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YEONJUN
A heavy silence filled the room, so thick that it clogged his lungs.
Yeonjun sat stiffly in his seat while his omega mother, perched on the divan across from him, shifted anxiously as she waited for his response— a response that he didn't have. The clogs in his mind had stopped working as soon as his mother’s words had reached his ears, and now Yeonjun focused all his energies on keeping his anger at bay. Once she realized that he wasn't going to dignify her statement with an answer, his mother sighed, shoulders dropping under the weight of their prolonged stillness. Yeonjun observed as she curled her slender fingers into fists, as if she was trying to gather strength to break the tension. “If you have any concerns regarding this arrangement, I would gladly hear them.”
Eyes as dark and sharp as his rove across his face, searching perhaps for a sign of forgiveness, though Yeonjun knew she’d find none.
Yeonjun scoffed. “As if anything I could say would change my situation.”
Never in his thirty-eight years of being alive had he ever felt so utterly betrayed. He was never naive enough to believe that his life– a life bound to duty, family, honor– was built for much happiness. Still, he had ingenuously assumed that his mothers respected him enough not to use him as a bargaining chip. He had hoped that they loved him enough to grant him the same courtesy their own parents awarded them, but alas, the freedom of choice was stripped from him right under his nose.
Yeonjun willed his scent not to betray him, and though there were never bright sides to war, at least the years of battle and carefully planned strategies had strengthened his nerves and trained him to have a tight leash on his scent and instincts. The same could not be said for his mother. Her lavender and peppermint scent gave away her distress, and yet knowing that his mother was sorry for him didn't make him feel better at all. If anything, it only fueled his anger.
“I know that this is not what you wished for, but perhaps there is something we can do to make this arrangement more favorable to your desires.” His mother’s strained smile rubbed him the wrong way, for how dare she act mournful when it was she who put him in such a position to begin with?
“Unless you plan to undo what you’ve done, there is nothing that would make this arrangement more favorable to my desires,” Yeonjun said through his teeth, parroting her own words, his voice so full of vitriol that it sounded foreign to his own ears.
To her credit, his mother didn't flinch at the harshness of his tone, and only pitched her lips together as though she’d bitten on a bitter lemon.
“Yeonjun,” she said, her voice now ringing stern, “I know you’re not fool enough to believe you’re above what your station demands of you.”
“If it is so inevitable, then why bother asking me to speak my thoughts?” Yeonjun snapped, his fingers twitching where they lay against the armrest— his muscles ached and trembled with tension in his attempt not to grip the soft fabric beneath his palms until his knuckles turned white.
“This is the best offer someone in your situation could have asked for, Yeonjun. I know you are aware of it as much as I am.”
Her words struck him like a whip, knocking the breath out of him, but before a stunned gasp could escape his lips, Yeonjun clenched his teeth, and his omega fangs— though shorter than an alpha's— prickled the skin of the inside of his bottom lip. Yeonjun would have never expected such words to come from her. From the woman who forged him into the omega he is now.
A new wave of tense silence fell upon them, much more charged than before, and Yeonjun tried to even out his breathing before confronting his mother’s insinuations.
“My situation being…?” He was firm when he asked the question, and his voice came out much lower than usual— it sounded much like the growl of an alpha, thundering across the space between them— even if the implication stung.
If that was his mother’s line of thinking, then he wanted her to say it out loud, to own it.
“Don’t make me say it, Yeonjun.”
He heard the words anyway. You’re well past your prime, you’re lucky anyone has accepted to take you as their mate.
Yeonjun inhaled sharply, lifting his chin ever so slightly. No matter how such unspoken words bruised an already sore spot his inner omega had, he refused to break under the weight of his mother’s pitying gaze.
Yeonjun wanted to get up and leave, wanted to snarl at her for holding the same archaic line of thinking as the rest of them, but he needed to see this through, if only to save a little pride for himself before his family stripped it away from him along with his freedom.
Yeonjun allowed the rage burning in the pits of his stomach crawl up, up, up until it coiled tight around his heart, acting both as a sword and a cage at the same time.
“You’re selling me off like cattle and you expect me to– what? I don’t understand what you’re trying to accomplish by being here, mother. If it’s my blessing you’re looking for, then I have to inform you that you’ll have better luck looking for it elsewhere. You said it yourself that this is not what I wished for, and you’re right. It isn’t. ”
In the face of his curt rebuttal, his mother straightened her back and schooled her expression, smoothing her hands along her deep green dress. “I expected you to understand duty.”
Yeonjun didn't hold back the venomous words resting in the back of his burning throat and let them spill past his lips. “Don’t talk to me about duty when all I’ve ever done is abide by it! After everything I’ve done for you, after I’ve fought your war, you’ve done me the disservice of reaching into parts of my life you were never meant to touch!”
The fight left his mother as quickly as it arrived, and her shoulders slumped again, any trace of lavender in her scent gone under the bitterness of her distress, and Yeonjun knew it was a matter of minutes before his alpha mother would join them in his chambers at the call of her mate’s anguish.
He didn't know if he could withstand going head-to-head with his alpha mother right now, but he refused to console his omega mother when he was the victim.
“Yeonjun, I wouldn’t wish for this to happen to anyone, let alone one of my kids, to you, but these are precarious times and we need this peace. I’m so sorry that it has to come at the price of your happiness, but I wouldn’t be asking this of you if it weren’t necessary–”
“But you didn’t ask–”
The door to his chambers opened without as much as a knock, interrupting him.
“Yeonjun.”
He straightened even more.
There she was, just as expected. His alpha mother strode into the room with a stern look on her face, cutting him off before he could finally state his mind, her jasmine and pear tree scent permeating his space so abruptly that it felt like a punch in the guts.
He had always been told that he was just like her— hard working, confident, and a little too stubborn for his own good— and it was likely the reason why his relationship with her had always been rough around the edges. Despite being the parent he’s closest to, she was also the parent he picked the most fights with. He bit on his tongue to refrain from finishing his sentence, hard that he could taste blood in his mouth, the metallic taste familiar and almost welcome.
Her slim figure was dressed in a pitch-black dress, and the dark jewelry made her pale complexion stand out and enhanced the salt and pepper curls falling onto her shoulders.
“Don’t talk like that to your mother.” She continued before turning her gaze to her wife. Immediately, she started to pump out calming pheromones, and if Yeonjun weren't this upset, perhaps they would have worked on him as well.
"Yunseo, I’m fine.” His omega mother reached out to her mate, and his alpha mother softened.
“Sumin, it’s not advisable to be under such distress at your ripe old age.”
“Oh, shut up, I’m still a young lady,” she chuckled, subtly relaxing her shoulders at her mate's scent, and seeing his mothers act so lovingly when they had condemned him to a marriage of convenience made him sick to his stomach. He didn’t care to have a marriage of love. He stopped caring about marriage at all a long time ago, when he couldn't see an end to the bloodshed, and now that the bloodshed did end, he was pushing his forties. It wasn't the time to care about marriage anymore. What made him see red was the fact that he had no choice whatsoever in his future.
“Why me?” Yeonjun asked, unyieldingly staring at them, ignoring the tang at the corners of his eyes— the telltale sign of angry tears that he refused to shed. He wasn't going to cry. Not in front of them, nor in front of his own reflection later, if he could help it, after everyone was gone and he'd be left alone with his thoughts.
"Why not my younger sisters?”
His mothers stayed quiet for a moment that stretched for too long yet again, but it felt different this time, more suspended than tense as they shared a silent conversation with their eyes that Yeonjun couldn't decipher.
“We believe they may be better suited for securing future alliances, if needed.”
For the second time that night, Yeonjun heard past the excuse easily falling past his mother's lips. They have more favorable marriage prospects than you’ll ever have— that was the true meaning of her words, and Yeonjun took one long, steadying breath, held it until his lungs burned, and then exhaled slowly.
“I do not wish to take this match.” Yeonjun tried to plead his case one last time, knowing that it was in vain, and he was distantly aware of how childish he sounded.
“It is a good thing that this matter does not concern what you wish.”
“Yunseo!”
Yeonjun let out a hollow bark of laughter as his omega mother admonished her wife, though he found it unnecessary— besides, she had only spoken the truth of his situation. No matter how his omega mother wanted to frame it, how much she tried to sweeten the pill…nothing would make it easier to swallow, or change his situation.
“The deal is already made. You will do your duty to your family, to your kingdom, and marry Choi Soobin.” His mother said with finality, standing tall in front of him. “Do you understand?”
“You’re marrying me off to a pup–” By this point, he was seething with poorly contained rage, but his mothers cut him off, speaking at the same time, their voices overlapping.
“He is twenty-five, Yeonjun. He’s well past the age of being a pup.”
“Do you understand?”
Never before had his alpha mother needed to use her alpha voice on him, and the fact that she had gone so far as to do it now makes betrayal settle further inside of him.
“You’ve given me no other choice.” Yeonjun chuckled, humorlessly, fighting the instincts telling him to bare his neck to show submission, and though it wasn't an agreement, it seemed that it was a good enough answer for his mother.
“Good. We will leave in a week.”
Yeonjun stared outside his window as his mothers retreated, not looking back even when he felt one of them linger at his door. He heard a sigh, the soft click of the doors, and then the clicking of heels on the pavement.
That night, Yeonjun packed his most essential belongings. He had to leave. He wished that he weren’t so bound to duty, that he could find it in him to forsake everything for a simple life filled with quiet nothings somewhere where he could never be found— Yeonjun would deserve as much, and yet he knew that he would head to Wolf's Den come dawn.
He'd play with the hand he had been dealt, even if the cards were stacked against his favor, as he saw fit. He'd take control of what little freedom his mothers had left him and tighten the grip on the reins of what was left of his life. He'd fulfill what was requested of him, but he refused to be embellished and bejewelled, draped in frivolous garments and paraded around like a frail war prize upon his official arrival in rival territory.
No matter how gilded his shackles were, he wouldn’t allow anyone, not even his family, to humiliate him to such a degree. At the break of the new day, while everyone was still fast asleep, Yeonjun left his family without as much as a goodbye.
SOOBIN
The grand hall of Wolf's Den's castle was adorned with opulent tapestries and shimmering chandeliers, casting a warm glow upon the assembled guests. The air was filled with a sense of uncertainty and anticipation— Soobin could feel it across his skin like a tangible fog as he picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks from the plate before him, while observing some of the rowdier courtiers cheer at their union.
Most of the guests had been spending the evening whispering among one another while lazily dragging themselves around in the middle of the hall in a poor attempt at dancing. Their gossiping provided a background of perpetual murmurs that accompanied the musicians’ lively melody, and the noise was almost too overwhelming for him to bear. Soobin tried to tune it all out, and it wasn't that hard of a feat, considering that all he could focus on was the dizzying scent that made his teeth ache coming from beside him.
The guests’ pheromones were kept at bay by the mandatory ointments required to attend the wedding, as only members of the royal families were allowed to display their scents— it was a way to show their power, and it seemed that his newlywed husband had taken the tradition to heart. Choi Yeonjun sat perfectly composed next to him, proudly exuding his sweetened almond scent to assert his status, and it was so strong that it almost completely overtook Soobin’s gentle pheromones. Considering the situation they were thrown into, he thought it would be for the best to approach the omega with his most soothing scent, and, perhaps naively, he thought that would ease the omega into trusting him— besides, they were in this together— but the omega had opted for a different approach, one that left no room for conversation.
Soobin was sure that this was a way for the omega to test the waters with him, to see how he’d react, because a lesser alpha would be put off, if not feel downright insulted, by such a display from an omega. Luckily for both of them, Soobin was no lesser alpha, and having his scent overpowered by one of an omega didn't hurt his ego. Not to mention that, even if it were, he couldn't jeopardize this tentative olive branch between their kingdoms over a little bruise on his inner alpha’s pride.
He had hoped for a more forthcoming attitude, but Soobin guessed it was in character of Yeonjun, considering that ever since he arrived, without notice, at Wolf's Den's court a week before he was supposed to, the older omega has been nothing but proud– or so Taehyun had told him.
