It felt like Hongjoong's whole world stopped in an instant. When his little brother said those last words, "I'm pregnant", everything around him fell silent. He couldn't move and his vision went blurry. He could see the outlines of his pack members, but the ear-splitting ringing in his ears prohibited him from being able to focus on his surroundings.

It wasn't only the constant ringing in his ears, but the yelling inside of his head, reminding him that he had, yet again, failed Yeosang as his Alpha older brother.

He was the one that was supposed to keep him safe. He was the one who had promised to always protect the precious Omega from the cruel world's ways. But he has failed... again.

The first time had haunted him and he thought he had fixed it. But now the memories of that day are back to haunt him all over again, just to remind him that he had truly failed.
.
.
.

Hongjoong knew it wasn't a bright idea to take Yeosang through any part of the city with them that day. Even if they were being extremely careful, he knew it wouldn't be a good idea. He should have listened to his instincts.

"Come on, Joong." Seonghwa softly begged, rubbing his Alpha's shoulders to help ease him, "He's always cooped up in here. We will be extra careful and we won't be gone for very long. And he hasn't seen Jongho in a while. Hm?" He couldn't see Seonghwa's begging face from behind him, but if he had, he probably would have given up immediately.

But Yeosang was in front of him and he had looked so adorable as he pleaded to be able to tag along that the older brother couldn't resist that either.

Yeosang knew exactly how to pull just right at Hongjoong's heartstrings to get him to cave. All it took was a dramatic pout and for him to bat his eyelashes a few times, and then he would have the older wrapped around his finger.

"Fine!" Hongjoong huffed, "You brat." His tone was spiteful, but the huge grin on his face said otherwise. "Go throw on some clothes that smell a lot like me, and Seonghwa, can you check the list over one more time?"

His Beta obediently nodded after scanning their list of needed supplies, while Yeosang cheered in victory.

Hongjoong wrapped up the pelts and furs they'll be trading for some spending money. With them not having normal occupations as runaways, it's been the only way for them to earn a living.

Once all of their things were gathered and they were absolutely sure Yeosang's scent was completely masked, they were off.

They typically ran their errands at a small marketplace on the outskirts of town because there weren't as many people around and they could easily weave their way in and out if an emergency arose. Plus, this was the neighborhood Jongho and his adoptive father recently moved to after his mother passed away.

The trio had no issues completing a few of their mundane tasks. Yeosang kept a hood over his head that helped cover most of his face, concealing him from any possible onlookers, but no one seemed to pay him any mind. He blended in perfectly, so they were able to successfully sell several of the furs and purchase a variation of groceries that would last them for a while.

"I need to stop by Mr. Choi's shop and then we'll be done," the leader announced.

At the mention of Jongho's father, Yeosang's face lit up, tinting his cheeks with a blush. He knew that if they were visiting there, then he'd most likely get to visit his young Beta friend.

Ever since he's presented as an Omega a fews years prior, it's been difficult to see the younger since he's always in hiding.

Mr. Choi was an electronics merchant. Though Supreme City is very technologically advanced, most gadgets were harder to come by if you lived on the edges of the city, so Mr. Choi's shop was fairly popular. But for Hongjoong, the middle-aged Beta would always strike a decent bargain.

The chime on the door rang when the trio entered and luckily, no other customers were present. The shop was small and plain. The essential products sold themselves without the need of flashy advertising. Televisions, video games, and kitchen gadgets for sale all decorated the place.

"Hongjoong, Seonghwa, is that you?" Mr. Choi cheerfully called from across the room, behind one of the glass counters he was currently busy cleaning. "And-" The man's face turned into one of shock when he noticed the third body with them.

Yeosang let his hood fall when the coast appeared to be clear and flashed the man a joyful grin. "Mr. Choi!" He greeted before briefly glancing around the room. "Where's Jongho?" he pouted.

The business owner flashed a knowing grin, "Oh, that boy went to run a couple errands for me, but he should be back here shortly." He walked around the counter just to ruffle the sweet Omega's hair, then turned his attention back to the mated pair with a raised eyebrow. "I always love your company, but what brings you here today?" He knew there must be an agenda.

Seonghwa was the first to speak up. "Well, we ran out of wolfsbane bullets on our last mission and were wondering if you had anymore made?" The Beta looked hopeful.

"We feel more comfortable when we at least have a few on hand." Hongjoong added.

"Unfortunately, the shop's been quite busy these last couple of weeks, so I haven't gotten around to making any more. But just give an amount needed and I can try to get some to you by the end of next week."

While Hongjoong followed Mr. Choi over to his desk, the chime of the front door sounded.

"Sangie?" a shy voice called out.

Everyone turned their attention toward the young Beta standing in the doorway, carrying a large, brown paper sack. It seemed to be heavy, but Jongho never showed any straining, especially not while his gaze locked onto the beautiful Omega in front of him. It was as though the bag wasn't even there since his full attention was on Yeosang.

"Jongho!" Yeosang cheered before sprinting toward his friend. The Beta scrambled to set the full bag down before catching the older in a hug. "It's been so long!" the Omega cried.

