"Alright, we've got our gold, Wooyoung gave us a list, let's see what we can find." Hongjoong said as they left the cabin.

"Stay close." Jongho took the lead and started scanning the forest. "Keep an eye out for anything."

Yeosang placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We've got this. We will get in and out as fast as we can."

The four of them moved as one toward the courtyard, spurred on by the uneasiness of leaving half their pack behind.

Hongjoong could tell that Jongho especially was on edge. The maknae's entire aura had changed ever since he'd helped Wooyoung through his heat...

It made Hongjoong worry a little bit about how the dynamics of their pack was going to change.

He personally didn't feel any different yet, other than maybe being more in-tune with the others, but it was hard for him to tell right now.

Really, the hardest thing for him was having his leadership slowly be taken over by Jongho. He knew that could happen when Jongho was named Head Alpha, but...

That didn't stop it from hurting his pride.

Even so, he still felt himself submitting to Jongho's commands.

When he felt his mind spiraling, Hongjoong shook his head and let out a sharp sigh through his nose.

A gentle touch brushed his hand, and he looked up to see Seonghwa giving him an inquisitive look.

Somehow Seonghwa always knew when something was bothering him.

But now was not the time. He offered a quick smile and shook his head, knowing full well that Seonghwa would understand his silent wish.

The older frowned slightly and brushed against Hongjoong's arm once more before turning to look forward once more.

As they traveled down the path that was slowly becoming familiar, Hongjoong took note of the emptiness.

While he had noticed that other packs had started to avoid them, they could at least be seen wandering through the trees around them.

Today, however, he noticed only one or two weaving through the forest.

And he noticed the same exact thing when they reached the courtyard.

There weren't nearly as many people milling around.

It made Hongjoong pause, causing the others to stop and look at him too.

"What is it?" Jongho asked.

"It's just... different." Hongjoong stressed. "Why are there so many people missing? Are they all forfeiting?"

Yeosang followed his gaze and shared his concern. "Maybe we can get some answers from one of the Androids."

They pushed forward, keeping their ears open for any useful information and eyes peeled for any supplies they might need.

As they walked past the stalls, they noticed that a lot of the products had changed. Or maybe there was just more.

There was still plenty of food and survival options, but one stand held a collection of books and manuals. Another one held an even bigger surprise.

Walkie-talkies. And other electronics seemed to be available too.

He touched Jongho's arm to get his attention and motioned for him to follow.

They approached the stall together and the Android nodded to them in greeting. "Hello. How may I assist you today?"

The perfect Korean was still unsettling, but Hongjoong tried to ignore the pit growing in his stomach.

"Can you tell us about what you have for sale?" Jongho asked, eyes flicking around the booth.

"Gladly." The Android started to motion to each item one by one as it listed off all the descriptions. "At this end, we have a set of walkie-talkies that can be used to communicate with your pack if you have to separate. They have a limited range but can be very useful. They are one hundred gold per pair. Next to them is a set of six sensors. They can be paired with your pack's Alpha's watches so that an alarm goes off whenever one is triggered by motion. The price for all six is one hundred and fifty gold pieces. Then we have tracking devices, most commonly used when hunting to track prey that might have escaped. Each tracker is ten gold. And finally, we have an alarm system that can be set up inside your home. It comes with sensors to go on each window and door and when programmed to an Alpha's watch, they will get a notification if the alarm is triggered. This system is one hundred and fifty gold."

Hongjoong balked at the prices and did his best to keep his face neutral. He watched as Jongho's mouth turned downward, and he could practically see the gears turning in the younger's mind.

"One pair of walkie-talkies please." The Alpha said, pulling out their precious bag of gold.

"Very good. Please allow me to count your gold for you."

Jongho handed over the clinking bag and they all watched as the Android pulled out a bowl and a scale, then started pouring their coins into the bowl. When the number reached one hundred, the Android stopped with uncanny precision, sinched the bag closed, and handed it back.

Then he was given the walkie-talkies and was dismissed with a small nod of the Android's head.

The four of them stepped off to the side, getting away from everyone else before Jongho turned to address them. "I'm sorry, I just felt it was a wide purchase." He said, a guilty look tugging at his face.

"Don't apologize, I completely agree." Seonghwa placed a hand on his shoulder. "If we'd had those earlier, I think today would have been easier on all of us."

