That night, after they both marked each other, Levi immediately ushered Eren to sleep. The Alpha was so eager about being on the same bed as his mate for the first time –in an innocent way—, it made him unaware of Eren's quietness.
That, or Eren was good at hiding his feelings about the mark on Levi's neck.
In no time, Levi already fast asleep while holding Eren's hand and intertwined their fingers together.
As for Eren, he was too distracted by Levi's marked neck, making him unable to sleep.
Eren's mark on Levi was a wing-like shaped mark. It was so beautiful.
But here's the catch.
There, around Eren's mark was shown another mark. It almost faded away, but the brunette could see it as a random splattered-shaped mark. No matter how many times Eren staring at it, there was no doubt that Levi's neck looked like it had been marked by someone other than Eren.
'Levi had been marked before. But by who?' Eren thought bitterly while his tan fingers tracing onto the shape of his mark around Levi's neck.
It was a wonder to Eren as to why Levi allowed himself to be marked by someone other than Eren; his mate, his one and only soul mate.
'How could he?'
Eren wanted to cry.
'Why Levi did this to me, to my wolf?'
Eren's wolf was hurting inside him.
Eren was so deep in his thought, he didn't even realise that he was crying; making the pillow that he used became wet with his tears.
Upon hearing Eren's low sobs, Levi abruptly jerked awake by instinct. He tightened the grip on his intertwining fingers with Eren, while he used the other to wipe away the tears on the tan cheeks.
"Hey, Eren. What happened? Bad dreams?" Levi asked softly.
Eren shook his head furiously as a reply. He was now sobbing harder than before.
"Then what's wrong? Tell me," Levi lie closer to Eren and hugged him tightly, his thumb was rubbing on Eren's back soothingly.
"—you..."
"Hm?"
"How could you?"
"What are you talking about, Eren?"
Still sobbing, Eren looked at Levi with teary eyes, "The mark that I put on your neck, it surrounded by almost faded mark from I-don't-know-who. You... You let yourself being marked by someone other than me. How could you— Ugh! Hic!" He tried to wipe the tears away harshly with the back of his hand.
"Eren, stop that. Eren, shhh!" Levi pried Eren's hand away and wiped the tears with his own pale hands. He leaned forward and kissed each of Eren's eyes lovingly.
"No! Let go," Eren tried to resist, but Levi got a good gold on him.
Levi was now hugging Eren tightly and rested his face on the tan shoulder.
Eren could feel Levi's lips moving on his tan skin, and later, he could see Levi's shoulder shaking.
Levi was actually trying to maintain his laugh.
Eren gasped in disbelief, "You! Are you laughing at me? You—"
'Is this some kind of joke to him?' Eren thought with annoyed face, a bit furious with how Levi reacted.
At Eren's expression, Levi's muffled laugh finally broke into an amused laugh.
The Alpha then took a deep breath to stop his laughing. He looked at Eren in the eyes, a smirk plastered on his face, "Are you seriously mistaken the mark on my neck with double meaning behind it? The mark that you put on me, hm?"
"I— What?" Eren blinked, dumfounded.
"Come with me," Levi got up from the bed and took Eren's wrist, tugging it slightly, signalling the brunette to follow the raven.
"Levi?"
Levi didn't answer. He kept pulling Eren to follow him.
When Levi stopped in his track, Eren could see that they were facing a body mirror next to Levi's huge wardrobe.
Levi stepped aside and moved next to Eren while both of them staring at each other on the mirror. The Alpha turned on the standing lamp next to the mirror, and then he pointed back and forth between his neck and Eren's, "Look at my mark and then take a look at yours."
With slightly puffy eyes from crying earlier, Eren compared both of their own mark, and his eyes widened from realisation, "Oh. It's..."
"You see it now? You and I formed the same mark on our neck. The faded mark right here—" Levi tapped his neck, "—it's also the part of our mark, yet you mistaken this as something else from 'I-don't-know-who'?" Steel-blue eyes stared at the brunette playfully.
Eren didn't meet Levi's eyes as he covered his face with the palm of his hands. He groaned in embarrassment. He then turned around and marched back to the bed.
"Eren?"
Ignoring Levi's call, Eren slumped on the bed. He grabbed the blanket and rolled himself around it, making himself a human burrito. There was no way in hell that Eren would face Levi after the embarrassment he made for himself because of their marks.
"Eren, what are you doing?" Levi asked. He slightly chuckled at Eren's silliness.
Once again, Eren ignored Levi as the brunette wrapped the blanket tighter around him and buried his face while he was on it.
