"I have a plan, it's not a good one, but it's our only option."

"Well? We need everything we can get, spit it out." Jongho said as he takes in the surroundings of the forest they're currently hiding in outside of the palace.

Mingi, San and Jongho have split up from everyone else, with half of the group staying with them to find Seonghwa and Wooyoung, and the other half going with Daehyun, Jaimin and Soyeon to find her pride members and any other person who's in need of help. They managed to find a breach in the wall outside of the palace, a gap that's just big enough for a person to slip in through. Half of the group have already gone in, and the other half is currently sitting with Mingi, San and Jongho going over their plan.

It wasn't easy, but they all made the hard decision to make sure that Blue Star must fall. They're too dangerous a pack for there to ever be peace, and even if their plan goes off without a hitch, they'll just come back. Their reign of power must end today.

Mingi takes in a shaky breath as he speaks, "We need to take the Luna of the pack, Seonghwa's mother."

San blinks as Jongho next to him lets his mouth fall open in shook, even the lions behind them that are in their group let out stream of shocked gasp.

"Are you insane?! You really don't want us to go home at all, do you?" San grabs both of Mingi's shoulders as he shakes him back and forth, desperately trying to understand his logic.

"We don't have another option! We are outnumbered, backed into a corner, and unless you have a better idea I would love to hear it!"

San growls under his breathe as Jongho pulls him back, and he crosses his arms as he sits and waits. "Well, tell us your genius plan."

Mingi sighs as he collects his thoughts. "From what little information I've managed to pick up from around the palace, she's a beta, and the only mate to the head alpha, Seonghwa's father. I can make her submit easily, and we can use her to get Wooyoung and Seonghwa both. I've also overheard that his execution is in about three hours, so we have to move fast. I'm going to find her, and once I do, you two will tie her up and we'll go to the site they're trying to hang him from. It's our only shot to save him."

San can feel Jongho tense next to him at the mention of Wooyoung's execution, and he reaches down to grasp his hand and squeeze it in a reassuring manner. We're going to get him home. He's not dying and neither is the pup.

Jongho sends back comforted signals through their bond, and San grins at his mates change of attitude.

"Okay, let's find her. We don't have much time. Did you have an idea of where she is?"

"Last I heard, she was in the garden, and her guard was down. Just follow the smell of flowers."

•••

Yuqi? Can you hear me? Please, give me a sign you're here.

Soyeon curses under her breathe as she quietly runs through the basement of the Blue Star palace, smelling the air to see if she can scent out her mate. Soyeon decided that it was best that she separates from her group to try and find her pride members, while the others work on opening the cells and releasing the prisoners. While the lioness is running through the halls searching, she's unlocking cells and telling people where to find her group, and all she can do is hope that they avoid the few guards that are down here and find Daehyun and Jaimin.

There's hundreds of cells down here, all full of different types of animals and test subjects. She's seen wolves, mountain lions, bears, hell, she's pretty sure she even saw a deer or two, which are extremely rare. For whatever reason they have all these animals down here for, Soyeon has a bad feeling about it.

Suddenly, a strong metallic smell of blood hits her nose, and the hair on the back of her neck rises as she follows it.

Soon, she's peering into a large room that looks like a medical study, with tables lined up and surgical instruments stacked up on tables. She slightly turns her vision to the left, and she has to suppress her growl of surprise at what she sees.

There's lions, her pride members, strapped to tables with buckets lined up under their bodies.

Buckets filling up with blood.

Soyeon has to hold her vomit in her throat as she watches the blood slowly drip into the buckets under her family members, and she feels tears drip from her eyes when they land on Yuqi.

Yuqi! Baby, I'm here! I'm gonna get you out of here, okay? Can you hear me?

S..Soyeon? Is that you? Please don't..tell me I'm dreaming again..

No honey, I'm right here. What are they doing to you? Are the others okay?

A..All of us are fine..But we won't be if you don't hurry..They check up on us every two hours, and they just left..

I'll ask questions later, just let me get you out of here.

Soyeon's breath quickens as she runs over to her pride, and she sobs as she falls into Yuqi's arms. "I-I was so worried about you..I'm taking you home, and I'm sorry..I'm sorry I let them take you."

Yuqi grins as she tries and sits up, but she winces as she falls into Soyeon's arms. "You had to let them take me..They would have hurt everyone else, so please don't worry. Me and the others are okay, and you're here now. I knew you'd come for me."

Soyeon grins as she kisses Yuqi's cheek, and she quickly finds some gauze and tapes it over the holes in Yuqi's body, as well as everyone else.

"Can you walk? We need to get to the others quickly, before any guards come back."

"Yeah, I'm good enough to walk..Just hold me up." Soyeon nods as she holds Yuqi up by her arm, and with the rest of the pride following, they start their quick but quiet trek to the rest of the group.

Can you tell me what they're doing? Why do they need your blood? How long were they draining you?

They use our blood to strength their army. Mountain lion, bear, wolf, anything that's strong. They take our blood, mix it together, and feed it to their militia like candy, I overheard the doctors talking about it. A super army. And they use it to raid the other surrounding packs and kidnap more people to continue their sick experiments. You got here just in time, they had just poked holes in us and left us there to drain like wet rags.

These sick bastards..Their power must end. I had to ask Mingi for help, and he brought along some friends as well. This pack falls today.

Yuqi smiles at her mates determined tone, and soon they arrive at the meeting spot the group determined. It's an almost empty room, with a secret tunnel that connects to the forest outside of Blue Star.

"I found some documents in here, and apparently this is an escape tunnel some of the prisoners use to get out of here. It was dung by one of the guards who doesn't agree with what Blue Star does, and they used to sneak them out through here. But from the condition of the tunnel, it seems as though the guard was caught, and they haven't used this tunnel since. Most of the prisoners have already ran for their lives, and we can only hope they find their way home on their own."

