𝓵𝓪 𝓿𝓲𝓮 𝓮𝓷 𝓻𝓸𝓼𝓮

The runt is scared, he’s excited, he’s hesitant and wanting all at once. Chanyeol remains surprised until Woobin moves to stand behind him, his warm fingers gently grazing down the pup’s skin. 

His hair stands on its ends and his shoulders curl together, feeling small and fragile as the alpha stands behind him. Woobin could wrap his fingers around Chanyeol’s neck and snap it half. He could hurt Chanyeol, and no one would be able to do anything about it. There’s a great chance they may not even hear his cries. The last time Chanyeol was pressed so intimately with an alpha was during his father’s last rage, and the memories have him tense, fear and anticipation gripping at his throat. 

Chanyeol has seen various ceremonies during his younger years, his father making sure he was present to witness everything he wasn’t and could never have. Chanyeol had always been amazed at how the small new borns would be weeping, wiggling and crying out for their mothers when handed to their future Alpha. They were highly aware of the danger of a much stronger wolf, and the unfamiliar scent always set the small puppies off. Chanyeol had seen how sometimes mothers needed to be held back, their hearts after the cries of their litters. 

But what always amazed the runt the most was the moment of the bite. The alpha would bite unto the nape of the small new born, and almost immediately, the puppy would quiet into soft whimpers, becoming limp and quietening in the arms of its leader. It’s the magic behind the connection, his sister had once explained, the puppy becoming serene by the offered protection of an entire pack. 

 Chanyeol gasps softly as his skin is kissed, Woobin’s lips gentle as his hands holds him. The tension is drawing him thin, his heart beating loud against his chest and his hands trembling by his side. 

Sharp teeth sink into his skin, and he cries out, his hands immediately gripping at Woobin’s. Dull pain pulses at the bite, and his eyes shut tightly, tears slipping past his lids. He feels his mind being tugged by fine tendrils and he grows weak in Woobin’s hold, releasing a soft pant. 

The alpha’s voice rumbles behind him and Chanyeol shivers, the power and excitement that fills each word causing something inside him to stir. 

“I feel strange,” he admits in a quiet voice, his chest heaving slightly. He feels calm and safe in Woobin’s arms, but his heart still beats rapidly, the scents in the hut overwhelming. He feels both lucid and muddled, the bite aching at his nape and grounding him in place. He feels like something inside him has been set right, but the rest has been unsettled. “I don’t feel so good.” 

Chanyeol isn’t given a chance to collect himself, his eyes slowly slipping shut as he loses conscious. 

-

The first time he wakes up, it’s Yura who hovers above him, her eyes bright and proud as she presses a cold clothe to his forehead. 

“He made you pack, Chanyeol,” she explains, smiling down after he weakly asked what happened. “And you are still a puppy. It seems to have been too much for you to take in just yet. Rest, my dear.”

-

The second time it’s the pack healer who fusses over him, telling him to drink water and eat a mix of vegetables. He feels warm, and she tells him he’s running a mild fever, but that it’s nothing to worry about. He’s been out for a while, but he’ll recover soon if he rests, and Chanyeol believes her words, laying down once to sleep. 

-

It’s the betas who smell it first. 

There are various who are lounging around, surrounding a fire as they’re tended to by a few omegas. The men in the pack had just recently returned from a hunt to stock up for the mating season that will soon begin, and were enjoying a rare time off from duties, their Alpha joining them and not too far from where they are. 

A sweet scent trickles into the air, and one of the wolves tips his head back, scenting the air in deep pulls as other heads begin to perk up in interest. The scent is virgin, saccharine and unmated, and that’s enough to entice the wolves, heads turning side to side to find the source of the scent. Someone’s gone into heat and they can smell it, eyes turning glassy as mouths salivate, the arousal easily picked up even more miles. 

