Title: A Soul Bond Soul Deep 

Author: [redacted]

Giftee: cc_kouga

Wordcounts: 11k

Donghae at his soft brown paw and huddled his shoulders closer for warmth. It was a chilly night with a full moon that cast some illumination onto the dark alley where Donghae was intending on spending the night amongst some cardboard boxes. It had been like this for several years now since his previous owner had abandoned him. He had failed several math tests in school and his owner blamed him for being too stupid and bringing unnecessary shame to him. Apart from that, he remembered his owner mentioning something about him being a half-breed mutt that wasn’t worth the pedigree price that he paid for, because of his overly bushy tail. He didn’t understand what was wrong with his tail. He liked it a lot, especially when he could curl up with the furry warmth. Within a week, his owner had brought in a new neko hybrid that had a coat of fur shinier and brighter than Donghae’s dull brown, and was apparently smarter as well. Even better, the new neko hybrid was much smarter than Donghae, evidenced by his excellent scores in his IQ tests. No sooner than a month was Donghae kicked out and abandoned on the streets. He had to learn to survive on his own with no food, no shelter and no money to his name.

The rainy days and winter season were the worst. It basically eradicated Donghae’s hope of having a warm sleeping place for the night. Donghae usually slept in parks or in alleys. He hated sleeping under the bridge because there were usually other homeless people or hybrids that already marked their territory and Donghae would have to bear the constant insults for being an intruder. Sometimes, Donghae would have to go without food for several days. Donghae tried to do some part-time work to earn money, but it was difficult to hire abandoned hybrids like him. If a hybrid were abandoned, it would usually be treated like society’s scum, and that was exactly what Donghae was right now. If he did manage to get some work, he would be able to buy some food to last for a while. If he were unlucky, his food would be stolen by the fellow abandoned hybrids. There weren’t many abandoned, of course. Most owners would not willingly release their hybrids, having paid a huge sum of money for them. If they did release them though, it was because there was something wrong with the hybrid. Yet, there were more than Donghae had imagined. It was a hard world. Donghae had been hungry for one day now. In fact, he was starving. The last time he had a meal was at a free soup kitchen. And even there, he had to bear the scathing glance of the volunteers who doled out the soup bowls. Technically, he shouldn’t be entitled to free soup as a hybrid. Only the homeless people could get soup. The social stigma was against him as well. He just wished he could find a place where he could call home.

A clap of thunder startled Donghae. Oh no, he thought. It was going to be one of those rainy nights. He quickly tried to gather some cardboard boxes to form a little shelter. Fortunately, the alley seemed to be empty tonight. Donghae wouldn’t have to fight for cardboard boxes with anyone else. Suddenly, Donghae felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen and his knees went weak. He collapsed on the hard granite and doubled over. His hands automatically went protectively around his torso and his tail swished around in panic. He wasn’t sure what was happening to him, but he was aware that a fat droplet of rain had hit his forehead and he had yet to create his little shelter. Donghae struggled to get up and drag another piece of cardboard but was hit by another wave of pain. He rolled into a little ball, hoping that the pain will somehow erase and the rain-bearing clouds will blow to another area.

Alas, neither of which he hoped for came true. There was now a downpour. Donghae’s clothes were completely soaked, as was his fur. Moreover, the pain in his abdomen had decreased a little, but it was constantly there and Donghae found it difficult to shift his body without wincing. Hence, he stayed in his curled up position against the wall, shivers wracking through his body in the chilly atmosphere. Donghae heard the ominous approaching of others. He sniffed discreetly but he could not tell who they were, where they were from, or what they wanted. He whimpered as he hugged his knees to his chest, hoping that they would just ignore his presence and take whatever cardboard boxes they have, leaving him in peace.

“Where is she?”

“Shh… She must be hiding somewhere. I could smell her pheromes from a mile away!”

“You do know that Eunhyuk will come after us for coming into his territory right?”

“Look, the omega is unmarked. Eunhyuk won’t care. We’d just drag her across the border and we’d be safe.”

“You better be right, because I don’t want your raging hormones to an omega in the heat to be the reason for initiating another pack dispute.”

“Oh! There she is!”

Donghae hoped that they were not talking about him. Obviously they wouldn’t be since they mentioned a ‘she’, and as far as Donghae knew, he was a ‘he’. However, to be on the safe side, he pressed himself closer to the wall, hoping to blend himself into the darkness. He wrapped his tail around himself, hoping that the light swish would not give him away. There was a tug at the nape of his neck, and Donghae was faced with two half- males. There were raindrops trickling down their well-defined bodies and their wet hair stuck to their skin.

“A neko!” One of the men gasped. “What’s a neko doing here?”

“This is no neko. It’s a in the heat. It’s definitely an omega.” The other man argued as he tore Donghae’s shirt apart roughly with his teeth and sniffed at Donghae’s neck.

Donghae was definitely smaller than both of them and currently, he was in no state to defend himself. He didn’t understand what either of them was talking about. He just wanted to be left alone.

“A male omega? That’s practically unheard of.”

“Come on, Dae. We can this one together.” Donghae felt a hand press at his behind and Donghae squirmed. “Look, he’s practically wet, and not from the rain.”

“The only thing you’re going to do is off.” A snarky voice was heard from the end of the alley.

Donghae turned his head to the side and saw another man, flanked by two big animals. Were they wolves? Was he dreaming? He squeezed his eyes shut and blinked several times. He focused on one of the wolves. The one with light grey fur that gleamed in the moonlight and looked magnificent despite being drenched in the rain. The wolf shifted his form immediately to that of a human. He was a man, with a slim but muscular built; his blonde hair standing out against the shadows of the dark alley. The other wolf shifted after the grey wolf did. The three men strode quickly to where Donghae and the other two unknown men were.

“! Eunhyuk’s faster than I thought!”

“No , Seungri. I knew this would happen.”

“Let the omega go.” The blonde’s voice was unbelievably cold, as reflected in his silver eyes. His words sliced through the tensed atmosphere and resonated in the otherwise empty alley.

Donghae’s head lolled at he took in the scent of the blonde. The smell was absolutely dreamy, and it was strong. It was a mix of pine and peppermint, with a dash of strawberries. His eyes closed momentarily as he indulged in the scent and wished that the blonde came closer.

“Come on, Eunhyuk. He’s not even one of your pack, and he’s practically a mutt. Look, he’s a neko.” Seungri tugged harshly at Donghae’s tail, earning a whimper from the little hybrid. “He’s in the heat too, and I can help him with that.”

“Omega or not, he is in my territory, and so are you. Unless you want me to bring up the matter to Ji Yong, it would be better off if you scram, and I’ll ignore the fact that you’ve breached the border rules again for the ninth time this year.”

“Eep, I don’t know about Alpha hearing about this, Ri.” A shadow of worry appeared on Daesung’s face and he tugged at Seungri’s arm.

“Fine,” Seungri huffed as he shoved the weak body of the neko at Eunhyuk, and both beta wolves took off.

Eunhyuk caught Donghae before he slumped over and hit the ground. Donghae’s mouth watered as he caught the scent of the Alpha again, the scent engulfing him and making him dizzy. However, the pain in his abdomen and his weak health condition took over, bringing him into a state of unconsciousness as he felt himself being gathered in strong arms.

“What are we going to do with her… I mean him… I mean it?” Siwon asked his Alpha carefully.

“Bring him to Jinki,” Eunhyuk spoke, his face void of any expression.

“Should I carry he… it?” Sungmin piped up.

