The early morning brought vicious winds and more snow to the alpha pair as they dug their way out of the shelter they had built and continued their trek to steeper slopes.

They took turns leading the way, the front alpha plowing the way and taking the brunt of the storm while the other one rested.

It was a hard journey and they were both exhausted.

But still they continued on. San took longer shifts as leader, using his motivation to help his mate to press forward. He spent a long time digging out a path using his paws and even his nose.

Hongjoong whined behind him, expressing his worry about the journey.

It was so cold that even their fur coats weren't doing much to help them. They were chilled to the bone and couldn't stop shivering as they got higher and higher.

The snow was relentless and the wind even worse. Strong gusts would pummel them and force them to stumble to the side while forcing snow to get packed into their coats.

At one point, San fell forward with a whimper and started to crawl along, trying to get out of the wind.

Hongjoong joined him as they continued their slow trek up the mountain.

.

.

.

.

Mingi huffed as he ran around the perimeter of the territory. San and Hongjoong had been gone for almost two full days now and everyone was starting to get anxious.

He should have gone with them. Or Jongho. They were the strongest alphas.

What if something had happened to them?

They could be hurt and stuck without any way of fully communicating with each other.

He was so deep in thought, Mingi missed the flash of silver to his right as he slowed to a trot. He growled as he swatted a rock out of his way, trying to take his anger out on something.

Mingi, dinner is almost ready. Are you almost done? Seonghwa asked. His voice was soft and hesitant, so the alpha knew he sensed his anger.

Yes. I'll be home soon. He turned to face the house then paused.

Something ran in front of him and his senses were immediately on high alert. He watched the trees, not blinking. There was no scent for him to pick up on, so he started to think he just imagined it.

But no, just as he was turning to leave, something silvery flashed in the moonlight.

Mingi growled and crouched low. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he crept forward.

His nostrils flared as he tried to pick up on anything that could be out of place, but all he could smell was the forest.

He stopped and spun in a circle.

Nothing.

Then something slammed into his side, sending him to the forest floor. He yelped and tried to stand back up, but something hit him again.

All he could process was flashes of silver.

And then there was nothing.

After he had been pushed around for several minutes, suddenly it all stopped. Mingi blinked and panted as he stood there trying to figure out what just happened.

He knew of only one thing with that silver color, and if it really was what he thought it was...

Mingi bolted, running to the house as fast as his long legs would carry him. He slid to a stop outside the back door, shifted, and changed before bursting inside.

The others all paused and looked at him. "What's wrong?" Jongho asked, moving closer.

"Lock all the doors and windows. Now!" He ordered, spinning around to lock the back door.

Everyone scrambled to do as he said, running from room to room. Wooyoung sat with the kids, his ears perked forward as he waited to find out what was going on.

When everyone had gathered again, Mingi sighed and looked out to the backyard. "Something attacked me. I'm fine, really it just pushed me around... But I couldn't tell what it was. It was almost as if it was a ghost..." He said quietly, turning to look at Seonghwa. "I'm sorry if I scared you, I'd just rather be safe than sorry."

"That's ok, love. We are all on edge too. Let's just try to have a nice evening."

"Because it's my birthday!!" Avayla said, jumping up and down and breaking the tension.

Mingi ran over to her and picked her up, swinging her in a circle. "That's right! My baby girl is growing up so fast." He rubbed their noses together and pulled her in for a hug.

They had decided to do a nice dinner on the night of her birthday, even though they weren't all together, and then they'd do a joint celebration next month for both her and Theo.

It was a little strange not having Hongjoong there. The six of them had never missed a birthday and Yeosang was showing signs of missing his mate.

Wooyoung on the other hand had a hard time hiding his giddiness. Even as a wolf he had a bright smile on his face and his tail didn't stop wagging as he scampered around the kitchen.

He stuck close to Yunho's side, not wanting to miss anything. They even set him a place at the table so he could sit with them, although it wasn't easy for him to balance on the small seat so he just went to sit on the couch while they ate.

Mingi had a hard time containing his smile whenever he caught glimpse of the pout on his face or when he would sigh.

Seonghwa had spent all day baking and decorating a cake, which he beamed when he saw Avayla's eyes light up when she saw it. It was a simple faded pink color with edible pearls and intricate swirls decorating the surface of it.

"Momma, is that for me?" She asked, bouncing up and down in her seat.

