A Bad Moon Rising *redux* 1/2
Pairing: BangLo (quite a bit of nonromantic ZiBang, too)
Length: 6K
Rated: PG13
It was near midnight by the time he got away from the rest of the pack and on his own. His father always told him it wasn't natural the way he preferred loneliness over the group. Wolves were supposed to run together like a family, he often repeated.
But Yongguk preferred the silence over the loud laughter and teasing taunts in his head when he ran. The only sounds were him and the wind whooshing through his ears, the click of his claws on the rocks as he headed towards the mountain.
He ran for miles, only stopping to lap hurriedly at the stream so he could wetten his dry tongue.
Days could have passed up there, alone in the quiet hills, if he hadn't of smelled the blood.
Human blood. And it was fresh.
He looked longingly at the tallest peak where he was heading before he was stopped. It wasn't his responsibility, he told himself. No one would know that he had been here, that he had ignored the thick smell in his nose and fuck- was that someone moaning?
Sighing at his always unfortunate luck, he turned towards the sound and came out at the bottom of a hill.
A boy lay sprawled out at the base, his head almost completely covered in dirty blood, his leg bent at an unfortunate angle. Another cry of pain sailed out of his lips before Yongguk realized he had been sitting frozen for a few minutes.
He circled the body not the slightest bit worried about frightening the boy. He had lost so much blood that he was probably verging on unconsciousness.
The nearest hospital was about ten miles away. The thought of carrying him that far was already putting an ache in his back. Maybe he could just turn around and pretend. It wasn't his fault the idiot fell and hurt himself. Darwinism and all that shit. Bang Yongguk was responsible for only Bang Yongguk.
As if had somehow heard his internal dilemma, which was impossible, only mates could do that, the boy turned his head to look right into his eyes.
"Hello." The surprisingly innocent voice spoke up calmly.
Yongguk stared at him with unblinking eyes. Was he so far out of it that he was actually expecting a response?
"You're the prettiest puppy I've ever seen." He tried again. He chuckled at the warning growl from Yongguk before wincing at the pain it caused him. "You don't like being called a puppy? I'm sorry. You're a big, strong doggie."
Yongguk snapped his teeth at him, not appreciating the brat's attitude. When you're lying helpless in the middle of the woods and a giant wolf is staring you down, your first though shouldn't be sass.
But the way those bright eyes twinkled at him in amusement was enough to make Yongguk's anger melt. With a grimace he dropped down onto the ground beside him and started lapping at the blood covered cheeks. He was going to have to carry him and he did not want blood matting into his fur.
“That feels good.” The boy closed his eyes and reached his good hand up to tangle into Yongguk’s brown fur. “Good doggie.”
Yongguk nipped playfully at his jaw, drawing a quick laugh and then a pained grimace.
“Am I dead?” He questioned slowly, looking up into Yongguk’s serious eyes. “There’s a giant dog taking care of me who acts like it understands everything I’m saying. I have to be dead, right?”
With a huff, Yongguk ignored the dog comment and carefully used his teeth to drag him up by his t-shirt. When he had him somewhat in a sitting position, he sunk down to his haunches and motioned for him to get on.
Licking his torn lips, the hurt boy managed to climb awkwardly onto his back, hands tugging almost painfully hard on the fur around Yongguk’s neck as he tried to hang on.
“Don’t drop me okay?” His voice trembled. “I’m trusting you puppy.”
This comment he ignored, because the breath in his ear was making his stomach roll and if he didn’t stop panting like that against him then Yongguk was going to buck his body off in shock.
The way back into town was going to be long and slow, especially since he didn’t want to jostle him by moving too fast. But if he could find somewhere where there were clothes then he could change and move a lot faster.
“You’re warm.” The more tired he got, the deeper his voice became. “When I get home you can live with me okay?” His words were starting to slur as he let himself relax, feeling safe on his wolf’s back. “I’ll take good care of you. Our house is small but you can sleep in my bed. You’ll be mine.”
Yongguk stumbled at the images he was putting into his head. For god’s sake, he didn’t even know what the kid looked like under all of the dirt and blood covering him. All he knew was that his eyes were wide and deep and he smelled like the forest. It wasn’t just the environment rubbing off on him, it was his natural scent. Yongguk could smell it in his pores, in the roots of his hair, even his heartbeat pounded against his back like the roaring of the river.
“Good, good doggie.” He mumbled under his breath, finally drifting into a deep slumber.
Yongguk rolled him carefully into the grass before changing back into his human form, head cocked to the side as he finally got a good look at him.
In wolf form he was ran by emotions and let his sense of smell and natural instincts take over. But as a human he had time to slowly look him over, noticing right away that he was young, possibly even a teenager still. And attractive, much to his annoyance. The boy’s curly hair was littered with leaves and sticks, but when he gently combed them out he could feel how soft each strand was, the boy’s scent sticking to his hands like glue.
When he pulled away he tried rubbing it off on the grass but it seemed to envelop him like a cloud, the smell covering his body like a second skin, crawling all over him no matter how much he tried to rub it away. It pulled at the fine hairs on the back of his neck, whispered into his ears and tickled the thin skin around his wrists, pulling him towards the prone body like a magnet.
“Fuck.” He muttered under his breath as he carefully lifted the heavy body into his arms, effectively bringing the problem closer to him instead of pushing it away like he wanted. “You look like you’re sixteen, why do you weigh as much as me?”
The boy groaned slightly in his sleep, brows furrowing as his sore body rubbed against Yongguk’s firm one. “Hurts.”
He trembled in Yongguk’s arms until his hold tightened, a soft hum leaving his lips as he tried to soothe the pain out of him. “Shhh. We’re going to get help, I promise.”
Even though the hospital was still eight miles away, he managed to get there in half the time than it would have taken if the boy was awake. He knew how to run fast and how to run carefully, keeping the broken body still as he maneuvered his way through the trees.
He looked around cautiously to make sure no one was around so that he could gently lay the lifeless body in front of the emergency room without being seen. The hands that were clenched into his hair had to be pried off, a whine of discontent sounding when Yongguk had to detach them.
“Good-bye.” His deep voice murmured, taking one last stroke through the dirty curled hair.
Without a single look back he stole away into the night, hoping that his presence would be forgotten, much like he wished to erase this night from his memory.
---
“You were gone all night.” His cousin smirked at him from the doorway, pulling him out of a deep sleep filled with soft skin and heavy pants against his ear.
Yongguk groaned and pulled his pillow over his face. “Fucking hell, Zico. It’s not even noon!”
The other boy shrugged, tongue darting around the sucker in his hand. “I was told to use whatever means necessary to get you up. You should feel glad I only turned on the light. God, this room is a hole.”
“I like it dark.” Yongguk’s voice was muffled as he refused to come out. “And quiet. No Zico’s allowed.”
Zico snorted and ripped the sheet off the window, the immediate brightness making Yongguk flinch and call him a few names that would have made their mothers cringe.
