When Luhan awoke, sun streaming into the bedroom to signal morning had long since arrived, he regained his feeling of dread. Minseok was still asleep, his face buried in the crook of Luhan’s neck. That is the way they had fallen asleep.

Luhan had disliked having a secret between them; well, not exactly a secret since Luhan knew that Sung Woo had made the insane request of Minseok. It was just Minseok hadn’t told Luhan, which meant it was a secret, at least as far as Minseok was concerned.

Still, Luhan loved Minseok with all of his might- one secret would never change that even if it had taken him so off guard. He loved Minseok more than he could ever love anyone else. So it was not hard to hold his upset mate, to whisper words of encouragement and love, and to fall asleep in each other’s tight embrace.

Minseok shifted slightly, moving his arm to rest on Luhan’s waist. Luhan sighed. Tears stained Minseok’s pale face. His hair was rumpled, in a state of disarray that Luhan would normally swear is y as hell. But because his mate’s state was due to that old bastard and his suggestion, Luhan didn’t’ find Minseok y at the moment. He found him to be someone he wanted desperately to protect.

“Lu?” Minseok whispered, waking up slowly.

“Hmmm?” Luhan a hand up Minseok’s back slowly, meant to comfort him as the memories of the day before flooded back.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” Luhan planted a kiss on the top of his mate’s head.

Minseok broke the embrace and propped his head up on his hands, a serous expression taking over.

“I love you and I love our pups. You know that, right?”

Luhan would have taken this as a rather endearing but overall innocent declaration if not for the events of the last twelve hours. Instead these words were fully loaded, and Luhan hoped they meant exactly what he guessed they meant.

“I know. I love them too.” Luhan placed a hand on Minseok’s midsection, looking down at the very small but still evident (at least to him) swell to Minseok’s belly. “Do you feel them move yet?”

Minseok smiled at his words, that gummy smile that never failed to make Luhan’s heart leap.

“No, not yet. The doctor said it would be sixteen weeks before I can feel them.”

“How many pups do you think we will have?” Luhan kept his gaze fixated on Minseok’s tummy.

“I was a litter of three. You were one, right?” Minseok asked absent mindedly.

“Wait? There were three in your litter?” This was the first time Luhan had heard this bit of news, it took him by surprise.

“Yeah, but I was the only one that survived beyond pup-hood. It was tough at that time for the pack.”

“Oh” Luhan didn’t know what to say to that.

“I guess I just always considered myself an only child because of that, but if we want to get technical I was from a litter of three. So…maybe two pups?”

Luhan brightened at the idea, “A boy and a girl!”

“I thought you wanted only boys?” Minseok raised an eyebrow.

“Well…”Luhan blushed a little, trying to keep his head down so Minseok wouldn’t notice.

“Well what?!”

“I think a little girl with your eyes would be the prettiest girl in the world.” Luhan replied, his blush intensifying.

“Yah! Do I look like a girl to you?”

“No, you look better. But if we have two pups I hope one is a little girl with my Minseokie’s eyes.” Luhan was fully ready to be hit, after all he had topped it off with that nickname that drove his mate nuts. He wasn’t hit though. Instead he was treated to another gummy smile.

“And I hope we have a girl that looks like you. Let’s face it Lu, you are pretty.”

Luhan’s face contorted into open mouth shock; that expression that made him loose his lower jaw. Like it was the first time he had ever been told he was pretty.

“But I like that about you.” Minseok followed up. He took his mate’s head in his hands and planted a kiss on his lips, lingering long enough for it to be anything chaste.

“You do?” Luhan kind of wanted to playfully hit his mate for the comment but he couldn’t exactly think straight with Minseok’s lips lingering near his own.

“Mmmmm. Now kiss me pretty boy” Minseok mumbled. Luhan was only too happy to oblige. The more serious matter could wait, at the moment they had something better to do.

***

“So, I was thinking, when you go into heat again-“

“Woah, woah woah!” Sehun threw his hands up, affronted. He was at the playground, well what he had come to think of as Sehun and Tao’s playground, sitting on his favorite swing. Tao had spoken the words out of the blue and Sehun was not sure he liked where this was going.

“What? We are dating, right Sehun-ah?” Tao looked confused.

Sehun huffed, “Yeah, but don’t think that means the minute I am in heat you are getting some.” He crossed his arms on his chest and narrowed his eyes, giving Tao a look that said “You wish”

“But isn’t that what mates do?” Tao looked even more confused.

“So you think we should be like everyone else?”

