Destined {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Fifty-Five

Hyunjin surveyed the small pack of wolves he'd brought with him. Seungmin sat, leaned against a tree, eyes closed. His face was pale, much too pale, and he felt a sudden stab of guilt. He sat down next to the wizard and shot a concerned glance his way.

"Are you... are you okay?" he asked quietly, and Seungmin nodded, tiredly opening his eyes. He blinked slowly, running a hand down his face.

"I've never teleported this many people so far before. I just... I just need to rest a little," he mumbled, leaning back against the tree, closing his eyes again. He could hear the other wolves he'd brought along with him – the pack's elite fighters – talking to one another, glaring at the wizard as he rested.

They were all impatient, ready to get to the Crimson Castle to lend aid to their Alpha; these wolves were some of the only ones he'd met that hadn't been talking smack about Jisung behind his back.

They respected Alpha Dongwook too much to question his decisions.

He glared at them in return; clearly, they did not understand that this was very draining for the wizard, having to lug around six wolves and himself in short bursts. They'd be much farther behind if it weren't for him.

Hyunjin's eyes slid over towards the redhead again, shaking his head with a soft smile as he noticed that he was sleeping. "Let's keep going on foot for a little while." They all nodded at him, glad to be able to move again. They stripped and packed their clothes in a small bag they'd brought with them just in case, and Shifted.

Hyunjin gently nudged Seungmin onto his back, making sure he was secure before they started running; he ran a little slower than he usually did for fear that Seungmin would go flying in his unconscious state.

He chuckled; that would have been rather funny to see, but he would have been murdered, that much was certain. The sun was high in the sky, then; he knew Jisung would wait until nightfall to strike. He pushed his legs as fast as they could go without disturbing the unconscious wizard on his back.

They had to get there before them.

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By the time Seungmin had woken up, they'd made considerable progress, the sun halfway down now. He startled, causing Hyunjin to jolt. The redhead fell to the ground with a shout, and Hyunjin quickly Shifted, kneeling down next to him to see if he was alright.

"Why didn't you wake me up!" His eyebrows furrowed as he glared, anger working his mouth. Then his eyes swept over the wolf's frame and his cheeks turned as red as his hair. "And put some damn clothes on!"

Hyunjin chuckled and rolled his eyes, winking before he got up to retrieve the pack that had been slung across the small patch of dirt they'd stopped in when he'd Shifted. He quickly tugged on his clothes again, and the rest of his packmates did the same.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" He didn't mean it as a jab to the wizard's strength – what they were doing was straining and incredibly dangerous for him. He couldn't overdo it; it would end very badly if he did. "We can run for a little while longer." The wolves growled softly under their breaths, shutting up when he glared at them again.

"No, I can do it. Only a few more bursts and we'll be there." His eyes searched the wizard's for any sign of doubt, but when he found none he sighed and relented. If Seungmin was right, then it would be a good thing they'd come; he'd deal with the scolding he would undoubtedly get for leaving the pack when the time came.

He loosed a tight breath and put his hand on Seungmin's shoulder as his eyes glowed purple. Within moments, they were gone.

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