Betrotheds were not supposed to see each other before the wedding, so Soobin had to rely on his best friend turned sworn shield to get a feel of the omega before the ceremony. Not that he hadn’t heard about Choi Yeonjun before, but rumors were one thing, and reality was another.
Soobin glanced beside him, his eyes flicking over the omega's features slowly—the Choi Yeonjun of Fox Burrow, with his sharp jawline and piercing gaze contrasting beautifully with his plump, full lips, and his surprisingly sweet scent. Time had only brought some lines on the omega's face, but they could very much be mistaken for expression lines. Yeonjun didn't look a day past thirty, and for a fleeting moment, Soobin thought that he would look even younger if the omega allowed himself to relax.
Earlier that day, Yeonjun had stood before the Announcer unmovingly with the same stern expression on his face, filling the air with his scent just as he was doing now, but even then, his scent had been devoid of any particular emotion. Still, Soobin noticed how his fingers grazed the golden trim of his elaborate attire— a subconscious gesture for sure— and that was the only gesture that hinted at the omega’s unease beneath the quiet, still surface. When it was time to recite his vows, Yeonjun’s voice had remained as unwavering as his stare on Soobin. He held eye contact, refusing to show his own unease and unwilling to waver in front of their families and all of their noble guests.
As the Announcer was chanting his prayers to the gods and everyone else held their breath, the atmosphere crackling with suspended tension, Soobin had draped the omega under his black ceremonial cloak, adorned with embroidered wolves, to officially wed them together. Soobin blamed his instincts for the smug satisfaction he felt at the sight of the omega wearing his cloak, pleased with how it fit too big and too long on him. The fabric was drenched in his crisp, clean scent of freshly laundered sheets, and it blended beautifully with Yeonjun's sweetened almond.
His heart skipped a beat when he took Yeonjun's hand in his, both of them facing the guests gathered in the temple. The omega’s hand was completely engulfed by his, his skin a little rougher than his due to his older age and years of combat, and just like that, in the hallowed halls of the temple, they had fulfilled half of their duties. Mating would be next, and just the thought of it made his teeth ache even more.
Soobin was brought back to the present by Yeonjun himself, his curt tone feeling like a bucket of cold water to his wandering thoughts.
“Has no one taught you some manners?” The omega’s gaze met his, and it was as sharp as his tongue. “Staring is rude, my lord husband.”
There was hostility imbued in that title, so much so that it stoked a fire in his alpha instincts. The omega wasn't known to have a welcoming personality, so the lukewarm smiles and silent nods that he had been giving to anyone in attendance as a form of thanks didn't look out of character for him, but Soobin was good at reading people, and he had noticed the anger simmering in the omega’s eyes, so the bitterness in his voice wasn't surprising.
Still, Soobin thought it unfair that such anger be directed at him, and even though fighting fire with fire would get him nowhere, honesty was the virtue he valued the most, so he let his tongue run free.
“I was merely taking notice of how well you've been keeping up the charade.” Soobin decided to skip any title, just to be irreverent in his own way, “I commend on your efforts.”
“I would hate to ruin the spectacle for our esteemed guests,” Yeonjun said, jaw clenching, but his stance remained measured.
The omega's lack of interest, or curiosity even, in him stung. Soobin was well aware of how they got here, but the fact that the omega had not spared him even a glance left his alpha a little bruised, and that only fueled his annoyance.
“Ah, Yeonjun-ssi, be careful,” Soobin warned, the chuckle that left his lips bordering on a low growl, relegating that irrational feeling to the back of his mind as a small grin stretched his lips, “or even I will believe in this performance.”
The omega sent him a chilling glare.
Soobin stared right back, looking for an opening in the omega's dark eyes and finding none, and he was only vaguely aware of the crowd erupting in composed claps when the nth song ended.
“Do not lose yourself in a fantasy, my lord husband, or you'll be disappointed when you're met with reality. This is a matter of duty, not choice,” Yeonjun said as if the circumstances of their union didn’t hang heavy on Soobin's shoulders, too. “I suggest you get accustomed to it.”
Soobin felt his annoyance turn into anger, rising fiercely in his chest, but he took a deep breath and maintained a stony expression– he didn't doubt that any signs of vulnerability would be used against him by the omega, so it was vital to rein in his most basic instincts.
“Duty is a burden we both have to bear.” Soobin might be younger than his husband, but he was still the heir to the throne. He was well aware of the tentative times they were living in. “We play the roles assigned to us for the prosperity and peace of our kingdoms.”
Yeonjun's eyes flashed with defiance, and a sarcastic smile appeared on his lips, taking Soobin by surprise, but the omega brought a cup to his lips to hide it from the crowd.
“Prosperity?” the omega’s voice cut through the tension, “or the illusion of unity at the expense of our desires?”
“Watch your tongue,” Soobin whispered with a snap, forgoing any sort of appropriate niceties as the animosity started to hang thick between them, “lest someone overhears and accuses you of treason.”
Perhaps he should have held his tongue, given how his own words sounded like an accusation, but when a corner of the omega’s mouth twitched, as if wanting to bare his fangs, Soobin couldn’t bring himself to regret having overstepped. To his disappointment, Soobin wasn't allowed time to feel smug about breaking the omega's adamant facade, because, to his surprise, Yeonjun leaned closer.
“Do not mistake duty for weakness, pup," Yeonjun whispered in a low hiss, the omega's full lips gracing the shell of his ear, "I will not tolerate insubordination.”
A thrill ran down Soobin’s spine. It set his nerves ablaze, but not in the way he'd expected. There was a warm tickle in his belly, the beginning of a familiar hunger, one that could not be satiated with food, mixed with the sting of a scratched ego. Still, he ignored it, and met Yeonjun's eyes with unyielding resolve, his mind still set on protecting his image while his body warmed up.
“Nor will I tolerate being talked to like a child.”
“But that's what you are.” Yeonjun scoffed, leaning away from him to take a sip from his cup. “Barely a man, let alone a grown alpha.”
“We'll see about that,” Soobin said with a shrug, not taking the bait, uncaring of the insult just thrown at him as he grabbed the remaining meat on his plate with the chopsticks.
He was well past the age of being a boy, and that was something he'd rather show with actions than with words. There was a slight shift in Yeonjun's scent, a spicy edge to it that put his alpha on high alert. Soobin knew how to recognize a threat when he smelled one.
“We are to mate, but you're mistaken if you think I'll ever want it.”
He had heard many things about Choi Yeonjun. His accomplishments in the battlefield and his unomega-like manners preceded him, but Soobin felt alight with the prospect of a challenge.
“Well, my lord husband.” Soobin parroted, leaning closer, his mouth barely touching the shell of the omega's ear, “I have nothing but time, and know that when you ask– because you will ask– you will beg for my bite with wanting eyes and a wet cunt to take how I see fit."
For a brief, almost imperceptible moment, Yeonjun stiffened, but then the omega let go of the tension in his shoulders through a chuckle. “You are a fool if you think that’s going to happen.”
The omega stood up then, bowing his head to him, and made his way towards his family to the main table on the left. He hadn’t seen the other Choi family be too prone to chatter, neither before nor after the ceremony, and that painted such a different family dynamic compared to his, but as he watched his husband entertain a conversation with one of his cousins– Choi Beomgyu, if he was not mistaken– Soobin thought that perhaps he was a fool, but that had yet to be proven.
YEONJUN
Earlier that day, walking down the aisle felt like heading to the gallows.
Now, in the midst of a wedding feast he never would have wished for himself, Yeonjun walked towards his family and, somehow, it felt even worse. It felt like he was heading towards his executioners. Perhaps that was what had become of his family, because if it weren’t for them, he wouldn’t be in this undesirable situation to begin with.
Yeonjun kept his head high as he passed by a flutter of hushed whispers and furtive glances, walking with a steady pace despite the weight of his resentment growing heavier with each step he took. He also made sure to keep the bitterness from showing on his face and from leaking into his scent.
He had a facade to uphold for the sake of this farce and, as he told his lord husband, he’d hate to ruin the spectacle.
His moms were both impeccably dressed in deep shades of green with golden accents adorning the finery, the same color of the rich forests that fill his childhood memories, while Yeonjun opted for a shade of green so dark that it could be mistaken for black.
“Yeonjun,” his name was what greeted him from his alpha mother's lips after his unannounced departure, her eyes roaming over him, eyebrows imperceptibly twitching with veiled judgment, “your attire is…more appropriate for a funeral than a wedding.”
After their last disastrous conversation, this was the first thing she had to say to him. He couldn't say he was surprised, as he inherited her blunt honesty.
His voice was firm when he replied with a statement as simple and honest as hers. “I’m mourning my freedom.”
“Drop the attitude,” she immediately snapped back, but kept her tone even, “you’ve lingered in your bachelorhood far longer than any other omega your age.”
Yeonjun gritted his teeth. “As you’ve made abundantly clear already.”
"Now it's not the time or place," his omega mother quickly interveined, shooting a quick warning glance to her mate before turning her attention on him, and her gaze softened, "you look stunning, jagi."
She reached out to him, but he was in no mood to be coddled, so he took a step back and bowed his head at the compliment— it allowed him to avoid her touch while keeping up appearances. When he straightened, his mother had a rejected look on her face, but he couldn't find it in him to care, so he just excused himself and turned towards the only family member he could stand at this point in time.
Beomgyu was his cousin by blood, but his brother by heart, and Yeonjun had taken him under his wing when the younger omega was thrown into the throes of war at the tender age of eighteen. Beomgyu had been nine when the conflict started, and if it were for Yeonjun, he would have never let the other omega join, but Beomgyu said it was out of his own free will, because he didn't want to leave his favorite hyung alone. Yeonjun had been thirty-two by the time Beomgyu joined him on the field, and by then, the conflict had been going on for nine years already, and Yeonjun was secretly grateful for the company.
Beomgyu gave him a small, understanding smile and asked, "Let's dance?"
Yeonjun felt himself immediately relaxing— it was Beomgyu's way of getting him away from the awkward, tense atmosphere surrounding them, a way to get the two of them talking with a semblance of privacy, and Yeonjun took the opportunity without hesitation.
"Of course," Yeonjun found himself smiling back— it was small and more than a little strained, but it was still genuine, "let's go."
Yeonjun extended his hand, and Beomgyu took it cheerfully before dragging him ungracefully onto the dance floor. Their presence got everyone's attention, though the guests tried to be subtle about it— Yeonjun ignored them all as he took the lead of their movements. Beomgyu didn't care for etiquette and sagged against him, and it took everything in him not to do the same in return, but his body relaxed at Beomgyu's proximity, his familiar scent acting like a balm on his bruised dignity and aching heart.
"Are you okay?" Beomgyu murmured, resting his forehead on Yeonjun's shoulder so as not to be heard by the people surrounding them, "You disappeared without a word, and I've been worried."
Beomgyu was the first person to check in on him, and sure, it was a question with a very obvious answer, but Yeonjun was glad that there was someone who cared enough to ask in the first place.
"I—" He wanted to complain, he wanted to say that he wasn't thrilled about the position he was cornered into, but that he was more upset about not being given a choice in the matter than about the marriage itself. If his family had asked, he would have sacrificed his freedom for them in a heartbeat, out of his own free will, but he didn't want to burden Beomgyu with his swirling emotions and so he settled on, "I am okay. I'm not happy, but I'm okay."
Yeonjun sighed, guiding their bodies with practiced ease, though Beomgyu was being more of a clingy baby than a dancing partner, so their steps were dragged instead of crisp and precise, and soon Yeonjun gave up on dancing in favor of swaying left and right.
Beongyu hummed in response, and Yeonjun gently began to stroke the skin of Beongyu's inner wrist with his thumb, where the secondary scent glands were, and the subtle scenting worked its magic as it always did.
"I'm sorry this is happening to you, hyung."
Beomgyu finally stood straighter, "but on the bright side—" the other omega's eyes flicked above Yeonjun's shoulders, looking somewhere behind him, and he had a feeling he wouldn't like what Beomgyu was about to say, "—at least he's hot."
Case in point. "You're lucky that there are people here," Yeonjun whispered through his teeth, wanting nothing more than to tackle Beongyu and strangle him until the lack of oxygen rewired his skewed priorities.
