Kibum’s breaths are absorbed by Taemin’s lips and he pulls back only long enough to gasp in more air.  The moan in his chest vibrates through his throat and a hint of a whine slips through his mouth as Taemin turns his head. They shift and now Taemin’s lips press against his neck and his own dance through Taemin’s hair until he can’t catch his breath anymore and his head falls heavy against his love’s silky locks, fingers gripping flexing biceps.

 

Everything is still new, this is only their third time together like this, Taemin’s fingers of one hand at play with Kibum’s body while the others are at his spine, holding him close. Their shirts are long discarded on the floor, bare chests pressed together and Kibum’s pants are also on the ground.

 

His head stays at Taemin’s shoulder, breaths blowing against the hair left loose there when he pulled it out of its plait nearly an hour ago. The fingers at his love’s arms fall limp to his side, his strength waning with every move Taemin makes. A curved finger has him straightening, fingers rushing up to grasp at the locks pouring down his love’s shoulders and tangling into the ebony tresses.

 

They’ve been entrusted to be alone in the house while Minjung is with Minho and Jongin making preparations for their bonding ceremony in four-and-a-half months. Another stop will be made for son and dam to look at seedlings for autumn planting. Taemin and Kibum’s disinterest had been noted and, despite Jinki also being away from the home, they had been left behind.

 

One thing had slowly led to another, and chaste kisses had led to fervent ones. Then Taemin’s fingers had slipped beneath Kibum’s tunic and he had pulled it over his head without even thinking. Ever since their first time just after Taemin’s birth anniversary a month ago, he had become intoxicated with the sensations and he was not willing to let an opportunity be lost.

 

Knowing also that they had less than a month until the equinox and the birth anniversary that would mean he would be of age had him desperate to have Taemin near.

 

Kibum’s breath hitches and Taemin pulls his lips away from his neck to kiss him again, catches his gasps, whimpers, and moans. He nods and whispers “I love you” at every desperate whisper of his own name on Kibum’s lips.

 

Kibum’s lungs burn and his head feels soft as both are deprived of badly needed air and his nerves tingle as he comes close to an edge he desperately wishes to leap across. He’s nodding at Taemin’s encouragement when a sudden bang against Taemin’s closed door startles them both. Jinki’s unmistakable voice calmly stating, “You have five minutes to make yourselves presentable” has them jumping apart and Kibum’s burning cheeks flush as Taemin’s first act is to cover Kibum with a sheet.

 

A singular creak of a hallway floorboard is the only indication of Jinki’s movement away and they both breathe hard now for new reasons.

 

Taemin’s fingers card through his own hair, mussing up the strands further and Kibum reaches over to fix them to hide the evidence and to give him an outlet for the new way his nerves tingle.

 

“Ancients,” his love whispers, turning to Kibum with wide, panicked eyes. They had neither of them heard any vehicle approaching, any door opening, never sensed another presence in the house with them. That it was Jinki of all to discover them…

 

Kibum only nods.

 

As he steps back into his pants, Kibum watches quietly as his love turns and gathers up their shirts, tossing his own over his shoulder before bunching Kibum’s up and holding it in front of his head. Kibum’s lip quirks in a tender smile as he bends his head and lets Taemin slip the shirt over his shoulders.

 

~

 

Taemin’s hand shakes as he turns the knob to his bedroom door and Kibum places his palm briefly at his love’s elbow in encouragement. When he steps into the hallway, he looks first to the main room and then to the kitchen, startled to hear his name spoken by his sire coming from the study.

 

 

Out of instinct, and their bond, he grabs at Kibum’s hand. Remembering that his sire is watching, he drops it quickly. They each take a seat on the tiny sofa that sits beneath the window. To his confusion and relief, his sire leaves the door open. Of course, he realizes belatedly, the door cannot be shut if Kibum, an unbound omega not of their clan, is inside the room.

 

Especially with how he must smell.

 

“How long?” they are asked and a part of Taemin bristles at the question: How could his sire not know how long his own son had been in love, had been bonded in love?

 

“You’ll have to be more specific, Appa,” he says softly. “I have been in love with Kibum for a long time, but we have not shared our bodies for so long.” He looks down at the ground when his sire closes his eyes. He’s not ashamed for what he has done, but he is sad that he has saddened his sire.

 

“I only meant in love, Taemin.”

 

“Our love bond was formed a year ago.”

 

Jinki looks up so quickly that Taemin himself starts, grabbing again at Kibum’s hand and this time not letting go.

 

“A bond?”

 

“Yes, Appa.”

 

“I…” His sire now looks to Kibum and reflexively Taemin squeezes his love’s hand. Kibum’s eyes turn to his lap and his shoulders curve in, a submissive pose beneath the alpha’s gaze. “A love bond?” He turns back to Taemin with a frown. “Are you sure?”

 

Taemin sits a bit straighter at the question. Of all the responses his sire could have had, all the ways he could have responded, that he asked whether Taemin was certain rather than stating that it was impossible, that two omegas could not form a bond, meant very much to him.

 

As an answer, Taemin smiles.

 

“I love him, Appa,” he says, knowing that even as the words were spoken his eyes are beginning to glow, his chest warming.

 

His sire watches impassively, the tiniest flicker of a brow the only sign that he notices the change. “If your heats are not attended to by an alpha you will die.”

 

The warmth in Taemin’s chest immediately turns to ice.

 

“Appa, I-”

 

“An alpha, Taemin. When you are of age, as Kibum nearly is, you can no longer attend the heat houses.”

 

Taemin swallows and his eyes flicker back and forth in rapid thought. “We can take vows, become one of the Avowed and care for the ones still young enough for the heat houses.”

 

Jinki scoffs, though his eyes seem sad. “Do you think they will allow you to stay together when it is known that you have a bond between yourselves?”

 

Kibum is making little gasping breaths to his side and Taemin blinks back an angry tear. “If they break us apart they will break the bond.” His sire watches him quietly, watches him think. “We would become heartsick. That would take months to heal from. Not that it matters,” he says, with sudden clarity. “The only option we have is to break the bond. That is what you are saying. We have to break the bond to not be bonded to alphas and we have to break the bond to be bonded to alphas. Or else we die.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Taemin’s breaths grow ragged and his eyes narrow. His jaw clenches and he nearly growls. “Then we will die.”

 

He hears Kibum’s small gasp and he squeezes his love’s hand in comfort. His eyes he keeps on his sire, a glare he’s never shown before he hopes burns. His sire’s eyes have narrowed in return and they are in a stalemate of sorts, neither of them willing to go any farther in the fight and neither willing to retreat.

 

The sound of a horn honking pulls their attention, though neither of them look away. At the sound of a distant door opening, Jinki sighs, turning to Kibum who is still looking down. “He is young and foolish, but you are nearly of age. Speak sense to him.” He spares another look in Taemin’s direction before standing and then the pair are alone in the study.

 

“Taemin,” Kibum whispers, his voice shaking.

 

Swiftly, Taemin takes his love into his arms and holds him as tight as he can, swallowing as he feels the tears dampen his shoulder. He doesn’t say anything, he keeps completely silent, listening as slowly the sound of his family begins to fill the house.

 

Jongin is laughing and he can hear Minho’s deep timbre. His dam says something that sounds like it might have been his name, though his sire’s response keeps her in the kitchen. It’s so unfair, he thinks, not for the first time. All of it.

 

“We should run away,” he whispers into Kibum’s ear, just desperate enough to take the risk if it would mean even one more day with him. He feels his love shake his head against his shoulder.

 

“No, we still have time. I have one heat left and the Chois have not said that they will send me away. They have not said anything, in fact. And you cannot be bonded until the anniversary of your birth. After the solstice, the summer solstice.” He looks up then, eyes red-rimmed. “We would die anyway,” he chuckles wryly, “eventually.”

 

Taemin nods and leans in, kissing his love as though it would be their last.

 

 

Jinki knows as soon as his son steps out with Kibum that what he has said has not been received as intended. There’s a determination in each face that sets him ill at ease. And when Taemin looks up at him it is with such calm defiance that he knows he no longer has time to spare.

 

He waits until the boys are asleep, Minho having left with Kibum many hours earlier, a lingering hug between his youngest and the omega he now knows to be his son’s love bond that set his jaw to clench still burning in his mind. Minjung steps into the bedroom and looks at him in surprise when she sees that he is still fully dressed.

 

“What is wrong?”

 

“I need to go,” he answers quickly. “To speak with Eunsook.”

 

His mate immediately looks to the door behind which lies the hall and the door that leads to the room in which their youngest son sleeps.

 

“What has happened?” she asks anxiously. “They still have four months to meet.”

 

Jinki sighs, taking both her hands in his. Long thin fingers, familiar after so many years. Jongin has the same hands. Taemin does not.

