Archive of Our Own

Kim Namjoon is the spare.

Second to his older brother, Kim Namkyu, as heir to the Kim pack, Namjoon is merely there just in case something happens to his brother Namkyu. 

Namjoon doesn’t mind being the spare, as it leads to way less responsibility compared to his brother. 

But meeting a certain person makes Namjoon long for something more than being a spare. 

——

“Namjoon-ah,” Kim Namkyu called into the study, knowing his younger brother was somewhere in there.

“Hyung?” Namjoon looked up from his scroll to face his older brother as he entered the larger room. “Do you need something?” the younger man asked.

Namkyu smiled at his younger brother, shaking his head. “Nothing, just wondering why my younger brother is here, not getting ready for the party. Appa is worried that you'll show up in another god-awful outfit again.” Namkyu says, leaning on the table that Namjoon is sitting at.

Namjoon chuckles, flushing slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. “That was years ago, hyung, when I was 16, when I thought it was the best thing on the block, but I’ve gotten better,” Namjoon defends, looking up as his brother takes in what he’s wearing before leading back with “You dress up nicely, hyung.”

Namkyu laughs at this, looking down at his clothes. He was dressed in a dark blue tunic, representing the pack's color, which was cinched around his waist with a royal blue belt. The same color as the belt draping from his shoulder, crossing across his body into the belt, with black trousers paired with his top. The tunic has a sort of gold trimming to show his status as future pack alpha, which goes nicely with the gold necklace and bangles he sports. Namkyu as doned on brown boots made from the finest leather. 

Namkyu smirked, “The birthday boy can’t be looking dragful, especially when he is going to be made pack alpha soon.”

“Ah, speaking of which,” Namjoon stopped cutting off his brother, reaching into his bag to pull out a box. “Happy Birthday, 25th, hyung,” Namjoon said with a smile, holding out the gift to his brother, “To many more.”

Namkyu paused, looking at the box before returning the smile as he took the box. “Oh Namjoon-ah, you shouldn’t have,” he said, unwrapping the present.

Namjoon stood up from his chair to stand next to his brother as he opened his present, smiling as the older man paused to reveal a beautiful dagger, its hilt gold-plated with jewels embedded. The blade itself seemed to be made of the strongest iron, as the sun hit the blade, making the blade shine. 

“Namjoon-ah, this isn’t,” Namkyu says quietly.

“It’s a replica of Dad’s,” Namjoon says softly, “I had Yoongi-hyung’s father make it as closely as he can to his, using the same plans that we had of his original dagger, since the original has been lost.”

Namkyu and Namjoon’s alpha father and former head alpha of the Kim Pack died in a hunting accident when the two wolves were 13 and 8, respectively. 

“Namjoon, this is beautiful,” Namkyu breathes out, “I can’t believe you were able to get this accurate with it.” 

“It's fitting,” Namjoon replies, smiling, “For the future head alpha.”

Namkyu chuckles wetly with tears prickling his eyes, clapping Namjoon’s shoulder, pulling him into a side hug, “Very fitting indeed.”

The two brothers smiled at each other, letting Namkyu compose himself. Placing the dagger back into the box and closing it, “Come on,” Namkyu starts standing up straight. “Let's get ready for the party.”

——

Namjoon sighs as he stands next to his brother, who was next to his harabeoji, as his appa stood on his other side. The Head family stood on the porch of the Head family’s home, overlooking the various packs that milled into fields. Namjoon noted the various colors of the differentiating packs interacting with each other, meshing together into one as a whole. 

Namjoon sighed again, picking at his outfit, which was similar to his brother’s but had silver trimming and accessories, to make it known that he was the second son. He felt a pinch at his side as he looked at his appa, who gave him a pointed look. 

Kim Jae-joon, Head Omega of the Kim Pack. The one that Namjoon looks the most like, both having those sharp dragon eyes, nose, and dimples; the only thing Namjoon got from his dad was his smile, but then he was his appa’s carbon copy.

“Stop it,” Jae-joon scolded lightly, “You’ll create wrinkles.” He tutted disapprovingly. Jae-joon takes the role of head omega seriously, especially as a widower raising two alpha boys to the best of his ability. Making sure the pack can survive the harsh months of the year and sometimes acts like the head alpha whenever his harabeoji has gone away for a bout of sickness. In other words, Namjoon knows that his appa would have been an amazing ruler, if not for his sub-gender.

“Sorry, appa,” Namjoon mutters, earning a hum of approval as his hand goes back to his side. 

“You’re nervous,” Jae-joon pointed out. “Why? Is something troubling you?”

“No, no, just nervous about talking to others once again, especially when it comes to a political setting,” Namjoon noted, looking out into the floods of people once again, grimacing at the thought of talking to them about the mundane to build relations. 

Jae-joon smiles sympathetically. “It will be rough, but you’ll get through it, like always,” Jae-joon says, rubbing his son’s back. “But it's the perfect time to possibly consider mating.”

Namjoon suppressed a groan as his appa has been bringing this talk to him more and more. “Appa,” Namjoon whines quietly.

Jae-joon simply shrugs, “You’re at the age to begin looking at potential mates now, Joon-ah,” which causes Namjoon to roll his eyes.

“Why haven’t you told Namkyu about it then?” Namjoon asks, side-eyeing his appa, “He’s older and is about to be head alpha, so he needs a mate more so than me,” He pointed out, which caused his brother to nudge him, not noticing that Namkyu was listening to their conversation.

Jae-joon gave Namkyu a pointed look before answering Namjoon, “I have been, and he promised me that he’ll look today, but it's never too late to start early, Namjoon-ah,” Jae-joon explained.

Namjoon sighed for a third time, looking down at his shoes before nodding, “I’ll…consider it,” which seemed to be enough for Jae-joon to be satisfied with it. Just as Kim Namkyung clapped his hands loudly to gather the attention of the other wolves there, he prepared to say a few words to start the party.

“My fellow wolves,” Namkyung started with a smile. Despite his older age, the current High Alpha was in good health for the most part. No longer the strong alpha he was in his younger years, but still demanded respect. He and Namkyu bore a resemblance, as Namkyu looked a lot like his dad, the late Nam-gi; he never thought he would be head alpha at his age, but he stepped into the role because Namkyu was too young to hold any responsibility.

“Welcome, all who came far and wide,” Namkyung starts. “The Kim pack welcomes you with open arms, as you all came to celebrate my heir, Kim Namkyu.” Namkyung stops, letting the crowd of wolves clap and cheer for Namkyu, who smiles, waving to the crowd. Once the crowd settles, Namkyung starts up again.

“As he prepares to take the head alpha, which shall come in a year, let us celebrate the 12 moon cycles for him to reach this age, and wish him many more cycles,” Namkyung finishes clapping as the crowd cheers once again.

Namjoon joins the crowd in their cheers, looking at his brother with a smile, and hoping that this party passes smoothly.

——

Namjoon wishes that he could move time forward so he doesn’t have to listen to another alpha talk about the state of the wolf world and how they should be going back to traditional ideals. Namjoon tunes him out after he mentions the alpha trait of dominance. 

“Namjoon,” a voice calls out, the familiar citrus scent breaking him out of a trance, making him look up and smile at the approaching man.

“Yoongi-hyung,” the younger alpha smiles at the smaller but older alpha who approaches him and the other alpha. 

“They need you near the head table, something about the future hunts,” Yoongi explains to both Namjoon and the other alpha. 

Namjoon raises an eyebrow at this, knowing it was a bullshit excuse, but anything to get him out of this conversation. 

“Ah, yes, of course,” Namjoon nodded before bowing at the other Alpha, “Alpha Choi, if you’ll excuse me,” following Yoongi towards the direction of the head table. Once they were out of earshot, Namjoon laughed.

“Out of everything?” Namjoon starts, “You chose that?” Yoongi simply shrugs as he drinks some of the ale that he has in his cup.

“It got you out of there, didn’t it?” Yoongi pointed out with a smirk, causing Namjoon to smile and nod. 

Min Yoongi, an alpha who was considered Namjoon’s best friend, was older than Namjoon by a year and acts older in many ways, causing Namjoon to go to him for advice.

“You did, you did, and I am forever thankful for that,” Namjoon says, looking at the older alpha. “How’s Jimin?” He asks.

Park Jimin, a pretty omega from a neighboring pack, Jeon Pack, whom Yoongi had been courting for the better part of the year, had met at the winter solstice. Namjoon watches with a smirk as Yoongi flushes slightly.

“He is alright. I have not met him yet, since I had to talk with others about logging for building new houses, since the courting season is about to start there for more housing for mated couples,” Yoongi explains before smirking at Namjoon, “Got anyone special in mind, Namjoon-ah?”

“Ah, no,” Namjoon shook his head, “But my appa says I should start looking, and today should be perfect, I suppose.” Namjoon shrugs 

“I’m sure you'll find someone special; the omegas are grouping over there if you can’t smell,” Yoongi jokes. Namjoon laughs as well.

The two head over to the other side of the lot, where the majority of the sweet smells are coming from, to talk to some of the omegas, when Namjoon stops short, and a faint chocolate smell catches his attention.

“Namjoon?” Yoongi asks to see him stop, but Namjoon ignores him, following the smell of chocolate to a man sitting at a table with other omegas surrounding him. By God, he is beautiful. 

