Chapter Text
Greed. Greed was what Taehyung had been feeling. Greed to have the situation under his control. Greed to let go of norms and do what he wanted. Greed to watch him as long as he could. Greed to be able to talk to him freely. Greed to have him by his side. Greed to forget their pasts.
Ever since the hunting day, greed had consumed Taehyung. He couldn’t understand it at first. Everyone had noticed how different Taehyung’s behaviour had been since the day Jungkook arrived, but the alpha dismissed it. He was just curious.
Now, that he has been having sleepless nights and the urge to be with the omega all the time, it couldn’t be mere curiosity.
He argued with himself that it could be his loneliness. But he wasn’t lonely. The alpha never felt lonely. It was indeed greed.
Taehyung had always been taught that greed is a sin. No one taught him how beautiful a sin could be.
The day went as awful as it could. He was locked in the headquarters the entire day with the council members and his mother. A day filled with countless arguments and threats. At one point, Taehyung considered killing one of the council members when he wouldn’t budge from his radical thoughts.
Jiwoo handled the situation by dismissing the meeting.
And now, as the evening approached, Taehyung found himself in the most serene place in his pack. The pond right behind his cabin. Tall walnut trees cast shadows from the setting sun. The alpha had brought his flute to calm his nerves and distract himself from the greedy thoughts. He didn’t choose the tone and the timbre to play. In times like this, his wolf always chose what to play on their beloved flute.
Taehyung knew that his wolf was in pain. He had been in pain for some time. The pain of his wolf followed the greed he felt.
Closing his eyes, he breathed into the flute, creating a note. The aggression and intensity that came with the forceful blowing were new but welcoming to him. His fingers danced over the tone holes, changing the pitch more frequently than usual.
As he played the flute, Taehyung would see things with his eyes closed— a flower field of Gukhwas, a lake beneath his feet, and a small pink hand holding his big tanned one.
So harmonious. So tranquil.
“Hey!”
A sudden voice took him out of the bliss he was living in. The alpha opened his eyes and found Jungkook standing nearby. A small smile adorned his face.
“Hi,” Taehyung replied. And the greed returned.
“Come sit,” The alpha offered, which Jungkook accepted. He sat on a boulder nearby, dipping his feet in the pond.
Taehyung continued playing his tune on the flute, with Jungkook as his listener. The sun was almost on the horizon, his hues becoming pink and orange.
“It doesn’t sound soothing today,” Jungkook stated.
It had been a few days since the hunting and a few days since the omega had been coming to listen to Taehyung’s flute. Naturally, he had developed a memory of all the tunes that the alpha played.
“I play what I feel,” Taehyung replied, his eyes focused on the setting sun.
“And what are you feeling?” The alpha’s heart thumped when Jungkook asked with innocence in his voice.
Avoiding the question, Taehyung asked instead. “What are you doing here this late?” Even though it had become a part of their routine to meet at the pond before sunset.
He didn’t expect Jungkook to answer his absurd question, but surprisingly, he did. “I don’t want to go back to Yoongi’s house this early.” The omega looked in Taehyung’s direction, “I’m used to stargazing at night,” A chuckle, “If it’s fine with you, My Lord.”
Taehyung didn’t look in Jungkook’s direction as he answered, “It’s alright, you can be here.”
The alpha closed his eyes once again, as he covered the knotted end of the flute with his lips. His wolf whined and grumbled, going out of his control. Taehyung’s wolf was usually obedient, a helping hand to his human half. But today, he wouldn’t listen to him.
The wolf decided the tone once again. Not aggressive, yet as intense as it could be. The music surrounded them from all sides. His flute was creating magic. Taehyung had never hit this note, he had never even heard this melody. Yet, his wolf was begging him to play it. Tears rolled down his eyes, as the wind started blowing.
His body was going stiff, Taehyung was sure that he would drown any moment now. Then, the same voice.
“I will never forgive you.”
As the hot tears covered his face, Taehyung’s heart felt like it was tearing into two. But, his wolf wouldn’t let him stop. He didn’t want to stop either, the alpha wanted to drown. He felt guilt all over his being, telling him to do the unthinkable.
