Old Way ||| Ateez

24

"Mama? How long are we going to stay here?" Chan asked as he curled into Wooyoung's side.

Their pack had taken the larger bedroom, but Wooyoung and Chan had come with Stephen and the twins into their room for the night and were laying down on the large bed.

"I'm not sure." The omega answered honestly. His eyes drifted to Lorelai, who was sleeping on his other side. Lizbeth was holding onto her from behind, though the arm on top was stretched out to rest on Wooyoung's stomach.

Stephan had chosen a seat near the door so he could be by it and watch the window at the same time. His alpha pheromones  kept coming in waves, giving away how much he was struggling to stay in control. "I want to leave as soon as possible." He growled softly.

"I do too." Wooyoung agreed. "But I think we also need to consider the possible benefits of staying, even for just a few days."

"The more time we waste playing house, the longer my sister is in danger."

"And my mate, the father of your mate and my children." Wooyoung said harshly. Then with a sigh, he watched Stephan slump in defeat. "I know it's hard, but we need to be smart and make sure we are looking out for each other."

"I know. I'm sorry." Stephan offered a crooked smile, which Wooyoung returned with his own loving grin. "You don't have to worry about anything. I'll help Jongho protect everyone."

Wooyoung's chest warmed with pride. "I would never doubt it." He looked back at his daughters, his wolf bursting with happiness at having them both by his side. "You and Serena have both been good alphas to my girls."

Lorelai let out a quiet groan and shifted in place. Wooyoung was quick to fit a hand to run his fingers through her long, golden hair. She made a contact sound while trying to press closer to him, which made Lizbeth move too.

Both Wooyoung and Stephan watched them with pure love in their eyes. Even Chan's lips tugged up slightly before he yawned and hurried his nose into Wooyoung's chest.

His heart felt so incredibly full at that exact moment, except for the fact that his mate wasn't there.

He'd felt something in him break earlier when Seonghwa had collapsed in Gunner's arms after sensing something wrong with Mingi... It was so hard to watch a member of his family go through that, especially when he thought about how little contact Seonghwa had with his mate...

Because of the Soulmate bond, Wooyoung was able to sense San all hours of the day. He knew his alpha had been hungry for a couple of days, just as he knew that San was being forced to do some kind of physical labor that made his muscles ache. But he also knew that San was safe, maybe not fully since they still had no idea where he was, but he wasn't being hurt or tortured.

That small bit of knowledge was what allowed Wooyoung this moment to relax and comfort his daughters.

His thoughts drifted back to his earlier mini spat with his best friend. While he didn't agree with how Wooseok had been acting with Jongho, in fact, he'd wanted to rip the omega's arms off when he tried to hold Jongho's hands, Wooyoung also noticed that Jongho's attention had always returned to Yunho. There hadn't been any stray looks, changes in Jongho's scent, or any indication at all that seeing Wooseok would change anything.

And Wooyoung hated seeing the alpha so upset over Yunho ignoring him. So, he'd taken it upon himself to remind Yunho of just how special Jongho was and all the amazing things Jongho had done to show his love.

The unintelligible grumbles he'd received in return was the only answer Wooyoung needed for a smug look to cross his face, which stayed during most of the meeting discussions what the pack wanted to do next.