Chapter Text
Hyunjin looks around, shadows clinging to the forest trees, the moon light the only illumination he had to continue walking
He felt like there were eyes, tracking him through the trees, his heart beating faster in reaction. Leaves and sticks crunch near him, making him spin in the direction of the noise, met with empty darkness, or an occasional animal simply running by
The weight of the emptiness in the forest is overbearing. It feels like there is someone behind him, following him, and all of his senses are out of order, sparks of danger surging through him rapidly, matching the beats of his heart, and the pattern of his breaths
The air is cold around him, the clothes that he had managed to pull on providing him no shelter from the chill. It was just a simple tank top and short set, thrown on in a hurry in the dark
He’s barefoot, his feet getting cut up by various rocks, sticks, and broken glass bottles. He can’t stop, no matter how much pain he is in. He needs to keep going
He doesn’t know the woods. He thinks that he should, after being in the area for a few months, but he doesn’t. The scents are unfamiliar, the atmosphere is unnerving, and he doesn’t know where he is going
He doesn’t know the territory, and he belatedly realizes that he should worry more about that. He should worry more about imposing on someone else’s territory, sure that it would end badly for him if he did, mistake or not
Maybe he should go back–
No
He can’t
He needs to keep walking, get as far as he can, and hope that he isn’t found, by anyone
Jisung was restless
Something felt…
Off
He wants to chalk it up as only being his anxiety, but this felt different somehow. It didn’t feel like his normal unease. It wasn’t accompanied by useless thoughts, by a voice whispering demonic lies to him
It wasn’t him worrying about his mates hating him, or getting rid of him. It wasn’t him worrying about if he had remembered to take his medications that morning. It wasn’t him worrying about doing bad at work
It wasn’t him thinking over the endless situations that would warrant him losing his pack. It wasn’t him thinking on his past, or his future. It wasn’t him thinking about everything he had ever done wrong in his life–
It wasn’t normal
Something was off
Jisung sighs heavily as he sits up in bed, glancing at his bedside table, the clock sitting on top of it reading three in the morning
He should be sleeping. They had all settled down for the night hours ago, and the alphas surely wouldn’t be pleased with this, and it would surely warrant him a punishment
But–
But something was wrong, and Jisung knew that he wouldn’t be able to sleep until he determined the cause, even if he went and asked one of his alphas for his sleep meds
He gets out of bed, silently thankful that he had slept in his own room that night. He creeps to the door, opening it slowly to avoid the creak of the hinges. He sometimes thought that Chan and Changbin had built it that way on purpose
Anytime he snuck out of his room due to his anxiety, the door would creak, and the alphas would be on his tail within minutes, even if they were previously deeply encaptured in sleep, and there were the somewhat rare times he was caught by the betas instead
While he was older than three of the other pack members– their other omega, and the two betas– the two youngest could be scary, and they could easily resemble alphas. They chalked it up to being raised in predominantly alpha filled packs, the only omegas being the parents, at least until other pups were born, and even then, most litters consisted strictly of alphas
Jeongin and Seungmin were the odd ones out in their birth packs. They were supposed to be another in two long lines of alphas, and yet, when the age came for their wolves to awaken, they were betas
It didn’t stop them from being treated like alphas, and held to the standards of them, even if some parts of their subgender made it harder or completely impossible for them
Jisung waits for any indication that he was caught; the scent of one of his mates, footsteps, or being grabbed or suddenly scolded– Minho was surprisingly quiet, and he got right to his punishments, especially if it was for something one of the pups had been told not to do before– but, there’s nothing. No indication that anyone knows he’s awake when he’s not supposed to be
There were exceptions to the rule, for his anxiety and the subsequent insomnia, but they could smell it in his scent, long being banned from using scent blockers around the house, and Minho had told them a certain amount of it they had to smell for them to make that exception. He wasn’t supposed to be awake this late, and he knew that, without good reason, there were consequences for it. It was why he was currently sneaking out, something that would double his punishment
He carefully closes his door behind him, pausing again to gauge his situation, before walking down the hall and into the living room
The others were in their rooms– or maybe the pack room– upstairs, Jisung having chosen the room on the ground floor due to the rare times he would sleepwalk, when his anxiety was especially bad and he actually managed to fall asleep at night
He had slept there the night before due to a really severe headache, even the slightest smell of any of their scents making him nauseous and causing his head to throb in pain, something he felt completely terrible about, because he had wanted to sleep with them in the pack room that night
His feet are taking him to the front door before he realizes it, that unease growing
He should stop. He should turn back. He should go get Chan, or one of the other alphas–
He pulls one of Chan’s hoodies on from where it hung beside the door, the alpha’s scent thick on every individual fiber, the omega letting out a soft purr of content as he slips on his boots
He opens the door, pausing one last time to see if he’ll be caught, before he leaves, wandering towards the trees at the side of their house. The forest surrounded it, except for the small clearing for their driveway at the front
It was dark out, even with the light from the moon, and Jisung thinks of his past fear of the area, when he had first moved in with the pack. The woods were so large, and the trees acted like a wall, a maze, a prison
It had taken him a long time to venture into them, Chan telling him he needed to know the area, and over time his fear had dissipated, seeing the forest as a safe space for him and his pack
He often asked one of the others to join him for a run on nights where he couldn’t sleep, taking in the atmosphere of it all gleefully
He looks back to the house, no lights on to indicate that someone was awake, telling him that he hadn’t been caught…yet
His mates would eventually know when he got farther from the house, whether it was because of their bond, or their own instincts, and he would surely be in trouble for it
