“You’ll be fine.” Chaeyoung assured her.

“I know.” Dahyun flicked her tail, careful not to move her wounded paw, which was patched by a moss dressing the delta medic had prepared.

They had both seen Dahyun in much more dire situations. Countless times the beta had fought, usually against gangs of wolves double her stature, and too many of those times simply for the security of Chaeyoung’s name. She was brave for a small wolf but those reckless fights did leave marks and reminders. The most obvious was to give Chaeyoung a precaution so that the younger could withdraw Dahyun from future situations that might stimulate her irrevocable protective instincts. The other—and frankly the worst of the two—were the many battle scars and wounds that the beta acquired. Although many had long healed under Chaeyoung’s potent care, there was a slight weakness in one of Dahyun’s ankles that became a reminding emblem of her sacrifice. Her legs were assaulted so badly that the depth of her wounds reached the bones. She might have even broken one in the fight. Again, things like these were nothing to the two of them, yet Dahyun knew it was everything to the wolf sitting outside. The panicked omega had stationed herself outside, guarding the medic den intensely after rushing Dahyun there like she was on the verge of death. And maybe she was to Sana, the younger would never understand why. She was only aware that the omega had a natural instinct to care. Sometimes a lot. Sometimes too much.

Chaeyoung was still shuffling about the den with a mouthful of herbs, probably reorganizing again. The delta had been busy these days. Even through the scarcity of the winter, their medic was still headed out into the forest, sniffing around for any relevant herbs hiding in hollow logs and whatnot.

“We’ll cut some of your patrolling hours if you need.” Chaeyoung suggested, cuffing another bundle of herbs around her jaw.

“I’ll be fine.” The older grumbled and sat up.

Rather than hurt, her injured paw just felt numb. She tried to shake it a little, assumingly readying it for walking again but it responded poorly to her command. Dahyun accumulated a low growl in the bottom of and unleashed it as she strained herself upward. Her balance was a little wobbly, however, she could at least stand. Sana wouldn’t be glad to see her, especially not on three legs. But a part of her—the better enduring beta part—refused to make herself appear weak.

Outside, the dejected omega laid with her head on her paws and tail curling around her legs. It had started to snow softly, and she watched with alertly perked ears as the twinkly crystal flakes fell from above. One managed to fall squarely on her nose and attempting to distract herself from fear, Sana slightly crossed her eyes just to watch the little snowflake glimmer and eventually melt. At its demise, she huffed out a frustrated sigh that masked itself as clear white smoke.

Her ears, submitting to its natural inclination, shifted to better perceive a soft crunching sound it’d discovered nearby. But its owner, with her brain too absorbed in rather excessive misgivings, completely ignored these signals. She flinched only when the soothing, buoyant scent of Dahyun seeped into her nostrils. “Sana?”

The omega shot up as she was caught off guard. Words were clogging up , confusing her in the short seconds that she watched the younger inch closer to meet her. Dahyun was limping.

“It’s just a small cut.” The beta reassured with a smile. Perhaps, she had caught the firm pause in Sana’s breathing. Not that the omega refused to breathe, she just couldn’t. “Chaeyoung said I’ll be fine in a few days.”

The corners of Dahyun’s lips curved up a little more. Guilt was assembling in Sana’s eyes, but the omega restrained herself to from crumbling under the circumstances. She wouldn’t dare do that now. The fawny beta’s smile was too bright. And falling under its charming spell, Sana wanted the reassurance but knew that her current mental condition would never let her. She was also scrutinizing the dangling paw, already too keen on taking full responsibility for its feeble state.

“I’m sorry.” Sana brokenly croaked out. Even when she collected herself, nothing seemed to be enough.

“It’s not your fault. It’s not even that bad.” Again, another reassurance that she did not deserve. The omega’s ears sunk so low back against her head that it looked like they’d disappeared completely.

Now Dahyun was the one panicking. “Seriously! I was the one who fell.”

“But I couldn’t catch you. It was my idea to continue in the first place when you were getting tired of it.”

“But I had fun!”

Sana wouldn’t buy it. The pain was evident on her face and even for a social whiz like Dahyun, the beta had no idea how to fix it. She could only stare at the older, admiring the way snowflakes aligned perfectly on her back. She would look prettier if she didn’t have such a sad look on her face. Sana never deserved to look like that. This was unbearable.

“Sana, please.” Dahyun whined and hopped forward on her three legs.

