"Ge! Guess what? I saw an ant earlier, and it was so strong! Even though it's tiny, it could carry a green bean all by itself. Isn't that amazing? I want to be strong like that when I grow up, just like you!"
The excited voice echoed through the room.
A small child with a blurred face burst into the office and ran straight toward a desk piled high with books and papers.
His laughter filled the air as he leaned against the table, eager to share his discovery.
Behind the desk sat a young man whose features were equally indistinct. His head remained lowered as he continued writing, surrounded by thick textbooks and unfinished assignments.
On the opposite side of the room, another figure sat working quietly.
A pair of glasses rested on his nose.
Though his face was impossible to make out, the calm and steady presence of the man immediately told the child who he was.
"A-Hua," the man said gently, setting down his pen.
"Did you go into the woods again? Didn't I tell you it's dangerous? What if you encountered a wild animal or got lost? How would we find you?"
The child's smile faded.
Again.
It was always the same answer.
Whenever he wanted to share something exciting, they told him the woods were dangerous, but when he wanted to spend time with them, they were busy.
His father always had work, and his brother always had homework.
The woods had become the only place where he never felt lonely.
There were birds he had never seen before, flowers that bloomed in strange colors, and insects that carried things larger than themselves.
Every day felt like an adventure. Yet somehow, no one else seemed to understand.
The child's shoulders drooped. His lower lip trembled.
Tears began to gather in his eyes. Then he stomped his foot.
The loud thud echoed through the office, making both figures immediately look up, and saw the child standing there crying.
Small fists clenched at his sides.
"A-Hua?" his brother called, concerned about entering his voice.
The young man immediately pushed back his chair and stood, but before he could take more than a step, the child turned and ran.
"A-Hua!"
His brother hurried after him.
"Wait!"
He managed to catch his younger brother's wrist.
"Let go! Let go of me!"
The child struggled fiercely.
His brother crouched down in front of him despite the resistance.
"Tell Ge what's wrong first, hm?"
The child tried to answer instead, a sob escaped.
The next moment he threw himself forward, burying his face against his brother's chest.
His small body shook uncontrollably.
For a while, neither of them spoke, his elder brother simply held him.
Then, the scene blurred, the colors bled together, voices faded into distant echoes.
The child remained standing alone, a light emerged out of nowhere and suddenly the child was replaced by an adult man.
The years passed in the blink of an eye, and the crying child now became a young man.
The forest returned, only this time, it was dark.
Branches clawed at his clothes as he ran. His breaths came in ragged gasps.
His heart hammered violently against his ribs.
Behind him came shouting.
"A-Hua!"
The voice echoed through the trees.
The young man stumbled over a root but kept running.
Panic flooded every nerve in his body.
Leaves crunched beneath his hurried footsteps.
Someone was chasing him.
No.
Multiple people were chasing him.
"A-Hua!"
The voice sounded desperate, making the young man feel terrified.
Bang!
The deafening crack of a gunshot suddenly tore through the forest.
Birds exploded from the treetops.
The young man's eyes widened.
Hiss body froze.
"A-HUA!"
The scream that followed was filled with such raw terror that it seemed to shake the entire world.
Everything then shattered. All of it dissolved into darkness.
Gou Feng's eyes flew open.
A sharp breath escaped him. For a moment, he couldn't tell where he was.
The echoes of the gunshot still rang in his ears.
His heart pounded violently against his chest as he stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above him.
The dream was gone, but the fear it planted inside him remained.
"A-Feng?"
A warm hand suddenly settled on his shoulder.
Gou Feng flinched violently.
"No!"
His voice came out sharp and panicked.
He recoiled instinctively, his breathing uneven as he turned toward the source of the touch.
Only then did he realize someone was sitting beside the bed.
It was Hei Bao.
Yet the look in Gou Feng's eyes made it seem as though he didn't recognize the man before him at all.
The pack leader wore loose night clothes, the collar hanging slightly open to reveal part of his chest. A book rested in one hand, evidently interrupted by Gou Feng's sudden awakening.
Seeing the young man's reaction, Hei Bao's brows immediately furrowed.
Not because Gou Feng had recoiled from his touch.
