Chapter Text
Everybody always listened to him.
Whether it was for advice or just simple everyday conversation, he had an aura about him that exuded calmness and trust. So, when Joonmyun beat their last Alpha on a fight for the position as the pack leader, shouts and howls of happiness and celebration were heard through all the clearing, leaving the humans living on a village nearby wondering what had the wolves making all that much noise.
-”Probably the full moon” - was what those humans thought.
Three years had passed since that happened and everybody was happy, having an Alpha that would go out of his way to help all the pack members was something that particularly one of those members was not used to. Such as Jongin, a Beta they found wandering in the woods not too long ago, on a hunting day.
FLASHBACK
-“You’re slowing down, Hun Hun. Are you still tired from last night?” – said a teasing voice belonging to a red colored fur wolf from the mind link they shared, making all the others snicker and look briefly at their youngest member of the hunting group, who was fiercely looking up as if he was not bothered by what the hyungs were saying.
-“Remember. The walls are thin and we are impressionable” – said another voice in a sing song way, this one belonging to a caramel colored wolf.
-“Stop teasing the maknae, you guys” – they heard a kind voice on their heads saying –“Concentrate on the hunt ahead, there will be plenty of times to play later.”
-“Yes, Alpha” – everybody whispered, the ones who teased hung their heads low on a gesture of submission and apology while the youngest beamed at their Alpha in thanks, feeling proud and happy to have a pack leader as caring and kind as he was.
The smell of bear had them putting more speed on their paws, shutting them up and concentrating on the animal they could smell not too far from where they were in that moment.
-“Stop” - the Alpha said in a low voice making everybody halt on their tracks, obeying immediately. They sniffed the air and the scent of two grizzly bears welcomed them, making them yip excitedly through their bodies remained as calm and noiseless as possible as to not scare the bears and making them aware of their presence.
-“Chanyeol and Sehun, take the grey one on the right. Kyungsoo assist me with the black one inside the cave; let’s try to bring him out of there. Yifan, be on guard.” – Alpha Joonmyun gave his instructions and everybody nodded briefly, ready to leap at his command. Chanyeol and Sehun stealthily moved using the tall bushes as covers, all the while looking at the bear who was scratching his back on a tree bark.
-“Now” – they heard on their heads and Sehun was the first to pounce. With a leap, he went out of his hiding spot on the bushes and jumped straight to the bear’s throat biting with all of his force while he saw Chanyeol biting down on the bear’s legs, making him fall to the ground. Sehun could taste the bear’s blood oozing from its neck towards his mouth and he bit down even harsher while the bear made a loud and painful noise. Turned out that Joonmyun and Kyungsoo didn’t have to use his plan to lure the bear who was inside the cave because when the bear that Chanyeol and Sehun were attacking started to make noises of pain, the other bear left the cave to help the other one. In a matter of seconds Joonmyun and Kyungsoo had leaped towards the other bear and had sent it tumbling down to the floor, dead. Chanyeol and Sehun were not that far behind.
Chanyeol started jumping up and down excitedly, almost like a dog when its owner came back to the house after a full day of work, making Kyungsoo roll his eyes at his antics but with a little smile playing on the corners of his muzzle.
-“You’re so embarrassing, Hyung” – thought Sehun; a playful edge was felt through their mind link. Joonmyun chuckled and grabbed the bear’s paw, instructing the others to do the same, it was getting slowly dark and they had to return to their family in time for dinner, which they were carrying.
-“Alpha” – they all heard Yifan’s voice through their link and they all tensed, it was the tone Yifan used when something was not quite right. – “I smell another wolf, to the north. What are your orders?”
-“Chanyeol and Sehun, stay here guarding the bears. Kyungsoo and Yifan, come with me. We’ll find out what’s this other wolf doing in our territory”
-“Maybe he’s a rogue…?” – asked Chanyeol, with a hint of curiosity.