Levi who was now already sitting next to burrito-Eren, tried to snatch the blanket away, but Eren get a good grip on the blanket and kept still around it.
When Levi started to put a little force, Eren whined, "Nooo, let me be! There is no way I am able to face you after my silly accusation to you! I feel so humiliated, not by you, but by myself! Uhhh..."
"Eren, it's perfectly okay. Come on, look at me."
"No! You'll make fun of me."
"I won't. See for yourself if you don't believe me."
Eren's head popped out from the burrito blanket. He blinked slowly, eyes staring at Levi awkwardly.
The sight was so adorable, it made Levi smile a little, "Hey."
"Hey," Eren murmured shyly.
"You okay now?"
Eren jutted out his lower lip, "I thought— I thought you've been—" He sighed. Unwrapping himself from the blanket, Eren then put the fabric to cover his face, "Oh, I should have known that the faded mark is actually a part of our formed mark. Yet I assume it as someone else's mark on you."
"As if I would let other people mark me," Levi retorted.
"I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for? Silly," Levi tapped his index finger onto Eren's nose.
Eren was about to say something to Levi, but then he yawned sleepily. When he knew that nothing was wrong with Levi's mark, all the tension disappeared and replaced by the urge to sleep as his eyes started to flutter shut.
Levi, whom aware of Eren's drowsiness, peered at the alarm clock on his nightstand before he turned his face to his mate, "It's still 3 am. We could use a few hours to get some more sleep," He suggested.
"Yeah. Agree," Eren said, smiling at Levi with half-lidded eyes.
Levi took Eren's hand and kissed the knuckles. Unlike before, Eren was now aware by the gesture, making his tan skin turned beet red from blushing.
The Alpha closed his eyes and intertwined their fingers together, feeling content with Eren by his side.
Oh, how he thankful the moon spirit for choosing Eren as his mate, Levi would forever treasure him.
Treasure.
Levi smiled, 'Sleep tight, treasure.'
At that, Eren's brows furrowed, "Um, I don't know if I am hallucinating or not, but I think I heard you talking, which is weird, because you're not opening your mouth to talk."
Steel-blue eyes opened lazily, "Eren, we marked each other, which make our bond getting stronger. We can now communicate through our mind."
"Really? Like, mind-linking between pack members?" Eren asked curiously.
"It works like mind-linking, but our mind-communication is exclusively between the two of us, mates only."
"Ohhh, can you read my mind too?" Eren's eyes twinkled with interest.
"I don't know, can you?" Levi smirked.
"Um, no?"
Levi tightened the grip on their intertwined fingers, "We will be able to, but not now."
"Oh. Then... when will we be able to do that?"
"Later, when we already mated."
"Huh? Aren't we a mated pair already? So, why— Oh. Ohhh!" Eren gasped. Sleepy eyes went wide at the sudden realisation.
Levi chuckled, "Yes, 'ohhh'. But that's for later, when you're ready. For now, we sleep."
Eren nodded shyly. He looked into Levi's eyes and smiled, 'Goodnight, Levi!' Eren said through his mind.
'Goodnight, treasure.'
'Treasure. I could get used to it,' Eren closed his eyes and curling himself right next to Levi who replied with a small hum as he closed his own eyes.
With each other company, both of them fast asleep within the next minute.
—
—
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Eren jolted awake from his slumber by the sound of Levi's alarm clock.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Hnggg!" Tan fingers tried to reach the source of the annoying sound with his closed eyes, only to failed miserably.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Make it stop!" Eren whined.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Click.
It was Levi who turned the alarm off. As a morning person, he could easily wake up, unlike Eren.
Levi sat up and stared at their loosening intertwined fingers. He let go and patted Eren's dark chocolate hair, "Morning, treasure."
"No, sleep more," Eren slurred.
Levi didn't say anything more, but deep inside, he was more than happy to wake up like this, with Eren lying closely next to him.
Still caressing Eren's bed head that was snuggled lazily onto the touch, Levi heard Mikasa's loud shriek from down the hall, followed by Armin's plea, trying to calm her down.
"She's so loud... Tell her to stop. I'm trying to get my beauty sleep here," Eren mumbled.
"I think your sister already in panic mode, seeing you not in your room. Come on, treasure. Get up."
"Ugh, whyyy..."
Ignoring Eren's whine, Levi gave Eren a small pat on the head before he got up.
Eren opened one of his eyes and saw Levi slowly walked to another room. By the sound of the running water, Eren assumed that Levi was going to the bathroom and took a morning shower.
