Chapter Text
Waking up felt harder than usual.
His body no longer ached, thanks to the medication. Even so, for some reason, the scent of his mates did not soothe hi,. He was not entirely sure who was in the room; mint, watermelon, cinnamon and peach lingered strongest in the air, but in his state he could not tell whether they were still there or had just left. He did not try to find out, though. Sleep weighed more than curiosity.
He turned over with a heavy sigh and let out a quiet grumble when he felt someone shift to wrap an alarm around him.
Uh. He didn't want hugs right now.
He tried to say it, but only a few slurred, half-formed words slipped from his lips. Then he felt warm breath again his hair, carrying that trace of peach he still could not quiet place.
"Morning, princess."
Innie.
"How did you sleep?" A hand brushed along the small of his back, right where Felix loved to be scratched.
"Bad," he murmured, barely parting his lips, squirming slightly at the faint tickle of the touch.
"Oh, love," someone else said from the other side. "Do you need anything?"
The scent of cinnamon spread through the room, strong and warm. The peach, in contrast, seemed to lose its sweetness.
Felix sighed. The discomfort from the mingling scents was what finally pulled him fully awake.
Carefully, he placed a hand over Jeongin's arm, a silent request for him to stop. He genuinely not want to be touched right now.
"I need my body to stop hurting," he muttered, his voice rough as he pushed himself upright without much care.
It wasn't a lie. His body did not exactly hurt, not in that moment, but it felt wrong. Off. As if something was out of place.
"I'll get you pill," Changbin said, already jumping to his feet.
It was just the three of them, and Felix was grateful for that. He did not have the energy to deal with all seven of them right now.
When he had fallen asleep, he had felt peaceful, happy to have them all in one place, with him at the centre. Now, all he wanted was to breathe his own scent without theirs wrapping around him, but he didn't have the heart to ask them to use scent blockers. They would understand, probably, but his sweet Jisung would feel rejected. Chan would overthink it, without a doubt, and Hyunjin would make a scene first. Maybe Changbin would come closer, ask if something was wrong and, God help him, that was the last thing Felix wanted to answer.
Maybe I should call my mums. I could really use a hug from them right now.
"Minho's making you breakfast," Jeongin said, watching him closely.
"You have to eat it straight away today, "Changbin added from the bathroom. "No excuses this time."
Despite the playful tone, Felix tensed.
Would Minho be upset because he had not wanted to eat straight away yesterday? Honestly, Felix was starting to think he had never actually told them he hated eating as soon as he woke up.
"You look uncomfortable," Jeongin whispered, still studying him.
Felix tilted his head just enough to catch the alpha's profile.
"I am uncomfortable." His voice came out sharper than he intended.
He squeezed his eyes shut and let himself fall back onto the mattress with a dull thud. He felt like crying so badly, and he did not even have a proper reason.
What is wrong with me?
"I'll change the pillows," Jeongin said at once. "Or I can bring you things to build a nest?" He paused for a moment, as if remembering something. "I could ask Ji to make one for you."
Felix did his best to smile, opening only one eye to look at his alpha. He seemed almost desperate to find a solution to his discomfort, and Felix loved him for it.
"Love, take your pill." Changbin stepped closer, resting one knee on the bed, a glass of water in one hand and the tablet in the other. "They're the ones the doctor prescribed."
"I haven't eaten, Binnie," Felix whispered. "I'll just throw it up.A"
Changbin blinked. "I'll hurry Minho up. I'll be back."
Felix let out a small, soft smile. "You're all very attentive this morning," he murmured. "Do you feel that guilty?"
The cinnamon thickened. The peach turned sour.
Felix squeezed his eyes shut.
I shouldn't have said that.
"We're always like this," Changbin said, hurt. "Don't be unfair."
Felix let out a short, humourless laugh.
"Unfair," he repeated. Staring at the ceiling, he shook his head slowly.
He truly wanted to act as though nothing had happened, but it had. They had hurt him. And even so… he felt as if he had no right to be upset. They had said they had no intention of replacing him, so why did it still hurt?
"I thought you'd forgiven us last night." Jeongin's voice sounded when more wounded than Changbin's. He spoke so quietly that, despite being right beside him, Felix almost did not catch it.
He looked at him, unsure what to say. Had he forgiven them? He supposed that was what he had implied the night before. And he had genuinely thought he had. Now, though… he was not so sure.
He opened his mouth to say something. anything that might make his mate's scents feel lees hurt. Of course, I have, he wanted to say, I just need to get it out of my system. But before he could speak, the door suddenly burst open.
"Where's my baby?" Yeji's bright voice made him smile.
He sat up at once and found his three best friends by the door. Soobin carried a plate of food, probably for him; he walked over to the coffee table in the centre and set it down, not before stealing a piece of pineapple, then made his way to the bed. Ryujin, meanwhile, grabbed Changbin by the arm and pulled him to his feet, while Yeji did the same with Jeongin.
"Come on, come on. Leave us alone with Felix," Yeji said, gently ushering them towards the door.
Soobin let out a small laugh as he settled beside the hybrid, resting his chin on his shoulder. Felix smiled, nuzzling the omega's cheek with his nose.
"But we were talking—"
"Well said, Binnie," Ryujin smiled. "You were. We gave you the whole night for that. Now it's our turn."
Before leaving, Jeongin lingered, staring at him intently. Felix frowned, not understanding.
Is he waiting for me to say I don't want him to go?
Ryujin, however, shut the door in his face.
"It smells awful," Yeji said immediately.
Still leaning against him, Soobin rolled his eyes, amused.
"How are you feeling, darling?
Felix let out a sight far too long to be normal and leaned his back against his friend's chest. Ryujin practically threw herself onto the bed, while Yeji settled on the other side of the hybrid, resting her head on the palm of her hand.
"It doesn't hurt anymore, but I felt uncomfortable," he shrugged slightly. "I feel… off. Irritated, I don't know."
Soobin nodded. One of his hands began to scratch lightly at the lower part of Felix's stomach, but Felix stopped him, placing his own hand over it.
"I still don't understand how things escalated that much, "Ryujin shook her head, propped up on her elbows, chest pressed to the mattress, legs swaying idly behind her. "One moment I was having the time of my life throwing water at tour mates, and the next, we were at the hospital."
Felix let out a laugh. "You threw water at them?"
"Yes! Soobin even brought out confetti and we threw it at them," she said proudly.
"I was saving it for my kid to play with," she added with a shrug. "But he's still too young, so I didn't see a better opportunity."
"You should've seen their faces," Yeji smiled. "Minho looked ready to break the door down and kill us."
"He would never do that."
"You didn't see his face, Lixie."
"I would've loved to see that," Felix smiled. "No wonder everyone was freshly showered when I woke up."
"We would've loved to find out about your secret another way," Ryujin replied, distracted.
Al three of them tensed.
Ryujin hadn't said it to be hurtful, nor as a jab; that was simply how she was, saying whatever crossed her mind without a filter. Back in their teens, the alpha had gotten them into far too many problems because of it. Now, though, she was usually more aware of when to hold back and when not to. With them, clearly, she didn't bother.