“I hate him.” Yongguk mumbled after kicking the laughing boy out so that he could fix his window and plunge the room back into darkness. When he finally decided to drag himself out of bed, it was to a welcoming committee of his mother and father.
And his grandfather.
That was never good.
Yongguk grimaced as he leaned against the awaiting chair to wait patiently for the tongue lashing he knew was coming.
“Shishi.” His grandfather spoke first, the authority rumbling through his bones and making his teeth chatter.
“It’s Yongguk.” He replied stubbornly, ignoring the painful clenching of his chest when he tried to suppress the Alpha influence.
His father growled, eyes flashing blue for a moment as the wolf’s anger was tapped into. “We do not approve of your attitude, Shishi.” The tone held a warning, but it wasn’t for his son’s well-being, but rather for his own. Any slight towards one was a slight towards them all and Bang Sangmun hated to be looked down on, especially by his father, the Alpha.
His son was going to be the next in the line to take over that role if Sangmun had to drag him there kicking and screaming.
“Sit.” It was not a request.
He refused to look at them when he sat, clenching his jaw and staring angrily at the carpet below his feet instead. If they wanted to teach him a lesson then it was going to be by force.
“You didn’t come home until daybreak. Where did you go?”
Shrugging off Jinah’s, his mother’s, question, he impatiently tapped his fingers against the arm rest.
“How about you start with telling us why you smell like a human.” The Alpha’s voice resonated through him like a hammer on steel, his body vibrating with pain.
“I don’t…” He groaned until the command subsided. “Maybe because I am a human.”
“You are not a human!” Sangmun slammed his hands on the desk and snarled at him. “You may look human and you may act like a child sometimes, but your wolf controls you whether you like it or not.”
Yongguk finally snapped, his brown eyes glinting with flecks of ice blue as he glared angrily at them. “I went running in the mountains! I lost track of time and that’s it!” An inner voice inside of him told him to keep the boy a secret, one that no one could find out about him. The thought of his grandfather tracking down the soft eyes and trusting voice made his chest throb for some reason. “I’m sorry.” He forced out through gritted teeth, head bowing in submission.
A sly head tilt from his grandfather let him know that his story was not one hundred percent believed.
“Whose smell is that then?” Jinah asked carefully. She could tell how jumpy the other two males were and she was worried for her son. “And why is it covering you?”
He had no idea what they were talking about. Surely the boy didn’t rub that much of a scent off on him. He only carried him through the woods, they didn’t bond or anything. “Uh, well, I borrowed some clothes from a house by the river. I haven’t taken a bath since then that must be why it’s still on me.”
Sangmun narrowed his eyes at his son. “You are not allowed in the woods until the smell disappears. We don’t want the rest of the pack being alarmed by it when you’re out there. They might think you have taken someone and become intimidated by you. It’s time you were joined and we need all the willing females we can find.”
He shuddered at the thought of mating with one of the girls from their village. Even if some were so distantly related that it shouldn’t matter, there were still the few cousins he knew they would aim for. His own parents were second cousins and he hated that aspect of pack life. Joining’s were allowed outside of the village, but the Alpha had to approve it and he rarely did.
“Yes sir.” He bowed his head, hoping that looking submissive would get him out of this easier. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t let it happen again, Shishi. You are the future Alpha and you need to behave as such.” Grandfather pointed to the door, signifying their conversation was done.
He nodded and ran out of the house towards his cousin’s, waiting for the half-dressed boy to come to the door.
“What do you want?” Zico yawned and scratched his belly. A flushed girl in a sundress and torn sweater smiled shyly at him as she pushed past. “Thanks Eunmi, I’ll call you.”
Her face drooped and she forced the smile back on her lips as she walked away.
“Her name is Eunsu.” Yongguk told him dryly, shoving him back to enter the house. “How can you not know that, she lives over by the edge of the clearing.”
Zico shrugged and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. “I have more important things to remember than the names of little baby wolves who can’t even keep their dignity intact.”
“And what do you call yourself then? You lost your dignity years ago. ”
His eyes suddenly flashed with hurt making Yongguk regret the callous comment. He knew his cousin hated the way he lived and was desperate to find someone, but he tried to replace the loneliness with women. No matter if he knew them or even if he was in the mood, he had a different girl in his bed multiple times a week and never came through on his promise to call.
“Grandfather told me I need to act more like an Alpha.” Yongguk changed the subject much to both of their relief. “All I did was take a longer than normal run through the forest.”
Zico snorted and pulled leftovers out to make a snack. “It smells like you rolled around in someone’s bed, Yongguk. It’s not insanely strong, but it’s definitely there. Hey, no judgment. But I make sure and don’t let any scents stay attached to me. It’s a mental thing. You must have obviously accepted it.”
He groaned and dug his palms into his eyes. Maybe he should have just left that kid to die.
The wolf growled threateningly, whispering into his brain that he wouldn’t have been allowed and he wanted to skin it alive.
Goddammit he hated it when his cousin was right.
---
For two weeks he had been going slowly crazy.
Yongguk was almost positive he was hallucinating. He could hear a quiet voice murmuring in his ears as he slept, could feel the fingers scratching across his fur every time he was in his wolf form and he was about to go insane from the insatiable need for something in his chest that wouldn’t go away.
“You still smell.” Zico woke him up with a wrinkle of his nose and a plate of pancakes. “Whoever this girl is she must have fucked you up good.”
“Go away.” He muttered, curling back into his pillow and wishing he could escape into his dream filled with soft touches and meaningful words whispered against heated skin. “I’m off patrol until the scent goes away so I don’t have to get out of bed until I want to.”
Zico pulled the blanket away ignoring the shouts of protest. “Your dad told me to wake you up. Even if you’re off patrol you can still be stuck on errand boy duty. You have to go into town and pick up supplies.”
He hated errands but if it got him out of the village for a few hours he would gladly take the job. “Help me up.”
Huffing, Zico hauled him to his feet and shoved the plate at him. “You’re lucky you’re my favorite cousin or I would just poison you and no one would ever know.” His eyes gleamed. “Then I would be next in line for Alpha.”
Yongguk snorted. “You wouldn’t like being in charge and you know it. You’re looking forward to being second in command and having all the power with none of the responsibilities.”
“Hmm. That’s true. You better snap out of this funk then because if both of us can’t step up then that means it’s your father.” They both grimaced at the thought of Sangmun in charge. His ego at being the son of the current Alpha and the father of Yongguk was already sky high. He didn’t need any more of a boost.
---
“You are to come right back when you are finished.” His father ordered him, handing a list of everything they needed over. “I don’t want you hanging around in town. The last time you were out of my sight you didn’t come home until the sun had risen.”
“Yes sir.” Yongguk muttered, snatching the list out of his hands and slipping a pair of shoes on.
Sangmun watched him go with a frown on his lips. His son was hiding something and he was bound and determined to find out what it was soon.
Mumbling to himself as he walked, Yongguk named off everything he hated about being a wolf from the first day of school when he was stared at when he entered by all the kids who had heard from their parents about the future Alpha, to today where he just wanted to run in the wood for hours all by himself without a single worry in his head.