It’s an unwritten law that unmated omegas who go into heat are free to be tended to by any wolf in the pack. It’s dangerous to leave an omega unattended during a heat, their chance of survival during the short period of time minimal. Most of the time, betas and alphas make sure to rub their scent all over the omega they most wish to spend their time with during the heat season, laying over visible boundaries for no one else to cross. 

But this scent is fresh, new, and a growl rips among two betas as they scramble to chase after the scent.

-

Chanyeol wakes up in a cold sweat. 

A soft whine escapes him as he turns to lay on his side, releasing a ragged pant as he presses himself against the cool spot of his sheets. He feels off, and he whimpers softly as he shifts, pain prickling down his skin. Chanyeol can feel something wet between his legs, and he has no idea what it could be, hands shaking as he grips at the blankets.

What’s happening to me?

And when Chanyeol’s heat came, Woobin smelled it from miles away. He returned to the pack and found a couple of betas pacing outside his hut, their instincts purely driven by their need to claim the virgin omega. At the sight of the Alpha, however, they immediately bowed their heads and tucked tail, aware of the unwritten law that declared all unmated omegas free to claim, but even more so of the punishment that would follow trespassing the Alpha’s hut. They wouldn’t risk it.

Woobin smelled other omegas in heat, too, their flowery scents only subtle against his nose, while Chanyeol’s had been tantalizing him from miles away. Even as a young and spry alpha, Woobin hadn’t been interested in mating. His father had simply assumed something was wrong with his biological wiring and tried to stress the importance of passing the lineage to a strong omega such as himself. Many had thrown themselves to him at the peak of every mating season but Woobin had turned them all away, unfazed.

But this time was different. Perhaps it was because of their connection with the bite, or just the fact Chanyeol was sweet and unclaimed. As soon as he entered the hut, Chanyeol’s saccharine aroma filled him, warming his insides like being intoxicated. His irises blew wide, amber and gold swirling in them, and the veins that spiraled up and down his arms thickened in response to his blood pumping faster.

It was the first time he had felt this way: empowered, dominant, beastly. He could hardly think straight and his body no longer felt like his own as he stalked towards the wiggling omega, his breaths seeming to drag heavier the closer he got. He felt as if he might burst when he was a foot from Chanyeol, the warmth finally draining south and erecting his cock so it tented against the fabrics he wore. A knot was barely forming at the base, too, not yet stimulated enough to reach its fullest size.

Chanyeol exuded a scent, and so did Woobin, as his Alpha musk permeated in the air and mingled with the new omega’s. Chanyeol’s body would react naturally to him the way all omegas presented themselves to their Alpha first and foremost, but Chanyeol was still a pup and new to his first heat. It was understandable why Chanyeol was translating it to a foreign pain.

Even through the commanding voice of his feral instincts, Woobin reached out and placed a hand on the boy’s warm forehead in concern. “Chanyeol,” he called, his voice even a bit lower in tone, too. “Chanyeol, you’re in heat.” 

The months that have followed their new settlement have perhaps marked the healthiest the runt has ever been. His wounds and bruises have faded over soft skin, and his body has slowly began to fill out. Under the care and leadership of the Alpha, Chanyeol has been granted duties and responsibilities for the very first time. While most are mindless, such as cleaning over meals and caring for the new born pups during hunts, the runt has grown increasingly appreciative of the small tasks. 

He’s never had a purpose before, and for the very first time, he feels trusted. The new born pups are adorable too, many clinging to his clothes and wanting to curl up against his fur whenever they wish to nap. He is a gentle caretaker, and fulfills him in ways he knows he never will. Many parents had been skeptical at at allowing a runt to look over their litters, but over the weeks, their complains have dwindled in numbers.

WIthout their father to stand in their way, Yura has also been able to spend more time with Chanyeol, caring after him as her own pup. She’s gifted him various pieces of clothing to replace his old ones, and has made sure to be the first to snap at betas who dare lay a hand on him. With their small number of alphas and betas, Yura has taken a greater place of power in the pack and with it, has been able to bestow her own blood with greater protection. 

