Minho's POV
Sleep didn't come. It hadn't for days.
Minho sat in the corner of his apartment long after midnight, the city's glow leaking in through the window. His wolf prowled just beneath the surface - restless, pacing, snarling for what it wanted.
For him.
"Stop," Minho muttered to himself, dragging his fingers through his hair. The echo of Chan's voice from earlier still burned in his head: You're already mine.
It was infuriating how true it felt.
Every time he tried to bury the bond, it only clawed deeper, as though his very heartbeat synced with the Alpha's against his will. He'd faced enemies, handled negotiations that could crumble empires, but one stubborn Alpha had him unraveling piece by piece.
He pressed a trembling hand to his chest, eyes squeezing shut.
"This isn't who I am," he whispered. "I don't need him."
But his wolf growled back from within - a low, aching sound that sounded almost like a plea.
---
Chan's POV
Meanwhile, Chan stood alone on the Mixtape rooftop, the city stretching endlessly below. The wind tugged at his shirt, and the moon full and heavy glowed like an omen.
Every instinct screamed at him to go to Minho. Claim. Protect. Soothe.
But he didn't. Not yet.
Patience was a blade he'd learned to wield.
Minho was breaking, Chan could feel it through the thread of their bond and part of him hated himself for wanting it. But he also knew Minho's walls wouldn't fall easily. They had to crumble from within.
His eyes flicked down to the streets below where laughter drifted faintly, Changbin's loud bark of amusement, Seungmin's dry scolding tone, and the quiet harmony of new bonds blooming around them.
"Looks like the others are settling in," Chan muttered, half-smiling despite the storm in his chest.
---
At the dorms, Changbin and Seungmin were tangled in half an argument, half an embrace.
"You're impossible," Seungmin said, but his tone had softened, the corners of his lips twitching.
Changbin grinned, holding him tighter. "And yet, you're still here."
"Unfortunately."
Their bond shimmered quietly like an ember kept warm through stubborn affection.
Across town, Hyunjin and Jisung sat by the riverbank, their laughter echoing against the water.
"You ever think about fate?" Jisung asked, leaning back on his palms.
Hyunjin smirked. "Only when you make me believe in it."
Jisung's blush deepened, but the way their fingers brushed - tentative, electric, said everything words couldn't.
And then there was Felix and Jeongin. The youngest pair, quiet but steady. Felix rested his head on Jeongin's shoulder as they watched the stars through the café window.
"Do you think everyone finds their mate?" Jeongin asked softly.
Felix smiled - that warm, light-up-the-world kind of smile. "Not everyone. But I think the ones who fight hardest not to...end up falling the deepest."
---
Chan's POV
Chan watched the moon disappear behind clouds and clenched his fists.
He could feel the bond thrumming like a heartbeat beneath his skin, faint but undeniable. Minho was resisting, but every moment apart only stretched the thread tighter.
He wasn't angry anymore. Just...determined.
"You can run from it all you want, Minho," Chan murmured, eyes burning with resolve. "But when you finally stop fighting... I'll be right there."
He turned, heading back toward the stairs, his decision made.
The chase wasn't over. It had only just begun.