Watching three of their Alphas walk away left all three packs feeling a bit uneasy. It was obvious that they didn't quite know what to do with each other, especially once Stray Kids all filed in to make sure Jeongin and Felix were safely inside.

Felix was quick to run to Wooyoung and the two Omegas sobbed as they sank to the floor.

"I was so happy to hear that you got home safely." Wooyoung said, hugging Felix as tightly as possible.

"I was so worried about you... I'm sorry I left you." Felix whined, pulling back to look at the older.

Wooyoung just shook his head and tried to give a reassuring smile. "I think it worked out for the better." He managed a small giggle while looking over at where the rest of BTS was huddled in the corner of the room talking amongst themselves. "Can you believe it?" He added in a whisper.

"No!" Felix hissed back, peeking over at the other pack too. "Are you sure this isn't just a dream?"

"I thought the same thing."

San joined them a few seconds later and wrapped an arm around Wooyoung's waist. The contact made Wooyoung shiver and he was quick to lean into the older with a happy hum.

"Trust me, it's definitely not a dream." San said. "But I'm glad they were able to keep both of you safe."

They continued to talk for a little bit, trying to not dwell on the pack members potentially risking their lives while the rest of them stayed put, but Wooyoung knew this plan made the most sense.

Even with only two Alphas, they had nine Betas, which felt like plenty of people to protect the six Omegas now included in the entire group.

At that thought, Wooyoung tilted his head to the side and started to think...

Once he mated with a member of BTS and solidified the alliance in accordance with the rules of the game, that would mean they would be getting points for six Omegas, and then extra points once all of them were mated.

Hopefully that meant they would start climbing in the ranks, with the possibility of dethroning Tressor as Head Pack.

He knew it wouldn't be that easy, especially if Tressor either kept stealing Omegas or started forming alliances of their own... But they stood a chance.

And if they got Oneus involved too... That would be seven Omegas.

Thinking about that had his mind straying back to his situation.

Who would he be mating with in BTS...?

He shivered and leaned further into San, a deep desire for contact with him taking over as a way to calm his anxiety.

The very fact that that was even a question still baffled him.

Mate. With someone in BTS.

Maybe Felix was right and this really was all a strange, awful, drawn-out dream.

But once glance at his idols told him that he needed to stop being in denial and just accept the inevitable.

Good. Friends. Trust.

His wolf prodded him, wanting him to think more positively as well.

Even so, he turned his head to nuzzle San's neck and hummed a little at the wonderful cherry blossom scent that bloomed from him.

The older turned to pull Wooyoung into a more secure hug, a half-smile twisting his lips.

He didn't need words to know that San was telling him everything would be alright. He could feel it, almost as if he and San had their own private connection...

And he knew he'd need that connection to lean on, now, and for however long their lives would be like this...

.

.

.

.

Seonghwa sighed from where he was looking out the front window.

He felt restless with both Hongjoong and Jongho out of the house. This splitting up thing... while it made sense... really fueled his anxiety and he knew he wouldn't be able to calm down until his pack was all together again.

A gentle tap on his shoulder made him jump, and he turned just in time to see Yeosang stepping back and bowing his head.

"S-Sorry." The younger muttered, his cheeks turning a slight shade of pink.

"Oh, it's alright, Sangie! I was just lost in thought." Seonghwa turned so he could fully look at the younger. "Is everything alright?"

"Um... Well..." Yeosang started to fidget with his own fingers, which makes Seonghwa tilt his head a little in confusion. "Can I t-talk to you for a moment? Alone?"

Worry and concern started to rise within Seonghwa and he nodded immediately. "Of course. Let's go upstairs."

He took Yeosang's hand in his own and led the younger to his bedroom, ignoring any questioning glances they received along the way.

As soon as the door closed, Yeosang stepped away from him and started pacing a little.

"Yeosang, what-"

"Just..." the younger Beta held up a hand to cut him off while huffing at the same time. "I need a moment... please... This isn't easy for me."

Now Seonghwa was really starting to worry. He hated seeing anyone in his pack like this, especially when he didn't know what he could do to help them.

But he respected Yeosang enough to stay silent and just watch for however long he needed.

"I..." Yeosang groaned and shook his head. "No..." A long sigh. "Hyung, I-... No..." He kept starting and stopping, clearly struggling finding the words he needed.

Just when Seonghwa was about to speak again, Yeosang stopped directly in front of him. He was still facing the wall, so Seonghwa could only see the left side of his face and the way his eyes were scrunched tight.

"Hyung, I love you."

The words came out so fast, Seonghwa almost didn't understand them. Or maybe he just wasn't sure how to process them.

He blinked a couple of times, letting the words sink in, even as he saw Yeosang's face start to twist with regret and worry.

"I... I just n-needed to tell you..." Yeosang said, lowering his head. "I'm sorry, just forget I said anything..."

"No..." Seonghwa closed his eyes and swallowed a couple of times. "I don't... Now I just need a minute." He said, hoping Yeosang would give him the same amount of grace so he could think.

Pack. Good.

Seonghwa felt his stomach twist when his wolf spoke to him. He'd rarely heard it, definitely not as much as the others claimed they heard theirs.

For it to be speaking up now only made everything so confusing.

"Hongjoong-hyung said I should tell you..." Yeosang whispered after several minutes passed.

"What?" Seonghwa's head snapped up and his mouth fell open a little.

