Hongjoong did his best to contain himself as he led the way to Chan's cabin.

There was a very large part of him that had this itch.

An itch that he knew only his mate could satiate. This had been the longest they'd been apart so far, but Hongjoong hadn't wanted to intrude on his time with Felix.

Even so, he could definitely tell he was walking a little faster than normal.

If Jongho noticed, he didn't say anything, and Namjoon had no issue keeping up with his longer legs.

"They really put a lot of work into this, didn't they." Namjoon scowled slightly as he looked around the forest.

"Yeah, it's been so... real." Jongho answered, scrunching his nose a little. "Did you have conflicting emotions and thoughts, Hyung?"

"Yes." Namjoon looked at the younger Alpha and nodded. "Very much. I had a very hard time managing anger especially. I started to snap really easily. The worst day was when Jungkook... He had a panic attack and it aggravated me when no one could calm him down... He wouldn't look at me for two days."

The hurt was laced through every word as Namjoon spoke, and Hongjoong felt his chest tighten a little. "Could that happen to any of us?"

The Alpha took a deep breath, then took his time exhaling. "I don't know. My guess would be the Alphas are more likely than anyone else, because my Betas have been the voice of reason, able to keep everyone, myself and Yoongi especially, calm."

Hongjoong could sense Jongho getting nervous, so he reached out to take the younger's hand.

"But it hasn't been all bad." Namjoon continued as he leaned over to pick up a stick, which he started waving around in front of him. "If anything, I've come to really... really love the deeper connection I have with all of them now. When I say that I love them, it's not an I love them as my members or my family, I genuinely love each of them. We are so much better now that we are connected this way. Now don't get me wrong, it took us a bit to get there, probably at least a month or so while we learned about our 'new selves', so I don't want you two to stress about it right now. The most important thing is we figure out how we can best work together to make sure we get out of here in one piece..."

Even with the grave ending, Hongjoong could feel himself relaxing just a little bit at the Alpha's words. If theyhad been able to get through this all on their own, locked in a house with no contact with anyone else, then Hongjoong knew his pack could do it too.

They walked in silence for several minutes, picking their way through the trees, trying to be as quiet as possible.

But it didn't feel like they needed to...

There was no one around.

"A lot of packs must have dropped out..." Jongho observed quietly.

"What happens if you drop out?" Namjoon asked, still swishing his stick back and forth.

"Supposedly we get to go home. But after what's happened, I don't know if I trust that..."

The older Alpha scowled at the ground. "You've got good instincts, Jongho. If I may, I can tell you're taking to your role nicely."

Jongho's cheeks turned bright red and he fell a couple of steps behind Hongjoong, making the Beta chuckle.

"We are too competitive to drop out." Hongjoong sighed. "All of us. There's no way we could give up now even if we think we'd be okay. We've come too far."

"That's not a bad thing. It will keep you observant and help you pay attention to details that others who aren't as focused or driven."

Hongjoong and Jongho made eye contact and the Beta could see how grateful Jongho was that Namjoon was here now.

When they reached Stray Kids' cabin, the door opened as soon as they were in view and Chan came running down the stairs.

Alpha!!

With a whine, Hongjoong ran forward to meet him, slamming into his Alpha a few meters from the porch.

They embraced each other like they hadn't seen the other in years, and it made Hongjoong feel so good.

Especially when Chan nuzzled against his mating mark a couple of times. It made him shiver and let out a low, content sigh.

"Missed you." The older whispered.

"I missed you." Hongjoong replied just as softly. "We need to talk."

Chan pulled back, his forehead scrunched with concern. Then his eyes drifted to the two men behind him, first to Jongho, then...

"Holy shit!"

Namjoon pressed his lips together and scrunched his nose while raising one hand to wiggle his fingers back and forth in a tiny wave. "Hello."

Chan opened and closed his mouth several times, then looked at Hongjoong, who gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah. A lot has happened in the past few hours."

"I'll say..." His Alpha cleared his throat, then bowed at the waist in Namjoon's direction. "It's nice to meet you, Sunbae-"

"Please," Namjoon cringed a little, "Don't. It's fine."

Chan's cheeks turned red and he rubbed the back of his neck as he stood up straight again. "Um..."

