"You want to what??" Hongjoong asked, unable to contain the growl in his voice.

He had to have heard wrong, because truly he didn't know how he could handle one more-

"We want to adopt a little boy from Eunkwang's pack." Jongho said again, a little slower that time as he took note of his alpha's reaction.

Hongjoong blinked a couple of times, then slowly sat down in his office chair. His head started to move side to side slowly as if on its own accord. "I... what?"

Next to him, his mate sighed. "Joong, it's really not that complicated."

The alpha gave his beta a side-eyed glare then focused back on the couple in front of him.

Yunho and Jongho were standing side by side, holding hands and watching him with desperate looks in their eyes.

Mere minutes ago, his pack mates had approached him while he was in the process of going through their finances and told him what they had learned about Jaeyul and what they had noticed about Chan's behavior with the young alpha.

The hope and desperation coming from both of them was clear in the way they both seemed to tremble where they stood.

"I just..." Hongjoong closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We have five new pups... five! And we are already stretched thin as it is until we can get our crops to grow! I don't know how..." He stopped when he saw Yunho's shoulders slump.

Great... he'd really put his foot in his mouth this time...

"That's not what I-"

"It's alright." Jongho said softly. "We unders-"

Yeosang slammed his head down on the desk and stood up. "No. Don't just settle." He rounded on Hongjoong and crossed his arms. "You listen here, Mister." He said, making Hongjoong flinch. "You would not be reacting this way if they were coming here to tell you they are pregnant, so why is this any different?"

"Because money is-"

"AND," Yeosang barreled right over him without hesitation, "those five pups, as wonderful as they are, are not technically our responsibility."

Hongjoong opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut again.

His mate had a point... Stephan and Serena still wanted to keep their little family with the twin separate. And Riley and Jade's son lived with them...

The alpha closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry. Sangie is right," He opened his eyes to look at his beta and smiled softly, "as he always is." Then he turned to his friends and felt himself shrink in shame. "I'm sorry, I've just been so stressed. I know that's not really an excuse, but-"

Yunho and Jongho exchanged a look but remained silent. It was easy to see, and feel, how many mixed emotions were swirling around them.

"Have you talked to Eunkwang about it?"

The couple perked up a little and Jongho shook his head. "No, we wanted to come to you first. Especially since it involves Chan."

"We didn't want to do anything to get his hopes up." Yunho added. "Just in case..." His words eluded to his own hope that Hongjoong knew he couldn't destroy now.

The corner of his lips curled in a smile. "Well, I suppose we will have to talk to him during our next visit."

Both Yunho and Jongho cried out with joy and surprise before running over to embrace the older in a tear filled hug.

Yeosang had to scramble out of the way so he didn't get run over, but he stood to the side and watched them fondly when Hongjoong grunted from being squished between them.

"Alright, alright." He gasped, patting Jongho's shoulder to signal for release. A few deep breaths later and a quick fix of his own hair, and Hongjoong turned to his friends once more. "Let's keep this on the down low for now, just in case."

"Of course! We can do that!" Yunho bit his lips and tears came to his eyes. "Joong... I-"

Hongjoong held up a hand to save the beta any embarrassment from stumbling over his words. He knew he'd made the right decision, both from the gratitude flowing through their link and the way his wolf swelled with the purest pride he'd ever felt.

It was the first time since they'd been home that he truly felt Ike he was doing a good job as an alpha.

After they left to go do a private celebration, Yeosang came to stand in front of his chair and leaned over so they were face to face.

"What?" Hongjoong asked with a pout.

"Must you always be so difficult?" His tone held a hint of amusement in it, but even so, Hongjoong's frown deepened.

"That's not fair."

Yeosang hummed and moved to straddle Hongjoong. "Oh, Alpha, I thought you would know by now to think with your heart and not your head."

The older growled a little when his beta started to play with the hairs on the back of his neck. He lifted his hands to squeeze Yeosang's waist, digging his fingers in a little. "You should watch how you talk to your alpha, Beta." He purred.

The love between them swelled through their bond seconds before Yeosang lowered his head to seal their lips in a kiss that made his heart soar.

With the surge of emotion, Hongjoong wrapped one arm securely around Yeosang's waist so he could stand and still hold his love.

Then, he used his other arm to clear his things from on top of the desk. The fell to the ground with a loud clatter that was sure to attract attention, but at that moment neither of them cared.

Hongjoong laid his mate on his desk and began sucking and biting marks into his perfect skin, all while they both ripped their clothes off in clumsy yet perfectly in sync movements.

Hands touched, squeezed, and pulled while nails bit, scrapped, and marked. Tongues twisted, lips kissed, and hips slapped together.

The perfect symphony of two bodies becoming one and sharing in a magical connection.

It was something neither of them would tire of, even as they settled back into Hongjoong's chair to wait for his knot to go down.

Yeosang pressed soft almost teasing kisses to Hongjoong's neck here he'd nuzzled in to soothe himself while his alpha's hands drifted up and down his back. "Feeling better?"

"You already know I am." Hongjoong chuckles. "But thank you."

The beta hummed happily and kissed his alpha again. "Always so stubborn."

"Oh shush."

Over the next few weeks, Hongjoong spent time being the head alpha he wanted to be, the head alpha that made him simply thrive.

He finished figuring out their finances, reconnected with a few different stores that was willing to buy their meat and pelts so they could return to their 'old' lives, and organized meetings with the other packs around them to reestablish his leadership in the area.

Thankfully Riley had done an excellent job in his place and there was no issues with the others, which was a huge weight off Hongjoong's shoulders.

