It was the day after Nova's visit that Mingi realized something was wrong.

He had no energy and it hurt to open his eyes. Everything took so much effort, but he had come to accept that by now.

As long as he did what was expected of him, he new he could keep going if it meant Avayla would be safe.

But the day after she told him he had fathered eleven pups, Mingi noticed black spots dancing in his vision.

They weren't always there... but there were times he gained an instant headache when he tried to focus on anything besides the dots.

Maybe it was just the exhaustion getting to him. It had to be. There was no other logical explanation as to why these black dots were taking over his vision.

But his wolf told him something else was happening.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

.

.

.

.

"Here." Minhyuk said, turning around to hand Hongjoong the tray of chicken he'd just finished cooking.

Dinner was turning into a nightly occurrence for them after Eunkwang had pulled a few strings to allow Hongjoong and San to stay with them at their house.

It had surprised them that permission had been granted so easily, but it seemed Eunkwang was one of the higher ranking alphas in the pack. For a male, that is.

They were still required to wear the chain when outside, just to keep up appearances, and because neither Eunkwang or Minhyuk had the key. But inside he and San were able to relax a little bit.

Hongjoong took the plate with a smile and bowed his head. "Thank you, it smells great."

The beta smiled with a hint of pride and returned to finishing the vegetables he was stir-frying.

Turning quickly to hide his disgust, Hongjoong hurried to the dining room where San, Eunkwang, Peniel, and a new friend were sitting.

Sungjae had been introduced to them a couple of nights ago and had been stopping by whenever he got a little break from work to give them any intel he'd found.

He, along with another beta named Hyunsik, both worked in the healer's quarters. They were in charge of keeping the pack healthy and prosperous, including taking care of pregnant betas and omegas.

That's where they'd learned that Nova had found a way to impregnate female alphas.

They'd made sure to share the news after Avayla and Theo has left, not wanting upset her more than she had been already. And at the time nothing had been confirmed.

But tonight, Sungjae had informed them that eleven females were pregnant. He'd tested them himself.

And there were five more getting ready to go through the procedure.

When Hongjoong sat down the plate of chicken, he glanced at where Eunkwang was tapping his pointer fingers against his chin. His eyes were unfocused, indicating he was lost in thought, yet he said softly, "And you don't know how this is being done?"

"No." Sungjae bowed his head twisted his fingers together in his lap. "Nova is the only one allowed in the room."

Eunkwang was quick to lean over and rub the back of the omega's head. "Don't fret, you did well." He said, earning a smile from the younger man.

The sight made Hongjoong feel so much better about trusting these few wolves with his own pack's safety. His wolf had no issue relying on Eunkwang, and moments like this just reinforced the feeling.

He sat down next to San, scooting his chair a little closer to his fellow alpha and taking San's hand underneath he table. "Do you think you can try to change that?"

Sungjae looked to Eunkwang once, then to Hongjoong. "I'm not sure. She took one of the medical cabins for herself and keeps it locked at all times. She also had the windows covered and barred."

"She's up to something." Minhyuk grumbled as he took his own seat, then started to load plates up with food. "I wonder what sparked the change though. She didn't use to be this way."

"She didn't?" San tilted his head before shoving some chicken into his mouth.

"Well, not this bad. She's always had a specific vision that she wants to uphold. But... she was never really one to be so secretive."

Hongjoong ground his teeth together. "So what can we do?"

"Take it one day at a time." Eunkwang said gently. "We need to be cautious and not bring attention to ourselves." He opened his mouth to continue, then turned his head toward the door right before someone knocked.

He went to answer it, and a few seconds later Avayla and her family entered the dining room.

Maria immediately ran over to Hongjoong and climbed into his lap. "Hi Uncle Joongie!" She said, laughing when he flicked her ear in greeting.

"What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" The alpha asked, sensing the distress and confusion coming from the couple.

Avayla looked at her mate, then shared the information she'd learned with the room about one of the Elite being chosen.

The news puzzled the members of Nova's pack. None of them had heard about the lottery or the process behind being 'chosen'.

After some time, Minhyuk insisted that everyone eat, explaining that they'd need their strength to continue their research, but Hongjoong knew it was also a way to make everything seem like it was still ok.

It was part of his instincts, to care for his pack, but Hongjoong was grateful for it anyway. The endless planning, plotting, unanswered questions,  and mysteries were wearing on him, so some semblance of normality was oddly comforting.

But once dinner was over, Avayla broke the calm by asking, "I don't understand why you are all so worried about this. Isn't it a good thing if she'd figured out how to help her pack?"

"It's the way she's going about it that I don't like." Eunkwang sat back in his chair and sighed. "It just... doesn't feel right. Her taking you, for example. She's never been one to kidnap or take anyone. Yet she's taken seven of you from the same pack. Why? For what purpose? Everyone who is a part of this pack has always chosen to stay. They've always had a choice."

At those words, Avayla bowed her head. She nodded in acceptance.

Next to her, Theo pressed his lips together in a thin line and stared it his plate. He looked lost, which didn't sit right with Hongjoong at all.

He leaned forward so he could get Theo's attention by touching his shoulder and said, "What's wrong?"

