'You always try to hide the pain. You always know just what to say. I always look the other way. I'm blind, I'm blind. In your eyes, you lie, but I don't let it define you.'

~

1 Year and 3 Months Later…

Changkyun knocked on the cabin door. He waited a few seconds before knocking again. However, there was still no answer. He slowly opened the door and entered the cabin, gently shutting the door behind him. He quietly walked into the living room to find Kihyun still fast asleep on the couch, in his clothes from the day before.

The alpha walked up to the couch and knelt down beside the sleeping omega. He smiled seeing how peaceful he slept. The chief omega had been stressing the past few weeks, working with the company, handling the pack, and preparing for his brother’s return. He was exhausted and hardly been himself at times.

Changkyun reached forward and carefully caressed the omega’s light brown hair.

Kihyun slowly opened his eyes. He nearly jumped, startling the alpha as well. The alpha looked at him wide-eyed. “I’m sorry. I-,” He was in panic. “It’s okay!” Kihyun quickly stopped him. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I was just surprised.” He assured him with a tired smile. Changkyun returned the smile with a small one.

The two embraced the warm, comforting silence until Kihyun’s eyes suddenly widened. “Oh my gosh! What time is it?” He quickly sat up. “They’re coming tonigh, and I didn’t finish everything last night. I still have so much to do I-,”

“Hey.” Changkyun cut him off with a gentle voice. “It’s okay. I already ran most of the errands for you.” He revealed the large paper and plastic bags he carried around. Kihyun looked at him in surprise. “How did you…”

“I woke up early and looked at the list you had on the refrigerator.” Changkyun answered. “But I didn’t get everything done yet.” He pouted a bit disappointed. But his disappointment quickly vanished when the omega suddenly hugged him. “Thank you so much.” Kihyun squeezed him tightly. “You’ve been so much help to me.” Changkyun smiled and hugged the elder back.

Kihyun broke the hug. “I think I’ll be able to finish before they come.” He beamed, feeling rejuvenated. “We will be able to finish.” Changkyun corrected. He wasn’t going to let the omega do everything on his own. Not now, not ever again.

Kihyun’s smile grew into a large bright one. His eyes crinkled as he did. This brought a warm feeling to the younger. He was glad that the omega was back to normal and had adjusted well to his new life. He still had his moments here and there, but that’s expected. Nonetheless, he’d been strong and went through the new changes with a brave face.

“Let’s get ready.” Kihyun whispered. He planted a light kiss on the alpha’s forehead and stood up first.

Youngjae and Daehyun had announced that they’d be coming back to the Silver Moon pack with their newborn child. They planned on staying for a month so Youngjae could help Kihyun with their business and plan out their next moves. It’d been nearly a year since the brother’s last seen each other. Youngjae stopped visiting late in his pregnancy and they hadn’t seen each other since. Kihyun insisted on vising him, but Youngjae refused, not wanting his brother to risk his safety. And now Youngjae was on his wat to Silver Moon, and the pack was ecstatic. But no one was more excited than Kihyun. He was excited to see his brother again and to finally meet the new addition to their family. After having lost so much, it was refreshing to gain something new and even more precious.

Kihyun prepared a quick breakfast for the two of them, consisting of a fruit bowl and vegan cinnamon oatmeal. Changkyun had grown used to the omega’s animal-product free meals. Kihyun was a wonderful cook and he felt the positive effects from the plant-based diet.

Kihyun furrowed his brow as he slowly ate, lost in thought. “Is everything okay?” Changkyun asked. Kihyun snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the alpha with a guilty smile. “I haven’t told him yet…about us.” He confessed.

Changkyun furrowed his brow in confusion, but soon understood what the elder was saying. Youngjae was extremely protective of his brother and would do anything to protect him, that also applied to when suitors tried to flirt with him. Many alphas and betas flirted with Kihyun in the past and attempted to court him. However, Youngjae never approved of them and scared them away. No one knew what he did, all they knew was that they were terrified to speak to Kihyun afterwards.

Kihyun never minded it. He wasn’t interested in relationships at the time. His main focus was always on his family, pack, and helping his father with his company. Plus, he had a long time, unwavering crush on Changkyun. No one made him feel the way the alpha did whenever he was near.