But because the young man looked far worse than before.
His complexion was deathly pale. Sweat soaked his forehead and neck, and fear still lingered in his eyes, as though whatever had chased him in his dream had followed him into reality.
A night mare?
The thought crossed Hei Bao's mind as he quietly set the book aside.
He moved slightly closer, intending to check on him.
Yet the moment he raised his hand, Gou Feng's eyes squeezed shut.
His shoulders tensed.
His entire body seemed to brace for something terrible.
The hand hovering in the air stopped.
Hei Bao's brows drew together, and after a brief hesitation, he slowly withdrew it.
Concern settled heavily in his chest.
The fear on Gou Feng's face wasn't ordinary.
It was the kind of fear that came from seeing something one desperately wished to forget.
His hands were trembling, and his breathing remained uneven.
Even now, after waking up, he looked as though he were trapped inside whatever nightmare had found him.
Comforting people has never been Hei Bao's strength.
Even in his younger years, he had never known what to do with another person's grief. To him, pain was something one endured until time eventually dulled it. Words rarely changed anything.
Then he met his mate. Slowly, without realizing it, he had learned things he once considered unnecessary.
How to comfort, how to reassure, and how to stay beside someone simply because they needed him there.
Yet after losing his mate, and later losing his son, those habits had faded away alongside them.
For years, he had no reason to use them.
But now, looking at the trembling young man before him, Hei Bao found himself at a loss.
Whatever Gou Feng had seen in that dream had truly terrified him.
Before Hei Bao realized what he was doing, he had already reached forward.
One arm slipped around Gou Feng's shoulders, while the other pulled him gently against his chest.
Gou Feng stiffened immediately.
"Let go..."
His voice trembled.
"Let go..."
The words repeated again and again.
Fear filled every syllable.
It was clear he still hadn't recognized who was holding him.
Hei Bao could only frown.
The young man's reaction made his chest tighten.
Then, without a word, Hei Bao slowly released a soothing wave of pheromones.
A familiar scent drifted through the room, warm and calming.
The effect was almost immediate.
Gou Feng froze.
His frantic breathing gradually slowed.
The scent reached him through the lingering haze of fear and confusion.
Lavender.
The scent he had known for years.
The scent that always lingered around the person who had raised him.
The terror clouding his mind slowly began to clear.
It was Hei Bao.
The one who was holding him right now, is his Ge.
"Ge..."
A shaky breath escaped his lips.
The tension slowly drained from his body, and without him realizing it, he leaned further into the embrace.
Tears slipped from the corners of his eyes. At first, they came silently, but soon, Hei Bao heard the quiet sound of suppressed sobs.
His brows furrowed, yet he did not let go.
Instead, he tightened his arms slightly around the trembling young man and allowed him to cry.
"I'm here," Hei Bao said quietly.
The words felt unfamiliar on his tongue, yet he said it with full sincerity.
Gou Feng's fingers unconsciously tightened around the fabric of his clothes, and gradually, the trembling eased.
Hei Bao felt the change immediately.
His grip loosened slightly.
"Feeling better now?" he asked in a low voice.
Gou Feng nodded, eyes remained closed.
"I'm sorry..."
Hei Bao blinked.
Sorry? For what? He did nothing wrong.
"Nightmares don't deserve apologies. Calm yourself first."
Awkwardly, he lifted a hand and patted Gou Feng's back.
The motion felt unfamiliar, but even so, he continued his actions.
The room gradually fell silent. The only sound left was the steady rhythm of their breathing.
After nearly a minute, Hei Bao noticed that Gou Feng's breaths had become slow and even.
He glanced down, and saw the young man had fallen asleep again.
A helpless sigh escaped him.
Carefully, Hei Bao eased him back onto the bed.
Gou Feng barely stirred.
After making sure the blanket was properly tucked around him, Hei Bao reached for the handkerchief he had left on the bedside table earlier.
Gently he wiped away the sweat clinging to the young man's forehead, temples, and neck.
At the same time, he pressed the back of his free hand against Gou Feng's forehead, checking his temperature.
His frown deepened immediately.
As expected, the young man was running a fever.