As much as Hongjoong wanted to get upset that Jongho had made a decision without consulting him, he found himself nodding slowly. "I agree. But let's take a look around before we purchase anything else."

"Yes, Hyung." Jongho said a bit sheepishly.

Just as they were about to turn, another pack passed by them muttering softly in English. They all walked like they belonged on a runway, and even without makeup, their appearance was flawless. "I just don't get it. They were here yesterday. Where did they go?" One girl said.

Next to her, a man shook his head and frowned. "I don't know, but Charlie went by their cabin this morning and it's empty. Like, no sign of them ever being there."

"What??"

"Yeah... and he mentioned he'd heard them talking about forfeiting too."

Another girl gasped. "Maybe they left then!"

Then yet another man ran over to them and slid to a stop. He bent over, bracing his hands on his knees, and tried to catch his breath.

"Are you alright?" The first girl asked, rubbing his back in a comforting manner.

Hongjoong paused to keep listening in, even as the rest of his pack kept going. He tried to not be obvious by sliding around a corner.

He listened as the new man panted several times, then started to speak with a shaky voice. "I saw- " more panting, "I saw them."

"What?!" A couple of them gasped.

"After I spoke with you guys about their cabin, I went to look in the surrounding area and I saw them being led away by Androids."

"So, they did forfeit."

Hongjoong frowned and went to walk away, not needing to hear anything else.

Or so he thought...

When the newcomer, Charlie maybe, spoke again, his words changed everything.

"If they did, then forfeiting doesn't mean what we think it does."

"What do you mean?"

"They were being led into a massive van, surrounded by several Androids, and connected with chains around their necks and wrists."

Hongjoong felt his stomach plummet to the ground. A weird ringing entered his ears and he missed everything happening around him as he fell against the wall for support.

It was a good thing his pack was so competitive, and they hadn't decided to leave... because it sounded like if they had...

They wouldn't get to leave anyway.

A hand touching his arm startled him out of his daze. His eyes flew open and saw Seonghwa looking at him with the utmost concern. His mouth was moving, but Hongjoong couldn't hear what he was saying because of that damn ringing.

Seonghwa shook him a little, trying to work him out of his daze.

Then Jongho appeared in front of him, a worried but demanding look on his face. "Hyung." His beautiful voice pushed through the ringing and was able to help Hongjoong focus on him. "Hyung, look at me."

Hongjoong's eyes grew wide, and it was like every one of his senses clued in on Jongho.

On his Alpha.

He could feel himself breathing slower, his heartbeat regulating, the ringing fading.

Jongho nodded with him and continued to help him calm down for another minute or so, never leaving his line of sight. "That's it. You're alright."

A gentle hand squeezed his shoulder and he managed to turn his head just slightly to see Seonghwa looking at him with tears in his eyes and Yeosang peeking around his shoulder.

"S-Sorry..." Hongjoong said softly. He pinched the bridge of his nose, then tried to peer around the corner to see if the other pack was still there.

No one else was around...

Oddly, it made his chest tighten a little and he had to take a few more breaths before he could bring himself to explain, and even then, the words felt like molasses weighing down on his tongue and blocking his throat.

"I heard... There's another pack that wanted to forfeit... I heard that- that- that- "

"Take a deep breath." Seonghwa said softly, his hand drifting over to the back of the younger's head in a comforting manner.

Hongjoong nodded again and exhaled through his mouth. "One of them said they saw this other pack being taken away by Androids... with chains around their necks and wrists..."

His three other packmates all gasped, and their eyes grew wide with shock.

"Are you sure?" Jongho asked. He seemed to collect himself the quickest and squared his shoulders as a protective aura fell over him. "Can we go talk to this pack you overheard?"

With another look around, Hongjoong scanned the market to see if he could locate them. But there were just enough other packs there that he couldn't pick anyone out in the crowd, and he had not been able to get a good look at them before he hid behind the wall.

Jongho understood his silence and nodded once. "Alright. Now we know we have to play the game. That could have been a scare tactic, but I do not want to risk anything."

The hidden layer of command in his voice had all three Betas in front of him shuddering slightly.

And then, for the first time, Hongjoong sensed a change in the air.

He smelled charcoal, strong and intimidating, coming from Jongho's direction. He remembered Wooyoung mentioning it too when they'd asked him about his time with Jongho and Mingi...