As they turned, Yeonjun dared a glance towards the main table, where he found his now husband sitting exactly where he left him, but now he was engrossed in a conversation with his personal guard— a rather tall guy with thick arms and big, all-seeing eyes— and another guy— who was even taller and with rather foreing features — who Yeonjun believed being the head of the palace security. Yeonjun shifted on his feet, turning and giving his back to his soon-to-be mate before he could get caught staring.
Objectively, Beomgyu wasn't wrong.
The alpha's dark hair had been combed back to show his forehead, his strong brows sharpening the soft shape of his eyes, while his full bottom lip glistened a sheer shade of red because of the wine he had been nursing since the banquette started.
Choi Soobin had been a hot topic ever since he came of age, but Yeonjun had never been prone to gossip, not to mention that he was too busy strategizing the next move to get his kingdom closer to victory to pay attention to it. The only thing he remembered were whispers of a lanky, scaredy pup with limbs too long for his own body— but the pup who greeted him at the altar was a broad, big alpha that stood unflinching under the attention of hundreds of people.
Yeonjun was tall— especially for an omega— and while Soobin wasn't that much taller than him, he somehow felt so small standing next to him. The sheer size of the alpha drew people's eyes, it demanded attention, and Soobin shouldered it without faltering. Yeonjun didn't miss the way most of the unmated omegas in attendance whispered among themselves during the ceremony, nor how they nearly swooned after Soobin so much as sent a corteous nod their way. How dramatic they were, all because of one attractive alpha— though a part of him could understand, because his treacherous inner omega had preened inside his chest when Soobin draped his ceremonial cloak around his shoulders, which fit loosely around him and was a bit too long for his height.
"Do you want to know what I think?" Beomgyu's voice reached his ears just as they turned around once more, and Yeonjun found himself looking above Beomgyu's shoulder to trace the strong curve of Soobin's neck with his eyes.
"Would my answer make a difference?"
His gaze wandered to the cup in Soobin's hand, which disappeared almost completely in the alpha's grasp, much like Yeonjun's hand had earlier that day as they professed their vows. A few veins visibly ran down the alpha's exposed forearms, all the way to the back of his hands. Gods, those hands—
"I think he's into you."
Yeonjun looked away as if he'd been burned— both because of the sudden turn of his thoughts and because of Beomgyu's surreal statement.
"Who?" He asked, not wanting to jump to conclusions.
"Your lord husband," Beomgyu snickered, a mischievous gleam brightening his eyes as a grin stretched his lips.
"Don't be ridiculous," Yeonjun scoffed, refraining from rolling his eyes in front of such esteemed guests.
Beomgyu didn't have the same reservations and openly rolled his eyes. "No, really, he's been eyeing you the entire time—" the other omega made an affronted, dramatic sound, pretending to be offended when Yeonjun shot him a warning glare, "—don't look at me like that, I am serious. Whenever you're facing away from him, he stares."
"Have you considered that perhaps he is looking at you?" Yeonjun suggested, stating the obvious.
Beomgyu was a beautiful, eligible omega in his mid twenties, only one year younger than his now husband— it would only be natural for Soobin's eyes to dwell, especially after being cornered into a marriage with a much less desirable prospect. But Beomgyu wasn't having it, and casually turned down his suggestion with a rather childish, "Nope!"
Yeonjun knew that it would be easier to teach a donkey how to talk than to change Beomgyu's mind once it was set on something, so Yeonjun decided to simply drop it, but of course, Beomgyu wasn't done with the topic yet.
"He is definitely looking at you, hyung."
"I think you are hallucinating."
"I think you've been so focused on trying to set everything and everyone ablaze with your gaze to notice the way he looks at you," Beomgyu said, sounding surprisingly serious for once, and Yeonjun was about ot retort that he wouldn't be saying that if he knew how their first (and only) conversation had gone, but then the other omega sighed, "You're so perceptive about everyone but yourself."
On the contrary, Yeonjun thought, he was painfully aware of himself, of his strengths and his flaws, and, most importantly, where he stood in this marriage. Though he hadn't been consulted, this arrangement was mutually agreed upon by their families, and Yeonjun knew that between the two of them, he had the most to lose. He had made a name for himself, built a reputation that he was proud of— one that wasn't appealing to alphas, meaning that having him would give any alpha a reason to gloat. Whatever Beomgyu thought he was seeing in Soobin's eyes was probably just the look of an alpha who couldn't wait to get his hands on his prize and tell the tale afterwards.
"Stop being so naive, Beomgyu." Yeonjun said, harsher than he meant to be, and of course, the other omega responded with the same passion.
"Forgive me for thinking you might have a chance to find some happiness."
Yeonjun felt his hackles rise. "And you think a marriage I had no choice in would give me happiness?"
"I know it's not ideal," Beomgyu insisted, "but we always knew that an arrangement such as this one was always in the cards for us. So don't close yourself off to the opportunity of having something good for once."
Yeonjun's jaw clenched, the blaze of heat in his chest creeping up the back of his throat and settling on his tongue as he spoke before he could think twice about it. "As if anyone would want me now."
He realized his mistake as soon as he saw Beomgyu's expression morph into something soft, and Yeonjun internally recoiled. He didn't want anyone's pity.
"Hyung…" Beomgyu spoke tentatively, and he suddenly felt like disappearing.
"Drop it."
"No, hyung, listen—"
He hadn't even realized that they had stopped dancing and were now just standing in the middle of the dance floor, so when someone asked, "Is everything alright?" it was both a surprise and a blessing, because Yeonjun didn't want to talk about whatever had transpired from his slip-up.
A man almost as tall as him stood before them— Yeonjun had never seen him before, but he was familiar with the uniform this unknown guest was wearing. Black fabric with silver thread details, a wolf-shaped pin adorning the high neck collar of the rather conservative-fitting uniform, while a decorated strip of fine cloth sat across the man's chest. A colonel of the Wolf's Den army, then. He tried to dig into his memories, to find a sliver of recollection of this man, but he came out empty-handed. Apart from his height, there was nothing remarkable about him. He was plain featured, of average build, and because of the mandatory scent-concealing ointments, Yeonjun couldn't gauge the man's subgender.
However, if he had to make an educated guess, he'd assume the stranger was an alpha. Wolf's Den wasn't notorious for allowing omegas into its military ranks, and betas hardly held relevant positions.
"Everything's fine," Beomgyu answered with a practiced smile on his face, momentarily tucking away whatever he wanted to say to Yeonjun.
"If that is the case," the man continued, "then may I ask for a dance, your Grace?"
In that moment, Yeonjun realized that the music had shifted into a different tune. He was about to politely dip in courtesy and leave them to it, more than ready to slip into a dark, secluded corner and forget the uncomfortable conversation with Beomgyu, when the stranger raised his hand. It was pointed in his direction.
Yeonjun tried not to let surprise color his face. He really didn't want to dance with a stranger, but it would be impolite to refuse, and Beomgyu was nudging him subtly in encouragement with an obnoxious smirk plastered on his face. There was a mischievous gleam in Beomgyu's eyes which almost felt mocking, for some reason, and Yeonjun didn't quite know what to make of it. Still, he knew in his bones that whatever was going on in the other omega's mind was no good, and that it meant he should probably refuse this alpha's offer.
Nevertheless, he sighed and found himself nodding— he didn't want to make a scene by refusing the man so publicly.
As he made to accept the outstretched hand, Yeonjun couldn't shake the feeling of being observed. He paid it no mind and stepped closer, but still made sure to keep a fair distance between their bodies. He had long lost his small talk skills, so he didn't say anything as he let the alpha take the lead. Music was drifting around them— it was a slower melody, but it was still lively— but Yeonjun tuned it out.
A handful of seconds stretched in utter silence between them, then the man broke the ice. "After all this time, I'm glad to put a face to the name."
Yeonjun felt the alpha's eyes roam over his face, then dip lower, stalling for a heartbeat too long on his neck, and that made Yeonjun square his shoulders. When the alpha got his fill, and his eyes were back on his face, he added, "You're prettier than I thought you'd be."
The comment dragged like a dull blade against his mind, putting him already on edge. "Apologies, I don't think I am familiar with you, my Lord," Yeonjun stated, trying to sound somewhat pleasant. He was never particularly talented in the art of flattery, especially with individuals who thought it appropriate to comment on a stranger's looks.
"I didn't suppose you'd be," He answered easily enough, seemingly unaware— or perhaps uncaring— of stepping on Yeonjun's metaphorical toes after only opening his mouth twice. The lack of proper honorifics or titles didn't go unnoticed.
With nothing else to add to the stifled conversation, Yeonjun kept quiet. Instead, he tried to locate the source that was making his skin feel warm and the fine hair at his nape rise. Looking above the man's shoulder, he checked the main table first, only to find it empty. Yeonjun allowed his gaze to meander across the sea of bodies on the dance floor, finding that some people were indeed watching him, some with distaste and some with curiosity, but all of them were swift to lower their eyes once caught. All, except one dark set of eyes.
The intensity of Soobin's gaze caught him off guard.
"You must be happy," the man went on, but Yeonjun wasn't really listening. In his arms, Soobin held a slim woman clad in a flowy dress, her light hair gathered in an elegant bun that left her dainty shoulders and neck exposed. She was a pretty little thing, beaming at Soobin as he made her twirl gently.
"Excuse me?" Yeonjun finally said, looking away from the alpha across the dance floor.
"You must be happy," the man repeated, "to finally be serving your real purpose, despite the odds being stacked against you."
It took Yeonjun a moment to realize what the alpha had said and that he was dead serious. To make it worse, the delivery seemed to lack maliciousness. This stranger meant what he said, and didn't think there was anything wrong, nor insulting, in his words.
It didn't matter whether the alpha meant that Yeonjun had found his use as a bargaining chip, or that Yeonjun finally got to be just a decoration that could bear children— either way, it stung like salt on an open wound, and the drums of crimson rage began to beat against his ribs. He knew what the reality of most omegas was, and how they were raised to maintain a sweet, almost childlike innocence that never dared to swing towards spoiled. How they were told to respect an alpha's word as law and never question the demands that were made of them. How they needed to be clever enough to follow a conversation, but never speak out of turn. How they had to withstand the less than pleasant interactions of graceless company, yet never be disagreeable in turn. But Yeonjun was no young omega of genteel distinction, nor was he trained from birth by his omega mother in the subtle art of being a pretty ornament.
If that's what this alpha expected of him, he was going to be disappointed.
"It's rather bold of you, my Lord, to make such assumptions on my part," Yeonjun said, taming the swelling anger in his chest, "no more blood has to be shed on our soils, and for that, I am happy. But it would be in your best interest to remember that while I serve the crown, I serve no alpha."
"I'm sure you think so," the man said, flippantly discarding his words.
"Have you sought out my presence to test my patience, my Lord?" This time, Yeonjun made sure to spit the title like an insult. And of course, once disrespect was directed at him, the alpha noticed— not that Yeonjun was trying to hide it.
"So it is true," the man tightened his grip on his waist and tried to pull him closer, but Yeonjun hardly budged, "you truly lack the manners befitting a proper omega."
The accusation would have been funny, coming from the mouth of such an alpha, if Yeonjun's vision wasn't starting to be tainted red, spreading like spilled ink on paper.
"You're lucky that this union was needed, or you would've ended up alone and unclaimed. No alpha wants an omega with such a poor temperament," the alpha's eyes roamed over him once again, but this time, it felt slimy, "but you're in luck, because I happen to like putting bitches like you in their place. I doubt His Highness will mind."
The man concluded, throwing a glance at Soobin and the pretty omega between his arms. The allusion didn't escape him, and somewhere in the depths of his inner omega, he flinched. It didn't show— he already made peace with the fact that he was going to be one of many, and that was fine. He didn't care, and after all, adultery was the most prevalent disease that circulated amongst the alphas across all kingdoms. All of them, especially highborn ones, thrived in the thrill of finding a young, pretty face, chasing them like hunting dogs on a new scent trail, and leaving behind the scraps for the mutts like the one before him to pick clean.
Yeonjun didn't care for formalities anymore, as it was clear this alpha didn't, either, and let a low rumble shake his chest, his omega fangs peeking from his lips.
