Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sky is colored bright orange and beautiful azure blue when they pull off the road. It’s early in the morning and the ground is covered in morning frost, dead leaves crunching under Jimin’s feet when he hops out of the car.

He puffs out clouds of white smoke and pulls the sleeves of his sweater down to cover his fingers before making his way to the edge of the forest. The trees all stand tens if not hundreds of meters taller than him, swallowing all the light and miles behind them stand the mountains Jimin calls home.

“Snowflake, are you ready to go?” a woman’s voice calls behind him and with an amused chuckle, Jimin turns to look at his grandmother.

“Grandma, I’ve told you to stop calling me that, haven’t I? I’m not a kid anymore.”

The elderly woman grins brightly, a few grey strands of hair escaping her usually so tight bun to frame her round face. Jimin thinks that when she smiles like that, she’s the prettiest woman he has ever seen—not even the lines of age can make her look less beautiful, not when her eyes glimmer with such genuine kindness and warmth.

“Ah, maybe you’re not, Snowflake, but you’re still as pretty as a one”, Sohyeon says and Jimin laughs, cheeks turning a gentle shade of pink. He’s not unfamiliar with compliments, especially when they’re about his looks, but only his grandmother’s sound truly genuine to him. Only her words make Jimin believe that he’s actually pretty.

But before he can answer, maybe to refute her like he usually does, the light of the rising sun dims. Both glance up at the same time, noticing grey clouds coming towards the mountains and the forest from the north.

“Those look like storm clouds”, Jimin mumbles, frowning ever so slightly. “It might start snowing soon.”

“Already?” Sohyeon shakes her head as she locks the car and heads to Jimin’s side. “Then we should hurry; the closer we get to our territory before snowfall, the better. And you know these old pawns don’t run as fast as they used to.”

The younger just chuckles. “You’re plenty fast, grandma”, he says, although he knows that Sohyeon is right. They need to hurry because if it does start snowing and if it’s a heavy snowfall too, they could get lost on their way. And that would be bad, very bad.

There are other packs living all around them and right now, they’re standing by the only road that does not belong to anyone—its single reason of existence is so the mountain wolfpacks can come down to visit the human cities from time to time.

The road that cuts through the forest, and at the same time holds two very hostile packs from killing each other, is their only safety. If they stray away from it, even a step, someone might come at them and although Jimin could probably get away alone, he can’t leave his grandmother behind, that much is obvious.

He can hear her sigh under her breath, mumbling something Jimin can’t quite catch, before flashing him a comforting smile. Two days ago, when they came down from the mountains, they had seen some other wolves hiding in the forest, keeping an eye on them and this time won’t probably be any different—the chance of getting into a fight doesn’t excite Jimin at all and he prays that they’ll get through safely. Winter is coming, after all, and his pack is going to need them at home.

“Let’s go then, Snowflake. There’s no time to waste.” And with that, his grandmother jumps towards the forest road and when her feet touch the ground again, there are four of them. Her pale skin has changed into grey and white fur, but the warmth of her chocolate brown eyes stays.

For a wolf and a beta, Sohyeon is quite small, but Jimin supposes that age has had its way with her, like it has with everyone. Though, age with him should make him bigger, for Jimin isn’t much bigger than his grandmother even though he’s a male wolf.

The grey wolf in front of him lets out a low sound, snapping its head towards the forest and Jimin laughs lightly.

“Alright, I’m changing, just wait a second”, he says softly before taking off his coat.

If you change with your clothes on, of course they’ll rip—Jimin knows his grandmother isn’t worried about that because at home, they can just head straight to their cottage but Jimin doesn’t want to ruin his one good coat—about the rest of his clothes he doesn’t care, changing as soon as his coat is neatly placed on the ground.

Soon enough they have left the car far behind, entering their own beautiful, but dangerous, world.

The first snowfall comes early this year.

Jungkook wakes up to see the ground covered in a white blanket, soft snowflakes slowly falling from the clouded sky. He’s not the first one to realize this as more people come out of their cozy cottages, wrapped in warm wool and eyes wide in disbelief.

“It’s barely October”, someone mumbles behind him and the young alpha turns back to gaze at his brother, Seokjin. The older man looks back at him with lips pressed into a tight line, worry written all over his face. “The winter is coming faster than last year and the year before that. We need to start preparing right away.”

Jungkook agrees to that—if there’s something they don’t want to question, it’s the winter’s power. They live south from the dangerous mountains reaching up to the sky and unlike there, the land here is not always covered in pure white so their pack isn’t as snow resistant.

With snow comes cold and with cold comes death. The plants will die, and their prey hide—children and the elderly will start getting sick and treating them will drastically weaken their pack—which is something they cannot afford. And although Jungkook knows they’ve been preparing for the winter for a good month already, they will still need to speed up things.

Southern wolfpack’s weren’t made to stand the cold unlike the northern wolves hiding in the mountains. His pack doesn’t do well in the winter—and as one of the youngest and most powerful hunters, Jungkook must work extra hard to make sure most survive.

Of course, if things get extremely bad, they could always drive to the human cities… but lately even bringing up those pathetic beings has caused fights—inside and outside their pack. So, Jungkook doesn’t really think that it’s even a choice to rely on humans.

“Go to the hunter’s hut. I’m sure the rest of the alphas are gathering as well, you need to be there to hear whatever the pack-leader has to say”, his older brother then orders. “Tell me what’s going on when you come back.”

Understanding the urgency, Jungkook heads off immediately and Seokjin heads back inside their family’s cottage.

It doesn’t take long for Jungkook to stroll through the silent village, feeling worried gazes following his every step. The first snow always lays a tense blanket over their pack and the young alpha feels like it’s much worse this year than the last—their healer had even predicted something like this, he then remembers.

The snow will keep coming earlier every year and unless they want to become like the cold packs of the north, they should move to a new place, that’s what she said. Move south, far away from the mountains, maybe even beyond the great ocean Jungkook knows lies somewhere behind the near endless forests, behind the human cities.

But no one, not even Jungkook himself who understands the danger of snow all too well, wants to move. They’ve been living in that specific area for hundreds of years now—they can’t and shouldn’t move just because of the threat of winter.

The hunter’s hut, a place where most pack meetings are held, is already crowded with every alpha and battle-qualified beta in their pack when Jungkook reaches it. A few of the older alphas he passes are talking about hunting and other packs; a grim reminder to Jungkook that when winter comes, packs usually grow more hostile too and that leads to fights that don’t necessarily even need to happen.

Luckily to them, there’s only one pack that lives close enough to be a problem. If they would move further to south, there’d probably be more packs to be worried about. And since mountain wolves don’t really even come down from there, they aren’t really a concern.

“Jungkook, over here!” a familiar voice calls his name.

Jungkook lifts his gaze up to see Taehyung, his best friend, and Yoongi, a slightly older alpha, standing not too far away from him. Relieved to see someone he knows better, the young alpha heads straight to them.

He greets Yoongi with a polite bow which to the older alpha just nods before excusing himself, saying that he needs to look for the pack-leader’s son.

“What are you doing here, Tae?” Jungkook turns to ask from his friend who just sheepishly shrugs his shoulders.

“You know there are no alphas in my family, so I volunteered to come and see what’s going to happen.”

His best friend is an omega, one of the prettiest in their pack, and the hunter’s hut is definitely not Taehyung’s usual hangout spot. Although Jungkook knows that his friend is more than simply capable when it comes to hunting or fighting in general, Taehyung much rather spends his time taking care of pups or the elderly.

But he’s right—Taehyung’s alpha father passed away a few years ago and only he and his mother are left, so sometimes when news only pass through the pack’s alphas, the two are left out. Though, Jungkook tries to make an extra-effort to always include them.

“I could’ve come to tell you”, he says but Taehyung just brushes it off.

“Kook, it’s fine. I want to see what’s going on with my own two eyes, okay?” His friend gives him a small, reassuring smile and Jungkook nods understandingly, offering a smile back.

However, the worry over Taehyung doesn’t just disappear—although times are definitely changing, it is still frowned upon if omegas try to get too involved when it comes to hunting or leading a pack. And Jungkook is well-aware that there are guys like that in his pack too, mostly the older alphas and betas—even some omegas themselves.

“What were you and Yoongi talking about, by the way?” he asks after a moment of silence between them, curiously looking around if the older alpha is anywhere to be seen. But no, because of his surprisingly short stature, Yoongi easily disappears into the crowd of buff and tall men (not that being short makes Yoongi any less scary).

“Oh, he was just telling me about the two mountain wolves passing by today”, Taehyung answers casually—as if that would happen every day.

“Mountain wolves?” Jungkook looks around again, eyes wide. “Here?”

His friend chuckles, weakly punching him in the arm. “Don’t be ridiculous, Jungkook. I didn’t mean here, as in here here—I meant that they’ll be passing our territory sometime today. You know, through that road back towards the mountains.”

“Oh yeah, I heard about that too. I think I saw a glimpse of them when they were heading out”, the young alpha remembers. He had been out with a couple of other alphas two days ago looking for food and had accidentally gone quite close to the road splitting two packs apart, when he saw something grey and white—something that doesn’t belong to the forest.

And neither did the cold scent of snow and the sweet scent of what Jungkook thinks is some type of honeysuckle.

“Did you see them? I have never even once seen a mountain wolf, but I hear they’re as white as snow, so they could blend into their territory. Oh—and that they’re also pretty vicious. Do you think that’s true or are the elders just joking around?” Taehyung asks in an excited tone.

“I don’t think they’re any more vicious than us”, Jungkook just responds because really, he doesn’t know the right answer. He has never been face to face with a mountain wolf before and two days ago he saw just a glimpse of white—that doesn’t really mean anything, now does it?

“Well, our pack is quite vicious”, his best friend mumbles to that, glancing around the crowd.

To that, Jungkook can do nothing but agree. Sometimes it feels like their pack lives to fight and conquer new territories, so they take a lot of pride in being known as one of the more hostile packs—it makes scaring wolves and protecting the pack a little easier.

But lately, thanks to the pack-leader being sick, there hasn’t been much fighting. There has been an unfortunate rumor about the head-alpha being down with something deathly and it has made everyone restless.

Sure, the head-alpha has a capable alpha son who can take over once she passes away, but the whole process of earning the pack’s trust—and right before winter too—is a whole another thing Jungkook would rather not go through right now. He just hopes that their pack-leader will be up and going soon, again.

And as if on cue, the pack-leader’s son makes an appearance. Kim Namjoon’s low voice booms over the hunter’s hut, silencing any other conversation and demanding attention.

“Now that it seems like everyone has gathered, I think we can start discussing our plans for the future”, the tall alpha says, standing on a little high ground so everyone could hear and see him better.

Yoongi, as his somewhat right-hand man, stands behind him, eyes closed and mouth pressed into a tight line, much like Seokjin’s earlier—it’s an obvious sign of worry and Jungkook can feel his stomach make an uncomfortable flip. Obviously, they’re not going to receive any good news.

“As we have all noticed, the first snow has landed. And that is an obvious sign of the closing winter—which also means that we need to speed up the preparations. I have already gathered a small team to head to the closest human city to buy medicine and more warm clothes”, Namjoon continues, giving the crowd a long look.

There are some disapproving murmurs, both Jungkook and Taehyung notice that, but it doesn’t seem like anyone is going to step up to actually complain—they all know Namjoon is just doing what’s best for the pack and being cautious about stuff like medicine is never bad. Jungkook thinks that as long as they don’t go visiting humans weekly everything will be fine.

“From now on, preparing for the winter is our top priority. That means putting food and wood gathering above everything else, including fights with other packs. They’ll be busy doing the same as we, so picking useless fights is forbidden.”

Namjoon turns to motion Yoongi to come closer, not waiting for any kind of protests—probably because no protests are allowed and the pack-leader’s son can be pretty intimidating when he wants (Jungkook experienced Namjoon’s anger once when he and Taehyung did a small night stroll and ended up in another pack’s territory).

“Yoongi and Yunho, who’s not here right now, oversee the hunters. Changmin and two others will be in charge of gathering dry wood and making sure we have a good-enough shelter to keep our supplies in. I will personally be helping anyone in need here at the village, but I will also occasionally check on the other teams.”

Namjoon then smiles reassuringly, patting Yoongi on the shoulder at the same time. “Remember, a well-fed pack is also a strong pack. Always put your pack ahead of yourself.”

And it’s that single thought that keeps them together despite their differences, Jungkook knows.

He, naturally, gets assigned to be a hunter which Jungkook is thankful for—that is what he’s good at, aside fighting. Of course Yoongi warns him that he will be switching teams at some point, so everyone will get fair treatment.

As soon as Jungkook has delivered his brother the news, he’s ushered towards the main entrance of their village where his team of hunters is waiting. Together with him are coming not only Yoongi, but Yugyeom and Jaebum, both young and capable alphas. Looking at them, Jungkook’s more than sure that they’ll do good.

“Ready to go?” Yoongi asks, already starting to strip out of his clothes. Nudity in their pack is not by any means, a problem. Of course, no one walks around naked, but unless they want to always destroy their clothes, stripping it is.

Jungkook nods alongside the two other alphas and follows their lead then, throwing off his clothes before quickly changing forms.

Despite being the youngest alongside with Yugyeom, they’re both the biggest within the four. Jungkook has grown a lot in the past two years, gaining noticeably more muscle and strength. Yugyeom is a little bigger than he but much slimmer, for his body was practically made for hunting while Jungkook was made to fight and protect.

They head off right away, disappearing amongst tall trees. Jungkook notes how most of the plants have already dropped their leaves, the ground covered in vibrant colors of orange, brown and yellow—it’s beautiful, but also a bad omen.

Yoongi splits them up soon, ordering Jaebum to take Yugyeom towards the river close by while he and Jungkook head closer to the end of their territory.

“You heard about the mountain wolves, didn’t you?” the black wolf asks, glancing back at Jungkook with his piercing grey eyes flashing. The younger wolf just dumbly nods and Yoongi turns his gaze away.

“Well, they should be passing around this time, so let’s stay close to the road in case something happens.”

“Hyung, they wouldn’t come here, now would they?” Jungkook asks.

“No, not on their own.” And Yoongi leaves it like that, not caring to discuss his words any further—but Jungkook is pretty sure he knows what the older alpha means.

The two of them separate ways soon too, agreeing to meet in an hour or so at their separating point, hopefully with prey. Jungkook bounces into move immediately, his muscles screaming in joy when he can finally shake off the frost seeping up his paws.

Blending into the brown and orange quite well thanks to his warm-colored fur, that is a mixture of light and darker browns, Jungkook lets himself go for a moment, his instincts taking over. He allows his consciousness to completely blend with his wolf, letting the beast in him guide him through the forest and towards his prey.

It’s a feeling like no other, when you’re able to set yourself free, even if it’s just for a short moment. Jungkook has always been a free-spirited alpha and it truly shows when he’s released into the wild—his mother used to tell him that he was like a kid with a sugar-rush whenever he had been allowed to leave the village area as a younger wolf.

Well, it’s safe to say that Jungkook hasn’t changed all that much from those times.

Before he even knows, he’s been able to catch two rabbits. But right away, the young alpha takes note of how the prey has gotten lighter—under all the fluffy fur isn’t all that much meat, only skin and bones, and it’ll only get worse when the cold fully settles on their territory.

Huffing, he picks up the two rabbits and is about to turn away to go and hide them, when the scent of iron mixed with honeysuckle reaches his nose.

Jungkook freezes, both ears and his tail jumping high. The scent of blood and flowers is quickly followed by noises, angry growls and whimpers.

Is someone fighting…? He wonders, thinking for a second that maybe Jaebum and Yugyeom ran into another team and got into an argument—but the more he listens, the quicker he realizes that whatever is going on, it doesn’t sound like some friendly brawling.

No—this sounds like an actual fight. And it’s coming from the direction of the road which belongs to no one.

Without even thinking what he’s doing, Jungkook drops the rabbits and turns into the exact opposite direction he should be going. He’s not even sure if the fighting is happening in their land—but he needs to check it, it’s in his instincts to protect what he considers his.

The sounds of fighting are suddenly cut off and feeling himself panic at that, Jungkook speeds up even more. He can’t help but think that one of his friends might’ve been attacked by the pack from across the road or maybe it’s even Yoongi—and silence doesn’t usually indicate anything good, so his worry only grows when the growls stop and the scent of iron gets stronger.

He sees the road soon and without even stopping to consider that it might be a trap, Jungkook charges forward. But as soon as his paws come in touch with ground that isn’t his pack’s—ground that shouldn’t belong to anyone—he freezes, breathing heavily.

There’s blood on the ground, a lot of it and judging by the warmth of it, it’s still fresh. He can smell disgusting iron stronger than anything else, but the scent of something cold and fresh, and alluring honeysuckle, are still there, laced amongst the scent of blood.

Jungkook leans down and takes a deep breath in, searching for familiar scents—but then he hears a rustle from close by, from his pack’s side of the road. Head and tails perking up immediately, Jungkook turns his glowing golden eyes at the direction of the sound and right away, the scent of honeysuckle grows stronger, mixed with fear.

Growling low in his throat, the brown alpha makes his way towards the source of the sound slowly, staying low in case someone would try to surprise him.

The beast inside of him easily recognizes that there’s an intruder, for no one in Jungkook’s pack smells like honeysuckles with a flicker of fresh mint and something cold he can’t name. But his alpha side doesn’t show signs of anger, that’s Jungkook’s rational side telling him to prepare for a fight—no, the alpha in him is enamored by the new scent.

It feels like the sweet scent of honeysuckles would be luring him in. The scent alone seems to tug at something in his heart, leaving his alpha feeling somewhat drowsy and fulfilled.

Jungkook has never felt anything like this and it scares him.

Pushing through some frail bushes, the brown alpha finally comes face to face with whatever caused the noise. And it’s not just something—it’s two wolves, or one wolf and one wolf-turned-human.

There, at the root of a young pine, sits a pale boy covered only in a thin coat with a bloodied wolf lying next to him.

Jungkook freezes and his golden eyes meet a pair of fearful ones, glimmering with angry and desperate tears—at least that’s what Jungkook thinks they are, considering the situation.

As soon as the boy spots him, a low growl rumbles out of his chest, the other baring his teeth and obviously preparing to change forms. But the alpha knows he can’t—there’s blood trickling down from under the sleeves of his coat and although the boy has tightly wrapped the garment over himself, it’s not hard to see that he’s wounded. He probably doesn’t even have the energy to stand up, let alone change forms.

That doesn’t mean the pale boy won’t try, stubbornly growling and searching for something—anything—to defend himself and the other wolf with. He only finds small rocks and sticks, and although he does throw them at Jungkook, they don’t have any effect. The alpha doesn’t budge.

“Go away”, the boy then speaks, turning his furiously flaming eyes on the alpha again, staring him down despite the situation. His voice is barely audible but melodious nonetheless, and it throws Jungkook off for a moment.

He sounds like the rivers flooding from the mountains, cold in their own way but lively, strong, and beautiful—he sounds as if he’s singing a song no one else can ever learn, no one else knows the melody to.

“I said, go away”, the boy growls again, throwing a rock at Jungkook, but it stops even before hitting him. He can see that the other is starting to sway in a way that indicates he’s about to lose consciousness.

The alpha takes in a careful breath, the scent of honeysuckles, fear and anger almost making him choke—it’s so goddamn strong and all of it is coming from the pale boy a few meters away from him.

One navy blue eye and one honey yellow eye, both warily watching Jungkook’s every move, but the alpha can barely even breathe. Those heterochromic eyes and that sweet honeysuckle scent have him locked in place. It’s like he could see the whole universe in the other eye while the other is warm like fire, and Jungkook can’t stop staring.

He has never seen an omega like this.

It’s obvious that the pale boy has noticed that something is wrong, for he stops throwing rocks at Jungkook and only stares back with clear hatred in his eyes and muscles still tense. His platinum blonde hair is covered in dirt and blood, even a few leaves sticking to the long locks. And yet he looks beautiful in Jungkook’s eyes.

And the single thought of that, only admitting that simple fact, makes the alpha recoil in anger—disgust.

It’s a mountain wolf, he has noticed, because only mountain wolves could have skin that fair, and fur the color of grey mountains and white snow—the boy can only be a mountain wolf, the cold scent stuck on him the scent of his cold, vicious pack.

And mountain wolves do not belong to the forest.

The change in the atmosphere is obvious, the boy’s heterochromic eyes flashing in warning as he becomes defensive again.

“Go away, alpha”, the other wolf hisses, desperately searching for another rock—only there’s none close to him and they both know that no matter what, Jungkook will be the one to walk away unharmed. “Leave us alone!”

“The other one is already dead.” Jungkook barks out an answer the boy can’t understand in his human form. He’s pretty sure the other knows it too, though, just doesn’t want to admit that he’s alone now—so close to getting home but still too far away, on strange land and in the mercy of a wolf whose territory he has—accidentally or not, Jungkook doesn’t care because it’s not his place—invaded.

He growls back at the pale omega, the vibrations running through his chest and the other visibly flinches at that. It’s the first threatening sound Jungkook has let out, even to his own surprise.

Quickly regaining his composure, the boy tries his best to sit up straighter, leaning over the other wolf in a protective matter. His heterochromic eyes continue to glare daggers at Jungkook who has taken a couple of steps closer, his shadow already looming over the omega’s dirty little feet.

“Stay away”, the melodic voice comes again, this time a little weaker but laced with anger, something Jungkook must admire in the other. The omega looks pitiful, he’s wounded and weak—yet, he’s still trying to fight back.

“D-don’t come any closer, a-alpha, or I’ll—”

“You’ll what?” Jungkook snarls despite knowing fully well that he can’t be understood.

The brown alpha isn’t into hurting injured omegas, or omegas to begin with, but he knows he should at least drive this one away from his pack’s territory. That’s just how things go in their world—Jungkook has to make sure nothing threatens his pack.

But is he a threat? his alpha questions and Jungkook stops moving, standing now only a few steps away from the pale boy and his seemingly dead companion.

Is this pathetic little omega really a threat?

No.

To be completely honest, Jungkook knows that the boy in front of him is not a threat. He wouldn’t be even able to hurt a pup.

But that doesn’t mean the brown alpha should allow the omega to stay.

His hesitation doesn’t go unnoticed by the pale boy who—probably out of pure stubbornness—manages to change forms and in a blink of an eye, there’s a small white wolf growling at Jungkook. It surprises the alpha, who takes a full step back before being able to regain his composure and turn his narrowed eyes back at the omega.

“Go away”, the omega growls at him right away, bristling furiously. “Leave us the fuck alone!”

“This is my pack’s territory”, Jungkook says back matter-of-factly, finally being able to speak with the other. “You need to leave.”

But the alpha knows, he can see it clearly, that the omega isn’t capable of leaving anywhere. He could probably wonder back to the road by himself, but firstly, that would mean leaving behind his companion’s body and secondly, it’s not like he’ll get far. Jungkook is pretty sure that the white wolf will drop dead before sunset if he doesn’t get himself checked. And listening to his shallow breathing, it might be possible that he has a broken rib or two—and Jungkook has experience of that, it definitely hurts like a bitch.

Something in his gut twists at the thought of that, of the thought of the omega being in pain—but Jungkook shoves that feeling back down to wherever it came from.

The white wolf seems a little taken aback by Jungkook answer and hesitates.

“I’ll leave”, he then says a moment later. “I’ll leave, but let me please rest a moment—”

“No, you need to go now”, Jungkook cuts in.

The heterochromic eyes flash in annoyance. “I just need to rest for a moment, so I can carry her back home with me.” The wolf nods towards his companion’s body. “Is that too much to ask for?”

“Yes, it is when you’re in my territory! And if anyone else finds you here, they’ll kill you without a second thought!”

That silences them both—the omega goes silent probably because he realizes that Jungkook is right, and Jungkook goes silent because what he just said seems to indicate that he cares whether the other gets killed or not. Like he’d want him to get away.

“That doesn’t matter”, the omega says then, his tone becoming both sad and accepting. “I know I won’t make it. But I won’t leave her behind, no matter what.”

Jungkook is so surprised by the sudden change of nature that he stops breathing for a moment—and when he does snap out of it, maybe just seconds later, maybe minutes, something comes colliding on the white wolf from behind.

“Jaebum!” the brown alpha says in surprise, seeing the older alpha wrestle the omega down on the ground. Yoongi and Yugyeom are close behind, the eldest of the four turning to Jungkook with furiously glimmering grey eyes.

“What the fuck are you doing, Jungkook?!” Yoongi growls, looking ready to bite off Jungkook’s ear. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“N-no, hyung he wasn’t going to—”

“Shut up”, the pitch-black wolf snarls in a tone that demands submission. “Mountain wolves cannot be trusted, you know that, Jungkook—”

“Big words, forest wolf”, comes the omega’s voice, strained but still as furious as ever. Jungkook finds himself feeling relieved when he hears that hateful tone and he turns his gaze back on the white wolf who is securely pinned down on the ground by Jaebum’s big pawns.

The omega’s heterochromic eyes are once again shining with defiance and fire, his lips curled into a sneer. “You’re the ones who can’t even hold onto a simple rule of the road not belonging to anyone. Don’t you even dare to talk to me about trust.”

So, it is true then. Someone from the other pack attacked the mountain wolves, killed the other and drove them to Jungkook’s pack’s side of the forest.

Yoongi lets out a low growl and Jaebum presses the omega harder on the ground, but neither of the two alphas try to deny the mountain wolf’s words—they all know he’s not lying. It wouldn’t be the first time the pack on the other side tries to cause trouble between the forest wolves and mountain wolves.

This, however, is much worse than anything they’ve done before. And judging by everything, they’re trying to make it seem like it was Jungkook’s pack’s doing.

“Hyung”, he steps up again despite Yoongi sending him a nasty glare. “We should let him go. He needs to return to his pack or the blame for their deaths will be on us.”

“He won’t even make it to the mountains”, the black wolf spits out angrily. “And they both smell like us, so their pack will come for our blood. Either way, the blame is already on us.”

So, pretty much, it doesn’t matter whether they kill the mountain wolf here or not. That’s how Jungkook understands it and for some pretty fucking weird reason, his whole being hates the thought of that.

He even dares to bristle at Yoongi. “Well, we can’t just do nothing! We could take him back to the village and heal him, so he can go back to his own pack and—”

“Do you even fucking hear yourself, Jungkook? Take him back to the village, to the heart of our territory—do you have any idea how reckless that would be?” Jungkook wants to argue against the black wolf, but Yoongi gives him no chance for that. “And what happens once we’ve healed him? What happens, once he has happily eaten our food, stayed in our home, dirtied it with his blood and scent—what then, Jungkook?”

“He—”

“He’s going to go back to his pack, tell them all about our weaknesses and then they’ll come running to us, that’s what will happen. Then they’ll know exactly where to find us, to hit where it hurts the most and you, you’d be the fault of all that.”

“Yoongi”, Jaebum lets out a warning sound, noticing how the black wolf is close to losing his composure completely.

Understanding that losing his cool in front of an enemy wolf isn’t the best for their reputation, the eldest alpha just grumbles under his breath, sending Jungkook one last warning glare before turning back to the problem at hand. His dull grey eyes rake over the dead mountain wolf, disgust very apparent on his features.

“It’s an old one”, he mumbles. “No wonder it died.”

“She”, Jungkook corrects quietly, immediately regretting it, but luckily it doesn’t seem like Yoongi even heard.

“Hey”, Yugyeom suddenly speaks for the first time. “The other one—he’s not dead too, is he?”

All their gazes turn towards the omega, who truly has stopped moving under Jaebum and is now just lying on the ground with eyes closed and for a short moment, Jungkook fears—actually fears—that he has passed away.

But Jaebum quickly confirms that no, the omega is still weakly breathing, but it won’t take long until he’ll stop doing that.

“Yoongi”, the alpha then says. “We need to decide quickly what we do. Either we leave them, preferably somewhere by the road, or take him to the pack like Jungkook suggested and bury the dead one.”

“Jaebum”, Yoongi says in a warning tone, annoyance coming back tenfold, but the other alpha just continues calmly, staying as the only rational one of them.

“No—listen to me now, Yoongi. Jungkook is right, we can’t exactly leave things as they are. I’m giving you two choices. Kill the mountain wolf or take him back to the pack.”

Jaebum’s and Yoongi’s eyes meet in a heated battle of dominance, which Yoongi should win—but Jungkook knows the black wolf is soft from the heart and killing needlessly has never been his favorite thing.

So, he’s not all too surprised when Yoongi is the first one to look away, sighing in annoyance.

“Fine”, the pitch-black wolf growls, already turning around. “Fine. Bring the omega with you—but Jungkook will be the one to carry him, since it was his suggestion. Yugyeom, you carry the dead one. And do not even for a second think that I’m going to defend you when Namjoon comes for your ass, brat.”

Yoongi sends Jungkook a dark glare and then bounces into move, disappearing between trees and bushes faster than the young alphas has ever seen him do.

“He doesn’t mean it”, Jaebum says softly, nudging Jungkook weakly on the cheek as he walks past to help Yugyeom to haul the dead wolf on his back. “You know Yoongi is just bad at expressing his real feelings and that he’s really just overprotective of his own.”

Jungkook knows and he has the audacity to look a little apologetic for causing so much trouble—but really, is it even his fault? It’s not like he drove the omega to their side of the road.

“C’mon, we should hurry after him. Jungkook, grab the omega and let’s go”, Jaebum calls out for him, motioning them to head back home with his head. Yugyeom and he are ready to go already, the old female wolf on the younger alpha’s back.

The brown alpha nods, heading towards the omega’s motionless body and right away, the scent of honeysuckles invades his senses again. It smells good, so disturbingly good, and Jungkook can’t quite understand it because he has smelled omegas before—for god’s sake, his best friend is an omega. But even Taehyung doesn’t smell this good to him—so good that Jungkook fears he has become addicted already.

He leans down to pick the omega’s lithe body up, feeling something odd spark inside his heart when they touch—but the feeling is gone as soon as he thinks about what he has done. He can’t help but fear that he has just accidentally doomed the white wolf into something worse than death. His pack can, after all, be quite vicious and outsiders are never welcome.

“I’m sorry”, Jungkook whispers against the omega’s soft fur, but he knows apologies won’t be enough, the damage is already done.

Maybe not by him, but he’s definitely going to be the one paying for the consequences right alongside the white wolf.

Chapter Text

Jimin should have never trusted his grandmother’s word. And they should have never trusted the forest wolves.

There are other routes than the one that cuts through the forest too, behind the mountain. Safer routes. And Jimin should have forced her to drive all the way there, no matter how long it would have taken, because at least then she’d be alive. At least they’d be home then, even if another route would have meant driving and walking quite a lot of extra miles—but at least she would be here, with him.

Or maybe Jimin should have been able to fight better. He’s no stranger to an alpha’s aggression and he’s more than used to defending himself in fights—verbal or physical, Jimin mostly won.

It just had to be this one fight he lost. The one that actually matters.

He knows he could have done better—he could have saved her, even if that meant sacrificing himself. But his pack needed his grandmother, she was one of the eldest and always knew the best what to do, especially in winter—he should have put her far, far ahead of his own health.

The pack needs her and now, thanks to Jimin, she’s gone.

He doesn’t need anyone to say it to him, Jimin can feel it.

When he escaped to the territory of an another pack, just to get away from those wolves clawing on his back, biting on his neck and growling in his ear—even before all that, Jimin was well aware that they wouldn’t make it. The blood running down his legs and arms when he changed forms—he knew, then, that he was fighting a losing battle. And next to him, he knew Sohyeon, his loving grandmother, was already gone.

He didn’t need to check, then, and doesn’t need to ask now—he feels it, deep in his bones, in his heart and in his soul. She’s gone.

And all that is left for Jimin to do is wonder why he isn’t gone. The least he could have done, was to follow after her.

But instead of sinking into everlasting darkness, he sinks into nightmares and pain, followed by a scent so peculiar—like cedarwood, some spice and musk, unlike any other scent Jimin has ever smelled. It stays, surrounding him even when he’s back there, knee deep in cold snow, screaming into the wind with blood in his hands.

It stays through the nightmares and through the pain, clouding his mind but at the same time, reminding him how he is still alive.

He wakes up, several times, at least he thinks so. Consciousness flashes by him like bright lights in the human cities, like summer flashes by in the mountains. He picks up scents that are not familiar, that are too warm to be his pack’s, sees blurry figures he doesn’t recognize.

The only thing Jimin does recognize—dimly so but still—are the pair of golden eyes boring into his very soul.

Those cursed eyes, that cursed scent—it’s all coming from him.

“…away.”

That goddamn alpha.

“…g-go a-way”, he grist through clenched teeth, pain flowing through his body like rivers flow when spring comes. It feels almost too much, and Jimin knows he’s in the brink of losing consciousness again. Everything is blurry and there are tears of pain in his eyes.

“Seokjin-hyung! I think he’s waking up!” someone’s voice says, someone Jimin doesn’t recognize at all. All he registers, is that it’s a deep voice, calming in a strange way but alarming at the same time.

“No, Taehyung—h-hold him down, he’s moving too much”, another voice comes, sounding as alarmed as Jimin feels. “He’s going to open all his wounds if he continues moving like this.”

Jimin can feel hands touching him and he screams, both in pain and anger, trying to drive the unfamiliar people away from him. Cursing and growling, the omega continues to trash around for a moment longer—maybe just seconds longer—until all his muscles give out and he falls back down on the surface he’s lying on, feeling heavy.

There’s simply too much pain for Jimin to continue fighting. He doesn’t want to continue fighting.

Let me die, let me die, please just let me die.

“Hush now.”

It takes a moment for Jimin to comprehend that he just possibly said his plea aloud.

Now instead of sounding alarmed, the second voice that spoke sounds almost apologetic. “Sleep. You’ll feel better soon. And Jungkook—I think you should go.”

“B-but hyung—” a third voice speaks up now, a voice Jimin does finally recognize, but all it does is make him feel angry all over again.

“Jungkook. Go, now.”

That’s the last thing Jimin hears before drifting back into nightmares, the scent of cedarwood and spice following right along.

The pack doesn’t take it very well.

Of course, Jungkook never expected them to welcome the outsider and just happily let him stay—but he didn’t expect this either.

He didn’t expect his packmates to start avoiding him too, to avoid anyone who’s helping the mountain wolf, to whisper things behind his back, and some other alphas start to even publicly challenge him and his position as a high-ranked hunter. Because only a traitor would bring an outsider to the heart of their territory.

And while Jungkook is nothing but prepared to answer to each and every challenge, neither Namjoon or Yoongi let him.

Fighting within the pack when winter is right behind the corner isn’t allowed and yet Jungkook has practically made everyone break that rule.

Maybe he was being fucking ridiculous like Yoongi said, maybe he didn’t think things through—but what was he supposed to do? They were tricked and even if Jungkook hadn’t brought the white wolf back with him, they’d still be at fault. The mountain wolves would still be coming for them.

At least now they have the chance to prove their innocence, and maybe things could even end well for them, for if things are cleared, the pack across the road will be a mutual enemy of Jungkook’s and the white omega’s pack. They could get rid of those untrustworthy bastards for good.

But that’ll only happen if the omega pulls through, which has been nothing but a big question mark ever since Jungkook brought him to the village three days ago. The mountain wolf has been swaying between life and death ever since, battling not with only grave wounds but also a high-fever.

And the lack of will, like his older brother said.

Jungkook heard it too. He was there, just minutes ago, when the omega woke up for a moment and only begged them to let him die. Of course, only after telling Jungkook to fuck off because obviously that was his top priority.

Well, would you trust an enemy alpha? his wolf chuckles inside his mind and the brunette can’t understand why it’s picking the omega’s side.

It can’t simply be because of that damn honeysuckle scent, now can it? Because it doesn’t even smell that good. Jungkook was only shocked when he first met the omega, but now he has grown over it, and he’s definitely not walking straight back to the infirmary although he just left like, five minutes ago.

“Jungkook”, his older brother sighs even without turning to look at him when the brunette alpha steps inside the infirmary again, and closer to the two omegas he knows and the omega he doesn’t know. “Didn’t I just tell you to leave?”

The younger out of the two flinches at the tired and annoyed tone Seokjin is using with him, feeling ashamed suddenly. He should have better control of himself.

“I’m sorry, hyung… but I just—”

“He’s just smitten, Seokjin-hyung”, Taehyung interrupts cheekily, sending Jungkook a shit-eating grin. “It’s not usual for omegas like him—” The other nods towards the blonde lying on the bed, unconscious. “—to come around. Jungkook has probably never seen anyone so pretty.”

Seokjin snorts. “To me it sounds like you are the smitten one here.”

But even the eldest omega present can’t deny it—the small blonde omega on the bed is nothing but beautiful, even though he’s a little too skinny and covered in a thin layer of sweat and still sporting ugly bruises. Not to even mention the bigger wounds hidden under the bandages.

He’s still beautiful and so young. Although he’s technically an enemy wolf, Seokjin can’t help but feel bad for the little one. He knows the blonde omega shouldn’t be there.

“I’m not smitten”, Jungkook growls at Taehyung, his eyes flashing gold in annoyance. “I’m just pretty sure that my position in the pack depends on whether this omega survives or not.”

“You’re being overdramatic. It’s not like Namjoon will take away your ranking”, his brother says, shaking his head softly at the same time he presses a wet cloth on the blonde omega’s forehead. “He knows better than that. I’m sure had someone else been in your position, they would have made the same decision.”

“No, they wouldn’t have”, both Jungkook and Taehyung disagree at the same time. “They would have killed him”, the omega out of the two then continues and Jungkook is quick to nod along. He knows how his pack works—had he not been the one to find the white wolf and his companion, Yoongi would have most likely killed them both.

And in a way, Jungkook is sure that would have been merciful too. At least Yoongi would have made it as painless as possible—but now he has doomed the blonde in much worse suffering. Now he’ll have to face the hate of Jungkook’s pack, full on, until he’s healed well-enough to head back home.

And even then, they will have to trust that the omega will speak the truth and tell that Jungkook’s pack isn’t at fault. He’s ready to trust into that—he’s sure the white wolf has his pride and wouldn’t fuck them over like that—but how many others are?

He doubts any.

Seokjin lets out a deep sigh. “You’re probably right about that.”

Before they manage to continue any further, the actual healer of the pack, Jiwoo, makes her appearance. She comes down the stairs from the second floor which is her private area of the infirmary, moving elegantly despite her old age.

“Ah, I can see that the young alpha has returned”, the healer chuckles as soon as she spots Jungkook standing a few meters away from the bed the sick omega is currently occupying. “Did you miss me that much already?”

Jungkook has known Jiwoo for a long time already, as his father was a brother of hers, and ever since that one winter—the winter that cost them all a little too much—she’s been nothing but loving and supportive towards Jungkook’s family. He appreciates all the things she sacrificed for them and visits her regularly, of course, but today he isn’t there for her.

And Jiwoo seems to know that as well, as she playfully swats Jungkook on the arm as she walks past him and towards the blonde omega.

“I was just kidding, Jungkook-ah. I know exactly what you’re here for.”

Jungkook can feel his cheeks heat up at the suggestive tone the healer is using and both Taehyung and Seokjin snicker at him, only further embarrassing the young alpha. He’s glad the blonde omega isn’t awake right now.

Jiwoo settles down on the chair next to the omega’s bed, gently taking a hold of one of the boy’s frail arms, checking his pulse or whatever healer’s do—Jungkook doesn’t know and frankly, he doesn’t care. (In this his wolf disagrees with him, once again, because there is certainly something uncomfortable coiling in his stomach. He just doesn’t know—doesn’t want to know—exactly what it is.)

“You’ve been here every day since you brought him to the village”, Jiwoo then says, her tone still gentle and lacking the earlier cheekiness. Her long fingers continue to hold the boy’s hand, as if that alone would be able to heal him—and maybe it helps. Jiwoo has always been an extremely talented healer so who knows, maybe there’s some magic in her touch as well.

“I’m the one responsible of him, right now. So naturally I have to keep an eye on him”, Jungkook tries to refute.

“Indeed you are, but do you really think he’s going anywhere? Jungkook dear, the boy can barely stay awake long enough for us to give him medicine and the nutrition his body needs. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.” Jiwoo sends him a look the young alpha can’t read at all, before turning her sad brown eyes back on the omega.

“There’s not much I can do anymore. His wounds have been treated as well as we can here in the forest and I have given him as much as medicine as I possibly can. All that is left for us to do, is to wait and see whether he decides to stay or not.”

Jungkook nods, understanding everything Jiwoo says, but it doesn’t make the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach go away.

“But you know, Jungkook-ah, there is something you could do”, the healer then suddenly continues after a tense moment of silence. “Something that could speed up the healing process.”

“Jiwoo”, Seokjin starts, hesitation obvious in his tone as he looks at the healer. “You don’t mean—”

“An alpha’s presence is always calming to a submissive wolf”, Jiwoo cuts Jungkook’s elder brother off with a wave of hand. “None of us are alphas here and I’m pretty sure no other alpha will come close to this place until the omega is awake, so Jungkook is our only choice.” The woman turns to look at the brunette alpha and smiles softly.

“Do you want to help, Jungkook-ah?” she asks.

For some reason, Seokjin shakes his head behind the healer, an alarmed look on his face—while Taehyung is nodding along eagerly, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. From that alone Jungkook knows it’s going to be anything but enjoyable and he should say no, simply because it’s his hyung telling him so, but then he looks at the blonde omega.

And something strong tugs at his heart, tugs him towards the boy on the bed—calls for him—and Jungkook finds himself nodding before even fully processing the situation.

“That’s wonderful!” Jiwoo says cheerfully while Seokjin groans in annoyance and Taehyung laughs out loud. “I know you’ve been wanting to get closer, and now you have the permission. Because that’s exactly what I want you to do—I want you to stay close to him, as much as possible, and preferably touch him.”

Jungkook, who has been tentatively walking closer, halts. “T-touch h-him…?”

Jiwoo snorts, her eyes glimmering with the same mischief as Taehyung’s. “Holding his hand is quite enough, Jungkook-ah, so don’t let your hopes high.”

Now the two other omegas snort as well, although Seokjin’s shoulders are still noticeably tense. Jungkook just turns red once again, grumbling under his breath—the omegas of his pack are seriously too much.

“Come over here now, we don’t have the whole day”, Jiwoo then continues, motioning the alpha to just drag his sorry ass to the bed. And once Jungkook is standing there, she takes his left hand and then the omega’s, slipping that pale hand into Jungkook’s own only a second later.

Cold, is what Jungkook first thinks when his tanned skin meets with the boy’s pale. The second thought that runs through his mind is soft—because that’s exactly what the hand in his feels like, cold and soft, small.

And so frail.

(He also tries his very best to ignore how his wolf howls in satisfaction at the contact because that is just fucked up. Jungkook doesn’t even know this omega and yet, his wolf is acting like it’s their best friend. And okay, maybe his wolf does definitely not see the omega as a friend, goddammit.)

“Try to keep it down, Jungkook, and let out calming pheromones”, Seokjin is surprisingly the one to advise him, giving his younger brother a tight smile. “See? His breathing is already steadying.”

Jungkook turns his gaze back on the blonde omega, who indeed, is breathing a little easier than just moments ago. The pain written all over his soft features starts to fade, the raspy breaths turning a lot calmer and silent, his tense muscles relaxing—and Jungkook, when noticing that, lets out a loud exhale of relief.

Jiwoo observes them closely, her eyes flickering between the brunette alpha and the blonde omega, a curious glimmering in those brown orbs. “Now, this is interesting…” she mumbles after a moment.

“What is?” Seokjin asks, and Jungkook doesn’t miss the slight panic laced in his tone. He wonders what’s going on in his brother’s mind right now, for usually Seokjin is the last one to lose his composure—is Jungkook, perhaps, doing something wrong? Or is it just because he’s so willing to help an enemy wolf?

“It’s working much better than I thought it would”, the healer explains quietly, the brown of her eyes turning to warm honey as she stares at the alpha’s and omega’s linked hands. “I was hoping that you could calm him down enough to get proper sleep, at best—but it seems like you’re also actually helping him to heal.”

Jungkook doesn’t quite understand it, but his brother seems to get what Jiwoo is saying.

“Jiwoo, please, this isn’t—”

“Hush, child”, the woman brushes Seokjin off, her eyes returning to their usual brown. “It doesn’t necessarily mean anything, we should just be glad that Jungkook-ah is capable of helping us. Now, I think we should leave the two of them alone, so the little one can get some rest.”

“What are the two of you talking about?” Jungkook tries to interfere, but both Jiwoo and Seokjin seem pretty adamant to not let him in, as his brother practically flees the infirmary and the older woman starts to make her way back towards the stairs. “Jiwoo, what did Seokjin-hyung mean?”

“It’s nothing for you to worry about”, Jiwoo sighs as she reaches the stairs, turning to offer Jungkook a small smile. “Just stay with him for a couple of hours, so he gets enough sleep. And if you’d like to help again, please do come by more often.”

The healer says nothing more—explains nothing more—and Jungkook is left to dumbly stand by the blonde’s bed, hand still tightly holding onto the smaller one.

“You should take a seat”, his best friend pipes up suddenly, successfully scaring Jungkook who had already forgotten that Taehyung is there as well. When he turns to look at the other omega, confusion still written all over his face, his friend just offers him an unsure smile and nods towards the free stool next to the bed.

“Sit down, Kookie”, Taehyung urges again, nudging the stool with his foot.

“It’s going to be a long night.”

It takes two days for the blonde omega to open his eyes again, this time managing to stay conscious for a good ten minutes before slipping back to darkness. Jiwoo says that it’s progress, progress they need, because it seems that the omega has finally decided to fight against the darkness and stay with them.

Jungkook can’t help but feel extremely relieved by these news. He comes to visit at the infirmary as many times as he can despite still being an active hunter, and each time he stays for hours, just holding the omega’s hand and hoping that it helps.

Jiwoo is there with him every day, reassuring that what he’s doing helps more than anything else. But when Jungkook asks why—why is that he is able to help when no one else is—the healer always changes subject or says something about alphas being naturally able to make omegas feel better.

It’s not wrong, Jungkook knows that, but he also knows that it can’t be only because he’s an alpha, that he’s able to help the blonde omega. But Jiwoo and Seokjin aren’t willing to explain, Taehyung doesn’t seem to know the answer either and Jungkook’s not about to go and ask from someone else, since the pack already looks at him with contempt.

Namjoon held a meeting about the mountain wolf last night, explaining to the rest of the pack why there’s a stranger in their home—explaining why Jungkook brought him there. The young alpha appreciates the pack leader’s son’s attempt to ease things, but even with the explanation out there, no one seems any more accepting than before.

Not even when Jungkook is literally trying to stop a war between forest wolves and mountain wolves from happening.

Because he knows it’s going to end like that if the blonde omega dies here. If the mountain wolfpacks value their own the same way Jungkook’s pack does, then they won’t hesitate to revenge—and it’s Jungkook’s pack they’ll come after. So, if they want to dodge that, especially before winter, the omega needs to survive and heal so he can go back to his pack to speak the truth.

The brunette alpha doesn’t know how many times he must explain this, how many times he must try and beat some sense into the minds of others—only to end up at the starting point, the point where all the blame is on him and the hate on the mountain wolf.

And after another week, he gets fed up with it, for a reason too Taehyung reassures him.

To dodge all the scorn thrown at him, Jungkook starts spending more time at the infirmary. The mornings and most of the day he spends hunting (pack always comes first, after all), but when he’s not at the forest, he’s by the mountain wolf’s side.

Jungkook does everything he can to help Jiwoo nurse the omega back to health, changes his bandages, washes him clean clothes and keeps the infirmary warm. Occasionally Jungkook even brings Jiwoo a hare or two just to make sure the healer and her patient get as much food as they need. Despite, the blonde omega is a little skinny, so extra food wouldn’t hurt.

“You’re doing so much work here”, Jiwoo says when Jungkook once again comes knocking on the infirmary door with a fresh kill in his hands. “It’s making me wonder which of us is the actual healer here.”

The brunette alpha just smiles softly at her, not sure whether it’s a praise or not, before coming into the warm cottage. And right away, he’s hit by the strong scent of honeysuckles.

“Jiwoo—” Jungkook takes in a deep breath, the sweet scent clouding his mind. “Is he—”

“Oh yes”, the healer nods, walking towards the currently only occupied bed in the infirmary. “He woke up and managed to even sit up on his own. His scent has got a lot stronger too, as you can probably notice. That’s a good sign.”

Tentatively, the young alpha comes further inside but unlike before, he doesn’t go to the omega right away.

“Is there something wrong, Jungkook-ah?” Jiwoo notices his hesitance right away, frowning as the alpha keeps a lot of space between him and the bed where the mountain wolf is lying on.

“I-I…” Jungkook hesitates, swallowing thickly. The sweet honeysuckle scent is making him feel lightheaded and the more he breathes it in, the weaker his legs feel and for a moment, the alpha is afraid he’ll lose control. “I j-just need… air—”

He moves towards the small kitchen as quick as his feet can carry, dropping the dead hare on the table before practically ripping the window open. As soon as the crisp air of an October night reaches his nose, Jungkook feels like he can breathe again. The trembling of his arms and legs stop when he can no longer smell the honeysuckles so strongly and his muscles relax a little, making the alpha sigh in relief.

“Jungkook”, Jiwoo’s voice comes from behind him, tight and unfamiliarly cold. The young alpha turns around right away, golden eyes meeting with warm honey yellow.

“Jungkook”, the healer repeats, her tone turning warning now. “You have to calm down, you’re letting your scent run free.”

Sucking in another deep breath of clear air, Jungkook nods a couple of times before pulling himself back together and commanding his wolf to settle down. When Jiwoo’s tense shoulders relax he knows that everything’s fine again.

“C-can we keep the window open?” the brunette alpha asks, turning his eyes on the floor. “For a moment, at least?”

“Sure.” Jiwoo’s tone is pitying at the same time it’s understanding. “Keep it open as long as you need, we needed a little fresh air anyway. And once you’ve calmed down enough, why don’t you start preparing the meat? I’ll change the little one’s bandages today.”

Jungkook agrees, easily so, because he doesn’t think he can control himself if he goes anywhere closer to the omega right now.

He doesn’t even know what he’d do—all Jungkook does know is that he can’t let himself loose, can’t let his wolf take control, or he’ll regret it for the rest of his life.

It’s later that night when Jiwoo leaves to take some medicine to the sick pack leader, that Jungkook is left alone with the blonde omega. The young alpha isn’t sure he should be left alone right now, but the healer reassures him that she can see that he has calmed down enough and that she won’t even be gone for more than ten minutes.

So, she leaves and Jungkook swears to stay in the kitchen close by the window.

But it’s maybe a minute or two after Jiwoo has left when he hears something shatter from the main area of the infirmary and of course Jungkook gets up right away, fearing that someone might’ve come in without him noticing.

But it’s not that—it’s him. The blonde omega has stood up, accidentally knocking over the water glass that was on the stool next to his bed.

As soon as Jungkook sees him, the scent of honeysuckles also comes crashing back, almost knocking him down in the process. And it doesn’t take long for the omega to notice him too, mismatching eyes boring into Jungkook’s very soul.

The alpha can see a dozen thoughts running through the other’s mind on that very second their eyes meet, but the clearest of them all is fear. And fear leads to two things—fight or flight.

The blonde omega makes his decision quickly, despite still being groggy and hurt, running towards the door—but Jungkook is faster, managing to firmly place himself between the mountain wolf and the door outside, outside where there’s nothing but hate waiting the both of them.

Small hands come to clutch the material of Jungkook’s shirt tightly, eyes burning with defiance as the omega looks up at him.

“Move—”

“No”, the brunette alpha stops him even before the other can really start. “Get back to bed. You’ll open up your wounds otherwise.”

All he gets as an answer is growling. “Y-you don’t get to boss me—”

Jungkook doesn’t want to cut him off again, not when that melodious voice sounds so good, but he knows that Jiwoo will kill him if the omega hurts himself now. “Listen, you have every right to be scared and angry, but that’s not going to help you in any way right now. Get back to bed, wait until you’re fully healed, and then let’s talk again.”

The blonde’s heterochromic eyes flash in annoyance, the navy blue changing to shocking electric blue for a split second. Alongside with that his scent spikes up again and Jungkook has to stop breathing for a moment, the scent of honeysuckles invading his senses from all directions.

He can feel the omega’s warmth against him, the heat seeping through his palms onto Jungkook’s chest, and he knows that he’s losing control again, knows that his eyes must be glowing gold again and his scent alarmingly strong.

But exhaustion comes back to the omega’s features quickly despite how awake and on guard Jungkook is now, the electric blue of his eye turning back to the color of the night sky in the winter. His hold on Jungkook’s shirt falters and he stumbles forward a little bit, the alpha automatically reaching to catch him—only to be rather roughly pushed away.

“Tsk…” Jungkook lets out an annoyed sound, turning to glare at the blonde who glares straight back despite his lack of strength. “Why can’t you see that I’m trying to help?” I’m the only one on your side right now!

“Don’t… talk s-shit”, the mountain wolf grits through clenched teeth. “You’re all… l-liars…”

Jungkook supposes that the blonde omega has the right to be so untrusting and angry, but it still annoys him. He’s been trying to do nothing but help, to keep this little shit safe, despite how much it makes his own pack hate him—and all he gets as a thanks is more anger thrown at him.

But still, he can’t find it in himself to grow angry. He’s annoyed, yes, but the familiar bubbles of anger never rise in him, because beyond his irritation, all he feels towards the blonde omega is pity.

Jungkook knows the mountain wolf has just lost his companion, is on unfamiliar land and in the hands of a rivaling pack, all alone.

“You need to heal”, the brunette alpha tries again, trying to put down even his annoyance, giving the blonde omega a somewhat pleading look. “You need to heal so you can go back home and stop needless slaughter. So, I’m asking you, please, get back to bed.”

It’s not usual for an alpha to show such submission towards an omega, an unknown one no less, but Jungkook is tired and just a little bit desperate. He needs to reclaim his position in his pack, his pride, at the same time he needs to keep the said pack safe from harm—and this little being standing in front of him is his key. So, he’s willing to show a little submission if it means calming down the omega.

And in a way, it does work.

The blonde’s mismatching eyes widen in surprise and he stops trying to push past Jungkook, his arms dropping down. The alpha can see, once again, a dozen thoughts running through the other’s mind—confusion, sadness, pain—but none are voiced.

They stand there, in silence, Jungkook with his head lowered and the omega too shocked to move. For a second all they can hear is each other’s breathing and for that fleeting moment, Jungkook even wonders if he can hear the omega’s heartbeat, rapid but strong.

Then suddenly, the blonde’s legs give out and he slumps forward, and this time when Jungkook reaches to catch him he’s met with zero resistance.

“Ugh…” the smaller male groans in discomfort, heterochromic eyes squeezed shut tightly as his body falls against Jungkook’s hard chest, the alpha’s arms quickly around him. For a very short moment he tries to push back up, but it becomes quickly apparent to the both of them, that the mountain wolf is still in no condition to leave.

“Shh, it’s alright…” Jungkook hushes, trying to let out calming pheromones despite how much he’s actually panicking from inside.

The blonde’s head comes to rest right by his neck, his hot breath ghosting over the sensitive skin, and that’s when Jungkook realizes that the other could kill him, right now. With his most vulnerable part completely exposed, caught off guard, he could really die if the omega tried.

But he doesn’t.

Instead, the blonde just curls into himself, whining softly under his breath, and the sweet scent of honeysuckles is all Jungkook can think of, again. He doesn’t really even realize to worry about his own vulnerability as he carries the omega back to bed, trying to be as gentle as possible.

The other is still conscious, barely so but still, his mismatching eyes opening just the slightest to gaze at Jungkook with confusion and something else the alpha can’t quite comprehend—but what could be gratefulness—as he’s put back down on the bed.

“…her.”

It takes a second for Jungkook to realize that the other is talking, his melodious voice weak and almost as soft as powder snow.

He leans down right away, pressing his ear closer to hear better.

“…b-bury her.” The words come out shaky and the omega’s tone has changed into almost begging. “P-please… bury h-her… f-for me.”

Jungkook leans away to look into the other’s eyes, swallowing nervously at the request. He knows his pack doesn’t have any place where to bury outsiders, but can he say that to the blonde omega? That would just cause more worry for him and Jungkook knows that any more stress and the other might break for good.

So, all he can do is say yes.

“Sure”, he nods, reaching over to touch the blonde’s cheek before he can even stop himself, fingers trailing over the fading bruise on it. “Sure—I mean y-yeah… I’ll bury her for you.”

The mismatching eyes close, the mountain wolf releasing a deep sigh before his lips quirk up in a weak attempt to smile.

“Thank you.”

Jungkook can only nod dumbly a couple of times, taken aback by the genuinely thankful tone, before realizing that the other can’t even see. “It’s—" the least I can do “—nothing. You just stay in bed.”

And then the young alpha straightens himself, preparing to leave to solve this new problem. He grabs his coat and opens the infirmary door, only to find Jiwoo standing there, a shocked look on her face.

“Ah, I’ve got something to do now”, Jungkook says to her, not even noticing the strange way she looks at him and then towards the occupied bed. “I’ll come by tomorrow again, okay?”

“Y-yes, of course”, the healer nods absently, her wide eyes meeting Jungkook’s own for a moment. And as the infirmary door closes after her, the alpha can’t help but wonder how long she had stood there—if she heard their conversation or not. And if it’s a bad thing if she did.

They don’t have a graveyard, only family graves, so Jungkook is a little nervous about going home to ask his brother the permission.

The permission to bury the mountain wolf in their family grave.

He feels so guilty, so sick, at the thought of the blonde omega who is forced to bear through all this pain and sorrow, that Jungkook is more than willing to allow the omega’s companion to rest by his family. In a way, he feels at fault, like he’s responsible, and that’s what he says to Seokjin when his hyung starts yelling at him how absurd the idea even is.

It takes him on his knees in their kitchen, head pressed down against the floor, to get the older agree. And in the end, Seokjin makes it clear that he’s not doing it to help the mountain wolf feel better—he’s doing it to make Jungkook feel better.

“Because I can’t take it when you cry”, is what the omega says, pain evident in his tone, and Jungkook wonders if he’s disappointed.

The young alpha says thank you a dozen times, almost crying from pure relief, and the weight on his heart feels a little lighter right away. Right after dinner, when the sun has long set, Jungkook leaves the house to keep his promise.

Maybe two hours later he’s kneeling by a familiar grave, smelling like fresh soil and crisp night air, his brown hair dancing in the wind, hands dirty and cold. Jungkook’s only light are the weak rays of moonlight that seep through the dark clouds, coloring the honeysuckles he found and placed on the grave in beautiful silver.

“He says hi”, Jungkook weakly says, hoping that the scent of honeysuckles could reach the omega’s companion even to the other side.

Slowly he starts getting up from the ground. The night is chilly and he still needs to wash up before going to bed, so he should start heading home. And he’ll definitely need all the energy he can get tomorrow, when he’ll be forced to face the blonde omega again.

“Don’t worry”, Jungkook adds just before he goes, bowing his head respectfully once more. “I’ll make sure he gets back home alive.”

Only a moment later it starts snowing.

Chapter Text

When Jungkook comes down from his room four days after burying the other mountain wolf, Namjoon is waiting for him in the kitchen with his older brother. The pack leader’s son greets him with a dimpled smile, but the air is tense and if the worry in Seokjin’s eyes is anything to go by, Jungkook is in trouble.

“M-morning…?” the youngest says, a little unsure, before bowing his head respectively towards the older alpha.

While Namjoon is close with his family and head over heels for Seokjin—which also usually turns him into a clumsy fool—he’s still a higher-ranking alpha than Jungkook himself, and most likely the next pack-leader, so the younger is of course required to show him respect. Though, like always, Namjoon just brushes it off and urges him to take a seat by the table.

“How have you been, Jungkook? Do the others still give you trouble?” the pack leader’s son asks as soon as Jungkook has sat down. The tone Namjoon is using is almost apologetic.

The younger alpha just shrugs his shoulders. By now he’s used to the glares thrown at him and can completely ignore most of them. “Well, it’s our pack, so what exactly do you expect from them? We’re not used to strangers and there has to always be someone to blame.”

“It disgusts me how accurate you are”, Namjoon snorts, shaking his head softly at the defeated tone of Jungkook’s voice. “Since mother fell sick no one has behaved as well as they should, and I apologize for that. I should be stricter but I’m not really good at that.”

“Joonie, that has nothing to do with you. The winter stresses out everyone already, the pack-leader being sick only worsens that. And not to even mention this whole thing with the mountain wolves”, Seokjin steps in, his hand coming to rest on Namjoon’s shoulder. Jungkook almost rolls his eyes at how quickly the alpha’s ears turn bright red.

For someone who’s more “alpha-like” than anyone else Jungkook has met—strong, extremely protective and proud of his pack, but calm and calculative—Namjoon is awful at making a move. If the alpha’s not going to do something soon, Jungkook believes that it’ll be his brother courting him.

“I know, I know”, Namjoon sighs, momentarily resting his own hand over Seokjin’s. “But Jungkook’s not the one to blame here and the pack knows that—and that’s what pisses me off.”

Something warm spreads in Jungkook’s chest at those words, a wave of pure relief washing over him. Knowing that he has Namjoon on his side calms down his agitated nerves—although, in the end, if things go badly south, they all know that Namjoon will have to pick the pack’s side. And Jungkook has long realized that that’s when he’ll have to fight alone to prove his worth.

“But I’m not here to discuss my own weaknesses nor the pack’s”, Namjoon continues after a short moment of silence. His usually warm brown eyes flash in crimson red, dimples gone and air full of electricity.

“I’m actually here to talk about the mountain wolf—your wolf, Jungkook.”

The younger alpha chokes on his spit. He can feel his cheeks heating up dangerously and begs for it to not show, but from the way Seokjin looks at him, it probably does.

Get it together, Jungkook, the alpha reminds himself, before turning his eyes back towards Namjoon. “Please don’t say it like that. He’s not mine.” God forbid that.

The older alpha shrugs his shoulders, oblivious to Jungkook’s inner turmoil. “Either way—you haven’t visited the infirmary in a couple of days, have you? Ever since you buried the other wolf, right?”

“No, I haven’t”, Jungkook shakes his head softly, sounding small. No, he hasn’t gone to visit the blonde omega or Jiwoo ever since that night.

It’s not because he wouldn’t want to help anymore—it’s because he, in all honesty, thinks he can’t do it anymore. Jungkook almost lost control the last time and the omega was barely awake—so what will happen, once he fully awakens? What happens when he’ll be able to walk around again? How strong will his scent then get? And how will it affect Jungkook?

The brunette alpha doesn’t want to find out, because he knows he’ll end up doing something he’ll regret. He’s terrified of the power the omega has over him. Moreover, he’s terrified of himself because Jungkook has never lost complete control before.

If they want the mountain wolf to cooperate with them, it would be the best to not let Jungkook return to him unless nothing else works. Unless he absolutely must, he shouldn’t be let inside the infirmary again.

“I see”, Namjoon nods and although he hides it pretty well, Jungkook can still hear a little bit of judgement in his tone. “And why is that?”

Alphas naturally have a demanding presence and stronger ones of course make the weaker ones yield, but in Namjoon’s case, the demand to submit is even stronger. He’s the pack-leader’s son, after all, the power to command the pack is rightfully his.

Now, the older alpha doesn’t use his alpha-voice very often, but Jungkook can sense his irritation and disappointment, which makes his wolf whine and moan pitifully. Namjoon is a leader to him and both Jungkook and the wolf within him need his acceptance to live in this pack.

“I um—well… he—” the younger alpha stammers out nervously, eyes turned downcast in a show submission. Under the table he’s gripping onto his thighs so hard he’ll probably draw out blood soon.

“Jungkook”, Seokjin snaps weakly. “Calm down. Namjoon’s not here to punish you for anything.”

The omega sends a pointed look at the pack-leader’s son as if to command him to behave. There are only two people who can look at Namjoon like that, the pack-leader herself and Seokjin. The pack-leader for obvious reasons, and Seokjin, because in Namjoon’s eyes, he’s his equal, his mate.

“I am not here to punish you”, Namjoon agrees with Jungkook’s brother.

“But I’m here to demand you to finish what you started. Even though I understand that you had the pack’s wellbeing in your mind, I really do, the mountain wolf is now your responsibility, Jungkook. If you want the pack’s approval again, work for it. Make sure this plan of yours is successful. Because right now, you’re walking on thin ice and if things don’t end up well, you know what’ll happen.”

“I know”, Jungkook swallows thickly, feeling a heavy weight roll on his heart.

Banishment. That’s what’ll happen if Jungkook can’t work things out. Either he’ll leave on his own or the pack will vote to drive him out.

Some may find it cruel and over the top, but there’s no space for big mistakes in a pack. One can’t simply take a detour from the others. And while sometimes the life of a lone wolf doesn’t sound half as bad, Jungkook knows that he can’t live without his family, not without his brother or Taehyung—so banishment, for him, isn’t a choice.

He’ll fight, with teeth and claws, to stay.

The crimson flakes in Namjoon’s eyes disappear and familiar gentleness returns, sadness seeping into his strong features. “I don’t want to act like a jerk and an overbearing pack-leader”, the older alpha says softly. “Especially not to you, not when I promised to your parents—”

“We know”, Seokjin cuts in, giving Namjoon a sad smile. “Joonie, we know.”

The dimpled alpha smiles back but it never reaches his eyes. The weight on Jungkook’s heart only grows and for a moment he feels like throwing up. Now everyone feels guilty and his older brother is going to be gloomy for the rest of the day because Namjoon just had to mention their parents. It’s a touchy subject in their family—actually, pretty much in the whole pack.

They, Seokjin and Jungkook’s parents, are a prime example of things going wrong in the worst way possible. Unfortunately, Taehyung’s father too.

“Just… make sure you know exactly what you’re doing, Jungkook”, Namjoon sighs before standing up. “Because right now, I’m not sure if you have fully understood the danger of this game.”

And oh, Namjoon has never been more right about something.

As consciousness slowly returns to him, so does the cruel reality, and Jimin is left to wonder what he did so wrong to deserve this. What did he, someone who’s spent his whole life in the mountains, ever do to the forest wolves to deserve a fate like this?

With his body healed enough for him to now stay awake for longer periods, he has more time to mourn over the loss of his grandmother—too much time. Most of the time he is awake, Jimin spends staring at the ceiling, trying to keep the tears at bay but failing miserably.

So he cries, silently, heartbroken and alone, because the person he loves the most has cruelly been ripped away from him.

No warning, no goodbyes, just blood and pain, and then loneliness that hurts more than any wound ever could.

The healer takes pity on him, Jimin knows it from the way her eyes always glimmer with dark sadness. She leaves him be when he mourns and thank god for that, because Jimin despises looking weak in front of others. And even when she comes to clean his wounds and force food down his throat, she never talks.

And in a way, the silence is soothing.

It may not be what Jimin needs, not what he wants, but he appreciates the space given to him. He appreciates it now because he’s sure, that whatever is going to happen next, he’ll most likely end up losing this too.

The world has the habit of taking everything good away from him so Jimin drinks in the silence greedily, breathes in the scent of herbs and wood, and cries when he can. And maybe soon—hopefully—there will be no more tears to cry.

The only thing that really wakes him up from his grieving state is whenever the door of the infirmary opens. He’s half waiting for someone to come and finally kill him or at least try and beat some information out of him—and then he’s waiting for the golden-eyed alpha to return.

For four days now, Jimin has been expecting the alpha to walk back in, to smell that musky cedarwood scent again and feel the familiar anger prickle on his skin, hateful heat coiling in his stomach.

But the alpha doesn’t come.

It’s something the omega should probably be glad about. But instead, Jimin finds himself bothered by this because he knows, he just knows, that the golden-eyed alpha used to be there daily before something changed. Even in his slumber, Jimin could always sense the alpha somewhere close by, so now when that somewhat familiar presence is gone, he becomes uneasy.

“If you’re wondering where Jungkook is, he’s quite busy with hunting right now,”, the healer suddenly speaks, making Jimin flinch in surprise. He hadn’t even realized that she had returned from the kitchen where she disappeared to a while ago. “But I’m sure he’ll return soon.”

It takes a moment for Jimin to even realize who she’s talking about. And when he does, he all but glares at her, both confused and annoyed. What gave her the idea that Jimin was even thinking about the alpha?

“You were looking at the door”, she answers, as if she had read his mind. “You’ve been looking at the door for days, now.”

“Maybe I’m just thinking about a way to get out”, Jimin says in a hoarse voice.

The healer’s eyes widen for a moment. It’s the first time Jimin’s ever said something other than hateful words and she must be shocked about that—honestly, Jimin is too. He doesn’t want to act friendly with any of the forest wolves, even if he holds no particular grudge against this woman. But Jimin also knows that he’ll have to speak up at some point and he’d rather talk with someone who actually might listen, than an alpha who’s controlled by their primitive instincts.

“That might be true too”, she says once she gets over her shock, a small smile on her lips. “But we both know you wouldn’t get very far. Not alone, at least.”

Jimin doesn’t really care about that. He’s come to accept already, that things won’t end well for him no matter what. But that doesn’t mean he won’t fight back because he will—whatever the forest wolves have planned, Jimin will fight against them and show that even though he’s an omega, even though he’s from the mountains, he can fight just as well as any alpha or forest wolf.

He submits to no one except his own pack-leader.

“Can you sit up? I’d like to check the wounds on your back.” The healer moves closer to him warily, like always when they’re alone. “I’ll give you some water then, you must be thirsty.”

Automatically at the thought of water, Jimin licks his dry lips, which doesn’t go unnoticed by the woman who now comes even closer. “You’ve been here for weeks already”, she says softly when she’s right beside the bed. “If I had any intentions of hurting you, I would have done it when you couldn’t even properly speak.”

Jimin can do nothing but nod at that and accept her help. Healers are usually the most neutral ones in a pack and the most trustworthy, so he almost doesn’t feel like he’s betraying someone when he allows her to touch him.

The healer’s hands are gentle and experienced, removing old bandages quickly and replacing them with new ones just as fast. Jimin grimaces when something cold is smeared on the fading bruises—but the discomfort turns quickly into something warm and his muscles relax, making breathing easier as well.

“I’m Jiwoo, by the way”, the healer chuckles gently after she’s done, amused by Jimin’s attempts at controlling his reactions.

The blonde omega gives her a long look, thankful for the help but not feeling like trusting her enough to tell his name. They aren’t friends, after all, and she has no use for his name. Despite, in his pack revealing one’s name means acknowledgement and call Jimin petty, but he’s not about to acknowledge any forest wolf.

In his eyes, they’re right now nothing but traitors that can’t hold onto simple rules—rules that all packs have agreed on.

“You don’t have to tell me your name”, Jiwoo continues with a smile. “I can tell that you’re not ready for that. But I do hope that you’ll find someone to talk to soon.”

“I don’t need anyone to talk to”, Jimin huffs, but the older woman just shakes her head, smile never wavering.

“That’s what everyone always says but loneliness drives people mad. And unfortunately, I don’t think you’re going to get back home anytime soon, so you might want to find someone to rely on. We’re all wolves here, little one, we weren’t born to be alone.”

The blonde bares his teeth, a low growl reverberating from his chest.  “We might all be wolves, but we’re from different packs. And there’s a reason for that.”

Jiwoo’s smile turns sad and the look in her eyes distant. “A reason, yes, but it’s a petty one. But what do the wolves today really know about it?”

It seems like she’s talking to herself now, so Jimin ignores her, instead favoring to wrap the warm wool blanket tighter around himself. He wants to go back to sleep and hopefully wake up to only see that this has been nothing but a shitty dream. Or rather, he just wishes to never wake up again.

But just as he’s done building himself a warm enough nest on the bed, the door of the infirmary is slammed open and three people rush in. One omega with a cloud of silvery fluff on his head and two alphas—both who Jimin unfortunately, recognizes.

The warning signal in Jimin’s mind goes off right away.

Alpha, alpha, alpha, alpha, alpha!

One is that black-haired alpha Jimin remembers from the forest, his piercing grey eyes meeting his heterochromic ones for a second. And even in that short moment, the alpha manages to show a clear sign of disgust—and it doesn’t take anything more for the blonde omega to know that this one definitely hates him.

And the other alpha… it’s him, the one with golden eyes and musky cedarwood scent. Jungkook. But there’s something wrong, Jimin realizes right away, because he’s… he’s bleeding.

He’s fucking bleeding, blood gushing out of an open wound on his shoulder, and the sight of that makes Jimin almost cry out aloud—in pain, agony, desperation, the omega doesn’t know, he just suddenly feels like screaming as hard as he can, the wolf inside of him howling and trying to claw its way out—as if calling for someone.

And Jimin knows, when his gaze meets a pair of glowing golden eyes, when that cedarwood scent fills all his senses, suffocating him—he knows right then and there, for his utter horror, that he would bow his head to him.

For this alpha, Jimin knows, he would submit.

And the realization of that is what finally rips the scream out of his throat.

It’s the scent of honeysuckles and herbs that pulls Jungkook out of his slumber and from that alone, he can already tell where he is.

The young alpha opens his eyes slowly, groaning softly at the numb feeling on his shoulder. It seems like Jiwoo patched him up pretty well, the bandage around his arm giving enough support for him to not feel incredibly uncomfortable and he’s pretty sure he’s a little high on some human medicine that keep most of the pain away.

“You’re awake”, Jiwoo’s familiar voice snaps him out of his thoughts. The healer is just coming out of the infirmary kitchen with a tray of food in her hands. “Perfect timing, too.”

She lowers the tray on the small stool next to the bed Jungkook’s lying on. “Before I’ll let you eat, I’d like to check on your wound again. Your healing abilities have always been good, even for an alpha, and you got lucky today—it’s not a very deep cut, although there was a lot of blood. It’ll still leave a scar, most likely.”

“That’s… fine”, Jungkook mutters, quickly looking around the room. Taehyung and Yoongi who he remembers being there before he lost consciousness have, judging by their weak scents, long left and it seems like sun has set as well. “How many hours was I out?”

“A few”, Jiwoo hums, her cold fingers running over Jungkook’s burning skin. “Your brother brought you some clean clothes in case you’d have to stay the night, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Do you think you feel good enough to go after eating?”

Jungkook gives the healer an amused look. “It almost feels like you’d be trying to get rid of me.”

“Ah… well, maybe I am”, the older woman laughs, gently patting Jungkook’s good shoulder. “The mountain wolf doesn’t really appreciate an alpha’s presence and you seem to have an especially strong effect on him… so for his sake, it might be better if you leave.”

Oh yeah, Jungkook realizes, glancing around once more. The blonde omega isn’t anywhere in sight—he just didn’t realize it before because the scent of honeysuckles is still very evident in the air.

“Yeah, I’ll go soon”, the brunette alpha nods, eyes stopping at the stairs. He figures Jiwoo had the omega moved upstairs to her private quarters for whatever reasons…

“Wait, what did you mean with me having an especially strong effect on him? Did I do something?” Please tell me I didn’t lose control again.

“I’m not exactly sure myself, to be entirely honest”, Jiwoo answers, a deep frown taking over her soft features. She glances at the stairs as well, a thoughtful glimmer in her eyes—a glimmer that tells Jungkook that she does know something. Something she obviously isn’t all that willing to share with him.

“It just seems like you two are especially sensitive towards one another. The last time you were here, you seemed quite affected by his scent and today, he seemed the same, except maybe even ten times worse. At least, if the screaming is anything to go by—”

“The screaming?” Jungkook chokes out, sending a wide-eyed look at the healer.

Jiwoo gives him a worried look. “You don’t remember? That’s weird—are you sure you didn’t hit your head, Jungkook-ah? You reacted pretty strongly at it, too. For a moment I thought you were going to rip Yoongi’s head off because he wasn’t letting you go to the mountain wolf.”

The brunette alpha feels suddenly light-headed. “I did what?” Did I really almost hurt Yoongi?

“He’s fine though, so don’t worry about him. He, if anyone, can take care of himself.”

“Jiwoo, that’s not the point”, Jungkook almost growls, growing agitated. “Did I really attack him?” Just because of the mountain wolf?

“No”, the healer shakes her head and Jungkook breathes a little easier right away. “Taehyung took the little one away before neither of you really lost control. But about that… Jungkook, to me it seems like your wolf might’ve created some kind of a bond with his wolf.”

“A what now?”

“A bond”, Jiwoo repeats for him. “Your wolves have a connection, a primitive one, that the human sides of you don’t seem to have any control over. And that can be both a good and a very bad thing, especially in a situation like this.”

Jungkook can’t believe this. It seems like everyone is keen on loading more shit on him today, from Namjoon to that fucking bastard Jaehwan and now Jiwoo. He’s starting to feel like his sole reason for living is to be picked on by others.

“If we look at the good side of things, this bond might help the mountain wolf to heal faster but also make it easier for him to stay here. And, he might be more willing to help us if his wolf is willing too, so you should maybe try and befriend him”, Jiwoo explains, and it almost feels like she’d be trying to find excuses to ease Jungkook’s growing restlessness.

“But, I have to warn you. If you two let things go too far and the bond becomes something… more, then this might end really badly for the both you.”

She doesn’t need to explain it any further—this much Jungkook understands on his own. The simplest way to put it would be to say, that if there’s anything his pack hates more than mountain wolves, it’s love between two wolves from different packs. But Jiwoo doesn’t need to worry about that—Jungkook’s not about to allow something like that happen between him and the blonde omega.

“But enough of that”, Jiwoo says after a tense moment of silence. “Why don’t you now explain me what in the heaven’s happened?” She nods towards Jungkook’s newly gained wound with a scowl on her face.

“Oh… this?” The brunette alpha is a little slow to react, his thoughts still on the blonde omega whose scent lingers around him like a sweet cloud. “Didn’t Taehyung and Yoongi already explain what happened?”

Jiwoo shakes her head softly. “No, there was no good moment for that. Yoongi just mentioned that Jaehwan got ahead of himself… which leads me to believe that he’s the one who did this.”

Jungkook can only sigh, feeling his annoyance come back tenfold. Just thinking about the other alpha makes his blood boil.

“We’ve had a hard time finding prey lately, as you have probably heard. That has led to everyone becoming even more stressed than before and I guess Jaehwan felt the need to release his frustration on someone—that someone being me, because he feels like I just brought us an extra mouth to feed by bringing the mountain wolf here.”

He has never done anything to the other alpha—Jungkook doesn’t even really know Jaehwan, he has his own group of friends and he respects the man as an older alpha. The brunette couldn’t even fight back when Jaehwan decided to take his anger out on him; if he had, Jungkook’s sure all the blame would be on him now.

“Well”, Jiwoo mutters, pity in her tone. “You just have to prove them wrong.”

But I’m not sure if I’m capable of doing that anymore, Jungkook thinks, but doesn’t voice out. It’s better to not spread his insecurities around right now, when almost everyone is waiting for a chance to throw more shit at him.

“There’s really no other choice, is there?” the young alpha says quietly, and the healer can do nothing but offer him a sad smile.

As Jungkook watches her head back to the kitchen, the tray of food completely forgotten next to him, he can’t help but wonder if things would’ve turned out better had they just killed off the other mountain wolf.

Those thoughts, however, disappear from his mind as soon as the said wolf stumbles down the stairs.

The sweet honeysuckle scent grows stronger and attacks him from all directions, both suffocating but in a strange way, it’s also calming. And when Jungkook looks at the small omega, when he really looks at him, he comes to understand that he wouldn’t be able to do it.

This person, who smells like honeysuckles and the winter, who holds the universe in his other eye and home in the other, Jungkook could never bring himself to kill.

And that fact makes him afraid, because the possibility of the omega dying in the hands of his pack, is real. Right now the both of them are walking on thin ice, the water under them dark, cold and waiting.

Jungkook tries to swallow down the fears threatening to slip out in the open, his eyes never leaving the heterochromic ones. And the omega doesn’t look away from him either.

“He might be more willing to help us if his wolf is willing too, so you should maybe try and befriend him.”

The alpha recalls Jiwoo’s earlier words in his mind and sucks in a deep breath. Befriend him, he tells himself. Befriend him, and you both have a chance at getting out of this alive and well.

But before he manages to say anything, the omega makes his way to him in short but fast strides, until he’s standing right next to Jungkook’s bed. Suddenly feeling threatened, the alpha practically jumps up as well, nearly reaching over to push the mountain wolf away from him but the heterochromic eyes have him frozen in place.

“You”, the omega grits out after a long moment of silent staring. His tone alone tells Jungkook that this guy isn’t up for friendship or anything even remotely close to that.

The omega’s usually melodious voice is now dripping with such hatred and venom, that Jungkook’s having hard time believing it’s him speaking and not someone else. “You are going to take me back to my pack, right now.”

The first thought that comes to Jungkook’s mind when the omega finishes speaking is ‘what’. So, that’s exactly what he says.

“What?”

The other growls in frustration, the dark blue of his other eye turning into electric blue as a sign of his rising annoyance. “I said, take me back, you stupid alpha. Do you have a hearing problem?”

What the fuck? Jungkook scowls darkly, his own annoyance rising and that’s probably what snaps him out of the hypnosis the omega’s scent and glimmering eyes are lulling him in.

“Do you actually think you could get back to the mountains in a condition like that? You can barely walk, let alone transform or run, so stop spewing shit and go back to bed”, the brunette alpha answers.

“Wouldn’t it fucking be better for you to just let me go?” the omega responses, stepping closer just to defy Jungkook a little more. “How does keeping me here benefit any of you? Maybe I won’t survive back to the mountains, but I can try and even if I die on the way, it’s none of your fucking business.”

Now it’s Jungkook’s turn to take a step forward, the space between them getting awfully small.

“It is my fucking business when it’s my family your pack will come after. So go to bed, stay there and fucking heal, will you? Once you can actually run, I’ll let you go—”

“It’s not your fucking decision!” the blonde finally snaps, rather roughly pushing Jungkook away. Usually, it wouldn’t have hurt at all, but with the new injury on his shoulder, it actually hurts like a bitch, which makes a low, dangerous growl reverberate from his chest.

“You little shit”, the brunette curses under his breath before regaining his composure and turning his now glowing golden eyes on the omega. “Are you out of your mind? Why is it so hard for you to understand that it is my decision? Why can’t you understand that I’m trying to fucking keep you alive here?”

The blonde omega flinches at his words and somewhere in his mismatching eyes, somewhere deep in those beautiful orbs, Jungkook thinks he can see a sign of fear and submission. Still, as this small man is probably stubbornness personified, he shows none of that submission in his behavior.

“What makes you think that I’m trying to stay alive?” the omega then asks, his words like a slap to the face. “What the fuck makes you think that I want to live anymore? You’ve taken away the only person I cared about, my reason for living, so you don’t have the right to tell me to live!”

Now, how do you convince someone to pick life over death?

How do you make someone want to live again?

“I can’t relate to that because I have people I care about”, Jungkook answers slowly, trying to tone down his anger a little because it’s not exactly helping him right now.

“So I’m not letting you die, because I need you. I need you alive, so I can save my family.”

Hesitation flashes past the omega’s pale features and for a second there, Jungkook’s sure he has won this argument. But then the blonde speaks up again.

“I don’t care about your family. I don’t care about your pack or any forest wolf to begin with—you can all go and rot in hell.”

The hurt and bitterness is obvious on the mountain wolf’s tone, but Jungkook chooses to ignore it. Half because the sound of the omega’s agony feels like a stab to the heart, and half because it’s easier that way.

Because Jungkook is hurting too, and he’s getting sick and tired of fighting with everyone. He needs someone on his side and now the person that matters the most, the one whose decision actually weights more than Jungkook’s own, is telling him no.

And Jungkook will not have that.

“Do I have to remind you that it’s not your decision, omega? I’m the one pulling the strings now, so you do as I fucking say and that’s it.”

“Or what?” The blonde sends him a sharp glare. “You’ll kill me?”

The brunette alpha thought he’d say that, and he already has the perfect response for it. So, Jungkook takes a step forward until he can almost feel the other’s breath on his skin.

“No”, he says, tone quiet but laced with anger and dominance. “I won’t let you die. Your punishment is to live.”

And in a way, Jungkook knows that for the blonde omega, that’s much crueler than any torture or death.

The mountain wolf’s heterochromic eyes widen in shock and the alpha knows then, that he’s won this round. Jiwoo’s advice to befriend the other has completely been forgotten.

“No…” It’s barely above a whisper, the omega’s small fingers coming to clutch on the thin fabric of Jungkook’s shirt. “No, don’t you fucking—”

The alpha slaps the other’s hand away. “I’m not going to play nice anymore”, he says, a small amount of pity melding into his tone. “I brought you here to save your life. I buried your friend for you—into my own family grave, next to my parents. And every day, I stick my neck out for you, go against my own pack to save your fucking life, but seeing how you repay me, I’m not going to play nice anymore.”

He grabs the omega’s chin, still gentle but firm, and forces the heterochromic eyes on him. Jungkook sees tears in them, anger and sorrow, and his wolf isn’t happy about that, it really isn’t—but the need for him to protect his pack from any future harm is much stronger in him than his infatuation with the omega.

“The game is over, princess, it’s time to wake up to the reality. There’s no going back anymore.”

Jungkook lets go then, turning away to pick up his stuff and leave. He’s mildly surprised that Jiwoo hasn’t come out of the kitchen to try and stop them, but he supposes that the healer isn’t all the excited about getting involved in whatever goes on between Jungkook and the mountain wolf.

Just as he’s about to make his way towards the door, the omega grabs his arm and spins him around, angry tears still glimmering in his eyes.

“I demand you return me to my pack immediately!” the small omega screams at him, stomping the floor in frustration. Any other time, Jungkook might’ve found it somewhat cute, but now he finds it plain pitiful.

