Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was quiet when the gang of outlaws rode into town with the rising sun, the few pedestrians that were out and about wisely choosing to give them a wide berth. They'd never hit up this particular settlement before, but this was the wild west, so odds were, if a shady bunch of newcomers showed up armed to the teeth like they were, then they were up to no good.

Hongjoong spit the match from his mouth as he eyed the bank they were aiming to rob, before dismounting from his mare and addressing the lot of them. “Yunho, San, Jongho? You’re with me. The rest of you, keep watch and make sure nobody tries anything funny, got it?”

Silently nodding to their leader, Yunho tipped the brim of his black hat up just a tad as he casually sauntered over to Mingi who was still on his horse, revealing mischievous kohl rimmed eyes as he stared up at him. “A kiss for good luck, darlin’?”

Scoffing, Mingi drawled, “Jeong Yunho, you are quite possibly the luckiest man this side of the planet already. You don’t need my kisses for that.”

“Just because then,” the gunslinger amended with a slight pout, dragging the omega down by the hem of his long, leather duster to connect their lips fiercely. For as much as they all liked to pretend that jobs like these were run-of-the-mill for them, one never knew when a kiss would be their last in the dangerous world they lived in. 

Blowing him one final kiss over his shoulder, Yunho pulled the black bandana up over his nose with a wink before tilting his hat back down, previously sweet expression turning dark as his hands rested calmly on either of the dueling pistols strapped to his hips. 

Watching as half their gang headed into the unsuspecting bank, Mingi sighed, already restless as he patted his mare’s neck reassuringly, the beautiful creature jittery beneath him as if sensing his unease. 

“Relax, lover boy, they’ll be fine,” Wooyoung said confidently from his own mount as he fiddled with a revolver, spinning the chamber absently. 

“I’ve just got a bad feeling about today, is all,” he mumbled, side eyeing a dandied-up local as he strolled towards them.

But Seonghwa was the one to intercept him before anyone else did. “If you know what’s good for you, stranger, you’ll head back the way you came. Bank’s closed.”

The beta’s eyes widened, but he nodded quickly enough, making note of the rifle cradled not so casually in Seonghwa’s arms before raising his hands in surrender and pivoting on his heels in a hurry.

They all watched as the scared civilian briskly walked over to the nearest storefront and disappeared inside. Mingi only breathed a sigh of relief when no one came running out of those same doors immediately after, guns blazing. Most people that lived out this far knew better than to mess with vigilantes at this point, but there were always those few stragglers that liked to play sheriff and tried to take the law into their own foolhardy hands.

Mingi's relief was cut short, however, when a series of shots from inside the bank rang out, drawing all of their sharp-eyed attention. But before any of them could so much as jump off their mustangs, the four other outlaws came rushing out of the building, not even bothering to speak aside from the hollers they let out to spur their horses into a wild sprint. 

“Watch our backs!” Hongjoong shouted to Mingi and Seonghwa both, the two long range sharpshooters nodding in reply. Everyone in their tight knit gang were decent shots -they wouldn’t have lived nearly as long as they all had otherwise- but it was always a different story while on horseback. 

Firing a warning shot at some of the locals’ feet that had rushed out of the bank after them, Mingi was thankful to note that no one attempted to follow them as they rode out of town. The ranch they called home was a good thirty minute ride from where they were currently, but they made it back in nearly half the time, Hongjoong at the front never slowing, not even to give their spooked horses a break. Which meant something was very, very wrong. 

Slinging a leg over the side of his mount, Mingi jumped down to the ground before anyone else, striding over to Yunho who was heavily leaning onto the horn of his saddle. “Was anyone else shot?” Mingi asked to no one in particular, guiding Yunho down from his horse as he dragged him inside with the help of Jongho. 

“Nope, just me,” Yunho said with a wry smile, holding his side with one of his large gloved hands. If they didn’t all wear solid black during jobs, he imagined the gunslinger would be noticeably covered in blood. 

“We’re lucky it was just you, you really saved my hide in there, partner,” Jongho ground out, before following Mingi’s curt orders and leaving the room in search of clean water and rags, his suture kit, and a bottle of their strongest liquor. 

Placing Yunho down on the old sofa in the living room, Mingi instructed him to strip while he went to wash his hands of any dust and sweat, not wanting to make matters worse by risking infection. Sitting across from the injured alpha after, he willed his limbs to stop shaking as he took a swig of the alcohol that Jongho had swiftly delivered to him, before removing Yunho’s hand from his bloody side to check the damage.

“It only grazed me,” Yunho assured, before inhaling on a hiss when Mingi poured alcohol over the wound unceremoniously. “Just imagine how much worse it could have been if you hadn’t given me that good luck kiss, huh?”

“Stop talking,” he growled, wiping the wound clean best he could before beginning to stitch the alpha up. But though he hated to admit it, Yunho was right, it really wasn’t that bad, all things considered. Now an inch or two over, closer to his gut? Yunho would be a dead man right about now. The thought alone made him shake that much more.

Flinching at Mingi’s heavy handedness with the needle, Yunho placed his own hand over his trembling ones. “Easy there, sugar. I’m not dying on you any time soon, so quit stabbing me, hmm?”

“Stop being a baby,” he groused, all but glaring up at the alpha. “And I wouldn’t be stabbing you at all if you hadn’t gotten shot to begin with. What have I told you about playing hero, huh? We’re the bad guys, remember?”

“I’ve always preferred to think of us more as masked vigilantes, myself,” the outlaw said with a charming smile, before he was finally moving his hand away so Mingi could get back to stitching him up.

Taking another swig of the grain alcohol with a shake of his head, he handed the bottle over to Yunho as he finished up his crude sutures. It’d leave a scar, but he’d survive. Yunho really was one lucky son of a bitch. Wrapping the wound firmly with cloth, Mingi leaned back to look up at the ceiling with a long exhale as soon as he finished, the chair beneath him creaking under his weight.

“Is he gonna make it, doc?” San asked quietly from the doorway. Mingi hadn’t even noticed the rest of the gang coming in, too busy worrying over the shallow bullet wound in his lover and mate.

“He’s fine, but will you go and tend to the horses for me? I’m sure they’re spooked, not to mention exhausted.”

Nodding, the six other outlaws came to give Yunho their own teasing versions of comfort before wisely making themselves scarce. Nobody wanted to get in between a spatting couple, least of all when the spatting couple in question was Mingi and Yunho.

Before he could tear into his taller lover, however, Yunho was reaching out to hold his hand, saying, “This reminds me of the first time we met, only you were having to stitch up your own wounds instead of mine.”

“Don’t remind me,” he grumbled, squeezing the alpha’s large hand in his tightly.

His father, may he burn in hell, had been the one to inflict the damage that night, but Mingi supposed he’d also been the one to bring Yunho careening into his life like a stray bullet. It was almost a fair trade for the lifelong abuse he’d experienced under this very roof, before Yunho himself had shot the bastard dead just outside for screwing the outlaws out of a rather hefty sum of money.

“God, you were gorgeous, though you’re maybe even more so now.”

Mingi scoffed. “I should hope so. The first time you met me I had a busted lip, the makings of a black eye, a stab wound, and four broken ribs. If you hadn't killed him that night, best believe I would have.”

“Don’t I know it. Seeing you come outside with that shotgun cocked and fire in your eyes like that? And to think I hadn’t believed in love at first sight before that moment. I’m just grateful you fell just as fast, because otherwise I would have had to duel all the others for your affections.”

“You’re so full of shit,” Mingi sighed endearingly. 

“I’m serious! If you think I’m the only one in our little group that would fall for that kind of first introduction, then I’m sorry to tell you, darlin’, you’re wrong. We all thought you were some avenging angel coming out to either kill us or kick us off your property, but instead you took one look at your father dead on the ground, smiled the brightest smile I’d ever seen, and invited us inside, gave us a roof over our heads, food in our bellies, and a job on your ranch.”

“That was just bravado talking. If you would have asked me for the money he owed, I wouldn’t have had it. Hospitality was about the only thing I could have offered to ensure my safety that night. Aside from my body, I suppose." But he’d made sure the gunslinger had worked his ass off before finally giving him the latter.

Yunho shook his head fondly. “You never give yourself enough credit for how amazing you are.”

“And you always try to sweet talk your way out of being in trouble every single time we fight.”

The alpha outlaw pouted over at him, holding his injured side dramatically as he fell back onto the pillows behind him. What a faker. “You can’t be mad at me, I could have died today!”

“Which is exactly why I’m mad, genius. And if what Jongho said earlier was true, you probably fucking took the bullet meant for him, didn't you?”

“Don’t pretend like you wouldn’t have done the same thing in my place.” Mingi opened his mouth to argue that fact, but realized soon enough that he couldn’t, much to Yunho’s obvious delight. “You see? So don’t be mad. Give it a week and I’ll be right as rain.”

“Please, I know you. You’re going to hate being bedridden for that long, but I’m serious when I say absolutely no horseback riding until then, understand? That kind of movement will open these stitches right back up, and if you think I was stabbing you now…” he let his words trail off as he gave his lover a look of warning.

“No horseback riding, got it,” the outlaw said obediently, before a suggestive smirk was gracing those heart-shaped lips of his. “But what about another kind of riding?”

“Jeong Yunho, if you think you’re getting sex any time soon, then you really are an idiot. Why the hell would I reward you for almost getting yourself killed?”

“Hey, you said yourself I won’t wanna be bedridden that long. Have any other recommendations to keep me from getting squirrely, my pretty little nurse?” 

“Yeah. Sleep,” Mingi deadpanned.

“You’re no fun.”

Kissing away the pout his mate was currently sending his way, he flicked the alpha on the nose as he replied, "And you're just lucky you're cute."

----One Year Prior----

“This is the place,” San assured the other outlaws as they all took in the small ranch from their higher vantage point on the nearby hills.

“I still can’t believe that drunkard thought he could pull one over on us,” Wooyoung scoffed. “And after all that work we did stealing those cattle for him.”

Hongjoong hummed his agreement as he wound his whip around his palm absently. It 'calmed him down' he often claimed. “Alphas like him always think they’re untouchable.” 

The seven of them watched as their target staggered out of his lit up farmhouse, all but tripping over his own feet in the dark. The old alpha was drunk as a skunk, surprising no one.

“Is there anyone else we need to potentially look out for?” Seonghwa asked quietly as his intense gaze followed the burly rancher’s every stumbling move. 

“Only one. The alpha’s been slowly scaring off his farmhands for years now, but word around town is that his son still stays on to tend to the animals when our sorry bastard here is too hungover to leave his own bed and do it himself,” Jongho said, though he looked doubtful. “But if the ranch didn’t otherwise look so well taken care of, I’d have said my contacts were lying.”

“Why’s that?” Yeosang asked at his side, actually following along with the conversation for a change.

“Apparently no one’s seen the kid since he presented some ten years ago. Not even the previous workers I managed to find still loitering around town had so much as caught a glimpse of him, let alone his scent. So if his son is somehow alive, I don't imagine he’s very well off.” 

"What's that, you say? A fun little side mission for me?” Yunho asked jokingly as the other alphas around him all shook their heads. 

“He’s not the one we’re after, wonderkid. If the boy actually exists and poses any kind of threat, then you shoot him, don't save him,” Hongjoong warned. And with that, he jerked his head for the rest of them to follow, the outlaws fanning out as they silently made their way down the rocky terrain.

It was honestly pretty pathetic how easily they managed to sneak up on the older alpha after that, their black get ups blending in with the hot desert night seemingly all they needed to surround a man this slobbering drunk. Pity, that. Yunho had always been fond of a good chase.

As the most infamous gunfighter of the lot of them, the job of intimidating muscle typically fell onto his broad shoulders, but Yunho didn’t much mind. Colt clicking as he slowly cocked it, Yunho held the revolver to the back of the confused rancher’s head as he drawled, “Fancy running into you here, Song.” 

Yunho made quick work of unarming the blubbering alpha, reaching into the man’s holster at his hip and chucking the old revolver aside, before kneeing the back of the man’s legs roughly and watching as he fell to the ground in a heap.

By the time Hongjoong stepped forward, the drunken alpha had already begun promising to get them their money. Lighting a match with the bottom of his boot, Hongjoong lit the tip of his cigar, the orange glow illuminating his eyes as he crouched down to the man’s level. “A little late for that, don’tcha think? I did warn you not to try to double cross us from the get go.”

“You did, sir, and I’m truly sorry, but money’s been tight ‘round here ever since--”

“That’s not my problem,” Hongjoong tsked, exhaling smoke into the older alpha’s tear-filled eyes. But that could have also had something to do with one of Yunho’s spurs casually digging into the man's bare ankle. “Now, here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re going to head back inside real quick like, get us our money that you owe us, with a little extra thrown in for our added troubles, and then maybe, just maybe? My boy Yunho here will let you live.”

“Yun-- I’m sorry, really I am, but I just don’t have it,” the alpha begged, words growing louder as Yunho pressed the barrel of his gun more firmly into the back of his head. “But--! But I do have something I can offer you that’s worth even more than the cash I owe you, I swear!”

“If it’s not money, then I'm afraid we're not interested,” Hongjoong said with a solemn shake of his head, eyes glancing up to Yunho with a slight nod as he stood up and backed away.

“No, please! I swear! My son, he’s--!” 

But Yunho wasn’t interested in the man’s sorry attempts for sympathy, the sound of his gun going off booming in the still quiet of the hot summer evening. 

They all watched as the alpha fell to the ground, lifeless. Yeosang had been in the middle of kicking the poor bastard to make sure he was well and truly dead -as if anyone could survive a bullet to the back of the skull like that, but whatever- when the door to the farmhouse burst wide open. 

The silver haired man that stepped out was lithe and tall, with wild grey-blue eyes that promised violence as he held a loaded shotgun on them all without so much as flinching. 

