Chapter Text
“I’m sorry” Changbin blinked at his pack leader, hoping that he had misunderstood the words that had come out of the man’s mouth “I what now?”
Chan inhaled deeply before shifting in his seat, making himself more comfortable before continuing with his theory.
“I believe, based on what you are telling me, that you have bonded with Felix. Inadvertently-” He said tentatively, his voice calm as he carefully regarded the young alpha “-which, obviously, because much like love, it is not something you choose but something that overcomes you”
“Wait” Hyunjin interrupted, his eyebrows knitted together into a frown and his eyes distant as he remembered the name Chan had uttered “Mila? Your friend that died? You had mentioned something about her having bonded, I remember that. But you never explained what it meant. Not that I asked either…”
“I’m sorry, who’s Mila?” Jisung looked between the three, confusion dripping off of his small face.
“Oh right” Hyunjin grimaced guiltily “You were sleeping then…”
“Sleeping when?” Jisung’s voice pitched as he leaned away from Hyunjin to try and see his face, his tone almost offended as he slowly came to the realization that everyone was in on the details except for him “Seriously, sleeping when? Who is Mila? And what questionnaire?”
Changbin and Hyunjin exchanged nervous glances at the impatient tone Jisung’s voice had taken before both turned their eyes towards Chan who had run a tired hand over his face. He leaned back over the backrest of the chair with his arms and locked his eyes on Jisung’s fidgeting frame.
“I’m sorry, squirrel. One of the nights when you were in the throes of your latest rut, Bin, Jinnie and I happened to run into each other outside” He said calmly before he started to recount the conversation that had taken place at the campfire that night, including how cagey Hyunjin had been and why Chan had been there in the first place. And the scarlet hung onto every word.
“I fucking knew it” Changbin mumbled “You nearly gave me a heart attack that night, and I wasn’t even going to sneak out that day”
Chan shrugged lightly “You would do the same if you had caught on to one of us continuously sneaking out in the middle of the night. And I was very much planning on confronting you until Hyunjin started his whole ‘what about love’ spiel. Which is exactly why I dropped the issue because that’s what led me to believe you were the secret. I realize now that I couldn’t have been farther from the truth.”
“Seriously. No, thank you” Hyunjin grimaced followed by a yelp when Changbin kicked him in the shin with an unimpressed scowl.
“I’m really sorry about your friend…” Jisung breathed after he had let the whole story sink in “But for fucks sake, hyung. With all due respect, what the fuck is wrong with your clan? And that’s coming from me, which is saying something.”
“That’s exactly what I said!” Hyunjin squealed, throwing his hands in the air “I’ve met some egotistical people in my life, but none of those hold a candle to the shit-show that is Chan’s clan! Respectfully…”
He quickly added the last part directed towards Chan who chuckled lightly at the antics and Changbin failed to stifle his own smile for he knew that Chan thought the exact same thing about his clan and his father times a thousand.
“Anyway” The beta huffed lightly, his cheeks dusted a soft shade of pink “You said your friend had bonded with her love, that they had loved each other enough in order for that to happen. So am I right in assuming you know exactly what bonding is, hyung?”
Chan regarded the question and tilted his head to the side in consideration.
“I can’t say that I know exactly what it is since I have never bonded myself, but I know enough” he said tentatively “When Mila was still alive, I had asked my mother about bonding after Mila had told me about what she was experiencing. And given that she had never bonded with my father, because naturally they fucking hated each other, she was more than happy to tell me what she did know about it.”
“This type of bond is different from the one that we know as pack bonding which only occurs when one receives a pack mark, the one that allows us to understand each other in and out of wolf form and grants us the knowledge of knowing the other pack members are safe to a certain degree” He started explaining slowly “But the one I am referring to now is something that grows within a wolf when they find a potential mate. A fated mate, if I may. It links two souls together in a way that surpasses the physical and borders the psychological in ways that pack bonds could only ever scratch the surface of. When two people bond, the link they come to share becomes the foundation of their relationship. They say often that communication is key within any relationship. Well, when two people have bonded, that bond serves as the base of said communication and everything that lies beyond it. Mainly because you can feel what the other is feeling without having to prompt, no matter how far away one is from the other. And much like love, a bond starts small. And the stronger the relationship between the two becomes, the deeper the bond buries itself into their hearts”
“So a bond happens between two people who feel the same? Or can It happen to anyone and with anyone?” Hyunjin asked carefully, his eyes resting on Changbin knowingly as he watched the elder’s face grow more confused by the second.
“Granted, one person can experience multiple bonds in one lifetime if the previous bond happens to break, but it is unheard of for bonds to overlap. However, a bond only happens when the two people are ‘meant to be’ so to speak” Chan air quoted quickly “Almost like how a lot of people like to throw around the word ‘soulmate’. It’s very similar to that. Two souls who find each other and who just match , almost like the heavens willed them to be together. It’s always a two way street. A bond can not be born unless the feelings are reciprocated--”
“Stop” Changbin held up his hand and Chan clamped his mouth shut “I’m going to stop you right there. Because that, quite frankly, is ludicrous”
“Why do you think that?” Chan asked with a small tilt to the head, his eyes searching the alpha’s face.
“Because it’s Felix” Changbin said with an airy scoff as he shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny “You haven’t seen him, hyung. You telling me that I bonded with someone like that is like telling me that you went galivanting with the moon spirits last night. It’s absurd”
“Why would that be absurd? How are you so sure that it isn’t?” Chan asked, his eyes furrowed together lightly at the alpha’s words.
“I don’t know, hyung” Changbin threw his hands up in defeat, his eyes downcast as he tried to gather his thoughts “How are you so sure that it is?”
“The reason I’m so sure, Bin” Chan spoke up after a couple of seconds of eyeing the young alpha carefully “Is because Mila told me all about how it felt for her, how she experienced it and how the link they shared allowed them to feel each other. And the way you are describing it… It’s like listening to her all over again. So why are you so opposed to the idea?”
“Because, like I said, you haven’t seen him, hyung” Changbin said as he looked up “And you giving me hope like this is only going to break my heart if it turns out to be something else and being one sided, much like what I already expect it to be…”
“Why would I have to see him for that?” Chan asked with a light tilt of the head, eyebrows drawn together in confusion.
“Because Felix is too good to be true, hyung. I am but a dust particle floating around in the rays of dazzling light he emits. Him willing to be my friend is already something I still can’t wrap my head around.” Changbin answered softly “But bonding? Who am I kidding?”
