Luhan lay in the bed, a dazed expression present in his eyes. The happenings of the past day were still vividly etched into his ever-active mind, even when the male holding him was asleep already, a sweet smile sitting in the corner of his lips.

With a soft sigh, the boy let his eyes flutter close, reliving the last hours of so, still unsure of what would happen to him once the other would wake up.

There were merely two things Luhan had ever owned : a name and a necklace. Both had been with him for a long time, and neither of them had given him anything but heartbreak. He was a flimsy little wolf, abandoned by his parents for not being worth their time. He was an omega, a weakling, born to alpha parents. Or well, that is what he could remember.

But over the years, he had grown to that title:

Omega.

The word itself sent shivers down his spine as it meant many things, many things he had called before:  useless, weak, replaceable.

The boy shook his head a little, clutching the tiny box he held two his chest. Many years back, he had been found by a sweet lady. She was quite old but wise, ready to take in the children of the street. However, the small boy could only enjoy her lovely presence for a few months: the flu had destroyed her within days, living the petite house she had to be possessed by him and some others.

Sometime during a frighteningly cold winter they had started selling cookies. It had been her - their grandmama - who had taught them how to bake them. And for some reason, they were pretty popular.

But quickly, their fame wilted as the boys and girls fell victim to death. One by one, and before he knew it: it was only Luhan left.

So once more, he felt useless and lonely.

He had lost sisters and brothers, elder and younger.

It seemed like death didn't care about a person's gender or age. It was eager to strike, eager to kill.

The boy took a shaky breath as he knocked on the door, pale fingers sporting a stark contrast against the dark wood."Please, open it..." he murmured, messy hair falling into his eyes."Please, open and buy something..." he added, realizing that merely by being seen by the owners of the enormous house, he wouldn't have any money he could spend on buying some food.

Just the thought of bread made the small omega's stomach growl in hunger, causing his cheeks to flush a deep shade of crimson. He kept on pleading almost silently, nervously eyeing the bell.

"You!" he suddenly heard a loud hiss, coming from the now opened door. Luhan stood there, eyes full of fear and hope, quivering in the much taller male's presence.

"P...please b..buy some of these home-baked cookies. There are many flavors, and I can assure you that they are delicious." he said those words quietly, voice soft and weak. His eyes were set on his bare feet, wishing desperately to have something to cover them. He used to have a pair of boots but he had given it to a sister of his long ago.

She passed away but they buried her with them, given that she had admired them as they fit so perfectly on her tiny little feet.

Luhan's heart grew heavy but he shook off the searing pain that loss had caused him, trying to focus on his possible client.

"How much do they cost?" The tall stranger asked, lips curling upwards slightly."Maybe a warm tea and some light snack?" he asked as he stepped away from the door as if inviting the small boy inside.

"U..um..." Luhan whispered, clearly flustered. He felt somewhat stunned as he tilted his head to the side, feeling his necklace grow a little warmer. He wore it around his wrist: his chest was scarred from an encounter with a wolf a few weeks back and the cuts there never quite had the chance to heal fully, causing him to hide his pale skin as much as he could. However, even a lowly creature like him knew well that he had to wear his necklace at a visible place.

Placing it above his shirt didn't even come to his mind.

"Come in!" the man chuckled lightly at the puzzled but adorable expression he was shot by those sweet, bottomless chocolate eyes. He lightly reached out to grab the small boy's shoulder and usher him inside, not expecting the other to flinch back in surprise.

"No!" Luhan screamed at the top of his lung, fear evident in his gaze."I won't bother you again but please, please don't hurt me!" and there he was on his knees, shivering and whimpering like a pup whose mother left to get some food for herself, leaving her young alone for a few moments.

"Sehun, what do we have here?" A low voice asked as a shorter person tried to peak outside, eyes widening when he was met by the frightened gaze of the omega."Just what on Earth are you doing?" he almost snapped, but instead of hate, worry was lacing his voice: the small creature was wearing rags, his frail body barely covered and there he was, kneeling on the freezing concrete. Within moments, he was by Luhan's side, pretty much dragging him into the hall."You don't just go out like this in this weather." he scolded, eyes falling on the necklace on the boy's wrist."Oh, what a sweet little surprise." he added.

"Soo, just leave the poor thing alone." a third male - tanned and with eyes as black as coal."I'm pretty sure he's freaked out by now."

"I..I...I will go just don't hurt me!" Luhan squeaked out, his breath getting caught in the back of his throat as he struggled to get away from the strange people, from the threat.

"Ssh..." he heard quietly as strong arms wrapped around his middle."It's okay sweetheart, I'm here.." the soothing baritone caused his entire body to relax completely as if soothing waves of water were enveloping him gently."Do you want that tea or not?" 

"N..no.." Luhan whimpered, his shaky voice getting heard by all of the others somehow."P..please...just don't hurt me, sir."

"Oh my, what a little cutie..." one of the others - not the tanned one, but the male with round eyes and a sweet smile - said softly as he stepped closer to pinch Luhan's cheek lightly."Now, don't worry lil' one, we won't hurt you. These two may look scary but worry not: you have me on your side and until we're on good terms, they won't even dare to lay a hand on you. Well, Sehun might but I have a feeling that you are going to enjoy that."

Luhan was confused, flustered and tired. He had no idea why he wanted to stay in the man's - Sehun's - embrace, nor why he didn't seemed to have angered any of the others."I..." he mumbled but didn't say anything after that, too exhausted to do so.

"My my, Sehun, just take him to your room if you don't want him to fall asleep in your arms. As romantic it is, I don't want you to drop him..."

