Work Text:
The snow beneath his bare feet was cold as he tried to stand as still as possible.
Being the seasons' Dove was supposed to be an honor, but for Chan, it was a never-ending curse.
When an omega first presents, their hair transitions from a dull brown to various shades of blonde, ranging from ashy blonde, barely a shade above the original color, to platinum. The legend of the Levanter pack was that the whiter the hair, the more fertile the omega, and the more worth their sacrifice would bless them.
His fate was sealed on his eighteenth birthday after a three-hour heat that had him screaming across the pack grounds had left him with silver hair, not a dull blonde like most omegas, but pure white. It had been excruciating; they had tied both his hands to keep him from touching himself. He had to stay pure; it was the only way to bring good fortune to their land.
Little Dove.
The name followed him everywhere. Having the whitest hair in the pack in generations, there was no escape from the annual Dove run. The run was held after a week-long festival of praising the moon goddess for blessing them with a bountiful year and offering her gifts to usher in another season. The more pure an omega was, the greater offering a pack could give the goddess. At the end of the seventh day, they would dress the season’s Dove in beautiful white robes, and they were to run through the woods while the eligible alphas chased after them. If the omega was caught, then the alpha would place their mating mark over their gland, causing their white hair to recede back to its original brown color. It was said that the white in their hair would seep into the ground and bless the soil.
If no one caught the omega by morning, then it was said that the moon goddess had entered their body, and the conditions of the crops and the condition of the pack were based on the omega’s health. There had never been a Dove that had escaped being caught, but Chan had vowed to be the first. He didn’t care if that meant being locked in a cabin away from everyone else, constantly monitored to ensure that the pack fell asleep in warm beds and full stomachs.
The last few seasons of Dove’s had all hair that was several shades darker than blonde. Ever since Chan had presented, the whispers around the pack never stopped whispering how strong their pack would be once Chan was claimed, and his hair purified their lands. He was no longer a person, but a tool. All the alphas in the pack looked at him like a piece of meat that would get them high status in the pack.
Chan did his best to avoid any of the alcohol going around during the festival. He knew a lot of omegas would drown out the inevitable in hopes that the alcohol would dull their minds. Chan had a plan, and he had to stay focused. He had been scouting the woods late at night when the rest of the pack was asleep, ensuring he knew the best paths to take. He had asked other seasons' Doves, and most of them had gone east towards the lake in hopes the water would hide their scent, but they never made it far enough.
Chan was going to head northwest, an area they were forbidden from approaching. On the other side of their border was the outlands, no man's land, where only nomads roamed. Usually, that border would be highly monitored, but during the run, most of the alphas that watched it would be running or passed out drunk by the bonfire. Chan wasn’t stupid enough to cross the border; he knew his fate across their pack territory would be worse than if he stayed, but his goal was to hide in the area long enough that the morning sun would bless his success.
He had spent the majority of the seventh day of the festival getting bathed in scentless oils and his hair braided into an intricate twist. He had grown it out because his mother had loved it. She said he was her biggest blessing, her Dove. In her eyes, even if she was not a Dove herself, producing a Dove meant she did her duty to the pack.
He remembers the proud look on his face when he had finally been allowed to step out of the heating cabin. It wasn’t a look of pride for her son, but one for herself. She had produced a Dove, and she let everyone know it constantly. When they had been moved to a sturdier cabin that was well insulated to ensure Chan never got sick, she bragged to everyone that she produced the Dove with the whitest hair, one that would bring nothing but good luck to their pack.
Stepping out into the clearing, Chan did a sweep of the alphas that would be chasing him. While their pack was large, there was no one who caught his eye. His only hope in the past was Minho, but when he had come out of his cabin with soft blonde hair one season after Chan, that went out the window. His only friend stood near his mother on the side of the field with an expression that Chan was trying to keep off his own.
Minho was the only one in the pack who truly knew how Chan felt. They were the only two pure white doves in the pack. There were a few dark blonde omegas, but the number of pure white-haired omegas was dwindling every year. That meant Minho and he were constantly being monitored. No one, except their parents and the elders, was allowed around them unless they were being escorted.
Just run. No matter what happened, he would force his feet to carry him across the clearing, and if he needed to keep running across the border, he would. He would rather run across one of their enemy packs and meet the end of his life than be caught by one of the alphas across the field that only saw him as a trophy. If he were caught today, then he would be locked in a cabin with a constant swollen belly until his body gave out.
