Chapter Text
The healer's tent was a place that looked like it was on fast forward. Two healers rushing from one cot to another to tend to the sick ones. No one expected the winter to hit this early. None in the village was prepared to wake up with the world colored white and throats itchy and scratchy.
"Lixie pass me the cough herbs." Felix heard his mate loud and clear as he gently placed the cold rag on a older beta's forehead. He dashed to the supply closet, grabbing the right amounts of different leaves and walked over to the place where they divided for the pups. He barely stepped inside as he heard his mate trying to shush a feverish pup.
Felix chuckled, taking the child from his mate and handed the herbs to Chan. The pup in is hand shouldn't be more that four... maybe five. A very cute pup, even though he was slightly flushed with sudden winter fever. He patted the pup's back and let out a light wave of soothing pheromones. Both to the pup and his tense alpha. "You need to calm down Channie. We do this last year too remember." Chan sighed but visibly relaxing under his Lixie's attention. "Just because we did it before, it doesn't mean it hurt less to them suffering. They are too young Lixie." Felix nodded, he knew that feeling.
The day started with a yell of distressed omega mother, carrying her sick pup. Chan and Felix barely rolled up the tent when they heard the scream. Chan was the one to bolt to the burning and whimpering in their mother's arms, as Felix went to mix some fever herbs. No longer later Chan moved into the pup section, placing them on the softest cot. Oh! The pup's fever is high. Felix concentrated the herbs before giving it to Chan. Chan nodded at him, a silent thank you, as he coaxed the pup into drinking his meds.
And since then, everyone in the village came to the tent. Few for some quick relief for the cold and few had to be stayed as their fever was high enough to be concerning. Chan had taken care of the pup. Usually it would be Felix, he adored the pups till his chest felt like it would burst with warmth. But since there were more number of omegas today, it felt rightful for Felix to stay with them. The alpha's in his kingdom were possessive.
Felix placed the now sleeping pup in his cot and took some time admiring Chan as he gently treated the pups. He was so lucky to having Chan calling him his. There were days were omegas would drool over Chan, but Felix never felt jealous, in fact he was proud. He would link his arms with his alpha and think, he was the one in million who got to have an alpha tat was strong and soft, protective and territorial. Not many were like that.
His memory drifted back to the day when they first met.
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It was mid spring as a very young, close to presenting, Felix was in the wild to restock his parent's hut. His father was a male omega, who was also a healer and his mother was a female alpha who serves at the army. He was so proud of his parents, both serving to help and protect the nation. Since his mother would end up staying in the royal palace for most of the year, he spent his time with his father, helping him with herbs and learning something about healing everyday. He was twelve years old when he first successfully cleared a simple case of flu. The happiness he found in it was compared to nothing.
Now at the fresh age of eighteen, he was officially his father's only disciple. Taking his work very seriously. As he was picking up the last flower, making his basket that hung on his shoulders full, he turned to leave until he heard a low growl. His back locked up, his feet froze. Not with fear. No. But with how familiar yet stranger the sound was. It took a few more seconds of freezing did he realize that it was his mother's growl.
Another growl ripped, fearful, protective and waring followed by a whimper. His heart clenched at the whimper. Never in his life did he heard his mother whimper, that too out of pain.
Felix bolted towards the sound, instincts screaming to reach his mother and tend her. The closer he got to the sound, more growls erupted, not his mother's but others'. Other alphas were there. Their pheromones hit Felix, though unpresented, made him feel dizzy. He skied to a stop to see his mother in the center of a clearing, surrounded by alphas' who looked like soldiers from an unknown kingdom.
His mother was protecting a boy, barely older than Felix as he clutched to his mother's armor, eyes wide and terrified as he saw for any chance to run and call for help. But Felix didn't care about the boy now, his focus was on his mother. Her protective instincts on full fire as she pressed against the boy, trying to shield him from the alphas.
Her armor was half torn. Her prided sword nowhere in sight. Her head a leaking wound, a bruise on both of her shoulder, hair a mess and a actively bleeding wound, deep into her stomach. Felix gasped. His first instincts was to howl for his father and the villagers, but then it would alert the alphas around his mother. Felix hands shook not knowing what to do as he stayed behind the tree where he skidded a halt to.
One of the alpha growled and launched himself on his wounded mother, growling and bared teeth. His mother growled back as she knocked the alpha with trained fighting skills, yet not leaving the side of the boy. His mother whimpered again, clutching her side of the wound. The boy's arms placed gently over hers as she barely smiled at him.
Maybe that did it. Felix rummaged through his herbal pack, quickly pulling out three dark greened leaves, a white flower and red flower and crushed it with his hand. Once the texture came out he applied it on the roots of the tree he was hiding. The paste should trick the scent of a feral alpha. It should.
And it did. After a couple of minutes the air was stinking of angry pheromones of a feral alpha. The alphas around his mother gave a warning growl, but seeing the scent not losing it's intensity, the retreated. Once the alphas left he saw his mother crumple to the ground as the boy yelled in panic trying and failing to support her body. Felix didn't waste another second as he took his herb bag and rushed towards his mother.
