Chapter Text
moodboard by dee
“And yes, now I'm here with you and I…
Would like to think that you would stick around.”
WINTER I
SAN
It had been a month since the future Luna and San’s best friend, Seonghwa, had announced that their pack would officially merge with the one on the other side of the river —the Maples— by the end of the year.
He had informed them about the territory they both shared now as a first approach, and had proceeded to explain how they would build new cabins in the space separating the packs to become a bigger and more resistant commune.
The reactions had been pretty much predictable —some wolves feared for their security once those strangers became part of their pack too, others saw it as an opportunity to prosper and the last few were reluctant but preferred to see how everything progressed before voicing their opinion.
As the head hunter, San had been patrolling their shared territory with the keepers, making sure no wolf used the opportunity to cause trouble, and thus far, he had encountered some curious eyes and grew even closer with the head hunter from the other pack, an alpha named Chan.
San was approaching his mid-thirties and had only become head hunter a few years prior so he was still surprised to find a wolf in his twenties with such huge responsibility, but the more he got to know the younger alpha, the more he saw how much Chan deserved it.
“How are the negotiations going?” San asked Seonghwa as the latter revised the documents from his last meeting with Hongjoong, the future Sol of the Maples.
Seonghwa sighed, raising his head to look at San.
“Quit beating around the bush. I know that glint in your eye.”
Drawing an innocent smile, San motioned towards the necklace with a wooden star resting atop Seonghwa’s sternum.
“Another courting gift?”
A shy nod followed. “Hongjoong and I don’t know how to tell our packs.” Seonghwa swallowed. “Our pack ,” he corrected himself.
The Oaks and the Maples’d had a friendly relationship for decades. Deep in the woods and settled in an uninteresting area, no other pack came near anymore unless it was for a special event. Especially not in winter, where the weather could put anyone’s life at risk.
In the past few years it had been so unbearable that both packs had been taking turns to go to the city to restock their medicine and to hunt for fur to be able to sew thicker blankets for the freezing nights.
The cold winters along with the fact that they were the smallest packs in the country and they had already joined forces several times throughout the years had been the fuel that had made Seonghwa realise that everything would be better if they became one. So he had convinced his parents and visited the Maples in hopes of being heard and understood.
More than two years later, not only was the news out to the world but Seonghwa and Hongjoong were also deeply in love with each other, which saved them the discussion of who would be the next head of their new pack.
“Easy: ‘good evening, everyone. I’ve heard your concerns regarding who will be the head of our new pack and I’m glad to share that Hongjoong and I will mate soon so we will become the next Sol and Luna, sharing responsibilities and duties’.”
Seonghwa pursed his lips, looking genuinely concerned about the matter. “We want to mate by the end of the year. When our packs finally merge.”
“You’ve always been an honest leader. Since you were young, you’ve told us you would only mate out of love,” San reminded him with a fond smile. “I think that’s actually what you should say. You should tell everyone who’s willing to listen that you are so serious about your relationship you’ve been talking about mating as soon as possible.”
For a really long time, San and Seonghwa had joked about being eternally single, but a part of San always wished his best friend would find that love he had always yearned for. He didn’t need it anymore, after all, so it was only fair that Seonghwa found it for them both.
After thinking he had found it to later realise he had only been living a lie, San had locked the romance chapter of his life away.
“Isn’t that too cheesy? I need them to understand they will be safe with us.”
“Visit each other’s packs more . And do it openly. Let people know you and love you,” San suggested as he placed his hand over Seonghwa’s. “You’ve sacrificed a lot for us. It’s time to be a little selfish and pick your own happiness.”
“I don't know what I was expecting when I asked another hopeless romantic for some advice,” Seonghwa sighed. “But I’ll tell Joong about visiting each other more. We haven’t announced the monthly events yet. Perhaps that might be another opportunity for everyone to see us together.”
“The more they see you, the easier it’ll be to accept it in the end. It’s easier to be scared of what you don’t know.”
“ I am the one who’s scared.”
“It’s going to be fine,” San assured, bringing Seonghwa’s hand to his lips to kiss his knuckles. “Believe in yourself a bit more. This pack adores you.”
With his free hand, Seonghwa caressed his necklace whilst a timid smile pulled at his lips.