His wolf cried and cried as he howled. And Taehyung was drenched in guilt. The voice continued, “You did it. It was your mistake.”
It was becoming too much to handle until Taehyung caught a sniff of cherry laced with vanilla. The voice died down right after. His wolf too was calming down just after one sniff.
The blue of the aggressive flute surrounded them, but it was being neutralized by the red of the cherry.
Slowly, Taehyung gained control of his heart once again. He let go of the flute and opened his reddened eyes. Fighting his urge to look at Jungkook, the alpha opted to keep his eyes on the pond.
But the omega’s reflection could be seen from there. Jungkook was wiping his eyes with the sleeves of his powder blue shirt.
Nobody spoke for a while. Taehyung didn’t have it in him to utter a word. His mind was occupied by the sweet cherry.
The sun settled down, and the moon took over. The pond was surrounded by fireflies. Then, suddenly, Jungkook chose to speak.
“Minji came by Yoongi's place today. Poor thing is still scared.”
Taehyung replied, “That’s why I was against her joining us.”
“Then why did you agree?
I wanted you to come.
“I thought it would be a good experience for her.”
Silence settled between them. Jungkook’s curious round eyes were gazing at Taehyung while the alpha was not making any eye contact at all. For a moment, Taehyung thought that the omega listened to his heart’s voice.
Jungkook laughed, “I am not sure about good but it was indeed an experience for her.” His laugh echoed, surrounding Taehyung. It was the most beautiful thing that the alpha had ever heard. Way better than his flute. Taehyung thought about making the laugh a part of his day, hearing it again and again for a long time.
But reality hit him. Jungkook belonged to someone else.
The family of the three bunnies emerged from their burrow. While the adult bunnies went to collect food, the baby bunny was playing with Jungkook’s pants. In the previous few days, the little bunny had formed a special bond with the omega.
Jungkook too was playing with him by caressing the long fluffy ears of the baby bunny.
“She reminds me of my childhood,” Jungkook said, likely referring to Minji.
“Were you like her?” Taehyung asked as he watched the baby bunny hop onto Jungkook’s lap.
“Not exactly, but I had the same enthusiasm.”
The baby bunny, now munching on some leaves that Jungkook had plucked for him, half-closed his eyes as the omega continued to caress his head.
The pain Taehyung, as he played the flute, was reduced to nothing as he watched both of them.
He took a long sniff of Jungkook’s sweet scent, “Tell me about it.”
“I was a naughty kid, terrible for my teachers. Once I stole Namjoon hyung’s chickens and hid them in our class. The teachers were so angry but they couldn’t do anything to me.” Jungkook’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. The bunny, too, was looking at the omega, when Jungkook gave a pack on his snout.
“Because you were cute?” The alpha said abruptly, realising what he had said a moment later.
He immediately turned his face away but not before witnessing the redness of Jungkook’s cheeks.
“No, because of my father,” The omega replied, rather timidly.
Greed consumed Taehyung entirely. He wanted more and more. Didn’t want the conversation to end.
“Tell me more about you.”
Jungkook looked enthusiastic, “You know when I was eight, I was playing hide and seek with my friends,” He closed his eyes and let out a small chuckle, “Me being me, who doesn’t like to lose, I wanted to hide the best. So, I went to the forest and hid on a tree branch.” His voice got more excited as he continued the story, making Taehyung’s heart beat faster. “And I fell asleep on the branch,” Jungkook added a touch of drama in to his voice and gestures. Even the baby bunny was listening intently.
“The whole pack got in a frenzy and in the pitch-black night, I fell off the branch.” His laugh matched that of the baby bunny as he pointed to a scar on his cheek. “And got this. Seokjin hyung found me crying on the ground. I got a lot of scolding that day, only for me to go and hide deep in the forest again the next day.”
Taehyung laughed with Jungkook, their voices echoed through the area. The alpha felt greed stirring in him, consuming him. But he reminded himself once again that Jungkook had a mate waiting for him.
The baby bunny hopped off Jungkook’s lap as his parents came back. The three of them were to go back to their burrow but the baby bunny was busy catching the fireflies.
✺✳ ┅ ⑅ ┅ ✳✺
Silence settled between them once again. Taehyung’s greed threatened to overtake but he kept
it is in check. As the time passed, Jungkook asked, “Can I ask you something?”