He had made it all the way to town before he realized that he was being tugged, his feet moving him against his will towards the opposite side that he needed to go. All of the stores he had to go to were on the side where the forest opened up. But he was being pulled towards the busiest streets near the center.
The beast awoke with a roar, his attention perked up at something that Yongguk couldn’t quite see yet. By the time he made it to the deli district he was almost running and he had to grab ahold of a light pole just to stop his feet.
He could feel the wolf clawing at his skin, threatening to break free and it made his flesh itch and he thought he was going to pass out if he didn’t acknowledge it.
Thankfully there was an alley on the next block up and he managed to escape down to the end of it and could breathe a little better when he wasn’t surrounded on all sides by dozens of people and smells. That smell.
He whimpered embarrassingly loud and was glad no one was around to hear it. God, if Zico was there he would never hear the fucking end of it.
What was he reacting so strongly to and why did it make his wolf so hysterical?
The odor was thick in the air around him, almost feeling like he was walking through water. His body was abnormally heavy as he collapsed in a heap with no care at all for the filth that was surely covering his clothes.
Another high-pitched whine escaped his lips, the wolf seeing the chance to slip through and desperately trying to take it.
“Not now.” He muttered through clenched teeth. “We’re in public.”
With a huff of displeasure the beast finally quieted down and went back to its home deep inside of his chest. But they both knew that he was just lying in wait for the next opportunity to assert his dominance over the weak-minded human body it had been saddled with.
Ever since he was born it had been the pride of his father’s life that his son was the one with the most dominant inner animal. He had made it a point to brag to any family member that would listen that Yongguk was born to be an Alpha. Even his grandfather acknowledged that there hadn’t been such a strong wolf born in generations.
But Yongguk despised it. It wasn’t fun knowing that at any point it could decide to burst through. No matter how many years humans had evolved, the wolves never went past basic dominant characteristics.
No, Yongguk most assuredly was not proud of his inheritance.
With a wince, he finally was able to stand up and brush the unidentified dirt and mess off his pants. He was hesitant to go back up the way he came, but he had been sent on errands for his father and the punishment for not following orders was a million time worse than the world finding out that a man could turn into an animal at will.
His heart beat started to speed up again when he rounded the corner and the familiar smell once again invaded his senses. It was like walking out of his house and into the woods, the deep smell of tree bark combined with the fresh scent of new green leaves and it was all he could do to keep upright.
The beast started murmuring into his ear, low growls that he could barely hear, but rather felt, his body following orders, feet carrying him to wherever he was told to go.
He half walked/half ran with no clear destination, bumping into passerby’s without a second of hesitation until he was finally thrown to a stop in front of a local sandwich shop’s door. Inside, his beast urged him. Insidegoweneedgo.
With a stiff body, Yongguk pushed his way into the building, his muscles only unclenching when he finally locked his eyes onto his target.
Him.
That boy he had saved so many days earlier. With the swollen cheeks and bloody body and the sweet smile as he petted him with absolutely zero fear.
Junhong.
The excellent eyesight might have been a side-effect of his jumbled DNA, but for once Yongguk wasn’t going to complain about it. He could read the name tag from across the store and he knew his name and it was Junhong and he was his and the beast was howling in his throat in happiness.
“Can I help you find something?” That voice was one he would recognize anywhere. And even though his eyes were no longer puffy and bloodshot, they still were the same ones that had been torturing him every sliver of sleep he had managed to get over the last two weeks.
He took so long controlling the screaming in his chest that the boy, no Junhong, started to look worried.
“Are you okay?” He gripped the edge of the counter nervously and eyed his crutches out of the corner of his eyes just in case he needed to grab them and attack. “Do you… Do you need me to call someone for you?”
Yongguk realized he had been standing there for an embarrassingly long amount of time with an open mouth and wide eyes and covered with the dirt from the alley. “S-Sorry.” He cleared his throat and motioned towards the menu. “Can I have a sandwich?”
Junhong waited for him to continue. “You have to tell me what kind.” He supplied helpfully.
Well fuck. Decisions like that were way over his skill level at the moment. “Surprise me?” He gave him an awkward shrug.
With a hesitant nod, the boy eyed Yongguk for a moment with judging eyes. “You look like you eat healthy.” He finally decided. “Salads, vegetables, all that boring stuff.”
Yongguk huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “There is nothing wrong with being in shape!”
Rolling his eyes, Junhong grabbed two pieces of the whole grain loaf. “But the other stuff is so good! Ice cream and chocolate bars and candy!” Dark eyes lit up in excitement as he gushed over all of his favorite foods to an amused Yongguk.
By the time he had finished putting together a sandwich, Yongguk was well-versed in how yogurt and ice cream were actually two very different things thank you very much, and that if you covered potato chips in melted chocolate it was so good you practically cried.
He presented Yongguk with a wrapped square, his face still lit up in delight. “Here you go. One overly healthy, boring sandwich with absolutely nothing delicious on it whatsoever.”
Yongguk’s lips twitched as he handed his money over.
“Why are you working if your leg’s in a cast?” He could see the grimaces that crossed his face every time he moved and the pained expressions stabbed at his heart like a knife. “Shouldn’t you be at home resting?”
He got a shrug in response. “I took a few days off after I got hurt. Got to keep working though. My uncle owns this place and he depends on my help.”
Loyalty.
That trait went straight through him. Telling a wolf you’re loyal was one of the smartest things you could do.
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll make you a real sandwich.” The boy’s eyes cheeks were pressed deep with dimples when he grinned and his whole face lit up and Yongguk ached.
“Deal.” He replied, finally letting a rarely seen smile cross his lips.
When he left he felt lighter, his expression still one of joy, the wolf inside of him was even content. He doubted that anything could dampen his mood.
“You smell like a human.”
He always forgot about Zico.
“Who is it? Is that why you stayed out that one night? What’s her name? She hot?” Zico danced around him in glee when he finally finished his errands and ran home. “Does she have nice boobs?”
“Shut up.” Yongguk growled, pushing the troll out of his way. “I was in town today. Of course I smell like humans.”
Zico smirked. “You don’t notice it, do you? It’s not humans, Yongguk. It’s human. As in one. I can still smell one particular scent on you. And it’s so fucking strong no one could miss it, trust me.”
He groaned and sniffed his shirt. “I don’t smell anything.” There was a light trace of the woods on his shirt, the heady scent of fall leaves just barely tickling his nose.
“Yongguk?” Zico cocked his head to the side in confusion. “Have you mated and not realized it?”
Sputtering, he jumped away from his cousin, worried the crazy might catch. “What? Of course not! What are you talking about?”
Zico reached over and ripped Yongguk’s jacket off before he had even realized what had happened. He slipped it over his shoulders and raised an eyebrow. “Well?”
