Chapter Text
"Aww.. look at our poor Jungkookie; he can't even walk with all of that weight." One of the kids, a younger alpha, mocks, his group of friends laughing along with him. Jungkook glares at the ground, not minding them and continuing on his path. "Yah, Jeon Jungkook, didn't you hear him? Why the hell are you showing that much attitude, huh?" Another kid blocks his path, keeping a hand in front of him. "Move," the 13-year-old alpha grumbles quietly. "What if we don't?" Jungkook sighs, defeated. "Look, I’m not interested in talking to you; let me go." One of the Omega Girls scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest. "And who told you we were interested in you? Oh, for fuck’s sake, just look at your face. Nobody’s going to believe that you're Jeon Jaehyun’s brother. I mean, just look at him." She pauses dreamily. "Handsome face, well-defined abs, charming personality, brave warrior—he’s got everything an omega wants. And you? You are a disgrace to Alphas. You are fat, you are ugly, and you are talentless. Nobody even likes you. If people are looking at you, it’s just because you are Jaehyun’s brother and the head alpha's younger son; otherwise, you would have been thrown out of this pack." She finishes looking at him with distaste.
But Jungkook remains unaffected. "If you are that interested in my brother, why don’t you go and pester him rather than wasting my time?" He says calmly. The Alpha kid from earlier moves towards him, ready to throw hands. But then a third, soft yet sharp voice rings. "Yaah, leave him alone, you bunch of spineless buffoons." The group of kids and Jungkook turn around to find Park Jimin standing with an unimpressed face. He walks towards them in slow yet confident steps. He glares at them even though he is shorter than them all. "The audacity—do I need to remind you that he's literally the head alpha's son? if he gets to know this, you and your entire family will be kicked out of the pack," Jimin scoffs, looking at them with such disgust that the kids themselves feel the repulsion. " A..As if you would dare to say," one manages to stutter out somehow, and Jimin cocks his brows, feeling challenged. "Oh, I would definitely do that, sweetheart; don't underestimate omegas, particularly Park Jimin; at that, I can make sure you guys get the worst possible punishments," he says with a sickeningly sweet smile, his eyes looking like sharp daggers. The kids seem to get scared at that, as they silently and quickly run off. Jimin turns towards Jungkook, back to his usual chirpy self. "Hey there!' he exclaims brightly. "You didn't need to do that; I can very well protect myself." Jungkook comes straight to the point.
"Why not? We're friends,"
"No, we're not,"
" But you're Taehyungie's friend, so you're my friend too," the omega insists.
"No, absolutely not; neither am I your friend nor your "Taehyungie's," and tell him to stop coming after me," Jungkook says grumpily before walking away in angry steps.
"Rude!!" the omega calls out loudly, but the alpha just ignores it and walks away.
Taehyung placed his hands over the flowing stream, the thirteen-year-old's hands turning chilly to the touch. He shakes and swiftly retracts his hands, preferring to dip his legs into the stream and sit along the shore. Today's weather was spectacular. As the aroma of fresh flowers fills the omega's nose, he takes a deep breath. Jimin plops down next to him and splashes some water on Taehyung, destroying his serenity circle. The omega glares and splashes back, and both of them are quickly drenched. Their laughter reverberates throughout the silent clearing, and the omegas eventually settle down tiredly.
"Your alpha is so rude," Jimin says after a moment, and Taehyung side eyes him for a minute.
"He is not my alpha," he says quietly. Jimin snorts in disbelief. "Well, I didn't specifically take a name, yet you knew who I was talking about, so you proved my point," he says smugly. Taehyung rolls his eyes, lazily plucking the grass, avoiding Jimin's eyes.
"He's not rude; it's just that people are usually not nice to him, so he just gives them a taste of their medicine."
"Well, I wasn't misbehaving with him; in fact, I saved him from that Minho and his gang's bullying, and yet he was rude to me and even asked me to tell you to stop pestering him."
Taehyung furrows his brows in a glare. "They bullied him again? I swear to God, I hate those privilaged assholes and his minions," the omega grits out. Jimin shrugs, throwing some pebbles into the stream. "I don't like them either; they're real bootlickers and hypocrites; have you seen them going after Alpha Jaehyun like kicked puppies trying to please him? Because they know he'll probably become the next head alpha,"
"Alpha Jungkook also has a chance to become the alpha," Taehyung adds in a whisper, and Jimin looks at his best friend's flushed face. Totally not whipped, yeah, right. Taehyung suddenly stands up, startling Jimin, who looks at him puzzled. "Bye, Jiminie; I'll see you later," he says before scooting away. Jimin shakes his head, his eyes following the omega until he disappears.