“It’s okay.” The alpha assured him. He didn’t want him to worry over that. He had more important things he needed to focus on. And at the same time, he wasn’t nervous. Yeah, he was intimidated by the elder, and maybe any other time he would’ve been scared, but this was different. Changkyun remembered the last words Youngjae spoke to him. The elder knew about his crush, and he was the one who trusted him to protect his little brother. “I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.” Kihyun placed his hands over the alpha’s and leaned closer to him. “My brother likes you. I know that for sure.” He smiled and placed a gentle kiss on the younger alpha’s lips, pulling warm blushes from both of them.

When Youngjae left the pack, Changkyun started living with Kihyun in the elder’s family’s cabin. Kihyun asked him to stay with him. He was originally against it. He didn’t want to evade the omega’s space or make him feel uncomfortable. It was seen as indecent for an alpha to live with an omega that wasn’t their family or mate. But Kihyun pleaded him to stay. He lost his father and brother had suddenly vanished after the fight against the Midnight Shadow pack. The omega didn’t want to be alone. Changkyun felt terrible for him and agreed to stay until he was better.

Nevertheless, as time went on, they grew closer. They learned several new things about each other. Things that no one else would know unless they lived with them. And they learned that they loved these new small details about one another, including each other’s flaws. Soon the idea of leaving seemed impossible and was the last thing either of them wanted. But both of them were too scared to express their true feelings. Thus, leading Kihyun to make up excuses as to why Changkyun should stay longer, and the alpha fathomed reasons as to why these poor excuses were legitimate.

It wasn’t until a few months ago (with a hard push from his friends and cousin) when Changkyun finally mustered up the courage to ask Kihyun out and was pleasantly surprised to receive an enthusiastic yes. Since then, they’d been on cloud 9. It felt like a dream. Neither of them imagined that they’d be together with their childhood crush like this, knowing that they both shard the same strong feelings for each other.

After they finished eating, Changkyun washed and put away their dishes while Kihyun looked through the items the alpha bought. A large, impressed smile grew on Kihyun’s lips. “You really did get everything!” He beamed when Changkyun joined him in the living room.

The alpha blushed at the omega’s joy over the small thing he did. “I didn’t get everything. There were a few things I couldn’t find.” He said still disappointed in himself. “You got the most important stuff. We can get the other things later. There were some extra things I wanted to get anyway. This works out perfectly.” Kihyun beamed.

Changkyun only nodded, still not pleased with himself. Kihyun caught onto this. “I said it’s fine.” He lightly pushed him with a small pout. “We’ll have plenty of time to do everything thanks to you.”

A small smile grew on the alpha’s lisp at his words. Kihyun chuckled at this. “Come on. Let’s set up the crib together.” He pecked the alpha’s lips before grabbing his hand and taking him to the other room. He was truly grateful for the alpha. He’s helped him in so many ways unimaginable. He has no idea what he would’ve done had he not gotten over his fear. He had no idea what kind of place he’d be in now. But he did know he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than with the young alpha that was with him now.

-

“I can’t believe they’re taking you away from me~.” Jaejoong cooed to his grandchild, gently bouncing the baby up and down in his arms. A pout formed on the beta’s lips. He was not happy that he wasn’t going to see the child for a month. The small infant giggled, reaching out to touch the beta’s lips.

Jaejoong, Yunho, Daehyun, and Youngjae were all stood in the driveway of the Jung home right outside the city. Jaejoong and Yunho came to wish the young couple farewell before they left. “I think that’s everything.” Daehyun tossed the last of their luggage into the back of the car and shut the trunk.

Daehyun walked up to his parents, followed by Youngjae. “Drive safe.” Yunho hugged his son. “I will.” The younger alpha promised before giving his mother a tight hug. Youngjae only gave firm nods to the elder adults. “Call us when you get there.” Jaejoong ordered. “I will.” Daehyun nodded. “Make sure you head straight there. Don’t stop for anything else.” Jaejoong continued. “Did you already fill up on gas? Do you have the list that I gave you to take care of Subin?” He began his list of questioning. Yunho shook his head at his mate. He understood the beta’s concern after all that’s happened, however, the beta had always been this way, especially when their children traveled far away on their own. He always asked a list of questions before they left, and if they passed (on his terms) they could go, but if they failed, they had to stay, despite any reservations they might’ve made. And thankfully for Daehyun, he passed.

