Imprinting

The small wolf runs through the forest as he howls in despair. His soft white fur is glowing in the darkness of the night as the chilly air touches his small body. But he doesn’t stop. He runs and runs until he can get the scent out of his head, the scent of raindrops and forest trees. The scent of his alpha.

Zitao knows it’s dangerous to be running in the forest so late in the night. He knows that he shouldn’t have left home alone. He is still a pup and he doesn’t have enough strength to fight for himself if anything bad may happen.

But Zitao can’t help it. He had to get out of that house as soon as possible. He had to erase Yifan’s scent from his nostrils or else he will go crazy because of the pain he is feeling in his chest.

His heart aches. His omega is whimpering and his wolf is howling in distress. Zitao just got rejected by the alpha he imprinted on. Because as soon as Zitao imprinted on Yifan, Yifan’s eyes fell on Minseok and the alpha also imprinted.

But not on Zitao. He imprinted on Minseok, Zitao’s elder brother.

“Tao, stop!” he hears Minsek’s voice calling him through their mind link. He knows that Minseok is running after him. He can hear the apology in his elder brother’s voice. Minseok feels so guilty for what happened but it isn’t making Zitao’s heart feel better.

Zitao feels like his heart is going to bleed soon. The wound in his fragile omega heart is too deep. Zitao doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t want to face Yifan, his alpha. He doesn’t want to get rejected again.

The sky lights up and a loud sound of thunder growls into the night, making the white wolf pup whimper in fear. Zitao is scared. But he doesn’t want to stop running. The rain starts pouring not long after and Zitao runs even faster.

“Tao, stop!” Minseok howls loudly and jumps onto his brother’s back, tackling the white pup down. The light brown wolf is only a little bit larger than the pup but his strength is no joke. Even though Minseok is an omega, he is stronger than a pup like Zitao.

Zitao struggles to get free, whimpering in distress.

“Please, Tao. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!” the light brown wolf presses the pup down gently, the latter’s fur as a gesture of apology.

Tao tries to catch his breath, gasping loudly as he feels his lungs burning for air.

And then he shifts.

He shifts back to his human form, an adolescent not more than fourteen years old but taller than an omega should be at that age. Feline like eyes b with tears and pretty bow shaped lips trembling as he cries.

“It…It hurts, hyung. It hurts so much. Why did I have to fall for him?” Zitao sobs pitifully, burying his face in the soft fur of the light brown wolf. Minseok can feel the pain his baby brother is feeling. He can hear everything Zitao is thinking through the mind link but he can do nothing. He feels so useless right now because it all happened because of him.

Zitao is taller than most omegas his age but he still has the heart of a pup. His heart is so fragile and Minseok can’t bear to see his little brother breaking down like this.

Minseok whimpers and presses himself closer to Zitao’s body. The rain is worsening and the sounds of the thunder are getting louder. He can feel how Zitao is trembling in fear. Zitao is afraid of thunders and Minseok knows it. He the pup’s cheek in a comforting way, trying to calm him down.

He doesn’t want Zitao to cry anymore. So, he provides him with the only words he can manage to find, “I’m sorry, Tao. You’ll be okay, don’t cry, please. One day, he will love you back.”

And Zitao cries even louder.

“Tao, you need to wake up. Right now,” Minseok scolds his younger brother, eyebrows furrowed to create a frown in the middle of his forehead to show that he is really displeased.

Zitao whines in his sleep, “But, hyung, I don’t want to go there.”

Minseok sighs exasperatedly at the younger omega’s childish behavior. Zitao is always so whiny in the morning that it gets irritating to wake him up sometimes. “Tao, you know that we need to go. I also have to help Baekhyun in the head alpha’s house. You need to go accompany the other omegas to pick up cherries from the forest.”

