Twilight ||| Oneus

~~4~~

Youngjo and Leedo outdid themselves with their hunting, so they must have been fairly excited. They were able to bring back a giant buck, two squirrels, and three crabs, more than enough food to last them for several days.

Keonhee quickly got to work on preparing the freshly skinned squirrels. He smiled widely when Hwanwoong came over to assist him. Across the clearing, Youngjo and Leedo worked on skinning the huge buck.

Hwanwoong watched his lover working so hard to perfectly separate the hide from the flesh, but then he noticed something interesting.

Leedo was looking in their direction, and his attention seemed to be on the tall male beside him. It was a look that portrayed curiosity more than anything. He was studying the beta.

When the alpha finally noticed that he had been caught, he instantly looked away, putting his focus back on his task.

"Hey," Hwanwoong gently nudged at Keonhee, which startled the older at first since Hwanwoong rarely initiated conversations.

"Yes?" Keonhee wondered.

"I think Leedo is interested in you." Hwanwoong wasn't sure why he was letting the other wolf know this. Something about Keonhee just made him feel like he should. "He keeps looking this way toward you."

Keonhee let himself slip a glance at Leedo, and his body shivered. He looked slightly uncomfortable even.

Because of that, neither one said anything more about it as they continued to work on the evening's meal.

"Here you go, my love." Youngjo said as he passed a clay plate full of food over to his mate and pecked the omega's temple before preparing his own.

Keonhee sat beside Hwanwoong, kindly waiting for everyone else to grab their own food before he got his, but Hwanwoong noticed Leedo on the other side of the fire glancing at the beta again. With a plate piled high with venison, Leedo decided to come over and hold the food out to Keonhee. "Here," he blurted awkwardly, avoiding any eye contact.

"Oh, um, thank you." Confusion crossed Keonhee's face, but he accepted the alpha's kind gesture with both hands and with a nod.

When Leedo sat back down in his spot, he glanced at the beta another time, and Hwanwoong noticed that the young alpha seemed to be contemplating something. But the older quickly shook his head to get rid of the thoughts.

The rest of dinner was absolutely wonderful. With tummies full, the group of four just sat, basking in one another's company and getting to know each other better under the setting sun. Youngjo comfortably wrapped a secure arm around his mate since the temperature was growing cooler. Hwanwoong snuggled into him.

"Ah, I'm so glad we did this. Thank you for the suggestion Keonhee." The alpha sent a warm smile toward the mentioned male.

"I agree," Leedo spoke up, "It's the first time that we actually felt like a real pack since we've been together. And the flowers were a nice touch."

Keonhee blushed at the two alpha's compliments. "Aw, thank you... it was nothing really. We all put a lot of effort in. The flowers were Hwanwoong's idea." It was true. Hwanwoong actually suggested making the floral vines.

"They're beautiful, baby." Youngjo told his omega, sounding full of pride, and kissed the top of his blonde head.

When the conversation seemed to dissipate, Leedo spoke up again. "So I was thinking about this the other day, but we never actually declared a pack leader."

Everyone silently thought about the alpha's words. They've never talked about having a leader for their pack before. They were just starting out, so the conversation has never come up.

When no one said anything right away, Leedo continued. "Well, I think it should be Youngjo."

The mentioned alpha's eyes widened and he pointed at himself in question.

"I agree," Keonhee added. "You were so caring and kind when you brought me in, and all of us look up to you in some way."

Youngjo nodded with a bashful smile, his cheeks turning pink at their kind words.

Hwanwoong sat silently, listening to the discussion between the other three wolves. They were so caught up with the topic that they didn't notice Hwanwoong shrinking back into himself again. Them talking about this started the long spiral of thoughts that ate away at him for months all over again, just when he was coming out of his shell too.

The omega agreed that his alpha would make a wonderful pack leader someday. He always knew that he would've been a great Pack Alpha for Blood Moon, and he would have been by his side to help him lead. But he had to go and screw it all up for him.

"So it's decided!" Leedo cheered, clapping his hands together.

"And that would make you the pack Luna, Hwanwoong." Keonhee beamed adorably.

And that did it.

A single tear trailed down the omega's face, but before anyone could catch it, Hwanwoong wiped away the evidence with the back of his hand.

Why did he have to feel this way? He'd ask himself. He was doing so good too.

He scoffed under his breath at the idea of him being a Luna, even for this small pack. How could he be a Luna if he can't even provide pups for his mate to carry on the bloodline. He's useless.

He clenched his eyes shut as more of the negative thoughts invaded his mind.

Keonhee would probably make a much better Luna. At least he's hardworking, friendly, a good cook, and handy with herbal medicines. He'd be a perfect Luna for them. Hell, he'd probably make a better mate for his alpha too.

That thought destroyed him.

Youngjo must have smelt his lemongrass scent spiking. When he felt a reassuring squeeze from his alpha on his waist, his mind suddenly cleared, forcing him back into reality.

He could tell that the older was excited and honored, and he refused to take this away from Youngjo again. They could deal with the pup problem later when it approaches, and if they asked Hwanwoong to step down because of it, then he would at that time.

For now, he forced a sweet grin on his face and whispered a gentle, "Thank you."

~~Written by @squidster97~~