Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a cloudy Thursday, at 4 PM in the afternoon and just a few hours away from the normal evening rush hour traffic, when Felix found himself anxiously shaking his leg in the cramped waiting room of an up and coming entertainment company.

His movement was jiggling the table beside him, but Felix didn’t have the will to stop his jittering limbs. His nerves were heightened, his instincts running rampant, because he was running out of options. This was originally his last case scenario, after all he figured he would have found a job by now. But he was four months unemployed, living in the cold of his apartment without the luxury of heat, and alone in the big city of Seoul.

He was desperate for work.

The carpet was an old gray pattern that mimicked styles from what Felix would imagine belonged in an alternate universe without personalization, the walls were an ugly faded blue, and the hanging pictures looked as if they hadn’t been dusted in days. He was the only one in the tiny space, and subsequently the only one pretending to admire the sparse decoration if only to appease the lady who had greeted him by the front desk when he arrived. He could literally smell the dust particles from his seat, but he held back his disgust just in case the grumpy lady was looking at him. He couldn’t risk someone hating him when he’s hardly been here ten minutes.

It wasn’t an absolute devastation that he was the only one subjected to the horrid state of such a waiting room, because that meant he was also the only one applying for a job. If no one else had arrived, it only meant less competition for Felix. And “competition” was not something Felix could confidently say he would be able to handle.

Partially because he had the confidence level of a Chihuahua facing a German Shepard, and partially because he was an omega looking for work in an Alpha dominated world.

And probably partially because he was a mute, which only made everything he did just that much harder.

The front desk lady was eyeing him, probably criticizing his hair color or his skin tone, or god forbid the black collar that adorned his neck. It was an eye catcher, maybe a conversation starter for any omegas who found themselves in a bar or club, as the sign of a collar signified lower rankings in the societal hierarchy. It was a blatant sign telling every wolf you were an omega, and if you wore a tag, what pack you were a part of.

It was a stupid law, one that has kept many businesses from hiring Felix purely because of his omega standing. No one wanted someone unreliable, and omegas were just that to any average business owner.

An omega is built for pups, which meant omegas wouldn’t stay. They would leave to start a family, leaving a business with a black hole where the omega used to be until they filled their shoes with a suitable new hire. It was illegal, as was judging a wolf by the collar they had fasted over their throat by the first meeting, yet that didn’t stop employers from sending Felix off with a poorly made excuse.

It didn’t matter that Felix didn’t care for pups, that he would give up the possibility of mating or joining a pack if it meant he could get a decent job with benefits and a maintainable wage. He would sacrifice his vacation time, work long hours, and keep up with the Alphas if it meant he could provide for himself. He just needed a chance, needed someone to see past his collar and actually look at him as a person rather than an Omega.

Yet he was still turned away from each interview, metaphorical tail between his legs as he tried to keep his simmering anger and overwhelming disappointment from tainting his scent.

This was his fourth interview of the week, and his twentieth of the month, yet his standards were only dropping with each rejection. He was knee deep in debt, drowning in bills, and dangerously close to being kicked out of his shitty apartment. He was a stones throw away from being left to fend for himself on the streets, which was no place an omega wanted to find themselves. It was far too risky, and the omega shelters were filling up rather fast during the winter. Perhaps that was why he was 22 years old, in the prime of his life, and applying to be a janitor at an entertainment company rather than something more advantageous.

He did say he would do anything at this point.

“Lee Yongbok?” A middle aged man stepped out of the doorway, a beta scent of lemon lingering on his person as he made an effort to scan the empty room before landing on Felix, “Are you ready?”

Felix stood quickly with a quick nod of his head, his hand clutching onto the yellow notebook he brought with him as he followed the beta into the office behind him. As he passed the threshold the lemon was much more prominent, and Felix had to admit it was a bit too strong for him. He hadn’t been in close contact with wolves lately, especially ones that don’t use scent blockers. The beta, Mr. Choi according to the name card draped over his shoulders, sat down behind the desk as he gestured towards the empty seat in front of him, “Please, have a seat.”

Felix instantly obeyed, sitting straight up in the chair with his hands politely clasped atop the notebook on his lap. The way he sat brought a lot of attention to his collar which wasn’t quite hidden by the dress shirt and tie he had on. Mr. Choi wasn’t subtle when he noticed the accessory, nor did he react abnormally to the discovery. Surprise and doubt were instantly plastered over his face, and took everything in Felix’s power to keep his frustration contained.

He just wanted a chance, but too many people made up their mind at the first glance.

“So Mr. Lee,” The beta straightened the polka dotted tie he wore over his beige button up shirt, though even after he finished he had left it crooked in the opposite direction, “I understand you’re interested in the Janitorial Position. Is that correct?”

Felix nodded in affirmation rather than responded verbally, which he could tell was a bit off putting for the beta. Especially when he gave the omega a bewildered gawk before quickly schooling his expression into something more appropriate, “Right, well then. Let's start with a few questions. I believe you stated you're an omega?”

He had to hold back his sigh. As if the collar hadn’t answered that question in itself.

Instead of nodding again, Felix raised his palm in the air as he opened his yellow notebook. He had a prewritten response prepared for the interview but he quickly added another sentence as he ignored the awkward shifting from Mr. Choi. After the last letter was written, Felix retraced his pen and held the notebook out for the other to take with a plastic smile. He needed Mr. Choi to like him, and if he was a bit of a suck up to achieve that so be it.

Thank you for this opportunity. I would like to inform you that I am mute and cannot speak. This will not interfere with my work if you can allow me to respond by pen and paper. Is this an acceptable form of communication?

Also, yes I am an omega.

“Oh,” Mr. Choi blinked down at the paper with a quick awkward glance up at Felix’s proper form, “I see. Um, well Mr. Lee… How does your pack feel about you working around chemicals?”

There was an awkward moment of silence where both men stared at each other, until Felix reached over to retrieve his notebook and Mr. Choi hastally tried to return it after realizing he had held on to it for too long.

I don’t have a pack and I don’t mind chemicals. My status will not affect my position.

“No pack?” Mr. Choi mumbled under his breath, pulling the notebook closer to his face as if he was struggling to comprehend the words sprawled over the lines. It was rather rare for an omega to be packless, Felix has heard about how much of an anomaly he was for the past five years after all. It was much harder to get practically anything accomplished without a pack to support him, but as far as he was concerned packs were out of the picture and would remain that way regardless of how difficult it made things.

Mr. Choi pulled back from the notebook, inspected the omega in front of him - including the black collar he wore that was lacking a pack tag, “You’re a packless omega.”

Felix settled for a simple nod as he reached back for the notebook.

“Can’t say I’ve seen that before,” Mr. Choi cleared his throat as he handed back the notebook, “But that sure does make half of my questions pointless. There’s no one that signs off for you? No guardians or related pack that claims you for government papers or medical emergencies?”

No , Felix wrote on the page. Mr. Choi bit his lip in consideration, seemingly debating on what to say before finally spitting out his sentence in an apologetic tone, “I only ask because some alphas have issues with chemicals and heavy labor on Omegas leading to infertility. I don’t want any angry alphas pounding on my door months down the line because you fail to conceive.”

Felix kept his face stoic, holding back the grimace just under his skin, and wrote an additional sentence.

There are no alphas in my life and I don’t plan on adding any. If you give me this job, there will be no issues.

He wasn’t lying, he hadn’t had close contact with Alphas other than the people he had had job interviews for. His pool of friends was rather shallow and only included the alley cat by his apartment building. His family was about as close to him as the grand canyon was to Korea, and he hadn’t had any interest in dating since the time he was still verbal.

The last time he spoke was to tell an Alpha to fuck off.

“Okay, that may make my next question a bit simpler,” Mr. Choi leaned back his chair, still looking rather surprised by the turn out of this interview but a bit more relaxed after being reassured by the nonexistent alphas in Felix life ready to wreak havoc on the poor guy just for hiring an omega, “I need confirmation that you won’t be leaving this position within at least the next year solely due to the intention of having pups, not including regularly scheduled heats or any special circumstances that result in you leaving your position. This is just to make sure you can be a reliable hire for the next year or so.”

Felix perked up at the question, because the way it was worded sounded a lot like Mr. Choir was still considering hiring Felix regardless of his peculiar situation. The omega quickly scribbled down his answer and passed it over.

I will be a dedicated employee and have no future plans to have pups. I will not be having them any time soon .

“Good,” Mr. Choi smiled, breathing out an obvious sigh of relief, “Then that will make the rest of this interview much easier.”

At 5 pm, Felix walked out the back exit of Bang Entertainment carrying a stack of papers, a freshly cleaned uniform, and a hopeful glint in his eyes.

After months of searching, begging, and groveling at the feet of alphas for some income, he finally found a place that wouldn’t turn him away just for being an omega. From the way the interview started, Felix had begun to assume the visit to the office building would be in vain. That he would be shown the door nearly seconds after Mr. Choi heard of his current situation without a care in the world. It wouldn’t be the first time, even if he promised his work ethic wouldn’t dwindle due to the desire to breed or that his status wouldn’t affect his position, he was given baseless excuses.

Some might say he was putting his eggs in the wrong basket. An Omega like him would be able to make a decent living as a model, an actor, or even a pornstar would be a relatively good line of work for him. Omegas dominated the entertainment industry and often thrived in the environment. It was project by project, and if an Omega decided to have a litter of pups after finishing up a movie, there was no obligation to put in maternity leave and there wasn’t a company responsible to fill a necessary position. An omega could always eventually return to the spot light whenever they wanted. But Felix didn’t want to plaster his naked body on the internet and he didn’t have a good relationship with his voice right now so movies were out of the question. Modeling was something he figured he could do but he had confidence the size of a fly.

It wasn’t hard for an Omega to get a job. What was hard was a packless Omega getting any respectable job that paid a salary and provided competitive benefits without an alpha to back them. It wasn’t legal, but many companies would turn away Omegas as soon as their eyes landed on the collars the government had made mandatory centuries ago. Being packless only doubles that percentage. Which is why Felix had such a hard time finding a job outside of the ones usually reserved for Omegas.

But that didn’t matter anymore, because somehow he had found a job. Cleaning Bang Entertainment and the little nooks and crannies that came with it was the single best news he’s gotten in the last six months. It wasn’t necessarily what he wanted to do, but what he wanted to do was entirely unobtainable even if he could speak. He would manage, and Felix wouldn’t dare question the universe about how the hell he finally caught a break. He would be grateful and work his ass off until he didn’t need to anymore.

Felix entered his apartment just before sunset, throwing his new uniform and notebook on the table and gently placing the packet he was given next to it. He still needed to go through and sign off on various rules and regulations, but it was late, he was cold, and his stomach was growling for food. He didn’t have much food besides some nonperishables and some instant rice, but even steam white rice sounded heavenly when compared to his frozen fingers. Once decided, Felix threw the container of rice in the microwave after filling it with water and left to go change.

Turning on the heat wasn’t an option, no matter what time of year it was, so he settled on dressing in his warmest sweatpants and jacket with a blanket bundled around him. He arrived back in the kitchen just as the microwave beeped and pulled out the cooked rice. He settled himself at his table, his rice sitting beside him and his pen in his hand as he began to read through the packet with white rice occasionally being shoved into his mouth.

The first page was all about dress code, primarily for office workers. The company seemed pretty open minded, allowing any to wear whatever they wanted so long as their clothing was suitable for the weather and workplace. Obviously that didn’t apply to Felix, giving a fleeting glance to the dark blue uniform folded neatly in the plastic package. But it still gave a good impression of what the company environment would feel like, which at the moment was rather laid back.

The second page touched on company policies, all written in bolded letters and bullet points to attract the readers eyes immediately. A list of rules and regulations paired with matching punishments should any be violated were scrolled down the page, and Felix made sure to read each one carefully.

• Abuse of pheromones or pheromone injections to influence or harm another wolf will be punishable by suspensions or immediate termination decided upon by an elected board of supervisors.

• Scent blockers are not required, but are recommended for wolves with heavy levels of pheromones to protect others from being affected. 

• Pack members who work near or with each other are not to allow pack disputes to interfere with the workplace environment.

• Abuse of Alpha Voice is not permitted by any means necessary. Abuse of Alpha Voice is punishable by immediate termination. Victims of Alpha Voice are encouraged to seek compensation via legal means if the action occurs.

• Heats or ruts are given paid leave so long as the time slot has been requested. If an unexpected heat or rut is triggered for you or a pack mate, leave time may not be paid depending on the situation. Omegas and Alphas are required to supply the last three known dates of their heats and ruts to their supervisors.

Most of the rules were standard. Pheromone abuse was common, and Alpha Voice abuse was less likely to occur but terribly dangerous and easily committed. Felix couldn’t say he had been a targeted victim of Alpha Voice abuse, but every omega has experienced the pull to submit that comes with Alpha Voice being used in the near vicinity. Whether it was pointed at the pup or wolf in question or if it was someone surrounding them, omegas and betas alike could feel the excess symptoms for days on end.

Alpha Voice is considered taboo in public, purely because it affects other wolves too easily. Even within a pack, using Alpha Voice in the real world is almost always a last result. In private however, things could be different. There are laws against using Alpha voice in public, on using Alpha Voice on wolves out of your pack, and even on using it in private without the other wolf consenting to it. But finding proof of abuse was hard, which made the whole situation that much harder to handle. It also made it a heinous crime that almost never got reported.

It’s nearly impossible to disobey an Alpha Voice command, which is why it’s one of the most educated health lessons taught to growing wolves in school. Yet you still see depressing stories of omegas and betas being forced into terrible situations because a controlling alpha got a hold of them with his ability.

It absolutely disgusted Felix every time he saw it. Imagining wolves helplessly at the mercy of a power hungry alpha, struggling against their biology to protect themselves, was heartbreaking. He despised those kinds of alpha, the ones that think status is necessary for everything. The ones that think omegas are only used as a breeding toy and house slave. The ones who think betas are defective wolves with no business in society. The ones who think they have to battle for dominance with every other alpha they meet. They were pathetic, and were also the ones who would use alpha voice on anyone who challenged them.

Luckily, he hadn’t been attacked by Alpha Voice in his life. But he still never wanted to tempt the situation into arising. He didn’t think he could fight out an alpha, let alone and Alpha Voice. He never wanted to be in that position and would do whatever he could to avoid it.

After the major rules, there were some more standard guidelines on appropriate behavior in the workplace, how to report workplace harassment, clock in procedures, and even a map of the building. There was a detailed list of his duties and expectations, which was surprisingly long for a janitor. He knew he wasn’t the only person cleaning the building so the workload should be divided, but it was a bit daunting when his responsibilities expanded onto two pages.

Halfway through the packet was information on his pay, insurance plan choices, and holiday work hours. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the numbers lined up with the sentences, even though he would still need to budget for the foreseeable future it didn’t seem like he would be losing his apartment any time soon.

At the end of his packet was a questionnaire about his last few heats. Felix wasn’t one of those omega’s that had heats every month, or even every three months. His cycle had stuck to twice a year, just every six months ever since he hit puberty at 17. He wasn’t too worried about any unexpected heats conflicting with his schedule. 

Just after was a list of numbers for HR should he need to contact anyone for information or help on anything. Underneath was a neat line waiting for his curvy signature which he had to fill with his Korean name rather than his English one, it was much easier to just go by what was easier for everyone else rather than to explain to them through a notebook that he preferred Felix over Yongbok.

Felix leaned back in his seat and pulled his rice bowl into his hands, cradling the food against his chest as he finished off the last few bites. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulder, which sounded ridiculous for someone who just got a job cleaning up after a bunch of music producers that probably make more money in an hour than he does in a week. But it felt like a dream come true for Felix, like an answer to his prayers. It was the escape from his struggling lifestyle he’s adapted after his last relationship fucked him up enough to leave him voiceless.

Two years later and he still struggled to come to terms with just how badly his last boyfriend, his last alpha , had damaged him. He was unemployed, nearly homeless, lost his confidence, and refused to utter even a syllable. He hadn’t talked about it, hadn’t gotten any sort of help for the anxiety that plagued him, and hadn’t recovered much from the trauma it caused. He wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t have the ability too or if it was because he made himself unavailable for it. He wanted to forget, to move on and pretend his lack of a voice was because of a defect and not because the sound of his voice made his skin crawl.

He hated his voice, and so did his ex. He wasn’t sure if that would ever change.

He never used to be like this, a voiceless omega without any support. Once upon a time he was a happy, positive student that did decently in school. He was in a family pack, preparing for his future and making friends. He was starting his life, but then that life went to shit when he met the guy who would ruin it.

But life keeps going, including his. He needed to get on top of things, needed to get his life back on track, because no one else was going to do that for him. The first step to getting himself back to where he used to be, or as close as he was, was this job. He would do his damn best to save every penny he could until he could achieve his dreams, no matter how long that took.

“Here’s the janitors closet,” The receptionist pushed open the closet door with an annoyed huff, “Everything you need is in here.”

Felix gave a stiff nod in response, though the lady, another beta, seemed even more frustrated with this response than if he had remained silent. He was tempted to write out his questions, such as what he was supposed to do for breaks, where he should dump trash, and how to access the other floors without a keycard yet, but he honestly felt that pulling out that damn cursed notebook would end with him halfway inside a wall.

What was worse was he couldn’t tell what was pissing her off. Was it because he was a new hire that irked her by entering through the main entrance instead of the back entrance, because he was an omega working in a building staffed by mainly alphas and betas, or because he just didn’t speak?

Either way, she hasn’t shown an ounce of respect for him since the moment she laid eyes on him.

He had a bad feeling about the receptionist, Ms. Jun, the day he showed up for the interview, but this only solidified exactly what he had assumed. She was a miserable woman who had a laser eyed glare trained on him as soon as he passed through the doors. Her neat bun had unraveled slightly in her rage, which was strangely sudden and completely unwarranted in Felix’s opinion, leaving her presentable work attire seem out of place.

“Mr. Choi has a name card for you in his office, it doubles as a keycard,” Ms. Jun grumbled as he slammed the door back shut, looking up at Felix’s taller figure with so much hostility Felix could smell it through her scent blockers, “And please , for the love of god, don’t come in through the main entrance next time. It’s the back entrance for you and your little blue uniform, got it?”

Instead of nodding again, Felix gave Ms. Jun a thumbs up and an attempted smile that probably came out as more of a grimace.

“Get started,” She gestured towards the janitor’s closet, giving a rather grotesque scowl at Felix’s collar before turning swiftly on her heels and lettings her shoes echo along the tiled floor, “Your shift ends at 12 tonight.”

Felix stared at her retreating figure until she disappeared around the corner back towards the front of the building where she had personally escorted Felix to the back hallways as soon as he stepped foot inside. He had no idea that Bang Entertainment had rules about where to enter the building, especially considering he hadn’t even known there was a back entrance until ten minutes ago, but there was always a first for everything he supposed.

With a shake of his head, Felix started down the hallways towards the area he had taken his interview in. He noticed that the front of the building and more of the upper floors looked much nicer and were kept up more than where he was headed. The decoration was fancy and the carpet new, dust was nearly nonexistent, and the air felt clean and crisp. It seemed those cleanly standard didn’t apply to the rest of the building.

He arrived at Mr. Choi’s office a few minutes later, where he was handed a lanyard with a photo card reading Lee Yongbok underneath. He internally sighed at the words, but put on the card without a word. He was expecting to be given a few tasks, hear another speal about work quality or some follow up question about his packet he had filled out, but Mr. Choi only sent Felix off to complete his duties. He shouted out a simple, “ Good luck on the first day! ” as Felix exited the office and sped off towards the janitor's closet.

As Felix rounded the corner of the deserted back hallways, he spotted two other figures looming by the janitors closet. They were engaged in a friendly conversation, both giggling at each other in hushed voices that Felix couldn’t make out. Both were dressed in a similar fashion to him, dark blue janitors uniform, but they stood out with stylish shoes that contrasting greatly with his beat up discount sneakers.

He made sure to make his footsteps heavier as he approached, letting his presence be known before he unintentionally startled the two during their discussion. Both boys turned to face Felix just as he stopped a few feet away. He waved a hesitant hand at them in a greeting, both waving back with great enthusiasm.

He could tell immediately that the two were wearing scent blockers, much like he and a large majority of the working class were, but their natural scent was subtly dispersing in the air. It was typical with cheaper brands of scent blockers. If you want your scent and status masked all day without the manufactured scented patch leaking pheromones after too long of use, you need to invest in the more expensive brands. It was something Felix couldn’t afford as most ran up to hundreds of dollars compared to the drug store brands that sold for two dollars for a pack of ten. It seemed these two were in a similar situation

Regardless of how inexpensive their scent blockers were, it still took Felix a moment to realize that he was actually smelling the scent of a beta and alpha in front of him. 

It had been quite some time since Felix was near an alpha, the last one being at another failed interview that ended in the alphas disappointed stare as he saw Felix out of the building. 

Alphas were difficult for Felix, not because he loved them and couldn’t control himself around them like the stereotypes describe. He could maintain his composure in front of an alpha just fine.

What was hard was the instinctual fear that riddled his thoughts. The voice in his head that screamed danger, run, hide as he tried to muster up a smile. It made him feel stupid every time he felt the slight tremble in his core, but his racing heart didn’t quite care that he thought his fear was unjustified. After all, there haven’t been many decent alpha’s in his life to curb that fear. Therefore, his immediate reaction to new alphas was always… fear.

“Oh hey, you’re the new guy!” One of the boys, the beta, said as he leaned forward with hooded eyelids to read off the name from Felix’s lanyard, “Lee… Yongbok! I’m Yeonjun and this is Soobin. We’ll be working together.”

The alpha raised a hand with a soft smile at the mention of his name, which Felix reciprocated quickly as he pulled out his notebook. He put up one finger with a polite expression as he sifted through his pages for a blank one and wrote out his sentence. When he was complete, both of his new coworkers were watching him curiously without even a glance at his blatantly obvious collar.

That was… strange, but a welcome change.

Hello, my Korean name is Lee Yongbok but I prefer my english name Felix if that’s okay. I’m mute and unable to speak. This is my normal form of communication. I hope this doesn’t trouble you.

He watched as both boys scanned his words, mouthing along with the sentence until Soobin gave a vocal hum of understanding and Yeonjun pulled back with a grin.

“That’ll be no problem, Felix. I hope I said that correctly?” Yeonjun cocked his head to the side with a questioning glance but quickly brightened at Felix’s approval.

“I’m glad to be working with you Felix,” Soobin added, “We’re usually the morning janitor duo but we’ve been moved to nights for the time being so we can help you get situated. We’re training you, technically.”

Soobin’s voice was rather soft for an alpha, while Yeonjun was loud and brash. It was surprising, especially to Felix, that an alpha who had an omega in the same rank as them wasn’t trying to size him up and assert dominance to his lower wolves. Any average alpha who accumulated a new omega co-worker would have made the hierarchy their first priority, not exchanging pleasantries so casually without even a glance at the obvious signs pointing to Felix’s status.

He wasn’t wearing super fancy scent blockers either, so even if the collar didn’t stand out to them, the scent definitely did.

“So, did Mr. Choi give you a schedule?” Yeonjun perked up, his eyes scanning all over Felix’s body as if a paper would pop up in response, “Or do you have a sign in to the computer already?”

A computer log in?

He hadn’t had much of a conversation with his employer when he arrived. In fact, the older man hardly looked at Felix when he entered the room.

“Ah I’m guessing that’s a no,” Yeonjun gathered, likely from the frown Felix had sprouted when he realized he had come straight to the janitor's closet completely unprepared, “Don’t worry, we can help you. Mr. Choi tends to put stuff off a lot. Let’s go to the break room.”

Turns out, when Yeonjun said Mr. Choi “put stuff off a lot”, he really meant everything .

He put everything off for the last fucking minute.

The computer, which Felix was supposed to be clocking in with and receiving his daily schedule from, was a nearly 10 year old model with the dinosaur age installed on it’s hard drive. The thing was a brick that took way too long to turn on, it even lagged if you clicked too fast, and it was nearly impossible to maneuver your way to the thing without tripping over old furniture put there for storage. It was in the corner of a tiny break room, all the way in the back of the building, with half of the lightbulbs burnt out and piles of old documents scattered over an unused desk. 

According to Soobin, the computer was supposed to be replaced by a new model a few years ago after a few other departments complained enough about their tech not meeting their requirements. This particular one has always been the worst computer in the company, hence why it was only used for the cleaning staff, but Mr. Choi had procrastinated putting in the order for a replacement when the opportunity was available. The time for upgrades had come and gone, leaving the prehistoric computer to waste away in the back corner of the building.

But it wasn’t only the computer that Mr. Choi had slacked on. Upon logging in through Soobin’s credentials, Felix’s information hadn’t even been entered into the system. Among the five janitors listed as employee’s, two of them didn’t even work with the company anymore and were technically still under pay grade.

“They left like two months ago,” Soobin had complained under his breath as he aggressively clicked through the laggy software, “They were a bunch of leachers anyway. I bet they love the extra paychecks.”

“We could set Felix under Sanghoon’s profile for now,” Yeonjun suggested from his spot next to Soobin. His chin was hooked over Soobin’s shoulder with his hand stuffed in his pockets, both boys eyes scanning the screen with tense expressions as they try to figure out what the hell to do with Felix and the lack of his existence in the system, “At least then he’ll still get paid. We can just get on Mr. Choi’s case about properly changing his name and stuff later.”

“That might be our most viable option,” Soobin mumbled with another click, “Is that okay with you, Felix?”

As two sets of eyes turned to land on Felix, the omega quickly nodded his head. Honestly, he was fine with anything if it meant he would still be getting paid. He couldn’t afford to have his paychecks mailed to the wrong person, and if it weren’t for Soobin and Yeonjun, he would have never known about any of this.

Thank you for helping me, Felix had written out to show his two new coworkers.

“Oh it’s no problem,” Yeonjun assured him with a smile as Soobin finished printing out some papers, “We don’t want you set up for failure. If you ever need help with anything you can always find us.”

“I’m gonna go get the papers,” Soobin stood up from his hunched over position by the computer and began to head for the door, “You can start explaining the day for him.”

“Yeah no problem,” Yeonjun waved off as Soobin exited the room. The beta turned back around, facing Felix head on with a bright grin and an excited clap, “So, let’s run you through the day.”

An hour later, Felix was equipped with his own janitor's cart filled with new cleaning supplies and utensils courtesy of Yeonjun. It was another annoyance from Mr. Choi failing to fulfil his duties, after all the only available empty cart for him to use had a faulty wheel, but with his two new coworkers they were able to get it into working condition.

Out of the total 15 floors of Bang Entertainment, Soobin had only asked Felix to worry about three of them. When Felix had tried to assure him that he could handle more than three floors, his coworker shut him down quickly.

“Trust us Felix, you’re going to be a bit slow at first as you try to learn the building,” Yeonjun had pat him on the back as the three began their journey through the corridors until they were in the busier parts of the building, “Starting off small will give you more time to learn things. And don’t feel bad if you don’t finish. Just let us know if you need any help.”

Ignoring the guilt that clung to his back, feeling just as heavy as Yeonjun’s hand had been, Felix reluctantly agreed. When they arrived at the elevator, Yeonjun bid farewell to Felix and Soobin as the beta stayed on the ground floor. Soobin and Felix waved at the boy as the door closed, both dropping their hands to their sides once the compartment began its rise to the higher levels.

Soobin was quiet, unlike Yeonjun who was so talkative Felix almost couldn’t make out half of his words. They were content to silently observe the tiled floor, neither bothering to make small talk. Not that Felix could make small talk, but it was nice to not have to worry about pulling out his notebook just to answer a simple question like how his day was going.

When Soobin’s floor arrived, he also waved goodbye to Felix with a small smile, leaving the omega alone in the elevator until he reached floor 10. He had been told floor’s 10 through 13 were all reserved for producers and the sales department. The sales team would be leaving within two hours which meant Felix could clean their floor without having to interact with anyone if he wanted, which was something he greatly appreciated. 

The recording studios however were a gamble. Whether they would be vacant or filled to the brim with producers and artists alike all depended on the day

When Felix stepped out of the elevator on the tenth floor, the hallway was barren. Not even the sound of footsteps tapped along the tile floor. When exiting the elevator, he could see rows of doors closed off with blinds covering the small glass windows placed in the middle. There were probably around 20 different rooms, all spaced out accordingly with a bathroom placed in the middle to divide them equally.

From what Yeonjun said, most of the rooms only need to be spot cleaned unless specified by his daily schedule. He would check for trash, wipe down tables, and dust anything necessary. Once a week he was required to vacuum inside the studios, but each day he was required to mop the hallways. The bathroom was a requirement every day, and it had to be done entirely regardless of what he deemed was clean or not.

It was only 3:30 in the afternoon so he had hope that maybe he could avoid running into any producers.

It had taken a total ten minutes for Felix to find himself confused, stressed, and frustrated beyond belief.

The first room he cleaned was fine. It wasn’t even that dirty, just an old cup someone forgot to throw away and a trash can that needed to be emptied. He had quickly taken care of the rubbish before wiping down the tables and finishing off the room with a deodorizer as he left. It was quick and easy, so he had expected the rest of the rooms to be the same way.

Until he came to the next room, which had a locked door.

The first room was unlocked so Felix had assumed all of the rooms would be similar. But after trying the second door, and eventually the other doors in the hallway, the first door seemed to be the outlier. The rest of the studios were locked down tight, and even his ID wouldn’t grant him access. The little card had his name, photo, and his ID number typed above a black bar code, looking just the same as everyone else's, but it seems Mr. Choi had forgotten to activate it properly, leaving him in this particular situation that was less than ideal.

Again, Yeonjun was right. Mr. Choi really did put everything off to the last fucking second . 

Felix gave a heavy sigh as he pressed his fingers in his temple, rubbing away the stress that was gathering in his face. It seemed everything that could go wrong, had gone wrong. Realistically, he knew it wasn’t his fault. He was practically set up for failure when Mr. Choi hadn’t done his job, which made him wonder how he still had a job. But even though it was Mr. Choi’s mistakes causing Felix’s bad day, all of those mistakes reflected onto Felix. It made him look incompetent, and that paired with his status was a surefire away for him to loose his job after only a day of work. It had taken less for him to be fired at his old jobs.

If he wanted to protect his position, his only option would be to go down to one of the other levels in search of Soobin or Yeonjun and hope one of them had a solution to his predicament.

A quiet ding resounded in the hallway, signalling the elevator had landed on the current floor, And Felix, being the kind of guy who would do anything to avoid social interaction if possible, quickly turned away from the newcomer in favor of pretending to secure his already secured equipment in his cart. 

He was a very particular man, one who liked organization and simplicity, so even as he cleaned, everything used had been meticulously placed back in its designated spot to prevent himself from having to dig through his cleaning supplies to find anything. But as the new staff member passed through the threshold, Felix stuffed his hand into the bottom shelf of his cart without thought, knocking over spray bottles and folded towels purposefully to make himself seem busy just so he could keep himself out of conversation with whoever had arrived on that floor.

It was probably pretty ridiculous, the lengths he’d go to just to avoid a stranger, but he would rather waste time ruining his cart than engage in an unnecessary conversation with someone he didn’t know.

He listened carefully as the footsteps drew closer, keeping his head down and back facing the closing elevator doors as the heavy steps faltered behind him. Whoever had arrived was also wearing scent blockers, ones that were much nicer than the cheap plastic patches Felix and the other two janitors had purchased. He couldn’t place a subgender on the new person, only the basic baby powder scent that the higher end brands possessed. Their status was completely hidden.

The footsteps picked back up to their normal pace, turning away from Felix’s hunched form and disappearing into a room with a soft click of the door latching behind them. Once settled in silence again, Felix took a calming breath. Remnants of the baby powder scent lingered in the air, covering up the deteriorating fabricated rose scent that burned his nose from his own scent blockers. He was sure if given another hour, the sickly souring rose would turn into Felix’s own prominent honey scent and would start to dissipate into the air alerting everyone around him that he was indeed an omega. That is, if the collar and subtle undertones of honey already hidden in the rose didn’t give it away first.

With an inspection of his cart, he could instantly tell his sudden need for distraction had ruined the nicely organized workspace he created. Tipped over bottled and trash spilling into the wrong bins, it was all a mess.

Felix inwardly groaned at his own inept social skills, because that’s what got him here after all, though still began to properly fix the disaster he created. He was nearly finished when one of the doors swung open, far too aggressively than he had expected in such a quiet atmosphere. The omega spun around in surprise, coming face to face with a wide eyed staff member standing in the doorway of the only room he had cleaned.

At least, he thought it was a staff member. He was dressed far more casually than expected, sweat pants, a hoodie, and a beanie were more like relaxation clothes than proper work clothing for Felix. But this person had an ID card draped over his shoulders, indicating he did in fact work in this building and did dress like this for work.

“Hey, did you just clean this room?” The man’s eyes were locked on Felix, gaze looking down on the crouched wolf. Wild eyes pinned Felix to the ground, his hands grasping at the tile to steady himself as the new body towered above him. He nodded his head quickly which led to a hissing inhale from the other..

“Ah shit!” The man cursed, pure terror flashing across his face as he nearly tripped over his own feet in his attempt to rush over to Felix’s cart, “I know this is gonna sound so fucking weird but I really need to dig through your trash.”

The man sped past his collapsed form with hardly a glance spared in the janitors direction. As he skidded to a stop in front of the cart, Felix was expecting him to just shuffle around the bag with tense movement in search of whatever he needed. But then the man tilted his entire upper body into the trash can attached to his cart, the top half of his person disappeared up to his hips, and his elbows banging against the plastic as he aggressively tore through trash.

Felix gaped at the man, who must have been the same person the janitor had been actively avoiding earlier as the soothing baby powder scent invaded his nose again. The other fumbled into the trash can for a few more moments, Felix staring at him in a mixture of awe and confusion as he struggled against the waste, until a triumphant squeak echoed off the plastic.

The man, most likely a producer, popped back out of the trash can. His beanie had slipped back to expose his brown hair and his hoodie was caught on his shirt halfway up his chest, but among his disheveled appearance was a gracious smile and a tiny USB drive pinched in his fingers.

“I gotcha!” He brought the USB closer to his face before pocketing the device with a breath of relief.

Still sitting on the floor was Felix, and as the producer turned to face him his relief turned to a sheepish grin, “Ah, sorry about that. I just thought I lost that for good, and that would have been terrible … I’m Jisung, by the way.”

Sure enough, the ID Felix had noticed earlier read the name Han Jisung in bold letters just under a photo of his bright smile. Jisung held his hand out, gripping his around Felix’s as he assisted in lifting the janitor to his feet. Their eyes met again, and Felix was wafted in the baby powder as he struggled to get his brain working again. Jisung was staring at him, in partial amusement but with a touch of weariness as time went on and Felix remained silent.

“So uh,” Jisung let his eyes drop down to his Felix’s lanyard, then quickly looked Felix head on again, “You’re Yongbok? Are you new?”

Felix held up a finger, much like he did with Yeonjun and Soobin earlier, which had Jisung tilting his head in confusion. The omega didn’t pay much mind to it however, as he went to grab his notebook from his cart and flipped to the same page he had written on not even an hour ago.

Hello, my Korean name is Lee Yongbok but I prefer my english name Felix if that’s okay. I’m mute and unable to speak. This is my normal form of communication. I hope this doesn’t trouble you.

“Oh crap, you can still hear me right? Wow I’m such a dumbass, I’m so sorry,” Jisung whipped his body around in a circle as he hastily patted around his pants, “Fuck I don’t have a pen!”

He had no idea when being mute translated to being deaf in Jisung’s mind, and Felix wanted to point out that he had responded to the other earlier when he asked out loud if Felix cleaned the room he was in, but watching the producer frantically attempt to pull a pen out of thin air was rather amusing.

Jisung’s gaze flicked up to Felix, his eyes zeroing in the pen and notebook Felix was holding, “Oh wait you have one! Can I borrow yours?”

Correcting Jisung now would probably have been the polite thing to do, afterall it was a simple mistake. The other was so earnest in his attempt to talk to Felix in a way he thought was best, with his puffy lips and chubby cheeks. It was sweet, in a weird and hilarious kind of way. Even if his logic was flawed and twisted in his mind to come up with such a strange conclusion, he was trying.

But Felix never got to have much fun with people nowadays, because no one wants to take the time to talk to a mute person, let alone befriend them. So maybe dragging this on a little longer would be fine. Jisung seemed like a chill dude anyways who would enjoy a joke at his expense.

The notebook was passed from Felix to Jisung, who slowly grew a happy smile on his face as he wrote out his greeting and handed it to Felix.

I’m so sorry about jumping into your trash! I normally don’t do that I swear! My name is Han Jisung :D I’m sorry for assuming you could hear me!

Felix silently chuckled to himself, partially at the response and partially at the overuse of exclamation points, and it only got louder as Jisung tilted his head at his odd behavior.

It’s no problem Jisung, I’m sorry I accidentally took your flash drive. I’ll be more careful in the future. I hope I don’t see you in any more trash cans. Also, I’m mute but not deaf. I can still hear you, I just can’t talk. But I appreciate the effort!

“What-” Jisung squinted at the words, raised his head to stare at Felix before letting it drop down to the page again, then whined with a pout Felix found cute, “I’m a double dumbass! First I assume you can hear, then I assume you can’t, then I find out you really can?!”

Baby powder came in a wave, wafting through the air in a much more intense concentration as it tried to cancel out whatever emotion Jisung had just expressed with his pheromones. Most likely embarrassment if Felix could get from their interaction.

If Felix had to guess, Jisung seemed more like a beta than an alpha. The other hadn’t spared even a questioning glance at his collar, and the only people who didn’t care about seeing an omega in their workplace were usually betas. Betas were typically pretty level headed with pheromones that rarely affected them in daily life. Alphas in a rut and omegas in heat didn’t make their sex drive go as crazy, and distress pheromones only alerted them on a surface level rather than on an instinctual one.

But then again, Felix was thrown a curve ball with Soobin and Yeonjun who acted like everything they shouldn’t. It was still too early to know what Jisung really was.

“God I am so sorry Felix,” Jisung stuck his arms straight out in front of him with the notebook sitting between his fingers. His red ears were a testament to just how much he regretted the last five minutes of his life, “Please, forget about this really quick. I need to redeem myself.”

He wanted to say he really didn’t need to, that Felix wasn’t offended by his assumption nor was he expecting Jisung to go out of his way to apologize. But the producer looker about two seconds away from begging him if he tried to stop him, so Felix took back his notebook as watched Jisung's body relax into itself.

“Okay, take two!” Jisung clapped his hands together, rubbing his palms against each other and flinging one in front him for a handshake, “My name is Han Jisung, a producer at Bang Entertainment. I enjoy cheese cake and music, neither one more than the other, and often get compared to a squirrel. It’s great to meet you!”

Felix blinked at the completely serious and excited character in front of him. Jisung was a bit of an oversharer, but it was in the most innocent way. Honesty wasn’t lacking, and even with the empty hole where his status was supposed to be, Felix found himself gravitating to the strange new producer that had dived into his trash can.

The omega took Jisung’s hand, squeezing their palms together as he matched Jisung with a quirked lip. He let Jisung guide the hand shake and didn’t pull away until the other had decided to.

“Well Mr. Lee Felix, I’ll let you get back to your duties,” Jisung pointed beside him towards the door he had come out of, “If you need anything I’ll be in there. So uh… yeah.”

Just as Jisung was getting ready to turn out, leaving Felix alone in the hallway to figure out his earlier issue with the door locks, the omega shot out his hand to ask the producer to wait. Luckily, Jisung caught on quickly, turning back to Felix, “Yeah, what’s up?”

Felix flipped back open his notebook, scribbling out his words faster than necessary. As much as Felix enjoyed teasing Jisung earlier, he didn’t want to take up anymore of his time.

I’m having issues opening up the locked doors. My card won’t work. Do you know how I can fix that?

“Hmm, your card isn’t activated?” Jisung furrowed his eyebrows, his eyes dropping down to the plastic ID then back to Felix, “Your manager should have tested that before giving it to you.”

Should have was the key in that sentence, but Felix didn’t think it would appropriate to complain about all of the mishaps his manager Mr. Choi had contributed to on his first day.

“Here, I have an idea,” Jisung plucked his own ID from his neck and held it out for Felix, “Switch cards with me. I only need to get into this room for the night and it’s already unlocked. I’ll take your card and see if I can get it fixed and you can return mine tomorrow. Sound good?”

Jisung’s ID was hanging in the air, spinning around from the shift to show his smiling face. Felix’s eyes darted from the card to Jisung, asking without speaking in away that wanted to double check the other was completely fine with this, but Jisung only pushed his hand a bit closer to Felix. 

The omega quickly took off his own ID, switching with Jisung and wearing the squirelly boys ID around his shoulders. Seeing his own face get draped over the other was a bit strange, and he started to feel a bit guilty for having disturbed the producer so much in only one night, so Felix tried to quickly end the interaction before it dragged on any longer.

He placed his four fingers on his chin, extending his palm forward and mouthing the words thank you .

“Thank you?” Jisung read his lips, then brightened afterwards, “Did you just sign thank you?”

Immediately Jisung copied and cheered after Felix’s confirmation.

“Thank you Mr. Lee Felix,” Jisung signed it again as spoke and began walking towards the door, “Or should I say, Mr. Han Jisung!”

Jisung cackled at his own joke, and Felix may have silently laughed along with him. 

Jisung bid him a good night, reminded Felix to find him if he needed anything else, then disappeared into the room once more.

It had been another 30 minutes since Felix arrived on the tenth floor, almost an hour had passed since he left the elevator, and Felix had cleaned a total of one room. But he met Han Jisung, a very eccentric and very sporadic wolf that liked to jump in trash cans and call himself a dumbass.

Han Jisung was one of the strangest people Felix had ever met, but it wasn’t even just about the way he cursed like a sailor or how he had tried to mimic Felix’s sign language after seeing it once. It was the fact that he hadn’t even reacted to Felix’s subgender, that he hadn’t even looked at the collar empty of a pack tag and hadn’t made a single comment about his job as a janitor.

He was kind, a little cute, and so understanding. Similar to Yeonjun and Soobin, he didn’t seem to care about what Felix was. 

Yet what was even more surprising was that Felix still didn’t know if Han Jisung was just a loud beta challenging social norms, or a rare alpha that didn’t feel the need to assert dominance.

Chapter Text

Yeonjun and Soobin had been right to give Felix a light workload, because by the time midnight rolled around, Felix had barely managed to finish cleaning the 13th floor in time.

The fine layers of dust were wiped away, windows crystal clear, rooms sprayed with a de-scenting mixture, and the carpets were crumb-free.  He had slightly rushed the mop job in the sales department, but it was already rather clean so it hadn’t needed much work done either way.

Jisungs card had come in handy, and by the time most of the staff had left the building for the night Felix was left wondering what he would have done without the producers kindness. Jisung’s card opened every door which made the job so much easier. He would have hated himself if his faulty card ended up making it where he couldn’t get his minimal amount of tasks done and left the extra work to pile on his coworkers.

But there was no use in fretting over ‘what ifs’. Felix managed with Jisung’s help, and he would make sure he never took that for granted.

When Felix arrived back on the first floor, Soobin and Yeonjun were already at the janitor's closet removing their bags of trash from their carts and tying them off at the top. Upon spotting the omega, both boys waved to him in greeting and a small smile.

“Hey Felix, how did the first day go?” Yeonjun finished off his knot and tossed it to the side.

Once Yeonjun looked at Felix, the omega gave him a thumbs up and a small smile. Yeonjun broke out into a toothy grin, placing his hand on his hips, “That’s great! I’m glad you didn’t have too much trouble.”

“Did you find all of the rooms okay-,” Soobin cut himself off as he turned to face the beta and omega. Felix could see the moment his coworkers eyes landed on the ID card that sported a picture that looked nothing like him. Where blonde hair should be was a soft chestnut brown. Where there should be Felix’s dimples were Jisung’s chubby cheeks. And where Felix’s blue janitor's uniform should be was a black hoodie that Jisung had been wearing earlier.

“Oh,” Yeonjun had followed Soobin’s line of sight after the alphas strange reaction, then realization had dawned on his face, “You have Han Jisung’s ID card?”

Both of his new coworkers raised their gaze to meet his, eyebrows pinched and lips pursed in confusion as they tried to work out the reasoning on their own. Felix didn’t really know them well enough yet, and even if they seemed nice, the anxiety crawling up his chest wasn’t listening to reason.

His coworkers seemed nice, kind, and understanding. Surely they wouldn’t mind the mixup that was the result of another one of Mr. Choi’s mistakes, at least that’s what Felix had assumed. As they continued to stare at him, he couldn’t tell where their minds were. A part of his brain was convinced they were already fed up with him, that this would wind up with him in deeper trouble than if he had just left all of his tasks for someone else because of a faulty key card.

“Felix?” Yeonjun stepped forward, “You okay?”

Felix snapped back to the present. His eyesight had gotten a bit blurry, and now his two coworkers were watching him in concern mixed with their confusion.

The lump of nerves was stuck in his throat, threatening to come up in an ugly gasp of air, but Felix swallowed it down. There really wasn’t much he could do except explain himself and hope he wouldn’t be in too much trouble for his actions.

Felix pulled out his notebook from his cart, both of his coworkers tracing his movement until he finished writing out his message.

I’m sorry about this. My keycard wasn’t working and I bumped into Jisung as he was going into a studio. He offered to switch cards with me so I could still get my work done. He said he would try to get mine fixed and we could switch back tomorrow. I didn’t know it was a bad thing, I’m terribly sorry.

“Oh don’t be sorry Felix,” Soobin snapped his head up with a harsh intensity, but his face softened as he noticed the slightly red rimmed eyes Felix had unknowingly began to show, “I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to scare you. We were just surprised.”

“Yeah, Jisung giving you his card is...” Yeonjun twisted his face, tilting his head as he tried to gather his words properly. “His card is kind of an all-access kind of card. It doesn’t have many limits so it’s surprising he handed it over so willingly.”

Felix felt the lump in his chest back down as he gave a breath of relief. He hadn’t realized how strained his fingers were until he unclenched them, leaving crescent indents where his fingernails had been. He blinked away the sudden fuzziness in his eyes, and when he felt the need to sniffle he realized how quickly Soobin and Yeonjun possible disappointment and anger had terrified him.

“I mean, Jisung’s a weird guy,” Soobin’s voice was suddenly much louder than Felix realized, which was what usually happened when he stopped focusing on his surroundings and was ripped back into a conversation, “He probably wasn’t even thinking about how much power his card really holds when he offered it to you. Luckily Felix is trustworthy so there won’t be anything to worry about.”

Trustworthy , Soobin had said. Even after knowing each other for less than a day, he felt confident enough in Felix’s character to consider him trustworthy?

“Well, even if he did get in trouble for giving his keycard away, it would only be with his pack alpha,” Yeonjun shrugged, turning to Felix with such a genuine smile as he closed the closet door, “I’m sure everything will be fine. If anyone got into trouble it wouldn’t be you. It would either be Mr. Choi for fucking up for the umpteenth time or Jisung for giving it away.”

Felix frowned, he really didn’t want Jisung to get in trouble for trying to help him, and judging by the looks Soobin and Yeonjun had they didn’t either. Though, Yeonjun had said Jisung would be most likely getting in trouble with his “pack alpha”, whoever that may be, which opened up a mirage of questions beginning with who in the hell was Jisung’s pack alpha?

He never got a chance to ask, mostly because he felt nervous to breach such a personal question without Jisung there to answer it. Even if Yeonjun and Soobin held the answer, and would likely tell him if he asked, he'd felt compelled to hold back his curiosity. 

Finding out through other means would be easier, faster, and it would quell his nervous winding thoughts that tried to piece things together on its own: Such as whether Jisung’s head alpha was actually a dick that controlled his life from his home to his work. But going behind Jisung’s back to find out on his own felt wrong, like he was deceiving the producer that had been so kind to him earlier, and possibly risked more than Felix originally realized just to help the stupid omega janitor that was stuck in a hallway.

Felix glanced down at the card that bounced against his chest as he walked with Soobin and Yeonjun out of the building. The beta and alpha were speaking to each other, but Felix was hypnotised by the cheeky smile of Han Jisung and all the confusion that came with him.

When Felix arrived at work the next day, just before 3 PM, he chose to attempt at making his second day a bit less of a disaster than his first. He followed Ms. Jun’s rules that had been hammered into his head after her noisy outburst on his first day, choosing to use the back entrance rather than the front where the irritable receptionist would be working. He had waved at Mr. Choi as he passed by the open office door, not surprised to see the older beta leaning back in his chair with his legs kicked up to rest of his desk as he watched a TV show on his tablet.

At least his supervisor had the decency to look a little embarrassed when he noticed Felix and jumped in surprise at having been caught.

Soobin and Yeonjun met up with him at the janitor's closet again, greeting him with smiles and a “Good afternoon” as they headed towards the stone aged computer to log in. With Soobin’s assistance, Felix successfully started his shift without too much hassle.

After experiencing yesterday’s division of work load, Felix wasn’t surprised that his coworkers went easy on him for a second time.

“Felix, you can just deep clean the first floor,” Yeonjun suggested as he pulled out his janitors cart from the cramped closet, “I know the back of the building hasn’t been touched in awhile, and the main lobby could use some dusting. Soobin and I can do the rest of the floors.”

It was still way less work than Felix felt was fair, but he had learned that arguing with his two co workers for a more equally distributed schedule would lead to nothing. Not that he felt confident that he would be able to clean much faster than yesterday anyways. Soobin and Yeonjun must have expected that though when he joined their team, because neither of them seemed annoyed with his slow working or with his lack of experience.

“Oh, do you wanna go find Jisung first?” Soobin pointed at the card that was taking residence over his neck, “He might have fixed your card by now.”

Felix nodded enthusiastically with a little exhale, he already felt bad for having kept the producers key card for so long. He was more than ready to give it back to its rightful owner.

“Alright, you can go do that before you get started,” Soobin shut the door once only Felix’s supplies were left inside the closet, “Just come back to get your stuff when you’re done.”

Felix gave him a thumbs up, his yellow notebook awkwardly held between his palm and four fingers. It nearly fell out of his grasp, but he secured it again before it landed on the tile.

“You can probably go to the receptionist and see if you can get her to call him,” Yeonjun suggested, “It’s hard to find people around here unless you know what room they’re in.”

He tried his best to hide the grimace that he felt was far too obvious, and when both boys softened with a look of sympathy he knew he hadn’t succeeded.

“Want one of us to come with you?” Soobin offered with a glance down the hall where the moody lady would be located, “So that way you don’t have to deal with her alone?”

Even though it was tempting, Felix wished he had the courage to accept, he would feel terrible if he continued to bother the other two more than he had.

I’ll be okay, thank you , Felix wrote out in his notebook before presenting it in front of him. He assured them again with a small smile when they both gave him worried glances.

“Alright,” Soobin sighed with his hand resting on his hips, “But if anything goes wrong Yeonjun might slap her.”

“I really will,” The innocent look Yeonjun equipped as his head turned from Soobin to Felix completely contradicted the conversation, but Felix silently chuckled anyways, “I’ll risk it all, I don’t care.”

You don’t need to slap anyone for me , Felix scrawled out.

He really appreciated the sentiment though. He hadn’t had someone that… cared enough in his life to worry about something as trivial as what a moody receptionist might say to him in a long time. Only two days had passed and he already felt like Yeonjun and Soobin were the closest people he had to friends.

But friends or not, Felix wouldn’t ask them to go out of their way to help him.

Before Felix had even had a chance to get close enough to Ms. Jun, the smaller beta had spotted him from the corner of her vision. As he crossed the rather large lobby, which happened to be empty, her head had flicked in his direction with an angry huff. She stood abruptly, flicking her brown ponytail over her shoulder, and her own ID card flinging into the air as she stomped her way to Felix before he made it to her desk.

“ What , are you doing out here?” She demanded with a snarl, “I thought I told you to stay out of the front lobby.”

Felix blinked at her sudden rampant anger. He had somewhat been expecting it after her reaction to him yesterday, but he still felt it was entirely wrongfully placed. As much as he wanted to tell her so, the omega unfolded his notebook to show the sentence he had already prewritten to preparation.

Hello, can you help me locate Han Jisung?

She had groaned as he flipped through the papers, and rolled her eyes as she realized the only way she would be communicating with him was through his notebook. It only took a few moments to read, and once she finished she looked up at him with narrowed eyes, “Why the hell are you looking for him ?”

Deciding to forgo writing in his journal again, he just plucked the ID card into his fingers and raised it to up to her eye level. As soon as her gaze landed on the smiling face that looked  nothing like Felix, her narrowed eyes turned wide and furious. She snatched the card from Felix’s hands causing the blonde to recoil away from her as far as the lanyard around his neck let him. Her head snapped from the card to the omega that she had held some type of resentment for ever since they met.

“ Why do you have this ID card?” She spat at him, yanking the hard and Felix closer to her irate voice, “Did you steal it? How did you get it?”

Felix could only shake his head with as much sincerity as he could manage. He raised his notebook intending to write out an explanation, but the book was ripped from his hands at the same time that Ms. Jun ripped the lanyard from around Felix’s neck.

He stared at her with a childlike fear, one that he became accustomed to within the last few years of his life. That lump of anxiety from last night was back, except it wasn’t unwarranted. He couldn’t tell his brain that he was overreacting, couldn’t try to lower his heart rate because his threat was right there and had rendered him voiceless once again. The only thing he could be grateful for was that this receptionist was a beta and not a rampaging alpha set on abusing their power.

“Stupid Omega. If you had any brains in that head of yours you wouldn’t have stepped foot near him,” She growled under her breath as she pocketed the key card into her dress slacks, then grabbed Felix by the wrist and began dragging him towards the elevators Yeonjun and Soobin had disappeared into, “Let’s see what Han Jisung’s pack alpha has to say about this blatant thievery.”

Felix followed helplessly, opening and closing his mouth pointlessly as he tried to will something to come out of his useless vocal cords in his defense. He wanted to say he didn’t steal anything, to tell this lady that he meant no harm, but his throat closed up on him. He wasn’t even sure if his voice worked anymore, and he couldn’t bring himself to try and force the words out of his mouth.

Instead, he bit his lip as he was forced into an elevator. Ms. Jun used Jisung’s card to access the fifteenth floor, which had Felix questioning why she didn’t use her own card, and tapped her foot impatiently as the elevator climbed the building. Whoever Jisung’s pack alpha was must work in the company, which made Yeonjun and Soobin’s comment from yesterday make more sense. He had no idea who it was, or if this alpha was going to take the receptionists word before his own, and that terrified him.

He just got this job, he couldn’t afford to lose it on the second day.

The elevator stopped on the fifteenth floor, opening up to a small carpeted hallway. The first thing he noticed was how nice the interior was. Everything was new and updated from the carpet to the wall paint, but still a sleek modern style with minimal decoration. The hallway wasn’t too long, holding about five other doors, which made the alpha dressed in a blue jumpsuit stand out quickly. 

Felix immediately made eye contact with Soobin, who was wiping down chairs lining the walls. The alpha looks confused for a moment as he slowed down his strokes and subconsciously rose to watch the two. Until Ms. Jun continued to drag Felix toward one of the doorways and Soobin’s expression turned solemn, almost apologetic as he witnessed the aggressive push and pull of Ms. Jun’s anger.

They entered a small lobby that mimicked the style of the hallway with another receptionist guarding a closed door. She welcomed them with a smile, behaving much more professional and polite than Ms. Jun had ever acted towards him. Felix tried to follow through with his own greeting, but he was sure his smile looked just as forced as it felt.

“Hello, how can I help you two,” Her gaze fluttered to the death grip around Felix’s wrist with concern, then climbed up to the irate beta that had dragged him there.

“I have something urgent that needs to be brought to Mr. Bang’s attention,” Ms. Jun yanked Felix closer to the desk, shooting him a glare that Felix shrunk away from.

Mr. Bang? Felix’s gaze shot towards the closed door behind the nicer lady, one that was a shiny black with it’s own front desk. One that was on the top floor of the entire building, a building named Bang Entertainment . And Ms. Jun was asking to speak to Mr. Bang ?

He wasn’t just going to be getting in trouble with Jisung’s pack alpha, but the CEO of the entire company?

Well, fuck his luck.

“Mr. Bang cannot take any walk in appointments at this time,” The slight scent of fake lilies this other woman pulsed into the air wasn’t overbearing, indicating her use of scent blockers. The other lady spoke calmly, her manicured hands placed delicately over each other, “I can leave a message for him and see what I can do.”

“I don’t think you understand the severity of this situation,” Ms. Jun’s hold on Felix’s wrist tightened as she jerked his arm in the air, “This involves Mr. Bang’s pack safety , and this omega is the threat.”

He flinched at the words, his free hand instinctively rising to grab at the faux leather collar he’s had to wear for the past six years. He loathed what it signified, what it meant for his impression on others and opportunities in life, but most of all he cursed the hand life had dealt him. Every day he woke up wishing he could pretend he didn’t have a collar to attach to his neck, that he had a family that cared about him or a pack to love, that people could look past the scent of honey and black tagless collar when he entered their field of vision instead of boiling him down to omega .

He wished he had a voice, that he could stand up for himself, that alpha’s didn’t scare the shit out of him. He wished he could be normal instead of that packless omega that no one wanted because he was damaged .

Felix peeked at the more likable woman in front of them, who ever since they arrived had remained cordial. However, as her stare turned more impatient Felix began to notice the increased scent of lilies saturating the room. She gave another pointed look at Ms. Jun’s nails digging into Felix’s skin, “I don’t think referring to an employee by their subgender is appropriate. I suggest you refrain from such in the future. However, I will try to see if Mr. Bang can see you now.”

“ Thank you ,” Ms. Jun sneered back at her as the receptionist pulled up her landline phone and dialed an extension.

The other receptionist sighed to herself, flashing Felix a weak smile before picking up her desk phone. Felix kept his head down as she spoke into the phone, trying to settle his erratic breathing while simultaneously attempting to block the view of his collar with his chin. Though he knew deep down it was pointless. Scent blockers or not, he knew his scent reflected his subgender along with his inner turmoil even if it was mixed with his fabricated sour rose. 

There was no way he was going to be leaving that office with his job intact, and he knew it. The moment Mr. Bang’s sights landed on his collar, as soon as he saw Jisung’s ID card, as soon as Ms. Jun tried to tell him that he stole from someone in the CEO’s pack…

He was done for, and he could only hope it wouldn’t end with him getting arrested.

There was a click of the receptionist dropping her desk phone back into place, “He’ll see you in just a moment.”

Seconds later the door swung open, revealing a man that screamed alpha in every which way. From his sharp physique to the scent of winter pine leaking from the doorway. His brown hair was roughly combed to the side as the natural curls fought against whatever he used to style it in the morning, but it still looked professional. His dress shirt was untucked, but still buttoned up with a nice black tie pushed up just under his top button. It seemed far more casual than Felix was expecting, but if this was really Jisung’s head alpha then he shouldn’t be surprised as both men seemed content to wear whatever the hell they wanted.

Which, if Mr. Bang really is the CEO, then Felix’s supposed he had every right to dress how he wanted. Especially if he was going to look that good while doing it.

The alpha didn’t seem to bother with scent blockers, which Felix could understand why considering he owned the entire fucking building. But his scent also wasn’t oppressive, nor was it too musky or dominating. It was soft in an entirely un-alpha like way while still maintaining its place in the hierarchy. There wasn’t an aggressive pulse of alpha trailing through the office, sneaking up on unsuspecting people to alert them of his presence. If anything, it seemed he was making an effort to contain it to himself instead of encouraging it to spread amongst them.

“Ah, Ms. Jun,” Mr. Bang had his hands tucked in his pockets, his eyebrows raised as he took in the two employees that had intruded into his space, “Why don’t you two come in.”

“Gladly,” Ms. Jun stalked forward, leaving Felix with no choice but to follow as the beta used his arm as a leash.

Mr. Bang remained in the doorway as they passed, following them with his eyes as they marched into the office. Felix knew he could smell the fear leaking through the omegas scent blockers, and when he was nearly three inches away from the alpha he was sure that fear spiked. Though he couldn’t force it down, couldn’t mask it with something less attention grabbing because the fear overpowered anything he could try to replace it with.

The only thing he could was try to repress it as much as possible and hope the rose would cover up most of the distress he was feeling.

The office was large, equipped with a sofa and coffee machine that rested on a small counter. He had an entire mini kitchenette in his office, but Felix figured as a CEO he probably spent many long nights in the office. It felt roomy with various trinkets scattered along wall shelves and a pile of mismatched jackets haphazardly thrown over an arm chair tucked in the corner. Half of the jackets looked smaller than others, most likely belonging to his other pack members who happened to visit him during work hours.

Mr. Bang approached them casually, his hands still shoved into his pant pockets as he sauntered up to his desk. Felix awkwardly shuffled in his place, pointedly ignoring the eyes that scanned the claws puncturing his skin or the disapproving stare the alpha had adopted upon the discovery.

“Please, sit,” Mr. Bang gestured to the two seats in front of his desk, intending to wait for his two guests to sit before he joined them.

Ms. Jun obliged, guiding Felix down by force as well. The omega sat as quietly as possible, unknowingly curling into himself to the best of his ability with his arm still pulled away from his body. 

“I don’t believe it’s necessary for you to hold him like that,” Mr. Bang had yet to sit himself, opting to remain standing as he stared down Ms. Jun.

“I believe it is, Sir,” She challenged back, causing Felix to tense against her palm, “I’m afraid if I let go, he might turn tail and run.”

He waited with bated breath for the explosion that would surely happen. He expected a snapping objection, a frustrated growl, even a spike of uncultivated fury at the beta’s words.

But all he heard from the alpha was a disappointed sigh.

“Sangmi...” He cocked an eyebrow at her, giving an obvious indication at the crushing grip she had on the janitor, “I won’t repeat myself. Let him go.”

For a moment Felix thought the beta, who he hadn’t known was named Sangmi until moments ago, was going to challenge the business owner once again. Her breath hitched, letting the glowering alpha tower over her for a few seconds until she finally dislodged her nails from Felix’s forearm. He wasted no time in cradling his arm against his chest and gently pressed his other palm over the small scratches.

Mr. Bang passed his gaze from Sangmi to Felix, though Felix kept his eyes on the ground instead of meeting the calculating expression. Looking an alpha in the eye was too close to challenging their status, and it was a surefire way to secure his termination with a side of fiery alpha to go with it. He’d already had his fill of cross alphas in his lifetime and he would do what he needed to prevent another one of those situations.

When Felix dropped his hands back down to his lap, the alpha seemed somewhat content enough to sit down as he straightened out the sleeve of his dress shirt, “So, what was so important that you needed to speak with me?”

“This-” Sangmi pulled out Jisung’s key card, his cheeky smile pointed towards Mr. Bang as she presented her evidence to the CEO, “-was around his neck when he approached me. I have reasonable suspicion that he stole it.”

Felix felt the sputter of rotten honey try to leak in the air as Mr. Bang reached out to take the card from Sangmi. He bit into his lip as he curled his fingers into his palms. The deep breaths he was trying to take to level out his heart rate were failing him, and he found himself wishing he never spoke to Jisung in the first place.

Why had he accepted the mysterious producer's help when he normally would have tucked tail and ran? Why hadn’t he just gone to Yeonjun or Soobin instead of trying to handle things on his own? Why had he gotten himself in such a predicament that he needed this job to keep himself from being one of those omegas struggling on the streets?

Why had he let his life turn into this?

“So you had Jisung’s key card?” Mr. Bang, with the card pinched between his fingers, addressed Felix with a passive tone.

Seeing as Sangmi still had his notebook, Felix could only nod. He tilted his head, keeping his eyes pointed at the desk instead of the face of the man who had all the power to kick him out of the building in any minute.

“Okay,” The alpha placed the card on his desk, directly on top of a small pile of papers, and rested his elbows on top of the surface with his hands clasped into each other, “What’s your name?”

Felix lifts his head, his eyes skipping over to the yellow notebook laid over Sangmi’s lap, still held out of arm's reach. He couldn’t exactly answer the question with his voice, and his only form of communication had been taken from him. Honestly, the last thing he wanted to do was ask the ireful receptionist for his notebook back. He could already imagine the death glare he would receive when he tried to reach out for his physical form of a voice.

So, Felix took a deep breath as he finally looked up properly. 

Mr. Bang was watching him silently with a stoic face, but his eyes seemed comforting. He felt strange for viewing them that way, but the way he was looking at Felix reminded him of Jisung. It reminded him of the weird way Felix had seemed so at ease with the producer, enough to joke around with him without a care. It reminded him of the childlike humor and innocent kindness that had led to this moment.

The only difference was that Jisung smelled like subtle baby powder, and Mr. Bang smelled like beautiful pine.

Felix raised his hand, mimicking a pencil and paper with his hands in hope the CEO would understand his request.

“You… need a pen?” Mr. Bang sat up in his seat as Felix gave him a sign of approval. He fished through the papers on his desk until he found a blank sheet of printer paper and pulled a pen from his fancy looking pen holder. Felix took them quickly and scribbled out his answer.

My name is Lee Yongbok.

He clicked the pen shut and placed the paper back on the desk. He decided to forgo his request to be called Felix because he felt that information was probably a bit unnecessary considering the situation. There wasn’t a reason for the CEO to remember that he preferred a different name when he was about to be fired.

“I see,” The alpha tapped his desk, picking up the ID card that didn’t belong to Felix again. The picture of Jisung couldn’t speak, but Felix almost wished it could. He wished it could repeat all of the words Jisung himself had spoken to him, wished it could relay the reassurance Yeonjun and Soobin had given him yesterday, wished it could share his thoughts locked away in his brain by his silence.

But it was just a picture, a picture of Mr. Bangs pack member, and it wasn’t going to be speaking in favor of Felix.

“Sangmi, I’d like to speak with Yongbok alone if you don’t mind.”

Felix sucked in a breath.

“Oh,” Sangmi recoiled in her seat but quickly recovered. She plastered on a grossly sweet grin, bowed in her seat, and politely stood with Felix’s notebook trapped in her clutches, “Of course. Thank you for your time.”

She turned on her heels and shot Felix a victorious smirk, one that was full of prideful injustice as she strode past the forever silent janitor. After only a day of employment, the omega still had no clue what had caused such animosity in the receptionist. Nothing he had done made her attitude towards him make sense, and as she passed the threshold out of the large office the omega realized he may never know why the beta held such resentment for him. The next time he saw her would be on his way out of the company building in search of a new career that would overlook his subgender like Mr. Choi had done.

Felix let his gaze cast to the ground again as the door clicked shut behind her retreating figure. 

Suddenly the pine was so much more intense.

“Hey,” Mr. Bang called his attention, and Felix had to force himself to lift his head again, “You don’t really go by Yongbok, do you?”

Felix gaped at the man, who just a moment ago regarded them with a closed off, serious expression. Now, the alpha had dropped his stern professionalism and replaced it with a blatant curiosity mixed with concern. His scent hadn’t changed much, but Felix could tell the alpha was hesitant to overstep. He was holding back his pheromones for Felix’s sake, even though he was sure his biology was telling him to react to the distress Felix knew he had failed at hiding.

“You prefer Felix, right?”

The question was asked so casually, like they were taking part in a light hearted discussion between friends, and Felix felt wildly distraught as he remained curled up in his seat. The alpha had dropped any sense of opposition or disapproval, leaving the topic of Felix’s visit to the CEO’s office laying flat atop his desk. He observed the omega in front of him without even a glance at the black collar Felix had tried to hide earlier. And with his scent blocker most likely null and void after the anxiety induced pheromone explosion he had probably subjected the entire building to, Mr. Bang didn’t seem phased.

He was laser focused on Felix as a person , not as an omega, and somehow Felix could sense that.

Maybe it was in the way someone like Mr. Bang was looking at someone like him. How he hadn’t referred to him as omega like so many others had in the past, including Sangmi. How he respected the janitor's boundaries and kept his pheromones to himself instead of letting them waft over a hurting omega regardless of his instincts. 

Maybe it was the way he knew Felix didn’t like the name Yongbok without Felix outwardly saying anything. The way he already knew Felix’s English name and properly assumed that the omega preferred it over the Korean one he had been assigned at birth.

Or maybe Felix hadn’t met many decent alphas in his life and he’s letting his mind and heart run rampant in the face of the first one that smelt as amazing as this one did.

That one might be more likely.

“Felix?” Mr. Bang leaned forward with his kind expression turned concerned, “Did I say something wrong?”

Felix jumped in his seat, blinking away the theories that had begun stitching themselves together in his head. He gave the CEO a timid smile as he shook his head. He absolutely didn’t want the alpha to think he did anything wrong, but the idea that a wealthy and successful alpha was afraid of possibly doing him wrong, and omega working for him as a janitor …

It was strange .

“Well if you say so,” Mr. Bang relaxed into his comfy looking office chair, but even if his body had relaxed, his face showed doubt, “But don’t feel like you can’t tell me if I make you uncomfortable, okay?”

Felix instantly nodded, even though he wasn’t sure he would ever admit to it in front of the CEO if that ever happened. Besides, it’s not that the alpha did something wrong per say…

He was just different, kind of like Soobin, but more different. He wasn’t an alpha in the same position as an omega, nor was he one that seemed shy and quiet. He seemed just as boisterous as any other alpha would be, head strong and confident in himself. But he also owned a large corporation that currently employed Felix. He would lose nothing by dismissing an omega to save a few extra minutes in his most likely hectic day.

But he wasn’t doing that, and that’s what was weird.

“Firstly,” Mr. Bang began, “I’d like to let you know you aren’t in trouble.”

Felix’s breath hitched in his throat. The anxiety riddling his body, tingling through his fingers and infecting his scent, halted in place. He could feel the tension in his muscles freeze as he tried to comprehend the words that the CEO had just said.

You aren’t in trouble.

He wasn’t in trouble, even though he had Han Jisung’s ID Card in his possession? Even though the receptionist had insisted on his guilt ? Even though he was just an omega working at the bottom of the totem pole?

How the hell wasn’t he in trouble?

“I’m sure you know Jisung is a part of my pack,” Mr. Bang explained, offering a small grin as Felix slowly nodded along. Sangmi had mentioned that somewhere during her tirade to the top floor of the building, “And he had already informed me about your issue. I was well aware that you had my pack member’s key card before you even left the building yesterday.”

Well, that made everything make a lot more sense. If Jisung had already informed Chan of the situation, then he probably heard about Felix’s name preference from the producer as well. At least that meant Jisung wasn’t in much trouble, or Felix could only assume he wasn’t. He hadn’t exactly seen the other at all today so there was no telling if he got an earful from his pack alpha when he went home with Felix’s face dangling across his chest last night.

Felix reached for the paper he had written on earlier with a peek up at the alpha who pushed it closer to the omega.

Thank you Mr. Bang, I’m terribly sorry about this whole situation. It won’t happen again.

“It’s not a problem Felix,” The CEO said after skimming the paper, “And you can call me Chan, most of the staff here refers to me by first name.”

Felix knew that wasn’t the case, considering both Sangmi and the receptionist outside of the office referred to him as “Mr. Bang”, but Felix didn’t dare question him. Instead, he accepted the name exchange gratefully, even if it felt strange to speak informally with his administrator.

Thank you Chan. I actually meant to return Jisung’s key card when I started my shift. Should I return it to you?

“I took the liberty of texting him as soon as my secretary told me I had visitors,” Chan sighed to himself as he rubbed his fingers against his forehead, “I was somewhat expecting a visit from someone about the mix up, but I wasn’t expecting something quite like this to happen. I figured I’d get a few concerned phone calls when people noticed someone was walking around with his keycard, not an angry employee stomping you up to my office. I’m sorry about that.”

Felix quickly shook his head, scribbling out a sloppy looking sentence and shoving it across the desk.

Please don’t apologize for my mistake. It was my own fault I got into the situation I was in. I sincerely apologize for causing you trouble and intend to continue forth without issue.

Even if it was a lie, Felix had written it down in confidence. He wouldn’t throw anyone under the bus for any inconveniences this had caused, especially not someone like Chan who had done nothing but show Felix kindness. Felix was a firm believer in placing blame where blame was due.

But he also tended to shoulder blame rather than correct it, so he supposed he wasn’t entirely a firm believer.

“I promise you didn’t cause any trouble,” Chan said gently, “If anyone caused trouble it was Jisung but that’s only because trouble follows him around like a lost puppy. It was a mistake and a misunderstanding, please don’t burden yourself with guilt.”

Felix wanted to argue against him, because it especially wasn’t Jisung’s fault either, but then Chan was chuckling at himself. As if he had just made a casual joke at Jisung’s expense, fully expecting Felix to laugh along in his silence. His eyes crinkled against his smile, his lips parted to show a bright smile at his amusement.

It was ethereal, captivating, and Felix found himself forgetting about the stubbornness he was holding onto seconds before.

As the laughter died down, there was a quick knock at the door followed by a small squeak as it was thrown open. Felix rotated his body to face the opening and was slightly surprised to see the one and only Han Jisung walk in with Felix’s face dangling from his neck.

“Felix!” Jisung shouted cheerfully, sounding nothing like a dejected wolf that had been scolded by his pack alpha like Felix had assumed might have happened.

Jisung scurried up to him, scooping Felix into a crushing hug without warning. He faintly heard Chan protest, and another voice he didn’t recognise groaned as the door closed behind them, but he wasn’t really paying attention to them.

He was paying attention to the cinnamon that was so close to his nose.

He was paying attention to the alpha that had stuck his face directly into overwhelming scent glands.

He was paying attention to Jisung who was an alpha .

“Jisung let him breathe!”

Felix was ripped out of the cloud of cinnamon by unfamiliar hands. Jisung stood in front of him with a flustered grimace as Felix was pulled backwards. The omega lost his footing, nearly plummeting downwards before he was caught just in time by whoever had pulled him away. 

His world was hazy, and no matter how hard he tried to blink away the fuzziness around his vision it came back full force. It looked like the office was tilting, twirling in circles as someone picked him up. His body went slack without his consent, and when he was placed on a couch along the side of the room he could hardly feel the material underneath him.

He knew this feeling, had felt it multiple times before with his ex-boyfriend. It was something he experienced when they were intimate, or even when the alpha’s pheromones were extra strong.

But it never felt nice like this.

Felix remembered feeling fearful, vulnerable, insecure as his body became lithe and moldable in his alpha’s hands. He remembered having no choice as the gross sea salt he associated with his ex-boyfriend engulfed him and forced him to comply, creating tunnel vision in his mind as he could only focus on the alpha in front of him. He remembered struggling for hours afterwards to feel some semblance of normalcy again after going under for so long. He remembered grasping at his bathtub as he tried to stay standing against his shaky legs, remembered achy arms and irritable emotions for days on end afterwards.

He thought he hated subspace, something he had become used to during his last relationship. He had sworn it off after he left his last relationship, promising himself he would do anything he could to prevent feeling like that again. But this time it felt way too comfortable, and while he knew he should feel scared, he felt unusually safe. It was like a fluffy blanket had wrapped around him, and instead of feeling constricted by the way his world turned from clear to distorted mush in an instant, he was sheltered under the pull of deeper conscience.

He felt fingers on his face titling it downwards, taps on his forehead and cheeks that shifted their position with each touch. He tried to focus on the feeling of phantom touches against his skin, tried to connect with his disjointed limbs that refused to obey him, but nothing would listen to him.

And part of him didn’t mind that.

There was a harsh snap, colliding terribly with the hazy lull he had fallen into. He twitched in response, and he could hear a soft voice just in front of him.

“He’s coming back,” It was Chan, and as Felix blinked again he started to realize that Chan was kneeled in front of him. He was holding Felix up against a couch with Jisung and another man awkwardly stuck against the wall on the opposite end of the room. Felix paid no mind to the other wolf, his vision zeroing in on Jisung who was watching him with wide eyes. Whether they were wide with fear or desire Felix couldn’t decipher, because all he was consumed with was the cinnamon trail leading to the alpha.

“Hey buddy,” Another snap from Chan demanded Felix’s attention, but his calm expression contrasted with the loud sound. He was too kind to be mean, Felix was beginning to understand, “Yeah that’s it, look at me. Jisung’s dumb anyways, you don’t wanna look at him. He’s just a silly alpha.”

Felix scrunched up his face at Chan as a frustrated whine built up in his chest. He knew nothing but heavy breathing would pass his lips, but he figured his intention was clear when Chan lightly shushed him. He wished he could tell him that Jisung wasn’t just a silly alpha. He was kind, and sweet -and he smelt heavenly but that's besides the point- and he was too far away for Felix’s comfort. 

“I am not just a silly alpha!” Jisung huffed from across the room with clear annoyance.

“You are if you pulled an omega into a pheromone high just because you couldn’t contain your excitement,” The wolf beside him nudged him in the side causing Jisung to squeak.

“I didn’t mean to!” Jisungs fingers curled around his forearms as he watched Felix and Chan from the other side of the room with panicked hysteria, “How was I supposed to know he was gonna react like that?!”

“That’s why we got you those new scent blockers, Sungie,” Chan tapped Felix again just as his vision became a bit more blurry. The alpha in front of him kept a smile on his face, and even as he spoke with clear conviction, not a hint of aggression leaked into his tone. He continued to poke and prod at the omega to keep his attention which was proving to be rather difficult, “You’ve always had higher levels of pheromones than normal. Why weren’t you wearing any?”

Felix didn’t have much more self control to focus on the conversation, especially when his head was being pushed back under the waves of cinnamon once more. His mind disappeared in the blanket that had trapped him, and the taps from Chan became a distant nuisance that he ignored. 

His gaze was locked on Jisung, who had dropped his concerned stare for a genuine smile upon noticing. Felix could tell he was saying something, probably to Chan or whoever else had entered with them, but he words floated over his head. The omega only blinked as his vision tightened in on the alpha his heart was yearning for.

Which was fucking weird because he hardly knew Jisung.

He was shifted again, his body sliding down the couch so he was lying on his back. He was met with a white ceiling void of any decoration, and a sudden influx of mock orange assaulted him. He instinctively shook his head, whipping around his face as he tried to rid himself of the unwanted smell. When he turned his head, Chan wasn’t in the room anymore. Neither was Jisung.

Instead the other wolf, the one who had entered with Jisung, was sitting next to Felix. He held a lit candle in one hand as he adjusted himself on the floor. The orange must have been coming from that candle, and even if it was clearing up Felix’s wandering mind, he couldn’t help the desire to throw it out the window.

“Hey,” The wolf waved at the omega who had begun to trail his gaze across the office, “I’m Changbin. I know we haven’t met yet, but I’ve heard a bit about you.”

Changbin set the candle down on the side table next to the black couch, “I’m sorry about Jisung, he didn’t mean to do this to you. He can be a bit brainless sometimes, but he means well,”

The rational part of Felix’s brain, the one that had been smothered by cinnamon and was just barely returning, knew that Changbin was just joking. But the other half, the feral omega that was still running loose, took offense to that statement.