-“We won’t know until we confront him about it.’ – said Joonmyun through the mind link, the hairs at the back of his neck standing while his pulse beat rapidly, in sync with the other members of his pack. They rapidly moved through the bushes, locating the scent and moving towards it while Chanyeol, Jongdae and Sehun sat on their hind legs their bodies almost not moving, tense and alert. The Alpha was the first on the line, closely followed by Kyungsoo and Yifan both being at his sides respectively. When they located the scent, a quick “Stop” through their mind link was all it took for them to immediately halt their tracks, smelling the air and looking at their surroundings.
-“Alpha. I smell him a few meters to the left” – Kyungsoo said, looking at Joonmyun through the corner of his eye. – “Should we approach him?”.
Joonmyun stayed silent for a few minutes, thinking it over, deciding the best course of action. On one hand, if everything went well and he was a rogue as Chanyeol said, they could help him and maybe make him a part of their pack. But if things went bad and he was in fact part of a pack, they would have to question him because, when a wolf willingly entered another wolf’s territory like that… It was never something good, it created conflicts. Joonmyun didn’t want that.
-“Let’s go near him. I’ll go first. Yifan, follow me. Kyungsoo, stay in the bushes.”
With a quick yes and a nod, the mentioned wolves went to their designated spots while, slowly, Joonmyun started walking in the direction of the other wolf being guided by a really sweet scent. It was weird; actually, he had never smelled a scent like that. So sweet, so alluring, so… His. A low growl escaped his throat, making Yifan question him though the link they shared. It was a strange behavior coming from his Alpha. They saw the unknown wolf stand up from its spot on the floor and they noticed he was limping slightly, a light whine coming from his mouth while he licked his paw. They were sure that by now he must have smelled them but looking at his behavior, he most probably did not, which was strange for a wolf his age. Then again, Joonmyun did something uncharacteristical of him.
He threw caution to the wind and approached the lone wolf. Kyungsoo and Yifan instantly went even more alert, trying to discourage their Alpha from getting even closer but a low growl stopped them. They saw how the lone wolf’s ears perked up, looking around and at the sight of them, he instantly lowered himself to the ground, showing his neck in a sign of submission. Joonmyun got near him and slightly licked his ear, signaling it was ok to stand. The wolf immediately did so, knowing that in the condition he was, he was no match for the three healthy wolves that found him. Yifan and Kyungsoo got near the two other wolves, silent. They trusted that their Alpha knew what he was doing with approaching a wolf like that; without knowing who he was or what he was doing on their territory, but they trusted him. With that said, they still weren’t completely ok with him doing what he was doing right now.
Which is why they cocked their heads to the side, looking almost without blinking at his Alpha, licking what they presumed was an injure on the other wolf’s paw, almost as if he were tending to a lover while the other basked in the attention, his tongue hanging from the side of his muzzle showing so.
-‘Alpha. Joonmyun.’ – Yifan thought, knowing that the other could hear him, calling his attention with a slow bark. Almost instantly, the other turned, looking at them with something akin to mild annoyance. He blinked twice, thrice and stood up getting away as much possible from the other, going back to his spot near his two companions. The lone wolf whined painfully, looking at him, calling him with his eyes but Joonmyun decided to ignore him for the time being [even though it costed him a lot to do it].
As an Alpha, he could communicate with other wolves using his mind, it didn’t matter that they were or weren’t a part of his pack; but he could only do so for short periods of time.
-‘Who are you and what are you doing here?’ – His tone was harsh and he let his Alpha side show, making the other wolf whine again, hearing his voice on his mind.
-‘M-My name is J-Jongin, Alpha.’ –the wolf named Jongin said, looking at the floor with his head hung low, he didn’t dare look up, afraid of what he would find there. Despite his fear and nervousness, he replied, already missing the contact with the other wolf, he showed such care… But he couldn’t let himself be fooled.- ‘M-My pack, well… My former pack… They…kicked me out.’
He lowered his head even more, his eyes watering while a lonely and painful whine was ripped from his throat.
-‘Why did they do that?’ – Joonmyun’s voice softened a bit at hearing the despair in the other’s whine, but he still continued showing a harsh demeanor, he didn’t want a wrong message being delivered to the other. Thinking about what the other could possibly have done in order for a pack to kick one of their members out, he listened carefully.
