Kevin let out a breath, looking up at the night sky as he paused in patrols. Hyunjae stopped beside him, looking at Kevin with his head tilting to the side in question.

Kevin moved his head, looking down at Hyunjae who looked concerned, well as concerned as he could be in his animal form anyway. Kevin shook his head and continued on patrols, Hyunjae scrambling to follow after him.

Things were honestly going as well as they could, as far as everything that had happened anyway. Kevin was still mourning over Juyeon's death, but it was expected at this point.

Hyunjae knew he could never fit in Kevin's pack, but he would try to take Juyeon's place. He knew he could never take Juyeon's place for one reason alone. Kevin was Juyeon's mate, and Hyunjae was left alone.
 

~

As they returned from patrolling with Seongmin and Taeyoung going into the next patrols with the next team Woobin was sitting outside and waiting on their return with Changmin and Chanhee who were waiting in their respective wolf forms.

Changmin and Chanhee walked over and Kevin gave Chanhee a hug before turning and giving Changmin a longer hug, Changmin leaning down slightly as Kevin clung to his neck. "Be careful yeah?" Asked Kevin, feeling Changmin nod his head against his shoulder. Kevin let go, stepping back and patting Changmin on the snout before letting Changmin and Chanhee go, the two wolves sprinting into the forest with Taeyoung and Seongmin following after them.
 

~

Despite how tired Kevin was, he had a lot to do that morning, cleaning up Juyeon's old room and having Jibeom drop off Juyeon's stuff at a donation center. They didn't have any neighbors within kilometers of their property so Jibeom had to drive into the nearest city to drop off everything. The only thing that Kevin had kept, was a small gold chain with a locket containing a two pictures of the pack in their human and wolf forms respectively. Kevin hung the locket above his bed, tacking a nail to the wall and hanging the necklace around it. Everyone had that locket, as it was a symbol of their pack, but Juyeon was the first to receive it after Kevin after they were all made.
 

~

A howl somewhere in the distance caused Kevin to rush out the door and changing once his feet hit the grass, Donghyun, Jibeom, Hyunjae and Woobin following behind him after changing to their animal forms. Kevin couldn't afford to lose his two best trackers, not after losing Juyeon. He needed to get there in time. He had to get there before it was too late.
 

~

They were cornered, Changmin knew, but with Taeyoung out for the count and Seongmin looking to join him next Changmin was running out of ideas. Chanhee was their last hope for rescue, but Changmin didn't know how long he had as the chip in his spine would only get him so far. He snarled at the enemy, daring them to come closer as he backed closer to Seongmin who was pretty much back to back to him and barely standing due to the wounds he sustained.

The enemy pack went in for the kill, and Changmin braced himself, closing his eyes.

A roar to his left caused Changmin to open his eyes, watching as Allen and Serim jumped into the middle of the circle, scattering the enemy pack. Seeing help let Changmin collapse in relief, whimpering slightly as he heard Seongmin collapse behind him and assumedly pass out from blood loss.

The rest of the pack showed up, Wonjin and Jungmo going to Taeyoung and Seongmin first, which Changmin understood. He wasn't as badly injured thanks to his chip, but he knew that they focused on their pack before him. Chanhee showed up with Kevin and his own pack, Changmin forcing himself to his feet as the leader of the enemy pack tried to run when they recognized Kevin.

Kevin, Changmin and Chanhee quickly went after him, Changmin using a burst of speed from his chip to jump forward and slam his shoulder into the leader's side. Kevin's fur stood on end, snarling and baring his teeth as he, Changmin and Chanhee surrounded the leader of the enemy pack.

The others in Kevin's pack helped kill off the enemy pack, forcing the leader to watch as Kevin held him down the same way he was when they tortured and killed Juyeon.

Instead of killing him however, Kevin moved away, changing to human form as he glared at the wolf in front of him who was held down by Changmin and Chanhee. "I'd end your suffering, but you deserve what's coming to you," explained Kevin as he stood in his alpha's stance, crossing his arms as he straightened up.

"I gave you a chance before, but now this is serious," commented Kevin as his alpha's voice finally awakened. It caused everyone in the area to shiver at the intensity, even if it wasn't aimed directly at them. The wolf in front of him struggled to keep standing, though his knees were buckling as his body wanted to submit.

Kevin, though surprised at the outcome of awakening his alpha's voice, remained stoic as he glared at the wolf before him. "This is a game of cat and mouse, you have five minutes to get as far away from here as possible, before I send someone to end you," he explained. "Go," he commanded, watching as Changmin and Chanhee let go of the wolf, the wolf immediately running away as fast as he could.

"Donghyun, Jibeom, go after him," commanded Kevin, and the two coyotes immediately ran after the enemy. Where Changmin and Chanhee were masters at tracking, Donghyun and Jibeom were masters at stealth and silent killing. Kevin and Juyeon had been the fighters when it came to all out fighting, but now Hyunjae and potentially Woobin were fighting to take Juyeon's place. A spot that was hard to earn due to how Kevin and Juyeon had worked with each other.

Kevin turned his attention to Wonjin and Jungmo who were finishing up checking on Seongmin and Taeyoung. "They'll live," reassured Wonjin as he nodded. "But they'll be out of patrols for a while," he explained. "Beomgyu has some explaining to do," sighed Kevin as he looked across the borders, spotting Yuri as he appeared.

"Beomgyu's gator hunting right now," explained Yuri as Kevin walked over to speak to Yuri. "Heeseung and Taehyun swore they had gotten the enemy pack, but it looks like they didn't," he added. "It's fine, we got them," dismissed Kevin as he shrugged, relaxing out of his alpha's stance. "We'll be in peace for a while at least," he added.

"You can take the injured back to my place, Juyeon's old room should be ready," explained Kevin as he turned to Wonjin and Jungmo. Wonjin and Jungmo turned to Serim who nodded. Changmin and Chanhee walked over and leaned down, letting Wonjin and Jungmo get Seongmin and Taeyoung onto their backs before they headed off, back to Kevin's.

Donghyun and Jibeom's howls in victory was enough for Kevin to start heading home after burning all the bodies, everyone following after him. Yuri would keep an eye on things for a few days, so everyone needed to rest.
 

~

"Is this how you trained your pack?" Asked Serim as he and Kevin were sitting outside due to the tension that rose when they entered Kevin's house to get dressed. "Everyone has a specific role in the pack," explained Kevin. "The fact that Woobin is trying to aim for Juyeon's spot is a bit stupid of him to be honest," he added.

"Even if Hyunjae is doing the same?" Asked Serim. "No one can match what Juyeon and I's teamwork did," explained Kevin. "Hyunjae isn't a fighter, he's a messenger, and Woobin's built for tanking attacks," he added. "The closest you have to Juyeon and I's teamwork is when my brothers and I are banding together," he explained. "Hm," hummed Serim.