“Chan went to see who your emergency contact is, he’s gonna send you home earlier. He took Jisung with him because having him in the room wasn’t helping,” Changbin explained it with ease, but Felix couldn’t help the jump his heart made at the news.

He doesn’t have an emergency contact, and he couldn’t afford to go home early.

“Hey, whatever’s worrying you, it’ll be okay,” Changbin held his hand out with the intention of trying to soothe the distressed omega physically, but he quickly withdrew with an awkward cough, “Chan will figure it out.”

Chan had guided Jisung out of the office as soon as Felix’s pheromone induced state worsened yet again. Honey was beginning to saturate the office in large quantities, and even if Chan didn't particularly mind it, he knew it wasn’t great to let Felix stay under for too long.

Especially when it was someone from his pack that put the omega in the position to begin with.

He was already picturing the abundant amount of paperwork and headaches this was going to cause. He was going to have to work with Felix on a way to rectify this situation, and hope to god that Jisung gets out of this with as minimal repercussions as possible. 

“I’m so sorry Chan,” Jisung wrung his hands together as the two speed walked through the hallways, “I didn’t realize my scent would set him off like that.”

“I can’t really say it’s fine , but I’m glad it didn’t go as badly as it could have,” Chan sighed in his response, but he tried to keep his voice level. Even if Jisung wasn’t the one that had been affected, his emotions were most definitely heightened as his nerves jolted together. Chan wanted to keep his pack members from a nervous breakdown for as long as possible, “We’re lucky something didn’t go wrong.”

There were so many things that could happen when an omega entered subspace and it all depended on how the omega descended into it.

It could go one of two ways. Either the omega was eased into a comforting cocoon with only their alpha as their main priority, or they would fall into a panicked frenzy filled with fear. It could easily turn into a fight or flight situation which was awful for an omega’s health, riddling them with illness early in life. Jisung could have easily led Felix into a subdrop, something Chan has only had to deal with three times in his life.

Luckily, Felix didn’t react too terribly to Jisung, and Chan could only thank the universe that the two had a chance to meet beforehand or else this could have ended much worse.

However, that still left the very real possibility that Jisung could get into serious trouble for his actions. The CEO knew Jisung was aware of that, there was no use reminding him of the rules set in place in their company and society as a whole when it was probably running through his head already.

“So what do we do now?” Jisung asked as they stepped into the elevator and quickly pressed for the ground floor.

“You are going home to get your scent blockers,” Chan pulled out his phone, “I’m calling Seungmin to pick you up.”

Chan purposefully kept his head down as he texted Seungmin, but out of the corner of his eye he was looking for Jisung’s inevitable pout. 

It was entirely out of character for him to remain subordinate when Chan ordered him to do something, especially when it challenged his status as an alpha. It was just something Jisung had always done since he met the younger alpha, and Chan had always been fine with that. In fact, he encouraged his pack to voice their opinions if they disagreed, even if he got the final say. He cared about their thoughts and views on the world that might differ from his, and he would rather have a pack that had different ideas than one that followed him blindly.

So he was expecting to see an annoyed alpha roll his eyes with a groan, to smell bitter cinnamon that Jisung couldn’t quite control. He was prepared to scold him for arguing with him before playfully ruffling his hair as they left the elevator because he wasn’t actually angry with him. 

But instead he was met with a weak resolve, and a mumbled “okay”.

Chan instantly dropped his phone, his message still typed out ready to be sent, and turned to face Jisung’s crumpled form.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Chan reached out for the alpha who wrapped himself up in the older, “Why do you smell so sad?”

“It’s my fault,” Jisung mumbled into Chan’s chest, “I should have known better.”

“Are you talking about Felix?” Chan ran his fingers through Jisung’s messy hair. He received a minute nod, “Baby it’ll be okay. It was an accident.”

“But I could have hurt him!” Jisung pulled back to face the older, his face red and hand clenched around Chan’s shirt, “I didn’t think before I acted and now look what happened!”

“Jisung,” Chan rested one hand on Jisung’s shoulder with the other wrapped around the younger's waist. He pulled the smaller flush to his body while still maintaining eye contact, “Calm down please. Everything will be okay. I’ll take care of it. We can talk more about this tonight, but for now let Minnie take you home and try to relax. Take the day off.”

He hoped it would be okay, but he would deal with it later if wasn’t. For now, Chan needed Jisung to get home in one piece while Chan tried to do damage control.

He didn’t like letting things fester, and having Jisung go home before they had a chance to talk didn’t sit well for Chan, but he didn’t have much of a choice. Jisung’s scent was running rampant with his emotions, and Chan knew the moment they opened these elevator doors everyone would be turning heads at the passing alphas. It was a delicate situation and Chan didn’t want to risk anymore harm to either Jisung or Felix, so he would just have to save their discussion for tonight.

“But what about Felix?”

“Binnie is with him so he’s probably growing more and more coherent,” Chan reassured him with a squeeze. There was no doubt the omega would be rising from his subspace as they speak, “And I’m going to see if I can get someone to come pick him up. I’ll set up a proper meeting with him tomorrow or the next day depending on when he comes back to work.”

“I want to apologize,” Jisung shoved his face back into Chan’s chest, “He needs to know I didn’t mean to do that. I wasn’t trying to hurt him.”

Chan softened at the younger. He expected nothing less from the producer, he wouldn’t be surprised if he came to work with a bouquet of flowers and a gift basket as he serenaded Felix with an apology song. Jisung has always been a more emotional and romantic alpha, yet Chan loved that about him. But it made this situation so much more worrisome, because Felix needed to know that Jisung would never go out of his way to hurt him.

“You can,” The older chuckled as he engulfed Jisung’s body with his own, “As long as you have scent blockers on.”

“ Duh . I’m not doing that again.”

---

“This is all the information you have?” Chan raised an eyebrow at the old man sitting straight in his chair, “You haven’t even put his documents in the system.”

Chan’s visit to Felix’s supervisor was less than pleasing to say the least. He was surprised to see how outdated the farthest back rooms of the building were, and then he had to think back to when the last time he had even been down here had been. It seemed any requests for updated equipment had been ignored as well as any cleaning staff's schedules to tidy up the dirty area.

But what was worse was the manager Chan had come to meet, who was kicked back in his chair with a TV blasting on his lap.

“I’m terribly sorry Sir,” Mr. Choi gave a flustered apology, “I’ve been bogged down with work. I’ll get on it right away!”

Bogged down with work.

Chan would have to look into that blatant lie.

He would have to do with physical copies of Felix’s profile, which was still far more sparse than Chan was expecting. Other than a home address, the omega had hardly anything to his name. Chan was aware the younger didn’t have a pack, as the tagless collar signified, but he also didn’t have a home or neighbor pack to watch out for him. He had no relatives, no emergency contact, no cell phone… He was a literal lone wolf.

Chan hadn’t met many in his lifetime, and each one was just the same as the last. Lone wolves were usually aggressive and territorial. They were a pain in the ass to communicate with and nine times out of ten they were the main cause for pack disputes. They couldn’t mesh with any single pack for one reason or another which ended with them eventually choosing to live out their lives alone.

But Felix was nothing like the lone wolves Chan had met. He seemed the exact opposite of confrontational and if he was truly as territorial as Chan was used to then the omega would have lunged for Chan or Changbin when they tried to keep him away from Jisung.

From the moment Felix walked into his office smelling like burned honey and dread, Chan had been sure of his character. Felix was a gentle soul, one that didn’t fight against Sangmi’s claws digging into his skin. He was one that didn’t speak, yet he seemed so loud in his appearance. Felix didn’t have to verbalize himself, because Chan could smell it in his scent, and that’s why he knew Felix wasn’t hostile.

“Well,” Chan shut the folder and placed it on Mr. Choi’s desk, “I guess I’ll have to take a different route.”

“Of course,” Mr. Choi took the files back and shuffled them back into the folder nicely.

“I suggest you look into puting all of that into the system,” Chan demanded more than suggested, and Mr. Choi instantly agreed at the cold look the alpha directed at him.

When Chan arrived back at his office, he was slightly surprised to see Felix fast asleep on his couch with the lights turned off.

Changbin was sitting on the floor as he scrolled through social media on his phone. As Chan opened the door, Changbin lifted his finger to his lips to signal Chan to remain quiet. The alpha obliged easily as he closed the door behind him. He tiptoed to his desk and made sure to slowly open his drawers. He had bought scent blockers for himself about a month ago that he hasn’t worn much, but he would rather keep as much alpha out of the air as possible after Jisung and Felix’s recent interaction.

“Is he okay?” Chan whispered as he peeled back the foil from the patch he was about to apply to his scent glands.

“Yeah,” Changbin turned off his phone and dropped it to his lap, “He took some time to come back but when he did he was mostly just embarrassed.”

Chan held back a chuckle that tried to fight it’s way out of his chest, “It wasn’t his fault his biology reacted like it’s supposed to.”

“I mean, you are his boss,” Changbin shrugged, “He probably feels weird that he literally fell into your arms after a guy he only met yesterday tackled him into subspace.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Chan walked over to the couch and settled himself next to Changbin.

“So,” The beta began, “What’s the plan?”

Chan knew what Changbin was asking. The plan was kind of an open ended question, filled with a lot of concerns. Felix was an omega employed by Chan, and Jisung was not only Chan’s employee but his pack member. And Jisung essentially assaulted Felix according to the law.

Chan knew Jisung didn’t mean for things to happen the way they did, but that didn’t change the fact that it happened. When Felix was awake and coherent again, he may be angry enough to press charges or demand compensation and he would have every right to do so. This could be a potentially detrimental situation for both Chan's pack and company.

But as Chan spared a glance at the sleeping omega, he felt in his heart it wouldn’t come down to that. Maybe they could fix this without the law’s involvement. And he would make sure Felix didn’t feel as if they had stepped over boundaries they shouldn’t have. He was still a person who deserved basic human decency, and Chan would do what he needed to do to make sure he was okay.

“We take it one step at a time.”

Chapter Text

Felix’s transition from a pheromone induced slumber back into the harsh reality of real life was less disorienting that he expected it would be.

The fake orange that had Felix scrunching his nose in distaste before was still lingering in the room, though much less potent. It floated between the familiar baby powder scent Felix had smelled on Jisung yesterday and the calm honey coming from Felix, mixing the three together into something comforting. 

Felix blinked open his eyes, half expecting to see his comforter lying underneath him but instead coming face to face with the leather back of Chan’s sofa. His fisted hands that were curled into his chest flexed outwards as he pressed his palms against the material and stretched out his arms. The room was dark, and as his limbs extended to fix the tension in his muscles he realized a blanket had been draped over him.

With a deep exhale, Felix turned around to see Chan seated at his desk with his computer screen illuminating his face. Large headphones were seated over his ears as he bobbed his head lightly to whatever was playing through the speakers. There was a noticeable absence of the winter pine Felix had been so entranced by earlier, and even slight traces of it would have been smothered out by the other overpowering smells floating in the air.

Chan was wearing scent blockers, Felix realized.

The alpha hadn’t noticed Felix’s awakened presence, his gaze locked on his screen as he mouthed silent words to himself. He looked dream-like with Felix’s continued fuzzy vision and the shadows smudging the picture for the omega, but the cold draft that made him shiver reminded him that this wasn’t a dream. He was really waking up in the CEO’s office, covered in a soft blanket that smelled like nothing and a hazy memory of cinnamon.

Choosing to try and make himself known to the alpha, Felix sat up on the couch and rubbed at his eyes. Chan instantly turned to the omega with parted lips and removed the headphones from his ears, “Oh Felix, sorry I didn’t notice you woke up.”

Instinctively, Felix signed back with his fingers to the CEO, fully expecting the alpha to understand the “ It’s okay ” he had silently said.

He often forgot that the large majority of the world didn’t know sign language.

“Oh, let me get you a paper,” Chan pushed his chair back from his desk and gathered a pen and paper.

He abandoned his computer and headphones in favor of sitting next to Felix on the black sofa. He kept a more than reasonable amount of space, and if Felix hadn’t already spent the evening passed out on his bosses couch after the most bizarre interaction where he was pushed into the most pleasing subspace of his life, he might have been concerned by the distance.

But he found himself appreciating the inches between as a sign of respect, something he didn’t get often as an omega. It was nice that the alpha was thinking of him even after everything that had transpired.

It’s okay, I was only up for a minute.

“Ah, that’s good,” Chan’s eyes slid off of the paper and gravitated to the omega’s sleep riddled face, “How are you feeling?”

Surprisingly, he wasn’t feeling too bad. There wasn’t an ache in his limbs from strained muscles, or a blistering headache burning across his forehead. He didn’t feel sore or that he wouldn’t be able to support his weight if he stood, and he hadn’t plummeted into a depressive episode like he was used to after long subspace sessions with his ex-boyfriend.

Everything he felt was what he always read about online, about how subspace was supposed to feel like. He felt like one of those omegas in the movies, the one who laid in their alpha’s arms as serenity clouded their mind after returning to the present. The ever present anxiety that plagued his mind on a daily basis was dulled to a light hum, the fear and insecurity he usually felt after subspace was replaced with pleasant calm and eager giddiness Felix didn’t know what to do with.

He’d never felt so happy before, so free from worry.

Before, he had been told his poor experience in subspace was somewhat normal. Some wolves just couldn’t mix pheromones with others as their biology had evolved to reject subspace in certain blood lines. Felix was just one of those unlucky wolves that would never crave or enjoy subspace, but he would still unwillingly fall into it as did every other omega when surrounded by a high concentration of pheromones. He had chalked it up to him having a bad reaction to pheromone highs, afterall a lot of other omegas experienced bad symptoms related to it and generally disliked the head space.

He wasn’t the only one going through it, he had reasoned with himself as his ex-alpha pinned him to the bed for the fourth time in a week . He would have to do this for his alpha regardless so he should learn to enjoy it somehow. Even if it hurt to pretend it felt good.

But obviously Felix was capable of enjoying it, capable of feeling the positive effects of subspace after years of hell where he thought he hated it, and he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that yet.

“Felix?” Felix flinched, he hadn’t realized he zoned out. The room was so much brighter than he realized and he had to squint his eyes at Chan’s worried expression.

Felix held up a finger as he wrote down his response.

I feel fine. I’m sorry for falling asleep on your sofa.

“Oh please don’t apologize Felix,” Chan raised his hands, shaking them in front of himself with a guilty painted expression, “You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. In fact, I am the one who’s sorry.”

Felix wanted to argue back, which was a very unusual thing for him because he never felt secure enough to argue with an alpha, but Chan had the paper clutched between his fingers. Even with Felix’s walls temporarily trampled down by this weird sense of freedom he was granted, he didn’t feel risky enough to try to tear it from the alpha’s grasp.

“Seriously, please don’t feel bad about today,” Chan continued with a deep breath, “But, are you sure you’re okay? I can arrange a doctors appointment for you if you’re not feeling well.”

Felix had already begun shaking his head midway through the sentence, and he couldn’t help the amusement at Chan’s persistent concern as he began listing off various side effects that Felix once associated with his normal subspace experience, “No headache? Stiff muscles? Unexpected irritability? Do you feel dizzy? Not even a little bit?”

Even though the situation was far from funny, Felix found a grin slipping onto his face. And if he was capable of laughing with his nonexistent voice, light chuckles would have been filling the room. His body listed back and forth with his silent laughter, and eventually Chan halted his rather long list of worries to stare at Felix in fond disbelief.

“Well, I can’t say I’m not happy you’re feeling okay,” Chan sighed playfully with a grin of his own, “But your case of the giggle might be a little contagious, maybe we should take you to the doctors after all.”

Felix, for some god awful reason, thought that was hilarious .

His body shook from the force of his lungs as he hunched over himself. He probably looked absolutely insane, his frame shaking with only the sound of air passing from his lips as he gasped for breath. But he didn’t care, mostly because he didn’t think he could care about anything at the moment. He felt euphoric, like nothing could damage his world of happy thoughts and childlike amusement. He didn’t care that his boss was watching him mutely cackle into his sofa, didn’t care that he slept in his bosses office after falling into subspace, didn’t care that he had missed an entire day of work and left his duties for Yeonjun and Soobin to take care of.

He didn’t care about anything, and it felt so so good to not be constantly on guard.

“Oh goodness, you’re having a blast aren’t you, little one,” Chan giggled, filling the empty silence with his own sweet voice that had Felix lifting his head in interest.

He sounded so nice .

Why hadn’t Felix ever noticed that before?

“Alright, I’m gonna have to take you home soon. But I want to wait until you’re a little more coherent first,” Chan pushed himself to a stand, “I’m going to have my secretary grab some hot tea from the cafeteria for you.”

Felix's laughter died down instantly, his gaze flicking to Chan who had left his side and began walking towards his office door. Felix hadn’t been fully listening, only paying attention to Chan’s retreating figure. Chan, who was too far away. Chan, who was supposed to be close. Chan, who was Alpha.

Alpha isn’t supposed to leave.

Felix watched carefully, the light floaty feeling constricting in his chest, freezing in place as he waited with bated breath to see what Chan was doing. He watched the alpha crack open the door, and the outside smells quickly invaded their cocoon of gross orange, honey, and baby powder. He covered his nose with disgust, rubbing at his face as his overly sensitive nose picked up on the other scents he didn’t want anywhere near him.

Chan mumbled something to who Felix suspected was his secretary, nodding a few times before closing the door. Chan turned to face Felix, but his small smile dropped upon seeing Felix’s distraught expression.

Felix could already tell the room was beginning to smell like sour honey.

“Oh no, what’s wrong?” Chan rushed over to Felix, who was trying to blink away the tears he wasn’t expecting, “I’m sorry I left, is that what’s wrong? Is it because I left?”

Felix nodded with rather harsh movements, sniffling to himself as he bit his bottom lip.

He felt so stupid.

His attachtment to Chan was instinctual, Felix knew this deep down in the part of his conscience that was actually thinking logically, but it still left him feeling stupid for craving an alpha that wasn’t his. Chan wasn’t even the alpha who put Felix in this position, but Felix wanted Chan close regardless. He nearly had a breakdown when Chan looked close to leaving the room.

Crying over an alpha he barely knew .

Why was he acting so fucking weird ?

“Felix?” Chan reached out for the omega with a tense face, but hesitated midway, “I’m sorry, I don’t know how to help you without getting physical, and I don’t want to do something you’re not comfortable with. But I’m here now, okay? I won’t leave again, I promise.”

He said he wouldn’t get physical for Felix’s sake, because he didn’t want to do anything to the omega when his mind wasn’t in the right state to consent. Because Felix was still a stranger, and Chan was still his boss. Because Chan could easily turn out to be accused of taking advantage of an omega in need, of an omega too out of it to consent. Because Felix had fallen into this state because of Jisung, and Chan was a completely different alpha yet he was still acting like he was in subspace after waking up.

But the alpha had still been willing.

And Felix really needed a fucking hug right now, fuck the risks.

So, before Chan continued to spew reassurances from his mouth, trying to give the distressed omega that aftercare he craved without touching him, Felix lunged for the alpha and wrapped his hands around his torso.

Chan drove away from Felix’s apartment around 2 in the morning.

The omega had taken a rather long nap in the alphas office, which Chan hadn’t minded one bit, but it still required that the alpha watch over the janitor with a close eye. After falling into such a deep subspace by force, Chan was somewhat expecting a subdrop to pop up suddenly without warning. Chan had busied himself with business inquiries, meetings that needed to be postponed due to the current crisis involving his pack, and boring spreadsheets until he finally broke out his current track he was working on.

He also compiled the necessary paperwork he was going to have to fill out about the incident with Jisung and Felix, and he couldn’t help the hole in his chest when he emailed his secretary to print them out of him. He still hadn’t had a chance to talk to Jisung about the situation, and as he filled out the details of the accidental assault with his ink pen, he was compelled to push it all to the side until later because he really didn’t want to imagine what was going to happen to the younger alpha.

This was serious, much more serious than Chan made it out to be as he told Jisung to calm down and go home. This could end up with major fines, community service, or restraining orders that kept him from his place of work. And even though Chan owned the entire company, he would never fire Felix for Jisung’s actions just so the alpha could return to the building.

All of those, though worrisome in their own right, weren’t as much of a fear for Chan as the possibility of jail time.

He didn’t want to entertain it too much, because that was a rather hefty sentence for pheromone abuse, but not many of these incidents got reported to the police. It was hard to prove, and as shitty as it was, most omega’s testaments were thrown out because the evidence wasn’t there. Felix’s assault would have two witnesses, and alpha and a beta, so there was no way this would be swept under the rug. Chan had no intention of leaving anything out of the report because that wasn’t fair to Felix, and the government would have a field day making an example of Jisung to other alphas. As a warning that they can and will be punished.

Chan didn’t know what he would do if he had to visit Jisung behind bars, all because he forgot to wear his damn scent blockers.

Chan had intended on speaking with Felix when he woke up, just to gauge how he was feeling about the situation to figure out where his mindset was on the whole thing, but when the omega woke up just as out of as he was before Chan figured he wouldn’t be getting an answer right away.

It wasn’t abnormal for omegas to enter a carefree head space after subspace, it was actually considered healthy and encouraged to keep your omega in a light headspace for close to an hour after hitting such a deep consciousness. Chan’s pack omega wasn’t a stranger to this feeling, and all of the pack thought Minho was adorable when his attention span was that of a chipmunk and could be entertained by a funny cat video for that whole hour. 

Omegas required less attention in this stage than when in actual subspace, usually they’d be fine with at least one alpha in the room while they twiddled with a stuffed animal or told stories out loud. They still needed to be watched after, but it wasn’t as dire as subspace where an omega was razor focused on their alpha and would do anything for them.

The issue wasn’t that Felix entered this stage, in fact Chan was elated that he had a good enough subspace to experience it. It made him feel slightly hopeful for a good outcome with the incident report he was filing. The issue was that Chan couldn’t provide him with the aftercare he needed without possibly breaching the omega’s personal boundaries that he wasn’t aware of. Hugs were out of the question, and Chan’s was weary to give Felix any sort of physical reminder of Jisung or himself in case it wound up triggering something. Sometimes Chan could give his omega his hoodie and it would work wonders.

The most he could do was make sure Felix was well fed and happy, as a friend.

When Chan had left Felix to talk to his secretary, he realized he had fucked up.

He wasn’t sure why Felix reacted so badly, afterall Chan was still in the room and as far as he knew from Minho that could still appease an omega in this stage. But Felix wasn’t happy about the distance, and Chan wasn’t sure if that had to do with what happened during his subspace or if this was just a difference between his omega and Felix. He was inconsolable, and Chan was barely holding back his urge to wrap the omega in his arms and shush the silent whimpers he could just tell the omega wanted to make.

But then Felix hugged him anyways, regardless of Chan’s reluctance. Even though it was probably a terrible idea, even though it could backfire on him tomorrow when Felix decided he wanted to press charges on not only Jisung but Chan as well, even though Felix wasn’t a part of his pack, he couldn’t bring himself to pull away. As Felix nuzzled his nose into Chan’s chest and squeezed his arms around the alphas torso, Chan cuddled him back.

Obviously Felix needed this, and Chan wasn’t going to deprive the omega from what he needed after everything his pack put him through already.

They stayed at the office for another hour, Chan holding Felix close and whispering nonsense words until the sour honey evened out. When Felix finally pulled back he looked more tired than anything else, but as the clarity returned to his gaze Chan could see the change in his demeanor. He could see the tension as he straightened out his body, could see the fear and uncertainty take over. Felix became much more aware than he had been all night, and Chan knew that his mind was flooded with information that his omega had pushed to the side for a few hours.

Now Felix was thinking like a human instead of a wolf, and Chan could see that change shift within moments.

“Let me drive you home,” Chan had offered to the younger, who had diligently avoided eye contact with the alpha since he pulled away from their hug, “It’s the least I could do.”

Felix reluctantly agreed, which Chan could only thank the heavens for because if he had refused Chan wasn’t sure he would have been able to let him go home alone. Omega or not, 2 am was still 2 am. Chan wouldn’t be able to live with himself if Felix ended up in danger because he walked home by himself.

When he arrived at Felix's apartment, he was only partially surprised how run down the area was. It was a fairly old complex with faded paint and rickety fencing around the property, Chan was pretty sure about half of the residents were part of the drug addicts he saw tucked into alleyways. He wasn’t an idiot to assume everyone in the world lived in the best parts of town. Poverty existed, and not everyone was well off enough to provide the best amenities. But it still worried him that Felix, who Chan had just learned was a lone wolf, was living here alone.

So Chan walked him to the door, and Felix was too tired to protest.

“You can take tomorrow off,” Chan insisted to a yawning omega, “I’ll still count your hours tomorrow for payroll, okay? Just take a day to yourself.”

Felix agreed, even though Chan could tell he didn’t want to.

Now, all Chan had to do was keep his sanity until he could properly talk to Felix and figure out what the hell to do.

The drive back to Chan’s home was silent aside from the occasional heavy breath he took as he tried to figure out what the hell he was going to do.

How was he going to protect Jisung?

How was he going to keep his pack together?

How was he going to make sure Felix felt safe in his company?

It was an endless string of confused worries and uncertain assumptions that Chan’s couldn’t ignore.

As Chan pulled up to his own apartment building, he could already feel the impending headache surfacing. There was no doubt the house was going to be chaotic. Jisung was probably freaking out in a bathroom, Changbin was probably keeping Minho at bay, and the rest were either trying to keep some kind of peace and order or making things twice as difficult. There was no telling with his pack.

Chan put his car in park, turned off the engine, and closed his eyes as he rested his forehead against the top of his hands laying on his steering wheel. He let himself linger in the darkness, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. It didn’t help that it still smelled like honey in his car, but it managed to do something to Chan’s biology as his alpha found comfort from the omega scent regardless of who it belonged to.

He wasn’t sure if that really made him feel better though, because Felix didn’t owe him comfort after everything he’s been put through today. Even if it was just his left over scent that hadn’t evaded Chan’s presence.

It was 2:23 in the morning.

The city was dead, but his mind wasn’t.

He finally pulled himself from his car.

He greeted the night door man who waved him a greeting, trudged into the elevator, and pressed the top floor where his pack was sure to be causing a commotion. He tapped his foot anxiously as each floor passed, but quickly forced himself to stop. He wouldn’t be any help to Jisung if he walked in smelling just as scared as the younger must be.

When he arrived at his floor, he stepped out in the hallway and up to their door. And took one more breath, entered his key card, and opened the heavy front door.

The first thing he noticed was that all of the lights were still on. From the hallways he could see part of the open living room and kitchen island where various bags were hastily thrown over the bar stools. Remnants of roasted coffee beans and cooked rice drifted in the air, and from the entrance Chan could hear the faint sounds of Howl’s Moving Castle playing on the TV.

If his nose wasn’t deceiving him, it seemed like Minho, Jisung, and Seungmin were gathered in the living room.

Chan was quiet as he removed his coat and shoes, choosing to leave his bag next to the front door. Chan walked the dark hallway towards the living room filled with his pack, and as he turned the corner he was met with Minho’s piercing gaze next to the sleeping forms of Jisung and Seungmin.

“Chan,” Minho sighed softly from under the fluffy blanket he had wrapped around him and Jisung, “You’re finally home.”

“Yeah, sorry it’s so late,” Chan’s tone was a lot more panicked than he wanted it to sound. He was trying to stay calm and collected for Jisung’s sake, which meant he needed to sound and smell confident. But his voice was betraying him and he knew his scent would be too if he wasn’t still wearing the scent blockers he’d put on hours ago.

“Well it’s not the first time. You managed to come home before sunrise. I’m impressed,” Minho smirked to the alpha as he slowly maneuvered his way out from under the cuddle pile he’d formed with Jisung, and evidently Seungmin after the younger draped himself over their legs. The omega grunted quietly with mock annoyance at the two alphas creating such a hassle for him, but he still smiled as he re-tucked Jisung in the blanket they were sharing and grabbed another for Seungmin.

Sleeping Jisung looked calm, content as he fluttered between dreams and curled closer to Seungmin from under his blanket. It almost made Chan feel at ease, like his whole family wasn’t so close to collapsing, because Jisung was okay. He was a few feet away sleeping soundly with his favorite movie playing in the background, he was going to sleep in and beg someone to make him pancakes in the morning until Changbin agreed and then spring himself into working onto a new track.

It was almost normal.

But Chan knew better than to lie to himself. He couldn’t let his brain twist the situation into something less than it was, couldn’t let himself relax in a self created fantasy world where Jisung hadn’t accidentally committed a crime. Where his packmate hadn’t hurt an innocent omega and he wasn’t about to face legal cases that could ruin everything he and his pack had created together.

He couldn’t lie to himself, because it was only going to hurt more later.

“Channie?” Minho pulled on Chan’s upper arms, “Let’s go talk in your office.”

Chan dragged his gaze off of the sleeping alphas back onto the omega dressed up in the cat pajamas he got for christmas last year. Minho linked his arm into Chan’s and pushed his fingers between the fist Chan made with his hands. He was staring at Chan with compassionate understanding, like he already had an idea about what was tormenting Chan. In a way, Chan felt better knowing Minho already had an inkling about what was going on. Minho was like his second hand man, always aware and constantly meddling in affairs to the best of his ability to lighten the load on Chan’s shoulders.

It was like he wasn’t dealing with the whole situation alone. 

Minho was the pack omega, the second oldest, and the first person aside from Chan that the pack went to for guidance. He was the example Chan’s couldn’t provide, one that showed the pack that what the world perceives wasn’t always fact. While Chan was the dominating presence due to his status, Minho was dominating because of his aura. Minho demanded authority because his attitude demanded authority. Omega or not, Minho was a force to be reckoned with. Status was never an issue for the omega, because he refused to let his status dictate his life.

It was something their two betas Changbin and Jeongin had needed to learn, something they still struggled to figure out today, but Minho continued to be the support they needed to realize their status didn’t define them.

It was why Minho was Chan’s first choice to confide in, because the omega always seemed to understand. He always knew what to say, and he always knew how to calm him down.

“Yeah,” Chan finally said, tightening his hold on Minho as he began pulling the omega further down the winding hallways of their rather large penthouse, “Let’s talk.”

Minho melded into Chan’s side as they walked shoulder to shoulder. Chan was warned to keep his steps silent as they passed one of the spare bedrooms that Hyunjin, Changbin, and Jeongin had disappeared into.

“Changbin was feeling a bit distraught when he got home,” Minho tossed into the boiling pot of Chan’s worries, “Hyunjin and Jeongin attacked him with their collective body heat and watched some weird american cooking show until they passed out.”

“Well, at least they’re getting rest,” Chan mumbled as they approached his personal office.

The inside followed the same color scheme as his office at work, aside from the kitchen it was a near photocopy. Chan trailed over to the black sofa, one identical to the one Felix took a nap on earlier, and sat them both down softly. Minho made no move to detangle their arms, and Chan only pushed himself further into the omega.

He let himself smell the soothing vanilla wrapping around them. The same vanilla Chan associated with fierce sarcasm and beautiful dancing. The same vanilla that confidently tiptoed between playful flirting and straight up seduction with no inbetween. The same vanilla Chan remembered being entranced by years ago after running into Minho during a talent scouting event, only to be left stranded with a sloppy kiss on the cheek and a hastily written phone number on a mcdonald's receipt.

It was the same vanilla that started Chan’s pack, the same vanilla that greeted every new member with enthusiasm, the same vanilla that helped Chan through every twist and turn.

He loved that vanilla with every fiber of his being, just like he loved every other member of his pack.

“I really love you Min,” Chan voice quivered in the near inaudible whisper, “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Are you getting sentimental on me?” Minho nudged his shoulder against Chan’s as he used his free hand to lay his palm against Chan’s cheek, “Hey, look at me.”

When Chan met Minho’s eyes with his own glossy ones, Minho gently pressed his two lips into the older’s. The kiss was tame, brimming with tender love and care that only Minho could convey in just a kiss. He managed to tell Chan everything he needed to hear in the form of love language. The reassurance, the comfort, the support, and the pure unfiltered love was reduced into one simple kiss that made Chan forget all of his worries for a second.

Just for a second, but that’s exactly what he needed to clear his head of his insecurities.

Chan wasn’t alone, and neither was Jisung. They had a pack of wolves ready to depend on each other, to love each other, protect each other, and even if Chan was their leader, they were a team. Chan was their spokesperson, the one bound by law to make decisions and enforce the rules to his pack, but he was that only in writing. In the real world he was their equal, the oldest with the most experience but also one of four alphas with his own struggles and shortcomings.

When Chan formed his pack one by one, he had always said he didn’t want to be one of those alphas in the movies. He didn’t want to be the alpha that dictated his packs every move, the alpha who used his status and pheromones as a power play. He wanted honesty, trust, and love to come before anything, and he succeeded in that with this pack.

The situation with Felix and Jisung was less than ideal, Chan was well aware of that, but he finally remembered that he had a family to help them through it.

As Minho pulled back from the kiss, he could see the change in Chan’s demeanor instantly, “There he is. Where has my feisty Channie been hiding? You didn’t even shoot back a funny jab at my sarcasm earlier.”

“Coming home before sunrise is too simple,” Chan scoffed playfully, “I’m hardcore, I get my Vitamin D walking into work and walking out.”

“Somehow, I think getting a decent amount of sleep overpowers a few extra minutes of your oh so precious Vitamin D,” Minho chuckled as he finally freed himself from the pretzel he and Chan had made with their limbs.

“So,” Minho turned himself on the sofa to face Chan who had leaned his back against the arm rest, “Are you ready to talk now?”

“It’s not good, Minho,” Chan sighed as he minutely shook his head at the memory of today, “We might be in serious trouble. With the law, with the business, with decent human respect, with Jisung’s mental health…”

Chan trailed off, but Minho only nodded his head in understanding.

“Jisung mentioned something about an omega,” Minho gave a subtle glance to Chan’s button up shirt, the shirt Chan was certain still reeked of honey, “He asked me about subdrops today. And let me tell you, it took nearly all of my self control to not freak the fuck out when he brought it up.”

“Did he tell you anything?” Chan asked.

“No,” Minho shook his head, “I mean I got a vague idea of what went down but he didn’t want to talk about it and I didn’t push it. And Changbin won’t say anything if Jisung won’t.”

“Oh Binnie,” Chan huffed fondly, “I’ll have to talk to them and make sure they’re okay.”

“What did happen?” Minho took Chan’s hand in his, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles, “All I know is a possible omega hit a possible subdrop and all three of you were there.”

“There was an omega, his name is Felix,” Chan began with a steady tone, “The subdrop part was mostly false, I think. At least at first?”

Minho blinked at him, and cocked his head, “I don’t think I follow. What do you mean mostly false ?”

“Like, I don’t know, he just-” Chan stumbled over his words before stopping all together. He took a deep breath to get his thoughts in order, and started over, “Jisung wasn’t wearing scent blockers today.”

“Oh no,” Minho groaned, but it wasn’t humorous. It was filled with concern and dread, “Sungie has always had irregular pheromone levels, why wouldn’t he wear them?”

“I have no idea,” Chan answered, and he wasn’t sure he’d even get a decent answer to that question. Jisung himself probably didn’t even realize he wasn’t wearing them, “We need to start double checking him when he leaves the house because he can’t control his scent. I don’t want a repeat of today.”

“There’s a new guy at the company,” Chan continued, “He’s a janitor named Felix, and he’s an omega.”

Chan proceeded to fill in the dots for Minho as he played with his finger tips, detailing just how the day progressed from the usual monotony he dealt with to the utter disaster he had ended up with. Minho listened diligently, giving quiet acknowledgments as Chan trailed along his story. The two graviated closer to each other as time went on, until eventually their hands completely encased each other’s once more and Minho traced patterns into Chan’s arms with his other hand.

“So, you don’t really know if he had a subdrop?” Minho clarified, “He just fell into a subspace of sorts after Jisung hugged him?”

“I mean it didn’t seem bad,” Chan shrugged as he tried to dissect things in his head, “He reminded me of you in subspace, just completely focused on whoever put you there and unable to be sated unless they were in arms reach.”

“Well that doesn’t really sound like subdrop to me,” Minho pinched his brows as he stared off across the room, still massaging Chan’s skin absentmindedly, “Did he seem desperate, or was he more like… I don’t know, whiny?”

“What?” Chan reeled back and turned to Minho with confusion, “Aren’t those the same thing?”

“Oh Channie,” Minho chuckled at the alpha, and if Chan wasn’t so comfy and still recovering from the mental gymnastics he’s been doing today he may have tried to tease Minho back. But he was far too tired, too nervous and unsure about everything, “No, they’re different. Whiny is me when you take too long to cuddle me, or when you purposely hold back from kissing me so I have to beg for it. That is a whiny omega. A desperate omega is an omega who would sacrifice their own health and safety for their alpha, one that would put themselves in danger just to prove they would please alpha’s every command.”

Chan had to hold back the spike of something Chan didn’t like in his chest. A desperate omega sounded like the complete opposite of what an alpha should stand for. While omegas want to please and submit, alphas yearn to care and dominate. It was give and take of both sides, and if one side failed to return what was given then they were better off alone.

A relationship with dynamics, such as a wolf's biological status, are always equal between the alpha and omega, because both instincts want to mold together perfectly.

“So a desperate omega is a sign of subdrop,” Chan bit his lip for a moment as he tried to figure out his words, “Do you know… what does it feel like?”

It was a topic Chan had breached once before and was met with intense resistance. Minho never liked sharing deeply personal information early on in their relationship, and Chan was never one to force. And with Minho being their only omega, Chan was never in a situation where he was left with no other choice but to ask Minho for guidance on an omega’s biology.

He’d never had an issue like this before.

“Subdrop is…” Minho sighed, rubbing his forehead with his fingers as he avoided eye contact with Chan, “It’s dangerous. It’s painful. It’s confusing because no matter how badly you want to please your alpha, nothing feels like enough. You could drive yourself near death, and it won’t feel like enough. You can offer them every piece of yourself, even things you’d never agree to usually, and it’ll never feel like enough. And if you’re left alone, you feel like a piece of your heart has literally been carved out of your chest.”

“It’s like the worst anxiety attack you’ve ever experienced,” Minho mumbled, and Chan squeezed the omega’s hand in support, “And after you come back, you feel so empty and numb. It’s terrifying and I wish no omega had to go through it.”

“I’m sorry Minho,” Chan whispered, because he knew Minho was speaking from experience.

He knew now why Minho never wanted to talk about it before. Subdrop sounded like a black hole that was almost impossible to crawl out of, one that could lead to serious repercussions.

What would happen to an omega left alone in subdrop?

What could an omega do to themselves in a drop?

“It’s okay, it was a long time ago,” Minho rubbed his nose into Chan’s neck, just over the scent blockers still covering up his scent glands, “Can I take this off?”

Chan didn’t answer, instead choosing to reach up and peel off the plastic covering. His scent was rather potent after being concealed all day, and Chan was slightly fearful of Minho ending up in the same situation Felix had been in earlier. But as Minho snuggled into Chan’s shoulder, slowly breathing in the soothing pine that now smelled like pure love and adoration, he realized Minho needed this.

He needed Chan to hold him, cherish him, and take care of him right now. And Chan was more than willing to do that.

Minho was straddled on top of Chan, his arms looped over his shoulders and around his neck and rested his head on Chan’s body. The alpha gathered Minho in his arms and effortlessly picked them both up off the couch. The omega clutched onto Chan tighter, pushing his nose further into the alpha scent.

Chan made sure to turn off the lights as he departed from the office. The house was still quiet, aside from the softly playing movie in the living room, so Chan was careful as he traveled through the halls and into one of the bedrooms.

While they had multiple rooms in the house, they also had a special room with a larger bed that could, in theory, fit them all. But Jisung kicked in his sleep, Jeongin hogged all of the covers, Minho and Hyunjin talked in their sleep, Changbin snored every now and then and Seungmin couldn't stand it.

So it’s pretty rare they all sleep in one bed together anymore.

As Chan stepped into the room, he could still smell the remnants of last night. It smelled like Hyunjin and Jeongin, which Chan wasn’t surprised by since the two disappeared into the room for hours after dinner. He had just laughed at their over eager faces as the two skipped down the halls and hid behind sound proof doors, choosing to take an early night himself.

Now as Chan laid Minho down on the bed, Hyunjin’s lavender and Jeongin’s coconut mixed with the pine and vanilla layering into the room.

When Chan pulled away from Minho, hovering over the omega who laid flat on the deep maroon comforter, he was met with foggy dilated eyes. His breathing was rather heavy, small pants as he sucked in the alpha dominating the air. Tiny hands reached out, making grabby motions for the alpha with a small whine when Chan just grabbed the both of Minho’s hands with his own and confined them over his chest.

He looked stunning.

The same gorgeous Minho that Chan fell for years ago.

The alpha leaned down, pinning the omega with his body weight and ghosting his lips above Minho’s. The omega tried to reach up and meet him only to meet Chan’s strength resisting his movements. Another whine, a little more frustrated this time.

“I love you Min,” Chan murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to the omega’s nose.

“Love you, Alpha,” Minho responded in the voice Chan always associated with subspace, smooth and timid.

“Love you so much,” The alpha pressed another kiss to Minho’s cheek, “You’re so perfect, baby. My perfect omega. Alpha’s perfect omega.”

As Chan stared down at Minho, he realized all of the signs that he was recognizing as safe subspace. All of the typical responses and normal behavior Chan was used to, and how Felix had mimicked all of them earlier in the day.

A desperate omega was a sign of subdrop.

But Minho wasn’t desperate, and neither was Felix. They both were happily content with their alphas, begging to be cared for and loved. They were whiny while being complacent in whatever their alpha wanted them to do. It was nothing like the subdrop Minho described earlier.

At the very least, Chan was almost certain Jisung hadn’t pushed Felix into a subdrop today. And that on it’s own was a relief. He would never want Felix to go through what Minho explained.

Even though they didn’t get to finish their talk, Chan felt like he understood more now than he ever did about an omega. He finally realized just what he was seeing, what Minho was giving him and what Minho risked every time they were around each other. He realized how much trust and love flowed between them, and he was so grateful Minho trusted him with this intimacy. He always said he never knew what he did to deserve Minho, and he was still thinking that as the omega whined against his ear for more attention.

Finally, Chan placed a kiss directly on Minho’s lips.

The day after was hell for Felix.

Not because of the fact that he hit subspace for the first time in two years. That was a blessing in disguise, something he had never had the courage to seek out because of his past experience with it. It was so calming, freeing, and completely unexpected. But it felt so much… different than he was used to.

He had never felt soft touches or heard soothing words as he waded through blurry vision and hazy thoughts before.

No, the hell was the embarrassment he felt when he remembered how he had fallen into his bosses arms. How he had helplessly begged for Jisung and nearly cried when Changbin had told him he left. How he had jumped into Chan’s arms a second time without a care in the world.

The hell was the realization that he liked everything about yesterday, and he was mortified by it.

How the fuck was he going to face them again?

Even though he was supposed to be taking the day to calm down, to recover from the subspace that shouldn’t have been as nice as it was, Felix spent his free day anxiously pacing his tiny apartment. He debated quitting, but only for a second until he remembered his dire financial situation.

Maybe he could avoid Jisung, Chan, and Changbin for the rest of his career? Pretend he forgot all about them when he woke up, as if the subspace was so good that it wiped his memory?

Felix stopped his pacing for a moment, debating on whether that could even work, before aggressively shaking his head in annoyance. There wasn’t any getting out of this, and he was going to walk back into work with his head down and hope he can prevent any chance meetings with Jisung’s pack for as long as possible.

So, Felix went to sleep that night dreading the next morning. Dreams came slowly, pulling him into humiliating recreations of the sweet encounter he had with Chan, of the alluring scent of cinnamon, of the kind face accompanied with fake orange smiling down at him. And Felix enjoyed it, every second of it, and that was what made him panic in the morning.

I’m getting attached to some random wolves because they were nice to me , Felix growled in his head as he sharply pulled his jumpsuit over his clothes, You’re a lone wolf Lee Felix, fucking act like it.

But there was no way to act like Felix’s heart didn’t jump every time he remembered the way Chan held him, the way Jisung was so excited to see him, the way Changbin spoke softly to him.

Why couldn’t he get a hold of himself?

Felix asked himself this same question multiple times as he walked the journey to work, two days after the incident, and came up with no clear answer besides the fact that he was whipped for three dudes he met two days ago. He had absolutely no clue what to do with that information, and he wasn’t entirely sure how healthy it was for his heart to latch onto them so suddenly.

He really needed to like, calm his shit.

As Felix approached the Bang Entertainment building, he felt his legs halt before his mind realized he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. He stared at the tall structure, all the way at the top where Bang Chan would most likely be sitting in his office. Where he spent close to eight hours occupying the alpha’s sofa after embarrassing himself. If he looked hard enough, would he be able to find the window peeking into his work space? Would he be able to catch a glimpse of the alpha from the busy streets below?

He could feel his cheeks heat up, which only proved to annoy him further. 

The omega stalked forward again, this time pointedly keeping his head down as he drew closer to the back entrance. He ignored the pointless desires of his omega searching for the warmth he felt two days ago, ignored the pull in his chest to find one of the wolves. Instead he thought about the tasks he would have to complete today, about the receptionist that hated his guts, about the paycheck he’ll be receiving soon. If he didn’t seek out Chan office, if he kept his mind occupied, maybe his beating heart would calm down.

“Felix!” A voice called out, and Felix was forced to bring his head up again.

Standing outside the back entrance was Yeonjun and Soobin, both smiling brightly as they waved with too much energy for Felix to consider normal. The omega gave a shy wave back as he walked closer to them. He opened and closed his hands awkwardly as he realized he didn’t have his usual yellow notebook with him.

Felix stopped in his tracks, not for the first time that day, and looked down at his empty hands. He had completely forgotten about his notebook, his only form of communication that Sangmi took from him. During his internal ramblings and obsessive panic, he’d completely forgotten that he was missing something vitally important.

How the hell was he going to communicate without his notebook?

“Hey, you okay?” Yeonjun asked as he pulled Felix out of the sun and closer to the shade under the doorway, “Soobin told me what happened the other day. I should have come with you and punched that receptionist like I said I would.”

Felix wasn’t sure how to explain to them that he wasn’t okay, but it wasn’t in the way they thought. He still had a job, and Sangmi’s tirade hadn’t done anything to damage his position. The reason he wasn’t okay was because his omega wouldn’t calm the fuck down, because his mind kept returning to the kind words and tender touches he’d never felt before.

And he didn’t have his fucking notebook.

“Felix?” Soobin asked again, and Felix flung his head up to meet the alpha after he realized he zoned out yet again, “You never got your key card back, did you?”

Looking down, Felix realized that the alpha was correct. Felix not only had Jisung’s keycard stripped from him yesterday, but his keycard was still locked away in Bang Chan’s office. All the way on the top floor, where the events of two days ago happened.

A part of him was excited by the inconvenience, because that meant he was forced to visit Chan in his office. But another part of him was disgusted with himself for being so quick to jump at the chance. He had no idea what was wrong with him, why his omega and his brain were divided so much. His wants and desires were at odds with each other and the whiplash was becoming too much to bear.

One minute he wants to run away and hide from his problems, and the next he wants to jump into someone’s arms.

He needed to get himself under control.

“Hey, do you want me to tell Mr. Choi you need to go home?” Felix shook himself back to reality, again because he forgot for the third time that he was talking to someone. Soobin was watching him carefully, worry etched into his face as he picked apart Felix with his eyes, “You look really spooked, maybe you should take another day.”

Felix instantly shook his head, because whether he was having a mental breakdown or not, he needed the money. Yesterday Chan said he would be compensated for the missed work, but that wasn’t guaranteed for today. If he didn’t have the willpower to come in today, he wasn’t sure when he would.

“Are you sure?” Yeonjun joined in, “We don’t mind you know. We’ll cover for you.”

Felix shook his head again, and even though he knew that his coworkers probably wouldn’t understand him, he mouthed along with his fingers as he tried to sign to them, “ I’m okay, thank you. ”

Just as he expected, both of them only blinked at him as they tried to process what he had just said. Mouthing his words must have helped though, because eventually he could see the moment his words clicked for them.

“Oh shit, you don’t have your notebook?” Yeonjun looked far more concerned about Felix’s missing notebook that the omega expected him to be, “Ah fuck okay, maybe you should stay with one of us today? So you’re not alone?”

Felix wanted to interject and say he was fine, he was mute not incompetent, and he could handle the job just fine without being babysat. But part of him was actually kind of glad Yeonjun offered, because even though he could still handle his job fine he was a little reluctant to be left alone without a way to communicate to someone.

And maybe having someone next to him would help him keep his mind from wandering to less than work friendly thoughts.

“If you’re okay with staying with Yeonjun today, I can run up to the top floor and get your keycard.”

Soobin spoke softly, just like he normally did, but his tone held something Felix wasn’t used to. The omega looked at the alpha again who was staring at him like he could read every emotion Felix had coursing through his body. It wasn’t aggressive, and even though his scent was bogged down by scent blocker, Felix could tell the woodsy undertone belonging to Soobin was still just as calm and collected as it usually was.

No, he wasn’t angry, nor was he challenging Felix like the omega had assumed he would when they first met. Soobin knew something, or at least thought he knew something, and his calculating expression gave away just how much Felix’s odd behavior spoke for his emotional state. He was watching him carefully, protectively, and it made a lot more sense now why Soobin had offered to get the keycard for Felix instead of Felix having to go alone.

And Felix appreciated that, because he knew that going to see Chan right now was probably the last thing he should be doing.

So Felix nodded, both to Yeonjun and Soobin, who smiled back at him. Yeonjun dragged Felix into the building, using his own keycard to get into the entrance while Soobin disappeared down the hallways towards the elevator.

“We’re gonna take care of the editing department today,” Yeonjun explained as they turned corners, “It would probably take awhile if it was one of us but since we’re a team today we’ll probably be able to make our way to the dance rooms before Soobin does. That guy cleans way too fast and today we might be able to beat him.”

Soobin returned his keycard to him quickly, stopping by the editing department to drop it off for Felix before going to grab his cleaning cart.

“Forewarning,” Soobin said as Felix secured the ID over his shoulders, “Mr. Bang said he wanted to speak to you today, so just head up there whenever you have a free moment. Don’t stress about it though, he said you can see him at your earliest convenience.”

“Mr. Bang wants to see him?” Yeonjun questioned as he pulled out a few rags from his cart, “It’s not about Ms. Jun right? I’ll go tell him right now that she’s a bitch. You shouldn’t get in trouble because of her.”

Though he appreciated the sentiment, Felix couldn’t have Yeonjun doing anything on his behalf. Because he knows exactly why Chan wanted to see him, and Felix didn’t want Yeonjun anywhere near the CEO when he knew what the alpha wanted to talk to him about. Though he couldn’t help a small part of himself that also didn’t want Yeonjun anywhere near him because his omega was feeling a bit possessive.

Which was a big, huge fucking problem because he shouldn’t feel possesive over anyone after one damn day.

Soobin was watching Felix again, witnessing as Felix helplessly panicked yet again as if he was hearing every one of Felix’s thoughts. And Felix was really getting sick and tired of Soobin seemingly already knowing what Felix was thinking before he could figure it out himself.

Of course, he didn’t say that to Soobin. Not that he could even if he wanted to. Instead, he mouthed thank you, and Soobin smiled at him as he left to grab his own cart.

“Do you want to leave now?” Yeonjun offered, “Or do you wanna wait to go see the boss?”

“ Wait, ” Felix signed instantly, making sure to mouth along with it.

He needed more time to get himself together, to forget about his confusing emotions and lose himself in work for a little bit. Maybe then it’ll make it easier to see Chan without his omega trying to jump the alpha. And by then, maybe he can pretend he wasn’t mortified by his actions the other day.

“Okay,” Yeonjun accepted his answer easily, “You can work on the bathrooms while I start on the meeting rooms.”

Felix and Yeonjun split up, but it wasn’t very far. The beta was still on the same floor which made communication easier, Felix could always grab Yeonjun if he needed help with anything and there wasn’t a chance of being left alone with a frustrated worker who needed to speak with him.

The omega never had an issue cleaning bathrooms, even if they were mostly disgusting and poorly taken care of by employees on every floor. The smell could be overbearing, and the amount of despicable stains located in the most bizarre areas were revolting, but it was strangling therapeutic when he was finished. Stepping back to view a pristine white washroom, mopped and sprayed down with nice descented cleaner, was always so rewarding.

Cleaning the restroom was consistent. It was like a repetitive checklist that he could continue to expect the same results for. It was the same toilets, the same smell, the same products, and the same room that took far too much time to work through. It was time consuming, but Felix found enjoyment in the consistency. He liked knowing what was coming, what he would encounter in the next stall.

What he didn’t expect was for sea salt to overpower the neutral scent of his bathroom cleaner as he sprayed down a toilet seat.

Sea salt was a scent Felix recognized all too well, a scent he remembered with unfiltered terror. It reminded him of sleepless nights and dried tears that were once permanently plastered on his skin. It reminded him of raspy screams as he tried to claw at the hands wrapped around his waist.

It reminded him of when he had a voice, in the most unpleasant way possible.

“Felix,” Felix’s blood froze, his breath caught in his throat as he hid half bent over one of the toilets in the stall.

He hadn’t heard his voice in two years.

He hadn’t smelled him in two years.

He had poisoned Felix’s thoughts for two years.

He had imprisoned Felix in a cage of insecurities for two years.

He had smelled Felix beyond the fake rose taped over his scent glands, even without spotting his hunched figure at the far end of the bathroom.

Felix didn’t respond, and even if he wanted to he wouldn’t be able to muster up the courage to utter a single syllable. Years ago, Felix was once confident enough to scream and shout at him, to threaten him into leaving him alone. He was able to stand his ground against the irate alpha, even as he snarled in his face just outfront of their apartment, but now he felt small and frightened. The wolf he was two years ago had dismantled into the pathetic excuse of an omega he was today, one that trembled in fear as the sea salt grew more pronounced.

Heavy footsteps made slow, sloppy paces forward, effectively trapping Felix in the corner stall he was still hiding in. The sea salt was turning into a hungry, selfish desire masked with childish excitement, and Felix felt bile threaten his esophagus as it surrounded him. 

He once loved this scent, but now he despised it.

Jinho’s scent.

The footsteps stopped just behind Felix. He knew the alpha was behind him, the same alpha that ruined Felix two years ago, but he couldn’t bring himself to turn around. His hands were shaking beside him, and he was contemplating sliding under the stalls and running straight for the exit, but he knew this alpha. He knew it would provoke him, knew it would end badly, and he knew he wouldn’t out run him.

“Felix,” He spoke again, and the omega couldn’t help his flinch, “Look at me.”

And Felix had to comply, because what else was he going to do?

He slowly turned around his stiff body, finally facing the person that had destroyed him so long ago.

He hadn’t changed much, except that his face filled out a little bit. He still had black hair, slicked back in a messy up do. He was wearing the same necklace Felix had never seen him without, and he was pretty sure his beaten up converse’s were a gift from Felix himself. The outfit choice was new, Felix never saw him willingly wear slacks during their entire relationship but he figured it fit the white button up he was wearing.

But the most recognizable thing was the unimpressed glare, the crossed arms as he stared down at Felix with so much disappointment.

It still hurt today as much as it did two years ago.

“It is you,” Jinho remained stoic as he scrutinized the omega, who’s own fear was most definitely leaking from his scent blockers.

Felix gulped as the alpha remained silent, his sea salt poking and prodding at Felix’s self control. Each passing second he was debating on the risk of running, and simultaneously sikeing himself out.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?” Jinho growled, “Where’s that attitude that you insisted I deserved last time we saw each other?”

That attitude disappeared along with his voice and his confidence. It was long gone, buried with his past self, and Felix probably wouldn’t be seeing it again.

Without warning, Jinho’s hand shot out towards Felix’s neck. Felix jolted as the alpha’s finger curled through the metal hook around his collar. Jinho yanked him down and forced the omega to look up in order to see the alpha’s face. He panted, trying to regain his lost breath that was only growing harder and harder to find, and Jinho’s sickening smile only made his panting turn to silent gasps.

“Would you look at that,” Jinho cackled as he leaned into Felix’s face, “You’re as quiet as a mouse. I wish you were this obedient when we were still together.”

Felix wanted to snap back, to pull himself free from Jinho’s grasp, but he couldn’t bring himself to fight. He was petrified, and the finger that yanked at his collar was a reminder that legally Jinho was above him and always will be.

“You know, I think I like you better like this,” Jinho’s voice was quieter, but it retained the edge that Felix hated, “You’re so compliant, and you’re so much prettier without all those nasty words leaving your lips. I never realized how a little silence could do so much.”

No , Felix shouted in his head. The alarm bells were ringing as each gruesome fight replayed in his memories. Everything he worked years to forget, to heal from, were ripping to the surface again. It was suffocating, and the collar Jinho had him leashed to was too tight, too painful.

The sea salt was burning his lungs, and Jinho was burning his skin.

“Felix?” A new voice broke through, “You good?”

Yeonjun.

Jinho immediately released his hold on Felix’s collar, stepping back from the stall as Felix struggled to regain his breath. Felix stood straight, his hands going straight to his collar as Jinho eyed him fiercely. Just as the alpha was turning to leave, Felix caught sight of a familiar ID card, one that signified one’s employment at Bang Entertainment, and it had Jinho’s face on it.

He worked here.

Jinho turned to leave just as Yeonjun walked in. The beta watched the alpha rush out of the room with an odd expression, but it quickly morphed into one of disgust as he waved away the air in front of his nose, “God, talk about postering alpha, it reeks in here.”

Yeonjun returned his attention towards Felix, and understandably freaked out upon seeing the state the omega was in. His face was flushed, sweat gathered over his forehead and neck as he tried to get his breaths to come out even again. His fingers pulled on his collar, trying to find the buckle frantically but his trembling fingers failed to grasp onto the metal properly.

“Hey, hey, hold on let me get it,” Yeonjun reached his hands up to Felix’s neck, but the omega jerked back.

The beta pulled back apologetically as Felix returned to his task. He tried to calm himself down, to get his fingers to cooperate with him as he finally located the buckled and loosened the collar around his neck. He took a deep breath, but it still tasted like sea salt.

“What did that guy do to you?” Yeonjun looked frightened as Felix pushed himself out of the stall and towards the hallway where the air would be clear of Jinho’s scent.

Yeonjun followed behind him, and when Felix slid down the wall onto the tile flooring, Yeonjun joined him. The omega clasped his hands together and rested his head on his forearms. He was no longer surrounded by sea salt, but he could still feel the pressure of alpha pressing up against him, baiting him into submission as he was trapped in a corner.

“Felix?” Yeonjun asked softly, but Felix couldn’t bring himself to look at him, “Do I need to get you anything? How can I help?”

There wasn’t anything Yeonjun could do to help, because if there was Felix would have done it a long time ago. So, Felix shook his head. And Yeonjun looked far from thrilled by that answer.

“Who was that guy?” He asked instead, “Did you know him?”

Yes , Felix wanted to say, and I wish I didn’t . Except he couldn’t, because Sangmi still had his notebook. Because he didn’t want to admit how he knew Jinho, or how he wished he didn’t know him. Because he didn’t want to talk about his trauma that he hadn’t healed from. Because he didn’t want to be looked at like the weak omega he was.

So Felix shook his head no.

Yeonjun didn’t believe him, Felix could tell, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Chapter Text

Chan waited impatiently for Felix to visit him, going hours staring off into space rather than completing the mountain of work waiting for him on his desk. His focus was non-existent, because every time he tried to lose himself in work he would get a text from Jisung who was waiting at home just as impatiently as he was asking for an update. Every time he made a phone call, he would lose his train of thought and end up repeating himself time and time again. Every time he would try to listen to one of the new groups debut track in order to accept it into production, he would zone out and end up having to restart the whole thing.

He was distracted. He knew it, his secretary knew it, Jisung knew it, and he wouldn’t be surprised if Felix knew it too.

His nerves were jumping under his skin as he waited for the omega to make his way up to Chan’s office, and the longer it took the more his thoughts ran with unpleasant scenarios. The possibility of the trouble Jisung could wind up in, the lingering repercussions of the incident that could leave Felix with permanent issues, the long lasting emotional damages that would take time to heal- Everything was overwhelming, and Chan was trying to force himself to remain calm and collected until Felix came to meet him.

He knew he was succeeding in at least keeping his scent free of his restlessness, he kind of had to be good at managing his emotions in the workplace when he was the CEO of a giant corporation. He was decent at controlling his scent and containing it to himself during work hours, and when he was home he let his alpha smell roam the space freely. But today he opted to wear scent blockers, because he intended to speak with Felix and he felt having his alpha scent looming over the omega was a very bad idea.

It didn’t mean he wasn’t still uneasy about the situation, but he could pretend his distraction was due to overwork rather than a risky encounter with an innocent omega gone wrong if anyone asked.

Chan felt his phone vibrate for the thirteenth time since he arrived at work, and he had no doubt it was Jisung before he even glanced at the screen. Part of him was slightly frustrated with the unending flood of text messages from the other alpha, but Chan kept reminding himself that Jisung had every right to be nervous for updates. Even if Chan was doing somewhat well with burying his anxiety over the issue, Jisung has never been good at handling his emotions and their whole pack knew that.

Chan needed to be a bit more lenient with Jisung, remind himself why Jisung is the way he is and try his best to see things from Jisung’s perspective. It’s been something that the entire pack has worked on together, because Jisung’s issues aren’t a one person battle. They all fought with him together, defended him together, and walked with him together. This was difficult for the younger alpha, and the unknown was scaring him. Chan couldn’t blame him for being scared.

So, Chan picked up his phone yet again to calm the alpha’s struggles.

Jisungie: has he come in yet

Not yet.

His break should be soon so he might
come up after that.

Jisungie: will you tell me when he’s there

Of course, I already told you I would.

Are you watching that movie with Jinnie
like I told you to?

Jisungie: finding nemo is a kids movie

Minho likes it.

Jisungie: when he’s in subspace!

Jisungie: i think every omega in subspace would
love that movie

Okay fine, why don’t you watch an anime?

But just, make sure it’s going to make you feel
better, not stress you out more.

Jisungie: i don’t wanna watch anything

Jisungie: i just wanna know Felix is ok

Well I haven’t spoken to him yet, Babes.

We have to give him time.

Jisungie: :(

Where’s Hyunjin? Is he still with you?

Jisungie: yeah

Cuddle him.

Jisungie: that’s embarrassing

No it’s not, you cuddle Jeongin all the time.

You cuddle ME all the time.

Jisungie: but that’s different

Jisungie: you’re pack alpha and Innie
is Innie

Just because Hyunjin is another alpha doesn’t
mean you can’t cuddle him. That didn’t stop you
and Seungmin the other night.

Jisungie: what if he think i’m weak

You’re not weak Sungie. I swear to you.

You’re still a big strong alpha, you just need a
hug sometimes, that’s all. It’s completely normal
to be a strong alpha who needs a hug.

Jisungie: i don’t see you needing hugs

Jisungie: you’re always strong

That’s not true.

I can promise you I needed a hug just as
much as you do. I just got it from Minho.
You can ask him.

So, a big strong alpha can still get cuddled.

Jisungie: ...he started cuddling me halfway
through your text

Well now you have no choice. Accept his love
or else I’m going to OVER love you tonight
and you’ll hate it. I’ll be so overbearing and
lovey dovey and annoy you to your wits end.

Jisungie: fine…

Jisungie: text me when you talk to Felix pls

I will, I promise.

Chan pushed his phone to the side with his phone screen facing up just in case Jisung ended up texting him again. It was 5:45 PM, and his employees were begging him for his feedback that he hadn’t had the concentration for. It laid untouched under the pile of spreadsheets and budget requests, right next to the sponsor agreements and talent scout event campaigns. It was all a little too much, but it was the life of a business owner that Chan had gotten used to.

He gave a pitiful attempt at working on his tasks yet again, though he had to admit he was starting to at least make a dent in his work which was something. His phone didn’t buzz again, and his thoughts weren’t straying as easily when he finally got into the groove of things.

Until his office phone started ringing.

Chan dropped his pen just as the first ring filled the room, and the sudden jump of adrenaline was unexpected as he flew back in his seat. By the second ring, he realized how much time had passed as he finally got some work done. By the third ring, he had wiped his face of any uncertainty, pushed aside his pile of papers, and picked up the phone, “This is Bang Chan.”

“ Lee Yongbok is here to see you. ”

“Yes thank you,” Chan cleared his throat as he stood from his chair, “I’ll be right there.”

He clicked the office phone in place with a quick survey of the room. Everything was neat, and Chan spent his entire afternoon yesterday deep cleaning the room to rid it of any leftover cinnamon in preparation of Felix’s visit. He had a candle lit in the room, his own scent was covered, and all of the extra articles of clothing holding the scent of his pack were brought back to the house yesterday.

Hopefully there wouldn’t be anything that could trigger a bad reaction from the omega.

Chan quickly headed towards the door where he knew Felix was waiting for him, and pulled it open.

Standing just in front of his secretary’s desk, was the sweet omega Chan had just met a few days ago. He was wearing the proper ID card this time, the one Choi Soobin retrieved from the CEO earlier today. When he had told the other alpha that he wanted to speak with Felix today, he hadn’t expected the omega to arrive quickly. In fact, he was expecting him to take his time, to leave Chan in the dark out of fear, because he would have been entitled to do so. He was prepared to wait in suspense until the late hours of the night.

However, upon seeing the state Felix was in, the blood shot eyes, ruffled hair, and rosie red cheeks that told Chan the omega was everything but okay, Chan wished he had brought Felix into his office sooner. Felix was barely hanging on by a thread, looking like he was ready to collapse out of fatigue and stress in a way that bothered his alpha. 

If his pack caused this, he needed to fix it.

Chan needed to protect him because if he was really a lone wolf then no one else was going to stand up for him. No one was going to check in on his mental health, or help him through whatever emotional whirlwind his pack created for him, and even though Chan couldn’t be there for him physically, he could watch over him from afar. He could make sure he was taken care of, that he had no lasting problems from their incident, that he wasn’t suffering behind closed doors like it appeared he already was.

Because he looked rough , and it broke Chan’s heart.

“Felix,” Chan’s concern must have shown in his voice, because Felix seemed taken by surprise by his tone, “Please, come in.”

The omega recovered from his shock easily, nodding politely as he passed by Chan in the doorway, much like their first meeting.

Chan had to pretend the distressed scent radiating from the omega didn’t affect him as much as it did.

“Go ahead and take a seat,” Chan offered kindly as he shut the door behind them.

Felix complied easily, sitting in the same seat as last time with his head down and hands twiddling restlessly in his lap. Chan suppressed the sigh that was building in his throat, keeping himself under control and ridding his mind of the protective instincts that were already creeping to the surface. He needed to tread carefully as this was a delicate situation, and Felix didn’t deserve to deal with an overbearing alpha after everything else he’s had to deal with.

Chan didn’t leave the omega sitting alone for long. He took his own seat in front of the janitor who was pointedly avoiding Chan’s gaze. Not that he blamed him, but it was still a little disheartening.

“Thank you for coming,” Chan began as he pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. He pushed them to the front of the desk without mentioning the omega’s lack of communication, “I’m sorry I took time out of your day for this.”

Felix shook his head, reaching out for the paper Chan provided and scribbling out a quick response.

Don’t apologize, it’s okay.

Chan wanted to argue that he really should apologize, afterall Felix wouldn’t have needed to come here if things hadn’t happened the way they did, but he figured it best to leave it at that for now. There were plenty of other things to apologize for during their discussion, he would have his chance to bring it up again later.

“How are you feeling?” Chan watched how Felix reacted to the question with careful eyes, looking at each detail for any warning signs the alpha should be aware of.

Felix wasn’t his omega so Chan had no right to demand answers or interrogate the omega if he wasn’t truthful, but he knew no one else would be concerned about the omega’s health enough to push him. No one would be watching after him when he went home, no one would be making doctors appointments if they noticed the omega acting strange, no one would be sitting him down to work through his feelings when he was feeling overwhelmed.

No one was going to be there to take care of him when he needed it, so Chan wanted to step up in any way he could without overstepping. He paid attention to the stiffness in Felix’s shoulders, to the uneven breathing, to the hesitance as the omega reached for the paper yet again. They were all signs that he wasn’t okay, but Chan had a feeling Felix might try to downplay his problems.

He just needed to handle things the way he should have before, the way any work relationship should handle interactions from alpha to omega. 

I’m good, same as usual.

Chan forced back his disappointment, and really he should have expected the omega to lie. He wouldn’t blame him for not putting his trust in the alpha after everything that had happened. Yet he felt a bit bitter that the janitor was holding back when it was obvious to both of them he wasn’t okay.

“I want to start by saying that Jisung’s behavior two days ago was unprofessional and inexcusable,” It hurt Chan to admit it, but it was true. Felix was a stranger that Jisung jumped on without a second thought. Chan loved Jisung, but he failed to think before he acted sometimes, “As his pack alpha, I’m responsible for his actions. And as his employer and yours, I’m also responsible for making sure the situation is resolved. Properly.”

Felix nodded along slowly, looking more and more like he was close to crying as Chan spoke. The alpha faltered a bit at the end of his sentence as glossy eyes stared back at him. When Chan teetered off his sentence, Felix quickly rubbed at his eyes with his fists. He gave a tiny sniffle followed by a flat smile that nearly had Chan jumping out of his seat.

Not your omega , he reminded himself. No matter how much his alpha was begging to comfort Felix, he refused to let himself fall victim to his instincts. He wasn’t allowed to help Felix like he would with his pack. He wasn’t allowed to react to the sour honey and pull the boy into a hug. He wasn’t allowed to take care of him like he wanted to, like he would with Minho.

It hurt to blatantly ignore the tears, but he couldn’t risk making Felix uncomfortable. He couldn’t risk making things worse. He needed to do things the proper way, the way the company says he’s supposed to, not the way his alpha wants to.

Though he supposed it wouldn’t hurt to offer him a tissue.

“Here,” Chan opened his desk drawer and pushed around his scattered contents until he found the small travel sized package of tissues he had stored away.

Felix looked at Chan’s hand for a moment, then hesitantly reached for the package with shaky hands.

“I’ve already started working on an incident report,” Chan continued, speaking softer as Felix struggled to hide his emotions, “I’m detailing the entire ordeal and intend to go forward in whichever direction you want to take it. If you’d like this to stay within the company I can organize a proper punishment that would keep you and Jisung away from each other. If you’d like to bring this into the legal world I can arrange that as well. I’m going to be transparent with you and anyone else involved in their case, so you can decide on whichever path you want to take.”

Felix’s stare had Chan struck silent, fearful of continuing incase it set the omega off. He looked devastated as rogue tears fell down his cheeks, and it was the complete opposite of what Chan experienced with the omega before. He missed the gleeful giggles of happy subspace and clingy hugs that Chan had no business enjoying.

He hated that it was them that made Felix like this. That they turned him into this crying mess that Chan couldn’t even comfort.

“It’s completely up to you-” Chan began again, but stopped as soon as he saw Felix’s hand jump out and snag that paper again.

He watched with parted lips as Felix hastily wrote out a messy sentence, shoving the paper over to Chan.

I don’t want to press charges. I don’t want him in trouble. I want to be able to see him again.

The pen had smudged a bit when it mixed with the tears that fell on the paper, but it was still entirely legible. Chan read and reread the lines with a mix of relief and confusion. He tried to work out how the words written down matched up with the image of a completely distraught omega in front him, but nothing made sense to him.

Felix was very clearly upset when he entered the alpha’s office, and Chan assumed that was caused by their mistake. If Felix didn’t want Jisung in trouble, and wanted to see him again on top of that, why did he seem so terrified?

“Are you sure about this?” Chan tried to remain calm, because his heart was jumping in his skin as he tried to decide whether he should be relieved or weary, “You have every right to press charges, you know this right? I won’t sabotage your case.”

Felix sharply nodded his head with determination sparkling in his eyes, and if it weren’t for the tears smeared on his face he would have seemed even more persuasive. The honey scent, though still sour and tainted with unease, put Chan’s doubt to rest when Felix forcefully pushed out his scent to prove a point. The omega was adamant about his decision, and Chan got the message loud and clear.

“Okay,” Chan tapped his fingers against the desk as he let his mind pick apart the anxious thoughts that had been manifesting over the past 48 hours. If Felix didn’t want to prosecute them, and Jisung wasn’t going to be in serious trouble, then the omega couldn't be too unhappy with them.

“Thank you,” Chan said sincerely as he stared directly into the omega’s gaze, though he wanted to make himself appear less like an alpha and more like an equal. Without a second thought, he stood from his seat and rounded to the other side of his desk. He settled himself in the chair next to Felix, turned slightly so they were still facing each other. Felix’s eyes followed his movement as he rubbed at his nose with the tissue, and as Chan sat he looked pleasantly surprised.

He wanted Felix to know his appreciation wasn’t surface level, and he didn’t want to abuse his status against the omega to validate his words. As much as Chan was an alpha in power, Felix was still a human being that deserved the same respect as him, “And I know Jisung wants to thank you too.”

Even through the mysterious tears that Chan still wasn’t sure stemmed from their predicament or not, Felix's smile shined through the depressing mood. Contrary to what Chan had hypothesized as he prepared for this very conversation, Felix seemed almost more relaxed after having declared his stance on the situation. After securing not only Jisung’s safety but the likely hood of the two seeing each other again, Felix had wiped away his tears and reduced his endless stream to a trickle.

Maybe Felix’s troubling appearance had another cause? Or, at the very least, it wasn’t just Chan’s pack contributing to the omega’s state of mind?

“If you're positive-” Chan said only for Felix to nod instantly again, this time a little playful as both the alpha and omega dawned a tiny grin, “Okay Felix, I’ll take your word for it. If you say everything’s okay, then I believe you.”

“But,” Chan watched as Felix listened intently to his words, “If you ever feel threatened or uncomfortable with any of my pack you need to be straightforward with us. Tell us how you’re feeling and whether we overstep. I know Jisung can be overly excited sometimes, and he means well, but none of us want you to be troubled with things you don’t want to deal with.”

Felix agreed easily, not that Chan thought he wouldn’t. Chan got the impression that Felix was an easy going omega, which was something he hadn’t expected he’d ever see in a lone wolf. Felix was nothing like the lone wolves he’s seen, which had him wondering how Felix wound up like this in the first place.

Was it his choice to be alone?

“Also,” Chan took another glance at Felix’s disheveled uniform, the loose collar around his neck, and the messy hair draping over his eyes, “Are you experiencing any bad side effects from the other day? Anything concerning enough that you should see a doctor?”

“It would be covered by the company of course,” Chan revisited the brief memory of Felix’s state of home, there’s no way Chan would force him to pay for his own doctor's visit, “I know I asked this already, but I don’t think you were in the right headspace to be properly answering those questions.”

Again, he wasn’t surprised to see Felix say no.

Part of him wondered if he should press on, ask him to see a doctor anyways just to double check and be sure there weren’t any glaring medical issues that hadn’t been addressed. Because even if Felix wasn’t upset because of Jisung or Chan, something wasn’t okay. Something caused the image of a struggling omega that Chan was sitting across from, and if Chan had any rights to decide on Felix's health and well being, he would be sending the omega to a doctors office regardless of how much he’d say he’s fine.

But he knew that was going too far. It wasn’t Chan’s place to push for the truth, and it would most definitely be a grave mistake on his end if he tried to do anything underhanded to make sure the janitor was okay. Felix was still a relative stranger and Chan was still an alpha he only met once. He had no claim to the omega and the omega had no reason to follow what he said.

So he reluctantly let it go, “Okay, if you experience anything in the future you have to promise to let me know. You are always welcome to talk to me if you need to.”

Felix agreed easily, and it put Chan’s racing heart to rest as he saw the omega calming by the second.

Maybe it really wasn’t Chan and Jisung that caused the mess that walked into his office, but Chan wasn’t sure if that made him feel better. At least if it was them, Chan could fix it. If it’s something else, something Chan wasn’t aware of, there was nothing he could do unless Felix told him.

He had a feeling that wouldn’t be happening any time soon.

The days flew by after Felix’s talk with Chan.

After his ordeal with Jinho, he was convinced his visit to the pack alpha would prove to be more trouble than anything. That Chan would see right through his facade and demand answers. But he found that it actually placated a lot of his worries. While the alpha surely did notice, he hadn’t said anything about his obvious poor health which was relieving for Felix.

At least, he thought it was. He was still trying to decide if he liked the professional gap between them or if he was let down that Chan hadn’t pulled him into a hug like his omega wanted.

He wouldn’t say the days went by easily by any means, he was a jittery mess for the last two days of his first week on the job. The second week seemed to be fairing slightly better as he finished off his first day of the new week with all of his tasks diligently completed within record time. Even Soobin commended him for his record breaking pace after beating the alpha to the janitor's closet.

He had returned to the job apprehensive of being alone again, and spent an extra day shadowing Yeonjun. The beta luckily didn’t press him for information after finding Felix in such a compromising position, and when Soobin asked why Felix was suddenly so jumpy the beta had shook his head and moved on with the conversation. The alpha never brought it up again, and any accommodations Felix asked for were instantly granted without question.

Yeonjun was the one to insist Felix never clean the editing floor again, and Felix was relieved that his coworker had stepped up to the plate to take care of that concern for him. Soobin took responsibility for that floor from now on, even when Yeonjun offered to do it. He had assured them both he was more than capable of handling it himself, and Felix believed him.

Felix forced himself to ignore another knowing look on the alpha’s face as he had analyzed the omega’s distant gaze during their conversation. 

Though it didn’t really bother Felix, it did make him wonder about how much the alpha could perceive from his body language and remnant scent that snuck into the fake rose stuck on his neck. Could Soobin smell the fear on him? Did he know just how traumatized the omega was? How terrified he was of running into Jinho alone? Could he read the details of what happened with Chan’s pack, peeling his thoughts straight from his brain without Felix’s knowledge?

He wasn’t sure if Soobin really did know anything or if Felix was just looking too much into things, but the omega wasn’t going to help him figure it out. His secrets were his to keep.

Which is why he found himself working alone again after three days of hiding behind Yeonjun’s back. He was avoiding the first floor as it was a communal place. Any staff member could pass through at various times of the day, which meant he had a higher chance of running into Jinho. He was cleaning practice rooms today, and he hoped that would keep him from seeing his ex boyfriend for the time being.

He had been working for around five hours without issue, zoning out to a song he was playing in his head. He was trying to distract himself with pointless thoughts, catchy tunes, and countless theories as he scrubbed at the hard floors with his mop. Anything to keep his mind occupied and off of the clusterfuck of events that had transpired for the omega the past week.

Sometimes, when his wandering mind had the desire to torture him, he’d find himself daydreaming of Chan’s touch. Sweet pine accompanied with secure arms wrapped around his body as Changbin kneeled beside them and whispered reassurances. Then Jisung would arrive and cuddle Felix from behind, and he’d feel his vision grow foggy around the edges. His worries would disappear because they were there, they took away the fear, and the insecurity, and the worthlessness that Felix dragged along with him wherever he went.

