My Way ||| Ateez

36

"We will figure it out." Wooyoung said. He was scared, too. But having San at his side made him feel stronger.

"I know." San's voice sounded heavy and his breathing was getting slower. Wooyoung brought one of his hands to his mouth to kiss it as they both drifted off to sleep.

The next morning the eight of them loaded the two cars. Hongjoong drove one while Jongho drove the other.

They had decided to drive in the opposite direction of the fortress, hoping to get as far away from it as possible, even if it took them closer to human cities. With them being in the cars, it would cover their scent while they drove, so any Hunters in the area wouldn't be able to track them either.

Whenever they stopped, three of them would go into the store or gas station to get food and drinks, and it was always a different three. Hongjoong wanted to make sure they left as little of a trace as possible.

The group stayed in a motel for the first few nights, sharing two rooms between them. One of the alphas would stay up to keep watch in each room, followed by one of the others so they could take turns.

Nothing was left to chance.

One their third day of driving, Wooyoung was laying down in the back seat with his head in San's lap. His wolf purred as the alpha ran his fingers lovingly through his hair.

"We are getting low on gas." Jongho commented, tapping the steering wheel nervously. "And I haven't seen any signs for a gas station.

"I'm sure we will be fine, there has to be a city or a town coming up soon." Yunho took Jongho's hand to try and comfort him.

Wooyoung smiled at the gesture. "I'm glad we need to stop soon. I'm getting tired of being in the car."

Yunho chuckled. "Me too. I really need to stretch my legs."

Jongho sighed and brought the back of Yunho's had to his lips to kiss it. "Hongjoong said we will take a break once we find a place to pull off."

"Look at you two, already cutting the rest of us out." San chuckled, reaching forward to tickle behind Jongho's ear.

He let out a playful growl and glared at San in the rearview mirror. "Don't distract the driver!"

"You don't prefer Hongjoong over us now, do you?" Wooyoung added, reaching around the seat to poke the alpha's side. "Are we being replaced?"

"Oh knock it off. It's not like that." Jongho grumbled, his lower lip sticking out in a slight pout.

Yunho pinched his cheek, calling him cute, which caused the alpha to turn red. "We know, you're proud of your new title."

Jongho swatted his hand away. "Of course I do, he trusts me to protect everyone." There was even a slight whine to his voice now.

The other three burst out laughing and continued to tease Jongho for a few more miles. Then he held up one of his hands to silence them.

Wooyoung sat up and saw that the Hongjoong had turned his hazards on and was pulling off to the side of the road. Jongho followed and stepped out of the car to go talk with the alpha.

"Do you think everything's ok?" San asked, wrapping an arm around Wooyoung's shoulder before leaning forward to watch the two alphas.

"I don't know." Yunho looked worried as he picked at his lip.

They watched as both the alpha's nodded and walked back to their cars. "Well?" All three asked at the same time.

"Everything is fine, he just wanted to talk without having to focus on driving. We are going to go a few more miles and see if we can find a place to stop. If we don't, some of us are going to have to walk ahead and see if we can find a gas station. He is also worried because he senses a couple of alphas nearby, but they aren't familiar so hopefully we just entered someone's territory."

"Well let's get going then. I'm ready to find a place to sleep." Yunho said, taking Jongho's had again as they started the car.

"Me to."

They pulled away and kept going. The ride was silent though. The mention of alphas nearby made all of them nervous.

After a few miles, right when they were about to pull over, they finally saw a sign for an upcoming down. Hongjoong decided they should keep going and they were able to pull into a gas station just in time.

"Thank goodness. I was starting to get worried." Yeosang said as they all stretched their legs while the cars were filled up.

"Something doesn't feel right though." San said quietly, pulling Wooyoung to him protectively.

Hongjoong nodded and scented the air. "I think... I think we may have come across a settlement."

"Really?" Yeosang turned to him with wide eyes. "I figured those would have been destroyed by now."

"Maybe Alpha Pack hasn't gotten this far west yet..."

"What's a settlement?" San asked.

"It's a place that isn't governed by a head alpha. Wolves can come and go as they please. It's supposed to be a 'safe place', but since there is no head alpha, there's no set in stone rules, which means they can be dangerous too." Hongjoong pursed his lips and stared down the road. "I suppose we can stay for a night and go from there. As long as you are all ok with it?"

Wooyoung glanced at Jongho. He looked at everyone else. "I don't see why it would be a problem. There are enough of us here. But we will continue to keep watch. My eyes could use a rest anyway."

"Ok." Hongjoong nodded.

They all got into the cars again and drove toward a little town called Luna Point.