“Oh for fucks sake!” Hyunjin’s thin strung patience finally snapped as he rolled his eyes with a loud groan, no longer able to keep his mouth shut and all eyes in the room snapping into his direction “I know you’re blind, hyung. But this is getting ridiculous. You need to stop working out so much because your muscles have become so big that they’ve swallowed up the remaining pieces of walnut that used to be your brain.”
“Excuse me?” Changbin gaped at the beta incredulously as the youngest alpha hid his face into the blonde’s neck to muffle his soft snickers.
“In case you haven't noticed, hyung, you're hot as fuck.” Hyunjin stated with a light scowl shot into the aegean alpha's direction, Chan and Jisung both mumbling and nodding in agreement in the background “You’re a fine piece of wolf who can flip a buffalo with his bare hands, your fur is stunning beyond comprehension, your ass was sculpted by the moon spirits just to spite everyone else. You are kind and sweet and smart. And the amount of love you have to offer to the people you care about is so much that you can barely contain it in that little body of yours. You are handsome and you’re cute and you listen really well when someone needs an ear because you’re caring and gentle.”
Hyunjin took a deep breath to steady his heart as he continued to rip Changbin a new one, the latter staring at him with his jaw hanging slightly slack and a trace of tears glazing his eyes.
“So what he looks like he belongs in a fairy tale story book? You would fit into his story perfectly because if you were to see what we see when you two are around each other you would do nothing but marvel at the sight. You’re the whole package, hyung. And the fact that you can’t see that, that you think he is above you is fucking heart breaking to hear.” He continued with his hand over his heart, his eyes pained as they bore through Changbin’s skull.
“And, since you so obviously haven’t noticed, Felix is so into you, that it’s nauseating and hurts to fucking watch. And the fact that you still haven’t noticed that is infuriating” He exclaimed tiredly as he pursed his lips in frustration “Innie and I have been keeping our mouths shut because we wanted to let you two figure it out on your own, but the two of you are so wrapped up in your own insecurities that you seem to choose to be blind to what’s right in front of you!”
He snapped the last part heatedly before pushing himself back into Jisung’s chest.
“Sheesh. You’re on a real roll today, Jin” Chan spoke up after a couple of seconds of silence, his eyes resting on Changbin who just continued to stare at Hyunjin like he had been slapped in the face.
“When is he ever not on a roll?” Jisung mused playfully, his lips leaving small loving kisses behind Hyunjin’s ear “He’s a rockstar”
“I’m just stating facts” Hyunjin huffed, a small pout on his face as he tried to stifle the bashful smile that threatened to take over his face after all the praise, his coffee scent sweet as he tilted his head ever so lightly to allow Jisung more space for his ministrations.
“He’s right, you know” Changbin’s eyes snapped over towards Chan when the elder had spoken, shrinking at the pointed look he was receiving “You need to not cut yourself so short. You are an amazing person with an even more amazing heart to boot. This Felix would be lucky to have you. And considering Hyunjin’s words here, I would bet my pinkie that he thinks the exact same thing”
Changbin felt his bottom lip tremble and pulled his knees up to his chest, burying his face in his arms with a loud groan.
“The lot of you will be the death of me one day” he sniffled after a few silent seconds.
But even within his embarrassment of all the unprompted compliments and love, he couldn’t help but focus on Chan’s explanation, Hyunjin’s insane confession and what their words would mean for him. All of it felt like it was too good to be true. On top of that, it felt like the universe was playing some type of sick twisted game with his head and heart. Because all this time he had been stalling because he was so entranced by Felix that he had put himself in the omega’s shadow. And for what?
And now his pack was telling him that Felix felt the same way about Changbin as Changbin had felt about Felix, all this time? Considering the fact that it had been ages since the tug first appeared, if he were to believe Chan’s words, then the apparent mutual feelings had been there for a long time. Just sitting out in the open and not being addressed all because of fear. Fear that now seemed so meaningless in the great scheme of things.
‘I don’t want to create something just for me to lose it, hyung…’
Hyunjin’s words from last night echoed through his brain like thunder and sent a wave of crushing defeat to wash over him. This is what the beta had been referring to. Now, Changbin knew more than he should have. And the only thing he wanted to do was to take Felix in his arms. But nothing he would or could do now, was going to grant him that wish. He had lost him and he had no idea how he was going to even attempt to get him back.
He felt the tug pull at his chest ever so lightly and clenched his fist in frustration. And as he thought about Chan’s words he focused on the tug and mentally willed for it to stop hurting, calling out Felix’s name in his head in an attempt to help ease his heart.
But it backfired seconds later when the tug constricted painfully in response, his fist clenching tighter and nails digging into his skin as the pain spread through his heart like venom. For Changbin had unknowingly and inadvertently caused the omega on the other side of the territory border to desperately and silently call out his name in between the sobs that plagued the younger’s sleep.
--
Seungmin softly and repeatedly banged the back of his head against the wall of the cottage from where he sat slumped on the bench in front of the fireplace, Jeongin running circles in his mind as the beta kept his eyes trained on the stairs down the hall.
It had been days since Minho had returned with the two omegas and neither of them had left their respective rooms since. Minho’s stubbornness was something that expanded beyond the bonds of blood in this pack. The pack leader would check on the duo every now and then without allowing himself into the room, with the exception of when the elder would bring them food.
And Seungmin was yet to approach Jeongin in order to sort out their issues. But Seungmin was still angry. Not so much angry as hurt, but still angry. And the fact that he was worried about his injury didn’t help the restlessness that had settled so deep into the beta’s bones that he felt like he had aged about 34 years in just a few days.
Just as the front door opened, he failed to suppress a large yawn and when he opened his eyes, he was met by a set of ice blue orbs eying him worriedly.
“When was the last time you slept properly, Min?” Minho asked cautiously as he deposited the basket of eggs on the kitchen table and moved over to the bench.
“Gee, I don’t know. In my past life, maybe?” Seungmin said tiredly as he scooted over to allow Minho to sit next to him, allowing the elder to guide his head down onto his lap. He looked up at Minho who started running his fingers through his hair gently, his eyes knowing as he stared down at Seungmin sternly.