"Soo, I know very well that I have to let him rest..." Sehun muttered as he slowly led the boy towards the stairs." Tell the others not to bother us. He is still very scared, and barely awake already. Heck, even I'm drained!"

"Fine fine, but tell me when he wakes up so I can make some food for the skinny little thing. Now, let him sleep!" Kyungsoo ordered with a sweet smile. He sighed in glee after that, obviously overjoyed by something."I'm so happy for you."

And that exactly is how Luhan ended up in a fluffy bed, embraced by strong arms and woolen blankets.

For the first time in his life, even if he was confused, tired and scared, Luhan felt content.

*****

Luhan awoke to the sound of quiet snores. His eyes fluttered open slowly, only to slip shut immediately as he had been nearly blinded by the stark light of the winter sun. As a soft puff of hot air escaped his parted lips, he tried to recall why he felt so relaxed, so loved in Sehun's embrace.

However hard he tried to come to a conclusion, he couldn't. His mind was slowed down by the gentle cloud of sleep that still clung to his entire being, wanting to consume him once more.

He let a lazy smile tug at the ends of his lips, yawning a little as he felt the hold on his waist tighten."Morning, little one." he heard the sweet coo of the other, shuddering slightly from the sheer affection it had held."Did you sleep well?"

"Think so..." Luhan yawned once more, rubbing his eyes with his tiny fists."I like your bed." he added with a cheeky grin, the words escaping his lips naturally as he slowly rolled onto his back, glancing up at the bare ceiling.

"I'm glad to hear that." Sehun snickered quietly at the adorable remark of the omega, sitting up to stretch a little. His pale, white hair glimmered in the sunshine like snow, Luhan remarked to himself as he followed suit, almost falling ahead after trying to sit up with a bit too much strength  - his first few attempts had only resulted in him falling back into the waiting embrace of the bed, after all.

"Easy there..." Once more, Sehun allowed his amusement to show as he lightly grabbed Luhan to steady him."You okay, darling?"

The small boy just nodded, biting into his lower lip. He still didn't know why he was there and why he hadn't been thrown out on the streets yet, but he felt the urge to trust Sehun for some weird, terrifying reason."I...I'm Luhan...not darling or little one." he blurted out suddenly, cheeks flushing a brilliant shade of crimson when he realized what words had just left his pretty little lips. He looked away quickly, knowing well by then that there were certain things an omega like him was forbidden to say.

"Well, Luhan," Sehun started, his voice gentle and barely audible as he wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulder gently," I'm pretty sure that all those fit you too, but you are right at one point: it's your name that is almost as beautiful as you are." Very slowly, as if he was reaching out to a skittish, injured animal, he turned the smaller boy's face so they were looking into each others' eyes."Please do not be scared to speak, though. I, for one, will always be here to hear your worries and whatever that is on your mind."

"Why?" That question was something Sehun had been dreading to answer. Obviously, Luhan didn't quite understand how things worked in their world: otherwise, he would have never refused the offer to come in for a tea if that meant being with the other.

Their necklaces matched - Sehun had checked before, just to be sure - meaning that they had been made for each other. However, things were never that easy in a world where people had ranks.

  Luhan was an omega, given by visibly meek his nature and (the lack of) his physical abilities. That in itself would have meant nothing wrong, however, it seemed very much like he hadn't been raised the way he should have been.

An omega's only duty was to love his or her mate and bear their children, if they felt ready for it. At that moment though, despite the fact that he seemed to be of age already, Luhan seemed everything but ready.

He was a terrifyingly skinny little thing, ribs clearly visible under his dirty, ruined clothes. His cheeks were sunken and his orange hair messy, coffee-eyes shadowed by dark lines. However, it was the visible expanses of his pale skin that made Sehun's stomach churn: every inch seemed to be tainted by cuts, bruises and scars,  fresh and old, varying in size and depth obviously. Despite that, he didn't seem to be bothered by them.

Almost like he was used to them already.

Sehun was the leading alpha of his pack, which would make things even worse, given that he would have to have an heir before he was forty. Surely, he was barely twenty for now, so they obviously had quite some time until he would be obligated to present his son (or daughter) to his pack,  but that didn't mean that his parents weren't breathing down on his neck, demanding him to hurry up- probably merely for the satisfaction to call the children their very own grandbabies.

Shaking his white-hair covered head, the alpha decided to forget about such matters for a while. His first and most important thing to do then was to make his cute little omega comfortable in his new home and take care of his wounds. With a grunt, Sehun glanced at the bed, seeing the covers and blankets stained with blood and dirty."I should have changed him..." he thought with a sigh, more concerned about Luhan's open wounds getting more dirt in them then about the mess on the bed.

"Are you ready for a long, hot bath?" Sehun asked, deciding not to answer to the boy's question yet. He first wanted the small boy clean, clothed and with a full tummy. After that, they would talk and maybe, just maybe, he would introduce Luhan to the rest of the pack.

"Y..yeah?" Luhan's answer was sweet but unsure as he nodded a little, looking at the other with a tiny smile on his lips.

"Good answer." Sehun grinned from ear to ear before suddenly getting up and lifting the tiny omega into his arms. He cringed inwardly: Luhan was lighter than a feather, bony weak."What do you like eating by the way?" he asked curiously, leaning down to press their foreheads together for a few moments.

As if they had done that before, many times, Luhan just let his eyes flutter shut as a soft, content sigh escaped his parched lips."I like bread. Tons and tons of bread...freshly baked...by my grandmama..." he said, tears gathering in his eyes as he recalled how she looked like back when she was healthy: she was petite with white hair and blue eyes, clad in long skirts and neat blouses.

"Anything else, little one?" Sehun cooed, nuzzling his nose against the boy's."I will tell Soo to cook for you, okay? So just t