But it wasn’t the gun that left Yunho suddenly motionless, it was the man wielding it. He was clearly worse for wear, his face freshly beaten and knuckles raw and bloody, but even so, Yunho had never seen anyone more gorgeous in all his travels. And when the newcomer’s scent reached his nose, the alpha inside of him all but howled at the moon. 

Not only was the angel before him drop dead gorgeous, he was also an omega, and his mate.

Those smoky eyes roamed over the seven of them before zeroing in on the dead man at his feet, Yunho belatedly realizing that he’d just killed what was probably his future late father-in-law. But the omega surprised him when he lowered the shotgun of his own accord, voice pleasantly deep and a smile that rivaled the sun tilting up the corners of his split, plush lips as he said, “My thanks, strangers. You saved me from having to kill the bastard myself.”

“Uh, any time?” Yunho found himself saying stupidly. Shit, he was normally a helluva lot smoother than that, but his brain was too loud at present, his wolf all but yipping inside of him like an excitable puppy. The omega’s eyes flicked over to him with a skeptical expression, smile faltering, before he was electing to ignore him completely, walking down the rickety steps of the porch towards them.

“You must be the cowhands that my father was drunkenly boasting about tricking earlier on this week. I’m sorry to say that I don’t have any money I can offer you, but the ranch is yours if you want it. There’s plenty of room for all of you to stay on, and I could certainly use the help in tending to the herd of cattle you lot brought in. If you'd like to keep me around at all, that is.”

“You’re an omega,” their leader said with some awe, the omega in question's nose scrunching, though whether it was because he disliked the title, or just plain being ignored, Yunho couldn't be sure. Omegas were rare, so rare that most of the population would claim them to be tall tales, but Yunho was a little too busy with how the wolf inside him was screaming that this man was his to even bother caring about the leggy beauty's subgender, or the ramifications that went with it.

Eventually nodding at their leader, the omega said, "Call me Mingi, and I wouldn't get any funny ideas just because of what I am. I'd rather die than become a prisoner in my own home again, you hear?" 

And as if to prove his point, Mingi once again raised the butt of the shotgun up to his shoulder to steady it. But he wasn't aiming at any of them this time.

Looking down at the alpha lying motionless on the ground, the omega unloaded both rounds of his gun into the man's back, before slinging the weapon over his shoulder once more. When he realized the seven outlaws were still stuck staring at him in varying stages of shock, Mingi shrugged casually. “Doesn’t hurt to be sure.”

“That’s what I said,” Yeosang whispered appreciatively at Yunho’s side. Looking down at the smaller outlaw, he had to hold back a growl at how he was staring at his future mate. At how they were all staring.

But before he was flat out starting a shoot-out against his own damn partners, Mingi asked, “Now, who's hungry?”

The gang all looked at each other, but before they could really agree on anything, the omega was swaying precariously on his feet. Yunho didn't have to think twice as he reached out to grab him, cradling the passed out man in his arms, their guns pressed awkwardly between them. 

His grip on the omega tightened defensively as a result of everyone turning towards him, but he loosened his hold quickly enough when the man moaned in pain, Yunho’s hand coming back tacky with blood. And it certainly wasn’t his.

Well, shit.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The first thing Mingi noticed was a strangely comforting scent, like the smoke coming off a beautifully burning campfire. 

The second thing he noticed was that he was naked. 

Rising up with a start, the omega ignored the screaming pain of his body to instead take in his surroundings. He was still in his father's bed, but thankfully the stranger in the room with him either hadn't thought to use the shackles beneath it to keep him there, or just didn't plan to.

“Easy there, darlin’,” the man whose scent was currently surrounding him like a warm blanket soothed. "You lost a fair bit of blood."

“Where are my clothes?” he asked as he tried to stand up. Only to find himself sitting right back down when a wave of dizziness overtook him. 

“On the floor to your left. We had to figure out where the bleeding was coming from, that's all. Can you tell me what happened?” the alpha outlaw encouraged from where he sat on a flipped around chair, his legs splayed out as he rested his crossed arms over the top of the wood.

Looking down at the floor, Mingi noted the crude bandages wrapped around his wounded shoulder as he gingerly got dressed and did his best to recall exactly how he'd gotten into this mess in the first place.

He remembered being stabbed, remembered his father’s crude, heavy hands as he did his best to fight him off, as well as the beating he received after he was done with him, but what came next was admittedly a bit of a blur. His omega’s survival instincts had taken over, he knew that much. He'd deftly picked the lock of the chain around his ankle with a hair pin, grabbed the shotgun off the wall, and was loading the thing even before he’d heard his father’s frantic voice begging for his life from just outside the cabin. 

The shot that rang out a few moments later had startled him into action, but he hadn’t truly been prepared for the scene he stepped out to witness once he'd finally made it to the porch. Ignoring that his father was dead, he hadn’t seen another person in over ten years, let alone alphas, let alone seven of them. With only two bullets in the chamber of the shotgun and suddenly no one else in the world that even knew he existed, Mingi did about the only thing he could think of to do at the time. He smiled.

A little whistle brought him back to the present, the alpha previously in the chair between Mingi and the only exit now kneeling down on his haunches directly in front of him. He flinched at the close proximity, the act making him wince even harder as he grabbed at his injured shoulder. "Sorry, did you say something?” Mingi eventually asked when the alpha continued to stare up at him with those big, surprisingly gentle eyes of his.

“What happened?”

“My, uh-- my father.”

The alpha’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“You’re a big boy, I’m sure you can figure it out,” Mingi mocked with a grimace, looking around the small room to try to distract himself from the alpha’s alluring scent. Hells, it was even worse when he was up close like this. “I don’t suppose you stitched me up while I was passed out?” he asked hopefully.

“Sorry, we didn’t bring anything like that and couldn’t find the right supplies around the house.”

Figured he wouldn't be so lucky. “That’s fine, I can do it myself.” Like he had dozens of times before this. 

Trying to stand up again, Mingi closed his eyes as his body continued to fight him. And though he was loath to appear weak in front of anyone, least of all potentially dangerous alphas with deceptively kind eyes, he was grateful for the help when the tall outlaw reached out to hold him all the same.

When they did nothing more than stand there for a few long moments, however, the alpha seemingly needing to collect his own bearings, Mingi asked suspiciously, “I am allowed out of this room, right?”

“What? Oh--” the alpha amended when he caught on to Mingi’s meaning. “Of course you are. We aren’t the kind of gang to screw over a person who offers us hospitality. We may be outlaws, but we’re not monsters.”

That remained to be seen, but it was good to know, at least. And good thinking on his part to offer them a place to stay from the get go, though there was no way in hell his subgender didn't have something to do with it, either.

“I’m Yunho, by the way," the alpha said quietly against the shell of his ear. 

A puff of warm air had no right being so intimate, the omega inside of him all but preening at the close proximity.

But then his brain finally caught back up with him. “Wait… as in Jeong Yunho? The infamous gunfighter who hasn’t lost a duel since he was fifteen?” Even being locked away as he was, Mingi had seen enough of the wanted posters in the paper to recognize the name.

The deadly alpha smiled boyishly down at him as he said, "The one and only!”

Sweet jesus, he was doomed.

Chapter Text

Yunho sat just outside Mingi’s door, one leg outstretched as he leaned his head back against the old wood.

After helping the omega around the house to grab what he’d needed to stitch himself up earlier, the gunslinger had been astounded as he watched Mingi go about making dinner for them all immediately afterwards as if nothing was amiss. Sure the stab wound hadn’t been in all that important of a spot, but it was still a stab wound, with silver. No matter how shallow, it would still take longer to heal as a result.  

And Yunho was observant enough to note that the man had been trying -and failing- to control his labored breathing as he cooked, babying his right side and eventually having to sit down every few minutes for a break until he’d warily accepted Yunho’s help once more. If the bruising he'd made note of when he’d removed Mingi’s clothes earlier was any indication, a fair few of his ribs were broken. But every time he’d attempted to help in any way other than being a literal human crutch, the omega would glare up at him and all but verbally bite his head off. Yunho wasn’t sure where that smile he’d first seen had suddenly run off to, but he was determined to find it again.

At first, the rest of the gang had tried to squeeze themselves into the small kitchen to observe the omega, but enough glaring on his part had made them disperse quickly enough, Hongjoong eventually directing the others around to inspect their new hideout. And it was definitely that, because Yunho certainly had no plans on leaving willingly.

But perhaps now wasn’t the best time to admit that, Yunho tilting his head to press his ear against the door and listen as the omega’s breathing evened out in his sleep.

Yeosang chose that moment to round the corner, his third helping of the stew Mingi had made for them in his hands as he looked down at Yunho with a blank expression. “You make quite the guard dog, but who exactly are you protecting him from right now? Yourself?”

Snorting, Yunho flipped the other outlaw off without any real animosity as he said with a shrug, “He asked me to.” When Yeosang continued to stare at him, however, he amended, “Okay, he didn’t technically ask me, but I can read between the lines.”

“Uh huh.”

Sneering up at the unimpressed alpha, he quietly groused, “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were sleeping in the living room tonight.”

The alpha finished his food messily before wiping his mouth and answering, “I wanted to say thanks to our little host. Been a while since we had anything with actual seasoning in it.”

“One, he’s taller than you are, shrimp, and two, he’s sleeping.” Yeosang looked dejected at his words, but eventually turned without so much as a goodbye to do... god only knew what for the rest of the night. 

See, this was exactly why he’d wanted to camp out in front of Mingi’s door to begin with. He may have been a part of this gang for years now, but he didn’t trust the other alphas as far as he could throw them. With his life, sure, but not with his mate. And he was right not to, each and every alpha coming to snoop in the very first hour he’d made the executive decision to guard the omega. 

Yeosang and Jongho hadn’t been much of a surprise seeing as how neither of them were mated, and Seonghwa and Hongjoong probably did it more out of concern or curiosity than anything else, but San and Wooyoung had been the real kicker. And not even at the same time, the two mated alphas looking way too guilty when he’d stared up at them and jerked his head for them to keep moving barely ten minutes apart. Fuck, if an omega had this kind of pull on mated pairs, Yunho could only imagine how the others were feeling. 

But they were just gonna have to get over their infatuations. It was either that, or risk meeting the business end of any number of his many revolvers. 

The third time Yeosang came sniffing around had been the final straw for him, however, Yunho standing up and using his full height to his advantage to try and intimidate the ever unpredictable alpha. Not that those kinds of mind games ever really worked on any of them. There was a reason they all got on so well, never the types to back down from a good fight. “He’s still sleeping.” 

“Oh, is he now? So he’s not the omega I saw sneaking out the window not five minutes ago? My mistake.” 

Yunho looked over at the door sharply, slamming the thing open before he could even really register what Yeosang had just claimed. There wasn’t even a fucking window in that room, and he knew that. The other outlaw had just been fucking with him, and if he wasn’t in such a hyper aware, alpha state of mind, he would have simply called the other man out on it instead of acting on instinct alone.

He also knew he’d made a mistake even before Mingi sat up with a scream, the omega grabbing the gun that had been lying in bed beside him and aiming over at him with unclear eyes. 

Holding his hands up, Yunho stuttered out, “It’s not what it looks like! Yeosang-- I mean-- I just thought I heard something, that's all! No funny business!”

“What’s up?” the alpha in question asked with a smirk, leaning casually against the doorframe. “I heard screaming, followed by my name, and usually I’m in the room when that sort of thing happens.”

Mingi blinked over at both of them, shotgun swiveling between the two outlaws, before he was growling out, “I don’t care what you heard. Get out. Both of you.”

And though Yunho would have followed the order post haste, his face no doubt beet red in embarrassment, the rest of the gang shoving themselves into the room rather blocked his exit. 

“What’s wrong?" "We heard screaming--”

“Get out, he’s fine,” Yunho growled, blocking the half naked omega from view with his bigger body. He hadn’t even gotten a good look, so he’d be damned if he’d give the rest of them a peek.

“All of you get out. Now. I’m sure it was just a nightmare.”

Leaving the room last, Yunho hesitantly looked back at the omega in what he hoped was a conveyed apology, before shutting the door at Mingi’s shaky behest. And when it was just Yeosang and Yunho in the hallway once more, Yunho shoved the smaller alpha up against the nearest wall. If Yeosang was looking for a fight, then he’d damn well give him one.

“What the fuck is your problem? You made me scare him half to death,” he angrily bit out. 

“Just leveling the playing field, is all. I don’t like how attached he’s already grown to you.”

Wait-- attached? To him? Is that what it looked like to everyone else, too? His alpha barked happily in his mind even as he shook the hopeful idea away. “What's that supposed to mean?”

Yeosang stared heatedly up at him, dark eyes clearly exasperated. “You really don’t know anything about omegas, do you? Bet you just think he’s your mate and that’s that. Well I’ve got news for you, giant, he’s not. We all think that way about him. There’s a reason omegas are so rare, you know. Most of them die off young by being kidnapped and passed around by every damn alpha that crosses their path. That pull you’re feeling? We’re all feeling it, even Wooyoung and San. And it's gonna continue until he’s inevitably mated to one of us and his scent settles down, and even then, he’s still a damn tempting morsel of a thing, isn’t he?”

Shoving the smaller outlaw harder against the wall, he lifted Yeosang nearly up off his feet, but stopped when he felt one of the alpha’s many knives sticking warningly into his stomach, just shy of breaking skin. “Don’t talk about him like he’s an object to be won.”

“Is that not exactly what he is?” 

“No,” he growled out in disgust. Lowering Yeosang back down when the knife pushed a fraction harder and pricked into his skin, he backed off, running a hand through his black hair in aggravation as he added, “And you’re wrong. You may all feel a pull to him because of what he is, but I knew he was my mate as soon as he stepped out onto that porch. Him being an omega had nothing to do with it.”

