Mated To My Alpha Stepbrother (A Sunwoo ff) ✓

Chapter Forty-Two

˚₊໒🌙꒱Sunwoo₊˚

Jacob took a drink of his coffee and pretended to check his phone as he spoke to Sunwoo. "There are so many different theories I'm hearing around the pack. I'm not sure if any of them are worth delving into, to be honest."

Sunwoo sat back in his chair and tapped his fingertips against the table. "Yeah, I figured people would talk. I need you to spend time with the pack as a whole. They aren't going to tell me anything or let anything slip around me. I can't trust anyone else to tell me what they've heard, and I don't know if they're the mole or not."

Jacob nodded. "Right, but how do I get close with them without it seeming obvious or staged?"

"We can continue the training, and I'll let you take over. We'll need a rational reason for why I'm not leading training. I can tell them that I'm helping to host a training seminar for new alphas, and I'm getting my material ready."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I can use my overabundance of char to fish out the mole."

Sunwoo smiled. "Sure thing. I have plans with Jihyo tonight, so I need you to do a little training then."

"Should I make the announcement through mind link?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind. Jihyo is having lunch with her mother, so I need to meet her soon. They are wedding planning."

Which wasn't a complete lie.

Jihyo was just also trying to get her mother drink.

The sound of Sunwoo's Jeep pulling up outside caught his attention, so he stood up and glanced over the almost empty dining hall. "Thanks for all you do, Jacob," he said.

Jacob finished off his afternoon coffee and placed his palm on Sunwoo's shoulder. "It's part of being Beta."

"But you do it well. You never go out anymore. If you want a night off from being Beta, you don't have to ask."

Jacob laughed and scratched the back of his neck. "I was just trying to find my mate, and I haven't had any luck with it. I'll give it another go when all this stuff ends."

"Don't give up. I waited forever for mine."

"And it's worth it?" he asked.

"You know it is."

Sunwoo parted ways with Jacob in the hallway, and he walked outside to see Jihyo standing in front of his Jeep with her mother. She was swaying a bit but didn't look as drunk as he expected.

"Jihyo."

Jihyo turned and gave Sunwoo a glaring look. "We were just leaving."

"Oh honey," she said. "Jihyo is such a stick in the mud sometimes. We'll have to schedule for you all to come have dinner again. Or attempt it, since it hasn't worked out the times we've tried before."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Kim. I need Jihyo for something. We'll talk later."

Sunwoo guided Jihyo towards the pack house. "How did it go? Did you find out anything useful?"

The frown on Jihyo's face said it all.

"My mom said that he was part of a group of rogues that would go around and take over packs. The ones that survived, and that were willing, joined them. It's the reason they have so many. They would send in rogues, lure in a mole and then take over. She said he lived in Calhoun parish before he met her."

Sunwoo's jaw locked in frustration. "So they are here to take over the pack, and for all we know, it could be a random takedown if they do this to other packs?"

She nodded. "She froze up when I asked about the house my father used to live in. She didn't want to talk anymore."

"You did good," Sunwoo said. "That's more than we knew before."

Jihyo nodded and wrapped her arms around her stomach. Sunwoo could sense the unease she had, and the frustration of her dad not being who he thought. So, he had plans to ease her mind.

"Jacob is going to hold a training session this evening."

"Should I go get ready?" she asked.

"We're not going to it. I've made plans for us to... be alone. The pack will be busy, and we won't have any wondering eyes."

Sunwoo watched a blush rush across Jihyo's cheeks. "Alone as in..."

"As in whatever you want to happen," he said, tipping her chin back. "I think marking you has more advantages than me just getting something I want desperately. If the rogues are coming after us, having you marked means I can track you easier."

Jihyo nodded. "I still want that."

"Come on, then," Sunwoo said.

He led her toward their room and grabbed a basket from the bottom of his closet. Jihyo watched in anticipation as he led her toward the Jeep. He helped her in and started the engine.

They pulled out of the pack house, and Sunwoo noticed the wolves were training in the field. Several of them watched him drive away, and he tried to take note of who seemed interested in his exit.

Keep a close eye on the woods, he mind linked with Jacob. This would be a good chance for rogues to slip in. Send Eric and a couple of wolves out to watch the gates.

"So, where are we going?" she asked.

"Just a place my dad took me as a kid. It isn't too far from here."

They drove fifteen minutes to the waterfall deep in the town's woods. Jihyo sat on the edge of her seat, and when they pulled up, her brows pulled down in the middle.

"You don't like it?" Sunwoo asked.

"No, I think I've been here before," she said.

"Well, it's a public place. I've seen other people out here before. Did your dad bring you here?"

"No, Seojun did. A long time ago."

Sunwoo's blood boiled with jealousy. He put the Jeep into reverse and started to back out of the road.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I don't want to bring you here with bad memories."

Jihyo reached out and grabbed the steering wheel. "Stop it," she whispered. "MAybe we should wipe out those bad memories with our own?"

Sunwoo thought about it and finally nodded. He grabbed the basket from the back and hopped out. He helped her over the slippery rocks that led behind the waterfall and sat out their blanket. "I know you've already eaten, but I brought some fruit and wine."

"I'm glad," she said. "I lost my appetite at the restaurant. I'm actually hungry."

He handed her a chocolate-covered strawberry and watched as she ate it. The lighting of the space behind the waterfall was beautiful and shimmered against her skin.

"This is good," she whispered, eyeing him from across the blanket. "Are we going to swim?"

Sunwoo smiled, and dipped a strawberry into the chocolate, slowly taking a bite, and watched her irises grow wide. "I brought backup clothes."

"We're going in naked? Like in the pond?"

"Yeah," he said. "But this time we have nothing holding us back."

Jihyo smiled softly. "I'm nervous."

Sunwoo leaned across the blanket, curling his fingers behind her neck, he whispered. "There is nothing to be nervous about, Jihyo. We're going to take it slow, or fast. whichever you prefer. Tonight is about making you happy, and we're not leaving until you are."