“Please, I know okay. You don’t have to say anything” Seungmin rolled his eyes and turned his head to bury his nose into the elder’s stomach, avoiding the disapproving look he was receiving “Besides, you haven’t talked to them either”
“I am trying to give them space until they are ready to talk. I don’t want what happened with Felix, to happen again. Plus, I am also trying to reel in my own frustrations” Minho answered pointedly “You are just avoiding”
“I am not avoiding anything” Seungmin mumbled, frustration bubbling in his stomach. Frustration which was not aimed at Minho, but at himself. Because the truth was, the omega was right, Seungmin was avoiding. Avoiding having to talk to Jeongin, avoiding his anger about the whole situation, avoiding how hurt he felt by his best friend consciously choosing not to confide in him and, most of all, avoiding his fear of learning about everything that happened in these past months behind their backs.
“You need to stop beating yourself up” Minho spoke softly, the feeling of his fingers in Seungmin’s hair threatening to lull the younger to sleep “Jeongin is just as torn about how you left things as you are, I’m sure. And I know he is not going to be the one to seek you out. One, because he’s just as stubborn as you-”
“You’re the one to talk” Seungmin scoffed, receiving a flick to the ear in retaliation.
“-and two, because he knows you’re mad at him” Minho continued unbothered “You two survived hell together. Don’t you think that maybe he has a reason for not having told you?”
“Yeah, I’m no longer as important to him as I once was” Seungmin said softly as he nuzzled his face deeper into Minho’s stomach, relaxing at the white rose scent that clung both to the elder and his clothes.
“You and I both know that that is the farthest thing from the truth, Kim Seungmin” Minho quipped as he let his hand stroke over the side of Seungmin’s face “Green is not a good colour on you, pup”
“I’m not jealous” Seungmin frowned as he turned to meet Minho’s unimpressed stare “I’m not! I just, I don’t know… I feel like maybe I did something to let him down. That I fumbled the ball and now he no longer feels like he needs me”
“Seungmin-ah” Minho reprimanded sternly, his hand moving up to pinch the beta’s nose, drawing out a small yelp from the latter as he tried to swat Minho’s hand away “Don’t say such things. God. If that were true, that boy wouldn’t love you the way he does. Felix and Jeongin are free spirits and you know as well as I do that they love getting into trouble. No offense, but I have grown 50 grey hairs since you two stumbled into our lives and those two miscreants found each other. And their friendship doesn’t diminish what you have in the slightest.”
Seungmin sighed deeply, turning his face back into Minho’s stomach, not wanting to confront the issue. The issue that it wasn’t Felix he was worried about.
“You need to tell him how you feel, pup” Minho said as he pushed the boy’s hair behind his ear, gently carding his fingers through the locks again “tell him what you told me and I bet you my pinkie that he will probably smack you for even daring to even think that”
Seungmin snorted lightly, his eyelids drooping heavily at his pack leader’s soft ministrations before he succumbed to his exhaustion and fell into a dreamless sleep.
The beta found himself leaning against the wall opposite of Jeongin’s bedroom door hours later, debating on how to approach the situation in a way that wouldn’t end up in a screaming match. And by the time he had bitten his bottom lip so raw that he could taste the metallic tinge of blood on his tongue, he finally decided to brace himself and just take the plunge as he stepped towards the door.
He gently let his knuckles knock on the door a couple of times, placing his hand on the handle as he waited for a response. But after almost half a minute of silence and not a single sound of acknowledgement coming from the room, Seungmin frowned and knocked again. But the response never came.
He could smell the soggy caramel scent wafting up from under the door where he stood, and knew the boy was in his room. Which meant that Jeongin could smell him standing out here. He let out a sigh and knocked one final time, pushing down the frustration bubbling in his stomach as he placed his hand on the handle again.
“I’m coming in, Jeongin. I know you’re in there” He huffed lightly, closing his eyes and shaking his head when he was yet again met with stubborn silence.
He pushed open the door and let his eyes travel around the room, finding his person of interest seated on the bed. But before he could lean against the door frame, anger flared within his stomach and he blinked at the sight in front of him.
Jeongin was sitting on the bed, back leaning against the headboard and legs tucked up so close to his chest that he was resting his chin on his knees with his arms locked firmly around his legs for support.
“Innie…” Seungmin gasped “You can’t sit like that, you need to let your ribs heal properly!”
“Why the fuck do you care?” Jeongin answered coldly, his eyes briefly looking up to meet Seungmin’s gaze with an emotionless glare.
Seungmin blinked at the hostility, jaw tensing and nostrils flaring as he felt the string of patience that he had been holding onto snap before he turned and all but slammed the door shut. He whirled around and faced the omega before advancing on him like a bull, previous composure completely out the window. So much for wanting to go about this peacefully. He closed in on the omega and forcefully pulled the younger’s legs down to give his ribcage the space to breathe and heal properly before straightening himself up.
“You do not get to talk to me like that!” Seungmin hissed heatedly, all the anger he had tried to push down the past few days rushing back to the surface within the span of mere seconds “You do not get to lash out at me for being mad at you, Yang Jeongin. I’m not the one who went behind your back to go gallivanting with strangers in the middle of the fucking night!”
Jeongin’s gaze has shifted back to the foot of his bed, unwilling to meet Seungmin’s eyes where he stood a few feet away from the younger.
“And then you go and pull the most mind-blowingly idiotic stunt known to wolfkind and jump in front of Minho in the middle of an attack!?” Seungmin threw his arm out towards the door in exasperation “You cracked your ribs, Jeongin! You could have snapped them, you could have punctured a lung or worse! And all because of what? A bunch of people who you barely even know!?”
In his rant, Seungmin missed how Jeongin’s lip twitched at the words, tears filling the younger’s eyes as he continued to refuse to look up.
“And then you have the audacity to sit here and expect me to, what? Praise you for your stupidity!?” The beta continued, everything he had been sitting on coming out in a force akin to a volcano eruption “You do not get to be mad at me for being angry, Jeongin. And you certainly do not get to dictate what I do or do not care about. You got yourself hurt! And I have been killing myself because I wanted to check on you but I couldn't without blowing up at you! So far for that fucking plan!”
“Then why did you come here?” the omega asked, his voice distant.
“Because I was worried about you! And I am so fucking angry at you that I want to break something. And I am disappointed in you for doing something so foolish. And I want to know what is going on inside of that head of yours!” Seungmin threw his hands up in the air “This isn’t you! Your usual shenanigans with Lix aside, this isn’t you! You are not this reckless. You are always the voice of reason, you make the right decisions!”
“Nobody asked you to worry about me. I don’t need your worry” Jeongin said coldly, his face still devoid of emotion as he continued to stare at the foot of the bed.
“You don’t need my worry or you don’t need me?” Seungmin asked in a tone that mirrored the younger’s, his chest moving up and down rapidly as he tried to catch his breath after his rant “Is that how expandable I am? You find new people to entertain you and suddenly I’m no longer needed?”
