"Wow, it smells wonderful in here!" Yunho complimented as soon as he stepped into the small cabin home, taking off his rain-soaked jacket. His mouth watered as soon as he inhaled the aroma wafting throughout the place.

Mingi followed in behind his mate, breathing in deeply from his nose, and his stomach immediately grumbled at the scent of a well prepared, home-cooked meal. The couple haven't had a nice, sit-down meal since before they were on the run, so Hongjoong's pack's invitation was greatly appreciated.

They took a moment to look around the home. It was small, but it was very charming and welcoming. It was fairly tidy, but it was definitely lived-in. The living room and dining room areas were minimally decorated, but there were personalized items and touches that made the space even more comfortable.

It was evident that a lot of work went into preparing tonight's meal. On the long dining room table, a full feast was neatly presented, filling a majority of the surface. There were venison steaks in the center and all around it were several side dishes of corn, steamed potatoes, beans, and freshly made bread. There was even a chocolate cake set off to the side for dessert.

Seonghwa brightly smiled at his guests. "Thank you! I hope everything tastes okay. Yeosang and I spent a while in the kitchen this afternoon." He gestured toward the Omega standing off to the side who wore a look of curiosity. He was clearly nervous to be meeting new people. After everything he has been through, it would be hard to trust anyone aside from close family, which is understandable.

Mingi scrunched his nose the closer he got to Yeosang. Yunho couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary aside from the Omega's natural vanilla scent, so he decided not to question it.

"You must be Hongjoong's brother," Yunho kindly greeted. "I'm Yunho, and this is Mingi. It's very nice to finally meet you." The tall beta had an outrageously tender smile that made Yeosang feel more comfortable instantly. "I hope you believe me when I say that neither of us would do anything to harm you or your family."

Yeosang stepped forward to shake both of their hands. "It's nice to meet you both as well. I've heard a lot about you." He nervously giggled, "My brother is kind of stubborn, so he must really like you if he let Seonghwa invite you over for dinner."

Hongjoong was standing off to the side, watching protectively, but he folded his arms and scoffed at his brother's remark. "I wouldn't say that I'm stubborn."

"Oh, please." Seonghw rolled his eyes. "Headstrong, adamant, closed minded, pigheaded, whatever you want to call it. That's exactly what you are." He crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his tongue out at his lover playfully.

"And you're a tease, my dear." Hongjoong walked over to his mate and pinched the older's cheek.

"Are we finally ready to eat?" Jongho rang as he entered the dining area with the rest of them. "It's been agony smelling this all day and not being able to try any."

"Yes, let's go ahead and eat!" Hongjoong announced, gesturing for everyone to sit. "San will be joining us after his perimeter round. He probably won't be too much longer since it's raining pretty hard."

For Mingi and Yunho, the visit was more than enjoyable. It's been months since they've had this kind of fellowship with other wolves and it's nice to get to know a pack that has similar ideals and beliefs as them.

It's also been reassuring for Yunho to meet an Omega like Yeosang. It's admirable to see an Omega live freely and so comfortably in comparison to most, though he's sure that the pack's been through hoops and jumps to make it that way.

That's all he had ever wanted for the captured Omega's at the Sigma plant.

Mingi seemed to enjoy talking with Hongjoong some about his time as a police officer. Though Mingi was a security guard, it was something similar that the two Alpha's could bond over.

Yunho really enjoyed speaking with Seonghwa about his and Hongjoong's past and how they got started into their Omega rescues. The couple was truly inspirational.

Throughout the meal, there were a few things that Yunho was quickly able to pick up on about the interesting pack family though. From looking around the table, tensions seemed to be a bit high as though something had recently happened, something they were trying to cover up in front of their guests.

Hongjoong would make unsubtle glances toward the Omega in the room. He wore a regretful expression every time he stared for too long, watching Yeosang grimace at his plate and push the meat away with his fork. The Omega's action alone was odd since he was the one to prepare the food. So why didn't he like it?

Jongho seemed to be doing the opposite of his pack Alpha. He purposefully sat in the spot furthest away from Yeosang, avoiding any possible eye contact with the older. Since Yunho and Mingi have arrived, Jongho and Yeosang haven't said a single word to one another, and Yunho can't help but wonder if this is something new or their usual behavior. But that would be bizarre within a pack.

Seonghwa was the one pack member who continued to carry himself naturally. But in the midst of the dinner, he directed a sentence toward Yeosang that had Yunho raising an eyebrow.

"Yeosang, please eat a little bit more. You need to keep up your strength." His voice sounded patient but stern, while his eyes showed sympathy.

Then everything seemed to connect in Yunho's mind. The weird smell Mingi noticed, Hongjoong's protectiveness, Jongho's distance, Seonghwa's insistence, it all made sense now.

He worked for a fertility lab for a while, so of course he could easily detect the signs. Yeosang must be pregnant.

He would never mention anything about it now, but if the family were ever to need his assistance with anything, he'd be more than willing to help where he could.

The ex-scientist can't help but wonder if the pregnancy was natural or forced, maybe through intrauterine insemination even... which could explain why the atmosphere was tense.

"Would anyone like a slice of cake?" Seonghwa kindly offered with a grin.

Before anyone could respond, the sound of the front door banging against the wall made everyone at the table jolt.

Alarmed, Hongjoong and Seonghwa immediately bolted toward the door, Mingi following closely behind just in case.

"San? What's going on?" Hongjoong gaped in bewilderment.

