“So, you fought the bear here?”

Minho chuckled and shook his head. “No, this is where I left Onew before I went looking for some herbs for my meals. These woods are hard to navigate so I’d wandered out miles before the Typhoon attacked.”

“Wait, you mean Typhoon is the bear shifter that attacked you?” Jinki said, alarmed. Min Soo gurgled and Jinki looked down at his daughter. “Isn’t that scary, Minnie Soo? Should I march back to that big rock and bop him across his nose?” The baby gurgled again and Jinki readjusted her in the cotton wrap fit snugly against his body. “She agrees.”

“Seems she agrees with everything you do. She always fusses at me.”

Jinki snorted. “And what about Min Sun? She hollers and hollers and hollers when you’re not around but as soon as you pick her up, peace and quiet.”

“You just want to show Daddy how mighty your roar is, isn’t that right, my Sunflower?”

They were in the clearing not far from the Mighty Cave, having a picnic to themselves. Well, close to by themselves. Junghee and Gwiboon and a few other members of Torch had the immediate area surrounded while members of the Nihil guard were situated in the trees to look for any threats further out. Not that they would find any but if it made them feel better, Minho didn’t mind.  Caelo and Onew were off running around the clearing like two dogs in heat. Minho was lucky Min Soo and Min Sun weren’t old enough to know that tongues were meant to stay in your mouth.

“Areum said we had until sunset to enjoy ourselves. If we aren’t back in the cave by then, she said she’d come out here and tan our behinds.”

“That woman looks so sweet but she is so scary,” Jinki grumbled. 

Minho smiled at his mate. “How are things going…you know with your Mom and Areum being in the same place?”

Jinki rolled his eyes. “You mean with the constant crying and asking for forgiveness and mutual be of circumstances that happened decades ago? Swell. If I have to hear the story of how my mother discovered me one more time I’m going to scream.”

“Other than that?” Minho asked, laughing.

“Other than that, I feel grateful to have finally met her and to have her and my mother in my life. I am very blessed or as Areum-Mother says, “Se’beatæh!” Now I finally understand why I know the words on the box these rings came in.” He the ring with a small smile. “They are the words of Areum-Mother. She’s very kind to me. Absolutely adores Onew but I think she thinks I’m alright.”

Minho hummed.

“I want to offer them some kind of ambassadorship for all of their help. I was going to request Julien’s help with that but…I haven’t seen him in weeks.”

Minho coughed lightly. “I sent him on a very important errand. I pray he’ll be back any day now.”

“An errand?”

Minho nodded. “Something to do with my sister. He asked me the best way to honor her and I told him how. If he does it correctly, it will honor not only Minjung, but you and I, and these two adorable additions.”

“They are cute, aren’t they?”

“Our legacies,” Minho confirmed as he stared down at Min Sun in his arms, then at Min Soo strapped to her father’s chest. “Our soulmates.”

Jinki laid his head on Minho’s shoulder. “We have to secure the future for them. I knew with our mating disaster would come but I never thought that something so beautiful could be produced from it.” Jinki nuzzled Minho’s neck, his lips flush against his warm skin. “Thank you, Minho. Thank you for trusting me and loving me and giving me these two wonderful gifts,” he tried, his voice rough. He lowered his lips to Minho’s shoulder to hide how his voice quivered. “Thank you so much for so much. I can’t ever repay you.”

“Repay me?” Minho said softly. “Jinki, I love you. You are my Alpha. I live to see you succeed, to see your smile. There is nothing to repay. I owe my life to you.”

“You saved me more than I saved you,” he replied.

Minho craned his head so he could kiss Jinki. “You just wait until I’m well enough to show you just how grateful I am,” he said, his voice dipping into a lower octave.

“Yeah?”

“You think Onew and Caleo are terrible? I’m going to eat you alive.”

Jinki raised his head and arched a brow. “Yeah?” he said as he across Minho’s bottom lip.