The omega has broad shoulders that might make one assume he is an alpha, but his beauty and scent prove he is an omega, with deep, dark brown eyes, long eyelashes, a natural flush on his cheeks, and perfectly pouty lips that make Namjoon breathe slightly harder. He was thinking about ways to talk to the perfection of a being when he felt someone hit his shoulder, snapping him out of it. Namjoon looks over to see his brother smiling, following his line of sight.

“Isn’t he beautiful?” Namkyu says to Namjoon, who can only nod in agreement. Yoongi walks up to the two brothers, greeting Namkyu before following their line of sight.

“You guys are talking about Seokjin-hyung?” Yoongi asks the two brothers, who turn to face him. Yoongi rolls his eyes, crossing his arms. “Jeon Seokjin, eldest omega son of  Head Alpha Jeon Jong-seok, a friend of Jimin,” Yoongi explains. The two brothers nodded, looking back at the omega, who looked to be talking to Jimin near the fire. Namjoon quietly says the man’s name under his breath, as Namkyu looks at Yoongi.

“Can you introduce us to him?” he asks, “To get familiar, of course, to strength out alliance with the Jeon pack,” Namkyu explains, causing Yoongi to roll his eyes again, walking towards the two omegas, having the two Kim boys follow after him.

——

“Jimin-ah,” Yoongi calls out, smiling at the younger omega, who smiles as his peach sweetens as the alpha approaches.

“Hyung, I’ve been looking for you. You’ve been avoiding me?” Jimin asks him, smiling, causing the older man to scoff, smiling before reaching to take Jimin’s hand to place a kiss on the omega’s knuckles.

“Like I could avoid your scent,” Yoongi says, smirk growing wider as the younger boy flushes slightly at the action.

“Yah, lovebirds, you're in public,” another voice chimes in, rolling his eyes, causing the courting couple to look over at the older omega as he glares at them playfully.

“Apologies, hyung,” Yoongi starts letting go of Jimin’s hand to look at the older man, who just huffed quietly, turning away from Yoongi, smiling. Yoongi chuckles before hearing a cough behind him, causing him to remember why they are over here in the first place.

“Hyung, Jimin, let me introduce you to Heir of the Kim pack, Kim Namkyu, and his brother Kim Namjoon,” Yoongi says, turning to reveal the two men who bowed in respect.

Namkyu stood smiling at the two omegas who bowed their heads in greeting, shaking off the fact that they didn’t stand to greet him, but the Jeon pack has been more progressive on the side, allowing omegas more power than the Kim pack. 

“A pleasure really,” Namkyu starts looking at Jimin, holding out his hand to the omega, “Yoongi speaks of you highly, Omega Park.”

“Good things, I hope,” Jimin replies siding eyeing Yoongi, who smiles at him.

“Only the best,” Namkyu says, winking before turning to face the other omega, “But I’ve never heard of you…” Namkyu say turing to face Seokjin, looking him over.

The older omega gave a small smile, holding out his hand for Namkyu to take, “Jeon Seokjin, I’m honored to meet you, Heir Kim, and a happy birthday to you.”

Namkyu smiles, taking Seokjin’s hand, placing a kiss on his knuckles, not noticing the omega’s grimace. “Likewise,” Namkyu mutters, staring at Seokjin.

Seokjin smiles tightly, removing his hand from Namkyu’s hold. Before turning his head to where Namjoon stood, “And you?” Seokjin asks.

Namjoon froze like an idiot as he locked eyes with Seokjin. “I ’m-I’m, Namjoon, as Yoongi-hyung said.” He stutters with a smile, mentally kicking himself as he stumbles over his words.

“Namjoon?” Seokjin says with a genuine smile, “Just ‘Namjoon’?” he asks

Namjoon nods, “Yes, just Namjoon,” returning the smile with one of his own, hoping he doesn't look awkward. The omega just smiles at him, Namjoon, which gets his heart stuttering. 

“Seokjin,” Namkyu says, holding out his hand to the omega, “Shall I interest you in a walk? So we can get to know each other better?” Namkyu asks.

But before Seokjin can answer, a voice interrupts the group.

“Hyung.” The group turns to see a younger alpha come running to them, looking at Seokjin.

“Jungkook?” Seokjin asks, turning to face the younger boy, “What happened?”

The young alpha, Jeon Jungkook, did bear some resemblance to his older brother, both sharing the same dark brown eyes, but Jungkook has wider doe eyes and lips compared to Seokjin, where smaller. And the younger boy has a small mole below his lower lip. 

“Mother is looking for you- something about meeting a new member?” Jungkook explains to Seokjin, not looking at anyone else but his older brother.

Seokjin sighs before standing up, bowing to the group, “My apologies, but I must go tend to some issues.”

Namkyu looks slightly disappointed but nods, “It's alright, maybe another time then.”

“Maybe,” Seokjin says, nodding at Namkyu, but not before glancing at Namjoon before following his brother to his family’s tent.

Namjoon watches him go, not stopping until his brother claps him on the shoulder, “Namjoon-ah,” causing the boy to look at his brother, “I found my mate.”

——

Namjoon stood near the front of the porch of the Head Kim’s pack house, leaning on the railing as he thought about his predicament. His brother and he long for the same omega, and Namjoon doesn’t know what to do.

The moment that Namkyu says that he found his future mate, Namjoon didn’t know what to feel. He knew logically it would be best if Namkyu and Seokjin mated, a better relationship between the Kim pack and the Jeon pack, but Namjoon couldn’t help but long for the omega, his chocolate scent having him in a sort of trance. 

It's not like Namjoon never had a crush; there have been a few omegas and some betas that Namjoon had feelings for, whether that was for a short time and never turned into anything more childish- hand-holding and middle school relationships. But whenever he locks eyes with Seokjin, he feels the whole universe stops, and it's just the two of them together. Namjoon can’t help but be drawn into Seokjin’s orbit, wanting to spend years getting closer to him. But now he knows he can’t, as his brother had a better chance with courting and mating an omega of high status. It was one of the only times that Namjoon hates being a spare.

Namjoon sighs for what seems the umpteenth time at this celebration. He always hated parties. 

“Alpha Namjoon-ssi,” a voice calls out to him, causing Namjoon to stand up straight to attention as Seokjin walks up to him. 

“Omega Jeon,” Namjoon stammers, bowing, before being waved off by the omega. 

“None of that, Alpha Namjoon-ssi; we are friends, aren’t we?” The omega asks with a smile, coming to stand in front of him. Namjoon nods, smiling as well.

“Shall we drop the formalities?” Namjoon asks, which causes Seokjin to hum in response.

“We can, but how old are you?” Seokjin asks, crossing his arms.

Namjoon blinks before saying, “I’m 20; I won’t turn 21 until before the fall solstice.” 

Seokjin smiles, “That means I’m your hyung; I’m 22.”

Namjoon smiles in return, “I guess so, hyung,” taking note of the older man’s sweetened scent.

“So,” Seokjin starts, “What is the son of a high alpha doing alone? Surely you have friends you can interact with,” he pointed out.

Namjoon sighs, “I’m afraid that I'm not as popular, compared to my brother, hyung.” Namjoon says, leaning on the railing again, looking over the crowd. 

Seokjin raised a brow, leaning on the railing beside Namjoon, who tensed up slightly, and scent turned nervous. “You're friends with Yoongi, aren’t you?” 

“I am,” Namjoon starts relaxing slightly, “But compared to Namkyu-hyung, nothing compares.”  

Seokjin looks at Namjoon before shrugging, “And is that a bad thing?” he asks the younger boy.

Namjoon paused before looking at the omega, who shrugged. “Not everyone has to be Namkyu,” Seokjin says. “That would be boring; sometimes people need to be a Namjoon,” Seokjin says, bumping shoulders with Namjoon, who tensed up again.

Namjoon paused, looking at Seokjin, who simply smiled at him. Namjoon returned with a smile of his own. “I guess so, hyung.”

Seokjin hums, leaning in closer to Namjoon, as if trying to take up more of his sandalwood scent.

“Seokjin!” A voice calls out, and it's a voice that Namjoon knows well, along with its Teakwood scents, which soured slightly. 

The two men jumped to attention as Namkyu came up to both of them, glancing between the two, “What are you talking about?” Namkyu asks.

Namjoon opens his mouth to create an excuse, but Seokjin beats him to it, “Nothing of importance,” Seokjin explains, stepping away from the two brothers. “Just saying goodbye to friends, and I saw Namjoon standing alone and wanted to see what he was up to. But I should be leaving now,” The omega says, bowing to the two brothers before dashing back to his pack’s tent.

Namjoon once again watches as Seokjin goes, but turns to face his brother, who sighs, also watching the omega go.  

“Man, I was hoping to talk to him more,” Namkyu says dreamily, “But I got caught up with something. "

Namjoon nods, hoping to talk to the omega some more as well.

“Do you think if I write him, he’ll write back?” Namkyu asks his brother, and Namjoon jumps as the question is pointed at him. Namjoon wants to say no, that he wants to court and mate Seokjin. That his brother should look for another person to court out of the many omegas that are trying to get his attention. But instead, he shrugs, turning to walk towards the house.

“Why not?”

——

Three days later 

Namkyu is sulking. 

A grown adult alpha man is sulking like a child who was told no. The reason why Namkyu is sulking is that he wrote to Seokjin 2 days ago and has yet to hear back from the man. Knowing that messages between packs should only take about a day’s worth of travel, and should take even less, considering the Jeon Pack was the Kim Pack's close neighbors, so surely he would hear from the omega.

But he hasn’t, so now he’s sulking.

