Werewolf hearing wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Especially when one is woken up at six in the morning by a chorus of breathy moans and the occasional grunt. Park Jihyo’s eyes snapped open and she suppressed a growl, turning over on her side and trying to muffle the hedonistic sounds coming from the room below hers. When it became obvious that they weren’t stopping anytime soon, she reluctantly rolled out of bed and grabbed the baseball bat that was leaning against the wall. She understood that Mina and Chaeyoung were in their “honeymoon” phase of being mates still, but seriously, there was a time and place for . Six A.M on a Monday morning was not one of them.

She flung open her bedroom door and began stomping down the stairs in her plaid pajamas and fluffy bunny slippers, her eyes flickering from their normal brown to a bright scarlet hue. As she reached the second floor, two other doors opened, their occupants sensing their Alpha’s irritation. Nayeon and Sana, the Alpha’s Second and Third respectively, stuck their heads out and quickly retreated back to the safety of their rooms when they saw Jihyo’s eyes. Nobody messed with a pissed off Alpha.

Jihyo stood in front of the door to Mina’s room, hands clutched tightly around her favorite bat. She decided she’d give them ten seconds to snap out of whatever -induced bliss they were in before she broke the door down. The pack bond that ran between her and the rest of her pack members was thrumming with a mixture of lust, barely suppressed rage and amusement. I’m glad you find this funny, Sana.

The amusement disappeared, to be replaced with embarrassment. Jihyo thought she heard Nayeon chuckle from her room.

“SON CHAEYOUNG!” the power of the Alpha’s roar sent the entire rest of the house into complete silence. There was a series of muffled curses coming from the other side of the closed door, followed by a loud crash. Ten seconds later the door opened and a very embarrassed and very Chaeyoung all but scuttled out of her mate’s room, running straight into Jihyo.

She yelped and tried her best to cover herself, avoiding Jihyo’s gaze and baring her neck in submission. “Alpha.”

Jihyo inhaled deeply, willing her eyes to turn back to their normal shade of warm brown. “Chaeng. I get that you and Minari love each other deeply, but having at six A.M,” her voice began to increase in volume, “on a Monday morning, while the entire rest of the pack is sleeping, is not okay!”

Their maknae seemed to shrink into herself even further at the verbal scolding. If she had a tail, Jihyo is pretty sure it would be plastered between her legs now. “I’m so sorry, Jihyo. It won’t happen again, I swear.”

Jihyo sighed and pointed in the direction of Chaeyoung’s old room with her bat. “Back to your room, now.”

Chaeyoung obliged and scurried past her Alpha, shutting the door behind her and muttering apology after apology. Jihyo knew she was probably a little rough on their youngest pack member but it had been a stressful weekend. Their patrols kept picking up a group of unfamiliar scents at the edge of their territory and it had everyone on edge.

With her voice returning to its normal volume, and sans “Alpha” tone, she called to Mina. “We’ll talk later, missy.” A feverish acknowledgement came through the bond.

She pinched the bridge of her nose between two fingers, regretting ever becoming an Alpha. Already she could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. “Nayeon.”

The pack’s oldest member came up behind her, wrapping a comforting arm around Jihyo’s waist and hugging her. “I’ll start making breakfast for everyone, you go take a nice hot shower.”

Jihyo leaned into the embrace, beyond thankful that her Second knew exactly what to do. “You’re the best partner a girl could ever ask for. Seriously, if this is what all mates do then I’m incredibly glad that those two are our only bonded pair.”

Aside from Chaeyoung and Mina, no one else in their pack of five had been fortunate enough to find their mate. Chaeyoung said finding her mate felt like her entire world suddenly made sense, and that her wolf was clawing at her very soul, trying to get at Mina’s. Jihyo had to hold her back when she tried to jump Mina then and there.

Nayeon chuckled, resting her head on Jihyo’s shoulder. “Look at the two of us, we’re in our twenties and we’re still mate-less. Hey, if we’re eighty and mate-less will you let us adopt twenty cats and live in a cottage by the woods?”

Jihyo cracked a smile. “Promise. Now shoo, I’ve got to start getting ready, JYP-nim has been running me ragged trying to get all his insane deadlines met.”

“I don’t know how you work for that man. You’re literally the most powerful Alpha wolf in South Korea, he should be cowering before you.”

Jihyo grinned, “Powerful I may be, but nothing is scarier than Park Jinyoung when he hasn’t had his morning coffee. I am the only one standing between his wrath and the rest of the world. You should be thanking me.” The brunette Alpha pressed a kiss to Nayeon’s cheek and went back upstairs. She casually chucked her bat on the floor and started up the shower. As she stepped into the shower and let the hot water cascade over her body she let herself relax for the first time since she woke up. Ugh, it’s only six-thirty. I’ve got a long day ahead of me…

Little did she know that before the day was out her pack would double in size and she would get thrown into a conflict that would threaten the lives of her entire pack.