Daehyun turns to Soyeon, with a serious look on his face. "If you want to leave, now is your best time too. Mingi and the others are working up top, and things are going to get ugly. They're taking the pack Luna as a sort of trade. Her life for their friends."

Soyeon shakes her head and she turns her gaze to Yuqi, and then to her pride members.

"Miyeon, take Yuqi and hide out in the forest and wait for me. No matter what, stay put and wait for my signal. I won't be long."

Miyeon nods as she takes Soyeon's place holding Yuqi up, and Soyeon tries not to let tears fall from her eyes as she takes her mates face in her hands.

"I know I just found you again, and now I'm leaving, but I have to do this. The others are with Mingi, and I have a bone to pick with the leader of this pack. I promise I'm coming back to you, okay?"

Yuqi smiles as she lays a kiss on her mates lips,  "You always have to pick fights, don't you? Just make sure you come back to take me home. I miss our baby girl." Soyeon wipes her tears and gives a determined nod, her mate and daughter heavy on her mind as she watches as her mate and pride members crawl through the tunnel towards freedom. Once they're through, she turns to Daehyun and Jaimin, and doesn't hesitate with her next words.

"That bastard is dying today."

•••

Stay low. Don't make a sound. If she calls for help we're all dead.

San has never been so nervous in his whole life. Not even when he was shot with a silver bullet, or when Blue Star searched the pack house for the first time, Not even when they snuck and slipped through the palace to get to the gardens. He's a master at controlling his emotions and feelings, he knows how to not let them get him twisted. But right now, he's terrified.

Him and Jongho are currently hiding behind a flower bush, staying out of sight while Mingi moves in to grab the pack Luna. The rest of their group as left to meet up with Daehyun, Jaimin and Soyeon, so the only thing Jongho can do it pray they don't get caught. They've made it up until now with good luck, but it might be the end of the road. Their plan is dangerous, stupid even, but it's their only shot. Blue Star can't afford to let their Luna die, so they'd have to hand over Wooyoung and Seonghwa.

Or Mingi rips her head off.

Calm down. I feel you from here, everything's going to be fine. She's a beta, easy to submit.

That's not what I'm worried about. If someone hears her struggle and comes to investigate everything we've done up until now will be for nothing. Wooyoung dies and Seonghwa gets mated off to some dickhead alpha, and everyone at home has to live with the fact that we're never coming home.

We're going to be okay, Jongho. Mingi's a strong bastard, and he would rather sleep on a bed of nails then let Blue Star keep him from going home to Yeosang. Just look sharp, Mingi's about to move in.

San holds his breathe as he watches Mingi sneak behind the Luna, and suddenly, he's on top of her, slapping his hand over her mouth and holding her hands behind her back. She's definitely a fighter though, as she tries to scream and kick as Mingi holds her, and San's adrenaline starts to pump as he runs in after Jongho.

San ignores her muffled screams of terror as he moves in to secure her hands with rope, and Jongho puts his hand over the scent gland on her neck to mask her distressed signals.

"We won't hurt you if you comply. Where is Wooyoung and Seonghwa? And don't think about screaming for help."

The Luna winces as she feels the cold metal of a knife against her throat, and she nods as Mingi releases her mouth for her to speak.

"T-They should be in the palace square, getting ready for that rat's execution. Just don't kill me! What do you want with my son and that worthless runt?!"

Jongho growls as his eyes flash alpha red, and he closes in on the Luna, making her submit even more to the point where she's bearing her neck. "Do NOT talk about Wooyoung like that!"

"Jongho, chill out. We have to get to the square, we don't have that much time. And don't forget we have to bring her with us." Jongho gives her a final warning glance, but he stands down and takes his place next to San. "Let's go."

Seonghwa's mother yelps as she feels Mingi put the knife up to her throat again, but she doesn't make a move to signal for help. "Tell me where to go, and I won't harm you. And if I think for a second you're leading me somewhere that's not Wooyoung and Seonghwa, bad things are gonna happen."

The Luna nods, and soon their sneaking through the palace grounds, avoiding the few guards they have walking through. Most of them are stationed at the execution sight, so sneaking is especially easier then it's been so far. With the amount of times that they've been close to getting caught, They're all surprised that they actually managed to get Seonghwa's mother without a hitch.

"I knew something was controlling my son, there's no way he'd just up and run away, throw away everything he was born for; with another omega at that! But I never thought it was because of people like you. What did you do to him? How are you controlling him?"

"The only one here controlling him is you. If you can't see how much Seonghwa cares for Wooyoung and doesn't want to be here, then you're blind, and you don't know your son as well as you thought you did."

The Luna gasp in shock at Mingi's words, but she doesn't say anything else as they arrive at their destination and move into the center of the palace square. There's people everywhere, watching in shocked and horror as their beloved Luna is held at knife point. There's guards with spears pointed at them, but they can't make a move and risk the Luna's life.

Jongho looks around, and his eyes widen as he sees Wooyoung. He's pale and skinny, his eyes are sunken in and he looks so weak. His stomach is protruding, the fact that he's pregnant is obvious. Did these bastards starve him? Jongho can also see Seonghwa off to the side, tied down to a chair, right in the line of sight of Wooyoung standing on a platform with a noose around his neck. The sick fucker was going to make him watch.

And finally, there's the pack alpha, Seonghwa's father. He looks royally pissed as he sees his mate with a knife against her throat, and his hands falls from the lever he was about to pull that would end Wooyoung's life. Mingi's next words make his eyes a shade of red so dark they're almost black.

"Let Seonghwa and Wooyoung go, or the Luna dies by my hand!"

***
Written by sueoku