Felix forcefully shook his head as he caught himself in another daydream. The fantasy was flushed out of his mind with a muted groan of annoyance. He was growing dependent, to his misfortune, and his biology was craving the feeling of subspace. Not the kind he had before with Jinho, but the one he had with Chan and his pack. The one that took him to heaven and made him feel mushy and loved. His omega was begging him to seek out the alphas again, to submit underneath them and give himself over to their mercy.

But his brain, the only logical part of him right now, wanted to smack his omega over the head.

He’d gotten better at managing the urge to run to Chan and his pack. He wasn’t as worked up over the scenarios playing out in his head anymore. Even though his subconscious refused to give in and insisted on showing him dreams filled with loving alphas and betas alike, Felix stayed strong. He bit his cheek when their scent came to mind and worked on keeping his mind from entertaining the desires of his omega.

Combined with the fear of running into Jinho, Felix had one hell of a week.

Calm was hard to find, but Felix was chasing it. He was trying to keep himself from dropping into the pit he had been trying to climb out of. Jinho had ruined him, and Felix had to fix it on his own. He finally found a job that catered to his disability, one that didn’t care about his omega status, one with amazing coworkers that actually helped him.

So what if the CEO is an alpha to the pack that he just so happens to dream about at night?

So what if Jinho, his abusive ex boyfriend, worked in the building as him?

So what if he was pushed into subspace by Jisung and cornered by Jinho all within the first week of his new job?

He was Lee Felix, a mute male omega that had defied all odds and got himself a job on his own. No one helped him get employed at Bang Entertainment. No one walked him to the building, or held his hand as he peeled open his eviction warning after two missed rent payments. No one comforted him when he cried at night after another vivid memory of what he had thought subspace felt like.

He did it all alone, so he could be a big boy now and quit letting a few alphas dictate his life. Whether they were cute, sweet, and caring alpha or the downright scum of the earth. He needed to take care of himself and get his omega under control just like he’s always done. But that was hard, especially when he constantly jumped at the sound of the footsteps that passed down the hallways. 

He still had a long way to go.

There was a ding of the elevator as another employee stopped on the floor Felix was cleaning. He put himself back to work while keeping his focus on the taps of shoes hitting the tile outside of the practice room he was in. They were light but fast, as if they were running on their toes. Whoever was out there was in a hurry.

He slowly moved his mop back and forth across the floor with minimal amounts of noise so he could listen in on the person that was making their way through the hallways. He couldn’t smell anything yet, and the footsteps were pausing for a few seconds before continuing their hurried pace. They were looking for something if Felix had to guess.

He closed his eyes as the taps continued down the hall, growing closer to the room he was in. His heart lurched when they stopped again only to resume their search, and he had to convince himself that whoever was out there had nothing to do with him. It wasn’t Jinho scouring the floors until he found Felix alone and vulnerable, it was just some random employee probably looking for someone else that wasn’t Felix.

The footsteps stopped again, and Felix held his breath as he heard the familiar click of the door being unlocked. He maintained his small circles with the mop as the door was pulled open, keeping his body positioned sideways so he could still have the entrance in his side vision. He kept his head down as the person peaked their head inside the room.

The first thing Felix registered with the scent of baby powder.

“Felix!” The person flung themselves into the room causing Felix to stumble back onto the wet floor in surprise.

His hands flew up, dropping the mop with a loud thud as the new arrival skidded to a stop right in front of the janitor. The omega pressed a hand over his chest as he blinked away the sudden panic that flooded his vision. His thoughts that jumbled together settled back into place as he finally realized the person standing before him was Han Jisung, the alpha that gave Felix the type of sub space he thought never existed. The alpha Felix had almost gotten into serious trouble. One of the alpha’s plaguing his dreams with his sweet aroma and kind personality. 

“Hey!” Jisung grinned, seemingly oblivious to the shock Felix was exhibiting at his presence, “It took me a while to find you!”

He imagined it did, considering Felix was a roaming janitor with no fixed position. How long had Jisung been searching for him? And why was he searching for him to begin with?

“You know, I never realized how big this building is,” Jisung mused aloud as Felix slowly reached down to grab his fallen mop, “Each floor is giant, and every door is locked. You know how many people probably hate my guts for walking in on them? Like five. I made five enemies today.”

Five enemies in one day was a lot, Felix could agree with that.

“But anyways!” Jisung’s voice reverberated inside the dance room, echoing off the walls with his excitement, “I was looking for you!”

As much as Felix’s heart was begging for a break from all of the confusing emotions and strange desires of his omega, the janitor was overjoyed at Jisung’s appearance. He seemed so happy, as if nothing had happened between the two. He was obviously wearing scent blockers again which slightly bummed out the flicker of hope Felix had that he may be able to scent the calming cinnamon once again, but Felix was kind of expecting that to happen.

Physically, he looked like he had seen better days. Felix could see the bags under his eyes, the pale skin, the tangled hair, he always looked as if he had come down with a cold. Yet his attitude contrasted with his appearance. He spoke loud and rambled off his inner thoughts without a care as he threw his hands into the air to exaggerate his words. His eyes sparkled and his cheeky smile eased the fear Felix was haunted with. Jisung was easy to be around, and Felix was learning that once again.

As Jisung continued to spout off random statements about the building and how a producer was out to kill him, Felix retrieved his notebook from his janitor's cart. It was a new blue one as Sangmi hadn’t returned his yellow, and he wasn’t sure if she ever would return it. He could only hope he hadn’t written anything private in it.

Why were you looking for me?

“Oh,” Jisung blinked as he read Felix’s questions, “Well, to apologize. You know, for the whole subspace thing. It was irresponsible of me and I should have been more careful.”

Even though Felix wasn’t expecting an apology - he didn’t even necessarily want one from Jisung if he was honest - it made his cheeks heats up. He never heard apologies much. Usually he was taking a ride on the blame train as everything Felix dealt with in life came hurling down on to his back. It was just another downfall of his situation, of being an omega with an overbearing alpha that refused to take responsibility.

But Jisung wasn’t Jinho.

His cinnamon was so much sweeter than Jinho’s musty sea salt. His bouncy personality was the complete opposite of Jinho’s cold harsh demeanor. His eagerness to please Felix , an omega , instead of demanding Felix respect him due to his status… Jisung was nothing like Jinho.

Jisung was smiling at him with shining eyes, looking sincere and hopeful as he handed Felix's notebook back. He hadn’t done anything vindictive, and everything that happened between was a complete accident. Felix was able to comprehend that even through his clouded judgment and pheromone induced compulsions.

And Jisung’s apology was greatly appreciated, even if Felix didn’t need one. It showed he cared enough about Felix as a person, that he looked at him as an equal instead of a lower omega.

Thank you, I appreciate it. And I forgive you.

“Are you sure?” Jisung pulled his head up from the paper, his brow pinched as he bit at his lip, “I mean what I did… It could have ended so much worse. I could have hurt you… I wouldn’t blame you if you want to punch me. In fact, you can. I’ll let you, I promise.”

If he could laugh, Felix would have let out a small chuckle at the offer. Instead he fondly shook his head at the alpha who seemed relieved at the omega’s reaction. He quickly returned Felix’s notebook and rubbed his hands together awkwardly. Felix cocked his head to the side in question as Jisung’s gaze darted around the room. He obviously wanted to say something, and Felix wanted him to know he was welcome to speak his mind. So when Jisung’s gaze passed over Felix’s face, the omega gave him a reassuring grin.

“I am kind of serious though,” Jisung finally said with a nervous hand running through his hair, “I have a… condition. One that could have made things way worse than it did.”

Jisung took a deep breath, and Felix waited patiently. It was clear the alpha was uncomfortable, or maybe scared of revealing whatever he was about to, and Felix wanted him to know he wasn’t forced to tell the omega. He understood having secrets, and he would always respect the alpha’s privacy. He began pulling out his notebook, intending to tell Jisung just that, but the alpha began speaking before he could flip to a blank page.

“I met Chan before I presented,” Jisung began, his voice broke with how quiet he spoke, sounding almost bitter sweet, “We were friends before we were pack mates. I was one of the first of three others that joined Chan’s pack when he made it. Me, Chan, and Changbin went to highschool together and he always looked out for me. We were sure I was gonna present as a beta, especially when Chan presented as an alpha. It was just natural that I would be a beta since I never challenged Chan during our entire friendship.”

Felix tried to imagine Chan, Jisung, and Changbin in highschool without the authority or worries of their high profile jobs, without the worry of status or challenges of society. It was hard to picture.

“We can see how wrong I was,” Jisung tried to laugh, tried to lighten the mood, but Felix could hear how hollow his tone was, “I presented in my first year, a year earlier than I was supposed to, and I was an alpha. It surprised us all, because even Changbin hadn’t presented yet. I had all of these weird smells coming out of nowhere, everyone was on my radar constantly, and I couldn’t focus. It was such a shock to me and I had no idea how to handle it.”

Jisung reached up to his neck, his fingers ghosting over the plastic scent blockers layered over his scent glands, “I went back to school for a week, and it was fine. I managed to clear my head enough to do decent in class, and Chan helped me manage my issues. My scent was only barely starting to come in, and by the one-week-mark Chan said my scent was still nearly nonexistent. My parents were concerned that since I was an early bloomer I may never develop a proper scent, at least not as strong as an alpha was supposed to have. ”

Felix diligently listened, and each word hit Felix with so much compassion and understanding for Jisung’s situation. During the past few days Felix has experienced that feeling, like everything around you was too much, like your brain couldn’t focus because your attention was dragged elsewhere. He understood that confusion, how it made it impossible to concentrate because your wolf wouldn’t let you. It was frustrating.

“I accepted it,” Jisung continued with a huff, “That I wasn’t gonna be like other alphas. I thought I was just gonna have to deal with it and went along with my life. For a year I lived like that, with only small doses of my scent occasionally being noticeable if someone stands close enough to me. I thought my life was gonna be like that permanently, until I hit the time in my life I was supposed to present. I woke up one day with cinnamon all over my bedroom, it was so potent that even I was gagging in it.”

“I called for my mom,” Felix watched as Jisung struggled to come up with the words. He wondered if Jisung felt just as muddled as Felix did under all the pheromones, if he had a fuzzy memory of the day he woke up in his bedroom smothered in his own scent, if he had someone to help him feel better after, “She came running in with my dad and both of them just…  collapsed in my room as soon as they stepped in.”

There was a spike of fear in Felix’s chest, for Jisung and his parents. He had so many questions, questions he couldn’t and wouldn’t ask until Jisung had finished. He was scared for the past Jisung, for his parents, for the future the alpha had to deal with.

“I was so stupid, Felix,” Jisung sighed heavly with an aggressive shake of his head. He was staring at the ground as he spoke, and Felix didn’t blame him, “My mom was an omega, and my dad was a beta, they didn’t stand a chance fighting that off. My scent suffocated them so quickly and I panicked. I called Chan, he told me what to do, and eventually we had an ambulance at our house.”

“That’s when I found out I had irregular pheromone levels,” Jisung explained with a shrug that Felix couldn’t help but think was downplaying the alpha’s experience, “My parents recovered, thankfully, and I had to go on some meds that helped regulate my pheromones. They worked for the most part, with some normal setbacks and side effects. And I usually wear scent blockers on top of my meds to keep whatever the pills don’t suppress where it belongs when I’m in public, since I can’t control it like Chan or any alpha does.”

It sounded like this was a problem the alpha would be struggling with for the rest of his life, something that he would have to accommodate instead of cure. Jisung seemed to have accepted it, come to terms with what this meant for him and the people in his life, and that saddened the omega. Though he admired how Jisung didn’t let his condition dictate his life, that he still let his personality shine through, that he lived life to the fullest with a smile on his face.

“That’s why when I hugged you, you reacted so quickly,” Jisung continued to walk through the day, detailing just how Felix fell into the scenario he was in, “I got caught up in the moment like an idiot and hugged you after I left my scent blockers at home. Not only did it push you into subspace, but I was afraid it would push you so far you’d drop. Or end up like my parents did.”

But I didn’t, Felix wrote out, breaking his own resolve to remain still as Jisung spoke, I actually enjoyed it. I never felt something like that before. You didn’t hurt me, I swear to you.

“You had never felt subspace before?” Jisung asked, but quickly jumped back when he noticed Felix’s flushed face, “I mean, you don’t have to! It’s not uncommon for someone to not like subspace, I was just curious. You know? But you don’t have to answer me.”

He wasn’t sure if he was ready to have that conversation with Jisung yet. He was still confused by what he and Jinho had, what he thought subspace was supposed to be. Everything was still too fresh and Felix was just barely starting to understand everything. He didn’t want to confuse himself more, or drag Jisung into his issue that he barely had control over.

So he let it go, and luckily Jisung was more than willing to let that happen.

“Anyways,” The alpha trudged forward, “So I wanted to apologize to you for what I did, and I won’t let it happen ever again!”

Maybe I want it to happen again , Felix thought momentarily but quickly discarded that useless wish.

Instead of admitting to the alpha, more than he already had, that he liked being put into subspace by his scent, Felix signed with his fingers as he mouthed the words ‘ It’s okay ’ with his lips. Jisung took a moment to process what the other wolf was saying, but as soon as it dawned on him he broke out into a cheeky smile.

“Good!” Jisung cheered, “I uh, mainly came to find you to apologize but I was actually curious if you wanted to eat together during your lunch break?”

Eating together sounded awfully friendly, and Felix wasn’t sure if that’s what he should be doing after spending a good portion of his week slightly obsessed over Jisung’s pack. The effects of subspace hadn’t worn off yet, if they ever would, and he was still battling with his omega in all of his everyday duties.

But Jisung looked so hopeful, and Felix was more than a little excited at the idea of spending more time with the alpha. Even with their less than ideal scenario, Felix wanted to get to know him. He wanted to know what traits made up such a bubbly person with only the kindest intentions, someone who searched floor after floor just so he could apologize to him.

So Felix said yes.

“ So, Jeongin thinks he knows what he wants to do for school now. ”

Chan was close to finishing his pile of work that had accumulated during the short period of time he hadn’t been able to focus. He only had one other report to look over before he could leave, and he had already started the final revision as he and Minho chatted through his cellphone as the omega was cooking dinner for the pack members that were home.

“Oh yeah?” Chan asked as he narrowed his eyes at a misspelled word, “What did he decide?”

“ Psychology. ”

“Hm,” Chan skimmed past the spelling mistakes with a suppressed sigh, “That’s a bit different from teaching.”

“ Yeah but he seems really happy about it. He’s a lot more excited than he was about teaching, ” There was a clang from Minho’s end followed by a groan, “ Damn it, I got red sauce on my shirt. ”

“Aw, I’m sorry Love,” Chan chuckled at the mumbled curses that grew more distant as Minho ran to the sink to clean off his shirt.

“ I’m never making spaghetti again ,” Minho pouted when he returned to the phone call, “ I wish there was someone else capable of cooking without burning down the apartment .”

“What about Binnie?” Changbin wasn’t exactly the best choice for cooking but he was significantly better than if they put Seungmin in front of the oven.

“ Binnie’s not home enough to cook. And don’t even suggest Hyunjin, he would hurt himself within the first twenty seconds of him being in the kitchen. ”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Chan shook his head even though Minho wouldn’t be able to see it, “That’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

“ So, how did Jisung’s talk with Felix go? ”

Chan paused in the middle of the sentence he was reading. He thought back to his and Felix’s conversation, the crying omega and distressed scent that had Chan barely holding back his alpha. From what Jisung had said, Felix acted nothing like the omega Chan had in his office the other day, and he was grateful that the janitor was in better spirits. He could hear Minho banging a kitchen utensil against the pot along with the muffled sounds of the TV playing in the background as he waited patiently for Chan to answer, “Is anyone there?”

“ No, everyone’s in one of the rooms and Hyunjin is sleeping on the couch. Do you want me to go off speaker? ”

“No it’s okay,” Chan leaned back in his chair, staring at the wall across from him as he thought back to what Jisung had told him earlier, “He told Felix about his situation.”

The sound of the kitchen spoon hitting the pot stopped.

“ Oh really? ” Minho was surprised, and Chan didn’t blame him. Even he was surprised Jisung had said anything to the omega about what he’d been through. It was a difficult time in Jisung’s life, one that he struggled with for a long time until he grew to accept what he was. It took a lot of healing, some therapy, and time to move on from a terrible memory. 

If Jisung trusted Felix enough to tell him then Chan was happy for him, elated even. But he was worried it came out of necessity instead of want. That he told Felix because he felt like he owed it to him instead of because he wanted to share it with him.

“Yeah,” Chan continued, “I’m not sure how it came up but Jisung said Felix took it well, and that he accepted his apology. Then they ate lunch together.”

“ Well that’s good right? ” Minho took the phone from the counter and his voice was suddenly much closer as he took the phone off speaker, “ Jisung doesn’t need to feel so guilty anymore and he felt comfortable enough to tell Felix about his condition. That’s a pretty big improvement from what happened with Hyunjin. ”

Chan cringed at the memory of that awful argument, Jisung was rather scary when he was angry. And when they paired that with his uncontrollable pheremones, it was disastrous, “Well it’s also been at least a year and half since Jinnie joined the pack. Sungie has had a long time to grow.”

“ That’s true… ” Minho trailed off into silence, leaving Chan and the omega in an awkward lull of conversation.

“What are you thinking, Min?” The alpha prodded. Even over a phone call, he could tell when things were awry with his pack members, no amount of distance could keep him from seeing through the masks and walls they put up.

“ Do you think maybe Sungie… likes Felix? ”

“Well, yeah,” Chan blinked, his face morphing into a frown in his confusion, “If he didn’t like Felix why would he have hugged him out of nowhere?”

“ No- ” Minho sighed, “ Not as friends, Chan. Like-like, as in he views Felix as a possible pack mate. ”

“A possible pack mate?” Chan reeled back, “Minho, they barely know each other.”

“ That doesn’t really matter Chan ,” The omega shot back with a bit of annoyance in his voice that Chan caught onto immediately. If he had to guess, Minho didn’t appreciate Chan’s blunt response, “ That didn’t stop bonds from growing before. Look at us, we’re a prime example of sudden attraction out of a few seconds of interaction. ”

“That was different,” Chan muttered with a faint blush colored his cheeks.

“ Actually, I’m pretty sure drooling over an omega after they drop into the splits in front of you counts as sudden attraction leading to more. ”

“We were young!” The alpha countered with a wine, “And lonely, and I’m pretty sure you were trying to seduce me anyways.”

“ And if I was? ” He could hear the smirk in his voice, “ In case you haven’t noticed, Jisung and Felix are young too. It’s perfectly plausible for a connection to have formed in a short amount of time. ”

“Okay, and say you’re right,” Was it wrong that he kind of hoped he was right? “That Jisung likes Felix as a potential mate, what do you suggest we do?”

“ Right now, nothing, ” Minho stated plainly, “ We need to let them figure it out themselves, and if Jisung comes to you and says he’s interested in Felix being his mate, then you need to have a discussion with him and the pack like you did when everyone else joined. We need to make sure we’re all compatible. That is, if you approve of Felix? ”

“Felix is a good person,” Chan answered immediately, there was no need to worry about it. He had known from the moment he met the boy what he was a kind hearted person. And after the omega passed up the opportunity to sue Chan and his company for enough money to live comfortably for the rest of his life, he felt even more secure in his assumption, “It’s not Felix I’m worried about.”

“ Then what is it? ”

“Remember when Hyunjin joined?” Chan idly rubbed his thumb over his phone case as he recalled the last addition to their pack, “He and Jisung were at each other's throats for weeks. None of us saw it coming.”

“ That’s because Jisung wasn’t used to an older alpha besides you entering the hierarchy, ” Minho scoffed, “ Not that hierarchy matters in this pack. It was stupid alpha stuff. Felix is an omega, Hyunjin will adore him and you know it, and Jisung already loves him. ”

Chan wasn’t really worried about Hyunjin, the alpha doted on the younger pack members relentlessly. Seungmin and Jisung being alpha’s didn’t allow it much, and Jeongin was a rather independent beta so Jinnie would most definitely offer too much love and care to a new addition. Jisung already got along with him, Chan had already had to fight with his alpha to back down from trying to treat the omega as his own, and the rest of the pack was an easy win if he was honest. And he’d only spoken to Felix twice so far.

There was just one person he was concerned about.

“And you?” Chan asked suddenly, a bit tactless if he was honest, but he needed to know, “Will you love him?”

“ Me? ” Minho gave a biting laugh into the receiver, “ You’re seriously worried about me? ”

“You’ve been the only omega since this pack was created, Min,” He spoke softly, careful to keep his tone level, “If another omega showed up, how would you react? How would your wolf react?”

“ I hardly think that’ll be an issue Chan, ” Minho muttered, “ I don’t know why you’d think I would be the problem. Have I given you a reason not to trust me? ”

“Absolutely not,” Chan instantly denied his claim with a sincere but authoritative voice, “Minho, I trust you with my life, with my family, with my everything. I only worry because I care about you, not because I don’t trust you.”

There was silence again. Chan shut his computer down, closing the report he was trying to finish as he gathered his bag. He wasn’t going to be getting any more work done, and he would rather continue this conversation in person when things were starting to go downhill.

“ Well it’s not like it matters yet anyways, ” Minho said nonchalantly, “ Jisung and Felix are probably still oblivious to their connection. We all have time before anything happens. ”

“If it happens,” Chan chimed in as he hoisted his bag over his shoulder and headed towards the door, “Sungie and Felix might just stay friends and nothing will come of this.”

“ You don’t really think that though, I can hear it in your voice. You think they're gonna realize eventually. ”

“I don’t know,” Chan waved at his secretary and kept his voice down as he walked through the hall towards the elevators, “I mean part of me does, but it’s also way too early to call this stuff. I like Felix though if that counts for anything.”

“ I’m sure you do ,” Chan arrived at the elevators just as the door opened, “ And I think we’d all like him too. And if we decide to pursue something with him, and if he wants to as well, I think we’d make it work. ”

“You’re very optimistic about this,” Chan grinned as the elevator began to descend, “But if things go that direction, then I hope it happens that way.”

“ You’re just too pessimistic, ” Minho teased, “ Always worried about everyone and their mothers I swear. ”

“It’s a habit,” Chan argued playfully, but stopped speaking as the elevator opened on another floor.

“Hello, Mr. Bang,” A black haired man gave a polite bow to the alpha as he entered the elevator.

“Oh hello Jinho,” Chan greeted him back, but when he was assaulted by the potent sea salt the man was emitting he had to hold back his grimace. Maybe he should reiterate what qualifies for required scent blockers or not, “Going down?”

“Yup! Gotta get home to the misses.”

“ Who even says ‘misses’ anymore? ”

“I hope you get home safe then,” Chan ignored Minho’s quip that luckily the other couldn’t hear.

“Will do, Sir.”

“By the way, I wouldn’t mind another omega,” Minho added on, “Especially a younger one that I can spoil.”

Chan couldn’t say he disagreed, because he also found he wouldn’t mind it one bit.

Chapter Text

“Hey Felix! Did you hear about Sangmi?!” Yeonjun bounded up to the smaller janitor who was just pulling out his cart from the closet.

Felix turned just as Yeonjun nearly tumbled into him with a goofy grin. The beta quickly pulled himself back before completely running over the omega with two tiny stomps of his feet beneath him. He looked excited, which seemed impossible when the topic of discussion was about Sangmi The Rude Receptionist they all hated. Soobin trailed behind him at a much slower pace with his hands stuffed in his pockets, stopping right next to the jittery beta. He was also wearing a smile, though a bit smaller and more reserved as per Soobin’s character.

At the mention of Sangmi, Felix had instantly turned rigid. After all this was the receptionist that Felix avoided like the plague, the beta that had clawed open his skin and dragged him up to Chan’s office over a false assumption. She was one of the most hostile people Felix met, and he had no idea what could have caused her attitude other than that she didn’t like that Felix was an omega.

However seeing how happy his coworkers were, especially when he was aware they both despised Sangmi with a passion, he had a bit of hope as he shook his head in response.

“She got fired!” Yeonjun squealed in delight, “She was packing up her shit when we walked by the front, and apparently she was fired by Mr. Bang himself !”

Fired?

Chan had fired Sangmi?

“And not just that,” Soobin placed a calm palm on Yeonjun’s shoulder, “Mr. Choi is on probation. He has a month to prove he’s capable before he’s booted next.”

After only a week of Felix’s rather unlucky string of events pausing in its tracks, he had come to realize Bang Entertainment was a lot more tame than he had previously experienced. While he may have had an interesting welcome to his new workplace including a nasty run in with his ex, the following days provided a nice change of pace. The rest of the staff Felix finally had a chance to meet were kind, the work got easier for him to complete, and he was on his way to receiving his first paycheck.

Now to top it off, the news of Sangmi’s termination along with Mr. Choi’s probation made Felix’s new found admiration for Chan and his pack to skyrocket yet again.

Felix blinked slowly, then as he processed the information his lips twitched upwards with a relieved sigh.

“See, I knew he’d be happy!” Yeonjun jumped in place.

Felix felt the best description of his current emotional state would be relief, but happiness wasn’t that far behind.

Sangmi had been one of the most stressful people Felix had the misfortune of working with, aside from Jinho himself. She seemed like an angry woman, one who’s frustration was projected onto everyone she could get her hands onto. She had hated Felix from the moment he stepped foot inside the building, and for what he didn’t know.

Even though her termination pleased the omega, he couldn’t help the big red question mark pounding in his brain asking why Chan, the CEO of Bang Entertainment, decided to fire the receptionist so suddenly.

His brain was saying it wasn’t because of Felix and instead because of her attitude, that she behaved unprofessionally to more than just him and the CEO had enough of it. Maybe she had been collecting a pile of warnings that were about to topple over before Felix even came into the picture. Maybe she was widely disliked among the staff and her interaction with Felix was the final straw for Chan to make a decision. Or perhaps it had nothing to do with Felix at all, after all it did take a few days for Sangmi to be fired after his encounter with her.

But his omega was easily persuading his heart into more dangerous territory, one that insisted Chan fired her for him because he cared about him as an individual. That the alpha had no intention of ridding his building of the unfavorable receptionist, until Felix’s unfortunate experience with her just moments before he fell head first into subspace at the hands of Jisung. 

His omega really wanted this to be an act of affection, to be a sign that Chan was thinking of him the same way Felix was thinking about his pack even a week after their scene in the CEO’s office.

But that didn’t explain Mr. Choi who was also supposedly in hot water with the alpha. If Chan really did all of this because of Felix, then why get on Mr. Choi’s case as well? Felix hadn’t mentioned the unreliable manager to the CEO at all.

“Hey Felix, are you busy after work?”

Felix blinked away the thoughts murking up his mind as he turned his attention to Soobin who was staring at him with that look again. The one that left Felix feeling like Soobin could see right through him, and even though Felix trusted both of his coworkers, the alpha had given Felix the implication that he knew more than he led on. 

It worried Felix for obvious reasons, one of which being that he felt wildly out of control with an alpha’s calculating gaze analyzing everything Felix did. Felix liked Soobin as a person, because Soobin as a person was kind and helpful, and he tried to remind himself of that each time he found Soobin watching him like this. But each time he felt a cold uncertainty in his chest as the quiet stare locked eyes with him, revealing none of the alpha’s thoughts to the omega no matter how much Felix tried to find them.

Nevertheless, the omega shook his head. It was their Friday and Felix had learned that the janitors were awarded with a half day each Friday that let them leave work around 7 PM rather than 12 at night. He didn’t have anything to busy himself with after work, and he was off work for the next two days. So long as it didn’t involve money, Felix should be free.

“Great!” Yeonjun chimed in with just as much enthusiasm as earlier, “Wanna hang out with us and our pack? We’re gonna barbeque and play games tonight.”

Pack?

This was the first time Felix was hearing of Soobin and Yeonjun’s pack, and to hear that they both were in a pack together made something strange twist in Felix’s stomach. Most wolves were in a pack of some sort anyways, whether it be a family or platonic unit or a romantic partnership, and it made sense given how close they were that they were in one. Felix should have known they were in a pack together from the start.

It was just that Felix had a sudden reminder of how strange he was compared to the rest of society.

He was a mute male omega, already an anomaly on it’s own, that was packless and struggling to take care of himself. Most omegas never leave their family pack until they find another more suitable pack that they could find themselves living out the rest of their lives peacefully in. Or there’s always the option to fall in love with one wolf that you shared a single love for. 

Omegas living on their own were unheard of.

Lone wolves were typically alphas with extra aggressive anger issues, and even they could usually find one single wolf to mate with eventually, even if they couldn’t get along with a pack. So how had Felix managed to be one of the rarest omegas in existence, doomed to eternal disappointments?

“Felix?” Soobin called for his attention again, and Felix internally cursed himself for losing himself to his self deprecating thoughts once more, “Do you wanna come?”

Felix nodded instantly before he had a chance to fall down another rabbit hole.

“Sweet!” Yeonjun clapped, “You can just come home with us if you want.”

Felix accepted, much to Yeonjun’s excitement.

Soobin still eyed Felix with concern, one of the only emotions Felix could recognize from the woodsy scent mixing with the alpha’s scent blockers. But then his face flipped and the alpha regarded him with a soothing smile as if he hadn’t been scrutinizing Felix under his gaze moments ago. The omega tried not to let it bother him, but the uneasy feeling in his stomach still wouldn’t leave.

As the three began to go their separate ways, Soobin let Yeonjun travel further up the corridor as he fell inline with Felix, “You know if you need anything, you can come to us right?”

The omega turned to face Soobin as they walked. He was looking at Felix again, the same strange face, but now Felix could notice some hesitance. Why Soobin was hesitant made no sense to Felix considering the alpha was content to stare at him with a calculating stare far too often, but he figured maybe it had to do with Soobin never outwardly questioning the omega prior to this moment.

Felix nodded in response.

“I mean it,” Soobin reiterated, “We may not be super close but we care about you. We don’t want to see you hurt.”

Soobin looked away, and Felix had half the urge to stop him and ask what the hell he meant. But he decided to remain silent until the alpha had shifted back to his smiling face with parting words, “See you later.”

Then the other janitor was heading down the hallway, turning the corner towards the lobby as Felix was left alone. Questions turned and molded in his head as he deciphered what Soobin was saying, what the alpha may already know.

Implying they didn’t want to see Felix hurt could be related to Jinho, afterall Yeonjun had witnessed Felix’s breakdown after being cornered by his ex-boyfriend in the bathroom. But as far as Felix knew, Soobin didn’t know about what truly happened. Even Yeonjun didn’t know what truly happened because Felix hadn’t told him. Maybe Yeonjun had given a vague outline of what he saw and both of them drew their own conclusions from what they could gather.

Or, maybe Soobin was referencing the situation with Sangmi bringing him up to Chan’s office. The alpha had seen him enter the CEO’s waiting room with Sangmi’s nails clawing at his skin, and Soobin’s odd look had begun shortly afterwards. Maybe they were worried about Felix and Chan’s pack and what their interaction could have led to. Afterall Felix could admit he had been acting strange after that meeting, both of his coworkers had called out to him when he was caught zoning out time after time.

Felix took a deep breath and shook his head. There was no use worrying about it because he would never really know what Soobin was thinking unless the alpha told him. But one thing was for sure, Felix needed to keep his thoughts in line. Soobin knew something and Felix wanted to keep whatever it was contained.

The omega continued through the building and loaded into the elevator. Felix had pretty much taken claim to the floor with practice rooms as it was one of the floors he was always assigned to. Honestly, he really enjoyed it. The entire floor consisted of eight different rooms along with a lobby area and a set of bathrooms. All of the decor was bright and eccentric, something Felix thought displayed just how lively dancing has always been to the omega.

When he arrived, he immediately got to work. One of the practice rooms was occupied so Felix began in the room directly next to it. His keycard unlocked the door, something Felix was infinitely grateful for, and he let himself inside. Before he even flicked on the lights, the sound of the wistful piano keys bounced across the walls and echoed into the large room.

For a moment, Felix thought he had walked in on someone and quickly pulled himself from the room. But as he stood in the hallway he realized the music he heard was actually coming from the occupied room next door. Felix peeked his head back inside to turn on the lights and survey the room. Sure enough, it was empty as Felix had predicted with the murmurs of piano notes drifting into the space.

Upon further inspection, the rooms seemed to be separated by a retracting wall which explained why the other room’s music was so easy to listen to from here.

Felix didn’t mind it one bit. In fact it was pleasant to hear a melodic tune as he began his monotonous tasks to clean the musty practice room. The piano had been powerful, sporadic and desperate as the piece of music moved through the cords into something more somber. As he began sweeping up corners of dust the janitor found himself swaying to the music. It wasn’t enough to be considered dancing, but he still tapped his feet to the beat of the song as he traveled from one place to another.

The way the pianist was drastically winding up the music into a chaotic overflow of emotions was reminiscent of the swirling temptations and riddled obsessions the omega had been plagued with lately. As the track overflowed with frustration, loss, sorrow, and desire, Felix also floated back to the most certain hunger he had for a specific pack paired with the repulsive response he had to his lustful imagination. As his mind clashed with what he thought he wanted, the music also fought between a battle of love and lost war.

The song slowed down it’s pacing until it drifted into its last notes. Felix’s swaying body drifted along with the music, as did his mind as he let the tune take over. As the keys carefully trickled into the next, Felix’s feet paused as his arms dropped to his side. He was sucked in as each key seemed to be struggling to play itself. The notes stuttered as the pianist barely pressed hard enough on the keys.

His chest felt heavy as the song came to an end, ending with a bittersweet harmony that struck the omega.

He needed a moment to let the music sink into his heart, as he always did when he felt for a particular piece. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he reveled in the emotions that built up inside of him. All of the uncertainty, the insecurity, the fear and the confusion Felix had been holding onto and hiding in the depths of his mind came to the forefront. They wafted over him at once as the ending notes reverberated in his head.

This piece of music resonated with him, and his heart was yearning for more.

Then the song began again, restarting the melancholic tune Felix had fallen in love with. He relished in the story that the melody was portraying once again as he let himself get lost in the music. Eyes closed and body listing back and forth on his heels as he envisioned a twisting thorned rose stem creating delicate patterns in the back expanse of his mind in timing with the piano.

Until a terrifying crash resounded against the dividing wall followed by a painful string of curses. The omega’s eyes flew open with a muted gasp. The serenity of the music was drowned out by a few bangs and someone slamming their hands into the wall with a groan. Stomping footsteps traveled across the room further away from Felix and the music was abruptly shut off.

“Fuck!” A deep voice hissed.

Felix doubled back, nearly dropping his dusting rag as he hurriedly twisted in a circle. For a mere second, the omega had the passing thought that unintentionally eavesdropping on the stranger was probably a bad move. But given that the walls weren’t exactly the most soundproof and that he had been focused on the music to begin with, Felix figured it was kind of impossible to ignore the obviously injured wolf in the room next door.

Would it be out of bounds for him to check on the other?

He didn’t know this person, and it wasn’t his place to insert himself into a situation he wasn’t a part of. Yet as the seconds passed, he kept arguing with the itch he had to run inside that other room. Maybe it was the omega in him, desperate to take care of wolves around him when they were in need. Maybe it had to do with the way his heart was still roaring with emotion from the piano that had disappeared. Maybe it was he was just too nosey and failed at keeping to a dull and boring life.

Even if he didn’t know the person in the other room, he felt inclined to check on them at the very least. He had heard the commotion, and it was just common courtesy to make sure they were alright. For all Felix knew, they could be seriously injured.

In that case, he quickly grabbed his new notebook and abandoned his janitor’s cart in the empty practice room. As he entered the hall again it was still barren, however another room across the hall seemed in use. Felix paid them no mind as he rounded to the door that held the beautiful music and gave three steady knocks before letting himself inside.

At first, Felix thought he had entered the wrong room. Or perhaps he was wrong entirely and he had imagined the pleasant hums of the piano in his head, because when he peeked his head inside of the door the practice room was engulfed in darkness. 

Then as his eyes adjusted to the unexpected lack of light, a sudden flash of a phone screen illuminated a surprised face that sat on the floor across the room.

“Sorry, I’m in here,” The breathy voice announced.

Their voice was the same as the one Felix had heard earlier, so the omega felt a bit more at ease knowing he wasn’t going crazy. The smell of lavender belonging to an alpha wafted in the air and mixed with his rose scent blockers. Even though this was an alpha, and even though the scent of lavender was swirling around the room without the other attempting to reel it back, Felix found he didn’t react to it the same way he usually would.

This wasn’t an alpha scent that made him immediately submit like Jinho’s sea salt, nor was it one that pushed him into subspace like Jisung’s cinnamon. This scent reminded him of Chan’s, calming and soothing without the pressure of dominance, yet this person wasn’t trying to confine it like Chan had. The alpha let his pheromones do as they pleased, and it fluttered across the air without fear of what it might do to the omega standing alone in the entrance.

It instantly made Felix trust this wolf, because his pheromones told him he could. The lavender wasn’t dangerous in the slightest. 

Still, the lights were off. And Felix kind of needed them to be on in order for the other to understand what he was saying. So with the door still cracked open, the janitor used the light streaming in from the hallway to show the stranger his finger pointing towards the light switch.

“Uh,” The alpha blinked, “You wanna turn on the light?”

Felix delightfully nodded, it wasn’t often someone understood him so quickly without him needing to explicitly write it out. Even if it was just a simple question, every time Felix would be heard just as easily as any other person by only his hand movements, he felt a surge of accomplishment. Especially when that person didn’t even seem fazed by his silence.

“Yeah go for it,” The other answered.

Given that this person was submerged in darkness, Felix opted for turning on only one light switch so as to avoid shocking them with too much of the artificial light at once. The person had flinched at first, most likely anticipating a flush of brightness only to have half of what he had expected. But when the rooms went from pitch black to a partial dim instead, the alpha shook his head in surprise before matching Felix’s gaze with a grateful one.

“Hi,” The alpha greeted with a dazzling smile, still sitting on the floor as the omega shuffled further into the room and shut the door behind him, “I’m Hyunjin.”

The first thing Felix noticed about Hyunjin was his long black hair, naturally curling over his shoulders into nearly perfect points. He had a section of it tied up in a ponytail, but a few of the strands had fallen out and framed his face perfectly. He was obviously dancing if the heavy breathing and flushed face gave anything away, but he was also sitting with one leg extended out. His shoelaces were untied on one foot, but he made no move to fix them as he leaned against the wall with a curious face while he watched the janitor survey the room’s occupant.

“Was my music too loud?” Hyunjin tilted his head to the side, “I can turn it down if you need me too.”

Felix instantly shook his head, that was honestly the last thing he wanted. The piano was far too beautiful to be hushed and contained to one room when it deserved to drift outside of confined space for the entire building to hear. Instead, the omega entered further into the room and flipped open his notebook.

Hyunjin sat up straighter as Felix approached with his head down and hands scribbling away in the notebook. When Felix finished writing and handed the notebook to the alpha, Hyunjin shot him a sweet grin as he pulled the book into his hands.

The strange feeling Felix had been having recently was back and panging against his chest, reminding him of the sweet call of subspace his omega was still craving. The lavender did nothing but lure his omega deeper into his subconscious, begging for the safety blanket he was wrapped in back in Chan’s office. He forcefully pushed it back in annoyance, but the frustration he felt for himself died quickly when he laid his eyes back on the alpha.

He was incredibly pretty.

I heard something hit the wall in here earlier , Felix watched Hyunjin’s lips mouth along with the omega’s words, Are you okay? Do you need help?

“Ah, yeah I was dancing and I fell,” Hyunjin huffed with a pout that Felix found far cuter than he figured he should, “I’m just debating on whether I should call someone to pick me up or not.”

Felix observed the way Hyunjin was sitting before him, his one extended leg and untied shoe looking more like a cause for concern. Hyunjin trailed his gaze along with Felix, landing on the untied shoe with a grimace, “Yeah, I sprained it again.”

Felix’s head shot up at the word again with pinched brows, then traveled back down to the foot that was still jammed into the shoe. If this was a recurring injury, then it explained why Hyunjin must be relatively calm. He’d dealt with this before apparently, so to him was just a minor inconvenience. 

Hyunjin seemed content to sit there for a moment as he debated on his choices, meanwhile Felix was antsy to get the alpha’s most likely swollen foot out of his shoe. His tongue clicked against his teeth as he shook his head and glared at the untied shoe, this absolutely would not work.

Felix took back his notebook and placed it on the floor next to Hyunjin, wrote out a sentence quickly and left it there for the alpha to spin it on the floor and read it himself as Felix went searching through the various drawers and cabinets in the room.

I’m going to get the first aid kit.

“Oh you don’t have to do that!” Hyunjin called out to the omega who only waved him off, “No really, this happens all the time! It’s just a sprain, it’s not a big deal.”

Felix paused, yanking his arms out the cabinet with a slam as he swiftly turned on his heels. He leveled Hyunjin’s surprise shock with a disapproving glare and pursed frown, and without thinking his hands aggressively signed his frustration out with precise motions. 

You need to take care of your injury. How many times has this happened?

Felix spun back around, shoving aside various equipment in search of the first aid kit yet again. Hyunjin sat still, blinking away his confusion with parted lips until he finally whispered, “I have no idea what you just said.”

Felix ignored him, partially because he couldn’t properly communicate unless he went back to his notebook, but mainly because he was too focused on his task at hand. Hyunjin watched helplessly as the omega shuffled around for the first aid kit in each other the storage units they had in the room until he finally pulled out a white box with a triumphant grin.

Felix quickly situated himself back in front of Hyunjin, his tongue peeking out of the corner of his mouth as he popped open the lid and pulled out a roll of elastic bandages. He raised his head to look at the alpha again who was watching him with wide eyes, then pointed to the injured foot with one hand and the other hand grabbing the bandages.

As much as Felix wanted to just wrap the whole boy in bandages regardless of what he said, he respected the alpha’s personal space and boundaries. If he denied, Felix would definitely be pretty upset because this was an injury the omega did not want to ignore, but it wasn’t his place to go against whatever the other wanted. However, he would strongly advise against it with a scowl if the alpha said no.

Luckily, Hyunjin nervously nodded his head in Felix’s direction.

The omega breathed a sigh of relief as he dropped the bandages back on top of the white plastic box. Looking down at the foot that was still stuffed inside the shoe, he could already see the agitated skin that was pressed against the fabric. His first step was to get the shoe off of Hyunjin’s foot, which he was almost certain was going to hurt.

He decided to start with gently loosening the laces along the entire shoe, which didn’t seem to hurt the alpha too much. It was when Felix began trying to shimmy it off of the alpha’s foot that the other hissed in pain. The omega instinctively tried to sympathetically coo reassurance at the other, but his vocal cords strained against his throat in retaliation.

For a second, he thought a sound had almost come out, and then he froze with a panic stricken face.

Blood was rushing to his face, his rapid heart beat roaring in his head and tremors running through his fingers as he swallowed the anxiety crawling up his throat. He hadn’t tried to speak in years, even when he was desperate to be heard, even when he wanted to scream out his stress and frustration, even when his muted sobs felt like they weren’t enough to cease the pain he felt for the past few miserable years he spent alone... Even then, he never tried to make the sound come out.

Sure, he’d hoped one day he would speak again. Sometimes he imagined what it would be like to suddenly start up a conversation with the people who met him after he stopped speaking. When things got difficult and speaking was one of the things that would instantly cure his struggles, Felix willed his vocal cords and willpower to cooperate and make some sounds out of his body.

But never once had he attempted to make a sound, not even in his most vulnerable moments, yet here he was actively attempting to speak with his useless voice just to calm a hurt alpha he just met.

And that terrified him.

Felix glanced at the alpha who was still recovering from the swelling sting in his foot. He hadn’t noticed Felix’s strange behavior, and the omega wanted to keep it that way.

He raised his head with a compassionate smile that hid his fearful realization from moments ago. As Hyunjin met his eyes, the omega formed a fist over his chest and rubbed circles over his chest as he mouth the word sorry .

“Sorry?” Hyunjin grunted softly, “Are you saying sorry? That’s okay. I’m just being a baby.”

Felix wanted to reassure him that it was perfectly fine to be in pain, especially if he was one to frequently hurt himself, but he knew better than to hope for his voice to speak on his behalf again.

He thought after so many years of silence, he would be excited that his mind was willing to speak again. But with his own body declining his subconscious desire to speak, he realized how scary the thought of speaking was to him. He didn’t want to hear his abnormally deep voice, the one that was associated with alphas and not omegas. He didn’t want to be ostracized more than he already was, because a mute male omega was slightly more socially acceptable than a male omega that sounded like an alpha.

Or maybe he was coming up with excuses.

“Okay I’m ready,” Hyunjin steeled himself against the wall, looking more like he was about to go to war rather than get his shoe pulled off his foot, “Just yank it off like a bandaid. All in one go. Please, don’t prolong my suffering.”

He was being quite dramatic if Felix was being honest, but the quirky personality of the alpha relaxed the omega from the whirlwind in his head. Felix had time later to figure out what was going on with himself later, but Hyunjin needed someone to get his injury into a suitable condition before the alpha tried to ignore it and make this injury another one of his again’s .

So Felix raised three fingers, visibly counting down all the way to one and then gently tried to easily slip Hyunjin’s foot out of the shoe. The alpha still inhaled sharply as his limb was jostled in the air, and once Felix successfully pulled the shoe off and discarded it to the side, the alpha aggressively blew a puff of air in the bangs framing his face.

“Oh thank god that’s over,” Hyunjin leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, “That’s always my least favorite part.”

Felix gave an incredulous look towards the alpha who must have sensed the omega’s stare when he opened one eye to peek in his direction, “I mean like, always as in rarely. Because this rarely happens.”

Felix cocked an eyebrow at the obvious cover up, but Hyunjin just bit his lip and looked to the side. If Felix wasn’t so preoccupied with his own issues and the still unbandaged foot in front of him, he may have spent a little longer looking at his spectacular side profile and plump lips. But the omega had to get his head out of the clouds before he lost his footing.

He reached out for his notebook which Hyunjin easily slid over to him, wrote out a sentence, and slid it back as he unraveled the bandage in his lap.

Were you dancing with the lights off?

“Ah, yeah I was…” The alpha explained as Felix peeled off his sock and began firmly wrapping the bandage around his foot and ankle, “I think better in the dark.”

That’s probably why you keep getting hurt , Felix thought to himself, but it wasn’t bitter in the slightest.

Hyunjin was by far one of the tamest alphas he had ever seen. Jisung was a close second, but he was still far more energetic than Felix expected. Hyunjin was calm, kind of like Chan, but in an innocent way. He wasn’t malicious or aggressive, and his thought process seemed very straight forward. He seemed like the kind of alpha that would gladly cuddle you into submission rather than dominate it. 

And he didn’t need that image in his head, because it only served to add to his list of constant reminders that his omega wanted just that.

When Felix finished wrapping the alpha’s ankle, the dancer grinned in relief, “Thank you so much. You really didn’t have to do that.”

He didn’t, but he would never have left him to suffer alone. It was in Felix’s nature to take care of others, and not even just because he was an omega. He couldn’t ignore someone hurting when he had the capability to help in some capacity. 

I wouldn’t leave you alone , Felix wrote out, And I don’t want to leave you alone. Is there someone you can call to get you? I can help you to their car.

“Oh it’s really okay, uh…” he leaned forwards with narrowed eyes and he read Felix’s name tag off of his name tag, “Yongbok? I couldn’t ask that of you. I’ll be okay on my own.”

Felix determindly wrote out another sentence, I’m helping you. You can’t walk on this foot for at least three weeks. And we need to get you ice .

“Three weeks?!” He proclaimed loudly as he tried to lift himself on the ground, but Felix was quick to push him back down with a challenging look, “I can’t not walk for three weeks! Have you met me? I can’t sit still for that long!”

He disregarded the fact that he didn’t know Hyunjin, but he still seemed to understand that the alpha was definitely one of those types of people that couldn’t relax for a prolonged time period. Hence why he kept spraining his ankle.

You’re not walking.

“Ugh come on,” Hyunjin whined, “Chan is gonna think it’s way worse than it is if he finds out you had to help me walk.”

Chan?

Bang Chan?

Felix eyed Hyunjin once more, this time with more consideration, could he be another one of Chan’s pack members? There was always the chance that Hyunjin’s Chan wasn’t the same Chan that owned Bang Entertainment. Maybe it was a coincidence, and Felix wasn’t having a strange encounter with yet another one of the mysterious pack members that seemed to haunt Felix in and out of his dreams.

“Yeah, he’s my pack alpha,” Hyunjin grumbled, “And he’s relentlessly overbearing when we get hurt so don’t you dare tell him.”

Oh he was definitely telling him.

Chan had just exited from a meeting with some of his financial agents. It was a routine conference, one he used to have monthly but lately it was once every two weeks. The company was growing larger, the cost of production was climbing the ladder, and their revenue was rapidly exceeding their expectations. It was great news for Chan and his pack who had helped him build their future, everything they had imagined was coming true.

He was planning to take his pack mates with him to lunch as a treat, afterall it wasn’t often that he willingly left the office during work. He was checking his watch to note the time, only 12:56 PM, when his secretary turned the corner and flagged him down in the hallway.

“Mr. Bang!” She scurried up to him, slightly out of breath and her cellphone clutched in her hand. The CEO startled at the usually put together beta that was struggling to run in her work heels. She looked like she may have rushed down the flight of emergency stairs rather than take the elevator, and it instantly put Chan’s nerves on alert.

“Chunhei,” He greeted the other as he met her halfway down the hallway, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“It’s not me Sir,” She lifted her cellphone, which he just realized had an active call going, “Your pack member is hurt.”

“Who? Where is he?” Chan’s mind instantly shifted from the profit margins he was still processing to the raging wolf that took the reins. He had memorized each of his pack members schedules, regardless of how stifling some of his mates found his constant supervision, specifically for situations like these. He trusted his pack with his life, but sometimes emergencies happened and it was in everyone’s best interest that Chan already had a step out of the door. When he didn’t have to jump hurdles just to find out where his packmates were, it made fixing the issue just that much easier.

“Here Sir, he’s on the phone.”

Chan snagged the phone from Chunhei’s grasp, a little too forcefully if he was honest which he would apologize for later. But in the moment, his only goal was ensuring the safety of his pack, and any hesitance was discarded when it came to mates. He followed his secretaries footsteps, choosing to forgo the elevator in favor of running down a few flights of stairs. If his pack was hurt, there was no point in waiting for an elevator.

“Hello?” Chan pushed the phone up to his ear, listening in for the voice that would be on the other end of the line.

“ Hi Channie ,” Hyunjin responded with a light voice, one that sounded more like he was trying to cover something up rather than a pained one.

“Jinnie,” Chan hummed, already taking the path down to the dance rooms where he knew the other alpha would be, “Are you okay? Chunhei said you were hurt.”

“ Hurt?! ” Hyunjing gasped on the other end, “ I have no idea where she got that idea, I’m completely fine. Don’t worry about me- Ow! Stop that! ”

Chan faltered for a moment as Hyunjin’s voice got further away from the speaker as if he was seemingly arguing with someone else, but as Chan listened in he couldn’t hear anyone else. He was still in the dancer rooms, wasn’t he? “Hyunjin? Where are you?”

“ Nowhere! ” The younger alpha squeaked into the receiver, but quickly shouted back at whoever he was arguing with, “ Would you quit it! I’m not ticklish! ”

“Yes you are?” Chan said absent mindedly.

“ No! I’m not- Stop! ” The alpha giggled with a shriek, “ Chan, make him stop! ”

“Who’s with you?” Chan asked as he skipped a few steps. He was still heading for the dance room because that’s where Hyunjin was supposed to be, and he could only hope that his packmate was still there when he arrived.

Unfortunately, Hyunjin's strained giggling did nothing to reassure him. His voice got further away again as a small thud sounded in the receiver. Fear took root in the alpha’s mind for a moment, and he was seconds away from shouting for his packmate to speak to him until the giggles continued.

Just as the CEO reached the floor his packmate was supposed to be, the alpha slammed open the stairway door and sprinted towards the entrances. There were no windows into the rooms, so Chan had to listen for whichever room didn’t have music playing. He opened a few doors that granted him an empty room, but on his third try he opened the door to the sight of Hyunjin rolling on the floor with the very omega that kept getting tangled up in his packs affairs tickling him.

Lee Felix.

Upon Chan’s appearance, Felix pulled back from Hyunjin who then dramatically gasped for air now that he wasn’t being subjected to the endless tickles the omega was forcing onto him. He pushed his back against the wall with heaving breaths while Felix crossed his arms over his chest. Chan let his eyes drag over Felix’s irritated scowl which had gravitated from Hyunjin to the pack alpha, then to the obvious bandaged foot that Hyunjin had extended out.

“What happened?” Chan stepped over to two wolves seated by the wall and joined them on the floor. Hyunjin bit his lip as he skillfully avoided Chan’s gaze, which if Chan was being honest, he was used to. Hyunjin and Jisung were a lot alike, which was part of the reason they fought a lot at the beginning of their relationship. Both were independent when it came to showing their worth, and any weakness was met with anger and denial.

When he heard Hyunjin on the other side of the phone, he was fully expecting to fight tooth and nail to get the truth out of him. 

But then Felix was grabbing for his notebook, startling both of the alpha’s in the room as he wrote out a few scratchy sentences and presented them to Chan.

He sprained his ankle again because he was dancing in the dark.

“Again?” Chan raised his head to see Felix experatedly nodded at him, then turned to see Hyunjin’s sheepish smile staring back at him.

It wasn’t exactly a secret that Hyunjin tended to shoulder pain without telling the others, and he’s been caught hiding his injuries more times than Chan could count. It always troubled the pack alpha that the younger never confided in him when he needed to. Chan typically found out about these things by word of mouth, occasional slip up on Hyunjin’s part, or the slight scent of distress that would peak through when the pain would become too much to bear for the younger alpha.

And it wasn’t like this happened rarely, Hyunjin was an accident magnet.

“Jinnie,” Chan sighed softly, and even though he was slightly disappointed that his pack mate was trying to cover up his injury yet again, the CEO kept his tone gentle, “What have I said about hiding these things? It’s not good for you.”

“But it’s really not that big of a deal,” Hyunjin insisted, “Look, I can still move it and everything!”

Then Hyunjin was flexing his foot, and Chan cringed as the swollen flesh pressed against the tight compression of the bandage. Chan was already reaching out when Felix put a warning palm on Hyunjin’s shin.

The omega looked positively furious, a look Chan never imagined he could have seen on the sweet janitor he’d had the pleasure of meeting. He was eyeing Hyunjin with a threatening glare that almost dared him to keep going. Chan was reminded yet again just how expressive Felix could be even in his silence as his honey scent warned them to comply with his will. 

It was something Chan had experienced with Minho. While omega pheromones can still contain warning signs and commands, they didn’t work the same way an alpha’s did. Chan didn’t feel any compelling need to follow what Felix was so obviously trying to tell them, and his alpha viewed the exchange of scent as an impressive tactic to get his attention. It was an omega’s way of being heard when the alpha was too deep in their head, and Chan could easily say it was working.

Both he and Hyunjin had their eyes trained on him.

“Fine!” Hyunjin groaned as he aggressively crossed his arms, “I won’t move it. Or walk. You’re welcome.”

That seemed to be the right thing to say as Felix backed down. His scent diminished into it’s normal potency and his challenging facial features calmed into a pleased grin.

He reminded Chan so much of Minho.

Omegas were clever, calming, and smart. As much as Chan was pack alpha, Minho’s position as pack omega was nothing to laugh at. He was just as important as Chan, and they both worked together seamlessly, because while there’s things alphas can do that omegas can’t, it’s also the same the other way around.

Alphas dominate, they lead, they control and they take charge of a pack legally. In all signed legal documents, the government views Chan responsible for all six members underneath him. If anything happened to them, then Chan was the primary guardian that was contacted. If they did anything, then Chan was thrown into hot water with them. He held power with his alpha voice and he had a leg up in society.

Omegas submit, but it wasn’t in the way that they were helpless. They were powerful in their own biology, sneaky and intelligent when they went about their life. Omegas kept a household running and provided the care and affection that alphas had never received in their life. They held a nurturing instinct that made them masters at getting their way with stupid alphas that didn’t take care of themselves. They knew how to calm someone down, rile someone up, and keep attention where they wanted it at.

An omega had more power than society realized, and both Minho and Felix utilized it extremely well.

“Thank you, Felix,” Chan said gratefully, “Who knows how long he would have tried to keep this from me.”

“Felix?” Hyunjin turned to the omega, “I thought your name was Yongbok. Wait, are you the same Felix that Jisung talks about?”

“Yes, he is,” Chan answered with a slight grin, and he didn’t miss the way Felix lit up at the mention of Jisung, “By the way Felix, would you like me to get you a different ID card? One that has your preferred name?”

Chan had been meaning to ask, but given they hadn’t met more than two times prior he wasn’t given the chance to.

The omega nodded excitedly, then made a motion with his hand while mouthing the words thank you .

“Are you using sign language?” Hyunjin asked and received another nod from Felix, “That’s so cool!”

Sign language.

Knowing sign language would definitely help with communication between them and the janitor. It would eliminate the need for his notebook all together. Chan was already fluent in English, Korean, and Japanese to begin with, maybe he should look into learning another language?

“Alright Jinnie, let’s get you home,” Chan pushed himself into a crouch.

Hyunjin agreed easily, but as he tried to lift himself from the ground, Chan reached a hand out to push him back down, “Uh-uh, you’re not walking. I’m carrying you all the way to the car.”

“Oh my god,” Hyunjin collapsed against the wall with a whine, “This is so embarrassing.”

“Welcome to our humble abode!” Yeonjun shouted in excitement as he threw open the apartment door.

“Careful of the neighbors,” Soobin scolded softly, but Yeonjun simply blew past the warning and ran down the hallway, shoes tossed to the side of the entrance as he called for one of their other pack members.

“Aish, we’re gonna have a noise complaint for sure,” Soobin neatly placed his shoes against the wall, taking the liberty to do the same with Yeonjun’s before turning to Felix, “You can put your shoe’s anywhere.”

Felix quickly discarded his roughed up sneakers and placed them next to his coworkers. His own beat up shoes contrasted greatly with the bright colored boots his coworkers seemed to enjoy wearing, and their pack mates also had a great selection of footwear to choose from.

“ Hyuka! Where’s the food!” Yeonjun’s distant shouting could be heard from the door, prompting Soobin and Felix to enter further into the apartment.

Felix followed Soobin through the threshold into their living space. The hallway opened into a decent sized living room that was just as lively as the bright colors on their shoes. Each piece of furniture was some bright color, very eccentric and clashing with the rest of the room.

Sitting on the couch was a boy on his phone who shot up upon seeing the new arrivals. He jumped over the cushions to land just in front of Felix, his hand waving in front of him as his body towered over Felix.

How were all these people so damn tall?

“Hi! I’m Beomgyu.”

“Go get the others!” Yeonjun shouted at Beomgyu, “We need to start cooking!”

“Kai said you were doing it,” Beomgyu responded, and Yeonjun slammed a bag of potatoes on the counter with a squawk in response.

“You lot expect me to cook all of this on my own?!” The beta gasped in offense, “And in the face of company?!”

“We have company?” Another boy, nearly as tall as Soobin, said as he stepped out of a bedroom door. As his eyes landed on Felix, he broke out into a grin, “Oh hi! I’m Heuning Kai!”

“You’re gonna be Dead Kai if you don’t get over here and help me,” Yeonjun threatened with a pointed glare.

“But I did the shopping!” Heuning Kai complained as he shoved Beomgyu closer to the kitchen counter, “You help him, you’re less likely to get killed when he blows up the apartment.”

“Why me?!” Beomgyu squealed as he tried to break free of Heuning Kai’s grasp, “I had to clean the apartment!”

“You didn’t clean the apartment, Taehyun did!” Heuning Kai shoved a bit harder.

“How about Soobin does it?” Beomgyu pointed at the alpha from over Heuning Kai’s shoulder, “He’s pack alpha, that’s like his job isn’t it?”

Felix spared a glance at Soobin, who was maintaining a safe distance leaned against the door frame as he supervised the argument. The alpha wasn’t intervening, in fact he seemed to find joy in the interaction the other wolves were having. Soobin always seemed like the quiet type to Felix, one that didn’t like to take charge as often. Felix hadn’t imagined he would be a pack alpha until it was literally spelled out for him.

He guessed that’s what he got for making assumptions.

“Unless you want bread for dinner, Soobin is not cooking.”

A new voice appeared from the hallway behind them. Each of them turned in his direction, including Felix, and he was met with another wolf that surpassed him in height. He was carrying a few liters of soda in his hands which Soobin quickly took from him and placed on the kitchen counter. He waved at Felix upon seeing him, “Hello, my name is Taehyun.”

Felix waved back, as the other greeted him.

“Everyone, this is Felix,” Yeonjun introduced him to the group, “That’s Beomgyu, my beta in crime. Heuning Kai, our baby alpha. And Taehyun, our pack omega.”

Felix forced himself to ignore the collar dangling from Taehyun’s neck. Even though Felix also had one, even though he’s seen them on so many others during his life, seeing another male omega was surreal to him.

He’d met a few as a kid, but as an adult he hadn’t run into many of them. Each time he did, he just as was surprised as the last. He loved meeting others like him, because it reminded him that he wasn’t alone. And seeing the tag secured on Taehyun’s collar reminded Felix that not all male omega’s were packless. Taehyun had a family to rely on, one that loved him for him regardless of his status.

It was what Felix wished he could have, and he was glad Taehyun had found it.

“Taehyun, please help Yeonjunnie cook,” Beomgyu begged from Heuning Kai’s arms, “I don’t wanna die.”

Yeonjun hadn’t even ended up cooking.

It ended up being Taehyun and Beomgyu that grilled up burgers for everyone. Felix tried his best to help considering he actually enjoyed cooking, but each and every one of them had forced him to sit down for various rounds of mario kart because you’re the guest, you don’t need to be cooking anything .

When dinner was eventually served, they all crowded around the cramped coffee table with cups of soda and a reality show playing on TV that Felix had never seen. 

“Wow, I can’t believe he chose that dude,” Beomgyu shook his head at the television with a disappointed sigh, “He should have chosen that other girl.”

“Are you kidding?” Yeonjun scoffed, “Those two are made for each other. Did you see the way he kissed him?”

“A true romantic,” Taehyun agreed with the oldest beta.

“Nah, she loved him,” Heuning Kai sided with Beomgyu, “She definitely deserved the rose.”

Felix couldn’t include his input because he was far too lost to add anything worthy of the debate. He hadn’t seen anything about this show prior to today, and the only thing he could really retain was that there was a really cute alpha couple that Felix was rooting for. Other than that, the previous romances the pack seemed invested in were lost to him.

“Hey,” Soobin elbowed him, “Wanna come with me to the kitchen?”

No one else noticed the question, all of them still far too deep in their discussion when Soobin had spoken to him. The alpha was looking at him the same way that Felix had caught him before, as if he knew something Felix didn’t, but this time he seemed much more relaxed. Perhaps it was because he was in his own territory, or maybe it was because Felix wasn’t a mess of intrusive thoughts like he usually was.

But, this was his chance to maybe find out what that look stemmed from, so he agreed.

The two took their plates to the kitchen which was still in the same room as the living room, but because of the distance their speech wasn’t as easy to pick up one. Not to mention the rest of them were still very much paying attention to the television.

“I’ll take your plate,” Soobin plucked the glass from Felix’s hands and placed them in the sink.

Felix would have insisted on cleaning them himself if he felt confident enough, but this wasn’t his home. He didn’t want to intrude, and if Soobin wanted to clean the dishes Felix wasn’t going to impose.

“So, how have you been?” Soobin asked as he turned on the faucet.

Felix reached for his notebook which he left on the counter upon his arrival, flipped to a new page, and began writing.

I’ve been good.

Soobin read the words with a worried crease in his forehead, one that told Felix he didn’t believe him. The omega didn’t blame him, as Felix wasn’t explicitly telling the truth. He may be good in this moment, but there was still the ongoing fight between his rational human mind and his omega. He kept having strange chance encounters with Bang Chan’s pack, Jinho was working in his building, and he almost spoke for the first time after years of silence.

“You’ve had quite the welcome into Bang Entertainment,” Soobin continued, “Is anything overwhelming you? Is there anything Yeonjun or I could do to help you settle in better?”

You’ve both been great. There’s nothing I can think of.

“Well let us know,” Soobin smiled at the omega as he scrubbed away on the glass plates, “Yeonjun and I are gonna be here for a while so we’ll try our best to make sure things aren’t too hard for you.”

 Felix tilted his head, he was almost certain Soobin and Yeonjun were only supposed to temporarily transfer to nights in order to train Felix until he was comfortable enough to work alone.

I thought you two were going back to day shift?

“We were,” The alpha explained, “But honestly, it’s kind of pointless. We can get more work done by night time, and we actually like the night shift better. It works with our pack better, and we like working with you so we asked to permanently transfer to nights.”

A smile found it’s way on Felix’s face, and he found it reflected on Soobin’s face.

I’m glad, I like working with you guys.

“So do we,” Soobin turned off the faucet and placed the plates in the drying rack, “And we don’t wanna leave you to suffer alone during the evening.”

The alpha turned around, the worried look back on his face that had Felix wishing the other would just tell him what he was thinking so the omega didn’t have to keep guessing.

“You know we care about you,” Soobin reiterated the same words he said earlier today, and Felix nodded, “We don’t wanna see you hurting.”

Then the concern was gone and replaced with hope and desperation that Felix never associated with alpha’s, “We’re friends, so please promise me you’ll come to us if you’re in trouble.”

Felix stared, mouth ajar as he saw the raw emotion Soobin usually kept hidden. He meant every word he said, and he was begging Felix to agree with him. Soobin was quiet, calm, and tame for an alpha, but this wasn’t the face of a pack alpha. This was a friend that just wanted to see the best for their other friend.

I will, Felix wrote out with sincerity, matching Soobin’s relieved smile with his own, I promise.

Chapter Text

Just as easily as the whirlwind of chaos entered Felix’s life, it dissipated into a gentle breeze that occasionally nipped at his cheek. Another week had come and gone without issue, and the omega was finding that he really enjoyed the work culture at Bang Entertainment. That is, when he wasn’t jumping the hurdles life put in his path.

He continued to work hard in his position, striving each day to do better than the last, and in the end, it resulted in his long-anticipated paycheck that went straight to his overdue rent payment. He still didn’t have a large cushion of extra money to validate any extravagant grocery shopping, so he would have to manage with the bare necessities yet again. But that wouldn’t be hard for Felix after having lived on it for so long anyway.

Jisung and Hyunjin had become regular parts of his day.

The younger alpha was a frequent visitor during Felix’s lunch breaks, showing up just on time to seat himself next to Felix in the company cafeteria. He talked enough for the two of them, and when Soobin and Yeonjun joined, all three of them engaged in various debates and conversations that Felix happily listened in on.

Even if he couldn’t contribute much aside from small shakes of his head or the occasional sentence he would take the time to write out, Felix enjoyed himself.

He had gotten used to Jisung and his eccentric personality, and so had Yeonjun and Soobin. The beta was more than excited to get to know the producer, as he was with most new people. However, Soobin kept his distance the first time Jisung joined them during their break. Felix didn’t point attention to Soobin’s strange behavior, choosing to let the alpha work through whatever he was thinking without interference. Felix had grown accustomed to the odd expressions Soobin threw at him, and seeing a similar one pointed at Jisung made Felix feel a little better if he was honest.

At least he wasn’t the only one Soobin was staring at.

Jisung hadn’t let Soobin deter his ambitious attempt to befriend both of the other janitors, and by the end of the first day, all three of them had gotten on a first-name basis. Soobin dropped his inquisitive expression, Jisung’s laughter remained a constant, and Felix felt relief that nothing had gone wrong.

During this week, Felix had learned enough about Jisung’s character to conclude he was just a big dork, and Felix loved it. Jisung was a hyperactive alpha, one that loved eating cheesecake as he watched his favorite animes on his couch. His words came out lightning fast with clean syllables excitedly filling the air around them, and at times he sounded like he was rapping his sentences rather than saying them.

When Felix found out he was a self-produced rapper on top of producing for idol groups under the company label, the omega wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

Could I hear some of your work someday?

Felix had written it down at their first lunch meeting.

“You wanna hear one of my songs?” Jisung had nearly choked on his sandwich, “I mean you’ve probably heard them before on like, the radio and stuff.”

No, one of you rapping.

And then Felix was graced with the sounds of Han Jisung breathlessly rapping over a harsh beat. He said he recorded it a year ago, but it sounded like the boy recorded it just yesterday. The lyrics were powerful, emotionally charged as it hit each note with intensity. Felix had closed his eyes as the beat rumbled through the headphones into his ears, reveling in this music while he could before it was locked away in Jisung’s cell phone again.

He hoped he would never forget the sounds that Han Jisung’s voice made that day.

Hyunjin had returned to the Bang Entertainment building just two days after Felix had found him collapsed in the practice room. When the omega had caught sight of the other alpha, his first instinct was irritation that the other was alone and back at work after being explicitly warned by Felix that he shouldn’t be walking for at least three weeks.

But then Felix’s sights landed on the pair of crutches the alpha was dragging along with him, and he calmed down significantly.

“Hey, Felix!” Hyunjin waved from down the hallway and began hopping over to the omega who was on his way to meet Jisung, Soobin, and Yeonjun for lunch again, “Are you going on your lunch break? Can I join you?”

Of course, Felix said yes, and it wasn’t just because of his concern for Hyunjin’s sprained ankle.

Hyunjin and Jisungs' dynamic was interesting. He should have expected something considering the two were from the same pack, but having never seen the two interact before, Felix was surprised by how close the alphas were while pretending as if they despised each other’s existence. Jisung teased Hyunjin for his sprain, complaining about how he had to carry him all over their apartment at Chan’s request, all while he kept breaking off pieces of his cheese stick and feeding them to the other.

It was very obvious they loved each other dearly, regardless of what they tried to portray. He could see it in the way they subconsciously leaned into each other, how their gaze never faltered when their eyes met, how neither were bothered when Hyunjin’s lips occasionally closed around the tip of Jisungs finger. It was nothing but playful banter between them, and an overflowing basket of affection that they pretended didn’t exist.

Felix smiled fondly at the two as he learned of Hyunjin’s current choreography he was creating. The alpha was a professional dancer and dance instructor, and he was very passionate about his work. He talked about his history with dance theory, his years of trial and error to perfect his style, and the many mentors he still cherished to this day. Felix was enamored with both the softly spoken words and the plush lips that pushed them into the air as the light shined perfectly against his smile. The omega was drawn to these two alphas, almost enough to nearly forget his coworkers were sitting at the same table watching him curiously.

Hyunjin became another frequent visitor during lunch breaks. 

The two alphas had wormed their way into Felix’s everyday life rather quickly, and the omega didn’t mind it as much as he thought he would. Eventually, Jisung and Hyunjin went from sitting next to each other across from Felix, to racing to the cafeteria to see who could grab a seat next to the omega first. Soobin had made sure to always make either him or Yeonjun take one spot next to Felix just so the two had to duke it out for the last seat, and Yeonjun always cackled when one of them inevitably lost the seat.

Lunch breaks became something Felix looked forward to. And now as Felix woke up late in the cold of his barren bedroom, he was missing the warmth that the alphas provided. Their presence alone eased Felix’s mind from the constant push and pull he had been experiencing since taking this job, but then he was separated and left to ponder the strange feelings he had adapted for the two in solitude.

When he was alone, Felix was able to think logically. Such as how weird it was that he felt so calm and welcome when he was in the presence of these wolves, and then turned anxious and vulnerable when they parted ways. Chan, Jisung, and Hyunjin had all broken down his walls far too fast, but when he was surrounded by their scents his omega was preening with desire. He wanted their attention, he wanted to be close enough to graze their skin with his fingers, and he wanted to walk beside them as they went back to their respective work tasks.

And as soon as they were back in their own spaces, Felix’s mind came crashing down from the clouds back into the dirt and mud that were his insecurities. He lost his bearings when Chan’s pack was around, his self-control was nonexistent, and his omega was taking the reins without his knowing.

But did he mind it?

It was obvious his omega was infatuated, maybe a bit obsessed with these alphas, and looked at everything with rose-tinted glasses when he was in their near vicinity. He felt the lurch of longing each time he thought of them, the aching pain when he remembered the way Chan had held him so delicately, the excited hum of pleasure when Jisung’s cinnamon scent pulled him into subspace. His wolf was trying to claw it's way back to them each chance it got, and he couldn’t exactly deny his omega as easily as he thought he could.

Objectively, Felix did like Jisung, Hyunjin, and even Chan. They were incredibly kind people, ones that behaved unlike any alpha Felix had met before. They were considerate, sweet, and eager to befriend Felix regardless of the differences in their status, in both biological and societal standards. An alpha and omega being friends wasn’t uncommon at all, but a business owner’s pack befriending a lowly janitor sure was. But among all of these instances, all of the things Felix’s logical side of his brain knew, could he say he liked them as much as his omega did?

He wasn’t sure.

He barely knew them. He knew them on the surface level. One that showed him their favorite color and television show, not their long-term goals and morals. He didn’t know their childhood dreams and their current goals. He wasn’t aware of their troubles and worries, or their happiest memories and first loves. He knew virtually nothing but what they made his omega feel.

So he couldn’t know for sure how he felt, because he didn’t know anything about them.

But you’re starting to know them.

Felix internally groaned as he pushed himself out of bed, tripping on his bland bed sheets and oversized sweatpants, and made his way to his bathroom. He stumbled onto the tile and felt around for the light switch until the off-white walls were bathed in the fluorescent yellow.

Jisung told you about his condition, about his parents.

He met his own eyes in his toothpaste-splattered mirror, dark pupils staring back at him with annoyed frustration. He could never get these thoughts out of his head, could never get them to shut up. It was constantly protruding into his everyday life making it hard to concentrate on anything.

You like them more than you think you do. You’re just scared.

Felix ripped himself from the door frame, stomping up to his shower curtain and roughly pulling it to the side.

You’re afraid of commitment.

He turned on the water, ice-cold.

You’re afraid they’re going to be like him.

He tore off his clothes, throwing them to the other side of the room in a haste.

You’re afraid they’re going to be like Jinho.

He stepped into the freezing water without preparation, shocking his body and mind back to the present. His muscles screamed at him as the ice-cold water pelted his skin, wracking his body with shivers as he tucked into himself. 

I don’t care about Jinho.

He bitterly thought to himself as droplets of warm tears mixed with the cold water streaming over his cheeks. 

But he really did care about Jinho, and he couldn’t keep lying to himself.

Jinho was his first alpha. And even though he was a shitty excuse for an alpha, one that Felix hated with all his being, he still cared about him. He cared about what the alpha thought of him, he cared about whether Felix was proving to be everything he told Jinho he would be without him. He cared about whether the alpha was too close to him, whether he was breathing the same air as him, whether his pungent sea salt was invading his space- he cared far more than he wanted to admit. He hadn’t moved on after two years, if anything he feels like he’s taken a step back.

And he was scared. He was scared of the unknown, of why he had been wrapping up in Chan’s pack so suddenly. He was scared of his omega’s goals and the separate mind his wolf seemed to operate on. He was scared of his heart constricting when he thought of Chan’s pack, and he was scared of his instincts that screamed at him to get closer, to move faster, to find himself slotted between their arms. He was scared of what these foreign feelings meant, because he never felt them with Jinho. His omega was ready to move on, but Felix didn’t think he was.

Was he ready to invite more expectant alphas into his life? More alphas that his omega would strain to please? More alphas to dictate his life and show him how much of a pitiful omega he was?

Chan’s pack isn’t like that, you know this.

No, Chan’s pack was already miles better than Jinho could ever hope to be. But would they always be as perfect as Felix saw them now? 

He felt helpless and pathetic, exactly how Jinho wanted him to feel. And the alpha had succeeded, because here Felix was reduced to tears in his bathtub all because he couldn’t get himself under control. Because he kept thinking of a pack that wasn’t his. He was everything Jinho said he was, a stupid omega addicted to any alpha that looked his way. He was obsessing over some dudes just because they were nice to him.

Was he that desperate? That he couldn’t hold back his omega from trying to ravage any alpha he can get ahold of?

He scrubbed at his face harshly, blinking away the warmth of his tears and tilting his head back. He was quick with washing his hair, using a sparingly amount of soap as he lathered the shampoo into his scalp. The soap dripped down his forehead, leaking from his eyebrow into his eye. He hissed silently, digging his fingers into his eyes as he rubbed away the protruding substance. As he pulled his hand back, an uncomfortable sting was left behind.

With soap still in his hair, and the freezing water running along his back, Felix stared forward at the white tiled wall.

He wished he didn’t feel so conflicted.

He wished he knew what he wanted.

He wished his life hadn’t turned into the mess that it was, that he didn’t have to go figure everything out alone.

He hated being alone sometimes.

You don’t have to be alone.

No, he didn’t. But it was safer to be alone than to risk falling for another trap. Living in solitude was better than living in fear. It was better than losing your self-worth and confidence all because an alpha dictated your life. He could make his own choices now, he could live his life now.

But why did he still feel just as restricted now as he was when he was with Jinho?

Had he ever actually healed from the torturous two years the alpha had subjected him to?

It was like Jinho still had a hold on him, still had his claw embedded in Felix’s skin dragging him back from moving on.

Chan’s pack, they’re not like Jinho.

Felix took a deep breath, stepping back into the water and washing out the remaining soap before turning it off entirely. The bathroom was vacant of any steam, and as the omega stepped out of the tub into the previously cold apartment he found it felt warmer now.

Chan’s pack likes you, and you like them too.

He dried himself off, wrapping himself up in his fluffiest towel.

You don’t have to be alone anymore.

He stopped in front of his closet, pulling out a basic black shirt and sweatpants.

You’ve lived enough of your life in fear, don’t let it hold you back from finding happiness again.

He dressed himself with firm hands and a sigh and combed his hair with his fingers before searching for his brush.

Don’t let this opportunity slip through your fingers.

He didn’t have time for this.

The grocery store wasn’t as busy as Felix expected it to be.

Usually, families would be crowded in aisles, packing the entire building to max capacity to the point that even Felix had a hard time worming between people with his handbasket. But the store was actually quite calm, likely because of the cold weather. For 12 PM on a Saturday, this was a rather lucky turn of events.

And if Felix was honest, after the morning he had he was glad he wasn’t going to be accidentally shoved by teenagers and children or stuck in an aisle between four shopping carts. Not to mention the overwhelming scents of prepubescent wolves that hadn’t quite learned how to control their scent in public.

That’s the last thing Felix needed, a smelly wolf smothering him with their alpha stench from three aisles away.

He wasn’t going to be here long. He just needed the essentials: some steamed white rice bowls and packaged noodles would do. The rest of his money would be saved for emergencies. Maybe he would feel comfortable enough to splurge by next paycheck, but for now, he still needed to play it safe.

