Yeosang watched the omegas usher their kids away before he moved to stand next to his alpha. Ready?

Hongjoong nodded once. He kept his head low before advancing forward. San and Mingi flanked him on either side while Yeosang stayed behind him. Everyone was tense and stayed on high alert.

The beta constantly looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was coming up behind them. He didn't like how much the air smelled like blood.

And it just grew stronger when the snow began to turn red.

Something horrible happened here. San said quietly. He extended his neck to sniff a large area of disturbed snow. The ginger scent is too strong, I can't pick out anything else.

And the snow is too messed up to find tracks. Mingi huffed while using his height to survey the area.

Maybe there's another bear in the area? Yeosang suggested. I feel like that's the only thing that could cause this much damage besides us.

I was thinking the same thing. Hongjoong looked back at his beta for a moment before continuing forward.

As they moved on, even the trees started to show signs of the attack. There were branches and bark pieces scattered everywhere. A few of the trees even had indents from where something had slammed into it.

Here! Mingi ran forward to where it looked like the most blood was concentrated.

There was a few deeper spots where the snow had been moved aside, like something had brushed it away or had been pushed into it, but leading away from the area was two different trails.

One was larger and more chaotic, looking very similar to the scene behind them. Whatever had been fighting had clearly gone in that direction.

The ginger scent, however, went in the other direction. Dark red blood stained almost all the snow around that trail. It also looked like something had been dragged.

The alpha is in bad shape. Yeosang whined, his tail dropping low to the ground. We should check to see if they are ok.

Worry filled his mate's emotions. Hongjoong eyed the area nervously. Yeosang couldn't blame him for being cautious. His alpha's kind and trusting nature had turned against them in the past.

But whoever was out there could have a family... A family that could be fighting for their lives at that very moment.

Hongjoong knew exactly what Yeosang was thinking, as he always did, and let out a long sigh. Stay close together and stay sharp. He looked at both San and Mingi before following the trail marked by the ginger scent.

We made it home. Seonghwa's voice filled their heads. Nothing out of the ordinary here.

Relief from Mingi and San flooded the link. Hongjoong also relaxed just a little before saying, Good. Everyone be careful. Don't let the kids outside. Wooyoung, be ready, depending on what we find we may need you to pull out your books.

I already have. The younger omega answered. Be safe.

Understanding flowed both ways as the group of four continued forward.

It didn't take long for Mingi to spot the alpha in question. Once they were sure the area was safe, they hurried forward to the small alpha.

Now that they could get closer, they instantly recognized that the alpha was female. She was laying on her side, her blonde colored fur coat stained with patches of red, and her left front leg was nearly detached from her body.

Long, deep claw marks had severed both flesh and muscle. It was a wonder she had even made it this far on her own.

What do we do? San asked, walking in circles around her. Can we risk moving her?

Can we afford not to? Yeosang countered. Rip up one of the bags and we will use it as a sling. He noticed all three alphas hesitate at the suggestion. Now!

Hongjoong was the first to shift. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a jacket from their bag, then growled before emptying it into the snow, choosing that bag over the one with their remaining meat.

Yeosang shifted as well, dressed, then watched as his mate slowly approached the alpha. His eyes flashed red, showing that his wolf was ready at a moment's notice.

With a shaking hand, he reached out to brush the fur along the female's neck.

Her eyes flew open, and she snarled weakly in an attempt to defend herself.

"Hey, hey, it's ok. I'm not going to hurt you." Hongjoong kept his voice low and even, but there was still a dominant undertone to it to show he was in charge. "We just want to help. Can you shift?"

The alpha's eyes were wide with fear, but once she was able to process that she was surrounded with others of her kind, she relaxed as much as she could.

"I'll take that as a no. We live close by; are you ok if we try to move you and take you to our pack house so you can recover?

Yeosang moved a little closer in hopes that his soft, honey scent would help soothe her. She eyed him nervously for a moment, then gave the slightest of nods.

"Thank you. We will try to be gentle." Hongjoong rubbed her neck, trying to keep her calm, while Yeosang studied the wound on her shoulder.

There wasn't going to be an easy way to move her, so he figured the most he could do was try to not make it worse.

He proceeded to rip up the bag in long strips, then tied a few together so they could wrap around the alpha's body.

"I know this is going to hurt but try to stay relaxed for me." Yeosang pressed a hand to her stomach so she could feel his calming presence.

When she showed no sign of resisting, Yeosang gently grabbed her leg and started to slowly bend it closer to her body.

He had to give the alpha credit, she barely whined or struggled against what he was trying to do. She allowed him to tie her leg to her chest, then let him and Hongjoong lift her up onto Mingi's back.