Jeongin’s head snapped up at that, eyes wide in disbelief as he regarded the beta.
“What…?”
“I asked you, months ago , what was going on. You told me you had an argument with Lix and I asked you… and you made the choice not to answer. To deflect.” Seungmin said, his voice eerily calm and stone cold “I asked you, and you took our promise and broke it without even blinking. And now Felix is a mess, you’re injured and Minho is torn because he has no idea where he went wrong in order for you two to make the decisions that you did. You could have been killed, Jeongin”
“I… I didn’t--” Jeongin stammered, tears now running down his face.
“You didn’t what? You didn’t mean it?” Seungmin scoffed “Is that why it’s been going on for months? If Minho hadn’t caught on… would you have stopped?”
Jeongin’s lip trembled and he opened his mouth but not a single word came out, his eyes desperately searching Seungmin’s for anything other than the heartbreak that had settled there.
“Yeah… That’s what I thought” Seungmin said after a few excruciatingly long seconds, his shoulder slumping in defeat “You made choices, Innie. And you chose them…over us. Over me.”
He turned to leave, feeling like someone had reached into his chest and was holding onto his heart with such a soul crushing grip that it sent waves of pain shooting up and down his limbs. This is what he had been scared of, walking in here holding all that anger so close to his heart, this is what he had wanted to avoid by staying away. He had wanted to come and talk things through, not make things worse.
Before he could get far, he felt two hands wrap around his wrist in a desperate attempt to pull him back and even though he wanted nothing more than to walk out and wallow in his self-pity, he allowed them to halt his steps.
“Hyung, wait p-please! P-please don’t leave. I’m sorry” Jeongin sniffled, the cold and emotionless tone he had so stubbornly been holding onto crumbling to the floor along with his tears “I’m s-sorry. I didn’t mean to let you down, hyung”
Seungmin allowed himself to be guided down onto the bed by the younger’s firm grip before he finally looked up and met Jeongin’s desperate eyes. And a piece of his heart cracked at the sight. He didn’t want Jeongin to cry anymore. Especially not by his hands. One thing he had vowed he would never let happen, yet here he was.
“Hyung, I’m sorry.” Jeongin cried as his hands shifted from the elder’s wrist to take hold of both his hands “Everything just happened so fast and I didn’t mean to lie but I also didn’t want to worry you and then everything just… escalated. I’m sorry, hyung. I can’t stand you being mad at me. And I miss you. And I know I fucked up! I’m sorry, okay? If I could go back in time and change it, I would”
“Why didn’t you tell me when I asked you?” Seungmin asked after swallowing the lump in his throat at the sight of Jeongin’s tears “Why didn’t you come to me for help?”
“I was scared…” Jeongin sniffled, a hiccup raking through his body violently as his grip on Seungmin’s hands tightened.
“Of what?” Seungmin asked carefully, his eyebrows drawing together.
“I was scared that you would run to Minho and that I would let Felix down…” Jeongin answered truthfully, another set of tears running down his face as his eyes looked down at Seungmin’s hands.
“Do you really think so little of me…?” Seungmin asked, unable to keep the disbelief out of his voice and his heart breaking when Jeongin looked up at him with his eyes wide “Do you really think me to be that untrustworthy? That I would do something like that without consulting you?”
“No, hyung” Jeongin shook his head, his eyes pleading as he pulled on Seungmin’s hands “I just… I don’t know. I know you don’t like lying, especially to Minho…”
“You’re right. I don’t. And I wouldn’t have been able to” Seungmin said as he freed one of his hands and gently wiped at the younger’s face in an attempt to clear his cheeks from the almost permanent tear stains “But I would have been able to help you. We could have found a way to convince Minho of something, anything . Because I would do anything for you, Jeongin. Anything if it meant keeping you happy”
Jeongin stifled a sob as he leaned into the beta’s touch, his eyes never leaving the elder’s eyes.
“And I don’t know what I did or where I went wrong in our friendship to let you down enough for you to ever believe otherwise…” Seungmin added, eyes falling down to his lap together with his hand. But before he could reclaim Jeongin’s grasp, the younger had pulled his hands back as if the beta had burned him and had lashed out, his hand harshly coming into contact with Seungmin’s shoulder.
“How. dare you. fucking. say that!?” Jeongin smacked the elder’s arm repeatedly at every pause as an emphasis to his words, his teeth grinding together dangerously “You idiot!”
Ow- OW! YAH!” Seungmin quickly reached out to grab onto Jeongin’s arms and pushed them down, holding them restrained against his sides all the while mindful of the younger’s injuries. “What the hell!?”
“First you say that I replaced you, that I don’t need you and now this bullshit!?” Jeongin’s tear filled eyes had gone from sorrowful to ready for war within two seconds as he stared down the beta in front of him “Has your stubbornness corroded through your fucking frontal lobe!? How dare you say something like that?”
“I…” Seungmin stammered, struggling to find the words and feeling his face heat up in embarrassment as he slowly let go of Jeongin’s arms. And the arms were quickly replaced by the younger reclaiming his hands in a firm grip.
“You have done nothing wrong, hyung. You are the reason I breathe, I wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for you” Jeongin continued fiercely, fire shooting out of his eyes “The day that I stop needing you is the day that winter comes in summer, when there is no more forever and when lies become the truth, hyung. And there hasn’t been a single day since I have met you that that has ever changed. You are my past, my present and my forever. You are the first friend I ever made, the only steady constant in my life and the one person I have always called home. Regardless of what happens and despite the people that we meet along the way, there is no me without you. So don’t you dare conjure up a scenario in your head that isn’t true. Not when it comes to me. Okay?”
Seungmin blinked a few times, his mouth slightly agape as he searched the younger’s eyes for a few seconds until Jeongin shook his hands lightly.
“Okay?” the younger urged again.
“Okay” Seungmin said quickly, trying and failing to hide the small pout that took over his lips.
“Good” Jeongin let out a hard sigh, his body heaving with the heavy inhale before he finally settled back down. But before he could relax back against the headboard he changed trajectory and decided to find refuge within Seungmin’s lap. The beta startled and looked at him in shock, not missing how the younger winced as he tried to make himself comfortable.
“Innie. Your ribs-- For the love of…” Seungmin sighed with a stern frown as he carefully adjusted the boy until he knew the position wouldn’t hurt him and leaned back against the headboard, his arms gingerly securing Jeongin in place.
