Mingi held Seonghwa close to him as they waited with the Colonel behind the barrier they had set up. He felt guilty for not being in the fortress to help with the fighting, but Seonghwa refused to let him leave.

He could hear the brief snippets coming from his pack, but he had yet to hear from San...

When his father made his appearance, Mingi tried yet again to leave, but Seonghwa wouldn't let go of him. He even started crying a little bit. The alpha knew his face scrunched up in pain, but he couldn't bring himself to leave Seonghwa alone when he was in this state.

Seonghwa pressed himself further into Mingi's chest when both Jongho and Yunho started calling for Wooyoung to stop.

What was going on in there?

If he didn't have his trembling omega in his arms, Mingi knew he would be shaking like crazy right now.

Colonel Gregson said nothing as they stood there. The fighting was starting to die off and more and more wolves were running into the forest. A group of pregnant omegas and betas were being cared for by some of the Hunter medics. Both sides were wary of the contact, but Mingi felt the most discomfort coming from the humans when they say that some of the pregnant ones were males.

Thankfully no one said anything out loud.

Suddenly, both he and Seonghwa looked back and the fortress. They could both sense that something was wrong.

And it wasn't because it was suddenly silent in front of them.

Colonel Gregson called for a truck and they made their way through the front gates. Mingi and Seonghwa jumped down immediately and ran through the front doors.

They both gasped when they saw all the wolf bodies on the floor. His omega covered his mouth and turned around, shaking his head while also placing a hand protectively on his stomach.

"Please, wait outside love." Mingi said, kissing the side of his head.

Seonghwa nodded and hurried back out, still covering his mouth.

Mingi cringed and turned back around.

His heart dropped when he looked at the back of the room and saw part of his pack running for a large black wolf laying by his throne...

.

.

.

.

San forced himself to shift immediately, even though it hurt like crazy to feel his broken bones moving and resettling inside him.

He was running before he had even finished.

Images of Alistar lunging for Wooyoung, and his omega standing his ground like that kept flashing in his mind. And then when they collided... And didn't get up...

Jongho and Yunho had shifted as well and all three of them reached Alistar at the same time. They were prepared for him to attack, but there was no movement.

"On three!" Jongho shouted. They picked a side and the three of them shoved the body, forcing him to roll onto his side.

San let out a strangled cry when Wooyoung was revealed. His body was limp and blood was seeping from his hands. "Wooyoung!" He screamed and fell to his knees, pulling his omega into his lap. "Wooyoung please... Please wake up..." San leaned forward so his ear was close to the other's mouth.

He waited.

Yunho sobbed behind him.

Someone walked up behind him and stopped by the alpha's body.

And still he waited.

"Please Wooyoung..." San shook him as tears poured from his eyes. He pressed their foreheads together as he pulled his love closer to him.

Wooyoung gasped, inhaling deeply before he started to cough.

San sat back and stared at him with wide eyes, then pulled the younger into a hug. Wooyoung clung to him, even though he was still coughing and had blood still coming from his hands.

Yunho and Jongho joined in a second, the four of them holding each other tight as a sense of relief washed over all of them.

San moved to nuzzle and kiss his mating mark and he felt Wooyoung shudder as his sobs increased. He could feel the pleasure and the happiness pouring from the younger at feeling his touch again.

"Don't do that ever again." San whispered against his skin. "I thought I lost you..."

"I'm sorry... I didn't know what else to do."

"You're such a reckless idiot." Yunho said, but he pulled back and ruffled the omega's hair. "But look at what you did."

The four of them glanced at the alpha. His eyes were still open, along with his jaw. The pole that Wooyoung had been holding was sticking out his jaw, and a small part of the other end was protruding from the back of his skull.

Wooyoung covered his mouth and leaned further into San's arms.

San himself was shocked.

Alistar had boasted about being an all mighty alpha, able to control even other alphas with ease. He had killed many of the settlement wolves, and Lizbeth, like they were insects. And his downfall was a tiny omega with a wooden pole...

He glanced up and saw Mingi starting at the body, mixed emotions running across his face. Yunho moved to his side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders but said nothing.

His pain flooded them through the pack link, which San just now realized he could feel again. The death of Alistar must have broken whatever magic had sealed it off from him, but that just made this so much worse. And he couldn't blame the alpha for having such mixed emotions... Even though Alistar had done awful things, he was still Mingi's dad.

Yunho gave him a few more minutes before he pulled Mingi away and led him out the front door.

Jongho shifted and Wooyoung turned to give him a hug too. "I'm so glad you're ok." The alpha whispered, nuzzling the side of Wooyoung's neck where his mark used to be.

Wooyoung shivered and let out a small sigh as San continued to hug him from behind.

Is everyone ok? Hongjoong asked. We are out front with the Colonel. He seems concerned.

Yes, we are ok. Jongho answered. We are coming.

Both he and San helped Wooyoung stand, and the omega turned to bury his face in San's neck again. San wrapped his arms around him and they walked slowly to the front of the main hall.

He paused, however, at the sound of whimpering coming from the corner.

"Go with Jongho." San said quietly. When Wooyoung turned to look, San grabbed his chin gently and made him stop. "Please."

Wooyoung bit his lip, but nodded before going to the other alpha and leaving the room.