 

“Taemin has fallen in love.”

 

Minjung frowns briefly, her eyes quickly widening in understanding. “Kibum.”

 

Jinki nods, shifting his stance as he prepares to speak the next piece. “They have formed a love bond.”

 

“But that,” she begins, forehead crinkling in confusion, “that’s not possible. Is it?”

 

“I witnessed it, Minjung.”

 

“They’re omegas,” his mate insists, as though it were a truth he had somehow forgotten. “And Taemin’s soul is already bonded. How-”

 

“I do not know,” he interjects, weary of questions he too has and also doesn’t have the answers to, “and it does not matter. What matters is that Eunsook knows. The time has come for her to meet Taemin, she can no longer keep herself hidden.”

 

Minjung nods, taking a deep breath. “Yes, of course.”

 

“I am going to see her,” Jinki says emphatically, watching Minjung closely for any refusal.

 

“Yes, of course,” she says again, understanding immediately. “We will be safe,” she assures him, a hand slipping out of his hold and pressing against his cheek. He believes in her faith and presses the now empty hand against the back of the hand at his cheek.

 

“I will return with her as quickly as possible.”

 

Minjung chuckles. “Whether she agrees to come with you or not?”

 

“It is no longer her choice,” Jinki replies, eyes dark, “not when my son’s life is in threat.”

 

His mate nods and kisses him. They move quietly down the hall and she asks if he would like her to prepare him food for the trip. She laughs when he pulls a travel box from the cold cupboard and a small bag off of the counter. At the last moment, she grabs him up in a hug and holds him tight, tighter and longer than he is accustomed to her doing.

 

“I love you,” she says quietly. “Now go and save our son. Again.”

 

He leans in and kisses her forehead, resting his head against hers before turning away and walking out into the night.

 

~

 

Eunsook looks up from her drawing pad, startled. The beep of the system set up to notify her of visitors had been all but forgotten, so accustomed she had been to only having guests who were previously invited. Junghee had no reason to visit, had not contacted to say that she would be, and it had been months since her sire had been by, the harvesting season keeping him busy.

 

The screen lies hidden somewhere, she’s not sure where, and so the vehicle that has tripped the system remains unknown to her while she is in the house. At the last moment, just as she stands, she notices it in the corner of the desk, beneath a pile of papers, and blinks in recognition at the face of her Intended’s sire behind the wheel.

 

“What is he doing here?” she mutters to herself. The screen is placed back on the desk and she looks down at her clothes, patting at her hair, grateful that today her appearance is not too unruly. The walk up the hall toward the doorway is taken with glances around the house, every bit of mess a pinch to her nerves.

 

Her feet slip into a pair of sandals before she steps out onto the deck. Jinki is just pulling up as she reaches the top of the stairs, and she watches as he climbs out, the sound of the door of his vehicle echoing loudly in the open space surrounding her home. He stops suddenly and takes a look around and she instinctively follows his gaze.

 

A wide open field leads up to an enormous mountain with a sparkling river at its base. A gathering of trees huddles at the front of her home and near the back, while the area where Jinki has just parked is barren and mostly dirt with a bit of pebbles for traction. More trees lie just behind, shade to cool the land when the heat rises in summer. There is also a modest garden and a small orchard heavy with fruit in various royal hues: crimson, gold, & purple.

 

The patio she stands on is a reddish wood with a round table and a quartet of metal chairs tipped up against it. A folded umbrella lies against the house. He turns to her after appraising the view and begins hurrying up the stairs to where she stands.

 

“Hello, Eunsook. We have much to discuss.”

 

 

They sit in silence at the table, cups of tea in front of them that neither of them have touched in the ensuing quiet.

 

“Taemin has fallen in love,” Jinki had said, and Eunsook had immediately lost every sense. When she had chosen to leave him to live his life free of their bond she had not thought that this would be a potential consequence. And as such, she has no response.

 

The silence continues, the steam of their tea slowly disappearing.

 

“I do not know what to say, sir,” she finally mumbles.

 

“They have formed a love bond, Eunsook.” Her eyes close and she tries to catch her breath. “Enough is enough. It is time that you met.”

 

“You…want me to break their bond?”

 

“It must be broken, Eunsook.”

 

“Does it?” she asks sadly. “He only needs me for his heats. If they are in love enough that he has formed this bond while our souls are already bonded, perhaps they should be allowed to keep the bond. The time-line doesn’t need to change.” It breaks her heart to think of it, but it would mean Taemin’s happiness.

 

“He has fallen in love with an omega.” Her brow furrows and for the first time she looks up at her cousin.

 

“An omega?”

 

“Yes. Now you understand why the bond must be broken.”

 

“I-”

 

“They don’t understand,” Jinki continues, “though I did tell them. They are young and they are foolish and they think heartsickness is as bad or worse than death.”

 

“Sir, I-”

 

“Eunsook, you must protect my son.” She watches, startled, as her cousin leans forward, eyes desperate and hands folded in supplication. “There is no doubt in my mind and in my heart that he will do something foolish. It is his way.”

 

“Does the omega have a Covenant with any alpha? Are they an Intended?”

 

Jinki leans back, frowning. “What does that-”

 

“Please, sir.”

 

“No,” he answers angrily, “he has none.

 

“Would he accept a Covenant? Would his guardians allow it?” Eunsook stifles a sigh at the way her cousin is now openly glaring at her. In her own home.

 

“It hardly matters, Eunsook.”

 

“It matters to me, sir.”

 

Jinki shifts in his chair, leaning back and crossing his arms. “Perhaps. He lives now with Minho’s family.”

 

“Jongin’s Minho?”

 

“Yes,” Jinki says, nodding. “He was raised by his grand dam. When she became unliving in spring they took him in. He is distant cousin to them.”

 

“Then he is family,” Eunsook murmurs, thinking aloud. Jinki shakes his head.

 

“They are family. Minjung’s clan.”

 

“They keep him as their own,” she points out. “They would stand for him as guardians for a Covenant and a bond.”

 

“Why are you talking of this?”

 

“Because,” Eunsook answers slowly, herself not sure if her own answer is right, “if they love each other deeply enough to form a bond then they should be together.”

 

“No,” Jinki says, shaking his head. “Taemin needs to be with you.”

 

“They could both be with me.” Eunsook watches Jinki’s face crinkle in confusion.

 

“What are you saying?”

 

“That I would bond with them both.”

 

Jinki scoffs, turning away. “You would bond with a stranger?”

 

“Taemin is a stranger.” Eunsook swallows when Jinki’s piercing gaze is back on her in an instant, a darkness she had never seen in her kind cousin’s eyes.

 

“That was your choice.”

 

“Yes, sir. I know.”

 

“And that is different,” he argues, “you are soul bonds.”

 

“Yes, but…if that was not known, if he was my Intended only because we were of the same clan, this conversation would not be happening in the way that it is.”

 

Her cousin watches her a few tense moments before sighing. “No. I suppose it would not.” A long pause lingers as Eunsook waits on his decision to her proposal. “You would bond with them both?”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“Knowing only that Taemin is in love with the omega?”

 

“That they have a love bond, sir,” she corrects.

 

“Double bonds are not common, Eunsook.”

 

“They are not unheard of, sir.”

 

Jinki nods, thoughtfully. “I’ve not even told you his name.”

 

“It didn’t…” she hesitates, suddenly laughing, “it didn’t seem important. All that matters is that Taemin not be harmed.”

 

“Yes,” Jinki murmurs, nodding softly.

 

“Then you agree?” Eunsook asks timidly.

 

Her cousin shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders. “It was never for me to decide, Eunsook. You are the alpha to whom Taemin is Intended. You decide his fate from now. If you are unwilling to break this bond then the bond stays in place.”

 

“That’s not true,” Eunsook argues. “The omega has the final say from Intention until bonding.”

 

“Taemin doesn’t know he is Intended,” Jinki points out, coldly. “And he won’t until Jongin’s bonding.” Eunsook looks down at her hands, suddenly ashamed though she doesn’t quite know for what.

 

“I am unwilling.”

 

“Then the bond remains.”

 

She nods, looking back up. “To whom should I make my offer to bond with the omega? Minho’s guardians? And,” she blushes, “what is the omega’s name?”

 

“Kim Kibum. And don’t worry, I will handle the arrangements for you.”

 

“No sir,” Eunsook says, shaking her head, “I will be the one to speak to them.”

 

Jinki nods and turns his head toward the front room. “The house is turning out well.”

 

Eunsook bows lightly. “Thank you, sir.”

 

“May I see where my son will be living while I am here?”

 

“Yes, of course,” Eunsook answers quickly, standing up and following Jinki as he begins to roam through the front rooms. “Then you must rest. We will go back tomorrow and I will speak to the guardians the next day.”

