Chapter Text
Yunho never thought he’d ever mate. Being the general of the Solaris army left him with little time for anything substantial.
So knowing this, he’d never thought his iron-clad walls around his heart would ever break down.
Much less for the Ervosian prince, Song Mingi.
Ervos was not a good kingdom; its king, a tyrant, held a greed for more power. This leadership twisted many of the citizens, leaving them selfish and vile, a product of living in the cold north. Yunho almost felt sorry for them.
Almost.
Yunho’s father was an Ervosian smuggler. An alpha who mated a Solarian omega by force. Yunho still remembers his mother’s scent, a sweet mix of cherries and vanilla, and Yunho still remembers the stench of blood overpowering it when her life was taken by the hands of her own mate.
Yunho became an orphan at twelve years old when his father escaped back over the Ervos border, leaving Yunho alone to bury his mother. Years of loneliness hardened Yunho, and his hatred for the north festered as he grew.
Yunho channeled that hatred towards something good, joining the royal guard ranks at the age of fifteen and climbing up the ranks at record speed. The Solaris general had seen something in Yunho, and after three years of being his second in command, Yunho was sworn in as the Solaris general in the wake of the acting general’s retirement.
– – – – – – – – – –
King Hongjoong and King Seonghwa of Solaris were dutiful royals, both with an overflowing amount of love to share. What started as two became three, became five, became six. The pack had grown and strengthened, and so too did the kingdom.
First came San, a royal guard assigned to Seonghwa since birth. Yunho heard about the struggles San faced, leaving the eastern kingdom of Azmara to follow Prince Seonghwa south to his arranged betrothal to Solaris’ newly crowned king. The beta had wrestled between his duty and the blooming fondness for the two kings for months before he’d stumbled out a confession.
San really had nothing to worry about, for Seonghwa and Hongjoong had welcomed him into their hearts easily, officially opening their pack to the notion of more. More lovers, more strength, more freedom.
Then came Wooyoung and Yeosang, both hailing from the western kingdom of Mend. Omega prince Wooyoung was betrothed to Hongjoong shortly after the death of his mother, the queen, and his older brother, the heir. A political move by the king of Mend to gain Solaris as a powerful ally.
Wooyoung had come to Solaris hostile and fiercely protective of the person whom Yunho found out to be his royal advisor. The advisor, Yeosang, gave off the energy of his status, securing his spot in the pack as a balanced, reliable beta.
King Seonghwa had immediately understood the bond between the two. A connection so strong it transcended what was deemed as right, as natural. The rings that adorned Wooyoung and Yeosang’s ring fingers filled the space where a mating mark would be, and Yunho remembered the kings never invalidating what the two Mendians had. It was easy after that for Wooyoung and Yeosang to fall in place with the pack.
Jongho was the first to be integrated into the pack, not through the love of the kings, but for the love for the Azmarian guard. San and Jongho tried to fight the feelings between each other, but Yunho didn’t think either of them stood a chance. Jongho was his right hand, and Yunho noticed the way the alpha’s eyes would always seem to find the beta guard, whether it be in the barracks, in the training room, or in the guard ranks.
Quickly after the relationship with San bloomed to life, Jongho joined the pack. Jongho would find ways to corner Yunho, pressing the alpha general about his love life. Yunho remembered muttering out an embarrassed confession; he had no notch on his belt to speak of.
And oh, that just wouldn’t do, Yunho remembers the advances of Jongho and Wooyoung the most, with Hongjoong, who he was sworn to protect, breaking Yunho down in the end.
It was easy, being intimate with the pack, and Yunho enjoyed the attention, the care. But no matter what, he wouldn’t cross the line into anything other than just sexual gratification.
– – – – – – – – – –
That was, until Song fucking Mingi. Crown prince to the northern kingdom of Ervos. Enemy of all nations.
Mingi had barreled into his life a year after Jongho joined the kings’ pack, meant only to be an asset for a political alliance. As an omegean offering to the kings of Solaris, Yunho assumed Hongjoong and Seonghwa would sign the alliance papers, then send the omega to a far-off corner of the kingdom. Yunho believed it was deserved for a royal from that tyrannical kingdom.
Yunho had tried to hate the prince, and he supposed he did for a while. Yunho was livid at Hongjoong for assigning him as a guard to Mingi, and no amount of cock sucking (and Yunho was damn good at that) had changed the king’s mind.
