Chapter Text
Leaves rustled. Trees shook with the wind. And Ten? Ten floated.
Lazily gliding across the surface of the small lagoon, Ten let his fingers create deeper ripples into its glassy plane. His floppy black hair lay stuck to his forehead, drenched in the water as moonlight bathed him while he bathed himself.
His mind was cluttered, and if he hadn’t found this small alcove in the idle of the forest off their main pathway from the pack, Ten wouldn’t know when he would ever find alone time. Spending everyday rooming right across the hall from the person you were in love with, that you weren’t supposed to love, was horrid.
Horrible.
Just really fucked up, honestly.
Ten was lucky his pack was already so accepting of his non-traditional omega habits and personality, so he knew he couldn’t push it any further. Not that anyone told him as much, but he was still an omega. He needed to mate an alpha, not another omega.
Letting his body sink beneath the surface, Ten puffed his cheeks out as he held his breath. Small bubbles drifted upwards from his nostrils before Ten opened his eyes to stare out at the murky, dark water.
Stop.
Stop loving him. Ten repeated in his head, squeezing his eyes shut tightly.
“Ten?” A warbled voice called out his name, making him shoot his head out of the water, taking in a gasping breath. Taeyong stood off to the side of the small, moonlit pool, a concerned look plastered on his face. The moon bounced off of his cheekbones, his eyes sparkling as they reflected the light.
“Yong?”
“Tennie. I went to your room, but you weren’t there and I got worried. Are you okay? Thinking about the alpha mixer tomorrow?” Ten’s brow pulled down as he sunk back into the water slightly.
“Don’t remind me,” he grimaced, making Taeyong laugh a squeaking giggle.
“Ten, it’ll be fine,” he smiled down, making Ten’s heart speed up to an unhealthy rhythm. It felt as if it would spring out from Ten’s chest at any moment and bounce its way over to Taeyong’s feet.
“I know it will. And if any alpha asshole tries to bother you, you know-“
“I know, I know. You’ll save me,” Taeyong shook his head with a good natured smile.
“But, you know I mean it.”
“I know, Tennie. I know.”
Taeyong and Ten had been close for forever.
When Ten was brought into their pack after a raid when he was just a pup, Taeyong’s family practically took him in. Although he grew up in his own small room with other orphans, Taeyong’s family had him over for dinner. And lunch. And breakfast, often foregoing a trip to the pack house where the majority of the wolves would eat.
So, yes, Taeyong and Ten became close fast.
When they became teenagers and started seriously preparing to present, Ten took Taeyong into the flower fields and sat him down to tell him that he was his. That when Ten presented as an alpha, that Taeyong was his.
That was when they had shared their first and last kiss.
Only a few weeks later did Ten present as an omega, and his entire world shifted on its head. His body refused to grow anymore and Taeyong soon surpassed him in height. Even though it wasn’t exactly how he had imagined it being, Ten was fine with Taeyong being his alpha, as long as they could be together.
But, of course, that was too good to be true.
The morning that Taeyong went into heat the scent of honey doused everything in a mile radius. The smell made Ten’s eyes water and his heart race in attraction. Running off into the woods, Ten left the pack behind. He spent days sobbing, knowing that he had to say goodbye to his first love.
It was only when Taeyong came looking for Ten that he came back to the pack grounds. Taeyong’s parents rushed at him, enveloping him in their warm embraces. They berated him with questions of why, and Ten stood mutely, unable to face them and be honest of why he had become so upset.
Flash forward and here they both stood, Taeyong with a pleasant look upon his face and Ten with a hardened scowl. A sea of mingling wolves before them, some from the friendly bordering packs and others from their own.
Ten’s best friend, Sicheng, came up to him and elbowed him sharply in the side making him let out an oof noise.
“The least you can do is look like you’re not going to kill them all,” he whispered out the side of his mouth towards Ten, only causing his frown to deepen.
“But, how am I supposed to not look like that when it’s exactly what I’m thinking, Sicheng.”
“Tennie, come on,” Taeyong pulled slightly on his sleeve, making Ten whip his head to the left and his features immediately softly. Sicheng let out a low chortle that Ten chose to ignore as he sighed and gave in to Taeyong’s wishes.
