[A/N - DOUBLE UPDATE BITCHES!!]

"In case you don't live forever, let me tell you now. I love you more than you'll ever wrap your head around."
~Ben Platt, 'In Case You Don't Live Forever'

~~~

*Tharn's POV*

"I don't think is a good idea," Tar says timidly. The dark shadows covering his face can't conceal how nervous he is about this whole thing.

"It'll be fine," Techno waves him off. "There hasn't been an attack in three weeks. And I'm sick of being cooped up."

"Still... aren't we going to get in trouble?"

Team snorts. "Who's gonna get us in trouble? We have our future Alphas with us."

"Yeah, if anyone is gonna get yelled at, it's those two," Champ adds with a grin.

I roll my eyes. "One hour. We're only leaving the pack for one hour and coming right back. We don't know what Zen is planning, and it would be dangerous to stay out longer than that."

"I still don't like this," Tar whispers, chewing his bottom lip nervously. Tum wraps his arms around the smaller boy and pulls him close.

"It'll be fine, baby," Tum says reassuringly. "I'll be by your side the whole time. Trust me."

Tar looks up at Tum's smiling face, unable to argue upon seeing how happy his mate looks. Tar's shoulders relax as he caves with a nod.

After bribing the guards with a generous amount of cash, we're able to quietly sneak off of pack grounds. Type and I take the lead, hand in hand, with Lhong and Thorn close behind. Tar sticks like glue to Tum's side, but the older boy doesn't seem to mind one bit as he just snuggles Tar closer. Champ, Team, and Techno can't seem to stop giggling with excitement, earning a few warning glares from Type to quiet down.

We choose to walk, knowing it would be easier to sneak around in the darkness without a car. After three weeks of being forbidden to leave the pack, we were all pretty much losing our minds. All of us are fairly social, so being trapped in the confines of the pack has proven to be a struggle. The three stooges — that is, Champ, Team, and Techno — begged for me to help them sneak out for a night. I reluctantly agreed, only because Type wanted a night out too. Of course, the others ended up hearing about it, leading to our large group heading out together.

It takes us a while to walk to the nearest town. Once the streetlights are in view, Tar visibly relaxes. It's late, around ten o'clock at night, so the darkness has undoubtedly added to the edge he has been feeling.

"TWENTY-FOUR HOUR BOWLING!" Champ screams as he points to the sign, earning multiple smacks from Type and Techno.

"Really?" I groan, and Champ nods excitedly. "We only get one hour, and you want to spend it bowling?"

"Please! Please, please, please~" Champ begs, holding my arm and attempting to act adorable. I wrinkle my nose and pull away from his grasp.

"That may work on your mate, but I only find Type adorable," I counter, making Champ pout. "Why don't we pick something everyone wants to do?"

"I wouldn't mind bowling," Team mumbles. Champ beams happily and kisses Team on the cheek.

"I've actually never been bowling," Tar pipes in. Tum looks at him in surprise.

"You've never been bowling?" He questions incredulously. Tar shakes his head. "That's it, I vote for bowling too!"

"What about you two?" I ask Thorn and Lhong. Lhong looks at Thorn patiently.

Thorn shrugs. "Fine by me," he answers, followed by a nod from Lhong.

"Type?" I ask hopefully. Honestly, it doesn't matter to me if everyone else wants to go bowling. The second Type says he doesn't want to, then we're doing something else.

"Sounds like fun!" He smiles as he unknowingly betrays me. I sigh, knowing that I'll do whatever Type wants.

"Fine," I grumble. Champ squeals and darts in the direction of the bowling alley. We jog after him until we reach the rundown building with neon signs covering the outside walls.

I check our group in and pay for our lanes, as well as some food for us to share. It's late at night so the food isn't as fresh, which is saying something compared to how low-quality bowling alley food is anyway.

We split up into two groups. Techno, Champ, Team, Type and I are on one lane together; Thorn, Lhong, Tum and Tar are on the other. Seeing the four of them together brings a slight ache to my chest, knowing Thorn will eventually have to leave our pack for theirs.

I watch as Thorn laughs with his group, glee shining in his eyes. He looks happier than I've ever seen him. Lhong gazes at Thorn with a smile on his face, and for the first time I feel thankful that Thorn and Lhong are mates. Despite the fact that they haven't completed the mating process yet, it's clear that their feelings have grown quite strong. Lhong cares for my brother, and all I have ever wanted for Thorn is for him to be happy with his mate.

"Tharn!" Type yells. "It's your turn!"

Reluctantly, I pick up one of the bowling balls. The game turns out not to be too bad, and that's mainly because of Type. Every time I would roll a ball in the gutter or only knock down a few pins, Type would break out into the most infectious laughter.

True, his laughter was directed at me and not with me, but I would gladly make a fool out of myself everyday if it meant I could see Type smile that bright and hear him laugh so freely.

Time passes a lot quicker than I expected. I was too wrapped up in enjoying my time with my mate and my friends that I wasn't even watching the clock.

