"What's wrong with you man?" Clive asked as they helped Alfred up.

They heard a ruckus and came barreling back down.

The girl had left his pouch down next to him and scuttled away, afraid of causing trouble.

Alfred woke up with reddened eyes and glanced around looking for something.

"She left." Jungkook answered to Alfred.

The wolf looked up surprised at the Earth tribe Beta.

"I scented a female on you and figured that's why you fainted..." Jungkook shrugged.

"Is she your mate?" Clive asked meeting Jungkook's eyes, both faced a very shocked Alfred.

"Uhh... yeah... I guess she is but..." Alfred rubbed his head, sitting upright on the floor.

"Don't worry you can always find her. You have your nose." Clive said reassuringly.

Alfred face palmed himself, mind traveling back to the girl who smiled at him.

He sighed softly, shoulders drooping with disappointment in himself.

"We're heading back to the other wolves. You wanna come or are you going after her?" Jungkook asked tentatively.

Alfred sat with his hands spread out behind him in deep thought. He blinked around disoriented as if he just woke up from a deep sleep.

"To think this braveheart gets mated before the Water Alpha does..." Clive bit out from the side of his mouth.

"Shush, stop being so mean." Jungkook scolded in a hushed voice.

Alfred stood up and dusted himself.

"I am coming back with you guys. She doesn't know... Besides I didn't have the best first impression with her. I'll go back later or tomorrow. I can't force her, she'll need time and I do to." He said decidedly.

"What's to understand? She your fated mate!" Clive exclaimed in outrage.

"That's exactly why I am taking my time." Alfred said firmly eyes glowing red.

"Not everywolf mates the same way. She's a human and I am shifter. I will not shock or put my female under any trauma. It's not fair. If we are fated then she'll remember me. I'll give her some time to process. They know, this path is used by us only in the mountains. Let her process it all." He said dusting his hands and beginning his ascent up the mountains.

His words held a solemn firm tone that made the other two respect him more.

With that Alfred broadened his chest and walked back up the mountains. Each step creating a stabbing pain in his chest which he ignored.

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Darya woke up to the beautiful cacophony of birds greeting her and her husband retching his stomach out.

Stretching her hands out wide she rubbed her small bump and floated into the bathroom.

"Good morning love, sleep okay?" She asked with a sweet smile on her glowing face.

She looked as if she slept on a fluffy cloud in heaven.

Gargling noisily Jin dropped his head down into the sink. Lifting his head up, huffing from all the exertion, rhe King glanced at his wife through the mirror, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Those tarts were a bad idea." He greeted in a hoarse voice, throat sore and bruised from all the hurling.

"Did you manage to sleep?" She asked perching herself on the edge of the tub.

"No, but I know you did. I saw..." He replied glancing at her with weary eyes and a croaky voice that hinted at longing.

"I watched you sleep all night. You looked so peaceful..."He replied wistfully.
Darya eyed him with pity, her lips rolled in slightly with regret.

"Why not try to get some sleep now? I'll attend to any pressing matters from court." She replied with a comforting smile.

Jin stripped and stepped into the tub soaking in just barely warm water.
"My back hurts..." He groaned in a weepy voice.

His wife's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Oh... I think I know why." She said to herself.

"Have you- have you heard from Aldan yet? Is he settling in fine?" Jin asked after a beat.

"Mhm, he's fine. The pixies are over the moon. They apparently aren't leaving his side at all. It's so sweet to see them support him so much." She replied with a smile.

"Uh-huh. It seems like everyone is fine except me." Jin mumbled to himself, regretting asking about their son.

"I am pretty sure the symptoms will stop in a few weeks. Everything has it's end point. I am sorry you feel so ill hunny but know that there's always an experience and something to gain from it." She said walking toward him to place a kiss on his head.

"Weight... I am gaining weight." He mumbled again, referring to his odd cravings.

"Uhh... I don't think you're going to gain any. You gotta process and keep the food down for that..." She said softly to herself.

Rubbing her rounded tummy she swept out of the bathroom giving Jin some space.

A weight settled over her heart. She felt distanced from him. Here he was in discomfort with all these symptoms and she couldn't do anything to relieve him off it.

