Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I want you to meet someone.”

Yoohyeon tilted her head curiously as Siyeon shifted nervously on the bench next to her. It was a sight to see from the usually confident wolf.

“Got a girlfriend?” Yoohyeon teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Siyeon sighed, pinching the back of her hand. “Well, I’m working on that, but that’s not it.” She shook her head. “I’ve got a friend. She’s in the pack I was raised by, but she’s never left the woods. She asked me to show her around the place, introduce her to some friends out here. And I think you'd be a good start, I mean, you're basically like a puppy and smell like me so she'd like you.”

Yoohyeon nodded slowly. “Okay? I don’t mind, if that’s what you’re asking.” She shot her friend a reassuring grin. “You know I like meeting new people.”

Siyeon winced. “Yeah, but you don’t know her like I do. She’s sweet, really sweet, but sometimes she just… forgets personal space. I mean, that’s how we were raised, but just forgive her if she… you know.”

No, Yoohyeon didn’t know, but whatever. What was this random woman gonna do? Kiss her on the first meeting? Doubtful.

She shrugged. “Eh, I deal with Bora on a daily basis, and she’s violent.”

Siyeon got a dopey grin on her face, her tail wagging rapidly. “Yeah…”

Yoohyeon only looked at her in disgust.

Damn gay people.

***

Yoohyeon let out a sigh as she waited for Siyeon and her friend at a table bench on campus.

She wondered what this friend from the woods would be like. Yoohyeon understood that things were different outside of the city, and she would do her best to be understanding of it. Personal space issues? That’s fine. Yoohyeon loved people, and if Siyeon vouched for her friend, then it couldn’t possibly be too bad.

“Yoohyeon!”

She turned her head in the direction of Siyeon’s voice, smiling at the sight of her friend. Then she laid her eyes on the woman next to the wolf and, huh.

The first thing she noticed was the woman’s messy hair. It wasn’t unkempt, not really, more like the kind of messy that just looked sexy and wild, kind of like how Siyeon wears her own hair. The wolf ears on top of the woman’s head matched too. Yep. She was from deep in the woods, and Yoohyeon couldn’t deny how attractive she was. Yoohyeon also noticed the woman's slowly wagging tail and the way she kept looking around with widened eyes and perked ears. Cute.

“Hey,” Yoohyeon said, standing up to greet Siyeon and her friend.

“Hey, puppy,” Siyeon greeted, tugging the woman’s hand to get her attention. “This is-”

Before anyone could get another word out, the woman leaned her face close to Yoohyeon’s, staring intently at her. The woman’s ears were also perked and paying full attention to Yoohyeon.

Right. Didn’t Siyeon also kind of act like this when they first met? Getting her scent, seeing if she was a danger. If Yoohyeon didn’t know that little tidbit of information, she might’ve assumed the woman was trying to lean in for a kiss.

She stood still, holding up a hand to stop Siyeon from pulling the woman away and smiling gently.

“Hi, I’m Yoohyeon!” She introduced herself.

A few more seconds of intense silence later, the woman finally broke out into a toothy grin, showing off those canines and wagging her tail rapidly.

“Mate!” She called.

What.

This time, Siyeon really did manage to tug the woman back to her side.

“Okay!” She exclaimed, looking a little panicked. “I know you’re excited, but you have to introduce yourself first.”

The woman blinked, her smile faltering for a moment before coming back in full force.

“Ah! Right. Thank you, Singnie,” she replied. Then she turned back to Yoohyeon. “Hi! I’m Minji. Wanna be my mate?”

“For fuck’s sake,” Siyeon muttered, physically having to turn Minji towards her. “Yoohyeonie is a human. Humans don’t get that. Right now, she’s probably weirded out and confused.”

“Confused, yeah, but I wouldn’t say weirded out-” Yoohyeon tried.

“Hush, I’m teaching,” Siyeon interrupted, turning back to Minji. “Remember what I told you? This isn’t our pack where you can be as close as you want or say and do things that only I would probably understand,” she explained gently, Minji watching Siyeon attentively.

Minji seemed to think about it for a moment, and Yoohyeon wisely kept her mouth shut. She was indeed a little confused about… everything, but she wasn’t weirded out. Minji came from the woods, it was understandable she’d act differently than everyone in the city.

Finally, the wolf nodded slowly and turned to Yoohyeon.

“Sorry…” She mumbled, her ears falling flat. “You just-” she turned towards Siyeon to check in, receiving a nod in response. “You smell nice. Warm. Like the forest.”

Huh. Well, this is the first Yoohyeon’s hearing of it. She smiled gently.

“Thank you,” she responded instead, scratching the back of her neck. “Never had anyone compliment me like that, I’ll admit, but it’s not bad. Just new.”

Minji’s tail wagged in response, her ears finally perking back up.

“So you wanna be my mate?” She asked enthusiastically.

“Oh my god-” Siyeon cut herself off with a facepalm.

Yoohyeon tilted her head curiously. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what that means.”

“It’s-” Minji was cut off by Siyeon slapping a hand over her mouth.

“Think of it as something a little more serious than a girlfriend,” she explained. “Sorry. We’re… kinda blunt like this. It’s weird, even by my standards. Apologize to her, Minji.”

Minji’s brows furrowed in concern, one hand reaching up to pull Siyeon’s off her mouth. “Did I say something wrong?” God, she sounded so worried and sad, it made Yoohyeon’s heart clench.

“Not wrong,” Yoohyeon corrected gently. “Just… coming on too strong, I guess? People usually try to get to know each other before starting something more.”

Minji blinked. “But that takes too long? I already know I like you, so why can’t I ask you to be my mate?”

“Well, that’s-” Okay, how to explain it to this absolute sweetheart? “I don’t know you that well, so I don’t know if I like you back.”

The wolf slowly nodded before her face lit up. “So I just have to prove I can be a good mate for you?” She asked, hope shining in her eyes, and- Yoohyeon, don’t say something stupid.

“Kind of?” Yoohyeon responded. “But-”

But she was too late. Minji’s eyes were already sparkling adorably, and her tail was wagging so fast it was almost invisible, and ah shit, she looked like a really cute puppy and Yoohyeon loved puppies and-

“Okay!” Minji turned to Siyeon. “Singnie, we have to go. I have to think of ways to prove I’m Yoohyeon’s best match for a mate.” She took Siyeon’s hand before glancing back over to Yoohyeon. “I promise I’ll do it!”

As Siyeon was practically dragged away, she turned her head towards Yoohyeon and mouthed an ‘I’m sorry’.

Yoohyeon could only stand there bewildered.

What the fuck just happened?

***

“I’m home,” she called out, kicking off her shoes in the entryway.

“Hey,” Yubin replied absentmindedly, laying on the couch and watching a movie.

Yubin had been her best friend since middle school, all throughout high school, and now in college too. They had decided to live together after deciding that they were both moving away for university, and managed to find a nice place for low rent.

The issue.

They were right next to a train track.

At first, it had taken some getting used to. They weren’t from the big city, and it was already kind of crazy getting used to so many cars beeping and people on the sidewalk. They did manage to make it work, but then they moved into this apartment, where Yoohyeon could literally see the train passing by from her window, and suddenly it was a whole other issue to sleep. They had gone through many sleepless nights until they simply got used to the noise.

Yoohyeon let out a deep sigh as she stepped towards the couch, Yubin instinctively opening her arms.

The taller girl immediately crawled into them, happily cuddling her best friend.

“Whatcha watchin’?” She mumbled, already closing her eyes for a nap.

“Dunno,” Yubin responded. “How was Siyeon’s friend?”

Yoohyeon let out a groan as she remembered the ‘can’t-say-no-to-this-cute-face’ wolf.

“I think she declared herself as… a probable mate? To me. Kinda like a suitor.”

She could feel Yubin’s confusion from a mile away.

“...On the first meeting?” She asked.

“...She said I smelled like the forest, and she was cute, and I don’t really know how it happened.” Yoohyeon sighed, snuggling closer. “Can I take a nap here?”

“You're already halfway there.” Yubin rubbed a hand up and down Yoohyeon's back. “Go ahead.”

Yoohyeon let out another little sigh before promptly passing out.

She dreamt about fluffy ears and toothy grins.

***

Yoohyeon was half asleep in the library when a shadow fell over her.

She looked up from the swirl of words from her textbook to see her… suitor. Crazy thing to have. Crazier thing to realize she wasn't all that bothered.

Minji shot her a toothy grin, her tail wagging behind her.

“Hi,” she whispered dramatically, not so discreetly holding something behind her back. “I got you somethin’.”

Yoohyeon raised an amused eyebrow. God, this wolf was adorable. “Yeah?”

Minji nodded eagerly, her tail wagging even faster if that was even possible.

With a precious blush on her cheeks, she brought forward a small cluster of daisies, neatly tied together at the stems with a small piece of twine. The flowers also had some dirt on the stems, but no roots.

“I-I know these are common, but these specifically come from a small clearing near my pack’s lodgings,” Minji explained, still looking a little shy. “I might not be smart out here, but I’m smart in the forest, and I wanted you to have these. Since they’re so common, then if they die, I can get you more.” Then she shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. “I could’ve gotten you something more special, but Siyeonie said that you’re not good with plants, so I thought I’d give you something that wouldn’t make you feel guilty about killing by accident, or isn’t protected by law.”

Yoohyeon blinked. Minji had thought all of this through? She couldn’t help the way her heart skipped a beat, or the way a blush rised to her cheeks as she reverently took the mini bouquet of daisies in her hands.

“They’re lovely, Minji,” she said softly. “I’ll do my best to take care of them. Thank you.”

Finally, Minji looked a lot less shy, this time puffing out her chest in pride.

“I did good?” She asked. “Was that something good mates do?”

And, god, Yoohyeon didn’t know. She hadn’t even heard of the concept of mates before meeting Minji, but something so sweet and innocent had to be something good mates did.

“It is,” Yoohyeon agreed. “And now I know that you love flowers and know about how they work. It’s understandable that you’d feel more comfortable with the forest than out here, but I’m glad you can share this little piece of it with me. I also appreciate how you took the time to think about what would be best for me, even though I wished you’d ask me directly.”

