He falls ungracefully, staggering backwards on his clumsy two feet , then onto his back in under a second with somebody on top of him. He groans loudly as the figure laughs in his face and ruffles his unkempt hair, causing him to smack the offending hand away.

"Forever the daydreamer," his older brother teases, as he manages to grab hold of his wrists easily, showing his unshakeable strength.

"Get off me, you ."

"I'm quite comfortable here, thank you."

He struggles to regain control of his wrists but fails miserably, so he momentarily gives up. He tries again after a few minutes, earning a light hearted chuckle from his brother, Baekhyun.

"Give up yet?"

"Never."

"Good – keep trying."

It's a common test that Baekhyun gives him to measure his physical prowess. It's unfair in theory- an alpha taking on an omega without mercy- but that's what makes their relationship different: a lack of favoritism and a lot of trials. In his opinion, it helps that Baekhyun doesn't sugarcoat their reality, living in an unforgiving territory where food is scarce and kindness is a tale. Nevertheless, they have been surviving well under the guidance of their mother and the scrutiny of the pack.

Today's fight should have played out the same as the previous ones. Baekhyun would hold him down, and Jongdae would try his best to escape, sometimes possible under certain conditions. However, fate is cruel and misleading. Suddenly, they hear a high-pitched wail, one that sends a chill through their bodies, and that feeling is now etched into their subconscious.

Their limbs seem to freeze in that moment, but their hearts beat even faster against their rib cages. Jongdae holds his breath as he stares up for reassurance, but his confidence withers once he sees the identical gaze from his brother.

"Mom," Jongdae whispers so low that he almost couldn’t hear himself.

Baekhyun immediately stands up as if the word triggered him, and he runs through the field, ankles brushing against prickly grass and wet mud. Jongdae follows him, though at a considerably slower speed, while he pushes down that dreaded feeling in his chest.

The sight is bloody and heartwrenching when Baekhyun arrives. He is the first to see a dead alpha on the ground. He tries to stop Jongdae from seeing the same tainted image, but it was too late as the omega’s eyes widen in fear. He grabs Jongdae's hand and drags him forcefully away from the body. They walk carefully in the outskirts of the camp, sometimes staring in fear as they see familiar faces slaughtered a few feet away. A collision of powers is seen in the sky as the brothers recognize one of the strong alphas blazing fire against three enemies, and Jongdae can only hope he will be able to survive that fight.

They finally reach their hut and are welcomed by silence. They barge inside recklessly as they search for that figure, the one that smells of safety and home. However, what they find are red eyes piercing through their souls and under its giant body laid what used to be their safety, their mother.

A mix of feelings rush through Jongdae's chest, but only one prevails-- anger. Though he is usually dubbed as the rational one between the two, Jongdae is known to be reckless with his power when he is emotional. His power surges, electricity crackling on the surface of his skin. The first powerful hit descends towards the beast and strikes him in the chest, giving Baekhyun no time  to prevent this rash act. The beast falls onto the ground with a loud thud. Another lightning bolt descends, and Baekhyun yells at him to stop, squeezing his arm and trying to drag him away from the sight. The beast manages to get back up, slightly injured but growling menacingly. Tears cloud Jongdae's vision as he wills himself to create another lightning bolt, but he doesn't expect the beast to lunge towards him. Baekhyun retaliates and creates a blinding light, momentarily confusing the beast. He grabs Jongdae's wrist and they run back to the outskirts of the camp, brushing past fallen and injured fighters.

Jongdae struggles against the grip Baekhyun has on his wrist, and his vision continues to blur as tears fall freely without an end. His breathing becomes heavy, and he gasps for breath, causing Baekhyun to stop running and to face him. His shoulders shake as his brother places his hands on his shoulders. Soft words are uttered, but all he can hear is his stuttered breathing and his rapid heartbeat.

"– are you listening? Jongdae – look at me." Baekhyun shakes his shoulders , but Jongdae can't bring himself to calm down.