He snorts, unamused. He can’t believe this little thing is still trying to go against him when he’s literally the only thing between him and a pack full of bloodthirsty wolves.

“Listen here, princess, I already told you that there’s no going back. You’re ours now—”

The omega takes one swift step forward to stand right in front of Jungkook, defiance burning deep in his eyes. “I’m not yours, alpha. I’ll never be yours.”

It’s a challenge, the wolf within Jungkook howls in rage and before the alpha can even stop himself, he has the smaller man pinned between him and a wall.

“We’ll see about that, omega.”

The blonde breathes in heavily, his eyes blown wide and body trembling under Jungkook’s. And the alpha hates how he can feel himself grow satisfied at the sight of that, his eyes locked on the exposed spot on the omega’s neck.

They stay like that for a long moment, Jungkook fighting against all the instincts telling him to just do it, to just bite and claim, claim, claim. The omega himself is obviously going through his own inner turmoil, his eyes watching Jungkook warily, the alpha’s musky scent drowning him.

It’s only when Jiwoo finally comes out of the kitchen and almost rips Jungkook off the omega, that the alpha comes back to his senses.

“You should leave”, Jiwoo says, pushing Jungkook towards the door and the brunette almost growls at her because she’s on the fucking way. “Leave when you still have some control—before permanent damage is done, to the both of you.”

Her words force Jungkook to glance back at the blonde omega, who has now fallen down on the floor, looking small and vulnerable. It’s the sight of him like that which makes Jungkook understand the danger of this situation and suddenly feeling very afraid, the alpha turns away and runs.

He runs through the silent village and into the forest, trying to get as far away as possible. But even when he comes to the very edge of their territory, the sweet scent of honeysuckles is still all he can think about.

Chapter Text

“You know”, Taehyung’s amused voice comes, startling Jungkook out of his thoughts. “Running off into the night alone isn’t the smartest thing to do.”

Jungkook looks up from the frozen leaves he had been staring at for who knows how long and sees his best friend dance out of the shadows, the first rays of sun making his silver hair shine almost blindingly. Taehyung’s brown eyes glimmer with mirth Jungkook is all too familiar with, lips curved up in a lazy smirk.

“One might even say that a certain someone has managed to get under your skin.”

“Shut up, Taehyung”, Jungkook growls at that, brown eyes flashing gold in a warning Taehyung doesn’t give a flying fuck about. Instead, the omega continues to taunt him because Taehyung knows—and goddamn him for that—that Jungkook would never raise a hand against him.

“Jiwoo was pretty shaken when I visited the infirmary a few moments ago”, the silver head says, finally stopping to stand next to Jungkook. “And the mountain wolf was nowhere to be seen. Care to explain what you did?”

“What makes you think that I did something?”

Taehyung’s smug smirk turns into something gentler, his eyes shining in the warm sunlight. “Well, Jiwoo never told me anything but I know you, Jungkook. You wouldn’t run off for no reason—and now, I’m not blaming you. I’m just curious because something happened between you and the mountain wolf, I know something did. And I’d like to hear it from you rather than from someone else.”

Jungkook is silent for a long moment, eyes studying Taehyung carefully. He trusts the silver-haired omega, of course, but this is something he’s insecure about. And he doesn’t want to burden his friend with his own worries when he knows that Taehyung has enough of them—but when the other looks at him like that, Jungkook can’t really say no, now can he?

“We fought”, he simply says, sighing as he recalls last nights incident. “I think we were both more than a little agitated and ended up taking our frustration on each other.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad”, Taehyung comments, seeming genuinely surprised. “Considering you reacted so strongly. Are you sure that’s all?”

No, Jungkook thinks right away. The fight isn’t the only thing that bothers him—rather, it’s the least of his worries.

What he should worry about is the effect the mountain wolf has on him. And the effect he seems to have on the small omega.

“Yeah”, he still says to Taehyung, too scared to admit anything aloud. He doesn’t want to acknowledge it.

The silver-haired omega obviously doesn’t buy it, brown eyes narrowing in suspicion. So, Jungkook is quick to add: “I mean, it’s not all, but whatever the rest is… I can’t explain it. I don’t even know what it’s about myself, so…”

“I get it”, Taehyung nods, resting a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder. “It’s complicated. Everything about this is complicated.”

For once the silver-haired omega is right.

“But what did you guys fight about? You should try to stay on his good side, you know that, Jungkook. And he should try to stay on your good side, considering that you’re the one practically keeping him alive.” Taehyung sits down next to him, grumbling something about the cold ground under his breath.

“He doesn’t want to live”, the young alpha sighs, rubbing his temple in frustration. “And said that he’s not interested in helping us either. And if that’s the case, I really don’t know if there’s any point in even trying to keep the rest of the pack away from him—if death is what he wants then—”

“Stop right there”, his best friend cuts him off, smacking Jungkook weakly on the head. “Are you seriously giving up?”

“Taehyung, his opinion matters the most. And if he’s saying that he’s not going to help us, what can I do? Other than put him out of his misery and help the pack to prepare for a fight because that’ll certainly happen.”

“Change his mind, Jungkook”, Taehyung simply answers. “Make him want to live again.”

Jungkook snorts at the thought because right now, the blonde omega doesn’t want to be anywhere close to him—not that he would want to be close to the other either—so how is he supposed to try and change his mind?

“And how the hell do I do that?”

Taehyung smiles, obviously having expected the question.

“You could start by learning his name, Jungkook”, he says. “And the rest will come on its own.”

Jungkook never thought that learning someone’s name could be this hard, but the mountain wolf is full of surprises.

When he returns to the infirmary later that day, ready to apologize both to Jiwoo and the omega, he doesn’t expect the wet rag thrown at him. It smacks him right on the chest, making Jungkook growl in annoyance and when he looks up, equally annoyed heterochromic eyes stare back at him.

The mountain wolf bristles when their gazes meet, moving a little further away from Jungkook on his bed and Jiwoo, who’s standing by the fireplace, sighs.

“There’s food in the kitchen, Jungkook-ah. Why don’t you go and eat first?” the healer says, her voice loud in the otherwise quiet house. “We’ll talk then.”

There’s nothing to talk about—not between the alpha and Jiwoo—but Jungkook listens anyway because he can feel last nights irritation returning and he doesn’t want to do anything rash even before fully stepping in.

The mountain wolf never removes his gaze from Jungkook, boring holes on the alpha’s skin with his strange—and annoyingly pretty—eyes. Only once the alpha is inside the kitchen does he feel the tension in the atmosphere ease a little, Jiwoo’s quiet voice filling in the silence again.

“Jungkook’s a good guy, little one”, he hears the healer say as he pours some stew for himself. “You should try and understand him a little more before throwing away his offer for safety. Because right now, he’s the only one offering you that.”

“I don’t care”, comes the mountain wolf’s answer and Jungkook growls under his breath.

What an ungrateful brat, he thinks and deep inside, his wolf agrees. Though, the alpha side of him thinks that they should just make the omega submit and problem solved. Jungkook, however, knows that being forceful won’t do any good in this situation—no matter how he would like to follow his wolf’s suggestion.

He eats quickly and returns to the main area of the infirmary, mismatched eyes finding him right away. Jiwoo has gone upstairs apparently which once again, unfortunately, leaves Jungkook alone with the omega. But this time, the brunette alpha makes sure to stay away because he doesn’t, really doesn’t, want to repeat last night’s mistakes.

The sweet scent of honeysuckles is almost overbearing in the air and Jungkook scrunches up his nose, trying not to breathe in too much of it, afraid of what it could end up doing to him.

“Hey”, he starts after a long moment of silent glaring between them. “I’m sorry.”

“About what?” the omega asks right away, tone angry and defensive.

Seriously?

“About last night. I didn’t mean to… hurt you.”

The blonde snorts, finally tearing his eyes away in favor of now glaring at the fire dancing in the hearth. “Don’t think so highly of yourself, alpha. You didn’t hurt me—wouldn’t be able to do so, puppy.”

Annoyance washes over Jungkook like a hurricane and he growls, loudly this time. No one has the right to call him puppy, especially not someone who’s smaller than him. “Who are you calling a puppy, you little piece of shit?”

A smirk grazes the omega’s lips. “Did I hit a nerve, baby-alpha?” he asks, sending Jungkook a look of amusement. “You can’t hide your age from me. You’re barely an adult, aren’t you? Just matured.”

“I’m twenty-one”, Jungkook grits through his teeth. “And you yourself look like a kid—I mean just look at your hands. Whose hands are that small? Not an adult’s, at least.”

The mountain wolf’s cheeks turn pink and his smirk falls off, annoyance returning to his face in a split second. “I’m twenty-three and older than you, so shut up.”

“I have zero reasons to respect you, so you can’t pull the hyung-card on me.”

“As if I’d even want you to call me hyung.”

“Whatever you say, little omega.”

They stop there and Jungkook thinks it’s better so, before they change the subject to something more hurtful. Like this, it almost seems okay—as if they didn’t last night almost rip each other’s throats open, that is. (As if he hadn’t almost sunk his teeth into an unknown omega’s neck and as if the other hadn’t almost let him.)

“What’s you name?” Jungkook then blurts out, very casually indeed, eyeing the other.

The blonde seems to be healing quickly despite saying that he doesn’t want to live anymore; his skin has returned to its natural paleness—not the sickly pale Jungkook is used to seeing—and his eyes are brighter, livelier. He doesn’t seem to have a fever either, though there are still bandages peeking from under his clothes, reminding the alpha how badly he had been hurt.

“None of your business”, the omega answers him easily, eyes turned away. Jungkook swears he can see something akin to guilt flash in those colorful orbs, but it’s soon replaced by a look of sadness that makes the alpha feel both awkward and sorry.

He can’t help but think that if he had been faster, if he had noticed a little sooner, maybe he could’ve saved the other mountain wolf too.

“If you want”, he begins again. “I could take you to the grave someday. To see your companion.”

That’s something that finally really piques the omega’s attention. Mismatching eyes turn to Jungkook right away, full of surprise but also hesitation and doubt. Which is reasonable, Jungkook supposes, because until now the blonde hasn’t been let out even once and he has no real idea where he even is. Surely the mountain wolfpacks don’t know much about the forest wolves, so the omega most likely doesn’t have any idea in what kind of a world he is in now.

“But I want to know your name before that”, Jungkook adds, staring straight into the other’s eyes to make sure his words have sunk in.

“And what else? To have me agree on whatever plans you have?” the omega asks, raising an unimpressed brow at Jungkook.

“Well, that would be ideal, but I know my limits.” Unlike you, idiot. “Your name will do, for now.”

The other lets out a chuckle that in any other situation might’ve sounded humorous but right now comes off lifeless and sardonic. “Keep trying, alpha.”

Jungkook had expected an answer like that, so he just smiles weakly.

“Oh I will, omega.”

Taehyung tags along with him the next time he leaves to go and visit the infirmary. It’s been two days since the last time they talked and Jungkook would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious to see what the omega has been up to while he’s been gone.

“From what you told me, things went pretty well the last time”, Taehyung says as they walk across the village. He’s jumping up and down in excitement, buzzing with energy he can barely suppress. “You two didn’t at least yell at each other, which is some progress, considering you almost had a physical fight with him.”

Jungkook lets out a quiet sound of agreement.

“Hey, show some enthusiasm, Kookie. It’s a good sign—it might mean that he’s tired of constantly arguing with someone. Wolves aren’t meant to be alone, you know?” Taehyung continues, poking Jungkook weakly on the shoulder.

“We get lonely easily.”

The young alpha knows this, he knows it well. He lost half of his family in one night many winters ago and the silence of his home is a constant reminder of that. And his brother’s, Seokjin’s, suffering.

“Well, maybe it will be easier for him to befriend you, since you’re an omega too”, Jungkook says just as they arrive at the infirmary. “Just… give him some space, okay?”

Taehyung nods eagerly, a wide smile on his face, and Jungkook knows that none of his words have sunk in. Well, if the blonde omega bites, it’s Taehyung’s own fault.

He’s surprised to see the mountain wolf up from his bed and even more surprisingly, he’s with Jiwoo. From what Jungkook understands, it seems like Jiwoo is making some new ointments and the blonde is following her, heterochromic eyes full of curiosity the brunette alpha almost finds innocent.

The healer turns to brightly greet Jungkook and Taehyung, smiling at the two young wolves, before turning her head back towards the bowl in front of her.

“Sometimes when the medicine brought from the human cities runs out, we have to return to the old times and make our own. It’s hard at winter because we forest wolves rely heavily on plants and herbs that bloom in the summer—but I always make sure to preserve some. Just in case”, Jiwoo is telling the mountain wolf when Jungkook walks past, going straight to the kitchen.

It’s a habit of his and he still doesn’t know why exactly he does that—maybe it’s because he needs a moment to collect himself or maybe it’s because he wants to give the mountain wolf some time to get used to his presence. Because Jungkook knows that just like the blonde omega’s presence affects him, his affects the other.

And he’s pretty sure they don’t want to find out what that means.

“I’m a little curious though… what plants do you use up at the mountains? Does anything bloom there when winter comes?”

“There’s always snow on the ground where I live”, comes the mountain wolf’s quiet answer just when Jungkook comes to stand by the kitchen doorway once again, watching the other. This time the blonde barely glances at him before looking at Taehyung, who has taken a seat by the fireplace.

“That must be horrible”, the silver-haired omega comments, absently eyeing the fire. “Don’t you ever get to enjoy the feeling of grass or earth under your pawns?”

Heterochromic eyes give Taehyung an unimpressed look. “By the roots of the mountains, yes.”

“And that’s enough for you?”

“Wolves were created for winter, it’s our best season”, the blonde omega answers, frowning at the look of indifference on Taehyung’s face. “You forest wolves are the abnormal ones, shying away from your own nature.”

“Well now, don’t fight, you two”, Jiwoo cuts in, patting the mountain wolf carefully on the shoulder and Jungkook half expects the other to freak out but surprisingly, he doesn’t. Which is process.

“Times have changed, and wolves change too. We readjust ourselves according to our surroundings, that’s just how it goes. Mountain wolves and forest wolves chose different paths and there was nothing wrong with that. Don’t fight about something that’s only natural.”

“You’re right about us walking on different paths”, the blonde omega sighs, walking away from Jiwoo to glance out of the window. “But that just goes to say how different we are.”

“We’re all still wolves, little one—"

“But we’re different”, the healer is rather rudely interrupted, the mountain wolf’s eyes flashing in annoyance Jungkook is all too familiar with. “I have zero interest in the feud between you and that other pack, but you forest wolves just can’t play fairly, now can you? Why do you always have to get us involved? We never bring our problems upon you so why the fuck do you have to do this to us?”

To me, are the words Jungkook hears.

“This isn’t our pack’s fault”, Taehyung growls at that, standing up from his position and Jungkook can’t understand where all the earlier enthusiasm has disappeared to. But he does know that Taehyung is extremely protective of their pack, just like him, and can’t stand someone talking ill of them.

“Jungkook saved your life and is trying to save many others too. The ones you should blame are the wolves from the pack across the road, not ours. If you want to revenge your companion—”

“I don’t want to revenge her”, the mountain wolf once again cuts in, his tone sharp like a knife but quiet and in a way, gentle. “The thirst for revenge destroys people, I’ve seen it, and I don’t want someone’s blood in my hands knowing that they could’ve had someone waiting for them at home. I don’t want to tear families apart. I’m not like you.”

That renders everyone silent and the annoyance in the mountain wolf’s eyes dissolves into bitter sadness Jungkook has seen before. He knows that it’s not just the death of his companion the blonde is talking about—Jungkook knows that hatred, sorrow, like this comes from years of being in pain.

“Have the forest wolves done something to you before?” the brunette alpha can’t help but ask quietly, carefully.

The omega lets out a snort, his back turned at them. “You forest wolves have taken everything from me.” There’s a short pause before he continues, tone rough with anger. “But wolves are greedy creatures.”

Glimmering eyes turn towards Jungkook, one holding the warmth of summer and the other the cold of winter.

“And life is never fair.”

For once, Jungkook can do nothing but agree with the mountain wolf.

“He’s a troublesome one, for sure”, Seokjin says to him when Jungkook returns back home that night. His brother is standing in the kitchen, warming up last nights soup for dinner, his broad back and caramel-like scent a sign of familiarity Jungkook readily welcomes.

“Maybe I should go and knock some sense in his head. Troubling a baby like you…”

“Hyung”, Jungkook whines. “I’m not a baby.”

His older brother turns to give him an amused look, warm brown eyes twinkling. “How dare you even suggest something like that while whining? Try again, Jungkook.”

The young alpha just rolls his eyes at that, ignoring Seokjin’s teasing in favor of turning his attention on the warm food. He’s missed his hyung’s cooking, having been way too busy lately to truly eat anything but dried meat and bread in the forest.

While thinking about how sad his absence has made Seokjin who no one else really visits—not at their house, at least—he can’t help but also think about the mountain wolf. Does he miss his home food? Is there someone waiting for him to return like Seokjin always waits for Jungkook?

“You’ve taken away my reason for living.”

Or, he wonders, remembering the omega’s bitter words. Is he alone now?

Is he alone like Jungkook and Seokjin once were? Will he have to return to an empty, cold house, sit down by a table too big for one and lie in a bed made for two?

Don’t leave him alone, don’t leave him alone, don’t leave him alone, is the chant in Jungkook’s mind and it keeps getting louder the more he thinks about the sorrow in those heterochromic eyes. The pain in them.

“I think he’s just scared”, he says aloud quietly, earning a questioning look from Seokjin.

“Who?”

“The mountain wolf”, Jungkook explains. “I think he’s just scared.” And maybe a little lonely, too.

His older brother looks at him for a while before smiling, his smile warm like the fire dancing in the hearth. “Of course he’s scared, Jungkook. Wouldn’t you be in his situation?”

The younger hums, nodding. He would be scared shitless if he’d be alone in the mountains, hurt and aware of how hated he is there.

“But it’s been a month already and he has had some time to calm down. He must know, by now, that we’re not trying to kill him”, Seokjin continues, turning to look out of the kitchen window into the dark night with a thoughtful look on his face. “And considering that both you and Jiwoo—now Taehyung too—have explained the situation to him, I don’t think his anger is really all that justified. Or at least, it shouldn’t be directed at you.”

“He has no one else to blame”, Jungkook points out. “And I can’t point fingers either, because I don’t know who attacked him.”

Seokjin turns his gaze back on him, a smile still on his lips and amusement clear in his eyes. “You care about him.”

It’s not a question, Jungkook realizes right away. The older one is talking like he’d be stating simple facts, and the brunette alpha finds it terrifying how he can’t bring himself to refute Seokjin.

“I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing, as long as you keep it under control. Don’t get too fond of him; the mountain wolf isn’t here to stay.”

“I’m not fond of him—” the younger man starts but he’s quickly cut off by the older.

“You don’t have to make excuses in front of me, I know you too well for that, Jungkook. And I’m serious when I say that it’s not a bad thing to care for others—rather, it’s a trait I wish more people would have, especially in this pack.” Seokjin’s smile turns sad and even before he continues, Jungkook knows who he’s thinking about.

“You’re a lot like our father, Jungkook, and it’s a good thing because he was a great alpha. But this kindness… that’s from mom.”

I know, the younger of the brothers thinks, answering the omega’s sad smile with one of his own. You’ve said that many times before.

“I’m glad you’re not afraid to share this kindness of yours with a stranger, a wolf from another pack nonetheless, but seriously, be careful”, Seokjin tells in a quiet, gentle tone. “I personally like to think that kindness is a strength only a few possess, but it’s also a weakness, Jungkook. Because the more you care, the more pain you’ll feel once you have to let go.”

He thinks about Seokjin’s words a lot that night.

It’s not the first time the older has warned him like this. One summer when he was nine, Namjoon and his father took them to the closest human city, and Jungkook had seen an injured stray dog and wanted to take it in—and he would have, if Seokjin hadn’t warned him about all the diseases the dog possibly had and that it wouldn’t be possible to take care of it in the middle of their own troubles.

“You’d grow too attached to it”, his older brother had said with a strict tone. “I don’t want to be the one to wipe away your tears once some disease takes the best of it.”

Back then, Jungkook had thought that his brother was just being cruel. Later he realized that Seokjin hadn’t just wanted to see him cry again.

Then, once when he was twelve, Jungkook fell in love. Or, he had thought that it was love.

The omega’s name was Youngjae and the twelve-year-old Jungkook thought that there was no one else in this world with a smile as pretty as Youngjae’s.

“Oh Jungkook”, Seokjin had warned him when the younger told him about his crush. “That little omega boy has eyes set for someone else already, so don’t get your hopes too high or you’ll get hurt.”

Jungkook, once again, had thought that his brother was talking nonsense because he had never seen Youngjae look at an alpha before. But it took only two weeks until he had come to the realization that Seokjin was right—Youngjae had eyes for someone else and that was Jaebum, an alpha two years older than Jungkook.

Now when he thinks about it, he finds it ridiculous. Jaebum and Youngjae are literally the perfect pair and if anything, Jungkook’s glad he didn’t mess with that.

But he’s not sure if Seokjin’s warning really applies for this situation. He doesn’t care for the mountain wolf enough for that. He’s not fond of the other—if anything, the omega is fucking annoying and obviously takes pleasure in making Jungkook feel as miserable as possible. He can’t possibly be fond of the mountain wolf.

Still, when Jungkook in the morning leaves to visit the infirmary before his turn to be on patrol, he’s shocked by the wave of relief that washes past him when the omega right away glares at him.

It’s something familiar, he realizes, offering a small smile at the smaller wolf. The anger directed at him is something Jungkook can deal with—unlike the bitter sadness he had seen yesterday.

“I can take you to the grave tonight”, he says, deciding to rather stay by the door because that’s all Jungkook is there to discuss.

“I’m not telling you my name—”

“You don’t need to”, Jungkook interrupts and surprise flashes past the omega’s face.

“What?”

“I said that you don’t need to tell me your name. I’ll take you the grave tonight to visit your companion if you want to—and if you’re willing to take the risk of going out. That’s also why I’d appreciate if we go at night when there are less people outside.”

Stunned silence follows his suggestion and the anger in the omega’s eyes turns into honest confusion that Jungkook almost finds cute.

“Why?” the blonde speaks after a moment. “Why would you do that for me?” Why do that when you get nothing in return? is the question Jungkook knows the other wants to ask.

“Because it’s only fair”, he says lamely before continuing. “And I think that it would help you to… be a little less lonely.”

The frown and glare are quick to return, an offended pout on the mountain wolf’s lips. “Who the fuck are you calling lonely, you big-ass baby?”

“The person who keeps calling me a baby although he’s like a head shorter. And ten times smaller in general”, Jungkook counters easily. “I’ll come and pick you up around midnight, be ready to go out then or I’ll ditch you. And no more playing nice after that.”

“You’ve said that before too”, the blonde omega snorts just as Jungkook opens the door to leave. “Yet here you are, offering kindness to someone you shouldn’t.”

Jungkook winces when he realizes how right the other is—he did say that he’d stop playing nice with him, but for his defense, he was angry then. And hurt and tired. Just like the person sitting behind him, curled in a fluffy blanket with eyes boring holes on Jungkook’s back.

“Well, contrary to you”, he says, glancing back. “I don’t hate your guts like you hate mine.”

The mountain wolf doesn’t say anything to that, just gives Jungkook a long, unreadable look and watches as the alpha leaves. Only after the door has closed behind Jungkook does the blonde speak again.

"I don't hate your guts, alpha. I hate how you make me feel."

Like promised, Jungkook returns at midnight, wrapped in a thick coat and a long scarf he thinks belonged to his mother at some point. Too bad her scent has long faded away and Jungkook can’t even remember exactly what she smelled like—only that it was a good scent, a really good one he loved very dearly.

As expected, the mountain wolf is still wide awake when he opens the door. The blonde is sitting on his bed like hours before, wrapped in an old sweater Jiwoo must’ve borrowed him and looking ready to go, albeit a little nervous.

His mismatched eyes turn to Jungkook as soon as the door opens and silently the alpha motions him to come. It seems like there’s no one out right now, no one else but the night patrols that are checking on their borders, so it should be okay for them to go.

The mountain wolf moves up, grimacing almost unnoticeably—a clear sign of how he’s still healing. But despite this, he moves gracefully, almost as if he was dancing to a melody no one else can hear.

As soon as he’s out, the omega takes in a sharp breath of the crisp night air, eyes blown wide. Jungkook expects him to show fear, to maybe ask him to just forget this whole thing because surely the dozen different scents in the air must affect him—but instead of that, the mountain wolf just turns to him with a scowl on his face.

“Why the fuck do you guys smell so bad?” he asks, sounding almost hurt by this.

Jungkook isn’t offended because he thinks that some alphas in his pack really do have an unappealing scent. Rather, he’s amused and quietly laughs at the other’s reaction. “You tell me.”

Something in his relaxed attitude seems to help the omega relax too, his narrow shoulders shagging down. “Smells like old socks out here. I can barely even smell the actual air.”

“Understandable”, the brunette alpha laughs a little more.

He’s used to his pack’s smell and isn’t the least bothered by it—and he’s pretty sure the omega is exaggerating anyway because if you ignore some of the individual scents in the air, his pack smells like pine trees and earth after rain. And it’s a good scent, to Jungkook at least, but then again, the mountain wolf might not like it.

Jungkook still remembers the weird wintery scent the blonde carried when they first met—the scent of coldness that is gone now because the other hasn’t been around his own pack. Instead, he now smells like Jiwoo’s herbs and ointments and honeysuckles. Like always.

They walk in silence, Jungkook a little ahead of the mountain wolf. He’s half expecting the other to attempt to escape but surprisingly, he doesn’t. He follows Jungkook obediently to the outskirts of their village where their pack members are laid to rest under trees that are all older than a hundred years. It’s not a graveyard, not really, but it’s as close to it as you can get in the forest.

The most freshly dug one is by Jungkook’s family grave, of course. There’s a thin layer of snow on top of the pile of soil but the flowers are fresh—Seokjin’s work, the alpha thinks right away, because recently he hasn’t had enough time to visit the grave.

“Honeysuckles?” the omega asks quietly when he sees the flowers, his tone almost fragile. The brunette alpha feels bad when the other falls on his knees on the ground, hesitant hands coming to brush some snow off the grave. “How did you know it was her favorite?”

“We didn’t”, Jungkook quickly answers. “It was just a guess, because you…”

“Because I what?” The mountain wolf turns to look at him, obviously attempting to glare but it comes of a lot softer than he even knows.

Jungkook shakes his head, embarrassed. He can’t just tell the other that it’s because he smells like honeysuckles, now can he? That could sound really creepy.

“Nothing”, he ends up saying. “There’s just this small tree of them close by and because it’s small, it reminded me of you. And at this time of the year, there are really no other flowers to bring.”

The other is obviously not buying it, but he lets it go, not even bothering to point out how Jungkook just indirectly called him small. Instead, the blonde omega turns his gaze back on the grave and sighs quietly, fingers dancing on the white flowers.

“You said we—does that mean someone else comes here too?”

“Uh... yeah, my brother. He comes here every other day to visit our parents; he’s the one who brought those flowers here today too, Jin is nice like that.”

“Your parents? Are they…?”

“Dead?” Jungkook asks and the omega nods shortly, lips pursed.

“Yeah, they are. Have been for some time, now.”

The brunette alpha comes to kneel next to the mountain wolf, trying not to flinch when their shoulders touch. In favor of not freaking out about the sudden close proximity—and how he’s not being pushed away—Jungkook turns his gaze towards the grave as well.

“They died when I was seven and my brother twelve. It was an accident”, he quietly tells, feeling the omega’s eyes on him once again. But this time, those eyes don’t hold hatred but understanding. “There’s a lake close by here and usually in the winters the ice is thick enough for us to walk on it. But not that winter, no…”

Jungkook tries not to think about the warning screams of his mother, tries not to think about the cold that stung like a million knives, tries not to think about the pitch-black water, and her screams, her screams, god if he had just listened to her then maybe—

“I lost my parents when I was young, too”, the mountain wolf’s gentle, melodious voice cuts through Jungkook’s thoughts, bringing him back to reality and there’s no words to describe how thankful the alpha is for that.

He turns to glance at the other only to find that the heterochromic eyes are already fixated on him, and he’s shocked by the warm understanding in them.

“Actually, I don’t even really remember them, so I guess I’m lucky. I have nothing to miss now, unlike you.”

“That’s one way to think about it”, Jungkook mumbles, smiling weakly. “But I’m glad I knew them. I’m glad I got to love them, too.”

The mountain wolf smiles too and it’s the first time Jungkook has seen a feeling so genuine cross the other’s face. His eyes leave Jungkook, but the alpha doesn’t turn away, watching how the amber in one eye burns with warmth and the universe in the other shines with a million stars.

“Jimin”, the omega suddenly says, tone barely audible.

Dumbfounded, Jungkook tilts his head to the side. “H-huh?”

An amused smile is offered at him, the mismatching eyes glimmering with both sadness and mirth.

“My name”, he says. “It’s Jimin.”

It takes a long minute for Jungkook to comprehend the other’s words, Jimin’s words, and in that long minute he never looks away and neither does Jimin.

“That’s a nice name—”

“This doesn’t mean that we’re friends”, he’s cut off, Jimin’s heterochromic eyes turning towards the cloudless sky. “You’re still an enemy to me, Jungkook.”

Now the alpha smiles, feeling amused by the defiance in the blonde’s tone—in Jimin’s tone. God, now that he knows the other’s name, he can’t get it off his tongue.

“Whatever you say, Jimin.”

Half an hour later they’re standing by the infirmary door again. Jungkook’s quietly watching Jimin as the blonde omega eyes the dark forms of the mountains far away from them, obvious longing in his eyes.

“You know”, the brunette alpha says. “If you just do as I say, you’ll get back home in no time.”

Chuckling at his words, Jimin turns to send him an amused look. “Please, I’m not going to follow an alpha’s orders. Especially not a baby-alpha’s.”

Jungkook scowls but decides to not say anything so they won’t get into a loud argument—not when anyone could hear and if they see him like this, speaking with the mountain omega like they’d be something close to friends, Jungkook would lose his reputation completely.

Jimin seems to sense his worry and the smile on his lips fades away. “I won’t tell anyone that you took me out”, the blonde omega says then, walking past Jungkook to get to the infirmary door.

The way he shivers and holds onto his right side doesn’t go past the brunette alpha, who feels relieved that they left when they did—Jiwoo would kill him if he ended up worsening Jimin’s wounds.

“I’m not worried about that”, he tries to deny but Jimin’s not stupid, that much Jungkook has learned. “I just—”

“No need to make excuses for me”, the omega cuts in, his tone changing from the soft melodious one Jungkook actually likes to that defensive, sardonic one he hates. “I know pride is everything for alphas.”

It’s not, the brunette wants to deny, but in the end, he doesn’t. Jungkook has no reason to deny anything when Jimin is only right.

“Vanilla”, the said omega suddenly mutters, his mismatching eyes meeting Jungkook’s brown ones for a moment. “That’s the scent.”

“What?” the alpha asks, once again confused.

“I thought you smelled a little different tonight”, Jimin explains, quietly opening the door behind. “And I realized what it was. Vanilla. You smell like vanilla and jasmine flowers.”

“O-oh…”

Jimin gives him a look of amusement and Jungkook’s not sure if he imagines the warmth in those mismatching eyes. “Well anyway, go to sleep, alpha. You’ll need your energy tomorrow.”

“Right”, Jungkook nods slowly. “Goodnight, Jimin—”

The door closes behind the omega and he’s left to stand alone in the darkness, surrounded by the scent of honeysuckles and maybe, if Jungkook really tries, he can smell a hint of vanilla and jasmine flowers as well.

Ah yes, he muses, burying his nose in the scarf as he turns around to head back to his own house. Mother’s scent. Vanilla and jasmine flowers. How could I forget?

Vanilla to him, is the scent of warmth and safety, and the scent of jasmine reminds him of kind smiles and gentle touches. To Jungkook, vanilla and jasmine flowers mean home.

And honeysuckles, they mean mysterious smiles, stubbornness, and eyes that hold the whole universe in them.

Chapter Text

The next time Jungkook comes by the infirmary, he’s greeted by the sight of Taehyung playing handsy with Jimin.

He knows his best friend is a person who loves physical contact, but it hasn’t been that many days since Taehyung was ready to bite off the mountain wolf’s head. And here he is now, arms wrapped around Jimin’s smaller form, nosing against the other’s neck as if scenting him.

The sight of that makes Jungkook’s blood boil.

He doesn’t like how close Taehyung is to Jimin because Jimin is an outsider and practically their enemy—and he doesn’t like it how Jimin just lets Taehyung do whatever the taller omega wants. Jungkook had to almost fight to get some kind of a response from the blonde and it took him over a month to simply learn his name.

He supposes that it’s an omega thing, though. Jungkook knows his dominating presence might frighten Jimin a little, so Taehyung with his bubbly and cheerful personality is most likely nothing but a fresh breath of air. Especially since Jimin has been locked up in the infirmary for so long.

“Ah, Kookie”, Taehyung lifts his head, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. “Do you want to join us? Jiminie smells like heaven.”

The taller omega receives a harsh shove to the side from Jimin and Jungkook almost growls at that, feeling frustrated. He’s had a long day patrolling and hunting, and he’s not really in the mood for Taehyung’s teasing nor arguing with Jimin.

For some reason though, Jimin only spares him one glance before moving up and heading upstairs. Jungkook doesn’t know whether he should be offended or relieved by that—at least he can breathe a little easier now that Jimin isn’t so close anymore but at the same time, somewhere deep inside, he kind of wanted for the omega to at least acknowledge him.

“Hmm”, Taehyung lets out a thoughtful hum from his position on Jimin’s bed. “I think you make him nervous, Jungkook.”

“Oh really?” the brunette alpha snorts, heading for the kitchen. He feels like he’ll faint if he doesn’t get something to eat soon.

Taehyung follows after him, lazily sitting down by the table as Jungkook raids Jiwoo’s cupboards, looking for something other than herbs to eat. “Jimin made food, we left some for you in the fridge”, comes a mumble from behind him and Jungkook can’t help but turn to send a questioning look at his friend.

“It’s his thank you for taking him to the grave. And it’s not poisoned if you’re wondering, both Jiwoo and I ate it and it was good. Really good.”

“I wasn’t wondering that”, Jungkook mutters and truly, it didn’t cross his mind until now. He doesn’t think Jimin is the kind of a guy to poison someone no matter how annoying he sometimes is.

A full plate of food, some kind of stew Jungkook thinks, has been left for him and the alpha is so hungry he almost doesn’t let Taehyung heat it up. His stomach rumbles pathetically when the scent of the stew fills the room and his friend looks at him sympathetically.

“You’ve been working hard lately, Jungkook. When was the last time you ate?”

“In the morning, I think”, the brunette answers, digging into his food as soon as it’s warm enough without another thought.

“Seokjin-hyung will kill you if he finds out that you’re not taking good care of yourself”, Taehyung sighs before sitting down next to Jungkook, his long fingers carding through the younger’s hair as the other eats.

The scent of honeysuckles is very apparent in the air as Taehyung seems to truly have scented Jimin and let the smaller omega do the same to him. Jungkook can’t help but lean closer to his friend, feeling his tense muscles relaxing under Taehyung’s touch, the sweet scent of honeysuckles making him feel sleepy.

“He’s been busy too. Namjoon has finally started to court him”, Jungkook says between bites. “And despite, most of the pack is down with a flu right now and because of that there’s a lot to do. I can’t make anyone sick go on patrol or hunt—it could spread around even further, otherwise.”

“You’ll catch a flu if you don’t stop overworking yourself soon. Has that wound on your shoulder even fully healed yet?” Taehyung gives him a pointed look when Jungkook doesn’t respond. “I can go hunt too, you know. And Jimin told me that he’s good at hunting—”

A sharp glare from Jungkook shuts his friend up in a second.

“Don’t even start”, the alpha says. “You know just as well as I do, that the mountain wolf stays within the infirmary. They’ll kill him if he steps a foot outside. And since when did you two get so close anyway?”

“Oh, Jiminie and I? I don’t know, I came to visit yesterday, and we just hit off pretty well. He’s not half as bad once he opens up a little, you know? He’s actually super nice—and I wasn’t kidding when I said that he smells like heaven. I bet it’s torture to you.”

“What do you mean?” Jungkook narrows his eyes at Taehyung, not liking the mischief making its way into his best friend’s eyes.

“Alphas are more sensitive to smells than omegas, aren’t you? Jimin’s scent is probably a lot stronger to you. I can understand now why you were so hesitant about seeing him again.” There’s this strange smugness in Taehyung’s tone that is making Jungkook want to punch him. “Like I told you months ago, you’re smitten.”

Now the brunette alpha actually growls, his patience wearing extremely thin.

Jungkook doesn’t need this—he doesn’t need everyone to remind him of how weak Jimin makes him. He doesn’t need to know how nice the other is, how likable and pretty he is. And Jungkook definitely doesn’t need to be reminded of how good the blonde omega smells because that he knows very well already.

“If you don’t have anything even remotely rational to say, just keep your mouth shut, Taehyung. I’m too tired for this kind of shit”, he says, trying to hold down his growing annoyance but it obviously shows on his face because his friend pulls away.

“I can see”, the silver-haired omega says. He doesn’t seem scared because he knows Jungkook would never hurt him, but there is a timid look in Taehyung’s eyes. “Maybe you should just eat and go to bed. Stay here. If Namjoon’s courting Seokjin, there’s a chance he won’t be home tonight, and I know you hate being alone.”

“And what? Staying with the mountain wolf would make me feel more comfortable than staying in a quiet house?” Jungkook asks with a raised brow, shaking his head in disbelief.

“It would”, Taehyung easily answers. The silver head then gets up, reaching for his coat resting by the stool close by. “Jimin’s been helping Jiwoo here, he’s good at making warmer blankets for the sick. They do it differently at the mountains and let me tell you, he knows how to keep the cold at bay. If you’ll ask nicely, I’m sure he’ll lend you one of those blankets.”

“On whose side are you, exactly?” the younger wonders aloud with a sigh as he gets up as well, following Taehyung back to the main area of the infirmary.

His friend sends him a small smile, both sadness and understanding swimming in his warm brown eyes. “No one’s, Jungkook. There are no sides in this fight—not yet. You’re both just being stubborn and Jimin isn’t being… completely honest, I think.”

Jungkook doesn’t understand what Taehyung means and frankly, it doesn’t seem like the silver-haired omega understands either.

“It’s just a hunch”, the older shrugs and only a moment later, the door closes after him.

Silence falls into the infirmary; Jiwoo has been by the pack-leader’s side most of the day and is probably staying there for the night as well and Jimin is hiding somewhere upstairs. Jungkook can barely sense the other wolf like this.

And maybe that’s exactly why Jimin stays away from him.

He still ends up staying, the exhaustion kicking in tenfold after a good dinner. The infirmary is warm and the beds are usually softer here too so Jungkook just picks one blindly, sinking into the mattress with a long sigh.

I’ll just take a quick nap, the brunette alpha thinks, his eyes closing as soon as his head hits the pillow. Then I’ll go back home.

But of course it never stays as a quick nap. Jungkook falls straight into the land of dreams, his body and mind feeling heavier than in a long time. The next time he opens his eyes, the fire that had been on full blaze has died down and the only source of light is the small candle placed by the bed next to his.

Jungkook lets out a confused sound, his body still feeling extremely heavy, but before he really even manages to move, there’s a hand on his chest, pushing him back down.

“Sleep”, a soft voice says and in his sleep-clouded state, Jungkook can’t make out who it is. He just sees a blurred figure and thinks that it must be Jiwoo.

Something soft and warm is placed on him, the hand staying on his chest until Jungkook settles back down and closes his eyes again. The last thing he hears is a soft melodious tune, the taste of honeysuckles on his tongue.

When he wakes up, it’s morning already and Jungkook feels better rested than in a while. He can tell that he’s still lacking enough sleep, but this will certainly keep him up for the day, as long as he gets something to eat before going on a patrol.

By the amount of sunlight (or the lack of it) he figures that the clock is still just six or seven, so he has a little time to spare and maybe he can head for a shower. It’s only when he sits up does Jungkook realize that he’s not even at home but still at the infirmary, a thick blanket falling down onto his lap.

The air is filled by the scent of honeysuckles and just cooked meat and herbs, the noises coming from the kitchen informing Jungkook that he’s not alone. He hopes that it’s Jiwoo but knows it’s not.

With a yawn, the brunette alpha gets up and stretches his arms before heading towards the scent of food and source of noises. Better to get it over now that he’s fully awake rather than later when he’ll be tired and grumpy again.

Jimin doesn’t say a word when Jungkook enters—he just glances at him, seeming a little unsure, but a lot less hostile than ever before.

The alpha stops to stand by the doorway, awkwardly hovering behind Jimin as the omega moves around, stirring the vegetables and meat on the pan while also cutting some dried fruits into smaller pieces. He moves soundlessly and keeps his head turned away from Jungkook, but at least the alpha has been somewhat acknowledged now and Jimin isn’t running away. Yet, at least.

Maybe five minutes later the omega places a plate on the table and finally turns his full attention on Jungkook.

“Eat.”

When Jungkook doesn’t move, Jimin barely shrugs his shoulders and turns away again.

“It’s not poisoned.”

“I know”, the taller man answers right away. “I could smell if it was.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Seriously? Jungkook thinks, glaring at the omega’s back. Are you seriously asking that? “You don’t think it’s a bit weird for you to cook breakfast for me when just a few days ago you would have killed me without a second thought.”

“Jiwoo isn’t here and I’m used to making food for two. She’s probably not coming back anytime soon either, so you might as well eat her share and not waste food”, Jimin explains with a dismissive wave of hand. “Consider it as a thank you.”

“You already thanked me though. And if you really want me to accept it, you could just do as I say.”

The blonde omega snorts, as if he would find Jungkook’s words amusing. Maybe he does. “I don’t particularly care whether you accept my thank you or not, alpha. Just eat the goddamn food—or don’t—and get out.”

Jungkook weights the pros and cons of the situation and in the end, decides to sit down to eat. It’s a good breakfast anyway, better than what he would have made for himself, and wasting food at a time like this would be plain stupid. And he’s hungry—that might be the biggest reason he swallows down his pride and eats. He needs the energy, really does.

Jimin doesn’t comment on his actions; the omega just keeps his back turned towards him and works his own things, silent. And by the time he’s done with whatever he’s been doing, Jungkook has emptied his plate.

“What did Taehyung say to you?” the alpha asks when his gaze meets Jimin’s for a fleeting moment, the omega’s heterochromic eyes almost gentle in a way.

“Why are you asking?” Jimin responses, raising a brow at him.

“Because you wouldn’t do this just because. He must’ve told you something.” Probably something about my parents, Jungkook guesses. People love pitying him and Seokjin for their loss, as if it hadn’t been years since they lost half of their family—as if they hadn’t moved on.

“He didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know. If you are wondering, yes, he mentioned your parents, but you already told me that they passed away a long time ago. I’m not taking pity on you, alpha.” The blonde crosses his arms over his chest and leans on the sink behind him, his mismatching eyes observing Jungkook with an intensity that makes the alpha feel slightly flustered.

“I’m taking pity on your pack”, Jimin then continues. “I heard that most of you are down with a bad flu and at a time like this, even a simple fever can be the death of many.”

“Why would you take pity on any of us now, when earlier you said that you don’t give a fuck about my pack?” Jungkook asks and despite how Jimin’s words should maybe make him feel relieved and thankful, he just feels annoyed because the blonde is being so fucking confusing. If all mountain wolves are like this, Jungkook never wants to meet any again.

“If you care, then why won’t you just do as I say? You could stop needless slaughter and get back home, alive. Isn’t that a win-win situation to you?”

Jungkook thinks his reasoning is legitimate—best for the both of them. It’s too bad Jimin doesn’t think the same, for whatever reasons he rather keeps to himself.

The blonde omega continues to stare at Jungkook for a moment longer, looking like he’d finally truly consider the alpha’s words, but in the end, that familiar dark and bitter look appears in Jimin’s eyes and Jungkook knows he’s lost. Again.

“There’s not going to be any slaughter”, Jimin says quietly, his tone laced with something heavy—guilt, perhaps. Jungkook’s not entirely sure but it feels familiar. “You could just let me go now and everything would turn out just fine.”

The alpha shakes his head. “I doubt you’re healed enough to make it back to the mountains as you are now.”

The next look Jimin gives him is unreadable and for that reason, unsettling. Jungkook knows then, in the back of his mind, that the blonde omega is definitely hiding something from him—from them—but he doesn’t have time nor the energy to start questioning Jimin right now.

Still, it doesn’t mean he’s letting the mountain wolf off the hook.

“We’ll talk later”, Jungkook mutters lowly before getting up. Nothing more is said between them as he heads away and Jimin stays rooted by the sink, gaze turned downwards.

For a moment there, the brunette alpha wonders if he has somehow upset the other—but then again, it’s not really his problem. He shouldn’t feel guilty about it.

And yet, the unsettling feeling caused by the look Jimin had given him doesn’t leave him for the rest of the day.

He ends up going back to the infirmary after finishing his duties for the day.

Jiwoo isn’t present, once again, and Jimin is alone too, quietly sewing blankets by the fire when Jungkook steps in. The blonde omega doesn’t greet him vocally, just gives him a quick look, ignoring Jungkook’s small ‘hi’—which the alpha is, surprisingly, glad about because that’s normal behavior from the mountain wolf.

Jungkook eats the dinner left in the fridge, sits down by the fire—not too close to Jimin, but never too far away either—and watches the omega work in complete silence. Jimin doesn’t complain and Jungkook doesn’t try starting a conversation. In silence, they both feel more comfortable.

The same repeats the following day. Jungkook comes, eats and watches Jimin work, falls asleep in the infirmary, wakes up and eats the breakfast that is left waiting for him on the kitchen table.

And like that, they fall into a routine.

The alpha is still sure that Taehyung said something and guilt tripped Jimin to do this, but the blonde never says anything and Jungkook is not all that willing to push it either. But in a way, even if Taehyung hadn’t said anything, he feels like Jimin is apologizing to him.

With Seokjin spending more and more time away from home, Jungkook can come by the infirmary as much as he likes and Jiwoo is away mostly too, busy with helping the pack-leader. Taehyung tags along occasionally but mostly it’s just them, Jungkook and Jimin, sitting in silence they’re both afraid to break.

At night, when he falls asleep, he’s always accompanied by a soft melody and the scent of honeysuckles. Jungkook can’t deny that it helps him sleep better—can’t deny how Jimin’s presence no longer bothers him, how he’s so used to the sweet scent that he almost craves it, how he comes to expect the evenings spent with the omega.

He can no longer deny the fascination his wolf feels towards Jimin, but he’s not going to act on it. It’s better not to provoke the wolf within him any more, so he won’t end up completely losing control. Despite, whatever his wolf feels, whatever this primitive connection between him and Jimin is, cannot ever be brought to light.

They are from two different worlds and Jungkook will always pick his own first. He would never abandon his duty for some omega; no matter how pretty Jimin is, how good he smells, how fascinating he is, Jungkook will always stand by his pack’s side.

Once Jimin leaves, things will return back to normal, and Jungkook can—and will—forget that he ever let his heart beat for a mountain wolf.

“Are you going back to the mountains?”

It’s a week later that Jungkook breaks the silence between him and Jimin, gaze fixated on the figure stretching on the floor. Jimin is, despite his small built, a healthy wolf and his healing abilities are strong. The long claw marks on his back have healed well-enough for Jungkook to know that soon enough, maybe within the next few days, the omega will be able to transform without ripping any wounds open.

That means that Jimin will also be able to leave, soon.

The blonde omega stops moving and tilts his head slightly towards Jungkook, mismatching eyes avoiding the alpha’s gaze.

“That’s not really your business, is it?” Jimin asks and unconsciously answers Jungkook’s question.

“You’re not”, the alpha states, eyes narrowing. “Is that the thing you’ve been hiding? The fact that you’re not even going to head back home—”

“Listen”, he’s rather rudely interrupted, Jimin’s tone tight. “My pack won’t come for yours. We live so far away that it would be foolish to send anyone here at a time like this, when everyone is needed at home. They won’t grieve for me or my companion—”

“Why?” it’s Jungkook’s turn to interrupt the omega. “Why wouldn’t your own pack grieve for you?”

He doesn’t know what the mountain wolfpacks are like—or if his own is just different from the rest—but here they appreciate companionship more than anything else. They’re a powerful pack and their power comes from the fact that they can always rely on each other, whether it’s in a fight or something as simple as hunting. They will always fight for their own, even if they can’t sometimes come to a mutual agreement.

Jungkook knows for sure that if anyone dared to lay a finger on his packmates, he’d take revenge. So he can’t understand why Jimin’s pack would willingly abandon two wolves, especially in the middle of winter when everyone is needed, just like the blonde himself said.

Jimin’s lips form a tight line, fire in his other eye, ice in the other, and he doesn’t answer. This time though, Jungkook isn’t satisfied with silence.

This time he wants answers.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” he practically growls, jumping up from his position by the kitchen door, long strides taking him to Jimin quickly. The omega stands up as well, growling warningly at the alpha. “If you knew for certain that your pack isn’t going to take revenge, why didn’t you say it before?”

“You wouldn’t have believed me”, Jimin answers, attempting to push Jungkook away but the brunette alpha just grabs his wrists with his other hand and takes a hold of Jimin’s collar with the other.

The next growl the blonde lets out is low and threatening, Jimin’s scent turning spicy with anger, burning on Jungkook’s tongue. He senses the fear that lies under the defiant look in Jimin’s eyes, but ignores it, anger taking over.

“You could have fucking tried”, Jungkook hisses, his hold on Jimin’s small wrists tight enough to bruise. “You could have tried to make me believe but instead, you just decided to stay here and torture us both—to stay here, waste our food and recourses, our time, to take advantage of our hospitality—”

“What fucking hospitality?” Jimin cuts him off with a tone so frustrated that it makes him sound like he’s close to tears. “I’ve been locked in this house for over a month and you call that hospitality? I don’t know what fucking day it is, everyone hates me, you all smell so, so different and angry all the time that I can’t even breathe properly, everything fucking hurts and I have lost the last of my family.”

This time, when Jimin pushes him, Jungkook lets go. The omega moves right away, retreating from Jungkook and the warmth of the hearth to the furthest and darkest corner he finds. Jimin’s scent turns from spicy to the smell of rotten flowers and it’s laced with such heavy sorrow that it makes breathing hard for Jungkook, too.

It makes his wolf cry out in frustration.

“I don’t get what the fuck makes you think I enjoy it here, but you’re wrong”, Jimin says from his hiding place in the darkness, tone so soft Jungkook almost doesn’t hear. “I didn’t want to stay, and I told you that. I told you, Taehyung and Jiwoo many, many times to just let me go.”

That the alpha can’t deny, but Jimin still hasn’t answered his question.

“Why won’t you go back to your pack? Weren’t you on your way to the mountains before you were attacked?” Jungkook keeps his tone even, swallowing down his anger and frustration in the favor of not scaring Jimin any further.

Because despite how the omega tries to hide it, his fear is thick in the air, just like his sorrow. Jungkook can’t understand how he didn’t notice it sooner.

“I did my everything for my family”, Jimin answers, voice full of pain and yearning Jungkook is more than familiar with. “Now that I don’t have any left, I have to live for myself. Or die.”

His answer doesn’t explain anything but Jungkook doesn’t pry more—he knows from the tone Jimin is using that for the rest of night, he’ll receive nothing but silence from the blonde.

“I still can’t let you go”, the alpha says after a moment, observing Jimin’s small form by the corner. “Not at least until I’ve discussed this through with Namjoon and possibly the pack-leader.” Despite the feeling that Jimin telling him the truth, Jungkook shouldn’t just blindly trust the omega. He needs at least Namjoon’s opinion before doing anything and until then, Jimin has to wait.

And until then, Jungkook will need to try and find out what’s keeping the omega from going back home.

Jimin stays huddled in his corner for hours after their argument and Jungkook, who still decided to stay at the infirmary, can feel himself grow more and more restless with every passing minute.

The fire has died down and it’s getting cold, and Jungkook feels worried about letting the injured omega sleep—if he’s sleeping at all, that is—in a cold corner without any blankets or pillows.

And guilty. He feels guilty for driving Jimin there.

So, after another ten minutes of waiting, the brunette alpha gets up. He hears a shift right away, indicating that Jimin is awake and following his movements, but doesn’t let it discourage him as he makes his way towards the omega’s hideout.

Jimin’s mismatching eyes are wide and distrusting when Jungkook meets his gaze and he can’t help but grimace when he sees how small the other has tried to make himself. Tightly pressed against the wall despite the wounds on his back, knees pulled to his chest and hands around himself, Jimin looks almost as small and fragile as the day Jungkook found him.

The guilt inside of the alpha turns heavier and his wolf howls in disapproval.

“C’mon”, Jungkook says quietly, kneeling down to make himself appear a little less threatening. He tries to let out calming pheromones, hoping to have his scent ease Jimin’s distress but he isn’t part of the omega’s pack nor are they friends—it would be completely normal for Jimin to reject his poor attempt at comforting.

But Jimin doesn’t. He just doesn’t react in any way.

So, Jungkook tries again with his words. “You shouldn’t sleep here. I can move further away if you come to bed.”

Jimin doesn’t vocally answer him, just pulls even further away—if that’s possible—and narrows his eyes at him, suspicious.

I swear, you are the most stubborn omega I have ever met… but alright, I might deserve this, Jungkook thinks with a sigh. Despite his dominating nature, he hates going all “alpha” on others because it always results into this.

Fear.

The only people he wants to inflict fear on are his enemies. And Jungkook is slowly coming to the conclusion that Jimin isn’t one.

“I’m not letting you sleep in a cold corner because Jiwoo and Taehyung will both kick my ass if you somehow end up worsening your wounds”, he mutters, reaching over to the omega. Jimin growls at him but there’s no space for him to move away and Jungkook gets a hold of him with surprisingly little resistance.

“Alright”, the alpha says, determined. “Come here, you little pest.”

He yanks Jimin forward, as gently as possible, but still ends up using too much strength because the blonde comes crashing against his chest, a pained whine escaping his lips.

“Sorry”, Jungkook whispers, blonde locks filling his vision for a moment before his attention is turned on the nails digging into his arms. It doesn’t hurt, just feels mildly uncomfortable, so he’s able to ignore it along the rest of Jimin’s complains as he lifts the blonde up and to bed.

 “If you had just come on your own, I wouldn’t have needed to carry you”, he points out when the omega mumbles incoherent curses against his shoulder, hot breath tickling Jungkook’s neck. The alpha is surprised that Jimin doesn’t try to hurt him more, doesn’t punch or kick him, doesn’t even bite, but he supposes that it’s because the omega is too tired and scared to attempt anything drastic.

He puts Jimin down carefully and steps away quickly to allow the other have his space, not excited about upsetting him anymore than he already has. The blonde’s eyes stay on him for a long moment, tired but defiant, and it’s obvious that he’s still not very fond of the alpha.

However, Jungkook knows he has done the right thing by bringing Jimin back because the heavy fear in the air dissolves, finally, and the sweet scent of honeysuckles returns back to normal.

The tension in his shoulders eases when he’s able to breathe in that familiar scent again, the young alpha releasing a long, exhausted sigh. He then backs away to a bed a few meters away from Jimin’s and slumps down, feeling as if he had just ran for miles.

Who knew dealing with omegas was this hard?

“Damn, we really can’t do anything without fighting, can we?” Jungkook mutters, mostly to himself, so he’s a little surprised when Jimin answers with a snort.

“I think our beliefs are a little too different for that, alpha.”

That might be right, Jungkook muses, but he’s sure it’s more because their personalities keep on clashing. “You’re never going to call me by my name, are you?”

“I’ll call you by your name when I feel like you’re worth acknowledging”, Jimin simply says and Jungkook can’t help but chuckle.

“See? This is exactly what I’m talking about. Don’t you think that things would turn out a lot easier if we set our differences aside just for a moment? We could make things bearable. You get along with Taehyung, so I think we could get along too.”

“I don’t get along with alphas.”

“Oh, so this doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with my personality. You just dislike alphas in general”, Jungkook concludes.

Now it’s Jimin’s turn to chuckle and without the bitter undertone, Jungkook is sure that the omega’s laughter would be the prettiest sound in the world.

“You’re starting to catch on, aren’t you, puppy?”

The annoying nickname Jimin has taken a liking to makes Jungkook growl, but the sound isn’t really all that angry nor loud, and the scent of honeysuckles doesn’t waver.

Jimin isn’t scared, anymore.

Silence falls between them after that, Jungkook deciding that it’s better to just leave it until they end up ruining things again. Maybe in the morning they’ll be able to hold a better conversation—one without snarky remarks and insults, that is. Jungkook still expects Jimin to be his normal, stubborn self.

But he’s getting used to it and really, it’s not like Jungkook hates the defiant side of Jimin. He dares to admit that it’s actually quite intriguing and maybe, if he lets himself truly go that far, then maybe he’s a little fond of it too.

“Night, Jimin”, Jungkook mumbles after a moment, sure that the omega has fallen asleep. At least his back is turned towards the alpha and his breathing gone silent—but then the scent of honeysuckles becomes stronger again, surrounding Jungkook in a cloud of heavenly sweetness and the alpha absently realizes, when he hears a soft, melodious tune, that Jimin is lulling him to sleep.

The last thing he sees before closing his eyes are colorful, mismatching eyes and an almost playful smile.

“Night, puppy.”

“’s not my name.”

Jungkook falls asleep with soft laughter ringing in his ears.

“Look at him”, they would whisper, when they thought he wasn’t listening. “Look at his eyes.”

“He’s different.”

“Unnatural.”

“He’s not one of us.”

Filthy, ugly, disgusting, Jimin has heard them all and doesn’t blink an eye at that. Because he knows they’re wrong; he knows he’s not filthy or ugly, not disgusting either. He knows because his grandmother always told him so and she never lied, not to Jimin at least.

There’s only one insult that always got under his skin—still does. And it’s because that’s only one that he and his grandmother could never deny.

Half-blood.

The words that have always defined his life. The truth Jimin can’t escape from.

One for the cold of winter, one for the warmth of summer.

That’s the reason why he can’t go back alone. That’s the reason why he can’t stay.

And that’s the reason why Jimin simply cannot let Jungkook close.

He can’t let the alpha close even if it’s killing his wolf and slowly, him as well.

Chapter Text

When Yoongi comes to get him in the morning, a dark look on his face, he knows he’s in some kind of trouble.

“The pack-leader wants to talk with you”, the older alpha says curtly, motioning Jungkook to follow. There’s no time to waste.

Honestly, Jungkook isn’t too surprised. He’s been expecting a call like this for a while now. Usually the pack-leader would have called for him earlier but in her weakened state, Jiwoo and Namjoon haven’t been all that willing to let anyone in to give her all the needed time to rest.

She must be feeling better now, Jungkook muses as he gets up, Jimin’s gaze heavy on him. The other is sitting on his bed next to the alpha, mismatching eyes confused and maybe even slightly concerned. It could be contempt too, but he prefers to look at the brighter side of things, thanks to Taehyung rubbing on him.

“I’ll be back later”, Jungkook tells the blonde omega, not entirely sure why he suddenly feels the need to reassure the other, but he knows he’s said the right thing when Jimin’s shoulders relax. “Go eat something while I’m gone.”

That brings a displeased look on Jimin’s face and he huffs, turning away from Jungkook. “Don’t tell me what to do, puppy.”

Yoongi scoffs but he sounds almost amused by the defiance in Jimin’s tone and even the brunette alpha himself can’t help but chuckle.

“Whatever you say, shorty.”

The smile on Jimin’s face is almost genuine, Jungkook thinks, when he turns to glance at the alphas before they head out. He looks small and cozy like that, hiding in his blanket with soft platinum hair a mess, eyes lacking the hardness they usually hold. The air smells like honeysuckles and for the first time, like something warm too.

Jimin looks like he belongs here and Jungkook can almost forget that Jimin belongs everywhere else but with them.

Almost.

“You two are getting along better”, Yoongi comments as they make their way through the village and towards the pack-leader’s hut.

“Yeah, I guess… I mean, I hope so”, Jungkook only shrugs his shoulders, not entirely sure if this can be called progress—though, at this point, he’s sure anything that doesn’t involve yelling and getting yelled at with Jimin, is progress of some kind.

“It’s a good thing. Maybe he’ll be more willing to tell his pack not to attack us if he has a friend here.”

At that, Jungkook can only grimace. He hasn’t decided yet what to tell Namjoon or the pack-leader about Jimin possibly not even returning back to the mountains once they let him go—hasn’t decided if he’s going to tell about it at all. How is he even supposed to? They probably wouldn’t believe him because no sane wolf leaves their pack, not in the middle of winter of all times.

“Jiwoo told me that he’s healing well too, should be able to leave soon. That’s another good thing—his pack has been getting restless.”

What? Jungkook almost trips over his own legs. “His pack – what?”

Yoongi looks at him funny. “Didn’t you hear what the morning patrol found?”

The way the older alpha speaks sends shivers down Jungkook’s spine. There’s a warning edge in Yoongi’s tone, a clear sign that there’s something wrong—that something has changed—and suddenly being called to meet the pack-leader seems like a death sentence.

Something is going on, involving Jimin’s pack and the blonde omega and now, quite possibly, Jungkook too. Because he’s the one who brought Jimin to them.

“I – no, I was at the infirmary the whole night and morning, and you know no one else ever comes there.”

“A mountain wolf, or wolves, we aren’t too sure, had been very close to our border last night. No one saw anything, but the scent was there”, Yoongi tells and Jungkook can feel his gut twist uncomfortably. “I think they’re looking for their lost pack members—which is why we need to speed things up and let the omega go as soon as possible.”

“But Jimin said—” this time, Jungkook cuts himself off, feeling stupid. His words will lose all their weight as soon as he brings Jimin up, he knows, so he decides that it’s better to not say anything. Despite, if Yoongi’s right, if the mountain wolves truly had come to them, that means Jimin was lying.

His pack is looking for him.

“Were you going to say something?” the older alpha turns to him with a questioning look, having missed Jungkook’s words.

“Ah, no…” he can only shake his head, no longer knowing what he can say—what he can trust and what he can’t.

Yoongi gives him a look that clearly tells that he doesn’t believe a thing, but the older alpha doesn’t also push it, which Jungkook appreciates. And before they can continue talking about this topic, the brunette alpha makes sure to change it into something that will certainly take Yoongi’s attention away from him and from Jimin, too.

“So, how’s Junghwa doing? Everything alright with you guys?”

Yoongi might not like talking about himself a lot, reserved and calm by nature, but he sure loves talking about his omega mate, Junghwa. Jungkook never thought the two would end up together since they’re so different, one is outgoing and always energetic, the other rather lazy and serious—but opposites work, and Yoongi and Junghwa have been happily mated for three years now. And expecting their first pup, too.

“We’re good. She’s perfect, like always”, Yoongi answers, a dreamy look in his eyes.

It almost makes Jungkook snicker because damn, Yoongi’s whipped, but he’s also kind of jealous. So far, none of the omegas or betas in his pack have piqued his interest so he isn’t expecting to find a mate for himself in a long time. He might have to look outside of the pack too, although, that’s never a choice many approve of.

Not that anything Jungkook’s been doing lately has gained approval from his packmates.

“The pregnancy is going well too, I take it?” he asks, genuinely interested. Junghwa is the sister of one of his close beta friends, Hoseok, so he has known her quite long too. It’s too bad he doesn’t have a lot of time to visit her or her brother these days.

“Yeah. I mean, she’s pregnant so of course she’s cranky and emotional, but I’m pretty used to it by now. And last night the pup started kicking too.” The way Yoongi’s tone has turned so soft and loving reassures Jungkook that everything will be fine with the older alpha and his family.

“That’s very good to hear, Yoongi-ah, but don’t call your mate cranky. I’d call it being hormonal”, a new, amused voice chimes in and both Jungkook and Yoongi lift their gazes to the older omega standing by the front door of the pack-leader’s hut.

“Minseok-hyung”, Jungkook greets, bowing his head slightly, Yoongi following his lead.

“Ah, there’s no need for that. We’re all friends here, aren’t we?” Minseok chuckles, patting Jungkook on the head gently. The air around him smells like milk and warmth, the distinguishable scent of a parent. “You’re coming to meet my sister, right?”

Being the pack-leader’s younger brother automatically makes Minseok a high-ranking and well-respected person in their pack, but the omega is also the mate of Changmin, an older alpha who has been working directly under the pack-leader for years. Also, the fact that Minseok has given them many, healthy pups might also have something to do with everyone adoring him and his children to bits.

Talking about his pups, Jungkook can see a familiar round face peek from behind the older omega.

“Chaeyoung”, he calls out softly, crouching down to be on the child’s level. “It’s been a while, little one.”

Chaeyoung is Minseok and Changmin’s second eldest child, and definitely Jungkook’s favorite. He doesn’t spent a lot of time with pups, doesn’t have the time for it, but Taehyung does and occasionally he tags along. Right now, his pack has a record number of young kids and out of them all, Chaeyoung is the calmest and wisest. It’s obvious that she’s taking after her carrier’s kindness.

But she’s also extremely shy and that’s why Jungkook isn’t surprised when she fully hides behind her parent.

Minseok just chuckles. “I’m sorry. She was just sick and is still a bit off her tracks—you know she really likes you, Jungkook-ah.”

“I know”, the young alpha nods, not offended. “Is everything good with her now? And everyone else from your kids?”

Minseok nods, his smile wide and reassuring. Behind him, Chaeyoung lets out a whine.

“Smells weird”, she mumbles, almost inaudible. “Kookie smells weird.”

The child’s parent tilts his head in confusion at the same time with Jungkook. “Hm? What did you say, sweetheart?”

“He smells sweet.”

“Jungkook’s best friend is an omega, honey. Taehyung is—”

“It’s not Taetae’s scent, mommy!” Chaeyoung cuts Minseok off rather loudly, now peering at Jungkook almost accusingly. “He smells like those flowers that grow close to grandma’s grave!”

“Honeysuckles?” Minseok blinks his eyes and turns to Jungkook, confused. But before the brunette alpha can come up with a valid excuse to as why he smells like Jimin—and most likely stutter and completely fail at trying to sound smart—Namjoon comes to his rescue, stepping outside of the pack-leader’s hut with an unreadable expression on his face.

“Jungkook, Yoongi, the head-alpha is waiting”, Namjoon says before turning to shortly greet his uncle. “If you don’t mind, Minseok-hyung, I’ll be stealing these two from you.”

“Oh, not at all”, Minseok just smiles and pulls Chaeyoung gently out of the way, so Jungkook and Yoongi can enter. The younger alpha makes sure to send the omega and his child an apologetic smile, feeling like he has caused trouble again—but Minseok brushes it off and Chaeyoung looks everywhere else than at him.

“She’s got a crush on you”, Yoongi snickers when they’re far enough for no one else to hear. “And obviously didn’t like the fact that you smell like an unknown omega.”

“Jimin’s scent is a stranger’s scent to her, obviously I’m not expecting her to like it”, Jungkook mumbles, a little embarrassed himself. “I mean, he’s from a different pack and all that.”

Yoongi snorts and Jungkook swears even Namjoon laughs at him.

“Yeah, and all that. Good talk, puppy.”

“Hey!” Jungkook lets out a sound of complaint, cheeks turning red. One person calling him that is enough, his friends don’t need to do it too.

“What?” Yoongi raises a brow at him, his smile teasing. “It’s what Jimin calls you.”

Jungkook wants to complain, wants to growl and warn the other alpha not to say it like that, not to say Jimin’s name so carelessly, jokingly—but he knows better and keeps his mouth shut. And despite, they’ve already entered the pack-leader’s house, there’s really no space for fighting inside.

It’s dark inside, curtains closed and the only source of light being the fire in the hearth. It smells strongly like herbs and while Jungkook always thinks that Namjoon’s scent is overpowering, the pack-leader’s scent is a whole another thing.

But it’s not uncomfortable, no, he of course welcomes it. It’s his head-alpha they’re talking about, after all, Jungkook has grown-up under her protection and care.

Kim Chaerin is sitting by the kitchen table, Jiwoo standing behind her and braiding her long, light brown locks. Warm brown eyes flicker towards Jungkook as soon as he enters, the pack-leader’s smile gentle but also hard in a way that reminds everyone that she is the one with power.

Jungkook bows his head automatically, gaze downcast until the head-alpha gives him permission to relax.

“It’s been a while, alpha Jeon. I can see that your brother hasn’t lied about you having matured.” Her voice is slightly scratchy and deep, not having been used that much in a while. “Though, I must say, I didn’t expect you to come here smelling like an omega. Has someone piqued your interest?”

The youngest alpha in the room can’t help but shiver, unnerved by the way he’s called. It’s what they called his father, a title he doesn’t think he deserves just yet—if ever. And no one ever calls him alpha Jeon because… well, it’s true that Jungkook has just matured and still hasn’t reached his full potential, but he himself refuses to acknowledge the title too.

“No, no of course not”, Jungkook’s quick to deny when he regains his composure, shaking his head violently which probably doesn’t help at all because both Yoongi and Namjoon snort and the pack-leader seems even more amused.

“Ah, too young then. Perhaps”, she chuckles. But there’s a dangerous glimmer in her brown eyes and Jungkook knows that she’s already very aware of whose scent is stuck on him.

“The mountain wolf I’ve been hearing a lot about lately has a nice scent, at least. You know, it’s usually a good sign. But winter honeysuckles, huh… It’s been a while since I’ve smelled those. Tell me, alpha Jeon, has he been behaving? From alpha Min I’ve heard that he’s quite… troublesome.”

“He’s just scared”, Jungkook says, just like he has said to Seokjin, Taehyung and Jiwoo many times by now. “I think it’s justified to be a little disoriented. But he’s been – well, getting better, I guess.”

“Good enough to head back home?”

“I think so, yeah. He can probably change forms already but—” He glances at Jiwoo, who’s still standing behind the pack-leader. “—it’s safer to wait a few more days, just to make sure he doesn’t rip open his wounds. I don’t think the healer would appreciate that.”

Jiwoo’s smile is soft, almost fond, and Jungkook feels a little better about himself. He knows the beta healer has grown at least a little attached to Jimin and will be saddened to see the mountain wolf go, so the least they can do for her, is to make sure Jimin sets off safely.

“Hm, that would be unfortunate indeed”, the pack-leader muses before turning to Namjoon.

“We’ll wait a few more days until healer Kim is certain the mountain wolf is well-enough to leave. Scent mark the northern borders in every patrol until then, but do not forget to keep on eye on the road borders as well.”

The head-alpha’s hardened gaze turns to Jungkook, sparks of flaming amber in her eyes. “If alpha Jeon is right, the Lee pack is up to something. Killing wolves on neutral ground is a punishable crime, after all. I doubt this was just an aimless act of violence. Either they’re trying to start a war between mountain wolves and forest wolves, or perhaps…” She trails off, the look on her face darkening. They never hear the rest of her sentence.

“Mother?” Namjoon seems concerned, stepping closer from the shadows. “Is there something wrong?”

The pack-leader lets out a humorless laugh.

“Namjoon dear, everything is wrong. And let me tell you what’s worse.” She looks up and at Jungkook again, her eyes like two pools of pitch-black water.

“The thing that saddens me the most is, that once again, the innocent must pay the price.”

Jungkook’s only able to return to the infirmary the next day. Namjoon had ordered him to patrol right after leaving the pack-leader’s hut and after that, he had volunteered to go hunt with a few other alphas. By the end of the day, Jungkook had been too tired to even imagine dragging his feet to the infirmary. Had Taehyung not been close by the food storage and dragged him home, he might as well as slept there.

As expected, Jiwoo isn’t present when he comes in and Jimin is quietly sewing blankets in the exact same place Jungkook had left him yesterday.

The alpha stops by the door and sighs, eyes never leaving the small omega. It’s somewhat a calming sight to see Jimin like this, so unmoving in the world that seems to be going off its trails, and the wolf within Jungkook seems to settle down too, pacified by the sweet scent of honeysuckles and herbs.

“There’s food in the kitchen”, Jimin is the first one to speak, glancing up from his work shortly. He frowns a little when he notices the exhausted look on Jungkook’s face but doesn’t mention it. “Go eat.”

Any other day, the brunette alpha might’ve just done as said—mainly to dodge any arguments—but today he just sits down on the bed next to Jimin’s.

“Let’s talk.”

Curious, mismatching eyes turn to him right away. “About what?”

“About what’s going to happen once you’ve healed. Your pack—”

“Like I said, they’re not going to do anything—”

“Your pack has been looking for you”, Jungkook continues a little louder, drowning out Jimin’s soft voice.

Silence falls into the infirmary and for a moment, Jimin looks like a very realistic statue, frozen in time with his breath caught in his throat. Then, he blinks, the dark blue of his other eye turning to warning electric blue Jungkook’s more than familiar with.

“What?” the blonde omega chokes out, his voice high with surprise, anger and maybe even fear. “What do you mean my pack is looking for me? That’s not – that shouldn’t be possible.”

Jungkook raises a questioning brow at the smaller man. “Why not? I don’t know what exactly is going on with you and your pack, but everyone knows it’s risky to let wolves leave in the middle of winter. Maybe they just realized that they need you.”

Jimin looks like he wants to laugh. Or cry.

“One of the morning patrols picked up the scent of mountain wolves by our northern border. So, did you lie to me?” Jungkook asks, wanting to hear the confirmation out loud.

“Jimin, did you lie to me?”

“No!” The denial comes faster than neither expected, Jungkook flinching back because of the rise of volume. Jimin collects himself quickly though, lowering his voice, but the electric blue of his eye stays, a clear sign of the turmoil within.

“My pack wouldn’t risk coming to look for me”, the omega continues. “You don’t even know if it was my pack, it’s not like you can distinguish mountain wolfpacks by their scent. You just want to point fingers—”

“That’s definitely not it.”

“Then just fucking take my word for it! It’s not my pack, they won’t attack you even if you kill me—”

Jungkook cuts him off at that point, gently grabbing the omega’s hand. “Jimin, if I had any intentions of killing you, I would have done it a long time ago. But you and I both know that your word has no weight here and I can’t do anything about it. Even if I believed you myself.”

“But do you?”

“I do.”

There’s something broken in Jimin’s gaze, something so vulnerable it makes Jungkook’s heart ache a little too, but he sees no lies. Even if the blonde hasn’t given him any reason to believe his words, even if they’re just strangers who fight all the time, Jungkook sees no lies, hears no lies.

So, he believes Jimin.

The hold he has on the omega’s hand tightens a little but for the first time, Jimin doesn’t pull away. For the first time, he doesn’t show disdain on his face when Jungkook touches him, doesn’t argue back or mock him.

And it feels good like this, Jungkook thinks. Almost comforting.

The way they hold hands now, tightly but still almost carefully, makes him wonder if it’s what they were made for.

For simply holding hands, while the world around them falls apart.

And as he looks at their intertwined fingers before gazing back into Jimin’s heterochromic eyes, the warmth in them doesn’t disappear and the universe has never looked more calling.

“See?” Jungkook breaks the silence after a moment. “Peace isn’t that bad either, now is it?”

Jimin lets out a breathy laugh as he finally pulls his hand back, the twinkling in his eyes turning teasing. “I think you’re getting ahead of yourself again, puppy.”

“Am I?” the alpha just smiles.

Jimin only answers him with a small smile that doesn’t reach his eyes but doesn’t seem quite fake either. And Jungkook thinks that’s more than enough.

They don’t talk about Jimin’s pack after that.

The day goes on as any other before it—Jungkook stays, Jimin busies himself with the little tasks Jiwoo has left him and when the night comes, the infirmary is filled by the scent of honeysuckles, slowly mixing with the scent of cedarwood and jasmine.

Two days later, Jungkook hears Jimin laugh for the first time.

It’s not the bitter, humorless snort he has heard before, or the sad, breathy chuckle Jimin offers him most of the time—no, this is loud, bright and happy laughter that could make flowers grow and melt the coldest of hearts in a blink of an eye.

This is what joy sounds like.

He’s so taken aback by the sight of Jimin laughing, the smile on the omega’s face so wide and happy, the twinkle in his eyes so bright and warm—unlike anything he’s seen before—that Jungkook can only stand and watch for a good minute, frozen by the infirmary door.

The air is filled by the scent of honeysuckles, strawberries and tangerines and then milk, milk and milk. Pups, Jungkook’s brain supplies. The scent of milk equals pups. Strawberries mean Taehyung and tangerines mean…

“Hoseok-hyung? What are you doing here?”

The said beta turns to Jungkook, seeming a little surprised, before a wide smile breaks on his face. Hoseok looks like he’s just about to answer but before he can, Jungkook takes in the rest of the picture in front of him and asks:

“No, let me rephrase that whole question. What is going on here?”

There are five pups, sitting in a small circle on the floor, all under the age of five, it seems. There are books and toys scattered all over the place too and Jungkook wrinkles his nose, knowing very well that Jiwoo won’t be happy to see this.

Taehyung is sitting on the floor with Hoseok, one cub on his lap, and Jimin’s sitting on his bed with an amused smile playing on his lips.

“I brought the kids over to help me cheer up Chim”, Taehyung is the first one to offer an explanation. “It’s working.”

Jimin laughs again and Jungkook’s heart does a funny thing.

“And I was free, so I asked if I could tag along”, Hoseok then continues. “If I had known that mountain wolves are such cuties, I would have come earlier.”

Honestly, Hoseok is the only person who can say that so casually. And Jungkook’s thankful to the beta for that because it brings another smile on Jimin’s face, so wide that it makes the omega’s eyes turn into crescent moons.

“Am I not cute enough for you?” Taehyung whines, mock offended. The pups start whining for attention too and Jungkook snorts, watching as Hoseok tries to give everyone an equal amount of love. (He keeps the fact that most of Hoseok’s love belongs to Taehyung to himself not to upset any of the pups.)

While his friends continue their pointless arguments, Jungkook sits down on the bed he regularly occupies, not quite able to stop himself from glancing at Jimin every other second.

The blonde omega looks healthy today. The color is back on his cheeks and it looks like the bandages have been finally removed, at least from everywhere else but maybe the deepest wounds on his back. It also seems like the pups truly do cheer him up, because Jimin never stops smiling, not even when he glances at Jungkook and notices the alpha staring.

Seeing that, Jungkook can’t even get mad at Taehyung for bringing pups to the infirmary. He’s pretty sure that none of the parents will be happy to smell Jimin’s scent on their kids and hopes that Taehyung has the brains to scent them before sending them off. They don’t want to start any trouble—not when Jimin is so close to being able to leave home.

Or well. Wherever he’s heading next.

And that reminds Jungkook that he had something important to talk with Jimin.

He reaches over to weakly poke at Jimin’s shoulder, searching for the omega’s attention again. When heterochromic eyes turn to him, Jungkook smiles weakly, hoping that the tension that is slowly returning to him doesn’t show on his face and scare Jimin.

“Can I talk with you? In private, I mean.”

The smile is gone in a second, replaced by a worried frown and Jungkook feels like the whole atmosphere deflates even though no one else is even paying attention to them.

“Is it… about my pack again?” Jimin asks back, tone hushed.

Jungkook only grimaces, sure that it’s far more than enough to answer the omega’s question. He then nods towards the kitchen and gets up, hoping that Jimin will follow without him needing to drag the omega with him.

Taehyung sends them a questioning look but luckily doesn’t make a loud fuss about it and so, Jungkook and Jimin manage to slip away without any of the kids noticing. Still, the brunette alpha can’t help but think that it might’ve been better to wait until the pups leave—he’s aware that this might end up with another argument and those are never pleasant to witness.

“So”, Jimin starts once they’re in the kitchen, his body tense and the space between them seems suddenly too big. In reality, it’s just a few steps Jungkook could overcome easily.

“What is it?”

“This morning, one patrol picked up a mountain wolf’s scent again, this time a little too close for comfort”, Jungkook tells, tone tight. “No one had stepped over the border, no, but I think people are starting to get scared that it might not take long for that to happen. I know you said that it’s not your pack but—”

“There are two other mountain wolfpacks living in this area; has the chance of the wolves being from those packs even crossed your mind? My pack isn’t even the one closest to yours.”

“I think that in this situation, it’s pretty normal for us to suspect your pack first.”

Jimin narrows his eyes at him and Jungkook’s expecting the omega to start spitting accusations any moment now. But to his surprise—and relief—Jimin just takes in a deep breath and continues in a calm tone.

“You have to let me smell the scent. I can naturally tell mountain wolfpacks apart, so I could tell you if it’s my pack or not.”

“I can’t let you out of this house—”

“Say that I’m ready to go”, Jimin interrupts him once again. “Tell your pack-leader I’m ready to go back home and take me to the border.”

Ready to go? the wolf within Jungkook stirs at that and a wave of something uncomfortable washes over him.

If he had to name it, he’d call it reluctance. But towards what, Jungkook isn’t sure.

“Jimin…”

The blonde omega raises his hand, telling Jungkook to let him continue. “You want a confirmation? Then tell that I’m ready to go and take me to the border where your pack picked up a mountain wolf’s scent. I’ll tell you whether it’s my pack or not—if it’s not, then it’s not my problem and I can leave wherever I want to.”

“And if it is?” the alpha enquires.

Jimin bites his lip, something dark flashing over his soft features. “Then I’ll head back home, to the mountains. I’ll go back to my pack, like you asked me to.”

No.

That’s the first thing that comes into Jungkook’s mind after Jimin goes quiet.

Just no.

He should be happy and support the blonde’s decision, Jungkook knows he should be fucking ecstatic because finally Jimin is ready to do what he’s been asking for all along—but instead of relief or joy, it’s the feeling of reluctance that grows within him.

The reluctance to let Jimin go.

“You – are you sure you’re—”

Jimin’s eyes flash in annoyance and his scent spikes up, rendering Jungkook silent.

“If you start fucking second guessing now, I swear I’ll—”

The omega doesn’t finish his threat for some reason; he just shakes his head in disbelief and turns to leave. “Hurry up and go to your head-alpha. I’d rather go before the storm starts.”

Jungkook glances out of the kitchen window and up to the sky, that is slowly filling with dark, grey clouds. He knows that tomorrow, there will be nothing but white to see.

The winter has finally arrived.

“If there’s going to be a storm, you can’t go today. You shouldn’t go today.”

He blurts out the words before he can stop himself and Jimin freezes in his tracks. Jungkook can imagine the surprise on the blonde’s face and swallows nervously—it’s hard to read Jimin even when he’s staring straight into his eyes, but with the omega’s back turned to him? Yeah, it’s impossible.

“Puppy—”

“No, listen”, Jungkook tries to reason, all the while also trying not to choke on his own words. It feels like his wolf is just feeding him with the exact things he shouldn’t say, and he can’t stop it—doesn’t even know if he truly wants to stop it.

The brunette alpha takes the few steps between him and Jimin, and carefully reaches over to wrap his fingers around Jimin’s arm.

“I already said this before, but I don’t know what’s going on with you and your pack. However, I know you don’t want to go back. I can see that you don’t want to go back. And I – I can’t force you to do that to yourself.”

Jimin spins around so fast Jungkook has no time to properly react and step back, and suddenly they’re pressed chest to chest, Jimin’s face so close to his that he can feel the other’s sugary breath on his lips. The scent of honeysuckles is so strong around him that Jungkook can’t even breathe, too afraid to let his wolf have a taste of the sweetness in front of him.

“What the fuck are you saying?” Jimin hisses, his hand coming to grip Jungkook’s. The other’s blunt nails dig through his shirt, but the alpha only welcomes the pain as a distraction from Jimin’s overpowering scent and the warm body against his.

“Have you lost your fucking mind, alpha? You’re talking from your heart, not your brain. Don’t get your fucking emotions into this—I don’t give a flying fuck about your feelings so don’t you dare, don’t you fucking dare to care about mine either. Do not even think about putting me ahead of your pack.”

“I—”

“Jungkook. Don’t.”

The anger in Jimin’s tone fades away just like that, replaced by something so heavy and desperate Jungkook can feel it in the air. And the fact that Jimin is, for the first fucking time, using Jungkook’s name only makes his words weight more.

Slowly, the omega releases his hold on Jungkook’s arm and pushes away. Jungkook wants to pull him right back, the need in him almost primal.

“Go to your head-alpha and tell her I’m ready to go”, Jimin says again. “Everyone has to return home at some point, after all.”

Jimin’s words only make Jungkook think about how the omega has never called the mountains his home until now.

He still nods though, forcing his wolf down. Jimin is right—he can’t let one moment ruin everything. He can’t let his wolf, his incredibly irrational wolf, get ahead of his human side. Not when it comes to this.

But the thing is, the more he thinks about it, he just realizes that he's pretty sure no part of him wants to go through with this.

Not like this.

But then Jimin looks at him with sad, pleading eyes and Jungkook understands that he can’t keep torturing the omega like this. He’s suffered enough already and needlessly too. Jungkook doubts Jimin did anything to deserve this.

It’s now, when he stares into Jimin’s glimmering eyes, that he understands his pack-leader’s words. The innocent must pay the price.

So, with a heavy heart, Jungkook goes.

With no other words shared between him and the mountain wolf who completely wrecked his world, Jungkook leaves to do as asked.

It’s time to tell the head-alpha that Jimin is ready to go.

He returns with Namjoon and Jaebum, the two older alphas having been ordered to accompany him and the mountain wolf to the borders. They’re chatting about something lighthearted and Jungkook wishes he could join in, but he can’t shake off the nauseating feeling sitting in his stomach, the weight on his chest.

He can’t get his wolf to stop crying, either.

They’re already quite close to the infirmary when suddenly, the wind turns and brings a weird scent to all their noses. Jungkook is the first one to recognize it and he can’t quite stop the cry that escapes his mouth.

