Archive of Our Own

Breathing was hard. Running was harder and the thick underbrush of the forest certainly wasn’t making things easier for you, but it was the quickest way out from the small village. 

“One day, you’ll be just like us.”

You tripped, arms flailing out to grasp at anything to help keep your balance. Your hand grazed against the rough bark of a tree, the stinging pain from the scratch racing up your arm and making you wince. But you couldn’t stop to care for it, not when they were so close on your heels. Instead, you simply clutched your hand to your chest, feet kicking off the ground once more. A gunshot sounded in the distance behind you, terror striking you straight to your core. 

“No matter what happens, I will always love you.”

It felt like you had been running for years, feet  aching, lungs screaming. Yet rest was just a fantasy at the moment; safety was the priority. The forest was starting to thin out, and eventually the trees cleared and gave way to pavement. The sudden terrain change had you faltering once more and you stumbled to the ground. Your body gave out the moment you landed and succumbed to the heavy exhaustion - the world around you fading to dark. 

————

“Can we keep her?”

You could vaguely make out the words being spoken around you, darkness slowly receding as you came back to awareness. 

 “She’s not a cat Minho! We can’t keep her like we’ve kept all your strays!” 

“But why not? She is a stray! There’s no pack scent on her!” 

“Min-“ 

“Weren’t we all strays at one point?” 

“Yup. Just a bunch of stray kids.” 

“Please Chan?” 

“Ugh...fine. But only if she wants to.” There was a chorus of cheers and their voices had your ears ringing. Wincing, you curled up further on yourself, the movement catching the attention of what you assumed was a group of boys around you. 

“She’s awake?”

“Hey, are you okay?”

A gentle hand rested on your shoulder and you could no longer just ignore the situation you were in. Though, at least it was better than the last. Opening your eyes, you were blinded by the light of the room and you jerked back, covering your eyes. 

“Shit, sorry! Jeongin, turn off the lights.” There was a click and you felt the room plunge into darkness. It was a relieving feeling - welcoming - and you could feel yourself relaxing. Slowly, you lowered your arms and opened your eyes once more. While the room was dark, you could still clearly see the figures in the room as if the lights were on. You chalked it up to it being a new ability of your shifter side. “That’s better, hello.” You looked over at the male kneeling next to you, a beautiful smile gracing his lips. He looked like an absolute angel, had the voice of an angel and curly brown hair that looked fluffy and very inviting. But you restrained yourself.

“Where am I?” You croaked out, throat very dry and you wondered how long you’ve been out. “Who are you?”

“My name is Chan, and you’re at my place.” Chan and his place? Warning bells were going off in your hand and you were terrified that you had been kidnapped. Were these hunters? People from a different village come to torture and kill you? The fear was evident on your face as you sat up and scooted away from him, eyes darting wildly between each of the nine bodies in the room. 

“Hey hey! It’s okay.” Chan said quickly, hands raised in surrender as he moved backwards, giving you more room. You felt like a caged animal nonetheless and you wanted to bolt. But a warm feeling washed over you, calming you as a tropical scent slowly filled the air. The frantic fear you felt melted away and you sat back on the couch you had been laying on. “We aren’t going to hurt you. What’s your name?”

You hesitated for a moment, debating. You didn’t think you could trust them, but you couldn’t deny the fact that there was something that was making you feel at ease and relaxed - almost safe. “Y/n.” You finally responded, chewing on your bottom lip afterwards. 

“It’s nice to meet you Y/n. You don’t need to feel frightened. We’re just like you.” Chan confessed.

“Hunters?!” You nearly shouted, the panic slowly trying to rise within you. But it was quelled as the scent of lavender and jasmine started to mix with the tropical scent from earlier and for a brief moment you wondered who was turning up the scent of the Glade plugins. Yet that thought was so minute compared to the overall glaring situation at hand and you shamed yourself for even thinking such a silly thing. But it helped, to ease the fear and to keep you from acting out irrationally. Which was in essence a good thing. With your newfound abilities, you probably could have hurt them. 

“Oh my god no!” One of the other boys scoffed, looking so offended that you even called them that. Chan turned though, setting a stern look towards him and instantly the indignant look was washed away. Though his posture remained mostly the same, standoffish. Yeah, you probably offended him but what else could they have possibly meant if not hunters? That’s what you are! Or well were . You weren’t anymore and that reminder made you tremble with anger and sadness as you looked down at your hands, fingers curled in a tight fist with such a power you had never once before possessed - now so easily cutting into your skin with your nails. 

“Y/n.” Your name fell from Chan’s lips so gently as if saying it would break whatever fragile atmosphere had settled upon you. “We’re not hunters.” He reassured and you lifted your head, gaze skeptical as you looked him over, searching for signs that he was lying in any sense. You couldn’t find anything. 

“Then what did you mean, that you’re like me?” You asked carefully, knowing your words would “out” you in a subtle way, which may not be received well. Hunters were not well liked in any community but were a necessity. You just wished they hadn’t been after you. The air shifted and while the sweet and calming scents were still there, you could pick up on the sense of apprehension and you glanced at the others in the room. Their faces were weary, though they were trying not to show it by looking away. 

“We are shifters like you. Specifically wolves.” Chan said slowly, moving his body to block your vision of the others, your attention solely on him. “This is my pack.”

His pack. This was Chan’s pack, so he was an alpha. You were alone with an established pack that now knew you were a hunter but also knew you were a shifter. “H-how did you know?” You tried to keep the tremble out of your voice, but failed, and you tightened your fists more, the pain grounding you in this terrible reality. 

“You must be new to this then?” Chan asked, nodding to himself. “It’s a lot to explain but I don’t want to overwhelm you with all that right now. Just know you’re safe, alright?” You nodded your head slowly, not sure if you actually believed his words or not. What it meant to be safe. Was any place safe anymore? Your world had suddenly been turned upside down and you haven't a clue of what was going on or how to stop it. You just wanted to go back to how life used to be. “You just lay back and rest and we’ll leave you be for now. When you’re feeling up to it, we can talk more later.”

It wasn’t a suggestion. There was a finality in his voice that left no room for argument, so you nodded mutely.  Chan rose from his spot and motioned to the other seven. Silently, they all left the room, bringing about nothing but silence and emptiness. The sweet and calming scents also dissipated and a part of you wondered if that was a smell coming from them. You would think with all the years of training and learning, you would know how shifters work. But your expertise was slipping your mind at the moment. Maybe it was from them, or maybe there really were Glade wall plug-ins somewhere that were working wonky. 

Relaxing back against the arm of the couch, you let out a deep sigh and finally unclenched your fists. You were mortified to see the cuts, little beads of blood pooling at the top. They weren’t anything serious but at the same time it scared you how easily you had hurt yourself. These abilities were concerning and left you wondering if you could really handle this. Why had you been cursed with this fucking shifting ability?! What had you or your family done to anyone else to warrant this?

You could feel the rage boiling inside you and you had the urge to just destroy. Anything or anyone. But as quickly as it came, it dissipated and in its wake left you feeling helpless and wanting to cry. And so you did. On a strange couch, in a strange house with eight other strangers in another room, you cried. 

———

“She’s really cute.”

“Jisung, can you please stop thinking with your dick for five minutes?” Seungmin huffed as he crossed his arms. “She’s a hunter, she can’t be trusted.”

“A wolf shifter hunter at that.” Hyunjin mused. “That’s like genacide, isn’t it?”

“Let’s not try and get technical, my brain already hurts.” Jeongin whined from his spot at the kitchen table, fingers pressed firmly into his temples. 

“And all because Minho wanted to take home a stray.” Changbin snorted with a roll of his eyes. 

“Well excuse me for wanting to help someone who was clearly in distress. Not everyone is as heartless as you, you stupid-“ Minho growled lowly as Changbin squared up, chest puffed out slightly as the two alphas glared at each other. 

“Enough!”

The two deflated instantly and turned away from each other as Chan eyed both of them, his alpha aura radiating around him, forcing the rest to submit - even the members who weren’t a part of the issue. “Stop fighting. Stop the name calling and stop the blaming. We all agreed to bring her here and now we will deal with whatever consequences it brings.” Smart, sensible and the reason Chan was their pack leader. In situations where it called for such a level head, he always came through. He was the one they counted on - the reason they were all alive. 

“I don’t think she’ll be a problem.” Felix finally spoke, his eyes still trained on the doorway of the kitchen that led into the living room. His ears were tuned into the soft sobs coming from within. “A hunter yes, and a wolf shifter.” He said. “A newly discovered wolf shifter. I can’t imagine the turmoil she is in.” He spoke. He turned and looked at the rest of his pack sadly. 

“She’s lost, just like we are. We can’t possibly kick her out because of her past. She needs someone to help her. Hyung, we have to help her. It breaks my heart hearing her cry.” 

Chan’s face softened and he sighed as he walked over. Patting Felix’s shoulder, he nodded and smiled at him. “We will, Lixie.” He said gently. “Let’s just give her some time to herself. We can’t just throw this all on her.”

“I’m sure she already knows what a shifter is though. What would we even need to talk to her about? How not to kill us in our sleep?” Seungmin asked, a whine falling from his lips shortly after when Chan glared at him. “Sorry.”

“Please, guys, just behave. Be nice.” A resounding nod and Chan smiled at them, happy that they would try for him. 

“I have a question though!”

“Yes Jisung?”

“So is she an omega or...?”

“Shut up Jisung.” They said in unison, ignoring the large pout Jisung was giving them. 

———

It was the better part of 5 hours later before you finally left the couch. You had spent most of that time crying your eyes out, cursing the gods and praying that when you open your eyes, you’d wake up in your room and everything would have been just a bad dream. But sadly, it never changed. You were still in the house, on the couch and living a hell that you couldn’t quite comprehend. 

You needed answers - the question of why burning in the back of your mind. You could recall years of learning about shifters and other creatures in the world and why hunters were needed to keep the balance and peace between them and the human world. But how they came to be, that was a lesson you had never been taught. 

Sighing softly, you stood and looked around the room. You remembered seeing the boys leave through the door on the right, and they hadn’t come back through. Or at least, not that you remembered. So you headed for the entrance, peeking in slowly and you were greeted with the sight of the kitchen, empty except for the lone shifter sitting at the table. It wasn’t Chan, but one of the others and thankfully not the one you had offended earlier.

You weren’t sure if it was a good idea to approach him or not, but he was the only one there and you certainly didn’t feel right just wandering around their house. Biting your bottom lip, you stepped in, making it halfway to the table before stopping. You had planned on waiting until the other looked up, but it seemed he was already alerted to your presence. A shifter trait maybe?

“Oh, Y/n!” He smiled widely, cheeks bulging with what food was stuffed in there. He finished chewing quickly and swallowed as he motioned to the table. “Sit!” Nodding slowly, you moved to the table and took a seat across from him. His smile never faded and it was just so bright and beautiful and relaxing. You felt more at ease and even dared to give your own smile back. “I’m Jisung, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” You answered and looked down at the table, brows furrowed. 