“Sure, wonderkid. You’re just ‘special’, right? And you always have been,” Yeosang all but scoffed. “Still, I do feel bad for scaring the little cutie. That wasn’t my intent, but I suppose I have the rest of our lives to make it up to him, don’t I?”

Growing deadly still, Yunho could feel his alpha rising to the surface, eyes no doubt glowing copper when he quietly promised, “If you try something like that again, Yeo, I swear, I will kill you.”

Spinning the knife between his fingers idly, Yeosang replied cheekily, “Well, you could always try. I’ve always wondered which one of us was faster on the draw.”

“I am.” 

The corner of his mouth rising into a smirk, Yeosang shrugged, though he did finally put the knife away. “Anywho, I’m gonna head to bed. I suggest you do the same, you’re gonna need all the strength you can get if you plan on wooing our little omega and keeping six other dangerous outlaws from going anywhere near him. As gifted as you are, you can’t be everywhere at once.”

Watching as Yeosang walked away, whistling an annoying little tune under his breath, Seonghwa’s voice startled him into turning around. He hadn’t even realized he was still out and about. “He’s right, you know. You’re gonna have your hands full.”

Holstering the gun that had found its way into said hand before he could help it, Yunho all but whined, “Hwa, you should know better than to sneak up on me like that. And as much as my alpha would disagree at the moment, I really don’t want to shoot any of you tonight.”

The eldest outlaw chuckled, patting him on one of his tensed up shoulders reassuringly. “Relax, kid, he’s not the one I’m interested in, but you do need to get your rest.”

“I can sleep out here just fine,” he hedged. 

Seonghwa looked unimpressed as Yunho once again sat down in front of the door, slouching down in a faux show of getting comfortable. Kicking the underside of his boot and making him grunt, Seonghwa sighed, squatting down to his level to murmur, “Word to the wise? One of the first things he ever said to us was that he didn’t want to be a prisoner in his own home again. So you best get this whole alpha caveman act under control before you scare him into the arms of someone else, hmm?”

“I’m working on it,” he sighed, running a hand over his face tiredly. “But my alpha doesn’t want to be more than ten feet from him at any given moment either, so this is the best I can do for now.” 

Hell, even the door between them was not so silently killing him, but he was going to make it work. The last thing he wanted to do was scare the omega more than he already had.

“Hmm, then maybe Yeosang was wrong, after all.”

“Eh, Yeosang’s wrong about a lot of things.”

Looking at him with a fond expression, Seonghwa was eventually shrugging before standing back up. “I’ll be in the bedroom down the hall if you change your mind and decide you wanna switch shifts to actually get some real sleep, alright?”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” he lied through his teeth, crossing his arms with a deep sigh and closing his eyes to hopefully at least get a nap in.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

For harboring seven wanted alphas under his roof, Mingi had fallen asleep relatively fast that night. 

It was strange, he could clearly hear that there was someone right outside his door, muffled conversation happening every so often, and yet he instinctively knew who it was. What kind of weird, alternate reality had he woken up to for the Jeong Yunho, most wanted outlaw in the West, to be guarding his door? And why was it easing his fears rather than amplifying them? He certainly hadn’t asked for the protection.

But as much as he wanted to be wary and cautious about this entire situation, his omega was having none of it, all but demanding he cling to the tallest outlaw. Hell, he probably could have stood all on his own in the kitchen earlier, and yet, when the alpha had slid next to him to hold him up as if it was the most natural thing in the world, he hadn't pushed him away. Well-- not that much, anyway. 

Why was that? Was it because his father was finally dead, the bond he’d forced on him all those years ago disappearing right along with him? But if that was the case, Mingi had certainly never felt this kind of pull with that bastard when he was alive. Not like he did with Yunho.

He really didn’t want to think about it right now, figuring his omega had simply latched onto the strongest alpha it had come across directly after, and ignoring the fact that he hadn’t actually known who Yunho was at the time. Maybe his father had been right all along, he’d always told him that omegas were fickle whores, needing to be locked away for their own good.

Thankfully, sleep had taken pity on him before he had to dwell on the past any further, dreams filled with gentle eyes and the lingering scent of smoke.

But he hadn’t anticipated being woken up in the middle of the night by the very same outlaw infiltrating his dreams, a shriek leaving his lips by sheer instinct. Mingi knew all about what typically happened when his door was shoved open in his sleep like that. When his brain finally caught up with him, however, blinking the sudden blinding fear from his eyes to register that it wasn’t actually his father come back from the dead, he’d relaxed, if only barely. Yunho had looked positively horrified at his reaction, but curiously enough, it didn’t seem to be because of the shotgun. Trust an outlaw to be more concerned about the person behind the barrel of a gun.

Falling asleep the second time hadn’t been quite as easy after that, adrenaline making Mingi’s heart all but beat out of his chest. But eventually that smoke-filled scent once again lulled him into a calm enough state for him to be able to close his eyes and drift away once more. 

But he should have known his brain wouldn’t be so kind to him again, all too familiar nightmares rising to the surface.

The next time he was roused awake, it was to gentle, but insistent, knocking. Wiping his eyes of any tears he’d been stupidly crying in his sleep, and grabbing his discarded shirt off the ground to try and soak up the sweat he was currently lying in, his voice was rough when he called out, “What is it?”

The door opened just a crack in response. Not enough for Mingi to see anyone, but that didn’t really matter. He knew who it was even before he heard the gentle voice. “Sorry, it’s just-- you were screaming. I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“I’m fine,” he said on instinct, getting up and grabbing some fresh clothes for the day. He didn’t imagine the sun was even up yet, but there was no way he was getting back to sleep a third time, and he didn’t want to anyway. Looking down, he grimaced when he realized he’d rolled over onto his shoulder and bled through the wrapped bandages. Careless.

Slipping on some pants, he kept his shirt gripped loosely in his hand as he made his way over to the door, opening it wide and staring at the alpha with a pointedly raised brow when Yunho didn’t immediately move out of his way. 

“It’s uh-- it’s only about four a.m. yet,” the tongue tied alpha said helpfully, following him when he made his way to the bathroom to better inspect his shoulder. His ribs were killing him too, but this close to the full moon, a good shift would make him feel at least a little better in that regard. He probably wouldn’t be able to run all that much, but that was alright. 

“And? You’ve never lived on a farm, have you, hotshot?” he asked without really expecting an answer, deciding against rewrapping his shoulder if he was just going to shift anyway. 

The only time his father had ever let him out of the house -aside from allowing him to tend to the animals whenever he’d inevitably scare off all their many cowhands- was to shift exactly once a month on the full moon, with the added bonus of letting him shift in the barn every now and again when he was really worse for wear. It was rather exhilarating to realize he could do it at his own leisure whenever he wanted to now, the omega inside of him stretching awake in anticipation. 

“Anyway, that’s not why I’m heading out,” he shrugged, wincing at the dull ache the action caused. Fucking silver. 

“Just a nightly stroll then?” Yunho asked, matching him stride for stride instead of following behind him like the ominous shadow he was known to be. “Mind if I join you?”

No. “Yes.”

The kicked puppy reaction his words brought forth had him staring dubiously over at the alpha. How the hell was this guy so feared? Aside from his height and build, he was quite possibly the least intimidating member of the gang currently sleeping throughout the house, though Mingi supposed he wasn’t exactly the best judge of character in that regard, having not spoken to anyone aside from his father in a good ten years. 

“Look, it’s nothing personal, but I don’t exactly know you,” he added when the alpha continued to stare helplessly down at him. 

“Well that’s an easy fix,” the alpha amended, a blinding smile replacing his previous pout. “You already know my name and occupation, so what else d’you wanna know? I’m an open book.”

Mingi highly doubted that, but he supposed there wasn’t much else to do at four o’ clock in the fucking morning as he walked further off the property, not wanting to scare the livestock with his wolf form. “Okay, uh, how old are you, I guess?”

“Twenty three,” Yunho said easily enough.

Huh, so they were the same age, somehow he wouldn’t have guessed. “Me too.”

“Really?” the alpha asked excitedly. “When’s your birthday?” 

“I thought I was the one asking the questions here,” he drawled blandly, before parroting back, “When’s your birthday?”

“March twenty-third, but I don’t imagine we have that in common, as well?”

“No,” he said with a roll of his eyes. 

Looking around the expanse of empty desert now surrounding them, Mingi nodded to himself before throwing the shirt he’d all but forgotten was still in his hands down to the ground, followed quickly by his boots. When he made to remove his pants as well, however, Yunho balked.

“Woah there! I mean-- not that I’m not willing, or anything, but don’t you think you need to heal up a bit first?”

Cold eyes flashing over to the alpha, he growled out, “Excuse me? You’re the one who followed me out here when I didn’t even want company.” 

Shifting on his feet, spurs clinking with the nervous action, Yunho murmured, “I just thought you could use another set of eyes, is all. You know, for… rattlesnakes?”

“Yeah, you sound real sure about that,” he deadpanned. But he couldn’t exactly say bandits, now could he? “Anyway, I’m shifting. It’ll help me heal faster.”

And not bothering to listen to Yunho’s stuttered apology, he did just that once he was fully naked. It didn’t feel all that great, but by the time he was on all fours, he did feel at least marginally better, his ribs no longer screaming at him whenever he breathed too deep.

Stretching out his back legs, he flicked his tail in aggravation when the alpha reached out to stroke along his back as if not able to help himself. “You’re the same color as the moon,” Yunho said with awe.

He was just grateful he couldn’t blush in this form.

Instead, Mingi stared sullenly up at the looming alpha, and if he still had a mouth for human speech, he would have pointed out that he would obviously be silver, seeing as how his hair was. But perhaps he was just used to all that dark fur that the other alphas in his gang no doubt sported. Yunho was shucking his own clothes off quickly enough after that, Mingi not bothering to look away at first. It was only fair, after all, the alpha had seen him naked twice now. 

Or at least, that had been the plan, but as soon as the belt holding Yunho’s guns dropped to the ground and he reached for his pants, Mingi turned away with an audible chuff. Some things were better left to the imagination, anyway. Not that he was imagining anything of the sort-- Literally full body shaking to try and get the unbidden mental images out of his head, he yelped when a wet snout poked him in the side. 

Yunho’s wolf was as black as midnight, with rust colored eyes to Mingi’s blue. He was a fair bit larger too, but Mingi supposed that was just the difference between alphas and omegas. His father had also been quite a bit bigger-- 

His wolf growled at the memory, Yunho backing off as if he’d been bitten with a small whine. 

Looking over apologetically, Mingi rolled his shoulder before deciding a small run wouldn’t hurt too badly, after all. It was almost impossible to refuse the urge to run in this form anyway, especially with the knowledge that he was finally free. From his father, from his prison, from everything. Throwing his head back with the building emotions that knowledge brought forth, he howled up at the moon, the timbre of his lonely call crystal clear. When Yunho’s lower register joined in, he was surprised to note that at least two other voices answered them from back at the farm not long after.

Ears swiveling atop his head in alarm, he abruptly stopped his howl, before taking off as fast as his injured shoulder would allow to get more distance between him and the ranch. Which was to say, not very fast. He was used to the stray coyote answering him every now and then, but never other wolves. 

Yunho followed him, but was clearly hanging back after his earlier angry outburst. Mingi would almost feel bad about it, if the alpha hadn’t invited himself along to begin with. 

But his omega was admonishing, and more in control in this form, and he found himself turning to instead lope over to the bigger wolf to inspect him curiously. Yunho stopped in his tracks, not moving even a muscle as Mingi stuck his nose wherever tickled his fancy as he openly scented him. There was that intoxicating fragrance again, only this time the scent deliciously clung to his fur afterwards. Mingi had half a mind to roll to get it off in embarrassment, but his omega refused, wanting to bask in the scent for as long as he could. Rubbing their sides together one final time, Mingi all but coated himself in the alpha’s bonfire scent, before once again taking off at his own pace. 

Yunho stayed much closer after that, all but glued to his side by the time Mingi eventually ran out of energy. Panting in exertion, he was practically limping when they finally got back to their clothes. And he found himself growling again when he noted a number of scents scattered around and along their clothing, black hair clinging to the fabric. Looking around warily, Mingi only shifted back once he was sure the rest of Yunho’s gang was nowhere to be seen. He didn’t recognize the others’ scents yet, but he would be sure to chew them out once he found out exactly who it was. 

Shaking his clothes out when he was back in his human form, Yunho politely averted his eyes as he shifted and got dressed as well. The alpha’s broad shoulders were hunched rather angrily, muscles along his back rippling as he threw his clothes on in a hurry. Not that Mingi was making note of anything like that. 

Taking stock of his own body, he felt along his shoulder. It was still a bit stiff, and would definitely need more stitches, but his ribs were noticeably better, breathing far less labored as he took deep, calming inhales of Yunho’s alluring scent. It was even stronger than usual, which was seriously saying something. If Mingi didn’t know any better, he’d say Yunho was somehow doing it on purpose.

Tugging on his boots, Mingi watched the sun rise lazily over the horizon, before slowly making his way back to the ranch. “You ever tended to livestock before, hotshot?” he asked over his shoulder once he heard Yunho’s spurs clinking rhythmically behind him. 

“Nope,” Yunho said enthusiastically, the dark expression Mingi had glimpsed for only a second gone in the span of a heartbeat.

“Well, first time for everything, I suppose,” Mingi sighed. “If you’re gonna follow me around anyway, then you might as well make yourself useful.” 

“Useful’s my middle name!”

Not bothering to respond to such an absurd statement, he shook his head before going over everything they’d need to do once they got back, Yunho once again following closely behind him and nodding attentively. 

