Archive of Our Own

Jaeyun was a young unpresented male of a big pack. The normal age for presentations was already getting behind, so the rumors saying he was a beta started soon.

There was nothing wrong with being a beta in his opinion. Well, it's not like he knew much about them.

In fact, he had never heard of one in his pack.

Many others thought he would end up being an omega, because of his mother-like tendencies with the pups. Since very young he was always caring towards the younger pups. Especially when it came to Riki, or as he called him, Ni-ki.

Then, other few hoped he would be an alpha, as he had proved to be very capable during group hunts. Some were already offering their omega children to Jaeyun's parents.

But the young wolf couldn't care less about them.

He noticed things. After certain age he became more and more aware of how awful things were around him. Mostly if you were unlucky enough to present as an omega.

He wouldn't mind staying unpresented his whole life. They would probably cast him out of the pack, but that would be truly better than being given to an alpha mate with the sole purpose of bearing children.

And yet, his biggest fear wasn't presenting as an omega hismelf. No, he feared Riki would. There was no telling at this point, but Jaeyun already passed nights without sleep under this possibility.

Then, a week after he turned twenty-two years old, he saw something.

Riki's hut neighbored his own, so he could hear their fights every now and then. Including that evening, after the pups left for their carving class.

Jaeyun went back to retrieve some tools from his own cabin when he heard the cries. His room was the closest to Riki's hut and actually had a small window facing towards a window on theirs.

He peaked through it after a rush of curiosity invaded his reasoning, and the sight before him was dreadful.

Riki's omega mother was the one crying, but her voice was quickly covered by her mate's hand on her mouth. Everything happened so fast that Jaeyun's adrenaline kicked in only after it was over.

Riki's alpha father slashed her throath in two seconds.

Jaeyun's insticts told him to run away, but he had to force himself into being quiet, backing away from the window and hiding under his bed.

Then the thought of Riki being out there crossed his mind.

He got out of his hiding spot and rushed outside. The group of teenagers was gathered around a fire as an omega explained how to assemble the pieces of an arrow. Riki was struggling with his, pouting because a young alpha girl made fun of him for the shape of his blade.

"Ni-ki," Jaeyun tried to appear calm to avoid alarming the rest of them. "Put everything inside this bag, quickly."

The pup frowned, complying despite being puzzled.

"I want you to run to the springs, now. I'll be there in a second, okay? I'm behind you, hurry."

Riki didn't question his instructions and was soon sprinting towards the dense forest. The rest looked at Jaeyun with wary and suspicion.

There was no time to lose, so he ran to the kitchens. He found a big bag and started to throw different things on it, including two knives, tinder, a rope and food.

The sky had quickly turned dark and he took it to his advantage, exiting the village without being noticed.

A few minutes later he made it to the springs, and although his sense of smell wasn't as developed as that of presented wolves, he managed to find Riki's hiding spot.

"Hyung, what happened? What are we doing?"

"We need to leave, now."

He wrapped the lightest bag around Riki so he wouldn't have to hold it, and then asked the pup to help him do the same. Once their hands were free, he held one of Riki's and started running further into the forest.

The pup followed as Jaeyun pulled him through unknown trails. After some minutes, they heard the pack's howling.

Jaeyun tensed for a moment and asked Riki to speed up. It was only after he tripped and Jaeyun turned to check on him that he noticed the pup was crying.

"I'm sorry love, but we need to continue."

"Okay," Riki sobbed and, once they checked his knees were unscratched, they kept going, as far from the howling as possible.

-

The sun was already at its highest point in the sky when Riki woke up.

They had stopped after dawn, once Jaeyun deemed it safe enough. They had long ago discarded their clothing before crossing a stream, where Jaeyun made sure to wash of a bit of their scents before changing clothes and moving on.

The cave they were hiding in was high on the top of a mountain. Jaeyun didn't sleep to keep watch, allowing the pup to cuddle on his lap and rest.

"Hyung?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay?"

Jaeyun pulled him closer and shook his head. "I saw something terrible. I can't tell you right now because I fear it will make you worry, so you have to trust me."

"I do," the pup nodded, rubbing his face against Jaeyun's collar bones. Neither of them had an own scent yet, but there was a lot of comfort on his movements. "Don't cry."

"I'm not-" Jaeyun sighed, noticing just now that he was indeed tearing up. "Sorry. We'll be okay, I just... I want the best for you and I'm trying to figure out our next steps."

Riki cuddled further into his embrace and nodded. "Okay. I know you will do. I trust you."

That's all Jaeyun needed to calm down. The responsibility of Riki's well-being on his hands was all he needed to fuel his will.

"It's time to continue."

They made their way down the mountain as the sky got covered in heavy dark clouds. "The rain is going to cover our scent better," Jaeyun informed him.