Chan would get a twenty-minute head start; he had twenty minutes to get far enough that his white hair and robe blended into the fallen snow. He wasn’t stupid; he knew better than to start off going northwest. He needed them to think he went east. He made sure to bump into several trees to leave his scent on them before stepping on a log to pull himself up on a low tree to climb across several before starting northwest. His hope was that the alphas would be so fixated that he went east that they wouldn’t pick up on the change of his direction.
He was already a few hundred steps towards the northwest when the bells chimed, and the alphas were released. Shifting was banned during these runs to help limit the amount of injuries, but he can already hear the growls of those who dare to break the rules.
This part of the forest was different. Closer to the back grounds, the trees were sparser and easier to maneuver, but the deeper into the woods Chan went, the harder it became to run in a straight line. The trees were too close together, there were too many fallen branches, and worst of all, Chan was losing his sense of direction. He was so focused on his footing, he didn’t notice he was no longer alone. If he had taken a moment to breathe in his surroundings, he would have picked up that he had passed their territory several steps ago. It wasn’t until his arm was grabbed and he was slammed into a tree that he finally stopped.
Before a sound could leave his mouth, a hand was covering it.
His lungs ached, and trying to breathe through his nose was hard. The wolf who had caught him was clearly an alpha, and the more lungful's Chan got, the more apparent it was that Chan had gone too far.
Pine, smoke, and tobacco. A Miroh wolf. Chan had run into the one thing that was worse than any of his own pack alphas; he had run into one of the only packs they had a rivalry with.
When the spots from his vision disappeared, he was met with a bare-toned chest that was covered in sweat and dirt. When Chan was finally able to move his eyes upward, he was met with a face that looked at everything but him. He couldn’t have been much younger than Chan; he had short, tapered black hair that rested against the back of his neck, and his black eyes were frantically moving across the fields. He was handsome. If he had been one of the alphas chasing him, he might even be excited at the prospect of being caught.
Other than being slammed into the tree, the alphas' hold on him wasn’t unkind. The hand on his mouth wasn’t forceful and more of a warning, a warning that they may not be alone. Chan wanted to tell him he would go back into his own territory, that he wouldn't tell anyone that he saw the other alpha. If the elders knew a Miroh wolf was so close to their border, it would start a war.
It wasn’t until the alpha was pulling away from Chan and offering his hand that Chan realized he had a choice. He could follow or go back into the woods full of alphas wanting to sink their teeth into him. He placed his hand into the alphas. The alpha led through a path Chan would not have taken on his own. It was covered in uneven rocks and thorn-covered branches. They did not come to a stop until they were at the opening of a small cave. The alpha nudged him to sit on a log while he started a fire. It wasn’t until the fire was thawing Chan’s cold limbs that the alpha finally spoke.
“You are far from home, little Moon. These lands are dangerous.” Chan had been called Dove ever since he had presented, and never anything else. The way little moon had rolled off the alpha’s tongue sounded like another language. No one called him by his name, and for some reason, he longed to hear this alpha say his name.
“I could say the same to you as well; your lands are toward our West. My name is Chan, and I would rather face anything the outlands may throw at me than be caught by any of the alphas chasing me.” The alpha's lip curled into a smirk at the clear venom in Chan's words.
“I am on my own journey, a rite of passage.” The fire seemed to follow the alpha as he moved closer to Chan. “My name is Hyunjin. I am sure my name does not mean as much to you as yours does to me. You are the elusive platinum omega. Your elders have been bragging to every neighboring pack about how your capture will bring them the best season of harvest and hunting yet. Yet here you are with me in a cave, hiding away from what your pack deems your soul purpose. Why is that little Moon?”
“If my soul's purpose is to be nothing more than a breeder in the eyes of the elder, then the pack is not worthy of my sacrifice. Instead of using me as their sacrifice, they should sacrifice themselves.” The words he had bitten his cheek at were spilling out. Hyunjin could kill him at any moment, and if this was his last day, he wanted to get everything off his chest.
“You say that, but come sunrise, we both know you will go back. If you truly believed that, then the thought of going back would never have crossed your mind. If you go west, my pack would take you in and hide you from your pack. That isn’t what you want, though you want to prove yourself. You want to go back and show them you outsmarted them. Is it true what they say? That you will spend several moon cycles locked away to ensure your safety, so their crops will grow, and the woods will stay full of prey. Is it worth it?”