Ryujin looked at them, confused.
"What?"
Soobin, with a soft smile, wrapped both arms around Felix's waist.
"This isn't how I wanted to start talking about this, bit it's something we need to address, darling."
Felix lowered his gaze to his hands, feeling exposed. "I know."
"Years, Lix," Yeji murmured. "We've known each other for years."
The atmosphere in the room shifted. Felix took a deep breath, grateful his friends were using scent blockers. Talking while trying not to be sick wasn't a skill he possessed.
"'It's not that I didn't trust you," he said quickly. "It's just… not easy."
"We understand, "Soobin said." We understand the fear that comes with confessing something like this. We know what a hybrid goes through for being who they are, even at the hands of people they trust."
"But we're not people," Yeji countered, more firmly. "I don't understand why you thought you'd be safer keeping that from us."
"We would never hurt you," the alpha added.
Felix swallowed hard. "It was always… kind of a taboo in the group," he murmured, staring at his hands. "You'd change the subject, ignore it… I don't know. I thought hybrids made you uncomfortable."
Ryujin shook her head. "We avoided it because you always got really uncomfortable. Honestly, I thought you were the one judging them."
Felix looked at her, incredulous.
"You almost confessed once when you were drunk," Yeji added. "You asked us what we thought about them, what we'd think if you were one. But then you started crying straight away, saying you never wanted to talk about it again."
"We talked about it once, a long time ago, "Soobin continued. "We agreed not bring it up around you so we wouldn't make you uncomfortable, even though none of us understood why you reacted the way you did."
"You thought that…" Felix cleared his throat, "… that I was discriminating against them?"
Ryujin's eyes widened in surprise. "Of course not. If we thought that, we wouldn't be friends, Lix."
"We've always believed hybrids have the same rights as we do, Felix," Yeji said, sitting up." We would never associate with someone who thinks otherwise."
"We know about your donations," Soobin added. "You support a lot of foundations that care for and protect hybrids. Someone who discriminates against them would never do that. That's why it never made sense to us that you seemed so reluctant to talk about it… until now."
"And we're not judging you for it," Yeji went on. "We know how dangerous that kind of information is. We know it puts your work at risk."
"But it did sting a little that your mates knew before we did, I won't lie."
Felix looked at Ryujin, trying to find the right words.
"Objectively," he began after a brief silence," I always knew you wouldn't judge me. But in practice… I was terrified of not being able to control your reactions. I spent entire nights thinking about how I would tell you. There were moments when I almost did… the night I got drunk was one of them. But I never went through with it. The panic always took over."
“What was different with your mates?” Ryujin asked gently.
Felix smiled. “I didn’t tell them. They found out… Do you remember when I told you they agreed to start the relationship in the rain? It wasn’t because we were arguing about how things would work, it was because I ran when they saw me transform,” he let out a small laugh, looking up at the ceiling. “I was so scared. I thought they’d hate me, that they’d tell everyone… I don’t know, I just panicked.” He paused, glancing at them, his hand tightening around Soobin’s. “That was the closest I ever got to telling you. I needed your support so badly…”
“But then the Skyler Case happened,” Soobin recalled.
Felix nodded. “And the fear got the better of me. I ran to my mums’ house and they comforted me. When, eventually, they said they didn’t care that I was a hybrid… I started thinking even more seriously about telling you everything.”
“And what happened?” Ryujin pressed.
“I don’t have an excuse,” he said with a sad smile. “I kept telling myself it wasn’t the right moment, not the right setting. One day, Ryujin was upset, so I couldn’t drop something like that on her. The next, Soobin had good news and there was no way I was taking that away from him. And then I realised how many years we’d been friends, and I still hadn’t told you. And… I don’t know, I started to worry you’d hate me for not telling you more than for being a hybrid… I still think that, sometimes,” he admitted softly.
“So last night you must have been really bad, then,” Ryujin murmured, her voice tinged with sadness.
He nodded. “I felt desperate. I genuinely thought my relationship with them would end. That they would leave me.”
“You do know our friendship is forever, right?” Soobin pulled him into a tight embrace.
“I’m so, so sorry that society is so cruel to people like you that even trusting us felt like a leap into the void,” Yeji whispered, wrapping her arms around him as well.
Ryujin moved closer, letting her head drop onto his lap, and the four of them stayed like that for several minutes.
Finally, after so many years of keeping the secret, Felix felt at ease. No more lies, no more excuses. He would not have to run whenever he felt a shift coming on, nor blame his omega for every purr, much less pretend that his discomfort with prolonged physical contact was just part of his personality. At last, he could be entirely himself in front of his best friends and, God, it felt so good.
“You still owe us something big, though,” Ryujin murmured after a while.
“Ryujin!” Soobin shouted through laughter, scolding her.
Yeji cheered, clapping and throwing her head back, while Felix simply shook his head, letting out a soft laugh.
“Like the full story of what happened last night,” Yeji added, still laughing.
Felix grimaced. “Don’t ruin the moment, Hwang,” he muttered.
“Oh, surname,” Soobin pointed out. “On a scale of one to ten, how soon do we need to start planning the funeral?”
“I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life,” the redhead beamed. “I’ll finally get the inheritance all to myself.”
The three of them turned to look at her.
“Hell yes, babe,” Ryujin cackled. “Get us those properties.”
The four of them laughed and, after a moment, Felix gave in. He took a deep breath and began from the moment they had left the shopping centre, because of course, there was no other way to tell it. He lingered on the smallest details, correcting himself mid-sentence whenever something did not feel precise enough, doubling back just to clarify a look or a tone that, according to him, changed everything. He mimicked voices, brilliantly so, pointed at empty space as if they were standing right there, and frowned every time someone interrupted him, which did not stop Ryujin from doing it anyway, nor Soobin from commenting out loud, nor Yeji from reacting as if she were watching a live performance. Even so, Felix left nothing out: how everything escalated far too quickly, how the tension crawled under his skin until it became unbearable, how his body started failing him at the worst possible moment.
When he finished, he let out a short laugh. He swallowed hard, as if that might take his tears with it.
“That’s it?!” Yeji asked, offended.
Felix blinked.
Was that not enough?
“What part wasn’t enough for you?”
“The apology wasn’t enough!”
Felix shifted slightly in the taller boy’s arms. “Ah.”
“Ah,” Ryujin echoed. “The Felix I know would never settle for a couple of tears and a few words.”
“The Felix I know would be furious,” Soobin added. “Shouting, insulting them for how they made you feel.”
“Where is that Felix?” Yeji finished.
Felix sighed, looking away.
After a moment, Soobin gently traced patterns over Felix’s hand.
“What’s wrong, darling?”
“Maybe I don’t want to be that Felix anymore,” he whispered.
“Excuse me?!”
“Maybe they’re right when they say that having emotions so—”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” Yeji cut in, sharp. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with the way you express your feelings.”
“But—”
“No ‘but’,” Soobin said firmly. “What’s going on, Lix?”
What’s wrong? That was an excellent question. Felix had no idea. Throughout his life, many people had criticised him. Fuck, there were even articles online dedicated to criticising him or his management of the company, and still, it had never affected him. So why did this?
