Yeosang closed his eyes as he felt his body fill up with another batch of the alpha's seed. He never did catch his name, but it didn't really matter.

He didn't matter.

All the alpha wanted was to impregnate him...

But betas had a harder time getting pregnant than omegas. It was a known fact. So that just meant the alpha just used it as an excuse to use him again. And again. And again...

"I'll see you after my watch tonight." He said, running his hands through Yeosang's hair. "Clean yourself up and be ready."

The door slammed and Yeosang didn't get out of bed for several minutes. But he knew things would be worse if he didn't obey the alpha's orders. So he slowly pushed himself off the mattress he had just been pounded into and groaned as his lower back ached. He placed both hands on it and gave his body time to adjust before he stood up.

He winced as he felt cum drip down his legs as he practically crawled to the bathroom. Painfully, he lifted one leg up to step into the tub, followed by the other, then turned the water on as hot as he could stand it before he sat down and buried his face in his knees.

Hongjoong...? Can you hear me...?

Yeosang tried to reach him every day, even though he knew he would never get through. The potion hadn't just burned away his mating mark. It burned away his connection to his pack.

He had never felt so alone. His 'new alpha' yelled at him all the time for being a rag doll, or not showing any emotion, but Yeosang didn't have any emotion left to give. He was nothing without Hongjoong.

The hot water felt good as it ran over his back. He tried to focus on that instead of the fact that he was never going to see the love of his life again.

But he couldn't help it... Memories started to flood through his mind as he sat there.

His favorite one was how he and Hongjoong had met. Yeosang had always been picked on by the other pups for how he was smaller, but as soon as Hongjoong found out, he had come to Yeosang's rescue. The two of them were inseparable ever since.

Since Hongjoong was a smaller alpha himself, he had empathized with Yeosang and became his protector. In turn, Yeosang did his best to support him in everything he did. Especially when he started training up to become second in command. Hongjoong had really wanted that honor to prove to everyone that he could do it.

And Yeosang had been there for him every step of the way, pushing him when he wanted to give up, encouraging him when he needed it, and loving him on his worst days.

They were mated as soon as Yeosang turned eighteen, the coming of age day for most wolves. It had been the happiest day of both their lives, especially because their parents had approved of the match too. It made everything so much better.

Yeosang smiled as he thought of their first night together. It had been perfect and everything he had hoped for. His alpha had been so kind and careful, always worried that he would hurt Yeosang. But he had needed Hongjoong just as much as the alpha needed him.

It truly made Yeosang believe in fate.

He heard footsteps in the hall outside and quickly shut the water off and wrapped himself in a towel.

Hongjoong was coming for him. He knew it in his heart. He and Hongjoong weren't just mates. They were soulmates, and they would be together again.

Yeosang resolved not to give up. He would stay strong.

He would see Hongjoong again.

The door opened.

"Mingi?!"

.

.

.

.

Seonghwa waited patiently for Jongho and Hongjoong to get there. They had said they were only a few miles away but they had to make a large arch to avoid being caught.

He had found a small grove of trees that provided good cover and protection, so while he was still on alert, he didn't feel the need to be on constant watch. Plus the smell of wolves was very faint here.

A twig snapped nearby and Seonghwa twisted into a crouching position and prepared himself to shift. But it wasn't needed.

Hongjoong and Jongho trotted into the clearing, both panting heavily, but their faces lit up as soon as they saw the omega.

They shifted instantly and yanked their pants on before Hongjoong ran into Seonghwa's waiting arms. They cried for a few minutes while Jongho stood off to the side and watched.

"Are you ok?" Seonghwa asked, cupping Hongjoong's face.

"I will be once everyone is back." Hongjoong said. "Are you?" He took Seonghwa's hands then glanced over at Jongho. The other alpha was looking at the ground.

"I'm fine, but... There's something I haven't told you yet." Seonghwa bowed his head and squeezed Hongjoong's hand, needing to feel some kind of support. He didn't know how to tell them...

"What is it?" The alpha asked, and Jongho lifted his head slightly.

"It's... Mingi. He... I think he joined the Alpha Pack." Seonghwa felt himself break inside at the words, remembering how he had been talking with Lance. He covered his mouth and fell to his knees.

"No. That's can't be true. It must be some kind of trick." Hongjoong said.

Jongho's mouth opened and he clenched his fists. "How can you be sure?"

Seonghwa looked at Jongho, his heart breaking even more. "I heard him telling Lance about.... About Wooyoung..."

The young alpha snapped. His eyes flashed red and he swung his arm around, punching the nearest tree and taking out a large chunk of bark.

"Jongho! Calm down!" Hongjoong said, running over to him and stopping him from punching the tree again. This almost resulted in him getting punched, however, so he grabbed Jongho's fists and roared, "Calm down! NOW!"

Jongho froze and bowed his head. "Sorry, Alpha..."

Both Hongjoong and Seonghwa looked at each other, surprised that he had submitted so easily. Then the omega ran forward when Jongho started crying and brought him into a hug.

"I failed him... I promised I'd never let anything happen to him..." He cried into Seonghwa's shoulder, clinging to his shirt.

"Oh baby, it's ok. It... It couldn't be helped." Seonghwa said as he rubbed the back of his head. "You said San is looking for him though, right? I'm sure he will be ok."

Hongjoong walked over to place a hand on Jongho's back. "We will figure out what is going on. I promise. I'm sure there is an explanation for why Mingi did this..."

.

.

.

.

Wooyoung watched as Yunho ran ahead of him. The beta called out to Jongho every second he could spare, waiting for them to get back in range. There were several times he had to stop and wait for the other two to catch up since his legs were so long, even as a wolf.

