Kyungsoo struggled for air as he turned over. The weight pressing down on his diaphragm and stomach didn’t help as he tried to inhale a deep breath and nearly choked as a kick from inside hit him in just the right spot that he coughed hard. “Damn brat.” He groans, rubbing against his swollen stomach as another kick happens, harder than the first one.

“Soo?” Taehyung’s blotchy face raises up from the pillow next to him, sleepy eyes blinking quickly.

“The pup is restless, won’t let me sleep.” Kyungsoo groans, fumbling for the light. He’s not going to get much rest until the pup settles down anyway, so he might as well get up.

Taehyung frowns, sitting up and helping Kyungsoo up. “He sure is active at night.” He comments, watching as Kyungsoo rubs the spots the baby is kicking at.

“I wish it weren’t so active.” Kyungsoo groans.

“Maybe it’s because he misses his Appa?” Taehyung asks.

Kyungsoo snorts. “If he does, he’s a damn fool for wanting his attention.” Kai’s been down at the main lines of the war, trying to force the wolves fighting for him to work harder to regain ground they’d lost a few weeks after Kai had announced the pregnancy. The rest of world thinks Taehyung is pregnant, that the last 3 years of being secluded in the Head Alpha’s house had reaffirmed his ‘mate’ bond with the Omega, allowing for him to bless Kai with a pup.

The day Kai had come back marked up with bites from Taehyung’s mates was the day that the truth came crashing down on the Alpha. Taehyung had only gone into a pseudo heat, which had lasted long enough for his body to realize that the Alpha above him was not one of his mates, and any chances of having a viable pregnancy had vanished along with Kai’s knot.

It seems, that for all of Kai’s want to have some sort of bond with Taehyung, it would be forever a pipe dream to the Alpha. The scent of an unmated Alpha going into a rut had set Kyungsoo off into a natural heat, and by the time the three had emerged from the medical bay, Kyungsoo and Kai sported matching mating marks.

Luhan was the only other wolf besides their personal doctors who knew the truth. That Kai had finally admitted defeat with the Omega he’d been obsessed with, and had instead mated with the one Omega that no one else had wanted.

The two Omegas were sequestered in their part of the house again, the only ones allowed in and out were Luhan and Kai along with Kyungsoo’s personal doctor, who’d been Taehyung’s doctor. Luhan was the one who brought their food, and Kai only came when he wasn’t swamped with Pack work, or going to the front lines to bolster the wolves. Taehyung knew the importance of keeping up pretenses. Shortly after the mating, Kyungsoo was confirmed to be pregnant, as if the Omega was meant to be Kai’s mate.

Taehyung wasn’t sure when it had happened, but Kyungsoo had convinced Kai to let Taehyung go after pup is born, something that he never thought would happen. The thought of seeing his mates and pack again were enough to keep Taehyung sane while Kyungsoo grew and his belly stretched out as the pup took up growing space in his womb. Taehyung won’t admit that he misses that feeling of a life growing inside him, wondering briefly one night when he couldn’t sleep, if Jin and Jungkook had managed to have another pup, or if Jimin and Hoseok were parents finally.

It’s been 4 whole years since he’s been coerced into going with Kai for the sake of his pups and Pack, and Taehyung misses them all something fierce, but he continues to swallow down the severe homesickness that his wolf mirrors inside him, continuing to help Kyungsoo with the life growing in his own belly.

The only downside to the whole deal, was that Kyungsoo now got the better meals, fresh fruits and vegetables that used to be put on Taehyung’s tray were now piled onto Kyungsoo’s meal, though the Omega claimed often that the morning sickness made his appetite pickier and half the fruits went to Taehyung anyway.

The Omega hasn’t gained a single ounce of weight though, and while Kyungsoo plumps out and the pregnancy glow surrounds the real Head Alpha’s Mate, Taehyung seems to shrink in on himself more, though he tries not to show it.

Being away from his mates for so long has taken a physical toll on his body and wolf, and Kyungsoo worries that the younger Omega will never recover from the abuse Kai put him through the last 3 years. He’s never told anyone, but his connection with his wolf is slowly becoming strained, possibly due to the distance between himself and his mates, or from the time spent apart from them. Taehyung hasn’t shifted since Kai found him, the fear of the Alpha making him submit in his wolf form keeping him from trying to connect with his wolf, from daring to hope that he’ll get to really escape this reality that he’s become accustomed to.