Because they’re my mates.
That was the problem, wasn’t it? Their opinion mattered. Their love was essential to his day-to-day life. There were moments when he felt like, without them, he would not be able to breathe, let alone move forward; days when he was so tired, so anxious, that the only thing that eased it was hearing Innie’s laughter, Changbin’s shouting, catching Jisung’s fresh scent or Hyunjin’s sweetness. They were the ones who made his life brighter. Of course their opinion would weigh more than that of thousands of faceless users online.
He had never minded being too much for someone. He loved it, even. He loved that his personality was so intense it unsettled people. But this time, it had not been just anyone who felt overwhelmed.
It had been them.
And if they saw him that way too—if, to them, he was too much… then his personality became a problem, didn’t it?
And if it was a problem, then it could wear them down. Exhaust them. Make them, over time, stop wanting to be with him.
“What if they stop loving me?” he whispered at last, his heart racing. “Maybe not now. They love me, I know that. But I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. What if I start to annoy them? Or my personality wears them out? I don’t know what I’ll do then.”
Felix broke down in tears, surrounded by his best friends’ arms. He did not care if his sobs were too loud or if he looked awful. For the first time, he allowed himself to feel without holding back in front of them, without the constant fear of shifting; now, the only thing stopping him was the ache in his body, the certainty that his bones would not withstand the change.
After a while, Soobin gently wiped his tears away, and Felix tried to smile at him, but he did not need a mirror to know it came out wrong. Ryujin’s laughter was enough to confirm it.
“If they decide to break up with me… will it be like that? Will they find a replacement, or will they just sit me down one day and tell me they don’t love me anymore?”
“I don’t think there’s a reality where they wouldn’t worship the ground you walk on, darling,” Yeji whispered, utterly certain.
“It’s better not to say things we can’t be sure of,” Soobin murmured, not moving away from Felix. His cheek rested against his, his arm firm around his shoulders.
Yeji clicked her tongue, annoyed. “But it’s obvious they would—”
“Just like we thought it was obvious they’d never make an important decision without everyone agreeing,” he cut in. “And even so, they almost invited another hybrid into the pack.”
“One that Felix hates,” Ryujin added.
Felix squeezed his eyes shut.
“You need to talk to them about this, darling,” Soobin said gently. “You need to be honest with each other.”
“But first, you need to make them suffer,” Yeji huffed.
Everyone turned to look at her.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that? You know I’m right,” she rolled her eyes. “They made our baby cry and feel insecure. They made him feel replaceable, like there’s something wrong with his personality. You can’t seriously expect a simple conversation to be enough.”
Felix looked at her without saying a word.
A part of him wanted to leave things as they were. Pretend nothing had happened. Better yet, turn back time and make sure none of this ever took place.
It shouldn't be that hard.
He only needed to go back to the morning of the thirteenth of February, right when Alexander showed up at his house, and this time actually refuse to let him in as if his life depended on it. No. Forget that. Think bigger. He would go further back. Much further. To the day Hyunjin met him for the first time.
God, how he would love to erase that day.
If he had been there, he would have done everything in his power to make sure Hyunjin never spoke to him.
Yes, yes, it sounded dramatic. There were probably red flags everywhere in that moment. A whole line of them going up at once. The match stopped, the referee blew the whistle and flashed a red card; deep red, almost purple.
But just listen to him for a second.
He had not noticed it before, but his mate had been acting strangely for a while. More volatile. Irritable. That was not like him. At first, Felix had not thought much of it; with work stress, it was normal not to be in the best mood all the time. But since the beginning of the year… something had shifted. He seemed more restless. More tense.
Felix had asked him several times what was wrong, and Hyunjin had only smiled. Every time Felix insisted, he kissed him.
And, well… maybe, just maybe, that had been enough to distract him.
But come on, you cannot judge him. If you had Hwang Hyunjin standing right in front of you, in his medical scrubs with that beautiful smile, you would get distracted too.
Right. That did not sound very good, did it?
He should have insisted more. He should have paid closer attention. Maybe all of this could have been avoided.
Maybe he would not be sitting here now, listening to his friends argue about what kind of apology he deserved.
“I think it’s best to just leave things as they are,” he cut in. “They’re sorry. That’s enough.”
“No!” all three of them shouted.
“Felix, get a grip!” Yeji snapped, frustrated. “They hurt you, they ruined your plans. They don’t get to be forgiven just like that.”
They ruined my plans.
Would you judge him if he admitted that was the part that hurt the most? He could not stop himself from checking the time and thinking exactly what he would have been doing right now. By this point in the day, Hyunjin, Seungmin, Jeongin and he would have been visiting a small museum on the island, while the others would be at the beach volleyball tournament he had signed them up for, competitive enough to keep them busy. Afterwards, they would all go to the beach and stay there until it was time to get ready for dinner.
The dinner where he had planned to give them his second surprise.
“There’s nothing I can do—”
“You can be angry,” Ryujin cut in. “You can be furious, because instead of being on the beach enjoying yourself, you’re stuck in bed crying because of them. You can be resentful. You can go to the island on your own and leave them behind.”
“Or with us,” Soobin added with a smile.
Yeji’s eyes lit up.
“We could go ourselves!” Yeji said, suddenly excited. “It’s been years since the four of us travelled together. You’ve already got the booking, we’d just need to catch a flight and—”
“Are you forgetting I’m supposed to be on strict bed rest?”
“Are you forgetting I have a child and a husband?”
“Yes to everything!” all three of them exclaimed at once.
“You can have strict bed rest on the island,” Yeji waved it off. “Bin, love, you deserve a holiday. God knows it’s not easy raising a baby and a husband like yours—”
“Hey!”
“—and we haven’t travelled together in ages. Love, back me up.”
Ryujin pressed her cheek against the omega’s and they both smiled.
“Please, please, pleeease,” they chimed at the same time.
Soobin and Felix exchanged a look.
“I’d have to ask Beom if—”
“Don’t tell me you need to ask your husband for permission,” Yeji said, tilting her head slightly, eyeing him as if she could not quite believe what she was hearing.
“If you let me finish, you’d know I was going to say I need to check whether Beom has any work trips,” Soobin rolled his eyes.
“You don’t know your husband’s schedule?” Felix scrunched his nose.
“I’m not as obsessed with schedules as you are, Lix.”
“I know Yeji’s schedule,” Ryujin shrugged.
“I’m not as obsessed with my husband as you are, Ryu.”
“I am not—”
“You are,” the three omegas said in unison, Yeji beaming.
Ryujin looked at her as if nothing else in the world mattered for a second.
“They’re right,” she admitted, before leaning in to kiss her. “How could I not be, with a woman like this?”
Felix threw a pillow at them the moment the kiss lingered a second too long.
“No soppy nonsense in my room,” he grumbled.
“As if this room hasn’t seen enough already,” Yeji rolled her eyes.
“Well, it won’t be seeing any for a while,” he huffed, looking away for a second, still frowning. “You’re right. How can they go from treating me the way Ryu treats Yeji to wanting to replace me with an idiot? They don’t deserve to get off that easily.”
