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Shadows stretched into the clearing at their feet with every step they took, it was a quiet evening, the sun low enough to wash the forest in gold. Minho walked just a step ahead of his brother, his protectiveness pulling him forward, even if Felix was normally the one leading them everywhere, the extroverted sunshine he was.
His brother could always handle himself, he knew that better than anyone. Felix had a way of slipping into places like he belonged there, brightening up the mood even in the most awkward scenes, people liked him, trusted him easily and even opened up to him like he knew them for years, that's just how he was. Today was different. The air was foreign enough, too many scents layered together, spiciness mingling with floral and citrus, something fresh coming to play from underneath, braided together in a way that screamed family, not just a group of strangers sticking together. That was terrifying and exciting all at once, so Minho didn't mind carrying the weight of making a great impression for the first time.
Felix's steps slowed behind him, small fingers grazing his wrist lightly, and, even if the beta could only perceive it faintly, the nervous tinge in his scent made the older grab his hand without a second thought, fingers curled briefly around his in silent reassurance.
The decision hadn't been a hard one to make, Minho always knew his time was limited in their old pack, but he never guessed his own blood would be the reason for it. Their father hadn't bat an eye when the discussions started.
At first it had only been whispers, things Minho wasn’t meant to hear, voices drifting through half-closed doors, older pack members speaking in low and careful tones that always seemed to quiet the moment he stepped into a room, Felix being called away more often than usual, asked to sit in on dinners he had never been invited to before. It took him less than a week to fully understand what was happening.
The pack was struggling, its traditional and uptight nature wasn't favouring them in any way, and alliances seemed to be faltering. Their Alpha had been trying to keep things from unravelling, but diplomacy had limits, and favours only stretched so far, so they needed someone, a soft-spoken, sweet and nurturing omega, because in their eyes, a marriage was the most reliable solution.
Felix, the young omega, was chosen instantly.
Minho had listened to it all from the hallway outside the council room, standing so still he might as well have been carved into the wall beside the doorframe. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, betas didn’t belong in council meetings unless they had a task to report, and Minho had long ago learned the value of knowing where he was allowed to stand, but the door was left slightly ajar, just enough for words to slip through.
His blood ran cold as he listened in; "the coastal pack has already agreed", "are you completely sure he is pure?", "Felix will adapt well there", "the beta will have to allow it, it will be too late when he finds out". His father stayed quiet the whole time the coward he was. Anger filled him as he stepped away from the meeting, his mind working a hundred miles per hour already looking for a way to stop it from happening. He didn't tell Felix immediately, it took him hours of research to find out there were packs that took in runaways, day as he talked carefully to people who owed him small favours, listened when travelling traders mentioned distant packs and noticed a name kept popping up, by the day he woke up his little brother at dawn, he had already memorised multiple routes in his brain.
A mountain town pack, know for taking in strays, in fact, that's how they managed to stay alive. A young pack alpha, with way too modern and flexible rules, and yet, his people were the most loyal out there.
Minho tightened his hold around Felix's hand as the path opened, trees thinning until the slope of the mountain revealed itself fully in the warm light of evening. The town spread across the hillside like it had simply grown there over time, stone houses with red roofs that lost colour on those that were adorned with chimneys as the smoke curled up lazily into the air, narrow streets winding between them in uneven lines, small balconies overflowing with plants and flowers that caught the last golden rays of sunlight.
They slowed without realizing it, gaze moving across the small town. Windows open, laughter filtering through them, laundry hanging up in a small patio down the path, a cat perched on top of a brick fence. It looked peaceful, felt so cozy and familiar it made Minho shudder, he didn't expect this.
Felix stepped up beside him then, their shoulders brushing lightly. "It’s smaller than I expected" the omega murmured softly.
Minho hummed under his breath, his gaze never leaving the houses sitting before him, "small means I can watch you closer". The omega snorted as he bumped his shoulder, for a moment they just stood there together at the edge of the road, two strangers looking down at a town that might become something like home. Or not, he wasn't naive, he knew packs were territorial, but they had come all this way so all they could do was test if what was said about Miroh was true.
Minho took a slow breath, letting it out carefully as he started down the road toward the nearest house, they had barely made it halfway down the slope when the front door of one of the houses opened. Minho stopped automatically. A man stepped out onto the porch, sleeves pushed up to his elbows as if he had been working on something inside, he paused when he spotted them, gaze moving briefly over the two unfamiliar figures standing awkwardly in the middle of the road before smiling softly. Nobody said anything, time stretching between them, a woody scent looming near them. The man tilted his head slightly, his short blond hair shinning with the few lasting sun rays, "you two look exhausted, been walking for a while I assume?" Minho straightened instinctively as the stranger leaned one arm casually against the porch railing, entirely at ease in his own space as his gaze settled back on them, "are you planning on standing there all day?".