“I guess you are right.”
***
“I need help,” Jia admitted through a pout as she walked towards San with a hairbrush between her fingers and two hair ties around her wrist.
San chuckled when Jia sat on the floor, between his legs, and dramatically set the hairbrush next to her father’s body before crossing her arms.
“I tried to do two braids but they looked awful,” she muttered, adorably pissed. San couldn’t see her face but he could imagine her scrunched up nose and her dark brows knitted together. “Yours look better.”
“They used to look awful when I first started doing them.”
Seonghwa didn’t make fun of him back then because it was already tough enough to raise a pup by himself while he accepted that the omega he thought would be by his side to co-parent together had broken up with him under the excuse that life was suffocating him; that the life he currently had didn’t make him happy.
San had wondered if he would come back one day, filled with regrets and tired of his life in the city, but the last time they crossed paths, when he was visiting his parents, he was still pretending Jia didn’t exist.
Thankfully, Jia was a carbon copy of himself and only inherited Sungho’s long lashes and his wavy hair.
“They aren’t awful now,” Jia mumbled in a tone that would have made anyone believe it was the end of the world.
“Two fishtail braids?”
Jia hummed.
She had been obsessed with that hairstyle lately.
“You know your wolf won’t have braids, right?”
Jia groaned, turning her head ever so slightly to glance at San.
“I know . But I want them.”
“I was just making sure, pumpkin.”
Jia groaned louder. “I’m not a pumpkin.”
***
In the past week, San had patrolled the area way more than usual to make sure nothing could harm his pup. Now he ventured into the new shared territory with Jia, knowing damn well that it was easier to spot rabbits in that area than lost in the dense woods.
After doing a couple of demonstrations on how to approach prey to catch it off guard, San walked between the trees, a few steps behind his pup, to let her practise with the next tiny animal they crossed paths with.
Part of his job as head hunter was teaching young wolves how to hunt, but it was so different to do it with his daughter. It made his heart expand and his wolf howl with joy.
In the quietness of the forest, they both heard something moving behind a tall bush. They couldn’t see anything so San moved closer to be ready to step in if necessary.
Jia’s paws sank deeper into the ground as she drew near, her posture surprisingly relaxed considering it was one of the first times San had let her hunt anything.
The pair of eyes was set on the bush as it moved again and whereas San’s experience automatically recognised the sound and smell coming from behind as another wolf, Jia didn’t. So, before he could stop her, she pounced onto the bush as a couple of butterflies soared into the sky and a surprised yelp followed.
His heart stopped for a split second when he saw Jia immobilising a smaller wolf, their fur almost black, in contrast to Jia’s which was way lighter. He was about to pull his pup away when another wolf growled.
San was used to blocking useless scents around him when he was out in the woods, but it was impossible to ignore the distress that emanated out of the black wolf that had just joined them. They reeked of rotten cherries, the smell so inherently omega that it took San a quick glance to understand the relationship between them.
He could recognise a distressed parent from miles away.
The black wolf locked eyes with him, halting right in front of him, and growled again in warning, clearly having identified him as Jia’s parent too and not caring about the fact that San was double their size and could have the upper hand if he wished to.
However, it was so obvious they didn’t want to hurt them and were only worried about their pup that San quickly closed his fangs around Jia’s nape to lift her up and free the small wolf underneath her, not wanting to stress the other wolf even more.
The other pup ran behind their parent, shuddering and breaking San’s heart in the process, and the black wolf bared their fangs only once before bowing ever so slightly in gratitude. San bowed back whilst Jia pressed against his body, not daring to look at them again after what had happened, and the omega and the pup finally turned around and disappeared into the woods.
The moment they were out of sight, Jia let out a soft whimper, San’s heart shattering further as he nuzzled against her head, waiting for her to be ready to move again and doing his best to ignore the rotten cherry notes still infesting the air around them.
***
“I didn’t know it was another wolf,” Jia sniffed after shifting back to her human form, covering her face with her tiny palms. “It was my fault. ‘Should have paid attention,” she kept rambling. “Sorry, dad.”
San bent down until he was face to face with his daughter, gently taking one of Jia’s hands between his fingers to be able to lock eyes with her.
“Hey, look at me, muffin,” San pleaded in a soft voice.