"You say that as if any omega would find you half as appealing as you believe yourself to be, when your nauseating personality and nearsighted opinions are certainly enough of a deterrent."
"Aren't you a feisty one," the man said, uncaring of the abyss between their social statuses, "I look forward to seeing how quickly you become knot dumb like any common whore once His Highness gets his hands on you at the bedding ceremony."
Yeonjun took a steadying breath, hot rage cruising through his veins. His entire life had amassed into one great and unending line of discomforts, so much so that he had grown alarmingly used to them.
"Belittle me one more time, and I will have your tongue."
The alpha seemed amused, blatant condescension shining in his eyes, as if Yeonjun was nothing more than an unruly child and his words were nothing but a tantrum— an empty threat— when it couldn't have been further from the truth. Yeonjun knew what it felt like to draw blood. Despite spending most of his career moving the strings behind the lines, he knew the feeling of a sword in his hand and the weight of another man's life dangling at the end of it.
He wouldn't say that he liked the feeling, but the god-like rush of power that he felt as he bestowed mercy on his opponent as they knelt in supplication before the edge of his weapon was undeniable. It called to him now, and Yeonjun wouldn't feel a drop of remorse if his hands were to be tainted with this alpha's blood.
"He can keep his tongue," a hard voice cut through their tense conversation, and Yeonjun glanced to his right to see Soobin standing tall and rigid, only an arm's length away from them all of a sudden, with his jaw set and his gaze so cold it burned, "I'm not sure about his head, though."
The alpha sputtered, face red with embarrassment, as he immediately pulled away from Yeonjun. "Y-your Highne—"
"Leave at once, before I decide to have your head on a spike before sunrise."
The alpha didn't need to be told twice, and after a rushed bow, he retreated among the sea of swaying guests, some of whom had not-so-subtly tried to tune in to their hushed conversation. Yeonjun scoffed.
SOOBIN
The thing was— a betrothal was always a necessary evil of Soobin's future, and for a long time, he'd dreaded it. He tried to envision the omega he was set to marry: someone of noble stature, well-mannered and delicate in the way highborn omegas were, gentle and demure, heeding to Soobin's every word. Part of him recoiled at the thought of such an omega to his side. He didn't want a pretty ornament as a life partner, so when his parents granted him the blessing of choosing among the four children of the Queens of Fox Burrow, he immediately knew who he was going to choose.
His parents had protested, had insisted that he reconsider for someone more appropriate, more suitable, but Soobin weathered their complaints like a rock amidst the ebb and flow of the tides— for too long had he pined from afar, and he couldn't let an opportunity such as this slip from his fingers.
Soobin vividly remembered the day when their generals were finally able to work around one of Yeonjun’s strategies, leading their troops to victory after months of shameful losses, and how fierce the omega had looked as Fox Burrow had to retreat. And it seemed that Yeonjun had taken that loss to heart because after that incident, it became damn near impossible to predict Yeonjun’s schemes, and Soobin was amazed by the omega's sharp mind— though, of course, it was a thought that he kept solely to himself.
It happened at the beginning of Soobin’s military career. He had been eighteen, the war had been going on for eight years already, and it was like he had been bewitched because, from that day onward, despite only seeing a glimpse of him as the omega retreated in a rush along with his troops, Choi Yeonjun plagued his dreams. He was the only omega Soobin could think about, despite having plenty of omegas to satisfy his thirst, even when a rut overcame him.
So, when he heard the omega say, "belittle me one more time, and I will have your tongue," his conviction cemented. He made the right choice.
Soobin watched as the alpha struggled to decide what to do, whether to puff his chest and make a scene or heed the words of the omega, which, to someone like that, would do irrevocable damage to his inflated ego. In the end, it seemed that common sense won— Yeonjun might be an omega, but he was royalty, and not only that, but he held a much higher military rank than this poor excuse of an alpha. The man must have realized that, or maybe he finally grasped that Yeonjun wasn't one for empty threats, and when Soobin didn't offer him his support, and instead interveined in Yeonjun’s favor, he left with a rushed, half-aborted bow. Soobin observed with a sense of satisfaction blooming in his chest as the man scrambled away with his metaphorical tail between his legs, probably to find a shadowy corner to hide and lick his wounded pride.
His attention snapped back to the omega standing close to him when he released a sound that was closer to a growl than a sigh.
"If you'll excuse me," Yeonjun said, without as much as a glance in his direction before he, too, was walking away, his posture even stiffer than before. The musicians kept playing their tune, and while none of the people surrounding them had stopped dancing, they had begun to whisper among themselves. Soobin made sure to flare his scent in warning, every hushed conversation dying in a heartbeat, before following Yeonjun.
Likely not a clever idea. He followed the omega anyway, down the hall and out on the balcony, which looked out at the inner gardens, and as Soobin expected, Yeonjun wasn't pleased by his presence.
"Does the concept of privacy escape you, my lord husband?"
"It does not," Soobin answered, refraining from sounding too placating, lest Yeonjun get the impression of being coddled, "but you look one blink away from actually beheading the next alpha that crosses your path, and I just can't have that happen."
"Then you should be mindful of staying out of my sight, because you fit the description," Yeonjun said with a scoff.
The omega stood before him with his back to him, gazing out across the moon-lit gardens below them, but his shoulders were tense, his jaw set, and though Yeonjun had mastered the ability to control his scent, righ now that control was slipping— Soobin could smell a pungent, burnt edge to it, and that was probably why the omega had chosen the balcony to retreat to. It was less of a safe haven and more of a strategic choice to mask his momentary slip-up.
"Don't let it get to you," Soobin tried to mitigate Yeonjun's rightful anger, "those were the words of a small man."
"You do not need to worry, I do not concern myself with the opinions of sheep."
For once, he wasn’t too sure what to say next. Their first interaction hadn't gone too well, and now the omega was even more on edge because a sensitive alpha couldn't handle an omega having a mind of their own. Soobin weighed his options. Leaving seemed like the best course of action, but his instincts would never let him leave it down if he didn't even try to soothe an omega in distress— no matter how well Yeonjun hid it, or how well he managed under stress, the fact that he was ready to bare his teeth was enough to make Soobin want to intervene.
Wordlessly, Soobin raised his hand. He waited with bated breath for Yeonjun's response, sure that he was going to get pushed away any moment now. But for not the first time, and probably not the last either, the omega surprised him by taking his hand. He released the breath he didn't know he was holding, feeling his heart begin to drum faster against his chest as he led Yeonjun to a more secluded corner of the balcony and got them in position before he omega could change his mind.
Yeonjun followed without hesitation, but he still carried himself stiffly, clearly guarded, and the omega only tilted his chin higher when Soobin placed a hand on his waist. His fingers twitched. It was so small, or maybe it was the size of his hands that made it feel so small, or perhaps it was a combination of both— either way, that heat that he felt in the pit of his belly flickered to a flame. Yeonjun fit so well in his hands, and the lewd images that sprang unbidden in his mind didn't help his case. Soobin smothered those thoughts before the fire of lust could catch on and spread further than it already had.
For long moments, neither of them spoke as the music swelled gently from the hall. Soobin noticed how the omega moved like a gentle stream in its riverbed— his steps were precise but fluid, moving to the rhythm of the symphony in perfect harmony. He thought of making a note of that, but frivolous small talk didn't seem like something that would please or entertain the other.
"You don't have much of an agreeable temperament, do you?" He asked instead, a small smile tugging the corners of his lips when he caught Yeonjun rolling his eyes.
"I find it a quality better found in a dog," Yeonjun responded clippedly, "If that bothers you—"
"Oh, no," Soobin interrupted before the omega could get the wrong idea, tugging him closer by his slim waist, and the action must have been unexpected because Yeonjun's steady steps faltered as he was pulled closer, "I have no need for an omega that is no different from the bitches in the kennels."
He allowed his hand to slide from the omega's waist to his lower back, his hand being large enough to span almost completely across it, as he looked out for any kind of reaction from Yeonjun. And when nothing but a quiet, stuttering breath reached his ears, Soobin pressed his advantage.
Tilting his head lower, their noses brushed as he whispered, "I like a little bite."
The admission came easily— Soobin was never one to hide what he liked, and Yeonjun seemed the kind of person who would appreciate transparency. He thought that maybe his allusion would earn him a scoff, or maybe even a punch, since now they were away from prying eyes, but overall, Soobin had no idea how the omega would react. The only certainty was that he never would have expected Yeonjun to make no attempt to break free, and instead lean into his closeness until their foreheads were resting together.
It would have been sweet if it weren't for the fiery, daring stare the omega leveled him with. Being so close, Yeonjun had to tilt his head as his eyes flicked up at him, but that didn't make his gaze any less intense— if anything, it made Soobin's heart beat faster. Warmth spread through his body, re-igniting the spark of unbidden desire in his stomach that he had just smothered.
"Don't ask for things you can't handle."
Soobin tightened his grip, pulling him closer until there was no space left between their barely swaying bodies, his fingers curling over the omega's waist as he tried to control his scent. Yet, he failed. It flared, turning heavier and cloying, but at least his voice didn't shake as he breathed, "Is that a challenge, Yeonjun-ssi?"
Yeonjun's sharp expression dulled around the edges as a small smirk began to tug the corners of his full lips. His eyes traitorously flicked down to follow the movement.
"Only if you wish to lose, pup."
There was a sharp inhale, then silence started to stretch between them once again, and only when the omega's smirk turned into a victorious, smug grin did he realize that the sound came from him. Yeonjun took a step back, then another, and then made to sidestep him. Immediately, his instincts roared. He didn't want the omega to leave.
Before the omega could get out of reach, Soobin grabbed his wrist. Relying purely on his instincts, Soobin pulled Yeonjun closer and cornered him against the wall with a low, warning growl, both hands firmly grabbing his hips— as if his alpha wanted to be sure that Yeonjun couldn't escape. His broader frame completely engulfed Yeonjun's slimmer figure, effectively towering over him as Soobin caged Yeonjun against the wall.
Soobin's shoulders eclipsed the moonlight, allowing only a sliver of it to touch a side of Yeonjun's face, but despite being almost completely draped in shadows, Soobin still caught the flush blooming on the omega's cheeks. For the first time that day, after all the biting verbal sparring the omega had weathered unflinchingly, this is what made Yeonjun break eye contact first.
A pleased sound echoed from his chest as he freed one of Yeonjun's hips to rest his hand around the omega's throat, fingers cupping his defined jaw to tilt it up until their eyes met.
"Don't play coy now," Soobin murmured, "it doesn't suit you."
The breath that Yeonjun took was so quiet that Soobin almost missed it, but he didn't, and neither did he miss the gleam of resolution shining in the omega's eyes.
"Be very careful where you tread," Yeonjun whispered back, but his scent sharpened. The omega wielded it like a honed blade to match the warning in his words, and maybe, in other circumstances, if he couldn't feel Yeonjun's rabbiting heartbeat under his fingertips, Soobin would have followed the cautionary vow.
"But your heart is beating so fast…" he pressed his thumb a little harder on Yeonjun's skin, just below the omega's jaw, tilting his head just a little to the side so he could dip his face in the crook of Yeonjun's neck. Being so close to the omega's gland— so close to the source of that strong, yet sweet, sweet scent— Soobin felt drool begin to pool in his mouth, his gums aching with the innate need to sink his teeth into the supple flesh that was right under his nose. Instead, he brushed the long line of Yeonjun's neck with his lips, stopping only when they met the shell of the omega's ear.
"All because of a pup like me?"
This time, when Yeonjun inhaled, it was impossible to miss. "You insolent—"
Yeonjun began, but Soobin crowded closer, leaving little to no space between them as he grabbed the omega's waist tighter, and whatever insult was about to get thrown at him died in Yeonjun's throat. A choked-out sound came out instead, and as Soobin prepared to tease the omega for it, a new scent hit his senses like lightning on a clear day.
It was faint, but there and unmistakable. Slick.
