthy <3

Chapter 42: Race against Time

Notes:

The plot is picking up, hehe, enjoy :3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Fondness filled Mark's chest as he watched Donghyuck rest comfortably in his arms. The omega was still sleepy, face hidden in Mark's embrace as the morning dawned on them.

It was kind of weird to get to start the day so quietly. For the past months it had been either him or Donghyuck having to get up before the sun had even risen to get to their shift at the border in time.

A few days had passed since the Noctis pack had stormed their territory - ever since the border patrols had gotten a bit more leisure, the blood pact securing their safety for the time being. All guards injured from the bombs had gotten a full week off to recover from the traumatic events. 

This allowed Mark and Donghyuck to stay in their furs for as long as they wanted to.

Despite how challenging the recent days had been, Mark was still content with what he had at this moment. Donghyuck was safe in his arms, alive and healthy. A reality that had cost them almost everything and he was more than grateful to the universe, that somehow seemed to have a soft spot for him and Donghyuck, always making them survive the most hopeless kind of situations.

The omega stirred lightly, only snuggling deeper into his chest and scrunching his nose on his quest to drift back into sleep again. Mark smiled, utterly smitten, as he rearranged the furs around them so they would properly shield Donghyuck from the coldness that had come with the start of winter.

The most sensible thing to do to fight the freezing temperature would probably be to light a fire - but the prospect of peeling out of Donghyuck's warm embrace was very unappealing.

Eventually, his icy toes and Donghyuck's slight shivering won him over and as carefully as possible, Mark pried himself free from Donghyuck's arms. The omega grunted displeased, a deep frown forming on his face as his main source of warmth disappeared from his grasp.

"Mark," he whined sleepily, rolling onto his back and pulling the furs up to his nose. "Come back."

An amused chuckle left Mark. As intimidating as Donghyuck could be, he was glad that he got to witness this softer, cuter side of the omega as well. Perhaps, the possessiveness that inevitably came with alpha presentation was even happy that he was the only one who got to see this side. It filled him with a deep sedateness that Donghyuck was trusting him enough to fully be himself around him. Probably the biggest reward Mark could've ever thought of receiving.

Quickly, he scrambled to his feet, not wanting to make Donghyuck wait for longer than necessary (because as Mark knew very well, he could be quite scary as well). With long strides he headed off into his spare room, where he stored some firewood for the colder days.

Mark was about to start a small fire when he noticed something strange laying in front of his door. Puzzled, he delayed his plan on making a fire, putting the small pieces of wood on the ground as he approached his door instead.

Donghyuck, by now fully awoken by the lack of warmth and the lack of Mark, sat up very displeased. With a scowl on his face, he watched Mark crouch down in front of the door when what he really should do was cuddle him back to sleep.

"Mark," he called out again, knowing it usually didn't take much more to get Mark's attention back on him.

However, this time seemed to be different. Normally, Mark wouldn't hesitate to do whatever Donghyuck asked of him. But Mark hadn't even turned to look at him, still focused on the ground in front of the door.

Sitting up a bit straighter, irritated from being so blatantly ignored by Mark, Donghyuck tried to get a better look of what was stealing all of Mark's attention from him.

"What is it, Mark?" He asked when the alpha didn't show any signs of coming back to their furs after a few more moments of silence.

Finally, Mark turned around, although his gaze was still fixated on whatever he had picked up from his door.

Frustrated, Donghyuck did what he had dreaded most, pushing the furs off of him and getting up from his cozy spot on the ground. Immediate regret overcame him as shivers traveled down his body, the coldness now fully engulfing him. But whatever had Mark so enraptured must be important - and Donghyuck was nothing if not curious.

Frozen in place, Mark didn't even seem to notice that Donghyuck had approached his side, straining his neck to see what Mark was holding in his hands.

A bit surprised, Donghyuck saw that it was a letter addressed to both of them - which was quite odd. Letters were not a common practice in this pack. Most people lived close enough that if you wanted to talk to anyone, you could just walk over to their hut and speak in person. No, most letters were either legal documents concerning property or private information that you wanted to avoid from being overheard.

Donghyuck remembered that back when they were kids, they had sent letters to each other quite a lot, making up clever codes to talk behind their teacher’s back or exchange deep secrets that seemed to mean the world back then, but now had faded into forgotten memories.

At first, Donghyuck didn't fully understand why the letter had Mark so baffled - while it was uncommon, it was not unheard of to receive mail. Donghyuck had received a few letters in his lifetime, even after they had grown out of their secret codewords and silly remarks. 

However, just when Donghyuck was about to speak up, Mark's thumb moved slightly and Donghyuck sucked in a sharp breath at what was revealed.

Holding the letter together was a wax seal. Black, the cursive letter N engraved in front of a full moon surrounded by dark clouds. It was the Noctis crest.

Why on earth would they get a letter from the Noctis pack?

"What are you waiting for? Open it," Donghyuck ordered impatiently.

It was more than clear that this letter was directed at them, both his and Mark's name written on the envelope in a neat font that seemed awfully familiar to Donghyuck, even though he couldn't make the connection to where he had seen it before just yet. 

This was no mistake. This letter was meant for them - even though Donghyuck couldn’t imagine why anyone from the Noctis pack would write a letter to them or how they even knew them. His fingers itched as he stared at the piece of paper. No matter what, this seemed important and they needed to find out what was inside of it as fast as possible.

Mark threw him an uncertain look. "What if it's dangerous?"

Donghyuck cocked an eyebrow in return. "Unless the Noctis pack has learned how to use dark magic and cursed this paper, I think we're good."

"They used human technology before," Mark argued back, eyeing the letter suspiciously. Donghyuck was about to retort something, when Mark pushed him away. "Step back. I'm gonna open it."

Rolling his eyes at Mark's ridiculous display of protectiveness (while also kind of charming, but he would never admit that out loud) he snatched the letter out of Mark's hand.

Without batting an eyelash, Donghyuck ripped the envelope open, watching as Mark flinched at the sound of paper being torn apart.

They stayed still for a few seconds in anticipation, but nothing happened. "See, harmless," Donghyuck concluded, dropping the envelope to the ground carelessly.

"I just wanted to be sure," Mark answered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he stared at Donghyuck. "You can't be too cautious. Don't want you to get hurt again."

If they were in any other situation than this, Donghyuck might've swooned at those words that made his heart flutter with giddiness. However, right now he was holding a letter from the Noctis pack in his hands. This was not the time to coo over Mark.

Shifting his focus back to said letter, he slowly began to unfold it. Mark was leaning over his shoulder, interested to see what on earth someone from the Noctis pack could possibly want from them.

The first sentence alone made Donghyuck clutch his fingers in shock.

 

Hello Donghyuck, hello Mark,

this is Renjun. I hope this letter reaches you safely. If the seal was broken before you opened the letter, please burn it and don't read any further on, as it will only be evidence against you - and too dangerous to continue.

 

"It's from Renjun," Donghyuck whispered breathlessly. He couldn't believe this!

Now he remembered where he recognized the font from. He had spent years in classes with Renjun, seeing the same tiny, neat letters almost every day, scribbling down whatever they had been taught.

How had Renjun even managed to write a letter? He was hardly gone for a few days! Donghyuck couldn’t help the smirk creeping on his face - seemed like Renjun knew a trick or two. 

Even more curious now he returned to reading.

 

To prove that it's really me, I'm gonna say something that'll only make sense to Donghyuck: We wanted to eat cake when I returned to the village - but we never got to do that in the end.

 

Mark, obviously having reached the same passage, hummed in question.

"Yeah, it's really him," Donghyuck confirmed with a short nod, recognizing what the otherwise weird sentence was referring to. "It's a deal we made with Yangyang after graduation. Not important," he added when he saw Mark's expression remaining confused.

 

I'm taking all these precautions because what I'm going to write will make you think I'm lying. I'm not. Trust me.

Also, what I'm going to write is going to be very dangerous. For both of you. So, if you see any signs that this letter was opened before it reached you, please listen to me: stop reading and destroy it right now. This is serious and if found, can cost many people their life - including you if you don't listen to me right now.

 

Donghyuck swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry. The initial joy about getting to hear from Renjun so soon almost completely vanished. He hadn't even expected to hear from Renjun at all. Much less so soon. But the very last thing he had expected concerning what he'd hear from him, was something like this. It was frightening.

Next to him, Mark had picked up the envelope that Donghyuck had dropped to the floor so thoughtlessly. Inspecting it closely, Mark squinted his eyes. But apart from Donghyuck's own abuse of the paper there were no marks on it. They seemed to have been the only ones who had opened it.

Which meant they were good to read on.

 

Also, after you are done reading this letter, you should still burn it. Any evidence that this exchange has happened is going to be deathly.

To be very clear, what I'm about to write is nothing that I expect you to do. I only want to explain to you what I've come to know since I arrived at the Noctis pack. It's up to you if you want to do this - and what I am asking you to do is to consider this very carefully. It's your right to say no. If you don't want to do this, I hope that I can figure out something to ensure the safety of our pack otherwise. And I hope that you'll use this information to do the same.

I know this does not make much sense now, but it will soon. So, let me start explaining.

I learnt a lot in the short time that I’ve been here. Most importantly, I learnt that we've been tricked and that the Noctis king has found a way to avoid the blood pact.

But we can stop another war if all goes well.

I met the prince of the Noctis pack. His name is Jaehyun. You can trust him with your life. I know that sounds unreasonable right now, but I hope you'll understand why I've come to this judgment once you reach the end of this letter.

Jaehyun has a plan. A plot to dethrone his father. And for that we need your help.

 

Breathlessly, their eyes drifted down the paper, sucking in every piece of information that Renjun provided them with.

At the end both their heads were spinning. They read the letter again, speechless by everything that it contained.

Suddenly, they had become part of a plot to overthrow the Noctis pack - involved in schemes and plans that could cost them their life.

Taking a step back, Mark let out a deep breath. This was not how he had expected this morning to go.

Swiftly, he got to work on that fire that in a way had led them into all of this. Without a word, Donghyuck handed the letter to him and they both watched with raging minds as the flames swallowed something that had seemed unimaginable only minutes ago.

This didn’t seem real - but the piece of paper turning into ashes right in front of them was very real. Hours passed, or maybe just seconds, that they watched the letter burn until all that was left of it was blackness, indistinguishable from the traces of burned wood around it.

If they had wanted to, they could pretend it was just that - burned wood. 

 

Mark broke the silence first. "So. What do you wanna do?"

Even though Renjun had been more than insistent about them taking some time to truly think over the possible consequences of their actions, it was not really a choice. At least, not for Donghyuck.

"We have to help him," Donghyuck stated without hesitation. He turned his gaze away from the flames to look at Mark. "Think about it, Mark. I know Renjun said that he might find another way to protect this pack, but that's a risk we shouldn't take. This is the only realistic chance to prevent a war. We have to save this pack. You have seen what the Noctis pack can do, how large their guard is! We don't stand a chance against them, especially not right now with many of our people still injured!"

Donghyuck's heart was speeding up as he kept talking in agitation. Mark looked at him slightly concerned, but Donghyuck was not finished yet. He knew Mark worried, he knew Mark would be reluctant to let him go through with this plan - their most dangerous plan yet. So, he had to give it his everything to convince him.

"This pack means everything to me," Donghyuck told him earnestly. "And it meant everything to Renjun. This pack is... this pack is mud surfing on rainy days. This pack is going to the Spring Dance after the first marigolds have bloomed. This pack is racing to the Sunflower fields whenever you have a bad day." Donghyuck paused, before he locked eyes with Mark. "This pack is where I met you. It's where we grew up. We can't give that up."

"Okay."

Mark's answer was as simple as it was surprising. Even though Donghyuck considered his speech pretty compelling thus far, he had expected at least a bit more push back from Mark at the prospect of the danger that going along entailed.

However, Mark was just looking at him, complete understanding in his always sparkling eyes. The Mark who would've argued against him, that would've tried to prevent Donghyuck getting into any sort of danger, was long gone. What was left, was the Mark that understood him even without words, the one who would stick by his side through everything. The Mark he had fallen in love with.

Again, Donghyuck's emotions, his feelings for the alpha in front of him were bubbling up inside of him, ready to spill over in one truly heart wrenching confession.

However, there was no time.

"So, how do we get to the Noctis pack?" Mark questioned, face contorted with concentration as he started striding up and down the room. "We need to be fast. Otherwise, it'll be too late."

Donghyuck swallowed all his unsaid words. For now.

"You're right," he nodded, also going into planning mode. "We need horses."

Mark frowned, stopping his movements to face Donghyuck. "Can you even ride a horse? No, where would we get a horse in the first place?"

"The castle," Donghyuck replied with the obvious answer. "And it can't be too hard, right? We only have to stay on top of it."

"Great. So now how do we get to the castle to get a horse? Do we just steal it?" Mark questioned, puffing his cheeks and releasing a deep breath.

Yeah, Donghyuck hadn't quite worked that out as well. Stealing didn't sound too bad though. It's not like they wouldn't bring it back in the end. If they returned.

"We could ask Prince Jeno about it?" Mark suggested carefully. "He trusts us, right?"

Donghyuck firmly shook his head. "We can't involve Jeno. Or anyone of the royal family. The blood pact said none of them can go after Renjun - I don't want to test how far that extends to helping someone else go after Renjun." He paused briefly. "Also, I don't think we should torture Jeno with this. The blood pact won’t let him help… and I don’t want to give him hope in case we’ll fail."

"No Jeno then," Mark agreed with him, chewing on his lips as he tried to think of something else. "So, stealing it is? Do you think that's possible?"

Like lighting, a thought crossed Donghyuck's mind. A cheeky grin spread on his lips.

"There's one more noble we taught mud surfing."

 

 

 

Renjun was nervously biting his nails. It had been four days since he arrived at the Noctis pack. Three days that he had been locked in Jaehyun's chambers, scenting each object inside the room intensively at least thrice a day - trying to mimic what him being in heat would smell like.

Luckily, Jaehyun had been right in his assumption that their lie would not raise any suspicions. Nobody had questioned their story. At least, that's what Renjun was hoping. Due to him imitating his heat, he had been cut off from any form of contact. Only the rare server bringing him food and water was allowed to interact with him. To keep his cover, Renjun didn't dare to talk to them much, just huddling himself up in the blankets that he had drenched with his scent.

Obviously, Jaehyun hadn't visited him either, tending to his usual duties as the Noctis Prince - probably sweet talking his father while preparing for the big plan. Only thinking about it made a cold shiver run down Renjun's back. It was a cruel plan, dangerous, and deadly.

However, they were running out of time. Their cover story of him being in heat was already stretched to no end - most heats lasted hardly three days. Renjun was currently faking symptoms on his fourth. He knew they couldn't keep this up much longer. Sooner or later, even the Noctis king would sense that something was foul.

Initially, Renjun had only wanted to wait three days for Mark and Donghyuck's arrival. Everything else would be too dangerous. But Jaehyun had convinced him to wait as long as they possibly could, arguing that delivering a secret letter could take a few days. Adding to that the day of travel from Solaris to Noctis - if Donghyuck and Mark decided to follow through with their plan, it would cost them precious time.

Time that they didn't have.

 

On cue, there was a dooming knock on his door. Quickly, Renjun slithered underneath the covers. However, when he saw Jaehyun and a bunch of servers entering the room as if invading someone's territory, he knew their time was over. This was the end of their little game.

"My father ordered me to check if you are still in heat," Jaehyun said in an authoritative voice, bouncing off the cold stone walls. "He wants to proceed with the mating immediately. He's done waiting."

A few of the servers began rushing towards Renjun, helping him out of the bed, fussing about the once perfectly neat gown he was wearing, that had fallen victim to being Renjun's sleepwear as he owned no other clothing at the moment.

Someone grabbed him by his arm, firmly pushing him forward towards Jaehyun, whose piercing gaze was resting on his face emotionless.

"I want to be alone for this check-up," the alpha ordered. When a few of the servers hesitated, he added a bit harsher, "Leave. Everybody - I feel like me and my omega have to discuss a few urgent issues."

No further words were needed to get all of the servers hurriedly running out of the room, closing the door tightly behind them.

 

Once they were left alone, Jaehyun dropped his cold act. "Sorry. Was that believable?"

"Very scary," Renjun snorted, before worry distorted his features. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Can't we just say you're still in heat?" Jaehyun suggested hopefully.

A heavy sigh left Renjun. "You tell me. How suspicious is your father? Is it really safe for me to continue this lie? Is it safe for my pack?"

The conflict on Jaehyun's face was blatantly obvious. "Just... he's been slightly agitated. But we only need a little bit more time. I'm sure our letter has arrived by now. Maybe just one more day, Renjun. Please."

Jaehyun's desperation was heartbreaking to watch - a man, doing his everything, risking his everything in a last attempt to save his pack. But Renjun also had a pack to protect.

"What if they don't come?" Renjun asked in return. "You promised to mate me if this doesn't work. You promised to keep my pack safe as well. I want to help you, Jaehyun, but you know that my pack has always been my priority."

"Renjun, please, we have to try this. Just, please-"

“No, Jaehyun, I’ve lied for you long enough. I’m also risking my life here. They are gonna blame me should they find out I’m not really in heat, not you. The only thing that is keeping me and my pack safe is the blood pact. A blood pact that will only be intact once you mate me. Right now, your father has every right to march back to my pack and… and kill everyone I love.” 

Perhaps being totally left alone for three days with nothing but his fears and worries had strained Renjun’s mentality too much. Right now, it just felt good to let it all out. 

“Please, Jaehyun, you promised to mate me should it come to this. Only to keep my pack safe for a few more days. A few more days that my friends get to warn everyone, to evacuate my pack shouldn’t they agree to our plan.”

A knock on the door interrupted Renjun’s plea, making both of them startle. Reluctantly, the door was pushed open.

"The king is getting impatient," a server girl stepped into the room with lowered eyes. "Can we proceed with the mating?"

Renjun watched Jaehyun's lips tremble, mouth slightly opened but no words coming out. Their eyes met. Subtly Renjun shook his head.

For a second, Renjun really thought Jaehyun would dismiss him, but then his jaw clenched.

"No longer in heat. Prepare him for the mating. Again," he instructed in a reserved tone, robbed of all the emotions it had held before.

A stone fell off of Renjun's heart. Deep gratitude spread in his chest at Jaehyun's decision, glad that the alpha was respecting his wishes.

Trying to express this gratitude to the prince, Renjun threw him a short, but meaningful gaze as the servers quickly rushed to his side, escorting him outside the chamber. Jaehyun seemed to understand, even though his eyes were full of pain.

To Renjun’s surprise, the Noctis king himself was waiting just around the corner, inspecting him with vicious stares. Standing by his side was the queen - her gaze was more concerned than anything else. Once they passed the royal couple the Noctis king sneered.

"Hurry!" He barked at them. "By the end of this day I want to see a bite on his neck!"

Frightened, the servers fastened their pace, dragging Renjun up a case of stairs with their eyes fearfully glued to the ground.

 

 

It was almost like Renjun was reliving his first day here. This time they brought him to a different bathroom, one that was on a higher floor with a big window and dark curtains.

A new gown was prepared for him, stitched with sparkling brilliants that created a beautiful contrast to the black fabric. Winter was back with him, but she didn’t dare to talk to him, much to Renjun’s dismay. She helped him with his bath in complete silence, brushing through his hair and braiding new little strands in it.

When Renjun tried to strike a conversation with her, she was too afraid to meet his eyes. Renjun wondered if she had been punished for being friendly and talking to him last time. The few words she did say to him were silent and short, as if every word they exchanged would be dangerous. Maybe they were.

The conversation he had with Jaehyun on his very first day here crossed his mind. It was fear that ruled his pack. Fear, inflicted by the Noctis king, who also feared over his position of power.

Fear, fear and more fear. It was everywhere. Nobody dared to talk. Nobody dared to breathe.

His eyes flickered to the girl that was laying out his new garment. Scentless.

Fear was ruling this pack on the back of innocent people. People who were suffering. People who had no escape. No hope.

No hope but Jaehyun ending this for them.

 

Scrubbed clean and dressed in his new robes, Renjun strode out of the bathroom. His mind was rushing. While he had come here to protect his own pack, he couldn't just turn a blind eye to the pain of the Noctis pack. All these people were dying.

Someone needed to help them. It was just hard to realize that Renjun needed to be that someone. But all this fear was making him sick. Something had to be done. This much fear was not healthy.

He wanted to help. There had to be a way he could help. There had to be a way he could buy them more time.

His legs were shaking as they carried him forward. Winter was still walking behind him, holding the long veil that she had carefully placed in his hair. With each step that they neared Jaehyun's chambers Renjun's heart started beating faster. Time was running against him. He needed to find a way to not mate Jaehyun today. And he needed to find it quickly. As in, right this second.

They turned a corner and reached the staircase that led back down to Jaehyun's room.

Renjun should've probably expected the Noctis king still waiting for him. Maybe he had been more suspicious than Jaehyun had wanted to let him know. So now he was making sure himself that his son would get mated, no more excuses.

Renjun gulped as he took the first step down the stairs.

Jaehyun's and his gaze crossed. Even over the distance Renjun could make out the insufferable desperation in the alpha's eyes. The last eyes in this pack that held goodness, passion, that were burning for a brighter future.

Renjun had to save that light. He just had to.

As quietly and subtly as he could he whispered, "Push me."

Winter right next to him startled, but Renjun kept walking undeterred, eyes fixated on the conceited grin of the Noctis king.

"I know you are scared," Renjun mumbled underneath his breath, barely moving his lips. "If you want to escape this, you need to push me. Don't make it obvious but push me. Make it look like an accident. This is your last chance. Trust me."

This was it. This was Renjun's last resort. Now he had to hope the girl trusted him enough, had understood his muttered words, was brave enough. It was all in her hands now - a risky play.

Suddenly he felt a tug in his veil and Winter stumbled into him.

A scary tingle spread in Renjun's stomach as he felt someone push into his back, making him lose his balance. Against his body wanting to react, Renjun fought his reflexes. Instead, he closed his eyes and just simply let himself fall, submitting to gravity.