“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but it’s n-“ A snarl burst out of his lips when the smell suddenly hit his nose. Junhong mixed in with Zico. As if Zico had claimed him. “Take. It. Off.” He warned, eyes flashing blue and canines enlarging against his will.
The beast was screaming at him to demolish the enemy, tear him into tiny pieces, devour him.
“Mine.”
“So you wanna tell me who she is?” Zico carefully threw the jacket back at him, recognizing the threat of an angry future Alpha.
“No.” He muttered, cradling the material preciously in his arms.
It never failed this asshole always managed to ruin his day. He had just come back from finally seeing the person who had been haunting every second of his days and he had eaten the most amazing meal he had ever had. It was like the boy knew exactly what he wanted and knowing that his hands, his perfect hands, had put it together just for him was making him prouder than he had ever been in his almost thirty year long life.
“You know I can sniff her out, right?” His cousin’s smirk was back on his damn cherubic face. “You may be the strongest wolf in the pack, but we all know I’m the best tracker. And besides, I have fun sniffing out girls who are in heat.”
“They’re not in heat.” He tried to push past him to no avail.
Zico chuckled. “Oh trust me, anyone strong enough to cover you in their scent like this is definitely ready to be mated. I’m surprised you were even able to hold back.”
“It’s not like that.” He disagreed, continuing to sniff his arm. Now that Zico had threatened his wolf the smell was all he could concentrate on. “I just saved… them.” Wincing, he realized he couldn’t even tell him the truth. That it wasn’t a her but a he.
It wasn’t that mating with a boy was unheard of. Yongguk had seen a few cases in his years. But the future Alpha? That might cause problems.
Children wouldn’t be a cause for concern. You only needed one parent with the wolf gene to make a full-blooded hybrid. The other parent didn’t matter. And if he inseminated a donor with his sperm then they could easily h-
He slapped a hand over his mouth in horror when he realized he was pondering their future children like it was already in motion.
“Dude.” Zico’s eyes were wide with shock. “You just went into heat. Hardcore.” He took a step back, not dumb enough to be close to a newly mated Alpha in heat. That was akin to a death wish. “I’m just gonna…” He pointed awkwardly to the door before running out in a panic.
Yongguk was near panting by this point, the ache filling his body and seeping out through his pores. Anyone in a mile radius would be able to sense it and know to stay away. He glanced down at the newly formed bulge in his jeans and groaned. It was just going to get worse. He could jack off a hundred times and it would still be this painful. Until he fully completed the mating process it would never get better.
He needed Junhong. And he needed him now.
---
It wasn’t difficult to find his house. Now that he was covered in his scent it was practically a GPS guiding him to wherever he was. The problem arrived when he smelled two other bodies inside the house. He sniffed again. Both were female. One in her mid-forties and the other not quite at puberty.
Mother and sister he decided.
Junhong was in the back bedroom, the faint sound of snoring emanating through the walls, along with a slight whimper every now and then. His dreams were probably a lot like Yongguk’s had been in the last two weeks. Full of familiar eyes and a deep need for something even if he wasn’t sure what it was yet.
He carefully removed his clothes and hid them beneath a bush behind the house so that he could change easier. Changing with clothes on was a rookie mistake.
The dark blue curtains were closed so he nervously scratched a claw down the window and prayed it didn’t echo throughout the small house. After a few moments he tried it again, a deep sigh of relief when Junhong pried them apart to peer curiously out.
He hung his head and sat back on his haunches to try and appear submissive. He didn’t want to scare him. Now that he was better he might not even remember what had happened and who had saved him.
“Puppy!” A muffled voice yelled excitedly through the glass accompanied by a bang on the glass. The window slid open and a messy head of hair poked through, grin wide on his face. “You came back!” He eyed the drop to the ground in trepidation. “It’s too high for me to climb out…”
Yongguk took a step closer, still going slowly so as not to frighten him. When he was against the house, he jumped up to put his front paws on the wall beside the window.
Junhong clapped happily, his hand immediately going to the wolf’s head, sliding a warm palm down and over his neck, ruffling the brown fur between his fingers. “My doggie.” He murmured, scratching behind his ears and earning a hum that vibrated through Yongguk’s whole body.
His face had a long scratch down his temple and into his hairline. It was going to leave a scar. Yongguk wondered how he could have even thought about leaving him there to die that night. What would the world be like without this energy inhabiting it?
When his tongue lapped at the pink scar gently, Junhong’s giggles were so sweet he felt like crying and he hated Zico for being so right and dammit, this was his mate.
“I knew you were real.” The voice was too innocent and trusting to be this deep. “I told everyone about you but no one believed me. They put me on so much medicine after the accident that I didn’t know what was happening for three days until I finally realized I had to stop talking about you or they would just keep giving it to me.” His hands cupped Yongguk’s muzzle and he rubbed his cheek across his nose. “But you were real. And you came back.”
He whined and nuzzled his neck, breathing him in and feeling his whole body relax for the first time in ages. This was the person who was meant to take his stresses away, the only one who would ever be able to calm him down and keep him sane.
“Are you staying?” The voice asked a little while later. He sounded so hopeful and Yongguk hated the dejected look in his eyes when he pulled away. “You’re leaving again?” Junhong bit his lip and rested his cheek on the window sill, his fingers still playing absentmindedly with Yongguk’s ear. “Please stay?”
Yongguk remorsefully motioned his head towards the mountains in the distance.
“Will I see you again?”
He licked a stripe up the side of his cheek, growling playfully under his breath.
Junhong nodded but his lips were still frowning. “Goodnight.” He smirked and patted Yongguk’s head roughly. “See you later, puppy.”
Yongguk left his house with a jaunt in his step, not even caring that Junhong’s scent was going to be back on him even stronger than before. He didn’t care that his family would find out, that he might get kicked out of the pack, he just didn’t care.
That was a mistake.
---
Zico was waiting for him when he got up the next morning, his eyes lined with worry. “They know, Yongguk. The whole damn town knows. What were you thinking? You brought that scent in like a freaking trail.”
He rubbed his eyes and bit back a yawn. “What am I supposed to do about it? We can’t always choose who to mate and I’m pretty sure that he chose me, not the other way around.”
“He?” Zico froze and dropped the glass of milk he was drinking to the floor, glass shattering around his feet. “Yongguk you didn’t… Tell me you didn’t mate a boy.”
With a helpless smile he shrugged his shoulders and grabbed the broom to sweep up the shards. “Surprise? It’s not like I planned it. And I wouldn’t be the first one.”
His cousin was silent behind him as he thought hard about the situation. Yongguk was right, he wouldn’t be the first wolf to mate with someone of the same sex. But he would be the first Alpha. And that was what worried him.
“Does anyone else know?” He asked carefully, stepping out of the broken glass so that Yongguk could clean it up. “That it’s a boy?”
Yongguk shook his head. “I don’t really tell people my personal business, you know that. I only just found out his name yesterday.”
“This is trouble, Yongguk.” Zico looked worried for him. “This is big, massive trouble.”