The other packs also agreed to meet Eunkwang's little family and the Elite the next time they came through so there would be no conflict with them passing through their territories.

That had been a difficult conversation filled with lots of discussions about who the visitors were and why that would be a common occurrence. A few had been hesitant at first, but once Hongjoong told their story they trusted his judgement.

The final piece that truly settled his wolf, though, was talking with Eunkwang about Yunho and Jongho's request.

As he and Eunkwang stood at the edge of the field, they both watched Chan and Jaeyul chase each other through the growing crops.

"He's always so happy whenever you bring Chan to visit." Eunkwang said with a fond smile. "He asks me all the time when Chan's pack is going to come again."

Hongjoong chuckled and dragged his foot back and forth in the dirt. "I'm glad we are able to bring him a little bit of joy. I can't imagine how hard it must be fore him, loosing his parents at such a young age."

Eunkwang sighed through his nose and his shoulders dropped a little. "It's been hard for all of them. Thankfully there are enough of us here that several pack members have stepped up to help take care of them, but we know that it's not the same. Especially with how fresh everything is."

"Well," Hongjoong started to say, then paused when he noticed Yunho and Jongho standing off to the side with San.

The older alpha had a hand on Jongho's shoulder and was leaning over to whisper something that had Jongho's lips quirking to the side in a soft smile. Then they looked at each other before pressing their foreheads together.

"Well?" Eunkwang asked, rubbing his chin in an attempt to cover his teasing smile.

Hongjoong pursed his lips and shook his head. "Well," he said, forcing himself to stand up a little straighter, "I wanted to talk to you about something similar to that." Hongjoong paused for a second to find the two boys playing before he continued, "Yunho and Jongho would like to adopt Jaeyul, if you'll allow it."

All forms of teasing was quickly erased from Eunkwang's face and his hand dropped to his side. "What?" He asked, turning to face Hongjoong directly.

"It's obvious the boys have formed a bond, and Chan is... abnormal for his age to put it lightly. If I'm being honest," Hongjoong couldn't help but smile a little as he remembered himself when he was only a few years older than Chan, "He acts as if he's chosen Jaeyul as his mate already, and I'd hate to do anything to jeopardize their future."

Now Eunkwang looked at the boys and tilted his head to the side a little. He studied the boys for several minutes and Hongjoong let him, knowing better than to interrupt another alpha that deep in thought.

"It would be foolish of me to deny the words of a head alpha with a pack filled with so many Soulmate bonds." Eunkwang finally said, his voice soft but wise.

Hongjoong's wolf stirred within him, proud of the words spoken about his family and he felt his chest puff a little to reflect that pride.

The older had a point. Soulmate bonds were few and far between. His pack only had one that he knew of, and so many other packs believed the bond to be nothing but a myth.

Yet somehow, Hongjoong's pack had three. Four if Jaeyul came to live with them.

"Thank you." Hongjoong bowed to his fellow alpha. "I promise we will take care of him and protect him, always."

And sudden push against his shoulder made Hongjoong stumble to the side and he looked up in surprise when Eunkwang started laughter. "You don't need to be so formal! I know you will. Honestly I wouldn't trust anyone else."

Hongjoong smirked at his friend before he walked over to tell his family the good news.

But they already knew.

Yunho and Jongho were hugging each other, tears in both their eyes while San stood off to the side with the fondest of smiles on his face.

"Thank you, thank you!" Yunho let go of his alpha and spun around to embrace Hongjoong.

The older flinched away from it at first, but then allowed the beta to smother him in affection.

"Chan!" San called once Yunho and Jongho were able to collect themselves.

His son stopped and looked in their direction, then jogged over when San beckoned him over with a simple wave, Jaeyul a short distance behind him. "What is it, Dad?"

"Come here." San pulled him into a hug, which earned him a little mock groan, though Chan was quick to hug his father back.

This left an opening for Yunho and Jongho to approach Jaeyul. The boy looked confused and glanced at Chan before taking a step back.

"It's alright." Yunho said quickly. He crouched down so he could be a eye level with the young alpha and looked like he was fighting tears once more. "I know we haven't talked much, but you remember who we are, right?"

Jaeyul bit his lower lip and looked down before nodding. "Channie's Uncle Yunho and Uncle Jongho."

"That's right." Jongho placed a hand on Yunho's shoulder and squeezed. "We have something we'd like to ask you."

By now, Chan had turned around in San's arm and was watching everyone with confusion and worry, though San patted his chest a few times to reassure him.

"What is it?" Jaeyul glanced between the couple in front of him and shuffled back and forth, showing how nervous he clearly was.

"We know how important Chan is to you. And..." Yunho took a deep breath, "I can't have any more pups, but I've always wanted another one. So, we were wondering... if you'd like to come and live with us?"

Jaeyul's eyes grew wide and he took another step back.

"We aren't trying to replace your mom and dad." Jongho added quickly. "We'd never want to do that. But, if you'll let us, we'd like to give you a permanent, loving home, where you can be with Chan every day."

Yunho nodded. "A home where you will be loved and protected and cared for."

"Really?!" Chan gasped, tilting his head back to look at San right before he broke free and ran to Jaeyul.

The two boys exchanged a look, one that the other's knew all too well was a silent conversation between two souls.

Jaeyul chewed on his lower lip a few times, then glanced at Yunho and Jongho once more.

The beta looked like he was having a hard time containing himself, like he was seconds from buzzing out of his own skin.

But he managed to keep control, even as the silence grew longer and longer.

Even then, he was the first to break it when he took a deep breath and whispered, "Well? What do you think?"