Chapter Text
The alpha before him snarls as Jeongin steps forward. He sighs, taking two steps back as he raises his hands in mock surrender. The alpha’s nostrils stop flaring as he does and Jeongin relaxes, yet keeps the indifferent facial expression firmly in place.
“So how much will it be?” The alpha grumbles, stepping further towards the edge of Jeongin’s property.
“Just bring me what you think it’s worth.” Jeongin doesn’t stop the smirk from growing. “I’m sure a big alpha like yourself can figure that out.”
The other alpha’s scent spikes in aggression at his words and his own scent flares in response. The alpha’s nose scrunches once more in what can only be disgust and Jeongin keeps his hands up, relaxing his face into the same, practiced blank expression, not wanting to make the alpha lose himself and actually attack him. He’s made the mistake before, long before he moved to his own land.
The alpha leaves with barely a nod, not bothering to close the gate as he walks out of Jeongin’s garden. Jeongin slowly lowers his arms and stares after him for a moment, no thoughts really going through his mind. This was normal to him after all.
His scent was too bitter, too strong, too suffocating. Repulsive, the pheromones so thick, that even his own mother had a hard time being around him.
It wasn’t always like this. He used to be able to interact with his own pack, used to have friends. But when he finally presented at the age of sixteen, it all changed.
His mother had been the first to scrunch her nose at the scent wafting off of her baby. The warm milk and baby smell making way for the bitter and strong scent of a baby alpha. His dad had swiftly left as he started to present, taking his older brother with him as Jeongin’s scent was too aggressive.
He had always wondered what he’d smell like. The warm orange and spices scent of his mother? Or maybe the dark, rich chocolate smell of his father? His brother had a strong woodsy scent, yet his sister had a lovely floral scent when she presented, so maybe something like theirs?
He supposes he never really will know. The only descriptors he’s gotten were bitter, sour, and suffocatingly thick. Impossible to be around. Disgusting. Pungent.
His mother had tried everything to get the pack to treat him like a decent person. But none of the herbs from his pack’s herbalist, or even the strong medicine from the city had helped him gain control of his scent.
He and his mother were soon forced to the edge of their pack. A less obtrusive area where Jeongin wouldn’t be in the way. His father and brother, his eldest sister staying with her own family by now, had stayed in their family home in the heart of their pack’s land. Jeongin hardly ever left their new home, his strong scent making him a target for the other alphas. His mother had said that their bullying was a defense mechanism, his scent triggering for their alphas, but he never really believed her.
They picked on him because he was an outcast, a lone wolf in the making they said. A son that not even a mother could stand to smell.
He threw himself into improving his furniture making at that point. He had long been training to take over for his father when he came of age, but it was looking more and more like he wouldn’t be able to stay there once that time came. His brother, who previously had been more attentive to his hunting skills, was thrust into training to take over for his father, no one wanting to rely on Jeongin.
When his twentieth birthday finally arrived, he requested a meeting with the pack leader to leave. Usually, you only left your pack when you met your mate or, in worse ways, if you had been kicked from your pack for something horrid. Lone wolves had a harder time merging with other packs after all and no one wanted to deal with the scrutiny from that even in the best of circumstances.
He was still in talks with his pack leader, looking more and more like he would be able to just leave as he wouldn’t be missed when his father and brother died in a hunting accident. And with it, so did Jeongin’s dreams of leaving. They didn’t want him there, but they couldn’t afford to let him leave. His skills were too useful.
He was the only one who could make furniture that actually lasted, their family was famous amongst the packs in the area for it. So his pack leader had talked with the neighboring packs at the next gathering, negotiating for a small parcel of common land to be gifted to him so Jeongin could stay in the area, yet not interfere with pack life.
In the end, the packs had agreed to give Jeongin a small piece of his own land. He was officially cut off from his pack after, no ties holding him to them as he was moved onto the land. Packless, yet bound to several packs that didn’t want him.
His only solace was that he actually did enjoy his home. He had built it himself over the first two years he was out here, slowly adding on to it as the years went by. He’s been out here for five years now and he loves it.
He gets several visits a week from neighboring packs and requests for furniture and items to be made. Different packs treat him a little differently and even pay him with different items.
This alpha is from the city to the north, wanting to honor his omega’s home pack by purchasing from Jeongin instead of one of the cheap city builds. So Jeongin will be expecting the alpha to bring him actual money. His mother’s pack to the east will bring meats and furs, frequently boasting the best hunters in the area. The pack to the west usually brings him vegetables and fruits, having put a lot of time and effort into their farms.
The pack to the south is the one Jeongin knows the least about. He’s been visited only a handful of times by them, each time they bring him something different. They even have actual money sometimes. Jeongin wishes they would come around more often though. They are the only ones who don't make it visible that his scent bothers him.
The wind brings along a breeze and with it, a scent Jeongin is unfamiliar with. He doesn’t look up until the scent is closer, stronger. His nose twitches as a warm and sweet cinnamon scent grows and curls around him. He can’t quite put a finger on why, but the scent nearly has him relaxing.
“Hi there!” Jeongin is startled out of his thinking by the scent owner’s loud and surprisingly happy voice. His head shoots up and he takes in the sight before him with wide eyes.