The beta hesitated for a moment, anxiety catching up to him, "we're looking for the Miroh pack", he said confidently, or at least tried to. The smile the man wore became wider.
"Well," he said, pushing away from the railing and stepping down from the porch, "you found us".
⦮ ⦯
Time, Minho would realise, had moved quite fast since the moment Chan, as the man had introduced himself, opened the fence for them that day. When he thought back to that first evening, now, months later, when the streets of Emberhollow already felt familiar under his feet and the smell of the bakery at the corner made Felix complain about being hungry every single morning, Minho could trace it all back to that exact moment. Chan had looked at them like he understood, no pity or expectation in his gaze.
Settling in had happened slowly, but not in a way that felt difficult, just in the peaceful way, as they got used to the new life before them, and even if he expected to be pushed to the side, he was surprised once again, as Miroh didn't understand that concept.
Minho had woken before sunrise out of habit, every single morning, the morning after he slipped quietly from the small guest room Chan had insisted they take until they decided where they wanted to live, and stepping out into the crisp mountain air before the rest of the town stirred awake. The streets were empty, dew still clinging to the stone paths, he had meant to take a walk, to map the town in his mind the way he always did when entering unfamiliar territory.
Instead, he found Chan sitting on the low wooden fence that marked the edge of the property, a mug balanced loosely in his hands as he watched the morning fog roll slowly between the houses below.
They connected like that, every day, over hot tea and refreshing air. That's how he found out Chan knew it was difficult, he himself had planned every scape route once he started taking in strays. But more than that, what brought them closewas how similar they were when it came to protecting others. Minho hadn’t noticed it immediately, at first, those early mornings felt like simple coincidence, two people awake before the town, sharing tea while the mountain slowly came to life. But the more days passed, the more Minho began to recognize something familiar in the way Chan carried himself.
He wasn't one to hover. He didn’t command people around or loom over the town like the Head Alphas Minho had grown up with. In fact, if someone unfamiliar walked through Emberhollow, they might not even realize he was the pack Alpha at all, but there were small things. Details Minho had grown to pick up, like how Chan positioned himself in front of Jisung whenever his boss came to ask for longer working hours, or how his eyes tracked the younger pack members whenever they played in the town square, and the determination to accompany Changbin, on his morning run through the woods, even if the omega complained.
Chan protected people the same way Minho did, with actions and never making a show of it. Soon, they were both taking care of each other.
It started one stormy morning, as Minho left the room before Felix stirred he made a mental note of items for the grocery list, hoping to find Chan in the small covered part of the porch to tell him. Instead, there wasn't a sign of the alpha there, but across the street a blurry shadow stood halfway up a ladder, doing something he couldn't see yet. He remembers approaching it, holding onto the ladder as it wobbled, not even a hello passed between them, but the smile the alpha awarded him was all he needed.
They worked well together, be it repairing something, cooking lunch for the strays in the large house or simply doing laundry. Maybe that's why his heart beat a bit quicker around the alpha, or why his breath caught whenever Chan decided to work shirtless.
But above all, they trusted each other. Trust in Emberhollow was given freely, something Minho was still learning how to accept, and Chan had extended a hand to him, almost as quick.
Felix adapted faster than anyone expected.
Within days he had already befriended half the town. Hyunjin, who still lived in the large house, dragged him into the art studio almost immediately, insisting he needed help organizing paints and canvases, Jeongin discovered Felix baked better than anyone else in the pack and began appearing at their door with suspiciously convenient reasons to visit, and then there was Jisung.
Minho noticed the way the younger alpha hovered awkwardly around Felix from the beginning, finding it as endearing as it was entertaining. However, as Minho was observant, he also noticed how the pack alpha seemed quite interested in his younger brother.
Chan lingered longer when Felix spoke, his gaze softened in a particular way whenever the omega laughed, bright and unrestrained. Sometimes Minho would catch them standing together near the bakery, Felix gesturing animatedly while Chan listened with a small smile that looked suspiciously fond.
And then, Felix had started asking questions.
At first they had been casual enough, a simple “what do you think makes someone a good partner?”. Minho had been halfway through chopping vegetables for dinner when the omega leaned against the kitchen counter and asked it like he was commenting on the weather. It had taken everything inhim to not cut off his fingers, startled by the sudden attack, but he just raised an eyebrow, telling him about reliability and respect. Basic enough.