He felt a smile grow on his lips and patted him on the head. “He’s worth it. Having a mate is completely worth it.”
part two
Length: 6K
Rated: PG13
It was near midnight by the time he got away from the rest of the pack and on his own. His father always told him it wasn't natural the way he preferred loneliness over the group. Wolves were supposed to run together like a family, he often repeated.
But Yongguk preferred the silence over the loud laughter and teasing taunts in his head when he ran. The only sounds were him and the wind whooshing through his ears, the click of his claws on the rocks as he headed towards the mountain.
He ran for miles, only stopping to lap hurriedly at the stream so he could wetten his dry tongue.
Days could have passed up there, alone in the quiet hills, if he hadn't of smelled the blood.
Human blood. And it was fresh.
He looked longingly at the tallest peak where he was heading before he was stopped. It wasn't his responsibility, he told himself. No one would know that he had been here, that he had ignored the thick smell in his nose and fuck- was that someone moaning?
Sighing at his always unfortunate luck, he turned towards the sound and came out at the bottom of a hill.
A boy lay sprawled out at the base, his head almost completely covered in dirty blood, his leg bent at an unfortunate angle. Another cry of pain sailed out of his lips before Yongguk realized he had been sitting frozen for a few minutes.
He circled the body not the slightest bit worried about frightening the boy. He had lost so much blood that he was probably verging on unconsciousness.
The nearest hospital was about ten miles away. The thought of carrying him that far was already putting an ache in his back. Maybe he could just turn around and pretend. It wasn't his fault the idiot fell and hurt himself. Darwinism and all that shit. Bang Yongguk was responsible for only Bang Yongguk.
As if had somehow heard his internal dilemma, which was impossible, only mates could do that, the boy turned his head to look right into his eyes.
"Hello." The surprisingly innocent voice spoke up calmly.
Yongguk stared at him with unblinking eyes. Was he so far out of it that he was actually expecting a response?
"You're the prettiest puppy I've ever seen." He tried again. He chuckled at the warning growl from Yongguk before wincing at the pain it caused him. "You don't like being called a puppy? I'm sorry. You're a big, strong doggie."
Yongguk snapped his teeth at him, not appreciating the brat's attitude. When you're lying helpless in the middle of the woods and a giant wolf is staring you down, your first though shouldn't be sass.
But the way those bright eyes twinkled at him in amusement was enough to make Yongguk's anger melt. With a grimace he dropped down onto the ground beside him and started lapping at the blood covered cheeks. He was going to have to carry him and he did not want blood matting into his fur.
“That feels good.” The boy closed his eyes and reached his good hand up to tangle into Yongguk’s brown fur. “Good doggie.”
Yongguk nipped playfully at his jaw, drawing a quick laugh and then a pained grimace.
“Am I dead?” He questioned slowly, looking up into Yongguk’s serious eyes. “There’s a giant dog taking care of me who acts like it understands everything I’m saying. I have to be dead, right?”
With a huff, Yongguk ignored the dog comment and carefully used his teeth to drag him up by his t-shirt. When he had him somewhat in a sitting position, he sunk down to his haunches and motioned for him to get on.
Licking his torn lips, the hurt boy managed to climb awkwardly onto his back, hands tugging almost painfully hard on the fur around Yongguk’s neck as he tried to hang on.
“Don’t drop me okay?” His voice trembled. “I’m trusting you puppy.”
This comment he ignored, because the breath in his ear was making his stomach roll and if he didn’t stop panting like that against him then Yongguk was going to buck his body off in shock.
The way back into town was going to be long and slow, especially since he didn’t want to jostle him by moving too fast. But if he could find somewhere where there were clothes then he could change and move a lot faster.
“You’re warm.” The more tired he got, the deeper his voice became. “When I get home you can live with me okay?” His words were starting to slur as he let himself relax, feeling safe on his wolf’s back. “I’ll take good care of you. Our house is small but you can sleep in my bed. You’ll be mine.”
Yongguk stumbled at the images he was putting into his head. For god’s sake, he didn’t even know what the kid looked like under all of the dirt and blood covering him. All he knew was that his eyes were wide and deep and he smelled like the forest. It wasn’t just the environment rubbing off on him, it was his natural scent. Yongguk could smell it in his pores, in the roots of his hair, even his heartbeat pounded against his back like the roaring of the river.
“Good, good doggie.” He mumbled under his breath, finally drifting into a deep slumber.
Yongguk rolled him carefully into the grass before changing back into his human form, head cocked to the side as he finally got a good look at him.
In wolf form he was ran by emotions and let his sense of smell and natural instincts take over. But as a human he had time to slowly look him over, noticing right away that he was young, possibly even a teenager still. And attractive, much to his annoyance. The boy’s curly hair was littered with leaves and sticks, but when he gently combed them out he could feel how soft each strand was, the boy’s scent sticking to his hands like glue.
When he pulled away he tried rubbing it off on the grass but it seemed to envelop him like a cloud, the smell covering his body like a second skin, crawling all over him no matter how much he tried to rub it away. It pulled at the fine hairs on the back of his neck, whispered into his ears and tickled the thin skin around his wrists, pulling him towards the prone body like a magnet.
“Fuck.” He muttered under his breath as he carefully lifted the heavy body into his arms, effectively bringing the problem closer to him instead of pushing it away like he wanted. “You look like you’re sixteen, why do you weigh as much as me?”
The boy groaned slightly in his sleep, brows furrowing as his sore body rubbed against Yongguk’s firm one. “Hurts.”
He trembled in Yongguk’s arms until his hold tightened, a soft hum leaving his lips as he tried to soothe the pain out of him. “Shhh. We’re going to get help, I promise.”
Even though the hospital was still eight miles away, he managed to get there in half the time than it would have taken if the boy was awake. He knew how to run fast and how to run carefully, keeping the broken body still as he maneuvered his way through the trees.
He looked around cautiously to make sure no one was around so that he could gently lay the lifeless body in front of the emergency room without being seen. The hands that were clenched into his hair had to be pried off, a whine of discontent sounding when Yongguk had to detach them.
“Good-bye.” His deep voice murmured, taking one last stroke through the dirty curled hair.
Without a single look back he stole away into the night, hoping that his presence would be forgotten, much like he wished to erase this night from his memory.
---
“You were gone all night.” His cousin smirked at him from the doorway, pulling him out of a deep sleep filled with soft skin and heavy pants against his ear.
Yongguk groaned and pulled his pillow over his face. “Fucking hell, Zico. It’s not even noon!”
The other boy shrugged, tongue darting around the sucker in his hand. “I was told to use whatever means necessary to get you up. You should feel glad I only turned on the light. God, this room is a hole.”
“I like it dark.” Yongguk’s voice was muffled as he refused to come out. “And quiet. No Zico’s allowed.”
Zico snorted and ripped the sheet off the window, the immediate brightness making Yongguk flinch and call him a few names that would have made their mothers cringe.