Jungkook keeps all his supplies on the soft grass as he also sits down, folding his legs. This spot on the hilltop was his favourite since nobody really interrupted or made fun of him here. Jungkook knows that he's not that attractive, particularly compared to his brother, who was every omega's wet dream. If only his personality were also that good. He scoffed bitterly. Jungkook was never jealous of his brother. His parents didn't raise him to be such a shallow person. But Jaehyun was anything but nice, and he had everybody fooled, even his parents. He used to love his brother too; from the time he could remember, he would follow the alpha around like the obedient pup he was. Whereas his brother never really liked him, always tried to show him as insignificant in front of everybody, ridiculed him, and never once supported or stood up for him when other kids bullied him. He really was one cunning wolf. But his parents were not bad. They loved both of them equally, much to Jaehyun's dismay, but as always, he never shows that side of him to them or to anybody else except Jungkook. He was Jaehyun's personal punching bag. Though not physically, mentally it was torture, and he couldn't wait to get out of this cursed pack. Both the Jeon heirs were smart, but Jungkook was a tad bit smarter than Jaehyun. Thanks to all that loneliness, Jungkook spent his time reading books and was quite wise for his age.
He had applied to a school abroad and was hoping he would get accepted so he could leave this hellhole. (Note: It's an earlier time period; I'm not saying when, but you can use your imagination. Not particularly modern in terms of technology, but also not particularly ancient.) If he gets accepted, which is rare, he'll be the first one in their pack to go to school and get an actual degree, and that too in a foreign country. The education in their pack is basically only about the pack duties and all that rather than actual arts, science, commerce, laws, etc. He couldn't wait to escape here. Sure, he'll probably miss his father and mother, and maybe his cousin Hoseok, who's the only thing next to his brother he has. But his mental peace is more appealing to him, so he's taking his chance at it. Jungkook's train of thought gets disrupted by a small shuffling sound besides him, and he turns to find Kim Taehyung, the omega son of the pack beta, silently sitting at a safe distance from him. He sighs, defeated. The omega just won't leave him alone. Constantly trying to befriend him and keep him company when he has refused so many times. It started after he saved Taehyung's pet dog, Yeontan, from drowning in a whirlpool. Well, it wasn't really for him anyway; Jungkook loves animals, and he would do anything to save them; he would have done the same for any animal, actually. But the omega is hell-bent on owing it to him, and Jungkook doesn't want it. He doesn't need anyone's debt or sympathy. He's so used to being alone that he actually prefers his loneliness now.
"Didn't Jimin tell you my message?" He asks, not turning his glance at the omega and keeping his concentration on the book he was reading. The omega nods slowly, and maybe he realised a second later that Jungkook was not looking at him, so he makes a small sound of agreement.
"Then why are you here?" the alpha asks as he turns the pages of the book.
"Nothing; I just wanted to sit here; don't mind me; I'll just sit here quietly; you won't even realise I am here," he says shyly, not matching Jungkook's gaze. The alpha doesn't respond; he simply keeps reading his book, and soon silence envelopes them. He feels the omega's gaze on him, and he turns around, raising his brows. The omega's cheeks heated up, and he looked like a deer caught in headlights as he turned away, mumbling apologies.
"Listen, Omega I'm saying for the last time that I am not interested in being friends with you, and I would have saved any puppy from drowning even if it wasn't yours. You have nothing to owe me, so stop following me around," the alpha says, focusing his entire attention on the omega, who just stays silent, head lowered.
" What? Cat got your tongue?" He repeats it again, feeling annoyed at the lack of response.
"It's not about any debt," the omega whispers, and Jungkook almost didn't hear it.
"Come again?"
The omega clears his throat, straightening his position. " I..I've wanted to talk to you for a long time, even before you saved Tannie; I just never got the courage, but after that incident, I just couldn't hold myself back anymore," he says, his brown, round eyes staring back at the alpha, who falters for a moment at the innocence and genuineness reflected in those orbs. So he cleared his throat, kept a straight face, and returned to reading his book, pretending he didn't hear that. Silence enveloped them once again as the alpha tried to focus on the book. He just didn't know how to reply to that. The genuineness in the omega's eyes scared him.
"You like Omega Soojin, don't you?" The omega asks after what felt like an eternity, and Jungkook fails to hide the shock that formed on his face.
"How did you know that?" "Are you a stalker?" he asks pointedly.
"What is stalker?" the omega asks puzzled, and Jungkook sighs. The people in the pack aren't very familiar with such modern terms; he had forgotten that.
"Nothing; tell me how you know that? "It's creeping me out," he chooses to say, the book long forgotten as he once again focuses back on the omega. Taehyung shrugs casually. "I just observed that. It's obvious from the way you look at her," he says, and Jungkook doesn't know why he feels a sad undertone to his words. He nods understandingly.
"Well, I mean, she's beautiful and pretty much desired by most of the alphas, and I am no exception, though I know she wouldn't even glance at someone like me," he adds thoughtfully, a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. The omega nods in agreement. "Because she is a fool," he says, and Jungkook looks at him with furrowed brows. " What? Why?"
"If she doesn't see how much of a beautiful and nice person you are, it's because she's stupid," the omega further adds, with confidence. Jungkook scoffs at that.
"You don't have to lie to make me feel better or something." I don't need anyone's sympathy; I am well aware of my shortcomings and I accept them. You don't have to do charity," he says rather harshly, his eyes turning red for a moment. This was what he hated the most. People trying to make him feel better about himself. He didn't need that. Thank you very much.
