When Jongdae wakes up it’s to the sound of absolute silence, something which scares him immensely. He’s not accustomed to it, his ears usually greeted with the constant buzz of nature around him – the rustling of the trees in the wind, the crunching of leaves from small animals, the calls of crickets and birds – so the silence is unnerving to him. As soon as his becomes somewhat aware of his surroundings – though his eyes are still closed – he knows that he’s no longer on the cold, hard ground, instead he’s enveloped in warmth, laying on something soft.

He blinks his eyes open, having to close them and open them again slowly as the light assaults his retinas. When they open again he sees that he’s inside a room. It’s small but cosy, enough to move around in with space for a bed, cabinets and drawers. It’s then that his eyes widen, realising that he’s inside a house, a house which he has no idea who it belongs to and why he’s there. He shoots up, immediately regretting the sudden movement as his body screams in protest.

He gasps, bringing one of his arms up to wrap around his chest where the worst of the pain can be felt. He looks down expecting to see terrible wounds only to see bandages covering the entirety of his torso. He swallows, uncertain about the situation he has found himself in and frowns when the movement of his adams apple tells him that something is also wrapped around his neck. He feels it with light fingers and because of the texture deduces that there are also bandages around his neck.

‘Probably from the bites’ he thinks.

He’s suddenly hit with a bout of panic. He needs to get out of there. He doesn’t know why he’s been brought there but with the scenarios that he’s concocted in his head aren’t good in the slightest. He throws the blanket on top of him off and slides his legs off the side of the bed only to collapse when he attempts to stand up, a stabbing pain making itself known in his left leg. He lets out an involuntary yelp and he cringes at the volume of it. He’s sure that whoever had brought him there would have heard it and it didn’t bode well for him.

He’s proven right when the door of the room he had awoken in opens slowly, the strong scent of Alpha drifting in before a head pokes itself around the door, eyes landing on his form on the ground. Jongdae looks up at the Alpha, afraid, and he’s sure that his fear shows on his face, his past experiences with them never turning out well. The Alpha seems to notice the look on his face, either that or he could smell his fear in the air. He hesitates before inching his way into the room and Jongdae growls defensively until he notices that the Alpha is making no move towards him, instead going to stand across from him in the other side of the room.

There’s silence between them but there eyes are locked on each others, Jongdae in apprehension and the Alpha in… worry? Why would he be staring at him in worry?

The look in his eyes startled Jongdae for they hold no anger, no lust, no disgust, no hardness like the Alpha’s he had encountered in the past. Like the Alpha’s which had torn his mother apart in front of him all those years ago. Instead his eyes hold a kindness in which he hadn’t seen in anyone except his mother. A kindness which he has craved for so long. He swallows hard, eyes finally breaking contact with the Alpha.

“My name is Yixing.” The Alpha says and Jongdae jolts, eyes once again finding the Alpha – Yixing – at the sudden introduction. Jongdae expects the now identified male to ask him what his name is but he stay’s quiet and Jongdae realises that he’s giving him the option to reply, giving him the option to give his name out of his own willingness rather than out of obligation.

When Jongdae doesn’t reply Yixing’s expression doesn’t change. It doesn’t twist in anger or annoyance and Jongdae’s starting to think that this Alpha might not actually be an Alpha, if only it wasn’t for the scent coming off of him that literally screamed ‘Alpha’.

“My pack heard your howl.” Yixing starts, filling the silence once again and Jongdae knows that Yixing is addressing some of the questions he wants answered. “Me and two of my pack mates followed the direction the howl came from and found you, bloodied and unconscious on the ground. Yifan, our Head Alpha, wanted to bring you back to treat your wounds so I carried you to the house. I treated you. The gash on your chest needed stitches and I just disinfected the bites and others small scratches.” Yixing says gesturing towards the bandages on Jongdae’s body.

“Your leg is another story. It was fractured but it should be fine in around eight to ten days so I would advise you keep any weight off of it until then.” Yixing pauses and waits for all of the information to set in. Jongdae looks down at his injured leg and winces when he moves it, regretting the action as soon as he had done it. “You lost a lot of blood but thankfully I managed to treat you in time for it to not be life threatening. I expect you to feel weak for a couple of days so it’s nothing to worry about, just don’t over exert yourself.” He finishes and Jongdae is still staring at him.

He’s confused. He really doesn’t know what to think.

Yixing moves his foot and Jongdae follows the movement suddenly hyperaware of everything coming from the Alpha. Jongdae’s face twitches again in pain when his leg is moved as he tried to arrange himself into a comfortable sitting position on the floor and like everything else he has done Yixing notices it as well.