"Hey!" his brother finally yells, and Jongdae looks up in surprise. Callous hands cup his cheeks, and Baekhyun stares at Jongdae’s face, waiting for his younger brother’s eyes to focus on him.

"It's going to be okay – we'll be okay," he whispers softly.

Jongdae snaps at those words and shoves him back. Irises turn red, and electricity crackles throughout his skin, a telling sign whenever anger clouds his judgment. His tears are now gone, and he can only focus on the intense emotion building up inside him.

"How could you leave her – how could you stop me?! You're just leaving her to her – “ Jongdae yells at him, and he can't bring himself to say the last word death.

"Jongdae."

"I've always known you hated her – just because I was the favorite. I bet you're happy, aren't you? Say it," Jongdae challenges and pushes him as if the verbal taunt isn't enough. Baekhyun stares back at him, his face remaining calm and stoic.

"Say it! Admit how happy you are – say it! Say it!" He yells the last two words with much ferocity, and he pushes him again. He shoves him repeatedly, and he feels enough anger to want to hurt his own brother. He surprises himself when he throws the first punch into Baekhyun's face, but his older brother does nothing and receives it. The next few moments become blurry as he realizes that his tears are falling again and that his punches are becoming mere smacks against Baekhyun’s chest. He can see blood trailing down his older brother’s nose and lips and sees the hint of black eye, but Baekhyun still does nothing to stop him.

It isn't until Jongdae is overcome with grief that Baekhyun grabs his wrists and pulls him towards his body. Jongdae’s chest heaves for breaths and his body shakes uncontrollably as emotions overwhelm him. Despite it all, Baekhyun holds him close, and Jongdae inhales the comfort, warmth, and strength. They stand holding each other for the longest time until his heavy sobs are gone and only sniffles remain.

"I won't leave you," Baek whispers, and Jongdae can only nod as he feels his strength falling. The last thing he remembers is being placed  gently on the ground and Baekhyun whispering to him to rest as he looks for food.

~~~~

He wakes to a gentle nudging and the smell of fresh blood. He groggily sits up and sees a few dead rabbits near him.

"We have to find shelter – come on. I saw an empty cave near here. Help me bring the food," Baekhyun tells him in a soft tone.

Jongdae stands up with his help. They gather the dead rabbits and head towards the cave. He is not sure where they are since they're no longer in familiar territory. Everything is foreign to his eyes despite the repetitive patches of grass and the tall oak trees. Jongdae looks up to the sky and sees the approaching darkness. He shivers as the breeze becomes colder and follows his brother silently.

They arrive at the cave and anxiously walk inside. Baekhyun snaps his fingers, and light orbs appear in front of them. As they walk on the path, an orb disappears as they pass it. Jongdae always loved his brother's power, a guidance for the blind and warmth for the weak. He follows closely until they reach the end of the cave, concluding that the cave is safe for shelter for the moment.

Baekhyun gathers stranded branches around them and places them in the center. Jongdae sets the rabbits down on the ground and watches his brother finish his task as he instinctively knows that the next task is his. With stones surrounding the branches, he points to it and watches a small lightning bolt shoot out from his finger and fly towards the branches. A fire blazes immediately, and warmth surrounds them. They silently cook the rabbits while their sides press against each other for comfort.

By the time they finish eating, drowsiness attacks their senses, and Baekhyun pulls Jongdae closer to him. They lay holding onto each other and silently wish that tomorrow will not be their last. Jongdae hears the familiar tune that their mother used to hum whenever a day goes bad. He absorbs the familiarity into his heart and holds Baek closer to him as he sleeps.

~~~

The next day, he wakes up abruptly as he feels cold surrounding every inch of his body and realizes Baekhyun is not near him. Before a sense of dread fills his chest, he runs and stumbles out of the cave, head turning left and right as if the motion will gain him more than a 180 -degree view. Relief floods him when a familiar scent approaches him, and he smiles for the first time, seeing his older brother holding dead rabbits again. He runs towards him and reaches for a hug when Baek pulls away from the gesture.