“Shut up, I missed you.” Jeongin pouted as he snuggled closer and rested his head on the elder’s shoulder, nose grazing over his scent gland.
“Why do you always have to be such a thorn in my side?” Seungmin quipped with feigned annoyance.
“Because that’s what family is for” Jeongin countered “They make mistakes and they piss you off and they make you angry but at the end of the day you still love them… right?”
“Depends on what-- ack!”
Jeoning abruptly cut the elder off as he smacked him in the chest “Right?”
“Yeah, yeah… right…” Seungmin sighed with an exaggerated eye roll.
“Okay” Jeongin nodded quickly before nuzzling his nose a little deeper into the beta’s scent gland, visibly relaxing as Seungmin’s soft cinnamon gradually filled the room to the brim. The silence stretched out between them, slowly ticking away as they remained tethered to each other in peace. Seungmin could feel Jeongin’s body slowly melting into his and the beta tilted his head to look at him.
The omega’s eyes were red and puffy, courtesy of the crying but what caught Seungmin’s attention the most were the bags under his eyes which were so dark that they almost had a purple hue to them. He looked like he hadn’t slept properly in weeks and the beta felt his heart break at the sight, guilt spreading in his heart like poison.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you…” He spoke softly so as not to startle the boy, carefully pulling him closer and burying his nose in Jeongin’s hair.
“I deserved it” Jeongin said softly, his voice thick with sleep “I’m sorry I didn’t come to you, I’m sorry I broke our promise…”
Seungmin felt his heart constrict painfully at the grief that was evident in the younger’s voice and sighed softly before placing a soft kiss on the crown of his head.
“I forgive you” he whispered.
“And I’m sorry I smacked you” the omega added shyly.
“I deserved it” Seungmin chuckled fondly, rubbing his jaw over the boy’s head gently in an attempt to scent him and get rid of the odd lingering hints of coffee that clung to the younger.
“Yeah you did” Jeongin quipped weakly “I don’t ever want to hear such foolishness out of you ever again, you hear me?”
“I was the one who was supposed to be lecturing you, not the other way around” Seungmin reprimanded, his hand coming up to flick Jeongin’s nose, stifling a coo at the wrinkle it pulled from the younger.
“Yeah well. You yelled, I yelled. I say we’re even” Jeongin pouted as he relaxed back into the elders arms, snuggling a little closer.
Seungmin rolled his eyes and shook his head lightly but allowed Jeongin to settle, revelling in the soft purr that started vibrating through the younger’s chest and carrying over into his own body.
“Hyung?” Jeongin’s sleep heavy voice carefully spoke up after a couple of minutes and when Seungmin hummed sleepily for him to continue, the younger slowly reached out to grab his hand.
“I love you…”
“I love you too” Seungmin smiled softly, his head resting on the younger’s lazily.
“Forever?” Jeongin asked as his eyelids started to droop, unable and unwilling to fight the sleep that washed over him within the safety of Seungmin’s arms and cinnamon scent.
“Forever…” The beta answered before finally allowing sleep to take him for the second time that day, his pinkie firmly locked with Jeongin’s.
--
It felt like they had been sitting there for hours, curled up next to each other on the bench in front of the fireplace under Minho’s watchful eye, who stood leaning against the kitchen table. Even though Felix knew that they only had been called down here mere minutes ago by his brother.
It had been nearing two weeks since Minho had found them at the orchard, another full moon already passed and both Felix and Jeongin had been keeping themselves holed up in their own rooms ever since. And to Felix’s surprise, Minho had allowed them that courtesy. But it seemed like his brother’s patience had run dry. Either that or he had calmed down enough in order for him to start his interrogation without him chewing their heads off. An omega could hope.
Felix was looking down at his lap where he had Jeongin’s hand locked in his, fixating on the feeling of the younger’s warm skin against his in order to redirect his thoughts away from the feeling of Minho’s scrutinizing gaze.
“How are your ribs, Innie?” Minho spoke after what felt like an eternity, causing the rest of the pack in the room to startle lightly at the sound.
“They’re okay, they’re healing well” Jeongin spoke up softly, his eyes flitting over to Seungmin who was silently sitting on the other bench, watching the situation in front of him unfold.
“I’m sorry that I hurt you” Minho spoke, his tone gentle and full of regret. And when Jeongin’s head shot up to face him, Minho held his hand up to quell any protests the boy had on his lips. “I should have seen you coming, or smelled you. Anything. And I didn’t, because I was so lost in my own rage that I couldn’t think properly. So, for that, I apologize. I never meant to hurt you.”
Jeongin stared at the pack leader and Felix could see guilt swirling around in the boy’s eyes, his fang worrying the corner of his bottom lip as he tried to find a way to protest against the apology. But Minho was watching him just as closely as Felix was and spoke up again before the boy had the chance.
“That being said…” Minho inhaled deeply as his eyes bore holes into the young omega’s head, trying his best to keep his scent and voice level “What. were. you. thinking? Jumping in front of me like some kind of vigilante.”
Jeongin shrunk into himself with a small pout.
“I’m sorry hyung” He said softly, his hand squeezing Felix’s tighter for comfort “I wasn’t thinking. I saw you coming and I… I couldn't let you hurt him. I acted before I even realized what I was doing. And… I would do it again”
Minho blinked at the confession, obviously not having expected that. His eyes flitted between the two and then to Seungmin who shrugged lightly, his eyebrows signalling that he had nothing to do with this and that this was Minho’s mess to deal with.
“I’m sorry, you what?” Minho exhaled, his fingers coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose tiredly.
“I would do it again” Jeongin said, a little more firmly as he straightened himself up and met Minho’s gaze “I understand that you are mad, hyung. And I’m sorry that we lied. But they’re good people. They’re our friends and he…”
Jeongin paused, his eyes minutely resting on Felix before he pressed his lips together and looked down again, not noticing that both Minho and Seungmin had picked up on the movement. The pack leader and beta briefly exchanged glances with each other before turning their attention back to the two youngest on the bench.
“He what, Jeongin?” Minho asked carefully, his eyebrows drawn together into a frown. The young omega shifted in his seat and Felix bit his lip before looking up and meeting Minho’s stare dead on.