Jin was different now, he was ill more often than not and spent most of the time either in the kitchen or hurling in their bathroom.

Jin occasionally snapped and responded in groans of pain which was barely a conversation.

Darya worried her lip in thought. Sitting at the large oak table she and Jin used, she wrote a letter to King Yoongi asking him for advice and updating him on the present manner of things.

"I do hope you can help King of Fealies. My marriage may very well be dwindling." She said to herself.

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Hoesoek woke up after a long nap with his mate, an incessant nagging feeling bubbling in his chest.

Getting out of bed he stretched his arms and broad shoulders out. Walking over to his window he pulled the curtains aside, letting the light spill in.

Of its own accord the wolf howled out loud into the quiet air, his mating howl sounding out to alert the others.

Marina jumped awake, clutching the sheets to her chest. Her eyes widened with surprise.

Turning to face her he smiled brightly, his entire face lit up. His chest rose and fell slightly, still catching his breath after howling madly.

"It's sealed." He said with a wide smile. He looked relieved, happy, excited.

Marina stared quietly, getting off the bed she stood up slowly.

"Sorry I can't help it, instinct." He flashed his white teeth at her in a cheesy happy grin.

Shooting a veiny hand out he concentrated his powers on the floor which shook. The solid ground began rippling like water. Marina was pushed toward him.

Slinging an arm around her, Hoesoek pulled her flush to him.

"This morning became so much more beautiful now that I have you by my side." He whispered, glancing out at the view from his window.

"The birds song sound sweeter, the sky looks brighter, the flowers are more vivid, with you by me. I love you." Hoesoek kissed the tops of her cheeks.

"I really am glad I found you. I am so grateful to have you. You have no idea how empty my life was, how lonely my soul was. It was agony, I had no purpose or will to do anything. I merely existed." Hoesoek said, holding her hand in his clasp.

"But now I see that I was alive and waiting for you. It makes everything so worth it. So much..." He trailed off kissing her forehead. Resting her cheek against his firm chest, she hid her tears.

"Love you too Soekie." She said into his chest.

Hoesoek's ears caught her nickname for him and he pulled back to look at her.

"What?" He asked with a playful frown. They both chuckled, the sound of their lilting laughter floating through the air.

"So you think Jungkook and everyone are okay?" She asked, trailing her fingers over his chest with her head resting against his shoulder.

"Oh goodness, I don't want to even think of they mayhem they caused." Hoesoek said shaking his head.
Marina chuckled eyes sparking brightly.

"They'll be back tomorrow, until then..." He lifted her up with a growl and stomped off to the kitchen.

"I heard that food and sex are a good combination." Hoesoek said wink a naughty wink as he descended the stairs.

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Alfred felt a sharp pang in his chest as he walked up the hill. Doubling down in pain he clutched his heart.

"I am telling you, you should go back to her. The Alphas will understand." Clive said to him without looking in his direction.

"I-I am fffine..." Alfred groaned stubbornly.
Jungkook stared at him with concern and without another word bolted back down to find Alfred's mate for him.

"Here, sit down." Clive said sympathetically to the other wolf, helping him sit against a tree.

Reaching the base of the hill in a hearbeat Jungkook found a girl staring bashedly at him. She smiled sweetly at him. The same smile Alfred saw.

Jungkooks heart beat loudly, enough to drown other sounds out.

"Mate." He whispered in wonder.

The girl who stared transfixed at him took a step forward. A loud excited howl ripped from his throat before he knew it. A smile split his face in half, his eyes shone bright with anticipation and joy. Holding a hand out to her he waited for her while she walked over and slipped her palm into his.

Smiling up at him she blushed, the handsome young man in front of her, had eyes for nothing else but her.

A loud roar made the girl jump and clutch Jungkooks shoulders.
On instinct Jungkook stepped in front of her to shield her.

Alfred stared deranged and angry with watery red eyes at the Beta of the Earth tribe.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Alfred yelled standing a few meters away.

"Why are you with the girl that was supposed to be my mate!?!" Alfred yelled, his wolf like persona pushing out for the first time.

