"Pre-heat. It's accelerating." Jae-won said simply, moving to stand near the window, his nearly-black eyes meeting mine with quiet understanding. The word hung in the air, heavy with implication. I felt all five of them go still, their attention sharpening, the room suddenly charged with something electric.
"I need to tell you something. All of you." I said, my voice coming out rougher than I intended, the heat building under my skin making it hard to focus.
"Sit down first. Drink." Min-jun was already moving, guiding me to the couch, pressing a glass of water into my hands, his hazel eyes soft with concern.
I drank, grateful for the coolness, for the moment to gather my thoughts. The four of them arranged themselves around me — Hwan on my left, Tae-min on my right, Jin-ho in the armchair nearby, Min-jun perched on the arm of the couch. Jae-won remained by the window, but his eyes found mine, steady and encouraging. He already knew what I was about to say.
Four alphas waiting. One already certain.
"I've made my decision. About the heat. About the bonds. About... everything." I said, setting down the water glass, my grey eyes moving from face to face. The silence was absolute. I could hear my own heartbeat, could feel theirs through the incomplete bonds — racing, waiting, hoping.
"I want Option B. I want the bonds to complete. I want the marks. I want... forever." The words came out steady, certain, more certain than anything I'd ever said, my voice clear in the quiet room.
Yes,my omega sang, fierce and triumphant.Finally. Ours. Forever.
For a moment, no one moved. Then Hwan made a sound — something between a laugh and a sob — and pulled me into his arms, his whole body shaking.
"Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you." Hwan breathed against my hair, his voice cracking, his sunshine scent wrapping around me like a blanket.
"Hwan, let her breathe. She just said yes and you're already smothering her." Tae-min said, but his voice was thick too, his dark chocolate eyes suspiciously bright, a grin splitting his face.
"I'm not smothering, I'm appreciating. You said yes." Hwan pulled back just enough to look at me, his warm brown eyes wet, his famous smile wobbly but blinding.
"I said yes." I confirmed, and saying it again made it more real, more solid, my own smile spreading across my face.
Jin-ho rose from his chair, crossing to kneel in front of me, his silver-grey hair falling across his forehead, his amber eyes burning with quiet intensity. He didn't say anything — just took my hand, pressed his lips to my knuckles, and held on.
"Thank you for choosing us. For trusting us." Min-jun said softly, his warm hazel eyes gentle, his dimples deep with his smile, one hand coming up to cup my cheek. Tae-min whooped suddenly, the tension breaking, and launched himself at Hwan in a tackle that sent them both tumbling off the couch.
"She said yes! She actually said yes!" Tae-min yelled, his cherry-red hair a bright blur as he and Hwan wrestled on the floor, both of them laughing.
"We heard, Tae-min." Jin-ho said dryly, but there was warmth underneath the words, his grip on my hand tightening, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. Through it all, Jae-won had stayed by the window, watching with quiet satisfaction. When my eyes found his, he smiled — small but real, his nearly-black eyes warm with something that looked like pride.
I extracted myself from the chaos — Hwan and Tae-min still tangled on the floor, Min-jun laughing at them, Jin-ho a steady presence at my knee — and crossed to him.
"Thank you." I said quietly, stopping close enough that only he could hear, tilting my head up to meet his eyes. "For last night. For listening. For giving me time to be sure."
"You were already sure." Jae-won's voice was low, meant only for me, his hand coming up to brush hair from my face. "You just needed to say it out loud."
"Maybe." I leaned into his touch, feeling the rightness of it settle into my bones. "But it helped. Having you know first."
"I'm glad." Jae-won pressed a kiss to my forehead, brief and tender, before turning back to the room, the pack alpha reasserting himself. "We should discuss things. The heat. How this will work." The others had disentangled themselves, settling back onto couches and chairs, the giddy energy settling into something more serious.
"Order of claiming. It should follow bond trigger order. That's traditional." Jin-ho said, his amber eyes thoughtful, his voice measured, his elegant fingers steepled in front of him.
"Which means Hwan first. Then Jin-ho, me, Min-jun, Jae-won." Tae-min said, and there was no jealousy in his voice, just acceptance, his dark chocolate eyes bright.
"As pack alpha, my mark goes on the primary gland. It's the main claiming mark. The others will mark secondary points." Jae-won continued, his voice steadying into explanation mode, his expression serious.
"Will it hurt?" The question slipped out before I could stop it, small and nervous, my fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt.
"Yes. But not the way you're thinking. It's... intense. Overwhelming. But the bond completes at the same moment, and that—" Hwan answered honestly, his warm brown eyes soft, his hand finding mine, breaking off as he searched for words. "That makes it worth it."
"The heat itself will help. Your body will be producing hormones that make the marking feel... good. Necessary. You'll want it." Min-jun added gently, his hazel eyes warm with reassurance, his voice soft and soothing. I nodded slowly, processing. Want it. I could already feel the edges of that want, the pre-heat making every touch more significant, every scent more intoxicating.
"What about... during?" I hesitated, heat rising to my cheeks, my voice dropping lower.
"We'll take care of you. Between waves. Water, food, rest. Whatever you need." Tae-min said earnestly, his dark chocolate eyes bright with sincerity, leaning forward on the couch, his red hair falling into his face.