Without any sort of protection his body was roughly thrown around as it kept rolling down the stairs faster and faster. His bones were hurting, his knees bruised and then his head hit the wall with full force.

The light vanished around him

 

 

"Shhh, Renjun."

A drowned-out voice whispered to him from far away. Renjun's head was pounding. He groaned in pain. Perhaps this had not been his best idea.

Scrunching his nose and reaching after his bursting head, he opened his eyes. Just like he had expected - he had been brought to an infirmary. Through the windows he could see the moon rising. A few hours must've passed since he had thrown himself down the stairs. Another day he had bought them.

"You owe me for this," Renjun grunted, glaring at Jaehyun who was sitting at his bedside.

The alpha's expression was completely dumbfounded, before his lips were pulled into a disbelieving smile. "You are incredible."

Simply shrugging the compliment off, Renjun tried to settle his head back into the pillow comfortably. His vision blurred for a second, the world spinning around him. Dizzily he grabbed onto the blanket, trying to get a hold of reality again.

"How's your head?" Jaehyun watched him concerned, reaching after a cup of water that he carefully handed the omega.

"Like split in half," Renjun mumbled, slowly sipping the water. After a few sips the room stopped rotating, letting him concentrate on what was truly important. "Nobody has arrived since I fell down the stairs?"

Defeated, Jaehyun shook his head. A disappointed sigh left Renjun. All this. Maybe for nothing.

"So, how long do you think we can stall like this? One more day?" He tried to be optimistic. "What did your father say?"

"Well, obviously he was very unhappy," Jaehyun disclosed honestly. "Postponing the mating and his plan once was already making him angry. But twice! He's furious."

At least something, Renjun thought quietly to himself.

His breath got stuck in his throat when Jaehyun took his hand, gently stroking over its back. The prince's eyes twinkled with deep emotion as their gazes crossed.

"Thank you, Renjun." Jaehyun's voice was soft. "I don't know what made you change your mind. But thank you. Even if this just... gave us one more day, you can't imagine how grateful I am."

Feeling choked up with feelings all of a sudden, Renjun avoided the alpha's eyes, pulling his hand away. "Don't. I... just wanted to help."

They were both silent. Only the moonlight cast a pale light over their faces, otherwise the room laid in utter darkness.

"I've never asked you," Jaehyun broke the silence first. "Why did you come here?"

A bit surprised by the question, Renjun's eyes flickered back to the alpha, who was looking at him in question.

"I told you already. To save my pack," Renjun answered curtly.

A light chuckle left Jaehyun. "I know that. But why you? Why did you decide to save your pack?"

Confused, Renjun blinked a few times, before deep sadness filled his heart. Even though he hadn't known Jaehyun for long, it felt nice to get to open up to someone like this after the days he had spent isolated. Not just venting, but really talking to someone. Considering their risky plan that could very likely either end in their doom or them getting mated, it didn't seem too unreasonable to let Jaehyun in.

"Things weren't working out with me and the prince," Renjun confessed. Of course, Jeno had been a constant in the back of his mind, despite everything else going on around him. When had Jeno ever not been on his mind? "I love him, but I... I wasn't cut out for a life as chief. I didn't think it would be fair to him or the pack if I mated him for such selfish reasons as love. So, instead of wasting my life there, I decided to not let everyone else's life be wasted - even for the sake of mine ending."

A frown formed on Jaehyun's face as he listened attentively. "I might not know the full story. I might not even know you very well. But I can see that you are something special, Renjun." 

The alpha reached for Renjun’s hand again to give it a gentle squeeze. Despite his heart feeling more than heavy, Renjun squeezed back, even putting on a small smile.

A bit cheekily Jaehyun added, "And if your friends don't come after all and we do end up getting mated, this pack and I will be very blessed to have you."

Renjun gave the alpha a fond look. "Thank you."

Patting his leg for good measure, Jaehyun got up. "I better leave. Don't want my father to get suspicious. The less we are associated with each other, the better."

 

Nodding in understanding, Renjun quietly watched the alpha retreat. His heart clenched thinking about Jaehyun's fate. The fate of the Noctis pack.

While Jaehyun had always claimed that they'd be able to save all of them with this plan, there was one person that he had excluded from that aspiration.

No. No, Renjun couldn't let that happen.

On the verge of exertion, Renjun removed the sheets from his body, climbing out of the small bed. He had to stop to take a long breath when the floor underneath him started turning again. Clenching his teeth together, Renjun focused, his mind clearer than ever. He could do this.

Exhaling, he started taking cautious, unsteady steps towards what he suspected to be the medicine cupboard.

Maybe Jaehyun wasn't able to save them all. But Renjun might just be.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!

Krrr, the tension is rising, ahhhh, I'm so excited to share what's left of the story with you!!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!! Stay safe and healthy <3

Chapter 43: Resurrection

Notes:

Waaaah, omg, this is the big climax!! Hope you like it >.<

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Getting to the castle had been easier than expected. Getting into the castle, now, that turned out to be a lot harder.

The two royal guards watching over the entrance gate were looking at Donghyuck's angry huffing and puffing with completely motionless faces.

Even after Donghyuck had shown off his own guard uniform, claimed to be a close friend of the prince and threatened to fight them if they wouldn't let them in immediately, they remained unimpressed.

It had all been useless. Nobody was allowed to enter the castle without the explicit consent of the royal family. Which, unfortunately, Mark and Donghyuck didn’t have.

Donghyuck was about to suggest that they find an alternative way to the stables and steal a horse without asking permission, when their knight in shining armor appeared.

A big grin spread on Donghyuck's face. This was their chance.

 

"What are you two doing here?" Kun asked with his casual authority as he walked up the long staircase. His sword was loosely hung over his shoulders and his eyes sparkled with vigilance as he gazed at the two unlikely people up and down in assessment.

"They are trying to enter the castle without permission," one of the guards explained before Donghyuck could even open his mouth to explain their situation. Both guards lowered their heads in respect once Kun had reached them. "But rest assured, we won't let them pass."

Donghyuck was about to stomp his feet in fury and appeal to Kun that they needed to be let into the castle for a very important reason when the second in command of the Lunaris pack clicked his tongue in disapproval, the only sound needed to shut anybody up.

"I was asking them what they were doing outside here? They are expected in the castle. With me." Kun tilted his head expectantly, glaring at the guards with disapproval. "Don't you know they are two very skilled guards that have worked with Prince Jeno himself before?"

Obviously flustered by being called out by such a high ranked figure as Kun, the two guards began shuffling on their feet uncomfortably. "We're so sorry. We didn't know. We've not gotten orders from the chief to let any guards in."

Not letting himself be deterred, Kun crossed his arms, cocking an eyebrow. "That's because the order to let them in came from my leaders. You are familiar with Doyoung and Taeyong, right? They are still residing in your castle, aren't they?"

Now left utterly embarrassed, both guards dropped their gazes to their feet. Quietly, they opened the gate for the sly omega, who confidently strode into the castle, huffing once again. When Mark and Donghyuck didn't follow him immediately he threw them an expectant look.

"Are you growing roots there? Hurry up!" He instructed them with an impatient attitude.

Neither Mark nor Donghyuck fully understood what had just happened. Wordlessly, they stumbled after Kun, not having fully processed that their headguard had stuck up for them without even as much as questioning them. When he passed the guard, Donghyuck couldn't help but strut a little.

With long strides, they kept heading after Kun until the gate had closed behind them completely. Donghyuck almost couldn't believe it. They were in!

 

Abruptly, Kun stopped his walk, turning around on his heel to face them. Loudly, he cleared his throat as he seized them up and down once more, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Right. Now that they were alone, they should've expected to be asked about the real reason they were here. Because the Lunaris leaders had certainly not asked to come see them. Besides, after what Kun had just done for them, he deserved at least some sort of answer. Even if it could only be a vague one.

"We just... need to talk to somebody," Donghyuck started explaining. "It's very important."

"That's all?" Kun snorted, clearly wanting more information.

"No, it... it's really important. But... erm... not too important! For you to know about!" Mark rambled, before lowering his head. "Sorry."

Slightly shaking his head, Kun let out an exhausted sigh. "Fine. But you two better not joke around here. I know I can trust you, but I don’t want to make it a habit to lie for you. So, this better be worth it."

Both of them nodded eagerly and Kun was about to go his way when Donghyuck called him back.

"Kun!" He swallowed. The content of the letter was circling his mind. There was not much they were allowed to disclose… but he just had to make sure… to say something in case they would not be able to return. "One thing. If you... if you have any influence on this, please make sure that the borders remain secured as tightly as possible. It's not over yet."

Perplexed by that request, Kun gave him an intrigued look. However, seeing the desperate expression on Donghyuck's face, he just understood without having to ask for further information that he knew he wouldn't get. Perhaps, it was because Kun had gotten him the second he had first seen him in the guard, but there had always been this mutual understanding between them. At least, that was how Donghyuck had felt when he had first made Shotaro his partner, and that was how he felt in this moment, as Kun just looked at him and slowly nodded his head.

"Okay," was the only thing he said, before turning around and leaving them on their own.

 

A relieved breath left Donghyuck. If this plan wouldn't work, that had been the least he could've done.

"Let's go." Mark tucked at his wrist, clearly just as tense as he was. "Do you have any idea where we can find Jaemin?"

Just as Donghyuck was about to deny Mark's question, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Hurriedly, he pressed his nose against the next window, watching a very familiar figure crossing over the huge garden that was on the other side of the glass.

"Found him," he smiled victoriously. Pulling Mark behind him, he started running, searching for the next exit that would bring them outside.

 

To say Jaemin was confused when a panting Donghyuck nearly tackled him to the ground, was an understatement.

The alpha looked like he was seeing ghosts as he stared at the couple in disbelief.

"We need a horse!" Donghyuck told him like it was the most natural beginning to a conversation.

Closing and opening his mouth a few times, Jaemin tried to comprehend what was going on, but Donghyuck was too impatient for him to catch up.

"Quick! Where are the horses?" He asked urgently, shaking Jaemin by his shoulders.

"What on earth are you two doing here?! How did you get into the castle? Why-" Jaemin's mouth finally matched his spiraling thoughts.

"Jaemin, please," Donghyuck said pleadingly, there was no time for conversations like this. "We need a horse! A fast one!"

"What he meant is," Mark stepped in, having a bit more compassion with Jaemin's state of confusion. "If we could, like, please borrow a horse from the castle? We need to go somewhere. And we need to get there fast."

Suspiciously, Jaemin squinted his eyes at them. "Where do you have to go?"

"We can't tell you," Mark replied secretively. "It's too dangerous."

However, Jaemin wasn't stupid. He leaned back with a knowing glint in his eyes. "So, the Noctis pack."

Face paling, Mark bit down on his lips. It was crucial that nobody knew about their plan. Otherwise, it could have deadly consequences.

Reading Mark's thoughts Jaemin spoke up, "Okay, I won't ask much."

"No, you don't understand. You can't know about this," Mark told him seriously, fearing not only for his and Donghyuck’s safety, but for Jaemin’s as well.

"Okay, then I don't know a single thing," Jaemin agreed. "Just one thing. Is this about Renjun? A way to save him?"

The silence that followed was answer enough for Jaemin.

"Alright." He clapped into his hands, suddenly full of drive. "You said you needed a horse? How about two? Our two fastest?"

"Urgh, finally!" Donghyuck exclaimed.

 

Without exchanging any more words, Jaemin led them to the royal stables. With a nod of his head, the servers that were currently tending to the horses disappeared, leaving the three of them alone.

Silently, Jaemin got to work, with trained movements preparing two horses to be ridden before guiding them outside. First, he helped Donghyuck on top, then he gave Mark a hand - both of them sitting in the saddle a bit clumsily.

“These are Sunshine and Starlight,” he introduced them shortly to their companions, before moving on to instructions. "Basically, you just need to hold on. These two are not only fast, but very beginner friendly," Jaemin told them, gently patting the horse’s necks. "They'll know what to do."

He walked them a few steps, his hold on the reins strong as they strode over the misty grass. Soon, they reached a smaller back entrance to the castle, a plain gate that was inconspicuous to the normal eye.

Checking his left and right carefully, but figuring that nobody was paying them closer attention, Jaemin pushed the gate open.

"For a trip north," he said almost casually as he handed Mark and Donghyuck the reins to their own horses. "You just need to follow the river upstream."

The moment they all exchanged last glances would forever be engraved into Donghyuck's brain. The trust in Jaemin's eyes, the hope, the fear. It was all there, right on his face. Perhaps the last time he would see it. Perhaps the last pack member that he'd ever see.

Shocked, he realized that he hadn't even told his parents goodbye. Neither had Mark. Not that that had ever been an option. The less people that were involved, the better.

Swallowing all his emotions, Donghyuck turned his head away. There was only one way to go from now on. This wasn't even a choice. There was no way they could not at least try.

"Good luck."

Donghyuck wasn't sure if he heard Jaemin's last words or just imagined them when his horse suddenly started striding out, galloping over the fields and pads all on its own, making Mark's follow suit in turn.

Now there was really no turning back.

 

 

Luckily, Jaemin had been right when he had told them that their horses would know what to do. Honestly, horseback riding looked a lot easier than it actually was. Even just trying to remain seated on top was becoming a challenge at the fast pace they were going. Due to the uneven ground, they kept being thrown around roughly, all their attention on not losing balance - there was simply no way that they could've steered the horses into the direction they wanted and so, once they reached the river, they put all their trust into the horses to keep carrying them to the right destination.

Just like when Donghyuck had first started his shifts as a guard to secure borders, he was surprised how much land of his pack he hadn't seen yet. The grounds they owned were wide and vibrant - even though most of the trees had shed their leaves already, preparing for the upcoming winter. Yet, most of their pack remained in the safety of their village all their life. A thought crossed Donghyuck’s mind - even if he might never get to return, it was only fair he got to see all of this for one first and last time.

 

They rode for hours, always chasing upstream. There was only one time the horses hesitated to go forward. Exchanging glances, both Mark and Donghyuck had gently nudged the animals to keep going. They must've reached the end of the Solaris pack and were now officially traveling on foreign ground. Hostile territory.

The wood got thicker, more and more firs and larches growing, the needles prickling their skin as they brushed against them on their journey. Not only the proximity of trees, but also the sun setting for the day made darkness fall upon them.

In the night, it was even harder to spot where they were going, only the dabbling of the river was guiding them. Soon, however, they had to admit that it didn't make sense to keep riding through the night. It was late and they were tired - and their horses must also be exhausted.

 

More or less smoothly sliding out of their saddles, they decided to take a rest for the time being. Neither of them knew how far or close they were to the Noctis castle. It could be one more day, maybe two more days.

A groan escaped Donghyuck as he sat down on his sore butt. He could only hope that it wouldn't take too long.

Rummaging in the bag he had hastily prepared before their departure, Donghyuck got out a mushy looking loaf of bread that had only partly survived their shaky journey. If Ten would’ve known what his baking had succumbed to, he probably would not have been happy Still, it was better than nothing.

He broke it in half, holding the bigger piece out for Mark to eat, who had been tending to the horses that were eagerly munching on the few grasses that were peeking through between fallen leaves.

The alpha gave him a thankful smile as he took the food. His expression contorted into a funny grimace as he sat down next to him, wincing at the pain that Donghyuck had already experienced seconds prior in his butt.

Giggling softly, Donghyuck shuffled closer towards Mark. The night was cold and Mark was very warm. Immediately understanding his intentions, Mark threw an arm around the omega, pulling him even closer against his body. Gratefully, Donghyuck snuggled into the embrace.

Being here, sitting underneath the stars, just the two of them, their future uncertain all of a sudden, Donghyuck couldn't be happier to have Mark by his side. Even if everything would go wrong, he was glad that he'd gotten to do it all with Mark. In this moment, Donghyuck truly felt it - there was no one else but Mark. There would never be anyone else. Soulmates or fairy tales aside, this was real. This was Mark and him, going to the end of the world with each other. This was where he belonged.

 

Before Donghyuck could voice any of his thoughts, Mark carefully nudged him into a lying position, stroking through his hair soothingly.

"You should try to catch some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow," he hummed in a soothing voice.

Donghyuck could only nod against Mark, not even trying to hide the yawn that escaped him. "But wake me up once you get too tired. Then I'll watch out and you'll get to sleep."

"Okay," Mark agreed to the arrangement, pressing a sweet goodnight kiss to Donghyuck's forehead. It didn't even take a minute for the omega to fall asleep.

 

 

The night was rough. Every few hours they would switch positions - but neither of them could get much sleep. Their minds were too occupied with worries about what was lying ahead of them to find peace.

As soon as the sun had started rising, they had gotten up again. At the crack of dawn, they climbed on top of their horses, who seemed to have been the only ones who had gotten a satisfying amount of rest.

Dutifully carrying them forward, always upstream the river, they left the forest behind them.

Surprised, Donghyuck watched how the ground underneath them froze more with each step further until they eventually reached a snow-covered field.

In the distance, mountains as high as the sky depicted an intimidating imagery and Donghyuck pulled his jacket closer as the cold wind caught him.

Despite the sun having long since risen, the day was gloomy and dark. They could only hope that it wasn't a bad sign.

 

The mountains grew bigger and bigger the closer they got and the river they were following narrowed into a small stream.

Suddenly, Mark called out his name, making Donghyuck stop in his gallop. Questioningly, he turned his head to the alpha, who was pointing to the west. Following his finger with his gaze, Donghyuck squinted his eyes in order to see clearer.

On the horizon, right in front of the mountains a small village could be seen, surrounded by a fence and stone walls.

The Noctis Pack. They had found it.

 

An unsettling feeling spread in Donghyuck's stomach, making his heart skip a few beats. Adrenaline was rushing through his blood in a way it never had before, making it almost uncomfortable to sit still.

But they had no time to hesitate. They were here with a clear mission and only one goal in mind. They could not afford to be scared right now.

"Alright," Donghyuck said, surprised by how steady his voice sounded despite his nerves running wild. Clumsily he jumped down his horse, reaching for the bag on his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Mark asked, slightly confused when Donghyuck began digging through his bag only to pull out clothes.

"I'm going to change," Donghyuck said, swiftly shrugging off the shirt and pants he had been wearing before. "If this is the only thing I can do to help, I'm gonna do it right."

Mark spluttered, a bit flustered by the sudden reveal of tan skin, but he couldn't tear his gaze away either. Luckily, Donghyuck was quick to throw on new clothes, not being able to stand the cold temperature for long.

Almost nonchalantly, Donghyuck slipped in the nicest clothes that he owned, a delicate silk shirt and the leather pants that Renjun had sewed him for the Spring Dance. Deliberately, he opened the first few buttons, showing off his unmarked throat and sharp collarbones.

He wavered for a second as he looked at his pants, before deciding to rip the current slits on the sides a bit further, so they were fully revealing his long legs and thighs. For good measure, Donghyuck had even stolen his mother’s only pair of heels, trading his heavy boots for the impractical but beautiful footwear.

Mark swallowed heavily as he took in Donghyuck's new appearance. There was no doubt in his head that Donghyuck was gorgeous no matter what he wore. But seeing him like this, when they were about to head straight to the Noctis pack, was making his possessive instincts growl in protest. It took him every ounce of willpower to not act on them. In the end, it was Donghyuck's choice. And the omega had more than once proven himself capable of making sensible decisions.

"And? Do I look appealing?" Donghyuck asked him, running his fingers through his hair.

Mark didn't know what to answer, but his stunned silence seemed to be enough of a reply for Donghyuck.

"Great," he patted his shirt down once more, that had gotten slightly crinkled from being stuffed inside his bag for so long. "I think it would be better if we arrive only on one horse. Just to keep up the appearance."

Gathering his things back in his bag, Donghyuck turned to his horse, that was looking at him with lively eyes.

“We’ll come back for you later,” he whispered thankfully, stroking over its neck, before facing Mark.

The alpha nodded, making room on his horse for Donghyuck to get up behind him. The tension in the air was obvious, only fading a little when Donghyuck slung his arms around Mark's torso, clutching his fingers into his shirt.

They could do this.

 

Taking the reins back in his hands, Mark nudged his horse forward, which obediently followed his command and started trotting towards the congeries of huts on the horizon.

Once they were close enough to get a proper look at the village - or rather the wall surrounding it - a cold shiver ran down Donghyuck's body. It looked nothing like the Solaris pack. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like growing up inside a fence.

However, now that they were only a few hundred meters away, they could be spotted as well. Donghyuck startled slightly when a deep horn tore the misleading silence apart, which could only mean that the guards had seen them coming and were preparing their pack for an unexpected arrival.

Not letting themselves be deterred, they headed straight towards the huge steel gate that seemed to be the entrance to the village.

Two guards were standing on towers attached to it, their eyes hostile as they looked down on them.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" They yelled with booming voices, obviously not appreciating two strangers showing up on their door unannounced.

It was silent and Donghyuck was about to panic when Mark seemed to have lost his voice. Biting down on his lips to prohibit himself from talking he pinched Mark in his stomach. Mark winced quietly but seemed to have come back to his senses.

"We're from the Solaris pack," Mark answered loud and clear, sitting a bit straighter as he broadened his shoulder with confidence. "I want to speak to the king. I have an offer that might interest him."

The guards sneered at him. "What kind of offer makes you think we'd allow an enemy to cross our border and talk to the king?"

Donghyuck knew what Mark was about to say, but it still made his skin curl hearing it out loud.

"I have an omega I want to offer him," Mark stated unafraid.

Both guards stopped cackling right that second. Intrigued, they eyed the two riders with a lot more attention. As if sensing what the guards were thinking, their horse started moving on its own, turning slightly so Donghyuck was no longer hidden behind Mark's back but in clear sight.

Quickly, Donghyuck lowered his head in an act of submissiveness, while simultaneously moving his exposed leg so it could easily be seen.

In contrast, Mark's gaze was intensely resting on both guards, who had started whispering to each other in rushed voices. Donghyuck could hear his heartbeat drumming in his ears. He hoped they would take the bait.

