Parfait

Chapter Forty-Eight

It was an oddly bittersweet experience to say goodbye to the hotel that had been their home away from home for weeks now, and the foreign country that had hosted them too. Hana was so eager to get back to Korea where she spoke the language, knew the cuisine, and of course had friends and family. She was also slightly sad to be leaving a place that held so many memories– four of her mates' bites, their first pack date, and so many other steps towards their future as a real pack.

Plus her alphas seemed oddly cagey as they all began to gather in the hallway one final time. They seemed to know something she did not, and that always made her nervous. Finally, instead of stewing in that anxiety, she tugged on Seokjin's sleeve. "Why is everyone so antsy?" she asked.

"We're waiting on some news from the company," he told her. "Joon said he would tell us the verdict when everyone was together."

Jimin finally dashed out of his room, trying to hide the fact that he was flustered. "Am I the last one?"

"Aren't you always?" Taehyung chuckled, completely ignoring his yearmate's pointed glare. "Okay, hyung, tell us."

"We got the break we asked for," Namjoon announced proudly. "No company activities for the holiday season. We'll be able to spend time together, and with our families."

"You can do that?" Hana asked, completely shocked.

"Never have before," Jungkook said, grinning ear to ear as if he just could not contain himself. "But we knew we had to try."

"What about the other thing?" Yoongi interjected. He was possibly the only alpha not completely swept up in the excitement of their respite, although the noise did die down a little as everyone waited for Namjoon's next announcement.

"The company did decide not to release the news that we're a pack or that we have a mate." Almost half the alphas looked upset about this news– Taehyung wilting, Jungkook pouting, Yoongi grimacing. The rest looked almost relieved. "The PR department and security department agreed that if we announce this at the start of our break, we won't get any rest at all. It will cause a media storm. We'll take our quiet break, and maybe more importantly we'll buy our new house and make sure the security is second to none. Then we'll be ready to tell the world about Hana."

"Thank goodness," Hoseok sighed dramatically, throwing his arm around the omega for another quick cuddle. Spending their final night in her room was apparently still not enough affection. "I think that if my mom and sister saw her picture in the news before I got to introduce them, they would have my head."

"We can't afford to be cooped up hiding from the media," Seokjin agreed. "We have too many things to take care of. I'm tempted to call the realtor as soon as we hit the ground back home."

"Can we at least wait until we've recovered from our jet lag?" Yoongi asked. He seemed to have recovered from his disappointment quickly when the logic of it was pointed out.

"No," Taehyung insisted, pressing himself against Hana's side opposite Hoseok. She squeaked a little at being so squished, so Hobi released his hold. It was obvious who needed their omega's attention more. "I don't want to wait a second longer than necessary to have our pack house ready or to be honest with the world about our mate."

"I don't think it will hurt anything to call right away, assuming anyone still has the energy for that after our flight," Hana said, reaching up to tousle Taehyung's still-unruly hair. It had dried funny when he fell into bed with it still damp after their concert. "After all, it will probably take a day or two before we can start viewing places, won't it?"

"We'll have to wait sometimes, but we'll push things along as fast as we can," Jimin agreed. But first they had to get home, and they all hurried into the elevator as soon as staff informed them their cars were ready to go.