Chan could hear birds chirping outside, replacing the owls, indicating morning was near. Chan had made it. Hyunjin was right; he could have headed in any other direction to escape, but his pride would not let him. He would be the first Dove to not get caught, and he deserved to see their reaction when they saw his neck bore no mark. Still, there was a pull to Hyunjin that made Chan want to stay longer, even just for a moment.
His feet moved on their own when he stood up to stand in front of the other. Hyunjin just watched him with dark eyes, not speaking as Chan got closer. His hands were soft against his face as they came up to rest against his cheek before moving too slowly to untie his hair.
“Why do you call me that? No one has ever called me moon before?”
“In our pack, your platinum hair means you are moon kissed. The goddess herself has kissed your head and sent you into the world to bless everyone around you. Your happiness would determine the fate of our pack. We would go through any means to make you happy. We would put you on a throne, and any alpha that wanted to be near you would have to kneel at your feet for a chance to be in your presence. You would pick your suitor. Your presence alone is a blessing. We would not force you to be sacrificed, that would only anger the goddess, and she would no longer think we were worthy of having future moon-kissed omegas in our pack. ” Hyunjin seems transfixed by his hair as he twirls it in his fingers before letting it go and stepping back.
“While it would be an honor to escort you away from your pack and away from here, I know you will not let me, little Moon. It is time for us to return you to your cage until you realize you can fly.” Chan followed in silence as Hyunjin led them back towards Chan’s border in the soft morning twilight. It isn’t until they reach a lake that he would need to step into to get rid of Hyunjin’s scent before making his track back that Hyunjin looks at him once more. The look on his face is pained, but he finally stepped forward to place the softest of kisses on his forehead before making his way back into the woods, leaving Chan ankle deep in freezing water and bells ringing him back home.
The look on the elder's face as he returned frozen and wet with no mark on his neck had been worth it. Chaos had erupted, and Chan was quickly grabbed by both arms and dragged into a single-room cabin on the outskirts of the pack by the crops, where he would spend the remaining seasons until the next run. He was kept there with limited visitors to ensure his safety.
Minho was the only one who was allowed to visit him, other than his mother, who never did because of her disappointment. Minho had let him know that no other omegas had presented with white hair in the Spring. The elders were blaming Chan and themselves, saying that it was their failure that Chan did not get caught, and were pushing the alphas through more rigorous training.
They wanted him to run again.
It would save Minho a cycle of having to run, but at the cost of Chan being bitten. He was supposed to be free to choose after not getting caught and spending his time in isolation until the next Dove was chosen. The elders were certain that the reason he had not been bitten last time was due to their alphas not being strong enough, but their training and prayers had fixed that issue. Several strong alphas had presented this year that were already biting the air at a chance to catch Chan.
Minho had silently encouraged him to run this time, but if he did, then when Minho’s turn came next cycle, he would not stand a chance. Minho’s plan had always been to escape here, and Chan would not be greedy enough to lock Minho to his place. Minho stood a better chance outside this territory than he did. He knew Minho would sometimes sneak into the cabin smelling of an unknown wolf before washing himself in Chan’s secluded cabin, since there was no fear of anyone catching him there. Minho had a life outside of this territory, even if it was never spoken out loud, and Chan would not take that away from him.
The second run started similarly to the first; however, the older omegas had ensured that Chan had taken a few mouthfuls of the warm cider. This run, he would only have a ten-minute head start, and they had not let him out of his cabin to scout the woods. He wouldn’t have time to go east, he would have to start in the Northwest. He briefly wonders if Hyunjin would be there. The alpha had never told him why he was in the Outlands to begin with, and if he had any plans to return.
The alphas must have had their egos hurt last cycle because they were foaming at the mouth at the sight of Chan when he entered the clearing. One of the older omegas had mentioned in passing that there were numerous incentives for the alpha who managed to catch him, and they had been threatened that if he was not caught this season, their training would intensify.
He ignores Minho mouthing run when he passes him as he darts into the woods. He allows himself a few moments to touch a few trees towards the East before heading Northwest. The alphas who chased him last year may not be fooled, but hopefully the newly presented ones will take the bait.