The taller guard cleared his throat with importance. "You may take you offer to the king. But you will be accompanied by our guard to the castle."

Relieved, Donghyuck could breathe again. The first hurdle - passed.

With a shrill creak, the gate in front of them was slowly opened, allowing them entrance to the village.

Right away, another guard stepped beside them, harshly ripping the reins out of Mark's hands so she could lead their horse to the castle.

Donghyuck could already spot the cold monstrosity in the distance, another stone wall and gate refusing access to any unwanted guests.

Clutching his fingers a bit tighter around Mark, Donghyuck watched how a few curious onlookers left their huts and gathered around the small group. Puzzled faces and mumbled questions were directed at them, everybody unsure who had just arrived in their pack and what they could possibly want from their king.

Donghyuck's heart ached when he saw a group of children stare at them with wide, fearful eyes. For a second, he considered smiling at them in reassurance, but he could not destroy his carefully crafted cover. No matter how much Donghyuck would usually rebuke the thought - today he was not a strong omega. Today he was nothing but an object to be wanted. He had to play his part perfectly, whether he liked it or not.

"Get down," the guard instructed them curtly.

Not wanting to cause any problems, Mark and Donghyuck quickly followed the order, even though they were both a bit uneasy as their horse was separated from them - their only possible escape now gone.

"I'm gonna go talk to a few people now so the king knows why you're here. You two don't move," she said, leaving the two of them on their own as she walked around the wall of the castle, perhaps to another entrance than the big gate.

Donghyuck fiddled with his hands, nerves flaring up again. Soon everything would be over. One way or another.

Rubbing over his fingers, Donghyuck realized something with shock. He was still wearing his mating promise ring!

Cautiously, he checked the space around them, but Mark and him were completely alone, having left the crowd in the village behind them.

Quickly, he removed the ring from his fingers, reaching out for Mark's hand and slipping it in his palm.

"Just for now. To be sure nobody gets suspicious," Donghyuck whispered to him when Mark gave him a confused look at the gesture.

The alpha nodded in understanding, his expression tense with anxiety.

Donghyuck's throat hurt with unspoken words as he looked at Mark. Until now they had always managed to outrun death, but he wasn't sure if their fate would allow them one more escape. He couldn't risk it. He had to tell Mark - now or never.

"Mark, whatever happens, please come back to me," Donghyuck muttered pleadingly, putting his heart on his sleeve and bearing his pure emotions for Mark to see.

The alpha's features softened as he subtly grazed over Donghyuck's hand, eyes full of fondness.

"I love you, Mark," Donghyuck finally managed to say these three little words that had been lingering in his heart for far too long already.

For a second, Mark looked completely fascinated, stunned, in disbelief - but then his eyes sparkled. They sparkled, always sparkled when looking at Donghyuck. Oh, how Donghyuck loved that sparkle.

"I love you, too," Mark replied with a small smile. "And how could I not come back if I have so much to come back to?" He added, his gaze clearing telling Donghyuck what he had needed to hear. "Besides, I need to return this to you."

Mark twirled the mating ring in his fingers, before carefully slipping it into his pocket.

There was no more time for further confessions and reassurances - but Donghyuck was glad that everything important had been said now. If this would be the end, at least they died loving each other.

 

All of a sudden, the gate in front them swung open. A bit surprised, Mark and Donghyuck took a step back, not having expected to be let in without any more instructions and safety measures.

However, the sight revealed to them explained the reason behind the sudden lack of precaution.

At the far end of the path that led to the castle someone was already waiting for them with a devilish grin.

As Donghyuck started walking towards the castle, the man with the clunky golden crown on his head began approaching them as well.

Just as Renjun had described in his letter, the path to the castle was long and surrounded by many, many conifers that hid away anything that might happen behind them, swallowing every spark of light and only allowing the darkness beyond their leaves.

Mark seemed to pay extra attention to the trees as well, before focusing his gaze on the Noctis king, who had by now stopped walking and was patiently awaiting them halfway.

Fastening his steps, Mark quickly closed the distance between them, standing in front of the king with only a few meters separating them out of respect and safety.

Anticipatory silence almost shredded the air apart as they kept staring at each other. The Noctis king spoke up first.

"So, it's true what my guards were telling me," he chuckled complacently. "The Solaris pack is giving us another omega. We must've really scared them."

Mark did not let himself be intimidated. "Actually," he corrected loudly. "It's not the Solaris pack that's sending us. It's the prince. And there are some conditions to his offer."

Donghyuck held his breath as he listened to Mark lie through his teeth shamelessly.

"The prince?" The Noctis king seemed interested, an evil grin on his face. "Right, we took his omega, didn't we?"

"Right," Mark swallowed, before taking a step aside so Donghyuck got into the sight of the king. "He wants him back in exchange for this omega."

Acting coy, Donghyuck lowered his gaze, even though he hated being talked about like an object to bargain and would like it far better to show the king a piece of his mind instead.

"Come closer," the Noctis king ordered with a sly grin.

Donghyuck exchanged a short glance with Mark at the unexpected request. Taking a big breath to brace himself, Donghyuck slowly trudged forward until he stood right in front of the king.

It was torture, getting gawked at by the alpha like he was trying to assess his value. It must've also been torture for Mark, who was keeping his cool surprisingly well.

"Unfortunately, my son already got mated to your omega," the king announced after his inspection. "So, he won't be of use anymore to your prince. But we'll still take this one since you were so keen on offering him."

A heavy feeling settled in Donghyuck's stomach. The thought of Renjun being mated off was sickening. If only they had been here sooner.

"Prince Jeno still wishes to have his omega back," Mark insisted undeterred. "He expected him to be mated. He sees worth in him beyond that."

"We seem to have reached an impasse then." Clearly unhappy about that resolution, the Noctis king sharpened his gaze. "Do you understand what you are saying? There's only one way to get a mated omega back."

This was it. Donghyuck had to clutch his hands together, otherwise his nervous tremble might've given them away.

"I know," Mark said calmly. "I want to challenge you for your omega. In a duel."

The Noctis king smirked. "You know that these kinds of duels can lead to death, right?"

"Well, I suppose we can agree on a winner without taking those drastic measures," Mark replied, before his voice changed into a slightly more mocking tone. "Or are you afraid I will beat you?"

That seemed to have been exactly the right fuel to get the Noctis king burning with repressed rage.

"I'll get my councilmen to witness the duel," he agreed through gritted teeth, somehow still smiling devilishly, like possibly killing another wolf was simple entertainment to him.

Mark nodded with silent determination.

 

Once the Noctis king had left to prepare for the duel, Donghyuck quickly returned to Mark's side, glad to be out of reach of the cruel king. Solely thinking about his gazes, was making a disgusted shiver run down Donghyuck's spine.

"Are you okay?" Mark whispered almost soundlessly as they waited for the return of the king.

"Yeah," Donghyuck answered equally as quiet. "Please be careful."

The only thing Mark could do to reply was give him a reassuring smile, before the sound of steps nearing disrupted their moment of peace.

In addition to the Noctis king, ten more alphas were leaving the castle and approaching them, the aura surrounding them screaming of importance and status. Slightly behind them, a timid looking woman was also stepping out of the castle gate, a golden but far less palatial crown placed on her long brown hair.

Donghyuck was a bit surprised by her presence - she was almost the polar opposite to their own chiefess, who always drew in everyone's attention. Even in comparison to what Donghyuck assumed to be the councilmen, who were supposedly subordinate to her, she seemed powerless.

For the first time, Donghyuck saw what Renjun must've seen. The reason why Renjun must've gone through with this plan.

"This alpha is challenging me for the Solaris omega!" The king exclaimed forcefully, his voice resonating through the small forest surrounding them. "We all know what that means!"

Full of confidence, the Noctis king strutted the path down to Mark, the councilmen following him with a respectful distance. His eyes were flaring with danger as he stared at Mark with ill intent.

The ten councilmen and the queen lined up at the side of the path, giving Mark and their king space for the duel.

Donghyuck allowed himself one last look at Mark before he followed their example and stepped aside as well.

"Just for protocol," the king sneered, as he started circling Mark. "You agree to duel with me, even if it might cost you your life? No repercussions from the Solaris pack because I've killed one of their sons?"

"As I said, we're not here for the pack, only on account of the prince, who was aware of these conditions," Mark stood his ground, locking his gaze in on the Noctis king.

"Good," the Noctis king said, pleased. "My councilmen will make sure that the duel is won fairly and will judge on the victory."

"Winner takes the omega," Mark agreed, bending his knees a little and lowering his core to get ready for the upcoming shift.

A crazy laugh left the Noctis king as he licked over his lips, ready to hunt prey. His eyes were widened with insanity.

"Give us the start signal," he barked at one of his councilmen.

Obediently, the man got out a white cloth. Getting permission from his king one more time, he lifted his hand and threw it in the air.

 

Like slow-motion, the cloth started falling to the ground, everybody's tensed looks focused on it. Adrenaline was rushing through his veins, even though Donghyuck had already played his part, he was holding his breath. Now he could only pray for Mark to survive.

The second the cloth hit the earth, the Noctis king transformed, lunging at Mark recklessly. Body on high alert, Mark shifted just as quickly, fearlessly awaiting the Noctis king.

It was an ugly sight and it took everything for Donghyuck to not step in or break out in tears. But Mark was still fighting, enduring the first few hits from the Noctis king bravely.

Escaping from his fangs and claws for a moment, Mark took his chance. Without a care, he bolted through the councilmen, who scattered apart startled, and into the woods. The Noctis king surged right after him without hesitation, eyes filled with bloodlust.

It had started.

 

The minutes in which Donghyuck could not see Mark, both alphas hidden from view by the dark trees, were the most nerve-wrecking minutes in his entire life.

Everything inside of him was yelling at him to run after Mark, make sure that he would make it out alive. But he couldn't. Because there was so much more at stake right now than Mark's life. It was just that Donghyuck was finding it hard to care about anything else but Mark's life right now.

Nervously, he began chewing on his lip, before going over to biting his nails.

Please. Please, Mark, please. You can't leave me.

All of a sudden, two wolves surged out of the woods.

Shocked, Donghyuck watched how the Noctis king jumped ahead, tearing his teeth into his prey - leg and throat.

After a few pitiful steps, dragging his weak body right in front of the councilmen, a trail of blood following him, the wolf collapsed.

Donghyuck's heart stopped beating. He took a cautious step closer, while simultaneously wanting to shut his eyes at the horrifying scene. The body in front of them shook with what seemed to be its last breaths. It felt like the air was cut off from Donghyuck's lungs as well, as he witnessed the life leaving the body - but then relief flooded him.

He could recognize Mark's distinct shade of brown fur in his sleep. The wolf lying in front of him - while fur a similar color - was not Mark.

Proving his observation to be true, the wolf in front of them seemed to use his last remaining energy, his last breaths of life to shift back into human form.

A handsome young man appeared, brown streaks of paint all over his body and hair, mingled with the red blood tarnishing his entire being. Even though Donghyuck was more than happy that it was not Mark who was currently dying in front of him, it was a horrifying sight. There was an ugly slit across the throat of the stranger, and his leg was ripped open, creating a big puddle of blood on the ground.

A heart wrenching scream tore the tense silence apart. The queen had fallen to her knees, chest erupting with heavy sobs.

But she was not the only one.

Running out of the castle and across the field, Renjun was crying out.

He fell to his knees right next to the stranger, pressing his hands over his throat, hopelessly trying to stop the blood flow.

"He's dead!" He screamed towards the councilmen, before glaring at the murderer. "He killed his own son!"

By now, the Noctis king had also shifted back to his human form, watching the scene in front of him unfold helplessly.

"I didn't-" He started outraged, only to take a step closer towards the crime he just committed, unmistakably recognizing his own son.

Bewildered, he turned around to his councilmen, who were staring at their king in vast disgust.

"Jaehyun said he wanted to take a stroll, cool off his head before the mating ceremony," the queen sobbed, not being able to look at her unmoving son.

"This was a mistake!" The king shouted frazzled. "I didn't-"

Slowly, the councilmen were circling in on their king, the anger in their eyes speaking volumes.

"You've killed your son," one of them said coldly. "You broke our most sacred rule. You know what that means."

"You can't-" the king said, before he started cackling frantically. "I'm your king! You can't do this to me!"

However, by the looks of it, his councilmen had no mercy for the man.

Desperately, the king turned to his wife. "The queen! She can pardon me! Right, you will pardon me?"

His eyes were sparked with danger - even Donghyuck feared him at this moment. He thought the fragile woman would quiver underneath the harsh words of her mate, but she surprised them all with her sudden display of pure courage.

Full of spite, the queen looked at the king. "You killed my son," she said in a tone that elicited even more fear than the king's words had. With determination, she faced the councilmen. "Exile him."

The king laughed in disbelief - but the ten councilmen approached him with serious faces.

"Please, after everything I’ve done for you-" he said consolingly. "I'm sure we can look past this. Especially with the plans I have for this pack."

Not even truly listening to his words, the men started chasing the king, whose charismatic expression distorted to rage and then to cold fear - leaving him no choice but to flee.

Swiftly, he transformed, trying to outrun his former subordinates. With no hesitation the councilmen hounded after him. Two guards opened the gate towards the castle and quickly, the king escaped outside, the councilmen still close on his tracks, baring their teeth and growling in anger. Foam forming in their mouth they relentlessly ran after their ruthless oppressor, knowing no weakness in their reach for freedom. Their black fur formed one indistinguishable dark spot on the horizon, gaining strength in their newfound unity, only a single goal on all their minds. End this. Get rid of the source of their doom one and for all.

Soon they all disappeared in between the trees, heading towards unclaimed territory, away from their Noctis grounds.

The king was gone. Hopefully for good, never to be seen again, never to inflict so much pain on anyone.

 

 

Quietly, another figure sneaked out of the woods. Throwing caution in the wind Donghyuck did not hesitate to throw himself into Mark's arms, who was slightly limping as he returned to the path of the scene.

"Mark, Hyuck, over here!" Renjun's frantic screaming didn't leave them much time to celebrate the fact that they had both survived this crazy plan.

The omega was still holding his hands to Jaehyun's throat, as if trying to keep all the blood inside on his own.

"We have to save him!" He exclaimed desperately.

Confused, Donghyuck and Mark stumbled over to the kneeling omega.

"Renjun, he lost too much blood," Donghyuck tried to reason with him. Carefully, he rested a hand over Jaehyun's chest. "His heart has stopped."

"No!" Renjun shouted in denial. "We can get him back! Please!"

Even though Donghyuck had never seen Jaehyun before, seeing Renjun so heartbroken over him was bringing him close to tears.

"Mark, start chest compressions," Renjun instructed, suddenly surprisingly collected. "We can get him back, I know it."

Exchanging a quick look with Donghyuck, who could only shrug, Mark got down next to Renjun, beginning to press down on Jaehyun's chest to mimic a beating heart.

"Renjun, he's still losing blood," Donghyuck told him cautiously, sensing that Renjun was in a sensitive place right now.

Disregarding his concerns, Renjun slipped something out of his boots – surprised, Donghyuck recognized the silver dagger that Jeno had gifted him once upon a time. How Renjun had even snuggled that with him was beyond his imagination.

Biting down on his inner cheek in concentration, Renjun began to softly pat down the pure silver on the wounds surrounding Jaehyun's neck, burning his skin but also stopping any more blood from flowing.

"Quick, get me some water!" Renjun ordered Donghyuck as he moved on to Jaehyun's leg, that was probably the biggest problem right now, causing most of the blood that was gathering around their feet.

"Renjun-"

"Quick!" Renjun yelled and Donghyuck, slightly intimidated by his harsh tone, rushed away, searching for the stream to get Renjun some water.

Jaehyun's leg looked pretty bad as Donghyuck returned, burn marks all over it - but at least Renjun had sealed all the open wounds and there was no more blood leaving his body.

Still, the chances of saving his life seemed extraordinarily small.

Grasping the small bowl of water Donghyuck had brought, Renjun pulled a small plant out of his jacket that looked very familiar.

"Renjun, that's wolfberry," Donghyuck pointed out, worrying that Renjun had now lost all of his common sense.

"I know, it restarts the heart," Renjun replied, beginning to mix the plants with the water, mushing them together into a green liquid with a stone.

"It kills people!"

"Well, he's already dead!" Renjun retorted, throwing the stone away and lifting the bowl of his self-made medicine to Jaehyun's lip. "Stop for a second, Mark."

The alpha listened relieved, sweat already dripping down his forehead.

In tense anticipation everybody watched how Renjun poured the liquid down Jaehyun's throat. Despite the odds, everybody seemed to believe - but nothing happened. Jaehyun laid motionless in front of them, no sign of life behind his closed eyes.

"Start again, Mark," Renjun said, voice rising in pitch, panic and desperation evident.

"Renjun, I don't think-" Donghyuck tried again, placing a gentle hand on Renjun's shoulder.

"No!" Renjun refused his kindness, brushing his hand off as he began to press down on Jaehyun's chest himself, putting his whole body weight into the resurrection.

No, this couldn't be. Silent tears were dropping from Renjun's cheeks onto Jaehyun's body.

No.

 

 

"Like I said, there are not many reasons a king will be exiled for in this pack."

Jaehyun was striding up and down the room with a concentrated expression as Renjun listened attentively. The moonlight was shining through the window of his chambers enchantingly, highlighting all his prominent facial features.

"Because he makes the law. Except for the ancient rules that the councilmen watch over," Jaehyun kept explaining.

Renjun sat up a bit straighter in Jaehyun’s bed, the luxurious mating gown rustling around his legs. They didn't really have the concept of councilmen in the Solaris Pack. "Like, blood pacts?" He asked.

"For example. But also, the ancient rules that founded this pack. The foundation this pack was built on," Jaehyun nodded along. "We need to make my father an offer he can't refuse. We have to trick him."

"So? What does your father need?" Renjun inquired, still not completely following what Jaehyun's intentions were and where this plan of his was going.

The prince gave him a pointed look. "Can't you imagine? Why are you here?"

"Omegas," Renjun immediately understood. "That's what you need my friend for? To offer him?"

"Yes," Jaehyun confirmed. "But we can't just offer him. There needs to be a duel. Say, do you have family? Anyone who would want you back? Who could afford to make such a deal?"

For a moment Renjun was speechless, an uneasy feeling resting in his stomach, like he had been eating stones. There was only really one person that came to mind. It would be a bold move - but a believable one. After all, the Noctis king had seen Jeno's reaction to his departure. And since he had told the Noctis king personally that he didn't have family, another lie would be too risky.

"I suppose there is someone." Renjun swallowed heavily.

"Good," Jaehyun continued with his scheming. "You have to write it all down in that letter, a story so good my father has to believe it. Of course, nobody else can see that letter. If anyone would find out we've been planning my father's downfall, we'd all be executed with the snap of his finger."

Hearing it so clearly was making Renjun realize for the first time fully just how dangerous the conversation they were holding in this second was. One curious servant and they'd be dead. How could he be sure he could trust Jaehyun?

"I'm sorry, but this is... right now you are asking me to bring everyone I love into danger," Renjun told him honestly. "I understand that you and your pack need help. But this-"

"I know it's risky," Jaehyun assured him. "But I know my father. He's not gonna accept a trade. Once he's got a taste... he wants to have it all. He will duel over you."

Expectantly, Renjun waited for Jaehyun to keep going, feeling like they were close to the actual point of the plan.

The alpha took a deep breath. "That's when your friend needs to run. Into the woods in front of the castle, where I will wait, disguised. You might not know, but we've become quite the experts at covering up our dark fur with paint."

No, Renjun had in fact heard about the disguises that included coloring your fur. It had become a common practice in the late attacks.

"I still don't-" He wanted to pry further, but Jaehyun was faster.

"My father will kill me for the sake of the duel."

The air was knocked out of Renjun's lungs. The nonchalance with which Jaehyun had said these words was almost macabre.

Sensing Renjun's shock, Jaehyun gave him an uplifting smile.

"One thing even a king can't get away with. Killing his own son is a sin, the cruelest of them all. And since the duel will be held in front of the councilmen - according to traditions - they will have no choice but to exile him for his crime."

It was completely silent. Renjun's brain was still trying to process what he had just heard. So, this was the plan.

"But what about this pack? Who's going to become king if you are dead and your father is exiled?" Renjun questioned, baffled.

But Jaehyun had answers for everything. "My mother is going to take over temporarily. And once Jisung, my younger brother, is old enough, he will become king. I hope until then, once my mother stops the drugging, we will get a few omega presentations among ourselves for him to make this pack sustainable again."

Huh.

"Does your mother know...?"

"No," Jaehyun shook his head. "She doesn't know that I'm gonna die. She doesn't know fully about the plot; it would be too dangerous to involve her completely. She only knows that I am planning something."

Renjun was still finding it hard to wrap his head around the plan. The way Jaehyun spoke so casually about his... death. But one look into the alpha's eyes and Renjun knew just how serious he was.

Jaehyun was going to die for his pack. In a way, he was also giving his life for Renjun's pack.

And just like that, he had owned Renjun's trust. Jaehyun was not a prince, rebelling against the regime of his father. No, he was a proper leader, a man of his people. Renjun could respect that.

But it still made him uncomfortable.

"Is there no other way for you to save your pack?" He asked, hoping for something that he knew was not possible.

Again, Jaehyun was simply smiling, as if his death was not something to be afraid of.

"No. I have to die."

 

Crying helplessly, Renjun was breaking down over Jaehyun's lifeless body. He did not want to accept the reality. Even though he had known about this all along, he could not accept it.

Renjun's head fell on Jaehyun's chest, tears mixing with the blood on his shirt, listening to the faint sound of a pounding heart.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!
Wow, I can't believe how far we have come!! Who would've expected all this to happen when I started publishing this story last year??
Krrr...well, I hope you like how I decided to resolve the big plot point...I mean, not fully resolved yet, there are still a few chapters left!! But, yeah, idk...leave me your thoughts in the comments!! :D

Stay safe and healthy everyone <3

Chapter 44: Black to White

Notes:

Heeey, welcome back to the story!! Hope you like it :3

Trigger warning: Mentions of injury and burns

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Snowflakes were falling from the sky. Mingling in the wind, blowing over the fields, melting only seconds after they touched the glass of the window. 

