Old Way ||| Ateez

10

Hongjoong knew he had upset his pack. He could feel it from everyone right before the link faded away with distance

But he felt he had no choice

There was too much about Siyeon that had felt off to him, and he wanted to make sure he learned from his mistakes of the past.

He didn't like how possessive she seemed to be with Avayla. It was a very odd behavior, especially given that they were both alphas. Plus it had caused a rift between him and Mingi, which he knew was partially his fault now, but that could be fixed when he got back.

He also didn't like how he had been acting with Wooyoung in the end. The little omega could still be too trusting sometimes and Hongjoong wasn't sure that Wooyoung should have talked so much about Lizbeth and what she had done for them.

Although... Siyeon's reactions did see genuine.

Hongjoong had been carefully monitoring her the entire time, scenting the air and trying to get a feel for her. If anything, her ginger scent had faded the more upset she got.

The alpha huffed and tried to return his focus to the task at hand. Out here, the snow was uneven and not packed down like they had been working so hard to do in their territory. This made it harder for the small group of three to travel through it.

Siyeon was just a little smaller than him, so if anything, San had the easiest time.

But Hongjoong wanted him in the back so he could react quickly to anything that could happen. San was by far the quickest alpha in the pack.

A soft whine came from the female alpha, causing Hongjoong to stop and look over his shoulder.

She was looking at a group of trees, her nostrils growing bigger and smaller rapidly as she scented the air.

They had already been traveling for a couple of hours now, could she have found a sign of her pack?

Do you smell anything? Hongjoong asked, twisting his ears back and forth to stay alert.

No. Just us and the snow, if that even really has a scent. The younger sounded irritated.

Hongjoong supposed he deserved it... He should have at least shared his plans with San, although he really didn't fully decide on this until after they had left.

Siyeon started to walk toward the trees, slowly placing each front foot down to test the strength of the snow beneath them.

It took a few minutes, but soon Hongjoong realized they had chanced upon the original area with the first signs of attack on her pack.

The snow was still red in places, but it had dispersed a little as the sun had worked its magic to start melting the awful thing that had imprisoned their world.

Her ears fell back once she started to look around. This had to be hard for her to see. At the time of the attack, she probably hadn't been able to pay attention to much detail.

Hongjoong and San stood off to the side to watcher as she explored the area, giving her plenty of space and time to do what she needed.

She looks confused. The younger said after a little. He shuffled a little closer to Hongjoong's side, seeking some added warmth.

I wonder if she can't find their scent. I know we only found hers when we were here. Hongjoong huffed.

He glanced up at the sky and in noticing the setting sun, knew they would be loosing light soon. They needed to hurry and find shelter.