It’s the scent of iron, mixed with sweet, sweet honeysuckles.

Chapter Text

Jimin didn’t mean to touch the little girl.

He knows he shouldn’t have allowed Taehyung to convince him to come outside. “Just outside the infirmary, nothing more. You’ll get some fresh air while Hoseok and I scent the pups”, the silver-haired omega had said with a smile. Jimin—stupidly—agreed.

And he knows that he shouldn’t have stood anywhere near the pup, let alone touched her, but he moved completely out of reflex. She fell, he was the closest, so of course he offered the pup a hand without thinking.

He didn’t think that the forest wolves truly believe that he would hurt a child, that mountain wolves would go that low. But he was being foolish, once again, trusting their judgement.

The shock of suddenly being pinned down against the ground, an angry alpha growling at his face, fades away quickly. He should have seen this coming.

And maybe Jimin didn’t mean to touch the girl but he won’t just let some fucking alpha step on him.

A growl pushes its way out of his throat, low and threatening, and the unknown alpha on him growls back even louder, nails digging into Jimin’s shoulders. The blonde omega can see, from the crimson eyes staring into his own, that the man is seconds away from turning. He can feel it from how tense the other’s body is, how his bones are already beginning to bend and turn shape, and Jimin’s anger makes quickly way to horror.

He knows that he can’t defeat a fully-grown alpha in his state. Maybe his wounds have almost completely healed, but Jimin is unfamiliar with the forest wolves’ fighting styles and strength. He doesn’t think he has enough strength in his muscles right now to even properly wound the alpha.

Jimin is a little too slow to react and it becomes a blur of dark brown fur, black nails and sharp, white teeth after that.

As soon as he feels the nails break skin, pain searing through his system, Jimin kicks out his legs and tries to push the alpha off him with a surprised yelp. He attempts to shift forms too, rising onto his knees for a better position, but Jimin makes the mistake of exposing his wounded back which the alpha, and his newly required partner, aren’t afraid to take advantage of.

He thinks he hears Taehyung scream his name in panic and absently, while struggling to hold his own against the two alphas, Jimin wonders what’s going to happen to the other omega if he continues to fight back.

To Taehyung, who allowed him to step outside.

And he wonders what’s going to happen to Jungkook if he injures one of the alpha’s packmates.

To Jungkook, who brought him here.

Will he be punished because of what I did?

Jimin freezes and the wolf within him dies a little more. For some reason, the thought rips a hole in his heart.

His struggling ceases and in mere seconds, he’s manhandled on the ground again, one wolf pressing him down, heavy paws resting against his bleeding back—Jimin at least thinks he’s bleeding, it hurts and feels warm, and it smells like iron in the air—and the other has its jaw locked around his neck, ready to bite.

Ready to kill.

Silence falls and all Jimin can hear, is his own heavy breathing, the alphas angry huffs and silent sniffling. It’s hard to look around with teeth digging into his neck, but he can move enough to see Taehyung on the ground a few meters away from him. The beta, Hoseok, seems to be holding the silver head in place. The mountain wolf is thankful for that—no one else needs to get hurt today.

But Taehyung is crying. Jimin can’t help but wonder if the tears are for him. He hopes they’re aren’t. It would be the best for all of them if Taehyung didn’t cry for him.

Suddenly he hears heavy footsteps and the smell of iron is overpowered by another scent—the scent of cedarwood and spices, heavy and angry in the air. Involuntarily, Jimin’s tense body relaxes a little and he dares to let out a small sound of discomfort. He knows Jungkook can hear him.

“What the fuck are you guys doing?”

That’s not Jungkook’s voice, however. It’s much deeper, much more powerful too, and the wolves pressed on his back flinch. Jimin’s first thought is ‘it’s the pack-leader’ but when he looks up, as much as he can, he meets the gaze of a fairly young-looking man. His eyes are a shade of warm amber, the same as Jimin’s other eye.

“What is going on?” The man’s sharp eyes move from Jimin to quickly scan the situation, waiting for someone to speak. No one does, and the alphas on him don’t move away.

“Someone better speak up. Right. Now.”

The next words come out as a growl, demanding and strong, and all wolves, alphas, betas and omegas alike, look away. Whoever the man is, he has power.

Finally, Hoseok speaks up. “Jim—I mean, the m-mountain wolf was outside and—”

“Why was he outside?” this time it’s Jungkook who speaks, venom dripping from his voice and Jimin flinches at that, his wolf whimpering within him. Is the alpha angry at him?

He turns his mismatching eyes on the brunette alpha for the first time, his wolf bleeding for attention, and finds Jungkook already looking at him.

The alpha looks absolutely livid.

Jimin has seen the gold of Jungkook’s eyes before, but not like this. Not this cold, this angry and upset. And his scent is so different too—it’s spicy enough for him to taste it on his tongue, the scent of cedarwood too heavy, too thick in the air, making everyone around him uncomfortable.

And yet, Jimin’s wolf swallows it up like a starving man.

The whimper that escapes him practically claws its way out of his throat, an upset, high-pitched sound, just to get Jungkook’s attention. Just to plead him not to be angry. He hates himself as soon as he lets the whimper out, but it does work in a way. Jungkook’s attention is on him, but he just becomes angrier, body tense and eyes aflame.

“Get the fuck off him”, Jungkook spits out, golden eyes burning holes on the alphas on top of Jimin’s much smaller form. “Get off him before I rip you off.”

“Jungkook”, the other alpha says, but Jungkook only shakes his head and steps forward, challenging.

“No hyung, they’re ruining everything. He had just healed and they, they fucking—”

Jungkook sounds so upset that Jimin wants to laugh. Instead he lets out another high-pitched, distressed sound muffled against the ground. He feels like he’s drowning in Jungkook’s scent, but still needs him to get closer and cover him in the scent of cedarwood and jasmine, to make the stink of the alphas on him disappear.

His distress seems to truly affect Jungkook’s train of thought too as the alpha stops talking mid-sentence, only to start growling again a second later.

“Get off him, get the fuck off him right now.”

The brunette alpha is seconds away from going feral. Jimin doesn’t have it in him to tell Jungkook to stop and control his wolf—to stop growling at his own packmates because of him. To stop putting Jimin ahead of his own.

Because they hate each other, don’t they? Jimin made sure of that, tried to, at least.

Jungkook can’t just throw it all away like this.

“Do as he said”, the older man next to Jungkook sighs and finally, although begrudgingly, the wolves on him move away.

As soon as they’re gone, Jimin takes in a sharp breath and groans, hands soothing up to his warm back. When he pulls one back and looks at it, he sees red. Fuck, the omega thinks, writhing on the ground as realization and pain slowly dawn on him. Fuck, fuck, fuck, this wasn’t supposed to happen.

He was supposed to leave today, back to the mountains or towards unknown—either way, Jimin was supposed to leave. He was supposed to get out.

Both Jungkook and Taehyung are by his side in a blink of an eye but as soon as the silver-haired omega tries to lay a hand on Jimin, Jungkook growls at him. It surprises them all, perhaps the alpha himself the most, but he doesn’t apologize, doesn’t let Taehyung touch Jimin.

“Get Jiwoo”, the brunette says instead, pulling Jimin towards himself as gently as he can, trying not to touch the opened wounds. When Taehyung doesn’t move, still too shocked to have Jungkook growl at him like that, like he was really fucking about to hurt him, Jimin swats him weakly on the arm.

“Not your fault”, he slurs out, the pain starting to slowly be replaced by paralyzing sleepiness. “Don’t cry for me.”

His words only make more tears run down Taehyung’s cheeks. “Jimin—”

“Taehyung. Get Jiwoo, now”, Jungkook cuts the silver head off, arms around Jimin’s body tightening their hold before he’s lifted up from the ground. He doesn’t see Taehyung leave, can’t focus on anything but Jungkook’s warmth anymore, but he hears the distant sounds of footsteps. Otherwise, it’s silent around them.

 “And you”, the brunette’s words are now directed at Jimin, his golden eyes vivid even through the haze of pain. “Don’t you fucking fall asleep now. Don’t you fucking dare.”

Now Jimin smiles, somewhat amused. But he wishes he could cry and Jungkook sounds sad, too.

He brings his bloodied hand up to touch Jungkook’s cheek, leaving red fingerprints on sun-kissed skin. He’s never realized how much paler he is against the forest wolves until now.

“Stupid alpha”, Jimin then mumbles, head lolling against the other’s warm chest. “Don’t boss me around.”

The omega knows he shouldn’t let himself fall asleep because the possibility of never waking up again is big, but Jimin has never really valued his own life. Not that much, anyway. Even if the wounds can’t possibly be as bad as they were when he and his grandmother were attacked, Jimin could still die. He’s lost too much blood already.

They should just let it happen, he thinks, pressing a little closer against the warmth next to him. It would be for the best.

And that’s why Jimin isn’t afraid to surrender to darkness when it comes back calling for him. He knew it would end like this no matter what.

But he fails to hear Jungkook’s frantic voice, calling his name, telling Jimin to stay.

Apparently, there are three ways to react to a situation like this—cry your eyes out, act indifferent or threaten to rip everyone’s head off. At least, that’s what Seokjin learns when he finally manages to come to the infirmary.

The first thing he sees, is a sobbing Taehyung, an indifferent Yoongi and then a livid Jungkook. Somewhere in the sidelines, there’s Jiwoo mumbling incoherent curses and Namjoon stands in the middle of it all, looking a little lost.

He doesn’t know exactly what happened, just heard that both Jungkook, his idiot little brother, and Namjoon, his idiot mate—well, future mate at least—did something… well, idiotic. And unfortunately, it involves the mountain wolf too.

The poor little thing lying on a bloodied bed, breathing shallow and scent almost as weak as the day he arrived.

Seokjin gives the boy a pitying look and sighs heavily. Then, with determination, he slams the door close behind him and that seems to snap everyone back to reality.

“Alright you idiots”, he growls. “Care to explain what the hell is going on?”

Namjoon’s eyes snaps to him right away and Seokjin can feel his wolf preen at the attention, nearly smiling when he notices how the alpha’s gaze softens—but then Jungkook’s panicked, golden eyes land on him and Seokjin is on alert right away. It’s not very often he sees his little brother like this.

He hates it.

The last time he saw Jungkook this upset must’ve been when he begged Seokjin to allow him to bury the mountain wolf’s companion in their family grave. And before that, he can’t even remember.

Must’ve been around the time they lost their parents.

“Well”, Yoongi says with a shrug. “The mountain wolf got hurt—”

“I can see that”, Seokjin hisses. Does the alpha think he’s an idiot?

“—and Jungkook here”, the black-haired alpha continues with a pointed glare. “Didn’t take it so well.”

“How do you expect me to take it well when Jimin got hurt for no reason? He was supposed to leave today and those two, those fucking assholes just – they just ruined everything!” Jungkook argues right back and Seokjin winces at the rage he hears in his brother’s tone.

He’s never seen Jungkook this mad. And to think it’s all because of a mountain wolf, an omega the other barely knows.

“The mountain wolf shouldn’t have been outside”, Yoongi snarls, standing straighter. He might not be tall, falling shorter than both Seokjin and Taehyung who are omegas, but his cold glare and overwhelming presence have always made up for it. He could take down the younger alpha easily despite their difference in muscle mass.

But Jungkook doesn’t back down.

“He would have been outside soon anyway. And don’t you think it’s plain cruel to just keep him inside four walls from day to another? That’s inhuman and we—”

“We are not human.”

“And he was suffering. He still is”, Jungkook growls, the sound coming from somewhere deep, deep within him. It scares Seokjin.

“Don’t think we’re not aware of the fact that you took him out a couple of times. Have you become soft for the mountain wolf, alpha Jeon?” Yoongi’s tone is mocking and Seokjin feels more than a little suffocated in the house that is filled by so many hostile scents. Then there’s the sobbing omega, a nervous healer and a dying omega—not good.

“He’s an enemy”, the black-haired alpha goes on. “Mountain wolves are our enemies; you can’t just forget that. You were aware of the risks when you took him in and now you just have to face responsibility—”

“Hold on”, Seokjin steps in. “Jungkook isn’t at fault here. He didn’t do anything, now did he?”

“Other than publicly make clear on whose side he is?” Yoongi raises an unimpressed brow at him. “No, I guess not. Oh, by the way, it’s not our side he picked.”

The eldest omega snaps his gaze at his brother, sadness seeping into his eyes. “Jungkook…”

Seokjin warned him, warned him not to get too fond. Because the omega was never there to stay.

The cedarwood scent in the air falters and Jungkook looks away. “I couldn’t just – hyung, it wasn’t right. Jimin didn’t do anything wrong, and I just – if the mountain wolves attack, it’s going to be my fault. And then what’s going to happen to the pack, to me? What’s going to happen to Jimin?”

The atmosphere shifts, becoming something dark and sour. Namjoon lets out a long, tired sigh and Yoongi stops bristling, becoming his indifferent self again and Seokjin feels a little like joining Taehyung’s crying.

“It’s not your fault”, he says, trying to swallow down the lump in his throat. “Kookie, please. It was never your fault. You and the mountain wolf—I mean, you and Jimin… you were both just in the wrong place in the wrong time. You have both been forced in a bad, bad situation. And I wish I could do something—”

Jungkook shakes his head. They both know there’s really nothing to be done.

“—and I wish you weren’t so kind, Kookie. But you must know, that if the pack ever turns against you and you’re – well, banished, I’m not going to let you go alone.”

Namjoon looks at him with eyes full of sadness and hurt but Seokjin can’t bear to look back. He knows that he practically declared that he’d pick Jungkook over his own mate but it’s his brother they’re talking about.

Seokjin has lost half of his family already, like hell he’s going to let his idiot baby brother go anywhere alone. And Namjoon knows that.

“Don’t”, Jungkook shakes his head again. “Don’t say that, hyung. Your place is here.”

“So is yours, Jungkook”, Namjoon, Seokjin and even Yoongi, say at the same time. But the look in Jungkook’s eyes is full of distrust.

“And I understand why you’re upset, but you have to be more careful, okay?” Namjoon continues, taking brave steps forward until he’s standing by the younger alpha’s side, a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Although personally, I’m happy that you’ve overcome the prejudices we have against mountain wolves and befriended one, the pack doesn’t see him like you do. To everyone else, he is an enemy.”

The dimpled-alpha hushes Jungkook when it seems like he’s about to make a protest.

“He’s an outsider, Jungkook, an outsider who caused us trouble—who could possibly start a war at our weakest moment. Everyone is tense, everyone is scared, rash decisions and acts will be made. But this is nothing we can’t fix. Right, Jiwoo?”

Everyone turns to gaze at the healer still working on treating the mountain wolf’s—no, Jimin’s—wounds. She seems almost as upset as Taehyung and Jungkook, but masks it better, although the disdain is still very visible in her eyes.

“It’ll take him long to heal”, she says in a serious tone, eyes glued on the small omega’s trembling form. “His body wasn’t completely healed yet and there are new wounds to be treated alongside the old ones. He’s feverish, lost too much blood, and you stupid alphas creating havoc here isn’t helping.”

Namjoon smiles sheepishly and Yoongi grunts, most likely agreeing. Jungkook’s eyes are solely focused on Jimin and Seokjin smiles as well, sad and weak.

His brother has never been good at hiding things because his eyes always revealed the truth. They do today, too.

“Taehyung, dear, why don’t you go and take a walk with Seokjin? Calm down a little. Then I would like you to go home and rest, drink some chamomile tea and hug your mother”, Jiwoo continues, sad eyes on Taehyung. The silver-haired omega has stopped sobbing at some point, but he’s still quietly sniffling and Seokjin doesn’t understand why he was forced to stay here and watch this shitshow.

Fuck, he can’t understand why they all had to go through this.

“Also, I would like everyone else but Jungkook to leave.”

Hell no, is the first thing in Seokjin’s mind after Jiwoo goes quiet. Not this again. He shakes his head rapidly at the healer, but Jiwoo ignores him completely, dark eyes turned to Jungkook now.

“He needs you here, Jungkook-ah.”

Of course, the brunette alpha doesn’t hesitate to agree. Seokjin knows that it’s more than simple kindness then.

But he doesn’t have the heart to tell Jungkook not to do it, to stay away from Jimin. Not when the smaller omega is in such a sorry state and Jungkook seems to be the only one truly willing to help.

As if on cue, the mountain wolf lets out a small, high-pitched sound of distress, jerking in sudden pain. Jungkook is by his side in a second, hushing him, coaxing him to relax with a gentle tone he doesn’t use with anyone else. It smells like cedarwood, jasmine and honeysuckles in the air.

Seokjin forces his protests and worries down his throat. There’s nothing he can do anymore.

“Taehyung-ah”, he instead calls out for the silver-haired omega. “Let’s go. I’m feeling a little hungry and I bet you haven’t eaten anything either. So c’mon, let’s go pick up your mother and head to my place for dinner.”

It’s better if they just do as Jiwoo asked and leave. Jimin is in good hands—Seokjin just hopes that his brother is in good hands, too.

“Jin”, Namjoon calls his name as they step outside, the older omega fully intending on dragging Taehyung as far away as quick as possible. He doesn’t have the energy to argue with Namjoon as well.

“Seokjin, hey. Please love, let’s talk.”

The alpha is insistent, however, and Seokjin knows he can’t just ignore him. His wolf would never allow it. So, he tells Taehyung to go ahead and spins around, coming face to face with an upset looking alpha. He hates the fact that he has been forced to see both Namjoon and Jungkook look like this today, the two people he’d die for without hesitation.

“Can we talk later? I have to take care of Taehyung right now. And you should go and tell your mother what’s going on.”

Namjoon winces, feeling guilty when he notices the exhaustion on Seokjin’s face. “She already knows, I sent Jaebum and Hoseok to speak with her. We’re still figuring out what to do next but I just… I just wanted to make sure that you know that I’d come with you.”

“Joonie, you don’t have to…”

The other just cuts him off with a gentle shake of head, hand reaching to touch. Seokjin allows him.

“I want you to know, that I would pick you, Jin. Over everyone, over everything else.”

The omega smiles, feeling warm inside. It hurts a little less too.

“Namjoon, I knew that already. Now, stop being a sap and go back to work.” He reaches over to pinch the alpha’s cheek, grinning when Namjoon makes a face at him.

“I love you”, the alpha calls after him when Seokjin gets on the move again.

“I love you too”, he laughs, sending Namjoon a blow kiss. He laughs a little louder when the alpha shamelessly sends one back.

Seokjin knows that this is love—the best kind of love, one that keeps him going and makes his days brighter, a little warmer and always a little better.

The omega can’t help but wonder if the look in Jungkook’s eyes, if the way he behaves with Jimin, could someday too, become this. If someday they could just laugh it off and hold hands without a fear.

He thinks that would, perhaps, make Jungkook finally happy too.

Jimin wakes up feeling warm and confused.

His whole body aches, pain thrumming in his system, and it’s a little too hot for comfort. With a groan, the blonde omega rolls on his side, trying his hardest not to but too much pressure on his wounds and crashes into something heavy and warm.

There’s a low sound, then some uncertain movement and the scent of cedarwood is stronger than ever before.

He blinks his mismatching eyes open, suddenly a little nervous. With a quick scan of his surroundings, Jimin comes to realize that he’s still in the infirmary, now upstairs in one of the private rooms Jiwoo has. There are only a couple of candles lighting up the room and it smells like herbs and cedarwood. The undertone of jasmine is very subtle.

He’s on a bed, like he suspected, dressed in only an oversized shirt. He’d complain, honestly, but then he notices the bandages wrapped around his thighs and goes completely still for a moment. Jimin hadn’t even realized he received injuries there too.

There’s another shift on the bed and he feels something rather rough rub against his bare skin, gaze quickly moving on the dark-furred wolf lying next to him.

“Y-you…” Jimin breathes out rather nervously—but then the wolf turns its golden eyes on him, cedarwood scent flaring in the air, and his fear fades.

“Jungkook?”

The alpha is bigger than he remembered, but Jimin does recognize the fur that is a mixture of all kinds of brown, sharp but surprisingly warm golden eyes, the presence he’s grown to accept. And the small, low sound the wolf lets out, is also familiar.

He’s silent as Jungkook presses closer to him, snapping his jaw weakly when Jimin attempts to move. It’s an obvious warning to stay put and he freezes, barely breathing when the large wolf settles back down next to him before huffing and turning his head away.

Jimin can hear his own, rapid heartbeat in his ears and swallows. Jungkook’s scent is like a cloud of warmth on him and his wolf baths in it, joyous. It’s been a while since it was this lively and Jimin knows it’s his fault.

His fault for trying to keep Jungkook away.

Now it has all just backfired because the alpha is stubborn and Jimin’s wolf is starved from contact, greedily drinking it all up now that it has the chance. The human side of him can’t even control it, as he leans closer, hesitating a few seconds before pressing himself against Jungkook’s warm body.

The alpha grunts but doesn’t move away. Jimin’s wolf preens, taking the other’s reaction as a positive sign, and he releases a trembling sigh. Jungkook’s scent is making him crazy.

The tension in his muscles fades away quickly and the pain too, becomes nothing but hot pulsing under his skin, something Jimin can handle. He’s sure it’s because of the calming pheromones Jungkook is releasing and feels thankful, although he doesn’t voice it out.

Jimin doesn’t know how much time passes with him pressed against the alpha like this, but he’s sure he fell asleep at some point. When he moves to lie on his stomach some moments later, perhaps hours, with a pained sigh, Jungkook crowds his space right away.

“’m fine”, the omega mutters, pushing the wolf’s head away from his face. It takes a good while for the alpha to settle down again, still pressed right against Jimin like a protective barrier. He can’t quite understand what’s going on, what changed, because just hours ago—at least he thinks it was hours ago—he and Jungkook had been at each other’s throats like usual.

“What’s gone into you?” Jimin asks despite knowing that he won’t get an answer. It’s not like he understands the grunts and growls Jungkook lets out in this form.

“He’s worried about you, little one. You were unconscious for two days”, a familiar, gentle voice cuts in and Jimin makes a small sound, trying to look up. Over Jungkook’s large form, he can barely see Jiwoo standing by the door.

The healer just laughs as Jungkook growls when she comes closer. “Down boy, okay? I’m just here to change Jimin’s bandages and give him some water. I’ll leave you two alone then, no need to look at me like that.”

If Jimin had the energy, he’d scold Jungkook. The alpha is being stupid.

Jiwoo works fast, like always, cleaning Jimin’s wounds and adding some soothing ointment on his burning skin before wrapping them all into new bandages. He tries his best to stay quiet the whole time but can’t help the occasional whimpers and whines of pain. The whole time Jungkook paces around the room anxiously.

“If you’re wondering why he’s in his wolf form, then it’s because I told him so. His wolf is wiser than his human side, honestly”, Jiwoo rolls her eyes, fondly glancing at the young alpha. “It knows what it needs to do to make you feel better.”

“I don’t—” Jimin starts but cuts himself off when he glances at Jungkook. The brown wolf has stopped pacing, dark golden eyes watching him intensely. It makes the omega feel bad for questioning the alpha’s care and protection.

“I don’t know why he’s doing all this.”

Jiwoo gives him a funny look, finished with her work. Jimin is allowed to slip the shirt back on and absently, he picks Taehyung’s scent on it. The silver head must’ve been there too.

“Why he’s doing all this?” the beta chuckles, shaking her head. He and Jungkook must amuse her a lot since she does that all the time with them.

As soon as she moves away, Jungkook jumps back on the bed, moving to rest next to Jimin. The omega doesn’t flinch back anymore when the alpha’s warm body presses against him.

“Well, little one, have you ever considered that maybe he cares?”

No, Jimin almost answers, but he knows that’s a lie. He also knows for a fact that Jungkook cares—he cares too much. One of the reasons he was so adamant on keeping the alpha at an arm’s length.

“You’re still figuring things out, I see”, Jiwoo says with a soft grin. “That’s fine. It’s not like you’re going anywhere anytime soon, not with you back at the starting point.”

Jimin, who had been ready to fall back asleep again, perks up at that. “You’re seriously going to keep me here…?”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure yet. The pack-leader hasn’t spoken about it, but I think that yes, you’re staying here, little one. For now, at least.”

She then glances at Jungkook’s bigger form and smiles. “I doubt Jungkook will let you go until you’re completely healed. So, rest a lot, Jimin-ah, and please, do something to ease our Jungkook’s agitation, too.”

The blonde omega only hums, eyes closed. Whatever drugs Jiwoo had put in the water she made him drink are making him sleepy and he doesn’t even notice when the healer leaves.

Jimin keeps his eyes closed but doesn’t quite fall asleep, listening to the small sounds around him. The candles pop occasionally and there are distant sounds coming from outside the room, outside the house, but none that Jimin can really make sense of. Jungkook’s breathing is the loudest sound alongside his own and slowly, the omega opens his eyes.

The wolf next to him isn’t paying attention on him, head turned towards the only window in the room. His ears move, back and forth, and Jimin wonders if something’s going on, involving him—them. Since at this moment, it’s pretty hard to separate them because they’re a mess.

Or, Jimin is a mess and he ended up dragging Jungkook right into it.

He's causing trouble, like always, and everyone around him must pay the price.

The thought makes his stomach churn and his eyes fill with tears, the sudden need to cry almost choking him. Jungkook senses his distress right away and his head whips around, worried golden eyes trying to search for the cause of Jimin’s pain.

If the alpha only knew that it’s him—he is the one making everything so fucking hard.

Not quite knowing what’s wrong or what to do, the alpha lets out a distressed sound of his own before leaning closer, wet nose pressing against Jimin’s forehead.

It’s that, the pathetic attempt of trying to comfort him, that finally breaks the dam.

Jimin breaks into broken sobs that make his entire body tremble and ache, tears running down his cheeks like rivers run down the mountains.

“I’m sorry”, the blonde omega sobs, pressing his small hands against his own face, trying to hide the ugly tears. “I’m sorry, Jungkook – I didn’t mean to hurt you or Taehyung, please don’t tell me they hurt you because of me, please don’t—”

The wolf nudges his hand, trying to get Jimin to remove them but he doesn’t. He just shakes his head rapidly, his sobs quickly turning into pained whimpers filled with heartbreak. Jungkook lets out a long, low whine when Jimin’s tears show no signs of drying.

“D-don’t fight for me, Jungkook”, Jimin sniffles, sad mismatching eyes peeking at the golden ones through his fingers. “Please don’t.” I’m not worth it. Not someone like me.

Jungkook only continues to stare at him and Jimin thinks the sadness in his golden orbs mirror his own perfectly. He can’t bear to see it, so he closes his eyes and lets the tears fall.

Suddenly, the bed dips and the warmth next to him disappears. The blonde can feel something in him break a little more, his wolf howling unhappily when they’re suddenly left alone, in a state like this no less, but a much more rational side of Jimin knows that it’s okay. That it’s better if Jungkook leaves.

A few minutes pass with Jimin’s slowly subsiding sobs drowning out every other noise. That’s why he almost has a heart attack when just as suddenly as Jungkook had left, he returns. But instead of rough fur pressing against him, Jimin feels the soft material of clothes and hears Jungkook sigh.

This time, when the alpha reaches to pry Jimin’s hands off his face, warm skin against cold skin, the omega lets it happen.

“Don’t cry”, Jungkook says, holding Jimin’s smaller hands in his bigger ones tightly. “I hate it, so please don’t cry.”

He wants to retort it with a snarky comment like he usually does, wants to tell the alpha to leave because Jimin doesn’t want to give his wolf any false hope—can’t give Jungkook’s wolf any false hope. But he knows, when he looks into Jungkook’s warm chocolate brown eyes, taking in the worry in them, that this isn’t only about their wolves.

Jimin wants to scream. Instead, he holds onto Jungkook’s hands a little tighter.

The tears dry on their own.

“Good”, the alpha mumbles. “Good omega.” Jimin hates to admit how the praise makes the hurt in him ease a little.

A moment later the other has settled down next to him, much like he did in his wolf form, and maybe that’s why Jimin doesn’t freak out. Maybe because he let Jungkook’s wolf do it too, he lets the man now wrap his arms around him, lets himself rest against the other’s warm chest and breathe in his cedarwood scent.

It doesn’t feel wrong.

Jimin wishes it did.

“So, the mountain wolf… I don’t think I ever quite caught his name.”

“He told alpha Jeon that his name is Jimin.”

“Just Jimin?”

“Just Jimin.”

The alpha hums, a thoughtful look crossing her face. “And he’s an omega, if I’m correct?”

Jiwoo nods slowly, curious eyes watching the tall woman standing by the window. “Yes, that’s right. But why are you asking? I thought you put your son in charge of this issue.”

The woman just shakes her head before turning her warm, amber eyes on the beta. “No particular reason, Jiwoo dear”, Kim Chaerin says, playing with the old leather bracelet around her wrist. “His scent just reminded me of someone I haven’t seen in a long, long time.”

“May I ask who?”

“You remember my youngest brother, don’t you?”

“Of course”, Jiwoo nods. “It’s hard to forget someone like him.”

Chaerin laughs gently at that, agreeing. She then walks past Jiwoo and to the small nightstand next to her bed, reaching over for the old picture resting on it. There are three people in it, two women and one man.

“Do you know who these people are, Jiwoo-ah?” she turns to ask from the healer and the smile on her face has become almost melancholic.

“Well, the taller woman is you and the man, he’s Yoojoon, right? Your brother.” Chaerin nods and Jiwoo turns her gaze back on the picture, frowning as she takes in the pale woman standing on the man’s other side.

She’s beautiful, long platinum blonde hair dancing in the wind, a proud smile on her face. The leather bracelet in her other wrist is identical to the one Chaerin has. But what really catches Jiwoo’s attention, are her dark blue eyes that seem to hold the whole universe in them, gazing back at her with mirth.

She swears she has seen those eyes before but can’t quite place the time or place. Can’t quite think of a name or a face.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I know who she is. But she’s very beautiful.”

Chaerin’s smile turns fond. “I agree with you. Poor Yoojoon was so smitten with her”, she says and only then does Jiwoo notice the way the woman holds hands with the amber-eyed man next to her, like her whole life depended on it.

The pack-leader tilts her head towards Jiwoo, slowly setting the picture back down.

“Tell me, Jiwoo, have I ever told you the story of Park Minyoung?”

Chapter Text

“You reek of him.”

Jungkook has barely managed to set foot downstairs when Jiwoo comes to slap him on the face with a towel, telling him to take a shower. The alpha frowns. “Uh… hello to you too?”

Jiwoo wrinkles her nose and ushers him towards the bathroom. “Did you let him scent you or did you two have sex? Because you smell like you went and rolled around in the honeysuckle bushes close by. This whole house reeks of you guys and I’m the one supposed to live here.”

“No! We didn’t – we definitely didn’t—” the brunette alpha is quick to deny, cheeks aflame. Does he really smell that strongly of Jimin? He has only shared a bed with the omega, nothing more.

“Of course you didn’t”, the healer snickers behind him and Jungkook wants the ground to swallow him whole. “Your scents are getting mingled because you spend so much time together within four walls. And I’d kill you if you even tried anything when he’s still bedridden.”

“Jiwoo, I swear—”

“Shower, Jungkook, shower. Save the excuses for your brother. I’m going to go check on Jimin now, just to make sure you really kept your hands to yourself.”

The younger alpha has never felt more embarrassed.

But what Jiwoo said is true, he notices now that he actually pays attention. The infirmary smells strongly like honeysuckles and although he can’t exactly smell his own scent, he can imagine that it must be pretty potent too. It’s a good thing Jiwoo doesn’t have any other patients staying there or otherwise they would have a bigger problem.

Although Jimin’s scent is no longer out of place for him, it is to the rest of the pack and Jungkook can’t forget that. He shouldn’t forget.

He takes a quick shower like Jiwoo requested and even changes clothes. But when he stands in front of the bathroom mirror a few minutes later and just breathes, he feels wrong, feels naked and cold. It’s weird to move around without a feverish omega glued to his side.

Jungkook runs a tired hand through his hair and sighs. The last week has been exhausting, even though he’s been excused from his duties as a hunter. Jimin hasn’t yet started any kind of healing process, the fever taking a toll on him both mentally and physically. He’s practically delirious because of the heat pulsing under his skin, incapable of swallowing down much food or medicine, and there’s not a lot Jiwoo or Jungkook can do to help.

He’s been with Jimin for the whole week, all day and night by the omega’s side, but at this point it seems like his presence isn’t any more helpful. Namjoon has warned him, that if nothing changes in the next two days, he’ll have to go back to patrolling and hunting and leave Jimin completely in Jiwoo’s care. After all, he was only excused because they thought he could help the omega.

Jungkook hates the thought of leaving Jimin and then he hates himself a little more for thinking so.

There’s also the fact that he doesn’t want to be around his pack right now, that is making him hesitate to return back to work. He knows some are on his side, even important people like Minseok and Jaebum, but most of the pack is still completely against Jimin and think that what happened a week ago was right.

That it was okay to hurt an innocent wolf.

Jungkook knows his pack has a reputation as one of the more hostile ones in this area. He knows that a title like that is a big source of pride for everyone and yes, he takes pride in it too. But he never knew they were this cruel.

Jiwoo says that they’re all still wolves, wolves who once lived peacefully together. Jungkook thinks they shouldn’t forget that.

With another frustrated sigh, he leaves his towel to dry by the fireplace and heads back upstairs. Jimin’s distress is clear in the air and his wolf shifts uncomfortably within him. It’s incredible how accustomed he has become to Jimin’s moods, even going as far as changing his own according to the omega. All that in just two months.

He steps inside the room in a sour mood, eyes narrowed as he watches Jiwoo try and feed something to a reluctant, barely even conscious, Jimin. When the blonde omega whimpers, trying to twist away from Jiwoo’s demanding hold, Jungkook can’t help the low growl that escapes him. Although he knows Jiwoo is only trying to help, the side of him that wants to protect Jimin is so primal he can barely control it.

The healer sets down the spoon with a sigh and shows off her empty hands to Jungkook, as if to reassure him that she isn’t doing anything. Jimin goes limp quickly after, slipping back to unconsciousness.

“You two are incredible”, Jiwoo mumbles, turning to glare at Jungkook. “Can you even imagine that a week ago you could barely spend five minutes with him in the same room?”

Not really, if the alpha is honest.

“Now you’re acting like being away from him physically hurts you. Even if it’s ten minutes.”

She’s not entirely wrong about that. Jungkook’s wolf can’t take being apart from Jimin long when it’s aware of the omega’s situation. Thankfully his human side is a little more rational, but he still admits that he would rather not leave Jimin on his own for too long.

“You feed him since you’re growling at me like that”, Jiwoo then says, getting up. “I washed him quickly and got him to drink some water, but for the love of mother nature, get some food into him as well. He can’t heal if his body isn’t nourished enough.”

“But—”

“No buts. You’re here to be useful, aren’t you? So do something useful.” The healer walks past him and gives a few encouraging pats on the alpha’s shoulder. “He prefers you anyway.”

Jungkook really doubts that but he doesn’t argue back as Jiwoo leaves, closing the door after her. For a moment, the room is only filled by the rough sound of Jimin’s breathing, drowning out Jungkook’s own. It sounds like every breath the omega takes is painful.

He makes his way to the bed and slowly sits down next to Jimin’s smaller form, his hand automatically reaching over to brush some of the damp locks off the other’s flushed face. Jiwoo might’ve washed him just minutes ago, but he’s already covered in cold sweat, the fever alarmingly high.

“Hey”, Jungkook calls out softly. He sounds a little choked, perhaps a little panicked too. “Jimin. Open your eyes.”

The omega only whines, a weak sound, and nuzzles into Jungkook’s cold hand in the search for relief.

“Jimin”, the alpha says again, frowning as he sweeps a thumb over the other’s hollow cheek. “Open your eyes for me, okay?”

Slowly, glazed heterochromic eyes open. He looks so confused it would be cute in any other situation, frowning at Jungkook with lips in a small pout. The brunette tries to offer him a friendly smile in case Jimin sees him as a threat because while he does spend almost all his time by the omega’s side, he does it in his wolf form.

There are two reasons for that. One, Jungkook’s wolf knows what it’s doing and two, that’s when Jimin truly lets his guard down.

The breakdown the omega had three days ago was obviously a mistake, a moment of weakness. Jimin hasn’t showed that side of him to Jungkook again, though the reason for that might be because he’s barely been awake to do so.

“Can you sit up?” Jungkook asks.

No answer. Of course he can’t, Jungkook thinks, he can’t even stay awake for more than five minutes. He feels stupid. If Jimin was in his right mind, he’d probably make a snarky comment at him.

For the first time, Jungkook wishes that was the case.

“Well, we have to get you to eat something. So I’m going to help you sit up and then you can lean on me, okay? I’ll help you with the food.”

He’s extremely careful, and as gentle as he can be, as he lifts Jimin up. The blonde makes small sounds of protests, even going as far as growling at Jungkook in a warning matter, but it’s not like he can do much. In a moment, he’s sitting next to the alpha, heavily leaning on him.

“A change of position”, Jungkook mumbles, grimacing as he feels the heat of Jimin’s skin clearly through his own clothes. “You must be fed up with lying on your stomach all day.”

“O-oh really?” the omega croaks out. It’s the first thing he says today, and it shows. Jimin’s usually so melodious and soft voice is rough from the lack of use, tight with pain and bitterness.

“If you can be a sarcastic ass, that means you can also eat. So, mouth open and swallow. I’ll give you water if you eat at least five spoons.”

Jimin doesn’t open his mouth when Jungkook tries to feed him and the alpha knows exactly what the reason for that is. He knows because if there’s something he and Jimin share, it’s the hate of being so heavily dependent on someone else.

“Listen”, he sighs. “I know you don’t like this – I don’t like it either, but you have to eat. You won’t get better if you don’t.”

“Maybe that’s just better”, the blonde omega answers, voice barely above a whisper. Jungkook hears it loud and clear though—the other is, after all, pressed right against his shoulder.

Jimin has the extraordinary skill of upsetting Jungkook with only a few words. There’s something incredibly ugly in the way Jimin speaks so calmly, so surely, as if he didn’t care for his own life at all. It’s all this “I don’t want to live” shit all over again.

Another thing Jungkook hates.

He wants Jimin to live and that is finally something both his human side and wolf can agree on.

“Don’t”, he growls, deep and warning. “Don’t fucking say that.”

Jimin flinches away from him so harshly he ends up falling back on the bed with a pained cry. His scent wavers in the air in a fearful matter before turning bitter with annoyance. Jungkook’s anger dissolves just like that, replaced by worry he’s too used to by now.

“Jimin, I—”

“Shut up”, the omega hisses through clenched teeth, eyes pressed tightly shut and hands gripping onto the sheets in an attempt to ground himself from the pain. He looks awfully pale, yet his cheeks are unnaturally red. The fever has spiked again.

“Jimin”, Jungkook says again despite the omega’s warning. “Open your eyes and breathe.” He wants to see Jimin’s eyes because that’s the only way he can understand his feelings even a little.

But the blonde has had enough of him for today and stubbornly keeps his eyes shut. Maybe that’s a sign that he’s getting better—yesterday there had been no fight at all.

Jungkook’s wolf disagrees, though. The omega is just being his stubborn self.

Too much pride, Jungkook muses. We all have too much pride.

He understands that he won’t get Jimin to cooperate with him enough to feed him now. So, he opts for the second best option: make sure the omega rests.

Jungkook shakes his head softly and gets up from the bed before quickly pulling his shirt off and drops it on the stool close by, other pieces of clothing quickly following it.

Then he lets his wolf free.

Jimin opens his eyes only once he feels familiar rough fur press against his skin, something wet and cool poking his cheek. Jungkook’s golden eyes stare back at him with annoyance clear in them, his nose pressed against the omega’s face.

It annoys Jimin how the worry still shines the brightest in those golden orbs.

“Stupid alpha”, he mumbles, but he doesn’t fight it when the said alpha settles down next to him. Quite the contrary, Jimin just scoots a little closer, pressing his face against the softer fur around Jungkook’s neck. The wolf lets out a snort at that—a sign of clear amusement.

Jimin ignores it and just breathes in the cedarwood scent, eyes closing even against his will. He feels hot and gross, but at least Jungkook’s scent numbs the pain a little and makes falling asleep easier.

Nightmares, however, can’t be suppressed. They’ve caught up with him again.

Jimin dreams of growls and screams, how his pain was the joy of another, dreams of red flowers blooming on white snow. He sees vivid pictures of wolves, fighting, and people, just watching, and then blue eyes, empty blue eyes staring at the sky.

In his dream, there’s a wolf on the ground, unmoving, and slowly, as its last breath gets caught in its throat, it turns. Slowly, white fur turns into pale skin and long platinum blonde hair. Her lips are already blue. One of her hands is reaching towards him, but he’s too far and she’s already gone.

Jimin is always too far.

And then the dream repeats itself, only the wolf changes. It’s his grandfather first, then a man with glowing amber eyes. Then his younger brother. Then his grandmother, followed by Taehyung and Jiwoo. And Jimin is, each time, too far away to do anything but helplessly watch as they take their last breath.

But it’s only when it’s the familiar golden eyes staring at him, terrifyingly empty, that Jimin screams.

He’s too far, too far away, and Jungkook isn’t breathing, he isn’t breathing and it’s Jimin’s fault—

Something warm touches his cheek.

“Open your eyes, Jimin. Open your eyes for me.”

He wakes up with a startled gasp, panic settling in first. His cheeks feel wet and he’s trembling like a leaf in a storm, and there are hands on his shoulders, shaking him awake gently, warm and familiar.

“Jimin, breathe.” Fuck, that’s Jungkook’s voice, that must be Jungkook’s voice. “Breathe and look at me.”

The omega blinks his eyes rapidly, trying to see through his tears and takes in shuddering breaths, the pain and exhaustion quickly coming back to him. In the dark, Jungkook’s golden eyes are warm like fire.

Relief washes over him like a tidal wave.

“J-Jungkook—”

“I’m here”, the alpha mutters, cutting him off gently. It’s as if he knew exactly what words to say. “Now breathe. Slowly in and out, Jimin, breathe. I’m not going anywhere.”

His comforting words only make the blonde omega sob a little harder and he reaches mindlessly towards him, asking to be held. Jungkook sighs but pulls Jimin closer anyway, letting the other press his face against his neck in search of his calming scent.

“Breathe”, the alpha whispers breathily, releasing calming pheromones in the air. This time, Jimin does as said, slowly in and out, mind clouded by cedarwood and spices. His trembling ceases quickly but his tears take a little longer to dry.

Jungkook is patient. He lets the omega cry against him for as long as he needs and even after Jimin’s sobbing has turned into pitiful sniffling, he doesn’t push him away. He just continues to draw calming circles on the clear skin of Jimin’s shoulder, careful not to touch any of the wounds.

The door of the room flies open and light seeps inside. Jimin whines and buries himself deeper into Jungkook’s arms, sensitive and self-conscious.

The growl the alpha lets out is his loudest one yet.

“What happened?” Jiwoo still somehow ignores it, her instinct to help overcoming even the alpha’s dominance. “I heard screaming—”

“Nothing happened”, Jungkook grumbles, arms wrapping around Jimin’s smaller form tighter. “We’re fine.”

Jiwoo’s eyes flash. “Listen kid, you might be an alpha and he might’ve chosen you as his protector, but do not think you can talk to me like that—”

“Jiwoo. Please.” His voice is a little softer now, but there’s no question about the anger hiding in his tone. “It was just a nightmare. I got this, go back to bed.”

“Is he hurt?”

They’re talking as if Jimin wasn’t even present.

“He’ll be fine.”

“Jungkook—”

“I promise, Jiwoo. But now, get out. I’m extremely close to losing it and I want you out before that happens.”

But he won’t harm Jimin and that goes without saying. Jiwoo leaves with one more concerned look thrown at the blonde, one annoyed thrown at Jungkook. Darkness surrounds them again as soon as the door closes and both Jungkook’s and Jimin’s bodies relax.

It’s only then does Jimin realize he still has his face pressed against the side of Jungkook’s neck, buried in his arms. Oh, and the alpha is shirtless.

Fuck.

He yanks away so suddenly that he almost falls over, but Jungkook is quick to steady him.

“Careful”, the brunette mumbles. Jimin only becomes more conscious of their positions like this. He’s practically on Jungkook’s lap, with only Taehyung’s old shirt and thin underwear on. Jungkook isn’t wearing anything except for the sheet hastily thrown over his lower body.

Oh god.

Jimin doesn’t know if the heat on his skin can be blamed on the fever or his embarrassment. Or worse, on something else entirely.

“Y-you—could you like—”

“What?” Jungkook doesn’t seem to get it.

“Please put on some fucking pants.”

“Oh.”

The alpha glances down and then glances at Jimin. The other is looking at everywhere else but at him and it’s both amusing and embarrassing.

“I mean, shit – sorry, I just changed forms as soon as you screamed, I didn’t – fuck, I didn’t think of—” Jungkook scrambles up and for his clothes. Jimin presses his eyes shut until the rustling of clothes stops.

“No fucking shirt?” is his first comment after glancing at the other.

“You only said pants.” A beat of silence. “And it’s not like you were complaining just a minute ago—"

“I will slaughter you.”

Jungkook chuckles before throwing on a shirt. Jimin hates to admit it, but the sound is sweet in a way, now lacking the usual anger and hesitation. The alpha seems quite comfortable with someone who just saw him naked—or well, half naked. And when that someone just sat on his lap, almost half naked himself.

“Hey”, Jungkook speaks again, the mirth in his tone disappearing. Jimin still isn’t looking at him, too embarrassed to do so, but the alpha thinks the reason for the omega’s silence is different.

“Your dream… what happened? You sounded so panicked—”

Jimin didn’t exactly expect that question to be the first one Jungkook asks from him, but he isn’t all that surprised either. He doubts waking to a screaming and panicking omega is an every day thing for the alpha.

“It’s none of your business.”

“Jimin, you were screaming my name.”

Oh no. The blonde curls into himself despite his body screaming in pain at him. Can this get any more embarrassing?

“So, I’m pretty goddamn sure it’s my business.”

The bed dips and Jungkook’s warm body is once again pressed against him. As if he wasn’t pathetic enough already, Jimin finds himself leaning towards the alpha and Jungkook, being his idiotic self, doesn’t push him away. Like he should.

“What was it about, Jimin?” the alpha asks again, this time demanding an answer. Jimin, as horrifying as it is, is half ready to bare his neck for him.

“I-I just—"

Jungkook fingers tap on his cheek impatiently and the blonde just whines quietly, wanting to both pull away from the other and please him. Anything to just ensure he isn’t angry with Jimin.

“I only want to know why you were screaming my name”, Jungkook says, most likely noticing the omega’s inner turmoil. “I just want to know if it was because…” The alpha trails off and it’s Jimin’s turn to be curious.

“Because what?”

“Because you’re still scared of me.”

It’s a funny thing for the alpha to say something like that when Jimin is pressed against him in a bed made for one, more vulnerable than he has been in years.

“I—” His first instinct is to, of course, deny it because Jimin knows better than to show his fear in front of others. But Jungkook has already seen him crying and having a panic attack, has seen him at the brink of death and still, somehow the alpha still behaves normally around.

Somehow, Jungkook is still the only one who doesn’t look at him with pity. Only expectation and curiosity.

“I am”, Jimin ends up saying, swallowing nervously. Jungkook moves to pull away from him right away, tense and maybe a little disheartened, but the omega curls his fingers gently around the alpha’s wrist, tugging him back. “It’s not like I can just forget the fact that we’re from rivaling packs, Jungkook. I can’t trust your pack because I don’t – I don’t know exactly how involved you are in this shit.”

He wishes Jungkook has nothing to do with his grandmother’s death, but Jimin has only faced hatred in the alpha’s pack, excluding few kind souls like Jiwoo and Taehyung. He can’t trust them.

“But you’re also kind”, he continues softly, now drawing circles on Jungkook’s palm. The edges of his vision are darkening. “And while we barely know each other, I… I think I know enough.”

“Enough?”

“Yeah. Enough to try.”

Jungkook turns his head towards him. His breath ghosts over Jimin’s lips. “Try what?”

“To try and not be scared. I think.” The omega shakes his head but stops quickly, grimacing. He had been so focused on Jungkook and the alpha’s presence around him, that he had already forgotten the pain throbbing in his system.

“Honestly, I-I don’t think I’m in my right mind—”

“Definitely not”, Jungkook snorts and Jimin swats him, but his hit is weak and his world tilted—he’s not even sure whether he missed the alpha or not.

“—and I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry for being so difficult, but I’ll try.”

Jimin purses his lips and searches for more words to say, for a valid reason to try. Because his own life isn’t one.

Jungkook’s hand is warm in his, golden eyes full of worry and Jimin can’t help but wonder what it would be like if this hand against his turned cold and those eyes empty.

And just like that, he finds his reason.

“That’s all I ask for”, Jungkook says. Jimin knows the alpha will eventually ask for more, they always do, but for now he puts his faith in him. He doesn’t have much of a choice anyway.

They settle back down on the bed a few moments later. Jimin doesn’t ask for Jungkook to change forms and the alpha makes no indication of doing so. The blonde omega falls asleep with his head resting against a warm chest, a strong heartbeat under his ear. The pain feels a little more distant with Jungkook’s arms wrapped around him and his cedarwood scent lingering in the air.

It’s almost safe, the omega muses. In Jungkook’s embrace, he almost feels safe.

And that is a terrifying thought.

Jimin tells him that the nightmare wasn’t about what he thinks it is, but Jungkook sees the horror hidden in the mismatching eyes and with a heavy heart, realizes that he probably terrifies the omega. But the others don’t seem to understand his worry and Jiwoo goes as far as calling him stupid when he tells her that the following day.

“He sought comfort from you right away, Jungkook. That’s not something a scared omega would do, especially if you were the cause of his fear.”

He tells himself that Jiwoo is right—that Jimin isn’t scared of him. That he didn’t dream of Jungkook hurting him.

But the fact that Jimin refuses to tell him more of his nightmare, says that it’s to spare his feelings, Jungkook finds it pretty fucking hard to believe him.

So when he two days later returns to work and leaves the omega in Jiwoo’s care, he feels like he’s doing the right thing. Jungkook needs some space anyway, Jimin’s sudden change of nature more than a little baffling, but also because he’s losing grip of his wolf.

“You’re buzzing with energy”, Yugyeom laughs at him good naturedly as they prepare to head out for a hunt. “That excited to get your paws dirty again?”

The other alpha hasn’t showed any disgust at how strongly Jungkook smells of Jimin and he appreciates that. Yugyeom is one of his older friends, so his opinion matters—it’s a good thing the other isn’t all that interested in pack politics or fights, as long as it doesn’t directly involve him.

“Yeah”, Jungkook nods. His muscles are practically aching with the need to release all that pent-up energy and the adrenaline feels freeing. At least out in the forest, he doesn’t need to think much.

When they finally get to leave, a grumpy Jaebum joining them, Jungkook is ecstatic. He’s the first one to change, eagerly waiting for the eldest alpha to give out any kind of order.

“Go wherever you want as long as you stay within our territory”, is all Jaebum growls in the end, most likely sensing Jungkook’s impatience. He doesn’t need to say a thing more as the brunette wolf has already bolted out, disappearing into the white forest.

It all starts well. He manages to catch two squirrels and a pheasant easily, satisfaction coursing through his system as he looks the small droplets of blood adorning the white snow by his feet. All are clean kills—the tailor could easily make use of the furs and weathers.

But as time ticks on and the sun gets lower, he becomes sloppier. His wolf, that had been ecstatic to get out at first, is starting to whine at him to head back home because there’s someone waiting for them. And no matter how Jungkook tries to reason that there’s no one, absolutely no one waiting, his wolf disagrees.

His steps become unbalanced and hasty. Jungkook makes a lot of stupid mistakes and accidentally scares away a few good catches, cursing at himself as another pheasant manages to slip out of his reach.

Get it together, he growls at himself, wanting to bang his head on the tree trunk next to him. Luckily, before he manages to do so, Jaebum shows up with a few rabbits hanging from his mouth.

“Done already, Jungkook-ah?” the older alpha asks when he notices the younger’s frustration.

Jungkook shakes his head at the darker furred wolf. “No, I’m just—being impatient, I guess.”

“Impatient to get home?” There’s an amused, knowing glimmer in Jaebum’s eyes. “Is there someone waiting for you, then?”

Not you too, is what Jungkook thinks. “No.”

“Not even the pretty mountain wolf you spent the last week with?”

“Jaebum, don’t.” His tone has turned defensive and warning, eyes flashing. The other alpha just lets out a bark, a laugh, not intimidated by Jungkook’s attempt of showing dominance.

“Hey, I’m not judging you, okay? He’s a pretty omega—I mean, not prettier than my Youngjae, but pretty enough. And he’s fond of you, much like you’re fond of him.”

“He’s really not.”

Jaebum gives him a weird look, as if asking if Jungkook was serious. “And to think they used to call me oblivious… Kid, you have a lot to learn about omegas.”

Now it’s the younger alpha’s turn to send Jaebum a long, questioning look but the alpha doesn’t give him any kind of explanation as he picks up his rabbits and nods towards the direction where the village is.

“Time to head home, Jungkook. You won’t catch any more prey like that. So go and keep an eye on that omega of yours, you seem like you miss him.”

Jaebum leaves without another word and Jungkook can’t correct him, because Jimin isn’t his omega and he definitely doesn’t miss him. He saw the other just a few hours ago before leaving the infirmary, and like Jaebum just said, he spent the last week with him in the same room—taking everything into consideration, Jungkook doesn’t miss him. He shouldn’t miss him.

But like always, his wolf knows better, and he finds himself following Jaebum not much later.

Taehyung is at the food storage when they return with fresh prey. The silver-haired omega offers them all a friendly smile and although he most likely has other things to do, he still stays to wait for Jungkook until he has dressed and taken his share to take back to the infirmary with him.

“You smell upset”, Taehyung comments as they head out, brown eyes worried. “Did something happen with Jimin? More nightmares?”

Much like Jiwoo and Seokjin, Taehyung had told him not to worry about it too much. Everyone sees nightmares from time to time and Jimin definitely isn’t terrified of Jungkook, like the alpha thinks.

“He lets you sleep in the same bed as him. And no scared omega does that, Kookie.” That was Taehyung’s reasoning and weirdly enough, his words were the most reassuring.

But that doesn’t mean Jungkook isn’t concerned.

“No, no nightmares”, he answers softly, shaking his head. “He’s been sleeping better, actually. And well, doing better in general. He eats and talks more, and that’s a good sign, right?”

Taehyung smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah, it’s a good sign. But I’m sensing a but…”

Sure he does, because there is one.

“I’m just not sure if I’m doing the right thing, Tae… Everything’s been a little weird lately. He doesn’t push me away anymore and we don’t even argue like we used to, and I just – I feel weird.” He looks at his best friend with desperate eyes, searching for help.

“Weird how?”

“I don’t even know but it’s not bad… I think. I mean, I don’t hate the feeling, it’s just new—”

“Jungkook, what is it that you feel?” Taehyung cuts him off. His tone sounds a little panicked.

“Warm.” The answer comes out without any hesitation. He doesn’t even need to think about it and even his wolf is satisfied because that’s the truth. That's how he feels, both the human side and the wolf side of him.

“I feel warm when I’m with him.”

“Oh, Kookie…” The silver-haired omega looks incredibly sad as he gazes back into Jungkook’s lost eyes. For a moment, he hesitates, obviously wanting to say something.

“Do you want me to scent you?”

Definitely not the answer he was expecting with all that serious thinking.

“What?”

“I asked if you want me to scent you—”

“I heard that, but why?” Jungkook clarifies, confused—just another feeling that seems to stick around. “You were going to say something else just now. We’re still talking about Jimin, right? So why would you even suggest scenting me? Don’t you have Hoseok for that?”

“Because like I said, you smell upset and I don’t like that. Also, don’t look around, but people are definitely giving you the stink eye. And I’m pretty sure that has to do with the fact that you smell like you rolled around in honeysuckles.”

Of course Jungkook looks around and of course Taehyung is right—people are giving him weird looks, some in curiosity, others in clear disdain.

“So, want me to do it or not?” Taehyung’s face comes back to his vision.

They’ve stopped walking, already close to the infirmary and Jungkook supposes their paths will split here. The silver head is most likely heading back home to his mother. Or perhaps, to the tailor’s house to bully Hoseok.

“You are really bad at avoiding things, Taehyung”, is what Jungkook answers to the omega in the end. “What aren’t you telling me?”

The silver head’s face falls a little. “Kookie, it’s not the right time for that. Not yet. But I promise, when things are better, we’ll talk more. Now stop ignoring my offer and just—”

“No”, the brunette alpha simply says. He has no true intentions of letting Taehyung off the hook, but the other obviously won’t stop pestering him unless he gives out a clear answer. “No, you don’t need to scent me. I’m going back to Jiwoo’s anyway, so it would be a waste of time.”

Realization dawns on Taehyung and the omega nods, understanding. “Oh, true. Jimin probably wouldn’t appreciate my scent on you.”

Jungkook frowns. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, nothing at all.” Taehyung’s shit-eating grin says other. “I have to go now, mom’s waiting for me. And you should go too, Chim is waiting for you. I’ll see you later, Kookie.”

He runs off before Jungkook can say anything more and then, for a moment, the alpha just stands there with a confused look on his face. He feels a little like everyone knows some secret he doesn’t, and maybe it hurts a little to be left out like this. Especially when the people who are the most important to him are the ones refusing to let him in.

But he pushes Taehyung’s words to the back of his mind for now. If there’s something he agrees on with the silver head, it’s the fact that now isn’t the time for it. Jungkook is still feeling exhausted and a little cranky, and frankly, his wolf knows exactly what he needs to ease the frustration on him.

Jiwoo only regards him with a small smile when Jungkook comes to drop some meat by the kitchen before heading upstairs and straight for Jimin’s room.

The blonde omega doesn’t even question him when the first thing Jungkook does, is slump down on the bed, face pressed against Jimin’s pillow. The scent of honeysuckles surrounds him quickly and like suspected, his tense muscles relax almost immediately.

“Rough day?” Jimin asks with a hint of amusement in his tone. His small hand comes to knead the back of Jungkook’s neck in an almost comforting matter and the alpha groans.

“Sort of.”

The omega only hums in understanding, continuing his ministrations until Jungkook is like putty on the bed. His eyes start to feel heavy quickly and he blinks them rapidly to stay awake. He was supposed to take a shower and eat before bed, but Jimin has other plans.

“You can eat later”, the omega mumbles, running his hand through Jungkook’s brown locks. It feels more than simply nice. A few heartbeats later a familiar soft tune fills the silent room and Jungkook gives up fighting against his tiredness.

Just before he falls asleep, he feels Jimin curl against his side, a warm, comforting presence, and Jungkook can’t help but smile.

When it’s just them like this, within four walls and behind a closed door, everything seems easy. So easy.

Jungkook almost wishes he wouldn’t need to say goodbye to this someday.

Chapter Text

They say there’s always a calm before the storm and Jungkook shouldn’t have forgotten that. Things have just been too good lately, too silent, and maybe he let himself enjoy it a little too much because in the end, it all comes crashing down in the worst way possible.

He’s lazing around with Taehyung and Jimin, watching as the two omegas play some lame card game in the safety of Jimin’s room, when they hear a crash coming from downstairs. It’s quickly followed by loud voices and the strong scent of at least four alphas.

Jungkook’s body tenses right away and Jimin, who was resting between his legs with his head tucked under Jungkook’s chin, shrinks into himself.

The cozy atmosphere that surrounded them is gone. Jimin’s sweet honeysuckle scent turns a little rotten from his fear and Taehyung’s strawberry scent is sour, the silver head’s anxiousness clear in the air.

“I’m going to check it out”, Jungkook mumbles after it becomes obvious that no one’s coming upstairs. He gently pushes Jimin into Taehyung’s arms and gets up, heading for the door. “You two stay here.”

His best friend sends him a scared look. “Jungkook, wait—”

But he’s already going, feet quickly leading him down the stairs and right into something he most likely should’ve stayed clear of.

There are five alphas with Jiwoo, all gathered around one of the beds. He recognizes Namjoon and Yoongi quickly, followed by Jaehwan, the guy who gave him a nice new scar on his shoulder some time ago, and Jaebum. The next thing he notices, is the blood on their clothes and the slightly familiar scent lingering in the air.

The scent he smelled on Jimin the first time he met him.

“What happened?” he asks quietly, a little scared to barge in.

Yoongi seems to be the only one who heard him as no one else reacts, not even Namjoon. The older alpha turns to look at Jungkook with lips pressed into a tight line, a frown on his face. He looks exhausted and the worry in his eyes is unsettling.

“There was an attack.”

Jungkook’s heart drops into his stomach and something cold crawls under his skin. Yoongi moves out of the way, so he can see who’s lying on the bed and Jungkook can barely stop the agitated sound from escaping his mouth. There’s a young alpha, much younger than Jungkook himself, on the bed with blood all around him. He’s shirtless, obviously struggling to breathe, and the sight is gruesome—it seems like whoever attacked him was trying to claw out his insides and nearly succeeded.

He recognizes the boy as Seungkwan a few seconds later, the pack’s youngest alpha. He presented just three months ago.

He’s still just sixteen.

The cold, wintery scent in the air is suddenly sickeningly familiar and he feels a little like he can’t breathe.

Jimin can’t see this, the brunette knows, swallowing as he tears his gaze away from Seungkwan’s bloodied form. And they can’t see him.

But as if on cue, he hears a soft voice call his name.

He spins around at the same time the other alphas and Jiwoo finally turn their attention towards their direction as well. Taehyung is standing behind him but he’s looking past Jungkook, straight at Seungkwan. His mouth is open in shock.

Jimin’s smaller form peeks out from behind him. Jungkook almost tells him to run back upstairs but the other’s sweet honeysuckle scent is already prominent in the air—by now, the rest are aware of his presence.

The blonde omega hasn’t yet looked at Seungkwan and Jungkook steps quickly on the way, successfully blocking Jimin’s vision. He doesn’t look pleased at that, frowning and trying to look past the alpha, but Jungkook doesn’t allow him.

“Don’t look”, he pleads quietly, only loud enough for Taehyung and Jimin to hear. “Both of you, just don’t look. Go back upstairs, I’ll handle this—"

A loud growl reverberates through the house, cutting him off mid-sentence, and Jungkook lets out a heavy sigh. They’re all fucked, especially Jimin.

When he turns back towards the others, still standing fully in front of Jimin, Jaehwan is already coming towards him.

“What are you hiding there, alpha Jeon?” the other alpha asks in a low, mocking tone, eyes shining in crimson red. He looks like he’s just seconds away from changing forms. “Could it be the lost little lamb…?”

“Jaehwan”, Namjoon calls, tone just as low and warning. “Do not start—”

“Why not? We all know who did this!” Jaehwan sends Namjoon a pointed glare, which is brave considering the difference in their ranks, but he’s never been good at controlling his anger.

Dark crimson eyes turn back to Jungkook and the brunette alpha can’t help but growl when Jaehwan crowds his space.

“This is your fault”, the other says, ignoring the warning shards of gold forming in Jungkook’s eyes. “If you hadn’t brought that bitch here, none of this would have happened.”

Jungkook is about to counterattack him when suddenly he’s yanked aside, and Jimin pushes his way in front of him before Taehyung can even react and pull him back.

“Why don’t you say that to my face?” the blonde omega growls, cold eyes unwavering even under Jaehwan’s accusing stare. “Or do you not have the balls for that, alpha?”

Taehyung actually snorts and in any other situation, Jungkook might’ve laughed. There’s just something weirdly thrilling in seeing how Jimin, injured and barely reaching Jaehwan’s nose, dares to step up to him as if he was the alpha and not the other way around.

For a second, he wonders if that’s how they do things in the mountains, challenging their own natures, or if it’s just Jimin.

“You little—”

Jaehwan raises his hand but before he manages to do anything, Jaebum grabs him by the neck and yanks him back.

“Behave, Jaehwan, or we’ll throw you out. No fighting allowed in the infirmary.”

“You think I’m going to let this piece of shit get away with mocking me? And are you going to let him get away with what he has done?” The alpha rips himself away from Jaebum but doesn’t come back to Jimin. Jungkook uses it as a chance to put himself between the blonde and the other’s again.

“What did I do?” Jimin asks, frowning. He sends a questioning look at Jungkook before finally, despite the alpha’s attempt to stop him, he finds Seungkwan’s bloodied form.

“Who—” the omega chokes on his own words, hands coming to cover his mouth and nose but it’s too late. Jungkook knows he has already picked up the same scent as he did, but the alpha begs to differ.

Dear mother nature, he really is ready to beg.

“Who?” Jaehwan snorts. “Your pack of course. Who else?”

Jungkook hates the silence that follows. It tells him that Namjoon, Jaebum and Yoongi all believe the same and even Jiwoo, who’s silently treating Seungkwan’s wounds, doesn’t seem to think any different.

But does he? Does Jimin?

“H-hey now, do we have any proof?” Taehyung is the one who breaks the silence in the end. Jimin lets out a sound that could both be a laugh or a sob. It’s enough to make Taehyung close his mouth.

“Mountain wolf”, Namjoon speaks up, motioning Jimin to come forward. “Come closer. I want you to confirm that it’s your pack’s doings.” The older alpha glances at Jungkook but his amber eyes are unfamiliar and cold, filled by only the desire to protect what is his—the pack.

Jungkook knows he should have the same desire, but he’s torn. When Jimin moves towards Seungkwan, all he wants to do is yank him back to him and hide him from the hatred of others. But he also wants that confirmation, wants to know who he can take his anger out on because Seungkwan is just a kid, a good kid who didn’t deserve this.

He hates to agree with Jaehwan, but there’s a very big chance that this is his fault. And yet it’s going to be Jimin paying the price.

“Don’t even think about lying”, Namjoon warns.

If Jaehwan seemed big in front of the omega, then Namjoon is a whole fucking giant and Jimin seems to quickly catch on that he isn’t just some random alpha, as he keeps his gaze down and just nods. It’s not quite submitting, but it’s wise to show at least some respect to an alpha of Namjoon’s caliber, and Jimin isn’t stupid despite his stubbornness.

Jungkook can feel his body twitch with the need to do something, just anything, because the rotten scent of honeysuckles is unbearable for his wolf. He bets his agitation is clear in the air as well, if the looks he gets from Yoongi and Jaebum are anything to go by. But Taehyung grabs him by his arm before he manages to do anything stupid, a warning look in his brown eyes.

Don’t, the silver head mouths. They both know that Jungkook is now on extremely thin ice—one wrong move and he might be labelled as a traitor.

Jimin stands next to Seungkwan’s bed and his eyes are filled by something incredibly sad. Then he takes one deep breath in and goes still. There are tears in his eyes.

“Well?” Yoongi prompts him.

The omega’s face twists with agony and his head turns to Jungkook. The tears spill over, fat salty pearls running down his slightly sunken cheeks. He can practically see Jimin’s heart breaking through his sad eyes.

“I’m sorry”, Jimin whispers, and while his words are directed at Namjoon, his gaze is completely focused on Jungkook. “I’m so sorry.”

For the first time ever, Jungkook wishes he could get away from the sweet scent of honeysuckles.

“It’s my pack.”

The silence that follows is deafening. Jimin’s eyes stay on him but Jungkook can’t bring himself to look back. Instead, he focuses his eyes on Seungkwan and the blood trickling down his chest, covering the white sheets in red flowers.

“Your pack, as in…?”

“The Park pack”, Jimin answers Namjoon’s question. “I’m from the Park pack.”

Of fucking course. If the atmosphere was tense before, it’s ten times worse now. Jungkook pinches the bridge of his nose and the nausea in his stomach grows. Of course Jimin has to be from the Park pack of all packs.

The forest wolves don’t interact with the mountain wolves a lot, but a little over twenty years ago, there was some kind of an alliance between their pack and the Park pack from the north. Jungkook doesn’t know the details of what went down, but there’s a rumor that the previous pack-leader, Namjoon’s grandfather, shattered that alliance because one of his children was killed by the Park wolves.

However, not even the pack’s elders know if it’s true or not, but no one is interested in finding out. It’s much easier to just hate and blame someone, than to know nothing.

The current pack-leader, Chaerin, doesn’t seem to hold the same anger towards them—perhaps she doesn’t even believe that her sibling was killed by the Park pack—but she hasn’t done anything to reconcile their alliance either.

“The Park pack”, Jaehwan spits out in rage. “Of course it’s the fucking Park pack, we should’ve known – they’ve always been out for our blood.”

Jimin doesn’t say anything. Jungkook wonders if he’s even aware of the hatred between their packs or if his pack has buried everything deep under layers of snow, like it’s nothing but a dirty little secret.

“So”, Jaebum mumbles in a tired tone, the look in his eyes just as lost as Jungkook feels. “What do we do now?”

“Now we hold a pack meeting”, Namjoon sighs with his arms crossed over his chest—an obvious sign of his rising anxiousness. His eyes linger on Seungkwan and Jimin for a second before he turns to look at the fireplace, flames dancing in his amber orbs.

“And?”

“And, if the pack-leader decides so, we’ll start preparing for war.”

“Jungkook…”

The brunette alpha lifts his head when he hears Taehyung calling his name, meeting his friend’s worried eyes. He’s been sitting next to Seungkwan’s bed ever since the others left to gather everyone to the hunter’s hut, wordless and completely numb.

“You know that it’s not Jimin’s fault, right?” Taehyung says, glancing around as if making sure that no one else is listening.

Jungkook doesn’t quite understand his worry. Seungkwan is dead to the world thanks to whatever medicine Jiwoo had given him and she had headed out as soon as the boy was stable, which was over fifteen minutes ago. Jimin hasn’t been anywhere in sight since the other alphas left.

“Do I?” he mutters in an almost inaudible tone. “Do I really know that, Taehyung?”

“He’s been here for two months! He couldn’t have—”

“What if it’s all just part of the plan?” Jungkook interrupts the silver-haired omega rather rudely. He hates how defensive, yet unsure, he sounds to even his own ears. “What if they planned this all and Jimin is here to destroy us from the inside?”

Taehyung gives him an incredulous look. “A single omega? I really doubt that.”

“Jimin isn’t just a normal omega.”

In the eyes of his wolf, Jimin is anything but a normal omega.

“Okay, then tell me what makes him so special? What makes you actually think that he’s here to destroy us? Does he look like someone who would hurt anyone from our pack? Would he hurt me or Jiwoo? Seokjin-hyung?” Taehyung pokes Jungkook on the forehead, his gaze both fond and cold at the same time. In a way, he almost looks apologetic.

“Tell me, Jungkook, would Jimin hurt you?”

The wolf within Jungkook says no in a blink of an eye. But what comes out of his mouth is a pathetic whisper of: “I don’t know.”

Taehyung actually rolls his eyes at him with a shake of head. “Yes, you do. You just don’t want to say it aloud.”

There’s a moment of silence and the atmosphere is tense. Taehyung’s words are too heavy, too meaningful, and Jungkook hates it. What he hates more, however, is the way his wolf agrees with everything his friend just said.

“Don’t forget the Lee pack”, Taehyung suddenly breaks the silence. Jungkook turns his gaze on him in confusion.

“What?”

“That’s what Jimin said to me. Or, he told me to say it to you. And more specifically, he told not to forget the pack from across the road, since he doesn’t know who they are.”

“But why would he—”

“Did you already forget the reason why he ended up here?” Taehyung tilts his head. There’s sadness lingering in his dark brown eyes. “The reason why your family grave is suddenly a little bigger.”

The Lee pack.

Jungkook licks his dry lips and tries to swallow down the lump forming in his throat. He hadn’t forgotten, of course not, but the fact that the mountain wolves attacked them and nearly killed one of their youngest alphas did successfully direct his attention elsewhere.

“Fuck”, he suddenly realizes, jumping up. Taehyung stumbles backwards, surprised by the sudden change in Jungkook’s demeanor. “Fuck, Taehyung, that’s – what if that’s exactly what they want?”

The omega seems to have fallen off the trails. “Who wants what?”

“The Lee pack! What if they want us to declare war against the Park pack, and then, when most of the pack’s alphas and betas are fighting, they’ll just use it as a chance to destroy the village?”

“Jungkook”, there’s an unmistakable layer of fear in Taehyung’s tone. “Are you suggesting that the Lee pack and Park pack have made an alliance to bring us down?”

“Well, no – I mean, I don’t know. I’m not sure. But don’t you think it’s possible?”

The Lee pack has never liked them and the feelings are mutual. There’s just something nerve-racking about having another pack so close to theirs, especially when they’re very aware that the Lee pack isn’t the friendliest of them all. Not that Jungkook’s pack is either, to be honest.

“But they hate working with others”, Taehyung says but his tone is weak. “And how would they have even created an alliance with the Park pack? Forest wolves don’t go to the mountains, and isn’t there like that other pack to go through before even reaching the Park territory?”

There is, at least according to what Jungkook has learned from Jimin. But hey, if they once had an alliance with the Park pack, it should be possible for the Lee pack as well.

“And what about Jimin? What does he have to do with all this?” Now his friend just sounds downright heartbroken, reluctant to believe Jungkook’s theory because they both know that if he’s right, they’re doomed.

It’s winter, their weakest season. There’s no way they could win against two packs, especially with one being a pack that excels in the cold. And if he ends up being right, Jimin won’t be spared. No, the blonde omega will be the first one killed.

Jungkook thinks that both he and Taehyung fear that the most.

“He’s here to start the war”, the brunette alpha says quietly. “An excuse for the Park pack to attack us.”

“Jungkook, that means that they set up their own packmates”, Taehyung cries in disbelief. “They killed their own packmate and left Jimin to die. Would they do that? Do you believe the Park pack would do that to their own?”

Would any pack do that to their own?

“Yeah”, Jungkook still nods, although he'd rather not believe it.

He glances at the stairs, Jimin’s honeysuckle scent weak in the air, and thinks about how reluctant the omega is when it comes to returning back home. He thinks about the fear and sadness in those mismatching eyes, the agony Jimin tries his best to hide, and knows, Jungkook just knows, that yes, his pack would do it.

“They would do it.”

“Then we can’t let him go. Jungkook, we can’t be the same as them. We can’t send Jimin back to die—”

“And we won’t. If I’m right – which I still hope I’m not – we won’t send Jimin back. Hell, I’ll take him to the human city if I have to, but not back to the mountains.” Never back to the mountains.

“Even if he is involved in this?” Even if he really is here to hurt us? is what Taehyung really means to ask.

“Even if he is involved in this.”

There’s a beat of silence before the silver-haired omega continues.

“Jungkook, I really don’t think that Jimin knows.”

“I—” he doesn’t, he doesn’t, he doesn’t “—don’t know. We’ll see. We can’t even be sure that I’m right.”

They can’t, but the more Jungkook thinks about it, the more reasonable it sounds. In a way, it almost makes sense, although he still hates to think that a pack would just send their own to die in the hands of their ally. He doesn’t even think there’s anything for the Park pack to gain from this, unless they have some old grudge against his pack.

“I’m going to go and talk with the pack-leader”, he mumbles, heading for the door.

The pack meeting has most likely ended already, but if he’s quick enough, he’ll catch the head alpha before she manages to retreat into her own hut. Jungkook thinks that this isn’t something she should hear from Namjoon or Yoongi. Especially when he wants to emphasize that it’s just a theory, a possibility, and nothing more.

“What if she doesn’t believe you?” Taehyung asks quietly from behind him.

Jungkook thinks about the way the head alpha had spoken about the Lee pack when he last spoke with her. For some reason, he believes that if anyone, she will be the one to believe him.

“Don’t worry”, Jungkook sends Taehyung a small smile as he opens the door, ready to head out. “We’ll figure out something.”

He catches the head alpha just as she’s leaving the hunter’s hut. Namjoon is with her, as suspected, and so is Jiwoo, but otherwise it seems like everyone has already left.

Good, Jungkook nods to himself. It’s better if his pack doesn’t know about his batshit crazy, yet somehow completely reasonable, theory. At least not yet.

“Oh”, the pack-leader notices Jungkook first, her warm amber eyes twinkling with interest. “Alpha Jeon. I was just wondering why you weren’t at the meeting. Were you with the mountain wolf, perhaps?”

She doesn’t sound angry or particularly disapproving—if anything, she sounds amused and something in her tone makes Jungkook’s cheeks turn red. He’s just glad he can blame it on the cold wind if anyone asks.

“Ah, no – I stayed with Seungkwan and Taehyung…”

Chaerin’s smile disappears slowly, her amber eyes saddening at the mention of the injured boy. “That was nice of you.” She glances at the direction where the infirmary is. “His parents must be on their way there now. I hope omega Kim understands to keep the mountain wolf out of their sight.”

“Jimin understands to stay away on his own.” He had fled upstairs as soon as he could, a cloud of sadness surrounding him, and Jungkook wishes that he had followed. He could practically feel the omega’s hurt and yet, he had turned a blind eye on it to soothe his own hurt. That’s not a very good way for an alpha to behave towards their omega but—

Wait no.

Jungkook chokes on his own spit and tries to cover it with a cough. He’s a little embarrassed when his head alpha gives him a funny look, but even more so, Jungkook’s embarrassed of his own thoughts.

He really needs to control his wolf better.

“Well”, Chaerin ignores Jungkook’s reddening cheeks. “Namjoon can brief you on what we discussed at the meeting. That’s what you came here for, right?”

The glimmer in her eyes tells Jungkook that she knows he came there for something else. Being the pack-leader, she is capable of sensing their emotions almost scarily well.

“No, actually I…” He swallows nervously, the head alpha’s gaze heavy on him. “I came here to talk about something else.”

“With me?” Chaerin asks.

“Yes, head alpha Kim.”

Maybe it’s the seriousness that suddenly appears in Jungkook’s tone, or the look in his eyes, but the head alpha gives a somewhat nervous look around before motioning for them to get back inside the hunter’s hut. “I suppose this isn’t something you want the whole pack to hear, is it now?”

Jungkook shakes his head. “No.” Hell no.

“Do you mind if Namjoon and Jiwoo stay with us?”

“That’s fine. Actually, it’s probably better that way.”

The head alpha gives him a curious look but doesn’t say a thing more as she leads them inside. The hunter’s hut is still warm and filled by all kinds of scents, but Chaerin’s strong scent of lilac and spices quickly overpowers the rest.

“So”, she says as soon as she has sat down by the still warm fireplace. “Tell me what’s bothering you, alpha Jeon.”

Chaerin is patient. She listens to him without interruptions until Jungkook is done, all the way from his suspicion towards the Lee pack to the possibility of Jimin being nothing but an excuse for the Park pack to attack them.

When he finishes, the head alpha is silent for a long moment. That’s all it takes for Jungkook to know that she’s actually considering it—that she doesn’t think he’s crazy or stupid for coming up with something like this.

“If I can start”, Namjoon says when his mother stays quiet. “Personally, I think there’s a very low chance of the Lee pack and Park pack being allies.”

Jungkook opens his mouth to argue back, but the other silences him with a raise of hand.

“Let me finish, Jungkook-ah. I do think there’s some truth to your words, mainly the fact that the mountain wolf is innocent or simply a disposable piece to his pack.”

Ouch. Jungkook can’t help but grimace at that, happy that Jimin isn’t there to hear this.

“But it’s still quite far fetched to say that the Lee pack would have made an alliance with the Park pack. It’s no secret that they are… well, very uncooperative”, Namjoon continues, brushing off the hurt look on Jungkook’s face. “But it’s possible that they’re aware of the Park pack’s situation and took advantage of that. If the Park pack wants to start a war, it is a good chance for the Lee pack to jump in—”

“And steal the prize”, the head alpha finishes with a sigh. “In this case, our territory.”

Jungkook hadn’t thought about it that way but it does make sense too. At least now the Park pack wouldn’t have sent Jimin and his companion to be killed by their own allies.

“But we’re not going to war, are we?” Jungkook then remembers to ask. That’s why the pack meeting was held in the first place—for the pack-leader and elders to decide whether they want to revenge Seungkwan.

“No”, Chaerin shakes her head, and the young alpha can let out a breath of relief. “Not now, at least. Over half of us agreed that it would be too dangerous to start a bigger battle when the weather is only getting colder. We have enough work in keeping everyone warm and well-fed, it would be foolish to attack the mountain wolves now. However, things might change.”

The head alpha runs a hand through her black hair and Jungkook notices the leather bracelet around her left wrist. It looks familiar, like the matching leather bracelets he has seen Jimin playing with occasionally. But he could be wrong, it’s not very bright in the hunter’s hut.

“If we lose a wolf, then I won’t be able to stop the war from happening, winter or not. Not that I’d even want to, if we are to be completely honest”, Chaerin says with a sad smile. “For now, I’ve just decided to heighten the patrols in the northern borders, and no one is allowed to leave the village alone. That applies to you as well, alpha Jeon. Whenever you go out, take a friend or two with you. There’s safety in numbers.”

That’s not too bad, considering how things could’ve have turned out. Jungkook is quick to agree to her terms—not that he even has a choice—but there is something he would still like to add.

And of course Chaerin notices. When she notes Jungkook’s nervous fidgeting, her smile turns amused but the look in her amber eyes is gentle. “Something more to say, little one?”

“I just – I think we shouldn’t forget the western borders by the road. They need to be watched over just as much as the northern borders”, Jungkook answers.

“Mm, that is true, but I’m not sure we have enough people for that. I’d have to double almost everyone’s duties—”

“They’re willing, Chaerin dear”, Jiwoo gently cuts in. “We are all willing to do anything for the pack.”

The head alpha lets out a laugh, shaking her head in amusement. “If the healer says so”, she chuckles before turning to Namjoon.

“Make sure to spread the workload equally between all capable alphas. I need most of the betas and omegas here in the village but remember that many of them are also willing to hunt, so make use of that. However, omegas stay out of patrols.”

“Yes, mother”, Namjoon nods dutifully. “I’ll arrange that right away.”

“Take alpha Jeon with you.” The head alpha turns her gaze back on Jungkook and offers him an apologetic smile. “From Jiwoo, I’ve heard that you have helped the mountain wolf to make a speedy recovery, but it’s time for you to return to your duties.”

It feels a little like a warning, like she would be trying to remind him of where his loyalties lie, so Jungkook just nods along. The idea of pulling away from Jimin doesn’t please his wolf, but it’s for the better. The blonde omega said it himself, too.

“Do not even think about putting me ahead of your pack.”

So perhaps a little time away from Jimin won’t hurt. In the past two weeks, he has regained his energy and is capable of moving around on his own, so Jungkook isn’t too worried. He’ll be fine.

They will be fine, and maybe a few days without Jimin’s intoxicating scent making his head spin will help his wolf to set its priorities right as well.

Maybe. Hopefully.

He’s already half out of the door, tailing after Namjoon, when he turns back to ask one more thing.

“Head alpha Kim… if Jimin is innocent, could it be possible for me to take him to the human city?”

There’s one fairly close to their area, a few hours ride with the old car the pack owns. It’s a safe place and it’s not that uncommon for rogue wolves to live amongst humans—Jungkook thinks Jimin would like it. And he must’ve been there, considering where he came from before being attacked.

“If he’s innocent, why not just send him back to the mountains?” Chaerin asks back. For some reason though, Jungkook feels like she knows the answer already.

“I don’t think he’s happy there. He seems like he’s been mistreated and I just… honestly, I feel like I owe him that much.”

The head alpha’s eyes are unreadable when she looks back at him. Jungkook can’t help but notice how she’s fiddling with her bracelet.

“I’ll think about it”, is all she says in the end in a dismissive tone. There’s no space for protests, so Jungkook just nods with a short bow and hurries after Namjoon.

“Are you going to let him go?”

“If it’s the right thing to do.”

Jiwoo lets out a soft sigh. “And how will you determine that? By asking him?”

Chaerin lets out an amused laugh, one of the most genuine ones Jiwoo has heard in a long time. “Jiwoo dear, if that boy is anything like his parents, asking won’t do much good. Only time will tell us how to proceed when it comes to him.”

“Do you think he’s going to stay long enough for that?”

“Oh, he will. Neither of them might’ve noticed just yet, but he has a reason to stay.” Chaerin smooths a finger over her leather bracelet and smiles softly.

“Perhaps I’ll pay him a visit soon.”

The four days he spends away from Jimin are hell.

Although, Jungkook didn’t plan on not visiting the omega even once, with the heavier workload it’s been pretty much impossible to do anything else. As soon as he’s done for the day, he wants nothing but to sleep and usually it’s Taehyung or Yugyeom dragging him back home where Seokjin is waiting with warm food and scolding.

But even when he’s dead on his feet sleep doesn’t come easily. His wolf is about to go berserk, craving the familiar honeysuckle scent and Jungkook is moments away from giving up and running back to Jimin’s arms.

He hates to admit it, but it seems like he can only truly relax in Jimin’s presence. He really hates to admit it, but he misses Jimin.

And it’s only been four fucking days. He’s actually going to die when the omega finally leaves.

“Jungkook”, someone pokes his cheek and the brunette alpha flinches back rather harshly, accidentally slamming into another alpha. Yoongi gives him an unimpressed look when Jungkook apologizes to the other before turning his tired eyes on him.

“Oh hyung, hi. I didn’t notice you.”

”I’ve been calling your name for the past two minutes but I figured”, Yoongi says. Before Jungkook manages to apologize to him too, the older man continues: “You look like you’re about to collapse, Jungkook. I think it’s time to go home.”

“But hyung, it’s barely midday and I have a lot of things to do—”

“Changmin gave you the rest of the day off. We don’t need you here if you can barely stand.”

“Thanks”, Jungkook says dryly and Yoongi grins in an almost gentle matter.

“Don’t get me wrong, you’ve been great help – not just right now. If you don’t take a break soon, you’ll get sick and we can’t have that. So c’mon, I’m taking you home where you can eat and sleep. Your eyebags are worse than mine.”

