Yunho couldn't seem to stop shaking. His could barely even eat without almost dropping the meat on his fork.

His mind raced with everything that had happened recently.

All of his walls he'd thrown up had shattered the second Mingi had rescued him from the falling tree...

Now his emotions and feelings were all mixed up and confused.

He'd seen Mingi scenting Hwanwoong and that ugly monster had started to twist withing his gut again, so he'd pressed himself into the corner so he didn't have to see it anymore.

But then Mingi came straight to him once back inside, not hesitating for a single second. His strong cinnamon scent began to swirl in the air, toned down just a little, like Mingi was just trying to wrap him in a warm blanket.

The Beta peeked at the Alpha through his eyelashes and curled into himself when he noticed that Mingi was watching him.

"Try to eat a little." Mingi whispered. "Then... can we talk?"

Yunho's face started to heat up and he stabbed another piece of meat.

Soft murmurs from everyone else in the room started to slowly fill the silence. There was still enough of an awkwardness that no one wanted to speak like normal, but it was apparent that they all needed to know that everyone else was okay.

The only one not really talking was Yoongi. He had Jimin sitting on one side and Namjoon sitting on the other, and both of them looked like they were doing their best to comfort him.

"Yunho-yah." Mingi whispered. He reached out to touch Yunho's leg.

Fire radiated from the point of contact and Yunho sucked in a breath. Words failed him though, and he started to tremble just a little.

"Yunho, can we go talk, please? I can feel how stressed you are right now."

The Beta's eyes darted around the room again. No one else seemed to notice, or if they did, they either didn't care or were being thoughtful enough to now show anything.

He knew tensions were high for all of them given everything that had been happening. And tensions would only continue to grow as long as they were trapped here. Until they could get out... they had no way of preparing for what could possibly happen next.

Alpha. Trust.

So why should Yunho continue to make it worse by creating a rift between himself and Mingi...? His wolf clearly didn't want him to...

"Okay." He murmured, letting his eyes drop to the floor again.

Mingi didn't give him a chance to change his mind. He grabbed Yunho's hand and helped him stand before pulling him out the front door.

He marched into the trees until they could barely see the cabin anymore, then spun around to lock eyes with Yunho. "What's wrong?"

Yunho was taken aback by the sudden question and he stumbled back a step. "M-Min..."

Giant hands gently gripped both of his cheeks. "Yunho, please, I am so, so so-"

"Don't." Yunho pulled his head from Mingi's hands and took another step back while wrapping his arms around himself. "I don't deserve apologizes from you... Not after how I acted."

"Yes you do." Mingi insisted. "This whole situation... All of it is just so fucked up. This never would have happened if we weren't in this place. Yunho, you know I-"

"I know..." Yunho hugged himself tighter and chewed on his lower lip. "I was hurt, Mingi. You hurt me."

Heartbreak tore Mingi's face apart and he let out a small whimper. "I didn't have a-"

"Don't!" The older snapped again. "You always have a choice Mingi! And you chose to go sleep with another man!"

Mingi flinched at his words and turned his head to the side. "It didn't mean anything..."

"It meant something to me."

Yunho held his ground. He knew Mingi's heart was breaking just as much as his own, but despite what happened today, Mingi needed to know how he felt.

They both fell silent for several minutes. Yunho wanted to give him a chance to process and decide what would happen next.

Good Alpha.

"You're right." Mingi finally said. The low timbre of his voice tugged at Yunho, ever the comforting sound he'd grown to love. "You're right, and I have no excuse or argument other than I did what I thought was best for our pack. I listened to my wolf and decided to trust it since that is the life we've been forced into now."

When Mingi took a big step forward, Yunho had to fight every urge in his body to back away. Or maybe Mingi's determined gaze put him under a spell to keep him locked in place.

Either way, he allowed Mingi to caress his cheek. The touch made him shiver, or maybe it was how close the Alpha was standing to him.

"I'm sorry, Yunho. Truly, deeply sorry. But nothing about what happened has changed what is in my heart." Mingi continued, speaking softly. At the same time, he used his other hand to grab Yunho's and slowly brought it up to place over his heart. "Yunho, I still love you."

The older sucked in another breath and it felt like his chest was about to burst.