As he entered, the greeter waved at him just as she always did. Felix had been frequenting this store for close to four years and he’d come to know most of the employees after so many visits. Dozens have come and gone, but that never deterred Felix from welcoming them with a warm smile.

In the beginning, most of them had assumed he was deaf, which he never blamed them for. Now he had a reputation among the grocery store, and everyone was aware of his situation and how to handle him. It was nice to have a place to accommodate him, especially a place as necessary as a grocery store.

“Good morning, Felix,” Yebin, one of the employees that happened to be stocking shelves, called out for Felix as the omega began turning into the rice section.

Yebin was a nice beta, one that Felix has known longest at this location. She was a few years older than him and has been one of the omega’s biggest helps when it came to living alone. She had helped Felix plan his grocery shopping when he and Jinho broke up and he began fending for himself alone in the produce section. When the omega eventually stopped speaking, Yebin had adapted to assist Felix in everything he needed. She had even tried to pull some strings to get Felix a job at the grocery store regardless of his lack of a voice, but management was just too strong of a deterrent for the beta to get through.

Nevertheless, her efforts were seen, and Felix considered Yebin a great friend.

“Here for your monthly rations?” She hopped off of the step ladder she was using to reach the higher shelves, skipping over to the omega with her hair swinging behind her, “I think we got a new shipment of that coffee you like. It might be on sale by the end of the month if we don’t sell enough of it.”

Felix brightened up at her comment but quickly deflated as he was rudely reminded of his budget. He was sadly going to be missing out on his favorite instant coffee brand. He didn’t have the money to spare for it now and he already knew he wouldn’t be granted the chance to buy it later on because it was far too popular to avoid being sold out. It was cheap but delicious, and everyone knew it.

That sucks, because it’s been far too long since Felix had tasted his favorite coffee.

“Hey, if you don’t get it today, I can always try to get someone to order it again next month. Shipments have been crazy lately so I’ll have to get on it asap,” Yebin offered as Felix’s downturned expression became apparent to the beta.

He signed a quick thank you in return, which luckily Yebin understood. The omega had taught her various signs over the course of the past few years, and while she wasn’t anywhere close to fluent, it made communication just a bit easier. He hadn’t had to pull out his notebook to talk to her in a few months which was pretty impressive.

“Alright, well I better get back to this,” Yebin pointed over her shoulder at the stack of boxes waiting to be put away, “Have a good day Felix!”

Felix waved goodbye as they both turned in the opposite direction, Yebin back to her step ladder and Felix back to the main floor. He had memorized the floor plan long ago, and given that his shopping list was rather bare, he made a beeline to where he knew the instant noodles would be. There was hardly anyone in the aisle, something Felix swore he could have kissed someone for because the instant noodle section was constantly filled to the brim. 

He grabbed the cheapest bulk package and tossed it into his handbasket. It was just a roast chicken flavor, relatively bland and boring compared to the array of flavors that stocked the shelves. But this was what he could afford, it was what he stuck to because the package sizes were bigger than some of these other brands, and that meant his meal could fill him up more than anything else.

Next was the rice, which was just on the next aisle. Again, he grabbed the bulk package, but just as he was about to grasp the cardboard wrapping, his gaze landed on the orange price tag covering the original number.

The rice was on sale.

He broke out into a goofy grin, because this was a good surprise. He tossed it into his basket with the noodles, straightened himself out, and scanned the empty aisle he was on. It was just a sale, and it was on instant rice of all things, but Felix was ecstatic. He only came to this store for two things, and for one of those two things to be cheaper than the already cheap price was world break news in Felix’s book.

Lately, he had been dreading his trips to the grocery store. Without a job to support himself, he was struggling to justify eating more than one meal a day, and more often than not, he would skip meals entirely because he couldn't bring himself to open his last package of noodles yet. He had been surviving off of the meager savings he had accumulated while living with Jinho and the few small jobs he picked up since then.

So a sale was a treat for the omega, and for a moment he could close his eyes and almost forget about the debt hanging over his head. He could pretend his money saved on rice could go towards the coffee he wanted and he could head home and treat himself. He could pretend he was normal, just for a second.

But then he opened his eyes, walked over to the coffee section, and stopped in front of the instant coffee that was too expensive to buy, and his illusion was shattered.

He was still broke, still a lowly omega living alone in the city. He was a defective wolf that could be deemed a nuisance to society, and he was living a pitiful life in his cold apartment that nearly froze him to death each night. His daydream was unrealistic, and his coffee was too far out of reach.

Maybe he was being a little dramatic, it was only coffee after all, but his previous excitement for the discounted rice had withered away with his crushed vision of a beautiful life.

“Hey, uh, Felix?”

The omega blinked himself out of his head, turning to the side to see a familiar face staring at him. A soft smile, recognition glinting in the other's eyes, and a tiny wave instantly pulled Felix out of the slump he had found himself in all morning. His insecurities, his doubts, and his frustrations sunk to the depths of his mind as he turned to fully face Changbin, the beta Felix had met a month ago.

This was another wolf from Chan’s pack, another one of those wolves that had Felix’s omega wrapped around his finger without even trying.

“I didn’t know you shopped here,” Changbin pushed his cart closer to the omega, stopping just a foot away, “Are you stocking up on groceries?”

Felix nodded, happy that the question was simple enough to not have to drag out his notebook to communicate.

“Ah, same here,” Changbin continued, “I feel like I’m at the store twice a week, we’re always running out of food.”

Taking a look at Changbin’s cart, he was surprised at how… full it was.

Nearly half of it was just sealed packages of meat, which Felix raised his eyebrows at. He hadn’t eaten much other than noodles and rice for somewhere close to two years, aside from the occasional convenience store sandwich or microwave meal he had. He couldn’t imagine having the stomach to devour so much food, and to do it two times a week? How much meat could one pack eat? 

How many people were even in Chan’s pack?

At the very least, there were quite a bit of leafy green vegetables to go along with it, and he spotted some packages of snack food and some soda bottles littered between the healthier foods. It was well balanced, and definitely far healthier than Felix’s grocery haul.

It made him feel a little ashamed of the diet he had adapted, because he couldn’t afford extravagant groceries and dinner lists. He couldn’t have treats or even instant coffee, because everything cost more money than he had right now.

“Hey, are you free after this?”

Felix brought his attention back to the beta, who was still looking at him with that soft smile.

“Because I’m about done with shopping and I was thinking about getting some lunch around here. Would you wanna join me? It’ll be my treat.”

Lunch?

With Changbin?

Felix's mouth opened and closed silently, as if he would have spoken had he been able to and couldn’t come up with the words. He stared agape at the beta who only watched him patiently for an answer, but Felix wasn’t sure what to say. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go out with Changbin, but it was that he was shocked that the beta had even asked. Changbin was a part of Chan’s pack, a very high-profile pack, as Felix had come to realize. Changbin being seen with a random omega in public wouldn’t be good for their image, and a poor omega that could barely take care of himself at that.

But Felix wanted to, and apparently, Changbin wanted to as well.

“Sorry if that was too forward,” Changbin suddenly apologized, his brows creased in concern at Felix’s prolonged silence, “I know you’ve been getting closer to Jinnie and Sungie and I guess I just wanted to get to know you too?”

Jinnie and Sungie?

He’s talking about Hyunjin and Jisung?

“But um, yeah,” The beta continued with a light blush dusting his cheeks, “If you don’t want to you can say no. It’s okay, and I won’t mind at all.”

He couldn’t keep letting the conversation go down this trail, so Felix pulled out his notebook he had stored in his basket and wrote out his response. 

Sorry, I was just surprised. I’d love to join you, but don’t you have to take your groceries home?

“Oh!” Changbin beamed as he read Felix’s answer, turning his blinding smile to Felix again. The omega couldn’t help but melt at his excitement, how had he ever been so conflicted over such amazing people? These wolves were so kind, so genuine, and Felix could sense it in Changbin’s rainwater scent, he could see it in his insistence to not step over Felix’s boundaries, he could feel it in his facial expressions. There was nothing to worry about.

“We actually have a cooler in the car!” Changbin explained, “I can just put the cold stuff in there and it’ll stay good until I bring it home.”

A cooler in the car? Fancy.

“Anyways, I just need to check out and then I’ll be good to go. Do you need anything else?”

Felix spared a glance at the coffee, still mocking him from their place on the shelves, and back down to the simple rice and noodles. Spending lunch with Changbin already rid him of his sadness over his loss of his favorite coffee. His previous thoughts were lost to him, and all he felt now was the humming delight at having Changbin near him, of having the beta’s eyes on him.

He knew this was his omega glowing at the attention, demanding control of his hormones as he immersed himself in the overflow of comfort he found in Changbin’s calming scent. His rational human brain was pushed to the side as his omega took charge, and he was helpless as he was blind to his usual worries. None of his earlier realizations made it out of his subconscious, and none of his insecurities had a foothold on his emotions.

Nothing mattered right now except for the smile on Changbin’s face.

Felix was still a little nervous to go out with Changbin, mainly because his nerves were bubbling under his skin. He hadn’t gone out in so long, and the reminder that Felix wouldn’t be paying for this meal began to weigh down on him as they left the grocery store. He was grateful, of course he was, but he was also embarrassed that even if he wanted to he couldn’t offer to pay for himself. Even his omega, who hadn’t been anything but enthusiastic during the entire ordeal, was a little weary of their midday outing.

That is until Changbin brought him to a familiar little burger shop, one Felix actually enjoyed and had visited many times before he hit his current situation.

All of his worries vanished as the building entered his view, and his omega instantly calmed. This was a place Felix had history with, a place Felix felt he had a little bit of control in. He wouldn’t be staring at confusing menus, trying to find the cheapest thing among the crowded options. He was going to look at a board he’d seen so many times before, this was his element.

“Do you like burgers?” Changbin asked as they walked towards the front door.

Felix nodded, of course he liked burgers.

“Awesome!” Changbin cheered, his hand gripping the handle and pulling open the door. He signaled for Felix to enter ahead of him, which the omega gladly stepped forward into the building.

He just got a simple burger, but then Changbin insisted on getting them both fries and a drink on the side. Even when Felix tried to tell him it was okay, that he didn’t need the extras, Changbin had reassured him that he had to have fries with a burger or else it was a crime on food. Felix couldn’t bring himself to argue over some french fries and a soda, partially because he didn’t wanna hold up the line and partially because Changbin was too cute to argue with.

They took one of the corner booths, each settling in on one side with the food spread out on the table. Changbin took the initiative to set up their meals, going as far as unwrapping Felix’s burger wrapper for him and dumping his fries on the foil.

“Do you want any ketchup?” He asked as he tossed the empty box in their unused bag, “I can go get some if you want. Or ranch, I know people like to eat their fries with ranch sometimes. Or uh, barbeque sauce? Are you a barbeque sauce guy?”

Felix grinned at the other’s rambling before shaking his head, though he appreciated the thought behind it. The beta sat back against the cushioned seat with a light sigh. He gave a pointed look at Felix’s burger, then gestured towards the food, “Try it, tell me what you think.”

He thought about telling Changbin that he had already had these burgers before, and he was already a big fan of their food, but he decided to keep that to himself. He could humor the beta for now, so he picked up the burger and took a small bite.

It tasted just as good as he remembered.

Felix shot up a thumbs up, matching Changbin’s thrilled expression with a closed-mouth smile. The beta quickly dug into his own meal, joining Felix in his silence as they each devoured their food. It’s been so long since Felix had something like this, and he was enjoying every second of it, but it wasn’t just because of the food.

Changbin’s presence on its own was wonderful, and the omega loved sharing his space with him. Just like Jisung, Hyunjin, and even Chan, Changbin had grabbed onto his heart instantly. His sweet voice, his delicate rainwater scent, and his cute giggle were all digging into his mind and implanting them in his memories. Changbin was different from Hyunjin and Jisung. Hyunjin and Jisung were hilarious in their own right, and Felix fit in with them so well. They both brought out his playful side, the side that wanted to joke around with them and maybe take part in their banter.

But Changbin made him want to relax, to release his worries and let the beta take the reins with him. He brought Felix to a state of mind that was soft and moldable, and he was so flexible in his emotions. He didn’t feel the need to submit, and he didn’t feel the need to please him as much as he did with the alphas, but he made Felix feel special in another way.

“So how was your week?” Changbin asked as he popped a french fry in his mouth. Both had finished eating their burgers, leaving only the rest of their fries, so Felix took his notebook from the grocery bags he stored it in and placed it on the table.

It’s been great. How was yours?

It may have been a slight lie, but his week at work hasn’t been that bad. It’s just out of work when his mind wanders that it’s not so great.

And he hadn’t run into Jinho again, which was a plus.

“Pretty good, I got a track done. Finally,” Changbin groaned, but it was mixed with a sigh of relief, “I’ve been skipping my breaks just to get it done.”

Are you a producer as well?

“Yeah, Sungie and I tend to work together,” Changbin chuckled to himself, “He’s kind of wacky and a pain to work with, but I love him so I deal with it. And when Chan joins us, we’re unstoppable.”

Felix wasn’t as surprised to hear Chan also was familiar with producing, it seemed like a lot of his pack had musical talent. And Chan being the literal CEO of the whole damn company meant he had to know how to do something.

But it still piqued his interest, because after hearing Jisung’s personal track he was now beyond curious to hear what Changbin and Chan could do.

I heard one of Jisung’s tracks. He rapped.

“Yeah, he’s a good rapper,” Changbin nodded along to Felix’s words, “Me, him, and Chan used to be a rap group back in high school. Sungie can sing too, you should ask him to show you one day.”

Jisung singing was definitely going to be something he would actively seek out. Was he a rough singer? One that kept his tone deep and mellow? Or was he powerful and strong with belting high notes? Did he favor pop music? Rock?

How talented were these people?

You and Chan rap too?

“We do,” he grinned, and Felix instantly began to wonder how Changbin and Chan’s voices would sound next to Jisungs. How their tones would mix and meld, forming the song into one of pure mastery. Because somehow, Felix knew their work was nothing short of perfect.

“Do you wanna hear?”

I’d love to.

It was the second time he was granted permission to deposit a set of headphones into his ears.

He sat still in the booth as Changbin searched his phone for the song. He waited in silence until the headphones crackled to life with a simple, calm beat. Felix felt his head bob along to the light tempo absentmindedly. He liked songs like this, that didn’t have too much going on yet still seemed to utilize its assets so well. There didn’t need to be too many instruments, too many background sounds, because the simple beat demanded enough attention as it was.

It was powerful in a completely passive way, almost challenging the listener to try to suppress them.

And then a voice entered the mix.

He could instantly recognize Chan, rapping melodically to the music with so much control. Yet it still sounded lazy, like he found the mere task of rapping to be below him. The alpha found the entire act a nuisance, but he also found pride in his ability to harmonize effortlessly with his careless tone.

It was obviously a character, because Felix could never imagine Chan acting like this in the real world, but the omega still found it incredibly attractive.

Then Jisung came, sounds just the same as Chan with a gruffer voice. His words slurred together intelligently, still managing to clearly speak his mind without sacrificing the quality of his vocals. He grew louder, faster, ending his verse with a sudden cutoff before leading into Chan once more. 

Felix bounced with the music as it grew a bit more intense, repeating the careless words of Chan from the very beginning. Changbin watched him from across the table with a pleased expression as he toyed with his straw in his mouth, while Felix fell more and more in love with the music.

And then Changbin’s voice arrived, and Felix physically pulled himself back. The headphones nearly fell out of his ears, but Changbin caught his movement just in time to slide his phone closer to Felix. The omega looked up, his eyes meeting Changbin’s knowing smirk as Felix’s face lit up against his will.

Changbin sounded… nothing like Changbin.

Normally, the beta’s voice was smooth, sweet, and everything else he would use to describe a beta. Felix was expecting a muted version of Chan to come from Changbin, something melodic and soft, not the rough spitting voice he was hearing now. Changbin sounded more alpha than the actual alphas’, and Felix wasn’t even going to sugar coat it:

It was hot .

And Changbin seemed to know what Felix thought with the way the beta was staring at him. Felix wasn’t exactly subtle with his surprise, after all, he had been visibly affected by the discovery. But Changbin wasn’t mocking him. In fact, he seemed flattered, maybe even a little accomplished.

In an attempt to save face, and hide his embarrassment as much as possible, Felix averted his eyes out the window to ride out the rest of the song. He thoroughly enjoyed it, everything about it.

Maybe even a little too much, he thought to himself for a fleeting moment before it was buried deep within his mind once more.

He wouldn’t mind listening to it on his own.

As the song was closing to an end, Felix was staring outside at the passing people. He wasn’t paying much mind to who was walking past the burger joint, which might be why it took him so long to notice the furious face locking their eyes on him from across the street. Just as the last notes played, Felix’s gaze met that of an irritated Jinho. His breath hitched, eyes widening in fear as Jinho finally grabbed his attention. The alpha raised his chin, jutting out his neck as he stared down the omega to assert his dominance, the power he held over the other.

Felix remained stoically still, unable to move his arms and pull the headphones from his ears. He couldn’t remove his gaze, couldn’t blink away his glossy tears that began forming on his eyelids, because that look never meant good news. Felix was all too privy to the inner workings of Jinho’s mind, of the way his instincts worked, of how his jealousy ran rampant without a care for who it was pointed at. And each time he looked like that, Felix had a hard time getting out of bed the next day.

He couldn’t smell Jinho, it was impossible while Felix was still inside and Jinho was stuck across the street, but his nose was filled with the memory of sea salt.

How long has he been standing there?

“Felix?” A muffled voice called, gently yanking on the headphones still sitting in his ears, “Are you okay?”

Felix flinched in response, causing Changbin to startle back into his seat with apologies already spilling from his lips. The beta dropped the headphones on the empty wrappers still littered over the table. He had his hands up in the air, showing Felix that he had no intention to hurt him, but his instincts couldn’t relax. He shot another gaze out the window, finding Jinho glaring back at him with even more fervor than before, then broke their eye contact with a thick lump in his throat.

“What’s wrong?” Changbin leaned over the table with his palms flat against the table, but he made himself seem as unthreatening as possible, “Did I do something?”

Felix instantly shook his head, that last thing he wanted was for Changbin to take the blame for Felix’s sudden panic. Judging by his flat lips and pinch brows, Changbin didn’t believe him, and he wasn’t sure what he could say to convince him otherwise.

“I’m sorry if I’m overstepping,” The beta began quietly with a quick glance at the surrounding patrons who were peaking their own curious eyes at the scene in the corner of the restaurant, “But you smell extremely distressed right now. Do you want to step outside for a minute? Get some fresh air away from all the pheromones in here?”

No, he wanted to say. That’s the last thing he wanted to do. Outside, Jinho was waiting for him. Outside, Jinho was angry. He was angry at Felix, probably has been angry at him for the past two years they’ve been separated. He’d always been possessive, keeping Felix on a tight leash for the entirety of their relationship until the omega had finally snapped, and seeing his past lover alone in a burger shop couldn’t be doing great things for his self-esteem.

But Felix was also angry. He was furious with Jinho, with the pain and heartbreak he was put through. Jinho could be jealous over a bond neither of them had with each other, he could despise Felix with his entire being, but it would never measure up to how much hatred Felix had for him.

He had the strength to stand up to him once, after enough shots of vodka and a hefty vocabulary of cuss words that he wasn’t proud of. It ended in broken vases littering the entrance of their shared apartment. It ended with sobbing screams of betrayal and pain as Felix mourned all that he lost to Jinho. It ended with a barefoot walk down the street as he tried to figure out what he was going to do with his life now that the only thing he ever knew was gone.

It was a miracle he did it once, but it was only because he was already at his wit's end. He couldn’t take it anymore. The way Jinho spoke to him, the bruises he left on his wrists, the discouraging insults and humiliating bedroom talk that somehow turned Jinho on while it beat down on Felix’s confidence. It was beating him down until he was halfway in the ground, and he was lucky he was able to climb himself out.

Would he have the courage to do it again?

Would he be able to stand up to Jinho? Without a voice to scream with? Without the fury he felt that one night propelling him forward? Or would he crack under the pressure of an alpha’s gaze? Would he submit to the dominating pheromones that forced him into the pretty omega Jinho wanted him to be?

He wasn’t sure.

“Felix?” Changbin inched further over the table, “I’m here for you. What can I do to help?”

Felix shook his head, blinking himself back to the present, which was something he felt he did far more often than usual lately. He swept another look towards the window where Jinho once was, glaring at Felix from across the street, only to find it taken up by a couple of girls chatting together as they drank boba tea. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned his attention back towards Changbin’s fidgeting figure.

I’m okay, Felix mouthed out his words, because he wasn’t sure if he could trust his shaky hands to write anything legible.

And unsurprisingly, Changbin looked like he didn’t believe him, “Are you sure? You seemed really freaked out.”

Felix nodded, attempting to push a smile on his face for reassurance but it looked about as wobbly as his confidence was. Changbin reciprocated with his own worried smile.

He felt bad lying to Changbin, but it was far too complicated to explain to a beta he’d only met twice. How was he supposed to explain two years of torment and another two years of poor mental health on a few sheets of lined paper?

You want him to know.

He didn’t. He didn’t want anyone knowing about his past, about how weak he was, about how weak he still is.

He didn’t need more people worried about him. He didn’t need people knowing everything about him only to use it against him later, didn’t need to feel the pain when they eventually hurt him with everything he trusted them with.

You’re comparing them to Jinho, that’s not fair to them.

Felix wanted to groan, and he’s sure his omega knew that, because he felt irritation bubble in his chest in retaliation.

His rational brain had finally risen to the forefront for the moment, and all of the logical sides of himself were fighting with the sugar-coated thoughts that were in control every time Chan’s pack was around.

You’re living your life in fear. Why don’t you realize that?

No, he was living his life in safety. He was protecting himself from a repeat of Jinho. He was cautious of who he trusted, and he made sure not to let people too close because that’s exactly how he fell into Jinho’s clutches the first time.

Not again.

“Maybe we should head out,” Changbin suggested as he nervously tapped his fingers on the table, “I can take you home if you’d like.”

Felix gave a shaky nod, taking hold of his grocery bag as Changbin dumped their trash in a bin. The omega waited patiently for Changbin before walking out the door together. The omega kept his head down, scanning the brown tile as his feet moved through the building until he stepped on cool pavement. The biting cold wind pinched at his skin, and he instinctively shivered against the weather.

Then there was pressure over his shoulders, something black draping over his figure. Felix raised his head just as Changbin pulled back, no longer wearing his thick winter coat over his long-sleeved shirt. He coughed awkwardly as avoided looking straight at Felix, acting as if nothing had happened, and the omega felt a warmth blossoming from his chest.

“Your hands look cold,” Changbin commented quietly, and Felix pulled his hands in front of him to see the red fingers burning against the cold.

He hadn’t dressed well for the weather, not by choice but because he didn’t have the proper clothing, and that meant no gloves.

“Can I hold your hand?”

Felix’s head shot up, tearing his gaze from his fingers to the shy eyes staring at him. Changbin stood in front of him, just a few feet from the window looking into the restaurant they left, with his hands outstretched towards Felix. He looked so hopeful, maybe a little scared Felix would reject him, but fully prepared to accept it if that happened.

This man would never hurt you.

Changbin smelled like steady rainfall, lulling Felix into a calm headspace once again. Changbin didn’t wear scent blockers, most betas didn’t with their neutral scents, but Changbin’s felt too intimate to be free for anyone to smell. He was late nights under the moonlight, dew droplets resting on his eyelashes, mist layering his shoes as he danced through blades of grass. Changbin was late mornings, curdled up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate as strings of water lined down the window panes. Felix wished he could keep it all to himself, encased in a tiny bottle for only him to enjoy.

He’s everything you wished Jinho could have been.

Felix accepted, reaching out to meet Changbin’s awaiting hands. The beta hummed happily as he wrapped his warm fingers around Felix’s ice-cold ones. He gently rubbed against the red skin, bringing Felix’s hands up to his mouth and breathing hot air into their cupped hands. His fingers tingled all the way down his arm, and he gave another involuntary shiver. Except this time it wasn’t due to the cold.

They all are. They’re all nothing like him.

Changbin dropped Felix’s hands between them but kept his hold secure. He smiled at the omega, looking a little less worried at Felix’s blinking wide eyes and parted lips. The omega could feel the warmth burning across his cheeks, and there was no doubt Changbin noticed it as well.

Chan was at home rather early, a rare occurrence when he was always so swamped with work. His workload never dwindled, only maintained a constant pile of responsibilities that Chan slowly picked through each day. Which was why even as he sat on his L-shaped couch in the living room with Jeongin curled up next to him, he was still picking through a folder of important documents that probably should have never left his office at the company building to begin with.

Work still needed to be done, and being a business owner meant he was constantly working.

“Chan, how are you not dead yet?” Jeongin grumbled from his slumped position on the couch.

“What do you mean, Innie?” Chan mumbled back without taking his eyes off the line of typed words he was scanning.

“You’re always working. Don’t you ever get tired?”

Chan hummed back, though if he was honest he had barely registered his packmates words in his head. He was too focused on this concept pitch, about a new girl group that was supposed to revolve around astronauts, and half of their requirements were going to cost Chan a pretty penny to complete. The idea was excellent, and the execution so far had been great, but some of the logistics needed to be figured out. He needed to figure out how he would fund the new group without hurting any of their current projects or signed groups-

“Chan are you even listening to me?”

“Huh?” Chan shook his head and quickly looked up from the papers.

To his left, Jeongin was lightly kicking him with his sock-covered foot in exasperation until the alpha finally removed his attention from the folder and placed it on the needy beta laying across the couch.

“Sorry Innie,” Chan smiled, turning his body to face the very much annoyed beta, “I got lost in work again.”

“You’re always lost in work lately,” the younger sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest, “When’s the last time you took a day off that didn’t involve you taking work home?”

Just as Chan was about to say he takes breaks without bringing home work all the time, Minho entered the living room with a steaming cup of tea and challenging smirk, “It’s been at least two months, Channie.”

“It’s the life of an entrepreneur!”

Minho didn’t humor him with a response. Instead, he stopped directly in front of Chan, their knees only a few centimeters away from each other, and looked down at the alpha with a cocked eyebrow, “Trade me.”

Chan blinked up at the omega who was acting very much not like an omega at the moment. He stared down at Chan, a dominating action all on its own, and if Chan was any other alpha his instincts would have flared in injured pride at Minho’s attempt to dominate him. He was wearing a smile that almost dared Chan to defy him, to deny him of what he wanted or try to fight against his will.

Minho did this occasionally, took charge in place of Chan or even towards Chan himself. It’s definitely not something any other pack would encourage or even accept as the norm, but Chan loved Minho’s feisty nature. He loved when Minho fought against the societal mold, loved when he acted out of what was expected, loved when he showed the world that omegas weren’t much different from the rest of them.

But, that didn’t mean Chan liked listening to Minho all the time, especially when it came to something he was stubborn about. So it took the alpha a few seconds to relinquish his hold on the file folder. Not until Minho made grabby hands with a quick “Gimme” did Chan finally give up his work for the hot tea Minho tried to give him.

Satisfied with his success, Minho grinned ear to ear as he held the folder up to his chest.

“That’s not fair,” Jeongin pouted at the two, having witnessed the whole ordeal with poorly hidden jealousy, “I want tea too.”

“Go get it yourself,” Minho turned on his heels, heading straight back to the hallway to deposit Chan’s work in his home office.

Jeongin on the other hand, groaned out loud as he dramatically threw his head back against the pillow he was laying back on, “Why is he so mean?”

“I’ll show you mean, Yang Jeongin! ” Minho shouted from down the hallway, and Chan couldn't hold back his chuckles as Jeongin flipped onto his stomach and stuffed his face in the pillow.

“I don’t know why I love any of you,” Jeongin complained into the cushion.

“Because we’re adorable,” Hyunjin said as he entered the living room, still dragging around the crutches Chan had explicitly said the alpha was required to keep with him at all times unless he was looking for a punishment.

And Chan wasn’t kidding about that, Hyunjin was very much aware.

“ None of you are adorable. I’m the only adorable one,” Jeongin’s muffled voice said.

Hyunjin tossed a quick look at Chan who just sipped his tea with raised eyebrows, then the pack alpha watched as the dancer hobbled across the living room until he was in front of Jeongin. The beta couldn’t prepare for the sudden weight of Hyunjin as the alpha dropped on top of the younger's back, resulting in a loud grunt as the breath was knocked out of him.

“Hyunjin, get off,” Jeongin turned his head as he struggled against Hyunjin’s body that was relaxing into the Jeongin sized pillow he sat on, “Chan, tell him to get off.”

“Hm?” Chan took another sip of his tea, his gaze zeroed in on the television that was playing the daily news stories, “I must be hearing things. I could have sworn the couch just spoke.”

“I’m not part of the couch!”

“Yeah,” Hyunjin agreed with Chan with the facade of discomfort as he patted the brown curls on top of Jeongin’s head, “It's a little lumpy too. We should probably look into something nicer.”

“Did I hear someone say new couch?!” Jisung came bounding into the living room, barely sparing anyone a glance as he jumped onto the couch and nearly missed landing on Jeongin’s head by a hair.

“Jisung be careful!” Chan warned, but by the time the words passed his lips, Jisung was already on top of the sofa. Chan sighed to himself as the younger alpha rubbed his cheek against the cushion while Jeongin was panting with relief that he hadn’t gotten body-slammed by one of his partners.

“Don’t get rid of it!” Jisung wrapped his arms around the piece of furniture as much as could with his small arms, “I love this couch!”

“Sungie,” Chan huffed fondly at his packmate, “We’re not getting a new couch.”

“But why is he so attached to it in the first place?” Seungmin strolled into the crowded living room, elegantly flopping into the corner right by Jisung’s feet. The alpha eyed Jisung, who was lying long ways similarly to Jeongin, then lightly slapped his leg, “You should move before you end up like Innie.”

“Is no one gonna help me?” Jeongin whined while Jisung gasped at just finally noticing Jeongin’s predicament.

“No one help him,” Minho returned, his hands full with another cup of hot tea that he placed on the black coffee table before joining Hyunjin in sitting on top of the youngest pack member.

“Minho!” Jeongin wheezed at the added weight but both Hyunjin and Minho just giggled at his misfortune.

“You have to stay still for at least three minutes,” Jeongin immediately tried to object to Minho’s declaration, but shut up as soon as Minho began threatening to make his suffering last even longer.

Chan sat back against the back of their living room couch, his legs pulled up to cross in front of them as he nursed the nice warm cup of tea Minho had made him. He watched with a smile as each of his pack members conversed. As much as they were all a chaotic bunch of wolves, Chan saw their true selves regardless of what they portrayed.

Seungmin was pulling Jisung closer to him, wrapping his arms around the hyperactive alpha and locking his fingers in front of them both. Jisung brought his own fingers up to Seungmins, playing with the digits as he began comparing his own hand size to the other alpha with clear curiosity.

Jeongin, though he was trapped under the crushing weight of Hyunjin and Minho combined, was still enjoying the light scratches of Hyunjin’s nails against his scalp and the gentle rubbing of Minho’s knuckles against his muscles. Hyunjin was cooing at Jeongins content face, asking him if he could still breathe, while Minho watched the cooling tea on the coffee table. The tea Chan already knew was meant for Jeongin but the omega didn’t want him drinking it until it was cooled down.

He grinned into his mug, gulping down another mouthful of delicious black tea.

As they were all seated in the living room, the sound of the front door lock clicked against the door frame altered everyone. All of their heads were angled to face the hallways they knew led to the entrance, listening for the sound of the swinging door and the tap of shoes on the wooden floor.

But it wasn’t even the sounds that Chan registered first, it was the smell of a storm that told Chan something wasn’t right.

Everyone seemed to realize the same thing as Chan, each of their eyes turning to the pack alpha as they waited to be told what to do. He wasted no time in standing from the couch, leaving his mug on the coffee table and signaling for all of them to stay there.

Chan quickly retreated from the living room, heading down the dark hallways just in time to see Changbin beginning to tear off his shoes. His hands were empty of any grocery bags and he wasn’t wearing his coat, something that worried Chan when he saw how soaked the beta was. It might have started raining outside.

“Binnie,” Chan called out softly, “Where’s your coat? I thought you were wearing one?”

“I was,” Changbin grunted as he finally pulled off his last shoe and placed them both in their rather large shoe closet, “And now I’m not. As far as I’m concerned, I’m in the market for a new coat.”

“Okay…” Chan trailed off, watching as Changbin stomped past him. He didn’t even stop at the living room, seemingly not noticing the huddle their packmates had made on the couch. Instead, he made a bee-line down the hallway towards their shared bedrooms with the entire pack’s concerned eyes following him. No one said a word, remaining silent until they heard the click of a door closing.

“I’m gonna check on him,” Chan announced to the rest of their pack, “Do me a favor and stay in here?”

He didn’t wait for a response, but he knew none of them would go against his word. When the situation got serious, when Chan took his role as pack alpha with the utmost responsibility, no one defied him. Minho would keep everyone in line, and Hyunjin would take his role as acting alpha seriously with the absence of Chan.

He followed the trail that Changbin made down the hallway, passing by their various spare bedrooms and Chan’s home office until he made it to Changbin’s personal studio. He knew Changbin was in there, even with the scent and soundproofing they had down to the entire penthouse before they moved in. It was the beta’s safe place, where he went to decompress and release his pent-up emotions without any fear of the other pack members smelling it on him.

It wasn’t uncommon for any of them to disappear, and any other day Chan might have let Changbin relax on his own until he was ready to be around people. But as the beta entered the apartment smelling like failure and fear, Chan felt his own heart crack. Something told him not to let this go, not to remain ignorant to his packmates suffering just for the sake of privacy. He needed to be there for him, even if Changbin didn’t want him there.

He tried to school his features, keeping his scent as neutral as possible, then approached the door and slowly turned the handle.

It was unlocked, much to Chan’s relief, and as the door swung open he was hit with the potent hurricane radiating off of Changbin. He quickly stepped in and shut the door behind him before any of his scent could float into the rest of the apartment. It was obvious the beta was trying to keep his emotions contained until he was hidden by the protective walls in hopes it would protect the more susceptible members of their pack from reacting to his pheromones. 

And Chan had to say he agreed with that decision, because Changbin’s scent was so overwhelming that it even disoriented Chan for a moment.

The pack alpha stepped closer into the room, finding Changbin waist-deep in the closet as he pulled clothes off his hangers and flung them behind him. He was making a pile of T-shirts and sweatpants in the center of the room, and he could spot some socks and even a pair of his shoes among the growing mountain of clothing.

It reminded Chan of when an omega was nesting, when Minho would tear through all of their closets to find whatever articles of clothing his omega deemed worthy enough to build his nest with. He briefly considered this was Changbin’s way of trying to calm his wolf, to help himself feel secure in a hand-made nest that he could curl up in. It was uncharacteristic behavior for a beta, but if it helped his packmate then Chan would give him all of the clothes he needed.

Changbin noticed he was there, Chan could tell by the spike of irritation in his scent. But he didn’t blame the beta for being frustrated with his pack alpha. They had personal spaces for a reason, it was their safe space and Chan had encroached on his without asking. But Chan was going to have to settle for apologizing later, after Changbin had calmed down and was no longer soaked with rainwater.

“Hey,” Chan stood just inside the room, his shoulder blades nearly touching the door behind him, “What are you doing, Binnie?”

“Getting clothes,” He bit out as he threw a pair of gloves into the pile.

“Okay,” Chan nodded along, giving the illusion that he understood even if he didn’t. The last thing he wanted to do was make Changbin feel stupid or to question why he was acting the way he was acting. That was a recipe for disaster. Chan needed to be understanding. He needed to listen and try to see what Changbin was seeing, no matter how strange it seemed, “What are you doing with your clothes?”

“I’m giving them to Felix.”

“Felix?” Chan shouldn’t be surprised at this point. The omega had become so entangled in his packs’ life that it seemed he was almost always present in Chan’s mind. Within two weeks, Chan had run into Felix at least three times, all of those times revolving around a pack issue that Felix somehow happened to be involved in. But Chan hadn’t minded much, in fact he enjoyed seeing the omega. He just wished it was under better circumstances.

“Yeah, Lee Felix,” Changbin spoke in a bitter tone, and for a moment Chan was worried it was pointed at Felix, until Changbin continued, “It’s so cold outside and he doesn’t even own winter clothes. He’s gonna freeze to death if he doesn’t wear more layers.”

“So, you’re giving him yours?” Chan guessed, “Are you sure your clothes are going to fit him?”

“Why?” Changbin huffed, pulling out of the closet with a glare pointed at the alpha, “Because I’m short? Are you about to make a short joke? Fuck you, Chan.”

“No-” Chan cut himself off with a sigh stuck in his throat. That’s not what he was going to say, but Changbin was irritable, sensitive, and obviously worked up. He needed to go about this another way, “Why don’t we just buy him new clothes? Then he has a proper wardrobe that matches his size and fashion preference. And you don’t lose all of your clothes.”

Money wasn’t an issue, it was no secret he loved spoiling his pack mates and they loved to do it back to him. Changbin should know this. If he wanted to give Felix new clothes, then he should have no problem dropping a few thousand won on whatever clothes he wanted to gift the omega. Of course, Felix's health was important, and he should be dressed appropriately for the weather.

But Changbin was hesitant, his grip on one of his t-shirts tightened as he bit his lip, almost as if he would rather give away his own clothes than pick out brand new ones.

“Or maybe, there’s another reason you want to give him your clothes?”

The pieces were starting to fall into place, and Changbin’s scent was pointing him in the right direction. The frenzied emotions were twisting into embarrassment, confusion, and eventually, Changbin whined in distress as he struggled to come to terms with what he was feeling. He could sense the colliding thoughts, the uncertainty and the regret that was turning the hurricane into a slow depressing drizzle.

“Oh, Binnie,” Chan stepped closer to the beta and wasted no time in wrapping his arms around the smaller wolf. Changbin dropped his t-shirt, returning the hug and stuffing his cold nose and wet hair into Chan’s chest.

“I’m sorry,” Changbin mumbled into Chan’s shirt, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“It’s okay,” Chan squeezed the other, unbothered by the wet patches that were forming on his own clothes, “I understand.”

“Is it wrong?” the beta’s voice strained against his throat. He sounded like he was holding back tears, and Chan felt another piece of himself crack, “Is it wrong that I want to smell my scent on him?”

“No,” Chan answered immediately, “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“But I barely know him,” Chan hummed along, having heard and thought that before, “My wolf is obsessed with him and I hardly know him. I’m going feral because he smelled like me, and now I always want him to smell like me.”

There were still a lot of holes that Chan needed filled. There was a story that he didn’t know and he was going to need to hear it before he could help Changbin through this situation. But that would come later, after Changbin was dry and warm, wrapped up in fluffy blankets with warm bodies cuddled up around him.

“We’ll figure this out,” Chan’s voice was soft, reassuring, and Changbin’s breath stuttered against the tears that were finally starting to surface, “It’ll all be okay.”

Chapter Text

It took about thirty minutes for Changbin’s emotions to settle, and another thirty minutes for the beta’s potent scent to begin to dissipate in the air.

Chan had held him close, gently rocking their bodies together as Changbin finally let his tears drop with shuddered breaths. His fingers were beginning to loosen their hold on Chan’s shirt, and he could tell Changbin’s energy had dwindled significantly after he had dropped the load of emotion into his studio. He must have struggled to keep his wolf pent up on his way home, and when he was finally locked behind scent proof walls, he had exerted himself to forcefully push out as much of his frustration as he could.

The beta was exhausted, and Chan couldn’t blame him.

“You wanna sit down?” Chan whispered against Changbin’s forehead with a small kiss against his clammy skin.

Changbin gave a tiny nod which prompted Chan to slowly lower them both to the floor. Chan sat crisscrossed on the carpet and pulled Changbin into his lap. He wrapped his arms around his packmate’s trembling figure, quietly humming reassurances as small wisps of regret continued to filter into the room. It was no longer as strong as it had been when Chan first entered, but it was still too much for the alpha to be happy with.

He was worried sick, wondering why Changbin was feeling like this. There’s no way smelling his scent on Felix was the only factor, but at the moment he had no idea what had led up to this version of Changbin. The unknown was killing him, and his wolf wasn’t happy with the way things had progressed so poorly.

Chan had begun to let his own scent trickle out and mix with Changbin’s in hopes of further calming down the wolf that was still so lost to the effects of his wolf. Chan could feel the tension in his mate's body loosen against his chest, gradually relaxing into the alpha’s hold as the regret was layered under the love and adoration Chan pushed out. He ghosted his fingertips over the skin of Changbin’s arms as the beta nuzzled his face against Chan’s neck, no doubt getting an extra dose of the sweet scent.

He was sure this would push Changbin into a calming headspace of sorts, not quite as deep as subspace given his biology, but still pleasant either way. And Chan was completely fine with it at the moment. In fact, he preferred it. He hated knowing his packmates were hurting, were suffering at the hands of their wolve’s impulses, and knowing he had the power to change the course of one’s headspace with the use of his scent was something he had learned to utilize over time.

At one point, Chan had been scared of using his pheromones on his fellow pack members. 

Given his status as head alpha, he legally had every right to do about as much as wanted so long as he followed the law. He was welcome to use his pheromones or even his alpha voice if he felt the need to, but he had always been adamantly against either ever since the day he presented. He remembered even comparing it to biological manipulation, forcing a headspace on another wolf without their consent. He’d seen it happen so often, seen omegas and betas, hell even some alphas fall victim to the scent of an aggressive alpha. He used to look at it with such disgust, and he loathed that he also held that power in his scent.

He kept his scent as neutral as he could through the end of his high school career. He forced himself to remain as a constant calm and collected alpha throughout the day, and then indulged in squeezing all of his emotions into the community pool so he could muffle the impact of his pheromones for the sake of anyone nearby. And once he learned of scent blockers, he had invested in the higher-end brands. He wanted to be 100% positive that none of his scent would unknowingly affect another passing wolf, wouldn’t affect his family or his friends, or his classmates or coworkers.

It was incredibly unhealthy, he could recognize that now.

His fear of his own scent had become one of the biggest hurdles he needed to overcome when he started his pack.

When Chan, Minho, Changbin, and Jisung formed a pack together, it was a unanimous decision that Chan would be pack alpha. No one had questioned it, in fact it hadn’t even been a discussion. It was just a mutual agreement from the beginning. Chan had taken the role seriously in every aspect, going above and beyond for his pack and making sure they were all happy. He learned about the quirks he didn’t know about before. He discovered what made Jisung angry and what made him docile. He found out how sensitive Changbin could really be. He learned that Minho was just as headstrong as any alpha or beta, and Chan needed to be careful not to overstep.

He also learned that Minho knew him just as much as he had grown to know them.

“You’re afraid,” The omega had said one night in their bedroom at their old apartment. Back before the entire pack formed, when all four of them shared a one-bedroom flat that cost more money than any of them wanted to pay. Back when Chan was still too young and stupid, still learning about the business world and so close to making his move into the entertainment industry.

It was one of the only arguments they’d had, one that only lasted thirty minutes at the most and was over before Changbin and Jisung had returned home from the store.

“I’m not afraid,” Chan mumbled from beside Minho on their bed, but he knew his scent was betraying him. Minho could smell the doubt and the fear that he had accused Chan of having. But Chan was nothing if not stubborn in his younger years, and it took a bit for Minho to get through his thick skull.

“You are,” The omega huffed lightly, “You’re overthinking things. You always overthink things.”

“Would you rather I didn’t think things through?” Chan threw back a bit bitterly, instantly regretting his tone with an apologetic glance towards his packmate, “Sorry, I’m just worked up.”

“I know,” Minho sighed, “And that’s okay. You’re allowed to have feelings.”

“Not when those feelings hurt you.”

“Your feelings don’t hurt me, Chan,” Minho turned his head to face Chan, but the alpha kept his gaze glued to his lap, “You know what hurts me?”

“What?”

“What hurts me is when you keep blaming yourself for things you can’t control,” Minho reached up, slowly sliding his fingers over Chan’s shoulder up to his neck where his scent glands were. They were bulging up under his skin with the strain Chan was putting them through to keep his scent to himself, to hold back his emotions for the sake of Minho and the rest of the pack.

“These are here for a reason,” Minho gently massaged Chan’s neck, earning a low groan as the alpha unintentionally exposed more of his throat to give Minho more access. His pheromones came out against his attempt to contain them, letting his annoyance and fear fog up the room along with Minho’s sweet success.

“You’re a wolf, Channie,” Minho leaned closer to the alpha who was blinking away black spots from his vision as Minho kept up his delicate pressure against his scent glands, “Wolves have pheromones for a reason. Wolves have instincts for a reason. You’re not a bad person for following them. You’re allowed to do what your wolf is telling you because you’re a good person.”

Logically, he knew Minho had intended for it to be a lesson in acceptance. The omega had wanted Chan to realize he was being an idiot for trying to put a lid on his emotions because he didn’t want to accidentally manipulate them. He wanted Chan to realize there were things about himself that he couldn’t change, needs that needed to be taken care of by the rest of them, or else he was going to hurt himself. 

But all Chan had felt was the heat in his abdomen and the growl in his chest that demanded he takes control of the situation. His mind was flushed with the desire, the need to see Minho underneath him.

“I don’t-,” Chan grunted as Minho pressed a bit harder against Chan’s neck, “I don’t think my wolf is telling me to do good things right now.”

“That’s the point, Alpha,” Minho whispered dangerously close to Chan’s ear, “You have needs too. Don’t act like your wolf doesn’t exist. Embrace your alpha, because if you keep ignoring it you’re gonna snap.”

That night sparked a realization in Chan. It prompted long discussions about consent and boundaries with all of his pack. Minho had drilled it into him that biology was a large part of their romantic relationship.

“I have needs too, Channie,” Minho whined, “I act all cocky but I’m still an omega. I need to submit every now and then.”

“Scent is something you can’t avoid,” Changbin added on, “Bottling it up because you’re afraid to hurt us isn’t good for you. Where does your pent-up energy go?”

“And besides,” Jisung finished off, “I like your scent. When I’m upset, you smell amazing. You just have to trust us to tell you when we don’t like it.”

And that had been the hardest part of him. He had trust in his packmates, but he didn’t have trust in his wolf. How would Minho, an omega that was at the most risk of falling victim to pheromone abuse, communicate with him that he didn’t want this if he was so far under already?

Jisung and Changbin could try to fight it off if they really wanted to, but Minho?

“I trust you,” Minho promised him, that same night, “I know you know what’s right for me. That’s the only reason I’m wearing your tag on my collar right now. Don’t doubt your instincts, because I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t trust you.”

Eventually, after many months of unlearning bad habits and confiding in his packmates, he had grown to accept that his pheromones weren’t going away. He learned that he needed to be okay with them, that he was going to use them on his packmates and they wanted them to be used on them. He learned what was too much, what was too little, and what was just right. He started to fill the air with pine more often when Jisung was particularly feisty, and he reeled it in when Minho was in that kind of mood that practically dared any of them to defy him. 

He learned his partners, and now he had confidence that he knew exactly when and where he should use his pheromones.

This was one of those times, and Chan knew Changbin would be more than okay with Chan having intervened before he was able to toss all of his wardrobe into their car and drive it straight to Felix.

The two sat on the floor of Changbin’s home studio for a bit longer. Only the sounds of their heavy breathing broke through the mantra of reassuring words Chan continued to mutter into Changbin’s ear. After the haze of emotion began to fade, the soaking wet clothing Changbin was wearing started to affect the beta. His trembles were replaced with shivers and chattering teeth, and Chan figured it was only a matter of time before the wet clothes would give him a cold.

“Silly Binnie,” Chan huffed fondly as rubbed his palms more aggressively over Changbin’s arms, “It was sweet of you to give your coat to Felix, but now look at you? What if you get sick?”

“Worth it,” Changbin mumbled from under Chan’s chin, and the alpha chuckled in response.

“How are you feeling, baby?” Chan pulled Changbin far enough away from his chest that they could fully face each other.

“Tired, Channie.”

Chan watched as Changbin attempted to blink the exhaustion from his eyes. Even though it was still rather early in the day, Chan wasn’t surprised to hear that the whirlwind of emotions had left the beta without any energy. But it still made him a bit worried. He always worried after one of his partners fell so far into their mind at the hands of their wolves. It took so much brainpower to return to the human part of their consciousness, and he knew how draining it must be even to talk right now.

But sadly, Chan needed to know what had gone wrong before he could let Changbin sleep.

“I would be too,” Chan hummed as he continued to rub the goosebumps on his packmate's arms, “But we gotta clean you up before you fall asleep.”

“Don’t wanna,” Changbin whined in response, “Wanna sleep.”

“What if you sleep in the bath?” Chan offered to the sleepy beta, “You can take a little nap and I’ll take care of the rest.”

Changbin, and Chan for that matter, reeked of their own pheromones. There was no way Chan could let either of them within a ten-foot radius of the others until they were scrubbed clean. So there wasn’t really any chance of Changbin getting out of taking a bath without risking the loss of his cuddle privileges for the night.

So luckily, and reluctantly, Changbin agreed.

“Alright, let’s get you up,” Chan gently pushed Changbin into a sitting position, intending to lift the beta into his arms, but much to Chan’s surprise, Changbin began to stand himself up without any more assistance.

He was aware that Changbin was a fully capable man, one that didn’t necessarily need Chan to help him, but he felt inclined to go the extra mile with his pack. He liked to take care of them, it was in his instincts and it was harder to ignore when one of them was hurt. The impulse to toss Changbin into his arms and carry him straight to the bathroom was almost too much to control, but he held back for the sake of his partner.

As much as he wanted to take care of Changbin like that, Chan was mindful that the beta was trying to be independent right now, and he would respect that.

“You okay?” Chan asked at the beta finally got his footing and stood up straight.

Changbin definitely didn’t look put together, not that Chan would have expected him to. His clothes were dripping small puddles of water on the floor, his hair was tangled and disheveled, and his face was red and blotchy. He looked off-balance, like he was seconds away from tipping over but caught himself just in time to end up looking like a stumbling deer.

“Oh Bin,” Chan approached the beta to run his hand along his back, “Come on, you can lean on me if you want.”

And Changbin did, leaning nearly his entire weight on Chan’s shoulder as the alpha walked them both towards the door. He was careful as he opened it to prevent too much of the smell from entering the main house, then ushered them both into the spare bathroom closest to the studio. 

Normally, their master bathroom would have been Chan’s preferred choice. The bathtub was huge, with water jets that Hyunjin and Jeongin had gone nuts over when they first got it installed. They had gone the extra mile when stocking up on soothing bath bombs, per Minho’s request, Seungmin and Changbin had insisted on getting waterproof speakers, and Jisung begged for a tv screen that could be put into the shower walls.

It sure was a lot more fun to take a bath with all of those luxuries, but the hall bath would do the job just fine.

“Alright, I’m gonna put you down so I can start the water,” Changbin made a noise in response that Chan assumed was his way of saying “okay” without having to open his mouth.

“If you can, try to start undressing, yeah?” Chan said as he set him down on the closed toilet seat, “Whatever you don’t get to I can help you with.”

Chan turned away from Changbin, turned the faucet on to a decent temperature, and held his hand under the tap to test it. There was a bottle of bubble bath in the corner that Chan was debating on putting into the water. He knew Minho loved bubble baths when he was in subspace, and Hyunjin had been a frequent user of their bubble bath stock in the past, but Changbin usually never chose to put additives in his bathwater.

With a quick glance behind him revealing Changbin who was still slowly shrugging off his shirt, Chan turned back around and made a grab for the bottle. Bubbles were nice, no matter who used them, and he still had that nagging desire to pamper his partner in whatever way he could.

He poured a cap full of the mixture into the water and used his hands to mix it together until the stream from the tap began to make the bubbles on its own. He watched the bathwater rise, taking the time to distribute bubbles equally across the top of the water until it had filled up enough for him to shut off the tap. He didn’t bother with a towel, choosing to dry his hands on his clothes since he was going to be taking them off anyway, and turned to face Changbin once again.

“Well, at least you got the shirt off,” Chan smiled at Changbin who had dropped his head in his hands with only his shirt making it off his body.

“ ‘M tired,” Changbin’s voice came out muffled from inside his hands.

“Alright, I got you,” Chan said softly. He took it upon himself to discard the pants and undergarments from the beta who was far too exhausted to do it on his own. He then followed through with his own clothes and tossed all of them into the laundry basket in the corner.

“I’m gonna get you in the water now.”

Changbin hummed as he lifted his head and attempted to blink away the sleep that was weighing down his eyelids. He looked adorable, even with his wet hair and red, stuffy nose. He was looking up at Chan with so much trust and appreciation, and the alpha mirrored it all back to him. He loved his pack with his entire heart, his wolf was helplessly obsessed with them, and his heart still pounded years into their relationship.

He felt so lucky every second he spent with them. He still got electric tingles every time their skin touched. His dreams were still filled with their loving embrace and he woke up grateful when one of them was curled up in his arms.

He was disgustingly in love, and it was amazing.

Changbin was lifted into the air, and the beta wrapped his arms around Chan’s neck as the alpha moved them to the bathtub. Chan slowly lowered them into the water until they were seated on the bottom of the tub. He maneuvered them so Changbin was resting against Chan’s chest with his head tilted back against his shoulder.

The warm water instantly calmed Changbin’s shivers, and Chan had to grab him from slipping too far down into the water. Chan cupped some of the water and poured it onto the younger's shoulders, down his chest, and over his neck until more of his skin had warmed up.

“I’m gonna get started,” Chan warned him, receiving another hum in response.

It only took a few minutes into Chan massaging warm water into Changbin’s hair for the beta to fall asleep, and this time Chan let him remain asleep. He took his time untangling the black hair that had been attacked with harsh rainwater, and he was careful as he rubbed away the leftover scent from Changbin’s neck.

He decided to wait to wash the beta’s hair until he was awake enough to tilt his head back so Chan didn’t get any soap in his eyes. In the meantime, he enveloped the man in his arms and sat back in the tub. He was mindful that Changbin’s head stayed above the water as he held him close, listening to the soft breaths as he watched the rise and fall of his chest.

Whatever had happened with Felix, for it to have brought Changbin’s wolf into such a possessive headspace… it worried Chan.

It’s become apparent that Felix was more than just the new janitor. He had already captured so much of his pack’s attention, and he wasn’t too stupid to realize even his own wolf was more than interested in the omega. There have been too many coincidences, and there were still so many unanswered questions that needed to be solved.

He glanced back down on Changbin, who was so exhausted from the onslaught of emotions he had been fighting back until he was safe in his studio. He thought back to Jisung, who had completely forgotten about his pheromone condition in the face of the omega when he was usually so conscious about it. He remembered Hyunjin who constantly fought Chan tooth and nail when it came to injuries, yet he listened to Felix without a second thought.

None of it made sense, and it bothered him.

This was going to require a pack discussion, one that was going to end in a decision on what to do, because Chan wasn’t sure if he could allow them to keep being blindsided like this. Every few days, something new was happening with the sweet omega which Chan had no control over, and he’s had too many close calls to be comfortable. Changbin, the normally soft-spoken and calmest member of their pack was near feral when he returned home, and just last month Jisung was at risk of possible jail time.

They needed to figure this out before something worse happened. Because as much as he wanted to protect his pack, there was also Felix’s safety to worry about.

Jisung had still pulled Felix into subspace, and even if the omega insisted it was fine, it was still something Chan had been worried about. Felix was winding up in these weird encounters just as often as they were, and it was only a matter of time before something else went terribly wrong.

He exhaled a sigh, closing his eyes as he tried to relax into the warm water. There was a lot to talk about, but it was no use worrying about it right now. When Changbin woke up, and they rejoined the rest of their pack, Chan would have a pack meeting. They would figure this out, come to a conclusion, and make a game plan.

Another forty-five minutes of Changbin dozing off against Chan’s chest didn’t do as much to relieve the alpha of his worries as he had hoped it would. 

He was still mulling over the past few weeks, trying to find some sort of link between the events that had transpired with his pack and the brand new janitor. He nitpicked all of his thoughts, all of the small conversations he’d had with the omega, all of the stories his packmates had shared with him, and he came back empty-handed each time.

One by one his pack was encountering Lee Felix in the strangest of ways. It seemed inevitable that soon Minho, Seungmin, and Jeongin would wind up running into him too. It was like the universe was pulling them together against their will, and Chan felt powerless to stop it.

And part of him couldn’t deny that his alpha didn’t want to stop it.

As much as he was confused by the recent events, his wolf hadn’t been bothered by it. He hadn’t gotten even a slight surge of caution, or the usual jealousy his wolf would feel with other people outside his pack interacting with his mates. It was an annoying itch that Chan would purposely ignore, because his wolf was a dumbass sometimes, but now that he thought about it, he hadn’t felt it at all with Felix.

Not your omega, he had told himself back during one of his talks with Felix in his office, one where he had to physically wrangle his wolf into submission in order to remain calm and collected during such a serious discussion.

It was like his wolf already considered Felix his, which just made things so much more complicated.

When the bathwater had gone from a blanket of warmth to a room temperature soak, Chan figured it was time to wake up Changbin.

He was patient, choosing to gradually wake the exhausted beta with small kisses and light nail scratches to his scalp. It took a few minutes for Changbin to wake up enough for Chan to try to finish cleaning his hair, which Changbin helped with by tilting his head back while Chan carefully poured water on top of the soap suds.

They finished up quickly, and Chan left Changbin in the water to fetch two of their fluffiest towels from the bathroom shelf. He dried himself to avoid getting more water on the floor and returned to help Changbin pull himself out of the tub. Before he could start shivering again, Chan wrapped the towel around Changbins shoulders and rubbed the soft fabric over his arms.

After his nap, Changbin had lost the worrying scent of regret completely. He had returned to calm rainwater that eagerly allowed Chan to pull him for a kiss full of cold lips.

Changbin had a sense of independence that Chan always respected. He chose to drive himself to work, to do the pack grocery shopping, to watch over Jeongin as the only other beta in their pack, and he did it all with a sense of accomplishment. He enjoyed taking responsibility, and he appreciated it when Chan regarded him as not only another wolf but much as an alpha would to another alpha. 

But even alphas sometimes needed to let go, and being a beta, Changbin needed to let go just a little bit more than Chan did.

Betas didn’t have an instinct to submit or dominate either way, rather they felt inclined to be present in whatever way was necessary. They provided comfort to omegas in heat, and they stepped in when an alpha in rut went overboard, all while never needing anything themselves. They balanced a pack, and they did it well, but they certainly weren’t built the same way an alpha or an omega was.

Betas were simple in theory, but to Chan, they could be the most confusing subgender purely because his instincts came in handy when dealing with omegas more so than betas.

Changbin, and Jeongin for that matter, were strong-willed wolves who could handle themselves just fine. They didn’t need Chan to take care of them, and they didn’t bend over backwards for Minho the moment his scent smelled off. They were logical, rational in their decisions where the rest of them were driven by their instincts. So it was so much harder for Chan to know what to do with them because his wolf was accustomed to reacting to an omega. 

But he learned.

Chan learned that betas still needed to be cared for. Maybe it was a bit different than if they were omegas, and it definitely wasn’t as often or as intense as when Chan brought Minho down into subspace, but it was still as intimate and important. And Chan cherished the times when he got to smother his beta babies.

So when moments like this came, where Changbin enjoyed being coddled and pampered by his alphas, he would graciously give in to his wolf.

“Hey Binnie,” Chan pulled back from the kiss and rested his forehead against Changbin’s, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay,” He mumbled as he leaned more into Chan’s embrace, “You smell nice.”

“Do I?” Chan ran his fingers through Changbin’s hair that was now tangle-free and properly washed off the salty rainwater, “I think you’re the one who smells nice. I might have to snuggle you all day because I can’t get enough of it.”

“Not happening,” Changbin scoffed playfully, and Chan grinned in response.

Chan was happy to hear Changbin’s usual banter once more. It was a sign that he was back to his normal self, along with his scent having neutralized to a subtle sprinkle once again.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, Love,” And he really meant it.

“We need to figure this out, Chan” Chan let Changbin pull himself back to look Chan in the eyes, a worried gaze meeting his own.

“I know,” Chan agreed, “I’m calling an immediate pack meeting.”

“Right now?” Changbin asked, and at first, Chan had thought he was going to be asked for it to be postponed. After Changbin’s emotional rollercoaster, Chan would understand, but he was surprised to see a desperate expression grace his partner's face, looking at Chan like he was ready to demand it himself if Chan tried to tell him no.

“Uh, do you want to do it now?” Chan offered, and before he could even finish speaking little droplets of water sprinkled onto his face as Changbin enthusiastically nodded his head.

“Okay,” Chan chuckled as he set a hand atop Changbin’s head and ruffled the wet hair, “Are you sure? I can wait until you’ve gotten to relax a bit? You still look really tired.”

“No,” Chan quickly shut his mouth at Changbin’s serious tone, “I- we - need to talk about this. We can’t push this under the rug.”

“We won’t,” Chan reassured quickly, “Trust me, I don’t plan on letting this go.”

“Good,” Changbin gave a sigh of relief as he pulled the towel tighter around himself, “I’ll get changed and meet you out there then.”

“Alright,” Chan forced out as he watched Changbin turn towards the door. 

A part of him didn’t like the image of his packmate leaving him. He knew Changbin was feeling better, and he wasn't one to rely on Chan for everything, but his wolf had been practically glowing as he got to cater to Changbin’s every whim. He loved being needed, loved doting on his lovers, and making their worries disappear. But it was always hard for him to back down and ignore the protective instinct in him when his partners didn’t need to be babied anymore.

Now that Changbin didn’t need him anymore, he felt something akin to rejection light in the pits of his stomach.

He wasn’t one of the alphas who thrived off of obedience and constant submission, he was one who loved to indulge in his packs every desire. He was one that would do all the work for them just so they never have to dirty their feet, the one to pay for their meals and walk them to the door, the one to tuck them in and wake them up with breakfast in bed.

He was the first person running to Minho’s side when he was in subspace. He was the one who would cuddle someone to sleep if they were crying and gently wipe away their tears. He was the one to wrap someone up in a blanket burrito if they were sick and watch cartoons with them. He was naturally attuned to people's emotions, and he was programmed with the incessant need to fix it.

He needed to dominate, just like an omega needed to submit. It just so happened Chan’s version of “dominating” was less about asserting his dominance and more about making sure his partner was safe, healthy, and happy.

Giving space wasn’t easy for him, but he tried like hell to give the rest of them their private time. He respected their boundaries even if his alpha was struggling to keep itself contained. He never jumped into action without knowing what was okay, and he always kept their best interest in mind. But sometimes, especially when he had just smelled such potent distress pheromones from his packmate an hour ago, it was hard to revert back to normal.

He was still fighting with his wolf, still trying to hold back his own scent and stop himself from keeping Changbin at arm's length. Because Changbin didn’t need him to be overbearing now that he was okay, and Chan was trying to get his wolf to calm the fuck down.

Sometimes he needed time to readjust out of his protective mindset, just like an omega needed time to readjust into a normal headspace after going into subspace.

It seemed Changbin knew exactly what was going on in Chan’s head, because Changbin stopped just inches from the door, turning slightly to smile at Chan who was obviously failing to mask his true emotions, “On second thought, I might need some help. If you don’t mind?”

He couldn’t help the relief that washed over him.

Twenty minutes later found Changbin and Chan reunited with their pack in the living room. Changbin was seated close enough to the pack alpha that he was sure Chan could feel the heat of his leg against his own. Jeongin was on his other side making himself comfortable latched onto Chan’s bicep. He must have noticed the elder’s scent tinted with insecurity, and he had been the first to take the initiative to cling to the alpha. Chan relaxed with the beta wrapped around his arm, his scent calmed into something more pleasant, and he scratched at Jeongin’s hairline to show his appreciation.

Changbin didn’t even try to hide his smile.

Jeongin wasn’t usually a very touchy person, but much like the rest of them, he would do anything for his packmates when they were feeling off. It filled Changbin with pride knowing how thoughtful their partners could be. He was grateful they all knew how to read each other so well, and he tried to convey that in the subtle glance to the youngest.

With Changbin, Chan, and Jeongin taking up one section of the couch, the rest were all piled in close together on the other attachment. Limbs were tangled up in each other as they struggled to fit four people in a space meant for two, but none of them seemed bothered by it. Minho was squeezed against Seungmin, his legs crossed with Seungmin’s arm hanging over his shoulder. Jisung and Hyunjin were practically fused against each other, which was a comical sight given that both of them liked to pretend to hate physical affection, especially with each other.

Each of them were patiently waiting for either Chan or Changbin to begin. Their scents mixed together, forming a cloud of love, concern, and curiosity. He knew they were filled with questions, and rightfully so, but they remained silent as Changbin settled into the couch. They gave him soft smiles, Hyunjin sent him small air kisses, and Minho pushed a steaming cup of tea across the coffee table.

“I figured you’d appreciate something warm,” The omega explained with a shrug, as if his gesture wasn’t a big deal. 

Changbin held back a giggle while choosing to let Minho pretend his kindness didn’t make his heart jump. He accepted the tea happily, letting the warm liquid chase away the lingering shivers that hadn’t quite disappeared. He downed at least half of it in one go because Minho always made the best tea.

“Thank you. It’s delicious, as always,” Changbin said as he placed the now empty cup back on the coffee table. 

Minho returned the compliment with a pleased grin while Changbin leaned back on the couch. He pressed further into Chan’s side and gladly absorbed the warmth the other was radiating with a content sigh. His brain still felt a bit fuzzy, and his mind was having a hard time focusing. He knew it was just the result of his headspace shifting so suddenly, he needed time to recalibrate and return to normalcy, but it still annoyed him a bit that he kept having to catch himself from letting his thoughts stray away from the present.

“So,” Chan’s voice snapped Changbin back to the conversation at hand, “We need to have a pack meeting.”

Everyone nodded in understanding, having already assumed that would be the next course of action after the day's events.

It was custom for the pack alpha to lead pack meetings. Any issues or concerns among the pack members were among the pack alpha’s responsibility, and so as Chan began his entrance statement to the discussion, no one uttered a word. Until Chan had signified the beginnings of the full pack discussion, everyone respected his authority to control the space as he pleased.

“We need to talk about Felix,” Chan announced, calm and unwavering even as the scent in the room peaked with interest, “It’s obvious he’s become a rather big, and unexpected, part of our life lately. I think a few people have some stories to share, and I feel it’s best to share together.”

“Bin?” Chan pulled him into a side hug as he murmured low enough so only Changbin could hear, “Do you want to go first? Or would you rather wait?”

A part of Changbin wanted to just get it over with. He wanted to explain what happened today, confess to the strange feelings he felt, and figure out what had happened since he couldn’t seem to do it himself. He wanted his pack’s reassurance, wanted their opinions and perspective on what he had experienced so he didn’t have to rely on the confusion that fogged up his head.

But he also still couldn’t process anything, or get his mouth to cooperate with his brain very well. He felt exhausted, and he hardly wanted to speak let alone think right now. He needed to give himself some time, so he shook his head in response to Chan. The alpha accepted his response without any more questions, instead taking back the reins himself to push the conversation forward.

“I’ll go first.”

Changbin felt Chan sit up straighter, evenly holding on to Changbin and Jeongin with each of his arms. He snuggled a bit closer to Chan anyways, and the alpha responded by tightening his hold for just a second. Chan’s fingers danced over his arms absentmindedly before diving into his own story.

“As you all know, Felix and I had a discussion last month regarding the situation with Jisung,” Chan began. Changbin spared a glance to Jisung, who upon hearing the beginning of Chan’s story had curled in on himself a bit. Before his scent could be tainted with his guilt, Changbin shot him a loving smile while Hyunjin murmured something in his ear.

The two days after Jisung had accidentally pulled Felix into subspace had been horrendous for all of them. Changbin couldn’t forget the anxiety dragging Jisung down each day, couldn’t forget the way he had hid away from them in shame. All of them had been struggling to keep the alpha from plummeting with his own negative thoughts, while also sympathizing with Felix. It was difficult, because while Jisung was their partner whom they knew hadn’t meant any harm, Felix was also just an innocent bystander. 

“We all know how that ended,” Chan hummed with the majority of them nodded along, “And I’m more than grateful that nothing bad came out of that meeting.”

Chan opened his mouth to continue but paused with a low whine that Changbin almost missed. He pulled back to look at Chan better, and was met with pinched brows and a grimace. He looked conflicted, and while Changbin didn’t know what exactly Chan was conflicted about, he wasn't entirely surprised. It was likely all of them were conflicted about their own reservations about Felix, and that didn’t make it any easier to talk about them. 

Changbin nuzzled a bit closer to the alpha while he searched for his words, supplying him with as much support as his affection could provide. He knew it was hard to be open and vulnerable, but Changbin wanted to remind him they were there for him. No matter what it is he had to say, they weren’t leaving.

“I was worried though,” Changbin rubbed soothing circles into Chan’s thigh as the alpha’s gaze dropped to the floor, “He came in looking so shaken up. He looked almost like he had truly gone through a subdrop. He was jittery, on edge, and his eyes were swollen and bloodshot. He smelled like he’d just had a breakdown, and I’m still not sure if it was our doing or not.”

Changbin froze for a second, breath hitched in his throat as the word subdrop processed in his head, then continued his tiny circles against Chan’s skin.

Changbin hadn’t seen Felix that day. After Jisung’s accident, the alpha had remained at their apartment to give both himself and Felix some space. Chan had taken responsibility to try to fix the situation to the best of his ability, and Changbin just… tried to stay out of the way.

He purposely chose to take longer routes and skipped lunch just so he didn’t bump into Felix, and because of that, he hadn’t seen just how much he was suffering in the aftermath. But Chan apparently had, and he’d seen it first hand when he spoke with Felix in his office. 

If it was true, that Felix was suffering from a subdrop two days after slipping into headspace…

It didn’t bode well, for Felix or for them.

“You never told me that,” Jisung whimpered with panic and uncertainty that matched the lurch of spice in his otherwise sweet cinnamon scent, “Y-you just said he wasn’t upset with me. You never s-said he looked that bad!”

Changbin jumped in his seat as soon as he properly processed the distress Jisung was spewing into the air.

Jisung had pushed himself upright on their couch. His fingers were curled into his seat, his nails biting into the leather just like his teeth bit into his lip. Changbin could hear the fretful gasps as Jisung struggled to keep his breathing steady and could only imagine the pounding he was feeling in his chest as he tried to remain calm.

Hyunjin acted first, instantly pulling the alpha back against his chest. He used his thumb to tug Jisung’s lip free from his teeth while grabbing his arms and curling them up to his chest. He loosely held onto Jisung’s hands in a way that it wouldn’t feel constricting, and then Hyunjin’s lavender mixed in with the cinnamon. Panic was overlaid with love, and slowly Jisung’s shallow breaths grew steadier.

It was heartbreaking that this wasn’t the first time they had witnessed something like this. It was a rather common occurrence in their pack. Jisung’s mental health was and had been an issue for years. Ever since his pheromone condition had come to light and his parents were badly injured, Jisung’s faith in himself had nearly died out. He had no trust in himself, in his wolf, in the instincts that were supposed to guide him… it was a disability that he had to cope with.

He didn’t have the forethought most alphas had, didn’t have the capability to control his scent enough to help someone calm down if he needed to. He couldn’t rely on his wolf because his wolf could have seriously hurt his parents, and now Felix as well.

“Sungie, you’re okay,” Hyunjin whispered as he slowly rocked themselves back and forth.

Minho was on the edge of his seat, keeping his distance but also prepared to jump in if he had to, while Seungmin stayed back. They learned over time it was best not to overwhelm Jisung if he was panicking. They tried to keep one set of hands, and preferably one scent if they could, because too much just confused him. If things got too bad they were all expecting Hyunjin to disappear with Jisung in one of the bedrooms, but luckily Jisung was slowly calming down. His scent was being smothered with Hyunjins, and he was blinking away the frantic look in his eyes.

“I’m sorry I never said anything, Sungie,” Chan clenched his fists, and Changbin had begun to feel the tension in the alpha’s arms. The normally soft and reassuring pine was tinged with ash, and Chan’s expression was painted with guilt, “I wasn’t even sure about things myself… I didn’t want to jump to conclusions.”

Truthfully, Changbin didn’t blame Chan for not saying anything.

As the pack alpha, he had a duty to take care of them in a sense. He knew everything going on, and he was the one who determined what was the best course of action. If he had chosen to keep Felix’s state a secret, then he had to have had a good reason. He wouldn’t make a reckless decision without debating the pros and cons.

Even though Changbin knew that Chan had their best interest at heart, he also knew Jisung’s mind was working against him, and it was destroying their pack alpha to see someone he loved so distraught.

“He’ll be okay,” Changbin spoke under his breath with Hyunjin’s soft murmuring in the background, “He just needs time to let his thoughts settle.”

“I know,” Chan responded with a small nod, though his eyes trained on Jisung’s shaky form, “I was afraid of this.”

Changbin hummed in response as he continued his slow circles into Chan’s leg. The conversation had died down to allow Jisung time to calm down, and in the meantime, each of them were pondering Chan’s words.

Minho’s focus was still on Jisung and Hyunjin. He couldn’t tell what the omega was thinking, because he wasn’t allowing it to show on his face. Whether he was disappointed in Chan’s decision to hide this, or whether he was understanding like Changbin was, he didn’t know. But if there was one thing he knew about Minho, it was that he was fair and rational. He wouldn’t let his emotions sway his opinion as easily, and in that sense, whatever his stance on the situation was, it was going to be the most unbiased.

Seungmin looked indecisive, but Changbin knew him well enough to know it wasn’t a bad thing. He was thinking through everything carefully, dissecting the information until he had nothing left before coming to his own conclusions. He was almost certain the alpha had questions, because he always had questions, and he hoped whatever Seungmin wanted to know would help all of them figure things out.

Jeongin was truly clueless, and Changbin had known that without having to look at him. Jeongin always handled pack disputes similarly. Refusing to take sides, trying his best so sympathize with both of them even if one was clearly in the wrong. Jeongin was always the last to make his decision, and he always hated doing it. Changbin was sure his thoughts were divided as he clung to Chan, and he could only hope this discussion ended as smoothly as they usually did so Jeongin didn’t have to worry so much.

And as for Hyunjin, Changbin couldn’t tell how he was going to react. He was protective, and that extended to each of them, including Chan. He was going to be eager for answers, and he was going to want to figure things out immediately, but with a panicked Jisung in his arms, Changbin wasn’t sure where his head was at.

“I’m sorry,” Jisung finally spoke, his voice shaky and weak. He was still curled up in Hyunjins lap, but he was present and coherent enough to continue.

“Don’t apologize, Sung,” Chan said softly, “I should be the one apologizing.”

“I’m sure Channie didn’t mean any harm by not telling us,” Minho stretched out his leg, using his foot to pet Jisung with his toes while throwing Chan a meaningful look. Changbin had instantly felt the tension release in the pack alpha’s body, and he could only assume Chan had seen something reassuring in Minho’s glance, “He was just trying to protect you. He knew this would have eaten you up, Baby.”

“I know,” Jisung lifted his head to peak at Chan with glossy eyes, “I know you were just trying to help. I’m not mad. I just… I don’t understand I guess.”

“What don’t you understand?” Chan’s voice was soft, it was always soft when he talked to them. He never got upset or frustrated, never let his emotions control him like the rest of them occasionally fell victim to. He always had so much control over himself, over his wolf, and it made him an excellent pack alpha.

“It just doesn’t make sense. When I apologized to Felix… he told me it felt good, that he enjoyed it- um- you know, being in subspace?”

“That’s really good, Sungie,” Minho didn’t point any attention to the alpha’s stuttering as he sent him a smile, “If he enjoyed it, then I think it’s safe to say he didn’t slip into a subdrop like it seemed to Chan. He just has some other stuff going on.”

“Stuff that makes him look bad enough to resemble a subdrop?” Seungmin’s first question entered the conversation, “Chan, that’s bad .”

“I know,” Chan sighed, “I just didn’t want to stick my nose where it doesn't belong. But now that things have progressed the way they have…”

“What do you mean?” Hyunjin still had his arms wrapped tightly around Jisung, and even though his scent was still calming and light, his brows were scrunched up in worry.

“I’m worried about him.”

Chan pressed his lips together, taking a deep breath as he tried to wrangle his thoughts together. Each of them were patient. No one pressured him to continue until he was ready, even if the anxious energy in the room was beginning to spread.

“I said before that I didn’t know what caused him to look like that,” Chan explained, “And I still don’t. He wouldn’t tell me, and I respected that. It’s his decision to keep certain things private. But I can’t get it out of my head. My alpha is still angry at me for letting him leave my office that day. When he was there… my wolf was referring to him as mine .”

Mine.

Changbin also felt that way, like his wolf was taking possession of the omega without consideration of his human feelings. He had impulses that he had actually acted upon. Holding Felix’s hand, keeping him bundled up in his jacket and insisting he take it home, trying to donate his entire wardrobe to the omega.

And Chan had had these thoughts too? He had fought against the pull of his wolf when his wolf had already made the decision for him?

“He lied to me that day,” Chan continued, “He told me he was okay, even though we both knew that wasn’t true. There was no way to hide it, and he just…”

Chan cut himself off with a sigh, shaking his head before picking back up, “I know something’s wrong, and I can’t do anything about it. And as more time passes, I regret not stepping in.”

“I feel the same way,” Changbin blurted out.

Everyone’s gaze fell on him just seconds after he realized he had spoken aloud. He hadn’t exactly wanted to say anything just yet. His thoughts were still a bit tangled with each other, and his mind was still a little foggy. He would much rather wait just a bit longer, but now that he’s grabbed everyone’s attention he needed to at least try to speak his mind.

“Like, about my wolf,” He elaborated to the confused faces staring at him, “Uh, I had a similar experience.”

“Where your wolf was claiming Felix?”

Changbin nodded back at Chan, swallowing down the nerves that were suddenly clawing their way up his throat, “Yeah, today. I ran into him at the grocery store,” Changbin began his story, detailing how he had nearly finished with his own shopping when he found Felix eyeballing the instant coffee, “I invited him out to lunch. He looked kind of sad and his basket was just… instant rice and ramen noodles.”

“That’s not healthy,” Seungmin mumbled, and Changbin agreed full-heartedly. 

The basket hadn’t even been filled. He sincerely hoped that was only a week's worth of food and not the omega’s grocery haul for the month.

“That’s all he eats at work too,” Hyunjin added with Jisung nodding along, “Just instant white rice.”

He shouldn’t have been surprised, after all he did just see Felix buy nothing but white rice and noodles. Of course, that’s what he would eat at work, but part of him had hoped that he had a secret stash of healthy foods to eat that Changbin just hadn’t gotten to witness him buying. Felix was a thin person, small and petite in a way he had thought was natural. But now he had a feeling it was due to malnutrition that Felix was as tiny as he was.

He was so glad he bought him some real food when he had the chance.