Winter came earlier in the Noctis pack. 

A shiver went through Donghyuck’s body as he imagined the coldness. Luckily, he was safe and sound inside, a warm fire bristling a few meters away from him. Staring at the landscape slowly turning white, he leaned against Mark’s shoulder, who began stroking through his hair, engulfing in the quiet peace surrounding them.

Mark and he had been provided with a room to stay overnight. The slight injury Mark had sustained was almost healed by now, meaning they could soon start their journey back home. 

 

Their short moment of silence was interrupted when the door leading to their room was pushed open. 

Immediately, Donghyuck jumped to his feet when he saw Renjun entering. Due to Jaehyun’s crucial condition, they hadn’t really gotten the chance to catch up just yet.

It almost felt unreal, seeing Renjun here just like that, dressed in foreign clothes of unfamiliar colors - but still, so utterly the friend Donghyuck had grown to care for all his life.

Simultaneously surging ahead, they met in the middle, embracing each other with an eagerness that was proof of how much they had missed each other. Donghyuck wondered when they had grown up so much. It’s sure been a while since they had held each other like this, laughed over Yangyang’s ridiculous gossip, chatting away the summer nights. Despite all this time having passed, hugging Renjun still felt the same. Warm and comfortable. No matter how much time they spent apart, how different their paths were, how much they would grow, this would hopefully never change. Donghyuck couldn’t imagine a world in which Renjun would not be his friend. 

“I’m so glad you are here,” Renjun whispered with a broken voice. “I’m so sorry I dragged you into this. I just-”

“Shh,” Donghyuck soothed him right away, pressing Renjun against his chest one more time before softly letting go. He stroked over his cheek, gifting him an uplifting smile.

Wetness was reflecting Renjun’s eyes as he looked at his friend, full of eternal gratefulness. He tore his gaze away, searching for Mark’s eyes. 

“Thank you,” he said, voice already a little more stable. “You didn’t have to come. You didn’t have to risk your life. But you did. Thank you.”

With his usual spurt of humility Mark scratched behind his left ear awkwardly. “It’s nothing.”

At the blatant understatement of the century Renjun couldn’t help but chortle. It felt foreign to laugh. His heart was levitated, just seeing his friends allowing him to rid himself of all the seriousness that had been bearing on his soul for what felt like ages. There was still good in the world. 

Although Donghyuck loved to see Renjun happy, he had a few questions that he was desperate to get answers to.

“How’s Jaehyun doing?” 

Right away the laughter vanished from Renjun’s eyes. Guilt crept up Donghyuck’s back. 

“They said… it’s very unlikely he’ll make it,” he disclosed, even though it was obvious that Renjun was far from agreeing with that statement. 

While Donghyuck himself couldn’t say that he possessed the same optimism concerning Jaehyun’s recovery, he just couldn’t bring himself to crush Renjun’s hopes. Not when it seemed so fragile still. Besides, as they had learned, hope was rare these days. And they needed it more than ever. 

“You did the best you could to help him,” Donghyuck decided to cheer him up, patting Renjun’s arm. 

The omega nodded; lips tightly pressed against each other. “I know. I just hope it’s enough.” A deep sigh left him. “Anyways, how long are you two gonna stay? I’m sure you wanna get back as soon as possible, right?”

Donghyuck and Mark exchanged insecure glances. They had, in fact, been planning on leaving in a timely fashion. However…

“Are you not coming with us?” Mark asked what had been both their concerns.

Renjun hesitated with his answer, opening and closing his mouth a few times. “I’m… I can’t come yet,” he finally stated. “I will come back, trust me!” He added quickly when he saw the look of protest on Donghyuck’s face. “I just feel like I have to… stay for now. For Jaehyun to come back.”

Not really understanding, but respecting Renjun’s wishes fully, Donghyuck hummed in acceptance. 

“Okay. But if you don’t come back soon, I’ll personally hunt you down and drag you back. You belong to our family!”

The sound of Renjun’s laughter lit up the room once again, eyes crinkling in happiness.

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” he chuckled, before his expression dulled a little. “Not sure the others share your sentiment, though.”

Donghyuck actually gaped. Of course, Renjun hadn’t seen what his sacrifice had done to the people in their pack - but surely, he couldn’t believe that people would not want him home after what he had done for them?

“I’m sorry, Renjun, but I’m pretty sure there’s not a single person in our pack who wouldn’t be happy to see you return,” he stated so blatantly.

Renjun shrugged dismissively.

“He’s right,” Mark chimed in. “People look up to you. Always have.”

“That’s not true,” Renjun shook his head.

“I did,” Mark argued. “I always admired you.”

Stunned, Renjun stared at Mark, but the honesty in his voice could not be faked. 

“Hell, Renjun, Mark and I went all the way here to get you back,” Donghyuck chimed back in. “We trust you. We all trust in you.”

“I… I don’t know what to say,” Renjun stuttered, completely baffled, feeling speechless at the sudden declaration.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Donghyuck told him. “You’ll see it all once you come back. How much good you have done. How much hope you have brought.”

Donghyuck could see that Renjun still didn’t fully believe him. But it was alright, because he was sure, once Renjun was home, he would see it all. And he would have no choice but to finally embrace how loved he was. 

“Everybody will be thrilled to have you back. It’s not the same without you,” Donghyuck repeated once more, just to make sure Renjun wouldn’t doubt his choice. “Especially a certain prince.”

With a feeling of accomplishment, Donghyuck watched the blush rise to Renjun’s cheeks. 

Clearing his throat, Renjun changed topics. “So, erm, the queen asked if she could travel with you once you decide to leave. She wants to spread the word of her reign and arrange some new peace treaties.”

Letting Renjun off this once, Donghyuck grinned to himself. 

“Sure,” he said, before pulling Renjun into another hug. “But I’ll see you back home soon. If you don’t come, you know what’ll happen.”

Heart feeling alleviated when Renjun laughed and squeezed him back, Donghyuck felt the hope transferred to his body.

Some things might take some time. But in the end, all would be well. Hearing Renjun laugh so freely made him sure of this more than anything.




 

 

The hallway in front of him was shining in bright white. It didn't seem real.

Carefully, Jaehyun took a step forward, only to be surprised that his feet hit no solid ground. However, he was not falling.

The floor underneath him was soft, almost like clouds, but somehow, Jaehyun was able to stand on it. Levitate over the ground that was not there but still existed.

He took another cautious step forward, the mysterious material bouncing with the impact, but carrying him steadily.

Was this real?

Jaehyun touched his face, relieved when he could feel his own skin, the rough fabric of his clothes that felt soothingly familiar against his cheeks.

Where was he?

Everything around him was white, almost blindingly so. The place reminded him of one of the castle hallways he grew up in, wandering up and down in them since he had been old enough to walk on his own. On his left were three doors, closed - but Jaehyun somehow knew they weren't locked.

At the end of the hallway one last door was capturing his attention. You could see the light shining through the small gap underneath it, as if it led straight into the sun itself.

A weird calmness settled in Jaehyun's chest. Even though he had no clue where he was - or if he even was still alive - he didn't feel scared. The clothes he was wearing were thin and delicate, but Jaehyun felt no sign of coldness. No, this place felt warm. Safe.

Not taking a lot of time to consider, Jaehyun approached the first door. As he reached out his hand, he partly expected it to just surge past the strange material that this place seemed to be made of, but his fingers could grab the doorknob without a problem.

Slowly, Jaehyun pushed the door open. All the warmth around him seeped away and for a moment there was complete darkness in front of him. Then colors started to blur with each other, creating a different scene in front of him.

His breath hitched when he recognized his mother in front of him. His first instinct was to call out for her, ask if she knew where they were - but then another presence entered the room.

His father appeared out of thin air, standing directly opposite of the queen. His hair was longer than Jaehyun remembered it, almost going down to his shoulders. Taking a closer look, Jaehyun also saw that his mother looked different. Younger. The lines of worry that creased her face gone - or not there yet?

Around them one of their many conference rooms was forming, a dark carpet on the floor, their royal crest on a banner pinned over the huge fireplace.

"I'm begging you, please leave our son out of this."

Jaehyun startled when his mother's voice echoed through the room. The scenery seemed to have fully built - now the scene started playing.

His father snorted. "You know I can't."

"He's your son," his mother argued, eyes full of a fire that Jaehyun only knew a dimmed version of. "You've seen what the drug does to children. You have to stop this!"

"And have our pack be vulnerable again?" His father countered with an indifference that made Jaehyun shiver. "We need alphas, only alphas - to protect ourselves! Even if that might bear some unfortunate side effects for some people."

His mother took a step towards the king, grabbing his arm and looking him in his eyes pleadingly. "But Jaehyun is so young! Please, spare him. You know this is wrong."

For a second, even Jaehyun believed that the desperation in his mother's eyes had swayed his father in his decision. But then his gaze hardened and he harshly grabbed his mother's wrist.

Jaehyun winced at the pain that immediately showed on the woman's face, despite no sound of weakness leaving her.

"How dare you ask me this?" The king's voice was dangerous and deliberate. "Our son cannot be an omega. You know he needs to be an alpha. The council is already on my back - if he is not an alpha, what will secure my power?"

His father leaned down to his wife's face, who lowered her head immediately. Jaehyun could barely hear her whisper, "Please. This is wrong. Reconsider."

All of a sudden, his father let go of his tight grip around his mother's wrist, but only to push her away, making her stumble and fall to the ground. Jaehyun wanted to step forward to help her, but he couldn't move, frozen in time and space as he could only watch the scene unfold.

"Don't ever question my decisions like that again," the king snarled, looking down at his mate with discontent. "Know your place. Or do I have to throw you back onto the streets where you belong?"

His mother whimpered painfully, holding her wrist and gently rubbing it, obviously being hurt from the fall. But her head stayed ducked, afraid to meet his father's eyes once more, afraid to speak up against him.

An invisible cold force pushed Jaehyun back towards the door, making him take a few steps backwards, as he had subconsciously drifted closer and closer to the scene.

Without a sound, the door closed in front of him; the white of it melting into the void around it until it completely vanished.

Jaehyun's head was spinning. Never before had he seen his father act so violently against his mother, physically hurting her in the process. But he had always known that it was happening, the way his mother flinched whenever the king raised his hands speaking volumes about their relationship.

Still, seeing it himself was making Jaehyun sick to his stomach. Even the comforting warmth of the white space wasn't calming him anymore.

 

A little more determined than before, Jaehyun moved on to the second door, opening it with a single, powerful push.

Again, he was met with complete darkness at first, although this time the scenery formed itself into shapes and forms a lot quicker.

It didn't take Jaehyun long to recognize his own room, his cupboard, his bed. Intrigued, he glided forward, watching as the last bits of hazy colors transformed into a person.

Seconds later, Jaehyun was looking at his own self. A queasy feeling overcame him. While he had seen himself in a mirror plenty of times, watching himself like this was a strange sensation.

The other Jaehyun was also younger, perhaps fifteen, his body still small and scrawny, his face white and round, boyish.

The scene had fallen into place and young Jaehyun started moving.

His whole body was trembling, shaking as he rolled around in his bed restlessly. A painful scream of agony left his lips, making Jaehyun's skin crawl.

He remembered this day. Well, some of it.

His younger self was presenting. Jaehyun had never reacted well to the drugging, vomiting and sweating whenever he had to take the substance.

However, it seemed to have worked on him.

The boy in front of him kept screaming, crying for help, for it to stop, for his death, perhaps. It was all sort of blurry. Only the pain, the pain and the fear were clear.

Jaehyun couldn't stand to watch it. Seeing himself like this was disturbing. In the worst kind of way.

 

Not waiting to be pushed out by the mysterious entity that had brought him here, Jaehyun turned his back on himself and rushed back into the white void.

 

He took a few breaths, letting the weird calm energy of this space work its magic for a while.

When he turned back around, the second door had vanished as well.

Now there was only the third one left - and the far one, at the very end of the hallway that glowed intimidatingly bright, signifying its importance.

It took him quite some willpower to tear his gaze away from the last door, but for some reason he knew it was meant to be saved for last.

Brazing himself for whatever would be shown to him next, Jaehyun opened the third door.

 

By now used to the darkness and floating colors, Jaehyun waited patiently as the scene formed itself. Again, he was met with all too familiar faces.

"Have you taken your medicine today?" His father appeared sharply.

His face was hard, his hair short now - this must've been a very recent scene.

"I did."

Jaehyun snapped his head around, seeing his little brother stare at his feet. Only a moment later Jaehyun recognized the room of his brother, the huge bookshelf, the dark curtains he used to hide himself.

His heart clenched in pain. This would be hard to watch.

The king took a step towards his younger son, taking a closer look at his face. Jisung, clearly intimidated, didn't dare to raise his head. But even without seeing his face, you could sense his fear.

"You better have," his father said threateningly. "You know what'll happen if you don't become an alpha."

"Yes."                         

Even though his replies were short, you could hear Jisung’s voice shaking. His father didn't back away after that, but stayed close, taking a sniff near his brother's neck, who shivered in anxiety.

If it were possible for a person to shrink, Jaehyun had no doubt his brother would've disappeared by now. But like this, he was forced to stand in front of the king, trying to make himself as small as possible.

Fortunately, his father only gave him one more disapproving glare before he left the young boy alone.

Jaehyun thought that had been it, but the scene didn't stop after his father had retreated.

Suddenly, Jisung started moving restlessly, surging over to his bedside table. He pulled out a white pill - the medicine, as his father had called it. Jaehyun's body still reacted to the sight of it, trembling and curling at the thought of taking it.

Stunned, Jaehyun observed his brother, the conflict on his face playing out very clearly. He put it close to his lips, but then hesitated. Checking over his back, he put the pill down, walking over to his bookshelf to get out the largest encyclopedia he owned.

With a harsh bang that made Jaehyun startle, he dropped the book on top of the pill, which crumbled into dust under the force of gravity.

Quickly, Jisung brushed the powder in his palms, rushing over to his window and letting the wind get rid of any evidence of his defiance.

At first, Jaehyun smiled at the cleverness of his brother. He had always suspected that Jisung had somehow found a way to avoid taking the drug, even though it would've been too dangerous to directly ask him about it. Jaehyun doubted that Jisung would've even told him the truth in his fear.

But after a few seconds his smile froze.

Sinking to the ground, his younger brother started sobbing, crawling behind his curtains and hiding his lanky frame completely from Jaehyun's view.

It hit Jaehyun like a brick. His little brother was not only afraid of their father. He was afraid of his presentation, but for completely different reasons than Jaehyun had been. Because for him there was a very real chance to become an omega. And not a scentless one that could pretend to be something he's not.

Now the entity removed Jaehyun, carefully pushing him out of his brother's room. The sniffling and crying was still ringing his ears, even as the door faded into white nothingness in front of him.

 

Surprised, Jaehyun felt a tear roll down his own cheek. Swiftly, he wiped it away.

It was more than obvious that pain was everywhere, no matter where he went.

 

Now Jaehyun was all alone in the white space with the door at the far end.

The longer he waited, simply staring at it, the more tempting it became to just stay where he was. Sure, he was lonely, but at least he was no longer in pain. Here, in the white void, nothing seemed to be real. Not even the pain.

Jaehyun didn't know if he was ready to see what was behind the last door.

Time didn't really seem to exist here, so Jaehyun didn't actually know how long it took him to make up his mind. It could've been days, weeks. It could've been years.

But in the end, it didn't matter, because Jaehyun knew he would always make the same decision.

With a strange feeling in his gut, he strode along the hallway. His feet were still touching nothing except soft clouds that appeared to give in, but never did. The closer he got, the brighter the light creeping out behind the door got.

When he finally arrived in front of it, he had to squint his eyes, the shine burning. Blindly, he searched for the handle, opening the final door.

 

Instead of the darkness that had met him before, this time, the light around him exploded. Jaehyun had to close his eyes for a few seconds to recover, colorful little spots dancing around on his eyelids.

When he was confident enough to endure the light, he slowly pried his eyes open.

Once again, he was seeing himself. Although, not a younger version, but his current self. He was lying in a bed in their infirmary, breathing shallowly.

Jaehyun smiled knowingly. Somehow, he had expected something like this all along.

He took a step closer, only now realizing that Renjun was also there, sitting next to his bed and holding his hand. Almost ironic that not long ago they had been in the same situation, only with reversed roles.

Jaehyun watched the scene - the presence - in silence. Looking at Renjun's face was fascinating, his expression torn up with pain and hope and loss and grief. It made Jaehyun wonder.

His eyes wandered to his own face. In comparison to everything he had been shown, it looked comically out of place. Peaceful, almost like he was sleeping, enjoying his sweet little dreams.

Jaehyun knew this time nothing would force him to leave. As he turned around, the door was still opened, leading back to the white void of eternal calmness. If he wanted to leave, he could. But he had to do so on his own.

It was a choice. Even though, he had always known it was coming, it made him choke on his thoughts.

There was no pressure on him. Perhaps, for the first time in his life there was no pain. If he decided to go back through the door, he knew that eventually, he'd also fade into the white void, like all the painful memories had before. Finally free. The burden of life finally past him.

Jaehyun swallowed, his throat parched.

Technically, he could just stay here, take his time to decide. Nobody would force him out of here. Time didn't exist here.

He watched as Renjun's head slowly sank down to the blankets, falling asleep right in front of him. It made Jaehyun realize.

While time might not exist here, it did exist for everyone else. Everybody was waiting for him to make this decision.

 

Jaehyun walked back to the door, wanting to cross the border into the unknown. Just as he was about to step outside and leave his life behind, he stopped.

While the choice between pain and eternal peace was easy on paper... only because his suffering ended, didn't mean everyone else's suffering would.

Hesitantly, he looked over his shoulder.

He was still laying in bed motionlessly, caught between death and life. He had done everything in his power to end the pain. He had done everything in his might for his pack, to end everyone's pain. Didn't he deserve his peace? Hadn't he suffered enough in his life?

Renjun was waking up already, rubbing over his eyes tiredly and then continuing to stare at him, caress over his face, mouth forming words Jaehyun couldn't hear.

 

Whatever entity had given Jaehyun this choice... he shouldn't waste it.

Jaehyun reached after the door, holding it tightly. Then he closed his eyes. He had survived death. He could survive life.

Decisively, Jaehyun pushed the door shut. He could no longer leave. The choice was made.

 

Suddenly, everything around him started vaporizing. Jaehyun panicked as the presence disappeared around him, the light fading and fading and fading. He was left in the darkness again - only then to realize that he had closed his eyes.

As he fluttered them open, everything was still blurry. Was he back in the white void?

Slowly, his vision sharpened. He felt someone holding his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. He heard a breath hitch.

"Jaehyun?"

Jaehyun smiled as he looked into Renjun's tearful eyes, returning to the pain, but doing so willingly.

"Glad to be back," he murmured, but his voice was so hoarse, he doubted Renjun had understood him.

The omega squeezed his hand, painfully so - but perhaps it was a good pain?

He was handed a glass of water, letting it run down his throat and relishing in the refreshing feeling. Renjun was staring at him in vast disbelief.

As Jaehyun sat down his glass, the first tear was rolling down his cheek.

"Don't cry," Jaehyun quickly told him and Renjun hurried to dry his eyes.

"Sorry, I just... nobody thought-" he stuttered overwhelmed, not finishing his sentence, but Jaehyun understood.

With an exhausted grunt, Jaehyun sat up straight, stretching his arms and cringing as he listened to his bones crack.

He turned to Renjun with a curious twinkle in his eyes. "So, how did you bring me back?"

Renjun swallowed his own spit, still a bit choked up. He hadn't dared to believe ever getting to talk to Jaehyun again. This was a miracle.

"Wolfberry," he explained shortly.

A look of understanding passed over Jaehyun’s face. "Restarting my heart. Clever," he nodded. "Why has nobody ever thought of that?"

"Because they are afraid of it," Renjun answered almost without thinking.

To his surprise, Jaehyun chuckled, finding something about his reply very funny.

A bit more cautiously, Renjun raised his voice again, "Also, I'm sorry, but you were bleeding quite badly. I had to burn your throat and leg. Your throat is healing very nicely... but your leg... well, it's...?"

As if checking the truthfulness of Renjun's words, Jaehyun first reached after his throat. But apart from a few red marks there was almost nothing left from his injuries. Then he pulled back the covers, revealing his leg.

He hissed, the cold air hitting his bare flesh leaving an unpleasant sensation. His leg looked, in lack for a better word, messed up, scarred tissue and burnt skin everywhere. Lingering for a while, he didn't dare to test if he could still move it. Biting down on the inside of his cheek, he pulled himself together. It would be fine. Relieved, he saw that his toes wiggled on command - and when he tried to lift and bend his knee, it did as told. It caused him a tremendous amount of pain though, so Jaehyun quickly stopped his agility test.

He looked up, seeing Renjun's guilty expression.

"It'll all heal," Jaehyun assured him with a soothing smile. "Thank you."

Renjun didn't feel like he deserved the gratitude. However, the genuineness in Jaehyun's kind eyes comforted him a little. Perhaps, he had done something right after all.

"So, what about my father?"

"Exiled." Renjun was glad to deliver some good news for a change. "Your plan worked perfectly. The councilmen chased him off the grounds, nobody has seen him since."

"Since?"

"A week ago," Renjun disclosed honestly. "Your mom has taken over, just like you said. She was here with me all the time, but she and my friends are currently traveling back to the Solaris Pack. She wanted to offer peace to the other packs as quickly as possible."

Jaehyun began pouting. "Really? They're gone already? I didn't even get to thank your friends personally!"

Taken aback, Renjun huffed amusedly. "Well, nobody thought you'd come back - not even you!"

Right after he had said it, Renjun bit down on his tongue, regretting his nonchalant tone. But Jaehyun only smirked.

"Nobody but you," he stated knowingly.