“Just wait until your pup is born.”

The black-haired alpha groans under his breath. “Don’t remind me.”

He lets Yoongi lead him back home without protests. Jungkook does feel like he’s seconds away from collapsing but there’s also energy coursing through his system, hot and barely contained. His wolf grows more and more restless with every passing second.

Seokjin is with Namjoon when they arrive, the two of them quietly chatting around the kitchen table. Jungkook tries his best to ignore their disheveled looks and the red of his brother’s cheeks when he and Yoongi burst in.

“Kookie! What are you doing home already? Did something happen?” His brother gets up immediately, fretting over him like a true mother hen would.

But for some reason, Seokjin’s usually welcomed caramel-like scent and warm touch make Jungkook recoil like he’d been hit. His wolf growls deep within him, sounding upset because Jungkook let another omega touch him, and there’s a strong, uncomfortable tug in his stomach.

“Jungkook?” Seokjin doesn’t try to touch him again but his concern grows when his younger brother presses himself flat against the cool fridge and stays unmoving. “What’s wrong?”

“I-I’m sorry – I just… I don’t feel that good right now”, Jungkook mutters, pressing his eyes shut. The tugging in his stomach grows stronger and more insistent.

“You smell weird too”, Namjoon comments, earning a glare from Seokjin.

“What?” the alpha whines at his soon-to-be mate. “It’s just the truth – he smells… a little hostile, to be honest.”

“Yeah”, Yoongi agrees, but his voice is a lot quieter and entirely too serious. Then suddenly, the black-haired alpha walks up to Jungkook and grabs him by the arm. The younger alpha only opens his eyes in confusion but doesn’t pull back.

Inside, his wolf isn’t happy, but they can recognize another alpha. Jimin won’t get upset with him if it’s just an alpha.

Wait…

“Shit”, Jungkook mutters out at the same time something in Yoongi’s eyes changes.

“You didn’t tell me you got yourself an omega”, the shorter alpha says before turning to Seokjin. “Did you know he found an omega? And you didn’t even bother to tell me?”

Seokjin’s eyes are wide in shock. “I-I didn’t – we didn’t know…”

Yoongi frowns. “But…”

“I don’t have an omega”, Jungkook says but his wolf strongly disagrees. He feels like his head is being split apart with his human and wolf side fighting and the tugging is getting unbearable. “Hyung, I really don’t have an omega.”

“But you’re acting as if your omega would be going in he—”

Suddenly the front door is slammed open, cutting Yoongi off. Everyone’s gazes snap towards the kitchen doorway and Taehyung’s familiar strawberry scent reaches Jungkook’s nose before the said omega makes his appearance. The sourness of it tells him that he’s feeling quite anxious.

“J-Jimin”, the silver head gasps, stumbling over his own words. He looks like he has ran for miles, hair a mess and panting, and coat and shoes barely on. By the looks of it, he must’ve also tripped a few times. “Jimin, he’s—"

There’s a bad taste in Jungkook’s mouth and something almost… possessive washes over him at the mention of the other omega. “Taehyung—"

“Jimin is going in heat”, Taehyung cuts him off. “And he’s asking for you, Jungkook.”

Chapter Text

Jungkook knows he’s absolutely screwed the moment he steps inside the infirmary.

The air is warm and heavy with an omega’s pheromones and he can’t help but inhale sharply, his wolf howling in joy when they’re finally close to Jimin again. The scent of honeysuckles is so thick in the air that Jungkook can literally taste it on his tongue, like the sweetest honey in the world, his stomach churning with a feral need to find and claim, to mate.

“Bless the mother nature, finally you came”, Jiwoo breathes out when her dark eyes find Jungkook, frozen by the door. She’s just coming down the stairs, relief washing away the heavy look of worry. “I was so close to just giving him suppressants and hoping them to weaken his scent, but with you here I don’t have to do that. We don’t even know if his body is accustomed to them or not.”

Jungkook swallows and Jimin’s almost sickly sweet scent attacks him from all directions. To anyone else, it would probably be too much, but Jungkook’s wolf gulps it down like they’d be starving and just whines for more.

“Jiwoo, c-can I – can I go—”

“To him?” the healer asks, already stepping out of the way. “Of course, that’s why I told Taehyung to fetch you.”

The alpha is by the stairs in a blink of an eye, his hands tightly gripping onto the railing as he gazes up. His mind is almost hazy with Jimin’s scent and there’s an overwhelming need in him, the need to just claim Jimin and hold him close, close in his arms so no one else can ever harm the omega again.

The tugging in his stomach only grows with each step he takes up and absently, Jungkook thinks it’s his wolf trying to break free. It’s a little scary how ready he is to just giving in.

“Just remember”, Jiwoo calls from behind him, her tone calm but stern. “Don’t harm him. He’s in a very vulnerable state and he needs your care, Jungkook. He needs your undivided attention. Keep your omega safe.”

Of course we will, the wolf within Jungkook growls and this time, the human side of him agrees.

He will keep Jimin safe and that’s a promise.

Jimin can feel the exact moment Jungkook arrives.

The alpha’s cedarwood scent pierces through even the hot haze surrounding him and Jimin whines, the sound low and needy to even his own ears. Shame colors his cheeks and ears dark pink, but he can’t deny the relief that washes over him at the same time the heat boiling under his skin grows.

Oh god, the omega thinks, breath caught in his throat as searing pain ripples through him, forcing a whimper past his reddened lips, oh god I need him.

With everything that has happened lately, Jimin hadn’t even realized that his heat was closing in until it literally crashed down on him. He’s lucky only Taehyung and Jiwoo were around when he suddenly collapsed, every part of him burning and slick pooling in his pants.

It was pathetic, and in his panicked state Jimin had only asked for the one person he trusts enough to see him like this.

Now, with only a closed door between him and Jungkook, it seems like he has made another mistake. This isn’t some panic attack after all, this is his fucking heat and no one but his mate was supposed to see him like this. But Jimin doesn’t have a mate, suppressants are out of question when the heat has almost wholly begun and it’s too late to do anything about it.

Because Jimin needs Jungkook, he needs the alpha before he’ll fucking burn alive.

The omega pulls himself up from the bed, struggling to hold himself up on his feet as he walks to the door, fingers curling around the doorknob. His knuckles are white and his whole body is trembling with both fear and need, but his chest is aching with something else that only Jungkook’s scent seems to ease.

He needs more.

Jimin yanks the door open and meets familiar golden eyes.

Oh thank the mother nature.

A relieved sigh escapes his lips before he can even stop it. “A-alpha…”

Jungkook looks surprised for a second before his eyes suddenly narrow and he growls. Jimin almost keens at the possessive sound, hardly capable of hiding the way his inner wolf is wagging its tail and begging for Jungkook to touch him.

“Are you insane?” the brunette mumbles, tone low. He takes a step forward and Jimin takes one back, completely out of habit, and as soon as Jungkook’s inside the room, he slams the door shut. “It could’ve been someone else, Jimin, and you just opened the door in a condition like this—”

“I-I knew it was you. I could smell you.”

The alpha freezes, golden eyes locked on Jimin’s. There’s something incredibly dark in those glowing orbs, something just waiting to be unraveled, and Jimin is stepping closer without even noticing. Jungkook doesn’t move away; instead, his arms fly up to hover around Jimin’s waist, hesitant to touch.

The omega can see how hard it is for the other to hold himself back from the way his arms are trembling, muscles tense and how he’s trying not to breathe. It makes something satisfied curl within him, to know that he’s capable of doing this to Jungkook. At the same time, he’s terrified.

Jimin takes a slow, tentative breath in, spices and cedarwood dancing on his tongue. He feels dizzy, the heat pooling in his stomach only growing and incapable of controlling the urge any longer, Jimin leans closer.

Jungkook’s hands finally come to rest on his hips and Jimin can’t stop the quiet whine from escaping him. The alpha lets out an appreciative sound.

Jimin can feel his breath ghost over his ear as Jungkook dips down, barely brushing their cheeks together. His hold on Jimin’s hips tightens a little but not enough for it to hurt – not enough for the omega to feel satisfied.

“What makes you think I wouldn’t do something to you?” Jungkook whispers, lips grazing Jimin’s ear. He’s already so drunk in the alpha’s scent, desperate to feel the other’s body against his, that he barely registers the words – but then Jungkook squeezes his hips strongly and growls.

“Answer, Jimin. I need a verbal answer.”

He thinks the alpha is teasing him. In truth, Jungkook is only scared of this being too much because he could feel the omega’s fear just moments ago.

“B-because you—” Fingers graze over his collarbones and Jimin swallows, whimpering pathetically when slick dribbles down his leg. Jungkook halts, his breath stuttering, and the omega knows he can smell him leak.

Fuck. Fuck, they’re both so fucking fucked.

“Because y-you wouldn’t – you wouldn’t hurt me.” Jimin looks at the alpha through his lashes. “Would you?”

“Hm…” Jungkook’s teeth graze his earlobe and Jimin is all too ready to bare his neck for the alpha, the last bit of sanity he’s holding onto being the only thing that stops him. “I would”, the alpha then murmurs, his low, possessive tone and piercing scent making it hard for Jimin to breathe.

“But I would make it feel good.”

That’s it. That’s fucking it.

The atmosphere shifts. The scent of honeysuckles grows heavier, blending into the scent of cedarwood and spices perfectly. Jimin meets Jungkook’s eyes and can see the last bit of restrain slip from those golden orbs.

“Missed me?” the alpha asks quietly, his breath now tickling Jimin’s lips.

Yes, yes, yes I missed you, the wolf within Jimin chants, loving the way Jungkook’s gaze slowly falls on his lips. “No”, is what he still answers, a small part of him still fighting against the consuming heat.

Jungkook only hums. He can probably hear the lie in Jimin’s tone.

One of the alpha’s hands moves up from the omega’s hip to cup his cheek, thumb sliding between Jimin’s plump lips. “That’s too bad”, he hums. “Because I missed you.”

And then, without another word, Jungkook leans down to crash their lips together.

It’s not a sweet, loving kiss, no. It’s fierce and painful in all the right ways, full of pent-up frustration and suppressed feelings – full of anger, possessiveness and lust. Jimin doesn’t even get to think about the feelings and possibilities behind Jungkook’s words, how fucking serious he sounded, because the familiar haze of heat quickly overcomes everything else until all he can think about is alpha alpha alpha.

If Jungkook left him now, Jimin is sure he would actually die.

The omega tries to bring his hands up to touch Jungkook, the need to please the dominant wolf a primal desire within him, but the alpha just growls against his lips and captures his wrists in one of his hands and pulls them back down.

“I’m going to take care of you”, Jungkook practically growls as he moves down to kiss along Jimin’s jawline, making the smaller man keen and almost lose his balance. “You’re mine to take care of.”

All he hears is mine and his inner wolf is over the moon for finally being addressed the way it should’ve been from the beginning. Jimin has a hard time refuting that.

More slick leaks out of his hole but Jimin is already over the line of feeling embarrassed. The heat courses through his veins, pulses under his skin in a way that hurts and leaves an empty ache in him.

He knows what it is. It’s the need to feel loved, the need to be filled and taken care of. Jimin should be terrified and ashamed for wanting an alpha from another pack to ease that need in him, but he isn’t. Can’t be, not right now.

Not when Jungkook is the only one he’s ever wanted like this.

Jimin’s knees buckle but the alpha has a firm grip on him, pressing their bodies tightly together to keep the omega upright. He lets out a loud gasp when he feels Jungkook’s hand slip down from his hip to his ass.

“O-oh, alpha—”

Jungkook silences him with another kiss, just as rough as before, and Jimin continues to leak and writhe in his arms, wordlessly begging for more.

“Fuck, you’re leaking so much”, the alpha mutters. “It’s soaking through your pants, Jimin. Are you that needy? Do you want me to fuck you that bad?”

Jimin almost cries out when Jungkook places a thigh between his legs, forcing them apart and giving him some much needed friction. He’s been hard for so long, hard and leaking, begging for relief, but unable to touch himself because it would make his alpha upset. And Jimin doesn’t want Jungkook to be upset with him.

“You wanna come, Jimin? Does the pretty little omega want to come?” Jungkook taunts him in an almost gentle voice and Jimin all but preens at the subtle praise.

“Y-yes please, alpha please—”

The alpha seems happy with his answer, lips brushing against Jimin’s collarbone. “Want me to touch you?” His fingers are already playing with the waistband of Jimin’s pants and he presses his thigh against Jimin a little stronger – the omega is pretty sure his slick is soaking through Jungkook’s pants as well at this point.

But Jungkook doesn’t seem to mind and when Jimin leans to rest against his chest, humping against him with quivering legs, he lets him. The waves of pleasure overcome the waves of pain and carnal lust pools in Jimin’s gut, his whimpers growing a little louder and Jungkook greedily drinks it in.

“A needy little thing, aren’t you?” the alpha says, finally releasing Jimin’s wrist to allow the omega to cling onto him. “C’mon, come for me – I’ll touch you if you can come for me now.”

Oh yes, yes, yes. Jimin presses his eyes shut, breathing hot air against Jungkook’s neck as he continues to move against the alpha’s leg, desperate for relief. He knows that it’ll only last for a second, but he needs it, needs to release and please the alpha.

He’s seconds away from coming when Jungkook suddenly shifts, causing Jimin to whine at the loss of contact but it turns into a gasp of pleasure when he feels the alpha’s hand on him, palming him through his soaked pants.

Jimin comes with Jungkook’s lips locked on his neck, stifling his moans against the alpha’s shoulder. The heat eases right away and Jungkook’s heavy scent wraps around him completely, making Jimin feel a little lightheaded, but he’s still hard and leaking a copious amount of slick. The feeling of emptiness doesn’t disappear.

“Please”, the omega all but sobs, growing frustrated in Jungkook’s arms. “Please – it hurts alpha, please—”

Jungkook lets out a loud growl and yanks Jimin’s head back, crashing their lips together once more, swallowing down the omega’s cries and moans. He’s losing control, Jimin can tell, and he loves it.

In a blink of an eye, the blonde finds himself pressed on the bed, not on his back but on his stomach. He finds reassurance in the fact that Jungkook is still in control enough to mind his wounds, which shows in the way the alpha carefully removes his shirt – unlike his pants that Jungkook pretty much rips off him.

“So wet”, the alpha hisses, big, slightly calloused hands sliding up and down Jimin’s slick covered legs. The omega chokes on his own spit when one of Jungkook’s fingers suddenly presses into him, the access easy thanks to the way he’s leaking.

“So wet but still so tight – you’re so fucking needy, Jimin. Clenching down on my finger like that, asking for more.” Jungkook’s finger is long, reaching places Jimin could have never hoped to reach on his own and with drool pooling in his mouth, he can’t help but wonder what it will feel like when the alpha finally fucks him.

Jungkook leans over Jimin’s smaller figure, yanking his lower body up and pressing his upper body down by the shoulder. “Gonna make you come again”, the alpha mouths against his shoulder, teeth just barely grazing his skin. “From one finger, then from two and then three – maybe even four. Gonna make you come so many times you can’t even remember your own name. ‘s that what you want, Jiminie? Like the needy little omega you are.”

Unconsciously, Jimin pushes back towards the alpha and whines. “Y-yes, wanna come, need to come, alpha please – ah—”

When Jungkook starts suddenly fucking his finger into him in earnest, pushing knuckle-deep into him, rubbing against his prostate, Jimin can only whine and beg. He gets used to the intrusion quickly and starts asking for more, his cock hard and curved against his stomach, leaking precum the same way he leaks slick.

He lets out his loudest cry yet when Jungkook’s other hand comes to rub against the tip of his cock. The heat in his gut coils in both pleasure and pain, and Jimin knows he’s getting closer. Just a few more thrusts against his prostate and a few more tug at his cock and Jimin is coming with a silent scream.

Jungkook lets out a groan and Jimin wants to look at him, wants to roll onto his back so he could always just look at him, but he knows he can’t. Although he could care less about the wounds on his back, common sense all but gone, he and his wolf are aware that it would piss of Jungkook.

And Jimin really can’t have that.

The alpha doesn’t give him any time to recover, already pushing in the second finger and Jimin cries out in oversensitivity. The heat is starting to subside for now, and Jimin’s body is begging for respite, for a break he doesn’t get as Jungkook rams his fingers deep inside, relentlessly pressing against his prostate.

“Ah ah – please!” Jimin sobs, torn between pushing back and pulling away. His legs are trembling, and his breathing is labored, but his cock is still painfully hard and aching.

“One more”, Jungkook mumbles into his shoulder. “Give me one more and we can take a break. Can you do that, Jiminie? Can you be a good omega for me?”

“Yes, yes, yes—”

Jungkook pushes the third finger in and for the first time, it stings a little, but Jimin welcomes the pain. And both his slick and Jungkook make sure it doesn’t hurt him too much, the alpha bringing Jimin’s attention elsewhere completely. The omega whimpers when he feels Jungkook’s fingers play with one of his nipples, squeezing and pulling. He’s never had anyone play with them before and Jimin didn’t know it could feel this good, his moans growing louder, mixing with the obscene sound of Jungkook’s fingers fucking into him.

He comes suddenly, sobbing into the pillow as his muscles clench down onto the fingers inside him, the sheets under him soiled in his cum and cock still pathetically leaking some. But he doesn’t get hard again, the heat tamed for some time and Jimin almost collapses with a breath of relief.

Jungkook pulls his fingers out and massages his aching muscles gently, humming when Jimin lets out a soft, thankful mewl.

“Good omega”, the alpha praises, leaning down to kiss along Jimin’s shoulder. “So good for me. Do you wanna sleep now?”

Jimin nods weakly, happy to hear that the other thinks he’s been good.

He’s barely conscious, the fever having taken a toll on him, and Jungkook lets out an amused chuckle at how pliant he is, before gently lifting the omega up. A confused sound escapes Jimin and his scent spikes up in distress, but he calms down as soon as Jungkook hushes him and pulls him into his arms.

“Can’t sleep on your back, remember?” the alpha says, maneuvering Jimin to lay on top of him instead, cheek pressed against his chest.

The omega almost complains but Jungkook’s scent wraps around him quickly, working like a sedative, and the alpha’s warmth is more than welcomed, his solid figure Jimin’s anchor. His eyelids feel heavy and he’s falling asleep before he even knows.

Jimin wakes up sweating and writhing, the heat slowly creeping back.

It’s already dark, so he must’ve been out for at least four hours or so, and under him, Jungkook is still sleeping. But as soon as the omega lets out a sound of discomfort the alpha jerks awake, brown orbs turning gold and body rigid, searching for possible threats. When it turns out that it’s just Jimin, Jungkook relaxes a little.

“Is it—”

“Please”, Jimin cuts him off, grinding down against the alpha’s crotch. He’s leaking again, the heat pooling in his gut hotter than before – he feels like he’s truly burning from inside and Jungkook’s body against him is just fuel to the fire.

“Please, alpha – wanna come, god I need to—”

Jungkook understands quickly, his hands coming to rest on Jimin’s hips to keep him steady as the omega starts grinding down harder, moaning under his breath. He can feel Jungkook’s quickly hardening length against his bare bottom and Jimin thinks he might be drooling, wishing he could have the alpha’s cock inside him, now.

But even when he whines for it, begging Jungkook to fuck him senseless, the alpha says no.

“Can’t, we can’t, Jimin”, Jungkook shakes his head, although denying Jimin is obviously painful for him too. “I don’t want to knot you, especially when you’re not in your right mind.”

The omega just sobs in disappointment, feeling like it’s his fault. He continues to grind down on the other’s lap until Jungkook takes pity on him and jerks him off, Jimin’s come staining his shirt. The smaller man only gets more restless and needy after his first orgasm, continuing to move against the alpha’s cock, begging into his neck.

His second orgasm hits him suddenly and leaves him drooling against Jungkook’s shoulder, his eyes fluttering as the alpha milks his high. His cock is still hard under Jimin’s ass, pants soaked from the omega’s slick, and although Jimin is consumed by his own carnal lust, a very big part of him still wants to pleasure the alpha – so he reaches his hand down and starts palming Jungkook through his pants, taking pride in the way the alpha groans, the darkness in his golden orbs enticing.

“Jimin. Jimin, f-fuck…”

Their lips meet in a sloppy kiss, Jimin’s small hand fiddling with Jungkook’s pants until the alpha’s cock finally springs free, thick and hard in the palm of his hand. Fuck, Jimin can feel himself start to salivate again. Fuck, it’s so big.

The omega shifts his position on top of Jungkook, so their cocks are grinding together, both of them groaning at the friction and pleasure that comes with it. With how needy Jimin is, it doesn’t take long for him to come again, the omega’s high keen swallowed down by Jungkook mouth on his.

Overstimulated, Jimin’s body goes completely pliant in Jungkook’s arms, but the heat hasn’t subsided even a little and he stays hard and aching.

“Oh – a-alpha, ah—” his eyes flutter shut, brows knit together as Jungkook takes control and starts grinding back up at him, growling possessively at all the sounds Jimin is letting out.

A few seconds pass like that but then Jungkook grows anxious and flips them over, Jimin on all fours and the alpha hovering over him once again. He can feel Jungkook’s cock slide between his ass cheeks, most likely coated in his slick and Jimin can’t help but push back, wishing that Jungkook would just let go of all his restrains and fuck him hard.

“Don’t be a bad omega, Jimin”, Jungkook grunts warningly, his hold on the omega’s hips tight enough to bruise. “Stay. Put.”

Jimin lets out a quiet, disappointed whine, but does as told and stays in place as Jungkook slips two fingers into him. The alpha is impatient and starts with a brutal pace right away, fucking his fingers into Jimin’s slick rim in an almost punishing way. He makes sure to hit Jimin’s prostate with every thrust in, relishing in the way the omega moans and cries, hands curled around the white sheets and whole body trembling with the effort to stay in place.

“Please, oh god – need to come, gonna come – ah—” Jimin’s mouth hangs open in a silent scream as his orgasm washes over him violently, making his eyes roll back and saliva trail down his chin. Jungkook continues to fuck his fingers into him, his other hand coming to wipe some drool off Jimin’s face.

“Look at you”, the alpha growls, slipping in the third finger. Jimin moans brokenly and pushes back even though his body is trembling in oversensitivity. “A perfect, dirty little omega, aren’t you? So pretty and needy, leaking and coming all over the bed. You’re taking my fingers so well too, wonder if you could take my cock just as well.”

“Good, w-wanna be good—” Jimin slurs back, gagging when Jungkook suddenly pushes two fingers into his mouth. It takes a second or two for him to start sucking on the digits, trying to ground himself from the three fingers still brutally fucking into him from behind.

“You’re good”, the alpha praises, groaning when Jimin clenches around his fingers. “You’re so good for me. Wanna just make you come all over yourself, wanna fuck you so good—”

“Please”, Jimin searches for the familiar golden eyes. “Please, please fuck me.”

Jungkook doesn’t say anything, just pulls his fingers out of his mouth and leaves Jimin whining for more. He protests loudly when the alpha pulls his fingers out of his aching ass as well, leaving him feeling completely empty – but then something warm moves over his reddened rim and oh.

Oh.

“F-fuck—” Jimin’s cheeks are flaming red but his moans are shameless, the heat coiling all over his lower body making him delirious.

“’m gonna make you come from my tongue”, Jungkook says and that’s the only warning Jimin gets before the alpha dips back down, warm tongue sliding over his rim, lapping at the slick he leaks. Jungkook’s hands knead into the flesh of his ass, roughly forcing his cheeks apart to give him better access.

“A-ah—” Jimin nearly screams when Jungkook sucks on his rim before pushing his tongue in, slowly fucking into the omega. He is just as relentless as he was with his fingers, but the stimulation feels completely different – better even.

And when Jungkook suddenly pushes two fingers in with his tongue, Jimin thinks he might pass out from the pleasure.

“You taste so good, so sweet”, the alpha moans, blowing hot air onto the abused rim before massaging the omega’s perineum and making him whimper in pleasure, tears starting to roll down his cheeks. “Fuck. You look so fucking ruined.”

Jimin only moans brokenly, head hanging and eyes pressed tightly shut.

The alpha returns to sucking onto his rim, fucking his tongue into him alongside his fingers occasionally, listening as the omega keeps crying and crying for more, completely incoherent.

“’m coming, I’m coming – please, oh please—”

Jungkook pushes his fingers hard against Jimin’s prostate at the same time he weakly bites on his rim and then Jimin is coming, shooting cum all over the bed and making some even land on his own face. Fuck, now his face is covered in tears, drool and cum – Jimin bets he looks absolutely wrecked.

And the heat is still coiling in his gut.

After a few steady breaths, Jimin grinds back on Jungkook’s crotch, making the alpha flinch in surprise. “Fuck me”, the omega pleads, glancing back at the other. “Please alpha, I’ll be good just fuck me.”

“Jimin—”

“Please, fuck me, knot me, just please do something, alpha, it hurts.” Ignoring the way Jungkook’s hold on him keeps tightening, Jimin continues: “I’ll give you so many pups, as many litters as you want, just please—”

Jungkook’s fingers sink into his hair and he yanks Jimin up, making the omega whimper in pain – but his cock twitches in excitement, the wolf within him hoping to have finally encouraged the alpha to just let go.

“Is that what you want?” Jungkook mumbles against his ear, biting on his earlobe rather harshly, making Jimin moan quietly. “Want me to give you a litter of your own, omega? Want me to knot you – fuck you until you’re full and leaking of my cum, huh? Is that what you want?”

“J-just wanna, just wanna—” Jimin swallows nervously, trying to move his head to look at the alpha but he’s not allowed, Jungkook’s grip unforgiving. “Just wanna feel you, alpha please, wanna be good for you. Want to be better for you, the best for you.”

The only one for you.

But that Jimin doesn’t say aloud.

Jungkook’s hold on him loosens right away and suddenly Jimin is spun around, the alpha lowering him on the bed gently to not agitate his healing wounds. There’s something new in the way Jungkook looks down at him, his golden eyes almost… fond.

“You’re already good for me”, he says quietly and even through the haze of heat, Jimin can feel the seriousness of his words. “So good. The best, even. My perfect omega – mine, mine, mine.”

Jungkook leans down to kiss Jimin’s neck and for a split second, the omega thinks he might mate him, but instead the other just peppers his heated skin with gentle kisses.

“I’ll fuck you”, Jungkook murmurs, brushing his lips past Jimin’s jawline. “I’ll fuck you, if you prove me that it’s you and not just your heat talking—”

“Jungkook”, the omega cuts him off. The other goes completely still – it’s the first time Jimin has called him by his name ever since the beginning of his heat. And he thinks that’s enough of a proof.

And Jungkook seems to like it – likes being something other than just a nameless alpha.

“Say it again”, the brunette says, tone rough. “Say my name again, Jimin.”

He’s in no state to deny the alpha.

“Jungkook”, Jimin whispers, moaning as he feels the other’s fingers back by his hole, already pushing in. “Jungkook, Jungkook, Jungkook—"

The alpha growls right into his ear, the sound low and deep, demanding submission and Jimin’s stomach twists with excitement. The scent of cedarwood has heightened, Jungkook’s arousal so obvious alongside Jimin’s own, and the omega knows he’s finally let go of his restrains.

Jimin is flipped onto his stomach once again, Jungkook’s hot palm pressing him down by the shoulder, his ass up and inviting as the alpha keeps fingering him while nibbling on the sensitive skin of his ear.

“Gonna fuck you, Jimin, gonna fuck you so good”, Jungkook grunts. “I’ll knot you and fill you with my cum, breed you like the little slut you are, make you mine, my omega—”

Suddenly Jungkook pulls his fingers out and without a warning, they’re quickly replaced by the thick head of his cock. Jimin lets out a guttural whine, desperately pushing back, trying to get the alpha’s cock in him faster – and his wish is granted when Jungkook growls and slams inside in one go with enough force to jolt the whole bed forward, making Jimin scream into his pillow.

“A-ahh – f-fuck, oh fuck—” the omega gasps, mouth agape at the feeling of suddenly being so full. His eyes are blown wide and staring at the wall ahead of him, hands gripping onto the sheets hard enough to make his knuckles white.

Jungkook rests his forehead on Jimin’s shoulder, breathing just as heavily as the omega, just as overwhelmed. When the alpha shifts, his cock presses against Jimin’s prostate so deliciously it makes his eyes roll heavenwards, precum leaking from his pathetic little cock.

“O-oh my god – so b-big, fuck, you’re so big.”

Jimin’s imagination could have never matched up to the real deal, not fucking ever. He can feel the way Jungkook’s cock pulses inside him, hard and burning hot, so deep in him he feels like it’s almost in his stomach.

The alpha pulls back slowly and Jimin continues to gasp for air. The drag of Jungkook’s cock against his tight, wet walls feels amazing. From the way the other groans into his shoulder is more than enough for Jimin to know that he’s feeling just as good as he is.

“You’re still so tight, shit. How are you still so tight?” Jungkook asks breathlessly before thrusting back in. Jimin can only answer with a high-pitched moan, twisting the sheets in his hands as Jungkook starts to slowly pick up a steady pace.

The alpha’s lips find his shoulder quickly, sucking on the flushed skin eagerly to stifle his own moans and for a long moment, the room is only filled by the dirty sounds of skin against skin and Jimin’s cries of pleasure. And when he tries to hide his face in his pillow to silence his moans, Jungkook just yanks his head back up.

“N-no, I wanna hear you”, the alpha growls, licking at the bruise he had just sucked on Jimin’s shoulder. “Wanna hear how good you feel from my cock – how only I can fuck you this good, how only my cock can satisfy your needy little cunt.”

Jimin sobs, shame and pleasure swirling in his stomach, and begs for more.

It doesn’t take long for the familiar coiling heat to return to his bottom stomach, Jimin’s toes curling at the overwhelming pleasure he’s feeling. He rests his head on the pillow, hazily watching the alpha fuck him, drooling like the dumb little omega he is.

“J-Jungkook, o-oh – I’m close, ‘m close, faster please—”

The alpha lets out a low grunt, slamming harder and deeper into Jimin, if that’s even possible. “Then come, come for me baby.”

The sudden pet name does weird things to Jimin and when he comes, he comes hard enough to see white. The orgasm washes over him so painfully good he just stops everything for a moment – breath caught in his throat, body tensing and eyes closing – before a forceful thrust from Jungkook brings him back. Jimin screams, body spasming in overstimulation as the alpha keeps fucking him mercilessly, not showing any signs of slowing down.

“F-fuck, shit I – Jungkook, alpha—”

Jimin is close to collapsing, legs feeling like jelly, but the alpha’s firm grip on his hips keeps him up and too tired to do anything else, he just lets himself to be used. Fuck, he doesn’t mind being used, he just wants to please Jungkook, and the heat hasn’t gone anywhere.

When Jungkook’s thrusts start to turn more erratic and faster, Jimin knows the alpha is getting closer. He’s still capable of squeezing two more orgasms out of the whimpering omega, one of them completely dry, before his knot starts to finally form, catching on Jimin’s puffy, abused rim.

It takes a few more rough thrusts before the knot is too big for Jungkook to move out anymore, Jimin trembling form completely covered by him. He’s sobbing into his pillow, slurring out ‘thank you’ all over again and Jungkook just hushes him with soft kisses on his shoulder and neck.

But when the knot just keeps growing inside of him, grinding against his prostate in a borderline painful way that sends him into a dry orgasm, Jimin can’t stop himself from screaming.

“Oh fuck, fuck – hurts, Jungkook, ’s too much, too much—"

“We’re almost done”, the alpha groans, jerking Jimin impossibly closer to himself, and then he’s spilling his cum into the omega.

Jimin reacts immediately, gasping for breath as the alpha’s hot cum pours into him in steady waves, slowly filling him and finally, fucking finally, calming down the heat burning in his veins. The knot keeps the cum locked in him, Jungkook pressing his face against Jimin’s right shoulder blade with a growl as the omega’s tight hole milks him completely dry.

“So well, you did so well, Jimin”, the alpha croons, rubbing Jimin’s aching ass cheeks gently. “My omega is so good to me, so good.”

Even in his satisfied, sluggish state, Jimin finds it in himself to preen under Jungkook’s praise, smiling weakly.

He starts to doze off not long after, completely drained, but jerks awake when Jungkook attempts to pull out, the knot not quite allowing it.

“Don’t – don’t move”, Jimin whines, fingers curling around the alpha’s wrist to stop him from leaving. Jungkook is still leaning over him, his chest pressed against Jimin’s back and arms resting on either side of his face.

“Right”, the alpha nods easily, dipping down to kiss one of the bruises he made on Jimin’s skin.

The omega sighs and starts dozing off again when Jungkook gently kisses every bruise on Jimin’s skin better, leaving behind tingling warmth. However, when the alpha’s lips suddenly come to rest by one of his wounds, Jimin unconsciously tenses. He’s expecting Jungkook to leave his wounds to be, like he has done until now – but no, the alpha starts slowly unwrapping the bandage around it, a look of concentration on his face.

Jimin can’t even properly turn to look at him with the alpha’s cock still stuck in his ass. “What are you doing? Jungkook – ah!”

He lets out a surprised squeak when Jungkook’s lips suddenly come to rest on his open wound, expecting pain to pierce through his tired body. But instead, he feels that familiar, warm tingling, and his wolf practically purrs.

“Jungkook”, Jimin tries again, softer this time, but the alpha pays him no attention as he continues to kiss and lick at his wound. Jimin is given no other choice but to wait until he’s done but because it doesn’t hurt – maybe just confuses him – it’s easy for him to just close his eyes and rest.

“It’s healing”, Jungkook suddenly mumbles, startling the omega back awake.

“What is?” he asks in a slurred tone.

“Your wound. It’s healing.”

Impossible.

“That’s not possible. We aren’t—” We aren’t mates. Only mates could heal each other and even then, only small wounds, not claw marks the size of what Jimin has on his back.

“Well, it’s healing”, Jungkook says matter-of-factly, and when he smooths a finger over the skin where the wound is supposed to be and Jimin doesn’t feel anything out of ordinary, just normal skin, he realizes the alpha is right.

He’s healing Jimin.

And, as Jungkook moves onto the next wound, the omega thinks it might not only be his wounds they’re talking about.

The rest of his heat passes in a similar matter. They sleep, fuck until Jimin passes out, sleep some more, and at some point Jungkook forces Jimin to eat something Jiwoo had brought them – when, neither knows nor really cares – and then they fuck again.

On the fifth day, his heat finally passes. Jimin falls asleep without Jungkook’s cock in his ass and doesn’t wake up sweating and aching for more. It’s over.

Jiwoo marches in the very morning Jimin wakes up free from his heat, glaring at the two with her hands on her hips. Jimin squeaks in embarrassment and hides behind Jungkook’s bigger form, face buried against the alpha’s back.

“You two are absolutely ridiculous”, Jiwoo says, picking up empty plates and torn pieces of cloth that aren’t covered in… well, stuff.

“You two look absolutely ridiculous. Get up and go take a bath, will you? I already warmed up some water for you, there are clean clothes in the bathroom, and Seokjin-ah is making food downstairs. Wash up, eat and leave. I need to ventilate this whole house because of you and I’m kicking you out for that. So be fast.”

She leaves before neither Jimin nor Jungkook can even properly react.

“Okay”, the alpha is the first to talk, slowly sitting up. “Guess we have to do as she says. A bath and some food sound pretty good right now.” Jungkook brown eyes turn to glance at Jimin, who’s still hiding himself, this time just under the blanket.

The alpha lets out an amused snort. “Do I have to carry you to the bathroom, or will you walk on your own?”

Jimin only mumbles something incoherent – very possibly cursing Jungkook to hell and back – and doesn’t move. The alpha thinks he’s just being stubborn but in reality, it’s because Jimin literally can’t walk – or he doubts he can, taking into consideration how numb his legs feel.

“Alright”, Jungkook shakes his head with a small smile playing on his lips. “You asked for it.”

He doesn’t give Jimin any warning before scooping him up from the bed, blanket and all, holding him in his arms bridal-style. Their noses brush together, Jungkook grins and Jimin turns bright red.

“Y-you – Jungkook, you stupid puppy—”

“Shh, it’s a free ride, Jimin, don’t complain”, the alpha cuts him off, weakly poking Jimin’s cheek with his nose. The omega is both disgusted and amused at the affectionate gesture, but he thinks it’s the disgust that shows on his face because Jungkook outright laughs at him.

It’s a very nice sound. Jimin can’t help but feel a little fond when he watches the way Jungkook’s nose scrunches up and innocence floods into his features.

“Don’t worry”, Jungkook then says, turning towards the door with Jimin tightly in his arms. “I won’t drop you.”

“You better not, or I’ll kick your ass.”

“With your little feet? I doubt. Can you even reach – ouch, what the fuck? Did you just pinch me?”

“I’ll do it again if you don’t shut up, puppy.”

“I’m seriously considering dropping you now, Jimin.”

Jimin just sticks his tongue out at the alpha. “You wouldn’t.”

Jungkook lets out a defeated sigh. “You’re right. I wouldn’t.”

It’s a very small victory for Jimin, but a victory nonetheless, and the omega can’t help but giggle at the pout forming on the other’s face. He can’t believe this is the same man who spent four days fucking him into oblivion.

“Don’t worry”, he chuckles, pinching Jungkook’s nose. “I know you would never hurt me.” They both know he isn’t only talking about this moment.

Jungkook’s smile is blinding, and Jimin feels warm.

Chapter Text

Jimin is beautiful, breathtaking even, and that Jungkook has known since the first time he saw him sitting under that tree, covered in his own blood and eyes wide in fear. But he must admit that there’s something even more beautiful, even more breathtaking, in seeing him like this.

Like this, smiling at Jungkook with an almost fond look in his mismatching eyes, unafraid and trusting, open.

“How are you feeling?” the alpha asks quietly, watching as the other wraps a fluffy towel around his petite body. He himself has already dried and dressed in the comfortable clothes Jiwoo had left them, but Jimin had insisted on staying in the bath until the water ran cold and Jungkook had to literally lift him up from there.

“Fine”, Jimin mumbles. “I’m fine. Just a little hungry.”

Jungkook can’t help but snort. “That’s given – I mean, you’ve barely eaten anything in five days. Still somehow had the stamina of a fucking rabbit—”

The omega flushes red and throws the closest object – his damp towel – at Jungkook. “Shut up!” he whines in an embarrassed tone that only makes the alpha smirk. With a little quieter voice, Jimin adds: “And like you’re the one to talk.”

Jungkook wholeheartedly agrees.

While waiting for Jimin to dress, Jungkook busies himself with ripping the old sheets of the bed. It’s not like they’re usable anymore, his and Jimin’s scents so strongly stuck in them that no amount of washing could save them – which is fine, because Jiwoo most likely doesn’t want to have any of her future patients lying on sheets that were used during a heat.

When he turns back to Jimin, he’s expecting the omega to be fully dressed and ready to head downstairs, but instead he’s met by a firm hand holding a soft baby blue sweater to his face.

“What—”

“Scent it”, Jimin grumbles, practically growls, and Jungkook sends him a half shocked and half amused look. The omega isn’t even looking at him, his mismatching eyes fixated on the floor and a terribly cute blush adorns his cheeks. It’s good to see that color is returning to his pale skin.

“Why?” he asks although he’s pretty sure he knows the answer. Omegas tend to be more vulnerable after heats and having their alpha’s scent on them does wonders to their agitated nerves. Jungkook supposes Jimin is turning to him because he spent his heat with him and is, quite frankly, the only alpha available.

He also likes to think that he’s the only alpha Jimin would ever even turn to.

The smaller man lets out a small, distressed sound. “Please don’t ask, just do it. And don’t act like you wouldn’t know already—”

“Oh, I do”, Jungkook chuckles, taking the sweater from Jimin. “I just want to hear you say it aloud.”

The whine Jimin lets out makes him almost feel bad. “You can’t just – ugh, fine. I need it – I mean, your scent, i-it makes me feel…”

“Makes you feel what?” Jungkook tilts his head a little and Jimin lets out another whine, but this time it really does sound quite distressed, hurt even. It makes the alpha regret teasing him, his protective side still running on overdrive, but before he can call it off, Jimin answers.

“Safe”, the omega grits out, small hands gripping onto the soft material of his pants. “I need your scent on me because it makes me feel safe. Happy now?”

“Yes.” Very. “Arms up.”

Jimin is too embarrassed to question him, lifting his thin arms up towards the ceiling and Jungkook pulls the shirt on him in a blink of an eye. When the omega notices that it’s not scented, a sound a little too close to a whimper escapes him, but Jungkook doesn’t give him time to complain as he yanks Jimin forward and leans down to rub his nose against his jaw.

“You should’ve just asked to be scented, I wouldn’t have said no”, he murmurs against the omega’s warm skin, dragging his lips over the scent glands on Jimin’s neck. He’s only answered by a breathy oh before his attention is wholly brought on dousing Jimin in his scent.

Jungkook only retreats when he’s sure the other smells so strongly of him that it would make any alpha within five feet gag. And, of course, stay the fuck away from the omega.

Mine, his wolf howls happily, becoming even more satisfied when Jungkook notes the dazed look on Jimin’s face. So wholly mine.

The thought sets fire to Jungkook’s heart.

“C’mon”, he says and coughs when he notices how rough his voice sounds. “We should go eat.”

Jimin can only nod numbly and comes easily when Jungkook takes his hand.

“They’re alive!” is the first thing Taehyung says when they step into the kitchen, the silver head cheering loudly over his plate of beef stew. “And it looks like they didn’t mate – see, I totally told you that they had this under control, didn't I?”

Jungkook turns to look at Seokjin, who’s standing by the stove with an unreadable expression on his face. But as soon as Taehyung’s words reach him, the older man scoffs.

“Oh, we’ll see”, Seokjin says, giving Jungkook a pointed look. “I better not become an uncle anytime soon.”

Jimin, who had been standing right by Jungkook’s side, hides behind the alpha with his face aflame and if Jungkook wouldn’t be overtaken by a wave of protectiveness over him, he might’ve felt embarrassed as well.

“I guess I could say the same to you, then”, he growls, unconsciously moving to stand more in Jimin’s way. He doesn’t like the air of hostility coming from his brother but since it’s his brother, he’s ready to let it slide. And Namjoon would kill him if he even as much as raised his voice at Seokjin.

Taehyung coos. “Look hyung, he’s being all defensive, it’s so cute. Jiminie, you have such a good alpha – lucky, how lucky.”

Somehow, the silver head’s words seem to break the tension and Seokjin smiles. “It’s cute, I have to admit. It’s not every day I get to see my idiot younger brother being so serious about something.” He tilts his head a little to catch a glimpse of Jimin. “I’m sorry if I came off rude, little one. Just come and eat now, Taehyung and I will leave soon.”

“Will we?” the silver-haired omega asks.

“Yes”, Jungkook and Seokjin answer at the same time.

Taehyung lets out a disappointed whine. “But I want to play with Chim. You’ve been with him for almost a week, Kookie, and I still have to beat him in blackjack—”

“Take your gambling games out of here”, Jiwoo enters the kitchen, walking past Jungkook and Jimin with a low grumble. “And I really suggest not agitating an alpha right after his omega has gone through a heat, or you might end up losing a limb or two, Taehyung-ah.”

“I guess you have a point.”

“A very good one, if I may say”, Seokjin snickers, earning a glare from the silver head.

The casual joking around helps Jungkook to relax his tense muscles and as his pheromones settle down, so do Jimin’s. But that doesn’t last long – the alpha is fine with having Jiwoo, Seokjin and Taehyung around since they’re all submissive wolves and no danger to him or Jimin, but the second he senses another, dominating presence close by, his primal instincts flare up, and the growl Jungkook lets out is loud and ugly, almost completely unrestrained.

It’s even worse that this other wolf isn’t just some random alpha from his pack, but it’s Namjoon – one of the alphas Jungkook has no power over.

Namjoon is standing a few meters away from them, obviously having just entered the house, shards of amber glowing in his orbs in a clear sign of warning. He might not have any ill thoughts in mind and the rational side of Jungkook is very well aware of that but the irrational side of him, the one always involved when it comes to Jimin, screams danger.

Jimin lets out a small sound of confusion when Jungkook yanks him to his other side, hiding the omega’s smaller form completely from Namjoon. The air is tense, crackling with electricity, and both of the alphas are unmoving.

Jungkook absently thinks that the small hands clutching onto the back of his shirt are the only thing stopping him from making the worst decision of his life and attacking Namjoon.

He’d lose. He’d lose for sure.

But he isn’t scared of that. What he’s scared of, is how readily he’d still do it for Jimin.

“Joonie…” Seokjin breaks the tense silence, eyeing his brother and soon-to-be mate warily. “Now would be a very good time to just take a few steps back… and maybe exit the house.”

The older alpha lets out a disgruntled noise at that, causing Jungkook to growl as well, Jimin’s hold on him tightening. The omega keeps repeating the word stop, his voice muffled against Jungkook’s back.

It does very little to calm down the alpha’s nerves.

“Namjoon, please. Whatever you’re here to talk about, we can do it elsewhere, can’t we? You know Jungkook isn’t completely in control right now”, Seokjin continues when Namjoon doesn’t move an inch.

Backing away from a younger, lower ranking alpha wouldn’t look good for an alpha of Namjoon’s caliber – but in the end, when it’s Seokjin asking, the amber-eyed alpha relents.

“I’ll wait outside”, he says, tone tight, and leaves without another word. Only once the door behind Namjoon closes, does Jungkook stop posturing, sighing when he can relax his tense muscles. Jimin keeps his hands firmly wrapped around his shirt for a moment longer, looking over Jungkook shoulder at the door.

“He’s not going to come back”, Seokjin sighs at the two. Then he walks up to his younger brother and whacks him on the head weakly.

“Do not ever challenge Namjoon like that again if you value your position in the pack, Jungkook. He might consider you as family, but you know he doesn’t stand disobedience.”

“I can’t make any promises”, the younger just mumbles back, earning a glare from his brother and a pinch to the side from Jimin.

“Well”, Jiwoo chimes in from behind them. “We can’t forget that Jungkook has an omega to protect now. Don’t say Namjoon doesn’t act all alpha around you, Seokjin-ah.”

“You mean stupid and reckless?”

The healer’s eyes glimmer in mirth at Seokjin’s answer. “Exactly. That’s an alpha’s nature.”

“It’s not”, Jimin disagrees, leaning against Jungkook’s shoulder. He’s still completely soaked in the alpha’s scent but some hints of sweet honeysuckle pierce through and wrap around Jungkook in an attempt to pacify him. “It’s their stupid pride that always makes things hard.”

Jungkook snorts and wraps an arm around Jimin’s shoulders, pulling the omega flush against himself. “You sure it’s my pride we’re talking about?” he asks, leaning down to nibble on Jimin’s ear. His sudden action makes the omega turn bright red and one of his small hands comes to yank at Jungkook’s hair, not hard enough to hurt but definitely to get him to stop.

“You two are cute”, Taehyung laughs. “Can’t believe you used to hate each other.”

Jungkook can’t quite believe it either, but he has to question if he ever even hated Jimin. And, as he gazes into the mismatching eyes closely watching him, he wonders if the omega ever truly hated him either.

“Sit down and eat now”, Seokjin ushers them towards the table and soon enough Jiwoo drops two full plates in front of them. “I’m going to go and talk with Namjoon, it’s not good for his health to stand outside in the cold for long. Jungkook, behave. Taehyung, ten minutes and you better be outside as well. And Jimin—” The smaller omega lifts his gaze up, curiously looking at Seokjin who offers him a small smile.

“—take care of my brother, okay?”

The elder’s smile turns fond and Jungkook doesn’t think he needs to worry about Seokjin accepting Jimin.

With his brother gone and no apparent threat around, the alpha feels comfortable enough to dig into his food. He takes pride in his stamina as an alpha, but he must admit that Jimin’s heat put it in a real test – Jungkook is starving and judging by the way Jimin quickly follows his lead, the omega is too.

“While you’re eating, do you mind if I check your wounds, Jimin-ah?” Jiwoo asks after the two have practically inhaled half of their food.

The abrupt question results into Jimin choking on his food, the small omega doubling over with coughs and Jungkook can’t quite hold back the glare he directs at Jiwoo. “Why?” he asks, sounding awfully defensive even to his own ears, one of his hands coming to rub Jimin’s back in a comforting matter.

“Because I’m concerned that you might’ve caused some damage to them while going at it.” The healer gives him a questioning look. “There’s no way you could’ve not touched any of his wounds in the past five days.”

Jimin gets his coughing under control quickly, greedily gulping down the water Taehyung offers him while Jungkook keeps his eyes fixated on Jiwoo.

“His wounds are fine. Actually, better than simply fine. They’re healed”, he states.

Now had the healer been eating something, she might’ve choked as well. “Healed?” Jiwoo repeats. “What – what the hell do you mean healed? Wounds like that don’t just heal in five days, Jungkook.”

“But he’s right”, Jimin cuts in softly. “My wounds… they’re all gone. Jungkook healed them.” Something in the omega’s soft, gentle tone makes the alpha preen, extremely satisfied with helping his omega feel better. Jungkook feels so good about that, actually, that he doesn’t even scold his wolf for addressing Jimin as his.

Taehyung and Jiwoo share a weird look and suddenly the silver head jumps up from his side of the table. “Can you show us, Chim?” he asks, already walking around the table but before he or Jiwoo can lay a finger on Jimin, Jungkook yanks him firmly to his chest, eyes flashing gold.

“Easy there”, Taehyung sends him a pointed look. “I’m not going to hurt him, and you know that.”

“You’re not touching him if he doesn’t say yes”, is all Jungkook answers, his hold around Jimin’s waist firm.

He knows, he knows no one there is going to hurt Jimin, but the thought of anyone else touching the omega sends something uncomfortable down his spine and there’s possessive heat curling in his stomach. Inside, his wolf is bristling, and Jimin must even feel the growls vibrating in Jungkook chest through his back.

“Dear mother nature”, his best friend rolls his eyes, groaning. “You’re so much worse than Yoongi and Namjoon combined.”

Jimin lets out a soft sigh and rests his small hand over the alpha’s arm. “Jungkook, it’s fine. Tae won’t hurt me and all I have to do is lift up my shirt, right?” Jiwoo nods and the omega twists his head a little to give Jungkook a long look. “See? Everything’s fine, so stop acting like a stupid baby alpha.”

“I’m not a baby”, Jungkook growls back, his hold all but tightening and Jimin squeaks, a bright pink hue coloring his cheeks when he’s practically pulled on the alpha’s lap. The taller man leans to nose at Jimin’s neck, scenting him once more just to remind that no one else has any business touching him without consent.

Then, albeit reluctantly, he lets go of the omega to allow Taehyung pull him closer to himself.

“Shirt up”, Jiwoo steps closer as well, gently turning Jimin around so he’s facing Jungkook with his back towards the two other wolves.

The omega’s mismatching eyes find Jungkook’s, and with that embarrassed flush still on his cheeks, lips pursed and uncertainty in his gaze, he lifts up his shirt. Jungkook lets his eyes travel over the other’s pale skin, covered in purple bruises and occasional fingerprints.

There are no signs of claw marks, aside from some older scars Jungkook can only now see in the bright light of the kitchen.

He’s slightly horrified to see the number of them and there’s an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach, as his eyes fall on a particularly cruel looking scar that cuts through Jimin’s lower stomach all the way to his hip.

Only a knife could have done something like that.

“This is impossible…” Jiwoo suddenly breathes out, snapping Jungkook out of his thoughts. He lifts his gaze to look at the healer, whose warm amber eyes are locked on Jimin’s back. “There are no scars, no trace of them at all. It’s like—”

“He never even got hurt in the first place”, Taehyung finishes for her, trailing his fingers over Jimin’s shoulder blade, making the omega flinch and Jungkook growl in warning.

“Haven’t you seen enough?” the alpha asks, foot tapping the floor impatiently. “You’re making him uncomfortable.”

“And you really need to control your alpha”, Jiwoo says back but she still lets Jimin lower his shirt and return to his earlier position, curled up against Jungkook’s side.

“So?” the small male asks in a quiet voice after a moment.

“So?” Taehyung repeats.

“You two look like you know something”, Jimin clarifies and Jungkook must agree – Jiwoo’s eyes have darkened, a thoughtful look fixated on her face, and even Taehyung seems a little more serious than usual, a storm swimming in his brown eyes. “I know for a fact that stuff like this doesn’t happen – not even between mates. My wounds were too big, too deep. Jungkook shouldn’t have been able to heal them.”

“Maybe it was the heat? That’s when your body is the most capable, isn’t it?” the alpha offers but his voice is filled by uncertainty.

Jimin shakes his head. “The most capable as in ready to bear children – not this.”

“Okay then”, Jungkook turns to Jiwoo. “You tell us what’s going on.”

The healer is quiet for a long moment, her gaze flickering between the omega and alpha. She opens and closes her mouth several times, obviously unsure what to say and that if anything makes Jungkook grow tense.

It’s nothing good, he deduces, and by the way Jimin’s hand comes to clutch onto his thigh, distress radiating from him in waves, he knows the omega has figured out that much too. Unconsciously, Jungkook rests his hand on top of Jimin’s.

“I um, I’m going to have to think about it a little more”, Jiwoo finally sighs, shaking her head softly. When Jimin opens his mouth to protest, the healer just silences him with one look. “You two should just calm down now. Heats are never easy, and it takes a while for your hormones to settle down again – so eat and go take a walk or something, I still need to air this whole house. Come back later when you’re both comfortable enough with other people around.”

Jiwoo says nothing more; she just straightens herself and heads for the door, mumbling something incoherent under her breath. A heartbeat later Taehyung bounces up as well, saying that he’s going to check on Seungkwan and leaves with a tense smile on his lips.

“Something’s wrong”, Jungkook frowns, watching as the door behind Jiwoo closes and Taehyung disappears into one of the private rooms.

“Stating the obvious, puppy”, Jimin just hums, going back to playing with his food. He seems to have lost his appetite and honestly, Jungkook has too.

“What do I have to do to make you stop calling me a puppy?” The alpha grabs a hold of the other’s neck, massaging the soft flesh a little harsher than he probably should. Jimin only grumbles in annoyance but doesn’t push his hand away.

“You need to prove me you’re not one, but you’re really not doing a good job at it.”

“Wasn’t fucking you into oblivion enough?”

The omega chokes on air and angrily slaps Jungkook’s hand away, his mismatching eyes narrowed and blush reaching all the way down to his collarbones. The alpha thinks it’s quite adorable – if he knew that all it takes to get under Jimin’s skin is to embarrass him, he would’ve started a lot earlier.

“This is exactly why you’re a puppy – you don’t just say things like that out loud!”

“Oh c’mon.”

Jimin wrinkles his nose at him and Jungkook can’t help but chuckle, returning his hand on the omega’s back and without much thinking, he slips it under his shirt.

The smooth skin of Jimin’s back feels nice under his roaming fingers.

Jungkook takes Jimin out to the lake located at the very end of their territory, the one thing that keeps them firmly apart from the mountains.

The village is eerily quiet when they march through it, Jimin trailing behind Jungkook’s footsteps, one hand holding onto the hem of his coat. It has snowed a lot during the five days they spent within the infirmary, the snow easily reaching his calves. Also most likely one of the reasons it’s so quiet – no one wants to be outside in the cold and wet unless forced to.

Jimin seems happy though, albeit understandably a little nervous. It’s obvious that he’s in his element and as soon as they leave the village behind, the omega’s steps become lighter and the smile Jungkook sees slipping on his face is his most genuine one yet.

Freedom looks good on Jimin. Jungkook wishes that one day, hopefully soon, he could set the omega free for good.

“This way”, he motions, gently pulling Jimin along towards the slowly dwindling trees. He’s still half expecting the omega to run away from him, especially now that he’s healed and much more capable in the snow than Jungkook, but he’s happily surprised to see that Jimin never strays too far away from him.

The air is crisp, the temperature well under minus fifteen, and Jungkook’s glad that as an alpha, he rarely feels cold. Jimin might have some trouble with that but so far the omega seems good, cheeks bright pink from the cold and the smile on his face turning his eyes into crescent moons.

“How cold is it in the mountains, exactly?” he can’t help but asks.

“Well, it depends. In January it’s always under minus twenty. In the summer, the temperature might go up to fifteen degrees. But I guess, from a forest wolf’s perspective—” Jimin eyes him with amusement “—it’s always cold.”

“Fifteen isn’t bad”, Jungkook points out.

“Oh, well then how warm is it here in the summer?”

“Depends. July and August are our hottest months, somedays it might be over thirty, somedays just twenty.”

Something sad seeps into Jimin’s gaze. “That must be nice. Do children get to play outside a lot?”

“Of course they do. Don’t they at your home?”

“Rarely. Especially lately, when winters have lasted longer than before. We’ve lost too many pups into the cold; it doesn’t help that most of us have white fur, too. You take your eyes off your child for a second and that’s it – they’re gone. In the summer, if we’re lucky, we might find their bodies.”

Jungkook grimaces. “That’s…”

“Life”, Jimin simply states, brushing it off easily. “Different from yours, but completely normal to me. The mountains are a cruel place to live in. That’s why there are strict rules we must follow and why everyone is needed there. I don’t quite understand how they have time to come all the way down here to attack your pack.”

“If everyone’s needed back home, what were you doing down here in the first place?”

It’s Jimin’s turn to grimace, the memory obviously not something he’s fond of. “Oh, I just – we visited the human city, my grandmother and I—”

“Why?”

Jimin comes to a stop and although there’s still some way to the lake, Jungkook understands that he’s already walking on thin ice. The look on the omega’s face is bitter and sad, an all too familiar look, and he has a big urge to wipe it away – he just doesn’t know how.

He doesn’t know how to fix a broken heart.

“I was going to leave”, Jimin tells after a moment. His voice is barely above a whisper.

“Leave – as in leave the pack? This whole… area?” Jungkook’s stomach twists into a tight knot and his wolf howls in disapproval, not liking the thought of having almost lost Jimin without even meeting him first.

The omega swallows, looking down at the ground. It’s obvious that he’s embarrassed, ashamed.

“Yeah. I was going to leave the pack and my grandmother was just trying to help me out.”

“Why did you come back then?”

“My grandmother, she was the old healer of my pack and there was a call – they said some accident had happened and the current healer needed help and I just, I thought I had to come back with her. It’s not like leaving the pack was something I was excited to do, even though I’ve never particularly liked it there.” Jimin shrugs his shoulders, a look of acceptance dawning on his face. He’s lost many people already and although it’s never easy, he has learned to just... live with it.

He’s learned to live with the hole in his chest.

“We just never reached home. And if they have time to come and cause havoc here, I doubt there was any accident to begin with.”

“Jimin, I’m – I’m sorry. Your grandmother, I’m sorry you lost her. I—”

“It’s fine”, Jimin cuts him off, shaking his head. “There’s nothing you could’ve done about it anyway.”

Jungkook knows that’s a lie. If he had just been a little faster that day, he could’ve saved not only Jimin, but his grandmother as well. He knows he could have.

They don’t talk about it more. The alpha understands to drop the subject and Jimin seems thankful about that, the smile quickly easing back to his lips.

Jungkook hates how it doesn’t reach his eyes anymore.

But as they continue their way towards the lake, a heavy feeling settling down in the alpha’s stomach, he realizes he never asked the question that matters the most.

Why, why would Jimin want to leave his pack?

The lake is covered in snow as well and it almost looks like a winter wonderland, like a snowy field that’s just calling you to come and play on it. Jungkook comes to a halt right by the edge of the forest, skeptically eyeing the open space – their territory ends here, but the lake is neutral ground so it shouldn’t cause them any trouble to step further.

Jimin stops next to him. “My pack—” he mumbles, pointing at the other side of the lake they can barely see. “—is there. That’s a part of our territory.”

It’s weird to think that Jungkook and Jimin have always been just a lake away from each other.

“We live much further up the mountains though.” Jimin narrows his eyes and probably sees something Jungkook can’t exactly pinpoint. To him, the mountains just look big and dangerous, the tips disappearing to the dark clouds telling the tale of a closing storm. To him, the mountains have always been a distant threat.

Yet they’ve always been this close.

He looks at Jimin. There’s no yearning in the omega’s mismatching eyes.

“Have you been by the lake before?” Jungkook asks quietly. His mother’s screams echo in his mind but he blinks the memory away, tries not to think about the black water hidden under layers of snow and ice.

“A few times. There’s not much to see here, not much prey. I think my dad used to bring me here when I was younger. I’m not sure – can’t really remember him that well.” The omega frowns and tilts his head a little. “But he told me about your pack.”

“Oh.”

“The Kim pack. Strong but a little too prideful.” Jimin sends him a wry smile. “Cruel but kind. Much kinder than the Park pack.”

“I thought we had a reputation of being quite vicious?”

“Puppy, you haven’t seen vicious until you’ve met my pack-leader.”

Jungkook doesn’t like the hatred that seeps into Jimin’s tone at the mention of the head of the Park pack. It’s not exactly the way he’d imagine anyone talk about their own head alpha, no way in hell would he ever speak of Kim Chaerin with such a disgusted tone.

“Stop calling me a puppy”, Jungkook complains, thinking it’s better to avoid the subject of Jimin’s pack. He doesn’t want to pry too much, that would most likely make the omega suspicious, but more than that, he doesn’t want to be the one to wipe away the warm glimmer in Jimin’s eyes.

“Never.”

And suddenly he’s smacked in the face with cold snow, Jimin bolting away from him with a laugh.

And he dares to call me a puppy, Jungkook thinks, wiping the cold substance off his face before scowling.

“Oh, you’re on.”

The omega sticks out his tongue at the same time he leans down to pick up snow from the ground. Jungkook narrows his eyes at that and without a warning bounces on him, growling as he tackles Jimin on the ground.

The blonde shrieks and puts up a fight under him, laughing and screaming profanities at Jungkook, trying to wriggle out of the alpha’s grasp in vain. Jungkook does get smacked with snow once or twice but his hold never falters and after a few minutes Jimin gives up, still giggling but out of breath.

“You should’ve seen your face”, the omega snickers, taking off his gloves to rest his small, warm hands on Jungkook’s cold and wet cheeks.

“You’re ridiculous”, the alpha just murmurs, shaking his head. Seokjin and Jiwoo are going to be overjoyed when they return with their clothes soaked wet – but as he takes a look at the small omega lying under him, Jungkook can’t really get mad.

Jimin’s hair is fanned out beautifully on the snow, glimmering eyes filled by mirth and full pink lips open, hot puffs of air tickling Jungkook’s chin. He wrinkles his nose cutely and smiles, eyes turning into those stupid crescent moons that make Jungkook’s heart do a weird thing and the alpha leans down to rub his nose against the omega’s before he can stop himself.

The touch is warm and surprisingly intimate. The fire in his heart grows and he moves down to scent the omega once more, drawing out small, satisfied noises from him. He could go on forever.

When Jungkook leans back, Jimin is already looking at him. The universe he holds in his other eye is dark and tempting as ever, but the warmth of his amber eye looks like home.

Their lips are almost touching. The urge to lean down and press his own against Jimin’s is stronger than it was during the omega’s heat – and it’s the thought of that that makes Jungkook pull away.

It’s a sign to stop before they cross the line no one ever should.

Because the worst thing you could do, is to fall in love with a wolf from another pack.

“C’mon, we should start heading back. You’re looking a little cold”, he says, swiftly pulling Jimin up from the ground. The omega seems everything but cold.

“Have you?” Jimin asks just before Jungkook manages to turn away and head back to the direction where they came from. “Have you ever been here before?”

The alpha purses his lips. “Twice. I don’t really… like it here.”

“Why? Because it’s too open?”

“My parents died here.”

The following silence is heavy but Jimin’s gaze on him feels heavier.

“Your parents… you said that there was an accident. Did they—”

“They drowned. It was a bad winter and the ice wasn’t strong enough to hold their weight. My mom fell under and dad went after her without thinking about the consequences. Neither rose back to the surface”, Jungkook says it all in one breath, hands balled into tight fists by his side. He’s recalled the story many times, the pack’s pups tending to be a little too curious about why he doesn’t have parents, but it never gets easier.

It never hurts any less.

“I’m… I, Jungkook, I’m—”

“Don’t say it”, he shakes his head violently. “It happened a long time ago and I don’t deserve anyone’s pity.”

Jimin’s eyes are filled by a feeling he’d rather not name.

“Why?”

“Because it was my fault.”

“You were a kid, Jungkook, how could it have been your fault? It’s not like you pushed your mother into the water, was it?”

“No.” No, he didn’t need to do that. “She came after me.”

Jimin doesn’t say anything, just steps a little closer. Jungkook isn’t looking at him, his eyes fixated on the snow-covered lake, but he can imagine the look on Jimin’s face. Pity, always so full of pity, and Jungkook hates it.

He has moved on. Both he and Seokjin have, time has done its healing – but not even time can ever make him feel like he isn’t the one at fault. Not even time can take away the fact that he had parents, loving parents, who he ended up losing because he was too reckless.

“Like I said, it was a bad winter. It wasn’t as cold as usual, which should be good for us, but it really wasn’t. There wasn’t any more prey than before, even less actually, and the pack was starving. I wanted to help, so one day I went to hunt with my parents – it was just supposed to be practice for future, my father didn’t expect me to catch anything but then I saw this deer and I thought that I was good enough, strong enough to catch it.”

Stupid is what he was. A seven-year-old who hadn’t even presented running after a grown deer? Jungkook hadn’t stood a chance, but the need to prove himself to his alpha father, the need to make his mother proud, had overcome any rational thought.

“You were just seven”, Seokjin had said many times to him. Occasionally, when the memories catch up to him in the form of ugly nightmares, he says it again.

“You didn’t know it would end like that.”

But his mother warned him, and he should have known.

“I ran after the deer without a second thought”, Jungkook continues, his voice becoming quieter, almost nothing but a whisper. “My mom, she kept screaming at me to come back because she knew, she knew I was running towards the lake, but I didn’t listen and then suddenly, there was this loud cracking noise and then…”

Then it was dark. It was cold.

And they were gone.

“The next thing I knew, I was in the infirmary. Seokjin was sleeping next to me and Taehyung’s father was sitting next to the bed. He was awake and I still can’t shake off the way he looked at me when I asked where mom and dad were. There’s something… very unsettling in seeing a grown man break down like that.”

Jungkook shivers at the memory, feeling almost as cold as he did that day.

“We couldn’t even find their bodies until spring, when all the snow and ice had melted, and it was save to dive underwater.”

Seokjin had lost it the moment he saw their mother’s body being lifted from the water. Jungkook himself had literally thrown up, and Namjoon’s father had whisked them away before their father was even found.

They buried more wolves that spring than they had ever before.

Taehyung’s father had been killed a few weeks prior by a rogue wolf alongside Yugyeom’s beta mother. The former pack-leader died two weeks later in a fight with the Lee pack and Chaerin rose to her current position.

Jungkook thinks that, in a way, that winter changed the whole pack. It gave them all a new feeling of cold that he still hasn’t been able to shake off.

But when Jimin’s small arms wrap around him, the omega leaning his head against Jungkook’s shoulder and trying so hard to cover the alpha completely, as if to protect him from the whole world, a part of that cold begins to melt.

“Wasn’t your fault”, the omega mumbles. “A parent always protects their children. They were just doing what they had to. It’s what love does to people.”

“Kills them?” Jungkook asks dryly and Jimin tightens his hold, sniffling quietly.

“No. It saves them.”

He can’t help but scoff. “Saves them – how was that saving anyone? They both died, Jimin, they didn’t—”

“They saved you.”

Jimin lifts his head up to look at Jungkook properly. There’s no trace of pity in his eyes, just sorrow and something so awfully warm, almost protective, and the alpha is reminded of the scent of vanilla and jasmine.

Jimin looks like he’s hurting for him.

They leave a few minutes later and there’s something between them, something that wasn’t there before. Maybe it’s mutual understanding but whatever it is, it’s something small, very small. But it’s also something warm and Jungkook wonders if it could someday grow into something bigger.

Big enough to melt away not only the coldness in his heart, but also Jimin’s.

The omega is walking a few steps ahead of him, wet gloves hanging from one hand and Jungkook kind of wishes he had the courage to hold his other hand.

“You mentioned that you have lost your parents, too”, he breaks the silence, earning a confirming hum from the other. “Can I ask what happened to them?”

“Oh. It’s not really that interesting. They were killed when I was five.”

“By enemy wolves?”

Jimin turns to send him an almost amused look.

“No.”

Jungkook doesn't need to ask why anymore.

Chapter Text

Jimin knows there’s something wrong when Jungkook arrives to the infirmary one night, eyes glowing gold and a dark look fixated on his face. Taehyung notices the same as he sets down his cards right away, their game completely forgotten.

“Kookie? Did something happen?” the silver-haired omega asks quietly, worry heavy in his tone. It’s the first time Jimin sees Taehyung act so seriously.

Jungkook doesn’t answer him, just grumbles something angrily under his breath, and marches into the kitchen. Taehyung sends Jimin a concerned look the smaller omega answers with a confused one, before he gets up and heads after his friend.

Jimin is left alone by the fireplace. His hands twitch and his legs are itching to move, the wolf within him telling him to go and check if Jungkook is okay – check whether their alpha is okay – but a more rational side of Jimin thinks it’s better to let Taehyung take care of it. They’re friends and packmates after all, they most likely find more comfort in each other than he could ever offer.

He doesn’t know. Comforting others isn’t exactly a Park pack thing.

But as the clock ticks on and Taehyung doesn’t return, Jimin’s anxiousness keeps growing. In the end, he rises to his legs and lets his wolf control his steps all the way to the kitchen doorway.

His breath gets caught in his throat when he sees Taehyung and Jungkook, hunched over the kitchen table, backs turned to him and whispering between each other. One of Taehyung’s hands is resting on Jungkook’s back and the other playing with his brown locks, comforting him, and the way Jungkook doesn’t seem to mind makes something ugly twist inside Jimin’s guts.

How dare he, his wolf seethes, how dare he touch what is ours?

The blonde omega tries to swallow the lump in his throat and ignore the cold pain that seeps into his limbs slowly. It’s hard to tear his eyes away from the scene in front of him, and although he tries to find some comfort in the fact that they’re best friends for god’s sake, a part of him knows that he’ll never be able to even be that close to Jungkook. He’s never going to mean anything to the alpha.

Because Jimin is, and will always be, an outsider.

No matter where he goes, he doesn’t belong. And that’s a simple fact – this is just a reminder. A reminder why he was never supposed to allow himself grow too attached to anyone.

It’s a little bit too late now, but Jimin can try and ignore the ache within him. He buries his wolf’s anger and desires, buries his own hurt, deep, deep into his heart. Then Jimin breathes, slowly in and out, and takes a step back. A heartbeat later, giving the two still murmuring into each other’s ears by the kitchen table one last glance, he turns around and heads upstairs.

Jiwoo is just exiting Seungkwan’s room and she gives him that warm smile she always does – as if she would accept him, as if she ever could – but Jimin barely registers it as he slips into his own room and closes the door behind him.

The room is dark and it’s even darker outside. The moon is completely covered by clouds and the night has settled. Jimin doesn’t bother to take off any of his clothes as he falls into the bed that suddenly feels a little bigger, a little emptier.

Jealousy, he decides, is an ugly feeling.

But what is even worse, is that Jimin is fully aware that no one will ever want him enough to ask him to stay.

He doesn’t get much sleep. Jungkook usually spends the nights with him but not this time. Jimin waits for a while, although the doubt is already forming a big hole in his chest, but when the alpha doesn’t come, he just turns his back to the door and tries to sleep. But all he can think about is how Jungkook probably just found another one’s bed, perhaps Taehyung’s, or maybe Jimin had simply done something wrong and the alpha didn’t want to see him.

Good, a small voice in his mind whispers. The less attached you both are, the easier it will be to leave.

Because no matter what happens, Jimin is not staying. He knows he’s not. Even if he begrudgingly admits that maybe he feels more than a little fond of Jungkook – and Taehyung and Jiwoo and Hoseok and maybe even Seokjin – he can’t stay.

This isn’t his home. He doesn’t have the right to stay.

Jungkook is downstairs when Jimin stumbles into the kitchen the next morning. The alpha greets him with a bright look, as if last night hadn’t happened at all, and most likely expects Jimin to sit down next to him like he nowadays always does – but the blonde just sighs and picks up an old piece of bread, his appetite completely gone.

Both Jungkook and Jiwoo give him a weird look.

“Little one”, the healer quietly starts. “Is everything alright? You look pale.”

Jimin snorts. “I’m always pale, Jiwoo.”

“No, that’s not true. Ever since you healed, your skin has taken a much healthier color.” Jiwoo’s slender, calloused fingers graze Jimin’s arm but the omega flinches away from the touch. “Are you feeling sick right now? Has it been going on for long? Because it has been a good two weeks since your heat and Jungkook did knot you—”

The omega’s ears turn red at the indication behind Jiwoo’s words and he almost chokes on his bread. When he glances up, gaze sweeping past Jungkook, he finds that the alpha is already looking at him, eyes stormy.

Jungkook would hate him if he was pregnant – but luckily, he isn’t. Jimin would know if he was. And as he absently rests a hand on top of his lower stomach, fingers dancing on the scar hidden under the flimsy fabric of his shirt, he wonders if he can even get pregnant.

Probably not anymore. Not after what was done to his body.

“I’m not, I – it’s not that”, he tells Jiwoo. “I’m just stressed, nothing more.”

“Stressed about what?” Jungkook speaks up for the first time, and Jimin might imagine this, but the alpha sounds… a little down.

Okay, scratch that, Jimin is definitely imagining the disappointed tinge in his tone.

“How much time I have.”

Jungkook stops poking at the food on his plate, dark eyes fixated on Jimin. “Until what?”

“Until you let me go”, Jimin answers the alpha’s dark gaze head on. “Or until you kill me. Whichever.”

Jungkook grips the fork so hard it actually bends a little and drags it over the metal plate, creating a loud screech that makes Jimin flinch weakly and Jiwoo cringe. His eyes are filled by sparks of gold and the omega gulps, fearing he might’ve made the alpha upset – but then Jungkook blinks his eyes a few times, the gold in them dissolving, and lets the fork drop on the table.

“Right.”

Jimin almost smiles at the other’s whiny tone and he’s aware, without needing to glance at the knowing look on Jiwoo’s face, that he’s giving Jungkook that fond look again.

“Whatever happens, Jungkook, you know that it’s alright, right? I’m not angry at you anymore nor do I blame you.” I was never angry at you. Only scared of myself. “It’s all on me – this is all my fault.”

It’s really his selfishness that, in the end, lead to his grandmother’s death and him being brought here. If Jimin just hadn’t put his own needs first, his grandmother, kind and beautiful Sohyeon, could still be alive – he could still hear soft murmurs of Snowflake and live knowing that at least one person in this world loved him. Even if his situation wouldn’t change much, even if he’d still be surrounded by the hatred of others, at least she’d be here with him.

His wolf doesn’t like the idea of never having met Jungkook – do you? – but Jimin is sure they’d both be happier if he had just been wiser and stayed in the mountains with the Park pack.

If he had just for fucking once been a good omega.

“Don’t talk like that”, Jungkook grumbles, picking up the fork and bending it back to normal again.

Jimin doesn’t say anything to that; he just puts the bread back on the table and prepares to head somewhere else. The tension is obvious in the air and it’s making his skin prickle uncomfortably – not to even mention Jiwoo’s observant eyes on them. It’s like she’d be looking for something, a sign or a fault, and Jimin feels too naked under both hers and Jungkook’s eyes.

Too vulnerable.

“Last night”, the omega stops by the table, right next to Jungkook. “Did something happen?” He noticed the dark bags under the alpha’s eyes and can’t quite stop the concern from slipping into his tone, his hand hesitatingly hovering over Jungkook’s.

It’s the alpha, in the end, that grabs a hold of it gently.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it”, he answers. The tension in his shoulders seems to slowly fade away, and Jimin too, feels like it’s a little easier to breathe, Jungkook’s familiar cedarwood scent clouding his mind.

But the painful ache in his chest doesn’t go away. Somewhere within him, the ugly feeling of jealousy is still clawing at his insides.

Somewhere deep inside, he’s both hoping for Jungkook to ask him to stay or tell him to go. He doesn’t know which is worse.

“Some alphas were just talking shit”, the brunette continues, mindlessly waving his other hand in the air. “And we got into an argument. They… well, I guess they got under my skin. But no fighting, Yoongi and Jaebum stopped us before anything could happen.”

“Talking shit about what?” Jimin asks although he already knows the answer.

Jungkook’s hold on his hands tightens, his fingers slipping amongst Jimin’s. “You.”

Ah, of course. The omega isn’t surprised. “And did you argue against them?”

“I – yeah?” Jungkook gives him a bewildered look. “Of course, I couldn’t just let them talk shit about you—”

“Why?”

The alpha freezes at his question and Jimin slips his hand away, instead crossing his arms over his chest in a defensive way. He swears he can hear Jiwoo mumble something akin to ‘are you fucking serious’ behind him – and yes, he’s serious.

Jimin told Jungkook not to put him before his pack. Because if he picks fights with his own packmates, life is going to be hell for him even after Jimin’s gone. The omega knows – oh, trust him, he knows.

“Why? What do you mean why?” The alpha jumps up suddenly, dangerously hovering over Jimin and he winces, hating the way he almost bares his neck in submission. But what he hates more, is how Jungkook is still looking at him with such gentle eyes.

“Jimin, I like—”

“Jungkook!” a familiar, cheerful voice cuts the alpha off and they all turn around just in time as Taehyung bursts into the room, Hoseok right behind him. “Jungkook, they did it!”

Who? Jimin tilts his head in confusion, but Jungkook seems to understand as he’s already moving away, not even sparing the blonde omega a glance as he runs out of the house with Taehyung.

“What’s going on?” Jiwoo asks, grabbing Hoseok before the beta manages to slip away as well.

“Namjoon and Jin, they—” the beta starts, almost incapable of speaking properly because of the wide smile on his face.

“Namjoon and Seokjin finally mated.”

Jiwoo lets out a joyous sound and then she’s hurrying out as well, dragging Hoseok with him and Jimin is left standing alone in the kitchen. His wolf lets out a disappointed sound that almost escapes him, but Jimin suppresses it in the last second before slowly heading after everyone else.

The infirmary door is open, cold air quickly filling the usually so warm house, but Jimin isn’t bothered by it. And for the first time, it seems like the forest wolves don’t mind the cold either, because Jimin can see a very large crowd of people gathering around the village center. The different congratulations and cheerful chattering can be heard loudly even to the infirmary.

Jimin leans on the doorway, arms still wrapped tightly around himself. He knows better than to step outside without Jungkook – not that he even wants to go in the middle of the forest wolves. Especially when they’re celebrating something as beautiful and amazing as this.

Their future pack-leader has mated with an omega even Jimin can easily admit is beautiful and kind. Of course celebrations are in place.

There’s a small smile tugging at his lips when he sees Jungkook bounce around his older brother, his smile so wide Jimin thinks it might split his face in half. Taehyung and Hoseok are there too, the silver head’s laughter the loudest of them all. Seokjin is rubbing his neck with a hue of red on his cheeks, but his smile is warm and genuine, and his mate, Namjoon, is standing by his side with pride written all over his face.

They all look happy. And very much like they belong.

Jimin lets out a sigh, his smile slowly slipping away. He’ll never have this. It’s a miracle if he ever mates with anyone, if he even lives to see the flowers bloom again. He hadn’t actually even given mating a thought before – before meeting Jungkook, before baring almost his all to the alpha, before having tasted what love could possibly be.

Now Jimin just wants someone. Someone – no pack, just someone, one person – to remind him that he’s not alone, either.

But that’s not right, now is it?

Because Jimin is alone. He has lost all of his family, he never had any friends, and whatever he has right now, here in Jungkook’s pack, is only temporary.

The blonde omega turns to leave, feeling uncomfortable in the cold, watching others enjoy life to the fullest while Jimin lives every day wondering if it’s his last. Jungkook might say that he’s going to get him out of there alive – that he’s never going to hurt him – but Jimin knows he has little power in the pack.

One could say that he’s living on borrowed time.

He leaves the door ajar and heads upstairs and into his room, the only safety he has left. On his way, he passes Seungkwan’s room and notices that the door is slightly open. He can hear soft murmurs and stops for a moment. It must be the kid’s parents, Jimin thinks, and he’s about to continue his way when he picks up the words.

“This is all because of that goddamn mountain wolf.”

“I know, honey, but please, keep your voice down. Seungkwan needs rest”, a softer voice interjects.

There’s a growl and Jimin can’t help but shiver at how angry it sounds. Barely restrained. “If that Jeon kid wasn’t always latched on the omega’s back, I would’ve already—”

“You have to calm down. I agree with you, that wolf is nothing but trouble – but you can’t do anything about it. Alpha Jeon has the head alpha’s and her son’s favor, we can’t go against them.”

“One day, I swear—”

Jimin doesn’t stay to listen anymore, his heart hammering loudly against his chest. He’s scared that if he stays longer, they’ll hear him and since he doesn’t have that Jeon kid latched on his back right now, who knows what could happen?

The window in his room faces the village center. When Jimin sits down on the bed, wanting nothing more than sleep and never open his eyes again, his eyes inevitably find the still celebrating crowd outside – if anything, it has only grown larger.

The omega leans his head on the wooden wall and watches them, chewing on the inside of his cheek at the same time to try and distract himself from the overwhelming sorrow threatening to wash over him. Jimin spots Jungkook amongst the crowd, the alpha having calmed down a little but that bright smile is still fixated on his face.

He’s never seen Jungkook this happy. Jimin doesn’t even know if he has the right to see the alpha like this.

He also can’t help but notice the tall woman standing next to Jungkook. She seems the calmest out of everyone, but the look on her face is proud and happy. The people around her seem to give her space, and Jimin knows, without even being by her side in person, that she must radiate power and authority.

He sees a familiar looking leather bracelet on her wrist, and just as the woman’s glowing amber eyes turn towards the window, towards him, Jimin closes the curtains.

There’s a bitter taste in his mouth and a tight feeling in his chest.

He knows who she is. He just hopes she doesn’t know who he is.

The omega curls up in the bed, one hand slipping under the pillow to hold the two leather bracelets he had hidden there tightly in his grasp. He wraps the blanket securely around himself, almost like a protective barrier he wishes could hide him from the whole world. It smells a little like cedarwood and spices with a very weak undertone of jasmine and vanilla, and Jimin can’t quite stop himself from whimpering, the sound quiet and filled with sadness, with longing.

For a moment Jimin had let himself hope – perhaps even want – to belong in Jungkook’s arms, but the world isn’t kind enough to let him down gently. No, the world lets him fall and shatter, leaves him alone to pick up broken pieces once again, and laughs at his pain.

People like him shouldn’t hope for better.

It’s been a while since he cried like this, hurt and alone. And right now, Jimin thinks he prefers this – no one should see him in such a vulnerable position. So the omega turns to muffle his sobs into the pillow, hoping that if anyone walks by, they won’t be able to hear his screams of agony.

In his mind, he keeps on replaying Jungkook’s last words to him before Taehyung interrupted them.

“Jimin, I like—"

“Like what?” the omega asks quietly aloud, squeezing the leather bracelets in his hand as more and more tears spill onto the soft pillow, clouding his vision. What do you like? Who do you like?

No one answers. Of course no one answers – Jimin doesn’t even know if he truly wants one. He just curls tighter into himself and finally, after the exhaustion and pain become too much, he welcomes the darkness embracing him.

He’s woken up by the door opening and closing softly, the scent of cedarwood growing stronger. Jimin keeps his eyes closed for a moment longer, hoping that the familiar presence behind him would take the fucking hint and leave – but no, he just hears Jungkook shuffle around for a while before the bed dips and he feels a warm hand come rest against his shoulder.

“Jimin”, the alpha calls softly. “I brought you food. Jiwoo said you didn’t come down for lunch or dinner even though she called.”

The omega just whines quietly, pressing his eyes shut tighter, his throat a little clogged from all the crying, his eyes swollen and head throbbing with pain. “’m not hungry.”

Jungkook sighs. “Jimin, you have to eat. You didn’t really eat breakfast either and you’ll only feel worse in the morning if you don’t eat now.”

Stop caring, Jimin wants to snap, but the thought of upsetting the alpha is too uncomfortable for him to do so, in the end. The blonde blinks his eyes open slowly, squinting in the darkness – it’s so dark it must be midnight already, the moonlight seeping through the curtains casting the room in eerie light. Jungkook’s brown eyes are watching him, a worried frown on the alpha’s face.

It’s hard to believe that just some hours ago, this same alpha was jumping around his brother in joy.

Jimin purses his lips. This is the effect he has on Jungkook.

“Just leave it, okay?” he says after a moment, tone scratchy. “I’m too tired.”

“You’ve been sleeping all day.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to be tired.”

The alpha’s frown deepens, and he reaches over to brush some blonde locks off Jimin’s face, wanting to see his eyes better, but the omega moves his head away.

“Okay.” Jungkook moves his hand away, trying to mask the hurt in his tone but Jimin still hears it clearly. “What’s wrong? Did someone do something? Did I do something?”

“No. ‘m just tired, really tired.” That’s not a complete lie. Jimin feels exhausted.

“But you’ve been crying.”

Jimin grits his teeth together, hating how soft the alpha’s tone has become. It makes his heart ache and yearn, and he feels like crying again. Jungkook must notice, because he lets out a distressed sound of his own and puts down whatever food he was holding before lying down next to Jimin. Strong, familiar arms wrap around him in a second and it takes everything of the omega not to melt into the touch.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry, I hate it when you cry”, Jungkook mumbles, his distress rising at the same time as Jimin’s body starts trembling in his hold. He presses his face into the soft blonde locks and breathes in the honeysuckle scent, trying to release calming pheromones, but all it does is make Jimin cry harder.