This worked to jolt Sana out of her frozen state, but it only seemed to make her more worried. Before the beta could go on, Sana’s entire neck came to totally smother her face. The older was nuzzling her, hard. The omega was warm enough that Dahyun didn’t complain, although she really wanted to continue explaining herself. She didn’t have much time to prepare—mainly because she never thought Sana cared this much—and she was interrupted again when she tried uttering another word. She felt a of the older’s tongue along her cheek, and it was pretty much game over. From the top of her forehead to her chin, there wasn’t a single place that didn’t receive the brief onslaught of Sana’s kisses. Affection had always been a part of Sana’s nature, but surely Dahyun had reasons to believe that something was different here. She dared not get too ahead of herself, otherwise, she might end up winding down a road she would regret. The possibility of her fatefully diving right on that lane was increasing with every second their breathing intertwined. Sana was almost too much. The omega stepped even closer, neck brushing Dahyun’s own as she breathed next to her ear. Something was out of place. Sana was cold, not freezing but unusual for a wolf with such a warm-hearted demeanor. When Dahyun had leaned on her to skate, it was the older’s gentle, secured warmth that had guided her on. It was so different. And if Dahyun focused hard enough, she could almost feel the omega shivering through her snow-dotted coat. Sana was so fragile and as precarious as it was for her own feelings, Dahyun would not let her break.

“Ahem, excuse me?”

At the intruding voice, Dahyun flinched on impulse and Sana swiftly removed her head from the beta’s shoulder. Chaeyoung was behind them, blinking nervously as her cheeks stained a deep red. Dahyun soon realized that they had been blocking the entrance of the cave. Courteously, she moved to get out of the medic’s way. But Chaeyoung stood frozen solid for three more seconds before excusing herself away with the last of her remaining coolness. When the medic was far in the snowy distance, Sana snorted a giggle.

“Great, now she’s going to tease me nonstop.” Dahyun growled under her breath.

Sana quirked her tail. “About what?”

The beta was going to explain it to her, in serious honesty, until she spotted the sly subtle smirk that displayed itself on Sana’s lips. “Nothing.”

“Really?” Sana’s tail swayed leisurely.

“Yes.” A sharp glare was shot in the omega’s direction but despite that, it seemed that the suffocating atmosphere between them was lifted. Dahyun was at least thankful for that.

“Well, in that case…” And the omega was closing their distance again with gentle steps, this time with less intensity and a more playful intention. “Maybe I should ask Chaeyoung myself.”

“No!” Dahyun barked, pouting under the satisfied laughter of the omega. The younger frowned. “I’m going back to the den.”

Her declaration was made too soon because Sana was already blocking the assumed route with her body. “I’ll you.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“No, I want to.”

“It’s not even that far.”

“Let me.” Staring at the unpredictable dangers that were Sana’s eyes, the younger found herself backed into a corner.

“Fine.” Dahyun sighed and the omega shot her the brightest grin before positioning herself at the younger’s side.