Renjun didn't know what to say, so he awkwardly fiddled with his hands. In a sense, Jaehyun was right. Except for Renjun, nobody had believed Jaehyun could come out of this alive. Renjun didn't know why he had clung to his belief so desperately - maybe because he had lost too many loved ones already - but here he was, looking at Jaehyun's vivid eyes and rosy cheeks. Alive.

"You are truly extraordinary," Jaehyun told him sincerely. "You'll make a great leader."

Right, Renjun remembered. Technically, he was still promised to Jaehyun.

"I-" Again, Renjun wasn't sure what to say. "I don't know about that. I kind of wanted... to return to the Solaris Pack as well. Now... that you... I mean, I know the blood pact, and all that. And you are really nice! But-"

"But I'm no Prince Jeno?" Jaehyun intercepted his rambling with a witty grin.

Flustered, Renjun turned his head away. That was not... okay, maybe he also kind of wanted to return to his own pack because of Jeno. But primarily, he missed Sicheng, his friends... his family. He also sort of had promised Donghyuck to return. 

Jaehyun was very nice, but he was no replacement for what he had in the Solaris Pack. Only being away for this short time had made him realize that.

There was still so much left for him. Maybe a different future than he had once imagined. But the only future he could imagine for himself was in the Solaris Pack. With Jeno. One way or another.

"Don't worry," Jaehyun said, seemingly reading Renjun's thought process off his face. "I prefer alphas anyways."

Renjun's eyes widened in shock. He had expected a lot, but definitely not that!

"Sorry, if now you think I am some sort of weird alpha, but-"

"No, no, not at all!" Renjun interrupted him immediately, before cringing at himself. He was not getting better at this kind of conversation. "I actually have a friend like you! I don't... I was just surprised, sorry. It's nice, really, not weird."

Jaehyun smiled contently, eyes twinkling with suppressed laughter. Renjun lowered his head embarrassed.

"I meant you will be a great leader for the Solaris Pack in the first place," he clarified his earlier statement. With a cheeky wink he added, "You are very nice as well, but I think we are better off as plotting partners."

Renjun's head snapped around. His mouth was gaping. "Why... why would you think I'd be a good leader?"

"I just know," Jaehyun shrugged, but from Renjun's insecure posture he seemed to guess that that was not really a compelling argument. "Because you already are. You came here to protect your pack - and you did. Not only that, you saved mine as well. You are strong and... in a way, you are fearless. But most importantly, you love your pack more than your life. That's the first thing a leader is taught. Your life is nothing without your pack. But you, Renjun, you didn't need to be taught. You just are."

Renjun felt like tearing up again. "B-but I'm not confident that that's enough."

"Well, then it's about time you start to be," Jaehyun claimed. “Confident.”

Renjun was about to laugh. As if it would be that simple. Then he stopped himself.

Why couldn't it just be that simple?

"You said you love that prince?" Jaehyun asked him. "Go back and talk to him! He’d be a fool to let you go again! Hell, you are Huang Renjun! You saved your pack. You saved mine - you brought me back to life! I haven’t known for long, but I do know you can do anything!"

As he heard Jaehyun say that Renjun found that it was the truth. He had done all of that. He might not be royal, he might not have been raised like Jeno - but he didn't have to be. Renjun was enough, just the way he was.

Huh. 

Almost funny how long it had taken him to find that out, considering how simple of a solution it was. 

Just like Jaehyun had said. It was about time he started to be confident. He deserved to be. After everything he had done, he deserved to be.

Confident. The feeling that spread in his chest was new. Vibrant, and vivid and energizing him. Yeah, he could get used to that.

"Will you be alright here all on your own?" Renjun asked, suddenly filled with vitality, the call for action electrifying in his heart.

"You need to leave this urgently?" Jaehyun asked, but he was smirking benevolently.

At this point, Renjun was so impatient to get to go home, he started bouncing his legs up and down.

Giving Jaehyun an apologetic expression, "It's never been this urgent before."

Jaehyun only laughed, "Okay, you may leave - but I have one condition."

"What?"

Jaehyun put on his thus far cheekiest smile. "When I come visit the Solaris Pack to sign the peace treaty and hopefully, celebrate your wedding," Jaehyun paused, enjoying the way Renjun's face heated up. "Introduce me to that friend of yours, okay?"

A laugh of disbelief left Renjun. Jaehyun was... something else. "Sure," he agreed, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Jaehyun called after him one more time.

Swiftly, Renjun turned around, although the last thing he wanted to do was waste more time not getting what he wanted.

This time Jaehyun's smile was soft, gentle, warm. "Thank you, for everything. I will forever be grateful to you. And while everything here will still need... a lot of time to fully heal, change things, get people's minds free of their fear. I'm confident that better times will come and for that, our pack will always have to thank you."

These words actually made Renjun forget about his desire to return home for a second. Jaehyun was right. It took a lot of time to initiate change - even in their pack it was a slow process that took time and patience, and strong people. When he thought about returning home, he realized he would be returning to a pack that also still needed a lot of work. Especially after the year they had been through, the fear of losing what they all loved so dearly leaving scars that would take time and effort to recover from.

However, Renjun was confident now. Confident that he could be the person that could lead the pack into a brighter future, that could give them the hope they needed.

And he had no doubt that with Jaehyun as their leader, the Noctis pack could also heal from all their wounds.

"I'm also confident," Renjun replied earnestly. "Without you this pack would've been lost. You were the one brave enough to save it."

"Thanks for trusting me."

"You didn't really leave me a choice, did you?"

Jaehyun chuckled, playfully waving Renjun out of the room.

 

Renjun was still laughing as he strode through the foreign castle. Perhaps, coming here had been a good thing after all. At least, it had turned out better than Renjun could've ever dared to dream of. But now it was time to go home. He had a few people that he couldn't let wait for him any longer.

Notes:

Thank you all for reading!!

There was a lot of discourse about Jeno's character under the last chapter that was very interesting :)
I'm very sorry he isn't in this chapter as well, but now that the plot is almost fully wrapped up and Renjun back on his way home, you can imagine that he will finally appear again next chapter :3

I'll continue to try my best with this story to achieve a satisfying ending for everyone :D

Stay safe and healthy <3

Chapter 45: Somewhere only we know

Notes:

Hello and welcome back!! This might just be the longest chapter ever...it might not be perfect, but please have an open mind, I tried my best :)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

After staying and resting at the Noctis castle for a few days - letting Mark's slight injuries heal fully - Mark and Donghyuck were more than keen on getting back to their own home. Despite the actual fight lasting only a few minutes, it had been an exhausting and emotionally challenging time. Traveling made you tired.

So, after another short discussion with Renjun (in which Donghyuck reminded Renjun, once again, not so subtly, that they’d forcibly bring him back if he wouldn’t follow soon) they packed the few things they had brought. 

Luckily, it had not been too much of a hassle to find the horse they had left behind in the woods, the animal dutifully waiting for them as if sensing that it would still be needed. Now, it was resting comfortably in the Noctis stables, since they had decided to leave one horse behind for Renjun to follow them eventually.

Neither Mark nor Donghyuck had the heart to argue with Renjun about his decision to stay behind with Jaehyun, even though they doubted the prince would recover. However, as long as Renjun would come home, as he had to promise them multiple times, they were content leaving first.

While nobody in the Noctis pack had been openly hostile towards them, no they had been treated with shocking hospitality, even getting their own bedroom to reside in, there was no place like home. And if they were completely honest, staying in the castle for this long was still making them a bit uncomfortable. Although they both knew that they had victoriously fought off the chance of a war happening, wandering on the territory of whom they considered enemies this entire year was a bit eerie.

 

As Renjun had let them know once they announced their leave, the queen decided to join them on their journey. In the last few days Donghyuck almost hadn't recognized the woman - his first impression of her was almost laughably weak in comparison to the queen he had gotten to witness over just a short span of time after the exiling of the King.

Some people just surpassed themselves in times of crisis. And crises the queen had – more than one! For that she had a broken, terrified pack to fix, people to lead who had never seen her as a leading figure - not to mention her own son on the verge of death - she carried herself with a sophisticated power that Donghyuck could only admire.

In just the past few days, she had declared peace to their pack, called back the troops from the border, met with the rogue wolves to call off their deal and stopped any drugging of unpresented wolves that was still being executed at the moment.

There were a lot of changes at once and Donghyuck sensed that not everyone was on board with every decision - but even he could feel the relief that went through the pack. It was like everyone suddenly was brave enough to breathe again. Soon, he hoped, they would find enough courage to speak as well. He couldn't imagine what it must be like to live in the Noctis pack - and he was glad he didn't have to - but he felt for them. He hoped they would survive. He hoped there would be fighters like him, who were ready to fight for change and possessed an endurance that would win against tradition.

 

At first, Mark and Donghyuck had been a bit awkward about the idea of traveling with the Queen. They didn't really know what the right etiquette was when acting around her - she was a person of royal blood, and while they respected her, she did not hold any actual power over them. Not that she seemed like she was trying to enforce any sort of authority over them, as she strode into the stables before sundown, swiftly getting her horse ready and thanking them for accompanying her. 

Throwing each other unsure glances, Mark and Donghyuck saddled their horse as well. Just as planned they left the second horse behind in the stables for Renjun.

Donghyuck insisted on riding in the front and holding the reins as they climbed on top. It was the polar opposite to how they had arrived, him cowered behind Mark like nothing else but a trophy to be won. Now, he was creating a contrasting picture as he straightened his back with confidence and he was doing it on purpose. It was a signal. A symbol. An outlook of what could be. He hoped people understood it.

 

Soon, they learned that traveling with the Queen was a huge advantage. Nobody from the Noctis pack even dared to stand in their way as they approached the gates, opening them without a single word of protest.

Today, the woman was wearing a long satin gown and a sparkling diadem with dark green emeralds in her hair, clearly indicating her status of power. Donghyuck had never seen her wear jewelry before, but he supposed for her purpose it would be useful if people understood at first sight just exactly who she was.

Another perk of having the Queen join them, was her knowledge of the woods. While they had trusted Jaemin's words and simply traveled the river upstream on their way here, the Noctis Queen seemed to know a few shortcuts, leading them through the forest without any hesitation.

The cold of the winter was still merciless, so Donghyuck was grateful for the fast tempo the Queen set for them. It also helped a little that Mark had apparently decided to glue himself to his back, having wrapped his arms securely around Donghyuck's waist as he hid his face in his neck.

 

 

Even though they had started their ride early in the morning, before the sun had risen - Donghyuck was surprised when he saw the red towers of the Solaris castle appear in the sky before sunset. It had taken him and Mark two days to get to the Noctis pack. They must've taken quite a few detours.

Kun seemed to have taken their last advice seriously because as they crossed the borders near the castle, a few wolves started appearing out of the bushes, howling in alarm and wildly chasing after their horses, trying to keep up with their pace.

Almost chivalrously, the Queen slowed down, letting the guards surround her. She threw Mark and Donghyuck a pointed look. Perhaps, there was more than one reason the Queen had decided to come with them - in a way they were equally profiting from each other's company.

Mark jumped off the horse first, landing a bit wobbly on the ground as his legs were sore from the long ride.

It took a short while for the guards to recognize their own member, but Donghyuck knew they were safe once a wolf with a distinct shade of silver fur pushed its way to the front.

"Donghyuck? Mark?" Shotaro asked, puzzled, having transformed back to his human form once he recognized his old partners. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Escorting a... special guest?" Mark answered with an uncertain grimace.

Donghyuck couldn't express the relief that flooded him getting to see his friend again. He hadn't talked to Shotaro since the bomb, only heard that he had survived the whole attack uninjured from the healers. Getting to see him alive and in person was giving him just the reassurance he needed.

A lot more skillfully than Mark had he glided off the horse's back, grinning brightly at Shotaro. "It's a long story."

Shotaro's eyes drifted in between him, Mark and the Queen, obviously having a hard time comprehending the sight.

Then he returned Donghyuck's smile, "Well, I suppose we can catch up on our way to the castle." He glanced at the Queen once more. "Assuming, that's where you are heading?"

"Correct," Donghyuck said, already pulling Shotaro with him, leaving Mark to guide the horse after them.

The castle was close by now, so walking the last few meters by foot didn't take too long. It was the sensible thing to do, seeing that the guards would not let them pass through on their horses just like that with someone like the Noctis Queen as their companion.

Donghyuck noticed that not only Shotaro was attentively listening to his story as he made up a story on why they were where they were and how exactly they had stumbled across the Noctis Queen of all people. Even though Donghyuck didn’t like lying to Shotaro, who he trusted with his life, he couldn’t risk anyone getting word of what they had actually been doing these past days. He comforted himself with the thought that he’d get to fill in Shotaro about everything once they could talk in a more private setting later. For now, with all the other guards surrounding them, he would stick to the truth Mark and him had settled on with Renjun before coming back.

 

Once they arrived in front of the huge staircase of the Solaris castle, everyone was holding their breath, someone playing a horn to signal the arrival of a royalty.

The Noctis Queen pushed her crown straight as she slid off her horse and started taking the first stairs. She knew she was considered an enemy here, despite her history and despite her good intentions. She knew she had to carry herself carefully and that it would be a slow process to gain back the trust that the King had broken. But it was something she had to do and something, at this point in time, only she could do.

The gate in front of them swung open. With hasty steps, the Solaris chief and chiefess appeared, waiting on top of the staircase.

Shotaro quickly retreated, his guard duty nowhere near entitling him to be part of political meetings of this stature. Donghyuck and Mark were about to do the same - but the Noctis Queen held them back.

"I'm going to need your help," she whispered to them quietly. "I'm afraid I'll not be believable on my own."

The couple stopped, exchanging another glance. Mark shrugged, seeing no harm and they followed the Queen with some distance.

Their chief furrowed his brows at the unlikely trio approaching him. The chiefess' face was cold like ice, carefully disguising any thoughts she might be having.

Nervously, Donghyuck reached for Mark's hand. He was not sure if the chief and chiefess would approve of the measures they had taken on their own. While they had acted with the sole purpose of saving this pack from a war... their plan had been morally gray.

Only when Jeno appeared behind his parents, expression equally as confused as his father's, did Donghyuck's tension leave him. Jeno had always listened to him. They would come out of this unharmed.

"What brings you here?" The chief raised his voice first, booming all over the place with fierceness. "Another blood pact?"

The Noctis queen was taking the last step into the castle, now on the same height as all the Solaris leaders. "No. As you can see, I'm coming here alone. In peace."

"We have reasons to assume that our former peace pact has no value to you," the chief said sharply.

"It doesn't have value any longer," the Noctis queen confirmed, pushing everyone to the edge of tension. "Since the king has been exiled. I'm here for a formal peace treaty."

The chiefess' eyes were piercing as ever, staring the Noctis queen down. "Why should we trust you? You tricked us before."

With an unexpected calmness the queen turned towards the chiefess. "The king did. I did not. But the king has been exiled," she pronounced every word with meaning, connecting eyes with the chiefess as if trying to get a hidden message across. "I'm the queen now. I'm here for a peace treaty. If we can find a private place to talk."

Time seemed to pause, everybody waiting for a response.

Jeno was the first one to speak up. “Yes. We’ll listen to you.”

Both his parents turned to him, apprehension still on their faces.

“Jeno, you don’t know what she really wants,” the chiefess reprimanded her son for seemingly deciding so thoughtlessly. 

However, Jeno was not backing down. “We’ll never find out what she has to say if we don’t even try to listen,” he argued. 

“We can’t trust her.”

“She’s been brought here by two of our most trusted guards,” Jeno insisted strongly, nodding towards Donghyuck and Mark who were hovering in the background. “If you can’t trust her, I can assure you we can trust them.”

The chief and chiefess quietly communicated with each other, only them understanding what thought processes went through each other’s head.

"Please, be our guest," the chief said after a while, making a welcoming gesture as he stepped aside to let the queen in.

Donghyuck and Mark hesitated slightly, but when Jeno threw them an expecting look, they slipped through the door as well.

 

Not one more word was exchanged as they walked through the castle hallways. Everyone understood that the truth was sensitive, too delicate to be spoken about in an open space.

They went up two floors and then entered a room at the far end on the right. It was kept very simple, the interior only being a table and a few chairs made out of sturdy oak wood. Donghyuck recognized the room from the time Mark and him had escaped the healing wing, only to find Sicheng in here with the royal family. It felt like ages ago.

Everybody involved took a seat, the silence impending, close to imploding on itself.

“Please, speak,” Jeno encouraged the royal guest once more, even giving her a small smile. The woman returned his smile gratefully.

"I was speaking the truth," the queen started off. "I am here for a peace treaty."

"Why was the king exiled?" The chief asked instead.

Silence once again. The queen looked contemplatively towards Donghyuck and Mark, who had been kind enough to help her and her pack this much. Then she realized that the truth, and nothing but the pure truth would be the only way to honor their sacrifice. The only way to build a new foundation of trust.

Rendered speechless after just the first few sentences, everybody simply listened as the queen retold her story, beginning at the very start, how the Noctis pack had coped after the human war, how the king had ruled over his people with an iron fist, how her son had come up with a plan.

By now, Donghyuck and Mark had to fill in a few of the gaps. Since the queen hadn't fully known about the entire plot that Renjun had gotten them entangled in, they were the only ones currently in the room who had the full knowledge. So, they gladly provided it - it was probably not a bad thing to get it off their chests for once, even if it would be the only time they would be allowed to talk about it openly.

At the end, it was silent again. Outside the window you could see the moon rising, the sky too clouded for any stars to be visible. Nature was also providing them cover as if knowing there were secrets exchanged that should never see light.

"Once... my son recovers, I hope we can mend the relationship between our packs," the queen stated in the end. "I'm going to travel to the Lunaris pack to talk about a peace treaty as well." Her voice was heavy with meaning as she added, "Our pack has been isolated for too long. We are no longer afraid of your friendship."

"You should rest here for the night," the chief offered generously, having warmed up to her after hearing the full story and sharing his usual genuineness. "We can provide you with a room."

Gratefully, the queen accepted, rising to her feet, clearly tired after the long day.

Sensing that the important part of the conversation was over, Mark and Donghyuck also stood up. They would be of no more help from this point forward. Their only wish left was to finally go home.

 

Respectfully, they bowed their heads to their leaders before sneaking outside of the room. A good night's sleep was waiting for them.

However, they were blessed with another royal accompanying them on their leave. Again.

"Wait!" Jeno was rushing after them almost frantically.

Donghyuck doubted he would ever get to see his furs tonight if they kept being chased like this.

Jeno came to an abrupt halt in front of them. Sheepishly, he ruffled through his hair, seemingly still searching for words. But Donghyuck already knew what he wanted to ask about.

"So, erm... Renjun," the prince confirmed his suspicion. "Is he... is he okay? Have you seen him?"

A long sigh left Donghyuck. Again, he was playing the messenger between these two. "I think so. He looked fine when we left."

Jeno nodded, biting down on his lip with suppressed relief. "Is he... going to come back now?"

"That's what he told us," Donghyuck replied honestly. "But he wanted to stay with Prince Jaehyun until he woke up. Technically, he is still promised to him, I think. And you know Renjun, he always cares about other people first."

"So Renjun is not... they are not mated yet?" Jeno questioned - you could see the dread on his face as he waited for the answer.

Donghyuck wanted to spare him the torture quickly. "No. No, and frankly, I don't think they will. I think... Renjun really wanted to come back home soon."

Jeno's face lit up in joy, even though he tried to hide it. "Good. I... I'm glad he's okay."

Donghyuck could only roll his eyes. The two would find their way to each other, he knew it. So, deciding to not do anything about it, he turned around to Mark.

"Let's go? Please?"

"You can also stay here!" Jeno offered right away. "I mean, you did save our pack from a war. Even though we can't really make it public...You deserve some appreciation. We could prepare some food."

It was a sweet gesture, but it was the last thing Donghyuck wanted right now.

"Thank you, but I really just want to go home now," Donghyuck disclosed almost desperately and Mark nodded in agreement.

Jeno chuckled with understanding. "Alright. I'll let you go. Get home safely. And if there’s anything you need, tell me. This pack is deeply indebted to you."

 

 

Giving the prince a quick nod, Mark and Donghyuck walked out of the castle, Jeno being so kind as to let them out through a hidden door.

Now it was only them and the forest as they started what they hoped would be their last journey for a long time towards the pack village.

"What a day," Mark sighed deeply, stretching his back and arms, before pulling Donghyuck close by his waist. "I'm completely spent."

"Me too," Donghyuck could hardly suppress a yawn. Not long until he could cuddle into his furs with Mark.

"But it was worth it, wasn't it?" Mark added thoughtfully. "You were right about this pack. We couldn't have given it up. I'm glad we got to save it."

Donghyuck hummed in agreement. Leaning his head against Mark's shoulder he once again was filled with this incredible fondness that wanted to explode inside his heart. "I love you, Mark. I really do. I'm glad you came back to me."

"I'll always come back for you," Mark answered nonchalantly, as if that wasn’t even up for debate.

The softness in Donghyuck's chest grew tenfold. No words could ever express how happy he was. So, he raised to his toes to press the sweetest of kisses on Mark's cheek. The alpha immediately began grinning like a fool, pressing Donghyuck a bit tighter against his body.

"Oh, right," he remembered something. "I can finally return this to you."

A thrilling tingle spread through his body as Donghyuck watched how Mark slipped the mating ring back onto his finger. Now everything was truly back where it belonged. He had finally found his place.

A thought crossed his mind, making Donghyuck giggle.

"What?" Mark prompted him, also smiling.

"At the beginning of the year I thought nobody would ever give a mating ring to me," he enclosed. "But now I've been given a ring three times already."

Mark laughed with him, the sound making a soothing warmth spread inside Donghyuck's heart.

"Well, only a few weeks till the end of the year. And then we can make the promise come true once and for all," the alpha told him lovingly.

"Sounds like a good plan," Donghyuck agreed, the adoration for the man in front of him sparkling brightly in his eyes.

Tiredness caught up to him, and this time he couldn't hide his yawn.

Mark chuckled amused, his own eyes now twinkling, "I have another plan."

