"So what do you guys think?"

Hongjoong smiled down at the pair before him, who sat silently with unreadable expressions as he announced his offer, looking back and forth between him and one another. They were probably having a private conversation through their link. The pack leader understood, though.

Asking Mingi and Yunho to join his pack so suddenly probably wasn't something they were anticipating today. It wasn't an easy decision to make on the spot either, so Hongjoong wasn't offended in any sense when the couple didn't provide an immediate answer.

"You don't have to answer right this moment, I just wanted to put the offer on the table." Hongjoong almost sounded embarrassed, not used to asking other wolves to join his family like this, aside from San, but that was a completely different scenario. San could be trusted instantaneously after helping him fight back at the facility.

When he first met Mingi and Yunho, he was overly cautious of their company and not necessarily the most polite. These days you can't trust anyone without reasoning, but Yunho and Mingi have proven themselves as trustworthy over the weeks that they've been on their land.

He looked downward and chuckled under his breath before raising his eyes back up at the two seated at their dining benches. "I think you would both be wonderful assets to the pack; Mingi with your hunting skills and Yunho with your medical knowledge. Plus, the others already seem fond of you both, especially Seonghwa. It feels natural." He tried to convince them.

Yunho broke his stone expression and slightly smiled, a shiny glint appearing in his eyes toward the kind words. Mingi, on the other hand, still held a tight-lipped, contemplative frown, like most Alpha's would in this situation.

The younger Alpha sighed, standing up, making himself clearly taller than the other Alpha. "I'm not rejecting your kind offer, but I do think Yunho and I will need to have some discussions before we make a decision."

Hongjoong kindly nodded. "No, I completely understand. I would be just as cautious if the roles were reversed. I would do anything to protect my family, so you should do the same for yours."

He took a couple steps over to the camper door and pushed it part of the way open, looking back at them from over his shoulder. "Take all of the time that you need. Whenever you reach a decision, come by the house and let us know. If you decide to stay, park the camper on the side of the house. If you decide to leave, at least come say goodbye before you do. My mate would be devastated if you didn't." Hongjoong flashed one more sincere smile before leaving the couple to do some necessary thinking.

Usually, this kind of conversation would be made with his mate, his rightful Luna, present, but today, Seonghwa wasn't feeling the best. He had been complaining of feeling more fatigued than normal, but that was probably due to many factors.

Seonghwa has always been known to be busy. He is a hardworking Beta, who always needs to be doing something. Lately, though, he's had more than enough on his plate. With his regular duties of taking care of the household, his rotational perimeter checks, taking care of a pregnant, hormonal Yeosang, and now, frequently keeping the new Omega company, it's unsurprising that Seonghwa has notably worn himself out.

Hongjoong begged for Seonghwa to remain in bed for the rest of the day. He, of course, was met with some defiance from his feisty mate, but eventually, Seonghwa's exhaustion allowed the Alpha to win.

When Hongjoong returned to the house, he immediately went to check on his lover. He carefully creaked their bedroom door open, trying to keep quiet in case Seonghwa was asleep, but he was relieved to see him sitting upright in bed, propped up against a pillow and with a book in his hands. Seonghwa placed a bookmark on his page before gently setting the novel on his nightstand.

"Hi, love." Seonghwa grinned when Hongjoong entered, closing the door behind himself. "What did they say?"

Of course that was the first question.

The Alpha let out a huff while he climbed in bed beside Seonghwa. "They haven't given me an answer yet, which is reasonable. They both had looks of concern on their faces," he admitted.
"They probably didn't realize it, but their scents gave away that they were a bit uncomfortable too, so I'm not entirely sure what their response will be."

Seonghwa placed a hand at Hongjoong's nape, rubbing the spot to comfort his Apha. He hummed in thought. "Mingi seems just as careful and protective as you are, Joong. It's an Alpha's instinct. And sometimes I wonder what their full backstory is, you know? Like what had happened to make them leave the comfort of Supreme City."

Hongjoong nodded because he had wondered the same thing.

"We know that their beliefs align with ours, but I'm curious to whether there is more to it or not." Seonghwa now scratches soothing circles over the span of Hongjoong's back. "We'll be patient and accept whatever they decide."

The Alpha leaned in to peck his thoughtful Beta on the lips. "How are you feeling, precious?"

"Mmh, better. A little bored." Seonghwa admitted with a chuckle. "'A Wolf's Long Journey' isn't cutting it." He nodded towards his abandoned paperback, scrunching his nose.

"Cuddles?" Hongjoong suggested, and Seonghwa enthusiastically agreed with a pout. Hongjoong didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around his claimed Beta and snuggle him against his chest.

----------

The black fur, speckled with white, moved with the wind that flowed through each strand as he sprinted through the forest. While running, he sniffed the air for anything unrecognizable one last time before he returned to the house. Thankfully, he only smelled his own scent.

San was out quite a bit longer for this shift. It was partially due to Seonghwa being forced into bedrest by Hongjoong for the day, but that ultimately benefited him. He had some necessary business to take care of.