“Hello,” Jeongin hesitantly replies. He stands up on unsure legs, and as he edges a little closer he finally makes the realization that this is an omega . Jeongin freezes in his steps because they never let lone omegas visit him. Their alphas are usually too scared of Jeongin’s pheromones and don’t want a lone omega to fall at his feet.
The omega tilts his head with an inquisitive noise, “How are you? Are you alright?”
“I’m–” Jeongin steps one step closer, eyes getting distracted by the soft, round cheeks of the omega as he smiles at him. “Fine.” Jeongin finishes, still not able to find his footing.
How is he supposed to talk to an omega? Alphas are usually easy, don’t raise your voice or insult their family or the alphaness and they usually won’t attack first. But Jeongin has never been allowed to talk to an omega alone before. Not since presenting, anyway.
The omega’s hand rests on Jeongin’s gate latch and he fiddles with it as they stare at one another silently. Jeongin is struck with the thought that this omega is cute. He quickly shakes the thought away though, that’s something that will never happen to him and he’s still coming to terms with it.
He clears his throat, “How can I help you?” He wills his voice to sound soft, and unassuming, but just then, the breeze changes direction. The omega’s eyes widen as his nostrils flare and Jeongin curses himself in his head as he realizes the wind has changed. He tries to reel back his scent, but the voice of the omega stops him.
“I’m Jisung, what was your name? I’m afraid my pack didn’t tell me before I left.” Jisung smiles at him, his lips pulling back into a heart shape and the weird way that Jisung doesn’t even address Jeongin’s smell clues him in on which pack the omega is from.
“My name is Jeongin.” He bows his head a little as he introduces himself, “You’re from the southern pack then?”
“I am!” Jisung flashes him a larger smile and Jeongin can feel the ends of his lips twitching up in the ghost of a smile.
It quickly fades as suddenly, Jisung is pulling the gate open and walking towards him. Jeongin’s eyes widen as he gets closer and he can’t help the way he freezes in place as the warm scent wraps tighter around him. Jisung must see the look of surprise on Jeongin’s face because he quickly stops in his tracks, only 5 feet from Jeongin himself.
“Ah sorry,” Jisung rubs his neck sheepishly, “You probably don’t want me on your land, I should have asked.”
Jisung makes a move to step back and Jeongin is quick to reach out, yet he doesn’t touch.
“No, no. It’s just–” Jeongin pauses, not really knowing how to deal with this type of situation. He hasn’t talked to anyone about something that wasn’t business in years. “Other people are the ones who don’t want to come into my garden.”
Jisung looks confused at this, but luckily doesn’t press the issue and Jeongin opens his mouth before Jisung can ask another question.
“What can I do for you?” He asks again, trying to regain control of the situation.
“Ah, my packmates are having a baby and Jinnie is too sick to come to request his own furniture so I volunteered in his and his mates’ stead.” Jisung smiles once more, a softer smile that betrays the love he has for his pack.
Jeongin can’t help the way his scent curls in discomfort as he is brutally reminded that he’ll never have that. Jisung looks over at him in concern, but Jeongin pushes on. At least this pack won’t mention the bitterness of his scent as his discomfort burns.
“What kind of furniture did they need?”
Jisung goes on and on about several trivial things–the way they’ve decorated, the way the three met, their jobs in his pack–before he finally describes the furniture he’s requesting. Jeongin is surprised by the amount of fondness slowly curling in his chest as he listens to the omega talk about his pack.
He even learns that the pregnant pack member is a beta, which would never have been allowed in his old pack. Not even their mating would have been allowed. An omega with an alpha and a beta? But Jeongin can tell from the way Jisung talks about them that this isn’t unusual to him. That's a whole other issue that Jeongin isn’t even going to worry himself with. He already knew he didn’t like his pack’s traditions and this kind of reaffirms those thoughts he’s had.
He shakes off those thoughts–It’s not like he’s a part of his birth pack anymore–and refocuses on Jisung. Before he can comprehend it, it feels as if Jisung stays for hours chatting with Jeongin. So long, in fact, that Jeongin has even begun to laugh with the omega. He can barely remember the last time he laughed in the company of another.
They’ve long sat down near Jeongin’s fire, he opts to lay down some furs by the fire for them, pretending as if the single stool nearby isn’t a window into his loneliness and instead just a small table that Jeongin rests their drinks on. He didn’t even have a second cup to give Jisung, instead, they’re drinking their tea out of bowls. Jeongin would have been embarrassed if Jisung hadn’t looked so happy to have sat down together.
Jisung had immediately launched into several different stories, each one relaxing Jeongin into quiet laughter the longer they sat together. Jeongin has a weird feeling in his stomach as they sit together, not quite sure what he’s feeling, yet enjoying it nonetheless.
Jisung leaves shortly before sunset, taking the warm feelings with him and leaving behind the cold curl of confusion.
Jeongin has made it just fine out here by himself, with no friends or family to talk with. But talking to Jisung for just one day was enough for the feelings of despair to creep back in. He begins work that night, drawing out his plans in the light of the fire. Yet his thoughts keep drifting back to Jisung. He’s never been so confused.
He knew that the southern pack treated him the nicest out of all the other packs, but he never would have expected one of them to come and talk to him for hours without even a thought spoken about his scent.
He finally sets the plan down after he gets distracted once more, staring into the fire in contemplation. He wasn’t sure how to handle this, but he had told Jisung that it would take two months for the pieces to be complete and he doesn’t expect to see the other until then.