‘If you wanted to learn more about what is happening at Joohyun’s house, you have picked the wrong person. As far as I’m concerned, even the pumpkins growing in the back garden know more than I do.’ Jaejoong raised his head to look at his friend gloomily.

Yoochun scoffed impatiently.

‘I haven’t seen you in a few good days. I came by to see how you were doing.’ Jaejoong allowed himself to send him a sceptical stare, and Yoochun cracked only after a few seconds. ‘Seriously, though, you must know something. I can’t believe that Yunho wouldn’t tell you anything.’

‘Believe what you want. I never asked and he did not explain anything. It’s his choice to make, and he chooses to keep me in the dark about things. Nothing that I can do about it.’

‘Now, aren’t we bitter?’ Yoochun sat down next to him on the bench, his step jumpy as usual. He had always been the restless type, but looked even more so next to Jaejoong, who could sit motionless for hours. He was currently occupied with one of his books, a blanket draped over his thin frame for the sake of formality. He didn’t feel very cold.

‘I’m not bitter, I’m merely stating the truth.’ Jaejoong sighed, averting his eyes. ‘The Alpha and I hadn’t even been particularly close until the circumstances forced us to. It isn’t really surprising that he doesn’t fully trust me, but at the same time, he shouldn’t expect me to just open up to him out of a sudden. He doesn’t leave me with much ground to have faith in him, either. I don’t know what else there is to do.’

‘You can take the first step.’ Yoochun suggested, feigning disinterest. Fussing too much over Jaejoong never led anywhere, because the latter would immediately shy away from the attention, and in the worst case scenario, shut out the very person who had tried to help him.

‘I already have. Against my better judgement, I have told you all about my past. And look at me now.’

‘So maybe things did spin a bit out of control, but it might not necessarily be such a bad thing. I, for one, am glad that you are staying with us.’

Jaejoong looked at Yoochun apologetically.

‘You know that it is not at all about that. Please, understand. I have just committed myself to spend a lifetime with somebody I cannot even begin to comprehend. Right now, just my existence is enough to endanger the whole village. The past few days have been… a nightmare. My head feels like it is literally splitting in half. I don’t know what to do or what to say, and Alpha wants me to stay here uselessly, pretending that none of this is my responsibility.’

The book fell out of his hands without him noticing. Jaejoong squeezed his eyes shut, willing the upcoming headache to go away, but it never helped any. The permanent fatigue had long made itself comfortable in his very core.

‘You won’t regret your decision, Jaejoong.’ Yoochun responded with unusual confidence. ‘Yunho is a great leader and a caring person. He is definitely the best mate that you could dream of having. As for the heats, it’s pretty normal to feel this way.’

It wasn’t a normal heat, that much Jaejoong was certain of, despite it having been his first time, but he said nothing.

‘It gets easier with time, just take care of your body well. You know, I had always believed that everything in nature had its purpose, until I started going in heat, that is. It’s not like we can ever have pups, I don’t really understand what mother nature wanted to achieve by literally setting us on fire every quarter.’

Yoochun’s quiet thoughtless rumbling prompted Jaejoong to chuckle softly. It didn’t last more than a few seconds, but it was enough for Yoochun to smile, satisfied.

‘You laughed, that’s good.’

‘It’s been a while.’ The younger sighed. ‘I wish that I could help you, but I really don’t know anything. Why don’t you just ask your alpha?’

Yoochun shrugged.

‘We are not exactly on speaking terms right now.’ Jaejoong frowned.

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean just that. Things must be serious if Yunho forbade Junsu from confiding in me, and I’m trying to understand that, I really am, but… I cannot stand it.’ The older admitted. ‘We have always told each other everything. Everything about ourselves and about the problems of our community. But right now he’s keeping all of that from me, except that it takes up most of his time these days, so there is not much to bond over without having to avoid the elephant in the room. It’s wearing me out.’

‘So you fought.’ It was more a statement, rather than a question on Jaejoong’s part. Yoochun shrugged.

‘I’m an impatient idiot. Nothing’s changed on that front.’

