Twilight ||| Oneus

~~14~~

The trip back home after hunting was awkwardly silent. Both Alphas were tense, Youngjo more so and his scent proved it. He kept plenty of distance between him and Leedo as he drags his kills to their home. Once they were in range, Hwanwoong and Keonhee were there at the border ready to help.

Hwanwoong immediately flocked to his mate, while Keonhee reluctantly walked towards Leedo and helped him by taking some of their head alpha's kills. Leedo didn't even get the chance to thank him before he scurried off with them. The younger Alpha sighed, his heart once more felt like it was shattering as he watched his pack leave him behind.

He carried his own large buck he killed, dropping it off by the others with a good amount of distance between them as he began skinning his kill. He did his best to save the pelt as he worked to separate the meat from it, but he was starting to get angry at himself all over again.

"If you're not careful you'll tear holes," Hwanwoong's soft voice commented above him. Leedo looks up, seeing the blond sitting down in his knees to help the younger Alpha with his kills. Leedo's eyes widen as he looks around for Youngjo, waiting for the Alpha to come from anywhere to snap at him or possibly do worse for being near his mate.

"He already finished the pelts and went to rest," Hwanwoong whispered, effortlessly skinning a rabbit before placing the pelt in a weaved basket.

"Why didn't you join him?"

"Because you have more pelts to do before they start to rot," Hwanwoong sighed, "and... because I know you're beating yourself up over everything still."

"Well you would too if you were in my position."

Hwanwoong takes in a deep breath before sighing softly, "Leedo, I know it's not really helpful to hear this right now... but you have to give Youngjo time. He's the type of person who gets angrier and angrier the more you push him to talk or to do anything. It takes time for him to let all of this anger he's had built up simmer down and eventually be calm enough to address the situation. I know you are sorry for what you did, you had no control over this situation whatsoever, but pushing Youngjo to answer you or to expect to brush this all under the rug isn't helping any."

"Then what-"

The Luna held up a hand to silence the younger Alpha, patting Leedo's hand gently before going back to skinning another rabbit, "Give him time. That's all we can really do right now is give Youngjo time. He'll come around when he's ready to talk, but for now we just have to have patience."

Leedo bites the inside of his cheek, nodding before going back to skinning the deer he has been working on. Eventually, they were finished and he looked up in time to see Dongju and Keonhee talking together at the garden. He felt shame once more take over him when both looked over their shoulders at him, looking away instantly to go back to their task.

Leedo helps Hwanwoong carry the meat to the small shack they had built to store their extra supplies. Once everything was in place, Hwanwoong gave Leedo a gentle smile before retreating to his hut where Youngjo supposedly was. Leedo sighs, walking over to his own hut after catching eyes with his Beta once more, slamming the door shut behind him to block out the eyes that bore into him.

The eyes that held the same disappointed look that everyone else is giving him now.

.

.

.

.

Tensions were thick throughout the small pack of four. Dongju felt like he walked in the middle of an important meeting and everyone was watching and waiting for his explanation as to why he so rudely interrupted.

He doesn't have it as bad as his alpha though.

The others, except for the head alpha, would speak to him civilly and show him kindness. The one they called Keonhee would always greet him with a small smile before going about his business. The only conscious Omega, the Luna, although was quiet some he showed the most kindness and tried to be civil between everyone.

But still, he could very well recognize himself as the outcast of the group. Someone forced into their pack because of a simple mistake.

"Would you like to help me garden?" A soft voice asks Dongju who was watching the head alpha walk to his hut. Dongju looks up, seeing the Beta that they call Keonhee standing there with a large basket in his arms, "We'll need a few ingredients for dinner with the extra mouths to feed, so I'll need a bit of help."

Dongju nods, standing to walk with the taller Beta to the garden. Keonhee kneels down in the grass by the different variations of vegetables, and begins working through the vines and weeds to pull out the ripened ones. As he worked, he hummed a soft tune, although when he caught Dongju watching him he stopped, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Dongju clears his throat, "It's just... I've never actually done this before."

"What? Gardening?" Keonhee's eyebrows raise, "It's a basic skill. Everyone should know how to garden."

"Not when you've been on the run all your life," Dongju mumbles.

Keonhee frowns, not sure what the Beta meant by that statement so he nods, "Okay, there's no shame in that. So for these," he points to the tomatoes, "Just find ones that are bright red like this." He plucks a fat, juicy tomatoe off of a vine and shows it to the Beta, "Although sometimes these ones will have bruises or will have worm holes. If they do, pitch them into the woods. The deer will enjoy the nice treat."

Dongju nods, listening carefully as the older Beta told him about every plant, every herb, even some cool facts he had no clue about. At one point, he felt eyes burning in the back of his skull and looks over his shoulder to see his Alpha walking towards his hut.

Well, their hut.

Keonhee looked over his shoulder as well, noticing what the Beta is looking at and brings his attention immediately back to the garden, "While you're also picking fresh vegetables, you might also tackle the weeds. Sometimes they can get a bit out of hand and need some taming. It's very calming and therapeutic."

Dongju smiles softly, nodding his head along with the Beta but sadly he wasn't really processing the information. Instead, he was thinking about the Alpha that claimed him by mistake. Distracted by his sorrowful look as he trudged to their hut.

Dongju brushes it away, maybe one of these days he and his Alpha can work on arrangements.

Written by JinJin0309