There was an awkward silence that followed Chanyeol’s declaration. Everyone was either shocked, like Jongdae and Sehun, or completely face palming due to the rather sudden declaration, which was not made at the best of times, nor with the right amount of subtlety; in short, Chanyeol had acted like a caveman and, well, they hoped that Jongdae didn’t outright punch the crap out of him, although Baekhyun and Jongin did love their brother.

“This is rather sudden...” commented Sehun, fighting as not to let his mouth hang open like an idiot. “What?” breathed Jongdae, barely understanding the words that were, just now, spoken to him.

“Mate.” growled Chanyeol.

“What is this? What’s the matter with him?” asked Jongdae with a hint of panic evident in his voice, bordering hysteria.

“I think he means exactly what he says, that you are his mate, or that he perceives you as his mate.” pointed out Sehun, who pretty much hit the bullseye.

“How? When?” babbled Jongdae incoherently.

“I think that Chanyeol is having a great difficulty expressing himself, so allow me to point out what I think is the matter here.” Interrupted Jongin with a soft voice, really trying not to intensify the situation, to an uncontrollable point. But it would be better if Chanyeol would let you go and you sit down in order for me to explain.”

Chanyeol growled and huffed at the words. Jongin had the suspicion that Chanyeol might’ve been completely dominated by his most primal instincts that told him to protect his mate, and be near him to provide and assist with his needs.

When Jongdae moved to sit on a chair with Chanyeol trailing behind him, iridescent eyes sparkling brightly, he asked him, in the calmest voice that he could muster at the moment, to sit with him. Sensing, as Jongin did, that Chanyeol was not himself, the tall man sat down on the floor, right next to Jongdae, with his nose buried into the side of the Jongdae's thigh, while he hesitantly rested a hand on top of the taller's head, scratching slightly at the scalp, keeping Chanyeol calm and happy while Jongin spoke.

“Well,” began Jongin, sitting on the edge on the bed were Sehun laid, with Baekhyun at the other side, near Sehun’s head. “I am pretty sure that you realized that Chanyeol thinks of you as his mate. It’s quite obvious: from the protecting posture, to the attachment that he has to you since he set his foot into this hut and smelled you. If we were talking about a normal wolf, be it an alpha, a beta or an omega, this would be the first part of a phase that I think you call as courting, where you both see if you connect with each other, and also see if your wolves are in sync with each other. This applies to me as well, as an Oracle, for some reason, despite the obvious reasons; I go through the same process as you do: I get attracted to someone and I court him or I wait for the wolf to court me. However, this logic doesn’t apply to where berserker wolves are concerned; we don’t know exactly the cause, although it’s suspected that they are designed and molded, to protect someone to the same emotional connections that they establish with their Oracle, and therefore, the mating process is different, mainly because they grow interested or attached to someone in such a deep way that they consider them their mate forever. All in all, this goes to say that while normal wolves can choose, berserkers don’t and they will forever be attached to the person that their hearts choose. That being said, we aren’t trying anything with this or even forcing you to do anything, it’s just plainly letting you know the reality of the situation.”

Jongdae nodded, silently, staring slightly at Chanyeol, who was still sitting nearby, possibly mulling about the situation, hypothetically searching for a good route to start running into a safe direction; even Jongin admitted that being his brother’s mate, especially Chanyeol, was something that Jongdae should win a prize for.

“I…” began Jongdae, voice a little shaky, which Sehun didn’t really know if it was due to his poor throat condition or the fact that he just had a bomb dropped on him. “I think I need a moment to myself.”

Chanyeol whined lowly at hearing this, clearly still very affected by the wolf in him, who wasn’t happy at the words his mate just stated. Jongin made a motion to scold his brother, understanding that it had truly been a shock for Jongdae to receive such news but the later shook his head with a little smile.

“Don’t scold him on my account, Jongin. He is not doing anything wrong, he’s simply following his instincts as a wolf, I get that! I just really need some time to think about this; it was quite…sudden!”

