TOAO | MW [✔]

Twenty-two. [End]

Years passed for the Kim family, wolves came and went from their lives as they were trained and then paired with those who needed them. Though, they did have one welcome addition to that family. A sweet wolf that they named Peace, rescued as Pearl had been but too old to train for support purposes. She became Piper's mate and with her, started the tradition of their wolf naming. Always "P" names.

They learned that wolves were the most loyal of friends that one could have, perhaps only second to soldiers, as time passed and their babies started to grow and walk and play. Piper was, of course, the most devoted to their babies. Though he groaned and harrumphed, he let the pups crawl on him and give him pets that were more like smacks, from uncoordinated baby hands, and more than once the pair, plus Suyong were found sleeping among the wolves who had claimed the babies as packmates.

Wonwoo continued his work as a teacher and Mingyu trained his wolves and outside of that, they were a family. The twins went from crawling to walking to running and playing and with them always, their partner in crime, Suyong. The trio of them were perfectly matched with Piper and Peace's first litter together, and each of them had their first bond with a wolf. Pippin, Petunia and Princess, who each picked one of the three and became theirs.

Pearl grew and learned and became Mingyu's number two, his helper in all things, especially in training the other wolves. His wolf and his mate were his two precious pearls and he loved them both. Pearl was his companion, just as Piper was to Wonwoo, and he was glad his mate had opened his heart to another wolf, a new companion. He often thought about Dio, but over time as he accepted the past, his memories shifted from just the sadness of past loss to memories of the good times with his wolf. He allowed himself to remember the best times when he and his wolf had bonded. He thanked both of his perfect Pearls for that too.

Even as time passed, Mingyu never forgot to appreciate his mate and all the wonderful things he'd given him, and Wonwoo never failed to reflect that love back on him two-fold. They never stopped dancing in the kitchen, and they never stopped wanting each other whenever they had private moments together. Mingyu never failed to make his mate feel safe and wanted, and he never failed to protect him or their pups, who he always put as his first priority in everything. Wonwoo never failed to let his mate know how much he loved him, and even on the hardest nights and the longest days, they always found comfort in each other.

Wonwoo had his heats and Mingyu had his ruts, and for a few years, they used birth control, so they could focus on the twins. But as their boys got bigger, they decided that it was time to try to add a new member to the family. Hangyul and Minwoo were getting close to four when Wonwoo experienced a successful heat and he got pregnant again. This time, it was thankfully only one pup, another boy. Wonwoo was as happy as could be with his two sons, his wonderful mate, and the new life blossoming inside him when something rather unexpected changed their family again.

*****

It was a particularly hot summer, another that Wonwoo spent volunteering, teaching music to the pups at the Goyangi Children's Home as his mate played basketball outside with some of the rowdier pups. Their boys still followed their father around like little ducklings. Wonwoo loved that they idolized him so much. He was a good alpha and Wonwoo knew they were lucky to have him, even if he always insisted that HE was the lucky one.

Wonwoo had heard the cries of a particularly fussy baby since arriving, and his instincts called to him to find them and soothe them. Currently, just over three months pregnant, his maternal instincts were strong, but he forced himself to focus on the pups he was singing with as he played along with the keyboard he'd donated a few years ago after Mingyu had given him a real piano for their one-year anniversary. But when one of the workers asked for a word with him, he stepped outside the playroom with her and felt his heart ache at the sound of the upset baby, now louder in the hallway.