But his unease is growing even more as he reaches the treeline, stopping for a moment
Jisung was definitely not the most attuned to his instincts, having almost killed his wolf with the drugs he took before meeting the pack, refusing to be seen as an omega, even by his own body
Felix had tasked himself with showing him how to be an omega, but it wasn’t until his first heat that he really got those instincts, and he let himself fall into them when Felix guided him to. He had been getting better slowly since then, but he still couldn’t differentiate most of his instincts on his own, telling them to Felix and having the other male help him
All he knew right now is that something felt wrong, and the cause of it was in the woods, in their woods
He looks back to the house one last time, before shifting to his wolf form, taking off into the trees, following where his instincts took him
He stops when he can just barely see someone in the distance. They were tall, and looked older than him, but maybe younger than Changbin, if he had to guess
Their hair was as blonde as Felix’s, and it was almost as long, hanging in their face
Jisung startles slightly when he completely realizes that someone was in their territory
He should go get Chan, he really, really should, but he couldn’t physically remove his gaze from the person, starting to circle them from in the trees, thankful for the cover they provided him
He keeps his distance, because as bad as he is with instincts, he knows the feeling of danger well. He continues to circle the person, crouching low to the ground, like Changbin had showed him when he took him to practice hunting, to better his wolf instincts
Omegas didn’t technically need to hunt, but the entire pack liked it– especially Innie– and Jisung had liked it as well
The person suddenly freezes, seeming to follow him with their eyes, fear clear on their face
“H-Hello?” They stutter out, Jisung continuing to circle them, pressing closer to the ground as he did. He felt slightly bad, stalking someone that was already panicking, but this was his territory, it was his pack’s, and this person wasn’t a part of his pack
“I-Is someone t-there?” The other person stutters out again, their fear growing. Jisung could smell it wafting through the air in their scent, something else hitting him a few seconds after
This was an omega
It almost makes him back off, but his instincts were in control, more than his own thoughts, and they were telling him to protect his mates, his pack, and to get this omega out of their territory
He’s just circled behind them again when the mysterious omega bolts–
Straight for the pack house
Oh hell no
Jisung lets out a loud, almost primal growl, before he’s bolting after the omega, just like he does a deer or bunny that he wants to catch
He barks, his way of telling the omega to stop, his unease growing more with each step they get closer to the house, to Jisung’s pack
He pushes himself to go faster, to bark and growl louder, when the omega continues to run ahead. He needs to stop them, to keep them away from his pack
Jisung looks around as he runs, spotting a fallen tree trunk, knocked over by the storm just last week. He reroutes, running up it, jumping off as soon as he’s closer to the omega
He knocks them to the ground with a low growl, his front paws heavy as they dig into their shoulders, pinning them to the dirt. His hind legs are on either side of them, and he bares his teeth, his ears pushed back
The omega looks terrified, staring up at him with wide eyes, Jisung feeling their chest rise and fall rapidly under his paws
He was stuck now. His instincts wanted to get rid of the omega, no matter what, but he also wanted to help them, knowing how bad panic attacks could be
He also wanted to know how they ended up in his pack’s territory, because no one around them ever came here without permission, and Jisung has never seen this omega around before
“P-Please…” The omega whimpers, tears quickly filling their eyes. “P-Please, I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry! P-Please let me go!” They sob out, Jisung lifting some of his body weight off of them, his instincts fighting with him once more
The omega looks so terrified of him, which he supposes is fair, considering he had just chased, practically hunted them, and then tackled them to the ground, clearly acting aggressive
Jisung wants the unknown omega gone, because they could be a threat to his pack, and he had three younger mates to protect
But…
He wants to help them. They’re so distressed, and he knows that he’s made it worse, and all he wants to do is comfort them
He also wants to know who they are, where they came from, how they got into his pack’s territory
He knew all of his neighbors, Chan taking the pack to meet anyone new who moved in, and he had never seen this omega before. When had they moved here, and how did they not know? Their neighborhood wasn’t very large, so word of new neighbors spread fast, especially if there was a risk of territory wars breaking out
Jisung had witnessed a few of those, and he never wanted to again. There was a lot of bloodshed, only put to a stop once Chan stepped in
Chan had been at their house since it was built, before anyone else lived in the neighborhood, so he was considered neighborhood command, and he was the one the residents went to for help
As the pack slowly formed and added in new members, they were considered the neighborhood pack, something Felix told him was like being the mayor. They were asked to help fix things, and for advice, anything the neighbors needed help with. Even the omegas and betas
They were also told almost immediately if someone was moving in, and Chan would take the pack to basically scout them out, see if the new member, or members, of their neighborhood were safe to be near
Safety was incredibly important for Chan, especially his pack’s safety. All of the members came from rough backgrounds, and it had taken him awhile to get any of them to completely trust him, and each other
So, Jisung should have met this omega before if they lived around here
The omega continues to stare up at him, tears flowing from their eyes quietly, that same terror still stuck in them
Jisung relaxes more of his weight off of the omega, flicking his ears up, trying to appear less threatening, his instincts to help the omega outweighing the ones to make them leave
Their eyes track him as he moves slightly, looking them over. His first focus is the clothes the omega is wearing, nowhere close to suitable for the winter season, especially at night
His next focus is the smell of blood, unsure of the source but not liking it nonetheless
His third focus, which he really thinks should have been his first one, is the mating mark on their neck
The omega was mated
Jisung knew all of the neighbors, and he had met all of their mates, but he had never met this omega. Who were they mated to? Why had Jisung never seen them before?
