Chapter Text
Jungkook smelled him before he saw him. Lilacs, like the fragrant purple flowers bathed in sunlight he had only seen once before in his life when his father had taken him on an errand down to the valley as a pup.
Lilacs couldn’t grow here, especially in deep winter, which was precisely why he had stopped so suddenly in his tracks, the whole hunting party stopping with him. Six wolf heads turned to him in confusion, waiting for an order.
Rowoon – Jungkook’s future pack alpha – trotted up to him, raising his nose in the air to sniff what had surprised the younger so. He rarely came with them on hunting trips now that his ascension as pack alpha was imminent, his father already one foot out of the land of the living. But today he followed Jungkook’s request, despite his mother’s plea to stay.
Jungkook growled softly, swiveling his head around to try to catch the direction of the flowers. The other shook his head in confusion, but followed Jungkook as he broke out of the circle of the hunters, giving them a sign to go on while he checked out the foreign scent coming from further down the slope.
And that’s how he met him. A fox shifter, cowering in the space between two tree roots, snow caking the brilliant orange of his pelt, body shivering so hard Jungkook could almost hear the bones clack together.
Fox shifters don’t live this far up the mountain. Their bodies are not made for it like Jungkook’s is. Not made to withstand cold and food-scarce winters, frosty springs, brief summers and snowy autumns. They’re too small to brave the howling winds, too colorful to sneak up on prey in the gray-scale landscape. He must have come from down the mountain, down where his pleasant scent was found in abundance. Everything about him stuck out like a sore thumb.
The little fox flattened himself further into the frozen ground, baring his chattering teeth at the approaching wolves. Jungkook was towering over the small omega without even meaning to. He would die here very soon, if they didn’t do something.
It only took one glance back at Rowoon and an acquiescing nod of his head for Jungkook to move forward, pick up the fox by the scruff of his neck and make back for the packgrounds.
At first the little fox struggled between Jungkook’s teeth, yipping and yelping in terror and defiance, but soon the fight left him and he fell limp. Jungkook desperately hoped it was only exhaustion and not death that had claimed him.
He couldn’t have guessed the kind of trouble the little fox would cause in due time.
❊❊❊
It has been close to a fortnight and the little fox was still sleeping. Jungkook checked in with the healer often, but was always getting an unsatisfying “no change, he sleeps” from the old beta woman. Finally warm and out of the elements, Jungkook could understand how the omega was still asleep, exhaustion from the whole ordeal probably keeping his eyelids heavy.
But it didn’t help his curiosity, the sweet scent of lilacs always beckoning him back to the healer tent, dying to know what the omega attached to it looks like. It didn’t make sense why his wolf was so drawn to the scent. In sleepless nights, Jungkook mulled over it, coming to the conclusion that it was nostalgia from that trip with his alpha father that made him return to the healer’s tent so often.
Jungkook didn’t have much else that still reminded him of his father.
He seemingly wasn’t the only one transfixed by the scent, Rowoon habitually checking in as well, as the alpha learned one day, bumping into his future head alpha as he exited the tent flap.
“Checking on the prisoner, Jungkook?” he asked with a grin, something about the term making Jungkook’s alpha bristle. It didn’t quite sit right in his chest, though he couldn’t really say why.
“Is he awake?” He chose to focus on something else, Adam's apple bobbing in his throat.
"No. Healer Kang is getting really worried. She said he should be up by now,” Jungkook hummed, deep in thought at those words.
“I’ll see you later for patrol, right, Jungkook?” With those parting words, not even waiting for his answer, Rowoon strolled away.
Opening the tent flaps, the heat of the fire rushed towards him, warming his chilled bones. The second thing he noticed was that something wasn’t right. The healer was sitting in her corner on the palette, grinding some fragrant herbs in a bowl. But that wasn’t what got Jungkook’s attention.
It was the tiny fox curled up in the corner on the brown bear fur designated for patients, chest rising and falling slowly, otherwise not moving. The scent of lilacs still hung in the air, laced with the very faintest smell of anxiety. Almost imperceptible if Jungkook hadn’t become so familiar with it over the last few visits.
The fox was only pretending to sleep.
Jungkook stopped with his feet on the threshold, eyes glued to the soft red fur, eyebrows furrowed. Healer Kang noticed him immediately, putting her bowl down.
“Ah, the young Jeon alpha again,” she spoke in her soft, raspy voice, giving him a smile. “No change, as usual,” she supplied readily, already knowing what he was going to ask. Just this time he knew something she didn’t.
The smell of anxiety grew a little stronger at his presence, Jungkook’s nostrils flaring to catch the change. He didn’t understand why he was pretending, but he quickly deduced that the little fox must not feel safe in his current environment.
In a split second Jungkook made up his mind. “I came on behalf of Namjoon. I think he hurt himself yesterday while woodworking but he is too stubborn to come seek you out.” His brother will forgive him for that lie, surely.
Healer Kang sighed, getting up with creaky bones. “You Jeons and your inability to ask for help,” she glared at Jungkook good-naturedly. She waddled past him, the tent flaps closing behind her seconds later.