 

“I will send them a message tonight,” Jinki says absently, tapping at a wall and nodding in approval.

 

Eunsook suppresses a frown. “I said that I would do it myself, sir.”

 

“Then I will give you the means to contact them yourself. Let them know that you are my cousin.” He turns to her then with a tired smile. “They may be more willing to accept an offer from a stranger if they know that the stranger is the cousin of an old friend and family-by-bond.”

 

Eunsook smiles weakly and nods. “Yes, of course.”

 

Jinki turns back to his inspections and Eunsook takes a deep breath as she follows.

 

~

 

Kibum is directed quickly to his bedroom downstairs by Minho’s sire whose smile is too bright.

 

He and Minho had only just returned home from a visit with Jongin and Taemin, Minjung uncharacteristically nearby and keeping them all out of the house. Jinki had been missing which had been a relief, but the sudden rush of instruction by the alpha of the home to change into his finest attire and quickly return has his heart pounding. “You have a very important visitor,” she had said with a sly smile.

 

He runs a comb through his hair as swiftly as he can and twists it up into a smooth topknot. A sleeveless cream silk tunic with aegean and gold designs is buttoned up to the high collar and the loose pants are tight at his ankles just above matching slippers. The stairs are climbed quickly up until the last two where he slows and takes a few steadying breaths. Minho’s dam steps out of the library and beams when he sees Kibum at the top of the stairs.

 

“Hurry, hurry,” he encourages, tugging Kibum along by the elbow.

 

The parlor door stands ajar and he pushes it open fully, not-too-gently guiding Kibum inside. Kibum whips around, startled when he catches sight of Jinki standing with Minho’s sire across the hall in the library. With a knowing smile and a “I’ll leave you two to get to know each other,” Minho’s dam closes the door behind himself, leaving Kibum to stare at the door, shaken.

 

“Hello.”

 

The fingertips at his side grow cold and he fights the urge to tap his thumb against his lip as he turns slowly around.

 

An alpha stands in the room, one that he doesn’t recognize. Her smile is kind, though her eyes slightly guarded, and he has no idea why they’re being left alone or why Jinki is across the hall.

 

She is slightly taller than him with flowing black hair that has been pulled back tight in a row of silver bands that trail down her back. Her tunic is similarly sleeveless, a bright turquoise, though the tops of her bare arms are bound in leather bands and her right wrist and left forefinger are wrapped in silver and her ears and both pinkies glitter with tiny gems.

 

Belatedly, Kibum bows in reply to her greeting, awkwardly murmuring “Hello” in return.

 

“My name is Eunsook,” she says, and he’s surprised at how warm her voice is.

 

“Kibum.”

 

She watches him expectantly. He watches back.

 

“Perhaps we should sit?” she asks, a brow raised in concern.

 

Kibum nods quickly, embarrassed at his own slight. “Yes, of course,” he says, gesturing to the empty sofa. “Apologies.”

 

“No need for formalities, Kibum,” she says with an awkward laugh. “It’s unnecessary and…” she pauses as she sits, “a bit silly for what we’re about to discuss.” Her eyes turn to the ground and her brow furrows. Kibum’s own forehead crinkles in confusion as he waits. “The guardians have agreed to our bonding. If you are willing, I am offering to be your bond mate.”

 

Kibum can’t hold back the gasp in his throat. He turns swiftly in his seat, glaring at the door. “Did Jinki-sire-”

 

Eunsook holds up a hand, says “Taemin”, and Kibum quiets immediately. “You have a love bond. I can break it.” Kibum begins to sputter, eyes wide in a panic. “No, no,” Eunsook adds quickly, a hand raised, “that is not a threat. It is an offer.”

 

“I decline!”

 

“I understand. My Covenant with Taemin is already set. He is already my Intended. Jinki and I are of the same clan and when Taemin comes of age we will be bonded. That is sealed.” Kibum begins to shake his head in protest. “You have a love bond with him though,” she continues, “and I would like to protect that, if you will let me.”

 

“By being my bond mate as well?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Can you afford to?” The skepticism in Kibum’s voice and on his face can’t be hidden.

 

Eunsook only pauses a moment before laughing. “Is that really what you want to know?”

 

“I…” Kibum shrugs, overwhelmed.

 

“I cannot afford to keep you in a home such as this,” she replies, gesturing around the opulence of the room they sit in, “but I can keep us all housed and fed. Comfortably.”

 

“And you would be willing…”

 

“I am offering,” she replies kindly, eyes crinkling softly.

 

Kibum appraises her incredulously. “You don’t look old enough to bond.”

 

At the remark, she laughs. “I assure you, I am of age.”

 

“Oh.” He stares at his hands, thinking. Looking up, he asks, “Why?”

 

There’s a long pause, Eunsook’s eyes on the ground and a soft smile on her lips. “There are no limits or boundaries when it comes to love,” she finally says. “Or there shouldn’t be.”

 

Kibum looks down at his hands. This is the first offer he has ever received. It is also the oddest offer he has ever heard of: To be bonded to an alpha who will bond to another. But that other will be Taemin. And that is all he needs to know.

 

“Then I accept.”

 

“Good. I hear you will be of age soon, though no one told me exactly when.” Kibum swallows as he remembers Jinki’s words: You need an alpha to get through your heats or you will die. “Kibum?”

 

“The equinox. The anniversary of my birth is at the equinox.”

 

“Oh,” Eunsook breathes out, leaning back. There’s a sudden distance to her gaze and Kibum wonders what she’s thinking. “That’s fine,” she says in an obvious attempt to comfort him, “it is customary to wait until a week after the equinox to bond those born on its day. That gives us a bit of time to get to know one another better. Now,” she smiles, “tell me about-”

 

Her words are abruptly cut off by the opening of the parlor door and the appearance of Minho’s sire. Eunsook stands and Kibum follows suit, disappointed when he is instructed to leave so soon. He bows to the alpha to whom he is now Intended, passing Minho’s dam who grins at him and Jinki whose smile isn’t forced but isn’t wholly warm either. Soon he is again in his room, dazed and a bit confused. Also a bit hopeful. Slightly afraid. And, as his knuckle runs against his cheek, a bit teary-eyed.

 

There’s a knock at the glass door in the next room, the one set up as a living space set apart just for him. He wipes at the stray tears and takes a deep breath. The tunic and pants he had worn are slightly wrinkled now and he smooths them out, pats at his hair as he moves toward the sound even though he knows it is only Minho at the door.

 

The sound of the door sliding open, familiar and inviting, almost brings him again to tears as he knows that it’s now part of an official countdown to a “last time” he does a thing.

 

“What happened?” his friend asks anxiously, hands already at Kibum’s shoulders and eyes searching his face. Kibum shakes his head quickly, moving to the small patio with the little table and set of chairs. If Minho hugs him he will not be able to stop crying.

 

They sit and Minho waits, watches as Kibum gathers his thoughts and his composure.

 

“I’m just shocked, not sad,” he starts. Abruptly, he shakes his head. “A little sad. Scared, maybe. I am an Intended, now.” Minho’s eyes widen and his brows raise comically high.

 

“An Intended?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Have you had a suitor all this time?” his friend asks teasingly and Kibum can’t help but laugh.

 

“Of course I have. Only they won’t allow us to be bonded.”

 

Minho’s teasing smile slowly melts away. “Who is it?”

 

“A cousin of Jinki’s. Of Jongin’s too, then. And Taemin’s. Her name is Eunsook. And she has agreed to bond with both Taemin and me. That is why I agreed to it so quickly. I…I agreed to bond with a stranger, Minho. Ancients…”

 

The depth of what had only just occurred hits Kibum hard and he suddenly can’t breathe, bent over and gasping with one of Minho’s hands gripping his and the other rubbing circles over his back.

 

“It will be fine, Kibum. It will be.” He nods at his friend’s words, eyes wide as he struggles to catch his breath. Taemin, he thinks to himself over and over, seeing his love’s face in his mind’s eye and calming at the image. Taemin, Taemin.

 

“Better,” he says weakly, waving Minho away. They move back to their seats and he shakes his head and blows out a breath through puffed cheeks. “It will be fine.”

 

“At least you will stop calling me old.”

 

He looks up at Minho who smiles. “What?”

 

“Twenty does suddenly seem young now, doesn’t it? Or at least it will be.”

 

Kibum frowns in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

 

“Eunsook. She’s twenty-three.”

 

Kibum’s mouth drops open in surprise. “How do you know that?”

 

“Jongin,” Minho answers slowly. “He met her when they were kids. He thought we should be friends because we were alphas who rode horses. He asked her her birth anniversary and it’s only a few days after mine. Did you not discuss age?”

 

“We barely spoke,” Kibum mutters, “the guardians came in so quickly. All I know is her name, that she is willing to bond with us both, and that…” he stops, covering his face with his hand.

