"So, how long are we going to hang around here and wait for our death?" Yun Hee leaned against the door frame that led to the back deck.
Fixer ignored her and stood looking down at the dead wolf. He turned his face towards Derrick. "I think it's time to move. If this is indeed the Luna, we need to develop a new plan."
Derrick huffed and laughed wryly. "Should have thought of that before we shot her."
"I got caught up in the thrill of the kill. You know how that can be," said Fixer nonchalantly.
Leaning over, he spat on the head of the dead Luna. His face held nothing but disgust for the being as he stood up straight again. "Let's get out of town."
He spun on his heel and headed into the house, shoving past Yun Hee as he did so.
She laughed in disbelief and sauntered out to focus on her next target. "He's such a brute. How do you deal with him?"
"I don't." Derrick turned and tried to walk away but Yun Hee grabbed his arm.
"I'm just as big a target as you. Take me with you."
"Didn't we already agree on that?" Derrick was already fighting his instincts to kill this she-wolf. Her annoying voice was not making his resistance any easier.
"Yes, but surely you can understand why I can't exactly trust a Hunter to keep his end of the bargain."
Derrick's jaw flexed. "Keep proving useful and you will live to see another day."
With a cold stare, he turned and looked her straight in the eye. "Keep your hands on me, and you will find yourself taking a dirt nap quicker than you ever anticipated."
He jerked his arm from her grasp and hurried into the house. Yun Hee looked over at the dead Luna and snarled. "Don't think I'm not happy to see you dead. If only I could see that stupid Alpha's face when he finds you."
She giggled and turned to enter the house. But a familiar scent that wafted on the breeze gave her pause. With eyes wide, she rushed into the house shouting as she went. "Hurry! They're close!"
***
Hoseok was practically foaming at the mouth as the group grew closer to the town. Jimin and Jungkook were focused on the mission at hand and Taehyung had a gut feeling they weren't thinking with their heads.
He used his speed and planted himself in front of the werewolf trio, forcing them to skid to a halt.
"Get out of my way!" growled Hoseok, his hackles raising.
"No! Listen to me. You cannot barge into that town as you are. I can see you didn't pack clothing, so we need to make a serious plan. You can't go rampaging up and down the streets snarling and snapping at everything in your way. And you certainly cannot go into town naked."
Jungkook sidled up to Hoseok and whimpered in submission. "Alpha, he's right. Do you know where we should look first?"
"Their scent leads directly into the town," offered Jimin, pacing back and forth.
"Yes, but where would they go? Think, wolf." Taehyung was all for murdering some Hunters, but he was not about to sacrifice the tentative peace he and the wolves had with the townspeople.
Hoseok snarled, paced, and roared as he tried to think. "I think we should start at the guesthouse. If I remember, Ga-Eun mentioned something about new guests coming yesterday."
"That's a good start," encouraged Taehyung. "Let's start there."
The quartet was off again, this time with a more purposeful location in mind.
***
The Claret House was off to the back edge of the town, purposely placed to give its guests some privacy. This location also served the werewolf owners well, as they could approach from the outskirts of town and enter the house without ever disturbing the citizens.
Hoseok was glad for his mate's forethought as he saw the small trail they had forged coming and going from the house. However, his thankfulness was short-lived as he caught the scent of the one whom he adored with all of his heart, soul, and mind.
He let out a choked cry as he sped faster towards the house.
"Alpha, wait!" shouted Jungkook. "We need to make sure it's safe before we enter!"
But Hoseok could not be reasoned with. All his fellows could do was follow him and be prepared for an ambush that could be waiting for them.
Taehyung sped forward, arriving at the house before the rest. His nose curled at the stench of Hunter and death. But there was another scent that made him narrow his eyes. As he flashed from room to room, he found them all empty of any persons.
Knowing the house was secure, he relaxed and followed the cries of the three wolves out to the back deck. His heart sank as he saw the body of the pack's Luna lying on the deck. He stood quietly at the doorway, giving the pack members their space.
"No, I didn't want to believe it," choked Hoseok, his nose nuzzling gray fur around Ga-Eun's neck.
Jimin and Jungkook lowered their bodies to the deck floor, their heads lowered in grief. Their sorrow was not just for their pack, but also their friend and brother.
Hoseok nosed around her body until he found the gunshot wound and his body staggered and slumped down to the floor. His shoulders heaved up and down, shaking with every sob.
Words would not come. The only sound he could make was a howl, long and sorrowful. Every note flooded with the broken-hearted cries of an alpha who was alone again.
Taehyung watched with a pained expression as Jungkook and Jimin joined in. They were expressing their grief alongside their alpha's and it sent chills up Taehyung's spine.
He quietly stepped back into the house and looked for clues while the wolves worked out some of their grief. As he stepped through the kitchen he saw three sets of dishes and silverware in the sink and two mugs on the table. He dipped his finger into the remaining brown liquid and felt that it was still slightly warm.
