Junmyeon was a bad mother.

He'd known that since his first litter; his two beautiful omega boys were born. They were tiny and weak, yapping and whining; pleading to be fed. One was slightly bigger; and much darker in color. He could have been easily mistaken for a beta or even an alpha pup because of his size. However, scent-wise, it was just as sweet and submissive as his brother and mother.

"What am I going to do with you?" Junmyeon sighed as he curled up a little around his pups. He knew all too well that they couldn't stay with him: not when his mate needed an heir not two weaklings to take care of.

Surely, it hurt.

He didn't want to abandon his younglings, not after carrying them for so long and hoping that they would be as strong as their father. However, he knew well that he had no other choice. His mate - who at that time, went by the name Yifan - was persistent in getting rid of the omegas that were born in their pack. He had drowned most of them personally: he wouldn't even give allow their parents to say goodbye. Weaker females: even some betas and occasionally, alphas with little to no presence as a pup, had the same fate. Only the strongest were allowed to breed.

While it seemed rough, at them time, feral packs like theirs practiced several techniques like that. Many mothers - because of this - didn't even look at their younglings until their fate was decided by their father.

As an omega, Junmyeon knew well that he was lucky to be alive. When born, he had been destined to die along with his sisters and brother: but Yifan - who was at that time a hormonal teenager with a big mouth and an even bigger presence amongst the wolves - had decided to spare his life.

Junmyeon had been torn away from his mother then, and raised to be a proper wolf. Weak as an omega, but smart as an alpha. He was quickly in love with the one that had saved him, and after a short year of courting, he was pregnant with his first litter.

Luhan and Tao.

The wolf sighed as he continued to walk, eyes up on the sky. He had left one night: his instincts were telling him to go. Something was wrong with Tao.

He could feel it.

As weak as he was, he knew that he wouldn't get to the city quickly. But he didn't care: he needed to be sure that everything was alright. He only stopped to sleep and hunt, going on the very same route his son had gone. Yifan, thankfully, knew nothing of it. He had left on a long hunting trip just a week back; and he was going to stay there for quite a while. They were collecting humans at the moment; weak and elderly whose absence wouldn't be noticed.

Obviously, the alpha had to be there to survey the happenings.

Junmyeon stopped for a brief moment, looking up at the cloudy sky. It was going to snow...again. He could already feel the need to rush back to his mate's side: his heart was going haywire and his breaths came in short gasp.

While he was mentally stronger than most omegas, the separation affected him all the same. It was maddening to feel his mate's love and care less and less, almost as if the alpha had ceased to exist.

The pain in his heart from the loss of his pups was overpowered by that of the longing: a little voice in his head kept yelling at him that his mate was gone; that they would never meet again.

But Junmyeon had gone through this before, many times. When Yifan - well, Kris, as he liked to be called at the moment - left or told him to go out to hunt, he would feel something just like this, just less intense. So each time he felt his heart crack, Junmyeon shouted at himself inwardly.

"All is fine, he is okay. I am leaving him for a short time. He is fine I am fine..Tao is fine."

He reached the city on the seventh night, or was it the eighth? He just didn't know, but the wolf could have cared less. All he knew was that he had to find his precious pup and take him home.

*****

"I can't go, Tao." Luhan said finally, voice shaky and soft."I'm sorry but.. I can't risk my pup's life." he sat down on the couch, arms wrapped around his stomach."I'm scared that something would go wrong on our journey. But I promise you that once he's born and he can be left with the pack for a while, I will go."

"What if mom dies until then?" Tao asked lowly, eyes filled with hatred."Do you really think that it's alright to stay here when our mother can be dying? When I left him, he was alone. Dad is away, and so are the other alphas. Only a few betas are there with him. He needs us, Luhan. Our siblings are dead... do you understand?"

"I.." Tears were streaming down the smaller's face as he struggled to shield it with his hair."I understand. But I can't go. My pup.. I can't lose him!"

Baekhyun walked into the living room slowly, eyes cast on the floor. He sat down next to his friend and pulled him close. Kyungsoo was next, nuzzling close to Luhan with a sigh."Maybe you should go." he said softly."Many pregnant omegas need to travel a lot and... they don't get hurt, Lu.He is your mother."

"I know but... He left me alone once. If.. If I go and something happens to my pup: I will be the same as him."

Without a word, Luhan stood up and walked away. He wanted to go, desperately. But he couldn't afford losing his little one. It would have been too much for him.

*****

That night, Sehun didn't sleep. Albeit he knew that his mate wouldn't leave him, he felt somewhat uneasy. He had decided to proceed with his plans to banish the traitor as quickly as it was possible: he couldn't bear seeing his happiness or how he was so close with Luhan.

Eyes crimson and fangs sharp, the alpha was ready.