"MOM!!!" Felix yelled as he reached for his mother. He whimpered and kneeled beside her side, taking of his shirt and balled it into her side. She was barely conscious. The adrenaline seemed to wore of, removing the mask and showing Felix how dire the situation was. He immediately took his mother's head into his lap and rummaged through his bag again. He didn't realize he was crying until he felt cold hands brush his face.
"You've grown into a young man baby..." Him mother croaked out, hiccups breaking between her words. Felix shook his head and clutched the hands of his mother in a death grip. As if willing her to stay back, trying to not let her go.
"It's okay my baby. It's okay." Felix was full on sobbing now. "Please mom... don't go yet. I just got you back." Felix pressed his forehead onto his mother's, his tears streaming from his cheeks into his mother's. "You promised- you promised you would be there for my presentation mom. Please please stay- don't go. please." He begged. more than he ever did in his entire life. "I'm sorry baby. I'm sorry." That made him cry more, this time in panic as he went back in searching for something that could make his mother stay. That could change the situation.
"My sweetie. I need you to do something for me. OK." His mother's voice was barely above a breathe, and Felix shook his head. If accepts her need, she'll leave. He doesn't want her to. "My baby. I need you to protect this boy Okay. I need you my baby. I-" Her breathe hitched, her hand dropped that was gently gripped Felix's cheek. His head snapped towards her, her eyes fluttering close. Felix didn't even know what possessed by he let out a high pitched mewl, yelling and begging for someone to find them. "My baby omega... I'm so proud of you my little love..." Her eyes closed.
Felix's heart seized for a long second. A feeling of something precious being forcefully ripped from him was so overwhelming. e looked at his mother's face, eyes closed, slick with sweat and she no longer smelled home. She smelled lost, something Felix failed to protect. A scream tore from his throat that vibrated the entire forest. He kept shaking his mother's body, begging and yelling at the same time until the boy pulled Felix into a long hug.
The boy's name was Chan- Bang Chan. Felix's father took him in after he explained the sudden assassination in the central market blew up the place and Felix's mother saved him from them. That his family was already killed by them. A twinge of anger swelled into Felix's chest. If this boy didn't meet his mother would have been alive, alive and happy. But he saw his father getting up and hugged the boy. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any of this. I'm sorry she's not here because of me." Felix's father let out a fresh wave of soothing pheromones, his vanilla mixed with jasmine filled the air. "She always puts others first. It's alright Chan-ah."
Felix didn't talk with Chan for a week, avoiding him. He spent his most of the days in his father's healing tent, trying to recreate his mother's pheromones. Only to end up crying his heart out, seeking for his mother. His father would always carry him back to the house and tuck him under his bed.
One fine day, he was having breakfast with his father when Chan came out of his room, spending his three day rut inside the guest room. Yes, Chan was an alpha, that didn't change anything about Felix's perspective on him. If anything he grew angrier. As an alpha he must have protected himself. Isn't that what alpha's are, strong and powerful. Just as Chan approached the table, Felix abruptly stood up and left the dinning room only to be stopped by his father's voice. "Felix sit back. Now."
So he did. "It's been two moths Felix. He has no fault in this. It was your mother's decision to protect him. Let go of that anger little love." Felix's father asked gently, taking Felix's hands into his. Felix scoffed and gave a subtle glare to Chan sitting beside him. "He is an alpha dad." Felix stated as a matter of fact. "Young and just presented. It was only his third rut baby. That makes him-" Felix cut off "makes him still a pup at strength. I- I know. It's just- I don't know." Felix said, eyes swelling again. His father is pulled Felix into a side hug. "You're copping baby. But blaming someone who has no control is not good." Felix nodded into his neck.
"I'm dying too Lix-ah." His father said. Felix pulled pulled back abruptly. Cause what? "Bond sickness little love." His father completed. Felix stood up and yelled directly into his dad's face "Wy do everyone try leaving me huh? Why? If this is what it is then let me die too. We will be together again." Felix father's eyes widen in shock "Shut up Felix do you even know what you are talking about?" Felix wiped his tears harshly "Why should i be the one to see the only people who loved me, leave me. What did I do to deserve it?" He cursed out, his knees going weak, buckling into his weight.
His father wasn't fast enough. But Chan was, he caught Felix before he could hit the ground and Felix's hand clenching around his shirt. Felix cried out "Why is everyone leaving me alone?" A hesitant question.
"You are never alone Lix-ah... Never." His father said, noticing how Chan's arms was protective around Felix's waist and another soothing his hair. Something Felix's mom did when she was courting him. But the beauty is, they still don't know it. But their hearts did. Until Chan let's the guilt go, and Felix accepts the reality, they will not know.
Felix's father died two years into his mother's death. The bond sickness finally killing him. Felix presented as an omega right after the three months mark of his mother's death. His father helped through it. he must have been painful and needy but he was angry, angry how his mother wasn't there to crease his hair, wasn't with him to sing his pain away. All he could think of her and cry about the loss of her cinnamon tinted with lily scent. Protective and warm.
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Felix was snapped out of his trance when he heard a wail of another pup. He saw Chan rushing towards them. Giving a slight peck on Chan's cheek he walked out of the pup section and continued to tend over the remaining omegas and betas.
And now every time he remembers about his parents, he doesn't feel sad, he doesn't feel angry or despair but love and different kind of completeness as he glances at Chan one last time before closing the flaps of the pups tent.