“Yes,” Taehyung replied enthusiastically.
“Why is it taking so long for your pack to decide my fate?” The omega’s voice felt almost disheartened, with a sliver of hope remaining in it.
Taehyung couldn’t bear to see him so hopeless, not now, not ever. The unnamed connection he felt with the omega couldn’t let him. “It’s not an easy decision. A lot of lives are at stake,” he replied, being careful to not say something that could harm the omega.
Jungkook looked away, causing a pang in Taehyung’s heart. He couldn’t even imagine what the omega was going through. How terrible he must be feeling. Jungkook always wore a mask of a smile, and Taehyung was sure that it wasn’t his true emotions.
“If your council wants to kill me then just get over with it.” Jungkook’s voice was heavy with emotions like he had been stopping his tears with all his will. He still wouldn’t look at Taehyung, the alpha was unable to see his face.
“It’s not that, Jungkook,” Taehyung replied, suddenly realising how sweet the omega’s name felt on his lips.
Jungkook rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, as he faced Taehyung. “What is it? Tell me…I have the right to know,” he demanded.
The alpha couldn’t tell the details of what was happening in the council meetings. Even today, he had fought with another alpha who wanted to harm Jungkook. He couldn’t tell the omega, not for the safety of his pack, but because he didn’t want Jungkook to feel bad or unsafe in the slightest. His body was filled with rage upon thinking what the council member had said about omega. Jungkook should never know its extent.
But with one look at the omega and his hopeless eyes, Taehyung couldn’t lie to him either. “Some of the council members want…harsher punishment for you.”
Taehyung stared at the ground beneath him. That was as close to the truth as he could get without hurting Jungkook’s feelings.
“Are you one of them?” Jungkook asked, not a single emotion in his voice as if he had given up without hearing the answer.
Taehyung’s heart ached. The emotions he had been feeling were tugging the chains of his heart, “Do you think I am one of them?” He asked sincerely, eager to know what the omega thought of him.
Jungkook stared into the pond, the new moon offering little light. Taehyung remembered the last time he watched the omega bathing in the moonlight. His pale skin had turned silver with golden hues from the fireflies.
“Don’t deflect the question,” Jungkook replied, his voice still emotionless.
Their conversation had turned into something that Taehyung didn’t want to. It was better when they were talking about Jungkook’s childhood or even the voice that he had heard earlier—anything but Jungkook thinking that Taehyung was against him.
“I want a conclusion that is not harmful to you at all,” Taehyung said, unable to explain the council’s desires. The very reason he fought with them today.
Jungkook’s eyes sparkled at Taehyung’s words. “Really?”
“If it were up to me, you wouldn’t be in this situation,” Taehyung was happy to see the crinkles in Jungkook’s eyes.
But those crinkles still. The sounds of birds and insects from the forest filled the silence. The pond water became still, reflecting Jungkook clearly.
Jungkook tilted his face, “You remind me of someone.”
“Who?” Taehyung asked immediately.
Jungkook shook his head, clasping his hands on his knees, “I don’t know. But it feels like the waterfall wasn’t our first meeting.”
Taehyung understood. He had felt similarly, but no matter how much he tried to recollect his memories, it made no sense. “I don’t remember meeting you before that,” he answered simply, hoping that Jungkook might remember if they had met before.
The omega stood up, brushing off his clothes. “I think I am just losing my mind here in your pack,” he said with a smile on his face that Taehyung knew was fake.
Taehyung also stood. It was time to part ways once more. “Then you must go back to your alpha soon before you completely lose it.”
The alpha’s heart felt heavy. They walked together from the pond to Taehyung’s cabin.
“Big bad alpha wants to get rid of me so bad?” Jungkook giggled, making Taehyung shiver.
“I brought you here. It makes sense that I will be the one to escort you back safely.” Even if I don’t want to, he thought.
It was an unspoken agreement that Taehyung would always escort Jungkook back to Yoongi and Jimin’s house, after their meeting at the pond. Jungkook had stopped questioning why. The omega must think that Taehyung didn’t trust him.
