Jiyong was utterly despondent.

No, that was not quite right.

Jiyong was devastated – destroyed – utterly unmade! Daesung, the precious pack leader and the alpha of his eye, had not yet returned from speaking with Yongguk, even though the pink tendrils of dawn had crept into the morning sky. With every finger of light breaking through the gloom, the omega felt his heart sink further and further into the worn soles of his shoes. Daesung must have forgotten about him. Or, maybe, Yongguk was just such a convincing potential mate that they had simply decided to make it official during the night, and now there was no hope of Jiyong ever getting Daesung and everything was awash in sorrow because Daesung was so perfect and –

WooYoung cleared his throat. “Still no sign of him, huh?”

Lifting his head from where he had hidden it between his hands, Jiyong gave it a tiny shake. There had been no sign – no trace! – of the alpha Moving carefully, WooYoung sat down beside Jiyong on one of the hewn benches that curved through the common area of the festival grounds. The brunette had spent the entire night sitting on the bench, hoping to catch sight of Daesung as he came back into camp – even daring to hope that the alpha might come to speak to him upon his return. But his vigil had been in vain: All he had to show for it was a sore back and terrible circles ringing his eyes.

Sitting down beside him, WooYoung seemed to weight his words carefully on his tongue before turning to look at the despondent young man. “Ji, can I be honest with you?” He did not wait for the omega to reply before plowing on, “You’re being just a little ridiculous. I mean, if he’d taken a different mate or you had some sort of understanding, a little moping would be in order. But you’re skulking about because he is spending more time with another wolf.” The brunette gave his cousin a pointed look. “That’s no way to show him you’d be a good mate.”

“W-what?” Jiyong sat up a little straighter. “What do you mean?”

The alpha ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I mean, if I were courting someone and they acted like you were, I’d be a bit creeped out by it, honestly. It’d make me think that if we did become mates, you’d get super possessive or would constantly think I was trying to cheat on you.” Jiyong’s expression fell as his bottom lip began to tremble. “Look, Ji, I know you’re not like that. You’re just enthusiastic. I’m just saying he could read it wrong.”

Snuggling up to his cousin, Jiyong tucked his head against his shoulder. “So what should I do?” he mumbled into the fabric of WooYoung’s shirt.

Laughing a little, WooYoung gave his knee a squeeze. “What you should’ve been doing from the beginning, Ji. You should be yourself.”

By the time early afternoon had painted the sky a vivid blue – one so pale it seemed like freshly fired porcelain – there had been a distinct change in the air. Laughter – bright, high-pitched, nasal laughter – scurried to fill in every space between the molecules of air, and smiles flashed easily, baring pink gums and white teeth for all to see. There was even, in particularly lovely moments, the occasional flash of impish delight in a particular set of brown eyes. “You’ll never keep up with me if you run like that!” Jiyong called over his shoulder, all but dancing around one of the campfires.

“You say that now,” Amber laughed, “but I think you underestimate my power!” The Goddess Touched alpha, in a rather bold move, lept over the flames and came to land in the soft sand beside Jiyong. Yelping, the omega ran to hide behind Kyungsoo, who had been lurking in Chansung’s shadow for the better part of the day. The redhead shot Jiyong a perplexed look before glancing up at Chansung, arching an eyebrow just a little. Laughing, the beta shrugged and simply watched as Amber proceeded to smack Jiyong on the . “You’re it!” And then, whirling in a spray of sand, the alpha tore off across the camping grounds once more.

Jiyong paused to give the pair a shrug. “WooYoung always tells me exercise is good for me,” he offered before beginning his pursuit of the blond. 

From where he stood among the Golden Moon wolves, Henry frowned to himself. Luhan, who caught sight of the look on the delta’s face, snorted to himself. “You look like someone stole your dinner,” he drawled, jamming an elbow into the copper-haired man’s side.

Blinking out of his stupor, Henry looked over at the blond and allowed the faintest hint of a pout to turn his lips. “Do you think Amber likes him?”

Luhan’s face twisted into an expression of confusion: brows furrowing and lips curling into a quizzical line. “Who?”

Henry gestured to Jiyong, who was attempting to corner Amber over in the NeverNoon pack’s camp. “Do you think she likes him?” Instead of me, the delta thought, frown deepening.