Chapter Text

When Mingi had first offered the dangerous gang of outlaws a place to stay and odd jobs around his ranch, he hadn’t actually expected them to take him up on it. Yet here he was, almost a week later, doing next to nothing on his porch as seven alphas swarmed around him and listened to his every command. 

He still wasn’t quite used to this many people coming anywhere near him, and he shied away from too many of them closing in on him all at once, but as the days passed, it was becoming more and more natural to relax around them. Even if at least half of them looked as though they wanted to devour him whole whenever they thought he wasn’t looking. 

Thankfully, the biggest culprits of this, Yeosang, San, and Wooyoung, had been gone for a few days, off getting the gang’s horses from wherever they’d been previously stashing them. But now that they were back, it was like they were making up for lost time. San and Wooyoung, he’d learned, were already mated, but that didn’t seem to stop the duo from cornering him whenever they could, charming smiles and sweet words passing from their lips seemingly as natural as breathing for them. Much like they were doing right now.

“We brushed down the horses like you suggested, anything else we can do for you, sweetheart?” San asked, leaning over the railing of the porch to get closer to him without actually crossing the threshold. For as flirty as the alpha couple were, they understood his need for personal space, at least.

“Uh--” Mingi started, but Wooyoung interrupted him before he could even begin to form a reply.

“How’s that shoulder, by the way? Feeling any better? We need you one hundred percent, but you know I’m happy to help you in the kitchen whenever you need me to, as well,” the smaller of the two alphas said sweetly, both outlaws all but purring up at him like farm cats. 

“It’s almost fully healed, thanks, but I really don’t have many other tasks for you both. Having seven people helping out with chores makes finishing them a helluva lot faster.”

“Then in that case, mind if we join you instead? It’s mighty hot out here, and we could do with the shade,” San crooned, dimpled smile on full display as he toyed with taking off his shirt. Mingi wasn’t impressed, and his expression no doubt said as much.

Before he was having to find another excuse for them to leave him the hell alone, however, Jongho was passing by, a bale of hay slung over each shoulder as if they weighed nothing. “Leave him be, you two. I for one have plenty more tasks you could help me with now that the horses are back.” 

“We weren’t talking to you,” Wooyoung sneered, sticking his tongue out at the youngest outlaw.

“No, he’s right, you should go help him,” Mingi quickly agreed, staring gratefully over at Jongho. Who simply kicked at the mated alphas’ ankles from behind to herd them away, winking up at him before following the now bickering couple to the barn.

Smiling back awkwardly in return, Mingi nodded his thanks to the quiet alpha before closing his eyes in relief. Exhaling on a deep sigh, he sank down into the worn wooden bench beneath him, just grateful to finally be alone. 

Or at least, he’d thought he was alone. Until an arm was sliding around him casually, deep voice whispering into his ear, “And what about me? Anything I can do for you, angel?”

“Yeosang, back off,” Mingi growled, removing the alpha’s hold on him and sliding further down the bench. But that just gave Yeosang more room to get comfortable at his side, not perturbed by his gruff, growly attitude in the slightest.

“C’mon, don’t be like that, I haven’t seen you in days. You seriously have no idea how much I’ve missed your cooking, or the peace that comes with not being stuck hanging around those two idiots all hours of the day.”

Chuckling despite himself, Mingi shook his head. “I can imagine. They seem like holy terrors.” 

“You have no idea, but it was way worse before they realized they wanted to fuck each other senseless instead of constantly fighting each other.”

“Have they been mated long?” he asked, moving further down the bench when Yeosang not so subtly scooted closer to him once more. Yeosang was an attractive man, sure, but there was something… off about him. Maybe his scent? Or how he seemed to have no care for Mingi’s personal boundaries, he wasn't quite sure. He supposed Yunho didn’t seem to understand what personal boundaries were either, but somehow it just wasn’t the same. The two alphas weren’t even in the same category if Mingi was being entirely honest.

And speak of the devil, there was that smoky scent again--

“They’ve been together a couple years now,” Yunho drawled from where he now stood, his tall frame filling up the doorway of the farmhouse as those normally dark eyes flashed copper down at Yeosang. The other alpha didn’t so much as flinch at the obvious glare being sent his way, but he did get up with an annoyed huff, blowing Mingi a quick kiss as he stalked off towards the barn himself. 

Yunho watched the other outlaw until he was sure he was far enough away to quietly ask, “You good?”

“I’m fine,” Mingi muttered as he hugged himself absently, his fingers rubbing calming circles into his skin.

Yunho’s stare gave nothing away, but Mingi could still somehow tell he wasn’t buying into his lies. But instead of calling him out on it, the alpha was thankfully changing the subject. “I finished making up all the available rooms, if you wanna come check them out at all. There’s only one left that I can’t get into, but we could probably use the extra space if you're willing.”

Ah, of course. His father’s room. And the one that he’d specifically locked up the very same night he’d been murdered. 

“Yeah, alright…” Mingi muttered, getting up to unlock it himself. “But I’d rather you not sleep in there.” Not with how much Yunho still followed him around like a shadow. Or maybe puppy was more accurate.

Watching intently as Mingi unlocked the door one padlock at a time -the damn thing had always had a series of them on the outside- Yunho couldn’t seem to help himself when he said, “Alright, but can I ask why?”

Mingi stopped just short of opening the door, hesitating for only a beat before admitting, “I’d rather not be reminded of my father whenever you’re around me, if it’s all the same to you.” 

Yunho and his father were about as opposite as two people could get, and while Mingi instinctively knew that, it didn’t mean that he wanted to see the alpha going in and out of this room all the time, either. Just the sound of the door opening and closing was enough to send Mingi into a bad mental spiral, which was the whole reason he’d had it locked up tight to begin with. 

Because unfortunately, memories weren’t as easy to kill off as his father had been.

Covering his nose, he opened up the door slowly, before backing away to lean heavily against the nearest wall. “I’m gonna-- I’m gonna get a head start on dinner, since there’s eight of us again. Holler if you need anything, alright? Otherwise, you… do what you gotta do in there.”

Watching as the alpha tentatively reached towards him, Mingi stiffened up, but didn’t pull away when Yunho gently grasped his free hand with his own. He looked as if he wanted to interlace their fingers too, but settled for rubbing his thumb soothingly over his erratic pulse. “Are you sure you’re alright? You’ve gone white as a sheet all of a sudden. Is your shoulder hurting again? If you want, I can always--”

“You know, Yunho,” Mingi interrupted with a fair bit more hostility than he’d truly intended, “for supposedly being the most infamous outlaw this side of the country, you really seem to need shit spelled out for you, huh? My father wasn’t a good man, well before he hired you all to steal livestock for him. Who exactly do you think caused all of those injuries that first night we met? Myself?” 

Pulling his hand away as if burned, Yunho quickly backtracked, “No, of course not! I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” 

Grunting in acknowledgement, Mingi sighed long and hard before waving Yunho back to his task, heading off to the kitchen himself without another word.

It was so strange. He knew from watching Yunho interact with the others that he was insanely quick-witted, but for some reason, when it came to anything involving Mingi, he honestly acted rather, well, stupid. Almost as if he wasn’t in his right mind whenever they got close enough to one another. Though Mingi supposed it was the same for him, the alpha’s scent clouding his mind to the point that he’d forget what he was doing not moments before.

As if to prove that point further, his mind was annoyingly blank as he stared down at the kitchen counter in front of him. And he’d still been trying to remember exactly what recipe he was even attempting to cook, when a loud crash sent him scrambling back to where he’d just left Yunho. 

The alpha in question was facing away from him, shoulders heaving as he took in deep lungfuls of air, looming over the bed he’d very clearly just destroyed. Somehow. When he realized Mingi was in the doorway, however, he was quickly wiping his sleeve over his face before turning around with a weak smile.

“Sorry, did I startle you? Don’t know my own strength sometimes, I guess,” Yunho obviously lied. “Looks like the damn thing’s busted as a result of me trying to move it, but don’t worry, I’ll take it out back and burn it. Unless you wanted to try and salvage any of it?”

“Uh-- no, not really. By all means, burn the thing,” Mingi said, mouth suddenly dry. Huh, maybe Yunho being in this room wasn’t such a bad thing, after all. He couldn’t even smell his father’s lingering scent over the bonfire smoke coming off the angry alpha in waves.

But Yunho’s voice was calm when he said, “You’re the boss. I might be busy for a few hours because of it, but if you need anything, just ask Seonghwa. He’s a damn good cook. You know, when he’s not expending all his energy on trying to woo our shortstack of a leader.” 

Mingi nodded absently, worrying at his bottom lip before eventually moving to head back to the kitchen. Well, he supposed that was one way of dealing with that glaring issue. But he stopped before he'd even moved two steps to quietly suggest, “You know… I think this door’s pretty banged up too. Useless, really. But it’d make for good kindling if you’re burning stuff anyway.”

Staring over at him, Yunho’s shoulders finally relaxed a fraction when he murmured out, “Yeah, I can do that.” 

Small smile gracing his lips, Mingi nodded gratefully to the alpha before finally heading back to the kitchen, feeling lighter than he’d been in years.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Staring bitterly into the roaring fire in front of him, Yunho didn’t bother turning around to address the alpha he could smell coming up behind him. “What’s up, Joong, is dinner ready?”

“Almost,” Hongjoong said, sitting down at Yunho’s side. “But what’s all this about?”

“Just cleaning out some things from the house, is all.” 

Looking into the fire, the small alpha nodded in understanding. “So I saw. Maybe we could put up a curtain or something if someone actually wants to use that room, but it’ll need a good scrub down first.”

“I wish I could kill him all over again. Make it last longer,” he growled out. But his anger quickly turned inward as he remembered the look on Mingi’s face when he’d asked him what was wrong like a damn fool. “I’m a fucking idiot,” Yunho eventually grumbled, kicking a stray piece of wood at his feet into the fire morosely. 

“Sometimes,” Hongjoong agreed easily, lightly nudging his shoulder. “But Seonghwa’s filled me in on why you’ve been acting even more flighty than usual recently. You’ve really got it bad for the omega, huh?”

“Mingi,” Yunho interjected, not liking when the others used the man’s subgender as a title when he had a perfectly good name.

“Mingi,” the other alpha corrected softly. “But you sure you wanna go down this path, kid? Our kind of lifestyle doesn’t exactly leave much room for error. Or romance, for that matter. It’d be a shame if either of you got shot up just because you weren’t at the top of your game.” 

Sighing, Yunho tilted his head back, looking up at the many colors in the sky as the sun set behind the rolling hills in the distance. “Sorry, but I don’t think I have much of a choice.”

“Yeah, I figured as much, but it was worth a shot,” he chuckled wryly. Standing up, Hongjoong held his hand out to him, pulling him up with ease when Yunho accepted his outstretched hand. “Guess you’re just gonna have to teach him the ropes then, if he’s gonna be sticking around for a while. And as our best shot, I’m leaving the task of training him up to you, sound good?”

“I-- yeah, okay, I’ll see what he thinks.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. I think he’d much prefer the alone time with you over anyone else here. You should see the kitchen right now, it’s like a stick of dynamite went off in there with how everyone is trying to help out. But you can wipe that scowl off your face, Seonghwa already took care of it, and you know the gang listens to him when I’m not around.”

Yeah, he did, but it didn’t mean he had to like it. “I’ll still ask.”

Hongjoong shrugged. “Whatever you say, wonderkid. Now, c’mon, dinner’s probably done by now. And if we don’t get in there quick enough, you know the guys won’t leave us any.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The first and second shot he fired off in quick succession missed. 

And though that wasn’t much of a surprise to Mingi, seeing as how he hadn’t handled a revolver in years -the shotgun at point blank range he’d used a week ago didn’t exactly count- he still found himself glaring at the bottles glistening in the sun. Mocking him.

After dinner the night before, Yunho had loitered around awkwardly until it was just the two of them to ask him if he was interested in shooting lessons. Which he very much was. And even if he wasn’t, who in their right mind would turn down advice from the best gunslinger in the West? Ignoring the fact that he was wanted, of course.

But their normal camaraderie was nowhere to be seen, Yunho uncharacteristically hesitant and uncertain around him, and Mingi couldn’t help but feel like it was his fault for snapping at him the day before. Pulling the trigger a third and fourth time, Mingi growled in annoyance when the glass targets remained unscathed.

Yunho watched as he missed the final two shots in the chamber and reloaded with an annoyed little exhale before he offered, “Here, try this.” 

Placing a gloved hand over his, the alpha cautiously fixed Mingi’s posture, careful not to touch him for too long. It was driving Mingi crazy, if he was being honest. Like Yunho somehow thought he was made of glass and might shatter at any moment.

Once again looking down the barrel, Mingi kept both eyes open as he fired this time, one of the bottles some odd yards away exploding on impact. Whooping with glee, he turned towards Yunho with a triumphant smile, the alpha seemingly helpless but to smile right back. 

“I thought so, but you’re a damn good shot. Just needed a little helping hand,” Yunho said honestly, pride evident in his voice.

“My father used to take me out on the range growing up. You know, back when he thought I’d present as an alpha.” The words were meant to be casual, but Yunho frowned after Mingi said them, smile dropping as he quickly averted his gaze. Which was the final straw, really. “Look, I’m sorry for lashing out at you yesterday. My outburst didn’t have anything to do with you.”

“What?” the alpha asked incredulously, normally large eyes widening that much more. “You don’t have to apologize to me. If anything, I should be apologizing to you for how ignorant I was being. I’m not normally so…”

“Slow on the draw?” he suggested teasingly.

“I was gonna say stupid, but yeah, that works too.”

Snorting, Mingi regulated his breathing and corrected his posture with Yunho’s gentle guidance before pulling the trigger once more, successfully shattering yet another bottle with a pleased hum. 

They didn’t speak again until every bottle was broken, but Yunho’s voice was soft when he admitted, “I never knew my father. My mother worked in a whorehouse, and he was just one of her many clients. But she was always good to me. Right up until she passed.”