“He’s a good person. We get that he is an alpha, and we were super careful about it in the beginning. But he has done nothing to make us believe that he’s got any ulterior motives. None of them do” He said firmly as he shifted his gaze from Minho to Seungmin, internally cursing at himself for not being able to stop the light tremor that buzzed underneath his skin and caused his lip to tremble. “They have a beta in their pack. You should know, at the very least, that that has got to count for something”
“No it doesn’t, Felix” Minho said with a light shake to the head, as if the boy was speaking gibberish “Just because they have a beta, doesn’t mean they can’t do no harm”
“And just because he’s an alpha’s, doesn’t mean he will” Felix shot back quickly, fire blazing in his eyes as the tug in his chest pulled harshly at his heart “He’s kind, and he’s sweet and the relationship they have with each other is really good. They treat, not only their beta but, each other really well. And you can not convince me that that is something an evil person would do.”
Minho watched his brother carefully as he spoke, the younger shifting in his seat uncomfortably as he tried his best to hold the elder’s gaze.
“This is getting me nowhere” Minho exhaled, his hands rubbing over his face tiredly before exhaling harshly and crossing his arms over his chest. “I want to understand, Fe. But quite frankly, with the information that I have. I can’t. Because I can not fathom what you two were thinking when you found an alpha in our territory and decided a tea party was the way to approach the situation”
“You mean unlike attacking someone without giving them the chance to explain?” Felix hissed and Minho blinked at the sudden change in tone.
“Lee Felix.” Minho growled lightly “Watch your tone.”
“I’m sorry” Felix flinched and swallowed, his eyebrows furrowing together in frustration as he could hear Minho sigh lightly before continuing.
“What do you mean by ‘attacking someone like that’?”
“I mean what you did to their pack leader. The alpha that smells like pine…” Felix said carefully, throwing the biggest issue on the table and instantly regretting it when Minho’s white rose spiked dangerously and filled the room.
“They are part of that pine bastard’s pack!?” Minho bellowed and everyone in the room cowered at the outburst.
“He’s not a bastard, hyung!” Felix looked up with pleading eyes “But you never gave him the chance to prove otherwise!”
Minho had leaned away from the table in his flare of fury, eyeing the young omega with wide eyes and disbelief as he listened. And as he opened his mouth to counter the younger, Felix quickly cut him off before he could.
“You acted. And don’t you dare think that I don’t understand why, because I do. You’re you. And your first priority is to protect us, I had just gotten my scent and Innie was still a pup. I know you did what you did out of your desperate need to protect” Felix spoke quickly out of fear of being interrupted “But that doesn’t mean that it couldn’t have gone differently if you had tried, if you had given him a chance…”
He dug his nails into the palm of his hand, never breaking eye contact as he continued to speak.
“And you raised us right, hyung. I just…” He said with a lighter tone of voice, seeing how Minho was visibly relaxing ever so lightly as Felix ranted on “That first day, Jeongin was ready to rip his head off and I had him under shot. But he was harmless. He even shifted into his human form because he wanted to prove that he was not trying to harm anyone. He wasn’t out for malice and he just… was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“How did that situation go from that to you willingly sneaking out in the middle of the night to meet with him?” Minho asked incredulously “You said I raised you right, but I taught you to run howl and hide. What happened to that?”
“We’re not pup’s anymore, hyung!” Felix exclaimed as he desperately tried to push back the tears that threatened to fill his eyes “This is not like that time in the cave, I am not that same boy anymore, hyung. Because you raised me well and I can fight for myself when I have to. If I want to.”
“I understand that you’re all grown!” Minho snapped back, heartbreak and desperation swirling within his ice blue eyes “But is it so horrible of me that all I want is to keep you safe?”
“Of course it’s not!” Felix answered. “But you also have to trust and believe that you have trained us well enough for us to be able to protect ourselves when needed. We had the situation under control, hyung.”
“And besides” Jeongin spoke up carefully “His wolf form is huge, hyung. It rivals yours, so I don’t think running would have fruited much results even if we tried”
“Was this the reason for your argument that day?” Seungmin spoke up from where he was watching the two intently, his voice sounding odd in the mix after his prolonged silence. And when the two omegas nervously exchanged glances, both the beta and Minho narrowed their eyes.
“What?” the pack leader’s voice caused the duo to shrink into themselves briefly, Felix closing his eyes and letting out a soft sigh.
“Uhm. Actually, that wasn’t the day we saw him… The day we met was the day prior, when Innie and I had gone to pick fruits…”
“I don’t follow” Minho said as he shook his head lightly.
Felix worried his bottom lip between his teeth quietly, his heart beating against his ribcage with such force that he was convinced that it was trying to carve its way through his sternum.
“You have to promise not to yell again” He finally said when he noticed Minho growing impatient with the silence, the latter doing a double take at the words.
“Felix. What did you do?”
“Promise me that you won’t yell at me” Felix said again, defiance taking over his features as he tried to keep from pouting when he met his brother’s dangerous gaze.
“I promise that I won’t strangle you” Minho said, the tremble in his voice almost manic as he addressed his brother “because those words alone already tell me that I am going to want to yell. I waited all this time to calm down enough to address you in a somewhat calm manner and you have already proven that this is impossible. What, pray tell, could make me want to yell even more ?”
“Hyung” Felix tried again with a desperate huff, pout now in full view.
“Fine” Minho complied through gritted teeth “I won’t yell.”
Felix took a deep breath as he sorted through his thoughts in search of the best way to approach the matter, a couple of seconds silently passing before he spoke up.
“We first encountered him on the day that Innie and I went citrus picking. But the day after, the day that we had been caught in the storm because I said that I had dropped my arrows-” he started carefully, his eyes fixed on a curve in the wood of the bench Seungmin was sitting on before he squeezed them shut for the next part “-I had actually gone back to the orchard, by myself, because I wanted to see if the alpha would have gone back there. I hadn’t dropped my arrows the day before and Innie had nothing to do with that. He covered for me because I begged him to. That’s why we argued”
The silence that filled the room after his confession was deafening and Felix almost wished he hadn’t requested Minho not to yell. And the excruciating silence dragged on, the only sound he could hear was some shuffling in front of him and then in the direction Minho was standing.
“Let go of me, Seungmin” Minho’s voice sounded strangled, and from the words Felix could conclude that the shuffling was coming from Seungmin’s attempts to keep the elder back.
“No, hyung. Remember, you love him. You promised not to strangle him” The beta’s voice followed calmly.
“I am not going to strangle him” Minho appeased wickedly “I am going to finish what that fever started and kill him”
“Okay. But at least let him finish his story first, hyung” Seungmin said with a huff “After that, you have my full permission to hang them by their ankles on the outside of the cottage. Let’s just hear them out first, or else you’ll be 89 by the time we’re done here”
A beat of silence filled the room again and Felix dared to crack his eyes open, keeping them locked on his knees and Jeongin’s hand that was still in his.