But the omega didn't appear regretful; instead, he appeared tranquil and serene as he extended his legs, feet parallel over the velvety grass, knees bent. Even the omega's feet looked really pretty, Jungkook noted. He wondered how it would look when he wore an anklet. In their pack, it's a tradition that married omegas wear anklets and married alphas wear a pendant. It's a sign of marriage and a tradition everyone strictly follows. The betas, if mated to an alpha, wore the anklets, and if mated to an omega, they wore the pendant. He shakes his head, scolding himself mentally.
"I know you will probably not believe me, but it's what I think, and I am not scared of expressing my thoughts." He says in his deep, soothing voice, resting his chin over his folded knees. Jungkook tries not to sway with the omega's words.
"You know, if you want any gain from this, you should try all this buttering with my brother, because neither is this going to work on me nor am I going to be the head alpha. It will be better if you show all this drama in front of Hyung rather than me," he says through gritted teeth.
"But I don't really like him," the omega then says, still as peaceful as ever, and Jungkook had to recheck if he heard it wrong.
"You what?"
Taehyung shrugs, his slender fingers adorned by beautiful rings, drawing patterns over his bare ankle.
"I don't really like your brother. I know you might not like to hear bad things about your brother, and I might get punished for this, but as I told you, I am not scared to express my feelings. Namjoon Hyung says we should always express ourselves honestly. I just don't know why I keep getting these bad feelings from him. It's not like he hurt me or something, but something about him seems off," the omega says boldly.
Jungkook was honestly so surprised and speechless that he just stared at the omega, who, unaware of his intense gaze, kept stroking his feet lazily. In his 13 years of existence, he has never heard someone in the pack say something bad about Jaehyun, let alone an omega. His thoughts get broken when the Omega continues.
"But in a way, I feel sad and bad for him—you know, all those people going after him; I doubt anyone of them likes him for who he is. It's rather what he is, actually. They are all after his looks and power, and the moment any of those go, they wouldn't take a second to switch sides; that's how the world works. So in a way, I feel that's actually sad. It's better to be alone rather than surrounded by opportunistic people," the omega shrugs nonchalantly as if he didn't just say such a deep thought, and Jungkook was still silently processing all these words. It was kind of a new perspective, actually. He never viewed things in this manner, and even if he wouldn't admit it aloud, the omega did have a point.
"You should really be careful of what you say, Omega; you really have a mouth that can get you in trouble," the alpha says after a few seconds of looking away.
Taehyung looks back at him admiringly, turning his face so he could look at the alpha's side profile.
"I also think you have a chance to be the alpha," he says, and Jungkook turns back again, meeting the omega's eyes.
"You're smart, logical, kind and compassionate, and level-headed; these are all qualities of a good leader, though I would suggest you improve your fighting skills," he says in a teasing tone, and the alpha glares at him, offended.
"Are you insinuating I'm not a good warrior?" He asks in disbelief, and the omega grins, eyes crinkling at the corner.
"Not bad, but that is where you are behind alpha Jaehyun, I am a well-trained omega myself, so I guess I am eligible to say your fighting skills have room for improvement," he says and stands up slowly, brushing the dirt from his robe. Jungkook couldn't believe what he was hearing. Maybe he was just so used to hearing only compliments from the omega that now hearing criticism from him made him irritated. He huffs, annoyed, almost sulking.
"Oh, and I forgot to add one thing, you..I find you..cute and adorable too," the omega stutters out, cheeks coating a deep pink, and runs away from there, leaving the alpha completely flustered. Jungkook's ears turn red as he looks around, wondering if anybody heard it. He quickly gathers his things from there, running back to their house.
Everybody usually loves and waits for their birthdays. The one day where they would be the main character and everybody would shower them with all the love and attention in the world But for Jungkook, it was the opposite. He doesn't know if the moon goddess particularly hates him or if he's just unlucky. He and Jaehyun both had birthdays on the same day. Jaehyun will be turning 18 this year, and Jungkook will be 14. The head alpha and Luna, as usual, had organised a very big celebration for their sons, and Jungkook hated it as most of the people who came there only ever cared about Jaehyun. They were both standing at the centre of the hall, with a large mahogany table at their front that held all the gifts they had received. Jungkook's side only had a few, from his parents, a few of his father's close coworkers who viewed both him and Jaehyun equally, and Hoseok obviously. The alpha had a very important function this year, so he wasn't able to attend; otherwise, at least he had the elder to keep him sane. Jaehyun's side was overflowing with gifts—all expensive clothes, jewellery, and perfumes. Jungkook wasn't jealous per se since he wasn't really interested in all those superficial things anyway; it's just the way Jaehyun kept looking at him mockingly, in a fake sympathy, eyes frequently darting to compare their gifts. He curses mentally to keep calm. He was seconds away from punching the asshole in the face.