“Yah! Kim Namkyu,” Namkyung scolded the man who was lying down on the couch in the common area of the head house. Namjoon was sitting on a smaller loveseat, looking at another scroll he found.

“What’s the meaning of this boy? No person should have you like this,” Namkyung huffed. 

“Harabeoji, you don’t understand,” Namkyu whines, arm covering his face. “I’m in love.” 

Namjoon rolls his eyes at this, which catches Namkyung's attention.

“Namjoon-ah, you see your hyung?” the elder asks, “Acting like a blubbering fool rather than paying attention to his lessons.”

Namjoon shrugs, going back to reading. “Hyung is going through sorrows, harabeoji,” causing Namkyung to huff, shaking his head at his heir before going off into the house, most likely to his study.

“Namjoon-ah,” Namkyu cries, sitting up to look at his brother, “Do you think that Seokjin will respond?”

This is the fifth time Namkyu had asked Namjoon this since he sent that letter, and Namjoon was getting annoyed.

“I don’t know, maybe,” Namjoon muttered, not looking up at his brother, “I don’t know why you keep on asking me this, hyung.”

“Cause you guys seemed to be getting close,” Namkyu pointed out, “Towards the end of the party, you two were talking, so maybe you'll have some insights.”

Namjoon looked up at this. They were talking at the end of the party. And they did seem to be getting closer, but,

“That doesn’t mean I know the man, hyung; we both just met him that day,” Namjoon pointed out. “I know as much as you do.”

Namkyu hummed at this before sighing, “I suppose you're right. I just wish he'll respond already, but knowing omegas like him probably enjoy teasing good-natured alphas like me.”

This made Namjoon crinkle the paper that was the scroll; he didn’t like Namkyu speaking about Seokjin like this. Like he was just a run-of-the-mill omega, but he didn't say anything, only watched as his brother got up from the couch and clapped him on the shoulder as he headed towards the study, probably to finish whatever lesson his grandfather wanted him to learn this week.

Namjoon sighs, hoping that the jealousy he feels will subside. He doesn’t know why he is jealous. Namjoon is coming to terms that he and Seokjin won’t be happening in g the near future or any future at all, not while Namkyu has his eyes on him. But that doesn’t mean he can’t be hurt at the fact that what he longs for is just out of his reach. 

The thought of Seokjin being a part of his pack, but not being with him, rather his brother, who probably won’t admire him to the fullest, who just wants him as a prize. Knowing his brother just wanted to show Seokjin off like showing the winnings of a hunt rather than the jewel Seokjin is.

Namjoon had to stop himself before it got out of hand. This brother he’s talking about, he can’t be talking about his brother like this. Namjoon sighs, getting up to head to his room, figuring that he needs sleep to shake off these bad feelings. When he heard the door open to reveal Appa coming back from his rounds.

“Ah, Joon-ah,” Jae-joon says, smiling at his son, who greeted him with a hug.

“Appa,” Namjoon says, smiling, “How were rounds today?”

Jae-joon sighs, tired. “Hard work; I was overseeing the preparation of houses being made ahead of mating season, and I think we just made the cutoff point.”

“Do we have enough?” Namjoon asks.

“Just barely; hopefully our estimations aren’t wrong, don’t want it to end up like last year,” Jae-joon huffs, smiling.

Last year, there was an underestimation of the number of mated couples that would come to the Kim pack, and there weren’t enough homes for them to settle into, and there wasn’t enough lumber for more homes to be built, leading people to live in less-than-ideal huts rather than homes. This year, Jae-joon took this over as his project as head omega, along with head builder Yoongi’s father, Min Yongi, and Yoongi himself, to make sure there is enough lumber and houses to be built for the incoming mated couples. 

Namjoon smiled, admiring his appa’s hard work, “I’m sure everything ends up okay.”

Jae-joon smiles at his youngest son, reaches up slightly to kiss him on the cheek, mainly due to Namjoon’s height. 

“Thank you, Joon-ah,” Jae-joon says. Namjoon nods, turning to head upstairs to his room, but stops when his Appa calls him again.

“Oh, Joon-ah, there is a letter for you,” Jae-joon says, holding out a sealed, nicely written letter. Turning the letter over, he can see Jeon’s pack sigma on the seal, which causes Namjoon's eyebrow to shoot up in confusion. But before he could voice out his concern, his Appa was down the hall, probably heading to his own study. Namjoon just shrugged, heading up to his room, thinking that some Jeon’s pack official was reaching out to him for some political reason, either voice negotiations, or possible mating proposals. Namjoon was used to this. He knows his stance; his brother is busy, so he’s the next best thing and closest to his brother and grandfather’s ear, and his words have more impact, blah, blah.

Namjoon opened the door into his room, making sure to lock it, placing the scroll he was reading on his desk, before flopping onto his bed to open the letter, to get this over with, whatever bullshit the council member wanted from him.

Except as he broke the seal, an overwhelming chocolate scent greeted him, and knowing some of lycan biology, rarely do two wolves have the same scents; they may be similar scents, but never the same. Let alone from the same packs. 

This caused Namjoon to sit up as he opened the letter, skimming through until the end, where it told him who wrote him this letter. And in pretty handwriting, it said Seokjin. 

——

It was getting late, and Namjoon couldn’t sleep. He was pacing his room like a maniac; he’s been like this since he got the letter from Seokjin. He couldn’t even sit through dinner without his Appa asking him if he’s alright. Namjoon sighs, looking at the letter which is lying on his desk, sitting at his desk as he reads the letter for the 12th time that day.

To Namjoon,

I hope this is not too forward for me to be writing to you like this, but I would wish to get to know you better, and each time we talked at your brother’s party, we would get interrupted, so writing to you would be better suited, would it not?

Anyways, I am writing to you mainly to prepare for when our packs meet up to officially start the mating season in the next two weeks. I hope that we can get closer, and you piqued my interest, and I wanted to get to know you more. 

Please let me know if I’m being too forward, but I’m excited to hear back from you.

From Seokjin-Hyung

Namjoon is so royally fucked. 

Dropping the letter back onto the desk, Namjoon held his head in his hands as he groaned in frustration. Namjoon somehow piqued the interest of the most beautiful omega he has ever seen/ will see, and got said omega writing him letters with his pretty handwriting and chocolate scent that Namjoon definitely didn’t hold to face as he inhaled the scent before it faded. Yup, totally didn’t.

Anyways, Namjoon doesn’t know what to do now. On the other hand, he wants to shout for joy at the fact that his feelings might be reciprocated, but at the same time, his hyung has a better chance of mating the omega due to status than his second-born brother. His hyung, who is bigger and stronger than Namjoon, can fight, but compared to Namkyu pales in comparison. His hyung will be the leader of a pack containing over 700 lycans in last year's consensus, compared to Namjoon, who will most likely be used as a diplomatic chip if he’s lucky; if he’s not, then Seokjin doesn’t deserve that; Seokjin deserves better than that, better than his brother can give him, despite his opinion on his brother and how he views Seokjin. 

So with a heavy heart, Namjoon picked up his pen and wrote back a response to Seokjin, hoping that his disappointment wouldn’t seep into his writing and his scent as he wrote.

Seokjin-hyung,

As honored as I am to be receiving this from you, I feel that our relations should be purely political, given where both of us stand.

But hopefully, in the future, we can look at our relationship in a more platonic light. 

Wishing you the best, Namjoon.

——

A week later 

It's been a busy week, with the Kim Pack, and Namjoon hasn’t realized that it has been a week since he sent that letter to Seokjin. He remembers dropping off at the messenger office, but got caught up in preparations for mating season, which had him more worried about making sure that everything is set rather than receiving a letter from Seokjin. Even Namkyu was caught up in preparation, and he hadn’t complained once about not hearing from Seokjin in over a week now. In a way, it's a blessing in disguise, as it gave him something else to focus on rather than stressing.

Namjoon was in the grand study, making sure that his calculations on the amount of food that they need to bring are fulfilled, so no one goes hungry during the journey, and that the Kim pack brought their share of food to the mating grounds. He hadn’t heard his grandfather come into the study until he cleared his throat, scaring Namjoon.

“Oh, harabeoji, my apologies,” Namjoon says, scrambling to pack up his things from the desk, only for his grandfather to wave him off. 

“No, stay, you need it more than me,” Namkyung says with a smile, settling on the chair opposite Namjoon. Leaning back in the chair, Namkyung chuckled, looking at Namjoon before saying, “You look like a true head alpha in that chair, just like your father.”

Namjoon paused, taking in his words. Rarely did Namjoon get comparisons to his dad, let alone ones that say that he looks like the head alpha, cause that Namkyu’s future is not his.

Namjoon just smiles, bowing his head. “Thank you, harabeoji, maybe in another life,” Namjoon says, putting down his pen.

“Should be this life,” Namkyung says, eyes looking past Namjoon in a daze. Namjoon opens his mouth in question, but gets cut off when his grandfather speaks again.

“If I were the gods, I would choose you to be the future head of this pack,” The elder says, “you can lead this pack, not just this pack, but lycans as a whole to a better, brighter future, not the old ones that some wolves want to keep us in.”

Namjoon was stunned, “But-but, Namkyu,” he started, just to be cut off by the elder.

“Is easy to sway by the older generations, believing in ways that should die when I die,” Namkyung huffs. “I thought my teachings and the way his fathers raised him would prevent that, but he’s gotten in the wrong crowd…listening to the wrong people…” Namkyung mutters painfully, which has Namjoon stilled in his seat.

