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cas-backwards-tie · 5 months ago

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Chapter One: News Crashing

Poly!TaskForce 141 x Omega!Reader

The Omega Pack Plan Masterlist

Summary: A change in procedure around base causes you to spiral as your world comes crashing down. There's only one way out of this and it starts with telling the truth.

Words: 4.4k

Warnings: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anxiety, Existentialism, Misogyny, Dismissive Attitudes, Angst, Rage

Mentions of: Medication,

A/N: Honestly, I'd been inspired by a few series (Standard Emergency Protocol and Pantry Solutions) I've read those and it caused me to want to write my own A/B/O COD AU, so I started this as a sort of funny fic awhile ago. I'm haven't entirely plotted out the whole story, but I have some ideas for the first few chapters. I was finally inspired to finish and post it because @cringeycookies liked the snippet I posted in a wip tag game. So thanks to everyone who inspired me, and a special thank you to @penelopepine for helping me with the dialogue and Price's reaction as I try to begin writing for them.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am," the nurse responds, "we're no longer authorized to refill suppressants of any kinds for any purpose." With a push of the empty orange pill bottle back across the counter in your direction, she offers you an ugly forced smile.

"Is there really nothing we can do?!" You complain incredulously, "Nothing at all? What am I supposed to do with this?!" Taking the emptied bottle into your hands, you stare at the nurse with widened eyes and a wild look.

"There is no 'we'..." she rolls her eyes in response, focus returning to the papers before her. "But if you insist, you can always bring it up with your CO, or the Base Commander." She scribbles something out on the page, but you can hardly focus when your world is virtually crumbling apart around you. "Now if you don't mind, some of us actually have work to do around here."

Still stunned, you can't help the way your breathing picks up as your heart begins to race. About a month ago now there was a base-wide meeting where they'd finally cracked down and implemented a new program the government is trying out: OPP. The Omega Pack Plan. While it's uncommon for Omegas to even be recruited into the military to begin with, such a thing does exist. Regardless, the Base Commander gathered everyone in the Auditorium for a presentation to talk about the new program and how the army would implement it into the troops. Luckily, considering you're on an elite Task Force, it doesn't apply to you. At least... it didn't.

"What the hell is this?!" You yell, tossing the orange bottle in his direction.

He'd heard the stomps all the way down the hall and smelled you coming, so he's neither surprised by your appearance, nor startled by the toss of the bottle. John swiftly catches it in his hand as he looks up at you. "What?" He inquires, finally glancing down to examine what he's caught. "A pill bottle?"

"Captain, it's empty! They won't refill it- I can-"

A groan tumbles past his lips as he drags a hand down his beard. "Look, Panther-" referring to you by your callsign, interesting move. "There's nothing I can do, it's over my head now. I wish I could do something, but I can't." Sitting back in his leather chair, Price places the bottle on the desk; a faint rap of the plastic hitting the wood is the only sound between you momentarily before you hurriedly shut the door.

Panic begins to flood your system as you're not sure how to handle this. It's your turn to freak out. You know how this goes, you know the story now; ever since they'd implemented and dispersed the Omegas into the troops, they'd started implementing them into the Task Forces, and now they have to do so with the One Four One. Fingers curling in and out of shapes as you try to process your next move, you speak before you can even begin to plan what you're going to tell him.

"I- I'm- I..." You're pacing his office now, the heavy gaze of your Captain upon you as you try to prevent yourself from hyperventilating. The thing is, you're usually good with pressure- really good. It's your job to be good. It's just... this is different. This is your life, your livelihood at stake, the livelihood of all your future generations to come.

A sigh resounds throughout the office before you hear the low timbre of his voice. "Dove," he calls out with a gentle tone, "I want you to take a deep breath for me. Alright?" With the calm and even sound of your Captain's voice and the assured look on his face, you comply. Exhaling the last of your breath, you close your eyes and focus in on the deep intake of air through your nose. With the parting of your lips you slowly release it before giving yourself a moment.

When you open your eyes he gestures to the seat before his desk, though you know he won't take offense if you decline. Hesitant, one hand finds its way to the other, wrapping around your arm as you listen to him speak. "Now, can you explain what has you in this state? I assure you that there's nothing that can't be dealt with." You want to trust him, you know him--John Price--your Captain. He's always had your back, always made sure you felt comfortable in the Taskforce, always made an effort to check on you after things got rough.

You nod. Licking your lips, you search his blue eyes as you tentatively take the seat across him.

"Whatever it is, we'll deal with it, alright? I can guarantee you that unless you're trying to tell me you're an Omega, nothing you say is going to shock me that warrants the amount of panic you're putting yourself through," Price chuckles. He's obviously joking, trying to break the tension with humor. Lips drawn upward into a small smile, the Captain stares at you expectantly.

"What if I am?" You whisper, eyes unable to tear from his visage as you try and gauge his reaction. Unexpectedly, silence fills the space between you and feels deafening in the small space. The growing comfort of his office these couple of months now feels like a cage you're forced to stay in, under watch, as you stare down your superior on the brink of a battle to the death. And that's what you do. His blue eyes bore into yours, skeptically shifting between your left and right as he seems to try and get a read on you.

All of the sudden you jump at the smack of his hands hitting the desk in front of him. He laughs at you.

He's laughing at you.

And you're sitting there with your guts spilled out, dread eating away at the pit in your stomach... and he's laughing. It feels like forever is passing you by as you stare at him in shock, this moment between the two of you frozen in time as nothing else persists.

"I understand what this was now," Price explains, still chuckling to himself as he shakes his head. There's a warm smile on his face that feels eerie considering the dire context of the situation at hand. "You got me! I fully believed you for a second there, too."

Eyebrows furrowing in dark realization, you can't help but stare at him wildly. "Wha-" You begin to question him and his line of thinking, but he cuts you off.

"This was all a prank, right? The bottle, the hysterics- you really outdid yourself, Sergeant." Leaning back in his chair, he props his ankle up on his other knee. "Because let me tell you, this was good. Better than anything Soap's cooked up in awhile. Did you come up with it yourself?" There's a cheeky grin on his lips. "Ah, I know you did."

Lips opening and closing like a fish out of water, you sit in the armchair across from him pale with a dazed look across your face. He doesn't actually think that this was...

"Well, with your little triumph in your pocket, I say we get back to work, yeah? I've got some new leads from MI6 that've just popped in." With that, the man stands from his desk and rounds it. "Garrick should be back around Tea. I'll see you in the Command Station then," he informs you. It's then that he passes by, a genial clap on your shoulder while he's at it.

Left stunned in silence, you can't help but grit your teeth, consequentially pronouncing your jaw as anger ebbs through your bloodstream. Breath getting heavier, you can't help but loathe the meeting tonight. Your Captain might be satisfied with the conversation, but all you feel is discouraged. He's abandoned you, left you alone in his office with a humiliating sense of betrayal and shattered trust. Almost like you hadn't just told him your biggest secret at all.

Punching the standard heavy punching bag hanging in front of you, you grunt, ignoring the pain that gnaws at your knuckles underneath the reusable hand wraps. Sweat builds on your brow as you continue to unleash your pent up anger on the gym’s equipment. How could he?! When had you ever pulled anything even similar to this? Never! And the fact that you’ve only been on the team for a handful of months only exacerbates the abandonment you’re feeling right now. He’s your Captain! Regardless of your feelings or the situation at hand, isn’t he supposed to be there for you? He’d promised from the get go to help you with whatever you need, and now the one time you go to him for aid it backfires in your face and leaves you without any sort of solution going forward aside from straight up telling the whole team the flat out truth, and God forbid! You can’t even begin to fathom how that’d go.

A pent up and frustrated yell almost akin to something of a growl emanates from you as you tear into another round of swift jabs and punches. Regardless of the situation at hand, you’ve been trying to build up your upper body’s strength and letting out the anger you’d accumulated over this morning’s events seemed like a perfect opportunity to let loose.

The stretches and treadmill routine didn’t take a lot out of you, but the weights, and now the punching bag definitely is starting to take its toll. Sweat beads at your forehead in rivulets that drip down the sides of your neck, down your scalp past your neck and between your shoulder blades. Tank top soaked in sweat, you breathe hard as your heart pumps rapidly in your chest. You would’ve wound up here at some point or another tonight, but the Captain’s discourteous response certainly led to an earlier workout time.

While others sparsely litter the gym’s floor, you pay them no mind and vice versa. It’s not uncommon for soldiers to be found blowing off steam or aiming to beat their highest reps on the weights. Yet, this gym is reserved for higher standing members of the Force, the gym on the far side of the base where there are less people, offices, and considering the regular army men train in the bigger gym closer to their quarters, it’s mostly other higher ranked officers in here.

“Captain’s lookin’ for ya,” Markowski, another Sergeant that you’d come to befriend on base announces from the doorway, having poked his head in after leaving a few minutes earlier. He belongs to a different Task Force.

A groan tumbles out of you as you realize it’s already that time. Just as the door clicks shut, your phone chimes loudly with the alarm you’d set earlier going off. A few quick swipes of your fingers, you turn the alarm off and unlock the device, seeing a number of messages flood your notifications.

Kyle: You hear they’ve bumped up the timeline? 😯

Johnny: “ https://Tiktok/Shattered.Rat567 ” Had me rollin’ 🤣👏🏻 Gotta check it, Bonnie

Simon: You coming to the meeting or not? 🤨

Johnny: Where r u? You’re usually first here 👀 Cap’s getting peeved, watch out

Not looking forward to the inevitable mess of a meeting before you, you don’t bother rushing to join the men. With a wash of your face in the women’s locker room, a speedy bathroom break, and a grab of the items you’d brought with you, you’re heading for the Command Station.

With the time Price set the meeting, you won't get to eat dinner till afterward. You'd be lying if you said you weren't annoyed by this entire situation, your agitation from neglecting your hunger earlier has certainly come to bite you in the backside.

While you don’t have time to respond to their texts, having set the alarm with only enough time to get back to your team’s Command ‘station’ albeit more like your headquarters before heading out. Speed-walking through the orderly halls with a haste perfectly common around here, you navigate with a well practiced knowledge. Though you’ve only been here coming up on six months soon, you’re well acquainted with this part of the base.

Rounding the corner, you’re in the hall, close. Yet, the worry of being late lingers in the back of your mind and adds another layer of annoyance on top of your residual anger buried deep down from this morning’s situation. You’d inevitably come up with your solution. It’s not one you like… but it’s the only logical option. Another turn and you’re striding into the big garage-like room.

“Nice of you to finally join us, Sergeant,” Price calls out to you. Lifting his eyes from the map laid out across your station's table, he glares in your direction.

“What took you so long?” Soap snaps, his brows slightly furrowed as he stares at you from the opposite side of the table, hands lazily wrapped around his vest’s straps.

A look at your watch tells you that you’re not even late, the meeting doesn’t officially start for another minute! But you are usually waiting on them. He’s got you there.

“Yeah, you’re usually the first one here. It’s not like you,” Gaz whispers under his breath as you sidle up alongside Ghost, Gaz standing diagonal to you right beside Price at the head of the table.

“Focus,” Ghost orders the men, his hands tucked in his hoodie’s pocket. You don’t fail to notice the way he subtly takes a step further away from you as soon as they start talking again. Price goes back to talking plans as Gaz is questioning the circumstances of the information the Captain had acquired earlier when he’d had to leave the office.

“Which is exactly why-”

A heavy exhale on your behalf leaves the men frozen as their eyes drift back to you. “Do you have something you’d like to say, Panther?” The Captain questions. Jaw clenched, you tear your eyes from the map they’d settled on.

“We’ve got a big problem,” you announce, cutting off the Captain as you finally raise your gaze to meet Price’s slightly widened blue eyes.

“Well, if you see something that needs changin’ then let’s hear it,” he responds. A ‘hmph’ follows as he crosses his arms over his chest and sits his weight back onto his heels.

“It’s not about the op,” you correct him. Tilting your head side to side you attempt to crack the kinks in your neck while standing a little straighter to appear more engaged and serious.

“And it’s more important than this? What we’re doin’ right now?” Soap questions, his hands dropping to rest on the table as he looms over it, eyeing you with frustration obvious in his irises.

“What is it?” Gaz asks, a quirk of his eyebrow garnering your attention for a split-second. He’s genuinely asking, and there doesn’t seem to be a hostility in his scent as he turns his attention to you. Then there’s Ghost, who you don’t even need to look at to feel his heavy gaze on you, waiting expectantly.

“Actually, it is,” you argue with Soap, anger beginning to boil in your belly, the frustration and angst having been left to simmer all afternoon. “I can’t believe you didn’t take me seriously when I came to you earlier,” you turn your anger on Price. He looks taken aback by the outburst, something you’re not known for.

“Dove,” he calls calmly, hands out in an attempt to pacify.

“Don’t-” you bark, starting to raise your voice without realizing it. “I came to you in confidance! Trusting you when you said you’d be there to help me if I ever needed it! How could you?” Gritting your teeth, you don’t realize how hard you’re breathing as your chest heaves with anger.

“Woah, woah-” Gaz sputters, “What-” holding his hands out to try and diffuse the argument.

“I let myself be vulnerable-” You continue to shout.

“Isn’t this something that shoul-” Soap attempts to dissuade, backing down as he puts his hands out.

“-and tell you the truth, and-” you’re lunging for him across the table. You’re held back by a massive hand on your shoulder. “You laugh in my face?! What the fuck is wrong with you?”

You're suddenly pulled back, off your feet, and shoved into a metal chair that'd been nearby. Your Lieutenant is hovering over you, his cold eyes now tinged with a spark of anger as they bore into you scrutinizingly. There's the sound of commotion behind him, multiple voices overlapping, yet you can't see anything with that utter giant in front of you!

“Does anyone wanna explain what the bloody hell is goin’ on here?” Ghost snaps. It's only then when the man steps aside that you can see where everyone is. With both of you in your respective corners, you simply glare at the Captain from over your crossed arms out in front of you.

“Are you bleedin’ kidding me, ya Scally?” Price grunts as he shrugs Gaz’ hand off his shoulder. “You’re still on about it! When w-"

"That doesn't explain what happened, Cap," Gaz interrupts, stopping him from going off and getting them nowhere.

He groans, running a hand over his face once more before composing himself. Everyone waits for an explanation—you too—he’d been the first to speak, and you’re curious to hear what he comes up with. “She came into my office, bloody cryin’, tossing me a pill bottle, muttering about, saying she’s a-”

You don’t dare let him finish, not wanting him to be the one to finally say it, exposing your truth to the team. "Omega. I’m an Omega, ” you finish his sentence. While you’re scared to meet their faces, you take a deep breath and force yourself to do so.

"Christ," Price curses, fingers coming up to pinch the skin between his brows as he hangs his head.

Ghost's stoicism is nothing unordinary, and in fact, is somewhat a comfort considering you'd expected nothing less from him.

Gaz looks stunned for a moment, eyes flitting about the other’s faces before the serious look on his face morphs. Lips slowly drawing upward, you shouldn’t be surprised when he starts laughing. "Yeah right," Garrick teases, "and I'm actually the Prime Minister."

Yet, it's not just him. The uproarious laughter from your right only adds fuel to the already burning flame as the two other Sergeants laugh like idiots. All as if it's some poor joke with no consequences to anyone's life, and yet... it's the truth. At the end of the day, it doesn't change anything. At the end of the day, your life is still in jeopardy and they're treating it like some joke. Unable to form any sort of retort, you simply blink; stuck in a stupor raw, stung, and with a dumb look on your face.