“No, I’ll do it.” Eunhyuk’s heart stirred as he felt the little neko’s tail wrap around him. Seungri was right though; the little neko was in the heat. Strangely, he was giving off the scent of an omega, a very strong scent indeed. It was a mix of vanilla and lavender. Eunhyuk had to admit that even he was attracted to the delicious scent. He could the heat rush to his groin and the urge to mark the neko and make him his. But he had trained himself to master his control, so unlike Seungri, so if the scent did affect him, he didn’t show it. However, if Donghae weren’t claimed soon, he would be attracting many unwanted beta and alpha wolves onto Eunhyuk’s territory.

~

Eunhyuk was the Alpha of one of the prominent pack leaders in Seoul, and each pack had its own territory. His pack resided in a series of cottages next to a mountain, sufficiently distant from the buzz of the city and humans in general. However, their territory extended to the city, and that was when he had some of his beta wolves on watch duty. Sungmin had been making his rounds when he discovered the intrusion of Seungri and Daesung, two beta wolves from another neighbouring pack. Seungri was a beta wolf that knew no boundaries, literally. This was not the first time he trespassed into another pack’s territory, and it wasn’t just Eunhyuk’s territory onto which he trespassed. Seungri also occasionally found crossing over to Yunho’s pack’s territory extremely interesting. Eunhyuk, Yunho and the other pack leaders had previously brought up this issue to Ji Yong, Seungri’s Alpha, numerous times. However, it seemed that Ji Yong was not stringent enough to Seungri as he was to the other wolves in his pack, so most of the pack leaders closed an eye as long as Seungri did not commit any disastrous act on their territory. Seungri almost committed a disastrous act on Eunhyuk’s territory today. Claiming, or ing with another wolf in another’s territory was forbidden without the consent of the Alpha of that territory. Eunhyuk knew better than to alert Ji Yong and the other pack leaders of Seungri’s disobedience once again, because that would just highlight the fact that he now had a strange little half omega, half hybrid in his possession that had the most delicious scent ever. Speaking of which, he still had no idea of Donghae’s heritage, or why he was in the heat.

“Jinki.” Eunhyuk spoke. He had brought the soaked neko to his residence and immediately summoned their pack doctor, a beta wolf named Jinki, to attend to Donghae. Jinki had just finished medical school in the university that happened to be in the pack territory, so he was more than qualified to be responsible for the health of the members of the pack.

“Ah, right.” Jinki straightened his glasses. He knew that his Alpha was a man of few words, so he tried to interpret what his Alpha wanted. “I’ve ran some blood tests on him and it seems that he is indeed an omega. What I mean is that he has the omega gene in him, though on the outside he is a hybrid. He must be one of the rejects from the experimental facilities that deal with creating hybrids. I would assume that the neko gene was more dominant, since he has the appearance of a neko, but of course his tail gives it away that he definitely is a wolf. I mean, look at that furry tail! No kitty would ever have so much fur on its tail. And his coat, its hairs are longer than a normal cat. The colour of his fur is strange for a neko as well, usually they would have white, black or grey coats, sometimes tan or beige, but never this brown.”

Eunhyuk coughed, bringing Jinki back from his diversion on Donghae’s fur.

“Um, yes. Right, so he has this recessive omega gene in him, which hasn’t revealed itself until... now. I don’t think he can shape shift, or maybe he hasn’t learnt how to, but he is actually experiencing his first heat right now.”

“His first heat?” Eunhyuk asked, looked at the neko. Donghae definitely looked way too old to have his first heat.

“He seems to be slightly over the age of twenty. Usually omegas will have their heat when they are fifteen to eighteen, but he seems to be malnourished and small; naturally, his first heat will be delayed. Adding to the fact that his genes are obviously different.”

Eunhyuk had noticed that the neko had a very thin frame. Obviously he hadn’t been eating well for his age. He made a mental note to take note of the neko’s favourite foods when he awoke and made sure the neko would eat regularly.

“I’ve given him some medication to deal with the pain and cramps, which is usual with the first heat, but afterwards…”

Afterwards, when Donghae awoke, he would be in a state of arousal for the next few days, until his heat cycle ended.

“I’ll take care of him after,” Eunhyuk pursed his lips and gestured for Jinki to leave.

When Eunhyuk was sure that Jinki had left, Eunhyuk pressed his palm against Donghae’s soft cheek. His hand jerked in surprise when he felt the little neko lean into his touch. Eunhyuk watched Donghae rub his cheek into his palm, as though he was craving Eunhyuk’s touch. Eunhyuk pulled away reluctantly, he had to make sure that everything in his pack went well and that there were no more unnecessary breaches of the border.

~

Donghae found himself in an unfamiliar place when he woke up. What was worse was that there was still the unfamiliar sting in his lower abdomen, and his behind felt strangely damp. He pushed himself onto his elbows and stretched his neck to take a better look at his surroundings. Donghae took a huge whiff of the pine and peppermint scent around him. He turned around and buried his nose into the pillow he was laying on, taking in more of the scent, as it appeared to alleviate the pain in his abdomen.

“You’re awake.”

Donghae turned around; his eyes wide open as he recognized the owner of the voice. It was the blonde man from that day. It was as though his silver eyes were piercing straight into Donghae’s soul when he stared into them. His stature was commanding and Donghae lowered his head in a need to submit.

“Don’t submit so easily, little one.” Donghae felt a hand at his chin, tilting his face upwards so he met the eyes of the blonde again. The blonde’s molten silver eyes bore into his own liquid chocolate ones. Donghae whimpered a little at the close proximity. He felt dizzy with the Alpha’s scent all around him. He felt a primal instinct to be closer.

Eunhyuk sensed that the medication to help control Donghae’s heat was wearing off, what with all of Donghae’s pheromones all over the place, not that they weren’t all over the place already, but they were now much stronger such that he was losing his control over himself. Eunhyuk took a pink pill from the plastic bottle next to the bed and made the neko swallow the pill, along with some water. The intensity of Donghae’s pheromones decreased almost instantly, and Eunhyuk sighed with relief. Any longer and Eunhyuk would have pounced on Donghae.

“Are you hungry?” Eunhyuk saw the lost look that painted Donghae’s face. He hadn’t noticed before, but Donghae had the cutest ears ever. Right now, Donghae’s ears were twitching as Donghae nodded, and it was very, very cute.

“Can you walk?” Eunhyuk helped Donghae get out of bed, as his legs were still weak.

“Hurts,” Donghae clutched at his stomach.

“It’ll get better,” Eunhyuk soothed. The medication would help to numb the pain and reduce it to a low throbbing, as Jinki had described. Eunhyuk decided that it was better to carry Donghae into the kitchen, where there was a bowl of warm broth ready and waiting. He felt the dampness along Donghae’s behind when he picked the neko up. He sighed, knowing that the neko would have to take a bath later.

Eunhyuk made sure that Donghae was comfortably seated at the table, a cushion on the chair and another on his lap. He placed a steaming bowl of broth in front of the brunette and almost laughed when he saw the neko’s ears twitch in delight.

“Eat up,” Eunhyuk spoke, taking a seat opposite the neko.

Donghae looked cautiously at Eunhyuk. He wasn’t used to food being placed right in front of him. He learnt that he had to earn his meal. Yet, the smell of the broth wafted into his nostrils enticingly. His mouth watered but his fear was stronger than his desire for food. It wasn’t until Eunhyuk forcefully placed the spoon in his hand did Donghae start digging into his first meal in days.

Eunhyuk watched the little neko inhale his meal. Somehow, at some point, he had started developing a small, tiny crush on the feline creature in front of him. Moreover, the said feline creature was an omega, and in the heat as well. Eunhyuk had to use all of his willpower to control himself from claiming the neko. Eunhyuk couldn’t hide the beam on his face when Donghae swallowed the last spoon of soup with a satisfied sigh.