“I should have tried harder…sorry, Yeo-jin.” Namkyung mumbles, which makes Namjoon's heart drop. His grandmother? She passed away when he was very young has no memory of her, so why would he be saying sorry to her? 

“Haraboeji,” Namjoon starts once again to get cut off by Namkyung standing up abruptly, looking down at Namjoon with steel in his eyes rather than tears a moment ago.

“Your lessons start tomorrow, 8 am,” Namkyung says sternly with no room for argument, leaving the study with Namjoon shocked and wondering what can be next. 

——

A week later. 

“Yah! Kim Namjoon,” Yoongi yells at Namjoon, snapping him out of his sleep, jolting him awake. The younger man groaned, resting his head back on the table he was slumped on, as Yoongi stood down at him, arms crossed.

“Hyung, too loud,” Namjoon mutters, covering his ears as if to shield himself from the world, causing the older alpha to sigh, shaking Namjoon out of his attempt at slumber once again.

“Namjoon, what's wrong with you? You’ve been acting like you're hungover, which should be concerning since it's midday,” Yoongi mumbles, sitting next to Namjoon on the bench. 

Namjoon merely groans again. He wasn’t drunk, like Namjoon could drink in the past couple of days, when he was also making sure preparations for the journey to the mating grounds were set in stone. His grandfather had him waking up early to start his new lessons, which was just his harabeoji way of priming him for the Head Alpha role. So to say Namjoon was exhausted was an understatement.

On the same page, Namjoon doesn’t really know what his grandfather's goal is; every time Namjoon dares to ask why he had to go through this, as if Namkyu has already spent his entire life preparing to be the leader. Why does Namjoon have to go through the same teachings his brother has, when he’s just the spare? 

But every time Namjoon asks, he gets the same answer. 

“Just in case Namkyu isn’t up to the task,” Namkyung mutters and moves on before Namjoon can ask any more follow-up questions. 

Which is even more confusing, cause in what world would Namkyu not be up to the task of being Head Alpha? He’s been training for the role ever since. Why wouldn’t he be up to the task? This causes Namjoon to think back to the conversation in the study, about how Namkyu has ‘fallen into the wrong crowd,’ as Namkyung has put it. Namjoon understands; his brother has been echoing some ideals that are harmful, to say the least. The way he talks about betas and omegas like they owe alphas something, and how packs should go back to old ways, not any of this ‘new stuff’ that the elders say. Where more power is in omegas and betas in pack dynamics, and more power to omegas who want to leave abusive alphas. The elders are saying that it is only detrimental to pack development, and they should go back to where only alphas have a say.

Which Namjoon knows is bullshit. Anyone knows it's bullshit, but hearing that his brother is sympathizing with people like those, it makes Namjoon shudder and worry. And it's making it difficult to sleep at night, hence why Namjoon is trying to sleep on a picnic bench in the middle of mating grounds, midday. All this turmoil is not helping him sleep.

Namjoon groans again as Yoongi nudges him awake; he was just about to fall into REM sleep. Swatting away at the older man before hearing another voice, “What’s wrong with Namjoonie?”

Namjoon poked his head out from his elbows to look at Jung Hoseok, a beta with a smile that can rival the sun. Paired with his apple scent, the beta put down the boxes that he was carrying to sit with Namjoon and Yoongi at the table.

“He’s acting like he's hungover,” Yoongi mutters, still trying to nudge Namjoon up.

“Hungover? But all the alcohol is stored away, so how would he have gotten some, since we just got here?” Hoseok asks. The Kim pack had just arrived at the Mating grounds, so it unpacked and unloaded to prepare for the week-long festivals, to bring in the season.

“I don’t know, but I want him to answer me so I know next time,” Yoongi grumbles, giving up on waking the man.

“Hyung,” Hoseok starts, “You're beginning to sound like an alcoholic.”

“Am not; it just helps me get through the day.”

“That's what alcoholics say, hyung.”

“Yah!”

“Who's an alcoholic?” another pipes in, causing the three men, yes, including Namjoon, to look up.

Jimin is walking over to the group, eyebrow raised and a smile on his face. “I thought we were cutting back on drinking, hyung,” Jimin says, coming to sit next to Yoongi on the bench.

“I have, but it's for special occasions,” the older alpha explains, crossing his arms.

“Special occasions like what?” Jimin asks, chuckling, which causes Yoongi to smirk

“Like seeing you,” Yoongi replies, causing him to be smacked in the shoulder by the omega, whose face is flushed red. 

“Ah, love,” Hoseok sighs, smiling. “When’s the mating date?”

This causes Jimin to turn a deeper red, and Yoongi to reach over and flick Hoseok’s forehead, which causes the beta to wince at the pain. At the communication, Namjoon groans again, turning the group back to the alpha.

“What’s wrong with him?” Jimin asked, worried, causing Yoongi to sigh, waving off the younger man. 

“He’s hungover, we think, and we're trying to make him get help,” Yoongi explains, looking down at Namjoon. Jimin nods before saying,

 “I know someone who can make something to cure a hangover, or at least make it tolerable.” 

“Oh?” Hoseok asks, “Who’s that?”

“Jin-hyung,” Jimin says, causing Namjoon to tense up at the mention of his name; he knew the chances of seeing Seokjin were very high considering his role and his age. And that letter…Namjoon was hoping that he could avoid the older man, stay low, and far away from him. 

“What about me?” a voice that had been haunting Namjoon said directly above him. He grimaced before peeking an eye open to look at the handsome man as he stood above him, who had a questioning look on his beautiful face. 

“Namjoon-hyung is hungover, and I was wonder you could make that seaweed drink you made for me last time,” Jimin explained to the older omega.

The older omega raised an eyebrow before looking down at Namjoon, catching his eye before Namjoon turned away quickly. Seokjin hums, crossing his arms.

“Are you sure that would be fitting for me, a person of my status?” Seokjin asks sarcastically, throwing Namjoon's words in his face, making him wince. The others at the table looked confused, eyes darting between the two men.

“What do you say, Namjoon-ssi?” Jin asks again, words slightly biting. “Wouldn’t you think it would make our relations more than political, eh, Namjoon-ssi?”

Namjoon stayed quiet, not acting in a way that he may regret. Jin sighs before turning to the rest of the group, who were in the interactions with wonder in their eyes. 

“I’ll go make that seaweed drink; it should help with whatever is going on,” Jin says before turning to head back to where his pack had set up their camp.

The rest of the group looked at Namjoon, who hadn’t looked up since Jin arrived.

“Namjoon,” Yoongi starts in a low voice, “The hell do you do?”

Namjoon could only groan, hoping that the world would end so he could sleep.

——

Namjoon was playing with one of the many bangles that decorated his wrist, dressed in the nicer robes that were layered on top of a gray tunic that had the silver coloring of his birth order, paired with dark blue trousers. And some leather boots. 

He sighs as he waits for the rest of his family to finish getting ready for the mating season opening ceremony. Sitting in the common area of the tent that the head family shares, before looking up and seeing his grandfather come out of his share of the tent to the common area, bowing in greeting.

“Ah, Namjoon,” The older man says with a smile. “How are you feeling about the ceremony? Got any eyes on any omegas or betas you're hoping to court in the next week?” Namkyung starts hoping to start a conversation.

Namjoon, on the other hand, had a different approach. “Why are you having me learn lessons that should be reserved for the heir?” Namjoon asks

This makes Namkyung pause to look at the younger man; he opened his mouth to start another excuse. 

“I want something more, that it’s just in case Namkyu isn’t up for it,” Namjoon snaps, looking at his grandfather with annoyance in his eyes. “You know Namkyu is more than perfectly mentally and physically ready to bear this burden that he has been training for since he was 13,” Namjoon says, anger seeping into his voice. 

“Why are you focusing on me now? What’s going on?” Namjoon asked, standing up to face his grandfather eye to eye. Namkyung noticed that Namjoon appeared to be standing taller than him, looking down at his grandfather.  Any alpha would take this as a threat, and Namkyung thinks that's what Namjoon is going for. But Namkyung just sighs.

“When will you start thinking for yourself, Namjoon?” Namkyung asks, throwing Namjoon off course; the younger man steps back in shock.

“What?” The younger alpha starts, before Namkyung stands before him, bearing him down. 

“You’ve been so focused on what Namkyu wants, what Namkyu needs, what he thinks…that you haven’t had anything for yourself…” Namkyung states coldly. “Is that what you want, boy? To forever be in your brother’s shadow, knowing damn well you can shine brighter than him if given the chance.”

Namjoon stood shocked, taking in his words. Had he been his Namkyu’s shadow? I mean, he always considers what Namkyu would think, but thats cause he’s the heir, the future head; of course, he had to have a say. But to say that it's impacting Namjoon's choices, that can’t be true.

“What I am doing is giving you a fighting chance,” Namkyung states, poking Namjoon’s chest. “I am giving you the skills you need, when, not if, you rise above your brother’s shadow. But the choice is yours, Namjoon.” Namkyung says before storming out of the tent, leaving Namjoon alone.

——

“You still haven’t told me what happened between you and Jin-hyung,” Yoongi says, nursing a cup of beer. Looks like he found where the alcohol is placed.

Namjoon just looked at the older man, still thinking about what his haraabeoji said about him. Hidden in Namkyu’s shadow, given the skills to rise above. What does it all mean?

“Yah! Kim Namjoon!” startling the younger man. “Yes, hyung.”

