"Over there." Yunho whispered, nodding slowly to their left.

A herd of deer picked their way through the trees, heads low to the ground as they searched for their ever-decreasing food supply.

The days were getting colder...

And the packs were having to figure out how to start preparing for winter.

By Hongjoong's calculation, they had been there for three months now.

Yunho still couldn't believe it.

So much had happened since their arrival, but one thing he did know is that their team, their pack, had never been stronger.

After Jongho's fight with Bastian, he had called all four packs together to come up with a firm game plan for their future.

It was obvious they weren't getting out of this place any time soon, so they really needed to lean into The Game.

There were many arguments against it, but in the end, the majority voted to follow Jongho's lead to help them move forward as a more cohesive pack.

So they'd spent a large portion of their remaining gold on food, books, and tools from the market and got to work on expanding Ateez's cabin.

The pack had been split into three groups.

Construction. Hunting. Activities.

Everyone in the first two groups worked together to finish their tasks as thoroughly as possible, while those in the final group constantly went to the main square to look for new challenges and events that would earn them more points and more gold.

Tressor had grown enough that they kept a solid lead in the standings. From the little information they had gathered, Tressor had been building their collection of Omegas since they awarded the most points.

Several other packs had been forced to forfeit because they lost all of their Omegas...

It was easy to see that the final competition would come down to Tressor and Ateez. Both groups continued to pull away on the leaderboard.

A few of the packs had even come to petition Jongho, hoping to gain protection in exchange for one of their Omegas they had left.

Every time, Jongho would decline their offer but he would give them advice on how to protect themselves from Tressor. He also promised to try and help if things got bad enough, but he was not interested in forming anymore mating bonds or tearing apart any packs.

That solidified his status as Head Alpha within the pack and everyone respected his opinion even more.

Jongho would be the one to get everyone out of this place. Yunho was confident about that.

"Which one?" Seoho whispered, following Yunho's gaze.

The taller Beta narrowed his eyes and studied the animals in front of them. "The buck at the back. And the doe next to it if we can. That should give us enough meat for a couple weeks at least."

Seoho nodded in confirmation and both Betas drew their bows.

They tracked their targets as the deer slowly walked through the trees, and once they had a clear shot, they fired at the same time.

The herd scattered with tiny cries of alarm as two of them suddenly drop to the ground.

A wide smile tore across Yunho's face and he bounded forward with his long legs. "Nailed it!! We are getting so good at this!" He turned when Seoho caught up to him and they exchanged a high-five.

"Hopefully Jin-hyung and the others are having success at the pond." Seoho crouched down next to the doe he felled and examined her for any other injuries that may tarnish the hide.

"I'm sure they are, that pond has been such a blessing." Yunho said before taking the coil of rope from his waist to tie them around the buck's hide legs so he could drag it back to their cabin.

Seoho mirrored his actions and soon the pair were headed back home.

With winter fast approaching, the ground was covered with dry leaves and pine bristles. The air was also crisp, sending their breaths swirling in front of them and stinging their noses until they turned bright red.

"We are going to need to think about getting warmer cloths." Yunho groaned softly. "Especially since we don't know just how cold this place is going to get."

"I think Namjoon-hyung has been working on that with a few of the others. I remember him mentioning something."

Yunho nodded and hummed before falling silent once more.

Thankfully they hadn't had to go too far away before they found the herd, so about twenty minutes later the cabin came into view.

The expansion had completely transformed that section of their forest.

Nearly one hundred trees had been chopped down and two new wings had been added onto either side of the cabin. Each side also split into two separate sections, with the final one on the left still needing to be finished.

How they had managed to get all that done in just over two months still seemed unfathomable, but when twenty-nine people became desperate, they could accomplish pretty much anything.

And it was by no means perfect. They were still finding holes that needed to be patched up with a mixture of mud and straw and the last section was coming along slower than they wanted, but the members in the construction group were still doing the best they could.

Another thing they'd built was a larger hut to store and smoke their meat and dry out their hides. Not falling behind on the amount of food they had was one of Jongho's top priorities.

Twenty-nine mouths were a lot to feed...

Plus the hides and pelts were essential for keeping them warm in the winter.

Especially because that's all they used for their beds anymore.

"I'll take care of these." Seoho said after they dragged their kills into the meat hut.

"Are you sure?" Yunho frowned and opened his mouth to argue.

"I know you want to go check on Wooyoung." Seoho gave him a soft smile before motioning to the door.

Yunho's need to argue dissolved immediately. "Thanks, I appreciate it." He said, patted Seoho's shoulder, then hurried into the main house.

Ateez had kept the second floor for their group, although they took down most of the walls so it could be one big room.

One big den.

He could already smell some of his pack up there as he took the steps three at a time. When he rounded the corner, he stopped when he saw Seonghwa, Yeosang, San, and Jimin all huddled together around Wooyoung, who was nestled deep into their gigantic pile of furs and blankets.

"How is he?" The Beta asked softly.

