5

Ahead in the distance, SooAh could see that the violet shining light she had been following was glowing much brighter, like a purple beacon in the sky. Hope swelled in her chest!

They only needed to run a little farther, and if what Mother HyunYi said was true, they would be safe from harm, but suddenly SooAh noticed that Jihoon had stopped running. Turning around, SooAh’s eyes met her husband’s, 

“What are you doing!?” She shouted, “RUN!!”

JiHoon quickly walked up to SooAh and grabbing her small face in both of his hands, he kissed her deeply on the lips. 

“I love you so much. From the moment I met you, I loved you. Please keep our baby safe.”

Then leaning down, the young father kissed each of his son’s closed eyes, “I love you, baby… Jiminie...my lovely angel, my Jimin. You like that name, SooAh? Jimin.”

“JiHoon we can talk about this later! Now’s not the time! Let’s go!!” SooAh was losing her mind with panic, as JiHoon continued to stand there— his voice calm, but his eyes were so sad.

“SooAh, listen to me. They will be here in a matter of minutes. You need to go, I’ll fight them off for as long as I can.”

“What are you talking about, JiHoon! How could I go without you?!” SooAh’s voice was shaking with dread and tears had begun to rush down her face.

“Because you have to, SooAh! Do you hear me!?! You have to save our baby!” 

Then he kissed her one more time and used his thumbs to gently wipe the tears from her cheeks. Turning her around, he yelled “GO!”

SooAh knew as well as JiHoon that danger was near. She could hear the guard running in the distance; she could smell their scents on the wind. Her instincts urged her to run away and protect her son, but with every step she took she felt her heart shattering. 

She squeezed her baby tightly between her arms as she ran, screaming and crying as she left her mate behind. It was only a few minutes later that she heard the sounds of growling wolves, teeth gnashing, and claws ripping against flesh, and deep within her she could feel her mate’s pain and fear. It was as if her very soul were being ripped from within her, and she fought with herself not to turn back to help him. What kept her moving forward was the precious baby in her arms and her mate’s resolve and courage that bled through their bond the most. She could feel his sense of pride that he was protecting his family. But it didn’t lessen her pain. At this very moment she was running for her life and the life of her pup while she felt her mate’s life be ripped to shreds. 

“Dear gods help me!” she shouted in horror as she ran into a clearing. 

And then there was silence. 

Looking around her SooAh noticed that she was completely surrounded by an enormous perimeter of purple trees. She’d made it. And all at once she was struck by not only the relief of finally making it to safety and joy that she had saved her baby, but also the insurmountable grief at the loss of her mate. 

Collapsing onto the forest floor, only the sounds of SooAh crying and gasping for air could be heard in the stillness. 

The tiny baby bundled up against her chest was stirring and whining— SooAh’s running and screaming had jostled him from his sleep. Hearing her baby cry was the only thing that broke through SooAh’s panic. Looking down at her one day old son, her instincts as a wolf and mother took over. She immediately began to unwrap him and check for any injuries. She scented him thoroughly across his neck, face, and the top of his head. Then finally she cradled him in her arms and began to nurse him, rocking her body back and forth in an effort to soothe, not only the baby, but herself. Sitting in the clearing with her baby in her arms, SooAh could feel herself growing light headed. Her vision was blurring and it was increasingly more difficult to catch her breath. Laying down on her side, she settled the baby beside her, and closed her eyes. 

The old woman found the mother and newborn pup at the edge of the clearing, the sound of the pup’s wails had led her to them. The woman’s skirt was soaked in blood and her skin was ashen and pale. The pup was lying beside her on the ground, screaming and crying. And even though the pup was covered in dirt, there was no denying the silvery wisps of hair upon his head. 

An omega male.

The old woman carefully lifted the pup and wrapped him in her sweater before hugging the distressed pup to her chest for warmth. Then she knelt down beside the woman to see what condition the young woman was in. 

It was obvious that the mother had lost a lot of blood and judging by the size of the baby, it had barely been a day since she had given birth. The old woman could only imagine the amount of stress and trauma the mother had experienced in such a short amount of time. Using one hand to cradle the baby, the woman gently pushed the mother onto her back, and when she did, the young mother opened her eyes just enough to see that there was an old woman beside her who was holding her pup.

“HyunYi-ssi?” was all SooAh was able to say.

“No, my dear, I’m HyunMi, HyunYi’s my sister. I’m here to help you.”

Upon hearing those words SooAh’s body relaxed. She’d made it.

“Thank you gods.” SooAh whispered to herself, then with all the strength she had left, she raised her arm and stroked her baby’s cheek, and taking one last breath, Lady SooAh spoke her final words, 

“Jimin… I love you.”

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