"We need to continue your training." Baekhyun simply says, and Jongdae understands why. Death is a common fate ,and they should not delay Jongdae's rigorous training any more. "We have to move on soon - there are scarce amounts of food, and we need to find  better shelter. I think we should head to Saron." Jongdae widens his eyes at the words.

Saron is the location of the largest wolf base in the northern land, lead by an alpha named Changmin. It contains more than 200 wolves, in which almost 75% are alphas and betas, the remaining being omegas and the children. Due to the pack’s size, Changmin automatically holds a higher rank over the other leader alphas, who own  smaller bases. In spite of this, there are rebel wolves who think that Changmin should not be entitled to this position. The rebels decided to get Changmin’s attention by terrorizing small bases; their actions were too gruesome to ignore. It wasn't until they attacked Fradmir, a base where most of Changmin's wolves rested in between travels, that Changmin decided to take action. Suddenly, a hefty price was put onto the rebel leader’s head, and the bystanders ran to the sidelines for safety.

The rebels are not just after power, as every wolf knows that Saron is rich in vegetation and food sources.  Luckily, Changmin allows smaller packs to come and collect the herbs and food that they need. Due to the large amount of traffic Saron has received over the years, smaller packs have also used this location to recruit new wolves who were there to rest.

Jongdae can't protest against his brother's wishes since he himself does not know the first rule of survival yet. So he follows Baekhyun's commands and actions for the next few days. After filling their stomachs and cleaning themselves in a nearby pond, they shift into their wolf forms. They head in the direction of Saron, leaving behind every reminder of their childhood home.

Luckily, the weather is forgiving as the days pass by. With barely any rain or humidity, they're able to trek longer through the large forest with minimal food in their stomachs. It isn't until they're in close proximity of Saron that they can smell the numerous scents. At first, it hits Jongdae's nose fiercely, causing him to take a cautious step towards the base. He follows Baekhyun closely and watches in curiosity as the surroundings become his new reality.

He stares in amazement at a nearby fight where two alphas seem to be in a duel. One squats at the ground and slowly the grass gets covered by ice, and the surroundings thicken with cold air. The other alpha stands his ground, looking as if he's just a human being. It isn't until the first attack that Jongdae sees the strength of the second wolf. The wolf dodges the thrown icicles, and lightning descends from the sky, striking the wolf itself yet it remains uninjured. In the span of a second, the same lightning shoots out from the wolf's body, spiraling with gold  towards the first wolf. The first wolf manages to dodge the first lightning attack, but the second attack appears as fast as the first and hits the wolf straight in his chest.

"Lame, huh?" Baekhyun teases as he whispers in his ear. Jongdae rolls his eyes in response and bites his tongue to prevent talking back. Baekhyun knows Jongdae's grievance against his own power, claiming having lightning as a power is as ridiculous as a wolf who can heal. What's so cool about that? was Jongdae's own words, and he can sense himself regretting his past comment.

"I still can't make orbs of light," Jongdae huffs to him, and Baek chuckles behind him.

Baekhyun's reply is cut short when a sudden loud noise echoes in their eardrums. The second wolf manages to seep a larger lightning bolt into his body, and his fur starts to emit smaller lightning bolts. The next moment seems to last mere seconds as the wolf somehow converted the lightning into energy, and he rushes towards the first wolf, engulfing the first wolf in a tight hug. He paralyzes the first wolf as electricity crackles throughout the first wolf's body. Jongdae watches as the first wolf falls onto the ground, helpless and eyes wide open, almost soulless, and the crowd cheers for the winner.

