Old Way ||| Ateez

42

Hongjoong was carrying a large sack of vegetables over his shoulder when it happened.

The second he heard Minhyuk suck in a breath and turn to look behind them, he dropped the sack and spun around as well.

Bora and Handong were running at them at full speed, drawing the eyes of everyone around them. A few of the workers moved closer together, whispering among themselves.

It was going to start getting harder and harder for them to hide what was going on.

"What's the matter?" Minhyuk asked as soon as the two alphas stopped in front of them.

"Nova is at the cabin."

"What?!" Hongjoong snarled, his lip curling as he prepared to start running, but the beta next to him was quick to grab his shoulder.

Handong nodded in confirmation. "We caught it in time. Yubin is there and she will protect Mingi. She said he's been hidden in a closet."

"We can't wait any longer." Hongjoong rounded on Minhyuk, knowing he was probably communicating with his mate right now. "We need to get him out of here. We need to-"

"I get it!" The beta snapped, clenching his jaw and holding up a hand. "But you need. To stay. Calm. Making a scene isn't going to help."

He knew Minhyuk was right, but that didn't stop his wolf from wanting to unleash the fury building within.

San was by his side seconds later, his own eyes dark and burning with his own hatred, with Peniel beside him. "So what are we going to do?"

The pack members in front of them exchanged looks. If Nova really was on the hunt for Mingi, their time to plot and plan was running out. It was hard to say what she was going to do next, but it was obvious that her main goal was finding him again.

Before anyone could answer, Bora's eyes grew wide and Handong gasped before covering her mouth.

"What is it?" Hongjoong asked, taking a step toward them.

Bora was the first to gather her wits. Her faced slowly drained of color as she spoke. "Nova... She threw up blood and... the alpha's she'd called to her side are taking her to the medical cabins. Mingi is safe, but Nova is livid. She's ordering Yubin to tear the cabin apart because she know's Mingi is there."

"If she's going to be there..."

"Then now would be the time to get you out of here." Minhyuk finished Hongjoong's thought for him.

With a nod, Minhyuk and Peniel gathered up the loose chains and gave to San and Hongjoong. This was the first time they were openly disobeying Nova's orders. A few of the wolves around them paused their conversations to watch as the four of them started to run through the fields, while many more looked around with alarm.

There was no time to worry about them, though. Hongjoong's only concern was protecting his family.

But that was going to be a lot more challenging than he thought, because only seconds later he came to a crashing halt because of Handong screeching, "NOOOOOOOO!!"

.

.

.

.

"He's fine." Siyeon said over and over again. Her gentle hands rubbed circles into Avayla's back as she tried her best to comfort her friend.

But Avayla was having a hard time staying calm. Even though Yubin was at the cabin, it killed her knowing she couldn't be there to protect her father if something went wrong.