Yoongi sighs in annoyance, “You’ve been acting odd since we got here, first with the hungoverness earlier today, that weird interaction with Jin-hyung, and now you’ve been acting strange. Normally, you pull, give me the rundown on the history of the mating grounds and how long these celebrations go, and the history about them.” Yoongi listed out everything that has happened and the way Namjoon has been acting out of character.

Yoongi pointed at Namjoon, “Tell me what’s going on or swear on the gods-”

“I like Jin-hyung,” Namjoon states, cutting off the older of the two. Yoongi stops, blinking before annoyance grows on his face.

“Yeah, no shit, I could have told you that, by the way you stared at him when the two of you first met,” Yoongi huffs. “So why are you going to tell me why he was acting cold to you today then?”

Namjoon looks down at the table, “Because I rejected him.”

Yoongi blinks again before smacking Namjoon on the back of his head.

“Ow,” The young alpha mutters, rubbing his head.

“Namjoon, for all that intelligence, you are dumber than a box of rocks,” Yoongi grumbles, “And why did you do that?”

“'Cause I thought I wasn’t worth it,” Namjoon mutters. “Jin-hyung deserves better than a second-born son.”

Yoongi sighs, sympathetically this time, “Namjoon-ah, you are more than your status.” Yoongi watches as Namjoon sprang up to say something else, just to get cut off by Yoongi again.

“You are more than the birth order; anyone with eyes and ears knows this. You shouldn’t be holding yourself back because of the expectations that the world has for you. Knowing you, I thought you'd figure it out already,” Yoongi mutters.

“You're the second person who told me something like that today, hyung,” Namjoon mutters, causing the older to chuckle.

“Maybe you’ll listen to said advice then,” Yoongi says, smiling, which gets Namjoon smiling. But before they can continue, a familiar hand claps on Namjoon's shoulder. 

“Namjoon, have you seen Seokjin anywhere?” Namkyu asks his younger, taking a seat beside him. Namjoon sighs in slight annoyance, looking at his brother.

“No, I haven’t. Have you tried looking where the Jeon pack is set up?” Namjoon asks his brother, shrugging off his brother’s hand, who hasn’t noticed, to busy looking for omega. 

“I did, asked around there as well, but apparently he left for somewhere, I was just wondering if he passed here,” Namkyu mutters, seeming to get frustrated, his teakwood scent souring as he looks over the crowd, hoping to catch sight of Seokjin. 

Namjoon just shrugs, looking at the crowd as well, noticing the various lycans interacting with each other. The majority of the crowd were younger, unmated wolves, hoping to use the mating grounds to catch the eyes of another wolf who could sweep them off their feet. Which brings a smile to Namjoon's face, seeing the romantic tension in the air, but the moment is ruined when he hears a crash and his brother cursing. Scents souring with anger and fear in their air, stopping romantic tension as every wolf looked over to where his brother stood over a cowering young omega girl, who looked to be no more than 16. She was muttering apologies as Namjoon looked at his brother, whose robes were now stained with food and alcohol. The young girl must have accidentally bumped into him, spilling on him.

Namkyu was snarling at the young girl who was on her knees, begging for his forgiveness.

“Please, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” the girl cries, tears running down her face, but Namkyu doesn’t seem to care.

“Were you even looking where you're going?!” Namkyu snarls, “Are you that dumb not to notice where you're looking?” the young girl cries, head down again, dirt in apologies. 

“Heir Kim,” a voice calls out, stepping between the two. Namjoon’s eyes widen as Seokjin steps through, kneeling next to the girl, rubbing her back as he looks up at the angry alpha. “Jae-suk has clearly stated that she is sorry, and it was clearly an accident.” 

Namkyu growls, making the two omegas shudder in fear, but the older of the two stood his ground, “There is no reason to be getting this upset over an accident.” Seokjin says

“The dumb bitch should have been looking where she is going,” Namkyu snapped, “Clearly, you Jeon omegas don’t have a real alpha to put you in your place, otherwise this wouldn’t have happened.”

“That is highly inappropriate, Heir Kim," Seokjin says, standing up to face down the alpha. But said alpha didn’t say anything, just merely lunged as the two omegas, causing gasps in the crowd, as Seokjin turns to shield the younger omega from the brunt of the almost feral alpha, but it never came. Jin opens his eyes to see Namkyu being held back by Namjoon. 

“Namkyu-hyung,” Namjoon whispers darkly, “You're making a scene, you're causing dishonor to Kim Pack.” 

This caused Namkyu to pause, looking at his brother's cold eyes before turning to the crowd, who were whispering about him. He released himself from Namjoon’s hold, who was blocking Namkyu’s line of sight of the omegas, to simply growl before storming off.

Namjoon sighed in relief, watching his brother storm off, not fully realizing what he had just done until he made eye contact with his grandfather, who seemed to be nodding in approval. Shaking that off, he turns to the two omegas, where Jin was comforting Jae-suk, and Namjoon slowly approaches the two omegas, making sure that the two weren’t scared. 

“Um,” Namjoon starts making the two turn to him as he bows lowly. “On behalf of the Kim Pack, I sincerely apologize for my brother’s actions. As he doesn’t represent all of our values.”

“Your apology is accepted, Alpha Kim,” Jin says, holding onto the Jae-suk who was no longer crying but sniffling. The older one turned to the two to lead them back to Jeon Pack's side of the grounds.

Namjoon sighs, watching the two go, not noticing Yoongi coming to stand beside patting him on the back. 

“You did well, Namjoon-ah,” The older man says.

——

Namjoon was standing awkwardly outside of the Jeon Pack campsite, hoping to talk to Jin, to hopefully apologize for his brother’s behavior and for his own actions. He was still reeling from what happened earlier at the start of the mating ground celebration, his brother's reaction to simply getting food spilled on him. Namjoon had never seen him react that way; his brother’s anger had been a problem, but he had never seen Namkyu act that way, especially towards another person. 

And now shifting over to the way Namjoon reacted, he doesn’t know what to think. Part of him felt like a hero. A stereotypical hero that his appa used to read him stories about: he moved without thinking, just thinking about how brave Jin was, standing his ground against an acting feral alpha, but seeing his brother launch himself to the helpless pair, seeing Jin turn himself away as if to face the brunt, so that the young girl didn’t have to. It's corny, but he moved without thinking. 

Namjoon thought back to what his harabeoji had said to him before the ceremony. Could he really shine brighter than Namkyu? Had he been really holding himself back for his brother’s sake, and if so, when and if should Namjoon start putting himself first?

“Uh, excuse me?” A sound broke Namjoon out of his trance as turns to look at the Heir Jeon, Jungkook, who was looking at his suspicion as Namjoon was just pacing outside of Jeon Pack campsite. And factoring in what just happened, any person would be wary of the brother of the man, who nearly attacked his own brother. “Do you need something, Alpha Kim?” the younger man asks him, sizing him up.

“Uh,” Namjoon croaks, standing straight to look at the boy, “Nothing, I was just wondering, if Omega Jeon Seokjin is around? I was hoping to apologize again,” Namjoon explains.

Jungkook narrows his eyes at him, squaring his shoulders to meet Namjoon's eyes. “Seokjin-hyung has nothing to say to you, Alpha Kim,” Jungkook mutters, “And I recommend you leave my pack grounds.” 

This causes Namjoon to blink, understanding that Jungkook is being protective of both his brother and his pack, but Namjoon must let Seokjin know that he is sorry. 

“Surely, Heir Jeon, I can just say sorry to Omega Seokjin, nothing more, I assure you,” Namjoon says honestly. 

Jungkook growls at Namjoon, “Seokjin-hyung has nothing to say to you, you dense mother-”

“Jungkookie,” Seokjin calls out to the younger alpha, walking up to the two men and placing a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder, easing some of the tension in the younger boy's shoulders. “It's fine, go finish your duties,” Jin says softly. 

Jungkook's eyes moved between the two men before landing on Jin, eyes asking if Jin was sure, and the older man nodded in reassurance. The younger boy turns to head back to Jeon’s tent, not before glaring at Namjoon. 

Once the younger alpha was out of earshot, Jin turned to look at Namjoon, arms crossed. “What do you need, Namjoon-ssi?” he asks coldly. 

“To apologize,” Namjoon mutters, trying to let the formality sway him out of doing what he wanted.

“But you already apologized,” Jin pointed out, “Which both Jae-suk and I appreciate, so there is no need to apologize again,” he states, turning away, but stopped when Namjoon reached out to grab his wrist. Jin turned to face Namjoon, with shock on his face, as Namjoon looked at him.

“Apologizes for my forwardness, but I’m not just talking about what my brother did to you and Jae-suk,” Namjoon says, face determined, before his voice turns low, “I want to apologize for my letter…it misconstrued my emotions.”

“Miscontrusted?” Jin asks, eyebrow raised, “In what way?”

“In a way that made it seem that I don’t want to get closer to you, since you also piqued my interest,” Namjoon mutters, getting closer to Seokjin, his hand squeezing his wrist. 

Jin’s eyes widen, his face slightly turning red, turning away from Namjoon's eyes, who smirked. He can also quote his words. 

“Apology accepted,” Jin mutters, looking back at Namjoon’s eyes, who smiles at Jin, squeezing his wrist again before slipping his hand into the omega’s, tugging him towards the forest. 

“Walk with me?” Namjoon asks, as if he were already leading them down a pathway. Jin was shocked at his forwardness and simply nodded in agreement, letting the alpha pull him along. 

Namjoon smirks, leading the way, cause he was going to put himself first. 