 

“What did you say, Kim Kibum?”

 

“I asked if she could afford to care for us both.” He squeezes his eyes closed and groans when he hears Minho’s high-pitched laugh punctuated by an open-hand slap against the table.

 

“A practical question,” his friend manages through his laughter. “What was her answer?”

 

Kibum lets the hand covering his face fall, his own hand dropping to the table. “That she could not provide the lifestyle that I’ve had while living here, but that she could comfortably provide housing and food for the three of us.”

 

“And that satisfied you?” Minho asks, dabbing at his eyes.

 

Kibum sighs, looking down at the table beneath his fingers. “You know what my options are, Minho. The answer didn’t really matter. I don’t even know why I asked the question.”

 

“Kibum.” Kibum waits for Minho to follow-up and when he does not, he looks toward his friend. “Were you satisfied?”

 

Without thinking, he raises a hand and presses a thumb to his lips. “You know what I’ve always wanted, Minho. And we both know that it never seemed as though it were possible. And now it might be. And with Taemin. I want that life, Minho. I want a bond, I want to have young, I want to live with Taemin and grow old with him. Yes, I want other things as well and maybe I will get them too. Maybe I won’t. We’ll see. But at least I will have Taemin. So yes, I was satisfied.”

 

Minho nods and Kibum looks out at the yard again.

 

~

 

Eunsook sits still with her back straight as Jinki takes his rightful place at her side. A cup of tea is placed into her hand and she nods in gratitude to the young omega servant as they bow and back out of the room. It’s small and handleless and she lets it warm her palm while her silver rings glisten in the afternoon sunlight. A surprisingly warm autumn day has her grateful that the turquoise gown with matching leggings she chose to wear to the meeting with the Chois happened to be sleeveless.

 

Meeting Kibum had gone as well as could be expected, though she had been startled to learn that he would be coming of age at the equinox less than three weeks away. Now it was time to speak more fully with the guardians as to the details of the bonding, though the date itself would be determined by the priestess. The nearness of the equinox didn’t concern her; omegas born so near to the mating seasons were often bonded after the anniversaries of their birth. No, it was the nearness of the date itself that concerned her: There was less than a month to prepare for an omega she had only just met to join her in her home. It is in these thoughts that her attention is caught when the Choi guardians enter the room.

 

Jinki stands and she remains seated as is custom. The guardians all greet each other and the alpha guardian bows to Eunsook while she bows to the omega guardian in turn. There’s no reason for him to be here, an omega seated among alphas, and it seems more a concession to his interests in the matters than anything else.

 

“Do drink your tea,” he says, pointing to her cup. “I wouldn’t want it to get cold and we may be here for a while.”

 

“Of course,” she agrees easily with a warm smile, taking a sip and humming in delight. “It’s very good, thank you.”

 

“Kibum brews a fine cup of tea,” he says proudly.

 

“Oh,” she says in surprise, quickly adding, “I look forward to many such cups in the future.” The omega seems pleased with the response, leaning back with a satisfied smile. Eunsook finishes her tea while the alpha guardians converse. When she finishes, the cup is taken away and the Choi alpha begins the deliberations.

 

“We would like to address the terms of bond gift immediately. We believe that once that is settled everything else will fall easily into place.”

 

Eunsook sits up even straighter and glances at Jinki. “There’s no need for any,” she begins slowly, “that is not why I’ve presented myself for bonding with Kibum.”

 

“We would not reject an offer, of course,” Jinki continues, and Eunsook clenches her jaw in embarrassment. “We would not intend for you to be insulted in any way.”

 

“No, of course not,” Eunsook adds emphatically. “I only meant to speak on my intentions. Apologies.”

 

“None necessary,” the Choi alpha says calmly with a slight wave of a hand. “It is only that we want it to be clear that we do care for Kibum as our own in stead of his grand dam now unliving. As such, a bond gift on his behalf should be offered by us in addition to his own finances.”

 

Eunsook looks to Jinki who’s looking at the Choi alpha in confusion.

 

“Kibum’s finances?”

 

“Of course,” she answers easily. “Don’t be too surprised, Jinki. Even Kibum doesn’t know. His grand dam left him a small trust to be available for him once he reached maturation. Another reason no mate was ever sought out for Kibum by us.”

 

Jinki's mouth begins to open and Eunsook shakes her head. “I don’t understand.”

 

“Yes, this is why we wanted to cover this first. Kibum is in a unique position to be financially independent. At least for about five years. That’s how long he would be able to live on his own without reliance on an alpha if he budgeted well. Knowing that attempting to form any match would require disclosing that fact meant that no such attempts were made. That was his grand dam’s intention as well, that Kibum not be put into a Covenant unless or until he found an alpha he desired to be bonded to.”

 

“A love bond,” Eunsook whispers, her breath growing shallow as the alpha continues.

 

“If you had not offered to bond with him and he agree then the money would have been made available to him once he came of age. Now,” she says brightly, not understanding what she’s just said, “he will have a Ceremony of Bonding instead.” Eunsook nods, smiling weakly, knowing that nothing has changed and yet feeling as though somehow everything has. “And it is no longer our secret to keep.”

 

“I’m sure Kibum will be quite excited to learn of his inheritance.”

 

The Choi alpha raises an eyebrow and Eunsook can feel Jinki stiffen beside her. Her heart begins to clench as she wonders what she’s said wrong.

 

“I only meant that it was imperative that you know as the account will need to be transferred into your name.”

 

Oh. “Oh, of course,” Eunsook agrees, forcing a smile even as the clench tightens.

 

“After the bonding,” the Choi omega interjects, “you can tell him whatever you like.” He watches her with eyes that seem to know more than his few words let on.

 

Her smile warms and she nods. “Yes, of course. I will.”

 

The Choi alpha walks over to a table and picks up a black tablet. “After we finish reviewing the gifts of bonding, we’ll complete the form for Intention and the transfer of funds. Guardianship will transfer automatically after the Ceremony of Bonding. That should be everything.”

 

Eunsook nods, beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed. The Choi alpha hands her the tablet and she begins to slowly scroll through the contents. “The first tab is a list of things Kibum inherited from his grand dam, heirlooms. As the sole heir to her estate, he was able to keep everything. There is a distant alpha cousin who took care of them, but made no claim. A good man.”

 

Eunsook nods again, looking through the list and wondering how satisfied Kibum will be with a life with her when his inheritances include fine jewelry. “The second tab are our offerings. Please let us know if there is anything you would prefer to be exchanged.” Eunsook nods silently as she taps the screen and begins reading the second list. A thought occurs to her and she looks up, turning to the Choi alpha with a question.

 

“Was Kibum consulted in the formation of this list?”

 

“Kibum?” The Choi alpha asks, confusion etched in their face. “No, why?”

 

“Oh, I just wondered.” Eunsook turns back to the list.

 

“Bond gifts are not for the omega,” Jinki murmurs beside her, “they are a gift to the alpha.”

 

“Would you want the gifts you give away along with your sons to be completely useless to them?” she murmurs back, eyes on the tablet.

 

“As long as they are safe and well cared for I do not care whether my gifts to another are enjoyable for them.”

 

Eunsook takes a deep breath and looks back up at the Choi alpha. “While Kibum’s bond is more than enough for me, any gift from his guardians would be a blessing that I would be honored to receive.” The Choi alpha bows to her and she bows to the Choi omega.

 

Three screens hold three separate documents and her palm is scanned on each one: Within minutes Kibum becomes her omega Intended.

 

As they stand to leave, it crosses her mind to ask to speak to Kibum one last time. As though reading her thoughts, the Choi omega steps forward and pats her cheek. “You will have plenty of days to meet and greet, Eunsook,” he says, “but it is best for you both that you get rest.” Eunsook nods and bows again, turns and follows the Choi alpha as she leads them to the door. It opens up onto a hot September sun and the pair watch from the doorway as Eunsook follows Jinki down the stairs and to her truck parked in the drive.

 

They’re half a mile away when she hears Jinki say, “You did well. Your dam would be proud.” To Eunsook’s surprise, instead of being pleased by the remark she is upset, and she quietly replies, “Don’t bring her into this,” as she turns left by a heavy tree.

 

Jinki holds his hands up and shakes them gently in surrender. “Apologies.”

 

Eunsook her lip as she takes a right, reaching the end of the road. Traffic now passes in both directions and she waits for a slow moving vehicle to pass before joining them.

 

“Family always forgives,” she murmurs quickly. “They didn’t seem interested to know anything about me,” she muses, fingertips tapping at the steering wheel.

 

“They already know me,” Jinki answers casually, eyes on the passing scenery, “and I stand in for your sire. That is enough for them.”