‘I at giving advice but you know what you have to do, don’t you?’ Jaejoong looked at him cautiously.

‘It’s not that easy. I know that he has other things to worry about right now, and he certainly doesn’t need me to make things ever tougher for him, but I’m afraid that if I confront him too early, I’ll end up saying things just out of spite. So I’m stalling.’

Yoochun wasn’t exactly his closest friend, but he was one of the few that stuck around when the others were either scared of, or avoided, Jaejoong, so he felt genuinely sorry for the former. He patted him on the back awkwardly.

‘Where is he now?’

‘Where else can he be? They’ve all been cooped up in the healer’s cottage for the past four days. Yunho included.’

Yunho and Junsu seized each other with a long stare, tension clear on their faces. They were both of an opinion that it was better to remain silent, than to incite an unnecessary fight. Needless to say, it’d been some time since any words were exchanged between them.

‘Oh, come on. Cut it out.’ Heechul stood up impatiently, scoffing. He was tired of the cold war happening between his two best friends. ‘We need to talk about this. In the worst case scenario, we will have a vote.’

Leeteuk and Joohyun, who until now had sat in their respective seats, looking rather uncomfortable, raised their heads and looked at the man. Neither was close enough to the Alpha to as much as even think of suggesting a solution, but Heechul wasn’t just anyone. It was normal for him to be giving the other two alphas some perspective, when they we being, well… unreasonable.

‘No… no voting.’ Yunho refuted, looking conflicted. ‘No one in the pack really knows what’s happened with Boa. Taking such decision without even the most basic facts is dangerous.’

‘Then why don’t you just tell them? Tell us.’ He corrected quickly, involuntarily grimacing. ‘ All I ever got out of you was that she backed out at the last minute. It’s been a few years, Yunho. This boy being here cannot mean anything good. You’ve seen him, he looks like he’s been through hell and back. If he’s really running away from his own sister, then it must mean that there is more to her than you told us.’

‘We don’t know if that’s the case, though.’ Yunho refuted strongly. ‘I was told that Boa had been killed in one of the raids. That was the last that I heard of her. I don’t know if I can believe this information, but I have even less grounds to trust Chanyeol. For all I know, he can be here to infiltrate and allow the attack when we least expect it. I don’t want him here.’

‘It is not only your decision to make.’ Junsu interrupted him, clearly not being able to keep quiet any longer. He was annoyed. ‘You’ve kept this to yourself for too long. Imagine what would have happened if you weren’t here and Heechul and Leeteuk had to face this problem by themselves. You’re a hypocrite, you know that? Just a few days ago you called Jaejoong out on being too secretive, but here you are now, withholding information that can make a difference between your pack’s life and death.’

‘Don’t drag Jaejoong into this.’ Yunho picked on the least relevant line of defence. There was no heat in his voice.

‘Speaking of, he should probably be one of the first people to hear this story.’ Junsu added, just to spite him. ‘Chanyeol stays, Yunho. Whether he is help or threat, he has to stay with us. If he indeed partakes to some sort of ambush, all the more reason. We need to keep him close and observe. If you don’t want to alarm the whole community, fine. But at least some need to be notified, all of the present here included. If you don’t tell them, I will. And I will choose the listeners as I please.’

Yunho regarded him for a few moments in silence. There was no doubt that Junsu was serious. The two men hardly ever disagreed, and when they were of a different opinion, Junsu usually gave in, because nobody wanted to go against the Alpha, close friend or not. This time, however, he had not had the slightest intention of backing down.

‘What do you think?’ He finally turned to Leeteuk and Joohyun. The older man looked uneasy, as if the last thing he wanted was to be in the middle of the fight, which was probably true.

‘As it’s already been noted, neither of us really knows what’s going on. I can’t make you do anything you wouldn’t like to, and that includes sharing details of your personal life. However, it’s come to my understanding that more than ever,  it now concerns the safety of the village and we cannot take it lightly. I don’t know who the boy is to you, but he appeared at the border of our territory, all bloody and barely breathing. He keeps leaping in and out of consciousness, and every time he opens his mouth, something more terrible comes out of it. I’m sorry, Alpha, but it wouldn’t be wise to let go of him now.’