Pouting, Jia let San remove one of her hands from her face. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears and her lips were adorably curled in a pout that almost made San coo. Despite how brave she was when they got to the forest, she was still such a sweet and sensitive pup. Always feeling too much for her own good, just like her father.
“‘m not your muffin,” Jia mumbled.
“Oh, sure you are,” San teased before rubbing his cheek against his daughter’s wrist. “It was an accident, okay? Nobody got hurt.”
Even well trained hunters made mistakes. San himself had some concerning scars crossing his abdomen and part of his chest because of one.
He wasn’t going to make Jia feel bad when she automatically halted once she realised it was another wolf. It had been obvious that she wasn’t trying to hurt the other pup and her current reaction was only more proof of that.
“I thought that wolf was going t-to bite you because of me.”
San chuckled. “I thought so too. But I can’t blame them. I’d have reacted like that too if someone had pounced on you instead.”
The determined look in those deep eyes was ingrained in his brain. It hadn’t mattered that San was double the size of that omega, they had been a blink away from sinking their fangs wherever they could reach to protect their pup. The scent surrounding the omega had reeked of fear but none of that could be seen inside those irises.
He wished he could have apologised for the misunderstanding.
“Can we still go hunting again another day?” Jia rubbed her face against San’s wrist. “We also forgot to check if there were daisies near the river.”
“We can try again next week. What do you say?”
Finally, a wide smile danced along Jia’s lips before she wrapped her arms around San’s neck to nuzzle against his scent gland.
“Same time?”
“Same time.”
San circled Jia’s body with one arm and lifted her up as he tilted his head enough to leave her room to keep inhaling his comforting scent. Usually, she would groan and tell him to put her back on the floor because she’s not a baby anymore, so San always took advantage of these little moments where Jia didn’t have the energy to pretend she didn’t like when San cherished her like this.
“Do you think we’ll see them again? I want to say sorry,” she murmured.
The sheer panic biting the sweet cherries plagued his head again.
“I hope so.”
***
WOOYOUNG
“Are you feeling better?” Felix asked as he handed Wooyoung a cup of tea.
The omega let out a long sigh, his hands trembling ever so slightly around the ceramic. Now that Ahra was out of danger and happily napping after all the adrenaline had worn off, Wooyoung couldn’t shake the image of his daughter pinned to the ground from his mind.
He had lost sight of her for a short moment to find some mushrooms and in that time Ahra had found a way to get away from him and nearly hurt herself.
“I feel miserable,” Wooyoung admitted, bitterly. “I swear I looked away for a second and suddenly I heard her whimper. I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if she had got hurt.”
Felix took a seat next to him on the couch, circling Wooyoung’s shoulders with one arm and pulling him in until the omega could breathe in his scent. He nuzzled against his best friend’s collarbones, brushing away long, blonde strands, and took a sip of his chamomile tea.
“I’m so sorry, Lix.”
Ten years ago, when they had talked about having pups together even if they weren’t romantically involved, everyone had looked at them as if they had lost their minds. Some people called them reckless and others believed they would end up falling in love and mating.
Now, Felix was mated to someone else and Wooyoung was glad to call him both Ahra’s dad and his best friend.
“Eh, cut the bullshit,” he muttered as he rubbed Wooyoung’s arm. “We have the most impulsive pup in the entire pack. I’m sure she saw something that drew her attention and forgot how dangerous the forest can be. Accidents happen, Youngie.”
“I would rather have an accident myself .”
Felix scoffed. “Don’t even think about it.”
Wooyoung sipped his tea, snuggling even closer, used to sharing personal space with Felix. They had always been touchy-feely but everything got worse during Wooyoung’s pregnancy, when the omega sought the alpha’s warmth and could only fall asleep if he was around.
“That alpha was fucking huge. You should have seen that wolf. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were one of the Oaks’ hunters or keepers.” Wooyoung swallowed at the thought. “I growled at them and thankfully they seemed to understand. Shit. If they had… If…”
“They didn’t,” Felix reminded him. “That was their pup. I’m sure they were shaken up too.”
Wooyoung nodded, slightly absent while different scenarios played in his head.
“Stop doing that, your cherries are rotting.”