Jongin nodded and asked Jongdae if he could help himself from the stew in the pot, his nose catching the scent as he bypassed the pot, the mouthwatering smell making him backtrack and his hunger making itself be known.

“Sure! Help yourself with whatever you may want.” Replied Jongdae with a smile not at all bothered by the request, actually happy for being able to share.

He stood up to leave the house for a minute, beginning to feel a little overwhelmed in the closed off space and, quite frankly, suffocating. A hand on his wrist made him halt in his steps and he looked over at Chanyeol, still sitting on the floor, who was clearly fighting his most primal instincts, trying to remain rational and have a conversation with Jongdae while his inner wolf wanted nothing more than to cuddle and be near his mate.

Jongdae smiled slightly at the sight, a hint of affection directed at the giant on the floor. The beta turned around and crouched next to the berserker, speaking in a low voice, not that he could raise it much, thanks to his messed up vocal chords.

“I am not leaving Chanyeol, I just need to take a few minutes to think and just to settle everything in my head. I’ll return. Just, please, be patient and stay here for a while. Maybe you could eat just like Jongin is?” asked the beta, pointing to where Jongin was devouring, (there was no other way to put it) the mushroom and carrot stew that Jongdae had prepared last night.

Chanyeol just stared at Jongdae for a while and the shorter male quite feared that Chanyeol’s wolf overtook the male and wouldn’t allow him to leave, the need of a mate nearby being too much for the berserker to allow him to walk away for a few minutes.

Thankfully for him, Chanyeol’s rational side seemed to win and the taller male nodded slightly, standing up with a little bit of an effort, his wolf probably making him struggle. Jongdae helped him up, earning a surprised look from Chanyeol and a small smile, so small that it was barely even noticeable, before the male joined Jongin at the table, sighing slightly when his younger brother made him a plate but delighted once he tasted Jongdae’s cooking.

With a final glance at the tall male, Jongdae slipped through the door, ignoring the rain and simply wandering aimlessly through the streets of his village, allowing himself to think about the whole situation that he seemed to have and, inadvertently, stumbled upon.

Jongdae was so confused; he didn’t understand why Chanyeol had chosen him as his mate. First of all, there hadn’t really been an indicator that Chanyeol was even remotely fond of him; heck, if he remembered correctly, when the two of them first met, they had argued and basically threw camouflaged insults at each other. He didn’t hate Chanyeol, that was not the case at all: there had been animosity, sure, but never hate; Jongdae wasn’t even sure if he could hate someone, he was somewhat easy to appease, especially if you were someone talented at pressing the right buttons like Chanyeol was.

All these situations made Jongdae wonder if this had been a case of what people called ‘pulling pigtails’. It was a strange term but Seulgi had explained it once to him and he understood the concept of it but, being the case, he would never imagine that Chanyeol could ever be just pushing him to be noticed, he would notice… or maybe not, it was Jongdae whose romantic experience translated in a couple of kisses with Yoongi, near the river, that one summer back when he was barely considered an adult, because the other wolf had thought Jongdae was pretty. The other beta was now happily mated with an omega wolf called Jimin that Jongdae thought it was particularly good for Yoongi, the two of them made a really good couple.

And that particular trail of thoughts made him wonder why the heck had Chanyeol ever chosen him as a mate? Jongdae read many book and the one’s about mating had always spoken on how wolves often searched for someone who could complete them, someone who filled and improved the parts where the other was lacking but Chanyeol was crazily strong and smart, he had survival instincts that astounded any mere mortal and he was courageous and chivalrous, how could Jongdae complete him in any form or shape? It didn’t make sense!

He wasn’t going to deny that there was something about the other male; Chanyeol was handsome and he came off as a little rude at the best times but Jongdae appreciated the fact that he seemed to be extremely loyal and protective towards those who he considered as important as his brothers. He also was not going to deny that it felt good to receive the attention and the care that he did a few nights ago; never once in his life had someone taken care of him like that, except for Sehun perhaps, and a few other people like Luhan, Kyungsoo, Seungwan or Minseok.