“What else would you like to eat?” Eunhyuk asked.

Donghae shook his head, content with what he already had, and afraid to demand for more.

“Milk?” Eunhyuk suggested, because he knew that cats kind of liked milk, which was a generalization, but he was right since the little neko’s ears perked up almost immediately.

Eunhyuk stood up and retrieved carton of strawberry milk from the refrigerator and a cup.

“May I have it in a bowl please?” Donghae asked softly, no longer afraid to make demands to the Alpha male. He trusted Eunhyuk. Eunhyuk had done nothing to harm him, even when Donghae was at the most vulnerable state.

Eunhyuk blinked. It was the first time he heard the neko speak. His voice was gentler than he imagined. It was something that Eunhyuk imagined that he would never get tired of hearing everyday, as though it were music to his ears. Eunhyuk immediately changed the cup for a bowl that wasn’t too deep, yet shallow enough for Donghae to drink the milk from.

Donghae lapped at the milk in the bowl and let out a little purr of contentment, which caused Eunhyuk to feel a little flustered. Donghae was a neko hybrid, of course he would purr. Eunhyuk just hadn’t realized that it would be somewhat arousing for him.

“Could I have chocolate milk next time?” Donghae looked at Eunhyuk expectantly. “It’s my favourite.”

Eunhyuk couldn’t resist those chocolate eyes, and nodded without realizing that he was in fact nodding.

“It’s time for a bath…” Eunhyuk cringed inwardly as he realized that it sounded like he was ordering the brunette around.

Donghae acquiesced and stretched out his arms for Eunhyuk to carry him to the bathroom, which Eunhyuk did, because he did not have the power to decline. As Eunhyuk lifted the neko, he noticed the wet spot that the neko left on the cushion.

Donghae was a little shy to be in the bathroom, alone with the Alpha male, but his nervousness dissipated when he saw the warm water in the wooden tub, all prepared for him. He looked down at his furry tail and noticed that it was a little dirty. He hoped that he hadn’t smelled bad. After all, it had been a long time since he took a shower and was pampered like this. Donghae didn’t need much coaxing to enter the tub. He relaxed his body in the warm water.

Eunhyuk lathered Donghae’s body up with strawberry scented soap and scrubbed his back gently with a loofah.

“What’s your name?”

“Donghae. My name is Donghae.”

That was a nice name. It had a nice ring to Eunhyuk’s ears.

“I’m Eunhyuk. I’m the Alpha of one of the packs in Seoul. If you’d like, you can stay with my pack from now on.”

Donghae didn’t really understand what Eunhyuk was saying. What was an Alpha? What was a pack? But Donghae wanted to stay with Eunhyuk, if that was what he was asking, so he nodded.

Eunhyuk was relieved when he saw Donghae nod. He knew that he had to give Donghae a choice. He wouldn’t force Donghae to stay if he didn’t want to.

“Can you scrub behind my ears?” Donghae asked Eunhyuk.

Eunhyuk caressed the back of Donghae’s soft ears with his fingertips, earning another purr of contentment from the neko.

Eunhyuk left Donghae to dry himself after the bath while he went to change the soiled sheets. He returned to see the neko all fluffy and dry. Eunhyuk carried Donghae back to the bed. Donghae winced as his behind hit the bed.

“It hurts here, Hyukkie.” Donghae pouted as he rubbed his behind.

Eunhyuk raised his eyebrows at the endearing nickname.

“Can I call you that?” Donghae asked shyly.

Eunhyuk nodded in affirmation.

“Turn over,” Eunhyuk commanded, pushing Donghae onto his front. He retrieved a bottle of ointment that Jinki had given him to apply on Donghae’s behind so that it would stop swelling and producing less of the natural lubricant. He pulled down the pajama pants, exposing Donghae’s bottom and his furry tail. Donghae hissed as the cool air brushed at his sensitive, exposed skin, his tail trying to wrap at the skin to hide it from the cold.

“You’re in the heat, Donghae. I have to apply an ointment to make you feel better.”

Donghae reluctantly swished his tail away, exposing his swollen pink hole to Eunhyuk. His little rosebud was already coated with a layer of wetness. Eunhyuk poured some of the ointment on his finger and rubbed at the hole. His finger slipped into Donghae easily.

"Purr for me kitten. Better yet, mewl." Eunhyuk whispered as he pushed his finger in and out of the clenching rosebud.

Donghae let out a soft, sensual purr in response and Eunhyuk swallowed hard as he inhaled the omega’s scent, and felt the blood rush to his lower body.

"Hmm, but I can do so much better than mewl. I can moan." Donghae daringly replied as he felt Eunhyuk slip two fingers and more of the ointment into him. He didn’t know what came over him, but whatever Eunhyuk was doing felt so good and he wanted more. He wanted Eunhyuk.

“Ah…” Donghae released a sultry moan as Eunhyuk’s long fingers grazed at his sensitive walls, feeling more aroused by the second.

Eunhyuk snapped out of the lust-induced haze. He removed his fingers and pulled up Donghae’s pajama bottoms quickly. He told himself that he wouldn’t take Donghae like that, like how Seungri wanted. He wanted Donghae to have a choice. And this choice certainly could not be made when Donghae was in this vulnerable state.

“I want more, Hyukkie,” Donghae whimpered at the loss of contact. He wanted, no needed, more of the Alpha. Only Eunhyuk could help cease with throbbing in his lower body.

Eunhyuk quickly popped a pill into Donghae’s mouth and made him swallow it. It was harder to control Donghae’s heat than he expected. The little neko was winning over him with his little lustful moans and actions. Donghae’s pheromones reduced once more and the drug numbed his state of arousal.

“Stay,” Donghae requested as he held onto the Alpha’s wrist, before he drifted off to sleep.

Eunhyuk pressed his lips against Donghae’s forehead lightly.

“There’s no where else I would go.”

~

The mellow pink rays nestled into the room and there was a series of sharp rapping at the door. Eunhyuk had to pry himself from Donghae’s vice-like grip on his wrist. For such a little neko, he was surprisingly strong. He could hear Donghae mewing softly in his absence and it almost broke his heart. He wanted to ignore the person knocking at his door and cuddle back in bed with Donghae in his embrace. It was almost ridiculous how attached he was to Donghae given the short amount of time they had spent together. However, his pack came first and that meant that Eunhyuk had to answer his door. It could be something important.

Eunhyuk adjusted his facial expression to its cold demeanor and opened the door. It was Sungmin, who came to report that Kyuhyun and Henry, the pair on guard duty the previous night, had not spotted anything amiss. Eunhyuk was ready to dismiss Sungmin and get back to his precious neko when he remembered something.

“Sungmin, will you get me a carton of chocolate milk from the store?”

Sungmin tried to hide his expression of surprise but failed miserably. “But… but you only drink strawberry milk!” Sungmin knew Eunhyuk since they wee little pups and Eunhyuk never drank any other type of milk other than the pink strawberry flavoured liquid.

“It’s for the neko, isn’t it?” Sungmin asked. “Speaking of which, we haven’t seen him yet…” Sungmin tried to barge into Eunhyuk’s cottage, but was blocked firmly by Eunhyuk’s arm.

“No.” Eunhyuk growled, his possessive nature taking over. No one but him should see the neko in his current state.

“Okay, chill.” Sungmin rolled his eyes. “I’ll be back later with the chocolate milk.”

No sooner had Eunhyuk shut the door did he hear a shrill mewl from his bedroom.

