Jongho woke up to a raging headache, one that made thinking hurt. He groaned and rolled his head to the other side, seeking a cooler part of the bed to lay against. Maybe that would help. Or maybe Yunho would get him some ice.

He slid an arm across the bed, seeking out his mate with another groan that almost sounded like his beta's name, then frowned when he came up empty.

He slowly drew his fingers in to make a fist and attempted to push himself up, but the second he put pressure on his hand his entire body burned.

What the hell had happened?

Jongho tried to sift through his memories of the past few days. It consisted of hunting and searching for clues, which was nothing new unfortunately.

And yesterday, he had gone out with Yunho, Wooyoung, and Chan to continue the search when...

The alpha sat up in a flash, his head screaming even louder at him, when he remembered Wooseok and what the omega had said to him.

He felt like his thoughts were going to tear his mind in two. They flashed between trying to process that Wooseok said they were Soulmates and concern for Yunho.

Squinting to try and ease the pain in his head, Jongho scanned the room quickly, looking for his mate.

Much to his relief, the door opened a couple of seconds later and Yunho hurried to sit next to him on the bed. "I'm here, are you alright baby?" Yunho cupped Jongho's cheek in his large hand and bit his lip.

He was worried and scared. It turned his scent sour and made Jongho feel terrible.

The alpha pushed through his pain and pulled his beta into a hug. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He muttered over and over again as images of what he'd done flashed across his mind. "Yunho, I'm so sorry."

The older whimpered a little, trying to adjust himself in Jongho's demanding grip, but he didn't change it. He needed to feel his mate next to him. He needed to feel that this was real, that this...

This was what he wanted.

Jongho sat up again and grabbed Yunho's face. He could feel his heartbeat rising as adrenaline coursed through his veins. His nostrils flared and he started to tremble.

"Take a deep breath." Yunho whispered. He ran his fingers through his mate's hair and pet the side of his face. "You've been through a lot of stress, I need you to calm down so you don't trigger yourself again."

"Yunho..." The alpha breathed. He could see how frightened his mate was. Frightened of him... Frightened of what was going to happen...

His mate's eyes dropped, recognizing that Jongho knew his thoughts. "Don't... I can't... I can't handle it right now."

The words shattered Jongho's heart. He opened his mouth to speak again, but didn't get a chance because Yunho kept speaking.

"I think... I think you need to talk to him." Yunho's voice was low and strained. He dropped his hand to his lap and shifted away from Jongho just a little bit. That slight motion added to the tension in the air. "He... He deserves..." Yunho swallowed and turned his head away.

Jongho whined when a tear rolled down Yunho's cheek. He lunged forward with a sudden, jerky movement to wipe it away, but stopped when Yunho flinched away from him.

"Yunho, please. Please don't push me away." His heart continued to race as he spoke.

"You need time-"

"No I don't!" Jongho snapped. It killed him to see his mate recoil away from him when he did, but he didn't need time!

He didn't need to think. He didn't need to plan. He certainly didn't need to talk to Wooseok.

He just needed Yunho.

His wolf churned within him, already confirming what his heart told him.

Nothing else mattered in this moment, except for the man in front of him.

Jongho surged forward again, this time ignoring Yunho's attempt to move away, and twisted his beta around to pin him to the bed.

"S-Stop." Yunho whimpered, squirming beneath him to try and throw his alpha off him.

"No." Jongho said, struggling to keep his wolf from taking over again. He needed to stay level headed right now. He needed to show Yunho how much he loved him. "Why are you fighting me, my love?" He asked, his voice getting softer.

Yunho closed his eyes and turned his head to the side. His body went lax, slowly giving in to the dominance Jongho was unable to contain.

"Yunho, please." The alpha dipped his head down to nuzzle along Yunho's jaw and neck.

"There's too much that's happened... Why... Why would you..." Yunho lower lip trembled and he kept his eyes shut.

There was nothing more he needed to say. Now that his mind was clearer, Jongho understood why his beta was so upset.

He understood what it meant to loose someone to their Soulmate... Even though he'd been the one to suggest it for Wooyoung's protection, part of him had still died the day Wooyoung mated with San and it was revealed how powerful their connection really was.

For the longest time, Jongho had wished he could have provided that to the omega who had captured, and still held a very large part of his heart.

But that would never change the fact that San could give Wooyoung something that he just... couldn't.

So knowing that there was a potential Soulmate somewhere outside waiting for him... Jongho would be lying if there wasn't some part of him that wondered what that connection would feel like.

Even so, he had always believed he'd already found his Soulmate. Ever since the day Yunho had helped him from the battle field after he'd been injured.

Since Yunho had stopped fighting him, Jongho positioned himself over his beta, holding his own weight so that he didn't crush his mate, but keeping himself close enough that they were touching.

"Yunho, I want you to listen to me carefully, can you do that for me?" Jongho waited patiently, noting how Yunho's pine scent grew slightly sweeter just before he nodded. "I don't want him."

His mate's body grew still. Conflict showed on his face, and he opened his mouth as if he wanted to argue.

"I don't." The alpha continued. He made sure to keep his voice soft but firm, desperate to get his point across. "Yunho, you are the single most important person in my life. We have been through so much together. We have a wonderful pack, who will be with us forever. We have a son," Jongho paused, struck with how much he missed Theo at this moment, "An amazing son who I am so incredibly proud of. And I have you. You're my beta. My mate. And I don't want anyone else."

Even though his eyes were closed, tears still leaked from Yunho's eyes. His arms slowly, oh so slowly, raised up to wrap around Jongho's waist.