However, it raised some internal conflict in Jongdae when he pondered about the true nature of the affection: what if this whole thing was nothing more than just pure biology talking? What if Chanyeol only, for whatever twisted reason, only chose him because his wolf felt he was the most appropriate wolf for him? After all, Jongdae wasn’t sure on how berserker mating worked.

He sighed angrily, kicking a small pebble on his way. He was so absolutely focused that he didn’t quite register the person who stood in his way until he bumped into them. Looking up, Jongdae found Yixing smiling at him, chuckling a little at the lost look on the smaller beta’s face.

“Is everything alright Jongdae?” asked the alpha gently, sensing that the other was quite troubled.

“Just thinking…” replied the other in his faint voice.

He must’ve looked really down because Yixing stood for a moment contemplating him; it made him anxious. Jongdae, despite being a scholar, didn’t like people looking at him without a purpose.

“I thought you were with Minseok and Kyungsoo.” Tried the beta. “I was but then they fell asleep and I needed to get out. I sneaked through the window.”

“Oh!” exclaimed Jongdae a little surprised. “Did you need something?”

“No, I just needed to walk a little. Maybe we could walk together? If you don’t mind, I need someone to listen to me for a while, and you look like a particularly good listener!” replied the man. “And maybe I can listen to you too?”

Jongdae stopped, pondering about the request. He didn’t quite know Yixing but there was a slight sadness to the man, after all, he did lose his pack and was trying to fit into another one knowing that it’s Council didn’t quite approve of him, and he was nice to Kyungsoo and Minseok before, so Jongdae figured that there wasn’t any harm in taking a walk with the man.

“Sure!” he replied with a small smile.

Yixing smiled over at him and offered an arm for Jongdae to take; a little display of playfulness and gentleman like manners. With a soundless laugh Jongdae accepted the offered arm and the two of them made their way through the streets, talking in low murmurs and companionable silence. There was no sureness that either could give good advice to the other's situation but, at least, they could hear it out and attempt to help the other with their burden.

After Jongdae left the hut, and both Jongin and Chanyeol stuffed their faces with the stew, Baekhyun remained where he was, by Sehun’s side. It was probably the first time that Sehun saw Baekhyun so calm; there wasn’t any impending threat falling on his shoulders.

Up close, he really could see all the traits of Baekhyun that he had missed on their first encounters. For example, Sehun never noticed how high the cheekbones of the male were, nor the way his lashed fell onto said high cheekbones every time he blinked. He had not noticed how his hair looked so shiny and soft, despite the fact that Baekhyun and the others may not have the best products to clean up with, like the ones that Luhan or Seungwan made. He had not noticed his hands looked so absolutely beautiful and slender looking, and extremely unfit for someone who was so used to fighting. Plus, there was a small little beauty mark on the right corner of the other’s upper lip and another one on the supple cheek. Other than his cheek, there was a noticeable mole on the other’s thumb.

It was actually fascinating, Sehun thought as he looked over Baekhyun with hooded eyes, analyzing and studying the male, how could someone who looked so delicate and somewhat frail, be so strong and brutal. He knew that he was being judgmental and labeling the other male but he couldn’t help but to still make the comparison: Baekhyun looked so soft and calm; no one would ever imagine the things the male had gone through just by a simple glance, only if you looked into his eyes you would notice the underlined sadness and the tiredness that only someone who had fought hard in life and surpassed many unimaginable things would possess.

“Is something the matter?” asked Baekhyun suddenly, looking over at Sehun.

The beta didn’t even blush at being obviously caught by the other.

“Nothing! I was just assessing you.” he answered quite naturally, not at all bothered by telling the truth.

“Oh?” inquired the berserker. “Don’t take this in the wrong way but, you look different from what I envisioned or, at least, from what I imagined a berserker to be.”

“And what is that image supposed to be?”

“I am not going to lie and tell you that I didn’t envision someone who looked more like he was two hundred kilos of pure muscle mass, scowling and angry at everything.”