“Sorry. I just feel like such a bad dad. I can’t stop thinking about Ahra’s face under that pup. She was so scared she didn’t even try to defend herself.”
“Maybe we should accept Mingi’s suggestion and let him teach her some self-defense tricks. He had a point when he said some wolves constantly put themselves in risky situations by accident and I fear Ahra is one of them,” Felix commented as he rubbed his cheek against the top of Wooyoung’s head. “We won’t always be by her side and she needs to be able to protect herself.”
The day Mingi had told them about it, they both had been opposed to the idea, considering that Ahra was still too young for that. However, with the packs merging and their pup becoming more and more reckless and curious each day, Wooyoung was starting to realise that her safety was more important than her age.
The pup that had pinned her down didn’t seem much older than her.
What if that was normal in the Oak pack and they taught pups how to hunt and fight from a young age?
He bit his lip. He only wanted what was best for her.
“Maybe…”
“We can talk to him tomorrow if you want. Tell him what happened.”
Wooyoung nodded, his head still resting against the alpha’s shoulder as he kept taking tiny sips of his tea.
“I just hope I don’t cross paths with that alpha again. I must have looked so pathetic, trying to protect Ahra from them when they were double my size.”
“I think you mean brave .”
“No, I don't.”
“Shut up.”
***
As Wooyoung should have expected after he’d said those words to Felix that eventful evening, he did cross paths with the alpha not even a week after the incident.
The alpha and the pup, of course.
It was early in the morning and he had gone out with Ahra to grab the mushrooms he had forgotten the last time they had been there. They were quite close to the border of their own pack, barely moving over the shared land with the Oaks, so Wooyoung had let Ahra shift back into her human form whilst he sniffed around.
That time, Ahra stayed within the limits of the Maples pack so Wooyoung was more relaxed as he searched.
“Dad! I told you there were daisies here!” A soft voice exclaimed, tensing Wooyoung’s body.
The wolf paced closer to Ahra, who pressed herself against Wooyoung’s fur even though she was in human form, seeking her father’s comfort as the strangers approached their area.
The shared area was a huge clearing with a river that now was partly frozen due to the low temperatures. Hongjoong and Seonghwa had decided that it would be easier to set new borders like that, since the trees seemed to trace where said land began and ended.
Wooyoung crouched down, his amber eyes following the girl’s body that had just entered the clearing. She was wrapped in thick winter clothes but Wooyoung could see her adorable dimples even from afar as she looked back to search for her father.
“See?” She said as she kneeled down to take a handful of flowers. “I told you we needed to come back before the snow killed them!”
Not even a second later, a giant wolf emerged from the woods. His fur was like ash with sparkles of carbon, but what stole Wooyoung’s breath was the same thing that did it the first time —his eyes. One of them hazel and the other ice blue.
The wolf had a leather bag wrapped around his torso, just like Wooyoung, and the girl happily strode in his direction to throw the flowers into the bag.
If he wasn’t used to it, Wooyoung would have melted at the sight of such a big, scary wolf nuzzling against the small human body of his pup. His head rubbed against the girl’s stomach and the latter giggled before returning to her previous spot to try to get more flowers.
“Yuqi told me there were some pretty flowers up the river and promised me she would go with me if you didn’t want to come,” she kept rambling, talking loud enough to be heard in the silence of the early morning but still softly, unlike Ahra, who always seemed to be adorably yelling.
Ahra pressed her finger against Wooyoung’s ear, catching his attention, and did her best attempt at whispering when she said, “Can we go pick flowers someday too?”
They were in a safe zone so there wasn’t any reason to actually whisper but Wooyoung let out a sound close to a chuckle at the failed attempt, Ahra’s voice resonating throughout the forest.
The wolf’s eyes locked on Wooyoung’s instantly, his posture remaining as relaxed as it had been. As if he already knew they were there and he actually trusted them.
Wooyoung wished he could dig a hole and jump inside to avoid the embarrassment of seeing them again.
“Huh… Sorry,” Ahra murmured. She raised her arm. “Hi.”
The other girl shyly walked back to her father and muttered almost against his fur, “H-hi.” She drew a pout. “I’m really sorry about what happened last time. I didn’t mean to attack you.”