Their walk from the pond to the Min-Park residence was filled with different topics that Jungkook would come up with. This time it is the baby rabbit and how much attached the omega has gotten to him.
Taehyung reminded him that the bunny could be a ‘her’, to which Jungkook pouted.
Upon reaching the house, Jungkook stood in front of Taehyung. “I’ll let you escort me back to my pack only on one condition.”
The alpha smiled, “And what would that be?”
Jungkook played with his fingers, “Big bad alpha will show me the waterfall on our way back.” He extended his little finger towards Taehyung.
“Promise?”
Taehyung joined his finger with Jungkook’s
“Promise.”
✺✳ ┅ ⑅ ┅ ✳✺
Junho should not have been here, he could not be. It was illegal, it went against everything. Their security, their livelihood, their peace—all of those were in danger because of him.
But he could not sit back and relax while Jungkook had been missing for weeks. To hell with the peace treaty and the pack’s security. He felt certain that his precious omega was in the Kims’ Stardust pack.
Junho along with Jungkook’s family had searched every single inch of their pack but the omega was nowhere to be found. Junho felt Jungkook’s family was not doing enough. Not as much as he was.
He had been tirelessly searching for the omega and went to places that no man should go. He could not lose Jungkook, not now, not ever.
He knew the damage he could cause by entering the boundaries of the Stardust pack. But he had to.
He wouldn’t go near the pack village but he would sniff every corner of the jungle.
It had been more than four days when Junho had entered the pack, with no luck.
Until today.
As he went deep inside, he smelled many scents, all belonging to alphas. He deduced that it must be from the pack hunters.
With nothing to eat and drink for days, Junho’s senses had dulled. But no matter how numb his senses, there was one thing he could never miss.
The sweet scent of cherry laced with vanilla.
Weeks of hard work and desperation had finally paid off.
Junho stood still, inhaling deeply. The smell of cherry hit him…it was Jungkook. The omega had been here.
✺✳ ┅ ⑅ ┅ ✳✺
A few more days had passed, a bit unceremoniously, but also not. With the changing weather everything seemed to slowly change in Taehyung’s life. The alpha was anxious all the time. It wasn’t an anxiety that would slow down his movements, or make him suffer. It was something coming from deep within him, deeper than the depths of his heart.
Taehyung concluded some reasons behind his anxiety, but he couldn’t share it with anyone. Minji was too young and Jimin had been extremely busy with the last month of Yoongi’s pregnancy.
The loneliness was eery, so many things to say, a lot to understand, but no one was there to listen to him.
Taehyung’s work was also not going well. The councilmen had been fighting amongst themselves in every single meeting. They were treating Jungkook like a treasure they had found which can be sold out in a foreign market. Each one of them would come up with a plan so pathetic that it would boil Taehyung’s blood.
The alpha’s anxiety kept increasing day by day, and sometimes he wouldn’t understand why he was feeling this. The reason he had concluded would not suffice his feelings.
He had everything that a man could dream of, nothing to lose, and yet the doomed sense of bereavement was there.
After one of the council meetings, Taehyung was coming out of the pack headquarters. Wearing a simple tanned shirt and brown pants, he was going straight to his cabin. He had only walked a few steps when he found Jungkook on his way, right in front of the healing den.
The omega looked startled as he suddenly came in front of Taehyung. The ratten basket in his hand was about to drop when the alpha quickly caught it mid air.
Jungkook’s lips were parted in shock, his brows lifted, and eyes widened. Sometimes, the omega would remind Taehyung of someone he knew but couldn’t remember.
“Thank you,” Jungkook said, taking the basket back from the alpha’s hands.
Taehyung felt a gush of happiness filling him, which surely reflected on his face.
“Hi,” he suddenly said.
With the basket secured in his left hand, Jungkook swayed his long hair back with the other hand. The sunlight peeking from behind made his hair look golden at the edges. Taehyung had noticed that the omega’s hair grew a lot from when they first met. The alpha considered sharing his hair ties with the omega.
The younger one smiled looking at him as he replied, “Hi,”
Jungkook was carrying the basket with both of his hands now, filled with herbs and glass vials full of potions. The vials crinkled with one another as the omega moved his hand a bit.