The questions continued over the following weeks. What kind of dates Minho liked, whether he preferred quiet evenings or crowded gatherings, if he thought pack Alphas were intimidating. Minho didn’t think much of it at first, after all, Felix had always been curious but when he started noticing how often those questions came right after Felix spent time with Chan, the pieces slowly began to fall into place.
Minho wasn’t stupid, he knew what love looked like and his brother had always been easy to love. Gentle, bright, endlessly kind in a way that drew people toward him without effort, so it made sense why Chan would take interest.
What didn't make sense though, was the disappointment that came with that realisation, as if his stupid self had really thought someone would choose him first, and a pack alpha at that. Betas weren't built for that, that was just a hopeful dream, and a stupid one.
So Minho did what he had always done when feelings got complicated, he kept busy elsewhere. Miroh made that easy, specially the closest members, those six boys that became eight when Minho and his brother came into town, that made themselves be called the stray kids of Miroh.
Jeongin asked his opinion on how to reinforce one of the old storage sheds near the forest line, Hyunjin dragged him into the studio one afternoon, holding up two frames and asking which one looked better for a painting he planned to hang in the community hall. Even Seungmin appeared at his room door once, clutching a broken sliver locket, "you fix things, right?"
Minho stared at the metal in the alpha's hands, "I can try to fix things"
"Great!” The younger wolf shoved the small thing into his hand with a relieved grin. He thought that was it, but oh boy was he wrong, people also started asking him for advice. It confused Minho at first, he wasn’t an alpha, he didn’t have authority in the pack hierarchy. Back in his old pack, betas were expected to follow instructions, not give them, but here…
"Minho-hyung, if I say it like this, does it sound rude?" Hyunjin asked once, waving a half-written letter around.
Changbin came into his line of vision, shoving his arm under Minho’s nose after a particularly enthusiastic training session, “hyung, does this look infected?” It, in fact, was not, the cut just needed proper washing.
Jisung was the one who most constantly sought him out, standing awkwardly near him until Minho sighed and asked what was wrong, the boy just needed reassurance more often than others, his brain worked like a genius' would whenever he was songwriting, but when he stopped, it thought a bit too much.
The strange thing was how natural it felt. Minho didn’t push his opinion where it wasn’t wanted, but when people asked for help, he gave it honestly. And the more it happened, the more the strange, uncomfortable feeling in Minho’s chest slowly turned into something dangerously close to belonging.
Eventually, it bothered him enough that he brought it up to Chan. They were sitting on the low fence again one morning, the same spot where their quiet routine had started months ago, the sun was barely peeking over the mountains, painting the rooftops below, as Minho finally made up the courage to ask, "does it bother you?"
Chan glanced at him over the rim of his mug. "What does?"
Minho hesitated, fingers tapping against the warm ceramic. "People coming to me like that," he said eventually, "asking for help or advice"
"Why would that bother me?" Chan frowned slightly, clearly confused. Minho just shrugged he thought it was obvious.
"You’re the pack alpha, they should seek you out, not me" the words felt heavier than he meant them to, "back in my old pack, that would’ve been… stepping out of line, so I'm sorry if it made you feel uncomfortable"
Chan just stared at him, then laughed softly, almost as if he was endeared by the beta's train of thought, "Minho," he called for his attention, "you're not intruding, you're helping. They chose you, they trust you as do I. There's nothing to be bothered or angry about, I knew they would" his tone was so gentle, Minho felt like becoming a puddle right there and then, "and honestly I admire it, you protect them and look after them as if they have always been your own, I could never ask for someone better" his gaze locked on Minho as he spoke, never faltering, turning so tender it made him weak in the knees.
But Chan was just being kind, shooing his troubles away.
It wasn’t like the Alpha’s behavior toward him had changed much anyway, if anything, Chan simply continued being attentive.
Sometimes Minho would return to the house after a long day and find a small basket of fresh fruit waiting on the kitchen table, and Chan would just wave it off, a reward, he would say.
Other times Chan would appear beside him during long work days. "You’ve been working all afternoon, take a break" he’d say, bottle of water in hand.
Minho always assumed Chan did the same thing for everyone.
Like that morning he had spent helping Changbin haul lumber down from the forest line, arms aching pleasantly from the work by the time he returned to the main house. Felix had already left with Hyunjin for the art studio, leaving the kitchen empty when Minho stepped inside, except there was a plate on the table, still warm.
Two thick slices of toast with honey and a small bowl of cut fruit beside it.
Minho frowned slightly, "Felix? Jisung?"
No answer came, but a moment later Chan appeared in the doorway, wiping his hands on a dish towel.
"You skipped breakfast," the alpha said simply. Minho blinked, that was the end of it.