Ahra looked at Wooyoung, who nodded to let her speak freely. He actually trusted them too, he was mortified for a completely different reason.
“It’s okay,” she assured with her classic wide smile. “You looked scared too. Sorry too! I know daddy didn’t want to see you again but I really hoped we would!”
Perhaps he shouldn’t have given her permission to speak to them.
The day he and Felix decided to teach their daughter that it was important to be honest and not hide her feelings, they hadn't imagined the amount of embarrassing situations that would lead them to.
Wooyoung barked and Ahra covered her mouth.
“Oops.” She rubbed her nape. “Ignore what I said! I’m Ahra!” She pointed at him. “And this is my daddy, Wooyoung.”
Jia giggled and motioned towards the wolf beside her.
“This is my dad too. San. I’m Jia.” Jia glanced at the bag around Wooyoung’s body. “Are you picking flowers too?”
Ahra shook her head. “Mushrooms. But I want flowers too!” She tilted her head down again. “Daddy, can we move closer? Please, please. A little bit.”
Wooyoung nodded, stepping onto the shared area followed by his pup, who seemed to have happily left what happened last time behind her. On the other side of the river, San and Jia did the exact same.
Seeing her from up close, Wooyoung doubted Jia was actually older than Ahra. They had to be around the same age, even if they looked so different —Ahra’s hair was naturally blonde, whereas Jia’s was pitch black and wavy. Despite the lack of sunlight, Ahra still remained slightly tanned, like Wooyoung, but Jia’s skin was lighter. Ahra had no dimples but a constellation of freckles all over her face, and Jia seemed to have countless earrings to be so young.
However, the detail that Wooyoung found the cutest was how Jia was wrapped in a thick, teal coat and baggy trousers while Ahra was wearing bright colours and too many accessories to be even comfortable.
“Oh my god! Your braids are so pretty,” Ahra complimented.
Jia grinned. “My dad did them. He knows how to do so many hairstyles.”
“My dad’s mate is a hairdresser. He knows how to do so many hairstyles too. He promised me he would dye my hair when I turn fifteen.”
While the girls talked, Wooyoung lay down and rested his head on his paws, his gaze going from Jia to Ahra and sometimes lingering a little too much on the bicoloured eyes that were boring holes into his forehead.
However, this time Wooyoung didn’t feel threatened by them but strangely comforted, so time slipped past his fingers and he only moved again when it was time to go back to his pack, with the promise that the girls would meet again over the weekend to pick flowers together.
***
After Ahra went to school the next morning and Wooyoung had made sure that everything was under control in the pack cookhouse, he decided to visit Hongjoong. His relationship with the future Sol wasn’t as close as the one he had with Felix and Hyunjin, but after growing up together and feeding him for years, Wooyoung considered himself the alpha’s friend.
Or his worst nightmare.
Honestly, after Wooyoung had walked in on Hongjoong and Seonghwa nearly making-out, what Hongjoong should consider him was a saint for turning around and never talking about it again until the alpha himself brought it up one evening.
He knocked on Hongjoong’s door a couple of times and didn’t wait for an answer before pushing it open. As the head chef, he knew when Hongjoong had any important schedule and that morning the alpha was only supposed to be doing mere paperwork.
“Your parents never taught you how to wait after knocking on a door?”
Wooyoung shrugged, pressing the palms of his hands against Hongjoong’s desk.
“Not really,” he reminded him, nonchalantly. It wasn’t a secret to anyone in the pack that he was raised mostly by his grandmother. “And anyway, you aren't busy and I have a question.”
He drew a charming smile as he leaned in enough to rest his chin on one of his hands.
“What type of question?”
“Do you know if there’s any hunter named San in the Oaks?”
Walking in circles wasn’t Wooyoung’s style at all. He couldn’t be teaching his daughter to always speak her mind and be honest, and then go and do the opposite. Not everyone in the pack was fond of his blunt manners, commenting that mature omegas like him shouldn’t have such a sharp tongue.
Luckily, Hongjoong had always appreciated it.
“San as in Choi San?”
“I don’t know, you tell me. Does he have a daughter?”
Hongjoong squinted his eyes, as if he hadn’t learnt that Wooyoung was transparent only when he wanted to be.
