Kyungsoo’s heart was shattering with each word that left your mouth. How could you be filled with so much self-hatred? How could you not see yourself the way he saw you?

You slid down to the floor, leaning against the lower cabinets. Kyungsoo sat as well, facing you even as his wolf whined and clawed to reach out to you, to pull you in and keep you safe against his chest. But he stayed where he was, not wanting to push you farther away from him.

“Everyone leaves me,” you whispered, making Kyungsoo’s eyes snap up. He’d heard you say it before, too many times before, but the way you said it now… it wasn’t with tears or out of anger. It simply fell from your lips like a fact, a concrete statement. “I’m not good enough for anyone to stick around.”

“(y/n)–”

You shook your head, cutting him off. “My dad always had to leave. He always chose his job over me. He’d get a call in the middle of my birthday party or a school play and then he would just be gone. He didn’t even come to my graduation. Do you know what it’s like to not have anyone there to cheer when your name is called?”

Your eyes were trained down at your hands that were fidgeting in your lap. Kyungsoo fought the urge to engulf them in his own.

“My mom left when I was four,” you continued on. “No explanation, no note, no goodbye, just one day, she was gone. When I finally found out where she was, she wanted nothing to do with me. If I called, she’d hang up as soon as she heard my voice, all my letters came back unclaimed. She just decided one day that I wasn’t good enough to be her daughter.”

“No, (y/n).” Kyungsoo took the risk and grabbed hold of your fingers. The touch only lasted for a few seconds before you pulled away. “She wasn’t good enough to be your mother. She made her own decisions. It’s not your fault.”

You simply shrugged, pulling your knees up to your chest and wrapping your arms around your legs. With your cheek pressed into your knee, you returned to your story. “I thought everyone would leave me, but then I met Chace.”

It took all of Kyungsoo’s strength to not to let a growl just ripped through the air. The way the corner of your lip turned up into an almost smile, reminiscing about this boy from your past… it created a jealousy that Kyungsoo never knew he was capable of having.

“It was right before my freshman year of college,” you sighed, not noticing the tension in the wolf’s muscles. “We met during orientation. He was so sweet. I told him everything, even my fears of abandonment. He always promised to stay with me, telling me he couldn’t find a reason to leave. But it was nothing but an empty promise.”

The tears were pooling in your eyes. Why wouldn’t you just let him hold you?

“We were driving back to school from the beach, getting ready to start the latest semester after a short vacation.” A deep, raggedy breath entered your lungs as you relived the memory. “Chace was driving. Out of nowhere, he said that he wanted to break up. I couldn’t understand why. I thought we were happy. He just handed me his phone. On it were pictures of him and another girl. He said he’d been seeing her for a few months and he just felt that she was the one. I started yelling, reminding him of his promises. He just shrugged it off, like it didn’t matter. Like he didn’t know what I’d been through.”

“I lost it,” you admitted, the tears spilling over. When Kyungsoo reached out to wipe them away, you turned your face away. “We were going down the highway, he was speeding like he always did, but I didn’t care. I shoved him. I swung my fists at his arm. He ended up swerving and losing control of the car when he tried to block me. We flipped. By a miracle, we didn’t hit anyone else.”

Slowly, you lowered your legs and lifted your shirt to expose your stomach. The harsh line Kyungsoo had spotted earlier when you’d reached for the pans was now in full view. It ran from the side of your belly button, curving down towards your hip before disappearing into your waistband. The harsh pink color out against your skin. Quickly, you covered it up again.

“I’m not sure entirely what happened after that,” you went on, curling up within yourself again. “I was hurt worse, a piece of shrapnel had pierced my stomach. I woke up in the hospital a few days later. Chace was right there. I was so stupid. I actually smiled at him, thinking that maybe he decided to stay after a life threatening event. I told him that I was sorry and I completely over reacted. He said it was okay, that he understood. And then he told me again that it was over. I cried, begged, screamed. Nothing I did would make him stay. I had to lie there in bed and watch him walk away.”

You let out a short, humorless laugh. “He lied when he said it was okay. He ended up telling everyone that I tried to kill him. Maybe I did. Maybe deep down I was hoping both of us would die.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t take it anymore. Screw being the gentleman. He reached out and pulled you into his lap before you could even protest. At first, you half-heartedly fought against his iron clad hold, but you soon settled down, letting the tears flow, soaking his shirt.