“Bin,” Chan nudged the beta to continue, and Changbin took his queue.

“We went to that burger place Seungmin and I went to the other week. I bought him lunch and we started talking. We got onto the topic of producing, and he mentioned Jisung showed him a track. When I told him Chan and I also rapped, he asked if he could listen to some of our stuff,” Changbin bit his lip, sparing a glance toward Chan who squeezed his shoulder with a gentle smile.

“He was fine at first,” Changbin kept his gaze on the ground as he thought back to the events from earlier that day, “I could tell he was enjoying it. He smelled happy, and uh…”

He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks, because now that he was relaying this information to his pack, he wasn’t sure how to properly explain what happened between him and Felix in the restaurant.

One second, Felix had been listening to the track Changbin was playing into the headphones. The omega had progressively grown more and more entranced by the music, and Changbin was more than a little proud of the way Felix was hanging onto each word. And he could have sworn he smelled a hint of something a little less friendly and a little more intimate coming from the omega.

But as soon as the scent had become noticeable, as soon as Felix had begun to reveal to him what he really thought of their music, the scent of honey turned sour with fear. He had gone near unresponsive, white as a sheet, and trembled under Changbin’s gaze.

He didn’t know what caused such a flip so fast.

“He smelled like what?”

Changbin blinked, recollecting himself from his thoughts as he brought his attention back to his pack. Minho had been the one to ask, and Changbin realized the omega had leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he watched Changbin try to get his train of thought back in order.

“Let’s just say he really enjoyed it.”

It took a few moments for everyone to realize what he was saying.

“Like, enjoyed it how ?” Jisung asked, almost desperate in the way he was staring at Changbin, “Like did he like the song? Or did he like the people rapping in the song?”

“I’m not 100% sure if I’m honest,” he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly “I want to think it’s the latter but… I can’t tell. I thought I smelled something from him that suggested he was at the very least interested, or maybe a little attracted to whoever he was listening to in the track, but as soon as I caught it, it disappeared.”

“It disappeared?” Jeongin quietly interjected, “How does a scent just disappear?”

“Something happened,” Chan’s response was a guess coded like a statement, and he was completely correct, “Right?”

“Yeah,” Changbin agreed, “And I have no idea what. One second he was fine, and then he zoned out. Whatever he was feeling before was completely drowned out by fear, and just like with Chan, he kept telling me he was fine.”

“Fear?” Hyunjin opened his mouth a few times as he tried to get his words out, “What- Why was he scared? You’re like the least scary person ever.”

“You have no idea what could have caused it?” Chan asked, and Changbin was already shaking his head.

“No, he was literally listening to the song, and then… he was just terrified.”

Chan nodded solemnly. Changbin could see the calculating look he was wearing, as if he was trying to come to some type of conclusion that could explain why Felix had reacted in such a way. Changbin wished he could offer more, but there was nothing more he knew. He was as lost as the rest of them. It happened so fast, seemingly unprovoked, and Changbin was left without any answers.

“I walked him home,” He moved to finish his story while the rest of them digested the information, “I gave him my jacket because he was cold, and he went back to normal. He was happy again, if you could believe it. Like what just happened was all a daydream. I held his hand home and I let him keep my jacket even though he tried to return it to me.”

“And then as I came back home,” Changbin groaned at himself, because now that he was coherent and normal again, he realized how insane he had been earlier, “I went more than a little crazy.”

“His wolf just took over,” Chan clarified for the confused faces that were trying to keep up with everything, “He got a little possessive. Right?”

“Yeah,” Changbin confirmed, “My wolf liked that he smelled like me.”

“So,” Seungmin narrowed his eyes in thought and he scooted himself forward on the couch to sit up straight, “You both felt a possessive instinct towards Felix.”

“Yes,” Both Chan and Changbin said together.

“And you two,” Seungmin turned towards Hyunjin and Jisung, “Have you felt anything like this before? Any attachment to Felix?”

“I mean, kind of?” Hyunjin shrugged, “It wasn’t to the extremes of Chan and Changbin, but I’ve definitely felt a pull towards him.”

“I have,” Jisung raised his hand. His shaky limbs had gone, replaced with a determined expression, “It’s kind of similar to when I met Jinnie, but also like, not at all.”

“Oh, please tell me you didn’t fight with Felix,” Chan pinched the top of his nose in exasperation.

“No!” Jisung was jokingly offended at the accusation, and Changbin couldn’t help but chuckle at the other’s dramatics, “Absolutely not. I can fight with Hyunjin, but I can’t fight with an angel.”

Hyunjin let out a squawk but was quickly shushed by Jisung dragging his hand down his face. Hyunjin jumped back in disgust and smacked Jisung’s hand away, “Ew, your finger went in my mouth!”

“You like it,” Jisung winked back, and Hyunjin groaned, “I do not .”

“Okay, enough teasing Jinnie,” Chan snapped his fingers to direct the conversation back on topic, then did it again to get Seungmin and Minho to stop laughing. Hyunjin tossed himself back into the cushion, watching Jisung with fake annoyance as the younger alpha settled back against Hyunjin’s chest. And even with Hyunjin pretending to be thoroughly done with Jisung, he still returned to hugging him against his torso like earlier.

“What happened with Felix?”

“It’s just during lunch. His coworker, Soobin, doesn’t like me much,” Jisung crossed his arms with a little pout, “I have no idea why, I’ve literally done nothing to him.”

“Soobin?” Hyunjin reeled back, shooting Jisung a surprised look, “Are you kidding? That guy is one of the softest alphas I’ve ever met.”

“He doesn’t like me, Jinnie!” Jisung cried as he waved his hands in the air, “I think he thinks I’m gonna steal Felix away or something. And then he leans closer to Felix at the table and Felix doesn’t even notice - I don’t like it.”

Changbin didn’t have to point out Jisung's possessive thoughts. He had blatantly admitted to having an issue with Felix’s closeness with his coworkers, and considering Jisung had no claim over him, that thought process wasn’t warranted. Just like Chan shouldn’t have thought of Felix as his, just like Changbin shouldn’t have lost his mind because he smelled his scent on Felix. 

“I guess I do kind of notice that,” Hyunjin pondered aloud, “Soobin and Yeonjun stick to Felix all the time. They seem really close.”

“Yeah, a little too close.”

“Come on, Sungie,” Minho chastised his behavior with a little flick to the other’s leg. Jisung jerked his leg back with a glare that Minho held steady, “We need to remember Felix isn’t ours to claim.”

“But… We all want to claim him.”

Jisung had spoken for all of them, and no one jumped to correct him.

Because it was true. Four out of seven of them were very much affected by Lee Felix, some more extreme than others, and the other three weren’t going to ignore a potential packmate. Whether they sought out Felix or not, their wolves were drawn to the omega. It was bound to become a problem sooner or later, and the longer they pushed them off the more likely someone’s wolf was going to do something stupid.

“If anyone isn’t interested,” Chan spoke up, his tone serious as he swept his gaze across the room, “Even a little bit. You need to say something now. If you don’t want to try to pursue this, you need to tell us.”

Changbin held his breath. He hoped, oh god did he hope, that no one would disagree. The breakdown he had earlier was too intense, too heartbreaking to have to pretend that he didn’t care anymore. He couldn’t go back to work acting like his heart wasn’t yearning to see the omega again, couldn’t go to bed without wondering if he could have done something different to keep that scent of fear from surfacing.

His entire drive back to their apartment he had been struggling to keep himself in check, to hold back just enough to hide out in his studio so no one fell under the effects of his pheromones. He kept the windows up, kept the air circulating in the car so none of it wound up outside, and he drove fast.

He was too deep already, and he wasn’t sure how it had happened so fast, but he knew it wasn’t going to be easy climbing out.

“You all like him,” Minho broke the silence, “I can tell it’s more than surface level. And if you like him, then I’ll like him too.”

Changbin felt the hope rise in his chest but forced himself to push it down.

“Me too,” Seungmin added, “I don’t know him yet, but I want to. I want to give this a chance.”

Everyone turned to Jeongin, expectant and hopeful as the beta shrunk in on himself. He was wringing his hands nervously in his lap, avoiding eye contact as he stared into the wood floor under their feet.

Changbin didn’t want to pressure him. This was a serious decision, one that affected them all drastically. But he desperately wanted Jeongin to agree. He wanted to see Minho, Seungmin, and Jeongin’s reaction to meeting Felix for the first time. He wanted them to experience the bond he felt with the omega. He wanted them to see just how special he was. He felt his heart jumping, pounding into his ribcage as he waited for Jeongin’s answer.

“I want to, too” Jeongin exhaled, and none of them could hold back their relieved smiles.

“So we’re really doing this?” Jisung perked up, his lips quirking into a grin, “We’re gonna court Felix?”

“Kind of,” Chan held a hand up before Jisung could get too carried away, “It’s a little more complicated than that.”

“Felix still has something going on,” Chan explained, “Something he doesn’t want us to know about. He’s hiding it for a reason, and we shouldn’t demand answers, but we need to be cautious.”

“And there’s still Felix’s feelings to consider,” Minho continued for Chan, and when the pack alpha nodded in his direction, the omega took charge, “He’s still a lone wolf who probably has his reservations about dating. He’s going to need time and compassion from all of us, and a lot of patience. Obviously, we have some trust to gain if his not-so-subtle lies about his true wellbeing are enough to judge by. And there’s still three of us that need to officially meet him.”

“We’ll work on that,” Jisung chimed in with Hyunjin, “We’ll have to step it up at lunchtime.”

“Maybe you guys should invite him to have lunch in my office,” Chan offered, then gave Changbin a knowing smirk, “You can come too. We could all get to know him that way.”

Changbin flushed at the suggestive expression, then lightly slapped Chan on the shoulder in response.

“Seungmin and I will have to figure out a way to meet him,” Jeongin said with a gesture towards the alpha, “Same with Minho.”

“I guess we could all wind up hanging around the company until we run into him,” Seungmin suggested, “I wouldn’t want to overwhelm him, and before we all try to be straightforward with our advances, we should try to just… be his friends first.”

Changbin felt his skin tingle, eager for things to progress. He tapped his fingers against his knee as the rest of his pack discussed logistics. He tried to listen, because he knew he wanted to know the game plan in all of its entirety, but he couldn't focus on anything other than the realization that this was really happening.

He had no doubt Seungmin, Jeongin, and Minho were going to fall for Felix just as hard and deep as the rest of them. If four of them were already helplessly obsessed with him, the other three wouldn’t be far behind. He couldn’t wait for them to meet, for them all to grow closer. He wanted to see Minho wrap himself around the other omega, wanted to see Seungmin tangle his fingers in his hair, wanted to see Jeongin press tiny kisses to his cheek.

He wanted things to go well.

“I actually have an idea,” Minho announced to the room, “You recently lost your receptionist, didn’t you?”

“ Lost,” Chan scoffed, “I fired her.”

Changbin snorted to himself while Jisung bitterly mumbled bitch under his breath. Chan shook his head with a smile but didn’t correct Jisung’s language. They all hated her with a passion, they had for a while. And when she stormed up to Chan’s office with her nails impaled in Felix’s forearms, the alpha had been more than happy to terminate her.

“Okay, you fired your receptionist,” Minho rolled his eyes playfully before he continued, “I want to take over her position.”

“You want- What?” Jisung raised an eyebrow at the omega, “Why do you want to do that?”

“It’s an easy way to get to know Felix,” Minho pointed out, “I’ll be closer to him, and I’ll be able to roam about the building if I need to. I can see him more often and get to know him.”

“Are you sure?” Chan asked wearily, “You’re gonna be really busy. You won’t have a lot of time to yourself-”

“I’ll be fine, Chan,” Minho interrupted before Chan could go further, “Trust me.”

Chan hesitated for a second, but quickly dropped his reservations, “I trust you.”

“So,” Jisung drawled out as he looked at each one of them, “We’re doing this?”

His panic had completely vanished, and instead was an excited ball of energy. He watched them all with hardly contained enthusiasm as he practically vibrated in his skin. He wanted this, so badly. Just like Changbin, just like all of them. 

Minho smiled as he leaned back on the couch, “We’re doing this.”

Chapter Text

Felix woke up surrounded by the scent of rain.

A mist of dew had settled in a thin layer on top of his bedsheets. Tiny sprinkles danced across his comforter, draping over his body more than his blanket did. He could feel the fabric of Changbin’s jacket tickling his cheek as he scrunched his nose, scratching his skin lightly with the edge of the sleeve.

He had work today, he had known that as he went to bed with Changbin’s jacket cradled against his chest. He knew that now as he sunk further into the mattress, stuffing his face in the saturated fabric that smelled like happiness and safety.

He had no desire to open his eyes, and not even the stream of sunlight piercing his closed eyelids bothered him enough to move. 

It felt lovely, the way his mind floated between thoughts slowly and carefully, the way the haze in his head was both comforting and relaxing, the way his normal worries seemed to retreat to the back of his head as he stayed in his bed. He hadn’t slept so peacefully in years. Usually, the biting cold or the summer heat would have him tossing and turning, or the neighbors would bang against the wall just a little too much to let him sleep, or the neighborhood teenagers would be screaming and shouting in the dead of night without a care for the apartment residents.

But last night, even though he knew all of the above had occurred, he slept soundlessly. He woke up feeling more refreshed than he'd felt in a long time, and as he finally opened his eyes, he didn’t feel his eyelids dragging back down in exhaustion.

He took a deep breath of the sweet rainwater as he stretched his arms out of the cocoon of warmth he had created under his blanket. His body rolled over the bed and on top of the jacket which he gently rubbed his cheek into. More of Changbin’s scent was squeezed out of the fabric, dousing him with the pheromones that he had been inhaling all night.

Sparing a glance at his alarm clock showed he had actually awoken rather early today. He had another ten minutes before he really needed to be awake and productive. He could easily stay wrapped up in his blanket and snuggled close to Changbin’s jacket until he was ready to face the day.

He contemplated for a moment, debating on staying wrapped up in his covers and Changbin’s scent for a little bit longer.

Deep in his mind, he knew he needed to get up. He had work today, and it was going to be a busy shift too. He, Yeonjun, and Soobin were going to be working together to deep clean the back hallways where Mr. Choi’s office resided. They were going to be going through the disastrous break room that they were supposed to clock in at, organize all of the scattered papers and documents, and rid the area of the dust bunnies that had taken residence.

It was going to take all day, and he wanted to get to work a little earlier so he could return Changbin’s jacket to him before he disappeared into the back of the building for the rest of the day.

He pressed himself a bit closer to the jacket which by now had a mixture of Changbin’s rainwater and Felix’s honey. He knew he had to give back the jacket, but he didn’t want to. It didn’t belong to him, and even though Changbin had given it to him, it was purely because it was raining and Felix was obviously cold. Felix couldn’t just keep it.

Even if Changbin’s scent was so calming.

Even if sleeping with the jacket had given him the best night's sleep he’d had in so long.

Even if his wolf wanted to whimper at even the thought of losing it-

The omega suddenly pushed himself up in the bed, ripping his head from the fog of rain he was laying in. The warmth of pheromones fogging up his head disappeared as the clear brisk air of his apartment crept up. He blinked at the stream of light peeking from his curtains, perking up at the sound of cars passing by, and slumped as the memory of yesterday came crashing down on him.

In a moment of weakness, when he couldn’t bring his brain to stop thinking about Jinho and the way he had looked at him at the burger shop, he had sought out the soothing scent of rainwater. It was there for the taking, hanging from his dining room chair. He hadn’t even hesitated as he wrapped himself up in it, even going as far as to go to bed with it. And when he’d woken up he was still under the influence of the beta’s pheromones.

He felt safe for a change, with Jinho forgotten and all of his worries retreating, and it was wrong.

He couldn’t act like this.

He was already acting like a typical, needy omega.

He had given into his instincts for the night, cuddled up to another wolf's clothes for comfort.

And he wanted more.

With a silent growl, Felix threw off his covers, leaving the jacket sprawled out on the bed as he stomped over to his bathroom. He tore off his sweatpants and tossed them out of the open bathroom door. He did the same to his shirt, but as the fabric rubbed against his nose he was once again smothered in Changbin’s rainwater that he seemed to love.

And that only served to anger him more.

Once his shirt was off, he swung his arm hard enough to send the shirt flying into his apartment window with a thud.

With just as much vigor in his movement, Felix turned the water as hot as it could get and stepped in. It still took a while for the water to warm up, and even when it did it didn’t get that hot, but it was hot enough to leave his skin red. He scrubbed at his body, under his collar, even over his nose to rid the scent of Changbin from his person.

His omega wasn’t pleased, and even his rational mind was conflicted. He knew he was angry with himself, that he was disappointed in his weakness, but washing away the beta’s scent hurt. His hands shook as he rubbed soap into his skin, his fingers trembled and nearly dropped the bar into the water, and his head kept yelling at him to stop, stop, STOP-

But he wasn’t stopping.

He was continuing to ruin his skin, rubbing it red and raw as boiling water rained down on him. He continued to argue with himself, wondering why he kept giving in to what his omega wanted when he knew it wasn’t a good idea. Why did he keep losing his reservations when Chan’s pack was involved? Why did he feel so shitty when he tried to right his wrongs? Why did he feel like crying now that he almost completely rid himself of Changbin’s scent?

When will you realize you’re the only one hurting yourself?

Felix halted his movements, breath hitched as he bit into his bottom lip.

Jinho isn’t holding you back anymore, you are.

He wasn’t holding himself back, he was just… being cautious.

You’re the one making unnecessary barriers.

Barriers kept him safe.

You need to trust your wolf, trust your instincts.

His wolf wanted him to release the leash he had on his omega, to let his wolf make the decisions for a bit. And his human side, the logical part of him, wanted to hide. He, Lee Felix, wanted to avoid all of his problems and go back to being that one mute male omega that no one wanted anything to do with. At least it was easier that way.

It seemed that in only a month his entire world had shifted, and he was finally starting to realize it. Things changed for him the day he started working at Bang Entertainment. His instincts were betraying him in a way that left him unable to trust his biology. His wolf was fighting him, tooth and nail, and he was left wounded at the end of each battle. Then afterward he struggled to put himself back together, to piece himself into something that resembled what he thought he was supposed to be.

He was losing more and more control. He was falling victim to his impulses, and he was only going to hurt himself in the end.

He was becoming too dependent. Ever since he had fallen into what he now knew was subspace, his grasp on his emotions was nearly nonexistent. His wolf was running rampant, chasing after Chan’s pack against his wishes. And he kept falling for it. He was letting it happen, even if he acted like he wasn’t. He kept giving in, because it felt so much better that way.

It was like an addiction.

He didn’t feel scared with them, which didn’t make sense because he barely knew them. His wolf trusted them based on instincts alone, and he couldn’t even say for sure what Chan’s favorite color was. Yet here was, indulging himself in Changbin’s scent when he was upset, using his jacket as a way to calm down like Changbin was his wolf, his pack.

None of them were his, not like his wolf wanted them to be. They were his coworkers, his boss, and he was just the pitiful janitor.

He turned off the shower abruptly, hoping to turn off his thoughts with it. The water disappeared, leaving Felix wet and shaking from the cold that was now wrapped around him. The shock of the cold pulled him out of his mind for a moment, allowing him to force out the rest of his frustration with a heavy sigh.

He needed to figure out how to fix this, because this aggressive back and forth between him and his wolf was growing tiresome. 

What if giving in was the way to fix it?

Felix scoffed to himself as he stepped out of the shower to towel himself dry.

Wouldn’t it feel nice to have Changbin’s sweet rainwater smothering you every morning?

He pulled the towel off his face, blowing the damp hair out of his eyes.

What about Jisung’s cinnamon as you fall asleep?

The mirror was too fogged up with steam to properly see himself. All he could make out was the rough outline of his body and the red tinge in his skin. 

Or Chan’s pine as he holds you close, just like he did in his office.

He pulled out another one of his scent blockers from the drawer beside the sink and hastily applied the patch to his scent glands.

Or Hyunjin’s lavender dancing around you as he smiles at you, soft and gentle.

He dragged his comb through his hair roughly as he tried to fight back the whimper building up in his chest.

Sure, all of that sounded… great. Perfect. But it meant submitting himself to this pack. It meant trusting his wolf on instinct again, and that scared him.

What’s the harm in trying to get to know them? In letting them in?

He slammed down his comb on the bathroom counter. His body was hunched over the sink, his head hanging low as he gripped the countertop.

You don’t have to be alone anymore if you let someone in.

He ripped himself from the bathroom and crossed the flat to his closet. He pulled on his work clothes quickly, and when another rogue thought tried to break through to convince him to give in, he forced his attention to remain on his current task.

He ignored the pajamas littered on the floor that definitely still smelled like Changbin, fighting the urge to hide them in his bed like his omega wanted him to. Instead, he left them wherever they landed in his room so he didn’t risk letting his scent pulling him under again. He avoided them as best as he could as he slipped on his shoes and grabbed his notebook.

When he went to grab his lunch he also turned off the heat, because he was not paying for that when he wasn’t even home to enjoy it, and turned to face his unmade bed. There, just where he left it, was Changbin’s abandoned jacket.

He knew he had to bring it to work.

He debated leaving it there, claiming he forgot and would bring it tomorrow once he had calmed down, but he knew that he would never be “calm” so long as it was still here. He would fall victim to the scent again when he came home tonight, and the cycle would repeat when he woke up angry with himself again. 

With a heavy breath, he strolled over to his bed and tossed the jacket over his shoulder. As the scent washed over him, he felt the tension relax in his body. He didn’t like the reaction, didn’t like how much calmer he felt with the jacket in his possession. He didn’t like how relieved he was that he was covered in Changbin again.

But as much as he didn’t like it, his wolf loved it. And if his wolf loved it, his human side would end up giving in too.

By the time Felix arrived at Bang Entertainment, the jacket had wound up around his body again.

The anger he felt towards himself earlier had dwindled into a simmer beneath his skin, hardly noticeable so long as he didn’t pay much attention to it. Changbin’s scent had created a barrier around him, clearing his mind of the negative thoughts and replacing them with simpler, innocent thoughts. Like how clear the sky was, how nice it was that all the crosswalk lights were green this morning, how he was actually pretty warm with a coat wrapped around his body.

The walk to work didn’t take that long, and he still managed to arrive early. Even earlier than he had planned. He headed towards the back entrance, where he had been instructed to enter by Sangmi in the very beginning. Soobin and Yeonjun weren’t outside like they usually were, but that was to be expected since Felix was ahead of schedule. He approached the metal door, grabbing hold of the handle, and pulled the door towards his body only to be met with resistance.

He released his hold on the handle with a confused exhale before trying again. The same thing happened again, and this time Felix backed up a step with his arms crossed over his chest.

The door was locked.

Why would the door be locked when everyone knew the maintenance crew used this door?

He thought about knocking until someone heard him and let him in, but the only person who could possibly hear him would be Mr. Choi. And sadly, Felix had little faith that the older man would hear him. The beta was probably already halfway through a movie, volume turned up too loud to hear anything outside of his office walls.

Well, he supposed he could go through the main entrance. Then he could unlock the door himself so Yeonjun and Soobin didn’t face the same issue as him.

He turned on his heels to walk around back the way he came, then corrected his path to the front entrance. Luckily, the street didn’t seem too busy, and as he slipped into the main lobby he thought he was the only one inside. It wouldn’t be too unusual. Ever since Sangmi had been fired there hadn’t been anyone to handle the front desk. More responsibility had been placed on Mr. Choi to keep the lobby tended to until a replacement was found, and in the meantime, the desk Sangmi used to work at had remained vacant.

As he entered the front doors, he had assumed the front desk would be just as empty as last week. But then he heard the shuffling of papers and a soft cough of someone out of his line of sight.

Felix paused in the center of the lobby at the sound of another person, and his gaze turned to the place Sangmi used to sit where fluffy brown was now peeking over the barrier. The other person's face was hidden and their status was masked with the same baby powder scent blocker Jisung wore, leaving Felix’s imagination to wander to all the different reasons someone would be hiding behind the front desk.

Could this be the new receptionist?

It was a possibility that this person was just another staff member Felix hadn't met before who was just sorting through some files or something. Maybe they were busy trying to find something that Sangmi had misplaced before leaving. But there was also the possibility this was someone brand new, and he didn’t want to pass through without at least introducing himself first. He had a bad first impression with Sangmi, and he didn’t want a repeat of that experience.

He glanced at the large clock nicely hung on the wall just above the large seating area, he still had enough time to introduce himself if he made it quick. Then he could return Changbin’s jacket like he originally planned.

There was a large part of him that loathed the idea of parting with the jacket, but he chose not to linger on it. He would enjoy it while he could without his disappointment ruining the moment.

Just as Felix was about to turn back to the hidden person, someone softly cleared their throat behind him. The janitor spun around, expecting to see someone passing through the lobby to speak to whoever was behind the desk, but he was surprised to see the new person was no longer hidden.

A young man was leaning over the high-top desk on his elbows with his arms crossed over each other. He was watching Felix with a grin, brown hair swooping over his eyes as he tried to blink the strands out of the way. His face was damn near perfect, and if Felix was a little gayer at the moment he probably would have felt his heart lurch at the sight of such a nice looking wolf in his general vicinity.

But his attention was taken up by the fact that this man was in fact an omega.

“Hello,” The other omega greeted him with the silver tag on his collar swinging slightly in time with his words, “My name is Lee Minho. I’ll be starting as the new receptionist today.”

Felix tried his best to blink away his surprise, because he was the last person who should be making a big deal out of an omega in the work world. He didn’t want to come off as someone who was judgemental over someone's biological status, and he definitely didn’t want to make the new employee uncomfortable…

But the sight of another omega, and a male one at that, working as a receptionist… It did something to him. And he didn’t not like it.

Minho eyed him curiously as more time passed without Felix responding, but it wasn’t unkind. He was being patient as Felix seemed to process the new information, and he was almost certain the receptionist had taken a nice look at his own tattered collar while Felix was staring at the shiny black leather one the other was wearing.

He forced himself to look away and take out his notebook to flip through the pages. He opened a new one, scribbling the same basic line he’d shared over and over again, before walking closer to Minho and sliding it over to his line of sight.

As Minho read the same greeting Felix shared to every new person, the same one that explained why he wrote instead of speaking, he got a closer look at the circular tag dangling from Minho’s neck. The collar itself was nice, probably a designer one if he had to guess. The black leather was decorated with specks of silver, and the thread used to bind it together looked to be silver as well. He glanced down, catching the capital SKZ engraved over the mettle.

He wondered what SKZ could stand for, what pack was relaxed enough to let their omega work in a job like this. Minho was unavoidably going to be dealing with a lot of people, from alphas to omegas, and there wasn’t exactly a supervisor looking out for him like in many other omega-dominated workplaces. Most places wouldn’t hire an omega if they could help it, hence why Felix had such a hard time getting employed in the first place, and if Minho had such a nice collar then surely he didn’t actually need the extra income, right?

Did that mean he was working because he wanted to work?

As Minho looked back up at him with a smile, Felix matched him with his own, “Nice to meet you, Felix. You’re one of the janitors, correct?”

Felix nodded.

“You’re here kind of early,” Minho glanced at the clock Felix had just been looking at, “Do you want to sit down for a bit before you have to clock in? I’d love to get to know the people I’ll be working with.”

Felix bit his lip in thought, he had specifically spared this extra time in the morning to return Changbin’s jacket, which he still had. But he couldn’t deny that he actually really wanted to stay. 

He hadn’t spoken to another omega one-on-one in a long time. Aside from the one in Soobin’s pack, the last omega he spent a decent amount of time with was one from Jinho’s friend's pack. But that was over two years ago and he honestly had been a little too drunk to properly remember what happened that night.

He hadn’t made many friends since he broke up with Jinho. He had too many other things to worry about, and the last thing on his growing list of concerns was finding someone to call a friend. And now he had a chance to create another, with another omega, and he really didn’t want to pass that up.

He supposed he could always return the jacket later?

Minho beamed when Felix accepted his offer, “Great! Let me pull up a chair.”

Felix waited as Minho went into the room behind the front desk, and when he came back out with a high-top chair that matched his own, he gestured for Felix to sit down. Felix did as he was told, and Minho joined him quickly after.

“So, do you like working here?”

They talked for only about ten minutes, but to Felix, it had felt like no time had passed. Minho had carried their conversation so easily that Felix hardly had to use his notebook at all. The other had asked almost entirely yes or no questions which made things so much easier on Felix. And when he needed to write out his answer, Minho never commented on it. 

Felix learned a lot about Minho, and surprisingly Minho had learned a lot about Felix too. He found out Minho was a lover of cats and an addict to espresso. And Minho learned that Felix loved stuffed animals and ice cream. They talked about simple things, surface level, but honestly, that’s what made Felix enjoy their conversation so much.

He liked to know the little things, the things that made someone’s day better. The things that made him double-take at something in the store because it made him think of them. The things that Felix could use to his advantage to surprise them if the opportunity ever arose.

This was what made a friendship.

But there was something itching at the back of his head, something that was drawing him closer to Minho. It was all too familiar to Felix, because he felt it with the rest of Chan’s pack too. His omega was attracted to them all, Minho included, and he was certain his wolf just found yet another person to cling to.

But where did that leave Felix?

How was he going to navigate his feelings for Chan’s pack while also seemingly being entranced by Minho who had his own pack already?

That was surely going to be a problem that his omega was not going to like dealing with.

“Something wrong, Sweetheart?”

Felix twitched as he pulled himself out of his mind. He blinked away his thoughts to look at Minho who had his head tilted with concern pinching his eyebrows. He couldn’t really help the effects the nickname had on him, and he could only hope Minho didn’t notice any of his pheromones leaking from his cheap scent blockers.

Felix took another look at Minho’s tag with the three letters that Felix couldn’t decipher. He knew just on the other side of the tag would be his pack alpha’s name, or whoever Minho’s partner was if he was in a different kind of relationship. His curiosity was growing, and he was debating on just asking so he wouldn’t wonder any longer.

His curiosity won in the end as he clicked his pen.

I was just wondering, are you in a pack?

“Yes I am,” Minho’s smile changed just a bit, and Felix was almost certain it was more of a smirk, “I think you’re already acquainted with my pack.”

Before Felix had the chance to question the other, Minho was leaning closer to Felix with his fingers twisting his tag around. The back of it was revealed to Felix, and his eyes widened as he read the name Bang Chan along with a string of letters and numbers made for identification purposes.

Of course, he would manage to meet another one of Chan’s packmates.

“Sorry I didn’t mention it earlier,” Minho leaned back in his seat as he let go of his tag, “I wanted to start a friendship with you without the influence of my packmates.”

Truthfully, Felix didn’t blame him for that. He could understand wanting to start with a fresh slate, and he couldn’t pretend he wasn’t incredibly relieved to know Minho’s pack was actually the same pack Felix’s omega has been obsessed with lately.

“What about you?” Minho nodded towards Felix's obviously empty metal ring where a pack tag should belong, “Are you living the single life?”

Had that question been asked by nearly anyone else, Felix might have been offended. As if it wasn’t spelled out for anyone who had eyes. He was alone, just like his collar showed, and he was beyond frustrated with people pointing it out to him.

But Minho was different, because he was an omega himself who understood Felix’s life better than any other alpha, beta, or even most omegas could. He must have lived with the same judgment that being a male omega came with, must have experienced the same prejudice Felix did. And his question, while a little personal, wasn’t unwarranted after Felix had asked one very similar just seconds before.

I guess you could say that. I don’t have a partner or a pack.

Minho hummed as pulled back from the paper, “Do you like it like that?”

His first instinct was to say yes.

He absolutely hated life with Jinho, and for the last 6 months of their relationship, Felix had been fantasizing about life without him. He wanted freedom, he wanted to quit walking on eggshells, he wanted his life back. And when he finally got it… his life also went to shit.

He wasn’t in the situation he was in before, but now he finds himself missing the touch of another person. He hangs onto small hints of affection because he craves it. He lost his voice and struggles to live day-to-day life. And now his omega has been going crazy, probably because he’s been depriving himself of the attention he needs.

So did he actually like being alone?

Did he like waking up in a cold bed?

Did he like using someone else's jacket as a sense of comfort because he didn’t have someone for himself?

Did he like having no one to talk to, to vent to, to cuddle up to at night?

He was an omega, the subgender most known for needing overwhelming amounts of affection. And he was also Felix, who was the biggest cuddle bug his whole life. He hated being alone just as much as his wolf did, but he also hated being restricted and held back as Jinho had done to him.

Felix raised his head to meet Minho’s gaze. The other omega wasn’t pressuring him for an answer, even though Felix had to have been silent for over a minute now. He was just staring at him with a soft smile which grew as Felix looked at him.

The baby powder scent Minho was wearing pulsed just a bit, enough for Felix to notice. He wondered what Minho really smelled like, what he would smell like next to Chan or Jisung, or Hyunjin or Changbin. What would they smell like together? Felix and Minho? Would their scents compliment each other? Would they mix into something beautiful and comforting like he imagined they would?

His eyes wandered to Minho's collar, to the tag clipped into the metal ring that signified Minho’s pack. He tried to imagine his own collar weighed down by a tag again, tried to imagine someone else’s name claiming him on the back of it. He imagined someone to hold and cuddle with, someone who actually loved him. Someone who didn’t string him along for their own selfish gain. Someone who cared about him as much as he cared about them.

He imagined sleepy kisses and morning coffee.

He imagined happy laughter and hand-holding.

He imagined waking up in someone’s arms with hair tickling his nose.

His hands were moving before he even noticed, scribbling words onto his notebook paper with heavy strokes that would be difficult to erase. When he was finished, he felt a sense of relief wash over him. As if he had finally let go of something and revealed a new part of himself to Minho that had been hiding.

I hate it. I hate being alone.

Felix did not end up having enough time to return Changbin’s jacket.

His talk with Minho came to an end with only five minutes remaining before Felix needed to clock in, and it wasn’t even Felix who had noticed that their time was running short. When Minho had pointed out that Felix only had about five minutes to get to the back and put his personal items aside, the janitor had been completely surprised.

He had gotten so immersed in their conversation, and to think all of his time had gone by so fast was almost impossible.

“You should come visit me,” Minho had said with a grin as Felix gathered his notebook and jumped off the chair, “I’d love to talk to you again.”

Felix almost thought he had nodded too quickly, but he couldn’t help the excitement buzzing under his skin. Talking to another omega was different, refreshing. It was nice talking to someone who got him on a different level than other wolves, someone who didn’t need a crash course about how different Felix’s life has been since he presented in order to fully understand much of what he’s gone through. And there was no doubting that he felt so much more comfortable around Minho, instinctively and personally.

Minho just had a quality about him, something Felix lacked in himself but admired in the other omega.

He was headstrong and determined. Felix could tell in the way he held his head high, in how he spoke with conviction. His facial expressions were diverse and open, showing each and every emotion he was feeling without filtering how it could be perceived. He was honest, and he wasn’t afraid to speak his mind.

Yet he was also considerate. He was careful not to cross any lines Felix had obviously drawn out, and he was always patient when Felix got lost in his head like he usually did. Minho was gentle, kind, and he also couldn’t deny he was attractive-

He forcefully shook his head as he was nearing the back hallways.

He knew his newfound interest for yet another one of Chan’s packmates was going to complicate things. It already had with the way his omega was going crazy for the receptionist. He couldn’t get him out of his head, couldn’t stop thinking about his sweet smile, his nice hair, or his shining eyes.

The fact that he had gotten so carried away, having hardly noticed the time as his shift was approaching, was concerning. He had fallen into the trap his omega was setting for him so much easier this time. At least with Changbin, he had hesitated before going to lunch with him, and with Hyunjin he couldn’t just let the alpha sit in pain when he was just a room over.

But with Minho, he willingly sat down and spoke to him. And then he agreed to start doing that regularly.

There wasn’t even a little bit of reluctance as he made his decision.

He wanted to slap himself, more than once for every time he let his guard down for another one of Chan’s pack. He wanted to ground and bang his head against the wall because he was so fucking stupid. He kept losing to his wolf, kept lowering his walls until they were almost to the ground, and he was just waiting for it to bite him in the ass.

He needed to quit pushing his fears to the side when he spoke to Jisung.

He needed to quit daydreaming about Chan.

He needed to quit constantly worrying about Hyunjin and his injury.

He needed to quit turning into a lovesick puppy just by talking to Minho.

And he needed to quit relying on Changbin’s stupidly sweet scent from his stupidly comfy jacket to keep him calm.

He tore off the jacket he was still wearing as he approached the janitor's closet. The door swung open, he might have nearly put a hole in the wall with the handle, and he bunched up the jacket into a ball as he tossed it near the corner. The black fabric fell into a pile on the floor just next to boxes of cleaning supplies, and now that he wasn’t wearing it, the normal smell of Bang Entertainment hallways chased away the lingering effects of Changbin’s scent.

He needed to breathe air that wasn’t tainted with pheromones. He needed a clear head, one that wasn’t influenced by the calming rainwater he was already missing, and in order to do that he needed that jacket away from him.

He took a deep breath to calm himself, which didn’t quite work as well as he wanted it to. He was a little shaky, and confused, and frustrated. There was no way to rid himself of that instantly, unless he wished to jump back into the cozy cocoon Changbin’s jacket had provided him.

But that wasn’t happening.

He had a job to do, and he needed to stop being a needy omega.

“Hey Soobin, do we have any more stain remover over there?”

Felix could hear Yeonjun from somewhere over the mountain of boxes he was crouched behind. He sounded a little to the left, but Felix couldn’t actually locate him or Soobin properly when the break room they were cleaning was filled with clutter. They’d only been in there for around two hours, and in that time they had torn out everything they could find and placed it in the center of the room in order to start with a clean slate. 

Yeonjun had disappeared into the chaos armed with a bucket of soapy water and an arsenal of rags fairly quickly. Soobin followed shortly after with the task of organizing the old documents into piles that determined whether they needed to be kept or not. And Felix, not knowing what else to do, decided to start scrubbing at the wall trim near the door that had caked on dust and dirt over time. 

“Hold on, let me check,” Soobin grunted as he pushed himself to a stand, showing Felix his head of messy black hair near the center of the room. Felix could see him turning in circles as he tried to find a way to the box of cleaning supplies without ruining his nicely placed piles.

Felix was about to offer to check himself. He had just placed his rag on the floor and got himself halfway to a standing position when a heavy knock sounded against the open door.

“Is Yongbok here- oh,” Mr. Choi peeked in the room to look at Felix, “I need you in my office.”

Mr. Choi didn’t stay to wait for a response, not that Felix could give him much of anything other than a nod without writing it out, but it still left an anxious feeling simmering in his chest when his supervisor hadn’t even acknowledged him.

“Well that was rude,” Yeonjun scoffed, and when Felix turned to the sound of his voice he saw the beta’s upper half of his body towering over the boxes with his arms crossed over his chest, “He could have waited.”

“He should have,” Soobin agreed with a much calmer tone than Yeonjun, but Felix wasn’t naive enough to think Soobin was entirely calm . He recognized that look on the alpha’s face. It was the same one he gave to Jisung, a similar one he gave to Felix that the omega hadn’t been able to figure out. Now he was giving it to the open door Mr. Choi had just disappeared from, but he still couldn’t place why each of them had been on the receiving end of Soobin’s weird looks when all of them were so clearly different.

He wished he understood what that look meant. It seemed to come up at the strangest times, like whenever Jisung tried to give Felix a high five, or when Felix got a little lost in his head. Soobin acted like he knew something Felix didn’t, and each time his face held that same concerning expression, his pheromones were completely normal. Whatever he was feeling didn't make it into the air, and Felix knew it wasn’t because of his scent blockers because he could still smell Soobin’s natural scent beneath them.

Maybe he should ask him up-front instead of dancing around it. It was bothering him the more it happened, enough that Felix was beginning to wonder if Soobin really did know something he didn’t.

Felix properly stood from the ground and dusted off the dirt from his uniform. He turned to his coworkers to sign it’s okay with his fingers as he mouthed along. There wasn’t much he could do now, and he didn’t want to risk taking too long to meet with his supervisor. He still didn’t know why Mr. Choi requested him in his office, but he was too nervous to tempt the beta into being angry with him by taking his sweet time getting there.

“Want me to walk you there?” Soobin offered as Felix grabbed his notebook.

He reassured them that it was okay, again, which he could tell Soobin didn’t like very much. Felix didn’t like it much either if he was honest. He didn’t want to talk to Mr. Choi by himself. He had no preparation, no warning, and the anxiety was eating away at him. But he also couldn’t let Soobin come with him. He needed to be able to take care of himself without the help of other wolves like Soobin.

Or Changbin.

Yeonjun and Soobin gave him reluctant goodbyes as he left the room. He held his notebook tightly in his hand, tapping his clammy fingers against the cover as he walked down the hallways. He wished he could go outside, just for a second to try to calm down. But he wanted to get this over with before his mind could wander into “what ifs”.

When he walked up to Mr. Choi’s office, the door was already open.

“Yongbok,” The beta clicked the pen in his hand and gestured for Felix to enter, “Come sit down please.”

He did as he was told, closing the door and sitting straight in the hard cushion of the chair opposite the beta’s desk. He folded open his notebook to a new page so he was ready to respond when needed, and just as he opened his own pen, Mr. Choi began speaking.

“I called you in here because I’ve been updating the system. Mr. Bang had me do it a while ago and I’ve been working on adding what I need to everyone’s profiles. But I’ve run into an issue with yours that needs to be fixed.”

The beta turned in his chair to grab a folder sitting on the side of his desk and placed it in the center. Upon opening it, Felix recognized the paperwork being the same as what he signed on the day he was hired.

“I asked you during your interview if you had any neighbor or close packs that could claim you in case of emergencies, like an emergency contact. You said you didn’t have one, but given your omega status, the new system won’t let me leave your emergency contact blank.”

Mr. Choi turned his computer screen to point out the red outline on the form demanding input.

“So I either need you to provide me with the contact details of someone that can be your emergency contact, or I’m going to need your permission to put you in the custody of the government should anything ever happen.”

Felix stiffened in his seat. He tried to run through his options, tried to think of any family members he felt comfortable enough to reach out to, but each path led to another problem he wasn’t ready to face. He didn’t have anyone, at least no one he could confidently trust to be in charge of him in the case that he couldn’t for himself.

But he loathed the idea of handing over his rights to the government should anything ever happen to him.

But what else was he supposed to do? He didn’t have any friends, no family he could turn to, and he sure as hell didn’t have a boyfriend. He was completely alone.

This was another thing to add to the list of grievances he had for the omega status he had been cursed with.

“Do you have anyone in mind?” Mr. Choi pressed, “I can’t move on with your profile until I fill this out.”

What rights does an emergency contact have over me if I’m an omega?

Felix quickly scratched out his question, then passed it over to Mr. Choi.

“Your emergency contact would be who we’d contact if you ever fell into preheat or subspace while on the job. Because you’re an omega, and wouldn’t be lucid enough to legally make proper decisions for yourself, your emergency contact would make the decisions for you until you were stable again.”

The more he heard, the more he was certain he didn’t want the government in charge at all. He would rather ask someone he barely knew than leave his well-being in the hands of some caseworkers that claimed to know the best for him.

But that still left him with the big question, who could he put down?

He briefly thought about putting Chan down, but quickly scrapped that idea. As much as he liked Chan and his pack, he was still Felix’s boss. He was Mr. Choi’s boss. Asking the beta to put Bang Chan as his emergency contact would raise so many eyebrows, and in the end, Mr. Choi probably would laugh in Felix’s face and tell him to pick someone else. No one was going to believe Bang Chan, the owner of the entire building, was going to willingly be the emergency contact to some omega janitor working beneath him.

So Chan was out of the question.

But Soobin… Could he put Soobin down?

Soobin was a well-mannered alpha, one Felix had trusted fairly quickly. He got to meet Soobin’s entire pack and he could easily say all of them were nice. The alpha was kind, gentle, quiet, and even with his strange looks and weird behavior towards Jisung, he didn’t think Soobin was a bad person by any means. He got the impression that the alpha wouldn’t jump to unnecessary decisions if it came down to it, and that was a big enough realization that had Felix making up his mind.

Hopefully, Soobin wouldn’t mind.

I’d like to put down Choi Soobin.

“Soobin, as in the one who works here?”

Felix nodded.

Mr. Choi went back to his computer. He typed a few things into the online form, took a few quick looks at another set of papers, and added some more. Felix waited quietly for the older man to finish.

“Alright all done,” He sat back in his chair, “I’ve got Soobin down as a primary emergency contact. I just need you to sign this once I print it out.”

Felix nodded in understanding. The room filled with the sounds of Mr. Choi clicking away at his computer, and Felix dropped his gaze back down to his notebook.

He didn’t like the idea that he wasn’t allowed to not have an emergency contact when betas and alphas got to run around without them all the time. Alphas and betas could fall into headspaces that should label them the same as omegas, but they were free from the restrictions omegas had. It made being a lone wolf as an omega nearly impossible unless he was willing to put his rights in the government's hands.

If he was a beta none of this would have been an issue, and that annoyed him.

“Ah…” Mr. Choi leaned into his computer screen with a squint, “Hm, did you three unplug the printer earlier while you were cleaning? The one in the room you were all just in?”

Yes, we did.

He remembered that being one of the first things they did since they didn’t want to risk anything happening to it. It was one of the only things in the room that still got used, aside from the prehistoric computer, and they wanted to make sure it stayed safe.

“Alright, I’m gonna have to print this at the front desk,” Mr. Choi clicked a few more times, “Can you run and grab it for me?”

Of course.

Felix closed his notebook again, and once Mr. Choi sent it out to print, left the betas office.

Now that he knew why he was called into the office, he felt his anxious jitters slowly fading. Soon they would be completely gone, and even though his sudden meeting with his supervisor wasn’t entirely unproblematic, at least it wasn’t as serious as it could have been.

Who knows, maybe he’d never have to use his emergency contact.

“Hey, Felix!” Minho beamed as Felix entered the main lobby, “I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon.”

Felix grinned back at the other omega. It seemed Minho was settling in fairly well. The desk looked a little more personalized from earlier, little trinkets and a photo frame Felix couldn’t see were placed in the corners, and it seemed Minho had gotten a proper login to the computer.

“Did you need something?”

Mr. Choi had something sent to your printer. Do you have it?

“Oh the printer,” Minho stood from his seat and walked over to the black printer hidden in a shelf, “I heard it going off earlier.”

He plucked the documents from the tray, keeping them nicely in order as he handed them over to Felix, “Need a paperclip or anything?”

Felix shook his head no, but he kept on a thankful smile.

“Alright,” Minho sat back down, “Let me know if you need anything else. I’ve just been trying to figure out how to make my desktop screensaver a picture of my cats so it’s not like I'm all that busy.”

Felix wanted to laugh, the way Minho had said it seemed almost like a joke. But the omega also seemed entirely serious about his struggle. Which Felix thought was kind of cute.

If you still haven’t figured it out by my lunch break I can come help you.

“Would you?” Minho jumped in his seat with an excited expression, “Honestly I would really appreciate it. I keep stretching out Doongie’s face on accident.”

Poor Doongie :(

“I know!” Minho pouted playfully, “I’m the worst cat father. Stretching out my baby’s face, it’s terrible.”

The both of them were standing against each side of the desk, leaning over Felix’s notebook with matching grins on their faces. Minho giggled and Felix mirrored him in silence, though neither of them were bothered by it. It was as if the notebook wasn’t there, like he and Minho were communicating seamlessly. He almost felt like he could forgo the notebook and Minho would understand everything he said, like he could gather exactly what Felix wanted to portray without needing the written words to tell him.

It felt freeing, like for the first time in his life his disability wasn’t a hurdle.

“Alright, I shouldn’t keep you,” Minho gave a dramatic sigh, “As much as I want to.”

I’ll be back later.

“I’ll be waiting.”

Felix was on his way back from Mr. Choi’s office when he noticed the scent of angry sea salt tainting the air.

It had come seemingly out of nowhere, hitting the omega with enough force that he stumbled backward in surprise. Chills run up his body, tingling into his fingertips that he clenched into his palms on reflex. The scent was growing stronger, as if it could sense Felix’s presence. It was chasing him, swirling directly towards him as Jinho was led closer and closer to where Felix was currently frozen in place.

He thought he was safe here.

Felix had known, since the day he ran into Jinho in the bathrooms, that he was risking running into his ex-boyfriend each day he worked here. It was why he had purposely avoided the editing department, and Yeonjun and Soobins insistence to keep him comfortable helped him in that regard. He figured he would need to be extra careful, keep his guard up when he was alone, and map out escape routes to avoid getting cornered again.

But he thought the one place he wouldn’t have to worry about running into him would be in the back of the building, all the way on the bottom floor.

No one came back here, not this far in the building. There wasn’t anything back here besides Mr. Choi’s office and a few storage rooms. It wasn’t the place anyone decided to work in peace, and it definitely wasn’t a place to have a meeting. There were far nicer rooms to choose from in one of the higher levels, one’s that were cleaned and kept up with.

No one came back here without a purpose, and Felix had a feeling he knew what Jinho’s purpose was.

He twirled around and kicked himself into a quiet jog down the hallway, choosing to take random turns he’d never explored before. He wanted to create as much distance between him and Jinho without alerted the alpha of his location, and the part of the building he did know was pretty common knowledge. Maybe if he went to the lesser-used parts of the building he could find a good hiding spot until Jinho got tired of looking for him.

He kept his steps soft against the flooring and bit his bottom lip to keep his breaths even. His hands clamped over his neck, just over his scent glands, to keep his pheromones from spreading with his increased adrenaline. The metal binding of his notebook pressed into his skin as he struggled to keep it in his hands. If he wanted Jinho to lose his trail, he needed to hide his tracks. That included the noise he could make, the items he was carrying, and the scent he was leaving behind.

Each step made his heart lurch, and each inhale burned his lungs with sea salt. It was growing more potent as Jinho drew closer, the alpha’s aggressive stomps sounded like they were right on his tail, and Felix was losing the lead he started with.

There was another turn up ahead, leading somewhere Felix was still unsure about, but he didn’t have much of a choice if he wanted to keep Jinho from reaching him.

Sea salt drifted closer, gripping him by the throat enough to make him gag, which was the turning point to make him throw his caution aside.

Jinho already knew where he was, he was already following him, and he was already furious.

There was no use trying to hide anymore, because if Jinho taught him anything, it was that an angry alpha was dangerous.

It was time to run.

As Felix let his hands drop from his neck, the notebook was thrown to the floor, and the panicked pheromones he was concealing came out in full force. His next footfall was heavy as it catapulted him into a sprint, and his mouth was parted to let out harsh pants as he tried to outrun the alpha chasing him. He turned the corner, revealing another empty hallway with a fire escape at the end.

“Felix!”

Jinho’s voice bounced off the walls, dark and raspy as he stalked after Felix. But the omega ignored him as he reached the fire escape. He threw open the door enough to slip his body in, and as he turned around he could see Jinho turning the corner.

Their gaze met for a second. Jinho snarling at him with glaring eyes, and Felix looking back in complete terror. He was sure Jinho could see how every hair on Felix’s body was raised, how his shoulders locked, how his hands shook as he forced the door closed when Jinho’s lips curled into a grin.

He let the door slam and flipped the lock just as the door shook from Jinho’s force on the handle.

“ Felix, you better open this door! ”

He stumbled back as Jinho fought the locked door handle. His back hit the metal railing which he gripped as soon as he felt it against his spine. He tried to take a deep breath, which was harder than he thought it would be. His breaths were short and heavy, his hands felt hot and clammy, and his face was tingling as he stared at the locked door.

A sudden thud against the door scared him enough to jump in the air, and he decided he wanted to be as far away from Jinho as possible.

Before the alpha could try to talk to him again, Felix charged up the flights of stairs. He took them two at a time, and he didn’t even stop at the first or second exit he could find. He wanted to be far away from Jinho. He wanted to find Soobin and Yeonjun, and he wanted to make sure he never went anywhere without them again.

He wanted the jacket he had carelessly tossed on the floor that morning that smelled like safety and Changbin.

He wanted to hug Jisung and drown out the sea salt with cinnamon.

He wanted Hyunjin to smile at him, to tell him everything was okay.

He wanted Chan to hold him close.

He wanted to go back to talking to Minho about his cats.

He didn’t want to be alone.

And at that moment, he was fully ready to put his pride aside and let his omega do whatever the fuck it wanted. He wanted to stop feeling scared, wanted to stop feeling like Jinho was right behind him. He wanted his heart to stop racing and he wanted Jinho’s glare out of his head-

He came across another door, and he didn’t even care that he slammed it open. He burst out of the fire escape without looking, and in the process, he bumped directly into another person. They grabbed him before he could go tumbling to the floor, grunting at the force of Felix’s body hitting theirs.

“What the hell-”

The other wolf began speaking, but cut off just as Felix’s glossy eyes met theirs.

“Felix?”

Chapter Text

Hyunjin’s day had been rather dull and uneventful.

Being confined to his crutches had left him restricted. He’d been banned from dancing, which while being a frustrating issue, wasn’t an abnormal thing. Chan had denied him access to the practice rooms time and time again for various past injuries, but each time Hyunjin would find a way to sneak in anyway, much to the pack alpha’s frustration. And eventually, he had gotten decently good at hiding his injuries to avoid Chan’s overprotective instincts.

Sometimes it was definitely not worth it when Chan gave him that disappointed look when he eventually found out. And when that happened, Hyunjin would mope in regret and take whatever punishment Chan gave him until he was in the alpha’s good graces again. Usually, he just got his caffeine taken away from him or got forced into bed far too early.

But this time it wasn’t Chan who ordered him to the three weeks of rest, nor was it Minho who could be just as overbearing. He wasn’t just going to disappoint his pack alpha with his stubborn disobedience. No, it was Felix, the cute omega that Jisung had been telling them all about.

It was the sweet boy who had come to check on him out of the goodness of his heart. The one who had selflessly abandoned his own work to help Hyunjin properly wrap up his ankle. The one who had used tickling as a way of torturing Hyunjin into giving in and calling Chan.

Somehow, Hyunjin couldn’t bring himself to go against Felix’s wishes.

It was strange, because Hyunjin had defied Chan more times than he could count. And even though he knew it bothered Chan that he kept hiding injuries, kept fighting his authority, Hyunjin still did it because he couldn’t just stop moving. He got too jittery, too pent up with energy and hormones that he wanted to sweat out before he went haywire. He couldn’t focus when his wolf got too worked up, and he liked the physical exercise to keep himself grounded.

That didn’t mean he didn’t feel absolutely horrible for going against his packmate's wishes, but he couldn’t just… stop.

He could handle a few days of nothing, but three weeks?

If it had been Chan who originally told him he couldn’t walk for three weeks, Hyunjin was sure he would have been back to sweating in his favorite practice room three days in.

Even Minho, who Hyunjin could admit had an easier time at getting him to comply, couldn’t get him to give up walking and dancing for so long.

But with Felix, here he was, still holding the damn crutches in his hands. He couldn’t understand why his alpha cringed at the idea of betraying the omega, why he was suddenly caring about his ankle instead of pretending it didn’t hurt. He was giving in without a fight, and even his wolf had backed down in the recesses of his mind.

It was so out of character for him, and he knew his mates had noticed.

He stopped fighting the crutches, hadn’t complained when Chan reminded him not to go near the practice rooms, and he even let Seungmin carry him to bed. He was letting them baby him like they always wanted to every other time he hurt himself, and he could tell Chan was more than happy with the new development.

Maybe if he could make it through these three weeks, if he tried to find other ways to clear his mind and occupy his time, next time he could handle himself better. And then he could stop being such a pain in the ass to Chan and actually rest for a change.

With a sigh, Hyunjin continued down the hallway. He was only there to find a private place to sit, one that wasn’t in a practice room or Chan’s office. As much as he loved his pack alpha, he couldn’t stand sitting in a stuffy office all day. He would keep his promise and stay out of the practice rooms, but he needed to find somewhere else to spend his day so he didn’t go crazy.

He was planning on hobbling to one of the spare meeting rooms, one that he could hopefully blast some music in and lose himself in a drawing. He couldn’t exactly work right now with his ankle the way it was, so he figured honing in his other creative skills could be productive.

He was about halfway down the empty hallway, having just spotted the room he wanted to claim for himself when the fire escape burst open beside him. Hyunjin hardly had time to process the body barreling into him, and because of that, his crutches clattered to the ground as he raised his hands in preparation. The other person ran into him with enough force to push Hyunjin back a few steps, and in the process, he put a little too much weight on his injured ankle to keep them both from tumbling to the floor.

Though he hardly noticed the pain in his ankle, not when the burning scent of sour honey assaulted his nose.

“What the hell-”

Hyunjin’s voice cut off as he registered Felix’s familiar honey scent, usually so sweet and inviting, tainted with fear. His body jumped under Hyunjin’s hands, Felix’s head hastily flung in his direction, and frazzled eyes met his own.

Blond hair was mussed up around tear-stained cheeks, lips bitten raw and red that moved with his breathless panting. Any other time, Hyunjin might have admired the way his freckles stood out against his skin, the way the lights looked like stars in his eyes, the way he was just short enough for Hyunjin to place a kiss on his forehead. He would have grinned as he stared at all the perfections that was Lee Felix, and probably would have tested out a few compliments that teetered on the line of friendship.

He would have done all of that if he’d bumped into Felix on a normal day.

But now his romantically charged desires were buried under his deep concern, because swimming with the stars in Felix’s eyes was pure terror.

“Felix?”

The omega flinched back at Hyunjin’s voice, then flinched again when the fire escape door slammed shut right after. Felix’s head snapped over to the exit. His feet subconsciously inched backward with his gaze trained on the door handle. Shaky hands came up to wrap around his forearms, nails digging into his soft skin with enough force that had Hyunjin grimacing.

The stench of fear spiked between them, enough to have Hyunjin recoiling back on instinct. He pulled his hands back to himself even though everything was screaming at him to never let go. 

His own fear mixed with Felix’s, making the hallways reek of sour honey and burning lavender.

Hyunjin stood still as he watched Felix’s panicked eyes dart back to the alpha standing in front of him. His chest was heaving with irregular breathing, little grunts that Hyunjin thought might have been Felix attempting to whine, occasionally making it past his lips.

What the fuck was going on?

It took a moment for Hyunjin to properly process the scene before. Everything had happened so fast, and now that Felix’s terror was leaking further into the empty hallway, Hyunjin was trying to gather his bearings.

“Oh, Baby,” Hyunjin whispered, earning another muted whine from the omega, “What happened to you?”

Felix didn’t respond, not that Hyunjin expected him to. Even without his inability to speak, he seemed far too lost in his head to have been capable of holding a coherent conversation. 

Hyunjin could see in his clouded eyes, in the hazy dilation that hinted at deeper consciousness, that he was hardly here. His wolf had pressed to the forefront of his mind, most likely to protect himself from whatever sent him tumbling out of the fire escape. He was barely holding on to his conscious mind with the last of his self-control, but he was losing the battle against his own panic.

And Hyunjin had the foreboding feeling that this was the first sign of a possible subdrop.

Growing up he’d been taught about subgenders and the dynamics they come with. He’d learned exactly how biology shifts during someone’s presentation, how previous mindsets are replaced with something new, and how a pup becomes a full-grown wolf in one of the hardest weeks of their life.

He’d watched his peers present one after the other in rapid succession. In his second year of high school nearly half of his class was absent for their midterms. And then they all came back with new instincts to deal with, new issues to come to terms with, and relationships that had suddenly crumbled over the strain of their wolves disagreeing with each other.

In his health class, he remembered a very specific lesson about omegas. About how their distressed scent was so acidic it could burn your nostrils. He remembered turning to the desk beside him where Kim Miran was sitting, a newly present omega who smelled like lollipops. He remembered trying to imagine such a sweet scent smelling so sour, trying to imagine if when he presented how he would react to such a scent.

The lesson about subdrop had been one of the last health lessons he attended before he presented.

“Subdrops are very peculiar,” Ms. Park had tapped on to the next slideshow, “They’re triggered by various stimuli, some more aggressive than others. This is what makes them harder to spot. Any time an omega is in a subdrop, it’s usually because they didn’t want to submit to begin with. That’s why consent and communication are extremely important, because it’s not that hard to accidentally push an omega into a subdrop.”

Their homework assignment was rather lengthy, as expected with such a serious topic. He’d spent hours researching early warning signs, on steps to ensure an omega’s safety, on how to avoid winding up in a subdrop to begin with. He’d been thorough with his notes, and he aced the exam at the end of the week.

And now it was coming in handy, because Hyunjin was able to match the sour honey with Felix’s hazy eyes, the panic with his trembling body. Felix was dangerously close to slipping, and Hyunjin desperately wanted to avoid that.

“Hey, Sweetheart,” Hyunjin murmured. He spared a quick glance down the hallway until he spotted an empty meeting room.

He needed to get them both into that room. Being in the hallway was dangerous with too many uncontrollable factors. Anyone could enter the hall without warning, exposing both parties to unwanted pheromones, which would do nothing to help the situation. 

“I know you’re really scared right now,” Felix’s bottom lip wobbled at Hyunjins words, which just about killed him, “I want to help you, if you’ll let me. Can I touch you?”

He slowly outstretched his hands in Felix’s vision. The omega dropped his gaze to the alpha’s fingers momentarily. He didn’t want to rush anything, even though he wanted to get them out of this hallway as soon as possible, so he kept his movements small. He was letting Felix set the pace, and he was fully prepared to have to coax Felix into the empty room for the next twenty minutes if he had to.

But within seconds, Felix was grasping onto Hyunjin’s hands like a lifeline. 

Hyunjin grunted in surprise as Felix practically melded their bodies together, but he refused to pull away, “Hey, it’s okay. I’m right here. I’m not leaving.”

Felix buried his face into Hyunjin’s shirt and was probably inhaling a mouthful of his scent in the process. He briefly considered redirecting Felix’s attention, just to avoid any embarrassment on Felix’s part later. But the more he thought about it, the crueler it sounded.

“Omegas seek comfort in their nest,” Hyunjin recalled Ms. Park saying, “They collect items holding the scents of people they love and trust, and they barricade themselves in safety. This isn’t only a coping mechanism for trauma or extreme distress. An omega can create a nest in any scenario that they deem fit. But when they’re especially stressed or upset, a nest is almost always what they instinctively want.”

Felix put himself there, not Hyunjin. He didn’t have any issues with Felix seeking out his scent for comfort, and he would reassure him of that later if it became an issue. If this was what he needed, Hyunjin would gladly provide it.

Besides, he couldn’t ignore the part of him that wanted to coo at how cute Felix was when he snuggled into his chest.

“There you go,” Hyunjin tilted his head down to press his lips to the top of Felix’s head, “Just breathe Baby, you’re okay. I got you.”

His panting was still an issue, boarding on hyperventilation. Hyunjin could feel the aggressive breaths against his chest as Felix struggled to calm down. He had hoped reassuring him that he wasn’t alone would slowly get his wolf to back down. At the very least, he was breathing in Hyunjin’s scent which he was slowly easing into something more soothing. That alone should calm him down enough to breathe properly.

He could only hope Felix didn’t hate him later for it.

“Can you come with me?” Hyunjin spoke just over Felix’s head, blowing a few strands of his hair into the air with his breath, “I want to take you somewhere safe.”

Felix squeezed Hyunjins hand harder, which luckily meant he was listening to him, but he still remained hidden in Hyunjin’s shirt.

“It’s just down the hall,” Hyunjin insisted, “It’ll be really quick, I promise.”

They both stayed still for a few moments longer. Hyunjin gave Felix time to process, all while keeping a diligent eye on the fire escape door Felix was no longer looking at. He wanted to get as far away from that door as he could. If he was able to, he’d have gone charging through the stairwell himself until he found whatever had brought Felix shaking in his arms.

But he wouldn’t leave Felix here, alone. This is where he belonged right now.

So he stayed. He was in an awkward position with both of his hands clutched in Felix’s, but he tried to embrace the omega to the best of his ability. He did everything he could to keep his scent small and unthreatening. Even though Felix was currently seeking out his scent, even though he could probably help Felix calm down by engulfing him in his pheromones, he didn’t want to overwhelm him. There were boundaries Hyunjin didn’t know about. 

The things he would do for Minho in this kind of situation wouldn’t work on Felix. He didn’t know Felix like he knew Minho.

He’d had time to learn each of his packmates' boundaries. He knew Jisung could only take so much of Hyunjin’s dominance before his insecurity would flare. He knew Chan didn’t like to enforce his dominance as much as he liked to earn it. He knew Changbin loved cuddling and Jeongin had days where he didn’t want anyone to touch him. He knew Seungmin favored honesty above anything, and he knew Minho would probably punch them in the gut if anyone tried to dominate him without his permission.

He knew his pack, and knew them well. If this was Minho in his arms, shoving his face in Hyunjin’s shirt for comfort, he wouldn’t have given it a second thought. His scent would have coated the entire hallway. Lavender would have stuck to the carpet, to the ceiling, it would have leaked into the air vents and traveled to the top floor. He would have cradled his partner carefully and scented him until he fell asleep, all while he whispered reassurance in his ear.

There’s a lot of things he would have done if Felix was Minho. But he wasn’t, and that made things so much more complicated.

He didn’t want to overstep with Felix. He wasn’t sure what would make him uncomfortable, what would make him happy, and what would piss him off. He was afraid to make the wrong move that would end up putting a rift in their relationship. He didn’t want to create distance between his pack and Felix when they all just realized they liked him far more than they thought they did.

But he had to do something, or else he was risking Felix dropping when he could have stopped it.

Felix’s grip on Hyunjin’s hands loosened for a second, only to return to the crushing grasp he’d been using before. His feet shuffled in place as his scent shifted in the air, and before Hyunjin had a chance to say anything, Felix was lifting his head from Hyunjin’s chest.

Soft brown eyes, tinged with red and glossed with tears, stared up at him.

Hyunjin hated this situation. He wished the reason Felix was pressed against him was because he wanted affection and kisses. He wished Felix was staring up at him with love and adoration rather than confusion and fear. He wished Felix was closer to slipping into a calming subspace instead of a subdrop.

But as he looked into Felix’s eyes, regardless of the circumstances, he couldn’t deny that Felix was absolutely beautiful.

Even with red eyes and a bitten lip.

Even with a stuffy nose that sniffled every few seconds.

Even with sweaty palms squeezing the life out of his hands.

He was beautiful, and Hyunjin would never stop thinking about it.

“Lixie,” Hyunjin murmured to the face just inches away from his, “Can I hug you?”

Felix nodded instantly and even helped by letting go of the sweaty hands he needed in order to properly embrace the other. A burst of happiness ignited under the sour honey, simmering just under the sourness that had settled over the room. It told Hyunjin he’d made the right choice, and he decided he wouldn’t be letting go of Felix for a long while.

He had the omega wrapped up in his arms seconds later. Felix’s fingers curled into Hyunjins t-shirt, pulling the alpha closer to him if it was even possible. The omega’s skin was hot against his, and he had the fleeting thought that he should be worried about that, but he pushed that to the side for now. Instead, he busied himself with running his fingers through Felix’s tangled hair.

He could feel the tension in Felix’s body release as time passed. He was gradually slipping further into Hyunjin's arms, enough that Hyunjin had to work harder to keep them both upright. Though he didn’t mind one bit. He would gladly carry both of their weight.

“Hey, Baby,” Hyunjin whispered next to Felix’s ear, “Wanna go sit down with me?”

Felix responded by rubbing his nose against Hyunjin’s chest.

“I’ll still hold you,” He chuckled back at the omega while mimicking this action by rubbing his nose on the top of his head, “I’m not letting you go anytime soon, I promise.”

The head pressed against his chest pulled away, and one of Felix’s hands came around to the front with a pinky extended. He looked at Hyunjin with an adorable pout, matched with a pair of equally adorable wide eyes.

A pinky promise.

Hyunjin instantly melted, and then accepted the promise without a second thought.

“Of course,” Hyunjin hooked his pinky around the tiny one Felix presented him, “I promise.”

They let their hands stay intertwined for a bit longer. Felix stared into Hyunjin’s eyes, who started back with a soft smile. As much as he was anxious about not fucking up, he was happy to have this moment with Felix. It was intimate, much more intimate than he thinks any of them have been with him. 

“Are you ready?” Hyunjin asked as he brought Felix’s tiny hand up to his lips.

He pressed a tiny kiss to the omega’s knuckles, earning a tiny grin from the other in response.

“Let’s get going, Pretty Baby,” Hyunjin gripped Felix around the waist to guide him down the hallway, “I have a cute omega to cuddle.”

A burst of pleasure shot through the fear still lingering in the hallway. Felix squished himself against Hyunjin’s side, and Hyunjin took that as another win.

Compliments were definitely okay.

They barely made it a few steps before Felix was stopping them.

“What’s wrong Bub?” Hyunjin looked down at Felix, but the omega was looking behind them.

Specifically, he was looking at Hyunjin’s abandoned crutches.

“Oh,” Hyunjin suppressed a groan, “Yeah those.”

He was planning on leaving them if he’s honest. His injury was already pretty close to healed, and Felix was more important anyways. He could always come back to find them later, and if Chan had an issue, he’d have a pretty damn good explanation.

But it seemed Felix wasn’t pleased with Hyunjin's decision in the slightest. The omega pointed at the fallen crutches with an adorable pout, and the air around them was beginning to cloud with various scents Hyunjin could barely begin to place.

It was similar to their first meeting, where Felix had forced him to submit to him when Hyunjin injured himself. Felix had filled the air with his scent, warning him that he wasn’t asking. It didn’t physically make Hyunjin want to obey him, but it sure did pull at his heartstrings enough to give in to his demands of staying off his foot for three weeks.

Just like then, Felix was filling the air with his scent. But it was still different. His pheromones were sharper, more concentrated. Hyunjin couldn’t tell if that was because of Felix’s current headspace or because he was just really upset that Hyunjin was about to walk away with his crutches, but he decided he didn’t want to wait to find out.

“Okay, okay,” Hyunjin shuffled backward and awkwardly grabbed hold of his crutches, “I got them now. No need to worry, right?”

Felix continued to stare at him, completely unimpressed.

“What?” Hyunjin raised an eyebrow at him.

Felix took the crutches from Hyunjins hands. His grip on them was a little clumsy, which Hyunjin expected. His hand-eye coordination wasn’t going to be perfect when his mind was so fuzzy. Yet he still managed to flip them upright and push them under Hyunjin’s arms. When he was finished, he wrapped his arms around Hyunjin’s.

“Alright, ready now?”

Felix nodded, so Hyunjin slowly hobbled them both to the door he had spotted earlier. When they approached it, he used his own keycard to unlock the door. And once they both made it inside, he turned on the lights and locked the door to try to deter anyone from accidentally walking in.

“Here we are.”

The room was pretty small, one of the smallest on this floor. It was meant for one on one meetings, but it also had a folding futon chair meant for anyone who needed to take a quick nap. This was the perfect place for when Hyunjin stayed late at the company and needed a few minutes of rest before returning home.

“Let’s go lay down,” Hyunjin said as he walked them both over to the chair.

He flipped the cushion to turn it into a longer bed, and it was still a decent enough size to fit them both together. He rested his crutches against the wall, then pulled them both down onto the futon. As he scooted himself backward, Felix followed his lead. He met him at the back of the chair and he instantly clung to Hyunjin like a lifeline.

They were crowded, side by side. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but he didn’t have much room to hug Felix from here. He was just pressed against Hyunjin’s side with his arms curling around his arm. Which was fine if Felix wanted that, but Hyunjin had the instinctual need to hold him close.

“Hey, Lix?” Hyunjin whispered. He could feel Felix shift as he looked up at him, “Wanna lay on me?”

Felix didn’t respond, or at least Hyunjin didn’t think he did. What he did do was lift himself from the futon and drape over Hyunjin’s body. Then his weight was placed on top of Hyunjin, their chests pressed against each other, and his cheek laid on his shoulder.

Felix’s breathing was still erratic, Hyunjin could feel him exhale shaky breaths against his neck. His fingers were fidgeting against Hyunjin’s skin, and his heart was beating irregularly against his rib cage. 

He was still distressed, and Hyunjin didn’t know what else to do.

“Felix…” Hyunjin began, trailing off as he debated if he really wanted to ask this. But after a few seconds, Felix lifted his head to look at Hyunjin with those same beautiful eyes as before.

“Can, um- Can I scent you?”

He shouldn’t be asking this. He knew as soon as it passed his lips that he should’ve never even thought about it. Felix wasn’t thinking straight, and even if it did help, would he even want it?

But then he thought about Felix’s fear, the terror in his scent as he trembled in the hallway. He thought about Felix, the sweet omega that forced Hyunjin into taking care of himself. Felix, who made Jisung fall in love with him in practically 24 hours. Feilx, who Chan had already started to think of as his. Felix, who Changbin had gone feral over after one date.

Felix, who didn’t deserve to feel so scared.

Felix, who wanted Hyunjin’s scent for comfort.

Felix, who deserved to feel safe.

He nodded, as Hyunjin expected. So the alpha pushed aside his worries, for the time being, hoping to god it wouldn’t come back to haunt him later. He pulled Felix closer to him as he leaned down. Felix’s scent was more prominent the closer he got, and he made sure his own scent was as calm and soothing as he could make it.

His eyes locked onto the collar secured around Felix’s neck, onto the empty metal hoop in the center. There should be a tag dangling from that loop, with neat letters engraved on either side. 

He wondered, how nice would it be to see the letters SKZ instead of an empty metal hoop?

“I’m gonna take this off,” Hyunjin warned him as he reached up to unclasp the collar from behind.

The collar clicked apart with enough force, and Hyunjin quickly discarded it beside him.

Hyunjin began to peel away the plastic scent blockers on Felix’s neck. They weren’t even doing much anymore anyway. Felix had dispersed too many pheromones for the patch to capture, and now all of it was good for was to keep the illusion that Felix’s scent was contained. He discarded it beside them and pressed his lips to Felix’s scent glands.

He could feel the omega vibrate in his hold, something he’s experienced with all of his mates at some point. Usually, it happened later in the process, after at least a few touches to the sensitive skin. Though he didn’t pay much attention to Felix's reaction. Instead, he chose to avoid taking his time. He lowered his neck to meet Felix’s, letting their scent glands touch for only a second.

And apparently, that's all he had needed.

Felix had gone boneless in his hold instantly. Hyunjin had hardly done much, and he quickly pulled back in fear he would push Felix too far too fast.

“Lixie?” Hyunjin mumbled, “You okay?”

Felix didn’t answer besides lazily blinking his eyes, though he could tell from Felix’s scent that he was much calmer now.

Hyunjin wasn’t an omega, and he couldn’t claim he understood omegas completely. But from what he's seen in the past, what just happened shouldn’t be possible.

Felix had reacted with the barest of touches to his scent glands. Even Hyunjin’s light peck had the omega shaking in pleasure. And when their scent glands had barely touched, he was already collapsing on Hyunjin’s chest. His eyes were struggling to stay open and he was fighting to stay conscious.

That was worrisome.

“You sleepy?” Hyunjin hummed as he ran his fingers through Felix’s hair again, “You can take a quick nap if you want.”

As if he was just waiting for Hyunjin’s instruction, his eyes fluttered closed.

Hyunjin let out a sigh of relief, then shimmied his phone from his back pocket.

Channie

I need your help

“Here’s your iced americano and banana muffin.”

“Thanks,” Seungmin smiled at the barista as he took his order.

“Of course. We’ll see you again next time!”

The alpha nodded in return with a tiny wave. He was a regular here, though normally his order consisted of a smoothie rather than espresso. The barista taking his order had eyed him with a humorous grin when he tried to get the most bitter thing on the menu. She even went as far as to question if he was the real Seungmin.

He just wasn't a fan of it. He didn’t mind the high amount of caffeine, or even the lack of sugar if he was honest. It was the aftertaste that always got to him.

Though his opinion didn’t matter, he didn’t get the coffee for himself.

His entire purpose of leaving their apartment on one of his rare days off was to visit Minho at the company.

Minho was a very capable omega. He was independent, and their entire pack knew that. No one thought Minho couldn’t handle himself, nor did they think he needed to be coddled and sheltered from the world. They all wanted him to have the same freedoms the rest of them did, regardless of his subgender.

And Seungmin believed that too, but today, his wolf just wouldn’t shut up.

He had woken up on edge, thinking something bad was going to happen. It was like a nagging tug in the back of his mind. It pulled him from his slumber in a panic. His instincts were crawling under his skin, demanding him to do something, but he didn’t even know what he was supposed to do.

He tried to ignore it as he made him and Jeongin breakfast. He tried to ignore it as he took a shower and got dressed. He tried to ignore it as he worked on homework, hunched over medical textbooks as he tried to steady for his next exam. But when he realized he had been staring at the same line of text for well over an hour, he knew this feeling wasn’t going away.

And he didn’t even know how to fix it. The thing about feelings is that it doesn’t guide him in the direction he’s supposed to go. He can’t ask his wolf why it feels like it’s about to jump out of his skin, nor can he pinpoint the cause of the panic in the first place. He just knew he felt it, and he needed to fix it.

So he decided to start with one of the more obvious possibilities for his “bad feeling”, and chose to visit Minho during his first day of work. And he figured if he was going to visit, he shouldn’t go empty-handed.

He arrived at Bang Entertainment just as the sun began to set, iced coffee and muffin in hand as he strolled into the main lobby.

“Hello, How can I- Oh-” Minho had lifted his head to greet the newcomer, but upon seeing one of his packmates, the polite smile he wore grew tenfold, “Seungminnie, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to check on you,” Seungmin said as he stepped inside, “And I came bearing gifts.”

Minho eyed him curiously until the iced coffee and muffin were raised into his field of vision.

“Kim Seungmin,” Minho beamed as he snatched the items from his packmate's hands, “What did I do to deserve you?”

“I don’t know, loved me?” Seungmin smirked as Minho took the first sip out of his iced americano, and that smirk turned into a happy smile as Minho’s face filled with delight.

“Ah,” Minho released his straw, “So it’s that easy to turn you all into my coffee slaves?”

“Be careful what you say,” Seungmin playfully threatened, “We’ll have to send Chan after you.”

“Aw, my favorite puppy,” Minho cooed, and when Seungmin pouted at him, the omega snickered before reaching across the front desk to ruffle the hair on top of his head, “I’m just kidding, you’re all my favorite puppies.”

“You wanna come sit with me?” Minho pulled out a second chair from under the desk, gesturing for Seungmin to join him.

“You just have two chairs here?” Seungmin asked as he walked around the desk and took a seat next to Minho.

“Well, not originally,” Minho explained as he took another sip of his coffee, “I stole it from the meeting room behind me so Felix could sit with me.”

“Felix?” Seungmin turned a surprised expression towards Minho, “You met him already?”

“I did,” Minho answered with a smile, “He’s really nice. I can see why the rest of them like him so much.”

“That’s good,” Seungmin nodded as he spoke, sinking further into his chair, “That's… really good.”