“Something on your mind?”

You nodded, sighing softly. “Yeah. This whole, shifter thing.” You mumbled. “Chan said he would explain it.”

“Oh.” Jisung nodded quickly and sat up straight in his seat. “Chan is out with Changbin and Minho on patrol. But, I could help answer any questions you have.” He offered. “I’m pretty knowledgeable.” The self satisfied smirk on his face had you giggling. He seemed so full of himself yet genuine in his words. It was extremely cute. He was cute.

“Well, I guess what I really want to know is why me?” Silence fell over the two of you as you watched Jisung’s face contort into different expressions as he thought on how to answer. You were tempted to add on to your question, try and make it easier for him to answer the question, but before you could, he finally spoke up. 

“Well, it’s a hereditary gene.” He said, his eyes locked with yours. “Both parents need to have the gene in order for it to be passed down.” The words hit you like a ton of bricks. Both parents needed to have the gene in order for the child to have it. That meant her parents were shifters?! But how? 

“Impossible!” 

“Would seem like it, right?” Jisung laughed and you wanted to smack that smile right off his face. This wasn’t a laughing matter. “It’s a recessive gene, or at least that’s what they told us in schools and stuff.” He said and shrugged. “Anyone could have the gene but it’s like recessive. So one person could have it but not be a shifter. That’s why both parents need to have the gene for it to manifest in their child.” He tried to explain and huffed. 

“I...don’t get it.” You whispered, brows furrowed. 

“So like in my family, I’m a shifter and so are my parents and so are their parents. And on my mom’s side it goes back many generations. But on my dad’s side it only recently started with his parents.” You nodded, trying to picture Jisung’s family tree in your head and you wondered if his family members were as cute and good looking as him. They had to be - he seemed like such a natural beauty. “The gene was carried on my great grandfather’s side and then he got with my great grandmother and they produced my grandfather who was then a shifter. And he got together with my grandmother, who was another shifter and, well you get the point.” He chuckled as he sat back in his chair. 

“I think I understand.” And you did, but it was still hard to wrap your head around. Both of your parents have this gene? And they made you. And now... “But why now? After all these years?” 

“How old are you?” Jisung asked curiously. 

“Old enough.” You snipped, eyeing him suspiciously. It’s not that you didn’t trust him, you just didn’t feel comfortable with all this. What did age matter anyway? “Why?”

Jisung snorted and shook his head. “For a hunter, you sure don’t know anything about us, do you?”

“I know how to kill you.” You said easily and Jisung rolled his eyes. 

“So do I. Everyone knows how to kill shifters. You don’t seem to have a clue of how we’re created or even work. I would think that would have been important information to know.”

“Not really. We just needed to know how to kill so we can keep you ruffians under control.”

“Ruff-“ Jisung scoffed and looked away, unamused by your words. And you felt bad? Yeah, you felt bad for speaking so brashly about what your end goal as a hunter had been. Though it was common knowledge, when said so blatantly like that, it sounded horrible. 

“I’m sorry.” You apologized quickly. You didn’t mean to offend him, especially after he had shown you nothing but kindness. “I didn’t mean to upset you. This is just-“

“New, I get it.” Jisung finished for you, relaxing a bit as he looked back at you. “It’s fine. I can’t imagine what it’s like for you. To go from wanting to kill us to being one of us.” He hummed and rubbed the back of his head lightly. “To answer your question, shifters have to reach a certain age and present.”

“Present?” 

“Yeah, it’s like your coming of age.” He said. “Well there are two types of presenting, the first is usually what kind of shifter you’re going to be. If both your parents are the same type of shifter, chances are you’re gonna be what they are.” He said. “But there are hybrids.”

“There are?!” You asked, eyes wide in shock. Hybrids? This was the first time you’ve ever heard of that. What else was there that you didn’t know about? You felt like you were in history class all over again. 

“Yeah.” Jisung chuckled. “For those who are mixed breeds, the first presentation is important. They could either take a form from their parents or be a mixture of both. Hybrids are rare though and are protected.”

“Makes sense.” You muttered and sighed. “So what about this other presentation?”

“Okay so that presentation usually depends on the shifter breed. But the second one basically tells you where in the hierarchy you stand.”

“I stand wherever I want because I’m independent?” You said, though not entirely sure and the way Jisung laughed at you didn’t make you feel any better. “Stop laughing!”

“Sorry!” He squeaked, clutching his stomach. “Yes you’re independent but it’s more than just a social class thing.” He said. “I guess in simple terms you know what an alpha, beta and omega are, correct?” 

“Yeah. Chan’s an alpha and a leader. I always thought alpha was synonymous with leader.” You said. 

“In some ways, yeah. But being an alpha isn’t just being a leader. For us they have other traits. They’re dominating with strength and anger that can only be rivaled by another alpha.” Jisung said. “But they’re not assholes.” He reassured quickly and you nodded. “Most are very nice and loving towards their friends and pack mates.”

“That’s good to know.” You muttered. 

“Betas are generally considered to be like an alpha’s right hand man. Or something like that. Betas are like the neutral zone. They tend to be very level headed. They’re like that one friend who listens to you complain all day and simply shrugs at you, pat your back and tells you it’s gonna be alright.”

That analogy had you giggling because you did have a friend like that. Or rather, you had a friend like that. You counted on her a lot back home and she was always there to lean on, giving out the best advice that she could. You missed her. But there was no way you could ever see her again, and you highly doubted she would want anything to do with you now anyway. It hurt. 

“You have a cute giggle.” The sudden confession made your cheeks flush as your eyes widened, staring at Jisung in shock. “Sorry. That was too forward wasn’t it? I’m sorry!” He said quickly. 

“Uh- no it’s okay. It was just unexpected. Thank you.” You whispered, giving him a shy smile that he happily returned. 

“So back to our lesson.” He cleared his throat. “There are other ranks like delta and zeta and such but they’re a rare rank to come across. Alpha and betas are the most prominent along with the last rank, omega.”

“Omega, those are the ones that have the babies right?” You asked. 

“Well every rank can have babies. Alpha isn’t a title for just males. We have female alphas and they bear children, though not all the time.” Jisung said. “Omegas are just more fertile and more submissive. They usually end up as mates to alphas though occasionally they’ll mate with betas as well.” He explained. “The second presentation of rank is important. Those presented as alphas are usually then groomed to take over the pack in the future. Betas aren’t usually treated any different. Omegas go into heat, which is usually an issue cause it drives alphas and betas crazy for a whole week. It’s -“ Jisung paused and cocked his head, staring at you intently. 

“What?”

“This is a lot. I feel like I’m just talking and you’re just listening but nothing is sticking.”

“Pretty much.” You laughed and sighed, resting your head in your hand. “It’s not your fault, but it’s a lot like you said. I guess maybe I don’t need to know everything right now.” You said and closed your eyes, frowning. “But thank you for telling me. I guess now I just have to find out what I am.”

“Yeah.” Jisung breathed. “A shifter usually presents their rank in their late teens. It’s kinda like puberty and omegas usually go into heat a year or so after they present. Have you-?”

“No.” You said, eyes fluttering open, locking with Jisung’s. “At least not that I know of. But I only recently found out I was a shifter.”

“And how did you find out?”

“I was out on a practice hunt with my group. We were given the signal to start the chase and I took off in one direction to cut off the ‘shifter’.” You air quoted as you remembered the poor dog that you and your group of friends chased through the forest. You hated that you tormented the animals like that, but it was necessary. Or at least, that’s what you’ve always been told. “There was something different this time though. Something different in the way the ground felt under my feet and the way the wind moved through my hair.” There was a whimsical tone to your voice as you recalled the day so clearly. “There was just something in me telling me to run and never stop. Just keep going. And it was such an amazing feeling. And the next thing I know I feel bones breaking and shifting and it wasn’t painful at all.” You said. “Suddenly I’ve grown and I’m covered in fur with paws and claws and a desire to keep running. So I did.”

“Wow.” Jisung whispered dreamily. “I haven’t been on a run in forever but I remember the last time I went, that same feeling. The feeling of being free.”

“Yes!” You sat up quickly and snapped your fingers. “That was the feeling.” You smiled, happy you could have a word to associate with that feeling. “But then I ran into my friends and of course they saw me and freaked the fuck out, so I freaked out. And just like that I was back to me and running for my life. I made it back home before the others and dressed - which by the way sucks that I was naked afterwards.” You huffed. 

“Yeah, that does suck, but there is clothing made specifically for shifting.” Jisung giggled. “So what happened after that?”

“My friends came and told my family and they believed them. They chased me out of our tiny village. Chased me for miles, shooting at me.” You could feel the tears trying to well up in your eyes and you reached up quickly to rub them to keep from crying. Jisung frowned and reached out, resting a hand over yours and held it gently. 

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, emotion raw in his voice and you were afraid he was going to cry too. You didn’t want him to cry over you. It wouldn’t accomplish anything though it felt nice that he cared enough about you, a stranger, to want to cry and empathize with you. 

“It’s okay.” You whispered and sighed deeply. “Anyway, I made it to this town before passing out and I guess that’s when you guys found me.”

“Yeah, Minho was the one who wanted to bring you back and we all agreed. I’m glad we did.” 

“Me too.” You whispered, sharing a gentle smile with Jisung. 

———

This city was now your home. It was large and beautiful - bustling with throngs of people. It was a stark contrast to the small little village you had lived in for the better part of your life and the scary part was that most of them were probably shifters. You knew they all looked human, with small behavioral traits that would give them away. But at the same time, there were actual humans that were intermingled with them and they coexisted peacefully. It was amazing yet confusing. All your life you had been told shifters were monsters, ready to strike and kill at any given moment and it was your job to kill them before they could hurt the general population. 

Yet here they were, just existing and minding their own business. A part of you wondered if you had been lied to. Chan and his pack were not the crazy, blood-lust-driven monsters they had been described to be. All nine of them had been “strays” as they liked to call it. Wolf shifters that had been packless for one reason or another. They hadn’t hurt a single person and had come together to create their own pack. 

A home.

One that was now extended to you and you had not so happily agreed. But you weren’t going to say no. It’s not like you had anywhere else you could go. In the past month, your body continued to change to accommodate your newly woken wolf form and that led to many days and nights of growing pains. 

Despite your sudden arrival and the change they had to make in their lives, you felt welcomed and at home and you were thankful for that, especially since you didn’t have a home anymore. 

A wave of sadness washed over you at the memory of the life you once had - the family you had to leave behind. Your heart ached for them but you knew you had to move on. Taking a deep breath, you calmed yourself and continued on your walk down the sidewalk. You were close to the shopping district and there was an influx of people squeezing themselves on the sidewalk. You felt anxious and hot, a feeling you hated so you ducked into the nearest store you could find. 

