Taeyong was trying to think of what people Jaehyun always told him he could go to for help if he needed it as he tied the shoes of the twins, ignoring their constant questioning of where they were going. 

Jaehyun interacted with a lot of alphas, but most of them weren’t his age, more like parents who had teens barely younger than him. Taeyong always supposed that it was because of his status as an alpha of many children, plus he had been one of the well-known alphas back before he and Taeyong had gotten together. 

Truth was… Jaehyun always confided in him saying he felt that he didn’t have many friends. Most of the alphas he met with were close-minded, up to the point that they would make vulgar comments about Taeyong. Jaehyun has never explained what they would say, but Taeyong didn’t need to know, he heard them all the time. 

There were a few alphas, though, that Jaehyun always said he could go to for emergencies in case he could not be contacted. Taeyong had never felt the need to get help from anyone, though, not wanting to rely on others. Even when he went into labor with both Jian and the twins, he just tried to deal with the contractions on his own while waiting for Jaehyun to come back home. 

He couldn’t remember any of the names at the moment, but Taeyong thought of the nice omega who had watched his children during the engagement party, the official mother-in-law of chief Xuheng’s son. He had forgotten his name, but the twins had been calling him Hannie and he had been very kind. 

Oh, it was the omega who lived in the outskirts of the village with his mate! The couple who lived in the old house!

“Gunwoo, Gongchan, do you guys remember Hannie?” Taeyong asked, fixing their rumpled shirts. “We’re going to go see Hannie, okay?"

“Who’s Hannie?” Jian asked, confused. “What about appa?”

“Hannie, Hannie,” Gunwoo and Gongchan were saying in unison, jumping up and down. For two year olds, they seemed to have a good memory, in Taeyong’s opinion. 

“Appa will be fine,” Jungshin said, resting his hand on Jian. “I don’t know who Hannie is, though.”

“Your brothers met Hannie once, he’s a good omega who can help us,” Taeyong said, ruffling Jian’s hair. “Jungshin, hold Jian and Jongup’s hands, we’re leaving.”

Jungshin, being the oldest and thus most responsible one, grabbed Jian and Jongup, the latter having calmed down a while ago after the whole incident. 

Jongup let go of Jungshin’s hand as soon as he grabbed him. “You’re really hot and sweating,” he complained, making a disgusted face. “Bleh.”

Taeyong, suddenly catching the scent of an alpha nearby, hushed his children, straining to hear any voices that might be coming from outside. 

Unfortunately, he couldn’t hear anything. 

“Why is there an alpha nearby?” he muttered to himself, standing up to go to the door. He was getting really worried, wondering if the two officials came back with others.

A small part in him wished for it to be Jaehyun, but he had a sad feeling that Jaehyun was in trouble somewhere.

“Eomma, can I take off my shirt?” Jungshin interrupted him, waving his face. “It’s hot in here.”

“Cold, cold!” Gongchan started yelling, his twin soon repeating the same motions as him. 

Taeyong knelt down in front of Jungshin, checking his forehead for any signs of a fever. “Do you feel sick?” Taeyong asked, ignoring the sweat falling down his son’s head when the alpha scent hit him again and-

It was coming right in front of him. 

His eyes widened in realization, dropping his hand from Jungshin’s forehead, his children peppering him with questions. 

Jungshin was presenting. 

“Jungshin, I know this is going to be hard for you,” Taeyong said, “but for now, whatever thoughts you have, please just focus on taking care of your brothers right now, okay?”

“Yes, eomma,” Jungshin said, holding Jian’s and Jongup’s hands again. 

“Okay, so now we’re going to Hannie’s house, everyone,” Taeyong reminded the group, holding Gongchan and Gunwoo. “Everyone, be on your best behavior if you want to see appa again.”

All his children nodded in understanding, so Taeyong opened the front door and led them out the house, the group of six quiet while they made their way towards the end of the village. 