Minji’s tail seemed to wag even faster, her eyes studying Yoohyeon intently, and her ears perked forwards as she hung on to every word falling from Yoohyeon’s mouth.

“I can ask you questions?” She sounded so excited over something so unbelievably simple that Yoohyeon wanted to melt right through the chair. Instead, she nodded.

“What’s your favorite color?” Seriously? Minji got to ask questions and she chose Yoohyeon’s favorite color? Adorable.

Yoohyeon let out a soft, amused laugh slip. “I like green. It’s calming.”

Somehow, Minji’s eyes lit up even more.

“Me too! The forest is green, and you know I love the forest. The grass, the trees, everything is green. Also brown! I know people think it’s an ugly color, but it’s the color of tree bark and flower roots and the dirt, and dirt is super important, I mean, otherwise we wouldn’t even have the flowers and the plants or the little critters that lived underground, you know?” Minji rambled on.

No, Yoohyeon didn’t know, but she nodded anyways. She patted the seat next to her.

“How about you take a seat and tell me all about it?” She offered. She honestly couldn’t believe she was basically giving Minji permission to ramble all about the importance of dirt, but she spent her time in two hour long lectures that were infinitely more boring. Minji’s enthusiasm was refreshing and infectious.

Minji looked ready to vibrate through the floor, but she took the seat next to Yoohyeon before jumping into a long ramble about how dirt was the basis of everything and how important it was to the functioning of ecosystems.

Honestly, Yoohyeon couldn’t believe she had found herself in this situation.

But, looking at how comfortable Minji looked despite being in such an unfamiliar place, she knew she was doing something good.

She couldn’t even think of a reason why being Minji’s mate would be a bad thing.

***

“You got flowers?”

Yoohyeon looked up from where she was meticulously making sure the daisies were placed in their pot on the windowsill.

“Yeah,” she responded, sensing Yubin’s confusion. “Minji gave them to me, and I could’ve just put them in a vase, but…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. They’re special, so I’m gonna try and take care of them properly.”

Yubin looked at her strangely. “All this for someone you just met?”

Well. Yes?

Yoohyeon shrugged again, going back to checking the plants. She had looked up how to take care of them, if only to keep them alive for a while longer. She didn’t have much hope, but Minji’s efforts deserved Yoohyeon’s respect.

Her friend sighed. “You’re weirdly receptive to all of this.”

“...I know,” Yoohyeon murmured.

It was silent for a few moments before Yubin let out another sigh. “I don’t get you gay people.”

“Binnie, you’re gay.”

“Yeah, but not in the way you are.”

Yoohyeon grumbled, but she couldn’t deny that.

Damn, Yubin.

***

“Do you know where Minji is?”

Yoohyeon looked up from her textbook and towards Siyeon.

“...Why would I know that?” She asked slowly. What is with these wolves and interrupting her studying?

“Because I lost her,” Siyeon explained simply. “And I gotta go to class, but I don’t want to leave her alone. I thought she might have sniffed you out, but I guess not.”

Huh. That explained how Minji found her in the library. Good old sniffer.

“I can look for her if you want. But I’m not sure how that’s gonna go without a good nose,” Yoohyeon offered, already closing her textbook. She needed a damn break, and going on a wild goose hunt for a lost wolf seemed like a fantastic use of her time.

“Would you? She’ll probably come out of hiding if she smells you. You know her.” No, Yoohyeon didn’t, but she believed Siyeon. “Just look around outside.”

Yoohyeon nodded, playfully bumping her head against Siyeon’s, earning a happy tail wag from her friend. “Bye, Sing. Don’t let Bora kill you.”

“I’d let her.”

“Leave.”

***

If Yoohyeon was a feral wolf hybrid hiding out on a college campus, where would she be?

The first place she thought to look in was the greenhouse, but she couldn’t really access that without a keycard, so she doubted Minji was there. So, here she was, wandering around campus in the hopes of an idea striking her.

Truly, there weren’t any forest-like areas on campus. Trees were few and far between, making it impossible to avoid the sun, and even then the trees tended to be thin, providing almost no coverage.

Then she remembered the one large tree they had. Thank goodness for preservation laws.

Quickly, she made her way over. It was a slightly longer walk, but it’s not like she had anything better to do.

Approaching the tree, she didn’t see Minji sitting against the trunk, or anywhere near it. Damn it. And it’s not like Minji would just climb the tree-

She climbed the damn tree.

Right above Yoohyeon, sitting on a branch, was the exact same wolf she was looking for, happily napping away with her tail dangling over the side. Yoohyeon almost didn’t have the heart to wake her.

Almost.

Gently, she reached up and wrapped her hand around the tip of Minji’s tail. She didn’t tug. She knew that would hurt. Instead, she rubbed her thumb over it.

“Minji,” she called.

She saw the wolf take a deep breath, her ears immediately turning to Yoohyeon’s voice. Then, Minji took a few more short stuttered breaths. Was she sniffing the air? Finally, those sleepy eyes opened, landing on Yoohyeon.

A toothy grin took over Minji’s face. Aww. Yoohyeon would find it cuter if Minji was on the ground.

“Come down here, please?” She asked, letting go of Minji’s tail. Her fur was surprisingly soft. For a wolf. Still a little coarse, but nothing that suggested she didn’t take care of it. Yoohyeon wondered what Minji’s ears felt like.

Minji tilted her head with a pout. “Why can’t you climb up here? The branches are sturdy!”

“Because I can’t climb and I will most certainly fall. I am clumsy,” Yoohyeon responded. Just the idea of climbing up there sent a shiver through her. Knowing her, she’d probably fall and break something.

The wolf still looked a little hesitant.

“I’ll let you hold my hand and walk me to class.”

Instantly, Minji was swinging her legs over the side of the branch and landing on her feet in front of Yoohyeon. Well, that was easy.

“Shall we?” Minji asked, toothy grin in full and a hand out for Yoohyeon to hold. Yoohyeon also didn’t miss the way Minji’s tail wagged even faster when she held the wolf’s hand.

Minji, obviously, didn’t know where Yoohyeon’s next class was, so Yoohyeon had to guide them. However, she kept quiet the entire way there, humming a soft tune all the while.

The human was also keenly aware of Minji’s hand in her own. Warmer than usual from the natural body heat her hybrid self gave out, calloused from all those years in the woods, and a little bigger. It felt eerily perfect.

Yoohyeon ignored that last part.

“We’re here,” Yoohyeon said, approaching her classroom. “Sniff out Siyeon. She was worried about you.”

She tried to drop Minji’s hand, just for the hybrid to keep a tight grip.

“Can I do this again?” Minji asked, her eyes widened. “Can I be a good mate again?” Uh oh. Puppy eyes. And there was that word too.

“Sure,” Yoohyeon agreed before even knowing what she said. Oh. Okay.

However, the excited grin from Minji made it worth it. And the happy little wiggle Minji did on the spot. Adorable.

“Thank you,” Minji practically giggled, finally letting Yoohyeon drop her hand. “Have a good class!”

Yoohyeon nodded and made her way into the classroom, feeling Minji’s eyes on her back.

What the fuck .

***

“She walked me to class.”

Yubin looked up from where she was building a lego set on the coffee table. “Hello to you too.”

Yoohyeon kicked off her shoes then plopped down next to Yubin, dropping her head on her friend’s shoulder.

“She held my hand too,” Yoohyeon mumbled.

“Horrifying.”

“Shut up,” the taller girl grumbled. “She’s cute…” She saw Yubin looking over the table and reached out to pick up the piece her roommate needed.

“Thanks,” Yubin said, placing the piece where it needed to go. “What are you doing with her again?”

Yoohyeon sighed. “I don’t know. She’s sweet, and cute, kind of like a puppy, which makes it hard to say no to her. She also gets super excited at the thought of being a good mate to me and I’m not sure how to handle it.”

“Tell her you’re uncomfortable then,” Yubin suggested, placing the leftover spare pieces into a small bag before reaching over to open up the next bag of legos.

“...I’m not, though. Not really. Confused? Yeah. Curious? Yeah.” Yoohyeon shrugged. “I’m just going with the flow.” She let out a sigh. “I’m just getting used to the sudden attention, but she’s harmless.”

Yubin shook her head. “Gay.”

“Shut up.”

***

The cafeteria food wasn’t Yoohyeon’s favorite, but after a morning of realizing she slept through her alarm (cons of getting used to sleeping through trains passing by), followed by her rushing through her routine in order to get to class on time, she thinks she deserves to eat the pancakes they had.

They weren’t the best, but Yoohyeon could make worse pancakes, so she couldn’t complain too much. Pancakes were pancakes, and with enough syrup, she could make anything taste good.

“What’s that?”

Yoohyeon damn near jumped out of her seat at the sudden voice right by her ear.

“Fuck-” She cut herself off as she turned her head, seeing Minji’s face a lot closer than expected. Holy shit. Okay, breathe Yoohyeon.

Then she processed Minji’s question, and the way Minji’s eyes seemed fixated on Yoohyeon’s pancakes.

“Pancakes? You’ve never seen them before?” Yoohyeon asked.

Minji shook her head. “We mostly hunt and gather. Is it good? It smells good.” The poor wolf look damn near tortured at the fact that the pancakes weren’t in her stomach already.

Yoohyeon snorted. “Take a seat. I’ll let you have a taste.”

The hybrid didn’t need to be told twice. She quickly made her way around the table towards the other chair across from Yoohyeon, looking very excited at the prospect of tasting some pancakes. Precious.

Once she was sat, Yoohyeon cut out a small piece with plenty of syrup and held it out on her fork.

Minji happily took the piece into her mouth, her eyes widening and tail wagging immediately.

Yoohyeon let out a soft laugh, cutting up another piece to feed Minji again, her own hunger be damned. Minji’s joy at something so simple filled her up anyway.

It was strangely enjoyable. Minji’s cute expressions, the steadily wagging tail, the happy humming definitely lit up Yoohyeon’s morning. It should be strange, how easy being in Minji’s presence was, but Yoohyeon thinks there are worse things to be doing.

Eventually, the plate of pancakes became empty, and Yoohyeon realized that she had basically fed Minji the rest of it. She also realized that she wasn’t too bothered by it. Thank goodness Bora wasn’t here to give her shit for it.

