"Good news," I answer.

"Bad news," Gamma insists.

"Oh, stop being so negative. Kyungsoo, just tell us what it is."

"Erm... I found Baekhyun..."

"And..." I prompt.

"Gamma Luhan was sort of right."

Gamma wrinkles his nose. "What? What did I say?"

"I mean, he isn't tied up in a burlap sack, but yeah. He's been stuffed in the rock cleft over here and has some sort of a silver dropping gadget above him. It's dropping little bits of silver on his bare skin." Kyungsoo shudders.

"Wait, what happened?" Sehun and Beta run over.

Gamma snorts disapprovingly at his mate. "Glad you showed up."

I shake my head. Same.

"You're glad I showed up?" We hear as leaf bits crunch underfoot. The five of us turn around to see Junmyeon and our Alpha. Junmyeon continues, "I thought we weren't meant to be here."

I stare blankly at my mate. Really?

Chanyeol's POV

I lean against a rock. "Have you found him? Please tell me you have." I look left and right. "Why are there leaves here? We're standing in a clearing." I cough again.

"We've found him." Kyungsoo shifts back and states blankly.

"Really?" I straighten up. "Where is he?"

Kyungsoo sighs. "Just stay here while we get him out." He ducks into the rocks. The others shift and follow after. Junmyeon stays out here with me. Yixing as well. I watch as the two of them heal each other and exchange sweet words. I look away, giving them a bit of privacy.

A few long agonizing minutes later, Kyungsoo's head pops back out. Followed by Gamma Luhan, and then Sehun. My mate's broken body is held between them. His clothes are torn, and his shoes are missing.

No. He's not dead. He's not dead. The mate bond isn't broken. I can still feel it. I remind myself.

"It's okay. He's still alive." Sehun glances at me sympathetically. "We just need to get him back to the pack house."

Yixing looks up. "I can't really help him without supplies. You could try using the mate bond though." He surveys us while playing with his mate's fingers. "Where our beta?"

Kyungsoo shakes his head. "He's in there, dismantling the silver thing."

"What silver thing?" I walk over to my mate and kneel down.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter now."

"Tell me."

"Later. We have enough to worry about now as it is."

I turn my attention back to my mate. I hear the others shuffle away, giving me a bit of solitude.

"Baekhyun." I place my hand carefully on the angry red burn that had formed on his pale skin. He jolts weakly, and a groan leaves his parted lips. I sigh in relief as I watch the redness fade under my palm until only a faint pink mark remains.

"He's mainly exhausted. Other than that, he should be fine." Yixing gently touches Baekhyun's shoulder. "You did very well in staying awake."

"Baekhyun." I murmur again. I just want to say his name. I run a hand through his hair, gently removing the twigs and leaves that had tangled themselves into his golden locks.

I pick him up as gently as I can, and I feel him cling weakly to my shirt to support himself. "It's okay," I murmur. "I've got you. Just relax. You'll be back home before you know it."

"I'm already home." Baekhyun mumbles weakly and grips my jacket. "You're my home."

I touch my nose to his, then turn back to my waiting pack mates. "Come on. Let's get going." Baekhyun snores in response. I let him be.

We walk back to the pack house quietly. Beta Jongin and Kyungsoo bringing up the rear. I step inside after Yixing, who leads me to one of the rooms in the medical branch. My subordinates give me a quick wave and disperse, saying that they didn't want to crowd us.

I sit down on the bed, Baekhyun still in my hold. He stirs. "Hm? Did you carry me the whole way here?"

"Yeah," I breath.

"I hope I'm not too heavy." He looks down.

"I would have carried you either way." I stroke his hair. "Do you want to wash up?"

Baekhyun hums. "I'm tired though."

"I'll help you." I set him down on the bed. "Wait here."

I walk into the adjacent bathroom and begin to fill the bathtub up with warm water. I toss in some bath salts and bubbles as the water fills up all the way. When it finishes, I swirl the water, deeming the temperature okay, then step back out. "Go ahead and get into the bath. Tell me when you're done." I coax him off the bed and into the bathroom. The door shuts, and I wait.

Baekhyun's POV

"Alright! I'm good!" I call once I'm settled in the warm water. Mmm, this is nice.

I hear the door creak open and my mate walks in. "Hey." He takes off his jacket and sets it on a chair, leaving him in a light blue tee. "Feeling better?" He dips his hand in the water and runs it through my hair.