“Yeah,” Minho mumbled as he pressed forward and sealed their lips again. Jinki hummed in approval and had tilted his head to deepen the kiss when Min Sun reached up and slapped at Jinki’s face. Jinki broke the kiss with a gasp and looked down at his daughter. “Are you jealous, my gorgeous little sunflower? Do you want a kiss from Daddy, too? Is your Papa being stingy?”

Min Sun gurgled happily as Jinki bent down and showered her with kisses.

“And one for my Min Soo as well,” Minho said, kissing her across the nose. She didn’t seem as impressed as her sister and Minho laughed.

---

“There is really nothing wrong with cooked meat, Onew.”

“You’re a damn liar!” the wolf said, shoving Minho’s plate away from him. “I’m not eating that burnt ! Feed it to the pregnant one,” he suggested nastily, thumbing at Kibum. Kibum, in response, threw a buttered roll at the back of his head.

“Onew, my love, relax. We are trying to have a civilized feast with the humans. Here, try this,” Caelo tried, shoving a whole orange in Onew’s mouth. The wolf chomped on it, juices flowing down his mouth and onto his shirt. He looked happy and it shut him up, and for that Caelo, Minho, Jinki and everyone else at the table was happy. “What are we celebrating again?” Minho’s wolf asked as he looked around the table.

“Jinki has been here almost a month and it’s almost time for him to return to his duties,” Taemin said. “Mother and I have things we need to attend to as well. We’ve put them off far too long. The feast was Danye’s idea so we could celebrate the time we’ve spent together, the ties we’ve created and rejoice in how large our family has grown.”

“Family tree is going to look messy as ,” Onew grumbled around the fruit in his mouth.

“But abundant,” Areum replied. “We welcome you Minho and Jinki, and your family to our table, to our cave and to our love.”

“And our weapons!” Eunsook said, throwing back her umpteenth glass of wine. “Although we don’t have really cool ones but they kill just the same,” she said, cackling.

“And,” Areum continued, obviously ignoring her drunken daughter, “we pray for a safe trip and a won war.”

“And clothes! Minho forgot to bring me my clothes! He said he was going to bring me bright bright clothes!” Sooyoung said. “We even pinky promised!”

Minho laughed. “You’re right! What good is a pinky promised if it’s broken?”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

“Do Aunty Princesses get clothes too?” Eunsook said, a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

Taeyeon smiled at Eunsook. “I’ll make sure to send you some when I get back. Although I may have to take measurements. Your chest is…ample.”

Eunsook looked down at her chest, the shirt stained with red wine and shrugged. “Maybe a little.”

Danye and Iseul howled at that and it caused the entire table to erupt in loud laughter.

The sound of a guard’s shout brought their rambunctiousness to an end.

Moments after the sudden interruption, a young guard fumbled up the steps and came to a clumsy stop in front of Eunsook and completed a smooth salute. “Yuni reporting from the Eastern Guard!”

“We are eating, Yuni. Is something the matter?” Eunsook replied, her glass poise at her lips.

The young guard nodded yes hurriedly. “Um, it seems that we have guest, or we will? There is a large party moving southward towards us. I can’t make out their banners. I’ve never seen it before. They’ll be here any moment. They say they’ve come at the command of the Alpha Beta of Prae.”

Jinki frowned but Minho’s face slowly lit up. “Julien,” he whispered. “Let them pass!” Minho stood up from the table and ran to the stairs. “Let them pass!”

Jinki was shortly behind him, coming to a smooth stop at the top of the stairs. Off in the distance he could see party, not as large as the guard described, but then again, Yuni probably hadn’t seen an entire host before. Junghee and Gwiboon took their customary positions in front of Minho while Taemin and Taeyeon moved to stand a step lower than Jinki, as was customary for them as well. Inwoo stood to the side. A thick three layer formation of Nihil Guards and Torch members lined the bottom of the steps.

He looked at his mate and gave him a questioning look, but Minho grabbed his hand, still smiling. Before Jinki could open his mouth to question him, Minho kissed him soundly on the lips.

“What was that for?”

“For seeking your forgiveness instead of your permission. I hope you’ll trust I made a wise decision.”

