Archive of Our Own

Pack is everything, Baekhyun was taught this fact ever since he was born. You hunt for your pack, you collect for your pack, you defend the pack. And when you do something wrong you bring shame to the whole pack.

Baekhyun would like to point out he had never done anything to shame the pack, at least to public knowledge. Ever since he presented at 15, he has been the perfect omega. Beautiful, soft spoken, caring, basically every mother's dream child. 

However it was all a facade, a facade he had created carefully ever since his first heat. He couldn't hide his beauty since that was mostly genetics but the rest, all lies.

Soft spoken? If someone from the pack saw how he was screaming at Sehun the other day, they would be in a coma.

Caring? Sure to the pack children. To his friends not so much. 

One time Jongin had gotten multiple scratches on himself trying to collect a wild berry Baekhyun warned him about being awful in taste. The younger Alpha had however completely ignored his warnings and got injured for nothing instead.

What did Baekhyun do then? Apply the only ointment that burns on those scratches. Jongin healed fine but he vowed to never ignore the older ever again.

The worst of all though was so blasphemous and inappropriate that only one other person—his childhood friend and fellow omega—Kyungsoo knew about it. 

Byun Baekhyun, the perfect, ideal archetype of an omega, had desires for a mated alpha. Precisely his own brother in law or his older sister's mate. Park Chanyeol, his 'best friend' since birth.

Chanyeol and Biyul were basically set to mate ever since Chanyeol was born. Baekhyun and Chanyeol's moms were close friends. So close that they had promised each other that their eldest child would get mated to the other's eldest child. If possible since the pack wasn't really open about non Alpha/Omega relationships that are not with straight Betas. 

To both of their joy, Biyul presented as an omega and a year later Chanyeol presented as an Alpha at the fresh age of 13. From then on the mating was basically set the moment they will be of age.

When Baekhyun was 19 his best friend and crush got mated to his older sister under the eyes of the moon goddess. All while he could do nothing. His only fault, not being the oldest child. 

It had been two years since then, Baekhyun now being 21, un-mated with no one even courting him. It would have been quite the scandal if it wasn't Baekhyun who was in the situation. With his overall image and overall lack of interest in any Alphas or Betas everyone just assumed the one to woo Baekhyun will be his destined mate and that they will be blessed with fertility. 

To that Baekhyun called bullshit. He didn't believe in the entire concept of destined mates. If he did have one he believed they either gave up on him or died. He isn't even a tinge bit ashamed to admit that they much rather be dead since no matter how perfect they were for him, Baekhyun didn't care as the person wouldn't ever be Chanyeol.

Baekhyun likes to say he moved on from the alpha. At least that's what he believes every time he is supposed to meet the alpha and his sister. But the moment he is greeted by the giant and his sweet friendly smile, he falls to the nether once again. 

Though the nether burns him the most when he sees Biyul and Chanyeol sharing soft but intimate moments that might not be too flashy but are enough to rip Baekhyun's heart from his chest. 

It could be a slight touch of hands for a second too long or one of them fixing the other's hair, things usually overlooked by most. To Baekhyun though each moment felt like being stabbed by a rather blunt and rusty knife that grazed his organs roughly, not enough to make it bleed in one go but enough to make you go crazy.

These things made omega the biggest hater possibly in the world and definitely in the pack. He hated his parents for setting up Chanyeol and Biyul together even before they were old enough. He hated Chanyeol for acting all the same even though things have changed drastically between them the past two years. 

He hated his sister for being older than him and also being an omega. He hated the moon Goddess for never considering him when the two were to be mated. 

Most of all he hated himself for not being the oldest, for not getting over his married best friend, for not finding a mate for himself and worst of all for not telling Chanyeol about his feelings when they met the night before his mating ceremony. 

Baekhyun was in the forest in his wolf form. His omega was finally feeling free as it felt the wind on its midnight black fur. His wolf was larger than most omegas his age, almost like a betas in size. It made him look more predatory which satisfied him, making him feel protected.

However the others didn't feel the same since Baekhyun was also accompanied by Sehun to this random outing in his full alpha form. The gray wolf followed him closely today. Apparently here to protect him since he had been feeling a little under the weather. 

The omega didn't know why he felt that way, he wasn't exactly sick but he had been feeling anxious and dizzy for a couple of days, as if something is going to go very wrong soon.

Frustrated and unable to think of anything Baekhyun tackled Sehun suddenly, the alpha not being in his complete senses almost fell by the sudden attack. He was used to Baekhyun's little antics like this. Being friends for so long made them more like siblings than other Alphas and Omegas. 

Sehun playfully nudged the omega back which quickly turned into a playful wrestling session, both of them tackling each other like a bunch of pups.

Their fighting stopped though when they saw Minseok approaching in a rather hurried manner also in his wolf form. The beta looked like he was hyperventilating. The scene was enough to make the two transform back. Less than five minutes later when all three were dressed in their human forms.

"What happened, why are you so tense?" Baekhyun asked in a worried tone that Sehun shared.

The beta took a deep breath. "You two need to be back in the village, something happened. No questions for now, let's just go."

Baekhyun was very confused, he saw a few people crying and almost all members of the pack looking overall gloomy. He saw the crowd in front of Chanyeol's hut and all of his senses numbed. His first two instincts were worried about his sister and Chanyeol, none of them being people he ever wanted to see hurt.

Baekhyun ran towards the hut, finding his parents wailing. He saw Chanyeol standing with an expressionless face. Baekhyun was just about to feel relieved when it hit him. Biyul.

Approaching his mother with heavy steps he spoke, almost inaudible. "Mom.. Where is noona? What happened to her?…"

When he didn't get a reply from his parents he looked at Chanyeol again, this time readable with a single lone tear on his face. And that's when he knew that he didn't have the one of the two most important people in his life.

A piece of him had rotted and disintegrated and he couldn't even do anything about it.

Baekhyun had never lived in a world where Biyul doesn't exist. Until now.

Yes in many instances he had hoped that Biyul was the younger one among them but in no way would he have thought that he wouldn't have his noona. 

Biyul was there for everything. She was only two years older than him, making her Baekhyun's first friend. Biyul was also the protective older sister who would scare off anyone who tried to mess with Baekhyun. She was there when he presented as an omega even when he didn't want that.

"Why are you so scared of being an omega Baek? You have seen me and even though it can be tough, it's beautiful. A type of beauty no one else has."

"Why couldn't I just present as a Beta? There is no point of me being an omega. It's not like I will ever find a mate for myself anyway."

"Nonsense. You won't just find a mate, you will find your destined mate, the most perfect alpha. Because you are my perfect little brother."

"But I don't want a perfect mate…"

Then it was all suddenly gone. He had to bury his sister's corpse himself two weeks ago.

He really wished he spent more time with her especially after her and Chanyeol's mating was fixed. He blamed his own feelings for growing distant with both of them. If only he had kept that bond maybe things could have been different.

Alas he wasn't even told why or how his sister had died. It seemed like his whole family knew but refused to tell him or even acknowledge it. He knew it had something to do with her omega and pheromones since physically she was alright till the last day he saw her. 

But he still had no idea what had caused her sudden death. It bugged him day and night. Why didn't his sister tell him if something was going wrong? He couldn't guarantee it but maybe he could have found a solution. Everything would have been fine and he would still have his other part.

Baekhyun knew things were serious when his parents called him in for a meeting. He assumed that maybe they would finally tell him about his sister's death but apparently that wasn't the case.

"Are you two fucking out of your mind?!" Baekhyun screamed at his parents.

"Mind your language Baekhyun, you are talking to your parents. A self respecting omega shouldn't talk like that."

"Fuck being an omega and self respect. Do you not hear yourself mom and dad? Are you really crazy or is this just a really terrible joke?"

Baekhyun's reaction was valid if seen in context. When Baekhyun was called down he looked hopeful even when his face reflected sorrow with how dark his under eyes had gotten.

As he sat on the table the conversation started casually, asking him about how he has been holding up or how much sleep he has gotten in the last weeks. Then it shifted.

"All the pack elders unanimously voted for Chanyeol to be the next pack alpha in last month's meeting. It was supposed to be announced earlier but given the circumstances we couldn't do anything." The way his father called his own daughter's death 'circumstances' hit rubbed Baekhyun the wrong way.

Not wanting to argue he just hummed. "Chanyeol needs a mate to be the Pack Alpha."

That's when Baekhyun stopped eating and almost dropped his fork. "His mate and your own daughter died just three weeks ago. You really care more about Chanyeol being mated again now?"

Baekhyun's mom chimed in though this time much more gentler than his father. "It's for the future of the pack Baekhyun. We have to think of it as much as it hurts us."

Baekhyun understood both sides but he did still think everything was way too early. "Why are you telling me all this though? Shouldn't you be telling Chanyeol?"

"Chanyeol already knows that he has to mate again. Even though we could see his pain he agreed. But you need to know about this too."

Baekhyun now was visibly confused and even more annoyed. "Why would you tell me about this? How am I involved? How are any of us involved anymore?!"

"You are to be mated to Chanyeol.”

Hence Baekhyun's reaction was totally completely valid. His sister had just died and his best friend or her mate was grieving and all his parents cared about was who would take over the pack. 

"Listen here Baekhyun. You are the only omega that is of age and still not mated. The two of you have been close too. It's the best option for the pack."

"You must be crazy. My sister is dead. I haven't had time to mourn her death or even the cause of it and you are telling me to marry her mate? Her bonded alpha for a stupid pack ritual? Do you even hear yourself?!"

Baekhyun's dad's voice came in stern and direct. "The pack is more important than us and right now you need to stop acting like a child and take responsibility. You have to be the pack omega so act like it. No other questions."

And that was it, the conversation ended right there. 

When crying in his room that night Baekhyun realized something else, pack means politics. Politics is stronger than anyone's life or rights. 

Politics beyond him or his dead sister.

🍓🍓🍓

4 weeks after Biyul's death, Baekhyun was set to marry her husband. 

In any other time or situation Baekhyun would have been celebrating in joy, it's not every day you get to be with the person you have been in love with since childhood.

But what Baekhyun felt was not anywhere near joy. He felt like a heavy load was dropped on his shoulders all at the same time. His heart was numb, grieving the death of his sister at every beat. 

Baekhyun felt guilty. About everything. He felt guilty about betraying his sister, he felt guilty that Chanyeol has to marry him and he felt guilty that a part of him still loves Chanyeol the same.

Above all Baekhyun felt like he was losing himself every minute. He had stopped smiling almost entirely. He stopped letting his wolf form be free and stopped running around in the forest with Sehun, Kyungsoo and Jongin. 

The mating was announced to the pack along with the announcement of Chanyeol's succession as the next pack alpha and honestly not too many people were shocked by the latter.

All of Baekhyun's friends were shocked by the mating announcement, Kyungsoo almost made a scene but was stopped by Jongin, his to be mate.

Baekhyun couldn't do anything but just stand quietly in the corner not making eye contact with anyone. He saw how his own life belonged more to the pack than himself now. How the facade of being the perfect omega is how he has to live his entire life from now 

"Spend my next heat with me before the mating ceremony." 

Sehun spit out the strawberries he was eating when he heard Baekhyun's request. "Are you fucking crazy?!"

Baekhyun sighed gobbling down another strawberry not even bothering to remove the leaf which made Sehun snicker in disgust. "I am not joking around okay? I am serious. We have talked about this before."

Sehun sighs this time, clearly not okay himself. "Baek hyung, we talked about getting married if we end up not finding anyone, not about spending heats together. That's a whole different topic."

"So you wouldn't have slept with me if we were mated?"

"No I wouldn't?" Baekhyun raised an eyebrow. "Maybe yes? I don't know that's not the point!!"

"Some great alpha.." Baekhyun whispered which made the younger look at him in disbelief. 

"You know what. You are clearly berry drunk (a/n pun intended sorry)." Sehun snatched the bag of strawberries Baekhyun was holding. "You have eaten like 25 berries already and we have been here less than 10 minutes. That's not healthy."

Baekhyun whined some tears forming in his eyes. "First I lose my choice then I lose my strawberries, why don't you put a stake through my heart and suspend me from the community hall ceiling while you're at it?!" 

The younger alpha's expression visibly turned to worry and care. "Hyung. I know there is a lot going on with you but asking me to spend your heat with you is not going to fix any of that."

The omega by this point had started sobbing, very unlike his usual behavior with others. "I-I know but I just.. The heat next week is the last time I will probably feel like myself and be my own person, before I turn into the pack omega or the pack alphas mate. I just feel like I lost everything I tried so hard to keep. 

"I also feel like a terrible person and a traitor to noona and myself. I didn't have a choice this time but it's eating me alive. I also feel like I am betraying Chanyeol, because I am supposed to be his friend and stand beside him."

Sehun didn't understand the full weight of what Baekhyun felt but he cared about the older enough to give him a shoulder. He had never seen the omega be so vulnerable in front of him. "I think you should talk to Chanyeol hyung. He is the one who will understand you the most now. You are his best friend, I am sure no matter what happens it will all be fine. I hate seeing you like this."

Baekhyun doesn't know how long he cried with Sehun that afternoon or how he even got back home but he was thankful to the younger one since he felt that at least he had his friends with him no matter what.

Baekhyun doesn't know why he listened to Sehun or why he even is under Chanyeol's window, but he is here like he is back to being 17 trying to sneak out at night and run around in the forest. 

He was holding a single acorn wrapped with a piece of paper tied with a string. It was a symbol they used to use back when they were still meeting everyday. 

It was a simple act. One of them would throw the acorn through the other's window with the location of where they will meet. They have done this countless times, meeting at midnight just to play around or talk when something happens. 

But even with the familiarity of the act he was hesitant. Chanyeol and Baekhyun haven't had a proper private conversation with each other since the night before Chanyeol's mating ceremony. 

The omega didn't want their bond to be broken so easily back then but sometimes things happen and no one can avoid it. 

With hesitant steps he looked up to find one of Chanyeol's windows open. The alpha was back at his parents house living in his childhood bedroom for the while. And from everything Baekhyun knew about the alpha he was sure Chanyeol was awake.

"Oh dear moon goddess please don't let me mess this up." He whispered to himself before aiming the acorn through the open window and running away to the place where they were supposed to meet.

When Chanyeol heard the sound of something falling in his room, he stood up almost immediately. And Goddess knew the alpha was shocked to see the acorn.

He scrunched his eyebrows inspecting the object. The paper didn't say much, just a short note in a very familiar handwriting.

'Meet me at the lake.'

It didn't take more than a second to connect the dots. Chanyeol knew this action and he knew the handwriting way too well. What confused him was why Baekhyun was calling him like this after two years.

He knew the situation between the two of them was complicated and he did want to talk, he just didn't expect the omega to make the first move. Alas the sign gave him a bit of joy knowing that there might be a chance to reconcile his relationship with Baekhyun before the mating.

"Hey."

"Hi."

If someone told a seventeen year old Chanyeol that meeting his best friend could ever be awkward, he would have laughed at them in disbelief.

But when faced with the situation Chanyeol still wants to laugh but at himself this time because how could he let things between them get so bad that saying hello is uncomfortable.

"Do you..wanna sit by the lake?" Baekhyun broke the awkward silence and Chanyeol nodded along following the shorter omega and settling down on the damp ground.