It happened again a few days later, then again and Minho started noticing small things after that.
A fresh mug of tea appearing beside him whenever he stayed up late helping Felix bake, a clean set of work gloves waiting on the porch railing the morning after Minho had mentioned tearing his old pair, someone had sharpened his gardening shears without telling him so now he could work on the trees outside, a fresh set of flowers was left sitting in the case on his nights stand, even a new sweater in the softest lilac shde made its way into his small closet after he said he was bored of plain clothes.
He didn't notice Chan was the one behind it, the alpha was subtle, infuriatingly so, even in the way he opted for physical closeness.
The alpha’s hand steadying his elbow once when Minho nearly slipped on wet stone during a rainy afternoon, his hand on the small of his back as they cooked dinner together, how he chose to sit next to him at every meeting or volunteered to massage his shoulders after a heavy laundry day.
He made time for him, almost everyday, Chan showed him the boundaries of Emberhollow’s territory, the small river where the younger pack members liked to swim in the summer, the quiet ridge where the whole valley could be seen at sunset.
But it was practical, just the pack alphamaking sure a new pack member understood the land. He didn’t notice the way Chan watched him sometimes while he spoke, didn’t notice how easily Chan’s posture relaxed whenever Minho laughed at something.
The pack noticed, though.
Hyunjin once walked into the kitchen mid-conversation between them and immediately turned around with a suspicious grin. Changbin started making increasingly pointed comments “funny,” he said one evening while watching Minho and Chan share some grapefruit pieces, "Chan usually hates sour things". Chan threw a rag at him, Minho assumed they were teasing the Alpha.
Felix noticed the most.
Which was exactly why the omega started asking so many questions, "What kind of dates do you like?", Felix asked one night while kneading dough on the kitchen counter.
Minho narrowed his eyes. "You’re suspiciously invested in anything love related, lately"
His brother smiled innocently, "I’m just curious" and the beta rolled his eyes but answered anyway. He had no idea Felix was carefully carrying every answer back to Chan later.
And if sometimes Chan looked at him in a way that made Minho’s heart skip strangely, well…Minho just ignored that. For the sake of his heart's health.
Which was exactly why the misunderstanding that followed hit the entire pack like a disaster.
It happened on an ordinary afternoon, Jeongin showed up at the large house looking stressed, pacing back and forth across the porch until Minho finally stepped outside.
"What’s wrong?"
The younger ran a hand through his hair, "I messed up the storage inventory again,” he admitted miserably, "and now Chan asked for the numbers for the supply meeting tomorrow"
Minho sighed, "show me". They spent the next hour sitting at the long kitchen table while Minho helped reorganize the entire ledger. It wasn’t complicated work, just messy, numbers scattered across three different pages, by the time they finished, Jeongin looked visibly relieved. "You saved my life," he declared dramatically.
"You’re exaggerating" He gathered the papers carefully before glancing back at Minho with a soft smile.
"You know," he said casually, "you’re going to make such an amazing Luna"
Minho froze, and then he laughed, surprised by the statement. "Oh no," he said quickly, waving a hand dismissively, "that’s not for me, Innie"
Jeongin blinked, once, twice, opening his mooth before just, "what?"
Minho leaned back in his chair, still smiling faintly. "I’m serious," he added, "that’s not really my place"
In Jeongin’s mind, something clicked, a horrible realisation, because as far as the pack had understood for weeks now, Chan had been courting Minho.
And Minho had just said no, to being Luna, to the role the pack had already started treating him as, to them.
Jeongin’s face fell slightly before he could stop it, "Oh".
Minho didn’t notice, he was already standing, saying goodbye and heading for the shower, but from that day on, everything would be strange.
Nothing had been officially announced, no big declarations made, but Chan had been courting Minho so openly, at least to anyone with eyes, that everyone had started treating the beta accordingly. Minho had stepped into the role so naturally too.
He helped people, listened, took care of things before they became problems. Half the pack went to him for advice before they ever bothered Chan with something small. It had just made sense.
Which was why Jeongin found Seungmin almost immediately.
"Hyung," he called, breath a little short as he caught up to the older wolf outside the leather shop.
Seungmin turned, wiping his hands on a towel, "what’s wrong?"
Jeongin hesitated. "I think…" he swallowed, "I think Minho-hyung just rejected the pack"
Seungmin blinked, looking at him in disbelief, "…what?"
At first Minho couldn’t put his finger on what exactly was different, but something about the pack’s behavior toward him felt off.
Changbin stopped casually slinging an arm over his shoulders when they worked together, Hyunjin looked strangely apologetic whenever their eyes met and sweet Jeongin, who had been perfectly comfortable showing up at their house every other day, now hovered awkwardly in doorways like he wasn’t sure he was welcome anymore.