Their days and nights go on, the routine of taking care of Kyungsoo as his pregnancy continues starts to take a toll on Taehyung, though he hides it from the other as much as possible. He remembers how Jin doted on Jimin after Hoseok’s attack and Jimin’s miscarriage, and he doesn’t think he wants Kyungsoo to do that to him. It would create a sense of a pack bonding, one wolf carrying life and taking care of another life at the same time, and Taehyung’s wolf longs for his Pack even though they are hundreds of miles away.

He keeps telling himself that he’ll make it, that he’s not really counting down the days until he’s set free, though there have been no words from Kai on how that will happen. He’s sure the Alpha will make up some bull after the pup is born, much like the older Packs where the Head Alpha makes the Omega he’s mated with choose between raising their pups anonymously or becoming the Pack Omega like it had been in Jimin’s parental pack.

The days melt together, and before anyone knows it, Kyungsoo is panting heavily as the contractions rip through his belly. “Push Soo.” Taehyung pleads as the doctor assigned to them waits for the head to crown on the pup. He’s got one of Kyungsoo’s hands in his, the Omega squeezing so hard that Taehyung can barely feel his fingers.

It felt like forever, that Taehyung was coaxing Kyungsoo into pushing, that the pup was taking its sweet time coming out. But in reality, it was over in just a few hours, the pup snuggled closely up to Kyungsoo’s chest, head over his heart as the doctor works to clean up the Omega from the afterbirth and fussing over the pair as they bond as mother and child.

While Kyungsoo was giving birth, Kai was out at the front lines again, frustration clouding his senses as he realizes yet again, that they’ve given up vital ground in the fight against the southern Packs. The war has been going on nearly 4 years at this point, and while Kai has admitted defeat in successfully claiming Taehyung and getting a pup from him, he’s not quite through with the rage against Namjoon and Yoongi for taking Taehyung away from him, and refuses to end the war, though countless lives have been lost.

“We need more wolves to the front lines.” His new general admits as they sit in the control tent, staring down at the map that shows where all of Kai’s wolves are at along with where they think the enemy camps are located across the front lines.

“Well, start recruiting from the extreme northern packs.” Kai snaps. “I want to push back down towards Cheong-ju, I bet that is where they are hiding.” He growls at the general.

A sound outside the tent, and a Beta that relays messages from his compound in Seoul comes in, short of breath. “Head Alpha.” He bows. “Word from the compound.” He breathes. “Head Alpha’s Mate is in labor to have the Heir!”

Kai starts, thinking back to the last checkup that Kyungsoo has had, the one where he forced Kai into promising that Taehyung would be free to go back to his Pack and mates after their pup was born. “He’s early though?”

“They didn’t say, but it was stated that labor had started a while ago.” The messenger replies. “What should I send back?”

“Tell them I’ll be back tomorrow when things here are done.” Kai waves a hand dismissively. “I’m not worried that things will go wrong with the birth. My mate has done wonderfully in pupping for me, and I am sure that I will have a healthy male Heir born before I arrive anyway, so I will not rush things.”

The Beta nods, as if he’s mentally writing a note to himself about what Kai wants relayed. “Anything else?”

“That’s all.” Kai waives his hand again at the Beta. “You are dismissed.”

The Beta salutes, about facing, and moving away from the tent. Kai fixes a glare at the General. “Now that my son is about to be born, we need to win this war for him.” Kai hisses.

--

Kai ends up not coming back for 2 days after the message he sent saying he’d be home. No one knows where he went, or what he was doing, since Luhan had stayed back to protect Kyungsoo.

The soft scent of a pup fills the air, and Kai smiles proudly as he makes a show of going into the Mates quarters to meet his new pup.

No one knows for sure what happened afterward, as suddenly Kai was not so outwardly aggressive inside the Pack house, and there were no longer 2 trays of food sent to the Mates quarters, only one piled high with foods meant to ensure lactation and health for the pup.

On the morning the day after Kai arrives back to the Pack house, a van, not unlike the one that had carried Taehyung into the compound, leaves the grounds.

A/N: 

I am working hard on getting more chapters finished for editing and ready to post in advance of the end of July. I have a bunch of real life things going on, my mom is having cataract surgery the end of the month and I have several convention related things to attend to, one being doing inventory of the department I help run (Anime Nebraskon for those who don't know), and setting up several CPR/First Aid classes (did I mention I'm certified to teach?)

We've reached the peak of the story, and now its all downhill from here. I'm thinking maybe only 3 or 4 more chapters left but who knows? I've never been one to put a final chapter tally on ANY story of mine until I truly hit the end, so the 3 or 4 chapters is only a soft guess.  Leave me a note or upvote and let me know what you think!