The moon reflected on Baekhyun's face as if the goddess was trying to bless him but unlike before there was no excitement or joy on the omegas face Chanyeol had grown up seeing.

"How have you been doing?" 

"Not great." Chanyeol didn't say ‘awful’ like the reality. Biyul's death had taken a toll on him. He loved Biyul really, maybe not in the most conventional ways mates do but in their own special way. The older omega was a great friend to him before anything else and losing her felt like he was lost in life. Especially because in some wrecked way Chanyeol still blamed himself for her passing.

"How are you?"

"Terrible." Baekhyun bit his lip, Chanyeol knew the word wasn't enough to describe the pain the omega has been facing. Baekhyun loved his sister in all ways, like a sibling, a parent and a friend. Baekhyun might have been younger but had always been over protective of Biyul even though he wasn't very strong in his human form either. 

A piece of Chanyeol ached for Baekhyun knowing he probably has it so much worse than him. Everything that is happening isn't fair to Baekhyun. Chanyeol knew he would have to face this but Baekhyun didn't. Chanyeol felt guilty that he cannot take the pain away from the omega and keep it to himself.

"So I guess it's happening. In just a month.." 

Baekhyun nodded. "Yeah..It is. It still sucks butt, though."

Chanyeol chuckled but his smile didn't reach his eyes. "I am just glad it's you and not a stranger..."

Baekhyun looked at the Alpha, eyes glossy but a barely noticeable smile on his face. "Me too. Thanks…"

Silence clouded between them again but it was way more comfortable than before. They couldn't be the same as they were but they were getting somewhere and it was better than nothing.

When it was time to leave Chanyeol asked a rather weird question though it used to be normal for them once upon a time. 

"Your heat is next week right?"

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow, confused at how the Alpha knew about the detail. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"You get very fidgety before your heat and the skin under your ears becomes a little flaky when it's almost time."

Baekhyun touched the part of his skin and realized Chanyeol was indeed telling the truth, he himself never knew these signs but Chanyeol did. "I never noticed.."

"Umm…With all that has been happening I know you are under a lot of stress so your heat will be extra painful."

Baekhyun kept getting stunned by how Chanyeol still remembered every small detail about his life even after radio silence for two whole years. "Yeah, it's probably gonna suck.."

"If..you want to, you can borrow a few of my shirts. It might help.."

Baekhyun looked down to his feet. "Chanyeol you don't need to. It's fine. It would also be a little weird."

"It didn't used to be weird when you used to snatch my clothes without my permission saying that's your right as my best friend." Chanyeol smiled but his eyes reflected sorrow. 

"I'll think about it and tell you…"

That night in bed Baekhyun was frustrated. He had destroyed a bunch of stuff out of anger already but his mind still wasn't at ease. 

The meet up with Chanyeol made him realize a lot. 

First, he is never going to get over Chanyeol even when he is just a replacement to the alpha.

Second, Chanyeol was still the same guy. In a lot of pain, yes. But he is still the soft alpha who used to tease Baekhyun's hunting habits.

And lastly he realized that he is not alone. Even when everything sucks he has people. He has his friends and his pack.

Because Pack means friendship. Friendship when you fight for no reason. Friendship when you defend each other. Friendship when you give them a shoulder and Friendship when you remember every tiny detail about the other because you care.

Pack is friends. Not everyone, but enough to give you a home outside of blood bonds. 

🍫🍫🍫

5 weeks after Biyul's death, Baekhyun was hit by the most painful heat he has ever faced. 

He did expect it to be painful. When he is under a lot of stress they tend to hurt more than usual. In these situations his heats are longer and more intense but still tolerable.

However this time it wasn't the same. He knew the stress he was currently under was greater than what he had ever faced but it almost felt like all the wiring that goes down during his heat collapsed together and exploded into the most painful experience ever.

Baekhyun's fever was higher than ever, almost concerning. Worst of all he felt this sense of being needed so bad that it drove him insane. He wasn't a mated omega so feeling the need to want a specific alpha so bad was unusual.

His scent felt different, more intense. His usual scent of strawberry got stronger and almost acidic, there was another faint scent mixed with it,a sweet but bitter smell, a scent he wasn't very familiar with.

Very shamefully though Baekhyun only survived this heat because he dared to ask for a couple of Chanyeol's clothes with the alphas scent on them. Chanyeol's pheromones smelled like chocolate—not the disgusting dark chocolate that only depressed people eat—the sweet smell of melted milk chocolate you want to dip your hand in and eat even if it burns you.

Baekhyun loved that scent so much. He was 15 when he first decided to use one of Chanyeol's shirts for his heat. Without the alpha knowing though. He stole one of his shirts with the excuse of washing it after purposefully spilling something on it.

The plan worked and he used it for three consecutive heats till the scent faded. Next time he tried to steal a shirt, he got caught. The omega had honestly thought this would be the end of their friendship however Chanyeol instead of calling him out just rolled his eyes and gave him a hoodie. 

"You can just ask, you know?"

From then on Baekhyun basically put his claim on the alphas closet, and even when Chanyeol complained, he never told the omega no. That was until Chanyeol's marriage. When things were confirmed and the preparation for the mating ceremony began Baekhyun stole a t-shirt for the last time. 

The t-shirt that he still has hidden away, scent long gone in the past two years but kept carefully. Hidden like his feelings and all the guilt he has.

The days after his heat were frustrating to best describe it. He was still weak and extremely moody and it felt like the world just pissed him off constantly. 

First, he was put on a diet. "You should look good even if you don't feel good, healthy food helps that." His mom stated just a day after he came down from his heat. Instead of eating delicacies of meat he had to chew on leafy vegetables and barely seasoned chicken.

Secondly, Minseok and Sehun kept pissing him off. They were too loud and almost extra obnoxious. Baekhyun had to try everything to not shove them against a tree and tie them upside down.

Thirdly, Yixing was also getting married. Now Baekhyun shouldn't feel bitter about something like this but he had a valid reason. They had dated for almost a year back when he was 18. Both of them knew they weren't each other's true love or even someone they would settle for. But it still hurt to see the other move on when his life was a mess.

Lastly, Jongin proposed to Kyungsoo. This really hurt him more than it should have. He knew this would happen one day. Baekhyun was in fact their biggest hype person and takes credit for the two confessing. But when it happened the omega felt lonely once again. 

He had friends obviously, all of them were important to him. But he was the only one left alone in the mixture. Minseok and Jongdae had found their respective mates, Sehun was not so secretive about his crush, and now Jongin and Kyungsoo had ended their courtship and became official.

Everything made him feel out of place. Everyone around him was in love just like him but they also received love back or at least had hopes for it. 

As if everything wasn't bad already, the date for his mating ceremony was decided. A month later from the present day, not even 10 weeks after Biyul’s death.

The news spread an amount of unease in his system that he had almost run away from home, bags packed, notes written and everything.

The preparations started almost instantly, he had to try on a bunch of ceremonial dresses and get a hair cut against his will. His mom and other elders kept pestering him about what decorations he wanted or how he wanted his hair to be on that day.

Baekhyun had only one request, make sure the ceremony is not outdoors. He didn't want any reminders of Biyul's mating ceremony because he already felt like he had betrayed her.

It all felt too much for him and after a point he just snapped. He left, at midnight, in his wolf form to the forests just to get a breath of air without feeling his world crumbling.

He was almost near the pack's border when he turned right towards a small cave no one goes to. He had discovered this place with Chanyeol when they were 16. It was a place that was truly their own. They had spent so many days just laughing around here. 

Baekhyun slowly moved inside the cave. It wasn't very comfortable but the two teens back in the day had tried their best to make sure it was okay with limited resources. Two makeshift cushions were made out of grass and leaves to sit on, there was also a bedding that was soft but would prickle you if you try to be too comfortable.

The omega settled down his jet black furry figure on the hay bedding, snuggling up in it. The prickly texture was non-existent to him as all he felt was the softness of the familiarity.

 Being very tired he had dozed off in a deep slumber. 

In his dreams he felt another presence beside him, nuzzling into his fur being way too familiar with his wolf. The dream was comforting, relaxing him more than anything could in the past few days. 

He thanked the light brown wolf in his dreams for comforting him at his worst. For making him imagine Chanyeol's scent and making him calm for the first time in weeks.

🍓🍓🍓

6 weeks after Biyul's death, Baekhyun smiled wholeheartedly for the first time in a while. 

It was a simple moment. Everyone was busy arranging for the grand—even though Baekhyun hates it—mating ceremony. From grandparents to children, everyone gave a hand at helping out, well, except for Baekhyun's friends who were under strict instruction from the omega to only be with him as help.

The moment wasn't supposed to be any special, just a bunch of kids were playing around instead of actually helping with anything. Baekhyun sat under a tree, not upset but still not feeling great. 

Then Chanyeol walked in, polite and poise as always. He wore his usual simple clothes, an oversized tee and loose fitting jeans. Hair styled but not too much. With everything he held a smile, small and probably not completely real, but welcoming.

Something about the alpha was that children loved him. Almost like a magnet, all the kids who barely reached Chanyeol's knees surrounded him with big smiles. 

Now Chanyeol might be in a sad mood but he would never let it get between him and the children he adored so dearly. Baekhyun remembered the alpha once telling him how his one true dream is to be a dad to one or two pups. 

The omega remembers thinking that the alpha would make a great dad, seeing how well he was with children.

His thoughts remained the same, when he looked at the scene in front of him. Chanyeol was carrying the youngest of the kids giggling with them. All the children blabbered something or the other but the alpha listened to each one of them with utmost attention.

Baekhyun stared at the scene with admiration. It made him fill with joy when he saw the alpha be happy. 

Then Alpha turned towards him, still smiling and cradling the child he was carrying. Suddenly all the negative things around Baekhyun vanished for a minute. Without even thinking his lips turned upwards still making eye contact with Chanyeol who reciprocated his expression ten fold.

At that moment he really thought that maybe all will be okay one day. Maybe things will get better. Even if Chanyeol can't love him like a partner he will love him like a friend like he always had.

To Baekhyun that was enough. Seeing that smile on the alphas face made all the pain worth it.

Baekhyun doesn't remember when exactly he fell for Chanyeol. Kyungsoo would tell him that it was when they were 13 and Baekhyun saw Chanyeol shirtless for the first time after the alpha presented.

Baekhyun wholeheartedly disagreed but he cherishes that memory like an antique piece in his brain. Young Baekhyun learned something about himself that day before reality had struck him.

The omega would say it was a blurry moment from his childhood when he found Chanyeol crying and instantly stopped when he found the omega. It was a sweet memory from when they were barely 6 but when he thinks of love that is what comes to his mind.

There is also a runner up for this position. The time when Chanyeol got him a basket of strawberries when he was just 8. He remembers that day way too clearly. 

Baekhyun was seemingly pissed off at the alpha for some unknown reason and refused to talk to him. This led Chanyeol to sulking too but not for long when the little alpha got an idea. 

In the evening when it was time for everyone to be home Chanyeol presented a small basket full of wild strawberries to him. He had scratches on his arms—clearly from trying to collect the red fruits—and grass on his hair.

Baekhyun would have probably forgiven him the next day anyway but receiving the gift of forgiveness made the Omega feel something he had never felt before. The alpha seemed like the best thing that had happened to him and even though he had called Chanyeol his best friend before, that was the moment he truly believed it.

So it could be said that Baekhyun fell for Chanyeol through time, feelings getting stronger day by day. 

However Baekhyun can clearly point out the day when he realized his love for Chanyeol was useless and would do nothing but hurt him.

Three days after he presented as an omega he heard his parents talk. They weren't overly bitter or anything but everything they said that day is still stapled onto his brain. 

"Biyul and Chanyeol would look perfect for each other, wouldn't they? They are similar in age and exude the perfect image of an Alpha and Omega."

Baekhyun's father chuckled and joined in. "It's true. I won't want to say it out loud but I am very proud of Biyul, she is everything an ideal omega should be. Caring, friendly and kind."

"It's funny that our two children are so different from each other. I almost could not believe Baekhyun turned out to also be an omega. I knew he wasn't an alpha but there are no traits of an omega in him. He is always playing around and his wolf is also black and big like a beta. He is Biyul's exact opposite."

"It's fine though. It's not like we are in a hurry with Baekhyun, he will be able to figure out everything by himself including finding a perfect mate. Then he will also have a perfect family like Biyul will have with Chanyeol in the future."

He remembers the day being cold, too cold for summer. He shook every time he stood up or left the comfort of his bed. He had bitten his nails into a rough messy shape and cracked his joints so much they could have broken.

That was the day he started hating his secondary gender. He hated being an Omega so much even though he had barely lived as one for a week. 

That was also when he found out that feelings don't always matter. It doesn't matter how much he loved Chanyeol since he would never be good enough to stand beside the alpha. He would never be Biyul and her naturally perfect qualities.

Even if he tried his best to act like a perfect omega, he would never be the one. He would always be the unusual boy who is strong enough to find himself a mate even when he would never be able to love them as much as he loved Chanyeol.

The day changed things for Baekhyun. He did exactly what people expected him to do. He stopped running around in the wild. He smiled more even when he was annoyed. He mixed with other omegas who weren't Kyungsoo since it was considered weird for him to just stay with Alphas and Betas all day.

He tried everything possible just to get close to what Biyul is. Not because he thought he would finally be enough for Chanyeol, but because a sick part of him just wanted to be like Biyul even though he would never be like her.

Because pack meant fitting in. No matter how messed up the stereotypes are.

🍫🍫🍫

9 weeks after Biyul's death, Baekhyun was going to get married to Chanyeol.

The omega knew it would happen one day, even when every part of him did not want to accept it. 

However not accepting isn't a choice. Biyul is dead and Baekhyun has to marry Chanyeol. This was decided and he could do absolutely nothing about it. 

The ceremony would take place in the evening the next day when the moon comes up, so logically today was the last day the omega would be free. Hence why he was outside at midnight moving in a daze to a place he doesn't know yet.

He looked at the moon, finding it beautiful as always. He was taught since childhood that the moon goddess is the most important to the pack. She is who provides everything or approves of things. 

Baekhyun believes every bit of it. He believes that the moon goddess is one of the only people who understand him even though she never answers back. He dislikes many things about his life but he does believe that she had a reason for making him suffer. 

He kept looking up at the moon, the gentle light shining on his face and his recently styled hair that had grown beautifully. "I know there is a reason for all this but I only ask for one thing. Just give me the truth no matter what… I trust you moon goddess. Just listen to my one request."

With a heavy heart Baekhyun turned around, not towards his home but towards the burial ground. He would never take a big decision without consulting his sister first so that's what he went to do.

He sat down in front of her tombstone, carved with the name 'Biyul Byun' and a beautiful inscription of love written by everyone close to her. Few flowers were kept on top of the grave that did not look over a day old, possibly kept only in the morning.

"Hey noona. How are you?...I miss you so much. Even your nagging. I am sorry I did not visit you sooner, I had a lot on my plate but there was no reason for me to ignore you. I am glad someone kept you company though.

"I am getting married tomorrow, can you believe it? I know you always boasted about me getting married to my destined mate which I am not because I never had the chance to find him. However I hid something from you. The one I am getting married to is the only one I ever wanted as a mate, though I don't want to now. 

"Not because I don't love him but because I feel like I am betraying you. Chanyeol was your mate, your alpha and I feel like I am trying to be pushed as your replacement. But I could never replace you. I can never be like you, and now I don't even feel bad about it. Because you are exceptional and you can have no duplicates."