I hum, letting him rub my scalp. I smile in content as he throughly wets my hair. I hear the click of the shampoo bottle, then feel his fingers push against my head, massaging my hair and creating a thin lather. The scent of citrus wafts through the air.

I bend my head forward, and Chanyeol runs his nails down my neck, gently removing the grime that had gathered. "What are we going to do about the ripped clothes?"

"Trash them." Chanyeol begins massaging my shoulders. "I would kiss you right now, but you're covered in suds." He laughs, rubbing the pad of his thumb over my mark. I shudder, and the water splashes a bit.

"I'm kinda sad that I ruined your hoodie."

"I'm just glad it was the hoodie that was ripped to shreds and not you."

"What are you going to do to my old pack?" I turn to face him, and a bit of soap gets on my cheek.

"Something I'd rather not discuss right now." He wipes the foam off my cheek. "I swear I'm going to kill them all." He mutters. He looks up. "Start cleaning yourself too."

The water ripples as I begin to scratch at my legs. I grimace as I feel the residue come off. Ew.

Chanyeol begins cleaning my neck, and a little sound comes out from the back of my throat each time he grazes over my mark.

'Stop that would you?' I shoot him a look.

'You're enjoying it. Don't even deny it.' He grins back cheekily.

"You're such a tease."

"Alright, hurry up and finish. We wouldn't want you looking like a prune after." He stands up, cleans his hands in the sink, dries them off, and grabs his jacket. "I'll be outside waiting." The door clicks behind him.

"Okay." I reply to the piece of wood. Whatever.

'You know I'm still here. Maybe not physically, but I'm still here.' Chanyeol's voice appears in my head.

'Oh my goodness. Get out of my head! I'm trying to bathe!' I screech back.

'Fine fine. I'll be on my phone.'

'No. Go get me something to wear.'

'So bossy. Okay.'

I shake my head, finish up, then wrap my body in a towel. After drying myself off, I slip into a bathrobe. I grab the bottle of leave-in conditioner, apply it, then comb through my hair with my fingers.

'Chanyeol? Do you have my clothes?'

'Yeah.' He knocks on the door. "Can I come in now?"

"Yep." I unlock the door and swing it open. I take the clothes out of his arms. "Thanks."

"Mm-hmm." He tenderly kisses my forehead. "Change quickly." He leaves and closes the door.

I quick put on what he gave me. Undergarments, socks, plaid sweatpants, and a blue sweater. I step out and look around. "Chanyeol?"

I head footstep behind me, and Chanyeol's strong arms wrap around my waist. My mate gently noses the back of my neck. "Better?" I nod and breath in his scent. It floods my senses and makes me feel sleepy.

"I want to go back to our room. I want to sleep." I whine.

"Come on then." He picks me up, one arm supporting my arms, and the other my legs.

"Yah! Yeol! Put me down! I can walk!"

"But I want to carry you."

"You carried me all the way here from who-knows-where. Give yourself a break!" I writher in his hold.

"Alright, alright." Stop moving before I drop you. I'll put you down." He sets me down gently, but not before pecking my cheek. "Let's go." He tucks his arm around me loosely, and leads me out the door and up the stairs.

- § -

Ah, how I've missed writing fluff! It's nice to have them back to normal.

No promises that it's going to last! There are more road bumps to conquer! *evil laughter* hehe.

But I'll give you guys a few chapters of fluff before anything bad happens. Mainly because I've missed writing it so much. :D

Maybe you've noticed, or maybe you haven't, but my chapters aren't that long anymore. Yes, they're above 1K words, but rarely meet 1.5K words anymore. :l

This is because I'm juggling two books at once, and I update both twice a week, at the same time.

Which means I'm writing two 1K+ chapters in 3/4 Days. That's double what I'm used to. :l

And I'm writing them a few days before they go up. I don't have any prewritten chapters anymore. :l

Stressful! :D

So forgive me if there's more typos than usual, or if some things seem slightly off. I'm proofreading as I go, with no completely worked out storyline. :l

I'm just an (almost, three more days) thirteen year old trying to make something for others to enjoy! :D

But fear not, I will always have something for you guys on Tuesdays/Fridays!

To all my readers:

:D

Haha. That is my little rant/explanation. :)

See you all on my birthday!

Wait! Before you go, answer this question:

Which one of my current books do you all like better?

'Look At Me!' or 'Remembering Again'? Why?

Tell me so that I can continue to improve! And because...

Which ever one you all like better, I will (potentially) do a double update next time for it!

Alright, you can go now. I'm so sorry for the insanely long author's note.

Byee! <3

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