Donghae woke up warm and in a heightened state of arousal. To his dismay, the Alpha was no longer by his side and there was a constant throbbing at his abdomen. Donghae grinded his wet behind against the sheets to gain some much needed friction. He mewled and tossed his head from side to side, opening his legs further apart.

Eunhyuk was taken aback when he entered the bedroom once more. The little neko had his legs spread wide apart and back arched. He was moving his body sensually against the sheets, his lids closed and lips parted in an ‘o’. Eunhyuk wasn’t sure if he could step into the room without pouncing on Donghae.

Eunhyuk dashed quickly to the bathroom and pegged his nose with a wooden peg in an attempt to prevent himself from inhaling any of that delicious scent. He returned to the bedroom to see the neko in a huge mess. Donghae had ed within that short span on time and was now panting and on his way to his next , by rutting against the sheets.

Eunhyuk almost rolled his eyes back to his head in exasperation. He was gone for one moment and everything had escalated. Donghae turned and looked at Eunhyuk with those adorable eyes of his, begging for Eunhyuk to do something, anything to alleviate him from this state.

Eunhyuk forced the aroused neko to swallow a pink pill. Then he turned his attention to the neko’s arousal.

“I’ll be gentle, just close your eyes.” Eunhyuk commanded softly.

Eunhyuk’s voice apparently had a calming effect on the neko, because Donghae did just that. Eunhyuk cupped Donghae’s soft cheek with one hand and gripped Donghae’s arousal with the other and started him at a leisurely pace. It wasn’t long before Donghae had his second .

Donghae was nothing short of embarrassed. He just had a stranger, even though Eunhyuk appeared to be someone trustworthy, touch his most private parts. And he wet the bed. He was so ashamed of his behaviour. Eunhyuk took him in, gave him clean clothes and food to eat, and this was what Donghae did in return. His ears fell over and tried to cover his eyes as he turned his face into the sheets. He absolutely could not bear to face the Alpha at this moment.

 “Donghae.”

Donghae didn’t want to look up. He didn’t want to respond.

“Donghae.”

There was a gentle rubbing at the back of his ears.

“I’m not mad at you.”

Donghae slowly moved his right ear upwards, and looked apprehensively at the Alpha, who like he said, did not seem to be angry whatsoever. Eunhyuk’s expression was passive, and his eyes bore a slight sliver of amusement.

“We need to get you cleaned up.”

That was not for Donghae to decide, apparently. Within seconds, he was back in the wooden tub again.

“Can you wash yourself? I’d like to do it again, but I have to change the sheets and prepare breakfast.”

Donghae nodded timidly. He couldn’t say anything to oppose the Alpha right now. Not after what he had done. It was wholly humiliating for Donghae and he wanted nothing but the tub to swallow him whole.

Eunhyuk placed the loofah in Donghae’s hand and patted his cheek. “I’ve left some clothes for you on the stool. Come to the kitchen when you’re done.” Before leaving, Eunhyuk pressed a soft, quick kiss against Donghae’s temple. And then he was gone.

Donghae reached out his fingertips and grazed the portion of skin that Eunhyuk’s lips had touched. He didn’t understand the attraction that he felt for the blonde. It seemed more profound than life itself, this need to be close to Eunhyuk. Was it merely a tiny little crush? A crush that manifested because Eunhyuk was the one who saved him that fateful day? And he had just soiled himself in front of his potential love interest. That was not a very promising start.

Donghae wracked his brains for a reasonable excuse for his behaviour this morning as he soaped himself up. It was ridiculous, really. What could he say? I’m sorry, I was just really ? I was sick? Yeah, sick in the mind, maybe. I have poor control of my body? A weak bladder?

Donghae pouted. He still had not invented a rational explanation by the time he was dressed. His ears tweaked back and forth, which usually happened was he was thinking really, really hard.

And that was how Eunhyuk found Donghae. Donghae was staring at the ground, his ears twitching, and Donghae giving the most adorable little pout ever.

“I thought I told you to come out when you’re done.” Eunhyuk’s upper lip twitched because he really wanted to smile at the little neko, but his tone was naturally stern, as though he was speaking to one of the little pups that had misbehaved. Eunhyuk tilted his head a little as he leaned against the doorframe.

“Ah- I’m sorry! I… My bladder is sick and !” Donghae blurted out. He then covered his mouth in horror because whatever he said did not make any sense.

Eunhyuk blinked. He certainly did not expect such a confession.

“Uhm, erm…” Donghae eye’s darted left and right, his lower lip trembling. “I’ll wash all your sheets for you.” He finally offered lamely, his eyes glued to the floor.

Eunhyuk laughed. It was a loud, hearty laugh. It was a laugh that showed his gums. For Donghae, it was a laugh that sounded like the ringing of bells and the herald of all things joyful. It was a laugh that chased away all the butterflies in Donghae’s stomach. It was a laugh that lifted his spirits.

Donghae looked up at Eunhyuk, only to see a bright, cheerful smile decorating the Alpha’s face.

“The sheets are already in the wash. Now, you need to eat.”

Eunhyuk took Donghae’s hand and tugged the neko to the kitchen, where he had tried to make a hearty breakfast. Donghae was a little taken aback at the burnt toast and obviously overcooked eggs. The only thing that seemed to be edible on the table was the bowl of chocolate milk. This was a stark contrast from the warm broth that he had the day before.

Donghae occupied himself with a piece of toast that seemed less burnt than the others while Eunhyuk chomped down on a mouthful of overcooked eggs. Eunhyuk coughed a little at the foul taste and then looked sheepishly at Donghae. “I’m not much of a cook, am I?”

Donghae put his toast down carefully and shook his head ruefully. He shuffled to the stove and cracked a few eggs into a pan, deciding that as mediocre of a cook he was, he could not be worse than Eunhyuk. Donghae looked around for some salt and pepper, and added a little of each to taste.

Eunhyuk was fascinated by Donghae’s movements. He seemed so… domesticated. He rested his chin on his elbows. Ah, that’s right, he should tell Donghae that he didn’t actually cook the broth. So that Donghae wouldn’t have such high expectations of his cooking in the future.

Donghae picked up a white porcelain plate to put to eggs on.

“Y’know, I didn’t actually make the broth. Sora did. My soup probably wouldn’t be drinkable.”

Sora? Donghae dropped the porcelain plate and he felt it shatter around his bare feet on the parquet floor.

Donghae looked at the mess he created again, and he frowned. He squatted down and started picking up the little porcelain shards, ignoring the fact that his heart seemed to have shattered in the same way as the porcelain plate.

“No!” He heard Eunhyuk shout and he jerked his fingers in surprise, his index fingex finger grazing along a sharp jagged edge.

Donghae looked at his index finger. Although the cut did not seem very deep, ruby droplets oozed out from the split in the flesh.

“You’re so careless.” Eunhyuk chided as he examined Donghae’s finger. He on Donghae’s finger, hoping that the pressure would stop the flow of blood.

Donghae stiffened. He was very affected by this. He couldn’t resist but let out a soft keen and nuzzled himself more into the Alpha. He felt his behind grow wetter by the second.

Sure, this was an intimate act. Eunhyuk would never have done this to anyone else. But he didn’t expect Donghae to be so responsive to the intimacy. Donghae’s skin felt hot and pulsing against his own, and he had to support the neko before his legs turned completely into jelly and failed to support him. 

Donghae didn’t know what came over him. Eunhyuk’s scent was too all consuming. It was all he could think about. He needed Eunhyuk so much that his heart hurt. He hadn’t even realised that he had wrapped his tail around Eunhyuk and pulled their bodies till they were flush against each other.

