Vernon was not expecting the welcoming party that met them at the packhouse. Military, clearly, but he didn’t recognize any faces. Seokmin, on the other hand, seemed all too familiar with one man in particular.
“Officer Greggs.”
“Dr. Lee. As you’ll recall the last time we met, I told you this wasn’t over.”
“And a county judge told you to back the hell off. You’ve got no jurisdiction over a civilian pack, and we’ve proven that’s exactly what we are. Our pack—”
The officer shoved a piece of paper in Seokmin’s face, silencing him.
“New orders, challenging the continued existence of your pack without military oversight.”
“On what grounds?” Vernon asked. “We fall under civilian law now.”
“It’s a question of stability. A pack with four alphas, four betas, and only a single omega is an unbalanced mix. Ordinarily, the civilian authorities would intervene, but with all your alphas being ex-military, it falls to us to bring you to heel, so to speak.”
The look of triumph on Greggs’s face was sickening.
Joshua stepped forward.
“May I see those orders, Officer Greggs?” he said calmly. He even managed a smile. The best Vernon could do was grit his teeth and not curse the officer out.
“Mr. Hong, we meet again. Of course, be my guest.”
Seungkwan hovered behind Joshua, peering around nervously. Vernon followed his gaze, spotting Duke, Seungcheol, and Zane already in the back of cars. He had no idea where the kids were—still inside the house, maybe? With Nathan, Yuna, and the other civilian betas, if he had to guess.
“If I understand this correctly, the key issue is the ratio of omegas to alphas?”
“Omega to alphas,” Greggs said succinctly. “And not even an Anchor at that, I’m led to believe.”
“No,” Joshua agreed quietly. “I’m no Anchor.”
“That would be me,” Seungkwan said, stepping forward. “And seeing as counting isn’t your strong suit, that makes two omegas to four alphas.”
Greggs eyed him dismissively.
“We’re aware of your presence here, Mr. Boo. You’re here as a volunteer, if I’m not mistaken.”
“Your information is out of date,” Joshua said sharply.
“Is that so?”
“A whole month out of date,” Seungkwan added.
“Saying it doesn’t make it true,” Greggs argued. “You’d say anything right now to weasel your way out of this.”
Seungkwan pulled his shirt taut, revealing his bump. “My babies and I would beg to differ, Officer Greggs.”
Greggs frowned at that. “That doesn’t prove anything.”
“Will a bond certificate signed by the county clerk do?” Vernon all but growled. “Because we have that, too.”
“It doesn’t matter. We’ll take you all in and sort this mess out on base. We’ll get to the bottom of it.”
Vernon saw the flash of fear in Seungkwan’s eyes and tried to get to him, only to be stopped by two pairs of hands as the soldiers guarding him dragged him toward a vehicle.
YOU ARE READING
𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 || 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐊𝐰𝐚𝐧
FanfictionEvery pack needs a Keeper, an omega to smooth their rough edges. And Seungkwan definitely isn't it. Forced to babysit some spoiled and disgraced omega actor, Vernon is not a happy alpha. He's determined to send Seungkwan packing, whatever it takes...