As an unmated wolf, it is also expected of him to tend to their Alpha. The other omegas have made sure he’s left with the tasks no one else wants to do, such as cleaning or fetching for their Unaware to any of them, Chanyeol is left with various hours to spend privately with their Alpha, left to witness a sight many would kill to see. Chanyeol has heard their alpha laugh, has seen him smile, has even gotten to seen him frustrated with elder decisions and the talk among their pack. The runt knows what their Alpha looks like after a disappointing affair, and his appearance after a successful hunt. 

Just like now, the alpha’s eyes are still glowing golden with the adrenaline rush, his frame looking taller with how much energy he’s exuding. 

Gratefully, he accepts the quail, murmuring his typical ‘thank-you’s and ‘shouldn’t-have’s. Woobin never listens to them, but Chanyeol still feels the need to stress his low ranking position in the pack and how undeserving he is to be given meat when he should be the very last to be considered. It’s a spoiling that he’s come to expect now, that he appreciates and smiles about even in the hours when he’s no longer with the Alpha.  It’s a dangerous game he’s playing with himself, but at this point, he never expects anything from their kind Alpha. 

Even less to be claimed.

The surprise is written clearly in his face, brown eyes looking up at Woobin with a tilt of his head. “Alpha?” 

He can’t help how he takes a step back, his arms lowering to allow the quail hang from his hands. The words have a visible impact on the pup, his lips hanging open as he struggles to string words together. “Y-You don’t have - I am - I am not - ” He’s stuttering, tears building up at his eyes before he can even stop them.

Chanyeol has had a pack, but has never been pack. It’s the greatest privilege for a wolf to have. Outcasts are not mean to survive, and for Chanyeol to have lived this long is rare. Alphas are born to lead, to be needed, and the rest are born with the immediate need to belong. New born pups are claimed by the Alpha of a pack in the days following their birth, and are given an entire ceremony. The magic of the bite connects them to the rest of the pack and establishes order and stability among everyone. 

Chanyeol is far too old for something so grand, had given up in the possibility of ever being claimed, but to be given the opportunity right now, at this moment, it fills him with much emotion. 

He, unlike Chanyeol, couldn’t understand why the younger pup thought he was undeserving of the initiation. Pups of the pack were always born into the title whether they grew up to be loyal and essential additions. Chanyeol, on the other hand, had proved himself worthy of his spot in the pack through his devotion to the Alpha and service. Woobin had witnessed this firsthand and even stalled through the next couple of months to prove to everyone else that Chanyeol wasn’t an outcast. He was never the one that needed to be convinced the pup was deserving of his place as pack, after all.

Woobin also knew that any initiation into the pack was a grand one, usually made official by the tribe elders to acknowledge the rite of passage. The ceremonies were extravagant, but rarely arranged for pups from other packs and ones that were past the allowed age. When he had been born an alpha, then crowned Alpha, the ceremony celebrating his coronation of sorts had lasted an entire three days. Exotic furs, unmated omegas, and foods had been tossed at his feet, and wolves wiser and older than him had bowed to his excellency. 

But Chanyeol hadn’t ever felt what it was like to simply belong somewhere. Woobin possibly couldn’t understand that pain, but he had felt an overwhelming urge to soothe it for a while now. It didn’t matter if the elders disapproved anymore, or if the pack found Chanyeol undeserving of his bite. To Woobin, there was no need for the shamanistic rituals preceding the initiation, either. They didn’t need an elder to witness the procedure, or a hundred rules and regulations as to how it should be done. He wanted Chanyeol’s bite to be pure.

“Unless you’re questioning my decision?” Woobin teased. The Alpha circled the runt, choosing his place behind Chanyeol so the nape of his neck was in view. Bites were usually given in wolf form, but Woobin had witnessed the opposite being done before, and had felt it was more intimate in the yielded form. More meaningful. 