San felt his wolf stirring within him as he marched over to his twin. Fear was prominent in the wolf's eyes as he stared up at San.

"Shift."

Caius whined and closed his eyes, trying to fight the order. His alpha spirit had been broken.

"SHIFT!" San ordered again, raising his voice.

His brother howled in back as his body trembled. The sounds of bones breaking and shifting came from him as he shrank back into his human form. His howls turned to screams.

"Hello brother."

"You filthy piece of shit!" Caius screamed at him.

"Oh no, I'm not a piece of shit. That title is for you for what you did to my mate. MY MATE." San felt his lip twitching in a snarl as he glared at the man on the floor.

"Ha! He loved every second of it! You're mated to a slut, did you know that?" Caius cackled as blood dripped from his mouth. "BEST FUCK OF MY LIFE!"

He was delusional from pain, San could see that. The transformation had twisted his bones. He could see some of them poking through his skin and if he shifted they would move as well, slicing him open from the inside.

"You deserve this." San said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Really, you deserve worse... But you'll get to die here as your own body tears you apart from the inside. You will suffer, slowly. And I want you to think about everything you've done to deserve this."

Caius' eyes widened when he realized San wasn't going to kill him. "N-No... You can't do that..." He started to whimper as he begged San with his eyes to kill him. "Please. Don't leave me like this. Please!"

"Your voice is so sweet. I can't wait to hear more." San's voice was completely monotone as he stared down at his brother, using the same line on him that he used on Wooyoung.

"No!" His brother yelled through his sobs.

San didn't acknowledge him. Instead, he turned around and marched out the front entrance, leaving his brother to slowly bleed out amongst the other bodies.

.

.

.

.

Hongjoong looked around anxiously for his family. He squeezed Yeosang's hand in anticipation as they both waited with the pregnant wolves. They had managed to successfully rescue everyone who had been held prisoner, with the help of the Hunters.

Yeosang was beaming as he thought of this.

And while the Hunters took a huge hit to their numbers, the casualties for the wolves that were prisoner or forced to join Alpha Pack were minimal.

Colonel Gregson had kept his word to Mingi.

As much as they wanted to reach out to the others through the link, he could sense that they all needed time. Mingi was in pain, Seonghwa was terrified, and San was angry... So many emotions rolled off all of them.

Mingi, Yunho, and Seonghwa were the first to arrive at their camp. The omega hesitated and looked up at Mingi, who nodded to him, before he carefully hurried forward to embrace Yeosang.

"Are you ok?" The younger asked while hugging Seonghwa and looking down at his stomach. "Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine, and no, they didn't hurt me." Seonghwa said quietly. "Where are they others? Do we know what happened to them?"

"They are coming." Hongjoong said, walking forward to also give Seonghwa a hug. "Let's save our questions for when we are all together."

The five of them waited patiently. Soon Jongho and Wooyoung appeared, followed shortly by San.

When they were all together, they let out a collective sigh of relief and sank to the ground, all hugging each other.

Hongjoong stayed near the outside so he could keep an eye on everyone. His heart filled with warmth as they sat there, happy to be reunited and not feeling the need for words.

Colonel Gregson came over after a little bit and Mingi lifted his head up. "It appears that the fortress is vacated. My men have done a sweep of it and are now working on disposing the bodies. I-"

He was cut off when a small group of wolves came padding over to them. One shifted and covered herself in a shawl as she stood. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before walking forward and handing a pearl bracelet to Wooyoung.

His breath got in his throat as he fought back a sob, and San moved to hug him tighter.

The she-wolf nodded and shifted again. Then the small pack all bowed their heads before turning and running south. They had a bundle they were carrying with them.

Hongjoong tilted his head, not quite sure what had happened, but he knew he would get some answers later.

The Colonel chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before he cleared his throat. "Anyway... I wanted to know how you wanted us to um, dispose of the bodies?"

Hongjoong had to give him props, at least he was trying to be respectful. Mingi must have done something to earn this man's respect.

"Burn them." Mingi said, his voice hallow. "Bury them. It doesn't really matter..." Seonghwa shifted to place a few kisses on the side of his alpha's head.

"And what should we do about the others?"

The group of pregnant betas and omegas all shifted a little. Hongjoong stood and walked over to them. "Go home to your families, if you still have them. No one should hold you prisoner like that again. These men will let you go in peace."

"We can even give rides to the closest town so that you can try to make your way home." Colonel Gregson moved forward as well. "I know we may have our differences, but no one deserves what happened to you. You have our protection until we can get you to safety."

Hongjoong smiled at him and bowed his head.

"I have a couple of cars set aside for you. We can take care of things here, you have been through enough." The man said while handing him a card. "If you ever need anything, let me know." His voice was lower, indicating these words were meant just for Hongjoong. "After this is finished, we will go back to our old ways, but we will not actively pursue your... Your kind anymore. We will only interfere if they threaten the lives of humans. At least while I'm in charge. If you need anything, don't hesitate to reach out to me."

"Thank you." Hongjoong said with a small smile. "You have done so much for us... how can we repay you?"

"Stay out of trouble." The Colonel gave him a small smile before walking away.

Hongjoong returned to his family and opened his arms wide. "Let's go home."