Baekhyun took a deep breath wiping off the tears on his face. "I also want to say sorry, even though the marriage was against my own accord, I will still continue to love Chanyeol since I can't seem to stop. I haven't stopped in the past decade. I surely won't be able to stop the next. But I promise you I can't be who you were to him. I can be his mate but I can never be his Biyul.

"It sucks that you are not here with me. You promised you would dress me up on the day of my mating ceremony, but you are not here. I will put on a flower crown just like you used to make for me though, since I have to show off my sister's skills. I haven't even digested yet that later in the day, I would be a mated omega, married to Chanyeol. But what I can't digest even more is that you won't be there on this huge day."

Baekhyun was sobbing hard by this point, choking on his words, keeping his head on the tomb. "I miss you noona, I miss you so much. An--and I am so sorry for everything th-that I have to do."

Even after visiting Biyul, the omegas mind wasn't at ease so he went to the only place he could imagine having peace at. The cave.

However he was greeted by another person inside, the only other one to know about the place, holding a bunch of cucumbers out of everything. "Oh- Chanyeol…"

The alpha kept his bag of food aside and greeted Baekhyun while simultaneously making room for him just beside him. "Hey Baek. I didn't expect you to come here." 

Baekhyun settled down beside the alpha, still keeping his distance. "Me neither. What are you doing here?"

Chanyeol smiled. "Trying to find peace, same as you. My brain was working over time." 

Baekhyun cracked a barely visible smile. "Why the cucumbers though?" 

Chanyeol chuckled. "I had a bunch left at home. Since you hate them I thought why not eat it instead of wasting it."

Baekhyun paused for a moment to look directly at the alpha. "You didn't have to, Yeol. I just wouldn't have eaten them.."

"No you hate the smell. What kind of friend would I be to make you suffer like that?"

'The idiot kind', Baekhyun thought to himself. What kind of man eats a dozen cucumbers in one sitting just because the person he is gonna live with doesn't like it. 

"It's pretty warm today. The moon looks brighter too." Chanyeol broke the silence again. 

Baekhyun nodded even though he felt like he had felt this before. "Yeah, it feels oddly familiar."

Chanyeol looked at the omega with a smile. "Feels a little Deja Vu-ish doesn't it. We were right here last time too. Though things were much different."

The night before Chanyeol and Biyul's mating ceremony was a bittersweet memory to Baekhyun. He resented the day as well as cherished it. In his heart, that night was so important to him even if it wasn't to anyone else. 

Baekhyun looked at the Alpha once again. "At least we are on the same page this time.."

Chanyeol looked back, eyes softened. "Yeah, we are.."

None of them knew that what they were thinking was completely different but they weren't wrong after all a few things were on the same page however the two weren't aware of those scripts. 

"Baek, are you sure?" 

It was 5 in the morning. Way too early for most who don't have to work on the farms, including Kyungsoo and Baekhyun. 

Yesterday after having an awkward yet comfortable talk with Chanyeol, the omega was quick to make two decisions. 

First, he would try to enjoy his wedding day. Even though he is very disappointed with the entire situation he is still getting married to his best friend and he might never have a chance to experience a day like this again

The choice was difficult of course. Every part of him wanted to disagree and be a moping mess. However Baekhyun had set his mind on this decision and he had no intention of backing out. 

Secondly he decided that he is going to take more autonomy in his life now. Everything that had been happening in his life in recent days was decided for him by someone else. 

Now he will make his own choices and he won't let himself be lost at others' decisions. He will do what he desires. He will dress how he wants and he will find out the reason behind his sister's death himself. 

So here he was, taking his first step of rebellion. Making Kyungsoo chop off his hair. 

"I am sure, Soo. Firstly, my hair is getting too hot even though it was just cut a month ago. Secondly, I will look good and it's time I have a crush on myself instead of others."

Kyungsoo sighed. "But your hair is already short. Like not very short or anything but it's not necessarily long.."

"Just chop it off and make me hot. My hair should look like what your boyfriend had 2 years ago."

Kyungsoo sighed again but started using the scissors. "I'm going to miss your cute looking hair."

Baekhyun looked beautiful. That's maybe what he hates the most about today. The ceremonial robes draped perfectly on his body. The simple ornaments he wore made him shine beautifully. 

His new haircut shocked his parents when they first saw it, but Baekhyun had never loved a hairstyle more. 

It wasn't stereotypical. If someone saw him their first instinct won't say he looks like a typical omega who would smile sweetly at them. But Goddess knew Baekhyun looked good. 

"Damn Baek hyung. You look really cool." Jongin exclaimed in excitement the moment he entered the room. "The hair cut suits you more than it did me."

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, smiling. "Flattering me too much. Anyway, where is Sehun? He should be here with the crown already."

"Right here! Sorry I am late. Kyungsoo hyung and Minseok hyung argued about what flowers to use for an hour. In the end we just used both." Sehun was huffing when he held up the flower crown. 

"Holy shit, that crown is beautiful. Baek's gonna look like a prince!" Jongdae exclaimed but Baekhyun couldn't hear anything when he saw the ornament. 

The white and pink flowers along with the green leaves wrapped around beautifully. He was glad Kyungsoo and Minseok argued because this was the best outcome that could have happened. 

Kyungsoo came into the room, snatching the crown from Sehun's hands. "I am Baek's best man. Only me, Jongdae and Minseok will be here. You and Jongin can go help Chanyeol with Junmyeon Hyung." 

The two alphas collectively whined but ultimately left to go to the others room. 

"Now let's clip it on."

Chanyeol was nervous, quite visibly. He was shaking, sweating and constantly fidgeting. 

Everyone noticed this and tried to understand the reason but no one could really, well except for his friends obviously. 

From outside there was no reason for the alpha to panic so much. He had gone through this entire ceremony once, which was even grander. And Chanyeol was famous for always keeping his calm. 

However, one eye contact of Jongin and Sehun with Junmyeon confirmed their suspicions. The giant man was not nervous for himself but on behalf of everyone else. 

"Chanyeol, it's fine. Everything will be alright. You don't have to panic so much."

Chanyeol nodded but clearly did not listen to the advice. "I know it's just…Baekhyun has been going through a lot and this entire ceremony was so rushed. I am really worried about him."

It's funny how friendship bonds work. You start thinking more about the others' pain more than your own. Chanyeol was clearly one of them who took empathy too seriously. 

"Hyung. Chill. Baekhyun hyung is okay. I know you are worried about him but that doesn't mean you will ruin your own health." 

Chanyeol nodded standing up. "You are right. I should be calm and controlled to help Baekhyun. I should go see him." and he sprinted out. 

"Wait, that's not what I meant! It's unlucky to see each other before the cerm—— and he is gone. What did I even expect?"

A knock on the door startled Kyungsoo more than it did Baekhyun. And he was right when he saw Chanyeol at the door. "What the fuck are you doing here?! Get out!!"

"Soo! Who is it?" Baekhyun shouted from the other side of the room fixing his hair and eyeliner.

"Oh it's just a kid who wants to meet you, don't worry I will handle it." The shorter omega lied and turned back to the alpha closing the door behind. "Why are you here? Do you want to curse this marriage?" He whispered.

"Just let me talk to Baek please. If I don't I feel like things will get messed up later on." 

Kyungsoo smacked the alpha on the head. "Bitch, everything is already messed up. It took your best friend five different mood swings to finally be centered and calm. Now that he isn't actively trying to run away, why are you making it worse." 

"Kyungsoo please, just five minutes. Trust me. It's to make things better. Just please let me meet him." The alpha pleaded.

Kyungsoo bit his lip in anxiousness then huffed. "Okay.. Go in but I swear if things get messed up I will kill you." 

"I promise I won't. Thank you so much!!" The alpha whispered as Kyungsoo made way for him to go in. 

"Soo, do you think that the eyeliner looks ba—— Oh Chanyeol..What are you doing here?" Baekhyun was visibly shocked. 

"Kyungsoo has a timer on me so I will be quick. I thought about our conversation last night and I disagree. I am not on the same page as you.."

Baekhyun's eyes widened slightly. He was so focused on his own pain that he completely forgot that the alpha was also being forced into this fate. "Chanyeol.. I am so sorry..I really didn't think about it. If you are not okay with this we can still do something you don't have to-I—"

"Baek no that's not what I am talking about. What I mean by not being on the same page as you is…I know you don't want this at all. But that's not exactly something I agree with. I hate this situation too but I meant it when I said that I am glad it's you. Things went really south with us the past two years and I know this is not the most conventional set up, but I am glad to finally have you back. 

"Yes things between us would be different and we would be mated which is scary but it's less scary knowing that it's you. I know we messed things up last time but I don't want this to happen this time too. I would like to try things out, you don't have to agree of course but I just want to tell you that I do."

The omega really did not know what to say. He was right about one thing. He did completely ignore Chanyeol's opinion on things the past weeks. But he was wrong about what he thought. In fact he was so far off. "I—Umm Chanyeol…"

"You don't have to say anything. I just wanted to clear things up before it leads to misunderstandings. I didn't want to lose you again." Chanyeol finally exhaled a breath of relief. 

"Umm.. I guess. It isn't as awful with you.." Baekhyun whispered though he was still confused on how to layer his words. 

Chanyeol smiled and sighed in relief. Only now did he take a good look at the omega. "Your hair suits you. And you were asking about eyeliner earlier, it's good but make it a little sharper, it would compliment your face more."

Baekhyun smiled back. "Thank you. And I will do that, great tip."

"Anyways I should run back. Kyungsoo will probably kill me if I stay any longer. I will see you." 

As Baekhyun walked inside the hall he was nervous, but also relieved. He never thought the conversation with Chanyeol would be so awakening but it was and he could finally see the bigger picture. 

He doesn't have to regret everything. He can choose to be happy even when things aren't perfect. He still felt guilt in his heart about Biyul but since he knew that he would still be Baekhyun and not a replacement, he felt calmer. 

He finally looked at the decorations and the hall. The hall was beautifully decorated with seasonal flowers and pack motifs. The altar had a glass opening at its roof for the moon goddess to bless the bonds that take place inside. It looked like the goddess was definitely present today for sure from the moonlight that lit up the altar beautifully.

There were many people sitting around the hall, all dressed up for the occasion. He spotted his friends all standing and smiling at him, Jongdae even mouthing a little 'You look great' from far away. 

However Baekhyun's eyes got stuck at the man at the center of the altar. Chanyeol looked wonderful, like he always does. Ceremonial robes really complimented him.

Last time when Chanyeol was standing in the same place, Baekhyun wasn't present. He had intentionally sneaked off and then left for the city to study that very night for a year and a half. Baekhyun had completely missed the wedding and no one except Chanyeol knew about it.

Now that he saw Chanyeol but instead at his own wedding day, he was glad he missed it last time because he wants to cherish this memory of the alpha standing and waiting at the altar for him, all for himself. 

"Hi."

"Hey." 

"Today we gather here for the mating of future pack Alpha Park Chanyeol and future pack Omega Byun Baekhyun. They will take their oath and vows under the moon light and be blessed by the goddess herself with fertility and strength. Please remain seated throughout the ceremony."

The ceremony was oddly complicated. There were so many tiny rituals that Baekhyun did not understand anything about but had to oblige anyways. He was just glad as time went by mating ceremonies stopped including marking in public and left it for the pair to do privately instead. 

Some took it slow and only marked each other after a while. In some pairs only the alpha marks the omega and it's only later when the omega marks them back. This was also the case for Chanyeol since he did not bear a mark. 

The system behind this really came from the fact that it takes much more time for an omega to completely accept and settle down, hence a two way bond which is very strong can be problematic. This was also normalized so that omegas could break the bond with their alphas in case of an emergency. 

However the process of breaking a bond is extremely painful and can permanently alter many traits, especially in omegas. Baekhyun hated that omegas have to go through so much pain just for a little bit of peace but he also pitied himself for not being able to do something.

The rituals finally came to an end leading to the last step of the ceremony. The blessing from the goddess.

The pair would have to stand under the moon, holding each other's hand and mumbling a prayer to protect each other, the moonlight falling on them to seal the deal. 

When Baekhyun and Chanyeol said their own individual prayers they felt the moon light fall on them. Baekhyun did not want to exaggerate but he could swear the light was much brighter than usual. And hence the mating was sealed, officially and legally.

Byun Baekhyun was now married to Park Chanyeol, his alpha and the love of his life ever since he could remember. The man, his mate, stood in front of him with a gentle smile which suddenly made everything better. 

At the end of the day Baekhyun did not regret anything. He was glad that everything went perfectly. He was proud that he started to stand up for himself and most of all glad that things between him and Chanyeol would start to heal.

Because after all, pack meant the familiarity of friendship and healing things together. 

🍓🍓🍓

"Your house is actually pretty cozy."

"You didn't think it was cozy before?" 

Baekhyun stopped in his tracks. 

He was at Chanyeol's home—now changed into comfortable clothes. Not the one Baekhyun had visited countless times when he was younger. He was at Chanyeol's own house, the one he lived in ever since he turned of age. 

Baekhyun wasn't a stranger to this house at all. He had visited a couple of times after Biyul got married, mostly because he loved his sister and she had threatened him to visit at least twice a month after he ran away to the city after her wedding.

Baekhyun did not like the house at that time. It felt uncomfortable and a place he is intruding actively. The comfort he felt in Chanyeol's childhood bedroom was not present in this house.

Hence why he never found it comfortable or cozy. 

But now he is not here as a guest, he was here as another member. As Chanyeol's mate. 

There was still a hint of uncertainty in him. He might have accepted everything and promised to keep an open mind but he still felt like it was wrong. 

However the home did not feel as unwelcoming now. The colors for the rooms were light making the whole house look warm and bright. The decorations were intricate and sophisticated so he knew they were definitely not chosen by his sister. 

Not that his sister wasn't classy, her style was just way more maximalist and extravagant compared to him. 

"No, I just meant now that we are here, it doesn't seem bad. Maybe it was just the tension we had back then that made this place feel bad. I am glad we are on better terms now."

Chanyeol smiled at the final statement because he shared the sentiment. "Me too. Anyway there is a slight issue. We only have two rooms in this house and I kind of modified the other room into a gaming room. So we have to share a room. But it's totally up to you. I can just crash in the living room, the couch turns into a bed anyway."

"Wait Chanyeol slow down. It's fine. We can share a room. We have before. I mean we cannot just ignore stuff forever right, one day—probably soon enough—we have to officially you know mark each other and the other stuff. Sharing a room will at least make things less awkward later." Baekhyun bit his lip in hesitation. "It's no big deal."

Chanyeol sighed in relief "Oh thank god. I just did not want to make things weird, I would not want to sleep on the couch bed. It's very uncomfortable. Also things between us are just getting better, I would hate to ruin it." 

Baekhyun smiled cheekily. "Anyway can I also use your gaming room? I brought all of my games but have no console. I don't want to go home everyday and have to tolerate my parents nagging again."

"Of course you can, it's really no biggie. But it has been only like 6 months since you came back, won't you miss them?"

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and nodded. "I will and I did but when I found peace outside I could never go back to the same old pestering again. The city is nice, though it's much smaller than the capital where I went once. It's fun living there."