The distaste seemed to be mutual from the Ervosian, and Yunho was content to keep it that way. Yunho even made it known his displeasure with being assigned to him.
Mingi was fairly easy to protect as the prince refused to go outside the castle walls, but gods, was Yunho bored. Weeks of following the prince around as a dog blurred together as the alliance talks dragged longer than anyone thought they would.
“Must you follow me around?” Mingi’s voice was clipped with annoyance one night, hovering by the door of the training room. ‘Surely the general of the Solarian army has better things to do than play chaperone.”
“What does an omega have use for in my training room?” Yunho asked. “The weapons in there are not toys to play with. You’ll injure yourself.”
Mingi's face soured, and he scoffed, pushing open the door and stepping inside the room without answering Yunho.
The Solarian had watched the omega from the entrance as he assessed the different weapons laid out around the room. Mingi’s fingers had brushed past swords, polearms, and bows, until they closed around an axe.
Yunho had moved then, closing the distance between him and the omega in a handful of long strides. Mingi had startled, taking a small step back as Yunho snatched the axe away from him and placed the weapon back down on the table.
“You don’t need to be messing with this.” He stated. “It’s dangerous. I’d promised the kings I would make sure you were safe, at least until the betrothal is signed into an alliance.”
Mingi was bristling, and before Yunho could react, he was being shoved hard in the shoulder.
“Do you forget where I hail from?” The prince stepped into Yunho’s space with a snarl.
Yunho was taken aback, opening his mouth to mutter out, “No, I haven’t forgotten. I just-”
Mingi interrupted him by shoving him again, and Yunho was sent stumbling back a step or two into the hard, wooden wall. Yunho blinked, surprised as Mingi stalked forward. No omega, or even alpha, had been able to make Yunho stumble like that before.
“You southerners have no idea how lucky you are to be born here. How, for my people, being safe is a blessing and not a right-”
“Your highness-”
“No!” The omega yelled, his voice cracking on the word. “You have no idea! You sit there believing every Ervosian is a sinner!” He raises his arms again, ready to shove Yunho for a third time.
“Stop.” Yunho snapped back. “You need to calm down.”
The omega snarled, and Yunho was surprised by just how strong the other seemed to be. Mingi’s jabs and hits were controlled.
Practiced.
Trained.
Yunho only snapped out of it when Mingi landed a hit to his jaw. The general surged forward and seized the omega’s hands, swinging them around until Mingi was the one pressed against the wall.
Mingi heaved over a shaking breath, glaring at Yunho through his fringe. Yunho stared back, taking in the features of the man in front of him. His features were sharp, with eyes that could pierce through even the strongest of guards, and an angular jaw led Yunho’s eyes to his lips.
Even through the snarl, Yunho could see the softness there, could see a slightly crooked tooth among his teeth. Even with his face tight with anger, the slight fullness of Mingi’s cheeks was visible. Yunho also noted the moles on his cheek and under his eye. Seeing Mingi like this, he didn’t look evil, as Yunho saw northerners; the prince just looked human.
Yunho must have been staring long enough to confuse Mingi, whose snarling had died away. They both sat there in silence, staring like they were trying to read each other.
“It’s not safe in Ervos.” Mingi had murmured after a while, breaking eye contact with the alpha. “Especially not for omegas.”
Yunho understood then. Mingi only knew how to fight because of this fact.
Yunho’s grip loosened on Mingi’s wrists. “Your highness… Mingi I-” Yunho had meant to apologize, but the omega slid out of Yunho’s hold and hurried out of the training room.
– – – – – – – – – –
He didn’t know when it changed, when feelings for Mingi started to blossom in his chest, louder than the hate he thought would always leave them divided. Yunho assumed it was respect, after his and Mingi’s quarrel in the training room, Yunho had cut down on the displeased remarks. He could hate a man but still respect him.
Once the alliance was signed by both kingdoms, Mingi had slowly integrated into the pack. Most welcomed him immediately, but Wooyoung, Yeosang, and Jongho resisted. For a while at least.
Yunho wasn’t the only one of the pack to suffer from Ervos’ actions. Jongho had grown up near the Solaris Ervos border and had witnessed countless attacks on his village. Wooyoung had survived an Ervos assassination attempt on Mend that claimed both his mother's and older brother’s lives. Yeosang had held Wooyoung as the omega shattered and was left to help piece back together his mate.