They were alone. The alpha’s eyes fell back to the little bundle on the furs, body curled tighter into a ball than before. Jungkook realized too late that the omega would probably feel even less safe now that Healer Kang left. She left him alone with a strange alpha after all.
No patients beside the fox resided in the spacious healer tent at the moment, everybody more careful and preserving their strengths during the harsh winter months. Though Jungkook’s pack valued usefulness above all else, an injury during the winter could be detrimental for the whole pack, especially if it was a hunter or warrior that went out of commission.
Alphas like Jungkook had a lot of pressure on their backs to stay healthy and fit. Luckily, Jungkook could handle that pressure and responsibility well. Lately. Jungkook shook his head to clear those thoughts away, focusing back on the present and the little anxious omega pretending to be asleep.
To remedy the situation, Jungkook stepped closer, crouching down by the foot of the palette. “I know you’re pretending to be asleep,” he spoke softly, noticing the almost imperceptible flinch from the shifter when he spoke. “I’m not going to hurt you. It’s me who saved you out there in the cold.”
He kept his voice light and soothing, almost purring as his mother used to do when he was scared as a pup. It probably wasn’t the most appropriate action in this situation, but he needed to get the fox’s trust. He needed to gather answers for his pack.
Slowly, hesitantly, the red bundle of fur unfurled, the slim snout of a fox peeking up at him. The golden eyes were hesitant as they studied him, Jungkook becoming self-aware of his towering height for the first time in his life. He probably did look quite scary to such a small, soft creature.
“My name is Jungkook,” he started again, careful to keep his voice and scent light. The last thing he needed was for the tiny thing to bolt and get lost in the snow again. “You’re in the healer’s tent of our pack. We waited almost a fortnight for you to wake.”
Even though he tried to be as harmless as possible, the tiny fox’s ears stayed pulled flat to its head, a clear sign of distrust. Jungkook didn’t know what to do to make the tiny thing trust him.
“Hey, if you talk to me, maybe I can help you. Aren’t you hungry? I can get some food for you. You must not have had food for quite some time now.” As if to strengthen his words, the omega’s stomach started growling right that second, making the shifter flinch, stomach pressed flat to the fur in a defensive pose.
Jungkook tried to suppress his smile, not wanting to offend the omega. “Can you shift back? I just want to ask you a few questions as to how you ended up here. I can bring you food afterwards.” Knowing that the fox wouldn’t be able to answer in the affirmative or negative, Jungkook simply turned his back to the fox to give him some privacy in case he decided to shift. He wasn’t worried about being attacked, there wasn’t much damage that the shifter could do to him in his current state. It would be very easy to overpower him even without shifting into his wolf form himself.
For a few seconds there was complete silence, which was then broken by the always gruesome sound of bones shifting and breaking as a shifter turned back into their human form.
Jungkook dutifully stayed turned around, until a small tap on his shoulder gave him the go ahead to turn around.
It was more difficult than it should have been to rein in his scent when he laid eyes on the omega sitting on the fur in front of him. Jungkook never had such problems controlling his alpha before. It was pacing and growling appreciatively inside of him. No omega of his pack had ever elicited that kind of visceral reaction. Jungkook figured it must be because of the novelty of seeing a fox shifter for the first time.
Milky white skin stretched on before the alpha’s eyes, so soft and tender looking he almost reached out to test that theory. The omega’s hair was fluffy and reached to his elbows, the same color as his fox form’s fur. His facial features were soft, lips so plump and red Jungkook could barely believe they existed naturally on a person. Honey-colored eyes stared back at him, piercing and sharp. Wary of him. His button nose was fluttering, scenting the air for any kind of danger.
He sat hunched over, Jungkook following the slope of his narrow shoulders with his eyes, noting the small waist. So tiny and delicate, like a bird. Jungkook would dwarf him easily in his arms, his alpha noted with satisfaction. Plump thighs splayed on the furs, eyes trailing up those milky thighs to be blocked by trembling hands and –
Right.
The little omega was completely naked and struggling to keep his modesty in front of Jungkook. A strange alpha wolf.
Jungkook’s cheeks burned in embarrassment of his shamelessness, body springing into action to supply another fur from the pile in the corner. The little omega quickly snatched it from his grasp, pulling the fur around his body so it wasn’t on display anymore. His fingertips, which were clawing at the dark fur, were tinged pink.
“Forgive me,” the alpha husked, mortification settling in his bones. If his mother was still here, she would pull his ears until they stretched to his knees for being so shameless.
“Are you going to kill me for trespassing?” a soft voice pulled Jungkook out of his spiral, eyes flitting back to the omega in surprise. It suited him, so airy and soft.
“What? Why would we do that?” he asked, shock lacing Jungkook’s tone and making his voice more high-pitched than usual.
“I’m in your territory, am I not? The other alpha called me a prisoner,” the omega spoke, a spark of defiance blazing in his honeyed eyes, showing Jungkook that he wouldn’t go down without a fight if the alpha decided to do something.