"Mhh?" Donghyuck hummed.

"Race me back to our hut," Mark said.

Donghyuck huffed in disbelief - but when Mark shifted in front of him, surging ahead through the woods it didn't take him long to follow him, competitive spirits rising.

Once he caught up to Mark, he playfully snapped after his tail, only for Mark to give him a mischievous grin.

Yeah. Donghyuck could get used to a lifetime full of this.



 

 

Jeno was leaning over the railing, overseeing the grounds of the Solaris pack. Early snow was falling down on his hair, soft wind making his cheeks turn rosy. It had been three days since the Noctis queen had left their castle to seek out the Lunaris leaders. Three days since everyone who had gone to the Noctis pack to overthrow their king in an elaborate dangerous plan had returned. Everyone but Renjun. Renjun, who was still out there in a foreign pack, that he had risked so much to save.

Jeno was still in slight disbelief over the recent events.

Seemingly overnight, everything had changed due to Renjun and his outstanding act of bravery. Jeno had always known that Renjun was destined for greatness - but as Jaemin had once said, nobody had ever truly understood just how much the omega was capable of.

And now he had done it. Prevented so much pain. Surpassing his immense potential.

A long sigh left Jeno as he let his eyes wander, hoping for any sign of Renjun's return. He didn't expect much. Renjun had rejected him twice, a decision he respected. All he wanted at this point was for Renjun to be home, safe and happy. And close.

He didn't dare to hope for more.

 

 

Renjun was pulling on his reins tightly, making the horse underneath him take a sharp halt. To his surprise he had passed the borders without any problems - the few guards that had probably seen him surge through the bushes hadn't stopped him. Not that they could've kept up with Renjun's pace anyway.

Ever since Jaehyun had awoken, Renjun hadn't stopped running. He had already wasted too much time. If he wanted to make up for what he had missed, there was no time for any more delays.

Finally, he was back. The castle of the Solaris pack standing in front of him proudly, just as majestic as he remembered it. But for some reason it was far less intimidating.

Smoothly, he jumped off his horse. His legs were a bit sore from the fast gallop, but that was Renjun's last concern at this moment.

Immediately, a few servers gathered around him, their eyes wide with surprise and... wonder? Renjun wasn't so sure how to interpret their gazes. Putting on his most grateful smile he asked them nicely to care for his horse – technically, he had no power to order them to do anything, so he really hoped they would do him this little favor. Too stunned to speak, the servers followed his command without any hesitation.

Relieved, Renjun faced the stairs leading up to the castle gate. Taking a deep breath to calm down his fluttering nerves, he started heading upstairs. What had first seemed like an impossible task as a child, was now the easiest thing Renjun had ever done. His determination was driving him forward as he took one step at a time.

He was no longer afraid of this place. He knew who he was. He knew what he could do. He knew where he wanted to be.

All that was left for him to overcome was asking the person he hurt most for forgiveness. Hopefully, his last challenge.

 

The two guards at the door lowered their heads as Renjun approached. Wordlessly, they opened the gate for him.

It made Renjun a bit speechless. He didn't know what exact story about his stay at the Noctis pack was making the rounds here, but it seemed that people were looking at him differently than ever before. Like they trusted him?

Either way, Renjun was glad that his path into the castle was far less complicated than he had anticipated.

With a grateful smile towards the guards, he entered the magnificent building. After having spent the last days on foreign, hostile grounds, Renjun's chest almost hurt as he took in the familiar hallways and tainted, colorful windows. Despite not having lived in the castle for that long, it felt right coming back here. Like this place had been waiting for him all along. Renjun had just never realized it.

Well, Renjun hoped that Jeno's room was still located where it had been when he had left him.

However, before he could take one step further, two very familiar figures appeared in front of him. Their steps were busy, always busy - just like he remembered them.

Renjun brazed himself. While had wished to get to talk to Jeno first, he knew that this conversation was just as unavoidable.

The chief opened his arms widely once he stepped around the corner and into Renjun’s view, his gentle eyes sparkling with kindness. "Renjun. You've returned."

Next to him, the chiefess was as expressionless as ever. Her eyes were scanning his body up and down, like she was not entirely sure what to make of him. If Renjun had to guess, she seemed puzzled, as if not really understanding why Renjun was here out of all the places he could've gone to first.

What usually would've made Renjun shy away, lower his head in modesty, was now making him gain strength. He was here because he belonged here.

For the first time, Renjun was brave enough to meet the chiefess' piercing eyes with confidence, not backing down when her gaze fixated on him with an intensity that would've made everybody else weak in the knees.

Jaehyun's words flashed through his mind. He had every right to be confident. He had accomplished more than what had been expected from him. He was here to claim his spot.

Only a single word left the chiefess' lips as their gazes clashed. "Why?"

Of course, she would question Renjun's return. Perhaps, it was a bit bold to show up here without any notice after he had broken off the courtship with her son and then offered himself as a peace guarantee to their number one enemy. But Renjun had come here with a purpose. The chiefess wouldn't stop him. Nobody would. Not any longer.

"Because-" his voice shook slightly, making Renjun swallow, waiting for his voice to gain back its full strength. "I was ready to die for this pack. I went to hell and back to save it. I've struggled my entire life and yet, here I'm standing despite all the hurdles I had to face on my way here. I might not have been raised like Jeno. I might not know everything about leadership and traditions. I might not be who you want to have here. But I am here. And I do know that I am enough."

The chiefess regarded him with no physical reaction, looking at him motionlessly. Renjun took a heavy breath in, not letting himself be deterred by her lack of reaction.

"I'm not perfect. Far from it. I made mistakes. Bad ones. I left and I gave up. But I love this pack. I love this pack because of its people. I would be a great chief to have," Renjun paused, before moving on to his next argument, suddenly wanting to get everything out of his system. "And I love your son. I do love him and I regret ever having to leave him. I want to make him happy and I don't understand why you wouldn't want that. You might not see it, perhaps you never will. But I am enough. I’m enough for this pack and I am enough for Jeno. I am ready. I want to do this and I want to do it with Jeno."

Caught up in his emotions a little from his heartfelt speech, Renjun was about to politely excuse himself so he could collect his thoughts before he'd actually talk to Jeno himself, since all of his plans sort of relied on Jeno even still wanting to be with him.

But he didn't get the time, because someone behind him raised his voice impossibly fondly, "Renjun?"

Jeno was standing near him and the sight stole Renjun's breath away. He was fighting burning tears gathering in his eyes as he took him in fully. Just looking at the alpha was making his heart wrench. He had missed him. Oh, how his heart had missed him.

His head was swept completely empty as Jeno approached him, despite Renjun having thought about what to say over and over again on his way here.

"Jeno-" his voice was hoarse all of a sudden, throat hurting with suppressed longing.

He didn't have to say more as Jeno brushed his parents aside, pushing them in the back as he surged ahead towards Renjun. Carefully, incredibly carefully Jeno pulled him into his arms. Renjun allowed a single tear to fall as he slung his arms around Jeno in return with the same tenderness. Hiding his face away in Jeno's chest, he let himself be engulfed by the warm scent of dark chocolate. Oh, how he had missed him.

Jeno was gently grazing Renjun's back, as if he was holding something painfully precious, something that he was so afraid to break but even more afraid to let go. Renjun clutched his fingers into Jeno's shirt, returning the sentiment.

While he didn’t have to say anything for Jeno to hold him, he needed to get a few things off his chest. Slowly, he detached himself from the prince, surprised when he saw that Jeno's eyes were also filled with unshed tears.

Renjun raised his hands, tenderly caressing Jeno's cheeks. "I'm sorry."

His first words were barely a whisper. He needed to do this properly, so he cleared his throat, hoping for his voice to gain back its volume.

"I'm sorry I hurt you. I really am. Back when... back when I left you... I should've talked to you. I shouldn't have left you like that. Being away from you was the most painful thing I ever did," Renjun's lips were trembling, new tears coming to the surface. "I just felt so lacking. I felt so lacking next to you, like I didn't belong here. Like I was undeserving. Like I wasn't enough. Not for you, not for this pack."

Silent tears were streaming over Renjun's fingers as Jeno listened to his words like they were the most important ones he had ever heard. Renjun really wanted to dry Jeno's tears, but his hands were frozen in place.

"But I've learnt a lot. I've grown a lot. And I realized that I am not. Maybe I never was. Lacking." Renjun took a shaking breath. "Now I know that I belong here. I belong with you. So, if you’ll still have me, I'd... I'd really like that. Because I really want to be yours.”

This time, Jeno's hug was a lot fiercer, tightly pressing Renjun's body against his own, burying his nose in Renjun's neck and closing his eyes as he inhaled his scent. He was Jeno's anchor, who was holding onto him like they were out in the stormy sea, desperately clutching his arms around Renjun's waist desperately like a fallen soldier gasping for their last breath of air.

Neither of them were aware of the small audience that had gathered around them, watching their reunion with a vast variety of expressions - happiness being the dominating once.

"You can never leave me again," Jeno breathed into Renjun's ear, still drowning in the omega's presence that he hadn't even dared to dream of feeling again.

"I won't," Renjun promised, this time really knowing that it was the truth. "I love you."

Jeno's hold around him tightened a bit further, the unspoken reply to Renjun's confession.

A smile of pure joy crept onto Renjun's lips.

Everything might not be perfect right now. But figuring it all out with Jeno together... yeah, he had no reason to not be confident in their future.

A sudden rumble through Jeno’s chest made Renjun raise his head again. To his surprise Jeno was no longer only crying. He was laughing through his tears. 

“It’s kind of funny,” Jeno told him, letting his hands rest around Renjun’s waist. “That you are apologizing. When I feel like I have to be the one to say sorry.”

“Why would you have to say sorry?” Renjun questioned, confused. “You have never hurt me.”

“Because it’s all my fault,” Jeno explained, guilt evident in his voice. “Loving you. It was what dragged you into this mess.”

Renjun raised his eyebrows. “Are you saying you regret loving me?”

“I haven’t regretted it a single day,” Jeno immediately denied with a smile worthy of a thousand suns. “I don’t deserve you.”

“I know,” Renjun smirked, amused by Jeno’s surprised expression. “Nobody does,” he added cheekily, making Jeno chuckle as he pulled him just that tiny bit closer that it made Renjun's heart race in fondness. 

He was back where he belonged.

 

Well, almost.

“Jeno,” Renjun raised his head to look up at him. “I need to go to the village. Like, right now.”

Not a single question asked, Jeno nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

He grabbed Renjun’s hand, clasping their finger together determinedly as he pulled Renjun towards the gate.

“Jeno!” Someone called after them, and Renjun was about to stop, but Jeno didn’t even bother. 

“They can all wait for later,” Jeno told him, using all his strength to push the heavy gate open, a few guards quickly stepping to his side to help him. He turned back around, holding his hand out for Renjun. “Let’s go.”

A big smile crept on Renjun’s face as he took Jeno’s hand, skipping down the staircase with big steps, the alpha barely able to keep up with his pace. 

Laughing freely like he hadn’t done in ages, Renjun started running into the woods. He couldn’t wait to see everyone again!

The dark oak trees were just rushing past him, the fallen leaves rustling loudly underneath his feet as he kept chasing and chasing, not really knowing why exactly he was running in the first place.

 

Only after he had fully used up all of his sudden adrenaline rush of coming back, facing the chiefess and seeing Jeno again, did Renjun slow down. Breathing heavily, he let his head fall against Jeno’s shoulder, who had dutifully followed his tempo. 

Now that everything was out of his system, the realization that Jeno and him were completely alone dawned upon him. The last time that had happened was when Jeno and him had spoken on the balcony, only seconds prior to the Noctis invasion.

A lot had happened since then, despite not much time passing. There was so much they had to catch up on. 

“I’m really sorry for leaving,” Renjun repeated again, head slowly catching up with his thoughts and remembering all the things he had actually wanted to say, preparing his words carefully on his way here. “But then again, maybe I’m not sorry after all. Because everything I did, I did to save the pack.”

Jeno hummed deeply, resting his cheek against Renjun’s hair. “Yeah, don’t be sorry. You did what nobody else could. Don’t ever apologize for that.”

“But I hurt you,” Renjun said earnestly and full of regret. “I never wanted to do that.”

“I know,” Jeno smiled, thumb caressing over the back of Renjun’s hand. “People who love each other never want to hurt each other. But sometimes they just do.”

Renjun’s heart skipped a beat as he turned his head to the side, looking up at Jeno again. People who love each other. That sounded… right.

“I also hurt you,” Jeno continued, meeting Renjun’s gaze. “I should’ve… should’ve done so much. Should’ve stopped you, should’ve gone after you. But I… I couldn’t, I just-”

Jeno’s voice broke, the memory of Renjun leaving him being enough to bring him to tears again. Renjun stopped in his step, standing right in front of Jeno. 

“That’s right, you couldn’t,” Renjun soothed him, brushing over Jeno’s face and tugging back a strand of hair. “I didn’t let you. In fact, I made it impossible for you. It wasn’t your fault.”

“It still felt wrong. Like… like I was being burned alive. Not knowing where you were, how you were. It was torture,” Jeno sniffled and Renjun was quick to wipe the tears rolling down his cheeks.

“But now I’m here,” he whispered fondly. “Now I’m here and I’m yours. And I’ll always be yours.”

Jeno smiled as he nodded, more than happy at the prospect of that. Renjun mirrored his smile, not being able to contain the urge and pressing a swift peck on Jeno’s lips. 

Both of their hearts pounded with excitement at the feeling, once again beating in harmony. Winter might freeze old grounds, but some flowers still managed to blossom, despite the entire world trying to keep its seed from sprouting. And most often these flowers become the prettiest, sturdiest of them all - because they bloomed despite all the burdens and hardships. 

 “Can I just ask you something?” Jeno suddenly inquired, snapping them out of their little moment. “How are you so strong?”

A surprised laugh left Renjun. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you went through so much. I can’t even imagine. But you’re still here and you’re still laughing,” Jeno explained his question, voice vibrating with awe. “I find it really amazing. I find you really amazing.”

Sighing deeply, Renjun let his hands wander from Jeno’s face to his hands.

“I’m not going to lie to you or hide anything from you. Not anymore. As we’ve seen, that hasn’t worked out,” Renjun said, holding eye contact with Jeno to show just how serious he was. “It was pretty scary. I was scared. A lot. I kept thinking that I would never see my loved ones again. But maybe… maybe that’s what gave me so much strength. Because that’s why I left. I wanted to save everyone and knowing that what I did gained all of you a free life- Yes, I think that’s what kept me going through it all.”

“I’m so incredibly proud of you,” Jeno replied, squeezing Renjun’s hands. “And yes, please don’t hide anything from me. When you’re scared or hurt or sad. Or just… simply overwhelmed because I know things can easily get too much in the castle. Tell me. Tell me and I’ll always listen.”

Renjun smiled, trying to hold back his tears. He had cried enough. Now it was time to be happy.

“Back when you first left me, I was devastated. I felt like the world was ending. Or like it didn’t make sense anymore,” Jeno also shared his emotions. “So please, don’t leave me again. I’m not as strong as you are. I’m not sure I can take it.”

Shyly ducking his head at the heartfelt expression, Renjun couldn’t help the tears rolling down his cheeks. But these were happy tears. They felt good. Earned.

“I promise, I won’t,” Renjun said with a sincere smile. “Let’s learn from our mistakes. And let’s concentrate on what we have now instead of dwelling on the past.”

Matching the smile on Renjun’s face, Jeno’s joy was visible even to a blind person as he agreed, “I’d really like that.”

“But Jeno,” Renjun said as he tugged Jeno around to continue their trip to the village. “I meant it when I said I’m not leaving again. But I need things to be different this time.”

Attentively listening, Jeno nodded his head. “What do you want to change?”

“I want to learn everything, but I want to learn it by your side. I don’t want to be locked away in a room, trying to catch up with a life that I was not born into, that I will never fit into. I want to be involved in all the decisions and I want to contribute to the progress. I want to bring the change these people deserve,” Renjun answered passionately, having thought about his future in the castle a lot since he started his journey back from the Noctis pack. “Also, I don’t want to learn Latin.”

An amused chuckle left Jeno at the last condition. “Whatever you want,” he agreed, never being able to deny Renjun any of his wishes. “I’d like to keep you close anyway.”

A satisfied smile spread across Renjun’s face. Everything could’ve been so easy if he’d known that he’d just have to ask for things to be heard. However, maybe it wasn’t too bad that he learned the hard way how important it was to be confident. In the end, it had brought him where he was now - and where he was now was all he ever wanted.

 

While there was probably a lot more to talk about, once Renjun spotted the first huts in between the trees, he couldn’t hold himself back. There would be other times to catch up with Jeno about everything that had happened - a lot of other times, he hoped - and for now, he was content with the mutual feelings between them.

Starting to run again, he dragged Jeno forward mercilessly. Knowing exactly where Renjun was heading, Jeno didn’t take long to take the lead, steering them into the right direction. 

 

Renjun had seen and come home to the orphanage hundreds of times, but the sight of it still made him tear up, overcome with emotions. He hadn’t thought he’d get to see this place ever again.

Nothing about the hut itself had changed. Except for the apple tree in front of it, that was now clad in a vibrant arrangement of colorful cloths.

“Donghyuck’s doing,” Jeno filled him in when he noticed Renjun’s puzzled gaze. “It was to remember you and everything you stand for. The kids loved it.”

“Oh, I can imagine,” Renjun laughed, stroking over the rough bark covered with all different kinds of fabric, making out the delicate texture of what probably used to be Jeno’s shirt right away. “So, this is what you’ve been doing while I was gone.”

“Well, Jaemin and I spent most of our time here anyway. Rebuilding what has been damaged from the invasion,” Jeno told him, holding the door open for Renjun.

Before Renjun could step inside, a loud rustle made both Jeno and him startle.

Behind him someone had just dropped what seemed to be wood for an entire hut.

In the next second, Renjun was swept off his feet and entangled in a mess of limbs.

“It’s really you,” Jaemin breathed out as he pulled away, holding Renjun by his shoulders and shaking him in disbelief. “You’re back!”

“Hey,” Renjun greeted him with a calm smile. 

Jaemin’s brain seemed to malfunction for a short second as he continued shaking Renjun. 

“How, I mean, how- err… how are you?” He seemed to pull himself together a little bit, but Renjun couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m fine,” he replied, carefully removing Jaemin’s hands from his shoulders. While he was more than happy to see Jaemin again, he did not need to be thrown around this heavily. 

“H-how… how was the Noctis pack? I mean, when- I- I’m sorry,” Jaemin spluttered, pulling Renjun into another hug. “Goodness, this can’t be real.”

“It is,” Renjun muttered against Jaemin’s shoulders. “And this time I’ll stay.”

Lifting him off the ground and swirling him around, Renjun couldn’t help the giggles slipping off his tongue.

“Huang Renjun,” were the only two words Jaemin said as he let him down, his expression beyond touched.

“Na Jaemin,” Renjun retorted playfully, the vivid twinkle in Jaemin’s eyes filling him with tremendous joy. This year had been full of impulsive decisions and snap judgments for Renjun, never enough time to fully make up his mind for what was next to come – but deciding that Jaemin was his friend might’ve just been his wisest one yet. Despite only knowing each other for that year, Renjun couldn’t imagine his life without Jaemin anymore.

Some friendships would last you a lifetime and Renjun was more than sure that Jaemin was one of those friends for him. One of those friends that you only wished the best for, that you wanted to see happy no matter the cost.

Looking at Jaemin’s starstruck face, Renjun knew that the feelings were mutual. That reminded him -

“The Noctis pack was better than I expected,” he replied to Jaemin’s earlier question, slowly taking a step back out of Jaemin’s hold. “I think I’ve met someone you’d really like.”

Blinking a bit dumbfounded at the hidden implications of Renjun’s words, Jaemin did not get the opportunity to ask about that statement, because just then a dramatic gasp made both of them turn around.

“Renjun?”

Of course, Renjun thought quietly to himself as a big grin spread on his face. If anyone were to find out about his return, it was Yangyang.

Waving shyly at his old friend, Renjun didn’t even try to suppress his giddiness upon seeing Yangyang. Luckily, Yangyang was also not the type of person that practiced a lot of self-restrain.

Tackling him in a bone-crushing hug, Renjun felt how the air was pushed out of his lungs. As always, Yangyang started babbling, rushed words mingling into incomprehensible noise as he kept speaking faster and faster. Never before had Renjun loved hearing Yangyang’s gossip this much.

“Slow down,” he laughed when Yangyang’s frantic rambling didn’t seem to stop on its own after a few more seconds.

“You moron, you can’t tell me anything,” Yangyang pouted at him in defiance. Despite his usual bright and cheerful demeanor, Renjun could hear how sincere Yangyang’s feelings behind these words and how much he had missed him. “Also, you better tell me everything!”

“I will,” he said, petting Yangyang’s back soothingly. “You’re the only one I trust to spread the story correctly.”

As if taking special pride in that, Yangyang started nodding vehemently. “You bet I will.”

Smiling gratefully, Renjun pulled out of Yangyang’s hug as well.

“But first, can I ask you for a small favor?”

“Oh, Huang Renjun, you’ve missed so much since you’ve been gone,” Yangyang shook his head in disbelief. “You can ask all the favors you want to. Nobody would dare to deny you.”

“Well, I have just this one,” Renjun replied, although flattered and… surprised by Yangyang’s words. “Could you tell me where Sicheng is? I really need to see him.”

“Sicheng, of course!” Yangyang exclaimed as if suddenly enlightened. “We gotta tell him you’re back!” Scratching his head, lost in his thoughts for a moment, he hummed. “Usually, he is out in the fields this time of the day. But he’s been taking a lot of long walks lately…”

“I’ll look for him,” Jeno immediately offered. “I’ll find him and bring him to the orphanage, okay?”

Renjun almost laughed out loud, the moment reminding him of the past way too much. Things might’ve changed…but Jeno was still that same person Renjun had first fallen in love with.

“Why don’t you three look for him?” Renjun suggested, addressing Jaemin and Yangyang as well. “That’ll be faster.”

