Jongin watched as his mentor crushed leaves in the wooden bowl. The older wolf wouldn't tell him what he was mixing, but whatever it was, took his full concentration. There was a palpable silence between him and the Omega, who was also watching the medic.

Jongin wasn't sure if they were waiting for him to leave so they could began talking, or what? But he wasn't going anywhere. Jongdae may very well be mating with their new Head Alpha, and whatever gossip Jongin could pick up from the conversation that was waiting to be had, so he could share it with Sehun - who would share it with Suho, who would share it with Xiumin, who would share it with Kyungsoo, who would share it with Chanyeol, who would share it with Baekhyun - he would take.

After all, it wasn't everyday in the Ederra pack, that such amazing things happen. So he waited, eyeing the Omega who was eyeing Yixing, who was trying to ignore the both of them.

"It's not so nice, huh?" Yixing finally spoke. "Being ignored."

Jongdae wanted to throw his hands in the air, he wasn't purposefully ignoring the medic. He really didn't know how to start a conversation with the man about something so sensitive. Besides, Yixing has never been an Omega. He wouldn't understand fully the emotions and control that went into trying to rebuild self esteem that was constantly chipped away at. The only reason Jongdae's self esteem wasn't completely diminished, was because he wasn't meant to be an Omega in the first place.

"Hold still," Yixing mumbled, stooping down to the Omega's ankle to rub the paste onto his skin. Jongdae had been training with the Warriors for the last three moons, and one of the fights he was in left a gash on his ankle. "You're good, you know, at ignoring people and making them feel lower than you." The paste burned, much like Jongdae's face at Yixing's words. If Jongdae wasn't made Omega, the wolf would naturally be higher ranked than Yixing. Jongdae was naturally more dominate and stronger than the manifested Beta's, his abnormal canines were a commemoration of that.

"Does that hurt your feelings?" Jongdae asked, tone sounding harsh. "Because if it does, then try actually being lower than everyone else. See how you fair then."

Jongin winced at Jongdae's words, feeling an unusual urge to make himself seem small. Darting his eyes to his mentor's hurt face, he ignored that minute nag, instead focusing on the protective urge welling up in his chest. Jongdae was an Omega, and he wasn't allowed to talk that way to anyone. He was waiting for Yixing to reprimand the wolf, but it never came.

"I know, Jongdae," the medic sighed, head bowed and closing his eyes to gather himself. "I'm just saying that I'm your friend, and I'm on your side. Your best interest is what I am thinking about, so I would appreciate it if you didn't use that scornful attitude with me."

"I'm not doing it on purpose."

"But you're doing it," Yixing looked into the Omega's eyes. He just wanted the younger one to stop. Stop being frustrated, stop being hateful, stop. He wasn't going to impress anyone if he kept locking himself away, and then releasing these small bouts of anger.

Jongdae looked away from the Beta's eyes, lowering his head in a show of submission, "I'm sorry that I'm hurting your feelings. I want to talk to you, sometimes I just don't know what to say."

Jongin felt himself relaxing after hearing the Omega apologize. He'd never seen Jongdae bump heads with Yixing before, and it wasn't something he wanted to witness again. Not even at the price of juicy gossip.

"Tell me about," Yixing paused to think. "Tell me about you're training. I mean I watch sometimes with the Head Alpha, I even brag about your skill to sway her opinion of you."

Yixing laughed at the surprised face Jongdae made at that revelation. The medic did whatever was necessary to sway Ji'Heiv's opinion, and the more he did so, the more he realized he didn't have to. She already had an opinion of the Omega, and it wasn't all together, a bad one.

"It's fun, being able to fight and not worry about consequences later," Jongdae said wistfully. "Or, fighting, and not being expected to lose, so a higher rank can feel good about themselves."

Yixing nodded his head, remembering all the times he had to treat Jongdae after he was beaten ruthlessly by some "playful" Alpha's and Beta's. Back when Jongdae was still headstrong and wouldn't back down from a fight, always wanting to prove himself.

"It is nice seeing you give back some of the pain you have endured all these years. I think the others are being reminded of how much of a threat you were and still are," Yixing laughed.

Jongdae nodded his head, remembering the reasons the Head Alpha gave for deciding to give him a chance. She thought his lack of scent was threatening. Now that he was showing her he had combative skills, maybe her thoughts about him being a threat increased.

He wasn't altogether sure that was a good thing or not.

"All better, just rest that ankle today. No climbing tree's, we have enough fruit," Yixing chided.

"I have to help the Home Makers today. We are still adding huts to the village for the new comers who want to be near to the Head Alpha since she has settled here. I'm just weaving the roof though, so I can sit and do that."

Jongin was realizing that maybe they were not going to talk about Jongdae's relationship with the Head Alpha as they continued to ramble about how many had moved in, and their personalities.

"How does the Head Alpha like you?" Jongin interrupted, after five minutes of listening to Yixing compare the new members to the original Ederra pack.