“Don’t make this so difficult for me, Hae.” Eunhyuk swallowed nervously, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. Donghae’s ears perked at the nickname.

“Then don’t refuse me.” Donghae heard himself whisper seductively against Eunhyuk’s throat, and he darted his tongue out, laving at Eunhyuk’s Adam’s apple. He could feel Eunhyuk’s pulse at such a close proximity and it only served to fuel his want even more.

“You’re not thinking rationally, Hae. One week from now and you’d realize that you don’t harbor these feelings you have for me right now. I don’t want to bind you to me in this state. A loveless bond is worse than death itself.” Eunhyuk was more than aware of the vulnerability of an omega in the heat.

Donghae whimpered as he heard the nickname again. Was it just Eunhyuk calling him that that made him feel even more aroused? How could Eunhyuk expect Donghae to stop if he was being so affectionate?

“Lay down with me, Hae.” Eunhyuk commanded the neko to his chambers. The pair laid down on the soft mattress, and Eunhyuk had to physically restrain Donghae from divesting his clothes. As controlled as Eunhyuk was at this moment, his concentration might shatter if he came into contact with Donghae’s heated skin. He gently placed Donghae’s head on his chest.

Thump. Thump.

“Can you hear that, Hae?”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Donghae frowned. Yes, that was Eunhyuk’s heartbeat. The rhythm was oddly soothing. Donghae liked it.

“You cause my heart to beat faster. So don’t ever think for a minute that I don’t want you.”

Eunhyuk the damp strands of hair off Donghae’s forehead.

“You… I… I’m not the best person you want to tie yourself to in this point in time.”

There was a light snore in response.

What?

Eunhyuk looked down. Donghae had somehow managed to fall asleep when he was talking. Eunhyuk couldn’t even be mad. The neko was sleeping so peacefully, his ears flopping up and down with each breath that he took.

And that was how Donghae endured his first heat without any ion involved. Everytime Donghae transgressed into excessive need, Eunhyuk would rest the neko’s head against his chest, and Donghae would naturally be lulled to sleep. It was strange, but Eunhyuk occasionally felt a strange spark, a connection… a bond? Eunhyuk wasn’t sure.

Eunhyuk managed the pack from within the confines of his home through his trusted subordinates Sungmin and Siwon. Meanwhile, Sungmin had continuously been placing groceries outside Eunhyuk’s door, including pints of chocolate milk. Rumour had spread through the pack that their cold and calculating leader had finally found his mate.

“You have to come out, Donghae.” Eunhyuk rapped on the bathroom door for the seventh time that morning.

“No.” A small voice squeaked.

“At least open the door so I can hand you towels and clothes.” Eunhyuk offered a concession. He did not want Donghae catching a cold. Autumn was slowly turning to winter and the days were getting chillier.

Donghae had rushed out from the bedroom in the morning after his heat had broken and had locked himself in the bathroom since. Eunhyuk suspected that he did have a bath because he heard the water running, so he decided to lay out towels and clothes as usual for Donghae in the bathroom. However, he realised that Donghae had locked the bathroom door. Donghae had never done that before.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ve seen it all?” And touched it all, really.

“No, I don’t feel better!” He heard Donghae snap.

Was Donghae throwing a hissy fit at him right now? Normally, he’d be amused, but his patience had run out for the morning.

“Open the door this instant.” Eunhyuk hissed, his cool voice slicing through the tension.

Donghae meekly opened the door and lowered his head in apology to the Alpha, his ears flopped down in regret.

“Oh, Hae.” Eunhyuk wrapped a fluffy towel around the dripping half-kitten, half-man hybrid, and hugged him tenderly, rubbing at his arms to warm him up.

Eunhyuk released him but he noticed that Donghae was still looking down.

“Didn’t I tell you not to submit so easily, little one?”

Donghae’s cheeks flushed with the mention of the endearing nickname. It made Donghae’s heart flutter and hurt at the same time. Did Eunhyuk call others with equally affectionate names? Who was Donghae compared to Sora? Was Sora Eunhyuk’s wife or mate? Donghae felt very small when he realised that he had taken so much of the time that Eunhyuk could be spending with his family, and to think of the intimate acts that they shared…

Donghae felt positively ill. He couldn’t understand how Eunhyuk could remain so cool and collected as though there was nothing strange about the position they were in; nothing shameful about the relationship that they shared.

“Hey, are you alright?” Eunhyuk used his finger to lift Donghae’s chin. “Listen, I was teasing before. If you prefer not the mention the past week, I’ll keep mum about it. I’ll be our little secret. After breakfast, I’ll introduce you to the rest of the pack.”

The rest of the pack, including Sora. Donghae wondered if Eunhyuk had any children. If he did, they would definitely be as handsome as their father. Donghae mentally smacked himself for thinking that Eunhyuk looked handsome. He definitely did not want Eunhyuk to mention anything over the past week to anyone at all.

“I’d appreciate that.” Donghae said quietly. “I’ll prepare breakfast.” Donghae deftly slipped past the Alpha and shuffled into the kitchen.

Despite the unsettling atmosphere, Donghae’s cooking skills did not fail to impress Eunhyuk. The French toast swathed with honey and berries was mouthwatering, and each of them had a serving of milk in front of them. Eunhyuk’s cup was filled with strawberry milk, and Donghae had a small shallow bowl filled with his favourite chocolate goodness.

“It’s really good, Hae.” Eunhyuk smiled warmly at Donghae from across the table.

“Thank you.” Donghae had spoken so softly that Eunhyuk had to strain his ears to detect the words.

Donghae put down his cutlery and darted his tongue out to at his chocolate milk. Eunhyuk eyed Donghae’s half-eaten French toast with a hint of worry in his eyes. He didn’t know why Donghae was suddenly acting so distant. Of course, he would understand if Donghae was embarrassed about the past week, but this seemed to be more than just purely embarrassment.

“Come, I’ll introduce you to the rest of the pack.” Eunhyuk held out his hand after they had done the dishes.

Donghae swished his tail nervously back and forth.

“They’re not going to bite you,” Eunhyuk chuckled, pulling the neko out of the door.

It had been a while since Donghae had ventured out in the open. He took a gulp of the fresh morning air. Everything smelt like grass and morning dew, and then there was the distracting scent of peppermint, pine and strawberries that occasionally infiltrated his nostrils.

A little pup bounded up to Donghae’s feet and nuzzled itself against Donghae’s shin, earning a little coo from the neko. Donghae bent down and picked up the little pump and nuzzled their noses together. Its fur was very soft and it was very friendly, which reminded Donghae a little of himself.

Eunhyuk had his hands in his pockets and couldn’t help the grin that grew larger by the second on his face.

“Smile any more and your lips might split.” Sungmin punched Eunhyuk’s arm.

Eunhyuk huffed and his grin turned into a scowl as he turned to his childhood friend. That was totally not cool.

“What. Don’t tell me about maintaining your cool image for you.” Sungmin raised his eyebrows.

Eunhyuk rolled his eyes, and then he realized that Donghae had stopped playing with the pup and was now staring at him.

“This is Sungmin,” Eunhyuk said gruffly.

“Good morning, Sungmin-hyung. I’m Donghae. It’s nice to meet you. I hear that you are responsible for the constant supply of chocolate milk in the fridge, I’m really thankful for that.” Donghae bowed slightly.

Sungmin laughed.

“I see you have our little Sungmin junior there.”

Donghae blinked, then looked down at the squirming pup in his arms.

“Yes, this narcissist decided to name his son after himself.” Eunhyuk clarified.

“Oh,” Donghae immediately placed the pup into Sungmin’s arms.