“Fine” Minho spat after a while, taking a few deep breaths to ground himself before leaning back against the table. And this time Seungmin remained standing next to him, knowing better than to leave the flight risk on his own.
Felix collected every drop of courage within his being, even a little from the tug in his chest asif the idea of the alpha made him feel stronger even if it was just a figment of his imagination, before he finally looked up to face Minho. Minho who, despite his usual calm outward demeanor, looked like he had ran a marathon. Face flushed and eyes wild as he stared at his brother unblinkingly.
“Speak”
Oh, Felix was so dead.
The one word was all it took for the two omegas on the bench to fall into a rapid string of words, recounting everything that had happened since that day and almost every detail from the meetings, save from the ones regarding the other pack and their dynamics. Some type of unspoken understanding flowing between the two as to not cross that line. And naturally, both of them also knew better than to breathe a word about Felix’s motives for even starting this whole ordeal nor the feelings that had infiltrated the younger’s heart along the way. Or from the start… Felix wasn’t quite sure anymore.
When they finished their ramblings, finally reaching the evening that had occurred two weeks ago, the room fell back into silence. The two on the couch were eyeing the duo, who were still leaning against the kitchen table, carefully for any signs of murderous intent. But to their relief, and surprise, there was none.
“Did you shift in front of them?” Minho finally asked after the silence had dragged out for minutes, his voice calm as he addressed Felix directly.
“Never” Felix said quickly, shaking his head to emphasize.
“And they never questioned that?” Minho narrowed his eyes and Felix bit his lip, remembering his conversation with Changbin the night he had been forced to go alone due to Jeongin’s heat.
“Not exactly” Felix decided to honestly answer “Cha-- the alpha asked, once. Because he was curious. Anyone would be. I always showed up on Jeongin’s back, fully clothed and never showed any intention to shift at all. That’s bound to raise questions, hyung. But he left it alone. I told him that it was complicated and he respected my wishes and never brought it up again.”
“And why aren’t you telling us their names?” Minho asked next, indicating that he had not missed Felix’s slip of the tongue.
“If you want to know their names, hyung, you are going to have to set aside your pride and ask them yourself” Jeongin said sternly “It is not our place to share that information. If you want to know them, go meet them”
“Before or after I rip their throats out?” Minho deadpanned at the defiance.
Felix sighed heavily as he turned his tired gaze to his brother.
“Minho hyung” He whined “What part of they’re our friends did you not understand? If it makes you feel any better, they also lied to their leader to meet us. Because he doesn’t allow them over here, not after what you did to him”
“And you believe that?” Minho asked with a soft scoff, his head tilted to the side “Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe they were tasked with getting close to you?”
“Do you fucking hear yourself?” Seungmin chimed in with an unimpressed glare shot towards the omega standing next to him “you’re onto conspiracy theories now? Seriously, hyung?”
Minho blinked and whipped his head into the beta’s direction, mouth slightly agape at the attitude. And it took everything in Felix’s power not to jump up and pepper Seungmin’s face with kisses, the fondness he held for the beta in his heart multiplying by a thousand for the minute show of support.
“I am just stating a possibility” Minho quipped.
“You are stating ridiculousness and grasping at straws” Seungmin chided “Seriously, hyung. Wisdom is chasing you but you move faster. What, in the name of the moon spirits, would be his reason to do that? And also, how would he have known that someone would be there that day? You really think they are going to sit and wait there all day until someone shows up? What would be the reason for something like that? You sound ridiculous, hyung. Your fears and misplaced anger are clouding your judgment.”
Minho regarded the younger for a few seconds before letting out a long sigh and finally pushing himself away from the table. He moved to plop himself down across from the two omegas on the bench Seungmin had occupied earlier, the latter joining him warily.
“Regardless of my fears and worries, I stand firm on my stance on this” He said after a while as he addressed the two in front of him “The two of you are not to leave the clearing until further notice. Call it house arrest, call is grounded, call it me being an overprotective and unreasonable bitch. Whatever helps you sleep at night. And believe me you, I will be making sure that you are sleeping at night.”
His eyes flashed darkly as he spoke the words and both Felix and Jeongin shrunk at the sight, every semblance of protest against their punishment dying on their lips.
“I can not and will not dismiss the threat despite your pleas for me to do otherwise” Minho continued “and I would rather rip my own heart out and die than let my guard down too much just for me to I lose you both in the process because you were too trusting”
He turned his attention towards Seungmin who had a displeased frown plastered on his face and the pack leader moved his hand to pat the younger’s head.
“And I hear you, puppy. I am not going to deny that my fear clouds my judgment, for that is true. But at least that clouded judgment has kept the three of you alive so far. So my decision is final” He added softly “At least for now”
Felix squeezed Jeongin’s hand as he tried with all his might to push back the tears he felt burning behind his eyes. The tug in his chest was pulling on him, driving the thorns deeper into his heart with each passing second. And the knowledge of not knowing if he would see the alpha again was nearly suffocating him.
But he refused to break in front of his brother again.
And he wished with all his heart that his brother would just listen, that he would let go of all of that fear and anger he holds so close to his heart to protect not only his pack but himself as well. Because Felix knew that Minho’s biggest fear was losing the people that he loved all over again, especially now that he was old enough to do something about it and prevent it.
“I’m sorry, hyung” He said softly, his bottom lip slipping back between his teeth solemnly “I’m sorry that I disappointed you and that I worried you. And that I lied”
“I’m sorry too, hyung” Jeongin added softly, his head tilted down as he continued to clutch Felix’s hand.
Minho sighed softly, his eyes closing as he shook his head ever so lightly, letting the words wash over him before turning his gaze back to the two infront of him.
“I’m not confining you to your rooms, I’m not that cruel” He said “You are free to do as you please, as long as you stay within sight of the cottage. And I will be enhancing the markings of my scent around the orchard and the territory border, so you can forget about having any funny ideas”
“Yes, hyung…” The duo mumbled in unison.
“Thank you for telling me the whole story” Minho added before waving his hand “You’re dismissed”
And without wasting a single second, the two pushed themselves off of the bench and made a beeline for the stairs, hands still intertwined as they made their way towards Felix’s room.
Due to the fear of getting yelled at and not being entirely sure if they were even allowed to, the two young omegas hadn’t sought each other out in the past two weeks. But now, the idea of retreating back into their own room separately felt foreign and neither of them had any intention of letting the other go.