His calloused fingertips grazed down Chanyeol’s thin arms, coaxing his fingers to loosen around the twine that suspended the quail in the air. His lips just grazed over the shell of Chanyeol’s ear this way, allowing him to inhale the scent of his own musk that lingered faintly over the runt instead of the one Chanyeol lacked. He was definitely still unmarked--unclaimed.

Woobin breathed in slowly, fingers wandering over the boy’s slim hips. The contact felt more personal this way. In wolf form, he wouldn’t have been able to feel Chanyeol’s warmth glowing underneath his skin or appreciate this connection he felt with him in the privacy of his own hut.

“It might hurt, just a bit,” he said. “But after this, everyone will know you are pack. They won’t question it. I won’t allow them.”

Instead of sinking his canines into the soft nape of Chanyeol’s neck, however, he leaned forward and kissed it. It stalled his teeth long enough for them to grow a bit, before he sunk them into his flesh. The bite drew blood immediately but only enough to sting as Woobin marked him, his hands simultaneously holding Chanyeol by the hips. When the bite seemed to burn into Chanyeol’s skin like a scar, Woobin pulled back, adrenaline still pumping wildly through his veins from the procedure.

Yura was a born alpha, strong and healthy from the very moment she came to life. Everyone often boasted how much she looked like their mother, beautiful and gentle with a sweet scent that drove others in the pack crazy. Chanyeol knew many attempted to court his sister, often getting a share of the game they left at their doorsteps in attempts to sway her heart. Little did they all know that his sister had set her eyes on a kind beta long before they all showed up. 

Yura and Woobin were good friends, both alphas of the same age and trained by the same elders. They were made to be warriors and comrades, and Yura had been one of the first wolves to join Woobin upon the Alpha’s decision on their departure from their home territory. 

Chanyeol, on the other hand, was small, meek and ugly and more alike his father in appearance. He did not smell of anything pleasant, he had no talents or strengths, and was considered to be a flaw. He was the runt of the entire pack, left to pick among scraps to survive. He knew he was an eyesore, his skin often bruised and his thin frame hidden behind garments that were either too small or too big for his stature. 

Even now, with Woobin turning into his human form, Chanyeol was still small. The Alpha was all muscles over a strong frame, the pampering he has been subjected to over the years obvious in the healthy tan that covers him. The furs and skins that dress Woobin are all handmade by the best seamstress in their pack, threaded with silver and gold. 

The hurt pup uselessly watches Woobin haul wood into the cave, his energy slipping little by little. He knows he could turn as well - that his injuries would be less dangerous if he switched to his human form - but he can’t find the energy to do something as natural as shifting.

When Woobin returns from his second trip, Chanyeol’s long human limbs are sprawled over the cold cave floor, his bones resettling along with his wounds. There’s a nasty tear down his neck that makes it hard to swallow, but it’s healing, the rest covered from the Alpha’s eyes by his clothes. 

Chanyeol hums quietly, curled close to the fire, as he idly watches Woobin work. 

“I will never have an alpha that I will belong to,” he says quietly, his words almost lost in the kindling of the fire. Chanyeol is the only wolf in the pack that has remained officially unclaimed by the Alpha. The Alpha before Woobin avoided marking him, and neither did his father. He no longer hopes Woobin will ever mark him as pack. “The rest must think I am a plague.” 

Why does he even try? It would be easier to give himself up to the bitter winter. He would never hurt again if he were dead. If he was given a silver of grace, he could meet his mother in a different world. He would find peace. There was nothing to look forward to in this pack. He would be shunned once more, classified in the lowest of ranks and mistreated. He would never be mated to anyone, and never have a family of his own. Chanyeol would forever remain in the shadows of those who do not care for him. 

The small runt has these recurring thoughts all the way to the very next morning, while he’s lifted upon the sled to be carried away. Woobin is a fast runner, and Chanyeol finds it would be easy to fall at the edge and be buried under feet of snow. 

There would be no need to bury him because he would already be where he belongs. 

-

Yura is the only one to approach him when they make it to camp. 