“He must like you very much.” Sungmin frowned at the pup who kept on looking in Donghae’s direction. “No, you can only like me. I’m the most handsome.” He pouted at his son.

Donghae looked at Eunhyuk.

Eunhyuk shrugged in response.

“Come, I’ll bring you to see the elders.”

Eunhyuk naturally interlaced his fingers with Donghae’s as they made their way to another cottage, but Donghae jerked his fingers away and placed his hands in his pockets instead.

The door to the cottage was thrown open from the inside before Eunhyuk could even knock.

“I’ve been waiting!” A man with fiery locks hollered. “You should have just let him ride you here. That’s faster!”

Donghae coughed. The man didn’t just insinuate that he should ride Eunhyuk, did he?

“By golly, you are blushing. I assumed that you would have ridden him lots by now.” The redhead inspected Donghae. “I mean that Eunhyuk could have shapeshifted into a wolf and carry you on his back and run here instead of walking. Didn’t know you had such a dirty little mind, pussycat.”

Donghae frowned and perked his ears at the term.

“You’re one to talk. You look at a pussycat too.” Donghae eyed the redhead’s feline features.

“Ooo… You’ve got yourself a sassy one there, Hyuk.” Heechul cackled. “Come in, Leeteuk has prepared tea and biscuits.”

Once they were inside, Heechul dragged Eunhyuk into a separate room while Donghae and Leeteuk were sitting in the living room and enjoying some tea.

“You didn’t mark him.” Heechul stated. It wasn’t a question.

“No,” Eunhyuk affirmed anyway.

“Why not?” Heechul was frustrated when he couldn’t find a mark on Donghae’s neck or shoulder during his little inspection just now. “Do you not feel an attraction?” Heechul stared straight into Eunhyuk’s eyes, giving the Alpha a slight chill that crawled up his spine.

“I don’t want to bind him to something he might regret.” Eunhyuk pursed his lips, not wanting to delve on the topic further.

"Have you not heard of a soul bond?"

Eunhyuk raised his eyebrows, half in mock belief. Sometimes Heechul had really strange theories; he had learnt that it was best to entertain Heechul and listen because Heechul had the tendency to go on and on and on and just won't stop until Eunhyuk listened to every single word.

"Can you not feel the soul bond?"

Eunhyuk paused.

Sometimes, Heechul could turn out to be awfully right. In the past, Heechul went on rambling about how there would be a blizzard the same night when it was blazing hot in the day. And Heechul was right of course, so it was really fortunate that he forced Eunhyuk to call the entire pack back into their warm homes.

“I don’t know how, and why. But the during the time the both of you spent together, in intimacy, or lack or it, you’ve developed a soul bond. A soul bond is rare, and there isn’t a stronger bond that you can wish for as an Alpha.” Heechul spoke wisely.

Eunhyuk just felt befuddled. He had heard of soul bonds, and Heechul was right in the fact that they were rare. Perhaps Donghae was the one? But he couldn’t even feel any existence of this so called soul bond.

"It’s not that strong yet because you haven’t mated. But it is there. Close your eyes, and feel." Heechul said softly.

Eunhyuk blinked in trepidation, then closed his eyes, and thought of Donghae. Slowly, he felt a light spark running through his veins. A little warmth. It was as though there was a small shadow pressing on his own self. A warm shadow bursting with feelings but he could only feel a thousandth of that tingling through his veins. Then he felt a sudden ripple of pain rip through his entire body. Donghae!

Opening his eyes wide in shock, he turned to look for Donghae. His legs brought him to Donghae's side by instinct.

"God, where does it hurt, Hae?" Eunhyuk found himself holding Donghae's hands within his.

Startled, Donghae's molten chocolate eyes stared into Eunhyuk's liquid silver ones. Then, he sheepishly said, "Oh, I might have burned my tongue a little. The tea was a little too hot."

Donghae angled his chin to the steaming tea on a saucer placed on the coffee table in front of him.

"Let me see your tongue." Eunhyuk commanded softly.

Donghae was a little embarrassed because Eunhyuk was acting too overprotective at the moment. And Leeteuk who was sitting opposite him had an amused look on his face.  But he obediently poked out his tongue a little.

"It's a little red. I'll blow the tea to cool it down for you."

"You don't have to," Donghae puffed up his reddening cheeks.

Eunhyuk noticed the sudden rush of colour and felt a tingle run through his veins again. This time, it felt a little of nervousness and a tinge of embarrassment. Eunhyuk turned around and frowned that the grin on Leeteuk that was obviously too wide, and Heechul smirk simply reeked of 'I told you so'.

Eunhyuk cleared his throat. "We'll be leaving now, I have to bring Donghae around."

"So quickly?" Leeteuk's grin was replaced with disappointment.

"Ah, Hyukkie, let's stay a while more. Leeteuk hyung was telling me about his new ddeoksta recipe."

"Hyukkie?"

"Ddeoksta?"

"Yes, he says its ddeok cooked like pasta? Or was it pasta cooked like ddeok? Maybe we can try it for dinner some other time." Donghae said hopefully.

"You cook for him?"

"Is that even edible?"

"Um, I don't know." Donghae replied. "Maybe?"

"Why doesn't anyone even let me participate in the conversation?" Heechul huffed in annoyance.

It was as though the pair suddenly realised that they were not alone in the room.

"We'll be leaving now," Eunhyuk insisted.

"But ddeoksta..." Donghae whined, his ears flopping down.

Eunhyuk looked tenderly at the neko. "They won't move away. You can come here whenever you like."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Are you going to bring Donghae around to Sora's now?" Leeteuk asked.

"Yeah, we should. She probably prepared lunch."

Donghae's heart flopped at the mention of Sora. He couldn't even pretend that Sora was a fiction anymore.

Eunhyuk felt Donghae's fear and a bit of jealousy(?) radiate off him and he had no idea what Donghae was afraid of. He gripped Donghae's hand even more tightly when he felt Donghae trying to squeeze his fingers away.

After they left, Heechul snickered at Leeteuk. "Did you see that? Donghae is so jealous of Sora right now."

Leeteuk rolled his eyes at Heechul. "I can't believe what I saw. Blow the tea? Consider to stay longer? Since when did Eunhyuk listen to anyone?"

"I'm telling you, it's a soul bond right there. Eunhyuk is going to be so whipped."

_

"Is there something you're afraid of?"

Yes. I'm afraid of Sora. Who she is. What she means to you.

"No?" Donghae replied, but he was so unsure that it sounded more like a question.

"You know you can tell me anything right?" Eunhyuk said gently, the words rolling of his tongue.

Donghae felt an urge to nuzzle himself into Eunhyuk's warm body, but he restrained himself. Eunhyuk picked up on Donghae's feelings anyhow, because of the bond they shared, so Eunhyuk engulfed him in a bear hug whether he liked it or not, and for additional measure, nuzzled his nose into Donghae's soft cheek.

"Better?"

Donghae pursed his lips and nodded.

"Oh! Oof!" A little pup rushed into Eunhyuk and bumped against his shin.

Eunhyuk bent down and picked up the little pup, which squirmed in his arms.

"How'd you doing there little buddy?" Eunhyuk chuckled.

Donghae could feel the blood drain slowly from his cheeks. Was that Eunhyuk's son?

"Hey, hold him for a while," Eunhyuk placed the pup in Donghae's arms as two more pups bundled up to him.

Donghae looked forlornly at the little pup in him arms, and the pup mirrored his own expression.

"Say hi to Donghae here." Eunhyuk told the pups. The pup in Donghae's arms Donghae's cheek playfully and another curled its tail around Donghae's ankle. However, another pup seemed pretty defiant about acknowledging Donghae. It turned its head away and looked at Eunhyuk.