Felix pulled Jeongin into his room and closed the door behind him, nearly bumping into Jeongin who had stopped to look at Felix’s bed.
“You built a nest?” The caramel haired boy asked as he looked back to face Felix who ran a hand through his snow white hair tiredly.
“You didn’t?” he asked curiously.
Jeongin pouted and shook his head, pointing at his midsection.
“My movement was limited” He stated matter-of-factly as he allowed Felix to lead him over to the bed “and after Minnie and I talked, he spent most of his time with me so that was all the comfort I needed”
Felix nodded slowly as he clumsily clamoured into his nest, pulling Jeongin in with him before settling down comfortably. They lay down opposite of each other, foreheads whispers apart and Felix took a shaky breath as he briefly searched Jeongin’s eyes who were watching him intently.
“How are you… holding up?” The younger asked carefully as he gently tucked the hairs that had fallen in front of Felix’s face out of the way and behind his ear. And instead of responding with words, Felix leaned back and dug his hands under his pillow, pulling out a piece of tattered fabric and holding it close to his nose.
Jeongin’s eyebrows furrowed together as he examined the piece with confusion laced through his features as Felix let his eyes flutter shut, allowing the tears he had been holding back to finally run over his face and into his bed.
He felt Jeongin’s hand gently card his hand through his hair soothingly as he buried his nose deeper into the piece of fabric, trying his best not to fall apart.
“Lix… where-- No. How did you get your hands on that?” Jeongin asked carefully, his voice just above a whisper. And Felix opened his eyes to look at him, finding that there wasn’t a single trace of judgment on Jeongin’s face, only concern and something akin to awe as he took in the piece Felix was clutching onto like a lifeline.
“Jeongin!” Felix yelled out to him “Innie are you okay!?”
Felix stepped forward but halted when he remembered their items and as Minho passed him to approach the young omega, he turned around, wiping at his face in a futile attempt to dry his tears as he tried to breathe through his sorrow.
He spotted his pouch near the tree Jeongin and Hyunjin had been cuddling against. He ran over to the pouch, feeling like a newborn foal with how badly his legs were shaking due to him attempting to go against Minho. Something that had never, not once, even crossed his mind and the idea of his hand being forced like that caused his stomach to churn dangerously.
He swallowed away the nausea and grabbed the pouch, dropping to his knees to gather the pieces that were left of Jeongin’s clothes before tightening the straps and closing the pouch.
He straightened himself up and turned to make his way to Jeongin and his brother, when his eyes fell on another heap of pieces of ripped clothing. And instantly the tug in his chest pulled him forward, constricting excruciatingly when he realized who the pieces belonged to.
Where the sudden surge of strength that pulled him forward had come from, Felix didn’t quite understand, but he let the tug in his chest lead him. He quickly crouched down and stuffed the pieces into the pouch at an almost desperate speed, tears streaming down his face as he knew time was off the essence and making sure they were well hidden under Jeongin’s clothing pieces.
“Felix, I need you to help Innie onto my back. Now”
Minho’s voice startled Felix out of his daze as he stuffed the last pieces into the pouch, quickly wrapping the strings around the top and holding onto it like the pouch carried a chunk of his heart before making his way over to the duo.
“I’m sorry, Innie. I should have been taking care of you instead of focusing on such trivial things” Felix said solemnly, the tears continuing to fall as he clutched the piece of fabric tightly to his chest and inhaled the soft petrichor scent that still clung to it.
“Is that why you were clutching onto that pouch like your life depended on it?” Jeongin spoke softly, his fingers still running through Felix’s hair “Now my scent in your nest suddenly makes sense, because you did not approach me for anything of mine since we came back.”
“I’m sorry…” Felix whimpered again.
“Shhhh” Jeongin hushed quickly, his hand moving to try and wipe the tears that were running over the bridge of Felix’s nose “You have nothing to apologize for, Lix. You did good”
Felix sniffled lightly, his hand coming up to catch Jeongin’s and holding onto it firmly as he examined the young omega’s face through his tears.
“How are you?” he asked silently as he tried to blink away the haze obstructing his view.
“I miss them, Lix… I miss him…” Jeongin said quietly, and Felix noticed the younger’s bottom lip trembling as he spoke “And I don’t know why it’s this bad. We just spent weeks away from them but for some reason, after seeing them again, something felt different. All I keep thinking about is what Hyunjin feels like when he hugs me, what he smells like when he’s happy… I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Lix”
Felix felt his heart break at how small Jeongin sounded as he talked about the beta, his eyes so full of sorrow that all he wanted to do was fold him into a little ball and tuck him away for safekeeping.
“I’m so sorry, Innie” Felix said again, his voice breaking as he slid the piece of fabric back under his pillow before reaching over and pulling Jeongin into his arms “I’m sorry that I didn’t listen to you that first day. None of this would have happened if I had. just. listened. You wouldn’t be hurting like this if I hadn’t pursued this like a stubborn bull”
“And I also wouldn’t have known him if you had, Lix” Jeongin siffled softly as he buried his head into the crook of Felix’s neck “We wouldn’t have made such good friends and you wouldn’t have fallen in love”
“I also wouldn’t have known such pain…” Felix said with hiccup “I didn’t sign up for any of this crap. The people who created fairy tales are fucking liars, because they conveniently left out the heartache and problems that come with all the nice shit. And it seems that the hard trumps the easy.”
Jeongin chuckled lightly and snuggled closer, his eyelids feeling heavy as the mixture of his pack member’s scents enveloped him within the nest.
“It will be okay” He said softly “I don’t know how, or when… But we’ll figure it out. We have to…”
Felix nodded softly, the tug in his heart constricting again and causing a new wave of tears to travel down his temples. He wished with all his might that Jeongin was right, but with how his brother was going to be on top of them from now on, he feared for the worst.
The feeling of not knowing when he would be able to see Changbin again, if ever, was slowly eating away at him. And the pieces of clothes he had brought with him may have been keeping the tug at bay, but he knew that sooner or later, they would run out. He would go through all of them until none of them held the soft rain scent anymore and he did not want to think of what would happen to his heart when that time came.
But what Felix should have been more worried about, was something else entirely. Something he hadn’t even stopped to think about due to everything that had happened. And when days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, he was very quickly confronted with how much his whole being was missing the alpha to the point that he would no longer be able to hold onto his own sanity.
Which inadvertently would be putting Minho, Seungmin, Jeongin and Changbin in a position in which they would be forced to make choices.