“Yes!” his best friends shouted in unison.
“I spent the past year putting everything together for this week, and I’m not letting it go to waste.”
“Yes!”
“We’re going on that trip, and we’re getting drunk like we did when we were sixteen.”
“Yes!”
“And Yeji and Ryujin are strictly forbidden from acting like a disgustingly in-love couple in front of me.”
“Yes!” Soobin yelled enthusiastically.
“Ye—!.. no, wait,” Yeji and Ryujin blurted out almost at the same time.
The two omegas burst into laughter and high-fived, completely ignoring the couple’s protests.
“I’m calling Beomgyu right now,” Soobin announced, getting off the bed, already reaching for his phone.
Ryujin laughed and flopped onto her back, throwing her arms up as if she had just won something.
Yeji simply smiled.
“You’ll see how we knock that ‘calm’ nonsense out of your head,” she said, stepping closer to ruffle his hair. “Our Felix is anything but calm, and that’s exactly how we love him.”
Felix could not help but smile.
Maybe… a few days away would do all of them some good.
🥀
“Felix hates us,” Jeongin whimpered the moment he walked into the kitchen, dropping his head onto Seungmin’s shoulder.
The sound of water running over the dishes was the only thing that filled the room for several long seconds.
“Don’t say that,” Minho said at last, without looking up from the plates he was washing. His voice was low, controlled.
“It’s true!”
“He didn’t want Jeongin to touch him,” Changbin pointed out, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed.
“That’s normal for him—”
“No, Minnie,” the younger one cut in, straightening slightly to look at him. There was something different in his expression, something that made Chan pay attention immediately. “You don’t get it. It’s not that he didn’t want to be touched,” he swallowed. “He looked uncomfortable. Disgusted, even. He just… didn’t want me near him.”
One by one, they all stopped what they were doing to look at him.
“He didn’t purr when he woke up,” Changbin added quietly.
“And he seemed uncomfortable with our scent,” Jeongin went on, turning towards the beta with almost desperate urgency. “Tell me you noticed.”
The shorter one scrunched his nose. “Hard not to notice,” he admitted after a brief pause, unease slipping into his voice. “It felt like… if we’d stayed, he might’ve been sick.”
The image came to Chan far too quickly. His omega recoiling from their scent, uncomfortable in their presence, rushing to the bathroom with that look of disgust; Chan stepping forward to pull him into an embrace, only for Felix to shrink away from him.
He felt the colour drain from his face.
“Felix would never—”
“He hates us!” the alpha cut Hyunjin off, letting all his weight fall onto Seungmin.
Silence settled over the kitchen again, heavier than before. Suffocating. No one seemed willing to break it this time, as if any word might make something already on the verge of collapse finally shatter.
If you asked Chan what the hell had just happened, he would have told you he had no idea.
Which was a lie, because it did not take much to figure it out.
They had messed up. All seven of them. Badly.
He knew it the moment Felix ran. When a part of him had been so sure Felix would run straight into his arms, because that was what he always did, wasn’t it? When he was scared or overwhelmed, he shifted and ran to him. He would hide his small, furred head in the crook of Chan’s neck and cling tightly to his shirt.
Stupidly, the alpha had stood there with his arms open, waiting.
It’s going to be alright, princess, he had wanted to say. He did not understand what was happening, but that was something he had always been able to promise. No matter the problem, the pack would be alright.
But not this time.
When he saw Felix dodge the others’ hands, he didn't panic. He wanted him. Felix always wanted him when he was like that.
There was no need to describe how much it hurt to see the cat avoid him too.
He froze for a few seconds, and by the time he managed to react, Felix was already gone.
“What just happened?” It was Jisung who finally broke the silence.
They all stared at the open door. Rain lashed down outside, filling the silence Felix had left behind. For one absurd second, Chan thought maybe he would come back. That he would reappear, soaked through, trembling, letting out that broken little sound he made when he was cold.
“I’d love to know,” Minho replied, tense.
Another uneasy silence fell over them.
The scent of black tea grew sharp. For a few seconds, it was the only thing he could smell. Bitter enough to cling to the back of his throat.
That was what finally forced him to move.
He turned around and came face to face with Aleixandre. He stood by the table, his face streaked with tears.
“What’s wrong with you?” Jisung snapped.
The scent of mint flooded the loft. Instead of its usual freshness, it was sharp, overwhelming, almost aggressive. Chan wrinkled his nose at once, feeling the sting crawl up his nostrils, nearly painful. The omega was shaking; his eyes shone wet as he pointed straight at Aleixandre, fury blazing.
Chan took a step forward, but Minho moved first. He grabbed him firmly by the waist, anchoring him in place before he could lunge.
“What did you do to Felix?” Jisung demanded again, struggling. “Answer me, damn it!”
There was something in Aleixandre’s expression that did not quite fit. There was fear there, too much of it. In anyone else, it would have made sense, but in the hybrid… Chan tilted his head, watching him more closely.
In all the time he had known him, he had never seen him like this. Aleixandre was always precise, perfectly aware of everything around him. He prided himself on having exceptional control over his emotions.
This was the complete opposite.
Maybe it was the situation, right? He was in an unfamiliar place, with an unfamiliar pack, in an unfamiliar mess… it made sense he would lose composure.
“W-what are you talking about?” he stammered, taking a small step back. “I didn’t do anything to him. He was the one who—”
“Stop lying!” Jisung’s shout landed like a blow. He struggled harder in Minho’s grip, and Changbin had to step in to help hold him back.
“Ji, what do you mean by that?” Jeongin asked carefully.
Jisung huffed. “Isn’t it obvious? He’s lying! My baby isn’t aggressive! He doesn’t break things, he doesn’t attack anyone, he doesn’t—!”
“Sungie…” Seungmin tried, stepping forward, but his voice lacked the weight to stop him.
Chan doubted anything could.
“No!” Jisung cut him off, not taking his eyes off Aleixandre. “Our Felix would never do anything he’s trying to make us believe!” His chest rose and fell unevenly, the scent of mint saturating the air until it was almost suffocating.
“I’m not lying!” Aleixandre shouted. “Hyunjin, tell them! You know me better than anyone. You know I don’t lie!”
“Stop dragging my alpha into this!” Jisung shouted again. “This is your fault. He and Felix fought because of you! Because of you, Felix hates us, ” his voice broke on the last words, dissolving into sobs as he let Minho take his full weight, burying his face in Changbin’s shoulder.
Felix hates us.
Felix hates us.
The words looped in Chan’s mind.
They had done so the night before too, when the air had felt just as heavy, just as unbearable. When the desperate scent of his mates had wrapped around him completely.
And now, here in the kitchen, it was happening again.
“Felix would never hate us,” Seungmin said, shaking his head, unwilling to accept it.
Minho dried the last plate and set it away. He wiped his hands and stepped closer to Jisung. The omega immediately clung to him, holding on tightly.
“He needs space,” Minho said, breaking the silence that had settled over the kitchen. “We shouldn’t push him. Let’s try not to talk to him too much.”
“B-but…” Jisung stammered, “I don’t want to ignore my baby.”
