"Wooyoung! Please, wake up." Yunho sobbed, twisting his fingers in the soft fur. He leaned forward and listened for a heartbeat. It was weak, but that was all he needed. "Jongho, please, we need to help him."

The alpha shifted and quickly dressed before kneeling next to the omega. "Who is this?" He asked, watching Yunho dress himself in his pants.

"Wooyoung. He's from my old pack." Yunho's face scrunched up in pain as he examined the wounds on the wolf. His paw pads were ripped open and bleeding.

"Did he leave too?" Jongho placed a hand his beta's back.

"I doubt it..."

Jongho left the questions that came from this statement alone and moved to pick the omega up, slinging him over his shoulders. Yunho went to help, but Jongho just grunted and shook his head. "Just lead me back."

He watched his beta's feet to give him a sense of direction as they hurried back to the cave. They both had to hold the wolf as they swam through the water and pulled him into the cave.

Jongho noticed Yunho was shivering as he rubbed his bare arms. "I guess we need to look at getting you a new shirt." He said, a slight smirk coming to his face as he wrapped his arms around him. The beta chuckled and rubbed his nose against the mark on Jongho's neck before turning back to Wooyoung.

"We need other supplies too. A fire would be nice. And blankets. I feel like this is a safe place to stay for now."

Jongho bit his lip. "I can go try and find us somethings, will you be ok here by yourself?" He felt uneasy about leaving his mate alone so soon, but he knew the beta spoke the truth.

Yunho showed his worry too as he turned to Jongho. "Yes. I won't leave." He leaned forward and connected their lips. "Please hurry." He whispered.

"I will." Jongho kissed him one more time and shifted before running through the waterfall.

Yunho shook, both from being cold and from feeling his alpha travel farther away from him. He gritted his teeth and started to drag Wooyoung away from the waterfall and to the back of the cave. Then he shifted as well and curled around the smaller wolf, hoping the body heat would warm both of them up.

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Jongho ran as fast as he could, following the scent of humans he had picked up on while avoiding any wolves he sensed. He knew he was a strong alpha, so he hoped they would give him the respect he deserved and avoid him as well.

When he got to the human city, he shifted and quickly dressed. He had to play this out right as he had no money... Stealing didn't sit right with him, but these were desperate times.

He kept his senses on high alert as he made his way into the city and looked for some kind of market. When he found one, he sighed in relief. It would be easier for him to steal if there were a lot of people crowded around him.

Jongho took a deep breath and worked to get himself lost in the mess of humans. He walked by a booth that had bags and quickly snatched one without stopping. His heart pounded, waiting for someone to yell at him and tell him to stop.

He could feel his wolf stirring inside him, telling him to stay calm and that he needed to do this to protect his mate. This gave him the strength to keep going.

As the day went on, he managed to grab a few shirts, some matches, a first aid kit, some food, and he even got a couple of smaller blankets. Those were the only things that didn't fit in the bag, so he rolled them up when he made it to the edge of town again and carried everything in his jaws as he ran back.

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Wooyoung could feel himself returning to consciousness. At first he thought he was dead. He wanted to be dead. The thought of more of his old pack chasing him down terrified him. And with no pack link, he felt so alone...

Then he remembered the potion he had been forced to take. He let out a long whine as he mourned for his lost mate.

Something stirred behind him, causing him to jump up, then yelp as pain shot through all four feet and he fell to the hard floor again.

He cowered and shook, preparing himself for teeth. Instead, a gentle tongue started licking his face and neck.

Wooyoung whined again and opened his eyes. He couldn't believe his eyes. A familiar, multi-colored wolf was sitting in front of him, the tip of his tail wagging a little bit.

It was Yunho. His old friend.

The omega whined louder and crawled across the floor to him and they both worked on licking each other in greeting.

Try as he might, he couldn't mind link with the beta. He longed to hear his voice, so he tried shifting, but his body was still too weak.

But Yunho knew him well and shifted. "Wooyoung." He sobbed, dressing quickly and pulling the omega into his lap. He whispered softly into the wolf's ear, saying how happy he was that he was ok and that he was safe now.

Wooyoung butted his head against Yunho's stomach, trying to get as close as he could to the beta. He shivered as he felt the other's large hands work through his fur.

"I'm sorry for leaving you..."

Wooyoung huffed and shook his head before nuzzling deeper into the beta's stomach, causing him to both sob and laugh at the same time.

They sat in silence for a long time, just enjoying being together again.

"I met an alpha." Yunho said quietly. Wooyoung shifted so he could look up at the beta. His heart hurt when he saw the small smile. Yunho had always talked about settling down and having pups, before Wooyoung was diagnosed, but he had never met another wolf he felt close with.

The omega lifted his head and sniffed the mark showing on Yunho's bare shoulder. It smelled of pine, accenting the beta's oak scent perfectly.

Wooyoung shivered, liking the smell, then let out a whine again before lowering his head.

"Get some rest, Youngie. We can catch up more when you can shift." Yunho said quietly, still stroking the omega's fur.

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Jongho shifted outside the came so he could hold the supplies above the water as he swam to it. As soon as he crossed through the water, he ran to where his beta was leaning against the cave wall. He connected their foreheads for a second, then glanced down at the small wolf.

"How is he?"

"Weak." Yunho sighed.

"What do you think happened to him?" Jongho pulled a shirt out of the pack and handed it to Yunho, as well as one of the blankets. The beta smiled at him gratefully.

"I don't know if it's my story to tell." He looked down at Wooyoung.

Jongho bit his lip, but nodded. Then he busied himself with getting the cave set up a little bit. He went to gather some wood, doing his best to keep it dry, and lit a fire. A pleasant warmth filled the cave and he could feel the pleasure rolling of his beta.