It was already night, a few hours after Jaehyun was technically supposed to have returned from doing labor. There were barely any people outside, so no one questioned why Taeyong and his five kids were outside. 

It took a while to reach the end of the village, with Jungshin complaining about how sweaty he felt every now and then. Gongchan had fallen asleep, so Taeyong had to carry him in one arm while Gunwoo complained why Gongchan got to be carried, and Jian was also talking about being hungry. 

When they reached the old house, Taeyong felt knots in his stomach when he noticed the door swinging up, no one in sight. 

What was going on in the village?

***

Kihyun was sitting on his porch at night, waiting for Shownu to show up. The latter was supposed to have come earlier, but Shownu had yet to come. 

He sighed, playing with the stray hems of his shirt. He had cleaned up his house really nice today, putting in a bit more effort, but now Shownu won’t even be able to come inside. It was considered inappropriate to be past the maturing age and have someone stay in close quarters with someone from the opposite status after hours. 

The rules in the village were stupid, in Kihyun’s opinion, but he had to follow them, after all, especially since he’s an omega and would get the harsher punishment. 

Rumors were circulating about an unwed omega who was expecting, though Kihyun didn’t know who. He really hoped it wasn’t true, since it would mean the omega would get a harsh punishment and would be declared as a dirty omega between the elders. 

Kihyun thought it was rude to call those omegas dirty. Heats made you think questionable things, it was supposed to be normal, right? Right?

More than once, he’s gotten an inappropriate thought of Shownu during his heat, explaining why he always had to have constant baths in the river. He would produce so much slick that, even though he didn’t touch himself, it got really uncomfortable. 

He’s heard about other places outside their village, long before they fell in ruin, that had omegas who needed to have or touch themself constantly during their heat to make it pass. It sounded like torture to Kihyun, where he had gotten his first heat at fifteen. 

He had continued playing with the hem of his shirt when he saw Shownu run up to him, though it was hard to see since it was dark outside. “KIHYUN!!”

Kihyun looked up, surprise. “Oh, Shownu!”

Shownu caught up to him, panting the entire time as he tried to catch his breath. “I’m so sorry it’s late,” he explained, still struggling to breath. “But something came up, it was urgent.”

“Oh, it’s fine, I’m just glad everything’s okay,” Kihyun said, standing up. He scratched his arm nervously, disappointed that they won’t be able to spend any time together today. “I was worried.”

“Oh, nothing’s okay, let me tell you that,” Shownu said. “You know Yifan?”

Kihyun titled his head in confusion. “Yeah, Yifan, the son of the chief, Xuheng. What about it?”

“He’s gone,” Shownu explained. “He gave me a letter to give to his father, explaining that he wanted to explore with Junmyeon for a few days outside the village.”

Kihyun’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?”

“I know, stuff isn’t going good in the village right now,” Shownu added. “You’re okay, right? They haven’t threatened you or said anything to you?”

“No, nothing,” Kihyun answered truthfully. “I’m doing fine.”

Shownu leaned forward and gave him a hug, holding him tight. “I get worried about you a lot,” he said softly, rocking their bodies together. “I know omegas get judged for a lot of stuff but know I’ll never think of you as inferior to me.”

Kihyun wrapped his arms around Shownu as well, setting his head on the alpha’s shoulder. “You don’t know how much that sentence means to me.”

***

They walked a lot yesterday, in Junmyeon’s opinion, but what he knew from his eomma is that him and his appa lasted almost three days while walking, so he knew he had a lot to go. 

Granted, it took a lot longer because both of them were injured and Jeonghan was pregnant with him so they need more frequent stops and didn’t really pack much supplies, only stuff they have grabbed at the last minute. Junmyeon was thankful to be in good shape but he was still getting pretty tired. 

Yifan had not complained once during the entire trip, only suggesting pauses here and there when he noticed Junmyeon might faint. He came here for one reason and for one reason only: make sure Junmyeon was okay. 