A music shop that was two stories tall. At first glance, the bottom floor housed records and CDs of all sorts sorted and displayed by genre and artists. The upper level was dedicated to instruments and what looked like equipment to make music with, you weren’t sure. Your knowledge of music was very limited. 

Nonetheless, you walked further in and started browsing the selection, hoping to calm your raised heartbeat and cool off your overly heated skin so you could leave. It was a bit odd that you suddenly felt so heated when you felt fine just moments ago. The city wasn’t that much hotter than the village and certainly not as muggy as the areas around the lake - which was energy zapping at every hour of the day - but the city was nowhere near that level of intensity. Still, you felt as if your energy was slowly leaving you as your temperature rose. Which seemed utterly impossible. You were barely moving and now you were in a cool and calm place. You should be cooling down, not heating up. 

You tried to take your mind off of it, meandering between the aisles of CDs and records. You didn’t have a specific genre that you wanted to listen to. You would take anything really, given the fact that there wasn’t a variety of music available back in the village. You had been part of a society that was mostly closed off to everyone else, surviving specifically to hunt, so having the luxury of music or movies wasn’t a top priority. Not really knowing what you liked, you weren’t going to turn anything away, ready to explore all that could be given to you. These past few months had been filled with such exciting new discoveries. 

Coming to pause by the pop section, you browsed through the eye-catching colorful album covers, nearly oblivious to the world around you. You were interrupted by a throat clearing behind you, startling you enough to drop the album you had in your hand as you turned. Next to you was a young man, and though he had a warm smile plastered on his face, you couldn’t help but feel like he was leering at you. There was just something about the way his eyes sparkled with something...indescribable - maybe insidious?

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s okay.” You quickly assured, giving your own tentative smile. “Can I help you with something?” You asked. You watched as he tilted his head back, thinking and it was pretty obvious that he was thinking of some sort of reason or excuse to come up to you. And while you weren’t a conceited person, you couldn’t help but think this guy was just trying to hit on you. And with how shitty you were feeling (you had just broken out into a sweat), you just weren’t feeling it. 

“Well, I was wondering what you were doing later.”

You shook your head, a soft sigh leaving your lips. “Not interested, thank you.”

“Not- are you mated then? I don’t see a mark.” The guy asked as his eyes scanned over your face and neck. 

“Mated...?” It took a moment for the word to slowly register in your head - recalling the very first history lesson Jisung had given you. Mates and things related hadn’t been mentioned to you since then and it was probably because you hadn’t ‘presented’ as the others continued to call it. Still, you had vague knowledge about it, thanks to your squirrel friend. “I’m not. Nor do I plan to be.” You tried your hardest to sound confident and assertive and thankfully your voice didn’t waver. But your body was already starting to betray you, trembling lightly and you weren’t sure if it was because of the spike of the intensity of the inferno raging within you, or simply because the guy was just creeping you out. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”

You didn’t give the guy a chance to respond, turning quickly and making a b-line for the door, the bell chiming faintly behind you. You could feel your thighs burning as you power-walked down the sidewalk, avoiding bumping into others while trying to keep yourself from breaking out into a full-on sprint. You took the risk to glance over your shoulder, checking to see if the guy was following you and thankfully he wasn’t. While that was a great relief, you couldn’t find the time to relax as it seemed like so many people you passed were now watching you. You could feel eyes boring into your body and strong scents were being thrown at you left and right - doing nothing to help quench the fire that was slowly burning you alive. 

By the time you got back to the house (how you managed, you weren’t entirely sure), you were panting heavily, sweat rolling down your face and neck in waves. Your legs were shaking, threatening to give out under you and you just barely managed to get over the threshold before they did. The hardwood floor was cold to the touch and it was an instant gratification that you couldn’t help but moan out at how good it felt against your heated skin. Rolling onto your back, you closed your eyes as you basked in the coolness, though it really wasn’t truly helping. It was momentary relief that was quickly pushed away as another wave of heat crashed through your body. This time it brought with it a pain to your lower half. It felt almost like the cramps you used to get when on your period but about three times as worse. And for some reason, you just knew instinctively that medication wasn’t going to make it stop. 

You whined, high and distressed, hoping that someone was home and could come and help you. You had no idea what was going on, but you figured it had something to do with your wolf side. More strange occurrences that needed to be explained to you, because this was certainly not the growing pains you had felt before. You waited for what felt like 20 years, but couldn’t be more than 20 seconds before you whined out again louder this time. “Please!”

Silence. 

You were highly afraid that you were absolutely alone and would have to deal with whatever was happening to your body. It was terrifying and you wanted nothing more than to curl in on yourself and cry the pain away - or at least cry yourself to sleep. But the floor, while cool, wasn’t the most ideal place to try and sleep on. Staring up at the ceiling, you took a few calming breaths, hoping to gather enough strength to move. When the cramping dulled, you rolled yourself over and pushed yourself up onto your hands and knees - crawling as fast as you could to the couch. 

You collapsed face-first into the cushions, letting out a sob as another sharp cramp exploded within your lower body. Your fingers pressed and curled into the fabric and it took every ounce of willpower you had to not try and rip it off. Though you weren’t sure if that was even possible given how weak your body felt at the moment. This was absolute agony and you cursed your family for being shifters. You cursed the gods for even allowing such species to even exist. At that very moment, you questioned how anyone could live like this because you felt like you were going to die. 

“Y/n?” The soft voice had you stiffening, a growl escaping out of instinct. There was a brief pause before the other was calling out to you again. “Y/n?” This time his question was accompanied by a sweet confectionary smell. It was normally sickeningly sweet but right now it was amplified tenfold, though it didn’t make you sick to your stomach like you thought it would. Instead, it only seemed to fuel the raging inferno brewing under your skin. 

“J-Jeongin.” You choked out, voice thick with the sobs you were trying hard to suppress because crying certainly wasn’t making this any better. Your ears picked up on the soft patter of feet on the hardwood floor, the scent growing stronger and stronger as he approached. Jeongin touched your back gently and you didn’t know if you wanted more of the feeling, or if you wanted to jerk away. It both hurt and felt amazing at the same time and these mixed feelings were really starting to give you a headache on top of the cramping going on. “P-Please?” You weren’t entirely sure what exactly you were asking for, but you figured that he would have some sort of knowledge as to what was going on and how to make it stop. 

“It’s okay,” he said gently, the hand on your back moving up to your head, fingers gently carding through your hair. Your eyes fluttered closed as you basked in the feeling and for a moment you were able to forget everything was happening. There was just something about the action that was so comforting and a need to be closer to the other began to well up inside you. Shifting on the floor, you lifted your head from the couch and turned to look at him, unshed tears glistening in your eyes. “Come on, Y/n. Let’s get you to your room.” Jeongin kept his voice low and gentle and his movements were slow and calculated. It was like he was interacting with a frightened animal ready to fight for its life. You would never do anything to hurt him, but you were thankful nonetheless. Your body was going through some weird process and you had moments of lapsed control on your instincts, so you were thankful that he wasn’t making any rushed movements towards you. 

Jeongin wrapped his arms around you, hands gripping your sides as he heaved you up into your unsteady legs. The sudden motion agitated the cramps that had dulled down and you hissed out as you clutched at Jeongin’s shoulders for stability and grounding. The hiss had taken Jeongin by surprise, his eyes wide with shock and slight fear - but when you made no move to escape his grip, he pulled you closer against himself. With careful steps and gentle guidance, Jeongin led you upstairs and to your room. Each step was agonizing and all you wanted to do was just collapse onto the floor and writhe in pain. “J-Jisung?” You finally asked as Jeongin helped you lay down in your bed, your normal comforter stripped off. Not that it matters - you probably would have combusted if you surrounded yourself in its warmth. 

“He’s not here. Don’t worry, I’ll call him okay? Just stay here and rest.”

You snorted and rolled your eyes as you curled yourself into the fetal position. “Like I could. I barely got home,” you whined out, eyes closing as you tried to get comfortable and willed the pain to stop. 

“I’m sorry, Y/n,” Jeongin whined out, his scent changing to an almost sour one as he pouted. “I wish I could help.”

“It’s okay.” You whispered, sighing softly. “Just call Jisung, please.” You figured if anyone could tell you what’s going on, it would be Jisung. And if not, at least he could make you feel better with his presence. He just had that aura around him that made you feel safe and you needed that right now. 

“I will. I’ll be right downstairs, so call me if you need anything.” You gave a shaky nod and listened as Jeongin left your room, closing the door behind him. Though you were alone now, his scent still lingered and it was enough to give you some comfort through all this, and that’s more than you could have asked for in that moment. 

————

“Hyung”

“Jeongin, what’s wrong?” Jisung’s voice filtered through the speaker of the phone as Jeongin paced back and forth in the living room. It was a way to distract himself from the ever-growing, pleasantly mouth-watering smell that was filtering in from upstairs. While he hadn’t experienced a heat with an omega in all of the 20 years of his life, he had taken enough classes in school to know what was going on. Y/n was in heat; most likely her first from the information she had supplied to the rest of the pack. 

And Jeongin, the sweet young alpha that he was, was having a hard time trying to fight off his instincts that were telling him to go upstairs to mount and claim her. “Hyung, you need to come home.” He struggled to get out, choking at a strong wave of pheromones that filled the room. Covering his nose, he made a hasty exit out the front door, sucking in fresh air once the door closed. 

“Jeongin what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Jisung was worried and Jeongin felt horrible for making the other male worry about him. But there was a problem and he really did need to come home. They all needed to come home. “Jeongin-“

Jisung’s voice was cut off as something brushed against the microphone, causing Jeongin to wince and pull the phone away. Damn his enhanced hearing. That was fucking loud! “Jeongin?”

“Channie hyung.” Whimpering softly, Jeongin sat down on one of the front steps and let out a shaky breath. “Hyung you have to come home, please.”

“I’m coming Innie. But tell me what’s going on.”

“It’s Y/n,” Jeongin whispered. 

“Oh god. Did something happen? Is she okay?”

“She’s in heat, hyung. And she smells so -“ he stopped himself, shaking his head. “Please hurry.”

“I’m coming, Jeongin. Just get outside and stay outside.” Chan instructed and Jeongin gave a breathy acknowledgement before hanging up. He didn’t need to be told twice to stay where he was. The smell was faint from outside and that was good. He had already felt his head going fuzzy moments ago and the last thing anyone needed was for him to lose control. Y/n hadn’t been with their pack for that long, and they just started opening up and becoming friends. He didn’t want to ruin what they had between them. 

Time seemed to slow as Jeongin waited for the rest of his pack to arrive. He didn’t know if Chan was going to gather everyone or just come alone. He assumed he would have filled Jisung in since they had been together when he called. Maybe Jisung was getting the others? Though, would it be wise to have so many alphas gathered around? Granted four of the eight of them were betas and were more neutral, that still didn’t guarantee that any of them could control themselves. Well, except for Chan. If there was anyone that could keep his composure, it would be their leader. He was just strong like that. 

