The following weekend came a surprise that threw the entire house into some kind of joyous chaos. By that time, I had already applied to the design school with a major in medical arts and had managed to apply for a bursary education in hopes that my grades were good enough to be an eligible option. During that time, the lynx pack had managed to find their central base and had destroyed what remained of it. Though there were still some rogues hanging around, there was no possible way they’d be able to regain the intelligence they had lost. The mystery behind their secret weapon was still up for the table on debate, but the ultimate fear had passed considerably. 

Krystal and I had been hanging out the clothes in the backyard, accompanied by Tao and Chen’s help while Sarang was busy washing the women’s underwear in the bucket. Music was playing in the background and conversation flowed freely as we went through our tasks. 

It was suddenly disrupted by the moving foliage from which Suho emerged a few seconds later. He brushed the stray leaves away from his hair, clothes muddy from his previous run as he walked towards us. 

“Where’d you go at this time of day?” Krystal couldn’t help but ask as I stretched out another bed sheet with Tao’s help. 

I heard Suho shuffle forward until he was close enough to Krystal so that she could brush away the remaining dirt from his head, “get some fresh mountain air. The forest is nice now that it’s warm.” 

“Speak foe yourself, grandpa.” She shot back with a teasing grin, “No one in their right mind enjoys warm weather in their wolf form.” 

“That’s because you guys are always hot.” He shot back, “understand your elders a little.”

She giggled and reached up to ruffle his hair, to which he pulled a face and jabbed at her stomach. 

Beside me, I could hear Tao’s disgruntled groan when he murmured, “they’re disgusting.” 

“That’s an understatement.” Chen added while pinning the other side of the cloth to the line.

“Karma is gonna bite you guys’ asses.” I commented as I bent down to grab another blanket.

Tao helped me, sweat trickling down his face as he said, “not a chance. I wish we didn’t have mates.” 

“Yeah see, I wish I got to choose my own mate.” Chen said, “it would be better than suddenly realizing that a total stranger has been chosen for you.”

He was right. In a way, having a mate was intimate and created a bond unlike any other, but somehow most of the wolves’ mates had just lopped out of nowhere, myself included. 

“How did you do it, Seulmi?” Chen asked while Tao grimaced at the flirty banter that was occurring on the other side of the laundry line. 

I reached up to pin another sheet, “do what?” 

“How did you manage to love Luhan when you barely even knew him?” 

I managed not to choke on my own spit, “love is a strong word.”

“But you do, don’t you?” Tao persisted.

I thought about it as my thoughts turned into an anxious kind of panic that churned in my stomach. My chest tightened as I thought of our relationship. What did I feel for Luhan anyway? Could I really claim it as strong as love? 

“I-I guess. I’m not too sure myself.” I managed not to make a fool of myself and hoped they wouldn’t notice the flush in my cheeks, “it’s difficult to explain. You’ll understand once you actually experience it.”

“Does that mean you’re planning on doing it soon?” Came Chen’s remark as he wriggles his brows suggestively, to which I scowled and slapped him with a clean blanket, “none of your goddamn business.”

“We’ll make sure not to be around when that happens.” Tao added with a teasing grin.

I glared at them both, “not funny you guys.”

“I’m hilarious if I may say so myself.” Chen stated. 

We were interrupted by a loud bang as the backdoor burst open, only to reveal a slightly disoriented, messy haired and dazed Baekhyun. He was breathing hard, chest heaving up and down as we all turned to him with curious eyes.

“Baek?” Suho advanced towards him, his alpha power already radiating with worry, “you alright?”

“I—“ he looked like he was choking on his own words, lips trembling when he swallowed and tried again, “I—I think I’m gonna be a dad.” 

A pause. Then, “what?” came Chen’s exclamation of surprise.

My jaw dropped to the floor at the sudden statement. That meant that—

Taehee was pregnant.

The girls squealed and the boys congratulated the couple. The house was filled with the buzzing air of joy and wonder as everyone’s excitement rose above each other. It was the first baby to be delivered to the family and there was no denying the pure happiness plastered on everyone’s faces. 

“Since when?!” Sarang was staring at Taehee’s tummy as if she was expecting to  physically see any sign of the baby. The newly-announced mother only grinned shyly before replying, “I realized it a few weeks after I had missed my period.” 

“And here I thought I’d be first to have a baby.” Mihye sighed, “I’m not getting any younger either.”

“Can I be his godmother?!” Sarang exclaimed with excitement. 

“His?” Taehee echoed as her hands covered her stomach, “I was thinking it was a she.” 