“Okay Jae, can you please hand over the child, so they can leave before it gets late?” Yunho chuckled, though he was serious. Jaejoong sent him a glare before turning to Daehyun. “Do you really have to take him?” He pouted.

“Yes.” Youngjae answered before Daehyun could. The omega knew that Daehyun would’ve contemplated letting the infant stay behind. He quickly learned that the elder always gave into his mother.

Jaejoong frowned at the omega, but reluctantly handed the 6-month old baby over to Youngjae. The baby quickly latched onto the omega, happy to be back in his mother’s arms. “Bye.” Youngjae gave the head pack members a short farewell, before getting in the car first. “Rude.” Jaejoong huffed.

“We’ll be back in a month.” Daehyun promised, mostly to his mother. “I’ll give you guys a call when we arrived.”

Yunho nodded, “I trust you.” He assured him. “And I’m really proud of you two.” He told him honestly. For the past year he was pleasantly surprised by how hard the two worked hard toward their new lifestyle. He was especially impressed by the way Youngjae worked in his company and ran his father’s business. He was extremely professional and very persuasive when negotiating and laying out his ideas. Nor was he affected by the criticisms he received from other head alphas from other packs that didn’t like the idea that an omega was running a company. Youngjae was very confident in himself, and he knew what he wanted. It was obvious that he was highly experienced in his work.

Yunho hoped that his own son would learn from him. Daehyun wasn’t all that invested when Yunho first tried to teach him the business. The young alpha was more interested in video games and fooling around with his friends. Yunho hoped that Youngjae’s work ethic would rub off on him, soon.

A large smile grew on Daehyun’s lips at his father’s words. “Thank you!” He beamed. He gave his parents one last hug before running to his car. Jaejoong and Yunho watched the black car pull out their driveway.

“I can’t believe this.” Jaejoong spoke again when the car was gone. “Jae~, they’ll be fine.” Yunho wrapped his arm around the beta’s slender waist. Jaejoong shook his head, “How are you okay with letting two kids take care of a baby on their own. They can barely take care of his themselves.” He muttered the last part. “They’re not kids anymore.” Yunho reminded.

Jaejoong looked at the alpha as if he’d gone mad. Yunho realized that he made a mistake. To his surprise the beta didn’t say anything. He simply slipped from his hold and went inside the house first.

Yunho scrunched his brow but followed after him. However, when he reached the front door, it was locked. He let out a sigh. Of course.

He pulled out his phone and dialed his sister-in-law’s number. “Hey, yeah. I got locked out again.”

-

He swept the floors before his co-worker came in to relieve him of his shift. ‘I think there’s someone waiting for you.’ His co-worker had informed him before he clocked out before walking out the store.

The human hid his face as he walked up to the car that was parked in front of the convenient store. He opened the door and quickly slipped into the passenger’s seat. “Do you always have to do this?” He grumbled. “Are you complaining over a free ride?” Jaebum raised an eyebrow. “I thought I told you not to pick me up anymore?” Youngjae whisper scolded. “So, you are complaining over a free ride.” Jaebum confirmed.

“No. But I told you to stop coming here.” Youngjae defended. “Last time you beat up a poor customer.” He frowned. The wolf scoffed, “He was being rude to you, and he threatened you.” “Those were just petty threats. He wasn’t actually going to do anything.” Youngjae muttered. Jaebum laughed in disbelief, “You really are naïve.” He remarked. “Yah! No, I’m not. You’re just a thug!” Youngjae accused. Jaebum didn’t take offense to his words. He was unapologetic for what he did, and he would do it again if he had to. “Anyway, what do you want for lunch?”

“There’s this new sandwich place I wanted to try.” Youngjae began. Jaebum nodded, pulling out the parking lot. He already knew what restaurant he was talking about. The younger spoke about it every day since it opened a couple weeks ago. The restaurant wasn’t far from the convenient store, so they got there in a matter of minutes.