“Jeongin!” The young shifter jolted at the frantic voice and looked up, watching as his entire pack came running up the drive, sweating. He hadn’t expected them to just run home. He stood, falling into Chan’s arms when the other was close enough. “You did so good Innie.” He whispered and hummed softly. “So, so good. We’re proud of you.”

“T-Thank you, hyung. I don’t think I can go back in there.”

“It’s okay, pup.” Chan ran his fingers through Jeongin’s hair. “You don’t have to. I’m going to go in and see how she’s doing.”

“Can I come?” Jisung asked. 

“No Jisung. No one is coming with me.” Chan said as he turned and faced the rest of them. “Stay out here until I come back. We’ll talk then.” The others nodded in understanding and watched as Chan headed into the house alone.

————

You weren’t sure what was worse, the searing heat that had spread throughout your body, or the fact that you could no longer smell Jeongin. His sickly sweet smell had done something to you in the short time you had been around him and now you were so desperately wanting to smell it again. It was weird, honestly. It was as if his smell alone could quell the storm brewing inside you, and for a few fleeting moments it had. While the fog that was slowly invading your mind hadn't cleared, the heat had subsided just a bit and the reprieve had been greatly appreciated. 

But of course all good things come to an end and now the fire was back and with a vengeance it felt like. And it was making you restless. You were tossing and turning in your bed trying to get comfortable in hopes of just sleeping off whatever was going on while waiting for Jisung to come home and make things better. But every position you laid in was unbearably uncomfortable. You had long since kicked your blankets off the bed. And your clothes? Disposed of. It was actually stupid of you to think you could continue simply breathing with the amount of clothes you were wearing. Even the light shirt and jean shorts you had been wearing felt so restrictive. 

It probably wasn’t the wisest of ideas to be laying around in your underwear but at least you were wearing underwear. You weren’t that shameless. But there may have been a bit of shamelessness to you as you snuck into the boy’s rooms. Normally you wouldn’t invade someone’s privacy like this - you had been taught better. But there was this weird pull in your chest and as much as you tried to ignore it, you couldn’t. It felt like it was something internal and you chalked it up to it being another shifter thing. There were so many “shifter things” that have been going on and you really needed to get clarification on them. You suppose it’s just another thing to ask Jisung about later. At the moment, you couldn’t care to dwell on what the feeling was - you simply acted on it. 

From one room to another you moved, gathering stray pieces of clothing, pillows, even one of Felix’s plushies that he loved to cuddle during movie nights. By the time you got back to your room, your arms were filled with at least one item belonging to each boy. You dumped your prizes onto the floor by your bed before climbing onto it. Reaching over, you started picking up the items one by one; three of Jisung’s hoodies (one of which you threw on), Minho’s blanket, Chan’s pillows. You arranged the items in a circle around your bed, using the three pillows you stole from the oldest boy as a barrier around the edges. You didn’t want to fall off the bed after all. You laid out Minho’s blanket in the little circle you made and layered Jisung’s hoodies on top. 

Next came Jeongin’s blanket, which you rolled up and tucked carefully around the foot of the bed as another barrier. Two more pillows were tossed onto the bed, courtesy of Hyunjin and Seungmin. You placed them next to your own before grabbing the last items. A stuffed kitten plushie from Felix and Changbin’s body pillow. You dropped the two items next to you and after making sure everything else was just the way you wanted them, you flopped down into the center of what you could only call a nest. Grabbing the body pillow, you pull it against you, legs wrapping around it. The top half just reached your chest and with one arm, you gripped the cushion while the other arm curled around the kitten plushie - holding tight against you. 

You felt at ease now, surrounded by the familiar smells of the eight most caring shifters you had ever met. By no means did this stop the torment you were going through, but in a way, it made it better. Your once rapidly beating heart was slowing. And as you laid there, face buried into the plushie, you could feel yourself drifting off and you probably would have fallen asleep had you not heard the door to your room open. Grunting, you lifted your head and peered at the intruder, eyes racking over Chan’s form as the other stood there. He looked...tense. His shoulders were squared, fists clenched at his sides. And you could just make out the way his nostrils flared several times  - taking in the scent of the room. 

“Y/n.” Strained. His voice was definitely strained and for a moment you wondered if he was okay. “Fuck.” You hadn’t heard Chan curse before and there was something...arousing about it. The way the word fell from his lips, a hard emphasis on the ‘k’. His eyes locked with yours, flashing a deep shade of red briefly before turning back to their normal chocolate brown. It frightened you, the change, but it was clear that Chan was doing his best to control himself and that only added to your fear. There was something seriously wrong with you to make him act like that. You hadn’t been with the group for long, but you would like to think you had a decent understanding of each member and Chan was the most level headed one in the bunch. 

“Chan?”

He took a breath, shaking his head slightly as he took a few tentative steps towards you. His eyes moved across the bed, taking in all the items you had laid out and you knew he knew where they came from. You whimpered, clutching the plushie tighter to your chest because you certainly didn’t want to give up all the items you had stolen. “I see you’ve made a nest.” He tried to sound casual, though the words seemed thick on his tongue and he struggled to clear his throat. 

“Nest?” Chan nodded and after another moment of hesitation, he moved closer, taking a seat at the edge of the bed. “I don’t understand.” 

“A nest is usually made during a heat cycle. An omega will surround themselves with familiar objects and scents of things that calm them, usually things belonging to their mate.” He explained, looking down at you with furrowed brows. “I’m not exactly sure why you took our things though.”

You weren’t sure either, and up until now had refused to acknowledge those actions. But now you could possibly put a reason behind it. You were in heat. Which meant you were an omega. What that really meant, you weren’t sure. But you didn’t like it. If anything you would have wanted to be an alpha or a beta even, like the others. But the universe really seemed to have it out for you. Frowning, you gave a pained whine and rolled into your stomach, burying your face into one of the pillows. “God damn it. I hate this so much.” Tears welled in your eyes, spilling over which only angered you at how easily you cried. Everything just felt off and wrong. This wasn’t who you were but it was all out of your control. 

A gentle hand pressed against your back and you found your back arching into it, a soft whine leaving your lips. The touch seemed to have ignited the flame within you once more, fanning out in every direction from the point of contact. “Chan.” It was a pitiful whisper.

“I’m sorry, Y/n. This is probably hell for you.” Hell was certainly an understatement, though at the same time a very suiting statement. “I read that the first heat is excruciating.”

“Please, do something.”

“I-“ he stopped himself, retracting his hand and you wanted to sob in frustration. You wanted to feel more of his touch. You wanted to feel more of anything, really. “There’s a way to help, but it involves...” he trailed off and you lifted your head to look at him, curious as to what he was going to say. You waited, and when it became clear that he wasn’t going to finish, you decided to ask. 

“Involves what?”

“Well,” Chan’s ears turned a brilliant shade of red, complimenting the light red hue that dusted his cheeks, “Sex.”

Sex....

Oh. 

“I don’t think-“

“It’s okay,” Chan interrupted you. “You can... take care of it yourself when the time comes. It’s only going to get worse from now and you’ll eventually get needy.” He explained and you frowned. Needy. That wasn’t something you were familiar with and not an event you were looking forward to going through. But knowing you could handle it on your own put you at ease somewhat. Sex was not a topic you wanted to address at that very moment and especially not while suffering. This heat was something you needed to handle on your own, mainly to understand your own body. This was a part of your new shifter side, so might as well become acquainted with it. 

“Okay.” You breathed out, nodding. 

“Okay. Uh, the rest of us will be here, downstairs. If you need anything.” Chan said quickly as he stood. 

“H-how long does this heat usually last?” 

“It varies. At most a week, at minimum two days. Since you’re not mating, it’ll probably be closer to a week.”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. “Of course. Just my luck.” You sighed and closed your eyes. 

“I’m sorry.” You shook your head and waved a hand at him. 

“It’s not your fault I’m...like this.” You whispered. “I’ll be fine.”

“If you’re sure. I’ll leave you alone now.” You listened closely as Chan moved to the door, leaving the room with a soft goodbye, door shutting behind him. Left alone, you couldn’t stop yourself from thinking of how much worse things could get. 

————

In the past two days, you hadn't left your room. And if it weren't for the eight males that you lived with, you probably would have starved to death or died from dehydration. Besides tossing and turning in the "nest" you made, you hardly moved - drowning in the overwhelming heat that you tried your hardest to fight. But it was a losing battle. But you had to wonder if giving in was necessarily bad. The topic of sex, or anything remotely sexual in nature was not something that was discussed openly back home. It was never talked about in school and what information you had been given by your mother was so vague and embarrassing, it was honestly surprising that you at least found out what a period was and how to keep yourself clean - probably the two most important aspects of life you needed to know. 

Pleasure and the act of touching yourself was never explained, but as a healthy young woman, you had many times touched yourself under your covers in the sanctity of your room. You at least knew what kind of touch you liked and what got you off as quickly as possible, because back then time was always limited. Yet now, you had all the time in the fucking world to touch yourself and yet nothing you did seemed to satisfy you. Teasing your clit, pressing your g-spot and any variation of the two was able to get you off - and fuck did it always feel good - but the need for more never stopped or even ebbed away. There was a constant craving of being full, of needing just.... something more. You weren't entirely sure what that something more was, but you could take a few guesses at what it could possibly be. 

You were an omega in heat and Chan had mentioned the way to make a heat stop was through sex. Though he had said that you could take care of yourself, it was mostly implied that the sex needed to happen and that involved a dick being buried deep inside you. The thought had you shivering, a wave of arousal crashing through your body - fanning the flame harder as you groaned out desperately. The wetness between your legs was slick but sticky as it mixed with what was already drying on your thighs. You had given up on trying to keep yourself clean. Regardless of what you did, you were constantly leaking - another feature of being a shifter you were sure of, though you did try to make a mental note to ask Jisung about it once this whole thing was over.

A week hadn't seemed that long when Chan mentioned it in passing, yet now felt like an eternity. It had only been two days and you were ready to call it quits. Maybe find some sort of witch that you could turn back to human or something so you wouldn't have to suffer through this horrid heat ever again. As another hot flash overtook your body, skin flushing a light pink, you cursed your parents for cursing you like this. 

"For fucks sake ." you muttered to yourself, one hand coming up to rake through your sweat slicked hair. "Four more days or lose your virginity?" you asked yourself, weighing the pros and cons of both options. The pros of waiting out the heat was that you continued to stay a virgin and you would successfully overcome this hardship on your own. It would be a personal accomplishment and you would know that you could indeed survive any other heat you could have. The cons were pretty obvious. You were hot, you were aching and overly horny. You felt like you were dying and every time you thought the heat would end, it would come back with a vengeance. No amount of masturbating gave you an extended reprieve of longer than ten minutes and it was driving you absolutely crazy. 

