Chanyeol kept his cool surprisingly well as he stomped past his brothers. Things were going so well before they showed up. Not only had you kissed him first, you’d let him kiss you again. He should have given the beanie back sooner.

All night had been like a dream. Even though you’d been a little late, everything else went according to plan.

Well, except for running into Hyeri.

Nothing had ever happened between the two of them. Chanyeol always knew that Hyeri had a little thing for him and he’d reveled in the attention. It’d made him feel good to be wanted by someone, but that was before he’d met you. Jongdae and Jongin liked it when their mates were jealous. But Chanyeol took one look at your face and decided that you being jealous or territorial was not something he wanted to live through.

The way your face changed when he called you his “girlfriend” - however unsatisfactory the word actually was - made him prefer that emotion from you much more.

“It’s nice to see that you guys are getting along better,” Baekhyun said as the others scrambled to catch up with Chanyeol.

Chanyeol’s only answer was a sideways glare.

“Well, this means you won’t die, I guess,” Jongdae said cheerfully.

No. No, he wouldn’t. And yet, that had been the last thing on his mind.

Tao sighed happily as he folded his hands behind his head while they all headed for the forest. But it wasn’t out of relief for his brother. “Just four more to go and then all the girls are mine. While I don’t exactly worry about the competition, it’ll be nice not to have to work so hard.”

That earned him a good elbow to the stomach from Luhan. “You better watch it. I doubt your mate would be happy to hear you talk like that.”

“Well, she’s nowhere to be found, is she?” Tao sneered. “Until then, I’ll just have my fun.”

Chanyeol shook his head. As more and more of the pack found their mates, it became clear that everyone was splitting into two groups.

Well, more like three.

Kris and Tao were the two who could be mateless for the rest of their lives and be fine with it. Luhan and Junmyeon were the last ones that wanted to find their mates, if for different reasons. Only Sehun remained neutral. Whenever he was asked, Sehun simply shrugged. He truly didn’t care either way.

It was strange for Chanyeol to finally be on the other side. To be a part of the group that had found the one. To be living on cloud nine and finally feel complete. His wolf purred in his chest content that you’d truly accepted him. Really, he wanted to go back to your apartment and climb into your bed and kiss you some more. Right by your side was becoming his favorite place to be.

But that was a dangerous place to be.

Even though he’d only fought your brother the one time, he could tell he was a strong, powerful omega. In a real, no-holding-back fight, Chanyeol might not come out on top. That was a terrifying spot.

You couldn’t do this forever, though. The time would come where you would have to choose between him and your brother.

Chanyeol shook the thoughts away. He was getting ahead of himself. The two of you would cross that bridge when it came. He just hoped it was still his hand you were holding when you came out the other side.

Luhan nudged him with his elbow. “Hey, you good?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol replied, plastering on a fake smile. He reminisced about your kiss to make it seem more genuine. Why was it that whenever something good happened, his own mind had to turn against him and remind him of the more depressing things ahead?

The wolves are started to undress once they were in the full cover of the trees, stuffing their clothes into the backpacks that had been hidden in the leaves. Baekhyun and Jongdae slipped the bags over their shoulders before they all shifted and began the long run back to the house. If there was one major perk about being wolves, it was all the money they saved on gas.

**

You shut the door to your apartment as quietly as you could. All the lights were off and the echoes of loud, obnoxious snores told you that your brother was fast asleep. Good. You’d been hoping that Lon wouldn’t be waiting up for you. When you told him that you were catching a late movie, you’d emphasized that he shouldn’t stay up since he had work in the morning. It was hard to believe that he’d actually listened to you.

Tiptoeing across the living room floor, you shuffled into the laundry room.

Earlier in the day, you’d put a few of Lon’s clothes in there, hoping his own distinct wolfy smell would mask Chanyeol’s if he happened to come inspect the washing machine before it was done with it’s cleaning cycle. Perhaps, this was going a little too far to cover up your relationship with Chanyeol, but right now, it was you could think of.

You just needed time. You needed to time to figure out what you were going to do; how you could break the news to your very protective brother who already didn’t like the kid due to a misunderstanding. And he was already wrestling what he was going to do about his own future. It was best not to add another stressor.

Taking a deep breath, you started stripping out of your clothes. The cold air sent goosebumps up your arms and legs. Once your shirt, jacket, and jeans were in the washer – leaving you in just your underwear – you poured in the detergent and fabric softener before shutting the lid oh-so-slowly, and starting the load before running to your room like you were being chased by a wild animal.

You changed into your pajamas and crawled into bed, relieved that you’d gotten away with your forbidden date.

**

“Did you start a load of laundry last night?”

Groaning, you flipped over in your bed before sitting as you rubbed your eyes. Lon was standing in your doorway, hand on the doorknob and dressed for a long day at the garage.

“What?” you grumbled.

“The washer?” Lon elaborated. “Did you start it after you got home last night?”

You nodded as you stretched. It was way too early for you to be up. “Yeah, I, uh, I spilt my drink all over the front of my shirt. My pants, too. I wanted to wash them before they stained.”

“Oh, okay.” Lon’s eyebrows were knitted together and he was rubbing the back of his neck. “I just thought it was strange when I heard the machine start up.”

Damn wolf hearing. Was there anything you could fully get away with?