It was finally happening for him.

The Change.

And while it terrified him, Hongjoong also felt strangely... happy that it was happening.

Like he was going to be more connected to his pack now.

He could feel himself leaning just a little closer to Jongho, seeking his strength and leadership.

Needing his Head Alpha.

"Let's finish up here and get back." Jongho said next, then turned around to lead them deeper into the market.

They stayed close together, keeping an eye on the other packs around them and trying to pick up any other vital information that may come in handy going forward.

Because of their winnings, they were able to purchase quite a few things to help them going forward.

Jongho insisted they kept fifty gold pieces for possible emergencies going forward or other market days, but that left them with sixty-four pieces that they used to purchase more potatoes and rice, seeds for a garden, a few spices, ingredients and instructions to make bread, and eggs.

It felt so good to know they had something a little more decent to bring home to the others. If they could keep hunting, fishing, and foraging for berries and other edible plants, then they might actually get through this.

Seonghwa especially was excited about being able to make bread. They'd been able to buy a large bag of flour and quite a bit of yeast, and he mentioned seeing baking dishes that would work for it in their kitchen.

If the games were going to be about survival, then they were determined to throw everything they could right back at it.

As they were leaving the courtyard, Jongho paused and held an arm out to stop them. He shifted the heavy sack of flour on his other shoulder to a more comfortable position, then nodded his head slowly in greeting as four members of Stray Kids approached them.

Minho was in front, holding onto Jeongin's leash, with Jisung and Hyunjin following close behind.

At first Hongjoong was startled by who was in the group, but then he remembered that Stray Kids only had oneAlpha.

"Hello." Minho's voice was calm and even as he spoke, bowing even lower to Jongho.

That surprised them as well, but then Hongjoong realized he was showing Jongho respect as an Alpha, not expecting Jongho to show more respect to an elder or sunbaenim.

Things really were changing.

"It's nice to see you. I was hoping we might run into you here." The Beta continued. His features relaxed a little and he gave what seemed to be a genuine smile.

"You were?" Jongho asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes. We wanted to see if you'd be willing to meet either at our territory or yours to sit down and talk about everything that's happened here."

"Chan and the others went by your place to see if anyone was there, too." Jisung added. His bright eyes flicked between all of them and Hongjoong could see the hesitation in them.

So he gently touched Jongho's arm and stepped up next to him. "Why the sudden change?" He asked, doing his best to keep any irritation out of his tone.

He noticed Jeongin looking down and fiddling with his own fingers, almost like he was ashamed or embarrassed.

And Minho took a second to survey the group in front of them. "Are your Omegas... well?"

"If you mean healthy, then- " Hongjoong stared, then hesitated. He exchanged a quick glance with Jongho and he somehow sensed that Jongho was telling him it was alright to continue.

They may need allies going forward.

"Wooyoung has had his heat, and San could be any time now." Hongjoong supplied, his voice dropping to just above a whisper.

Jeongin flinched and stepped a little closer to press his head in between Minho's shoulder blades while the three Betas looked at each other.

It was clear that something had happened that had them scared.

Jongho let out a soft sigh. "Come by our territory tonight. It could be beneficial for both packs to share how things have changed for us and we can decide what to do going forward. But I would get in contact with Chan soon if you can. Whatever you do, don't forfeit until we can talk."

Minho's eyes grew wide with shock, but he started nodding quickly. "Thank you." He said with so much emotion that Hongjoong felt his heart ache just a little. "Thank you."

The four of them stepped to the side of the path and bowed low as Jongho started walking forward. His three Betas stayed close behind.

There was a silent understanding from both packs that it wasn't good for them to talk in the open, so nothing more needed to be said.

They'd talk more tonight.

Maybe Chan and the rest of his pack had figured out something they hadn't yet. Or, if what Yeosang had told them ends up being big news to the others and beneficial to them, then maybe Jongho could ask for some kind of concession in return.

As they were about to exit the area sectioned off to be the 'common ground', Jongho paused again and looked to the right.

There was a sign that a few others were gathered around.

He nodded to Hongjoong and the older handed his Alpha the bag of rice he'd been carrying and darted forward to slip into the crowd.

A least one good thing came from being a little smaller.

Hongjoong was able to weave forward until he could read the sign, ignoring the murmurs in other languages around them.