"Careful now, you're not used to this much excitement, you peaceful wolf..." Clive muttered softly, taken aback with Alfred's behavior.

"SHUT IT!" Alfred yelled at Clive pushing him back.

"What! What's going on? This is my mate. Mine." Jungkook said defiantly. He glanced at Alfred with an irritated look. He knew deep in his heart that she was his.

Unhelpfully, the Beta possessively slung his arm around the girl who stared at Alfred as it she didn't just speak to him.

Alfred growled low and prowled down the hill.

But Jungkook was right. The girl wasn't his mate. She smelt different. Was he mistaken earlier?

The wolf stopped in his tracks, his face fell. A small whine left him.

His heart sank, it was the same face, same dress. The same damned smile.

'What kind of cruel prank is this? Why mother nature why?'

His heart ached, Alfred clutched it again.

'When will things work out for me?' He asked himself.

Just as he thought a wave of heartache would wash over him with a killing blow  a noise sounded out.

A girl called out blindly for someone. The wolves perked their ears up.

"Eliana? Eliana? Are you here?" Came the girls worried voice.

Finally coming into view, Alfred and the girl locked eyes.

"Oh it's you. Hope you're feeling better." She said immediately, flashing a sweet smile at him.

His eyes watered and a sense of relief opened the shackles that held him down.
Alfred exhaled a sigh of relief, a smile pulling at his lips.

"That explains a lot." Clive commented to himself averting his gaze from the identical twins that stood in front of him.

"Oh, that explains it." Jungkook thought out loud. His mate glanced at her sister with a smile.

"I came looking for you." Eliana said, stepping behind Jungkook to see her sister better.

"And I came looking for you!" The girl exclaimed, both of them sharing a laugh that sounded unanimous.

"Can see where the confusion was..." Clive said, scratching the back of his head.

Wordlessly Alfred held his hand out to the girl who walked up to him as if in a trance.

The others excused themselves and began the journey back up to the camp.

"We'll sort this out there. Got anymore twins or identical siblings? Just checking before another wolf comes barreling down." Clive asked, although he kept his eyes off Jungkooks mate.

The girl laughed but shook her head in negation.

Alfred shared a secretive smile with his mate, an old feeling as if they knew each other for centuries binding them together. Smiling with relief they locked their gazes. Alfred rested his forehead against hers and shut his eyes, reveling in the good feelings around him.

"I thought I'd lost you." His whispered in a shaky voice.

"I did too, I was coming up to look for you..." She trailed off.

Alfred held her face reverently in his hands tucking her hair behind her ears for her. He studied her features, memorizing every detail.

"What's your name my beautiful." He asked in a warm voice he'd never used before.

"Rose." She whispered, peering her large limpid eyes up at him.

"Well that's a very pretty name." He said swallowing thickly.

"Well Rose, you do know that I am a wolf yes?" He asked in a honeyed warm baritone.

She gave a small nod and distractedly played with his fingers an act not blind on his part. He smiled at her.

"Will they hate me? The other wolves?" She asked, trembling slightly.

He chuckled, totally taken away with her.

"No, not at all. They will love you." He said pulling her in for a hug.

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Fealie Tae and Iris walked along a leaf strewn path in the forest. Their midday stroll was a quiet one with the two walking in comfortable silence.

They glanced at each other when they heard a faint voice from further down the forest.

"It did storm last night." Iris replied.

"Mhm, more pixies are probably born. Let's go see." Taehyung replied with a sweet smile, escorting his consort by the hand.

The Fealies stopped in front of a large syringa tree. There on one of the higher branches sat a brand new pixie.

"Hello?.... Hellooo?...." They pixie spoke slowly, drawing each word out at an agonizingly painful pace. Almost as if he had no care in the world and nothing bothered him.

"Oh... Helllooo theeree." The pixie greeted, upon seeing Iris and Fealie Tae.
The sense of emergency and practicality was lost on this little one.

"I ...was ...  wondering ...when someone would come fetch me... Hellooo theerrrreeeee." The pixie drawled out, almost as if he was drowsy with sleep.

Checking the tiny being, Iris noted that he was indeed very much awake, although just extremely laid back.