Then he got out some of the food, he had managed to snag some meat, so he cooked it over the fire for them. As that was finishing up, he sensed the omega stirring and turned to watch him cautiously.

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Wooyoung blinked and yawed, letting out a small whine as he did. He heard Yunho chuckle and looked up at him.

"Feeling better?" The beta asked, rubbing his head.

He huffed in response and focused. It was hard, but he was able to shift back into his human form. Yunho's long arms enveloped him immediately and Wooyoung was so happy he could hug him back. "I thought I'd never get to see you again."

"And I thought I'd never get to hear your sweet voice again." The beta teased. Wooyoung squeezed tighter.

"Youngie, what happened to you? Where's Chan?" Yunho asked quietly, stroking his hair.

Wooyoung kept his face pressed into the beta's chest. "He didn't come back... He didn't come back from the war. But... I could still feel our bond." He started to cry. "Th-The elder's said I was lying, that it was another thing wrong with me. Th-They forced me t-to dr-drink..."

Yunho held him tighter and shushed him, rocking him back and forth as he cried. His neck still felt like it was burning from where the mating mark should have been, but all the omega felt was an overwhelming emptiness.

They sat there for a long moment. Then Yunho shifted. "Wooyoung, I want you to meet someone."

Wooyoung felt the alpha fidgeting behind him. He shivered, then turned in Yunho's lap.

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Jongho felt his gut flip as the boy turned to face him. He was... beautiful. He couldn't comprehend how anyone could treat him poorly or force him to break the bond with his previous alpha.

He felt his wolf stir with jealousy. Jongho bit his tongue to keep from growling.

"This is Jongho. My alpha."

Jongho's gaze softened as he looked at Yunho. He wolf also purred at the way he said 'my alpha'. He flicked his eyes back to the omega. "It's nice to meet you." He said softly. His eyes drifted over the boy's perfect body as it was curled against his beta.

Be careful. Yunho said. He is fragile. Especially if they forced his bond to break.

Jongho nodded in understanding. "I... I don't understand. I thought a bond could only be broken if the mate died or if he wasn't there during an omega's heat?" He voiced out loud to include the omega.

Yunho let out a long sigh and rubbed Wooyoung's back. "Our old pack. They... They are an ancient one. There are books that the elder's keep that have been guarded for generations and in them are spells and potions that are so... I can't even think of how to describe them. But there is one that, with the right ingredients, can burn away the mating bond. Both internally and externally."

"Why would they do that?" Jongho said, feeling his wolf churning with rage.

"Because they believed my mate to be dead. And I'm broken." Wooyoung said quietly.

"You are not broken." Yunho's wolf growls, making the omega whimper.

"I don't..." Jongho looked at his beta, seeing he was fighting with is wolf. This must be a tender subject for them.

Wooyoung pushed himself out of Yunho's arms and untied his clothes from his ankles, getting dressed quickly. "I should go." His eyes were so sad as he stared at the floor. "It was nice to see you again Yunho, but you know that I... I won't be wanted."

"Sit. Down." Yunho stood up and snapped.

The omega instantly fell to his knees and cried out. Yunho rushed to his side and sobbed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." He held him close.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Jongho said, taking a deep breath and forcing his wolf out. He could feel his eyes trying to shift.

"May I tell him?" Yunho asked softly, still holding onto Wooyoung.

"He won't want me..." The omega cried.

"Tell me what?" Jongho clenched his fists.

Yunho turned to face him, a tear rolling down his cheek. Jongho's whimpered and moved closer to him, not liking the sight.

The beta took a deep breath. "Wooyoung... He can't have pups."

Jongho froze and felt his mouth open a little.

"He was tested, again our pack had many resources... They said he has some kind of disease that kills his eggs." Wooyoung sobbed at Yunho's words and the older worked to comfort him. "They tried to run him out of the pack several times, but Chan always stood up for him. He never judged Wooyoung for who he was. But... If they believed him dead, then I'm guessing the pack finally got their wish."

Wooyoung nodded and clung to Yunho.

"Then you will join our pack." Jongho moved forward and cupped the boy's face. "You will be my omega and we will stay together."

Yunho placed a hand on his shoulder. Jongho could feel his happiness through their bond.

Wooyoung looked up at him through tear filled eyes. "B-But I can't..."

Jongho reached out and pulled the omega into his arms, hugging him from behind. He could feel him shaking and sensed a small amount of fear rolling off him, but mostly, it was sadness. His wolf growled deep within him as he felt the overwhelming need to protect the omega.

Moving slowly, he nuzzled the side of Wooyoung's neck. The omega shivered, but let out a little sigh. He smelled like lavender, and Jongho loved it.

"No one will hurt you again. We will be a family." He whispered. "I was abandoned by my pack, so I understand. And I don't care that you can't have pups, so stop calling yourself broken. We will get through this, together."

Yunho let out a small sob as he watched the exchanged. Jongho glanced at him and he was nodding at the omega.

Wooyoung shifted and turned around in Jongho's arms, looking up at him. Jongho wiped away his tears. Soon the omega was straddling him, wrapping his arms and legs around him and burying his nose in his neck.

Jongho's wolf purred at the contact, content that he had been accepted. Then he felt the omega's happiness as the mind link was formed with them.

They were now a pack of three, and all three of them fell asleep, limbs entangled in each other. Wooyoung was situated between Jongho and Yunho, his nose pressed to the beta's chest.

Jongho had an arm wrapped around his waist, while his other arm was stretched out to hold Yunho's hand. They made eye contact over the top of the omega's head and smiled at each other.

Somehow, Jongho felt fuller and happier with this small pack than he ever did with his old one. He vowed to protect them with his life.