Apparently Minji also realized that there were no more pancakes as a pout made its way to her face.

“I ate it all…” She mumbled. Then a look of panic took over. “I-I’m sorry! Those were yours.” She quickly began to dig through her pocket before pulling out what looked like a crumpled wad of ones. “Here, so you can get more.”

Yoohyeon could tell that the money wouldn’t be enough to cover it, but she wouldn’t have taken Minji’s money anyway. She gently closed Minji’s fist.

“It’s okay. I was full anyway,” Yoohyeon lied. No way was she admitting that she was kind of whipped. Must be the puppiness. Yoohyeon liked puppies, and Minji kind of acted like one.

Minji didn’t look convinced. Yoohyeon took a deep breath.

“Plus, what kind of mate would I be if I took your money after willingly feeding you? I used my student card to pay, so I’m okay. No money taken,” Yoohyeon reassured. It felt strange hearing that word come out of her mouth. Not bad. Strange. Never had she used that word before. She thinks she should really ask Siyeon just what the hell a mate is.

Still, the way Minji’s eyes absolutely lit up, her jaw dropping slightly, made Yoohyeon think that it wouldn’t be all that bad being Minji’s mate.

***

“I called myself her mate today.”

“You need to start saying ‘hello’ or something because every time you come home you just throw these little tidbits at me and expect me to act normal,” Yubin responded after glancing up from her book. “And her mate? Yoohyeon…”

“I know,” Yoohyeon grumbled, kicking off her shoes. “Be careful, blah blah blah, but listen, if you were at the mercy of those goddamn puppy eyes you’d agree to anything she said too.”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

“You wouldn’t, but you’d think about it.”

Yubin thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. “Fair. But it doesn’t beat you.”

Yoohyeon sighed.

“Yeah.”

***

So Minji held up her end of the agreement.

It was like she had a radar, because every time Yoohyeon had a class, Minji was right there to walk her to it while holding hands. Did Siyeon give up her schedule? Maybe. Or Minji’s nose was just that good. Yoohyeon wondered what it would be like to have her nose. Probably overstimulating, but then she’d understand what Minji meant by Yoohyeon smelling like the forest, whatever that means.

Oh, well.

Whatever. Yoohyeon had ears, and a mouth, and that was enough to hold a conversation with Minji.

“So what’s your favorite food?” Minji asked.

“Pasta,” Yoohyeon responded. It was kind of cute how Minji wanted to know these little details about Yoohyeon rather than the really big stuff. Nothing about her upbringing or life philosophies. Just favorite colors and foods and everything else. “Yours?”

“Deer!” Minji replied enthusiastically. “My pack have group huntings, and sometimes I join, but we hunt our meals ourselves and share it with the rest of us. We’re not really a small pack, but we’re not that big either.” Then she tilted her head. “What’s pasta?”

It was also cute how Minji didn’t know the simplest of things. She wasn’t dumb, but growing up differently definitely had an impact on what she knew and what she didn’t. If Yoohyeon was left alone in the woods for five minutes, she would probably get mauled by a bear. No survival instincts whatsoever. She thinks Minji might be better off than Yoohyeon. Minji didn’t have to budget for groceries, she just had to sniff out a tasty rabbit.

“I’ll take you out to eat pasta one of these days, yeah?” Yoohyeon offered instead with a squeeze to Minji’s hand. “There’s all kinds of it, with different sauces and stuff. You’ll find something.”

Minji shot her a toothy grin. “If they’re anything like the pancakes, then I trust you on what’s good or not.”

Such a complicated thing as trust, and yet, Minji gave it away so easily, so freely. And to Yoohyeon of all people, who was still wildly unsure about everything.

Yoohyeon will try to not break that trust.

***

“She’s really, really cute, Binnie.”

Yubin sighed.

“I’m sure.”

***

“Yoohyeon!”

The girl in question looked towards the sea of tables, some with students, and some without, just to see Minji waving from within it. She could also see Siyeon and Bora at the table.

She made her way towards them with a muffin in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. Not the most proper lunch, but she didn’t have time today to dilly dally between classes.

“Hey,” she greeted, taking the seat Minji pulled out for her.

“Hi,” Minji giggled, her tail wagging happily.

Yoohyeon smiled softly just to be startled by Bora’s loud voice.

“Yoohyeonie!” She called, the other two hybrids’ ears pinning back. Bora stood up to quickly hug Yoohyeon tightly, almost choking her. “You’ve been avoiding me,” she whined, annoyingly rubbing her cheek against the top of Yoohyeon’s head.

The younger girl also whined, not even trying to escape Bora’s grasp. The woman was too strong for her own good, and Yoohyeon was too weak.

Also the slight pout on Minji’s face as Yoohyeon’s attention was taken from her was adorable. Not everything could be about her, though. Just like a puppy.

Finally, Bora let her go.

“I’ve been hearing things,” Bora teased, wiggling her eyebrows. “Like how this one chose you to be her mate.” She emphasized by reaching over to scratch the base of Minji’s ears. Seriously? Yoohyeon had been resisting the urge to feel just how soft those ears were, and here Bora was, casually doing so. Now it was her turn to pout, especially since Minji looked like she had forgiven Bora for sins she hadn’t even committed yet.

“Yeah,” Yoohyeon agreed simply, watching as Bora took her seat again, letting Siyeon lean on her shoulder. Truthfully, Yoohyeon didn’t know what to say in regards to the whole ‘mate’ thing. She was still confused, but whatever. It was a little more serious than a girlfriend, but it didn’t feel that way. Was she Minji’s girlfriend? Does Minji know what a girlfriend is? Should Yoohyeon ask? She knew Minji was… courting her? Kind of. But she’s not sure how well that’s translating to the modern day and to a difference in upbringing.

She glanced at Minji from the corner of her eye as she opened up the packaging of her muffin. Not a thought behind those beautiful brown eyes. She picked off a piece of her muffin and handed it to Minji, seeing the way her eyes lit up.

Yoohyeon doesn’t think she’d mind being Minji’s girlfriend.

***

Afterwards, she and Minji took a walk around campus.

Yoohyeon still had a class to get to, but she was in no rush. That class was boring anyway, and she kind of enjoyed having Minji’s hand in her own.

“Let’s sit for a minute?” Yoohyeon asked, tugging Minji over to a bench. The hybrid followed along happily.

Except Minji didn’t join her on the bench. Instead, she stood in front of Yoohyeon, nervously shuffling her feet.

The human tilted her head curiously. “What’s wrong?”

“I- um,” Minji mumbled, her ears pinning back. “Can I hug you?”

Really? This nervousness for just a hug?

“Sure,” Yoohyeon responded, beginning to stand up, just for Minji to gently push her back down onto the bench.

Again, Yoohyeon tilted her head.

She didn’t have the opportunity to ask, because in the next second, Minji was slowly wrapping her arms around Yoohyeon’s shoulders. Well, this was an awkward hug, but Yoohyeon wouldn’t question it as she responded by hugging Minji’s middle.

Then she felt Minji rub her cheek against the top of Yoohyeon’s head and- ah.

Yoohyeon wouldn’t say she was an expert on wolf culture, especially wolves who were raised in the forest, but she knew enough about how Siyeon acted, and Siyeon had many different ways of scenting Bora.

Namely, rubbing her cheek against the older woman’s head.

Minji could’ve just asked. Not like Yoohyeon lost anything by being scented. She couldn’t really smell it anyway.

Still, Yoohyeon let out a sigh and didn’t bring it up. If Minji wants to be harmlessly sneaky, then she could be. It was also kind of cute, and Minji smelled nice, kind of woodsy, so Yoohyeon didn’t mind having that on her.

Also, Minji’s tail wagging like crazy was a sight to see.

Finally, Minji slowly pulled back, but didn’t go too far. She reached up to smooth out Yoohyeon’s hair.

“Sorry…” Minji mumbled, a cute blush on her cheeks.

“It’s okay,” Yoohyeon responded, her voice soft. This time, she did actually manage to stand up, Minji dropping her hands to her waist. Yoohyeon didn’t realize she had opened a Pandora’s box where Minji now felt the need to be constantly touching her after one little hug. Oh, well. Yoohyeon wouldn’t complain.

“Can I ask for something this time?” Yoohyeon continued.

The way Minji’s eyes lit up in excitement was so unbelievably precious, Yoohyeon felt her heart warm.

“Anything,” Minji breathed out, practically bouncing on her feet. Was her tail still wagging? Yoohyeon almost worried it would fall off, but she had priorities right now.

“Can I touch your ears?” The human asked, focusing on the furry limbs, twitching on Minji’s head.

“Okay!” Minji happily replied, a toothy grin on her face.

Well, that was easy.

Slowly, Yoohyeon brought one of her hands up to run the tip of her index finger over Minji’s ear, seeing it flick from sensitivity. Just like she thought. Soft. Unbelievably so.

Feeling bolder, Yoohyeon began to gently scratch at the base of Minji’s ear. She felt the hybrid lean into her hand, her eyes closing like a happy puppy.

Although Yoohyeon's curiosity was satisfied, she kept up the scratching. Yeah, they were in public, but the other students had probably seen weirder. Yoohyeon knows she has. Plus, Minji looked very content to have her ears scratched.

And yet, Yoohyeon had to go to class. As boring as it was, she did try to stay on top of her studies.

“I have to go,” Yoohyeon murmured.

At that, Minji’s eyes opened. “I can walk you,” she offered, but it didn’t sound like Yoohyeon had much of a choice. Still, she needed a moment to breathe. Lots of things happened, lots of realizations.

“It’s okay,” Yoohyeon reassured, bumping her head into Minji’s. “Go find Siyeon.”

The hybrid pouted and furrowed her eyebrows. “Siyeon is-” one of her ears flicked away from Yoohyeon, tuning into something in the distance “-calling me…”

Yoohyeon snorted and stepped away from Minji. “Exactly. Go and find her.”

“Okay…” Minji replied reluctantly. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” She asked hopefully.

“You will.”

With that, Minji gave an excited wiggle before running off.

Once she was out of sight, Yoohyeon let out a sigh and turned to walk towards her class.