 

“I am taking him nearly a day’s journey away,” Eunsook points out. “Aren’t they at least curious to know more of the type of alpha I am?”

 

“They already know me,” Jinki repeats. “They are of Minjung’s clan and you are of mine. That is enough for now. Remember, their son has been in Covenant with ours for seventeen years, Jongin has been Minho’s Intended for two. We are very close. We are family. Had you been a true stranger you would not have left that house with their permission in anything less than two days, though it would likely have cost at least a full week of day-long negotiations. He and Minho have been the best of friends since they were very young. Minho would have put up quite the fight if he felt the alpha his guardians were considering was unfit to bond with his friend. Kibum is not their blood, but they take their responsibility to him very seriously.

“Besides,” he adds as Eunsook turns onto his road, “you are to be bonded with Taemin in less than a year. Knowing that, what doubts could they possibly have?”

 

Eunsook nods, feeling that is a weak point to make but knowing that it isn’t when suddenly she hears Jinki say one last thing that causes her ears to burn and her chest to twist. She steps out of the truck so fast she nearly falls, slipping on the gravel of the drive.

 

“What?” she calls to his back, the elder alpha already halfway up the walk to the patio. He doesn’t look back and she scrambles after him, forgetting in her rush that she had been avoiding such action in determination to avoid meeting with Taemin.

 

The screen door bangs shut behind her when she bursts into the kitchen, Jinki’s back to her where he stands at the table. “What did you say?”

 

“That they will learn of your ways soon enough with your bonding happening at the end of next week.”

 

“What do you mean, ‘the end of next week’?” Jinki begins moving toward the front of the house, stopping only a few feet from the table and then turning back to look at her. There’s only one other person, she had sensed it right away, and it occurs to her that he might have hoped there would be more.

 

“That is when your bonding has been scheduled.”

 

“Kibum only agreed today!”

 

“It was arranged in anticipation of his agreement.”

 

“But,” Eunsook sputters, “that is the week before the equinox.”

 

“Yes,” Jinki answers with a nod.

 

Eunsook clenches her fists at her side. “It should be the week after.”

 

Jinki folds his hands at his back, chest proud. “Why?”

 

“Because…because his birth anniversary…sir, his birth anniversary is the equinox.”

 

“And that is why it must be done before.” His eyes narrow. “You agreed to this, Eunsook. Are you changing your mind?”

 

Eunsook’s eyes widen, aghast at the implications of his tone. “No, sir. Of course not. It is only that it is…it is the equinox, sir.” If he won’t say it out loud then she will. If he thinks it is a thing to be ashamed of then that is his choice. “He will be in heat within days of our bonding.”

 

“And you will be in rut.”

 

Her fists tighten and her nails dig painfully into her palms. “Yes, sir.”

 

“And you will be bonded. To each other. Obviously it would be more pleasant for him to endure his heat with an alpha than to spend another session in the heat houses.”

 

“I didn’t-”

 

“Either way,” her cousin interrupts, “you have given confirmation and made him your Intended. You have agreed to this. It is your duty. You wouldn’t want to leave him without an alpha at such a time? He will be of age and his heats will need to be tended to. By you,” he adds emphatically.

 

She grits her teeth and takes a deep, steadying breath. “He can endure one last heat without a bond. It will be no mark on him and even be expected given the anniversary of his birth. It will give us time to learn each other’s ways before taking on such a task.” Eunsook speaks carefully because as thrown as she is, as startled by the revelation that she has less than two weeks when she thought she had nearly four to prepare, she knows that at this moment Jinki controls much of her future.

 

If she fights too hard, he could declare her to be unwilling to the Chois and the agreement to bond with Kibum will be broken. If he takes this away she will still be forced to bond with Taemin, only with a Taemin who will be heartsick and know that she was culpable in his love being sent away.

 

If she doesn’t fight at all, however, what has been laid out for her and Kibum, an omega she has only just met, will come to pass and she won’t let her first chance to protect her prospective mate slip by.

 

“Perhaps,” Jinki concedes, voice softening. “However, you can learn of each other’s ways after such a task has been taken. You have been with omegas in heat. You know how to behave.”

 

There’s no threat to his tone and no threat to be made of his words, but Eunsook still bristles at the implications lain against the character of her dear friend. “One omega.”

 

“Enough to know how to behave.”

 

Eunsook glares, heart weary. “Of course.”

 

“Then what does Kibum have to fear?”

 

The desire to fight still burns and as long as he will allow her to, she does her best to put forth an argument. “A first heat for an omega with an alpha is terrifying, you know that.” The last part is spat out and she watches his eyes grow cold.

 

“Then do your best to allay those fears.”

 

“It would be easier if I were given time to learn how to do so with him.”

 

“You will have time,” he answers lowly, moving toward the door, “after the bonding.”

 

Eunsook growls, her hands slamming against the solid wood table so hard that the legs clatter against the tiled floor. Her teeth elongate, her eyes glowing with pupils narrowing to thin slits. A partial shift is occurring and Jinki takes a step back, an arm raised in protection as he cowers at the unexpected show of rage.

 

A door opens from somewhere down the hall and footsteps patter towards them, an omega who lays their head against Jinki’s chest and begins to whimper, watching Eunsook with wide eyes.

 

At the arrival of his mate, Jinki seems to remember that he is in his own home and makes a display of his own, baring his teeth and emitting a low growl from his own throat. A weaker display than Eunsook’s; he is not as enraged as she is and he is not intent on enraging her further.

 

It takes Minjung softly saying her name to bring Eunsook back into focus, the thin slits in her eyes melting back into dark orbs and her teeth rounding out again.

 

“Apologies,” she whispers, shoulders slumping as Minjung hurries across the room to take her into her arms. A tear falls down her cheek and she looks over Minjung’s shoulder to where Jinki still stands. “Why would you do this?” she whispers. He does not answer her and she turns her head to rest it on Minjung’s shoulder and close her eyes. “Family always forgives” is murmured in her hair by the omega’s warm voice.

 

He is punishing her for not having been there to stop his son from falling in love with an omega. He is punishing the omega his son fell in love with. He is punishing them both together.

 

“Sir,” she says as she stands back up, Minjung’s hands still at her shoulders as she wipes the tears from her eyes.

 

“Enough, Eunsook,” he says quietly. “An agreement has been made and a date set. It is up to you now whether this boy ends up bonded or with a broken agreement to bond by the equinox. Choose wisely.” The last is spoken heavily and he gives her a look that borders on a threat. She nods in understanding before gently moving Minjung’s hands away from her shoulders and turning to the door.

 

Once outside, she passes the four chairs lined up on the patio, steps silent on the cobbled path that leads her from their kitchen door back to where her pickup truck is parked out front. The door is opened and she climbs inside, key in hand and halfway to the ignition when she stops. Hand still in the air, she stairs at the ignition and its cold steel neutrality. Without the key it is nothing and with the key it is everything. There’s no meaning to this other than that a car, or in this case truck, might run.

 

Fate bound her soul with Taemin’s and now it will bind her future with Kibum’s. Nothing has changed except how soon that future will begin. Yet that change changes everything.

 

She stares at the key another moment longer before lifting it up and slipping it into its alloted slot, twisting it and listening to the engine begin to run. Dully, she pulls the seatbelt across her chest and looks behind her for traffic that doesn’t exist. She backs out of their parking path and onto the quiet street, heading toward the main road and the path back to her home where life will make sense for a mere thirteen more days.

 

 

 

“Perhaps we shouldn’t do this,” Minjung murmurs.

 

Eunsook had only just left and Jinki had watched her listen to his cousin leave from the kitchen window. “It needs to be done.”

 

She doesn’t move, arms wrapped tight around her waist, back to him. “After the equinox.”

 

“The time has been chosen.”

 

“Do you think Taemin will forgive you?” The question is asked so quietly he almost doesn’t hear it.

 

“As long as he has air in his lungs to tell me that he despises me I will be satisfied. I will not let our son die.” He can see her nod and he waits.

 

“Do you really think this is the best way?”

 

“It is either this or send Kibum away. Now which do you think Taemin would hate me for more?”

 

“Are those really the only choices?” Minjung asks skeptically, finally turning to look at him. “Two weeks postponement is not an option?”

 

“No, Minjung, it is not.”

 

“It is only…” She looks away, frowning sadly at the floor.

 

“What?” When she looks back at him, he knows before she asks what question she is about to pose and his chest aches at the memory.

 

“Have you forgotten our own first time?”

 

“No,” he answers softly, moving toward her slowly and reaching out to brush his fingertips across her cheek, an action reminiscent of a morning years ago and to his relief this time she doesn’t flinch. “Though I have tried every day to never again have one like it.”

 

“We had a love bond already, Jinki,” she says, worried. “They have met once.”

