♦ - ♥ - ♦

"Hyung, what's it like? Having a mate?" Mark asked Yuta.

Even though it had been the youngest of the pack that asked, Yuta could feel all eight pairs of eyes from his pack on him. Everyone was curious; it was natural, he guessed. He himself had wondered what it would be like if he were to ever Bond, and if one of the other pack members were in his shoes, he'd want to know, too. So Yuta looked around, making sure Somin wasn't awake yet.

"What about it?  Are you asking me what the Bond felt like when it happened, how we're connected, or how I feel about her?" Yuta asked. His voice was carefully blank while he pretended to be occupied with his biochemistry textbook, but if he were being honest, he might not know how to fully put any of those answers in words.

"All of them," Winwin spoke up. The others seemed to agree.

Sighing, Yuta shut the textbook and looked up, thinking. "The Bond...it would feel different out of wolf form, I think. Definitely. But it was...strong. It's hard to explain it iin words. I just looked at her, just glanced at her, nothing even too deep, and boom. It was like gravity shifted, or something, I don't know. But I'd been grounded by my own feet, and then it felt like I couldn't breathe for a moment. But then I could, and I wasn't grounding me anymore. Somin was. It's like...nothing I'd ever felt before."

Everyone was quiet for a minute after that, trying to take in what he said. It really didn't make sense, though. Not unless you'd experienced it first hand, anyway.

"And the connection?" Doyoung was the one to ask now.

"Mm...not too big of a deal, I think. I just have a sense of her, and her emotions. It was weird at first, but now I'm used to it. I even feel a little anxious if I can't immediately figure out where she is. Right now I can tell she's still asleep, laying on her side. I feel a vague sense of her emotions, and she does mine, too. But we both can get startled by sudden, strong emotions. Surprise is a big one with her--she's a bit jumpy sometimes." Yuta shrugged. "As to how I feel about her..." The wolf paused. "She's my mate. I love her. But...it's not as deep as I know it can be. Not as strong. I'd like to change that, though."

Again, the room was quiet. So quiet that Yuta was starting to feel awkward. Taeyong cleared his throat and changed the subject, making Yuta sigh in relief.

But now that he thought about it, he wondered how exactly Somin had felt. He didn't expect her to love him back, knowing that at this level, his love was mostly driven by the Bond, but the more he began to care about her, the more he fell for her.

♦ - ♥ - ♦

Somin had learned that Winwin was quite clingy. It was endearing--but only to a point.

Somin was by no means used to physical affection, so she felt a bit uncomfortable. He would sidle up against her and wrap his arm, or arms around her. Either it would be around her shoulders, or he'd hook his arm through Somin's while he watched her study, sometimes trying to steal one of her hands so he could hold onto it. Now he was beginning to gently reach out to push her head onto his shoulder so he could put his head on top of hers in return.

Eventually, she became uncomfortable enough that she decided to speak up. "Um, Winwin? Could  you maybe...go cling to one of the guys?"

The wolf made a face at her, looking flabbergasted. "One of the guys? Why would I do that?"

"For the physical affection?"

Then Winwin laughed, shaking his head. "Somin. The main reason why I cling to you is because you're not a guy. You're softer, smaller, you smell sweet, and I like making you squirm." Winking, a grin spread across Winwin's lips as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

But before his lips could land on Somin's cheek, he was p