Minho soothed him, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
“We’re not going to ignore him, jagi,” he murmured.
“We’ve already made one mistake…” Jeongin’s voice came out fragile.
“We won’t make it twice,” Seungmin said, firm. “What happened last night… it won’t happen again.”
“It can’t happen again.” Hyunjin dragged a hand through his hair, tense. “How did we mess up this badly?” He turned to Chan, his eyes silently asking for help.
Chan reached out, pulling him closer with care. Hyunjin moved at once, wrapping his arms around Chan’s waist and lowering himself just enough to press his nose where the older alpha’s scent was strongest.
“It wasn’t on purpose,” Seungmin insisted. “We would never hurt him on purpose.”
When Seungmin spoke, he usually did so with certainty. Steady, unwavering, the kind of person who could argue that an orange would be insufferable if it were human and sound completely convinced. But now, his words carried a tension Chan had rarely heard from him.
Yesterday… well, there had been very few times in his life when Chan had seen his mate in action.
At home, Seungmin was sarcastic, a little careless. Organised, yes, but patient with his mates. At work, though… Chan had heard the rumours.
Seungmin was strict, demanding. He expected nothing short of perfection and order.
Chan still found it strange to think of his mate the way others did. He enjoyed watching people grow nervous at the idea of having Kim Seungmin as opposing counsel, but that image never quite matched his Minnie, his gentle beta who would do anything for his pack.
And yet, last night, he had caught a glimpse of what his mate was like at work.
“You said he started it,” Seungmin had told Aleixandre the night before. “That you attacked him because he lost control. Didn’t you? That’s what you said.”
At first, Chan had not understood what his mate meant. He did not remember the hybrid saying that, but he kept quiet. Felix had taught them that lesson.
We don’t contradict each other in front of other people, the omega had scolded them during the early months of their relationship. Chan could not quite remember what had upset Felix so much at the time. He thought it had been because Hyunjin contradicted Seungmin during an argument the beta was making in front of his colleagues. It doesn’t matter who we’re with, or if you think one of us is talking complete rubbish. In front of others, we support each other. Even if I say the earth is flat. Once we’re alone, in our own home, you can argue it’s square if you want, but not in front of others.
Back then, Hyunjin had not understood the need for it. I’m not losing my judgement in this relationship, Lix, he had said, annoyed. Chan had stepped in. It’s not about losing your judgement, Jinnie. It’s about the image we present. About always appearing united. Minho, never one to miss the chance for a saying, had finished it off by remarking that dirty laundry should be washed at home.
Under different circumstances, Chan might have remembered the rest more clearly. The doubt on Aleixandre’s face distracted him just enough that he could not tell whether Hyunjin had started kissing Seungmin after that, or if the argument had gone on longer.
“I… said I tried to calm him down,” the hybrid corrected softly. “He was very agitated and I just—”
“Did you touch him?” Minho’s voice was low, but sharp.
Aleixandre looked at Minho, then at the others. “I was trying to help—”
“That’s not what he asked,” Jisung’s voice was quieter now, but edged with anger. “Did you touch him?”
The hybrid swallowed. His eyes filled with tears again, as if the question itself were unfair, as if he could not understand why they were cornering him.
“He shifted before I could do anything,” he said at last. “I didn’t touch him. I would never.”
Chan narrowed his eyes. Something did not add up.
“So you didn’t touch him,” Minho concluded.
Aleixandre opened his mouth, but Seungmin cut in first.
“And yet you’re saying you attacked him. That you shoved him because he was out of control.”
“I didn’t—”
“Don’t start backtracking now.”
Aleixandre lowered his gaze, pressing his lips together as if speaking took effort. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he murmured. “I was just… explaining what happened. I didn’t think you’d take it that way.”
Changbin frowned. “Take it what way?”
Aleixandre looked up again, something mournful in his expression.
“As if I were blaming him,” he said. “I’m not. Felix…” he hesitated. “Felix is going through a lot. It’s obvious he’s not okay.”
Chan went completely still.
“Watch what you say about our mate,” Chan warned, his voice steady, sharp at the edges.
“I don’t mean it in a bad way,” Aleixandre rushed to clarify. “It’s just… you’ve all noticed it, haven’t you? His anxiety, the mood swings… the way he reacts when things don’t go the way he wants…”
“You’re saying this is his fault,” Hyunjin said at last, his voice cold.
“No,” Aleixandre replied immediately. “I’m saying he needs help.” His tone softened, almost gentle. “And maybe… maybe I triggered something without meaning to.” He looked down. “If that’s the case, I’m sorry. Truly.”
Jisung let out a humourless laugh. “Incredible.”
They all turned to look at him.
“It really is incredible,” he repeated, shaking his head. “You break everything, you make him run off crying, and now suddenly it’s because he ‘needs help’.”
“I didn’t break anything,” the hybrid shot back. “When I got upstairs, it was already like that.”
Minho let out a short, disbelieving breath.
“I didn’t want any of this to happen,” he added, looking at Chan. “I truly didn’t. But you can’t ignore what just happened just because you love him. Felix…” his voice faltered slightly, “Felix isn’t okay.”
“Stop talking bullshit.”
Chan jolted where he stood. Not because of the words themselves, but because of who had said them.
Jeongin.
There was so much venom in his voice, so much raw anger, that the room fell silent for a few seconds.
“Hyune—” the hybrid cried out. “I didn’t do anything, I swear!”
Chan looked at his mate. His face was pale, but he was not looking at the green-eyed alpha. His gaze remained fixed somewhere else.
That was when Chan finally allowed himself to look around.
Ever since Felix had gone upstairs, something had settled heavy in his chest. Chan was paranoid when it came to his mates’ safety; that was a fact Seungmin and Jeongin loved to tease him about. Surprisingly, Minho backed them up.
Who else is going to take care of them if not us? the omega had said at the start of their relationship, as they watched Hyunjin, Jisung and Felix shouting for help because their heads had got stuck between the bars of a gate while the others laughed.
That had been the moment Chan realised there was no greater honour in the world than taking care of the loves of his life, alongside the other love of his life.
That was his definition of paradise: having them all in one place, watching them laugh and love each other.
Now, even he could admit he sometimes went too far. Because yes, it had been Felix’s idea to always message the group chat if someone was going out and where they were going, but it had been Chan who installed a tracking app on all their phones. Chan who checked it every day and, much to his own frustration, Chan who lost his mind whenever he did not know where they were.
So when Felix left that night to go to Soobin’s place, his first instinct had been worry.
What could have happened for Felix to go out that late?
It’s an excuse, Seungmin had said immediately, shrugging. I think he just needs a moment to calm down.
Calm down from what? That was what Chan couldn't understand.
But when his mate insisted so adamantly that all seven of them had to go to that unfamiliar address, and then practically begged them to come upstairs only to run out moments later, every alarm in Chan’s system went off. The sleepiness, the faint irritation at being out that late, vanished in an instant. The minutes he had to wait for the others to arrive felt endless.
That was when Seungmin spoke again.
“How curious.”
Aleixandre looked at him, frowning slightly. “What is?”