“You don’t look to comfortable there.” He says. “Do you mind if I help you back onto the bed. I don’t want your injuries to get any worse.”

Jongdae studies Yixing’s expression, trying to find anything that would indicate his words have any ulterior motives but he detects none. The Alpha just looks so damn sincere, so genuinely worried that for the first time in as long as he can remember he lets done some of his defences. He bites his lip and nods hesitantly which brings a small smile to Yixing face.

He walks over, making sure to move slow enough so Jongdae can see everything he is doing. He doesn’t want to scare him especially after he had seemed to gain some the Omega’s trust as small and as delicate as it was. Standing in front of him Yixing bends down and methodically places and arm around his shoulders and the other under his legs and lifts him up bridal style. He places him back onto the bed immediately letting go after he had deemed that he was safely on the mattress.

Jongdae feels something odd form itself in his stomach when the Alpha pulls away, disappointment maybe but it’s gone nearly as fast and it had come leaving him questioning whether or not it had even been there in the first place.

Yixing steps back and takes a seat on the roller chair which had been placed next to the bed. All of a sudden Jongdae’s stomach rumbles, his face turning beat red in embarrassment. It causes Yixing to laugh lightly, a smile stretching itself across his face, dimples standing out on his cheeks. Jongdae looks at them in fascination. It’s…cute.

“I take it you’re hungry then.” He says and Jongdae nods shyly. “Some food will do you good.” And it really would. He’s not dangerously underweight but Yixing would feel much better if he were to gain a few more kilos. “I’ll go and get you some food. I hope you like beef stew.” He says, waiting for Jongdae to give a nod in confirmation before standing up and making his way to the door.

Before Yixing makes it completely out of the room he pauses when he hears a soft voice utter a single word.

“Jongdae.” He says.

Yixing leaves the room with a satisfied smile on his face.

Jongdae…

~X~

The news of Jongdae’s awakening spread like wild fire. It took the combined power of Yifan, Yixing, Kyungsoo and Junmyeon to stop the excited wolves from bursting into the room and completely scarring the Omega for life. Yixing, more forceful than what most of them were used to had politely asked his pack mates to ‘Leave their guest alone until he was comfortable’, the ‘Or you’ll suffer the consequences’ remained unspoken but everyone had understood the underlying message.

They could all tell that Yixing was already fiercely protective of Jongdae and they had all understood. Even though Jongdae had yet to speak anything else other than his name they all had a good idea of what he had been through. The life of a hybrid – Baekhyun and Yixing were quick to declare a ban on the word mutt - was tough and often filled with pain due to the belief that they shouldn’t exist, that they were wrong.

Jongdae had yet to leave the room he had awoken in and they all respected his wishes. Yixing would more often than not find himself keeping the Omega company, telling him stories about the members of his pack or tales that he had read in books. Jongdae would just listen and Yixing wouldn’t push him. Yixing was just thankful that Jongdae had grown accustomed to his presence, no longer flinching when his bandages needed to be changed. Yixing would bring him his meals and Jongdae doesn’t remember a time where his stomach he been this satisfied and not constantly craving to be filled.

He had learnt that including Yixing, there were eleven members in his pack. Five Omega’s and six Alpha’s. Yifan was the head Alpha who according to Yixing wasn’t as scary as his bushy brows and default face suggested and Zitao who was his mate literally had him wrapped around his finger, ready to answer to his beck and call. There was Kyungsoo who always looked perpetually surprised and packed a punch despite his small body and Jongin who looked mature but was really a massive kid who had trouble waking up in the morning. There was Chanyeol whose limbs were too long, ears to big and smile too wide, voice to loud and his just as boisterous mate Baekhyun who whimpered and kicked in his sleep.

 There was Sehun who had a face which rivalled Yifan’s but just like Jongin he was kid in a body way to long and Luhan, who looked like the perfect picture of youth innocence but was in fact the exact opposite, the ‘perfect picture to false advertising’ as Yixing had put it. There was Minseok who was probably the strongest of them all yet one of the smallest who looked more feline than canine, something which Yixing said Minseok had in common with him. Then there was Jumnyeon who was the default ‘Mum’ of the group. The one who also worried and fretted over everyone else, made sure that everything was fine and was the one that they went to when they needed advice, comfort or just someone to vent to. There was a fondness in the way which he talked about Jumnyeon. About how he had helped Yixing through some hard times and Jongdae felt something unidentifiable within him.

