"I'm tired of just roaming around! If you are going to force me to stay with you, I want to know that I can at least sleep in a warm bed at night." Seonghwa said as Mingi started yet another fire for them to sleep by.

The alpha said nothing. He just poked the fire while his forehead creased. He knew the omega was right. They could only do this for so long, but with the war, territories were nonexistent so everyone was treading on nails as their species tried to figure out how put themselves back together.

"Did you hear me?" Seonghwa said, crossing his arms over his chest as he sat down on a log.

"Yes."

"Yes? That's all I get? You force me on some wild adventure and..."

"Shut up." Mingi snarled, his eyes flashing red.

Seonghwa's mouth snapped shut, but he continued to glare at the alpha.

"I get it, ok?" Mingi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Trust me, this isn't exactly how I envisioned things going."

"Oh, and how did you envision it? That I would come with you willingly and without complaint after you forced me? And that we would find a cozy little cottage and live happily ever after?"

Mingi flinched at his words but held his tongue. When the fire was where he wanted it to be he left the small clearing to find them something to eat. "Stay here." He ordered, not looking back.

As he walked, he shoved his hands in his pockets and muttered to himself under his breath. This really wasn't how he wanted things to be. He had hoped they would have found a place to call home by now, even if it was just a small territory.

He was pathetic...

He was supposed to be some strong alpha who could make others bend to his will, but he couldn't even find a place for him and the omega that had captured his interest to settle down.

How was he supposed to make Seonghwa trust him when he couldn't even prove he could protect him? That was his role as an alpha... and he was failing.

Mingi kicked a stone across the forest floor, not really caring where he was going. The back of his mind could sense that Seonghwa was still fuming back at the camp, but he hadn't left, so there was that.

He tried to use his senses to search for some kind of prey he could kill, but his heart just wasn't in it.

But then he did sense something. His head snapped to the side and he saw a wolf watching him. His red eyes glowed in the moonlight.

Ming felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he turned to face the other alpha. "Can I help you?" He snarled, pulling his hands out of his pocket.

The alpha stepped back into the shadows and Mingi could feel him shifting. Then he stepped into the light, a small smile on his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." His voice was light and happy.

"You didn't. Now what do you want?" Mingi said, his voice getting deeper.

The alpha didn't flinch at his show of dominance. Instead, he just tilted his head and smiled. "You look lost."

"Excuse me?"

"I have a house not too far from here, would you like to join me and my beta for dinner?"

Mingi stared at the alpha, dumbfounded. Who did he think he was?

The alpha laughed. "It's not that hard of a decision. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help whoever I can. These are hard times. I'm Hongjoong."

Mingi just stared at the alpha, not sure what to make of him.

"Well, it's your choice. We live just up that way." He said, pointing through the trees. "Come whenever you want to."

Hongjoong turned and walked through the trees, leaving Mingi behind.

He just stood there for a long moment mulling over what just happened. Then he spun and marched back to where Seonghwa was waiting for him.

The blonde eyed him as he entered the clearing. "No bed, and now no food? You sure know how to charm a guy."

Mingi growled and kicked at the fire to put it out.

"What are you doing?" Seonghwa said, standing up and moving to stop the alpha.

"I'm giving you what you want!" Mingi roared, towering over the omega.

Seonghwa's knees shook and he collapsed on the ground, bowing his head before the alpha.

"FUCK!" Mingi said, pulling at his own hair. "I'm sorry, but you make this so difficult sometimes!" He paced for a second, then fell to his knees in front of Seonghwa. "I'm sorry..." He said softly. "I'm sorry I haven't been a very good alpha to you. I thought I knew what I was doing, but... Anyway, I ran into another alpha who offered us a place to stay, for tonight at least. So if you would follow me," He reached out and grabbed Seonghwa's hand. "I'll take you there."

Seonghwa looked up at him with ice blue eyes, but he nodded.

Mingi helped his to stand and led him through the trees. Seonghwa had dropped his hand a long time ago, but he at least stayed close to his side.