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry,” Ten apologized to the other omega.
Sicheng was a beta, so he technically didn’t have to participate in the current gathering. Not that Taeyong or Ten had to either, but it was implied and mostly expected that they would. Kun, another beta and another one of Ten’s close friends came up to Sicheng, blushing.
“Hey, Sicheng, did you wanna-“
“Oh, Kun! Hey, how’s working at the healing center going?”
“Uh, good! It’s good. My dad says that maybe in the next year or so that I can probably take over for him.” Sicheng’s heart shaped grin made Kun’s cheeks pinken further as Ten simply rolled his eyes.
Kun was in love with Sicheng, but even if you looked him point blank in the face and told him as much, he still wouldn’t believe you. Kun was doomed to stay friends with Sicheng, the same way Ten was doomed to never have Taeyong as his lover.
A tall alpha lumbered his way to where the four of them stood, going straight away to Taeyong’s side and extending his hand. Ten butted his way sideways and stuck his hand out instead, cutting the alpha off, and gave him a tight-lipped smile.
“Hi there, I’m Ten.”
“Um, hey? I was wanting to talk to-“
“Yeah, this is Taeyong, my best friend, and if you want to speak to him, you should probably speak to me first because-“
Ten , his name was whispered over the mind link in his head. Taeyong’s voice bounced around, so softly that it made his heart speed up. Tennie, please?
Shooting a quick look behind himself at Taeyong, Ten then bowed his head in apology before scooting back to the side where Sicheng and Kun stood. Ten met Sicheng’s eyes as his best friend sent him a sad, yet knowing, look. Shaking his head, he began to walk off heading in the direction of the pack house where there was food and refreshments.
The door to the two story cabin flung open as Ten let himself inside. Turning to the left, he headed directly into the dining hall, where a multitude of tables were strewn about. In the back of the room was where the assembly line for food was, and approaching it quickly, Ten grabbed a small bowl and proceeded down the line.
It didn’t take long for him to gather his food and head for a lone table in a far corner to sit down and wait for the hell that was this mixer out. The other wolves that weren’t a part of their pack wouldn’t be staying the night, so Ten knew that it was only a matter of a few hours until he could sneak off to the omega cabin and go to sleep. Maybe, if he was lucky enough, he could leave even earlier and find his way to the lagoon in the forest only he and Taeyong knew of.
They had found it when they were still pups, and made a promise that they would never tell anyone where it was. Not until they had pups of their own, that was. Of course, two male omegas couldn’t reproduce. Not that a male alpha and male omega could either.
The male omega gene was extremely recessive, and not something you saw too terribly often. So, the fact that both he and Taeyong had become one made Ten feel like the Moon Goddess was laughing in his face.
“Is this seat taken?” A deep voice sounded out from beside Ten, making him turn his head to see just who it was. The scent of roasted chestnuts and earth washed over Ten making him shiver before a frown found its way back onto his face. An alpha named Johnny, who was a part of their pack, stood beside him, rocking back and forth on his heels with a soft smile stretched across his lips.
“Why?”
“Ten, come on. I just wanted to have lunch with you.”
“Psht,” Ten spit out, turning back around to his food where he simply pushed it around in his bowl.
He had known Johnny for years, since they started training as growing pups. His family lived on the opposite side of the pack grounds, however, so they didn’t see much of one another except to fight. Ten and he had fought countless times, and it often went back forth who would actually win.
“Anyways. I’ve been working on my cabin,” Johnny started, sitting down next to Ten before taking a huge bite of stew. “It’s going to be super big. If you wanted to come by and see it sometime, I’d be more than happy to-“
“Suh, don’t even try,” Ten cut him off.
He and Johnny had never truly had conversations about anything other than fighting techniques, so to hear the alpha try and show him his cabin…
When alphas in the pack reached maturity and were ready to start trying to find a mate, they began to build their own cabins. It was common to bring whomever you wanted to mate to see the process, and/ or, have them approve of it when it was built. If an omega didn’t find the cabin suitable to nest or mate in, then usually they would turn the alpha down.