Chanyeol was instantly interested in the conversation as he settled down on the couch. "Really? I mean I have visited the city multiple times but living there must be very different. Did you meet new people?"

Baekhyun was happy to continue the conversation. "I did. I lived with a roommate, Luhan. He is Chinese. Funnily enough, when Sehun came to visit me he totally fell for him. He has had a crush on him ever since. Apparently they still text or call sometimes, that is if the network is okay. The internet here is so bad. Downsides to living near a forest, am I right?"

Chanyeol chuckled. "True, but we can transform and run around whenever we want so that is definitely nice.” He paused for a moment. “I didn't know Sehun visited you."

"He actually visited me thrice. Though that was probably to see Luhan more than meeting me. Jongin and Kyungsoo joined once too."

"It's weird they never told me.. I mean me and Biyul could have joined them.."

Baekhyun's breath hitched in nervousness. He had intentionally told his friends not to inform his family or Chanyeol, trying to avoid meeting them. "Umm.. They probably just forgot. And Biyul was a little weak health wise I heard when I was there. It would have been too much trouble."

Chanyeol was about to say something but he stopped himself. It was clear the alpha was hiding something but Baekhyun was too tired to ask about it. "Anyways. We should go to sleep now. It was quite a hectic day. I am still tired from all the prayers we had to chant."

Chanyeol hid his hesitance with a smile and replied back getting up from the couch. "Yeah. We can talk tomorrow. I was granted a week off from work so we have a lot of time. Let's catch some sleep before we turn into zombies."

The omega chuckled. "Yeah."

"This stinks."

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow at his friend, clearly confused and offended.

Kyungsoo came to visit Baekhyun because he is—and he quotes—an amazing best friend, a title he claimed for himself when Baekhyun and Chanyeol started drifting apart for reasons unknown to him. 

Chanyeol was cooking in the kitchen after doing basically all the house work including helping Baekhyun with unpacking his own things. 

Whenever the omega asked to help, Chanyeol very politely declined the offer instead bribing him with either a chocolate bar or fresh cut fruits. 

"What stinks, Soo? I don't get you."

Kyungsoo huffed. "You have Chanyeol waking up early, doing everything in the house, cooking for you and not letting you move an inch. Why can't I have a fate like that too?"

Baekhyun laughed at the comment. "Soo, all you have to do when you and Jongin get married is cook. That too because you enjoy it and are great at it. I can't do shit. Chanyeol is probably just saving his home." 

"Whatever. How were the first three days? I know it wouldn't be the best."

Baekhyun sighed. "It's fine. I really miss noona though. Sometimes I just see her picture in a frame and I would start sobbing. Sometimes Chanyeol would try to comfort me as if I can't see him tearing up as well. But I think things might work out. I feel super bored though. All I do is occupy the gaming room and play Mario kart."

Kyungsoo ruffled his hair as reassurance. "It will get better. I am sure Biyul noona would not have wanted to see you be all mopey and sad all day. She would scold you if she could."

The statement brought out a smile on the taller's face. "She would also be annoyed at me for not doing any work here. She would be all like, 'Baek, stop lounging around and doing nothing. Get your ass up and water the plants'. She would not stop nagging me."

"Well maybe you should get off your ass. Wanna go for a run today? Me and Jongin are going with Sehun, Minseok hyung and Jongdae. Might as well join us. Ask your giant mate too. He is still on leave right?"

"Okay, I will join you. You should ask him yourself actually. He would probably come here with food in the next five minutes or so—."

Baekhyun got cut off by a knock on the door before Chanyeol came in holding a tray full of food. "Food's here. Where should I keep it?"

"Anywhere is fine, Yeol. Come on, sit down with us."

Chanyeol instantly denied. "Oh no it's fine. You two can talk. I'll leave."

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. "Dude, stop acting like a dud and just sit down. Why are you acting like a newly wed?"

Baekhyun and Chanyeol both started at Kyungsoo with a weird expression, the omega trying not to laugh out loud. "Right you literally are…Anyway wanna go for a run around the evening? The whole gang is going except for Junmyeon and Yixing hyung. They had some work to do."

"I mean sure I guess. Baek?"

"I agreed. I am way too bored because of someone refusing to let me do any work." The omega glared at Chanyeol who in turn raised an eyebrow.

"You hate doing work. I precisely remember you saying that you would rather  live on a chicken farm than do chores. If you really want to work you can do the dishes."

Baekhyun scrunched his nose. "Do you hate me? I hate doing dishes!"

When the two others in the room stared at him without any words, Baekhyun rolled his eyes and pouted. "Fine, I will stay in my room and chill. I am really grateful for all the help Yeol. Now I really want to go for a run today so let me sleep for now."

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol looked at each other and sighed. "I'm gonna go. You can sleep and Chanyeol can keep doing his work as a house maid."

"Hey!"

"Bye idiots."

Chanyeol doesn't usually get time to let his wolf run around wild and free. He is either busy with work in the community center or at home. The last time his brown fur and huge figure got to experience  the wind was around a month ago, that too out of necessity of speed.

Now that he is finally letting go just for fun, it reminds him how much he loves to just do nothing. This is when his inner child comes out. The time when he isn't a 21 year old mated alpha who is going to lead the pack soon. Instead he becomes a 15 year old once again who tackles his friends without care and rolls around on soft dew-touched grass.

The alpha could see Jongin and Kyungsoo nuzzling each other, having forgotten the presence of anyone else. Minseok and Jongdae were playing around and Sehun was chasing a squirrel. And Baekhyun was..where is Baekhyun?!

Chanyeol's senses instantly heightened with worry for his mate. He tried to look around to sneak a peek of Baekhyun's jet black fur but failed. His wolf and him instantly panicked and started to search for the omega.

His instincts were almost calling him to go south towards the lake so he did. The lake was further away from the area in the forest where they were playing around so it took quite some time for the alpha to locate it.

When he reached the lake he spotted Baekhyun, looking like he was coming towards him. The smaller also looked panicked and in a hurry which stopped when he spotted the alpha.

Baekhyun very slowly moved towards Chanyeol and skillfully tucked himself under him, nuzzling into his jaw with his head. Chanyeol reciprocated the action and did a purr adjacent action, clearly being comforted. 

Chanyeol could smell Baekhyun and his strawberry scent, it being more prominent than usual. Chanyeol's scent mixed with the omegas creating a harmony between them unlike any.

Baekhyun soon looked up at the alpha and suddenly pounced on him, taking the alpha by shock. Chanyeol fell, Baekhyun pinning him down. The omega nuzzled against his neck which made Chanyeol giggle, more from joy than being ticklish.

Then Baekhyun stopped, falling beside him still close in proximity. Their furs touching and low huffs clearly audible. No one said anything or moved. They could change back to maybe talk but the two instead made a silent pact to just stay as they were.

The sun was about to go down. The two moved closer, cuddling into each other. Baekhyun's smaller but dark fur mixed with Chanyeol's rather bright brown made a complimenting scene rather than being contrasting. 

The orange reflection from the sunset and the water from the lake was truly breathtaking but to Chanyeol there was something much more beautiful nuzzled into him dozing off. 

It killed the alpha to wake Baekhyun up but when the moon went up he had to go against his will. 

None of them talked about what happened beside the lake but both of them knew something had changed, significantly between them now. 

🍫🍫🍫

12 weeks after Biyul's death, Baekhyun started healing for the first time in forever. 

In the past three weeks one thing was clear, neither him or Chanyeol would willingly alienate Biyul or her existence.She would always be omnipresent in their lives and she could never be replaced.

Chanyeol treated Baekhyun way differently than how he used to treat his sister. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were back to being their chaotic self who fought and made up every five minutes.

One thing that did change though was physical affection. They were not as touchy with each other as they were when they were terns. Now though it had increased significantly. Almost unknowingly they would share prolonged touches. 

It could just be normal pinkies touching or holding the other's hand when walking. It could also be Chanyeol holding the omegas waist to move him from the way or Baekhyun back hugging the alpha while he cooks.

It was all done casually. They never talked about it. It just happened and none of them really minded the change. 

For the first time Baekhyun felt that maybe things can change between him and his best friend and the thought did not miss bringing a smile to his face.

Currently Chanyeol was unfortunately at work. Baekhyun had requested to find a job too because what would he do with his degree? Though when Chanyeol listed the available jobs in the village Baekhyun was hugely disappointed. 

Hence why Baekhyun captured Chanyeol's glorious gaming room and made it his work station to work online as a translator. He had learned Mandarin when he went to the city and his friends, Luhan and Tao were his first hand practice dummies. 

The job was flexible and even though the pay wasn't too much, Baekhyun did not care. He needed the job to stop being bored anyway.

After he had done his work today he thought, why should he waste this huge strong gaming processor and not play some games. 

After a devastating loss at league of legends he very impulsively threw his mouse on the ground, something he instantly regretted when he found the device in pieces.

"No no no, fuck! Yeol's gonna kill me." He kneeled down to carefully assemble the pieces when a box tucked in a corner caught his attention. 

The box looked definitely out of place so Baekhyun being Baekhyun wanted to inspect it.

His moral side was constantly telling him no. To not snoop around other's things. However Baekhyun wasn't a moral person and clearly refused to acknowledge boundaries when it came to shared places like the gaming room.

He dusted the top of the box that was taped shut. Should have been enough reason for him to not open it but of course he used his claws to carefully open the box. 

At first he did not realize what was so secret about this box. It was just a couple of papers. However when he snooped a little further he found something he shouldn't have. 

At first he did not realize what the picture was. He knew it was an ultra sound but he couldn't figure anything out until it hit him.

He tried to not fall into conclusions and snooped through the box a bunch more. Everything there only pointed to one thing. The prescriptions, reports and the pregnancy test.

He started reading one of the reports.

Flaxton Medical Center

Patient: Byun Biyul 

Status: Omega

Sex: Female

Spouse: Park Chanyeol

2 weeks pregnant. 

High Risk due to Pheromone imbalance

Everything Baekhyun had built up shattered in front of him. Biyul was pregnant when she died. His sister was pregnant. He was going to be an uncle. Chanyeol was going to be a father.

He felt his hands shaking when he quickly tried to pack everything back into the box and shove it into the corner once again. 

He stood up when he heard the sound of Chanyeol's steps. "Baek are you here?" The alpha peaked through the door.

"Why do you look so awkward?" Chanyeol asked him after entering.

"I broke your mouse." Baekhyun stated the truth but hid everything else he had found out. It wasn't time. Not now. Not yet.

Chanyeol's mouth opened and closed in shock. "How?.."

"League of Legends. I am sorry. I got too worked up, I really hate losing."

Chanyeol sighed, shaking his head. "I have an old mouse that you can use for the time being. I will get a new one tomorrow or the day after. No need to sulk."

Baekhyun forced a smile onto his face. "Thanks for not being mad. Umm.. Do you wanna watch a movie in the living room later? You came home early today."

Chanyeol smiled. "Sure. Choose one I will get fresh and come down."

"Are we seriously watching Die Hard again?"

Baekhyun quickly became defensive. "It's a classic."

Chanyeol whined. "I know but sometimes we can just, you know, watch something else?"

"Die Hard 2?"

"Let's just watch this. Where is Hans Gruber?"

Even though it was around the 6th time that the pair was watching this movie, they still concentrated while munching on popcorn.

Baekhyun still felt anxious about everything but tried to suppress it all. He was not ready to have that conversation even though it killed him.

"John McClane is a great cop but I really do think him and Holly Gennaro don't work out that well because of it."

Baekhyun pouted at the statement. "True. But at least he realizes it and at least tries to work on it later."

"I agree but is it enough though? I mean once you have already messed up can it be the same again."

Baekhyun paused. To him the conversation was no more about Die Hard or John McClane. It was personal and about old regrets. "I guess it isn't. Maybe it cannot be fixed once messed up."

Chanyeol stared at the shorter sitting beside him. "Have you ever thought that maybe it wasn't all messed up? Maybe they just thought it was and made it worse."

"Did they only think though? Or did they fuck up real bad?.."

Chanyeol was also deep in the context now. He understood the intensity of this all. "Maybe one of them thought it wasn't a mistake?"

Baekhyun looked up at the older man. "What do you mean?"

"I don't regret what happened Baek. I know you do and it wasn't exactly right but I hated how everything got messed up after that night. Before I could talk to you, you were already gone."

From all the things Baekhyun wished to forget, there was one day he would never forget no matter how much he wanted to. The night before Chanyeol and Biyul's mating ceremony.

A day he regretted deeply. But so important to him.

"Chanyeol what are you saying?"

"Do you really not get it?" 

The distance between them was invisible, both of them could feel each other's breath on their faces. Then it happened, way too familiar. Chanyeol leaned in and pressed his lips onto Baekhyun in a slow motion. Baekhyun's eyes closed on instinct as he leaned in to deepen the kiss.

The alpha's hand moved to cup Baekhyun's cheek and the other one grabbed his waist to bring him closer. They moved in sync, slowly and softly.

It all came back to Baekhyun. That night. Everything that shaped his life how it is now. It was like a Deja Vu, though not quite something he wanted to think of. 

As they finally broke the kiss, tears had formed in Baekhyun's eyes. He looked up to see the Alpha still so raw and open with his feeling that it killed Baekhyun. 

Everything felt wrong. The kiss, Chanyeol being vulnerable and him enjoying the kiss to the extent that he wanted it again, constantly if possible. 

Baekhyun rose to his feet. "I am sorry, I-i I need to go. Please Yeol.. I am so sorry."

The omega sprinted out before Chanyeol even had the chance to stop him. "Baek!!"

Baekhyun ran. To a familiar place. His parents' house. His house. Though he couldn't enter this late at night without questions. So he climbed the house pipe to sneak in. Not into his room, but the one beside it. The empty room that belonged to Biyul, while his eyes threatened to overflow with tears any second. 

🍓🍓🍓

"Ouch what the fuck?" 

Baekhyun was doing some work on his desk when an acorn hit his head. He instantly knew who it was but that's weird. It's very late at night and tomorrow was a very important day to his best friend.

He stood up to go to the window and spotted Chanyeol standing downstairs. 

"What are you doing here?!"

Chanyeol didn't reply, instead only gesturing the omega to come down.

Without any choice and out of the burden of friendship, Baekhyun sneaked out through the window. "Are you kidding me Chanyeol? What are you doing here, this late at night? You are getting married tomorrow!"

Chanyeol bit his lip in hesitation. "I am nervous. I didn't know who else to go to."

Baekhyun sighed. "Do you want to go to the cave?"

Chanyeol nodded, wanting privacy and a place to themselves.

The cave was quiet as always. The makeshift bed and stools were left empty as they chose to stand instead. Baekhyun leaned on one of the rough walls looking straight at the Alpha who looked like he had a million things going on in his head at the same time.

Baekhyun was not very fond of the fact that Chanyeol was getting married to Biyul tomorrow. Heck, he hated every single part of it. He loves both his sister and his best friend but seeing them be together is a stab in his heart, he won't be able to take.

Hence why he is leaving in a week. He signed up for a Chinese language course in the city. He would live with roommates in some dorm he had booked through call. No one but his parents and Kyungsoo knew of it. Most of all he will be away from everyone and everything. 

The choice sounds almost stupid if thought, however Baekhyun would rather sabotage his own social life than accidentally hurt his sister or Chanyeol.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" The omega asked, breaking the silence.