“Oh, is that what that face is about?” Luhan laughed, his eyes crinkling and body shaking with the force of it. “Skies, Henry, you’ve got it bad. Nah, I think she’s just having fun. Wolves do that sometimes, you know? Besides, I’m pretty sure their pack leader has his eyes on … Is his name Jiyong?”

Eyes shiny with hope, Henry gave Luhan his best hopeful expression. “You really think so? You think, maybe, she was serious about her proposal to me?”

Reaching over, Luhan tweaked his ear. “Of course I do. Who could ever resist a Golden Moon wolf, huh? Especially one as cute as you.” And just to be annoying, Luhan began to make ridiculous kissy faces at Henry, even going so far as to lean in as though he were going to steal a kiss.

“Hey, sorry, mine!” a sudden voice said, warm and firm at the same time. Luhan opened his eyes just in time to see Amber, who had somehow escaped Jiyong, grabbing Henry by the hand and dragging him along with her. “The game’s more fun if there’re are more people to chase. And you looked like you needed saving,” she quipped, winking at Henry as she hauled him in the direction of Silver Star camp. A silly little smile melted onto the delta’s lips as he happily allowed Amber to tug him along; his hand felt so warm in her grip. She’d called him “mine.”

And then, suddenly, the sound of pursuit died away.

Looking over his shoulder, Henry caught sight of Jiyong stopped dead – head held high and eyes trained on something in the distance. The copper-haired delta pulled lightly on Amber’s hand, drawing her attention to the scene. She stumbled to a stop and spun around, the giggle dying on her lips. Daesung was crossing the camp with a single-mindedness that was unsettling, causing even the largest alphas to melt out of his way as he cut towards Jiyong. The slim omega began to tremble as he realized that, yes, he was the target of Daesung’s attentions. Stopping just shy of being nearly nose-to-nose with Jiyong, the alpha breathed into the silence between them. Then, in a low undertone, he murmured, “Can I speak to you for a few minutes?” If Jiyong had looked terrible that morning, with circles under his eyes and a spine bent with imagined sorrow, Daesung looked absolutely awful. He was covered in dust and sweat with thick shadows under his eyes; it looked as though he had spent several hard hours running through the night – but from what?

Jiyong managed a jerky, halting nod. Then, shoulders curling in towards his body, he followed the alpha towards the amphitheater – one of the few quiet places during the day. When the pair was finally alone, Daesung took to pacing atop one of the line of benches, agitation written in every restless twitch of his hands. As the silence stretched on, a looming pit of anxiety began to fill the bottom of Jiyong’s belly. It was as though every step punched a hole in what little confidence he had until, at last, nothing remained but deepening despair. His legs began to lose feeling as the fear prickled up his spine, and the omega collapsed to sit down on the lip of the nearest bench, his thigh hitting awkwardly against the edge of the hard stone. “I didn’t want to do it this way,” Daesung said at last, his usually warm voice drawn thin enough that it cracked. “But I don’t think I have much of a choice.” 

Turning, Daesung took in the sight of Jiyong, who had sunk to the point that his head was cradled loosely in his hands. A frown immediately found its home on the alpha’s lips, and he dropped off the bench to cross to the omega’s side. Kneeling in the sand, he carefully placed a hand on the brunette’s knee. “Ji, are you alright? What’s wrong?”

Jiyong managed to drag his gaze up to meet Daesung’s. “It’s okay,” he mumbled. “I understand. Yongguk is an alpha and I’m just an omega and you were never actually – you know – and we were just getting to know each other. But I understand.”

Daesung furrowed his brows. “What are you talking about Jiyong?” His thumb began to move gently across the soft curve of Ji’s kneecap. “I came to ask you if you’d be my mate."

“What?” Jiyong stared uncomprehendingly at Daesung, who cracked a tiny smile. “But, I thought… You were gone with Yongguk for so long. And I’m an omega. You shouldn’t even want me.”

Daesung snorted. “I shouldn’t even want you? That’s ridiculous,” he said, shaking his head a little. “I don’t know where you got that idea from, but you’re wrong. Actually, you’re wrong about a lot of that. Yongguk and I had business to discuss as pack leaders; actually, my business with him is why I am asking you this way. My pack and I are going to have to leave sooner than expected, and I… I didn’t want to leave without seeing if you’d be willing to take a gamble and have me for your mate.”