The walk home was a struggle, though. With two of them in human form it was already slower, but they both sank into the snow a lot easier since their weight wasn't distributed like in their wolf form. There were several times San had to pull them out by grabbing their jackets and pulling backward.

After almost an hour of struggling, they finally made it. Jongho and Yunho were waiting outside with blankets, which they handed over before taking the alpha from Mingi's back.

Wooyoung had set up the living room with a couple of tarps. His face was almost unreadable as he studied the alpha once she was laid out on the floor.

Her eyes flicked in all directions and grew wide with fear once she realized how many wolves were around her.

"I need most of you to leave, you're overwhelming her." Wooyoung said, looking at his pack.

Both San and Jongho started to protest at the same time, but Hongjoong held up his hand to stop them. "What else do you need?"

"Yeosang can stay, Seonghwa can help in the kitchen. I just need time." Wooyoung looked back at the female and pressed his lips together. "Hopefully I'll have enough."

Hongjoong nodded before pressing a kiss against the top of Yeosang's head. He then herded the others out of the room without further argument.

Things happened quickly after that. Wooyoung was meticulous as he worked on patching up each gash in the wolf's body. He started by shaving the entire area around the wounds, then cleaned it with some alcohol they had stored in the cupboard.

The alpha had a hard time with that. She cried out in pain and for the first time tried to get away from everyone.

"Uncle Woo, is everything ok?" Avayla's voice came from the hallway. She looked at the scene in front of her with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "Sorry... I was just coming to get a snack for Kendra..."

Yeosang was about to send her away, but the alpha cut him off by trying to lift her head and letting out a mournful whine. "What is she doing?"

"I don't know!" Wooyoung leaned forward to try and keep the alpha pressed against the floor. She started to struggle, continuously trying to lift her head to keep Avayla in her sights. "She's going to bleed out, Avayla come closer!"

The young alpha obeyed, stepping up to stand behind the couch to looked down at the injured wolf. She looked scared. "What is going on?"

The female continued to whine, looking only at Avayla, but now that she was closer, she stopped struggling as much.

"Maybe she likes that you're another female." Yeosang looked up and motioned for Avayla to come closer.

That seemed to be the answer. The alpha calmed down as soon as Avayla kneeled next to her head. She even tilted hers just enough so that her nose was pressed against Avayla's leg.

"Are you ok?" Seonghwa's anxious voice came from the kitchen. He only had eyes for his daughter.

"Yes." Avayla whispered. She started to run her fingers through the blond fur next to her and smiled up at Seonghwa. "Can you grab the snack for Theo? He's changing her right now."

Seonghwa flashed a loving smile before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Once everyone was calm, Wooyoung pulled out a needle and thread which he used to start stitching up her wounds. Things went smoothly after that. He was able to complete that fast enough so that she didn't lose too much blood and then he started working on a healing salve that he rubbed into her skin.

"Alright, I think that's all I can do for now." Wooyoung sighed.

"What happened to her?" Avayla asked, using one hand to pull her hair over her shoulder to get it out of the way.

"We don't know." Yeosang said as he handed Wooyoung a bowl of water to wash his hands in. "We found her on our way home."

The alpha whined at his words, then looked up at Avayla.

"It's alright." She said. "Uncle Youngie will get you all fixed up and then we will do whatever else we can to help you."

Yeosang gave her a crooked smile before turning to see Wooyoung give a big yawn. The beta automatically opened his arm so Wooyoung could nuzzle into his side. "Get some rest, Woo."  He whispered. "You did a lot just now."

"I'm fine." Wooyoung said through a yawn. "We need to keep an eye on her. The salve needs to be applied fairly often. I added a few extra herbs to it to hopefully speed up the healing process."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Seonghwa came out carrying a plate of food. "Here. You guys should eat. See if maybe she will eat a little too."

The beta reached to take the plate and set it down where everyone could reach it. Wooyoung didn't hesitate to take one of the sandwiches and shove it into his mouth in two bites.

Avayla took a small piece of meat and held it in front of the alpha's muzzle. Her nose twitched weakly as she examined the object, then her tongue snaked out to take it from Avayla. Her chest started to rumble with a slow purr and she nuzzled into Avayla's leg again.

"Are you ok with staying?" Yeosang asked.

"Theo could do with a night of responsibility." Avayla chuckled. "Plus Mama will help. Maria can take on some responsibility too."

"Thank you." Yeosang sighed and leaned back against the couch.

Wooyoung moved with him and let out a long sigh while wrapping his arms around Yeosang's waist, holding him tight and curling into his side.

They were in for a long night, but at least the alpha was safe now.

Hopefully in the next couple of days they could get some answers as to what happened, but for now they could rest.