Chanyeol nodded and started with hesitation. "I am very nervous about tomorrow..Actually not just tomorrow about everything. I don't know how to be a good alpha, let alone a good mate. Biyul noona is so different from me and all I know about her is from you Baek…I feel like I will mess it all up."

Baekhyun looked at his friend. They were just 19, barely adults. However in the pack it was considered the perfect age to settle down. Even though you have never experienced the real world properly. 

"You know my noona won't judge you for messing up. She has that reserved for only me." Baekhyun bit his lips, hesitant about whether he should laugh, trying to make the atmosphere lighter. 

"Biyul noona isn't the problem. She is great, she always gives us juice when we play games in your room and she sides with me when I try to roast you." 

Baekhyun glared at Chanyeol, chugging a piece of rock on the alpha. 

Chanyeol laughed though he stopped before it could sound joyous. "Everything feels weird, Baek. Getting married and bonded is a very difficult thing. I don't know if I will be able to take it. You know before calling you I was actually planning to run away. I didn't know where or how but I just wanted to go. 

"But I can't. It's wrong for me to run away from my problems. In fact, getting married shouldn't even be a problem for me. Biyul noona is such an amazing person that I should be happy and grateful. Instead I am being a complete coward because I don't think I am ready for this at all. It feels..wrong…"

Tears were falling from the alphas' eyes , unable to control it. Chanyeol had every right to cry, at least to Baekhyun he did. The omega himself wanted to cry but refrained from it as this wasn't his place. So he did the least he could do and moved closer to the tall giant, embracing him and releasing calming pheromones in the least possible amount so as to not overwhelm Chanyeol.

Chanyeol hugged him back, sobbing into the omega's neck so close to his pheromone gland that it would have been frowned upon by elders. Baekhyun however did not care because this was Chanyeol, his best friend, the boy he loved for as long as he understood what love was.

 "You will do great, Yeol. You are an amazing alpha. You're kind, helpful and have many talents. You will be an amazing mate I know. Anyone would be lucky to have you as a mate, let alone my sister." 

Baekhyun wiped the tears off the taller man's face when he finally looked at him. "You won't mess up, Chanyeol. You will do as amazing as you are. I promise you that because I know you the best."

Chanyeol's eyes were still glossy. He could see the fear and reluctance in the alpha's eyes but there was something else, he couldn't quite figure out. 

"I want to trust you, Baek but I am still not sure…" 

Baekhyun forced a smile onto his face. "Then don't listen to your brain right now. Listen to me and listen to the stupid blood pumping heart of yours that says nothing. Trust me..I won't ever lie to you.."

What happened in the next few seconds was a blur to Baekhyun. He didn't know who leaned in first or how it happened but somehow he was kissing Chanyeol, or Chanyeol was kissing him.

It wasn't like Baekhyun had never kissed anyone. It had only been a few weeks since he broke up with Yixing so it wasn't new. When he first presented he had also experimented with kissing Sehun though both of them like to never think about that moment. 

But it all felt different, kissing Chanyeol felt the biggest virtue and sin at the same time. Their lips molded together like perfect puzzle pieces. His lips were so soft that Baekhyun could compare them to soft cotton.

The slight grip on his waist pulling him close made him feel like the luckiest man on earth and the worst person at the same time. He could hear the alphas heartbeat and breathing but he much rather focused on quietly nibbling the other bottom lip. 

They only separated when both of them ran out of breaths, placing their foreheads together. It was only when Baekhyun had looked into Chanyeol's eyes that he realized what he had done.

He pushed the taller rather harshly as he moved away from him. "I-I.. We shouldn't have..Fuck!!" 

"Baek. Listen to m—"

"No..no no no, I am sorry. This was wrong. This was a mistake.. You're getting married tomorrow an-and, no fuck.." Baekhyun was hyperventilating as he spoke. "I should go. I am so sorry I-"

Baekhyun ran out of the cave as quickly as possible ignoring the alphas' calls. 

He didn't realize why his omega was being this restless as he ran away from there nor did he hear the sound of Chanyeol falling onto his knees releasing a painful grunt. 

Baekhyun didn't see Chanyeol after that. He sneaked away from his wedding not being in a position to see them. He left for the city 6 days early to not have to interact with anyone.

When everyone was gushing over Chanyeol and Biyul's perfect pair, Baekhyun was moving out towards the train station under the moon which looked like it was covered by clouds to make him more miserable. 

Baekhyun was in the station. Alas not in the village but back in the city. Does he have a place to stay? No. Does he know where his friends live now after he came back? No. Does he have Luhan's number on speed dial and knows the older will pick up at any time of the day? Yes.

So that's what he did at 5 in the morning. "Hey, Lu.."

"What's up Baek? Why are you calling this early?" Luhan replied in a very clearly sleepy voice.

"Would you mind if I come over? I'm here."

Luhan paused for a moment realizing something had definitely gone wrong. "I'll send you the address. Be safe please."

"I know you didn't just randomly come over because you missed me Baek. You don't love me that much." 

Luhan lived in a small apartment close to their old dorm. It was cozy and definitely enough for one person. Baekhyun sat on the couch, fiddling with his chipped nails as Luhan judgingly stared at him from a stool across. 

"That's not true. I do love you. That's why I came here…" Even someone with zero EQ would be able to tell that Baek was clearly lying. He did love his friend but that is definitely not why he came over.

"Quit lying. I forgive you because I couldn't attend your wedding. Consider it payback or something I don't know." 

Baekhyun's face tensed when he heard Luhan mention his wedding, he was still all messed up from what happened the last day. 

Luhan noticed instantly. "It's something about Chanyeol isn't it?"

Baekhyun looked at Luhan in shock. "How did you know?"

Luhan smiled at the younger and ruffled his hair. "I know you Baek. I also know how you are in love with him and think I don't know about it." 

Baekhyun's mouth was opened in shock. Luhan had read him like a book made for kindergartners. He never knew Luhan knew about his feelings for Chanyeol, especially because most of his friends other than Kyungsoo were completely oblivious. "Ho-how did you know?.."

"It's obvious, Baek. Your pupils turn into literal hearts when you talk about him. I don't even know how that's physically possible but it does."

"They don't! What the hell are you talking about?" Baekhyun's defensive voice really gave it away.

However, an obvious look from Luhan made the younger one shut up. "Alright. Will you tell me what happened now?"

"Noona…Noona was pregnant.."

As Baekhyun told Luhan the entire story and how he found out about it, there were tears on his face and pain in his voice. He told Luhan everything, the kiss, and the night before Chanyeol's first marriage.

Luhan listened and gave the younger omega a shoulder to cry on till Baekhyun had calmed down a little when the older omega said something that changed Baekhyun's perspective on things.

"You should go back home to Chanyeol."

Baekhyun couldn't figure out why the older one would say something like this. He felt like he was invading Chanyeol's space. A space he had with Biyul. He didn't want to keep hurting his friend like this. "Chanyeol doesn't deserve this."

Luhan sighed, grabbing one of Baekhyun's hands. "I know you are in pain and everything seems cloudy but don't you think you are being selfish? You were going to be an uncle but think about this, Chanyeol was going to be a father. He lost his mate and his child. Don't you think you should be with him for that? Imagine how much pain he is in. Just because he hides it better doesn't mean that it doesn't exist."

"I-I didn't think that. But..he wouldn't want me. I probably remind him of Biyul every time he looks at me. It probably reminds him of everything he lost."

"Shouldn't that be for him to think? Why do you want to decide what he wants? Don't you think he would want his best friend to support him at this time? Don't just think about yourself Baek! Both of you need each other right now, just be a little sensible.."

It all sunk in. Baekhyun went against the very thing he always believed, staying for Chanyeol even if it was from a distance. And he did this time and time again. He left two years ago and he left again. Even if it hurt he broke his promise to himself.

Luhan took a breath, squeezing the younger's hand. "I'll take you home. Don't worry. You don't really need me right now, you need him.."

Did a part of Baekhyun think Luhan only insisted on going with him to meet Sehun? Yes definitely but he appreciated the older more than he could ever express properly.

Because sometimes pack isn't just the people who are always close in proximity or the ones you grew up with. Sometimes they are in the city, kilometers away but always there for you. 

🍫🍫🍫

Chanyeol knew he had fucked up. He pushed too hard. He should have understood what Baekhyun was going through. He shouldn't have kissed him.

Above that he felt it was too fast. He shouldn't be out here trying to live a happy life with Baekhyun when it was his fault that Biyul died. He doesn't deserve to be moving on with life when it's all his fault.

What he felt towards now or from two years ago doesn't matter. He doesn't deserve it after he took away one of the most precious things from his life.

He tried to hide it all, everyone did. Baekhyun still did not know what had actually happened. And as much as he wanted to tell him everything he didn't. Why? Because he knew Baekhyun would leave him again.

But then he did exactly what he feared, drove Baekhyun away from him. Lost him, again because of his own foolishness. 

A few calls with Kyungsoo and Sehun assured him that Baekhyun was safe just in the city with his friend Luhan. His mind still wasn't at ease. He wanted to break down at every moment.

He pushed Baekhyun so far that he had to leave the village again, leaving everything behind just to escape from him. 

His body brought him to the gaming room again. The place where he and Baekhyun had spent the most time together without being completely awkward. A place which made them kids again.

Chanyeol laughed bitterly at the memories. Things were finally about to get better but he shot himself in the foot again. He fell to the floor, hopeless and clueless about what to do. 

That's when he noticed something, a single piece of torn tape on the floor. His eyes widened as he hurried towards the corner to retrieve the box that hid the deepest regrets harbored. 

And there it was, hastily taped back. Clearly opened and seen. 

Baekhyun knew. He knew about it. 

Baekhyun was back. In the station, this time returning. He had Luhan right behind him though not carrying any luggage since Baekhyun was forced to carry one of his own bags and two others of the older's.

"The air here is so fresh." Luhan commented the moment he stepped out of the station.

Baekhyun chuckled. "We live even more deep in. Our pack grounds are in the forests. Just wait till you smell the air there." 

Luhan grinned. "I can run around in my wolf form after so long! I am pretty sure it's so pissed to just be enclosed all the time." 

Baekhyun smiled at the older man. He knew what Luhan was talking about. His time in the city made him miss roaming around freely. His omega was always pissed off when he was in the city. Probably because it had not seen sunlight in a long time.

The walk to the village was long but peaceful. It had been only two days but the cool winds and familiar chaos of the market place calmed his heart more than he thought it would. 

Just as they reached the village Baekhyun spotted Sehun with a huge shocked smile running towards him. However he was very much ignored when the younger man almost crashed into Luhan. 

"Hyung! Why didn't you tell me you're coming here?" Sehun said excitedly.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes at the two. The crush was so obvious it made him barf however he had a mission. "Sehun if you are so happy, mind if he stays with you for the time? Also I really need to run back home. I have to do something."

Before Sehun could even answer he dumped Luhan's luggage on Sehun's feet before sprinting towards his home.

"What was that?"

Luhan smiled. "Let him be. He has a mission and a mate."

The knock on his door made Chanyeol feel worse than he already did. He did not want to see anyone that is not Baekhyun. 

In fact he didn't want to see Baekhyun either, knowing he won't be able to face him.

Alas he opened the door anyway. Before he had the chance to look, comforting arms pulled him in. It didn't take him a second to recognize that strawberry scent. 

"I am sorry..I shouldn't have left.." Baekhyun whispered near his ears. 

Chanyeol's walls all broke when he heard him. He brought his mate closer, breaking down in tears. He held him close not wanting to leave him in any situation. "I am so sorry Baek.. I shouldn't have. I should have respected your boundaries. 

Baekhyun looked at him, cradling his face. "You did nothing wrong. But Chanyeol. Promise me you will tell me everything. I cannot do anything if you refuse to tell me."

Chanyeol sniffed and sobbed but nodded. "I'll. I will tell you everything. Just don't leave me again. I cannot lose you again.."

Baekhyun nodded, trying  not to cry himself. "I won't leave. I'll stay with you. I promise.."

🍓🍓🍓

"Biyul didn't die because of pheromone complications. At least not entirely.."

Baekhyun would finally know how Biyul died, what had exactly happened and why everyone was so adamant on hiding the entire thing for him. However he had a very bad feeling about this all, he could feel a little twist in his heart almost as if it was able to tell that something was terribly wrong.

Chanyeol was getting choked up as he continued, the topic clearly very sensitive to him. "She..died because our bond broke…"

"What?.." 

Baekhyun did not understand anything about this. A bond breaking was a serious issue, it didn't just happen out of nowhere. Sure there were times when people willingly broke off their bonds which was an incredibly painful process in itself but there was no reason for Chanyeol and Biyul to break their bond, his sister was pregnant for God's sake and Chanyeol was aware of it too.

"Chanyeol.. I don't get it..Why would the bond break? You were going to have a child…"

Chanyeol's eyes filled with tears, full of regret and grief. "That was actually one of the major reasons it happened…I will explain it all to you just listen and know that Biyul had nothing to do with this.. It was all my fault, not intentionally but I am to blame.

"That is part of the reason I didn't want to tell you about this. I didn't want you to hate me, Baekhyun…"

"Chanyeol, stop blaming yourself, tell me what happened. I am sure it's not your fault."

Chanyeol sniffed, wiping a tear. "On the day of our mating, we were to be bonded immediately because that's what everyone suggested. But when I marked her it was instantly understandable that our bond was repulsive. We reacted terribly to each other's scents and it used to be physically painful for both of us to turn to our wolf forms.

"It was confusing because a bond doesn't deny itself unless your wolf already has a mate which wasn't the case for any of us..Or that's what we thought it was. The elders suggested that it would get better if Biyul marked me too but whenever we tried that our wolves would actually hurt us and the mark would not stay, healing in mere days.

"But it just got worse… To the point that when any of us were in our heats or ruts we would have to leave the house because of how repulsive or pheromones were. It was weird because I felt my pheromones change when we mated but it did not reassemble her in any way. But the elders pushed us more to try for a child. At first even trying was painful but out of all odds, she got pregnant…"

Chanyeol by now was sobbing, tears covering his face. Reliving everything was worse for him than knowing it was to Baekhyun.

However it didn't mean Baekhyun wasn't shattering. He believed his whole life that Chanyeol and his sister were perfect for each other, complimenting each other like the Yin and Yang but from what he heard nothing was perfect, not even any normal.

As if bond breaking wasn't shocking enough, knowing that they were repulsive to each other and could not even tolerate each other's pheromones was crazy. Everything Baekhyun believed in life stopped making sense. He did not understand anything that happened.

"Chanyeol…" He whispered, not even knowing what to say himself.

Chanyeol sniffed and continued, voice breaking at times. "However..that just made it all worse. Her pheromones got all imbalanced as if her body didn't want to keep the baby. My pheromones just made it worse since we were already repulsive to each other. It all got to such a point that one day our bond just broke. Because she was pregnant she couldn't take it and kept deteriorating. Even before we could take her to the city to get treatment she…"

Chanyeol's voice died as his breathing got worse from the crying and broke down Baekhyun embracing the giant sobbing himself. "It's all my fault…I am the reason it happened."

"Chanyeol..it's not your fault..You couldn't do anything please."

"No Baekhyun..it's my fault that the bond was repulsive, it was my wolf that completely denied it."