"I will always love you."

Then Mingi's lips were on his and the world fell out from under him.

He fisted the front of Mingi's shirt to pull him closer and let out a soft moan. It had been so long... He'd almost forgotten how good it felt.

Mingi started to walk forward, pushing Yunho back against a tree once more and caged him in. "I'm sorry." He started to mumble between kisses. "I'm so-"

"Just shut up and kiss me." Yunho growled.

He heard and felt Mingi's answering growl and it made his heart start to pound even faster.

Alpha.

Yunho shuddered and melted in the younger's grasp.

How could he let himself get so mad at Mingi? Mingi? The other half of his heart, his soul.

It had been so hard being angry and sometimes he hated that he was so stubborn, but at the time it had felt necessary.

Not anymore.

Now all he wanted was to reunite and mend the wounds he'd created.

Suddenly Mingi pulled away and chuckled a little when Yunho whined in disapproval. "Yun, my heart, when this all blows over, will you mate with me? Please? I know things with Hwanwoong make it a little complicated but look at Chan and Felix and Hongjoong. They are making it work because Hongjoong has no emotional attachment to the relationship, just the bond with his wolf now, but that seems to make the bond better," The Alpha started to speak faster and faster, "But we don't even really have to worry about that because Hwanwoong doesn't have that kind of connection with me, so I don't really think it would be a problem and-"

Yunho silenced Mingi with another kiss. It startled the younger and he made a small sound before leaning in and trying to deepen it.

Yet Yunho broke it again so he could smile at the Alpha. "If I tell you yes, will you finally stop talking?"

A pretty blush dusted Mingi's cheeks and he leaned in to press their foreheads together. "Yes, I will."

Yunho smiled and rubbed their noses together twice, then hummed, "Good."

"How are they doing?" Madame Curator asks as she pushes the door open.

She hasn't been able to get her pack out of her mind, but she had other things she needed to handle.

"Both Omegas are together again." One woman says, pulling up footage on the main screen. "They haven't been able to part from each other since."

Madame Curator steps closer and frowns.

Both Omegas were wrapped in each other's arms and scenting each other furiously, all of it joined by endless whimpers and whines.

But... They looked better. Healthier. Much healthier than even an hour ago.

"How is this possible?" Someone mutters.

"It's like... being separated was what made them sick."

"Could that be a side effect of The Change?"

"We know bonds are stronger now after watching all the packs, so why wouldn't other bonds be stronger too?"

Theories start bouncing around the room and Madame Curator soaks in all of them.

"I wonder if there's a way we can test for it."

"We could always separate them again, see if it gets triggered?"

"That probably would be the fastest way to get some results. And there's other things we could study too, like how far apart they need to be, how long it takes, how long they can stay apart."

"One step at a time." Madame Curator cuts in, even though she really likes where her workers were going. "Let's get the next stage administered. We need to make sure they survive that first.

The second they touched, Wooyoung felt new life pulse through his body. Fire and ice. Relief and pain. Joy and sorrow. All of it collided within him.

He felt complete again.

San forced him to back up until his knees hit a bed and they fell together, neither one capable of putting more than a centimeter between them.

He could still feel his Alpha's concern through the mating bond, but now that he was with San again...

A new bond had opened within his mind.

They were two souls becoming one, constantly in flux, feeling everything the other could.

It was something Wooyoung used to dream of... being so connected with San that they wouldn't even have to speak.

Once upon a time that was impossible.

"San-ah." He whimpered, shoving his face into the older's neck. The cherry blossom scent he'd come to love so much surrounded him like a comforting embrace. "Sannie-"

"Young-ah." San breathed at the same time.

Never again. They could never be parted ever again.

"I thought I was dying." Wooyoung nearly chokes on his own words. Saying them out loud made the situation feel that much more terrifying.

San tightened his grip in response and made a small sound in the back of his throat.

That was all Wooyoung needed to know that San had felt the same exact way.

It took a few minutes, but they were eventually able to reign in their desperation and relaxed into the bed, content with just holding each other.

The older Omega cradled Wooyoung's head against his chest so he could press his nose to the top of Wooyoung's head.

Then a few seconds later he tensed.

Wooyoung started to pull back so he could see San's face, but San wouldn't let him.