It was no surprise that Sana’s warmth returned as soon as their shoulders collided.
 

~~~***~~~

It must be rare—probably rarer than seeing a blue moon on a midsummer night—that any wolf would witness their leading alpha rolling in the snow below two betas without a single discontentment. Even in play, the superiority of alphas must be obeyed and respected at all costs. Everyone was a subordinate of the alpha and everyone was subjected to never tip them off their feet without expecting a fierce battle. But here in the Noura Valley on a mild wintry day, the leader of the Rose Feathers was a completely different breed. It astounded everyone, even the betas that were wrestling her, how relaxed and unbothered she remained after being tackled twice. In fact, she loved it. Their game started when Nayeon and Jeongyeon were both done with their morning duties. They were returning to the main den, trotting side by side as it had been their little trend for the past few days. Jihyo was perching on a rock not too far from the den. She was watching the betas, noticing the not-so-subtle ways they were joined at the hip lately. She personally had nothing against it since it wasn’t interfering their work ethics—although, they had way too similar schedules for that to count—and Jihyo was starting to accumulate a prediction that would explain everything, but it was too parlous to expose. She settled on just keeping it inside her head. It wasn’t her place to make any assumptions anyway.

It seemed that work hadn’t exhausted the pair yet. Nayeon had already tossed a great deal of snow with one of her paw, causing a surge of white crystals to rise up and splatter directly into Jeongyeon’s face. The older let out a satisfied laugh followed by a sharp, coquettish curl of her tail. Jeongyeon shook the snow off her face and hurled herself at Nayeon’s flank. There was no warning nor a single growl. The older beta had no idea until she was shoved into the coldness of the snow, a jawful of fangs tickling at her side. Nayeon attempted a recovery by kicking Jeongyeon gently on the neck, but the younger had such a thick layer of fur there that it didn’t work. Annoyed, Nayeon resorted to wiggling restlessly on the ground with the hope of losing the jaw lock. After a few joggles, the sandy beige beta managed to easily slide out and back on her feet. Jeongyeon could have easily knocked her back down but that wouldn’t be as fun, so the younger beta circled her in a teasing manner. Nayeon snarled, ducking under and struck at Jeongyeon’s chin. She ended up enclosing the younger beta’s entire muzzle with her jaw, an awkward attack but probably the only one she could get away with. In retaliation, Jeongyeon shook her head but in vain as Nayeon wouldn’t let go of her only chance that easily. They were both thinking hard—one for the sake of freeing herself and the other for a second crafty strike. But time passed idly around them, both were growing increasingly impatient as they struggled around in hope of confusing the other. Jeongyeon’s paws found themselves swatting Nayeon’s cheeks until their awkward back and forth ended up throwing them both off balance. From afar, the inspecting Jihyo cocked her head as the betas wrestled in a nest of scattering snowflakes.

Had she been an old, solemn, and stern alpha, she would have risen to her feet with the intention of shutting down the small fuss by utilizing her own strength. But Jihyo’s only leadership experience prior to this was narrow, a secluded family pack with little room for any usage of authority. It was a fairly relaxed life that left her constantly insecure about her performance now. Had she been assuming position correctly? Was she supposed to do this or that? She still had no idea at times. But after seeing the little match between her betas—both wolves being her seniors—Jihyo knew exactly what she wanted to do. She was bored and it was a while since she got to play puppyish games like these. The winter had been stressing them all out. An opportunity to slow down and have fun was almost too good to miss. The “proper” alpha instincts missed her completely as Jihyo leaped down from the rock, tail wagging in excitement rather than up in dominance. She approached the original combatants, tilting her head again at their tangled up positions. Nayeon had finally gained a moment of victory because she was now hovering on top of a very discontent Jeongyeon, her jaw lodged somewhere on the younger’s throat. Jihyo should have been more polite but with the lack of hunting, her built up adrenaline was waiting behind an erupting dam. So the alpha jumped right in, grabbing a chunk of Nayeon’s thigh and pulled. Not very alphaly, but she liked doing it for the thrill. That succeeded in freeing Jeongyeon, but now Jihyo had to deal with the wrath of the older beta. Nayeon sprung at her, expectantly so, snapping her jaw in intimidation as the leader staggered back. There was an odd moment of silence between the wolves as they stood and glanced at each other, a quick pause for the betas to register their alpha’s presence and for the alpha to anticipate the next move. Jeongyeon shifted first, moving in closer to their eldest and Jihyo hoped that she would return the favor until a mischievous smile spread across the younger beta’s face. Their leader barely had time to scurry away before Jeongyeon was charging right at her.

It was a bit of a gamble. Jihyo had only been deemed officially as leader some weeks ago. They’d played similar games just never one this rough. Nayeon was even a little hesitant but with Jihyo’s constant wagging tail, she jumped forward to join in. With combined force, the betas managed to tackle their leader onto the ground. They took turns snapping at her side to keep her down, a still aggressive but milder gesture lest they offend her. Jihyo, by no means, was even close to being angry. At one point in their struggle, the alpha managed to squirm her way out of the death trap, immediately taking off to bolt restlessly around the perimeter of the den. Her entire tongue was lolling out as her lips curved up into a big smile. A near-forgotten essence of her puppyhood was coming back to her, everything from that long lost age of exploration, the insightful discoveries, to these delirious games. She had missed it—for some reason even craved it—and it all crashed down onto her as she waited in full eagerness for the slower, older wolves to catch up. And only when they were millimeters away from getting her, she leaped up to dash away again. At one point, the betas got lucky and eventually were able to pin their rambunctious leader down. Unfortunately, it became a brief one-timer that they had no chance of achieving again when Jihyo slithered out of their grasp unnoticed. When she started running, they had no choice but to follow. As soon as they got close, she fooled them by taking off again. This timely move was repeated so many times that the betas gave up on the chase. It was no fun for them anymore, plus their legs were sore and could handle the back and forth no longer. Jeongyeon began straying away to a nearby water source, while Nayeon retreated back to the den—or tried to at least. Their eldest had greatly underestimated Jihyo’s energy. She had heard the alpha’s noisy scampering in the snow but didn’t realize that their game was still not over yet. Just as she was inches away from entering the blissful refuge of their warm cave, there was a determined tug at her heels. Nayeon turned around to witness their leader, acting as pesky as a petulant little sibling would, darting forward to grab a hold of her leg. Too tired for any sort of counterattack, Nayeon resumed her route regardless. But despite being a victim to Jihyo’s constant nipping the entire walk inside, the sandy beige beta didn’t think anyone else was more worthy of being their leader.