“I’ll be the godfather!” Chanyeol popped up from behind the couch with a wide toothy grin almost breaking his face in two, “please please please let me be the godfather.”

“That’s Baekhyun’s business,” Taehee grinned, “you go fight him if you want to be godfather.”

“Come on Taehee, put a good word for me, huh?” Chanyeol clasped his hands into a praying gesture as he attempted to blink his wide eyes innocently, “I’ll buy her gifts and look after her when you guys go out and stuff.”

Taehee’s brow rose in curiosity, “if you do my laundry for six months, I’ll make you godfather myself.” 

“Six months?” He echoed, “thats—“ 

“Take it or leave it, Yeol.” She had a grin on her face and he groaned at that, ruffling his strands in frustration. 

“Two months.” He proposed.

“Six.”

“Four months.”

“Five.” She threw him a pointed look. “Last call.” 

“Fine!” Chanyeol raised his hands up in defeat, “fine fine, five months.” 

They shook on it and I couldn’t help but laugh at their sibling-like banter. It was heartwarming to see them so close. As someone who didn’t have anyone close enough to understand in high school, it felt like a blessing to be part of this community of individuals that seemed to care so much for each other.

"Do you have any names in mind yet?" Lyn asked as Taehee pushed Chanyeol's face away from her tummy, grumbling under her breath about how stupid he was being for trying to hear the baby when it wasn't even showing yet. 

"No, we just discovered it ourselves this morning after I took the test," She rubbed the nape of her neck, "I'm sure Baek must be pretty overwhelmed himself." 

"We seriously need to renovate and add pieces to this house before we get overcrowded." Mihye said as the rest of the wolves scrambled in to congratulate the newly acclaimed mother. Taehee was practically glowing and it was radiating from her skin like sunshine. I pursed my lips and wondered whether it was a thing that all mothers had, whether it was something that my mother had when she had me. 

Because of the good news, there was bound to be a wedding to celebrate the union of Taehee and Baekhyun's first child. According to werewolf tradition, the blood bond was the first stage of marriage which focused on the process of conceiving children to promote the bloodline. The wedding was then arranged when the firstborn was announced, for it was an event that required attendance of packs from the other side of the country, as well as other parts of the world. Marriage was something bigger than anyone could ever expect, it surpassed the boundaries of human union and wasn't just about the two individuals, but about the various packs and the alliances that were made to celebrate this union. In a way, it was a formality to showcase that we are entrusted to the peace and quiet of the town which Kris and Suho's packs had been sworn to protect. 

I found Luhan on the front porch that evening in his wolf form, his silver fur glinting in the moonlight as he seemed to be gazing at the city lights scattered over the town like a map of constellations that didn't make sense. 

I sat down gingerly next to him, legs dangling from the wooden edge as I leaned back to look up at the clear night sky. The moon was a slither of a chesire cat's smile, illuminating bright and glinting off the landscape like a vast ocean. 

Luhan's response was immediate. He pushed his snout closer and settled his head onto my lap. I dropped a hand on his hand and didn't hesitate to his fur, a small smile falling from my lips upon hearing the soft growl of contentment emitting from his chest. 

"Weddings are a pretty big thing, huh?" I said to him while my fingers ran through his silver strands. He was warm, a comforting presence in the chilly April air. It wasn't summer yet, traces of spring still present, "I heard Suho and Kris talking about all the preparations. You'd think a prince was getting married." 

He made a small noise of agreement and leaned against my hand, persistently asking me to pet him some more. I complied, "Are we going to have to go through this too?" 

He shook his head at that. That didn't satisfy me, "It'd be nice to have an actual answer." 

Sighing, he morphed into his wolf form and for a second I almost yelped at the sight of his face so close to mine. The moonlight reflected off the planes of his features, making him appear softer, rounder somehow. He looked pure and peaceful, the epitome of an angel fallen upon eart. I cursed inwardly, hating how effortlessly flawless he could look with minimum effort. 

"They have to do it for the first wolf of the pack that bears an offspring." Luhan's alto was a comforting tone to my ears, "But the rest of the offspring that follow don't necessarily need a huge wedding. It's just because it's the first." 

"Then why are the alphas not keen on having children?" I shifted and absentmindedly traced his eyebrows, "They've been with their mates for a very long time, right?" 

"They don't want to put us at risk." Luhan said as gentleness spread across his face, "If they were to bear children, it would automatically trigger some sort of response with the other packs. They don't want competition, but their offspring might give off that message considering that they're alphas."

That made more sense. "So do they still get weddings?" 

"Yeah. But then they'd only invite family. Using Baekhyun's wedding to invite all the other packs is a way of showing that we mean no harm." 