Yunho’s last hope vanished rather quickly when he took notice of Joohyun’s expression.

‘I have probably the least authority here-‘ She looked at the four men around her ‘-so I will only speak from the practical point of view. As a doctor, I absolutely forbid anyone from moving the boy before he is well enough to take care of himself, and that will certainly not happen anytime soon. As for the circumstances that surround him, I would be lying if I said that I am not worried. If you feel uncomfortable with me knowing, that’s fine. But at least some of the other alphas should know. Junsu, Leeteuk. Changmin, perhaps.’ She added, as an afterthought.

Yunho sighed. His gaze returned to Junsu.

‘Don’t be mad at me.’ He pleaded. ‘You know better than anyone that all I want is peace and safety for our village. I just cannot trust Chanyeol. Not like that.’

‘Then don’t.’ His friend responded easily. ‘For now, he’s trapped in here anyway. Once he’s got better, we will start considering the real possibilities. We will assign people to watch him. But don’t give up on him before he’s proved you otherwise. You’ve never been the type to refuse help when someone asks for it.’

‘Hey, you.’

Jaejoong was still in the same seat when Yunho finally appeared well after midday. The younger had long forgotten his book and was blindly staring into space, his mind far away from the greenery and deep lakes surrounding his new life. He was, once again, imagining the first snow that fell on the North the year before, remembering the last look that he sent his father as he left through the front door to join Ryeowook in making angel shapes on the school’s front yard.

The last image of his father that he would ever see.

Upon hearing the Alpha’s voice, he quickly blinked, willing the wetness away. This, however, did not fool Yunho one bit. The older sighed heavily.

‘Hey yourself. ’Jaejoong replied as neutrally as he could.

‘You ok?’ Jaejoong only nodded. ‘How about a new Yunho story for the day?’

‘Listen, I’m happy that you try to include me in your life but I’m pretty tired today so-‘

‘It’s a story of how Yunho almost mated with another alpha called Boa.’  

Jaejoong’s curiosity was undoubtedly teased at that. He would be lying if he said that he hadn’t been wondering about this whole story ever since he had first heard of it. Yunho’s step seemed heavy when he approached the bench and hesitantly took a seat next to the younger. Jaejoong finally dared look in his direction.

‘Are you sure about this?’ The omega prompted after a moment of silence. ‘You don’t need to, you know. I guess… I can wait. It has no meaning if you feel pressured to share.’

Yunho his lips apprehensively and Jaejoong finally registered, albeit with a surprised, that the Alpha was nervous.

‘It’s not... like that. I’ve had my reasons not to tell you, but not because of who you are. If I could help it, nobody would know. Not even Junsu. In fact, until today nobody but him was aware of the truth.’ He finally raised his head to look his mate in the eye. ‘That wolf that they found in the woods… I am familiar with him.’ Jaejoong had already figured out that much but said nothing, patiently waiting for more information. ‘Chanyeol is Boa’s younger brother, although when I saw his last he was just a pup – short and pretty chubby. Nowhere near the size that he is now. He must be… around 18 years old now…?’ He mused, more to himself. Then he sighed heavily.

‘So… if this Chanyeol is here… is it good or bad?’ Yunho shrugged helplessly.

‘I don’t know. I’m suspicious of him. In all honesty, I think he can mean only trouble for us, but the others are adamant about letting his stay and observe him.’

‘Did he do something to justify your negative attitude towards him?’ Jaejoong asked softly after another longer pause.

‘It’s not him. It’s Boa. I don’t know what you’ve heard from the others, but almost none of the rumours are true.’ Yunho refuted flatly.

‘According to the popular opinion, you once mated with a female alpha from the Western territories, but you came back without her. Yoochun says that it was a match made against her will and that she escaped when she had an opportunity. Somebody else said that she might be dead by now. Then you told me that you had never really mated with her. That’s about everything that I’ve heard.’