"Me?" Yixing asked. "She includes me in on important things like her mating. She knows that I will be the one examining her throughout her pregnancy and afterwards."

"Not you," Jongin waved his hand, laughing at the oblivious Yixing. "Jongdae, how does she like you? Are you getting along? Do you have chemistry? Anything?"

"You sound desperate to know," Jongdae accused.

Really, he didn't want to answer any of those questions. When he saw the Head Alpha, he saw his fear manifested, a fear he didn't know ran so deep. He wasn't scared of the fact that she could be physically stronger than him, he wasn't intimidated by her Alpha status, and he wasn't unattracted to her. Those things he respected about her and submitted to her willingly like any other lower rank would.

But there was something else in her face, in the way she looked at him when he coward in front of her. He'd be so focused on not bowing to her dominance, that sometimes the gleam she'd get in her eye when he succeeded, escaped him. But it would always replay in his mind when he was alone, or when he was trying to sleep. It would appear and he would find himself wondering what that gleam meant.

It also didn't help that he had ran into her more times than not, by the waterfall in his spot. It was the same spot she antagonized him in after they had first met. She kept reappearing there to bathe, and she'd always challenge him to leave. Though she didn't do it the way she did that first time, she would try in different ways - ways that made him feel insecure about her presence.

Whenever he would assert himself and fight against the feelings she provoked within him, that gleam would appear in her eyes.

Almost like she was pleased.

Jongdae snapped his eyes to Jongin as he let that thought settle within his mind, "I hope you don't mind. But it's private right now. I'm sure it'll be public knowledge soon enough."

Jongin didn't like that answer, but he accepted it, especially since the Omega looked so suddenly spooked.

He watched as Jongdae hopped of the stool he was sitting on and gave his proper farewells, before leaving out the tent.

"Do you know anything?" The young Beta wasn't giving up just yet, deciding to try and pester Yixing for answers.