"I, think I have... to report to... the King...?" The pixie said in a slow tone.

"Yes that's true. I'll take you. I am Fealie Tae and this is my Consort Iris." The handsome Fealie introduced.

"Ohhhhh? Ohhhhhhhhhhh Wooooooooooowwwwwwwww that's lovelyyyyy. I am Bar-"

"Brayden?" Iris asked.

"Mmm nooooo. I ammm B-"

"Bob!? We already have a Bob." She replied testily.

"Nooooo not Booooooooob, it'ssssss Ba-"

"Bartholomew? Banri? Bryce?" Iris asked peppily. Tae sensed her fiery irritation and chuckled.

"You do know that you're drawing this out longer." Taehyung said, placing a hand on her shoulder lovingly.

Iris looked away with shame and regret.

"Sorry. Still getting used to everything." She sniffed with a pout.

All the while, the Pixie continued speaking, so that by the time the couple was done conversing, he'd given his name.

"...... naaaame isssss..... Bartlebeee." The Pixie finished. Iris sighed with relief, happy to have caught the end only.

Fealie Tae smiled at him and nodded, his steel white ringlets framing his face, dancing with his movement.

Holding his palm out he watched as the Pixie leisurely took his time to hop onto his palm. Glancing at Iris he saw her clench her fists in irritation face turned away.

Turning around, Fealie Tae escorted them back to the Palace.

'My word! The consorts of Fealies really are spicy and short tempered, I thought it was a myth.' Fealie Tae teased.

'Oh shut up!' Iris replied back telepathically.

"Eexcuusee meeee. Wheeerrreeee.....arrreeeeeee weeeeeeeeeeeeee goinggggg.....????" The Pixie asked staring up at Iris, blinking slowly.

Fealie Tae suppressed a quickly forming grin.

'You tell him.' She grumbled to him.

"Taking you home Bartlebee." Fealie Tae said with a smile.

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Back at the Concordian grounds Darya sat dejectedly on a stone bench. Her eyes watered and her heart slowly crumbled at the idea of losing Jin. They barely spoke any coherent sentences.

"I thought that a baby would bring good things." She thought to herself.

Jin was so ecstatic she shared the news. He was eager and excited at the thought of being a dad again.

But then she woke up one morning and found Jin throwing up. Darya recalled Jin complaining about stomach aches and dizziness. She should have guessed that he was going through paternal gestational symptoms.

"If our relationship continues this way, when the baby arrives we'll be at a loss of how to handle each other." She was deep in thought and hadn't noticed a large pale yellow garden snake slither up to her.

"DARYA!" She heard someone yell her name.

The commotion made the snake irritable and the venomous creature bit into Darya's ankle.

She grasped the edge of the bench, the pain stilling her movements.

"Darya!" She heard the call again.

Wincing on pain she opened her eyes a smidgen to find Jin running up to her, fully dressed in his regalia. The sword at his hip battered against his thigh as he ran toward her. Kneeling down he assessed her wound. The snake by then had slithered away.

Jin spun his head and shouted urgently for someone to call their doctor.

Taking her hands in his he ran his eyes over her body to check for any other bites.

Sliding his hands under her knees, he hoisted her up and carried her to their room.

"Don't worry my love, nothing will happen to you. I swear it." He promised to her, face fill with panic.

Darya glanced at her husband who had seemed to have gone back to normal. A small smile lifted her lips up. She gazed at his handsome profile until her focus zeroed in and blackened.

"Hnm, just as we forsaw." Yoongi replied swiping a hand to dismiss his orb away.

"He woke up just in time to save her. I knew it. All King Jin needed was a wake up call. A reason to show him how much she needed him." Yoongi said with a smile.

When Nora hadn't replied after several moments he glanced up to see her scowl at him.

"What, what's wrong Sweetheart? Yoongi asked thrown off guard.

She harrumphed and turned her head away from him, clearly displeased by something.

"Some husbands learn their lesson. Some are so dull that they don't even notice a hint." She said crossly before getting up to exit the room.

A baffled Yoongi sat in his seat, unsure of what he did wrong.

"Huh?" He asked himself in shock.

A/n: Thanks for reading ♥