"Baek!! Baekhyun!! BAEK—" Chanyeol fell to the floor of the cave, grabbing his chest when a sharp pain hit him.

It wasn't the emotional pain he felt seeing Baekhyun run away after kissing him back and calling it a mistake. It was much worse. Something so painful that his wolf was going crazy and it was difficult to breathe.

His wolf was restlessly running around excited and hurt at the same time, trying to convey something. And that's when he heard it or more like felt it.

"Mate."

But it wasn't that simple, his wolf wouldn't have been in this much pain just because it claimed a mate. His wolf felt rejected when Baekhyun ran away, a rejection it refused to move on from.

"My wolf rejected mine and Biyul's bond because it had already claimed you as a mate the night before. I don't know what triggered it but it happened. And because my wolf already accepted a mate, Biyul's wolf also refused to accept the bond hence why everything was repulsive. But the forceful bonding messed everything up. Biyul died because of me.."

Chanyeol was no more crying, he looked like his soul had died. He had already accepted that it was all his fault, punishing himself everyday for it.

It was only then that Baekhyun realized how differently Chanyeol had been acting. He barely ate and only made foods that Baekhyun liked, not his own favorites. 

The game loving Chanyeol only played when Baekhyun dragged him into it. He was mostly just working at the village center or working at home. Baekhyun doesn't remember the last time Chanyeol took rest on his own will.

He avoided looking at all pictures of Biyul but refused to remove them from the house, as if reminding himself everyday how he had messed it all up.

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol and his almost dead expression. Baekhyun was stunned knowing that Chanyeol had accepted him as his mate years ago but it all was too much to digest for Baekhyun so he discarded all the thoughts and focused on Chanyeol. His suffering mate.

Baekhyun wiped his tears launching himself onto the alpha and holding him close as if Chanyeol would disintegrate the moment he loses his grip. "Yeol..It's not your fault. You didn't know better. The ones who were bad were the ones who pushed you. The elders killed Biyul you tried to save her. Please don't hurt yourself. I cannot see you like this Chanyeol.."

Chanyeol's voice came out broken, barely audible. "But it is my fault.. I should have done something. I should have been careful..I killed her.."

Baekhyun cried hard, not being able to take all the pain himself. He caressed the back of Chanyeol's head knowing they both had the same grief though for completely different reasons. Baekhyun was sad about losing his sister and Chanyeol was filled with the guilt of unintentionally bringing Biyul to her end.

"Baek…I'm sorry.." 

It took a while but Baekhyun was finally able to put Chanyeol to sleep after hours of crying. 

Baekhyun had never seen the alpha in such a state before. He realized just how much Chanyeol had been keeping to himself, all bottled up hidden behind a sweet charming smile.

Even in his sleep Chanyeol was still all shaken up by everything, whispering apologies. Voice laced with so much guilt.

Baekhyun kept caressing Chanyeol's hair softly, lulling him to sleep. He was going through an entirely separate battle, the internal trouble between guilt and longing.

It did not take him long to put two and two together. He understood why his most recent heat seemed so painful or why his scent had changed a little. His wolf was just now learning to accept the mate it chose 2 years ago. 

For two years it did not know why it felt lonely because to his wolf he didn't have a mate but deep inside had already accepted one, years before Chanyeol ever did.

This side of him craved the Alpha, not only his mate by law but also by heart even without a bonded mark. Baekhyun had loved Chanyeol for years silently and now that he finally knew there might be a chance for it to be reciprocated, he yearned for it more than ever.

The other side of him was still drowning in guilt.  The guilt of Biyul not being here and him indirectly being an accomplice to that crime. The guilt of being here playing the role of Chanyeol's mate when this place belonged to Biyul first. The guilt of not doing anything back then and making everything a mess.

Baekhyun thought at the darkest of the night that if that day he didn't run away, or came back when Chanyeol desperately called for him, maybe things would be different. Perhaps he and Chanyeol would have been married for longer. Biyul would be here happy, everything would be fine.

However another sick part of him screamed that it is neither his fault or Chanyeol's. None of this would have happened if they were just given a chance. If only they did not have to be the perfect Alpha or the perfect Omega, Biyul would be here. 

The thing that ruined everything was not them but circumstances.

"Things will get better, Yeol.." Baekhyun whispered to the sleeping figure before moving out of the room to have some time to himself.

"Noona do you ever think what's the point in being the ideal omega? I mean even if you are not exactly the ideal perfect type you are still an omega who can create life. So what's the point."

Biyul smiled at Baekhyun. "I agree with you. In fact I think that the term ideal omega or alpha is a complete lie. You can only be who you are, whether you want to be the worst version of yourself or the best version of yourself makes you a good omega or alpha."

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. "Easy for you to say. As much as I hate to say this because you're annoying but you're basically perfect. Like what kind of omega trait do you not have?"

Biyul smiled a little bitterly. "There are a few things, Baek. If I ever tell you about them, this entire tinted glass in front of you will be shattered."

"Come on Noona, it can't be that bad. It's not like you are a secret psychopath or something." 

Biyul ruffled Baekhyun's hair. "You'll know one day. Don't worry."

"Baek?"

Chanyeol had just woken up, disturbed by some shuffling in the kitchen. What he saw did shock him however it was definitely expected from Baekhyun.

There stood the omega, covered in flour and possibly some eggs making a mess of the entire kitchen counter but grinning at the frying pan. 

He turned to look towards Chanyeol. "Good morning. I made pancakes..Well a pancake. The rest burned and the successful batch had salt instead of sugar.."

Chanyeol shook his head in disbelief, breaking into a smile. "Baek. If I eat the entire pancake, promise me you will never cook anything but instant noodles again. I value my kitchen way too much to let it burn."

Baekhyun smiled back. "Just eat you ungrateful brat. I worked hard for that. Syrups on the table."

"Chanyeol. Don't keep things to yourself please.. I am always here for you and it's not your fault I promise."

Chanyeol sighed nodding a little though still reluctant. "I'm sorry for hiding all of this from you for so long."

Baekhyun placed his palm on top of the alpha's caressing his knuckles to comfort him. "Yeol. Would you mind if I ask you something? You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable."

Chanyeol nodded as a sign for Baekhyun to continue. "How…did you feel when you found out you were going to be a dad? I know you wanted it for a long time.."

Chanyeol hesitated for a long time before finally choosing to speak. "I was happy… I wanted to be a dad for a very long time but I wasn't excited. I kind of figured out that the pregnancy was harming Biyul even more so it wasn't great news. And it was selfish of me because even though we were constantly being pressured to have a child, I kind of wanted a child too. However I knew Biyul did not want to be a mother."

Baekhyun squeezed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Chanyeol took a deep breath. "Biyul did not ever want to be a mom. In fact the only reason we even tried was because the elders kept pressuring us. A part of me is honestly glad that she didn't have to go through it."

Baekhyun thought back to the time when Biyul used to say how he looked at her with tinted glasses and at present they finally shattered. Biyul wasn't the perfect omega either, she also had imperfection and was once again a victim to this cruel system just like him. 

Baekhyun gulped, swallowing a lump in his throat. "I-I never knew that… I just assumed. Fuck.."

"Hey Baek. It's okay. We can't change this. We can just hope that we don't let these things happen to anyone else. And I need your help for that. When I will be made pack alpha, I need you to lead with me. For the pack and everyone else."

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol and saw so much ambition in his eyes that he couldn't help but have faith in him. He nodded silently with a small smile.

"Umm..Do you still want to be a dad?"

"Yes. But not now. One day. I would love to have pups who call me dad."

🍫🍫🍫

14 weeks after Biyul's death is the ceremony for Chanyeol's succession as the pack alpha. 

Despite the modern day living of the pack, there were still some things they did that could still be considered almost primitive. Having a head pack alpha was one of them. 

Unlike two to three decades ago, the pack alpha's responsibility was not to fight for land and hunt for food but instead was to maintain law and order in the pack and to make sure all work in the community is running smoothly.

As always the alpha was to be voted in by the elder members of the community and the alpha would take power along with their omega. 

Even though earlier customs forced alpha's to be bonded through a mark, these days a legal marriage was considered good enough.

Hence why Chanyeol and Baekhyun had still not marked each other despite showing clear signs of wanting to strengthen their relationship.

At present, the relationship between Chanyeol and Baekhyun was rather complicated. It was clear that the both harbored  some sort of romantic feelings towards each other. 

This piece of information would have been beneficial if they weren't already married to each other because what are they going to do now? Start casually dating? Become boyfriends? They clearly skipped multiple steps before even confessing to each other. Which they still haven't actually.

However things were changing a little. Well not really changing because they went back to acting exactly like they used to back when they were teens. Clingy, extra touchy and borderline suspicious for any relationship platonic or not.

Though there was something extra now. A sense of acknowledgement between them about having feelings for each other and not just being confused or pining over one sided affections.

"Yeol. Stop panicking, it's just a stupid ceremony. You already do half of the work you're supposed to do!"

The ceremony was rather simple. It took place under the moonlight like every other ceremony while wearing the same old ceremonial robes (Luhan had commented on how they should really step up their fashion game and Baekhyun couldn't agree less). 

The previous head alpha, this time being Mr. Zhang or Yixing's father, would pass on the age-old totem of the pack to Chanyeol and the younger alpha would have to take an oath to serve the pack. Easy and simple. Baekhyun had no idea why Chanyeol was having a panic attack that was almost making him cry.

"It's not about the ceremony, Baek. What if I can't take responsibility? What if all the promises I made to you and myself get broken because I am incompetent? I mean look at Mr. Zhang, he was one of the best pack alphas we ever had and he and I have nothing in common. My height is not going to save me this time."

The speed in which Chanyeol talked made Baekhyun think that the older man would make a great rapper in another life. Even though the omega could only register half of what the taller said he still rolled his eyes putting on a smug expression.

"Chanyeol, you might be the pack alpha but I will still be here to help you in every step. Now we know I am clearly the smarter one among the two of us but you have great skills. So if you combine your skills with my amazing brain and skills I promise you we can bring the change we want."

Strangely enough Baekhyun's highly confident and narcissistic speech calmed down Chanyeol a considerable amount. "Promise?"

"A thousand push ups." Baekhyun grinned. 

Chanyeol raised a confused eyebrow. "I don't understand your pop culture references Baek."

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. "I promise." He smiled and moved closer to enclosed his arms around the older, engulfing him in a tight, comforting hug. "I believe in you." 

"I Park Chanyeol, stand today under the moon goddess, take the oath to serve my community and pack with my life. As the pack alpha I pledge to diligently do my duty of maintaining harmony and protecting the pack. As I take this responsibility with my lawful omega Byun Baekhyun, I promise to let every Alpha, Beta or Omega in this land be free to be who they are and let them depend on us whenever they need to."

Baekhyun who stood beside Chanyeol— having placed his hands lightly on the totem the alpha's holding—smiled at the pledge. He trusted Chanyeol and knew him well enough to know that he would fulfill each and everyone of the promises he made today.

He thinks that there cannot be anyone else with a soul as pure as Chanyeol's. Someone so caring, kind and selfless has to be a rare piece found once in every century. In some ways Baekhyun really admires the alpha. He was almost perfect, the only flaw being his habit of keeping things to himself.

These are a few moments when the omega realizes why he fell for Chanyeol in the first place. The reason why his love runs so deep with no way to get back to shore. The alpha in every version; whether as a 6 year old covered in mud, a teen playing the guitar on stage for the first time or as the adult standing here taking responsibility, was the definition of perfection to Baekhyun. 

When the ceremony concluded Chanyeol nervously looked at Baekhyun, asking for reassurance about whether he had done everything correctly.

Baekhyun smiled softly at the alpha, nodding slightly. He had never been prouder of the taller nor has he loved him as much as he currently does. All he knows about tomorrow is that his love will probably just increase even more. 

"I am so sad I had to come back and miss the ceremony, Baek."

Luhan's trip to the village had extended way more than Luhan's work would allow him to, forcing the older omega to go back to the city again.

Baekhyun had pretty much figured out that something had gone down between Luhan and Sehun in these two weeks so he knew he would see his friend more often from now. This knowledge was joyful to both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo who had taken quite a fondness towards the older omega. 

"It's fine Lu. I'll send you all the pictures the moment I get all of them, okay?"

Baekhyun could basically hear the grin through the phone call. "And I am very eager to receive them. Anyway, enjoy your day tomorrow. It's almost your birthday. I'm too sleepy to be awake for another 10 minutes though so I'm gonna go."

Baekhyun laughed at Luhan. "Thank you for remembering. It's fine, have your beauty sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

The omega sighed as he cut the call. He was turning 22 tomorrow, not a very monumental age if he is being honest. Also marking the first birthday Biyul wouldn't be here. 

He might have spent his last two birthdays away from everyone but he still talked to his sister on call, knowing that this year even that would not be possible was a heart breaking realization for him.

He put on a small smile on his face, he really missed his big sister. However after a long time he had finally accepted her death with a heavy heart. Biyul would forever be his big sister, the one to protect him from even a single scratch and wherever she is in heaven, she is looking down and judging her brother. "I really wish you were here, noona."

"Baek can you come down!!" Chanyeol shouted from the bottom of the staircase.

Baekhyun had no idea what the alpha was doing downstairs this late at night but he was way too exhausted to question it. He got up from the bed and slowly made his way downstairs. 

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" Chanyeol shouted the moment Baekhyun came down the stairs. The living room was not overly decorated. Just a classy happy birthday sign on the wall and a few flowers here and there along with the room being illuminated by a few scented candles. 

The best piece of decoration by far was Chanyeol, in his pajamas holding a cake topped with strawberries, clearly iced by an amateur. The cherry on top was the huge grin on the alpha's face, more excited than Baekhyun about the omega's birthday.

"Yeol..You didn't have to." Baekhyun broke into a smile due to all the emotions that overwhelmed him. 

Chanyeol snorted at him. "Of course I had to. I missed two of your birthdays, both very important. This was my only chance at redemption. Now make a wish and blow the candles."

The omega nodded with a small smile trying to not break down. He joined his palms together making his wish before blowing the candles starting Chanyeol's queued up happy birthday song that he sang in his melodious voice.

After a bit of cake smearing on each other's faces and Baekhyun gobbling up two of the strawberries on top of the cake the both of them finally fed each other a slice like civil people.

"The cake's okay? I am used to cooking but I don't bake much so I'm not sure." Chanyeol asked nervously.

"It's perfect. You are my personal baker now, Yeol. This is really good." Baekhyun somehow said while licking off the rest of the frosting from his fingers and the plastic knife he used to cut the cake. 

Gulping down everything Baekhyun looked up, staring into Chanyeol's eyes. 

In no time they leaned closer, closing their lips together. The kiss was soft, slow and full of the flavor of strawberries and vanilla frosting. This time when they broke the kiss no one ran away. They kept their promises, just staying here for each other.

"Happy Birthday Baek." 

'I wish me and Chanyeol can finally stay together without any issues.'

🍓🍓🍓

17 weeks after Biyul's death, Chanyeol starts panicking for the first time in the last three weeks.

The last three weeks with Baekhyun have been dreamy to Chanyeol. Even though they did not say anything to each other verbally, their dynamics have gotten much more intimate than before. And that makes the alpha giddy every second.

They would hug each other for no reason. Cuddle up at night without one of them overthinking and share short kisses before one leaves the house. It was the domestic life with Baekhyun that Chanyeol used to feel guilty for having dreams about. 