The rest of the pack has made it safely to the territory Woobin had promised, and they had all cheered upon first noticing the return (and subsequent survival) of their Alpha. The elders flocked the leader, checking over wounds and making offerings of furs and meat.  

Yura is gentle in the way she cradles Chanyeol’s head, eyes glazed over with tears as she kisses his face. 

“I thought I had lost you,” she whimpers, her arms holding him close against her chest. “I was so worried. I have not slept thinking of you. I knew our Alpha had returned for you.” 

But, as Winter passed and Spring flourished, so did their new settlement. The hunt was plentiful and the location strategic to provide their warriors the perfect lookout from a hilltop that oversaw their surroundings from all directions. The omegas tended to crops and prepared for their first heat of the year, while the able-bodied betas built storages, shelters, and armories for the tribe. With Woobin as the face of their pack, even neighboring Alphas considered it wise to avoid an altercation.

Woobin returned from another successful hunt that day and came home bearing a long piece of twine tied around four plump rabbits and a wild pig. The boar was male and weighed around sixty pounds with thick tusks that bore the Alpha’s blood. The boar had only nicked him a few inches across his rib, but the sight of the injury was quick to attract the omegas that catered to his needs.

“I’m all right,” he assured them, assigning them to tend to the day’s hunt instead. He withdrew from the noise and into his own hut, the smell of incense and tanned leather calming him after an exciting hunt. The elders had designed the hut that way so it soothed him, and even introduced some unmated wolves and young omegas to serve him as he pleased. He found their company unnecessary, the elders’ advice to find himself a mate soon mostly heard as incessant nagging.

But, he did enjoy the company of one particular wolf.

“Chanyeol,” he greeted the younger wolf who had been cleaning his hut in his absence. He was in his human form, but Woobin always looked a lot bigger than he was cloaked in his majestic furs. He loosened a thing of twine from his belt and dangled a dead quail by its elongated neck. “For you.” 

The Alpha was guilty of feeding Chanyeol exclusively, perhaps to fatten him up and see that Chanyeol grew like the others. He knew how selfish the betas were with food and how runts like Chanyeol could hardly steal a morsel if he didn’t hunt for himself. In exchange for his services, Woobin had started bringing home some extra game, but he often wondered if he was only doing so quid pro quo.

No, he was fond of Chanyeol. A month ago when Yura had spoken to him, Woobin had realized he harbored no romantic feelings for her any longer, yet his heart felt the familiar warmth of love when gazing upon her younger brother. It was a strange feeling even the Alpha was ashamed of having.

It was not the first time he has been mangled, but it was the first time Chanyeol truly thought he was to finally kiss death. This is the harshest winter he has ever lived through, and he did not honestly think he’d make it to the other side with the pack. He was tough, years of abuse building him up to this point, but he was still weak and small. Chanyeol knew his chances of survival were minimal from the very start of the trek. 

Chanyeol sniffles and hides his muzzle between his paws, becoming as small as he can as Woobin turns to leave, unable to make a sound to stop him. The moment the alpha leaves the cave, the runt weeps softly, the cold making his bones shake and his fur stand on its end. It hurts, everything hurts, and he doesn’t know why Woobin even tries, why he is even here with him. 

A soft voice in the back of his head tells him this may be the Alpha’s quiet way of abandoning him. A silent promise to return that will never be fulfilled. Chanyeol doesn’t believe it until after ten minutes pass, pressing himself closer to the wall to finally surrender. 

In the short time Woobin is away, Chanyeol does end up falling in a daze, awoken only when the cat’s body is dropped in front of him. The runt blinks his eyes slowly, and then looks up at his alpha, too tired make a sound. Woobin looks majestic even now, his silver fur seeming bright even in the darkness of the cave. 

“You came back.” 