Soap, rounding the table slaps Gaz on the back, his face flushed red from laughing so hard. "Yer makin' my stomach hurt. God," he eggs the other on between his dying chuckles and attempting to catch his breath.

"You're really just gonna stand there and laugh?!" You finally burst. Anger surely must be coming off your scent in waves, but you don't care. Standing from the chair, you don't flinch as Ghost swipes his arm out in front of you in case you were going for the Captain again. There will be no physical altercation on his watch.

"She already pulled this on me earlier, mind you, and now what? You're trying to pull it over on the lads' too, eh?" Price goads you.

"And I was telling the truth! You're the one who said I was joking," you point out. The volume of your voice is lost on you, partially blinded by the fury bleeding out.

"I suppose you never did admit to it being a prank," Price reasons, fingers grazing his beard as he runs them over it repeatedly in thought. "But how do you expect us to believe that when you clearly smell of a Beta?"

"Even on the battlefield, after everything we've been through-" Gaz starts.

"After yer all sweaty from a workout, too. I think we'd notice, Pan," Johnny argues, illuminating a legitimate point of consideration.

"Oh please," you mutter quietly to yourself. Shaking your head, you can't believe they're really all being this daft right now. "Like you have heard of those Scent Spritzers.”

There are various perfumes on the market specifically designed to alter one’s scent. Most use it smell like an Alpha when they’re not, or an Omega when they’re wanting to seduce an Alpha when going out. But Omegas posing as Betas was rarely heard of. You’re more than sure it happens more frequently than people know of, they just haven’t been caught. And in your line of work? It’s scarce. People are thoroughly vetted, but… you’d been on suppressants for a long, long time. And a Beta perfume only perfected your hiding.

“Did you forget we’re Alphas, love? We’d be able to smell you across the room if you were,” Gaz taunts. There’s a puff of his chest that makes his cockiness even more annoying than usual.

"You really want to be an Omega? Dumb yourself down to some weak fragile thing?” Johnny jokes, nudging Gaz’ arm as he shakes his head.

“A doll who can get whoever she wants? Want to be nothing more than good for knockin' up and popping out pups?” Gaz adds on.

“Are you serious right now?” You test, seething under your skin as your hands ball up into fists. “How could you say that?!”

“It’s what people say,” Ghost comments.

“Nobody would want that and you’re out here lying about it,” Johnny pokes.

“We’re only trying to point out the flaws in your little rouse, Pan,” Gaz says, a smile lighting up his features as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"And what if I was lying, hm? Would that change anything you just said to me? How you feel about Omegas?" You scoff.

“This isn’t about your designation,” Price finally speaks. Fingers still weaved into his beard, his blue eyes lift to meet yours. “I see what this is about now, but there's nothin' to worry about, Dove.” Your Captain takes on a softer tone and all of the sudden you feel yourself start to get emotional as a twinge of sadness, of the hurt bleeding through upon understanding makes you feel seen.

“I know it's intimidating, the thought of having your first unmedicated heat, but we have medics here. It's natural. Heats, ruts, we all have them. And, hey... at least you're not an Omega, right?" Whatever relief you’d momentarily experienced sinks back down in your gut with the speed of a rollercoaster drop. It’s as silent as a stakeout, the only sound being people’s breathing. And the lack of yours.

It takes a moment to gather yourself, everyone’s eyes on you with the serious topic change. While sex and the downsides to a designation are something discussed with the boys, you’d often been left out. And to your comfort. "You know what? I can’t do this,” you retort. Backing from the group, you toss your hands up. “I guess you'll just have to wait and see," you bite back. With a whip of your hair over your shoulder, you head for the door.

The room is silent once more as everyone gawks. You’d never reacted in such a manner, had an outburst like that… this is… certainly different, and something they’re not at all used to.

“It’s because they took away her suppressants today,” Price explains. It might not have been something the group should be privileged to know. A private matter, really… but with the way you acted? He felt the men deserve an explanation, at least.

“That makes sense,” Gaz responds quietly, eyes still on the door you’d gone through.

“That’s no excuse,” Johnny counters, arms crossing over his chest with a scowl on his lips.

"Well... that went better than I thought,” Ghost comments with a shrug. “Back to the plan? We can fill her in later.”

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liuhsng · 14 days ago

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✩ˎˊ˗ when fate calls ( psh ! )

✩ˎˊ˗ part of the untouchable series | enhypen masterlist ⤷ word count: 20.6k ( idk how i did that either ) ⤷ taglist for the series: open ! ⤷ warning/s: a/b/o au, cursing, female pronouns, fem!reader, very very very slowburn, kinda enemies to lovers trope, mentions of drinking and alcohol, angst angst angst, very indenial sunghoon, it gets fluffy eventually, you get your happy ending don't worry, not proofread, mentions of the other parts from this series ⤷ a/n: long as hell, hella lot of timeskips to but ik y'all live for that, enjoy reading! ✩ˎˊ˗ summary: as the eldest son of a powerful family, park sunghoon has always followed tradition, dedicating himself to his responsibilities. relationships never crossed his mind, his focus was on the life carefully planned for him. but then there was you, someone he had seen countless times yet never truly noticed until now. when realization dawned on him that you were his mate, it unsettled him in ways he couldn’t explain. it unsettled him in ways he couldn’t explain. the unexpeced idea of love terrified him, so he rejected the traditional courting that came with claiming an omega. but as his avoidance hurts you, the high and mighty alpha is forced to confront the truth he’s been running from: some things aren’t meant to be planned.

park sunghoon stared at the untouched coffee sitting on the edge of his desk, its heat long gone, leaving behind an aroma that lingered in the air. the clock on the wall ticked softly, mocking him with its glowing digits, 3:14 a.m. he was supposed to be asleep hours ago, but here he was, hunched over stacks of neatly organized paperwork. his bedroom, once a place of rest, now served as an office.

as the eldest, it wasn’t just expected of him to succeed, it was demanded. every report and signature carried the weight of the park name. sunghoon leaned back in his chair, his head tilting toward the ceiling, eyes heavy with exhaustion.

the faint ache in his temples grew sharper, but he ignored it, just as he ignored the way his inner alpha growled in frustration. you’re supposed to take care of yourself— for her, it growled. how will you protect an omega if you can’t even do this much?

his jaw clenched as he let out a quiet scoff, his irritation bubbling to the surface. “there is no omega,” he muttered under his breath, as if saying it aloud would somehow silence the voice.

the thought of having a mate, someone who would rely on him, only added to his frustration. he was already drowning in expectations, chained to a life that had no room for distractions, let alone love.

but his inner alpha didn’t back down, the primal side of him rebelling against his neglect. it clawed at him, not with anger, but with frustration, urging him to stop, to rest, to breathe.

sunghoon shut his eyes briefly, a bitter laugh slipping out as he rubbed the back of his neck. the idea of prioritizing himself, of prioritizing someone else in the future, felt absurd. he didn’t have time to indulge in instincts or fantasies, not when there was a legacy to uphold.

he opened his eyes, his gaze falling to the cold coffee cup, his reflection faintly visible in the dark liquid. the alpha in him stirred again, growling low and dissatisfied, but this time sunghoon ignored it entirely. with a sharp sigh, sunghoon pushed the cup aside, the clock’s ticking growing louder in the silence. the hours dwindled, and morning was creeping closer, but he knew sleep wasn’t an option.

there was work to be done, and park sunghoon never left anything unfinished.

sunghoon ran a tired hand down his face, sighing as his bloodshot eyes scanned the even larger pile of paperwork that greeted him. as the student council’s marketing director, his responsibilities seemed endless, and the fluorescent light overhead only made the mess on his desk look worse.

it was 6 a.m., and he was the first in the council room, of course he was. he had made it a habit to arrive early, more out of necessity than enthusiasm.

a brief pang of guilt crossed his mind as he remembered his sister. he hadn’t been able to wait for her like he usually did, leaving the house before dawn without a word. “i’ll have to apologize later,” he muttered to himself, though the corners of his lips twitched upward in a humorless smirk.

knowing his sister, she was probably already in sunoo’s car by now, laughing about something with the alpha. it didn’t help that sunoo wasn’t just his best friend, the boy with the pink hair was also her alpha, a relationship that sunghoon had begrudgingly accepted but couldn’t help but feel protective about.

the thought made him snort under his breath. of course, she’d be fine; sunoo never missed an opportunity to step in, no matter how early it was.

the sound of the heavy, wooden doors swinging open pulled him from his thoughts. jay walked in first, his tie already loose and his uniform jacket slung over his shoulder. the alpha paused mid-step, his eyes narrowing as he took in sunghoon’s slouched posture.

“dude, you look like shit,” jay said bluntly, tossing his bag on his own desk.

sunghoon didn’t bother looking up. “good morning to you too,” he replied dryly, his voice as flat as his expression.

jake followed close behind, a half-eaten breakfast sandwich in hand. he took one look at sunghoon and immediately stopped chewing. “holy shit, did you even sleep?” jake asked, his tone laced with disbelief. he gestured vaguely at sunghoon’s face. “you look like a ghost.”

“thanks,” sunghoon deadpanned, leaning back in his chair as he crossed his arms. “really needed to hear that.”

jay snorted, leaning against his table. “you know, for someone who’s supposed to be a pureblooded, strong alpha, you’re doing a great job of looking half-dead.”

sunghoon gave them both a sharp glare but didn’t have the energy to retort. instead, he pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning at the headache that was forming. “i’m fine,” he muttered, though the dark circles under his eyes said otherwise.

“yeah, sure,” jay quipped, grabbing a stack of paperwork that was messily sitting on top of his table. “keep telling yourself that, man.”

jake raised an eyebrow, still looking skeptical. “you’re not going to drop dead on us, right? because i’m not carrying your heavy ass to the nurse’s office.”

“i’m fine,” sunghoon repeated, though even he wasn’t convinced by the words.

jay exchanged a look with jake, both alphas sharing a sigh before jay sets his own paperwork down on the desk once again. “you know, if you die,” jay began with a mocking grin, his tone more teasing than serious, “you do realize you’re going to leave all of this on your sister’s shoulders, right? she’ll probably curse your name for eternity.”

“or possibly your mate,” jake chimed in, his voice casual as he gestured toward sunghoo. “you know, the one you’re supposed to be taking care of in the future by not working yourself into an early grave?”

sunghoon stiffened at the mention of a mate, his jaw tightening. he hated when they brought it up, and jake knew it. “i don’t have a mate,” he said coldly, his gaze darkening as he turned to the next set of papers.

jay opened his mouth to add another comment, but before he could speak, a new voice cut through the room. “yeah, as if,” heeseung’s voice drawled from the doorway, his tone laced with amusement. he was leaning casually on the wooden door frame, arms crossed as he looked at sunghoon. “he runs away from any omega he sees. poor guy probably wouldn’t know what to do if his mate actually showed up.”

jake snorted, leaning on his own desk as he tossed his sandwich wrapper into the trash. “he’d probably pass out on the spot,” he added with a grin.

“or just bury himself in more paperwork,” jay said, shaking his head. “honestly, sunghoon, you’re making all of us pureblooded alphas look bad.”

sunghoon glared at the three of them, his annoyance visible. “if you’re all done wasting my time, i have work to do,” he muttered, his voice sharp as he pointedly ignored the way heeseung’s comment bothered him more than it should.

but heeseung wasn’t finished. “you know, it’s funny,” he mused, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “for someone so obsessed with rules and traditions, you’re awfully quick to ignore the most important one.”

“i have no time for this,” sunghoon snapped, his tone colder now, though the way his pen stilled in his hand betrayed his frustration.his eyes stayed glued to the paperwork in front of him, refusing to meet heeseung’s knowing gaze.

“no time for what?” the older alpha challenged, his voice calm but laced with amusement. he stepped further into the room, his smirk deepening as he leaned casually against the side of his desk. “no time for the idea of a mate? no time for the omega who’s meant to balance out that storm in your head? or is it just no time for things you can’t control?”

jay and jake exchanged glances, their teasing expressions softening slightly. even they knew heeseung was pushing sunghoon in a way no one else dared.

“i said, drop it,” sunghoon growled, his alpha instincts flashing briefly in his tone as he clenched his jaw. his fingers gripped the pen so tightly it looked like it might snap in his hand.

heeseung raised an eyebrow but didn’t back down. “i’m just saying,” he continued, his tone now more neutral, “if you keep running from it, you’re only going to make it worse. you think ignoring it will keep things normal the way you want it to?”

sunghoon’s chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath, his irritation now mixed with something deeper, something he didn’t want to acknowledge.

he glanced briefly at the clock, as if that would give him an escape, before returning to his work. “i don’t run from anything,” he said quietly.

heeseung’s scent spiked up then, as if challenging sunghoon. The sharp scent of coffee and leather surrounding sunghoon spiked in response, tension building between the two pureblooded alphas as the room seemed to pulse with an unspoken challenge.

but heeseung tilted his head, studying sunghoon for a moment. “whatever you say,” he said finally, his smirk softening into a faint smile.

“but don’t come crying to us when it all catches up to you.” with that, he pushed off the desk, casually moving the placard on his own desk that read 'vice president, lee heeseung', sliding it to the side as he stood up, making it clear that he wasn’t going to stay much longer.

heeseung strode toward the door, hands casually shoved into his pockets, his movements deliberate but effortless. just before he left, he threw a glance over his shoulder at sunghoon, “see you later, park,” he called, his voice light but carrying an unmistakable edge.

“i mean, he had a point,” came a new voice from the doorway, breaking the silence. their gaze snapped up, and sunghoon saw sunoo leaning casually against the frame, his usual carefree demeanor somehow at odds with the tense atmosphere.

the pink-haired alpha’s arm was slung over his sister’s shoulder, and despite the casualness of the gesture, sunghoon couldn’t help but feel annoyed at the sight of it. sunoo didn’t drop his arm but instead moved it to hold her hand, intertwining their fingers as if marking his claim on her.

sunghoon clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowing as he watched them. “right, you’re mated to my sister,” he said, the words coming out almost like a warning as his gaze flicked from sunoo to his sister.

sunoo grinned, unfazed by the glare. “yeah, well, we did kind of notice you were a little… tense. thought we'd come and check on you.”

“how long have you two been standing there?” sunghoon asked, his voice laced with a hint of exhaustion. his patience was already running thin after the exchange with heeseung, and now this.

sunoo shrugged, his smile widening as he stepped further into the room, his mate right beside him. “long enough to hear your conversation,” sunoo replied, his voice light.

“and to know you’re not fooling anyone," sunghoon's sister added, her tone teasing but with a hint of seriousness. "not even your inner alpha, by the way,” she shrugged, as if the comment was an afterthought, but it hit right where it mattered.

sunghoon glared at the both, irritation flashing in his eyes. he wanted to deny it, to brush it off as just another conversation about his future, but deep down, he knew they were right.

the hallway seemed to clear instinctively as the student council made their way through, a group of powerful pureblooded alphas, they carried themselves with the kind of confidence and authority that left no room for doubt about their status.

ni-ki, ever energetic, walked in front, his eyes filled with curiosity as he turned to jake. “so, about the proposals under the secretary committee…” he began, his voice full of interest. “do you think there’s anything the public relations committee can help with?” ni-ki’s gaze flickered to jake's tablet, who's fingers were drumming absently on the screen.

jake looked up from the screen, considering the question for a moment. “you guys could help with the promotions, we need the best pr support for this one.”