Yubin was going to have a field day with this.

***

“Binnie,” Yoohyeon greeted.

Yubin slowly raised her eyes up from her book, skeptical.

“Somehow, I’m more worried about you saying something normal than jumpscaring me with your gayness.”

Yoohyeon rolled her eyes and flopped onto the couch, letting her head land on Yubin’s lap.

“Would you rather I open with how she scented me and I got to scratch her ears?”

“Nevermind.”

***

Yoohyeon thought it would be a normal weekend.

No classes, no responsibilities, just sleeping through the sounds of the trains and Yubin going to work. Nothing to worry about.

Except when she woke up at half past five am for some reason, she nearly screamed.

Because right there, sitting on the floor next to her bed, was one Kim Minji, looking like she wasn’t doing something absolutely strange.

Yoohyeon blinked, not moving from her laying position. Was she hallucinating? Dreaming? It felt too real.

“...What are you doing?” Yoohyeon asked, her voice raspy from sleep.

Minji’s small grin grew wider. “Protecting you!”

“...From what?”

The hybrid opened her mouth to answer, but then furrowed her brows. “Dunno.” She shrugged. “But I’ll be ready anyway!” She shot Yoohyeon another toothy grin.

Right. Made total sense.

“Okay,” Yoohyeon acquiesced. “Why are you in my room at five am, though? How’d you even get in? Or figure out where I live?”

Minji wiggled her nose. “Followed your trail. And your friend let me in! She just said not to wake you up, but I missed you, so I’ve just been sitting here.”

Right. Yubin left ridiculously early for work. Probably bumped into Minji. “You’ve been watching me sleep.”

“Well… yeah?” Minji tilted her head. “Is that a bad thing? I just wanted to make sure you didn’t have any nightmares.”

Oh. Still strange how Minji went about it, but she’s harmless.

Yoohyeon let out a sigh and sat up. “At five am?”

Minji at least had the decency to look embarrassed, her ears pinning back and her tail curling around her. “I was staying at Siyeonie’s place for the first time and I couldn’t sleep. I’m used to the smell of the forest, and I guess I just went where my nose took me.” She looked down at her hands. “Sorry…”

The human wasn’t sure what to say to that. Minji told her she smelled like the forest and that was… something. Minji probably just followed that.

“It’s fine…” Yoohyeon mumbled through a yawn. The sun was barely up, and Yoohyeon wanted to sleep in. What to do about this silly wolf?

Turns out she wouldn’t get to choose, since in the next few seconds a train began to pass by, and Minji let out a loud whine while covering her ears.

The poor hybrid backed away into a corner, which wasn’t far since Yoohyeon’s room wasn’t the biggest, but she still looked like a scared puppy.

Acting on instinct, Yoohyeon scrambled out of bed and onto the floor to take Minji into her arms.

“W-What’s that?” Minji got out, her voice holding nothing but fear.

“It’s just a train, Minji,” Yoohyeon soothed, nudging one of Minji’s hand off her ear. “It’s loud, but it won’t do anything.”

The hybrid let out another whine, shaking.

Yoohyeon gently shushed her, and manhandled Minji enough until they were standing.

“It’s just a train. As long as you don’t stand on the tracks, it won’t hurt you.” Yoohyeon pointed out the window. “See? It’s just old and loud, and the tracks guide it to where it needs to go.”

Minji nodded and managed to drop her other hand from her ear to then wrap her arms around Yoohyeon and nuzzle into her shoulder.

Yoohyeon didn’t say anything about it, simply humming a gentle tune and scratching the base of one of Minji’s ears in comfort. She could understand what the sound of the old trains might feel like to a hybrid with much more sensitive hearing and specifically to a hybrid who had probably never heard of a train before.

After a few more seconds, the train finally zoomed by, the sound fading into the distance.

“Better?” Yoohyeon asked in a murmur. Maybe she was just tired, but it felt strangely nice to hug Minji like this. It really did feel like Minji was just a scared puppy, all soft and warm with fluffy ears. Yoohyeon could almost fall asleep like this.

She felt the hybrid nod into her shoulder. “Sorry…”

“It’s okay,” the human breathed out, forcing herself to gently push Minji out of her arms. God, and the sun was barely up.

She let out a yawn and sat on the edge of her bed. She was unbelievably tired, and maybe that’s what possessed her to speak again.

“Do you want to get some sleep?” Yoohyeon asked, patting the space in bed next to her. They were… kind of mates. Surely, it wouldn’t be weird to cuddle Minji like this.

At the mention of sleep, Minji let out a yawn too. She nodded, though Yoohyeon could see the excitement in the hybrid, and tried to climb into bed.

“In jeans?” Yoohyeon pointed out. “You want to borrow some sweatpants instead? They’re in the second drawer.”

Minji blinked. “What are those?”

Yoohyeon snorted. “Just go see for yourself. They’re super comfy.”

Not needing to be told twice, Minji did as told, pulling out a pair of sweatpants from the drawer. Without any hesitation, she also began to strip.

Yoohyeon quickly snapped her head to the side. Okay. Minji didn’t really mind Yoohyeon seeing her in a state of undress. Noted.

“Look!”

The human turned back at the sound of Minji’s voice, seeing the hybrid proudly pointing at Yoohyeon’s sweatpants. Yeah, they kind of had the same build, but Minji somehow looked much softer and warmer and god Yoohyeon just wants to cuddle her like crazy.\

“Grab a hoodie too,” Yoohyeon offered. “Should be right there.”

Again, she turned her head away when Minji began to change, only turning back around when Minji called out to her.

And again, they had the same build, but Yoohyeon doesn’t think she manages to look that cute with a hoodie over her head and a toothy grin on her face. Minji gets more points for having a waggy tail.

“Come on.” Yoohyeon patted the other side of the bed as she got more comfortable. It was small, but she had every intention of cuddling Minji to sleep anyway.

Not needing to be told twice, Minji almost leaped into bed, earning a laugh out of Yoohyeon.

Yoohyeon didn’t have it in her to question how she felt right now. All she knew was that she was tired, and Minji was more than willing to be her pillow.

She opened up her arms, and Minji looked like she couldn’t believe it, all wide and sparkling eyes. However, she didn’t question it, immediately tucking her head under Yoohyeon’s chin.

The human let out a content sigh, gently tugging the hoodie off of Minji’s head so her ears could comfortably pop up and hit Yoohyeon in the face. She let out a soft laugh, her breath making Minji’s ear twitch, and brought her hand up to scratch the base of Minji’s ear.

And then she heard it.

A rumble.

Even Minji seemed surprised, since her ears perked in alarm and she froze.

“...Did you do that?” Yoohyeon asked, trying to keep any amusement out of her voice.

“...No,” Minji responded. Aww, she was a bad liar too, down to her ears pinning back in shame.

This time Yoohyeon really couldn’t hold back a laugh, earning an embarrassed whine from Minji.

“You’re so cute,” Yoohyeon let slip out. It was probably the most honest thing she’s said to Minji, but she was too tired to care. The morning was cold, and Minji was warm. A perfect combination.

“...You’re cute too,” Minji mumbled, burying her face even further into Yoohyeon’s neck.

And, well, Yoohyeon was weak. Thank goodness Minji couldn’t see the blush on her face.

Somehow it was easier to fall asleep this time around.

***

Once again, Yoohyeon woke up to Minji staring intently at her.

Minji shot her a toothy grin, her tail beginning to wag. “Mornin’.”

Yoohyeon yawned. “Morning.” She smiled fondly at the happy hybrid. Adorable.

“Wanna do something today?” Yoohyeon offered. Minji was already there, and Yubin would be at work for a little longer. “We can go eat at that place I mentioned. Have you try some pasta.”

At that, Minji’s tail only wagged faster. “Let’s go!”

“Minji, I haven’t even properly woken up yet.”

The hybrid pouted.

Yoohyeon sighed.

“Give me a few minutes.”

Minji shot her a toothy grin.

Damn, puppy.

***

Yoohyeon only feels a little bad for what she was about to do.

They were walking hand in hand down the sidewalk, Minji trotting alongside her and looking around the city in wonder. Yoohyeon guesses it’d be pretty incredible for someone who’s never been around a big city before. She remembers she and Yubin being the same way, but they’ve grown used to it.

Minji had obviously yet to have grown used to it.

The restaurant was pretty far. Minji might’ve been able to make it by walking, but not Yoohyeon. She preferred other methods.

Such as the one they were about to use now.

They arrived at the stairs to head up to the above ground subway.

“Why are we going up there?” Minji asked nervously, not following Yoohyeon and pinning her ears back.

“It’s faster this way,” Yoohyeon responded. She gently tugged on Minji’s hand. “Come on. You trust me, right?”

Hesitantly, Minji nodded and followed Yoohyeon upwards.

As they stood on the platform after getting their tickets, Yoohyeon watched Minji from the corner of her eye.

Minji’s ears had yet to perk up, and her tail was tucked between her legs. She had also chosen to cling to Yoohyeon’s arm as she looked around nervously.

“Minji,” Yoohyeon called softly. “It’s going to be loud, especially when you see the train coming. The brakes are really annoying, like, ridiculously so. But that’s all it is. Loud and annoying.”

The hybrid slowly nodded, and Yoohyeon was happy to see Minji’s tail relax a little.

When the train did come and start braking, Minji let out a whimper and held onto Yoohyeon tightly.

“Let’s go,” Yoohyeon said once the doors opened for them to get on.

Minji still looked nervous, but Yoohyeon still managed to get the wolf onto the train car. At least it wasn’t super full, allowing them to comfortably stand near the door.

Yoohyeon held onto the handrail above them with one hand and onto Minji with the other. Minji had decided to use Yoohyeon as a handrail. Well. A handrail she could hug, but whatever.

She did briefly tighten her grip around Yoohyeon when the train started to move, and Yoohyeon rubbed her hand up and down Minji’s back, but once they were well on their way, she gently poked Minji’s side.

“Look,” she said softly.

At that, Minji brought her face out of Yoohyeon’s shoulder to look out the window, and finally Yoohyeon could see those adorable furry ears perk up and her tail begin to wag.