-‘Because I’m faulty… They don’t need a wolf that can’t smell… Nobody does…’
Joonmyun’s eyebrows shot upward, that explained why, despite their scents being strong; Jongin didn’t notice them getting close until they made noise. He just couldn’t smell them coming. He closed the connection with the other and sighed internally, knowing that Yifan and Kyungsoo would want an explanation of what had transpired between the other two.
-‘His name is Jongin. His former pack kicked him out. His sense of smell is, apparently, underdeveloped. He just said that he can’t smell but we’ll have to find more about that.’
-‘So… Are we taking him with us?’ – asked Kyungsoo, blinking slowly, nothing on his demeanor showing agreement or disagreement, it was a simple question. But Yifan was a different story.
-‘We can’t do that. We don’t know if he’s lying, we don’t know if he was sent to find more about us and then attack us. We have a pack to protect, Joonmyun, you can’t just…'
-‘What do you mean I can’t? '– Joonmyun growled, showing his Alpha, making Yifan cower and whine. – ‘I am the Alpha of this pack. I CAN and WILL decide if we should take him or not. I assume all the consequences’.
-‘I’m sorry…’ – whispered Yifan, lowering his ears and cowering a little, Joonmyun licking the side of his face, showing that it was ok, he was forgiven.
-‘You’re coming with us.’
Flashback End
That had happened one month ago and Jongin had melded pretty well with the pack. He also had made some friends in Yixing and Luhan, two Omegas that, on the first day he got to the Pack’s living site, they started to fuss over him, tended to his wounds and fed him; he was extremely grateful for them. For all of them really; He went from being alone on the woods trying to survive; to live in a pack where it was obvious that they took care of one another.
When he asked this to Luhan, he just laughed with mirth showing in his eyes, slowly caressing his belly while sitting comfortably on the sofa.
-‘It’s all thanks to Joonmyun. Our Alpha. You should talk to him some more.’
Jongin carefully bit his lower lip and lowered his eyes, thinking about the Alpha. It was thanks to him that he was rescued from the loneliness of the woods and brought here. It was thanks to him that he could survive, despite the fact that he was faulty; a wolf like him wouldn’t have survived not even two days out there. But since that strange behavior on the day he was taken, the Alpha hadn’t shown any signs of going near him like that again and Jongin couldn’t explain nor he couldn’t comprehend the small ache that had taken sit on his heart because of that.
-‘I’ve tried it, Lu ge. But… He’s avoiding me’
-‘Nonsense. It’s been one month of you being here. I think it’s time for you to approach him, ask him what you can do to be helpful for us. Your wound is fully healed so it’s time.’
-‘But… I can’t smell. I’m no use for hunting that’s why they kicked me out…’ – His voice got on a sad tone and his head lowered even more. He left his cup of tea on the table, not wanting to look up to the elder.
-‘There’s lots of things to do around besides hunting, Jongin-ah. Ask him’. – Luhan said while looking pointedly at him and Jongin couldn’t say no to his hyung and friend.
-‘I’ll talk to him tomorrow, when they come back from hunting’.
-‘That’s a good boy.’ – Luhan said, patting his head with a fond look. Then, he winced and laughed, caressing his belly. – ‘I think my pup agrees with me. He just kicked me… Want to feel it?’. – He asked, his smile never wavering.
-‘C-Can I…?’
Luhan said nothing, just took Jongin’s hand and put it on his round belly. He instantly felt a kick on the palm of his hand, making him laugh.
-‘He’s going to be a soccer player, I can feel it’. – He whispered, making Luhan laugh.
When the laughter died down, each on their own thoughts and the tea getting cold forgotten on the table, he felt nervous about talking to the Alpha. The more he thought about what happened that day, the more he didn’t understand.
A sudden wave of pain hit him, a wave of pain and longing he didn’t know what to make of. With a sigh, he closed his eyes for a bit. Tomorrow would soon come. Maybe he could confide in his Alpha and ask him what was happening to him. He hoped he would know.