"True, but I can't render an enemy immobile like that," Baekhyun finally replies, and for the first time in his life, Jongdae looks forward to his power training.

~~~~

The plan is simple, according to Baekhyun. First, they need to find a new pack who's willing to accept new members. Second, they need to make sure the pack accepts both of them. It seems so simple theoretically, but realistically, it's rare for a pack to accept new members who are siblings. The pack always tests potential candidates against one of their strongest betas, and sharing the same DNA doesn't qualify as having the same strength to beat the beta.

Baekhyun scours throughout the base for possible packs and manages to sign them up for a few of them. Baekhyun pushes Jongdae to fight first, since the probability of Jongdae winning is lower than Baekhyun's. At first, Jongdae is offended at his brother’s lack of support, but after his third loss, he feels discouraged from winning a fight. He pleads with Baekhyun to continue his life without him, and Baekhyun replies with a punch.

"Next time, I won't be so forgiving." These are Baekhyun’s only words to him before he walks away, and Jongdae stares at his back with regret and guilt.

Their next fight was the next day, and Jongdae feels more nervous, knowing Baekhyun will wait for him no matter what. He doesn't want to disappoint him further, yet he doesn't know if he can win.

The beta approaches them slowly, and he's the same height as Jongdae. His clear blue eyes and brown hair momentarily distracts Jongdae as he wonders if this beta's power will be freezing or water, since blue eyes is a common trait for those powers, but his trance is broken once the alpha leader's voice echoes.

"One of my best fighters – Suho. Water – third degree. And your name?" he asks with a booming voice. Jongdae gulps at the thought that Suho has already mastered 3 degrees of his power while Jongdae barely manages to master his first degree.

"Jongdae, thunder – first degree," he replies, and he thanks the universe that his voice does not waver.

He fidgets under scrutinizing gazes and wishes the fight would start already so he can wallow in self pity again once the predictable outcome happens.

He can feel Baekhyun's body behind him, almost as last-minute support as hands squeeze his shoulders.

"Remember the basics," Baekhyun whispers before he backs away to a safe spot.

"Standard arena rules. Causing death means an automatic death penalty. Good luck," the leader alpha beckons with a wave of his hand, signaling the start of the fight.

They stand in front of each other, about five feet apart, and they bow first as a form of respect before they walk back to their original spots. Whoever reaches the point first is allowed to strike the first hit. This is the part where Jongdae always loses due to his lack of physical strength and the fact that being an omega means he'll never be as fast as a beta.

He is familiar with his weaknesses by now, after losing five times, so he doesn't move from his spot. Instead, he conjures the largest lightning bolt he could by hand and creates a long line of destruction as it whips the ground, causing a crack and temporary earthquake. He can sense the disbelief from the crowd as if the act is as idiotic as digging a hole for cover. He ignores them and shifts into wolf form before dodging Suho’s first ball of water. He inwardly hope that this plan will work in his favor since every strategy he has thought of required more than one trial.

Suho follows his action, shifting into a medium-sized brown wolf and runs to tackle Jongdae into the ground. The omega knows that once he’s trapped in Suho’s hold, he can’t possibly win, so he dodges in time and heads straight, following the line of destruction. He waits for the right opportunity, when Suho is running close to the line, that he unleashes the next part of his plan.

He learned how to absorb lightning into his body when he was younger. In fact, he'd consider this his favorite aspect of his power. He's nowhere near as good as the alpha wolf he saw the other day, but he manages to re-energize himself and run towards Suho, startling the beta. He runs as if he's aiming his head towards Suho's body, misleading Suho into thinking it's a physical attack. Instead, he waits for Suho to be completely distracted before he conjures lightning ahead of himself. The lightning bolts are swift as they project themselves into the crack, aiming for the glass. Jongdae dodges and rolls to the right when he hears the loud cracks of glass.

One of the basic things he learned in training was that sand melts into glass when lightning strikes it at the right temperature. So, after creating the glass earlier, all he had to do was crack it accordingly so that the glass shards would fly out of the crack and stab Suho's body.