Jisung can’t stop himself from leaning down, sniffing at the omegas scent gland
Their scent is soured from their panic; the sickly sour sweetness burning his nose, but he can pick out the faint scent of caramel — idly thinking that it smells really good-
He sniffs again, closer to the bite mark, the omega tensing below him with a whimper. The scent attached to the mark belongs to Min Hye, an alpha in the neighborhood that had moved in a few months ago
The alpha unsettles him, but he hadn’t told Chan about it, the rest of the pack seeming to think that he was fine
Jisung faintly remembers rumors of him having someone else move in with him, but he had told the pack there wasn’t anyone else in the home, and he even let them walk through the entire house, the pack finding no one else there
Min Hye also didn’t have a mating mark
So why did the omega have his?
Jisung sniffs once more, his eyes widening as another scent sticks out to him
The omega’s pregnant
He immediately releases the rest of his weight from them, shifting back to his human form. The omega looks more relaxed at this, still looking at him quite fearfully, not moving
Jisung needs to go get Chan, or one of his other mates, but he can’t move. He doesn’t want to leave the omega, because it’s clear they don’t know the area, and packs are protective of their territory. Only Chan’s pack — and one other, on rare occasions; their friends who act as the neighborhood pack in their stead if needed, only permitted to do so when acting in stead — is permitted to wander through them all freely
He doesn’t want the omega to get hurt, especially if they’re pregnant
He’s fighting with himself about what to do when a wolf suddenly runs up, the omega in front of him scrambling back slightly in fear
The wolf that had just joined them shifts back to their human form while Jisung’s eyes stay locked on the omega, a familiar voice filling the air seconds later
“Sungie-Hyung? Why are you in the woods? Who is this?” Felix asks, following Jisung’s gaze to the frightened omega. “Oh, wow, you’re really pretty” He says suddenly, the omega’s eyes widening as they stutter a bit, ultimately going quiet again
Jisung looks at the unknown omega, trying to get his thoughts in order. “I’m sorry for what I did” He apologizes quickly, both of the other omegas looking at him. “I got territorial. This part of the forest belongs to my pack” He adds
“I-I’m sorry…I didn’t know” The omega stutters out, Felix looking between the two in confusion
“You’re Min Hye’s mate? We should get you back to him, it’s dangerous to be out in the woods at night if you don’t know the territory marks” Jisung says, the omega immediately scrambling back more
“No!” They yell fearfully, Jisung and Felix both freezing. Jisung has a bad feeling that the omega not wanting to return to Min Hye could be related to why he himself felt uneasy around the alpha. He didn’t like it. “No! P-Please, d-don’t! No!” The omega sobs out repeatedly, Jisung looking over to Felix quickly
Felix is watching the older omega, before moving over to them, hugging them. The omega tries to get away, sobbing more, but Felix holds onto them, moving one hand to rub over their scent gland firmly
Jisung watches, moving to Felix’s side, the panicked omega soon quieting as they pass out. Jisung looks over to Felix, sighing heavily. “We can’t leave them out here, but…” He trails off, biting his lip slightly
“We definitely can’t take them back to Min Hye, especially not after that” Felix finishes, looking to the omega slumped in his arms with a frown
Jisung takes a deep breath, releasing it after a few seconds. “Let’s take them home, so they’re safe. We can put them in the guest room downstairs, the one for when anyone’s family or friends stay over” He says, Felix looking over at him, nodding slightly
“Then, we need to talk to Chan”