Donghae bit his lip and felt anxious. Eunhyuk just looked at the pup. It was as though there was a silent communication between them, then the pup finally looked down and trudged slowly to Donghae, and his other ankle, which made Donghae beam.

"Perfect, now that we're all acquainted, let's head for lunch." Eunhyuk strode in the direction of a house, and the rest of them followed.

"Sora! We're here! The pups escaped again, you're not being a really good mum are you?"

Donghae held two pups in his arms now as he hesitantly stepped into the house. The last pup that refused to acknowledge him at first lagged behind. Donghae knelt down and put the two pups on the heated flooring, and turned around, opening his arms for the last little pup.

The pup looked at Donghae indecisively. But Donghae bravely offered a smile, and the pup placed its little paw into Donghae's palm. Donghae took that as permission to carry the pup and he laid it where the other two pups were rolling about playfully. The pup yipped at Donghae and the inside of his wrist before turning to go play as well.

Donghae shuffled nervously to the kitchen.

"Shihyuk was being mean again. He didn't want to say hi to Donghae because Donghae's an omega. He has too much alpha in him, that little pup."

Donghae didn't know what Eunhyuk was talking about. He was a what?

"Did Donghae like the soup from last time?"

"Yeah, he did."

"Good, because I'm cooking that again today. Where is Donghae?"

"Playing with the pups." But then it was as though Eunhyuk had sensed Donghae's presence, and turned to smile at him with his bright gummy smile, and Donghae felt like he was an intruder in the kitchen.

"Oh, Donghae, meet Sora!"

The lady at the stove turned around with a beam on her face. She had the same almond shaped eyes as Eunhyuk. She walked over and gave Donghae a warm hug.

"Ah, I'm Eunhyuk's sister." Her eyes twinkled, noticing the slightly jealous look in Donghae's eyes.

Donghae blinked and nodded quickly. "Thank you for the soup before." He added.

"I can't believe you didn't tell him I was your sister." Sora rolled her eyes at her brother.

"What?" Eunhyuk just looked from Donghae to Sora and back to Donghae.

"Lunch will be ready in fifteen minutes. Now, shoo!"

_

"Y-you... You were jealous of Sora?" Eunhyuk asked when they were alone after lunch.

Eunhyuk poked Donghae. Donghae had learnt that Sora's mate was Siwon over lunch, and that they had three pups just this spring.

"Haeee..."

Donghae folded his arms and pouted.

"Hae, I have to leave tomorrow." Eunhyuk said seriously.

Donghae lifted his head and looked at Eunhyuk dolefully. "Why?" Donghae asked quietly.

Eunhyuk cradled his palm against Donghae's cheek. "Pack business. I'll be back in a few days."

"Okay."

"If you need any groceries, you can ask Sungmin to get them for you. Leeteuk and Heechul's numbers are next to the phone if you need them."

"Okay."

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm not."

"You are, little one." Eunhyuk used his thumb to wipe away a runaway tear.

Donghae threw himself into Eunhyuk's embrace, burying himself into pine and peppermint, with a dash of strawberries. Eunhyuk hadn't realized telling Donghae that he would be away for a short while would lead to sniffles. Maybe it was because of the soul bond. But Eunhyuk had to leave.

"When?" Donghae asked.

"Early morning."

"Will you sleep with me tonight?"

Eunhyuk raised his eyebrows, and Donghae realized the other meaning of his question. His ears tried to cover his eyes to hide himself.

"Would you prefer I sleep on the couch?"

"No!" Donghae hugged the Alpha more tightly.

"Then we'll go to bed together."

_

Donghae disappointed that he woke up with no one next to him. Eunhyuk hadn't bothered to wake him up to tell him that he was leaving. Donghae curled his tail around himself and willed himself not to cry. But he did anyway, into Eunhyuk's pillow, breathing into Eunhyuk's scent.

Donghae's stomach had growled multiple times by noon, but he had no appetite. His world felt as though it had broken down in the Alpha's absence. Nothing seemed to be of meaning anymore. Still, he could hear Eunhyuk's voice in his head commanding him to go eat. It had been in his head for a while now. Maybe Eunhyuk's absence was making him delirious as well.

Reluctantly, he pulled himself off the bed. He shuffled to the kitchen, and opened the fridge mechanically. Strangely enough, it was stocked with more than enough cartons of chocolate milk, eggs, vegetables and meat. Donghae felt like crying all over again. Even before leaving, Eunhyuk had made sure that Donghae would never go hungry. Donghae's heart felt heavy not knowing whether Eunhyuk was eating well or not.

Donghae didn't feel like preparing anything fancy for breakfast. He had the feeling that he might burn the toast or over cook the eggs anyway. So he settled for cereal in chocolate milk. But he spent more time dripping tears into the cereal than actually eating it. Then he gave up and returned back to the room, hugging Eunhyuk's pillow to sleep, and hoping that the day would pass faster, so it would be one day closer to Eunhyuk coming home.

Donghae's nap didn't last very long. But when he was awake, he would cry until he was drained of tears and exhausted. Then he would sleep. And the cycle would repeat itself again. It was the third day of Eunhyuk's absence that the tinkle of the doorbell interrupted Donghae's restless sleep in the morning.

Dragging his lethargic self up on the motivation that perhaps it was Eunhyuk who had returned, Donghae opened the door hesitantly. It didn't occur to him that there would be no reason for Eunhyuk to ring the doorbell since it was his home, but Donghae was too tired to even think logically.

And he was obviously met with disappointment, because on the other side of the door was Leeteuk and Heechul.

"Oh." Donghae couldn't help but express his disappointment.

"What! Is he not glad to see his elders?" Heechul huffed.

"I'm sorry." Donghae immediately apologized and let them in. He didn't really feel like being hospitable. He just wanted to curl up in the blanket with Eunhyuk's pillow, until the time Eunhyuk came back. It had already been three days and no news.

"I'll make some tea." Donghae shuffled slowly to the kitchen and started filling the kettle with water.

"Donghae, why don't you sit down and I'll make some food for you."

"I'm not hungry." Donghae brushed away Leeteuk's offer.

"Donghae, when did you last eat?" Leeteuk picked up the bowl of soggy cereal, chocolate milk, and tears that was on the table.

Donghae shrugged and mechanically started turning on the stove to make hot water.

"Donghae, you can't be like this. Eunhyuk won't like it when he comes back."

"When he comes back." Donghae scoffed under his breath. "I don't even know when he comes back. What kind of pack business takes so long?"

“What’s this?” Heechul butted in. He gripped at Donghae’s wrist and turned it from side to side. There was a thin silver bracelet on Donghae’s wrist, but he hadn’t noticed it even all this while. There were more important things for him, like bawling in Eunhyuk’s pillow.

“I don’t know.” Donghae looked at the bracelet curiously as well, and watched as it slid up and down his arm.

“Eunhyuk will come back for this.” Heechul confirmed.

“But not for me?” Donghae frowned.

Leeteuk hit Heechul for his poor phrasing. “Of course, he’d come back for you, Donghae. He left you his token.” Leeteuk said reassuringly.

A token? Donghae eyes the silver bracelet. It was very pretty. Donghae liked it.

“Eunhyuk may have stayed on for the hunting.” Leeteuk spoke.

Donghae tilted his head. What hunting?

“After the annual council meeting, there is something like a celebration and the Alphas all go hunting in one of the forests. Eunhyuk might come back with some meat. Last year, he came back with a deer.” Leeteuk realised he was rambling. “In any case, Eunhyuk will be happy to see that you’re still wearing the bracelet when he gets back.” Leeteuk smiled fondly at Donghae, who was playing with the bracelet again.