When San reached the edge of the forest treeline, he instinctually shifted back into his human form, stretching his limbs before slipping on a pair of pants he had left under a bush. He decided not to bother with his t-shirt because his overexertion left him exhausted and unbearably hot.

Sweat dripped down his defined chest, ribcage, and abdomen, and he took a moment to catch his breath. He brushed some loose, sweat-soaked strands of hair out of his face. He makes a mental note to leave a canteen of water with his clothes for his next time around. That would be a pleasant aid to cool him off.

Once cooled down enough, he starts his jog in the cabin's direction, but furrows his brows once he notices Jongho sprinting his way from a distance, holding a hand out for him to stop. It was quite peculiar because they usually switched out at the house, and it wasn't Jongho's turn next. It was supposed to be Hongjoong.

For Jongho to meet him out here meant that either something was wrong at the house, which instantly alarmed San, or that he wanted to speak with him privately. Judging by the Beta's mutedly calm scent, it must be the latter.

The two males stopped in front of one another. "Is everything okay, Jongho?" San raised an eyebrow in confusion.

But what bewildered San even more, was when Jongho didn't utter a single word and began to search San's pant pockets. "What are you doing?" San shrieked as the younger male patted down the pockets on either side, a little too close to his manhood for comfort and leaving him blushing in embarrassment. It was odd for an unmated Beta to so boldly pat down an Alpha. Before Jongho reached around for his backside pockets, San grabbed a hold of the younger male's wrist.

"Where is it?" Jongho asked with a bite, tugging his arms away.

"What are-?

"The cell phone? It was in your bag, but now it's gone. Where did it go?" Jongho wasn't beating around the bush.

San opened his mouth, but immediately closed it again, the shock of the situation causing him to recollect his thoughts. "You went through my bag?" It was an invasion of privacy, and San never would have pegged Jongho as that type of wolf.

"It wasn't intentional, but I did see it." Jongho nodded in acknowledgement. "But where did it go?" He looked around San as though he was trying to check his back pockets again. "You need to tell me the truth because I haven't told Hongjoong, but I will if you don't speak up.

"Woah, woah, woah! Calm down!" San held out his hands in defense, moving away from Jongho's reach. "I don't have it." San admitted and even turned around, stuffing his hands in his own pockets for proof. "It's gone. I destroyed it and disposed of it."

Jongho tilted his head, though San was being truthful. That's why his perimeter run was taking longer than it should have been. This is what he needed to take care of. Jongho clearly needed to know more by his impatient stance.

The Beta crossed his arms over his chest. "Speak. All of it."

San visibly gulped. "Okay... I've had it since I started as a security guard at that fertility center. We were required to purchase one, but they did not provide it for us. I always had it on me before for work purposes," he explains. "I realized that it could potentially be trackable, even while turned off, so I decided to dispose of it."

"Why destroy it only now then?" Jongho wondered. He genuinely sounded curious, not accusatory, which is good for San's sake. Everything that San has said is true.

"I don't know much about cellular devices. Most common folk can't afford them. With my job there, I was able to purchase one for myself. But I recently began to think that tracking was a possibility. Supreme City is clever and ruthless... And I didn't want to take any chances since they could be looking for me ever since that day. I didn't want to worry anyone either, especially Hongjoong. I didn't want him to lose trust in me." The tone of San's voice was full of sincerity.

Jongho pursed his lips in thought. "That particular model is quite old. There's a good chance that they haven't been able to track your location if the device is dead. At least not this far away from the city. For now, we will need to hope that that's true... and we probably need to tell Hongjoong." Jongho sighed exasperatedly because their leader wound not be thrilled about this news.

San nodded and bit his lip. He can't help the guilt bubbling up inside of him.

"It'll be okay," Jongho speaks up, noticing how nervous the Alpha is. "Hongjoong will forgive you. And I'm sorry for doubting you... Let's head back before anyone wonders where we've been."

The pair walk back to the house together and don't speak any further about the cell phone. They didn't need to. All they could do for now was inform Hongjoong, and see what he wants to do about the situation.

When they returned to the house, the dining table was set for dinner. Yeosang was placing the rest of the utensils, while Seonghwa and Hongjoong were seated at their usual spots. Hongjoong smiled at the two males, and waved for them to come over. "Let's all have dinner together for once. I'll go out for my shift afterwards."

The boys didn't have any complaints about that and happily sat in their own chairs, San across from Yeosang and Jongho across from Seonghwa, while Hongjoong sat at the head of the table.

They enjoyed one another's presence over the chicken and potatoes Yeosang had prepared, engaging in small talk about their days. Hongjoong talked about his work on the addition of the house, while Seonghwa complained about his day off. Yeosang chatted about the completion of his recent knitting project, a matching scarf and glove set since the colder weather would be approaching here soon.

But all conversations came to a halt when a certain bedroom door clicked open.

~~~~~~~~~~

This chapter is definitely not my best work, and I apologize for that. I have not had the motivation to write the past week since I started back at work. I still wanted to get an update out for you all though!

I hope you all still enjoyed the update!

-Sydney <3