Was it the prettiest sight out the window? Not really. Was it still a view Minji had never seen before? Absolutely. Yoohyeon wishes she had Minji’s eyes, if only to understand the wonder she experienced at the simplest of things.

After two stops, they arrived where they needed to be.

Minji looked much better getting off the train than when she first stepped on, and Yoohyeon was absolutely overjoyed.

“See?” Yoohyeon squeezed Minji’s hand. “Not that bad.”

The hybrid almost bounced on her feet in response.

They walked the few blocks it took to reach the restaurant, and Yoohyeon was still absolutely amazed at the way Minji’s eyes lit up from the simplest of things.

They were quickly seated at a booth, with Minji looking around at the italian decorations and sniffing the air. Yoohyeon could almost imagine the way Minji’s mouth watered.

“There’s lots to choose from. Just decide on what you think sounds tastier,” Yoohyeon said, already knowing what she wanted to order.

She saw Minji look curiously over the menu, mouthing to herself every word. Or trying to at least. Sometimes not even Yoohyeon knew how to pronounce certain foods.

Then she saw Minji’s ears perk up curiously.

“Spaghetti?” Minji asked, slightly pronouncing the ‘h’. “It says it brings meatballs? I like meat!”

Yoohyeon nodded in agreement. A classic, but you can’t go wrong with a classic. “Spaghetti is good,” she responded, smiling fondly.

After they placed their orders with the waiter, Yoohyeon noticed Minji shifting nervously, a small blush on her face.

“You okay, Minji?” She asked, slightly leaning over the table to give Minji her undivided attention.

If possible, Minji’s blush only deepened.

“Is… Is this a date?” She whispered, her smile hopeful and shy and god Yoohyeon was unbelievably fond of this wolf. It was incredible to see how Minji was bold on their first meeting, declaring Yoohyeon her mate, but was now reduced to this shy and precious person at the thought of this being a date.

“Do you want it to be a date?” Yoohyeon responded, an amused grin on her face.

At that, Minji’s smile became even more hopeful if that was possible, her tail wagging faster and her eyes lighting up. She nodded eagerly, looking as if Yoohyeon’s answer held all of the world’s secrets.

“Then it’s a date,” Yoohyeon continued, finding that she herself was also a little excited now. She was more of a ‘go with the flow’ type of person, but this was a first, especially after seeing how Minji just looked like she won the lottery. Oh, well.

Time to enjoy her date.

***

Minji was great conversation.

Yoohyeon hadn’t been on many dates before, but she thinks this was the best one she’s been on. Minji made sure to ask plenty of questions, getting to know Yoohyeon properly. Exactly how a good date should, and every time Yoohyeon gave up something of herself, Minji looked like she was trying to memorize every syllable that fell from the human’s lips.

After Yoohyeon shared about her upbringing, which wasn’t anything special, Minji also gave Yoohyeon some insight about what being raised in the woods entails.

“A lot of people think we’re oblivious to what society is like, but that’s not the case,” Minji explained. “Plenty from our pack come and go as they please, bringing us clothes and materials that might be scarce in the forest, and they explain what it’s like out here. Sure, I’ve heard of trains before, but I hadn’t really seen them.” She wrinkled her nose. “Or knew what they sounded like, but it’s the small things. Like social customs and stuff. My pack is pretty blunt and honest with each other, so I’m sorry if I’ve said or done anything to make you uncomfortable.” Her ears drooped in shame. “Like this morning. I just… You make me excited.”

“It’s alright,” Yoohyeon reassured, fighting the blush off her cheeks. “Being in the big city… there’s lots of weird shit you see around the place. Trust me, I was too tired to care.” She shrugged. “And you’re harmless. I feel safe with you.”

Oh, the smile on Minji’s face sent a shot of electricity through Yoohyeon. Yeah, maybe she should ask the hybrid if they were dating already. If not, Yoohyeon should fix that.

Finally, their food arrived, and Minji looked so cute doing her best to twist the spaghetti around her fork. And when her eyes brightened at the first taste, Yoohyeon knew she was gone for this silly wolf.

Minji also got to try Yoohyeon’s order, which she also thoroughly enjoyed. Yoohyeon had realized by this point that Minji might be a vacuum with the way she will eat anything and everything.

There was a small argument over who got to pay, but Yoohyeon ended up winning, earning a pout from her date. To be fair, Minji only had the small wad of ones still, and Yoohyeon wanted the hybrid to save it for emergencies.

They took the same route back, this time with Minji being a lot less hesitant to step onto the train. Yoohyeon is sure Minji was still nervous about the noise, but at least she didn’t look like she was ready to run away.

By the time they arrived back at Yoohyeon’s apartment, Minji was back to looking as shy as ever.

“What is it?” Yoohyeon questioned softly as they stood in front of her door.

Minji shifted nervously on her feet. “Was I a good mate today?”

Yoohyeon absolutely melted. She brought her free hand up to scratch the base of one of Minji’s ears. “You were the best mate a girl could ask for,” she responded, her voice softer than she thinks she’s heard before. Huh. Minji had one hell of an effect on her.

The hybrid’s eyes widened in so much joy, Yoohyeon could feel it spread to her. Didn’t Yoohyeon say something about fixing the whole ‘girlfriend’ status? Yeah. Or maybe she also just wanted an excuse to kiss Minji silly. It was probably both.

“Hey, Minji,” Yoohyeon began, gently tugging Minji’s hand to grab the hybrid’s attention, as if she didn’t have it already. “I… might not know much about the whole ‘mate’ thing, but I do know more about being a girlfriend. So… would you be mine?”

There it was again. That unabashed joy at such simple things that Yoohyeon had grown so incredibly fond of. The glimmering eyes, the waggy tail, the perked ears. It was almost too much for Yoohyeon’s weak heart.

“Yes!” Minji nearly yelled. She quickly cleared her throat, blushing and pinning her ears back in embarrassment. “I mean- yeah, sure. I’d love that.”

Yoohyeon couldn’t help her own happy grin. She didn’t think Minji would’ve said no, especially after everything, but this was her first time doing the asking out. She was very proud of herself for making it through, and actually managing to get a girlfriend in the process.

“Then would you like me to kiss you?” Yoohyeon asked, taking a small step forward. “Because I would like to kiss you.”

This time, Minji went back to looking as shy and timid as ever. Her ears pinned back and her tail slowed down its wagging.

She slowly wrapped her arms around Yoohyeon’s middle and buried her face into her shoulder, mumbling something the human couldn’t hear.

“What was that?” Yoohyeon probed gently, hugging Minji back.

“Never…” Minji murmured, nuzzling into Yoohyeon.

Never…? Oh.

“You’ve never kissed anyone?” The human responded, voice still soft.

She felt Minji shake her head. “Waited for my mate,” was her short answer. “You.”

Again. Mate. Yoohyeon thinks she should ask because she was still a little lost on the details. Something more serious than a girlfriend, yet, Minji had agreed to that. What was Yoohyeon missing? She should probably ask, but…

She had other priorities right now.

“So is that a yes?” Yoohyeon clarified, gently pushing Minji back enough to meet her eyes. “We don’t have to. I hope you know that.”

Immediately, Minji shook her head, looking a little frantic. “No, no! I want to, promise,” she responded, shifting on her feet. “I’m just nervous. What if I do it wrong?”

Yoohyeon couldn’t help the snort she let out. “Trust me, I don’t think you can do worse than some of my exes.”

At that, Minji frowned, straightening up a bit. “I can be a much better mate…” She grumbled.

“You already are,” the human reassured in a murmur, reaching up to cup the wolf’s cheeks. She leaned in to gently bump her forehead against Minji’s, staying close. “Kiss?”

Blushing, Minji nodded, her eyes focused on Yoohyeon’s mouth.

Yoohyeon closed the distance between them, pressing her lips against Minji’s in a soft, chaste kiss.

She pulled away, not wanting her silly wolf to be overwhelmed. “Good?” She asked quietly, stroking her thumbs over Minji’s cheeks. Though, with the way Minji’s tail was wagging like crazy, Yoohyeon could already guess her answer.

The hybrid shot her a toothy grin. “Perfect.”

Somehow, Yoohyeon wholeheartedly agreed. She pecked Minji’s nose, drawing out another giggle from her girlfriend. Hm. Felt nice to say. Minji is her girlfriend. Very nice.

Then she saw Minji pout slightly, her ears drooping. “I promised Singnie I wouldn’t be back late…”

Yoohyeon also felt a little dejected, but she knew she would see Minji running around campus on Monday. Or, more likely, Minji would sniff her out. Honestly, Minji should consider herself lucky it was a large university and no one would question her presence on campus.

“It’s alright,” Yoohyeon reassured, running her hands down Minji’s arms. “I’m glad I got to spend the day with you, though.”

Her words managed to bring a smile back onto Minji’s face.

“I am too,” Minji responded softly, affection bleeding into her voice. “Can I have another kiss before I go?” She asked shyly.

“Of course,” Yoohyeon murmured, leaning in to press another soft kiss to Minji’s lips, holding it for a little longer before pulling away. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

“See you,” Minji giggled, hesitantly leaning away from Yoohyeon and beginning to walk down the hallway.

Once Minji was out of view, Yoohyeon turned and entered her apartment.

“I got a girlfriend,” she immediately greeted Yubin.

“Congrats,” Yubin replied from the couch, not even flinching. “She seems sweet from what I saw of her this morning.”

Yoohyeon sighed dreamily. “She is.”

“Have you figured out what the difference between a mate and a girlfriend is, though?”

Silence.

“That’s what I thought.”

Yoohyeon let out another sigh, deciding not to think too deeply about it. If it was important, then she’s sure Minji or even Siyeon would’ve told her. Something a little more serious than a girlfriend. Alright.

“You wanna hear about our date?” Yoohyeon asked instead.

This time Yubin finally glanced up from her phone, a small smile gracing her features. “Sure.”

***

Minji was a wonderful girlfriend.

Without fail, Minji would seek out Yoohyeon the second she stepped foot on campus, running up to her with a toothy grin and a waggy tail. Then, in her usual bold and shy nature, she would ask Yoohyeon for a kiss, which the human was more than happy to provide. Such a precious wolf.

