The cruel winter continued to be a challenge for the pack as they struggled to pick their way through the mountains. Deep snow tried to swallow them whole more than once, and avalanches threatened to happen one or two more times.

It was hard to keep track of where they were going, especially with the high winds causing white out conditions.

But they never gave up.

Their hope kept a fire lit within them that helped to push them onward.

Even the kids never complained about growing tired or wanting to rest.

They knew the risks, and the rewards that greatly outweighed them.

For three days they pushed on.

Three days of cold and wind and wet.

Three days of aching muscles and matted fur and heavy limbs.

Three days of following the simple directions of a blind man, with the hopes of finding the pack members they missed with every fiber of their being.

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Finding Mingi was the last thing Hongjoong had ever expected.

And it changed everything.

There was no way he was going to leave his friend while Mingi was still so weak. They weren't even sure if he could shift... Not with how thin he was...

Angelo, as they'd learned the beta's name was whose home they'd been in, had agreed to keep him hidden and get him some food. And Theo was going to stay with him as well since he wasn't being watched like Hongjoong and San were.

So unfortunately they'd had to say goodbye for the evening.

It killed Hongjoong to leave Mingi like that... His wolf begged him to rebel and stay put, but even Eunkwang said it was for the best.

And he trusted Eunkwang. The alpha had been so gracious toward them, so kind and understanding.

Although now he was having a hard time containing his rage.

Minhyuk managed to keep him calm until they made it home, but as soon as they were inside, the alpha stormed over to the couch, picked up a pillow, and ripped it in half.

"Now was that really necessary?" Minhyuk narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. His disapproval went unnoticed, however, as Eunkwang made it his mission to tear the fabric to shreds.

"How could she do this? She is supposed to be the one we trust the most? How could she think this is ok??" The alpha snarled, hands shaking violently.

Hongjoong felt his own wolf rise up, ready to defend himself if needed because of how hostile Eunkwang was at the moment.

"So what are we going to do about it?" He asked, shifting to stand slightly in front of San.

The rest of Eunkwang and Minhyuk's mini pack slowly shuffled out of other rooms, and Sungjae moved toward the front. It was obvious he wanted to comfort the alpha, but he looked nervous at the same time.

"I don't know."

"Take a deep breath, Love." Minhyuk said gently. He moved next to Sungjae and held out his hands. "We have been suspicious of her for a long time."

"I want to rip-"

"Eunkwang, please, this isn't helping anything." Peniel said, bristling a little bit as if preparing to step in.

It looked like a confrontation was about to start, but thankfully there was a timid knock on the front door that had everyone spinning around to look at it.

Panic started to set in as they tried to collect themselves and San and Hongjoong hurried to get their chains into the hands of Minhyuk and Peniel. They couldn't afford to be caught breaking the rules now...

Changsub was the one to answer the door, and he was stunned into silence before he could even start speaking.

Without speaking, Siyeon and three members of the Elite stepped into the house. They looked like they were on edge, but also like they were... devastated. Pain radiated from then, reflecting in the way they weren't standing as straight or how they were all curled in on themselves.

Especially the one in the middle. Her eyes were rimmed in red and she clutched at her stomach.

Siyeon glanced around the room, her eyes lingering on San and Hongjoong, before she finally spoke. Even her voice was weak and broken. "I'm sorry for coming unannounced, but... We need your help." When she finished speaking, she turned to Sungjae.

"Siyeon told us..." The one with a deeper voice said. Hongjoong hadn't bothered to learn their names, nor did he particularly care to at this point. "We... We had no idea." The female alpha continued, turning to Hongjoong and bowing at the waist.

The other three followed her and stayed bowing until Hongjoong clacked his teeth together and snarled. "And why should I believe you?"

The female with large eyes and full lips shrank a little and pouted. "Because we love Avayla, and we'd never wish any harm to her or her family... What N-Nova did to her f-father..." She hiccuped and leaning into the female with the deeper voice, unable to talk through her tears.

That's when Hongjoong noticed that the one holding her stomach was crying too. Her eyes were unfocused, almost like she was an empty shell. "Please..." She whispered, looking at the omega with desperation.

Sungjae sighed, his shoulders falling in defeat. "It's... still too soon."

"Can you try?" Siyeon asked, placing a hand on the other alpha's back. "She deserves to know. We all do. Especially Ava..."

That's when Hongjoong was able to connect the dots. Anger flared up in him instantly and he glared at the females in front of him.

But before he could say anything, San appeared in his line of vision and grabbed his head. "Joong, Joong take a deep breath. They didn't know. This isn't their fault."

Hongjoong desperately wanted to push the other alpha out of the way and rip into everything, much like Eunkwang had, but... San was right.

He focused on his friend and took several deep breaths.

This was so fucked up... How were they supposed to untangle this mess?