A few moments later, with so much effort, Eren finally get up after he heard the running water had stopped.
Lazily, yet shyly, Eren walked through the bathroom door and knocked.
With a clicking sound, the door opened, revealing Levi with a bathrobe, "Finally deciding to get up?" The Alpha smirked, "Come. The sink is big enough for two if you want to brush your teeth and wash your face, or would you rather to have a quick shower?"
Now, Eren had wanted to tell Levi that he was going to go back to his own room –which also connected to the bathroom— for a quick wash up. But who was he to refuse Levi's offer on doing the mundane morning routine together?
"Okay. Do you have a new toothbrush that I could use?" Eren asked timidly.
Levi was staring at him, surprised that Eren went along with Levi's offer. He then blinked a few times before giving Eren a new toothbrush, "Here."
"Thanks. I will take a quick shower after this if you don't mind."
"Go ahead. The fresh towel is up there, on the rack beside the shower, you can use it."
"Okay," Eren gave a bashful smile as he opened the toothbrush's package.
"I'm a bit taken aback here. I thought you will just go back to your room, getting all shy and flustered when I offered you to wash up here."
"Well, this will be my room too. Might as well start to get used to doing everyday routines here from now on," Eren said between blushes that started to creep on his face. "Plus, since we've been marking each other, I feel like wanting to be closer with you and do anything together," He added.
"The feeling is mutual," Levi replied.
Eren gave him a satisfying nod. He then brushed his teeth and washed his face while Levi was shaving the stubbles on his face. Once Levi had finished, he let Eren use the shower while he went to his wardrobe to get changed and get Eren a changing clothes as well.
Levi knocked into the bathroom. He reached for the table near the sink and put the clothes on it, "I'll put your changing clothes here, alright?"
Eren squeaked when he heard the door clicked open, it made him stuttered from behind the curtain, "Ah, uh, thanks Levi."
Not a minute later, Eren got out from the shower stall with the towel wrapped around his waist. He reached out for the clothes; a pair of old shirt and sweatpants, along with a new package of underwear.
The shirt was full of Levi's scent. It made Eren can't stop sniffing at it.
'Whoa, there. Don't be a creep!' Eren thought to himself.
He took a quick glance at the mirror, smiling sheepishly at the mark on his neck before he came out from the bathroom.
"Levi? I'm done. Thanks for the, uh, clothes."
"No problem, it's a quiet old clothes anyway. I'll buy you some new clothes later."
"You don't need—"
"Anyway..." Levi cut him off, "I already told Mikasa that you have been staying in my room since last night."
"Oh."
"Yeah. Now, why don't we go to the dining room? Mikasa and Armin are waiting for you there for breakfast."
"Okay," Eren nodded at Levi, but frowned when he saw the Alpha eyeing him with an odd look, "Is something wrong, Levi?"
"Your ears," Levi said simply.
"My ears?" Eren traced his ears. He gasped in panic when he felt something furry instead of skin, "Wha— I, how? Its... Levi!"
"Eren, Eren, it's okay, it's normal," Levi put his hands onto Eren's shoulder to calm him down.
"How is this normal? It's embarrassing!"
"You just had your first shift. You can't control your shift fully, at least not just yet."
"Ugh, this is sucks."
"No. That's actually kinda cute," Levi flicked Eren's wolf ear.
"Do you have a hat or whatever that would cover my ears?"
"No, I don't."
"Liar."
"Let's go for breakfast," Levi ignored Eren's pout. The Alpha held the tan wrist and tugged on it softly. Eren automatically followed him. When Levi opened the door, they met with the sight of Mikasa and Armin who waited for Eren outside Levi's bedchamber instead of the dining room.
Upon seeing her baby brother, Mikasa immediately ran toward him. She held the urge to smile at the sight of Eren's ears, "You okay now, Eren?"
"I'm okay. I rest well," Eren rubbed his neck sheepishly.
"What is this?" Mikasa pried Eren's hand away from his neck, revealing the mark on the tan skin.
"Ohhh, someone get lucky last night!" Armin chirped up.
"N-not like that! He, we only marked each other. That's all, nothing more! Right, Levi?" Eren tried to get a backup from his mate.
"No comment. What happen inside the room, stay inside the room," Levi replied smugly, making Mikasa and Armin cooed slyly in unison.
"Ugh, stop it! Really, you talk about my mark but not about my silly ears?" Eren pointed at his furry ears.
"I've been there when I had my first shift. Don't worry. Give it a few days or so, and then you can finally control everything, be it your human form or your wolf form," Armin assured him.