“right,” ni-ki nodded, clearly processing the info. “i’ll talk to the them about the promotions then. we’ll get it done.”

meanwhile, heeseung and jungwon were having their own little debate, their voices rising in the back as they argued about something entirely unrelated to council work. “i’m telling you, that new pheromone perfume? it’s garbage. they’re marketing it like it’ll solve everything,” heeseung said, shaking his head.

jungwon chuckled, shaking his head. “garbage or not, some beta's are eating it up. you can’t deny it’s working.”

heeseung rolled his eyes. “yeah, keep telling yourself that.”

trailing just a step behind, sunoo and jay passed a football between them, their movements smooth and practiced. “why are they always like this?” sunoo muttered, his gaze flickering to the pair ahead.

jay shrugged, catching the ball effortlessly before tossing it back. “it’s entertaining. besides, this is tame for them.”

sunghoon, walking a bit apart from the group, scrolled through his tablet with furrowed brows. his father had sent over another set of files, and while he was used to the constant influx of work, it didn’t make it any less exhausting.

“seriously, jungwon, you’re impossible,” heeseung muttered, shaking his head as he dodged jungwon’s attempt to nudge him.

“not like you have a choice,” jungwon teased, flashing a mischievous grin.

behind them, sunoo caught the football mid-air and smirked. “i bet heeseung’s just mad because jungwon actually has a point for once.”

jay chuckled. “don’t push it. you know how he gets when he’s losing.”

their banter continued, but sunghoon remained in his own bubble, his fingers scrolling mechanically over the screen. that was until a familiar voice called out.

“jake!”

the group collectively slowed, all their attention flicking to you as you approached. jake stopped in his tracks, lowering his tablet to meet your gaze.

“hey,” you said, slightly out of breath. “i need your help with something.”

jake’s brows furrowed slightly. “what’s up?”

you handed him your tablet. “it’s about the proposal breakdown you sent. the third column—again, it’s all messed up, and i can’t figure out why.”

jake blinked and then laughed softly, shaking his head. “that thing’s cursed.”

you groaned. “please tell me you can fix it.”

“of course.” jake started tapping on your screen, walking alongside you as he explained the error. you nodded along, grateful for his patience.

behind you, sunoo and jay exchanged a glance, their conversation fading as they tuned into yours. sunoo tossed the ball back absently. “they’re a bit too comfortable, don’t you think?”

jay smirked faintly, his tone teasing but light. “maybe jake’s just that charming.”

sunghoon’s jaw tightened, his fingers pausing on the screen as he forced himself not to glance in your direction. something about the way you walked so effortlessly into their group, completely unfazed, grated on his nerves. his inner alpha stirred, but he pushed the feeling down.

jungwon, noticing the way sunghoon’s scent subtly shifted, leaned toward heeseung. “you smell that?” he whispered, a sly grin forming.

heeseung, ever the observant one, smirked knowingly. “oh, i smell it alright.”

sunghoon’s eyes flicked up briefly, landing on you and Jake. He quickly looked back down at his tablet, though the irritation bubbling under the surface didn’t fade.

“you good, man?” jay called out, the football now tucked under his arm.

“i’m fine,” sunghoon muttered, his voice clipped.

“yeah, just approach me whenever you need help with that,” jake said, his tone casual as he handed your tablet back. a small, easy smile tugged at the corners of his lips, the kind that made it impossible to feel tense around him.

you mirrored his smile, genuinely grateful. “thanks, jake. i’ll let you know if anything else comes up.”

turning your attention toni-ki, who was walking just slightly ahead, you called out, “oh, and ni-ki, i already mentioned the pending tasks to jake earlier. i think some members of the secretary committee might be able to lend a hand if you’re short on people for logistics.”

ni-ki glanced back at you, surprised but clearly impressed. “really? that’d be a huge help. thanks, (y/n).”

so you were close to ni-ki too? sunghoon’s grip on his tablet tightened slightly, his jaw ticking as he skimmed the lines of text that no longer registered. his focus wasn’t on the files his father had sent him anymore; it was on you. you were supposed to be under jake’s committee, and yet here you were, chatting easily with ni-ki like you belonged in every conversation.

jake, noticed the subtle exchange and shook his head with a playful scoff. “you’re getting way too independent for my liking, nishimura,” he teased, shooting the youngest alpha a pointed look. “you’re consulting (y/n) without even running it by me first? seriously?”

ni-ki smirked, unfazed by jake’s mock scolding. “(y/n)’s good at this stuff. besides, teamwork, right?” he threw jake’s own words back at him, grinning.

you laughed, shaking your head at their banter. “don’t worry, jake. you’re still the boss. ni-ki just wanted to cover his bases, and i figured it couldn’t hurt to get a head start.”

“see?” ni-ki said, raising a brow at jake. “efficiency. maybe you should try it sometime.”

before jake could retort, sunghoon cleared his throat, a sharp sound that cut through the light-hearted conversation like a blade. everyone stopped talking almost instantly, turning their attention toward him.

“my next class is just around this corner,” sunghoon said, his voice calm but clipped, as if he wasn’t in the mood to entertain any further distractions.

his gaze briefly flickered to you, unreadable yet heavy, before he shifted his attention back to the tablet in his hands. without another word, he began walking ahead, leaving the group behind.

jay and sunoo exchanged glances, the teasing smirks they’d been wearing moments ago replaced by something more knowing. sunoo raised an eyebrow at jay, who shrugged, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“interesting,” jay muttered under his breath, loud enough for sunoo to hear but quiet enough to avoid catching sunghoon’s attention.

sunoo nodded slightly, his lips twitching in amusement as he leaned closer to Jay. “very interesting.”

you, oblivious to the subtle exchange between the two alphas, kept walking alongside jake, still completely engrossed in the conversation. “anyway, just let me know if there’s anything else i can help with. i don’t want to overstep, but i figured i might as well be useful where i can.”

jake chuckled, his laid-back demeanor putting you at ease. “overstep? you? nah, you’re just making my job easier. keep it up, (y/n).”

meanwhile, sunghoon, now a few steps ahead of the group, tried to keep his focus on the files displayed on his tablet. but no matter how hard he tried, his thoughts kept drifting back to you, walking too close to Jake, smiling too easily at his jokes, and being too comfortable in a group of alphas where sunghoon felt like you stood out the most.

his inner alpha stirred uneasily, frustrated and annoyed at the pull you had over him. he hated how it made him feel, how he couldn’t seem to control the way his senses sharpened whenever you were nearby. his scent of coffee and leather spiked faintly as he clenched his jaw, pushing the feelings down as best he could.

heeseung, noticing the slight change in sunghoon’s posture and scent, smirked to himself but didn’t say a word. jungwon, however, nudged jungwon with his elbow, his expression smug.

“called it,” jungwon whispered, earning a chuckle from heeseung.

you, still entirely unaware of the tension you were unknowingly creating, glanced toward sunghoon’s retreating figure for a moment, a small frown of curiosity crossing your face before you turned back to jake. “do you think he’s okay?” you asked, your voice tinged with concern.

jake glanced ahead, following your gaze to where sunghoon had disappeared around the corner. “he’s fine,” he replied, though there was a knowing edge to his tone. “he just takes things a little too seriously sometimes. don’t worry about him.”

but you did. you couldn’t help it.

and neither could sunghoon.

the classroom buzzed faintly with the low hum of people talking and the scratching of pens on paper. sunghoon sat by the window, his tablet was propped up in front of him, displaying spreadsheets and documents his father had sent over earlier, but his eyes weren’t on them. instead, they were fixed on the gray sky outside, his thoughts wandering far from budget allocations and meeting agendas.

you.

you’d been on his mind since lunch, and no matter how much he tried to push the thought of you away, it kept resurfacing and demanding his attention. you’d always been around, working under jake in the secretary committee. he knew you, he had seen you countless times in meetings and events.

but you’d never lingered in his thoughts before. so why now? why did the sight of you walking beside jake earlier make something in his chest tighten uncomfortably?

the faintest hint of honey and lilac lingered in his memory, soft but intoxicating. he swore he could still smell it even now, though he knew it was impossible. your scent, it clung to his thoughts.

his jaw clenched, and his brows furrowed as he tapped his pen against the desk. he didn’t understand it. there was something about you that had his alpha instincts stirring, clawing at the edges of his mind. his wolf; a part of him he usually kept tightly controlled was restless.

“mr. park,” his professor’s voice cut through his thoughts.

sunghoon blinked, snapping his gaze toward the front of the room. the professor was staring at him, waiting for an answer to a question he hadn’t heard.

for a moment, the room seemed to hold its breath, his classmates glancing between him and the professor. but then sunghoon straightened in his seat, his expression calm as he answered, “the proposed budget allocation for next semester’s extracurricular activities needs to account for inflation trends. that’s why the margin was adjusted to five percent.”

the professor raised a brow, nodding approvingly. “correct, mr. park. as expected.”

sunghoon’s classmates exchanged looks, some impressed, others annoyed, but he ignored them. his body was here, in this classroom, answering questions and keeping up appearances, but his mind? his mind was with you.

the bell rang, snapping him out of his thoughts. he packed his things quickly, stepping out into the hallway where jungwon was waiting for him, leaning casually against the wall.

“took you long enough,” jungwon teased, stepping beside him as they walked toward their next meeting.

sunghoon didn’t answer immediately, his thoughts still tangled. jungwon glanced at him, his brows furrowing slightly. “you good?”

“fine,” sunghoon muttered, his tone clipped.

they turned a corner, and Sunghoon’s steps halted for just a moment. there you were, standing a few feet away, chatting with jungwon and sunoo’s mates. you nodded at something one of them said, a small smile gracing your lips as you gestured excitedly with your hands.

sunghoon’s chest tightened again, that unfamiliar feeling stirring in the pit of his stomach. his wolf bristled, the instinctive urge to step closer, to claim what was his.but he shoved it down, locking it away behind the mask of indifference he’d perfected over the years.

you glanced up, your eyes meeting his briefly. without saying anything, you gave jungwon a small nod, silently acknowledging him. sunghoon caught the faint smile you sent his way before your attention returned to the conversation in front of you.

“looks like we’re all heading to the same place,” jungwon said lightly, his tone casual as he nudged sunghoon forward.

sunghoon didn’t respond, his grip tightening around his backpack strap as he forced himself to move. you were close, too close. he could hear your laugh, soft and full of life, as you spoke to sunoo’s mate. he could smell your scent, and it made his inner alpha agitated.

he didn’t like this.

didn’t like how his instincts reacted to you.

didn’t like the way his thoughts strayed toward you when he had more important things to focus on.

didn’t like how his body seemed to recognize something his mind refused to.

heeseung and jay passed by, still caught up in their conversation, but heeseung sent him a knowing glance. not fully understanding, but suspecting something.

sunghoon shut it all out.

he had no time for love.

no time for whatever this was.

without another word, he walked past you, through the council room doors, and forced himself to bury whatever this feeling was before it could take root.

you hesitated for a moment, watching sunghoon as he disappeared into the meeting room without sparing you another glance. it wasn’t the first time he’d brushed past you like that, but something about today felt different. the way his shoulders tensed, the way his gaze hardened the second he saw you, it was like you were a problem he didn’t have time for.

and you didn’t understand why.

you’d never done anything to him.never crossed any lines or challenged him in any way. if anything, you’d always made it a point to respect his space. so why did it feel like every time he looked at you, he was barely holding back his irritation?

sunoo’s mate, who just so happened to be sunghoon’s younger sister, sighed beside you, her voice low as she leaned in. “don’t bother,” she murmured, arms crossing as she watched her brother’s retreating figure. “he’s always like that.”

but was it?

because despite her words, you had a gnawing feeling that the way sunghoon treated you was different. like there was something beneath his cold exterior, something you couldn’t quite understand.

you were still lost in thought when ni-ki slid into the seat next to you. his presence was casual, but his sharp eyes missed nothing.

he nudged you lightly, voice dropping into a teasing whisper. “why are you staring at sunghoon like that?”

you snapped out of your daze, your eyes widening slightly. “what?”

the younger alpha smirked, resting his chin on his hand as he observed you. “you’ve been watching him since he walked in. and don’t even try to deny it.”

heat crept up your face as you quickly looked away. “i wasn’t—”

“uh-huh,” ni-ki cut in, clearly unconvinced. “sure, (y/n). whatever helps you sleep at night.”

you huffed, shaking your head before turning your attention back to jungwon as he finally started the meeting.

jungwon leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping idly against the smooth wood of the long table before his lips curled into a knowing smirk. “alright, before we get to the real agenda… i’m assuming everyone here knows they’re expected to be at the grand dinner our dear marketing director's family is hosting?"

collective groans echoed through the room.

jay was the first to voice his displeasure, rolling his eyes as he slumped against his chair. "no offense, sunghoon, but i was trying to pretend i forgot about that."

"do we really have to go?" sunoo sighed dramatically, slouching back in his seat with exaggerated defeat. "what if i suddenly develop a rare illness that prevents me from attending formal events? i think it’s highly possible. i should get it checked out."

"you and me, both," jay added, rolling his eyes.

jungwon chuckled, shaking his head. "i’ll make sure our dear school nurse looks after you." his tone was light, but the glint in his eyes made it clear; none of them were getting out of this.

you sat quietly at the far end of the table, taking in the conversation with mild amusement. the mention of the event piqued your curiosity, though you weren’t as vocal about your distaste for it as the others.

instead, you found your gaze wandering toward sunghoon, who, as expected, remained perfectly composed, his expression cold, eyes still skimming over his tablet as if this conversation didn’t concern him in the slightest.

unlike the others, sunghoon wasn’t one to complain about formal events. no, he was used to them. they were expected of him, just as everything else in his life was predetermined. and yet, despite his practiced facade, something about the way he held himself, his grip tightening around the device, his jaw tensing ever so slightly, told you that he wasn’t entirely unaffected.

not that you would ever get the chance to ask him about it.

because every time you so much as looked his way, his entire demeanor shifted, as if your presence alone irritated him. and it stung, just a little.

jungwon, unaware of the silent exchange, finally clapped his hands together. "alright, moving on. since we’re all forced to attend that wonderful dinner, let’s get to what actually matters, the upcoming school festival."

a shift in everyone's demeanor followed as the real meeting began. papers rustled, files were opened, and everyone straightened up, ready to discuss proposals and assignments.

"the main goal for this meeting is to finalize activity proposals before we present them for approval. we have a rough list, but we still need to sort out logistics," jungwon continued. "jake, you and your team already compiled the initial proposals, right?"

jake nodded, pulling out a neatly organized folder. "yeah, i went through the ones submitted last week. i’ll run through them real quick."

as jake started going over the list, you chimed in with some of your own notes, offering insights from the secretary committee’s perspective. "some of these proposals overlap with past events, so we might want to rethink a few of them to keep things fresh. also, we should factor in the budget constraints before finalizing anything."

jay, being the treasurer, leaned forward, tapping his pen against his notebook. "speaking of budgets, don’t forget that we still need funding for venue rentals and logistics."

heeseung snorted. "stop acting like we’re not broke. we could fund the whole event if we wanted to."

jay smirked, leaning back in his chair. "yeah, but just because we have the funds doesn't mean we should start tossing money around like it’s fucking monopoly cash."

sunoo, the student relations director, hummed in approval. "okay, but let’s consider which ones would actually engage the student body. no point in budgeting for an event no one shows up to."

heeseung leaned back in his chair, shrugging. "that’s fair, but we do have the resources. as long as it’s reasonable, funding isn’t really the issue."

jay sighed, still skeptical. "fine.just don’t come crying to me when we go over budget because someone thought a fireworks show would be a great addition."

the discussion flowed naturally, ni-ki making suggestions from the public relations side. we also need to think about how we’re promoting these events. even the best ideas fail if no one knows about them. i can get the pr committee to start drafting marketing strategies once we finalize the shortlist.”

but amidst all of this, sunghoon was distracted.

no one would have noticed, no one except heeseung, of course.

because while the others were engaged in conversation, sunghoon was stuck in a losing battle against his own thoughts. his gaze flickered to you more times than he wanted to admit, even as he forced himself to keep his attention on his tablet. he wasn’t just distracted, he was frustrated.

why did he care? why did it bother him when you spoke so easily with the others? you had always been there. wou had always been part of these meetings, always sitting on the opposite end of the table, working just as hard as the rest of them.

so why, now of all times, was he so hyperaware of you?

why did your voice pull him from his thoughts? why did the scent of honey and lilac make his muscles tense?

he didn’t have time for this.

he didn’t have time for love.