Minji also made sure to walk Yoohyeon to and from class. Honestly, Yoohyeon wishes she had Minji’s nose and ears, just to also be able to easily seek out Minji on such a large campus. She’s not sure how well Minji would use a phone, but whatever, this works too.

And Yoohyeon has also noticed how Minji has slowly but surely attempted to scent her.

Yeah, Yoohyeon knows that through basic physical contact, people scent each other. Except Minji has started to rub her cheek against Yoohyeon’s more often, or bury her face into Yoohyeon’s neck too. Yoohyeon wasn’t bothered by it. Not in the slightest. As a matter of fact, she found Minji’s clinginess adorable.

Yoohyeon was also very happy to admit that she had been introducing Minji to many different foods.

“You ever had pizza before?” She asked her girlfriend as they looked around the cafeteria for something to eat.

“No, but Siyeon swears it’s tasty,” Minji responded, sniffing the air. “Smells good too.”

That was enough of an answer for Yoohyeon to get Minji three slices of classic pepperoni, and two slices for herself.

Of course, Minji absolutely loved pizza, positively glowing from tasting it. Adorable.

There were more foods, of course, but Yoohyeon thinks her favorite had to be when she introduced Minji to chocolate.

It was a normal day, with Yoohyeon looking for something sweet to satisfy her momentary craving. She had picked up a chocolate bar from a vending machine, deciding to munch on it as she walked around campus.

Of course, Minji quickly sniffed her out, greeting her with a peck to her cheek.

“What’s that?” Minji asked, tilting her head curiously with a sniff.

“Chocolate,” Yoohyeon responded, holding out the bar. “Bite.”

Minji did as told, quickly taking a bite out of the bar. Yoohyeon snorted. Her girlfriend looked like she had tasted the world’s finest cuisine, the food of the gods. Minji’s eyes were wide, fixated on the rest of the bar left, her tail wagging the fastest it ever had in the presence of food, her ears focused on the bar as if it could speak words of wisdom.

Immediately, Yoohyeon resigned herself to not eating her chocolate bar, letting Minji finish it instead. She’s lucky she’s cute, otherwise Yoohyeon might’ve had a stronger will.

After that, Yoohyeon made sure to carry around a bar of chocolate just for her always-hungry-girlfriend. She thinks Minji might not be able to live without chocolate anymore. Cutie.

Otherwise, Yoohyeon took a lot of joy in showing Minji the fun parts about society.

But, just as there are good things, there are also bad things.

Right now, Yoohyeon was trying not to roll her eyes, sending the dude in front of her a tight-lipped smile. Take a hint, bro.

Said dude was chatting Yoohyeon up with more than friendly intentions. Honestly, where did he find the audacity? Yoohyeon was just trying to get to class in peace when he sauntered up to her with all the audacity in the world and started trying to flirt with her. Key word: trying. Even if Yoohyeon didn’t have Minji, this would certainly not have worked.

And then she heard a growl from behind and- oh, shit.

She whipped her head around, seeing Minji ready to bear her teeth, tail eerily still and her ears slowly pinning back. Oh shit shit.

Instinctively, Yoohyeon slapped a hand over Minji’s mouth. No need to cause trouble here.

“Hi, yeah, sorry dude, but I have to go to class with my lovely girlfriend here,” Yoohyeon managed to get out when the man fell silent from Minji’s growl.

The dude’s face wrinkled in disgust.

“This mutt is your girlfriend?” He spat out with an eye roll. Yoohyeon had half a mind to sic Minji on him, but she knew damn well it would just cause more problems for Minji in the long run.

Yoohyeon took a deep breath, ignoring Minji’s growl.

“Let’s go, Minji,” she said instead, also choosing to ignore that guy. Confrontation was not her strong suit. Plus, one more comment and she really will let Minji take care of him.

She wrapped her arm around Minji’s shoulders, still using her other hand to cover Minji’s mouth, and turned her around, ignoring the offensive mutterings from the dude behind her. Ew.

Once they were safely away in a spot between buildings, Yoohyeon dropped her hand, seeing Minji’s lips curled in a snarl.

“Calm down,” Yoohyeon soothed, bringing Minji in for a hug. “He’s a dick, I know, but I need you calm right now, okay?”

She felt Minji wrap her arms around her middle tightly, growling softly.

Yoohyeon gently shushed her, bringing a hand up to scratch the base of her ears.

At this point, Yoohyeon resigned herself to not making it to class on time, but she thinks that getting to hold Minji was a better use of her time anyway. She hopes her professor understands.

“Better?” Yoohyeon murmured, once she felt the tension leave Minji’s body. Those little growls (that she’s sure were supposed to be intimidating but felt more like a puppy playing) were also now replaced with the equally adorable happy rumbles. Much better. She felt Minji nod into her shoulder.

“I need to explain something to you,” she continued just as softly. “What you did, the growling and almost baring your teeth at a total stranger, wasn’t good. Society… they don’t really like hybrids sometimes. They might be okay with your furry appendages, but everything else, it’s just something not good. I know he started it by insulting you, but baring your teeth is considered a threat.”

At that, Minji pulled back. “But I can’t help it? I wasn’t gonna attack him, I was just so… angry at him for trying to flirt with you. And my pack usually loves to show off their teeth to show how much we’ve grown.” She pouted. Ah. Of course she was more mad at the dude making a pass at Yoohyeon than at him blatantly insulting her. Selfless Minji strikes again.

“I know,” Yoohyeon reassured. “I’m not mad at you for trying to defend me, but again, people out here suck ass. They don’t care about how big your canines are, just that you have them. In their eyes, you’re no better than a rabid dog. It’s definitely way better nowadays, and I do mean way better, but there’s still those weird ass unspoken rules. I’m not saying this because I think you did anything wrong, I mean, I adore your little teeth and your big smiles, but I’m worried about you. I would love to see you happily be yourself out here, but others just won’t understand, and it might get you in trouble.” Yoohyeon grimaced. “Understand?”

Minji looked to be processing all of that, and Yoohyeon couldn’t blame her. Her girlfriend seemed to be having a blast exploring the big city, trying out the cuisine, learning all about how people interacted out here with bright eyes and happy tails. This would probably put a damper on that, and Yoohyeon was heartbroken to have to be the one to do that. But she’d rather Minji be safe first and foremost. It’s a big world out here, and she really didn’t want her sweet wolf to be lost in it.

After a few seconds, Minji slowly nodded, looking absolutely bummed.

“What about smiling? I can’t smile without my teeth showing…” She muttered.

“I know,” Yoohyeon responded. “Context. Mostly. Right now, you looked ready to maul that guy, so baring your teeth would’ve been considered a threat. But a normal toothy grin that manages to light up my day is perfectly acceptable.” She winked. “Told ya things were better than before.”

It worked, earning her one of those exact toothy grins she adored so much.

“Really?” Minji wondered breathlessly, her tail already wagging behind her. Seems like it didn’t take much to cheer her up.

Yoohyeon hummed, reaching into her bag.

“You know what else manages to light up my day?” She continued.

Minji looked like she was vibrating with the desperation to know the answer. “What?”

With that, the human managed to pull out a chocolate bar. “Seeing you happy from the simple things in life,” she said softly, handing the candy to her girlfriend.

Immediately, the hybrid’s eyes lit up with a soft gasp, damn near wiggling in excitement as she took the chocolate in her hands.

“Thank you,” she said softly, leaning in to peck Yoohyeon on the lips.

“You’re welcome,” Yoohyeon replied just as softly, watching as Minji tore into the packaging.

Yeah, maybe Yoohyeon really wasn’t equipped for these conversations, especially when she was a human, but Minji should be informed. She should ask Siyeon to talk to Minji instead, teach her more about hybrids in the big city.

But those were conversations for another day.

Right now, Yoohyeon was content to have put a smile on Minji’s face after everything.

***

Yoohyeon woke up to the sound of her door gently closing.

Honestly, it was a miracle she had woken up at all. It had been a late night of studying, and she suspects she hadn’t been asleep for more than three hours when the intruder came into her room. Plus, if she could sleep through trains and alarms, then surely she would have slept through something as soft as her door closing?

But no. Here she was, trying to figure out what was going on. Did somebody break in? Unlikely. She would’ve heard Yubin scream or something.

Ah.

Minji.

She let out a breath, listening to her girlfriend rummage through her drawers. It was only the second time Minji had broken into Yoohyeon’s room, but it definitely felt like Minji had quickly made herself at home. Was she unable to sleep again? Poor puppy.

After Yoohyeon heard the shifting of clothing, which she’s sure is just Minji changing, she felt the bed dip next to her and her arm being raised.

Minji slipped under her arm, draping it across her waist in a hug. She also felt Minji’s ears poke her cheeks.

Yoohyeon felt Minji let out a content sigh as she nuzzled into her neck.

Well, Yoohyeon wouldn’t say anything about it. If her girlfriend simply wanted to be cuddled wearing Yoohyeon’s clothes while in Yoohyeon’s bed, then Yoohyeon could do that.

She nosed an ear, still pretending as if she was asleep, and it earned her one of those happy rumbles Minji tries to keep hidden from her. She also felt her bed thump from Minji’s tail wagging. Aww.

Eventually, she did fall asleep again, and could only hope Minji joined her in dreamland soon after.

***

When she did wake up a few hours later, it was to Minji’s slight whimpering at the train speeding by.

“Shh,” Yoohyeon immediately soothed through her sleepiness, tucking Minji’s head under her chin. “Just the train.”

She felt Minji nod in response. She’s sure that no matter how reassuring it was that the train wasn’t dangerous, having to hear the grating sounds with sensitive hearing would always be horrible.

Once the train sped by, Minji let out a sigh of relief.

“Sorry…” she mumbled, her ears pinning back.

“S’okay,” Yoohyeon responded through a yawn. “Should be up anyway.” She pressed a kiss to Minji’s head. “Mornin’.”

Minji hummed, her tail finally wagging away. “Mornin’.”

They laid in silence for a while longer, Minji’s tail happily wagging and Yoohyeon content to hold her girlfriend.

Honestly, Yoohyeon was a little surprised. She didn’t expect to enjoy something so simple this much. Yeah, she liked to laze around in bed, but she didn’t think she’d enjoy it more with her girlfriend joining her. Huh. Who knew?

