Old Way ||| Ateez

37

San groaned as he stood up and swiped his arm across his forehead to wipe away the sweat gathering there. It was so hot today... or maybe it was just warm in the fields.

He'd been out there for a few hours now working alongside Peniel. They still needed to keep up their cover, so Hongjoong and Minhyuk were helping out somewhere else.

It was so frustrating... He felt trapped in the never ending cycle and it was getting harder and harder to lay low.

Especially with the mixed emotions he could feel coming from Wooyoung. The hardest one was when he recognized one of his mate's spirals. It took all of his willpower to not run from the fields the second he'd felt it...

But Wooyoung seemed to be alright now. Whatever had happened, he'd managed to work through it somehow.

So now San was forced to continue speculating and hoping that they would figure out how to get out of this place soon.

"Hey," Peniel murmured from a few feet away. "Eunkwang is calling us back. I think Sungjae found something."

San's head snapped up and his eyes grew wide. It was hard from him to not run back to the house, especially because Peniel had to go through the motions of checking in with another alpha there to let him know they were going to take a break.

In another field, it looked like Minhyuk and Hongjoong were doing the same thing.

It was lucky for them that they had been assigned to members of the same little group within the pack. No one ever questioned them when Peniel and Minhyuk decided to leave together, it was something they had always done before.

When the four of them reached the cabin, they hurried inside to find the rest of the group waiting for them.

Changsub was rubbing Sungjae's back, looking over him with a serious expression.

"What happened?" Hongjoong trotted forward, his eyes darting between everyone in the room. "What happened??"

"Easy, Hongjoong." Eunkwang grabbed his shoulder and gently pulled him back. "Sungjae just went through a lot. Give him time."

San could feel the spilt second that Hongjoong bristled at the command from another alpha, but he pushed it aside instantly and nodded before stepping back to stand beside his pack mate.

The younger alpha took his hand, showing support, as they waited for Sungjae to start speaking.

It took a few minutes, but the omega was eventually able to take a deep breath and look around the room. "I think I know what Nova is planning."

Everyone in the room froze, the air growing thick with their intermingling scents as they spiked with anticipation and fear.

"I... I managed to sneak into her study. She has the tests for all the girls filled away." His hands started to shake, so he grabbed his elbows and tried to curl in on himself. "As well as how they are getting pregnant."

Minhyuk was the first to move, hurrying over to Sungjae and hugging him. "It's alright. Take your time."

Sungjae looked at him with wide eyes and whimpered softly. He was pale and still trembling a little. "Nova is impregnating them herself. She... She has an alpha here somewhere that is providing her with his semen. There were no names listed, but apparently he's a Pure Alpha, so she's hoping that he can help continue breeding female alphas."

"What?" Several of them said at the same time, but it was Eunkwang who held up a hand to silence them so he could continue. "Why on earth does she want that? We have plenty of land and food to support everyone here, it's not like we need to expand."