Jiyong’s eyes widened. “Are you actually serious? You want to be my mate?”

“If you’ll have me,” the alpha murmured. “It would mean leaving your family behind and coming to the mountains... But I can promise you a good life up there. The winters are hard and sometimes food gets scarce, but you wouldn’t starve. And I would do my best to make sure you were happy – that you didn’t lack the things you needed.” Suddenly shy, the honey blond took to watching his thumb as it continued to trace over Jiyong’s knee. “I want to fall in love with you and build a family together.” Finding himself completely out of words, the alpha took his bottom lip between his teeth and continued to avoid looking at the flummoxed omega. 

Despair vanished in a ray of light as the entirety of Jiyong’s body flooded with warmth. Daesung, the alpha who seemed to be every single thing the omega could have ever dreamed of, had asked him to be his mate. But, better yet, he had mentioned falling in love and building a family – things nearly unheard of in the basin. Among Jiyong’s pack, love was considered a convenience if it happened but not a necessity; in fact, there were some who advocated the position that mateships were better without love because it left both parties more reasonable. As a puppy, though, Jiyong had heard Tablo speak of love like it was the greatest artform a wolf could participate in, and ever since then he had dreamed of a mate that would want to share that emotion with him. And here, right at his fingertips, was just such a one, someone who dreamed of the same things. Wordlessly, the omega tossed his arms around Daesung’s neck and nearly tumbled them both to the ground with the force of the motion. “Is that a yes?” Daesung choked.

“Yes,” Jiyong breathed. “I’ll be your mate and go with you across the mountains. And I’ll build a life, a heart, a home with you – everything.”

“I promise to do my best to make you happy that you chose me instead of another mate,” Daesung said, a wide smile nearly splitting his features. “But when I said we have to leave early-“ he hesitated, “I meant before dawn.” Jiyong’s mouth fell open.

When Daesung returned to his pack with Jiyong’s hand firmly caught in his grip, the smile that turned Amber’s lips could only be described as wicked. Dark eyes glittering, she danced up to the pair and gave a happy wriggle. “Looks like you’ve got news for us,” she teased, her voice lilting upwards so it carried easily.

The pack leader flushed beneath his tan and managed a sharp nod. At that gesture, the rest of his pack – including Kyungsoo – drew close; Chansung and Taecyeon were grinning like idiots the moment they caught sight of the pair holding hands. “Jiyong has agreed to be my mate,” Daesung said, figuring he would begin with the pleasant news.

“Congratulations, Daesung!” Taecyeon immediately swept his pack leader into a tight hug, crushing the shorter man to his chest. “And you, Jiyong, welcome to the pack!” Reaching over, he pulled the omega into the hug.

“Hey, don’t hog them!” Chansung laughed, practically pouncing on the trio and wrapping his arms around Jiyong and Daesung as well. Amber, never one to be outdone, somehow managed to wind her arms tightly around Jiyong, who she then proceeded to cuddle like he was the most adorable thing she had ever seen in her entire life. Taekwoon, who was not much for overt displays of affection, stood silently beside Kyungsoo – a ghost of a smile edging at the corners of his lips and making his eyes bright. 

Carefully, Daesung pulled back to look at his packmates. “But I have other news, too. Urgent news.” Sensing the gravity of the situation, the other wolves pulled back into a loose half-circle around their leader and his newly intended. “There has been a threat to our safety, and as such… We’re going to have to leave before dawn. If you mean to take a mate from among these wolves, you’ll have to work fast.” Daesung glanced at Taecyeon and Taekwoon, both of whom looked quietly horrified in their own ways. “I’m sorry. If I thought it were something we could handle, I would stay. But we can’t afford to.” 

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Surprise! I ain't dead yet. I've had a lot of school work, so this update came later than anticipated. But, I figured since it was a week from my birthday, I'd do some updates and short fics to celebrate it. Look for other things coming up soon! (And maybe I'll even get around to updating this again in the next seven days.)

So do you think Taecyeon, Amber, and Taekwoon will be able to convince their mates? What do you think is the threat Daesung was so afraid of? Will he and Ji ever get to be happy together? Are the Excelsior wolves as good as they seem? Let me know what you think in the comments below! Thanks for reading. <3