“I hate him.” Yongguk mumbled after kicking the laughing boy out so that he could fix his window and plunge the room back into darkness. When he finally decided to drag himself out of bed, it was to a welcoming committee of his mother and father.
And his grandfather.
That was never good.
Yongguk grimaced as he leaned against the awaiting chair to wait patiently for the tongue lashing he knew was coming.
“Shishi.” His grandfather spoke first, the authority rumbling through his bones and making his teeth chatter.
“It’s Yongguk.” He replied stubbornly, ignoring the painful clenching of his chest when he tried to suppress the Alpha influence.
His father growled, eyes flashing blue for a moment as the wolf’s anger was tapped into. “We do not approve of your attitude, Shishi.” The tone held a warning, but it wasn’t for his son’s well-being, but rather for his own. Any slight towards one was a slight towards them all and Bang Sangmun hated to be looked down on, especially by his father, the Alpha.
His son was going to be the next in the line to take over that role if Sangmun had to drag him there kicking and screaming.
“Sit.” It was not a request.
He refused to look at them when he sat, clenching his jaw and staring angrily at the carpet below his feet instead. If they wanted to teach him a lesson then it was going to be by force.
“You didn’t come home until daybreak. Where did you go?”
Shrugging off Jinah’s, his mother’s, question, he impatiently tapped his fingers against the arm rest.
“How about you start with telling us why you smell like a human.” The Alpha’s voice resonated through him like a hammer on steel, his body vibrating with pain.
“I don’t…” He groaned until the command subsided. “Maybe because I am a human.”
“You are not a human!” Sangmun slammed his hands on the desk and snarled at him. “You may look human and you may act like a child sometimes, but your wolf controls you whether you like it or not.”
Yongguk finally snapped, his brown eyes glinting with flecks of ice blue as he glared angrily at them. “I went running in the mountains! I lost track of time and that’s it!” An inner voice inside of him told him to keep the boy a secret, one that no one could find out about him. The thought of his grandfather tracking down the soft eyes and trusting voice made his chest throb for some reason. “I’m sorry.” He forced out through gritted teeth, head bowing in submission.
A sly head tilt from his grandfather let him know that his story was not one hundred percent believed.
“Whose smell is that then?” Jinah asked carefully. She could tell how jumpy the other two males were and she was worried for her son. “And why is it covering you?”
He had no idea what they were talking about. Surely the boy didn’t rub that much of a scent off on him. He only carried him through the woods, they didn’t bond or anything. “Uh, well, I borrowed some clothes from a house by the river. I haven’t taken a bath since then that must be why it’s still on me.”
Sangmun narrowed his eyes at his son. “You are not allowed in the woods until the smell disappears. We don’t want the rest of the pack being alarmed by it when you’re out there. They might think you have taken someone and become intimidated by you. It’s time you were joined and we need all the willing females we can find.”
He shuddered at the thought of mating with one of the girls from their village. Even if some were so distantly related that it shouldn’t matter, there were still the few cousins he knew they would aim for. His own parents were second cousins and he hated that aspect of pack life. Joining’s were allowed outside of the village, but the Alpha had to approve it and he rarely did.
“Yes sir.” He bowed his head, hoping that looking submissive would get him out of this easier. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t let it happen again, Shishi. You are the future Alpha and you need to behave as such.” Grandfather pointed to the door, signifying their conversation was done.
He nodded and ran out of the house towards his cousin’s, waiting for the half-dressed boy to come to the door.
“What do you want?” Zico yawned and scratched his belly. A flushed girl in a sundress and torn sweater smiled shyly at him as she pushed past. “Thanks Eunmi, I’ll call you.”
Her face drooped and she forced the smile back on her lips as she walked away.
“Her name is Eunsu.” Yongguk told him dryly, shoving him back to enter the house. “How can you not know that, she lives over by the edge of the clearing.”
Zico shrugged and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. “I have more important things to remember than the names of little baby wolves who can’t even keep their dignity intact.”
“And what do you call yourself then? You lost your dignity years ago. ”
His eyes suddenly flashed with hurt making Yongguk regret the callous comment. He knew his cousin hated the way he lived and was desperate to find someone, but he tried to replace the loneliness with women. No matter if he knew them or even if he was in the mood, he had a different girl in his bed multiple times a week and never came through on his promise to call.
“Grandfather told me I need to act more like an Alpha.” Yongguk changed the subject much to both of their relief. “All I did was take a longer than normal run through the forest.”
Zico snorted and pulled leftovers out to make a snack. “It smells like you rolled around in someone’s bed, Yongguk. It’s not insanely strong, but it’s definitely there. Hey, no judgment. But I make sure and don’t let any scents stay attached to me. It’s a mental thing. You must have obviously accepted it.”
He groaned and dug his palms into his eyes. Maybe he should have just left that kid to die.
The wolf growled threateningly, whispering into his brain that he wouldn’t have been allowed and he wanted to skin it alive.
Goddammit he hated it when his cousin was right.
---
For two weeks he had been going slowly crazy.
Yongguk was almost positive he was hallucinating. He could hear a quiet voice murmuring in his ears as he slept, could feel the fingers scratching across his fur every time he was in his wolf form and he was about to go insane from the insatiable need for something in his chest that wouldn’t go away.
“You still smell.” Zico woke him up with a wrinkle of his nose and a plate of pancakes. “Whoever this girl is she must have fucked you up good.”
“Go away.” He muttered, curling back into his pillow and wishing he could escape into his dream filled with soft touches and meaningful words whispered against heated skin. “I’m off patrol until the scent goes away so I don’t have to get out of bed until I want to.”
Zico pulled the blanket away ignoring the shouts of protest. “Your dad told me to wake you up. Even if you’re off patrol you can still be stuck on errand boy duty. You have to go into town and pick up supplies.”
He hated errands but if it got him out of the village for a few hours he would gladly take the job. “Help me up.”
Huffing, Zico hauled him to his feet and shoved the plate at him. “You’re lucky you’re my favorite cousin or I would just poison you and no one would ever know.” His eyes gleamed. “Then I would be next in line for Alpha.”
Yongguk snorted. “You wouldn’t like being in charge and you know it. You’re looking forward to being second in command and having all the power with none of the responsibilities.”
“Hmm. That’s true. You better snap out of this funk then because if both of us can’t step up then that means it’s your father.” They both grimaced at the thought of Sangmun in charge. His ego at being the son of the current Alpha and the father of Yongguk was already sky high. He didn’t need any more of a boost.
---
“You are to come right back when you are finished.” His father ordered him, handing a list of everything they needed over. “I don’t want you hanging around in town. The last time you were out of my sight you didn’t come home until the sun had risen.”
“Yes sir.” Yongguk muttered, snatching the list out of his hands and slipping a pair of shoes on.
Sangmun watched him go with a frown on his lips. His son was hiding something and he was bound and determined to find out what it was soon.
Mumbling to himself as he walked, Yongguk named off everything he hated about being a wolf from the first day of school when he was stared at when he entered by all the kids who had heard from their parents about the future Alpha, to today where he just wanted to run in the wood for hours all by himself without a single worry in his head.