Sometimes it wasn't all cutesy and sweet though. One thing Chanyeol figured out was that he cannot keep his hands off his mate hence why a normal kiss would more often than not turn into a heated make out session that was definitely not pg-13. 

They didn't cross any other lines though. The maximum they did was kiss with lots of tongue (as Baekhyun likes to describe it to Kyungsoo) and some desperate under the shirt caresses. The alpha however did not mind at all because he wanted to take it slow. 

He believed that their romantic feelings for each other—at least acknowledged romantic feelings—were quite recent and fresh. It was pretty standard to wait and test the waters before doing anything.

All the reason why Chanyeol is seriously panicking right now while sitting in Baekhyun's childhood room where he has spent hours in his youth. 

The day started normally. It was the weekend and Baekhyun suggested that they visit his parents for lunch as the old couple have been pestering the omega for quite some time. 

Chanyeol agreed, having no plans other than having a family splitting battle of Mario kart with Baekhyun, their standard Sunday routine. 

Having nothing to do unlike his husband who apparently had a ton of work in his house, he started looking around Baekhyun's childhood room. It was almost exactly the same as it was when they were teens. 

The band posters, the weird futuristic models Baekhyun had a strange fascination towards and a board with Baekhyun's favorite pictures. It was still mostly filled with selfies he and the omega took but had new additions like pictures with Luhan and another boy Chanyeol guessed was Tao.

It made Chanyeol feel a sense of relief knowing that even far away from home Baekhyun had people who would care for him and love him like he does. He was glad Luhan and Tao were there for his mate when he wasn't.

However the comforting feeling soon left his system when he discovered a small leather cover diary on the study table Chanyeol instantly recognized as a gift he had given the smaller some event he doesn't quite remember.

He remembers Baekhyun complaining about how stupid writing a diary is because it's still a secret and doesn't change anything about what you're hiding. Hence why Chanyeol was shocked that the omega still kept the diary all this time.

He picked it up with a small smile and opened the diary to see just how many pages were actually filled. 

17th February ***3

Diary writing is so stupid. The only reason I am writing  something is so that Chanyeol doesn't sulk about not being happy with his valentines day gift. Also why did he even give me a valentine's gift?!?! I am so pissed off at him for doing this. He says it's brolentines. I swear I don't know why I am even friends with this idiot.

Chanyeol chuckled. So he had given this on valentines. The act should be considered weird but honestly it's not even the weirdest thing the two have even done in regards to each other.

26th July ***3

So, yes, I still think this diary thing is stupid but I kind of just wanted to vent. I hate when some omega's cover Chanyeol with their scent and the tree sized idiot acts unaware. I know it makes him uncomfortable and he is too nice to tell someone off but if not for himself then maybe he could start being a little sensible for me. Chanyeol's natural scent does not go with any of the omega's who desperately want a piece of him. In fact the only scent I can tolerate mixed with his is my own. Other scents make me vomit. I know Chanyeol is attractive and everyone has a crush on him but STOP STINKING UP MY BEST FRIEND!!!

An unknowing smile made its way to Chanyeol's face. He was happy to know that Baekhyun and him shared the thought of hating any scent on the other that wasn't their own. He also agreed that Baekhyun's fresh strawberry scent pairs really well with his own chocolatey smell. 

It's something he started to notice when he felt his and Baekhyun's scent mixing together as their wolves got more comfortable with each other as chosen mates. He didn't know if this was a common phenomenon or not but he definitely preferred Baekhyun having undertones of his own chocolate scent.

 9th April ***4

It sure has been a while since I wrote something down in this…So, I told Kyungsoo today. Well more like he found out. And the situation was so embarrassing I needed to vent. The town had some kind of weird swimming competition for all Alpha's today and obviously Mr. Tall Elf ear giant had to participate. Then came the vision of my nightmares (wet dreams), Park fucking Chanyeol shirtless dripping water as he wins the race leaving everyone behind. I gasped so hard that I CHOKED!!! To that Kyungsoo gave me water and said "Try to close your mouth next time, you aren't that subtle". EXCUSE ME?!?!! Do you see me commenting on Kyungsoo eye fucking Kim Jongin when he brushes his hair back with a grin?!? HOW DISRESPECTFUL!!! Anyway I told him about my feelings towards Chanyeol and he just laughed saying "It was obvious dude". So I only have one best friend now and Kyungsoo is dead to me. 

 Chanyeol scrunched his eyebrows. Feelings?.. what? This diary note is 7 years old back when they were 15. The alpha did not really know what was going on. It cannot be that Baekhyun has liked him from that time and he was an idiot who only noticed now, right? He flipped another page just to see if it was true.

30th August ***4

I hate Park Fucking Chanyeol so much. Why does he have to be sweet and nice to everyone?? And why does everyone have a crush on him?!! It's not just Omegas but Betas and Alphas also fawn over him. WHY?!!! Can't I be his one and only at least in this aspect? The only one who loves him?!! Why does everyone want to fuck him?!!!?

27th November ***4 

It was Chanyeol's birthday today. He finally turned 15 and chose to pester me the moment that happened. I gave him his birthday gift. A simple mass produced jersey of his favorite basketball player. And that stupid little minx jumped and hugged me and thanked me a million times as if I gave him my kidneys. Why does he play with my feelings like this?! I know he doesn't know how I feel but he could at least be normal! Fuck!! I just keep falling for him even more.

Chanyeol's throat closed from guilt. He cannot believe he hurt Baekhyun this much by just doing what he thought was okay. He knew their relationship was never typical and sometimes could even be considered a little too intimate, he was always aware of this but still chose to keep doing everything the same way. He never once thought what the Omega might be thinking.

With a heavy heart, he flipped to the last page that had a huge time skip. 

17th February ***9

It's been a while since I wrote something down but I needed to. I have made my decision, I am going to break up with Yixing hyung. I like him, he is really nice and we have a lot of shared interests but I cannot keep hurting him like this. Because I can never love him like I love Chanyeol. This is so stupid that I still love Chanyeol so much even when he is getting married to my sister next fucking month. But I can't help it. I love Chanyeol so much that I am incapable of even being interested in someone else. So I have a few plans. I will break up with Yixing hyung and wait till my application for the language course gets approved. If it does get approved I would leave around a week after Chanyeol and Noona get married. This is the best option for everyone because I don't think I would be able to live seeing Chanyeol and Noona being together as mates. I don't want to be the boulder between their ideal pair…

Chanyeol couldn't breathe properly, tears fell from his face as guilt enveloped him. Baekhyun had always loved him and he did nothing.. All he did was sit quietly and ignore his own complicated feelings towards Baekhyun.

This all could have been avoided if he just spoke up. Baekhyun loved him quietly for so many years and all he did was unknowingly lead the omega on.

Just when he was about to break down into another set of sobs Baekhyun came in through the door and got tensed upon seeing the alpha in such a disheveled state. "Chanyeol!! Are you okay? Yeol why are you crying? Did you get hurt?!" Baekhyun sat beside him on the floor.

"Baek.. I'm sorry. I hurt you for so many years. I was an idiot. I am so sorry.." Chanyeol cried.

"What are you talking about Yeol? What happened--" That's when Baekhyun noticed the leather covered diary on the floor. "Fuck.. This is so embarrassing..."

Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun sobbing and rubbing his already red nose. "It's embarrassing for me. You loved me for so many years and I couldn't give them back to you because of my own foolishness."

Baekhyun shook his head in disbelief. "Yeol. It's fine. It doesn't matter what happened years ago, you know I love you and I know that you love me, what wasn't said doesn't matter." Baekhyun cradled the alphas face.

Chanyeol still kept sobbing and apologizing. "But it's still my fault. I hurt you for years Baek.."

"Chanyeol.. Do you know one of the reasons why I love you so much? It's because you are incapable of hurting someone intentionally. You are such a pure and considerate person that you would rather die than hurt someone. You didn't mean to hurt me, Yeol. No one knew about my feelings other than Kyungsoo. I was the one who chose to hide them. It's not your fault for not knowing when I never wanted you to know."

Chanyeol hugged Baekhyun tightly. "I'm still sorry. I didn't know how I felt back then but if I knew about your feelings I am sure things could have been different. I am sorry but I promise to make up for all the years you loved me without expecting anything in return."

Baekhyun smiled at the crying alpha, he really doesn't know how someone like Chanyeol can exist in the real world but he is definitely the luckiest person ever to have the opportunity to love him and receive his love.

"I love you so much Yeol. I am so glad to finally have you all to myself."

Chanyeol sobbed but nodded. "I love you too.. I love you so much Baek. I am so sorry it took me so long to realize this but I love you so much."

Baekhyun smiled, placing a gentle kiss on the alpha's forehead, a reminder of what he has gotten after years of pain. His Chanyeol.

Baekhyun learned the meaning of pack through the alpha. Pack meant love but to Baekhyun love always meant Park Chanyeol. Hence why Pack to Baekhyun meant Chanyeol, his mate, his husband, his love, his life.

🍫🍫🍫

18 weeks after Biyul's death, Baekhyun popped the question. 

Did it take him hours of procrastination and overthinking to come to this point? Yes. Does one part of Baekhyun still think that maybe he is not making the right decision? Also yes. But is he still going to go through with it? (Maybe to only prove to Kyungsoo and Luhan that he is not a coward) Definitely.

It started normally. Chanyeol came back from work, the two married mates kissed for way too long to be considered appropriate and then Baekhyun helped the alpha cook their dinner. 

8th bite into stir fried vegetables, Baekhyun finally said it. "Do you want to spend my heat with me?"

Chanyeol choked on a very bushy piece of broccoli, coughing loudly and looking at the shorter with eyes as big as bowls. "What di-did you say?.."

"Spend my heat with me?" Baekhyun asked nervously, all his gathered confidence turning to dust.

Chanyeol hesitated for a moment before holding both of Baekhyun's hands and slowly caressing them with his thumbs. "Baek. Are you sure? This is a huge thing. I want you to be completely positive that you want this or I am okay with any decision you make."

Baekhyun smiled gently at the alpha. "I am confident, I want this. There is no one else I trust more than you. I want you to be the first and only person I spend my heats with."

Chanyeol's eyes turned glossy from the sheer adoration he had for the omega. "Thank you so much for trusting me. I promise I will make sure you are as comfortable as possible. I love you so much. Now when does your heat start? I know exposure to pheromones messed up all your signs and usual cycle time so I couldn't figure it out. I will prepare everything accordingly."

Baekhyun smiled nervously. "Umm..day after tomorrow?…"

"DAY AFTER TOMORROW?!!!? Why did you wait so long to tell me?! We don't have enough groceries. We need ready to eat stuff. I need to get your birth control from your doctor. And I refuse to have our first time when you are not in your senses! Goodness you are probably already in pre-heat there is not enough ti—" 

Baekhyun shut the taller one up by roughly placing his lips on the alphas. "I don't know about the other things I know you will figure out tomorrow but there is something you can do right now."

Chanyeol stared at Baekhyun dumbfounded for a good 10 seconds before muttering a few curses underneath his breath. "I swear you will be the death of me, baby."

Chanyeol made space on the table and put Baekhyun on it in a swift motion. "Are you still sure?"

Baekhyun grabbed Chanyeol by the collar pulling him closer. "Park Chanyeol I did not remain celibate the last 22 years of my life only for you to keep me waiting for longer. If you don't do this I am actually going to make you suffer."

"Fuck, your threats turn me on even more." Chanyeol whispered before closing the gap between the two yet again, rougher than before.

The kiss was intense, not unfamiliar territory for them in recent days. Chanyeol slid his hand inside of the shirt the smaller was wearing, wrapping his arm around the omega's waist and squeezing it which made Baekhyun moan and open his mouth giving the alpha the perfect opportunity to slide his tongue in.

Baekhyun looped his arms around the taller one to pull him closer and lightly nibbled on his bottom lip to signify that he needed to take a breath. 

Both of them were breathing heavily when Chanyeol broke the kiss but still in close proximity. "Bedroom?.." The alpha whispered. 

"Please. I don't want my back to give out." 

Chanyeol smiled before lifting the smaller up in a swift motion and headed to the stairs.

The moment both of them entered through the door Baekhyun was thrown onto the bed (Gently, unfortunately for Baekhyun's kinky side). Chanyeol hovered over the omega and removed his own shirt before joining their lips again into another heated kiss, only breaking it to remove the half crumpled shirt on Baekhyun.

In a swift motion the taller removed Baekhyun's trousers leaving the omega only in his underwear that was already soaked. "Fuck, Baek you are so wet already. So ready just for me." 

Baekhyun whined, pre-heat mixed with Chanyeol's aroused scent and voice making him delirious. "Yeol..Please."

Chanyeol placed a soft kiss on the smaller's forehead. "I will, baby. I will make you feel so good I promise."

Chanyeol removed his own sweat pants and moved his focus to the whining, wet omega. He tugged on Baekhyun's waist band, sliding his hands to meet the omegas soaking hole, neglecting his equally wet cock.

Chanyeol's fingers circled around the rim, pushing in some of the oozing slick back inside. "You're oozing so much slick , are you sure you aren't already in heat Baek?" He smirked to which Baekhyun covered his red face. 

"Yeol.. Please. Stop fucking teasing me.." Baekhyun whined, punching Chanyeol's shoulder lightly, gaining a chuckle from the taller. 

Chanyeol removed the dripping underwear off of Baekhyun and pulled his legs on his shoulders. "Trust me." He whispered before moving his face down and kissing Baekhyun's slick soaked rim.

"Wh-what are you doin—fuck!" Baekhyun moaned the moment Chanyeol's tongue poked him inside. "Chanyeol…fuck.."

Baekhyun could almost hear the taller's grin while his tongue moved around Baekhyun's insides. The smaller could barely hold in his moans as Chanyeol thrust into him with his tongue, eating him out.

Chanyeol suddenly stopped, drawing out a whiny moan from the omega. "Baby don't worry. I didn't want you to come from just my tongue." Chanyeol peppered a few kisses all over Baekhyun's face before moving down to his bare neck while simultaneously pushing a single finger into the omega's loosened rim. "You smell so good, baby. You smell just like mine.”

"Yeol hurry." Baekhyun cried, over stimulated by everything. 

Chanyeol thrusted in two fingers, one at a time, intentionally going slow and hitting his prostate with every movement, scissoring him open easily with the amount of slick that oozed out of the omega.

In less than no time Chanyeol was thrusting in three fingers easily. Knowing the smaller could take him without any problem, he withdrew his finger and pulled down his own waistband freeing his hard erection. 

"I'll be gentle. Just stay calm and it won't hurt at all." Chanyeol kissed both of Baekhyun's eyelids, positioning himself. 

He slowly pushed in eliciting the filthiest sounds from Baekhyun which sounded like music to the alpha's ears. When he was all in he waited for a moment for Baekhyun to adjust.

After a few minutes Baekhyun had adjusted to the size and the overstimulation. When his pain started subsiding, the smaller spoke again. "You can move now."

Chanyeol waited for a moment kissing Baekhyun again before pulling out and thrusting in at one go, drawing out a loud groan from the smaller. 

The alpha kept his pace slow and constant making sure he gave Baekhyun utmost pleasure while not hurting him at all. He kept peppering short kisses and hickies all over the smaller’s body, marking every part of his body.