These woods are nothing like the ones he ran in before. The trees were denser, and the snow was frozen over in most places, causing him to lose his footing several times. He can almost smell the edge of the border when he is being tackled to the ground. The wolf smells of smoke and dirt. There are long arms circling him while they toss and turn on the cold forest floor. Chan does his best to keep his neck out of the others' reach. It isn’t until he is able to grab a sharp rock to bash into the alpha's head that he is able to get away. The alpha hadn’t been able to catch him, but they were able to slow him down. The tussle had left him tired, and his leg was injured. The pain in his left knee is almost unbearable. The border is just in sight, but he isn’t going to make it. Just as his eyesight starts to black out, he sees someone approaching him in the distance. This is it; whoever catches him this time, he won't be able to get away.
A quiet sob leaves his chest while the alpha wraps an arm around him, pulling him to their chest. The scent of pine, smoke, and tobacco engulfs him. Hyunjin. The sob becomes louder as Hyunjin picks him up and carries him across the border. It isn’t until Hyunjin sets him down on the same log as before that his cries finally slow down. The cave is quiet with only the sound of the crackling fire and Chan’s few remaining sniffles as Hyunjin inspects his knee.
“Nothing is broken, but you shouldn’t be putting any pressure on it for the next few days.” The hands that had been caressing his knee move upward towards Chan’s thigh, which pokes out from the robe with the way he is sitting. He had not realized how cold he had been before Hyunjin’s hands left a blazing trail up his body. His knees instinctively spread apart so Hyunjin could lean in closer between them to move the robe out of the way to inspect his skin for any other injuries.
This was more dangerous than getting tackled earlier. He would have killed the other wolf before he allowed him to sink his teeth into him, but Hyunjin was different. If Hyunjin put his mouth anywhere near Chan’s neck, he would let him. There would be no hiding it. The more Hyunjin touched him, the darker his hair would be. If he went back to the pack with anything other than platinum hair, they would know.
The word stop caught on the tip of his tongue when a soft kiss was placed on his sternum. His robe was doing nothing to keep him modest as it hung off his shoulders as Hyunjin’s lips made a path down his bruising skin. The tingling in his scalp is easy to ignore when the warmth in his stomach grows. His head hits the hard cave wall when Hyunjin’s mouth nips at his belly button.
Outside, the birds are chirping. They are on borrowed time. He had to get back, or they would come looking for him, and they were not far enough from the border to not be found. Chan is sure his apple and honey scent is flooding the area. If he were caught with Hyunjin, a war would start, and they would lose people on both sides.
“Hyunjin, the sun.” He is ignored. The reminder of the sun seems to only fuel Hyunjin on as he pulls himself back on his knees to nip and kiss at Chan’s collarbones.
“You are even more pale and thin than the last time I saw you. They are locking you away. That is no way to treat a moon. You are supposed to be worshipped, not hidden away. Come back with me to the West. You will be treated like a queen there. An omega blessed by the moon goddess, strong and independent, you are more than a Dove; you would be our Luna.” The tingling in his scalp intensifies as Hyunjin’s hand touches every inch of skin they can reach.
It is easy to blame it on the cider for the way his hips push into the hand that pushes a tad bit too far up his thigh. The warmth of his stomach rivals that of the fire that dances around the cave walls. Hyunjin keeps his hand there, moving it gently against Chan. He doesn’t need much. He had barely been touched his whole life; he wasn’t even allowed to touch himself. The sound of how wet he was echoed off the cave walls. It isn’t until Hyunjin’s mouth touches his neck that his knees try to slam shut, and the cave wall digs into his scalp as he pushes his head as far back as it would go. He wonders what he looks like to the birds looking in. Pale chest flushed down to his navel, his robe barely hanging onto his body, with an alpha who is supposed to be his enemy touching him so delicately.
“Return with me, I will build you the most beautiful home and decorate it with flowers that would be envious of your beauty. Return with me, and I will show you how you are supposed to be worshipped.” Chan wants to cry, he wants nothing more than to return with Hyunjin. He barely knows him, but he knows him more than any of the alphas that were willing to snap his bones in order to stake their claim on him.
Minho. He needs one more cycle to get Minho out. Once he knows Minho does not have to run, then he can escape as well.
“Next season. Next season, when I run, I will tell the other Dove to head the other way so we can both escape. If I leave with you now, I will leave the only person who I see as family in the worst fate. If I do not return, then when they make him run next season, he will stand no chance. Next season, wait for me at the border, and I will run as far West as you want me to.” He can see that Hyunjin wants to argue, but he doesn’t. The wolf inside him screams in sorrow as they both stand. He is just about to make his way out of the cave when Hyunjin stops him to twirl a piece of hair around his finger before cutting it at the roots with one of his long, shifted fingers. When he pulls it back, the long piece of hair is dark brown.