He had made it all the way to town before he realized that he was being tugged, his feet moving him against his will towards the opposite side that he needed to go. All of the stores he had to go to were on the side where the forest opened up. But he was being pulled towards the busiest streets near the center.
The beast awoke with a roar, his attention perked up at something that Yongguk couldn’t quite see yet. By the time he made it to the deli district he was almost running and he had to grab ahold of a light pole just to stop his feet.
He could feel the wolf clawing at his skin, threatening to break free and it made his flesh itch and he thought he was going to pass out if he didn’t acknowledge it.
Thankfully there was an alley on the next block up and he managed to escape down to the end of it and could breathe a little better when he wasn’t surrounded on all sides by dozens of people and smells. That smell.
He whimpered embarrassingly loud and was glad no one was around to hear it. God, if Zico was there he would never hear the fucking end of it.
What was he reacting so strongly to and why did it make his wolf so hysterical?
The odor was thick in the air around him, almost feeling like he was walking through water. His body was abnormally heavy as he collapsed in a heap with no care at all for the filth that was surely covering his clothes.
Another high-pitched whine escaped his lips, the wolf seeing the chance to slip through and desperately trying to take it.
“Not now.” He muttered through clenched teeth. “We’re in public.”
With a huff of displeasure the beast finally quieted down and went back to its home deep inside of his chest. But they both knew that he was just lying in wait for the next opportunity to assert his dominance over the weak-minded human body it had been saddled with.
Ever since he was born it had been the pride of his father’s life that his son was the one with the most dominant inner animal. He had made it a point to brag to any family member that would listen that Yongguk was born to be an Alpha. Even his grandfather acknowledged that there hadn’t been such a strong wolf born in generations.
But Yongguk despised it. It wasn’t fun knowing that at any point it could decide to burst through. No matter how many years humans had evolved, the wolves never went past basic dominant characteristics.
No, Yongguk most assuredly was not proud of his inheritance.
With a wince, he finally was able to stand up and brush the unidentified dirt and mess off his pants. He was hesitant to go back up the way he came, but he had been sent on errands for his father and the punishment for not following orders was a million time worse than the world finding out that a man could turn into an animal at will.
His heart beat started to speed up again when he rounded the corner and the familiar smell once again invaded his senses. It was like walking out of his house and into the woods, the deep smell of tree bark combined with the fresh scent of new green leaves and it was all he could do to keep upright.
The beast started murmuring into his ear, low growls that he could barely hear, but rather felt, his body following orders, feet carrying him to wherever he was told to go.
He half walked/half ran with no clear destination, bumping into passerby’s without a second of hesitation until he was finally thrown to a stop in front of a local sandwich shop’s door. Inside, his beast urged him. Insidegoweneedgo.
With a stiff body, Yongguk pushed his way into the building, his muscles only unclenching when he finally locked his eyes onto his target.
Him.
That boy he had saved so many days earlier. With the swollen cheeks and bloody body and the sweet smile as he petted him with absolutely zero fear.
Junhong.
The excellent eyesight might have been a side-effect of his jumbled DNA, but for once Yongguk wasn’t going to complain about it. He could read the name tag from across the store and he knew his name and it was Junhong and he was his and the beast was howling in his throat in happiness.
“Can I help you find something?” That voice was one he would recognize anywhere. And even though his eyes were no longer puffy and bloodshot, they still were the same ones that had been torturing him every sliver of sleep he had managed to get over the last two weeks.
He took so long controlling the screaming in his chest that the boy, no Junhong, started to look worried.
“Are you okay?” He gripped the edge of the counter nervously and eyed his crutches out of the corner of his eyes just in case he needed to grab them and attack. “Do you… Do you need me to call someone for you?”
Yongguk realized he had been standing there for an embarrassingly long amount of time with an open mouth and wide eyes and covered with the dirt from the alley. “S-Sorry.” He cleared his throat and motioned towards the menu. “Can I have a sandwich?”
Junhong waited for him to continue. “You have to tell me what kind.” He supplied helpfully.
Well fuck. Decisions like that were way over his skill level at the moment. “Surprise me?” He gave him an awkward shrug.
With a hesitant nod, the boy eyed Yongguk for a moment with judging eyes. “You look like you eat healthy.” He finally decided. “Salads, vegetables, all that boring stuff.”
Yongguk huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “There is nothing wrong with being in shape!”
Rolling his eyes, Junhong grabbed two pieces of the whole grain loaf. “But the other stuff is so good! Ice cream and chocolate bars and candy!” Dark eyes lit up in excitement as he gushed over all of his favorite foods to an amused Yongguk.
By the time he had finished putting together a sandwich, Yongguk was well-versed in how yogurt and ice cream were actually two very different things thank you very much, and that if you covered potato chips in melted chocolate it was so good you practically cried.
He presented Yongguk with a wrapped square, his face still lit up in delight. “Here you go. One overly healthy, boring sandwich with absolutely nothing delicious on it whatsoever.”
Yongguk’s lips twitched as he handed his money over.
“Why are you working if your leg’s in a cast?” He could see the grimaces that crossed his face every time he moved and the pained expressions stabbed at his heart like a knife. “Shouldn’t you be at home resting?”
He got a shrug in response. “I took a few days off after I got hurt. Got to keep working though. My uncle owns this place and he depends on my help.”
Loyalty.
That trait went straight through him. Telling a wolf you’re loyal was one of the smartest things you could do.
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll make you a real sandwich.” The boy’s eyes cheeks were pressed deep with dimples when he grinned and his whole face lit up and Yongguk ached.
“Deal.” He replied, finally letting a rarely seen smile cross his lips.
When he left he felt lighter, his expression still one of joy, the wolf inside of him was even content. He doubted that anything could dampen his mood.
“You smell like a human.”
He always forgot about Zico.
“Who is it? Is that why you stayed out that one night? What’s her name? She hot?” Zico danced around him in glee when he finally finished his errands and ran home. “Does she have nice boobs?”
“Shut up.” Yongguk growled, pushing the troll out of his way. “I was in town today. Of course I smell like humans.”
Zico smirked. “You don’t notice it, do you? It’s not humans, Yongguk. It’s human. As in one. I can still smell one particular scent on you. And it’s so fucking strong no one could miss it, trust me.”
He groaned and sniffed his shirt. “I don’t smell anything.” There was a light trace of the woods on his shirt, the heady scent of fall leaves just barely tickling his nose.
“Yongguk?” Zico cocked his head to the side in confusion. “Have you mated and not realized it?”
Sputtering, he jumped away from his cousin, worried the crazy might catch. “What? Of course not! What are you talking about?”
Zico reached over and ripped Yongguk’s jacket off before he had even realized what had happened. He slipped it over his shoulders and raised an eyebrow. “Well?”
“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but it’s n-“ A snarl burst out of his lips when the smell suddenly hit his nose. Junhong mixed in with Zico. As if Zico had claimed him. “Take. It. Off.” He warned, eyes flashing blue and canines enlarging against his will.