As much as Seungmin had tried to remain optimistic about the pack's new interest in the omega, his mind had been riddled with worries ever since Jisung’s first encounter with Lee Felix. 

Not that it was Felix’s fault, Seungmin hadn’t once blamed him for the unfortunate events that had transpired in the past month. He’d been just as worried about Felix as he was about the rest of his pack. But the constant complications, the uncharacteristic behavior of his packmates, left Seungmin cautious. And with Minho entering the fray, their only omega, Seungmin couldn’t stop the protective instinct from developing.

But knowing Minho had already met Felix, and it went well, that filled him with a relief that calmed his concern for the moment.

“What’d you guys talk about?” Seungmin pointedly ignored the glare Minho threw at him as he reached across the desk to grab a piece of the muffin he brought with him.

“The important stuff, like his favorite color,” Minho stared him down, eyes narrowed and fingers tapping against his thigh, “Do you take pleasure in stealing the good things I receive?”

“Absolutely,” Seungmin grinned as he popped the piece of muffin in his mouth, “But only because you’re cute when you pretend to be angry.”

“Pretend,” Minho scoffed, though Seungmin could see he was struggling to keep his smile from showing, “You think too little of me, Kim Seungmin.”

Even as Minho kept up his charade of annoyance, he tore another piece off his muffin and handed it to Seungmin.

“Thank you,” Seungmin gratefully took the muffin into his own hands as Minho finally took a piece for himself, “So, back to Felix. What’s his favorite color?”

“Black, surprisingly,” Minho answered, “I thought he would’ve been the kind of person who liked yellow or something.”

“Black is valid,” Seungmin shrugged.

“Also he really likes ice cream,” Minho added, then tilted his head in thought, “I might need to get some ice cream bars for work just so I can give him one.”

“That’d be nice,” Seungmin watched his packmate as he listed off the various small details about Felix that he’d learned. 

He noticed each shift in Minho’s character, how his eyes crinkled against his smile as he told Seungmin how the omega swung his feet on the chair. He could hear the fondness in his voice that was usually reserved for their packmates being used to describe the new janitor. He could tell by the small pulses of baby powder in the air, that if Minho wasn’t wearing his scent blockers, Seungmin would be able to smell the adoration in Minho’s scent.

The more he heard, the more he felt compelled to finally meet Felix.

“I might stay for a bit,” Seungmin said after Minho finished off his detailed story about Felix’s love for stuffed animals, “I want to see if I can run into him while I’m here.”

“I thought you had to study today?” Minho questioned.

Seungmin tried to suppress the groan he immediately made, but it made it out anyway.

“Is studying not going great?” Minho rubbed his palm along Seungmin’s arm, and though Seungmin appreciated the gesture, it just made his skin tingle from the contact.

“I just couldn’t focus,” Seungmin sighed, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me today, but I had a bad feeling… I couldn’t get it to go away.”

Minho hummed in sympathy, continuing to rub his thumb against Seungmin’s skin, “Well I’m glad you didn’t ignore it. You should never ignore your instincts if they’re that loud.”

“I still don’t know what it is though,” He had thought the reason behind his bad feeling would be Minho working alone in the Bang Entertainment building. Yet even though he was sitting next to the omega who was completely fine, his wolf was still clawing at his chest telling him something was wrong.

“Maybe it has to do with the others?” Minho suggested, then began pulling out his cellphone, “Maybe we should text them to check on them.”

Seungmin had been just about to grab his own phone. He was a syllable away from complimenting Minho on his forethought to just text their pack in the first place, but before he got a sound out, rush footsteps and hushed voices interrupted the calm atmosphere around them. Both Seungmin and Minho turned their heads to the hallway entrance, where two wolves appeared.

Seungmin could instantly smell the concern radiating off both of them.

“Are you two okay?” Seungmin stood from his seat as the two froze in the entrance.

“Have you guys seen another janitor?” One of them asked, Seungmin could tell he was another  alpha from under the scent blockers he had on, “His name’s Felix but his name card still says Yongbok?”

“Yes,” Minho instantly responded, then stepped out from behind the front desk to walk closer to the two strangers, “He was here earlier to grab some documents that got printed over here. He left a while ago though.”

“How long is a while ago?” The other one asked, a beta.

“Uh, maybe like an hour ago?”

“Damn it,” The alpha cursed quietly, “Where is he?”

“Why are you looking for him?” Seungmin joined Minho’s side, standing just in front of the hallway entrance where the two wolves had stopped.

He could feel the concern simmering under Minho’s scent blockers, even without smelling it outright. He’d known the omega long enough that even just body language gave him away. The way he held his hands to his chest, how his feet crossed over each other to keep his leg from shaking, the lips caught between his teeth and he tried to keep his breathing steady, they were all the most obvious tells.

Minho was scared, and Seungmin couldn’t blame him.

Being closer to the two wolves, he could smell the undertones of their scent much clearer than when he was behind the front desk. The potency was dulled down by cheap scent blockers, but he could still clearly smell their brewing anxiety. They both were dressed in janitor's uniforms, and now that Seungmin was able to clearly read their name cards, he recognized the two as Soobin and Yeonjun, Felix’s two coworkers that Hyunjin and Jisung had spoken about before.

“He went to talk to Mr. Choi earlier and never came back,” Soobin tapped his foot against the floor as he peered down the empty hallway leading to the elevators, “Mr. Choi said he left at least 45 minutes ago.”

“Should we tell Chan?” Minho swung a worried face towards Seungmin, while Yeonjun and Soobin eyed them both with confusion, “Maybe he or one of the others have seen him?”

“Yeah,” Seungmin instantly nodded and slipped his phone from his pocket, “Even if they haven’t, we can all try looking for him.”

“You two know Mr. Bang ?”

Normally, that question wouldn’t have raised any suspicion. Seungmin and the rest of the pack have grown used to the questions and stares that came with a high-profile pack member. They’ve been roped into street interviews and been subject to countless paparazzi photos, it was a normality in their lives. But the way Soobin’s tone had twisted around his words, the way “Mr. Bang” sounded like acid on his tongue, it bothered Seungmin.

Seungmin paused his finger over Chan’s contact. When he raised his head up from his phone, he was met with cold eyes.

“He’s our pack alpha,” Minho clarified, “Is that a problem?”

Soobin remained still, seeming rather calm from his demeanor. But Seungmin could smell his scent beneath his scent blockers. The animosity that was riling him up was coming out in little puffs of pheromones, just enough for Seungmin to smell it, and it completely gave him away.

Jisung was right to be worried about Soobin, because Soobin clearly didn’t like them.

“At the moment, no,” Soobin responded, “If you think it’ll help, go ahead and contact Mr. Bang.”

At the moment.

What did that mean?

“Right...” Minho dragged out. He side-eyed Seungmin, while Seungmin ripped apart the two janitors with his gaze.

That wrong feeling, the one that brought Seungmin here in the first place, twirled in his stomach. It made his throat tight, his chest heavy, and his mind frazzled with a need to do something. It was back with a vengeance, but he didn’t know why.

He didn’t know why he woke up feeling like he couldn’t breathe.

He didn’t know why looking at Soobin made him uneasy.

He didn’t know why his instincts were screaming at him to run through the hallways until he found whatever he was looking for.

He didn’t know anything, and he didn’t like not knowing anything.

“Minnie,” Minho nudged him softly, “Are you okay?”

Seungmin minutely shook his head. Soobin was watching him carefully while Yeonjun awkwardly avoided his gaze, and Minho was gently rubbing his arm.

“Yeah,” Seungmin nodded, “Sorry, let me call him.”

Seungmin ignored the way Soobin looked at him and focused on the small touches Minho placed over his arm as he finally pressed on the call button. 

Felix didn’t know where he was.

He hadn’t known for the past hour, or what felt like an hour. He’s been staring at nothing, but he knew it was something because his vision was colorful instead of black. He’s sure he could figure it out if he tried, but he felt absolutely no desire to focus his eyes onto any fixed point.

And he didn’t care much about what he was looking at when the sweet scent of lavender shrouded him in serenity. 

He was buried in a cloud of bliss, pinned to another surface by his alpha. Delicate fingers combed through his hair, lightly scratching into his scalp with each pass. Vibrations tingled against his cheek, accompanied by the deep murmurs coming from his alpha. The breath from Alpha’s lips tickled his skin, but he didn’t mind.

As long as Alpha was here, holding him tight, he didn’t mind anything.

Lavender continued to drape over him, burying him further under his consciousness. Deep rumbles from his alpha pulled him closer, good boy.

He was a good boy.

His alpha said so, so it must be true.

Hyunjin had been waiting in the tiny meeting room, surrounded by Felix’s unguarded scent for far too long.

The omega had been drifting between consciousness as Hyunjin continued to cradle him against his chest. His scent slowly dissolved from sour terror into caramelized honey as he sunk into his headspace. None of his pheromones were held back, not that Hyunjin expected him to even be coherent enough to reign them in, and the scent of omega was beginning to bring out a possessive instinct Hyunjin was trying to suppress.

There was no benefit to losing himself to his wolf. Not when Felix was relying on him.

Hyunjin tried to remain a calming presence in the center of it all. He was only a couple inches away from Felix’s scent glands, experiencing mouthfuls of delicious honey with each passing second. He felt his wolf preening with pride as he looked down at the omega in his arms, basking in the sense of accomplishment that came with successfully calming a distressed omega.

But he knew, under the happy pheromones and subspace, there was a scared omega waiting to come back to reality.

Something had sent Felix running through the fire escape, and eventually into Hyunjin’s arms.

Something caused Felix, one of the sweetest wolves Hyunjin has ever met, to reek of panic.

Something was wrong, something in their building, and Hyunjin didn’t know what he was supposed to do.

Shortly after Felix had fallen asleep for the first time, Hyunjin texted Chan. Without giving away much of the details, Hyunjin had asked him to search the fire escape Felix came running out of. Chan had been understandably concerned when Hyunjin refused to give him all the information, but Hyunjin didn’t have all the information. 

He wasn’t sure what he could and couldn’t say, what he was actually correct about, and what he had just assumed. He knew giving away anything to Chan over text would just make the pack alpha over worry and come running to them instead of running down the fire escape stairs like Hyunjin needed him to.

So all he said was please, please for me, and Chan did as he was asked.

Chan wasn’t happy. He wasn’t happy when Hyunjin held things back from him. He wasn’t happy when he went through the fire escape and found nothing but empty stairways. He wasn’t happy when Hyunjin finally told him that he had Felix deep in subspace, curled up in his chest because something had nearly pushed him into a subdrop.

Hyunjin expected the tongue lashing he got via text. And he took it with his head held high.

And Chan, though still frustrated with the lack of information, still upset that Hyunjin hadn’t been honest with him from the get-go, also made sure to ask him if he was okay. Chan told him that he loved him, that he was proud of him for helping Felix when he needed it most. He told him that he would be there soon, and they would figure this out together.

When Chan showed up, barely peeking his head into the tiny meeting room to see Felix slowly blinking at nothing, he still had a small smile on his face.

“Hey Buddy,” Chan directed at Felix, and when the omega lift his eyes to Chan’s figure in the doorway, his face lit up with a grin.

Chan was still standing behind the door. He kept his body hidden and held a palm over the scent glands facing the room. He was trying to prevent any of his pheromones from seeping in so it wouldn’t interfere with the environment Hyunjin had already settled Felix into, “How is he?”

Always the considerate one, Hyunjin was reminded again why he loved and appreciated Bang Chan.

“He’s being a good boy,” Hyunjin said softly as he continued to scratch at Felix’s hair, another spike of happy honey filled the room, “He probably won’t be fully coherent for a while. Did you still not find anything?”

“No,” Chan sighed, “Nothing but Felix’s scent. If another scent was there, I’m worried he may have drowned it out.”

“Damn it,” Hyunjin clenched his teeth, biting down on any other unfavorable words that were threatening to burst out of his mouth.

The moment he lost control of his words was the moment he lost control of his emotions, and he needed to keep those in check. He couldn’t risk letting his frustration out in his scent. Not when Felix was relying on him to keep himself together.

“I’m going to need to do a full sweep of the building,” Chan’s eyes traveled over the room in concentration, “I already have security on it.”

“We need to check the cameras,” Hyunjin demanded, “Extract all the video footage, I’ll go through it myself if I have to.”

“I’m already on that, Jinnie,” Chan reminded him with a warning look, making Hyunjin back down instantly, “I’m not resting until we find out what happened.”

Hyunjin forced himself to take a deep breath. Of course, he should have remembered Chan was the last person to give up. Especially when it came to people he cared about. And after the pack discussion last night, it was clear Chan cared deeply about the omega in his arms. The majority of them did, Hyunjin included.

But for Hyunjin, he hadn’t realized just how far that care went. Not until he had Felix trembling in his arms, grasping at his shirt to be as close to him as possible. Not until he felt the tingle on his skin as Hyunjin scented him. Not until the reality finally settled in his mind that something bad was going on in their very building. Not until the knowledge that he was going to have to let Felix walk away on his own again made his heartache.

Last night, he had only been interested in Felix. But today, he was looking at him the same way he looked at Minho, the same way he looked at any of his pack members.

“Normally I would send him home with an emergency contact,” Chan said, “But given that he doesn’t have one, I’ll have to wait until he’s present again.”

Yes, Hyunjin recalled Chan saying Felix was a lone wolf.

How lonely that would be.

Hyunjin wouldn’t be able to survive it, not as an alpha and definitely not as an omega. He thrived on affection, both physical and emotional. He needed to give it, needed to receive it, and he wouldn’t be able to stand living without it. But Felix did, and Hyunjin couldn’t understand how he was still able to smile.

“I spoke with Seungminnie on the phone,” Chan added, “He’s here, maybe he should come look at him?”

“Do you think he could help?” Hyunjin swiped his fingers over Felix’s forehead, riding his skin of stray hairs that had fallen over his eyes, “I don’t know if there’s much he could do at this point.”

“He isn’t studying omega biology for nothing,” Chan chuckled quietly, “He spends more time with his textbooks than he does with us.”

“Yeah,” Hyunjin sighed with an exasperated smile and a shake of his head.

He loved his pack. Each and every one of them held a special place in his heart. He’d do anything for them, no matter the cost. But he drew the line when Seungmin tried bringing his homework to bed.

“I’ll text him,” Chan decided as he stepped away from the door, “I’ll come back with him, okay?”

Hyunjin nodded, and then waited for the soft click of the handle sliding into place.

“Minnie’s gonna come look at you,” Hyunjin leaned down to press a kiss to the top of Felix’s head, “Then we’re gonna figure out what to do with your cute self.”

He probably didn’t understand much of what Hyunjin just said. Ever since Hyunjin scented him, he hadn’t properly responded to anything. The only words that seemed to pass the filter placed over Felix’s brain were the occasional praise, and even that was sporadic and untimed.

The alpha was trying not to think about the drastic change in Felix’s actions, even though the dread that clung to him was eating away at his composure.

He was second-guessing himself, second-guessing his decision to scent Felix in order to calm him down. He had known it was a gamble considering the issues they’d run into in the past. After Jisung’s situation, and then Changbin’s, Hyunjin should have been cautious. These actions have consequences, and even if Felix wasn’t upset with them yet, there was no telling if Hyunjin was the breaking point.

Especially since now, Felix was so deep in subspace that he couldn’t even process the words being spoken to him.

“We need to get a comb through this,” Hyunjin smoothed his hand over Felix’s hair again, “Maybe I can braid your hair. Would you like that?”

He didn’t respond, not that Hyunjin expected him to, but he did lean further into Hyunjin’s hand.

Around ten minutes of silence passed with Hyunjin gladly playing with the hair on top of Felix’s head, and then the silence was broken with the sound of the door handle turning.

The scent of baby powder scent blockers, the same ones their whole pack wore, entered the room.

“Hey Minnie,” Hyunjin sighed in relief as he raised his gaze to his packmate.

Seungmin sent him a strained smile, one that nearly had Hyunjin’s scent spiking with concern, but he quickly caught on before he let his emotions taint the cloud of pheromones he had wrapped around him and Felix. Seungmin walked up to them and knelt on the ground, sending Hyunjin a look that he couldn’t even begin to decipher.

“Hey,” Seungmin greeted him, then turned to Felix with a much brighter smile, “And hello to you.”

“Seungmin,” Hyunjin tried, but Seungmin only shot him another strange nervous look, “What’s wrong?”

Seungmin parted his lips, and nothing but a squeak made it out before the door opened again. Another wolf entered, wearing the same baby powder scent blockers Seungmin wore, except it wasn’t one of their pack members. It was Soobin, strolling into the room with a straight face and settling himself in the corner of the room.

“Um, hey Soobin,” Hyunjin eyed him cautiously, then through a confused expression to Seungmin. He hoped he could convey all of his questions into one facial expression, because he wasn’t even sure what to start.

Why was Soobin the one in the room, and not Chan?

Why did Seungmin look like he was walking on eggshells?

Why was Soobin glaring at them from the corner of the room?

“Channie gave him one of his scent blockers so he could come in here,” Seungmin explained, “Apparently he’s Felix’s new emergency contact.”

“But I thought Felix was a lone wolf?” Hyunjin spoke mostly to Seungmin, but with the extra body in the room, it was inevitable that Soobin would end up a part of the conversation.

“He still is,” Soobin informed them, “He’s not in my pack, but he did label me as his emergency contact during his meeting with Mr. Choi today. So I’d like to get him out of this building as soon as possible.”

“And you will,” Seungmin stated, though he kept his back to Soobin, “Just let me check him over before you leave.”

“I think I’d prefer to take him to a real doctor, not one still in school.”

Hyunjin froze, eyes wide and mouth hung open as he stared back at Soobin's stone-cold demeanor. Obviously, he was missing something, because the Soobin he saw in the corner wasn’t the same Soobin he had lunch with yesterday. Soobin had always been a quiet alpha, but kind all the same. He never spoke a harsh word to anyone, and he seemed to be a genuinely good person.

But the way he just spoke to Seungmin? The way his gaze burned with hatred? This wasn’t the same wolf he considered a friend, or at the very least an acquaintance.

“Do not talk to him like that,” Hyunjin seethed, “He’s just trying to help.”

“Like you tried to help?” Soobin challenged, “Like Jisung tried to help? Is it really a coincidence that each time you try to help, Felix winds up hurt?”

“I suggest you shut up,” Hyunjin growled, “You don’t know a thing about me or my pack.”

“Hyunjin,” Seungmin placed a hand on Hyunjin’s knee, squeezing hard enough that his nails scratched at his skin, “You need to keep yourself under control.”

Hyunjin instantly backed down, though the scowl on his face didn’t leave.

“And you,” Seungmin tossed a quick glance behind him towards Soobin, “I understand you’re upset. We can discuss your issues with us later. But it would be better for Felix if you didn’t antagonize the only alpha in here without scent blockers.”

Soobin crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the wall with a quiet thud.

“Thank you,” Seungmin exhaled, pointedly ignoring the very obvious glares the two alpha were still shooting at each other in favor of finally looking at the omega that had begun quietly shaking in Hyunjin’s arms.

“Hi Felix,” Seungmin began, “My name is Seungmin. I’m one of your alpha’s packmates. Can you look at me?”

Hyunjin felt guilt leaking into his scent, which he tried to mask as quickly as possible. In the midst of Hyunjin and Soobin’s mini argument, Felix had curled further into Hyunjin’s chest. His face was almost entirely hidden in Hyunjin’s shirt with his fists curled into the fabric in front of his eyes. 

Felix didn’t so much as budge, even as Hyunjin’s scent returned to soothing lavender.

“He hasn’t responded much,” Hyunjin provided after Seungmin’s second attempt to grab Felix’s attention failed, “Not for the past thirty minutes or so.”

“Do you know what caused it?” Seungmin asked.

“I think I do…” Hyunjin said reluctantly and at Seungmin’s insistence to continue, he coughed it out, “I kind of… scented him?”

He tried to ignore the muttered “of course you did” coming from Soobin in the corner, and he also tried to ignore the look of disbelief coming from his packmate. He knew they would’ve reacted like this, even he was second-guessing himself now. Scenting wasn’t something you just did to other wolves. It was intimate and cherished, and without knowing the context of why Hyunjin actually did it, it certainly looked bad.

It was why he didn’t tell Chan exactly what happened over text, and why he wasn’t going to tell him until much later. But at the moment, he didn’t know what else to do. Felix was terrified, and Hyunjin was the only one there. He couldn’t let Felix continue to hurt when he had the means to help him.

“Okay,” Seungmin released a deep breath, “That changes things then.”

“What do you mean?” Hyunjin asked as Seungmin repositioned himself on the floor.

“If he’s not responding then he’s probably overwhelmed by pheromones that he’s not used to,” Seungmin explained, “If he’s not used to scenting another wolf, or even being in close proximity with alpha pheromones, then in order to properly work him up to full scenting he needs to be slowly introduced to it.”

“So… I jumped the gun?”

“You majorly jumped the gun,” Seungmin sat back on his heels, “He’s gonna be too out of it for the next few hours at the very least.”

“If that’s the case, then I should be able to take him then,” Soobin pushed himself off the wall to walk closer to the two.

Seungmin turned towards Soobin, “I don’t advise-”

“No offense Seungmin, but I don’t really care about what you or your packmates advise,” Soobin interrupted, and even though his sentence was pointed at Seungmin, his raging expression was directed at Hyunjin, “As far as I’m concerned, your whole pack is a danger to Felix’s wellbeing and I’m not letting you take advantage of him again.”

Hyunjin could feel the irritation simmering in his stomach, could feel it climbing up his chest and threatening to burst into an ugly mess of emotions. He didn’t understand why Soobin had suddenly shifted on him, why he went from laughing with him in the cafeteria to glaring at him across the room. He didn’t understand what he had against Jisung, or Seungmin, or seemingly their entire pack. Nothing made sense, because just yesterday they were fine.

But now Soobin was boiling with anger, directing accusations at them with no basis, and attacking his packmate unprovoked.

“No offense to you, Soobin,” Seungmin snapped before Hyunjin had formulated a response, “But for someone who seems to care so much about Felix’s well-being, you’re being rather selfish.”

Seungmin stood from the floor, eyes lit up with passionate fury as he came eye to eye with Soobin, “Right now, Felix is attached to Hyunjin, not you. And if you separate them in the heat of your anger, based on mear assumptions, you’re risking a real subdrop that could have been avoided.” 

Seungmin stalked closer, making Soobin back up as the smaller alpha approached him, “So I want you to think real hard, as Felix’s emergency contact and acting guardian, are you absolutely sure you want to take Felix away from the alpha he’s already clinging to?”

Seungmin continued to stare at him, nose scrunched and shoulders locked as Soobin pretended to keep up a strong front. Hyunjin knew Soobin wanted to argue back. He knew Soobin’s pride would be bruised, his wolf would be offended by the show of dominance from another alpha with whom he currently had an issue. The urge to snap back would be strong, and he would be holding back every instinct in his body to keep himself in control.

But he did. He took a few deep breaths, closing his eyes and shielding his vision from Seungmin’s gaze, and he didn’t fight back. When he opened his eyes, he looked more exhausted than angry, though he was still guarded as he reluctantly agreed, “You’re right. He and Felix shouldn’t be separated right now.”

“But,” Soobin went on, “I still don’t want any of you alone with him. I don’t trust you. And I’m not letting him spend the night in this building.”

“What else do you suggest?” Seungmin asked.

Soobin’s gaze shot between the two, then with a hesitant sigh, he pulled out his phone, “I’ll make space in my pack’s apartment. You can stay with us until Felix is back to himself.”

Chapter Text

A quick and steady knock to a dark wooden door reverberated in the empty hallway.

Chan stood just on the other side of a filled apartment, staring at the copper numbers nailed in at eye level. The frigid air from outside the building still clung to him, pricking his skin with goosebumps. He let out a deep sigh as he tried to get his jitters under control, though he wasn’t sure if it was that or the cold that had his skin shivering.

He was grateful he was wearing scent blockers because he was sure if he wasn’t, there would be a cloud of uncertainty surrounding him. Regardless of how long he’d practiced keeping his scent as neutral and unobtrusive as possible, he doubted he would have succeeded in keeping his pheromones contained like he normally did. He had too many unanswered questions, too many factors in play that could easily turn his current predicament into his worst nightmare, and that all made it nearly impossible for him to operate as if nothing was wrong.

His pack was in a disarray. Hyunjin was inside a foreign environment, surrounded by a pack that seemingly despised him, and trying his best to keep a vulnerable omega safe. Seungmin’s instincts were flaring with the need to protect his mate, and that only increased tenfold when Hyunjin left his side to take Felix to Soobin’s apartment. Minho, the ever so diligent pack omega, had instantly taken to babying their youngest alpha until his wolf had calmed, and also helpfully took the task of alerting the rest of their pack of the current altercation while Chan dealt with it head-on.

And among all of the chaos that was his own pack, Chan’s wolf was rumbling in response to one of his biggest concerns, Lee Felix.

He still had little information, but from what he did know, something or someone sent Felix into a near subdrop and Hyunjin was the only one there to witness it. Which was something he was grateful for, because if it wasn’t for Hyunjin, he had a feeling Felix would have wound up dropping all alone. 

He had nothing to go off of. Hyunjin hadn’t been able to figure anything out from Felix, and Chan hadn’t found anything in the fire escape other than the stench of terror. All they had was the physical proof, and until Chan was either able to talk to Felix or sift through video footage, that was all they were going to have for the time being.

During the silent drive from the company to Soobin’s apartment, Chan had plenty of time to craft different scenarios in his head. He tried to place himself in Felix’s shoes, tried to imagine what could have possibly scared him enough to go tumbling out of a fire escape in fear. He tried to think of people Felix may have come in contact with, scents that could have overwhelmed him, situations that could make him uncomfortable. He thought about Felix’s coworkers, about how he was working with them just before Hyunjin ended up with a handful of petrified omega.

He thought about how Soobin had been the one to pick up Felix’s ID card after the situation with Jisung and not Felix.

He thought about how frustrated Jisung was when he detailed how Soobin so obviously didn’t like him.

He thought about how Soobin had insulted Seungmin so directly, how he had spoken to Hyunjin like he was a criminal, how he had made decisions over Felix’s well-being without thinking of the risks.

Soobin was supposed to be Felix’s emergency contact, even though the last time Chan checked Felix didn’t have an emergency contact. Soobin clearly wasn’t thinking when Felix was in a critical situation. He acted on instinct instead of thinking logically, and Chan had to wonder what about Soobin screamed that he was capable of making those kinds of decisions on Felix’s behalf when he had reacted that way he had? 

What the hell happened between Felix and Soobin to make them close enough that Felix made him his emergency contact?

Truthfully, Chan didn’t feel confident he could waltz into Soobin’s domain and keep his composure. He hadn’t had a chance to properly wrap his head around the situation, and he couldn’t deny the larger part of him that wanted nothing more than to drop the pleasantries and level the playing field. If Soobin felt that he could treat Chan’s mates like a couple of monsters, Chan could show him exactly that.

But he also knew that was just the instincts simmering under his skin. He was wounded as an alpha and a pack leader, and everything in him was screaming to protect the ones he loved. He felt helpless knowing that his best course of action was to remain cordial and strategize before things went south when all he wanted to do was snap his teeth and take off with both Hyunjin and Felix.

Except he couldn’t, because Felix wasn’t his and he still needed to solve the mess that had been created between his pack and Soobin.

Chan forcefully shook his head, taking a deep breath as the sound of footsteps grew louder from the other side of the door.

The door swung open with a gush of warm air pelting Chan in the face.

“Mr. Bang,” Soobin stood in the small opening, barricading the entrance with his body as he looked down on Chan with narrowed eyes.

“Just Chan is fine,” Chan insisted, “I think we’re beyond formalities at this point.”

Chan reached into his jacket pocket and curled his fingers around a couple of small plastic packages, “I brought some extra scent blockers for your pack.”

As Chan extended his hand, the other alpha looked at his offering skeptically, “We have our own scent blockers.”

Chan suppressed a sigh and clenched the plastic packages between his pinch fingers, “That’s fine too, I just figured I’d offer considering the circumstances.”

He knew they had their own scent blockers, it didn’t take much to smell the fake scents that lingered on their natural pheromones. But Chan also knew from experience that cheap scent blockers did virtually nothing if you couldn’t manage your emotions. Chan’s scent blockers were specifically crafted for wolves like Jisung who couldn’t control their pheromones. Instead of masking the pheromones with artificial scents, these were designed to capture and exchange them with a neutral scent. 

They weren’t exactly the most affordable when it came to pheromone safety, so Chan had taken it upon himself to provide some of his own.

In Soobin’s case, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure none of his emotions affected Felix, even if that came at the expense of his own pride. But considering Soobin had completely rid himself of the patch Chan gave him at the company in favor of one of his own, it seemed he still had some stubbornness to let go of.

“We’ve been managing fine since Felix and Hyunjin have arrived,” Soobin stated, “Though you should put one aside for your mate to wear when Felix wakes up.”

“Of course,” Chan placed the packets back in his pocket, “I wouldn’t want to put Felix in any more uncomfortable situations.”

“Is that so?” Soobin hummed with a condescending tune, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared down at Chan from the doorstep, “Seems like your pack is stellar at creating uncomfortable situations.”

Chan was expecting Soobin to be hostile. Everything the other alpha had said back at the company to Hyunjin and Seungmin was still lasered into his head, and it would have been stupid not to assume the same treatment would be applied to him. But he couldn’t help the disappointment that flooded him when he realized Soobin wouldn’t be making this any easier.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to see Hyunjin,” Chan ignored the accusation, even though it took more willpower than he would like to admit, “He’s still injured and I’d like to check on his ankle.”

“I already had Kai check it out,” Soobin said, as if Chan had any idea who the hell Kai was, “It’s a little irritated and swollen so we gave him an ice pack and some pain medicine.”

“I appreciate you checking him, but, from one pack leader to another, I’m sure we both know I won’t be taking your word for it.”

“Why’s that?” Soobin tilted his head at Chan, “You all made me take Seungmin’s word when he checked on Felix, but I can’t do the same? That’s a bit hypocritical, don’t you think?”

“You know that’s different,” Chan growled out.

“Is it?” Soobin shot back.

Chan wanted to say Felix isn’t even in your pack. He wanted to shove it in his face, because Soobin was acting as if his role as emergency contact overrode everything, including Chan’s right to his own packmate. Soobin was just another alpha in Felix’s life, one that had no idea how close Felix was to the rest of them. What gave him the right to dictate everything?

But then again, wasn’t Chan just the same? He wasn’t Felix's alpha, and he wasn’t even his emergency contact, so did he really have anything over Soobin besides the strange encounters Chan’s pack has had with him?

“Listen,” Chan let out a defeated sigh, “We can stand out here and bicker all day, but that won't solve anything.”

He needed to try his best to ignore the growing distaste for Soobin and his behavior for the sake of Felix. He needed to get to the bottom of this situation, find out what caused Felix’s near subdrop, and get him back to a safe headspace. But he couldn’t do that if he and Soobin couldn’t have a simple conversation.

“You care about Felix, right?” Chan asked, and Soobin reeled back in response.

“Of course I do.”

“Then I think we can both agree that us butting heads isn’t going to help him,” Chan added as he shifted his weight on his feet, “I want to see him come back to himself, and I want to find out what caused this so we can prevent it from happening again, but I need your help to figure that out.”

Soobin remained staring at him, teeth gnawing at his inner cheek as he contemplated Chan’s words. The tension between them grew tenfold, each moment reminding Chan that he had so much to do still. Reports to write and paperwork to file so this situation got handled properly, and he could only hope Soobin wouldn’t be even half as difficult as he was now when that process began.

“Fine,” Soobin exhaled as he pushed the door open further and stepped to the side, “You can come in.”

“Thank you,” Chan mumbled as he stepped up into the warmth engulfing the small hallway.

As the door clicked shut behind him, his eyes settled on the neat row of shoes lined up along the wall. Among the various pairs of shoes, he recognized Hyunjin’s fuzzy slippers that he left the house in this morning right next to a pair of beat-up sneakers that had to be Felix’s.

“Put your shoes anywhere,” Soobin guided him, “I’ll go set up some tea.”

Chan followed the retreating alpha with his eyes, watching him disappear down the hallway and around the corner. When he could hear the sound of the cupboards opening and closing, he quickly toed off his own shoes, setting them neatly next to Hyunjin’s, and made his way into the main living space.

He found Soobin standing over the stove with a kettle, “I only have black tea right now,” Soobin informed him as he pulled the two cups closer to the stove.

“That’s fine,” Chan said as he stepped closer to the kitchen counter.

The two alphas waited in silence, only the sound of steaming water filling the space between them. Soobin remained facing away from Chan, and Chan kept himself busy by examining the colorful living space.

Chan wasn’t sure how many people lived here, the only members of Soobin’s pack he’d known of were Yeonjun and supposedly this mysterious Kai Soobin spoke of earlier, but regardless the apartment was well organized. Someone clearly liked interior decorating, and the fun splashes of colors hinted at a playful personality.

“Your place is nice,” Chan tried to test out a compliment, which Soobin tensed in response to.

It took him a few moments, but eventually, Soobin responded as he tore open the tea bags, “Thanks. Yeonjun and Beomgyu decided on the colors.”

He debated on continuing, because he wanted to rid the awkwardness and clear disdain so they could be civil, but he didn’t want to push too hard. So Chan eased back, letting Soobin finish making the tea while Chan let his mind wander.

He could smell Hyunjin somewhere in one of the closed bedroom doors. His scent floated among the other wolves in the apartment, though his was the clearest being the only one not affected by scent blockers. Chan could tell he was trying his best to keep his scent as calm as possible, even though the nerves had to be getting to him. 

Less potent but still there Chan could smell hints of honey belonging to Felix, though his scent was off and a little sweeter than Chan remembered it being. He didn’t expect Felix’s scent to return completely to normal after such a traumatic experience, and if he was still sleeping then it’s highly likely his body hasn’t completely regulated his pheromones quite yet, but it still made Chan turn a concerned glance in Soobin’s direction.

“Have you checked on Felix recently?”

Instantly Chan could smell the change in Soobin’s scent. The artificial blueberry that tried to mask the earthy musk his wolf created did nothing as a smokey smell joined the room. This was one of the primary reasons Chan had offered his own scent blockers upon his arrival, to avoid a situation where Soobin’s instincts flared and caused an uncontrollable burst of pheromones.

Chan liked knowing his emotions weren’t on display, that he could feel anyway and, unless he acted on those emotions, no one would know. Soobin was going on with his day at a disadvantage to Chan, one that admittedly made Chan feel a little guilty because he could read Soobin like a book, and Soobin was left in the dark.

“I’m not incompetent, Chan,” Soobin muttered, “I have Yeonjun in the room with Hyunjin and Felix now. He knows what he’s doing.”

“Don’t you think his scent seems off?” Chan questioned.

“He’s smelled like that since he got here,” Soobin explained as the water in the kettle reached a boil, “Yeonjun hasn’t noticed anything alarming, otherwise he would have told me.”

Soobin turned off the stove as he removed the kettle. Chan watched as steaming water filled the two cups, paying attention to the rigid motions in Soobin’s arms. His scent was strong even under the fake mockery of blueberries, but his emotions were fluctuating. One moment he would be irritated, then he would be exhausted, then protective, and now defensive.

But one of the biggest things Chan could smell was failure, and Chan couldn’t seem to grasp what exactly was causing that one.

Chan still had issues with Soobin, especially regarding Soobin’s interactions with Hyunjin and Seungmin. There were emotions that Chan couldn’t let go of, but Soobin clearly had his own insecurities and worries. As much as Chan wanted to just grab Hyunjin and Felix and get out of there as soon as possible, Chan knew things weren’t that simple.

Soobin still meant something to Felix. Chan didn’t know what that was, but it was enough that Felix made him his emergency contact. If Chan wanted even a chance at developing a meaningful relationship with Felix, he needed to try to salvage some sort of truce with Soobin’s pack before they left.

That started with trying to understand why Soobin was so angry with them in the first place.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Chan began, “Do you have any omegas?”

Soobin froze for a moment, long enough for Chan to notice, then quickly grabbed the two cups and brought them over to the counter Chan was sitting at, “I have one. Why do you ask?”

“I do as well,” Chan took one of the cups Soobin handed him and rested it between his palms, “He’s very strong and independent when he wants to be.”

“Mine too,” Soobin's voice filled out with a fonder tone, though his eyes didn’t meet Chan’s, “Sometimes I think he’s the pack alpha instead of me.”

“Seems like we have a lot in common,” Chan smiled faintly. He could see Soobin eyeing him out of the corner of his, but he kept his gaze on the dark liquid warming the insides of his hands.

“I don’t think we’re all that similar,” Soobin mumbled.

“I don’t agree,” Chan countered, “I think we’re both a couple of alphas that are protective over the people we care about. Maybe a little overprotective at times, and it’s hard to accept that part.”

Chan let his elbows rest on the counter, bringing the cup to his lips so he could feel the steam ghost over his lips. His eyes rose to meet Soobin’s, “You really care about Felix, and you see us as a threat. Am I correct?”

As the tea met his lips, the rich smell of black tea was overpowered with burning wood.

“I don’t think I’m wrong to feel that way.”

Chan held his gaze as he returned his cup to the counter. Soobin had yet to touch his own, instead leaving his hands clenched beside it. 

Chan couldn’t imagine what they had done to personally offend Soobin, after all before this month Chan had only had a surface-level relationship with him. It was ever since Felix was introduced to the company that things got confusing. Now a janitor that Chan had previously only had a few pleasant conversations with in passing was glaring at him from across a kitchen countertop.

Perhaps he was jealous. It would fall in line with what Jisung had brought up during their last pack discussion, and considering what Chan’s mind had conjured up earlier, he wouldn’t be surprised if Soobin’s problem with them stemmed from his relationship with Felix.

It made things make sense, like how Jisung said Soobin looked at him strangely during lunch and subtly positioned himself closer to Felix. It would explain the extreme reaction to Hyunjin and Seungmin, and he could even use it to justify Soobin’s denial of any help Chan tried to provide such as scent blockers.

If Soobin felt his relationship with Felix was threatened by them, or if his wolf felt any sort of claim over Felix, then it was no wonder he was increasingly bitter towards any of Chan’s pack.

“I’m trying to piece things together,” Chan explained, “So I can understand why you seem to hate my pack.”

“I don’t hate your pack,” Soobin shot back quickly, “I just don’t trust you.”

“Okay, you don’t trust my pack,” Chan corrected, “Why?”

“Let me ask you a question,” Soobin’s fists gripped the edge of the countertop, “Do you often use your pheromones on innocent omegas in the workplace? Or is that just a Han Jisung Exclusive?”

At the mention of Jisung, Chan’s instincts rose in defense, “What are you talking about?”

“The day Ms. Jun dragged Felix into your office over an ID card that your pack member gave him, he never came back to work. Something happened in that office, something that made Felix and Jisung miss work for the rest of the day and the next one, and then when Felix came back it was like a permanent haze was settled over his head.”

Chan felt dread forming in his chest. He was seeing exactly where this conversation was heading, and the only thing he could think was that’s not how it happened. It had been an accident, one that Chan had handled as quickly and efficiently as he could manage, and it had seemed like he succeeded. Felix had remained friendly with all of them, taking time out of his day to eat lunch with Jisung and Hyunjin and continuing to foster a healthy friendship with them.

The incident in his office was so long ago, and as far as Chan knew, Felix wasn’t upset by it, but Soobin didn’t seem to share that sentiment.

“He couldn’t hold a conversation, forgot his only form of communication at home, and fell out of focus more times than I think would be normal,” Each word was sharp, laced with the venom of Soobin’s animosity, “I should have known better when you asked me to send him up to you after I went to grab his ID card. He looked like he would rather do anything but that.”

Chan remembered when Felix finally arrived at his office. He remembered the puffy red eyes and the shaky hands as Felix tried to pretend everything was fine, and he remembered the crushing guilt that his pack could have been the ones to cause it. He was so worried, for both Jisung and Felix, and as Felix entered his office looking like the textbook example of a subdrop, he’d been prepared for the worst.

But when Felix declined to file any charges, when he had said he wanted to see Jisung again, when he went out of his way to help Hyunjin and have lunch with Changbin and hang out with Minho in the lobby…

What Soobin was describing didn’t make sense, because if Felix was really that terrified of them, why would he continue to spend time with them?

“So did you and Jisung just decide to take advantage of the first omega you could find-”

“That’s not what happened,” Chan normally wouldn’t interject, not during such a serious conversation, but Soobin was just so, so wrong.

He and Jisung would never abuse their power like that.

“What else could it be?” Soobin replied darkly, “What else could have made him terrified to leave mine and Yeonjun’s side for days after your meeting with him?”

“If you let me explain, I can tell you exactly what happened that day,” Chan pleaded, “It’s not what you think.”

“ It’s not what I think,” Soobin scoffed as he pushed himself off the counter.

Soobin’s lips parted as his face screwed up with frustration, though before he could breathe another syllable, his expression fell. The apartment, which was slowly filling with the scents of Soobin and Chan’s conversation, was suddenly drowned out with honey.

It flushed through the apartment, through the door cracks, dripping over the furniture, caressing their skin with an overwhelming sweetness that completely rid them both of their unnecessary aggression. Soobin’s locked shoulders dropped and Chan’s scowl was wiped off his face, and with small steps, Soobin rounded the kitchen counter to stand just beside Chan.

Chan’s alpha preened as the sweet scent engulfed him, instantly relaxing his muscles and calling him forward. If he were much younger, much less experienced than he was now, he may have followed the pull of pheromones without much thought. But he was a pack leader, one with plenty of practice with omegas, and he knew better than to follow the desires of his wolf in this situation.

Felix’s scent had smelled off earlier, and Chan should have insisted that something wasn’t right when he brought it up. 

“Felix…?” Soobin mumbled beside him, “He’s…”

“He’s in preheat,” Chan finished for him.

Normally preheat didn’t smell this... intense. Preheat was something that came slowly, it was the body's way of letting the pack adjust and prepare for the heat before it hit. It gave omegas time to settle in, call off work, and perfect their nest until they were ready. It started with a clingy stage, then everyone’s clothes would go missing as a nest was built. The omega’s scent would shift over time, slowly growing stronger and sweeter as their bodies changed in time with their biology.

Never in Chan’s life has any omega he’s met ever started their preheat smelling this strong.

The bedroom door connected to the living room swung open abruptly. The door handle smacked against the drywall, though Chan didn’t pay much mind to it. He was more focused on the embarrassment souring the scent of sweet honey and the panting omega darting from the bedroom and heading straight for the front door.

“Felix?” Chan called out fretfully as the familiar janitor's uniform blurred past his vision.

Felix didn’t answer him, but the sound of the front door slamming shut was enough of a response.

“Felix!” Seconds later, a frazzled beta who Chan recognized as Yeonjun lunged out the doorway followed by an equally flustered Hyunjin. 

“Felix is in preheat,” Yeonjun huffed out in one breath.

“Yeah, we know,” Soobin responded.

All traces of their earlier discussion seemed to disappear. Soobin’s scent had leveled back out to a soft woodsy scent that would have complimented Chan’s pine if he wasn’t wearing scent blockers. It was tinged with worry, something that mirrored Hyunjin and Yeonjun’s pheromones perfectly.

Obviously Soobin cared about Felix, something that became apparent the further along in their argument they got. Soobin still had a lot of information wrong, but now that Chan was starting to understand where he was coming from, he felt like he had a better handle on the situation.

He could figure out how to fix this, so long as the two of them didn’t let their emotions get the better of them, and hopefully they could do it sooner rather than later.

“Channie,” Hyunjin spoke from behind Yeonjun, raising his hand where an old leather collar dangled from his fingers, “He just left the apartment without his collar.”

“And he’s probably alerting all nearby wolves that he’s in preheat,” Chan groaned aloud, “ Fuck .”

“We need to go get him,” Yeonjun stomped out of the room and went straight towards the front door, “He can’t be out there alone.”

Chan wanted to agree, desperately. The longer Felix was out in the open, the more likely he was to get noticed by someone who had less than innocent intentions. There were too many aggressive alphas waiting for a chance like this, where they can easily take advantage of a vulnerable omega, and the last thing he wanted was for Felix to be one of those victims. Not to mention what could happen if someone tried to report him for not having his collar.

But regardless of his personal wishes, he had to disagree, “We can’t.”

“ What?! ” Yeonjun twisted around and shot a glare at Chan.

“We can’t just go grab him,” Chan hastily explained, “He left for a reason, and if we chase after him we’re just going to make him panic.”

After Felix’s near subdrop, forcing him into a situation that made him uncomfortable was a recipe for disaster.

“It’s too dangerous out there,” Soobin stepped up to Yeonjun’s side, clasping their hands together as he faced Chan, “I get where you’re coming from, but letting him wander outside alone isn’t an option-”

“I’m not saying we need to leave him alone,” Chan interrupted, throwing a quick look towards Hyunjin as the other alpha shuffled closer to him, “We tail him, make sure he stays out of trouble until he gets home and if we see anything we need to step in for, we will.”

Chan grabbed a hold of Hyunjin, sticking his hand in his pocket to quickly pull out a scent blocker for his partner before pushing into his palm, “Put this on for me?”

Hyunjin complied easily, and as the scent of lavender died down, Chan pulled out two more scent blockers and extended them towards Soobin and Yeonjun, “I know you didn’t want to wear these earlier, but I strongly recommend you do. We don’t want to spook him and he’s going to recognize your scents.”

Soobin eyed him with a tense expression, probably because he didn’t want to go back on his earlier decision, but Yeonjun decided for the both of them and shoved one into Soobin’s chest as he began to pull them both towards the front door, “I don't care what alpha bullshit you have going on. You’re wearing one.”

Felix realized, just as he darted out the building’s main entrance, that he had left his shoes inside Soobin’s apartment.

His feet pounded against the cold pavement, his warm breath fanning against his flushed skin as he sprinted down barren roads. It was still dark outside and probably late, or early, enough that most people were asleep.

He passed by parked cars and bicycles, turning random corners that he thought led him out of the neighborhood he knew housed his coworkers' pack. He was going off muscle memory, trying to remember what roads he took the first time he visited Yeonjun and Soobin’s apartment after work. His mind was so fuzzy and muddled that all the streets looked the same and the buildings blended together as he sped past them.

He knew if he slowed down he may be able to figure out his surroundings, maybe he could ask someone for help or directions. He could grasp himself and try to formulate a plan that wasn’t just running around aimlessly until he wound up in the right direction.

But if he slowed down, then that meant he had to think about how he had woken up in a foreign room, clinging to Hyunjin with all his strength as Felix’s scent exploded in his face.

He had to remember the gasp Yeonjun made as he scurried off of the bean bag he’d been sitting in, and he had to remember the way Hyunjin tried to keep hold of him as Felix pushed himself off the bed he’d been laying in.

He had to remember how his stupid scent had covered the entire apartment against his will, the sound of the door handle hitting the wall, and the shocked expression that Chan and Soobin wore as he stood in the doorway.

He had to come to terms with the fact that he woke up in preheat three months too early, and it had happened in front of not only Soobin and Yeonjun, but Hyunjin and fucking Bang Chan.

Of fucking course he would have the shittiest luck.

Against his wishes, Felix’s desire to keep running from his thoughts was halted as he nearly turned the corner for the fourth time. He was coherent enough to know that he was just going to wind up going in a circle, and he was still completely lost as to where he should actually be going. So with a silent groan, he slowed to a stop just before the sidewalk curved, coughing along to his heaving breaths as he rested his hands on his knees.

Never in his life had he had a preheat as intense as this, as fast as this. The heat was overbearing already, like he was already tipping over the edge of clarity and ready to lose himself to his wolf. As his chin dropped to his chest and damp hair hung over his eyes, droplets of sweat slid down his forehead. It always grossed Felix out when he got all sticky with sweat, and the smell of it was always the worst, but by far his least favorite thing was the lack of self-control.

And Felix knew, from the moment he opened his eyes, that he was already dangerously close to losing it.

As soon as his brain had recognized that he was no longer sleeping, the scent of lavender had practically smacked him in the face. His wolf had been lavishing in the attention of fingers combing his hair, of the comforting scent blanketing them in safety, and Felix hadn’t had the ability to process the position he was in until Hyunjin was whispering a greeting next to his ear.

Hyunjin’s voice was warm, kind, and Felix had instantly felt his wolf pull closer to the alpha. But the only thing Felix could think at that moment was this is too dangerous.

He couldn’t remember how he got there, how he wound up with Hyunjin’s arms wrapped around him and Hyunjin’s scent lulling him to sleep.

He couldn’t remember how he wound up in a different room, with Yeonjun staring at him a few feet away.

The last thing he remembered was… Jinho. Jinho and his snarling teeth, chasing him through the hallways and- Fuck he lost his notebook again didn’t he?

Felix crouched down on the sidewalk, bringing his hands up to grasp onto his hair. He let his eyes wander, though the hazy tint made it hard to make out anything from this far away. His mind was running ragged, trying and failing to keep up.

He needed to keep going, he knew he did. Being out on the street wasn’t a good idea, not when he was going in to preheat. But that meant he needed to find his way home, and he couldn’t think. Everything was too hard to understand, and he shouldn’t even have to deal with this because he should have preplanned for this months ago but his stupid preheat was too fucking early-

The pressure on his scalp increased.

Everything in him was begging him to go back, to go find Hyunjin again, go find Soobin and Yeonjun and Chan.

Wow, love to feel Chan hugging him again.

He wanted to be with Chan and Hyunjin, every inch of him was tugging on his heartstrings reminding him aren’t they the perfect alphas?

You want them.

You NEED them, Felix.

They’ll help you through your heat better than Jinho ever could.

And fuck, even his rational mind was agreeing with that, they would be miles better than Jinho could ever hope to be.

But he couldn’t just do that. He didn’t trust himself, or more specifically his omega, to not fuck something up. When he succumbs to his heat, which Felix felt like was going to happen faster than he was used to, he couldn’t be sure what he would do.

What if he made a move, what if he tried to confess feelings he wasn’t even sure of yet?

What if he ended up begging them for things he wasn’t ready for?

What if, by the time his heat ended and his wolf retreated to the back of his mind, Chan and Hyunjin ended up disgusted by him because his omega was too forward with its desires?

He couldn’t risk it, which is why he needed to find his way back home.

But… he also didn’t want to go back to his apartment alone. He hadn’t prepared for this heat. He didn’t have food, or medicine, and he sure as hell didn’t have anything to make a nest with.

The thought shouldn’t bother him as much as it did, he hasn’t had the things to make a proper nest in forever, but it still caused him to blink away quickly forming tears. It was in his nature to nest. It was something nearly every omega did during their heats, sometimes even outside of heats if it made them feel better, and Felix wasn’t exempt from that. 

Being a lone wolf, he didn’t have access to any scents that made him feel safe. He usually just bundled up his blanket, maybe added a few sweatshirts, and pretended it made him feel safe enough. He always barricaded the door, because he was paranoid that someone would smell him from outside and try to break in, and then he would huddle into the covers that only smelled like himself.

Now that Felix had access to other scents, scents that actually made him feel safe and happy, the idea of going home to nothing but himself…

Felix’s lips parted in realization as a soundless gasp left him. His head shot up and he squinted his eyes at the bright street light that shined back at him.

Changbin’s jacket. He left it in the janitor’s closet back at the company. It was still crumpled together in a ball, something Felix regretted now. If he could find a way in and out without anyone noticing, he could use that for his nest.

It wasn’t much, it was probably going to be the most pitiful excuse for a nest anyone’s ever seen, but even just one piece of clothing had his wolf jumping in need. 

With a new objective in mind, Felix stood from his crouched position and looked at each street sign. The letters blurred together, but as he fiercely blinked his eyes the words started to clear up. The various street names began to make sense to him, and eventually, his eyes landed on one that seemed familiar. He quickly checked for cars, then started to jog across the street towards where he believed Bang Entertainment was.

He just needed to keep himself together, keep himself focused and on track until he was home with Changbin’s jacket. Then he could make his nest and ride out his heat until he was back to normal.

“God, Chan has way too much shit in here,” Minho huffed as picked up yet another pile of papers from the desk that resided in Chan’s office.

“It makes me wonder how he’s able to work with everything so disorganized,” Seungmin added as he powered on the computer that Minho was slowly revealing behind stacks of documents.

Chan had left the company around an hour ago, and with his absence left Minho and Seungmin with the responsibility of jump-starting the search into Felix’s mystery subdrop. He’d left them with access to his office, and on his computer would be a login to the company’s security footage which Seungmin was prepared to comb through until he found whatever he was looking for. 

The only issue was that Chan’s office was an absolute mess. And Minho, being the organized person he was, took issue with the current state of his partner's workspace.

“Maybe we should deep clean while we’re in here,” Minho grimaced as his gaze swept over the layer of dust on top of Chan’s filing cabinet, “I can just file everything away for him and get a duster in here.”

“You can try,” Seungmin said as the computer screen illuminated his face, “But then he’ll just have to call you every twenty minutes to ask you where you put something.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to do it with him one day,” Minho shrugged.

“Yeah, because you have so much time on your hands,” Seungmin shot him a sarcastic look, one that Minho pouted at.

“I’ll always make time for you guys.”

“I know you would, Love,” Seungmin chuckled as he typed in the passcode Chan left them, “We just worry about you, you know.”

“I’m fine,” Minho insisted, clearing off the last of the papers and settling himself next to Seungmin in front of Chan’s desk, “I’m not overworking myself.”

“Not yet,” Seungmin tacked on.

“Seungmin,” Minho placed a hand on Seungmin’s shoulder, causing the younger alpha to look at him from the computer chair, “I know my limits. I promise I’m fine.”

“You’re practically working two jobs, Min,” Seungmin exasperated as he turned in the chair. His hands moved to hold Minho’s with his lips pressed together in thought, “And then you take care of the pack at home, and you cook dinner and make sure Hyunjin takes care of his injury. You’re always so attentive and so perfect and now you’re working at the company by yourself and I’m just… I’m worried.”

Minho repressed a sigh. He knew his pack meant well, he’d never had a doubt in his mind. They were always trying to watch out for him while also trying to keep their alphaness from dominating his life, and Minho appreciated the effort. They gave him space and freedoms that most omegas don’t get. They never prevented him from doing what he wanted in life even though they had every legal right to stop him.

He’s forever grateful he fell in love with such amazing people, that would never change, but sometimes they got a little overbearing. And when that happened, Minho had to remind them that he was fully capable of making his own decisions, and while he would take their worries to heart and fully discuss them with them, he would ultimately choose what happened in his life.

And luckily, they’ve never had an issue with that during their entire relationship. But sometimes, when they inevitably let their worry fester, Minho was more than willing to reassure them.

“I know you working at the company is what we all thought was right,” Seungmin squeezed his hands, “But you’re gonna be gone so much more now and I keep thinking something is gonna go wrong.”

“Seungminnie,” Minho smiled down at him, “You know I would never do something I know would put me in danger, right?”

“Of course,” Seungmin nodded, “That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“Then what is it?”

“What if it’s someone else that puts you in danger?” Seungmin bit his lip, “Like… whoever put Felix in danger.”

Minho sucked in a breath. Felix’s situation is still a little tricky, given that they still knew virtually nothing about it. Hyunjin didn’t have much information besides that Felix came running from the fire escape, and Minho knew that the last time he saw the janitor he was happy and bubbly.

And completely adorable, but that's beside the point.

“You know Felix did the best thing he could have in that situation, right?” Minho answered softly, “He ran to the first alpha he could find, away from danger, and got help.”

“Yeah but then he almost dropped,” Seungmin countered, “And what if he didn’t find Hyunjin and he just wound up with an even worse person who actually did make him drop?”

“You’re right, that could have happened,” Minho admitted.

“It just…” Seungmin sighed, slouching a bit in his chair, “It just doesn’t seem safe. I don’t like it.”

“I understand why it makes you anxious,” Minho stepped up to Seungmin's slouched form, using their entwined hands to pull Seungmin into a hug, “It would make me anxious too if the roles were switched. There’s a lot of variables in the world, and we can’t always control them.”

“I can sense a ‘but’,” Seungmin mumbled into Minho’s shirt.

“ But, I’m still a person. I can’t be holed up at home like a trophy. I need to live my life regardless of the risks, I just need to know how to take care of myself in case I run into one of those situations.”

“That’s why I always text you guys to keep you updated and why I have no problem if you want to scent me when we’re in public,” Minho swiped his thumb over the top of Seungmin’s hair, “I want you to feel better, and I use that as a way to help keep myself safe. I’m hyper-aware of my surroundings and I keep my eyes peeled at all times.”

“I know,” Seungmin exhaled as he pulled back from Minho’s chest to look up at him, “You’re always going the extra step.”

“And I always will,” Minho reminded him softly, “Remember, I used to live a much more dangerous life than this one.”

“Yeah, don’t remind me,” Seungmin groaned as he fell back into the back of the chair, “You’re gonna give me heart pains.”

Minho chuckled and ruffled the top of Seungmin’s hair, “Are you still worried?”

“I can’t stop myself from worrying,” Seungmin mumbled as he turned his attention back to the computer screen, “But I can try to learn to get used to this new normal.”

“I’m sure everyone needs to get used to it, but it won’t be forever,” Minho added, “Just for now.”

“Just for now,” Seungmin repeated with a nod.

Minho gave him one last smile, puckering his lips to blow an air kiss that thankfully made Seungmin light up with a grin.

“Okay, I need to get started on this,” Seungmin sat up in his chair again, “It’s gonna take a while to find anything worthwhile when we don’t know where to start.”

“Well start in the back storage room on the first floor,” Minho looked over Seungmin’s shoulder, “That’s where Felix was with Soobin and Yeonjun before he went missing.”

“Back storage room…” Seungmin hummed as the computer mouse hovered over the various cameras until it reached the one he was looking for, “Here.”

The screen was quickly filled with a hallway shot.

“Now go back a few hours,” Minho instructed, “We’ll probably see him.”

“Didn’t he go see you too though?” Seungmin glanced back at Minho, “And his manager?”

“He did see me after he saw his manager. He came to pick up some documents that got printed,” Minho pulled back, resting his hands on his hips, “Let’s check the lobby when he was there, then we can follow him.”

“Okay, so the lobby then,” Seungmin changed cameras, revealing the empty receptionist desk.

“Now rewind again.”

Seungmin obeyed. The camera rewinded back, showing Soobin and Yeonjun’s arrival, then Minho and Seungmin sitting at the desk, Seungmin entering the building, and finally Felix stepping up to the receptionist desk and Minho greeting him.

“There he is,” Seungmin paused the video and let it play in real-time.

“He’s asking me about the documents,” Minho helpfully informed Seungmin in the absence of sound.

The video showed Minho handing them over to the janitor, a few more words were exchanged between the two, and then Felix was walking back the way he came with the papers in hand.

“Hallway,” Minho said, but Seungmin was already switching the camera again.

“He’s heading to his manager’s office,” Seungmin watched as Felix passed the storage room and turned another corner.

The camera was switched again, showing a new hallway that had Felix disappearing into a doorway. He was only in the room for a few minutes, which Seungmin sped through, and when Felix departed from the room he still looked completely fine.

The two watched carefully as Felix began to walk back in the direction he came from. His notebook was held tightly in his hand, swinging back and forth in time with his steps as he was nearing the turn, until he abruptly stopped.

“What happened?” Seungmin squinted his eyes, “Did it freeze?”

The video didn’t freeze. A second later Felix took a step back, hands coming up to his chest in a protective stance. Minho hardly had a moment to process the sudden flip when Felix’s calm demeanor turned frantic as he turned on his heel and darted back down the hallway.

Seungmin was about to change the camera again to continue to follow Felix, but Minho shot a hand out to rest on Seungmin's shoulder just before he could.

“Stay here,” Minho gave a light squeeze.

He didn’t have to explain himself, and Seungmin didn’t ask him to. Instead, the alpha pulled back and allowed the video to play even after Felix turned a corner and wound up out of their sights again. The hallway was barren for a moment, but then coming from the direction Felix ran away from was a person speeding up, running down towards Felix.

“He was being chased ?” Seungmin shot up, grabbing for the mouse and wildly clicking on the camera change.

When the camera shifted, it was to show Felix throwing down his notebook, holding his hands over his scent glands in a desperate attempt at concealing them. The mystery wolf was gaining on him which clearly frightened Felix.

Minho knew the aftermath of this situation. He knew Felix wound up in the fire escape and eventually into Hyunjin’s arms. He knew Felix was safe now with Chan and a pack that was maybe a little too protective of him. He knew that Felix would find a way out of this, but watching it with his own eyes had Minho worried Felix wasn’t going to get away.

The other wolf was so close, snarling and snapping his teeth as Felix lunged up to the fire escape entrance. The door swung open, Felix looking back with wide eyes as his assailant tried to rush in, and then the door slammed shut right in his face.

“Thank god !” Seungmin threw his hands up in relief as the wolf in the video struggled against the door handle.

“He locked it,” Minho exhaled, “That was smart.”

“Who the hell is this guy?” Seungmin cursed, pausing the video on the image of the alpha angrily turning around.

“I have no idea,” Minho frowned in disgust, “But get the best photo of him that you can. We’re gonna find out.”

“Already on it,” Seungmin said as he pulled open a folder on the desktop.

Minho narrowed his eyes at the blurry figure. Minho didn’t recognize him, but he wondered if Felix did. Was Felix acquainted with this poor excuse of a wolf in some way? Or was this a sudden and unplanned event?

While Seungmin got work collecting photos, Minho decided he should check in on his packmates. They were most likely eager for updates after Minho filled them in on the situation. Jisung and Changbin were understandably concerned, and they’d tried to make their way to the company multiple times in order to help, but Minho had threatened them into staying home with Jeongin while they handled things at the company.

Besides, after the footage he and Seungmin had seen, he was almost positive both Changbin and Jisung would have gone storming through the building in search of this mysterious wolf without thinking first. And that wasn’t something they needed right now.

Just as Minho pulled his phone in front of his face, his home screen lit up with the sound of his generic ringtone. Chan’s smiling face stared back at him.

“Who’s that?” Seungmin eyed him as he swiped to answer the call.

“Channie?” Minho spoke into the phone.

Seungmin leaned forward in his seat.

“ Min,” Chan sounded a bit out of breath, “ Are you still at the company? ”

“Yeah, Seungmin and I are in your office,” Minho answered, “What’s going on?”

“ It’s a long story I can’t get into right now, but I will later. I promise. I just need you to do something for me. ”

“Okay…” Minho tucked his arm against his chest, “What is it?”

“ Felix just went into the building. I don’t know why, and I need you to find him and make sure he’s okay. ”

Minho’s eyes shot open, shocking Seungmin enough for the alpha to stand up from his seat.

Felix was here? At Bang Entertainment? He thought Felix was at Soobin’s apartment, cuddled up with Hyunjin safe and sound. Chan was supposed to go there and talk things over, try to fix whatever had Soobin snapping his teeth at them. How the hell had Felix wound up here?

Why would Felix even come back? After what they just witnessed… that should be enough for him to steer clear of the company building for the next month at the very least.

“Oh,” Minho forced out, “Okay. Seungmin and I-”

“No!” Chan interrupted, “Seungmin needs to stay there.”

“What?” Minho shook his head in confusion, “Why?”

“Minho, what’s going on?” Seungmin asked in a small voice, but Minho didn’t know what to say. He barely knew any more than Seungmin did.

“ Felix is in preheat, ” Chan explained hastily, “ No alphas, that's why I’m not going in there myself. ”

Preheat.

That wasn’t good.

“Okay,” Minho breathed, “I’ll leave Seungmin here then and go find Felix.”

“Felix is here?!” Seungmin exclaimed.

“Do me a favor and call Seungmin to explain whatever you can’t tell me,” Minho instructed over the phone as he headed towards the door, “I love you, Channie.”

“ Thank you, I love you too, Min. ”

Minho dropped his phone to his side as his unoccupied hand turned the door handle. He pulled open the door just as he heard Seungmin’s phone ring, and as he began to step out of the door, he turned to the alpha with a small smile, “I love you, Seungminnie. Tell Channie what we found. I’ll keep you updated, okay?”

“Please do,” Seungmin whispered.

Minho hadn’t spared a single moment.

As soon as the door clicked into place behind him, Minho was launching himself to the other end of the hall. The building was mostly empty this late at night so luckily Minho didn’t have Chan’s secretary firing questions at him as he ran down the corridors. Hopefully that meant no one had managed to run into Felix, but Minho didn’t want to tempt fate into screwing that up.

If Felix was in preheat, then being in this building was a hazard. He was too close to the leftover scent of his attacker, to the visual reminder of running through hallways in order to get to safety. His headspace was too fragile, and if even one person managed to catch a whiff of Felix’s preheat, they were going to have more problems on their hands.

He needed to get Felix out of this building.

So he bolted his way down the stairs, the very same ones Felix had used as refuge to hide from the wolf that chased him into this situation. Minho was plunged into the clouds of fear, but he didn't let himself falter. His feet echoed as he stomped down each level, and if anyone was still roaming around the building they may have heard him banging his hands on the railing as he used it to catapult himself further down.

As he neared the bottom, Felix’s leftover scent grew stronger. It was more potent the further down he got, and by the time he was on the first floor, he nearly threw himself out the door.

Except as he gripped the handle, trying to swing the door open and throw himself out as quickly as possible, he was met with resistance. Minho grunted as he pulled again, and when he got the same result, he narrowed his eyes at the lock that was bolting the door shut.

Felix locked the door. Minho remembered seeing it in the video footage followed by the other wolf failing to open it after Felix had slid inside, but seeing it for himself made his heart sink.

Minho flicked the lock to allow himself to open the door. He expected the hallway to give him reprieve from the soured honey that took residence in the fire escape, but it only revealed more sour honey. Minho staggered forward, letting the door shut behind him as he tried his best to ignore the pounding in his chest.

It was just as potent here as it was in the fire escape, and as he moved further down the hallway he started to smell a second scent, one he was certain belonged to the mystery wolf. Sea salt, rancid sea salt that was coated in anger and betrayal and overcompensating alpha dominance. It soaked into the walls, chased after the honey and engulfed the air like it belonged there.

Minho gagged as he got a mouthful of probably the most disgusting scent he’s ever experienced.

“God, this guy has some issues,” Minho pressed a hand over his nose, continuing to move through the hallway.

Even the aftermath of the pheromone overload this alpha had was making Minho dizzy. His wolf didn’t like it, and the aggressive way the sea salt invaded his senses made him increasingly uncomfortable. This alpha’s scent was harsh, showing all his true feelings in the form of pheromones. Minho wasn’t sure if he was trying to hide his feelings, but he was failing miserably at it. Minho could smell every disgusting desire he left in the air.

They had someone like this in their building? Someone who chased omegas against their will and smothered them with their pheromones?

As Minho drew closer to the main lobby, the air cleared up. The horrid sea salt faded as it was overpowered by sweetened honey. It wisped past Minho, covering up the negativity down the hall with something Minho was very well acquainted with.

The omega’s pheromones were dripping with sugar, a clear sign of preheat. It was meant to pull in pack members, especially alphas, so the omega could have a support system during their heat. The pheromones would be uncontrollable, and the sweetness would always be a constant, but Minho hadn’t ever met an omega that smelled this strong before.

Minho being an omega meant he could easily disregard the scent of another omega in preheat without issue. He was never allured by it to the point that he felt compelled to join an omega in their heat, nor was it something he fantasized about. The scent of preheat was one he was used to, and his wolf reacted with sympathy more than anything. He knew how much work heats were, how exhausting they could be, so rather than finding any of it sexy like some alphas made it out to be, all he could think of was how much that omega probably wanted to curl up in a nest until the whole thing was over.

Felix was probably the same way, and a janitor's closet definitely wasn't the comfiest place to spend a heat.

That was where Minho found him, huddled under some boxes in one of the janitor's closets with none other than Changbin’s jacket curled up under his fingers.

He remembered seeing Felix with the jacket earlier, though he hadn’t known whether he returned it to Changbin or not after he went into work. Minho had secretly hoped the omega kept it, it had been adorable to see him walking around with a jacket that didn’t quite fit him.

When Minho met Felix’s gaze, the frightened look in his eyes was the first thing he noticed. His scent was still sweet and alluring, something that seemed to completely contradict the panic that Minho could clearly see in his figure. Upon Minho’s arrival, he shuffled backward on his butt until his back was flat against a cardboard box, and he lifted the jacket up to hide the bottom half of his face.

“Lixie…” Minho's voice broke just above a whisper.

Felix buried his head further into the jacket, hiding himself in Changbin’s scent. 

He needs to nest.

It was usually the first thing an omega in preheat tried to do. Minho was always collecting clothing for days until he had enough to craft his perfect nest, and even then sometimes he would try to leave his nest during his heat to hunt down more. Someone would always end up distracting him because they knew he would just get upset if he wasn’t surrounded by his packmates' scents.

But Minho remembered Felix was a lone wolf, and that meant he wouldn’t have anything to nest with besides himself.

That’s why he came back to the building. For Changbin’s jacket.

Did that mean he felt comforted by Changbin’s scent?

“Hey,” Minho kneeled down on the floor, “I see you have Binnie's jacket.”

Felix flinched slightly.

“I could get you more of his clothes if you want.”

Felix’s hands lowered, letting his eyes peek out from above the black fabric. They were tinged red and wet with tears, eyelashes stuck together that he tried to blink free. His hair was an absolute mess, tangled and knotted and in need of a comb.

Minho still thought he was adorable.

“Hi, Sweetheart,” Minho smiled, “Did you hear what I said?”

Felix gave a sluggish nod.

“Did you want that? I can get you anything you want for your nest if you ask.”

Felix’s nod was faster this time. He was definitely more excited now. His hands dropped back down to reveal his face entirely, including his lip that looked like he bit enough for it to bleed. He was still wearing his janitor's uniform, though it was twisted around his ankles and the top was slightly unbuttoned and falling off his shoulders.

Now that Minho could see, he wasn’t even wearing his collar.

“I can do that for you, but I wanna get you out of this stuffy closet first,” Minho scooted closer to Felix, and the omega let him, “Would you let me take you home?”

Minho wouldn’t let Felix stay in this closet for the duration of his heat. It wasn’t safe, and it certainly wasn’t healthy. If Minho could get him home then at the very least he could make sure Felix had enough in his apartment to get him through the next week or so without an issue.

Minho waited patiently for Felix to answer, and finally, the omega uncurled his fingers from the jacket and reached his hand out for Minho.

Chapter Text

“Chan?”

“Seungmin,” Chan stared down at his cellphone which was gripped between Hyunjin’s shaky fingers. Light flecks of snow fell on the smudged glass, creating white freckles all over the smiling photo of Seungmin and Chan, “Are you doing okay?”

“I’m fine. Are you okay?”

He didn’t sound quite fine. His voice twinged at the end, like he was straining to sound normal. It instantly sent Chan’s heart to his stomach, though he knew Seungmin well enough to tell that he was trying to be level headed. If he didn’t want to tell him the truth over the phone, he wouldn’t, no matter how much prodding Chan did from the other end.

“I’m all good, don’t worry,” Chan tried his best to sound genuine, though just like Seungmin, his voice wavered.

He wasn’t necessarily good. He hadn’t been good since he first got that text message from Hyunjin earlier in the evening, and his emotions only snowballed as the evening progressed into what it was now. But he could put on a facade because that’s what he had to be. He had to be calm and collected, even though his instincts were simmering to a boil, because if he was losing his mind then his pack wouldn't be too far behind.

Truthfully, Chan felt like everything was falling apart. Nearly 24 hours after he thought they had a strong foundation, after coming to the unanimous decision to begin courting Felix, everything was crashing down on them. Felix was hurt and scared, Chan had an angry alpha insisting his pack was taking advantage of said omega, and he had Minho aimlessly searching for Felix in the building before he wound up worse off than he already was.

Everything was confusing, it was messy, and though Chan was trying to pretend he was just fine, he knew the moment Seungmin hummed from the other end that he couldn’t mask anything.

Neither of them were hiding their true emotions well, and they were both painfully aware of it, but they could sure as hell pretend.

“And Jinnie? How is he?”

“He’s here,” Chan readjusted his hold on Hyunjin who was stuck to Chan’s back, “He’s the one holding the phone.”

“Channie won’t let me walk,” Hyunjin muttered defiantly.

“I wouldn’t let you walk either,” Seungmin chastised from the other end, Chan could feel the breath from Hyunjin’s groan fanning over his neck, “You need to take care of your injuries.”

“I was taking care of it!” Hyunjin whined, dropping his chin on Chan's shoulder.

“You were doing a good job of taking care of your ankle,” Chan replied honestly, he’d been impressed by how Hyunjin had taken his restrictions to heart this time around, “But today you aggravated it, and since you walked out of that apartment without your crutches, I’m going to carry you until I can find you a nice place to sit.”

Hyunjin’s body sagged in defeat, finally accepting his fate as Seungmin sided with Chan.

Chan couldn’t blame Hyunjin, not after all that he’d done today. Chan heard from the other alpha exactly what went down with Felix in their empty room, how he’d been ready to drop everything to make sure Felix was okay. He’d almost left his crutches abandoned on the floor, and Felix was still worried about Hyunjin’s injury even though he was probably a step away from dropping…

Chan felt a tug at the corner of his lip, Lee Felix sure is something.

“So…” Seungmin drawled, “What exactly happened?”

Chan sighed, something he felt he’s done too much today, “The discussion with Soobin didn’t go too well at first, and it’s currently at a stand still.”

Chan glanced to his left where Soobin and Yeonjun were on their own phone call with someone from their pack, “They’re here outside the building with us.”

“Oh,” Seungmin’s tone shifted, a displeased hum leaving the speaker, “Are they planning to go home then?”

Seungmin was still upset, Chan should have assumed as much. Soobin had insulted him, in more ways than one, and made pointed attacks at their pack. Seungmin had done his best to keep his dismay at rest, if only for Felix’s benefit, but now that he had the liberty of fully feeling his emotions, Chan could imagine the idea of Soobin being anyway near the building had Seungmin’s skin crawling.

As much as Chan understood and wanted to give his partner the space he wanted, the situation was too serious. He had to get to the bottom of this, needed to fix things so that nothing like this could happen again. Instincts be damned, if he wound up on Seungmin’s bad side for a couple weeks, he’d just have to do his best to make up for it.

“Not exactly,” Chan rushed out, and as Seungmin’s groan exited the phone speaker Chan was quick to reassure him, “Soobin was unnecessarily rude to you and I plan to talk to him about that. But he may be helpful in trying to get this situation handled, and… He clearly cares about Felix.” 

“He sure has a funny way of showing it,” Seungmin grumbled bitterly.

“He made some mistakes,” Chan’s voice hitched as he bounced Hyunjin higher on his waist, “We’ve all made mistakes at the height of emotion, especially lately. And from what I can tell, most of the issues between us and Soobin are all misunderstandings.”

Misunderstandings.  

Chan truly couldn’t understand how they let things get so confusing. All this time, after everything they’ve learned from past additions, they hadn’t realized how bad things could look from the outside? They hadn’t learned to catch these things before they got out of hand?

“Besides,” Hyunjin chimed in as he twisted a bit to the side, letting his voice lower as to avoid being overheard by the other two wolves, “Now that Yeonjun’s here, Soobin is actually pretty calm again.”

“That’s true,” Chan nodded along, “I think the panic of the situation really knocked a lot of the fight out of him.”

The irritation Soobin sported prior had just about disappeared and was replaced with an awkward tension between them. There was still a clear distaste lingering, but it was thoroughly restricted by scent blockers instead of being shoved down their throats like before. It was easy to push everything aside when confronted with an emergency, and in that case Soobin’s demeanor was much more focused now than before. 

Chan was hopeful this meant they could have a more civil conversation now, though with Seungmin’s current resentment towards Soobin, Chan had a feeling it may not be so easy. Seungmin would be defensive, maybe territorial, and with Chan’s luck the younger alpha might even start growling if both of them wound up in the same room.

But Chan was prepared, even if his mental strength was waning with each passing minute. He’d do what he could to be the comforting presence Seungmin would need to feel safe, all while deflecting clear signs of anger from affecting their end-goal which should be helping Felix. 

“I know you don’t like him,” Chan said with an obviously being muttered by Hyunjin, “And you have very valid reasons to be upset. But I can’t turn them away right now. Soobin and Yeonjun are close to Felix whether we want to believe it or not, and if we want to have a proper chance with Felix, then we need to try to fix this issue between us.”

This entire time Soobin had been witnessing badly painted pictures of their communications with Felix. Each encounter left Soobin doubting their intentions and assuming the worst. The gap between their packs had been growing without them knowing, and Chan really hoped he could begin to build the bridge to friendship, or at the very least acquaintances.

He wanted to do that tonight so he could avoid any other problems arising.

After a few moments of contemplation, Seungmin sighed on the other end, “Alright, I can keep myself contained. I’m not entirely an animal.”

“Aww, but you’re my little puppy~,” Hyunjin cooed while Chan chuckled along.

“I think you mean our little puppy,” Chan corrected with a soft smile, “Thank you, Minnie.”

“You’re welcome,” A few clicks came through the phone speaker, “Minho has reached Felix by the way, they're in the janitor's closet on the first floor.”

“Okay, we’ll start heading for the side entrance so we can avoid bothering them,” Chan looked to the side to see Soobin and Yeonjun off the phone and conversing quietly to each other.

“Head up to your office,” Seungmin instructed as Chan started walking towards the other two wolves, “Minho and I found something important you need to see.”

“What did you find?” Hyunjin asked as Soobin and Yeonjun turned to face them.

“Just… hurry up here.”

Felix’s front door creaked open with a tap of Minho’s foot.

The door swung into a small entrance, the outside streetlights casting a shadow shaped like Minho in the doorway. There was a small thud as the door handle bounced against the drywall, slowing the door until it rested fully open.

“Here we are,” Minho whispered to the omega blinking sluggishly over his shoulder, taking a light step forward into the silent apartment.

Felix was sprawled over Minho’s back with Changbin’s jacket carefully wrapped around his shivering body. His heated skin seeped through the fabric, enough that Minho felt an uncomfortable itch beginning to form from where Felix rested against him, yet shiveres continued to wrack the omega’s body as if he was freezing.

Preheat was most definitely a factor in his rapidly increasing body temperature, it was par for the course of an omega’s heat cycle, but Minho had a hunch that it wasn’t only the symptoms of preheat causing it. When paired with the intense shivers Minho could feel, and the fact that Felix wasn’t even wearing shoes , he had reason to believe Felix had contracted some sort of cold in the span of the night.

Which, for obvious reasons, was not a great way to spend a heat.

He intended to raid Felix’s medical stash when he arrived at the omega’s home of residence so he could help him begin to remedy it before it got out of hand. Once Felix started feeling the full effects of his heat he wasn’t going to want to do anything but hide in the covers, so Minho had already decided he would do all of the heavy lifting for him before he left Felix to ride out his heat in peace.

“Let’s get inside,” Minho shuffled forward, kicking the door shut behind him.