He rubbed your back soothingly, murmuring in your ear, “Its okay, (y/n). You were upset. And every right to be. I’m glad that let you go so you could find your way to me. He didn’t understand the amazing person he had.” You scoffed at his statement. “You are beautiful inside and out to me. But, (y/n), my promise isn’t empty. I swear to you, I will never leave you. I am yours, forever.”

That declaration just made you sob harder, curling his shirt in between your fingers as you clung to him.

“Everyone leaves,” you whispered, your eyes shut tightly as if he’d be gone when you opened them again.

“I won’t,” Kyungsoo asserted, constricting you in closer to him. “You are my mate. Nothing will take me away.”

You didn’t contradict him or say anything at all, just letting the tears take their course. When the sobs died out, Kyungsoo looked down just find that you had fallen asleep. As carefully as he could, he lifted you up, his wolf purring in satisfaction when you clung to him. He shook it off. He shouldn’t be happy right now. You were broken, scared that he was going to leave you like the others.

Why? Because you accidentally caused the car to crash? Because you believed the lie the had created?  He didn’t believe it for a second. But how to get you to see the same?

Laying you gently down on the bed after moving the covers, he vowed to himself and to you that he would show you every second of the day that he was here to stay and that you would never be alone again. Kyungsoo hesitated, staring down at you as you buried your face into the pillow.

Then he decided to just go for it. As carefully as he could, he slid into the empty space next to you on the bed. Reaching out, he meant to just caress your face and leave it at that, but as soon as his fingers made contact with your skin, you shuffled closer, wrapping an arm around his waist and burying your face in his chest. His wolf nearly howled in delight.

Kyungsoo gently kissed your forehead before closing his eyes, completely content.

**

You didn’t even remember falling asleep. All you could recall was Kyungsoo pulling you into his embrace and just crying until his shirt was soaked against your face. It took effort to peel your eyes open. They were a bit swollen and crusted over, but eventually you were able to see that you’d been moved from the kitchen floor to your bed. But you were alone.

Kyungsoo was gone. Again. A panic came over you. Irrational or not, you began to hyperventilate, your throat closing in.

He left. You told him the truth and he left, just like you knew he would. You could feel the sobs bubbling up in your throat. You were all alone ag-

Wait. What was that?

Indistinguishable noises were coming from outside your bedroom. Was it….

Perhaps a little too quickly, you jumped from your bed. You crashed to the floor, your legs tangled up in your sheets. As quick as you could, you freed yourself and ran out of the room.

Relief washed over you like a warm shower in the middle of winter as you entered the kitchen.

Kyungsoo was standing at your stove, a few pans sizzling away, cooking whatever it was that he deemed suitable from your fridge. Unable to hold yourself back, you stepped towards him and s your arms around his waist. His back was the most comfortable thing you’d ever rested your head on. It vibrated as he chuckled, the action moving his shoulders up and down.

“Good morning,” he greeted quietly.

“You stayed,” you whispered, still hardly able to believe it. “You really stayed.”

Putting his spatula down, he turned around and cupped your face in his hands. “Of course, I did. I told you I’m not going anywhere.”

A sudden surge of bravery rose up in you. Before it disappeared, you went for it, capturing Kyungsoo’s surprised lips in yours. The courage was quickly gone and, at his lack of response, you pulled away, stepping back and covering your face with your hands.

“I’m sorry,” you murmured, your voice coming out as a squeak.

Strong hands curled around your wrists, prying away your safety shield. Kyungsoo was smiling at you, his lips shaping into that unbelieve heart. His own cheeks were a dusty rose color. Not giving you a second to react or say something, he dived right back in. Soft and plush, his lips felt right against yours.

Releasing your wrists, he backed you up until you ran into the cabinets. Swiftly, he grasped your hips and lifted you up, setting your down on the counter without breaking the kiss. You wrapped your legs around his waist, locking him in.

One of Kyungsoo’s hands moved to the small of your back, pressing you into his chest where you fit perfectly, as the other trickled down your thigh before making its way back up to your hip. Your lungs were screaming for air so you reluctantly pulled away. That didn’t deter Kyungsoo, who simply moved on to your neck as you buried your hands in his hair. A possessive growl escaped from his chest as his nipped at your skin. His hands began to roam to more dangerous areas when your nose picked up on a not-so-enticing scent.

“Uh, Kyungsoo?” you tapped on his back, trying to get his attention. All you got in response was a low growl. “I think something’s burning.”