Hongjoong smiled and how his mate was trying to keep his excitement internalized. He could feel all of it, the giddiness, the nervousness, everything. And it was hard to not tease him.

Instead, the Beta looked to his other Alpha and motioned for Jongho to proceed, giving control to his Head Alpha for the time being.

The four of them stayed in a loose circle, except for Chan keeping an arm tightly wrapped around Hongjoong's waist, which Chan was given the abridged version of what had happened to BTS, as well as Felix and Wooyoung.

He listened patiently and didn't ask any questions until the end when he looked at Jongho. "So what does this mean going forward? For us?"

The younger alpha gave a small shrug. "Beats me. I have no idea what I'm doing, none of us do."

"Well... I know I originally said that I'd be in charge, but I don't think my pack can handle any more... outside... mating bonds." Chan glanced over his shoulder with a slight frown. "They've been really hesitant to even stay in the games..."

"We were just talking about that on the way here, I don't think we should leave. I don't trust them when they say well be allowed to go home." Hongjoong said quickly.

Chan's eyes darted back and forth quickly as he studied his Beta. "Okay. I'll make sure we don't leave. As for protecting our Omegas, that's already taken care of." His cheeks started to turn a slight shade of pink.

That's when Hongjoong noticed the second mating mark on the other side of his neck.

At first, he thought his immediate instinct would be jealousy, but he instantly knew it was from Felix and feeling how happy Chan was thinking about being with Felix...

It warmed Hongjoong's heart and made him smile. He lifted a hand to rub Chan's chest. "I'm glad you two were able to do that."

A huge wave of relieve came from Chan and he pulled Hongjoong into another hug. "Thank you." Then he looked at Namjoon. "And I owe you more than my life for making sure he returned to us safely."

Namjoon just waved him off. "It was the right thing to do."

"Still..." Chan tried to start again, but one arched eyebrow from the older had him clearing his throat and looking back at Jongho. "Anyway, what I was going to say before is... If your pack ends up forming a union with BTS as well, then that will put you as our leader. Our Head Alpha."

Jongho instantly paled and took a step back. "Y-You're kidding, right? There's no way I can do that!"

"Sure you can." Hongjoong left his mate to go stand in front of Jongho. "You have always been incredibly mature for your age. We've always been able to come to you for advice or if we need someone to calm us down. You are a great leader, Jongho, and it's not like you'd truly be doing it by yourself."

"He's right." Namjoon said. "We will all be here to back you up."

The young Alpha, the youngest Alpha out of all three packs, let out a small whine. "I..."

"Watch, as soon as we get home and you see San or Wooyoung, your instincts will kick back in." Hongjoong flashed a knowing smile. "I've seen how you've changed around them. To the point where I think it would be best if you mated with San."

For a second, Jongho looked like he might panic more, but then his eyes flashed red for just a split second, maybe even less than that, and he stood up a little straighter. "I was thinking the same thing, honestly..."

"So that takes care of that, Chan-ah, you said your pack is okay?"

The Alpha nodded, lifting a hand to brush the mark Felix had left. "Yes, I mated with Felix, and Seungmin mated with Jeongin."

Hongjoong nodded in understanding. "So that just leaves Wooyoung, Jimin-hyung, and Jungkook-hyung." He faced Namjoon again.

"Yes, I know." The older said. "I've been thinking about that, too. I'm fully ready to play this twisted game. I'm just surprised we haven't... that we never felt the need to do that."

The thought was very puzzling, now that Hongjoong took a moment to think about it. If BTS really was as close as Namjoon claimed, why hadn't they felt the need to mate?

"To be fair..." Jongho said, bowing his head a little. "We've only mated because the game told us to. I don't think any of us have felt that urge to mate. Unless we just haven't recognized the signs yet."

"See?" Namjoon flashed a crooked, proud smile, which made Jongho blush again and looked at the ground while rubbing his arm. "I think you're exactly right."

The four of them exchanged a few more thoughts, but really after that the conversation tapered off, matching the rate the light was starting to fade from the world.

Chan and Hongjoong shared one more long, parting hug before promising to see each other the next day, then Jongho led the way back home.

"Who would have thought three K-Pop groups would be here." Namjoon hummed as they walked.

"Four, actually." Jongho said. "Oneus is here too."