“That’s Chanyeol!” replied the other jokingly, managing to earn a chuckle from Sehun.

“Well, at the risk of sounding like a true douchebag, the things they told us about the berserkers were all about how they were violent and aggressive wolves; machines, killers…” explained Sehun fidgeting slightly and trying to stand on his elbows to better look at Baekhyun. “But the thing is that I am realizing that it is not like they told us, it was a lie to scare us really.” 

“So, I am a big softy who isn’t scary at all?”

“Not what I am saying.” Replied Sehun while shaking his head. “I am just trying to explain that I find it kind of an oxymoron how someone, as you are, can look so serene and soft. I am not saying that they exclude each other; just they are polar opposites. It’s kind of amazing really!”

“And why is that?”

“Because it breaks the stereotypes that people create and spread around about people; pretty much like I did.”

“Well…I won’t quite judge you on that. There are worse things to say and, at least you were honest with yourself and with me I guess.” replied the blonde male with a shrug. “It doesn’t really bother me.”

“It should really.” Replied the taller of the two looking seriously at the berserker. “It’s because comments like mine that our society or at least packs still have rigid hierarchies that restrict wolves and their role.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that packs should have a fairer system when it comes to ranks.” explained Sehun with a look on his face that amused Baekhyun to no end, mainly because the younger male’s face turned serious and he actually almost fell face first on the mattress when he begun to gesticulate. “I mean the way the ranks are organized is complete, bull! Why? Because we are perceived in a specific way and we are expected to behave in certain ways and that annoys me. Why can’t an omega fight like an alpha or an alpha teach toddlers? Why can’t a beta be in charge of babies? It’s stupid! The rules are stupid. I am lucky that I actually like being a healer but I know for a fact that Seulgi, a beta wolf, would love to go on missions; that Kyungsoo, who is a priest would actually like to teach kids and take of babies. We should have the liberty to do whatever we want to, and not be subjugated by some rules that come from long ago and everybody agrees to them just because.”

“You make some good points. Equality inside a pack is something that is still not truly achieved despite what people say. Our ancestors got annihilated by problems like this one and yet, it seems like we are still unable to solve them.”

“I do believe that having organized parts that can lead the packs and a leader is necessary as to act objectively and promote said equality and guarantee safety, peace and provided. However, as you can see, sometimes there is a clear abuse of power that debilitates everything. I just want things to be less stereotypical.”

Baekhyun said nothing, although he listened to every single word spoken by the beta. He didn’t know exactly what advice he could give on the situation. All the little things he knew about life within a pack were just wisps of memories; he never had much time to enjoy living in a place for too long and he never had been considered a fully mature wolf to be included into a pack’s proper activities, ones that weren’t exactly study or training, therefore he wouldn’t really know. He could write a book on how to live alone in the forest and how to survive on your own, but other than that…

Sehun seemed to understand his hesitation by the look on his face and his previous scowl, obtained as he heavily criticized the segregated life of the general packs, turned into a softer one.

“Yeah…sorry about that. It was insensitive of me...”

Baekhyun was a little startled and surprised at the words, he looked over at the beta and allowed a small chuckle to pass through his lips.

“It wasn’t insensitive. You were just speaking your mind which I find admirable. All the more points for having a well thought out speech with accurate and valid arguments.”

“Still…”

“No, don’t apologize for this. It’s good to see that you stand for a more equal society.”

It was a little awkward to talk like this, thought Baekhyun, what more could he say to the younger beta? He really needed to improve his social skills because he truly .

“Look Sehun, I am really sorry that I am not the most … talkative, or even the one with good oratory skills but, regardless, I am sincere enough saying that it’s really refreshing to see someone think like you do; there are not many people who think like you, and I can assure you that I, personally, have all interests in a fairer world where everyone can be considered equal, for the obvious reasons. My brothers and I have been marginalized all our lives and, truthfully, I only want peace and security for us all. I want Jongin to live without any worries and I want Chanyeol to be able to properly court his mate.”