The beta stepped forward, holding his gaze. “That you admitted to pushing him.” Aleixandre opened his mouth, but Seungmin continued. “Because you didn’t say that before. In fact, I made it up. But you accepted it.”
Chan straightened. The hint of a smile tugged at his lips.
God, he loved that man.
“A moment ago, you said you didn’t touch him,” Seungmin went on. “That he shifted before you could do anything. That you would never do something like that.” He paused. “So which is it? Did you touch him or not? Which version am I supposed to believe?”
Chan had never questioned why the beta was the best at what he did. To him, it had always been obvious. All it took was listening to him speak to understand why other lawyers dreaded going up against him. But now, Chan could not help but feel a flicker of admiration for anyone who dared to challenge him.
He didn't know whether the way Seungmin had cornered Aleixandre had been particularly clever, or if the hybrid had simply fallen into an easy trap, but Chan was undeniably impressed.
Everyone in the room was.
And yet, this Seungmin didn't look like the same one from the night before. Now, there was a sheen of sweat across his brow, his eyes wide.
He was afraid of what might happen next.
“What if he wants to break up with us?” Jisung cried, pressing his forehead into Minho’s shoulder.
Everyone in the kitchen tensed.
“Felix loves us,” Minho said, shaking his head. “He wouldn’t leave us.”
“Just like we would never leave him,” Chan added.
“Last night he told us—”
“Min, love,” Changbin stepped closer, wrapping his arms around the omega from behind, pulling Jisung into the embrace as well. “Felix had just gone through hours of stress—”
“Not just because of the hospital,” Jisung murmured, “because of us too.”
No one argued.
“…and the only thing he wanted at that moment was to sleep and feel safe.”
“Of course he was going to say that!” Jeongin insisted, his voice cracking.
This time, no one replied.
Chan exhaled slowly through his nose.
They could not afford to fall apart now. Not when Felix was already struggling. Not when everything they had done the night before was still so fresh. They had already made a mistake by questioning his word. If they doubted him again… then they would truly ruin everything.
Felix didn't lie. He could avoid topics, distract them, even go quiet when something hurt too much, but lie to all seven of them like that… no. That didn't fit their omega. Not their pack.
Or maybe it did.
No.
He could not go down that road. Not now. He could not start questioning everything, not after seeing how shaken his mates were, how hurt. He had to believe things would be alright.
The pack would always be alright.
If Felix had told them he forgave them… then they had to trust that. They had to.
Because the alternative…
Chan swallowed.
The alternative was not an option.
Without letting go of Hyunjin, Chan pulled Jeongin closer, firm and steady Hyunjin adjusted immediately, allowing Jeongin to clutch at the older alpha’s shirt. Chan held them both there, anchoring them against his body as if he could keep everything from falling apart just by doing that.
If only he could hold all seven of them at once.
“We have to trust Lix’s word, love,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to Jeongin’s crown. “If he said he forgave us, then—”
“I see. You only trust his word when it suits you.”
The words dropped into the room like a blade.
No one needed to turn to know who it was.
Hwang Yeji. Hyunjin’s younger sister. Felix’s best friend.
She stood in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed, looking far too angry.
“Stay out of this,” Hyunjin snapped, breaking the tension.
“I thought it was clear that anything that matters to Felix matters to me, little brother.”
“Yeji—”
“Felix spent the entire day telling you how much your new pet was upsetting him,” she said, addressing her brother directly. “And what did you do?” She glanced at the others. Silence. “Exactly. Absolutely nothing.”
“We didn’t—”
“I don’t care about your excuses,” she cut Seungmin off. “I don’t care about anything that comes out of your filthy mouths. You weren’t man enough to realise the damage you did to your mate in a single day, and you certainly won’t be man enough to apologise properly.”
They stared at her, stunned.
“Love, we need to go,” Ryujin said as she entered the kitchen, taking her girlfriend by the arm. “We have to pack. Felix already sorted everything.”
Chan frowned. “Sorted what?”
Ryujin looked at him, unimpressed. “The surprise for you lot— oh, wait.” A sharp, mocking smile curved her lips. “Right. You ruined that.”
“Ryujin, Yeji! Where the hell are you?” Soobin’s voice called from somewhere in the flat. “We’ve got three hours before we leave!”
The couple exchanged a surprised look.
“We’re not going to have enough time!” the alpha shrieked, rushing out immediately.
The redhead, however, paused before leaving.
“For years, I thought you were the perfect match for my Felix. At first, I thought it was madness, loving so many men at once, but… it’s Felix. Of course someone who feels as deeply as he does would have a heart that big. So I supported him— we both did. We were there every step of the way; we know more about you than I’d like to admit. But if in a single day you managed to make him feel the way you did… I don’t even want to imagine how you’ll treat him in the weeks to come.”
“I won’t have you come into my house and question our love for him,” Chan snapped.
“And I won’t have you treat my boy like that!” Yeji shot back, making all of them flinch. She took a deep breath, smoothing down her clothes before continuing. “If you think your love for him has changed, then be honest from the start and let him find his happiness somewhere else,” she said softly, meeting each of their eyes. “Felix deserves so much more.”
When she left, the silence that settled over the kitchen was tight, strained.
“He hates us,” Seungmin whispered, stunned. “Jeongin’s right. Felix hates us.”
🏖✨🥂
Having the suitcases ready meant Felix could lie back on the bed and stare into nothing for quite a while.
His body ached so much he could not help but feel betrayed. Not just by his mates, but by the medication. By society. Why was it so difficult to research illnesses that actually mattered? Who cared about the causes of alpha baldness? There were millions of omegas living with a terrible quality of life, and no one did anything. No one cared.
Part of him genuinely wondered whether his shifts were even normal. He needed to speak to another hybrid, but where did one even begin to look? He supposed he could reach out to the foundations he supported… but the thought of that information leaking terrified him.
Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.
The editor-in-chief of Charmer Beauty being a hybrid. Scandal.
Fucking society.
Frustrated, he pushed himself off the bed and glanced at his reflection. Which, honestly, didn't help in the slightest. For a moment, he had forgotten his hair was now short and green. If he thought about it, and layered on a scandalous amount of concealer under his eyes, it didn't look that bad. He just had to learn how to style it. He could do that.
A small smile tugged at his lips as he remembered the other hybrid’s eyebrowless face.
He vaguely wondered how he was going to deal with that. He would have to shave the other one off, no question. Even if he had not botched it, there was no way to disguise the missing one.
A soft knock on the door made him turn.
“Princess?” Chan’s voice came from the other side. “Can we come in?”
Can they?
He was not sure.
Part of him wanted to laugh and tell them how ridiculous that question was. They could always come in, they knew that. As long as they knocked first, Felix had never had a problem with them entering his room. He wanted to smile at them, press a kiss to their lips, call his friends and tell them everything was off. That he would go on the trip with his mates and everything would be forgotten.
And that was exactly why he hesitated.
He understood Yeji’s point. They really had hurt him. A simple apology was not enough. Felix was still upset, still wounded. He felt replaceable. Insecure. That was not a game, not something that could be erased with a few kisses.
Now, Felix feared he might be too much for them.