Namjoon stopped. "Seriously?? This makes no sense."

"Everyone here seems to be performers. I don't know if they were just looking for someone in peak physical condition, or if it was just to get views for whatever they are deciding to air to the public..."

"View would make sense..." Namjoon ran a hand through his hair and started walking again, which sparked the other two to fall into place next to him. "I'd love to speak to whoever the psychopath was that thought this up though."

"Wouldn't we all." Hongjoong grumbled. He waited a few seconds, then asked, "What do you want to do if Wooyoung declines?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. I only asked him because Jimin-ah is already so damn attached." The Alpha sighed heavily but he had an incredibly fond look on his face. "I figured it would make any kind of transition easier. I suppose we could sit down as a group and discuss it so everyone is given a fair choice."

Jongho nodded in agreement but didn't say anything. He just clenched his jaw and kept walking, moving just a bit faster so he took the lead for the rest of the walk home.

By the time they reached their cabin, the sunlight was gone and the only light they had was the crescent moon above their heads and the light pouring from inside their new home.

Several voices could be heard inside, which meant everyone had returned from the lake or whatever else they had decided to do, but Hongjoong also picked up on the smell of cooking meat.

Namjoon's stomach growled, which made him give a tiny, nervous laugh. "I haven't had a proper meal in a few days now. None of us have." He admitted.

"Well, we have plenty of food and we know how to get more." Jongho opened the door and allowed the other two to enter the cabin first.

Chaotic is the first word that came to Hongjoong's mind when he took in the full living room.

Yunho, Mingi, Hoseok, Taehyung, and Jungkook were all huddled around the coffee table playing a card game with the deck of cards Yunho had found one night when rummaging around.

Yeosang, Seonghwa, Seokjin, and Yoongi were milling around their tiny kitchen, with Seokjin laughing loudly at something that was said while waving a pair of tongs at a bright red Yeosang.

And San, Jimin, and Wooyoung were huddled by the fireplace, all three of them snuggled together with Wooyoung in the middle and speaking quietly amongst themselves.

But all activity stopped as soon as Yunho perked up. "You're back!"

Thankfully Jongho held out his arms to stop both packs from swarming them, which only made Hongjoong smile behind his back because he just proved he had the power of a Head Alpha by commanding the room with one simple motion.

"Nothing major to report." He said, looking a bit nervous.

"That's not true." Hongjoong tsked and rolled his eyes. "Our baby Alpha is just being modest."

"Hyuuuunnng..."

"Chan said his pack isn't interested in forming any more alliances, so he relinquished the Head Alpha title of our alliance to Jongho." Hongjoong clapped the younger on the shoulder.

"What?? Jongho, that's amazing!" Mingi jumped up and made his way over to the younger Alpha. "I think I can speak for our pack at least when I say you are a perfect choice for it."

Jongho scowled slightly and sighed. "I don't know why you guys think so, but I'll do my best to not let you down..."

Hongjoong started to sigh again, then noticed Namjoon and Seokjin exchange a knowing, amused glance. They must have gone through this too, which only made him admire the other pack more.

"So what's next?" Yeosang asked from where he was standing next to Seonghwa.

"Well..." Jongho scrunched his nose and looked at Wooyoung. "I guess... Have you had time to think about what you want, Hyung?"

The youngest Omega in the room froze and swallowed. Then he looked at San.

It was so easy to see the silent conversation happening that only they were able to have, filled with so much emotion that Hongjoong sometimes felt himself getting a little jealous.

His eyes strayed back to Seonghwa and he felt a chill zip down his spine when he saw that the older was looking at him too.

But when Seonghwa's eyes flicked back to the Omegas, Hongjoong noticed something else...

He noticed that Yeosang was staring at the back of Seonghwa's head, eyes filled with a broken longing that had never been there before...

Or maybe no one had noticed it.

Hongjoong made a mental note to talk to the younger about it later...

Wooyoung reclaimed his attention by shifting in place again and clearing his throat a couple of times. "I... San-ah and I have..." He sighed heavily through his nose, then looked at Jongho and Namjoon.

No one pushed him. They all knew it was a hard decision that only he could make.

But somehow, the answer didn't surprise Hongjoong at all, despite how conflicted both San and Wooyoung looked when the younger spoke again.

"I'll do it."