“What about you?” asked Sehun unexpectedly making Baekhyun look at him in confusion. “What do you want for yourself?”

“It’s a good question, but I can’t really answer it. I don’t really know what I want other than that.”

“It’s commendable to worry about others like that, but sometimes you should think about yourself as a priority too.” replied Sehun softly.

Baekhyun sent the taller man a small, very shy smile, silently thanking him for the kind words, understanding what Sehun had tried to say without actually saying it; it was probably the first time that someone had told him to take care of himself more, and Baekhyun felt a certain elation at hearing the words.

Sehun wasn’t expecting the smile, that was for sure; it was probably the first time he had ever seen Baekhyun smiling so openly since the man used to have a stoic expression on his face every time they met. It was pretty smile, brilliant even, special in a way: Sehun appreciated all types of smiles since they usually equaled happiness, but the rare ones, like the one he just saw, were meant to be appreciated a tad extra.

Deciding that it was better to change the subject rather than gawking at the other man, Sehun experimentally his side, huffing a little when the blanket he was wearing caught itself on a particularly bad wound on his back, only to have Baekhyun’s gentle hands, stop him from doing any worse, and untangling him from the blankets, before covering him up again.

“Don’t hurt yourself.” Chided Baekhyun.

“Thank you.” Replied the beta before a thought occurred him. “Wait… Why are you all here? Not that I am complaining but I am not seeing you openly breaking into Jongdae’s house just because Chanyeol discovered that my best friend is his mate...”

Baekhyun’s eyes turned to him and Sehun knew instantly that something had happened just by the way the other man’s eyes dulled a little and his jaw tightened a little.

“You’re right.” sighed Baekhyun, a hand coming to sink itself on the soft locks on his head, pulling the blonde strands back with too much force, wincing a little after he did. “It would never be that simple now would it?”

There was an underlying bitterness in Baekhyun’s words and Sehun bit his bottom lip feeling bad for the other’s complicated lifestyle.

“We can talk about it later…” offered Sehun hesitantly “It is not as if the trouble is going to simply not be there a few hours from now on.”

“It would certainly be better if I told everyone in one go…But we have to address it, it is imperative.”

“How bad is it?” asked Sehun dreading the answer that might come out of the other man’s mouth.

“Pretty bad, and a very big turn of events, let me tell you. I don’t think anyone was prepared for this or for the meaning behind it.”

“You’re making me quite nervous...”

“I am sorry.” apologized Baekhyun, looking over the beta with an anxious look that was forming on the other’s rather serene face. “It wasn’t my intention but I have to say that … it’s bad. It’s really bad and worrisome. I’m not trying to make you nervous but I cannot sugar coat it.”

“I know; I am not blaming you… things are getting worse, I get that. I just wished they weren’t. Everyone already had so much on their plate already…”

Baekhyun felt a little sympathetic towards the other male. Sure, their lives weren’t as bad as his, Jongin’s or Chanyeol’s but they had proper time to wrap their heads around what their life became and the things they faced. It wasn’t comparable but they had been completely unprepared and what they had discovered could have the potential to change everything their innocent minds were used too; even he had been caught off guard and he had watched plenty of unnatural and ugly stuff in his life.

Sehun shuddered a little as he listened to the other man, trying to wrap his head around whatever was to come, a sense of dread nestling itself already at the pit of his stomach, making his whole upper chest feel heavy.

Baekhyun leaned over the male to try and cover him properly, misunderstanding the anxious shudder from Sehun with cold when a familiar smell invaded his nostrils and made him stop.

It wasn’t Sehun’s smell, that was for sure since the beta’s own fragrance was hard to smell due to the constant scent of herbs clinging to his skin from his job but this smell, the smell of vanilla and grass, mixed with a touch of subtle lavender, he knew; somehow he knew! It was if something had been triggered inside of him and his brain had unlocked a memory that he couldn’t quite figure out.

“What’s this smell?” he asked suddenly turning to stare at Sehun’s eyes.