——

Jin is funny, Namjoon noted during their walk. Listening to the older man talk had Namjoon doubling over in laughter. The two men had made their way to a bench along the path, looking over a river that flowed through the mating grounds, to continue their conversation. 

“He told me, ‘That's the way I had managed to wrestle the wild pig in the mud pit, that must be lying, mind you, Namjoon-ah, I was dirty, covered in mud, smelled like quite literal shit, standing before him. And I just had to look him in the eye while heading to the showers, cause the truth could very much slap him in the face, and he’ll still ask who hit him.” Jin ranted about the story that had Namjoon laughing, squeezing Jin's hand that he hadn’t let go of, and Jin hadn’t pulled away from. 

“Hyung, I’m not over the fact that you wrestled the pig,” Namjoon says, smiling widely, glad that they moved past formalities. 

Jin waved him off, smiling as well, “That’s nothing, I have more stories about the wild animals and me. Plus, that pig made a good Samgyeopsal that I cooked.”

Namjoon chuckles, “Hyung, you're not serious.”

Jin shrugs, “Had made good use of it,” the older man says, smiling.

The two settle into a comfortable silence, watching the water flow down the stream.

“Namjoon-ah,” Jin starts making the younger man turn towards him in question.

“Yes, hyung,” Namjoon responds.

“Why did you reject my letter?” Jin asks, looking at Namjoon in question, “I thought it was because you weren’t interested in me, but your actions says other wise,” he mumbles, looking down at their conjoined hands.

Namjoon sighs, looking down at their hands, squeezing Jin’s hand, “It’s stupid, hyung.”

“No, no, I want to know,” Jin insists, turning to face him. “Was it something I said? Was I being too forward?” Jin rambles, causing Namjoon to place his hands on Omega’s shoulders to calm him down, releasing some calming pheromones to help with Jin’s stress.

“Hyung,” Namjoon says, calming, smiling, “It has nothing against you; it was mostly how I was feeling.” Namjoon sighs, causing Jin to raise his eyebrow in question. Namjoon sighs, taking Jin’s hand once again.

“When Namkyu-hyung stated that he wanted to pursue you,” He started playing with Jin’s fingers, not looking at the older man. “I thought that I didn’t have a chance, considering that he is the heir, and I’m just the spare. And you deserve better than a spare.”

Jin sat, before asking quietly, “What changed your mind?”

“I decided that I should stop letting myself be held back from getting what I want,” Namjoon mutters.

“And what did you want?” Jin asks again in a whisper. Namjoon doesn’t answer. Rather, he looks up to look into Jin's eyes, causing the omega to shudder slightly at the eye contact. 

Clearing his throat, turning away from the alpha’s eyes, Jin says, “Well, I’m not interested in Namkyu, if that settles your worries.”

Namjoon smiles, squeezing Jin’s hand again, “It does, hyung,” causing Jin to smile as well. 

The two men's conversation evolved into less serious topics, and a bit of drama from Jin’s end, which Namjoon just chuckles at. As the sun began to set, they went back to the campsite. Namjoon is walking Jin back to Jeon’s pack campsite, where a certain bright-eyed alpha is waiting with his arms crossed. 

“Jungkook?” Jin asks the younger boy, “What are you doing here? I thought you'd be hanging out with friends.” 

Jungkook sniffs, trying to appear larger when Namjoon comes closer. The other alpha holds back a laugh at this, trying not to irritate the boy anymore.

“I was waiting for you, hyung,” Jungkook explains, looking at his brother. “The sun was setting, and I was worried.”

Jin sighs, looking at the younger boy, “Jungkook, I’m grown, you don’t need to worry, you can go back,” Jin says.

“I’ll go back when you're back, hyung,” Jungkook huffs, making Jin grumble, turning towards Namjoon apologies on his tongue. 

“Namjoon-ah, I apologize, but I must get going. It appears I am needed elsewhere,” Jin says apologetically. Namjoon can only smile, bowing his head in respect, watching the interaction between siblings. 

“Nothing to apologise for, hyung, I understand,” Namjoon says, “ Thank you for taking time out of your day to speak to me.”

Jin smiles back, opening his mouth to respond, only to be cut off by Jungkook clearing his throat. The omega turns to glare at his brother, who shrugs in response. Jin sighs, turning back to Namjoon, who grins at him. The older man leans into pecking Namjoon’s cheek, causing a squawking sound to be released from Jungkook in response.

“Thank you for tonight,” Jin whispers into Namjoon’s ear, whose frozen in shock. Before grabbing Jungkook and pulling him back towards their campgrounds, who was protesting at his actions.

And Namjoon, poor Namjoon, stood frozen in shock, trying to realize what just happened. Reaching up to touch his cheek where Jin kissed him, smiling to himself, before heading back to the Kim campsite, practically skipping.

——

Three days later

The past three days, Namjoon has been on cloud nine. Combine with the various celebrations of the mating seasons this week. Hangouts with Yoongi, Jimin, Hoseok, and Jin, along with Jungkook, who glares at Namjoon. But Jin tells him that's okay, and over with what happened, Namjoon doesn’t think so, but it's alright. Namkyu has also been a straggler of their group hangouts, mainly trying to get closer to Jin, whom he officially apologized to two days ago for his actions. He was later forced to apologize to Jae-suk for his actions at the behest of Jin.

The downside of the past couple of days is that Namkyu butting in whenever Namjoon and Jin try to hang out together, obviously trying to gain Jin’s attention. As a result, the two ended up back at the bench at the riverbend, talking about everything and anything really. Talking way into the night, which is making Namjoon’s approval rates in Jungkook’s eyes decrease. But not that Namjoon minded, since he got to spend time with Jin, who had been resting his head on Namjoon's shoulder, kissing his cheek, and slightly scenting him. 

Namjoon hasn’t held up his clothes to his nose after they depart to get the last bit of his scent. 

Nope, totally not.

Anyway, because Namjoon is on cloud 9, his lessons with his grandfather have been way better, considering he's doing it for himself now, not just for his harabeoji’s plans, cause why shouldn’t he. Namjoon wants to be better, and his lessons will help him become a better person in the future, for both himself and whatever the future holds for him and Jin.

Namjoon is currently in his part of the tent, brainstorming ideas for a possible courting gift for Jin that he plans to give him before leaving the mating grounds, even though the two of them feel like they are courting right now, but it will make it official. He soon felt a hand on his shoulder, looking up to see a very familiar face, Namkyu.

Namjoon hasn’t been interacting much with Namkyu in the last couple of days, outside of the group settings. This is atypical of the two; they would talk all the time, but this past week, things have changed, and both men can feel it. 

“Namjoon, come hunting with me,” Namkyu says with a smile.

Hunting, something that the brothers have enjoyed together as a shared hobby despite their differences that they share. Granted, Namjoon has never been particularly good at hunting, catching a few rabbits and foxes, whether he goes, compared to Namkyu, who catches boars, deer, elk, and once a mountain lion. But the two talk about their days, what lessons they have learned, and whatever drama they have. It was their bonding time that had gone away in the most recent months, with Namkyu’s responsibilities ramping up, so hearing that he is asking Namjoon to go hunting with him means he wants to talk.

Namjoon nods, standing, “Alright, hyung.” Namkyu nods as well, heading to get ready himself. Namjoon grabbed his bow and arrows, and twin daggers, a gift from his dad prior to his passing. Heading out to meet Namkyu, who was waiting outside the tent, waiting for him, having his own bow and arrows, the dagger that Namjoon gifted him in its sheath, and a sword in a scabbard. ‘A lot for a hunt,’ Namjoon thinks.

“Ready?” Namkyu asks, and Namjoon nods in agreement. The two men head over the forest that surrounds the mating grounds, walking over roots, ducking under branches that hang low. All while in complete silence. They would say it's because prey doesn’t like loud noises, but Namjoon knows that it's because things have been tense in the last couple of days, after he held Namkyu back from attacking both Jin and Jae-suk, the two brothers haven’t spoken much about it, and the fact that it lingers over the two even as they head deeper in. 

The silence was broken as Namjoon’s arrow pierced a rabbit a few paces away. Namkyu chuckles, clapping Namjoon’s shoulder.

“I forgot that you have eyes of a hawk,” Namkyu says, picking up the dead rabbit. Namjoon smiles bashfully.

“It's nothing, hyung,” Namjoon says, taking the rabbit from his brother, thinking that maybe he can commission a rabbit-lined scarf for Jin as a courting gift.

Namkyu shakes his head, “Don’t diminish your hard work, Namjoon-ah,” he says. Namjoon nods. The two went back into silence, walking further in the forest, further away from the main campsite, Namjoon noted.

“I’m thinking of asking Alpha Jeon for Seokjin’s hand in marriage,” Namkyu says after a bit, so casually, too casually, as he didn’t stop Namjoon dead in his tracks; Namkyu only noticed a few paces ahead of his brother.

“W-what?” Namjoon asks, “Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Yes, why not?” Namkyu asks 

“Well, because of the way you acted towards his son, and an omega in his pack,” Namjoon pointed out. 

“Well, I apologized,” Namkyu huffed, rolling his eyes, scoffing, “And I have been talking to Alpha Jeon these past days, sweet-talking him. He’ll give me Seokjin’s hand in marriage.”

Namjoon shook his head, getting angry, “That’s not going to do anything, forcing a person into marriage like this, especially when Jin-hyung says that he doesn’t want that for himself.” Namjoon snaps.