The cons for losing your virginity meant sleeping with someone you weren't in love with. Sex should be something you do after marriage or at least with someone you really loved. That's what you had always been told and there was no one you were in love with. At most, there were eight males that you trusted enough to live with, and depending on the circumstances you might also trust them with your life. But you weren't sure if you trusted them enough to give them your first time. It just seemed like such a precious and intimate thing that you needed to hold on to - giving it away only when you were one hundred percent positive the person was going to be in your life forever, or at least in the far distant future. The pros to having sex meant the heat would stop.

The heat would stop .

That thought alone nearly had your mind made up, but you forced yourself to stay put and really think about it. Would it be bad to have sex with someone? Probably not, especially if it meant your suffering would end. And when you really took a moment to think about it, you could probably convince whoever you slept with to use protection and at the very least that was another pro. And though you wouldn't admit it out loud, some of the guys downstairs were very good looking and very sweet. It wouldn't be hard to pick someone to have sex with. If anything, you would probably pick Chan because he did seem like the most knowledgeable about this whole heat thing and would know what sex would be best to make the heat end quicker. And Chan was such a soft hearted and kind person that you highly doubted he would do anything you weren't comfortable with. He would probably even be around in case you needed him if you chose a different person.

Were there really any cons? Probably, but the pros were out weighing the cons and by the time you actually forced yourself to sit up, your mind was made up and you were ready to go out and ask for help. It took a lot of effort to roll out of the bed, your legs feeling like jelly as you attempted to stand on them. You stumbled with the first step you took, catching yourself on the nightstand. You took a moment to shake the feeling back into your legs and once you had a firm grasp on your footing, you made your way to the door, grimacing as your arousal dripped down your thighs. 

"God I fucking hate this."

Opening the door, you peeked your head out of the room, glancing up and down the hallway. It was eerily quiet out there, which was saying a lot considering how loud Jisung was just by himself. Couple him with three other loud mouths and the volume of their voices sometimes hurt your sensitive ears. Yet those same sensitive ears couldn't pick up on any noises nearby, though there was a faint noise coming from somewhere downstairs, and if you were in your right mind, you could probably figure out where it was coming from, but as it was your head was fogged over with the need to have something fill you and you nearly abandoned your plan just to masturbate once more. It was so tempting, yet you pushed through the haze and left the room, making a near mad dash for the stairs. The sooner you could find someone, the sooner you could convince them to have sex with you and you could break this stupid heat and finally relax.

As long as you didn’t break your neck in the process of finding a willing participant, which you weren’t 100% sure was going to happen as you stumbled down the stairs. You had simply miscalculated a step in your rush to get downstairs - your hands clutching desperately to the railing as your lower half practically collapsed from under you, skidding down two very painful steps before stopping. Your heart was pounding in your chest and your head was filled with white noise so you weren’t exactly sure if you had even made a sound when you hit the stairs, or if you screamed. Honestly you weren’t even sure what even happened during the fall and the seconds afterwards. Did you hit your head? Did you twist your leg? So many questions were running through your head, and yet you weren’t processing a damn thing.

“.../n?”

Lifting your head you stared at the fuzzy figure before you, trying your damest to get your eyes to focus correctly. Maybe you had hit your head in the fall. A few rapid blinks and finally your vision cleared and you were greeted to the sight of a very worried Jisung. “Y/n, are you okay? What happened?” 

“Wish I knew.” You tried to laugh it off, but you simply couldn’t force out the sound. Nothing really hurt, except your abdomen but that had been hurting since the start of your heat. You were relieved, but then again you couldn’t be sure if maybe the adrenaline from the fall was still coursing through your body and fending off any sort of pain (which made the most sense). Jisung climbed the first five steps, kneeling down in front of you. He reached out towards your leg, but hesitated - letting his hand simply hover in the air as his brow furrowed together. It appeared he was trying to decide if he should touch you or not and you weren’t sure which would be the better option. On the one hand, you would gladly accept any sort of comfort he was willing to give - Jisung was the one shifter you liked the most. On the other hand, you weren’t sure if your body could handle the touch of another person at the moment, because despite the fall and scaring the shit out of yourself, you were still very much deep into your heat and not even the adrenaline pumping through your veins could ward off the searing inferno raging inside you.

“Can...can I touch you?”

No .

“Yeah.” Your mind was screaming at you to stop being stupid. You had just literally listed out what the pros and cons would be if Jisung touched you and you were letting him anyway. You were really being an idiot and by the time you decided to recant the permission, Jisung’s hand was already touching your leg, and it felt like an electric current was running up your leg and through your body. The simple, gentle touch hurt in a good way - intensifying your arousal in a way you didn’t think was possible. Your brain was quickly turning to mush as an unadulterated, borderline pornographic moan fell from your lips, your head falling back. Your breathing was labored, your body flushed a rosey pink but it felt like flames were emanating from your skin - that was just how hot you were. 

Jisung tensed, his fingers gripping your leg tightly, nostrils flared as he stared at you. Your heart rate increased and you weren’t sure if it was because of the heat or because of the look he was giving you. It was such a bad idea to let him touch you and you were a major idiot, but you couldn’t deny how good it felt to have his fingers on your skin. It was amazing how such a simple touch could be so... erotic.

“Y/n.” Jisung’s voice was so low, in volume and in pitch and you couldn’t stop the shiver that ran down your spine. Sexy. That’s all you could describe it as and you wanted to hear more of that voice. A part of you was confused as to why you wanted to hear Jisung’s voice like that, but you chalked up to “horny brain” and hoped that this was just a one off type of thing. You weren’t sure if you could handle thinking of Jisung as anything other than a friend. “I-I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be down here.” he whispered and you wholeheartedly agreed with that statement. Even though it had been your stupid idea to come down and ask for help with your heat, it truly wasn’t a good idea for you to be down there. You already tripped and nearly died! 

Okay, that was an exaggeration, but it was still dangerous. Your head was foggy and your limbs just weren’t cooperating with you which made walking a dangerous sport. 

“I know but-” you stopped yourself, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth, worrying the flesh. You should tell him your reasoning for coming down, right? The whole point was to find someone who would help you through your heat and Jisung was a good candidate. You two were close and you trusted him, more than the others. But was it really a good idea to tell him your idea? So many things could go wrong with this and what if he rejected you? 

Your blood ran cold for a few brief seconds at the thought of Jisung turning you away. It was a possibility you hadn’t taken into consideration and when you really stopped to think about it, any of the others could also reject you. What reason did they have for wanting to have sex with you? Besides you asking? You weren’t close, having barely known each other for two months if even that. You were indebted to them, not the other way around. They had all the right to deny you of your request. Would they? With the exception of Chan, the probability of being denied was great. Chan was the one who explained the best method to get rid of your heat and he seemed more than willing to help two days ago. But that was two days ago. Maybe his mind had changed since then. You were suddenly at a loss of what to do and you looked to Jisung, your eyes pleading for.... something.

“But what?” he asked, almost encouraged with the way his eyes seemed to brighten expectantly. Could it be? Would he say yes?

“I need help.” You lowered your head and suddenly the carpeting on the stairs was the most interesting thing you had ever seen in your life. Reaching down, you plucked at loose fibers, pulling and twirling them around your fingers to distract you from the ever looming silence between the two of you. 

It was deafening.

And it seemed like years had passed before Jisung finally spoke. “With what?”

Never in your life had two little words created such chaos within you. It was the hope that you needed but there was still that slim chance that he would still say no and that prospect terrified you. The question of “would this be worth it” raced through your mind briefly but instead of entertaining the thought, you decided to answer him. “My heat.” You weren’t sure if Jisung heard you - hell you had barely registered the sound of your voice it was so soft. Yet if he asked you to repeat it, you weren’t sure if you could find the courage to say it again. Silence fell between you once more and you waited with baited breath for his answer, your fingers pulling harder at the loose strands on the carpet.

“Yeah...okay.” Jisung breathed out and you lifted your head, eyes wide at his agreement. You gasped, jerking back slightly as you realized how close Jisung’s face was to yours. It was shocking and the look in his eyes was intense and dark - eyes lidded and pupils blown. Lust . That was the only way to describe that look he was giving you. You nodded mutely, and he pulled away, standing up. He extended his hand towards you and with slight hesitation, you took it and pulled yourself up as carefully as you could. But even being careful didn’t prevent you from stumbling forward on weak legs, a surprised yelp leaving you as you fell into Jisung’s arms.

Jisung chuckled, his arms encircling you - with one hand resting on your back, the other gripping your waist. “Falling for me already?” he teased and you pouted as you stared at him, smacking at his chest lightly. 

“You wish.” Rolling your eyes, you pulled away from him, grasping onto the railing of the stairs for stability as you started walking back up the stairs slowly. You made sure to take every step one at a time, never going faster than what you thought you could handle. You didn’t want to slip and fall again because if you did, at that point you just needed to call everything off and go suffer in your room for the remaining five days. Jisung followed behind you, his feet padding softly on the carpet. His presence was looming over you, but not in a suffocating way. It was a comforting feeling amidst the chaos your body was going through and the smell of fresh rain added a calming sense of nostalgia - easing the nerves that were slowly overtaking you the closer you got to your room. 

“Holy fuck.” Jisung breathed out the moment he stepped foot into your bedroom and you paused, turning to look back at him. His eyes were wide, blown even wider than they had been before. His nostrils were flaring, head slowly lifting and dropping back down.

“Are you okay?”  Jisung’s eyes narrowed in on you and your breath caught in your throat as you stumbled backwards, knees hitting the edge of your bed. Falling back, you were practically splayed out before him, your eyes never leaving his as you waited for his reply. “Jisung?”  

It happened in a flash - your brain barely able to register the movement before you found the beta leaning over you, his face pressed against your neck. You could both hear and feel him sniffing you, which confused you. You didn’t really understand why he was smelling you and once more just chalked it up to a shifter thing. You had to admit though, the way he was smelling you was turning you on even more - not that you thought that was possible. “Fuck you smell so good .” 

You shuddered at the words - Jisung’s voice low as it rumbled in his chest. You couldn’t explain why you liked it so much, but you did and you wanted to hear more of it - more of him . This was strange to you. An experience you’ve never had before but it felt so right. Like it was ingrained into you. And maybe it was? Being a shifter going through heat, maybe this type of pleasure was ingrained into your being - a second nature?

He pressed against you, and you could feel it - the heat radiating off his body. Or was that your heat? Maybe a shared heat, smoldering at every point of contact and your body was just craving more. Shifting under him, electricity coursed through you as you felt his cock through his sweatpants, pulsing against your naked thigh. A deep growl rumbled out of his chest and more slick seeped out of you, intensifying the scent of pheromones in the air. You needed him, needed what he could offer. Deep within you, your wolf was howling to be mounted - to be fucked.

