As much as Wooyoung wanted to go to Hongjoong, his heart was being tugged toward the building the alpha had been in front of.

A building which was currently on fire.

I'm right beside you. Chan touched his nose to Wooyoung's neck once, giving that reassurance they both needed.

Then they charged forward together, weaving through the warring pack.

He could feel him.

He could feel San close by.

That single thought was the driving force that made him run into the burning cabin without any hint of hesitation.

Thick clouds of smoke billowed above their heads, forcing them to lower them down so they could see.

Stay close. Wooyoung said before walking forward slowly.

Are you sure he's in here? Chan pressed himself into Wooyoung side, whining slightly.

As much as he wanted to say yes, Wooyoung couldn't bring himself to answer.

It was hard for him to see and his nose was completely useless because of the smoke.

Just as he was about to turn around, a crash came from somewhere in front of them, followed by a high-pitched scream.

Both Wooyoung and Chan surged forward, growls vibrating their chests.

Then a few vicious snarls reached them, along with more crashes and cries of pain.

Pain that Wooyoung felt too.

Throwing caution to the wind, the omega started to run, leaping into the new room just in time to see a wolf tail vanish through an opening that led outside.

He scanned the room briefly, and upon seeing no one else, he and Chan charged through the hole.

But the wolves were gone... Lost in the sea of fighting happening around them.

Wooyoung tried to stand up on his hind legs in an attempt to see further. All he needed was to catch a glimpse of the soot colored fur he missed so much.

Mama! There! Chan said, suddenly scampering forward and heading straight for the forest instead of the other buildings around them.

The omega didn't question him. He fell into place behind his son, pushing himself to stay sharp.

Pushing himself to find his Soulmate.

.

.

.

.

"Take her! Now!"

"What about the-"

"Take them too! Take them all! I will not be disobeyed or threatened! It's time to send a message!"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Ma'am! I think we found them!"

"Show me."

.

.

.

.

Mingi strained his ears, listening for any sounds besides the fire crackling in front of him.

He had no idea how long Theo had been gone this time. In this new world of darkness, time didn't exist...

At first he'd tried counting the seconds, but after ten minutes... he'd started to cry.

He cried with frustration.

He cried for his own weakness.

He cried because he missed the strange interactions with Theo.

Despite sitting close enough to the fire it could burn him, Mingi's entire body trembled.

Then he froze when he heard a branch snap in the distance. He dropped to his hands and knees, carefully feeling his way along the cave floor until he found the entrance to the tunnel, where he stopped with the hopes of blocking the light of the fire from giving away his position.

Theo was supposed to be finding something for them to eat, so it could be him...

But Mingi had no way of checking until Theo got close enough for Mingi to recognize his subtle scent.

So he waited. And listened.

A low huff echoed down the tunnel, followed by several snapping branches.

If it was Nova... or one of her alphas... he was done for. He had no way to defend himself, no way to try and fight back, and he most certainly couldn't run away.

If they found him... he was cornered, cowering like a trapped beast.

He'd be hers again. The thought made his stomach twist into ugly knots and it took all of his strength to stay calm and collected.

Then, a gentle, fir tree scent drifted in his direction and he was able to relax. "You're back." He breathed, even though he knew Theo couldn't hear him.

He moved away from the entrance and began crawling back to the rock he'd been sitting on.

Gentle hands grabbed his shoulders to help guide him. Mingi tried to fight is embarrassment when he realized he had been crawling the wrong way.

"Are you alright?" He asked once he's seated again. He receives one tap on his wrist as an answer. "Did you see anything?" Two taps that time, then a squeeze.

That was the new indication that Theo wouldn't be looking at him. Mingi guessed he would be taking care of whatever food he'd brought back, so the alpha crossed his arms over his stomach and settled in to wait.

He caught the scent of blood a short time later, followed by the smell of cooking meat once the fur had been ripped or cut from the body of the animal.

Once it was sizzling and hissing over the fire, Theo squeezed his wrist again to let him know that the beta was paying attention to him.

"Rabbit?" he asked, trying to pick up on the scent himself.

Theo tapped once.

The alpha smiled, then grimaced when his stomach gurgled.

Next to him, Theo chuckled softly, to which Mingi asked, "You felt that?" One tap made him groan. "Of course you did. But honestly I can't remember the last time I ate a good meal..." His voice tapered off at the end, his mind drifting back to his previous determination to starve himself.

Theo moved closer so he could use his other hand to squeeze Mingi's knee. It wasn't a signal, just a gentle comfort that had Mingi's shoulders dropping.

"I wanted to die, Theo." He whispered. "I was ready to die... For everything to end... Does that make me a coward?"

Two soft, delicate taps.

"I feel like I am... How am I supposed to protect my family now?" The sobs started a few seconds later, but Mingi did his best to push through them because he had this sudden need to confide in the beta siting next to him.

"I can't hunt. I can't fight. I..." A horrid realization it him that had him doubling over. The urge to wail at the top of his lungs was so strong, it hurt his chest to keep it contained. "I'll n-never get to see S-Seonghwa's beautiful face again."

He knew The couldn't see his lips for the last part, but the beta still pulled him into a fierce hug all the same.

They stayed like that while Mingi tried to calm himself down. He tried to focus on the sizzling meat and how much he was looking forward to eating it.

Until a howl came from the entrance of the cave.

.

.

.

.

Once again, San was fighting for his life. His, and Yoohyeon's.