“Well, I’m off to work,” he sighed. “I’ll see you tonight.”

You waved lazily. “See ya.”

When your door was closed again, you flopped back down. You willed yourself to go back to sleep, but after another hour or so, you gave up. It was hard to get out of bed, but you did it, zombie-walking to the bathroom and starting the shower.

As you waited for the water to heat up, you washed your face and tried to avoid looking in the mirror and seeing your dark circles that made you a raccoon’s twin. Jumping under the boiling hot water, you scrubbed every inch of yourself with your body wash, trying to make sure that if your brother came back, he wouldn’t accidentally smell Chanyeol in your hair or on your skin.

Satisfied that you now smelled like only yourself, you stepped out of the shower and dried off with a towel. Back in your room, you got dressed for the day, wondering what you were going to do with your day. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed something fluttering in your window. Curious, you stepped closer.

It was a note.

You laughed at the silly, old fashioned-ness of it all.

The paper was stuck in the seam between the widow and the sill. You were careful not to lose the note to the wind as you opened the window. Success!

Only a few words were written on the folded piece of paper.

Beautiful day for a run.

Again, you laughed. It couldn’t have been from anyone else but Chanyeol.

The sun was shining above and only a few white, fluffy clouds floated along the blue backdrop.

Yes, it certainly was a beautiful day. But your stomach was rumbling. Chanyeol could wait.

As fast as you could, you chowed down on a cold breakfast before throwing on a jacket and boots while you brushed your teeth. The note hadn’t specified where exactly you were supposed to meet him, so you just headed straight out from your apartment to the trees.

It was way too cold for a day so close to spring. Hopefully, your wolf wasn’t planning to stay out here all day.

A howl broke through the silent forest. Turning to your left where you guessed the sound was coming from, a gray and brown wolf with a white stomach came charging at you. With a wolf for a brother, you were ready, sidestepping at the last minute. Chanyeol had been expecting to collide with you, so when he went past you, he skidded to a stop, losing his footing and tumbling head first.

You fell down backwards, laughing too hard to be able to stay standing. A low growl warned you, but you still let out a scream of surprise when the giant wolf landed on top of you.

Chanyeol let out a yelp of self satisfaction, proud of himself that he managed to get the upper hand on you.

Narrowing your eyes, you mumbled, “Shouldn’t you be in school?”

Something that sounded like a scoff came out of Chanyeol’s throat before he stepped off of you, letting you sit up.

Lon always hated it when you went to pet him, even if you whined about his fur looking so soft and tempting. He found it insulting.

However, when your hand lifted up and reached out for the space between his ears, Chanyeol met you halfway, pushing his head into your palm. He was encouraging your petting, even egging it on. He whined, loving the attention.

“You are so needy,” you giggled.

Chanyeol yelped. You took that as a confirmation.

Out of nowhere, he your face.

“Ew!” You shoved the wolf away as you wiped your cheek clean. “That was uncalled for.”

Pouting, Chanyeol pushed his head under your chin, getting as close to you as physically possible. While that might have cute if he was a puppy or the size of a regular dog, Chanyeol was even bigger than a normal werewolf. He was practically crushing your chest.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” you groaned. A series of huffs made you think that Chanyeol was laughing at you. He finally got off of you and nuzzled your neck with his nose. You kissed his own cheek. “You are so ridiculous.”

Chanyeol gripped your sleeve with his teeth, gently pulling you up to your feet. He barked, motioning to his back.

“You want me to climb on your back?” you guessed.

The happy bark told you that was a yes.

Well, he did say it was a nice day for a run.

You didn’t waste time, gripping his fur as you swung a leg over his back. As soon as you were seated and settled, Chanyeol hopped up and took off.

This was the feeling that you were most jealous of. This feeling of the wind in your hair, nothing holding you back or cutting you off from the nature around you. The thundering rhythm of Chanyeol’s paws against the forest floor. It was a sensation that felt like freedom.

Only twice had you ever been allowed to ride on the back of a wolf. Your father never had time to take you for a run, citing work and pack obligations as the reasons why. Lon had only allowed it two times: once because of your whining and the second because you’d broken your arm and he needed to rush you home.

Now, you could fully enjoy it, knowing that it wasn’t even your idea in the first place. As fun as last night was, this was your idea of a perfect date.

After a good hour or so of running, Chanyeol rounded back to where you had met him, slowing down until he finally stopped. He let you slide off the back. Still elated from the run, you lied down on your back, laughing.

Chanyeol stood over you, smiling. As much as a wolf could, anyway.

“Thank you,” you whispered. He lowered his forehead to yours, purring. You wrapped your fingers around his front legs, holding him there. Chanyeol barked proudly. You scoffed. “You are so full of yourself.”

Apparently not appreciating that comment, he pushed his cold, wet nose into your neck, tickling the sensitive skin.

“No!” you giggled, pushing on his chest to get him away. It did little good. “Stop! No, stop!”

“(y/n)!”

Chanyeol and you both looked to the direction of the call. You gasped.

What was Lon doing here?

Your brother was shaking, his eyes glaring at the wolf that was standing over you. To him, it must have looked like Chanyeol was attacking you in a vicious way, rather than the loving, playful way it really was.

It only took two seconds for him to shift into his wolf form, lunging at Chanyeol.