The medic only shrugged as he cleaned his hands, "He doesn't talk to me, remember?"

~~~

"I think you will have fun with the Omega," Hiru teased, walking with the Head Alpha as she continued to familiarize herself with the Ederra pack. She enjoyed watching them work in their assigned roles.

She was thinking of getting some new tunics when her mind thought of the bland brown ones Jongdae wore. His was a patched up mess.

She couldn't understand why he had crossed her mind while she was looking at the different color threads, but that seemed to be the case as of late.

He had started training with both Biga in the day, and Hiru at night. They both had praises for the Omega, though his initial pack members did not according to Lau. It seemed the past Alpha went through great lengths to make the Omega seem worthless. The only wolves that had anything good to say about the Omega, were surprisingly those in Leader roles. Suho had spoke highly of Jongdae as a hunter, making mention that he was as fast as any of them, really, faster than most of them, and was able to run any target down and catch it quickly. Xiumin had something similar to say about the Omega. Though he was lacking in sheer strength, he was fast and knew how to use his body, thus fighting him and winning, was never an easy feat for any member of the pack, including the previous Head Alpha.

Most of the gatherers were either very sweet on Jongdae, or very domineering to him. And the home makers all loved him. It seemed his most hated group were the hunters and warriors without a title. They teased, bullied, and poked fun at the Omega whenever he was in the vicinity. Most of the times he was not, probably something he conveniently caused to happen. If he was not working, he was off by the waterfall, exploring. Ji'Heiv had run into him there more times than not, all of them being awkward for the Omega. She was there to bathe, and he wouldn't ever leave, stubbornly sitting in his spot because he was there first.

It was a disrespectful thing to parade around in front of the pack members in the . Even when transitioning from wolf to human, staying crouched until draped with a cover or a tunic, was the proper method. With Jongdae nearly always being present when she needed to bathe, he was constantly being disrespected, but he only brought it on himself. He would give her her privacy to undress, but once she was in the water, she would only become part of the beautiful landscape. Besides, she knew where he liked to sit, and she always made sure to come to that exact spot.

"How else would I get you alone?" she teased one evening, as the sun was dipping lower in the sky.

He didn't have a reply to her taunt, eyes widening at the suggestion before he looked away from her.

Ji'Heiv laughed at her thoughts and at Hiru, "Of course I will. I already am."

Hiru in a dramatic breath, looking scandalized, "Head Alpha! Not before the mating ceremony?"

She laughed harder, catching the attention of the Home makers as she clutched at the smooth white fabric her eyes settled on.

"He will be the one I mate with. I have settled on that idea already," she spoke. "But our mating is a long way off. He is still not comfortable with me."

Hiru shrugged his wide shoulders, "maybe you should try being more gentle with him. After watching his battles with some of the warriors, I can confidently say he is not scared of you cause he is afraid you will hurt him in a fight. He is scared of your entitlement. You are an Alpha all around, the best of us, and you make sure to remind him of that every time you cross him. He who has been on the bottom for a good bit of his adult senescence already."

She listened intently to Hiru's words, they made a lot of sense, but he couldn't be suggesting what she thought?

"You're not asking me to be vulnerable with him, are you?"

"Vulnerable? You? Never," he laughed. "Just stop trying to intimidate him. If he is intimidated, let it be in the natural way you intimidate us all."

"I can try that, I guess," she really did enjoy intimidating him especially, of all people. Something about his reactions were enticing, and she couldn't be sure why.

"Do it and see how he loosens up. I've seen Lau laughing with him a few times now since you charged him to keep surveillance on Jongdae."

"I said I'd try," she said blandly, letting Hiru know to drop the subject, though all he did was laugh.

She asked for the Home maker to design her a nice styled tunic with the white fabric. It would be what she would wear to the mating ceremony. And for Jongdae, she pointed to a blackish gray fabric. All he really needed was a half tunic, since the males upper body was painted in the white traditional mating designs on the ceremony day.

She bid farewell to Hiru as she walked, alone, to the outskirts of the village. This would be her first time visiting his hut in the time she had taken over the Ederra pack. Though she wasn't expecting much, what she did see made hang open.

How could someone responsible for the beautiful homes in the center of the village, live in one so tacky?

She didn't even bother knocking, instead she opened the tilting door and walked right in. He wasn't home, which gave her time to look around and sniff his things. Because of the small space, his smell accumulated within his home, giving Ji'Heiv the ability to finally know exactly what he smelled like. He was definitely a Beta. She could piece the smell together by sniffing at his thin furs that laid in the corner of the small room. He smelled like a piquant mixture of spices, exciting, lively, and provocative.

Which suddenly made sense considering the way he reacted to her. She could almost be sure that a defiant Jongdae would probably smell titillating to her, which would also explain why she was always testing him for a response.

The barely there, scent he carried, she was attracted to it.

Terribly attracted to it, she gathered the longer she stood in his home, breathing it in.

The door slowly opening, alerted her to his presence, "I thought I smelled you. What are you doing here?" he asked freely.

"You're not worried? I'm in your home, uninvited."

She stayed standing away from him, close to his furs in the corner of the hut, as he eyed her. She noticed his eyes got stuck somewhere near her chest level before he peeled them away and took a deep breath in. His cheeks tinted a dusty pink as he squinted his eyes at her.

"Why are you here?" he asked again, backing towards the door. He didn't seem nervous for once, just cautious. She wasn't sending any threatening waves of dominance his way, which made a big difference, she could already tell. But something else was now bothering him, and she was sure it could be nothing she was doing. At least, not on purpose.

"Fine. I just wanted to talk to you," she threw her hands up, going for a relaxed body posture. She still didn't want him to get too comfortable with her, but she was hoping if he saw her relaxed, he would follow suit.

He didn't.

"Can we talk outside, in the fresh air?" he signaled to the door.

"You're holding your breath," she accused, walking to the door. He didn't say anything, thankful for the slightly cool air of outside.

She turned to face him, noticing the traces of dirt on his tanned skin and under his nails. The dirt could be from any one of the many ways he helped out the pack, so she ignored his appearance to speak more business with him.

"In case you haven't noticed," she started. "You are going to be my mate."

"If that smell you were giving off in my hut was anything to go by, then yeah, I think I noticed," that was new - he was being sarcastic, and he was laying it on heavy.

Ji'Heiv wasn't sure which shocked her more, his sudden attitude, or the smell he just accused her of having. Her first response was to remind him who was in charge, before she remembered Hiru's words. He was talking, and quite freely might she add.

"I see you have a lot of words to share with me today," she settled with, watching as he lowered his head and eyes. "Nevertheless, I'd say it was a good thing. You being able to talk to me. What's changed?"

Maybe the fact that she wasn't giving off such murderous vibes helped him think clearer, he thought to himself, "You are being fair and not reminding me of who you are, as if I had the option of forgetting."

"I can't be sure of that, now can I?" she charged back, as a small smile lit her face.

Jongdae didn't say anything back, simply looking at her bright chocolate colored eyes, and surprised smile. Eventually, when she realized he wasn't going to say anything, she casually pulled her eyes from his.

Rubbing a hand through the short strands of her hair, she smiled again, "Let's try to do this right before my 24th senescene. It'll be fully cold outside, and it'll be mating season. Maybe being locked inside to stay warm will do us both some good."

He nodded his head in agreement, no longer meeting her eyes. She wish she knew what was going on in his head, and why he went from bold to bashful so fast.

"Do you mind?" she asked out of courteousness, but still intent on doing what she wanted to anyway. Before he could ask what she meant, she was already leaning forward, nose pressed into his chest, near the prominent mole on his collarbone this time. Oddly, it was warm as her breaths puffed against his skin, leaving chills along his flesh. Instead of holding his breath in fear, Jongdae took a sniff of his own, leaning his nose down to her scalp, covered by short black hair.

What he smelt in his hut was still clinging to her skin.

Thinly veiled, was the scent of arousal.

A/N: Sooooo, I feel like it's been a while. This chapter was mainly meant to show some progression between Jongdae and Ji'Heiv, and if you picked up on it, some progression with Jongdae's personality as well.

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