~~~***~~~

This was tougher than anything they’d ever done. Not only would it incorporate everything Mina had learned, it would also require Momo to provide her with a reasonable challenge to test that knowledge. The gamma had been working hard. She’d ran every difficult course in the forest selected by Momo, often even in consecutive laps. It was surely a good workout for the city wolf. But that wasn’t to say that Mina wasn’t in perfect shape already when she got here, she just didn’t know much about endurance. Now her muscles were a little larger at the shoulders, a very good sign of her progress but Momo tried her best not to look at them too much. Today was important. The bluescale alpha had no intention of going easy on her student today—or any day to be honest. It would be a weak demonstration of her strength if she hesitated and in all honesty, she had long anticipated an indirect fight with Mina. After all, the little skirmish at their first encounter was rather humiliating on her part. They would start with their first combat simulation, where Mina would challenge her mentor with the goal that she learned from every bad move she might make. Their standoff was simple. They would assume of each other as if they were encountering a hostile outsider. Their goal would be to get the other wolf onto the ground. Beforehand, Momo had put the moral of their lesson in a simple phrase: “Skills are skills but if you have no experience, you’ll still be as when you first got them.”

Seven minutes into the session, and the “battle” was at a standstill. Mina had run out of attacks, and Momo wasn’t about to let her off the hook so easily. For the most part, the gamma had been surprising her mentor more than the older could probably handle. There were times that Momo found herself completely confused, not defeated but certainly just as stuck on how to counter whatever Mina was attempting to do. The hardest part was that the younger had a ridiculous sense of balance, something extremely useful for keeping her on her toes at all times. Mina looked light but she could ground herself like a titanium column. Momo had expected to expose her like a fish out of water, to remove her from the safety of the bushes and force her to fight in the plain open where she would be no match for Momo’s fierce intensity. But the alpha had forgotten an important factor, Mina was packed with so much more than she had when she first came. This was no petty thief anymore. Momo had morphed her into a warrior, and the mentor should be much more cautious than she was now. Mina’s attacks, for the most part, was completely unlike her style. It astounded Momo how daring and belligerent her moves were. She had learned, all right. There were some tactics that Momo even recognized as similar to her own but not completely, because they weren’t as rough. Mina knew her advantage well. She was graceful on four feet and despite the shift in tactics, she was as decisive as ever. Momo had really created a beast.

Oddly enough, the only physical contact they’d made since the simulation started was a light brush at the shoulders. The entire duration of their “fight” was spent on intimidation, as neither of them felt bold enough to actually tackle the other down. The main aim of the match had only been to shock the opponent enough that they would falter so a slight push would do the trick. But the battle was going nowhere, not when they both were just resorting to snarling at each other while walking in circles. Momo chose to be the one to break it. She was the mentor after all. If anyone was going to roughen up the fight, it had to be Momo. Quitting her snarl, the bluescale alpha inched closer and snapped her jaw at Mina’s neck. This startled the tundra-coated gamma, but she quickly recovered into a defensive stance. She was careful, her amethyst eyes locked on Momo’s every move. The alpha, knowing that this was the moment her pride depended on, dove down to grab at the younger’s ankle. It was supposed to be a light bite, a warning that Momo would not hesitate to seriously take her down. Mina, however, had other ideas. Before the alpha’s jaw could even come close to her, she swiftly sprang up and clasped the mentor’s neck between her front legs. Momo shook, struggled, and wobbled but there was no doubt that the gamma got her squarely where she least expected. Mina was quick to put her hard-built shoulder muscles to use, flipping the alpha over and letting the shock contribute in knocking her mentor right into the soft snow.

Momo, formerly so confident that this wouldn’t break a single sweat, was now laying on her back secured down by warm, soft white fur. They were close enough that she could feel Mina’s breathing and see the puffs of smoke that arose from it. The sweet foreign smell of lavender seeped into her nostrils, tingling her sense yet made her angry at the same time. She had, since the start until now, so so greatly underestimated Mina.

And perhaps she should’ve felt more guilty and upset than she was now but peering up at the victorious amethyst eyes above, there was something irresistibly enchanting about seeing Mina up close.

AN: A late Christmas present

Can I just say that The Best Thing I Ever Did mv had such a big Frost vibe? Like they were running around in a snowy winter wonderland and THAT’S LITERALLY FROST???

Also, I know I make Momo really cold and harsh but note that she didn’t grow up in the best circumstances. She isn’t the antagonist btw! (there’s rlly none except nature :/) It’s just so interesting, like you wouldn’t see rl Momo fighting idk a bear but Frost Momo? Hell yeah

Anyways, I know it’s been a while but I hope this chapter was enjoyable

The tol and smol couple is next ;)

Thanks for reading <3