They didn't talk about what had happened with the alphas, and he was ok with that. What they did... It still bothered him. He never wanted to feel it again.

But San never left his side, constantly asking how he was doing and making sure he was ok to keep going.

Wooyoung was anxious to see Jongho again. And the others of course, but he missed his alpha so much. Although he'd be lying if he said he had mixed emotions now that he wasn't mated with him anymore.

He found his eyes wandering to the alpha that had saved him. His rosemary scent was ingrained in his mind now and had become a constant comfort for him.

San...

Jongho! Can you hear me? Can anyone hear me? Yunho called out again.

We should be in range soon. I know the fortress is close. Why aren't they answering? San asked, letting out a little whine as they continued forward.

What is something happened to them? Wooyoung asked quietly.

We can't think like that. San said. Wooyoung looked at him and nodded, a small warmth spreading through him.

Jongho! Jongho! Yunho called again, a slight whine coming to his voice.

They ran in silence for a few more minutes, and then Yunho sped up, leaving them behind. Wooyoung glanced at San before they both tried to speed up too.

A group of trees appeared in front of them and when the wind blew and he smelled it. Pine.

His heart started to race as he pushed himself through the trees. He could hear crying in front of him and San whining behind him.

Wooyoung broke through the line of trees and shifted before starting to run over to where Jongho and Yunho were already hugging each other, but he stopped. They needed a moment. After all, he wasn't mated to Jongho anymore...

Then San was there, taking Wooyoung's hand in his. He could feel the anxiety rolling off the alpha and felt the need to comfort him, so he moved a little closer so that their shoulders were touching. His wolf purred at the contact.

They watched as Jongho and Yunho nuzzled each other's necks over their marks. The beta was shaking as his wolf reacted to his alpha's touch again and Jongho's eyes kept flashing to red as he tried to control his.

Seonghwa and Hongjoong stood off to the side, both looking happy for the couple but also sad... Wooyoung realized Mingi and Yeosang weren't here and he was about to ask about them when the two of them walked away.

Jongho lifted his head after several minutes and stood up, bringing Yunho with him. His eyes locked on Wooyoung and he took a hesitant step forward.

Wooyoung's wolf stirred, wanting to run to the alpha, but also wanting to stay with the one next to him, but he knew Jongho had been in as much pain as he had.

So he ran forward and into Jongho's awaiting arms. "I'm so sorry, Woo. I'm so sorry." He said over and over again, holding onto him as if he would never let him go again.

It felt so good to be with him again as he started to cry. All his emotions came out at once as his alpha held him.

First losing the mating bond... He had gone through that for the second time in his life. How he was alive he had no idea. Most of the time when the bond breaks it kills at least one of the wolves.

And then Chan...

Jongho must have smelled the alphas on him because he stepped back, growling, and looked him over. "What happened?"

Wooyoung just stepped into him again, pressing his nose into the spot where his mark used to be. Jongho wrapped his arms around him in response, but his breathing was a lot harder.

"Here, we should sit..." Yunho said. He placed a hand on Jongho's shoulder and he calmed down instantly.

The four of them sat in a circle, the alpha's opposite of each other, all holding hands. It was strange, but Wooyoung felt revitalized now that his old pack of four were joined together again. They took a moment to enjoy the reunion and reform the strong bond they all had before they filled him in on what had happened.

When Chan was brought up, Jongho got visibly upset, but Yunho moved a little closer to him to keep him calm, while still holding onto San's hand.

Wooyoung could feel the older alpha's eyes on him almost the entire time, but in a comforting way. He knew San was watching for any signs of a break down, and whenever he shifted, so did San.

They had to pause a few minutes for both alphas to calm down when they got to the attack, but Jongho looked at San with so much admiration and respect, it made Wooyoung's wolf purr with happiness.

"Thank you, San. I..." Jongho fumbled over his words.

"I'm just glad I was there to help. I should really be thanking you though. You've showed me what it means to be a part of a pack, to have a family, to belong..." His eyes found Wooyoung again and they tightened their grip on each other. "I would give my life for any of you." He turned to the others in turn.

"And we, you." Yunho said. "I think we can all agree that there are many thanks that could be said right now, but we need to move past it. We are together again and that's what's important. But now we need to help get our other friends back. Which sounds like it'll be easier said than done. Is it true that Yeosang...?"

"Yes." Jongho said, looking down. "And Seonghwa thinks Mingi has betrayed us."

"What?" San said, looking shocked. "There's no way he would betray Seonghwa. What made him think this?"

Jongho sighed and bit his lip. "This also brings me to the next issue we have to face... Seonghwa heard Mingi tell Lance about Wooyoung."

Wooyoung felt like he was going to faint. How could Mingi... How...

San finally broke the circle and, even though he was growling, wrapped his arms around Wooyoung. "Are you serious?"

Jongho nodded and tightened his grip on Wooyoung's hand.

Yunho's eyes flashed blue as he now had to keep himself under control. "We can't... Jump to conclusions..." He forced out before shaking his head.

"No. But if they know, then one of two things is going to happen if they get their hands on Wooyoung." Jongho said quietly. "They will kill him, or..."

Wooyoung was trembling. Jongho didn't need to finish that statement for them to understand.

Jongho took a shuddering breath then exhaled sharply. "I know they can burn the mark away, but without one you are unprotected Woo. There's no saying if they have more of it or not... So if anything happens... It could be a third time... But if it's a risk you're willing to take, then I think you will be safer if you're mated again."

Wooyoung looked up at him, tears coming to his eyes. A third time? He didn't know if he could go through that again. And Jongho... He looked like he was in so much pain just thinking about it.

Then Jongho shocked them all.

"And I want San to do it."