Jongdae watches the scene unfold and allows himself to momentarily grin in victory when some of the shards manage to lodge themselves into Suho's chest. The beta  howls in pain, and Jongdae can feel the beta’s anger.

Baekhyun watches in amazement as the last few moments occur before him. He won't admit it out loud for the sake of keeping Jongdae grounded, but he always knew the younger could create the best offenses when he puts his mind to it. This is one of those moments. He's even mildly surprised to see the alpha leader’s subtle smile during the execution of Jongdae's offensive strategy.

Jongdae assumes that Suho's strength would falter by at least a quarter after seeing how much blood the beta loses every time he tries to attack. Yet the beta is determined to be the winner as another jet of water is aimed in his direction -- Jongdae now finds himself to be one inch too close from receiving the hit. Nevertheless, he can't avoid every attack so there are moments where he's shot down, and Suho manages to pin his shoulders down. Luckily, the omega’s power comes in handy as he uses the muddy water as a medium for his lightning, and it manages to stun Suho  as Jongdae slips out from under him.

The fight is now merely a competition on who will tire out first, since Jongdae manages to keep dodging Suho’s timely attacks. When Suho decides that enough is enough, he's attacking Jongdae with a combination of every form of water he can create and the occasional clawing. Jongdae is tempted to wave the white flag after the first few combination attacks.

He suddenly sees midnight black fur and black eyes, feels a chill in his spine and he doesn't even notice Suho's continuous attacks against him. Time halts as his mind unconsciously pushes forward the image of his mother's dead body and that wretched black fur beast. It seems to trigger a defense mechanism inside him, and his brain shuts off, unaware of the reality around him. The last vision he has is of Suho thrown across the field, then darkness surrounds him.

---

Baekhyun watches anxiously from the sidelines as his brother is repeatedly hit by water. He's pushing down the protective feeling in his chest and silently prays for his brother's victory. He can easily tell whenever Jongdae is about to give up, which seems to be any moment. He immediately expects a white flag when Suho tackles Jongdae to the ground and Jongdae does nothing to fend him off. He waits for the telltale sign of a finished fight, but instead, he sees his brother just laying down. Baekhyun’s worry overwhelms him, and he's tempted to stop the fight itself, but a deafening noise startles everyone.The alpha sees a large lightning bolt shooting out Jongdae's chest, causing Suho to be thrown across the field. When there is no movement between the two figures, Baekhyun runs towards Jongdae, forgoing the arena rules. He cradles his little brother in his arms, and he tries to keep his tears down as he tries to wake him .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lying is punishable by death - you're lucky Suho isn't critically injured," Jongin, one of the alpha warriors, threatens, but Baekhyun could care less about Jongdae’s opponent at the moment.

"Why would I lie when we needed a new pack? I could have advertised his status and gotten any pack we wanted," Baekhyun sneers in response.

"Who's to say you're not doing this for attention?"

" off," Baekhyun growls, but then the alpha leader places a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's not argue, children," the leader, Minseok, tells them in amusement. His eyes twinkle despite the recent events. Baekhyun huffs in response while Jongin glares at him.

A lanky, tall wolf runs towards them, almost slipping due to the muddy ground. He invades Baekhyun's personal space as he reports to the leader that Suho can be discharged from the healing hut soon.

"That's great, Chanyeol.” He looks at the alpha warrior who is still glaring holes at Baekhyun. “For now, please entertain Jongin while I talk to our new members."

Chanyeol blushes at his words and looks down at the ground. His large foot plays with the mud as he tries to not pay attention to Jongin's sturdy body.

Minseok gestures for Baekhyun to follow him, and he does, though reluctantly. They stop under the shade of a large tree, far enough from the pack’s hearing range but close enough in case one attacks the other.

"So you never knew that Jongdae was a Unik?" Minseok asks, as soon as they were shielded from the sun.

"No - I've trained him since he was a pup. I saw no signs to indicate it."