The smell of it went straight to his head, making him feel dizzy all of a sudden, and a primitive growl crawled out of his throat. It was unbecoming of him, of his station, but his inner alpha cared very little when he had the most perfect omega right where he wanted him. The memory of what he said earlier toYeonjun echoed in his mind, and he found himself smirking at the realization that, maybe, having the omega wet and wanting wouldn't be as hard as he initially thought.
"Eager to prove me right?" Soobin said, and this time he didn't restrain himself when his instincts begged him to get a little taste of Yeonjun's skin. He caught the omega's pierced earlobe, nipping it with his fangs before pulling on the hoops adorning Yeonjun's ear.
Yeonjun's hands came to rest against his chest, fingers curling over the fabric of his ceremonial attire— to pull him closer or to push him away, Soobin couldn't be sure.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Soobin pressed a knee between Yeonjun's legs, making the omega's hips jump, though there was no sound coming from his beautiful, plump lips other than a shaky breath. And that was all it took for Soobin to spiral into inappropriate territory.
"Playing dumb doesn't suit you either." He murmured, dazed by the strength of his desires— he wanted to know what Yeonjun sounded like when waves of pleasure eroded the walls he built over the years; he wanted to see how Yeonjun would react to his intimate touch, wanted to see how Yeonjun looked stretched out below him, around him.
He didn't realize that he was growling until he felt Yeonjun grind on his thigh, the omega's hands still tightly wrapped around his clothes, and Soobin's inner alpha took that as a blessing to push his luck a little further. As he began to nip at the base of the omega's neck, sharp fangs teasing his gland, it dawned on Soobin that he wanted to be the best Yeonjun ever had.
This simple truth was easy to accept— he would leave Yeonjun so satisfied that he would never seek gratification from anyone else but him, and Soobin's name would be the only one leaving the omega's lips going forward.
Soobin lapped at Yeonjun's now swollen gland, high on the omega's scent and the rush of his own instincts, and the combination of the two rendered his tongue rather loose.
"Are you going to be this needy even at the bedding ceremony?"
Yeonjun froze, his scent souring faster than his intoxicated senses could catch on. It was the wrong thing to say, but Soobin only realized that when the world flipped on its axis, and he was suddenly staring at the bright moon hanging watchfully in the night sky. She shone brightly, and her judgment almost felt mocking.
Yeonjun's tall and slim figure hovered near him. Soobin was lying face up on the balcony's floor, cold seeping through his clothes and settling into his bones, unsure whether it was because of the marble or because the omega's expression was back to being stern and guarded, his scent devoid of its sweetness. "Whatever game you're playing, I will not entertain it further."
"Yeonjun—"
"You forget yourself, my lord husband. I'm not some toy you get to show off and mock, and it would be best for you to remember that." The omega spat, the formality of his words eclipsed by the venom with which they were spoken.
Soobin wanted to be Yeonjun's best, and he wanted everyone in attendance to see it. Clearly, Yeonjun didn't feel the same way about it, but it was too late now— Soobin could only watch him walk away from him for the second time that night, in a deeper grave that he dug all by himself.
YEONJUN
When his now husband called off the bedding ceremony during their wedding feast, Yeonjun had been surprised, to say the least, and immensely relieved— especially after the biting conversation they had shared. Notte mention the following slip-up, for which he could only blame his damn instincts taking over, eager to feel someone's touch after a while.
If he had to be completely honest, it was the part of the wedding process he most dreaded. He was not looking forward to being mated in front of whoever guest wished to watch it happen, as mating usually entailed some form of sexual act.
It had been a month and a week since Yeonjun arrived at Wolf's Den's court, and one month since he had been married to Choi Soobin. And yet, Yeonjun remained unclaimed.
Weeks had slipped by alarmingly fast, and yet, there was still no mating bite on him. Yeonjun began to wonder if the alpha had decided to skip the bedding ceremony because Yeonjun had not-so-subtly expressed his dislike for it, or if perhaps it was because Soobin couldn’t perform, given Yeonjun’s situation. As his mother had put it, back when she announced his betrothal.
Considering that Soobin had yet to request his presence in his den, Yeonjun was starting to lean toward the latter.
Needless to say, murmurs had started to run rampant after the ceremony was cancelled. It took everyone by surprise, and Beomgyu, who stayed behind at Wolf's Den with him, immediately wanted to know what had happened on the balcony to spawn such a consequence. Yeonjun was reluctant to talk about it, because, really, nothing had happened
Soobin had been tipsy. The alpha's cheeks were a pretty shade of pink as he crowded him against the wall, and that easily explained the hunger in his dark eyes and the richness of his scent. Yeonjun made sure to say as much to Beomgyu, before the other omega could start to fill his head with pointless fairytales.
Now that Soobin was sober, he had made no move to call on him.
Sure, the alpha had said that he wasn’t going to mark him until Yeonjun wanted him to, but Yeonjun knew that it was just an excuse to stall the inevitable. Yeonjun was acutely aware that, given societal standards, he was far from being the desirable omega he once was, and the most tender part of him stung at the alpha’s blatant disinterest.
Beomgyu teased him, saying that he was being needy, but the truth was that with every passing day, he grew tired of the anticipation of the unavoidable. At his age, Yeonjun could firmly say he was too old to drag this orchestrated joke out any longer. He would rather get it over with.
At this point in time, Yeonjun had no other obligation but to mate, and with Soobin making himself scarce, he had started to explore the castle— his new home for the foreseeable future— and with its winding corridors seemingly changing every other day, he felt like a mouse trapped in a maze. However, Yeonjun managed to learn the path to the library, which was where he often found himself whenever he needed space from Beomgyu's insistent, naive talk about chances and opportunities, and its books provided him with an escape from his own thoughts. There were rarely any people dwelling in the library. Today wasn't one of those days.
"You have yet to call on me to perform my duty,” Yeonjun said, gaze stubbornly fixated on ink-stained pages.
Once they fulfilled their duties, they could stop pretending. Prince Soobin could get all the concubines he desired, and Yeonjun would be able to spend the rest of his days minding his own business. He could help Beomgyu find a suitable mate and live a more genuine love story precariously through him, and he could read to his heart's content, which was exactly what he was doing before Soobin decided to join him, effectively breaking his concentration.
He had been quietly staring at the book in front of him for what felt like an eternity, occasionally stealing a glance in his husband’s direction, who was staring just as intently as Yeonjun at his own book. Neither of them addressed the other. That was, until Yeonjun broke the stubborn silence with his statement.
His head stayed tipped toward the book he randomly picked, not bothering to meet the alpha’s eyes even as he felt Soobin’s gaze bore into him— he didn't look because he knew what he’d find there now that he had brought up the topic of mating. If not disgust, then mild distaste. He wouldn't expect his arranged mate, who was thirteen years younger than him, to be attracted to him. Not while sober, anyway. He didn't want to sound like that nearsighted alpha at the wedding feast, but it was true that no alpha would purposefully choose him, not now, when he was well past his prime and could hardly produce an heir. Between the two of them, Soobin had undoubtedly gotten the short end of the stick, but their kingdoms had been at war for far too long, and whether they liked it or not, they would have to get mated.
"Are you disappointed that I haven’t?" Soobin asked, and for a moment, Yeonjun heard a hint of hope leak in the alpha’s voice.
"Merely curious," Yeonjun shrugged, turning a page of his book.
“Would you want me to call on you?” Soobin pressed then, and Yeonjun’s hand stilled. He made it abundantly clear that he’ll never want it. The more Soobin stalled their mating, the more Yeonjun’s blood bittered, because the alpha truly couldn’t make his lack of attraction for him any more obvious– which, fine, he got it, but that didn’t make the pill any easier to swallow. He had to swallow one too many bitter pills lately.
To think he once was the most eligible omega of the realm. It almost made him laugh out loud. To add insult to injury, Yeonjun had spent his prime coordinating a war that neither of their kingdoms won. Yeonjun looked up, meeting the alpha’s eyes after having refused to do so for a good handful of minutes, and where he thought he’d see aversion, Yeonjun spotted something else, something darker– but that didn't add up. Had the alpha drunk before coming to the library?
Yeonjun stared into the younger alpha’s eyes, trying to make sense of what he saw there, and when he couldn’t come up with a logical explanation, he hummed in response and resumed his reading.
Yeonjun actively pretended that Soobin’s blatant staring wasn't making the hair at the back of his neck rise, and neither did he address how Soobin’s scent got to his head.
After a while, it was Soobin who broke the silence.
“You haven’t answered my question.”
Yeonjun wanted to scoff but refrained from doing so. “It doesn’t matter what I want." He said for the hundredth time since his mother announced his marriage, because at the end of the day, it was the truth. His alpha mother had made that very clear, and Soobin should be well aware of that, too— it didn't matter what Yeonjun wanted, and it doesn’t matter what Soobin wanted, either.
“It does to me.” Soobin’s tone left no room for argument, and when Yeonjun didn't try to counter his comment, the alpha went on, “Remember what I told you at the wedding feast?”
As if he could forget the arrogant way in which Soobin had assumed Yeonjun's will would crumble under his touch. Yeonjun huffed, a sense of incredulity washing over him at the fact that they were even having this conversation, “Do you remember what my answer to that was?”
Soobin was quick to answer, “Yes, we have to mate, but as far as I am aware, a deadline was never sanctioned. We can take our time and get to know each other. Tell me what you want and I–”
He did find it funny how Soobin seemed to be craving some kind of approval from him. At that, Yeonjun did scoff, a mean edge to it, interrupting Soobin mid-sentence, manners be damned. After all, they already showed their teeth on their wedding day. Perhaps that was another reason why Soobin hadn’t called upon him yet. Yeonjun showed him right away that he was no demure, submissive omega, and although the alpha neither complained nor showed signs of being upset about that, it could very much be that Soobin was better at keeping up a facade than he thought he was.
“You can stall as much as you’d like, but let me remind you that I won’t grow any younger.” Yeonjun finally snapped his book closed, unnerved by Soobin’s naivety, and stood to take his leave. No reason to dwell in the library if he couldn't concentrate on his book and if his lord husband was set on play-pretend happy courting.
Yeonjun didn't get far at all, because Soobin’s voice rang loud in the otherwise quiet library— “Come here.” — and the alpha's firm, commanding words stopped him in his tracks.
Soobin hadn't used his alpha voice on him, but the command made his inner omega writhe inside of him regardless.
Yeonjun guessed here and now were as good as any other time or place to mate, and so he turned and walked back towards the long wooden table tucked between rows of tall bookshelves, coming to a halt in front of Soobin’s chair just as the younger alpha stood up. Yeonjun set his jaw, lips thinning as he scanned Soobin's face. It didn’t take that long to convince the alpha to give up on his apparent good intentions, huh.
He didn't lower his gaze as the alpha cornered him against the edge of the table, trying to keep a semblance of control by refusing to submit, at least in spirit.
Yeonjun's body went willingly, leaning onto the table and spreading his legs to accommodate Soobin between them. The alpha hummed appreciatively, the sound low and pleasant, reverberating through the silent library like the rumble of a distant storm, and Yeonjun bared his neck so that they could be done with this bother once and for all.
Soobin's eyes instinctively fell on the exposed expanse of his tan skin, eyes darkening and scent spiking with richer, warmer notes of tonka bean and ambery woods, turning the alpha's otherwise clean, fresh scent into something much more animalistic, but instead of biting down on his glands like he was supposed to, Soobin only began to nose his neck, his hands settling on Yeonjun's thighs to hoist him up onto the table. The alpha's thumbs were so close to the sensitive glands of his inner thighs, and between his touch and his heady scent, Yeonjun began to breathe heavily despite his better judgment.
“That’s what’s been bothering you all this time, then?” Soobin asked against the skin of his neck. “Age?”
The smug, cooing edge in the alpha's voice rubbed him the wrong way, and oh, how he wanted to beat some sense into the alpha.
“Listen, pup,” Yeonjun gritted through his teeth instead, holding onto the edge of the table to refrain himself from actually punching Soobin’s pretty face and tuning out the alpha's scent to keep an edge to his voice, “I’m not sure if you know how it works, but the older I get, the harder it’ll be for me to give you an heir.”
Soobin chuckled full-heartedly at his words. What a brat.