The two had always been inseparable as children, so the detrimental and now normalized distance has been hard on the pair. But it was necessary for the older's safety.

"How are you here right now? And how long are you here for?" Jongho questioned worriedly, but hopefully as they pulled back from one another.

Yeosang huffed. "Just long enough to run some errands. We are about to head back since Joong doesn't want me out long." Though he understood his older brother's reasonings, he couldn't help but be disappointed. He just wanted to spend time with his old friend.

"You know he means well, Sangie..." Jongho mumbled.

Before Yeosang could comment back, Hongjoong and Seonghwa approached the younger two. "Alright, we're ready to head back." Seonghwa sympathetically smiled.

"I'll walk with you guys to the forest line!" Jongho offered, wanting to spend as much time with the Omega as possible. "Dad, I'll be back!"

Mr. Choi waved goodbye as the group set off.

----------

Hongjoong glanced down at his watch for the third time, his anxiety rising as more and more people flooded the marketplace around them.

"Babe, calm down... the more you stress the more attention you'll bring our way. You smell awful..." Seonghwa scrunched his nose while he tried to rationalize with his Alpha, but at this point, nothing will soothe the older until the three of them are back home safely.

"We stayed at Mr. Choi's for too long. We shouldn't have lost track of time. Now it's rush hour and my scent is wearing off..." Hongjoong bit his lip and glanced at his brother, who obliviously continued to chatter away with Jongho.

"We're almost to the forest. We'll just keep our eyes out for a bit longer." Seonghwa didn't dare worry his Alpha more by telling him how he, himself, felt something was... off. The Beta took a glance behind him when the feeling became even stronger, as though someone was watching them, but he carried on ahead when he didn't see anything to be a direct threat.

It was probably his own nerves playing tricks on him.

They finally reached the forest line, and most of the previous tension seemed to instantly dissipate.

Seonghwa sighed in relief. It really must have been nothing.

Yeosang and Jongho sadly turned toward one another, wrapping themselves in tight embrace, knowing that this would be farewell for a while. Who knows when they'd get to see each other again?

Hongjoong and Seonghwa looked away in order to give the close friends some privacy while they said their goodbyes for now, but that was another mistake.

It all happened so quickly...

Several men and women, some dressed in white lab coats and some covered head to toe in black, bulletproof uniforms, swarmed around the group of four in an instant.

They couldn't barely blink before several of the officers had each of them trapped with their arms behind their backs, ripping Jongho and Yeosang apart from their embrace and putting as much distance between Yeosang and the others as possible.

They had been ambushed. Someone had noticed them.

The Alpha leader blinked as he tried to process the scenario at hand, but everything has happened so fast that his mind won't think properly. What is happening?

"Hongjoong!" the Omega screamed and thrashed while he was pulled behind a line of armed officers who directed their aim toward the remaining three.

His brother's scream snapped him out of his sudden shock, and Hongjoong took a moment to look at each side of his surroundings.

To his right, Jongho harshly tugged at his bound arms over and over, seeming to give the Alphas who were restraining him a difficult time since he was stronger than most Betas and Alphas, but his efforts were useless.

A blonde Beta woman, dressed in white, calmly approached him and didn't hesitate to inject his neck with a blue vile she had hidden inside her coat. His eyes widened in shock, but the substance worked fast, knocking him out cold from wolfsbane within seconds.

To his left, what Hongjoong saw shattered his heart immediately. He could feel his whole body become weightless, meaningless.

In the rough hands of two of the officers, Seonghwa cried and thrashed to be let go. While watching the unknown Alphas manhandle his mate by forcing him to submit, Hongjoong shook with rage, but he knew he couldn't react right now or things could turn out worse. Instead, he was forced to watch his mate collapse to the ground after being injected by the same liquid.

He knew what was in front of him would completely destroy him, but he fought with himself to finally look.

Yeosang's teary, pleading gaze was locked directly on his, begging for help, begging for Hongjoong to rescue him. But Hongjoong was at a loss for what to do. There wasn't anything he could do. They were unarmed, unprepared, and completely unshielded.

Silent tears trailed down the Alphas cheeks, blurring his vision with every blink of his eyes.

One blink and the frame showed his brother loudly crying as a white figure approached him as he was being held down. The next, a random silhouette in all black threw an unconscious version of Yeosang over his shoulder and carried him away.

And the next, Yeosang was gone, nowhere in sight.

A stinging prick to his neck and finally, it all went black.

He had failed.
.
.
.

"Babe?" He could hear Seonghwa's voice, laced with worry, but it still sounded like it was in the distance. His head was killing him. "Joong? Are you okay?"

The Alpha stood, wobbling in the process and ignoring the worried gazes from each of his pack members, especially the one from his younger brother who was also wiping his fresh tears with the back of his hands.

"I'm going to lie down for awhile" he muttered and stumbled toward his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~
I am not going to lie, this chapter was incredibly hard for me to write. I had all of these ideas in my head, but I had a difficult time trying to portray them all correctly. Hopefully you all can see what I was going for!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it was kinda sad. If you have any questions about this story, feel free to message me or comment!

-Sydney <3