His senses went on high alert. 

Someone was in his house.

He rose from his bed, tucking a knife in behind his waistband. The door’s well oiled hinges opened silently as he crept to where he could sense the intruder. He opted for the room on the first floor for this reason. His territorial tendencies were only appeased by how well he could protect his home. 

The sound of running water and the soft tinkling of cutlery had him relax. He forgot that Jinwoo took the omega home that day. 

The newcomer’s unfamiliar scent irritated him. It clashed with their own scents. It smelled too… sterile. He smelled like rubbing alcohol and medicine. 

The omega came into view. He just had the stove light on and he was setting dishes on the drying rack. 

He was thin. Like a waif. Tall, the way the top of his head cleared the stove vent. Probably as tall as Mino. He exhaled through his nose. 

The omega whipped around, eyes wide and scared, fingers clutching the counter behind him. 

“Omega.” Seunghoon said. 

Almost immediately, the boy’s eyes snapped to the floor, head bowed, neck bared in submission.

The instinct to claim and dominate suffused him. Not quite the same when he mated with Jinwoo and Mino as they were both alphas. This time it was a natural need to make something his. 

But then the boy was actually shaking in fear, what Seunghoon could see of his face was pale and frozen. 

He dialed back his pheromones, becoming almost scentless. It was something they were trained in when they were young. A good soldier must be undetectable. 

But now he was doing it to not scare their potential omega any more than he already has. 

Not that Seunghoon accepted him. 

“At ease.” He ordered. The omega’s shoulders slumped and his arms went around his stomach in a protective gesture. Seunghoon’s lips tightened. 

“Look at me.” 

The boy complied. 

The omega’s eyes were so clear and guileless that Seunghoon held his breath. 

“What’s your name?” 

“S-Seungyoon. Kang Seungyoon.” 

That last name. His eye twitched at the reminder of what brought about their current circumstances. 

Circumstances he resented. 

He recalled Jiho’s words on the phone. The manipulative tone, backing all of them into a corner. 

“Well if it doesn’t work out, we can just call it a day and pretend it never happened. But I have to have proof that you actually tried first.” 

Anger was about to overtake him again, but he saw the omega shifting from one foot to the other, bare toes red on the cold kitchen tiles. 

“I am Lee Seunghoon. Pack alpha.” 

Seungyoon mouthed out his name, bowing his head again in respect. 

“Did you eat?” It can’t be helped. 

He couldn’t be an outright to someone who didn’t do anything wrong. But at the first opportunity to beat Jiho’s face into a pulp, he’d take it. 

“Yes, alpha.” He had a pleasant voice. Full yet gently spoken. 

Again, it felt so different than when Jinwoo or Mino called him alpha. 

*

He was terrified at first, but then the menacing vibe slowly ebbed away. He was still scared but at least he wasn’t paralyzed in fear. 

Next thing he knew, the alpha stalked away, leaving Seungyoon with his heart beating madly in the kitchen, adrenaline burning out, leaving him weak and exhausted. 

He turned to the sink again, pressing his fist against his chest, trying to find a semblance of control. He really wanted to run to his room and bolt the door forever, but running or locking himself up weren’t viable options, so he settled to holding on to the counter until he gathered the strength to go back. 

“Omega.” 

The pack alpha returned. Seungyoon turned and shrank back, his spine hitting the hard counter. Something was placed in his hands. 

He looked down. 

House slippers. Fluffy brown ones with dog ears. 

As quickly as the alpha came, he disappeared again. 

Seungyoon clutched the items close to his chest, then set them on the floor carefully to put them on. 

He was worn out, anxious and tired. But he also felt warm. 

*

Jinwoo woke up feeling strangely more optimistic than the day before. It had a lot to do with Seungyoon. They didn’t really know what to expect when Mino told them the news. Of course they were all angry. 

They fought for their freedom. They competed with their own brothers. And for that freedom to be willy nilly ed with—

Well, they were quite angry. 

But Seungyoon was different from what they expected. 

While it was normal for omegas to be timid, he was extremely so. He was entirely submissive and meek. 

He was also quite pretty. 

Jinwoo wasn’t going to lie that the first thing he noticed was how pale Seungyoon’s skin was, almost translucent. Like pearl. 