Minho didn’t understand, the only person who didn’t seem to change much was Chan.
The strange atmosphere around him grew heavier over the following days, people still came to Minho for help sometimes, but now there was hesitation in it, like they were worried about bothering him. Or worse, like they expected him to leave.
Minho tried to ignore it at first, until the tension got under his skin enough that he cornered Felix in the kitchen one evening while the omega was watching a cake bake, "did I do something wrong?"
Felix looked up, startled, his hand almost getting burnt on the oven,"what?"
"The pack,” Minho said, crossing his arms. "They’ve been acting weird"
Felix but his lip, realisation dawning on his face, "…oh"
Minho narrowed his eyes, "what does that mean?"
The omega opened his mouth, the closed it again, his expression shifted somewhere between disbelief and exasperation. "Hyung," he said carefully, "what exactly do you think Chan has been doing for the last two months?"
Minho frowned, not understanding, "…being nice?"
"Oh my god" his brother whispered, turning around as if watching him was too much, "are you being serious right now?" The beta just stood there, as Felix let out an exasperated sigh, "Chan hyung has been courting you"
Minho laughed, but Felix didn't. Minho’s smile faded "…wait"
Then, there was an accusing finger pointed at him "You seriously didn’t notice?!"
Minho felt as if he was just splashed with cold water. "That’s ridiculous," he said weakly, "he spends half his time with you, and I'm a beta"
The younger look angry at his words, so Minho took a step back, "he has been asking me to help him figure out how to court you without scaring you away! And you're a beta, so what?! They're not like the rest of our family, Minho! You should know that. Is that why you rejected the pack? Some stupid traditional dynamic!?"
Minho felt confused, "what are you talking about?"
Felix buried his face in his hands, "hyung, Jeongin thinks you rejected being our Luna"
Minho felt faint, because suddenly every strange look, every awkward interaction over the last few days made horrible, perfect sense. And somewhere across town, Chan still believed Minho had rejected the role meant for him.
So the next thing he knew, he was already halfway down the street.
His heart was beating far too fast, not from running but from the sudden, terrifying realization that he had misunderstood everything, every small gesture.
Minho slowed as he reached the edge of town, breath leaving him slowly as he spotted the familiar silhouette leaning against the valley's low wooden fence.
Chan.
Of course he was there.
The alpha stood with his elbows resting on the railing, gaze turned toward the valley below and for a moment Minho simply stood there watching him. Everything he wanted to say sounded ridiculous in his head, too much and not enough, because how could he begin to explain how he felt now that he knew Chan loved in the most detailed way.
Chan was flowers on his night stand, tea in the morning, laughter as the sun went down, a reassuring hand as he climbed a ladder and the nicest sweater on the chillier night. Chan was everything he ever dreamt of, and more.
The alpha shifted slightly against the fence, the movement small but enough to remind Minho that he was very much real, standing only a few steps away, so he forced himself forward. The gravel crunched softly under his boots and Chan’s head turned at the sound.
For a split second, surprise flickered across the older's face, then it softened, "Minho," his name came out quietly, the way he said his name had always done something strange to Minho’s chest. Tonight it felt worse, like someone had reached in and squeezed his lungs. How has he been so blind?
"Chan," he had to start somewhere, didn't he? "I didn't realise". Chan’s eyes were fixed on him, quiet and attentive in that way that always made Minho feel seen a little too clearly. "I kept finding explanations for it, because the other option felt impossible"
The wind rustled through the trees below the ridge, carrying the faint smell of pine and distant smoke from the chimneys down in town, Minho’s chest tightened. "And now that I know," he said, voice quieter now, "I keep replaying everything"
His gaze drifted briefly toward the valley. "You were there when I first woke up in this town," he murmured, "you were always there, before anyone else, you made this place feel safe, when I think about the things that make this town feel like home," he said, voice rougher now, "you’re in all of them. And I didn't think myself worthy of it"
Chan’s lips curved into the faintest, almost shy smile, the kind that made Minho’s knees feel suddenly weak. Slowly, deliberately, he stepped closer, closing the distance the night had left between them, he reached out, fingers brushing against Minho’s cheek, "I don't need you to understand everything at once," he said softly "just… me. Stay here, with me, with them”
And then he smiled properly, fully, and Minho finally let himself smile back, the weight of all the misunderstandings and doubts lifting in that moment, as their lips brushed. Hands intertwined, hearts aligned, and the mountain town of Emberhollow seemed to glow a little brighter, celebrating that their Luna was finally home.
⦮ ⦯