“I don’t know how to make it better”, the alpha whispers, sounding pained. “So Jimin please, don’t cry, don’t cry…”

Jungkook keeps repeating don’t cry until Jimin falls asleep again, his drying tears leaving a salty trail on his cheeks.

Things don’t get any better after that. It’s like he would have been snapped awake, forced to face the reality, and Jimin realizes that no matter what, his time in the Kim pack is short. His time with Jungkook is limited.

His wolf spirals into agony at the realization, knowing that at the end of the day, the alpha will never be theirs, and it leaves Jimin to wallow in sorrow as well, the human side of him trying and failing to make it better.

Because while he knows he can survive this, he can survive without a goddamn alpha by his side, his wolf cannot stand the thought of being alone anymore. Not after having felt what it’s like when you’re finally cared for, cherished and maybe just a little loved.

It’s constant battle in his mind and Jimin feels like he’s always in pain that is far worse than anything he’s ever felt before.

He ends up taking his frustration out on the wrong people too. His wolf practically despises Taehyung, seething whenever the silver-haired omega makes an appearance, especially if Jungkook is present as well, and Jimin feels mortified – so he stays clear of the other omega. And he keeps pushing Jungkook away too, desperate to show himself that he doesn’t need him. It ends with the alpha finally taking the hint and staying away the days.

But at night, Jungkook always returns. Always asks Jimin not to cry in that sad, pained tone. Always falls asleep holding him.

It breaks Jimin’s heart. Slowly, he thinks, it’s breaking his mind too.

And he thinks it’s breaking something in the alpha as well.

This torturous circle continues on until one night, Jimin finally snaps. He can’t put himself through another day of these ugly feelings, another day of such insecurities and hatred – and a much bigger part of him realizes that he can’t put Jungkook through another day of this either.

It needs to stop. He needs to go.

Jimin wakes up in the middle of the night, Jungkook’s arm loosely slung over his waist, the alpha deep asleep. It’s been another rough day for him, listening to his packmates mock him and completely incapable of doing anything about it. It will change in the morning, however – Jungkook will have nothing to worry about anymore.

He can go back to the life he had before Jimin came to flip his world upside down.

It’s fairly easy for the omega to slip out of his grasp, Jimin humming softly under his breath when Jungkook makes a noise of discomfort at losing the warmth next to him. When it for a moment seems like the alpha is about to wake up, he begins to sing and just like that, a familiar melody filling the room, Jungkook stays asleep.

Jimin stops singing and smiles. “You’re a good alpha, the best alpha I’ve ever met”, he whispers, running his hand through Jungkook’s soft brown locks. His smile falters a little when the other leans into his touch.

“And that’s why you deserve someone just as good.”

Someone who just isn’t Jimin.

The blonde leaves the room with quiet but shift strides, only a thin coat wrapped around his shoulders. He’s planning on changing forms as soon as he’s out of the village so there’s no need to pack anything – if everything goes well, Jimin will be back at the mountains in less than two days.

And maybe, if he isn’t executed right away, then maybe he can stop the Park pack from coming back to the forest.

Maybe, just once, Jimin can be good and do something right.

Stop. Please stop, his wolf whines within him as he comes to the infirmary door, hesitating for a second or two before opening it and slipping out. He sure as hell doesn’t know if he’ll even make it out of the village, but Jimin is fast in the snow – if anyone notices him, all he has to do is transform and run.

He’s good at that. Running.

Running away from your alpha, his wolf seethes. Pathetic.

Jimin ignores it and closes the door behind him. So far so good.

He looks around, mismatching eyes searching for danger, but the night is quiet. If he picked the right time, he might get out without the night patrols sensing a thing. Jimin starts running, his steps light but quick, his body familiar with the snow. Before he even knows, he’s already at the edge of the forest.

He glances back. The infirmary is one of the biggest houses and it stands tall amongst the rest, all windows dark and the door firmly closed. Jimin’s heart aches, and his wolf is crying, howling in despair within him, but he can’t. He can’t go back.

Jimin wasn’t able to save his own family. But maybe this time he can save Jungkook from the pain a future with him could bring upon the alpha.

Maybe he can save himself, too.

With that thought in mind, the omega turns around and runs into the forest.

He follows his sense of direction, heading towards the north, towards the mountains. As soon as the village is out of his view completely, swallowed by the dark, tall trees, Jimin stops to listen. All he can hear are the rustling of small animals and the wind. It’s the time to change.

But he’s only managed to slip the coat off him when he hears a cry. A child’s cry.

Jimin freezes, the blood in his veins turning into ice. He goes quickly down on his knees, hoping to have some cover but comes quickly to the terrifying realization that whoever it is could possibly already be aware of his presence. Jimin isn’t under the wind.

There’s another sound, still a child’s, but it’s no longer a cry. It’s a soft whimper that awakens something within Jimin. Or rather, within his omega.

A parental instinct. The need to protect.

He tries to suppress it, tries to tell himself that it’s not my problem, not my pack, but it’s a weak argument. Because he’s still on the Kim pack’s territory – Jungkook’s pack’s territory. The crying child is from the alpha’s pack, could be a pup of his friend’s. Could be one of those pups Taehyung and Hoseok brought to the infirmary.

One of those innocent, smiling children, who have yet to experience the bad in the world.

With a quiet sigh, Jimin gets up and heads to the direction of the quiet noises. In the back of his mind, he knows he won’t make it out without being caught anymore.

He finds a young girl sitting under an old tree, her small arms wrapped around her frail body, head resting against her knees as she cries. There doesn’t seem to be anyone else around, the Kim pack’s scent heavy in the air, but Jimin feels like they’re being watched – whoever it is must be under the wind, but in his human form his senses are awfully limited, so he doesn’t know for sure.

“Hey, little one”, Jimin calls out in a soft, gentle tone. The girl lifts her head up right away, fear written all over her face.

The blonde omega doesn’t approach her, instead preferring to sit on the ground a few meters away to help her not feel threatened. He also keeps his hands firmly placed in front of him, keeping a gentle smile on his face and forces his scent to stay calm and inviting.

Jimin can absently recognize the girl. She is one of those kids Taehyung brought to the infirmary, one of the quieter ones – Chaeyoung, if he correctly remembers.

“What are you doing here all alone?”

The girl eyes him for a second longer, searching for any signs of threat, but when she doesn’t seem to find any, she answers. “I-I wanted t-to help m-mommy… to h-hunt…”

“Yeah?” Jimin smiles and the girl, Chaeyoung, nods. “That’s very nice of you. But in the middle of the night? It’s not very safe.”

“B-but I wanted t-to surprise him and it’s o-our territory…”

“Wolves aren’t the only danger in these woods. You could’ve met a bear, little one, they don’t care about whose territory this area is or not. I think you should start to head home; your mommy must be very worried about you.”

She nods, more fat tears spilling on her cheeks. Jimin notices that she’s covered in small scratches and her clothes are soaking wet from the snow. She must be freezing.

The omega takes off his coat. “Here”, he throws it to the child. “Put it on. You’re freezing and we can’t have that, now can we?”

For a moment, Jimin is sure she will reject it – because he is a stranger after all, no matter how inviting and comforting he might’ve made his scent – but then she sniffs the air around it and suddenly yanks the coat to her chest.

“I-it smells like J-Jungkook…”

Oh. Jimin tilts his head in amusement. He didn’t know she knew the alpha.

“That’s because it’s his coat”, he explains softly. “Don’t tell him this, but I kind of… stole it from him.”

Chaeyoung gasps. “That’s bad!”

He lets out a laugh, feeling a little reassured when the child wraps the coat tightly around her body and stops crying, even daring to now glare at him.

“Taetae told me Jungkook doesn’t like sharing clothes. You shouldn’t steal them, he’ll get mad”, Chaeyoung pouts and Jimin barely suppresses another laugh.

“I know. He’s said that a few times to me.” But never truly denied him.

Realization dawns on Chaeyoung’s face. “You – you’re the mountain wolf!”

Jimin grimaces when he notices that the tinge of fear has returned to her voice. “I – yeah, I am, but I’m not going to hurt you. I wouldn’t hurt anyone from Jungkook’s pack, I just—”

A low growl interrupts him and Jimin’s heart drops into his stomach. The wind has changed direction.

The scent of mint and cold fresh air fill his lungs. His wolf whines, low and quiet, forgetting Jungkook for a moment to focus on the new threat at hand – a threat much worse than any heartbreak.

Alpha, the wolf within him warns. Pack.

Jimin jumps up from his position in a blink of an eye, running to stand in front of Chaeyoung, his own heartbeat loud in his ears as he searches for the source of the new, but still so familiar scent. The child behind him lets out a whimper and Jimin can smell her fear, the scent heavy in the air, but he doesn’t have time to comfort her.

He’s here.

He hears the cracking of bones mending back together, followed by a chuckle. “Well”, a rough voice says and then slowly, a pale man walks out of the shadows. Jimin holds his breath, his muscles tensing and preparing to run. “Didn’t think I’d see familiar faces here, but if it isn’t the little Snow White.”

“Hyunwoo”, Jimin growls back.

The man before him is tall and muscular, even bigger than Jungkook, and his smile is as menacing as Jimin remembered. Having just switched from his wolf form, he isn’t wearing anything, but the cold doesn’t seem to bother him – no, it’s probably much colder up in the mountains currently. If anything, he seems completely relaxed.

Jimin bets it isn’t the first time Hyunwoo has stepped into the Kim pack’s territory. And to think he managed to get this close to the village on his own…

“What are you doing here?” Jimin asks, shielding Chaeyoung with his body. Hyunwoo must’ve been watching the child for a while now, and Jimin knows that behind those dark grey eyes lie nothing but ill thoughts. He can’t let the man get to her.

“Oh, just taking a casual night troll”, Hyunwoo shrugs his shoulders and grins at the omega. “Searching for lost little lambs. What about you, Snow White?”

The nickname is daunting, something his pack’s alphas have always loved calling Jimin alongside with disgusting things like whore or slut – half-blood, half-blood, half-blood – but he doesn’t let it get to him. Instead, Jimin tilts his head towards Chaeyoung.

“We’re going to run”, he whispers to the frightened girl. “I can’t take him down, so we’re going to run back to your pack, alright?” There’s nothing more Jimin can do.

He doesn’t wait for her answer, just takes a step back towards her, and turns his attention momentarily back to Hyunwoo.

“Oh, me? I was just making my way back home.” He feigns nonchalance, trying to keep Hyunwoo from getting angry because he knows, from experience, that things can get real ugly real fast with this particular alpha involved.

Hyunwoo snorts, amusement obvious on his face. “Really? Because I was starting to wonder if you had just decided to stay here.”

Something dangerous has started to seep into his tone and Jimin takes another step back, reaching one hand out for Chaeyoung and the child grabs it right away, squeezing tightly. He can feel the way she trembles like a leaf in a storm, her fear clouding his mind and it awakens that parental instinct within him again – but this time it isn’t gentle like warm water. No, it’s hot and angry, fierce and powerful like fire.

Jimin won’t let her get hurt.

“I wouldn’t have been surprised, you know”, Hyunwoo continues on, his words sharp and angry. “Half-bloods are like that, after all.”

The alpha’s grey eyes flash in cold blue. “Traitors. Just like your mother fucking was.”

The moment Hyunwoo starts to morph into a wolf, Jimin spins around towards Chaeyoung. “Grab a hold of me!” he commands before changing forms, his snow-white wolf finally free after months.

By then, Hyunwoo has already changed and lunges at Jimin, but the omega is faster – as soon as Chaeyoung wraps her small arms tightly around his neck, burying her face into his fur, he jumps on the move, barely dodging the alpha’s claws. Jimin doesn’t waste time, his feet small but fast and strong, letting him get a good amount of space between him and Hyunwoo.

Chaeyoung whimpers against his neck but doesn’t let go, and Jimin becomes all the more determined to make it back to the village.

He knows it’s bad – he’s leading Hyunwoo directly to the Kim pack’s weakest spot, right into the heart of their territory, but Jimin doesn’t know where else to go. If he didn’t have the child with him, he would have led Hyunwoo back to the road and fought with him – and most likely died – but Chaeyoung’s presence changes everything.

Jimin has to make it back.

His small size turns out to be his advantage. Jimin slips past the trees and bushes much faster than the big alpha wolf behind him, despite the extra weight he’s carrying, and relief washes over him when he begins to see the houses hidden amongst the woods.

We can make it, we can make it, we can make it.

They’re barely within the village area when something hard collides with Jimin’s back and sends the omega flying into the snow, Chaeyoung screaming into his chest. Pain sears through Jimin’s right hind leg and he knows he’s twisted it, but he gets up quickly anyway, disoriented eyes looking for the cause of his fall.

Hyunwoo is growling at him only a few meters away, his eyes glowing electric blue with shards of red, and to his utter horror, Jimin can see that he’s almost completely feral. Somebody obviously didn’t take an omega escaping an alpha that well.

But Jimin has already won. They made it.

Slowly, keeping his eyes fixated on Hyunwoo’s growling form, Jimin sets Chaeyoung down and pushes the child towards the houses. “Run”, he snaps at the girl, who still clings onto him, wishing she’d understand.

But Chaeyoung keeps her hands firmly locked around Jimin’s white fur, fear rendering her immobile, so when Hyunwoo charges at them, the omega has no other choice but to literally throw her away before taking the brunt of Hyunwoo’s anger.

The alpha bounces onto him, obviously going for Jimin’s neck in the hopes of breaking it, but the omega isn’t new to fighting – he jumps out of the way just in time and answers Hyunwoo’s growls with his own, furiously baring his teeth and claws.

“Traitor!” the alpha snarls at him, but before Jimin can answer, there are wolves all around them. He screams in surprise and pain when suddenly two alphas are on him, completely uncaring as they dig their claws and teeth into his fur, and distantly he can hear Hyunwoo’s loud growls and screams.

“Stop! You don’t understand – please!”

No one listens to him. Absolutely fucking no one.

In his last effort to get some respite, Jimin changes into his human form, curling tightly into himself on the cold snow. It’s against every pack’s policy to go against a defenseless omega and he hopes, honestly begs, that Jungkook’s pack isn’t any different.

It takes a long, painful minute until the alphas stop, taking a few steps back from the pale omega. Jimin keeps his arms around his head and doesn’t raise his gaze, trying to get the trembling of his body under control – he can feel multiple open wounds, the snow under him turning red from his blood, but nothing seems too deep. He knows it still looks very ugly and he’s fucking freezing, practically at the point of hyperventilating.

“You’ve got some guts”, a new voice speaks and Jimin lets out another cry when someone yanks his head up, rough fingers curling around his soft blonde locks. “Taking advantage of our kindness like that – this was your intention all along, wasn’t it?” The man, that alpha Jimin remembers from the time when he snapped at him at the infirmary, shakes him roughly, uncaring of the omega’s pain.

“Tried to fucking kill one our pups and brought an unknown alpha to our village”, he seethes, dropping Jimin back down only to attempt to kick him on the face, but the omega is fast enough to shield himself with his arms.

“No!” he cries back and receives another kick, this time to his stomach. “I didn’t – I didn’t try to kill anyone! Please, you’re not listening—”

“Shut up, you disgusting mountain wolf. I knew we shouldn’t have trusted alpha Jeon’s judgement on you – he’s still too young, too soft. Couldn’t even recognize the enemy after sleeping with him.” Jimin sobs in pain and agony as the alpha kicks him again, forcing him to cough out blood. “At least I hope you were a good fuck because omegas like you are only good at that – being a fucking slut.”

No, no, no, it wasn’t like that! he wants to scream, but Jimin can’t find his voice anymore.

But it’s not like anyone would even listen to him. No one ever listens to him.

The omega stifles his sobs into his bruised arm and waits for another blow, maybe to the head this time. Maybe they’ll hit him hard enough for him to lose consciousness – or even die. It is a very painful way to go, very humiliating and wrong in all ways, but Jimin is tired.

He’s tired, he’s cold and he’s scared shitless. He’s alone.

And no one fucking listens to him.

Suddenly the scent of cedarwood and spices fills his senses. Jimin’s wolf perks up, whining quietly, trying to search for the source and reluctantly, Jimin moves his head a little too, looking at the crowd surrounding them. He notices Hyunwoo, lying on the snow somewhere close, unmoving, notices Chaeyoung hiding behind the legs of a small male omega, notices Taehyung and Hoseok, both looking horrified and finally, finally Jimin’s eyes fall on Jungkook.

The alpha is staring straight back at him, the look on his face unreadable. Jimin’s heart shatters at how… emotionless he looks.

He doesn’t care, his inner wolf howls in betrayal, and the omega feels new tears begin to form in his eyes, his arm desperately reaching for the alpha.

He has never wanted to hold his hand this bad, but Jungkook doesn’t react.

And all Jimin wanted was to just hold his hand one last time, just for a heartbeat he wanted to hold his hand because he’s scared, he’s cold and he’s so scared and he’s going to die, why can’t Jungkook just hold his hand, why can’t the world let him at least have that?

“Ah, alpha Jeon”, the man still hovering over Jimin calls, almost sounding amused. “Just on time, aren’t we? I was just wondering what way we should let this little one out of his misery. Would snapping his neck be too nice?”

Jungkook’s brow twitches and something cold swarms into his eyes. Jimin lets out a ragged sob as two hands make their way around his neck, firmly holding his head in place, but he keeps his gaze on Jungkook.

“P-please”, he chokes out, trying to at least awaken something, just something, in the alpha.  Something to tell him that Jungkook doesn’t hate him. “Please, I didn’t – J-Jungkook, I didn’t—” he’s cut off by his own pained scream when the alpha on him begins to twist his neck, one of his hands slipping under Jimin’s chin.

He’s going to do it, the omega thinks, knows, and yet he still can’t tear his eyes away from Jungkook. Yet he’s still reaching for him.

You said you believed me. You said you wouldn’t hurt me.

The hold on his chin becomes tighter. There’s nothing Jimin can do anymore, so he stifles the small fire within him, the part of him that doesn’t want to die, and closes his eyes, taking in a pained breath, the taste of cedarwood, spices and jasmine mixing with blood on his tongue. Then he waits for the darkness to come.

But it never does.

Instead, the weight on him suddenly disappears alongside with the hands holding his head and Jimin falls back on the cold snow with a thud, his mind reeling and adrenaline pumping in his veins. He’s alive.

But then who—

The omega looks up. The scent of cedarwood is thick in the air and a tall, dark brown furred wolf stands right next to him, growling dangerously. It sends cold fear down Jimin’s spine, but he doesn’t move, confused eyes locked on the wolf.

“J-Jungkook…?”

The wolf turns to look at him and Jimin gasps, freezing completely. Jungkook’s eyes are crimson red.

He has gone feral.

Chapter Text

Jungkook wakes up with an empty feeling in his chest in an even emptier bed.

It’s the first thing he realizes – the fact that there is no other body pressed against him, no blonde locks tickling his chin or small hands wrapped around his shirt. Jimin’s place next to him is empty and cold, the scent of honeysuckles weak in the air.

The panic hits him a few seconds later, his wolf rousing from its slumber at the realization that the omega is gone. It takes a few seconds more for everything to settles in and Jungkook almost screams in pain when waves of anger and fear wash over him. His alpha is livid.

He’s gone, the wolf within him seethes. He’s gone, my omega is gone.

Their omega is gone.

Gone, gone, gone.

And it’s ripping him apart, ripping his mind apart, his wolf trying to claw its way out and onto the surface – to be the one in control. It has never been this upset before and Jungkook feels terrified suddenly, knowing fully well that if he doesn’t find Jimin, his wolf will never calm down.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jungkook thinks he should’ve seen this coming. Jimin had been acting strange for the past few days, quiet and sad in a way that made his heart ache too. The longing in those mismatching eyes shone brighter than any star in the night sky, and Jungkook hates how he couldn’t make it better – how he doesn’t even know what Jimin so desperately wants.

He doesn’t have much to give but whatever Jimin would’ve asked for, he would’ve tried. Jungkook would’ve tried his everything to make the omega smile. He doesn’t want to deny that anymore.

But, in the end, he supposes that it’s freedom what Jimin yearns for the most. Freedom he’d never have here in the Kim pack.

But I can’t let him go just yet. He just can’t.

The alpha is selfish like that.

Jungkook is up and running out of the room before he can even fully comprehend it, his wolf desperate to follow the trails of the sweet honeysuckle scent while they’re still there. Otherwise they’ll never find Jimin.

“Jiwoo!” the alpha calls out for the healer as he searches every room possible, having hoped that Jimin had only gone to get food or water – that he hadn’t actually just left. But all the rooms are empty and when Jiwoo comes downstairs with confusion written all over her face, Jungkook realizes that she has no idea where Jimin is, too.

“He’s gone”, Jungkook chokes out, hands trembling. He’s standing in the kitchen, ready to flip the table over, and Jiwoo eyes him cautiously. “Jimin, he’s – he’s gone, Jiwoo, he’s gone, and I don’t know why or where—”

“Jungkook”, the healer cuts him off, tone soft and gentle. Neutral. It’s more than obvious that she’s trying to calm him down but her subtle scent of herbs and daisies only angers Jungkook’s alpha more because she isn’t Jimin, she isn’t his omega and he has no interest in her.

She’s wasting our time, his alpha growls, and Jungkook holds onto the kitchen table hard enough to make the wood break a little, trying to tame his anger.

“You have to calm down, your scent, it’s – it’s getting unbearable. And your eyes—” Jiwoo hesitates, the look in her eyes turning from worried to scared. “Your eyes are turning red, Jungkook. You’re letting your alpha control you—”

“But he’s gone!”

His words come off as a loud, angry growl, almost incomprehensive, and Jungkook is just as shocked as Jiwoo. But his shock fades quickly, making way to anger and panic. He feels a little like he’s about to change forms and it’s completely out of his control.

He’s scared – scared of how much power Jimin has over his alpha.

And, ultimately, over his very being.

“I-I have to find him, Jiwoo, I have to. My alpha, i-it needs him, I need him”, Jungkook pleads, trying to swallow down the anger bubbling in his throat. “I feel like I’m going to l-lose it if I don’t get him back, I’m not – I’m not ready to let him go, my alpha can’t let him go—”

“I know”, Jiwoo whispers, silencing Jungkook. “I know, Jungkook-ah. And I understand.” Her tone is so awfully soft, so awfully gentle, and the alpha feels even worse for acting so out of control. But he can’t help it – the only clear thought in Jungkook’s mind is ‘I need to find Jimin’ and all this is just wasting his precious time.

“But before you run after him, we should talk”, Jiwoo continues, taking a tentative step forward. Jungkook takes one back and growls lowly, trying to make it clear that he doesn’t want to be touched or worse, cornered. That would fucking finally make his wolf snap.

Luckily, the healer takes the hint and freezes, hands raised in surrender. “We need to talk about you and Jimin. I should’ve told you two sooner, I know I should have, but with how things have been lately, there just never was any right moment – but you need to know—”

She’s cut off by a loud howl. Jungkook’s head perks up and his eyes zoom on the door, heart caught in his throat. It’s not Jimin, he recognizes, but…

The howl is followed by more noises, sounds of growling and whimpering – a fight, his wolf grumbles, they’re fighting. Through his pack bond, Jungkook can feel his packmates anger and fear, so something bad must be going on, but through something else, something deeper and much more powerful, he can only feel sorrow.

Suddenly his mind is filled by the memories of Jimin sitting under a tree, bloodied and scared, covered only by a flimsy coat, a dead wolf at his feet. Suddenly his mind is filled by the possibility of Jimin lying on the white snow, nothing but a pool of dark blood under him, cold blue lips having long taken their last breath.

Jungkook feels like throwing up.

He knows that it won’t just be a possibility if he’s late. It’s going to turn into reality, his reality, and Jungkook doesn’t want that.

He can’t be late again.

“I-I have to go.” The alpha pushes Jiwoo out of his way and hurries towards the door, his heart heavy in his chest.

“Wait!” Jiwoo calls after him. “Wait, Jungkook, you have to hear me out first – I finally know why you and Jimin are so infatuated with each other, why you were capable of healing him. Jungkook, it’s because he’s your destined ma—”

Jungkook slams the door shut behind him and runs. Whatever the healer wanted to say to him can wait. If she kept it from them this long, Jungkook doesn’t think it’s that big of a deal if it stays hidden for a moment longer.

His feet take him to the village center in no time, fear and confusion written all over his features as he notices the crowd gathering around. He spots Taehyung, the omega’s mother, and Hoseok amongst the people but before he can go to them, he hears a familiar voice.

Jimin.

“No! I didn’t – I didn’t try to kill anyone! Please, you’re not listening—”

Another voice cuts in, mocking and disgusting words thrown around, and Jungkook’s blood runs cold. It’s Jaehwan.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. The brunette alpha pushes his way through the others and into the front, but he can’t help but freeze as soon as he sees the sight before him.

It smells like honeysuckles and iron in the air. There are splotches of red all over the white snow and he’s pretty sure there’s some grey wolf being held down by his packmates somewhere close by, but his attention is quickly drawn to the small, curled up figure in front of him.

His alpha whines pathetically within him. We found him.

Wide, scared heterochromic eyes find him almost right away and Jungkook thinks he might see a flash of hope in them, but it’s gone quickly, replaced by nothing but sorrow. He swears he can see Jimin’s heart breaking through those clear, mismatching orbs.

The omega is reaching for him and Jungkook can’t move.

“Ah, alpha Jeon. Just on time, aren’t we?” Jaehwan has noticed him as well, snapping the alpha’s attention to him for a moment. The other’s eyes are almost completely red and smile mocking, the look on his face knowing. “I was just wondering what way we should let this little one out of his misery. Would snapping his neck be too nice?”

Stop. Please stop.

His legs twitch with the need to move, but suddenly someone grabs his hand from behind. If it wasn’t for Yugyeom’s familiar coffee-like scent quickly wrapping around him in reassurance, Jungkook might’ve lashed out.

“Don’t do anything”, his friend hisses warningly into his ear. “Everyone’s watching, Jungkook, You’ll be accused of betrayal if you defend him.”

But what did Jimin do to us? Jungkook wants to ask, but he can’t find his voice. His eyes follow Jaehwan’s hands as they wrap around Jimin’s neck.

Jungkook can feel his own heart breaking when Jimin lets out a quiet sob, his mismatching eyes filled by tears and fear, regret.

And longing. He can still see that longing in Jimin’s eyes. Eyes that are watching him.

He yearns for you, his wolf whispers. For us.

Because he’s ours. Mine, my omega.

“P-please”, Jimin’s weak voice cuts through his thoughts like a knife. “Please, I didn’t – J-Jungkook, I didn’t—”

The omega screams in pain when Jaehwan’s hands begin to twist his neck, and something dark begins to worm its way out of Jungkook’s heart. The edges of his vision are blurring, and the angry growls of his wolf become louder in his mind.

He can’t feel anything but numbing anger anymore. He can’t hear anything but the growls of his wolf and the rapid beat of his heart anymore. He can’t see anyone but Jimin anymore.

There’s only one thought in his mind.

Jimin, his Jimin, is dying.

When he loses sight of the familiar mismatching eyes, loses his universe and home, a strangled whisper of no escapes his lips. He can’t leave us – he can’t leave me.

His wolf howls in rage and Jungkook sees red.

Jimin has seen a wolf go feral only once before in his life, and it ended in a complete slaughter.

He doesn’t want to see that ever again, but Jimin doesn’t know how to deal with feral wolves. No one in his pack taught him what to do when someone goes that far, when someone loses control, because in their minds, there’s only one solution – kill them.

But Jimin could never even hope to kill Jungkook. But at the same time, he can’t let the alpha hurt his own packmates.

“J-Jungkook…?” he whispers the alpha’s name again, softer this time, looking for something, anything familiar in those crimson red eyes. But he sees nothing.

The eyes staring straight back at him are the eyes of a wild wolf completely consumed by its anger. Jimin can’t see any signs of the Jungkook he knows. He can’t address him as the alpha he cares for because this isn’t him.

It’s just a wolf, a stranger. Not his alpha.

With a shaking hand, he reaches towards the wolf but he’s quick to yank his hand back when it growls and bares its teeth at him. A wave of pure fear washes over him and Jimin presses himself flat against the cold snow, trying to seem as unthreatening as possible.

Jimin swallows nervously and waits for the wolf to make its decision – to decide whether he’s a threat or not. He stays still although he’s cold and uncomfortable, although his mind is still reeling and he’s utterly fucking lost.

What the hell is he supposed to do now? How can he fix something like this?

Jungkook went fucking feral – possibly because of him, for him. His pack will never let the alpha out of this without punishment and that’s Jimin’s fault, again.

The blonde glances at Hyunwoo’s unmoving form, a few tears running down his nose and onto the snow. He thinks he has never hated the alpha more, not even when they turned against his family, not even when they took away his brother and tormented him for years. If it wasn’t for him, Jimin could’ve left without any trouble – Jungkook wouldn’t be like this, then.

A hot buff of air against his cheek makes Jimin turn his gaze away from Hyunwoo and he can’t help but flinch when he notices that the wolf – Jungkook, it’s still Jungkook, your alpha, he’s still yours – has moved closer to him, glowing red eyes watching him closely. Jimin whimpers in fear, quickly turning his eyes away to make sure the alpha doesn’t think he’s challenging him and after a moment of silent observing, it moves a few steps away.

It has deemed Jimin harmless. The omega lets out a breath of relief.

“W-what the fuck?” a voice cuts in and Jimin doesn’t even need to look to know that it’s the earlier alpha, the one that had almost killed him. “Is he – did he really go feral?”

Shocked gasps and murmurs begin to travel through the crowd surrounding them, and Jimin curses in his mind when he notices a few alphas changing their forms. Do they not know better than to corner an agitated wolf? It’s like they’d be asking for a beating.

“Jungkook”, another voice comes. Seokjin. “Jungkook, Kookie… a-are you…?”

The wolf next to Jimin turns its head towards the tall omega and growls. It doesn’t recognize Seokjin, and the blonde feels all hope drain from himself. A small part of him had hoped that maybe Jungkook’s brother could snap the brunette out of it but obviously he was wrong about that. He had imagined that blood relatives came first. And if Seokjin can’t help, Taehyung probably can’t either.

His last hope is the pack-leader, Kim Chaerin. Head alphas have some control over all pack members, maybe she can forcefully turn Jungkook back.

“We have to kill him”, someone suddenly says, and Jimin’s mind goes blank.

What?

“He’s not turning back and a feral wolf is a threat to the pack, we don’t have any other choice but to kill him—"

“What do you mean kill him?” Taehyung interrupts. “Just leave him fucking be, if you didn’t agitate him so much he could still turn back!”

“Taehyung’s right, there’s no way we’re going to kill one of our best alphas”, another young man Jimin thinks he has seen around Jungkook before, agrees. “We should wait for head alpha Kim to arrive.”

“But what if he attacks us?”

“Yeah, he already attacked Jaehwan!”

“That’s because the idiot was about to kill Jimin!” Seokjin yells back, furiously defending his younger sibling. “You’re not fucking touching my brother, feral or not – and if you want him to calm down, then you better stay the fuck away from Jimin too.”

There are some agreeing hums, some disgruntled noises. Jimin just can’t believe that there are people considering to kill Jungkook for this. The alpha hasn’t actually hurt anyone yet; Jaehwan seems fine and if no one approaches them, nothing should happen. If Jungkook had any intentions of hurting his packmates, he would’ve done something already.

Jimin looks at the red-eyed wolf again and finds it already staring at him. His eyes widen when he notices the small fragments of gold swimming in the crimson orbs and hope lights up in his heart. Somewhere under the anger and fear, is Jungkook – he’s still there and Jimin has to find a way to get him back.

“A-alpha…” he cries softly, hoping to wake something in the wolf. “Alpha, please – Jungkook, come back—”

The wolf takes a step towards, releasing a silent sound almost like a sad whine, and Jimin swears he can see more gold start to seep into his eyes. But then suddenly there’s a new growl and the gold dissolves from the wolf’s eyes.

“Jaehwan!” Seokjin’s desperate cry comes. “Don’t attack him!”

Jimin tilts his head the best he can in his awkward position on the snow without agitating the wolf. He grimaces when he notices that the other alpha, Jaehwan, has changed forms and is now growling at them with a few other alphas behind him.

“D-don’t—” the omega tries, shaking his head at the other alpha but he doesn’t get any further when rough fur presses against him and his head is pressed down by a heavy paw. Jimin lets out a scared sob, wanting nothing more than to push the wolf now standing over him away, but the omega within him tells him not to.

Trust him, trust your alpha, his wolf hisses but they’re nothing but whispers of false reassurance in his mind.

Because Jimin can’t. He can’t trust a feral wolf, and it doesn’t help that this feral wolf is someone he cares for so dearly, someone he wouldn’t defend himself from even if he could. Someone his whole body is screaming at him to trust. What he hates even more, is how the wolf smells like Jungkook, like cedarwood, spices and jasmine, like safety – yet still isn’t him.

Jimin doesn’t even know if he’ll ever get him back.

The wolf growls into his ear and snaps its jaw at him but other than that, it doesn’t harm him. Instead, it positions itself so it’s directly above Jimin, big paws on both sides of the omega’s head, throws its head back and lets out a warning howl that echoes in the silent night. It’s telling everyone else to back off, Jimin doesn’t need to be in his wolf form to understand that.

It takes a few heartbeats for his frightened mind to realize that the alpha is trying to protect him.

His omega preens at the realization, happy that Jungkook’s need to take care of him is so primal it even controls his wolf. But Jimin can only feel guilt and dread, because this means that Jungkook has chosen him over his pack – his wolf has chosen him over his own.

He chose Jimin, and perhaps the omega should be happy – and deep within, Jimin knows he is – but it’s overcome by sorrow and fear.

This is why he should never have let Jungkook close, should never have allowed himself to find safety in the alpha’s arms. Because in their world, they can never be them. They can never be Jungkook and Jimin, together.

And Jimin will never be brave enough to ask for the alpha to leave with him.

He can’t allow Jungkook to make the same mistake as his father did when he decided to trust his mother.

The omega is about to push himself up from the ground to change forms in the hopes of knocking some sense back into Jungkook– maybe forcefully, maybe desperately begging, he doesn’t fucking know –, but before he even manages to move a muscle, a new strong scent knocks the air out of his lungs and Jimin’s body stops working completely.

Alarm bells go off in his mind.

It’s her, it’s her, it’s her.

A wave of quiet murmurs washes past the crowd again. Jimin picks up the worlds ‘head alpha’ all over again and he digs his hands into the cold snow, trying to ground himself from the fear coursing through his veins like dry ice. The wolf on top of him lets out a low growl and brushes its nose against Jimin’s neck, a weak attempt to get the omega to calm down.

All it really does is make Jimin fear even more.

If the pack-leader sees them like this, what will she do? Will she cut Jungkook’s pack bond and banish him? Kill him? Jimin doesn’t know – he doesn’t know what kind of a person she is, can’t really remember what his father used to tell him about her.

Kind was one word, he thinks. But will she be kind to a feral wolf trying to protect a mountain wolf?

Even if the said mountain wolf loves the said feral wolf and would gladly give his own happiness and life to protect him.

“Well now.”

Everyone falls quiet. Even the wolf on Jimin stops growling.

The voice speaking is strong and calm, and for a moment there, Jimin is sure he hears a hint of amusement in it. He takes a few calming breaths before tilting his head towards the voice, mismatching eyes searching for the source. He sees Jiwoo first, standing next to Namjoon and that black-haired alpha, Yoongi – but Jimin’s eyes are quick to find the one he was looking for.

The voice belongs to a tall woman, who stands proud amongst her people, her light brown hair long enough to reach her waist, her lips curled upwards in a gentle smile. Her name is on the tip of Jimin’s tongue and the somewhat familiar looking amber eyes are already locked on him.

The fire burning in them distantly reminds Jimin of the man he used to call his father.

“It’s nice to finally meet the mountain wolf everyone has been talking about lately, although I would’ve loved to meet you in other circumstances.” The woman’s gaze moves from Jimin to the wolf and her eyes darken. “But I’ll take what I can get.”

Jimin can’t find any words to say. The wolf stays silent, too.

Kim Chaerin takes in a deep breath, her amber eyes back on the blonde omega, but before she can say another word, a high-pitched scream stops her.

“Wait!”

All heads turn around to look at the small girl standing in front of his omega father with hands balled into tight little fists and both fear and defiance glimmering in her bright brown eyes.

“Auntie, you have to listen to me first!” Chaeyoung continues, staring straight at the head alpha without an ounce of hesitation in her tone. Jimin feels his mouth run dry when he comprehends her words and realizes that she if she’s really the head alpha’s niece, then that means she’s also…

“The mountain wolf hasn’t done anything wrong – neither has Jungkookie. They’re good people, auntie—”

“Chaeyoung”, the omega standing behind her hushes, grabbing his child’s shoulders but Chaerin stops him.

“Let her talk, Minseok. Children speak the truth more often than adults. I want to hear all aspects of this situation before deciding how to proceed.” Her eyes turn steely and she looks around the rest of the pack. “I thought we knew better than to judge one without knowing the truth, but it seems like we still have to work on that.”

“With all due respect”, someone speaks up from the crowd. “Jaehwan saw the mountain wolf attack Chaeyoung and alpha Jeon turned feral to obviously protect him. Isn’t that betrayal?”

“Is it betrayal to help one of your own?” Chaerin simply asks back, cocking her head with a cold look on her face.

Eerie silence settles down, and Jimin swallows nervously.

“And he didn’t attack me, he just threw me out of the way”, Chaeyoung adds after a moment, her tone turning a little more powerful after hearing that the pack-leader is willing to listen her. “That other wolf was the one who tried to kill me!” She points at Hyunwoo accusingly before turning to point at Jimin.

“The mountain wolf was only trying to help. He carried me back to the village and fought to protect me, he hasn’t done anything wrong and Jungkookie must’ve known that.”

Her voice is sincere and something warm blooms in Jimin’s chest. He’s happy to know that, in the end, there’s someone's heart he could touch – that there’s someone’s approval he could gain without needing to be anything else but himself.

And that’s more than enough for him.

You can stop now, Jimin thinks, catching Chaeyoung’s gaze. There’s a small, thankful smile making his lips curve up. He wishes the child could see his gratitude, that he could somehow express it better, so she could now just stop because it’s enough. She’s done enough.

But Jimin can finally remember what his father used to say about Kim Chaerin and the Kim family in general.

Loyal to a fault.

And Chaeyoung is definitely a part of this family – and unfortunately, quick on her feet.

“I’m going to get Jungkookie back!” She runs away from her omega father before the small male can even react, dashing through the snow towards Jimin and the wolf quietly growling on top of him.

“Chaeyoung!” Her father runs after her but a gentle shake of head from Chaerin stops him. It seems like she truly has a lot of authority in the pack, although the dismay is obvious on the omega male’s face and he doesn’t stray too far away from his pup.

“Perhaps a child’s plea will help to awaken his consciousness”, the head alpha says in a soothing voice but Jimin knows she’s wrong. She shouldn’t let Chaeyoung anywhere close to them.

A child’s plea could work, Jimin knows that, but only if it’s the wolf’s own. Protecting its pups is the priority of even the most aggressive wolves and always in the mind of a parent – but Chaeyoung isn’t even related to Jungkook, her chances of reaching the human within the wolf are as low as Jimin’s.

“Don’t”, he whispers, voice barely reaching the child. “Don’t come any closer, he doesn’t recognize you—”

As if on cue, the wolf on top of him snaps its head towards Chaeyoung, takes one sniff of the pup’s scent and growls lowly. Jimin can feel how its body goes rigid, red eyes narrowing and white teeth flashing in the moonlight.

Fuck, the omega thinks, shivering in both cold and fear when he notices how the wolf begins to move off him.

“J-Jungkookie…” Chaeyoung’s confident tone has turned into nothing but a whisper, a shadow of what it was just moments ago. “A-are you t-there…?”

A louder growl resonates through the quiet night and Jimin lets out a sob. He doesn’t think he has the power to protect Chaeyoung anymore. At the same time, he knows he can’t let Jungkook hurt the child because if the alpha ever comes back to his senses, he’d live the rest of his life in regret.

And if there’s anything Jimin wants, it’s for Jungkook to be able to live a better life than he ever did.

As soon as the alpha is completely off him, slowly itching towards Chaeyoung with its head lowered and low growls vibrating in its chest, Jimin wrestles himself on his knees, gritting his teeth together when the cold snow burns against his bare skin, burns on his wounds – but he doesn’t let the pain distract him, can’t let it distract him, and calls out for his omega.

After all, it was his wolf who first chose Jungkook. It was Jungkook’s alpha who first answered.

It makes Jimin wonder if they should’ve just followed their instincts from the very beginning and perhaps, had that been the case, if they’d be in a better place right now.

Perhaps then, Jimin wouldn’t need to stand here now, growling and baring his teeth at the wolf, the man, he wants to call his. Perhaps then, instead of crimson red eyes filled with bloodlust and anger, he’d be looking at familiar golden orbs of someone, who became his safe haven and made him want to experience life for the first time in years.

And perhaps, in a whole another universe, Jimin could kiss him goodnight without fearing the morning.

Just let go. Call for him. He's our alpha, he'll listen, the wolf inside of him coaxes. You're allowed to desire things as well.

There has never been anything Jimin has desired more than Jungkook.

His omega lets out a low whine that turns into a growl, the white wolf bristling in order to seem more threatening, to attract the other’s attention and give Chaeyoung the chance to get away unharmed.

It works, because as soon as Jimin becomes something other than a harmless, injured omega, the red-eyed alpha turns back to him, the familiar scent of cedarwood and spices becoming heavier, more dominating. It takes everything of Jimin to force his omega not to submit. Instead, he lets out sweeter scent, hoping to even further attract the alpha’s interest, hopefully in a little less murderous way.

Hoping to awaken any spark of recognition in the other, because there’s nothing else he can do.

His feet are locked in place and all of his energy goes into posing, trying to seem something he’s not – strong, brave, angry – so Jimin knows he can’t run, can’t dodge if the alpha decides to attack.

“Come back”, the small omega pleads, but his answers are nothing but growls he can’t understand. “Alpha, Jungkook please – just come back to me—”

The wolf howls in a way that could be  seen as threatening. To Jimin, it only sounds like a cry for help.

It turns its body fully towards him, completely forgetting Chaeyoung even though the child lets out a sound of protest, and Jimin notices how its muscles tense again, unmistakably preparing for an attack. He can only growl back, looking straight at the crimson orbs to rile up the alpha even more, and for once, his omega is on his side.

For once, they both have just one goal, and that is to get Jungkook back. Even if he doesn’t know how.

At least, when it was his mother, she came to her senses because she couldn’t bear the thought of hurting her own child.

Jungkook is different.

With him, Jimin doesn’t know where he stands. All he can do is trust his omega, when it says that they’ll be fine – that Jungkook, their alpha, will never ever hurt them.

He said he wouldn’t.

Jimin turns back into his human form. He’s sitting on the cold snow, surrounded by his own blood, arms wrapped around his knees, gaze never leaving the alpha. It starts moving towards him, head lowered and crimson eyes gleaming in the dark, and he should be afraid – he is afraid, so fucking afraid – but Jimin can only sit there and wait.

“You always kept saying how much you hate it when I cry”, the omega whispers, tone wavering and barely audible. He doesn’t even know if he’s talking to himself or Jungkook.

Jimin closes his eyes. A hot tear runs down his cold cheek.

“If you don’t want me to cry anymore, then you have to stop being the reason for it, puppy.” Stop breaking my heart.

 “And if you want me to never cry again, then you have to promise to never leave me.”

The wolf comes to a stop in front of him. Jimin keeps his eyes closed, waiting for it to attack him, to do something, but all he feels is the wolf’s warm breath against his icy skin. He can’t even hear growling anymore.

Suddenly someone behind him gasps.

“H-his eyes, t-they’re—”

Jimin snaps his head up and opens his mismatching eyes. The ones staring back at him are a familiar shade of warm gold. There are only small fragments of crimson red swimming in them and slowly, they’re beginning to fade away as well.

His heart feels like it’s about to climb out of his chest.

He’s back.

The soothing scent of cedarwood surrounds him quickly and the wolf – no, Jungkook, lets out a quiet whine, almost as if asking for forgiveness. Tears spring into Jimin’s eyes, but this time they’re the ones of shock and relief, and before he even knows, he's reaching towards the other with shaking hands.

The alpha leans into his touch, nuzzling against Jimin’s hand and a small sob escapes the omega’s lips.

I got him back. He came back – he came back to me.

Soon enough, one sob turns into another and then he’s crying with no end in sight, hands pressed against his face to try and quieten his cries. But like times before, warmer, bigger hands come to pry them away and cup his face gently, forcing Jimin to look up.

“Baby…” Jungkook murmurs, voice soft and an octave lower than normally. “No crying anymore, remember?”

Jimin can only nod through his tears before he reaches over again, taking a hold of Jungkook’s face the same way the alpha is holding him. He wants to pull him forward and kiss him, kiss him like it would be the goddamn last time, but instead he just leans against him and breathes in the familiar scent, momentarily basking in Jungkook’s presence.

The alpha smiles weakly and nuzzles their noses together, scenting him the best he can in this position. He can’t bring himself to care about all the people watching them, not anymore – not when all that matters is that he has Jimin in his arms again.

The smaller man is quiet for a long moment, his sobbing having turned into nothing but weak hiccups. His small fingers feel cold against Jungkook’s cheeks, his forehead too hot, and the alpha can feel him sway a little, so he quickly pulls Jimin to rest against his chest, curling protectively around the omega. This position also gives him access to Jimin’s neck and the more sensitive scent glands there, the alpha happily covering Jimin’s honeysuckle scent in his own.

The omega hums in contentment and for the first time, bares his neck for him. Jungkook wants nothing more than to bite the white skin and leave it marked forever.

“One thing we have to get straight, though”, he whispers, absently wiping the last of Jimin’s tears away. “’m not a puppy.”

Jimin laughs wetly and he sounds more than a little pained, but it’s a laugh. It’s definitely a laugh.

“Of course not”, the omega answers a heartbeat later. He sounds distant and he needs to be taken to Jiwoo right away, but for a moment longer, Jungkook just needs to hold him. He feels a little like he might lose it again if someone takes Jimin away from. Not that he’d allow it.

“Not a puppy”, Jimin mumbles, words becoming slurred. Still, Jungkook has no problem understanding them.

“Alpha. My alpha.”

There’s something sad in the way Jimin’s mismatching eyes look at him, but his smile is content, and Jungkook feels like his heart is about to burst because the way the omega looks at him can’t be anything but fond. Anything but loving.

“Yours”, he agrees easily. “Yours completely.”

Jungkook has never seen Jimin smile so happily.

“Put him down on the bed”, Jiwoo says, guiding Jungkook into the warm room with a gentle hold on his shoulder. The alpha would rather not have anyone touch him – or Jimin – right now but he can sense Jiwoo’s worry, especially over the omega, so he ignores her warm hand and does as said.

“I’ll tie his sprained ankle”, the healer mutters as she opens the coat Jungkook had wrapped around Jimin’s trembling form seconds after the omega had lost consciousness outside. “But everything else… I believe I can leave them to you.” Jiwoo gives him a questioning look, and the alpha answers with a sharp nod.

“I’ll take care of him.”

There’s a smile tugging at the healer’s lips. “Oh, I know you will. Just promise me that you’ll rest too after you’re done. The head alpha gave you a few hours to calm down and heal Jimin, you know what’s going to happen next—”

“Yes, I know”, Jungkook cuts her off, eyes darkening.

The head alpha had decided not to punish him or Jimin, but only because she has yet to hear the complete story. The other mountain wolf is being watched over in one of their abandoned storage buildings, but Kim Chaerin will include him in the upcoming meeting in a few hours – which both Jungkook and Jimin also need to be a part of, even Chaeyoung’s presence is requested.

He dreads it, of course. The last time someone went completely feral, her punishment was being kicked out of the pack. Jungkook fears he might be facing the same penalty, but it’s Jimin's faith he really is scared to hear.

Although, Chaerin seemed anything but angry at the omega. And Jungkook puts his trust in that.

“You’re a good alpha”, Jiwoo suddenly says, yanking Jungkook back to reality. “Not many are willing to go to lengths like these to stay with the one they love.”

“I—”

“Don’t”, it’s the healer’s turn to cut him off, her smile turning amused. “Don’t deny it. You’ll only hurt yourself and him even more. Despite—” Jiwoo reaches to brush some stray locks behind Jungkook’s ear “—there’s nothing wrong with loving someone.”

“Even if they’re—”

“Even if they’re from a different pack. It has happened before.” Jiwoo’s gaze moves from Jungkook to Jimin and her smile turns softer, sadder. “It will happen again, too. And don’t you think that there’s something… beautiful in being a little mismatching?”

Jungkook cards his fingers though Jimin’s soft hair and smiles when the omega leans into his touch.

“Yeah. Beautiful.”

Jiwoo chuckles. “Well, anyways. I’m done here, so I’m going to leave you two alone. I’ll come and wake you up when it’s time to go, so just relax.”

He only hums as an answer, the wolf within him elated when they’re finally left alone with their omega.

Jungkook gets to work right away, bringing Jimin’s other hand up to his lips to kiss away the cuts on his pale skin, earning a quiet sigh of relief from the omega. He keeps it up for a half an hour or so, hating the taste of Jimin’s blood on his tongue but the sight of the clean, smooth skin he leaves behind makes it better.

By the time he’s done, Jimin’s consciousness has started to return and he seems to be somewhere in between awake and asleep, mumbling incoherently and grasping onto Jungkook’s arms as if he’d be afraid to lose him forever if he lets go.

The alpha doesn’t blame him. He’s not about to loosen his hold on Jimin ever again.

“Don’t wanna…” the omega murmurs, scowling in an unsettling way. “Don’t wanna stay… I can’t, not here—”

“Shh”, Jungkook hushes him and shakes him awake gently, a little afraid that Jimin might work himself up into a panic attack in his sleep. He doesn’t want to experience that ever again, even if it brought them closer the first time.

Jimin’s mismatching eyes snap open and he gasps for air, gaze bouncing around the room in obvious distress.

“J-Jungkook, alpha please—”

“I’m here.” He settles down next to Jimin and pulls the omega into his arms, letting the smaller bury his nose against his neck and rub along his scent glands. “I’m right here. You’re not going anywhere without me.”

The omega only whimpers quietly, a heartbreaking sound, before settling back down with his scowl easing a little. He falls asleep in less than a minute, but Jungkook continues to run his fingers up and down his back to soothe himself for a little longer until his own eyes begin to droop as well.

“I promise”, the alpha then mumbles in a sleepy tone, resting his chin on top of Jimin’s head, breathing in the scent of honeysuckles. “I promise to never leave you.” So don’t ever cry because of me again.

In his sleep, Jimin intertwines their pinkies.

Chapter Text

It’s a quiet morning, filled with the scent of honeysuckles and something warm and nice.

They’re lying on the bed, tightly side by side, keeping an eye on the small dust particles dancing in the air with Jimin’s hand resting right on top of Jungkook’s. The alpha wants to desperately capture those smaller fingers in his own but he’s afraid of crossing the line once more. He thinks he did that already enough last night.

Jungkook hasn’t slept even for a minute and Jimin, although exhausted to the core, woke up only an hour after falling asleep to stubbornly keep him company. Their wolves are still on complete overdrive and the meeting looming in the near future, the one that’s going to decide their fate, doesn’t help.

Now, the lack of sleep probably won’t help either, but Jungkook is slightly terrified of closing his eyes. The last time he did so, he woke up to an empty bed and the pain of that is still heavy in his chest.

Jimin’s small fingers slip between his and the sweet scent in the air turns a tad bit sweeter, calmer. Jungkook automatically takes in a deep breath of the calming pheromones Jimin is releasing, and his wolf whines quietly, thankful for the omega’s attentiveness.

“It’s going to be okay, Jungkook. What’s the worst that could happen to you?”

“Losing you.”

It comes out easily, fast yet steady. The lack of hesitation is a surprise to the both of them – but the alpha thinks his answer makes Jimin smile, he just doesn’t dare to turn his head to look.

“Mm, that would be unfortunate.”

“Very.”

The smile on Jimin’s lips begins to fade and his hold on Jungkook’s hand tightens for a moment before he lets go completely and moves his hand away. “Just… this time remember to put your pack first. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but—”

“Jimin”, the alpha cuts him off, already knowing fully well how it’s going to end. He finally gathers enough courage to flip on his side, facing Jimin, but the omega only stares straight up at the ceiling with lips tightly pursed together. It’s kind of cute, kind of annoying. Which is, now that Jungkook thinks about it, pretty much Jimin’s whole being summarized.

He kind of loves it, though.

“We’re not going back there, okay? If you’re only going to say that you’re not worth it, then do us both a favor and shut up.”

The omega’s lips tug upwards. “Aren’t you a sweet one.”

“I know. Charming, isn’t it?”

Jimin laughs and he sounds so incredibly fond it makes Jungkook feel all kinds of funny things. It’s going to take a while for him to get used to the omega being so open and warm with him, but he’s pretty sure he has no complaints about that.

But still, with all the fondness and warmth Jimin holds in his laughter, his words and his touch, his eyes are sad.

“Promise me one thing, Jungkook”, the omega mutters after a moment, glancing at the other still watching him.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t do anything that could cause harm to you, Seokjin or Taehyung. Unlike me, you have so much to lose.”

Jungkook just rolls his eyes and suddenly leans over Jimin’s smaller form, caging the omega under him. The other looks up at him with his pretty mismatching eyes wide with surprise, lips parted as if he was about to say something more only to have lost his voice midway. The gentle hue of red on his pale cheeks is beautiful.

“And you know what? Like I said, the worst thing would be losing you, so I’m not promising anything”, the alpha says, diving down to nose at Jimin’s neck, wanting that scent of rotten flowers to be gone. With a soft sigh, the omega tilts his head back a little to give him better access.

Once he’s done scenting Jimin, Jungkook just decides to stay there, resting on top of Jimin. The omega giggles at that, wordlessly opening his legs so the bigger male would fit better.

“You’ve become bold, puppy”, Jimin whispers, playing with the dark strands of Jungkook’s hair. “Talking like that. Scenting me like that. One might think you actually hold feelings for me.”

“Very funny”, Jungkook growls quietly against the warm skin of Jimin’s neck, but Jimin just throws his head back and laughs.

It’s a nice sound.

In the end, when the meeting is finally about to start, it’s Jimin who’s at the brink of a mental breakdown and not Jungkook.

They’ve just been informed that only a few of Chaerin’s most trusted men and everyone directly involved – meaning Chaeyoung, Jaehwan and Hyunwoo, more or less Seokjin and Taehyung as well – are to attend. It’s slightly relieving to hear that most of the pack won’t have to witness it, but Jimin seems terrified.

“Head alpha Kim isn’t that bad”, Taehyung tries to soothe the smaller omega. “She’s actually much nicer than any other head alpha I have met. Well, not that I’ve met many, but you know. I’m pretty sure she isn’t out for your blood.”

For someone who spends so much time with children, Taehyung is, even nicely put, really fucking bad at comforting.

They’re right outside the hunter’s hut but Jimin has stopped moving and his eyes are wide and wild, the scent of honeysuckles almost electrifying in the air. Jungkook can feel his wolf begin to stir again, an unsettling feeling passing over him, and if it wasn’t for Seokjin’s hand squeezing his shoulder almost painfully, he’d probably take Jimin’s hand and run.

He doesn’t know where but at this point, his wolf thinks anywhere else is better than here. Slowly, remembering all the tears Jimin lost last night, the human side of him is beginning to agree.

“Jimin, we have to go”, Jungkook says, but he directs it at himself more than the omega.

The blonde just nods a few times, the look on his face becoming grim. “Just – one thing that you should know. Probably. I mean, definitely. You should definitely know this.”

Jungkook doesn’t think he’s ever seen Jimin this nervous and it makes him feel sick.

“What is it?”

“It’s… my name—”

“Dear mother nature, if you’re now going to tell me your name isn’t Jimin, then I swear—”

“No! It’s not that.” Jimin narrows his eyes at Jungkook. “Why would you even think so?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “We weren’t the best of friends back then. You could’ve lied.”

“I don’t think even I’m capable of lying this long about my name, Jungkook.”

“Is this really the best time to be arguing?” Seokjin cuts in swiftly, although he seems quite amused. Jungkook lets out a snort and turns back to Jimin.

“Okay then, what is it?”

But just then Namjoon steps out of the hunter’s hut, an impatient look on his face. “What are you guys doing? Are you really planning on making us wait longer? Mother has been quite lenient with you until now but make her wait another minute and that’s about to change.”

Seokjin yanks at Jungkook’s shoulder once before letting go, turning to leave after his mate. “Alright, this talk can wait. I’m not interested in pissing off the head alpha today.”

Taehyung seems to agree because he slips inside right after Namjoon and Seokjin. Jungkook is about to follow when Jimin grabs his hand and wraps his other arm around the alpha’s waist, hugging him tightly.

The distress is clear in his scent and Jungkook lets out a quiet sigh before wrapping his own arms around Jimin’s smaller form, burying his nose in the blonde locks.

“If you wanted a hug, you could’ve just said so.”

“Park Jimin”, is what the omega answers, his voice muffled against Jungkook’s coat.

The alpha pulls back like he would’ve been slapped.

“What did you say?”

The emotion he sees swimming in Jimin’s mismatching orbs can’t be anything but shame, and he can’t even look at Jungkook in the eyes for more than a few seconds. “It’s Park Jimin. My full name. I’m just telling you this before Hyunwoo can – you know, to save the shock.”

Now the omega makes a move to head inside but Jungkook isn’t having it. He yanks Jimin straight back into his arms, grabbing the omega’s chin rather roughly to get him to look at him.

“Park Jimin”, he repeats, disbelief clear in his tone. “Park Jimin of the Park pack. You mean to tell me that you’re—”

“Jungkook, Jimin”, a new voice interrupts and Jungkook turns his attention on the familiar figure standing in the doorway. He can barely stop the growl from escaping him, his wolf frustrated with being cut off midsentence, especially when he was talking with his omega.

Yoongi gives him an unimpressed look and completely ignores the glare thrown at him. “Get inside. People are getting impatient and this isn’t helping your case.”

The younger alpha clenches his jaw but nods anyway. “Right.”

When he looks down at the omega in his arms, Jimin averts his gaze. He smells more upset than before and Jungkook’s wolf whines, knowing it’s his fault. He knows he shouldn’t get so rough but maybe, maybe Jimin could’ve told him a little sooner that he is a member of the head family of the Park pack.

But that makes everything just more confusing. Why would the Park pack be so cruel to someone of Jimin’s rank?

“Do you hate me now?” Jimin’s soft voice brings him back to reality, the omega still refusing to look at him.

Jungkook sighs and tightens his hold on the other a little. “No. I don’t hate you.” I’ve never hated you.

How could he even? At this point, Jungkook’s pretty sure Jimin has his whole heart in the palm of his hand.

The alpha leaves a soft kiss on Jimin’s temple and holds him for a second longer before finally loosening his hold. The scent of honeysuckles turns slightly sweeter and warmer, and Jimin doesn’t let go of Jungkook’s hand.

“Alright. Let’s get this over with.”

Kim Chaerin is spinning a hunting knife in her hands when Jungkook and Jimin finally enter.

She greets them with a cunning smile and she’s sitting in a chair covered in animal furs like a queen sits on her throne, her long hair free of the usual braid, running down her shoulders like the mane of a lion. There’s an unsettling glint in her amber eyes and the aura around her screams dominance – Jungkook can’t hold her gaze for longer than a few seconds, max. Jimin doesn’t even look at her.

Minseok and Chaeyoung are just leaving as they enter. It seems that they have already shared their part of the story and the elder omega obviously doesn’t want to get his child any more involved in this. He only offers a fleeting smile to Jungkook and curiously eyes Jimin before quickly ushering Chaeyoung out.

“Glad you decided to finally join us, alpha Jeon”, Chaerin speaks as soon as her younger brother is out of the hut. Her blazing eyes flicker to Jimin.

“Omega Park.”

Jungkook’s mouth goes dry and Jimin squeezes his hand so hard he’s probably cut off the blood circulation in his fingers.

So she knows.

Jimin doesn’t seem surprised. The look in his mismatching eyes is distant.

It’s completely silent for a moment. Jungkook can feel everyone’s eyes on them, some judging, some surprised and some curious. The hut is only open space from the inside, the ground covered in wood and old leather and fur for a makeshift floor. There are two fireplaces with fire currently burning in only one, so it’s quite chilly inside. Usually there are no chairs or tables, but now some have been brought for the participants – it’s obvious that the meeting won’t be a short one.

The unknown alpha who had attacked them last night, is kneeling on Chaerin’s right side, hands tied behind his back and head held down. There are droplets of blood on the wood under him and Changmin, the vice leader of the pack, is holding a knife to his throat with a blank look on his face.

Jiwoo and Namjoon stand on the head alpha’s other side, Yoongi right behind them. Jaehwan is standing next to him. Seokjin and Taehyung are by the fireplace and the rest of the wolves present are scattered all around them. As soon as Jungkook and Jimin are fully inside, Jaebum comes to stand in front of the exit, an apologetic smile on his face.

If things go wrong and they need to run, it’s obvious that they won’t be able to leave without a fight.

“Seems like alpha Jeon has healed you. I was a little worried about that, taking into your condition, omega Park, but it seems like he did a good job. It’s marvelous, this bond of yours.” Chaerin slides a gentle finger over the knife’s blade and smiles softly. “It’s been a while since the last time the moon goddess blessed us with destined mates.”

Jungkook chokes on his own spit and Jimin goes completely rigid behind him.

Destined mates?

Chaerin lowers her knife, her observant eyes taking in the pair’s reactions. “Ah. You two didn’t know.” She glances at Jiwoo with a raised brow. “Didn’t you tell them, healer Kim?”

“I tried”, Jiwoo answers, shooting an accusing look at Jungkook. “But alpha Jeon here wouldn’t stay put long enough to listen.”

A spark of annoyance flares within Jungkook’s chest. He believes that this is what Jiwoo had tried to tell him last night but honestly, had he been even a minute late, Jimin could be dead now. The young alpha almost barks this fact out, but Jimin grabs him by the forearm and wraps his sweet scent around him like a thick blanket, calming his annoyance in mere seconds.

Jungkook is thankful for that. It wouldn’t be very wise to act so temperamental in front of people who’re about to judge whether he can stay and whether Jimin lives or dies.

“If you’re calm now, alpha Jeon, perhaps you’d like to hear what destined mates exactly mean”, Chaerin’s voice cuts through his thoughts, full of mirth. She has completely set her knife down, the sharp object resting on her crossed legs now.

And of course she’d sense the turmoil within him, even Jimin’s quick comfort isn’t fast enough to fool a pack-leader’s intuition.

“I – yes, of course, head alpha”, Jungkook lowers his gaze and the small omega behind him releases his hold to instead lean on him, peeking at the powerful woman over Jungkook’s shoulder.

The alpha swears Chaerin’s smile widens a little at that and the amused look in her amber eyes turns into something fond.

“Snowflake”, she calls, tone softer than the young alpha has ever heard before. “You’ve returned to me.”

Returned…?

“What?” Jungkook turns to look at Jimin, but the omega’s face is stony and unreadable. It doesn’t even seem like he heard the alpha’s question. The only indication that he’s still present with them, mentally that is, is the anxious way he’s twisting the back of Jungkook’s shirt with his ice-cold hands.

The alpha, although very confused, can’t help but begin to release calming pheromones, his wolf’s anxiousness rising at the same time with Jimin’s.

Jimin’s hold on his shirt loosens. The omega’s mismatching eyes finally meet Chaerin’s.

“If it’s Kim Yoojoon you’re looking for, he’s dead.”

The name Kim Yoojoon doesn’t say much to Jungkook, other than that he could quite possibly be a member of his pack – or was, if he’s dead now. But to Chaerin and Jiwoo, and to some of the older wolves present, Kim Yoojoon seems everything but a random name.

The look on the head alpha’s face is a mixture of sorrow and anger, and if Jungkook wasn’t looking at her so intently, he wouldn’t have noticed the way Jiwoo squeezes her shoulder for silent support. But Chaerin is much more in control of her emotions than anyone else the young alpha knows, and she gets herself back together quickly.

“Snowflake—” she starts, but Jimin cuts her off.

“Don’t call me that.” There’s a heavy pause before the omega adds, his tone a little sadder and a lot quieter. “Please.”

For some reason, Chaerin doesn’t seem offended for being interrupted by an omega from another pack. She does, however, seem to have some objections on her tongue, all of which Jiwoo gently cuts off.

“Before we dive into that subject, we should talk about destined mates”, the healer says, her smile gentle but the hold she has on the pack-leader’s shoulder is tight, comforting. “If you don’t mind, head alpha Kim.”

The said woman seems conflicted for a second or two before nodding. “Go ahead.”

Jiwoo turns to Jungkook and Jimin right away. The panic must be written all over their faces by now, but the healer just smiles kindly, the affection clear in her eyes. “You two needn’t worry, it’s nothing bad. Destined mates are something very rare but valued. You’re different from the rest of us.”

“Do you really think I want to be any more different than I already am?” Jimin hisses at that, tone defensive. He has let go of Jungkook by now, taking a full step back. It makes some of the other wolves present restless, low growls echoing through the hunter’s hut, but Chaerin silences them with a calm raise of hand.

Jungkook understands the omega’s defensiveness. Without parents and having been raised by his omega older brother and well, basically Namjoon’s father, the pack has seen him as someone different from the rest for years – he’s the boy who killed his parents. And now with Jimin in the picture, he’s an abnormality within the forest wolves.

And being abnormal is never a good thing amongst wolves.

However, Jimin’s abnormality, how he’s mismatching in all possible ways and nothing Jungkook is used to, is nothing but beautiful. The alpha wishes he wasn’t the only one capable of seeing that.

“Being destined mates isn’t something frowned upon, Jimin. Actually nowadays it’s nothing but a myth, a tale told by some of the elders, but even before it became that, those destined together were never poorly treated”, Jiwoo tries to calm down the agitated omega but her words are nothing but fuel to the fire.

“So you’re saying that I never had a choice?” Jimin’s tone has turned from angry to pained, and Jungkook’s alpha whines pathetically, wanting – no, needing to know how to make it better for their omega. But he can’t even sense Jimin’s wolf, the other has completely shut him out.

“Are you saying that because the moon goddess decided so, I can never…” The omega’s tone fades into nothing but a weak whisper, his sorrowful eyes glancing at Jungkook. “That I can never love anyone but Jungkook?”

Jiwoo shakes her head. “You can fall in love with whoever you want to, little one.”

“But it wouldn’t be the same, now would it?”

The sad way Jiwoo smiles as an answer says it all.

“No. Your omega was made for Jungkook’s alpha, just as much as his alpha was made for your omega. You two can separate ways and fall in love with whoever you want, you can decide to never see each other again and live a good life—”

“But?” Jungkook raises a questioning brow at the healer. He’s starting to feel sick at his stomach.

Although his wolf is elated to know that Jimin’s wolf was made for them, is perfect for them, Jungkook’s human side can’t agree as much. Because if this was all predestined, if this was all something that would have happened no matter what, where does it leave them? What part of this is genuine?

Can Jungkook ever say that he loves Jimin because he wants to, because he genuinely fell in love with him – or will those words just be something fed to him before he even knew what a mate was.

“But you’ll always be missing something. You’ll always be missing someone”, Jiwoo answers him. “You will never be complete without each other.”

Jungkook kind of wants to scream. Jimin looks like he wants nothing more but to cry.

“You don’t expect us to be happy about this, right?” the alpha asks in a low tone, trying to glare at the healer but truly, he must look like a kicked puppy. “You don’t really expect us to be happy to know that this was never in our hands, that all of this was predestined, that my love for him is not genuine—”

“It has always been in your hands, alpha Jeon”, Chaerin interrupts him rather sharply.

Without even realizing it himself, Jungkook had become quite worked up, and although he can’t smell his own scent, from the looks of it he must be releasing pretty strong and hostile pheromones in the air. Jimin’s hand is hovering close to his own, the look on the omega’s face unsure but concerned. It’s obvious that he wants to comfort the alpha but doesn’t know whether he’s wanted or not.

It’s stupid, really. Jimin is all Jungkook wants. He just wants to know whether it's genuine or not. 

“There’s only so much to the blessing of the moon goddess. Maybe you were made perfect for each other, crafted to fall in love, to be the perfect mates… But that’s all”, Chaerin continues, covering Jungkook’s scent with her own, soothing one. “You didn’t find Jimin by that tree because you were destined to do so. You didn’t bring him here because you were told to, alpha Jeon, it was your own decision. Despite, the moon goddess’s blessing only affects your wolf, not your human.”

“And we all know that you and Jimin suppressed your wolves until the very end”, Jiwoo adds with an amused smile. “Now, try and tell me you didn’t feel something towards him even before you trusted your wolf with him.”

Jungkook can’t find his voice and the healer gives him a knowing look before rolling her eyes. Jimin’s hand finally slips back into his and the alpha holds on tight.

Chaerin looks at their intertwined hands and smiles. “The human and the wolf are like two sides of the same coin. You’re different but at the same time, you do need each other. I can’t completely deny that some part of your affection towards each other comes from your wolves, but it is still a part of you, alpha Jeon, omega Park. Your wolf is still you – those feelings are still yours.”

Her amber eyes are warm and Jungkook doesn’t think he has to worry about her ever hurting Jimin.

“You’re just slightly more compatible than the rest of us and I don’t, quite frankly, see anything wrong in that.”

“Of course you don’t. You and your pack have always supported freaks like them”, a new, low voice says, and Jungkook’s gaze snaps at the alpha kneeling next to Chaerin. He has raised his head, although Changmin is still holding a knife to his throat, and his icy blue eyes are on Jungkook for a moment before moving to Jimin.

The alpha smiles mockingly, a trail of blood running down his chin. “Should’ve known you’d choose a forest wolf, Snow White. You’re too much like your mother.”

“Shut up, Hyunwoo”, Jimin growls straight back. “You don’t know one thing about her.”

“I know enough”, the alpha, Hyunwoo, spits out.

“Oh, do you really?” Chaerin asks with a bored sigh. She leans on her hand and picks up the hunting knife again, spinning it in her other hand, dangerously close to Hyunwoo’s ear. “Do you really think you know Park Minyoung?”

“Wait…” Namjoon cuts in with a frown. “Park Minyoung… as in the Park pack’s head alpha?”

“Former”, Jimin and Hyunwoo grit out at the same time, the omega then adding: “Former head alpha. She’s been dead for the past sixteen years.”

Quite murmurs echo through the hunter’s hut and for the second time within an hour, Chaerin’s face twists with something sorrowful. “I see. I should’ve figured. Minyoung never wanted to live in a world without Yoojoon. Was it an accident that took their lives? I find it hard to believe anyone could have ever defeated Minyoung, and she’d never let anyone past her to hurt her mate.”

“No”, Jimin mumbles, looking at his feet. The look of sorrow on his face matches that of Chaerin’s. “It wasn’t an accident.”

“She lost a duel for the head alpha’s position”, Hyunwoo cuts in. “There was no way we could’ve let her live after that.”

The sorrow dissolves from Jimin’s face in less than a second, replaced by burning hatred. The electric blue of his other eye is almost mesmerizing but the flakes of crimson red swimming in it are alarming. It’s Jungkook's first time seeing Jimin feel so strongly about something.

“A duel? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me – a duel is a fair fight but there was nothing fair about what happened. You killed my father and drove my mother mad, and as if that wasn’t enough, you just had to take my brother away too—”

“Shut it, omega”, Hyunwoo growls, his voice laced with an alpha’s authority. It silences Jimin completely and the omega falls on his knees with a whimper, clutching onto his head in pain.

It takes Jungkook a moment to realize that Hyunwoo used his alpha voice on Jimin – that another alpha, an alpha threat to his whole community, just used his alpha voice on Jungkook’s omega, his mate.

He kneels down next to Jimin and literally yanks the omega into his arms, shielding him with a low growl that reverberates through his very being. The wolf within him has never felt more threatened and the way Jimin keeps clutching onto his head in obvious distress doesn’t ease his growing agitation.

It’s forbidden for an alpha to use their alpha voice on omegas or betas because of the damage they can cause – there are cases where the weaker party has literally been driven to the brink of insanity. Had this alpha used it on any omega, Jungkook would’ve been pissed, but the fact that he had the guts to use it on his omega makes the edges of his vision blurry with red.

Kill him, kill him, kill him, the wolf within him snarls.

Suddenly Namjoon and Yoongi are there, the taller of the two alphas blocking Jungkook’s view of Hyunwoo while Yoongi rests his hand on the back of Jungkook’s neck, demanding submission from the younger alpha.

“Calm down”, the black-haired man growls quietly. “I’ll fucking kick your ass if you go feral now and make us go through last night again.”

Jimin whimpers in his hold, burying his face against Jungkook’s chest and the way he’s holding him, arms wrapped tightly around the alpha’s waist, is all that stops him from gutting Hyunwoo alive.

But before he can verbally answer Yoongi or even begin to calm down his wolf, Chaerin’s already quite overwhelming presence heightens. The powerful scent of leather and something fiery fills the hut, the head alpha’s command for the rest to submit forcing even Jungkook’s enraged wolf to yield.

“That’s quite enough”, Chaerin says calmly. However, the storm raging in her amber eyes and the hostility in her scent betray her calm demeanor. She’s outraged.

“I’m usually a very patient person”, the head alpha continues, but the way she slams the hunting knife on the chair handle says other. “But you’re testing my patience, alpha. Not only are you a trespasser on my pack’s territory and threatened to kill one of my nieces, it seems that you’re also involved in the death of my brother, his mate and quite possibly, my nephew. Next time you want to speak, I suggest just keeping your mouth shut.”

Hyunwoo is completely still, Jungkook doesn’t think he can even see his chest moving. Not that he even cares.

“Now.” Chaerin turns her burning gaze back on him and Jimin. Surprisingly, her eyes soften the slightest. “Snowflake, I want to hear your story.”

Jimin tenses up in Jungkook’s arms and for a moment, the alpha is sure he’s not going to answer, but then slowly, he turns around to glance at the head alpha.

“From the very beginning?” Jimin’s voice is barely above a whisper.

“Well, perhaps I should make some things clear first.” The female alpha offers Jimin a small smile before straightening her back and clearing her throat to make sure everyone is capable of hearing her, loud and clear.

“I expect everyone to be aware of the fact that the Kim pack and Park pack were once good allies and had my father not cut of our ties out of pure pettiness, I’d like to think that we’d be in a much better place nowadays. I know that there’s a rumor, saying that one of my siblings was killed by a Park wolf, leading to my father cutting all ties with the mountain wolves, but that wasn’t it.”

Chaerin tilts her head a little, warm amber eyes now eyeing Jimin in an almost curious way. Somewhere deep in those eyes, Jungkook sees love and acceptance, recognition.

“My brother, Kim Yoojoon… he wasn’t killed by a Park wolf – he fell in love with one.”

The head alpha’s words make Jungkook look at Jimin, who’s already looking back at him with mismatching eyes full of hesitation. The smile twitching on the omega’s lips is apologetic.

For the first time, instead of simply seeing the warmth of home in one of Jimin’s eyes and the calming darkness of the universe in the other, he sees summer and winter, two worlds that weren’t supposed to clash but still did – and ended up creating something oh so beautiful.

Breathtaking.

And sadly, something not many accept. Obviously Jimin’s pack didn’t. Obviously their pack didn’t either, if the former head alpha had cut all ties with the Park pack simply because one of his children fell in love with someone he wasn’t supposed to.

It isn’t so hard to understand Jimin’s behavior anymore. Jungkook just wishes he could be the one to kiss away his scars.

“You’d think that with the alliance that we had, my father would have accepted my brother’s choice of a mate, but he didn’t”, Chaerin continues with a sigh, rubbing her temple in frustration at the memory.

“And then, when it became apparent that Yoojoon and Minyoung were expecting a child, my brother was no longer safe here. I thought that by helping him escape to the Park pack, I’d give him and his children a safe future – with Minyoung not only being the head alpha, but also the strongest alpha around this area, I really thought I had made the right decision. And for the next five years, on the coldest day of winter, I’d go out to meet him by the lake.”

Her sorrowful eyes focus on the blonde omega in front of her. “Until one day, he didn’t come.”

“I remember that”, Jimin says, rubbing his throat absently while frowning. “He wanted to go – I think he was trying to drag me with him, but then they, they—” The omega cuts himself off, shrinking into himself as the memories of his father’s last moments played in his mind.

If Jimin concentrates hard enough, he can still hear his father’s scream for Minyoung only for no one to answer, and then there had been this strange gurgling noise and the snow at Jimin’s little feet had turned crimson red.

“They just slit his throat open right there – no warning, nothing. They didn’t even give him a chance to fight or leave, and I couldn’t – I couldn’t do anything.”

The way Jimin has started to squeeze his own throat in obvious anxiousness alarms Jungkook, and he reaches out to gently pull the omega’s hands down, trying to release calming pheromones, but Chaerin’s scent has begun to turn more hostile and it’s almost impossible for anyone else to control the atmosphere.

“When mother finally arrived, she went feral. It was worse than with Jungkook – she just killed anyone who came in the way, omegas, betas and alphas alike. Children, even. She was mad.”

Jungkook has heard some stories of the great leader of the Park pack. She was told to be a fearless alpha as beautiful as snow, as deathly and cold as ice, and other packs rarely dared to cross her path. If an alpha as powerful as her went feral… then it must’ve been a bloodbath.

“Then how did they stop her?” Namjoon asks, mirroring the dark look of his mother’s. “Jungkook turned back because you were calling out to him and you are, essentially, his mate – but if your father was already dead, then how—”

“They used you”, Chaerin interrupts Namjoon, eyes boring into Jimin.

The blonde omega looks ashamed and the way his sweet honeysuckle scent turns rotten with his sorrow makes Jungkook want to get on his knees and beg for him to smile again.

“They didn’t force me to”, Jimin tells quietly. “I just – when I saw her killing all those people, the people she was supposed to protect… I couldn’t let her do that. Without father, I was alone with my younger brother, I needed her back and I thought they’d let her live. But the moment she turned back, they killed her. My mother’s brother killed her and declared himself as the new head alpha of the Park pack.”

Jimin turns to look at Chaerin and his mismatching eyes are filled by tears that quickly spill over, shattering Jungkook’s heart in the process.

“Ultimately, I killed her. I killed my mother. Can you forgive me for that, head alpha Kim?”

It’s silent for a long moment and Jungkook can feel Jimin’s anxiousness increasing. The look on Chaerin’s face is unreadable.

Until suddenly, the woman smiles again. “You did what you had to do, Snowflake. You were just trying to protect the pack you considered yours and like you said, you thought they’d let her live. You didn’t know that your uncle never had any intentions of letting her out alive. And knowing Minyoung, I think she was just relieved you stopped her when you did. She always held her pack on the highest pedestal, after all.”

Jimin thinks about her empty blue eyes and the crimson flower that bloomed under her, and wonders what could have happened if she had put her mate first instead. How many things would be different now, had she given her everything to her mate and family instead of her pack?

How different would Jimin’s life be, had Park Minyoung loved Kim Yoojoon enough to leave the mountains behind?

It makes him wonder if Jungkook would ever leave the forest behind for him.

He shouldn't.

But when Jimin looks down at the way the alpha is holding his hands, both gently and carefully but at the same time still so securely, he thinks that maybe, maybe there’s a chance.

Maybe.

Chapter Text

There was a time when Jimin had nothing but love to give to the world.

Despite the way other pups and adults would avoid him and how his father rarely smiled and how his mother was never there, Jimin was a joyous pup with glimmering mismatching eyes and a wide smile that rivaled the sun itself.

He was a happy pup, with a heart too full of love in a world so cruel.

Until on one cold winter day, a shadow that would never quite leave him alone, swallowed all his warmth, his light and joy. After that day, Jimin was left with nothing but sorrow and only bits and pieces of love in his heart.

His hands were covered in the blood of his father, the blood of his mother and as his uncle, Park Minhyun said, half of the pack’s. Because in the span of three days, the Park pack had lost over half of its wolves – some which Park Minyoung killed in her feral state, some which Minhyun executed to prevent anyone possibly loyal to the old pack-leader from trying to steal back the position, including his grandfather.

So Jimin, who was no longer safe anywhere else but within the walls of his grandmother’s cottage, gave all of his love to his brother. Because Jihyun was a beautiful child, who did not need to see the blood in his hands.

Jihyun was the only one who didn’t look at him differently.

Although his grandmother took it upon herself to raise her daughter’s children, her kind eyes were always filled by deep sorrow and pity whenever she looked at Jimin. She had always been aware of the guilt he carried with him and despite her attempts at lessening it, Jimin is his mother’s child. Stubborn to the core. He never accepted her help because he knew he didn’t deserve it.

With a frail grandmother and a younger brother incapable of taking care of himself, Jimin had to become the alpha of the house. He had to learn to fight, to hunt, to skin an animal and make use of all of its parts, alone. And despite his struggles, Jimin excelled in what he did. There has never been any doubt about him being the descendant of two very powerful families.

Life was tough but still, he was good, okay with the life he led. That is, until he presented an omega at the age of seventeen. His presentation changed his body completely; it made him the perfect omega, lithe and compact, fair and soft around the edges.

Jimin became beautiful, so breathtakingly beautiful, and everyone noticed that.

Despite the history of his family, Jimin had quite a lot of suitors. And he even considered taking a mate from amongst them many times, because that would have meant stability and perhaps even some protection. But his wolf never accepted any and in the end, he turned everyone down.

It’s not like any of them held any fond feelings for Jimin. They saw beauty, a new fertile omega, a powerful one, and they wanted that. And it’s definitely not like Jimin ever held any fond feelings for any of his packmates. The only reason he would have taken one as his mate – hadn’t his wolf interfered – was because of Jihyun and his grandmother.

Some of the betas and omegas his age begun to spread rumors soon after in their jealousy. Jimin had to listen how he had slept with this alpha and that beta, how he’d let alphas fuck him for food and wood, when in reality Jimin had never let another wolf in his bed. Even his heats, no matter how painful, he’d spend alone, scream his pain into his pillow and cry at the unfair world behind the locked doors.

Being Park Minyoung’s child in a pack that learned to hate her, came with a lot of cons and very little pros. But at least he lived. At least his grandmother and Jihyun lived.

Things changed when Jihyun presented an alpha at the age of sixteen.

Jimin had seen it coming. His younger brother had long passed him in height and muscle mass, he showed all the signs of a young alpha – reckless and prideful, strong features and a dominant nature. But because Jihyun had never known their parents and swore loyalty to their uncle, Jimin thought nothing would change.

He was wrong.

Park Minhyun doesn’t take any risks. The very day Jihyun’s rut ended, only minutes after he had happily exclaimed that ‘hyung, you don’t need to worry anymore because from now on, I will protect you’, they took him away.

His uncle isn’t capable of having children of his own and to think that his dead sister somehow managed to have an alpha son, something he’d never have… it drove the man insane. Jihyun’s existence was a threat Minhyun had immediately eliminated.

Jimin hadn’t been able to do anything but scream and cry and at the very end, beg.

Because despite the way he had grown-up, despite his pride and beliefs, Jihyun always mattered more. And Jimin hadn’t felt even an ounce of shame when he got down to his knees in front of the very man who dethroned his mother and killed his father and begged him to let his brother live.

“Don’t be foolish”, the man had simply said, sitting in the head alpha’s chair, that once belonged to Park Minyoung and with her gone, defeated in such an unfair matter, should have belonged to alpha Park Jihyun.

“You would have faced the same faith if you hadn’t presented an omega. I have no use for an alpha – you will at least make a good breeding bitch and continue this bloodline.”

Disgust and confusion had been Jimin’s first feelings, followed quickly by hatred that has yet to burn out, even after all these years.

“I will never give an heir to a coward like you”, he had all but sneered back at the man.

And when Jihyun never returned, even after the countless of days he and his grandmother spent waiting for him, Jimin swore he’d much rather kill himself than ever give birth to a child within the Park pack.

But Park Minhyun became quickly impatient – Jimin had reached the age of twenty-one, his fertility was at its highest, yet he’d break any man’s nose if they got too close for comfort. His uncle begun to fear that if the omega wouldn’t soon mate and have children, he’d die before having a proper heir, an heir that still carried their blood.

So Hyunwoo stepped into the picture. An alpha close to Jimin’s age, powerful and loyal to Park Minhyun – his nose wasn’t as easily broken as everyone else’s and Jimin quickly learned that what an alpha wanted, they got it. It would be too much for their pride to have an omega say no and get away with it with no punishment.

There are certain herbs that can trigger an omega’s heat early. It still makes nausea swim in Jimin’s stomach when he thinks about how one night, he had been dragged into the pack-leader’s hut and forced to drink this sweet smelling, but foul-tasting, liquid. It still makes him want to cry and scream, when he remembers the hands he had felt all over his body and how, despite the way his wolf howled for mercy, his body answered to the assault.

Perhaps he went feral, then. Jimin has never been quite able to recall what happened after he consumed the sweet liquid, but he had woken up in his grandmother’s cottage with his stomach covered in bloodied bandages and body numb with pain.

“You almost killed the man”, his grandmother had told him in a tone barely above a whisper. “Your uncle couldn’t let it go unpunished.”

The scar on his lower abdomen was his punishment. Because if he refuses to give his uncle the heir still of the Park bloodline he so desperately needs, Jimin will never give children to anyone.