He'd just been about to help the frightened and injured alpha from the building when the far wall collapsed and four other female alphas charged in.

One went straight for Yoohyeon, who immediately started begging for them to stop, tears leaving muddied streaks on her face because of the soot.

But the wolf hadn't hesitated to start pushing her toward the broken wall.

That's when San had noticed she was in some kind of medical gown. And the bottom and front of it was soaked in blood...

Then three females stood between him and Yoohyeon, forcing him to simply watch as she was pushed from the building.

That had pissed him off.

San swiped at the floor, letting out a vicious snarl that turned into a mighty roar.

The four of them turned into a mess of snapping teeth, slicing claws, and flailing limbs, all of which San did his best to avoid while looking for Yoohyeon.

They ended up tumbling into the forest, the females doing their best to force him to the ground so they could get the advantage.

Which told him they recognized his power.

He tapped into his rage when one came at his side, swiping a paw at her head. Claws dug into flesh, and the female howled in pain before retreating a few steps.

But the other two charged at him at the same time, one coming from the front and one from his other side.

San had to think fast, pushing off the ground so he could spring up and away from them.

Only to clip a tree with his hind leg, sending him stumbling to the ground.

The alphas were on him in seconds, teeth digging into his legs and sides. He did his best to push them away, trying to wedge his paws against them, but once the third one joined in, he realized there was no chance.

Suddenly one of the wolves howled in pain and tumbled away from him. Vicious snarls followed, higher in pitch that he'd heard before.

A second one was pulled away from him, leaving him to deal with the female directly on top of him. She was still doing her best to get her jaws around his throat, but now that he was only fighting her, San was able to muster his strength and get his hind legs under her stomach.

One mighty push had her soaring away from him, yelping when she landed funny on one of her legs.

San rolled over with a groan, his muscles aching so much his legs wobbled as he tried to stand. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take...

Before he had a chance to grasp what was happening around him, the female alpha was running at him once more. Pure rage and fury danced in her red eyes. She was limping even as she ran, letting San know he'd at least succeeded in wounding her.

So he braced himself for impact, knowing full well he couldn't do much else with how sluggish he was.

But he was able to muster up enough strength to dodge her initial attack just at the last second, dipping his head down to snap at her ankles. He managed to snag one of them and the alpha fell forward onto her chest with a sharp exhale of air.

Then he leapt onto her back, biting down on the base of her skull to immobilize her while he worked on building the strength needed to pull back.

Except time stopped the second he lifted his eyes to check the surrounding area.

One of the females that he'd been fighting earlier was pinned beneath a smaller, soot colored wolf, eyes red with anger as he worked on defending himself and killing her.

And next to them... in the process of taking down a gray female...

Was an orange coated omega he'd never thought he'd see again.

Wooyoung was moving like water, quick and fluid and nimble, using his smaller size to almost toy with the female with how easily he could avoid her attacks and nip at her sides and legs in return.

She roared with frustration, eyes dark red and crazed. She tried to outsmart him by moving to the left first and suddenly jerking right.

But Wooyoung was able to easily adjust, jumping up to land on her back and tackle her to the ground.

Then Chan was there to finish her off, muzzle stained red from his own victory.

Mother and son worked together as a perfect team, ending the female's life with tooth and claw.

San could feel the alpha below him struggling to breathe, a raspy, wet sound coming from her each time she inhaled.

He'd punctured her main artery. There was no saving her now, so he let go and slowly stepped away from her dying body, never taking his eyes away from his world in front of him.

As if in agonizing slow motion, Wooyoung lifted his head and his eyes instantly glistened with tears. He was running before San could react. Running and leaping and jumping and shifting.

The alpha pushed himself to shift too, just in time to catch his omega right before they collapsed to their knees.

"You're alright, you're ok, you're alright." Wooyoung sobbed over and over. He ran his fingers through San's matted blonde hair with both hands. "You're alright."

He could feel his omega's pure, unfiltered joy coursing through their bond, even as the tears continued to run down his face.

It was the most beautiful sight he could have asked for right now.

An unbearable tightness formed in San's chest, urging him to act, to move, to do something.

But Wooyoung beat him to it, bending down to capture his lips in a greedy, passionate kiss.

They wrapped their arms around each other, pulling as hard as they could, trying to become one as their souls started to mend with the contact of being with their mate again.

Endless. The love they felt for each other flowed around them. No end and no beginning.

Just their two hearts, beating in sync.

Their scents erupting around them, blending perfectly.

"San. My San." Wooyoung whispered against his lips. "My San."

The alpha couldn't remember how to speak. All he wanted to do was claim his omega again. To feel every inch of him. To regain every aspect of their bond.

And he knew Wooyoung wanted that too.

More than anything else.

A small whine drew their attention and they both looked over to see Chan sitting off to the side, eyes closed but tail wagging furiously.

Wooyoung laughed. A magical sound that sent San's heart racing.

With one final kiss, the couple stood up so they could shift into their wolves again.

Chan and Wooyoung instantly started rubbing against their alpha, all three of them whimpering and yapping at the wonderful touch.

San made sure to nuzzle his son, then started to clean blood from his muzzle. Wooyoung did the same on the other side, a gentle rumble coming from deep in his chest.

They were together again. After all this time... Wooyoung and Chan had come to find him, and San was sure the rest of the pack had to be here too, judging by the happiness he could feel coming from Hongjoong the second he concentrated on it.

But they were here.

His son.

His mate.

They'd come for him.

And finally, San felt complete.