Hongjoong hated everything right now. His heart raced and his senses were overwhelmed. At any moment, he felt like he was going to have a panic attack.

Until Yeosang slipped next to him and grabbed his hand. He felt at ease at once. It was amazing that one simple touch from his mate could make everything ok.

After fleeing the battle, they had run for several days, not shifting once so they could go further. Now that they were hundreds of miles away, they finally felt like they could slow down and figure out a game plan.

Yeosang had suggested finding a city to hide in. The humans would cover their scent, just in case anyone came looking for them.

It had seemed like a good idea at first, but Hongjoong had a hard time because it also muddled his senses.

"Let's find some place to stay." Yeosang whispered in his ear while grabbing Hongjoong's upper arm with his free hand.

The contact again sent a calming wave through the alpha and he nodded. He had to work to keep his wolf under control as he fought to keep an eye out for any other wolf in the vicinity.

They came across a small run down motel that carried no scent besides humans. Hongjoong quickly made his way inside and asked for one room, paying with the some of the cash he had on him. He was grateful that he always kept some in case of emergencies, otherwise they would have been screwed.

The room was musty and not well cared for, but it was better than nothing. As soon as the door closed, Hongjoong pulled his beta to his chest. The younger nuzzled his nose against Hongjoong's neck where he had placed his mating mark. It made the alpha growl with pleasure.

"I was so worried for you." Yeosang said quietly, hugging Hongjoong tighter. They had yet to speak of the battle since all of their attention was spent on just getting away from it. "The other betas and omegas kept howling in pain as their mates died. I..." His beta let out a sob and Hongjoong immediately picked him up and sat on the bed.

Yeosang clung to his neck, shaking violently. "I k-kept waiting for..."

"Hush, love. It didn't happen, so there's no point in dwelling on it now." Hongjoong said quietly.

"And n-now our pack..." Yeosang hiccupped from his crying. "Are they really all gone?"

"I don't know. But I didn't feel any connection to them. There may still be some left back home. We could always got back and check..." He chewed on his bottom lip as he thought about it. There would be supplies there for them, he could grab more money. He knew where it was kept since he had been second in command.

As if sensing his thoughts, Yeosang lifted his head. "Do you think it's wise?"

Hongjoong smiled at him softly and wiped the tears from his beta's face. "Probably not. But we might be able to get there before it's destroyed and help anyone who's left."

"If that's what you want to do, I trust you." Yeosang once again nuzzled against the mark.

Hongjoong returned the motion, placing kisses on the mark on Yeosang's neck. The feeling of that connection helped to relax them both.

Eventually they laid down on the bed, Yeosang wrapped tightly in Hongjoong's arms, and they dozed.

Hongjoong never fell into a deep sleep. He needed to stay on alert just in case, but he at least felt refreshed when they awoke in the morning.

He quickly checked them out and they got some food from a nearby store to get some fuel in their bodies before making their way out of town. When they were out of sight of the humans, they quickly stripped and tied their clothes to their ankles.

Hongjoong pulled Yeosang into a kiss, needing to feel his lips, before they broke apart and shifted. His beta licked the side of his face once, then stepped back.

The alpha stared ahead of him, scenting the air, then started running. He could feel his beta behind him, prepared to cover his backside if needed. They had been together long enough that they didn't even need to mind link to communicate. Just a twitch of the ear, a flick of the tail, one jerk of the head and Yeosang knew exactly what he wanted.

They ran for several hours, making long detours when they scented another wolf. But usually it was only one or two. There was no sign of larger packs like there used to be.

This worried Hongjoong. He knew the pack war had been large, but if it destroyed most of the packs... What did that mean for the rest of them?

Yeosang whined next to him as he sensed his worry.

The alpha slowed down and sat, breathing heavily. His beta shoved his head under his neck and sat close to him.

If packs were gone... Then what did that mean for their race? He supposed they could band together and form new packs, but that could be difficult to do. It could also mean that the enemy pack could take over.

He didn't like that idea at all. The Alpha Pack. That's what they wanted to call themselves.

Yeosang whined next to him and he stopped, turning to look at him. The beta was staring off into the trees. Hongjoong lifted his head and sniffed. It was an omega. The scent was faint, it was probably wounded.

He started to walk forward to investigate, but then another alpha scent came forward. Hongjoong paused. This scent was strong, it was a very powerful alpha.

Yeosang pressed into his side. I don't like this.

Let's go. I don't feel like dealing with another alpha right now. Hongjoong agreed.

The couple ran for several more hours, making good time since they didn't really have to worry about territories now.

When they got to their home, it smelled... off. Hongjoong crouched low and swung his head back and forth. He could smell wolves from other packs. There were too many to pick out distinct ones.

And everything was trashed. Their home looked like it had been ransacked as survivors came looking for supplies.

Yeosang whimpered and trotted over to where their house used to be. It was a crumbled mess of logs and stone. He sat in front of it and huffed.

Hongjoong moved to his side and licked his face, trying to comfort him.

What do we do now? Yeosang asked, leaning into his alpha.

We find a new home. I need to check on something here, first. Come on.

They made their way to where the main hall was. Small fires still burned in places.

Hongjoong made his way to the back of it and counted the steps in his head. He turned, counted more, then turned one more time. When he found the rock he was looking for, he started to dig.

What are you doing? Yeosang moved next to him.

Our leader was stock piling money. I don't know how he came across it all, but he told me he was planning on using it to upgrade this place. It's no good for that now. He kept digging until he came across a small box wrapped in rope.

Then he shifted, crouching in the dirt, he lifted it out and tore off the rope. Yeosang exhaled sharply when he lifted the lid. There were several bundles of cash as well as a few check books. Hongjoong sifted through all of it, taking inventory, then ran to a nearby house and rummaged around.

He found an old rucksack and shoved the box inside it before shifting again and carrying the bag in his jaws.

Ok. Let's go find a new home. He said, staring at his beta.

Yeosang nudged his shoulder, telling him to lead on.

Hongjoong turned in a circle, trying to decide which way to go. The wind blew, seeming to pull them to the west. So that's the way he chose.

He didn't know what to expect for their future now. But he knew as long as he had Yeosang by his side, he could do anything. All he had to focus on was protecting his beta and setting up a new life for them.