He has been with omegas before, but none of them ever incited such protective instincts from Jinwoo. 

Besides, he didn’t know Seungyoon’s history. Surely he had nothing to do with his father’s crimes otherwise Jiho would’ve also put him to death a long time ago instead of trying to save him. 

“You should see him first.” Jinwoo said to Seunghoon while they were having dinner the night he brought Seungyoon home. “He’s different. Innocent.” 

While Seunghoon was bristling that his position as pack alpha was superseded by Jiho’s orders, he was also a level headed leader of their small pack and he was able to see things more rationally than Mino. 

Mino saw it as a betrayal of a long time friendship. 

“I wish I could say that an omega isn’t necessary for us…” Jinwoo looked down at his plate. “But I’ve been feeling the changes, Hoony. It’s only a matter of time before—“ 

“No.” Seunghoon’s voice was firm. Implacable. “I won’t let it happen. Not to you. Not to us. I vow it.” 

Seunghoon wasn’t one to break a vow. Jinwoo desperately wanted to believe him. 

“Let’s do our best.” Seunghoon said. 

Jinwoo breathed a sigh of relief. Everything else would be easier now that the pack alpha decided. “He seems like a good kid, Hoony. You should see him. He’s beautiful.” 

Seunghoon huffed a chuckle. “You know I have a weakness for pretty things.” He looked at Jinwoo meaningfully. 

After all this time, all the years they spent together, Lee Seunghoon still had the power to make him blush. 

*

Seungyoon woke up with a jolt, breath coming in sharp pants upon waking in a strange place. This wasn’t his room— Jiho, he needed—

Then he remembered where he was. 

Alphas. 

Jinwoo. 

Pack alpha. 

He started shaking, anxiety shooting up, unlike the day before when his anxiety was shrouded by his meds and exhaustion. He fumbled at the bedside table where he dimly remembered storing his pill box. 

He took a small white pill, swallowing it dry and counted down from a hundred. 

It took a few hundred countdowns before he felt his heart slow down. He got up, his head filled with cotton and body lethargic. He didn’t like the feeling of merely existing in that state, senses dulled down by medications just so he could function. 

But he knew no other way to live. 

The doctor prescribed him anti anxiety medications and told him about the side effects. Possible dependence or addiction or both. He gave Seungyoon strict instructions to only take them when necessary. 

Seungyoon was doing well at the facility. He almost never took them anymore. But the sudden change in his situation had him reaching for them again. 

Maybe in time he will feel comfortable in his new home enough that he won’t ever need them. 

But that was also wishful thinking. 

He slowly washed in the bathroom then dressed in a sweater with sweatpants this time, not really wanting his skin too exposed.

He was about to go out when he remembered to put on the house slippers the pack alpha gave him.

So the warmth from yesterday wasn’t a dream. He wiggled his toes inside the soft material, smiling a little. Maybe… maybe it was okay. 

To hope. 

*

He really was quite pretty, Seunghoon admitted and that was saying something since he lived with Jinwoo’s beautiful face on a daily basis. 

They smelled him first before they actually saw him. The same hospital smell from yesterday. Seunghoon’s nose wrinkled slightly. Hopefully Seungyoon’s real smell will eventually emerge as he gets healthier in their care. 

It took a lot for Seunghoon not to go over and just scent the omega. 

He never quite felt the need to scent Mino and Jinwoo as much since alphas lost other scents easily unless it was an omega scenting them. They resorted to wearing each other’s clothes, but even that eventually wore off. 

“Good morning, Yoonie.” Jinwoo smiled. Seunghoon raised his brow at the familiarity, Jinwoo just shrugged. 

Seungyoon shuffled to the table shyly bowing to them. 

“Did you sleep well?” Jinwoo started setting up some food for Seungyoon. The omega tried to help but Jinwoo just had him sit on a stool beside Seunghoon, not really using his alpha to order him, but by virtue of Jinwoo being alpha, Seungyoon obeyed. 

*

“I know this isn’t the most ideal situation.”

Jinwoo saw the omega’s eye twitch. They’ve been observing him all morning, letting him eat breakfast in peace before Seunghoon commenced in gently laying out the law. 

“We will keep to our respective rooms until we are more comfortable with each other.” Seunghoon looked to Jinwoo for help. He didn’t really put Seungyoon at ease, by the glassy look in the omega’s eyes. 

