The pack leader (ff San, Seonghwa)

19.

Seonghwa was feeling uneasy, San and Aurora haven't come back yet and he was starting to get worried.

Were they attacked by some other pack? Are they lost? Did they even reach the town they should? Is one of them injured?

There were too many concerning thoughts and Seonghwa couldn't help and think about every single one of them. He was a stable beta, but when it came to his best friend and the omega, he couldn't help but worry. Mark and Will came back a few hours ago with some news they didn't want to share until the alpha got there and since she hadn't, they kept quiet. It must have been something crucial, something that had to be spoken to the leader before anyone else. It was either something really good and beneficial, or something really, really bad.

"Hey, don't worry. They're gonna be here soon." Josh and Jay sat down by his side, looking around just as Seonghwa did to the moment they came. It was his turn to patrol, but since he was beta and wasn't that familiar with the pack just yet, an alpha came a few times to make sure everything was okay.

"I just can't stop thinking about something bad happening to them. What if they encountered some other pack?"

"They are one of the best fighters of this pack, Seonghwa, they would fight their way out if that's what you're so worried about." Jay tapped on his shoulder reassuringly, getting up and going back to the tent, leaving Seonghwa alone with the red-haired beta.

"You three..." Josh started but hesitated to continue. Seonghwa nodded for him to continue.

"You are really close, right? Ever since San and you appeared, Rory is different, even if she doesn't realize it."

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" He hoped it wasn't the latter case.

"She tries to hide it but we all can see it. She's always so reserved and closed, still, we have spent years with her so we kinda know what is going on with her even with the slightest emotions she let us know. You two are definitely good for her." Josh looked at the sky, Seonghwa did the same with a feeling of relief.

"She let go of Minho when you two appeared, if that doesn't show everything, then I don't know what does." Seonghwa curiously turned his head to Josh. He never really heard how Aurora was while being in a relationship with Minho.

"So she and Minho. How did that happen?"

"Oh, it wasn't something we wouldn't expect. Her crush on him was so obvious and we all thought he would be her destined mate since he liked her back as well and was the one she really chose, her father approved of their relationship instantly, knowing how much Minho cared for her. She was fourteen by then, I think. I was really young at that time, but I vividly remember how she came to a hunting lesson late with dishevelled hair and swollen lips, she was over the moon." Josh smiled, however, what he was talking about made the beta growl, he didn't like that at all. How dare he? But jealousy wasn't the only thing he felt, it was also rage. Although he made her so happy, he ended up breaking her in all aspects when Jisung had his heat. It was so unfair to Aurora, the universe was harsh on her, even so Seonghwa couldn't help but be a little glad. If that didn't happen, he and San would never have a chance to actually be with her.

"Haha, you don't like it, I thought so." Josh chuckled, obviously content with whatever he did. "The point is, she really unconditionally loved him, believing they would mate the second she turned eighteen, but the universe played her dirty and little over one year after they started dating, Jisung had his first heat and all that went down the hill." That Seonghwa knew. Jay already told him about their breakup and what followed.

"Yeah, I heard."

"Jay, right?" How does he know everything? Seonghwa thought. Josh is much more mature than he seems and he notices everything, at least it looked like that. "He tends to want the best for her. Yet he doesn't know everything. He unintentionally helped her get better, he knows that he helped her but he doesn't know from where did he help her. I believe people have some 'mental illness' name for that. Let's just say she wasn't her own self after the breakup and she's still not, but maybe it changed her too much to go back to the old way she was."