And just as you were thinking you were going to get what you wanted, and have that deepest itch scratched, the overwhelming scent of alcohol flooded the room - pungent and thick and nearly nullifying the other pheromones.

“Jisung.”

The growl wasn’t deep, like it had been with Jisung, but it was domineering and had the two of you shuddering in submission. A beat passed, the scent grew stronger and Jisung removed himself from your body - reluctantly and unfortunately. You had half a mind to whine and grab at him, keeping him close, but you didn’t dare go against the presence in the room, too afraid of what the alpha would do.  Of what Chan could do.

“Hyung-“

“Get out.” The command was simple, and yet despite the unseen aura that you could feel was radiating from Chan, Jisung didn’t move. There was a hesitation from him, you could see it from the way his shoulders tensed, muscles flexing as Jisung’s brows drew together.

“But she-“

“Out.” Chan hissed, his eyes narrowed and in all the time you have lived with them, you had never seen Jisung move so fast. He was out the door before you could even process the fact that he had left the bed, leaving you alone with Chan. You dared to glance at him, his posture stiff and his nostrils flaring - from taking in the scent of your heat or from anger, you couldn’t be sure.

“Chan-“

“You will not leave this room unsupervised again.” You winced at the harshness in his voice, the coldness of his words striking a chord deep inside you. You were suddenly transported back to your childhood days, where your father would reprimand you for even the tiniest of things. You hated it, the feeling it invoked. Both because you were no longer a child and because in a way you felt like you disappointed Chan - the man who had opened up his home to you. Took you in when you had no place to go. The man who was so kind and caring and had a wonderful group of friends - no, a wonderful pack of family members who treated you as one of their own, guided you through this tough time in your life. All in a split second, you had ruined it because you let the foggy haze of lust cloud your judgment. In a moment of clarity, you could only nod and watch as Chan exited your room. Alone once more and shaken, you vowed to not let your shifter instincts get the best of you and once your heat was over, you would leave. It was, in your eyes, the best solution.

The remaining three days were a blur and you honestly weren’t sure how you coped with the intense heat, but you managed. The entire time you were left alone in your room and the few times you were able to gather enough clarity from the hazy fog in your mind, you noticed that the house was oddly empty. And not just the fact that you couldn’t hear noises from the other boys, but the entire house seemed to just be devoid of any scents, noises and just the warmth that had once welcomed you. And you couldn’t help but think it was Chan’s doing - whether he was still upset at you for what had almost happened or to keep it from happening again. It really hurt. In the short time you were a part of the pack, you had come to love each and every member because not only had they accepted you, but had tried to help you accept yourself.

But now...maybe you were wrong.

And it was that doubt that made it so much easier to leave. You didn’t spare a single second once the heat left your body. You gathered what little things you claimed as yours (since most of it had been purchased by Chan or someone else) and you left the house - thankful that they really had vacated the place. You weren’t sure if they would ever return, though a part of you believed they would. It was their home after all and you were the stranger occupying it. You had no right to be there, to accept their kindness like you had. You just didn’t belong.

Not there, not back at your old village - nowhere. You had no place to go, or a place to call home. But what good would feeling sad do? Nothing. It wouldn’t help you at all except make you feel even sadder. And giving up wasn’t an option to you. You weren't the type of person to just give up if you could help it. You weren't sure what you were going to do, but you would figure out something.

-----

"Her scent ends somewhere near the cafe." Changbin grumbled as he walked back into the house, seven pairs of eyes turning to look at him. "I can't pick it up anywhere else. It's like she disappeared."

"That's absurd, someone can't just 'disappear' Changbin." Minho scoffed, eyes narrowed at the other alpha. Changbin growled at the response, unable to really help the way his instincts were telling him to challenge the other alpha. There had always been a weird push and pull between the two, and it was times like these that it came out full frontal, which usually ended in disaster.  "Don't growl at your hyung."

"Hyung my ass." Changbin was feeling daring, chest puffed as he tried to assert his dominance over the other.

"Changbin, Minho." Chan's voice was sharp, and the two alphas deflated almost instantly - their pack alpha's aura putting them into submission. "Now is not the time. We have to find Y/n."

Yes, indeed they had to find her. She was a lone omega and an ex hunter. Her mind had been riddled with confusion, even up until she left and to leave her alone to fend for herself was unthinkable. It was a reality that none of them really wanted to face. In the short few months that Y/n had joined their pack, she had filled an empty place in their hearts and made them all feel so complete. It was painful to have that piece ripped away from them.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't-"

"Jisung." The young beta coward behind Hyunjin's larger frame, trying his best to avoid Chan's heated gaze. He knew that now wasn't the time to start this argument again, but Jisung firmly believed that if Chan had just let him help Y/n through her heat, none of this would have happened. She would still be there. He missed her so much, and not just because his overly horny wolf brain was telling him she was a perfect mate, but because she meant so much to him - she still means so much to him.

"I hate to admit it, hyung, but Jisung hyung is right." Jeongin chimed in, looking to their leader with a forlorn gaze. "If you hadn't intervened at all, maybe she would still be here. If we had just been home ..." he whispered. Chan gave a strangled whine because he knew they were right - he had come to that realization hours ago. If he had just addressed the situation rationally then things would have been different. Instead, he let the anger he felt of seeing Y/n with someone who wasn't him take over his actions. He had scared all his members, traumatised poor Jisung and was most likely the reason Y/n had run away. He knew he was the cause for all this - didn't mean he liked being reminded about it.

"Let's stop blaming each other. We're a pack, we all take equal fault." Hyunjin finally spoke up. "Now we need to focus on finding Y/n and bringing her back."

"Well we can't do much if Binnie hyung lost her scent." Felix pointed out. "How can we find her now? Does anyone know where she would go or where she even came from?"

"Well, she did say she was a hunter. Maybe we could start there?" Seungmin mused.

"Are you out of your mind? Going to hunter territory? Out of everyone, I never would have expected you to propose such a stupid idea." Minho gawked. "That's asking to be killed!"

"Well that's all we know! We don't know anything about her!" Seungmin exclaimed, arms crossing over his chest. "We don't know her," he repeated. Silence fell over the group as they all avoided each other's gaze. It was a startling realization - the illusion that they knew Y/n was shattered so easily. They really didn't know her at all.

"I miss her." Jisung whispered from his spot on the couch, arms wrapped around his knees as he drew them up to his chest. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault." Seungmin sighed and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, rubbing it gently.

"Yeah it is, but don't beat yourself up over it. We'll find her." he said, leaning against Jisung lightly.

"I hope so."

-----

"A string of rash murders  has police stumped as they try to find a connection between the five victims. Each victim was found murdered within Miroh Forest from apparent stab wounds. The victims range between the ages of 16 and 32,  both male and female. Sources say that these murders are crimes of passion, but conducted by who and why... are still unknown."

The whispers started around  you and you tried your hardest to block them out, but the effort was futile. You're not surprised, those acts seemed absolutely heinous. You were raised to believe that no one deserved to die except for shifters that got out of hand and living in the small village you did, there were hardly any crimes committed. Yet this city seemed to be teeming with it. People committing small robberies to larger acts of murder. It was a culture shock to say the least and something you could have continued to live without knowing about. In your effort to tune out the voices, your ears actually picked up on a hushed conversation from a couple sitting next to you. The words 'shifters' and 'hunters' caught your attention and you leaned forward slightly.  The couple continued to talk about two of the victims that had been pictured in the report and how they were shifters. They guessed it was the work of a hunter or a group of hunters - mostly because they were almost positive that the remaining victims were also shifters.

That shook you to the bone. There was only one group of hunters - that you were aware of - that you knew lived close to this city. A chill ran down your spine at the thought of your family and friends murdering these people. A part of you was trying to rationalize the behavior. Obviously, these people had done something wrong or endangered humans that would trigger such a retaliation of justice from the group. But another part of you - your wolf side - didn't want to believe that. There was something inside telling you that these weren't justified killings. But if they weren't, then why were they out killing shifters? It didn't make any sense.

Your train of “rationalization” thought was interrupted by a familiar calming and cooling scent. It clicked in your brain before you could fully process it that it was Minho. The alpha was one that didn’t necessarily cling to you like the others did, but he showed he cared for you in other ways. Mostly using his scent to calm you as best as he possibly could during the first month or so you were with the pack. He did other things, like making you food and claiming it was ‘leftovers”. You had learned from Jeongin very early that Minho didn’t usually leave leftovers for other members. It made you feel special in a time where you felt so unlike yourself - an alien in your own skin. Minho was level headed, but stubborn, as you had witnessed many times when he and Changbin would butt heads. If there was one person you didn’t want to face in this current situation, it was him.

And yet, there he was, standing oh so nonchalantly in line for the counter. You weren’t sure if he was specifically looking for you or even noticed you were there - you didn’t think he did, at least. Regardless, you didn’t want to take the chance and as carefully and quietly as you could, you stood up from your chair with every intent on tiptoeing your way out of the cafe - to disappear amongst the crowd of people and hopefully never see that beautiful man ever again. The panicked part of you told you to just bolt and that being around there any longer was risking being noticed. But a different part of you - the well-mannered part of you - was telling you that you needed to at least throw your garbage away before leaving. You cursed your parents for instilling good manners into your brain at an early age. You made a quick detour off the path to the door, tossing your empty cup and pastry wrapper into the trash can as quickly as possible.

“Y/n?”

It wasn’t quickly enough. You could feel every muscle tense in your body, the hair on the back of your neck standing on end. Your fight or flight response was kicking in and you were ready to run. Yet, something was stopping you from following on that urge. Something that you couldn’t explain. A feeling that came from so deep inside you, so primal and innate that you could only reasonably assume it was your wolf - a concept and experience you were still trying to get used to, though no amount of reading could make any of this ‘normal’.

“Don’t go.”

You held back a whimper, visibly deflating as you turned around to face him - struck by Minho’s beauty and scent once more. Your eyes raked over his body, taking in his stance to determine his current mood. He didn’t seem mad, upset or confrontational. He seemed...confused? He didn’t appear worried, but maybe slightly concerned. It was hard to read Minho, most of the time. The alpha was a master at schooling his face and keeping calm and collected in nearly all situations. “I won’t.” He shifted and you could feel the tension building between you two. “Should we sit?” You asked and Minho nodded, motioning to the empty table that you had just left from. Biting your bottom lip, you nodded slightly and walked back to the table, taking a seat and waiting for him to join you. You expected him to launch into a tirade of a scolding, mentally trying to brace yourself for any harsh words that could be thrown at you because while you thought you deserved them, it didn’t mean you wanted to hear them. A slap like that was just something you weren’t ready to face. But the words never came.