The younger gave a small sigh of relief and dipped his head down to kiss away the salty trails. "I'm sorry this happened. I'm sorry I... freaked out yesterday. But to me, that just reinforces the idea that I only want you." He continued his gentle, soft kisses. "How can I prove it to you to help you feel better? I'll scream my love to the world if I need to."

"S-Stay." Yunho croaked out.

Jongho didn't need to hear any more. He sent a quick warning to the others to stay away and immediately shut them out even though he could feel their worry and concern through the link. They didn't matter right now.

He rotated their bodies to lay on their sides, then pulled Yunho into his chest and threw a leg over him too, engulfing him as much as he could.

A low, rumbling purr came from the alpha's chest when his mate nuzzled in closer. "Jong..."

"I'm here, I'm here my love. I'm not going anywhere." Jongho started to run his hands up and down his mate's back, dipping them under his shirt for skin to skin contact.

That seemed to spark something within Yunho, because it was only a matter of seconds before they had shed their clothes and their limbs were intertwined beneath the sheets.

Jongho knew, he truly knew, that this may not have been the best time. But all he could think about was how important it was for Yunho to believe in him. He needed to prove to his chosen mate that nothing was going to change between them.

Kisses left trails of fire.

Fingers dug trenches in skin.

Teeth marks became lasting reminders.

Not a word was spoken between them. The only sound was the symphony of moans, heavy breathing, wet kisses, and skin rubbing against skin and sheets.

It was like a perfectly coordinated dance. Alpha and beta becoming one, retracing the paths on their lover that they already knew so well.

There was refinement mixed with desperation. Fear trying to push away love. A war of minds and hearts.

When Jongho finally started thrusting into his mate, he felt his wolf urging him to do everything he could to show the beta just how important he was. He kept his movements precise but gentle, wanting Yunho to feel everything.

He dipped his head to nuzzle Yunho's cheek, whimpering softly when his love wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

"Jongho..." Yunho whined. He pressed his cheek against Jongho's as hard as he could, trying to return the love and affection. "Alpha. Alpha please."

The sudden change made Jongho growl and his eyes flashed red to match Yunho's blue. "Mine." He snarled, sticking his tongue out to lap at the mating mark on the beta's neck. "Mine. My beta. Always."

He didn't give Yunho a chance to respond before he started to thrust a little harder, but his beta seemed to understand just fine.

They continued to claw and nip at each other, seemingly never satisfied with just one touch, one look, one taste.

And when Jongho's knot burst, he and Yunho sank their teeth into each other's necks, reopening the bond they'd formed all those years ago. It shook Jongho to his core, and he knew Yunho felt it too.

The bond was a pact, a seal, a promise.

A promise of eternity together.

"Mine." Jongho purred as he lapped and kissed at the mark. He said it over and over, relishing in the way Yunho seemed to submit and shudder each time.

With the freshness of the bond, he could feel that Yunho finally believed it. There was no more doubt in his beta's mind that Jongho didn't love him.

And it was even better when his mate whispered, "My Alpha."

When his knot finally went down and they could get dressed, Jongho led his mate out to meet the rest of their pack.

They looked at the couple with hope in their eyes, at least the ones in the room did. Stephan, the twins, and Wooyoung weren't present, but that was a question for later in the day.

Jongho sought out the two alphas in the room and bowed his head to them in thanks. He knew it hadn't been easy to fight him, especially given the reason why, and he would thank them properly later.

Right now he had more important things to do.

He led the way out of the cabin, Gunner and Yeosang coming to back him up. The unspoken command rippled through their pack, setting nerves on edge.

Jongho felt like his skin was vibrating from anxiety and anticipation.

Thankfully they didn't have to wait long before his target made himself known.

Wooseok and Minhyung were waiting in front of the main pack house. The omega's eyes were red and puffy but his skin was pale.

Minhyung sensed their presence and turned to face them, positioning himself in front of the omega. "Jongho, I don't want a fight." He warned.

"I'm not here to start one." The younger alpha stood up straighter. "But like you, I need to take care of my pack." He didn't miss the way Wooseok flinched at his words.

Minhyung signed and nodded, then stepped aside. "Wooseok." His voice had a slight growl to it.

The omega shrank into himself and started to tremble, new tears rolling down his cheeks. "I'm... I'm s-sorry..." He peeked up and Jongho and whined. "I just... I..."

"It's alright." Jongho sighed. His heart ached at the sight of his long time friend being so upset. And he understood why Wooseok did it. "There's no need to drag this out more than we need to. I'm happy to be reunited with you, Wooseok, but I will not leave Yunho or my pack behind."

Minhyung bowed his head the same time Wooseok fell to his knees. "But- But- H-How can you possibly want to turn down-"

"Because I've already chosen who I want to spend my life with." Jongho looked up at Yunho and smiled when his beta looked at him too. "I love Yunho with everything I am. He is my mate. I know we could have something special, Seokie, but I have something amazing with Yunho and my family, and I'd be foolish to give that up. There will be someone else for you too, I promise, you just need to give it a chance."

Wooseok let out a strangled whimper and looked to Minhyung.

But the alpha just shook his head and glanced at Jongho. They stared at each other for a long moment, having a silent conversation about how hard this situation was now.

It was time for them to leave.

"I'll give you two days to gather supplies and ready yourselves to leave." Minhyung said softly.

"That's fair, but can I make one request?" Jongho asked.

"Of course." Minhyung nodded, ignoring the sobbing omega at his feet.

Jongho clenched his jaw, fighting the pain in his heart, before saying, "I'd like to speak with this Seer."