He is tainted. Stained. Yet he doesn’t care.
He takes the long piece of hair out of Hyunjin’s hand to tie around his wrist before placing a kiss on his pulse point. “One more cycle.”
“Grant me one wish and I shall grant you one in return. Promise me that you will keep yourself strong, and at the first sign of danger to your life, you will flee. If you cross the West border, I will be notified. No one from the West will hurt you. Make it back to me safely. If I do not see you this time next year, I fear I may have to burn down this whole forest to get to you.” Chan had granted him that promise and held his own wish for when they would meet again.
Scrubbing off Hyunjin’s scent in the freezing lake felt worse than death itself.
This time, it was different when he returned. Instead of astounded faces and whispers, he was met with anger. As soon as he was past the tree line, he was grabbed and dragged back to his cabin. Everyone was banned from entering his cabin. Only one person would be allowed to bring him his meals, but he was to be left alone to focus on ensuring that the goddess kept their crops healthy and the woods full of easy prey.
The next day, when his mother had finally come to greet him, he expected her to be disappointed but not angry enough to strike him in the face. Her words were sharp as her venomous words spoke of how disappointed his father would be if he were still alive and how she would no longer have a son if he did not fix this come next season.
After she had left, it had rained heavily for a week, and most of the fields had been washed up. Chan had refused to leave his sad excuse of a nest as the sky continued to grumble. One thing was clear: the moon goddess was not happy with how Chan was being treated, but the pack was too blinded to see it. In their eyes, this was Chan’s fault, a Dove that failed at their one job. He was supposed to lie back and just produce strong pups for their pack. He was supposed to allow the silver of hair to bless their soil and ensure their pack prospered.
Hyunjin had spoken about how their pack was different. That their Doves were worshipped. As long as they kept their Doves happy, their lands were plentiful. After a month in complete solitude, it became clear that his pack would not change their minds, no matter how much whispering he could hear outside the cabin about how their crops were not growing, and no one had seen a deer in weeks.
The thing that had him finally peeling himself out of his nest was his promise to Hyunjin. He needed to stay strong. Although the cabin was small, he made the most of it. He worked on his body; he moved the limited amount of furniture out of the way to exercise daily. The change was slow, but he had the time. After a few months, the muscles became more defined, and he felt stronger than he had felt in his life. This would be the first run he felt fully prepared for.
The day before his third run, when the festival was in full swing, Minho snuck into his cabin. He had not seen the other omega for almost the full season cycle. It was the perfect timing, he would tell Minho, when the run started, he needed to run the other way as well. What made him silent was that the other omega carried a stack of his softest blankets from his nest. He placed them on Chan’s barren nest before looking at him with sad eyes.
“The elders have decided that I will be the one running instead tomorrow. They think they can change their fates if they can make the moon goddess happy with another sacrifice. My hair isn’t as white as yours, but we are the last two white haired Doves of the pack.” This is what Chan wanted to avoid. He never wanted Minho to run; he was supposed to get him out before the elders got their hands on him.
“Channie, I’m not coming back. They decided this morning, but the alpha I have been meeting with built us a cabin, and his pack leaders have already said they would welcome me in. Whenever I start running, I am not going to stop.”
“Go Northwest. There will be someone waiting there; his name is Hyunjin. Tell him my name and tell him my wish is to get you as far away from here as possible and to your alpha. You will be safe with him; he will get you out. We had a plan to get us both out, but we will need to adjust it. Don’t worry, I will get out. Focus on yourself. I’ll be okay.” It was a lie, but Minho seems to believe him. They hug for a brief moment before Minho sneaks back out of his door.
That morning, no one came to retrieve him at the end of the festival like they had in the years prior. Instead, he lies in his bed that is now filled with nothing but Minho’s scent. The blankets he had brought him were ones that were envied by the whole pack. Minho was born to be a Dove. He was the kind of omega his mother had wished he would be, someone silent and good with household activities that would keep an alpha happy. Chan hopes Minho is able to find his alpha when he escapes; he knows he will be in good hands with Hyunjin.
He spends the morning praying to the moon goddess to bless Minho with strength. It isn’t until the bells chime that Chan even thinks about his own escape. There would be no way he would be able to make it across the pack grounds without being spotted, and if his scent led them to the West border, it could cause a war or lead them to Minho. It wasn’t until he could hear two betas speaking outside his door that any hope of escape left his body.