“I’m sorry,” Mingi said sincerely. “My mother died giving birth to me, and truth be told I don’t even know what she looked like. How old were you when it happened?”

“Twelve, but I’d presented as an alpha a few months prior, so I was technically old enough to fend for myself in society’s eyes. But in reality, all that did was make me angry and reckless. Most of my more notorious acts that I’m wanted for to this day happened before I’d even turned seventeen, but it’s hard not to take it out on everyone around you when you’re all but living on the streets, y'know? Thankfully, Hongjoong found me not long afterwards and gave me an actual purpose and family again. You’d be amazed at the kinds of things you can get away with without having to fire off a single bullet with a bounty on your head like mine and six other alphas backing you up. Sure the gang does its fair share of raising cain, but a lot less people get hurt, too.” 

Staring up at the alpha after he grew silent, Mingi eventually held the revolver out to him, but Yunho shook his head before saying, “Keep it, I have plenty. And I’m sure one of the guys has a holster you can have that they aren’t using anymore when we get back.”

Nodding in acknowledgement, Mingi tilted his head ever so slightly when he replied, “Sounds good, but before all that, how about another run? There’s a stream a few miles from here, and I don’t know about you, but I could really go for a dip right about now. And after this shift, I think my shoulder will finally be completely healed up.” Or as good as it was going to get, at least.

Eyes shifting to the color of his wolf’s for the briefest moment, Yunho’s smile was slow, but no less striking, when he eventually said, “Yeah, alright. Lead the way.”

Chapter Text

The short run to the stream was over entirely too soon, in Mingi’s humble opinion, but after Yunho had shaken out of the gun holster that he'd somehow managed to maneuver around his neck before they’d left on all fours, the alpha was happy to play in the running water with him, splashing around as they chased each other through the more shallow parts. There was a certain ease to being in wolf form with Yunho like this, but sadly, they hadn't come to the stream simply to mess around. 

Shifting back to human form after a time, Mingi sank down into the waist deep water, shivering at the chill despite the midday heat. Yunho shifted as well, though went to check on his gun before he joined him again. Which meant Mingi got an eyeful of both the man’s back, and his front. And this time, Mingi didn’t bother to look away from the naked alpha.

Yunho was paler than Mingi would have thought he’d be, but he found it suited the tall alpha, the sun turning his skin almost pink along his cheeks and shoulders. It was a stark contrast to his black hair, though even Mingi could admit that wasn’t exactly where he was looking at the moment as Yunho stepped into the water once more, his eyes staying glued to the alpha’s crotch even after he was more or less submerged.

The outlaw cleared his throat when he caught Mingi staring, a small, playful smile upturning Yunho’s pretty lips as they locked eyes, though his face and ears were now decidedly more flushed than before. That probably made two of them.

“You looked ridiculous lugging that thing here, y’know,” Mingi eventually said to try and make light of the fact that he’d just been caught ogling the alpha's dick. But when Yunho’s eyes widened comically down at him, he quickly explained, “Your gun, hotshot. I swear, your mind goes to the dirtiest places…” 

Yeah, right, Yunho's mind, he thought lamely to himself.

Yunho chuckled all the same, seemingly letting him off the hook when he said, “Oh yeah? Well, you’ll thank me one day when I save your fine self from a rattlesnake. Those do exist out here, darlin’.” 

Mingi snorted. That weak excuse again? “Yunho, we’re shifters. They’re not gonna come anywhere near us.”

“Hey, never hurts to be cautious. I’ve stayed alive this long in my deadly occupation for a reason, thank you very much.” The alpha was smiling as he said it, before his gaze strayed just past Mingi’s shoulder-- and quickly grew panicked. “Min–!”

But Mingi was jumping towards Yunho before the alpha could even finish whatever his sudden warning was going to be, water sloshing wildly around them.

“What is it, a cottonmouth?” Mingi freaked out, latching onto Yunho. Who was now laughing, the motion of his body shaking in mirth jostling Mingi with how closely he was currently holding the alpha. “Wait, why are you laughing… were you messing with me just now?” he asked indignantly. At his accusatory glare, Yunho only laughed harder.

Scrunching up his nose, Mingi let go of the alpha with a smack to try and swim further away from him in annoyance, but Yunho was reaching out to pull him back quick as anything. “Sorry, just couldn't help myself. But hey, it's nice to see your reflexes are that fast, at least. Always a good thing for an omega harboring wanted criminals, right?”

“You’re not funny,” Mingi groused, though his ire was quickly dissipating when he realized they were now pressed front to front, Yunho's hands sliding down his sides to hold him gently by the waist beneath the water.

This close, Mingi could make out the few scattered freckles dusting the outlaw's cheeks, the two moles sitting just beneath his right eye. Mingi stared at the soft yet hardened planes of Yunho’s handsome face, until his gaze was finally dropping naturally to settle on those bitten, barely chapped lips. And while they didn't look all that soft, they did look inviting, Yunho's mouth opening slightly as he licked at his bottom lip, Mingi tracking the movement. 

When he finally looked back up into Yunho's eyes, they were glowing copper, and gazing intently down at his own lips with intensity. Apparently he and the alpha were having similar thoughts. But when Yunho didn’t make a move aside from his fingers ever so slightly digging into his skin, Mingi closed the gap between them himself, the alpha gasping against his lips-- before returning the kiss tenfold. As if he’d just been waiting for permission.

Growing pliant in the alpha’s arms as they kissed almost desperately beneath the hot summer sun, Mingi was ashamed to admit that he legitimately whined in disappointment when Yunho pulled away from him to breathe, a furrow in the alpha's brow as he refrained from leaning in to kiss Mingi silly once more. And stopped him when Mingi tried to lean in to do it again himself.

What, was he a bad kisser, or something? Because Yunho certainly wasn't. He could only imagine all the hearts the outlaw had broken during his many dangerous escapades. “Sorry, did I read this wrong? I kinda sorta thought you liked me–” Mingi started, hesitantly untangling himself from the alpha.

“What? No, I do!” Yunho argued quickly. “It’s just– you smell… different, from usual,” the outlaw admitted hesitantly. “Good, really really good, but almost… too good, somehow? To the point where I’m not sure I trust myself in the heat of the moment.” 

“I smell–?” Oh. 

It had to be his preheat. Fuck, no wonder he hadn't been able to look away from Yunho’s dick earlier, although truth be told he hadn’t noticed that familiar lick of heat in his veins until the alpha had kissed him. Wait, but what did that mean for him in his current situation? Yunho aside, there were six other alphas at the ranch, and Mingi knew firsthand what kind of monsters their subgender could turn into around his heat pheromones. 

Yunho stared at him for a time, as if trying to read him as he quietly shook in the water, before eventually saying, “Is it what I think it is…?” Watching Mingi hesitantly nod, Yunho continued, “Alright. Well. What do you, uh, usually need to do for those?”

“I don’t wanna talk about that,” Mingi said with a blush, moving to head back into the deeper water to cool off, literally and figuratively. Shit, he’d never had a heat come on this quickly and out of nowhere before, or at least, not in a very long time. “But the others will have to leave,” he mumbled, staring down into the water in embarrassment.

“Meaning… you want me to stay?” Yunho confirmed slowly, eyes glowing once more when Mingi hesitantly looked back up at him with a small nod.

“But just to stand watch! I’m not ready for anything like that between us, I’m just… I’m scared to be alone when I get like that. I don’t trust myself…” An understatement, really. Thankfully he never usually remembered what would happen during his heats, but the few snippets he could recall always horrified him, his omega often having a mind of its own. 

The outlaw’s previously heated expression grew puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“You’ll see,” Mingi sighed, watching as Yunho pondered over his words, before the alpha was eventually turning to go grab something from one of the small pouches on his holster. Soap, by the look and smell of it. Mingi chuckled halfheartedly. “No wonder you wanted to go back to the house before we left. You think of everything, don't you, wonderkid?”

“What can I say, I like to be prepared,” the outlaw shrugged, back to standing close to him in the water as he gently suggested, “Want me to wash your hair for you?” 

With anyone else, Mingi would have vehemently refused that kind of intimacy. But it was the way the alpha said it, as if he was already expecting rejection -even though he'd just straight up kissed him and wanted to do it again- that made Mingi eventually whisper, “...yeah, alright.”

Sadly they didn’t kiss again after that, didn't even talk, really, the alpha seeming to take the task of bathing Mingi very seriously, even as he very obviously struggled with the act himself, Yunho’s heady scent growing right along with Mingi’s. The alpha couldn’t seem to help himself from touching him, however, touch lingering wherever his fingers would graze against Mingi’s freshly clean skin. 

“Do you know how long it usually lasts for? Your heat, that is?” Yunho asked quietly once they were finally both ready to get out of the water, the outlaw taking seconds to scrub himself down in comparison. 

“A few days.”

Yunho nodded, a small tilt of his head. Like he’d forgotten he wasn’t wearing his cowboy hat. “I’ll let the guys know. How soon until it starts? Your scent is already stronger than it was even when I first noticed the shift.” 

“Couple hours, probably,” he admitted, Yunho cursing under his breath. And that was if they were lucky, but he kept that to himself. 

“Alright, we should head back to our clothes now then. You can continue practicing your aim if you want, while I round up the gang and let them know what’s going on.” 

“Kay,” Mingi murmured gratefully, letting Yunho lead him by the hand out of the water.  

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Yunho was sweating by the time he got back to the ranch, herding up the gang of outlaws as quickly as he could as they openly scented him. 

"What's going on?" Hongjoong asked, hands in the pockets of his faded black denim jeans. 

"Mingi needs the lot of you gone," Yunho said with some difficulty, his alpha already screaming at him to get back to the omega he'd left on the hill overlooking the ranch. 

"Oh yeah? And why is that?" the short alpha drawled, though by the look on their leader’s face he already knew, just wanted Yunho to say it.

Closing his eyes briefly, Yunho admitted against his alpha's better judgment, "Because he's going into heat. He's agreed to let me stay and keep watch, but you all need to leave. He’s scared of you."

"Excuse me? Who died and made you head alpha?" Wooyoung groused, San nodding in agreement from where he was hanging off of his mate's shoulders. 

"Nobody. Look, I don't wanna fight– where the fuck do you think you're going?" Yunho growled as Yeosang tried to step around him, blocking the smaller alpha's path as his entire demeanor changed.

Yeosang looked up at him beneath the brim of his hat, drawling, "Gonna go talk to the omega myself. He was fine when I saw him earlier."

"Are you callin’ me a liar? You can clearly smell him on me." 

At that, Yeosang's eyes narrowed. "Exactly. So if you already had a go–"

The alpha was flat on his back on the ground before he could even finish his crude sentence, holding his jaw where Yunho had decked him as he glowered up at him from the other end of Yunho's revolver. 

But thankfully or not, Seonghwa was stepping between them, a hand pushing Yunho's gun down gently but firmly to point at the ground and not at Yeosang. "We'll leave. So cool it with the theatrics, will you?" 

"Sorry," Yunho muttered eventually, reholstering his gun. But he wasn't sorry, he wasn't at all. And the realization that he would happily shoot Yeosang to keep Mingi safe didn't sit right with him, even if he did stand by it. He’d never felt so out of tune with his alpha instincts before.

"The animals will need extra rations if we aren't gonna be here and you two will be… otherwise occupied," Jongho noted dryly, watching the tense standoff with a long piece of grass between his teeth. 

"Right. Jongho and Yeosang, see to the livestock. San and Woo, go saddle up the horses. Hwa and I will grab any supplies we might need for a few days of roughing it. We'll make for the old mine not too far from here, in case you should need us, sound good?" Hongjoong asked Yunho, deferring to him for a change. 

"Yeah…" Yunho said eventually, body still poised for if Yeosang, or any of them for that matter, tried anything. 

But no more than a half hour later, Yunho was finally watching the gang ride off, nose twitching as their scents disappeared, before he was rushing back up the rocky hill to collect Mingi. 

The omega was a mess already, to say the least, body flushed and sweaty as he shook in the summer heat. He didn't need to ask Yunho if the others had left, however, able to watch them all from his higher vantage point. 

"How ya feelin', sugar, okay?" Yunho asked gently from behind the bandana now covering the bottom half of his face. He’d dragged it on to try and block out Mingi’s mouthwatering scent, not that it was really helping.

"Never better," the omega mumbled, hugging himself tighter as Yunho's pheromones responded positively to his all over again. 

In the end, he had to carry Mingi back to the farmhouse when the omega's legs gave out, Yunho gritting his teeth behind the bandana. How the fuck was he expected to get through this without claiming the stunning man? 

Because he didn't have any other choice.

Placing Mingi down onto the center of his bed, Yunho's voice was gravelly with need when he said, "I'll just be outside your room. Holler if you need anything." 

"Wait, you're leaving…?" Mingi's quiet voice was heartbreaking, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the look he was giving him. All pleading, wide eyes and soft, parted lips. 

"I shouldn't be in here, I don't want anything to happen that you might regret later." But even as he said it, he had to quietly groan as Mingi stripped sluggishly out of his clothes, seemingly too hot in the suddenly stifling room. Yunho could sympathize.

And while it should have helped that he'd already gotten an eyeful of the omega’s perfect body earlier, had gotten to touch nearly every inch of him, Yunho had never wanted to reach out and hold someone more than he did in that very moment. He really shouldn’t be here, especially not when Mingi had explicitly said he wasn’t ready yet.

But he wasn't about to leave either after Mingi quietly admitted, "It hurts less when we’re touching…" 

It took a stronger man than Yunho to deny that kind of request, hesitantly sitting down on the edge of the bed as Mingi crawled towards him on all fours, naked body already covered in a thin sheen of sweat. That made two of them in that regard. So much for bathing in the stream earlier. 