The stories that Yixing had told him made him feel like he already knew the members of Yixing’s pack when in fact they were still complete strangers to him and him to them. He knew more about them than what they knew about him yet they had not asked for anything in return. He had been treated well and he was starting to believe that he had found what he had always been looking for. A place where he wouldn’t have to run. A place where his differences meant nothing. A place where he would be accepted. A place he could call home.

He didn’t want to get ahead of himself. Though he wished to stay, wanted to trust them, he had no idea whether he would be allowed to. It wasn’t his decision. He knew that lied with the Head Alpha. Despite Yixing’s reassurances that Yifan was kind he wouldn’t hold onto the hope. He doesn’t know if he could deal with the disappointment if he was made to leave. He had only been there for a few days yet he already felt comfortable.

Jongdae had been alone, lost in his own thoughts when the door to his room opened. He looked expecting to see Yixing coming through the door but instead his eyes laid upon a man which he had never seen before. The man smiles at him kindly and Jongdae is nearly blinded by how bright it is.

“Hi, I’m Baekhyun.” He greets and Jongdae regards him wearily. “Yixing is busy at the moment so I brought you lunch instead.” He says, holding up a plate with a sandwich on it. “Is it alright if I come in? I can leave if you really want me to.”

Baekhyun stays where he is as he waits for Jongdae to give him his answer, moving forward when he nods and setting the plate down on his lap. He goes and takes the seat which is usually taken by Yixing and Jongdae feels a sense of longing for the other, seeing someone else sit in his chair just didn’t seem right.

“Yixing’s probably told you all about us, right?” he says and Jongdae nods. “Then I also assume that he’s said nothing about himself.” And Jongdae nods again. Thinking back Yixing really hasn’t said anything about himself, everything he knows about the Alpha he has taken from his actions. Baekhyun smiles when he knows he had been right.

“Well, I’ll tell you a bit about him. He’s to bloody kind for his own good, always putting others before himself. I swear that he’s an angel in disguise. He also has an affinity for cute things and has a pretty impressive collection of sheep and bunny plushies.” He says which startles a surprised laugh out of Jongdae.

Baekhyun smiles, proud of his accomplishment despite how small it would seem to most people. Yixing had told them all that apart from his name and occasional winces of pain Jongdae hadn’t said a word. In his books laughter is just as important as words.

Baekhyun’s smile sobers up and Jongdae can decipher that Baekhyun wants to say something important which he would be correct in assuming. Baekhyun had thought long and hard about whether or not he should bring it up and ultimately decided to go for it. He hoped it would bring Jongdae some comfort. Jongdae braces himself for it.

“I know Yixing hasn’t said anything about it but I just want you to know that just because you’re a hybrid we’re not going to treat you any differently.”

Hybrid? He hadn’t heard his kind referred to as that before.

Seeing the look on Jongdae’s face Baekhyun elaborates. “I prefer the term hybrid. The word doesn’t have a negative connotation attached to it and frankly it feels better on the tongue.”

“I know you’ve had a hard life but none of us are going to judge you just because one of your parents were different. You’re still a wolf and no one deserves to be treated as less then someone simply based off parentage. I can assure you none of us see it as wrong.”

Like always Jongdae listens, sandwich long forgotten. The mood had darkened much form what it had been earlier and he no longer had an appetite. Despite his mother always telling him that there was nothing wrong with who he is, what blood runs through his veins he had grown to feel ashamed, nearly hateful towards his nature. But hearing it from a strangers, someone who had no obligation to love nor care about him felt different. Like he could believe the words coming out of his mouth.

Baekhyun watches Jongdae bore a hole through the sandwich in his lap, an empathetic smile towards the younger Omega. He’s knows that his words won’t be enough to undo years of prejudice but he hopes that he could help in being the starting point.

Not being one for the sombre atmosphere that he had created Baekhyun changes the topic, telling Jongdae stories of his ventures and slips from death – re: Kyungsoo’s wrath.

Jongdae finds himself enjoying his time with Baekhyun. The older Omega is brilliant at reciting tales. His shoulders shake constantly from laughter at the shenanigans which he and other members of the pack had gotten up to so he’s feels disappointed when it’s time for Baekhyun to leave.

“When you’re ready feel free to come out. Everyone can’t wait to meet you.” He says as gets up to leave. “Take all the time you need. There’s no hurry.” He adds when he sees the unsure look on the others face, giving him a comforting smile and once again Jongdae is left to his own devices.