His eyes darted around the room and he quickly moved to the hallway and entered the first room. Disheveled sheets and empty alcohol bottles piqued his interest, but that was all he found there. The second room was a bit tidier but the bed had been slept in. Both rooms reeked of Hunter, but this room held a faintly familiar scent.
He rushed towards the bed and lifted a pillow to his nose. His anger flourished as he recognized the smell. As he looked over the bed for more clues, he saw a notebook barely peeking out from between the mattress and bedsprings. Jerking it out, he glanced through and found it belonged to the woman staying at his cabin.
His heart began to race and his eyes darted about with a newfound fear.
He ran to the last room and found it destroyed. He fished through the torn papers and found more of Jaci's work. The bed was shredded and the curtains as well. Even Jaci's clothing had been shredded and strewn around the room. Someone obviously had a grudge.
But now he knew who one of the Hunters were and knowing the man had a connection to the injured human-made Taehyung bristle with worry.
He barged back out to the deck and found the wolves still mourning. He understood their hurt and pain, but at the same time, his wife could be in danger.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I found some things."
Hoseok glared at Taehyung and stalked towards him. "You dare interrupt my mourning? My Lun-"
"Jungkook," shouted Taehyung over Hoseok's head. "It's that Hunter we stayed with."
Jungkook bolted to his paws and looked at Taehyung with anger flashing in his golden eyes. "That man who let us go?"
Hoseok and Jimin froze and their noses curled in snarls.
"That Hunter is here?" growled Hoseok. "That man we allowed to live is the one who killed my wife? I will not allow him to live another day!"
"You forget, there are two Hunters, remember?" said Taehyung. "We don't know which one killed your wife. But we do know they have company."
Taehyung held out one of the shredded pillows and all three wolves recoiled from the smell.
"I should have killed her," roared Hoseok when he realized who the scent belonged to.
"Yun Hee is with them? She's the one who attacked Jaci!" said Jungkook angrily.
"Not only that, but I found this stuffed between the mattresses of our Hunter's bed." Taehyung held out the notebook for Jungkook to inspect.
Jungkook sniffed it and whimpered. "It's Jaci's."
"Exactly. I'm not sure if he has a real connection with her or if he just found this among her stuff. Regardless, my wife and your...friend are in danger."
Jungkook paced back and forth. "Please, Alpha, I beg you, let me go back to her."
Hoseok was fighting his battle with his grief. "No, we take care of Ga-Eun first. Then we find her killers."
"But what if they go to my cabin in the meantime? I'm sorry, wolf, but I think this is where we part ways. I can't leave my wife vulnerable. You're on your own for now."
Hoseok turned his back on Taehyung. "At least help put her on my back first," he said quietly.
Taehyung rushed into the house and found a clean sheet. He hurried to the body of the dead Luna and carefully wrapped it in the sheet and draped it over Hoseok's broad back. He secured it with some torn strips of cloth from some other linens.
"I've done what I can," he said, standing up straight. "Now, I must get back home."
Jungkook whimpered and whined. "Please, Alpha!"
His mind was racing with anxious thoughts. All he could think about was Jaci and her safety. It perplexed him but he chose not to dissect its meaning for now.
Hoseok growled a warning to his packmate. But he received a guttural growl in response from the towering vampire.
"You need to do what is right here, wolf. Look past your grief. Let him go to her." Taehyung's words were more of a command than a request.
Hoseok had had enough. Though he was weighted down with his wife's body, he still moved with strength towards Jungkook. "Fine, go. But do not show your face before me again. You have abandoned me for some human. You may think she is your mate but she is nothing but some filthy rotten human! If I see you again, I will kill you."
Hoseok spun on his paws and took off towards the mountain.
Jimin paused and looked at Jungkook in shock. "He doesn't mean it," he whispered. "He's dealing with a lost mate. Try to understand him."
He turned and hurried after Hoseok, not looking back.
***
Jungkook was reeling. How could he possibly lose his pack again? And what did Hoseok mean about Jaci being his mate?
He felt lost and confused. It wasn't until he felt the firm and familiar hand of Taehyung on his head that his mind ground to a halt and he pulled in a deep breath.
"Hyung, what did I just do?" He whined.
"You stood up for what is important to you. You did nothing wrong, Jungkook. But we don't have time to sit and think about this. We can talk once we are back to the cabin and know our women are safe."
Jungkook looked at Taehyung and whimpered in confusion.
Taehyung rolled his eyes. "I swear, Jungkook. Sometimes you can have the thickest of skulls."
Without waiting for Jungkook, Taehyung sprang into a fast run and headed towards home.
With his mind racing as fast as his paws, Jungkook followed.
AN: 💜 What are your thoughts? Do you think Hoseok was right to banish Jungkook or should he reconsider? Is it excusable because he is heavily grieving at the moment? Also, is our favorite wolf ever going to figure things out?!? GEEZE JUNGKOOK!