Nothing else mattered.

Not the crowd, not the people on either side of him, not the smug look on Hyunjin's face that he really wanted to slap off.

Yunho forced all of it from his mind so that all he focused on was the target just in front of him with two of his arrows already embedded in the bullseye.

He knew he only had to do it one more time. Just one more bullseye. And he'd win the event for his pack.

Just that thought alone had his chest filling with pride. He wanted to make his pack proud. He wanted to take care of them, to help get them in a better place, to make sure they would be okay.

He wanted to make him proud.

Yunho clenched his jaw and drew his bow one final time. The silence around him was almost deafening, like it was so quiet that he'd lost his hearing all together.

Until the loud tone went off one final time.

His fingers slipped from the bowstring as if the reaction was automatic and he watched with bated breath as his arrow spiraled toward the target.

Silent prayers left him with his next exhale. Bullseye, bullseye, please be a bullseye!

Then he watched as the impossible happened.

His final arrow, the final piece needed to secure victory for his pack, it...

It pierced the center of another arrow, splitting it in half and securing the win.

Yunho's eyes flew open, and he brought his free hand to his mouth while his competitors all threw their bows to the ground with defeat.

Cheers erupted from the sidelines and even a few from the stands. Somewhere over the speakers he thought he heard an Android announcing him as the winner, but that didn't matter.

Suddenly he was running for his pack, long legs helping him bound forward effortlessly to where the others were running to meet him.

Mingi was the first one there, arms held out wide even if it made him look so silly as he ran. The sight made Yunho's heart race and he barreled into his best friend.

The collided so hard that they almost fell over, but they used the momentum to spin in a circle and stay upright.

"You did it! You did it! You did it!" Mingi cheered over and over until they were bouncing in time with his words.

By then the others had joined them too and soon Yunho was surrounded by his pack and soaking in their praises.

The celebration didn't last long. Soon they were being ushered off the field so the Androids could set up the wrestling rings.

This even was going to take a lot longer than archery. More people had entered and there were only ten rings available.

One Android posted the rosters in several locations for packs to see and they were given ten minutes to practice before the first round was called.

Wooyoung scowled from behind Mingi, still hating that he wasn't allowed to participate but being appropriate and not saying anything about it.

San was next to him, eyes constantly flicking between him and the rest of the pack. His leash had been given to Seonghwa for now and the older made sure to stay close, so it didn't tug on him.

This allowed Jongho to square off with Yeosang, the two of them both using their strength to try and get the other one to topple.

It was actually quite interesting to watch. While Jongho was stronger, Yeosang was more cunning and was good at trying to knock Jongho off balance.

Yunho rolled his shoulders and tried to keep his muscles loose while he waited. He was just as determined to win this and he had faith that Jongho and Yeosang would make it to the end, maybe even further than he himself could.

"I almost wish I had signed up now." Mingi said softly where he stood next to Yunho.

The older smiled a little and looked at his friend. "As much as I admire the thought, we both know you would be thrown on your back in an instant."

"That is not true!" Mingi scrunched his nose. "I could have handled myself."

"Oh yeah? With what muscles??" Yunho teased, then reached over to squeeze Mingi's arm.

He instantly paused, mouth opening slightly.

When had Mingi gotten so big?

He squeezed Mingi's arm a couple of times and marveled at the rippling muscles he felt beneath his hand.

"You were saying?" Mingi whispered with a smirk.

Yunho felt heat travel to his cheeks and ears and quickly pulled his hand back to cross his arms. He cleared his throat. "N-Nothing."

He felt Mingi's eyes on him for several long seconds after that but chose to ignore him.

Instead, Mingi spoke next, his voice low and soothing. "You can do this, Yun."

The heat in Yunho's face grew and he had to force himself to turn to the younger and smile. All he could manage was a nod, though, before the same annoying tone from before went off and the arena was called to order.

No one in their pack was in the first round of ten, so they had a little longer to mentally prepare and watch how things worked.

There was one Android assigned to each ring. It walked in circles around it, observing everything the two competitors in front of it did.

In one ring, an Android made a high-pitched sound, much like a whistle, when the two men wrestling stepped outside of the designated circle. At another, the Android crouched over to count while Chan kept his opponent pinned to the mat.

He was the first one to win, pinning his opponent faster than anyone else.

In the second round, Yunho was paired against someone from Germany, judging by the thick accent when he muttered something that could have been a greeting. He was built well, though he was shorter than Yunho.

When the tone sounded, they slammed into each other and worked on trying to overpower the other, twisting and shuffling and pushing.

Through some stroke of luck, Yunho managed to hook a leg behind his and forced him to the ground, keeping him pinned for the required five seconds.

Both Jongho and Yeosang passed as well, moving all three of them to the next round.

Where they watched Chan and Changbin easily overpower their opponents once more. Gunhak also advanced, though he almost lost in the last seconds.

As Yunho watched, he started to wonder how the later rounds would work, because there were still women competing, but by the looks of it, they were being kept separate from the men.

Maybe they'd announce a male and a female champion, that made the most sense.

"It's getting tougher." Yeosang whispered from next to him while they watched Jongho face off against his next opponent. "How are you doing?"