Chan’s fate was sealed the day his hair turned platinum blonde. He would stay in this cabin until the elders decided what to do with him. He was the last Dove of the pack. As long as no one sank their teeth into him, then he would wait. If Hyunjin felt even a fracture of the same pull Chan did, he would wait. Chan could only hope that Hyunjin didn’t actually start a fire like he had promised. While Chan was not treated well in the pack, there were still a lot of innocent wolves. There were betas who had it worse than Chan, and small pups that he could hear giggling outside his cabin every now and then. They were the ones Chan tried to keep his mood up for so that the crops would grow just enough to keep them full and prey running through their territory.
Chan wasn’t even surprised when morning came and the elders showed up at his door. They blamed him for putting rebellious thoughts in Minho’s head and for being the reason Minho had fled. If Chan had just done his duty and done what all his ancestors had done before, their pack would be blessed once more in the moon goddess's eyes. Instead, they were now cursed, and other packs knew. Packs were starting to close in on them because they knew they were at their weakest right now.
Chan didn’t care because every word the elder spoke just meant Minho was long gone. Minho had escaped. Chan would hopefully be the last of the white haired Doves of the Levanter pack.
The pack had learned their lesson that leaving bruising on his skin only caused their crops to die faster, so they settled on shackling him to his nest. The slack was just enough for him to move around the small cabin, but the chain was thick enough that Chan would not be able to snap it. He would be kept under surveillance until they figured out what to do with him. They wanted to ensure he did not further taint the minds of his other pack members.
It wasn’t until next season that they figured out what to do with him.
His cabin only had one small window that faced the back of the woods, but from the commotion outside, it sounded like there were a lot more people. There was shouting and cheers and wolves howling at one another.
The sight of Minho’s mother entering the cabin was a welcome change. In her hands, she carried a large box, which she placed on the small table before facing him.
“Chan. The elders have decided to do this run differently.” Her voice sounded full of worry and a bit of fear as she grabbed both of his hands. “They have opened up the run to neighboring packs. They are calling you the Swan. The purest and strongest of the Doves. Anyone who catches you will form a strong alliance with the pack. I should warn you that, due to my son's escape last season, the borders are now blocked on every side; whatever plan you may have will not work. Chan, I know you stayed to give my son a chance to escape, so if there is any way I can help you now, let me know. The elders have trusted me to get you ready, but we do not have much time.” She tried to soothe him as she got him ready, the way a mother would.
The closer his hair is to being finished, the more they are coming to realize there is no way out. Since he has not cut it in over three years, it hangs low past his shoulder blades, and she pins it out of his face, adding a few white feathers into the braids. The large box she had brought with her had a robe made of white feathers. The elders had woven his story out to be one from a fairytale. A Dove made of pure strength that had grown too big for their current cage. A Swan, an older omega that was so fertile that they would bless any pack with the strongest pups. Once, he claimed his sacrifice would be strong enough to bless both packs with the most prosperous season to come.
There had never been a Swan before, but there was also no omega that would be dumb enough to keep coming back into its cage.
If only the elders knew he had already been tainted. He had already let an alpha touch him, had let him bring him to places that only a mate was supposed to. Still, the feathered robe and mesh white veil that covered the bottom part of his face painted a pure picture. He looked delicate with his muscles hidden. The feathers would become a hindrance; they were already falling off, surely a forethought of the elders, so the alphas would have a clear path to him.
Minho’s mother kisses both of his cheeks and says a quick prayer to the moon goddess for him before they step outside and into the clearing. The winter wind is harsh against his skin since he hasn’t been outside in almost two years. His feet almost blend into the thin layer of snow on the ground due to the lack of sunlight. Hopefully, whoever did catch him would allow him to go outside.
He is led up to a small set of stairs before Minho’s mother squeezes his hand once before leaving his side. He misses her instantly. The scent of numerous unknown alphas is overwhelming, and his instincts scream at him to run, but after he takes one look at the field, he knows that would be foolish.
He is met with thirty or more fully shifted wolves, all looking directly at him like he is the most sought-after prey. While all the wolves in his pack were mainly soft gray colors, there was an array of different color furs in the crowd. Just how many packs did the elders reach out to ensure that Chan was captured this season?
All their eyes glowed a dull red in the orange of the sunset behind him. Once the sun went down, Chan would have to run. He wouldn’t have time to shift in his allotted ten-minute head start. He hadn’t shifted in years, and the pain of it would have him unable to move for a while. He would never be able to outrun them on two legs, and climbing a tree would just get him cornered. His only hope is that they would fight each other when the bells chimed so that a few would be taken out before even making it to the entrance of the trees.