The game is big to him, and Chanyeol’s mouth is salivating as Woobin tears chunks of it for him to eat, the runt not even hesitating when the first piece hits the floor. Any other time, Chanyeol would conceal the desperate hunger with which he bites into the meat, but it’s the first time he’s had any in weeks, and the runt barely chews as he allows his starved body to consume what’s been offered. He’s messy, getting blood against his fur and dropping pieces to the floor, but it doesn’t matter to him, his tail weakly thudding against the floor in joy. 

It’s after the third bite that Chanyeol raises his muzzle to press against the alpha, grateful and relieved all at once, licking under his jaw. He can’t fully stand, but he can reach, and it’s all he needs as he licks affectionately at his Alpha, nipping gently at his ears with the playfulness only a pup can have. 

“Thank you, thank you,” he murmurs, giving a final lick to the side of Woobin’s jaw. Chanyeol moves once more to press against Woobin’s strong, warm body, licking away at the blood that’s been matted against the alpha’s fur because of his hunt, cleaning at his fur. He’s seen the unmated omegas do this before, and he tries to mimic it as best he can. 

Unlike the rest of the pack, Chanyeol has seen and experienced the gentleness of the Alpha first hand. He has been protected and fed by Woobin himself, coddled in ways that have left many angry, and Chanyeol trusts their leader with his entire being. He is still, to this day, surprised Woobin has remained unmated despite being able to pick out any (or various) omegas from their pack to continue his lineage. 

The wolf blinked sleepily when the beta nuzzled him, the affection not unfamiliar but still feeling odd because he felt like reciprocating it. He was used to being the center of attention when mating season would come around, especially when young, frivolous omegas would trail behind him like lost pups and compete for a second of his care. But, Woobin had never been an Alpha to care for mating, not as much as he cared for training. The beautiful omegas of the tribe had been mated by other alphas while he distracted himself with duties he found were more important, and even after becoming Alpha, he remained devoted to his responsibilities as the tribe’s leader.

After all those years, an affectionate lick to his muzzle or a playful nip to his ear was like experiencing something wonderful and new. He wouldn’t have allowed it any other time, too. He would have snapped his teeth aggressively at any other beta or omega who tried him, but Chanyeol’s kisses were shyly welcomed, maybe even appreciated.

Woobin returned the licks, except his were a little rougher and the tough gristle of his tongue practically combed the side of Chanyeol’s face as he lapped away the blood. He pressed a heavy paw against the nape of his neck, too, anchoring him down so he could properly nurse his wound. And only after Chanyeol ate the meaty portions of the cat did Woobin’s muzzle dip down to pick at the chunks of flesh that stuck to the carcass’ bones. There was hardly anything left except the guts, which Woobin separated from the body cavity to nudge towards the timid beta. “Eat this. It’ll help you warm up,” he said. His mother had taught him the same, and he wasn’t sure to this day if he believed her old wive’s tale that a prey’s certain internal organs insulated heat.

Tending to Chanyeol wasn’t a temporary concern. He also wondered how they were going to be able to brave a sudden blizzard tomorrow, or even the day after that, with how weak the beta was from his injuries and malnutrition. Again, he stood up, but this time he was yielding. Shifting. With gruesome snapping of bones and ripping of flesh, a man stood in the place of the silver-furred wolf, his irises golden and hair a sleek black. Woobin was bulky and strong even in his human form with the pelt of his wolf form and the fruit of his hunts covering the few layers of homemade garbs he wore. Being the Alpha, his garments were far more luxurious than the average wolf’s, the leather of high quality and the seams held together by the work of an excellent seamstress.

He left the cave without a word and returned with a bundle of wood hauled over his shoulder. It took three trips to gather as many as he needed, then he set to work, first kindling a low fire that he kept close to Chanyeol’s side. His second task was to build a makeshift sled his wolf form could pull Chanyeol through the snow; one that could withstand the beta’s weight and keep itself afloat over the bed of ice.

“And you mustn’t speak as if you’d be abandoned anymore,” he said while he worked. “I’m aware you’re not officially pack, but I’m your Alpha. I say it is so.” 