"Aside from that... I believe you owe us a run, Eren?" Mikasa hinted.
"A run?" Eren asked in confusion.
Mikasa nodded, "A. Run."
"Oh! Alrighty, let's go for a run!" Eren clapped his hands, realising what his step-sister hinted on. He stopped midway and turned to Levi, "Ah... but Levi wants to have a breakfast."
"It's okay, go have a morning run. I'll wait for you at the dining hall. We're going have a late breakfast later."
"Is that okay? You know you can just go eat first—"
"It's okay," Levi cut him off.
"If you say so. Thanks, Levi!" Eren gave him a peck on the cheek. He blushed really hard after doing it, though.
Levi chuckled at Eren attempt to act like a proper mate, or at least being couple-y with Levi. He then gestured to the trio as to allow them to leave for a run.
Without further ado, the trio shifted into their wolf form –with a bit difficulty from Eren since the brunette not used to it just yet— and started running.
After the trio took off, Levi mind-linked the territory guards that was on duty with his Alpha tone, 'Attention!'
'Yes, Alpha!' They responded in harmony.
'Eren just having his first shift last night. Right now, him, along with Armin and Mikasa are taking a morning run. I want everyone to keep an eye on them. Don't let them off from our territory, for safety reasons.'
'Ah, that explains the screaming last night. I mind-linked Farlan at that time, but he said not to worry and just focusing on guarding the territory,' It was Erd who spoke up.
'Yes, Farlan was right, you don't have to worry. Oh, and Erd?'
'Yes, Alpha?'
'I borrowed Mike's mountain bike last night. Will you send them back to him? You are almost off from today's guard duty, right? Take Oluo or Gunther with you for a company.'
'Roger that, Alpha.'
'Thank you.'
With that, Levi ended the mind-link between him and the guards as he stared at the ripped off clothes on the ground. He then picked them up before he made sure not to forget to buy Eren and those two another clothes.
—
—
Approximately an hour later, Mikasa and Armin, who was still in their wolf form, came back with unconscious human-Eren on Mikasa's back. Beneath his naked body, Eren was covered with Jean's jacket as the owner of said jacket happened to escorted them back to the castle.
When Levi saw his mate, he immediately rose from his seat at the dining, "What happened?" He rushed to Eren and picked him up bridal style.
"Um, he fainted?" Jean replied with a questioning tone. The Alpha was releasing a menace aura from seeing his unconscious mate. It made Jean quivered a bit.
"No shit, Kirschtein. I'll take him to my room. Call Petra!" Levi barked.
"Yes, Alpha!" Jean immediately ran to find the doctor pack.
"You two, go change first. Then you can go to my room," Levi barked again, this time to Mikasa and Armin.
The two didn't protest. Seeing Levi in his Alpha mode, they knew best to obey, even though technically Levi wasn't their Alpha, not just yet.
One check-up from Petra and conscious Eren later, Levi let out a relieved breath.
Petra told Levi that Eren was exhausted because his body not used with the shifting. This resulted on Levi to prohibit his mate to go for another full shifting. At least not until Eren get a good bed rest for the sake of Eren's health.
Eren, still exhausted, couldn't do anything but nodded weakly at Levi. He took a quite large of late breakfast and went into a deep sleep on Levi's bed as the pale lover gave Eren a small peck on his marked neck.
Immediately, Eren was dead to the world.
Not literally.
During his sleep, the brunette didn't even stir, not even once.
When the night time had come and Levi was going to sleep next to him, Eren still didn't bulge. Eren's steady breathing was Levi's only reason to be aware that his mate is alive.
The next morning, Eren finally stirred awake.
He realised he wasn't in his room. He was at Levi's, again. But the owner of said room wasn't anywhere to be found. So, with the urge on seeing his mate, Eren opted on looking for Levi in his work room.
Once Eren get there, he knocked the door slowly, "Levi, are you there?"
"Eren? Come in," Levi replied from the other side of the room.
Eren opened the door and went into Levi's office. There, he found his Alpha mate standing in front of a girl that seemed unfamiliar to Eren.
"How are you, Eren?" Levi asked, clearly ignoring the presence of the girl for a moment.
"I'm better now, thank you," Eren replied.
"Good. Because, Eren?"
"Yes?"
Levi took a quick glance at the mysterious girl and then he rested his gaze at Eren, "I think we need to talk. It is important."
At that moment, Eren didn't know whether it was going to be a good talk or a bad talk. He just hoped it's not the latter.
—
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Chapter End Notes:
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