He couldn’t help but steal glances at the omega every now and then, especially when they took their rest for the night and Junmyeon fell asleep first. To be fair, he didn’t even know Junmyeon had fallen asleep; they had been talking quietly and Yifan had gotten worried that Junmyeon had stopped responding. After getting up and taking one look at the omega up close, his worries dissipated. 

He fought the urge to press a kiss on Junmyeon’s forehead then and there. 

Right now they were continuing their trail, and Yifan couldn’t help help but ask “why did your parents come to the village?”

Junmyeon stopped walking, looking back at Yifan. “My eomma had… a high ranking, you can say,” he started, mentally debating how much of the truth he could tell the alpha. “And my appa… was not the same level as him, so they were in a lot of trouble for being together.”

Yifan frowned. “Really? Why?”

Junmyeon shrugged, continuing to walk on the trail. “I don’t know,” he answered truthfully. “When he tells me his stories, I wonder a lot about why people always want to impose society norms, but unfortunately, you’re frowned upon if you don’t obey, you know?”

“That- that sounds rather difficult,” Yifan trailed off. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s okay, I’m just glad they're safe and happy now,” Junmyeon said, yawning. “Knowing they’re safe keeps me going.”

***

Jeonghan woke up with some anxiously shaking his body over and over again. 

“Minghao, stopped shaking me,” he muttered, turning around in his sleep. “I’m tired-”

“Jeonghan, it’s me,” Seungcheol said, shaking his shoulders. “Wake up, you're dreaming.”

“Wanting to be with Seungcheol is not a dream,” Jeonghan muttered, reaching out to try to find a blanket only to grab Seungcheol’s arm. “Mhm- ah!” he sat up quickly, immediately groaning at the sudden rush of blood to his head. “Uh, Seungcheol?”

“It’s me, your husband ten years in the future.” Seungcheol helped Jeonghan sit against the wall, massaging his love’s head to make sure he wasn’t injured. “We’ve been kidnapped, I’m assuming.”

Jeonghan blinked a few times, trying to get used to the light in the room- wait, why was there light if they were kidnapped? “My head hurts,” he mumbled. 

“I know, hey, it’s fine, we’ll get out of here, I’m sure,” Seungcheol reassured him, continuing to massage his head. “I’m glad Junmyeon wasn’t with us when they came-”

Jeonghan’s eyes widened at the mention of Junmyeon. He was definitely fully awake now. “Junmyeon? Is he okay? Did-”

“I don’t think they have him,” Seungcheol said, standing up from the floor to look around. “Though I have no idea where we are.”

He looked around the room. It was indeed a very large room, like a library of sorts, like those rooms nobles back in the Kaeleous Kingdom would have in their mansions. Definitely not a room you would find in any of the official’s houses back in the village. 

There were large windows on one side of the wall, and from the looks of it, it looked like they were at least three stories high. It also appeared that it was around noon, so at best, Seungcheol and Jeonghan have been here for more than half a day. 

Also mildly concerning was an unconscious short person, an omega, Seungcheol realized, a few feet away from them, body laying flat on the floor. 

Jeonghan seemed to have noticed the stranger, too, pointing at them. “Uh, is- is he dead?”

Seungcheol inched closer to the omega, looking around for something to poke it. “He looks like his the same age as us,” he said, reaching out his foot to shake the omega. “Why do they have him hear with us-”

“Don’t touch him with your foot!” Jeonghan said, getting up from the floor. “They probably kidnapped this omega as well, don’t you think?”

“I don’t even know who this is, why would we be stuck in a room with them?” Seungcheol asked, watching Jeonghan inch closer to the unconscious body. “Jeonghan, dear, don’t-”

Jeonghan rolled the body over, causing the omega to stir in his sleep, only for Jeonghan to fall backwards when he saw who it was. 

“Hey, Jeonghan, you okay?” Seungcheol asked, pulling Jeonghan away from the omega when he stopped, getting a good view of the sleepy person. 