He does not have to wait in the cold too long to be found, but when the wind finally gives way for him to smell who it is, he is more than surprised when it is Woobin who he smells close by. Surely enough, he takes sight of silver fur and the young pup can’t help but redirect hopeful eyes to the wolf. For the Alpha to have returned for him, to have gone for the trek just to save him - his heart grows in his chest at the sentiment.

Chanyeol’s trembling legs straighten, his spine arching as he attempts to make it back on his paws and towards the leader. It hurts to move, it hurts to even think about continuing the trek, and Chanyeol doesn’t know if he’ll even make it through the night. The runt stumbles and falls, whimpering when he pulls at the bite marks on his calves. 

What is the point of even continuing if he is to face a life full of neglect and pain? Even if Wobin’s leadership is to be excellent, the alpha has many things to look over in a pack, and will eventually forget about the runt. The smallest out of the entire bunch is only a nuisance, and like the betas had said, an extra mouth to feed. Yura would be heartbroken over his death, but she has a mate of her own now, is soon to start a family and live the life she has always deserved.  Chanyeol would be mourned, but not missed. 

“It hurts,” he whimpers, and is quietened down easily by the Alpha, made to move towards the abandoned den. 

Chanyeol flops unto the stone, cold floor, making a small noise when Woobin begins to clean away his injures with quick licks of his tongue. He immediately curls into a ball after the fact, feeling cold and hungry but not voicing either of his troubles, pushing his muzzle against Woobin’s fur instead. Compared to Woobin’s silver, bright fur, Chanyeol’s is a dull chocolate brown, and he looks like a spot in the alpha’s fur when he curls against the other. 

“You should have not come for me,” he says in a small voice. “Something could have happened to you.” I am useless and unworthy. “The packs needs you.” I would have never been forgiven. Chanyeol wonders if anyone can smell the guilt and regret that well up at his throat, threatening to spill in ugly tears down his eyes. 

Wordlessly, Woobin lapped at the vicious wounds across the nape of Chanyeol’s neck and behind his ears, his saliva doing its part in coagulating the blood. It was almost impossible to spot the crimson that meshed into the dark browns of the runt’s pelt, but he tasted more of it with every lick. It wasn’t long before the peppered furs of Woobin’s silver muzzle was flecked with red, his breath smelling of rust from the younger wolf’s blood. His injuries were the least of Woobin’s concerns, however.

Woobin was a well-fed Alpha, his frame bulky and athletic, while Chanyeol was malnourished and skinny. The winter’s famine had taken a toll on the entire pack, but it was plain to see which wolves suffered most from the lack of hunt. “Stay here,” he advised, nudging Chanyeol to lie farthest from the entrance of the cave. He picked himself up and left their shelter without any word, not even a clue as to where he was headed, his silver form soon camouflaging with the flurry of snow. 

In just under half an hour, he returned, his strong jaws clamped around what looked like a mangled feral cat. It was certainly bigger than any common rabbit or weasel. Woobin wouldn’t have bothered hunting a predatory animal if he hadn’t been so concerned with the way Chanyeol’s ribs poked out of his sides for attention, and possibly opted for smaller game instead. Yet, the Alpha was skilled enough in hunt to scope out even scarce prey, and returned swiftly to feed the famished beta.

He dropped the plump meal at Chanyeol’s front paws and shook the snow that clung to his peppered fur with a strong shake of his entire body. Had it not been snowing so fiercely, Woobin would probably have fetched some dry wood to kindle a fire for warmth.

“We’ll have to spend the night here,” he told Chanyeol, even if the beta probably wouldn’t have the strength to move any sooner than that. He pressed at the carcass with one paw and tore a chunk out of it with his teeth, repeating the process a couple of times only so Chanyeol had bite-sized strips of meat to consume while he rested. “How are you feeling?” he asked, finally finding the sliver of time to relax and lick a wet stripe over Chanyeol’s cut cheek, the gesture still gentle and nurturing.