Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
KEIRA
I woke to the sound of voices in the hallway, low and urgent.
The nest was warm around me, layered with the scents of all five alphas, but only Min-jun remained beside me.
He was propped up on one elbow, watching the door with a slight furrow between his brows, his warm hazel eyes alert despite the early hour.
"What's going on?" I asked, my voice rough with sleep, my body already registering the change — hotter than yesterday, skin more sensitive, a low ache settling into my bones.
"Doctor's here. Jae-won called her first thing this morning.
Your temperature spiked overnight." Min-jun said softly, his hand finding my forehead, his touch cool against my heated skin, his expression shifting to concern, his dimples nowhere to be seen.
Before I could respond, the door opened and Jae-won stepped in, followed by a familiar face — Dr. Yoon.
She carried a small medical bag and moved with the same quiet confidence I remembered, her grey-streaked hair pulled back in a neat bun.
"Miss Park. Good to see you again." Dr. Yoon said, approaching the nest with calm efficiency, her voice warm but businesslike, her kind eyes crinkling slightly at the corners.
"Dr. Yoon. Is something wrong?" I sat up, suddenly nervous, the blankets pooling around my waist, my grey eyes searching her face for any sign of bad news.
"Not at all. This is routine. I just need to assess where you are in your cycle.
May I?" Dr. Yoon smiled reassuringly, already pulling out a small device that looked like a thermometer, her movements practiced and gentle.
I nodded, and she pressed the device to my wrist. It beeped after a few seconds, and she studied the readout with practiced eyes.
"Your heat will hit fully within twelve to twenty-four hours.
You're progressing normally. Strong hormone levels, healthy vitals.
The pre-heat symptoms will intensify over the next several hours — increased temperature, heightened sensitivity, stronger scent production.
" Dr. Yoon said, tucking the device away, her expression professional but not unkind, her tone matter-of-fact.
"Is there anything she should do to prepare?" Jae-won asked from the doorway, his nearly-black eyes fixed on me, his jaw tight with concern, his tall frame tense with barely contained protectiveness, one hand gripping the doorframe.
"Rest. Hydrate. Eat while you can — appetite often disappears once heat fully hits.
The nest looks well-prepared. Make sure there's water and easy food within reach.
She'll need calories between waves." Dr. Yoon turned to address him, her tone shifting to something more clinical, her hands clasped in front of her.
"We've got it covered." Min-jun said, his hand finding mine under the blankets, his thumb tracing soothing circles on my palm, his hazel eyes warm with quiet confidence, his shoulder pressing reassuringly against mine.
"I'm sure you do." Dr. Yoon's expression softened slightly as she looked between us, something knowing in her gaze. "Miss Park, your body knows what it's doing. Trust your instincts. These alphas — they'll take good care of you."
"Thank you." I said, my voice steadier than I felt, my fingers tightening around Min-jun's hand, my grey eyes meeting hers with gratitude. Dr. Yoon nodded, gathered her bag, and let Jae-won escort her out. The door clicked shut behind them, and the room fell quiet.
"Twelve to twenty-four hours." I repeated, the words settling into my chest like stones, my heart beating faster, my free hand pressing against my sternum.
"We're ready. The nest is ready. We're all ready. You just need to focus on yourself." Min-jun shifted closer, his vanilla-and-fresh-bread scent wrapping around me, his hazel eyes soft with reassurance, his body warm and solid against my side.
The morning passed in a haze of preparations and hovering alphas.
Jae-won had cleared all schedules — not just SIREN's, but everything.
The dorm was quiet, sealed off from the outside world.
No managers, no staff, no interruptions.
Just the six of us and the growing anticipation that hummed through every room.
I tried to help with the nest preparations, but the others kept gently steering me back to the couch, pressing water into my hands, feeding me bites of fruit and protein.
"You need to conserve energy. Let us take care of you. That's literally our job right now." Hwan said when I protested, his platinum blonde hair falling into his warm brown eyes, his famous smile softer than usual, his hand finding my knee and squeezing gently.
"It feels strange. Just sitting here while you all work." I admitted, watching Tae-min and Jin-ho carry extra blankets into the nest room, my skin prickling with restless energy, my fingers drumming against my thigh.