“Should I be worried?” The alpha ended up murmuring, his scent coated with a subtle bitter undertone at the possibility that Wooyoung’d had a problem with an Oak.
Wooyoung rolled his eyes. “No. I’m just trying to gather some information about the father of the little girl Ahra is trying to befriend. Can you answer my question now?”
“Could you, at least , say ‘please’? This feels like an interrogation and it’s not even 9am.”
“ Aw ,” Wooyoung cooed. “Please, Joongie, could you tell me if you know anything useful?”
His personality had been a hurdle for finding a mate since he was a teenager, even if Wooyoung had never actively tried to find a perfect match. There weren’t any interesting wolves in his pack and due to his demanding job and his lack of interest, he barely attended events where all the packs nearby joined together, so quite early in his life, Wooyoung realised he wouldn’t have pups in the traditional way.
In the end, it had been the best decision, because co-parenting with Felix was as easy as breathing. He had found a city wolf for himself, mated and had another pup some time later, and Wooyoung had fallen in love with his little family, including Hyunjin, Felix’s mate, and their son, Jae.
“I can’t with you,” he muttered. “But, to answer your question, yes. San is the head hunter of the Oaks and Seonghwa’s best friend. He’s been raising Jia by himself since… forever, apparently. Seonghwa doesn’t want to tell me much about it. He’s always looking after the pack and making sure everyone has their needs covered. Pretty much like you, in some way.”
Wooyoung pursed his lips, nodding.
“He’s a widower?” He couldn’t help but ask, his stomach twisting.
Hongjoong shook his head. “The other parent didn’t stick around. That’s all I know.”
Wooyoung couldn’t hold back the grimace.
How could someone have a pup and leave them behind? Because that was what Wooyoung was getting from the conversation —Jia’s other parent had abandoned them both. He doubted Seonghwa would be so secretive about it if it had been a hook-up pregnancy.
“That sucks,” Wooyoung murmured. “I can’t imagine what it's like to raise a pup without someone else beside you. Jia seems so sweet. So shy, too.”
Finally, a smile curled Hongjoong’s lips. “She’s really the sweetest.”
“You know her?”
“We had dinner once. Seonghwa wanted us to meet,” Hongjoong explained. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Wooyoung. If anything, be ready to see how charming those Oaks are.”
Wooyoung laughed at the comment.
“Talking from experience? And that’s not even a problem. I hope the girls get along. There aren’t many pups that are Ahra’s age here.”
Hongjoong took his cup of coffee from the desk and sank further into his chair, the mischievous smile dancing on his lips and making Wooyoung raise his eyebrow.
“I’m not only talking about Jia, y’know.”
“Are you saying I need more friends?”
“If it gets you out of my hair…”
Wooyoung was going to kill him.
Hongjoong had provided the information he was looking for but the omega now felt like turning around and leaving the office without even thanking the alpha for the help. He didn’t actually do so because they were talking about his daughter and her possible future friend.
“I just feel like you could get along too. Share experiences. You both know what it’s like to be single while raising a pup, even if you’ve always had Felix by your side.”
“So it’s him who needs friends, hm?”
Wooyoung repressed the smirk when he saw Hongjoong barely containing the groan, his fingers gripping the cup tighter before taking a sip to not curse him out loud. But he had to keep him on his toes before the whole “being the next Sol” got to his head. He was doing him a favour.
“I think you could be good for each other. That’s all. He’s not lonely, if that’s what you’re thinking. His family and friends are there for both him and his pup.”
“Why do I feel like you are shoving him down my throat? If you want me to be his friend because he’s Seonghwa’s best friend you can just say it, asshole.”
A snort. “Oh, no. I was… only suggesting. And you definitely don’t need to worry about him or Jia. Let Ahra make friends.”
“I’ll haunt you in your sleep if they end up being pieces of shit.”
Finally, Hongjoong got on his feet and gave Wooyoung a light push, his patience clearly having disappeared after the constant banter.
Seonghwa wasn’t aware of all the work Wooyoung had put into training Hongjoong. He could handle any situation and actually had the patience of a saint because Wooyoung loved to tease his limits more often than not.
Again, to keep him on his toes and all of that.
“And I’ll cackle if you end up wrapped around their little fingers. I won’t say I told you so.”