...“A bond can’t be erased. The only thing you can do… is pretend not to see it.”...
...°°°...
Minhyuk’s hand was warm in his, steady and familiar, the kind of warmth Hoseok had held onto for a long time without ever questioning it. They walked side by side through the village square, where soft lantern lights cast a golden glow over everything, turning the night into something gentle and almost dreamlike. Small shops lined the streets, their displays filled with sweet pastries, steaming cups of tea, and brightly colored fabrics that moved softly with the breeze. Laughter lingered in the air as couples passed by, brushing shoulders, exchanging quiet jokes, living in a way that felt easy and whole.
It should have felt comforting.
It should have felt right.
But somehow, it didn’t.
To Hoseok, everything felt distant, like a scene he was only watching from afar instead of standing inside. The warmth around him didn’t reach him, the laughter didn’t settle, and even the hand holding his felt strangely unfamiliar, as if something invisible had slipped between them without warning.
He still smiled when he needed to. He laughed at Minhyuk’s teasing, nodded when the Beta pointed toward a bookstore he wanted to visit, and responded at the right moments, his voice calm, his expressions convincing enough that nothing seemed out of place. Anyone looking at them would see the same Hoseok as always steady, composed, unchanged.
But inside, something had shifted.
Something he couldn’t name.
His fingers trembled faintly in Minhyuk’s grasp, a subtle movement he didn’t even realize at first, as if they were searching for something else something they had never held before, yet somehow longed for with a quiet, aching familiarity.
That scent returned to him again, uninvited.
Soft.
Cold.
Lingering in a way that didn’t make sense.
It stayed at the edge of his memory, wrapping around his thoughts, refusing to fade no matter how much he tried to push it away. And with it came the image he had been trying so hard not to remember pale skin under moonlight, silver hair touched by the wind, and eyes that shimmered like broken diamonds.
Hoseok’s jaw tightened slightly.
He didn’t want to admit it.
But he couldn’t lie to himself.
That Omega had been beautiful.
Not just beautiful something beyond that, something unreal, like a presence that didn’t belong to the world he knew. And that was exactly why it unsettled him so deeply.
So he tried to forget.
He forced himself to look away, to bury the memory, to erase the feeling before it could take root.
For Minhyuk.
For the life he had chosen.
For the future he had already decided on.
And yet, no matter how hard he tried, it remained.
Like snow that refused to melt.
Like the quiet scent of jasmine that lingered long after the wind had passed.
Cold.
Soft.
Unavoidable.
“Hoseok-ah…”
Minhyuk’s voice broke gently through his thoughts as he reached up, brushing a fallen leaf from Hoseok’s shoulder. His touch was careful, his expression warm, but there was something new in his eyes now something more cautious, more observant, as if he was beginning to notice the distance Hoseok himself was trying to ignore.
“You’ve been… different lately.”
“I’m fine,” Hoseok replied, the words coming too quickly, too easily, as if he had prepared them before the question was even asked.
Minhyuk slowed to a stop, his gaze lingering on Hoseok’s face as though searching for something beneath the surface. “Are you?” he asked softly, his voice quieter now, more careful.
“You haven’t called my name these past few days… you always do that when something’s bothering you.”
Hoseok didn’t answer.
He couldn’t.
The silence stretched between them, heavy in a way that words couldn’t fix, filling the space where honesty should have been. And in that silence, something shifted in Minhyuk’s expression, the warmth in his eyes dimming just slightly, replaced by a quiet understanding he didn’t voice aloud.
That night, sleep never came.
Hoseok lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling as if it might offer him something an answer, a distraction, anything to quiet the storm inside him. His body felt tense, his breathing uneven, every part of him unable to settle no matter how still he tried to remain.
Inside him, his wolf was anything but calm.
It moved restlessly, pacing, pressing, growing louder with every passing moment. It clawed against him, pushed against the control he had built over the years, demanding something he refused to acknowledge.
It wasn’t hunger.
It wasn’t power.
It wasn’t dominance.
It was something else entirely.
The bond.
He could feel it now, undeniable, alive in a way that made it impossible to ignore. It pulsed through him, steady and persistent, calling to something deep within him that answered without hesitation.
But Hoseok refused.
He forced it down, tightening his control until it hurt, until even breathing felt heavier than it should have. He closed his eyes as if that alone could silence it, as if ignoring it long enough would make it disappear.
He chose not to hear it.
He chose not to feel it.
He chose… denial.
...°°°...
Far from the village, where the warmth of lantern light could not reach, the small cabin stood in silence beneath the same moon. Hyungwon sat alone on the wooden porch, wrapped in a thick blanket that failed to chase away the cold that clung to him. The night air brushed against his skin, sharp and quiet, carrying a stillness that felt heavier than usual.
Inside, Changkyun had already fallen asleep, exhaustion pulling him into a restless calm, while Jooheon remained distant, his silence stretching throughout the day in a way that spoke louder than words ever could.
Hyungwon lowered his gaze slowly, his fingers moving absentmindedly as they traced small circles over his wrist.
The place where the bond should have appeared.
Where a mark should have formed alive, undeniable if he had been accepted.
But there was nothing.
No warmth.
No light.
No sign that he belonged to anyone.
Only emptiness that sat quietly against his skin.
His hand stilled.
For a moment, he simply stared at it, as if waiting hoping that something might change if he gave it enough time.
But nothing did.
Slowly, he lifted his head, his eyes finding the moon once more, full and distant, hanging in the sky as it always had, untouched and unchanging. It watched everything, witnessed everything, yet never offered an answer to those who looked up at it searching for one.
His lips parted slightly, his voice soft, fragile, almost lost to the night.
“Am I really that easy to forget…?”
The wind carried the words away before they could settle, dissolving them into the silence that surrounded him.
And above it all, the moon remained still.
Watching.
Quiet.
Unanswered.
Like always.
Tbc ✨
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