 

“They will have all the time to learn of each other,” he assures her, taking two steps back and letting his hand again fall to his side. “And then Taemin will join them. That is all I care about, Minjung. I know that Eunsook believes that I am punishing her and I see that you are thinking it as well.” Minjung’s silence is all the answer he needs and he shakes his head. “Taemin needs to bond with Eunsook. The sooner Kibum is bonded to her, the easier it will be for them all. The only thing that matters in all this is that Taemin lives. This will ensure that.” There’s a long pause while his mate watches him, studying his face.

 

“I hope you’re right,” Minjung finally says, quietly, before turning back to the window.

 

~

 

Junghee watches Eunsook pace the length of the kitchen with a hand to her forehead, her own pressed firmly to her hips and her eyes wide in disbelief. “Twelve days?!” Eunsook nods, turning when she reaches the counter and heading back to where the tile meets the carpet. “That’s…but that’s…” She shakes her head, words failing her.

 

When Eunsook had told her what she was planning on doing, the night Jinki had arrived at her house unannounced and fallen asleep quickly after wandering through the rooms where his son would soon live, Junghee had been shocked. When Eunsook had mentioned Taemin’s name it had made sense and she had begun preparing for the loss of her friend sooner than she had expected: January was only four months away after all.

 

Now, though, what they had both thought might be a couple of months, or at least a few weeks, had turned into only a handful of days, and while Junghee was still shocked, Eunsook had begun to panic.

 

“It should have been four weeks,” she argues vehemently, turning back to pace toward the counter, “his birth anniversary is at the equinox. He should be bonded after, not before!” Abruptly she stops, her hand sliding from her forehead to the top of her hair and her eyes widen as she turns to Junghee. “And he’s so young!”

 

Junghee raises a brow, almost amused at the remark.

“He’s nearly of age, Sook. He will be of age a week after bonding. He would be even if they had waited to have you bond after the equinox. He would always be this young.” Just as Taemin will be, she thinks.

 

“Six years…” Eunsook says weakly, her eyes falling to the table.

 

“Hardly a cub,” Junghee points out encouragingly. Eunsook glares at her and Junghee only smiles tiredly.

 

“Hardly grown.”

 

“If his family has no objection,” Junghee continues, unconcerned by her friend’s look, “why should you be so worried? He has agreed, they have agreed. It is settled.”

 

Eunsook sits down, her palms hitting the table a bit too loudly and Junghee shakes at the sound. She waits for any sign of anger before taking a seat herself.

 

“I would have thought you of all around me would be more concerned,” Eunsook grumbles, “would take him into further consideration.”

 

“He is not my friend,” Junghee says carefully. “You are. And I know you. I have no worries for him: He will be fine with you.”

 

“He will have his first heat with an alpha a week after bonding, Junghee. An alpha he has met once and, if the guardians continue as they have, will have met only once.”

 

“Is that what concerns you?” Junghee asks, fighting the memories of her own first heat with an alpha. Eunsook watches her and folds her hands, lacing her fingers tight. A code they developed, a sign of control and a way to show Junghee that she is not going to take any action unless asked. Junghee reaches out quickly and taps the fingers, another code to show Eunsook that everything is alright.

 

“It is such a heavy thing right now,” she says, unlacing her fingers, “that I cannot focus on anything else. There will be so many other things to worry about. I thought we would have more time to discuss them, learn to know each other more, gain his trust, at least a little, before…before.” Junghee keeps silent. No words of comfort come to her mind and she doesn’t want to fill the air with empty nonsense. “What if I hurt him?”

 

“What?” she asks, caught off-guard by the dark question.

 

“During his heat. What if I’m too rough?” Eunsook’s voice is so quiet, so timid and frightened that Junghee’s heart begins to ache.

 

“Oh, Eunsook.” Junghee reaches out a hand, covering Eunsook’s wrist with her palm and squeezing tight. “You need to stop worrying so much. The more you do, the more difficult this will be. It is a big deal, yes, but you are magnifying it and making it worse. I’m sorry, you’re just going to have to endure the wait until you can speak with him and then you are going to have to speak with him. And frankly.” Eunsook sighs. Junghee smiles softly and adds, “You never hurt me, Eunsook. Not once. And we were very young when we began.”

 

There’s the tiniest spark of something like hope or calm, a cousin to those emotions in her friend’s eye. Her hand is covered by Eunsook’s empty one as a reward.

 

“Let’s go lie down,” she whispers, a nod from Eunsook a reply, and she takes both of Eunsook’s hands and pulls her up, walks backwards down the hall leading them to the alpha’s bed.

 

They slip off their clothes and Junghee climbs onto the bed first, opening her arms for Eunsook to follow. Eunsook lies down and curls up, hands in fists as her breaths begin to steady. Junghee lies down beside her with her head against Eunsook’s chest, just below the alpha’s . A single finger connects the dots between dark marks across the other’s stomach as they lay in the dark.

 

“This is our last time, isn’t it?” She asks, staring at the marks and listening to Eunsook’s breaths.

 

“Will you be OK?”

 

Junghee scoffs, finger stilling as she turns her head to look up. “Of course I will.”

 

“Will you be taken care of?”

 

She turns back, fingers now tapping against a flat stomach she knows so well. “Amber and I have already spoken, and Heechul is very interested as well. There’s a whole community out there of people taking care of each other. I’m lucky to be a member of it.”

 

“Do you want my advice?” Eunsook asks with raised brows.

 

Junghee grins. “Probably not.” She laughs at the face Eunsook makes and sticks her own tongue out in return.

 

“Well it’s good then that I have none. Either of them would be great for you and will take good care of you. Before, during, and after. Probably even make you pancakes you can eat.” She pokes at Junghee’s shoulder with a smile as they both remember their first morning together and the pancakes Junghee had requested that Eunsook, flustered after her first rut with another, and the frightened way Junghee had looked at her, had managed to both burn and under cook.

 

“Heechul would probably order in,” Junghee says with a tilt of her head.

 

“So essentially it breaks down to whether you want a morning meal that is homemade or one that is store bought?”

 

She laughs and props her head up on one hand. “Essentially, yes.”

 

Eunsook’s eyes turn sad and her smile does as well. It’s a last bit of a life they built together that is now becoming a memory with them still inside. Hours now, not days, are all they have left of their relationship maintaining itself, and even though Junghee knew all along that it would have to end it seems to have shaken Eunsook to the core to realize the truth.

 

Her fingers reach out to Junghee and Junghee taps them with her own before moving her hand forward and linking them together. They hold hands in Eunsook’s bed because there’s nothing left for them to do and because it’s the last hours of their life together and because they’re still friends and don’t want to lose each other in the rush of the new lives they’ll be building without one another. And it’s simple, calm, and kind.

 

“You don’t have to worry for me, Eunsook,” she says quietly. “I’ll be careful and I’ll be fine. I promise. “She squeezes Eunsook’s hand and is glad when hers is squeezed in return.

 

They lie again in silence.

 

Junghee takes the moment to turn her head and look up at Eunsook. Their eyes meet and she asks without speaking, grateful when Eunsook nods in reply. Her finger reaches up and brushes against Eunsook’s chin.

 

Then she turns and kisses the alpha’s , taking a into . Eunsook shifts and her breaths begin to grow heavy, a hand running smoothly through Junghee’s golden locks.

 

“I love you,” she whispers. Junghee’s chin is gently lifted and she lets go of Eunsook and looks up. It’s a once unfamiliar look to Eunsook’s eyes, one that has grown increasingly familiar as the days between them grow to an end. “I love you,” she repeats.

 

Junghee takes the hand at her chin and moves it away, links their fingers as she sits up. The hand is then placed at her waist as she climbs into Eunsook’s lap and begins swiveling her hips.

 

“Don’t say silly things,” she murmurs with a grin, eyes beginning to blink heavily as she feels Eunsook’s body responding to her movements. “We would know by now if we had a love bond.” Eunsook’s other hand rises to take its place on the other side of Junghee’s waist and Junghee lays the fingers of both her hands over the alpha’s.

 

“No, of course. I do love you, though.” Junghee gasps as Eunsook s up, languid movements growing deeper with the alpha now inside.

 

“I love you too,” she confesses, a secret kept hidden because Junghee doesn’t like commitments but she likes Eunsook. And because it never mattered before. If they were different people…

 

A supplication is moaned and she moves the hands at her waist to her chest, squeezing the fingers and her own s. She takes them both and clutches them to her heart before releasing them to grip the headboard with a groan.

 

Later, in the dark, she’ll hold Eunsook’s fingers in her own and listen to the alpha’s breaths behind her. “Did you tell him who you are? Who you are to Taemin?”

 

The silence lasts long enough that she begins to believe that Eunsook has fallen asleep. Then suddenly there’s a nuzzling at her neck, Eunsook’s head resting against her shoulder. “No.”