As they walked, lights appeared in the distance and Mingi could smell the smoke from a fire. Seonghwa noticed it too and his pace quickened.

They walked up the front steps and Mingi reached out to ring the doorbell.

Hongjoong opened it, a wide smile on his face. "I hoped you'd come! It's going to be nice having company for dinner. Please, come in!"

"Th-Thanks." Mingi said, rubbing the back of his neck. He found the alpha strange. He held an air of command about him. He had obviously been higher up in command with his old pack. But he was kind.

Seonghwa shifted to hide behind him as they followed Hongjoong into his home.

It was beautiful. The logs gave it a very homey feel and the entire place smelled of honey and vanilla. The vanilla was obviously Hongjoong, so the honey must be from his beta.

The entered the kitchen and he saw the said beta scrambling around preparing everything. Hongjoong walked up behind him and wrapped an arm around his side. "Love, we have company."

The beta turned to them with wide eyes. Mingi had to admit he was extremely handsome. He felt Seonghwa shift behind him and caught a glimpse of blonde hair poking around his shoulder.

"This is my mate, Yeosang. Welcome to our home."

"I-I'm Mingi. This is Seonghwa. Thank you for the invitation."

"You look exhausted." Yeosang said, walking forward to take Seonghwa's hands. "Let's see if we can get you cleaned up a little bit."

Seonghwa turned bright red as the beta led him away. He glanced over his shoulder once at Mingi, looking slightly worried.

"He'll be fine. Yeosang misses the company of others." Hongjoong said, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"You used to have a pack?" Mingi asked casually, not knowing what else to say.

"Yes. Yeosang and I came from the same pack. We lost them, because of the war."

Mingi's stomach flipped. "Oh." He said quietly.

Hongjoong studied him for a moment. "I already know." Mingi looked up at him. He saw a sad, broken look on the alpha's face. "I recognized your scent. Mint. We met on the field."

Mingi's knees started to shake. Was this a trap? If he knew, maybe he wanted to get revenge for his back.

The alpha sighed and ran a hand though his hair. "You don't have to worry. I'm not that kind of person." He said, as if he had read Mingi's mind. "The war is over a done with, and by the looks of it you left that pack behind, correct?"

Mingi nodded, unable to find his voice.

"As long as you don't cause any trouble, or try to hurt Yeosang, you and your omega can stay here. There has been too much killing already, I don't intend to take any more lives." Hongjoong walked over and held out his hand.

Still stunned, Mingi shook it. What a strange alpha Hongjoong was.

.

.

.

.

Seonghwa watched the beta as he rummaged through a large closet. "You're just a touch bigger than I am, but I should have something that fits you." His deeper voice held a bright note to it. "So what's the story with your alpha?"

"Nothing really. I wouldn't call him mine."

"His scent is all over you though, and I can see the mark on your neck." Yeosang turned around and cocked an eyebrow. "Have you not mated with him?"

"No." Seonghwa said, turning away from the beta.

Yeosang just hummed and kept rummaging through his clothes. "Ah-ha!" he pulled out a shirt and pair of pants and handed them to Seonghwa. "Put these on, I can wash what you're wearing now." He left the room to give Seonghwa some privacy.

The omega changed, loving the feeling of the soft shirt against his skin. He wished he could shower, but he didn't want to ask too much of their hosts.

He met the others in the kitchen. Yeosang came to his side again and handed him a glass of water. "Here. Dinner is almost ready."

Seonghwa noticed Hongjoong watching his beta with so much love and passion in his eyes. He couldn't help but smile. The two of them seemed to move in sync. When Yeosang shifted, Hongjoong seemed to know when he needed a spoon or a bowl. As Hongjoong moved, Yeosang's eyes flicked to him as if making sure he was still there.

It made the omega glance at Mingi where he stood deep in thought in the corner. He could sense the worry coming off the alpha, but he was too scared to bring it up now. I knew he would have to apologize at some point for his behavior earlier, but for now, he was determined to the company of these other wolves.

Their fate would be decided tomorrow.