“You came to the healing den?” The alpha asked.
The strands of hair that Jungkook had neatly tucked behind, came forward to cover his ears now as he nodded, “Yoongi needed them for himself."
“Can I be of any help in your task?” Taehyung asked, crossing his fingers behind his back, hoping that the omega would say yes.
Jungkook shook his head this time, “I got everything he asked for.”
With a little disappointment, Taehyung gave him a small smile.
As they stood in the middle of the stone path, the other councilmen were going to their cabins by walking either side of them. The alpha heard some of them cursing and some staring at Jungkook with rage filled eyes. They truly hated him.
Taehyung hoped that the omega didn’t listen or notice any of it. Whatever happened between the two packs was not his fault.
“I see,” Taehyung sighed, “Let me walk you to Jimin’s house.”
“Taehyung,” Jungkook didn’t have the habit of saying the alpha’s name that often. He usually preferred to say ‘big bad alpha’. But, to Taehyung, his name felt as sweet as a melody whenever Jungkook would say it.
“We talked about this, I can go alone.”
“I know,”
“And you're still going to follow me, aren’t you?” The omega’s lips moved upwards, and Taehyung matched the expression.
“Yes,” he replied.
Jungkook sneered, he shook his head in disbelief but a shy smile was bejewelled on his lips. The omega started walking towards his temporary house in the enemy pack with Taehyung following him as always.
The councilmen along with a few pack members were staring at them with their poison filled eyes. While Taehyung understood their emotions, he couldn’t help but feel bad for the omega. He was the purest soul that the alpha had ever encountered.
Taehyung was busy thinking about the day before yesterday when he went to Jimin’s house, and Jungkook was there taking care of Yoongi like a close family member. He was catering to every needs of the pregnant omega with a smile on his face.
Jungkook was doing this despite having any relation with any of them. He was a captive, he didn’t have to do anything for them with so much purity in his heart.
They walked against the slow and welcoming wind on their way, filled with the sweet and pleasant aroma of the wildflowers. The alpha noticed how a few strands of hair were teasing Jungkook that he had previously tucked behind his ears.
The basket in the omega’s hand didn’t seem to be heavy, but Jungkook didn’t carry it in his one hand to tuck the hair again.
Taehyung came in front of Jungkook, making the omega startled.
“What happened?” He asked, his eyes big and round.
“Just…” the alpha didn’t continue what he was going to say and extended his hand to gently touch the strands and tucked them behind Jungkook’s ears. He was careful to not touch the omega.
Taehyung’s eyes grew large as his brain registered what he did. Jungkook was mirroring his expression, his face matching the colour of cherries. The same cherries whose smell was surrounding them both now.
The alpha faked a cough, his hand fisted before his lips. Without trying to explain himself, he got out of Jungkook’s way. Taehyung waited and prayed for Jungkook to forget what had happened and just walk in silence. But the omega was stuck in his place, the basket dingling in his hands, about to fall and touch the ground.
A few moments had passed, when Jungkook finally started walking again. The alpha took a sigh of relief, thanking the Moon Goddess. He resumed following the omega, like a shadow.
“Umm…if i ask you something, can you give it to me?” Jungkook asked shyly, not looking in Taehyung’s direction.
The alpha felt his heart feeling lighter, a sense of providing.
“Yes, please.” Taehyung replied, a bit too eagerly.
“It’s silly…” The omega’s eyes kept staring at the ground, as he suddenly stopped walking. “Can you teach me how to use a dagger?”
Taehyung was not expecting this at all. The omega surely had peculiar interests for his subgender. “You want to learn for self-defence?”
Jungkook’s fingers were fidgeting, as he kept rubbing them. “Not necessarily…I mean it can be used for self-defence as well.”
The alpha’s interest peaked, “Then why?”
“It’s…I don’t want to say it.” He finally matched his eyes with Taehyung’s. “Will you teach me even if I don’t give you a reason?”
“I will…of course,” anything you say, I will do.
✺✳ ┅ ⑅ ┅ ✳✺
There had been a couple of days since Taehyung had started feeling excited. The rustling of leaves and the gentle sound of the wind passing through gave him a sense of belonging. Of course, all of this could be credited to the upcoming lesson with Jungkook. Never in his life he had thought that teaching someone swordsmanship— a task he once considered a mere chore— would give him this much joy.