"Get used to it. We plan on taking care of you for a very long time." Hwan's smile widened into something more playful, his sunshine-and-citrus scent brightening, his warm brown eyes crinkling at the corners, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on my knee.
By late morning, the nest preparations were mostly complete, and a strange calm settled over the dorm.
"Movie?" Tae-min suggested, bouncing onto the couch beside me, his dark chocolate eyes hopeful, his cherry-red hair still disheveled from carrying blankets, his whole body vibrating with barely contained energy.
"That sounds nice, actually." I said, surprised by how much I meant it, leaning into his warmth without thinking, my head finding his shoulder.
They settled on a romantic comedy none of them would admit to liking, and soon I was buried under a pile of alphas.
Hwan on my left, arm around my shoulders.
Tae-min on my right, his head eventually drooping onto my shoulder as the movie progressed.
Jin-ho on the floor in front of me, leaning back against my legs.
Min-jun wedged beside Hwan with a bowl of popcorn.
And Jae-won in the armchair nearby, watching us more than the movie, his expression soft with something that looked like wonder.
Pack, my omega purred, content despite the heat building under my skin.
"You're not watching the movie." I said to Jae-won during a quiet scene, catching his eyes on me instead of the screen.
"I'm watching something better." Jae-won said simply, his nearly-black eyes warm, his lips quirking into a small smile, his whole body relaxed in a way I rarely saw from the pack alpha.
Halfway through the movie, Hwan got restless.
"Okay, I can't sit still anymore. Keira, come here." Hwan stood abruptly, pulling me up with him, his platinum blonde hair bouncing, his warm brown eyes bright with mischief, his grip on my hand firm but gentle.
"What are you doing?" I asked, letting him tug me to the open space behind the couch, my grey eyes narrowed with suspicion, my bare feet cool against the floor.
"Teaching you the choreography for 'Eclipse.' You wrote the song — you should know the dance." Hwan said, already positioning my arms, his touch gentle but insistent, his smile infectious, his sunshine scent wrapping around me.
What followed was chaos.
Tae-min and Hwan kept trying to out-dance each other, showing off increasingly complicated moves while I attempted to follow and mostly just spun in confused circles.
Jin-ho eventually joined in, his movements precise and controlled where theirs were flashy, his amber eyes warm with quiet enjoyment.
Even Min-jun got pulled in, his dance style surprisingly smooth, his hazel eyes bright with laughter.
"Come on, pack alpha. Show us your moves." Tae-min called to Jae-won, who was still watching from the doorway, his nearly-black eyes soft with amusement.
"I don't dance." Jae-won said simply, but he was smiling, his cedar-and-thunder scent warm with contentment, his dark eyes crinkling at the corners.
"Dance with me. Just once." I crossed to him, holding out my hand, my grey eyes challenging, my heart beating faster.
Jae-won looked at my outstretched hand for a long moment, his nearly-black eyes searching my face, something vulnerable flickering in their depths.
Then he took it, his fingers wrapping around mine, warm and strong.
"Just once." Jae-won said, letting me pull him to his feet, his voice rough, his nearly-black eyes never leaving mine, his cedar scent intensifying.
There was no music playing anymore, but it didn't matter.
Jae-won pulled me close, one hand on my waist, the other holding mine, and we swayed together in the silence.
"This isn't really dancing." I murmured, but I didn't pull away, my head finding his chest, his heartbeat steady under my ear.
"It's enough." Jae-won's voice was soft, his chin coming to rest on top of my head, his cedar scent surrounding me completely, his arms tightening around me.
The others drifted closer, not interrupting, just..
. being near. Hwan's hand found my shoulder.
Tae-min pressed against my back. Jin-ho's fingers brushed my arm.
Min-jun's warmth radiated from somewhere close.
Six people, breathing together, holding each other without words.
The afternoon sun slanted through the windows, warm and golden.
We'd settled into a pile on the floor — limbs and blankets tangled together.
I was sprawled across Tae-min's lap while Min-jun played with my hair, Hwan's head resting on my stomach, Jin-ho reading quietly in the corner, Jae-won's hand a constant presence on my ankle.
"Can I see them?" I asked suddenly, the question surprising even myself, my grey eyes moving from face to face. "Your soulmate marks. I've never... I want to really look at them."
The room went still. Something shifted in the air — anticipation, vulnerability.