Seonghwa was the first to look up and he sighed softly. "Okay, he's been sleeping for about an hour now. How did the hunt go?"

"Really good. We brought two home." Yunho carefully made his way to the center of the room so he could crouch by Wooyoung's head.

The Omega had been throwing up off and on the last several days... and there was no sign of it getting better. But the most puzzling part was that he didn't really have any other symptoms of being ill. No fever, no cough, just the occasional clamminess after he emptied his stomach.

No one could figure out what was wrong and all Wooyoung could tell them was how nauseous he felt.

"Maybe we can check the market again tomorrow?" San asked with a slight whine. His eyes never left his Soulbond, a name he and Wooyoung had come up with to describe the connection they had when started to figure out that they really couldn't be apart from each other for more than a day before they started to feel pain again, and his eyes started to shimmer.

"Of course, Sannie." Seonghwa said with a soft, understanding smile.

What else was he supposed to say? They'd checked the market every time it was open and had tried several herbal remedies. None of them seemed to work for more than a few hours.

"Can I do anything? If not, I'll go back and help Seoho." Yunho said.

Then a tingling sensation pricked his neck and he lifted a hand to cover the mark left there.

He couldn't help but smile.

Mingi was checking in.

Yunho made sure to concentrate on the feeling of being content and safe so that his alpha could sense it.

That was another thing that had happened that Yunho still couldn't believe.

After the pack had started progressing, Mingi had pulled Yunho aside and finally took him somewhere private so they could mate.

It was the best night of Yunho's life and he had to admit that the intimate connection of the mating mark had to be the best thing to come from this place.

Especially when he had to go a few days without seeing Mingi, like right now.

He and most of the Alphas were competing in a multi-day event designed only for Alphas, so everyone had been a bit more on edge without the extra protection.

And poor Wooyoung had to deal with the hardship of being without both his Alphas.

That was another saga the pack as a whole had been trying to avoid but deal with at the same time.

After Jongho's confession, he pushed his feeling aside for the betterment of the pack. It was something that ended up going unacknowledged for a couple weeks until Wooyoung approached the head alpha and the two of them went for a long walk together.

It had admittedly been quite amusing to watch Yoongi scowl as he helped with building the current addition they had been working on. He almost stomped around like a child that had their toy taken away. Even Jimin found it amusing and spent quite a bit of time teasing him.

But the Alpha had settled down when Jongho and Wooyoung reappeared, looking much more relaxed once he could see with his own eyes that Wooyoung was okay.

After that, it was clear that normal relationship boundaries between everyone in the pack would never be the same.

Jongho and Wooyoung were going to try and see if they could find a connection while still honoring both of their bonds with San. They also wouldn't come between Wooyoung's bond with Yoongi either, but Jongho didn't want any part in that relationship.

At that point, nearly everyone in Ateez had slept together, so the changes didn't seem to phase the group like it might have normally, and as complicated as it was, everyone accepted it as if it were normal.

Complicated bonds were happening between a lot of the groups, even Oneus.

Youngjo had really stepped up as their leader and made sure to keep their spirits up, seeing as how out of the loop they were with everything since they didn't have wolves. He had also grown very sweet on Hwanwoong.

Yunho had been worried that Mingi might get jealous since he still felt something through the mating bond, but the Alpha had assured him that he was actually very happy for the Omega.

And Hongjoong had started throwing himself deeper into his relationship with Seonghwa and Yeosang while still being supportive to Chan.

The mating bonds between all four packs had really helped them grow closer. There was hardly any fighting and the only time things grew really tense is when heats and ruts hit.

Which is what the first of the four additions was for.

Namjoon had been the one to suggest a separate, safe area for them to spend those inconvenient times. They would still be close together, so they could keep tabs on what was going on and switch out partners if needed, and those within the room didn't have to worry about being defenseless while succumbing to such a vulnerable state of mind.

Jongho had actually been the first one that got to use the room. His rut hit almost a month after the others, slamming into him fast and hard in the middle of the night.

Everyone else attributed it to the fact that their head alpha was always so busy taking care of them because no other explanation made sense.

But they did think that the delay is what caused his rut to last almost three days.

San tried to handle it himself at first, but there was one point that Yunho had gone in to check on them and he found San trapped beneath Jongho's trembling body, passed out and looking a bit pale.

It had taken Wooyoung coming into the room to distract Jongho long enough to get San out, but that also meant that Wooyoung then took several of Jongho's knots while San recovered.

And when he grew too tired to continue, Yeosang had volunteered to take his place.

He was the only one in Ateez who hadn't participated in a rut or heat yet, so he said it was his turn to help and that he wanted to.

Besides Wooyoung and Hongjoong, everyone kept to their own packs during heats and ruts. It helped to keep things running smoothly and they had all agreed that it would prevent any unnecessary tension or confusion from happening.

And Oneus volunteered to help by being the ones to bring food and water since they weren't affected by all the pheromones. Except for Hwanwoong. Mingi himself had requested the Omega stayed away during his rut so that he didn't feel the need to be with him and accidentally hurt him.