“What smell?” asked Sehun.

Baekhyun stood up from the bed and sniff the air trying to fill his nostrils with the scent that he caught. By that point, both of his brothers had stopped eating to look over at him.

“Baekhyun?” called Jongin. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know...” answered the man a little distressed. “There is a smell in the air, all around this hut that is extremely familiar but I can’t remember why I know it.”

And that was bothering him to no end. The smell was so achingly familiar, like he had grown with the smell engraved in his brain but he could not, for the life of him, associate the damn smell to anything he’d known.

“Don’t you smell lavender, vanilla and grass in the air, Chanyeol?” he asked his taller brother, growing a little more paranoid and frantic, alarming all of the wolves inside who had never seen calm Baekhyun lose his composure like that.

“I do, it’s strong in some areas; recent even! It kind of smells like you!” replied the taller.

And it did, thought Sehun to himself, it was a smell that was very similar to Baekhyun: warm, soothing and with a little freshness and spice to it. It was Baekhyun’s smell but not quite.

 “I know this smell!” cried Baekhyun in frustration.

Jongin stood up when he saw his brother pulling at his air, behaving completely out of character, but Sehun’s hand shot up to hold the elder’s wrist faster than he was.

“Calm down. Please? You’ll remember it sooner or later.”

“It’s driving me mad. I know it, I have smelt it before and my brain is telling me, ordering me to remember it because it is important but I cannot seem to recall.”

Everyone looked at each other, while it wasn’t excessive; Baekhyun’s behavior was so strange that it was literally making them gape at him.

A voice that belonged to neither of them made itself be heard right outside the door and only years of companionship allowed Sehun to recognize it as Jongdae’s.

“No, really, There is no need. I’m okay!” They all heard Jongdae say although it was muffled.

“Nonsense! Your voice is getting worse and you have started to cough, I am taking you to rest!” replied a voice to Jongdae’s protests.

The door swung open and they were assaulted by a strong wave of the same smell that they had been discussing and two people strode inside, Jongdae closing the door immediately, not wanting anyone to pass through the streets and see his current guests. 

Baekhyun’s eyes opened a lot and he made a strange sound at the back of his throat. Jongdae’s companion halted his movements as soon as he walked inside the room and his eyes doubled the size as he noticed the people in the room and was attacked with some whiffs of their smell. His eyes locked on the blonde beside the bed, whose wrist was being held by Sehun.

“Baekhyun!” he exclaimed with a broken cry.

“Yixing!” replied the smaller man evenly.

The man in question moved faster than anyone’s eyes could notice and, in a heartbeat he was in front of the blonde wolf, looking over in awe at him. 

No one knew what exactly was going on or how the two of them met until Yixing mumbled to words that left everyone shocked.

"My brother!"

A/N: Hello everyone! How have you been doing? I have to say, I am currently dealing with allergies which... not that fun! It's awful and I feel like I am sneezing more than I am breathing! Aside from that, I am have to say that last week has been hell... as I have stated previously in one of my updates, I changes jobs and my ex boss isn't taking things well, but it reached a new level... to the point of him trying to threaten me and my colleague and also trying to physically assault her in front of children... It was pure hell and I am dealing with this right now, therefore if I can't update pin it on that reason... it will, most likely, be true.
Aside from that, I hope that you enjoy this new chapter who brings us Yixing as Baekhyun's brother. How do you think that is going to go? How would you feel if you were in Baekhyun's position all things considered? What do you think it will happen next? Please, do tell me via message or comment! If you like it subscribe it or upvote it please, which is something that always makes me happy.
Do you know what also makes me happy? My new beta, who is an angel for reading all my crap and makes sure it's good enough for you guys; so please a round of applause for the fantastic, amazing, awesome -lubehan!!! You are the absolute BEST!
Last, but not least, I wish you all an amazing week and that everything goes with the least amount of stress possible. Therefore, please stay safe and healthy, love other people and allow them to love as well and BE HAPPY!
Lots of love to all of you!
<3