He cut deep. The omega still doesn’t know if it was deep enough to truly damage his womb but most likely – at least if the way his grandmother had cried was anything to go by. Without her, Jimin would have probably died, too. Because Minhyun is still a son of Sohyeon's, he showed mercy to his mother when she begged him not to damage Jimin’s body any further.

Jihyun she couldn’t save.

And in the end, Jimin couldn’t save anyone. Not his father, mother, or any of those people his uncle had executed only because their loyalty rested elsewhere. And not his brother, not his grandmother.

Not even himself.

There was a time when Jimin had nothing but love to give to the world. But times change, and the world drained every bit of warmth from his heart until he was left with a cold, hopelessly deep hole in his chest.

But now he has found a home in warm golden eyes, and Jeon Jungkook is filled by nothing if not hope.

Jimin blinks his eyes open, his vision hazy and mouth dry. It’s dark but warm, and there’s a solid body resting right next to him. The air smells heavily like cedarwood and spices, and Jimin’s wolf has never felt more contented.

He buries his head back into the pillow and is fully intending on going back to sleep, the stress from previous days having taken a toll on him, but then Jungkook’s warm fingers come to play with his hair and Jimin can’t quite resist taking a peek at the alpha.

Even in the dark he can clearly see Jungkook’s smile.

“How are you feeling?” the alpha asks.

After retiring from the meeting with Chaerin, Jimin had been practically catatonic, overwhelmed by his memories and emotions. He’s pretty sure his distressed scent had made everyone around him more than simply uncomfortable but Jungkook had been, of course, the most unsettled by the omega’s state and took him home to rest, to his home, without another thought.

And there they have been ever since, sleeping in Jungkook’s bed, wrapped around each other’s arms, waiting for someone to call them back.

To say that Chaerin had been shocked to hear about the faith of the Park pack is an understatement. Jimin had given her so much new information that, in the end, she decided to retire for some time to think things through with her trusted men in order not to make any rash decisions. And therefore, until further instructions, Jimin and Jungkook are both safe and sound.

For now, they’re okay.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

Jimin leans into the hand petting his hair and hums. “Yeah.”

The alpha doesn’t seem to find any reason to doubt Jimin’s answer, so he settles back down as well, continuing to run his fingers through the soft blonde locks until his breathing begins to slow down again.

But just before Jimin falls back into the land of dreams, there’s a quiet knock on the door.

Jungkook stirs right away, growling lowly out of pure instinct as he pushes himself up and purposely hides Jimin’s smaller body behind his. But when Seokjin’s caramel-like scent reaches them, the alpha’s body relaxes almost right away.

“What do you want, hyung?” Jungkook calls and a second later, the door opens and Seokjin’s annoyed face peeks in.

“I was just wondering if you two brats wanted something to eat. You’ve been holed up in here for hours so I thought you might be hungry and made dinner.” The elder omega pauses, a thoughtful look on his face. “Though, I must admit I might’ve gone a little overboard with it, so I had to ask for more dinner guests.”

“Oh”, Jimin lets out a quiet, unsure sound only Jungkook hears. But the way his scent wraps both him and the alpha in a tight, almost protective cocoon is enough to message his discomfort to Seokjin as well.

Jungkook rests his warm hand on Jimin’s knee, a small attempt at trying to calm him down. “Who did you invite?”

“Oh, just Yoongi and his family and Hoseok and Taehyung”, Seokjin tells, offering an apologetic smile to the smaller omega. He had been well-aware that Jimin might feel a little uncomfortable with more people but at the same time, Seokjin hopes getting to know their close friends would help the omega to settle down with them. “And Joonie, of course. But he’s harmless.”

Jungkook lets out a soft snort. He thinks he and his brother have a little different definitions of harmless.

“We’ll be there in a moment.”

Seokjin beams and his sweet caramel scent turns even sweeter with his joy. Jimin almost smiles at this, but the dread filling his stomach keeps his lips tugged downwards.

As soon as Seokjin has closed the door after him, Jungkook tackles him back down on the bed, rubbing his nose along the scent glands on Jimin’s neck. “Calm down”, the alpha mumbles, gentle but firm hands holding the omega from squirming away. “They’re all good people. Yoongi-hyung might come off cold first but he’s truly a softie. You’ll like him, I’m sure. And you know Hoseok-hyung and Taehyung already.”

“I…” Jimin hesitates, curling his own fingers around Jungkook’s brown locks, holding the alpha against himself a little tighter. “I’m just…”

“I’m here”, Jungkook cuts him off quietly. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re not alone.”

For some reason, the alpha’s words are enough to calm down the nervous beat of Jimin’s heart. Maybe it’s his calming scent that leaves him feeling fuzzy and warm, or maybe it’s the certainty in his tone, the gentleness of his touch – but Jimin believes him. He trusts him.

It's scary how ready he is to give his heart to Jungkook but even more than that, it’s weirdly nice. It’s nice to be able to rely on someone after all these years of fighting for a day more.

Jungkook lifts his head a little to gaze into Jimin’s mismatching eyes. His brown eyes are inviting and warm, small specks of gold swimming in them and Jimin thinks he’s never seen anything prettier.

“Okay?”

He smiles hesitantly but it’s a smile, nonetheless.

“Okay.”

He kind of expects Jungkook to kiss him then. Jimin knows, from the way the alpha’s eyes flicker down to his lips and his scent intensifies, that he’d want that. And Jimin would let him, too.

But Jungkook just smiles and shakes his head softly before leaning down to press his warm lips against Jimin’s forehead instead. It would be a lie to say that the omega doesn’t feel a little disappointed, but at the same time, he’s not entirely sure his poor heart could take it if Jungkook did decide to really kiss him.

They’ve never kissed outside of his heat. Jimin wonders if it’ll feel different when they finally do – or rather, if they do.

But well. Jungkook looks at him with such fond eyes and Jimin feels so warm, his chest feels so light, that he’s pretty certain they will. And he’s pretty certain that it will feel a little different, too.

He wouldn’t mind that.

Jungkook’s family is a noisy one, Jimin must admit. If he thought that Hoseok and Taehyung together were a disaster, add Seokjin, Yoongi and Namjoon into the mix and you’ve got something else entirely. It’s been a while since he’s been around people who are so… lively.

But it’s funny, it’s endearing, and Jimin feels at ease in his seat next to Jungkook, even though he’s practically surrounded by strangers.

It’s weird, really. He and his grandmother had stopped having dinner together after Jihyun’s death; they couldn’t bear sitting down by the small kitchen table when one of the chairs would forever remain empty, so they had simply eaten whenever, most of the time alone in silence.

But there are no empty chairs in the Jeons’ table. Even if two of them once belonged to Seokjin and Jungkook’s parents, to a woman with wide innocent eyes like their youngest son and to a man with mischievous smile like their eldest, they’ve now been filled by different people. Seokjin and Jungkook found a new family.

Jimin admires them for that and wishes he could’ve done the same.

“What are you thinking about?” Jungkook’s warm breath ghosts over Jimin’s right ear and the omega sighs quietly, unconsciously leaning more towards the alpha’s inviting warmth.

“Nothing. Just… you and your brother are pretty strong, aren’t you?”

Jimin glances at the alpha next to him, head resting on his shoulder and Jungkook, although seeming quite confused, offers him a gentle smile.

“I don’t know why you’re suddenly saying that but believe me, Jimin, you’re pretty goddamn strong too”, he whispers, poking Jimin’s forehead with his nose and the omega can’t help but giggle at the loving gesture. Somewhere inside, his wolf purrs happily and for a moment there, Jimin swears he can feel Jungkook’s wolf too.

It feels like raging fire, like flames would be licking his skin, and it leaves him feeling a little scared, a little breathless and warm. Very warm.

And if Jimin really concentrates, staring deep into Jungkook’s eyes, he can almost hear the alpha calling out for him.

Suddenly Taehyung clears his throat, his joyous strawberry scent turning sour, and the conversation around them dies out. Jimin’s mismatching eyes flicker from Jungkook to the other omega and the earlier feeling of dread returns to his stomach when he realizes that Taehyung is staring straight back at him.

“I get that there was a silent unanimous decision not to bring this up… but seriously, what are we going to do if head alpha Kim sides with Jaehwan?” the silver-haired omega asks quietly but due to it being completely silent now, it feels like he’d be saying the words right into Jimin’s ear. “It’s not an impossibility and we all know it. Jaehwan has authority in the pack. Have you two thought about what you’re going to do if that happens?”

Jimin bites the insides of his cheek and leans away from Jungkook. He doesn’t allow himself to react to the way the alpha’s scent intensifies a little at that, obviously trying to lure the omega back.

He doesn’t think Chaerin is going to execute him or Hyunwoo – even though he doesn’t exactly know her, he sees enough of his father in her to believe she wouldn’t do anything rash like that. But Jimin wouldn’t blame her if she does decide to banish him from the Kim pack alongside Hyunwoo. He doesn’t have anything to give her, quite frankly her pack hates him, and Jimin doesn’t even think he could ever get used to living in the forest.

So truly, what is there to even think about?

“If that happens, then I’ll just leave—”

“No”, Jungkook cuts him off in a low tone. Jimin barely spares him a look, knowing not to try and reason with the brunette about things like this – instead, he directs his attention on the others, even glancing at Namjoon whose amber eyes are watching him curiously.

“The thing is, Kim Chaerin can’t kill Hyunwoo unless she truly wants to go to war with the Park pack. He’s the best candidate for the next pack-leader so my uncle wouldn’t take losing him lightly. I don’t think she can do anything but let Hyunwoo go with a warning and someone needs to make sure he really does leave this area. Despite, I think the reason my pack has been invading your territory isn’t because they’re trying to pick a fight but because they truly are just looking for me.”

“What for?” Yoongi asks, giving him an incredulous look. “From what you told us at the meeting, he doesn’t seem to value you that much. Why go through all this trouble to get you back if, in the end, you’re nothing but a threat to him?”

Jimin purses his lips and looks away. He knows exactly why his uncle wants him back to the Park pack.

“He can’t have children of his own. I don’t know if I can have children of my own. With my grandmother now dead as well, he and I… we’re the very last of the Park blood. You’d think he’d do anything to preserve our bloodline but seeing as both me and my brother turned out to be failures and his everlasting hatred for my mother, he’s made it clear that the family dies with him.”

The blonde omega lets out a soft hum at the thought of dying by his uncle’s hand. It doesn’t disturb him as much as it probably should, but Jimin has had years to get used to the thought of eventually being killed off the same way his brother was.

If he’s completely honest, he thinks Park Minhyun is right. The family should die with them – they’re not worthy to be the head family of any pack and he can’t make his uncle’s doings better in any way. He can’t erase the pain the man has inflicted on his packmates, can’t give back the lives his mother took.

“There will be no Park pack at the end of this winter”, he says quietly, pulling his knees up to rest his cheek against them, eyes finally falling on Jungkook’s tense form. “Even if Chaerin sides with us, with me, the problem with Hyunwoo remains. She can’t risk the whole Kim pack to save the nephew she doesn’t even know.”

“But you’re innocent”, Hoseok points out. “Head alpha Kim isn’t going to send you to your death, blood related or not. She isn’t like that.”

Jimin doesn’t know what she’s like and he doesn’t care. “You don’t see the bigger picture. Innocent or not, it’s one wolf’s life against dozens. The risk is simply too big—”

“She’s not sending you back to the Park pack”, Jungkook growls, interrupting Jimin mid-sentence. The omega flinches at the aggressiveness of the other’s tone and inside, his wolf is whining in an apologetic way, feeling sad that they have made their alpha upset. “And even if she does, I’m not letting you go anywhere alone.”

The thought of Jungkook following him back to the mountains with him reminds Jimin of his nightmares, especially the one where instead of his mother’s it was Jungkook’s, whose heart Park Minhyun ripped out on that cold winter day. It sets fire to something angry and protective inside of him, followed by fear.

“You can’t come to the mountains”, he hisses, eyes flashing in warning. From the corner of his eye, he can see the rest shifting, obviously uncomfortable, but Jimin can’t find it in himself to care. “You’d be killed right away.”

“That’s better than living and knowing that I let you die when I’m capable of making a difference—”

“No one is capable of making a difference! Someone’s going to die either way and it’s my pack, my problem, you don’t have a fucking say in the matter.”

“I do because you’re my mate!”

Jimin reels back in surprise, the angry flame in his chest dissipating before being replaced by something even warmer. It’s awfully silent around them and Jimin can feel multiple gazes on them, but he can’t remove his own eyes from Jungkook’s golden ones.

“I – I’m—” He closes and opens his mouth, then repeats the action again and again, like a fish on dry land, but he can’t find any words to say.

His mate. Jungkook just openly declared Jimin as his mate. In front of his family.

His fucking mate.

What the hell is Jimin supposed to do? He never thought that anyone would say that to him, that anyone would call him their mate, but Jungkook said it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

And considering all the bullshit about them being destined mates, maybe it is – to others, at least. But to Jimin no, it’s not. Definitely not.

After a moment, the gold of Jungkook’s eyes begins to bleed away to make way to their usual chocolate brown color, and the alpha turns his whole body away from Jimin. His familiar scent has turned sour and his anger is still clear in the way he holds himself, and Jimin wants to do something, to touch him, to say it back – but he can’t.

“I, uh… I’m sorry I asked”, Taehyung whispers when it becomes obvious that neither Jimin nor Jungkook is about to say a word more. His brown eyes are filled by sadness when the blonde omega turns to glance at him.

“You’re both tired, this is no time for serious talk like this”, Seokjin chimes in awkwardly, getting up to start picking up dirty plates and glasses. “Let’s just wait until Chaerin calls you back, she’ll know what to do—”

“Actually”, Namjoon speaks suddenly, sounding surprisingly calm despite the potent, hostile scents in the air and the argument that just took place right in front of him. “Mother might already have a resolution. And this one might not involve any deaths at all.”

That piques the interest of them all, everyone except Jungkook turning their eyes on the head alpha’s son.

“But how…” Jimin frowns. He’s thought this through many times, but he doesn’t see an outcome without someone losing their life – most of the times that someone being him.

Namjoon’s curious eyes bore into him and the alpha smiles. “It’s actually quite simple, in the end. We have to put head alpha Park into a situation he can’t back out from, and both mother and I’ve understood that he’s a very prideful person, isn’t he?”

Jimin snorts. “Like any alpha.”

The older man just chuckles, his eyes glancing at Jungkook whose eyes are still fixed on some spot on the floor.

“Tell me”, Namjoon then says, straightening his posture with a dangerous glint in his eyes. “What can no alpha back out from?”

There’s a long silence with Jimin trying to wrap his head around Namjoon’s words. His uncle might be batshit crazy but not stupid – the omega doesn’t think they could set up any kind of trap for him, being as paranoid as he is, Park Minhyun will be extremely hard to fool.

Surprisingly, Jungkook is the one to answer.

“A duel.”

When he finally looks up, meeting Namjoon’s gaze head on, his eyes are glimmering in that pretty shade of gold again that Jimin both loves and hates.

“You’re going to challenge head alpha Park Minhyun to a duel.”

It seems like he and Jimin have the exceptional skill of upsetting each other in any kind of situation. This night too, was supposed to be a nice dinner spent with close friends, but in the end it had turned into a heated argument that ended with Jungkook practically declaring his love for the omega.

Which is just great, of course.

“You can’t be any more embarrassing, can you?” Yoongi snickers at him as they march towards the alpha’s own home, Jungkook, Taehyung and Hoseok a little behind the black-haired alpha and his heavily pregnant mate.

Junghwa scolds Yoongi gently before turning to send a warm look to Jungkook. “Yoongi doesn’t mean it, Jungkook-ah. It was just…”

“Fucking hilarious”, the older alpha offers, making Jungkook’s cheeks turn bright red and Junghwa smacks her mate rather harshly on the arm.

“Unexpected”, the female omega says with a glare directed at Yoongi. “I could see that the boy was shocked, to say the least.”

“Yeah Kook-ah, maybe don’t yell it to his face the next time. Jimin looked like you just butchered someone in front of him”, Taehyung laughs quietly behind him, quickly hushed by Hoseok.

Truth to be told, Jungkook isn’t truly bothered by how he had said it to Jimin. Yes, he would have preferred to name the omega as his mate somewhere private, quietly and in a not-so-aggressive way – but what’s done is done and it’s not like he was lying.

Jimin is his mate. His wolf will never accept another omega now that they’ve met and Jungkook’s human side won’t either. He doesn’t doubt that anymore.

But what bothers him, is that the omega didn’t answer him. Aside from the few words he stuttered out in his shock, Jimin hadn’t said a word to him after Jungkook’s abrupt declaration. Now, the other had opted to stay and help Seokjin wash dishes while Jungkook walks their guests home. Or, cools off, as his brother had told him to do.

A cold hand comes to massage the tense muscles of his neck and Jungkook looks up from the snowy ground to meet Yoongi’s dark grey eyes.

The older alpha offers him a small smile. “Don’t worry too much, okay? Anyone can see that he has feelings for you as well. But you know, just for the future, don’t be so aggressive. We’ve just learned that he’s been oppressed for years – by alphas, if I may add. His first instinct is going to be withdrawing.”

Jungkook sighs and rubs his eyes tiredly. “I know, hyung. I know. And I understand.”

A rare gummy smile makes its way onto Yoongi’s face. “Good, kiddo. Now go back home and make things right.”

With quick hugs and byes – and a few more snickers from Taehyung – Jungkook turns back to follow their footsteps home. Taehyung’s obnoxious voice and Hoseok’s bright laughter accompany his short journey back to the cottage but as soon as he sees the small figure sitting by the porch, under the yellow light of the lantern Namjoon had hung earlier, he stops.

Jimin looks up from the ground, arms wrapped around his thin figure, and smiles weakly. Jungkook hates the look of sorrow in his eyes.

“Are you an idiot?” the alpha grumbles, making his way to the omega. He takes off his own coat and wraps it tightly around Jimin’s narrow shoulders, scolding him quietly under his breath. “You’d think that you if anyone, should know better than to leave outside without proper clothes.”

“I don’t have proper clothes, Jungkook.”

The alpha stops, hands freezing on Jimin’s shoulders.

The other is right. The last time he had just borrowed Jiwoo’s old coat, but Jungkook should probably get him his own one. “I’ll talk to Hoseok tomorrow”, he says, removing his hands before sitting down next to the omega. “His father is the tailor, so I can ask him to make a coat for you.”

“Thanks.”

Any other time, Jungkook might’ve teased Jimin for thanking him so easily like this – because the omega never does it – but the pain is a little too evident on Jimin’s tone for him to joke about anything.

Jimin doesn’t think he’s going to stay long enough for a coat to be made for him.

“What are you doing outside?” Jungkook quickly changes the subject before the conversation can completely die and Jimin withdraw from him, like Yoongi had warned.

The smaller man picks at a stray thread hanging from Jungkook’s coat, his small fingers red from the cold. “I was thinking about visiting my grandmother. And your parents. It’s been a while.”

It has. Jungkook hasn’t visited the grave in a while, either.

He stands up and dusts some snow off his pants. “Let’s go then, before it gets colder.” He offers Jimin a hand, which the omega takes after little hesitation and to Jungkook’s relief, he doesn’t pull away from his hold as they begin to make their way to the grave.

Jimin’s hand is cold, but small and soft. It fits into Jungkook’s warm, bigger and calloused one perfectly.

The omega picks up winter honeysuckles on the way, the flowers and leaves frozen but it’s all he can find and soon enough, the grave is covered in frozen flowers. “I can’t wait until spring comes”, Jimin mumbles as he kneels down. “Then you and Seokjin can decorate the grave with even more flowers.”

“You can too.”

“Jungkook—”

“I know”, the alpha cuts him off and he feels familiar annoyance bubble in the bottom of his stomach, but he tries his best to keep his scent neutral and tone soft. “You don’t think you’ll live long enough to see the flowers bloom again, but that’s – that’s not going to happen. Namjoon is going to challenge your uncle to a duel and win, and then you can sever your pack bond with them. And I’m not going to let you die. I promise I won’t.”

Jimin turns to look at him and his mismatching eyes glimmer brightly in the moonlight, the smile on his face all but fond. “You don’t have to promise me anything, Jungkook.”

“But I already did. And I will say it again – I won’t leave you, Jimin, and I won’t let you die. I know I keep fucking up, I keep hurting and scaring you, but it hurts me that you’re so ready to throw your life away when you haven’t – when you haven’t even really lived at all.”

Now the omega frowns, unsettled by Jungkook’s burst of emotions. “Kookie…”

“Life has so much more to offer than what you’ve experienced so far. The years you’ve spent in the mountains, tormented by your packmates, that wasn’t living. It was nothing but a cage.”

“How is your pack any different from mine?” Jimin asks quietly. “They hate me as much as the Park pack. Even if by some miracle I could stay here with you, no one will ever accept me—”

“We don’t have to stay”, Jungkook counterattacks, rendering the omega silent. “There’s life beyond the forest as well.”

Jimin stares at him silently for a long moment, chewing on his bottom lip nervously. “You mean… you would actually leave your own pack for me?”

“Jimin, I would do anything for you.”

I would die for you in a heartbeat.

“You’re my mate”, he continues, tone turning even softer if it’s possible. He kneels next to the omega and takes his hand in his, smiling when Jimin intertwines their fingers. “Of course I would leave for you, I’d do it without a second thought. I might be rash, and we might bicker all the damn time, but I know what I want.”

And he wants a future where he can hold Jimin’s hand without being afraid of letting go.

“Do you really mean it?” His voice is barely above a whisper and right then and there, Jimin looks more vulnerable than ever before.

He turns to look at Jimin, their noses touching. “I mean it—”

Jungkook can’t even finish his sentence when there are a pair of plush lips against his own, Jimin’s body crashing into him with enough strength to make him fall back. But he’s quick enough to grab a hold of the omega and keep him right there, pressed against him, warm and safe in his arms.

When Jimin begins to draw away, his scent wavering nervously in the air at the lack of proper response from Jungkook’s part, the alpha yanks him right back, furiously pressing their lips back together.

A small embarrassed squeak escapes the omega’s lips, but it quickly turns into a content sigh that Jungkook swallows down greedily. He feels warm, so incredibly warm despite sitting on the cold ground and not wearing a coat – Jimin’s body against his is like a wildfire and Jungkook can’t get enough, he can’t and won’t let go.

Something wet falls down on his cheeks and runs down to his lips, the sweet taste of honeysuckle turning salty from Jimin’s tears.

Jungkook pulls back slightly, hands coming to cup Jimin’s face in concern. “Baby—”

“I’m so sorry”, the omega whispers, moving to mouth the words against Jungkook’s cheek, frantically scenting the alpha in the process. “I’m so sorry for being a bad omega, I’m sorry for being so stubborn and so difficult, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry—”

Jungkook says nothing to that, just pulls Jimin tighter against himself and lets him cry out his hurt, the pain he has held inside for years, scream his agony in the crook of his neck. He hates the hot tears he can feel falling on the bare skin of his neck, hates how Jimin’s whole body trembles with his sobs, hates how frail the omega feels in his arms.

But at the same time, Jungkook knows that it’s better to let it all out than hold it in. He knows that he must let him cry now, so he can smile tomorrow.

So, tonight Jungkook lets Jimin fall apart but only with the promise of building him back up again.

“Tell me”, Jimin says in between the hiccups running through his body, head still buried against Jungkook’s neck, mouth moving against the alpha’s heated skin. “If I now asked you, if you love me, would you say yes?”

A soft rumble vibrates through the alpha’s chest and he rests his own head against Jimin’s, breathing in the honeysuckle scent he has, over the past months, come to love.

“I would”, Jungkook answers.

Jimin is quiet for a couple of heartbeats, before he takes in a sharp breath and wraps his arms tightly around the alpha.

“Do you love me, Jungkook?”

He doesn’t hesitate.

“Yes.”

“Will you love me tomorrow?”

“Yes, yes I will.”

“More than today?” Jimin asks.

“More than today”, Jungkook nods. “Tonight, I love you more than yesterday but less than tomorrow.”

The omega hums and it takes a moment for Jungkook to realize that he has long stopped crying. After some time, he presses a soft kiss on the side of Jungkook’s neck.

“I love you too.”

Jungkook just smiles.

Chapter Text

They’re both freezing by the time they get back home but at the same time, Jimin doesn’t think he’s ever felt warmer. Even though he’s trembling, tiny whimpers of discomfort escaping his lips every now and then, his chest feels hot and Jungkook’s arm around his waist makes him want to melt.

Seokjin gives them a disbelieving look when they step inside. “This is the second time you come home cold and wet after being gone for two hours. Should I start to worry?”

Jungkook offers him a brilliant grin. “No. We’re perfect.”

The way the look on Seokjin’s face twists from mild annoyance and worry to something akin to relief tells Jimin that the elder can sense the change between them.

He smiles, small and soft. “Good. I’m happy to hear that.”

Jungkook hums and starts to help Jimin out of his coat. “Is Namjoon-hyung still here?”

The other alpha visits them so often that his scent is always strongly apparent in the air and after being mated, Seokjin has begun to, naturally, carry it around as well – so Jungkook, with his nose runny from the cold, can’t make out whether Namjoon is still present or not.

“No”, Seokjin answers with a sigh. “He left a few minutes ago and I’m going to leave too now that you finally came back.”

“Ah yeah. You can’t stay away from him.”

“Like you’re one to talk.”

Jungkook doesn’t say anything to that, just wraps his arms around Jimin again and rests his head on the omega’s shoulder. He doesn’t seem to care that he’s just proving Seokjin right with his actions, and Jimin lets him do as he pleases, feels a little like he owes that to Jungkook. But it’s not like he minds having the alpha drape his bigger body all over him, a small smile forming on his lips as he feels Jungkook’s cedarwood scent become more prominent around him.

Jimin likes it, actually. He feels wanted and that’s something he has never truly been before, to anyone.

It’s a feeling he wouldn’t mind to feel again. And again.

“There’s warm water waiting for you in the bathroom”, Seokjin says then, bringing the two younger wolves back to reality. “There’s not that much though, I didn’t go to the well today. So um, bath together. I’m sure you’ve done that before.”

He leaves before Jungkook or Jimin can answer, most likely heading to his own room to pack some clothes before leaving to Namjoon’s cottage. It’s painfully silent after Seokjin’s gone and Jungkook’s body against Jimin’s back feels warmer than before, a contrast to Jimin’s own, cold one, and he can’t help but shiver.

He hopes the alpha didn’t feel it, but from the way Jungkook shifts, arms tightening around him, he probably did.

“I can just warm up by the fireplace if you want privacy”, the alpha mumbles, probably thinking that Jimin is feeling uncomfortable from how tense the omega has gone. “Let me just show you to the bathroom—”

“Don’t be ridiculous”, Jimin says to that. “You’re coming with me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, you idiot.”

“Okay”, Jungkook breathes and he seems relieved.

“Okay”, Jimin nods and his legs feel weak as he lets Jungkook lead him forward.

When they finally stand in the bathroom, ready to strip and step inside the old bathtub, Jimin starts having second thoughts.

They’ve already seen each other naked and yes, like Seokjin said, they’ve also bathed together before but that was when Jimin was in heat and directly after – it was different. It would be a lie to say that they weren’t high on pheromones back then, delirious with the need to touch and be impossibly close to each other.

And it would also be a lie to say that Jimin wouldn’t want that now, to be as close to Jungkook as he possibly can be, because he wants and wants and wants even more – but now he’s also so much more aware of himself than when he was in heat. Against Jungkook, who is all defined muscles and beautiful, unscarred tan skin, the omega feels self-conscious.

Jimin feels ugly, in a way.

He knows that he could never gain the same muscle mass as Jungkook, he physically just can’t, but he could look better than this, too. Could have a little fewer sharp edges, a little more meat on his bones, a little more color on his skin. Could not be all about scars, bones and skin. He could be prettier, better.

For Jungkook, he wants to be better.

“It’s okay.”

Jimin flinches out of his thoughts, curling into himself out of reflex, but Jungkook doesn’t get discouraged the way he used to whenever Jimin withdrew from him before. The alpha is standing next to him, having made the water already and he has taken off his wet shirt too, looking too good, too gorgeous, in the dim lighting. Jimin is undeserving.

He can’t help the whimper that slips past his lips when Jungkook slowly pulls his arms down from his chest and tugs at his shirt.

“Let’s take this off, alright?” the alpha says, quiet and gentle, eyes warm. There are specks of familiar gold in them and Jimin relaxes just the slightest. Somewhere deep within, he knows Jungkook would never reject him now even if his body isn’t what it could be, had he had the chance and will to treat himself better.

He knows his fear is irrational, but it’s sown deep within an omega’s genes to always want to please their alphas. Jimin is no different when it comes to that.

Maybe it has something to do with them being destined mates, maybe not, but Jungkook seems to know exactly what he’s thinking because he begins to murmur soft praises against Jimin’s neck as he helps the omega undress. His touch is feather light and with every passing second, the omega begins to calm down.

But the fear returns as soon as the scar on his abdomen is revealed and Jimin curls back into himself right away, feeling ashamed. Jungkook might’ve not said anything about it but somewhere deep down, the alpha has to be disappointed.

Because what kind of an omega is Jimin, if he can’t even give his mate pups?

Jungkook’s cedarwood scent intensifies at the sight of his omega being in pain and he’s on his knees in front of him before he even knows, big and warm hands coming to rest on Jimin’s soft cheeks.

“Look at me”, Jungkook whispers, searching for the omega’s gaze. Jimin refuses at first, eyes tightly shut together, but the alpha is nothing if not persistent. “Jimin, baby, eyes on me. C’mon, love.”

Perhaps it’s the new word of endearment that catches Jimin by surprise, but he opens his eyes hesitantly, gazing down at the alpha in both shame and sorrow.

But Jungkook's eyes are warm and fond and he looks at Jimin like he’d put the stars in the sky.

“Tell me what’s wrong? Why are you sad?” The alpha swipes his thumbs over Jimin’s cheeks gently. “Hm, tell me. Why is my omega sad?”

Why do you have to be so perfect? Jimin wants to ask but instead he just offers Jungkook a weak smile. “It’s no—”

“Don’t say it’s nothing when there’s something clearly bothering you. I think we’ve been over this a few times, but do not belittle your pain, ever. Not in front of me.”

There’s a dangerous edge to Jungkook’s voice but it isn’t directed at Jimin. The alpha sounds angry at the world. And Jimin is too, angry at the world, angry at himself, at everything. But Jungkook he loves.

And maybe it’s that love that pushes the words past his mouth, maybe it’s that love he feels for the alpha that allows him to be vulnerable.

“I’m, I’m just – I’m insecure.”

Jungkook frowns at his words and Jimin hates the tears that rain down on the alpha’s face.

“I don’t know why – how, I don’t know how you can love someone like me. How can you love me when I’m like this? Am I not ugly to you? Am I not useless? What if I can’t ever give you pups—”

He’s cut off by soft lips pressing against his, Jungkook pulling him down into his awaiting arms. Jimin tries to push him away because they need to talk, not kiss, he needs words as much as actions – but Jungkook is stronger and he’s so very weak for the alpha, melting against him in mere seconds.

“Every day”, Jungkook murmurs, resting his cheek against Jimin’s head, his hold tight like it always is. “Every day, I wonder how it’s possible for you not to see how beautiful you are. It hasn’t even been three hours since I told you that I’ll love you ‘til the end of the world and yet you’re already questioning it.”

He knows. Dear mother nature, Jimin knows that he sounds ridiculous. He had accepted Jungkook’s confession, knew that the alpha meant it – he can feel the warmth of his love – but he has also heard how unlovable he is for years.

Somewhere, along the way, a part of him had begun to believe it.

“I’m not”, Jimin answers quietly, curling smaller against the alpha. “I know you meant what you said. I – I just—”

“Do you want me to show you?”

Jimin freezes. “What?”

One of Jungkook’s hands comes to massage the tense muscles of his neck and the omega can’t quite stop the surprised moan that manages to escape him, his body quickly becoming pudding in the alpha’s arms. The other merely chuckles before tilting Jimin’s head to the side and sinking his teeth on the juncture of his neck. There’s fire in the pit of Jimin’s stomach and he squeezes his thighs together, cheeks burning.

“J-Jungkook—”

“Relax”, the alpha mumbles, licking the wound better. It’s so close to the scent gland on his neck, so close to that specific spot, and Jungkook’s wolf is almost feral with the need to press the omega down and just claim him right then and there.

But he holds down the urge and continues to suck dark hickeys up Jimin’s neck all the way to his jawline, earning low, pleased whines from the omega.

“Let me worship your body tonight. I’ll show you how beautiful you are.”

The blush on Jimin’s cheeks is slowly spreading down to his chest as well, his whole body burning in embarrassment and desire, and Jungkook must feel it against his bare body too. But he still waits for a vocal answer, nudging Jimin gently on the cheek with his nose, wanting that confirmation – the permission to touch more, to feel more.

A small part of him wants to tease the alpha for being so eager to please but a much bigger part of him feels fond and once again, wanted. He lets that part of him win, trusting his body in Jungkook’s hands easily. They both need it, the closure, to not feel alone anymore.

“Please”, Jimin whispers and Jungkook smiles against his neck.

“Good omega.”

The sweet scent of honeysuckles heightens in the air. Jimin feels a little breathless and his wolf is elated.

Jungkook helps him out of the rest of his damp clothes quickly, warming up his skin with his warm hands that never stop moving, gently caressing him all over. It’s different from the rough way he had handled Jimin when he was in heat and although there had been nothing wrong with that, something in his gentleness makes the omega fall for him all over again.

“Baby, are you leaking already?” The alpha’s voice has turned deeper, huskier, and it sends shivers down Jimin’s spine.

He tries to press his legs together again, feeling a little embarrassed for getting turned on by simple touches, but Jungkook prevents it, fingers sinking into the soft skin of Jimin’s inner thigh. “Don’t hide. I’m glad you’re so responsive to my touches.”

There’s a deep, possessive rumble in Jungkook’s chest. “But only to my touches, right, Jimin?”

“O-of course…”

“Say it clearly, love.”

Jimin lowers his head and whimpers when he’s pulled up onto the alpha’s lap, one of his hands slipping between his legs. “O-only your touches, only yours.”

Jungkook hums, satisfied, and begins to tease Jimin’s rim with a finger, spreading the slick leaking out of him. The omega jolts at that, slightly surprised but incapable of complaining when the finger slips into him, more slick gushing out at that. He’s pretty sure the whole house will reek of his sweet arousal soon and only hopes that Seokjin has long left.

He leans his head back against Jungkook’s shoulder and buries his face in the alpha’s neck with a trembling moan, feeling weak. Jungkook’s scent turns muskier and his presence more dominating at the obvious act of submission from the omega, and Jimin takes it all on like a dying man. He can’t help but rub his nose long the alpha’s scent glands, almost purring at the way their scents begin to mingle together.

Jungkook works his finger in slowly, giving time for Jimin to adjust because he knows it’s been a moment since the last time. But the omega is willing and so is his body and because of that he opens up easily, soon whining for Jungkook to add another one.

“I’ve got a better plan”, the alpha mutters, suddenly standing up and pulling Jimin with him.

His legs are a little weak but Jungkook lets him lean on him and guides him to the closest wall until they’re chest to chest, the taller caging him in.

Jungkook’s eyes are fully golden but the shade of his orbs looks darker now, clouded with lust and affection as he towers over Jimin, lips just an inch away.

Jimin wraps his arms around Jungkook’s neck and tries to pull him closer with a pout on his pretty face. “Kiss me”, he demands, before softly adding, “Please.”

The alpha chuckles but does as asked, leaning down to press their lips together in a sweet kiss. Jimin feels him sigh into it, as if he’d be relieved, and his lips quirk up a little, understanding the feeling. He had already begun to miss Jungkook’s lips on his, too.

When a tongue swipes across his lower lip, asking for permission, Jimin allows it easily, parting his lips. Jungkook leans even further in, one of his hands coming to cup the omega’s cheek while the other travels to his waist, holding him tightly against his own body. Jimin doesn’t even bother to fight for dominance, just lets Jungkook lead the kiss, to deepen it and explore his mouth all he wants.

He can’t help but whine when the alpha pulls away to breathe, chasing after him.

“Cute”, Jungkook whispers hoarsely, diving back in to pepper kisses all over Jimin’s face and then down to his already marked neck. “So cute.”

He keeps going lower, sucking marks down to his chest – even dares to play with his sensitive nipples, biting on the skin around the hardened nubs until Jimin has tears in his eyes and is pleading for more. There’s a copious amount of slick running down his legs, dripping on the floor, filling the room with the sweet, sweet scent of honeysuckles.

Jungkook stops by the scar on Jimin’s lower stomach, humming softly when the omega quivers under his touch, suddenly nervous. His packmates back in the Park pack used to call it ugly, used to make fun of him because even he isn’t perfect, but Jungkook, after a moment of silence, just leans his head against Jimin’s stomach and kisses the skin above the scar gently.

“It healed well. Your grandmother did a good work.”

“But it’s still ugly, isn’t it?” It still renders me useless, doesn’t it?

“Scars aren’t meant to be beautiful”, Jungkook says to that, turning to look up at Jimin. There’s nothing but adoration in his eyes and Jimin wonders, for a moment, if he really deserves to be looked at like that. “They represent all the things you’ve overcome, they tell stories. And I think that’s beautiful.”

Jimin tilts his head a little as he gazes down at Jungkook, tears prickling in his eyes. He doesn’t exactly know how to answer, how to refute what the alpha just said, and maybe it’s better like that.

Maybe he doesn’t always need to be so stubborn. To Jungkook at least, when the alpha wants nothing but to hold him even after the sunrise.

He wants to say something though, to maybe show some gratitude, but before he can even open his mouth he feels two fingers slip into him. Instead of a ‘thank you’, Jimin lets out a loud, surprised squeak followed by a string of curses as Jungkook snickers and continues to finger him open.

“Caught you off guard there, didn’t I?” The alpha sounds smug and throughout satisfied with himself. Jimin’s cheeks feel like they’re about to melt off and he tries to glare at Jungkook, but it’s impossible when the alpha is making him feel so good.

Jungkook’s long fingers reach deep, grazing his prostate a few times, and he uses just the right amount of strength, so he doesn’t seem too rough but not too gentle either. Jimin feels a little embarrassed by the amount of slick he’s leaking and how loud he’s moaning but Jungkook just hums in an appreciative way, never wanting the pleasured moans of his omega to end.

There’s a possessive fire in his chest, raging and unforgiving, and Jungkook knows that if he could, he’d have Jimin like this forever.

“A-ah – Jungkook, please—” Jimin’s knees buckle when Jungkook suddenly abandons the gentleness and slams his fingers in as deep as he can go, right into his prostate. He throws his head back in a surprised moan, louder than all the ones from before, and it turns out into a high-pitched keen when he feels a warm mouth close around his fully hard cock.

“No Kookie – ah, I-I’ll come, I’ll come—”

Jungkook pays no mind to that, working a third finger into him while taking Jimin’s cock deeper into his mouth at the same time.

It’s a feeling Jimin hasn’t experienced before and he feels like he’s going insane from the pleasure. He’s pretty sure he’s crying by now, drool gathering in the corner of his mouth as he leans his head against the wall and whimpers, trembling while Jungkook continues his ministrations.

The alpha’s warm tongue swirls around the head of his length, before Jungkook pops off for a few seconds before diving back down, swallowing around it. Jimin’s other hand has found its way to the alpha’s hair and he can’t stop himself from twisting the locks between his fingers, crying loudly.

The fingers in his ass are as unrelenting as the mouth around his cock, spreading him wider, trying to push in deeper. Jungkook rubs his prostate roughly with his fingers, listening to the way Jimin’s voice breaks and hole clenches tightly, begging for more. The sounds are obscene and Jungkook can’t help but think that it’s a pity how much slick is going to waste.

With that thought in mind, he pulls off of Jimin’s cock, much smaller than his own but pretty like everything about Jimin is, and ignoring the displeased whine from the omega, pulls out his fingers as well.

“Turn around, baby, wanna eat you out”, Jungkook croons, hands coming up to Jimin’s slim waist.

The omega’s mind short-circuits. “I – w-what?”

“I’m gonna eat you out. Wanna fuck your ass with my mouth, you loved it the last time.”

Jimin’s whole body burns and the mere memory of Jungkook’s mouth on him makes him whimper. It’s a sound the alpha appreciates, a growl rippling through him, before he grows impatient and manhandles Jimin around until the other’s soft, plump ass comes to view.

“Fuck – you’re so pretty, your body is so perfect”, Jungkook curses, spreading Jimin open until he can get a full look at his pink, puffed rim and the slick covering it. “You’re leaking so much too, little omega must be feeling good.”

Jimin swallows down a sob and nods, pushing his ass out more, presenting. “Y-yes alpha, feel so, so good.”

Jungkook just hums, his own hard cock twitching when Jimin calls him alpha, and he makes it his mission to get ‘my alpha’ come out of the omega’s mouth by tonight. He needs to hear it again.

There’s a firm squeeze to one of his ass cheeks before Jimin feels Jungkook’s warm breath on his rim and then, his tongue swiping over it. A litany of airy mewls escape him as the alpha quickly gets into it, hungrily drinking the sweet substance that Jimin seems to never run out of.

“Ah ah, alpha please—”

Jungkook growls, he fucking growls against his entrance, before finally pushing his tongue past the tight ring of muscles, swallowing the slick that pools out right away. Jimin cries out loudly, arms coming to support him against the wall as his legs grow weaker, nails digging into the hard surface, unable to find something to hold onto.

Jungkook is relentless once he gets started, fucking his tongue into the smaller man in slow but firm thrusts, occasionally pulling back to lick and suck around the sensitive skin. He seems to know Jimin’s body better than the omega himself, drawing out more and more slick. The desperation in Jimin’s moans just spurs him on, the omega begging mindlessly.

When a finger enters him at the same time with Jungkook’s tongue, Jimin actually screams and his legs finally give up – but as if having expected it, Jungkook catches him and pushes him right back up, one arm keeping Jimin somewhat upright while the other hand comes to wrap around his leaking cock.

“No, no – I, ah, I’ll come if you—”

“Then come”, Jungkook growls. “Come for me, Jimin. Be a good omega and come for your alpha.”

Jimin sobs and presses his burning face against the cool wall, body thrumming with pleasure. Too much pleasure. It’s almost torturing but at the same time, it’s so fucking good, it feels so fucking good, and Jimin just wants to come and please the alpha.

“Please, please, alpha please—”

Jungkook seems to understand his almost incoherent begging because he begins to jerk him off at the same time he dives back down to suck around the omega’s rim, fucking his tongue in slowly but so good. It’s when his teeth graze the abused skin around his rim, adding a hint of pain to the overwhelming pleasure, that Jimin comes, crying out Jungkook’s name as he does.

For a moment, the alpha continues to fuck him and jerk the softening cock to milk his orgasm completely, but Jimin begins to whimper in overstimulation quickly, begging for him to stop – so Jungkook does, gently pulling the trembling omega into his arms back on the floor.

There are still tears running down his cheeks, drool trailing down his chin, and the look in his eyes is completely dazed, clouded by pleasure. He looks so beautiful in his fucked-out state that Jungkook can’t help but growl possessively, satisfied.

No one else will ever get to see this side of Jimin.

No one but him.

The alpha pulls Jimin up and into his lap, leaning down to nose at his neck. The other’s honeysuckle scent is so strong and heady, he can’t stop sniffing at him, quickly working himself up again.

Jimin moans weakly when Jungkook begins to nibble at his neck. “K-Kookie, the bath… we, ah – we have to wash up—” the omega cuts himself off suddenly, blinking a few times before saying: “Wait, you’re still hard – I have to—”

“Jimin”, Jungkook interrupts, tone low with a warning. “You don’t always have to think about pleasing me.”

“I never please you.”

“But you just did. Do you even realize how much it pleased me to see you enjoy my touches? Do you even realize how fucking pleased I am to see how well you respond to me, how easily you trust me to take care of you? I’m pleased to see you feel good.”

Jimin falls silent, mulling over Jungkook’s words. It’s still a bit hard to think, he’s still blissed out by his earlier release, but he somewhat gets what the alpha thinks. He knows he’d be immensely pleased to make Jungkook feel good, even if it means ignoring his own needs.

“Okay?” Jungkook asks quietly, brushing his lips over Jimin’s cheek.

The omega nods, but when it comes clear Jungkook wants a vocal answer, he mutters out an okay.

“But I still want to touch you.” Jimin tilts his head a little to gaze into Jungkook’s dark eyes. They’ve returned back to the normal brown, but specks of gold begin to form in them at Jimin’s words, like stars in the dark night sky. “Please, alpha?”

“Jimin—”

The omega leans onto him, feels the alpha’s hard length against his back and whines softly. Jungkook’s eyes are fully golden in a flash.

“If you continue like that, I’m going to fuck you against the bath. And you won’t be able to walk tomorrow.”

Jungkook’s voice is deeper, a growl on the tip of his tongue. Jimin gulps and his wolf whimpers at the act of dominance, slick drippling down his hole. The alpha smells it before he feels it, his nostrils flaring, and the growl escapes him before he can stop it.

“Bed?” Jimin then quietly asks, uncertain.

“Bed?” Jungkook repeats.

“We can – we can bath and then, you know…” he points at the door. “Upstairs. Bed.”

“Do you really want to—”

“Yes”, the omega cuts him off, turning around to wrap his arms around his shoulders once more, leaning in until their noses touch just the slightest. “I want you to kiss away all my scars, wanna be prettier for you, the best for you, alpha.”

Jungkook captures his chin and brings him even closer, brushing their lips together gently. Jimin smiles, feeling fond and warm, and the love in Jungkook’s eyes is a reflection of his own.

“But aren’t you already?”

They stumble upstairs half an hour later, still dripping wet, but they could care less. Bathing together was a bad, bad fucking decision because the bathtub is small and Jungkook couldn’t keep away from Jimin’s neck, too intoxicated by the sweet honeysuckle scent he has grown to love – and Jimin, in turn, couldn’t stop squirming, accidentally rubbing his body all over the alpha’s.

Now they’re both frustrated and Jungkook feels like he’ll die if he doesn’t get to taste the omega’s sweetness once more.

As soon as the door behind them closes, the alpha pushes Jimin against the closest wall and captures his lips into a rough kiss. Jimin answers with the same fervor, hands in Jungkook’s hair, body burning against the alpha’s.

“You smell so good”, Jungkook growls, pushing his face back into Jimin’s neck, daring to suck even more marks on the already bruised skin. Jimin will be covered in love bites by the end of this night.

“So fucking good, I can’t get enough—”

Jimin moans, low and long, eyes fluttering. He feels warm at the praise, especially because Jungkook praised his scent and he has no doubts about the alpha’s sincerity because he really can’t seem to be able to stay away from his neck.

“Baby, wanna fuck you, wanna fuck you good. Can I?” his voice is muffled against Jimin’s skin, but he has no problem understanding.

“Please.”

There’s nothing more needed before Jungkook has pushed him down on the bed, unwrapping the towel around his petite body. The curtains are open, and the moonlight colors the room in eerie white, Jimin’s pale skin practically shining. His blue eye seems almost pitch black while his amber eye is like liquid gold.

Jungkook feels like he can’t breathe. He can’t believe he has something, someone, as ethereal as Jimin in his bed.

He can’t believe that Jimin is all his. And he is so in love it hurts.

One of the omega’s small, soft hands comes to cup his cheek, bringing him down until their foreheads touch.

“Are you going to love me tonight, Jungkook?”

The alpha closes his eyes and kisses Jimin’s cheek softly.

“I’ll love you ‘til we have no nights left anymore.”

He can feel Jimin’s smile against his chin and when he pulls back, the omega is reluctant to let him go, even if it’s just a few inches. And Jungkook gets it. He wants Jimin to be as close to him as possible, too, all the time.

He never wants to feel the fear of losing him again. He never wants to wake up to an empty bed again.

He wants them to stay like this forever.

Jimin spreads his legs readily when Jungkook settles on the bed with him, hovering above the omega. Their eyes are still locked together, there’s a beautiful flush of pink on Jimin’s cheeks and Jungkook kind of wishes he had confessed earlier. But it’s quite alright like this, too.

He’s about to start prepping the omega, hand traveling lower, but Jimin shakes his head, stopping him.

“No need. Just get inside me already.”

“But Jimin—”

“No.” The omega’s tone is firm. “I can’t wait anymore.”

“It’ll hurt”, Jungkook tries.

“I want it to hurt a little.”

“But I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Then just keep kissing me, silly.”

He’s fighting a losing battle, Jungkook knows, so he just sighs and leans down to kiss Jimin. They kiss for a moment, the atmosphere heating up again until the room is filled by the sweet scent of Jimin’s slick and the muskier scent of Jungkook’s own arousal. And this time, when Jimin asks him to fuck him without proper prep, Jungkook gives in.

The omega is much tighter than when he fucked him in heat, even if he had fingered him open just a while ago in the bathroom. Jungkook groans loudly, shivering as the tight, wet heat swallows him entirely, his cock reaching deep, deep inside Jimin.

The smaller man has his head thrown back, mouth open in a silent scream. His arms are twitching uselessly next to his head and Jungkook slips his own into them, intertwining their fingers.

Jimin squeezes back right away, breathing out shakily as Jungkook bottoms out.

“A-ah haa – I forgot how b-big you are—”

“Want me to pull out?”

“Fuck no. Just—”

“A moment. I know.”

Jimin squeezes his hand again and Jungkook leans down to drown himself in Jimin’s scent again, waiting for him to relax around him. And he does, a few heartbeats later, allowing the alpha to pull back a little before tentatively thrusting back in. They both moan at the feeling and Jungkook feels encouraged by that, drawing out a little further the next time.

Soon enough, he has picked up a decent pace, the room filled by their sounds of pleasure and skin against skin. Jimin has closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, completely exposing his neck to Jungkook, probably out of instinct, and the alpha wants nothing more than to claim him, mark him, mate him.

Maybe someday.

“Ah!” Jimin suddenly jolts, his whole body jumping up on the bed, and Jungkook smirks.

“Found it, didn’t I?”

He picks up the pace then, mercilessly pounding onto that specific spot that makes Jimin cry out the loudest, the prettiest, until he’s a wrecked mess under him, little ‘ah ah ah’s falling repeatedly from his plump lips.

Jungkook slows down for a moment, changing his quick pace into slower but stronger thrusts, watching as his cock disappears into the tight heat of the omega. His sheets are going to be completely ruined by Jimin’s slick, there’s so much of it, but he could care less.

All he cares about right now is making his omega feel as good as possible, to fill him with his cum, to make sure he’s full and sated, fucked well.

“J-Jungkook—” Jimin’s tone is shaky, drool running down his chin again and Jungkook looks back up to him, smiling.

He brushes some of Jimin’s platinum locks off his sweaty forehead, the gentle action a stark contrast to his ruthless thrust against the omega’s prostate. “Baby, you look so pretty – so wrecked, so perfect. So perfectly mine.”

Jungkook slams his hips up, pulls Jimin back to meet his thrust, and the omega’s eyes roll back, chest arching up. His nipples are pert, begging to be played with, and Jungkook leans down to suck and bite on them, his hips never ceasing their movement.

“Ah n-no – not there, Jungkook, I—”

“But you have such pretty tits, Jimin. Pretty like everything about you”, Jungkook hums, biting one of the buds and pinching the other with his fingers. The omega gurgles, his hole clenching tighter and making the alpha falter a little.

“Fuck – you like having your tits played with, don’t you, baby?”

Jimin just moans, lost in pleasure, and that’s an answer enough.

“I thought so.”

Jungkook begins to pick up the pace again, knows that he won’t last much longer, and neither will Jimin, if the trembling of his body and high-pitched moans are anything to go by.

He praises Jimin, praises him like his whole life would depend on it, kissing at his scars and some of them do begin to heal, but not the one on his abdomen. But Jungkook thinks that it's okay. It’s okay.

Someday he’ll heal that one too.

“A-alpha please – ah, please, wanna come, can I come?” Jimin cries, cutting through Jungkook’s thoughts.

He lifts his gaze up to meet Jimin’s teary one, taking in his fucked-out expression. “You want to come? Does my little omega want to come?” he asks and Jimin nods his head eagerly, lips pursed together tightly to stop himself from screaming.

“P-please, Jungkook…”

“Then tell me what I am. What I am to you, Jimin, tell me.”

He slams hard into the omega, harder than before, pushing past his prostate and Jimin screams, head thrown back against the pillows. His hand is clasping onto Jungkook’s for dear life and his whole body is thrumming with pleasure, his tongue heavy in his mouth and eyes hazy.

“C’mon baby, tell me”, Jungkook urges, snapping his hips up once again. He’s rewarded by a loud moan turned sob, as Jimin shakes with oversensitivity.

“A-alpha—"

“Yes?”

“My alpha”, Jimin finally cries out, wrapping his legs around Jungkook as well, pulling him impossibly closer. “My alpha, you’re my alpha, mine—”

“Good omega.”

The growl that rips out of Jungkook’s chest is almost animalistic and then he begins to fuck into Jimin in earnest, drawing out more loud moans and screams from him, the whole bed shaking with the power of his thrusts.

“Mine, a-ah mine, mine—” Jimin continues to babble, fucked stupid with Jungkook, his alpha, as his only coherent thought. And fuck, if that doesn’t please Jungkook.

“Are you mine too?” he asks, gritting his teeth together when Jimin squeezes him so tight, sobbing at the unrelenting abuse on his prostate. “A-are you my omega, Jimin, my perfect little omega?”

“Y-yes, yes!” Jimin nods, face twisted with pleasure and Jungkook almost coos. It’s a fucking beautiful sight.

“Yours, I’m yours, alpha please—”

“Come. Come for me again, omega.”

It’s a command Jimin can’t refuse. He comes untouched and silently, eyes squeezed shut and mouth open, his whole body tensing. Jungkook curses loudly, feeling overwhelmed by the tightness of Jimin’s hole and his knot begins to form, spreading the omega’s entrance even more.

Jimin’s voice returns to him quickly. “Inside, c-come inside, alpha. Please.”

Jungkook growls again, his wolf satisfied by how pliant and willing their omega has become, and he continues to thrust up into him roughly until Jimin is crying in overstimulation, eyes rolled back in his head and drooling all over himself, until his knot locks inside the omega and won’t budge anymore.

He presses deeper inside, moaning lowly as Jimin’s body opens for him and he can feel the omega shudder under him, spiraling into a dry orgasm. The way he tightens at that is enough for Jungkook and he’s coming, coming so much, filling Jimin more than he did when the omega was in heat, filling him until he feels like he’s going to explode, fucked so well he’s unable to even move his body.

Jungkook collapses on top of him, nuzzling against Jimin’s neck. He still smells so fucking good, but now he also smells sated. Jungkook’s wolf is overjoyed by this. For a moment, the room is just filled with their heavy breathing, until Jungkook gathers enough strength to move to pick up Jimin’s towel and clumsily clean them with it. He doesn’t think he can remove himself from inside Jimin for a long while.

“Let’s switch positions”, he mumbles and Jimin just grumbles, signing that he heard, but Jungkook is the one who maneuvers them over so Jimin is lying on top of him. He wouldn’t want to accidentally suffocate the omega in his sleep.

It’s far past midnight by now. Seokjin will probably come screaming home in the morning, cursing them for stinking up the whole house, but Jungkook is sure it’s something they can worry about later.

“Sleep now”, he says. Jimin seems to agree, as he nuzzles into the alpha’s neck and goes completely lax in his arms.

But before Jungkook manages to fall asleep, he hears Jimin mumble thank you.

“What for?” the alpha asks.

“For loving me.”

“You don’t need to thank me for something like that.”

Jimin hums and presses a soft kiss on Jungkook’s jawline. “I won’t, anymore. This is the last time.”

Jungkook wraps his arms around Jimin and holds on tight.

“Good.”

Chapter Text

Two days later, the news are announced to the rest of the pack.

“Three weeks from now, alpha Kim Namjoon from our pack will challenge alpha Park Minhyun of the Park pack into a duel for omega Park Jimin’s freedom. The duel will be held on the lake north of us and anyone presented is welcomed to join and witness this fight.” Chaerin pauses, her bright amber eyes scanning through the crowd surrounding her. There are no objections, none that Jimin can spot anyway, and so the head alpha continues.

“If you have something to say, you can say it now. And if there are any questions that come up later, alpha Shim—” she motions to the tall man standing right behind her “—will gladly answer.”

As expected, someone raises their hand right away, voicing out the thought many must have.

“With all due respect, head alpha Kim, but why would Namjoon fight for the freedom of some mountain wolf?”

It’s a question Jimin doesn’t know the answer to, either. He doesn’t quite understand why Namjoon is willing to put his life on the line to save him, a wolf he barely knows. Yes, they may be cousins, but for the better part of their lives, they haven’t even been aware of each other’s existence. And unlike Jimin, Namjoon has a lot to lose – his mate, his position as the next head alpha, his home. Jimin, essentially, has none of that.

Namjoon shouldn’t risk it all for him when there’s nothing Jimin can give back to him.

As if on cue, Jungkook’s warm hands come to rest on his shoulder, the alpha’s chest pressed against his back, and Jimin leans back into his hold right away.

“Don’t think too much into it”, the alpha mumbles, leaning down to nose at his neck, scenting him. “Not everything has to be so complicated.”

No, maybe it doesn’t. Maybe the reason is something as simple as he cares. Maybe someday Jimin will be brave enough to ask.

And maybe he does have a lot to lose too, in the end.

“My son isn’t fighting for the freedom of just some mountain wolf”, Chaerin calmly answers. There’s an amused smile lingering on her lips and something in the way she holds herself distantly reminds Jimin of his mother. Like Park Minyoung once was, Chaerin is a strong but kind woman. There’s genuine warmth in her eyes, care for her pack members, but strictness in the way she speaks, demanding respect – she’s a fitting leader.

Seeing her like this makes Jimin wish he would’ve had time to get to know his own mother. Wishes she would’ve been home more, to take away the frown on his father’s face and replace it with a smile. Wishes she would’ve loved them more.

“Jimin-ah”, Chaerin suddenly calls out his name, turning to look behind her where Jimin is standing with Jungkook and Taehyung, away from the rest of the pack. “Come here, little one.”

Her hand reaches towards him and Jimin feels a strange pull inside of him, his wolf whining at him to go. Go, because their head alpha is calling for them.

Jimin wonders if she could one day truly be that to him.

He leaves the safety of Jungkook’s arms slowly and takes Chaerin’s hand. It’s warm, rough in certain areas, and her hold is strong, comforting. The familiar looking leather band tied around her wrist makes Jimin’s heart ache.

Chaerin pulls him to stand next to her and Jimin feels a little too exposed like this, a dozen eyes on him, judging him, and it must show, because the head alpha’s hold on him tightens and her scent in the air heightens. The calming effect is instantaneous, so fast in fact that it surprises Jimin. So far, only Jungkook has had this much power over his wolf.

“I want everyone to officially meet omega Park Jimin. If everything goes well, in three weeks he’ll be a part of our pack.” There’s a mischievous glimmer in Chaerin’s eyes. “And oh yes, perhaps I should add that he’s Yoojoon’s son. My brother’s son. That means that no matter where he grew up, no matter who his other parent is, he will always be welcomed to the Kim pack. As long as he carries my blood, he’s family.”

Chaerin turns back to glance at Jungkook, ignoring the surprised gasps and whispers of her pack members. “And he’s also alpha Jeon’s chosen mate. That’s already more than enough for me to allow him in our pack.”

The pack meeting ends there. No one else dares to say a thing, although it doesn’t take a genius to notice that there are a lot of people still not satisfied.

There’s always going to be someone who will not accept him, Jimin already knows this. The Kim pack is as much of a home to him as the Park pack was – meaning not a home, at all. The only reason he is willing to stay is because it’s Jungkook’s home and no matter what the alpha says, Jimin doesn’t want to separate him from Seokjin and Taehyung, from the people he grew up with.

He can bear the dirty looks thrown at him if it means that he can still return to Jungkook at the end of the day. It’s worth it.

But that’ll happen only if Namjoon can defeat his uncle in a duel, of course. They have three weeks to prepare for that but Jimin is already on the edge, mind plagued by the fear of the worst happening.

Because if Namjoon loses, Seokjin will not only lose his mate but Jimin will lose Jungkook too. And he’s more afraid of that, as selfish as it sounds. He can’t lose the alpha now when he just got him, when he’s finally found someone to call his own.

He can’t. His whole life, Jimin has battled to live – for his family to live – and he’s always come out as the loser, as bitter as it is to admit aloud. But for this one last fight, the one that means the most, he will do anything he can to be on the side of victory.

Because this time losing truly means losing it all.

Jimin spots Namjoon, the alpha walking away with his mother, apparently in a heated discussion, and runs after them without another thought. He hears Jungkook call his name in surprise but Jimin ignores it for now. There’s something he can do, he realizes, there’s at least something little he can help Namjoon with and Jimin wants to try. Trying is better than just watching from the sidelines – it’s better than nothing. Jungkook has restored that much faith in him.

Most likely hearing his closing footsteps, both Chaerin and Namjoon come to a halt, both alphas turning back to look at him.

“Snowflake”, Chaerin greets him softly, a gentle smile on her lips. The nickname is forever going to make his heart ache with longing but at the same time, he has to admit that a part of him had missed its familiarity. And it doesn’t sound wrong coming out of Chaerin’s mouth because she speaks with the same warmth his grandmother did. Like his father did.

“Is there something I can do for you?”

Jimin bows his head and keeps his gaze fixated on the snowy ground. “I-I wondered if I could talk to you about the d-duel…” he mumbles, hesitation evident in his tone.

“If you’re just going to tell me not to do it, save it”, Namjoon says and when Jimin dares to look up to him, the alpha offers him a dimpled smile. “I’m not only fighting for you, Jimin, it’s for the pack too. We don’t want to engage in any more needless fights with the Park pack and I’m more than willing to risk my life for that.”

Jimin almost smiles. He has no problem understanding why many seem to be so fond of Namjoon, or why Jungkook looks up to him so much. Even if Jimin has only seen the surface, he already knows that Namjoon deserves all the respect he gets and more.

“I – I understand that. And I respect your decision. However, that’s not what I wanted to discuss with you.”

“Then what is it?”

Curiosity is evident in his amber eyes. The pressure of fighting against a fully-fledged pack-leader must be heavy on him, especially when this is also a chance for Namjoon to prove himself as a worthy leader for the Kim pack. It’s no wonder he’s ready to take any help he possibly can get.

“Mountain wolves and forest wolves fight differently because we live in different environments”, Jimin starts, straightening himself a little as his wolf gets comfortable with the two alphas. “I’m not an expert because omegas aren’t taught to fight in our pack, not ever since my uncle took control, but I’ve picked up some things you might want to know. I suppose you’re going to train for the duel from now on, right?”

Namjoon nods and there’s a hopeful glimmer in his eyes.

“Let me help you. I'm aware that I’m not a fighter, but I know the basics and his weaknesses, I know some of them, too. So please just let me help you.” Jimin bows his head again, his small hands grasping onto the thick material of his pants tightly.

“I can’t watch from the sidelines”, he whispers, staring at the snow at his feet. There are bitter tears prickling in his eyes. “Even if you say that you’re not doing this for me, it’s still my way to freedom. My only way. I’m only an omega, I know, a weak one at that, but I can’t lose this chance. He’ll kill me otherwise and—”

And I don’t want to die anymore. Not when he finally has a reason to live again.

“I’ll take it”, Namjoon says and Jimin raises his head, a little bit shocked. No one from the Park pack would have ever accepted his help, no matter the situation, and he had half expected Namjoon to decline too.

The relief that floods through him is immense. At least there’s one alpha in the world prepared to throw his stupid pride away for a moment to focus on what really matters.

“I’d be a fool to decline your help, wouldn’t I?” Namjoon continues, shrugging his shoulders like it would be that simple. “Despite, I’m happy you offered. I’ve never fought against a mountain wolf before, so I really have no idea how different our tactics are – your help is much appreciated. Also—”

Namjoon tilts his head a little and the look in his eyes seems almost fond. “Don’t put yourself down so easily, Jimin. Being an omega doesn’t make you weak; I know many omegas who’ve proven that strength isn’t always what matters the most. There’s my beloved mate, of course, and Taehyung too – and ah, of course, my father.”

That’s right. Jimin can’t help but glance at Chaerin, who smiles sweetly at him before tilting her head a little, revealing the mating mark on her neck. Jimin had almost completely forgotten that she must have a mate too.

“He doesn’t live here, if that’s what you’re wondering. My father, that is. He lives in the city.”

“The city?” Jimin turns back to Namjoon.

“Yeah, living out here in the forest and in such a tightly knit community wasn’t really his thing, so he moved out to study in the city as soon as he presented and currently, he’s working as one of the only werewolf doctors available in this area. He visits every now and then, and I’m sure you’ll meet him eventually. He can surely help you, too.”

“What?”

Namjoon points towards his lower abdomen. “You are afraid that you can’t conceive, right?” Jimin nods, slightly flustered and timid. “My father can check whether that’s true or not. If you want, of course.”

“I—” Jimin is a little lost at words. Having never been further than at the small town not too far away from here, he never knew it was an actual possibility to check if he can – if he can get pups of his own.

Both excitement and fear fill him, and although his wolf seems ecstatic, the human in him is a bit more hesitant. Because what if he can’t? What if he can’t conceive? What will Jungkook say to that?

“You don’t have to decide now”, Chaerin says, most likely sensing Jimin’s conflicted feelings. “Talk it through with your alpha. We have time and even if you don’t want it right now, other times will come.”

“O-of course…” the omega nods his head shortly and glances back at Jungkook, who is still standing exactly where Jimin left him, watching him silently. There’s a frown on the alpha’s face but as soon as their gazes meet, his eyes soften and Jimin swears that had Jungkook been in his wolf form, his tail would have been wagging like that of an excited puppy.

Cute, he thinks, smiling weakly. Jungkook takes it as an invitation to come closer and in no time, he’s by Jimin’s side again, arms automatically wrapping around the omega’s waist.

“Okay?” the alpha asks quietly, burying he’s face into Jimin’s soft blonde locks.

Jimin gives the arm around him a gentle squeeze. “Okay.”

Namjoon shakes his head at them and both he and his mother turn to leave. “Come to the training grounds whenever you’re ready”, the head alpha adds before they go. “We’ll be waiting.”

Jimin and Jungkook watch as the pair disappears into the woods, leaving behind a trail of footsteps, before the alpha nudges Jimin onto the move. “C’mon”, he says, taking Jimin’s hand in his. “Let’s go home.”

The omega merely smiles at that and follows after Jungkook, holding his hand tightly. The Kim pack is not a home to him, not at all – but Jungkook is. With him, he feels like he’s more at home than anywhere else.

Jimin is no fighter, perhaps, but he has grown-up in a cruel environment surrounded by even crueler people, and the years have left their mark on him.

It shows in the way he stands in front of Namjoon in the training ring, his usual timid demeanor changing into something colder and calculative, mismatching eyes narrowed. Watching them now – watching Jimin – it truly dawns on Jungkook how different the worlds they come from are.

Jimin has lived life day by day, unsure whether sunrise would come at all, fought his fights like death would always be the loser’s punishment. And now the omega is telling them to have the same mindset.

“A duel requires that both participants put equal things at stake. You’re going into this fight with peace and my freedom at stake, but my uncle is cruel. He’ll put the life of the loser at stake, like it’s traditionally done in our pack. Losing equals death.” There’s a dark look in Jimin’s eyes but his lips are pursed, almost as if he would be trying to stop the apologies from falling out of his mouth.

“I don’t want to kill the Park pack’s head alpha if I win, that’s…” Namjoon seems a bit lost at the information. “That’s not the kind of person I want to be remembered as.”

Some years ago, when his grandfather was still the head alpha, duels were done pretty much the same way the Park pack still does, but Chaerin has changed many things – even between the packs of this area. Duels are, by no means, a common thing between two different packs, but no one has been outright executed for losing in one for quite a while. Not that Jungkook knows, at least.

But maybe it’s just the forest wolves. Maybe things are that much different in the mountains.

“You don’t have to”, Jimin says, and he sounds almost relieved that Namjoon thinks the way he does. “You play by your rules. He plays by his. But just keep in mind, even if you don’t want to kill him if he loses, he will happily kill you if it goes the other way around. And you can’t—” Jimin swallows, looking away for a moment.

“You can’t run away from it.”

Namjoon’s eyes darken as well. “Of course not. That would be against the rules and if I even attempted that, my own packmates would be forced to take my life.”

Next to Jungkook, Seokjin lets out a hopeless whine. Although usually his brother never strays too close to the training grounds, it’s understandable that he wants to be there now, to support his mate in any way he can.

But it’s not easy for Seokjin. Life never has been easy for him and now, when things had finally started to look better for him, the risk of losing his mate has risen up.

Jungkook looks at the ground in shame. He wishes he could do more, more than just sit and wait for the duel to come, but he feels a little like his hands are tied – like there is nothing else for him to do, other than wait. Jungkook hates waiting.

Seokjin’s hand comes to rest on his and Jungkook looks up at his brother, whose gaze is fixated on the two other wolves inside the circle drawn on the snow. “It’s going to be okay, right?” the omega whispers quietly, long, bony fingers curling around Jungkook’s own.

He squeezes back gently. “Of course.”

“I’m not going to lose him, right?”

Jungkook shakes his head, squeezes the hand in his harder. “No, you won’t, hyung. Namjoon-hyung will win.”

Seokjin is quiet after that, lips forming a tight line, sharp brown eyes watching as Namjoon turns into a large, light brown wolf and Jimin begins to calmly point out differences between the forms of mountain and forest wolves.

“Mountain wolves are bigger. Our legs are longer so we could run fast in the snow and our pawns wider to hold us above it”, the blonde omega explains, standing next to Namjoon, who raises his head and growls softly, poking Jimin’s hand with his nose. Jimin smiles shortly at the affectionate gesture and rests his hand on Namjoon’s back, fingers running through the rough fur.

“You’re quite big for a forest wolf though, so I don’t think you’re in that much of disadvantage in snow. My uncle’s plan will most likely be simple, he’s never been that big of a strategist. He’s going to go in for the kill – he’s fast, so pay attention to his feet.”

And Jimin goes on, teaching Namjoon a wider, steadier stance so he wouldn’t fall over so easily. After all, the duel will be held on top of the lake – even though it’s covered in a thick layer of snow, the fight might result into some of the ice being exposed and Namjoon can’t let that be his weakness.

“If my Joonie wins”, Seokjin suddenly speaks up again, still holding onto Jungkook’s hand. “Take Jimin away from here. Take him somewhere safe, out of the forest, out of this area. Go out there and see the world with him – go and see the ocean, the cities, the people.”

“Hyung…” Jungkook frowns, trying to catch his brother’s gaze, but Seokjin’s gaze is fixated on his mate. “Why are you—”

“Take him away, Jungkook. This world doesn’t deserve him.” Finally Seokjin turns to look at him, smiling softly as he does. His eyes are sad but warm, accepting like always, and Jungkook sees so much of their mother in him it hurts. “Go and find the place both you and him can call a home. Because we both know, it isn’t here. You weren’t made for a life like this.”

There’s nothing Jungkook can say to refute that because if he really thinks about it, Seokjin isn’t wrong. He still considers the Kim pack his own, would gladly die for any of his packmates, even Jaehwan if it came to that, but there has always been this urge inside of him. The urge to leave.

And if it’s with Jimin – for Jimin – he wouldn’t hesitate.

He dreams of ice.

It’s clear, thick ice, the kind you think you can trust to hold your weight, and the water under it is like liquid darkness. If Jimin leans down, he can see his own broken reflection staring back at him, frowning. Something’s wrong, his wolf is quiet but restless, and fear twists his stomach into a tight knot. He feels sick and he doesn’t even know why.

Looking around, there’s nothing but miles and miles of ice surrounding him. The mountains he’s familiar with are there, but so far away from him that he feels hopeless just thinking about running to them. The forest of Jungkook’s pack is nowhere to be seen when he looks behind him.

Suddenly there’s a quiet thud and the ice under his palm trembles a little. Something hit it from the other side.

At first he can’t see anything, the water too dark but then a pale fists slams against the ice again, trying to break it, and panic begins to crawl its way up Jimin’s throat. There’s someone – someone’s trapped under the ice, and they can’t break it—

A face comes to his view and finally his wolf rouses, but only to howl in despair.

“Jungkook!” Jimin screams, thinks he does at least, but his voice never reaches his ears. It’s like his desperate scream of the alpha’s name would have been stolen from his lips and no matter how he screams, he can only hear the loud thudding of his own heart and Jungkook’s weakening attempts at breaking the ice.

And Jimin tries too, of course. Tries until his hands are bleeding and trembling, tries until he’s probably broken a finger or two. Tries and tries, again and again. But it’s not enough.

The ice doesn’t break and he’s sinking, Jungkook is sinking – and he’s leaving Jimin behind, leaving him alone in the cold even though he promised to stay.

“No no no”, Jimin whimpers, his head falling against the cold ice. “You can’t leave me. You promised you wouldn’t, please…”

A shadow falls over him and Jimin doesn’t need to turn around to know who it is. He could recognize his uncle even if all his senses were taken away from him, just the feel of his presence is enough to paralyze his whole body, his mind and even his wolf. In front of Park Minhyun, Jimin is, and will always be, a defenseless pup – the same pup who watched his uncle slit his father’s throat like one would slice a piece of bread.

There’s a hand on the back of his neck, pressing down, practically forcing the submission out of him and Jimin wants to scream but his voice betrays him, once again.

“You’re mine, do you understand?” The words are growled right into his ear, layered with deep hatred and bitterness. “Mine. And don’t you ever forget that.”

And his hold on Jimin’s neck tightens, tightens until he can feel the bones begin to break, can hear them crack, and he can’t even cry for help. Then Minhyun begins to shake him too, roughly jostling him around as if letting him die in peace wasn’t good enough for him.

But nothing Jimin has ever done was good enough for him.

The omega awakens with a jolt, breathing heavily in the darkness. He feels sweaty and uncomfortable, his wolf whimpering inside of him, but there are arms tightly holding him down, a warm body against his.

Jungkook’s soft lips come to rest on his neck, feeling the rapid pulse under Jimin’s skin and the omega can’t quite stop the whimper that escapes him.

“Shh”, Jungkook mouths against his skin. “It was just a dream, baby, just a dream. You’re okay.”

Unlike the last time he woke up from a nightmare this terrifying, Jimin doesn’t spiral into a panic attack right away. He takes comfort in the way Jungkook holds him tightly, as if to stop him from breaking apart and, in a way, Jimin does think that the alpha is all that’s keeping his broken pieces together. He sinks further into his arms and Jungkook lets out a quiet hum, drawing circles on Jimin’s exposed thigh.

They lie in silence for a long moment. Jimin tries hard to drown the demons in his mind, attention focused on the steady heartbeat against his back, the long fingers that dance on his skin, the dust that flies in the air. It’s still dark outside but days are always dark in the winter.

This day, especially. The incoming duel seems to have filled the sky with dark clouds that cover the sun, moon and stars, leaving them without guidance, without light.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Jungkook asks after a while. His fingers stop moving and instead the alpha just rests his hand there, still muttering the words into Jimin’s neck.

The omega shakes his head weakly, “I – it was just a foolish nightmare. I-I’ll get over it.”

Jungkook moves his head away a little and Jimin can feel his gaze bore into the back of his own head. “Don’t say that. There’s something obviously bothering you.” A short pause. “Is it… about the duel? Are you afraid that Namjoon will lose?”

Of course he is. He’d be foolish not to be. Even after teaching the alpha everything he knew, there’s still a chance that his uncle will somehow surprise them and overpower Namjoon – as much as there’s a chance that Namjoon will win the duel with ease.

There are too many chances, too many ifs, and Jimin feels a little like he’s about to lose his mind from the anxiousness.

A quiet sob escapes his lips. “I-it’s my fault – if something goes w-wrong, it’s m-my fault if Namjoon dies—”

Jungkook wraps him in a bone crushing hug, cutting Jimin off with a sharp growl the omega can feel reverberate against his back.

“He will not die, Jimin. Hyung will come out as the winner today and then everything’s going to be okay. You’re just one step away from freedom, don’t give up now.”

Jimin melts into the alpha’s warm hold, holding the arms that hold him. “Is it worth it?” he asks quietly. “To risk so much for me, my freedom, tell me it’s worth it, Jungkook.”

Jungkook kisses the top of his head gently and one of his hands rests on Jimin’s chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart.

“It’s worth it”, he says.

And Jimin believes him.

They get up a few hours later and it’s still dark outside, like winter mornings always are. Downstairs, Seokjin is already making breakfast with Namjoon sitting by the table with his eyes closed, brows furrowed, and hands pressed together on the table.

He’s praying.

To whom, Jungkook isn’t sure. Namjoon’s never been a big fan of praying or religion in general, even to the mother nature or the lunar deity, the moon goddess who created all werewolves and blessed Jungkook with a destined mate, Jimin.

Although not letting it show, Namjoon must be as afraid as the rest of them – otherwise he wouldn’t waste time praying now.

“Morning”, Seokjin greets them. “Sit down, the breakfast is almost done.”

The table is already set and when they settle down, Namjoon opens his eyes and moves his hands away with a small smile.

“It seems like we’ve been blessed with a good weather. At least I don’t have to worry about that”, the alpha says, trying to loosen up the tense atmosphere but it doesn’t work. Jungkook can’t even feel relieved that there’s no snowstorm outside; he almost feels like he’s the one about to fight, not Namjoon.

A short moment later, Seokjin puts steaming plates of fried eggs and vegetables, some of yesterday’s roast and bread on the table. “Eat well, I don’t know when we’re going to get to eat next.”

Jungkook loses his appetite as soon as his brother says that, and he can see that Jimin feels the same from the way the omega hesitates before taking some egg and bread on his plate. Seeing that Jimin’s not about to take anything more, Jungkook does it himself, moving some roast from his own plate on the omega’s.

“You’ll need the energy”, is all he says when Jimin gives him a confused look.

They eat in silence, only the clattering of the utensils against the plates echoing inside the warm house. Seokjin and Jimin are done washing the dishes just a few minutes before nine and then it’s time to go.

“Any last-minute advice?” Namjoon asks from Jimin when they step out, walking up towards the village center where there’s a crowd of people already waiting for them.

“Don’t lose your cool”, Jimin mumbles, a little lost. “Find a way to push him out of the ring.”

“Got it.”

Namjoon then turns to Seokjin, taking his hand into his own and they walk ahead of Jimin and Jungkook together, huddled close, needing the comfort of each other’s presence. Jungkook feels the same, drawing closer to Jimin unconsciously until their shoulders are pressed together and his cold fingers curl around Jimin’s mitten.

“We will get through this”, he mutters, more to himself than anyone else. “We will. We have to.”

The alpha continues to quietly comfort himself until they arrive to the lake and step on neutral ground.

Jungkook hesitates for a moment, eyes locked on the snow covering the ice, conflicted as memories of the last time he dared to step onto the lake quickly rise back to the surface. But seeing Namjoon, Seokjin and everyone else participating head out into the open, each of them ready to face whatever will come next, he has to push those memories and fears behind him.

Jimin takes the first step, weakly tugging Jungkook with him. The look in his mismatching eyes is understanding and warm, loving, and he gives him an encouraging smile.

“It’s okay, the ice will hold us. And we’re together, right?”

The omega takes another step away from him and the alpha’s wolf whines, urging him to go as well. And with one more tug from Jimin, he goes.

“Right.”

Together. They can do this – he can do this. Even if it ends the worst way, at least they’re together and Jungkook will never, not in a million years, let Jimin go without him.

It seems like his pack is the first to arrive to the designated spot in the middle of the lake. Chaerin orders some wolves to draw the ring and Namjoon starts warming up, the wind blowing around the making the snow dance in the air. It’s cold and it smells like mint in the air.

Jimin goes rigid next to him. “They’re here.”

“What – where—” Jungkook looks at the direction of the mountains, but he can’t spot any wolves or humans heading their way. Until suddenly, the snow begins to move.

White wolves rise from the ground, shaking snow of their furs and slowly begin to make their way towards them. Nervous growls echo in the air, coming from both sides, and Jungkook can’t help but push Jimin behind him, his own wolf bristling at the close proximity of their rivaling pack.

The Park pack wolves are huge, like Jimin had said. Their long legs make it possible for them to swim through the snow with ease, multiple pairs of glowing blue eyes watching them. There must be at least ten of them, betas and alphas only, but Jungkook can’t tell them apart. There are too many new scents lingering in the air and everyone seems hostile, readying themselves for an attack.

But then Chaerin steps forward, a smile on her face.

“Park Minhyun, finally. I was afraid you’d back out”, the head alpha says, tone relaxed.

One of the white wolves lets out a sound, almost like a laugh and then slowly, it begins to mold, growing in size until there’s a naked man standing amongst his peers, eyes the same shade of blue as Jimin’s other one, dirty blonde hair messy and fangs bared.

“Kim Chaerin, you’re as boisterous as always. Challenging me for such a petty cause – are you sure you haven’t lost your touch in leading? From what I’ve heard, you nearly got yourself killed fighting that pitiful Lee pack”, the man growls, mocking. His voice is rough and low, demanding attention and behind him, Jimin flinches. Jungkook moves his body more on the way of the omega, making sure that the newcomers can’t see him, and hides his scent by letting out more hostile pheromones himself.

More wolves begin to morph into their human forms, quickly finding flimsy garment to cover their naked bodies. Jungkook recognizes Hyunwoo, who brings a cape for Park Minhyun, gaze kept down when he faces his head alpha. It’s clear that it’s not respect but fear the other alpha feels and Jungkook doesn’t doubt that Park Minhyun is truly the tyrant Jimin painted him as.

“How nice of you to be concerned of my leading skills, head alpha Park. But let me correct you in one thing – I did not challenge you, I’m merely a spectator today.” Chaerin turns around and motions towards Namjoon. “My son will be the one fighting against you today.”

Park Minhyun crosses his arms over his muscular chest and lets out a loud ‘tsk’. “A pup? You’re sending a pup to fight with me? You truly have fallen low, head alpha Kim.”

Chaerin merely smiles at the insult. “Underestimating your opponent will lead to your untimely death, Minhyun. Wouldn’t you rather focus on the duel and try and win fair and square?”

The mockery in Chaerin’s tone is subtle but noticeable to anyone aware of Jimin’s past with the Park pack. It’s an obvious jab to the way Park Minhyun got his position as the head alpha and from the way the Park pack wolves react, many of them flinching and looking away with something that could be shame, it’s a sore subject to them.

Jungkook wants to beat some sense into their heads. He’d never be okay with a tyrant like Park Minhyun controlling his pack, knowing that the man murdered the previous leader and her mate.

“Of course, Chaerin. I’ll be more than happy to crush your son in front of your eyes. Don’t say I didn’t warn you when I’m done with him.” Park Minhyun walks over to the ring and steps inside without a fear, sealing his fate. Once you were inside, you couldn’t back out anymore, those are the rules all packs had agreed on many years ago.

Namjoon starts walking towards the ring as well, sending one last fleeting smile to Seokjin as he goes, but right before he steps inside, Minhyun raises his hand, stopping him.

“However, before we begin this fight, I want to see him”, the man says and suddenly, his cold eyes bore straight into Jungkook. “Step out of the way, puppy. I want to see my nephew.”

A growl reverberates through Jungkook’s chest, ugly and loud, and he refuses. “You don’t have any right to call him that.”

Minhyun bares his teeth at him and Jungkook’s wolf howls in rage, ready to accept the challenge of the older alpha. It’s only Jimin’s hands tightly clutching onto his back that stop him from charging at the man.

“It wasn’t a request; it was an order. Show me your face, Jimin, and stop hiding behind that wannabe alpha you’ve found.”

Jimin shifts his weight from one foot to another, mulling over his choices before deciding to take a step to the side, revealing a part of himself to his pack members. Jungkook grabs a hold of his arm to keep him right there, feeling exposed with the omega out in the open. He isn’t nearly as concerned for himself as he is for Jimin; he has become Jungkook's strength but also his weakness. 

Park Minhyun growls. “Such a trouble you are. I lost a good healer because of you and I’ve been forced to sent men to look for you, only to find out that you’ve fallen amongst the scum your father came from. And now to think that I have to get my own hands dirty to retrieve you – if you’re not worth this, I’ll make sure that you’ll spend the rest of your life suffering from the consequences.”

Jimin whimpers but doesn’t answer, gaze on the ground. He’s trembling.

“Look at me! Come over here and look at me into the eyes when I’m speaking to you, Park Jimin!” It’s a command, said with a head alpha’s authority, and Jimin has no choice but to obey. Because even if he’s tied to both of the packs by blood, he’s still bound to the Park pack by the pack bond – until it’s erased, Park Minhyun will continue to have power over him.

The small omega begins to walk towards the man, trembling like a leaf in a storm under his uncle’s glare. Jungkook feels useless, watching as Jimin stops by Namjoon’s side, slowly raising his head.

“P-please—”

“Silence”, Park Minhyun stops Jimin before the omega can even start. “You’ve betrayed me, you’ve betrayed the pack. Once this is over, you’ll pay for that. Now go and stand amongst your own.”

He doesn’t mean the Kim pack. He doesn’t mean Jungkook. He’s telling Jimin to go to the Park pack’s side.

But Jimin doesn’t move.

“Did you hear me, stupid boy? I said go to your own.”

Again, Jimin doesn’t move but his uncle’s temper is short. He moves forward fast, unexpected, about to lash out on the omega but Jungkook’s instincts are faster, his wolf is faster, and he will not allow the man to lay a hand on Jimin. The second Park Minhyun moves, he’s already there, pushing Jimin out of the way and bodily blocking the other alpha with enough force to send him flying back.

“Don’t touch my mate”, he growls, eyes flashing gold. “Don’t fucking touch him.”