“Yes…I mean no. I mean…”Tao wasn’t sure what he meant at that point. He just wanted his Hunah to not go storming off or get mad at him. This dating thing seemed to be as tense as before they were dating, maybe more so. And it had been less than a day since they had solidified their relationship status.

“You look cute when you are confused.” Sehun smiled, easing Tao’s tension.

“I do?” Tao was not sure what this tactic was.

“Yeah, you do.”

They went back to silent swinging for a few minutes before Sehun vocalized his intentions.

“I just want it to be right, okay. When I go into heat I don’t want you to just jump me, okay? I want it to be something that makes sense. Right place, right time yunno.”

“I understand Hun-ah!” Tao swept his boyfriend in to a hug, pulling him from the swing, “And I can’t wait!”

It was a cheerful statement, not a charged one, but it still made Sehun roll his eyes. He had to admit it to himself though, he couldn’t wait either.

***

So Ra was eyeing three very hung over wolves with the look only a mother (well, pseudo mother) could give them – part disappointment and part compassion for their current state.

“Maybe if you hadn’t wanted a shot every two seconds!” Jongdae pointed a finger at Baekhyun, his pounding head making him squint.

Baekhyun threw up his hands, “What about unicorn boy over there?”

Yixing made a strange noise from his throat, his head down on the dining room table so the lights wouldn’t further his pain.

“The way it looks to me you are all at fault.” So Ra said, handing a plate of toast to Jongdae, “Eat and get your strength back. And don’t go drinking like that again for a while.”

Jongdae stuffed a piece of toast in his mouth before handing the plate off to Baekhyun. Yixing perked up and took his own piece, his hunger winning over his hangover.

All three men went back to grimacing when Kyungsoo and Jongin entered the room, hand in hand, looking so sickly sweet it did nothing for their nausea.

“Hyungs? Are you okay?” Jongin asked, concern in his words.

“They drank too much.” So Ra explained for them.

Kyungsoo’s mouth made a big O, before he took a seat next to Jongin near the end of the table (as if a hangover was contagious).

“Where is Luhan and Minseok hyungs?” Jongin asked, only to have Kyungsoo elbow him.

“That’s a silly question…where do you think they are?” Kyungsoo muttered. If the pack leaders were MIA in the morning they were probably locked away in their room doing things that Kyungsoo didn’t like thinking about – it was like his parents doing it or something.

“We are right here!” Speak of the devils- Minseok and Luhan, faces flushed, joined the mid-morning breakfast gathering.

Kyungsoo winced a little. Yeah, they had been doing it.

“How are you so chipper?” Jongdae asked.

“Well, you know….” Luhan smiled.

Kyungsoo winced yet again, yep they had totally been doing it. “We don’t need to know!” He spat out, hoping he wouldn’t hear any details of the pack leader’s bedroom escapades.  The rest of the dining room shot him a look but went back to their hangovers / food/ significant others. And then the noise showed up.

“Hey guys!” Chanyeol practically bounced into the room, ignoring the dirty looks he plopped down on a seat opposite of Jongin. “Good news, good news!”

“Could you speak a little less loudly” Baekhyun held his forehead.

“Um, no.” Chanyeol grabbed some toast, scarfing it down in one shot. If you could one shot toast that is, “So, since half of you seem all gung ho about that university I took a look myself.” Chanyeol smiled widely, like it was some huge accomplishment for him to go online and look at class offerings, “And I think I am going to major in marketing! Quite the nightclub gig and get me an education!”

“That is good news?” Yixing looked confused.

“Yeah, legit conman work! Don’t you think I will be perfect?”

Kyungsoo shook his head. He felt Jongin squeeze his hand under the table, “Are you okay hyung?”

“Yeah, just annoyed” He replied quietly.

“That’s great news Chanyeol!” Minseok beamed at his pack member, “The chances of us being kicked out of our house due you working in marketing is slim to none!”

Chanyeol would have been offended if he did not understand his pack leader’s unique sense of humor. Instead he blushed slightly, mumbled a “sorry again hyung” and launched back into his story of how he would become the most amazing ad person (well, wolf) that the world had ever known.

After the pack had listened to his spiel (well, half of them ignored him) they started to make their way towards their daily activities. Yixing to take over at the Angel Café (for the recently hired college student they had employed there), Jongdae to go meet Suho for lunch and an apology for coming in drunk in the middle of the night, Kyungsoo and Jongin to get to the Angel Café for some serious baking and flirting, and Chanyeol to do whatever it is that Chanyeol does. Baekhyun announced that he would be in his room, sleeping. That left So Ra, Minseok, and Luhan alone.