"Is Baekhyun okay with that?" 

"Baekhyun knew of the consequences." Luhan suddenly lifted himself off and settled himself in a sitting position next to me, his thigh pressing onto mine and the warmth from his shoulder spreading over my limbs in a tantalizing, delicious feeling that made me giddy on the inside. I felt like slapping myself for sounding so weak. 

"Every newly mated wolf gets told of the risks they take when conceiving offspring because that's our responsibility. But Baekhyun doesn't mind, he's always wanted children." he chuckled. While he'd been talking, his hands had automatically interwoven with mine, fingers slotted like missing tetris pieces. "I guess it's not fair to Mihye or Krystal, but doing otherwise would just trigger misunderstandings." 

I nodded in understanding and thought of how much weight the two alphas had to carry upon their shoulders. Did they go to sleep every night thinking of all these issues concerning the pack? No wonder they never had time to spend with their mates if they had to direct and assess the pack's well-being on a permanently second-by-second basis. 

"How do you even choose your alphas?" I suddenly blurted out my question. 

Luhan's lips turned at the corners when he chuckled, bumping shoulders with me lightly while I felt his thumb slide across the back of my hand in a somewhat comforting motion. It sent goosebumps up the said arm and made me want to sigh in satisfaction. There was just something about having Luhan so close that made my heart cartwheel inside my chest. 

"You don't, not really. They either have it in their blood or are chosen when they overthrow the last pack's leader." Luhan explained.

"So how come you guys have two alphas?" 

"Kris stepped down to share the position with Suho when Suho proved he could overrule him." 

"Really?" I thought of Suho, of his sweet dimpled smile and his gentle eyes. He had some guts. Luhan seemed to read my mind for he voiced out the answer to my unanswered questions, "Suho's just as powerful as Kris, but their dads were blood brothers that had to fight for the title. Kris's dad had been the previous alpha of the whole pack, but when it was passed down to Kris he agreed to have a battle with Suho to see who was the greater leader." Luhan shrugged then, "One thing led to another and Kris decided that Suho deserved to be alpha. From then onwards they shared the position."

His explanation rendered me silent. From looking at both of them, I wouldn't have guessed that this was the result of such a battle. I guess that this was the way things worked in the lycanthrope society. It was just like the human world, where the best were given priority to lead. And it made sense, for without Suho and Kris's leadership then we wouldn't be where we are today, if anything. They had done so much, sacrificied nights of sleep and spent countless hours worrying about everyone but themselves. It was tough indeed being an alpha, especially when there was such a large group of wolves to look after. 

I got jolted out of my thoughts when I felt Luhan's lips brushing against my palm. I blinked at the sudden action, taken aback as I wasn't really used to having him display so much intimate affection. 
"What is it?" I couldn't help but question him. 

He rose an eyebrow in amusement, "You're asking?" 

I gestured towards our linked hands, and I got another flash of his gentle smile before he leaned over and pressed another kiss to the side of my head. 

The flush of embarassment rushed through my neck, shivers dancing up and down my spine at the contact. His heat wasn't helping things either; for I felt the delicious aura that made my head spin in desire.

"Can I help you?" I throw him a glare to scare him off and make a move to whip my hands out of his grip, only to have him tighten his hand over mine before dragging me closer. I slammed into him, warmth rolling over my body in tantalizing waves and his face milimeters from mine. 

I gulped, searching his eyes with defiance in mine. 

"I've always wanted kids," He leaned in even closer, and it was when I couldn't move that I realized he had wrapped his other arm around my waist, eyes peering into mine with mischief, "You know that, right sweetheart?"

"Is that any of my problem?" I snapped back.

I jumped out of my skin when his nose brushed mine intimately, breath washing over my face and causing me to feel lightheaded, "Definitely." he chuckled before bumping his forehead against mine gently, "Not now, but it'll definitely be a future problem."

"I don't think I agreed to this." 

A smirk danced across Luhan's lips, "I don't think you have a choice."

"Consent is a two-way thing." 

"And you gave consent the moment you accepted the bond." 

"I did not--" 

"Did too." 

I sighed dramatically to show that I wasn't amused, but when I was faced with the soft, affectionate smile, I couldn't stop mirroring his expression while gazing into those silver orbs swirling with so much affection, so much tenderness. I once laughed at the proverb of someone's saying that you could see the entire world in someone's eyes. I believed it to be false, as many other sayings that were usually full of nothing but crap. 

But looking into Luhan's eyes were different. It was open and vulnerable and filled with an unlimited amount of passion. All directed at me. 

It was something to know how much you mean to someone. 