He knew they needed to talk, but he was afraid of losing control. That instead of a calm conversation, he would start shouting, or crying. Was that what bothered them?
Maybe he was overreacting. Yes, what happened yesterday had not been pretty. But one day did not erase five years of a relationship. Maybe if he just—
“Baby?” The uncertainty in Jisung’s voice made his chest ache.
At last, he walked over and slowly opened the door. He took a deep breath before pulling it fully open.
“Do you need something?” he asked, forcing a smile.
All seven of them looked at him, as if waiting.
Felix blinked, confused.
“Can we come in?” Changbin asked.
“Oh.” Felix glanced back into his room out of habit. “Y-yeah. Sure.”
As his mates stepped inside, Felix moved aside, lingering by the door with his hand still on the handle, awkward.
“What did my sister say?” Hyunjin asked straight away, a hint of hesitation in his voice.
Felix paused for a few seconds.
“Nothing, just… well. They know I’m a hybrid now,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. “So, yeah. We talked about it. I explained… well, everything. Yeah.”
All seven of them nodded slowly.
“Oh, that’s good,” Chan said with a small smile. “We know how much you’ve wanted to tell them.”
“Did they get upset?” Minho asked, ever protective. “They didn’t say anything bad to you, did they?”
Felix smiled.
“Of course not.”
Silence settled over them again.
This is so awkward.
“They mentioned something about… organising something?”
Felix looked at Jeongin and nodded. “Um, yeah. We’re going on a trip.”
“When?” Seungmin asked.
“In three hours.” He pressed his lips together, clasping his hands behind his back.
Since when had he become this shy? Since when did all of them act so uncomfortable around him?
When they first started dating, it had been… awkward, yes. There was no other word for it. Eight people in a relationship, after all. None of them had known how to act around the others. Kissing in front of everyone felt strange, filled with side glances to make sure no one was getting jealous.
Chan, sweet and self-conscious Chan, had struggled the most. The alpha had been so afraid of ruining everything that every time he kissed one of them, he felt compelled to kiss the others too. Their goodbyes could last hours, and that was not an exaggeration.
It had been strange, and very awkward. It had taken a lot of communication… but it had never felt like this.
“You can’t.” Hyunjin frowned. “You need complete rest. The doctor said—”
“I’d rather rest on an island.” Felix shrugged.
Standing in his own room, facing his mates, felt unbearably awkward. Like he was a stranger. Like he did not belong.
This is my room, for fuck’s sake.
He walked over to one of the sofas in the corner and sat down, back straight.
“You didn’t eat,” Minho said.
“Felix doesn’t like eating right after he wakes up,” Jeongin murmured.
Oh. So they did know.
“Since when?” the omega frowned.
“Always.” Felix shrugged, reaching for a piece of pineapple.
He was not hungry, but he didn't want to make his mate feel bad.
“Princess, I really don’t think you should go on this trip,” Hyunjin said. “Flying right now could hurt you.”
“It’s already decided.”
“Love…” Changbin tried, stepping closer. “Listen to him. He’s a doctor and—”
“Oh, I see.” Felix smiled, sharp with sarcasm. “So now you can treat me, Hyunjin?” He turned to look at him. “I thought being my mate meant you couldn’t.”
The alpha’s eyes widened in shock. He blinked several times, glancing at the others as if someone might explain what had just happened.
“I-it’s different…” he started, unsure.
“In what way? Because now it suits you?” Felix took another bite of pineapple, slow and deliberate.
He watched them carefully.
Jeongin was leaning all his weight against Chan, who had an arm wrapped around his waist, pressing soft kisses to his hair every so often, trying to soothe him. Jisung looked seconds away from tears, gripping Minho’s arm tightly, while Minho stared at Felix, caught off guard. Seungmin stood near the window, his attention fixed on Hyunjin, who looked like he might break down at any moment.
Without thinking, Felix picked up another piece of pineapple and held it out to Changbin, who was sitting beside him. The beta blinked in surprise before opening his mouth to take it.
“Five years together,” Felix went on, “and us being your mates was never an issue. Whenever one of us got sick, you were the one taking care of us, prescribing things. Whenever someone had to be hospitalised, you looked after us, even argued with your superiors just to be in charge.” He tilted his head slightly. “So why is it suddenly a problem now?”
“I thought it was for the best,” he whispered. “I thought it would help you.”
Felix let out a scoff. “Why do you keep saying that?”
“We really believed it, little princess,” Chan cut in. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, and I’m sorry for that, but we’ve genuinely paid attention to how painful your shifts and your heat have been. We thought that… well. We know society isn’t exactly kind to hybrids, and getting access to a good doctor who actually cares about you isn’t easy.”
“We thought having one just for you would be ideal,” Minho finished.
Felix stared at them in silence for a few seconds before rolling his eyes, irritated.
“Do you honestly think I’m an idiot?” They all fell quiet, watching him. “That idiot has barely even finished his degree. What kind of personal doctor could he possibly be?”
“He’s not far from graduating,” Hyunjin defended him.
“We thought…” Jeongin said, his voice unsteady. “Having someone who’s known you from the beginning might be better in the long run.”
Felix let out a sharp, humourless laugh. He got up from the sofa and walked towards the window. The whole thing felt so absurd he did not know whether to be worried about their stupidity or just laugh.
“Of course,” he scoffed. “Let an inexperienced nobody take care of me. Let someone who isn’t even specialised tell me why the hell my body reacts the way it does.” He turned to look at them. “Brilliant plan. Give it a minute and you’ll save the world.”
“There’s no need for sarcasm,” Seungmin said.
Felix shot him a look, annoyed.
“It’s impossible that a group of men as intelligent, as successful as you lot could come up with something like that. At the very least, you could have come up with a better excuse.”
“But we didn’t make anything up!” Han protested, his voice pitching higher.
“I’d rather believe you’re lying than believe I’m dating idiots.”
There were many things Felix could not stand, but idiots were near the top of the list. The kind who thought themselves clever while speaking nothing but ignorance. He hated being surrounded by people like that.
Everyone at the company knew it.
His mates knew it too.
“Don’t insult us,” Seungmin said, irritation creeping into his voice. “We’re all here, willing to talk to you—”
“I don’t want to listen,” Felix shrugged. “You didn’t care to listen to me yesterday. I don’t feel like doing it now.”
“Felix, don’t be ridiculous—”
A sharp, humourless laugh cut Minho off.
“Funny how that works,” Felix said, smiling without warmth. “Yesterday I was a fucking hysteric, and today I’m ridiculous. I wonder what I’ll be tomorrow. An idiot? A cheat? Go on, enlighten me.”
“Felix!” Seungmin raised his voice. “At no point have we ever called you—”
“You spent the entire fucking day telling me I need to calm down,” Felix shot back, his voice rising as well. “I’ve never heard that word so many times in my life as I have in the last twenty-four hours, and you seriously have the nerve to say that—”
“Telling you to calm down is not the same as calling you hysterical,” the beta cut in. “Don’t put words in our mouths that we never said. Wanting what’s best for you is not—”
“That’s what’s best for me?” Felix did not even try to lower his voice. The sheer disbelief would not let him. “At least have the decency to tell me if who I am has started to wear you down.”