“What about you?” Yangyang questioned right away.

Renjun smiled calmly. “I sort of have promised someone to return. I’ll meet you back in the orphanage later.”

Perhaps, there was more truth to Yangyang’s words than Renjun had expected, knowing his friend to exaggerate quite often - but there were no more questions asked as everybody did as told and scrambled away to find Sicheng.

Maybe Renjun could get used to that. In the future.

Now, he had a promise to keep.

 

The universe was on his side today, because when Renjun made his way to Mark’s little hut, nobody seemed to have noticed him just yet.

Knowing all the sneaky paths from growing up in between these very buildings, Renjun managed to arrive at his destination unseen. Now, all that was left was for Donghyuck to be inside and not on a spontaneous hunting spree.

Raising his fist and knocking carefully, Renjun was relieved to hear rumbling inside.

“Come in,” he heard a muffled voice shout.

Yeah, the universe was really trying to get on his good side today, Renjun figured when he recognized Donghyuck’s distinct vocal color.

“Mark?” Donghyuck asked, back turned to the door as he was juggling with a variety of cups in the small kitchen area.

“Not Mark,” Renjun told him as he let the door fall shut behind him.

Unlike Jaemin earlier, Donghyuck had enough foresight to put the fragile cutlery down before he could drop it in shock.

Mouth falling open, Donghyuck gaped for a few seconds.

“I promised I’d come back,” Renjun laughed, not really knowing how to react to all his friends acting so shocked upon seeing him again.

“Yes! Yes you did,” Donghyuck exhaled relieved, finally breaking the ice as he hurried over to his friend. For a second, Renjun wasn’t sure if Donghyuck was practicing yet another hunting technique on him or if his hug was just very heartfelt – but then Donghyuck nuzzled his nose into his neck, leaving a small trace of his scent on him.

Renjun returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around Donghyuck’s waist, squeezing him in comfort.

Only after taking another deep breath in did Donghyuck pry away from him.

“When did you arrive? Did you talk to anyone yet? Jeno? Sicheng? Everybody has to know you’re back!” Donghyuck started babbling in excitement, much like Yangyang had.

“Yes, don’t worry,” Renjun tried to calm him down with a warm smile. “I’ve spoken to Jeno. He’s looking for Sicheng right now,” he elaborated. “Also, I ran into Yangyang, so I think we can assume that it won’t take long for people to know I’m back.”

Snorting in amusement, Donghyuck rolled his eyes fondly. “And here I thought you’d come see me first.”

“Sorry,” Renjun smiled, knowing very well Donghyuck wasn’t mad at him in the slightest. “Where’s Mark? I thought I’d find you here together. Jaehyun wanted me to deliver his thanks.”

“Jaehyun’s alright?” Donghyuck asked astounded. “He survived?”

A sense of accomplishment filled Renjun as he nodded. Yes, Jaehyun lived. Not only that, he lived because of Renjun, promising a bright future for the Noctis pack.

“So? Mark?”

“Right,” Donghyuck said, moving over to the fireplace where a small kettle was hanging above the flames, already steaming. “He wanted to go chop some firewood. Tea?”

“Hmm,” Renjun hummed in agreement, watching with a happy glint in his eyes as Donghyuck worked his way around the small hut. Like he knew this place like the back of his head. “You already seem right at home here,” he mentioned out loud.

Donghyuck threw him a shy glance over his shoulder, before focusing back on brewing their tea.

“It… er… it feels like home, too,” he mumbled quietly.

Laughter filled the room as Renjun couldn’t help but find his friend awfully endearing. Huffing, Donghyuck gave him the cold shoulder, even though the tips of his ears were still bright red.

“Anyways,” he cleared his throat, sitting down in front of the fireplace with both their cups, motioning for Renjun to join him. “You talked to Jeno?”

“Yes,” Renjun agreed as he sat down and took his tea, pure, thrilling, heart fluttering happiness filling him only at the thought of Jeno.

Donghyuck raised his eyebrows expectantly. “And?”

Teasingly taking a long sip, Renjun watched as his friend threatened to explode with curiosity. “Well, obviously we still have a lot to talk about. I’ve just come back,” Renjun finally disclosed. “But… I don’t know, I feel like we are on the same page? Like… we want the same things. We want to be together. And this time, I’m gonna make sure we’ll work out.”

Squealing with joy, Donghyuck almost spilled his own tea. “That sounds good,” he nudged Renjun in his side. “Honestly, I… I always believed you two were meant to be. I think...,” Donghyuck’s voice was a lot more cautious as he continued. “Well, it was quite the shock when you first returned to the village from the castle. And… and back then you were so-“

“Cold?” Renjun finished for Donghyuck, who nodded a bit guiltily.”Yes, I wasn’t in a good place back then. I was… I was feeling a lot of things, thinking a lot of harmful things about myself that I now realize weren’t true. But life at the castle wasn’t easy and… I hurt a lot of people. And I hurt myself. And I’m sorry.”

“Oh,” Donghyuck cooed, immediately pulling Renjun back in his arms. “I know it must be hard. But please just… just know that you’ll always have my support. You remember what Mark said back in the Noctis pack? That a lot of people look up to you? It’s true.” The sincerity in Donghyuck’s voice was truly heartfelt as he rubbed over Renjun’s shoulders. “You are what gave this pack hope in the darkest of times. It showed… it showed that people will follow you everywhere. Because wherever you will go, hope will follow.”

Taking Donghyuck’s hand away from his shoulder to squeeze it, Renjun gave his friend an affectionate smile.

“Thanks,” he whispered. “Not just for that. But for everything. Fighting all your life. Being my friend. Following me. Just… thanks.”

There was so much gratefulness inside of Renjun, so many words in his head, so many feelings in his heart that he didn’t know how to express. But Donghyuck still understood. Understood so simply as he gave him one of his adoring smiles, the fire behind his eyes burning bright, hopefully to never vanish.

The door busted open without a warning and Mark half fell, half walked inside, arms stacked with blocks of wood.

That was probably his sign to leave, Renjun thought as he downed his last sip of tea and stood back up.

“Renjun?” Mark greeted him baffled once he saw him.

“Yeah, I’m back,” the omega replied with a swift smile. “Jaehyun says thank you. I’m sure Donghyuck will fill you in on the rest,” he said before Mark could even say much.

“You’re going already?” Donghyuck asked, following him to the door that Mark had left open.

“Sorry, but Sicheng,” Renjun said and Donghyuck immediately nodded in understanding.

“Yes, you better leave,” he agreed, a content smile on his lips. “Besides, I now know you’ll always return to me in the end.”

Chuckling, Renjun boxed him in his side. “Only if I promise it,” he countered playfully, before smoothly slipping out the door.

Both of them knew that Renjun would eventually return. Maybe not today or tomorrow. But no matter how much time they spent apart, they’d always find a way back to each other. Had so all their life. Why should that ever change?

 

When Renjun finally found himself back at the orphanage, the sun was already setting, turning the once grey sky a fiery red. Jeno was dutifully waiting in front of the place Renjun had called home most his life creating a perfect picture.

Uncertainly, Renjun approached him. “Did you find Sicheng?”

“He’s waiting inside,” Jeno told him, wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling Renjun close, like having been separated from him for just this little time had already caused him severe discomfort. “You wanna spent the night here? Talk it all out with him?”

It was as if Jeno had been reading his thoughts and was now speaking them out loud.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Jeno said with a fond smile. “But please come find me in the morning, okay? You still know where my old hut is, right? I think I’ll stay in there for tonight.”

“How could I forget?” Renjun replied cheekily, having spent way too many nights in that very hut. Eyes interlocking they reveled in the moment again, both still finding it unreal that they once again were holding each other in their arms.

Raising to his toes, Renjun stole another kiss from Jeno’s lips.

“I love you,” he breathed into it, before ducking his head away shyly. His heart had never felt as light as now, finally free to say these words to the one it loved the most.

“Maybe don’t wait for the morning to find me,” Jeno answered, leaning down to peck Renjun once more.

Giggling Renjun pulled away. “Maybe I won’t.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t.”

Goodness, if Jeno continued to smile at him like that, Renjun might just explode with happiness.

Swallowing all this incredible, impossibly big tenderness his heart held for Jeno, he stepped away.

“I’ll better go talk to Sicheng,” he said, body still tingling as if sparkles were dancing all around them, lighting up the night sky like twinkling little stars.

“I love you,” Jeno smiled until his eyes almost disappeared and Renjun had to bite down on his lips to stop himself from breaking out into laughter, his entire body fluttering – he would fly away any moment now.

It took them a few more seconds to finally let go of each other, ripping their gazes apart only to steal glances again, neither of them keen on leaving each other out of sight for longer than a few breaths.

Only when Renjun managed to open the door and forcibly cut Jeno out of his vision when he closed it behind him, was he able to form any Jeno unrelated thoughts again. Oh, could love be sweet.

 

“Didn’t I tell you to warn me next time you sent a prince looking for me?”

 “Sicheng!”

Now, Sicheng’s hug was different. It was home, warm, comfort. It was all the things Renjun had never dared to dream of experiencing again. For the first time today Renjun truly felt like had had returned, drowning the fresh scent of lemons that had guided him into safety all his childhood and that was more home than anything else would probably ever would be.

They looked at each other for a seconds before falling back into each other’s arms. Renjun’s little heart was bursting with happiness when Sicheng loosened his hold around him, cradling his face in his soft hands.

“Listen, I know we are not related by blood or anything, but I am your big brother. And as your older brother I forbid you from ever doing something like that again,” Sicheng started lecturing him and this time Renjun really couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I’m being serious! You are forbidden! You can’t ever, ever, ever do that again! I’ll make you do a blood pact with me, I’m dead serious!”

“Alright, alright, I promise I’ll never offer myself again as a sacrifice to the Noctis pack,” Renjun gave in with a cheeky glint in his eyes.

However, that seemed to satisfy Sicheng for the time being, as he pulled him into another hug.

“I missed you. I terribly missed you,” Sicheng whispered, before pulling away again to look into Renjun’s eyes with purpose. “But I also couldn’t be prouder to call you my little brother.”

“I missed you, too,” Renjun admitted, not being able to hide his emotions any longer. “I’m really sorry for making you worry so much. I never wanted to worry you.”

Sicheng sighed fondly as he ruffled through Renjun’s hair. “I’ll always worry about you. Just like you always worry about me, right? That’s what families do.”

Against his will, tears blurred Renjun’s vision. Hadn’t he cried enough today? But how couldn’t he cry when Sicheng pulled out his silver necklace from underneath his shirt, perfectly matching the one that Renjun was wearing, symbolizing their livelong bond to one another.

“Yes, that’s what families do,” Renjun sniffled, not believing how lucky he was to have found so many amazing people in his short life.

Because how could one person be allowed to feel so much happiness?

But then, maybe that was the universe’s way of making it up to him. After all, he had suffered more than enough pain.

It was only fair that he’d get a happy ending in return.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading!!
Only one more chapter to go, waaah, how time is running :D

I really hope that this at least wasn't too disappointing of a conclusion and Noren reunion. Haha, finally Jeno is back!! And even though it's not perfect, I really tried my best here :)

Of course there is still one more chapter left, so I hope to see you next week <3
Everybody stay safe and healthy :3

Chapter 46: Just keep looking to the stars

Notes:

Waaah, last one, it's been an incredible journey, thank you all for taking it with me - enjoy <3

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

White snow was sparkling outside the window. It was the last day of the year and they had been blessed with freezing temperatures, turning the landscape into an icy beauty.

Usually, they didn't get much snow this early in the winter, but this year, it had been cold enough for the snow to last a few days.

Two kids were returning to the orphanage, carrying Renjun's huge mudboard with them. Renjun recognized Ningning, who smiled at Renjun, quickly putting the mudboard back in its place before running back outside, eyes filled with the kind of wonder only children had.

It was already dusk. The mating ceremony would begin soon.

Nervously, Renjun fiddled with the seams of his gown. He had spent the past few weeks at the castle sewing it. Long, wide sleeves covered his arms, hopefully being able to shield him from the cold wind later. It had a long trail in the back, but it was light and flowy, like a river following him. After slight consideration when he had started his crafting, Renjun had opted for a dark red color, wanting to signal just who he was getting mated to.

 

The last weeks with Jeno had been nothing short of wonderful. Wonderful, but also filled with hard work. 

When Renjun had first moved back into the castle, ready to learn and grow to fully reach his potential in the future, he had been a little nervous. While he had made up his mind about where he wanted to go, he still knew that there were certain traditions in place that could prevent all his plans. He also knew that he was the outsider, the only one not brought up with these traditions engrained into his very being - which Renjun now realized was a good thing, letting him bring a whole new perspective into place. It still had made him worry, because he alone would hardly impact any old rules that were due to be changed. 

However, as it turned out, he didn’t need to be worried. Jeno had been by his side through it all, establishing him as a person whose opinion counted, whose thoughts should be listened to. 

Together, they were slowly growing into the leaders they would become and it made Renjun feel the best he ever felt. He couldn’t wait for their time to come. 

And they would take the first step today.

Despite their time of distance, they had never been closer. At first, they had thought about waiting another year before getting mated for things to settle and since they had a lot to catch up on.

But soon, they had realized that they didn't want to wait any longer. They had already waited for too long. Now they wanted to be together - neither of them doubting their choice of having found the right person.

Renjun picked at the jewelry that he was wearing around his neck - the simple metal chain that Jeno had made for him and Sicheng all these months ago because Renjun had asked him to. The ruby pendant was attached again, sparkling brightly even in the dim light.

As he found himself alone in the orphanage, all the children having left already, Renjun almost regretted sending Sicheng away to Yuta's hut. His older brother had offered that they could get ready together, but Renjun had seen right through him, knowing that Sicheng would much rather spend the last few hours before the ceremony with Yuta. Many couples did that nowadays, celebrating a little before they'd head off to the forest clearing together.

Jeno had requested a more traditional approach. Once the stars had risen, he would come pick him up from the orphanage. At first Renjun had found it a little silly, but in the end, he couldn't deny Jeno's wishes, falling victim to the charm of his large, brown eyes. So, he had packed his things in the castle and moved down to the orphanage for one last night so Jeno could really pick him up from somewhere - and didn't only have to walk across the hallway to his room.

Usually, it was a marital tradition, not getting to see each other before the big event. But Jeno had cheekily commented that they'd get some practice this way. Their real royal wedding would be held in summer, officially making Renjun part of the royal family and giving him a legitimate claim to become the next chief at Jeno's side once his parents wanted to retire.

Jaehyun had already sent a letter, suggesting that the occasion would be the perfect opportunity for a visit, to strengthen their still fresh relationship and deepen the peace they had brought upon their packs.

Of course, not many knew the real story of what had happened - the truth that the Solaris pack had been told was that Renjun had helped free the Noctis pack of a cruel king, preventing a war and enforcing the leadership of a king that shared their values. The truth was a complicated thing anyway - and as long as there was no harm done, Renjun would lie about what had truly happened with no regrets, knowing that his silence was what kept Jaehyun alive and the old Noctis king exiled.

Things were looking up for the Noctis pack as well, at least according to Jaehyun's words. People seemed less anxious. Renjun truly hoped they would find peace among themselves soon.

 

Wind rattled outside and the door to the orphanage opened. Expecting it to be some more children, Renjun didn't even turn around, instead critically checking his appearance in the mirror.

"Surprise!"

The cheerful voice made Renjun snap his head around promptly.

Yangyang and Donghyuck were grinning at him, both equally as dressed up as he was - Donghyuck in a bright yellow and Yangyang in a muted violet. Their gowns were old, and full of life and stories, inherited over generations. Omegas usually wore their family’s dresses to the ceremony that were passed down from omega to omega. Only Renjun, having no remnants from his parents, had had the pleasure to sew his own gown for this occasion.

At the sight of his friends, Renjun's face lit up, "What are you doing here?"

"Surprising you, duh," Yangyang rolled his eyes as if it was obvious. "We've heard that you were back in the orphanage for tonight."

In hindsight, Renjun should've expected that. While he had tried to keep it secret that he was shortly staying in the village - ever since he had returned from the Noctis pack people were very eager to greet and meet him, which was at times simply overwhelming - he should've known that Yangyang would find out about this probably within minutes after his arrival.

"Sorry, I would've told you, but I thought you were also busy with preparations," Renjun apologized, feeling a bit guilty for his secrecy around his best friends. "And people are really nosy."

Donghyuck sighed dramatically. "And here I remember your promise to never forget about your roots. The betrayal!"

Renjun snorted, shoving the younger omega in his side. After everything they had been through, accusing him of betrayal was simply ridiculous. Although Mark's and Donghyuck's role in taking down the Noctis king had been concealed from the public, not wanting anyone to suspect that there had been a secret conspiracy in the background, the trust that had built through the risky plan between them had only made their friendship become stronger.

"Hey, at least we are not forgetting about our promises," Donghyuck pouted, rubbing the side that Renjun had pushed against.

Confused, Renjun tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Cake!" Yangyang yelled impatiently, revealing a big, fluffy cake that he had been hiding behind his back the entire time.

Disbelieving laughter erupted through Renjun. "You guys are amazing."

"We know," Donghyuck said with a smug smile, pulling out three forks as Yangyang put down the cake.

They huddled close together, carefully covering their gowns with fur before diving into the cake like they had been starved for days.

"Man, I thought I was nervous, but maybe I was just hungry," Yangyang munched with a full mouth.

"You are nervous?" Renjun asked, voice tilting teasingly. "Didn't know you felt that emotion."

"Oh, shut up. We're getting mated tonight. Of course, I'm a bit nervous," Yangyang defended himself. "Aren't you?"

Renjun thought for a little, hearing into himself. Listening to his pounding heart, he shook his head. "No. Maybe more excited?"

"To spend the night with Jeno?" Donghyuck wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, gaining him another punch from Renjun. Yangyang giggled amused, making small pieces of cake spew around them.

"Don't listen to him, Renjun, I had to forcibly remove him from Mark earlier to bake a cake and drag him here! The two of them were already starting their own private mating ceremony- ouch!"

Donghyuck had shoved a large piece of cake in Yangyang's mouth, his fork harshly clinking against Yangyang's teeth as he did so.

His face was fuming red as he retorted, "As if you and Hendery aren't even more touchy."

"At least I'm not denying it," Yangyang managed to say while trying to chew the enormous bite Donghyuck had fed him.

Renjun could only laugh, his heart feeling incredibly light. This year had been a lot. Meeting and falling in love with Jeno. Graduating and being fully accepted as an adult. Moving to the castle. A lot of change - and unknown things were always scary. However, looking at his friends, Renjun was more than glad that at least some things in life would always be the same.

 

Their playful banter was interrupted by a harsh knock on the door.

Surprised, Renjun looked out the window - but the moon hadn't risen yet. It couldn't be Jeno. And the orphanage kids wouldn't knock.

Slowly, he rose to his feet, walking over to open the door.

The breath was knocked out of his lungs when the sudden visitor was revealed. Right in front of him, the chiefess was standing wrapped in a fur coat, dark hair covered with a few stray snowflakes.

At his stunned silence, both Yangyang and Donghyuck had strained their necks to see who had interrupted their little tea party, both turning equally quiet when they saw their chiefess.

"May I come inside?" The chiefess asked and Renjun stepped aside soundlessly, letting her in.

Awkwardly Donghyuck cleared his throat. "Uhm, we were just about to head out. Right, Yangyang?"

Yangyang didn't look very keen on leaving right now, obviously more than interested in why the chiefess showed up in this place. Mercilessly, Donghyuck dragged him outside, throwing the door shut behind them.

Not really knowing what to do, Renjun started playing with his hair, scratching behind his ears and neck. Being alone with the chiefess was still making him uncomfortable. After his little speech, they had hardly talked to each other. The chiefess had treated him with overall politeness, but never tried to get closer to Renjun than was necessary. Jeno had said that his mother was very stubborn and would probably need some time to adjust to everything. Renjun had trusted his words, although he was always at a loss at what to do when confronted with her. He didn't want their relationship to be this cold since, after all, she was Jeno's mother and he held great respect for her despite everything, but he also didn't want to cross any boundaries she was setting between them.

"Erm, we were just getting ready," Renjun explained helplessly. He gestured to the half-eaten cake. "Do you... want a piece?"

"No, thanks," the chiefess declined, making Renjun's stomach twist. This did not seem to be a pleasant visit.

"Can I help you with anything?" Renjun asked, still unsure why exactly the chiefess was in the orphanage.

Her reply took him by surprise. "I wanted to apologize."

Renjun blinked a few times, not sure if he had heard right. Apologize?

"I know that I have treated you unfairly in the past," the chiefess continued, unconcerned by Renjun's apparent confusion. "I'm sorry for that. To my defense, I am the chiefess of this pack and Jeno's mother. Perhaps, I got a bit protective."

"Uhm... it's alright," Renjun mumbled in return. He hadn't expected an apology. This was new.

"You and Jeno are a great team. And I know you want to initiate a lot of change going forward," the chiefess elaborated. "But I didn't grow up like this. After the war... all we could think about was keeping things steady. No risks, no changes - traditions were what people found comfort in. When I became chiefess, this pack was broken and scared and we couldn't think about anything else but to get things back to normal. I've learnt the hard way what it takes to be a leader. It took me years of training to get where I am. Forgive me that I couldn't see right away that you, Renjun, didn't need that kind of training. Because you were born to lead.” She took a deep breath, almost like she was reminiscing.

Now, Renjun was no longer someone who would let himself be pushed to the ground. But by no means was he someone who couldn’t forgive. Especially not if someone was trying this hard when they didn’t have to. Besides, Renjun understood where the chiefess was coming from. While he hadn’t been in her place personally, he could relate to the pressure of wanting to do the right thing that being a leader puts on your shoulders.

The chiefess sighed, before turning her head to look at Renjun with intent. “But times have changed. Thank goodness, they have changed. And we need people like you. People like you, who will continue to make changes - good changes! Changes that this pack needs. So, I couldn't wish for a better person to someday, take my place."