The beast was screaming at him to demolish the enemy, tear him into tiny pieces, devour him.
“Mine.”
“So you wanna tell me who she is?” Zico carefully threw the jacket back at him, recognizing the threat of an angry future Alpha.
“No.” He muttered, cradling the material preciously in his arms.
It never failed this asshole always managed to ruin his day. He had just come back from finally seeing the person who had been haunting every second of his days and he had eaten the most amazing meal he had ever had. It was like the boy knew exactly what he wanted and knowing that his hands, his perfect hands, had put it together just for him was making him prouder than he had ever been in his almost thirty year long life.
“You know I can sniff her out, right?” His cousin’s smirk was back on his damn cherubic face. “You may be the strongest wolf in the pack, but we all know I’m the best tracker. And besides, I have fun sniffing out girls who are in heat.”
“They’re not in heat.” He tried to push past him to no avail.
Zico chuckled. “Oh trust me, anyone strong enough to cover you in their scent like this is definitely ready to be mated. I’m surprised you were even able to hold back.”
“It’s not like that.” He disagreed, continuing to sniff his arm. Now that Zico had threatened his wolf the smell was all he could concentrate on. “I just saved… them.” Wincing, he realized he couldn’t even tell him the truth. That it wasn’t a her but a he.
It wasn’t that mating with a boy was unheard of. Yongguk had seen a few cases in his years. But the future Alpha? That might cause problems.
Children wouldn’t be a cause for concern. You only needed one parent with the wolf gene to make a full-blooded hybrid. The other parent didn’t matter. And if he inseminated a donor with his sperm then they could easily h-
He slapped a hand over his mouth in horror when he realized he was pondering their future children like it was already in motion.
“Dude.” Zico’s eyes were wide with shock. “You just went into heat. Hardcore.” He took a step back, not dumb enough to be close to a newly mated Alpha in heat. That was akin to a death wish. “I’m just gonna…” He pointed awkwardly to the door before running out in a panic.
Yongguk was near panting by this point, the ache filling his body and seeping out through his pores. Anyone in a mile radius would be able to sense it and know to stay away. He glanced down at the newly formed bulge in his jeans and groaned. It was just going to get worse. He could jack off a hundred times and it would still be this painful. Until he fully completed the mating process it would never get better.
He needed Junhong. And he needed him now.
---
It wasn’t difficult to find his house. Now that he was covered in his scent it was practically a GPS guiding him to wherever he was. The problem arrived when he smelled two other bodies inside the house. He sniffed again. Both were female. One in her mid-forties and the other not quite at puberty.
Mother and sister he decided.
Junhong was in the back bedroom, the faint sound of snoring emanating through the walls, along with a slight whimper every now and then. His dreams were probably a lot like Yongguk’s had been in the last two weeks. Full of familiar eyes and a deep need for something even if he wasn’t sure what it was yet.
He carefully removed his clothes and hid them beneath a bush behind the house so that he could change easier. Changing with clothes on was a rookie mistake.
The dark blue curtains were closed so he nervously scratched a claw down the window and prayed it didn’t echo throughout the small house. After a few moments he tried it again, a deep sigh of relief when Junhong pried them apart to peer curiously out.
He hung his head and sat back on his haunches to try and appear submissive. He didn’t want to scare him. Now that he was better he might not even remember what had happened and who had saved him.
“Puppy!” A muffled voice yelled excitedly through the glass accompanied by a bang on the glass. The window slid open and a messy head of hair poked through, grin wide on his face. “You came back!” He eyed the drop to the ground in trepidation. “It’s too high for me to climb out…”
Yongguk took a step closer, still going slowly so as not to frighten him. When he was against the house, he jumped up to put his front paws on the wall beside the window.
Junhong clapped happily, his hand immediately going to the wolf’s head, sliding a warm palm down and over his neck, ruffling the brown fur between his fingers. “My doggie.” He murmured, scratching behind his ears and earning a hum that vibrated through Yongguk’s whole body.
His face had a long scratch down his temple and into his hairline. It was going to leave a scar. Yongguk wondered how he could have even thought about leaving him there to die that night. What would the world be like without this energy inhabiting it?
When his tongue lapped at the pink scar gently, Junhong’s giggles were so sweet he felt like crying and he hated Zico for being so right and dammit, this was his mate.
“I knew you were real.” The voice was too innocent and trusting to be this deep. “I told everyone about you but no one believed me. They put me on so much medicine after the accident that I didn’t know what was happening for three days until I finally realized I had to stop talking about you or they would just keep giving it to me.” His hands cupped Yongguk’s muzzle and he rubbed his cheek across his nose. “But you were real. And you came back.”
He whined and nuzzled his neck, breathing him in and feeling his whole body relax for the first time in ages. This was the person who was meant to take his stresses away, the only one who would ever be able to calm him down and keep him sane.
“Are you staying?” The voice asked a little while later. He sounded so hopeful and Yongguk hated the dejected look in his eyes when he pulled away. “You’re leaving again?” Junhong bit his lip and rested his cheek on the window sill, his fingers still playing absentmindedly with Yongguk’s ear. “Please stay?”
Yongguk remorsefully motioned his head towards the mountains in the distance.
“Will I see you again?”
He licked a stripe up the side of his cheek, growling playfully under his breath.
Junhong nodded but his lips were still frowning. “Goodnight.” He smirked and patted Yongguk’s head roughly. “See you later, puppy.”
Yongguk left his house with a jaunt in his step, not even caring that Junhong’s scent was going to be back on him even stronger than before. He didn’t care that his family would find out, that he might get kicked out of the pack, he just didn’t care.
That was a mistake.
---
Zico was waiting for him when he got up the next morning, his eyes lined with worry. “They know, Yongguk. The whole damn town knows. What were you thinking? You brought that scent in like a freaking trail.”
He rubbed his eyes and bit back a yawn. “What am I supposed to do about it? We can’t always choose who to mate and I’m pretty sure that he chose me, not the other way around.”
“He?” Zico froze and dropped the glass of milk he was drinking to the floor, glass shattering around his feet. “Yongguk you didn’t… Tell me you didn’t mate a boy.”
With a helpless smile he shrugged his shoulders and grabbed the broom to sweep up the shards. “Surprise? It’s not like I planned it. And I wouldn’t be the first one.”
His cousin was silent behind him as he thought hard about the situation. Yongguk was right, he wouldn’t be the first wolf to mate with someone of the same sex. But he would be the first Alpha. And that was what worried him.
“Does anyone else know?” He asked carefully, stepping out of the broken glass so that Yongguk could clean it up. “That it’s a boy?”
Yongguk shook his head. “I don’t really tell people my personal business, you know that. I only just found out his name yesterday.”
“This is trouble, Yongguk.” Zico looked worried for him. “This is big, massive trouble.”
He felt a smile grow on his lips and patted him on the head. “He’s worth it. Having a mate is completely worth it.”
part two