The beta whined and looked at his mate, who looked like she didn't want to speak for him for a second, but one stern look from Hongjoong had her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Theo feels like I'm getting too close to the others. It makes him uncomfortable. He wants to go home."

Hongjoong didn't miss the hint of sadness in the other alpha's voice as she spoke. It concerned him, but he didn't want to say anything now. Not with how tense things already were. "We are working on that. Just hang in there a little longer."

.

.

.

.

It couldn't be true.

It couldn't.

There was no way.

He had to have heard wrong...

Right?

"Jongie?" Wooseok's voice was small, laced with worry. "Jongie please say something."

"Stop calling him that."

Jongho blinked, taken aback by who had spoken. He turned his head to see Chan stepping forward, puffing out his chest and staring down the omega in front of them.

"I think you should leave."

Silence.

Silence everywhere. From Wooseok. From his pack.

From Jongho.

He just... couldn't find the words.

"Jongho?"

"Jong..."

"Jongie."

The forest started spinning.

"Jongho!"

"Jongho! Jongho!"

Jongho fell to his knees, his vision swimming before his eyes.

He needed... something... he needed... What did he need?

Something was missing. Empty. Vacant. Incomplete.

His hands started to flex at his sides, reaching, searching for whatever was missing.

What was it?

Wrong. Everything was wrong. So, so, so, so wrong.

"Jongho!"

His heart was racing.

He needed... He...

"Jongho!!"

His hands ached.

Muffled voices surrounded him, but none of them were right.

Empty. Missing. Incomplete.

"Alpha."

Suddenly everything stopped. His heart. His mind. The emptiness.

All of it gone.

Gentle hands cupped his face, drawing his attention to the shimmering sapphire eyes staring at him.

Eyes that were full of tears and fear...

Eyes that faded back to a gentle brown.

Eyes that were so familiar.

Eyes that were his home.

"Yunho." Jongho breathed, leaning forward so that his forehead was pressed to his mate's.

His mate. Yunho.

There were others around him too. He could sense them.

But his wolf latched onto Yunho's pine scent. It surrounded him in a warm embrace. It didn't like seeing how much pain was in his eyes.

"Yunho." He whined, shuffling closer to his mate. "Yunho."

"Get him out of here." Someone else said.

"But, I-"

"SHUT UP. This is your fault!"

"But he-"

A slap silenced whoever was speaking. It seemed to echo through the surrounding area, over and over and over and over and over...

"Let's go." Yunho's gentle voice pulled Jongho back. Then they were standing. Then walking.

Jongho couldn't process anything, just the feeling of Yunho's hand wrapped around his own.

Wood thumped beneath their feet.

More voices.

"What happened?"

"Is he alright?"

"What's going on?"

It was too much.

Jongho started to shake his head, whimpering repeatedly.

"Back off. I think he's having a panic attack." Yunho said, a slight growl to his voice.

He was angry. Why was his mate angry?

Jongho's wolf bristled and his nostrils flared. He was ready to hurt whoever had upset his mate.

"Jongho, I'm fine, please calm down." Yunho whispered. He caressed Jongho's cheek, capturing his attention again. "Come with me."

They started walking again. Down a small hallway and through a door. Once it was shut, Jongho shot into overdrive.

He needed to know his mate was safe, so he herded Yunho until he was backed into a corner, scenting him furiously. Growls accompanied every exhale and his entire body trembled with rage and confusion and fear.

Something was so incredibly wrong. He didn't know what, but he was going to do every damn thing he could to make sure Yunho was safe.

.

.

.

.

"Jongho, please. It's alright." Yunho said, his voice shaking as he tried to calm his mate down.

It was no use, though. Every time he moved, Jongho would growl and push him further into the wall. They'd managed to slide to the floor, but that just resulted in Yunho's knees being pressed against his chest while Jongho caged him in.

He could tell Jongho was not himself right now and he desperately wanted to help.

But...

He had his own mixed feelings flying through his head that he was trying to comprehend.

Tears rolled down his cheeks while he tried to calm his alpha with gentle shushes. He couldn't tell if it was helping or making it worse, but he didn't know what else to do.

Could what Wooseok said be true..? Could... Could he really be Jongho's Soulmate?

How was he supposed to compete with that kind of bond?

He recalled what Wooyoung had told him once, how being mated to Jongho had been what he'd needed at the time and he would never invalidate that connection. And he never could, and Yunho would never ask him too. He loved that their little group of four still had such a strong bond with each other because it helped to prevent things like this from happening.

But Wooyoung had told him nothing would ever compare to the bond he felt with San. It had been instant. All encompassing. Eternal.

Those were what he'd used to describe the bond he had with San. It was always there, always present, always felt, so even when his omega nature had him taking care of the others in his pack right now, he was still always connected to San.

For a second it made Yunho wonder if his friend was truly ok, or if he was hiding behind a mask to help the others.

Then Jongho growled again and started nuzzling against his mating mark, forcing Yunho to tilt his head to the side.

Yunho allowed it to happen, desperate for the attention right now, even if it worried him, because...

If what Wooseok said was true...

Why would Jongho want to pass up the opportunity to be with his Soulmate?