The room was filled with the sound of their moans and skin slapping and surrounded by the mixed scents of the husbands pheromones. 

"Yeol.. I'm close.." Baekhyun whispered amidst the messy kisses and moans. 

"Me too.. Just hold on a minute.." 

In less than a minute both of them came undone, Chanyeol pulling out before he could knot Baekhyun. He didn't want that now. He wanted to take things slow.

The taller one collapsed beside Baekhyun nuzzling into his scent glad and taking in the scent of fresh strawberries now mixed with chocolate. "Are you okay?"

Baekhyun smiled in between the heavy breathing. "Better than ever. Are you fine? What about your knot?" He asked with a concerned look. 

Chanyeol smiled, kissing the smaller's forehead. "I'm fine, don't worry about it. Let's just focus on you for now Baek." 

Baekhyun turned around to face Chanyeol. "I love you Yeol.. Thank you for being in my life."

Chanyeol smiled back. "I love you too. So much. I don't know what I would be if I didn't have you with me." 

Both of them didn't say anything after that, their gentle embrace doing the talking for them. They were here, together and for each other. And that was enough. 

🍓🍓🍓

"Why the fuck did you buy three types of birth control?"

Chanyeol pursed his lips, hesitating before speaking. "Umm..For safety?.. You do know that our pheromones affect each other a lot right? Which means it would most likely drive us crazy and we'll lose control and since it's your heat I don't want to risk anything. Also because I don't know what birth control would work for you, which makes me a terrible mate, I'm aware but I am more than willing to learn about it to make sure you are always healthy and safe."

Baekhyun sighed before breaking into a smile. "Idiot." He embraced the alpha, nuzzling onto his scent gland. "I will teach you all about birth control after my heat, I promise." He whiffed a scent of Chanyeol's pheromones.

Chanyeol tried to scent the omega but stopped in his tracks. "Baek. I think your heat is going to start in a few hours. Your scent smells intense." 

Baekhyun nodded. "I know. I can feel it. Have you applied for leave yet? I am not letting you out of the house for at least 4 days."

Chanyeol nodded with a smile ruffling the smaller's hair. "I have prepared everything. Now get some sleep before you get hit by the fever badly and can't think anymore." He placed a feathery kiss on Baekhyun's forehead.

"Fuck you smell so good."

Baekhyun's heat had hit exactly when they had predicted, at night. Cuddles turned to small kisses turned to full blown making out to this. Both of their clothes vanished in seconds and Chanyeol kept on kissing and nibbling on Baekhyun's skin all over, clearly intoxicated by the omegas pheromones. 

"Chanyeol please..I need it so bad." Baekhyun cried, becoming more delirious each second. 

Chanyeol groaned a little before pushing in two fingers into the omega's rim at the same time. Slick oozed out as the alpha's long fingers thrust in at a fast hurried pace. 

Chanyeol added one more finger drawing out a rather dragged moan from the omega who's pheromones were spilling out all over the room in copious amounts getting his alpha even more drunk on his strawberry scent.

"Chanyeol please.." He cried out louder when the alpha retrieved three of his fingers together, leaving the gaping hole empty behind. 

Chanyeol distracted Baekhyun from the sudden loss by kissing him intensely and lining himself at the smaller's entrance at the same time. "Stay put baby." He whispered in the middle of the kiss as he slowly pushed himself in, sliding into the slick entrance with ease.

Baekhyun's breath hitched and his back curved as the alpha retreated and pushed back at once, filling him up to a brim. "Fuck..f-feels so good, Yeol.." He moaned out. Baekhyun soon spilled out from his neglected cock. 

The alpha smiled, and slowly fell into a steady comfortable pace for both him and Baekhyun. However as another wave of fever hit the omega he got even more needy and whiny. "Yeol..your knot please..I want your knot so bad."

Chanyeol let out another desperate groan. He could feel his knot growing slowly so he increased his pace, hands gripping at the smaller's waist, leaving red marks. "You're so beautiful like this Baek..All mine to ruin." He whispered before pulling the younger into another heated kiss. 

Baekhyun could feel the alpha's knot inflating inside him and filling him up. He could feel the alpha's knot up to his throat. His back arched at the combined pain and pleasure. Soon he felt Chanyeol spilling his seed inside of him. "So good..Alpha..fill me up more..Need your pups." Baekhyun cried as the warmth spread inside of him.

Chanyeol kept on thrusting inside him till he couldn't anymore and collapsed on top of the smaller. Their heavy breathings were the only thing other than the mix of their scents in the room. 

Baekhyun was coming out of his trance but he knew this wouldn't last long before his next wave hit. He shook Chanyeol to call him. "Yeol, I need to tell you something."

Chanyeol was definitely tired but not enough to fall asleep so he tried to rise as much as he could with his knot still not deflated inside Baekhyun. "Are you feeling okay?"

Baekhyun nodded with a smile. "Yes. But we need to do something please."

Chanyeol nodded, a queue for Baekhyun to keep talking. "Yeol. Mark me. Please. I don't want this to happen when I am not in a proper state of mind. I want to remember it."

Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun with pure adoration, so much so that his eyes got filled with tears. "Are you sure? I really want to mark you and I also want you to mark me back but I need to make sure you are a hundred percent willing."

Baekhyun smiled at the alpha's concern. "I am. My next wave will hit any time soon so I want you to do it now. I want to mark you too. I want you to be completely mine, Yeol."

Chanyeol did not say anything, instead shifting his face to the omega's scent gland and nuzzling it with his nose, leaving short kisses at times asking for permission.

When Baekhyun moved his head away, exposing more of his neck, Chanyeol took it as a sign and grazed his teeth against the scent gland. "I love you so much, Baek." he whispered before his fangs pierced through the skin. 

Baekhyun groaned at the sensation instantly feeling the changes in his system. He could smell his scent changing and mixing with Chanyeol's. He also smelled the change in the alpha's scent, getting more fruity like his own. 

Still in the overwhelming state, Baekhyun leaned into Chanyeol's neck and reciprocated the action. The change was unmistakable. They could basically feel their wolves calming down and embracing each other. The pull they felt towards each other was strong enough to bend mountains and empty seas. 

After what felt like an eternity they pulled away and saw their pupils glowing golden. It all made sense now.

They were destined mates. 

Tears pooled up in Baekhyun's eyes when he got reminded of all the things they had to face to come to this. One of Chanyeol's palms cradled his face gently at the reaction. The alpha started peppering soft kisses all over Baekhyun's face. 

"I love you so much, Baek. More than I could ever express in words or actions."

Baekhyun bit his lip as a few tears fell from his face. "I love you too. I have never loved anyone as much. No one comes close to how much I love you."

By the time Baekhyun's third wave of heat had hit, Chanyeol's rut also got triggered from the new bond between them. 

Safe to say they were locked in the house for more than a week. But even amidst everything. Chanyeol still made sure that whenever they had time Baekhyun stayed hydrated and well fed. He also made sure that the omega took the pills properly at the correct dose since it was highly likely that this combined affair of their heat and rut could lead to a pregnancy none of them currently wanted.

When Chanyeol's rut ended and the two finally had time to focus on the situation a sense of joy filled them up mutually. They were mates. Bonded for life. Not only were they mates, they were destined mates. Even the chances of destined mates meeting was low. The fact that they knew each other, fell in love and actually got to be together as each other's counterpart was a delight to the married pair.

That is when Baekhyun realized that maybe all of this was supposed to happen. Everything that had happened in his life had led him to this life today, a life with Chanyeol. Because his pack, his life and everything around him was meant to be. Pack was a piece of destiny.

🍫🍫🍫

"Cheers to the newly married couple!!!" The entire gang of friends rejoiced. It had finally happened.

When Chanyeol first became the pack alpha he had never expected he would actually be able to break through tradition and just move along with time, like it was supposed to be. But now that he sat here, his friends married, the feeling of achieving something was flowing through him. 

Sure it took time. It has been three years since he became the pack alpha and got bonded with the love of his life. When he first tried to bring changes in the system there had been immense backlash. The elders would tear him down to shreds every meeting calling him young and inexperienced. 

They opposed everything he decided. However Chanyeol still made changes, starting from small things. He increased the connection between their village and the city to reduce isolation, made it illegal for elders to take decisions on individual family matters and opened vacancies for omegas in jobs that would be considered alpha dominated.

All of these decisions whether small or big affected the strict rigid system they had. His own parents protested against some of his ideas. The elders did not want to see the system they have spent their entire lives in be changed, hence they disagreed with the alpha's choices.

However the thing that made the alpha succeed was his determination. Maybe he got it from his extremely determined mate who fought all the elders in every meeting when they questioned him for wrong reasons.

Actually determination came second. Baekhyun is the reason why he stands here today.

"Goodness Sehun. I cannot believe your silly crush actually got you a mate. Our maknae is married." Baekhyun exclaimed with a fake crying expression sitting beside Chanyeol. 

The two didn't give a toast with champagne, instead just giving verbal congratulations to the new couple. Sehun and Luhan. The very example of change and rebellious love.

Sehun became the first in the pack to marry someone who is not from neighboring packs or their own. Let alone the first one to marry a foreigner. Sehun had fought with the elders for hours to get here with the support of Chanyeol who absolutely needed to win this. 

And now here they were. In the city for the wedding. First of its kind at least in the pack. Sehun decided to move in with Luhan instead of the other way around since Luhan's career is much more demanding of him to stay in the city and Sehun, well he is willing to move across planets if it means Luhan is comfortable.

Seeing his closest friends getting married made Baekhyun really emotional. Chanyeol could see the omega tearing up from the corner of his eyes. "They grow up so fast don't they?" Chanyeol teased Baekhyun who looked up at him with pouty lips and teary eyes. Maybe the smaller's hormones were acting up again.

"It sucks that I can't drink. I would have loved a Bellini." Baekhyun sulked, leaning closer to Chanyeol, who wrapped an arm around him.

"That's why I'm not drinking either, Baek. We can make this small sacrifice for our Hannie right?" Chanyeol kissed the top of Baekhyun's head and softly caressed the omega's slightly noticeable bump. 

Chanyeol thought that his moody, three months pregnant husband was the most beautiful thing in the room. Perfectly tailored suits or decorated rooms were nothing in comparison to how beautiful his omega looks in his formal suit with his belly slightly protruded and the healed bond mark on his neck identical to his own.

Moments like this made him feel victorious not only because he achieved his goals but because the only person he needed in his life was with him at all moments. And now he would have another person to treasure. Park Haneul. He had thought of the name long back especially because it could go for both a girl and a boy.

Chanyeol might not know whether he will have a son or a daughter. Whether they would be an alpha, omega or beta but all he knew was that he is going to treasure them so much. 

"Yeol. I'm sleepy. I am pretty sure Sehun and Luhan are also extremely desperate to leave the ceremony and go have their wedding night, so can we also sneak out and fall asleep like the old people we are?"

Chanyeol chuckled and nodded. "Sure, let's go. And you're not old, baby. You're a glowing youthful 25 year old who is carrying our baby and keeps getting hotter every second."

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, grabbing hold of the alphas hand and dragging him out of the reception hall smiling a little.

Chanyeol let himself be dragged with an adoring grin at Baekhyun. Wherever the omega would take him, Chanyeol would go.

Afterall pack doesn't matter to Chanyeol if Baekhyun isn't a part of it. To Chanyeol the meaning of life starts with the words Byun Baekhyun. Pack is just a small part of it.

Epilogue

"Kyungsoo I swear your godson drives me crazy. If you love him so much, why don't you keep him for a week?" Baekhyun snorted at the call when his Haneul had finally fallen asleep. 

It wasn't the kids' bed time however he tired himself out at pre school today and decided he was going to nap till his dada comes back home. 

Baekhyun couldn't be happier to have some time to himself when he is not working and agreed to let him sleep for a while. Hence why he called Kyungsoo, his best friend who dumped him for his kid, Kyungsoo's godson.

"You are over dramatic, Baek. You were much worse at his age. Hannie is a very calm child." 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, if only Kyungsoo knew that the kid behaved completely differently at home. "Anyway Soo. I'll call you later. Yeol's gonna be back at any minute."

"Alright, love birds. Don't give Hannie a sibling he is too young to fully take it in."

"Shut up. You're one to comment, Mr. I'm carrying twins." Kyungsoo cut the call on Baekhyun's face, making Baekhyun roll his eyes. However, just then he heard the main door being unlocked. 

Before Haneul was born the two of them moved to a slightly bigger house with three rooms instead of two. The gaming room—though still looking like what it's named after—had turned into more of an office for Baekhyun to work in. 

One of the rooms was converted into Haneul's room, all fun, soft and cutesy just like the little boy. 

Baekhyun got down from the bed to see Chanyeol at the door but squinted his eyes at a strange box the alpha was holding. "What did you bring, Yeol?" 

Chanyeol grinned at Baekhyun. "Is Hannie asleep? This is for him." 

As if right on cue Haneul came out of his room rubbing his eyes. "Dada?" 

Chanyeol smiled at the boy, instantly picking him up and making him sit on the couch, handing him the box. "This is for you Hannie. Open it."

Haneul inspected the box carefully before opening it. "A violin?" An excited grin instantly formed on his lips. 

Chanyeol nodded "You wanted to play one right? After seeing Bugs Bunny play it?" 

Haneul nodded excitedly, removing the instrument from its case and instantly handling it with care putting it into position. 

Baekhyun had never seen the boy be so careful and mindful with anything before. He didn't think his son would actually take up this hobby for a long term but Haneul's reaction gave him hope. "Hannie, did you like Dada's gift?" he asked gently.

Haneul nodded again with a huge grin. "I love it!! It's pretty. I will play like big singers too!" He exclaimed, trying to play a note which not to anyone's surprise sounded very offkey. "It sounds bad." The boy pouted at his parents.

"Well that's normal, baby. There will be a teacher who will teach you at the community center every Sunday. Slowly you will also play like big singers." Chanyeol ruffled the boy's hair whose pout changed into a smile of hope. 

"I will play the violin for papa and dada next week. Teacher will teach me on Sunday. Then I will play well!" He smiled with his milk teeth out. 

Baekhyun smiled at the boy. "Of course you will, baby. You will be amazing. Then when you grow up you will play the violin on T.V. and all your friends will watch you." 

Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun and Haneul. Haneul had really gotten all of Baekhyun's exact features with the difference of the boy's ears being identical to his own. It was crazy how they had a mini version of themselves. A restless, cuddly, young music enthusiast version of the couple.

"Let's have dinner? Hannie and Baekkie must be so hungry because dada is." Chanyeol fake sulked at the kid who giggled at the action.

"I heated up the food and Hannie helped me set the plates, didn't you Baby?" Haneul nodded at Baekhyun with a grin and jumped out of the couch not forgetting to gently pack the violin in the case before running towards the table.

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol with his arms crossed. "Even though this goes against our policy of not giving Hannie very expensive things, I have a feeling he is going to grow up to love the violin. I just have a feeling."

"Me too. I have never seen him be this enthusiastic about anything. I have good hopes about this." 

Chanyeol stared at the shorter for a good minute before bringing the omega's hands near his lips and kissing his knuckles. "Dinner."

Baekhyun smiled back at the taller nodding and slowly accompanied the little kid on the table not before stealing a glance at the framed picture of Baekhyun and Biyul as kids, with the same adoring smile. 

🍓🍓🍓