“We are not used to having an omega around. We’ve never had one before.” Jinwoo explained, Seungyoon looked in his direction but didn’t meet his eyes. “But we’ll do our best to make you comfortable, okay?” 

Seungyoon nodded. 

*

They watched a lot of netflix that day. 

Seungyoon sat between them, all folded into himself, but enjoying the movies nonetheless. 

By the second movie, Seungyoon’s eyes started drooping. His body relaxed and leaned slightly against Seunghoon’s side. 

His heart was beating like a drum as his alpha chanted in his head.

Omega. 

Unscented.

Unclaimed. 

Seunghoon tilted his head and rubbed his temple against Seungyoon’s crown, gently scenting him. Jinwoo was looking at him from the corner of his eye, a smirk on his face. 

Smug bastard. 

*

Seungyoon felt warm. He woke up from the most pleasant nap and found himself lying heavily on the pack alpha’s side.

Fearful that he overstepped his bounds, he pulled back, stuttering his apologies. 

“Hush, Yoonie, it’s okay.” Jinwoo’s voice came from his other side. “Remember we said we were okay with you touching us?” 

Stilling, yes, he did remember. 

Jinwoo and Seunghoon formally proposed to court him. 

Him. Kang Seungyoon. Worthless omega. 

He was asked to be courted by two powerful alphas. 

He did not know what that entailed, but aside from the scare on the first day, they haven’t been mean to him yet. So he agreed. 

He truly didn’t have much of a choice, but he appreciated that they still asked. 

Jiho explained the arrangement to him. He was to join a pack of three alphas who needed an omega, but didn’t want any children. 

It solved two problems. One, the alphas would be more stable with the presence of an omega. Two, Seungyoon would be out of Jiho’s hands. And Seungyoon didn’t want to burden Jiho. So he agreed. 

It was going almost smoother than Seungyoon anticipated. Sure the pack alpha scared him, but he was never outwardly mean to Seungyoon. Jinwoo had been nothing but nice from the start. 

But the third alpha, the one he hasn’t seen yet. Mino. 

Seungyoon didn’t know about him and his anxiety mounted as the days went by without seeing him and not knowing what to expect. 

Jiho hinted that the three alphas originally did not ask for an omega but somehow agreed to the arrangement and from the pack alpha’s original reception of him… he could tell that Mino was probably more pissed than the others. 

“Don’t worry about Mino.” Jinwoo said when Seungyoon asked him about it. “He will come around.” 

*

They slowly got Seungyoon used to them. He was still intimidated by Seunghoon but he would let the pack alpha lightly scent him before he went out for business. 

Jinwoo brought Seungyoon to his room one time and told him to pick any shirt from Jinwoo’s closet so Seungyoon could wear his scent too. Seungyoon gulped, somewhat overwhelmed by the thick scent of warm roses and pine. 

He looked at Jinwoo, eyeing the soft sweater he was wearing but turned away, suddenly shy. 

Suddenly, the sweater was thrown over Seungyoon’s head, stuffing him in it, enveloping him in the heady smell that was Jinwoo. It felt like a hug. 

Seungyoon closed his eyes just breathing in the scent, concentrating on not falling as the tingly feeling in his chest made him lightheaded. 

“Like it?” Jinwoo teased. 

Seungyoon’s face warmed, but he nodded, “Yes, a— Jinwoo hyung.” 

*

He buried his face in the shirt. It was the first time Seunghoon gave him something with his scent. Seunghoon smelled like orange blossom, coffee and something else. Seungyoon’s nose wasn’t that good at telling scents yet. A lot of his sense of smell was dulled by his extended stay at the facility, but he was glad for what he could differentiate. 

He put the shirt on and took the tablet Jinwoo lent him down to the living room. Jinwoo was kind enough to install games that he thought Seungyoon would like. 

The two alphas left to do whatever it was they did during the day, Seungyoon couldn’t work up the nerve to ask them yet. But they always came home during mealtimes that Seungyoon began to look forward to them. 

His ears perked up when he heard the door’s keypad beep, signaling someone entering. It was still early. Did they forget something? 

He stood up to see either Jinwoo or Seunghoon. 

But instead came face to face with the alpha he least expected or wanted to see. 

Mino.