“.... Jihoon?”
 

***

Ten was eating breakfast quietly at his parents table, eating his rice in peace when his father spoke up about the alpha they were planning to give him away to.

Thing is, they had no idea that Ten knew about what they have been planning, much less that he technically already had a mate Johnny when they went to the town hall yesterday and made it official. 

It was going to come out eventually; he knew that the officials were going to bring it up in the meeting today, since you’re supposed to announce when you’re courting or engaged. If people were to court in secret, it was often frowned upon.

Ten thought it was ridiculous that you had to tell them everything, but what could you do? He was just your young, single omega- 

Well, not single anymore.

“So, Chittaphon,” his father said, speaking in Thai like usual. They only used Korean when talking to people outside of the family. “You’re at a good age to start courting, don’t you think?”

Ten, who had just opened his mouth to chew on some more rice, closed it, shrugging. “Probably,” he said calmly.

“But honey, you don’t have to worry about that,” his mother said, reaching out to grab his hand. “We found a solution to that-“

“No need, I already have someone,” Ten said, taking another bite of his rice before continuing. “We’re going to announce it today.“

“You already met Yaesing?” His mother asked, excited. “The son of Official Hangyeol?”

Ten gulped. It was now or never. “Can we drop this conversation, please?” he said, choosing not to lie. He’d rather have one last night of peacefulness, to be honest. “I don’t want to talk about courting and being engaged.”

“Oh, leave him alone, he’ll have plenty of time, anyways,” his father said, shoving more asparagus in his mouth. “Everything’s set out, anyways.”
 

***

Chanyeol had invited Baekhyun to go swimming again in the morning, so the two made their way to a secluded spot on the river bank, just the two of them alone. 

Baekhyun stepped into the water slowly, trying to get used to the cold temperature. Since it was early in the morning, the sun hadn’t warmed up the water yet, so it was still pretty cold to the touch. 

Of course, Chanyeol didn’t take much time to fully wade in, as always, even though the water was colder to his liking. He had already taken his t-shirt off, pushing himself deeper into the river. “What a good way to spend a morning,” he said, sighing in relaxation. 

Baekhyun was only knee-deep with the water, taking his time, running his fingers on the water surface. “It does feel nice,” he said, walking in deeper. “I’m just sad we have to cut it short because of the town hall meeting.”

Chanyeol made a confused face, unsure of how to tell Baekhyun. “Uh… I wouldn’t recommend you going to the town hall meeting today.”

Baekhyun frowned. “Why not?” 

“It’s just… I think the officials and elders are really pissed off right now,” he explained. “There’s just some stuff that has happened and it’s a big mess, and in their anger they're going to be attacking omegas.”

Baekhyun stepped backwards to get out of the water. “What’s going on?”

“Yifan’s missing, there’s a rumored alpha to be tried for treason, and a pregnant omega they want to punish,” Chanyeol said all in one breath. “It’s a lot right now, I really don’t recommend you to go.”

He heard everything Chanyeol said, worried about the first two, but once he said pregnant omega, Baekhyun couldn’t help but think of-

Jinyoung.

“Oh, no, Jinyoung,” Baekhyun said, getting out of the water. “We have to help him.”

"Wait, Jinyoung? The guy courting Jaebum?” Chanyeol asked, puzzled. “What does Jinyoung have to do with anything-”

“BAEKHYUN!!!”

Baekhyun turned around and saw Chen Le and Mark Tuan running towards him, a tired and worn-out Jimin behind them. 

“Baekhyun, we got a problem!” Chen Le said, shaking Baekhyun’s shoulders aggressively. “Mark is trying to leave!!”

“I said it was only temporary!!” Mark corrected him again after who knows how long since yesterday when he first broke down the news. “It’s for a little bit, he’s exaggerating-”

Jimin caught up to them, breathing heavily. “It was-” he started sighing, taking more deep, staggering breaths. “Mark, tell them what happened-”

“Can you guys calm down?!” Baekhyun yelled at them. “I have no idea what you three are saying.”