It was peaceful. Minji was so warm, nice and cozy for a cold morning. Kind of like how her bed felt better in the mornings when she had to get up for class than at night when she had to sleep.

“Yoohyeon?” Minji whispered sheepishly.

The girl in question hummed, feeling like she could fall asleep again.

“I’m hungry…”

Yoohyeon let out a soft laugh, kissing Minji’s head again.

“Let’s go feed you then.”

***

Yoohyeon was far from the best of cooks.

In fact, Yubin kind of banned her from the kitchen. However, Yubin would have to make an exception for a hungry wolf. Plus, it’s not like Yoohyeon was going to actually cook something. Just some cereal, which keeps her far away from the stove.

“Ever had cereal?” Yoohyeon asked, grabbing two bowls from the cupboard.

Minji attentively watched Yoohyeon’s movements from her seat at the tiny table. “No.”

“Well, now you will,” Yoohyeon responded, grabbing the cereal box and the milk.

It didn’t take long for Yoohyeon to serve up two bowls of cereal, placing one in front of Minji. “Enjoy.”

Once again, Minji’s eyes lit up at the first taste. Nothing will quite top the reaction to chocolate, but it still brought a smile to Yoohyeon’s face. Her girlfriend was unbelievably precious.

They both ate quickly. Yoohyeon wasn’t sure what to do today. Minji was a welcome surprise, of course, but she’s not sure how to entertain her ever curious girlfriend. They’ve already been out and about in the city, not like there was much around the apartment, and she doesn’t want to bother Siyeon for ideas.

“Have you played video games before?” She asked before she could think too deeply.

Minji tilted her head. “I sometimes see Siyeon play them, but I’ve never played them myself.” She wrinkled her nose. “They seem confusing. Too many buttons.”

Yoohyeon shook her head, standing to take their bowls to the sink and wash them. “That’s because Siyeon plays games that make you want to rage quit. I’ve got some I think you’ll like.”

A few minutes later, they found themselves on the couch with Yoohyeon booting up her switch.

Many options to choose from, but she decided to start with mario kart. Yeah, it was competitive, but not that complicated.

Minji looked a little lost when Yoohyeon handed her the already set up controller.

“Like this,” Yoohyeon said, reaching over to show Minji how to hold the controller. “You’ll want your thumb on this button most of the time. You use that for a lot, like selecting your character, your car, and driving. This button is for items. In the game, you’ll hit some rainbow cubes that give you boosts or stuff to slow others down. Your other thumb goes here. Moving it side to side helps you turn,” she explained slowly. There was some more technical stuff to the game, but whatever. Those were the basics. She’ll make sure to go easy on her girlfriend. She just wanted Minji to have fun.

And have fun she did. Honestly, Minji seemed to have enjoyed the plethora of customization options more than actually racing. She always took her sweet time to choose her favorite car and match it with her chosen character. She even convinced Yoohyeon to let her choose both their characters so they could match.

As expected, she sucked at the game, but she loved to drive around and explore the tracks. Yoohyeon would follow her around, even if it meant she got last place, but it didn’t matter. Minji was having fun, which was all that Yoohyeon cared about.

Then, she opened up animal crossing.

She explained how it worked. It wasn’t anything crazy, but she’s sure Minji will appreciate the villagers and the simple mechanics of catching fish and bugs. Plus, she had to study for a bit, and it was an easy way of keeping Minji entertained.

It was about thirty minutes after leaving Minji to her own devices that Yoohyeon was brought out of her studying in her room.

She looked to the side where she heard a small whine, seeing Minji standing there, holding the switch and pouting.

Yoohyeon sighed, pushing her desk chair backwards. She patted her lap. “Sit.”

Minji eagerly took up her spot, straddling Yoohyeon’s lap and playing with the switch over her shoulders.

It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but it kept Minji quiet and happy, and it allowed Yoohyeon to study. Plus, she’d never complain about cuddling her girlfriend.

It was like that for a while longer. Yoohyeon actually did manage to study, Minji’s weight providing an excuse for her not to stand up and distract herself with something. If her hands got antsy, she simply scratched Minji’s ears or ran them over the length of the hybrid’s tail. Minji definitely didn’t complain. In fact, she enjoyed nuzzling into Yoohyeon’s neck with a happy rumble at the actions.

After Yoohyeon was done, she ordered some pizza to feed them both and joined Minji for some more mario kart.

Minji had also finally noticed the daisies Yoohyeon had somehow managed to keep alive. The proud glint in her girlfriend’s eyes absolutely made Yoohyeon’s day.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, which meant Minji had to go back to Siyeon’s place.

Minji’s ears drooped sadly in the doorway. “I’ll miss you…” She pouted.

Yoohyeon sent her a lopsided grin. “You see me basically everyday, and it’s only tomorrow that you won’t see me. The day after is Monday, so you get to be your cute and charming self and walk me to class,” she reassured, reaching out to hold Minji’s hands in her own. Then an idea popped into her head.

“Give me one second,” she said, rushing off to her room to find what she was looking for.

When she came back, Minji’s ears perked at the item in her hands.

“I had this on yesterday. It’s not sweaty, so it isn’t really dirty, but I thought you’d like something with my scent on it,” Yoohyeon said, handing it over to Minji. “So you won’t miss me too much.”

Minji’s eyes lit up in joy, her tail wagging behind her. She shot Yoohyeon a shy grin and stepped closer to plant a kiss on her cheek.

“Thank you,” she mumbled.

Yoohyeon hummed, leaning in for a proper kiss. “You’re welcome.”

The hybrid hugged the hoodie close to her chest, finally having cheered up.

“Get back safely, okay? The city’s big. I don’t want you getting lost,” Yoohyeon teased, earning a soft laugh from Minji.

“I won’t. My nose will guide me,” Minji reassured, taking her leave after one final kiss.

Overall, an enjoyable day with her girlfriend, Yoohyeon thinks.

***

“Yoohyeon?”

Yoohyeon hummed and looked up from her textbook.

She and Minji were sitting in the library. Yoohyeon was in the middle of studying and Minji was patiently sitting next to her doing something or the other on Yoohyeon’s phone. Honestly, Yoohyeon wanted to know what Minji’s reaction to a baby sensory video would be like.

“Siyeonie told me you had a whole week off right?” Minji asked, shifting nervously. At Yoohyeon’s nod, she continued. “Would you want to visit my home for that week? That’s what I was planning on doing myself, but then I realized that my pack might want to meet my mate.” She sent Yoohyeon a hopeful look.

Yoohyeon thought for a moment. What were her plans anyway? Laze around the apartment? Might as well do something more productive. Plus, she couldn’t deny she was curious about Minji in her home.

“Sure,” she agreed, almost falling off her chair from the hug Minji tackled her in.

“Thank you thank you thank you,” Minji mumbled, peppering kisses across Yoohyeon’s cheek. Yoohyeon only let out a soft laugh.

Well, it seems as if she was already being productive.

Making Minji happy was never a waste of time in her book.

***

Getting to Minji’s pack was a lot more normal than people made it out to be.

First of all, they had to take a bus for a few hours to get out of the city. So a train was a no-go, but the bus was fine? Alright.

Then, they walked. A lot.

Yoohyeon thinks they were at some campsite or something. Might as well ask.

“Is this a campsite?”

Minji nodded eagerly, greeting a wolf hybrid in a ranger uniform.

“My pack runs it,” she explained, continuing on the trail. “It’s a win-win. My pack makes sure the forest is protected and healthy, and other people get to enjoy the outdoors under our protection. But our lodgings aren’t this close to the edge. Or on any trail path.”

Great.

As Minji promised, they eventually made a sharp turn off the path, instead walking over grass and tree roots. Yoohyeon prayed that her clumsiness didn’t strike her today.

After what felt like hours, Yoohyeon startled at Minji being tackled in front of her.

She froze. Oh god. What does she do? She can’t make it back to the trail, and she was a little weakling that couldn’t fight off-

Laughter?

Okay. That was her girlfriend’s cackle alright. Yoohyeon let out a sigh of relief, finally noticing that it was just another wolf hybrid cuddled up to her girlfriend.

“Minjiiiiii,” the wolf hybrid whined, her own tail wagging like crazy. “You’re home!”

Minji let out another giggle, finally getting the other wolf hybrid to sit up.

“Hi, Gahyunie,” she said, her own tail wagging as she reached out to scratch between the younger wolf’s ears.

The wolf seemed to finally take notice of Yoohyeon standing there like a moron. She tilted her head and sniffed the air.

“Is that…?” She trailed off, turning back to Minji.

Minji nodded eagerly. “She’s my mate,” she whispered, as if it was some sort of secret Yoohyeon wasn’t thoroughly aware of. Well. Kind of. She was still a little lost on what a mate was, but she’s stopped wondering. She also keeps forgetting to ask.

At Minji’s words, the younger wolf seemed to light up.

“Your mate?!” She exclaimed, letting Minji tug her back onto her feet. “Oh, that’s wonderful, Ji. Now we match.”

Her girlfriend’s ears perked. She reached out to hold Minji's hand, still feeling like a fish out of water.

“You found your mate?!” Minji responded just as enthusiastically. “Is it Dongie? I’m gonna be very surprised if it isn’t because you two have been inseparable for as long as I can remember.”

The younger wolf hybrid nodded with a small blush on her cheeks. Minji cooed at the sight. Even Yoohyeon felt herself melt at the cuteness.

They kept walking towards the lodgings with Gahyun explaining how she managed to catch Minji’s scent before anyone else and rushed out to meet them.

When the lodgings came into view, Yoohyeon was amazed by how normal it all seemed. Honestly, the small homemade cabins looked like they belonged in a summer camp rather than to a wolf pack deep in the woods. The craftsmanship was amazing, though. She wondered which one was Minji’s.

“DongDong!” Gahyun yelled, waving at a muscular wolf hybrid, who also lit up at the sight of the trio walking through the trees.

“Hey,” she greeted as she walked up to them with a tail wag. “Minji! You’re home!” She immediately brought Minji into a tight hug. Yoohyeon didn’t miss the way her girlfriend looked like she had the air squeezed out of her. How strong was this wolf hybrid?