"sunghoon," heeseung’s voice cut through his thoughts suddenly, snapping him back to reality.

sunghoon didn’t even hesitate. "yeah, i agree with (y/n)’s suggestion."

silence.

jay raised a brow, glancing at heeseung before turning back to sunghoon. "you sure about that, man?"

sunoo looked equally amused, glancing between you and sunghoon as he tossed the pen between his hands. "because that was the first time you spoke since the meeting started."

the corner of Heeseung’s lips curled into a knowing smirk. "to you were listening, huh?"

sunghoon clenched his jaw. heeseung knew. he always knew.

but instead of giving them the satisfaction, sunghoon merely straightened in his seat, exuding the same indifference as before. "of course i was. i wouldn’t be sitting here if i wasn’t."

then heeseung let out a low whistle, still smirking, only leaned back in his chair. "right. if you say so."

jungwon, still trying to be professional, shook his head. “alright, focus, people.”

you, however, weren’t paying attention to them anymore. your gaze drifted toward a specific pureblooded alpha, the way he sat stiffly, the way his fingers tapped against the screen with an edge of tension.

and suddenly, you weren’t just confused.

you were curious.

because if sunghoon truly didn’t care about you, why did he remember every single word you had said?

you replayed every moment you saw him from earlier that day, his quiet, almost reluctant responses to you, how he kept his distance, but somehow, always seemed to be aware of everything you said and did. his voice echoed in your head now, and it made you question everything you’d assumed about him.

was this really indifference, was it or something else?

the meeting droned on, but your mind couldn't stay focused. it kept drifting back to him, his posture, the sharpness of his eyes, the moles on his face that somehow made him even more attractive, the way he always seemed so calculated, like he was constantly running scenarios in his head, measuring each move.

sunghoon wasn’t just someone who blended in with the group. no, he commanded attention, even without trying.

and yet, there he was, looking as uninterested as ever, his expression stoic as he scrolled through something on his device. but that nagging feeling, like there was something more beneath his mask— kept poking at you.

without thinking, you leaned back in your chair, letting the tension in your body melt away for a moment, trying to get a glimpse of the real sunghoon, not the calculated, polished version he liked to show other people.

you had to admit, you were intrigued. the pureblooded alphas were all so predictable in their own ways, but sunghoon was different.

your thoughts were interrupted when heeseung cleared his throat, looking at jungwon with a raised eyebrow. “we’re talking about the theme for the event, right?” he asked casually, as if the meeting hadn’t slipped into a quiet lull.

jungwon, nodded, unfazed. “yes. but we need more input from everyone. ideas that aren’t just—”

“i have one,” you cut in, unable to resist any longer. your voice came out clear and confident, a stark contrast to the flurry of thoughts racing through your mind. “we could go with something subtle but impactful. a theme that revolves around contrasts. like light and dark, maybe even using elements of nature, contrast of seasons or contrasting textures. after all, it’s all about balance.”

you paused, feeling everyone’s gaze on you for just a moment longer than was necessary. but you held it together.

the room fell silent, sunghoon didn’t react immediately, but you could sense his attention subtly shifting in your direction. you dared to meet his eyes for a split second, but he quickly looked down at his tablet again, feigning disinterest.

but you noticed the way his lips pressed together, the slight tension in his jaw that he never showed anyone else. you wondered if he was considering your word, or if he was just trying to avoid acknowledging the pull you had on him.

finally, sunghoon spoke up, his voice surprisingly calm,. “it’s not bad,” he said, looking up from his tablet. “contrast is a powerful tool. we could work with it.” his gaze lingered on you for a brief second before he turned his attention back to the discussion, as if the acknowledgment had been nothing more than a casual comment.

you blinked, slightly taken aback. the unexpected approval from him felt different than the usual dismissive reactions. but you didn’t have time to dwell on it. you quickly nodded, trying to maintain your composure.

“i’ll send a more detailed proposal with visuals after the meeting,” you added, pushing forward.

sunghoon didn’t say anything more, but you caught the way his gaze flickered toward you again, his eyes narrowing just slightly. there was a brief pause, like he was weighing his next move.

the air had shifted just a little, and you couldn’t quite place why. but you were certain that there was something more to his response, even if he tried to brush it off as nonchalance.

the rustling of papers and the faint creak of chairs filled the council room as everyone packed up. the meeting had dragged on longer than expected, and most of them were ready to go home.

jake slung his bag over his shoulder, exhaling. “alright, let’s go. i think we all want to sleep at a reasonable hour.”

ni-ki snorted. “reasonable? you all literally run on caffeine and stress.”

jake rolled his eyes, already walking toward the door. “just hurry up.”

one by one, they filed out into the dimly lit hallways, their chatter echoing through the empty corridors. outside, the night air was crisp, the usual warm breeze replaced by a sharper chill.

the campus at night had an almost eerie but majestic feel to it, grand architecture bathed in soft golden lights, towering columns casting long shadows across the marble pathways. the air smelled of expensive cologne and freshly trimmed gardens, the very image of wealth and privilege. it was the kind of place that asked for admiration, yet felt untouchable, like something straight out of a dream.

they walked in their usual loose formation toward the parking lot, their voices filling the space between them. sunoo and jay were deep in a debate about their next group dinner, ni-ki throwing in sarcastic remarks while heeseung poked fun at jungwon’s overly formal meeting style.

but sunghoon?

sunghoon was silent.

he walked with them, hands shoved into his pockets, his usual confident stride still the same. and yet, he wasn’t really there. he wasn’t paying attention to the conversation, wasn’t throwing in his usual sarcastic remarks. he barely even reacted when ni-ki nudged him in the ribs or when heeseung smirked at him like he was waiting for a comeback.

jay was the first to notice. he narrowed his eyes, slowing his steps to fall in line beside him. “what’s up with you?”

sunghoon blinked, like he hadn’t even realized someone was talking to him. “what?”

jay gave him a look. “you’ve been weirdly quiet. like, more than usual. it’s kinda freaking me out.”

sunghoon exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. “i’m fine.”

but he wasn’t. and they all caught it.

because for the briefest second, his scent changed, something bitter wafted through the air.

jay’s eyes flickered, but he let it go. “if you say so.”

the conversation picked up again, but sunghoon remained detached, walking alongside them but never really taking part in any of the conversations.

they reached the parking lot, and the group naturally split off toward their respective cars, saying their goodbyes. sunghoon walked toward his own: a sleek, black sports car, polished to perfection. it stood out even among the other luxury vehicles, a clear reminder of his status.

he pulled the door open but didn’t start it. instead, he sat in the driver’s seat, gripping the wheel as he stared straight ahead.

the quietness of the parking lot pressed down on him, leaving nothing but the hum of distant streetlights and the faint ringing in his ears.

and then, for the first time all night, his inner alpha spoke.

pathetic.

a dull throb started in his temples. he shut his eyes, jaw clenching.

you’re running, aren’t you?

“shut up.” his grip on the wheel tightened, but the voice didn’t stop. it never did.

you saw her today. again. and what did you do?

his chest ached. “nothing.”

his inner alpha scoffed. exactly. you ignored her. you walked past her like she was nothing.

because she is nothing to me.

but even as he thought it, his own words felt hollow.

liar.

his head pulsed, frustration clawing at his skull. he couldn’t do this. he had responsibilities. expectations. he had worked too damn hard to let something as simple as instincts get in the way.

his life was structured, orderly. he had a plan.

he had no time for love.

no time for distractions.

and yet, the way his instincts clawed at him, the way his alpha had been restless all evening, it was suffocating.

his own body was betraying him.

he exhaled sharply, pressing his thumb and forefinger against his temple. not now. not ever.

with a final, sharp breath, he yanked the car door shut, sealing himself inside.

and then, without another second wasted, he started the engine and drove off into the night.

the drive home was a blur. sunghoon barely remembered driving through the city streets, his grip on the wheel tense, jaw locked as he forced his thoughts elsewhere. anywhere but where they wanted to be.

but the moment he pulled into the long, private driveway leading to his family estate, he knew that tonight was going to be hell.

his home was as grand as expected from a family like his: towering windows, intricate stonework, and the ever-present air of power. the gates shut behind him, and for a second, he let his forehead rest against the steering wheel. maybe if he sat here long enough, his thoughts would settle.

your scent still clung to his senses, honey and lilac, sweet but not overpowering. it had wrapped around him in the council room, seeped into his skin, and now it refused to leave. he hated how much it soothed him, how his muscles almost wanted to relax, how it made something deep in his chest coil tighter instead of loosening.

"you’re being pathetic," his alpha sneered, voice curling in his mind like a mocking whisper. "avoiding her doesn’t change the fact that she’s yours."

sunghoon’s lips curled into a silent snarl as he shoved the car door open, stepping out into the crisp night air.

"she is not mine."

his inner alpha laughed, low and knowing. "keep telling yourself that. see how well that works."

ignoring the voice, he strode toward the house. the moment he stepped inside, everything felt too much. the walls felt closer. the silence was suffocating. his body was tense with an agitation he couldn’t shake. his instincts were screaming at him to move, to do something.

he made his way upstairs, stripping off his blazer and tossing it carelessly onto the chair by his desk. his bathroom door was open, the mirror catching his reflection. his eyes were sharp, glowing under the dim lighting, the exhaustion on his face barely hidden beneath the tension.

he turned away, forcing himself not to linger.

a shower. maybe that would help.

the water was scalding against his skin, yet it did nothing to ease the heat gnawing at his chest. the steam didn’t drown out your presence—your scent lingered, thick in the air. his hands clenched against the tiles, his body stiff as the wave of frustration rolled over him.

"she’s under jake in the secretary committee," his thoughts snapped, trying to remind himself why it couldn’t be this way. "she’s always been there, but you never cared before. why now?"

his alpha growled, the voice inside him bitter. "because you were blind before."

"and i’m not now?"

"no. and you hate it."

sunghoon exhaled sharply, the water running down his back as he scrubbed it away, scrubbing away the thoughts that wouldn’t leave.

he was supposed to have control. He couldn’t let this slip. he had responsibilities, obligations, his family, the council, the expectations weighing on his shoulders. he could not afford distractions.

and yet…

the moment he collapsed onto his bed, exhaustion tugging at him, he couldn’t escape the truth.the weight of it crushed him as he stared at the ceiling, and despite all the effort to push it down, all he could think about was you.

his body fought against it. his mind screamed at him to focus, to remind himself of his purpose. but his heart, and his damn alpha—kept drawing him back to you.

he lay on his bed for what felt like hours, the shadows from the window stretching over the floor, taunting him with the silence that felt too heavy.

"get up," he muttered to himself, sitting up abruptly, his body moving almost involuntarily. he couldn't sleep. couldn't let himself relax. he needed something to focus on, something that would force his mind to behave.

sunghoon stalked over to his desk, flicking on the lamp with a snap of his fingers. the pile of paperwork in front of him was waiting; papers that he had ignored for far too long, reports that needed reviewing, contracts his father had left for him to examine.

he grabbed the nearest stack, flipping it open, pretending to care about the figures and legal jargon written on the pages. but it was useless. his eyes skimmed over the words, but none of it made sense. his mind was elsewhere. his fingers would itch for the next page, yet they weren’t moving fast enough. he cursed under his breath, trying to force his attention back onto the papers, but his thoughts kept drifting—drifting to you.

he slammed the folder closed, frustration clawing at him, his teeth gritting as he let out a harsh breath. what the hell was wrong with him?

"you know the answer," his inner alpha purred darkly. "it’s only a matter of time before you crack."

he shook his head, trying to fight back the growing sensation of need. he couldn’t allow it. he wouldn’t allow it.

still, the clock ticked on, its hands mocking him, each second louder than the last.

he pushed himself up from his desk, pacing the room in frustration. his mind was a battlefield, the war between his own instincts and the duties he had been born into. he couldn’t just let go. he had responsibilities. but everything in him—his very core, his inner alpha—was screaming for him to do the one thing he refused to acknowledge: follow his instincts. go to her. take the step forward.

“you’re already in too deep,” the voice reminded him again, this time quieter, almost tender. “she’s not just anyone. she’s yours.”

sunghoon froze, his back against the wall as the words hit him harder than he could have ever anticipated. his heart skipped a beat. the thought of you, the reality of you being his, it felt almost too much to bear.

his alpha wasn’t wrong. but the fear of breaking the walls he had carefully built around his life, the fear of losing control, it was all too overwhelming.

finally, sunghoon gave in and walked over to his walk-in closet, the weight of his thoughts dragging him down. he yanked open the door, revealing rows of neatly organized clothes.

his eyes scanned the options without much focus, hand moving almost automatically as he grabbed a random hoodie from the rack. pulling it over his head, he felt the familiar weight of the fabric, but it did little to comfort him.

maybe a walk would help. fresh air. something to clear his mind. maybe then, he could shake the way his body burned for something, anything that wasn’t this.

but the instant he stepped out into the cool night, his mind betrayed him again. he walked in the direction of the garden, his eyes glued to the ground, his thoughts clouded.

and there, in the garden, where the cold air mixed with the scent of flowers, the feeling hit him again, the overwhelming, suffocating need to give in.

sunghoon found himself staring at the moon, and then, without realizing it, his mind drifted again.

you.

and when he tried to stop it, it came anyway.

sunghoon’s frustration increased, his fingers clenching into fists at his sides. the wind swept across the garden, rustling the leaves, and yet he felt nothing but this suffocating pull toward you, toward whatever this was. the thoughts were relentless, the pull of his instincts gnawing at him.

his phone buzzed in his pocket, cutting through the chaos of his mind. he pulled it out, his eyes narrowing at the message from jungwon: “need you in the council office tomorrow for another meeting. can’t do this without the rest of you guys.”

sunghoon scoffed, shoving the phone back into his pocket. he wasn’t in the mood to deal with any more committee business. he was already drowning in it.

yet, despite himself, he began to walk back toward the house, his pace quickening as if his legs knew what his mind refused to accept; that he couldn’t escape this. not for long.

the only thing on his mind now was what he couldn’t have. and the bitter, hollow feeling that came with it was growing by the minute.

the morning light barely made its way through the heavy curtains, casting faint shadows on sunghoon’s disheveled bed. he groaned as a loud knock broke through the quietness of his room. the sound echoed in his head, still hazy with the remnants of sleep.

reluctantly, he reached for his phone, eyes squinting against the harsh glow of the screen. 7:00 AM. the numbers were bold, a text from his sister flashed across the screen, accompanied by a string of impatient emojis.