After ordering their sandwiches, the two sat down at one of the small round tables by the window. “What time do you need to get back?” Jaebum returned to the table after grabbing their drinks. “I don’t have to go back. I just took the early morning shift so I could make the dinner tonight.” The human answered, his cheeks already stuffed with food. Jaebum chuckled at how cute the human looked.

A pout suddenly formed on the younger’s lips. “What’s the matter?” Jaebum immediately noticed the change in his demeanor. “I had to pay for my lunch again.” Youngjae pouted.

Jaebum paused, processing the situation. “Are you serious?” He questioned in disbelief. “Yes~…” The human whined. Jaebum studied him, “So, I let you stay at my apartment, rent free, I give you free rides, but you’re upset because I stopped buying you lunch?” He clarified.

“Um, technically I’m not staying at your place for free.” Youngjae quickly corrected. Jaebum raised an eyebrow. He leaned back in his seat, arms folded. “Oh really?”

After the feud between Silver Moon and Midnight Shadow ended. Jaebum spent the first few months helping Kihyun and Youngjae organize and transition into their father’s business. However, after a while Jaebum realized his help wasn’t needed after his cousin stepped in to help Kihyun out, which Jaebum gladly didn’t mind stepping back to allow his cousin to get closer to his long-time crush.

Jaebum took a short break from both his work and pack to do some soul searching. Things changed a lot and he was given an opportunity to start over, but he had no idea what he was going to do with the new time that he had and the new slate he was given. Jinyoung was the one to talk him into doing what it is that he really wanted and chasing after it. To set aside his previous obligations and search within his heart for what it was he truly wanted.

It was obvious that the beta knew what the elder wanted but left it to him to figure it out for himself.

After days and weeks of pondering, the human had been the only thing, the only person that had been on his mind. After spending another several days contemplating within himself, he mustered the courage to pursue the human. And to his surprise Youngjae eagerly welcomed his acquaintance.

It wasn’t until a couple of months ago Jaebum convinced the younger male to move into his apartment, with the excuse that it’d be cheaper for the med student and more comfortable for him.

“Yes.” Youngjae answered confidently. “I contribute a lot. I bring joy and sunshine to your dark and lonely apartment.” He beamed proudly. Jaebum scoffed at his words, “And what about the bills that this so-called Sunshine has also increased.” He questioned with a smirk. “And I buy groceries.” Youngjae added, ignoring the elder’s statement.

Jaebum only laughed, returning to his meal. He won this battle.

Youngjae’s shoulders dropped as he watched the elder. It genuinely concerned him that he stopped buying him lunch. He suddenly stopped without any warning. It wasn’t a big deal, but he had his concerns. “Are you mad at me?” He finally asked.

Jaebum looked up at the unexpected question. He was shocked to see the genuine concern in the other’s eyes. A small smile graced his lips. “I’m not mad at you.” He assured him. However, his answer didn’t satisfy the human. “I’m serious. I’m not mad, but I do have my reasons. Collateral reasons.” He confessed with a slight smirk.

Youngjae narrowed his eyes. He studied the wolf closely. His eyes widened in realization. “This isn’t because I rejected you, is it?” He accused, being much louder than Jaebum would’ve liked.

“Not necessarily. I figured I was giving too much. I have to save some things for when I’m in a relationship.” The wolf shrugged.

Youngjae was speechless. “Seriously?!” “You can buy your friends lunch.” He argued.

Jaebum found his outrage oddly amusing. “Well, if you were my boyfriend, I will gladly treat you to lunch every day. Plus, many other things.” He advertised.

Youngjae paused for a moment, as if to consider it. “No.” He shook his head.

Jaebum shrugged, “Then enjoy paying for your lunch.” He smiled tauntingly. Youngjae sneered at him.

After getting to know each other a little more, Jaebum asked the younger out twice, but the human turned him down both times without any explanation.

Rejection didn’t discourage the alpha. In fact, it only motivated him more to work harder to get the younger to fall for him. Unfortunately for him, he had no idea what he was doing.

Youngjae watched the elder eat in silence. A small sigh escaped his lips. “Do you want to know why I won’t date you?”

Jaebum looked at him expectantly. He gave him his full attention.

A smirk curled on the human’s lips, “Because, Coco doesn’t like you.”

Jaebum froze in disbelief. “Are you serious?” He couldn’t believe what he just heard.