Jongin felt the dagger slice just below his jawline and braced himself to have his face carved off while still alive, when all of a sudden there was a gurgling noise followed by Takashi falling to the side. Jongin opened his eyes to see a terrified Suho still holding a bloody sword. Jongin stared at Suho and then the figure on the ground.

Takashi’s body was twitching while blood was pouring off his chest. With blood stained hands he reached for Suho but the healer just stepped back and blankly watching life seep out of his tormentor.

“SUHO HYUNG! SUHO!”

Despite Jongin’s  voice echoing between the bare walls, Suho didn’t respond.

“Joonmyeon hyung! Jun! Look at me.”

Slowly Suho lifted his eyes off the lifeless body at his feet and looked up at Jongin. Realizing how skittish Suho was, Jongin gentled his voice before speaking.

“Jun, you need to come closer ok, don’t look down, just walk towards me slowly ok?”

Suho eyes welled with tears but he slowly walked to the front of the tied up alpha.

“You need to cut me loose ok. Just lift the sword and cut the rope first alright.”

Suho looked down at the sword and panicked.

“Jun, listed to my voice ok, don’t think, just cut me free and everything will be ok, I promise.”

Suho cut the ropes off Jongin and stepped back, but it was clear that he was still in shock. The sudden blankness in Jongin’s mind made it very clear that Suho was not conscious in his mind. Gently, Jongin pried the sword on of Suho’s hand and threw it aside. That seemed to trigger something in Suho finally. Fear and pain coursed through the bond once again and Suho collapsed against Jongin.

“I killed him. I killed him. I killed him.”

Jongin pulled the omega close and hid his face against his chest. He knew he smelt foul after all the ordeal he had undergone the past days but it was better than the smell of blood. Slowly, Jongin moved them towards the exit even as Suho shook and mumbled to himself. Outside the Sun was bright and warm, but Suho didn’t stop shaking.

Pushing Suho to sit on a rock, Jongin called out to him but there was no response. Remembering that earlier, Suho responded to the name Jun, Jongin tried once again.

“Jun, Jun, look at me.”

Suho looked up in fear anxiously.

“You should stay away from me. I killed him. You should…”

“Listen, you killed him to save me, now say you saved me.”

“I…”

“Come on repeat after me. ‘I saved you’”

“I saved you.”

“Yes, just look at me and keep repeating that loudly.”

They stayed like that for a few minutes until Suho calmed down and stopped crying. Jongin looked at the omega in front of him, the blotched up face and shaking hands clearly indicated that Suho was in no position to make any decisions. Knowing very well that if he gets anxious so will Suho because of their currently open two way radio of a bond, Jongin tried to calmly analyse their options.

First order of business was to check if either of them was injured.

“Jun, are you hurt anywhere?”

“I am fine, you are the one who is bleeding. Let me check.”

The cut that was made on Jongin’s  chin was still slowly bleeding. Suho tore a bit of his own shirt and pressed it against the wound to stop the bleeding.

“It needs to be cleaned.”

But when he sat back Suho yelped in pain unconsciously before remembering that he was not supposed to be injured.

“Jun hyung… where are you hurt?”

Suho looked up guiltily and pointed to his ribs.

“I can’t do anything until I can find something to bind it.” Neither of them said it but there was no way they were going back inside the cave.

Jongin wondered what to do next. He wondered if he should bury or burn the body, but then realized that will not help in anyway as the smell of them would be easy to track for any wolf. He was sure his own pack would be looking for them. Then again, a murder has happened and sooner or later, they will be caught.

“You should go.”

Suho mumbled.

“What?” Jongin was thrown off the loop by Suho’s suggestion.

“I can tell what you are thinking. There is no way out of this. Regardless of who he was, killing a wolf especially an alpha mate is punishable by death. Before you are caught as an accomplice you should go.”

“Jun… can you stay away from my head. “

Suho looked ashamed and then slowly nodded his head.

“I am going to look around a little bit and see what around here. You just stay here ok. Don’t move from here and in case someone comes by, don’t say anything until I come back and I will come back. Do you understand?”

“But…”

“I am asking you if you understand?”

Reluctantly Suho nodded his head.”

“I am coming with you.”

“No Kyungsoo, it’s…”

  “If Yixing huang can go, so can I, Jongin is my mate and I must go, besides, my bond with him will help in tracking him.”

“Yixing can help us track, you stay here.”

“No, I will go, see if you can stop me.”

Kris sighed and tugged at his hair. Then resigning himself agreed, “fine, just don’t slow us down”

Kris turned around and looked at the rest of his pack.

“So as planned Chen, Yixing, Kyungsoo and I will be heading in search of Jongin and Suho along with Yukimaru san. Chanyeol and Luhan will be taking a message to the elders at the council while the rest of you will take care of things here.”