The alpha waited behind his cabin for the omega to arrive for the practice. It was about to be evening so a perfect time when both of them were free to give their best.
He perched on a boulder,waiting, when he noticed the little baby bunny playing alone. His parents likely had gone deep into the woods for food. Taehyung whistled a sweet melody for the bunny to come and he quickly sprinted towards him with his tiny paws. Extending his hands, he invited the bunny to hop up, but instead, the bunny placed a partially chewed leaf in his palm.
“Are you sharing your food with me, little baby?” The alpha spoke in a gentle voice and the little bunny nodded as if he understood. He hopped away but soon returned with a few fresh leaves, placing them on Taehyung’s hand. “Bunny loves sharing food, huh?” he chuckled, his tone as soft as before.
He crouched down a little to play with the little bunny’s ears when a voice interrupted him.
“Hi!” Jungkook greeted, his tone laced with excitement.
“Hey,” the alpha replied immediately.
The omega wore fitted powder-blue pants paired with a matching top. The laced, puffed sleeves and a belt cinched at his small waist accentuated his figure. The soft shimmer of the fabric highlighted the omega’s fair skin.
Jungkook was also carrying a light pink coloured pouch in his hands, and Taehyung’s brows furrowed as he wondered what might be inside.
“I see you have already made yourself comfortable here,” Jungkook remarked, likely referring to Taehyung sitting on the boulder. The omega came closer to the both of them and without the omega knowing, Taehyung took a large whiff of the cherry scent.
When Jungkook crouched to play with the bunny, his tight pants left little to the imagination. Taehyung quickly turned his gaze away when it lingered too long on the omega’s form.
Jungkook opened the light pink pouch and took out a few carrots. So that’s what he brought, Taehyung realised. The alpha thought about the fact that Jungkook always took good care of everyone’s needs and wants. His soul is so pure, maybe that was why Taehyung felt at ease whenever they were around each other.
The pouch appeared heavy, suggesting Jungkook had brought enough carrots for the bunny’s entire family. As the little bunny munched on the carrots with vigor, Taehyung started noticing Jungkook’s clothes a bit more.
He wore clothes from the alpha’s closet again. Since Jungkook didn't have any clothes of his own, Yoongi used to lend him his old clothes. But now, the alpha made sure that the omega would only wear new ones. Even if it meant that his beloved closet full of clothes for his mate were going to Jungkook. Surprisingly, he didn’t mind it at all.
He liked how in most of the clothes Jungkook didn’t need alterations at all. The entire fabric from top to bottom fitted him like the clothes were supposed to be meant for him. As if Taehyung had made those clothes by keeping the omega in his mind. But they hadn’t even met at all during that time.
Jungkook’s chosen outfit for the lesson surprised Taehyung. He had expected something loose-fitting. The powder-blue fabric stirred a memory—when Taehyung was twenty, he’d seen his mother wear a skirt in the same color. He’d bought the fabric on impulse and had it made into a gender-neutral outfit. Now, seeing Jungkook wearing it filled him with warmth and a sense of belonging.
"Hey?" Jungkook snapped his fingers in front of Taehyung's face. "Are you still here?"
Taehyung immediately withdrew from his thoughts and came back to reality.
“Yeah…yeah I am here.”
For the first time in a while, reality didn’t bother Taehyung at all. He was happy to be in a reality where Jungkook wore his clothes.
What were you thinking? I kept calling your name but you wouldn’t respond.”
The alpha couldn’t tell him that at all. How could someone possibly understand what the clothes Jungkook wore were doing to him. They weren’t mates— and that was the harsh truth that he had to live by.
“Nothing,” he replied immediately, “I was just thinking about…Hoseok,” he mentally face palmed at the absurdity of his own response.
“Hoseok? What about him?” Jungkook asked, raising an eyebrow.
Taehyung stood abruptly, searching for an escape from his awkward admission. He grabbed the two wooden daggers resting on the boulder and handed one to Jungkook. “We should start the lesson,” he said.
Jungkook’s face looked innocent and slightly disappointed as he said, “Yes, okay.”