"You should be careful - people envy their powers, and if anyone knew, they would only use him as a breeder."

"Coming from a small pack doesn't mean I'm uneducated. I can watch both of our backs without your unnecessary advice."

Minseok smiles at him as if nothing ever offends him, and it angered Baekhyun even more at his pleased reaction. In response, he stomps away, despite inwardly knowing how childish it seemed.

Baekhyun scowls at the recent memory, itching to get rid of the smiling image of Minseok. It frustrates him to no end as he wonders how a guy like that could lead a pack of fifty wolves. He imagines the alpha leader always smiling and emitting happiness and bets that he is fake as hell behind closed doors.

His thoughts are interrupted when he hears Jongdae’s whines and groans, and he stands up abruptly from his seat to help his little brother.

"Jongdae," he whispers and clasps his hand against Jongdae's. There's warmth spread between them, and it takes a few flutters of eyelashes before familiar black eyes meet with green ones.

"Hey kid."

Jongdae groans at the nickname before weakly smacking his brother in the arm.

"You'll always be a kid in my eyes," Baekhyun teases, as he ruffles the younger wolf’s hair. Jongdae pushes him away with the strength he has and turns away from Baekhyun's gaze.

"You scared me - let's not do that again," Baekhyun mumbles to him as he prods Jongdae's back with a few pokes. Jongdae turns around and raises an eyebrow at him.

"You were the one who wanted us to have a new pack," he replies with a small smile

"And I was wrong - we're fine with just the two of us."

Jongdae scoffs at his words, not believing any of them. He knows his brother can't defend the both of them without help.

"How badly did I lose? I can't remember," Jongdae dares to ask as he stares at him in confusion.

"Technically, you didn't lose," a voice rings out from the other side of the medical hut, and Baekhyun growls in anger at the interruption.

"Don't you have a pack to take care of?"

"They're able-bodied adults. The worse they could do is start a forest fire, but that's what we have Suho for," Minseok chuckles to himself, and Jongdae smiles shyly at his response.

"And I couldn't care less," Baekhyun tells him and tries to shove him out, but somehow, this small man is stronger than he looks.

"So I won?" Jongdae asks and interrupts their childish fight.

"It’s a draw, but you could have won in my opinion. Just don't tell Suho that." Minseok grins at him before giving him a wink. Baekhyun finally manages to shove the alpha leaders back, growling at the gesture.

"My brother is not yours to flirt or play with."

"I was merely being friendly," Minseok stares at him in confusion.

"He's capable of making his own friends, ones who are not as insufferable as you," Baekhyun retorts.

"Yes I am capable, and I like you," Jongdae interrupts again and grins at Minseok. Baekhyun slants his eyes towards his younger brother. "I'm willing to befriend anyone who can rile up my brother so easily."

Minseok laughs loudly at his words, and Baekhyun thinks his laugh is the wailing noises a dying seal would make.

"We'll see if your joke is still funny once you receive your punishment," Baekhyun mutters to himself and crosses his arms. Jongdae ignores his words as per usual, and Minseok judges Baekhyun for thinking of punishing his injured brother.

"Please continue the story. What exactly happened?" Jongdae looks to Minseok for his response.

"Oh. Well, Suho was attacking you fiercely, and we all thought you'd lose. But then you surprised us when you showed us you were a Unik," Minseok answers, at the same time searching for a reaction from Jongdae.

"I'm a what?"

"You're a Unik. Wolf hierarchy may now have alphas, betas, and omegas, but centuries ago, we were not categorized. Everyone was a Unik, simply because each wolf had the traits of all three, the strength of an alpha, the brain of a beta, and the breeding ability of an omega. However, as time passed by, it was noticed how the newer generations did not possess all these traits. In fact, most wolves only inherited and exhibited one trait. This is when the terms alpha, beta and omega were used as categories. By then, the category Unik was gone."

"It was only recently when Changmin found some Unik wolves. It turns out that the Unik genes are inside every wolf, so Changmin ordered the smartest betas to find out a way to make the genes thrive so all wolves can exhibit the three traits. However, they found out that a wolf is Unik from conception, so it’s biologically impossible to alter someone’s genes afterwards. Instead, they focused on finding a way to increase the Unik population. They found out that a Unik will give birth to a Unik easily if his mate was also a Unik. Otherwise, the chances are cut down by halves when the mate is a mere alpha and decrease exponentially when the mate is a beta."