It was something else entirely to know how much they mean to you. 
And right now, looking into those glittering grey pupils that were bearing open his soul, I realized with a pang in my chest that Luhan meant so much to me than I would've imagined possible. 

"What?" Luhan's voice suddenly jolted me out of my small reverie. He gazed at me with a somewhat confused, yet amused expression, "Why are you looking at me like that?" 

"It's not like you can't read my mind, right?" 
"You told me not to." 

"Since when do you ever listen?" I raised an eyebrow at him, to which he broke into a smug smile, "True that." 

And then, before I knew what was happening, he had dragged me over onto his lap and his arms laced around my middle to keep me in place. Giving him a shocked expression, my intiial response was to struggle my way out, only to have his iron grip pinning me down in place. He proceeded to his nose into the depths of my neck before nuzzling the area gently, while his hand caressed the side of my hip. I let out a sigh despite my embarrassment at being in such a provocative position, his delicious scent causing me to feel lightheaded while his touch left scorch marks of heat scattering over my flesh.

"Wh-what do you think you're doing?" I stammered out, feeling like slapping myself for sounding so weak and breathy. 

It didn't help matters when Luhan's lips ghosted over my neck and caused a series of goosebumps to rise along my spine, "what does it look like I'm doing?"

His murmur was warm and throaty, warmth pooling into my stomach as I couldn't help pondering over how attractive that was.

I scoff, "Is that a rhetorical question?" 

"You're the one who asked." his lips suddenly shifted to the side of my jaw, and was it my imagination or did I hear a growl rumble through his chest at the contact? 
Butterflies exploded over my stomach. I felt like I was swimming underwater, feeling everything at a heightened sensation and somehow feeling my body relax and unwind at the same time.

I felt his hands tightening around my hips, pulling me even closer if that was possible while a yelp suddenly escaped my throat. Luhan chuckled, nose still contouring the side of my face before I turned to face him so that I was gazing straight into his eyes. Our lips were milimeters from each other and it felt like we were sharing the same air, for I felt his breath wash over my face and tingling my cheeks with mild heat. 

I flushed, dragging my brown orbs away and trying to find anything else interesting I could look at that would spare me the embarrassment. I could only settle for his shirt, which I only then realized I had curled my hands onto it in fistfuls. 

My heart was practically bursting through my chest, richocheting off like a pebble being tossed around in a pinball machine. 

One of his hands reached for my chin, cupping it in his fingers so that I had no other choice but to face him once more. 

Specks of silver met my boring brown eyes, swirling with glittering dust of red that spoke of his desire. I felt him all around me, his aura and his feelings blanketing my skin in a peaceful embrace, a cocoon that was giving me the protection I needed. It was soft and sensitive, but warm and firm at the same time. It was an unexplainable feeling, something I've never experienced before. 

I loved him. 

As soon as I spoke out those words to myself, I felt a ripple through the air, the surge of joy that sparked within Luhan's own mind as he heard my call. Softly, as though I was made out of porcelain, he cupped my cheek, thumb tracing circular patterns over the reddened skin. 

"Took you long enough." He murmured. 

I rolled my eyes, "Okay but you weren't supposed to hear that--" 

He cut me off with a kiss. 

A kiss that I melted right into, smiling slightly as my hands wound around his neck and he pressed me even closer so that I felt the heat of his chest travel over to mine in a dizzying, sizzling sensation of heat. 

His lips moved over mine and against mine, tilting our faces to match each other's pace. One of his hands s at the nape of my neck, pressing me close while his other hand managed to slip through my shirt and caress the skin at the small of my back. A series of sparks ignited behind my eyelids as I tried not to let out a soft groan of satisfaction. He heard my struggle anyway and nibbled on my lower lip in a teasing manner. I proceeded to run a hand through his brown locks, tugging and raking my fingers through his scalp when I heard a guttural growl erupt from his chest. 

I smiled. He was definitely not immune to my touches, nor does he have that much self-restraint. 

Our lips parted for breath and he took this chance to explore my neck, scattering a bunch of butterfly kisses across my skin while a gasp fell from my lips at the dizzying sensation. Fire was at the bottom of my stomach, twisting it into knots. I bet Luhan could feel my body's responses, for when his mouth suddenly landed on a sweet spot, it took all of my self control not to moan out loud although the sound died halfway through my voice box. I felt him smirk before applying more pressure with his lips, tongue and teeth joining while I writhed against his body, partly wanting to move away from this sensory overdrive and part of me wanting him to continue his small adventure.

He chuckled good-naturedly and if I felt red before, I was practically burning like a fire truck in his arms. The warmth emitted from his heat was wrapped around me, not enough to be uncomfortable, but enough to make me feel as though I was swimming in a delicious dream that left me dazed and disoriented. 