When the omega made to sit on his lap, however, Yunho had to stop him, Mingi looking dazedly up into his eyes as he grabbed those roaming hands to keep them still. 

"What, alpha doesn't want me?" Mingi asked dejectedly, his intense wildflowers scent souring with upset. 

"Darlin', I've wanted you since I first locked eyes on you," Yunho assured, guiding Mingi down onto the bed, "but I refuse to take you when you're not in your right mind."

"So you want me to beg, is that it?" 

"No," he lied through his teeth, the very idea going straight to his dick. Later. "I want you to try and get some rest." 

This kind of situation was uncharted territory for him, but surely sleep would help with some of Mingi's heat symptoms, right? If only the omega hadn't been so tight-lipped earlier, Yunho could only learn so much by reading between the lines, and he'd already squeezed the gang for any information they might have had on Mingi's rare subgender, true or not. 

"I can't. I need, I need–" Mingi didn't finish, looking up at Yunho with tears in his eyes, lower lip trembling. 

"What do you need? Tell me." If he could help, then he wanted to, his alpha eager to please no matter the situation.

But Mingi didn't say, instead pulling him down to drape Yunho's body over his, burying his face against Yunho's scent gland. Which was bad enough for his already crumbling resolve even before Mingi began to give him little kitten licks along the overly sensitive spot. 

Jesus, he'd take getting shot any day over this kind of slow torture. And the worst bit was that it had only just begun. 

Mingi sighed happily into his neck as he settled his weight down more firmly on top of him, though it couldn't have been comfortable with his gun holster digging into him from where it was still wrapped snug around Yunho's hips. But eventually even that wasn't enough for Mingi, the omega squirming beneath him restlessly. 

It wasn't until Mingi was rutting his naked hips up against his, however, that Yunho finally growled out, "Mingi darlin’, you gotta stop wigglin' your hips around like that. I'm an outlaw, not a saint."

"M'sorry… it just hurts." 

"Shhh, I know, angel, no need to apologize. What can I do to help?" When Mingi immediately opened his mouth to respond, however, Yunho amended, "Other than that. Anything else and I'll do it, I swear." 

The omega's eyes were shining with tears as he looked helplessly up at him, before Mingi eventually murmured out, "Your clothes. Take them off." 

Well shit, that didn't seem like a very good idea given the circumstances, but he'd literally just said he'd do anything… Closing his eyes with resolve, Yunho nodded brusquely. But for all his hesitance, he made quick work of removing every article of clothing, even with Mingi's hands unhelpfully roaming all over him whenever he’d expose a new part of his skin. 

Once he was just as naked as the gorgeous omega plastered to his side, Mingi pulled him back down on the bed, situating himself so one of Yunho's thighs was pressed up between his legs. Before he was rolling his hips once more, rubbing his straining cock against Yunho's thigh desperately. 

Fuck, this was dangerous, the alarm bells he’d learned to always listen to going off in his mind. "Mingi, I don't think–"

"Kiss me," the omega cut him off, hands already tangling in Yunho's dark hair. "Just kiss me, you don’t have to do anything else."

And with a helpless groan, he did as the sultry omega demanded, the hunger he'd tried to tamp down earlier at the stream coming back full force. He imagined kissing Mingi must be what getting struck by lightning felt like, his entire body burning from the inside out with need.

Mingi's hands moved from his hair to travel down between his own legs, and if not for Yunho's thigh still propped snugly between Mingi’s plush ones, he might not have realized what Mingi was doing, too hyper focused on the omega's tongue rolling lazily inside his mouth. But he did realize it. 

The omega was fingering himself. 

Growling into their kiss, Yunho gripped his own hard length in response, hissing at how sensitive he was, how close he already was to cumming. And clearly Mingi was too, if the helpless noises Yunho was all but devouring were any indication. 

"Alpha, I need to cum," Mingi whined, arching his back as he rested his head back onto his pillow, instinctively exposing his neck for him. Which is when Yunho saw that old mating mark again. 

He'd noticed it earlier while they were bathing too, but it hadn't seemed right to say anything, wasn't sure if there ever would be a good time to mention something like that. No, that was something Mingi would have to come to him about if he ever needed to, but it didn't stop Yunho from being furious over it. What kind of sick bastard--

"Alpha, alpha," Mingi whined to get his attention, Yunho not even realizing he’d been quietly growling until Mingi was whining apologetically in response. 

"Shhh, no, I'm sorry, you're doing so well for me, sweetheart. You wanna cum, don’t you?" Yunho asked, renewing the previously stalled motion of his hand stroking his cock, spitting into his palm first for more lubrication. When all he really wanted to do was use the slick he could feel sliding against his thigh. 

Staring up at him with those smoky blue eyes more brilliant than any quartz he’d ever seen, Mingi nodded, the wet sounds of his fingers sliding in and out of his slick entrance once more bringing Yunho close to his own orgasm all over again without any real effort. 

"You can cum, but don't call me alpha, darlin'. Call me Yunho, can you do that for me?"

Glowing eyes gone half lidded, Mingi nodded, calling out with his next pleasure-filled moan, "Yunho."

Fuck. "That's right, Mingi, I'm right here." 

"Yunho, Yunho, Yun–" Mingi came with his name on his tongue, Yunho helpless not to follow right after him, spilling himself over Mingi's bowing body to mingle with his. 

But he was too busy looking down at Mingi's neck to care much about the pleasure still encompassing him, his canines elongating ever so slightly as he thought about marking Mingi. Before he could do anything irredeemable, however -like mate Mingi in the middle of his heat- he placed his own forearm up to his mouth, biting down hard on his skin until he tasted blood, and then again when his alpha still wasn't satisfied.

Mingi watched him all but attack his own forearm with a reedy little whine, but was seemingly too busy collecting Yunho's cum to press it up into himself to do much of anything else. Which just made Yunho bite down harder as he felt his knot swell in response to the alluring act, blood dripping down his arm and onto the bed.

Hell, forget him, how the fuck was anyone supposed to withstand this kind of temptation? But even as Yunho thought it, he was growling all over again, but this time in determination. No, he would withstand it. No one was going to lay claim to Mingi without his express permission ever again.

He'd kill anyone that so much as tried.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Can we go back yet? It's been two days," Wooyoung whined from where he sat beside the fire. "I'm sick of eating beans and rabbit for every meal. Not to mention sleeping on dirt."

"No. Yunho said three, and even then, we should probably wait an extra day. Let them air out the place," Hongjoong said firmly, not even bothering to look up as he wound and unwound the leather whip in his hands.

They were all getting restless, especially considering they knew what was going on in the cabin only a few miles away. But while he couldn't vouch for everyone, the knowledge was not so quietly killing Yeosang. 

To the point that he'd had to be stopped multiple times from heading back. Some at gunpoint, some not.

"God, it's not fair. Why is it always Yunho who ends up in these kinds of predicaments? Lucky sonofabitch," San pouted. 

"That 'lucky sonofabitch' has saved your life ten times over. Saved all our lives," Hongjoong reminded. "As far as I'm concerned, he deserves all the happiness he can get." 

Alright, he’d heard enough. Standing up, Yeosang didn't bother to look at anyone in particular as he said, "I'm gonna go see how they're doing."

"The hell you are. Did you hear a word I just said?" Hongjoong growled. 

"Not really, but what are you gonna do, shoot me over it? I thought we all agreed when we first started this little posse of ours that we get to make our own stupid decisions. I listen to you because I like you, Joong, but don't push it," Yeosang threatened, voice low. That got the gang's attention easily enough. 

Before Yunho had joined up with them, it had been Yeosang who’d been the group of outcasts' main source of protection, but they'd all agreed pretty early on, Yeosang included, that he wasn't the leader type, deferring to Hongjoong since everyone else seemed so ready to. 

As they stared each other down over the fire, however, Jongho cut in to say, "I'll go with him. Make sure he doesn't get himself killed, and all that."

"I don’t know. Are you sure–" 

"His heat's gone down, I could smell it the last time I made rounds." And as their number one tracker, they were liable to believe Jongho. "It's not over, but it's definitely improved since this morning." 

"I don't know why I even bother sometimes," Hongjoong muttered, rubbing the space between his eyes. "Fine, go. But if Yunho kills you both, it's outta my hands, I'm sick of babysitting all of you."

"Does that mean–" San started hopefully.

"No," Hongjoong and Seonghwa chorused in unison, cutting the alpha off. "You and Woo aren't going anywhere," the small alpha snarled. "It's bad enough these two don't listen to me half the time..."

"I'll bring him back alive, but no promises on unscathed," Jongho assured with a shrug, not bothering to resaddle their horses to simply opt for riding bareback. 

Which worked just fine for Yeosang. Mounting up, they walked their horses the few miles back to the ranch, staying mostly quiet save for the random insults thrown mildly back and forth every so often. But before they even reached the small farmhouse, Mingi's scent was making them both stop, sliding off of their mustangs to make the rest of the short trek by foot. 

Shit, the smell was almost unbearable up close like this, the combined mix of Yunho and Mingi's scents making his stomach clench up. "Jesus. I thought you said his heat had gone down," Yeosang growled. Quietly though since they were just outside the house. 

"It has."

Cursing, Yeosang brought his arm up over his nose, Jongho happy to wait near the front porch as Yeosang quietly snuck inside. 

Their pheromones were even worse in the house like this, if that was even possible, but Yeosang quickly ignored that particular sense when his ears picked up on not so quiet sobs coming from Mingi's room. Standing hesitantly in front of the door for a few more moments, he eventually opened it up. 

Only to stop short at the sight in front of him. 

Mingi was sobbing in the center of his bed, arms wrapped tightly around Yunho. Only-- Yunho wasn't in human form, giant black wolf taking up most of the bed. For all the omega's crying, however -and all the blood on the sheets- he looked fine, no bites or scratches on any parts of his naked body that Yeosang could see. No, it seemed more like Mingi was begging Yunho to shift back so he would finally take care of him properly. 

Yunho, in comparison -or more accurately, his wolf- looked crazed, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted heavily, the noises coming from him a strange combination of whines, purrs, and growls as the omega combed his fingers through Yunho's damp fur repeatedly, coaxingly.

Had Yunho seriously not fucked the omega this entire time, and when he smelled like this, no less? What kind of insane--

A vicious snarl interrupted his wandering thoughts, Yunho's molten, glowing gaze boring into his through the small crack in the door. Honestly speaking, it was surprising that Yunho hadn't noticed Yeosang sooner, but with how strong Mingi's scent was, he couldn't exactly blame him, the omega staring over at him now with wide, terrified eyes. He hated how that seemed to be a constant whenever Mingi looked at him. 

Shutting the door when Yunho jumped off the bed towards him, Yeosang could actually feel the weight behind the force of Yunho’s body slamming against the wood, a whine slipping out as the wolf smacked headfirst into the sturdy door. It would hold Yunho for now-- if he stayed in wolf form, that is.

Not sticking around to find out, Yeosang exited the house just as quickly as he’d entered it, Jongho following close behind him as they remounted their horses. 

"Well?" Jongho asked, the younger alpha looking over his shoulder at the cabin as muffled snarls gave way to a piercing howl. Oh yeah, Yunho was pissed, but it didn’t seem like he would follow them. For now, at least. "Is your alpha satisfied?"

No, it wasn't. Not by a long shot. Because if Mingi somehow ended up coming out of this sudden heat of his unmated, then Yeosang would have to admit that Yunho was a stronger man, a stronger alpha, than he’d ever be to withstand that kind of temptation for days on end, let alone a few minutes. 

"Let's go, I'm hungry," Yeosang grumbled, spurring his horse into a gallop as Jongho scoffed and followed suit. 

But no matter what way he looked at it, he had to admit that San had been wrong earlier. As tempting a prize as Mingi was, Yunho wasn't lucky at all. Or at least, not right now he wasn't. Poor, stubborn bastard. Maybe he deserved the omega, after all.

Chapter Text

“You nearly had it that time. Try again.”

Mingi grumbled after Yunho’s encouragement, but tried to disarm him again all the same with the move the alpha had been showing him all morning. This time when he reached out, however, one hand grabbing and pushing Yunho’s poised wrist while the other moved the revolver pointed at him in the opposite direction, the pistol actually popped free like it was supposed to.

Staring down at the gun suddenly in his hands, Mingi’s face lit up, a bright peal of laughter leaving his lips as he looked up at Yunho with an overly pleased grin.

The alpha was rubbing his wrist, his mouth hanging open as if right on the verge of congratulating him. But whatever Yunho had been about to say died on his lips, the outlaw instead eventually murmuring, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh like that before.”

Blushing, Mingi looked down at the dirt beneath their feet. He’d been doing that rather frequently ever since he’d finally come out of his heat. Normally he couldn’t remember a damn thing from it, but it was almost like his omega was mocking him, heated memories flashing unbidden in his mind nearly every time he’d look at Yunho or smell his intoxicating, smoky scent. 

How the alpha hadn’t mated him, let alone fucked him while he'd been quite literally begging for it, Mingi would never know. But what was worse, he couldn’t decide if he was relieved… or upset by the fact.

Yunho’s hands reached out as he grew somber, but not to take his gun back, instead cupping Mingi’s face while tilting his chin up to make eye contact with him. “It suits you, y’know. Smiling, laughing. Makes you even more gorgeous, which by all accounts shouldn’t be possible, let alone fair,” Yunho teased with a small, genuine smile.

“You’re so full of it,” Mingi grumbled, but he didn’t pull away from Yunho's gentle embrace either. Not even as the alpha searched his eyes before leaning in close, his hot breath ghosting over his parting lips. They’d kissed enough times in the last few days for Mingi to know where this was going, his stomach doing weird little somersaults at the open intimacy like it always did.