"sunghoon, get up. we need to head to the venue. there are last-minute details to fix before the event."

a sigh slipped past his lips. the last thing he wanted was to be pulled into this whirlwind of preparations, but as usual, duty called, his inner alpha thrashed beneath the surface, restless as ever, but there was no time for that. he had responsibilities to uphold.

another knock came, louder this time. “hurry up!” his sister’s voice echoed from the hallway, laced with a teasing urgency.

“yeah, yeah,” he muttered, dragging himself out of bed. his body felt heavy, his mind clouded, but he forced himself to push through. his sister’s impatience was nothing new, but today, it felt more grating than usual.

he stumbled to the door, opening it to find his sister standing there with arms crossed, an amused smile playing at the corner of her lips. "you're seriously still in bed? I swear, you’re getting worse with every event," she said, her tone light but laced with the expectation of someone who knew he could do better.

sunghoon rubbed his eyes, his voice groggy. “i’m coming,” he muttered, trying to shake off the sleepiness clinging to him. she rolled her eyes, brushing past him and heading down the stairs without another word.

minutes later, he stood in front of the full-length mirror in his closet, adjusting the black dior suit his mother insisted on for every event. the fabric felt familiar, but it didn’t comfort him the way it usually did.

his reflection stared back at him: sharp, immaculate, and detached. the face of someone who had never been able to escape the expectations placed upon him. he barely recognized himself some days.

sunghoon’s sports car sped down the quiet road, the cool morning air rushing through the slightly open windows. his sister, as usual, was absorbed in her phone beside him, chattering on about whatever had caught her attention.

but sunghoon’s mind was elsewhere. it kept drifting back to the image of you at the council, the way you carried yourself with ease, how your presence lingered in his thoughts like a scent he couldn’t shake.

“you’re driving like you’re half asleep,” his sister finally commented, giving him a quick glance with raised brows. “sunghoon, are you okay? you’ve been off all week.”

he blinked, pulling himself out of his daze and offering a strained smile. “i’m fine,” he said, his voice betraying him as he tried to brush it off.

she eyed him skeptically. “you’ve barely talked to anyone at home this week. what’s going on?”

sunghoon stiffened, but didn’t respond immediately. his mind briefly flickered back to you, but he shook it off, trying to stay focused.

“have you found your mate yet?” she asked, her voice soft but curious, not teasing, she could sense the change in him even if she didn’t fully understand why.

sunghoon’s grip tightened on the steering wheel as he kept his gaze on the road. his mate. he hadn’t allowed himself to think about that possibility, not when everything felt so complicated.

“no,” he muttered, the word coming out sharper than he intended. “not yet.”

his sister let out a dramatic sigh, clearly unimpressed. “you’re such a mess. honestly, you could just relax. it’s not the end of the world if you let your guard down for a second.”

he didn’t respond. instead, he continued driving, his mind still wrapped up in the swirling tension inside him. why couldn’t it be anyone else? why did it have to be you? he couldn’t seem to make sense of it.

the silence stretched on until his sister, mumbled something under her breath, so quietly that he almost missed it.

“the poor girl.”

his head snapped toward her, brow furrowed in confusion. “what?”

she looked at him knowingly, the edge of her teasing never fully disappearing. “you’ve been pushing her away all week, haven’t you?” she said softly, almost pitying. “and you think she doesn’t notice? poor girl. she probably thinks you’re confused with the way you keep looking at her.”

sunghoon’s chest tightened at her words. he didn’t say anything, but the weight of them lingered in the air between them. his mind was too busy to process it. he had to stay focused. he couldn’t let himself get distracted by his feelings now, not when there was so much at stake.

his sister didn’t press the matter further. the drive continued in silence until they arrived at the park hotel, seoul—a towering, luxurious building that his family owned. sunghoon parked the car and shut off the engine, forcing himself to breathe.

as he stepped out of the car, his gaze landed on a sleek white sports car parked by the entrance. it was familiar, but there was something about it, something about the way it was parked, so perfectly neat, that made sunghoon pause. he glanced at it for a moment but didn’t think much of it. he shrugged it off. after all, there were so many cars in the parking lot. it was probably just another business associate's vehicle.

“come on,” his sister said, walking ahead toward the entrance. “let’s go.”

they walked into the hotel, where the hustle of preparations for the event was already in full swing. his mother was already there, talking to a few staff members, discussing last-minute details. the sight of her being so composed and confident, was a relief to sunghoon. He always felt better around her.

“mom!” he greeted, his mood lightening as he walked toward her. she smiled and greeted him in return before they moved toward the elevator.

“top floor,” sunghoon said, pressing the button for the penthouse suite, the family’s personal event space at the top of the building.

the elevator doors closed, and as it ascended, sunghoon relaxed slightly, the tension in his shoulders easing. he loved this space; it always gave him a sense of control. the casual chatter in the elevator with his mom helped ground him.

“everything ready for the event?” he asked casually, watching the numbers on the elevator screen rise.

his mom smiled, nodding. “almost. Just some last-minute touches, but i think we’ll be fine. you know how much I love to be thorough with everything.” she glanced at him, her smile softening. “how’s everything with you, Sunghoon? you seem a bit distracted today.”

sunghoon rubbed the back of his neck, trying to smile more naturally. “i’m just tired, i guess. been a long week.” he quickly glanced over at his sister, who had her nose buried in her phone. “you know how it is.”

“of course,” his mom said with a knowing look. “you’ve got a lot on your plate, don’t you? just don’t overwork yourself. you know you can talk to me about anything.”

sunghoon appreciated the concern, but he wasn’t ready to share what was really on his mind. “i’ll be fine, mom. don’t worry.”

the elevator finally stopped, and they were greeted by the usual flurry of activity as staff members hurried around, making sure every last detail was in place. his mom led the way, greeting workers and supervisors with ease.

but sunghoon’s attention was already elsewhere. his eyes instinctively swept over the scene, and that’s when he saw you.

you were standing near one of the event coordinators, looking effortlessly at ease, your posture graceful. sunghoon froze. His heart skipped a beat as his gaze locked onto you.

before he could process it further, his mom continued walking ahead, greeting a woman standing nearby. sunghoon barely registered who she was until he saw her face, and the resemblance was unmistakable.

his breath caught. the woman was elegant, poised, with the same features that were reflected in your own face. he stood frozen, unsure of how to react. his eyes flicked back to you, now standing beside the woman, his mind struggling to catch up with the sudden connection.

then, to his surprise, his mom stepped forward and pulled you into a warm, affectionate hug. the gesture caught the pureblooded alpha off guard, leaving him momentarily speechless.

his sister, noticing the way sunghoon’s gaze lingered on the scene, raised an eyebrow. she smirked, almost as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“so… it’s actually (y/n), huh?” she said casually, her tone light but laced with a knowing edge. “guess you really can’t avoid it, huh?”

sunghoon’s chest tightened as he took a deep breath, trying to process everything at once. what were you doing here?

sunghoon stood frozen, his thoughts racing as his mom pulled you into a warm embrace. the sight of your face, the familiar features, everything about you felt like it was making his world tilt. he was still processing it all when his mom’s voice broke through his daze.

“sunghoon, come here, both of you,” his mom called, waving them over.

sunghoon’s feet moved almost automatically, his sister walking ahead of him, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she noticed the subtle tension in his posture. when they reached his mom, she was still smiling warmly at you and the woman standing next to you.

“(y/n), i’d like you to meet my children, sunghoon and his younger sister. and this is (y/n)’s mother, who i’ve been coordinating with for the event,” she added, beaming. "she’s in the same university as you two, actually.”

sunghoon’s eyes flickered between you and your mother. so, it was your family they were working with. the realization hit him harder than expected, his chest tightening.

sunghoon’s sister raised an eyebrow and gave you a knowing smile, but it was his mom who asked the next question, her curiosity piqued. “what are you involved in at school, (y/n)? i’m sure you’ve been keeping busy with the student council, right?”

you smiled a little, still feeling a little nervous under sunghoon’s gaze, but his mom’s friendly demeanor helped ease the tension. “yeah, i’m part of the student council. i’ve been helping with the planning and coordination for the event today.”

his mom nodded approvingly. “that’s wonderful! it’s always nice to see young people so dedicated and involved. i bet you and sunghoon are both quite busy with school.”

you nodded in agreement, a small smile tugging at your lips as you looked at sunghoon. “we see each other around. we’re both pretty busy with different things on campus.”

sunghoon’s sister teased, “you two are pretty close, though, aren’t you?”

sunghoon barely met your eyes, his lips curling into a tight, controlled smile. you mirrored his smile but said nothing, feeling the tension between you both grow.

“well, it’s great to see you both getting along!” his mom said, clearly happy with the easy atmosphere. “it’s nice to have a friendly face on campus.”

before sunghoon could respond, his sister pulled you away with a mischievous glint in her eye. “come on, let’s go help with the flowers,” she said, nudging you gently. “we’ll let sunghoon handle things for a bit.”

sunghoon watched you both walk off, his gaze lingering on your retreating figure. his thoughts swirled, but before he could gather them, his mom caught his eye, giving him a knowing look. she didn’t comment, but her silence spoke volumes.

sunghoon took a deep breath, his mind still racing. whatever this was, it was far from over.

the evening settled in, casting a golden glow through the large windows of the hotel. the once-chaotic venue was finally coming together, round tables adorned with pristine tablecloths, floral arrangements meticulously placed, and staff scurrying around to finalize details.

you stood near a reception table, clipboard in hand, while sunghoon’s sister leaned in beside you, skimming through the checklist.

“so, what’s left?” she asked, propping her chin on your shoulder.

you tapped the page with your pen. “final seating adjustments, sound check, and we still need to confirm the catering schedule.”

she let out a dramatic sigh. “god, i don’t know how you keep up with all this.”

you smirked. “maybe because i actually enjoy it?”

she gave you a teasing nudge. “or maybe because you’re a perfectionist, secretary committee girl.”

you rolled your eyes at the nickname. “i organize things. it’s literally my job in the council.”

Before she could respond, a familiar voice cut through the air.

“you’re overcomplicating the seating chart.”

Your head snapped up, and there he was, park sunghoon, standing with his usual composed posture, hands tucked into his pockets, expression unreadable. his mother had been talking to a coordinator nearby, but now, she glanced between the two of you, a small knowing smile on her lips.

you exhaled through your nose. “we’re adjusting it, not overcomplicating it.”

sunghoon gave you a flat look. “you moved the executive table again.”

“it needed to be closer to the main stage,” you argued.

“which messes with the aisle clearance,” he countered.

you opened your mouth to respond, but his mother stepped in smoothly. “you two can argue about seating later. for now, go check on the banquet hall setup. the decorators should be almost done.”

sunghoon sighed but nodded, while you grabbed your clipboard and turned to his sister. “you coming?”

she waved you off. “nah, i’m staying here. you two have fun.”

you frowned at her mischievous tone, but the alpha next to you didn’t give you time to dwell on it. with a tight-lipped expression, he gestured for you to walk ahead.

the large hall was buzzing with activity. staff were setting up buffet tables, arranging cutlery, and making last-minute touches to the decorations. you and sunghoon stood near the entrance, scanning the room.

“i’ll check on the centerpiece placements,” you said, glancing at your clipboard. you can handle the catering status.”

he crossed his arms. “why do i have to handle catering?”

you raised an eyebrow. “because i don’t feel like arguing with the head chef?”

sunghoon huffed but walked off toward the catering team while you made your way toward the floral arrangements. after a few minutes, you stood near the main table.

“they’re behind schedule,” sunghoon reported, running a hand through his hair. “something about delayed deliveries.”

you groaned. “of course.”

you took out your phone, scrolling through your contact list. sunghoon watched as you expertly navigated the crisis, calling the supplier and getting an update within minutes.

when you hung up, he raised an eyebrow. “you’re really in your element with this.”

you shrugged. “i have to be. the secretary committee basically runs everything behind the scenes.”

he scoffed. “so that’s why you always look stressed on campus.”

you shot him a look. “excuse me?”

he smirked. “i see you in the student council room all the time, buried under paperwork. i just assumed it was self-inflicted suffering or jake really hated your guts.”

you rolled your eyes. “unlike some people, i actually like responsibility.”

sunghoon just hummed, amused, before looking toward the exit. “come on, we still have to check the ballroom.”

the ballroom, meant for the main program, was dimly lit as technicians adjusted the spotlights. you and sunghoon walked toward the stage, where a staff member was testing the mic.

“you handle sound checks?” he asked, sounding mildly impressed.

you nodded. “part of the job.”

sunghoon leaned against a nearby pillar, watching as you exchanged instructions with the technicians. his eyes trailed over the way you moved so effortlessly slipping into control, giving orders with ease, adjusting the smallest details without hesitation. you were in your element, and for a brief moment, he wondered if this was what he had been avoiding all along.

when you finally wrapped up, he glanced at you, voice quieter than before. “you’re really everywhere, huh?”

“that’s kind of the point,” you said, flipping through your notes.

His gaze lingered on you for a second longer before he looked away, clearing his throat. “so, what’s next?”

you skimmed the checklist. “we need to make sure the vip section is set up properly.”

sunghoon groaned. “please don’t tell me we have to argue about chairs again.”

you smirked. “that depends. are you going to accept that i’m always right?”

he gave you an unimpressed look but followed you anyway.

the two of you walked through the elegantly arranged vip tables, double-checking details. at one point, you crouched down to fix a misplaced name card, only to feel sunghoon standing way too close behind you.

“you’re hovering,” you muttered.

“i’m observing,” he corrected.

you turned your head slightly, only to realize just how close he was. his scent of coffee and leather, wrapped around you, warm and grounding. you swallowed, standing up quickly and brushing imaginary dust off your skirt.

his inner alpha stirred. weak. you’re running again.

he ignored it.

his gaze traced the slight parting of your lips, the subtle rise and fall of your shoulders as you exhaled.he let himself linger, just for a second, in the space between restraint and surrender. and that’s when the thought crept in, unbidden.

is this really what you’re afraid of? her? or the way she makes you forget everything else?

his jaw tightened.

because it wasn’t just the bond. it wasn’t just attraction. it was the fear of unraveling, of slipping so deep into something he couldn’t control that he’d abandon everything else, his duties, his carefully built walls, the life that was expected of him.

his alpha hummed in amusement. she makes you weak, but you want her anyway.

sunghoon swallowed hard, straightening his posture. the warmth in his eyes cooled, replaced by something unreadable.

you frowned slightly at the shift.

he smirked. “nervous?” his voice was smooth, but there was a sudden distance in it.

you scoffed. “you wish.”

his gaze flickered to your lips for the briefest second before he took a step back, shoving his hands into his pockets as if forcing the space between you.

coward.

“if you say so.” he hummed.

before you could respond, a voice interrupted.

“ah, there you two are.”

sunghoon turned, turning his expression into something neutral as his mother approached, clipboard in hand. you straightened up beside him, the moment from before slipping between your fingers like sand.