Instead, you sat there silently together, your eyes locked on your hands resting on the table - fingers lightly drumming against the smooth wood. You dared to glance up at Minho as the silence continued, finding his eyes locked on you. “S-so.” You found yourself stuttering out. Minho huffed, the corner of his lips upturning ever so slightly.

“So.” He replied. “It’s nice to know you’re not dead.” You winced at that, eyes quickly turning back to your hands as guilt washed over you. You had that coming with the way you had left. There had been times you thought you should go back or write them a note or get in touch in some way to let them know you were alright. But you just...didn’t.

“I’m sorry.” It was the only rational thought you had - to apologize.

“We just want to know why.” There was a sense of desperation in his tone and it struck a chord with you. That was just so un-Minho like and he was expressing it to you . Your head snapped back up, eyes wide as you took in his features and while his face was still schooled, all the emotions you needed to read were in his eyes. They were so expressive - more than you noticed before - and maybe this was Minho’s way of trying to express himself without having to verbally express himself.

“I-“ the words died on your tongue because what were you supposed to say? You didn’t want to be a burden to them. That you didn’t want to have a repeat of that incident and incur Chan’s wrath again. All true thoughts and emotions you had, but now they felt so stupid. In what was probably one of the rarest moments of compassion you’ve witnessed from Minho, the alpha reached out and took hold of your hand, holding it gently and caressing the back of your hand with his thumb.

“I’m not gonna judge, I promise.” And that sweet scent of mint and eucalyptus filled your nose. You were worried it was too strong and that perhaps you would be kicked out of the cafe because of it, but the thought was only fleeting as you let yourself succumb to the calming pheromones surrounding you.

“I was scared.” You finally whispered, eyes refusing to meet his. “I got yelled at by Chan, and Jisung was ...” you trailed off, swallowing thickly as your throat was suddenly very dry. “I felt like such a burden and so I just left.” Lifting your gaze, you stared at Minho, trying to gauge his reaction to your confession but it was hard. The cold, stoic mask he always wore was still perfectly in place. “I thought it would be best. I was a stranger in your home, just making everything worse for your pack.”

“How were you making things worse?” Minho question.

Your jaw dropped and you floundered for an answer. “Well because - I -“

“Because you went into heat?” Minho interrupted and you nodded your head quickly. That was exactly the reason. If you hadn’t gone into heat, things wouldn’t have gotten so complicated. Maybe you would have still felt like you were a part of their pack. “Y/n you didn’t make things ‘ worse’  because of that.” Minho snorted and gave your hand a reassuring squeeze. “Yes, having an omega around was new to all of us, but you didn’t mess up anything between the members of the pack.”

“But Chan-“

“Was most likely looking out for you.” Minho said pointedly. “Heats and ruts can affect anyone’s judgement. I’m sure Chan did what he did to keep you from doing something you would regret later.” He explained, sighing softly. “Other people involved could have been hurt..”

“Hurt?” You asked, a small laugh leaving your lips. “I couldn’t have hurt anyone then. I could barely walk.” You waved him off, recalling just how weak and vulnerable you had felt. But with that memory came the memory of Jisung and how wonderful it felt to be touched by him. Wanted by him. God how you missed him so much. Not just because of the sexual chemistry you two had, but because of the friendship you had created. You had gotten so close.

“Mentally, Y/n.” Minho corrected and you cocked your head to the side, brows furrowed. Minho let out a sigh as he sat back in his chair. “It’s hard to tell you something, without making confessions that aren’t my own. But just know that no one was mad at you for what happened.” His vague answer only added to your confusion, because what in the hell did he mean by confessions? And why did that both excite you and terrify you at the same time? “We’ve been looking everywhere for you. We miss you and want you to come back.” He paused, and you could tell he was thinking over what to say next. You expected some sort of smart remark or maybe a poetic, insightful quote to come next. You absolutely weren’t expecting the plea that fell so easily from the other.

“Please, come home.”

——

Minho didn’t beg or throw a fit for you to go back. But those three little words that he uttered was more than enough to convince you to go back with him. That and you really wanted to go back anyway. You wanted to see the men you had left behind, that had cared for you and did their best to help get you acclimated to the shifter life. They had done a lot for you and in return you had done nothing for them. Except maybe hurt a couple of people mentally. You could only assume Minho meant Jisung and Chan - the two who had directly dealt with you when you were in your heat.

You were still battling yourself when you arrived back at the house. Nostalgia washed over you as you scanned the area - the trees still standing tall, bushels of flowers still decorating the path that led to the front door. The porch swing swayed ever so slightly from the light breeze and it truly felt like home. This was your home.

The door to the house swung open and a body rushed out and down the three little steps towards you. You barely recognized the figure before he collided with you, strong arms wrapping around your waist and hoisting you off the ground. “Y/n!”

“Jisung!” Laughter erupted from you as you wrapped your arms around his shoulders, returning the hug as your feet dangled off the ground. You didn’t mind that much as the beta had you trapped in his bear hug. “Hello.” You greeted. Placing you back on your feet, Jisung pulled back, frown set firmly on his face as he looked you over.

“Don’t ‘hello’ me! You’ve been gone for so long and we were so worried about you! Are you okay?!” Your chest tightened and your stomach twisted at his words, your eyes downcast as you shifted from foot to food.

“I’m fine.” You whispered.

“Are you sure? I mean you left, so you clearly weren’t fine. Was it because of what happened? I am so sorry!” Jisung rambled, withdrawing from you completely, hands clasped behind his back. “I’m sorry, Y/n.”

You bit your bottom lip, hating the distance that was put between you. You wanted to reach out to him and pull him back to you. But you stopped yourself, with a heavy heart. “Yes,” you watched his face fall and mentally kicked yourself. “But it’s not your fault Jisung. I-“ you sighed heavily, reaching up to rub your temple. “Can we talk about this in a bit? Please? I promise to explain everything, but can we go inside first?”

“Of course.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes like it normally would. He took a few steps backwards before turning and heading back to the house - the others gathered in the entry way already and watched you. You gave them a small smile and wave before making your way to them, Minho in tow - his calming scent wafting in the air.

It was very nerve wracking, to be back in the house. To have all 8 sets of eyes on you. The pressure to explain to them what happened had every nerve in your body on high alert. You felt ready to jump out of your skin and run for the hills. But running wasn’t the answer and you knew that. You tried that once and Minho found you. But even if he hadn’t found you, you probably would have gone back to them anyway. Despite what a burden you felt, they were still your family. They had taken you in and made you feel welcomed and loved in a way that your own family hadn’t ever done and never will attempt to do.

Seated on the couch, you let eyes move over every person, settling on Chan lastly and holding his gaze for probably what could be considered an uncomfortable amount of time. Eventually you tore your gaze away and leaned back. “Well,” you began, the words just tumble out of your mouth like damn breaking. Your explanation was met with silence, yet you didn’t feel like you weren’t being believed, which you were thankful for. Though you wished you had some sort of feedback to go with. While Minho had promised not to judge, that wasn’t the case with the other seven and after pissing off Chan, nearly sleeping with Jisung and up and leaving, you wouldn’t blame them if they did judge you.

"That...was a lot." Hyunjin finally spoke, spooking the majority of them that had grown used to the silence. "But it makes sense." he said quickly, his eyes moving back to stare at you. "I don't have any friends that are omegas, so I can't even imagine what you were going through." You only felt slightly relieved. While it seemed that your reasoning 'made sense' to them, it still didn't mean they forgave you for running off like that and that they weren't mad at you. You had watched Seungmin open and close his mouth several times throughout your explanation. It was clear he wanted to say something, but thought better of it. It was probably for the best too. Out of the eight of them, Seungmin didn't seem to have a filter most of the time. Whatever was on his mind was going to come tumbling out of his mouth and you were afraid that whatever it was he was going to say was really going to hurt you. Though, you probably deserved it.

"It's okay." You finally spoke up. "You don't have to imagine anything. I'm sorry for what I did and I understand if you don't want me here. It would probably be for the best-"

"Absolutely not!" Jisung protested, jumping up from his spot on the couch. "You're staying here!"

"Jisung." Chan warned and the beta spun around so fast you were afraid he was going to lose his balance. A heated glare was shot at the pack alpha; a glare that Chan didn't take to kindly of if the scent of alcohol that slowly began to fill the room was anything to go by.

"No." Jisung growled, head shaking violently. "I won't back down this time. She is staying here with us. She has to."

"She doesn't have to do anything." Chan countered as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What if she wants to leave? It's her choice Jisung."

"She wouldn't!" Jisung seemed adamant that you wouldn't leave and he wasn't wrong. If given the chance, you would stay. This was the only home you had, with the only people you knew in this city. Being back triggered so many memories and a need to make more of them. You wanted to stay. It was a little entertaining that they were talking about you like you weren't in the room, listening to them.

"You don't know that."

"I do!"

"Jisung, just because you like her doesn't mean she likes you back! You're not the only one that likes her either, so use your head for once." Chan snapped and the silence that followed was deafening. Despite coming from a very sheltered life in a small village, you weren't stupid or dense. You knew what a confession was and you were 100% sure that Chan just confessed - confessed that Jisung liked you.

'You're not the only one that likes her either.' Did that mean others liked you too? But why? You did absolutely nothing to garner any of their attention. You were honestly lucky that they simply put up with you like they did. To like you in any other capacity was simply too much in your eyes. And yet, that's exactly what Chan was alluding to. Well, not even alluding to, he just out right said it. Slowly, eyes turned to you and you squirmed slightly in your seat at having their undivided attention once more. "Um..."

What were you supposed to say to that? Granted, it's not like you haven't thought of being with any of them, because you had, especially during your heat. That hardship of your life had you discovering things about yourself that you otherwise wouldn't have thought twice about. Mostly about how you lived with 8 handsome men that you wouldn't mind dating. Each of them had attributes that you admired and were so sweet and kind in their own regard. It was a dream, mostly, though reality didn't seem to be too far off now.

Maybe it was because you didn't actually say anything, or maybe it was because Chan outed Jisung, but whatever the reason, Jisung ran out of the room and upstairs - the lingering scent of wet dirt disgustingly wafting after him; a clear sign of his distress. No one dared move though, tension rising at different scents mixed and mingled in the air until it was nearly suffocating to breath. The deathly silence only broke as Chan exhaled long and hard.

" Fuck ."

———

When Minho entered the bedroom, he was inundated with the scent of wet dirt. It was absolutely disgusting and he held his nose as he slowly approached the bed. Jisung was curled up under his blanket, body slightly trembling and if Minho focused enough, he could hear the soft sniffles. A heavy sigh left him as he took a seat on the edge of it, reaching out to smooth his hand over Jisung’s side.

“Baby-“

“Go away.” The hoarse voice had Minho’s chest tightening and he mentally cursed Chan for making the soft beta cry like this. Second only to Hyunjin, Jisung was a sensitive man who usually masked his insecurities and fears with laughter. But not this time, and Minho completely understood. Things were tense and complicated and information that wasn’t ready to be presented yet was just thrown out without a care. And there was no positive or negative answer, which Minho would dare say was worse than being outright rejected.