 

“Why not?” Junghee can feel the shift of Eunsook’s jaw as the alpha bites her lip in thought. She turns her head and kisses her friend’s cheek.

 

“He will want to know why Taemin doesn’t know.”

 

“Then you should tell Taemin.”

 

“No.”

 

Junghee sighs, tightening her hold on Eunsook’s fingers and closing her eyes.

 

“It’s…” She waits, Eunsook’s hesitation not unfamiliar and she can almost hear the thoughts running through her head. “I was ready to meet him in January. I was ready. It’s different now. If he has a love bond with this boy…man…omega…Kibum….I will be a distraction. They only have a few months left to have their love story left alone.” Junghee opens to speak, closing it when she feels Eunsook shake her head. “I’m saying this wrong. Kibum will be here and Taemin will be there. If Taemin and I meet I will pull Taemin’s attention away from Kibum, at least in part, and not an insignificant part. When we are all here together and Kibum can have Taemin by his side, hold his hand, in his bed, it won’t be so difficult. He’s going to a stranger’s home, now. And he’ll need Taemin’s love and attention to endure that. For now, Taemin needs to just be the boy he loves. Not the soul bond of the alpha who is about to be his mate.”

 

Junghee stares into the dark, Eunsook’s fingers still linked in her own and tapping loosely against the bed. “You always have the best intentions,” she murmurs. The rest of her words are left unspoken, absorbed by the darkness of the room . She leans her head back against Eunsook’s chest and closes her eyes.

 

~

 

Kibum wanders through the omega bonding shop behind Minho’s dam with his eyes catching on every bonded omega throat that passes.

 

The collar Minho’s dam wears is thick and of rare metal, an opulent band to show status. The one Taemin’s dam wears, he had noted on reflection, is a simple black leather band. The collars of the omegas they pass are a veritable spectrum of color and shades. Mostly neutral, though a few are vibrant in tone.

 

And his throat will join theirs within the week. He rubs at his neck absently, watching and wondering. Did they choose their bond band? Was it chosen for them? The hand at his neck drops and he swallows, nodding mutely at the question Minho’s dam poses that he didn’t hear.

 

After their trip, at their evening meal, he musters up the courage to ask the question that had kept him distracted while they had shopped.

 

“Eunsook will bring it,” he’s told, Minho’s sire answering with an uncharacteristically bright smile.

 

“I’m sure it will be handsome,” Minho’s dam adds cheerfully.

 

Kibum smiles weakly and nods as well, turning his eyes back to his meal and keeping his gaze away from Minho who he knows is watching him with concern. As soon as is acceptable, he asks to be excused from the table.

 

The pathway between the walls of his bedroom are traversed mindlessly, a thumb pressed to his lips as the light from the summer evening sun slowly fades at his window.

 

He had met Eunsook five days ago and they had told him four days ago that his Ceremony of Bonding would be in twelve days. His heart had dropped and his mouth grown dry, a shock that left him uncharacteristically speechless and he had been reduced to a nod of acknowledgment as his only reply to the news. When he finally found his voice and had asked to speak to Eunsook he had been told that they would have plenty of time to do so after the ceremony. Every day since then had been spent in a daze, the sudden loss of fourteen days to prepare for bonding, dropping from twenty-six to twelve in a flash, was setting his nerves on edge.

 

Furthering his agony, his time with Taemin was running short and being censored. No more holding hands in the dark, no more stolen kisses, no more breathless whispers of the other’s name. Their time now was spent out in the open where every move could be seen by a guardian whose eyes never seemed to waiver: Minho and Jongin were no longer trusted.

 

He lies down on his bed. It has been three days since he has seen Taemin. They have assured him that he will see him again in two when Minho goes on a visit to Jongin. Even they are being punished, he thinks ruefully, closing his eyes. When he sees his love again it will be with only seven days left until he leaves and he does not know how many days they will be allowed together in-between.

 

There is a part of him that is glad to visit the Lee household again for other reasons. The only omega he has to speak with on the matter of bonding is Minho’s dam and he has been too eager to see Kibum bonded for Kibum to feel at ease asking any of the questions pressing at his thoughts.

 

Taemin’s dam, however, Minjung, has always been kind, ever since they met at her son’s Ceremony of Intention. He has thought of speaking to her, of asking her the questions that burn in his mind: What is a heat like with an alpha? What should he do? What is it like to be bonded? How should he behave? What is Eunsook like? So many questions. He hesitates, though. As warm as she is, and kind, she is also Jinki’s mate and he is afraid of what it might mean if he speaks to her on such matters. Or of something else. He is not sure what it is, frozen by fear and indecision, so confused by where he now finds himself, by how fast everything is suddenly moving.

 

He swallows and takes a shaky breath knowing that within a month he will have an alpha to guide him in all things, he won’t have to worry like this ever again.

 

~

 

Eunsook gratefully accepts the offer Minjung extends to assist her in finding bonding apparel. It would be what her own dam would have helped her with on such a day if she were still living, and if anyone were to take her place it feels only right that the dam of one of her Intendeds be the one. It means Minjung traveling the many hours to Eunsook’s home, against Eunsook’s protestations, and the only relief to Eunsook’s mind is that at least this time her home will be prepared for the arrival of the guardian of her Intended.

 

Upon Minjung’s arrival, Eunsook finds herself in the omega’s tight embrace almost immediately.

 

“Thank you for letting me come,” she says with a bright smile when she finally pulls away. “It has been too long since I have had a chance to visit the city.” She turns and takes in a deep breath, grinning as she takes in the view. Her eyes stop on Eunsook’s garden and the orchard that sits behind it. “It looks so good!” she exclaims, hurrying toward the fenced in patch. “You have inhereted your guardians’ talents to be sure!”

 

“It is only a small garden,” Eunsook protests modestly, blushing proudly as she watches Minjung walk around each patch of earth..

 

Minjung shakes her head. “It is a beautiful garden.” She looks up then with a mischevious smile. “You should plant some flowers though. Not everything needs to have an immediate purpose. Some things are just meant to bring joy by being seen.”

 

Eunsook smiles and nods, shrugging a shoulder. “Perhaps.”

 

When they step inside, Minjung’s eyes widen in amazement. “I am still so impressed that you have done all this on your own. I am so proud of you,” she says with bright eyes, looking around. “My son will be very happy here.” She turns then, her eyes still bright. “Kibum as well.” Eunsook bows in thanks and hopes that Minjung’s words turn true. After a quick evening meal and a conversation that lasts until Minjung’s eyes cannot stay open any longer, she heads to bed and Eunsook stays awake another hour, sitting on her sofa and thinking.

 

The next morning, they head to the alpha bonding shop where Minjung immediately lights up and Eunsook immediately wants to leave.

 

“What about this?” Minjung asks, a black silk suit with silver threads held up so that it spills down her front.

 

“Yes,” Eunsook answers quickly, reaching out a hand to take the suit. “That was simple. Now we can leave.”

 

“Wait!” Minjung cries, laughing as she pulls the suit back just out of Eunsook’s reach. “You must try it on first.”

 

“What if it doesn’t fit?” Eunsook asks, looking down at the suit with a sudden sense of dread, imagining an afternoon of trying on suit after suit.

 

“Then we’ll have it tailored,” Minjung answers calmly.

 

“In less than a week?” Eunsook points out. Minjung nods confidently and hands over the suit.

 

“They’ll be able to do it, I’m sure. Now try it on.”

 

Eunsook stumbles her way through the racks to the garment rooms. A smiling clerk leads her into a small room generously decorated with a plush sofa and an array of mirrors. Minjung waits outside, leaning up against the door and humming a song quietly.

 

“It looks great!” she cries when Eunsook emerges. Eunsook nods as she looks down at the suit.

 

“Yes” she replies quietly. To her relief, it fits perfectly. “There is only one other thing I need,” she remarks, looking back up. “It won’t need to be fitted so we are now all but finished.”

 

“Then you are ready?” Minjung asks, a frown that isn’t a frown on her face.

 

Worry, Eunsook realizes belatedly. “Yes,” she answers, lifting up the suit in her hand. “I have nearly everything I need.”

 

Minjung nods. “Have you a bond band for Kibum yet?”

 

Eunsook lowers the suit and shakes her head. “It seems wrong to pick one for him without him there to give an opinion.”

 

Minjung sighs. “Do so. And then, when some time has passed, you can gift him a new one, one he has chosen for himself.”

 

Eunsook nods and takes a breath, looking around the shop until she sees the last thing she needs for her own bonding suit. “There,” she says, pointing over to the display. “That is what I need. And then we can go to the bond band shop and find a collar for Kibum.”

