I laughed, and this time there was real humor in it, the tension breaking like a wave, my shoulders relaxing. "I look like a crazy person. I've been arranging blankets for six hours."
"You look like an omega preparing for something important." Min-jun corrected, his smile warm and accepting, his hand reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering on my cheek. "There's no shame in that."
A knock on the doorframe made us both look up. Jae-won stood there, his expression serious but not unkind, his dark eyes taking in our position — hands intertwined, foreheads close, surrounded by the nest I'd built.
"Sorry to interrupt." Jae-won said, his voice low and measured, his shoulders tense in a way that told me this wasn't a casual visit, his jaw tight with whatever he was about to say. "But we need to talk. All of us."
Something in his tone made my stomach clench. This was the conversation Min-jun had mentioned. The one about choices and consequences.
"Now?" I asked, my voice smaller than I wanted it to be, my fingers unconsciously tightening around Min-jun's.
"It's important." Jae-won's eyes softened slightly, some of the tension leaving his frame as he looked at me, his voice gentling. "We've put it off as long as we can. Your heat... it's getting close. You need to understand what that means before it happens."
Min-jun squeezed my hand once before releasing it, rising gracefully from the nest and offering me his hand to help me up.
"It'll be okay." Min-jun said quietly, his dark eyes reassuring as I took his hand, his grip steady and warm. "We just need to talk."
I followed them to the living room, where the others were already gathered. Hwan sat on the couch, his usual brightness dimmed to something more serious, his eyes tracking me as I entered. Tae-min was beside him, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, his energy restless and contained. Jin-ho stood by the window, arms crossed, his expression unreadable but his attention sharp.
The atmosphere felt heavy. Important. Like the air before a storm. I settled onto the couch, and immediately Hwan shifted closer, his thigh pressing against mine in silent support. Tae-min's hand found my knee, a grounding touch. The small gestures of comfort made my chest tight with something I couldn't name. Jae-won remained standing, facing the group, his posture that of a leader about to deliver difficult news. He took a breath, and I watched his shoulders rise and fall before he spoke.
"Your heat is coming." Jae-won said, his voice calm but serious, his dark eyes meeting mine directly, his hands claspedin front of him. "Probably within the next few days. Your nesting instinct, the changes in your scent — they're all signs."
I nodded, my throat too tight for words. I'd known this was coming. Had felt it building in my bones, in the way my skin felt too sensitive, in the way I craved their presence more intensely each day.
"During heat, an omega's body demands completion of any existing bonds." Jae-won continued, his words measured, clearly chosen with care, his expression serious but not unkind. "The incomplete bonds you have with all five of us — they'll become painful if they're not addressed. Your body will be pushing you toward us, and we'll feel it too. The pull will be... intense."
"Painful how?" I asked, forcing the words out despite the tightness in my throat, my hands clenching in my lap.
"It varies." Jin-ho spoke up from his position by the window, his voice quiet but clear, his dark eyes fixed on me with careful attention. "Some describe it as a burning. Others as an ache that won't stop. The longer the heat goes without completion, the worse it gets."
"We don't want that for you." Hwan added, his voice soft, his hand finding mine and squeezing, his golden eyes bright with sincerity as he looked at me. "We want to help. But you need to understand what helping means."
Jae-won nodded, his expression growing more serious, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "There are essentially three options. The choice is entirely yours. We will accept whatever you decide." The weight of his words settled over me. Three options. Choices that would shape everything that came after.
"Option one." Jae-won said, holding up a finger, his gaze steady on mine, his voice careful and measured. "We spend your heat with you. Intimately. The soul bonds will complete — permanently. There's no undoing that once it happens. But wedon't have to exchange mating marks. The bonds will be there, unbreakable, but there won't be any visible claim."
My heart was racing. Permanent. Unbreakable. The words echoed in my head.
"Option two." Jae-won continued, raising a second finger, his dark eyes never leaving my face. "We spend your heat with you, and we exchange mating marks. Pack marks and mate marks, on the bonding gland." His hand unconsciously touched his own neck, fingers brushing over unblemished skin. "The bonds complete the same way, permanently. The marks are visible. A physical claim that tells the world you're ours and we're yours."
Want, my omega whispered, something primal stirring at the thought.Marks. Theirs. Forever.
I pushed the instinct down, trying to focus on what he was saying.
"Option three." Jae-won's voice gentled, something careful entering his expression, his shoulders dropping slightly. "We help you through the heat without... full intimacy. There are ways to ease the symptoms — scenting, closeness, physical contact that isn't sexual. The bonds would stay incomplete."
"But?" I heard the hesitation in his voice, saw the way his jaw tightened.
"But it's difficult." Min-jun said gently from beside me, his hand finding my shoulder, his touch warm and grounding. "Painful, for everyone. Your body will be fighting against it the whole time. And the incomplete bonds... they'll still be there after. Still aching. It's not impossible, but it's not recommended."
Silence fell over the room. I could feel all five of them watching me, waiting, their attention a physical weight.
"I know this is a lot." Jae-won said, his voice softening, some of the pack alpha formality dropping away to reveal the man underneath, his expression open and earnest. "And we'renot asking you to decide right now. We just needed you to understand, before your heat makes thinking clearly... harder."
"What do you want?" The question came out before I could stop it, my voice raw, my eyes searching his face. "All of you. What do you actually want?"
The alphas exchanged glances, something passing between them that I couldn't quite read.