The shadow from the streetlights disappeared. Minho awkwardly extended his hand until he felt the light switch against his fingers, keeping a tight hold on Felix with his other hand as the apartment was bathed in light.

Felix hid his face from the light in Minho’s neck, making Minho coo at him apologetically as he made his way inside Felix’s apartment.

The biting cold from outside had followed them inside, and Minho was beginning to notice it wasn’t leaving. He took small, shuffled steps forward until they were in the center of the small kitchen. A camping table was set up against the wall with a book resting on one of the corners, a folding chair that didn’t quite fit was pushed in as far as it could, and a cute cat pen was left forgotten at the edge.

This wasn’t the entirety of Felix’s apartment. Minho knew he had to have somewhere to sleep, but already his heart was sinking as he took in the state of Felix’s living situation.

There wasn’t an ounce of heat in the apartment, and Minho didn’t have to look in the cabinets to know there wouldn’t be much food either. Changbin and Hyunjin had already confirmed that for him. He could see knickknacks here and there, a cup of cooking utensils next to the stove, a bowl that would hold fruit if he had any, but there was still an obvious lack of life that had Minho frowning.

The heavy silence, the blank walls, the unsettling sadness that seemed to radiate from the floorboards, painted a picture Minho didn’t like.

Minho was used to chaos. Whether it was Jisung squealing I love you whenever he passed an open door, or Jeongin playfully smacking Hyunjin when the alpha got too clingy, or the fifth tangent Seungmin wound up on during one conversation. It was always chaotic, and Minho loved it, every second of it. Over time he got used to never having a dull moment in his life. He became uncomfortable in silence, grew lonely when he was left alone for too long, and was always used to someone winding their arms around his waist and nosing against his scent glands affectionately.

He didn’t know why he expected the same things coming into Felix’s apartment. He was aware Felix was a lone wolf, yet he still seemed shocked by how dust coated the counters as if no had a use for them. 

He was expecting to see a flustered alpha waiting by the door, whisking Felix away in their arms and ushering them both into a warm apartment. He expected to hear the sound of the tv in the background or for the bath faucet to start up in the bathroom as someone started on the tasks Minho knew his pack would have already jumped on if it were Minho in Felix’s position.

God knows Chan would be losing his shit with worry and the first one at the door when Minho came home.

He would do the same thing for Felix.

Chan already was doing the same thing for Felix, or as much as he could manage without overstepping. 

It was something Minho always admired about Chan. He was an alpha in every way of the word. His scent was strong and attractive, his voice demanded authority without meaning to, and his body was glorious. Upon first glance, he looked like the prime example of an alpha wolf, yet Chan had special qualities to him that other alphas lacked.

He was kind, compassionate, and the first alpha Minho ever met to treat omegas like equals instead of a lesser subgender.

Other alphas in Chan’s shoes might have already given up on Felix, or perhaps they would have pursued him a little more forcefully if they could spot the chance, but Chan wasn’t like that. He was always considerate, always mindful of boundaries and aware of societal differences that come into play when omegas were involved. He was gentle, patient, and he knew what he was doing.

Minho trusted Chan fullheartedly, and he admired the fuck out of him.

Which was why when it came to Felix, and the new information Minho and Seungmin discovered earlier, Minho trusted Chan to take care of things on that front while Minho took care of Felix. 

One day, Chan will take care of you like you deserve, if you let him.

Leaving the kitchen behind, Minho explored further. The two doors were a gamble, and Minho seemed to guess correctly when he entered a bedroom with nothing more than a mattress pushed up to the window.

No personalization, no pictures or colorful bed sheets or even stuffed animals piled in a corner. It was just as empty as the kitchen, just as cold and lifeless and depressing.

“Here we go,” Minho grunted softly as he attempted to lower them both down on Felix’s mattress, which was harder than he originally expected with the mattress all the way on the floor.

With a huff the two bodies dropped onto the mattress, and partially on the blanket balled up in the center. Minho blew out a breath as his hands removed their grip on Felix’s thighs and Felix slowly untangled his fingers from Minho’s shirt. As soon as Felix’s warmth left Minho’s body, he turned around to face the other omega.

A mess of blond hair stared back at him. Felix’s eyes were squeezed shut with balled fists rubbing at them. His nose scrunched up, and a second later he aggressively shook his head side to side.

He was probably disoriented, and if the preheat was getting to his head then everything had to be foggy and fuzzy around the edges. It would be hard to process things, and Felix probably thought attempting to shake the world into focus would work, but all it did was make the tag dangling in the center of his neck jingle against the metal loop of his collar.

He should say Minho’s collar, since it had been on his neck earlier that day, but as far as Minho was concerned, that was Felix’s collar for the time being.

Taking Felix out in the open again smelling as enticing as he was, and into a neighborhood Minho already knew wasn’t all that safe, he didn’t want to risk anything. He couldn’t hide Felix’s scent without extra scent blockers, and if anyone caught a whiff of his scent, it could be detrimental. It was why Chan had been hesitant to let Felix wander alone for too long. And god forbid Felix was seen without his collar by any law enforcement.

So Minho did the best thing he could think of: He buckled his own collar around Felix’s neck. 

With his scent blockers on, Minho could pass for an alpha. He was intimidating enough, and it took a lot of pheromones to get Minho to falter. If anyone came across them, whether it be a police officer or any pushy alphas, Felix would be collared and claimed by a capable alpha in their eyes.

It had been for safety reasons, and Minho could take the collar off of him now. Yet he didn’t, letting the clinging of metal on metal slowly disappear as Felix gave up on trying to shake his vision clear. The tag swung lightly in the center of his collar bone, the engraved SKZ shining back at him in all its glory.

He looked so good in their pack tag.

“Alright little puppy,” Minho dragged his eyes back up to Felix’s half lidded ones, “I bet you’re really tired huh?” 

He was met with a nod, and a not so subtle tug on the jacket sleeve that was pulled over his arms.

“I would be too. You deserve a nice nap after today,” He was gonna need a nap while he could, because after his heat hit he wouldn’t be sleeping much, “And, I did promise you that you could make a nest with more of Binnie’s clothes.”

At the mention of a nest, Felix’s eyes shot open, and at the mention of Changbin, his scent spiked. From body language alone, Minho could tell he was very excited by the thought of that, not that the pheromones didn’t tell him first.

“I know you’re gonna make the best nest,” Minho chuckled at the overeager omega, “But before we do that, we need to get you cleaned up.”

Felix was still in his work uniform, which was successfully drenched in sweat by now. It was twisted in all the wrong places with the buttons coming undone during the night, though Felix didn’t seem to notice or mind. Minho needed to get him out of those and into something breathable, after a nice warm bath. Then Felix needed to get some food down since he likely wouldn’t eat during his heat.

Afterwards, he could build his nest and settle himself into a comfortable headspace. Until that happened, Minho wouldn’t be comfortable leaving.

“How would you like a bath?” Minho asked, “While you’re in there, I can make arrangements for your special nesting materials to get here.”

At first, Felix’s facial expression told him he would rather do anything but bathe. It was likely that the only thing on Felix’s mind was nesting. After the day he had, he was definitely craving that comfort, and Minho didn’t blame him. But with Minho offering him the items to nest after he took a bath, he seemed a lot more willing.

With Felix’s quick nod, Minho smiled happily.

“Thank you, Sweetheart,” Minho scooted himself backwards until his toes hit the floor and his knees rested on the mattress, “Do you want to wait here while I start the water or do you want to come with me?”

Unsurprisingly, Felix instantly shot his hands out towards Minho.

“Alrighty, come with me, Baby,” Minho happily clasped his hands in Felix’s, helping the smaller omega to a stand.

If Minho was any stronger he’d have pulled Felix into his arms and carried him to the bathroom, but sadly he wasn’t as strong as he wished he was. Picking Felix up bridal style wasn’t something he could achieve easily, especially after having given him a piggyback ride all the way from the car and up three flights of stairs.

Felix didn’t seem to mind though as he was content to have his hand wrapped around Minho’s.

The bathroom was easy to find considering it had two doors, one leading to Felix’s bedroom and the other to the kitchen. Minho sat Felix down on the toilet seat, trying to pull his hand away from the other’s hold in order to start on the bath, but Felix’s grip refused to falter.

Minho cast a glance towards Felix who was biting his lip as he stared at their joined hands.

Based on Felix’s scent, he should still be partially lucid. Preheat definitely influenced headspace, it made omegas clingy and moody, nesting was a priority, and instincts grew until they completely overtook your consciousness and you settled into a full blown heat. An omega was still aware during preheat, enough that their rational mind would peak through occasionally so long as their current needs were placated.

Felix’s needs weren’t placated yet, which may be the reason he refused to let go of Minho’s hand, but it could also be a result of all the trauma he’d experienced in just the past few hours. And that only made everything more complicated.

“Hey Lixie,” Minho crouched down in front of the omega, “It’s okay, you’re okay. I’m not leaving. I won’t leave if you don’t want me to.”

With Felix’s having gone into preheat so suddenly, especially right after a nasty run in with an overbearing alpha and an unexpected scenting from Hyunjin, Minho had a hunch that this heat was triggered rather than happening on Felix’s natural schedule.

A triggered heat didn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. Heats could be triggered by both positive and negative factors, and though it didn't happen often, society was aware it was a possibility and adjusted accordingly. The main issue came with how unpredictable it could be. 

There was no way to determine the length as it could vary between just a couple of days to twice the time of your normal heat. And in some cases, primarily those that were triggered by a negative stimulus, whatever issue brought on the unexpected heat could bleed into the omega’s headspace. 

If Felix’s heat truly was triggered, then Minho had no way of knowing whether that was Hyunjin’s doing or that Less Than Alpha he smelled in the hallway earlier. 

Minho stared up at Felix, hands still slotted between his trembling fingers. They were red at the tips with the nails bitten down to the skin, and they felt like ice cubes compared to the sweltering heat radiating off of his body.

He barely knew this boy, none of them did, but there was still a pull on his heart that filled him with the same love and adoration he felt for the rest of his mates. His wolf was roaring to life with his inner instincts, the desire to take care of his mate coming to the forefront even though Felix technically wasn’t much more than a coworker.

Was this what Chan and Changbin were talking about when they said their wolf claimed Felix?

Felix’s gaze was glossy with unshed tears. His cheeks were red from the cold and his lips chapped and split in the corner. His scent was running wild, trying to attach to anything it could for comfort. Minho could see just how exhausted he was, physically and emotionally, and he had to wonder - how long has he been holding on? 

Being a lone wolf, how many heats had Felix spent alone?

How many times has he come home to an empty apartment and wished that just once, someone would be waiting for him?

How many times has he yearned for a physical touch? For a cuddle partner when he’s cold? For someone to hold his hand when he’s scared? For someone to scratch his scalp when he’s done well?

Minho had been planning to leave him alone tonight, after setting him up for his heat properly. He originally intended on leaving him to his own devices so he didn’t get in the way or make him uncomfortable. Maybe on the third day he could drop by if he was still in the thick of it, just to make sure everything was still taken care of.

Now, Minho didn’t think he could leave. Minho understood Felix on an instinctual level that the rest of his pack couldn’t. He knew spending a heat alone was torture. It hurt to feel forgotten, like you weren’t worth it when all you wanted was a hug.

There was no way Felix didn’t feel lonely, and Minho couldn’t bring himself to leave him.

“Felix,” Minho tightened his grip on Felix’s hands, “You don’t have to say yes…”

Minho paused to gauge Felix’s reaction, which was nothing more than a slow blink. The other omega rubbed his lips together, sniffling his running nose and giving a reassuring squeeze to Minho’s hand.

“But if you’re comfortable,” Minho continued, “I could stay with you through your heat.”

The hands lightly squeezing Minho’s halted. Felix’s lips parted in surprise, and the gloss covering his eyes morphed into fresh tear drops.

A shaky hand pulled free landed on the top of Minho’s, extending a finger to trace letters against Minho’s skin. Letter by Letter, one by one, Felix wrote out a response.

S T A Y.

Hey Binnie

I need a favor

Changbinnie: Anything.

Changbinnie: What do you need?

I need you to gather my heat bag and
enough clothes to fill two duffle bags

Changbinnie: Your heat bag???

Changbinnie: Minho what’s going on?

Changbinnie: Are you okay? Do I need to come get you?

No no I’m fine

Don’t worry about me

It’s for Felix. I can’t tell what he does
or doesn’t have so I want my supplies
just in case

Changbinnie: Felix… needs your heat bag…?

Changbinnie: I’m sorry, but Minho what the fuck is happening
with Felix?

I don’t have time to explain everything,
you’re going to have to ask Channie for
details.

I need you get clothes of people Felix has
met, especially yours, okay?

Get me as much of your scent as possible

Changbinnie: Is he nesting?

He will be

Changbinnie: With my clothes? :D

Binnie, I love that you’re happy
and any other time I’d cheer with you

But I need those clothes asap so PLEASE
get on that?

Changbinnie: Okay okay.

Changbinnie: I got Sungie and Innie helping me.

Changbinnie: We’ll get those over to you soon,
along with the heat bag.

If Innie is helping make sure he’s wearing
scent blockers

Felix hasn’t met him yet and I don’t want there
to be any confusion when he’s trying to nest

Avoid his and Seungmin’s clothes too

Changbinnie: Didn’t Minnie meet him today?

I’d hardly call that a meeting

Felix was barely conscious and Seungmin
was wearing scent blockers

Changbinnie: Okay so no clothing of Jeongin’s or Seungmin’s.

Changbinnie: Anything else you need?

Can you bring a new notebook?

And I’m going to need a grocery run in
the morning

Changbinnie: You got it.

“ Changbin, I need another duffle bag! ” Jisung screeched from somewhere in their flat, probably in the larger bedroom if Jeongin had to guess.

“ You couldn’t have possibly filled up yours already! ” Changbin stomped down the hallway, directly passing the closed door Jeongin was behind, “ You know, if you folded the clothes you could fit more of them in here.”

Jeongin huffed out a chuckle when he heard Jisung squawk some kind of rebuttal. He shook his head as he folded another one of Chan’s shirts over his arm, setting it over the pile he’s been creating.

He had his own duffle bag only about halfway filled and the majority of it’s contents belonging to Changbin. Sweatshirts, pajama pants, the towel Changbin used when he got out of the shower, it all was neatly folded into the left side of the bag. Jeongin had been sure that he took all of the fabrics that reeked of Changbin’s rainwater scent, and now he was intending to fill the rest of the bag with Chan’s.

Jisung had taken in upon himself to grab all of his and Hyunjin’s clothes, and Changbin decided to grab Minho’s as well as a nice selection of blankets that he was carefully scenting. By the end of it, they were going to have an ocean of mixed scents that would smell like what Jeongin could only describe as home.

It’s exactly what an omega would want for a nest. Only the softest of fabrics, drenched in pheromones that they could burrow into for hours on end. 

Jeongin couldn’t say he fully understood. Being a beta came with its own issues and perks just like any other subgender. He was independent, hierarchy didn’t really matter to him, and no matter how many times he was reminded that heats and ruts exist for more than half of his pack, he always seemed to wind up surprised when one of them ended up horny in their master bedroom. 

Not that he minded it, he just couldn’t imagine craving sex that much .

When it came to the early stages, when Minho got overly affectionate and Jisung got snappy and Chan started carrying everyone around the apartment like they weighed nothing, Jeongin and Changbin seemed like the only ones in the flat that kept some semblance of normalcy. Neither of them had those types of needs, so when it came time for a rut or heat Jeongin found himself thinking too hard about it all.

He could see the appeal in being surrounded by pheromones, he enjoyed being smothered by them every now and then, but the idea of a nest ? He couldn’t wrap his head around it. He knew a nest was important for an omega’s sense of safety, but he didn’t understand how bunched up fabrics with their scents was better than having one of them wrapped around Minho’s body. 

Though just because he didn’t get it didn’t mean he didn’t support his pack omega when it was time to prepare for his next heat. 

He loved his partners, regardless of how confused he got around times like this. He’d give Minho as many clothes as possible, scent every blanket in the house, he’d put his scent in the damn air purifier if he could. If it made Minho happy he’d do it gladly. That’s how he always was when it came to his pack. He’d quite literally do anything for them, like pack a duffel bag full of clothes at 2 in the morning. 

Minho had asked them to, so of course Jeongin had jumped into action, but he couldn’t ignore the larger part of him that couldn’t take his mind off of the very omega these clothes were meant for.

Much like the idea of a nest, Jeongin didn’t get Lee Felix.

He didn’t get why everyone had suddenly fallen for a new omega, why Jisung forgot his scent blockers when he’s usually so careful, why Changbin ran into Felix when he did or why Felix found Hyunjin when he fell in the practice room. He didn’t get why Chan already felt like Felix was his, was theirs, why Minho had so willingly decided to work at the company just for a chance to meet Felix, or why Seungmin just so happened to be there today.

But most importantly, Jeongin didn’t get why he was the only person that still didn’t have even an idea of what Felix looked like.

Jeongin stuffed Chan’s shirt in the duffle bag a bit harsher than he meant to. When he pulled his hand back, the fabric was bunched up and wrinkled, a stark contrast to the neatly folded pile beside it. 

“God damn it,” Jeongin huffed, pulling the shirt back out to refold correctly, “Why can’t you fold yourself, stupid shirt.”

The tension was probably making him cranky, which may be the primary reason he was glaring at the duffle bag in annoyance. The entire day had been so chaotic, starting with Seungmin insisting something was wrong regardless of Jeongin’s reassurance. Eventually the alpha had ditched Jeongin at home to calm his mind by visiting the company, but then Changbin and Jisung got home and the flat went from peaceful to wild and unhinged as it always did.

He loved them, but sometimes, Jeongin just wanted to take a nap.

It only got worse when Minho called Changbin, telling him that Chan and Hyunjin were in another situation with the infamous janitor as usual, and now Changbin was bossing them around to collect nesting materials for an omega in preheat.

They hadn’t received any updates from Chan or Hyunjin, and Minho didn’t tell them much. Jeongin had sent a few messages to Seungmin which were all unanswered, and now Jeongin was sitting in Chan’s office trying to gather some of his clothes.

Specifically Chan’s clothes, not Jeongin’s.

It wasn’t only Jeongin’s clothes that were being avoided, there was also Seungmin’s, and Jeongin could see the reason. Felix didn’t know them, their scent was still foreign to him. Even if he did smell their scents he probably wouldn’t even include it in his nest. But Jeongin felt a strange sense of jealousy bubbling up as he thought about Felix using everyone’s clothes except for his.

Why couldn’t he include just one shirt? One sock even? Just something so he could at least be introduced to the omega through his scent. He wanted to help, just like the rest of them did, but he didn’t even get the reassurance that his scent would be a comfort for the omega like Changbin and Jisung did. He only got to hear about all the accidental meetings, witness the happy smiles and excited stories his partner recounted. And now he got to be a side character during a time of crisis, completely out of the loop because he didn’t really know Felix yet, even though he really wanted to.

He felt like he was just on the outside of the bubble, looking in to see the rest of his partners forming a relationship he hasn’t had a chance to reach yet.

Jeongin knew he would like Felix. He had no doubts about it. He’s heard enough stories, smelled the longing and affection from nearly all of them at some point, and even though he hadn’t met Felix yet he already loved him for making his pack so happy.

He just wished he could help more, that his pack would let him help more.

“ Hey, Innie, ” Changbin’s voice accompanied a single knock against the door, “ How’s your bag coming along? ”

“Good!” Jeongin placed Chan’s shirt back in the bag, jumping up from the floor to open the door for the other beta, “I’m about half way done.”

“Thanks for your help,” Changbin grinned back at him, peeking a glance at the duffle bag sitting on the floor, “I know you’ve been busy studying, and it’s really late, but I appreciate you taking the time to help.”

“Of course,” Jeongin replied slowly, “You know I’d drop anything for you guys.”

“I know you would,” Changbin ruffled his hand through his hair, which Jeongin scowled at, “Aw, you’re so cute when you try to growl at me.”

“I didn’t growl!” Jeongin pulled back with a pout, “I haven’t done that in a long time!”

“But it was so cute when you did!”

“Whatever,” Jeongin shook his head with a light chuckle, “Is Sungie almost done?”

“I guess?” Changbin shot a look down the hall where Jisung could be heard singing, “He’s just throwing shit in the bag without looking at what he’s throwing in there. If he gives Felix all of his shirts, he’s not gonna have any to wear.”

“ I heard that! ” Jisung’s voice rang down the hall, “ I’m fine going shirtless for a while! I doubt any of you would mind! ”

“That’s not the point, Jisung!” Changbin shouted back, barely holding back the smile from his voice, “You’re gonna get a cold if you don’t wear a shirt!”

“ Oh no~ I guess that means my big bad wolf Seo Changbin will have to nurse me back to health! How terrible! ”

“You’re ridiculous,” Changbin rolled his eyes playfully before landing them back on Jeongin, “Anyways, let me know when you’re done so I can load them in the car. Felix is gonna need these soon.”

“I will,” Jeongin assured him, “I’m just doing Chan’s clothes now.”

“Sounds good,” Changbin nodded, “I’ll be in the kitchen finishing up the heat bag.”

Changbin ruffled Jeongin’s hair one more time before turning away from the door. Jeongin huffed in retaliation as he closed the door and turned to face the duffle bag once again.

The strange feeling of jealousy hadn’t left, in fact it only grew as he heard Jisung’s enthusiasm for providing nesting items. He knew he was being ridiculous. He normally never felt jealous, being in a pack of seven people didn’t leave a lot of room for jealousy, yet he couldn’t deny the way his mouth was almost entirely turned down into a frown as he stared at the bag.

Surely, if Jeongin added one shirt, it would be fine.

“There you go,” Chan gently dropped Hyunjin on the black sofa located in his office, “Keep your leg elevated.”

“I know, Chan,” Hyunjin whined, though he didn’t fight it as Chan stuffed a throw pillow under his leg, “I’ve done this a few times now.”

“Well, continue to do it then,” Chan pulled back, biting down on the corner of his lip in worry as he stared down at Hyunjin’s injury, “I really hope you didn’t aggravate your ankle too much today.”

“He’ll be okay,” Seungmin slid up next to him, “As long as he puts an icepack on it when he gets home.”

He knew Hyunjin would be fine. He knew it even when he refused to let him walk. Hyunjin’s ankle was already practically healed, and it wasn’t like today’s events would do much to halt his progress. Seungmin’s input pretty much solidified that everything would be fine, and it was likely that the ice pack was simply a precaution to placate Chan’s worries for the time being.

Chan appreciated it, even if it was only because Seungmin wanted to try to avoid the fretting Chan would inevitably be doing as the night progressed. 

“So,” Seungmin exhaled, eyeing him from the side as his hand wormed its way into Chan’s. He could feel Seungmin’s warmth against his own clammy skin, and a small squeeze to remind him he was there. He hadn’t finished his statement, instead choosing to watch Chan out of the side of his vision.

Hyunjin wasn’t much different. Chan could practically feel the antsy jitters radiating off of the alpha. He could feel their eyes on him, taking in the dark eye bags and sweat and ruffled hair. His cheeks were burning from the cold, and his nose was running no matter how many times he tried to rub it away. He was exhausted, and paired with his lack of sleep, the fear gripping his heart, and the doubt that plagued his mind, he felt absolutely horrible.

Deep down, in the back of his mind, he couldn’t shake the memory of Felix’s blood shot eyes, wide and panicked.

His ruffled hair tousled in every direction, his overheated skin and twisted up uniform, his bare feet pounding against pavement.

Felix was in preheat, running from them in a time of need.

Why didn’t you do anything to prevent this?

“Where are Soobin and Yeonjun?”

Seungmin’s question finally came out, though by the way his eyes were planted on Chan, he wasn’t convinced that was the question Seungmin originally intended to ask.

“Outside the door,” Hyunjin answered before Chan had a chance to try, “We wanted to give you a minute before they came in here because of… you know….”

Hyunjin’s voice trailed off, finishing off with a shrug and an awkward glance towards Chan. 

They hadn’t discussed how to address the problem with Seungmin and Soobin. Chan probably should have thought more into how he was going to approach it, especially when Soobin was standing just outside the door, but with all of the thoughts swarming his head, he couldn’t.

He hadn’t expected Seungmin to be the one to bring them up. Chan expected he would have to be the one to eventually mention their names and inform Seungmin that they were on the other side of the door. Hyunjin took that responsibility from him, not that he minded per say, but he also didn’t want to place that on his mates shoulders.

“I asked Soobin to give you space,” Chan cleared his throat, “He understood and agreed to give us some time alone before they came in.”

Soobin had been, surprisingly, more than willing to give the two time with Seungmin before entering. With a simple nod he and Yeonjun settled on the sofa of Chan’s receptionist office, hands intertwined as soft whispers passed between the two. It was a drastic change from the alpha he’d been speaking to earlier, though not an unwelcome one. After the day Chan had he would gladly take the change of pace.

“I appreciate it,” Seungmin coughed, letting his eyes drop from Chan as his fingers twitched, “I- uh- You don’t have to make them wait though.”

“Minnie,” Chan repressed a sigh, because the last thing he wanted was Seungmin to misunderstand, “That’s…”

That’s not what Seungmin was really thinking.

Chan knew his mates. He knew their flaws, their strengths, their fears and anxieties, their favorite foods and life long dreams. He knew their tells like how Jeongin blinked too much when he was lying and Jisung barely opened his mouth when he was speaking to someone that made him uncomfortable.

He knew them to their core. He spent so much time learning them, and if he was confident in anything, it was that he knew his mates better than he knew himself.

Seungmin was smart. He was observant, he took his time when learning a new skill, and befriended people slowly. He cared about them in simple ways, but always made sure to let it be known that he loved them. He was careful with his words and always thought of their best interest. He was sweet, kind, and thoughtful.

But he also held grudges. He had a hard time building trust, and Chan knew Seungmin couldn’t stand Soobin just less than ten minutes ago.

“You don’t need to pretend, Minnie,” Chan squeezed Seungmin’s hand, “You can’t hide from me, you know.”

There’s a certain responsibility that comes with the title of pack alpha. He had to be strong in order to bear the weight of his mates worries. He had to be confident in order to guide his pack in the right direction. He had to be rational in order to solve pack disputes quickly and efficiently.

And he had to be calm in the face of chaos in order to ensure the rest of his mates wouldn’t break down.

It was Chan’s job to be calm even if he really wasn’t, but here Seungmin was trying to pretend like he didn’t mind Soobin as much as he did for Chan’s benefit. It should be Chan pretending his head wasn’t muddled with depressing thoughts and anxious ramblings while Seungmin ranted about how fucked up it was that Soobin had the nerve to step foot near them again.

Seungmin shouldn’t have the same burdens Chan did, and Chan needed to stomp down his feelings and act like the pack alpha he was.

“You don’t have to pretend you’re okay,” Chan turned his body towards Seungmin, gently pulling Seungmin to do the same. He swallowed around the lump in his throat, blinking away the burning feeling in his eyes, and tried to ignore the way Seungmin watched him with a calculating gaze, “You don’t have to rush into things for the sake of anyone. Take the time you need, say what you need to say, and don’t act like you’re fine when you’re not.”

“You can tell me anything,” Chan continued even as Seungmin’s lips pursed together, “I wanted to give you this time to process your feelings so that when they come in here it doesn’t all come crashing down on you.”

“That’s kind of hypocritical, don’t you think?” Seungmin mumbled under his breath.

Chan froze for a moment.

He opened his mouth, intending to dispute Seungmin’s statement, but nothing but hot air came out.

So much for pretending you were fine.

What was he supposed to say? Seungmin was right and he knew it, Chan was the biggest hypocrite in existence. He hadn’t followed his own advice, hadn’t given himself the liberty of time to process and talk about his feelings in the slightest. He’s been running off of adrenaline, off of the remnants of sleep he was able to burn to ash. He’s been struggling to keep his head above the water all while watching out for the threats from underneath him, and he was tremendously horrific at it.

How was he as pack alpha supposed to set the precedent when the example he led by was the exact opposite?

And on the other end, how was he supposed to lead a pack if he couldn’t handle anything that comes his way?

“He’s right, Channie,” Hyunjin challenged from beside him, though Chan could hear the tenderness in his voice, “Can you really say that when you’ve been acting like you aren’t one wrong step away from a breakdown?”

“I’m fine,” Chan denied, and Seungmin only sighed in response.

The lies were tumbling out of his mouth on autopilot. He knew they knew he was lying, it’s not like he did a great job at convincing them. Even without his scent to aid them, his body language spoke volumes. But he needed to hang on to the phony composure he was clinging to, or else he wouldn’t be able to help Felix like he wanted to. He would unravel entirely, fall apart into a mess of emotions that he wasn’t ready to confront, and show his pack just how unfit he was to be a pack alpha.

“Channie.”

Seungmin’s hand cradled Chan’s chin, forcing his eyes open to land on Seungmin.

The other alpha’s fingers grazed over his burning cheek. His head was tilted to look down on Chan, and though Chan should feel threatened as an alpha to have a younger alpha from his pack physically above him, he didn’t.

This was Seungmin, his partner, one of his mates. The only thing he felt was how much love was swimming in those eyes.

“You don’t have to do everything alone,” Chan opened his mouth to interject, but was gently shushed by Seungmin’s finger landing on his lips, “We’re safe, Minho and Felix are safe, and you are allowed to rely on us. This is a difficult situation, and none of us expect you to handle this by yourself.”

“It’s not your responsibility,” Chan shook his head.

“But it is, ” Seungmin insisted, “Sit down real quick.”

Seungmin’s hand fell from Chan’s face and the hand that was still holding onto his pulled him towards Hyunjin. The alpha on the couch eagerly opened his arms and though Chan didn’t want to take up any of the space meant from Hyunjin, the other alpha didn’t seem to care as he practically shoved Chan into the space between him and the arm rest.

“We’re a pack, correct?” Seungmin sat himself face forward on Chan’s lap, legs resting on each side of Chan’s.

“Yes…” Chan answered hesitantly. His hand subconsciously landed on Seungmin’s thighs while the other alpha scooched himself up closer to Chan’s chest.

“And packs are a unit. A group,” Seungmin rested his arm’s on Chan’s shoulders, but eventually decided to slide all the way down until their chests were plastered against each other, “ Not a single operation.”

“Which means pack issues are not just your problem,” Hyunjin interjected as he leaned his back against Chan’s side, “They involve all of us, so all of us are responsible for how it’s handled and whether our dumb pack alpha runs himself into the ground with stress or not.”

Their collective warmth surrounded him. Hyunjin to his left, Seungmin directly on top of him, and the corner of the couch left him pinned in place. He was cocooned in the fabricated scent of baby powder scent blockers, and Chan was almost tempted to tear them off so he could drown himself in lavender and mint.

That would be stupid, considering they were still supposed to be meeting with Soobin in this office, so instead Chan tried to fabricate the scents of his lovers in his head. He imagined lavender and mint fighting for dominance, twisted together and spiraling around them all in a whirlpool as pine engulfed them both.

As if he could really smell them, he instantly felt his body relax, though he tensed up again as Hyunjin’s words finally set in.

“I’m not dumb,” Chan pouted.

“I beg to differ,” Hyunjin scoffed humorously.

Chan threw a playful glare to the side, and without warning, his hand shot out to lightly pinch Hyunjin’s exposed arm.

“Fuck off!” Hyunjin yelped as he pulled, “We’re trying to help you!”

“You called me dumb, I think it’s pretty justified,” Chan pulled back with a huff, but he couldn’t hide the small smile gracing his lips.

“I guarantee everyone would agree with me, especially Minho,” Hyunjin grumbled as he settled back against Chan.

“Oh yeah,” Seungmin chuckled above him, “If Minho saw you he’d be on your ass. ”

Chan didn’t want to think about what Minho would do if he were here to witness Chan’s mental breakdown. He could only imagine the disappointment plastered on the omega’s face, the scent of dominance that did not match the sweet vanilla, the force of his touch when he finally got his hands on Chan.

Minho may be an omega, but he wasn’t one to sit back and let his alpha be a dumbass.

“What’s going on in your head,” Seungmin pressed his finger to Chan’s forehead, “I wanna hear all of your thoughts, dumb or not.”

“What do I even say?” Chan huffed as he dropped his head back against the cushion of the couch, “That I’m struggling to keep peace within not only my company, but my pack as well?”

“Well that sounds dramatic,” Seungmin hummed, “I would say the peace within our pack is just fine. And the company is having a few issues, yes, but we’re going to get to the bottom of it.”

“This is more than a few issues, Minnie,” Chan blinked up at the ceiling, “Something happened in our building that caused Felix to nearly drop. His preheat was probably triggered by either that or Hyunjin, and now I have to worry about another possible lawsuit. We have an angry alpha accusing us of abusing our power over an innocent omega, and this entire situation is revolving around the very person we’re all trying to woo into courting with us but… all we’ve done is probably scare him off for good.”

And that was the worst of it all, wasn’t it?

After everything that happened today, Chan couldn’t imagine Felix wanted anything to do with them. He had to be terrified, and Chan has done nothing but prove he couldn’t keep him safe in his place of employment. He fostered a hostile work environment, allowed their actions to be misconstrued and misunderstood from an outsiders point of view, and unknowingly created a toxic work culture between Felix and his coworkers that could possibly never fully recover.

And to top it all off, he didn’t even know what truly happened with Felix today, and because of that, he had no idea where to even begin to remedy the situation.

“Let’s go through that list,” Seungmin pushed himself back up into a sitting position while Chan blinked at the ceiling, “If Felix’s preheat was triggered, whether that be by Hyunjin or the cause of the near subdrop, I doubt he’s going to file anything against us.”

“Felix didn’t do anything when Jisung sent him into subspace,” Hyunjin helped, “And then he asked to see him again.”

That was… true, and something that completely blindsided Chan. Not pressing charges was one thing, but specifically requesting to see Jisung again had to mean something.

Chan had thought about it, probably more than he should have. Felix’s reaction to Jisung, to all of them, couldn’t all be just a coincidence. He seemed comfortable, as if he fit in like a missing puzzle piece, and so far he hadn’t shown much to allude to anything else. And it wasn’t like it was only Chan’s pack experiencing the strange occurrences between them. Felix had to have caught on by now, and he didn’t seem to be bothered by them.

A smaller part of Chan, one that he could admit was a bit of a daydreamer, hoped this meant Felix might feel the same as them.

“Not only that, but Hyunjin actively avoided a subdrop today,” Seungmin smiled proudly, “That should be applauded all on its own. A subdrop could have had serious consequences to Felix’s health and safety, and because of that I have a feeling he isn’t going to be as angry about that as you think.”

“No, you’re right,” Chan pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, “I know things could have gone much worse. I just… needed a reminder, I guess.”

“That’s what we’re here for,” Hyunjin tossed his head back to lightly nudge Chan against his forehead, “We’re like your second brain.”

“You definitely are,” Chan chuckled as he wiped his hand down his face.

“Now when it comes to the angry alpha, I assume you’re talking about Soobin,” Seungmin’s voice strained with clear disdain. For a moment, Chan was sure Seungmin was about to drop into a rant about Soobin and his actions earlier. It would make sense, and Chan was grateful Seungmin was finally about to drop the mask and share his true feelings, but with a quick deep breath, his hardened expression softened.

“I don’t know much about that situation, but I trust you when you say it all seems like a misunderstanding.”

Chan dropped his head back again with a sigh, “You don’t have to pretend-” 

“I still don’t like him,” Seungmin stated quickly before Chan could finish his sentence, “I think he’s incredibly misguided and too stuck in his head. He let his instincts get the best of him in a sensitive situation and risked hurting Felix more in his attempt at helping him. That’s my opinion of him right now and I’m not sure when, or if, that’ll change.”

“That’s understandable,” Chan nodded to himself, “Thank you for telling me how you felt.”

“You’re so mature, Minnie,” Hyunjin raised his hand to pat Seungmin behind him.

“I have to be if I want to work in the hospital after I graduate,” Seungmin leaned into Hyunjin’s touch, “I can’t have every aggressive alpha and every distressed omega activating my instincts when I’m supposed to be taking care of them.”

“You’re growing up too fast,” Chan whined, “Why can’t we all stay young and dumb and oblivious to the world?”

“I would argue we’re still young and dumb,” Seungmin scoffed, “Or, at least you are.”

“That’s the second time I’ve been called dumb and I’m not a fan,” Chan grumbled with a poorly concealed smile.

In front of Chan, Seungmin stared down at him. His lips curled up into a grin, and Chan knew if his scent was free it would be prancing around them. Chan was always busy, and Seungmin was busy just as much with school and his internship, which meant there wasn’t much time for the two of them to relax together. It had been far too long since Chan was able to hold him like this, since he was able to feel him against his skin and have his warmth seeping through his clothes.

“I missed this,” Chan’s words barely made it out of his lips, and they cracked at the end unintentionally.

“Channie…” Seungmin cooed lightly.

The youngest alpha leaned down until their foreheads touched. His breath fanned over Chan’s cold skin. Chan knew he was going to say something, because Seungmin always had something witty to say, but Chan simply didn’t care anymore. He didn’t want to wait for Seungmin to call him dumb again, or to try to make a joke about how they see each other all the time. Chan took matters into his own hands by tilting his head up and pulling Seungmin into a kiss.

*

At first Seungmin was taken by surprise, and in turn allowed Chan to take control. Chan took it greedily, biting down on his bottom lip with more force than what would be considered normal for an average kiss. His pent up emotion came flooding out, and when Seungmin finally seemed to come to the realization that his pack alpha was out doing him, he returned the passion in full force.

Their lips collided, each fighting for dominance as each kiss left their skin red. Seungmin was practically climbing Chan’s body, legs wrapped as tightly as they could with how they were sitting on the sofa. Chan’s palms roamed from Seungmin’s thighs up past his hips, cupping his ass through his jeans as he tried to push them together more if it was even possible.

*

“I’m going to pretend I’m not extremely jealous right now.”

Suddenly Seungmin pulled back. It took Chan a moment to process what had just happened. Seungmin was staring at him with heavy breaths, lips red and swollen, and it was only after Chan realized he too was panting that Hyunjin’s comment registered in his head.

“Don’t worry, Jinnie,” Chan twisted his body to wrap his arms around Hyunjin’s waist, “I’ll take my time with you when we get home.”

“You better,” Hyunjin grumbled with foax annoyance, but he still tilted his head to the side as Chan’s lips danced over his shoulder, “Can’t believe I had to witness that and neither of you tried to kiss me.”

Having a moment to relax his brain had definitely helped Chan right himself. He still had remnants of failure that echoed in his brain, and he still had to come up with a game plan, but having two of the people he loved bringing him down to earth, reminding him that he wasn’t alone, quieted the angry voice in his head telling him everything was his fault.

He had people by his side. He wasn’t alone, and he never had been.

“As much as I love that you’re feeling a bit better,” Seungmin began climbing off of Chan’s lap, “And trust me, I am very much looking forward to later, but I’m afraid our earlier conversation isn’t over yet.”

“Ah fuck,” Chan focused his attention at his office door, “Yeonjun and Soobin are still out there.”

It hadn’t been too long, but Chan definitely didn’t want to keep them waiting.

“Well… yeah,” Seungmin shrugged, “But um, that’s not what I was talking about.”

Seungmin eyed him with concern, shooting a similar look towards Hyunjin. He seemed to contemplate his next choice of words, which instantly had Chan’s guard rising. His back met the sofa again, hand resting on Hyunjin’s waist as he watched Seungmin struggle to get its words together.

“When you called Minho earlier, he and I were doing some digging,” Seungmin’s fingers taped together, his eyes darted around the room, and Chan’s heart started racing again. “We decided to look into the security footage for today.”

“Oh my god.”

Hyunjin had taken the words right out of Chan’s mouth.

Seungmin knew what happened to Felix?

He and Minho had found out?

All this time he’d be stressing about finding the culprit, worrying he was losing time and wondering if he’d be able to protect Felix after this, and Seungmin already found his answer.

Oh my god.

“You know what happened.”

It was supposed to come out as a question, but there was no point. Chan could tell from how uncomfortable Seungmin was. Not only had they found it, but it wasn’t anything good.

“I do,” Seungmin confirmed with a solemn face, “And I’m warning you, it’s not pretty.”

“Show me,” Chan demanded, shooting up from the couch and jostling Hyunjin in the process.

“Show us ,” Hyunjin groaned as he pushed himself into a stand.

Chan threw a glance over his shoulder, just barely catching the way Hyunjin swayed as he attempted to keep all his weight on his good foot. His hand steadied him against the arm of the sofa as he scanned the room for his next target, but Chan was already by his side before Hyunjin had a chance to hop over to what Chan’s assumed would be the front of his desk.

“Come on, I got you,” Chan pushed his arm under Hyunin’s armpit and allowed Hyunjin’s weight to distribute to Chan.

“I cannot wait to be free of this,” Hyunjin grumbled.

Together, they hobbled over to the computer Seungmin was already hunched over. As the two rounded the desk to stand beside Seungmin, Chan deposited Hyunjin in the office chair.

“I’m going to warn you,” Seungmin said as archived footage of the first floor hallway was pulled onto the screen, “This is going to be disturbing. You’re going to get angry, and that’s fine. But I need you both to stay as calm as possible so we can make a game plan to help Felix get justice.”

Chan had known, the moment Seungmin started talking, that what he was about to see was going to hurt.

It was going to hurt him in ways Chan hadn’t felt in a long time.

But he wasn’t prepared for the way his heart was going to lurch, the way his wolf was going to roar to life, or the way his fingers clenched into tight fists.

When Seungmin pressed play, Chan was met with the sight of a happy Felix. The janitor's uniform Chan was so used to seeing skipped down the hallways with his notebook held tightly in his hand. The camera changed as it followed Felix. It captured him talking to Minho, laughing as Minho pointed to his computer screen and eventually retrieving a packet of papers and returning to his supervisor's office.

It all seemed normal. Felix stepped out of his supervisor's office, hands free of the packet and heading back to work, until Felix froze.

Nothing could have prepared Chan for the face of fear Felix wore as he dashed down the hallway.

In what must have only been a minute, Chan felt like an hour passed. His eyes were glued to the screen as two bodies rushed past the camera. The camera changed, though it didn’t seem to change fast enough for Chan to process the scene in front of him. The bodies blurred together, Chan couldn’t tell if it was because of the exhaustion weighing down on him or if that was just how frantic the situation was.

Someone was chasing him.

Hyunjin was trembling beside him, rambling obscenities as he digested the same material Chan was. There wasn’t a single word coming from Hyunjin’s mouth that Chan was able to understand. All of his energy was focused on Felix and the way he desperately searched for an escape. He watched Felix’s notebook go flying, and shortly after watched the fire escape swing open.

For a split second, Felix stood frozen in the doorway.

His eyes locked on the irate wolf chasing after him.

Shut the door.

Don’t let him get you.

The door slammed shut.

Seconds later, his attacker was pounding on the metal door and helplessly pulling on the handle.

Good boy.

“What the fuck?! ” Hyunjin's hands gripped the arm rests of the office chair as he lurched forward. His head swung side to side, and his statement was repeated with even more hysteria, “What the fuck! ”

“Right after this is when he ran into Hyunjin,” Seungmin explained calmly, which seemed to frustrate Hyunjin.

“How are you so calm?!” Hyunjin asked incredulously, “Felix was literally just assaulted! ”

“Jinnie, it’s not a bad thing to be calm,” Chan slowly explained, “And remember, Seungmin has already seen this.”

The video had paused, stuck on the mystery wolf pounding against the door with no luck while Felix traveled up the stairwell until eventually winding up with Hyunjin. Chan’s eyes stayed trained on the figure of a stocky male. His black hair was familiar, but with his back towards the camera, Chan couldn’t tell much aside from his tall stature.

Hyunjin and Seungmin were speaking beside him, Hyunjin’s voice much more frantic than Seungmin’s. Chan wasn’t listening to any of it as his hand landed on the computer mouse. He resumed the video where Seungmin paused it, letting this wolf continue to fail at getting Felix to open the door.

Hyunjin and Seungmin’s conversation died down, Felix’s attacker gave up his incessant pounding, and the mystery wolf turned around.

The scowl on his face was unfamiliar to Chan, because every time he saw this wolf, he always sported a bright smile.

A deceiving smile.

“Minho and I still haven't identified him,” Seungmin said behind him, “We saved a photo of his face though so we should get on that as soon as possible.”

“Don’t bother,” Chan pushed himself away from the computer with disgust, “I know exactly who this is.”

Someone like this, someone who chased innocent omega’s like an untamed animal, was working in his building.

This man, someone Chan worked with, someone Chan considered an asset to his team, someone Chan thought he could trust, was this vile?

How had he been so foolish?

The name came out of Chan’s mouth with a growl, “Park Jinho.”

Felix sank further in the bathtub.

The hair down by his neck curled up over his shoulders and his bangs were slicked back and beginning to fall to the sides. Bubbles from shampoo floated in the water as the warmth was slowly fading. He’d been in the bath long enough for his fingers to prune, but he hardly cared at the moment.

It’s not like he had to use his fingers either way.

After helping him into the bath, Minho remained by his side. He insisted on helping him wash his hair, and Felix was far too exhausted and clingy to deny it.

Delicate fingers had combed through his hair, gently pulling the strands free of knots and tangles as Felix zoned out in the water. Even when the soap was thoroughly lathered in his hair, he didn’t think Minho ever stopped. His gentle touches continued even as Felix slowly came back to himself, and until his scent had returned somewhat normal, Minho waited to help rinse out his hair.

After that was done, Minho sat against the wall so they were next to each other while Felix relaxed in the tub. Nonsense filled the silence between them with Minho rattling off anything and everything he could think of while Felix listened.

It should have been awkward having a practical stranger sitting next to him while he was naked in his bathtub, and maybe it was the preheat talking, but he felt comforted by Minho’s presence. Minho was an omega too, therefore none of this could faze him. He’d been in Felix's position time and time again, and the knowledge that Minho wouldn’t judge him for even his most primal needs put him at ease in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Unlike Jinho, who Felix could always count on to make each and every one of Felix’s heats miserable.

Jinho never waited beside Felix in this bath, not during his heats or any other time. Felix hardly nested with Jinho’s clothes because the scent of sea salt only made his omega frustrated and combative, which meant he only nested with the sweatshirts that smelled like himself. Felix was left to scavenge for his own food, remind himself to keep hydrated, and at the end of it all, Felix was the one rinsing himself of sweat and slick in the shower without the help of his alpha.

Jinho never wanted to help with the less than attractive parts of an omega’s heat, but he sure enjoyed the way Felix moaned his name between the sheets either way.

Maybe that was why Felix enjoyed Minho’s presence, because he’s never had this before. No one in Felix’s life has taken care of him. He’s never had someone holding his hand through his heat, never had someone take the load off his shoulders, never had scents that his omega craved for comfort.

This wouldn’t last forever, Felix knew that. By the time his next heat hit, he would be in the same position as before. He wouldn’t have the luxuries he’s being granted this time, and he knew he shouldn’t get used to the presence of another wolf, but he couldn’t help how he leaned into Minho’s touch now.

After the day he had, Felix didn’t even want to think about being alone.

You don’t have to be alone.

If you keep Chan’s pack in your life, you’ll never be alone again.

Eventually Minho got a notification on his phone, and with Felix’s permission he left him alone in the bathroom for a moment.

He was much more coherent now, or as coherent as he could expect during preheat. He was becoming aware of the way his subconscious was shifting with his instincts. He noticed he was more clingy, that his senses were heightened, and his skin was itchy as his preheat worked through his body. He could rationalize his feelings as he processed the events of the day. 

Somehow it didn’t feel real still, like he had imagined it in his preheat haze, but it had to be real or else he wouldn’t be here right now.

Felix was chased by his ex-boyfriend, wound up in the arms of Hwang Hyunjin, and was then scented by the very same Hwang Hyunjin.

He wound up in Soobin and Yeonjun’s apartment, woke up in preheat, and panicked after coming face to face with The Bang Chan.

And now, Felix was butt-ass naked in his bathroom with Minho wandering in his apartment.

He knew it happened, but he didn’t have the capacity to understand how so much happened in such a small amount of time. He couldn’t grasp it, nor could he gather why so many people Felix cared about were so involved in it. Nothing about today made sense, and the fact that he wasn’t as freaked out about it as he should be made even less sense.

He should be panicking, pacing around his apartment in fear and barricading his door as he tried to figure out what to do. But he wasn’t.

Why?

“Hey, I’m back,” Minho announced as he reentered the bathroom.

The other omega slid back down the wall with a grunt. His phone was deposited back in his pocket, and his head turned to face Felix, “How are you feeling?”

Felix was thinking a lot of things, but he wasn’t feeling much more than content, which still didn’t make sense. Instead of trying to portray that to Minho, he settled for lifting one hand out of the water to give him a thumbs up.

“That's good,” Minho smiled, “Do you think you’re ready to get out?”

Honestly, Felix never wanted to leave.

The warm water felt heavenly against his sore muscles, and with his internal organs shifting to accommodate his heat, the pain was unbearable at times. He knew with time he’d be sweating again, and the idea of being sticky with sweat and slick was so unappealing that he was almost considering spending his entire heat in the bathtub.

But then you don’t get to have a nest.

“Woah!” Minho tried to stand as Felix suddenly shot up in the bathtub, but his left foot got caught behind his right. Felix could see him tumble backwards out of the corner of his eye, though he was able to catch himself before he wound up slamming back into the tiles.

“You okay?” Minho grunted as he pushed himself back up.

Felix’s eyes darted to Minho who was resituating himself into a crouch in front of the bathtub. His hands held onto the edge of the tub, head tilted to the side and eyebrow furrowed in worry.

Felix should be asking if Minho was okay, he would have asked if it were any other time, but his wolf was already climbing itself out of the corners of his mind and pushing into the forefront. His inner instincts that had slowly pulled back during his time relaxing in the bath were invigorated.

Minho had promised Felix could make his nest after his bath.

Felix was still in the bath.

Why was he still in the bath?

“Felix?” Minho prodded.

Felix didn’t have his notebook, not that it made much sense to have it with him in the bath. He was pretty sure he left it at the company, sitting abandoned on the ground somewhere in the hallways. He didn’t have a way to communicate with Minho, not verbally or physically. Perhaps he could try to mouth out what he wanted and hope Minho understood in a timely manner, but Felix was impatient.

He wanted his nest.

“Felix.”

Warm skin met his. Minho’s hand landed on his shoulder causing Felix to flick his head to the side. His face held a knowing smile, like he already knew what Felix wanted without him having to attempt communicating it with him.

“Are you ready to get out?

Thank god.

With Felix’s eager nod, Minho happily obliged. The other omega disappeared out the door only to come back with a fluffy towel Felix had never seen before. He knew it wasn’t his because he had never owned one as soft and big as this one, but he thoroughly enjoyed the way it felt against his skin. His hair was carefully towel dried, another courtesy of Minho and his wonderful fingers while Felix brushed his teeth.

A part of Felix struggled to accept the help. He was so used to doing things alone, and his heats were never an exception. He felt antsy knowing he hadn’t prepared, that his food stock was low and he hadn’t requested time off work. It felt strange to have extra hands helping him with menial tasks, tasks Felix was used to having to finish by himself even when it was the last thing on his mind.

It can always be like this.

Why does it have to end?

“Let’s get you dressed,” Minho whisked Felix away from the bathroom sink.

Leaving the steamy room meant entering the cold of his apartment, and though it was still much colder than the bathroom was, it was significantly warmer than he knew it should be.

Minho must have turned the heat on.

He couldn’t afford to have the heat on for too long.

Did Minho know that?

“Do you have any heat clothes?” Minho pulled Felix over to the bed.

He shook his head no. Normally he just… stayed naked during his heats. Clothes were annoying and tiresome, and they just got soaked with sweat within minutes. They were always in the way and Felix was far too tired to keep putting them back on after every wave of arousal hit.

“That’s okay,” Minho reassured when Felix shook his head no, “I had Changbin pack my heat bag. I should have an extra set in there you can use.”

Felix tugged the towel tighter around his frame while Minho dragged over a thick black backpack. It was packed full to the point the zipper was a pain to undo, but Minho managed to get it open and successfully began to dig through the contents.

“Here we are.”

A matching set of baby blue pajamas were clenched in Minho’s hand.

Felix took them carefully, making sure to mouth the words thank you which Minho luckily understood.

“I’ll give you some privacy to change,” Minho offered as he stood with his bag slung over his shoulder.

“These duffle bags are filled with clothes,” Minho gestured to three bulging duffle bags that had been sitting with the heat bag just at the foot of his mattress, “When you’re all changed, you can go ahead and build your nest. While you’re doing that, I’m going to go through what Changbin packed and come back when you’re ready. Is that okay?”

The majority of what Minho said went completely over his head. The only thing that fully registered in Felix’s head was that his nest was here.

He could make a nest, a real nest, one he’s never had the privilege of creating before.

His eagerness prevented him from answering Minho. He shrugged off his towel, just barely covering his lower half as he hastily threw on the top he was given. Just as he was about to start on the pants, the bathroom door clicked closed, leaving Felix alone in the main part of his apartment.

As soon as the pants were on, he crawled off the mattress and towards the three bags.

His hands ripped at the zipper, opening one of the bags in one fluid motion, and suddenly he was hit by the most wonderful mix of lavender and cinnamon. He instantly reached into the bag and pulled out the first thing he could get his hands on, a black hoodie that was covered in cinnamon.

It smelled like chaos, but in the best way. Over excited madness, crazy ramblings, and the kindest intentions. He could hear the endless string of words as if he was here in person, like he was sitting with him at the lunch table in the company and listening to another one of his weird meetings with a partnering producer.

Jisung.

With Jisung’s hoodie still in one hand, Felix purposefully searched for the second scent that resided in the bag. It was harder to differentiate what smelled like what when the clothes were thrown in so haphazardly, but eventually Felix pulled out a loose white t-shirt.

Fresh lavender that was softer in potency than the cinnamon soaked hoodie. It was happy, exciting, and a little stubborn. He felt the light fingertips running down his arm, could hear the heartbeat against his ears, and the feeling of lips against his neck. It reminded Felix of safety.

Hyunjin.

Felix went through the rest of the bag, separating the clothing accordingly, and once it was emptied into piles on the ground, Felix opened the second bag.

The second bag was much more organized with clothes folded and neatly placed. There were definitely more, and Felix could tell that it was mainly Chan and Changbin. Pine and rainwater was possibly the best combination Felix could think of. Imitations of nature that described the pillar of strength the two wolves held.

Pine that Felix was so used to being out in the open yet contained was in Felix’s hands in the form of sweat pants. Leadership that Felix admired, a soft smile and strong arms that Felix has had the honor wrapping around him once. A sweet voice that spoke to him so calmly that Felix couldn’t get it out of his head.

Chan.

A pink shirt was possibly the last thing Felix expected to smell like rain water. It was still new by the way the fold lines were indented in the fabric, yet it already smelled like home. It felt like a wall of protection just like the night Felix slept with the beta’s jacket. His scent wasn’t overbearing, but it was just enough to lull him to sleep in the dead of night.

Changbin.

Felix unpacked the duffle bag in neater piles than the first bag. The pre folded clothes were easier to identify, and by the time he was at the bottom of the bag, there were only two articles of clothes left to categorize.

The only problem was, Felix didn’t recognize these scents.

Felix pulled out a gray sweatshirt with a little heart embroidered on the front. It was impressively soft. His fingers glided over the fabric, and he even brought it up to rub against his cheek. Leftover mint clung to his skin even as he pulled away that had Felix blinking clarity back into his eyes.

This wolf, this alpha , smelled serious. They were cautious, considerate, and full of love. Their scent felt familiar even though Felix knew he hadn’t smelt this strain of mint before, yet the sweatshirt was in the duffle bag with Chan and Changbin’s clothes.

Maybe, this is another one of their pack members? One he hasn’t met?

Felix glanced at the last article of clothing, a green sweater that had been sitting right next to the sweatshirt.

He unraveled the sweater with the sweat shirt sitting on his lap, but even with it completely opened and right in front of his face, he couldn’t quite smell the scent on this one.

Maybe the other scents are making it too hard to smell?

He stuffed his face into the fabric, inhaling until the gentle scent of coconut came through.

It was barely there, overwhelmed with the dominating scents around it. It was a passive and because of that, the stronger scents nearly canceled it out, but with a little work on Felix’s part he was able to find it. It probably didn’t help that it was smothered by scents like Chan and Changbin’s when it should have been packed in it’s own bag, but nevertheless Felix was glad it was here.

This scent was special. Felix didn’t know who it belonged to, though he was sure it was another one of the pack members he’s yet to meet. It was innocent and optimistic, maybe a little childish. It reminded Felix of a simpler time, of letting go and living free of worries. This scent felt like all of his concerns could sit at the back of his mind for another day, because he should be living in this moment for now.

Felix decided he loved this scent, and he didn’t want to risk it getting drowned out before it was too late.

So he stuck his arms into the sleeves, pulled his head through the top, and tugged the material over the shirt Minho had given him. The soft threads were bound to overheat him eventually, but for now he didn’t care. He felt like a burrito of happiness, and he wanted to enjoy it while he could.

The last bag was dragged over by Felix to sit in front of him. It was definitely filled to the brim, and when he opened it he could see why. Thick blankets that were covered in Changbin’s rain water were layered on top. Some of it got caught in the zipper which Felix had to fight free, but eventually two blankets were laid on his lap.

The duffle bag he was going through was almost empty. Felix had assumed it might be another blanket, but as he inspected it again, he found more clothes. It was another scent Felix hadn’t smelled before, but he hadn’t needed more than a whiff to know whose it was.

Minho.

Felix had yet to smell Minho’s scent as he always wore scent blockers, but the scent of omega was so obvious that Felix had to be an idiot to not notice it. It was strong, bold, determined, everything an omega shouldn’t be, yet Minho was. It was comforting, reliable, and it had Felix shoveling the clothes out in arm fulls.

All of the duffle bags were empty.

This had to be the entirety of Bang Chan’s pack in the form of pheromones, and Felix had it scattered around his bed in organized chaos.

Now all that was left was to create a nest worthy of all of these scents that Minho had so graciously given him.

At this point Felix knew he had more than enough material to construct his nest, in fact he may have too much. Though he didn’t want to, he had to consider that he may not be able to fit everything onto his tiny twin sized mattress.

He had more than enough of Jisung’s clothes, and they were so strong that Felix wasn’t sure if he could put them all in his nest without the whole thing being consumed by cinnamon. Hyunjin’s scent was a nice neutralizer to mesh with Jisungs, and Chan and Changbin were a match made in heaven. The blankets would be a good bottom layer, and at the head of the bed he wanted to make sure he had only the fluffiest sweaters and hoodies, including the one single hoodie that smelled of mint.

The sweater he was wearing would stay close because he didn’t want to risk losing it in the sea of smells. Felix was determined to keep it on him until he physically couldn’t any longer.

Felix got to work. Just as he was thinking, the blankets went first. He spread them out over his mattress, smoothing the top to rid of any bumps or bubbles. Then he carefully chose each and every article of clothes for the outer walls of his nest. He took his time, thoroughly smelled each item before he heavily considered where to place it, and moved on to the next. 

When Felix was nearly finished, sitting in the center of his nest, bulking up the head of the bed and trying to decide where to place the gray sweatshirt that smelled like mint. With his hands full of clothes and his head full of his omegas desires, his bathroom door opened again.

Minho stepped out, no longer smelling like baby powder scent blockers.

Felix froze in place, head turning to face Minho as the other omega scanned the scene in front of him. He glossed over the pile of fabric that hadn’t made it into the nest yet along with the walls Felix constructed in the time Minho was in the bathroom. His scent spiked with pride, something that instantly had Felix preening, and then Minho’s gaze landed on Felix with a smile.

“That nest looks fantastic, Sweetheart,” Minho’s praise made Felix break out into a toothy grin that Minho mirrored back, “You got everyone’s scents in there, don’t you?”

Yang Jeongin.

Do you want to explain to me why Felix has
your sweater and Seungmin’s sweatshirt?

Innie: …

Innie: not particularly, no

Chapter Text

Felix and Jinho hadn’t met until the end of high school.

Jinho was the new kid, transferring into Felix’s school just a few months before the school year ended. It must have been frustrating for Jinho, being the one new person in a sea of kids that had grown up in each other’s backyards for years. Everyone in Felix's grade had long ago developed their cliques, and with so little time left before adulthood took its grasp on all of them, no one was in the market to develop new friendships.

Felix couldn’t lie, he wasn’t much different. He was content with speaking with the few friends he had during lunch and passing period. The thought of going out of his way to make friends with the new kid sounded mentally exhausting, and Felix wasn’t that friendly to begin with.

‘Someone else would step up’, he thought to himself when his gaze lingered on Jinho sitting alone against the wall, ‘someone else has to.’

But each day, Jinho remained. Alone against the wall as groups of students passed by him as if he wasn’t there

And Felix took notice for three days while his other friends hardly spared the new kid a glance.

The silence in Chan’s office was deafening. 

It was the kind of silence that felt heavy, one that weighed down on you second by second until it almost felt unbearable. It made Seungmin’s ears ring, and that paired with the frenzy of thoughts bouncing around in his head only made the suffocating silence that much more unnerving.

Seungmin wasn’t even sure what to say. What do you say in a situation like this? How do you approach a topic so serious, so disturbing, and manage to keep your voice from wavering? How do you detach yourself from something you’re personally involved in, and speak like your heart wasn’t breaking?

Working in a hospital meant Seungmin should be used to this. He should be able to distance himself and think objectively. He did it countless times without fail.

And he was trying. He took deep breaths. He counted the seconds he inhaled, and the seconds he exhaled. He reminded himself that Felix was getting help, that Minho was with him, that Hyunjin prevented a subdrop, and they were going to fix this. He kept his pheromone level calm, because he’s been trained to react calmly in a traumatic situation. It felt like a test against his knowledge, the true passage to prove he could handle a disaster without letting his emotions and instincts cloud his judgment.

All of his course work should have prepared him for this, but like the helpful powerpoint presentation had said, it didn’t necessarily work when it was his own pack that was in trouble. He had foolishly assumed that he would be an exception.

But he couldn’t distance himself. He couldn’t pretend he wasn’t involved, couldn’t pretend his heart didn’t skip a beat when he had to watch Felix run for his life again. He couldn’t pretend his palms weren’t sweating, that his throat didn’t feel tight, that his toes weren’t tingling-

“This is disgusting. ”

Hyunjin’s wet voice forced Seungmin to blink himself back to the present. It took him a moment to center himself. He shifted his weight on his feet, repositioning the burning feeling on his heels until he began to feel the rest of his body again. It wasn’t until he realized he’s zoned out to begin with that Hyunjin’s words registered in his head.

Hyunjin was furious, and Seungmin didn’t even need to smell him to tell. His pheromones raged against the scent blockers, which Seungmin suspected wouldn’t last much longer anyways. Aggressive waves of baby powder struggled to contain his normally soothing lavender, and unless he applied a new patch soon, the entire office was going to reek of Hyunjin’s fury.

Seungmin’s eyes landed on the contorted face plaguing the computer screen, and he truthfully couldn’t bring himself to tear his gaze away.

Disgusting wasn’t a good enough word to express the bile that bubbled up in his throat as this douchebag stared back at him. The way his lips curled into a snarl, how he was debating on hunting down his prey or hiding before he met the consequences of his actions.

It was repulsive.

“What kind of alpha forces himself on an omega?” Hyunjin’s nails dug deeper into the arms of the office chair, “Who the fuck does he think he is? Thinking he can just chase whoever the fuck he wants?”

With the way Hyunjin was tearing at the leather of Chan’s chair, Seungmin expected Chan would need a new one come morning. Though Seungmin couldn’t blame Hyunjin in the slightest. His anger was justified, and after the day Hyunjin had, Seungmin would be surprised if he hadn’t lost his composure after seeing the security footage.

No alpha should behave like this, like a feral, wild animal. It was horrific, inhuman and illegal. Society has evolved past that, and the idea of alphas owning an omega was morally wrong in the eyes of most wolves. Laws were created, protocols and programs that helped omegas in times of need were developed, and though they had a long way to go, society was slowly progressing in the right direction.

Yet there were still alphas out there that viewed omegas as lesser than. They were the ones who treated their omegas like trophies, treasures only for them to enjoy. They forced hierarchy in the worst ways, and abused their power in every aspect possible.

Seungmin’s pack didn’t think like that. Minho was their boyfriend before he was their omega, a living, breathing, self sufficient being. Hierarchy never mattered much in their pack, and though they still followed certain habits ingrained into them since childhood, their subgenders were ultimately nothing more than a biological difference between them.

But this wolf, this Park Jinho as Chan informed them, clearly didn’t follow the same values as them.

Chan had known his name, which meant they had a step ahead in fixing this. They didn’t need to spend time and resources hunting this guy down. They didn’t need to wait to question Felix, which Seungmin honestly wanted to avoid if they could, and they could jump straight to taking the necessary measures to ensure this never happened again.

It was a blessing hidden between the chaos.

“Chan?” Seungmin tore his gaze from the computer to land on Chan.

The rest of Seungmin's question died in his throat, just as the sudden overwhelming scent of pine came flooding in.

Where baby powder once was, ash and scorched wood took its place. Waves of aggression that Seungmin had never smelled from Chan were quickly overshadowing the small outburst Hyunjin had. It leaked out in small pulses, growing with each deep breath Chan seemed to take.

Scent blockers weren’t fool proof, of course Seungmin knew this. No matter how careful you were, or how often you changed them, or how diluted your scent was, there was always a risk. A plastic patch was nothing against a fully functioning scent gland. It was why they were always so careful with Jisung, why they always carried extra out in public, why they were stashed in every cupboard at home.

One of the biggest fears they had when it came to Jisung’s condition was the risk that came with scent blockers, and the very likely accident that was bound to happen if he happened to leak through them. Yet in the entire time Seungmin has been with the pack, Jisung’s scent thankfully hadn’t overloaded a scent blocker.

It didn’t bode well that Chan, the only person in their pack who could self contain his pheromones, had left a brand new plastic patch useless against his skin.

He should have seen this coming .

Seungmin had been horrified when he first had to witness this, and a second watch through was just as traumatizing. He didn’t know Felix, not like the rest of them did, but the sight of the omega sprinting through their hallways with a threat on his tail had made even Seungmin’s wolf spin.

All of his instincts were flaring in the worst way, an amplified version of the “off feeling” he had earlier in the day. His skin tingled, almost to the point of pins and needles, and it took nearly all of his self control to keep himself stuck in place when everything in him was telling him to dart out of the room.

If Seungmin didn’t have any restraint, he’d be using surgical tools as murder weapons instead of standing in Chan’s office.

There was no doubt in his mind that Hyunjin was feeling the same. Seungmin assumed the only thing keeping him seated was the injury that had left him imobile for the past few weeks, along with the undeniable disappointment that would appear if Felix found out he’d aggravated his ankle in his defense.

In Seungmin’s case, he figured his own protective surge had to do with the sense of unity that his pack had. After the decision to officially court Felix, the knowledge that Felix meant something special to his pack meant that Felix was also special to Seungmin in some way. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t properly met him, or that Felix wouldn’t remember his face come morning. 

The desperation he’d seen in Changbin’s eyes last night was enough of a push in the right direction. He’d never seen Jisung so sure of something before, never seen Changbin lose his mind over some clothes, never seen Chan lose control of his wolf… Felix wasn’t just “another omega” to any of them, and Seungmin knew that.

Which was precisely why Seungmin was only halfway shocked that his pack alpha, the epitome of pheromone control, was broadcasting his emotions so clearly.

After the day Chan had, Seungmin could have expected this. He knew Chan was tipping over the edge when he got here, and he’d just managed to pull him back to safety during their conversation. Chan had opened himself up for them both to see and confided his inner worries, something he had always struggled with. He was wearing his insecurities on his sleeve, and Seungmin should have known that showing an already emotionally vulnerable Chan a video of Felix getting assaulted would only make things worse.

Maybe Seungmin could have handled this without Chan. Maybe he could have sent him home and kept quiet until morning. He could have contacted the authorities by himself, given his statement and started up the paperwork so Chan had a head start in the morning. 

But Seungmin knew Chan. He knew how his brain worked against him, how sensitive his wolf could be if he felt like he wasn’t performing up to the expectations he’d placed on himself as pack alpha. He knew that would just add another thing to the list of insecurities that seemed to be piling high, and it wouldn’t get uncovered until Chan decided to open up again during a crisis.

If Chan knew Seungmin purposely didn’t tell him, all he would think was “Why didn’t he trust me?”

Seungmin couldn’t have that.

So maybe showing Chan the video wasn’t the smartest move, but to Seungmin it had dodged a bullet that would have been lodged in Chan’s heart for a long, long time. And that was worth it.

Even if now Chan smelled like he was ready to kill someone.

“Chan?” Seungmin’s hand gripped the back of the office chair Hyunjin was sitting in. He could feel his fingers catching on his boyfriend’s hair, and he only had half a second to hope he hadn’t pulled it too hard before another pulse of pine smacked him in the face.

His gaze focused on Chan, catching the way his lips pursed, the way his fists clenched and arms locked by his side. The air twisted with hostility and possession, a combination that made Seungmin’s own wolf panic.

The fuel to Chan’s animosity was his protective instinct flaring to life. His wolf was jumping to action, ready to pursue a threat and clear his territory of unwanted pests. It was understandable, commendable in some aspects, and that was something that Seungmin was conflicted with.

Seungmin himself wanted to go out and find this guy, and the fact that Chan hadn’t stalked out the door already was a relief all on its own. He understood the rightful anger, the pure hatred that was sizzling under the surface, but there was still the undeniable truth that none of them had the liberty of acting on these instincts.

They were still high profile figures who had dozens of watchful eyes on them at all times. Yeonjun and Soobin were still outside, probably one open door away from being blasted with Chan’s outburst. Felix was still hurting, and his attacker was still out in the open, and as much as they wanted to, hunting him down wasn’t an option. Not if they didn’t want the tabloids glued to their hip, or god forbid Felix’s.

That small detail was probably the only thing tethering Chan in place.

This wasn’t the first time Seungmin was presented with a situation like this. Countless alphas had lost their cool in the hospital waiting rooms, and Seungmin was tasked with deescalating more times than he could count. It was part of the job description, and one Seungmin was actually quite decent at.

But there was a difference between shutting down a random alpha’s outrage and confronting his own pack alpha’s cloud of fury. 

There was an invisible line that Seungmin was hesitant to cross. Their pack wasn’t traditional in any sense of the word, but there were still certain customs they followed. Like Minho having unlimited access to their clothes, or Changbin and Jeongin having the keys to the house during heats and ruts, or Chan leading a pack discussion.

Chan may be Pack Alpha, but none of them shied away from telling him their true opinions. Minho would tell him off when he was being dumb, Changbin would argue back if he disagreed, and Hyunjin would downright challenge Chan from time to time because he was too stubborn for his own good. Surely Seungmin could shut Chan down without repercussions, especially in a situation such as this.

But at what point did it become disrespectful?

They didn’t follow hierarchy, not really, but there was still a very clear boundary between Seungmin as the youngest alpha and Chan as the pack alpha. In some ways, stepping between an alpha and his pack mate was seen as a challenge, as defiance, and though Seungmin couldn’t proudly say Felix was theirs by any means, he couldn’t confidently say he wasn’t either. Chan and Changbin had already admitted to their wolves claiming Felix.

If Chan, drowning under his wolf's influence, saw Seungmin as a defiant pup, the likelihood of Seungmin being able to stand up to his pack alpha with his head held high was nearly nonexistent.

“Minnie.”

In all of Chan’s fury, Seungmin had forgotten about Hyunjin’s tangled hair curled in his fingers.

“Sorry,” Seungmin mumbled as he pulled his fingers free and smoothed out the strands of black hair, “Did I hurt you?”

“You’re fine,” Hyunjin brought his own hand up to brush away his bangs, and it was with Seungmin's watchful eye that he noticed the slight tremor in Hyunjin’s movements.

Seungmin didn’t have much of a gauge on Hyunjin’s emotions anymore. With Chan’s scent taking up most of Seungmin’s perimeter, it was hard to notice any strong pulses of baby powder from Hyunjin. Though if he were to guess by Hyunjin’s body language, he was probably just as worried about Chan’s breakdown as Seungmin was.

Hyunjin was usually always jumping on Chan’s toe and crossing boundaries. He was notorious for fighting each and every rule Chan had in place. He baited the alpha in everything he did, and not once had Chan ever responded with anything other than a well thought out comeback and a punishment to suit. A part of Seungmin figured it was Hyunjin's way of getting dominant attention without straight up asking for it, or maybe he just really didn’t like being told what to do, but Hyunjin never seemed uncomfortable pressing Chan’s buttons.

Now though, Hyunjin was just as reserved as Seungmin, which was a surprise. Seungmin would have expected Hyunjin to have already said something, and he would have hoped to god it didn’t just piss Chan off more, but it seemed Hyunjin was reluctant to speak.

Even when Hyunjin toed the line, Chan never reacted like this. For as long as Seungmin could remember, Chan had always been in control. He never lost himself to his wolf, never let go of the reins on his pheromones, never let his own emotions affect the rest of them…

This was new to both Hyunjin and Seungmin, and neither of them really knew how to proceed.

“What do we do?”

Hyunjin’s whisper was almost inaudible. Not that he needed to whisper, it didn’t seem like Chan was processing much of his surroundings with how laser focused he was on the computer screen.

“I don’t know,” Seungmin answered honestly, “I guess… wait it out?”

“We don’t have that kind of time,” Hyunjin let out a forced sigh, and Seungmin felt his heart lurch when he noticed a twitch coming from Chan.

“We don’t,” Seungmin agreed with a nod.

This was a time sensitive issue. The longer it took them to get the authorities involved, the further their suspect would be. They had the upper hand. Chan knew who this guy was. He knew his name and probably more if Seungmin had to guess. The ball was in their field, but they were fumbling with every second it took for Chan to calm down.

They needed to find a way to break Chan out of the trance he’d found himself in. 

“The computer.”

Hyunjin’s foot nudged to the left, pointing towards the computer tower under the desk.

Seungmin scrunched his nose, his eyes landing on the black case in confusion until his gaze trailed upwards.

The computer screen, the one that had captured Chan’s undivided attention, was still holding the twisted face of Park Jinho.

Hyunjin wanted him to turn off the computer.

Why didn’t he think of that?

Without Chan’s notice, Seungmin used the tip of his shoe to long hold against the power button.

Seungmin watched as the computer screen flashed black and the words “no signal” bounced to the center. His eyes nervously flicked over to Chan who’s heavy breathing was now accompanied with pursed lips and furrowed brows.

The horrible scent of burning wood pulled back.

As quick as a switch, the room went from a whirlwind of chaos to a soft breeze. Seungmin felt his own wolf settle in the back of mind as the mantra of relief reverberated in his head.

“Hyung?”

This time, Chan actually responded to Seungmin’s voice. It wasn’t more than a grunt, at least acknowledging he had heard him, but it was something.

With the anger draining from Chan’s body, any energy he seemed to have went with it. The exhaustion that clung to him was so obvious. His eyelids drooped just slightly while his body leaned a bit too far to the right, he just barely managed to catch himself with his left leg before he lost his balance.

“You’re gonna fall over. Sit down for me.”

Chan hadn’t moved by the time Seungmin rounded the desk and slotted his hand in with Chan’s. He gently pulled Chan with him towards the couch, and when Seungmin pushed him down towards the cushion, he complied easily.

“There we go,” Seungmin said as Chan was dropped into the cushions with a huff.

“Sorry,” Chan murmured with a couple of slow blinks, “Don’t know what happened.”

“You went all protective alpha,” Hyunjin helpfully boiled down Seungmin’s inner monologue to five simple words as he rolled himself across the floor towards the couch.

It took far more control for Seungmin to hold back his annoyed glare than he expected.

“It was more than just that,” Seungmin began, but paused with a sigh when Chan began to rub at his eyes aggressively, “Hey, don’t rub too hard.”

“ ‘M fine. ”

“No, you’re not,” Seungmin pulled Chan’s hands away from his face to reveal a pair of bloodshot eyes and briefly kissed Chan’s knuckles, “You’re not even close to fine.”

How Chan could sit there and say that was beyond Seungmin.

Chan looked absolutely miserable. His shoulders slumped into himself as he sank further into the sofa. It was devouring him and sucking him in as his eyelids struggled to reopen every time he blinked. His hand was held limply in Hyunjin’s, barely using any strength to keep their hold while Hyunjin stroken light circles over his skin.

Seungmin much preferred a tired Chan over a furious one, but he was met with the same conflict either way: There wasn’t anything Chan could do right now.

Seungmin doubted he could hold much of a conversation. He was either going to reignite the flame that had just died out, or he would struggle to keep his thoughts together, and neither of those outcomes were helpful. If they were going to be contacting police and writing reports, Chan wasn’t in the right headspace to be doing it.

What Chan needed was sleep, a challenge all on its own. 

He wasn’t going to like it, because that’s just how Chan was. He was such a self sacrificing idiot who would risk his own health and wellbeing for his pack. It was something Seungmin admired about him, while also being one of the hardest things their pack had been trying to work on.

Chan was terrific at taking care of them, but he was terrible at taking care of himself.

“Listen, Channie,” Seungmin carefully sat down next to Chan. Hyunjin rolled himself closer, letting their knees bump together, “I think you need to go home and rest-”

“No,” Chan was already shaking his head, as predicted, “I need to be here. Felix-”

“Will be fine,” Seungmin cut Chan off, ignoring the miffed huff he let out, “Minho is taking care of him at Felix’s apartment. He’s going to have a safe and comfortable heat while Hyunjin and I take care of things here.”

“I agree with Minnie,” Hyunjin said with a subtle side glance towards Seungmin, “We can take care of things right now.”

“I can’t leave you two here alone.”

Chan’s eyebrows scrunched together slightly with his eyes glued to the wheels of Hyunjin’s chair. They weren’t used to every one of Chan’s emotions being on full display. It was so unguarded after his outburst with fear, failure, and guilt.

Seungmin and Hyunjin locked eyes together, each just as defeated as the other. Of course he wouldn’t want to leave them alone, not after seeing what happened to Felix in their own building.

“We won’t leave this room,” Seungmin assured him, and Hyunjin nodded along with him, “We’ll keep it locked until the police get here.”

“I can’t-”

“I’m sorry, Chan, but this isn’t up for debate.”

Seungmin felt his lungs deflate instantly, and he struggled to fill them back up as the words left his mouth.

“You’re a wreck, and as much as you want to help, you’d help us more by getting some rest before you collapse. You’re only hurting yourself right now and we care about you too much to let you run yourself to the ground. So please, for all of us, let us get you home. I promise you can come back here first thing in the morning.”

He had to take a moment to process what he’d just said. It hadn’t even sounded like his voice talking. He’d defied Chan, ordered Chan, and even though their pack didn’t follow standard hierarchy rules, it still felt so wrong.