It’s silent.

Minhyun gets up from the snow with a sneer that quickly turns into a smug smirk. Jungkook feels a little confused by this but suddenly Jimin gasps, sounding horrified.

“J-Jungkook… you – y-you’re—”

“You’re inside the ring”, Namjoon says, disbelieving eyes fixated on the ground Jungkook stands on. “Jungkook, you’re inside the ring.”

“I-I—” the alpha looks at his feet. The line that forms the circle is behind him – he’s inside with Park Minhyun.

And he can’t step back or it’s automatically his loss.

Laughter fills his ears and when he looks at the man in front of him, he’s met by a pair of amused eyes. Did he – did he plan this?

“Oh well”, Minhyun sounds amused, relaxed even. “Looks like I’ll be fighting against this pup instead. What a pity, indeed.”

There’s no fucking doubt the man planned this and Jungkook feels like an idiot. He fell for it like a fool.

Park Minhyun had lured him in, lead him straight into a trap and Jungkook is now left with no other choice but to face him off in a duel – a duel he didn’t practice for. Him, against a fully-fledged pack-leader.

Him. Alone.

“No, no, no”, Seokjin’s voice reaches him and he turns around, watches with wide eyes as his brother makes his way through the crowd, uncaring of Taehyung who tries to stop him. “No, he’s just a boy, he can’t—"

“He has to”, Chaerin cuts him off, her voice stony. “Alpha Jeon has to fight. The rules are rules.”

“Fuck the rules – that’s my brother, he’s my little brother, you can’t do this!” Seokjin looks as heartbroken as he did when they were told their parents would never come home again.

“Hyung…” Jungkook looks at Namjoon helplessly and the other alpha nods, giving him a short pat on the back before moving to his mate, cutting off his way to the ring. There’s not much to say at this point, but no matter what happens, at least he knows that Seokjin is not alone.

Chaerin takes her son’s place quickly, her amber eyes having lost all earlier mirth. “I’m sorry, Jungkook-ah”, she says. “But you know the rules and you must follow them. Once you’re inside, you have no other choice but to go through with your decision and fight—"

“Objection!” Jimin suddenly yells, running in front of Jungkook and into the ring without a warning. Surprisingly, everything comes to a stop at the omega’s abrupt scream, Jungkook’s heart included.

What in the world is he thinking?

“Jimin…” Jungkook takes a hold of the omega’s arm, trying to pull him away. He doesn’t like this, having the omega placed in danger because of his foolishness, but Jimin doesn’t budge. “Don’t – just go to Seokjin and wait—”

“Objection”, Jimin cuts him off, tone harsh and cold eyes boring into his uncle. He’s demeanor is different – something has changed. The fear he had radiated before is gone, replaced by raging fire, anger that Jungkook hasn’t seen before. It’s a completely new side of Jimin to him and it’s enough for him to let go of his arm, waiting for him to continue.

He has yet to realize that Jimin is just as ready to die for him as he is for the omega, that he's just as protective. 

“What is it, you stupid boy?” Minhyun asks, a brow raised questioningly at the omega. “Trying to find a way to save your little lover here?”

“Shut up”, Jimin growls, he actually dares to growl at the man, and if Jungkook wouldn’t be so scared for him, he’d feel proud. “I’m issuing a new challenge. I, Park Jimin, challenge—”

“Jimin, don’t do this, please just stop—”, Jungkook tries to stop him, anxiousness spiking up at the word ‘challenge’, but the omega pays him no mind.

“—you, Park Minhyun, to a dual duel. Alpha Jeon and I against you and your chosen partner, omega or beta. Do you accept or will you run away?”

Silence falls once more after Jimin’s words. Everyone seems taken aback by the omega’s bravery, Jungkook probably the most, and he can’t even find it in himself to refute Jimin’s sudden declaration. His information about dual duels is scarce; all he knows that the alphas can pick an omega or a beta to fight alongside them but that’s about it. He has no practical experience in them.

Finally, a few silent seconds later, Park Minhyun finds his voice again.

“I accept.”

Chapter Text

As soon as the words ‘I accept’ have left Park Minhyun’s mouth, Jungkook yanks Jimin aside with a firm hold on the omega’s shoulder.

“What are you doing?” he hisses, most likely holding him a little too tight to be comfortable, but Jimin faces him with a determined look in his eyes and holds his ground.

“I’m doing what I must do”, the omega simply answers.

“You’re going to get yourself killed!”

“We have a much better chance at surviving together than you have alone”, Jimin snaps back, removing Jungkook’s hand from his shoulder. But instead of letting go, he just curls his small fingers tightly around the alpha’s and holds onto him. His eyes soften a little. “I’m not saying that you don’t have any chances at winning, Jungkook, but I can’t let you do this alone.”

“And I can’t let you get yourself killed.” The alpha glances at Minhyun who’s busy picking a partner for himself. “He’s taking a beta with him – and all of them are almost twice your size. He’s going to come straight for you too, you know it.”

To be completely honest, Jungkook doesn’t know what he’s doing anymore. Jimin is already inside the ring. Park Minhyun has already accepted the challenge. They can’t back away – even if Jimin suddenly decided that he doesn’t want to go through with this, he has no other choice.

They’re wolves, bound by rules of old. Honor, the pride of an individual, is unfortunately behind almost all of those rules.

“You haven’t seen me fight”, Jimin retorts, his tone turning slightly annoyed. “I can protect myself.”

But I’ve seen you injured, is what Jungkook thinks to that. I’ve seen you fight for your life. And I can’t watch you go through that ever again.

“I – just let me take the brunt of this, okay?” is all he can say in the end. It’s truly too late to do anything about it.

Something akin to a smile makes its way onto Jimin’s full lips. “That’s exactly what I’m planning on doing.”

The omega rises onto his tippy toes to whisper something into Jungkook’s ear, eyes traveling to his uncle. The man is staring straight back at them, scowling, with a tall beta standing now next to him. Jungkook frowns.

“Are you sure you can do this?” he asks, mumbling the words against Jimin’s neck. Even without realizing it himself, his arms had winded around the omega’s slim form and he’s holding him tightly against his own body now, a little scared to let him go.

Jimin nods, pressing a soft kiss on Jungkook’s cheek. “Trust me on this one.”

They pull apart only for Jungkook to cup Jimin’s face in his hands and lean their foreheads together, breathing in the familiar honeysuckle scent of the omega. Jimin’s hands come to rest on top of his and the omega closes his eyes, trying to memorize this warmth – in case it’s the last time he’ll ever feel it.

“Mate with me”, Jungkook whispers. “Once this is over, mate with me, Jimin. I want you to be mine.”

Jimin holds tightly onto his hands and smiles. Jungkook can almost feel it against his lips.

“With or without a mark, I’m already yours.”

The alpha feels a soft touch on his nose, followed by a peck to his lips. “But you know”, the omega continues, softly, like the smile on his face. “I’d be honored to be your mate. Officially too.”

Jungkook can’t quite muster a smile, not in this situation, but he hopes his eyes convey how happy he feels to hear those words – how relieved he is.

“If you two are quite done saying goodbye”, a rough voice bursts the bubble that had momentarily protected them and Jungkook lets go of Jimin in favor of turning his full attention on Park Minhyun. The man sneers at him, but Jungkook tries not to react even though his wolf is boiling with anger. Jimin told him to keep his calm because from now on, one mistake can mean immediate death.

“Let’s get this over with, kids. I’m getting impatient to see the snow covered in your blood.”

Jiwoo and the Park pack’s healer, a male beta, take their places as the judges of the duel. They had wanted to invite a wolf outside of their packs for fairness but in the end, perhaps for the safety of the fragile peace between the packs of this area, Chaerin had decided against it – and so the healers, the most neutral members of both packs, have to step up to the role of the one who, eventually, decides who lives and who dies.

Jiwoo gives Jungkook and Jimin a questioning look. She’s asking if they’re ready.

And Jungkook’s not. But, with Jimin’s hand slipping into his, he doesn’t think he’s ever going to get any readier. It’s now or never. So he nods, receives a curt nod back from the healer, and then it’s time.

The duel starts without a sound and for a moment, Jungkook can only hear the rapid beat of his own heart in his ears; until suddenly Jimin rips his hand away from him and jumps forward, transforming into a white wolf in the middle of the air, falling on four legs instead of two. He dashes past Park Minhyun’s bigger wolf and sinks his teeth onto the beta without a warning.

The omega is incredibly fast and steady on his feet, mismatching eyes sharp and calm; he’s like a small snowstorm that was underestimated by everyone.

And that makes Jungkook act too – because if his omega can act brave for him, risk his life for him, then Jungkook can do the same for him –, taking advantage of the momentarily lasting surprise that immobilizes the Park wolves. He attacks, switching forms as fast as Jimin had, crashing into Minhyun with enough force to nearly push the other alpha out of the ring.

Dammit, he curses, growling lowly under his breath as Minhyun turns his icy eyes at him, his full concentration finally on the fight. Distantly, he can hear the growls and huffs coming from Jimin’s direction but even if his alpha is pleading him to go and help the omega, Jungkook has to focus on the enemy ahead.

If he wants everything to go according to Jimin’s plan, he can’t let Park Minhyun out of his sight even for a second.

The other alpha attacks then, howling in rage as he charges forward and barrels right into Jungkook, teeth sinking into the younger’s flesh. It might be the adrenaline flowing through him, but Jungkook barely feels any pain, much more focused on not being pushed out of the ring.

He might’ve not been the one practicing with Jimin, but he was there. Whatever the omega had told Namjoon, Jungkook heard it too.

With a furious growl of his own, he widens his stance and begins to push against Minhyun’s bigger form. There’s a jolt of pain running through his body, his mind finally registering the teeth stuck in his flesh, but he pushes through it, pushes and pushes until Minhyun is forced to let go of him if he doesn’t want to end up outside of the ring already.

As soon as his teeth are out of Jungkook’s skin, the younger alpha backs off a few steps, chest heaving up and down heavily. Blood drips down his side and onto the ground, coloring the snow in red flowers. The fight has barely started but judging by the amount of blood, he has taken a lot of damage.

Something he can’t afford.

But Jungkook has no time to ponder on it as Minhyun attacks again, pushing him to the very edge of the ring once more until the younger finds a steadier stance again to push back. And it continues like this – like a very dangerous game of push and pull. Minhyun will attack, clawing and biting furiously, and Jungkook will push him right back each time.

But it can’t go on forever like this. If Jungkook doesn’t soon find the opening to attack, he’ll for sure be pushed out because so far, he’s been the one taking hits and not the other alpha – and it’s not only getting annoying but exhausting as well.

He can’t take this for much longer. And with that grim thought in mind, Jungkook glances at Jimin, who’s busy trying to force the beta out of the ring.

The omega is moving fast, taking every chance he gets to bite or claw, and the beta can barely keep up. But there has been no significant damage done to his opponent and Jimin’s fur is colored pink from his blood.

Jungkook can feel his heart fall. The chance of them winning is almost as good as zero.

And as if on cue, Minhyun is on him again, this time giving up the idea of pushing Jungkook out of the ring in favor of going for the kill. Jungkook barely manages to move out of the way, Minhyun’s front claws coming down on the spot with enough force to break a neck and had he reacted a second late, he would be dead now.

He even swears he can hear the ice under them crack, but Jungkook has no time to linger on that thought because Minhyun recovers awfully fast, aiming for his open throat right away. It’s another close call for Jungkook, who ducks down just on the right second and heads for the other alpha’s throat.

The second he can taste blood on his tongue, teeth sinking through rough fur into soft flesh, Jungkook feels a small glimpse of hope ignite in his heart.

But it’s crushed on the second Jimin’s body comes plummeting into his, making him release his hold on Minhyun and sending them both back a notch, almost out of the ring.

“Ngh…” the omega struggles to get up, body trembling from exhaustion, Jungkook alpha goes into a protective frenzy, his body automatically moving to shield the smaller one’s. His feelings are a mixture of fear and anger, hatred towards Minhyun for forcing them into a situation like this – where Jungkook can win it all or lose it all in a heartbeat – and the beta for daring to lay a claw on his omega.

While they’re struggling to get back on their feet again, Minhyun and his partner regroup. The beta is covered in injuries like Jimin but he’s bigger and stares down at them with blank blue eyes, scarily unfazed by the whole ordeal.

“Pathetic”, Minhyun grunts. “Is this the best you can do? If all alphas are like you, the Kim pack’s future is dim indeed.”

Jungkook growls, annoyance flashing through him, but Jimin presses his nose against his neck in silent comfort.

“Stay calm. He’s trying to get under your skin again”, the omega mumbles, finally standing up. He shakes his fur, snow and blood flying everywhere, and if Jungkook could, he’d grimace at the sight. But Jimin’s eyes are nothing but determined.

“Don’t give up now. I need you for later, okay?” The omega swipes his nose gently past Jungkook’s cheek. “It’s the time you prove your promises aren’t all empty, alpha.”

In any other situation, Jungkook might’ve laughed but today, inside this circle, he realizes that Jimin is right and despite his teasing tone, Jungkook takes his words seriously. He’s made a lot of promises to the omega. But most importantly, he promised to stay.

That he’d never, ever leave Jimin alone again.

Maybe he wasn’t expecting obstacles like this to come in the way, but even if he had known, he would’ve still made that promise. And he’ll keep it.

No matter what happens, he’ll find his way back to Jimin.

Despite, Jungkook is a sore loser: anyone from his pack can confirm that. Like hell will he lose this without at least giving it his all.

This time, the alpha is the one who makes the first move, charging at Minhyun with newly found energy. They clash, heads butting together before they’re at each other’s necks, growling and grunting, rolling on the snowy ground in desperate attempts at getting the upper hand.

Minhyun is bigger; he’s more experienced and stronger in all possible ways. He’s a pack-leader – no matter how unfairly he acquired that position – for heaven’s sake. Against him, Jungkook is a nobody, a mere foot soldier against a commander. He’s the prey and Minhyun is the hunter.

And that’s exactly how Jimin wants it.

“Distract him while I take care of the beta. The moment he forgets about my presence, it’s our victory. And all you have to do is lose on the right moment.”

Jungkook is a sore loser, but he’s a team player. Him losing personally doesn’t matter if it still means that his side wins – if Jimin wins. Maybe it isn’t very alpha of him to put his faith in an omega, especially in a fight, but Jungkook isn’t quite your regular alpha.

And Jimin is definitely not your regular omega.

So he just has to hang on for as long as Jimin needs him to. Jungkook can do that. He has to.

A pained howl escapes him when teeth sink into his right side. He twists around, trying to get the other alpha off him but it’s pretty much useless. Minhyun has a tight hold and the more Jungkook turns, the harder he bites. He’s not playing around anymore.

“Jungkook! Please!”

It’s Seokjin. His brother is right there, just a little out of the ring, kneeling on the snow with an intense look on his face. It looks like he’s struggling to stay still and Jungkook understands: if he’d be in the omega’s position, he would’ve already done something stupid, that’s for sure. Luckily, Seokjin has always been the calmer out of the two of them.

Still, Jungkook feels like an idiot, and a cruel one at that, for putting his brother through this. They lost their parents on this very lake – because of a mistake Jungkook made. If today somehow ends up in a similar way, then…

No, the alpha shakes his head and growls. Jimin trusts him, and Jungkook will never make Seokjin cry again unless it’s out of happiness. No more cold nights filled with despair, no more waiting for someone to come home only to be disappointed, no more bodies buried in their grave.

It’s already too big.

Ignoring the pain that rips through him as he twists towards Minhyun, Jungkook sinks his teeth into the other’s open neck. It hurts, the position they’re in only ripping his wounds right open but he has somewhat an upper hand now. The neck is a much more vulnerable area than his side – and as expected, Minhyun lets go of him right away and throws Jungkook off of himself, taking a good few steps back.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, brat”, the older alpha growls, lowering his head in as an indication that he’s about to attack.

Jungkook does the same. “Could say the same to you, old man.”

With yet another furious howl, Minhyun charges at him; he bites and claws and throws insults like knives and Jungkook – Jungkook fucking takes it. He takes it all.

Because whatever Minhyun says and does to him, all the wounds and words that sink into his body and mind, they mean nothing as long as Jungkook and Jimin win. As long as Jimin is in Jungkook’s arms by the end of this, it’s going to be okay. He knows the omega will kiss away all his hurt and leave behind no scars. And he hopes Jimin fights knowing that he’ll do the same for him, too.

He’ll kiss away all of the scars Park Minhyun has left behind and replace them with something new, something warm, something better.

Just then, Jiwoo yells out something. Jungkook can’t quite make out what she said and obviously, Minhyun isn’t paying attention either because he’s busy trying to push the younger out of the ring. But then he sees it – Jimin, standing behind Minhyun, alone.

The omega’s mismatching eyes meet his for a split second and Jungkook knows what he must do.

Mustering all the strength he has left, he dodges Minhyun’s incoming attack and bites down on one of his front legs, dragging the alpha towards the end of the circle with him. Minhyun barely puts up a fight, laughing quietly.

“Is this your attempt at pushing me out of bounds?” the older asks, amused. “Don’t make me laugh, kid.” Jungkook feels teeth sink into his neck and before he knows, he’s thrown over like a sack of rice, his body slamming down on the ice hard enough for him to hear it cracking loud and clear. The world spins and he feels a little like throwing up, and Minhyun’s scarred face leering above him doesn’t help.

But.

“Alpha Jeon is out of bounds!”

Jiwoo’s declaration is followed by horrified murmurs that fill the air and Seokjin’s cry of despair is the loudest of them all. However, Jungkook can once again only hear the loud beating of his heart in his ears, his body trembling with expectation.

He turns around slowly, eyes boring onto the line he crossed. He’s halfway out of the ring.

He’s out – the fight is over for him.

Lifting his gaze, he meets Minhyun’s icy eyes that are filled by smugness and disgust.

“You’re ten years too young to even attempt fighting as my equal”, Minhyun sneers, ready to turn around and finish off the duel but before he can even move a muscle, Jimin crashes onto him with such force that the older alpha loses his balance and flies on the ground next to Jungkook.

Halfway out of the ring.

“Head alpha Park is out of bounds!”

Jungkook begins to transform, a smirk growing on his lips. He can feel Jimin’s eyes on him and can’t help but think that he was right. A small snowstorm indeed. One that was, definitely, underestimated by all.

For a second or two, it’s so silent that you’d never guess four wolves were just fighting for their lives on this very lake. And then, Jiwoo continues, relief flooding into her voice.

“Omega Park is the last one standing inside the ring. Victory goes to the Kim pack.”

“You know what”, Jungkook says, rising to his knees from the ground with sheer determination. He’s still bleeding all over and that wound Minhyun bit on his right side will certainly take a long time to fully heal – but he can’t find it himself to care, not right now, because now it’s his turn to finally look down on the other alpha.

“You’re absolutely right. There’s no way I could fight as your equal but to my luck, this wasn’t a fight just between us two.”

He barely manages to open his arms as his little snowstorm comes running to him, crashing their lips together into a kiss that’s more teeth than anything else – yet Jungkook feels like it’s their most important kiss ever.

Because it’s a kiss of victory, of a kept promise, of a new beginning.

He looks into Jimin’s eyes, the mismatching orbs filled with tears, and smiles. Jungkook feels a little like his heart could burst from the warmth, and he’s so in love it hurts.

Jimin can’t stop trembling. Or crying.

He’s shaking like a goddamn leaf in a storm, sobbing like a child who just had their favorite toy broken, all the while trying to kiss every inch of Jungkook’s face. It’s absolutely fucking humiliating and it doesn’t help that Jungkook is just laughing, as if he didn’t nearly get killed just now, as if he wasn’t bleeding out, and Jimin just can’t stop.

He thinks that he’s finally crying out the tears he’s kept at bay for years.

“Baby – hey, it’s okay”, Jungkook tries, cupping Jimin’s face in his hands so gently, and that affectionate gesture just makes him sob louder. The alpha chuckles softly and runs a comforting hand through his bloodied hair.

“Oh love, it’s all okay now. I’ve got you.”

Jimin can barely nod through his tears, burying his face against Jungkook’s neck in search of his familiar cedarwood scent that’s nearly been covered by the potent scent of blood. But it’s there, that scent of safety, of home and love, and Jimin can’t believe that it’s over.

He could’ve lost this – he could’ve lost this all. Jungkook could’ve died because of him.

Yet here they are.

His shoulders slump, the fear he had hidden so well earlier finally crashing down on him. All the bravery, the power he had gathered to stand tall and face the man who has taken everything from him, is gone. All that is left behind is bone-deep exhaustion and relief.

Here they are.

Jimin wraps his arms tightly around Jungkook’s broader body and rubs his nose along the alpha’s scent gland. He wants to stay like this forever.

Jungkook rests his head against Jimin’s own and holds him just as tight. And it hurts but for the sake of getting to be this close to his alpha – the one person he could not let his uncle take away from him, no one else, not ever again – he can bear it.

“You did so well”, Jungkook whispers, drawing circles on his back. “The strongest omega I’ve ever met. The best. My little snowstorm.”

Jimin sniffs. He likes that nickname.

“What would I have done without you?” the alpha sighs.

“I-I couldn’t h-have done it alone, you k-know that right?” Jimin asks through his hiccups and Jungkook hums softly.

“Maybe, but this victory is all on you. Who knew you were so smart?”

The comment earns the alpha a weak smack on the shoulder but Jimin isn’t offended. Instead, he’s smiling and if it didn’t hurt so much, he might’ve even laughed.

Suddenly another body crashes onto theirs, long arms wrapping around both of their necks and Jimin manages to only let out a surprised squeak before he’s being furiously scented by Seokjin.

“Y-you two – I can’t believe you two, I’m dealing with two fucking idiots”, the older omega is cursing, rambling through his own tears as he turns to scent his brother, his wide shoulders shaking. Jimin’s heart aches and new tears spring into his eyes at the sight of Seokjin’s broken gaze. He’s never seen him like this and it’s truly heartbreaking.

“What in the mother nature will I do with you two?” Seokjin whispers, sniffling. Jungkook seems lost, eyes wide and glistening with tears. It must hurt him a lot more than Jimin, to see his own brother crying.

But then Seokjin smiles and swipes a thumb under Jungkook’s eyes just in time to catch his tears. His caramel scent is sweet and warm, comforting, and deep inside, a thought Jimin had long locked away awakens.

Pack? his wolf asks, almost whines. It sounds desperate. Family?

“You are such trouble magnets”, Seokjin chuckles, quickly rubbing the last of his tears away. “Is my brother’s recklessness rubbing on you already, Jiminie?”

“I don’t think that’s it”, Taehyung’s familiar voice chimes in and Jimin looks up to see the silver-haired omega standing behind him, clothes on his hands. With a smile, he offers them to Jungkook and Jimin, helping them into loose shirts and pants before wrapping them up with a warm blanket.

“Jimin is as much of a troublemaker as Jungkook. And since he’s related to head alpha Kim, recklessness pretty much runs in his blood.”

“Are you talking shit about my family?” Namjoon huffs, glaring at Taehyung but there’s no real bite behind his words.

Jimin’s cheeks turn pink and he buries his face back against Jungkook’s neck. It feels weird but also nice for Namjoon to already consider him as part of his family line. Actually, it feels much more than nice.

It’s that feeling of being wanted, again. Jimin could truly get used to it.

But before he can even begin to bask in the warmth of that feeling, a hollow hole opens in his heart and his wolf whimpers. It feels like there’s a leash around his neck, yanking him to the other direction and Jimin turns around slowly, facing his uncle’s burning eyes.

Park Minhyun looks like he’s milliseconds away from going feral. His icy blue eyes are filled with fragments of red and his face is twisted with an ugly sneer. He doesn’t seem nearly as injured as Jimin and Jungkook, but his pride has certainly taken a massive hit.

“You two—” the head alpha starts, and he sounds so mad, almost as mad as when he clawed out Jimin’s mother’s heart, and Jimin feels sick to his stomach, the pull of the pack bond that still ties him to the Park pack making his skin itch “—are a fucking disgrace to all wolves. An alpha let a mere omega control the battle – that is unheard of! Do you have no pride at all?”

Jungkook jumps into his feet with a snarl. “And if you fucking pushed aside your pride for once, maybe you could have won!”

“Don’t you get smart with me now, boy—”

“You forgot your own partner”, Jungkook interrupts, stepping in front of Jimin to shield him with his body. “You were so focused on killing me that you left your partner alone. This fight wasn’t about my pride anyways – my goal was to win and if it meant winning by Jimin’s rules, then I’m all for it. Him being an omega has nothing to do with this.”

There’s a dangerous glimmer in Jungkook’s golden eyes. “You just don’t want to admit that you got outsmarted by your sister’s son.”

Jimin’s uncle growls and steps closer. Namjoon and Yoongi step on the way at the same time Hyunwoo and a few other wolves from the Park pack grab a hold of their leader.

Rules are rules after all. Jimin and Jungkook won – Minhyun and his partner are at their mercy right now. Until then, Minhyun has no power and if he tries to hurt Jungkook or Jimin, anyone from the Park pack is permitted to kill him. So say the rules of the duel.

“You’ve been looking down at him for so long that you don’t want to accept that he’s actually better than you”, Jungkook continues, finally putting his anger, his frustration and hatred towards the man, into words. Jimin doesn’t even attempt to stop him.

“You think that him being of the blood of two packs makes him worthless when it makes him all the more worth keeping instead. You think him being an omega makes him weak when he has multiple times proven himself stronger than any fucking alpha I’ve ever met – stronger than you, stronger than me, stronger than Park Minyoung could have ever been. You hate him, Park Minhyun, because he’s everything you’re not. You hate him because you’ve always known that one day, he’d surpass you. Just like your sister did.”

Jungkook stops there, chest heaving and fists clenched by his sides, a satisfied look in his eyes. Jimin should probably be concerned about the specs of red he sees in them, but he really just wants to kiss the alpha senseless.

No one’s ever spoken of him with such admiration, such fierce protectiveness, such… love. Jimin doesn’t know how he got lucky enough to be blessed with Jungkook as his destined mate.

“Tsk…” Jimin’s uncle turns his gaze from Jungkook at the omega, an unreadable look in them. Jimin feels a hand slip into his, Jungkook offering his silent support, and right behind him, Taehyung and Seokjin are throwing nasty glares at the head alpha of the Park pack.

He has people, people he can probably start calling his own soon. Jimin isn’t alone in this.

Not anymore.

Mom, Jimin thinks as he takes a tentative step forward. Would you be proud of me now? Would you forgive me for not being able to save Jihyun?

Would you be happy for me?

“Uncle”, he starts softly, looking at the tall man with sad eyes before offering his wrists. “Cut the pack bond, please. That’s all I ask of you.”

He can see that his uncle isn’t happy about his request, even if he doesn’t care about Jimin. He just doesn’t like to lose and cutting Jimin’s pack bond with them is like admitting that he’s lost.

But he doesn’t really have a choice. Jimin might be asking but in reality, it’s a command even head alpha Park cannot refute.

“Minhyun”, Chaerin steps in, her voice strong, cold. When Jimin glances at her, he can see that she’s still pissed about the way Minhyun had played Jungkook, but more than that, she seems ready to head back home.

Jimin is too.

“Do it”, head alpha Kim says. “Don’t prolong the inevitable.”

“The boy is mine.”

“He’s not yours”, Chaerin says at the same time with Jungkook. “He’s no one’s”, the head alpha adds with a soft smile sent at Jimin’s direction. “But I do think that the name Kim would be fitting for him. Or—” there's a teasing glimmer in her eyes “—maybe even Jeon.”

Jimin actually likes the ring of that. A lot.

“Uncle”, he says, the man’s attention drawn back to him and his offered wrists. “Cut the bond.” He’s tired of asking. It’s time the man acknowledges him.

A long moment of silence follows. Cold wind blows past them, washing away most of the stench of blood, and Jimin shivers. He’s quite used to cold though and worries more for the forest wolves who aren’t – and hopes that they can get this done quickly so he can take Jungkook to the infirmary with Jiwoo and heal him like the alpha has done many times to him.

Park Minhyun stares at him for a long time and it takes a lot of determination from Jimin’s side to stay unwavering under that glare. Perhaps it’s the burst of confidence Jungkook’s words brought him, perhaps it’s the fond thought of his mother, but Jimin stands his ground.

And with a defeated sigh, Park Minhyun must admit his loss.

“Come over here, then. Let’s get this over with.”

Jimin lets out a sigh of his own, relieved, and heads to the head alpha right away. Jungkook lets out a small sound of discomfort and wants to follow, but Chaerin stops him.

“It’s better for you to stay away, alpha Jeon. Taking away one’s pack bond is a painful process and it can become extremely dangerous and quickly too, if it’s somehow interrupted.”

Jungkook has no other choice but to follow Chaerin’s instructions and to stay away, although his eyes never leave Jimin’s smaller form. The omega turns to send him a reassuring smile – if it means freedom, being hurt by his uncle once more is nothing.

Standing in front of Park Minhyun, Jimin offers his naked wrists to the alpha. He has to bite down on his tongue to stop the uncomfortable whimper from escaping him when Minhyun grabs a hold of him, these big, calloused hands both unfamiliar and familiar.

So close. He’s so close.

The head alpha murmurs something under his breath and suddenly a wave of hot pain surges through Jimin, taking him by surprise and forcing a pained gasp out of him as he doubles over, barely managing to stop himself from yanking his wrists out of Minhyun’s hold. He thinks he can hear Jungkook call out his name but he’s not entirely sure, much more focused on the icy fire that burns through his veins, burning away the bond that he was born with.

It ends just as quick as it had started and Minhyun releases his wrists.

Jimin falls on the ground with heavy breaths, trembling. He feels like his skin would be on fire and his wolf is going absolutely crazy, and it’s – it’s empty.

Bringing a hand to his chest, Jimin feels his own rapid heartbeat but nothing more. He tries and tries, searches for the bond that was never strong but still there – and finds nothing. There’s nothing.

It’s gone.

Everything that tied him to the Park pack, it’s all gone. His mother, his grandparents, Jihyun and now, at last, the pack bond. They’re all gone.

Jimin is no longer a Park wolf. He’s… no one’s at all.

And yet, he doesn’t feel alone.

Hugging his own body, Jimin feels new tears form into his eyes but for the first time in forever, he thinks they’re tears of pure happiness.

He’s free.

But he never gets to celebrate that freedom. Because the second he turns towards Jungkook, foolishly trusting to turn his back on his uncle, a shadow looms over him. The same shadow that he recognizes from his nightmare.

“Jimin!” Jungkook screams out his name in panic, and the omega whips back around just in time to see a huge grey wolf jumping at him.

It’s merely thanks to the abuse he’s been through that Jimin manages to react in time, dodging the claws coming at him just a second before his uncle’s body slams on the spot he was formerly at. How fitting it is, that they’re within the ring again.

Jimin is struggling to get up, his body still overwhelmed and weak from just being cut away from his pack, but he freezes altogether when he hears the cracking of ice.

It happens in a split second.

Unable to take the constant hits and weight of many wolves anymore, the ice under them begins to shatter and Jimin, for a horrifying moment there, can feel his feet touch the icy black water. But then he’s yanked up, Jungkook’s hold on him tight.

“Run!” the alpha yells, pushing him forward.

It’s like the time would slow down around them. Jimin can hear Chaerin scream at her wolves to run, can hear Hyunwoo order the same at the Park wolves and he can hear the panic of everyone. He can see how people begin to transform, desperately trying to outrun the breaking ice and the call of the cold water, can see Taehyung and Hoseok make a run for it, Namjoon looking for Seokjin, Seokjin looking for Namjoon, and suddenly he’s being lifted up, the ice under him and Jungkook tilting.

Jimin lets out a scream, sliding on the wet surface and towards the pitch-black waters but Jungkook grabs his hand just in time and throws them on another ice slate that has yet to break off.

“C’mon”, the alpha hurries, helping Jimin on his feet. The omega can’t even imagine how terrified he must be, can’t even understand how Jungkook is managing to stay calm when he’s reliving the horrors of his past, but there’s no time to think anything but running.

The forest line isn’t that far away, some wolves have already made it there. Jimin squeezes Jungkook’s hand in his and prepares to change forms – but just before he can, someone grabs a hold of his ankle and he falls with a surprised yelp, his hold on Jungkook’s hand slipping.

He could recognize that icy hold from anywhere and no matter how he struggles and kicks, it doesn’t loosen.

“Jungkook!” Jimin cries out and he sees Jungkook turn around, golden eyes wide in horror, but before the alpha can even properly react, the ice between him and Jimin breaks and separates them.

Jimin is struggling to keep himself from being pulled into the water, glancing behind himself to only see his uncle’s pale hand wrapped around his ankle. It’s weighing him down, pulling him towards the waterline and Jimin can only sob and try to twist away in vain.

A terrified cry escapes him when his pulled half into the water, the coldness hitting him like a thousand knives. And then the ice under him tilts because of his weight, sending him right under too quickly for Jimin to even attempt anything.

The last thing he sees is a flash of gold before there’s nothing but darkness.

It feels like the lake is bottomless. Jimin keeps sinking and sinking, at least he thinks so, but he can’t be too sure anymore. All he knows that it’s cold and numb and dark and he can’t breathe. He tries to look up but all he can see is ice and only parts of dim sunlight, too far for him to reach, way too far.

The hold on his ankle is loose now but Jimin can’t find the strength to shake it off. He can’t even think clearly.

It’s very calm, though. That’s what’s said about drowning, that it’s a calm way to go. Scary, but calm.

But that calm is broken when suddenly, Jimin feels the water around him shift and something grabs a hold of his arm, a hold that is familiar like his uncle’s – but in a completely different way. This is the touch of the man he loves.

Jungkook.

The alpha came for him, and Jimin wants to cry, scared because they can’t survive this, they just can’t, but selfishly, he’s also glad that he isn’t alone. Relieved that Jungkook came for him.

The alpha kicks at the hand around Jimin’s ankle a few times until the hold disappears and Jimin feels a little lighter right away. But only a little because they’re still sinking, and he has no energy to swim upwards.

They’re still surrounded by nothing but darkness. Yet now it doesn’t seem as scary.

Jungkook’s arms wind around him and the alpha holds him close, face buried in Jimin’s neck and weakly, with the last bit of strength he has left, Jimin wraps his own arms around him. He knows his hold isn’t tight, but he also knows Jungkook can feel it.

Stupid, Jimin thinks absently, mind becoming more and more hazy by second. He’s been underwater for too long. Did you really have to follow me?

He can’t see anything, it’s too dark and he closes his eyes because it hurts to keep them open, but he can feel Jungkook squeeze his body against his own a little tighter and that’s enough of an answer. Of course he had to.

No matter what, Jungkook promised to never leave him alone. That by the end of this day, they’d still have each other to hold. Even in death.

Deep inside, a small part of him wonders if this is the same Jungkook’s parents went through in their last seconds. If Jungkook’s father pulled Jungkook’s mother tight against his chest, if his mother hugged him just as close as Jimin tries to hug Jungkook. If she thought he was foolish, if he made the same promise to her as Jungkook made to him.

If they held each other like this, surrounded by the cold and darkness, unable to even see each other, but just knowing that they were together.

To the very last heartbeat.

His consciousness begins to dim, his arms losing strength to hold the alpha, and he can practically feel Jungkook’s desperation not to let him go but it’s okay. Jimin wishes he could’ve told him that it’s okay. There are many things he wishes he could’ve told Jungkook. Many, many things.

Mainly, Jimin wishes he could’ve said ‘I love you’ just once more. He didn’t get to say it enough. But he thinks Jungkook knows, so it’s okay.

It’s okay, now.

Something takes a hold of his neckline and pulls. Jimin can feel the water around him moving, shifting, and he, without really even realizing it, clings onto Jungkook’s body. Soon enough, there are more hands on him, on Jungkook as well, pulling them up, up towards the sunlight and then – then there’s air, Jimin gasps, there’s air.

He can breathe again.

He’s thrown onto the ground, water pouring out of his mouth and nose as he coughs and gasps, lungs desperate for air even though it burns and everything hurts so much, he just needs air, more of it—

“-min, Jimin”, the voice sounds familiar, calling out to him softly. “Take it easy, Jimin—”

He can’t. He just needs to fucking breathe, to get this water out of his system before he dies. Someone pushes him onto his side, or at least he thinks so, and it all comes rushing out of him, and he can’t believe he swallowed so much of water, but he did. And he needs to get it all out.

Jimin can vaguely register movement around him, can feel someone rip the cold, frosty clothes off him to replace them with something soft, warm hands all over him – so warm it burns – and concerned voices everywhere.

But Jungkook – where’s Jungkook?

He blinks his eyes open. His eyelashes are almost glued together, covered in frost and the light hurts. He can’t see anything but blurred figures at first, and there’s someone lying on the ground close to him, someone else on top of him, trying to pump life back into him.

Jimin is still holding his hand.

“J-Jungkook…”

The omega’s vision sharpens slowly. He’s met with Namjoon trying to get water out of Jungkook’s lungs, repeatedly pressing down on his chest, mumbling ‘c’mon’ over and over again. Seokjin is hovering close by, a panicked look on his face and Taehyung must be close too because Jimin can smell his strawberry scent.

Jungkook is lying next to him, eyes closed, and lips parted, his skin awfully pale and covered in a layer of frost. He isn’t breathing and no matter how many times Namjoon tries, his chest doesn’t start rising and falling.

Jimin’s eyes widen, the realization slowly dawning upon him. He isn’t breathing – Jungkook isn’t breathing.

No, no, no.

“N-no…” the omega struggles to turn onto his stomach, trying to get closer to the alpha. “N-no, no…”

“Minie”, that’s Taehyung, “Jiminie, please let Namjoon—”

“N-no… J-Jungkook…”

He gets a hold of Jungkook’s cold body, pulling himself on top of the alpha’s chest, forcing Namjoon to stop his resuscitation attempts as well. It’s suddenly very silent around them.

Jimin presses his ear against Jungkook’s chest. It’s so cold, so unnaturally cold, so unlike of Jungkook because no matter what, the alpha has always been warm, and if Jimin could, he’d cry. But it seems like his tears are frozen, like the beat of Jungkook’s heart.

Until.

Thump, thump, thump.

It’s slow. It’s weak. But Jimin could recognize that heartbeat anywhere because his and Jungkook’s, their hearts where made for the same rhythm.

Jungkook is still fighting.

Jimin grunts, moving himself closer to Jungkook’s unmarked neck. He struggles to pull down the alpha’s shirt just a little, breathing heavily. What he’s about to do is forbidden and he’d never resort to it in any other situation – but if he doesn’t get Jungkook to breathe soon, the alpha will die, he’ll slip right through Jimin’s fingers, and he can’t let that happen.

“Jimin, what are you…?”

Ignoring Seokjin’s question, the omega moves his mouth on Jungkook’s neck, canines growing just a little to make it easier for him to break skin. Mother give me strength, he pleads, just this once.

And then Jimin bites down, claiming Jungkook as his mate.

The bond forms immediately – incomplete without the alpha’s claim on Jimin but it’s still a working bond. Which means that Jimin and Jungkook are now connected in far more ways than one.

And his energy, it’s Jungkook’s to use, too.

Jimin collapses right after, his face hidden against Jungkook’s neck, hand still curled around the alpha’s bigger one.

Against his own heartbeat, Jungkook’s begins to grow stronger. A few beats later, there’s a gasp of breath and the hand in his squeezes back.

Chapter Text

The first flowers of spring bloom at the end of March.

Jungkook is out collecting wood when he hears a surprised squeal, followed a delighted sound and before he can even properly react, Jimin is by his side, mismatching eyes sparkling with joy. There are small hands curling around his forearm, tugging him along until they’re standing by a dead honeysuckle bush – and under its dry leaves, through the melting snow, peek yellow and violet petals.

“Look”, the omega purrs, kneeling next to the small flowers. “Spring is finally here.”

Jungkook hums thoughtfully. It’s been a long, cruel winter and only recently has it got warm enough for the snow to begin to melt. It hasn’t even been three weeks since it last snowed – but it’s gradually getting warmer and warmer, and he’s certain that in no time, the whole forest will bloom in all shades of green once again.

“Do you want to take a few to the grave?” he asks, holding up the blocks of wood in one hand to lean down and run his fingers through Jimin’s soft locks with the other. Unconsciously, his fingers wander even lower to smooth over the spotless skin of Jimin’s neck.

The omega leans into his touch. “No, it’s fine. Better to leave them alone and let them grow. Once it’s really starting to get warm, I’ll make the prettiest bouquet for grandmother. And your parents.”

“Of course”, Jungkook smiles. He then gently tugs at Jimin’s collar. “C’mon, let’s not keep Seokjin waiting. I don’t want to listen to him whining about the cold anymore.”

It’s still quite early in the morning. The first rays of sun are blinding, coloring the slumbering forest in the shade of warm yellow and melting away the night frost. Jungkook cringes when some cold water drips onto his head from the branches above him; he’s so done with winter and overall with the wet and cold. It feels like winter would’ve lasted an eternity instead of a couple of months.

But then again, a lot has happened. In many ways, maybe even too much.

Jimin comes to walk by his side a second later, taking a few blocks of wood from the alpha’s arms with a small content smile on his lips. He’s been smiling so much lately that Jungkook can’t even remember the days when he didn’t smile at all, doesn’t want to remember. They don’t need to go down that road ever again.

And he thinks he has succeeded – succeeded in overwriting the pain of Jimin’s past with something better. Something warmer, happier. At least, he's getting there.

Knowing that, Jungkook can be happy too.

It’s been over a month since the duel.

Sometimes, Jungkook still visits that place and time in his nightmares, but mostly it’s all been left behind. He knows Jimin suffers from nightmares too, but it’s easier for the both of them now that they’re no longer alone. It’s comforting to know that even if one of them wakes up in the middle of the night – covered in cold sweat and choking, eyes incapable of seeing anything but darkness, as if they’d be caged deep underwater again, grasping for the last threads of life – that the other will be there, a warm presence, a safe embrace, a beating heart.

It helps that the rest of the pack moves on quickly, too. That way, Jimin and Jungkook have no time to linger on the what ifs.

(What if Jungkook hadn’t come. What if Namjoon and Yoongi hadn't pulled them up. What if Jimin hadn’t mated him.)

No, they don’t linger on those thoughts. It’s not like the past can be changed anymore.

The first days right after the duel are still nothing but blurry images and pain for Jungkook. From what he has learned, he was down with a very strong fever for almost a week and had it not been for Jimin, he would’ve died, no doubt.

The alpha reaches to absently rub at the bite Jimin left on his neck. He kind of wishes they could’ve mated in a different way – the proper way – but can he really complain when the omega saved his life, risking his own in the process?

“Does it hurt?”

Jungkook flinches out of his thoughts and turns to look at Jimin, who has stopped to stand behind him, a new kind of sadness in his eyes. Well, Jungkook wouldn’t exactly call it sadness. More like guilt.

“No”, the alpha answers softly. It doesn’t hurt, not like that anyway.

It’s an ache, if anything. Like the beat of his heart, the bitemark throbs and the bond between them strains. It aches with the need to be completed and sometimes at night, Jungkook wakes up with his canines out, a feral kind of need within him begging him to ease that hurt, but so far he’s been able to hold back.

He doesn’t know for how long, though. His alpha is happy, truly is, but at the same time a big part of him feels miserable.

Jimin isn’t allowing him to complete the mating bond. Jungkook can’t help but wonder if it’s his fault.

As if sensing his thoughts – which is quite possible that he does – Jimin steps forward to lean closer and rub his nose against Jungkook’s. His sweet scent of honeysuckles intensifies and Jungkook closes his eyes, taking in the familiar warmth before Jimin pulls away and leaves him craving for more.

“Soon, okay?” is all the omega says, tone as soft as down. His eyes are understanding and probably the only reason Jungkook won’t let himself lose control. It’s not like this wouldn’t be hard for him as well.

When they come back to Jungkook’s family house, there’s already someone standing by the door, about to knock. Sensing the two closing figures, Chaerin turns to look at them in surprise before a small smile spreads on her lips. “Ah, you two. I was just looking for you.”

Next to Jungkook, Jimin goes completely rigid. It alerts Jungkook’s alpha as well, and the taller of the two purses his lips, warily watching the pack-leader. They’ve been waiting for her visit ever since Jungkook was allowed to return from the infirmary to home but with every passing day, they both just kind of lulled themselves into the thought that maybe, just maybe, there would be no consequences to Jimin’s actions.

But, Jungkook supposes, because they’re such a rule-bound creatures, Chaerin wouldn’t overlook it.

“Relax”, the head alpha says, raising her hand. “I’m not here to break the peace. Now, alpha Jeon, is your brother home? I’ve heard from Namjoon that he makes the best tea in the pack.”

“I…” Jungkook clears his throat. “Yeah, he is. And I’m pretty sure Namjoon is here too.”

Sure enough, the mated couple is just preparing breakfast in the kitchen when Jungkook leads the head alpha inside. Namjoon doesn’t seem to be too surprised to see his mother but Seokjin nearly drops the frying pan, cursing under his breath before flushing beet red. You’d think that after mating with the pack-leader’s son he would’ve got used to being around her, but old habits die hard. His family isn’t that high ranking in the pack hierarchy.

Jimin sticks close to him, nervously clinging onto the alpha’s back as they shuffle around the kitchen, trying to find a place for themselves. In the end, Chaerin sits them down by the table herself before sitting opposite of Jimin, trying to catch the omega’s gaze. But Jimin is stubborn and keeps his eyes focused on Jungkook’s hand that is resting on his thigh.

“So, from the initial reaction, I assume you know what I’m here to talk about”, the head alpha starts as soon as she has her cup of hot tea in front of her.

Jimin captures Jungkook’s hand into his own and squeezes hard. “Are you—” no, the omega shakes his head. It’s not really a question. “You’re here to punish me for what I did.”

Chaerin stays silent, her amber eyes giving away nothing. Jungkook squeezes Jimin’s hand back once.

The omega lets out a quiet, somewhat resigned sigh. “I know that what I did was wrong. It’s not like I haven’t been taught the rules. If anything, I think I know them the best.” He’s quiet for a second before shaking his head once more and finally turning to look at the head alpha. “I lived my whole life thinking that I’d either be killed or forcefully mated to an alpha I barely knew. They force fed each and every one of us the rules of old yet were so ready to break one of the most important ones for me. I used to hate them for it – to hate him. And to think it ended up being me, breaking that one rule.”

“Things certainly have a way of twisting around, don’t they…” Chaerin mutters. The distant look in her eyes makes Jungkook wonder if she’s thinking about her youngest brother – Jimin’s father. “Still—"

“Please don’t get the wrong idea, however. I don’t regret it”, Jimin interrupts softly. Surprisingly, Chaerin doesn’t seem to mind – her pride has never been the same as her father’s and Jimin seems to draw out the gentleness in her heart even more. She smiles when she meets his gaze and maybe for the first time ever, Jimin is able to return it.

“You may punish me but at the end of the day, I was merely saving my mate.”

Jungkook laces their fingers together and holds on tight. Jimin’s words make warmth spread all over his body and as agitated as his alpha may be for not being let to mate the omega yet, it calms down with a sigh. His omega wants him, acknowledges him, loves him. There’s not much more he could ask for.

“I know”, Chaerin hums, closing her eyes and nodding shortly. “That’s why I’m not going to do anything about it.”

Everyone in the room turns to look at her in surprise, even Namjoon.

Even though her eyes are closed, there’s an amused smile lingering on Chaerin’s face, as if she could sense their surprise. “What? Do you really think I’d punish someone for saving one of my strongest and most capable alphas? I don’t think so.”

The head alpha opens her eyes and there’s a mischievous glimmer in those warm amber orbs. “Besides, I don’t have the right to punish you. You’re not officially a member of the Kim pack – so I dare say that you don’t need to abide by our rules.”

Oh. Well, that is indeed true. Jimin isn’t part of any pack as of now. Still, he’s a wolf living in their community so certainly, should someone dig deeper into their foundation, they’d find a way to counter Chaerin’s words.

It’s an excuse, truly, and a bad one at that, but Jungkook will take it. And although Jimin seems a bit dumbfounded by the whole ordeal, he nods slowly in acceptance.

“Well, I guess we’re through with that. Actually, I think there’s only one more thing for us to do before the time for you two to decide whether you’ll be staying or not will come.” Chaerin glances outside of the kitchen window. “The forest is a sight to see in the summer, I must say. But so are the cities.”

“Um… what is there for us to do anymore?” Jungkook asks, uncertain. “We won the duel, things with the Park pack have been settled and Jimin is free of any punishment. What more is there?”

The alpha is more than ready to be done with the issues that have been bothering them for months now. He thinks everyone else is, too.

“There’s still the issue with the Lee pack”, Namjoon explains before sitting down next to his mother.

“Can’t we just let it go?” Jimin asks. He’s the one who suffered the most because of the Lee pack but he’s tired – tired of fighting, whether it is for his own life, Jungkook’s life or the whole pack’s. He just wants to put all of this behind and move on to the next chapter of his life. He’s more than ready for that now that he’s no longer alone.

“Unfortunately, we can’t. I understand that you probably don’t want anything to do with them, but they broke their oath to never harm anyone on neutral ground for no reason. I have a hard time imagining you and your grandmother stepping on their territory or attacking them”, Chaerin says and Jimin shakes his head quickly.

“No, we didn’t do anything.”

“Then they need to take responsibility. If we can’t trust the road to be safe, neutral ground anymore, we’ll be in the middle of an all-out war soon. The road through the forest is essential for the mountain wolves – everyone has to visit the human city close by at least once a year and if the neutral ground is no longer neutral, then…” The head alpha purses her lips. “Then who even knows what’ll happen. One thing is for certain, though: the forest will no longer be a safe place for any of us.”

Jungkook hadn’t even thought about that. Actually, he had pretty much pushed the Lee pack to the back of his mind ever since the Park pack became the bigger problem. But he understands where Chaerin is coming from. Something needs to be done.

And maybe he wants some justice for Jimin as well. Someone from the Lee pack attacked him, killed his grandmother – the only family Jimin had left before coming here – and left him gravely injured. Left him waiting for death.

Anyone who makes Jimin feel like that deserves a punishment.

“But what can we do? We can’t just march into their territory and demand for them to make amends, can we?” Seokjin wonders aloud with a thoughtful look on his face.

“Of course we can’t”, Chaerin shakes her head. “We’ll have to call for a meeting.”

Both Jungkook and Jimin jerk their heads up at the same time. “A meeting?”

There’s a wry smile on the pack-leader’s face. “A grand meeting between all seven packs of this area. It’s an issue that considers us all and the Lee pack won’t have any other choice but to acknowledge their wrongdoing if more than one pack is involved.”

Peer pressure. What a great thing, indeed.

“But… how?”

The packs are hostile against each other. Jungkook doesn’t think it’s possible for a meeting to be held and for everyone to get out of it without a scratch. They’re too different from each other, with different beliefs and worlds.

But then again… The alpha turns to glance at Jimin, whose eyes are fixated on Chaerin. Essentially, all wolves are driven by the same instincts. When it comes to protecting their own, Jungkook thinks no pack is different from one another.

“You’ve heard stories of a shared past, haven’t you?” Chaerin goes onto explain, waving her hand dismissively in the air. When the other four nod, she continues: “They aren’t just stories. It’s been many moons since then, but at one point, the packs of this area didn’t live separately like they do now. It would be wrong to say that we were all part of a one, huge pack – there were distinct leaders back then too, but there was peace and no boundaries. Back then, it was completely normal for a wolf to mate with someone out of their pack.”

“What happened, then?” Jimin asks, tone careful.

“Some got too greedy. No one is entirely sure who started it – it’s quite possible that we’re all guilty of it – but at some point, some started to become more territorial. They begun to mark their territory and drive others away. There were more fights between the packs that resulted into deaths and from what I’ve heard, one especially cruel winter drove everyone apart. The packs scattered and formed their own communities. And as years went past, we drifted apart even more.”

Chaerin lets out a long sigh before an amused smile makes its way onto her lips. “Well, I can’t say that it wasn’t to be expected. Wolves are greedy, selfish creatures. But some rules made back then still apply. The road cutting through the forest is neutral ground. Duels are battles of one’s pride. And, when one pack-leader calls for a grand meeting, all must answer.”

“I see”, Namjoon mutters, frowning slightly. “So even if they wouldn’t want to, they must acknowledge your call and come in peace. Since we are such rule-bound beings, there’s only a very little chance anyone will ignore your request.”

“I doubt any of them will”, Chaerin says, but nods to Namjoon’s words regardless. “I’ll make the call tonight. Hopefully we’ll be able to hold the meeting later this week. Namjoon, you’re of course coming with me. Also, Jimin and Jungkook, you’re coming as well.”

“Wait – why? And to where?”

“There was a trading market at the root of the mountains, back before the packs split ways. There are still some buildings up there and someone takes care of them in case a meeting is ever held. I don’t know exactly who… Jiwoo said it’s most likely a healer from a close by pack and that would mean the Min pack. As to why I need you two to come, it’s because Jimin can most likely recognize his attacker. And he needs you there, alpha Jeon.”

Jungkook nods slowly. Of course if Jimin goes, he’ll come too – as if he’d let those Lee bastards close to his omega again without someone there to keep an eye on them.

Chaerin starts to rise from her seat, apparently ready to head back out. “Well, I’ll send someone to gather you when the time to go comes. Now, I believe you two have some unfinished business with each other—”

Suddenly they hear the front door bang open, followed by rushed footsteps. It reminds Jungkook of when Taehyung last came to get him for Jimin’s heat and his alpha grows restless right away, sensing that there’s something wrong. But this time, it’s not Taehyung. It’s Jiwoo.

“Head alpha Kim”, the healer appears into the kitchen doorway, breathing heavily and an old phone in her hands. “T-they called – they’ve made t-the call—”

Chaerin darts towards Jiwoo right away, concern written all over her face. “Who? Who called, Jiwoo?”

“The Lee pack. The Lee pack has requested for a grand meeting.”

Taehyung throws another block of wood into the fireplace and looks back at Jimin.

“So, let me go through this once more. The Lee pack has called for a grand meeting, it’s going to be held tomorrow, you and Jungkook have to go with the head alpha and you still haven’t let him mate you.”

Jimin wants to bang his head on the table. It feels like Taehyung is more fixated on him and Jungkook completing the mating bond than Jimin and the alpha themselves are. But, it’s not like the other omega is wrong. It’s already been a month and there has been no progress between them.

All thanks to Jimin.

“Yes, yes, yes and no.”

“Why the hell not?” the silver head asks before standing up fully and placing his hands on his hips, a scowl on his sharp features. “I don’t get it. All you have to do is ask Jungkook to bite you back and then you’ll have him – forever. You can stop this ridiculous sulking and beating around the bush.”

“I’m not sulking”, Jimin pouts. He definitely is sulking.

Taehyung rolls his eyes and they can hear Hoseok snort from the kitchen rather loudly, not even trying to mask that he’s been eavesdropping on them.

“Chim, Jiminie, my sweet baby peach”, Taehyung singsongs, waltzing over to the smaller omega by the crafts table.

They’ve been helping Hoseok around the tailor’s hut for a few hours now but honestly, Jimin thinks they’ve done more damage than actual work. Jimin only knows how to sew and Taehyung can’t even properly do that. Though, Hoseok probably doesn’t mind. He’ll use any excuse he can to have Taehyung around.

“You know Jungkook would never reject you, right?” the silver-haired omega continues, slumping down next to Jimin on the wooden bench. His brown eyes are wide and full of sparkles, and in a way, Jimin feels like Taehyung could see straight into his very soul. “He’s head over heels for you, Jiminie. I bet he’s dying to mate you.”

Jimin knows, he really does. He can feel the alpha’s desire for him, and he won’t act like it doesn’t pain him every time he feels Jungkook’s eyes linger on his neck, longing. He wishes he could just bear his neck and very being for the alpha, his wolf has never wanted something as much as it now wants Jungkook, but he can’t.

He just can’t.

“Oh no”, Taehyung’s big hands come to grasp Jimin’s cheeks. “Oh no. Don’t start crying. You know I hate to see you cry—”

“’m sorry”, Jimin whimpers, quickly wiping the fat tears away. Taehyung lets his hands fall down from his face but leans closer, his strawberry scent turning a tad bit sweeter with his attempt to comfort the smaller omega. “I’m a real big mess, aren’t I?”

Taehyung smiles. There’s no judgement in his eyes and his smile is nothing but kind. Sometimes Jimin still thinks that he doesn’t deserve a look of such pure fondness. “It’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

Jimin only sniffles, still attempting to wipe his eyes dry.

“Hey, it’s okay. Cry if you want to, I’m not going anywhere. Jungkook will never have to know if you so want. I may be his best friend but I’m also here for you. If you let me, I’d like to be your best friend as well.”

Hearing Taehyung’s words, tears spring into his eyes again and he closes them, trembling against Taehyung’s warm body. Jimin has always hated showing his weaknesses and insecurities – in his old pack, that could’ve meant death, so he had to hide it – and he doesn’t think it’ll ever get easier. But out of everyone, Taehyung is probably the last person who’d mock his fears. Jungkook wouldn’t either, Jimin’s sure of that, but he has caused too much grieve for him already. Jimin doesn’t want the alpha to ever see this part of him again.

“H-how…” Jimin whispers, furiously wiping at his eyes. “How c-can you say that?”

“Jimin—”

“It’s not that I don’t want him to mate me, okay!” the words suddenly burst out of the blonde’s mouth and before he can stop himself, he’s already crying out all of his pain. “But I just can’t – I can’t stomach the fact that I mated him without him even being conscious. I feel like I’m not better than them, better than him. And I know – I know I saved his life and I don’t regret it, but it’s just, I just don’t know what to think anymore, Taehyung I don’t know if it’s right for me to want anything from him, I don’t want to be like him, I don’t—”

Taehyung grabs a hold of his face with both of his hands once more, this time rather roughly, and squishes his cheeks together, silencing Jimin.

There’s fire dancing in his eyes and it’s not just the reflection of the flames in the fireplace.

“You’re okay, Jimin. You’re okay”, the other omega says softly, voice quieter than Jimin has ever heard. “Now repeat after me: I’m not my uncle. I’m not my mother. I’m Park fucking Jimin and I deserve the world.”

Jimin tries to shake his head out of Taehyung’s grasp but the other is surprisingly strong, refusing to let go.

“I said, repeat after me.”

“I-I’m n-not my u-uncle”, Jimin stammers, every word coming out in hiccups. “I’m n-not my mother. I – I’m Jimin—”

“And I deserve the world”, Taehyung encourages, eyes softening once more.

But Jimin can’t say it. He can’t, not now. Maybe not ever.

He just shakes his head the best he can, closing his eyes and whimpering quietly. Taehyung’s hold loosens but he doesn’t pull his hands away, just smooths his thumbs gently over Jimin’s cheeks and says: “You deserve his love, Minie. So say it for me, please. Say that you deserve him.”

“I-I—” I want to stay with him forever, I want him to only look at me, I want him so much “—d-deserve Jungkook’s l-love.”

Without another word, Taehyung yanks him into his arms, wrapping himself around the smaller omega like a koala. Jimin buries his face into Taehyung’s chest and sobs quietly. His shoulders tremble uncontrollably but for some reason, it doesn’t feel like this indescribable weight would be trying to push him down anymore. The pain in his heart eases.

“Sometimes it’s hard to say it aloud”, Taehyung mumbles into Jimin’s hair. “Even the most obvious things in the world can be hard to put into words.”

They’re silent for a long moment. Jimin takes comfort in the steady beat of Taehyung’s heart against his left cheek, the calm motions of his chest.

“He loves you, Jimin. He loves you so goddamn much and it hurts me that you can’t see it. Jungkook doesn’t care that you marked him without him being awake – like you said, you saved his life. If anything, he’s thankful. And confused, because you’re not letting him mark you back. Why is that, little one?”

“Because… an incomplete bond can break. If he ever wants to back away, he could do it.” Jimin’s wolf howls in despair at the thought of Jungkook leaving them and even his human side easily admits that if it ever came to that, he doesn’t think he’d survive the heartache.

“You know fully well that alpha is ready to spend his whole life with you. Jimin, he might’ve fallen in love with you slowly, but he fell hard. He fell for life.”

Taehyung pulls back from the hug and takes Jimin’s chin gently into his hand, smiling softly. “Don’t hold back, Min. Love him and let him love you. I’m all for using your head but sometimes, following your heart is the right choice.”

Jimin can’t help but smile a little at Taehyung’s words and the silver head takes that as a victory, his own smile widening into a full-blown grin. It’s easy to see why so many people are completely infatuated with Taehyung.

“That is so cheesy”, comes another voice suddenly, and the two omegas turn their heads towards the kitchen. Hoseok is leaning on the doorway, arms crossed over his chest and an amused smile lingering on his lips.

Dear mother nature, Jimin’s cheeks turn bright red and he hastily hides behind Taehyung to clean up his face. He had forgotten Hoseok’s presence completely.

“You ruined the moment, hyung”, Taehyung whines.

Hoseok lets out a good-natured laugh. “I’m sorry but that really must’ve been the most cliché thing you’ve ever said, Tae.”

The beta’s face turns a bit more serious, then. “Though, I agree. Jiminie, Jungkook loves you more than life itself. I think he’s proven that already. So back to what Taehyung begun this conversation with, stop beating around the bush. For once, just take what you want. I don’t want to see either of you hurt anymore.”

Jimin wipes away the last of his tears and takes in a deep, shuddering breath. “He’s hurting, isn’t he?” he asks in a small voice, glancing at his two… friends. Yes, definitely friends. It’s a thought that brings him more comfort than he ever thought it would.

“A lot”, Taehyung confirms, not caring to sweeten his words the slightest. But maybe Jimin needs it. “But he’ll understand. After all—” the silver head reaches over to brush a stray lock behind Jimin’s ear, grinning once more “—he loves you, doesn’t he?”

Jimin nods and smiles back wide enough for his eyes to form two crescent moons and for a lone tear to trail down his cheek.

“Yeah, he does.”

They leave early in the morning. The sun has barely risen above the horizon when Namjoon comes to get them, kissing bye to Seokjin in the process. They’ll be back late in the evening at best, it’s a two-hour journey by foot to the root of the mountains.

Chaerin, Yoongi and Jaebum are already waiting for them by the village border when they arrive. Jungkook sees Changmin’s, the vice-leader’s, retreating back on their way – obviously he’s staying behind to take care of the pack for the day.

“Ready?” the head alpha asks as soon as everyone has gathered. “Please put your clothes into that leather bag. We’ll be conversing in our human forms and for the comfort of everyone, clothes are important. Jaebum and Jungkook can take turns carrying the bag.”

The air is full of electricity. Jungkook is both excited and nervous about the whole ordeal. It’s a once in a lifetime chance to see the other packs’ head alphas and get to partake in an almost historical event for the seven packs of this area. He’s pretty sure it’s only the second time a grand meeting is being held.

Chaerin is the last one to transform into her wolf form, overseeing everyone else. Her wolf is the same color as Namjoon’s, a dark, muddy brown with some streaks of lighter brown, and only slightly smaller. Amongst the forest wolves, Jimin’s white fur sticks out like a spot of snow in summer but Jungkook loves it anyway, rubbing his head against Jimin’s to quickly scent him before they’re on their way.

They run through the forest, the head alpha first and Yoongi last. Almost automatically, the alphas position themselves in a barrier around Jimin’s smaller form, another reminder that wolves are, at the end of the day, driven by primitive instincts – it’s an alpha’s job to protect an omega. Jimin might’ve not taken Jungkook’s mark or officially joined the pack, but he’s a part of them, of their family.

Anyone, perhaps even Jaehwan, would fight for him now.

When they reach the road, Chaerin stops for a moment to sniff at the air. “The Lees haven’t left yet. We better hurry, I do not want to end up walking alongside them.”

That really wouldn’t be desirable, taking into consideration how often the Kim and Lee packs clash. The last time Chaerin almost died, too.

The next two hours are spent running side by side, Jungkook and Jaebum switching the bag between them every now and then. They watch curiously as the forest turns into a big area of lakes and swamps, and the scents in the air change.

“It’s the Song pack”, Jimin tells, slowing down a little to match Jungkook’s pace. Out of them all, the blonde omega is the one who has probably walked through here the most, so unlike the forest wolves, he’s used to the change of scenery. “Their territory consists mostly of wetlands. I think behind them is the Choi pack.”

Jungkook glances back at the direction of the swamps. He swears he can see something moving, watching them.

After a good while, the wetlands end and trees begin to crowd their sight once more. The mountains are closer than ever before, looming above them and casting them in the shadows. Jimin and Chaerin move on with determination but the rest are a bit hesitant. It’s completely unknown land to them and quite literally, the road is their only safety.

The head alpha is definitely right. If the road stops being neutral ground, they’ll be seeing a lot more bloody fights in the future.

When the scent in the air changes again, Jungkook knows they’re close to the Min pack’s territory – the first that can be considered mountain wolves. Up ahead, the sea of trees begins to turn scarce as well and soon enough, the trees end all together and old, moldering wooden huts come in view. There’s only one house that doesn’t look like it’s about to crumble down and there are quite many wolves gathered around it.

Jungkook moves automatically closer to Jimin, keeping his head low but ears high. The mingling scents of strange wolves makes him uncomfortable and with the way the others of their small party gather closer, he’s pretty sure they’ve all stepped far out of their comfort zone.

Chaerin comes to a halt in front of the house. The wolves lounging on the terrace lift their heads up, lazily eyeing the Kim pack’s head alpha. Their furs are a mixture of grey and white, their eyes mostly grey as well aside for a few, piercing blue ones. The scent of firewood is strong in the air.

The Min pack, Jungkook muses, eyeing each wolf carefully. It’s not his first time seeing them but the last time he was teeth deep in someone’s neck. He didn't exactly spend time observing any of them.

“Are we the second ones to arrive?” Chaerin asks rather casually, sitting down. Her body never relaxes though and because of that, Jungkook doesn’t let himself lower his guard either.

“You are”, someone answers – an older sounding male wolf, whose nose is covered in grey hair. His grey eyes are dull, showing nothing. For a second, Jungkook thinks he’s the pack-leader but suddenly the house door flies open and a young female alpha steps out, in her human form and looking somewhat pissed.

“What in the name of the lunar deity are you doing outside? Get inside already and change—” she cuts herself off midsentence, only then noticing that they’re not alone anymore. Her eyes are light grey, stormy and cold. “Oh, if it isn’t the Kim pack. Glad to see some are on time at least.”

She lifts her hand and motions them to get inside too. “You can change your clothes in one of the free rooms. My healer is already preparing some tea for us, feel free to show some gratitude.” Her grin is devilish and gummy, almost familiar. Jungkook glances at Yoongi, who stands behind him with a blank look in his eyes.

Chaerin snorts. “Young alphas these days…”

She then stands up and walks inside, leading her pack members into a room with an open door. Jaebum pushes it close with his head and then they begin to change.

When they come back outside, a beta from the Min pack leads them inside a large room with one, long table in the middle and barren walls. The female alpha from earlier is sitting at the other head of the table, legs propped up in a careless matter. Behind her stands the male alpha who answered Chaerin earlier and some other Min wolves, one omega and two other alphas.

“I see that the head alpha’s position has moved to the next generation in your pack”, Chaerin chuckles as she takes a seat on the right side of the other woman. Namjoon stands next to her but Jungkook and Jimin opt to stay further behind, the alpha’s bigger form almost covering Jimin’s body completely.

“Father’s grown too weak to hunt”, the younger female answers with a shrug of shoulders. “I received this position last fall. The name’s Moonbyul.” She then smiles, unruly black hair swinging from side to side as she turns fully towards Chaerin. “Honored to meet you, Kim Chaerin. You’re a real legend among us pack-leaders. Of course, alongside Park Minyoung.”

Chaerin smiles back at her. Nothing in her expression shows that she knows the sad truth of Park Minyoung’s fate. Jimin merely flinches at the mention of his mother, which is understandable when he barely knew her. Even when she was alive, she was more of a pack-leader than a mother.

“I’m sure you’ll become one yourself. I can see that you have quite the personality, Moonbyul-ah. I’m expecting great things of you in the future – of course, outside of my territory.”

Moonbyul laughs and the rest of the conversation goes to deaf ears on Jungkook’s part. He’s watching Yoongi curiously and Jimin seems to follow his gaze. The dark-haired alpha is standing just behind Namjoon, behaving as calmly as ever but anyone who’s known him for as long as Jungkook has, can see the subtle rigidness of his body.

Jimin taps his shoulder weakly and he leans down a little. “Isn’t Yoongi-hyung’s surname Min?” the omega whispers into his ear and Jungkook hums with a confirmative nod.

“Yeah, it is.”

“Is he… like me?”

“Kind of, I suppose. He was born and raised in our pack.” Jungkook’s gaze moves slowly towards the Min wolves. One of them is a black-haired alpha with the same kind of stormy grey eyes as Yoongi, a bit of a grey stubble showing, lines of age apparent on his face. Jungkook can easily imagine Yoongi looking the same in thirty years or so.

“His alpha father is a Min wolf. At the time he and Yoongi’s other father met, he was rogue. I don’t think even Yoongi knows the reason why he wasn’t with the Min pack then, but either way, he stumbled upon our territory and got injured in a fight. Yoongi’s omega father put his life on the line to save him.”

Jungkook purses his lips, thinking about the older omega, who he sees sometimes sitting outside of his home, as if waiting for someone who’s never going to return. Yoongi never speaks of his alpha father but he’s fiercely protective of the man who raised him – even if his father would return, Yoongi would most likely kill him. Jungkook understands.

Jimin doesn’t ask for a further explanation. He takes one look at the man Jungkook was eyeing before and sighs. He can most likely piece the rest of the story together on his own.

About half an hour manages to pass before another pack makes its appearance. The Choi pack comes in silence, colors of their fur a mixture of muddy brown and black. Their head alpha is an old man with a long scar on his neck and he glares at Chaerin with such anger that Jungkook feels like these two go way back.

Next comes the pack Jungkook knows the least of – the northern Seo pack. They’re all completely white, eyes so light blue they almost seem white too and Jungkook is very unsettled by the silver-haired woman that introduces herself as the head alpha. Her skin is paler than Jimin’s ever was and looks paper thin, and yet the look in her eyes, the way she carries herself, tells Jungkook that she’s the last person in there that he’d want to fight with.

The Song pack comes just moments later, their head alpha a sweet, middle-aged man who greets Chaerin like an old friend, even going as far as to sitting next to her. The members of his pack are small but seemingly well-built, but completely lack their leader's welcoming attitude.

The Lee pack is the next to arrive. As soon as they step inside the room, Jimin grows tense and Jungkook can barely hold down his growl. Jaebum comes to stand on Jimin’s other side, giving the two one warning glance before turning to watch the Lee wolves himself.

The Lee pack’s head alpha is a man of Chaerin’s age. Jungkook has seen him before a couple of times and views him as a man similar to Park Minhyun – strong, greedy, prideful – but today he looks tired, nervous even. With him is a male omega, two alphas and two betas. The omega’s eyes find Jimin right away and Jungkook sees something akin to recognition flash in the brown orbs before he turns away.

“Is that him?” he murmurs quietly, poking Jimin’s side. “The omega.”

Jimin grabs a hold of Jungkook’s finger and squeezes hard. “No. It’s the alpha – the shorter one.” The blonde swallows nervously, and Jungkook can feel his trembles like they’d resonate through him as well. His honeysuckle scent is full of anxiety and it cuts through the air heavily, making few other wolves close by turn their heads at their direction. Soon enough, everyone will know something is wrong.

“Alpha Jeon.”

Jungkook snaps his gaze towards his head alpha, who’s looking back at him and Jimin with a look of concern in her warm amber eyes.

“Take Jimin outside for a moment. Calm him down. Once the Park pack arrives, we’ll start the meeting.”

Jungkook nods hesitatingly before wrapping an arm around Jimin’s shoulders, guiding him through the sea of wolves while masking the omega’s rotten scent with his own. He’s sure they’ve already caused a scene, but had they stayed any longer, Jimin would’ve spiraled into a panic attack.

As indifferent as he may act, that attack from the Lee pack took the life of his grandmother. It’s never going to be just okay.

Outside, they’re greeted by crisp, spring air. Even though they can still smell the other packs, their scents are muted and Jungkook leans down to completely scent Jimin for good measure. The omega seems to appreciate that as he chases after him, rubbing his own nose against Jungkook’s scent glands.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine in there?” the alpha asks quietly, concern heavy in his tone. “We can just wait outside too.”

“That would be running away”, Jimin mumbles with a shake of head. “I can’t do that. Despite I… I want to hear why. I need to hear it.”

The look in Jimin’s eyes is a mixture of both fear and determination. Jungkook understands that now that he's been given the chance, the omega needs to hear the truth for him to move on from the incident. But the alpha is afraid it might be the kind of truth he doesn’t want to hear. A truth that does more harm than good.

However, he knows better than to argue with Jimin. He just has to trust the omega’s judgement on this.

“Okay. Just, don’t hesitate to tell me if you start to feel uncomfortable, okay? I don’t want you to push yourself too far”, he says, capturing Jimin’s chin in a gentle hold. The omega nods once and Jungkook smiles, pecking his lips.

“That’s my perfect omega.”

He loves the way Jimin’s cheeks turn a warm shade of pink and how the praise makes him practically vibrate, the instinctual purr trying to force its way out of his chest. Jimin’s small hands hold onto his coat tight and his mismatching eyes are bright and honest, full of stars and galaxies, and the warmth of home. Jungkook lets his hand move from the omega’s chin to his neck, covering the spot where his mating mark would go.

His smile wavers and his canines ache once more. Jungkook tries to hide it from Jimin, but of course the omega catches it – the way his lips curl downwards just the slightest and his eyes, unconsciously flicker towards his neck, how his cedarwood scent spikes with sadness – and he opens his mouth, hands moving up towards Jungkook’s face.

The alpha is faster though, taking a considerate step backwards. “I know, I know. Soon enough—”

“Will you complete the bond with me tonight?” Jimin cuts him off softly, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat.

Jungkook’s brain shuts down. For once, his alpha has gone completely silent as well.

Jimin gives him an apologetic smile, seeing the conflicted emotions in Jungkook’s eyes. “I’m sorry, that was a bit sudden. But I don’t think I could’ve held it down any longer. I’ve been meaning to ask since yesterday but exactly how do you word something like this? Hey, I’m sorry for making you wait but can you finally bite me back?” Jimin snorts softly. “That doesn’t sound right.”

The omega’s eyes wander towards the collapsed huts and the trees that grow by the road. There are small, pinkish flowers on the branches waiting for sunlight to bloom. The scent of honeysuckles mixes with the sweet aroma of cherry blossoms and Jimin’s smile is warmer than any ray of sun.

“I’m sorry, Jungkook. I truly am. I never meant to make you wait like this, to hurt you like this – I was just… overwhelmed, I guess. I needed a little bit of time to think and maybe some advice.” Jimin turns back towards him, giving Jungkook that crescent eye smile that makes his heart want to leap out of his chest and into his hands, just so he could give it to Jimin. “It was never because I wouldn’t want to have your mark on me. If you’ll have me, I’d like to spend the rest of my life with you—”

A pair of soft lips silence Jimin midsentence. Jungkook cups the omega’s cheeks with his hands and Jimin places his own on top of his, smiling into the kiss.

“Shut up”, the alpha growls quietly. “Just shut up.”

“Oh Kookie—”

“Shh, put those lips into better use.”

Jimin huffs a laugh against his lips before truly kissing back, his smaller body practically melting against Jungkook’s own. The alpha loves the feeling of having his omega in his arms – he’s perfect for him, not too small and not too big, slim and soft but defined at the same time, his fairness a contrast to Jungkook’s bigger, rougher form. And he’s all Jungkook’s, tonight he’ll be his in all possible ways. His omega, his love, his life.

“Are you crying?” Jimin asks suddenly, letting go of Jungkook’s hands in favor of cupping his face. “Oh my baby alpha, I’m so sorry. So sorry to have made you feel like I’d ever say no to you.”

Jungkook sniffles and buries his face in Jimin’s neck. “It’s okay.”

Jimin hums softly, a melody Jungkook remembers well, and wraps his arms around the alpha. Somehow, he manages to embrace him without toppling over. The tears Jungkook hadn’t even realized had begun to fall dry quickly.

He has no reason to be sad anymore.

“If it isn’t everyone’s favorite couple”, a familiar voice calls out, snapping Jimin and Jungkook out of their own world.

The alpha growls lowly, recognizing that minty scent immediately, and he pulls Jimin into his own arms, eyes flashing gold.

“Hyunwoo”, he greets the Park alpha with reluctance. He’s answered by a wicked grin.

“You two are still going strong I see. Good for you”, Hyunwoo says. Jungkook’s not entirely sure he means it (most likely not), but he still nods. Today, they aren’t here as enemies, so he must push their past disagreements behind. Despite, the Kim and Park packs have come to a truce – there’s no open hostility between them anymore.

There’s no reason for that when Park Minhyun is dead and Jimin is with the Kim pack.

“You Park wolves are the last ones to arrive”, Jungkook informs Hyunwoo. At least they’ve already changed into clothes so the meeting can begin right away.

The other alpha laughs. “Park wolves? I think you’ve got it wrong, Jeon. There are no Park wolves amongst us anymore.” Hyunwoo’s cold blue eyes are filled by mirth and something predatory. “Say hello to the Kwon pack. I am the new head alpha.”

“The… Kwon pack?” Jimin mumbles, frowning a little. Jungkook wonders if it hurts him to hear that the last of his family’s legacy has been thrown away but then suddenly, Jimin smiles. “Head alpha Kwon”, he calls out to Hyunwoo. “You better make the pack half as great as Park Minyoung did or I’ll kick your ass.”

Hyunwoo lets out a loud laugh and some of the Park – no, Kwon wolves laugh alongside him. The chains of fear that Minhyun had made have been broken. The pack is free of his tyranny, although Jungkook has no doubts that it’s going to take years for everything to return to the golden age of Minyoung. And even when it does, Jungkook will never fully forgive them for what they did to Jimin. He doubts the omega will either, no matter the brave front he's putting on now.

“Someone finally grew a pair of balls. Although”, Hyunwoo smirks and begins to walk towards the house, passing them on his way. “You’ve always been your mother’s son, haven’t you?”

Jimin doesn’t reply and Jungkook watches silently as the Kwon wolves filter inside after their new head alpha. Once they’re on their own again, the alpha turns to the omega in his arms.

“Ready?” he asks. “It’s going to be over after this.”

Jimin takes his hand and smiles. “Then let’s get this over with. I’m ready to go home.”

Chapter Text

When they return inside, it’s eerily silent in the meeting room. Jimin tries not to look at anyone particular, keeping his gaze lowered as he follows Jungkook back to Chaerin and the rest of the Kim pack, but he can’t help but catch the gaze of that omega from the Lee pack.

There’s something akin to desperation in those clear brown orbs. Jimin wonders if he has something to do with the attack a few moons back.

Hyunwoo and the rest of the Park – no, the Kwon pack, have yet to join them. But it’s obvious that the other pack leaders have noticed that Jimin’s mother is no longer there, and there’s a new kind of tension in the air. They’re preparing to assess the power of a new head alpha, much like Jimin can see them doing to Min Moonbyul. If Hyunwoo fails to impress them, anyone from the other mountain wolves could try to take over their territory.

Only the strongest prevail. That’s how it has always been.

But Jimin doesn’t feel as bad about that as he probably should. A part of him is nervous for the rest of the Kwon pack, but a much bigger part of him has long stopped caring. The mountains were never a home to him to begin with. His former pack members are faceless to him, nameless creatures that used to habit the same territory as he.

“Can’t those Park wolves hurry up? I don’t have all day”, the Lee’s head alpha suddenly growls, seeming to grow more and more frustrated with each passing second. He’s been nervous the whole time, it’s radiating from him in powerful waves that leave Jimin on the edge, his hands automatically curling around Jungkook’s arm. He knows it has something to do with him and his grandmother.

“Let’s stay calm now”, Chaerin interjects rather softly. “They’ve been having some rough times lately.”

“Ever the peace maker”, another pack-leader comments, throwing a disgusted look towards Chaerin. “You’re becoming too soft. Such a stark difference to your father.”

“There are more ways to lead with than fear, Choi. You should try it sometimes.”

“Are you picking a fight with me, Kim?” the man answers, eyes flashing a dangerous gold. But Chaerin merely snorts at that, uninterested.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m not here to fight with anyone and neither are you.”

It’s obvious that they’re all tense and uncomfortable with the current situation but creating unneeded issues wouldn’t be to anyone’s favor. Jimin’s respect for Chaerin grows when she easily ignores the other alpha’s challenge, her pride thrown aside. It’s not a feature many alphas possess, but somehow, he seems to have found them all.

Hyunwoo enters the room with the rest of his pack just then, cutting off the argument between the other head alphas before it really even gets to start. Jimin’s relieved about that, feeling his shoulders relax a little as Hyunwoo takes the last free place by the table, lazily leaning back. He doesn’t seem too worried.

“So”, Moonbyul says, carefully eyeing the newcomer. “You’re the new head of the Park pack?”

Hyunwoo merely shrugs, keeping his calm. “I am. But there are no Park wolves among us anymore, so please, address us as the Kwon pack from now on.”

Someone snorts, another one laughs, and Moonbyul leans back with a thoughtful look on her face. Her gaze runs over the wolves standing behind Hyunwoo before coming to a short stop by Jimin. Undoubtedly, she knows. If she’s ever seen Jimin’s mother, it isn’t that hard to draw a connection between the two – Jimin looks strikingly similar to Minyoung, platinum blonde hair, fair skin and petite but strong built, much like Jihyun was an almost exact replica of their father. But the head of the Mins says nothing more on that subject, just nods curtly and turns towards the Lees’ head alpha.

“Get to the point then, Lee. You’re the one who called us here.”

The older alpha throws a nasty glare towards Moonbyul, but she doesn’t seem fazed. Jimin has no doubts that she’s going to be a magnificent head alpha one day. But before neither can speak more, Chaerin steps in with, for the first time, a hint of anger in her tone.

“Maybe I should be the one to speak first. I’m pretty sure I know what we’re here for, anyway. Probably better than you yourself, Lee.”

Her words make the rest of the wolves present shift uncomfortably. Jimin takes note of how some move unconsciously towards their head alpha, ready to shield them should it come to that, while others hide behind their leader, seeking the comfort of their packmates. The only ones who seem slightly more comfortable are the Mins, but then again, their territory is the closest to them right now. They have nothing to fear for, unlike the Kims, Seos and Lees, whose territories are the furthest from the old trading area.

The Lees’ head alpha lets out an agreeing grunt. He doesn’t seem happy about Chaerin directing her anger towards him, but at the same time, he doesn’t seem all that surprised. It gives Jimin some hope that maybe they’re there to try and redeem themselves rather than point fingers and pick fights. Maybe he can leave back home with his heart a little lighter than when he came, after all.

“Your wolves attacked some mountain wolves on the road a few moons ago”, Chaerin starts, leaning forward. Her long sand-brown locks fall over her broad shoulders and the lights hanging above make them look like waves of fire. “Killed one, drove the other into my territory. On neutral ground. If you’re not here to make amends and explain your actions, I don’t have high hopes for your future.”

“What?” it’s the Seos head alpha who speaks first, her tone outraged. She doesn’t even give the Lees a chance to answer. “I knew you weren’t the wisest, Lee, but this is ridiculous. Do you have no respect for the rules of old?”

The Songs’ pack-leader nods along. “I agree with head alpha Seo. If what Chaerin says is true, you can’t expect to get out of this without punishment. That road is precious to us – how can you disrespect the lunar deity by breaking her rules? Have you got no shame?”

“What proof does Kim even have?” Choi interjects, and Jimin bets he’s picking the Lees side just because he has unresolved issues with Chaerin.

“Does she need to have proof? Isn’t us being called here proof enough?” Moonbyul asks.

“She’s making accusations without anything to back her up, I’m not putting my faith in her until I’ve heard Lee’s side as well. Besides, we all know they have bad blood between each other. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kim is just trying to get rid of the Lees for good.”

“As if she’d ever do something like that—” Namjoon begins, angered by the false accusation thrown at his mother. But Chaerin silences him with a gentle hand on his arm and turns to Jimin. Her amber eyes are warm as ever, with a bright glimmer in them. She doesn’t need to voice out what she wants; the omega knows right away what she’s asking for. It’s what he’s therefore, anyway.

He is their proof.

Suddenly there are a dozen other eye pairs on him, judging and calculating, and Jimin sees recognition in some of them, but most are void of anything but annoyance. He swallows nervously, and if it wasn’t for Jungkook’s warm body pressing against his back reassuringly, he might’ve backed off. Which wouldn’t have been to his favor, but with a gentle nudge from his alpha, Jimin finds the courage to step up to stand besides Chaerin, mismatching eyes finding Lees.

The older man stares back at him impassively. Jimin can’t help but wonder if he regrets his actions at all – if his grandmother’s life was worth shit to him. Probably not.

Jimin hates him. But at the same time, he might owe something to the Lees.

Because without them, there’s a chance he would’ve never met Jungkook. And when he thinks about it that way, maybe his grandmother didn’t just die in vain. Maybe she did end up gifting Jimin with a life he only ever dreamed of. And maybe Jimin is doing this mostly for his own peace of mind, but it’s for her as well.

“As one of the mountain wolves who were attacked, I’ll testify for Chaerin”, Jimin says, his voice coming out surprisingly strong despite his earlier hesitation.

“And who are you?” Seos head alpha asks, the cold look in her eyes telling that she’s not taking him seriously. None of them are – unless Jimin gives them a reason to do so. “You certainly look like a mountain wolf, but Kim wouldn’t have spared you if you were one. So, who exactly are you?”