Jaejoong filled in the gaps, trying not to sound too bitter. He kept telling himself that he should not blame Yunho for all the chaos, but he had a hard time grasping what was real when everything around was spinning out of control and his new mate did not make it easier for him. In fact, he did anything but. Jaejoong was tired of people shielding him from things that they thought he couldn’t handle. He wasn’t a typical omega and he would never be one. He just wished his new community realised it.

‘Three years ago, my father received a proposal for my mating with a female alpha from the Western territories, that is true. I was reluctant to do so, but my father said that it was a honour – their pack was wealthy and their lands was rich in many resources that we could use in case of forming an alliance. I wasn’t the Alpha then, but our family’s line is strong so it was excepted of me. They also said that it was not becoming of an Alpha to not have a mate by the time he has seized the power, so I took Junsu with me and we went there to complete the ritual and to bring the girl back with us.’

Yunho brushed his fingers through his thick hair in what looked like frustration.

‘That’s when it became tricky. We were received well, the Alpha of the pack seemed to be delighted by my arrival and our potential union, but Boa not so much. The first time that we were able to talk alone, she told me that she hoped to mate with somebody else, from her own pack. She gave me a hard time, but as days leading to the ceremony passed by, it looked less and less like we both had any choice in the matter so I just surrendered to the elders’ will. Then…’

Jaejoong’s moved closer and unconsciously slipped his hand into Yunho’s. The older grabbed it for support, still lost in his thoughts.  

‘Then she disappeared for two days. I had a really bad feeling about our union, even before that, but it was her father that was out of his mind, searching for her everywhere. After those two days, she came back on her own and offered no explanations as to her whereabouts. Her father moved up the ceremony, just to secure our mating as soon as he could, but it was clear by then that she didn’t want me anywhere near her. I did bite her, but we never properly mated. She stalled for three nights and then one day… she was gone. Gone for good.’

‘Nobody’s really talking about it, but I think your village pities you for it.’ Jaejoong responded in a small voice. He himself couldn’t quite shake that emotion, knowing the truth.

‘They think that I somehow drove her away. That’s fine, I don’t mind. It was better for them to think so, anyway. But what happened soon after that was even stranger. My father died in an unexpected attack in the nearby woods. Until now, I cannot be sure who initiate the killing – although I have no doubt that it was not a mere accident. There was no contact from Boa’s pack and later somebody notified me that her pack no longer resided in the Western territories that  that she herself was killed in a raid.’

‘And now her younger brother appears in front of you and you have no idea what to think about that.’ Jaejoong promptly finished Yunho’s thought. The latter nodded once.

‘He’s been in and out of consciousness all this time. He claims that Boa is still alive and that whomever is left of her old pack follows her like rouges. Something must have happened there recently, because she created a purge among those that her leadership. Chanyeol was among them, apparently.’

‘So you think it’s staged.’

‘He’s soul was ready to leave his body by the time our people brought him here. He would have easily died out there if we’d got to him later. That much is true. But I’m still suspicious of all this, I think you understand why.’

Jaejoong nodded, trying to process the information. He didn’t like it one bit. Not only did they have to worry about the threat that Jaejoong posed to them by just being there, but now Yunho’s past was coming back to haunt him. How was Jaejoong supposed to help him heal if he couldn’t hope to better his own state?

‘There is one more thing.’ Yunho squeezed his hand. Jaejoong looked up, curiosity in his eyes. Yunho looked uncomfortable. ‘Chanyeol is down with a horribly high fever, he’s hallucinating half of the time, but… he did say something that made my blood run cold. No matter what… I think you should be aware of the possibility that… that what happened to you could have been caused by Boa’s pack. That she is alive and her pursue is not over. If we can trust anything that her brother says, it is that she will be coming here, soon. And she is out for blood.’

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Changdeol says: Highly impossible that you guys missed the recent YunJae reunion. Until now, I'm still squeals and nothing else inside. In commemorations of that bro hug and all their family talk, i pushed myself and finished this chapter despite all the deadlines I'm running on. \o/