Hey guys, I know I'm super late then I usually am. SO SORRY about that. I had a death in the family and haven't gotten time to write so I also apologize for it being short. Enjoy though!

“Are you sure it’s okay that Min-seo is traveling on her own to retrieve Onew’s father?” Shindong inquired. With what seemed like the fourth roll of her eyes for the night, Aunt Kim nodded her head, crossed legged on the couch.

“Donghae won’t try anything twice with the police out. He’s not that stupid, even for him,” she replied, “Min-seo’s ability will keep both her and her husband protected from human sight. She can hold her own. You underestimate her.”

“My apologies.”

“Yeah, sure,” Kim retorted.

Taemin looked between the awkward adults and so did Minho. There was an eerie awkward air simmering and it made the two of them uncomfortable, especially being the only ones still awake. After the debacle and travel back to their own, Onew had fallen asleep from low energy. His mother said it was because he and Key were so closely connected and Key himself was still weak. It made sense. Out of all the things that have happened to them thus far. Min-seo had an acquired or rather debating like for Taemin and Minho, perhaps she saw the worry in Taemin’s eyes for her son.

But her hate for their kind was nowhere as strong as Key’s aunt. She was a fiery flame to be reckoned with. And the heat only simmered right now as they sat with their Uncles, everyone looking about so strangely. Even Kai had gone to bed after monitoring the traitors. They too were sent to bed. Minho wanted to go check on Key and Taemin, Onew—but with the way the atmosphere was working, it was hard to just get up at this moment without being so obvious.

There was a soft knock coming from their front door just now and the abrupt movement of Heechul standing up, lifted a large lump from both the boy’s chest as they realized it was mostly like Onew’s mother and father. At least the more adults, the more they could slip away. When Min-seo and her husband stepped into the living room with them, the awkward feeling in the air definitely changed. Onew’s father smiled and made a small bow. Though it was apparent his smile was a bit forced—most likely no thanks to whatever his wife told him on the way over—his gesture was genuine. He was actually somewhat pleased to see them and didn’t hold the same hatred his wife and Key’s aunt did. And that piece of emotion was great to feel after the knight they’ve had.

The way Key’s aunt snapped at Minho in the woods still played in the boy’s head a bit. Her words were so harsh and sterile. So…strong and fearsome. Like she really would rip him apart if he’d said another word. He’d never met hatred so strong in someone.

“Welcome to our home, or rather somewhat of it,” Shindong smiled.

Immediately a conversation started between the adults, a conversation in which Aunt Kim subtly left herself out of. She leaned back on the couch and grimaced, closing her eyes a bit. Min-seo and her husband joined her in sitting and with the chance of distraction on their side, Taemin nodded his head toward the hallway for Minho to meet him.

“You hesitated,” Taemin started when they were alone.

The sudden conversation starter shocked Minho. His brows raised and his doe-eyes, just a bit. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He wasn’t sure what the boy was referring to, so instead, he said,

“Excuse me?”

“You. Hesitated.” Taemin repeated the words slower this time and more precise and with each word he poked Minho in the chest since they were close enough.

“What are you—”

“When we were out there, in the woods, facing Donghae. Onew was in trouble and you…hesitated. We had the chance to transform. I took it,” he poked himself in the chest, pressing hard, “you didn’t,” he poked Minho again.

The broad man furrowed his brows.

“It was—” Minho stopped himself and breathed deeply, realizing his voice was about to go loud. He cleared his throat and lowered his voice to a whisper, “It was a sudden choice.”

“A sudden choice you couldn’t make with even Onew in danger.” Taemin’s voice was harsh, much more so than usual. “We could’ve beat him together.”

“No. No, it wouldn’t have happened like that and you know it. Donghae was much stronger than even us combined. You saw what happened. Key needed to take him down and even that was pushing it. Yes, I hesitated, but either way, we wouldn’t have beaten him.”