So Ra had been waiting for the right time to talk to the both of them, and she decided to take the plunge at that moment.

“Minseok, I met with your Father.” So Ra started off slowly.

Minseok’s eyes widened. He had figured So Ra had known the old man but didn’t have any real concept of how close their relationship was (if they were close any way).

“I am worried for you. For you both.” She looked from Luhan to Minseok.

Luhan instinctively grasped Minseok’s hand in his own. “Why?”

“I heard him on a phone call and it didn’t sound…good. He’s is up to something and I have a feeling it has everything to do with hurting Minseok.”

Minseok didn’t really want to face the subject of his Father so soon after his own meeting with the man. Sung Woo had made his emotions go crazy. From what appeared to be showing genuine concern when he met him at the movie theater to asking him to sacrifice his young, Minseok was conflicted - angry and conflicted when it came to his Dad’s true motivations.

“I met him yesterday too...” Minseok knew Luhan would probably be upset he hadn’t told him yet, but if they were going to have the conversation now he had to lay his cards on the table. He took a deep breath before continuing “He asked me to give up our pups to the government. He said they would leave me alone then.”

Luhan gripped Minseok’s hand tighter. Of course he knew this, but Minseok had no idea that he knew.

“I am not going to do it, obviously. Sorry Lu I didn’t tell you before” Minseok’s eyes were growing teary. He looked at his mate, sincerity in his eyes.

“It’s okay Min, I know you would never do that” Luhan had a strong desire to pull Minseok into his arms, to try to sooth away the pain he was feeling, but he stopped himself. They had to have this conversation, strong embraces would come later.

“My fear is that we are going to be attacked here, especially if Sung Woo thinks we won’t comply with his requests,” So Ra continued, “So at this point I am proposing we make him think we are going along with everything. That is, until we figure out our own plan.”

Minseok looked at So Ra like she had sprouted a second head, “You want us to pretend like we are complying? Like I am giving him our pups?!”

Luhan began his own protests but So Ra spoke over them, “Yes, unless you two have a better idea. At this point we can tell him no, but I have a feeling that will only have us all dead or captured in a day’s time. If we can at least lead him on for a bit then we buy ourselves some time to plan.”

Minseok hated it. He really hated it, but he had to admit it made sense in the grand scheme of things.

“If he thinks you will sacrifice the pups we have months to plan. They aren’t due until late summer and I am confident that we can figure something out by then.” So Ra looked between the two men. She had always thought of Luhan like a son, it tore her in two to ask him to do something like this. And Minseok, as Luhan’s mate had found a special place in her heart too. She hated asking it all around.

“I think we need to figure out who exactly he is working for. My gut tells me he is hand in hand with the government, probably has been for years. But until now we never made that connection,” So Ra explained.

“He helped us for so long…” Luhan whispered.

“Yeah, probably because he still has some kind of soul when it comes to how much our kind has been oppressed. It also probably suited him, he knows the Eastern Dawn pack was one of the most powerful in Korea. Even with his ties, our own connections are nothing to laugh at. But now with his son here he has every reason to give him up to whoever he works for, especially if it is a matter of time before they find out about Minseok. But if we say we will work with him we can probably earn his protection for the next several months, keep the government off our backs, and figure out how to stop this.”

Minseok, after many moments of silence, muttered his agreement. He knew it made sense, he just didn’t like it.

“Luhan…” Minseok turned to his mate.

“Fine, but I don’t like it.” Luhan answered.

“Okay, then we need to discuss something’s. Firstly how we convince Sung Woo we are being sincere.” So Ra said carefully, “Let me know if you are ready.”

The two pack leaders simply nodded, hands still intertwined. They would get through this somehow, together, as a family.

a/n- I couldn’t sleep so I decided to sit down and bust out a chapter. I may have some more time in the next few weeks to write (due to a two week leave from work. my gall bladder decided it needed to be removed so I am on the mends- which means I am laying around bored out of my mind, which also means I am in the writing mood).

157 subs- wow, just wow. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope you guys are liking the story so far and that it is not turning out to be a disappointment. If you think I am butchering it let me know in the comments (constructive criticism is something I live for), also let me know if the story is decent so far. I have a lot of thoughts of how this story will go in my head, I hope it won’t disappoint you!

Oh, and because I am blabbering- I was thinking about doing a half chapter on one of the couples that I don’t’ really focus on (Jongin and Kyungsoo, Suho and Jongdae). Let me know if you are interested and if so which couple you would like to see in the mini chapter. Thanks again! Hugs!