“Princess, that’s not what—”
“I don’t care about your words, Jeongin. I care about what you do. And what did you do yesterday? You showed me just how replaceable I am. How you’d rather have a calm hybrid instead of me. How you believe him more—”
“That’s not what happened and you know it,” Chan snapped, his voice rising too.
No one was shouting. Not yet. But they were getting dangerously close.
“We did believe you,” Jisung whispered.
“You believed me after you saw the video.”
“No!” he said, louder this time. “Baby, I believed you from the start.”
Felix tilted his head slightly.
“Did you believe me… or did all of you?”
They all fell silent.
“We’ve been together for five years, Felix,” Changbin murmured, watching him carefully. “We know you. We know you’re not a cruel person. You’d never do something like that.”
“If we made you feel like we doubted you, we’re sorry,” Hyunjin continued, head lowered. “Princess, you know we love you. One day doesn’t erase that.”
Felix sighed, exhausted.
His body hurt so much.
“That’s true. One day doesn’t erase five years of love.”
Jeongin smiled. His eyes lit up. “See? It’s nothing more than—”
“The problem is that you still don’t understand my point.”
The smile on Jeongin’s face slowly faded.
Felix stepped away from the window and looked at them one by one. Seven different expressions. Love, guilt, frustration, fear.
“I’m not saying one day erases five years,” he continued, more quietly. “I’m saying that yesterday, for the first time in five years… I felt alone.”
Jisung shook his head immediately.
“You weren’t alone.”
“I was,” he replied, without raising his voice. “Because when I said their presence was overwhelming me, the first thing you did was tell me to calm down. To think things through. To stop reacting like that.”
“But we never said you were overreacting,” Minho murmured.
Felix looked at him, tired. “Not with those exact words.”
And that was what hurt the most, if he was honest. He would have preferred they’d said it outright, rather than making him feel it through their actions.
Hyunjin stepped closer, as if the urge to touch him was stronger than the fear of being rejected. But just before reaching him, he stopped.
“I thought I was helping,” he said, his voice breaking. “I thought that if someone else was involved… if it didn’t all fall on me… it would be safer for you. Princess, please… I really believed it would be a good idea. That someone more steady…”
Felix felt something crack inside his chest. His eyes clearly watched the alpha continue speaking, but his ears failed to follow a single word.
He blinked, dazed. “Steady?”
Hyunjin’s eyes widened in fear, realising what he had just said.
“I—I didn’t mean it like that,” he shook his head quickly. “That’s not what I meant. I just meant that, since you tend to react quite strongly and—”
“And he doesn’t? Right. Of course. He’s calm. Polished. Always knows exactly what people want to hear, doesn’t he? Or how was it you put it yesterday, Seungmin? Ah, yes. Always has something to say. Able to keep conversations going in your work meetings, right?”
“This isn’t a competition,” Seungmin cut in.
“It was to me,” Felix said, taking a step towards them. “Because while I was trying to explain how I felt, you were telling me to calm down. To lower my voice. Not to make a scene…” he turned to Hyunjin and Jisung “And him…” He let out a humourless laugh. “He just smiled, with that perfect victim face, and you all lapped it up.”
“That’s not—”
“Do you really need someone else to validate my emotions?”
“What?” Changbin blinked several times. “No, of course not.”
“That’s not what we meant,” Chan said quickly, shaking his head.
“Then explain it to me. Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you needed someone who wasn’t emotionally involved with me to decide whether what I feel is valid or not.”
Seungmin frowned. “That’s not it. We told you it was about your physical health. Your hormones—”
“You just said you thought I needed him because he’s more stable!” Felix raised his voice. “You literally told me I should learn from how calm he is, Kim Seungmin.”
“But that doesn’t mean we wanted to invalidate your feelings. We were trying to understand you better and—”
“And my word wasn’t enough?”
Silence.
That same fucking silence again.
Felix felt the pain pricking behind his eyes. He wasn’t going to cry in front of them. Not when they had already made him feel unstable enough.
“It’s not that it hurts that you tried to find ways to help me,” he continued, more calmly. “It hurt that you did it without me. That you spoke to him, that you brought him into my space without caring about my opinion. That you told him I’m a hybrid when you know perfectly well how much I hate other people knowing.”
Jisung tensed.
“Jin brought him because his boss asked—”
“Minho, stop acting like I’m stupid.”
“I have never thought that!”
“Unlike you, I actually know you well. Don’t expect me to believe all of this was thought through, planned, and discussed yesterday. I know neither you nor Chan would take something like this so lightly.”
“That’s exactly it, love!” Changbin stood up. “We didn’t take it lightly. We talked about it a lot and—”
“And it never occurred to you to ask for my opinion. And even then, it didn’t matter how much I hated that hybrid. He was going to be my personal doctor, but since all of you adored him, Felix’s opinion didn’t matter. Again.”
Chan closed his eyes. “You’re right about that,” he said after a moment of silence. “We should have spoken to you first.”
Minho nodded slowly. “Yes.”
Hyunjin stepped closer again. He looked like he was falling apart from the inside. He stopped halfway, body leaning forward, unable to decide. His fingers trembled against his own arm, breath leaving him in short bursts through his nose. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other without moving forward, scratching the back of his neck in brief, repeated motions. He didn’t hold Felix’s gaze. His eyes darted restlessly, always returning to him. His shoulders tensed, dropped for a second, then tightened again with nowhere to go.
“I wasn’t trying to replace you,” he said suddenly, more firmly than he had the entire conversation. “I never wanted you to feel like that, or like I needed someone else because I couldn’t handle you.”
“It’s not about whether you can handle me,” Felix murmured. “I’m not a burden you have to manage.”
Jisung let out a small, broken sob.
“Don’t say that…”
“But that’s how it felt,” Felix replied, turning to him. His voice was beginning to give him away, heavy with exhaustion and pain. “Like I was too much.”
He brought a hand up to his head, as if that might dull the ache.
“And if I am too much,” he added, “I’d rather you told me. But don’t sell me this idea that everything is for my own good while you make decisions behind my back. At least have the decency to respect me.”
His pocket vibrated. He pulled out his phone and saw that Soobin was waiting outside. With a sigh, he slipped it back in.
“I feel like you’re talking bullshit, and that pisses me off. Like you’re just trying to dress up the mess you made, as if a few pretty, understanding words would make me forget everything. Whether you like it or not, my emotions, intense as they are, are completely valid. And if I felt so hurt I couldn’t stand the sight of you, or even your scents, then I don’t owe you the effort of standing here and begging you to understand me. Not when you’re clearly not listening.”
No one said anything. By that point, they were all crying.
Felix walked towards the door, but paused before leaving.
“Just like you spoke behind my back, do it now and figure out why I’m this angry,” he said, turning the handle. He stepped out, then stopped again and looked back over his shoulder. “And I don’t know what you did with Alexander, or whether it’s true he won’t try to ruin my life again, but I’ll tell you this much. If that bastard starts telling people I’m a hybrid, I swear on my mothers, and on how much I love you, he won't be the only one dealing with the consequences.”