Jongdae gapes at Minseok throughout the explanation and tries to wrap his brain around the whole concept.

"Regarding how you became a Unik, it's extremely rare. It's possible for an omega and an alpha to conceive a Unik. We rarely come across any Unik these days, especially ones whose parents were not one. You're lucky no one knew you were one when you arrived because every pack wants a Unik. In fact, some packs fight against each other over the possibility of winning a Unik." Minseok frowns  as he tells him that last fact.

"But how did you know that I am one? I definitely do not have an alpha's strength or a beta’s brain." Jongdae widens his eyes at Minseok, and Baekhyun scoffs at his words.

"You do have a beta brain. Only a beta would create glass using lightning and explode them to injure an enemy. An omega would always find a way to defend himself while an alpha always goes on the offensive," Baekhyun tells him, and Jongdae stares at him in disbelief.

"If I'm not mistaken, alpha strength comes last. You're not of age yet, right?" Minseok asks,and Jongdae shakes his head.

"You will become stronger when you become of age. The traits of omega and beta are always received first because they're harder to maintain. The emotions of an omega have to be stabilized and the curiosity of a beta has to be tamed. When you master both, then your alpha strength will come. It's the easiest trait you'll have to maintain."

"How do you know all of this?" Jongdae asks curiously.

"Because my pack is home to a few Unik." Jongdae’s jaw drops.

"And who are they?" Baekhyun asks skeptically.

"That I will not answer unless you are both willing to join my pack. It's for the sake of their safety."

Baekhyun huffs in response, and Jongdae is too curious.

"Can we?" Jongdae grabs his brother's arm.

"What? No!" he immediately responds.

"But I need someone to teach me - “

"I will teach you."

"You don't even know how."

"I will learn how."

"It's not enough - "

"Don't doubt me," Baekhyun tells him, and he looks away since he knows Jongdae will pout his way into his soft heart.

"Fine, then I will join without you."

"What - you can't! I forbid you! They're manipulating you! You could end up being their pack breeder!" Baekhyun yells at him, and Minseok grins in amusement.

"Either join with me, and protect me from their evil paws or never see me again," Jongdae tells him nonchalantly.

It takes a few moments before Baekhyun reluctantly agrees, Jongdae squeals in excitement, and Minseok chuckles at the turn of events. Baekhyun shoots Minseok a dirty look for being manipulative even though it was all Jongdae's fault.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It takes another day before Jongdae is discharged from the healing hut. He walks nervously towards Minseok's pack with Baekhyun beside him.

They're greeted by Minseok alongside another wolf, who seems to be Minseok's second-in-command.

"Welcome." Minseok smiles warmly at them, and Baekhyun holds the urge to mock his greeting.

"Hi," Jongdae replies with a small smile.

"Before I introduce you to my pack, I want you to meet someone special, Jongdae." Minseok gestures to the taller wolf beside him. "This is Heechul; he will be your trainer."

They stare at each other momentarily. Heechul can be easily mistaken as a beta, but his aura gives off power. It’s possible that he is stronger than he looks. The slight crazy look in his eyes makes Jongdae a bit wary.

"So are you also a - " Jongdae leaves his question hanging, hoping that Heechul understands what he means.

"Yep, and it's okay. You're allowed to say that word amongst us. Just not outside the pack." Jongdae nods eagerly.

"He's also a lightning enthusiast so I'm sure you both will get along," Minseok continues, and Jongdae grins at that fact.

"Will you teach me how to stun enemies?" Jongdae can only think of this question, and Heechul laughs loudly at his enthusiasm.

"Only if you teach me that glass trick."

"Deal!"

Baekhyun secretly smiles at their interaction. His worry dissipates in his chest as he sees his brother being welcomed easily. He worries for Jongdae's mental state at times, so he hopes Heechul knows how to handle him. The two decide to ignore the other wolves as they start an engaging conversation.

"What's your degree?" Baekhyun can hear Jongdae's question as he walks ahead of them with Minseok besides him.

"Fifth."

"No ing way!" Jongdae almost shouts, and Heechul laughs at him again, ruffling his hair while complementing his funny reactions.