“You shouldn’t worry about that,” Soobin purred as his thumbs began to circle the glands of his inner thighs, and Yeonjun had to swallow the surprised gasp that threatened to slip past his lips when the alpha started to leave a trail of soft kisses below his jaw. “I have the stamina to breed you until it takes.”
His scent flared, turning thicker, but that was the least of Yeonjun's problems because his traitorous body reacted to Soobin’s words almost instantaneously. Yeonjun felt himself throb, slick beginning to pool between his legs, and the thumbs toying with his glands were not helping his case one bit. Needless to say, Soobin noticed right away. The alpha took a sharp inhale, and a smirk bloomed on the younger alpha’s lips against the skin of his neck— even without seeing it, Yeonjun could tell that Soobin was pleased by the obvious effect he was having on him. Soobin pushed himself slightly away from him, a mirthful gleam swimming in the alpha's eyes as Yeonjun raised his chin high, and in response, Soobin raised a teasing eyebrow at him.
“Oh,” Soobin was definitely amused, “so that’s what you want? Want me to take you until you're round with my pups?”
Yeonjun should push back, should put this irreverent, mouthy, twenty-five-year-old pup in his place, because that was no way to talk to someone much older than him, but no words came out of his mouth. Yeonjun's heart fluttered in his chest, like a bird flapping its wings to find a way to escape a cage of ribs and flesh, but there was nowhere to go, and so it began to run wild against his ribcage. Exactly like it did at their wedding feast, before the alpha had brought up the bedding ceremony. He didn't know what it said about him that he didn't care to prove the alpha right, not when his body felt more alive than it had felt in years. When Soobin tested the waters by pushing one of his hands higher, without breaking eye contact, toward his slicking core, Yeonjun just spread his legs wider to grant him even easier access.
“I see,” Soobin hummed, dipping his face back in the crook of his neck to take a long stripe at his gland, making Yeonjun shiver, as his hand cupped him over the fabric of his pants.
"To think I was trying to be considerate after how our last encounter went…” Soobin said, nipping his neck with his teeth right where Yeonjun was most sensitive, “when all you wanted was for me to fold you in half and pump you full.”
Yeonjun managed to stop himself from hiding his face, but he could do nothing to mask the color that began to flush his cheeks, the heat of embarrassment reaching the tips of his ears, while slick started to stain the fabric of his pants in a way that Soobin surely noticed. "Aw, poor thing," the alpha cooed, and Yeonjun growled in warning, trying to get the alpha to drop the attitude, but it was weak, and it didn't sound threatening even to his own ears.
"Dripping already." Soobin continued, unperturbed by Yeonjun's attempt at cautioning, "Let's take these off, hmm?"
Yeonjun closed his eyes as Soobin quickly worked his pants off, mortified and yet more than willing— craving, even— to get the younger alpha between his legs. They'll mate, and then it will all be over, and Yeonjun might as well enjoy this for as long as it lasts.
He was soon exposed to the alpha's hungry gaze, and when Soobin's scent sharpened, Yeonjun had the sudden urge to close his legs. He wasn't usually this prudish, but a wave of self-consciousness washed over him. It wasn't an easy task with the alpha still between them, and not only that– Soobin actively stopped him, grabbing his thighs with his large hands to push his legs wide open again.
"None of that. Let me see."
The younger alpha's attention on him felt hot on his skin, and Yeonjun was feeling shy for reasons he couldn't explain— he was unclaimed, not a maiden. He might get overlooked now that he was not as pretty, but back in the day, eyes followed him everywhere. He has had his share of partners to help him through his heats, or even just for fun, so any state of undress wasn't anything he hadn't experienced before. Perhaps it had just been too long since he was this vulnerable with someone, and now that someone was an arranged mate many years younger than him.
"How long has it been since you last laid with someone?"
A while, to say the least.
"Why do you care to know?" He said instead, wishing his galloping heart to slow down as Soobin's hand snaked higher, cupping him while one of his long, thick fingers traced the seam of his lips from his slicking core up to his throbbing clit.
"I guess it doesn't matter." Soobin replied, almost lost in thought with his gaze fixated on the way Yeonjun's lips parted easily at his touch, "When I'm done with you, you'll never want anyone else's knot but mine."
That was a bold statement. Yeonjun swallowed, hoping that it would drag away this unexpected timidness, and in a rush of confidence— or perhaps because of fear of losing control— Yeonjun leaned back, lying flat on the table as he pushed his legs toward his chest while a hand reached down between them to cup his mound, using two fingers to spread his lips and put his wet folds in full display.
"Show me what you've got, then, alpha."
Yeonjun thought he knew what was going to happen next, because no alpha could resist the temptation to get their knot wet as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Still, instead of unbuckling his pants, Soobin grabbed him by his hips and pulled him closer to the edge of the table.
Then, Soobin dropped to his knees.
SOOBIN
Soobin liked challenges. Always had. Perhaps it was because of his alpha nature, or maybe because he always had to keep up with what his title demanded of him, but regardless, it didn't really matter. He liked challenges, and Choi Yeonjun was proving himself to be a hard nut to crack. The omega was giving him mixed signals— his body was willing, malleable, and so beautifully responsive under his hands, but it was clear that Yeonjun's mind was conflicted, torn between holding on to control or letting go of it.
“Are you done staring? I told you before that it is rude to stare.”
Soobin smiled against the warm skin of the omega's inner thigh. Yeonjun's voice was steady, sounding irked more than anything else, but his body writhed impatiently at his careful ministrations. Soobin didn't raise his gaze to look into Yeonjun’s eyes, instead focusing on nipping the omega's scent gland as his hands maneuvered Yeonjun's legs to rest on his shoulders. The hard wooden floor was unforgiving to his knees, which protested with the added weight of the omega's legs, but Soobin couldn't care less.
“Not yet," he hummed in a low voice, but kept his tone light, almost joking, as he enjoyed the lewd view in front of him. He had barely touched Yeonjun, and yet his pussy was already glistening with slick.
“What is it, pup?”
There it was again. Pup. The word made heat pool low in his stomach and fire thrum in his veins, and a drawn-out growl slipped past his lips, half pleased and half in warning, because there was a limit to his self-control.
“You’ve never seen a cunt before?”
If, on the day of their wedding, anyone told him that the older omega he was getting married to had such a filthy mouth, he wouldn’t have believed them. A sharp tongue? Sure, but a filthy mouth? He was pleasantly surprised.
“Not as pretty as yours.” He replied easily— besides, it was an honest truth, one that made Yeonjun's scent sweeten, and Soobin quickly glanced up just in time to see a pretty blush spread on the omega's face, up to the tip of his ears, before Yeonjun hid his reaction behind his arm. Cute.
Soobin grinned, deeply enjoying how a strong-willed omega like Choi Yeonjun, the general who led Fox Burrow's army to so many victories, crumbled under the caress of a compliment.
Soobin allowed his hand to travel between Yeonjun's legs, except that now there were no clothes to stop him from tracing the slit between his pussy lips with his thumb, going from Yeonjun’s glistening hole to his hardened clit. He started to massage it with circular motions, and Yeonjun tried to swallow a gasp but miserably failed, as it rang loud and clear in his ears, and more slick dripped from Yeonjun down to the library’s table.
“You're so wet," Soobin could feel drool pool in his mouth, teeth aching to bite Yeonjun wherever he could, to mark him as his before anyone else dared to claim the omega for themselves. "I bet I could slip right in.”
Truth be told, his teeth had been aching to bite into the supple meat of Yeonjun’s tan neck since their wedding day, but Soobin could tell then, just like he could tell today, that Yeonjun was agreeing merely out of duty, and he— he was just not that kind of alpha. He would court the omega, show him that he was a suitable match— that he could take care of him as he deserved— and the next time Yeonjun was going to bare his neck to him, it was going to be out of free will. Just like he said he'd do at their wedding feast.
Free will and desire, but Soobin figured he had that second part covered already.
“Then do it.” Yeonjun growled, frustrated by Soobin’s meager, teasing ministrations.
“What if I want to take you apart slowly?" Soobin said, mouthing at Yeonjun's inner thigh gland one more time before kissing his way closer to the omega's core, "What if I want to watch you squirm on this table until you cry and beg for my knot?”
Not for the first time during this escalating evening, Yeonjun scoffed. His annoyance would have been more believable if he didn't sound breathless, though.
“Then you’ll have to knot your own hand, pup, because that’s not going to happen.”
Soobin’s cock had been hard and straining his pants since Yeonjun willingly let himself be crowded against the table and bared his neck for him to claim, but Yeonjun’s assertive tone, despite clearly being affected, made it throb against the fabric. He only got harder once he dived in to get his first taste of the omega.
Soobin heard the omega gasp, again, breath stuttering as he began playing with his clit while the flat of his tongue lapped up the slick gathered at the omega's twitching hole, but then, of course, Yeonjun had to stubbornly bite his bottom lip to stop himself from moaning. As if being vocal constituted a sign of defeat.
That wouldn't do. Soobin switched things up, removing his thumb from the omega's clit to replace it with his mouth, lips fixing around his folds and sucking hard on the sensitive while dipping two fingers inside of him. Yeonjun cried out, and Soobin smirked around the omega before pulling the clit between his lips, fingers curling and stretching the omega's pliant hole, and soon Yeonjun was arching his back off the table.
Soobin draped an arm around Yeonjun's slim waist to press him down onto the wooden surface, the tip of his tongue flicking Yeonjun's clit as his fingers found a pace that got Yeonjun squirming under his hold.
He felt dizzy. The omega's scent went straight to his head, making it swim, and the taste of him opened a pit of ravenous hunger in his stomach that Soobin had never felt before, and it spurred him to suck harder, to lick Yeonjun clean of everything he got to give him. The uneven sound of Yeonjun's breathing, along with the beautiful, sinful echo of his breathy moans, only fueled the hungry monster clawing in his belly.
Soobin pulled back just enough to say, "Just like that, let me hear you," before diving back to lap at the slick running down his fingers up to Yeonjun's core, and then up again until he had the omega's clit back between his lips. He ignored the throb between his legs— his pleasure didn't matter, not now that he finally had Yeonjun smelling so sweet for him and looking so pretty writhing under him after years of pining from afar.
Perhaps inappropriately, he couldn't help but think that his parents wouldn’t have protested at his pick for a mate as adamantly as they did if they saw how responsive Yeonjun was to his touch, how wet he got just by the idea of being bred full of his cum until it took.
He was a bit surprised that even Yeonjun thought of his age as a liability of sorts, because it wasn’t. Not to him. He couldn’t care less about the years separating them. What he cared about was earning the omega's respect, his love…eventually.
Soobin flicked the omega’s clit, and his fingers finally curled over his sweet spot— the reaction was immediate. Yeonjun reached out to intertwine his fingers in his hair, pulling him even closer as he moaned lewdly. Soobin went willingly, groaning at the sting of his scalp, face full of Yeonjun's pussy as the omega almost choked on his own whimpers before a desperate please stumbled past Yeonjun’s bit-swollen lips.
“What was that?” Soobin pulled away to ask, but added a third finger before relentlessly pressing onto the sensitive spot, teasing the omega as he repeated the action over and over— and oh, how sweet the sound of Yeonjun's soaked cunt was, "I couldn't quite hear you."
The omega’s hole clenched around him, thighs shaking around his shoulders, while he felt Yeonjun's body begin to tense under him, and so Soobin doubled his efforts. He pushed his fingers deeper, tongued intently at Yeonjun's clit, and growled— his inner alpha lusted to know what Yeonjun smelled like as he tipped over the edge of his climax, it craved to know how much sweeter Yeonjun tasted like as his high hit, and it yearned to know what the omega sounded like as he came.
The vibrations had the desired effect, the omega's moans breaking into choked little whines as he tensed like a bowstring about to snap, legs clamping shut around Soobin's head and hands gripping his hair even more tightly when the tension finally released. Soobin held him firmly still against the table as the omega began to shake throught his orgasm, not letting up his ministrations until Yeonjun went slack under him with a pretty little whimper.
He relented then, and all of a sudden it became incredibly hard to ignore his own needs— the omega's pleasure had gotten to his head, spreading like wildfire in his veins, and he quickly undid his buckle.