Like a switch, he was off of you at and the stove, cursing to himself as he removed the pans from the hot spirals. Smoke was beginning to fill up your kitchen. You jumped down from the counter, trying not to giggle as you peered around your wolf.

Blackened pieces of egg and vegetables sizzled and popped in the pan.

“So much for a nice breakfast,” Kyungsoo grumbled.

You shrugged. “We could always go for a round two.” Kyungsoo’s chest rumbled suggestively as he turned to you, making you yelp. “I meant the food!”

After a bit more persuading and a few gurgles from your stomach, he finally relented and started over on making you something to eat.

**

If someone had told you a month ago that moving to this town would lead to you not only discovering that werewolves existed, but that you were the destined mate of one of them, you would called that person a doctor. From a psych ward. But as cliché as it was, you were in irrevocably happy.

Kyungsoo made you feel safe, like you finally had a home, stability. He was always close to you when you were together, constantly reassuring you that he was there, just like you needed.

Work suddenly went from the best part of your day to – well, not the worst, but it wasn’t as enjoyable as it used to be. Time passed slow as you were forced to stay behind the display case and count the minutes until Kyungsoo came to pick you up. The antsy feeling was foreign. How could you actually crave a human being like this? You groaned, lying your head down on the counter. And to think it’d only been a week or so since you even found out about all this.

The door to the bakery opened, sending off the annoying chime. Snapping up, you plastered on a fake smile that immediately changed into a real one.

Along with a few other wolves, Kyungsoo walked in, bringing the rigid air of the wintery afternoon in with him. Not that it effected any of them in the slightest. Unable to contain yourself, you ran out from behind the counter and straight to his arms.

A few of his friends chuckled behind him, making you shy as you stepped out of the hug, placing your hands behind your back. Kyungsoo shot them a glare. At this point you had met and were starting to recognize all the members of his pack. Baekhyun was still fighting back snickers, along with Sehun and Jongdae. Poor Chanyeol, though, was pouting.

Over dinner a few days ago, Kyungsoo expressed his concern for some of his fellow wolves. With the growing number of mates among the pack, things were getting… tense. Apparently, the mated wolves would get protective (possessive was probably the more correct term) with their mates around the unmated wolves. They knew their brothers would never actually do anything, but the instinct was too strong. And some of the unmated wolves were getting jealous at the constant displays of affection around them. Like Chanyeol.

You would never admit it to Kyungsoo, but Chanyeol just might be your favorite out of the other wolves. He was always so happy, but not to the point of annoyance. He could make you laugh and was easy to talk to. In other words, he wasn’t scary or intimidating like some of the others. You still couldn’t bring yourself to have a conversation with Junmyeon.

Not that you were ever good at conversation anyway.

At the moment, poor Chanyeol was pouting his lips, his hands in his pockets as he looked in the other direction and pretended that you hadn’t just nearly tackled your mate.

“What are you doing here?” you asked to all of them. Only once or twice had Kyungsoo come to see you at work and he was always by himself.  

Baekhyun grinned. “It’s date night.”

You frowned. “Date night?”

As far as you knew, you and Kyungsoo technically have had “date night” every night this week at your apartment. If you weren’t careful, you were going to forget how to cook dinner for yourself.

“All the mates are going out,” Jongdae clarified.

“Oh.” Oh. You weren’t too sure about this. Though the other girls seemed nice, you hadn’t really had the chance to get to know them. This had disaster and embarrassment written all over it.

“Only if you want to,” Kyungsoo reassured you, grasping your hand in his. Again, his subtle reminder that he was by your side and would help you through anything brought comfort to you.

“Sure,” you replied in a voice that wasn’t entirely convince. You didn’t want to refuse and be an outsider among the mates. It was about time you actually tried to make new friends. Especially since Mina wasn’t answer your calls as often anymore.

“Alright!” Baekhyun yelled, making you jump. “Let’s go tell the girls!”

Kyungsoo shook his head as he watched the four “troublemakers” as he deemed them walk out of the bakery. He gave you a soft kiss on the lips. “I’ll be back in an hour to pick you. You can change your mind whenever you want.”

You shook your head. “I’ll be fine. This could be… fun?”

He laughed at your unconvincing statement. “It will be.”

It was hard, but you watched as Kyungsoo walked out of the bakery to chase after the others. You weren’t exactly sure what Chanyeol and Sehun would be doing while the rest of you were out on “date night”, but you shrugged it off. You had more important matters to think about. Like what the heck you were going to wear.