It just made him with that Yeosang was here. His beta always knew what to do or what to say...

San must have seen the longing in his eyes, because they were suddenly reflected in his own and he was pulling Hongjoong into a fierce hug.

"Can everyone please just... stop being so Alpha right now?" Minhyuk said with a nervous chuckle. He and the two other betas in the room all moved to the center, trying to push their calming pheromones out to everyone else.

"Min is right." Sungjae moved closer to the betas, but continued to look at the alpha asking for his help. "And... I can try. I need to go to the clinic to get some supplies. It may take me some time because I can't let anyone know what I'm doing. I don't want to risk rising too many questions."

"That's wise." Eunkwang praised, making the omega shiver with his approval. "Hyunsik and Changsub, go with him, just in case. And see if you can find anything out. The fact that Nova hasn't done anything yet makes me nervous."

"Me too." Siyeon said softly. "I'm going to try and find her. I'll start by going to where Mingi said he was held prisoner."

"You better do more than that." Hongjoong growled. The words earned him the attention of everyone in the room, even Siyeon, although she quickly lowered her gaze to the floor. "This. This is all your fault." He pointed to the ground, using the sharp motion to accent his words. "We brought you into our home. We did what we could to heal you. And you betrayed us."

He could feel his own internal struggle, and it was so hard for him to not unleash his wolf, but she needed to know that he meant business.

"I know." Siyeon grabbed her shoulder, the one they had healed for her after it had been ripped to shreds.

"San and I tried to bring you home. We tried to do the right thing. And you went behind our backs and attacked my family. We have been ripped apart because of you. This is your fault. And you're going to help us fix it. Got it?"

Siyeon kept her head bowed, showing her submission to the other alpha, then nodded in agreement. "I know." She said again. "I never wanted this to happen. I... I was just doing what Nova had trained me, us, to do."

When all Hongjoong could do was stare at her with hate filled eyes, everyone started to disperse, going off to complete their assigned missions.

Peniel and Eunkwang stepped closer, the older crossing his arms over his chest. "So what should we do?"

"Is there anyone else here you trust?" San asked. "Anyone who you could talk to that may help us? I worry that Nova will try to rally the pack against us now that Mingi is free."

"There's a few. But I fear it's going to be mainly the female alphas against the rest of us. Although, having the Elite on our side will sway some of them."

Hongjoong sighed and leaned into San, suddenly feeling exhausted. "I don't want to cause a war. I've been in enough of those to last several life times... And it's not fair to the innocents living here. But I will also do what I need to do to protect my family."

"So will I." Eunkwang agreed. "Let's focus on getting information on Nova and then we will go from there. If Sungjae's theory is correct, maybe Nova signed her own death away the second she started all this nonsense. Maybe we won't even have to deal with her much longer."

"Seems almost unfair." San scoffed.

Hongjoong had to agree. He tasted when he had violent tendencies, but Nova deserved a death much worse than dying because she couldn't carry Mingi's baby, no matter how poetic it may sound.

Hopefully she would meet that end soon...

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Theo leaned forward in his chair and ran his hands down his face, sighing deeply.

His uncle was sound asleep, curled up in Angelo's bed and hiding under the covers. He'd pulled them over his head as soon as Hongjoong and San had left.

Shame was woven into his scent, and Theo knew why.

They'd never talked about the final thing that had happened to the alpha... so while Hongjoong and San knew what Nova had made Mingi do, they still didn't know that he was blind.

It was something Mingi had asked him to keep to himself, same with Angelo and Annabelle. They'd agreed, only because Mingi had begged.

Even Avayla didn't know, believing that Mingi had just been too tired to open his eyes to look at her.

Theo hated lying to his mate and he thought this was something she should know. But he would respect his uncle's wishes.

For now.

But he would have to tell the others soon, especially if they were going to fight Nova.

Not knowing where she was terrified the beta. He half expected her to come break down the door any second.

And now his family was getting stretched thinner and thinner.

With Avayla back at their house taking care of the girls, he hated that she'd asked him to stay here. He'd much rather be with her, watching her back at all times.

Although she had Siyeon and the others for that.

Gahyeon had stopped by just a little bit ago to let him know that Yoohyeon wanted to speak with Sungjae about her pregnancy, so some of them were going with her. But the other three were going to stay with Avayla and the girls.

This made him feel a little better. So if anything, right now he was the least protected.

Or that's how it felt until Annabelle came in, a soft smile on her face as he moved to sit next to him.

'How are you doing? Can I get you anything?'

Theo's eyes darted from her lips to her eyes and he shook his head.

'Well I wanted to let you know that Angelo has been talking to the others. He's trying to rally as many of our friends as he can so that we can help protect you from Nova.' She squeezed his shoulder, offering as much comfort as she could before speaking again. 'Nova's reign is about to come to an end.'