Old Way ||| Ateez

15

Seonghwa swiped at the ground with his dirt covered paw while letting how an angry snarl. He was exhausted from running all over their territory in search of his mate.

Plus he was upset with himself too... He had let his rage blind him.

How could he be so foolish?

To not even notice that his mate had gone...

He whined to himself while looking around the area where Mingi's scent still lingered. There was no trail from this place, just the hint of it spiking from what was probably a surprise attack before it was swallowed by at least ten other intermingling scents.

Seonghwa, come back. Jongho said, a gentle and understanding tone to his voice. He was doing everything he could to manage the stress of his pack.

But-

You've been out there for hours and keep ending up at the same spot. Come back. We have a plan.

The omega sighed and took one last look around the area, hoping to notice something, anything. But everything looked exactly the same.

Reluctantly, he turned around and trotted home to where his pack was waiting for him.

He was happy to see Gunner waiting for him once he shifted back and changed. Trinity was at his side, hugging his waist with her tiny arms. "Hi Mom." He said softly.

Seonghwa stopped next to him to press a quick kiss to his cheek. "Hi Sweetheart. How are you doing?" He lifted a hand to run it through his son's brown hair.

"Alright. Uncle Jongho is getting impatient so we came out here."

"Oh boy." The omega sighed and shook his head. "Well let's go and see what we are going to do next."

"Is Papa going to be ok?" Trinity asked, a slight tremble to her voice.

Seonghwa did his best to give her a reassuring smile. He wished the youngest's of their pack didn't have to go through this kind of heartache.

Why wouldn't they just live out their lives in peace...?

"Your Papa is one of the strongest alphas I know. He's going to be just fine." He poked her nose with his finger, making her giggle, before the three of them stepped inside the pack house.

Everyone was already gathered in the living room, including Trenton, Jade, and Riley.

Jongho was talking quietly with Riley, with Jade by his side listening attentively. On the couch, Wooyoung was nestled next to Yunho, they were holding hands and leaning into each other for support, while the twins and Stephan stood off to the side. Chan and Rhodey were sitting on the floor, looking between all the grown ups in the room with confused expressions.

Once Jongho sensed Seonghwa, he turned to face the room and looked at everyone in turn. "We've been here before, and we've always succeeded as long as we stick together. I think it's safe to assume that Siyeon's pack is behind everyone's disappearance, so we will start the search where we found Siyeon to begin with." His shoulder's drooped a little before he spoke again. "I hope we will run into Hongjoong and San as well but... we will see what happens."

"I will stay behind and wait for Father." Riley stepped forward with his hands clasped behind his back. He looked like Hongjoong in so many ways, holding himself with the air of the wonderful head alpha he had grown up to be. "I can't afford to leave my pack right now, so I will stay and look after the place while waiting to see if him and Uncle San return. The kids are welcome to come and stay with us t-"

"No!" Chan and Rhodey said at the same time. The young alpha stood up and turned to look at Wooyoung.

"I'm not staying!"