"Tired." Yunho admitted, rolling his shoulders at the same time. "I didn't realize this event would be this intense."

"Me neither. Don't let yourself get hurt, if you need to let them win, then do that, okay?"

Yunho scoffed and rolled his head to the side to give his friend a look. "Like I would ever do that. I'll be fine, Sangie, I promise. I'm just glad we aren't doing the scavenger hunt today as well."

"Me too. Some food would be nice thought." Yeosang rubbed is stomach slowly, then clapped his hands together when Jongho was pronounced the winner.

Surprisingly, his wish was granted after everyone in that round was finished.

An Android came over the speakers to say that food stalls had been set up in the courtyard and in celebration of the competition, everyone was allowed one meal, even the packs in the stands.

It was a bit of a challenge, but they were eventually able to get a bowl of ramen for each of them. It was a happy find that reminded Yunho of home, and while it made him sad, he also found a little comfort in that as well.

Which he knew he needed to rely on that comfort, those small bits of happiness, if he was going to get through the rest of the day...

.

.

.

.

When lunch was finished, the competitors were called back to the field with another blare of the same annoying tone.

Wooyoung flinched and whined a little when his head throbbed. Why did it have to be so loud and so high-pitched?

A soothing hand grabbed the back of his neck and he felt himself immediately melt into San's familiar touch.

They shuffled a little closer together as they waited for the next round to begin.

This was one going to be interesting. Both Yunho and Yeosang were against strangers, but Jongho...

Jongho's shoulders heaved a little as he stared down Gunhak, and Gunhak looked just as determined as he met Jongho's gaze.

"Is it just me, or does Jongho seem... different?" Wooyoung asked, frowning just a little.

"It's not just you." Hongjoong answered. His eyes were on their alpha as well, and that little worry line that liked to carve itself into his forehead was present.

"What do you think is going on?" Seonghwa glanced at Hongjoong for just a second before looking back at the field.

No one got a chance to answer.

Instead, the tone sounded once again and Jongho and Gunhak rammed into each other.

From what Wooyoung could see, both of them were straining, doing everything they could to gain the upper hand.

Jongho planted his left foot and whipped his body to the right, forcing Gunhak off balance and to hop on only one leg. But when he ducked down to try and force Gunhak to the ground, Gunhak twisted around to grab Jongho around the middle to use his weight against him.

They both teetered on the edge, and it almost seemed like they would go out of bounds, but then Jongho gave a mighty roar and pushed himself into Gunhak, turning just enough to dig his shoulder into Gunhak's stomach.

The move caught Gunhak by surprise, his instinct immediately to wrap and arm around his stomach, and that allowed Jongho to pounce.

He tackled his opponent by throwing his arms around his waist and forcing him to the ground, where he proceeded to throw a leg over and pin Gunhak completely to the ground using his full strength to dominate.

Wooyoung shivered when he saw the almost dark look on his friend's face. He knew Jongho could be really competitive, but it almost seemed like there was something more driving him.

When Jongho was announced the winner, Wooyoung took a step back and closed his eyes when a wave of nausea rushed through him. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and did his best to exhale slowly, willing it to pass.

"Damn... Yunho lost." Mingi said a few seconds later and they all turned to see their beta rubbing his neck bowing quickly to the man who beat him.

"Sangie made it, though." Seonghwa pointed out when he saw the younger heading over to the tourney board.

As he made his way to his next ring, Yunho came back to the pack with his lower lip out in a pout. Mingi was quick to bring him into a hug and hold him close. "You did good." He said softly.

"Thanks, he caught me off guard." Yunho sighed.

"Looks like Yeosang's going to get a chance to avenge you, though!" San said, pointing to where Yeosang was facing the man who'd defeated Yunho.

Wooyoung watched as his friend's face twisted into a smirk, otherwise he stood perfectly still, studying every move his opponent made.

Even though the man was bigger, Yeosang was cunning. He was always a silent observer, studying and absorbing every bit of information he could.

Which was what allowed him to easily dodge the man's first attack, slam into him to grab his waist, and use his leg to hook around the man's so that they fell to the ground with Yeosang on top.

It looked like he'd knocked the wind out of the man, so Yeosang was able to scramble around and keep him pinned until he was announced the winner.

When Yeosang pulled away, he turned to his pack and his smirk grew to one filled with pride as he pointed at Yunho.

Wooyoung and the others cheered for him, jumping up and down when they realized he had made it into the top eight, along with Jongho.

They were so close.

And of course that's when Wooyoung had another wave of nausea hit him. He swayed in place and groaned a little, then stumbled forward into Mingi's back.

The alpha turned around immediately. "Youngie? Are you alright?"

The others looked at them too, and Seonghwa was quick to reach out and touch his forehead. "You're warm! Wooyoung, what's wrong?"

"I... B-Bathroom..." He managed to get out, clutching at his own stomach.

"I think I saw some behind the grandstands." Hongjoong said, glancing in that direction.

"I'll take him," Mingi looped and arm around Wooyoung's shoulders. "You guys stay and keep supporting the other two."