“i need you both to oversee the final checks while i discuss something with the event coordinators.” his mother’s tone left no room for argument. she gave sunghoon a look, one that was equal parts expectation and knowing; before handing you the clipboard. you know what to do.”

you nodded. “of course, mrs. park.”

sunghoon exhaled slowly through his nose, nodding along as well.it wasn’t like he could say no.

another thing you can't say no to, huh? his alpha taunted.

he clenched his jaw, pushing down the irritation forming in his chest. it wasn’t at you, he knew that much. it was at himself, at the way he was still standing next to you despite everything.

you, however, had already moved on, scanning through the checklist before nudging his arm. “come on, park.the sooner we start, the sooner we finish.”

his eyes flicked down to where you touched him, the warmth of your skin seeping through his sleeve. his inner alpha hummed in approval, but he ignored it, following you as you walked through the venue.

as you worked, your voice was steady as you went over the details. “floral arrangements are set, table placements are final…” you trailed off as you examined the stage setup, flipping a page on the clipboard. “lighting checks should be done soon. could you talk to the technicians?”

he raised a brow. “you’re delegating to me now?”

you gave him a pointed look. “i can’t do everything myself.”

sunghoon smirked despite himself, but there was something bitter about it. you weren’t even flustered around him anymore. when did you stop getting nervous?

his alpha scoffed. you’re upset about that? pathetic.

still, he didn’t argue. he stepped away, scanning the ballroom for the lighting crew before walking off.

by the time he returned, you were deep in conversation with the floral team, gesturing toward one of the centerpieces. his gaze followed your movements, how easily you took control of the situation, how effortlessly you belonged in this environment.

she’s everywhere. always in the middle of things, always moving forward.

he rubbed the back of his neck, a familiar tightness forming in his chest. maybe that’s why he had avoided this for so long. because standing here, watching you do what you did best, made him realize something.

it wasn’t just about you. it was about him.

the fear wasn’t of falling for you. it was of what that would mean, of what he’d have to let go of to have you.

“earth to sunghoon?”

he blinked, snapping back to reality. you were watching him, an amused expression on your face.

“spacing out already?” you teased. “we’re not even done yet.”

he exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. “just thinking.”

“about what?”

“nothing important,” he muttered, voice clipped.

you frowned at the sudden change in his tone but didn’t push. “right. well, let me know if you're ready to go. we still have things to check.”

yoou walked past him, your scent—honey and lilac, lingering in the air, soft yet unmistakable.his Alpha bristled, pushing at his restraint.

she’s slipping away. your omega is slipping away.

sunghoon clenched his fists. no. you were right here.he just didn’t know what to do with that.

for now, he settled for following you.

the night air was crisp, carrying a faint chill that hinted at the changing seasons. you barely noticed, too preoccupied with checking off the last few items on your clipboard as you walked through the dimly lit parking lot with sunghoon’s sister beside you.

“god, if one more person asks me about table placements, i’m quitting this whole thing,” she groaned, rubbing her temples.

you chuckled. “you say that, but you’ll still show up tomorrow looking like you run the place.”

she shot you a tired grin. “shut up.”

a few steps behind, sunghoon trailed silently. he wasn’t really listening to the conversation, at least, that’s what he told himself.

but his eyes betrayed him, flickering to you every so often, catching the way your brows furrowed in concentration, the way you absentmindedly tapped your pen against the clipboard, the way your scent of honey and lilacs felt like it was wrapping around him, daring him to step closer.

she’s right there. yours. slipping away.

his inner alpha’s voice was persistent, lingering in the back of his mind like an ache he refused to acknowledge.

he exhaled sharply, pushing the thought away. this was what he wanted, wasn’t it? distance. control. a clear line between what he felt and what he knew he had to do.

but then you stopped beside your car, unlocking it with a quiet beep. his sister slowed beside you, turning to sunghoon with a slight frown.

“hoon, you good?”

your gaze flickered toward him at the question, eyes searching, like you were trying to figure out what was wrong.

and that was the problem. you always noticed.

the alpha tensed, his walls slamming back up. his face smoothed over, his posture shifted, cold, detached, unreadable.

“yeah,” he said flatly.

the change was almost unnoticeable, but you caught it.

your grip on the clipboard tightened, as if debating whether to push, whether to call him out on it. but instead, you just nodded, lips pressing into a thin line.

“alright,” you murmured.

his sister sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. “you’re both so dramatic.” then she turned to you, brightening up again. “don’t overwork yourself, okay?”

you mustered a tired smile. “i won’t.”

sunghoon stayed silent.

and this time, you didn’t bother looking at him before sliding into your car.

the moment your door shut, his alpha growled in protest.

fix it.

he clenched his jaw, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets.

no.

your engine rumbled to life, headlights casting long shadows across the pavement. he should’ve looked away, should’ve just walked off; but he didn’t. he watched as you drove off, the sound of your car fading into the night.

a quiet sigh escaped him. his mother.

she didn’t say anything earlier, didn’t scold or pry. she simply looked at him—knowing, like she already had a hint of what was happening.

and for some reason, that made his chest tighten.

so he exhaled, turned on his heel, and walked away.

the park estate was quieter than usual, save for the faint rustling of leaves outside and the occasional laughter echoing from the living room. sunghoon leaned back against the couch, one arm draped over the backrest as he scrolled mindlessly through his phone.

the guys had gathered there a few hours before the grand dinner, since it was closer to the venue, and the suits for the evening were going to be delivered directly to the estate. it was comfortable—familiar.

“bro, do you even listen to yourself?” sunoo snorted, throwing a cushion at jungwon, who barely dodged. “you keep saying you care about her, but where are you, huh? if i were your mate, i’d leave your ass.”

jungwon groaned, rubbing his temples. “it’s not like i’m ignoring her on purpose, okay? i just—”

“just what?” sunoo raised an eyebrow. “bro, you’re literally a pureblooded alpha. start acting like one.”

jake snorted from his spot on the couch, shaking his head. “you talk a lot of shit for someone who barely figured out his own mating bond.”

“hey, at least i figured it out,” sunoo shot back. “jungwon’s still treating his omega like he's still courting her—he's walking on eggshells.”

jungwon groaned, running a hand through his hair. “i don’t need this right now.” the younger alpha huffed, slumping into the couch, ears turning a bit red.

heeseung chuckled. “he’s right, you know. just follow your instincts. might help.”

sunghoon tuned them out. his fingers tapped against his phone screen, his mind elsewhere. that was, until two familiar voices drifted in from the hallway.

“oh yeah, follow that, don't be like my brother— can’t relate to the whole instincts thing.”

his sister and sunoo’s mate.

sunghoon barely registered her words, but the comment stung more than he expected. he tensed up, feeling his jaw clench involuntarily.

they didn’t even glance his way, walking past them straight to the kitchen.

for some reason, it made him feel smaller than he ever wanted to. he stayed quiet, his grip on his phone tightened, focusing on the lack of sound in the room.

jungwon’s eyebrows lifted. “uh… hello? you good?”

ni-ki leaned forward, grinning. “yeah, that was kinda weak, man. you always have something to say.”

sunghoon didn’t respond. he couldn’t.his thoughts were spiraling too fast, his alpha stirring like an itch he couldn’t scratch.

they’re right. you’ve been avoiding this for too long.

his jaw clenched.

why? because you’re scared? because you think pushing her away makes you stronger? you already know the answer, don’t you?

sunghoon snapped.

a low, warning growl left his throat, deep and sharp, cutting through the air like a blade.

his scent soured, something bitter and tense.

the room fell silent.

sunghoon immediately regretted it.

his friends weren’t scared, he knew that much—but they were surprised. he never let his emotions slip like that, never let his control falter.

jake raised an eyebrow. “damn, man,” he muttered, clearly surprised. “you good?”

sunghoon exhaled slowly, pressing his thumb against his temple.

jungwon, still startled, hesitated before speaking. “hey, man, relax…”

and then, jungwon added, almost absently—

“what’s got you all messed up? it’s like you—”

sunghoon cut him off, “i met my mate.”

the words left his mouth before he even fully registered what he was saying.

the silence that followed was deafening.

sunoo was the first to recover. “what?”

jungwon’s eyes widened as he processed what sunghoon had said. “wait—what?”

sunghoon leaned back against the couch, rubbing a hand over his face. his heartbeat felt louder in his ears now, the weight of his own admission settling in. “i met my mate,” he repeated, this time with more certainty, but still unsure.

jake let out a low whistle. “well, shit,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “didn’t think i’d hear that today.”

jay was still staring at him like he had grown a second head. “you?”

sunghoon shot him a glare. “what’s that supposed to mean?”

jay raised his hands in defense. “i mean, dude, it’s you. you’ve never even cared about that kind of stuff. i just—when? how?”

sunghoon hesitated. He hadn’t planned on saying this out loud, let alone explaining it. The moment he said the words, it felt like he had given away the control he had spent years perfecting had just cracked at the edges.

sunoo narrowed his eyes. “yeah, and who?”

ni-ki, looked almost wary. “wait, wait, hold up—are you sure?”

sunghoon shot him a flat look. “you think i’d joke about this?”

“no, but you also don’t exactly seem sure,” ni-ki pointed out.

that was fair.

because the truth was, sunghoon wasn’t sure, not fully. or at least, he had spent the last few days convincing himself he wasn’t sure. because if he admitted it, that meant things had to change.

and sunghoon hated change.

heeseung, who had been the quietest of them all, finally spoke up. his voice was calm, “since when?”

sunghoon pressed his lips together.

“sunghoon,” heeseung pushed, more insistent this time. “how long have you known?”

a muscle in sunghoon’s jaw ticked. “…a while.”

another silence stretched between them, heavier this time.

sunoo groaned, running a hand down his face. “you knew and didn’t say anything?”

sunghoon didn’t answer.

jake scoffed, shaking his head. “bro, what the hell?”

ni-ki leaned forward, his expression sharper now. “you’re seriously fighting this?” his voice was wary, frustrated. despite being the youngest, he thought it was stupid—this was instincts, this was nature.

the gods themselves had chosen fated mates with intention. rejecting that was like rejecting the sky, the air, the pull of the ocean’s tide. it made no sense to him. “why would you reject something that’s meant for you?”

jungwon, usually the more level-headed one, actually agreed. “ni-ki’s right,” he muttered. “you’re making this way harder than it has to be.”

sunghoon snapped.

“you think i had a choice?” his voice came out sharper than he meant, louder. his scent flared again, dominance pouring out of him.

and that set them all off.

because they weren’t just alphas. they were pureblooded alphas, born and bred into power, and when dominance was challenged, instinct demanded they answer.

jake and jay shot him a glare, their own scents spiking as an automatic reaction. jungwon bared his teeth slightly, frustration and something close to disbelief flickering in his eyes. sunoo looked like he wanted to hit him. “yeah, you had a choice,” sunoo threw back. “and you blew it!”

ni-ki’s glare sharpened. “do you even hear yourself right now?”

jake scoffed, shaking his head. “you think this is a fucking game? do you know how many alphas would kill to even find their mate?”

sunghoon clenched his fists. “it’s not that simple.”

jay barked out a short, humorless laugh. “no, you’re just making it complicated.

sunghoon had had enough.

he shot up from the couch, turned on his heel and walked out, his footsteps heavy against the marble flooring, his scent still bitter, still unsettled. he didn’t care where he was going. he just needed to get out.

sunoo and heeseung exchanged glances before following after him.

the afternoon air was cooler than he expected. he exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair, trying to breathe.

sunoo was the first to break the silence. “dude,” he muttered, “what the hell is going on with you?”

sunghoon didn’t answer immediately. he stared out at the sunlit garden, hands in his pockets, jaw tight.

heeseung leaned against the railing beside him. “talk to us,” his voice was calm. “you don’t have to deal with this alone.”

sunghoon let out a short, hollow laugh. “feels like i do.”

sunoo crossed his arms. “no, you’re just choosing to.”

silence.

sunghoon’s fingers twitched. he didn’t know how to say it, didn’t know how to make them understand.

“i…” he exhaled sharply, tilting his head back. “i don’t want this.”

sunoo furrowed his brows. “why?”

sunghoon swallowed hard. “because i don’t know how to be that person. a mate. a bond. a life that’s—” he shook his head. “i wasn’t made for that.”

heeseung sighed, rubbing his temple before stepping in. “sunghoon, listen to yourself. you’re treating this like it’s some kind of punishment.”

sunghoon let out a heavy breath, the weight in his chest pressing down harder. “it feels like one,” he admitted.

“because—” sunghoon continued, closing his eyes for a brief second before looking away. “because it means everything changes. i change.”

Sunoo scoffed, shaking his head. “and? what’s so bad about that?”

sunghoon turned to him, frustration bubbling to the surface. “you don’t get it—”

“no, you don’t get it.” sunoo cut him off. you’re not losing yourself, Sunghoon. you’re finding something—someone that was always meant to be yours.”

heeseung nodded, stepping closer. “and having an omega to call yours? that’s a responsibility in itself, one you were always meant to take on. you’re not abandoning anything—you’re taking something just as important.”

sunghoon’s jaw clenched, his chest rising and falling with each sharp breath. he wanted to argue, wanted to fight back—but the truth was, deep down, he knew they were right.

the thought alone terrified him.

the event was already in full swing by the time sunghoon arrived, the grand ballroom glowing with golden chandeliers and the murmur of polite conversation.

his polished shoes clicked against the marble floors as he stepped in alongside the others, all of them dressed in perfectly tailored suits, their hair styled to absolute precision. they looked every bit like the pureblooded alphas they were raised to be: refined, dominant, untouchable.

but none of that mattered the second he spotted you.

you were standing near the center of the room, surrounded by a group of familiar faces—his sister, jungwon’s mate, heeseung’s mate, and other omegas of high standing. a tight-knit circle of omegas that radiated grace and effortless elegance, laughing softly amongst themselves, their delicate fingers wrapped around champagne flutes.

and then there was you.

your gown hugged your frame in all the right places before cascading down in soft waves, your hair curled to perfection, makeup flawless, lips painted a shade he couldn’t quite name but suddenly wanted to memorize.

it pissed him off.

not because you looked good—no, that was obvious. it was the fact that you had noticed him, just as he had noticed you, but chose to act like he wasn’t even there.

he saw it. the way your shoulders tensed when he stepped into your vision, how your fingers gripped your champagne glass just a little tighter. but you didn’t acknowledge him. didn’t even glance his way.

like the past few days of him being distant meant nothing.

and that—that frustrated him more than anything.

a cough sounded beside him.

“karma,” sunoo smirked, enjoying every second of this.

jake chuckled, shaking his head. jungwon outright grinned. even heeseung—calm, composed heeseung—gave him a knowing glance, like he had expected this from the start.

but the worst was ni-ki.

the youngest in the group, ever observant, leaned in slightly, whispering just loud enough for them to hear.

“damn,” ni-ki mused, tilting his head. “that must hurt.”

sunghoon clenched his jaw, ignoring the way the others tried to suppress their laughter.

his gaze flickered back to you.

still not looking at him.

sunghoon barely had a moment to collect himself before the inevitable happened.

people noticed them.

it was impossible not to.

a group of young, pureblooded, alpha heirs walking into a gathering like this, dressed to perfection, exuding confidence and power, of course eyes turned their way.

she murmurs started almost instantly, subtle yet it was there. a few heads turned, quiet whispers rippling through the crowd as their names carried weight in these circles.

they barely had a chance to exchange glances before they were pulled into conversations, their group dispersing as they were greeted by family acquaintances, business partners, and distant relatives.

sunghoon knew how this worked. he had been raised for it, trained to move through these events with effortless charm and perfect composure.

his feet carried him toward his parents, who were seated at a table near your group. his father, deep in conversation with a few business partners, barely glanced at him before greeting him with a firm pat on the shoulder. his mother, ever the composed woman, gave him a knowing look before murmuring, “you’re late.”

sunghoon exhaled, adjusting the cuff of his suit. “got caught up.”

his father chuckled, still half-distracted. “ah, well. you made it.”

before sunghoon could take a step back, a familiar voice cut in.

“well, if it isn’t sunghoon.”

sunghoon turned, and his expression barely shifted, though he immediately recognized the man.

an older alpha, mid-forties, silver-streaked hair, broad-shouldered and sharp-eyed. someone deeply tied to their family’s business dealings, one of his father’s closest partners.