It was then that he noticed the pack beta's elder son, Alpha Kim Namjoon, walking towards them with a polite smile and the very timid Taehyung walking close to him, holding his biceps. As they reach the birthday boys, Namjoon gives his dimpled smile to both of them. "Happy birthday, Alpha Jaehyun," he says, first congratulating Jaehyun and handing him a bouquet of flowers. Jaehyun reciprocates the smile and then notices the shy omega behind Namjoon. Kim Taehyung was easily one of the most beautiful omegas in their pack. Everybody was aware of the fact. Besides, the omega was also the owner of a golden heart, sweet and shy yet bold and fierce, coming from a family of trained warriors. He was soft and delicate like a freshly bloomed flower and sharp and rigid like a thorn. He had an undeniably charming aura surrounding him, which attracted the alphas and betas like a moth to a flame. And his sweet scent of jasmines was to die for. Jaehyun couldn't help but stare at the ethereal omega, who was avoiding his eyes and glancing at the ground.
"My my, our Taehyungie has grown to be such a beautiful omega," he coos, but Taehyung rather finds himself uncomfortable at the words and the stare, clinging onto Namjoon for dear life. Namjoon, realising the omega's distress, smiles politely at Jaehyun before turning his attention on Jungkook. "Happy birthday, Alpha Jungkook," he wishes him, and Jungkook smiles back for the first time in the day because Namjoon is one of the few people in the pack he actually respects. Even though he was not educated like him, the alpha was really wise, a great warrior, and a poet. Odd combination, but Namjoon was too good at it. Jungkook nods in acknowledgement, never a man of words.
"Oh, I almost forgot our Taehyungie has brought something for you, Alpha; he seems really fond of you; he never shuts up about you, actually," Namjoon says with a chuckle, looking at Taehyung fondly, who side eyes him, angry for exposing him like that. He lightly hits the alpha's biceps before extending his gift slowly. Jungkook was somehow enjoying the flustered reaction of the omega. He didn't expect the gift at all. And the way Namjoon was teasing the omega with suggestive looks made his ear turn red at the attention. Jaehyun clenches his jaws slightly, not at all liking the cute interaction between his brother and the pretty omega. Jungkook clears his throat before accepting the gift, nodding in thanks.
"Our Taehyungie made it with his own hands, Alpha; it took some time for it, actually; it's the first thing he made after learning sewing. Hope you will like it," Namjoon adds with a grin, and Taehyung wanted the ground to swallow him. "Happy birthday, Alpha," he stutters out quickly before pulling Namjoon along with him hurriedly. Jungkook follows his retreating figure, then returns his eyes to the beautifully wrapped present. A small smile stretches along his lips as he stares at it.
"Well, I did hear that Taehyung is really kindhearted and does a lot of charity, but I never thought he would go to this extent and shower you with this much pity. Good for you, brother; at least you got something nice," Jaehyung mutters with a sick smile, and Jungkook's face hardens, jaws clenching. He won't let Jaehyun get on his nerves anymore.
Later that night, as Jungkook freshened up and got ready to sleep, he took the gift the omega had given as he climbed on the window seat. The moon was shining in all her glory, and the sky was scattered with countless stars. Oddly, it reminded him of the Omega's eyes, which sparkled whenever they landed on him. He unwraps the present very carefully so as not to damage even the wrap. He slowly takes out his gift. It was a simple, hand-knit black sweater. The letters J and K are in white on a corner. It was clearly done by the omega himself, and Jungkook knows that the omega purposefully chose the black colour. How the omega knows his favourite colour is beyond his understanding, and truth be told, he doesn't mind it at all. He took his time and effort to make this sweater for him, and that's what mattered the most to Jungkook. Because rarely have people ever made an effort for him. He brings it closer to him as he takes a sniff of it. It smells like the omega, his amazing jasmine scent literally exploding from the sweater, and Jungkook immediately takes off his large t-shirt and tries putting the sweater on. He was a bit afraid it would fit him when he first saw the cloth, but as he wore it, it was perfectly made for him, just about the right size. And Jungkook, for the first time, felt he actually looked good in something—not too insecure. He wraps an arm around himself as he checks himself in the mirror. He then plops down on the bed, folds his hands under his head, and stares at the ceiling. He felt happy, and for the first time in his life, he felt visible. Someone did actually see him behind his brother's shadows. And for the first time in a while, the alpha slept content that night.
Taehyung was, as usual, spending some of his free time near the stream, dipping his leg in it. He trains under Namjoon in martial arts, and he plans to become a self-defence trainer for Omegas. He's not really a fan of domestic chores or medical assistance, so he opted for something different that nobody in their pack had tried before. He was fortunate enough to be born into a family of warriors and get trained under the best warriors of his pack, particularly his brother Namjoon. Not all omegas had brothers or family like that. So he had thought that he could help all those omegas learn to protect themselves from any potential harm. The mated and unmated omegas will be more comfortable learning from an omega than the alphas. And so he, after discussing it with his father and brother, decided on that. So nowadays he spends most of his time training under Namjoon's watch in almost all the self-defence arts he can learn and master. He was so busy following the path of the little fish as it swiftly swam around in the stream that he failed to notice a presence besides him. It was when the scent of rain hit him that he turned his head around, surprised to see Jungkook setting up his scrolls, ink, and books silently. What even more surprised him was that the alpha was wearing the sweater he gifted and looked quite handsome in it. Taehyung blushes furiously, bread cheeks turning pink.