Flustered, Renjun felt his face flush red. All these compliments coming from the chiefess... he wasn't used to it. At a loss for words, he could only open and close his mouth a few times, no sound coming out. Luckily, the chiefess kept talking.

"I wanted to give you this," she said, getting out a velvety purple sac. It looked like the ones Jeno had given him his courting gifts in. She opened it and a neat silver ring fell into her palm. "I don't know what Jeno and you have figured out concerning the mating rings. I assume you don't have one from your parents. But, if you wanted to, you could have this one."

Rendered speechless, Renjun accepted the ring, letting it rest in his hands to inspect it closely, the metal cool against his warm skin. Usually, the mating ceremony consisted of a ring exchange. Jeno and Renjun had agreed that for the time being, only Jeno would give Renjun a ring, since he had no ring, he could gift Jeno in return and there was not enough time left to make a new one of equal quality and meaning. Perhaps, he could give Jeno a ring at their wedding instead.

"It is usually passed down from omega to omega in my family. But since Doyoung married into the Lunaris pack, where they don't exchange rings, I still own it," the chiefess explained to him. "I'd be very happy if you have it. To give it to Jeno tonight."

Renjun nodded silently, before realizing that he should probably really say something by now. "Thank you. That's very nice of you." After a short pause, he added, "You really didn't have to apologize."

"I did," the chiefess smiled. Renjun didn't remember ever seeing her smile before. At least not this genuinely, her piercing eyes becoming warm and gentle all of a sudden. For the first time, Renjun could see the resemblance to Jeno in her. "I really hope you and Jeno will be happy together. You both deserve it."

Renjun returned her smile. Despite his previous worries, he was glad the chiefess had come to see him. Now, his heart was even more than light, thinking of mating Jeno with the full approval of his family.

"I'll better get going then. The ceremony is starting soon," the chiefess said and Renjun quickly hurried to open the door for her. "See you later."

 

Renjun barely had the time to truly process everything the chiefess had said to him, when the next person knocked on the orphanage door. This time, it could only be Jeno.

After one last glance into the mirror, pulling his gown straight and brushing through his hair, Renjun swung the door open with a giddy smile.

For a second, they were both silent, drowning in the sight of one another, the smiles on their faces competing to be the brighter one.

"Hey," Jeno said breathlessly. "You look beautiful."

A flattered blush spread on Renjun's cheeks. "Thanks. So do you."

Hearts beating fondly, they revealed in this moment.

"Are you ready?" Jeno asked, holding out his arm for Renjun. "I think my father is already at the clearing, waiting for everybody to gather."

"Then we better hurry," Renjun replied, grabbing Jeno's arm and stepping out of the orphanage.

Leaving soft footprints in the snow, they made their way into the forest, the night providing them with enough cover for the people rushing around them to not recognize them.

"I'm really happy," Jeno broke the silence between them once again. "I don't think people are allowed to be this happy."

Renjun laughed softly, knowing the feeling all too well. "Me too. I'm really sorry for making you wait so long. We could've been this happy a lot sooner."

"It's alright," Jeno shook his head. "As long as we have each other now. That's all I need."

Instead of saying something equally as mushy, Renjun squeezed Jeno's hand in return.

"I'm really happy you came back to me," Jeno mumbled honestly. "I can't wait to mate you."

Renjun leaned his head against Jeno's shoulder, his heart bursting at the seams with his feelings for the alpha. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Jeno replied, stopping so they could turn to look at each other.

Gently, he placed a hand underneath Renjun's chin, pulling the omega up a little as he leaned down, their lips hovering only centimeters apart when-

"There you are!"

Startled, they shuffled away from their almost kiss. Jaemin was walking towards them with a cheeky smile on his face.

"Sorry to interrupt, but everybody is sort of waiting for you," the alpha said, nudging them to keep walking.

It was true, when they arrived at the designated spot, most people were already gathered around the forest clearing, exchanging excited whispers as they stared at the chief expectantly to start the ceremony.

Immediately, everybody turned to look at them. This time, it didn’t even bother Renjun, confident and secure enough in himself that these days, he hardly ever noticed the stares. However, maybe it was also because people were looking at him differently. Nobody was whispering anymore. No, they were all just... being happy? Greeting him and cheering and welcoming him wherever he went. Even people Renjun had never spoken to before, suddenly came up to him to thank him for his bravery. It was overwhelming, but in a good way.

"I brought you your lanterns," Jaemin said, pushing one of the pretty lights in each of their hands.

However, Renjun handed his one straight to Jeno so he could suffocate Jaemin in a tight hug.

"Thank you so much," he said, not only meaning the lanterns.

Ever since he had returned to the castle, Jaemin had been nothing but kind to him, helping him settle and feel welcome at a place that had once caused him so much pain. Sometimes, Renjun still believed he didn't deserve all of Jaemin's kindness. 

 "Don't mention it," Jaemin laughed, playfully swinging Renjun around before letting go of him. He patted Jeno on his shoulder full of brotherly affection before shoving the couple onto the clearing. "Now go you two, you're making everybody impatient."

 

Chuckling softly, Jeno handed Renjun his lantern back, linking their free hands as they walked ahead. Once the chief and chiefess had spotted them amongst the other couples, they showed a relieved expression.

"Finally, my son decided to show up as well," the chief raised his voice, eliciting amused laughter in the gathered crowd. "What a surprising year it's been."

No other words could’ve described it better. This had truly been a year full of unexpected events.

"But I can proudly say that we've survived all the hardships. I am thankful to all of you, who are helping this pack to strive and prosper. And now, thanks to all of you, we get to celebrate the beauty of mateship in peace," the chief continued. "I am more than happy to see so many couples having found each other despite or maybe even because of the rough year we had. I'm wishing every single one of you nothing but happiness in your future. Please step forward now."

Slowly, all the couples to be mated tonight separated from the rest of the pack, standing in the middle of the semicircle. Between all the mingling, Renjun managed to spot Sicheng, giving his hand a short squeeze in reassurance before they both turned back to their alphas.

After everyone had found a place with their partner, silence fell upon the clearing. Jeno was beaming down at Renjun as he held his hands, Renjun's expression mirroring his blatant joy.

"The mating bond is a promise to treasure and be with each other for the rest of your life. It is something truly precious and I hope you cherish it as the wonder it is," the chief spoke, voice vibrating with fondness and pride. "Exchange your rings now."

Fumbling nervously, Jeno pulled out his ring, sliding it onto Renjun's right hand. It was a simple gold band, not as sparkly as his mating promise ring - but equally as beautiful. Jeno's breath hitched in surprise when Renjun also got out a ring.

"Where-?"

"Your mother gave it to me," Renjun answered Jeno's unfinished question, immediately turning his confused frown into a happy smile.

The chief said a few more words about love and bonding and commitment, but Renjun was too lost in Jeno's eyes to comprehend any of them.

Soon, it was time to let the lanterns fly and they watched the lights rise until they joined the stars. Letting go of his lantern, Renjun sent a message to his parents, knowing how happy they must be seeing him right now. The beauty of the scene never seemed to fade. It was almost magical, making Renjun feel like any second, he would levitate towards the sky as well.

Only Jeno's hold pulled him back to the ground.

 

Around them, people were already dispersing.

Now a new kind of giddiness filled Renjun's chest at the prospect of what was about to happen next. Judging from the smile on Jeno's face, the alpha was equally as eager to get out of here and find a more private place.

Awkwardly, they passed by Jeno's parents.

"Are you coming back to the castle with us?" The chief asked them kindly.

"Actually," Jeno scuffled bashfully. "We wanted to stay here for tonight. In my old hut."

The chief nodded in understanding. "Alright. We'll see you tomorrow then."

Even the chiefess' eyes were twinkling knowingly as she hugged her son goodbye.

Feeling both a bit embarrassed, the couple exchanged shy glances. Then the call for action returned and hastily, they scurried away.

 

Renjun's back was pressed against the wooden door of Jeno's hut harshly. Luckily, the hut had not been remodeled for a community use just yet, giving them the perfect place for intimate togetherness.

Leaving a trail of kisses all over Renjun's exposed neck and collarbones, the omega didn't hesitate for long to pull the gown over his head, making Jeno groan in desire.

With ease, he carried Renjun over to the furs, placing him right in the middle as he lost his own shirt somewhere along the way.

Passionately, their lips met, only interrupted by sweet moans and grunts as their bodies melted into one.

A particularly desperate sound fell from Renjun's lips as Jeno teasingly grazed his teeth over his neck, reddening his skin.

"Do it," he whimpered pleadingly. "I want to be yours."

Jeno was panting heavily as he hovered over him, continuing to suck on every piece of Renjun's skin that he got underneath his lips.

He lifted his body enough so their eyes could meet. They could taste the tension in the air between them on their tongues, scents thick with desire.

Carefully, Jeno lowered his mouth back to Renjun's neck, who pliantly bared his throat.

"I want you so much," Jeno whispered, creating goosebumps all over Renjun's body.

The omega nodded, clutching his hands into Jeno's dark hair, pulling him even closer.

The sensation wasn't nearly as painful as Renjun had always imagined it. Getting bitten had never seemed very appealing to him when he had been younger, the mating ceremony still a vague daydream at that point - now that he was actually getting mated, he couldn’t imagine ever feeling as connected to someone as he was, right in this moment. 

With uttermost caution Jeno broke his skin with his teeth, deep enough so it would leave a mark but so gently that Renjun had barely felt it - maybe the adrenaline rush had helped suppress the pain a little as well.

"How do you feel?" Jeno asked, licking over the wound in apology.

Renjun was catching his breath, mind rushing with thousands of emotions. Suddenly, it felt like his heart wasn't beating on its own anymore. It was now irreversibly bound to Jeno's, beating in sync for the rest of their lives.

"Much better if you'd lose your pants," Renjun retorted jokingly, breaking the anticipating silence on Jeno's face as he cracked a smile.

"When have I ever turned down a request of yours?" Jeno replied charmingly and Renjun giggled as they finally united in a way that he'd unknowingly been longing for all his life.

Everything was right. Finally.



 

After they had unexpectedly been forced to leave the orphanage early, Donghyuck had mindlessly wandered around the village, trying to calm down his nerves. His parents had already left their hut, so they could get a good spot at the clearing from where they could watch their son during the ceremony.

As always, his mother had been fussing about him - but this time, Donghyuck had actually found it pretty sweet. Maybe he was also a bit more resistant to her nagging these days, since he'd officially move out of his parent's hut tomorrow, allowed to live with Mark after they mated.

Donghyuck looked up to the sky that was turning a nice shade of bluish-violet behind the white clouds. It was getting late. He should probably seek out Mark.

Despite having seen the alpha earlier that day, only separating from him to get himself ready for the ceremony  - and eat some cake after Yangyang had come by with the news that Renjun was currently in town - he already missed him. Maybe it was a bit silly, but Donghyuck was far past the stage of denying the feelings he had for Mark.

Without announcing himself in any way, Donghyuck pushed the door to Mark's hut open, so used to coming here that it already felt more like home than his parent’s hut.

Upon seeing him, Mark started gaping in awe – perhaps, Donghyuck would've had a similar reaction to Mark's handsome attire, if it weren't for the person grinning mischievously behind him.

"Hey, I was just stepping by to drop these off," Johnny explained his presence, pointing to the two lanterns he had placed on Mark's small kitchen table.

Donghyuck nodded silently, not having expected to see him here.

"Y-you look great!" Mark managed to say after his older brother had boxed him in his shoulder, color rising to his ears.

Shyly, Donghyuck's eyes flickered over to Johnny. While he had nothing against the alpha personally, he would much rather he'd disappeared right now.

"Thanks," he mumbled quietly.

Johnny was still grinning, obviously enjoying the misery his presence was causing for the couple.

"Well, don't eat him up tonight when you try to bite him," he said, ruffling through Mark's hair, apparently deciding to cause even more trouble and double the embarrassment. "Also, don't be too rough and don't break anything in here. You know you are terrible at crafting."

"Okay," Mark said in a high pitch, forcefully pushing his brother to the door before he could say a single word more.

Johnny was cackling as he left the hut, obviously the only one having enjoyed this interaction.

 

Donghyuck cleared his throat, pulling at his collar since the temperature inside the hut seemed to have risen tenfold.

"Sorry about that," Mark mumbled awkwardly, giving Donghyuck an apologetic grimace. Carefully, he took a step closer towards the omega. "You do look very lovely, though. I meant that."

Flattered, Donghyuck lowered his gaze, leaning into Mark's touch as the alpha grazed over his cheek fondly. Mark smiled as he tugged at the sunflower barrette placed in Donghyuck's hair, very pleased that the younger seemed to really like his courting gift.

Due to the heels he was wearing, when Donghyuck looked back up at Mark, they were standing at the same height - overcoming the very few centimeters that Donghyuck was shorter.

"Finally, we're one the same level," Donghyuck joked as Mark retreated his hand from his hair.

"We always were," Mark replied seriously, before pecking Donghyuck's lips and sporting another smile. "Ready to get going?"

Donghyuck had to calm down his racing heart first, too stunned to retort with one of his quick-witted comebacks - not when Mark just said stuff like that as if it would have no effect on him. As if Mark had no effect on him when in reality, he probably always had.

"Yes," he croaked out, collecting the two lanterns that Johnny had so graciously provided them with.

Mark didn't say anything about Donghyuck's apparent lack of words. Donghyuck had never loved him more.

 

The ceremony was over in the blink of an eye. It was hard to concentrate on anything else than Mark when Mark was just being so Mark and looking at him with those big sparkly eyes, full of whispered promises and eternal love. And as they stood under the stars, Donghyuck realized that he didn’t even look towards the sky to see those shining lights – not when could just keep gazing into Mark’s eyes, that had always sparkled so much brighter and solely for him.

In the rush afterwards, Donghyuck barely caught the words of his own parents as they congratulated them, neither the ones of Mark's mother nor the taunting smile Johnny sent their way as they walked past him and Ten.

 

Only after they were back in the safety of Mark's hut did his head seem to catch up with everything, slowly letting him process the night. He was now mated to Mark. They'd be together till the end of their life. He would get to wake up next to that dorky smile and the awkward mess of limbs every day now. He couldn't wait for this part of his life to start.

Well, there was only one more thing to do first.

Neither of them had much patience left after they were finally left alone again. Disregarding any of Johnny's warnings about breaking anything, they blindly stumbled through the room, on the quest to find their bedroom without having to unlock their lips.

Something behind Donghyuck fell to the ground with a numb sound as he was pushed against the table, but they couldn't have cared less.

Smoothly, Mark lifted him up, hands firmly pressed underneath his thighs as he took over the lead and finally made it to the bedroom.

Donghyuck started giggling when Mark laid him down and started placing kisses all over his face. With practiced moves from years of fighting with the alpha, he rolled them around, pushing Mark into the furs as he sat on top of him.

Sensually, he started moving against Mark's body, the alpha matching his thrusts in encouragement, arms impossibly tight around Donghyuck's waist as if trying to force their bodies to physically become one.

"Hyuck," Mark panted as their lips separated for only a second before he was licking back into the omega's mouth.

"Mhh?" Donghyuck hummed, wanting to use his mouth for anything but talking in this moment, teasingly catching Mark's lips with his teeth, pulling slightly before letting go, making Mark hiss in pleasure.

"I was thinking," Mark said, pulling away from Donghyuck's lips to suck on his jaw instead. The omega threw his head back, giving Mark full access to his throat. "Would you like to bite me?"

"Sure," Donghyuck replied mindlessly, kissed senseless by Mark. Only when Mark stopped with his ministrations did he understand what Mark had said. "Wait- what?"

Mark was looking up at him affectionately, playing with Donghyuck's locks in his fingers. "It was just a thought. Since I thought it wouldn't be fair for you to be the only one with a visible claim on him for the rest of his life. But only if you want to."

Donghyuck swallowed. It was true. In their pack, only omegas got bitten by their mate - and while the mating mark faded slightly over the years, it would still be seen on them till the day they died.

Donghyuck had never thought about it too much, but now that Mark was mentioning it, the alpha did have a point. He almost laughed out loud. He couldn't believe it! The fact that Mark had suggested this - it hadn't even been him requesting this silly sign of equality!

Surging forward, he reconnected their lips powerfully. How had he managed to find the only person in this pack who just seemed to get it? Get him? Who understood him perfectly? Who loved him unconditionally? Just how had he gotten so lucky?

Fully of fondness for Mark, he slowed down his movements, their wild kiss becoming a lot more tender all of a sudden.

"I'd love that," he whispered against Mark's lips. "Can I go first?"

There was not a hint of regret, not even slight hesitation in Mark's eyes as he bared his neck for Donghyuck in complete trust.

Donghyuck was baffled again. Yeah, he'd never know just how he had found Mark. Perhaps, Mark had just simply found him.

Cautiously, Donghyuck leaned down, at first, only brushing his lips over Mark's skin before biting down - only stopping when he felt like he had left a lasting mark.

Slight panic rose in his chest when he saw the tears in Mark's eyes once he sat up straight again. Had he hurt him? They didn't know how alphas reacted to getting a mating bite - maybe there was another reason why only omegas got bitten?

All of his fear subsided when Mark's lips formed an endearing smile, eyes overflowing with emotions.

"It feels great," he told him, making Donghyuck realize that he was crying tears of joy and not of pain.

Licking over his lips in relief, Donghyuck shuffled a little in Mark's lap. He threw Mark a coy smile before he let his head fall back with the same amount of trust that Mark had shown him previously.

Immediately, Mark chased after him, the grip on his waist tightening as he closed in on Donghyuck's throat, pressing kisses all the way up his scar until he was hovering over the designated place for a mating bite.

It was an exhilarating feeling as Mark's teeth finally sunk into him. Donghyuck could hardly hold back his whines as Mark fully claimed him.

His vision got blurry as a new feeling settled in his heart, more intense than anything he had ever felt before. He had never imagined he could love Mark more, could be even more connected to the alpha than he already was, but this moment had proved him wrong.

His heart had finally found his match, his person, his place.

Overjoyed at this rush of fluttering feelings, a weird mixture of laughter and crying erupted through Donghyuck, Mark joining him as their gazes connected with nothing but love for each other.

Hell, whatever had brought them together in the end, Donghyuck would forever be grateful.



 

Some of the snow had melted overnight. The sun was shyly breaking through the clouds, but the morning was still cold.

Still, considering the aftermath of last night, a bath was more than necessary.

Refreshed and clean, Mark and Donghyuck waddled out of the lake, although they were barely able to keep their hands off each other, loving gazes searching for their mate every second.

Quickly, they put on their clothes, the air around them freezing and the water just as cold.

As they walked back towards their village, Donghyuck suddenly noticed two people sitting near the lake. A happy smile crept onto his face. The couple seemed just as lost in love as Mark and him, snuggled together so tightly you could almost mistake them for one person.

Tugging at Mark's hand, he dragged him towards them.

"Hey," he greeted cheerfully, his mood more than good - the complete opposite to this day exactly one year ago.

Renjun and Jeno only reluctantly loosened their hold around each other, scooting over a little on the stone they had been resting on so Mark and Donghyuck could sit down as well.

With an amused twinkle in his eyes, Renjun noticed not only the bite on Donghyuck's throat, but Mark's throat as well. "Should've thought of that," he commented, nodding towards the matching bite.

"It was Mark's idea," Donghyuck disclosed happily, resting his head on Mark's shoulder, seeking his warmth.

They allowed each other to just breathe for a while. Nature around them was still hibernating as well, lulled into a slumber.

"It's so quiet," Jeno voiced his thoughts.

"It will take a while to get used to," Renjun agreed with him. After the year they had, this sort of silence had become very uncommon. Unfamiliar, even. But it was nice.

"You think with people like Yangyang on the loose it will stay quiet for long?" Donghyuck snorted, making everybody laugh. "The noises we heard when we passed by Hendery's hut this morning. I'm scarred for life now!"

Renjun could only shake his head in amused fondness for his friends. While it was true that it was never quiet for very long in their pack, they all knew what he had meant. After everything they went through, it was hard to imagine a quiet life.

The first birds had returned to the forest, it seemed, shyly singing their songs of the arriving spring. This year would probably be a whole different story, considering what the future was having in store for them. The wedding, the Noctis pack, the ongoing fight for change. The Solaris pack was far from being done.

Well, at least now they had a whole lifetime to figure it all out together.

Peace at last.

Notes:

Thank you.

Really, thank you all for reading.
As I'm writing this, studying for my exams at the end of the 4th semester and on my 20th birthday, I can't help but notice how much time has passed since I started writing this - and it's really amazing how so many people are still here with me, reading my silly little writing.

I know this ending might not satisfy everyone, and I'm sorry if it didn't, but I tried my best and I'm also still learning and growing. :3

When I started this, I never thought so many people would end up reading this. And it's been a wonderful, scary, overwhelming, thrilling experience, and I can't thank you all enough for spending your time reading this. I put a lot of time and effort into the story and it's characters and even if I just managed to make one person happy or help you forget about the stress of your daily life - that's more than I could ever ask for.

It's always a bit sad ending a story, but I don't want to get too sentimental here :D

Also, everybody, please show some love to my lovely beta reader Sunshine, she's been the biggest help and become one of my most precious friends and I can't imagine this story without her. I love you <3

Lastly, to end on a bright note: I've been planning a short special for this (sort of a Noren Wedding special, but of course it's gonna include lots of Markhyuck as well and all our other favorite characters:) ). Hehe, no promises on when it'll be up though, I'm currently in the middle of exam season but I'll probably get around to writing it after :3

If you want to keep up with me or my future works (I'm already working on something else, hehe), you can always chat with me on Twitter or CuriousCat :3

Thank you all so much, wish you a happy weekend, stay safe and healthy <3

Notes:

Thanks for reading!! :3
If you have any questions about the story or the universe or just want to chat, you can hit me up on
Twitter: @thoughtsbyKiki
or
CuriousCat: thoughtsbyKiki
Also, the biggest thanks goes out to my lovely beta reader, sunshine!! You're the best <33

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