With a very visible pout, Zitao sits up on the bed and rubs his eyes groggily to make the sleepiness in his eyes go away. Minseok is right. Just because he loves to spend the whole morning wrapped up in the warmth of his bedsheets doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have to help the other omegas and fulfill his pack duties as an omega.

Ever since Zitao has turned seventeen, he has been ordered by the head alpha, Jongin, to help the other omegas and start carrying out his duties in the pack. He is still considered a pup but he is not too young as he has already experienced his first heat at the age of sixteen.

Minseok is now twenty-one years old so he and another omega named Baekhyun take care of cooking meals in the head alpha’s house for all the single alphas and betas in their pack as they don’t have mates yet to cook delicious meals for them.

Usually, omegas cook in their own homes for their family but as the head alpha is also single up till now, Baekhyun took the initiative to cook for Jongin and all the other single alphas and betas in their pack. And now Minseok helps him in that task too.

Eventually, Zitao drags himself out of bed and walks to the bathroom. He freshens himself up and completes his morning routine before getting ready to join the other omegas.

Minseok laughs as Zitao walks to him, eyes closed and body swaying from side to side because he is still half asleep. Minseok coos and pinches Zitao’s cheeks, laughing as the younger omega swats his hand away with a glare.

Minseok giggles, “Stop sleeping already! Let’s go. I’ll walk you to Luna’s house before going to Jongin’s house.”

Luna is the head omega of their pack right now. She is twenty-six years old and mated to a beta named Changmin. She is very kind and looks after the younger omegas like a mother, guiding them and helping them to learn their duties. Everybody in the pack is fond of her because of her kind and motherly nature.

The two brothers walk through the neighborhood while talking about random things, greeting other people in their way. Their pack is very large. So, instead of leaving in one pack house, every family has built a house of their own. So, now it looks like a big neighborhood instead.

When they arrive in Luna’s house, their faces light up seeing several omegas gossiping and giggling. Omegas are very soft hearted and peace loving so it’s natural that they like being close to other omegas and enjoy one another’s company so much.

With a huge grin on his face, Zitao runs towards his friend, Luhan, and envelops the shorter omega in a hug, both engaging in high pitched giggles and laughs.

Minseok is trying his best to ignore the fact that Jongdae is walking behind him. He tries to act like he doesn’t know that the alpha has been staring at him the whole time.

Minseok tries to ignore the butterflies fluttering in his stomach both from anxiety and excitement. He can smell the domineering scent of Jongdae flaring in the air, surrounding him completely. But with the corners of his eyes, he can see the gentle smile dancing on the same man’s endearing lips.

Minseok finally turns around with a scowl on his pretty face, “Stop following me!”

Jongdae smirks as if he were waiting for Minseok to do exactly what he did, “So, you know I’m following you?”

Minseok is surprised at Jongdae’s question at first but then he quickly composes himself and scowls harder.

Jongdae thinks it’s pretty cute.

Minseok turns around and starts walking towards Jongin’s house again, “Why are you walking with me like this then?”

Jongdae grins, Minseok’s efforts to look annoyed aren’t helping as he looks cuter than he looks angry with his pretty plump lips forming an adorable pout, “Well, I’m a single alpha, you know? And I need to eat breakfast like everyone else. So, why do you think so?”

Minseok looks perplexed for a second before it clicks in. Oh, he needs breakfast and I’m the one who cooks it. Great!

Until now Minseok just has been pretending to hate the alpha’s company but now he feels true irritation consuming him. Great! I’m just a breakfast maker and of course, he needs to go to Jongin’s house to actually eat it. Absolutely awesome!

It’s not like Minseok was expecting Jongdae to have another reason for following him. No, he definitely wasn’t hoping that the alpha was following him because he wanted to say something, something like….

No, no, no. Why would he? It’s not like he likes me or anything like that. And, it’s not like I like him. No! Definitely a big no-no.

Minseok’s pout grows even more obvious as he keeps walking without looking back, too lost in his thoughts. He tries so hard to convince himself that the increasi