San looked frazzled, his hair and clothing drenched from the pouring rain, but what he was carrying in his arms is what stole everyone's attention. San was carefully and protectively cradling a small male, who appeared to be unconscious, against his chest.

The boy was completely bare. Goosebumps littered his skin from the freezing rain. A multitude of bruises and scrapes marked his body all over, and some looked fairly fresh. Just from looking at his frail, petite body, one could guess that he might be an Omega, but the overwhelming smell of roses coming from him confirmed it.

Seonghwa gasped and ushered the Alpha to come further inside, latching the door behind him. "San, who is this!? What happened!?"

Although he was breathing hard from rushing back to the house, San managed to respond through pants. "I found him right outside the borders. He was by himself, and he looked terrified. I approached him to see if he was alright, but he collapsed right before the rain hit. I didn't know what else to do, so I brought him here."

At all the commotion, Yunho, Yeosang, and Jongho entered the room, their eyes widening at the scene.

The leader of the pack let out a tsk, seeming to contemplate the next move for a moment. "Take him to Yeosang's room. Seonghwa and Yeosang, go get him dressed and warm. We don't know how long he'll be unconscious so let's help him get comfortable."

As San walked past the group with the limp Omega in his arms, Yunho was able to get a better look at the young male, and all color drained from his face in that instant.

He saw his silver hair, his beaten, tanned skin, his soft, delicate features. He couldn't ever mistake him because now his golden irises have been embedded in his mind ever since that day, right along with his very first subject. He was subject 18 from Sigma, the Omega in heat that day. One of the many Omega's that he let down.

Yunho cautiously glanced at his mate from across the room, and by the creases in his eyebrows, he must recognize the boy too.

Suddenly, the air was too heavy, and the Beta felt as though he was suffocating, like all the air was being punched out of his lungs. Or maybe, it was the relentless guilt that had recently weighed him down so ferociously reminding him that he was not out of the doghouse. He couldn't just forget about the horrible thing he had done just because he's made some generous friends and has been distracted temporarily.

In desperation, Yunho darted over to Mingi, clinging to his arm in fear. He was attempting to keep his face neutral, but he knew if he stayed much longer, his facade would crumble. "Mingi..." he whined in a whisper.

Mingi pulled his mate into him and muttered in his ear, "I know, love. I saw him. When I have a chance, I'll tell Hongjoong that we're leaving."

The situation was so distracting that no one in the household spared a glance at the couple. Seonghwa and Yeosang rushed inside the bedroom to take care of the young Omega, while Hongjoong, San, and Jongho silently discussed the details of what happened, but it was gradually becoming more escalated.
Hongjoong's expression and the spike of his cinnamon Alpha scent depicted his obvious frustrations and concerns.

"What if someone was following him, San!?" Hongjoong lectured, "They could still be out there looking for him, and you bringing him here may very well lead them to our home!"

The other alpha met the leader's harsh glare and inhaled a deep breath. "I couldn't just leave him out there! He's an unmated, unprotected Omega! What do you think would have happened to him!?"

"What about Yeosang's safety!?" Hongjoong growled, his breathing became more harsh, and his chest puffed up as he grew more upset.

San has always been more lax for an Alpha, but the older's unreasonable reaction was making him lose his patience. He stepped closer to Hongjoong, puffing his chest in the exact manner he had. His wolf was provoking him more, causing his eyes to shift back and forth between red and dark brown.

Between the two exasperated Alpha's, Jongho fought with his own wolf too. Jongho was not a Beta that liked to submit easily, but the pheremones from the two older male's was making him grit his teeth.

He stepped in between the two, shoving San's chest to get him to back away from Hongjoong. "Stop this! It's not helping anything to have you two bickering!"

This made Hongjoong immediately snap out of it. As a leader, this is not how he should be behaving. He's been failing as a leader a lot lately. He stared at San from over Jongho's shoulder. "San, I'm so-"

"I thought your mission has always been to help all Omega's, not just Yeosang." San spat as he glared at Hongjoong. "You should understand more than anyone else why I did it."

"San..." Before Hongjoong could say anything more, San ignored him and walked toward the hall. He stopped next to the bedroom door where the Omega was brought to rest for the night, or however long he needed, and sat on the floor, like he was guarding it.

Hongjoong sighed in defeat.

"He'll get over it." Jongho patted the leader's shoulder. "See his defensive posture? He had that when he first walked in here with him."

The leader raised an eyebrow when he noticed what the younger was talking about. San's shoulders were tense and his jaw was clenched tight.

Hongjoong turned when he felt another hand on his shoulder, trying to get his attention. "Oh, hey Mingi. Sorry about all of this... and that you had to see that..." He ran his hand through his light brown hair.

"Don't worry about it. We still had a good time, and this couldn't be helped." The taller Alpha smiled. "But hey, we're going to get going. Yunho is feeling really tired." He pointed back toward his mate, who was staring blankly at the floor.

"Okay, I'll let Seonghwa know that you left. Maybe we can have you over again another night."

Mingi smiled. "Good luck with everything here."

"Thanks, I need it."

~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry if the ending of this chapter is kind of weird. The chapter was getting long, and I couldn't think of a good stopping point.

Guys, work has been kicking my butt the past couple weeks, so I'm sorry if my updates seem slow. I really want to write, but I've been having a hard time keeping up with it. I hope you all will understand.

Thank you so much for reading. I really appreciate every one of you!

-Sydney <3