"What?" the alpha asks calmly, still not looking at him as he settles beside him on the shore. The omega smiled a little. " You..you're looking handsome," he says, shyly turning his glance away. Jungkook looks at the omega, who had turned his face away, flustered. " Cute" he thought. He clears his throat. "Hmm..well, thank you for it; I liked it," he says in a neutral tone, and he watches the omega turn around with a bright face. "It's my pleasure," he says softly, looking at him again with those round, innocent eyes. Jungkook fought himself to coo over it.
"Have a crush on me, Omega?" he asks, suddenly feeling brave and witnessing the omega become as red as a tomato.
" Wh.what if I have?" he says softly, a ghost of a smile around his lips.
"I would say you could do better than me; I have seen alphas and betas lurk around you." Jungkook responds calmly, the taste of insecurity feeling bitter on his tongue.
The omega's face falls for a minute before he looks back at Jungkook again.
"They're all after my beauty, and I don't want someone like that; half of them are proud and pretentious assholes who think the world revolves around them," the omega mumbles, sulking.
"Well, why do you think I am any better?" I don't think anybody is ruder than me in this whole pack," Jungkook says casually.
"I have seen you, the real you," the omega says, his fond eyes meeting the alpha's puzzled ones.
"I have seen you taking care of an injured cat in your room; I have seen you taking all the blame for an old servant's mistake so that he won't get kicked out; I have seen you talking with your plants and being so gentle with them as if they'll wither away any second; I have seen you protecting an omega from a rogue getting injured yourself; I have seen you looking longingly at other kids as they play together; I have seen you dancing carelessly in the rain, removing all facades, and just smiling by yourself. Trust me, I have seen past all your layers, and you know what Namjoon Hyung says: "A person who is kind to animals is one of the nicest." The Omega finishes, and Jungkook's face pales. Because these are the things no one knew or cared to know, things he hid behind his indifferent and cold attitude, and the omega so easily put all of his vulnerable points out in the open. He feels his throat clogging up. Suddenly becoming unable to speak. The omega senses his distress and lets out calming pheromones. He scoots closer, smiling reassuringly, and Jungkook looks away. This is too intense for him. He's not prepared for this. He doesn't know why the omega is affecting him this much; all he feels is that the omega is the storm that is wrecking him as well as the anchor that is keeping him at the shore. He's confused, so he does the one thing he's good at: changing the subject.
"How did you learn the English letters J and K, though? do you know how to write English?" he asks instead.
The omega smiles shyly, shaking his head in "I just know only J and K since it's your initials." Jungkook couldn't help the smile that broke out in his face. The omega was just so adorable that he wanted to squish him.
"Do you want to learn?" He asks slowly, and the omega again looks at him with those damn sparkly eyes that make his knees weak. Taehyung nods slowly, and Jungkook motions for him to come forward as the omega settles right in front of the alpha, with his back touching the alpha's chest. Jungkook holds the omega's hand in his as he takes the feather and slowly makes the omega write on the scroll. Taehyung tries not to blush at the proximity; the alpha's breath touches the side of his neck, sending shivers down his body. Jungkook notices the tension as he pauses the writing, staring at the omega's side just as the omega turns slightly sideways. Both of them met each other's eyes. They could hear their joined heartbeats, which were rapidly fast, both of them flushing red due to the proximity. Taehyung licks his lips, and Jungkook follows the movement, his eyes darting to the omega's plush lips. He swallows hard. Taehyung turns around quickly, feeling too many butterflies in his stomach, and his breathing is a bit rapid. Jungkook smirks slightly, leaning a bit more so that the omega's back is very much pressed against his chest.
"Can I hold your waist?" he dares to ask, and Taehyung bites his lips as he nods. Jungkook keeps one hand on the omega's petite waist, with the other hand still holding the omega's hands with the feather. His hands came into contact with the omega's soft skin thanks to the small shirt he wore, which showed a little of his waist. It was then that his fingers brushed against something. More precisely, a waist chain. Taehyung knew Jungkook must have felt it, but he kept silent. It wasn't uncommon. The omegas of their packs loved all kinds of jewellery, ranging from bangles and neckpieces to anklets, waist chains, nose rings, piercings, and so on. Jungkook struggles to keep his emotions at bay as his brain explodes with all the impure thoughts he can think of. He closes his eyes to get rid of all the images in his head as he becomes stiff and tries to focus on Taehyung's hand holding the feather. But it was rather hard due to the intoxicating scent of the omega. He focuses on writing out the letters for Taehyung while the other hand gently takes the chain in between the fingers, feeling the metal, and draws soft circles on the omega's waist. God, they weren't even 18; he needs to control his instincts or else he'll get them in trouble. Jungkook thinks before taking a deep breath and regaining his composure. The omega, on the other hand, was also not much better. The feeling of the alpha's rough finger on his waist made dozens of crazy butterflies flutter in his stomach as he struggled to stay calm without bursting. He didn't want to release any hint of arousal and embarrass himself. What will the Alpha think if that happens? He thinks, and the thought sends shivers down his spine. So he shakes his head, trying his level best to concentrate on the letters rather than the alpha that is so close to him. It took them a few more minutes to finally come down from whatever emotion they were on and spend a few more minutes learning English alphabets, and later they parted ways, saying goodbye.