“I’m…” who is he, that’s a good question. Right now, he carries no name, no pack bond. He’s just… Jimin. “I’m Jimin. For now.”

“Jimin, huh.”

His words are followed by reactions that are equally amused as the ones Hyunwoo received earlier, but Jimin could honestly care less if he has the pack leaders’ respect or not. He’s not there for that. Still, he can’t help but add, with a slightly irritated edge to his tone: “If it helps you to believe me, I used to be Park Jimin. Son of Park Minyoung and Kim Yoojoon. Probably explains why Kim spared me.”

Chaerin had little to do with whether Jimin lived or died, in the end. It’s mostly thanks to Jungkook’s persistence and endless amount of faith – that somehow turned into love as time went by – that he’s still there.

He won’t waste the alpha’s efforts. And he won’t silence his voice any longer.

“A half blood, then”, Seo murmurs. “And of two such powerful bloodlines too. Interesting…”

For once, Choi has been rendered silent as well, and Jimin sends him a disgusted look. Choi is too much like his uncle, a bad representative of alphas, and Jimin doesn’t feel proud knowing he thought each and every one was like him. But he knows better now, found better.

The blonde omega turns back to the Lees. “I’m not asking for you to punish any of your wolves. I just want to know why – why did you do that? What gave you the right to do that?”

He can’t hide the pain in his voice, anger simmering deep under it, and it’s probably all thanks to Jungkook’s steady hand resting on his lower back that Jimin doesn’t outright growl at the Lees’ head alpha.

The man is silent for a few more seconds, which is enough to wipe away any doubts from the minds of others, before he sighs – a tired, defeated sound – and motions towards the omega standing behind him. “Taeyong. Explain yourself to the omega.”

The other omega – Taeyong – steps forward with a terrified look in his eyes until he’s standing next to his head alpha, directly opposite of Jimin. The two look at each other for a long moment, and Jimin takes notice of how tired the other looks, dark bags under his eyes, hollowed cheeks, and pale skin, almost sickly so.

But he doesn’t recall another omega’s presence being there during the attack – so why does this one look like he’s already been punished severely?

“I’m taking full responsibility for what happened”, Taeyong says, tone soft. “It’s my fault.”

“You weren’t even there”, Jimin hisses back, not understanding why he’s there, claiming responsibility when it’s the alpha behind him who he remembers. That distinct bitter scent of birch with a softer undertone of lavender is hard to forget. His body still remembers the pain it went through, and even though Jungkook has healed him and no scars were left behind, Jimin doesn’t think he’ll ever stop having nightmares about what happened.

He was left waiting and wanting death. It’s not something one just forgets and forgives.

“No”, the other omega shakes his head. “No, I wasn’t there, but it was still my fault. A-and I’m deeply sorry for the pain it has caused you – for the behalf of my father, I swear the Lee pack has no intentions of taking the neutral ground. It won’t – it won’t happen ever again.”

Taeyong seems almost scared, and the way he keeps his gaze lowered is an obvious act of submission. Jimin wants to say something, but the other omega is faster as he continues his explanation.

“As a fitting punishment, I’ve already stepped down from the position of the next head omega… I-I hope we can find a peaceful way to solve this m-matter—”

“A peaceful way?” one of the Songs exclaims. “You already killed one mountain wolf! That peace was thrown out of the window the second you disrespected the lunar deity.”

There are agreeing sounds all around them, and Jimin shifts nervously, a low growl vibrating in his chest. He had almost forgotten how violent wolves tended to be, especially the packs of this whole area. He’s heard that the Kim pack isn’t that much better either, and he doesn’t have a hard time believing that. Jimin has seen it with his own eyes, after all, felt it on his skin.

But who is he to judge any of them, truly, when the Park pack was the same even when his mother was the head alpha. Until recently, he had always just turned a blind eye to it.

This time he can’t.

“I believe it’s fair enough”, Jimin interferes, silencing the noises around him. He’s surprised by that because it’s not like he has a particularly strong presence or anything – maybe it’s his inheritance or the alpha standing tall behind him, glaring at everyone like they’d be a threat (which they probably are, in a way, so Jimin doesn’t blame Jungkook). But obviously, he has managed to intimidate the other wolves.

“Because it’s your alpha who did it, isn’t it?” The blonde omega looks at the alpha standing behind Taeyong, watching him carefully. He’s answered by a gaze filled with guilt and concern; but the concern isn’t for Jimin, no. He’s seen that look in Jungkook’s eyes before.

By now he can recognize an alpha worrying for the safety of their loved one. Besides, that scent of lavender was never the alpha’s – it’s Taeyong’s scent.

Taeyong seems mildly surprised but ends up nodding. “Y-yes, that is correct.”

“Then, because you’ve stepped down from the position of the next head omega, your alpha can never become the next head alpha either. “

“That doesn’t mean he’s received a fitting punishment”, Choi interrupts once again, and there are annoyingly many agreeing sounds made around them. Even Moonbyul seems to agree, and that just proves that they were all crafted by the same hand, in the end. They may live different lives in different territories, but their values are still the same. “Who are you to even decide? You’re not in any position—”

“And neither is he”, Jimin cuts in, throwing a cold glare towards the Chois head alpha. “And he will never be. You don’t get it, do you? He’s lost the most valued position in the pack, the position of power. One that he was almost guaranteed to have. His pride has already been ripped apart; he’s lost the respect of his packmates. What more can you possibly take from him?”

“An eye for an eye, omega. A life for a life. That’s how it has always been and how it’s supposed to be”, the alpha growls back at him, and a very big part of Jimin wants to yield, to bow his head and avert his gaze. He’s learned that resistance leads to nothing but more pain that he could’ve easily dodged by simply keeping his mouth shut. But then again, sometimes even alphas needed to be told to keep their mouths shut.

Especially when nothing wise is coming out of them.

“Times are changing”, Jimin says. “You shouldn’t let yourself be held back by useless traditions and mindsets that have far passed their expiration date.”

That seems to not only hit the nerve with the Chois head alpha, but a lot of other older wolves, who take Jimin’s words as a direct offence against themselves. Well, he is pretty much calling the rules they’ve all followed for so long useless, but he’s only speaking his own truth.

“Besides”, he continues calmly, ignoring the glares directed at him. “I believe it’s up to head alpha Lee to decide how he punishes his own wolves.”

“Why are you defending someone who hurt you?” Moonbyul asks. And it’s a valid question, but Jimin wouldn’t say that he’s defending Taeyong or his mate. He’s just trying to avoid needless slaughter because he’s seen enough of that for a lifetime. And his grandmother wouldn’t have wanted that; she was a healer, her whole life involved around helping people. Even if she died in such an unfair way, she wouldn’t want Jimin to spill blood in her name.

“Because I want to avoid more hurt.” He turns to look at the Mins’ head alpha and offers her a small smile. “Is that such a bad thing to want?”

Moonbyul stares at him for a long heartbeat, her face void of any emotion, before letting out a soft snort, a smile lingering on her lips. “No, I suppose not.”

“Then it’s settled, isn’t it?” Chaerin speaks up, straightening her back before taking on the gazes of the other head alphas head on. “Lee will punish his wolves how he sees fit. Our presence here is merely to make sure nothing like this happens ever again. We all have our differences, certainly, but if there’s something we can all agree to, it’s the fact that the road stays neutral. Or are there any interjections? Because if so, speak now.”

For some reason, even over the other head alphas, Chaerin’s presence demands attention and respect – she’s like the leader of leaders, the head of the table, the one whose words weighs the most. Even head alpha Choi stays silent.

They’re ready to wrap up the meeting. Jimin wants to say something more, to ask the questions still left unanswered but he doesn’t think anyone would listen to him anymore, everyone too eager to head back home. And he is too, he’s more than ready to go, but something is still missing.

He knows who the culprit is now, knows who to blame and knows they’ve been punished, but he doesn’t now why.

“Just one thing”, Moonbyul suddenly says, stopping the others despite many already having risen from their seats, calling it a day. “We were never given a reason as to why one of your wolves attacked someone on the road. If you don’t have a good enough of an explanation to that, head alpha Lee, how can we know it won’t happen again? Us mountain wolves have to trust that the road is safe. We don’t have the luxury of taking all our capable alphas to the town just because we feel like we might need extra protection.

“So explain to me, how did it go that far?”

Lee lets out another tired sigh, rubbing his scarred hand over his face, before motioning the alpha in question to speak. Jimin’s whole posture goes rigid when the man steps forward to stand by Taeyong’s side, and even with the table between them it still feels a little too close for comfort, the heavy scent of birch making nausea swirl in the bottom of his stomach. Jungkook squeezes his shoulder reassuringly, but Jimin can tell from the way his scent of cedarwood heightens, that the alpha feels unsettled as well.

“I can explain”, the alpha starts, his tone surprisingly soft. Jimin kind of hates how gentle he seems in the way he holds himself and his mate, how gentle his voice is, when in Jimin’s eyes, he’ll never be more than a crazed wolf who felt no remorse when he killed an innocent woman. “Well, that maybe wrong of me to say. There’s no… valid explanation, unfortunately. I made a terrible mistake and I will carry the weight of it to the grave with me.”

“Just say it, alpha”, the Seos’ head alpha growls. Her agitation is understandable, with her pack being the ones living the furthest of the town.

“I was feral when it happened.”

Oh. The tension in Jimin’s shoulders disappears, and he feels a little like falling down on his knees, all power draining from his body. Jungkook tightens his hold on him and brings him closer, as if sensing the emptiness that suddenly fills the omega.

“I even attacked my own packmate, it wasn’t just limited to the mountain wolves. It’s… they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. I have no real recollection of what happened, just this feeling that I did something terrible. Obviously, I did”, the alpha continues, looking down at his own hands, the hands of a killer. Jimin wonders if he could live with himself knowing he took an innocent’s life. Probably not.

But this – this means he can’t blame this alpha. At least, not the human in him, because Jimin knows a feral wolf doesn’t see further than its carnal desire to survive and protect. To him, Jimin and his grandmother had been a threat, one the alpha tried to dispose of.

Jimin can’t blame him when he knows fully well that he wasn’t in control. Like he knows that his mother never wanted to kill any of her packmates. Like he knows Jungkook never meant harm to Chaeyoung or him.

He releases a long, shaky breath and looks down at his own trembling, pale hands. No justice will be given to him today. He wants to cry at the unfairness of it – how it’s so unfair that it’s him, he is the one who has to pay for everything – but instead, he just squeezes his hands into tight fists and swallows down the bitterness on his tongue. There’s so much to do in the world and being bitter about something he had no control over isn’t one of those things Jimin is looking forward to.

His grandmother would scold him if he did so. Especially now that he’s been set free of the past’s burdens – she’d want for him to live a life where there’s no space for hatred. And Jimin will try everything he can to do so.

“And head alpha Lee, you’re letting a wolf that has gone feral stay in your pack? Isn’t that dangerous?” Moonbyul asks.

Her comment makes Jungkook shift nervously behind Jimin, an ashamed tinge to his scent, but the omega tries his best to soothe him with by gently caressing his arm, honeysuckle scent wrapping itself tightly around the alpha.

“I’ll make sure it never happens again”, the Lees’ head alpha simply answers, standing up. “And if it does, I’ll kill him with my own two hands.”

There’s a finishing tone to his voice, and Moonbyul seems satisfied with the answer she got as she smiles in approval and stands up as well. Although Jimin still finds it extremely cruel for the Lees’ head alpha to think so, he says nothing. Times are changing, yes, but not very fast.

One day, though. One day things will be different.

Jimin is stretching his aching muscles outside when Taeyong comes to speak with him. He’s alone, having asked for a chance to collect his thoughts on his own while bathing under the warm sun, but Jungkook is never too far away. Even now the alpha seems hesitant about letting the other omega come closer, but Jimin just sends him a reassuring look and gives Taeyong a welcoming smile.

“I wanted to thank you”, Taeyong says, cutting off all chitchat, and there’s a hint of a sad smile on his thin lips. “I think that without you they might’ve decided to banish Jaehyun from the pack. My father wouldn’t have stopped them, he’s too… ashamed that the alpha he held in such a high pedestal turned to be a failure in the end. I could’ve lost my mate.”

“There’s no need to thank me”, Jimin answers. “And please, don’t get me wrong. I didn’t defend your mate because I’d forgive him for what he did. That I don’t think I can ever do, and for that I apologize.”

Taeyong lets out a weak laugh. “No, don’t apologize. You have all the rights to hate him and me. We truly did mess up your life, didn’t we?”

Jimin can’t disagree with that but at the same time, it’s not a thought he hates. “Maybe you did. But so far, it has turned out to be a good kind of mess. Mostly, at least.”

“I don’t know whether you’re trying to be positive or simply polite”, the other omega wonders, and Jimin can’t help but chuckle, shaking his head softly. Taeyong is a very meek omega, obviously pressured with carrying the pack-leader’s blood and now the shame of this incident, but Jimin can see that he has a good heart.

He doesn’t think he has what it takes to hate him. Besides, hatred takes a lot of space in one’s heart, and Jimin would rather fill it with something nicer.

Someone calls Taeyong’s name then, and when they look behind him, they can see that the Lee pack is already preparing to head back. The Chois were the first ones to leave along with the Seos and followed by the Songs, so it only leaves the three packs who were heavily involved in all of this and the Mins, who’re making sure that no one stays behind.

The other lets out a quiet sigh. “Well, I should go. I’m glad to know that you’re doing alright despite everything that has happened. And I hope all the best for you and your alpha—"

“Taeyong, can I ask you one question before you go?” Jimin interrupts quickly, not wanting his only chance of completing the whole picture to slip away.

The taller omega turns towards him, tilting his head with a confused look in his eyes. “Yes?”

“You keep saying that what happened was your fault, but I have no recollection of you being there. I get that your alpha was feral, but I can’t see how that’s really your fault. It’s not like you asked him to attack me and my grandmother, did you?”

The confusion in Taeyong’s eyes melts into something soft and almost amused. “No, why would I do that? I’ve never felt at ease with father’s violent ways and I wouldn’t disrespect the lunar deity like that. But… from the way you spoke before, you have experience with wolves that have gone feral, don’t you?”

That Jimin does indeed have. And although it’s only two, it’s far enough for him.

“Yes…?”

“Then you should know the main reason why it happens at all.”

He thinks about it for a couple of heartbeats, remembering the look of pure devastation on his mother’s face when she saw her mate dead at the feet of her own packmate, thinks about the horror that he saw in Jungkook’s eyes back when he was almost killed, and ah. He understands.

Jimin smiles weakly. Of course. “He was protecting you, huh?”

“Not only me”, Taeyong answers, and there are hints of pride and sorrow in his voice. “I probably don’t look like it, but I had my first pup recently. Pups, actually but well. One of them didn’t make it.” Jimin is about to say his condolences, he can’t even imagine the pain of losing a child, but Taeyong merely shakes his head.

“Back then, when he attacked you, we were out for a walk. It was supposed to be nothing but that – a walk to get some fresh air. But then I want into early labor… it’s a bit blurry, that moment I mean, but I remember being in a lot of pain and that probably drove Jaehyun over the edge. Like he said back inside, he even attacked my own brother who was with us. And then he could sense you, two unfamiliar wolves who were threateningly close to his hurting mate and unborn pups. He—”

“Lost it completely”, Jimin finishes for him, nodding in understanding.

“I asked to go for that walk”, Taeyong whispers. “I wanted to get away from father for a moment, he’s always been more than a little overbearing. I should’ve known better than to take risks like that. So truly, it’s all my fault.”

There’s a thick lump in Jimin’s throat, hard to swallow, and the sorrow he feels for the other omega is almost enough to make him burst into tears. He can understand the need to get away, would’ve probably done the same had he been in Taeyong’s position, and he can also understand why the omega keeps blaming himself. He sees too much of himself in the other and that pains him.

“Keep your head up”, Jimin says, the only advice he can give. “For the sake of your pup and mate. You have to keep moving forward. I know the current situation isn’t ideal but one day, things will change. Change them yourself if you can.”

That’s one of the things Jimin has learned from Jungkook. Sometimes you need to take the reins in your own hands to make a difference. Even if it means going against the flow of others.

Taeyong doesn’t say anything to that but the look in his eyes tells Jimin that he’s been heard – and understood. Whatever the omega decides to do next, it’s all on him.

Jimin watches with a heavy heart as Taeyong walks back to his own pack and takes his mate’s hand before switching forms and heading for the road. It doesn’t take long for them to disappear behind the trees.

A few heartbeats later he feels a familiar presence behind him, and Jimin practically melts against Jungkook’s chest when the alpha wraps his arms around his waist, pulling him closer.

“Is everything okay? You smell sad”, Jungkook mumbles against Jimin’s soft blonde hair before leaning down to rub his nose along his neck, scenting the omega almost desperately. He’s been on the edge the whole day, forced to watch his omega confront alphas with much more power and influence than he himself has, and now that it’s finally over, all Jungkook wants is to get back home and keep Jimin completely to himself, safe and comforted.

Jimin releases a long, heavy breath, but smiles. “Everything will be okay, Kook. I’ll be okay.”

Jungkook just holds him tighter, and that’s all Jimin needs to pick himself up, once more.

“Are we ready to head back?” he asks, turning a little to gaze up at his alpha. Jungkook glances back at Chaerin and Moonbyul, who seem to be saying their byes, and nods.

“Yeah. We’ll be on the move in five minutes. If we run fast, we’ll be back home before sunset.”

“Do you think Seokjin minds if we kick him out tonight?” Jimin wonders, taking Jungkook’s hand in his as they head back towards their packmates. The alpha barks out a laugh, a devilish glint in his doe eyes.

“Even if he does, I’ll just find a way to lock him out. Besides, he can go to Namjoon’s – it’s not like we’re leaving him to sleep outside or something.”

Jimin laughs and it sounds lighter than ever before. He can get behind that thought.

When they get back to their friends, Jimin notes that one of the Min wolves, the older man who first spoke with them, is there as well. He doesn’t know why, but he seems to be trying to start a conversation with Yoongi, but his efforts are completely ignored. The black-haired alpha doesn’t even acknowledge his presence and remembering what Jungkook told him back inside just before the meeting begun, he can understand why.

He’s seen Yoongi’s father as well, sitting outside his home even in the middle of winter, waiting for someone who’s never going to come. Jimin has done that too – waited countless of hours for his brother to return home only to cry himself to sleep every night. It took a long while until Jimin learned to live without him.

Even now, he sometimes lulls himself to the thought of his brother being out there somewhere, alive and well. That one day, he’ll come back searching for Jimin. But then he knocks himself back to reality because that winter was cruel – his brother could’ve never survived on his own, even if his uncle had shown mercy by letting him live.

This man, who stands by his friend’s side now, a desperate kind of look in his eyes, doesn’t deserve pity. He left behind someone who still loves and waits for him, yearning for an old bond to be completed. He left behind his family, and Jimin can’t forgive anyone for that. He knows Yoongi can’t either, especially now that he has a family of his own to care for.

“I just want to know how he is—”

Yoongi looks at the man with a look so icy it sends shivers down Jimin’s back. The look in his grey eyes is stormier than usually, filled by raging thunder.

“Shut up”, Yoongi growls. “I don’t need you to cower at my feet. I don’t know you, old man, so get lost. And don’t ever speak of my father again, or I’ll cut your tongue off. His name doesn’t belong in your mouth.”

The older alpha hesitates for a second, trying to find a way to refute Yoongi’s words, but in the end he gives up, shoulders slumped as he turns away.

“You know”, he says as he slowly begins to walk away. “You would’ve made an excellent Min wolf. But I think you’ve found yourself an even better place.”

Yoongi merely snorts at that, crossing his arms over his chest. “Of course. I was born and raised by a Kim, after all.”

They watch as the man walks away from them and back to his own pack, before Jimin moves forward to carefully touch Yoongi’s tense shoulder. “Are you okay?” he asks, feeling his heart break a little for his friend. He and Yoongi, they’ve never been that close – not like Jimin has grown to be with Jiwoo, Taehyung and Seokjin, even Hoseok and Namjoon – but in the past month, they have reached neutral ground. In another universe and timeline maybe, Jimin could’ve ended up in a similar situation as Yoongi. And partly he understands the alpha’s pain, that’s why he wants to reach out and make sure that he’s okay; that when he returns home to his mate and newborn daughter, this won’t be a burden on his shoulders.

“’M fine”, Yoongi answers but his shoulders are trembling, and Jimin can’t help but reach out to hug him. Surprisingly, the alpha answers the hug by wrapping his own arms around Jimin, holding the omega close. “You’re the one here who shouldn’t be fine. How are you holding up anyway? Is that brat taking good care of you?”

Jungkook lets out an offended hey somewhere behind them, but Jimin just grins against Yoongi’s neck.

“I’ll be fine”, he says, and that seems to be good enough for the black-haired alpha. Their gazes meet for a second when Jimin pulls back, and maybe Yoongi sees something he doesn’t, but the alpha doesn’t seem worried.

He merely nods and turns to Namjoon. “When are we leaving? My mate will kill me if I don’t get back before bedtime.”

“We’ll be leaving in a second, don’t worry—”

“Jimin”, Namjoon is rather rudely interrupted by Hyunwoo, who’s walking towards them with a serious look on his face, eyes boring on the blonde omega. Jimin is mildly surprised how fast Jungkook moves to stand in front of him, growling lowly under his breath, but even more surprising is how Yoongi and Namjoon are even faster, coming to stand between him and Jungkook and Hyunwoo.

Hyunwoo gives them an unimpressed look but doesn’t seem all that surprised. Well, he can’t blame the Kim pack for being hostile towards him after all that’s happened, so Jimin isn’t worried about offending him in any way. “I’d like to have a word with you. In private. Do you think it’s possible?” the alpha asks.

“Like hell”, Jungkook growls, gold bleeding into his eyes. “You’re not coming any closer to him.”

“Listen pup, I’m not out to get him anymore”, Hyunwoo says with a roll of eyes. “I just want to speak with him. It’s important.”

“Whatever you want to say, you can say here”, Namjoon interjects, arms crossed tightly over his chest. His posture is defensive, shoulders raised threateningly, and it’s enough to make Hyunwoo take a step back.

“I don’t think that’s for you to decide”, the other alpha hisses, icy blue eyes searching for Jimin’s. “It’s personal. I need to speak with him about Jihyun.”

Jimin’s heart jumps into his throat and before he even knows it, he’s pushed himself through the wall of three alphas, half wanting to punch Hyunwoo in the face for daring to bring up his brother while the other half of him just wants to tune out completely. It’s Jungkook’s hand holding onto his that stops him from going any closer and doing something he might regret later.

“What?” Jimin asks, and his voice sounds awfully hoarse. “You want to rub salt on my wounds? What in the name of mother nature do you have to say about him?” He feels a little like repeating Yoongi’s earlier words – his name doesn’t belong in your mouth. Not when Jimin knows Hyunwoo is one of the alphas who took Jihyun away from him in the first place.

Hyunwoo looks him straight in the eyes and softly shakes his head. Jimin hates that he dares to look remorseful. “No. That’s not it at all.”

“Then what? What is it?”

“Jimin, be honest. Do you think I have what it takes to murder a child that’s barely presented? Especially when he would’ve been useful to the pack.”

Be honest. Jimin wants to scoff at Hyunwoo’s words. He had no qualms about drugging Jimin and forcing him into heat, no regrets about torturing the omega the way he did, and he never even apologized for trying to kill Chaeyoung that night. He showed no remorse when he ripped Jihyun out of Jimin’s arms. All Jimin can remember is cold determination on the alpha’s face.

But Jihyun being useful… that changes things a bit. Because no matter how much Jimin hates Hyunwoo and how cruel the man is, he has always put the pack ahead of himself. Even if his ways are questionable, Jimin knows he only has the pack’s best interest in mind. If Hyunwoo had seen some potential in Jimin’s brother, then maybe. Maybe.

“Are you – are you saying that he, that you—”

“Your uncle wanted to get rid of your brother because he posed an immediate threat to him. An alpha son of the woman he killed, the rightful ruler of the pack. But he failed to see that Jihyun wasn’t loyal to your mother. He didn’t even know her, did he? You and your grandmother were the ones who raised him.” Hyunwoo lets out a quiet snort, shaking his head to himself. “Minhyun didn’t see the potential your brother had, Jimin. An alpha that bears the blood of two head families would’ve been an asset like no other. Besides, he swore loyalty to your uncle. I doubt he ever had any interest in claiming the head alpha’s position.”

“How can you speak of him like he would’ve been some object?” Jungkook asks, annoyance laced deep within his voice. “He was another person! And your main concern was if he would’ve been useful to the pack or not?”

“My main concern was and will always be the survival of the pack. Jihyun wouldn’t have posed a threat to that”, Hyunwoo says.

“So then—”

“I didn’t kill him”, the alpha clarifies. “And I made sure no one else did either.”

Jimin barely registers the words when his legs give out under him, the built up tension suddenly leaving him, but Jungkook catches him before his knees hit the ground. He wraps himself around Jimin’s back, pulling him tight against himself to keep the omega on his legs, eyes fully golden by now. The brunette alpha growls loudly at Hyunwoo, blaming the older alpha for his omega’s distress. But Hyunwoo just turns to look somewhere past them, uncaring of how much his words change Jimin’s world.

It’s like the whole universe would have shifted upside down suddenly.

“On that day when Minhyun’s command was put to action, I was to take him outside of our territory and kill him near the Min pack’s border so if anyone ever came across his body, it could be blamed on them. For someone barely presented he put up a real fight.” The alpha lets out a weak chuckle and turns his frosty gaze back to Jimin. “I think it’s common when it comes to you, Jimin. You make people want to fight for better. That’s why I think your brother should’ve been allowed to stay; for your sake, he would’ve fought to better the pack. That’s also why I told him to run. Because I always had the feeling he’d one day come back searching for you, and that day would’ve been the day our pack would have finally changed.”

An icy wind blows down from the snowy mountains, howling at the wolves crowded at its root – calling them back home to its cold embrace – but it seems like Hyunwoo is the only one who can hear it this time.

“Well, either way, it was a damn cold winter. I only gave him the minimum to survive through the forest and to the road to the city, but if he foolishly tried anything else, I cannot guarantee he’s alive anymore. I’ve waited long for his return.” The alpha lets out a long sigh and turns away, ready to head for his own pack.

“But of course, you’ve waited longer. I’d start asking around if I were you. If he’s anything like you or your mother, he should be somewhere out there. And perhaps he’s waiting for you.”

Hyunwoo leaves without another word, no goodbyes or even a proper apology. Neither Jungkook or Jimin even really expected one and if anything, the omega feels a sense of relief wash over him when the Kwon pack heads up towards the road to the mountains. It’s like they’d take the icy wind with them because it feels warmer suddenly, like the wind would’ve started blowing from the south instead, bringing a taste of salt with it.

Jimin holds onto Jungkook tightly as he turns towards the forest, eyes boring on the road that leads back towards the Kim pack and towards the city that he knows is somewhere there. The ocean that awaits them.

Jihyun is alive. He’s always been alive and somewhere out there, waiting for Jimin. Searching for him.

“All these years…” Jimin buries his face in his hands, not sure whether he should cry tears of sorrow or joy. “This whole time, he’s – he’s been out there, and I-I didn’t even t-try looking for him—”

The same boy who proudly declared that he’d never allow Jimin to cry anymore, who swore to make life better for his brother and grandmother – Jimin abandoned him. He has left his baby brother alone for years. All because he had been too scared to go against his uncle.

Suddenly Jungkook grabs a hold of his hands and forces them down before taking a gentle hold of Jimin’s chin and turning his head up towards him.

“Don’t”, the alpha starts, tone soft. “Don’t start blaming yourself, Jimin. You did everything you could for you brother, and you didn’t know. You didn’t know he was alive. It’s not your fault.”

“But I—”

Jungkook squishes his lips shut and hushes him with a smile on his face. “No buts, baby. Your brother is strong, right?” Jimin nods, slightly stunned by the calm look on Jungkook’s face. “Then we have nothing to worry about. He’s still alive. And we’re going to find him, okay? We will find him.”

A couple of tears manage to escape his eyes, but Jungkook makes sure to wipe them away quickly and kiss away the last of Jimin’s sorrow, almost exactly like Jimin did to him a few hours ago under the very same cherry blossom trees.

The omega nods a couple of times at Jungkook’s words and leans eagerly into his embrace, burying his face against the alpha’s warm, firm chest. He can hear his heart beat steadily under his ear and quickly, his wolf makes sure that they’re in perfect sync.

“W-we will find him, r-right? Together?” he whispers, searching for reassurance that Jungkook readily gives him.

“Of course”, the alpha says. “I swear we will.”

Jimin believes him because he knows Jungkook doesn’t make empty promises. He knows that, now.

“Alright, are we ready to head home?” Chaerin’s voice calls out and reluctantly, Jimin pulls away from Jungkook’s arms. He doesn’t stray away from the alpha though, rather opting to stay close to his familiar warmth. The Kim’s pack-leader notices the grim atmosphere right away and something in her shifts, her amber eyes hardening.

“I saw Hyunwoo talking to you. Was he civil?”

“Yeah”, Namjoon answers, but his voice comes out surprisingly meek, so the alpha quickly clears his throat and repeats his earlier words. “Mostly, at least. He—”

“Jihyun’s alive”, Jimin tells. “He told me that Jihyun is alive. And Jungkook and I, we – we have to go find him.”

He has wasted years waiting for his brother to return home and mostly, it had been wishful thinking. But now he has hope and it’s time for him to do something more than just wait. It’s time for him to leave the forests and mountains behind to search for his family. And Jimin isn’t scared because he knows he won’t be leaving alone. Or at least, this time he doesn’t need to be scared alone.

Chaerin knows that too, and she doesn’t seem disappointed or angered that Jimin is taking one of her best alphas with him. Instead, there’s an understanding smile on her face as she nods at her nephew’s words. She must understands Jimin’s pain to a degree – she also lost her younger brother, although for years she thought he was safe. Now, Kim Yoojoon is dead, has been for many years, but Jimin still has a chance of reuniting with his lost family. Chaerin knows to let go now that the time is right for it.

“Do what you must, I’m not going to stop you. Just promise me you’ll find him. There’s nothing that would make me happier than knowing both of my brother’s sons are alive and well.”

“We promise”, Jungkook nods, quickly bowing his head to Chaerin. A simple show of respect for her understanding and permission to leave. Jimin is quick to follow his lead.

The pack-leader lets out a warm laugh. “Look up, my young ones. Can you feel the wind? It’s warm, isn’t it?”

Yes, it is, Jimin agrees. It almost feels like the currents would’ve changed. There are cherry blossom petals dancing in the air around them, and the sunlight caressing his face feels different than before. Warmer.

“And do you know what that means, Snowflake?”

“Yeah”, Jimin nods, gaze drifting towards the clear blue sky. “Spring has finally arrived again.”

When they reach the Kim pack’s territory again, it’s safe for the group to choose their own pace. Jimin and Jungkook linger behind the rest, walking so close to each other that if it were dark, they could be mistaken as one big wolf.

Quite quickly, they get left behind completely, but Jimin’s not worried. The sun is still high up in the sky, the forest is shining with the new colors of spring and it’s warm. They’re safe.

“I can’t wait until we get back”, Jungkook whines, shaking his fur a little. “I need a long, long bath.”

“Yeah, you do. You stink”, Jimin teases back, and he lets out a loud bark of laughter when Jungkook snaps his jaw at him playfully. The white wolf speeds up a little, dodging the bigger when he comes chasing after him.

“Where do you think you’re running off to?” the alpha growls, still quite playful but with a hint of hunger in his voice. Jimin is provoking him to chase him, something alphas used to do when choosing their mate, and it’s waking up the beast within Jungkook. If he starts the chase, Jungkook is not going to stop until he’s caught.

Jimin’s more than eager to see which of them is faster.

He turns to brush his head against Jungkook’s, licking his cheek gently and lulling the alpha into a fall sense of security, before suddenly bouncing away with a laugh.

“Try not to get left behind, Kook!”

He starts running, easily slipping past the trees and bushes. He may be small, but he’s agile and light, made for running. Even if Jimin is exhausted from the day’s ordeals, he’s filled by excitement that drives him forward. Inside, he’s laughing and Jungkook can probably feel it.

He can hear Jungkook coming behind him, his growls loud enough to drown out any other sound for Jimin. Was it anyone else, Jimin would probably be terrified of the menacing presence behind him, but he knows Jungkook would never hurt him.

He’s almost at the border of the village when suddenly Jungkook catches up with him, tackling the white wolf on the ground with a growl.

They wrestle on the ground for a long moment, Jimin trying to get the upper hand but in the end, Jungkook gets him on his back, stomach and throat exposed. In a real fight, he would’ve lost – and this chase, well. He might’ve lost it, but when the alpha leans down to nuzzle against the soft fur of his neck before nibbling on his ears playfully, Jimin’s feeling quite triumphant.

“You brat”, Jungkook groans, biting down on one of Jimin’s front paws weakly. “Are you trying to make me claim you right here and now?”

The omega smacks him on the face and squirms a little, but one growl from the alpha has him stopping.

“Seriously, I don’t have any qualms about mating you right now, don’t even test me, Jimin.”

Jimin just laughs.

Later that night, he’s sitting by the fireplace, almost nodding off, when suddenly he feels a pair of strong arms wrap around his shoulders from behind, Jungkook’s chin coming to rest on top of his head. Jimin sighs softly, almost melting into the alpha’s embrace, and there’s a sound resembling a purr trying to rise out of his chest.

The rest of the day had passed quite peacefully in the Kim pack. Once they returned, Seokjin surprised them with a meal that Jimin would rather call a feast (Jungkook says his brother starts cooking when he gets anxious and it shows) and now pleasantly stuffed, surrounded by scents he’s grown to love, Jimin wants nothing more than curl up in his alpha’s arms and forget tomorrow.

But there’s an ache on his neck that only grows when Jungkook dips his head down to scent him there – an ache that Jimin knows will go away only once he’s completed the bond with Jungkook. Only once the alpha becomes his mate, as well.

The omega tilts his head to the other side, gladly giving Jungkook more access to rub his nose along the juncture of his neck. The clear act of submission makes the alpha growl in satisfaction, teeth grazing silky, pale skin.

Jimin almost expects Jungkook to mate him right then and there, on the living room couch where anyone could walk in on them. He’s kept the alpha waiting for so long he wouldn’t blame or stop Jungkook if he so did. But something seems to snap the alpha out of his trance before his teeth can actually pierce skin.

Jungkook smooths his thumb over Jimin’s shoulder, gently pushing his shirt down. “You’re sure about this, right?” he asks, mumbling to words against the omega’s neck. “You’re really sure you want me to mate with you tonight?”

“I’m sure”, Jimin answers. He’s almost completely lax in the alpha’s hold, eyes having drifted shut already. He trusts Jungkook to take care of him, and he knows that he wants nothing more than for the alpha to complete the bond and make him his. He wants nothing more than to call Jungkook his mate. “I’ve always been sure. I just – I just needed to be sure you wanted this as well. And I know I should’ve just talked with you about it, but I just—”

“I know”, Jungkook murmurs. “I know, baby. It’s okay to be scared. Next time though, let’s be scared together, okay?”

Jimin lets out a quiet laugh, and he can feel Jungkook smile against his skin. “That sounds like a solid plan to me.”

He turns around to look at the alpha, forcing him to lift his head away from his neck in the process, which Jungkook doesn’t seem so happy about, but his eyes soften as soon as their gazes meet. He looks so beautiful and handsome at the same time, the shadows created by the slowly dying fire somehow creating a softness to him that rarely shows, and Jimin can’t help but reach up to rest his hand on Jungkook’s cheek, caressing the soft skin with his thumb. He probably looks absolutely smitten, and Jungkook’s eyes are merely a reflection of his own.

“I love you”, Jimin whispers. “So much.”

They don’t say those three words that often to each other because they both feel like actions speak more than words, especially for them, but each time Jimin hears Jungkook whisper ‘I love you’ into his ear, it feels like the first time. He’ll probably never quite get used to hearing it, but he’s okay with that. He doesn’t want these moments to ever lose their significance.

“I know”, Jungkook says, almost cheekily, and Jimin pinches his nose weakly.

“You’re supposed to say it back, pup.”

The alpha laughs and leans down to connect their lips in a gentle kiss. He only pulls back for a second to give Jimin a somewhat smug look before diving back in, pressing kisses all over the omega’s face until he’s giggling, cheeks bright red from the sudden attack of affection.

Finally, satisfied with himself, Jungkook captures his lips once more. “I love you, too”, he mumbles into the kiss. “But you’ve got to stop calling me a pup.”

Jimin smirks. “Why don’t you try and make me?”

His words awake a new glint in Jungkook’s eyes, specs of gold beginning to swim in them, and Jimin knows the alpha has taken it as a challenge. Perhaps it’s the wolf in Jungkook that doesn’t quite appreciate being called a pup by the omega he’s chosen as his mate, even if they both know Jimin is only joking.

Suddenly Jimin is being lifted up from the nest of cushions he had made for himself, Jungkook hoisting him in his arms like he’d weigh nothing to the alpha. Surprised, Jimin can’t help but let out a yelp that turns into a shaky laugh when Jungkook buries his face back in his neck, growling lowly.

“H-hey, at least watch where you’re going—”

“I know where my room is”, Jungkook grumbles back, blindly carrying Jimin towards the stairs.

“I think one of us is going to die before we even get there.”

The young alpha doesn’t like being doubted but for the sake of Jimin’s heart, he lifts his head up and shifts the omega in his arms until Jimin can securely wrap his legs around Jungkook’s middle and hold onto his shoulders for support.

“You’re ridiculous”, Jimin chuckles with a fond shake of head.

“Maybe, but this ridiculous alpha is about to be your mate. And you’ll be stuck with me for life.”

“Well—” the omega starts, nuzzling his nose against Jungkook’s, “—I guess it’s good that I love you, then.”

Jungkook looks at him with a galaxy in his eyes, has looked for long, and Jimin wishes he’d seen it earlier. But it’s okay. They still have all their lives to make up for the years they were separated, and Jimin wants to make each and every second count.

The alpha lays him on his soft bed gently and sits down next to him, half hovering over Jimin’s slimmer form. For a long moment, they just stare at each other, the moonlight coloring the room in white and silver, chasing away the shadows.

Jimin reaches up to brush some of Jungkook’s dark locks behind his ear, smiling softly when the alpha leans into his touch. If Jungkook is the universe, a dark, unexplored abyss, then maybe Jimin is the moon, small in the middle of it all but filled with light that doesn’t leave space for coldness – they’re mismatching, almost in all possible ways, yet it’s probably one of the biggest reasons the lunar deity ever decided to tie their strings together.

He’ll forever be thankful for that.

“What are you thinking about so hard?” Jungkook asks, bringing one of his own hands to cup Jimin’s cheek as well. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours, hm?”

The omega just shakes his head and smiles. “Nothing. I – I just feel lucky that I get to be the one to call you my mate.”

Jungkook’s eyes soften, if that’s even possible, and he leans down to kiss Jimin again, and stays close after. “Imagine how lucky I feel to have you as mine, then.”

Jimin lets out a bright laugh at Jungkook’s words, partly because they’re being ridiculous and partly because it sets fire to his heart, good, warm fire that fills him with tingling sparks. He wouldn’t mind staying like this for a few moments more, but inside, his wolf is growing impatient, whining for the alpha to hurry and claim what’s theirs already. So Jimin falls silent and instead pulls Jungkook closer, impossibly so, allowing his omega to step up.

“Closer”, he whispers, nosing along the alpha’s jawline. “Need you closer, Kook. Please.”

Jungkook kisses him with newly found fervor, quickly moving fully on top of the omega to completely encase him in his warmth, and when Jimin dares to open his eyes, he’s met with a pair of golden ones. He isn’t the only one whose wolf is fed up with waiting.

“Tell me what you want, baby”, Jungkook says. “I’ll give you anything, just tell me what you want.”

Jimin wraps his arms around Jungkook’s neck and pulls him closer until their foreheads rest against each other and each breath of air is shared.

“I want you. Make me yours, alpha.”

It’s all the permission Jungkook needs to let his wolf take the reins. He growls and starts stripping Jimin out of his clothes rather roughly, in a hurry to feel and touch bare skin, and in response, Jimin’s omega begins to emit stronger pheromones to further entice the alpha. Mating is very primal after all; it’ll be surprising if they can hold back from shifting into their wolf forms at the end of it. Especially when Jimin has kept Jungkook’s alpha waiting for so long.

Jungkook’s hands are all over him, touching him everywhere like a starved man. Jimin isn’t faring any better – now that he knows it’s finally happening, all he wants and needs is for Jungkook to make that awful ache on his neck go away, fast.

There’s no need to drag it on any longer than needed. Jungkook works him open quickly, drinking in Jimin’s whimpers and moans greedily. Once he deems the omega ready, he settles between his legs and thrusts in in one go, growling lowly in Jimin’s ear.

“A-ahh…” Jimin throws his head back against the pillows, breath labored as he tries to relax his overworked body to allow the alpha to move. He’s starting to feel more than a little delirious with need, and when Jungkook’s teeth graze his neck again he almost flinches, a soft cry escaping him.

Jungkook doesn’t wait too long, his moves are hurried and rougher than usually, his wolf obviously controlling him for the most part – but Jimin knows that the human side of him is there too, it shows in the way the alpha presses gentle kisses on his skin and holds him close almost desperately.

“J-Jungkook… alpha, a-alpha please—”

“Shh”, the alpha murmurs, trailing kisses down Jimin’s throat. “’S okay baby, I’ve got you.”

Jimin whimpers quietly, trying hard to keep his eyes open but with the overwhelming waves of pleasure and need attacking him, it’s hard. He can only cry and moan out Jungkook’s name, holding onto the alpha’s shoulders as tight as he can. It feels a little like he’d be entering heat; there’s fire licking at his insides but the core of it is that small strip of skin where his neck and shoulder connect.

That unmarked little spot.

It doesn’t take long for Jungkook’s knot to begin to form. The alpha is far too worked up to stave it off any longer, and Jimin chokes on air when he’s suddenly spread almost painfully, his legs forced to bend until his knees almost touch his shoulders.

Hovering above him, Jungkook thinks Jimin looks more beautiful than ever before. The raw emotions on his flushed face, the lust and desperation in his mismatching eyes, bitten lips and red cheeks – he’s absolutely breathtaking. And all for Jungkook to devour.

A growl that is much deeper and louder than the ones from before escapes the alpha’s lips, his canines beginning to grow sharper. His wolf is ready.

“Present, omega.”

A shiver runs through Jimin’s body and he presents himself to Jungkook right away, not wanting to upset his alpha in any way. He makes sure to spread his legs as open as possible so the alpha can settle between them better and leans his head back on the pillows and turns to the side, giving Jungkook as much of access to his neck as he possibly can. The alpha appreciates his submission, the rumble that vibrates through his chest sounding a lot like a satisfied purr. Jimin is ready, too.

Without wasting anymore time, Jungkook quickly picks up the pace again, this time moving faster and rougher than before. His tight hold on the omega’s hips is all that stops Jimin from slipping away from him, and the room is quickly filled by high moans and desperate cries once more. Then, without a warning, Jungkook’s knot locks in, and the alpha sinks his teeth on the omega’s neck.

Jimin’s mouth opens in a silent scream, the sudden surge of pain sending him in momentary shock, but it’s gone as quick as it came, replaced with something… euphoric.

He’s filled by a feeling of calm that feels new and familiar at the same time, and warmth seeps into his every limb and every little crook of his body. It distantly reminds him of the feeling he got when Jungkook healed his wounds after his heat – but this time, it’s like he’d be healing him from the inside.

He wraps his legs around Jungkook’s waist and holds him tight against himself, unwilling to let go of his alpha so soon after completing the bond. He doesn’t think he’s going to be able to let go for a long while.

There’s a new presence within him. A heartbeat that isn’t quite his but one his wolf recognizes immediately, a soul that is in tune with his perfectly, a warmth that burns away the dark and cold.

Jungkook.

The alpha retreats his canines slowly, licking at the fresh wound to help it heal quicker before leaning back and just staring at it for a long moment. And then he leans back even further until his eyes meet Jimin’s teary gaze and realization starts slowly sinking in. This omega under him, he’s Jungkook’s mate. His mate.

His alpha whines, wanting to fully come out like an overexcited puppy that’s seeing snow for the first time. Jimin smiles tiredly at him, obviously exhausted by the whole ordeal, but Jungkook can feel his joy. He can feel it.

“Baby”, Jungkook whispers, cupping Jimin’s face with one hand. The omega leans into the touch slowly, eyes beginning to droop.

“Mate. My mate, mine.” He rubs his nose along Jimin’s neck, scenting him even though the omega will from now on carry his scent even without being scented all the time, and Jimin purrs quietly, obviously enjoying the attention. “Mine, mine, mine. All mine.”

Jimin smiles, and Jungkook thinks he looks happier than ever before.

“All yours.”

They stay like that for a long, silent moment, basking in each other’s warmth and presence. Jungkook continues nuzzling Jimin, hands still eager to touch and feel, and the omega responses as eagerly as he can in his tired state. Surprisingly, his hold on Jungkook is still tight and if the alpha even attempts moving away, he’s pulled right back with quiet protests.

With the moon slowly starting to climb back down from the sky to make way for a new day, Jungkook’s wolf begins to feel more and more distressed. Naturally, werewolves are at their strongest under the moon goddess’s light, and to protect his omega, Jungkook needs all the strength he can have. He has to let his wolf out before it comes out forcefully.

“You can shift, you know”, Jimin mumbles sleepily. He can probably feel the primitive need in Jungkook to let his alpha out to protect and care for their new mate. “I don’t mind.”

Jungkook doesn’t need to be told twice. As soon as his knot has died down enough for him to pull out – Jimin doesn’t quite like that, admittedly, but he holds his whimpers down – he stops resisting his wolf and allows himself to transform.

The first thing the wolf does is lean down to lick at the new mating mark on Jimin’s neck, making sure it’s fully healed before turning to lick all over the omega’s face. He whines loudly when Jimin turns away with a giggle, huffing when he’s merely given an amused look as an apology. His mate just laughs, and it’s hard to stay offended when his belly is filled by bubbly warmth and his soul sings with joy.

Jungkook is about to lie back down next to the omega but before he can, Jimin sits up. Although he wouldn’t usually care that much because Jimin can protect himself just fine, he’s on full alert now, growling quietly to warn the omega to stay in the bed. Omegas tend to be quite vulnerable right after mating, dazed and in the need of intimacy, and Jungkook is not about to let anything happen to Jimin. A rational part of him knows that no one in his pack would harm Jimin but his wolf is driven by basic instincts.

And right now, those instincts are telling him to keep Jimin home, safe and warm in their nest where he can protect him.

“Hush”, the omega scolds him softly, pushing Jungkook’s head away from his face. The alpha lets out a sound of protest but goes silent quickly when Jimin settles back down, this time closer to the brown wolf.

The way the omega curls into him, searching for the alpha’s warmth and safety, reminds Jungkook of when they were still back at the infirmary and the only way he got through to the omega was through his wolf. The Jungkook from back then never imagined ending up like this, with mating the same omega he tried so vehemently to hate. It’s still quite hard to believe sometimes, but at the same time, he feels like it was always meant to happen. That deep within, he had recognized Jimin as his mate from the very start.

“I’m happy”, Jimin mumbles suddenly, opening his mismatching eyes to look at Jungkook. His gaze is warm and fond, filled with unconditional love.

“With you, I’m so happy it’s almost ridiculous. To think that someone like me was able to find happiness… a mate. I always used to think that there’s no one in this world unluckier than me—” he reaches over to card his fingers through Jungkook’s soft fur, and the alpha licks at his hand gently, comforting him wordlessly “—but in the end, I must be one of the truly lucky ones. I know you told me to never thank you for loving me, but… let me thank you one last time. Thank you for bringing an end to my winter. I think – I think I had already forgotten what spring felt like.”

Jimin falls asleep soon after, and Jungkook is left to watch over his sleeping figure in silence. After some time has passed and his wolf deems it safe enough for it to step down, he shifts back into his human form and pulls the covers over both his and Jimin’s bodies before curling around the smaller protectively.

“I think you’re going to love summer even more”, Jungkook says, talking more to himself than the sleeping omega. But Jimin smiles, almost as if he were listening. “Also... thank you for loving me. Because out of the two of us, I’m the one who got luckier.”  

He’s always been surrounded by love, yet Jimin was still able to teach him something new about it. Something Jungkook thought he’d never experience – and that’s why he’ll forever think he’s the one who got luckier out of the two of them.

Jungkook is tired too, and Jimin’s familiar honeysuckle scent and steady heartbeat against his own have always been the sweetest lullaby. With one last soft kiss pressed against the omega’s head, Jungkook allows his eyes to drift shut.

A loud knock on the door wakes them up late next day. Jimin merely buries himself deeper into the sheets with a soft groan, but Jungkook’s reaction to having their peace so rudely broken is to release an ugly growl, half leaning over the omega resting next to him in case the newcomer poses a threat.

It might be wrong to say that omegas are the ones sensitive after mating – Jungkook feels a lot like it’s his alpha that could snap at any given moment, and he has no idea how Namjoon felt comfortable parading around the village right after his mating with Seokjin. If he could, he’d keep Jimin all to himself for at least a week.

“Oh c’mon.” It’s Taehyung. “You’ve been holed up in that room for like three days already, I’m starting to think you’re paralyzed or something.”

Three days? Jungkook’s growl turns into a confused sound that piques Jimin’s interest as well. Have they really been inside this room for three days already?

He looks down at the floor and notices the dirty plates and glasses, even some empty water bottles, surrounding the bed. Taehyung’s not lying; they’ve been curled up in their nest for quite long already. His brother has probably been bringing them food and water occasionally, and even though Jungkook has no clear memories of the past three days, he must’ve been sensible enough to feed both himself and Jimin.

“Shower and get dressed, will you? The head alpha’s requesting your presence, you should at least try to look decent. If you’re not out in half an hour, I’ll come and drag you two out of there!” Finishing with an empty threat, Taehyung heads downstairs, taking his sweet strawberry scent with him.

As soon as he’s gone, Jungkook plops back down, curling against Jimin’s side with a satisfied sigh. He’s almost ready to fall back asleep now that the disruptor is gone, but his mate seems to have been more awake than he first thought for Jimin starts to get up, obviously intrigued by Taehyung’s words.

“Mm, no… don’t go”, Jungkook mumbles, throwing a heavy arm over Jimin’s waist as an attempt of keeping him in the bed. “Omega stay, don’t go.”

Jimin giggles at his alpha’s cute mumbling and leans down to nuzzle against Jungkook’s hair. “We have to get up, Jungkook. My aunt wants to speak with us, it must be important.”

“Five more minutes, Min…”

The omega rolls his eyes at that and leaves his mate to be as he gets up, shuffling around the room in search of clothes. He’s been making some for himself out of Taehyung’s and Seokjin’s old ones with the help of Hoseok, but he still likes stealing Jungkook’s clothes – especially now after mating when his wolf craves the closeness even more than usually.

“I’m going to head to shower”, Jimin says, turning to glance at the alpha still buried under the dozen blankets and pillows. “Are you going to come with me or go by yourself later?”

That’s something that finally piques Jungkook’s attention as well and in a minute or so, they’re ready to head downstairs to the bathroom.

“Finally”, Taehyung chuckles when they pass by the kitchen where he’s cooking something with Seokjin. Jimin notes that Namjoon isn’t present, and although he’s come to like his cousin quite a lot, he’s glad about that. Another alpha’s presence would just make Jungkook awfully territorial and cranky, and Jimin isn’t awake enough to handle that yet.

“Let them be, Tae”, Seokjin scolds the younger omega gently before turning to look at his brother and his new mate. For a few second, he’s quiet, taking in the newly mated couple, and Jimin feels nervous suddenly (because what if Seokjin has changed his mind, what if he doesn’t like this after all, what if he’s going to tell Jungkook that he’s made a mistake) – but then Seokjin smiles, warm and familiar, a happy glimmer in his eyes. “You’re glowing, the both of you. I’m glad you finally completed the bond.”

Jimin practically beams under the praise, a wave of relief washing over him, and Jungkook lets out a quiet chuckle. He must’ve felt Jimin’s inner turmoil, but to the omega, the alpha had felt as calm as he can be right now.

He wasn’t worried about Seokjin’s approval. Because Jungkook knows Seokjin’s only ever wished for him to be happy, and with Jimin, Jungkook is happier than ever before.

“So”, the eldest omega continues with a sly smirk. “Am I finally going to be an un—"

“Alright, we’re going”, Jungkook interrupts his brother, grabbing a hold of Jimin to steer him in the direction of the bathroom, Taehyung’s loud laughter following them. Jimin feels blood rush to his cheeks, knowing fully well what Seokjin was about to say. He feels embarrassed and a little nervous, but his wolf is elated. It has never quite realized that there might be a chance that Jimin will never be able to do that.

To give Jungkook his own pups, that is.

It’s only once they’re safely behind a locked door that Jimin dares to look back at his mate. Jungkook meets his gaze, his own cheeks as bright red as the omega’s, but the annoyance in his eyes disappears quickly, replaced by a look of fondness. The alpha’s hand travels down to Jimin’s waist, holding him both gently and securely. He knows what Jimin is thinking about.

“It’s okay”, Jungkook whispers, smiling when Jimin looks up at him. “Whatever happens, we’re going to be together. So it’s all going to be okay.”

His hand moves to Jimin’s abdomen slowly and leaves behind a trail of warmth. “I got you”, Jungkook says, and the omega smiles weakly before nodding. He trusts Jungkook.

While Jungkook heads to prepare the bath, Jimin starts to slowly undress himself. He’s not feeling as insecure as he used to, by now he’s more than used to the touch of Jungkook’s bare skin against his own – craves it more than anything – but it’s going to take a while until he’s completely comfortable in his own skin. Though, the fact that many of his old scars are healing helps a lot, all thanks to Jungkook’s relentless care.

There’s a mirror by the sink. Jimin glances at it, thinking he’s gained some weight. It’s good, everyone always says he should have some more meat on his bones, but that’s not what draws his attention this time.

“Jungkook—”

The alpha turns to him right away, alarmed by the urgency in Jimin’s tone. “What’s wrong?”

The omega takes a while to answer, his wide eyes fixated on his lower stomach and the scar that cuts over it. It’s… it’s different. His grandmother had healed him as well as she could and she did a good job, but the scar still had a roughness to it that expressed well how painful it was, both to get and to bear. It’s never been pretty to look at.

But now, it looks like it has become… smaller. Lighter. Like it would be healing.

A warm hand comes to rest on top of it, and Jimin meets Jungkook’s golden eyes with a new kind of anxiety bubbling in his veins. It’s not necessarily a bad kind of feeling.

“Do you think…?”

Jungkook is silent for a long moment, trying to wrap his head around the fact that maybe, maybe there’s a chance after all.

“I think the lunar deity is playing favorites”, he mumbles, and Jimin lets out a wet chuckle. “You’re definitely her favorite.”

Or maybe the world has finally realized that making Jimin smile is better than making him cry. Either way, Jungkook is relieved.

They’re going to be more than okay.

There’s someone new in the village.

Jimin follows Jungkook as the alpha leads him to the head alpha’s house, and there’s a crowd gathered around it. Something’s going on, and even though the omega lacks a pack bond, he can feel that it’s something good. The air is filled with excitement, and the happy scents lingering all around him make Jimin feel a bit giddy.

The quickly coming summer has made the Kim pack bloom like no tomorrow, and now someone’s brought the first, long awaited summer rain with them.

Suddenly Jungkook freezes and his scent spikes up with surprise. It melts away quickly though, followed by the mellow scent of his happiness. Jimin finds himself relaxing alongside his mate, who pushes through the crowd with his hand still tightly holding onto Jimin’s.

“Uncle”, the alpha greets when they finally reach the steps by the front door. “You came back.”

Jimin peers curiously over Jungkook’s shoulder, wide mismatching eyes taking in the man sitting on the highest step. He can sense that the man is older – not old enough to be called elderly, but probably at the age where Jimin’s parents would be if they were alive – and there’s a different kind of look in his eyes than in the eyes of the other wolves around them. He looks… softer, somehow. More humane.

His slowly greying hair is hidden under a thin black beanie, he’s wearing an old looking leather jacket and comfortable jeans, and also, Jimin thinks it’s a phone he’s holding in his other hand.

Oh. He must be from the city. Jimin’s not unfamiliar with technology. It’s not like they live completely separated from humans like some barbarians, but admittedly, it’s not a lot that he knows. Just the basics, but enough to survive. He knows he’s going to need those skills when he and Jungkook leave to search for Jihyun.

“Jungkook-ah”, the man puts his phone in his pocket and stands up. He isn’t much taller than Jimin, but with the confident way he walks and how at ease he is, he seems much bigger. Although, the sweet scent of chocolate tells him that the man is an omega. “It’s been so long. You’re all grown-up now. And mated too, like Seokjin and Namjoon.”

They hug each other tightly, and Jimin feels a sense of calm wash over him. He knows it’s coming from Jungkook, but something about this man makes him feel calm, too. This man, he – he feels safe.

He kind of reminds Jimin of his father.

“And this one here must be your mate, then.” Kind, warm brown eyes turn to him and before Jimin even knows, he’s being pulled into a hug as well. “You kids grow up too fast. The last time I was here, Jungkook seemed so adamant on never mating, yet here you are.”

“Um”, Jimin gives his mate an unsure look, which the man holding him catches.

“Oh, of course! I forgot to introduce myself, my bad. I’m Kim Sunghoon, I’m—”

“Namjoon’s father, right?” the younger omega finishes for him, a part of him having known the answer all along. Those dimples adorning the man’s face don’t come from Chaerin’s side of the family, and although Namjoon is a lot like his mother, there’s a gentleness to him that definitely comes from his father.

“Yes”, Sunghoon nods, a brilliant smile on his face. “And you’re Jimin, right? I’ve heard a lot about you from Chaerin. All good things, I promise.”

Jimin can feel a blush begin to rise to his face, and feeling quite flustered under the kind eyes of the older omega, he turns his eyes to the ground. “I hope so, at least…”

“Okay, that’s enough, you’re embarrassing him”, Jungkook steps in, wrapping his arm around Jimin’s shoulder to pull him closer to himself. Sunghoon doesn’t seem to mind that; he probably understands that with the bond still so fresh, the alpha is bound to get protective over the stupidest of things. Even if Sunghoon means well.

“What are you even doing back here? I thought you’d come next month when it’s warmer.”

The older omega’s eyes brighten and if possible, his smile widens even more. “I came to get you two, of course. You need a ride to Busan, don’t you?”

“Busan. That’s the biggest city closest to us”, Chaerin explains. “That’s where Sunghoon has his clinic, and where I’d first search for Jihyun. If he got out of here alive, he wouldn’t have stayed in the town, that’s too close. It’d be wiser to head to Busan.”

“Sounds good to me”, Jungkook nods, and the head alpha continues.

“I know some people there that you can go to ask about Jihyun. And being the only clinic taking in werewolves, Sunghoon definitely knows most of the city wolves. It’s a good start.”

Jimin is standing by the kitchen window, barely listening to what’s happening around him. The barren garden in the backyard has drawn his attention, with only a few flowers blooming here and there, but Jimin can imagine that it’s a sight to see later in summer.

“Most of those flowers were planted by your father. Or well, he decided what flowers he wanted to grow, I’ve only made sure they continue blooming from year to another.”

The blonde omega looks up in surprise. He hadn’t even noticed Chaerin coming, too deep in his own thoughts. The head alpha gives him a soft smile and motions for him to follow her further into the house. They leave Jungkook and Sunghoon behind in the kitchen, even though Jungkook seems a bit hesitant about that and Jimin can feel his worried gaze following him until they can no longer see each other.

“Relax”, Chaerin chuckles, throwing an amused look at him over her shoulder. “You’ll see him in a bit. Besides, I think Sunghoon is eager to have a little father-son talk with him. They could be almost mistaken as such.”

She comes to a stop by a lonely bookshelf in what seems like one of the guest rooms, maybe even Namjoon’s old room judging by some of the children’s drawings on the walls. The bookshelf is filled by fairytales and old pictures.

Jimin recognizes a few, smiling as he picks up a picture where there are three children standing by an old looking car. He can recognize those big doe eyes anywhere. “He can’t be more than nine in this”, he mumbles, sliding a finger over Jungkook’s small figure. The two taller kids in the picture must be Namjoon and Seokjin.

“He was about to turn eight that year. If I remember correctly, Sunghoon took them to town to celebrate Seokjin’s birthday. It was the first one without their parents so he thought that maybe he could distract them…” Chaerin lets out a long sigh, and the amber in her eyes seems duller, the fire in them smaller. “It was the worst winter I’ve ever had to face. We lost so many good wolves that I was kind of worried we wouldn’t be able to get back on our feet anymore.”

Jimin puts the picture back down and turns to his aunt with a soft smile. “But you still did. I think that might be one of the reasons the pack has so much faith in you. You got them through the worst and made this pack one of the strongest. You should be proud of yourself.”

The head alpha lets out a laugh, and for a moment Jimin wonders if he’s crossed the line, talking to her with such familiarity – as if he’d really be talking just to his aunt and not head alpha Kim – but she just brushes it off with a shrug.

“You’re definitely a lot like Minyoung. Which reminds me of why I even brought you here in the first place. There’s something I need to give you.”

She walks up to the nightstand next to the bed and digs out an old looking frame and one familiar looking leather bracelet. Jimin’s own hand goes automatically to feel the two around his wrist.

“Your father made these”, Chaerin tells, offering the third bracelet to Jimin. “Some time before he left with Minyoung to the mountains, that is. He said he wanted us to never forget where home is, and these bracelets are supposed to represent that.”

“Home?”

Jimin knows his father had never thought of the Park pack as his home. He had been too isolated from the rest, shunned and hated despite being the head alpha’s mate. But he probably hadn’t seen the Kim pack as his home either, because no one could accept his love for an alpha outside of their pack. Kim Yoojoon had no home.

Like Jimin.

Chaerin gives him the frame, and he’s not surprised to see a picture of his parents, but it still makes his heart ache a little. They look happy, embracing each other by a bush of honeysuckles. It must be mid-summer in the picture; his mother’s hair is glowing in the sunlight and his father is smiling so wide that he could rival the sun. He probably did.

“I don’t understand”, Jimin mumbles, his hold on the frame tightening.

Chaerin merely chuckles. “You don’t? It’s quite simple in the end. I’m sure your home is with him, too.”

With him? Maybe a part of him knows right away what Chaerin means, because Jimin turns his body slightly towards the doorway at the same time Jungkook appears there, a smile blooming on his face as soon as their eyes meet. Jimin can’t help but smile back, his omega ridiculously happy to see their mate again.

Oh. The omega blinks his eyes owlishly. He gets it.

“See? It’s simple” Chaerin says, a gentle tilt of amusement in her voice. “Home is where your loved ones are.”

So maybe his father had a home after all. And with Jungkook’s arms curling around his body to pull him into a hug, Jimin knows he definitely has one.

He’s found his place next to Jungkook.

“Uncle is baking and told me to get out because apparently I’m too distracting”, the brunette alpha says before resting his chin on Jimin’s shoulder, pouting like a kid who got scolded by their parent, and Jimin laughs.

“You are quite distracting if I’m to be honest, pup. But in a good way.” He ruffles Jungkook’s soft hair and nuzzles his nose against his cheek, but before he can move away, the alpha straightens himself and grabs a hold of his face, squeezing his cheeks together.

“What did I say about calling me that?” Jungkook complains but the look in his eyes is playful. He squeezes the omega’s cheeks a little harder just because he can and presses a soft kiss on his plump lips.

“Kids these days”, Chaerin sighs, and it’s almost like Jungkook would only then notice her presence, quickly jerking backwards with an awkward cough. At least he has the decency to look embarrassed, although the pack-leader just laughs and dismisses their apologies.

“But Jimin”, she continues quickly, turning back to the omega with a gentle smile. “Do you understand what I’m trying to say here?”

“I – well, kind of? I’m not entirely sure…”

Chaerin smiles. “Don’t be afraid to head out there. Home is where your heart is. The unknown doesn’t seem all that scary when you look at it that way.”

No, it doesn’t.

If anything, he’s starting to feel a little excited. The whole world is opening for them – they have a chance to see so much more than a regular forest wolf. Meet so many more people, see things Jimin never hoped to see, feel the salt of the ocean and the warmth of the city. And yes, it’s scary to leave the territory they grew-up in when they know nothing about the place they’re heading to, but it’s like Chaerin said.

Jimin is not leaving his home behind.

The omega looks at the three bracelets in his hand. “I don’t think I need these”, he then says, looking back up at his aunt. “Will you hold onto these for me?”

She seems almost relieved by his decision and carefully takes the bracelets into her own hands from the omega.

“Of course, they’ll be right here when you come back. Just like the rest of us.”

The day to leave arrives soon, and Jimin wakes up feeling both excited and nervous. He lingers in bed a little longer than usual, trying to burn the feeling of these familiar sheets to his memory, this familiar room that he’s grown fond of, this warm, safe atmosphere. Jungkook is in a similar state of wonder, looking at the walls and scenery longer, and sticking close to his brother like a lost lamb. In many ways, it might be harder for him, since he’s never been away from this house, this village, for long but there’s no doubt in his mind. He’s set on going.

After breakfast, Jimin heads to the graves. He has to say bye to his grandmother before going, to tell her that he’s going to find Jihyun and bring him back to greet her. “We didn’t wait for nothing after all, grandmother”, he whispers, and with the way the wind whistles gently in his ears, like a warm touch against his cheek, he feels like she might’ve known it too.

The omega turns towards the older part of the grave and grins. “When we come back, I’ll bring you jasmine flowers, I promise. And oh – I’ll keep your son safe.”

“Really now?”

Jimin isn’t surprised by the voice behind, having long sensed the alpha coming closer, but he still yelps rather loudly when he’s lifted up and thrown over Jungkook’s shoulder. “Kook! You can’t just – you idiot—”

“Don’t worry grandma Park”, Jungkook cuts him off, his smirk too obvious in his voice. “I’ll take care of your little Snowflake from now on.”

The omega stops struggling, mildly surprised by the sincerity in Jungkook’s voice. He can feel that the alpha is concerned and only trying to comfort him, even if he does it with a teasing tone. Idiot, Jimin thinks, a smile tugging at his lips. He just had to go and fall in love with a dork.

“And we’ll bring you some honeysuckles, too”, Jungkook adds, and the omega giggles against his back.

Dork or not, Jimin still definitely made the right choice.

The morning goes by in a flash – before Jimin even knows, they’re already standing by the village border, ready to head into the forest and towards the road.

Some of the wolves he’s been able to befriend have come to say goodbye, but Jimin doesn’t let himself be sad. It’s not like they’re leaving for good. He knows they’ll come back once the time is right for it.

And he swears they won’t be coming alone.

“Take care, you two”, Jiwoo says, patting Jungkook on the shoulder a few times before turning to hug Jimin. “I won’t be there to watch over you anymore, so try to behave. Don’t bicker too much. And here’s a list of medicine I’m going to need once you come back, make sure to get all of it.”

Jimin takes the small piece of paper from her hands with a laugh and stuffs it in his pocket. “I will.” And then he hugs her again, this time tighter and longer. For long, Jiwoo had been his comfort in the Kim pack, the one person he could put his trust in – even before Jungkook. He’s going to miss her familiar scent of herbs and her calming presence. “Thank you for everything, Jiwoo.”

The healer just smiles and shakes her head. “You’re always thanking people for the silliest of things.”

Silly or not, without her kindness Jimin wouldn’t be alive.

“C’mon”, Jungkook nudges his side. “We should go if we want to make it to Busan before sunset. The head alpha said that our landlord will only wait so long to give us the keys to our apartment.”

Of course Chaerin has no intention of just sending them out to the city with no roof over their heads or some money for food and other necessities – she has connections, surprisingly many, and Jimin and Jungkook will be good for a month or two. They have a small apartment waiting for them in Seo-gu, in an area where there should be quite many other wolves, even some of Sunghoon and Chaerin’s friends.

But sooner or later, they’re going to have to start looking for jobs. That might be a problem because they don’t have much experience of the modern world and how it works, but they’ll get through it somehow. It’s not like they’re entirely alone out there.

Taehyung, Namjoon and Seokjin come to say goodbye to them by the car. The way there is filled by excited chatter, but as they get closer to the motor way, they also grow quieter. By the time they arrive, it’s silent aside from the humming of the wind and sounds of nature. Jimin doesn’t think anyone is particularly sad, but it’s always hard to see someone go and not know exactly where or when they’re even coming back. The only reassurance they have is the promise of returning.

“Alright then”, Seokjin starts, and Jungkook groans, preparing himself for a lecture. His brother smacks him weakly on the arm but there’s a fond look in his eyes. “Take care of each other. Remember that there’s no pack to protect you now and no territories. Your apartment will be your safe place but outside that, it’s everyone’s world. Not just yours. The rules that apply here don’t apply there.”

“We’ll be okay, hyung”, Jungkook reassures. He grins at his brother, trying hard not to show his sadness, but Jimin can feel it and his omega whimpers. The scent of honeysuckles heightens in the air, a weak attempt from the blonde to comfort his mate.

“I know”, Seokjin mumbles, and he does sound sure. Surprisingly so. “You’re strong and even stronger together, we’ve all seen that. And when it comes to the rules? Well, you’ve never been keen on following them before so surely you’ll fit right in.”

“I’m not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not.”

The older omega just grins, bright and trusting, before pulling both Jungkook and Jimin into a tight hug. Jimin relaxes against his familiar warmth easily, breathing in Seokjin’s sweet caramel scent. Next to him, Jungkook is taking in lungfuls of that same scent, desperate to hold onto the familiarity of it.

Seokjin chuckles at that and presses a kiss on Jungkook’s head. He then takes a step back and nods at the two, as if confirming that they’re good to go. As if saying that he’s ready to let them go. “Be safe. And be happy, that’s all I ask of you.”

“We’ll be waiting for you”, Taehyung adds. “I’ve still got to beat you in Blackjack, Chim.”

Jimin throws his head back with a laugh. “Sure, I’ll hold you onto that, Tae. How about I buy you a new deck of cards?” The silver-haired omega already nods, looking excited suddenly, but Jimin is quick to add: “As long as you work things out with Hoseok-hyung, alright? I want to see more happy couples when we come back.”

For a moment, Taehyung doesn’t look all that happy, his strawberry scent souring, but Seokjin elbows him playfully and he shakes off his doubts with a lazy smile. “I think I can do that for you.”

“Yeah? Then I’ll get you the prettiest cards I can find.”

“Pinky promise?”

Jimin links his pinky with the other omega, giggling at the size difference of their hands. “Pinky promise.”

The rest are watching them with shared amusement, but the sun is getting alarmingly high and Sunghoon is quick to start to usher them into the car. “I’ll make sure they call every once in a while”, the eldest omega promises before turning to his son with a stern look. “Joon, take care of your mother while I’m gone. And also, I’m expecting grandkids soon, and they better inherit Jin’s beauty, got that?”

Namjoon looks like he doesn’t know whether to just say yes or laugh. “Love you too, dad…”

“Well”, Jimin says, smiling widely. “We’re off, then. See you guys soon, right?”

“Of course”, Seokjin nods with such confidence that Jimin feels like he has no other choice but to believe him. They’ll see each other again in no time at all. “Have a safe trip.”

Jungkook and him share one last hug before Jimin pulls him towards the car where Sunghoon is already waiting, impatiently tapping the wheel. Jimin has been in a car a couple of times before but the sound of the engine going on and the steady rumble beneath him still makes his heart jump into his throat, his hold on Jungkook tightening as Sunghoon drives onto the road.

The windows are open, and they can hear Seokjin and Taehyung yell bye to them, but when Jimin turns to look back, all he can see are three wolves that quickly disappear into the sea of green.

The ride to Busan is long, and at some point Jimin falls asleep. It’s a dreamless one that seems too short to feel relaxing, and he wakes up confused and a little disoriented. His wolf realizes quickly that he’s not in his nest, a bubble of panic forming inside of him, but Jungkook hushes him softly and places his hand on Jimin’s shoulder.

“We’re safe”, the alpha murmurs, coaxing Jimin to lean his head on his lap. “And we’ll be at the city soon, try to relax, okay?”

The omega can smell it. The air is no longer crisp and clean like in the forest; instead, it feels warmer and there are dozens of other scents in the air, ones that don’t belong to wolves but to humans and the scent of salt has become unsettlingly strong. The ocean is close.

From his position, he can see through the tinted window. The sun is starting to go down but suddenly its covered by a building. And the first one is followed by another and then another more, until Jimin can only occasionally see a peek of the familiar light. It’s gotten louder too, the sound of other vehicles and humans invading the car despite the windows being shut.

It’s sensory overload, and Jimin feels dizzy with all the new sensations attacking him from all direction. He moves closer to Jungkook, whimpering quietly when the alpha curls around him protectively.

“How can anyone live here?” Jimin whispers. “It’s like – the noise, it’s everywhere. And the smell—”

“You get used to it”, Sunghoon answers even before the younger omega can finish. “You have to adapt, just like mountain wolves have adapted to living in the cold all year round and forest wolves to living with four seasons. It might take some time, but you’ll get used to it soon enough, Jimin-ah. And I can give you some things that’ll help from the clinic.”

The blonde omega is not sure he wants to get used to all of this, but he’s the one who pushed them to leave. Sunghoon is right – he has to adapt. It’s just the first of the many obstacles they’re going to face from now on.

He turns to look at his mate, who’s hovering over him with a concerned look on his face but comfort in his eyes. “Jungkook, do you… do you think I rushed this decision? Do you think we should’ve waited?”

“No”, the alpha answers easily. Jimin frowns at that, not entirely sure if Jungkook’s just saying it because he wants to spare his feelings but then again, he can’t detect a lie, can’t feel any doubt through their bond. “You’ve waited long enough, Min. Besides, another week or even a month wouldn’t have made a difference, it would still be as hard as now. Just, it’s – it’s not going to be like this forever, baby.”

Jimin knows that but a small, irrational part of him wonders if he’s doomed both him and Jungkook to a life of misery.

“If you let yourself be let down so easily, you’ll never be able to enjoy the good of this city”, Sunghoon chuckles, glancing at them from the mirror.

“There are lots of bad sides to living in the forest too, you know. A city wolf would be terrified to go there. You’re stuck with the same people from day to another, the same routine, and the same rules. You’re pretty much at the mercy of the nature. Here, you just at the mercy of the people. Different people and different rules every day. And maybe this life isn’t for you in the end, but like Jungkook said, it’s not like you have to stay here forever. Endure, adapt, and make it into something unforgettable. This is a place where you can live how you want.”

All Jimin wants is to live happily with his family. And to achieve that, he’s going to have to search for the one missing person, and make sure they’re safe and happy. Once he’s found Jihyun again, then he can start living life how he wants to.

“Okay”, he mumbles, and Jungkook lets out a soft chuckle, his hand holding tightly onto Jimin’s. It’s a reminder that he’s got his home with him, he’s never going to be alone again, and the world outside can’t change that.

“I’ll get used to it. I swear.”

“You just have to be open to try”, Sunghoon says. “Sometimes it’s that simple.”

A comfortable silence falls back into the car. Jimin stays down with his head still resting on Jungkook’s lap, but the anxiety in him has simmered down a little and with each intake of air, his wolf becomes relaxed again. He’s not feeling pleased with the artificial scents tickling his nose and loud noises messing with his ears, but if he just focuses on the warmth next to him, everything else becomes insignificant.

“We’re at the clinic”, Sunghoon suddenly says, turning the car off the road and onto a small parking lot. Jimin gets up with a grumble, eyes drifting to the window right away.

They’re surrounded by buildings made out of glass and rock, metal and plastic, and Jimin doesn’t think he’s ever seen this many people in the same place. All minding their own business, the second he steps out of the car he almost bumps into someone already, and the guy doesn’t even apologize. With so many scents in the air, he can’t distinguish who’s a wolf and who’s not. A bus drives past them, an airplane casts a shadow on the ground, and there’s a train passing somewhere close by. He feels like he’s in a whole another universe.

“Pretty cool, isn’t it?” Sunghoon asks with a grin, before nodding towards the house they parked in front of. “C’mon now, let’s go inside for a second before I send you two off on your own.”

Jimin hurries to walk side by side with Jungkook, sticking as close as he can to the alpha, scared of getting separated even though no one else is coming closer to them. Sunghoon leads them inside the clinic, and the recently mated pair tries their best to ignore all the curious eyes on them as they’re taken through the hallways and into Sunghoon’s private office.

“Now then”, the elder omega starts, motioning for them to take a seat in front of his desk while he goes to stand behind it. “Chaerin mentioned that there’s something you wish to get checked, Jimin-ah. Are you still interested in that?”

For a second, Jimin freezes. What did he want to get checked?

“Your ability to give birth, Minnie”, Sunghoon laughs, amused by the perplexed look on Jimin’s face. “You had some doubts about that. Do you want to run some tests? Or will you just take my word for it?”

“Your word?”

“Well, you still experience heats, don’t you?”

Jimin squirms in his seat, feeling a little flustered. Jungkook just hums reassuringly next to him, his other arm coming to rest on the back of Jimin’s chair, his fingers playing with the hair in the back of his neck. Jimin knows that Jungkook is feeling just as uncomfortable as he in this unfamiliar environment, especially when they can’t smell if they’re in danger, but the alpha is trying not to let his instincts control him. He has to try too.

“Y-yeah, I do…”

“Infertile omegas rarely do”, Sunghoon explains, releasing more of his own chocolate scent to soothe the nervous couple. “Once your wolf accepts that it’s incapable of carrying children, it’ll stop trying. And heats are for breeding. Your omega feels quite strong, however. And besides, you’re young and Jiwoo told me that the bond between you two is extremely strong. You can heal each other.”

“I-I know that, it’s just—” the wound was so deep, he probably shouldn’t have even survived. And he’s never hoped for it to heal. However, things are different now.

Now there’s hope that he didn’t have before and, he knows Jungkook won’t leave him even if it’s true that he’s infertile.

“I don’t think I need any tests. Time will show, right?” he says in the end, and Jungkook’s hand slips down to curl around his waist. The alpha seems happy about his decision.

Sunghoon measures him with his gaze for a few silent seconds before smiling. “Time will show. And if you ever change your mind, well. I’m not going anywhere.”

They spend another hour at the clinic before it’s time to go if they want to make it on time. Sunghoon gives them their own phones and spends quite long explaining how the map app works so they find their way. It’s weird because Jimin is used to following scents (but that’s no use at all in the city) but at the same time, it seems kind of convenient. He feels proud when he finally masters it, grinning widely at his mate who’s still trying to wrap his head around how to open the phone.

“Password? Why do I need a password?” Jungkook asks as they walk down the street later, peering at his new phone curiously.

“So no one can access your private information on the phone.”

“But why would I ever put anything I don’t want people to see in here?”

Jimin’s not entirely sure yet either. “We’ll probably figure that out later. Have you come up with a password?”

“Is your name good enough?” Jungkook gives him a questioning look, sounding completely serious about his suggestion, and somehow, Jimin finds that incredibly sweet.

“Ah, I suppose so. Should I put Taehyung’s name as mine then?”

His mate makes a face at that, and Jimin can’t help but laugh. It’s easy to fool around with Jungkook, it gives him a feeling of familiarity, of safety, and the following steps don’t seem nearly as scary anymore. Being with Jungkook makes everything seem less complicated.

“Oh. We’re here.” Jimin looks up from his phone and at the small apartment building in front of them. It’s right by the road, so it’s definitely going to be noisy, but Sunghoon gave them some earplugs to help drown out all the noise. Chaerin said that their windows would face the ocean but honestly, with so many bigger buildings on the way, Jimin has his doubts.

He turns to glance at Jungkook. “It’s going to be a shabby place.”

“Definitely.”

“But one we can live in, right?”

The alpha grins, and it’s so full of happiness Jimin’s a little taken back. “Of course. We’ll make it a home for us.”

It starts to drizzle. Thanks to the cloud of fumes, Jimin had no idea of the rain clouds above them, nor could he smell it like usually. But it’s a nice surprise, the cooling water washing away the exhaustion from the trip and filling him with new faith.

“C’mon, let’s not catch a cold on our first day”, Jungkook says, ushering him inside the staircase. There’s an older man waiting for them there with keys in his hand, a beta Jimin judges from his mild scent of pine, and he leads them onto the third floor and then further inside a small apartment. It seems to already have all the necessities, a bed, some kitchen equipment and a bathroom with new towels and toothbrushes. There’s even a couch and a bunch of extra pillows and comforters for Jimin to build a new nest from.

It’s not bad. Definitely something they can live in.

And Chaerin was right, after all. Through the bedroom window, past the skyscrapers and streetlights, he can see the ocean. Only a small sliver of it, that’s true, but it’s there.

“Should we go to the beach tomorrow morning?” Jimin calls out to Jungkook who’s still speaking with the landlord. He’s only answer is a confirming hum from the alpha so they’re going. He’s waited long to feel the waves on his skin.

It’s one of the only things he can remember of his mother – the ocean, that is. She kept telling him and Jihyun about the ocean and the lands beyond it, and how she had always wanted to travel and see it with her own two eyes. Only, as the head alpha, she could’ve never left the pack behind. Jimin remembers promising her that one day he’d take them all there, but she had just laughed and ruffled his hair before walking away. Silly, is what his father had called him. Jihyun had merely peered at him from his position in their father’s arms.

But maybe Jihyun came to Busan and stayed. Maybe, even though he shouldn’t have any memories of their parents, maybe he still feels the same longing Jimin does.

Maybe somewhere in this huge city, he’s looking at the same scenery as Jimin.

The omega lets out a quiet sigh at the thought, feeling a little reassured, and reaches over to open the window. It’s stuck, obviously no one has opened it in a long time and when Jimin finally manages to tear it open, he’s left with the handle in his hand.

“Huh…” he looks at it for a moment before huffing and throwing it on the bed. He can solve that problem later.

Jimin leans out of the window. He’s greeted by the warm wind coming from the ocean, the salty scent mixed with the scent of fumes and mouthwatering street food. It feels quite humid thanks to the rain and he reaches his hand out, feeling the droplets on his palm.

The rain is warm. When he looks up to the sky, he can see the sun peek from behind the clouds. Soon there’s going to be a rainbow curving over their heads, and Jimin wants to wait for it to take a picture and send it back to everyone in the pack. Taehyung will love it.

There’s someone standing out on the balcony in the opposite building. Jimin only sees him now that the sun came out, and he smiles when he notices that he’s petting a cat that’s sitting on the railing. Cute. The omega kind of wants a pet, but Jungkook is a lot to handle on his own already.

But suddenly the cat jumps off, running somewhere inside the guy’s apartment and Jimin can’t quite hold back the amused giggle that escapes him. Obviously, he’s too loud or the city is too quiet suddenly because the man hears him and his head snaps towards the omega by the window.

His eyes are a warm amber color, and his hair a shade of sandy brown, and Jimin frowns. He swears he can smell a hint of mint in the air. The Park pack smelled like freshly cut mint – his mother’s scent.

This man—

“Baby? Are you listening?”

Jimin slips back inside, woken up from his disoriented thoughts by Jungkook calling his name. The guy from the balcony is quickly forgotten when he finds himself lifted up by Jungkook, the alpha spinning him around in excitement.

“Kook!” Jimin laughs, grabbing a tight hold onto his mate’s shoulders. “What have I said about picking me up—”

He’s cut off by his own surprised scream when Jungkook suddenly falls down on the bed backwards, Jimin falling on top of him, face squished against the soft blanket. The room is filled by laughter and the scent of cedarwood and honeysuckles, that quickly marks the apartment as theirs. Their very own place.

They wrestle around on the bed for a moment, trying to find a comfortable position until they end up on their sides, gazing at each other. Jungkook’s eyes are full of stars and Jimin doesn’t stop himself from leaning over to kiss him softly.

He’s never ever going to stop himself from loving Jungkook again. Never.

“So…” the alpha starts, his other hand reaching over to caress Jimin’s cheek. “What now? Where do you want to start? And when?”

“I think we can start right here”, Jimin answers, nuzzling against Jungkook’s hand. The alpha lets out a quiet chuckle and if it’s even possible, his touch becomes even gentler. “And mm, we can start tomorrow. Right now, I just want to be with you.”

Jungkook hums in agreement, eyes softening. “Okay. Let’s stay like this, then.”

He hopes they can stay like this forever.

Jimin starts humming a familiar melody, a song that tells of the mountain rivers and spring flowers, and Jungkook closes his eyes to listen before moving closer to his mate until he can bury his face against Jimin’s neck. The omega wraps his arms around him and plays with his soft brown hair, his heart feeling so warm and filled with love he could burst.

“Hey”, he mumbles quietly in case Jungkook has fallen asleep, but the alpha lets out a questioning sound against his neck, shifting a little to hear Jimin better. “Remember when you said that you think I will love summer even more than spring?”

Jungkook grows tense for a moment and Jimin can feel a wave of embarrassment wash over him through their bond, but he brushes it off with a gentle laugh.

“You heard that? I thought you were asleep already”, the alpha whines, throwing his arms and legs over Jimin’s body to hold him tighter and to stop him from squirming around. Jimin’s sure he just wants to hide his face from him.

“Of course I heard it”, the omega laughs. “It was really sweet of you.”

“You think so?”

Jimin giggles and buries his face against Jungkook’s head, breathing in his familiar scent. “Yeah. And you know, I think I’m ready for it now.”

His mate presses a kiss against the mark on Jimin’s shoulder. “Hm? Ready for what?” Jungkook’s lips travel up his neck and onto his jawline, and Jimin melts into his touch, eyes closed, smiling.

“I’m ready for summer.”