One shift in San's scent told Wooyoung everything he needed to know.

At the same time, they both sat up in bed and turned to face the door right as it opened and the room suddenly filled with the wonderful scent of a charcoal fire.

Jongho slowly peeked into the room holding two plates of food, worry etched into every part of his face.

"Alpha." Both Omegas said at the same time.

The effect was immediate. Jongho froze and inhaled sharply, giving away just how on edge he was.

"Are you guys alright?" The youngers voice was thick with worry as he shut the door and leaned against it.

"Yes." San answered. Still keeping one arm wrapped around Wooyoung's waist, he held out his other hand to his Alpha.

Jongho didn't hesitate to rush forward. After setting down the food, he took San's hand and brought it to his cheek to nuzzle into. "I was so scared..."

San's face twisted in pain and he leaned a little closer. "We were too. But we are okay now."

"We promise." Wooyoung whispered.

When Jongho's eyes flicked to him, Wooyoung paused when he noticed the depth of concern swirling within the Alpha's gaze.

Slowly, Jongho lifted another shaking hand to Wooyoung's cheek. It was such a tender touch, one that made Wooyoung realize he hadn't really been this close with the Alpha since his heat.

His heart started to beat a little faster as he allowed himself to lean into the touch and close his eyes.

An odd feeling started to flow through his new bond with San. Confusion and curiosity.

At the same time, Jongho quickly withdrew his hand and cleared his throat. "Can I do anything for you? Do you need anything?" He asked, looking back at San.

"Maybe some food?" The older answered, nodding to the almost forgotten plates. "I can't remember the last time I ate anything."

The mention of food made Wooyoung's stomach gurgle, which had all three of them laughing softly.

Jongho rose to follow the wish while both Omegas readjusted on the bed so they could sit against the headboard.

"How is everyone else?" San asked before shoving a big piece of meat into his mouth.

"Okay, I think. Better now that we are finally together again and things have calmed down." Jongho twisted his lips to the side and looked down. "I'm sure we will all take it easy for the next day or so. I know I need to kind of recharge and figure out what we should do next."

"Don't put all that pressure on yourself." San's voice softened a little. "We are a pack. We can figure out what to do next together."

Wooyoung nodded in agreement. "You can rely on us, Jongie." He said with a smile. "You know that."

For a second, Wooyoung thought he saw a light blush creep into the Alpha's cheeks, but he became distracted when San wrapped an arm around his waist again to pull him a little closer, as if they weren't already practically in each other's laps.

"We can figure it out later." Jongho sighed, then reached out to take a piece of meat for himself. "Right now I just want you two to focus on getting better."

Wooyoung and San slowly peek at each other. Neither one of them had any intention of leaving the bed any time soon.

Another shift in the bond made alerted Wooyoung and he glanced back at Jongho. He bit his lip nervously and said, "Do you want to stay with us?"

The Alpha's eyes widened. "C... Can I?"

Both Omegas nodded and the three of them took a few minutes to rearrange the room. They pushed the beds together so there would be enough room.

While Jongho stuffed a blanket into the gap between the beds, Wooyoung and San moved as one to gather any other pillows and blankets in the room.

Then they forced Jongho to sit in the middle so both of them could curl into his sides.

San felt incredibly content, even extending his neck to nuzzle against the mark he'd left on Jongho's neck.

The action made Jongho's scent flourish and he returned the favor, then he turned to look at Wooyoung.

That little blush reappeared again, making Wooyoung smile as he leaned in to rest against Jongho's shoulder.

It was comforting to have their Alpha with them, even as they continued to eat in a comfortable silence.

All they needed at that moment was each other, and if some time later the three of them laid down so Jongho could hold both of them while San and Wooyoung held hands on top of his stomach, well, that was their decision.

A small nudge from Yoongi made Wooyoung smile a little. He tried to send back a little reassurance along with a thank you, hoping it would be enough to ease his Alpha's worry.

Then a gentle touch to the back of his head made him look up, only to have heat rush to his face when he realized Jongho had been watching him.

The younger's eyes flicked away the same instant Wooyoung bowed his head.

He refused to move the rest of the time, but just as he felt himself starting to drift off, he thought he felt soft lips press against the top of his head.