This causes Namkyu to pause and look at his brother, “Jin-hyung?” He repeats what Namjoon had said, “You’ve been getting closer to him,” he mutters accusingly 

Namjoon's eyes widened at his mistake, stuttering, “Well, I-I.”

“You’ve known about my intentions about Seokjin, but still you went behind my back and befriended him?” Namkyu shot back, “And didn’t tell me anything?”

Namjoon snarls, “Like that would have changed anything, you would have ignored everything, only wanting him for his looks.”

“Oh, like you aren’t any better,” Namkyu growls before it dawned on him, “You like Seokjin as well,” he says, shocked.

“And if I do?” Namjoon asks growling 

“You backstabber,” Namkyu mutters, “My own brother, trying to steal my omega from me.”

“He’s not your omega,” Namjoon barked back, “He doesn’t even like you hyung.”

“You don’t know that. He could have grown to like me,” Namkyu snarls back, stepping back in shock as Namjoon laughs mockingly.

“No, hyung, he’ll never like you,” Namjoon says, getting up into Namkyu’s face, “Because he likes me,”

Namkyu roars, lunging at Namjoon.

——

Namjoon hit the ground hard, groaning as pain shot through his back and side. His sword drops out of his hand as he moves to clutch his side. Namkyu looks down at his brother, shaking his head.

“You're leaning too much on your left leg, leaving your other side open for me,” 12-year-old Namkyu explains to his younger brother, moving to help the 7-year-old Namjoon stand up, who groans as he stands up. 

“I don’t know how you're so good at this, hyung,” Namjoon mutters, wincing as he stands up straight. “I’m not good at this.”

“Don’t say that, Namjoonie,” Namkyu says reassuringly, rubbing Namjoon’s shoulder, “You just need practice, that's all”.

“But I’ve been practicing,” Namjoon pouts, kicking the training ground. “But I’m not you hyung,”

“That’s good,” Namkyu says, smiling. “Both of us fighting the same would make sparring boring.” This causes Namjoon to look at his brother questioningly, making Namkyu chuckle.

“You need to find your style, Namjoonie,” Namkyu explains, stepping away and then facing Namjoon again, getting into a fighting stance, “Find it, then take me down.”

——

Namjoon jumps back in shock, weaving away from his brother’s hand that reached for his throat. The older man turns to face Namjoon, his eyes bleeding in angger, and pulls out the dagger that Namjoon gifted him, lunging again at the younger man. Namjoon parries the attack, but it was a diversion to Namkyu punching his side, making the air leave his lungs.

Gasping to catch his breath, Namjoon moves to kick Namkyu, making the older man out of breath as well. As both men stood glaring at each other, gasping for air, Namjoon spoke:

“We don’t have to do this, hyung,” Namjoon mutters. “We can sort this out civilly.”

“Go to hell,” Namkyu grittered through teeth, lunging again, dagger at the ready. But Namjoon was prepared, unsheathing his own dagger, blocking his brother’s attack, and using his shoulder to push him back, making him trip on a tree root. 

Namjoon fights rather defensively, mainly cause he rarely fights, and was taught that if he is ever in a fight is to block and protect until help comes or until he finds an opening to make a typically non-lethal blow. Namkyu, on the other hand, fights offensively; he’s the one who makes the attacks, and he typically tries to make a finishing blow. That’s what Namkyu was taught, hence why Namkyu lunges up, quickly. Namjoon makes the move to block him again, but he doesn’t have the chance as Namkyu is fast, his rage blinding as he slashes at Namjoon’s abdomen, making Namjoon gasp out in pain, clamping a hand on the slash wound as he moves to hit Namkyu once again, punching his nose, ignoring the way the bones crunch under his hand. 

Namkyu groans, dropping the dagger, holding his nose as it bleeds, giving Namjoon enough time to run. Running a few paces, Namjoon stops at a tree, panting, outta breathe and cause of the wound. Namjoon slowly removes his hand, wincing as the blood that pools on his hand leaks through his tunic. The cut appears to be shallow, not damaging any important, it's more about the blood loss. Namjoon covers the wound again, applying pressure to stop some of the bleeding. Looking up to the tree line, he can’t believe this is happening. He’s fighting his brother, his blood brother, over a person that they both want? Or is it something deeper? Why did Namjoon say all of that? Is it jealousy? Rage? Wanting to be more?

Namjoon sighs, closing his eyes as he wonders how he ended up like this, fighting his brother, both of them shedding blood. 

But can’t rest as he hears Namkyu roaring his name, looking for him. Namjoon stands up straight, looking around with a dagger in hand, before running towards where the camp is. His pace has slowed because of a wound along with his senses, as he didn’t hear or smell Namkyu running towards him. Tackling Namjoon causes the two men to tumble down the terrain, making them land on a cliff.

Namjoon groans, clutching his side where the wound is not, before he feels Namkyu climbing on top of him, eyes widening in shock, before his brother punches him. Grunting at the sensing, kicking his Namkyu off, scrambling away from him, hands up in defense as Namkyu gets up on his knees, glaring at him.

“Hyung,” Namjoon croaks, pleading, “We don’t have to fight, and I don’t want to fight you.” 

Namkyu growls. It sounds non-human, more animalistic, moving to punch Namjoon once again, but both men didn’t realize how close to the edge they both are, or more correctly, how close Namjoon is to the edge. Feeling the whole world fall out from beneath him, Namjoon's eyes widen, looking down to see the ground that looms before him, that hard ground.

Namjoon is going to die. There is no way to get out of this.

Namjoon winces, closing his eyes, bracing for this fall and death.

But it never lands, Namjoon never lands; instead, he feels a harsh tug on his left arm, holding him up. Namjoon looks up to see who or what is holding him up.

Namkyu grips Namjoon’s wrist tightly, tears in his eyes as he looks down at his younger brother. 

“Namjoon-ah, I’m sorry,” Namkyu rasps, looking apologetic. But Namjoon can only focus on his brother’s eyes. His normal dark brown eyes turn red, a deep, sickly red that Namjoon only knows stories about, never seen it in person before until now. A full sign of a wolf who have turn rabid. 

The two men hear the sounds of a crowd of people coming near them, maybe hearing the commotion of the fight, who knows. 

“Over here,” Namkyu shouts, drawing their attention, “I need some help over here.”

Other wolves quickly came to their aid, helping Namkyu lift Namjoon off the cliff’s edge. Once on solid ground, once again Namjoon smells Yoongi and maybe Hoseok nearby him, asking him what happened, he feels other hands go to his wound as he stands up, wincing, helped up by Yoongi and Hoseok. But all of that muddles together as he can’t take his eyes off his brother and his red eyes. 

But then he felt a heavy weight crash into him, thankfully, on a non-injurious side. He grunts away but sighs when he recognizes Jin’s chocolate scent. He melts when the older man wraps his arms around Namjoon’s neck, hugging him. Both Yoongi and Hoseok drop Namjoon's arms, letting him weakly hug the omega. 

“I heard the commotion and ran to get some help,” Jin explains, squeezing him again, pulling away, letting Namjoon notice the worry on his face as the omega gently cupped his face, deep purple bruises on his eyes, Jin looks down to see the amount of blood that was spilling onto his tunich and trousers.

“Namjoon-ah,” Jin whispers in worry.

“I’m alright, hyung,” Namjoon mutters weakly, which earns him a scoff from Yoongi.

“We have very different definitions of alright,” Yoongi grumbles, but the look on his face shows that he is more worried than he let on.

“You need medical attention,” Jin says, moving to help Namjoon place his arm on his shoulders, but that was stopped when Namkyung comes storming in, Jae-joon trailing behind him, who immediately rushes over to him in worry.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Namkyung bellows, looking between the two, glancing over Namjoon’s slumped figure and Namkyu’s broken nose, then his eyes. “Namkyu…” Namkyung whispers 

“It was…a misunderstanding,” Namkyu mutters, “Namjoon and I-” Namkyu starts only to be cut off by Namkyung.

“I’m not talking about that,” Namkyung mutters, waving him off, stepping back from Namkyu. “Your eyes, Namkyu.”

When Namkyung mentioned Namkyu’s eyes, the rest of the crowd noticed as well, and gasps in shock rippled through the crowd.

“You're a feral boy,” Namkyung says in shock, making the crowd move away from Namkyu in fear.

Namkyu stutters, shaking his head, “No, I-” cutting himself off. “But I’m fine, I’m still Namkyu, and still your heir.” He pointed, trying to ease the situation. 

Namkyung huffs in disbelief, “You think I’ll let you lead like this?” Namkyung asks, shaking his head, “I knew your path would lead you somewhere dark, but I never thought it would end up like his,” he says sadly. 

Namkyu looks confused, shaking his head, and walks towards his grandfather, who steps back from him like he's a disease. “Harabeoji,” he croaks, tears in his eyes, “I’m still me, I’m still your heir.”

Namkyung shakes his head, “No, not anymore, I’ve told the council you being heir to the Kim pack is no longer viable. This was just the final straw,” he mutters quietly.

Everyone stood, shocked by what had just been said, as whispers flooded the crowd. Namjoon was also in shock, recognizing what his grandfather was saying earlier, what he wanted to prepare Namjoon for.

Namkyu was destined for this path, and there was nothing he could do.

Namkyu stood in shock, shaking his head, “No, no, harabeoji, you're lying,” he rasps, “I’m your heir, you told me that I can lead the Kim pack to the future.”