"Fuck," he hissed under his breath when his hands fumbled in haste, to which Yeonjun replied with a little whine. Soobin stopped, looking up just to be met with the most breathtaking sight he'd ever laid his eyes on. Yeonjun was heaving, chest rising and falling like he needed to catch his breath, and his cheeks were a beautiful shade of pink while his slender, cat-like eyes were glazed over with unshed tears, softening their usual sharpness. The omega's dark brown hair was splayed over the wooden surface, some strands sticking to his forehead, and his full, plump lips— fuck, those lips— were wet and swollen, and Soobin acted before he could think twice about it. He stood so fast that Yeonjun startled, but had no time to react as Soobin draped himself over the omega, his cock twitching when he completely swallowed Yeonjun's smaller body with his, and he went straight for Yeonjun's lips.
Only for Yeonjun to turn away before they could make contact.
Soobin's heart faltered, his guts twisting with disappointment.
He closed his eyes, taking slow, deep breaths to ground himself. Soobin tried not to let the rejection get to him, tried not to let it affect his scent— Yeonjun didn't feel the same for him, that much he knew ever since their wedding day. Soobin held his breath, then released it and dipped his head in the crook of Yeonjun's neck as if that was what he meant to do in the first place. Soobin nipped at the scent gland on Yeonjun's neck, up and up until he caught the omega's ear lobe between his teeth.
"You were so good for me, omega," he teased, drifting back into a more known territory, even as his heart ached, and it was like the cocky tilt of his voice snapped Yeonjun out of his post orgasm bliss, because as soon as he said that, the omega tensed.
The whimper that died in Yeonjun's throat was hard to miss, and then Yeonjun turned to glare at him, gaze sharp and focused.
Soobin was about to taunt him again, something along the lines of welcome back, when Yeonjun suddenly growled at him and pushed him away with more force than Soobin was expecting. He stumbled back, heart racing and ready to apologize for whatever it was that set the omega off, but when he glanced at Yeonjun, his mind went static, and his throat went dry.
Because Yeonjun had turned to lie on his belly on that same wooden table, knees near the edge of it and legs spread wide open, creating a beautiful arch as he kept his face flat on the table.
Yeonjun was presenting to him.
Slick ran down the omega's strong but slim thighs, his pussy on full display for him, and it was as painfully enticing as his sweet scent.
"Do you want to get your dick wet, or do you plan to cum in your pants like a newly presented alpha?"
YEONJUN
Presenting to Soobin was never in Yeonjun’s plans, but then again, when he challenged the alpha, he thought he knew what was going to happen. Soobin was going to take what he wanted from him, and in the heat of the moment, he was going to mate him. But that didn't happen. Soobin dropped to his knees and made him come on his skilled tongue and thick fingers, peering at him from between his legs with those dark, hungry eyes to watch Yeonjun unravel under his ministrations.
Soobin made his mind go blank, and his body turn to jelly, and when the alpha leaped to cage him under his broader body, lips swollen and shiny with slick, gaze dark with predatory intent, Yeonjun barely managed to turn away, heart beating so fast in his chest that the sound of it drowned everything else. If he let the alpha ravish him more than he already had, Yeonjun knew that his instincts would take over completely, and he simply couldn't allow himself to be that vulnerable with Soobin— not when the younger alpha already found cracks in the walls he carefully built over the years.
Yeonjun needed to tread carefully because the alpha was more perceptive than he thought, but it was really hard to keep his inner omega in check when Soobin's rich scent filled his lungs. His body was still high on the aftermath of the hardest orgasm he had in months, and though Yeonjun knew that he was walking a fine line on the edge of a precipice, he still wanted more. More of the alpha's touch, more of Soobin.
Yeonjun had barely been able to produce any slick for a long while, but now slick ran purfusely down his thighs and, gods, the last time he'd been this wet was probably during his last heat— which, at this point, he couldn't even remember when that was. Be it because he was well past his thirties or because of the stress he was under throughout the conflict, Yeonjun hadn't had a heat in years. But now here he was, sopping wet and throbbing with deep-seated need to feel the alpha inside of him, and so— since he couldn't voice his desires, lest he bloated Soobin's ego even more— he presented.
Admittedly, Yeonjun felt exposed. More than he did earlier, while lying on his back. No one had ever quite looked at him the way Soobin was, not even during his prime— there was just something wild in the alpha's eyes that sent shivers down his spine, that made him feel desired. He didn't know what to make of these feelings, so sudden and unfamiliar, but Yeonjun had no time to dwell on them, at least for the time being. Presenting made Soobin's stubborn resolve deteriorate, the alpha quickly undoing his pants before Yeonjun could tease him further.
All thoughts left his head when his gaze fell on Soobin's cock.
On instinct, Yeonjun arched his back deeper, belly twisting with want as he pushed his knees further apart to give the alpha an even easier access despite the lick of anxiety that bloomed in his stomach— Soobin was big, bigger than any alpha he remembered ever being with. Yeonjun had no idea how it was going to fit, but he had no intention of backing out now. He wanted that, and Yeonjun knew that both his body and scent gave him away when Soobin grinned a smug smile that made his deep dimples pop.
"Your taunts would be more effective if you didn't make it as obvious how bad you want to be stuffed full," Soobin said, grabbing his hips and snuggling his length between his parted folds, slowly dragging it along the slit to get himself wet.
Gods, the alpha felt huge against his mound, and Yeonjun bit the inside of his cheek to refrain from moaning, but he couldn't help but shift his hips to try and get Soobin silently inside of him. It earned him a chuckle from the alpha.
"Eager little thing, aren't you?"
A little sound escaped him at the alpha's low cooing, the degradation dressed in praise loosening the precarious grip Yeonjun had on his self-control. But he took comfort in the fact that Soobin wasn't faring much better than him. Yeonjun could feel him pulsing against him, the alpha's controlled, slow movements stuttering ever so slightly every time his tip caught on his welcoming hole.
"What is it," Yeonjun growled, growing frustrated, as he reached between his legs to grab Soobin's impressive length and lined it to his entrance, "Are you stalling because you don't know how to use this big thing of yours?"
Soobin twitched in his hold, and that did it. The alpha half scoffed, half growled back at him before pushing in, knocking the breath out of Yeonjun. Even with all the slick that was leaking out of him, the drag of Soobin's cock felt like too much, stretching him further than he thought he could take, but even still, he was willing and eager.
Yeonjun took deep breaths, hiding his face between his arms as the alpha kept going, his walls parting ever so slightly to accommodate Soobin's impressive girth and length.
“I can’t believe you were so desperate for cock that you presented to me,” Soobin grunted as he fully buried himself inside of him. The alpha gave Yeonjun a moment to recover, but he'd waited long enough already. It was a bit uncomfortable to have something so big inside of him, but it didn't burn or hurt, so he began to push his hips back to grind against Soobin, and the alpha took the hint.
Soobin didn't treat him with silk gloves like he expected, and instead started to fuck him eagerly, making a low sound that sent a shiver down his arched spine. Soobin's hands were tightening on his hips, thumbs drawing circles as if to comfort him—a jarring contrast with the unforgiving pace of his thrusts.
“Are you satisfied now that you have it?” The alpha said, taunting him.
Yes. Yes, he was, and he thought that regardless of how their relationship would evolve, at least Yeonjun would be well-satisfied if his heat decided to resume. Unless Soobin found himself other omegas to satisfy his needs with, which Yeonjun thought was very likely. Soobin would probably come to him as a last resort. He guessed that those were troubles for future Yeonjun to deal with; for now, he’d enjoy the moment.
“You’re not doing half bad,” Yeonjun said, failing to shrug as he wanted to because one of Soobin’s thrusts broke his voice into a breathy gasp.
“Is that so?”
Yeonjun wanted that smugness out of Soobin’s tone, but, at the same time, if the slick running down his thighs was anything to go by, that arrogance did turn him on— still, that won’t stop him from trying to knock the alpha off his high horse. Yeonjun looked at Soobin from above his shoulder, making eye contact before answering.
“I’ve had better.”
The growl that rippled from Soobin’s throat made his thighs shake, and his hole clenched around the cock inside of him. One of Soobin’s hands left his hips to grab him from the back of his neck, thumb and fingers pressing onto his neck glands as the alpha pressed Yeonjun's face against the table to keep him still.
The following hard thrusts made his body jostle on the table, the lewd sound of skin slapping against skin echoing in his head. Truth be told, he couldn't quite think of anything right now, his mind slipping away due to their combined scents and his thrumming pleasure. And even if he were able to think properly at the moment, it had been so long since he last bedded an alpha that he couldn't remember if what he was saying was true or just an excuse to rile Soobin up.
“Your cunt seems to disagree with you.” Soobin drew a line between the glistering seal of his labia, most certainly to watch how his cock stretched him open and disappeared repeatedly inside of him. “You're taking me so well.”
His hole fluttered around Soobin, the alpha's filthy mouth and his low timbre going straight to his groin, and Yeonjun forced a strained, “Do you ever shut up?”
Because if Soobin didn't relent, Yeonjun wasn't going to last much longer.
“Hardly.” Soobin chuckled, rolling his hips sinfully as he angled himself just right to hit the right spot inside of him. Yeonjun almost cursed out loud, but even though he was able to swallow his moan back, the way his legs started to tremble were indicator enough of how much he was enjoying it.
“Besides, why would I? Your pussy loves it. You're making a mess on the floor, you know that?”
Yeonjun wanted to object, but he couldn't because Soobin kept on hitting that spot inside of him just right, and all that came out of his mouth, punched out of him with every thrust, were breathy whimpers. It was only slightly embarrassing how quickly he became a moaning mess when Soobin found the perfect spot to touch.
The alpha still had his hand gripping the back of his throat and pinning him down to the table, but then he leaned forward, engulfing Yeonjun until they were chest to back.
“For instance,” Soobin began, and Yeonjun didn't like one bit the knowing grin on Soobin’s face, “it grips me so tight when I say that you're pretty.”
Yeonjun whined, and his eyes began to tear up, but he could pretend it was because of the table's firm surface making his body ache and not because of pleasure.
“You like being praised, don't you?”
Yeonjun could feel his climax approaching, could feel it sneak down from his stomach to his core.
“Yeah, you do…” Soobin crooned in his ear, and then, as if to test his theory even further, he said, “you're doing so good for me, taking me so well. My pretty omega."
Yeonjun had been hanging from a thread, and that thread snapped under the insistent pounding of Soobin's hips and the contrasting gentle coaxing of his words. His mind went blank for a moment as he came, static ringing in his ears, and his moans turned into a silent scream as Soobin fucked him through his orgasm, unrelenting, dragging it out for what felt like endless minutes. Yeonjun could hardly breathe, limbs giving out from under him, and he would have been a puddle on the damn table if it weren't for Soobin keeping his hips in position.
He could just stay there and take it, let Soobin chase his own orgasm, even as oversensitivity began to kick in.
Soobin's large hand came to rest on the back of his head, fingers locking on his hair and pulling it until his scalp stung and his face was off the table. It forced him to deepen the arch of his back.
Soobin was murmuring a slew of praises as his rhythm began to stutter, and the words echoed in his head, making his heart soar with naive hope. He felt wanted and pretty, desirable, even though it was mindless dirty talk. Through the haze of his climax, Yeonjun felt his walls begin to be stretched even wider.
Soobin was growing thicker at the base, and Yeonjun knew the alpha was about to knot him. It should have him scrambling to stop it or, if anything else, panic at the size of it, but instead Yeonjun relaxed his muscles and, although weakly, started to push back to meet Soobin’s thrusts.
Soobin groaned, releasing Yeonjun's hair to grab the opposite edge of the table as he bent over to blanket him, his broad chest hovering over his slimmer back. Yeonjun whined, feeling sensitive all over, but then Soobin's knot began to catch, and suddenly he felt so full that nothing else mattered— nothing, except the urge to bare his neck. He didn't resist it, exposing the curve of his neck to the alpha whose thrusts turned into deep, hard grinds of his hips once his knot couldn't escape the grip of his cunt. No more praises nor taunting words directed at Yeonjun fell from Soobin's lips as the alpha was reduced to his most base instincts— there was only the wet, lewd sound of skin slapping against skin, low groans in his ears, and the feel of Soobin's fangs against his itching scent gland.