By the time the party came closer, most of the field was filled with the newcomers, their banners flapping proudly in the dry, cool air.

Four horses galloped to the front and Jinki instantly recognized Julien and Kahi’s faces. The other two, he didn’t recognize but from the way they were dressed, he figured they were very important. Maybe diplomats or ambassadors. He frowned.  What reason would ambassadors be visiting them here? And how did they know about this place?

After they dismounted, the four calmly approached. Julien had a -eating grin on his face and his hands were balled at his sides as if he couldn’t keep the excitement down. Kahi simply laughed at him as they pulled to a stop in front of the two Alphas of Prae.

“Julien!” Minho exclaimed. “You do not understand how glad I am to see you returned here safely. When I didn’t get a word or a hawk, I began to worry.”

“I was in no danger, my lord,” Julien said, still smiling. “I was headed to the safest place in the world for me. Plus, Kahi is pretty good with a dagger so no one dared pick a fight,” he jested, elbowing the shorter shifter at his side.

“What…what is all of this Julien?” Jinki asked looking between the three of them.

“Minho tasked me with something difficult, something dangerous, not for I, but for him, yet it was the bravest request I’ve ever heard. It was the smartest one, too if I may add. And it wouldn’t have been possible without the two of you coming together and creating a force stronger and more powerful than war.”

“A force stronger than war?” Jinki tried

“Yes,” Julien said. “Love. A bond. A link.” Julien moved to the side and the two other shifters made their way closer. Minho could smell their strength from where he stood. These were two very powerful Alphas. “May I introduce to you, Toghon and Gi Jao, The King and Queen of Fallow Forest.”

Both Minho and Jinki gasped.

“The King and Queen of the Arctic Wolves.”

Adorned in all white, a mix of fur, thick hide and armor, the two looked every bit of royalty. They walked closer to the steps and the Wanderers not knowing what the hell an Artic Wolf was, or how rare their appearance was, didn’t move.

“Make way,” Jinki said, his command solid and deep. They hesitated for only a moment before following the command, allowing Toghon and Gi Jao to climb the steps, Julien and Kahi at their sides. They both approached Jinki but their gaze landed on Minho.

Queen Gi Jao stared at him for a long moment before she rushed forward and gathered Minho in her arms. Confused, Jinki looked on but kept silent.

Queen Gi Jao pulled back and Minho seem to panic at seeing tears in her eyes. “You look just like Minjung.  A spitting image. Oh,” she said, caressing his cheek. “I am so glad to have finally met you, Minho.”

“My mate and Minjung were very close, you see,” King Toghon explained, looking at his wife’s tears with an understanding frown. “They didn’t get along at first, but when they finally began to understand each other, their bond was unbreakable. The entire time that Julien and Minjung were mated, we never made the time to Wheph to visit.  We sent our ambassador, Minwoo, often but never ourselves. Yunkyum told us that he understood. Our presence in any part of Prae could have been taken in any number of ways, but most of the outcomes would be political and violent. So because of that, we never had a chance to meet Minho.” He paused and ruffled the younger shifter’s hair. “Until today.”

“You could imagine my sorrow upon hearing of Minjung’s passing,” Queen Gi Jao lamented sorrowfully. Jinki could see she was still very much affected by her daughter-in-law’s death. “Yet, I always knew she regarded you as her heir. So we regarded you as her heir. You are as much our son-in-law as she was our daughter-in-law.”

“I learned of how Fallow Forest protected me while I was Alpha of Wheph,” Minho offered, taking Queen Gi Jao's hand.” I’ll never be able to show you the gratitude you deserve.”

“Nonsense, young man. You have given us something so much better.”

Minho nodded as if he knew what Toghon was speaking of. He motioned towards Ika and Bella. Without a word, they brought Min Soo and Min Sun closer.

Queen Gi Jao's face broke out into a wide, breathtaking smile as the babies were brought to them. “Can we?” she breathed, parted open in wonder. Minho and Jinki both nodded. Ika placed one twin in Queen Gi Jao's arms and the other in King Toghon's. They stared down into the twin’s faces as if they were holding rare and priceless artifacts.