“You wanted to set us back,” Namkyung grumbles, looking at Namkyu. “I know about your plans, your ‘revisions’ of the Kim pack. It would only harm us in the long run, and therefore I picked a new heir…I was planning on sharing it with you privately…but you leave me no choice.”

“New heir?” Namkyu mumbles in disbelief, not believing what his grandfather is saying, “Who would-?” before it dawned on him, turning towards Namjoon, who tenses at his brother’s attention on him, those red eyes glaring at him. 

“You,” Namkyu growls before leaping towards Namjoon again. Despite his weakened state, Namjoon pulls both his appa and Jin behind him so he faces the brunt of his brother’s attack. But it never came as other wolves came and held Namkyu back, holding him by his arms as he broke free from the hold that several wolves had him in.

“You bastard,” Namkyu roars, trying to reach Namjoon, “This is your fault!”

“Take him away, he’s not in his right mind,” Namkyung orders, watching as others pull Namkyu away. Namjoon breathes, watching his brother get pulled away, before he passes out in Jin and his Appa’s arms.

——

Namjoon woke up to the ceiling of a white tent, the smell of the antiseptics and the herbs filled his nose as he slowly grunted, getting the attention of the wolves whispering in the corner.

“Namjoon,” Jae-joon says in relief as he rushes over to his son’s side, gently pushing him down on the bed. “Rest, Joon-ah, you need it.”

“Appa,” Namjoon rasps, looking at his father, who has tear tracks down his face, probably from crying. But his appa simply smiles sadly, petting Namjoon’s hair.

“It will be okay, Namjoon,” Jae-joon says reassuringly, but the look in his eyes says otherwise. But before he can question it, he feels a hand resting against his, looking over to see his harabeoji smiling down at him with a small smile on his face.

“Glad to see you're okay, Namjoon,” the older man says. He doesn’t look like he has been crying, but his eyes are wet.

“Harabeoji,” Namjoon grunts, sitting up in the bed, ignoring his appa’s protests. As he sits up, Namjoon notices that he is shirtless with a bandage wrapped around his abdomen, covering his slash wound. There is no blood on it, meaning they probably stitched it up and changed it, leading Namjoon to believe that he was out longer than he thought.

“How long was I out?” He asks. The two older wolves paused before Jae-joon said: 

“A day and a half,” he says, rubbing Namjoon’s shoulder, “We are waiting for you to get better before heading back home.”

Namjoon nods, understanding that they were planning on leaving earlier, but because of his condition thy waited, but he can’t help but wonder about,

“What about Namkyu-hyung?” Namjoon asks, look up at the older men. He watches as his appa’s eyes fill up with tears, and his grandfather looks ashamed as sat on the bed. 

“There is no way to treat, Namkyu, at least nothing that we know of right now,” Namkyung starts, “So the best course of action is to banish him.”

“Banish him?” Namjoon starts in shock, wincing when he realizes that his ribs were probably bruised as well.

Namkyung can only look down, not being able to look Namjoon in the eye, “It's the only way, he’s too dangerous.”

“But he was fine before,” Namjoon protests, but this time it was his appa that spoke.

“He’s in the early stages,” Jae-joon whispers, rubbing Namjoon’s back, “But he will get worse, he will lose all of his human side and will turn rabid, he won't remember us, Namjoon,” Jae-joon explains, voice broken.

“But, he’s your son,” Namjoon pointed out, tears in his eyes, “My brother, our family, and you're willing to let him go?” 

“It's the only way,” Namkyung says sternly. Namjoon looks over to see that tears are in his harabeoji's eyes. “I wish it wasn’t this way, Namjoon, believe me, but Namkyu won’t be your brother anymore; he won’t be able to remember you.”

Namjoon sat in shock, taking in everything, before beginning to sob, as he felt his appa’s arms wrap around him, whispering reassurances into his ear. Once the crying subsided, Namjoon looked at his grandfather, who gave him a grave look.

“These are the decisions that we have made, as Head Alpha Namjoon, the hard decisions that we have to make, to better the pack-” Namkyung says to be cut off by Namjoon.

“Even if the price is family?” Namjoon asks bitterly, glaring at Namkyung, who sighs.

“Especially if it's family,” Namkyung states firmly before standing, patting Namjoon’s shoulder. “We will talk once you feel better, rest, Namjoon,” he says before walking out of the tent.

Namjoon glares at his disappearance. He wanted to protest that there has to be something to save his brother, but he’s too weak to fight right now. The father and son sat in silence for a couple of moments as Jae-joon handed him some water and asked Namjoon if wants anything to eat.

“You know,” Jae-joon starts sitting on the bed, “Someone has been waiting for you to wake up.”

“Is that so?” Namjoon mutters, looking into the cup of water that he holds, thinking that it was Yoongi or Hoseok.

“Yes,” Jae-joon says, nodding a slight grin on his face, “Should I let him in?” Namjoon just nodded absentmindedly, too far in his head to notice his appa standing up and letting the person in until their scent hit him.

“Jin-hyung,” Namjoon says, looking up at the omega who walks in with a small smile, moving to stand up before wincing, which the omega rushes over, gently pushing him down onto the bed.

“You shouldn’t move, you’re still healing,” Jin tuts, helping him gett comfortabel on the bed. Namjoon watches as the omega tucks him back into bed, making sure the pillow is set behind his back, before sitting on the bed beside him.

“How are you feeling?” Jin asks gently, worry etched on his face.

“Sore, mostly,” Namjoon mutters before talking to Jin’s hand. Jin nods sympathetically, and Namjoon squeezes his hand.

The two stayed quiet for a moment before Jin broke the silence, “How are you feeling?”

Namjoon smiles, “You already asked me that, hyung.”

“No, I mean, how are you really feeling?” Jin asks again, which causes Namjoon to sigh, turning his head down to his lap where their hands lie. 

“I don’t know,” Namjoon mumbles, and Jin squeezes his hand, releasing some pheromones to comfort him. “I feel bad, mostly, egging him on,” Namjoon says, remembering what he said before his brother attacked him.

“Namjoon-” Jin starts before Namjoon cuts him off.

“Don’t try to make it seem like it isn’t my fault, hyung,” Namjoon snaps, feeling bad as Jin winces at his tone, but right now, he didn’t care. “I angered him, made him turn feral, because I was trying to prove something.” Namjoon sighs, thumping his head against the pillows, looking up at the ceiling, “all because I was trying to show you like me more.”

The two sat quietly, letting the tension float in the room, before Jin broke it. “Then I should be at fault as well,” he mutters.

Namjoon's eyes snapped towards Jin at this statement, “Hyung, that's not true.”

“Why not?” Jin asks, shrugging, “Namkyu acted that way after meeting me. I should have rejected him at first, and…” Jin pauses, looks into Namjoon’s eyes “Left you alone…” Jin mumbles.

Namjoon shakes his head, “Hyung, you can’t blame yourself for that, you didn’t know.”

“Then how could you have known?” Jin asks him, “How could you have known that Namkyu-ssi was going to act that way?” Turning to face Namjoon, fully grabbing both of his hands. 

“He is your brother Namjoon, you only thought the best of him, and why shouldn’t you?” Jin says softly. “How he acted wasn’t your fault; we are allowed to feel emotions, but how we act out of those feelings is our own fault, not others.” Jin placed a hand on Namjoon’s cheek, gently rubbing over his bruises. “This wasn’t your fault, Namjoon.”

Namjoon broke again at this, sobbing into Jin’s chest, holding him, and rubbing Namjoon’s back. The two sat there as Namjoon sobbed, subsiding, as he sniffled, lifting his head from Jin’s chest, wincing at the snot and tears on Jin’s tunic.

“Hyung, sorry about,” Namjoon mumbles, only to get waved off

“Ah, don’t worry about that,” Jin says, “I have a lot of tunics, this will barely make a dent.”

Namjoon sniffles, “I’ll give a new one made of the finest cotton,” he mutters, which causes Jin to laugh as he wipes away Namjoon's tears with a cotton wipe.

“Is that so?” Jin asks, and Namjoon nods.

“The nicest cotton, I can find,” Namjoon mumbles. Jin laughs again, which causes Namjoon to smile as well. They once again sat in silence, with Namjoon glancing down at Jin’s lips, hoping that the older man didn’t notice.

But Jin did, he smiles, leaning in closer to Namjoon, getting closer, hoping to press his lips against Namjoon’s. But that got interrupted when they heard Jungkook calling out to Jin. Jin cursed under his breath, looking at Namjoon apologetically.

“I have to go, my pack is leaving,” Jin explains, moving to stand up.

“Leaving?” Namjoon asks, looking up at Jin.

“Yes, after what happened, packs have been leaving early since mating ceremonies are over…” Jin explains, “My pack was supposed to leave yesterday, but I pushed it back in the hopes that you’ll wake up.”

Namjoon nods in understanding, not really knowing what to say. Luckily for him, Jin swoops in to ask him,

“So are you going to write to me, Namjoon?” He asks with a smile, which Namjoon returns with a smile of his own.

“Will you write back?” Namjoon asks, which Jin shrugs at.

“We’ll see,” Jin says with a smirk before leaving the tent, having Namjoon smile at the ceiling.

——

Kim Namjoon was the spare.

Namjoon is now the heir to the Kim Pack. and is several years behind in taking his place as head alpha, as the role was promised to another. Now he has to catch up, so he can take his harabeoji’s place in the near future.

But he isn’t too worried about that as he has a support system to help him with the transition, despite the hurt he feels from taking on this challenge, but only the future knows how he’ll turn out.