 

Minjung follows where her finger is pointing. When she sees what Eunsook is pointing at, she looks at the alpha and sighs again. “Are you certain you want to wear that?” The mask glitters in the afternoon sun and Minjung wonders when the alpha Intended to her son will finally show him her face.

 

“Yes,” Eunsook answers quickly, already moving to the display.

 

Minjung follows silently and watches Eunsook add the shimmering silver mask to her pile. They walk to the register and Eunsook places her palm against the payment screen as her purchases are placed into a black box with an elastic band.

 

 

 

“There are so many,” Eunsook says with a frown, looking at one of a dozen display cases that hold collars of varying colors and widths, materials and fasteners. “You know him better than I; what do you think he would like?”

 

“It does not really matter what he would like,” Minjung muses, “rather what would be easiest on him. And if your concern is that everything is being rushed then perhaps what would be easiest is something simple, almost plain. Something that won’t draw too much attention from strangers and that won’t take too long to adapt to wearing.”

 

“Like yours,” Eunsook says, looking over at Minjung’s collar, “only thinner, I think.”

 

“Perhaps.”

 

Eunsook looks through the collars purposefully now, an image clear in her mind. Suddenly the perfect collar appears and she nearly claps in delight and relief. Black, thin, covered lock in the back, adjustable; everything that Minjung had suggested. “There,” she says, pointing. “That one.”

 

Minjung nods as she appraises the collar. “Yes,” she says, slowly, “yes, I think that might be it. Yes. Well done,” she adds, turning to Eunsook with a proud smile.

 

Eunsook grins and stands fully, calling over the clerk behind the display case and pointing to the collar that had caught her eye. “This one,” she says firmly. For the first time in days, Eunsook feels at ease as she watches the collar being placed in a small pink striped box, her palm against the payment screen.

 

When Minjung leaves the next morning, it’s with a hug that lasts nearly a minute and a farewell that is nearly a blessing. “I will see you soon,” she calls from her vehicle, waving.

 

Eunsook waves back, watching as the dam of her Intended disappears down her drive.

 

~

 

Kibum sits in the shallow basin with his hands beside his bare thighs grateful for the opaqueness and warmth of the milky water the omegas surrounding him have filled it with. There are five: One elder, one Avowed from the heat house, a priestess, Minho’s dam, and Taemin’s dam.

 

Minho’s dam stands in as his own and Taemin’s stands in as his betrothed’s, though he doesn’t quite understand why Jinki and Minjung have been so involved in his bonding with Eunsook. He assumes it is because her next bonding will be with Taemin.

 

Each dam pulls one of his arms out of the water, gently his skin with soft, damp towels perfumed with spices. Next, a cistern of warm water pours over his shoulders and he knows what is to follow. The braid his hair has lain in is unraveled and a comb gently through the unbound strands.

 

A glint of sunlight off of metal pricks at the outskirts of his eyesight and he grabs at Minjung’s wrist before he can think and stares into her eyes beseechingly.

 

“Yes?” she asks, clearly startled by the action.

 

 

“I…” He takes a breath for courage and keeps his eyes on the omega he thinks might actually acquiesce to his request. “I would like my friends to be here for this.”

 

A smile softens her face and she shakes her head as she pats his cheek. “Alphas are not permitted, Kibum. Minho will be waiting for you in the outer chamber. You can see him when the ceremony is finished.” The matter settled in her mind, she begins to pull away.

 

Panicked, he tightens his grip. “My omega friends,” he says urgently. “Jongin and…Taemin.” Her brows begin to rise and he rushes on. “They are of Eunsook’s clan. And also…Intended?”

 

The uniqueness of Taemin’s relationships with Kibum and Eunsook makes the last statement a question because even he’s not sure if that’s a strong argument for Taemin’s presence. Minjung’s stare doesn’t help to clear up the matter and he keeps hold of her wrist for as long as she’ll allow it.

 

Slowly, she nods and turns to Minho’s dam. “Eunsook’s Intended should be here as well, do you not think?”

 

Every step from this moment on lies in the hands of the clan of the omega and Kibum turns to the man with wide eyed hope. He knows that Minho’s dam is kind, but he also knows that Minho’s dam respects Jinki’s authority and would not take action he believed Jinki would disapprove of.

 

And he does not believe Jinki would approve of the action he is asking to be taken.

 

The omega’s eyes are narrowed but there’s the slightest curl of a smile on his lips and to Kibum’s surprise he thinks he sees pride in the man’s eyes. “If you think it best, Minjung, I must agree.”

 

There’s a sudden rustling to Kibum’s side as Minjung murmurs instructions that the Avowed omega is quick to follow. He breathes out a thanks to Minho’s dam who only nods.

 

Taemin’s hand in his own is such a relief that it takes every bit of willpower within Kibum not to cry. Their foreheads lean together and it’s too intimate for such a public viewing, so many strange omegas are bearing witness. Jongin does his best to cover them with a hug that embraces them both.

 

With a hand of each brother in each one of his, Kibum stares at the wall as a pair of steel scissors cut away the black locks that had grown to nearly his waist in his years as an unbound omega.

 

So many nights and afternoons had been spent with Taemin absentmindedly getting his fingers twisted up in braids that they’d both had to struggle to unwind. Designs he’d created himself had crowned his head and been complimented by strangers. And it all was now falling to the floor.

 

When next he saw his reflection his hair would be no longer than his jaw, a physical display of his bond in addition to the collar around his neck and the bite mark at his wrist. In five years he’d be allowed to grow it out again, sooner if Eunsook gave permission. For now, though, Kim Kibum will be shorn.

 

 

Darkness envelopes the bedroom, only a stream of light from a half moon pressing itself against the melancholy. Everything Kibum owns has been taken away, gone to Eunsook’s home. His home as of tomorrow. He laughs quietly when he hears the sliding door of the back deck open. He had left it unlocked and Minho had made certain that no alarms would sound when Taemin broke through the perimeter.

 

His love slips into his bed and holds him tight from behind, kissing his bare neck that now lies beneath hair cut short. He grasps at the fingers at his waist and takes in every breath as deeply as he can, imprinting the other’s scent into his memory.

 

They lie in the dark, in the quiet, together for one last night for as long as they can. Kibum gasps when he feels the sharp bite of Taemin’s teeth at the juncture of his shoulder and neck, just enough to burn but not enough to break skin.

 

“Mine,” his love whispers, and Kibum nods.

 

He rolls over to look at the eyes that glow, the sign from a year ago that a bond had formed between them. He traces a finger down the other’s profile, tapping at the mole at the side of his love’s nose. “Mine,” he whispers back.

 

“There is still time to run away,” Taemin teases with a smile. “We would make beautiful corpses.”

 

Kibum chuckles and leans in for a kiss. “We would.” He looks at Taemin’s shining eyes, the hope and love and anxiety mixed into the darkness of night. “We will make even more beautiful bond mates.”

 

Taemin scoffs and grabs Kibum’s hand, his thumb running over the other’s knuckles. “I will miss you.”

 

Kibum swallows thickly. “There won’t be enough time for you to notice that I’m gone.”

 

“I notice that you’re gone every moment that you’re not by my side.”

 

Kibum only nods because the truth was the same for himself and he doesn’t know how to express it any better. He leans in and kisses Taemin again, a hand to his jaw before he pulls him in tight, clutching him as closely as he can, breathing in the scent of his love and his warmth, demanding every last moment fate will allow them to be together.

 

~

 

Kibum stands in a tiny chamber with only Minho by his side waiting to be guided to the altar and to Eunsook. The veil that covers his face is thin but dark and flutters with his breaths. He keeps his face turned to the floor.

 

“You’ll get to be with Taemin. That is what is important.”

 

Minho’s voice is deep and warm. Kibum nods, the reminder that calms the anxiety that peaks whenever he thinks too hard of what is about to happen.

 

“What should I do?” he asks abruptly, eyes still on the ground.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“With…an alpha…in…” His cheeks burn and he’s grateful for the veil that covers his face.

 

There’s a long pause and when Minho’s voice resumes it is both quiet and tender. “Submit. Just submit, Kibum. Remember what she said? Why she is doing this?”

 

“For love,” Kibum answers softly, remembering Eunsook’s words. “To protect my love bond with Taemin.”

 

“Do you believe her?”

 

Kibum stops to think, to remember the alpha and her gentle smile and the warmth of her voice. “Yes, I do.”

 

“Then someone like that, someone who is willing to take on the extra responsibility of an omega they’re not Covenanted with is not someone to be afraid of, I think. Even through a rut. It will be scary, but it will pass. Just submit, Kibum. You can fight any other time. We both know you will.” He says the last part with a teasing smile and though his heart still beats hollow, Kibum manages a small smile of his own.

 

His smile falls and his heart skips a beat as an Avowed omega enters the chamber to tell them that it is time.