As the night came, Jungkook found himself attending a family dinner with Baek Soojin and her family. And for the first time in his life, he wasn't really paying attention to her or his brother but rather munched on his dinner happily. Jungkook's mother clears her throat as she begins.
"It's so nice to have you guys here with us, especially our dear Soojin. Our Jungkookie is really fond of her," she says with a smile. Jungkook chokes on his drink as he stares at his mother. He knows his mother only meant well. She had noticed his interest in her and maybe just wanted to betrothe him to Soojin, but hearing that unexpectedly made him feel a bit embarrassed. Soojin's father looks a bit surprised at that, smiling wide. "Is that so? then maybe we should think about the prospect of a future alliance," he says in a light tone. Jungkook doesn't dare look up from his plate; he's speechless. Soojin beat him to it, though. " I..actually I like Alpha Jaehyun. Sorry, Alpha Jungkook," she stutters nervously. And Jungkook could see Jaehyun's mocking smirk directed at him. He should have felt sad, but he doesn't know why it didn't sting much; he's just maybe a bit embarrassed about this whole discussion. Other than that, he doesn't think he felt anything else. But Jungkook's parents and Soojin's parents didn't like what happened. Jungkook's mother gives Jungkook a sorry look, and he just smiles at her reassuringly. "Soojin, what behaviour is this?" Her father scolds her in a quiet voice, and she just silently looks down. Jungkook quickly intervenes.
"Uncle, don't scold her; it's okay, really. I do find Soojin attractive, and I'm pretty sure everyone in the pack does. She's a nice girl after all, but it's not that serious. So if she wants to betrothed to Hyung and be a part of the Jeon family, then I am more than happy to welcome her as my sister-in-law," he says with a confident smile. His parents and even Jaehyun look at him a bit surprised. Soojin's father smiles back, impressed.
"That's so nice of you, son; I would have loved to have you as my son-in-law, but it is what it is, I guess," he sighs. "Don't take me wrong, okay, I have no doubt in Alpha Jaehyun's capability as well, so if this is what everybody wants, I am not against it," the old man adds.
Jungkook smiles at that and sees Soojin and Jaehyun sharing flirtatious glances. Good for them, I guess. The only thing he knows is that he's not as sad as he expected.
"Alpha Jungkook, Alpha Jungkook!" He hears Taehyung yell from a distance as he turns around from the painting he was drawing and sees the omega running down the steps towards him.
"Easy there, Omega; you will fall; be careful," he shouts back, worried. Taehyung reaches besides the alpha panting as he bends a bit. Jungkook places his painting brush down, wiping his hands with a towel, and offers Taehyung his water jar. The omega gulps down almost half of it. SLowly regaining his breath.
" I..I heard about what happened with Soojin and her family. I am so sorry you had to go through that. I told you she is an idiot," the omega huffs angrily. Jungkook rolls his eyes. "You came all the way like this to tell that?" he snorts before going back to his painting.
"What do you mean? Aren't you sad? You liked her," the omega points out confusingly.
"Well, I did, but it never was that serious, and I never dreamed of a life with her or something. It was just a crush. I know when to keep my hopes up and when to not," he shrugs nonchalantly, continuing his painting.
The omega stands in silence, thinking deeply. Jungkook looks at him and cocks his brows. "Why don't you sit down and relax instead of getting distressed over Soojin?" he suggests, and Omega coughs before going to sit. But he suddenly pauses before running away again.
"Yaah, where are you going?" the alpha yells, but to no avail. This omega is going to be the death of him, he thinks fondly. Minutes later, though, the Omega came back with what appeared to be a basket of flowers. He plops down beside the alpha as he starts making flower crowns with them. Jungkook smiles before shaking his head and going back to his painting.
"So you're not at all sad, I see. I'm glad," the omega says as he continues his work.
"Are you glad that there's no one for competition Omega?" he asks teasingly, and Taehyung throws some of the flowers at him.
"Shut up,"
A comfortable silence settles between them, and suddenly the omega places a flower crown over Jungkook. Jungkook pauses in surprise at the gesture. "It's for you," Taehyung says, shyly placing another one over himself, and Jungkook couldn't help but stare at the ethereal omega in front of him. He had the face of an angel, soft blond locks, sparkly eyes, a small nose, plush pink lips, and deer-like eyes. The omega looked like everything good in the world. A light breeze swayed his blonde locks and spread the smell of jasmine in the air. The flower crown actually dims in his presence because he is prettier than all of those flowers. Jungkook couldn't help but admire the visual in front of him. The omega had his usual posture. Legs stretched in front, feet parallel to the ground and bent at the knees, and he was as usual stroking his bare ankle. He does that a lot. Jungkook noticed. They have been meeting like this and talking a lot these days. And Jungkook found himself undeniably pulled into the Omega. It was kind of a magnetic pull he had towards him.