Seonghwa looked like he wanted to argue, but Mingi was already dragging Wooyoung away with him.

The younger whimpered in pain and his vision blurred, although his nose seemed to be working just fine when he started to smell a mixture of cinnamon and lilacs. He was surprised the combination didn't upset his stomach more.

If anything... it soothed him.

He was so distracted by it, he slipped from Mingi's grasp when his foot caught on a rock. A distressed yelp escaped him as he fell toward the ground and he threw his arms out in front of him, catching his leash just right to yank it out of Mingi's hand.

But before he fell, and arm wrapped around his waist and hauled him up with such gusto that he was lifted entirely off the ground.

"H-Hey!" He cried, flailing around at the sudden surprise.

A blast of chili pepper filled his nose, so strong that it's almost suffocating. He gagged, trembling in the arms of whoever held him, unable to fight any more for some reason... Almost like his body wouldn't let him.

"Easy there." A deep, gruff voice said in English while Wooyoung was jostled around and practically manhandled back onto his feet. But not out of the man's grip. "That could have been a bad fall, little omega."

Wooyoung shuddered and opened his mouth to speak, yet no words came out when another fierce wave of nausea hit him.

"HEY!" A familiar voice yelled, also in rough English. Wooyoung latched onto it, whimpering just a little as he pushed against whoever was still holding him. "Let go of him!"

The arm around him drifted to wrap around his waist and the man chuckled. "Calm down, friend, I take it this omega is yours?"

Mingi growled a little and walked closer. "He is, now get your filthy hands off him."

The pepper smell seemed to grow stronger and for a second Wooyoung started to think something was seriously wrong with him... Was he about to have a seizure? Had he eaten something bad or even poisonous?

Then another roar drew him from his thoughts and the sound of skin slamming into skin reached his ears seconds before he was being yanked from the man's arms.

"He said to let him go!"

Wooyoung melted into the familiar, strong, safe embrace of Jongho's arms, coming back to himself enough to finally register what had happened.

Jongho was holding him and standing in such a way that he was in between Wooyoung, and the man now sprawled on the ground. Mingi had planted himself between the man and Jongho, fists balled at his side and posed like he was ready to pounce.

And the rest of their pack was running toward them with panic in their eyes.

Along with about ten other people, both men and women, rushing to the man.

"Carlos! Are you alright?" A woman called, sliding to a stop next to the man and crouching by his head.

The man ignored her, rubbing his already bruising jaw and staring down Jongho. "Quite the arm you have, kid." He chuckled a little and stood on his own, completely ignoring the woman next to him.

Jongho tensed, a low growl vibrating in his chest. The feeling called to Wooyoung a little, making him shiver and lean into his alpha.

By now, San was by his side too, along with the rest of his pack and they all worked to surround him as more eyes looked in their direction, completely halting the competition happening behind them.

Before anyone else could speak, three Androids ran over and formed a wall between the two packs. "Stop! There is no fighting within the event grounds." They said at the same time.

"He tried to take Wooyoung away from me!" Mingi protested, rounding on the closest Android.

Carlos chuckled. "It's well within the rules of the game. He wasn't attached to an alpha."

"Because I tripped!!" Wooyoung yelled, needing to defend himself.

The other alpha's gaze grew darker as they fell on Wooyoung right before Jongho turned enough to shield him from view.

"Hush, Hyung. I won't let him hurt you." Jongho murmured, bringing Wooyoung's face down to the crook of his neck.

It worked to distract the older enough and he relaxed slightly, putting his trust into Jongho to take care of him.

"Fighting shall cease." The Androids continued to speak all together. "Both packs remain whole, the omega in question shall be given a warning. The rules clearly state an omega must be leashed at all times, or they become fair game. Also, Ateez shall forfeit the rest of the wrestling competition for abandoning their matchups. Judging shall proceed accordingly to when they exited the competition."

Several gasps traveled through the crowd as Yeosang and Mingi yelled, "But that's not fair!"

Wooyoung felt his heart drop a little and he pressed himself further into Jongho.

He'd caused his team to lose...

"Our decision is final. Any more arguments will result in points being deducted." The Androids said, then proceeded to leave the field.

Wooyoung's pack stayed huddled around him while the crowd started to disperse. San's wonderful touch brushed over his neck and arms, constantly letting Wooyoung know that he was right beside him.

He chanced a peek and froze when he saw Carlos still staring at him for a few seconds before he turned to walk away with the rest of his pack.

It wasn't until they were on the other end of the field that his own pack finally relaxed a little.

"Mmmsorry..." Wooyoung whispered into Jongho's neck.

Both Jongho and Mingi stiffened and started to rub his head or shoulders.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Hyung." Jongho whispered.

"But... You lost..."

"You are more important than any stupid competition."

Wooyoung wanted to argue more, he felt terrible. The nausea was still there, he could still smell the blasted peppers, and guilt started to swallow him whole, churning deep within his stomach.

Or...

No... That wasn't guilt.

Wooyoung shoved away from Jongho, surprising the alpha enough that he could break free from his grasp to spin around and purge the pathetic contents of his stomach over the forest floor at his feet.