His mouth opened a little in shock when he realized it was the pack rankings.

Then his stomach started to churn as he scanned it, looking for anything that could help them or that stood out.

The list consisted of thirty packs, which was the first big thing that fed his unease.

At least twenty other packs had forfeited in only a week. He couldn't remember. How many there had been at the start, but he knew there were a lot.

The second thing he did was scan from the bottom up for his pack to see where they were placed.

He found Oneus first, ranking low at nineteen. Participating in the event must have helped them a little bit, but being a smaller pack certainly had affected them like they'd feared.

Further up the list was Stray Kids at number ten.

His heart started to race as his eyes continued to move up a little slower.

There they were...

Fourth place.

He could hardly believe it.

A small zing of pride shot through him when he realized just how well they were doing despite all the stress they'd been under.

Then he made sure to take note of the three packs above them. Attori in third, Abadansi Bomlilo in second, and Tressor in first.

Which also meant that Tressor was announced as the Head Pack.

There was a disclosure on the bottom of the sign as well, which Hongjoong squinted at and leaned forward a little more to read.

Announcement:

The Head Pack as been determined based upon points earned this week and the number of Omegas the pack currently has. Remember that points are awarded daily for Omegas and can help swing your packs position.

Further communication will go out to each pack later tonight letting them know how to proceed going forward when it comes to the Head Pack of the games.

This can change each week, so be sure to continue participating in training and events.

Going forward, if any packs choose to form an alliance, their combined packs will be considered as one complete pack when it comes to end of the week evaluations. Be careful before forming these kinds of bonds, for that other pack may bring yours up or tear it down.

Alliances can only be formed through mating bonds between the two packs.

If you have any questions, the staff on hand will be more than happy to answer them.

Good luck!

"Mating bonds..." Hongjoong muttered to himself. "What the fuck does that mean."

He knew he'd have to ask Yeosang about it when they got home, but for now he was satisfied with where they were in the standings.

After scanning the board one more time for any more information, Hongjoong pushed his way back through the crowd to return to the others.

"What is it?" Jongho asked immediately.

"The rankings for the week." Hongjoong said, trying to contain the small bit of excitement he felt.

"And? Where are we?" Seonghwa clutched the bag of yeast and spices to his chest, eyes sparkling just a little.

Hongjoong smiled at all three of them before saying, "Fourth place!"

His pack instantly broke into ill-contained cheers, and they closed the space between them to hug, ignoring the looks it earned from other packs around them.

With the news lifting their spirits, they hurried back to their cabin, prepared to drop off their purchases and head to the pond to find the rest of their pack.

But what they didn't expect... was to hear a wail coming from upstairs.

Jongho's pupils dilated so quickly his eyes almost turned black and he dropped the bag of flour on the floor, causing a poof of white to swirl in the air around them.

Hongjoong darted around his Alpha, calling back to Yeosang and Seonghwa to hold him back for a moment while he ran upstairs, already knowing what was probably happening.

His suspicions were confirmed as soon as he heard Mingi's deep growl and the sound of San whimpering in pain on the other side of San's door.

They'd known San's heat would come at any moment, so Hongjoong just turned around and hurried down the stairs where Jongho was still standing with the other two holding his arms.

"Mingi is with him. Wait until they are finished, alright?" Hongjoong said, placing a hand on Jongho's chest so he was connected to the Alpha as well.

It took a few seconds, but Jongho's eyes slowly returned to his normal brown. Or... at least closer to normal. He was still very much on edge, but he forced himself to turn and pick up the bag of flour again to take to the pantry.

And he almost made it... until Yeosang asked, "If they are up there, where are Yunho and Wooyoung?"

They all watched as Jongho's entire body seemed to seize and he dropped the flour for a second time, sending another cloud of the white substance into the air as he whirled around.

"Don't panic, they may still be at the pond." Seonghwa said quickly.

"Alone?" Jongho growled.

He started to storm toward the back door, fists trembling at his side, clearly ready to rampage until he found the other two members of his pack.

But another thing stopped him.

Stopped all of them.

At first, Hongjoong wasn't sure he'd heard anything. The air was so thick with tension that he could have easily imagined it.

He didn't, however, imagine the second time he heard it.

There was no mistaking the scream coming from behind their house.

A scream that made his blood run cold.

"HELP!!!"