As everything had fallen into place, the pack as a whole had been able to come together and really find their stride.

"No, I think we are okay." Seonghwa sighed, eyes falling on Wooyoung once more. "I just wish we knew what was wrong..."

He lifted a hand and clutched at his shirt over his own stomach and Yunho frowned at the action. "Are you alright?"

San and Yeosang looked over too, surprise causing their foreheads to crease a little.

"I'm fine." Seonghwa waved his hand back and forth. "Just hungry I think."

Yunho's frown deepened and he pursed his lips. "You'll let us know if you start-"

"I think it'll be kind of hard to miss, Yunho-yah." Seonghwa said gently. "But yes, I'll let you know if I start feeling worse."

"Please." Yeosang whispered, moving to sit behind Seonghwa.

He wrapped his arms around the older and nuzzled the mark on his neck, which made Seonghwa sigh contently. "I will, my love, I promise."

A soft blush dusted Yeosang's cheeks at the endearment and he hide his face between Seonghwa's shoulders.

Yunho fought a smile and stood slowly so he didn't jostle Wooyoung to much. "I'll go see about getting us some food. Maybe by then Young-ah will be awake."

As he started to leave, he noticed Jimin kind of staring off into space.

"Hey," he said, getting the Omega's attention. "you okay?"

Jimin blinked a couple of times, then nodded. "Sorry, Yoongi-yah seems a little stressed." He said softly. "I was trying to send him a bit of reassurance, but I don't think he senses me right now."

"I'm sure he's fine." Yunho tried to reassure the older. "I don't feel anything from Mingi, so maybe he's worried about Wooyoung."

"Mmmm." Jimin hummed. "I hope so."

The sound of a door opening and closing came from downstairs and they both perked up a bit.

"Maybe that's the others." Yunho hurried to the door and made his way down to greet the members of the pack that had gone fishing and trapping.

Seokjin led the way into the kitchen, a proud look on his face as he hoisted a basket full of fish onto the counter.

"Looks like you did well!" Yunho said, poking his head into the kitchen to watch the older Beta, Hoseok, Seungmin, and Keonhee work to start cleaning and breaking down the fish.

"Very." Seokjin confirmed. "You?"

"Two."

"Excellent. We should be set on meat for a while then." Seokjin turned to survey the kitchen. "Hopefully the others will bring back even more from the traps."

Yunho nodded a couple of times before saying, "Do we have anything ready that we can cook up really quick?"

Seokjin tapped his chin and turned in a couple of circles. "I can probably whip something up. Let me finish here first."

"Thanks, Hyung." Yunho said before making his way back upstairs.

Just in time to see Wooyoung darting to the bathroom. He cringed when he heard the Omega throwing up and glanced over at where the others were still sitting together.

San looked like he wanted to get up and run after the younger, but Seonghwa held an arm out and shook his head. "Let him be. You know he's embarrassed by this."

"But..." San whined.

The sound of Wooyoung purging again made all of them wince.

"Jin-hyung is going to fix us some lunch... Is now a bad time?" Yunho asked softly.

"No, the rest of us haven't eaten anything." Jimin pursed his lips and sighed. "Have Tae and Jungkook come back?"

Yunho shook his head. "Not yet, where did they go?"

"They wouldn't tell me." The Omega huffed. "They just said they needed to go check on something, whatever that means."

What could they be needing to check on? That didn't make any sense to Yunho, especially since they'd agreed as a pack to remain open with each other.

A few minutes later, Wooyoung stepped out of the bathroom looking incredibly pale and shaky on his feet.

Yunho rushed over to support him, which made the Omega hum softly in appreciation as he was guided back to their den. "You okay?"

"Do I look okay?" Wooyoung sassed, which made everyone smile.

At least he hadn't lost his spark.

"We will figure this out, Youngie. Just give it some time."

Wooyoung grumbled as he's lowered to the ground. "It's already taking too long." He sighed heavily and adjusted so he could lay his head in San's lap.

"We are in a new place, with new bodies and new sides to ourselves." Seonghwa said, reaching out to brush some hair out of Wooyoung's face.

"I know. You've said the same thing every day." The younger huffed. "Still doesn't change the fact that I feel like absolute shit."

San laughed softly as he began to pet the back of Wooyoung's head. "Maybe this is just some other change that's happening with us. You were the first one effected last time too."

"That's true." Yunho said, tilting his head a little. "We hadn't thought of that yet but it makes sense." Then he turned to Jimin. "Did you go through anything like this?"

Jimin pushed his lips out in a pout as he took a few minutes to think. "Maybe? Honestly, I'm not sure. Our transition was so much different than what you've told us you went through. All of us were sick several different times so this very well could be the same thing since I'm sure they've redone the formula."

It didn't seem like he even believed his words though... not if the frown that tugged on his lips said anything.

"We will check the market again tomorrow." Seonghwa reiterated his promise softly, tendrils of hope still clinging to his words.

Because that's really all they could do...

Hope that Wooyoung... that all of them... would be okay.