There with the smallest of hopes lingering in his chest that one of these wolves was Hyunjin, or at least a wolf from the pack Minho had fled to. The smell of eager alphas was almost nauseating, and any hopes of smelling out Hyunjin left his mind as quickly as they came. He drowned out the voices of the elders preaching of unity and prosperity. Of how the legendary Swan would bless their people.
It was all bullshit. There was nothing in the text of a Swan. He hoped the moon goddess was lying witness to these very lies, and a proper punishment would be dealt.
When the elder finally stops talking, they motion for Chan to step down from the platform and to start making his way to the edge of the woods. As soon as he takes a step forward, his ten minutes begin. There is no plan, but he heads Northwest. He already knows the border will be blocked, but if there is any chance that Hyunjin is in the mix of alphas chasing him, he would know the direction Chan would go.
There is only one plan in his mind. If anyone other than Hyunjin catches him, he will allow himself to bleed out in the middle of their crops to ensure nothing ever grows there again. He would be the symbol of what happens when a bird is pushed to its limit and put in a cage it does not belong in. The sounds of the woods would be terrifying to any small creature just passing through. Behind him, he can hear the alphas fighting one another and their growling vibrating off the trees. One thing was for sure: only the strongest alphas would be able to catch him.
Chan was nothing more than a trophy, an ego boost to whatever alpha was able to catch him.
He was a Swan, a legend, and the bragging rights would go to the winner.
He can see the border just ahead, and sure enough, there are two large gray beta wolves guarding it, so he shifts towards the west, hoping to find a small opening he could escape through. If he made it to the Outlands, there were no laws. Meaning if he wanted to bash any alpha’s head in that tried to touch him, he could.
The closer to the West border he got, the quieter the woods around him became. He wasn’t naïve enough to slow his pace, but something was not right. Even if the other wolves had taken out the weaker ones, he should not have gotten this far without being caught. There should be wolves nipping at his heels. Still, he ran, but along every edge of their territory was a grey wolf protecting it. At this point, it seemed like his only escape was to find the weakest-looking one and try to push himself past. The only issue is that he would need to shift first, and that would require stopping.
He keeps running while trying to avoid any frozen-over pieces of snow when he hears it, the sound of a wolf that was already too close for Chan to escape. They sounded large from the way their footsteps were heavy in the snow. Chan is only able to get half a prayer to the moon goddess whispered into the cold winter air before he is pushed to the ground.
Out of instinct, his hands come out to cover his face and neck. He is too stunned to move, but he readies himself to push back the moment the alpha lunges forward. Except they never do. He can feel a large wolf towering over his body, but that is all they do; they just stand there. When Chan finally opens his eyes, he is met with a large black wolf covered in blood. The blood does not seem to be their own, but it still drips down from their mouth and onto the white feathers that cover their body.
Out of the corner of his eye, he can see two more large black wolves, but they do not approach; instead, their backs are turned, as if they are guarding them.
When he looks back up, the wolf is still looking down at him. His dark eyes are locked with Chans. It isn’t until he tilts his head to his right paw, where there are a few strands of hair tied around it, that it hits Chan.
“Hyunjin?” The wolf doesn’t respond, but the wagging tail is enough confirmation. Before Chan has a moment to gather his thoughts, Hyunjin is shifting and fully covering him with his body.
“By the moons, I should never have let you leave me last time. This isn’t how I wanted to do this. I wanted to court you, I wanted us to be able to take our time, but I fear my Moon, we don’t have that luxury anymore. Once I get you home, I will just have to spend every day making sure you are cherished.” Chan can feel tears of relief starting to fall down his face, but he is right. Like always, they are on a tight schedule. The two other black wolves start a low growl in their chests, signaling they will not be alone for long.
The feathers around his wrist are stained with red as he lifts Hyunjin’s face just enough to place a gentle kiss against his mouth. A quick seal of a promise of all the words they do not have time to speak out loud. When Hyunjin pulls back, Chan pulls him in towards his neck.
Every omega he asked said a mating bite felt like a searing pain. It felt like the alpha was carving a place out of them to leave a mark that would never fade. The few older Doves in the pack had told him that the changing of their hair had felt like their hair was being ripped out at the seams as the ground claimed their sacrifice.