Before that skilled mouth could even slot over his, however, there was a shout from the main gate to the ranch, Mingi flinching and looking over while Yunho grumbled under his breath to see that the rest of the gang had finally returned. He was wondering when they would, especially considering Yunho had been in no rush to go get them. 

“We weren't interrupting anything, I hope?” Seonghwa inquired, hopping down from his dark mare to come greet them both.

“Not at all! We were just, uh–” Mingi stalled, fumbling over his words.

“I was just teaching him how to disarm someone in close quarters, is all,” Yunho finished, taking his gun back from Mingi and spinning it seemingly on reflex before sliding it smoothly back into its holster. “And wouldn't you know it, he's a natural.”

“Of course he is. Though I think Mingi could do that with his scent alone at the moment,” Wooyoung remarked, sniffing them both suspiciously. “You two have fun?”

“Don’t be crass, Woo,” Yunho growled when Mingi only hunched further into himself, stepping in front of him to shield him from view.

But Mingi decided to be honest for a change when everyone but Yunho continued to sniff curiously in his direction. “It was probably the easiest heat I’ve had since I presented. Thank you all for respecting my need for privacy. I appreciate it.”

“That so?” Hongjoong drawled, his eyes gleaming as he worked at the end of the match-stick in his mouth. “Well, I’m glad to hear it, but I’m sorry to say we have slightly more pressing matters at present.” 

“Oh?” Yunho asked, straightening where he stood. But even with as serious as the alpha had become, Mingi could still see the curious blush dusting his cheeks, could smell how pleased Yunho was with his small admission. 

No doubt happy he'd been able to take care of him so well.

“Jongho was doing his regular rounds about town when he heard talk of Mingi’s father. People are starting to wonder why the local drunk hasn't shown his face in the saloon these past couple weeks.”

Shit. And he must have said the curse aloud with how everyone turned towards him, Yunho included.

“What do you need me to do?” Yunho asked Hongjoong, though he was still staring at Mingi.

“You? Nothin’. If the townsfolk catch wind that we’re here, they’ll send a posse out for sure. Mingi, on the other hand…”

“Me?” Mingi asked incredulously. “What can I do?”

“You’ll need to go into town and talk to the local coroner. Explain that your father recently drank himself to death and that you’re now running the Song ranch in his stead.” 

“But I haven’t been into town in over a decade. I doubt anyone would even recognize me anymore,” he mumbled.

Hongjoong shrugged. “It’s up to you, I suppose, but if you don’t, I imagine they’ll send people out here to check for themselves. Which is when they’ll find us.” 

“Finally, some action. I’ve been bored as shit,” Yeosang said with a yawn, San and Wooyoung nodding excitedly behind him.

“But– wouldn’t that put you all in potential danger?”

“Don’t worry about us, we can handle ourselves,” Wooyoung assured. “And besides, who doesn’t love a good shootout?”

Truth be told, Mingi didn’t really care if anything happened to the men that might get sent out to the ranch, but if people knew that this was where the alpha gang was currently hiding out, then it would never end. And even if they weren’t worried about something like that happening, he didn’t want to risk their lives like that, regardless of how used to it the outlaws already were. 

He may not have known them all that long, but the many dangerous alphas had been nothing but kind to him while they’d lived here, and if this was the only way he could repay them then so be it.

“No, I’ll go,” Mingi said eventually, a few of the alphas grumbling in open disappointment.

“Are you sure–?”

But Hongjoong cut Yunho off. “If our songbird here wants to go then let him, wonderkid. He’s old enough to make his own decisions.” 

Yunho glared down at his unbothered alpha leader, before eventually cursing under his breath and walking off when Hongjoong held his ground, grumbling, “Songbird?” as he went.

Mingi watched Yunho storm off curiously. “What’s his problem?” Shouldn’t he be happy that Mingi was trying to keep them hidden so they could live here without worry for that much longer?

“Oh, don’t mind him,” Seonghwa chuckled. “He’s just mad he won’t get to go into town with you.”

“Too infamous,” San chimed in to explain when Mingi still looked confused. “Most of us have our handsome faces slapped onto every wanted poster ten towns over, but Yunho especially sticks out like a sore thumb, the poor bastard.” 

Ah. “Well then, who will I be going into town with?” 

“Just me,” Jongho said. “The townsfolk already know me as a cowhand looking for work anyway, so you can just say you recently hired me on if anyone asks, but Hwa will come too. If only to provide long range assistance if need be.”

Seonghwa nodded, jerking his chin towards the rifle still strapped to his horse.

“Okay. When do you want us to leave?” 

“Now, preferably. The sooner we handle this, the better. Would have asked you a couple days ago, but…” Hongjoong trailed off with a shrug. 

Right, his heat. “I’ll go get changed,” Mingi said, making to head into the farmhouse. Partly to get ready, and partly to make sure Yunho was alright. 

“You should wear something of Yunho’s,” Jongho suggested. “It’ll mask your scent a bit.” 

“Why Yunho?” Wooyoung huffed.

“Oh, you think he’ll fit into your clothes, shortstack?” San teased his mate, earning him a bite on the arm. “Ow! I was only kidding!” 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“I still don’t see why I can’t just come with,” Yunho grumbled with his arms crossed, politely turned away from Mingi so the omega could get dressed.

“Really? You can’t see why the most wanted gunfighter in the West can’t just casually stroll into town with me on a random Tuesday afternoon?” Mingi teased, metal clinking as he messed with his belt buckle. At least, Yunho assumed that’s what was going on behind him. 

“Seonghwa gets to come,” he argued petulantly.

“Not into town.” At Mingi’s valid point, Yunho grumbled once more, causing the omega to chuckle before saying, “Okay, done. How do I look? Intimidating?”

Yunho snorted. “I’m sure you look f–” But he stopped once he finally turned back around to see Mingi standing there in all his leather-clad glory, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of Mingi dressed from head to toe in his clothes. “No, you can’t go,” he said eventually, voice strained.

Mingi practically pouted over at him, which just made him look that much more devastating in the fancy getup. “What? Why not? Do the clothes not fit right?”

“They fit too good,” Yunho mumbled under his breath, grateful when Mingi let him come closer so that he could begin scenting him. Because he doubted he could control his alpha at the moment if he tried. 

Hiding his face against Mingi’s neck that was currently covered up with one of his signature bandanas, Yunho said softly, “You don’t have to do this, you know.”

“I know,” Mingi said gently back, one of his hands coming up to pet at his dark hair and making Yunho purr despite himself. “But if I do this, then you guys get to stay hidden for that much longer.”

Yunho wasn’t so sure. If even one person caught wind of Mingi being an omega, then they’d have a whole other slew of problems on their hands.

Just mate him, his alpha whispered in his mind for the hundredth time that day alone. 

And for once, Yunho was inclined to agree. Regardless of how fast or slow they were taking things physically, at the very least if Mingi was mated, he would be able to hide his omegan scent far easier. Because as it stood, all Yunho’s smoky scent was really doing was intermingling with Mingi’s addicting wildflowers one.

“Listen–” Yunho started hesitantly.

“You ready to go in there, Song?” Seonghwa’s voice called from just outside the room. Yunho would say their room, but he didn’t want to be presumptuous, regardless of the fact that they’d been sleeping in the same bed every night since Mingi’s heat. Mingi claimed he had less nightmares that way, and Yunho wasn’t about to dissuade him one way or the other, just happy he could cuddle Mingi close in his sleep.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Mingi said quietly to himself, before looking up at Yunho and his no doubt kicked puppy expression. The guys teased him for it constantly, and clearly Mingi was no better, chuckling at him before assuring, “It’s gonna be fine. From what I remember, Crescent is only about a twenty minute ride from here, so with any luck, we’ll be back in time for dinner. It’s not like I wanna be there any longer than I have to be either.”

“Okay… but please, be careful,” Yunho all but begged, tugging Mingi that much closer by his borrowed duster. “And how about a good luck kiss before you go?”

“For me or for you?” Mingi teased, but pulled Yunho down by his collar all the same to kiss him silly, not unlike their first kiss in the stream, only with the downside of more clothes.

“I think I made a mistake,” he whined when Mingi finally pulled away. “Now I don’t want you to leave even more.”

Mingi rolled his eyes, but dare he say affectionately. “I think you’ll be fine, hotshot.”

“Guess you’ll just have to return home extra fast to find out, huh?”

Snorting, Mingi kissed him one last time before leaving to join Jongho and Seonghwa outside, Yunho following right behind him like the lovesick fool that he was to help Mingi onto his horse even though they both knew he didn’t need it.

“We’ll be back soon,” Mingi promised.

“I’ll be waiting,” Yunho replied with a weak smile, standing dejectedly as the three men turned their horses towards town. 

The sun was already waning in the sky, but hopefully they would all be back before it got well and truly dark out. Not that the dark was really an issue for shifters, but still…

“You should have mated him.”

It took a second for Yunho to realize that the voice hadn’t come from his own alpha, Yeosang standing beside him with his muscular arms crossed casually over his chest as they watched the three men gallop away on horseback. “I don’t want to pressure him,” Yunho murmured eventually. And besides, Mingi was well worth the wait.

“What is this, a dime novel?” Yeosang snorted. “I thought I told you what happens to unclaimed omegas in the real world. Whether you two are taking it slow or not, you still should have claimed him. For his own safety.”

Yunho bristled. “Jongho and Seonghwa will take care of him.” But even to his own ears, he didn’t sound so sure. “Why are you here, anyway? Just couldn’t resist poking fun at me?” 

“Who, me?” The smaller alpha shrugged, heading towards the barn. “Just felt like going for a ride, is all… care to join me?”

And then it finally clicked what Yeosang truly meant, the other outlaw smiling humoredly up at him with a quirk of his brows. “You know what, yeah…”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Mingi fidgeted as he and Jongho sat down in the coroner’s office, his spurs clinking until the older beta finally looked up from his paperwork. “Yes?”

“Oh, um, hi! So you probably don’t know who I am, but–”

“You’re Song’s kid, right? The sickly one?” the coroner interrupted, much to Mingi’s surprise.

And here he’d been fully expecting for that to be the most difficult part. “Yeah, actually, but how did you–?”

“Spittin’ image of your mother. Never seen anyone else with silver hair and quartz colored eyes quite like hers, aside from you, of course. Hell, I still remember when you used to sit at the bar drinking milk while your father drunkenly gambled away his family fortune.”

“Oh…” Well that was certainly new information. About his mother, that is. His father had never wanted to talk about her, and as far as Mingi knew, he’d burned every portrait and photo of her in a drunken fit before Mingi could so much as walk.

“Good lord was she fine. Think her picture is even still hanging behind the bar at K’s, that bastard was always sweet on her, but then who wasn’t? Anyway, what can I do for ya, kiddo?”

Filing that information away for later, Mingi did his best to look despondent when he said, “I came here to inform you that my father recently passed.”

“No shit?” the beta said, pulling out some blank paperwork and licking the tip of his pen before starting to write. “Always said he’d drink himself into an early grave, and now look. Or was it something else?”

“No, you’re right,” Mingi quickly agreed. “Found him the other morning surrounded by empty liquor bottles. I’d thought he was just passed out drunk like usual but– yeah. I would have come sooner, but as you know, I’m not in the best health.”

The coroner grunted, eyeing him up and down slowly. “Well, sorry for your loss, kid. With any luck he’s with your mother now, though somehow I doubt it. I’ll put his obit in this weekend’s newspaper for ya, and I’m assuming you already buried him out at the ranch?”

“Yes, sir, and thank you for all your help today,” Mingi murmured. Well that had been stupidly easy.

“We take care of our own ‘round here, even if your father was a no good drunken bastard towards the end. If you ever need anything, just holler, ya hear?”

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks again.”

Walking out of the rickety building and back towards their horses tied to a nearby hitching post, Jongho spoke up for the first time since they’d entered town to say, “Damn. Your father was a real piece of shit, huh?”

“You have no idea,” Mingi sighed, grasping the bridge of his nose. “But from what little I ever heard from the farmhands, he never used to be. Guess my mom’s death just broke him.”

“Still no excuse for what he did to you.” Jongho gestured towards Mingi’s currently covered neck.

“So you knew…” he mumbled, messing with the bandana covering up his old mating mark.

“I could surmise. You didn’t do much to hide it in the beginning, and since we know he never let you out of the house after you presented,” the muscular alpha shrugged. “My dad was a real piece of work too, if it makes you feel any better. Never touched me or nothin’, but my mom–” he didn’t finish. Didn’t have to.

“I’m sorry, Jongho.”

“Don’t be, I killed the bastard myself shortly after I turned sixteen. Just not before he managed to kill her,” Jongho sighed, his voice tinged with regret. “But most all of us in the gang are orphans one way or another, so at the very least, you’re in good company. Though shit, to tell you the truth, I think Yunho might be my half brother.”

“Wait, what?” That was certainly news to Mingi, though he supposed they did look rather similar. Smelled similar too, now that he bothered to notice.

“Yep. We grew up in the same city too. I’d actually see him around every now and again when we were kids, though I probably wouldn’t have thought anything of it if not for how my mom always acted whenever she’d spot him. Dad was a piece of shit for a number of reasons, apparently.”

“Damn… does Yunho know?” Though somehow Mingi doubted it if Yunho had never told him.

“Nah. I’ve mentioned to him that we grew up in the same place before, but he doesn’t remember me. And why should he? Not like we ever spoke, but that kinda stuff stays with you, y’know? Especially when that very same kid becomes the most infamous outlaw in the West.”

“You should tell him,” Mingi urged. “I think he’d wanna know.”

“I’m surprised you aren’t going to. Aren’t you two as good as mated?”

Mingi shook his head. “It’s not my place to tell someone else’s secrets.”