“But you could’ve tried!” He grits his teeth and the echo in his voice made the talk in the other room stop altogether. Taemin pulled his lip in, a small slither of water developing in the rim of his eye. And he whispered to Minho this time around, leaning his body closer and encasing their space into one.

“You could’ve tried.”

He released his grip and stared into those deep brown eyes. Minho starred back. He wasn’t sure what to say, couldn’t argue his own point to save his life because the fact of the matter was, Taemin was right. Not about stopping Donghae together but that Minho hesitated, and that hesitation almost cost them, someone.

Taemin looked down suddenly, moving his eyes away from his friend and stepped back.

“I’m going to go check on Onew,” he whispered and left.

Minho opened his mouth to say something, but not a word came out.

****

The bed created a downward slope when he laid his body down. A large dent bent into a shadow cast by the moonlight. The room was near pitch black with not a light but the cloudy dark sky outside. Not even the moon could be seen from this side. Minho made himself comfortable alongside Key. Coincidentally the boy had unconsciously curled himself up just enough for Minho’s long body to fit. He did everything as quietly as he could: opening the door to the room, walking over to the bed, laying next to Key without waking him up. And he scooted his arms and hands underneath his head when placing them all on the long pillow Key shared.

Even from this distance, he could hear the grown-ups talking. With the heated emotions he witnessed before leaving and the current change of pitch as they “talked” now, it was obvious there was some kind of argument at bay. What exactly, he didn’t care to know. The night had stretched longer than was necessary…or comfortable. So, he closed his eyes tight enough to focus on drowning it all out and scooted himself closer to Key until all he could hear was his breathing, and as the sounds muffled out to nothing he was simply alone with his thoughts and a curled up sleeping boy.

And being alone with his thoughts was the last thing he wanted to do because as soon as the silence immersed with him, Taemin’s words echoed through his eardrums. Minho really did freeze tonight and in the mix of it all, both Key and Onew got hurt. He was supposed to be an alpha, but lately, the word alpha was just that—a word. It wasn’t standing up to be anything else. He cowered at transforming and helping Onew when there was an obvious opening and even when Key’s aunt snapped at him, he stepped back then. On top of it all, the last thing he tried to do was talk down to Donghae because he was afraid of what the man was capable of.

Fear, in fact, was starting to be his greatest weakness.

“Thinking too much again,” came a grungy voice.

Minho almost jumped from the edge of the bed but when he focused himself, he realized it was Key. Key turned himself around so that his face was no longer towards the window but instead within an inch or two of Minho.

“Oh,” Minho started, “I didn’t mean to wake you. I should tell your aunt you’re awake,”

He only made it halfway up before Key grabbed the middle of his arm and pulled him back down.

“Key, what are you-“

“Shh,” He pulled his finger up to his lips and together they laid back down. “You didn’t wake me up,” he whispered.

“What do you-“

“The light from the window did…eventually. Plus, I don’t want my aunt to know I’m awake. Been awake for a while.”

“Then why didn’t you come get one of us Key, we’ve been worried—”

“If I’m awake, that means Onew’s awake too. Did you see him come out and get you guys?”

Minho went quiet.

Key shrugged.

“I think we just needed time to ourselves.”

“But Key-“

“Are you gonna tell me what’s on your mind?” He interrupted with a smirk.

They went back into their positions, molding their bodies into one another. Minho let out a short sigh and sunk a little deeper into the bed.

“Well that’s not an answer,” Key chuckled.

“It’s not that,” he sighed again, “I’m just-It’s just-“

“Freezing up tonight,” Key answered.

“You remember-“

The boy shook his head and tapped lightly on his earlobe.

“My hearing has gotten ten times better since turning into a giant fox. Not sure how my aunt handles it.”

“Then don’t you think she can hear us?” His eyes switched back and forth like he expected her to burst into the room at any minute and yell about what an awful creature he was especially being cuddled up next to her nephew. The entire scenario played itself out.