“And I see you’ve brought someone,” she continued, wiggling her brows as she let go of Minji.

Minji shot her a toothy grin. “This is my mate. Yoohyeon,” she responded, affection dripping from her voice. It never failed to put a blush on Yoohyeon’s face.

Yoohyeon waved awkwardly. “Hey.”

The muscular wolf sent her a large grin, also bringing her in for a hug. Oh- yeah, there goes Yoohyeon’s lungs.

“Welcome to the pack, then! I’m Handong,” the wolf said, finally letting Yoohyeon go.

Yoohyeon nodded, still feeling a little dazed.

“Come on,” Minji said, tugging Yoohyeon’s hand. “I wanna show you my cabin.”

Not even giving her a chance to think, Yoohyeon was dragged through the area. She felt a little out of her depth here. There were so many wolf hybrids, and she was the only human. Is this how Minji felt in the city? Well, at least Yoohyeon understood Minji a little more.

She also understood Minji’s wonder at simple things. Were the trees always this green in the city? Were they always this tall? The sun that was just beginning to set looked lovely through the canopy of leaves and branches. Yoohyeon has heard that the stars look better far from the city. Light pollution. She hopes she gets to see them in their full glory.

After Minji greeted what felt like the whole pack, happily informing them all that Yoohyeon was her mate (would Yoohyeon ever live down the embarrassment? Who knows) they finally stumbled upon a tiny cabin hidden away far from the main ones. Those were probably for official meetings or larger families. But this one was smaller than even the smallest ones they’ve seen so far. Perfect for one person.

The inside was basically a studio. There was a small twin size bed in the corner, made of furs from animals that she’s sure Minji hunted herself. A small dresser was next to it, serving as both storage for clothes and as a nightstand. In the opposite corner was a small stove, with burnt wood inside of it. Honestly? All of it was kind of awesome.

“It’s lovely, Minji,” Yoohyeon said once she saw Minji’s expectant and hopeful gaze. Her girlfriend’s already beautiful face became stunning with her smile.

“Built it myself,” Minji proudly proclaimed. “We all have our talents and uses. I might not hunt much, but I help out here with building and chopping wood.” She shrugged. “Also, I didn’t want to live with my parents anymore. I wanted to be a little more independent, so building myself a cabin was the best way to do it. You should’ve seen the look on their faces when they saw it. They were so proud of me, Yoohyeon.”

Yoohyeon squeezed Minji’s hand. “I’m sure they were.”

The rest of the day was spent with Minji giving Yoohyeon a tour of the place. Like she thought, one of the bigger buildings was for recreational use, with fur carpets with little ones wrestling on them, chairs with older wolves chatting over tea, teens telling spooky stories by the fire. Another building seemed to be a miniature hospital of sorts, with cots lining the walls. Some were filled with wolf hybrids bearing claw marks. Hah. Bear-ing. They seemed okay, though. Almost proud. Must be something Yoohyeon doesn’t understand.

There was also a huge bonfire in the center of it all. She spotted Gahyun and Handong cozied up in front of the flames, little ones were running around it, and some older hybrids were dancing to an unknown tune. It looked lovely, and something Yoohyeon didn’t think she had the right to be a part of. Was this what being Minji’s mate meant?

Still, Minji tugged her over to sit on a log, which conveniently also had her parents on it. It was just the first day, and Yoohyeon already felt overwhelmed.

But…

As she’s bombarded with questions from Minji’s mom, another lovely wolf hybrid, she realizes that she doesn’t think she’s seen Minji this happy and carefree before. Surrounded by her pack and family, in her home.

Yoohyeon hopes she gets to make Minji this happy at some point.

***

“Does Yoohyeon know?”

Yoohyeon stops in her tracks.

She’s been in the forest for about two days now. It was hard at first. She wasn’t used to the sights, the sounds, or just anything really. Having to bathe in the river was also strange, but at least she could bathe at all. However, Minji there to gently guide her helped immensely.

The twin size bed wasn’t a problem. It was surprisingly cold at night, so getting to cuddle her hybrid heater was wonderful.

Right now, though, it was sunrise, and said hybrid heater wasn’t in bed with her.

As Yoohyeon started to get up to look for Minji, she heard Gahyun’s voice outside through the open doorway.

“I don’t think so,” Minji responded.

Does Yoohyeon know what? What doesn’t she know?

“But I don’t think I want her to,” Minji continued. “It’s… It’s different out there. Here, you found Dongie, and that was that. You’re set for life. I found Yoohyeon, but she doesn’t really understand. She’s sweet, and she says I’m the best mate ever, but I know those are just words to her.” Some shuffling. “I don’t mind, though. She asked me to be her girlfriend, and that has to be enough. I don’t want to put pressure on her to be something she might not be ready for.”

Okay, what were they talking about? Was it about Yoohyeon not knowing what a mate is? Seriously?

“And what if she decides to break up with you?” Gahyun pointed out. “Are you just going to follow her around like a lost puppy and hope the heartbreak doesn’t kill you?”

Seriously, what was going on?

“I’d rather die loving her than live trying to love someone else.” Well, that was just absurd. It sounded straight out of a romance novel. Minji didn’t have to be that dramatic, holy shit.

Gahyun let out a sigh. “You have to tell her, Ji. Just so she isn’t in the dark about everything.”

Minji stayed silent.

The younger wolf let out another sigh. “I’m gonna go find Dongie. Later.” With that, Yoohyeon heard footsteps marching away.

“How much of that did you hear?” Minji asked.

Yoohyeon tried not to startle. Damn hybrid hearing.

“Enough,” she responded, finally stepping through the doorway and taking a seat on the small step next to her girlfriend. “Tell me. I’m your girlfriend. You can trust me with these things, especially if they involve me,” she said softly.

Minji shifted nervously, and Yoohyeon instinctively reached out to hold her hand in comfort. She really wasn’t mad over Minji possibly keeping something from her. She just wanted to know so she could figure out what to do about it.

“Um,” Minji began softly. “Mates. They’re kind of… a forever thing?”

Yoohyeon nodded for Minji to keep going.

“We’re not sure why it happens,” Minji continued. “But we wolves just… find someone, and decide that we’ll love them for the rest of our lives.” She shrugged. “My parents told me I would just… know. Like it would just click in my head that that someone was who I was meant to love for the rest of my life. A one time deal, if you will.” She looked down at her feet, her ears drooping. “Everyone here has found their mate. Another wolf in the pack, but I hadn’t yet. That’s why I asked Siyeonie to take me to the city. I mean, she found Bora, didn’t she? Maybe my mate was there too and I just had to find them.”

“Then I met you, and you smelled like the forest. Like the morning dew that clings to the grass blades, or the rain dripping from the leaves. Like home, and I somehow knew you were my mate. Siyeonie explained to me why that was kind of a bad thing in the city, but I still wanted to try to get to know you. Even if we just stayed friends, that would’ve been okay. I just needed you to stick around.” She bit her lip. “It would have to be enough.”

This… This all sounded kind of crazy. Honestly, Yoohyeon wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“So I’m the only person you’ll ever love?” She chose to ask instead, already knowing the answer. They hadn’t even said they loved each other yet.

Minji nodded.

Yoohyeon took a deep breath and thought for a few moments. She was involved in some kind of wolfy marriage? At least Minji was kind enough to not want to put that pressure on her, down to even having to be happy with friendship as long as Yoohyeon stuck around. Such a sweet wolf.

Then it clicked that she wouldn’t have to waste any time dating around to try and find someone so she wouldn’t die alone. Huh. That was easier than she thought.

She glanced at Minji. Could Yoohyeon say she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Minji? Hard to say. It was still early in their relationship, and Yoohyeon was just a human who didn’t mate the same way the wolves did. If this did become way more serious, would Minji move to the city permanently? Would she be happy limiting her time in the forest to just visits? Would Yoohyeon enjoy living in the forest with Minji instead?

“I’ll go where you go,” Minji said, as if she could read Yoohyeon’s mind. “It doesn’t matter. If I’m with you, I’ll be happy.”

Well. Okay. That was just something they’d have to talk about. Talk about? At least Yoohyeon didn’t jump to running away from Minji. Strangely enough, the more she thought about it, the less crazier it sounded. Being tied to Minji forever didn’t sound bad. She was a wonderful girlfriend, and Yoohyeon’s sure Minji would be a wonderful life partner too.

“Okay,” Yoohyeon agreed.

Minji snapped her head up in surprise. “Oh… kay?” She tilted her head.

“I mean,” Yoohyeon continued. “You’ve gotta give me a bit of time to wrap my head around it. I don’t have that built-in system where I just look at someone and boom, in love for life, but if you just keep being your sweet and wonderful self, I’m sure I’ll get there.” She smiled softly, reaching up to cup Minji’s cheek. “I may not know a lot about mates, but I know that you’re an incredible one, and I’m very lucky to have you.”

Minji looked like Yoohyeon just handed her the stars. “Are you sure?” She breathed out. “Just because I’m… like this, doesn’t mean you have to follow along.”

Yoohyeon shrugged. “It’s not a bad thing. You can’t help it, and I know with some time I’ll probably have to get you a phone, just so I can come to you. I love how you always manage to sniff me out, but I do want to spend time with you too, you know.” She winked.

The hybrid blushed and nodded. She shifted closer so she could properly wrap her arms around Yoohyeon’s middle.

“You sure, Yoohyeon?” She whispered.

Yoohyeon pressed a kiss to Minji’s head. “Positive. We’ll figure it out together, okay?”

She felt Minji nod and finally relax against her.

Minji was sweet, respectful in her own endearing ways. She found so much joy in the simple things that Yoohyeon found it infectious. She knew these woods like the back of her hand, she knew how to build big things from the smallest piece of wood, and she learned quickly. She might be a bit of a scaredy cat around trains, but she would probably go toe to toe with a bear.

She loved Yoohyeon.

Yoohyeon thought over all of this. She’s sure there’s more than meets the eye with Minji, but over time, she’ll learn about all of it, and probably fall in love with it too.

Yeah.

Minji was an incredible mate, and Yoohyeon was lucky to have her.