It was around 3 in the morning that Chen had to knock on Jongin’s door. Jongin had felt very uneasy with the whole affair and a warm bath had only woken him up enough to ponder the happenings of the past 4 days. Kyungsoo and Jongin had been inseparable since childhood and to suddenly have his best friend and fiancé angry at him did not sit well for Jongin. Frankly, he had not expected Joonmyun to survive this long. For a minute, Jongin wished he had died right after he told them about the medicine but then he felt disgusted with himself. His mood oscillated between annoyance at this new complication and self-loathing before he fell into an uneasy sleep.

“He is gone.” Chen muttered before he dragged Jongin out of his hut. They made their way towards Chen’s hut where already the other alphas, betas and omegas had congregated.

Kris was organizing a search party while Tao and Baekhyun were consoling Yixing. Luhan, Xiumin’s beta was getting things ready for the men who were leaving.

The minute Yixing saw Jongin he ran up to him and shook him. “What were you thinking? What were you thinking before you slept?”

Chen grabbed Yixing away and held his mate to calm him.

“What? Why does it matter what I thought before I slept?”

“You idiot, he felt everything you felt. You are bonded remember.” Sehun supplied helpfully from behind.

Jongin looked guiltily at the ground.

Kris sighed and came up to him. “You must tell us Jongin-ah. A person’s life is at stake here.”

Jongin couldn’t understand why everyone cared so much. He was tired and had just returned from a terrible journey. But no, not one of his pack mates had sympathy for him. But everyone had enough to spare for Joonmyun who was the reason behind Jongin’s predicament. Anger bubbled within him and before he could control himself he spewed out.

“I wished he were dead alright, I thought he would conveniently die after telling us about the medicine but he didn’t and now I am stuck with a bond I don’t want, my boyfriend is not talking to me and everyone is so preoccupied with this guy you all barely knew for a few hours. Does no one realize that I had to stay with him and form a bond while one half of his face was literally rotting and falling off? If he left, then isn’t that good? Surely he wouldn’t last the night in the woods.”

This time when Yixing pounced on him, Chen didn’t stop him

“You bastard, you are no brother of mine. Letting you play with the prissy prince has killed your heart has it? How can you say this about someone in your pack? You disgust me.”

"He is not..."

But Kyungsoo who looked bored until then turned around and siding with Jongin shouted back. “Why should my mate care about some dying omega who is not part of our pack? What’s with you all? Why do you all care so much?”

“Because the minute Jongin mind bonded with him, he became a part of our pack. Because he is harmless and would have died in peace if we had not kept him alive for our own gains. We are not Gods to decide who lives and dies. You saved him Jongin, now he is your responsibility.” Luhan pointed out softly.

“In the half an hour he was conscious he told me enough remedies for diseases we thought we can never cure. Even when he was writhing in pain and when I wanted to smack some sense into your head, he said it was not your fault but his own for not being strong enough to close the bond. Because in the message he had left, he had thanked us and especially you for fulfilling his last and only wish.”

 “What wish? What did you do?” Kyungsoo stared at Jongin.

“Nothing, he just wanted something and I thought he was dying.” Jongin confessed sheepishly.

“I knew it. You were awfully guilty for just a bonding. What did you do Jongin?”

“I uh… He asked me to say that I love him. I didn’t but then he said he just wanted to know how it felt to hear… It was pathetic and so I told him and kissed him on the cheek. Not the bloody one, but the good one. It was fair and soft and I didn’t mean anything by it…” Jongin trailed off

“What?” Kyungsoo, launched at Jongin and started beating him until Kris pulled him aside and shouted everyone to be silent.

“This is not the time for your bickering. Chanyeol, Chen and I will go search for the omega. Xiumin and Luhan, knock some sense into Jongin’s head. Yixing and Baekyhun, you both get ready for what needs to be done. That is if we find the omega alive. Jongin, I am disappointed in you and I am beginning to think that you and Kyungsoo are a bad influence on each other. You better sit and listen to what Xiumin and Luhan have to say. Kyungsoo, go stay the night with our parents.”

"What? Why is my own brother banishing me instead of a stranger who is causing us all so much trouble?"

"Because he is pack and because I want to try my best to save him just as much as he tried to save our father. Now go home look at father's face and think because of whom he is still alive. If all this is not selfish enough for you, think how valuable he would be to the pack with his knowledge of medicines."