It was months after Mingi joined the pack before any headway was made on those three relationships. Yunho had assumed any sort of relationship with the omega was unrealistic. Mingi was the Ervos prince; he was guilty by association.
So, color Yunho surprised when he found Jongho tangled together with Mingi in the library, the alpha thrusting hard into the omega beneath him. Yunho had froze, processing what he was seeing.
It was still dark outside, the only light source being the candle flickering on the table Jongho had Mingi laid out on. Their bodies slotted together, Jongho between Mingi’s spread legs with Mingi’s hands gripping the younger alpha’s shoulders. Jongho must have whispered something in Mingi’s ear, because the omega let out a breathless laugh before it cut off into a moan.
“Right there.” Mingi’s hands slid down the expanse of Jongho’s back, his nails dragging down the skin. A soft gasp was punched out of him by another roll of the guard’s hips. “Jongho-ah-”
Yunho snapped out of it at that, turning to the door to try to make his escape. As if to spite him, the door clicked shut right as he reached for it. It wasn’t loud, but it was loud enough to have both Jongho and Mingi’s heads snap towards Yunho’s direction.
Mingi had been mortified, pressing his forehead into Jongho’s shoulder to hide, but Jongho only gave Yunho a levelled stare. Yunho felt a small stab of betrayal. Jongho was his right hand, had listened to Yunho’s story of his father, and here he was, holding Mingi like he was a treasure. Like he wasn’t the blood of the man who had caused his suffering as a child.
Yunho had stormed out, making sure to stay out of sight of them both in the days that followed. A new feeling had settled deep in Yunho’s stomach, a feeling akin to jealousy. But it couldn’t be. Yunho refused to believe it could be.
The general finds him in a similar situation not more than a fortnight later. He had stepped out of his office, meaning to get some air in the garden, when he stumbled upon Wooyoung and Yeosang sitting near the tulips.
Yunho first feels fondness watching the two, but Yeosang shifts forward to press his lips to a third person’s. To Mingi’s.
The kiss lasted a few long seconds before Mingi pulled back to turn to Wooyoung. Mingi had lifted his hand, which held a tulip, and tucked it behind the other omega’s ear.
Yunho could hear Wooyoung giggle and could see Mingi’s face brighten with a smile as he gently tucked some of Wooyoung’s hair behind his ear so the flower could be seen.
Mingi’s eyes leave Wooyoung’s face, and the prince froze when he catches sight of Yunho standing near the castle doors.
Their gazes stay glued to each other for what feels like hours, but eventually Mingi’s attention was pulled away by Yeosang’s hand on his cheek. That smile returns, and Mingi averts his eyes to focus on the beta in front of him.
Yunho shuts himself in his office again, unsettled. How could Jongho, Wooyoung, and Yeosang put aside their hatred so easily? Did they forget everything that the north had done?
The general drowns himself in work so he doesn’t need to think too hard about it.
– – – – – – – – – –
Seonghwa and Yunho were outside in the garden when Seonghwa was able to strike. If there is one thing Seonghwa was a master at, it would be making things make sense.
“Your feelings towards Mingi are not there to punish you, you know,” Seonghwa said simply, elbow deep in mulch as he transfers over a few new flowers. “They are meant to lead you to happiness.”
“Those flowers are a perfect addition, my king.” Yunho brushes over the comment, trying to ignore the way his stomach dropped at the king’s forwardness.
“Yunho.” Yunho could hear the sigh in Seonghwa’s voice, like a disappointed mother. Yunho shifted, hand lightly fiddling with the handle of his sword on his hip.
‘I am perfectly happy where I am.” Yunho responded eventually, but they both knew that was a lie.
Seonghwa smiles gently, his hand caressing Yunho’s arm. “It may do you some good, letting yourself fall into the feeling. The pack would welcome you. You know that, right?”
Yunho’s eyes had found the king’s, and he was met with a heavy, knowing glint.
Seonghwa rose from the grass, dusting off his tunic and letting out a small content hum at his handiwork. He turns back to Yunho a final time. “Just think about it.” he said before making his way back into the castle.
Seonghwa was always good at that. Making Yunho think.