-

Eunhyuk did return the next day. Everyone in the pack had gathered around to welcome his return. As Leeteuk had said, Eunhyuk was carrying the spoils of his hunt on his back, and it turned out to be a really huge deer, with antlers and all. While Eunhyuk gave polite nods to the members of his pack, he was really scanning for Donghae.

Of course, Eunhyuk felt Donghae before he even saw Donghae. It was as though there was a pool of radiance, sunshine, warmth and happiness bubbling at the pit of his stomach, and then the neko barreled into his firm chest. Eunhyuk lost his balance because of the sudden impact. His hands let go of the deer and wound themselves protectively over Donghae. The pair hit the ground, through Donghae’s fall was pretty much cushioned by the blonde Alpha.

Eunhyuk couldn’t hide the gummy smile that crept up on his face as he inhaled the all too familiar scent of vanilla and lavender. It was the scent of home. Because home was where the heart is. And while Donghae didn’t know it, Eunhyuk knew that his home was wherever Donghae was.

“I missed you.” Donghae whispered to the Alpha. He missed the Alpha’s scent, the Alpha’s voice, the Alpha’s everything.

“Yeah?” Hyukjae’s gummy smile grew even wider, if that was possible, and he rubbed the back of Donghae’s ears, earning a soft purr from the neko, who then nuzzled his nose against Eunhyuk’s cheek affectionately.

“I missed you too, little one.” Eunhyuk returned Donghae’s nuzzle with a quick peck on Donghae’s nose.

This earned a lot of ‘aww’s from the spectators, who were initially amused by Donghae’s exuberant tackle of their Alpha. And really, they weren’t sure what to expect, but they certainly weren’t expecting the current scene playing in front of their eyes. Donghae had turned their commanding Alpha into such a softie. Even they didn’t know that Eunhyuk was capable of public displays of affection, but it seemed that Donghae made Eunhyuk capable of everything they didn’t think the Alpha could be capable of.

There was a little furrow that grew between Donghae’s brows, and then he smacked Eunhyuk’s chest. “You… you left without telling me! I’m locking you out of the house.” Donghae pushed himself off Eunhyuk’s chest using his elbows, and gave Eunhyuk the stink eye. “You meanie!” He stomped off back to Eunhyuk’s house, and locked himself in.

The crowd was even more amused now. No one could come to terms with the fact that Eunhyuk had been locked out of his own house, not even Eunhyuk himself, and Eunhyuk didn’t even seem mad about it.  

Eunhyuk scrambled after Donghae when he realised that the neko probably was not joking. He rapped on the door with his knuckles desperately. “Hae hae, I can explain. Don’t be mad.” He pleaded.

“Ladies and gentlemen, our Alpha is now officially whipped.” Heechul announced. “Let us grill the meat to celebrate!”

-

Heechul was right; Eunhyuk was ecstatic when he discovered that Donghae had not removed the silver bracelet.

“What’s a token?” Donghae asked inquisitively.

“It’s a promise.” Eunhyuk said slowly, trying to find the right words to encompass the significance of a token.

“A promise for?”

“It’s a promise that I will take care of you forever, as my mate, if you will have me.” Eunhyuk spoke carefully. “You can have all the time you want to think about it, but I hope you consider my promise.”

Donghae could feel spindles of nervousness reflecting off Eunhyuk. This was probably one of the few times that Eunhyuk was unsure of anything in his life. Unknown to Eunhyuk, Donghae had known about the presence of the soul bond from Heechul. He also knew that if a soul bond were to be broken, it would leave both parties absolutely devastated. If the strength of the bond were reinforced through mating, it would be the strongest bond between two wolves ever. ‘But I’m not a wolf’, Donghae remembered telling Heechul, and the redhead quirked an eyebrow at him. ‘Really? You’re more of an omega than you think’, Heechul had replied, because soul bonds could only be formed between an Alpha and an Omega. It was the most rare of all bonds.

Eunhyuk had turned to leave the room to give Donghae some space to ponder and think. But Donghae had already made his decision.

“I’m already yours. I was already yours the moment you picked me up in the street.” Donghae twisted Eunhyuk’s wrist, preventing him from taking a step further. “If you will have me?” Donghae lowered his head and tilted his neck slightly to the side, baring the pale skin of his neck, and offering Eunhyuk his complete submission. This was an extra something he learnt from Heechul. Heechul had turned out to be a great wealth of information.

“Little one,” Eunhyuk whispered as he cupped Donghae’s cheek and pushed him gently onto the soft sheets. “I will have you know that you hold all the power in this relationship.”

“But you’re the Alpha.” Donghae replied cutely, scrunching up his nose.

“And you’re the Alpha’s mate. My mate.”

-

Winter had come, and it was almost Christmas. But Donghae was sick. He was very sick. Or perhaps Donghae was exaggerating it. For the past few days, Donghae had done nothing but regurgitate the contents of his stomach, and he couldn’t drink anything besides chocolate milk. Eunhyuk was worried. He thought that it was the stomach flu, but it seemed to be something more serious that that.

“Hyukkie, I think I’m dying.” Donghae whispered hoarsely from the bed. “I’m been throwing up everything but my stomach is still bloated. Donghae patted at the little pouch on his abdomen. “I think it’s a tumour.”

Eunhyuk almost rolled his eyes to the back of his head in exasperation and worry. He could feel Donghae’s pain through the bond, and it made his heart break even more. He wiped at Donghae’s forehead with a cool cloth. “No little one, don’t say it like that. I’ll bring you to see Jinki after lunch.”

“Do you think it’s a tape worm in my stomach? Or some new parasite? What if Jinki can’t heal me?” Donghae started imagining all the different scenarios in his head.

If the situation weren’t serious, Eunhyuk would tell Donghae that he deserved to be an outstanding writer because his imagination clearly knew no bounds. But Eunhyuk just pressed his lips against Donghae’s forehead and rubbed the back of his ears. “No, it won’t be like that. You’ll get well enough for Christmas and make that roast turkey for Christmas eve like you’ve been saying for a while now.” Eunhyuk said firmly.

“But what if –”

Eunhyuk absolutely couldn’t take any more of Donghae’s what ifs. He carried Donghae and ran all the way to Jinki’s.

Jinki pushed his glasses up his nose. “There’s a problem you say?”

“Yes, it is most upsetting.” Donghae clasped his hands together dramatically. “Is it a tumour? A tapeworm? Am I just going to combust into bits?”

“Err?” Jinki gave Donghae the most puzzled look in his life. Then Jinki coughed and retained his original composure when Eunhyuk gave him a glare.

“You’re very much alive, Donghae,” Jinki began. “In fact, there is a lot of cause to celebrate.”

Eunhyuk couldn’t hide his death glare at Jinki’s sarcasm, or what he thought was sarcasm.

Jinki picked up on that and continued hurriedly. “The thing is, you’re expecting pups, Donghae.”

Jinki watched as Eunhyuk’s expression flitter from shock, to surprise and then to happiness.

“Did you hear that Hyukkie? We’re having pups!” Donghae was practically beaming. “This wasn’t a tumour after all!” Donghae now patted the little pouch that formed on his abdomen lovingly.

“How many?” Eunhyuk gave Jinki a gummy smile, while creeped Jinki out a little because he was not used to seeing the Alpha in such a blissful state.

“Three.” Jinki confirmed, looking at the test reports.

“We’re going to have three littler ones, Hae.” Eunhyuk said excitedly, mirroring Donghae’s jubilant expression.

“Littler ones?”

“Yeah, because you’ll always be my little one.”