Mark, Chen Le and Jimin all stared at one another, wondering who was going to speak up first. 

None of them did anyways, though, as it was Chanyeol who spoke up. “You guys are here,” he said, confused about what they have been rambling about but nonetheless happy to see Baekhyun’s friends as always. “I was telling Baekhyun that he shouldn’t go to the town hall meeting and neither should you guys-”

“Pfft, I’m not going to make it to the town hall meeting,” Mark said, crossing his arms. “It’s the perfect time to leave since everyone will be in there-”

“Excuse me, WHAT?!” Chen Le and Jimin both screamed in unison. 

Baekhyun raised an eye, taken aback. “Uh, what do you mean you’re leaving?” he asked, confused. 

“So a few of use are going to be accompanying Jinyoung and Jaebum says the officials and elders are going to beat their asses for Jinyoung getting pregnant,” Mark summarized, ignoring Chen Le and Jimin’s glares. “They want to leave so-”

“Wait, JINYOUNG is the pregnant omega?!” Chanyeol interrupted. 

Mark squinted his eyes at him. “You better behave if you want my respects for you courting Baekhyun in the future,” he growled at him.

“Uh, Mark, literally what the ?!” Baekhyun said, surprising everyone. 

He was the one to follow most omega rules, which included doing well in chores, not raising his voice, and certainly most of all, no foul language. 

Chanyeol’s face was turning red at Mark’s threat, but thankfully, he didn’t have to say anything since Baekhyun’s friends spoke up next. 

“Now’s not the time, we need your help, Chanyeol,” Jimin pleaded to the alpha. “You’re close with Yifan and the officials, you must have some information and be able to do some begging for us-”

“I- I don’t know if I can do anything,” Chanyeol admitted. “Like I was telling Baekhyun here, Yifan’s gone.”
 

***

After Vernon’s eomma, Jihoon, went missing, the alpha had been sad for days, though he didn’t dare show it to Seungkwan. 

As friends, it was common for them to share their feelings and emotions to one another (minus them having a teensy-weensy itty bitty… crush on one another), despite the stereotype in their community that alphas should never show a slice of emotion ever.

However, since Jihoon’s disappearance, Vernon has remained quiet about the whole ordeal, often in a faze when he and Seungkwan hung out together. 

Seungkwan felt really awful for his best friend. With his own parents, he could never relate; there was a reason he never spent time with them, anyways. But Vernon’s parents were literally the best people in the entire world, and they always made Seungkwan feel welcomed in their house. 

RIght now, there were outside near the woods again, not really doing anything in particular. Seungkwan wasn’t in the mood to play games, still worried about Mr. Lee, and it wasn’t like Vernon was going to be participating as well.

“Do you want to go pick fruit?” Seungkwan suggested, picking one of the baskets that they always left laying around the yard. “Maybe some apples, they’re easy.”

Vernon shrugged, hands stuffed in pockets. “Yeah, I guess we can do that.”

Seungkwan nodded, grabbing Vernon’s forearm, pulling him forward. “Yeah, don’t worry, we’ll find some good ones,” he said, trying to cheer him up. “Make some apple juice, I’ll help you.”

The two walked deep into the forest, a few half-mile from Vernon’s house. They often went deep in the woods to do their exploring, so going this deep in wasn’t unusual. Since Vernon lived right at the border of the Kaeleous Kingdom, they’re wouldn’t be anyone bothering them there. 

Usually, that is. 

While looking around for some apple trees, Vernon pulled back Seungkwan abruptly, placing a finger to his lips. “Shh, calm down, I see someone,” he whispered to him. 

The two stood in silence for a few seconds, not wanting to move, when Seungkwan saw them; a tall alpha and a shorter omega, with the omega running towards them.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so glad we found people!” the omega shouted, waving some papers in his hands. “Can you guys help us find Minghao?”