Old Way ||| Ateez

23

Seonghwa scrunched his nose with displeasure once the door opened and Wooseok rushed inside to embrace Jongho again. The omega was way too touchy for his liking, and it hurt him to feel Yunho's discomfort.

"How do you like the house? The trees here are even better than back home, so we've really perfected the design!" Wooseok asked. He stepped back, then ran his hands down Jongho's arms until their hands almost connected.

Thankfully, Jongho started talking and had turned away just before that happened. But both Seonghwa and Yeosang had noticed and exchanged a quick glance.

"It's amazing!" The alpha's smile widened and he held out his hand to Yunho. "I was just telling my mate that this is the kind of house I would have built for him as my courting gift." The pride in Jongho's eyes was unmistakable when Yunho moved to join him.

But so was the pain and hurt that flashed across Wooseok's face. "Y-Your... Your mate?"

"Oh! Now that we are all human, I can introduce you properly." Jongho took his time introducing everyone and explaining his connection to them. He saved Yunho for last, wrapping an arm around his waist to pull him closer. "And this is Yunho. My beta. He saved my life after the war and has saved my life many times since."

The alpha tilted his head back and laughed when he noticed how red Yunho's ears and neck were.

Seonghwa watched as Wooseok schooled his features while bowing to show them all a little respect. "It's nice to meet you. Thank you for taking such good care of my- of Jongho. Loosing him took a huge toll on our pack."

He's unmated... Yeosang's deep but quiet voice entered Seonghwa's mind through a private link.  At least from what I can tell.

Odd for an omega that's been in a pack for so long. Seonghwa narrowed his eyes. You don't think...

Just as the omega was about to reach out to Wooyoung as well to get his opinion, pain shot through his mating bond like a wall of white hot flames. It came so fast and so hard that he didn't even get the chance to scream.

Gunner was at his side instantly, catching him when his knees gave out. "Mama? What's wrong?"

His pack moved closer too, all looking at him with concern as he slapped a hand over his mating mark. He whimpered and shook his head rapidly.

Mingi was hurting... There was so much fear and defeat rushing through their bond...

It was starting to overwhelm the omega. His eyes overflowed with tears, stinging and burning, just like his mark.

"Hwa? Breathe for me." Jongho was kneeling in front of him now. The alpha cupped his cheeks so they could look at each other, and action he had learned from Hongjoong. "What's happening?"

"M-M-Mingi." He sobbed. "Something's..." The words got caught in his throat. The pain was growing, but it wasn't physical. To Seonghwa, it felt more like emotional pain.

Like... Like Mingi regretted either what was happening to him or what he was doing.

"Seonghwa, I need you to take a deep breath with me." Jongho urged gently. "Please. You can do it."

The omega focused on the worried brown eyes in front of him, using them to ground himself so he could do as his alpha requested.

Once he was able to calm down a little, his opened his arms and Wooyoung was there in an instant, nuzzling into his neck and sending soothing emotions through the pack link.

Being connected with his fellow omega helped even more, and soon Seonghwa was able to speak clearly again. "Something's happened to Mingi..."

"You can still feel him though, right?" Yeosang asked, his own hand drifting up to brush over Hongjoong's mark.