When Hyunjin’s teeth sank into his flesh, it felt like coming home. There was an audible click inside his head like a lock had finally been undone, and everything Chan had kept away was spilling out. The moon above them seemed to shine brighter. He could feel Hyunjin’s fingers pushing his thighs further apart as he slid carefully into him, sealing the bond.
The ground yanked his head backwards as his hair was pulled towards the ground. He knew it was draining him of his white hair and replacing it with a duller color. A color that indicated that he was no longer unmated, that he was claimed, that he was Hyunjin’s.
He was Hyunjin’s mate, and nothing could change that.
Hyunjin had only stated the gentle movement of his hips as he pulled back. Chan could taste his own blood as Hyunjin brought his mouth back to his. Hyunjin’s tongue was warm against his as his hips started to move faster.
“Your turn, love.” Chan couldn’t think. He could only think of the warmth building in his stomach and the fire that was pulling from his scalp, but Hyunjin moved him around easily. His mouth was moved to Hyunjin’s neck, where he would need to leave a mark that mirrored the one that now rested on his throat. As soon as his teeth sank in, everything went very still. There was no pain, no sound, there was only Hyunjin.
When he pulled back from Hyunjin’s neck, he could feel Hyunjin’s knot inside of him, locking them together, and the snow against his pack cooling him off. Hyunjin wasn’t looking at him like he was a prize he had won, but the greatest treasure he had ever found. His eyes started to water again. He was truly blessed by the moon goddess to be mated to someone like Hyunjin.
“I will miss your white hair, but the black suits you just as much.” He can see the hair Hyunjin was twirling in his fingers out of the corner, and it was jet black.
“My black swan, truly one of a kind. When Minho came crashing through the border, asking me to grant your wish, I almost started a war with your pack, but I knew you would not be happy if I did. When my father got word of the swan run, I was already putting my name down before he finished reading the announcement. Minho is thankfully very skilled in map-making and laid out the paths you were most likely to take.” Minho. He was safe. A choked sob finally left his chest, and Hyunjin gathered him in his arms.
“Do you think we have to go back, or can we just cross over to Miroh territory?” They both knew the answer, and so did the two other wolves that Chan had forgotten about until one of them scuffs. Chan had to do this properly if they wanted to avoid any wars. They needed to return to show off Chan’s mark before they left.
Once Chan left, he vowed never to return.
By the time Hyunjin’s knot finally released them and Chan was able to stand on stable legs, the sun was letting herself be known.
“This will be the first morning you aren’t running away from me. The first of many mornings we will spend together.” Hyunjin kisses him softly once more before they make their way back to Chan’s pack while flanked by the two other black wolves he now knows as Changbin and Jeongin. Hyunjin had told him he had been against Jeongin coming since he had just recently presented, but since Minho’s belly was already swelling, Jisung could not come. As they make their way back, he can see why he did not want Jeongin to come; the white forest floor was covered in red. Changbin had pranced happily in the snow when Chan made a comment that they must be very strong to take on so many alphas.
“A lot of the weaker and older ones dropped out early. The alphas from the East went that way when the older omegas in your pack said they ran that way. After that, it became a bit of a bloodbath. Jeongin was good at getting the faster ones, and Changbin was good at knocking the bigger ones off the trail, so I could focus on your scent. It’s not cheating since your elders said there were no rules other than not to harm you too much, since that is apparently what the moon goddess told them directly. When we get you home, you can speak to my father about what punishment, if any, you want to inflict on this pack. Their way of thinking is barbaric, and it is not safe for future Doves, but we will respect your decision.” Hyunjin’s voice was laced with venom as he spoke of the Levanter pack.
“You mentioned your father a few times. I am assuming he is of high standing?” Both Jeongin and Changin started making a sound that was as close to a chuckling sound as a wolf could get.
“My father is the head alpha. The reason I was in the Outlands the first time we crossed paths was because I was on my way back from reaching out to our neighboring packs as part of my alpha trials. Don’t worry, my father is young and in perfect health, we will not have to take over for a long time.” The words had Chan stop walking.
Hyunjin threw his head back and laughed. It would be eerie to see someone laughing in blood-spattered snow if Chan wasn’t so damn enthralled by it. “What is that a deal breaker? We have a lot to learn about one another, but I promise nothing will ever hurt you again.”
Chan believed him, how could he not when their bond sang of nothing but happiness and love?
This time, when Chan stepped through the trees, he was met with applause and congratulations for the first time.