“I didn’t mean it that way, Ten. I thought we were friends?” Ten shot his eyes over to the alpha who was avoiding eye contact. His ears were bright red on the tips and Ten simply rolled his eyes to stare back into his bowl. “I was going to ask Taeyong if he wanted to see it, too. We could even invite Sicheng and Kun? Doyoung and Yuta maybe? It doesn’t have to be… you know.”
“No, I don’t know, Suh,” Ten responded curtly before his omega huffed at him for being so rude to such a nice alpha. And that’s the thing, Johnny was nice. And handsome. And if Ten’s heart hadn’t already been captured by someone else, maybe things could be different. “If Taeyong goes, I’ll go, I guess,” he murmured before shoving his mouth full of stew.
“Great!” Johnny’s face lit up, beaming brightly at Ten who simply ignored him.
That night, Ten found himself in his wolf form, sprinting laps around their training fields. Ten was known for being fast, in fact, he was pretty sure he was the fastest wolf in the entire pack. And their pack was huge.
His midnight black and grey splattered wolf dashed through the woods, weaving in and out of trees. He avoided rocks and roots easily, his night vision sharp and aware. He ran to forget, and that day had been one he needed to forget. If he had to hear Taeyong talk about one more—no.
Shaking his head, Ten plowed forward, begging the wind to blow his thoughts away.
Earth and foliage crushed beneath his paws as the chill, crisp air rushed through the fur on his face. Huffing out, Ten pushed himself faster, barreling onwards.
Get over it. You can just focus on your training. Focus on yourself. Be strong for yourself.
The wind stung his eyes, making them water slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a squirrel flit from tree to tree. His wolf growled lowly before lunging forward, leaping into the air, and snagging the rodent out of the air. Ripping through the delicate skin, Ten’s canines bit into the ripe flesh as he shook his head back and forth making sure it was good and dead. The small bones crunched underneath the weight of his jaw.
Rustling came from behind Ten, and he quickly turned growling harshly, his sharp teeth on display. The scent of warm, golden honey washed over him as the lithe dirty blonde wolf snuck forward through the brush. Taeyong’s wolf trotted over to Ten, plopping down onto his hindquarters and tilting his head.
Long Day? Taeyong asked over their mind link
Just missed my morning run, so had to make it up. Are you hungry? Ten asked, nosing the mangled animal towards the other wolf in an offering.
You just caught that, didn’t you? You should eat it then.
No, really, it was just for fun. I’m not hungry, Ten reassured, hoping that his stomach wouldn’t growl and give him away.
Ah… okay, Taeyong smiled a wolfy grin before dipping down and scooping the catch up into his mouth.
Ten’s wolf felt proud to have fed the other omega, and when Taeyong finished eating, he stalked over playfully. Nosing the side of Ten’s bloodied mouth, Taeyong licked his matted down fur on his cheek.
You’re dirty.
Well, I just got a kill. Of course, I’m a little dirty.
Taeyong sat back on his haunches, staring down Ten. The only sound between them was the wind whistling and the forest whispering its nature song to them. Crinkling leaves, skittering creatures, and Ten’s heartbeat. That was all.
Did you want to go and see Johnny’s cabin tomorrow?
And just like that, the moment was shattered as reality slapped Ten upside the head once more.
Yeah. If you go, I’ll be there.
Cool. I think a bunch of people are going actually. I’m kind of surprised that he invited us, honestly.
Hm. I was, too.
I think he likes you, Ten.
Agony struck through Ten’s heart at the lackluster and empty way with which Taeyong said that. It was impossible to read, but with his monotone drawl, Ten knew he simply felt indifferent towards the occasion.
If anything, he likes you. Any alpha would be an idiot not to.
Ten.
I know.
Once again a silence dangled between them, a few simple words away from being shattered for good.
From being shattered for forever.
From finally breaking down that wall.
Well, I’m going back home, Taeyong whispered into his mind and Ten had to forcibly hold his wolf back from whimpering.
Okay, I’ll be home soon.
See you then, then.
Yeah. Goodnight.
Goodnight, Ten.