Jongho stared up at him, a small smile forming on his lips. “But no denial on the mated front, I see.” And at Mingi’s sudden stammering, the alpha laughed, that sly little smirk growing so wide Mingi could see his gums. “Don’t worry, it’s not my place to tell someone else’s secrets either, but I hope you don’t mind if I see you as a sort of brother-in-law from here on out.”

“C’mon, we’re not even mated yet,” Mingi grumbled with a heavy blush. 

“Yet,” Jongho repeated, bumping his shoulder against him playfully. But the alpha stopped walking when they were passing by the local saloon. K’s. “Hang tight, will ya? I gotta grab something real quick.”

“Yeah, okay,” Mingi agreed, standing rather awkwardly in the nearby alley as he looked up at the tall building. 

Even after a decade, not much had changed about the place, save maybe the amount of wanted posters tacked to the wall in front of him. There were decidedly more than he remembered, and Mingi couldn’t help but look for familiar faces among the many wanted criminals. And of course Yunho’s poster was in the smack dab center. 

But it wasn’t the price beneath his picture that had Mingi glued to the spot, though the amount of zeros on his dead or alive bounty was ridiculous all on its own. No, it was the expression the artist had managed to capture, the normally gentle eyes that he was so used to all but glowing with dangerous intent. Was it bad that he found it rather… attractive? 

The drawing wasn’t an exact replica, of course -because no way would Yunho ever stand still enough for a photo to be taken- but it was damn close, Mingi finding himself reaching out to take it off the wall to inspect it further. 

Before a rough tapping on his shoulder was startling him out of his staring. 

“You’re ba–” Mingi started, but stopped when the stranger’s unfamiliar scent reached his nostrils. He could tell the man was an alpha, but he smelled putrid, even with the alcohol and tobacco covering up his scent. Or maybe that only made it that much worse. “Can I help you?” he hedged, taking a step back from the leering alpha.

But that only made him step closer. “Howdy, sugar. Anyone ever tell you you smell sweeter than pie?” 

Mingi’s upper lip curled at the pet name. When Yunho called him sugar he made it sound sweet, endearing, but this man somehow managed to make it sound like a demeaning insult. “Aha. Sorry, I’m not interested,” Mingi mumbled, turning to walk away. 

Right up until he heard the familiar click of a cocking revolver, hard metal poking into his back.

“I don’t believe I asked if you were.” 

Turning slowly around with his hands raised, Mingi stared heatedly down at the drunken alpha holding a gun on him, his omega snarling in his mind. What the hell was taking Jongho so long?

“You don’t want to do this,” Mingi tried, his voice strangely calm for how much his legs were shaking.

“My dick says otherwise. Now drop your drawers and face the wall.”

“The wall? Why? Can’t get it up when someone’s staring at you? That small, huh?” Mingi mocked, raising his voice to hopefully attract attention, but of course no one was around when he needed them. He’d have to somehow get out of this situation on his own.

“Why you little bi–” 

Mingi was reaching out before the alpha could even finish his sentence, using the move Yunho had taught him only earlier that morning to try and disarm the man. 

But while it had worked -the man way slower to react than Yunho- Mingi was also much more nervous than he had been earlier, the loaded gun in his hands subsequently going off with a loud bang.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Well? D’ya see ‘em?” Yeosang asked at Yunho’s side, their horses jittery beneath them. 

“No,” Yunho frowned, hopping down from his mustang and patting her absently to calm her down a bit. Apparently he wasn’t the only one on edge at the moment. “But I can smell Mingi.” 

Which he didn’t like, not one bit. Because if he could smell him on the outskirts of town as he was, then surely everyone else in Crescent could too. 

“I’m gonna have a closer look, stay with the horses.”

Yeosang grumbled, but didn’t argue, Yunho keeping the brim of his hat low as he silently made his way into town. The sun was setting, at least, so soon enough they’d have nightfall to cover their tracks, but an alpha with a good enough nose would still be able to hunt them down. 

All thoughts of a stealthy getaway fled, however, when he heard a gun go off two buildings over, Mingi’s scent spiking immediately after. Bolting towards the direction of the gunshot, Yunho skidded into a random back alley, his heart hammering in his chest at what he might find. 

Thankfully Mingi looked fine, though he was noticeably shaking as he stared down at the alpha crumpled at his feet. 

Spurs clinking as he hastily walked towards Mingi, his scent growing to try and somewhat shield Mingi’s frightened one, Yunho raised his hands when Mingi looked up at him, panicked. “Easy, darlin’, it’s just me,” he crooned, his second set of alpha vocal chords purring to try and help calm Mingi down some. 

The omega’s shoulders noticeably relaxed when he finally registered who was speaking to him, but he still looked spooked as he sagged gratefully into his outstretched arms.

“You alright?” Yunho asked against Mingi’s hair as he held him close, gently but firmly removing the smoking revolver from Mingi’s still shaking hands to empty the bullets from the chamber and toss it aside. 

“I shot him,” Mingi said numbly as Yunho assessed the unmoving alpha, kicking him absently before scooping Mingi up to carry him to his horse when the man didn’t so much as groan, let alone move.

“I’m very proud,” Yunho congratulated him almost as an afterthought, Mingi staring up at him as if he'd gone mad. But it was better than the stark fear that had clouded those beautiful eyes only a few seconds prior.

“Proud? I could have killed him! …do you think I killed him?” 

Yunho rather hoped he had, but he didn’t imagine Mingi would appreciate hearing him say so out loud, let alone finishing the job himself right in front of him if he hadn’t. “If he’s dead, I’m sure it’s no less than he deserved, but where the hell is Jongho? He’s supposed to be looking out for you,” he growled. 

“He– wait, what are you doing here? I thought you couldn’t come into town because of the bounty on your head? I even saw your wanted poster!”

“Shh, keep it down, will ya?” Yunho growled quietly, setting Mingi down on his feet and spinning to push him up against the nearest wall when a group of men rushed past them. No doubt off to see what the commotion had been about for themselves. Covering Mingi’s body with his own until the coast was clear once more, he stared at Mingi from mere inches away, their noses practically touching when he admitted, “I just– I could tell. I could tell that something was wrong.” 

“Oh yeah? And was that before, or after you followed us into town when you weren’t supposed to?” Mingi whispered harshly. But at least some color was returning to his pretty cheeks.

Yunho didn’t respond, just dragged Mingi along by his hand before eventually helping him onto his waiting horse, hopping on behind him and urging his mare into a sprint with a curt command.

“Where’s Jongho?” Yeosang called out as he chased after them on his own horse.

“Don’t know, don’t care,” Yunho said bluntly.

“He’s fine, just wanted to stop by the saloon for a minute.”

Fine? He won’t be fine by the time I’m through with him, Yunho thought darkly.

“The saloon?” Yeosang frowned. “That doesn’t sound like Jongho at all.”

A familiar whistle had them slowing to turn into a nearby mountain pass. Seonghwa.

“What the devil are you two doing here?” Seonghwa reprimanded harshly. “You know better than to show your faces in town! What if someone recognizes your scents?” 

“Jongho left Mingi alone, he was in trouble,” Yunho grated out, his tone accusatory. He and Seonghwa had gotten into it before the three had left earlier, Yunho’s alpha not trusting anyone but himself to take care of Mingi. And clearly he’d been right not to.

Seonghwa’s brow furrowed. “That doesn’t sound like Jongho.”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass who it sounds like,” Yunho growled. “You promised me you’d protect Mingi!”

Seonghwa opened his mouth to argue, but they all hushed when the sound of horses could be heard, Yunho’s gun already drawn. But it was only Jongho, the alpha guiding Mingi’s horse along by the reins.

“I’m sorry–” Jongho started.

But Yunho was already stomping forward to roughly drag Jongho down from his horse to begin punching him, the smaller alpha simply taking it without so much as fighting back. Which only pissed him off more, really.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Stop!” Mingi cried in alarm, moving to try and drag Yunho off of Jongho, but Yeosang held him back with a small shake of his head. “Yunho, please, it wasn’t his fault! That alpha got the jump on me because I was distracted!” 

“You shouldn’t have been alone to begin with,” Yunho growled, never taking his eyes from Jongho’s bloodied face as his hands moved to hold Jongho up by his collar and shake him like a ragdoll. “What the hell took you so long, huh? I don’t give a shit what you were doing in the saloon, but you should have come running as soon as you heard that gunshot. And I know your nose is good enough to tell that something was wrong.” 

Jongho spit some blood from his mouth before replying. “I was working as fast as I could, okay? I had to take care of the alpha you left alive in the alley and avoid the sheriff before I could follow after you all.” 

That seemed to make Yunho feel marginally better, but he was still very obviously pissed, punching Jongho one last time before Yeosang was finally allowing Mingi to step between Yunho and Jongho.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Mingi growled up at Yunho as he checked Jongho’s swelling face. “I said it wasn't his fault!”

“No, it's Yunho's fault, and that’s why he’s so pissed,” Yeosang said, reaching out to check on Jongho himself, but the bleeding alpha just jerked his head away from his touch in annoyance. “I told him what happens to unclaimed omegas, he just didn't listen.”

“Yeo, not right now,” Yunho grated.

“No, I want to know what he means,” Mingi argued, looking between the four alphas surrounding him. “Did this happen because of me?”

“Not you,” Yunho argued weakly. “Just– your scent. No amount of borrowed clothes or scenting could ever hide how good you smell, especially while you’re unclaimed. Hell, I could smell you from the outskirts of town.”

Wait, he could?

“I couldn’t, if it makes you feel any better,” Yeosang said when he looked his way. “Not until after the gun went off, anyway.”

“Whereas I could smell your scent spike as soon as I walked into the bar, but I just assumed it was because you were looking at Yunho’s wanted poster.” 

Mingi blushed at Jongho’s casual words. “How did you–?” 

“You left it on the ground near the alpha you shot,” Jongho explained.

Yeosang snorted. “Which brings me right back to my initial point: this is all Yunho’s fault.”

But Jongho shook his head, saying, “No, it’s mine. I shouldn’t have left him alone–”

“Damn right,” Yunho interjected with a growl.

“–but it seemed the safer alternative to bringing him into a packed saloon, okay? I was only gone for a couple minutes.” 

“What were you doing in there anyway?” Seonghwa sighed, clearly exasperated with all of them.

Instead of replying right away, Jongho pulled a picture out of his vest pocket. “Thought Mingi might like to know what his mother looked like.” 

“You didn’t,” Mingi gasped, tentatively taking the photo from the alpha’s outstretched hand. The woman in the picture was stunning, Mingi’s own eyes staring back at him from the black and white polaroid. He saw why the coroner had recognized him so quickly. “Oh Jongho, I could kiss you!” Mingi cried, throwing his arms around the smaller alpha.

“Don’t,” Jongho and Yunho chorused together. “But maybe you could have a look at my face when we get back to the ranch?” Jongho finished, eyeing Yunho warily.

“Which we should probably get back to already. You lot weren’t exactly inconspicuous when you bolted out of town right after a man was murdered,” Seonghwa chided.

Mingi’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry…” 

“Don’t be, you were only defending yourself,” Yunho worried, reaching out to him– before his bloodied hands were balling into fists at his side when Mingi flinched away reflexively.

“And besides, it’s not like we haven’t all killed people before,” Yeosang pointed out. “Infamous outlaws, and all that. The others are just gonna be sad they missed out on all the fun.”

They mounted their horses quickly after that, Mingi on his own stallion this time thanks to Jongho bringing him back. The ride was mostly quiet too, Yunho taking up the rear behind Mingi as they headed back to the cattle ranch, the alpha’s smoky scent in turmoil. 

But it wasn’t until the main gate finally came into view that Mingi said, “You three go ahead, I need to talk to Yunho about something real quick,” before sliding off his horse and giving Jongho the reins once more.

The alpha in question stiffened up, but he followed Mingi’s lead, giving his reins over to Yeosang before the three alphas were spurring all their horses further down the dirt path to give them some privacy.

“Look,” Yunho started, staring down at his boots, “I’m sorry I punched him so many times, but he–!”

“What happened to me today wasn’t your fault, Yunho,” Mingi interrupted the scrambling alpha, Yunho looking sharply up at him, before glancing away just as fast. “No, I mean it. In fact, if anything, you saved me.”

“No I didn’t,” Yunho said bitterly, still not looking at him as he hunched his broad shoulders. “By the time I got there, you’d already shot the bastard.” 

“Yeah, with his own gun. Which I wouldn’t have been able to do if not for the move you taught me earlier.”

Yunho sighed, head tilting back to expose his throat as he stared up at the moon now shining down on the both of them. “I’m glad I could help you take care of yourself, don’t get me wrong, but that’s still no excuse. I should have been there with you today keeping you safe, not Jongho. I’ve regretted my reckless past more times than I can count, but I’ve never been more mad at myself about it until today. How am I supposed to protect you when I can’t even show my damn face in town? And I scared you on top of it.”

“You didn’t scare me,” Mingi murmured. Only to backtrack when Yunho stared blankly down at him. “Okay, you scared me a teensy bit, but that’s only because I’ve never seen you get mad like that before.”

“I’m sorry, truly, I just felt so… helpless,” Yunho admitted quietly. “I know we’ve only known each other a few weeks, but Mingi, I genuinely don’t know what I’d do without you. I haven’t been able to so much as think straight from the first moment I laid eyes on you. Every time I look at you, all I see is the man I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with. Even now, my alpha is screaming at me to mate with you. It’s unbearable!”

“If that’s truly the case, then why didn’t you mate me during my heat?” Mingi pressed.

“Because! I swore to myself that I’d never let anyone claim you without your consent again. You deserve to choose your own mate, Mingi. Even if it’s not me.”

“Well then,” Mingi murmured, stepping closer to the brooding alpha to hold his already healing hands in his own, “I guess it’s a good thing that I want you to be my mate, isn’t it?”