But Key shrugged.

“Either way she’s not coming, and I don’t hear her coming.”

“Right,” Minho noted. The statement didn’t make him feel any safer but somehow he was able to sink his body into the covers a little deeper this time and his eyes lowered, casting shadows over his cheeks.

Key scooted his body closer until they were practically touching and stretched his arm around Minho’s waist so that they were actually touching.

“Key,” Minho widened his eyes, “what’re you-“

“My aunt isn’t going to come in,” he whispered softly, “and I’ve been wanting to have you this close for a while. Minho, don’t blame yourself for freezing up. It happens you know.”

Minho let his tensing body calm down and comfort itself into Key’s embrace. He shook his head in disappointment.

“Key, I know you don’t understand because this wasn’t how you were brought up. But I’m going to be an alpha. What is an alpha if they can’t stand up for their own. Taemin is the pure definition of one now. He lept right in and-“

“And you and Taemin have two completely different personalities.”

“That’s doesn’t matter-“

“Of course it matters Minho. You two told me and Onew a long time ago. You think and Taemin jumps. Even if you guys are great friends now, that doesn’t change instincts. You thought about the outcome. Yeah, it may have had some side effects, but you’ll learn.”

“I don’t-“ Minho huffed, “we don’t have time for me to still be learning. With the way things going, who knows what to expect next. I need to be more like Taemin. Act fast and not-“

“Minho, I will literally turn into a giant Gumiho just to kill you if you ever repeated that entire sentence to me with a straight face again.”

Minho closed his mouth.

“If you were to ever morph yourself into Taemin’s image there would be no point in liking you.” Then he laughed. Soft, but sweet. And seeing his eyes light up made Minho laugh too.

“But seriously Minho…we’re you…ya know…scared of me?”

Minho stopped laughing and narrowed his stare.

“Scared of you?”

“Yeah, ya know, when I turned into the giant thingy. I don’t really remember it all fully. I remember Onew talking to me and me being scared for him, but everything else is kind of a blur. I mean, I could’ve really hurt you guys and not remembering is driving me nuts…just a little. Like, how bad was I? Could I really not be stopped? What”

Minho moved his hand to caress Key’s arm with his thumb.

“Of course I wasn’t scared of you. Surprised, a little taken aback maybe but then again, that was my same reaction when I saw the Griffons. You should see what they really look like fully transformed. Even though…” he chuckled again, “you definitely beat them in the height factor.”

They laughed.

“Plus, there are scarier things out there,” he continued.

“Like Donghae,” Key stopped laughing.

“Exactly like Donghae.”

“He knows about my mother. She’s still alive, which means…which means…I can find her.”

“He knows about something else too,” Minho murmured, his brows starting to frown together.

“About what?”

He was silent for a moment before he said,

“About what happened to the other Elders.”

“The other Elders?” Key repeated. “What-what do you mean.”

“He said something last night. Something that threw me off when we were hiding in Paradise.”

“What was it?”

“When he was talking about the other Elders, he kept speaking about them in past tense. And the whole thing is just weird, ya know. He retraces his steps to find your mother not realizing that you or your aunt are still alive, he plans this whole thing out to get into the school and pretend to be my distant cousin, he recruits the Hallasan Mountain wolves…it’s just. It’s a lot for one creature don’t you think?”

“I-I guess. I never thought about it that way.”

“He was even on the plane with us to go get them. I mean, why do all of this alone if it’s an entire Tribe of Elders to carry out orders and decisions. He’s acting like a—”

“Tribeless.” Key finished.

They focused on the word together and let it simmer in the air as flashes of all the past things Donghae did spun around in their mind.

“So, you think he abandoned the Elders? That he’s acting on his own?”

Minho shook his head, a worried frown lining on his lips.

“Worse. I think the Tribe of Elders are all dead. And I think Donghae was the one to do it.”