It was limbo.

“Sungie,” Minho tried again, hand moving up to gently pet what he hoped was the top of Jisung’s head. He could feel the other trembling beneath his fingertips, Minho’s instincts screaming at him to wrap himself around the smaller male and scent him until the beta could calm down. But that wasn’t what Jisung needed right now. Later perhaps.  “I know this wasn’t the best scenario-“

“No shit.” Jisung scoffed, head popping out from under the blanket, eyes narrowed at the other. “He just outed us...outed me like it was nothing. Like I’m nothing.”

“You know that’s not true.” Minho assured quickly, frowning. “That’s not how Channie thinks of any of us.”

There was a beat of silence.

“But?”

“But I think he’s just as confused as we are and struggling to come to terms with his own feelings and a solution to this whole situation.”

“The solution is to keep her with us, forever.” Jisung said finitely.

“It’s not that simple, Ji and I know you know that.” Minho sighed, a soft smile playing on his lips as Jisung frowned at him, eyes averted to the side. “But that doesn’t mean we give up hope. There’s a possibility things can work out. We just have to give it time. She just came back and now with the confession thrown at her, I’m sure Y/n is just as confused.” Leave it to Minho to talk logically. The other had always been good at that, one of the many reasons why Chan trusted him so much.

“But I want things to be better now.” It wasn’t a whine, but Minho couldn’t help but equate it to a petulant child that wasn’t getting his way - even if that was far from how Jisung was actually acting.

“I know. But life isn’t like the movies or those smutty fanfics you like to read. Things aren’t going to be instantly better. Relationships take a lot of effort and work and time. Especially a poly relationship like we’re trying to build. You have to be patient.”

Jisung groaned as he rolled onto his back, tangling himself more into his blankets as he stared at the ceiling. “ I guess .” He looked over to Minho, smiling at him. “If I have to.”

“Yes, you have to.” Minho deadpanned and shook his head. “Rest okay? I’ll go check on the others.”

“Aw, such a good alpha.” Jisung cooed and Minho rolled his eyes at him.

“Brat.”

“Yes, but your brat.”

“ Our brat.” Minho corrected and the flush on Jisung’s cheeks didn’t go unnoticed, even as the other tried to hide back under his blanket. Laughing, Minho left the room and made his rounds through the house to do what he considered “damage” control. He just hoped nothing was broken yet.

———

Well the good thing was, nothing was broken. But that was mainly due to the fact that Chan had up and left the house before anything could be done or said. You weren’t sure if that was necessarily a good thing, but with the pack alpha gone, you certainly felt more at ease. Left with three betas and two alphas, the room was a lot less constricting to you, body instantly relaxing back against the couch as you tried to process what had happened.

Your goal had been to go home with Minho, apologize and explain your irrational, illogical thinking and then hope that you would be accepted back. You were, however, ready to be rejected. You never thought that you would actually gain a confession from the whole process, which was probably the most illogical thing that could have happened.

How? And Why?

Those were the two questions that kept circulating in your brain and no amount of deep “soul searching” was yielding answers. You could ask the others for answers, but a part of you wasn’t sure if you were ready to face them and have that talk with them yet. You could understand how you would like so many attractive men at once and you were hoping that it was something considered "normal" given where and how you grew up. But just because you found yourself attracted to multiple men at once didn't mean that you wanted to be with them - even though it appeared that they wanted to be with you. Again, why and how?

How would that even work? You were one female amongst eight males. Granted you didn't excel in your math classes back home, but common sense was telling you that this equation wasn't adding up. They would have to share you, wouldn't they? Being passed between them like a piece of meat. A shudder ran through you and you quickly pushed that thought away because that was just not appealing. Jealousy was another factor that crossed your mind as you sat there. From what information the others had bestowed upon you, alphas tended to be very territorial with items or people they claimed for themselves, so how could four alphas be able and willing to share?

Were they willing to share? Had these men even talked to each other about the dynamic?

Groaning softly, you leaned forward, resting your head in your hands, fingers pressed against your throbbing temples as you tried to stave off the headache you felt coming on. So caught up in your thoughts, you honestly forgot there were still people in the room with you - which caught you off guard as a body sat next to you stiffly, a slight sour scent wafting from them. Lifting your head, you looked over at Jeongin, a soft smile playing on your lips at the simple sight of the other. The youngest member of this pack and barely a year into being an alpha, Jeongin had become a precious friend to you, one that you had thought was like a little brother. And it would be weird to like your brother, right?

"You can relax." You whispered and watched him visibly deflate next to you, his eyes closing for a split second before fluttering back open.  Your eyes locked as Jeongin smiled shyly.

“I’m glad your back Y/n.” Your cheeks flushed, heart skipping a few beats as you looked down at couch cushions. Why did you react like that? It’s not like he was professing his love for you. He was just expressing appreciation that you were back. Just a friend happy that his friend had returned, that’s all it was. You were sure you were only reacting like this because of what had been said and had Chan not made his confession, you wouldn’t be acting like this.

You just needed to get a hold of yourself.

“I’m glad too.” You replied, smiling wide at him. “Thank you for wanting to keep me around.”

“Well, that was mostly Jisung.” Hyunjin teased as he flopped down next to Jeongin, lanky legs wrapping around the other male. And while Jeongin whined and protested as loudly as he could, he did absolutely nothing to push Hyunjin away. A fact that you would have probably overlooked before but right now, you were so hyper-aware of every little thing that the act was practically a screaming alarm. “He missed you most. Not that we didn’t miss you, because we did! He just…” Hyunjin trailed off and you giggled, shaking your head.

“I get it. I missed him a lot too.” Your eyes moved over the two of them and slowly drifted to the other three men who were staying oddly quietly. “I missed you guys too. I’m really sorry-“

“You already apologized.” Felix interrupted. “And explained and we forgive you. Let’s not dwell on this anymore okay? Only happy conversations from now on.” The conviction in Felix’s voice had you nodding. “Alright, to celebrate your return, I’m going to go bake us cookies!”

“Cookies?” Seungmin perked up, a wide grin spreading over his lips. “I’ll help!” He quickly trailed after Felix as the beta made his way to the kitchen.

“Oh no you don’t! You two can’t be trusted in the kitchen anymore without adult supervision!” Changbin called, following like an eager puppy and you briefly wondered what the two had done that now required supervision.  But on second thought, it was probably better you didn’t ask.

Rustling besides you pulled your attention back to the two cuddling next to you and you realized that the sour smell was gone and there was nothing but sweet lavender and jasmine filling the air. It was heavenly. You had missed their scents so much, nearly dependent on how those scents relaxed you - almost kept you grounded. Hyunjin and Jeongin were so cute to watch too, with Hyunjin practically curled around Jeongin like a professional contortionist.

“Where’s Chan?” The three of you jumped, heads whipping around towards Minho’s voice. Said male’s brows were furrowed as he stood there, looking around.

“He left.” Hyunjin hummed lightly. “I think to get some air.”

“Well, that’s not gonna help the situation.” Minho huffed and crossed his arms. “Jinnie, can you please go find him? We need to straighten this shit out.”

“I can go get him.” You volunteered, standing quickly.

“Y/n.”

“No, it’s my fault, right? Because this is all over me? Let me go find him first.”

Minho looked you over, brow raising as your eyes met. You didn’t dare to look away, trying hard to convey what your plan was just through your eyes. You weren’t sure if it worked, but Minho nodded nonetheless and you let out your breath, a smile climbing onto your lips. “But be fast. There are active hunters around and it’s getting late.” Something flashed across Minho’s face as he said that, left hand twitching slightly. But as quick as it came, it was gone and his neutral, straight mask was back in place. “If you need us, howl.”

You nodded and made a quick exit out of the house. You weren’t sure how to howl yet - that wasn’t something you had been taught yet. But you were sure if you were in danger and really needed any of them, your wolf would take over and know what to do. At least you hoped it would.

Outside, you stood on the front porch, not entirely sure which way Chan had run off. There was something inside telling you to go right, deeper into the surrounding forest, so you followed it, heading down the winding trail that led to the river. You had only been there twice, and both times you had the entire pack with you. This time, the walk down seemed longer and scarier and you weren’t sure why. Any sound had you jumping and looking - hoping that it was Chan, but prepared for it to be some sort of serial killer or something. The way your brain went directly to horror movie scenarios was scary.

In any other situation, you probably would have marveled at the nature that surrounded you. The sounds, the sights, and the smells. Everything was still very bright, vivid, and strong to your senses and it never ceased to amaze you just how wonderful nature could be in this form.

Reaching the river five minutes later, you were surprised to see nothing. No Chan. No tracks. Nothing. You sighed; running a hand through your hair as you turned in a circle, scanning the area. You were sure Chan had gone this way, but apparently, he hadn’t and you had no idea where else he could be. Chan wasn’t the type to get angry often, so how and where he would go to calm down wasn’t known. This was only an assumption based on the fact that Hyunjin said Chan had left.

Left to where though?

Defeated and overwhelmed with guilt, you began your trek back to the house, intent on just waiting for Chan’s return. You needed to catch up with the others anyway, so it’s not like you would be bored. Halfway back, a twig snapped and you froze instantly. Minho’s words replayed in your mind as you carefully scanned the area, searching for the source of the noise. There was nothing, yet you felt like you were being watched - all of your senses on high alert.  Your muscles tensed, ready to run when a voice called out.

“Don’t go.”

Your head snapped to the left - the opposite direction you had been looking in - and your eyes landed on Chan. His cheeks were red, a light sheen of sweat coating his face and if you looked hard enough, you could see his chest heaving with slightly labored breaths. He looked absolutely divine and you had to tell yourself to calm down. “Chan.”

“What are you doing out here, Y/n?” He asked, slowly approaching you.

“Looking for you.” You shrugged, clasping your hands together and fiddling with your thumbs. “Minho wanted you to come home, so we can talk about…” you trailed off, looking to the side casually. “…what happened.”

“Must we?” Chan chuckled and you looked back at him, watching as he rubbed the back of his neck lightly. It seemed like a nervous tic really. “I was hoping we could forget what happened.”

You frowned, taking a step towards him while shaking your head. “I don’t want to forget.” You told him. “There is a lot to unpack with what you said, but I want to unpack it. With everyone.” Staring into his eyes, you smiled warmly at him, gaining a wary smile in return.

“Y/n, do you have any idea what you're saying?”

“Absolutely none.” You grinned. “But talking about everything will help me understand, right? Talking is what we need to do. Please, Chan?”

You had a stare-off, neither of you blinking or pulling away. You were testing each other, to prove how serious you were on this topic. Eventually, Chan nodded and held out his hand, which you gladly took.

“Alright then. Let’s go home and talk.”