Oh, they were so sharp. They could pierce his skin so easily.
"Wan' it," Yeonjun said with haste, words slurring together, tongue feeling heavy in his mouth.
He didn't know if he meant Soobin's bite, his mark, or his knot. Maybe both. Yeonjun wasn't in any condition to tell— perhaps because he didn't know what he truly wanted.
Soobin hissed, grinding his hips to push himself as deep as possible inside of him, twitching when Yeonjun clenched around him, trying to get him over the edge.
"Want it," Yeonjun kept mumbling, having lost his brain-to-mouth filter sometime after his second orgasm, "give it to me. Give it to me, alpha, please."
Soobin buried his face in the crook of Yeonjun's neck with a growl, and Yeonjun waited for a sharp pain in his neck, but it never came. His stomach twisted, and despite himself, he whimpered— the sound closer to a whiny sob than a cry of pleasure— but then Soobin pushed one, two, three times before he was spilling inside of him. Yeonjun's inexplicable disappointment took a backseat, his instincts focusing on being filled after such a long time.
He tightened around the alpha, milking his knot for all it got, and Yeonjun gasped as Soobin just kept on coming, keeping impossibly still as he filled Yeonjun up until he feared that it was going to show as a bump in his lower stomach.
Their bodies rocked together until the alpha was spent, and it was only then that Soobin relaxed against his back, breath heavy and chest rising and falling rapidly. All tension left Yeonjun's body, and he fell like a puppet whose strings had been cut loose on the table right under Soobin. Not a single thought floated in his head until a pressure that he hadn't even noticed left the juncture of his neck and shoulder.
He didn't understand what it was until a drop of something warm hit his skin, and he sluggishly turned to try and look at Soobin over his shoulder— only to see blood trickling down Soobin's wrist. It hit him, then, that Soobin had bitten his own wrist rather than bite his gland. Rather than mark him.
The alpha had chosen to hurt himself rather than mate him.
A bottomless pit opened in his stomach, and his heart faltered and free-fell right down the chasm.
He tried to reason with his inner omega that this was exactly what he wanted. Yeonjun had told Soobin loud and clear that he'd never want it, that it was only a matter of duty, so then why did Yeonjun feel so rejected? A lump formed in his throat. He swallowed around it, but knew that he had to get away from this situation as soon as possible.
“Move, my lord husband, you’re heavy.” He said, trying to sound steady, but Soobin immediately stiffened.
Maybe because of his detached words, or maybe because Yeonjun's scent had begun to sour— either way, Soobin slowly leaned back. The alpha didn't go too far, half-hovering over Yeonjun's body still, his dark eyes round with confusion, and he looked like a puppy who just got scolded but didn't know what they did wrong.
Soobin complied, and since they were locked together, Yeonjun was picked up like he weighed nothing and sat him on the alpha's lap once he settled back on the chair. It made something warm spread across his cheeks, and the feeling only grew warmer as Soobin embraced him from behind, the alpha's arms wrapping around his midsection completely, wrist kept carefully away as to not smear blood on him. However, the fluttery feeling was quick to perish under the weight of unwanted disappointment.
He sat rigidly, feeling entirely too small with the alpha wrapped around him, unused to this kind of casual intimacy as he pointedly ignored Soobin's gaze, which bore at the side of his face.
"You should relax, we're going to be stuck together for a while," Soobin said, slow and almost tentative, and Yeonjun almost felt bad for his sudden switch in behavior, but then his gland throbbed, swollen and pulsing for being neglected, visibly without a mark on it. His eyes dropped to the alpha's injured wrist, and whichever hesitancy was starting to bloom quickly withered.
Like a broken record, Yeonjun reminded himself of how he got in this situation to begin with. He could understand why Soobin didn't want to mate him— hell, Soobin didn't even choose him, nor would he have ever chosen him if given the chance, not when he had younger, more eligible siblings— but it didn't change the fact that they had to. Yeonjun guessed that this was the unfairness of arranged marriages and, eventually, Soobin would have to accept what his station commands, whether he liked it or not.
He didn't realize how caught up he was in his thoughts until he felt something wet touch his neck glands. A little surprised noise sneaked past his lips before he could stop it.
“Your scent is turning smoky,” Soobin murmured before taking another stripe with the flat of his tongue on his gland. A small gesture to ease his nerves, but instead it made Yeonjun feel conflicted— torn between wanting to flee, no matter how bad it would hurt to run away now that they were still stuck together, and letting himself go, resting against the alpha's broad, warm chest. In doubt, his body stayed frozen on Soobin's lap.
Yeonjun let the alpha tend to his gland, allowed him to nose it, lick it, but the uncomfortable feeling in his chest didn't waver, and soon Soobin grew frustrated. The alpha bit around his gland, without breaking skin, growling like an angry mama cat until Yeonjun began to squirm in Soobin's lap. He couldn't close his legs, but his pussy squeezed around Soobin at the vibration against his sensitive gland, gasping out loud when Soobin started to bite harder.
"W-what are y—ah!"
Big hands were suddenly on him, one on his mound, deft fingers rubbing his clit in circles, and the other on his chest, teasing and pinching his nipples. Yeonjun quickly felt out of breath, especially with the way Soobin hadn't let go of his neck, mouth still latched onto his gland. He tensed, throwing his head back to rest on Soobin's shoulder, chest heaving while pleasure quickly pooled in his lower stomach, despite the tingle of overstimulation.
"Give me one more," Soobin murmured, not letting up with his ministrations, and where Yeonjun wanted to ask what he thought he was doing, his inner omega complied, making him grind down on Soobin's knot while the alpha expertly worked him over the edge of another orgasm. Soobin groaned, twitching weakly inside of him as his cunt coaxed more cum out of him.
Yeonjun fell limp against Soobin, slick coating his inner thighs and dripping down to make a mess of the alpha, too, and the moment he started to catch his breath, eyes shut as he reveled in the post-coital pleasure, Soobin began to purr. The alpha kissed his gland, the dents he had made just seconds before, one arm around him to keep him still while the other rubbed his belly gently.
"That's it, much better," the alpha murmured, mostly to himself, "you're so pretty when you come."
More purrs came unbidden from Soobin's chest as the alpha resumed scenting him, and Yeonjun was too tired and too satiated to give that uncomfortable feeling any attention. Soobin's scent was comforting; it was clean and soft with heady, warm undertones. Gods, this scent would be perfect in his nest.
“You're blushing," Soobin huffed lightly under his breath, his lips feathering his neck, making him shiver.
“No, I am not.” Yeonjun looked the other way, but between the comforting purrs and Soobin's scent, his eyelids began to feel heavy.
“I was serious, you know?”
“Hm?”
“When I said you're the prettiest omega, I meant it,” Soobin said, before resuming his ministrations.
Yeonjun scoffed, but it was weak— he was too tired to put up a fight. “I don’t care what you think of my looks. I don’t need to hear it.”
Yeonjun didn't turn, but he could feel Soobin’s gaze bore into him again, felt the alpha's grip tighten on his waist. “I think you do.”
“What?”
“I think you do need to hear it.”
Yeonjun turned just enough to look Soobin in the eyes, and when he did, he found two dark pools looking at him with gentle intensity. He had known that Soobin was a good observer— it was a good skill to have on the battlefield, but now it dawned on him that Soobin was also good at reading people. He had seen through his act during their wedding feast and picked up on his uneasiness by calling off the bedding ceremony.
“You're beautiful, Yeonjun.” Soobin whispered, raising one of his hands to cup his cheek, and this time, when Soobin leaned in, Yeonjun closed his eyes and let the alpha take what he wanted.
It was tentative at first, and then all of a sudden it was like a dam broke— Soobin growled low in his throat, his scent flaring, so thick and cloying that it was almost tangible, draping over him like a possessive fog. Yeonjun almost choked on the moan it dragged out of him as Soobin began to kiss him like a man starved. Yeonjun gave back as good as he got, tasting the faint tang of himself on the alpha's tongue before Soobin pulled back to bite his lower lip.
"The most beautiful omega I've ever seen." Soobin hummed, capturing his lips before even the thought of refusing the statement could cross Yeonjun's mind, when in reality, he didn't think he'd have the breath to deny anything Soobin said right now, not with the way his heart fluttered in his chest, unsure and so hopeful.
Oh. That was unexpected, and definitely out of place.
They kissed like they bickered, sharp and languid, until they needed to pull back to take a breath. If their scents weren't saturating the room before, they were now. Although embarrassing, at least it warned passersby to keep walking.
Yeonjun wasn't proud of the way he chased Soobin's lips, avid to feel their softness against his. The alpha indulged him, kissing him deeply before breaking it off, giving him one, two, three soft pecks on the lips as their foreheads rested together. While they caught their breath, Yeonjun reminded himself that he couldn't let mindless post-orgasm chatter get to him. It meant nothing. Still, Yeonjun felt the tip of his ears burn with a mix of feelings, and a smile spread on Soobin’s face. It was a genuine smile, lips red, swollen, and shiny, with deep dimples appearing on either side of it, and it was as pretty as his laugh.
“You're blushing again.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Yeonjun adamantly looked in front of him as Soobin chuckled at his answer, but thankfully, the alpha didn't press the matter further and just resumed his scenting.
"Fine, be like that," Soobin huffed, with no heat in his tone, "You are one stubborn omega, you know that?"
Yeonjun shrugged, dwelling on the alpha's warmth before reality would crawl back and sink its cold, unforgiving claws in his chest. "I am afraid you'll have to get used to it, pup."
The unexpected response made Soobin laugh, arms tightening around him, and nose nuzzling in the crook of his neck.
"I will," Soobin murmured, and then, louder, he added, "If you give me a chance, I will."
The conviction of Soobin's voice sent a shock rippling through him, and there was no stopping it, like a stone dropped in a lazy, still pond. Yeonjun looked into the alpha's eyes, and his gaze was filled with the same confidence.
"Let me court you," the alpha pressed on, rushing to fill in the silence like he was afraid that Yeonjun might disappear any moment now, or like he had something he wanted to get off his chest. "Let me court you properly. Let me prove I'm worthy of your affections. And if you still want nothing to do with me after that, then I—"
Soobin's voice trembled, but the alpha was quick to recover, clearing his throat before lowering his gaze to whisper, "Then I will choose one of your siblings instead. A mating bite is irreversible, but a marriage isn't. We will break our vows, and I will pick someone else."
Yeonjun didn't dare to move, stuck on the alpha's word choices. "You will pick someone else?"
Soobin didn't seem to catch on the source of his astonishment, and nodding, he replied, "If given no other choice, yes. I want you, but I want you to want me, too."
His heart beat as fast as a hummingbird's wings, pulsing frantically in his chest. Soobin had chosen him? Him, the least agreeable of his siblings, and the oldest of the bunch? He didn't know what to make of this information, too drunk on their combined scents and confused by the rush of blood in his ears. Distantly, he heard the echo of Beomgyu's pressing encouragements, and thought— what if Beomgyu is right? Gods, he'd never hear the end of it if the other omega happened to be right, if it was true that Soobin looked at him differently, that there was a chance at happiness despite the flawed circumstances.
His inner omega clawed at him, whining and begging him to give Soobin a chance, craving to be taken care of and cherished. It was foolish. To give in to the whims of his instincts was stupid— it would leave him more vulnerable than ever before, but at this point, what did he have to lose? His heart had already shrivelled throughout the endless years of conflict. At worst, it would crack, once and for all, and Yeonjun would have to pick up the pieces.
"Fine. You can court me." He said, leveling Soobin with a steady gaze, and the alpha perked up, eyes big, dark, and so expressive, and if he had a tail, Yeonjun was sure it would be wagging, "But you'd better make it worth my while."
Loud purrs filled the silence. Yeonjun felt the alpha's chest shake with the force of them as he resumed his thorough scenting, and this time, Yeonjun allowed himself to enjoy it fully.
He could only hope that Soobin didn't take his concession lightly— besides, Choi Yeonjun never made idle threats.