But as his mate turned in his arms, humming in delight as he dreamed of something pleasant, Sehun couldn't help questioning himself:

Was he after the real traitor?

*****

"Can you see it, Dae?" The older of the siblings asked, a smirk playing on thin lips."It's coming to us by its on will. We didn't even have to move our little finger to get it." his eyes were set on the dirty-furred, petit wolf."Just what could it be doing all alone? Don't they travel in packs?"

"Luhan didn't, either." Jongdae's answer was soft and unsure."And his mate was alone, too. I guess we were just... unfortunate." He didn't mention the creature he had allowed into their house: Tao was different for some odd reason, and he didn't want him gone.

The scars on his chest seemed to itch when the odd wolf came closer, head held high. Within moments, a human male was standing in front of him, eyes filled with hatred.

"Where is my son, filthy ones? Where is he?"

*****

Luhan had never felt this guilty before; but he couldn't help it. Tao had left just an hour or so before, and the last words he had said still echoed in his brother's mind.

"If he dies, it's your fault."

The omega curled up a little, biting into his lower lip."I wish I could go.." he thought sadly, gaze falling on his pale fingers that were tugging nervously at the edges of his grey sweater."But my pup comes first." He tensed up when strong arms wrapped around his middle and sweet lips grazed his pale neck.

"You did the right thing, sweetheart.." Sehun whispered lowly, pulling his pale mate as close as possible. He couldn't bear the thought of his little omega leaving: pregnant or not. Even though Luhan made his decision, the alpha couldn't quite let go of his worries.

He had been thinking.

He was a leader, and as one, he was responsible for his pack: their mistakes, successes, and lives. And there he was, trying to think of a way to eliminate one of his mate's closest friends; simply because Baekhyun did what he was supposed to.

Surely, it wasn't like Sehun was at fault, of course not. Never in his life would have he had the strength to kill his mate in order to rid the Earth of his suffering form.. However...

He shook his head, refusing to think of such things. Luhan was fine; resting peacefully in his arms. He was never going to be harmed again, not until Sehun's heart stopped beating.

The alpha couldn't help promising that to himself: but for the first time in long months, his desire to protect his mate wasn't driven by his love.

It was driven by a much darker emotion of his:

Guilt.

******

Junmyeon was livid. The lowly humans had dared to lie to him, claiming that his son wasn't there. It was obvious that he was: the entire house reeked of Tao's unique sweet-sour scent. The unusual fragrance of his had been caused by his tainted - or with other words, stolen - heat. Albeit his father knew of the boy being an omega, his heat had to be erased each season so their packmates wouldn't know.

It was painful, but as Tao said: it was worth it. It wasn't like he was looking for a mate yet, anyway.

"Your son, wolfie?" The older of the two humans asked, arching an elegant eyebrow. His words were accompanied by a coy smirk as he took a step towards the omega."Why would we have it, hm?"

"Your place reeks of him." Junmyeon's answer was short and low, his eyes filled with determination as he growled ferociously. He wasn't fond of too fond of useless  violence - obviously, as he was an omega - but the mother wolf lurking in the depths of his soul was stronger than his hatred for fighting.

"Oh? Then come in and see if he's here." It was the younger male that spoke this time, less cocky but just as vicious as his brother."It's not like we have anything to hide, do we Xing?"

A voice in Junmyeon's mind begged him to run. He stilled for a moment, deciding that it was merely his instincts screaming at him to reunite with his mate. Without saying anything else, he made his way to the door.

A sharp pain was the last thing he felt, then everything went black.

*****

Tao's eyes snapped open: he'd felt like he had been smacked across the face. Sniffing the air in a very wolf-y manner, he looked around madly."Mom." he whispered in panic when his mother's scent filled his senses."Mom!"

He was running within moments, legs carrying him as quickly as they could. Panting already, the wolf focused on the scent of his mother. When he finally reached the end of the trail, his expression softened. He was standing in front of a very familiar house."Thank god!"

Tao was grinning from ear to ear literally, heart pounding in his chest loudly - but not from fear. Excitement was coursing through his veins at the thought of seeing the very enthralling human - Jongdae, once again.

Without thinking, he knocked on the door, imaginary tail wagging behind him."Dae, Dae!" he yelled at the top of his lungs."Dae!" He raised his voice a little, a pout forming on his lips when he received no answer."Bet they are sleeping." he huffed. He knocked once more before trying to open the door. Luckily for him, it wasn't locked.

He walked inside with a grin, eyes already set on the stairs. He knew all too well where Jongdae's room was, and while his mother's scent came from somewhere else, for an odd reason, he wanted to see his friend first. As if he was a bug, attracted by the light, he walked towards the room upstairs, inhaling the musky scent that belonged to only one human.

Jongdae.

*****