That night, as he lays in bed he finds himself unable to fall asleep, mind to awake with thoughts to allow him the comfort of a good nights rest.

Hybrid huh…

~X~

The next morning starts off like the others before. Yixing would be one of the first awake and start preparing breakfast. When breakfast had been made and placed on the table, some of the pack members already awake to eat the freshly cooked meal while he would take his own as well as Jongdae’s to his room. Jongdae would be awake to meet him. Yixing had discovered that the Omega was a pretty early riser.

“Good morning!” Yixing greets brightly, Jongdae returning the smile. He had tried to keep up his defences but the Alpha’s presence had proved to comforting to do so, so he had given up. “Pancakes this morning. Hope you don’t mind.” He says and Jongdae looks at the plate of fluffy circles in curiosity but shakes his head anyway.

He pokes at the pancakes on his plate with his knife as if doing that will tell them what they are. “I’ve never had pancakes before.” He mutters quietly, hands flying to cover his mouth when he realises what he had just done, eyes widely staring at Yixing. Yixing who had his own eyes open in surprise, pancake half hanging out of his mouth.

“Did you just…?” Yixing says, pancake falling back onto his plate, forgotten for the moment.

Jongdae panics.

“Um…no…?”

“Yes you did.” Yixing says quickly.

Jongdae pauses.

“Hi.” He says dumbly, a sheepish, nervous smile on his lips.

“Hey.” Yixing responds.

Then there’s silence. Then,

“I don’t know what pancakes are.”

And Yixing can’t help it, he laughs. He laughs so hard that there are tears streaming down his face and he honestly begins questioning his sanity, but he doesn’t care if he’s insane because Jongdae’s own laughter, unrestrained, is like music to his ears.

“I-it’s a flat cake of batter which is fried on both sides in a pan.” He says eventually, wiping the tears from his eyes.

Jongdae looks down at his plate, cheeks red in embarrassment but his lips are pulled upwards.

“They’re good, have a try.” Yixing prompts and Jongdae finally takes a bite, nearly in pleasure when he gets a taste of it. It’s the best thing he has tasted in a while. Yixing smiles at his reaction and tries to stop the inappropriate thoughts entering.

“It’s good.” Jongdae says though he’s preoccupied with stuffing his face with the rest of his breakfast.

“I’m sorry about not being available yesterday. I hope Baekhyun wasn’t so much.” Yixing apologises.

“No, he was fine. I… had fun.” He says hoarsely, voice still trying to adjust to the activity of speaking after so long of being neglected.

“I’m glad. He can be overwhelming at times.”

The drift off into a comfortable silence as Yixing looks over Jongdae’s injuries. The Alpha is smiling the entire time, happy that he had finally heard the others voice, happy that it was him who would be the first one to hear it. His voice has a uniqueness to it that he just can’t place and Yixing wonders how it would sound when singing. He’s sure that it would sound wonderful.

Jongdae watches him work intently though he no longer looks at his movements with suspicion and distrust, it’s more in curiosity. He had never met an Alpha who could be so gentle yet have a scent which usually said the exact opposite and he found himself not minding it one bit. It was a nice change but had him questioning nearly everything he had believed to be true before, both about others and what he had come to believe about himself.

Jongdae is startled out of his thoughts when a hand is placed in front of him. Jongdae looks up, confused as to why Yixing is holding his hand out. Yixing noticing the others confusion nods down at Jongdae hand then looking over to his own and Jongdae’s mouth opens in realisation. Jongdae takes the hand offered out to him and sees Yixing smiling widely at him.

“Hi, I’m Zhang Yixing. Nice to meet you.”

Jongdae looks down at their joined hand shyly.

“Hi, I’m Jongdae. It’s nice to meet you to.”

I'm not really pleased with this chapter if I were to be completely honest. It didn't turn out the way I wanted it so I'll try really hard to make the next one better. This chapter was pretty slow paced a probably wasn't what some of you had expected/waited for. I've been a little frustrated lately, mainly with work and I'm sure it tells in my writing. My number of shifts have been cut down and I really can't afford to find another job as no one is actually looking to hire at the moment. I've started to keep a journal to just write my thoughts down and I think it's been helping me. I'm actually finding it quite therapeutic to get everything down. Please tell me what you think of this chapter and you urge you to be brutally honest.

Just a bit of extra information:
-wolves heal faster than humans
-because Jongdae's half (a hyrbid) his healing rate is slower than normal wolves but faster than a humans
*If you have any questions feel free to ask and I'll try my best to answer them!