"Of course it is baby. Now you have to share with everyone, but you get to blow the candles out. Make a wish." He said, kissing the top of her head while Mingi lit the candle.

Avayla scrunched her eyes shut, showing she was thinking really hard. Theo reached out to grab her hand and smiled as she blew out the candle.

Everyone clapped and Wooyoung whined as he rested his head against the back of the couch.

"You know, maybe we should just leave you that way Wooyoung. It's kind of like having a pet dog." Mingi smirked and crossed his arms.

The omega's eyes flashed gold as he glared at the alpha, but a high pitched whine exited his mouth several times at the same time.

Everyone started laughing as Wooyoung turned to bury his head in the pillows. At this, Theo made a sound like he was worried and scrambled down from the table. Yunho straightened up and watched as he pulled himself onto the couch to cuddle into the omega's back. His tail started thumping against the couch.

"See? Dog." Mingi snickered as he passed out slices of cake to everyone.

.

.

.

.

San and Hongjoong searched wearily for another place to stay for the night. They hadn't intended on being gone this long, but this storm came out of nowhere.

And it was just getting worse.

Hongjoong started to limp a little as his legs started to get stiff. He nipped at San's tail to get his attention. The other alpha turned to look at him, his eyes barely open.

The older turned and motioned for them to go back, but San just shook his head and jerked his head to the cliff face in front of them.

Winter snowbells liked growing near cliffs...

They surged forward and started to dig down into the snow. It was a slow process as they were both exhausted.

But all they needed was a sign that they had found the right place.

San started to clear a wide area for them as they got further down. It seemed like the snow wouldn't end.

Hongjoong started to slow down.

Their breathing became labored.

The older stumbled over to San and pressed his head into his side.

They collapsed together and dragged themselves to the side of the snowbank, seeking protection from the wind as their world went black.

.

.

.

.

Seonghwa smiled as he watched Avayla drift off to sleep. Her small hands clenched and unclenched several times around the small wolf plush that Maria had made for her.

When her eyes finally closed, he backed out of the room and turned off the lights before heading back to his own bedroom.

He gasped when he saw Mingi waiting for him holding a single rose. "What's this?"

"Well, I wanted to do something special for you too. Remember what Maria said about this day? I know it's been a few years coming, but Avayla fell asleep early tonight, so I wanted to show you my love." Mingi bit his lip and blushed slightly.

Seonghwa felt a wide smile tear across his face as he ran forward and jumped into Mingi's arms. He didn't care if it was supposed to be some special human holiday, he was just happy that his mate had wanted to do something for him.

And it had been awhile since they had an evening to themselves.

They connected their lips in a passionate kiss as Mingi squeezed the back of his thighs. The omega already felt his wolf bursting forward as he placed his hands on Mingi's cheeks. "Alpha..." He moaned into their kiss.

Mingi growled as he plunged his tongue in, taking over immediately. "So much for the romance." He chuckled when pulling back for a breath.

"Oh we both know you're too dominant to keep up any romance façade." Seonghwa moved to nibble on his ear.

"And we both know that you love it." The younger said, his voice getting deep and husky. It sent a chill down Seonghwa's spine. "Shall we play a game?"

Seonghwa gulped as his wolf churned. He locked eyes with his alpha and shivered when he was met with dark red.

"Let's see how quiet you can be, while I try to make you scream my name."

That was all it took. Seonghwa knew he was a goner as Mingi threw him onto the bed. He bit back the yelp, determined to stay quiet for as long as possible.

Mingi on the other hand worked quickly to strip them both of their clothes before descending on him and capturing his mouth once more. He grabbed both of the omega's hands and pinned them above his head, taking advantage of his large hands to hold them in place.

Seonghwa squirmed in response, but still didn't make a sound. And boy was that hard for him to do when all he wanted was to moan and let all the good feelings he had out.

The younger sensed his internal struggle and brought is other hand up to start tweaking his nipples, moving quickly between both of them to keep the stimulation high.

Testing his luck, Seonghwa tried to pull his hands away, but Mingi's grip just got tighter as he broke the kiss and attacked his neck and shoulders.

Seonghwa bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut, forcing his whimpers down as Mingi sucked on his mating mark.

This was absolute torture.

And Mingi was taking full advantage of it.

"Come on precious, let alpha hear you." He purred, nuzzling the mark and then shifting quickly to suck on one of his nipples.

Seonghwa arched his back and scrunched his face. His mouth opened up wide as he continued to stay silent.