"Why do you always look at your ankles?" He couldn't help his curiosity as he asked, and Taehyung turned to look at him.
"Oh..Uhm..I..I like to wear anklets, but I can't wear them before marriage, so I just keep imagining how my ankles will look if I have them on," he mumbles, distractedly staring at his ankles. Jungkook knew that belief. Unmarried alphas, omegas, and betas should refrain from wearing the respective pendants and anklets. It's considered taboo. It was then that Jungkook thought of something.
"Well, maybe you can actually," he says after a pause, and Taehyung looks at him confused. "They have forbid you to wear actual anklets before the wedding, right? but you can surely draw an anklet," he shrugs, and Taehyung still blinks dumbly, not quite getting what the alpha is on about. Jungkook doesn't say anything further but instead takes a new brush and dips it in his paint, moving towards the omega's feet. Taehyung gasped, finally realising what the Alpha was planning to do.
"Is ..is that okay to do?" He stutters anxiously, and Jungkook just winks. "It's a painting; it's not real, right? so it's okay," he says before slowly starting to draw lines over his ankles. Taehyung giggles suddenly, the sound melodious to Jungkook's ears as he looks at him amused.
"It tickled," he adds with a smile, and Jungkook draws some more purposefully, eliciting the beautiful giggles again. Soon he was submerged in his art work as he drew and coloured a beautiful anklet around the omega's ankles. As he finished the final stroke, he leaned back, looking proud at his work. It looked beautiful, but what's more beautiful was it on Taehyung's skin. Jungkook thinks it wouldn't be this beautiful had he drawn it on a canvas. Taehyung's skin seemed to be the perfect place for it.
"This is..this is so beautiful alpha," the omega says in a sweet and shy voice, looking mesmerised at the drawing on his feet. But Jungkook was just lost in the omega's face. In the beautiful smile that bloomed on his face, in the pretty moles scattered over his face, and in the sparkling eyes that resembled the night sky. He just couldn't help himself. Never before had he seen a view so pretty that he wanted nothing but to make it his own. The cherry blossoms were slowly falling above them in the light breeze. Jungkook cursed as he held the omega's ankles gently before pulling Taehyung towards him, a surprised gasp leaving the omega's lips as he joined their lips. It was nothing heated, just a chaste kiss pressing on their lips. The omega was frozen for a moment before relaxing in his hold, his hands crumbling Jungkook's shirt, and the alpha wrapped his arms around him tight, bringing them closer as he kissed him more. As they parted ways, their breathing heavy, the omega had a very shy look on his face as he immediately hid himself in the crook of Jungkook's neck, and the alpha chuckled as he let himself lay back on the grass, the omega held against his chest.
"Look at me, Tae," the alpha says sweetly, trying to raise the omega's chin, but Taehyung groans and snuggles more on his chest, inhaling the alpha's rain scent. "No, I'm shy.." he mumbles, and Jungkook chuckles again, wrapping his arms around the omega. "I feel so comfortable and content in here," the omega mumbled after a moment, his voice muffled over Jungkook's shirt. Jungkook hums, kissing the top of his hair. They lay like that, basking in each other's warmth and scent as the cherry blossoms fell on top of them.
It went like that for a few weeks, and Taehyung had never been happier. Between secretive glances, stolen kisses, and brushing hands, he found himself completely enamoured by the alpha. As if he wasn't before. But for the past few days, it has been literally impossible to separate them. But as they say, every happiness has an expiration date, and Taehyung's comes on a Tuesday night in the form of a panting Jimin.
"Tae..Jungkook..he is leaving," the omega somehow tells between catching his breath and Taehyung, eyes wide as saucers, who quickly got up and ran towards the alpha's house, even forgetting he was just in his silky nightwear robes. He dashed through the courtyard, ignoring the protesting calls of Jimin and Namjoon, his heart beating at a quick pace. Jungkook wouldn't do that to him, would he? He gulps, finally reaching the main mansion, where he sees only 4 or 5 people gathered at the front, probably waiting for the departure. He stops when finally the alpha comes into view, hugging his mother. Besides him are fully packed luggages. Their eyes meet just as Jungkook turns around from the hug, and for a minute, the alpha just stares at him, eyes flashing red. Namjoon and Jimin immediately reach behind Taehyung, and Namjoon wraps his jacket over the omega, who is unaware of all of this, his gaze focused on the luggage and the carriage ready to depart. Relief flashes across Jungkook's eyes, and he breaks eye contact as he wordlessly enters the carriage. Taehyung struggled to keep his emotions at bay, not willing to shed a tear. Jungkook took one final glance at the Omega, who looked broken, before the carriage took him away. Taehyung closes his eyes as he lets a tear fall.
11 years later.