"Oh shit, it's past midnight," Type says, looking at his watch. My eyes widen and I pull out my phone to confirm it is indeed after midnight. We've been out for two hours when I swore we would only be out for one.

"Guys, it's time to go!" I shout, followed by several groans from the group. Nevertheless, they still obediently return their bowling gear and prepare to leave.

"Come on, don't be upset," Lhong pleads in a soft voice as Thorn fumes in his spot. "I'm sorry I made fun of you for sucking at bowling."

"I'm not mad," Thorn says through clenched teeth, although he was clearly mad.

"It's just a game. No need to take it so seriously," Lhong tries to reason with his mate, but Thorn only rolls his eyes. "I like you no matter how much you suck at bowling."

Thorn perks up at that, his invisible tail practically wagging. "What did you say?"

Lhong's cheeks pinken and he clears his throat. "N-Nothing."

"You said you like me," Thorn beams.

Lhong awkwardly looks around at all of us watching them. "You already knew that," Lhong says lowly. "Why are you making such a big deal out of it now?"

Thorn remains unfazed as his smile only brightens. "Because I still like to hear it."

Everyone watches them with grins on their faces, adding to Lhong's embarrassment. He huffs and turns on his heel, walking out of the bowling alley. Thorn calls after him and follows behind until they're both out of the building.

"That was... precious," Tum says with a grin. "I'm not used to seeing Lhong so flustered."

"Right," Techno laughs. "I can definitely see why they would be mates. I think they complement each other."

I smile and nod in agreement. "They do seem like a good fit. Anyway, we really should get going. It's pretty late and—"

An ear-shattering scream stops us all in our tracks. Our faces collectively become pale when we recognize the voice behind the scream. I race towards the door, the others close behind me.

What I see knocks the air out of my lungs.

Zen is standing in the parking lot with a dozen wolves behind him. He's holding Lhong by the neck, his talons elongating and digging into his throat.

Thorn is on the ground, thrashing as he's pinned down by two wolves. He's still screaming, tears running down his face.

"Did you think I wouldn't find out?!" Zen screams in Lhong's face. "You were plotting against me this entire time! Trying to turn my own pack against me! You're fucking stupid if you thought I wouldn't find out who was helping you! Thanks to you, they've been executed for treason! That's on you!"

"Zen, let him go!" My voice booms out. Zen looks up at me with a dark smile, his grip on Lhong's neck tightening. Lhong gasps for breath as Thorn sobs loudly.

"This doesn't concern you, mutt," Zen spits at me. "This is between me and my pack. Speaking of..." Zen looks over to Tum, who immediately pulls Tar behind his body. Tar is shaking, clinging to Tum's arm. "You know what happens to traitors in this pack!"

A few wolves step forward, triggering the quick shift of Techno, Champ and Team. The three growl at the incoming wolves, warning them to back off.

"Get my father," I tell Type. He glares at me and opens his mouth to argue, but I cut him off. "I'm not saying that because I don't think you can take care of yourself. I know you're capable of a lot more than people think. But right now, I need to be able to focus on Lhong if we're going to help him. If you're here, in danger, I won't be able to stay focused. So... please. Go get my father."

Pain makes Type's eyes glow. He steps towards me and cups my face before crushing our lips together. Type pulls away, kissing my lips one final time before shifting and darting through the town to the pack.

"Look at what he's doing!" Tum shouts to the wolves. "We haven't made any attempts to attack! Zen is attacking the Golden Moon Pack in an attempt to gain more power! He's gone crazy, you have to see that! For Moon's sake, he's close to killing his own son!"

The wolves pause, glancing back and forth between each other as they undoubtedly converse through their mind link. Zen's eyes dart around when he realizes the wolves have stopped advancing and are hesitating to attack us.

"You can't get rid of me!" Zen snarls at his pack. "You need an Alpha! You can't function as a pack without a leader!"

"Lhong will lead," Tum announces in a steady voice. "I've known him long enough to know he won't use violence or threats to rule. He'll be a good leader, a lot better than this monster before you. Don't act like you don't know how violent Zen is. Don't pretend you've never noticed the bruises Lhong has carried. If he's willing to hurt his son in his attempt for power, how do you know we won't hurt the rest of you?"

A few of the wolves whimper, uncertainty crossing their faces. Zen's eyes are wide with panic when he realized his wolves are slowly turning against him. He looks down at his son in his grasp, his eyes darkening significantly.

"You want Lhong to lead?" He growls loud enough for everyone to hear. "Good luck being lead by a corpse."

Zen squeezes his hand tighter around Lhong's neck, his talons digging deeper into his throat. Lhong opens his mouth to speak, but is unable to when blood pours past his lips.

We watch in absolute horror as Zen releases Lhong, and his body crumples to the ground.

~~~

DONT HATE ME TOO MUCH

JUST BEAR WITH ME FOR A BIT OKAY

Next chapter is going to be 100% angst with the sole purpose of making you weep. You can skip it and go on to chapter 33, but you'll miss some details about Lhong's character

Byyeeeeee (for now)
-Gumbie