“This one is Min Soo,” Minho said, softly caressing her across her forehead.

“Min Soo,” Toghon addressed, his voice taking on a kingly tone as the tiny babe reached for the ends of his ponytail that draped over his shoulder. “You are a fighter! You are loyal and strong. The Artic Wolf warrior spirit lives in you!” Min Soo frowned at him and continued reaching for his hair.

“And this is Min Sun,” Jinki disclosed. She was staring at Queen Gi Jao's without blinking and a small smile was on her lips. She clutched at her finger when Queen Gi Jao's pushed back her cotton swaddling. “You are patient and kind, little Min Sun. I see so much intelligence in your eyes. You have the Artic Wolf augur spirit.”

Toghon looked up and his eyes were a little moist. “You’ve given us grandchildren,” Toghon said, his voice rough.

“Oh, god,” Onew groaned.

Eunsook joined him. “How many damn grandparents are those pups going to get?” she exclaimed.

Jinki shot both of them a look over his shoulder. Eunsook threw her hands up and Onew rolled his eyes.

“Jinki,” Toghon said. “You are the Alpha of Prae, are you not?”

Jinki nodded once. “Yes. I am the Alpha Prime. Minho, the Alpha Beta.”

“We have heard and heeded Minho’s request to form a bond, not just with Wheph, but with Prae. We cannot allow danger to come to Minjung’s heir or Minho’s offspring. We cannot let the lands they live on be destroyed by turmoil, fire and bloodshed.

Jinki’s eyes narrowed. “What…” he looked at Minho before looking back at King Toghon. “What does that mean?”

“It means that for the first time in a thousand years, The Arctic Wolves of the North shall aid another in battle.” He placed a solid hand on Jinki’s shoulder, squeezing once.

“An alliance,” Queen Gi Jao said.

“Yes.” Toghon placed Min Sun back in Bella’s arms and reached for the sword at his hip. It had an all-white sheath with the metallic head of a howling wolf staring back at them. He raised the sword, placed it in Jinki’s hands and turned to the gathering behind him. “I, The Great King of the Arctic, formally announce, in front of these witnesses, those of Prae, those of the Arctic, those of this home and beyond, the alliance between the North and the South. We are at your service, Prae.” He stared at Jinki, unwaveringly. “Alpha Prime of Prae, you, your mate, and your children have your army.”

“The prophecy,” Minho whispered.

Jinki looked down at their children.

Because, my Lord, we saw something different. Yes, there was war; yes there was blood and fire. But we also saw something in your pairing that fixed that. We saw something that only your bonding could produce.

He felt Minho’s hand slide in his. He felt Minho’s heart thumping in his chest. He felt their children’s energy mingling with theirs.

Something that would extinguish the flames, heal the wounds and stop the bloodshed.

----

HI! Been a while right? I sorry! I finished my second book so I have a few months to actually WRITE something else! I can't believe y'all had me write MPREG. Having that on your google search results at work is STRESSFUL LOL! I'm trying to think of some questions you might have before you asked me becuase...yeah.

1. The cut was something I read in a Sherlock MPREG and I also saw it referenced in Birthright, another OnHo fic on Tumblr. Check it out. It's really really good. It's literally a cut between the legs. Use your imagination and any anatomy classes where that cut would be. I didn't handle the research well. I squirmed SO MUCH lol

2. The OTHER cut that Areum talked about was a C-Section. Which would have been a possibility if he were in Prae. It would have been a bonafied surgery with healers and the cutting edge of technology (at that time). However, Minho isn't in Prae. He's in "Nihil." Cutting him that way here usually has a high mortality rate because of blood loss and post-surgery infection and TRAUMA. 

3. The major question is WILL Minho be able to go back? Will he? Hmm?

4. War time comey soon

5. This is drawing to a close. Soon. I'm not sure how soon. But soon. So you won't have to kill me for my embarassingly lengthy periods of time between updates!

6. Love you all! Merry whatever holiday you celebrate right now!