“it’s been a while since i saw you,” the man continued, raising his glass in greeting. his tone was casual, “you’ve grown into quite the spitting image of your father.”

sunghoon offered a small, polite nod. “it’s good to see you again.”

the older alpha chuckled, taking a slow sip of his drink. “good to see you too, kid. i remember when you were still a runt, running around at these events like you had better places to be.”

sunghoon let out a short, practiced laugh. “not much has changed.”

that earned another chuckle. then, with an amused tilt of his head, the older alpha leaned back slightly in his chair.

“you must have omegas swooning left and right,” he mused, swirling his glass lazily. “with that face of yours, i bet they’re lining up.”

sunghoon let out a soft breath, shaking his head. “i don’t have time for that.”

it was an easy response. dismissive, effortless. a throwaway comment.

except his eyes betrayed him.

because, without thinking, his gaze flickered right back to you.

and you heard him.

of course you did.

omegas had sharper senses than most. your hearing was leagues above everyone else’s, and sunghoon knew it.

he knew it the moment he saw your grip on the champagne glass tighten ever so slightly. the way your shoulders straightened just a little more.

but you didn’t react.

not outwardly.

instead, you let out a small, polite laugh, face perfectly neutral. then, in the same smooth, composed tone you always used at events like this, you excused yourself.

sunghoon stiffened.

but it wasn’t just you who reacted.

his sister’s gaze snapped to him almost immediately, a flicker of something unmistakable in her expression: disappointment.

she said nothing, but she didn’t need to. the look alone said everything.

and she wasn’t the only one.

his mother, ever observant, barely shifted in her seat, but the sharp glint in her eyes told him she had caught on too.

sunghoon swallowed.

he shouldn’t follow you.

he should’ve let it go.

but before he even realized it, his feet were already moving.

the hall leading to the restrooms was dimly lit, the golden glow of the chandeliers fading the further you walked. the music and chatter from the ballroom dulled behind you, muffled and distant, as if the world was deliberately pulling away, leaving you alone with your thoughts, with the weight on your chest.

your back hit the wall beside the restroom entrance, your breathing sharp and uneven.

you inner omega whimpered. not here. not now.

you clenched your fists at your sides, nails pressing into your palms as you fought the sting behind your eyes.

you had known. you had always known how this would end.

and yet, standing there, shoulders stiff, throat tight, your pulse hammering against your skin, you hated that it still hurt.

you sucked in a breath, blinking up at the ceiling, forcing the tears back.

you would not cry.

not in front of him.

And yet, the moment you sensed his presence, the moment his scent curled around you; thick, intoxicating, overwhelming, your body betrayed you.

your fingers twitched.

your breathing faltered.

you hated yourself for giving in so easily.

"what do you want, sunghoon?" your voice was cold, but the slight tremble at the end, barely there, almost unnoticeable, gave you away.

he stopped a few feet away, his hands flexing at his sides.

he was staring at you, his gaze dark, conflicted, like he didn’t know why he was here either.

his Adam’s apple bobbed. “i—”

"you what?" You cut him off, your voice sharp, edged with something dangerously close to heartbreak.

he exhaled, pressing his lips into a thin line.

you almost laughed. of course.

"nothing to say?" you scoffed, tilting your head. "then why are you here?"

his jaw clenched. “i don’t—” He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling harshly.

you hated the way your chest clenched at the sight.

hated the way his tie had loosened slightly, the way a strand of hair had fallen over his forehead, the way he looked so frustratingly undone for the first time tonight.

"you push me away." your voice wavered, but you forced yourself to continue. "you act like i don’t exist. and now you’re here, acting like you—" you swallowed, shaking your head. "you don’t get to do this, sunghoon."

his lips parted slightly.

"you don’t get to act like i matter when you’ve made it very clear that i don’t."

something cracked in his gaze. and for the first time, he looked afraid.

“i never said that,” he muttered, his voice softer now.

"you didn’t have to."

silence.

a suffocating silence. your throat burned. you couldn’t do this. you turned to leave, to push past him, to breathe—

but suddenly—

you couldn’t move, and before you could react, a strong, calloused hand wrapped around your wrist—firm, desperate.

your breath hitched.

sunghoon pulled you back—hard—and in the span of a heartbeat, you collided straight into his chest.

the impact knocked the air from your lungs.

his scent swallowed you whole.

you gasped sharply, your knees nearly giving out.

And then—

warmth.

overwhelming, all-consuming warmth, his arms were around you.

one wrapped tight around your waist, pulling you flush against him. the other cradled the back of your head, fingers weaving through your hair—steady, like he was terrified of letting go.

your chest heaved against his, hands fisting his suit jacket so tightly your knuckles ached.

but you didn’t care. you couldn’t care.

not when his heart was hammering against yours, not when his grip on you was desperate, not when his entire body was trembling, like he was breaking just as much as you were.

your breath came out shaky. "let me go."

he didn’t. he tightened his hold.

"sunghoon." your voice cracked.

his head dipped lower, his breath fanning against your temple.

"i can’t."

your stomach flipped violently. tears spilled down your cheeks, hot and relentless.

"you—" you squeezed your eyes shut, your grip on his suit tightening. "you’re such a fucking coward."

his body tensed. but he didn’t pull away. didn’t loosen his hold. didn’t deny it.

instead, his fingers curled into the fabric of your dress. asnd for the first time—sunghoon let his instincts win.

your hands gripped his suit tighter as your chest heaved, a strangled sob breaking free before you could stop it. the tears were now, falling fast and hot, no longer something you could hold back.

you pressed your face into his chest, the fabric of his suit absorbing the wetness, but it did nothing to soothe the ache inside you.

sunghoon’s grip didn’t loosen. if anything, it tightened. he pulled you in closer, as if trying to protect you from everything.

the shaking of his hands on your back was evident, and the way his chest rose and fell in uneven breaths made your heart ache for him in ways you didn’t understand.

"don't cry, omega, please." his voice was barely a whisper.

you shook your head, the words stuck in your throat. it felt like all the pain you’d buried, all the frustration, the confusion, the rejection—it was spilling out at once. you were drowning in it, and you didn’t know how to stop.

but his plea only made the sobs come harder, breaking free from your throat like you had been holding them in for years.

his arms tightened around you again, as if he could physically hold your pain together, as if he could stop you from shattering completely.

"i hate you." the words barely made it past your lips, muffled against his chest, but he heard them.

you knew he heard them.

because his entire body stiffened for a split second before his grip on you softened, his hand sliding from your waist to your lower back, the one behind your head shifting, his fingers threading into your hair with a gentleness that almost hurt.

"i know," he murmured, voice so quiet it was almost lost in the silence of the hallway.

your body shook against his, another sob wracking through you, and he just held you.

not saying anything.

not pulling away.

just letting you break in his arms the way you had never allowed yourself to before.

minutes passed, or maybe seconds—it didn’t matter.

time felt frozen between you, the weight of everything crashing down in the space between your heavy breaths. your mascara had smudged against the fabric of his suit, staining it, but he didn’t seem to care. he just kept holding you, his scent wrapping around you, keeping you from completely falling apart.

and then, finally—finally—you found your voice.

"why?"

a single word. quiet. shaky. but sharp enough to cut through the silence.

sunghoon stilled.

"why did you do it?" your voice cracked, but you pushed forward, your hands gripping his suit even tighter. "why did you act like i didn’t exist? like i was nothing to you? why did you pretend you didn’t care when you—when you—" another sob clawed its way out of your throat, your fingers trembling where they clung to him. "when you do this? when you hold me like this, like you actually—"

your voice faltered, and sunghoon inhaled sharply. his grip on you loosened, just enough for him to pull back slightly, just enough for him to see your face. his fingers, still shaking, brushed against your cheek, tracing over the tear-stained skin, his thumb wiping away the wetness that refused to stop falling.

his hands paused for a second.

and then—so, so softly—he spoke.

"i was scared."

your breath hitched.

"scared?" you muttured, barely above a whisper.

he nodded, swallowing hard, his jaw clenching like he was fighting something inside himself. his fingers brushed against your cheek again, hesitating, before cupping your face fully, his touch impossibly gentle.

"i didn’t know how to handle it," he admitted, voice soft, filled with something unrecognizable. i didn’t know how to handle you."

your brows furrowed, your heart pounding painfully against your ribs.

"sunghoon—"

"everything in my life has always been about responsibility," he cut in, his grip on your face tightening slightly, not enough to hurt, but enough to make sure you were listening. "i was raised to be strong, to take over, to lead—to never let anything distract me from what i was meant to do."

his thumb traced the curve of your cheekbone, and his gaze softened—just barely.

"and then there was you."

the words came out barely above a whisper, but they sent a shiver down your spine.

sunghoon let out a shaky breath, his forehead nearly pressing against yours. "you were never supposed to be a part of that plan."

pain flared in your chest, sharp and unrelenting.

"so what?" you whispered, voice trembling. "you thought ignoring me would make it easier?"

his eyes squeezed shut, his expression twisting into something almost pained. "i thought if i pretended you didn’t exist, it wouldn’t hurt as much."

a bitter laugh left your lips. "and did it?"

sunghoon let out a slow breath, his hands stilling against your skin. his silence was the only answer you needed.

he was breaking, right in front of you.

and for the first time, you saw it. the fear in his eyes. the weight on his shoulders. the guilt, the regret, the want.

"you absolute coward," you whispered, fresh tears spilling down your cheeks. "you let your fear ruin everything. you let it destroy me."

sunghoon inhaled sharply, his fingers pressing against your skin like he was afraid you would slip away.

"i know," he admitted, voice barely above a whisper.

and then, as if he couldn’t help himself, his hands moved again, thumbs tracing over your cheeks, smudging the mascara-stained tears without a care that his fingers were getting stained too.

he was looking at you now. really looking at you.

even with tear-streaked cheeks, even with mascara smudged against your skin, he thought you were beautiful.

you always had been.

and maybe that had been the scariest part of all.

he exhaled shakily, his forehead finally pressing against yours.

"i was so focused on all the responsibilities i had," he whispered, eyes fluttering shut, "that i forgot the most important one was right in front of me."

you. it had always been you.

and for the first time in forever, he stopped fighting it.

his hands trembled as he pulled you close again, wrapping you in his warmth, as if trying to make up for every second he had spent pretending you didn’t exist.

his heartbeat that was once steady, always controlled, was frantic against your cheek, like his body itself was betraying him, exposing everything he had kept hidden for so long.

"i’m sorry," he murmured against your hair, his voice soft, stripped bare of all the indifference he had once worn so easily.

again.

"i’m so, so sorry."

and again.

"i’m sorry."

each word landed like a plea, an ache.

his hands clutched at the fabric of your dress, fingers curling against your back as he buried his face into your shoulder. his breaths were uneven, his hold desperate like he was afraid that if he let go, you’d slip through his fingers for good.

you squeezed your eyes shut, the feeling of his regret pressing against your chest like a force you weren’t sure you could withstand.

"i hate you," you whispered, voice unsteady, and you felt the sharp inhale he took against your skin.

but you didn’t move away. neither did he.

"i know," he murmured. he didn’t argue. didn’t try to make excuses. he just held you.

you swallowed hard, fingers gripping the lapels of his suit. "i understand you more than you think."

a breath passed between you, thick with everything unsaid.

slowly, hesitantly, he pulled back just enough to look at you, his hands moving from your back to cup your face. Hhis thumbs brushed over your cheeks, wiping away the tear-streaked trails, smearing the black mascara that had run down your skin more than before.

his hands were shaking.

his fingers, stained with the remnants of your pain, trembled as they held you.

but he didn’t stop.

"you do?" his voice was so quiet, so uncertain, it almost broke you all over again.

you nodded. because you did. you understood.

you had always known sunghoon was never just the eldest son of his family, never just the heir, never just the perfect pureblooded alpha everyone expected him to be. he carried burdens he never spoke of, expectations that weighed him down like chains.

and you understood now, you understood that loving you, wanting you, was the one thing he had never been taught how to handle.

sunghoon exhaled sharply, his forehead nearly knocking against yours as he leaned closer, the warmth of his breath fanning across your lips.

"can i kiss you?"

the words sent a violent shudder down your spine. your breath caught, your heart twisting painfully in your chest.

because this moment, this hesitation, this vulnerability in his voice; was not the sunghoon everyone else knew.

this was the boy who had spent so long running. this was the boy who had finally stopped.

"it doesn’t mean you’re forgiven," you murmured, even as your fingers curled against his chest.

for the first time that night, sunghoon laughed. soft. shaky. breathless. but real.

"i know," he whispered, and then, slowly, finally, he closed the distance.

his lips met yours, and the world stopped spinning.

the first press of his lips was soft, like he was still afraid, still unsure if he deserved this, deserved you.

but then you exhaled against his mouth, a shaky breath that tasted like surrender, and something inside him snapped. the hesitation was gone.

sunghoon’s hands, still cupping your face, tilted your head just enough for him to deepen the kiss, his lips moving against yours with a hunger that bordered on desperation. his body caged you in, pressing you against the cool wall behind you, but all you could feel was him, his warmth, his scent, his everything, surrounding you, consuming you.

his grip tightened. one hand slid down, fingers grazing your jaw, your throat, before curling around the small of your back and pulling you in.

closer. too close. not close enough.

a small gasp escaped you, and sunghoon swallowed it, exhaling a sharp breath against your mouth before chasing your lips again. his movements were rougher now, more frantic, like he was trying to pour every unspoken word, every regret, every missed moment into the kiss.

like he was trying to prove something. that he was sorry. that he wanted you. that he needed you.

his other hand tangled in your hair, tilting your face up further, deepening the kiss until you felt dizzy, breathless, like you were floating, like you were falling.

and god, maybe you were. maybe you had been all this time.

your fingers fisted his suit, clinging to him. his lips, now hot and insistent, barely gave you a second to breathe, like he was terrified that if he pulled away, even for a moment, you’d disappear.

but you weren’t going anywhere.

you melted into him, letting yourself get lost in the moment, in the way his body trembled against yours, in the quiet, choked noise he made when your fingers finally, finally slid up to his hair.

it was intoxicating, the way he kissed you, like he was trying to make up for every second he had wasted, every touch he had denied himself, every moment he had spent pretending he didn’t want this.

didn’t want you.

your lungs burned, your heart pounded, and yet neither of you pulled away, unwilling to break whatever fragile, breathless thing had formed between you.

sunghoon made a strangled noise against your lips before reluctantly—so reluctantly—he tore himself away just enough to rest his forehead against yours, his breath ragged, his lips red and swollen.

his eyes, dark and dazed, fluttered open to meet yours.

and then, barely above a whisper, voice wrecked, he murmured,

"stay."

a single word, but it held everything. a plea. a confession. a promise wrapped in desperation.

your fingers tightened in his suit. “i’m not going anywhere, sunghoon.” your voice was steady, but thick with emotion. “even when you push me away. even when you try to pretend I don’t exist.”

his hands, still cupping your face, trembled. "never again." it came out like a vow. like a prayer.

his thumbs brushed over your damp cheeks, smearing what remained of your ruined mascara. his grip on you didn’t loosen, if anything, he pressed his forehead against yours, inhaling deeply, as if he's making sure you were real.

the silence stretched between you, heavy, but not suffocating. not anymore. then, suddenly, he straightens, “we need to fix you up.”

you blinked. “what?”

sunghoon pulled back slightly, scanning your face, your tear-streaked cheeks, the smudges of black under your eyes. then, without another word, his fingers curled around your wrist, tugging you toward the restrooms.