"Luhan," I suddenly pushed him away to look into his eyes, and when I caught sight of the look on his face, an expression filled with affection and a delicate tenderness reflected in those silver pupils, I felt another blossoming heat in the middle of my chest and pulling at my heartstrings. I wondered briefly if I was mirroring the same look while he was gazing at me, I wondered if he knew how deeply I felt for this said man. 

"I know." He murmured, almost too low for me to catch. The word was practically choked out from his throat and I could feel the restrained emotion in his alto. 

But those two words were enough. My lower lip trembled and I bit my teeth into it so that I wouldn't cry. I didn't even know why I was feeling so emotional, but thinking back to all the things he had to go through, all the struggles and the uncertainty of not knowing whether I would reciprocate his feelings, the uncertainty of getting rejected once again. If I had rejected him, then would it have been enough to kill him? 

Of course I didn't want to feel responsible for his death. But I hadn't wanted to feel pressured, and he hadn't. He hadn't forced me to do anything. I had ventured into his arms on my own and accepted his bond because of what he was, not because of his circumstances.

More importantly, he gave me so much to live for. I never really believed in anything or anyone before I met him. I was always on my defensive, always wondering when the next bomb would be set off. But Luhan gave me reasons to trust him, gave me various chances at being open and vulnerable even if it meant sometimes being weak. He taught me that trust was something shared, something earned that could be beautiful when you made an effort. 

"I can feel it." He said with a small smile as he gently grabbed onto my hand and brought it over his chest. I felt his heart beating, pounding to the beat of my own heart. I heard our hearts beat as one, as if they pulsed in harmony, "You don't have to say it, Seulmi." 

I accept your imprint, I said inwardly, my voice practically screaming it out loud, so loud that it could tear my internal lungs. But I only looked into his eyes, searching for anything that looked a little bit like doubt. I didn't want Luhan to believe, for even one second, that I wasn't being sincere.

Satisfied that he looked pretty content with my feelings, I relaxed my hold and finally slumped against him, letting him hold me in his arms while my head came to a rest in the crook between his neck and shoulder.

"You wolves are weird." I muttered. He laughed softly while his fingers played with a few stray strands of hair that came loose from my ponytail, "I'm not going to argue against that." 

"Do you think you'd love me if you weren't a wolf?" I asked out of mere curiosity, though I felt his body stiffen slightly in response, "What if I wasn't your mate? Do you think we'd still be together?" 

He didn't even hesitate when he replied, "Yes." 

"Really?" I looked up at him in surprise.

"Why not?" he raised a brow as he tugged a stray strand of hair behind my ear, hand lingering a bit longer as it ghosted over my cheekbone, "It's not like I chose to fall in love with you. The bond might be because of fate, but that doesn't decide my feelings." 

It rang straight through my chest. It's not like I chose to fall in love with you. 

Fall in love with you. 

With you. 

I swallowed the bile that had suddenly accumulated in my throat as I didn't really know how to respond in such a situation. I knew that Luhan loved me, I had known from the depths of my heart before he even said those words. His affection and his intentions had been pretty clear. Yet, hearing them just made everything sound so real. It caused my lips to tug upwards unwillingly into a smile, before I broke into a full out grin. 

He grinned back at me, eyes shining before he let out soft chuckles that rumbled through his chest. His hand found the back of my neck once more before he pulled me closer and kissed me chastely. It was a bare pressure of lips against lips, warm and tender and soft.

I could get used to this.

YOOHOOOOO! ANOTHER UPDATE! 

Man, I've been really into EXO lately. Ever since I stumbled upon a playlist containing EXO's OT12 songs, I'vve been listening to them on a loop and it made me realise how much I miss them ;__; Seriously, OT12 was like my entire teenage hood, I grew up listening to these guys and I can't be prouder of how far they have come :,) 
ANYWAYYYYY, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS UPDATE? AREN'T SEULMI AND LUHAN THE CUTEST THING IN THE UNIVERSE LIKE OMG I JUST WANT TO SQUISH THEM INTO A BASKET AND ROCK THEM TO SLEEP UGH THEY'RE ADORABLE TT.TT 

Next chapter will feature more of Kyungsoo and Melody's relationship, but since this is a Luhan fic, it won't take centre stage. Are you guys curious about Kyungsoo's story with Melody? Let me know in the comments down below! ;) 

thanks for reading and supporting this story. All your kind words mean so much and they give me support when I don't feel like writing anymore. Thank you, all of you <3

- nutmeggu