“Now as you have the dagger in your hand, keep your spine straight,” Taehyung instructed, demonstrating the stance. Jungkook mirrored him.
As Taehyung corrected the omega’s posture his gaze wandered again. Jungkook’s dress accentuated his body, his face radiating innocence and beauty—
“What were you thinking about Hoseok?” Jungkook suddenly asked.
“He looks so beautiful,” Taehyung blurted.
“What?”
Realising his slip, Taehyung’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Nothing,” he stammered, attempting to recover.
Jungkook’s laugh rang out, sweet and melodic, “Big bad alpha has gone crazy,” he teased.
“Now as you have the dagger in your right hand, keep your left hand behind you,” Taehyung instructed as he stepped behind Jungkook to check his stance.
“Just so you remember, Hoseok’s got a really pretty mate,” Jungkook snickered, his tone light as the alpha ensured that his stance was flawless.
Taehyung’s eyes briefly wandered, drawn to the omega’s figure that looked as if it had been sculpted by a masterful artist. The alpha took a deep breath to steady himself before circling back to face him.
“So?” Taehyung asked, attempting to lighten the mood and his heart.
“So what?” Jungkook replied, twirling the wooden dagger in his hand.
“Can’t I like someone even if they already have a mate?”
The air between them was still. Taehyung had said the unspeakable without realising it. The only person one could love in the entire world was their mate. The sole sound that could be heard was their shared, uneven breathing.
“I…I think so…as long as you don’t do anything about it,” Jungkook said hesitantly.
Taehyung blinked in surprise, unprepared for the omega’s modern, unorthodox view. Loving someone besides your destined mate? It felt like a foreign concept.
Taehyung picked the second wooden dagger, holding it steady as he faced Jungkook. Pointing towards him. He asked, “And what if I do?”
Jungkook smirked, swinging his dagger to meet Taehyung’s in a sharp clash. “Then you’ll be in trouble. The mate won’t let you live.”
The alpha’s grin turned competitive. He wasn’t going to concede defeat, not in a spar and certainly not in love. Lunging forward. He maneuvered the dagger to press against Jungkook’s neck, “Do you think the mate will be a match against me?”
Keeping the blade at his neck, Taehyung shifted behind Jungkook. Their proximity sent jolts of electricity through him as Jungkook’s back brushed against his front.
“I…” Jungkook tilted his head slightly, meeting Taehyung’s gaze. The alpha had never inhaled someone’s scent this thick as it was of Jungkook at that moment.
The alpha felt enchanted with the omega so close to him and their mixed scent of musk and cherry dominating the space. “Do you not think I’ll be able to get my lover in front of his mate?”
“I—I think…” Jungkook stammered.
Taehyung’s left hand closed over Jungkook’s wrist, tightening his grip until the omega’s dagger fell to the ground with a soft thud.
“Do you not think I will hold my lover’s hand and declare my love for him as his mate would watch us?”
“Why would the mate only watch?”
Taehyung moved the wooden dagger lightly against Jungkook’s jugular, mimicking a killing blow. “You get killed if you get distracted.”
“Tell me!” Jungkook demanded, breaking free from Taehyung’s hold. The alpha felt the sudden absence of warmth acutely but chose not to comment.
“Because I would have already killed him.” Taehyung replied evenly,
“And then what?”
Closing the space between them again, Taehyung declared, “Then I’d bring my lover to my pack, make him my life and give all the happiness to him.”
Jungkook hummed softly, the vibration reverberating them due to closeness.
“Do you think your lover would like that? What if he wants something else?”
“Then I would do whatever he wants,” the alpha took a long pause to fill his lungs, “Wherever he wants.”
From a distance, anyone watching would have assumed they were mates. Their close proximity, the intimate stance, Taehyung’s dagger poised at Jungkook’s neck, and their whispered words—all hinted at a bond far deeper than mere training.
“What about your duties?” Jungkook asked, his tone softer now, as if they were deciding about their own fate.