"Moan for me." Mingi teased, moving to the other nipple. Seonghwa shook his head back and forth. "Moan for alpha."

That one was an order.

Seonghwa let out a deep moan right as Mingi's free hand found his hardened length. "N-N-Not fair, M-Mi-" He gasped as his alpha squeezed harder while pumping him quickly.

"Now, now. Don't be too loud! You don't want to wake the baby." Mingi purred, twisting so he could start to kiss down the omega's stomach while keeping his arms pinned.

Seonghwa squirmed, starting to feel his climax building as the alpha teased him. He whimpered and squirmed under his touch. "Alpha... Please alpha."

Mingi's eyes flashed to him with a playful glint.

Just as Seonghwa was about to climax, he squeezed the base of his length.

"A-ah! No alpha! Pl-" Mingi muffled his protests with a kiss.

"I told you not to be so loud, precious." He murmured into the kiss.

"Mingi... That's not fa-" Another kiss interrupted his words again.

Then Mingi moved to drag Seonghwa off the bed, pinning him to the floor. There was a dull thud, but Seonghwa knew it was so they didn't have to deal with the bed hitting the wall... He shivered at the thought. Mingi was right, he loved it when his dominant side came out.

Soon the alpha released his member, making Seonghwa whimper into the kiss as his hand traveled lower to circle his entrance.

Seonghwa rocked his hips, hoping to get some friction against his length too as he tried to speak into the kiss. But Mingi just forced is tongue in, growling as he shoved two fingers into the omega. The older whined and tried pulls his hands away again, but it was to no avail.

Mingi continued to trust his fingers in and out several times, eventually adding a third one. Just as Seonghwa was about to reach his peak again, he pulled out and roughly flipped Seonghwa over. He pinned his arms behind his back and pulled him up so his back was to the younger's chest.

Both were a panting mess as sweat coated their skin. Seonghwa squirmed, trying to pull his hands free while Mingi ran his hand down his stomach and chest.

"My beautiful omega." He purred, kissing and nibbling Seonghwa's mark. There was a possessive tone to his voice that the older wasn't used to, but his wolf loved it.

"Please alpha, I can't take anymore. I need alpha's knot."

Mingi growled and slid easily inside of Seonghwa, pounding into him right away.

The moment Seonghwa felt it, he went to cry out and the pure pleasure that ran through him. But he was silenced immediately by Mingi's hand. His head was forced against his alpha's shoulder as Mingi nipped at his jaw, neck, and shoulder.

His whimpering grew louder, even though it was muffled, as the alpha picked up the pace.

It was almost too much for him. He could feel his hair sticking to his forehead as their skin rubbed together easily.

He felt like Mingi was also working to claim him again. Like his alpha instincts were on overload. But why would that be? No one around here would ever ruin the balance of their pack. If anything he could see Jongho doing it with Wooyoung if something snapped, but even then the youngest alpha would never do that because it would hurt the omega too much.

Then questions left his head as quickly as they came once Mingi focused on his mark again, sending wave after wave of pleasure through him.

It was enough to tip him over the edge and he sprayed the floor in front of him.

"Yes. Yes precious. I'm going to fill you. You're my omega. Mine."

Mingi continued his tireless assault for a few more minutes, bringing Seonghwa into a second climax when his knot burst and he filled Seonghwa with his warm seed.

They stayed on their knees for a long moment, panting heavily. Then Mingi slowly dropped his hand from Seonghwa's mouth and released his hands.

No words were spoken as Mingi carefully pulled pillows and the comforter off the bed for them to lay on so he didn't have to move them too much. Once they were settled on their sides, he wrapped his arms protectively around Seonghwa and kissed every inch of his skin that he could reach.

"Are you ok?" He whispered.

"Y-Yes. That was... Intense. Are you ok?" Seonghwa tilted his head to glance over his shoulder.

Mingi's eyebrows furrowed. "I am now. I don't know why, but my wolf has been on edge since what happened in the forest. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No. I don't think so. I imagine I'll be sore tomorrow, though." Seonghwa chuckled softly. "My possessive alpha." He hummed.

Mingi let out a small whine and rubbed his nose against the mating mark again, tightening his grip on Seonghwa. "You bet I am. I'm never letting you go. I love you too much."

"And I love you, Mingi. Don't worry, I'm never going anywhere." Seonghwa laced their fingers together and kissed the palm of Mingi's hands several times before holding them over his heart as they both started to drift off.