"You are taking his absence really well." Joonmyeon looks away from the window to look at his brother.

"You too." Suho goes to softly pat his brother's stomach.

"So... how did this happen?"

"You know how. You already have three." Suho smiled sweetly. The bones of his face showing. He needs to gain more weight, it's a contrast to Joonmyeon's round face.

"No, I mean... you and Yifan... uhmm... agreed to this before the mating, were you dating? Why did you never tell me?"

"No, it wasn't like that. It was more like... something between friends" O.o "I..." He sighs. "We know that I was never going to be chosen..." Suho opened his mouth to say something but didn't continue. "He was not going to take anyone else and... we are best friends." How romantic. Suho nodded.

"But you... uhmm... you are... in love?"

"Uhmm... I don't know. We care about each other and we are gonna have a baby. Shouldn't it be enough?"

Yeah, Suho doesn't know. His relationship with Jiaheng was very diferent, always had been. They chose each other before mating and Jiaheng was very vocal about it, no one would ever go near Suho even before the ritual, just like Luhan and Minseok. He knew about his brother's "problem," but he had hoped that maybe someone would be brave enough to love him for who he was. This was an agreement, but at the same time, he knew that his brother couldn't be better now as an alfa's mate, so... Suho sighed. His situation wasn't really any better.

----------------

Four days later, Yifan came back to the community with Jiaheng and Hongbin. Both men looking rough and the twin was a little crazy, stressed and depressed. They didn't find the wolves that hurt Suho.

Jiaheng was particulary angry at Yifan for interrupting his quest; his pride was alredy hurt, he didn't need his brother to come to the rescue.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You were both going to die!" Luhan said.

"We weren't!" Jiaheng was stuborn.

"What about Suho and your children?" Yifan tried to reason.

"I don't want them!" Really?

"Stop saying that, you don't mean that." Luhan told him.

"Why would I want a used mate?" The slap that Minseok gave him echoed all over the house. His eyes were red, but Jiaheng is an alfa, so his act of bravery could actually cost Minseok his life. Jiaheng growled at him but Luhan's roar was strong enough to make his alfa brother bend, he was the first son after all. Luhan took his mate's hand to pull him away from his brother.

"What the hell is wrong with you! He is suffering, you almost starved your own heirs to death!" Minseok scolded from behind Luhan's back, even if his mate was already holding him back. Minseok has always been fearless.

"It's not your damn problem!" Jiaheng was salivating and his fangs were showing. He wasn't in his right mind, everyone could smell that he was gonna attack. Yifan took him by his arms.

"Let's go." he ordered.

"Yes, I'm leaving!"

"Stop that!" Yifan pushed him against the wall. Joonmyeon who was upstairs was already afraid, he ran downstairs and got there in time to see Jiaheng almost jump over his mate while growling and roaring.

It was Joonmyeon's painful yelp that caught his attention and made him stop. Also, he smells his pregnancy. Yifan pushed his brother off him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" He walked to his mate in two steps. Joonmyeon was in tears. "I'm fine...  you shouldn't have come".

Joonmyeon looked at Jiaheng with hurt eyes.

"Is it true that you don't want them anymore? Your kids are scared that their papa won't come back, they are waiting for you. If you really don't want them anymore, stop being a beast! Act like a man and tell them that to their faces, so that they can stop waiting for you and my brother can move on." He said bravely. Yifan caught him by his waist and carried him upstairs to their room.

------------------------

"You shouldn't have done that. That fool could've hurt you... please don't make me kill my own brother." Yifan smiled at Joonmyeon. How can he be so relaxed?

"You are not worried?"

"I am, but... well, not about their relationship. You see, whatever happens, Luhan and I will take care of your brother and the kids, so you don't need to worry about that... Yes, I wish that they could fix their things on a personal level, but I can't decide that. Neither can you." Joonmyeon nodded as Yifan laid him on the bed. "I'm more worried about the people who did this, at how sick they are. You know, the only way to put my brother down is through Suho and his family. If he had been attacked in fair dispute, he would have fought. What they did... they are looking for a certain kind of death. So I don't understand why they are doing it."

There was something about wolves that was very different from pure humans. No werewolf would go out and just kill somebody, it was always about territory, food, power or survival. While a deranged human could go on and kill for no reason, a werewolf wouldn't, their animal instincts wouldn't let them. So hurting another outside of a fair fight with no reason behind was out of question. But Yifan knows that times are changing, and so are people, so they should be prepared.

"Also..." Yifan spoke again, "you know he loves your brother, he will come back to him, he is ashamed that he couldn't save him. He must think he is unworthy of his love."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! He won't leave them. I'm sure"

-------------------------------

Jiaheng finally agreed to go with Luhan. He wanted to stay away from Suho, or some nonsense like that he said.

Joonmyeon is sound asleep at Yifan's side, the alfa can smell the scent of his mate; it's like burning sugar, warm and sweet. From his point of view, he could see Joonmyeon's scars. In the dim light, it's hard to tell where is the eye. The pregnant mate turns his head a little and now, Yifan can see his good side, so much like Suho.

He has to talk about this later... with Luhan? Jinki? It's so hard, or strange, he doesn't know why but ever since Joonmyeon got pregnant, he feels... so attached to him. He lives on alert mode and the first person on his mind is Joonmyeon. Just like now that there's a threat to their pack, in other times, he would be thinking of strategies; escape routes for the omegas and the children, gathering an army, something useful and good for all the people. But no, not now. Now, all he can think of is how to save Joonmyeon and he is also busy trying to push away the fear that something bad might happen to him. The fear of losing Joonmyeon, that's something he never felt before. Is this an instinct or...

Joonmyeon sighs in his sleep and interrupts his thoughts. He gets closer to him and Yifan smiles at him softly. His brain can really say it, say that Joonmyeon is beautiful, but Yifan has been kind of thinking so already anyway. Joonmyeon moves one more time and it makes his gown show his bare shoulder, the sweet scent gets stronger and he can't help but lap at the shoulder with his tongue, like a little puppy. This wakes Joonmyeon up.

"Mhmm? Alfa, do you need anything?"

"No, sorry. Go back to sleep." But Joonmyeon sits on the bed.

"Don't worry, I have to go to the bathroom anyway." He walks around the bed towards the bathroom that's by Yifan's side of the bed. The alfa follows his mate with his eyes, Joonmyeon gives him a tired smile.

When Joonmyeon comes out, Yifan has moved to his side of the bed.

"Come here." He says while patting the side of the bed where he usually sleeps. "This side is closer to the bathroom."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He puts his arms around Joonmyeon and spoons him. "Are you comfortable?"

"Mhmmm... good night..."

"Okay, good night, sweetheart."

Yifan buries his nose on his mate's hair. Ahh... yes, Joonmyeon is here, he is safe. That's enough to be able to sleep peacefully, right?