“My first duty will always be to be with my lover. Taehyung replied, his voice firm, If not then my wolf wouldn’t let me live,”
Taehyung’s nose brushed against the side of Jungkook’s neck, sending shivers down both their spines. His gaze caught on the exposed left side of Jungkook’s shoulder, where an angry, reddened thorn-and-lightning tattoo stood out, along with marks from pins and needles. The sight made Taehyung silently vow to make Yoongi stop his experiments on the omega.
The omega suddenly got himself out of Taehyung’s embrace as he faked a laugh, “I didn’t know that you loved Hoseok that much,” he teased, trying to dispel the tension.
Taehyung sneered, at his answer which gave Jungkook the opportunity to continue, “And what’s your problem with his mate? She’s just an omega, half of your height.”
The alpha laughed loudly at Jungkook’s absurd question, “I hope you won’t declare my love for Hoseok to the world?”
“Not even to Hoseok?” the omega pouted, feigning innocence.
Taehyung sat on the ground and Jungkook followed. The setting sun bathed them in it’s final golden light. “No, to no one,” the alpha said, plucking a few stray weeds from the grass, “My love should be between us only.”
“I think his mate deserves to know.”
“My lover’s mate deserves nothing.” Taehyung replied with a smirk.
Jungkook’s cheeky grin returned, “I’ll tell her that you’re planning to take away her mate.”
Taehyung opened his mouth to retort but paused as a small bunny hopped over to them, clearly seeking more carrots. Jungkook eagerly took a few from his pouch and began feeding the bunny himself.
As night fell, they decided to end their first training session. For the first time in what felt like ages, Taehyung found himself smiling through an entire evening—though he couldn’t quite explain why.
✺✳ ┅ ⑅ ┅ ✳✺
Taehyung heard a voice, soft and pure, the sweetest melody his ears had ever known. “I too want it…pease.”
Innocence dripped from the words, tugging at something deep within him. The alpha turned his head, searching for the source, but all he saw was darkness. It felt as though he were trapped in a cage, its black bars closing off from the world.
“You’ll get it when you grow up,” another voice replied, gentle yet full of affection.
A wave of love and fulfillment surged through Taehyung. He yearned to sprint toward the voices, to embrace them, but the dark cage held him captive. Shackles bound his hands and feet, unyielding despite his desperate attempts to break free. As the voices began to fade, his chest tightened with helplessness.
.*.*.*.
“Why is it red?” Taehyung tried to break away from the shackles but he couldn’t. Another voice
could be heard from a distance. Familiar yet terrifying.
“Because my baby looks the best in red.”
“I wanted the same.”
“We can arrange that.”
The words ignited something primal in Taehyung. Mustering all his strength, he broke free from the shackles and ran toward the voices. His strides faltered as he tripped over something unseen. Instead of hitting the ground, he plunged into water
With all his might, the alpha tried to swim but there were hands that were stopping his feet and dragging him down.
“Where is he?”
The question echoed in his mind, spurring him to fight harder. Summoning all his strength Taehyung finally kicked the hands and got out of the water, following the voices.
“No…don’t…please,” a desperate plea reached him, raw and heartbreaking.
Taehyung’s legs burned, his lung begged for air, yet he pushed forward, driven by the need to reach the source of that voice.
“Taehyung, please.”
The sound was a dagger to his heart, a voice so precious he would have willingly given his life for it. He surged ahead, each step heavier than the last, until a sharp, searing pain tore through his neck.
He stumbled, collapsing to the ground as crimson surrounded him. His vision blurred, and he heard one final whisper, venomous and unforgiving.
“I will never forgive you.”
✺✳ ┅ ⑅ ┅ ✳✺
Taehyung jolted awake, his breaths shallow and rapid. Sweat drenched his skin as his eyes scanned his surroundings. His heart thundered in his chest. He was in his bedroom. It had only been a dream — or so he thought.
Yet the ache in his neck persisted, as vivid as it had been in his nightmare, a pain like thunder and lightning coursing through him. He sprang from the bed and rushed to the mirror, desperate to inspect his neck. Maybe an insect had bitten him.
But what he saw stole the breath from his lungs.
There, etched into his was a tattoo— but not the mating tattoo. It was dark, ominous, and blood red. It stretched from his neck to his shoulder, the jagged lines resembling bolts of thunder and spider veins.
It was the same tattoo that Jungkook bore.