"Yeonjun, that's not how you hold a sword." Taehyung rolls his eyes and corrects Yeonjun's posture for the umpteenth time. He then moves across the training ground, supervising all of his students, correcting their mistakes, and giving out instructions. Taehyung has been a self-defence and martial arts trainer for five years now. And within these five years, he has made quite a name for himself, not only in his pack but also among the other packs, for his efficient teaching. Lots of omegas now train under him, and the 25-year-old omega was busy pretty much every day. So busy that he hasn't even gotten married yet, whereas most of his friends, including Jimin and his brother Namjoon, have married and mated. Jimin had met alpha Yoongi when the elder came to join his omega sister under Taehyung's training. The two hated each other's guts and immediately disliked each other, but gradually fell in love and got married three years ago. Much like an enemies-to-lovers troupe. They still bicker and fight, though that's their love language. Whereas Namjoon had mated Seokjin, the omega son of the neighbouring pack, after the omega sent a courting proposal after seeing the alpha in a battle. The omega was absolutely smitten by Namjoon and quickly pursued him, and they married really quickly. They have almost 6 years of marriage now, and they have a 4-year-old son, Moonbin. Jeon Jaehyun is still unmarried though; he has been promised to Baek Soojin for almost 11 years now, but they haven't officially engaged yet. Taehyung wonders why, though. Maybe the head alpha was waiting for his younger son to arrive. Jungkook... Taehyung shakes his head quickly, getting rid of the name inside his head. He's okay now. He doesn't care. He tells himself this before continuing on with his work routine.
Maybe it was fate again that Taehyung heard Jeon Jungkook was coming back on yet another Tuesday night. After 11 long years of studying abroad, the Alpha was coming back to his pack, and Taehyung heard he was now going to settle in their pack. He is a doctor now specialising in werewolves and has graduated from a very big university with a gold medal. Taehyung is proud of the alpha, though. He knew that the alpha was really smart and deserved bigger things. Taehyung couldn't sleep that night.
Taehyung checks himself once again in the mirror, satisfied with how he's looking. Over these years, he has grown to be an extremely handsome and beautiful omega. He was sought after by many of the alphas, but he just wasn't interested and rejected each one of them. Well, maybe because a certain someone still has not left his heart. Taehyung knows it's foolish. It's been 11 years. The alpha would probably have even forgotten him. And he was in a foreign country for years, so he might have had other lovers. Though their Luna had once mentioned how Jungkook is still single and always busy with his work and studies, Taehyung doesn't hope too much. He doesn't want to be disappointed. Yet he couldn't help but doll himself up a bit as he waited for the alpha. Jungkook will be returning any moment now. He looks over himself one last time before going out of his room. He hears a wolf whistle as he descends the last step, and Jimin checks him out from head to toe.
"So much for moving on, huh?" he teases.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Taehyung says as he walks towards the dining table, taking an apple from the fruit basket.
"I am talking about the fact that you've dressed up for someone from whom you've apparently moved on." He rolls his eyes.
"I dressed up for myself; what is wrong with you?" Taehyung says as he takes a bite of an apple.
"Yeah, right," Jimin scoffs. "Care to tell me why you literally rejected half of our pack's alphas when they courted you?"
"Well, not everybody is lucky enough to get their soulmate like you; let me breathe."
"Yeah, right, soulmate," Jimin says, looking unimpressed. "If soulmates are like mine, I think you're better off without them."
"I heard that," they hear Yoongi's voice from the living room, and Jimin yells back, "Very well, I told it for you to hear only."
Taehyung shakes his head in disbelief as he finishes the apple. They hear a sudden commotion, and Taehyung drops the remaining apple on the plate before getting up. Jimin looks at him knowingly as they both rush towards the main mansion. Taehyung was a bit stunned to see a lot of people this time; maybe the head alpha had wanted everybody to welcome his son together. He somehow finds a spot besides a tree as he anxiously looks at the car that stopped in front of the mansion. Cars are the recently introduced rich people's thing. In their pack, only the Jeons had a car.
Taehyung holds his breath as the door opens and a pair of black boots appear, followed by a figure, and Taehyung is completely frozen at the person in front of him. Instead of his chubby, sweet, and adorable ex-lover, he found an alpha with a well-built frame, black hair curled at the tip, and muscular, thick thighs evident through the tight jeans. The figure slowly turns around, and after 11 long years, they finally meet eyes. No matter how much this person changed, Taehyung could always recognise those eyes—his ex-lover's eyes. But instead of the softness, warmth, and compassion in his eyes, it was dark and cold. Gone was all the fat from the alpha's body and face, replaced with a well-defined chest and abs, a sharp jaw, and strong biceps. He had multiple piercings across his face. Over his eyebrows, in his ears, and even on his lips. The alpha simply looked like a wet dream of an omega. Taehyung could smell slight arousals from omegas all around; everybody was gawking and drooling over the extremely attractive and strong alpha in front of them. But Taehyung just didn't feel anything because this was not the alpha he knew; this was not his past lover who was so gentle to even a flower. This person's eyes intimidated him; his posture screamed dominance, and all the omegas struggled to not submit under the alpha's aura. Taehyung just stands there, motionless, not knowing what to do, as Jeon Jungkook, who looks anything but his Jungkook, stares at him with an intense gaze.