The way Chan blinked at him in confusion felt strange. The way Hyunjin stared at him with a smirk made him self conscious. The way his hand sweat collected into his jeans reminded him that he felt entirely out of his element, and he hated every moment of it.

Hyunjin did this all the time, and he made it look so easy while Seungmin could barely keep his breath steady.

How was he able to look Chan in the eye so confidently, and tell him no without trembling?

“Okay.”

And then, for some god forsaken reason, Chan was giving in.

“You’re right,” Chan sighed, a mixture of annoyance and exhaustion in his tone, “I’m not any help right now. I’m sorry.”

“You’re okay,” Hyunjin jumped in, because Seungmin was too shocked to respond fast enough, “It’s been a day. Trust me, I understand.”

For some reason, Seungmin had been expecting a challenge from Chan. He expected defiance, maybe a power play like Hyunjin usually got when he fought Chan’s decisions. But Chan had just… accepted it. And Seungmin wasn’t sure what to do with that information.

“I’d be sending you home too if I didn’t need you to stay here,” Seungmin ran his fingers through Hyunjin’s hair, “But I have a feeling the police are going to need you to answer a few questions.”

“Are we sure we should be calling the police?” Hyunjin tilted his head up to look at Seungmin with uncertainty, “We haven’t talked to Felix yet.”

“We can’t wait for that,” Chan answered before Seungmin had a chance, “Felix is almost in heat. It’s risky to bring it up to him, and we can’t afford to let Jinho run before we have the chance to catch him.”

“Speaking of Jinho,” Seungmin carefully watched the rise and fall of Chan’s chest, “How did you already know who he was?”

“He works here,” Chan mumbled, clearly too exhausted to do much more than that, “He’s an editor. His file should be on the server. Give it to the police.”

The news should have been more startling. After everything that happened, all the emotions and security cameras and aggressive alphas and the bullshit- but all Seungmin could think was of course.

Of course he fucking worked here.

“He’s fired,” Hyunjin stated, or rather demanded.

“Obviously,” Chan agreed.

A soft knock at the door had both Seungmin and Hyunjin turning their heads.

“ Shit ,” Seungmin cursed, “Hold on!”

Leaving Hyunjin and Chan by the sofa, Seungmin cracked open the door just enough to slip through.

Soobin was standing on the other side, much to Seungmin’s dismay, but he forced down his frustration for the other alpha as he secured the door latch behind him. Some of Chan’s pheromones from inside leaked out with him which Seungmin could see Soobin scrunching his nose at, but neither said anything about it.

“Is everything okay?” Soobin stepped back a bit to allow Seungmin space, “We were getting worried.”

“Everything’s fine,” Seungmin caught Yeonjun’s eyes over Soobin’s shoulder, “You both can head home. Chan won’t be up to talking anymore tonight.”

“I see,” Soobin’s lips pressed together in a thin line. He looked vastly different from the alpha that sneered at him and Hyunjin from across the room earlier this evening. This version of Soobin looked far more concerned, dare he say soft, and it almost had Seungmin dropping his attitude.

Almost.

He’d told Chan he could put things with Soobin behind him. And he was trying. He wasn’t being rude by any means, but he also wasn’t alluding to any sort of forgiveness between the two. Soobin still hurt his pack in more ways than one, and he didn’t intend to let that behavior go so easily.

“Excuse me, Seungmin?”

Yeonjun walked up to stand beside Soobin, hands wrung nervously together. He looked almost as tired as Chan was with bloodshot eyes and his lip bitten red, “I’m sure we can wait to talk to Chan… But we’re still worried about Felix. I know our packs aren’t really on the best terms right now, but we’re completely in the dark and I’m scared .”

The edge of his sentence had Seungmin flinching back, just slightly. 

“Junie,” Soobin hummed softly, draping a loose arm over his mate's shoulders.

“Felix is my friend,” Yeonjun swallowed, “I care about him. Our whole pack cares about him, and the last thing we knew he was in preheat after a near subdrop and I’m fucking terrified because we still don’t know what’s going on.”

As Yeonjun’s voice wobbled and his eyes took on a watery quality, Seungmin could feel his resolve crumbling.

Chan had said Soobin clearly cared about Felix, and Seungmin had honestly been doubtful. To him, that “care” seemed to be a facade for Soobin’s own alpha jealousy. Maybe part of it was genuine, but most of it came from the feeling of infiltration when a bunch of alphas started hanging out with his new friend.

Seungmin had been so sure of it, and even when Chan said everything between them was a misunderstanding, he had a hell of a hard time believing it.

But now, seeing Yeonjun close to tears, had Seungmin inclined to believe that even if Soobin didn’t actually care for Felix, Yeonjun absolutely did.

“I don't care if you hate us, but please, just tell us if Felix is okay or not.”

“I don’t hate you.”

Seungmin blurted it out without thinking. 

Maybe the night had taken a toll on him, or maybe Seungmin just couldn’t stand the look of desperation on Yeonjun’s face, but he knew he couldn’t let him assume things. Seungmin’s issue lied with Soobin and Soobin alone, not Yeonjun or anyone in their pack.

“I’m not prepared to have this conversation yet,” Seungmin held his breath as Soobin rubbed a reassuring hand down Yeonjun’s arm.

It shouldn’t bother him, and it didn’t really , but it sure as hell left Seungmin conflicted. This version of Soobin was much kinder, more compassionate than the one Seungmin witnessed earlier. There wasn’t even a hint of the aggression Seungmin experienced in the lobby, nor were his words bitter and edged with malice like they were with Hyunjin. He was loving, gentle with Yeonjun in the same way Seungmin wished he was earlier with Felix.

He wasn’t forgiving Soobin, not that easily, but… he couldn’t leave them like this.

“We have security camera footage of an alpha threatening Felix, which is why Felix ran away and found Hyunjin,” As Seungmin explained, Yeonjun’s stormy expression morphed into one of horror, “You know what happened then… We have identified the alpha and I'm going to call the authorities now. You’ll both probably be needed for testimony when the time comes."

“I understand,” Soobin gave a single, understanding nod, further confusing Seungmin.

“This alpha,” Yeonjun looked a little wild eyed, frantic, “What’s he look like?”

“Um,” Seungmin's murmured, trying to muster up the image of Jinho in his mind, “Black hair, narrowed face, a little stocky?”

“Does he smell like sea salt?”

Sea salt?

“What’s this about?” Soobin turned a questioning look to Yeonjun, seemingly just as out of the loop as Seungmin was.

“Remember that day Felix didn’t want to clean the editing department anymore?” Yeonjun rushed out. flinging his head to face Soobin.

“Yeah…?”

Seungmin tried to keep up with the tossed out information, while also trying to recall any information they had on Jinho. He didn’t have any clue what Jinho’s pheromones might smell like, though he was sure he could take a trip down to the lower levels. He was doubtful that the scent of the attack had cleared up yet.

“Remember when I told you Felix shouldn't clean the editing department anymore? It's because this douchebag alpha tried to corner him in the bathroom,” Yeonjun hastily continued with his arms protectively crossed in front of him, “He reeked of pheromones, and Felix was so freaked out. He said he didn’t know who the guy was, and I didn’t want to push him… Do you think it could be the same alpha?”

Seungmin bit his tongue, forcing back the hefty growl building in his chest.

This wasn’t even the first attack, but the second?

Why the hell haven’t they heard about this?

“You’re saying…” Soobin trailed off as he slowly glanced at Seungmin. Seungmin couldn’t smell him, not under the scent blockers, but if he had to guess, there was a frenzy of chaos in Soobin’s head. His mouth parted, as if he couldn’t come up with the words he wanted to say, and if Seungmin thought too hard, he might’ve seen some regret pooling in his eyes.

“I don’t know what situation you’re talking about,” Seungmin cautiously explained, “But I would like to ask that this is something you speak with the authorities about. It sounds like it may be related.”

Seungmin would definitely be following up with Yeonjun and Soobin about whatever situation they were involved in. Tonight had been traumatizing enough for Felix, but if there were multiple instances with the alpha, then they could be dealing with a stalker. Which opened up even more questions and concerns that Seungmin didn’t have the time nor patience for at the moment.

He needed to take things one step at time.

“Of course,” Yeonjun quickly agreed, while Soobin looked like he was struggling to come to terms with the new information.

That was something he and Soobin could have in common, he supposed.

“I can tell you Felix is safe right now,” Seungmin pointed his words at Yeonjun, “Minho took him home to ride out his heat.”

“That’s your pack member we met earlier right?” Yeonjun shakily asked, “Is he okay?”

“Yes, he’s fine,” Seungmin assured him.

“That’s good,” Yeonjun breathed out a sigh of relief, “Is there anything we can do to help you now?”

“No,” Seungmin shook his head, maybe a little too fast judging by the disappointment that weighed down Yeonjun’s features, “We just need to get Chan home, and then Hyunjin and I will take care of everything.”

“I can take him home for you,” Soobin offered.

“You?” Seungmin couldn’t help the slight scoff at the end of his question, and luckily Soobin didn’t seem too offended by it.

It was nice offer, but a stupid one in Seungmin’s opinion. After everything that happened today, Soobin expected Seungmin to be okay with leaving his very exhausted and emotional boyfriend in the hands of the very same wolf who let his jealousy control him? 

“We both can,” Yeonjun scooted closer to Soobin in an act of solidarity, “It’s better to get him home as soon as possible, right?”

Seungmin had originally intended to ask Changbin to come pick up Chan. He knew the beta would be more than willing to drop everything for them, all it would take was one text.

But Chan’s words rang in Seungmin’s head, challenging his position. He’d said Soobin had misunderstood them, that things between them could be rectified. How would Chan feel if he knew Seungmin turned them away when they were trying to help?

Not a single part of Seungmin’s wolf wanted to say yes.

But Seungmin’s brain, the one that actually thought rationally, knew he was just being over protective.

He had to consider that maybe it wasn’t a bad idea. Chan had to have seen something in his talk with Soobin, something that made him trust that their relationship could be salvaged. And Changbin may be more than willing to help, but Seungmin also knew he was probably worried sick about everything and could use the sleep just as much as Chan. 

Ultimately, Seungmin knew he had to put his own alpha pride aside and accept that Soobin’s willingness to help would benefit his pack and Felix more than stubbornly refusing it.

“Fine,” Seungmin finally said, “We would appreciate it.”

A hazy fog had settled over Felix.

It was present as he finished his nest, slowing his movements and dragging him down until his face finally smashed against the blankets. It was relentless, refusing to give Felix even a moment to right himself in reality. And now, after Felix had finally given in and dropped his head on a pillow made of tshirts, it was continuing to torment him as he tried his best to gather his thoughts and concentrate. It meant his heat was closing in, though it was happening much faster than he was used to.

The only silver lining was the nest he had hidden himself in.

The soft fabric felt heavenly against his clammy skin. The cramps in his abdomen dulled, just enough to notice. Each inhale blessed him with a wave of security, something so foreign to him that he couldn’t seem to process why the walls of fabric felt like it could withstand anything. 

Not once did Felix imagine he would be curled up with seven different scents intertwined into his own personal impenetrable fortress.

It was the only thing keeping him from tipping over the edge. 

After having time alone to mull over the day, the numbed-floaty-feeling he had in the bath slowly chipped away. Small fears latched on and nerves built up as his mind wandered down rabbit holes. Jinho’s snarl, Hyunjin’s soft smile, Chan and Soobin’s shock, replayed in his head over and over, no matter how many times he tried to pull his thoughts away.

He was embarrassed, sad, angry, and grateful . So… so , grateful. His head was spinning in a whirlwind of emotions, all fighting to the forefront of his mind only to be pushed aside seconds later. Everything was so overwhelming, he couldn’t focus on any one thing, and it quickly got overpowered with fear.

Every little sound made his heart jump. The creeks in the walls, the wind against the window, the soft padding of feet outside his door.

He could feel the panic threatening to consume him again, reminding him of the threats that loomed outside his nest. Jinho waiting for him to return to the company building, the idea of facing Hyunjin again after embarrassingly collapsing in his arms, the very real, mortifying humiliation of knowing Minho was in his home while Felix was nesting with his mates’ clothing.

You’re safe in your nest.

Somehow the mixture of pine and cinnamon and all the other scents Felix was surrounded with felt like a barrier between him and the world.

He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

His wolf was pleased, obviously. Felix wouldn’t expect anything else. After weeks and weeks of his omega desperately reaching for something Felix had always denied himself, he finally had a taste of the life he’d always craved. And he couldn’t deny… he liked it.

There was still the very clear nagging in the back of his mind, reminding him of all the intrusive fears he’d carried for years. It reminded him that Minho was here, probably realizing how barren Felix’s life really was and most definitely relaying that information to the rest of his pack. They’d know Felix wasn’t the strong and capable omega he tried to pretend he was, not that he had been doing a good job pretending in the first place.

It reminded him that his place of employment was tainted with his past. Jinho could show up at any corridor and had proven to Felix that he wasn’t giving up. Felix would have no idea where he would show up, whether he would chase him in a frenzy or corner him in a bathroom again. Or maybe he would just linger by the sidelines, silently watching Felix squirm in discomfort until he’d finally had enough.

It reminded him that Yeonjun and Soobin, the closest people he had to friends, were now dragged into the mess he’d created. They were involved in things Felix never intended to bring anyone into, and as kind and understanding as they were, he couldn’t help but fear this may be the last straw.

It seemed in the span of a couple hours, Felix’s shaky foundation had shattered. Everything he worked for felt like it was slipping out of his reach.

He took a deep breath, inhaling mostly coconut.

Here he was, wearing the sweater of a wolf he’d never met, drawing comfort from a scent that should probably scare him. He was willingly allowing an omega he hardly knew to wander his apartment while he spent the remnants of his preheat hidden away in the nest of scents that didn’t belong to him. It was wrong on so many levels, it challenged the rules of biology he’d learned his whole life, yet Felix was still sinking into his nest by the second.

There had to be a reason he felt so relaxed when it came to Chan’s pack, but Felix couldn’t for the life of him figure it out.

From beyond the closed bedroom door, a loud clang of pots hitting the floor reverberated against the walls. Felix flinched back, and a string of hushed curses from the kitchen followed.

It’s just Minho.

Felix knew that, he recognized his voice. Even through the haze he could remember the events of the night clearly enough to know Minho had already witnessed him in a few embarrassing positions. The other omega was doing something in Felix’s kitchen, he didn’t quite know what, but he could only hope it didn’t involve cooking any of the meager bowls of instant rice he had. He only had so much, and Felix knew he didn’t have enough to properly feed them both.

Minho’s footsteps returned, soft and delicate as he passed by Felix’s bedroom door and entered the bathroom. The bathroom light flooded under the crack and cascaded along the carpet of Felix’s bedroom. The sound of drawers opening and closing was accompanied by some shuffling, Minho left and returned again, and then the light was shut off just as quickly as he entered.

Then he was back in the kitchen, making much less noise than before, but this time Felix was purposely listening out for him.

Felix peeked his head over the edge of his nest. The air, though definitely warmer than he usually kept it, began to feel cool against his sweat slicked forehead. His bedroom door was closed, but he could see it wasn’t locked like he normally kept it. Of course Minho wouldn’t lock it, not if he planned on coming back in here.

A wave of panic swept over him as he snapped his head to the side where the window was, quickly searching for the lock in the center. It was secured in place, just like Felix left it, though even his foggy eyesight was making him second guess himself. 

What else could be unlocked?

He had two other windows, and there was the bathroom and front door. He hadn’t had a chance to stuff the bottom crack with a blanket, and Felix was doubtful Minho would think to do it himself. He needed to close the blinds, grab his rations for the next few days, fill up his water bottle-

He had so much to do.

The sense of safety he got from his nest suddenly felt like a mockery. He wasn’t any safer now than he was before, and it was foolish of him to think so.

His heat was literally around the corner. Why was he just sitting here?

Felix forced himself up into a kneeling position, thrusting his foggy mind out of the cloud of pheromones he was blissfully laying in.

Just like last time, when he threw himself out of bed after realizing he went to sleep cuddling Changbin’s jacket, he was hit with instant whiplash. Though this time, he was in much worse shape. His nose burned from the normal stench of his apartment, his muscles ached from the tension in his shoulders, his head pounded in retaliation, his feet felt numb and the cramping in his stomach multiplied tenfold… It took nearly all of his self control to not collapse back in his nest.

An uncontrollable shiver shook his body, and seconds later a set of three sneezes practically toppled him over.

It was like as soon as he removed himself from the nest, he was hit with all of the physical reminders of the night. As he righted himself again, he could feel his entire body fight against him. His torso hunched over, toes curled, throat itched, and his mind was jumping hurdles thinking about all of the things he needed to do, had failed to do.

If only he hadn’t wasted so much time in the bath.

“ Felix? ”

Felix flinched again, not so much from fear but surprise as Minho lightly knocked against the wooden door.

“ I’m going to come in really quick.”

Felix hadn’t moved by the time Minho opened the door, and he remained in the same position as Minho carefully crept inside. In his hands was a bowl of rice, which Felix instantly deflated at. It seemed his stash of rice had been ransacked, and though Felix knew he should eat, he also knew he didn’t have enough food to warrant this much.

He really hoped he could afford another trip to the store after this.

“What are you doing up?” Minho squatted down outside of Felix’s nest, placing the bowl on the carpet, “Are you hungry?”

He was hungry, but that wasn’t what he’d been after when he started to extract himself from the wonderful walls of his nest. Every inch of him, even the omega that he usually always argued with, was jumping with anxiety about everything that wasn’t prepared. It wasn’t just him he needed to worry about, Minho was here too. Minho was just as vulnerable as Felix was with the scent of preheat leaking through every crevasse. 

He didn’t have much time before his heat hit, and given how shitty Felix felt, he wouldn’t be in a good enough state to take care of anything when it finally did.

He already felt the fuzziness around his thoughts close in, his instincts were becoming harder to ignore, but even now, all his wolf was thinking of was being safe.

They aren't safe yet.

“Felix, wait-”

Minho scrambled to his feet at the same time Felix stumbled to an unbalanced stand. The mattress he stood on made his legs shake as he struggled to stand up straight, so he quickly stepped over the walls he’d so carefully created.

As soon as his foot touched the carpet, as soon as he knew he fully left his nest, the complete vulnerability of being out in the open smacked him in the face.

He’d never had much of a nest before this. He’d always felt unsafe during his heats, like he was completely unprotected from the outside world. But there was something different about having a nest to hide in, something to keep him safe during his heat, and willingly leaving it.

He decided he hated it. He hated it more than not having a nest to begin with, because now he knew what it felt like to have it and then to give it back up. He hated how his heart jumped to his throat, how the numbness in his feet spread up to his face, how everything hurt and burned and ached.

He hated how he could hardly get himself to move, to do what he needed to do. He hated that the only thing he wanted was to jump back in his safe space and let the pheromones consume him again.

His fingers gripped the sleeves of the sweater he was wearing, the one with a coconut scent he had instantly fallen in love with.

Just get this over with. Then you can go back.

“Felix, Sweetie, sit down,” Minho was in front of him, speaking to him softly, “What do you need? I’ll take care of it for you.”

Felix shook his head, Minho couldn’t do this for Felix. Even if he did, Felix wouldn’t know if Minho did it right. What if he left a crack in the blinds? Or if he didn’t stuff the very corner of the crack enough? What if he locked the front door but not the bathroom door? What if the windows were locked but not closed all the way?

Felix didn’t know if Minho could fully understand the fears that were stapled into Felix’s mind, and truthfully, he wasn’t sure if he wanted Minho to know. Even if he tried to explain to Minho every possibility, every paranoid thought that crossed his mind, every close call and every horrid memory that helped create Felix’s preheat routine, would he understand the severity? Or would he too become plagued with the constant barrage of anxiety Felix felt on the daily? 

Minho was a male omega like him, but that could be where their similarities ended. He couldn’t expect Minho to understand that the scent of heat could travel through the thin walls and out the door cracks. He couldn't expect Minho to think to tuck a chair under the door handle or to run to the store to buy a couple granola bars that Felix could stuff under his pillow until the worst of the waves had passed.

Minho was in a pack, a rather wealthy one at that… He shouldn’t have to think of these things. He should be thinking about his nest, enjoying a warm bath, cuddling up to his alphas… not worrying about whether a rogue alpha could sniff him from outside his front door.

And with how things were going, Felix couldn’t shake the feeling that Jinho was just as much of a threat as any random alpha circling his apartment complex. All he could imagine was the slow, stalking figure of Jinho slinking through doorways and hiding in the shadows, waiting for Felix to hit his most vulnerable moment to strike. And with Minho being here with him, he was just as much a target.

If Minho got hurt because of him… He wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

He needed to keep them both safe.

He will keep them both safe.

Minho watched with poorly hidden concern as Felix stumbled around his apartment.

He was tripping over his feet, body awkwardly bent over and struggling to keep his balance. It might have been lucky that Felix hardly had much furniture, because if he did, Minho had a feeling he would’ve had a bruised-up omega in the next few minutes.

It’s nothing he couldn’t handle, but he’d much rather Felix remained healthy and happy instead of beat up by nothing but his own clumsy self.

Minho watched from a distance, forcing himself to keep his hands by his side instead of reaching out to steady the other before he tumbled to the ground. It was hard, especially when Felix began fumbling with the window and banged his knee against the wall. He bit his lip, exhaling the nerves building up in his chest and convincing himself to stay still.

He still wasn’t sure what Felix’s goal was, but if there was anything Minho was, it was patient. He had to be when he lived with the pack he did.

Leaving his nest shouldn’t be a cause for concern under normal circumstances. Sometimes omegas did things a little backwards during a heat, and then their pack had to drag them back once they realized they were farther from their nest than they realized. But with a triggered heat, Minho couldn’t see that as a possibility.

Felix’s scent had progressively gotten stronger, sweeter, in just the past hour. His heat was already sneaking up on them, far sooner than what Minho would consider normal. He could only hope a short preheat was a sign of a short heat, but he could never be sure with this scenario.

If Felix was leaving, something was wrong.

Minho had originally thought Felix was doing well given how receptive he was to Jeongin and Seungmin’s scents. Now, he wasn’t too sure.

He hadn’t panicked like Minho assumed he would, and after seeing Jeongin’s sweater pulled over Felix’s head, Minho had to scrap any previously drawn up conclusions they had in their heads. It was obvious Felix was continuing to break the mold of what they thought was normal, but at this point, that should be expected.

After leaving Felix to build his nest in peace, Minho had taken it upon himself to prepare to the best of his ability. He checked the stock of Felix’s kitchen, which was just as barren as Minho feared, and searched for any of Felix’s heat supplies he had scattered through his apartment. Felix had a few of the basic necessities, a box of scent blockers and some deodorizing detergent that stripped pheromones from bed sheets.

But that was all.

That was all of Felix’s supplies, compared to the massive bag Minho had Changbin bring him.

Minho wasn’t sure if he missed one of Felix’s hiding places, which would be impressive considering there weren’t many of those to begin with, but so far his search had been fruitless. Felix didn’t have anything to make his heat even a tiny bit more bearable. No toys or comfy pajamas. No ice packs or heating pads. No suppressants or pain killers.

Minho hoped he missed something, that Felix had a secret stash hidden somewhere, because he couldn’t even begin to imagine how frustrating a heat had to be if he didn’t.

Perhaps that’s what Felix was after when he left his nest. Maybe he was seeking out one of the hiding spots Minho hadn’t found.

A click of a lock snapping in place sent that thought out the window.

Minho’s lips pressed together in a thin line as Felix stumbled back from the window, fingers dragging down the glass and clumsily sliding over the lock again. His small hands were hardly capable of gripping the window and attempting to open it, but Minho watched as he tried.

And then he tried again.

The window didn’t budge, and after a third try, Felix finally dropped his hands to his side.

His scent spiked, a sour tinge to the sweetened honey.

Fear.

Minho took a deep breath, forcing down the urge to flood the room with his own scent. If he and Felix were closer, if he felt confident enough, he would blanket the room in vanilla. But he didn’t want to push it, didn’t want to overstep after everything that happened today and risk being the last straw.

He didn’t have a grasp on Felix yet. Heat-hazed brain wasn’t very reliable, and he was fully aware that he could be playing a losing game. For all they knew, Felix could come out of this with a wounded heart and broken trust. No matter how sweet and kind and docile he was in subspace, the Felix they’ve come to know was hiding beneath the instincts.

Until Felix came down from the clouds, none of them would know. All Minho could do at this point is be the support Felix deserved. That included a comfortable heat at the very least.

After Felix finished locking down his apartment, that is.

Minho knew, all too well, the dangers associated with his subgender. Omegas fought against a society geared against them, and it was common knowledge lone omegas couldn’t get far without an alpha by their side. He understood the underlying fear that never left, not even in the comfort of your own home, because your biology reminded you that you didn’t stand a chance against any alpha that dared to step into your life.

And the longer you spent alone, the more your wolf yearned for that bond. The instinctual desire to submit became too hard to ignore, and then any alpha that happened to smell halfway decent made your heart lurch.

Before Minho found Chan, before Minho found himself, he lived a similar life.

He was untrusting, defensive, aggressive. He overcompensated, because he thought if he was a dick, no alpha would bother with him anyway. He took suppressants during every heat because he hated how vulnerable they made him feel, and then he pretended the side effects weren’t there. He told himself the emptiness he felt was normal, and that no one would be worthy enough to fill it.

The life Minho used to live wasn’t too far off from Felix’s, except Felix was much less of a shit-starter than Minho was, and Minho hadn’t been entirely alone. Minho still had people, other omegas to lean on that Felix didn’t have.

They weren’t the same, and Minho wouldn’t pretend they were, but he still understood. His heart broke seeing Felix, who should be sleeping soundly in his nest, step out into the open smelling like a nightmare.

There wasn’t much Minho could do though, not when anxiety had its claws embedded too deep. Minho couldn’t use his pheromones to calm him, couldn’t use his touch to ground him, couldn’t do the tasks for him without doubt lingering…

And it broke his heart.

Felix hobbled from one window to another, repeatedly trying to test the lock until he was satisfied. This had to be routine at this point. He was so quick to the point, zeroing in on the closet and pulling out a towel. He kneeled at the front door, nearly falling backwards in the process as he hastily stuffed the crack on the floor.

Minho rocked back on his heels, hand clasped together. He stopped himself from kneeling beside Felix, even though his knee twitched, ready to jump into action. He wanted to help, but he had a feeling even if he tried to do anything Felix would just swat him away. There was a sense of security in seeing it done with your own hands. 

That didn’t mean Minho didn’t feel useless as he waited for Felix to lock down his apartment alone.

Felix stood on shaky legs, hand gripping the locked door handle to balance himself. He scanned the room, briefly skipping over Minho and landing on the bathroom door.

He assumed that would be Felix’s next target. It would keep the trend at the very least. 

Small, abused feet slid across the carpet. Minho could only hope he didn’t wind up with rug burns on top of everything. His hands hung by his side, like dead weight as he made his way across the apartment. 

Locking the bathroom was quicker than the others, and quickly Felix was back out in the main space, drifting closer to Minho. 

Then Felix’s fingers slotted between his palm.

Before Minho had time to properly process it, Felix’s warmth was pulling back towards the bedroom with strength Minho didn’t see coming. His steps were a little too loud, and a little too frantic. The sweat build up between their hands made Felix grip him tighter, sharp nails dug into his skin.

He wasn’t letting go.

They entered the bedroom, and Minho was flooded with the scent of home.

Felix’s nest was sitting abandoned, the full bowl of rice just a foot away. It looked like pieces had been disturbed during Felix’s departure, and Minho could tell that frustrated Felix in the slight change in his scent.

“Your nest is still beautiful, Lixie,” Minho smiled at the slight grumpy frown forming on Felix’s face.

Felix’s hand shook against Minho’s. His scent was spiking again, sharp and sour.

“Lix-”

Minho was interrupted, just as he turned to face Felix, by Felix pointing at his nest expectantly.

His lips were pursed together, eyebrows scrunched and eyes boring down on him with an intensity Minho wasn’t ready for. The hand still holding on was trying to push Minho forward, although Felix’s strength was a little lacking at the moment. It was more of a nudge, a light guide telling Minho he wanted him to move.

Into the nest.

“You… want me in your nest?”

The nod Felix gave was so fast that Minho wouldn’t be surprised if it gave him a headache.

Minho swallowed down the joy, even though he wanted to grin like a maniac.

A nest was special, a sanctuary for an omega. Whether it was during a heat, or just a bad day, a nest always helped Minho feel more in control, like he could face anything if he had his walls in place.

Felix’s nest was a lot like Minho’s. He paired the scents accordingly, making sure not to let the duller scents get overpowered by the likes of Jisung and Chan. He had the head of it fuller, the fluffy stuff at the top and the silk by his feet. It was equally dispersed so they could smell each individual person clearly.

“You’re absolutely sure?”

He was answered with another pull, accompanied with a nose scrunch that Minho found adorable.

Minho turned his sights to the nest, spotting a very familiar pajama top Changbin had let him use as a pillow the last time he nested. It was settled directly next to what looked like Felix’s resting place, like it was waiting specifically for him.

Felix’s nest was… perfect. It rivaled Minho’s own.

“Okay,” Minho agreed, feeling Felix’s light up beside him, “I’ll join you.”

My Loves <3

Minho: Update: Felix’s heat is probably going to hit tonight. I’ll be hard to reach for awhile

Changbin: Did he eat?

Minho: Who do you take me for?

Minho: I hand fed him rice myself

Minho: He fought me on it though

Jisung: how???

Minho: Let’s just say he can be very stubborn

Minho: I guess I’m supposed to be eating rice too according to Felix <3

Changbin: Well I, for one, am relieved that he’s only
fighting you on rice.

Changbin: I’m glad he’s eating, I was worried he’d be scared.

Jisung: scared of what?

Changbin: Probably the fact that he’s spending his heat with a stranger?

Jisung: minho’s not a stranger

Minho: To Felix I am

Minho: And we haven’t gotten to the hard part yet. For all we know, he’s going to try to throw me out once his heat hits

Minho: I really hope he doesn’t, but I’m not going to stay if it makes him upset

Changbin: I’m surprised he’s actually letting you stay.

Changbin: Happy, but surprised.

Minho: I’m grateful he is

Minho: I’m not sure how he’d survive with a triggered heat. He had nothing prepared. Heats alone are a nightmare, but having to take care of yourself during one is it’s own kind of hell

Jisung: :(

Minho: I know Sungie, hopefully he won’t have to do that again

Is he doing okay?

Minho: He is, which is a relief after your surprise sweater addition

Minho: I hope you know how dangerous that was Innie

…pretty dangerous?

Seungmin: EXTREMELY dangerous what the fuck

Seungmin: You gave Felix one of your sweaters after everything that happened today?

Seungmin: Jeongin what were you thinking?

Minho: Felix is fine, everything turned out okay

Seungmin: And if it didn’t? We’d have been screwed

I was trying to help

Seungmin: Please never do that again

Seungmin: That could have had too many bad outcomes

Changbin: He won’t.

Changbin: What’s going on? You seem really shaken up right now.

Seungmin: You would be too if you saw what I saw

Jisung: what…? :(

Changbin: Please don’t be cryptic, what happened? Are Hyunjin and Chan okay? Are you okay?

Seungmin: Hyunjin aggravated his ankle, but he’s okay

Seungmin: Before you all mother hen him, it’s not his fault. No one say anything to him about it

Changbin: We won't, I promise.

Seungmin: Chan is exhausted, and emotional. He needs to sleep and I swear to god if he doesn’t go to bed as soon as he gets home we’re going to have problems

Changbin: Straight to bed when he gets home.

Changbin: And you?

Seungmin: I need to stay here

Changbin: No offense baby, but you don’t seem okay. Maybe you need to come home too.

Seungmin: I already called the police, they’re on their way. I have to be available to answer questions. I already called my internship and left a message. I’ll have to miss tomorrow.

Jisung: WHY DID YOU CALL THE POLICE????

Changbin: All of you are giving me heart attacks today holy shit.

Changbin: Why are you calling the police? 

Seungmin: Long story short, Felix was assaulted by an alpha who works here, and Hyunjin was the one to find him.

Seungmin: There’s too much to explain so you’ll have to live with that for now

Changbin: That explains the triggered heat.

Changbin: Okay I can deal with that, but you all better fill us in on everything later.

Changbin: That includes you Minho.

Changbin: I can come to the company and stay with you while you answer questions.

Seungmin: Honestly, I’d rather you stay home for when Chan gets back home. Hyunjin is staying for a bit because he’s part of the story. I need you to make sure Chan actually goes to sleep.

Jisung: I’m making room in the master

Jisung: we’re gonna cuddle

Seungmin: perfect.

Minho: You’re doing well Seungmin, I’m proud of you

Minho: I love you

Seungmin: I love you too

Seungmin: And I love you too Jeongin

Seungmin: I wasn’t trying to snap at you. I just panicked when I saw that

It’s okay. you’re right anyways

I shouldn’t have done that

Changbin: Well what’s done is done. All we can do now is move on and promise to do better. Which our Innie has already vowed to do.

Changbin: We won’t make the same mistake again.

A light knock interrupted the silence in Jeongin’s bedroom.

Judging by the hectic footsteps that had passed by earlier, Jisung must already be in their master bedroom preparing for Chan. Which left only one other person on the other side of Jeongin’s door.

Changbin.

“Jeongin? Can I come in?”

He was tempted to say no. The humiliation from earlier was still prickling at his skin, setting a permanent frown on his face. He was trying to distract himself by scrolling through social media, and though it hadn’t worked yet, he was hoping he could at the very least try to ignore the sinkhole in his chest for a while. 

And then Minho’s message came in, and Jeongin was thrusted back into the front lines of his problems.

He’d already gotten a “talk” from Minho, one he knew wasn’t over yet. It was over text which left too many words unspoken, and Minho wasn’t one to let things slide without an appropriate resolution. He knew until Minho spoke with him in person, this conversation would be stuck on pause.

Changbin was tasked with delivering the nest material to Felix, and it wasn’t until he was halfway home that he became aware of Jeongin’s secret sweater addition. The brief, disappointed head shake from Changibn did just as much damage to his fragile heart as Minho’s scolding did. And what was worse, Changbin had hardly said anything about it.

And then there was Seungmin, arguably the most disheartening part of it all. After hours of ignored messages and Jeongin’s attempts at helping ease Seungmin’s anxieties being pushed to the side, the alpha had finally responded to him. Though it was only to tell him how his royal fuck up could have been detrimental to their advances on Felix.

Jeongin knew Seungmin was right. Jeongin’s own jealousy had gotten in the way, and as a result his actions nearly cost them everything. But he still felt a coldness settling in the pit of his stomach when he looked back at his messages to Seungmin and found them unread.

Hours. Jeongin sent those hours ago, because he was worried sick about Seungmin.

Seungmin had the time to yell at him in their group chat but not enough time to let him know he was okay?

“Come on Innie, please?”

If he said no, he knew Changbin would leave him alone. All he had to do was say the word. Changbin wasn’t one to force himself where he wasn’t wanted. He’d gladly give space and provide comfort when needed, unlike Jeongin who couldn’t force himself to do anything he wasn’t fully committed to.

Changbin was the perfect beta. He was so moldable, flexible, fitting in seamlessly with the gaps and missing pieces to create a fluid pack. It was extremely productive with so many alphas in one household, and Changbin did so well with it.

Jeongin on the other hand was nothing short of a menace.

He didn’t like to cuddle unless he felt a desire too, and his sex drive simply couldn’t compare to that of Hyunjins. There were times he couldn’t stand Chan’s alpha nonsense and times when Minho would baby him so much he wanted to scream. He always felt either too much or too little compared to the rest of them, and it always seemed to be at the wrong times.

He’s certain he was the only one who would feel so jealous over Felix nesting with everyone's clothes but his.

Jeongin wasn’t the best at being a beta. He couldn’t do what Changbin did. He couldn’t give someone space when he was worried sick about them, and he couldn’t give them the proper comfort when his skin felt itchy at the thought of physical contact. He couldn’t always match someone's excitement when he was feeling the opposite, and he couldn’t provide advice when his brain couldn’t comprehend much more than how tired he was.

It wasn’t even that he wasn’t the best at it, he was just plain awful.

“Jeonginnie~ I brought ice cream!”

Of course Chanbin would resort to bribes. He must have sensed Jeongin’s mental gymnastics from behind the door.

“And I brought two spoons so we don’t have to share ice cream spit. Aren’t I so sweet?”

“So thoughtful,” Jeongin agreed quietly.

He still felt like absolute shit, but he couldn’t deny that hearing Changbin speak to him so fondly eased a little bit of the pain in his chest.

“You can come in.”

Light from the hallway streamed in, but was quickly shadowed by Changbin’s silhouette. 

Jeongin had stunk up the room with his soured scent. Guilt and isolation was set in the carpet, in the blanket Jeongin was curled up in, in the pillow he laid on. It was stuck in his nostrils, which was a feat of its own. Jeongin’s scent was always so light and easily overpowered by the rest of theirs, and even when he got upset, it didn’t stick around like this.

He wasn’t surprised when Changbin stepped in with wide eyes, but he still sunk further into the blankets as rainwater pulsed out to cleanse the air of Jeongin’s bad mood.

Changbin didn’t say anything. Not as he closed the door and locked in both of their scents. Not when he slid in next to him on the bed and pressed his shoulder next to Jeongin’s head. Not when a cold water bottle rolled between their legs and a tub of vanilla ice cream was placed on his lap.

Jeongin wasn’t sure if we should be the first one to speak. He wasn’t even sure what to say. He felt the atmosphere spoke for him, but would it be better to have it spoken in words?

“I figured we might get thirsty,” Changbin said as he thrusted a spoon over to Jeongin.

It wasn’t the conversation starter Jeongin was expecting. That was far too tame, especially when Jeongin was prepared for another talk.  

His gaze glided over to Changbin, catching his soft smile and a gentle nudge with the spoon. Jeongin reached for it with his blanket covered hand, and couldn’t help his growing smirk as Changbin’s squinted at him in return.

“My hands are cold,” Jeongin tried to justify it, even though he was literally about to shove spoonfuls of cold ice cream into his mouth.

“I think you’re just lazy,” Changbin shook his head as his hand reached over to pull off the lid, “Maybe I’ll have to just feed you then.”

Jeongin wouldn’t put it past him. Changbin wasn’t one to shy away from the stereotypical “lovey-dovey” romance tropes. He liked holding hands during a walk at sunset… at like… the beach? Or something like that. 

After Jeongin’s massive fuck up today, he didn’t think Changbin would want to see him, let alone be this cute.

But it seemed Changbin had different plans than Jeongin thought, plans that included Changbin’s own spoon digging into the vanilla ice cream. He tapped the spoon against the edge, raised it up in the air, and to Jeongin’s surprise, Changbin was actually heading towards Jeongin.

Changbin was actually going to feed him?

“What happened to not sharing ice cream spit?” Jeongin questioned as the spoon floated in front of his mouth.

“I’ll just take your spoon,” Changbin used his free hand to pluck the spoon from Jeongin’s limp, blanket-covered hand, “It’s not like you were gonna use it.”

“What if I was. ”

“Then you can just take my spoon.”

“So now we’re just swapping spoons.”

He could see the annoyance in Changbin’s half lidded eyelids, and Jeongin only had a split second to feel bad for adding to his already growing list of mistakes before the other was chuckling.

“Just take a bite you dork.”

Jeongin pressed his lips together, eyebrows squished against each other as he processed Changbin’s demeanor. He didn’t seem angry, not like Jeongin assumed they all would be. He was joking around like he usually would, and even though Jeongin surely was making it difficult for Changbin to get their ice cream binge started, he was patiently waiting for Jeongin to take the first bite.

“You’re being weird,” Jeongin said wearily, but he still took the offered ice cream before it dripped all over his blanket.

“What’s so weird about eating ice cream with my boyfriend?” Changbin stuck the spoon back in the carton.

Jeongin’s old spoon, which now was just Changbin’s, was used to scoop another spoonful of ice cream that Changbin ate significantly faster than Jeongin. Then Changbin was alternating spoons and procuring a new spoonful waiting in front of Jeongin’s mouth.

Changbin had hardly said anything to him earlier, and now he was acting like everything was fine. Like Jeongin didn’t just jeopardize everything with Felix over his own jealousy. He was just feeding Jeongin ice cream, making teasing jokes like he always had, and Jeongin felt guilty for indulging in it.

It felt so normal, as if nothing happened, and that made Jeongin more anxious that he thought it would.

After everything Jeongin did today, he didn’t deserve it.

“What’s up?” Changbin tilted his head, “Not feeling vanilla?”

Jeongin shook his head. It had nothing to do with the ice cream itself. Any other day, he’d already be halfway through the carton.

“It just feels wrong,” Jeongin ended his sentence with a shrug.

“What feels wrong?” Changbin placed the spoon back in the carton, letting the ice cream melt a tiny puddle in the hole left behind.

“ This, ” Jeongin loosely gestured to the room, dragging his blanket up with his arm movements, “The ice cream, the joking, you being so nice. I don’t deserve it.”

“Well, that’s a lie,” Changbin pulled his feet to cross in front of him, and then he was turning to face Jeongin, “Being mean to you is a crime. And the ice cream was just sitting in the freezer, all lonely, one of us had to eat it.”

“Then you eat it,” Jeongin pulled the blanket up to his nose, “Or Chan and Jisung can eat it.”

“Or,” Changbin grabbed the spoon again along with a nice glob of softened ice cream, “We can eat it together before it melts and talk about why you feel like you don’t deserve nice things.”

“Don’t act like it’s not obvious,” Jeongin was slowly sinking further and further into the blanket, now the edge of it was just under his bottom eyelids.

“Believe it or not, but I’m not a mind reader,” Changbin rested his free hand on Jeongin’s thigh, “I can smell the guilt all over you, but unless you talk to me, I can’t do much to help you.”

“What do you think I feel guilty about?” Jeongin questioned with a fairly light glare, but Changbin didn’t react other than to stick the spoon in his own mouth.

“It could be a number of things,” Changbin began, pointing the empty spoon in Jeongin’s direction, “But I prefer to hear it from you instead of making assumptions.”

“So you’re really gonna make me say it,” Jeongin groaned.

The humiliation of everything was still fresh, and he wasn’t really in the mood to relive his mistakes. He had hoped Changbin would just know, that way Jeongin didn’t have to voice his own fuck ups. But Changbin was too sweet and considerate to put words in their mouths.

For once, Jeongin wished he would.

“Why don’t we start small, with yes or no questions,” Changbin suggested, and Jeongin tried his best not to hide anymore of his face behind the blanket, “Are you feeling guilty about more than one thing?”

“Yes,” There were layers to Jeongin’s guilt.

“Are one of those reasons involving our pack?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” Changbin nodded to himself, “Are you feeling guilty because you feel like we’re upset?”

“It’s not just that,” Jeongin pulled the blanket down under his chin, “You guys should be upset. I literally almost ruined everything, and you’re just feeding me ice cream.”

“But you didn’t ruin everything,” Changbin countered with a light squeeze, “You made a mistake, but you didn’t ruin anything. We’re lucky everything ended well, and we won’t make the same mistake twice.”

“You keep saying we ,” Jeongin grumbled, “It was just me, Changbin.”

“We’re a pack, Baby. We always stick together,” Changbin insisted, “Besides, do you think you’re the only one to make a mistake during all of this? Jisung sent Felix into subspace during their second meeting. Chan hugged him directly after, and I gave him my jacket. All of those were very dangerous and could have led to disastrous consequences.”

That was… true.

He hadn’t thought about it like that. Jisung’s situation had been terrifying, and the very real possibility of losing one of their pack had been hard to swallow. He wouldn’t say Chan and Changbin’s situation was very comparable to Jisung’s or Jeongin’s, but he could see Changbin’s point.

“I think all of our wolves have gone a little crazy lately,” Changbin continued softly, “I know my wolf wanted something I wasn’t used to. I didn’t know how to handle it.”

“Me too,” Jeongin responded hastily. He placed his hands by his sides, quickly pushing himself into a sitting position, “My wolf felt jealous.”

Jeongin wasn’t immune to jealousy, he had his flaws like everyone else. But this time, it was like he couldn’t move on from it. It tainted every thought he had. Irritation grew with each shirt he folded that wasn’t his, and his wolf felt completely left in the dust.

“You were jealous of… Felix?”

“No,” Jeongin shook his head. It wasn’t that simple, none of their situations with Felix had been, “I was jealous of you. Of Chan, and Jisung, of all of you.”

If it was Felix he was jealous of, he wouldn’t be so hung up on it. That would make sense . He was the new face, and feeling threatened by a new wolf getting so close to the rest of them should elicit some kind of reaction from him.

“You all got to meet him and I haven’t,” Jeongin let his eyes drop down to Changbin’s hand still resting on his thigh, “Even Seungmin saw him today, and I still have no idea what he looks like. Then he was nesting with everyone’s clothes but mine and Seungmin’s and I felt left out.”

“I just-” Jeongin closed his eyes with a sigh. Now that he was cleared of his instincts, he could realize how stupid he was. What was he thinking? “I just wanted to help.”

“I understand that,” Changbin’s hand disappeared from Jeongin’s thigh. Fingers slid up to his cheek, guiding him to look up at Changbin, “Your sweater may have had its risks, but it did help. Minho said Felix loved it.”

Even though Jeongin had been regretful for his impulsive decisions, he still felt a surge of pride knowing Felix liked his scent.

“I feel like we should address the jealousy thing,” Changbin hummed, brushing his thumb across Jeongin’s cheekbone, “It’s not wrong to feel jealous every now and then, but I feel like this instance might fall in line with those weird feelings Chan and I have had.”

“The claiming,” Jeongin remembered, “Your wolves decided Felix was yours, right?”

If he was honest, Jeongin still didn’t fully understand what Changbin and Chan meant when they said their wolves claimed Felix. It took Jeongin so long to fully ease himself into the pack, and even longer to begin to feel the territorial instincts that came with pack bonds. Felix had been thrusted into their life so suddenly, almost too suddenly for Jeongin. He didn’t like to be rushed.

It took time for him to develop connections, to kindle the flame between him and another person. For the longest time, Jeongin had thought he wasn’t cut out for pack life. He figured he and Seungmin would have stayed in their little bubble, them two against the world, because the idea of loving more than one person was too overwhelming for Jeongin to comprehend.

He had been wrong, because now he was hopelessly in love with six different people. And the seventh was creeping up on him, faster than Jeongin was okay with.

“When I say claiming, it wasn’t in the traditional sense,” Changbin explained, “I wasn’t like, aching to give him a mating bite or anything. It was a passing thought, and an urge to do something I’d only ever do with you guys.”

“Like you were closer than you actually are?” Jeongin spoke his thoughts out loud.

“You could say that,” Changbin agreed with a nod, “Is that how you feel?”

“Yeah.”

Jeongin didn’t elaborate. There wasn’t much more to say.

None of them knew why this was happening, and Jeongin only added more pieces to the puzzle. 

It was highly likely the only way they’d be able to get answers was to talk to Felix directly. See if he had any strange feelings like them, and if he was also fighting to keep himself sane in the process.

“I can tell there’s more,” Changbin nudged his knee, “You still smell frustrated.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Jeongin mumbled, finally using his own hands to grab at the carton of ice cream.

He was still unsettled by Changbin’s behavior, though he was trying to convince himself that Changbin didn't need to be mad at him. He could make up his own mind about what he felt, and Jeongin couldn’t force his expectations on him.

But there was still Seungmin, who was still burning a hole in Jeongin’s heart.

“Or are you just telling yourself that?” Changbin used his spoon to dig in next to Jeongin, “Because typically, if it makes you feel bad, it’s actually a big deal.”

“You’re so pushy today,” Jeongin shook his head, attempting to hide the grin that was growing.

“I’m pushy every day,” Changbin tapped his spoon against Jeongin’s, which Jeongin scowled at, “It’s the only thing that gets my stubborn boyfriends to talk to me about their problems.”

Jeongin tried to smile at the obvious attempt at humor, but it fell flat.

“How do you do that, anyway?” Jeongin gaze locked back on the ice cream, avoiding the confused eyes that stared at him.

“What do you mean?”

“How do you get us to talk to you?” Jeongin played with the spoon handle between his fingers, “And what do you do when one of us won’t talk?”

Jeongin pressed the metal spoon tip against his fingers, ignoring the way his own scent pulsed against his will. Changbin noticed, it wasn’t like it wasn’t obvious, but he didn’t say anything. Rainwater increased to compensate, washing over the angst Jeongin was leaving behind, and a gentle hand laid flat against Jeongin’s blanket-covered thigh.

“I can’t exactly force anyone to talk,” Changbin explained softly, “Sometimes, there’s not much I can do if someone won’t talk to me. All I can do is be there for them, and hope they know it.”

“I did all that though,” Jeongin used his palm to rub at his eyes with a sigh, “And it didn’t work.”

“Well it won’t always work,” Changbin pulled Jeongin’s hand back. Jeongin spared a glance at Chagbin’s worried stare, and quickly averted his gaze, “What happened?”

“It’s just Seungmin,” Jeongin felt himself slipping down against the pillow again, “He ignored me all day today, even before the thing with Felix happened.”

He knew Seungmin had a lot happen tonight, and Jeongin tried to remind himself of that, but he couldn’t help the way it hurt. To have someone you cared about completely ignore your help in favor of lashing out at you. Even if Jeongin did deserve it…

“Maybe I’m just being dumb.”

“You are not dumb,” Changbin’s finger hooked under Jeongin’s chin, and he didn’t fight back when Changbin pulled him to look at him, “You understand me? You don’t deserve to have anyone call you names, even yourself.”

“I’m being a baby then,” Jeongin whined as he pulled back, arms crossing over his chest defiantly.

“You’re our baby,” Changbin insisted, “And as for Seungmin, he’s had a lot happen today, but I can understand where you’re coming from. Maybe this is something you two should talk to each other about when he comes home.”

“If he even wants to talk to me,” He muttered back.

Jeongin’s tone was a little too bitter, and his scent was growing to match it. He knew he was being ridiculous, but there was a nagging thought knocking against his skull telling him Seungmin wouldn’t be so keen to see him anytime soon. Not that their pack would allow it. No one got to escape their problems, not with seven of them trying to navigate a healthy relationship.

“He loves you, Innie,” Changbin reminded him, “You were his first love. You really think he’d do that to you?”

“ No , but my mind keeps telling me he will,” Jeongin slapped the spoon against the mattress in frustration, which he could tell Changbin thought was funny.

“Your mind likes to lie to you,” Changbin wrapped an arm around Jeongin’s shoulder, pulling him against a warm chest, “Seungmin won’t let this get between you two. I bet you’re gonna be the first person he collapses on when he gets home. And when he does, you’ll be obligated to remind yourself and the lies in your head that they were wrong. ”

He hoped so.

Chapter Text

Minho was fairly confident that Felix wasn’t in subspace.

He had been before, or at least close to it, but at some point between herding Minho into his nest and force feeding rice down his throat, Felix’s mind had crawled back to the surface.

Hours had passed. Chan had long since arrived home, as the updates from Changbin informed him. Even exhausted and emotionally drained, Chan was acting every ounce of pack alpha that he was by flinging Jisung over his shoulders to carry them both to bed. Minho couldn’t fathom how Chan had the energy to do anything other than collapse on the couch, but he hoped it meant the night hadn’t taken too much of a toll on him.

Seungmin had begun speaking with the police after a long and drawn out wait, and last Minho heard Hyunjin had started downloading the footage for the investigation. Judging by the lack of messages from either of them, it was safe to assume they were still discussing and probably wrapping up soon. Minho hoped, for Felix’s sake, that the time and energy Seungmin and Hyunjin put in meant the justice system wouldn’t fail him like it so often did with most omegas.

Minho wasn’t entirely sure what was going on with Jeongin, though he was certain either Jisung or Changbin had handled that situation. Jisung had a natural gift at lightening the mood, especially when it came to their pack, and Changbin was great at reading a room. Minho had no doubt that, no matter who it was, someone had made sure Jeongin was okay at the end of everything. They would revisit that situation at a later date, when they weren’t shrouded in pheromones and clouded with instincts and emotions.

And then there was Minho, who was still in Felix’s nest, sitting cross legged with their shoulders just an inch away from each other.

The close proximity meant Minho was bombarded with wafts of pheromones, sweetened and masked in sugar. He could feel heat radiating off of the body that sat beside him as it left his own skin clammy and the air musty. Gentle shivers occasionally washed over Felix, knocking their knees together by accident accompanied by the chattering of teeth and the clang of Minho’s collar tag from Felix’s neck.

With each symptom’s rapid progression, Minho could tell his first wave was almost here. His preheat was unusually short, though that was probably due to the triggered heat more than anything else. This was typically the time when the soft edges of subspace had already blurred reality, and by the time the first wave fully washed over, everything was much easier to manage with the blanket of comfort that subspace provided.

But it didn’t seem like Felix was in subspace. In fact, it seemed like Felix was actively avoiding it. 

His scent was still fluctuating, as if he was trying and failing to control it. His fingers occasionally squeezed the sleeves of Jeongin’s sweater with enough force to turn them white. His eyelids would close in concentration, and then he would return to blankly staring at the closed bedroom door.

His eyes turned glossy with each blink, and then he’d shake his head into focus.

His mouth parted in a lax expression, and then he’d purse his lips together.

His body listed side to side, nearly falling over a few times, and then he’d grip his ankles to stabilize himself.

Felix was trying not to slip into subspace, but it was so obvious that he was so close to toppling over.

Minho tried not to to worry, because Felix wasn’t his to worry about. As much as he wanted to ease him into subspace, there were limits, boundaries, expectations that he had to be mindful of. He stayed to help Felix through his heat, not to dictate how he spent that heat.

But it would probably be much more bearable if he could let go.

Jisung had said Felix told him he enjoyed subspace, or atleast the one Jisung had induced, but there was still a part of Minho that feared that incident may have something to do with Felix denying himself of it now. He tried to convince himself that couldn’t be true, especially with how Felix had actively interacted with their pack. If Jisung pushing him into subspace made Felix uncomfortable, he would have said something by now.

But if Felix was vulnerable, scared, uncertain, and spending his heat with Jisung’s pack mate… Minho wouldn’t blame him if the idea of slipping into subspace didn’t sound ideal.

No one had to spend their heat in subspace. For some it wasn’t an option. They had responsibilities, or perhaps they didn’t feel safe enough to slip alone. Whatever the reason, Minho has known his own fair share of omegas who would rather spend a heat fully conscious and aware than rely on anyone else, including Minho himself at one point.

Whether that was considered “healthy” was subjective. Enough activist groups against single heats had the mindset that a heat spent out of subspace was just as dangerous as a heat spent with an abusive partner. The toll on an omega’s body was believed to be too strenuous, and the long term effects supposedly leading to infertility among other issues.

Suppressing instincts wasn’t good for the body or mind, Minho was adamant on that, but he also couldn’t deny the fact that there were omegas that simply couldn’t. Some couldn’t afford to miss work so they took some suppressants and dealt with the pain from their work desks. Some felt too vulnerable, and the idea of letting go of control was almost scary enough to send them into a subdrop instead. Some just felt uncomfortable with it, preferring to enjoy their heat to its fullest with every pain and pleasure.

In Minho’s case, he couldn’t trust anyone to take care of him besides himself for the longest time. He couldn’t fault himself for that.

Felix not hitting subspace wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, though after the day he had, it would probably do Felix a lot of good. Being pursued by an aggressive alpha was enough to bring omega instincts out of hiding, but tacking on the incident with Hyunjin and the triggered heat… Minho would honestly prefer it if Felix could hit subspace at least once.

But he couldn’t force him, and he didn’t feel comfortable enough to suggest it just yet either. There had to be a reason Felix was trying, and struggling, to keep a grasp on reality. If he was that desperate to avoid subspace, that was enough of a reason for Minho to push his worries aside.

The least he could do was attempt to make Felix a little more comfortable.

“Hey, Sweetheart,” Minho watched as Felix pulled himself forward by his ankles once again, eyelids shut tight and head tilted down to his chest, “Do you want to lay down with me?”

Felix had already almost toppled over himself too many times. If he kept this up, he was going to fall flat on his face. But having him lay down alone, below Minho, could be too intimidating, too submissive. If Minho laid down with him, then they’d still be on a level playing field and Felix wouldn’t wind up falling over.

Felix pressed his lips together again, his top teeth poking out to bite down in what looked like a nervous distraction. His eyes darted around the room until his gaze landed on Minho, helplessly blinking down at the nest beneath them yet not making a move to lay down.

But he wanted to.

Minho moved first. He lowered himself to his elbows, shimmied his legs down the nest and rested his head on the ball of fabric that had been behind him. He placed his hand flat on his chest, then directed a light smile at Felix who was watching with the parted lips.

“Would you like to join me? You made such a great nest to relax in.”

And it wasn’t a lie, Felix made a damn comfortable nest.

Felix lit up at that, making Minho’s heart flutter in his chest. He loved seeing that look on Felix’s face instead of the nervous uncertainty that had just been there. He deserved so much praise, love, affection, and it pained Minho to know he probably didn’t get enough of it. He never got to be told that his nest was beautiful, that he was beautiful, that even if he was sweaty and whiney and soon to be covered in slick, he was perfect in every way.

Felix was perfect, and Minho needed Felix to know it.

“Come on, pretty baby,” Minho patted the nest floor beside him, “I need a buddy to lay next to.”

That was all Minho needed to say before Felix let himself fall beside Minho, facing the other omega with a blinding smile.

Chan couldn’t sleep.

He was trying to. Every inch of him wanted to sink into the mattress and lull himself into unconsciousness. The room was just cold enough to enjoy the warmth of Jisung’s arms wrapped around his waist, and the blankets had been recently doused in half of his pack's pheromones. The room was dark and quiet save for Jisung’s soft breathing, just how Chan liked it.

Yet he couldn’t get his brain to stop roaring to life.

Felix was the culprit, as he was most of the time lately, though it was hardly his fault. Chan hadn’t been able to get Felix out of his mind for weeks now. His existence tested Chan’s self control. He uprooted the balance in their pack and left them realizing that something was missing. Their pack of seven suddenly didn’t feel big enough, and Chan’s wolf was actively aware of it.

Having his omega, and another omega that Chan’s alpha associated as his , so far away and vulnerable left his heart in shambles. His alpha wasn’t happy with the separation, reminding him of how wrong it was for him to be here and them to be there, all alone. He was going against all laws of nature, denying himself and his wolf of what he desperately wanted, which was to march straight over to Felix’s apartment.

And he would, if he didn’t already know how terrible of an idea that was.

Minho would be furious if Chan appeared at Felix’s front door without so much as a warning, no matter how good his intentions. Chan would be risking any progress Minho had made in the short amount of time he was with Felix. This was a delicate situation for all of them. Chan didn’t want to imagine all of the boundaries they may have crossed already, about the police interview he couldn’t supervise, about the mountains of paperwork that would be waiting on his desk for him tomorrow morning. The last thing he needed to do was add an angry omega on top of it, all because his wolf was raging with pent up emotion.

Truthfully, having Jisung’s arms wrapped around him was as much of a deterrent as it was a comfort, because if he didn’t have spicy cinnamon tickling his nose to remind him of his presence, Chan would have escaped thirty minutes ago.

He tried to relax, closing his eyes with a heavy breath ghosting his lips.

It was times like these that Chan wished he had a way to mentally track all of his pack mates. Like a link between each other, one that let him feel them each one by one tethered onto his consciousness. He’d be able to tell whenever Jisung got anxious, whenever Hyunjin got hurt, when Seungmin was overtired or Minho was irritated. Maybe then he would have had some type of forewarning prior to all of the coincidental accidents that had occurred recently.

Sadly, life wasn’t a fairy tale. He couldn’t magically feel whatever Minho was feeling half way across town, let alone what Changbin and Jeongin were feeling down the hall. He was stuck in his mind, wondering how long Hyunjin and Seungmin were going to be stuck at the company and whether Minho and Felix were okay. 

“Thinkin’ too much.”

Chan twitched as Jisung’s mumbled, sleep riddled voice vibrated against his shoulder.

“Hm?” Chan tilted his head to the side to let his cheek rest on top of Jisung’s head.

“You,” Jisung clarified with a light squeeze around Chan’s abdomen, “Stop thinkin’.”

“How do you know I’m thinking?” Chan smiled fondly at the drowsy tone that slurred Jisung’s syllables.

“You move when you’re thinkin’,” Jisung hand slid from his side down to his leg which he hadn’t realized he had been shaking side to side while he was deep in thought, “Shakin’ the whole bed.”

“Sorry, Sung,” Chan stilled his leg, which Jisung took as an opportunity to drape his own leg over Chan’s.

“Is okay,” Jisung brought his hand back up to wrap around Chan’s waist again, effectively pinning Chan down to the bed, “Everything’ll be good, Channie.”

“You think so?” Chan asked a little more grim than intended, though Jisung didn’t seem to notice in his half asleep state.

“Mhm, Minho knows what he’s doin’,” Jisung hummed, “And I know Lix. He won’t be mad. Promise.”

Chan had no doubt Minho knew exactly what to do. Minho was smart, experienced in ways he shouldn’t have to be, which made him the only person in their pack truly suited to handle such a delicate situation. He was the closest out of all of them that could relate to Felix in some way, and the only one that would be able to help another omega in heat without instincts getting in the way.

It was a mantra Chan had been repeating in his head in an attempt to sooth the anxiety brewing inside him.

“You’re right,” Chan whispered back, “I just need to remind myself, is all.”

Jisung didn’t offer much back besides an undecipherable sound. A silent chuckle escaped Chan’s lips as he took his free hand to run through Jisung’s hair, and for a brief moment Chan thought how he might not have been able to do this if Felix hadn’t forgiven Jisung in the first place.

Chan never once imagined that he could potentially lose one of the people that made him so happy. Jisung was one of his first loves. He was a part of every pack addition, every dynamic change, every step as they climbed the ladder of their careers. Life for all of them could have been much different had Felix pressed charges against Jisung like Chan assumed he would. Their flat would have one less boisterous alpha bouncing around, an extra seat left empty at the table, and a lack of spicy cinnamon invading every single piece of fabric it could reach.

It’s only because of Felix's generosity and kindness that Chan could still hold Jisung in his arms like this.

Chan had come to understand just how much they owed Felix. With how much chaos their pack contributed to Felix’s life, Chan figured he’d never be able to repay him for everything. The next thirty years could be dedicated to showing Felix how appreciated he was and it still wouldn’t feel like enough. Chan wanted to do so much more than that, so much more than was appropriate given their current situation.

He wanted Felix in his arms with Jisung. He wanted honey and cinnamon tickling his nose when he woke up to two pairs of freezing feet pressed against his legs. He wanted to see Felix’s smile crease into his eyes with silent laughter. He wanted to walk into a room to see his two omegas nesting together while watching a movie with Hyunjin watching along off to the side, just waiting for the invitation that’ll come when Minho eventually conceded.

He wanted to learn Felix inside and out. What ticked him off and what made the room saturate in honey. He wanted to find out Felix’s deepest fears and his biggest dreams. He wanted to be Felix’s confidant, his rock, an alpha he could rely on. 

Chan wanted to spend the next hundred years showing Felix how loved he was by all of them. How he’d taken a piece of their heart and kept it locked up with him. He wanted to clasp his pack tag on Felix's collar, and he wanted to see the shine in Felix’s eyes when he did so. 

He wanted to treat Felix like a cherished member of their pack, because he had become something so special so fast.

Chan can’t do much now, especially not with him bound by a cute alpha in a koala hold. He can’t jump into the deep end and expect the waves to ride out smoothly. Just like every other addition to their pack, Chan needed to be careful and calculated.

Establishing trust was important. Showing that they could be dependable would make their relationship stronger, and that would start by ensuring Felix’s workspace was as safe as possible.

Then there was Soobin and his pack's connection with Felix. Chan needed to get that cleared up, and begin the process of rekindling a work-friendly relationship. Ideally, Chan wanted them to get along well, especially if Felix was as close with them as it appeared, but Chan would take what he could get. There was still too much tension between Soobin and Seungmin to be comfortable, and until they could have a sit down, heart-to-heart, it would take too long to clear up.

Chan took a deep breath, careful to avoid jostling Jisung too much.

There was a lot to do.

Felix was still fighting.

Minho could smell it under the sugar laced pheromones, a tinge of defiance that battled with sugar laced honey. His scent was strong enough for Minho to be drowning in it, gulping in lungfuls of omega-in-heat that grew more and more distressed with each passing minute. Felix’s body shivered beside him, and it took all of Minho’s willpower to resist stroking his overheated, sensitive skin in an attempt at comfort.

Felix’s heat had already been progressing rapidly, and predicting what the next few days had in store was impossible. Minho had absolutely nothing to go off of when it came to what Felix’s typical heats looked like. He didn’t have a stash of supplies to dig through in order to gauge Felix’s likes and dislikes, nor did he have any idea what foods could entice him eat when he eventually got too far in his head. 

No nesting materials, no medicine, no food-

Minho was convinced Felix might not have survived a heat like this, unprepared and unstable, without someone here to make sure he stayed alive.

That thought became more prevalent as Felix continued to fight against his instincts with every last ounce of energy he had. It had only been an hour, yet the room was saturated in Felix’s scent. Jeongin’s sweater clung to Felix’s sweaty skin, his face flushed with damp hair stuck to his cheeks, and his knees knocked together with every violent shiver that wracked his body. He was awkwardly curled into himself with his arms crossed over his chest, desperately trying to will his body to stop.

It was only a matter of time until Felix lost the fight against his biology. As much as Minho understood the struggle Felix was facing, and even wished it was possible to physically stop the process that had already begun, it was inevitably going to happen. It was going to be an unstable heat full of surprises, and there wasn’t much Felix could do to prevent it.

The only thing he could do was try to make it easier, but he couldn’t do that if Felix was actively fighting it.

Minho had debated on his options. Distraction was always a possibility, but that wouldn’t necessarily fix the problem. It would only mask it until Felix was able to focus on it again, creating a vicious cycle bound to be repeated. Physical intervention was a better plan, especially if he could get Felix more comfortable with Minho’s presence. Being invited into his nest was already a huge sign of trust, but having another person actively participating in an omega’s heat was another thing entirely.

He just needed to bridge the gap, if Felix would let him.

“Hey, Lix,” Minho called out softly, earning a jolt of surprise from the body next to him. He turned his head to the left, facing Felix’s side profile. His eyes were closed with his bottom lip between his teeth, and though he hadn’t physically acknowledged Minho, his locked shoulders told another story.

“I want to try something,” Minho continued, “I think it might help.”

Minho didn’t elaborate right away. He waited patiently as Felix processed his words. Tiny fingers danced away in thought, pronounced by the extra wave of anxious pheromones that washed over Minho. Minho was careful not to react. He didn’t want to show any uncertainty, nothing that could validate the fears that had to be invading Felix’s mind.

He had to be strong. A rock Felix could lean on, someone his omega could trust in a time of need. Calm, trustworthy, and secure, or else he wouldn’t be anything besides a hindrance in Felix’s progress.

As the wave of honey died down, Felix cracked open his eyes. He turned his head just slightly, enough that Minho was able to see the color of his eyes.

A gentle smile grew on Minho’s face, one genuine and full of relief, “Before I suggest this, I want you to know you can absolutely tell me no.”

“Am I allowed to touch you?”

He didn’t make the question overly extensive. Adding in too many variables, too many “if’s” and “maybe’s” would just over complicate things. He wanted to get straight to the point so Felix knew exactly what Minho was asking for.

Felix didn’t outwardly react to his question, but his scent absolutely did. It seemed almost like his wolf was doing somersaults in the air, twirling in excitement and desire that Minho was a little surprised by. If it wasn’t for the overexcited honey in the air, Minho would’ve mistook the pensive stare Felix was giving him for one of discomfort rather than one highly considering Minho’s question.

Perhaps Felix wasn’t as uncomfortable with Minho’s presence as he thought he might be.

“What do you think?” Minho prodded further with a bit more confidence, “I can always stop if you want me to, I promise.”

This time Felix did react with a hard swallow. His eyes darted away from Minho, and if Felix’s skin wasn’t already flushed Minho was sure he would have seen the apples of his cheeks burning red. His scent spiked, full of desire that was amplified by preheat accompanied by a minor, jerky nod that counted as a major victory to Minho.

“Thank you,” Minho felt pride well up in his chest, mixed in with the relief and adoration that had been building up all evening, “You can kick me if you ever want me to stop, okay?”

After receiving another nod from Felix, Minho felt his shoulder relax. 

He started with sliding a palm against the blanket beneath them.

By the time the sun broke through the windows, Changbin was awake.

He wasn’t all “bright eyed and bushy tailed”, armed and ready to take on the day. He was more of a “ghostly pale and pronounced eye bags” kind of morning person, debating on diving back under the covers at any given moment. No one dared to approach him before nine in the morning without some form of caffeine in hand.

Yet here he was at the brink of dawn, nursing his own coffee mug as he hunched over the kitchen table and attempted to rub the sleep from his eyes.

He wanted to be irritated, as he would be any other day. Sleep deprivation was never something Changbin handled well, and he couldn’t for the life of him understand how Chan could function on such a minimal amount of sleep as he did. In fact, he had another cup of coffee sitting directly across from him, waiting for Chan to indulge in a rare morning dose of caffeine with him, yet the pack alpha hadn’t so much as touched his mug since he’d emerged from their master bedroom.

“It’s gonna get cold,” Changbin mumbled into the ridge of his cup as he stared in the general direction of where Chan should be sitting.

“Then you drink it for me,” Chan rattled over his shoulder from their pantry where he was hastily piling various food items into a backpack, “We all know you need it more than me.” 

Changbin forgot Chan wasn’t much of a coffee person.

“You’re gonna crash by noon,” Changbin sighed as he rested the bridge of his nose against the cup, “I’m calling it now.”

“I’ve handled worse, Binnie,” a loud clang sounded from the pantry, followed by a string of expletives and the sound of shuffling as Chan tried to quickly place things back where they belonged, “I work well under pressure.”

“That’s not a good thing, you know.”

Chan didn’t respond to that, and Changbin decided not to add on to it. Instead he downed the liquid in his cup and reached over for Chan’s since it was only going to go to waste.

“Have you heard from Minho yet?” Chan asked as he emerged from the pantry with a full backpack.

“Not yet,” Changbin turned on his homescreen on his phone to double check, “I doubt they’re even awake yet. Yesterday was a pretty eventful day, and who knows how much sleep they got last night.”

“If they got any at all,” Changbin thought aloud with a solemn nod from Chan.

“What about Seungmin or Hyunjin?”

“Still asleep,” Changbin mumbled between sips, wincing as another stack of cans toppled over, “Are you trying to wake the whole house?”

“Half the house is missing,” Chan helpfully informed him, and Changbin hung his head in defeat.

“Whatever, why are you rustling through our pantry? You know we’re stopping by the store, right?”

Changbin had already mapped out the day, starting with a grocery run for Felix per Minho’s request. Chan had offered to join him, especially when it was mentioned that Changbin intended to pick up Seungmin and Hyunjin from the company afterwards. Changbin had a feeling Chan was planning to remain at the company to iron out his plan of action, because Chan was far too put together today to not have a plan.

But truthfully, Changbin was too exhausted to pull that out of Chan right now. 

“I figured it wouldn’t hurt to see what we already had,” Chan explained with the sound of a zipper signaling he was finished, “I don’t want to clean out the store if we can avoid it.”

“Ah,” Changbin chuckled, “So we were thinking the same thing? Felix is gonna have enough food to last him months.”

“That’s the plan.” Chan came out of the pantry, duffle bag slung over his shoulder and looking way too awake for Changbin’s liking, “You almost ready?”

Changbin froze, mug halfway to his mouth. He glanced down to his slippered feet with his checkered pajama pants draped past his ankles, then raised his gaze back to Chan’s rather impatient stare.

“Do I look ready?”

Seungmin startled awake.

The shrill sound of a ringtone harshly interrupted the dreamless slumber he had sunk into. It was almost embarrassing how many rings it took him to process that it was his phone ringing, right next to his head and nearly dead from being left off the charger all night.

He groaned as he blindly flung his hand up to grab it. He answered it without looking at the caller ID, which may have been poor planning on his part. For all he knew it could have been one of his classmates, or the hospital contacting him about his hours for the next week, which both could have been awkward and difficult to respond to in a professional manner when his head was pounding and his body felt like he was hit by a bus.

Luckily, it was only Changbin on the other end.

“ Seungmin? You there? ”

“Mmhm,” Seungmin closed his eyes and turned himself towards the back of the leather couch he was laying on. The morning sun was obnoxiously bright and warm on his skin.

“ Are you still at the company? ”

“Mhmm,” Seungmin repeated. His phone was so hot against his cheek. Did he leave his screen on all night again?

“ Are you ready to come home? ”

The idea of moving didn’t sound appealing to Seungmin, though the idea of laying in an actual bed definitely seemed much more preferred than the leather cushion his face was smashed into.

“ I’m gonna go take groceries to Minho and Felix, then I’m coming by to pick up you and Hyunjin. ”

Hyunjin was still here, he nearly forgot. Seungmin kicked his foot out, feeling for the other alpha’s presence, but was met with only empty air.

Seungmin groaned again, this time in frustration at the idea that he had to move because he needed to know where Hyunjin was.

“ Minnie? ”

Seungmin ignored Changbin for the time being. He simply didn’t have the mental capacity at the moment to do two things at once. Turning his body to look over his shoulder did two things. It let the light seeping through windows make his eyes sting, but it also gave him a clear view of Hyunjin slumped over and passed out in Chan’s office chair.

Seungmin flopped himself back where he was previously with a heavy exhale. His hand slid down to the base of his phone which let his cheek bear most of the responsibility of holding the device to his ear.

He was just so, so tired.

“ I’m bringing Chan with me, ” Changbin spoke again, “ I have a feeling we’re gonna need two sets of hands to get you two out of there. ”

Seungmin laughed internally, because that was absolutely true, but he couldn’t bring himself to verbally make any noise besides a low hum that only told Changbin he’d at least heard him.

“ Go back to sleep, Minnie. We’ll be there soon. ”

Seungmin didn’t need to be told twice. He barely heard the three beeps indicating the phone call was over before he returned to his dreamless slumber.

When Felix woke up, it was like getting hit by a truck.

The sound of birds chirping were like tiny hammers pounding in his head, chipping away at his patience. He was hot, too hot, and suffocating in the stench of his own sweat. His pheromones pulsed out uncontrollably, reeking of sex and invading the cocoon of cinnamon and lavender sprinkled with pine and rainwater he’d so carefully crafted. A puddle of slick had formed under him, coating his thighs and ruining the blanket he was laying on.

He wanted to groan in discomfort, but he couldn’t muster up the energy. His body was sapped of everything he had, and it wasn’t like a few hours of sleep would do much to recuperate the damage done to his body the night before.

Running barefoot through the streets, scenting Hyunjin, sending his wolf reeling… 

Felix really got himself in deep this time.

The weight of Minho’s chest pressed against his back, reminding him of the other omega’s presence. Their skin stuck together, Minho’s feeling cool against the heat radiating off every surface of Felix’s body. His arm hung limply over Felix’s waist, anchoring him down in a way his wolf liked too much.

And what’s worse, Felix couldn’t bring himself to care.

He was so incredibly tired . He was tired of fighting his wolf on every miniscule thing. Tired of spending each day rethinking and overthinking every interaction, wondering why he found himself face to face with someone from Bang Chan’s pack every time his life got difficult. He was tired of being so scared while his wolf wanted to dive head first into something Felix could only describe as terrifying.

And he was still terrified, but he didn’t have the strength to fight it.

He was lying in a nest made of the scents of random people his wolf craved, cuddling up with an omega he just met, and it couldn’t feel more right.

How deranged did that sound?

“Someone’s awake.”

Felix would have flinched if he had the energy. Instead, his heart lurched in his chest, and he’s sure his scent reacted accordingly.

“I think your heat finally hit,” Minho’s morning voice was much deeper than Felix was used to, “Are you feeling okay?”

No, he was absolutely not feeling okay.

“You probably feel like shit, hm?”

Yes, he wanted to cry.

“I can make you some breakfast and get some painkillers. Give me one minute.”

It was as if Minho had read his mind. Without Felix so much as lifting a finger, Minho was already raising himself from Felix’s carefully crafted nest, exposing Felix’s back to the air and he stepped over Felix’s body and towards his bedroom door.

In the depths of his mind, Felix could register that he didn’t own any painkillers, at least not at the moment. And after double portions of rice being consumed the night before, he definitely couldn’t afford another double serving for breakfast. He should care, and he was certain he’d be furious with himself for standing idly by as Minho used up his food reserves when he felt capable of lifting his head from his cushion of pheromones.

He blamed his lack of concern on the cinnamon that tickled his nose.

His bedroom door opened after what seemed like only a minute. Minho entered with too many items for Felix to process. A bowl was one of them, and then two bottles of… something. A napkin folded up between fingers, something in a bag under his armpit.

Too many things.

Felix wanted to go back to sleep.

“I need you to try to sit up for me.”

God dammit.

It took several minutes for Felix to sit up, and once he did, he wanted nothing more than to collapse back in the cloud he raised himself from. Minho had suggested he lean back against the wall, which he could do while remaining in his nest, while he shakily ate spoonfuls of rice.

There was too much in the bowl again.

Felix didn’t care.

“Drink this,” Minho instructed after the rice was gone, and Felix was handed something he was absolutely certain he did not have in his fridge, but it was cold and sweet and Felix downed it faster than he probably should have.

“The painkillers should kick in soon,” Minho explained as he took back the bottle, “Do you want to sleep some more?”

Sleep sounded wonderful if Felix was honest. His pounding headache, scratchy throat, and achy body would appreciate it. Especially since Felix was certain he’d only be feeling worse as time went on.

But there was always the possibility that Felix fell asleep and woke up in subspace.

You didn’t though.

“I could put on a movie for us if you want,” Minho suggested, and Felix once again was amazed at Minho’s ability to read his mind, “Changbin brought me my laptop a few hours ago.”

Felix knew his pheromones jerked at the mention of Changbin, though Minho didn’t seem to react. Felix only had a moment to be surprised at the knowledge that not only was it already that late in the day, but that Changbin had been here.

Changbin had been in his apartment, today, and Felix missed it?

Why the fuck had he been asleep?

“He didn’t come inside,” Minho explained, like he was trying to reassure him, though Felix didn’t know why he was trying.

Felix didn’t mind that Changbin was here, he was upset that he’d missed it.

Would he be able to smell him still? Did his scent linger in the doorway? Sneak through the opening and settle on his countertops?

“I have a better idea,” Felix felt guilty for not responding, and tried to focus his attention back on Minho who was pulling out his laptop, “Did you know Changbin, Chan, and Jisung write their own music?”

Oh, did Felix know.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Minho smiled, and Felix couldn’t even feel embarrassed by the way his scent reacted, “Would you like to have a little listening party with me?”