“the female restroom is that way,” you pointed out, confused.

“i know.”

your steps faltered. “you’re not allowed in there.”

sunghoon scoffed, barely sparing you a glance. “as if i’m letting you out of my sight again.”

your heart flipped.

before you could protest, he pushed open the door, dragging you inside with him. the moment it clicked shut, he turned to you. “up.”

you blinked. “what?”

sunghoon rolled his eyes before gripping your waist and lifting you effortlessly, placing you onto the cool marble counter like you weighed nothing.

you gasped. “sunghoon—”

but he was already turning to the faucet, pulling a dior handkerchief from his pocket. you watched, breath caught in your throat, as he ran it under the water, fingers tightening around the fine cloth.

and then, with the utmost care, he turned back to you.

your knees brushed as he stepped between your legs, his touch impossibly gentle as he cupped your face, tilting it slightly. the wet fabric pressed against your cheek, cool against your overheated skin, and sunghoon—god, sunghoon—wiped at the tear stains, the smudged makeup, his fingers brushing over your skin like he was handling something fragile.

something precious.

you couldn’t stop staring.

the way his brows furrowed in concentration. the way his jaw clenched whenever he came across a particularly stubborn stain. the way his lips pressed together, like he was trying to hold back words he wasn’t ready to say.

the way he touched you. like you were his. like you had always been his. your heart pounded against your ribs.

and when he finally, finally met your gaze again, his own eyes filled with something unreadable—something raw—you realized, with stunning clarity, that you had never really stood a chance against park sunghoon.

not then. not now. not ever.

a shaky exhale left your lips.

he was still staring at you, drinking in every detail, like he was memorizing the way you looked, the way your lashes trembled, the way your lips parted as if you had something to say but didn’t know how.

“take a picture, it'll last longer.” his voice was quieter than usual, but the tease was still there, laced with something softer.

you blinked, startled, feeling heat creep up your cheeks. "what?"

his lips curled slightly, but there was something about his smirk, something less sharp, less guarded. something that made your pulse stutter. “you were staring.”

your stomach twisted. of course, he would notice. your first instinct was to scoff, to roll your eyes, to dismiss it like you always did. tut before you could, you felt it; the shift.

your scent spiked, not in distress, not in discomfort, but in something else. something sweeter.

the scent of honey and lilacs curled around him, delicate yet intoxicating, a confession wrapped in something neither of you had the words to say.

sunghoon inhaled. slowly. deliberately.

his lashes fluttered for the briefest second, his fingers tightening just slightly around yours, before his smirk faded entirely.

and then, wordlessly, he leaned in. he didn’t hesitate. didn’t second-guess.

his lips found your forehead, pressing into your skin with the kind of tenderness that made your breath catch in your throat.

and he stayed there. lingering. savoring.

his breath was warm, brushing against your temple, the tip of his nose barely grazing your hairline.

you didn’t move. couldn’t.

his thumb brushed over your cheek, the corner of his lips twitching slightly. “come on,” he murmured, voice still hoarse.

you barely had time to process it before he moved, guiding you off the counter with his hands firm at your waist, catching you when your balance faltered.

but he didn’t step away. didn’t loosen his grip.

instead, his fingers threaded through yours, locking them in place as if letting go was never an option. you blinked up at him, breath uneven.

“you ready?” his voice was quieter now, softer in a way that made your breath hitch.

you swallowed, throat tight. then slowly, you nodded. and just like that, he pulled you with him. hand in hand.

the warmth of his palm was steady against yours, fingers locked. it wasn’t just an absentminded touch, wasn’t something he would let go of the second someone looked too long.

no, this was different. this was him choosing you. claiming you as his mate. and the second you stepped out, the change in the atmosphere was immediate.

silence. then whispers. a sea of murmurs spread through the ballroom like wildfire, voices hushed yet urgent, their curiosity thick enough to suffocate.

heads turned, eyes widened, people stared.

alphas. betas. omegas.

they looked, and looked, and looked. their shock crackled through the air like static electricity, palpable in every held breath, every barely concealed gasp, every sharp glance exchanged between one another.

you could feel their questions hanging in the air, unspoken yet deafening. was this real? when did this happen? how did this happen?

their gazes burned into your skin, some filled with intrigue, others laced with disbelief, and a few even brimming with something close to envy.

because this wasn’t just anyone walking out of a room hand in hand with park sunghoon. this was you. and sunghoon? he didn’t even blink.

he didn’t falter under the weight of their stares, didn’t acknowledge the whispers that carried his name in hushed, scandalized tones.

no, he just walked.

back straight, shoulders squared, head held high. as if this had been the plan all along. as if this was exactly where he was supposed to be. and with every step forward, the hushed murmurs only grew.

some alphas scoffed, exchanging skeptical glances, as if trying to convince themselves they weren’t impressed. some omegas straightened, eyes wide with a mix of admiration and disbelief. others, betas included, simply watched, unable to look away, their expressions unreadable.

but none of them mattered. not to you. not to him.

sunghoon’s grip on you remained firm, and even as the weight of the room threatened to crush you, even as the world outside of this moment blurred into nothing but an afterthought, one thing became blindingly clear.

you weren’t walking behind him. you weren’t trailing after him, waiting for him to decide when to let go.

no.

you were right there, beside him. right where he wanted you to be. and for the first time in a long, long time, you weren’t afraid to be seen.

sunghoon shot a smirk over his shoulder before tugging you even closer, his grip on your waist effortlessly firm. your hands barely had time to react before his fingers slipped from yours, only to be replaced by the steady warmth of his palm pressing against the curve of your hip.

the moment you reached their designated table, all conversation died. the six boy stared, mouths slightly open, like they had collectively short-circuited.

“what the fuck?”

the words came from sunoo, cutting through the silence. he blinked once. twice. then leaned back in his chair, hand over his chest like he had just witnessed a crime.

for a second, nobody spoke. then, slowly, as if processing what he had just seen, sunoo exhaled and shook his head in mock devastation.

“i feel like a proud dad,” he said, voice thick with fake emotion. “my boy finally grew a pair.”

jake choked on his drink. jay slapped the table. ni-ki let out an actual wheeze, gripping his stomach like he physically couldn’t handle it.

meanwhile, sunghoon just sighed, clearly regretting every life choice that had led to this moment.

“shut up,” he muttered, shoving sunoo’s chair with his foot.

“oh no, no, no,” sunoo replied, shaking his head. “you don’t get to shut me up after making us sit through weeks of your bullshit. you brooded for so long.”

“you were insufferable,” heeseung chimed in, still recovering from his initial shock.

"actually unbearable,” jake added.

ni-ki snickered, nudging jungwon. “tell me i’m lying.”

jungwon exhaled through his nose and pinched the bridge of it, like he was physically restraining himself from joining in. instead, he turned to you.

“i respect you so much,” he said seriously, nodding. “for putting up with this.”

you smiled awkwardly at first, not really sure what to say. but then you caught the way they all looked at you, not like a stranger, not even like someone new. no, they knew you. maybe not personally, but definitely through him.

sunghoon had been avoiding his feelings, but he hadn't been quiet about them, either.

“i wouldn’t say patient,” you admitted, finally finding your words. “i just… didn’t want to force anything.”

jay clicked his tongue, shooting sunghoon a look. “you’re lucky she even gave you that chance, man.”

jake leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “you do realize you can’t run forever, right?”

sunghoon groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "i wasn’t running.”

“bro, you practically had track shoes on,” ni-ki deadpanned.

heeseung smirked. “but at least you were smart enough to stop and follow.”

just as sunghoon was about to retort, a flurry of movement caught everyone's attention.

across the room, sunghoon’s sister, along with heeseung’s mate and jungwon’s mate, almost ran over to you, practically shoving through the crowd. sunghoon barely had time to react before his sister skidded to a stop in front of the table, eyes blown wide.

“when did this happen?!” she demanded, breathless.

you blinked. “uh… a few minutes ago?”

a sharp gasp.

“oh my god,” heeseung’s mate clutched his arm, her face pale as if she might actually pass out.

heeseung sighed and started fanning her with his hand. "breathe, babe. breathe. you knew this would happen eventually.”

“did i? did i really?” she shot back, eyes still locked on you and sunghoon like she was watching the finale of a long-running drama.

jungwon’s mate wasn’t any better. she was bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet, excitement thrumming through her whole body. jungwon, ever the responsible one, subtly reached over and stole her champagne glass before she could drop it.

“this is insane,” she whispered, eyes wide. “like, historical. i need a moment.”

but while that mess was happening, sunghoon’s sister was not celebrating the way the others were. no, she was glaring directly at sunghoon, hands on her hips, looking like she was about to throw hands.

“you—” she started, voice rising.

before she could even think about launching herself at her brother, sunoo; who, unfortunately for sunghoon, also happened to be her mate—stood up and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back.

“alright, alright, let’s not start a scene, love,” he said smoothly, voice light but firm.

she squirmed against his hold. “i just want to talk to him—”

“liar,” sunoo deadpanned.

“park sunghoon, you forced the poor omega to accept you as your mate, didn’t you?” she accused, jabbing a finger in his direction.

sunghoon blinked. “excuse me?”

“yeah! you probably made (y/n) feel like she had to accept you just because you’re all high and mighty—”

sunoo sighed and pulled her back against his chest, locking both arms around her now. “hoon, just let her get it out of her system. she’s been waiting for this day for too long.”

you stifled a laugh, shaking your head. “i actually said yes willingly, if that helps.”

sunghoon’s sister froze. “you did? like… willingly-willingly?”

“willingly-willingly,” you confirmed, amused.

she blinked. then sighed dramatically, leaning into sunoo’s hold. “well… okay. but if he screws this up, i will come for him.”

“noted,” sunghoon muttered.

sunoo patted her head like she was an over-excited puppy. “there, there. you’ll survive this.”

sunoo shot sunghoon a smirk over her shoulder. “but man, you’re never living this down.”

sunghoon groaned. “i hate all of you.”

jay grinned, raising his glass. “love you too, man.”

sunghoon let out another sigh, but despite his grumbling, his hold on you was steady as he guided you toward an empty seat.

with ease, he pulled the chair out for you and waited until you sat down before moving to adjust the trail of your gown, making sure it was neatly tucked away so no one, especially him—would step on it.

the entire table had fallen eerily quiet.

it wasn’t an awkward silence. it was the kind of silence that felt like everyone was holding their breath, watching something unfold before them in real time, something they never thought they’d actually witness.

even as sunghoon straightened up, his focus remained on you. his eyes scanned your face with the same attention he always gave to important things, searching for anything he might’ve missed.

apparently, he had missed something.

without a word, he reached out, the pad of his thumb brushing against the edge of your eye, carefully swiping away the faintest smudge of mascara that had escaped his first attempt.

your breath hitched.

but the alpha wasn’t done.

satisfied with his work, his fingers barely hesitated before they moved to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear, letting his knuckles graze your cheek ever so slightly. the touch was brief, but it was enough to send a wave of heat rushing to your face.

you swallowed, pulse slightly unsteady, but managed to send him a grateful smile. “thanks.”

sunghoon hummed in acknowledgment, seemingly unaffected by the entire exchange as he finally settled into his own seat.

he exhaled, relaxed for the first time that night, before slinging an arm around the back of your chair or maybe it was your waist, you weren’t even sure anymore. his fingers brushed against your side absentmindedly, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

and yet, the silence remained.

it was as if the group wanted to soak it in, to relish what they had just witnessed before fully reacting.

“i know they’re fated mates and all that,” ni-ki mumbled, voice tinged with disbelief. “but this is shocking.”

“right?” jay breathed out.

“i never thought i’d live to see sunghoon be so…” jake trailed off, gesturing vaguely in sunghoon’s direction.

“domestic?” heeseung guessed.

“whipped,” sunoo corrected.

sunghoon let out a long, suffering sigh, tilting his head back against his chair. “can you all just shut up?”

“fuck no,” sunoo said, smirking. “we’re never shutting up about this.”

jake lifted his glass in mock toast. “to sunghoon, for finally pulling his head out of his ass.”

ni-ki followed suit, raising his drink with a grin. “to (y/n) for somehow handling his brooding for weeks and still willingly agreeing to be his mate.”

sunghoon groaned, muttering curses under his breath, but his arm around you didn't shift.

as the evening stretched on, your table of eleven had finally started to settle. the once chaotic energy mellowed into something softer—comfortable, easy.

some of the boys were a little tipsy, their words slurring as they tried to argue over something completely irrelevant. others remained to themselves, quietly nursing their drinks, letting the night wind down at its own pace.

but sunghoon? sunghoon was right beside you.

his arm had never left your waist, fingers idly tracing patterns against the fabric of your gown as if he needed the reminder that this was real. his other hand was laced with yours, his grip firm.

he held you like he wasn’t planning to let go anytime soon. and the scent—his scent, coffee and leather tinged with a lingering warmth wrapped around you, mixing with your own like they belonged together.

you let yourself relax, melting into his hold as the voices around you became distant background noise. sunghoon exhaled softly, shifting just a bit so he could rest his chin against the side of your head. it wasn’t something anyone else would really notice, but you did. you noticed the way his thumb brushed against your knuckles, the way his heartbeat was steady and slow against your back.

the rest of the table was lost in their own little worlds, some caught in their own quiet moments with their mates, others too caught up in conversation to pay attention.

heeseung sat comfortably with his mate curled up against him, her head resting against his shoulder as he absentmindedly played with her fingers, their hands intertwined.

jungwon was just as affectionate, his mate tucked against his side as he nursed a drink in his free hand. unlike heeseung, whose touches were slow and casual, jungwon was openly doting, reaching up every so often to tuck a stray hair behind her ear or brush a kiss against her temple.

sunoo, of course, was a little more dramatic with his affection. his mate—sunghoon’s sister—had been sulking in his arms for the past several hours, still processing the events of the night. he cradled her easily, stroking a soothing hand over her hair as she grumbled into his chest. “i just wasn’t prepared, okay?” she whined, her voice muffled. “this all happened so fast.”

sunoo hummed, ever patient.

“you don’t understand.”

“i do, though.”

“no, you don’t.”

sunoo rolled his eyes, pressing a kiss against the top of her head. “fine, you win. i don’t.”

meanwhile, ni-ki was watching everything unfold like it was his own personal drama series. sis eyes darted between all the couples, mouth slightly open in exaggerated disbelief. “damn couples,” he muttered, half to himself, half to jake, who only chuckled.

sunghoon straightened, rolling his eyes. “can i have a moment?”

“no,” sunoo deadpanned, still holding sunghoon’s sister against his chest. “you wasted weeks brooding. this is our moment too.”

jake let out a loud laugh. “yeah, man, we had to sit through so much.”

“i still have secondhand trauma,” heeseung added.

jungwon stole the champagne glass from his mate’s hand as he nodded in agreement.

meanwhile, you just buried your face in your free hand, overwhelmed but undeniably warm inside. but before you could even fully process it, you felt his eyes on you, watching the way you tried to hide your flustered expression.

a low chuckle rumbled from his chest, and before you could react, he leaned in slightly, his voice dropping just for you. “you better get used to this,” he murmured, “because you’re gonna hear a lot more this for a very long time.”

a very long time.

forever felt like such a long time, but maybe it was worth it when you finally had your alpha within arm’s reach.

taglist: @hoonbrry @hime98 @chae-darling @moonchus @peatchiedii @creamkwan @nyfwyeonjun @whoe-dis @woonie-muffin @caelumsjy @90sni-ki @leiomorea @junjungsunwoo @in-somnias-world

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