Yeosang wouldn't look at him, but thankfully he went on to explain Hongjoong's theory on pack dynamics and how their new instincts may come into play.

It seemed preposterous... yet it made so much sense at the same time.

Which only added to Seonghwa's confusion. He hadn't even fully admitted to himself what his feelings for Hongjoong were...

"I've loved you for a while now, Hyung..." Yeosang continued, his voice still soft and timid. "We are all so close with one another, I'm honestly surprised confessions didn't happen sooner. But I kept it to myself because I was worried about disrupting the dynamic of the group. And then... I saw you with Hongjoong-hyung and... my world crumbled beneath me..."

Seonghwa hated hearing that. He closed the distance between them and pulled Yeosang into a fierce hug. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You didn't know." Yeosang answered, slowly lifting his arms up to wrap around Seonghwa's waist.

They stood there in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying the connection. Seonghwa could feel how content Yeosang was and... He liked it.

"I don't know how any of this will work..." The older said slowly. "And I want to be honest with you... I don't understand how I'm supposed to feel right now. But if Hongjoong thinks this is a good idea, then... I'm willing to take a chance and see where this leads."

Yeosang let out a small sob and hugged Seonghwa harder. "Th-That's all I ask."

"Thank you for being honest with me and telling me." Seonghwa cups the back of the younger's head.

It was a touching moment for both of them, one that Seonghwa's wolf validated by the happy feeling flowing from him.

He loved all of his packmates so much, and he wanted to do everything he could to take care of them.

And feeling the joy radiating through their link told Seonghwa he had made the right choice.

"So. They decided to stick together." Madame Curator hums to herself.

She begins to slowly pace back and forth, the loud click-clack of her heels slicing through the silence that follows her words.

"And Pack One thinks they can take over that abandoned house... Why is that there again?" She turns to a man off to the side, who scrambles to pull up information on his computer.

"It belonged to a pack that forfeited not too long ago." He answers, scrolling through all the information. "It looks like... that pack was taken to Lab 6. They were showing signs of sickness, so the researchers are studying their genetics to see if there's a link between them and the other packs that have fallen ill."

"What are their symptoms."

"Pretty standard nausea and dizziness. That's common between all packs that have been affected negatively. But this one two of the members were vomiting up blood."

Madame Curator frowns, not liking that her experiment is failing in some respects. But it was bound to present challenges at some point. "Yes, see if they can find something like antibodies that are fighting The Change. The more information we can uncover, the better we can prepare for the future. But we need all the data we can get if we are going to succeed."

She turns back to the screens, focusing on a group of them showing the courtyard.

A market had been set up, filled with items she'd specially ordered to see what the packs would be interested in.

Data. It's all non-stop data.

Do the packs go for more defensive things to protect themselves?

Do they go for information to keep learning about their situation or how to better their lives?

Do they go for survival by purchasing extra food and supplies?

All of it is recorded and saved.

One pack looks to be buying seeds, which makes sense because she's seen them building a rather impressive garden.

Another is looking at security systems for their territory. They are a smaller pack so that tells her they are trying to be strategic and protect themselves.

She takes note of the packs that are starting to get close with one another, it looks like a few more alliances may be forming...

"Do you have data on who's formed mated alliances?" She asks, turning to her right to look at an older woman.

"Yes, Ma'am. Besides the one you've been watching, it looks like there are four other separate allied groups, and still about ten packs that have not allied with anyone."

Madame Curator purses her lips, hating a little that she was called out for favoring one pack, but she couldn't help it.

They seem to be the most promising as of right now, so she's determined to keep a close eye on them.

"Send me all the alliances." She orders, returning her attention to the screens.

Just in time to see her pack's Head Alpha enter the market with his Beta and four allies.

It's amusing to see the other packs stop when they see the two members from Pack One. She'd known it would happen as soon as she had decided to let them join the games.

The entire reason she had picked them is because of how popular they are around the world.

If they are shown supporting and adapting to The Change... then all of their fans would jump on board as well, giving them millions of candidates to move forward with.

It's the perfect plan. Once she has enough data, she will be able to enact it.

All the packs in the courtyard stepped back, clearing a path for the newcomers, who proceeded with caution. They looked around nervously, and it looked like they stopped to talk amongst themselves for a moment.

Unfortunately the whispers from everyone else was too loud for Madame Curator to pick out what they were saying...

But she is happy to see they decide to continue forward like everything was fine, at least as far as she could tell.

They moved from booth to booth, taking in what was being offered before returning to one offering security items.

"Smart boys." She whispers to herself, her red lips twisting up in a wicked grin.

They knew how to play the game well. Now that they didn't need to spend their gold on buying their Omegas back, they were going to spend it on making sure their Omegas were safe.

Next, they go to a stall that has books, where they purchased one about farming, setting traps, and they picked up the only book that she had written herself about how The Change can affect them.

The Head Alpha of her pack was the one to see it, and she feels so proud of her young Alpha.

The others were proud of him too, all patting his shoulders or even ruffling his hair, which made him bat their hands away.

After that, they began to head back, seemingly satisfied with the day's haul.

Madame Curator hums softly to herself, a little surprised they didn't buy any food. Their pantry has to be getting low now. But she wasn't quite sure exactly how much gold they had left, so they could have spent it all.

That's when she gets an idea.

She snaps her fingers twice. "Post the next games. Now!"