“Why were you in our territory?” Jungkook chose to ignore the spark of defiance blazing in the redhead, instead focusing on the answers he wanted to obtain himself. The sooner they knew, the sooner his alpha could settle down and his pack could be at ease. Jungkook noticed the wary looks and tense faces of his pack when they walked by the tent.
It took the fox a few seconds to answer, honey eyes studying Jungkook pensively. Whatever he found in his face, he didn’t share.
“My family was going hungry for too many nights,” he finally started, his voice forcefully light. “I went to go hunt for rabbits with a friend when I wandered too close to a cave inhabited by a bear. It chased me for hours up the mountain, and when I finally managed to lose it in the storm, I couldn’t find my way back anymore.”
Jungkook nodded at the explanation, eyes trained down at the naked feet peeking out of the furs. Pink like the rest of him. “I’m afraid we don’t know where your pack is,” he finally spoke, feeling genuinely regretful for not being able to help the fox find his way back home.
The lilac scent surrounding them wilted, though the omega tried to hide his disappointment at the news. “I figured as much. I would’ve smelled you if you bordered on our territory. You have very distinctive scents.” His alpha urged him to ask if his scent pleased the omega, but Jungkook bit his tongue. He was in control and his alpha was acting weird.
“What’s your name?” Jungkook asked after a few seconds of silence.
The omega’s eyes lifted, an expression so forlorn on his face that Jungkook’s heart broke for him. It seemed he couldn’t hide his emotions any longer in front of the alpha. “Jimin,” he whispered. The name tasted sweet in the air.
❊❊❊
Once recovered and deemed non-threatening by the pack, Jimin started showing up everywhere he shouldn’t be. It was like Jungkook couldn’t go a full day without the scent of sweet lilacs assaulting him at one point or the other. It made his alpha restless and his human side exasperated.
And the whole ordeal wouldn’t be that bad if the omega wasn’t so helpless in his new environs and his alpha not so hellbent on always making sure the omega was okay when he smelled him somewhere around him.
Jimin was clumsy. Jungkook couldn’t even count the instances that he witnessed him faceplant into the snow on his two hands. It couldn’t be that difficult to recognize tree roots and other vegetation over the blanket of snow, could it? Even pups navigated the winter better than the newcomer.
The times he had pulled the fox up by the scruff of his pelt and put him back on his feet was just as numerous. And every single time he did so, he wanted to kick himself in the ass for running to the omega’s help so readily. How was he supposed to learn to navigate the mountain if he was always there to save him?
Due to his continued help, Jimin had started to latch himself onto the alpha a little bit as well. It was the only way Jungkook could explain seeing the fox everywhere after a certain point. He had no business at the lumbering grounds when Jungkook had firewood duty, or at the pack kitchens when he came back from a hunt, an already skinned deer slung over his back.
But there he was, always looking at him with those round amber eyes as if he was completely surprised that he once again found himself in the alpha’s vicinity.
“Jimin, has anyone explained the layout of the pack to you?” he asked after the last time he almost tripped over the crouching omega at the outskirts of the woods. What he was looking for, only the goddess could know.
Jimin stood up quickly, flashing an embarrassed smile at the alpha towering over him. His hair was caked with snow, the little braids he wore in it standing like icicles from his head. Jungkook could lose a finger to those, he decided. Not that he thought about touching Jimin’s hair.
“No,” the omega finally supplied, shuffling his feet in the snow and catching them on another tree root. To his credit, this time he remained standing, even though Jungkook’s hands already shot out to catch him without his conscious permission to do so.
“Will you stop following me around if I show you where everything is?” A furious blush rivaling the red of his hair spread all over Jimin’s cheeks at being called out, but he nodded anyway, falling in step with Jungkook as he started his tour.
Jungkook’s pack was historically nomadic, but wherever they settled, the packgrounds always followed a simple system. Only the lumber and hunting grounds, as well as the place to gather medicinal herbs ever changed to fit the location they found themselves in.
The pack was constructed in a circular manner, the innermost ring holding the pack alpha’s tent, the big tent for pack gatherings and the communal kitchens and food tent. The second ring contained the nursery and school and – closer towards the edge – the healer’s tent. The second ring usually contained anything that needed to be protected from every side – the pups, elderly and wounded. The healer’s tent was a little closer to the third and outermost ring – the residential ring, so that injured or sick wolves didn’t have to be transported through the whole pack to get to where they needed to be. In a hunting accident those minutes dragging them to the healer could be crucial.
Jimin was listening to the explanations with rapt attention, eyes sometimes widening when he learned something particularly surprising. At least Jungkook guessed that was the reason for the occasional astonishment. He didn’t ask.
Jungkook made sure to show Jimin the way to the omega tent where he stayed as well, so he could find his way back to his lodgings from any angle he might try to get there from. With that he concluded his tour, stopping in front of the tent flap with a satisfied sigh. He really needed to get back to his duties now.
“And which one is your tent?” He didn’t expect the sudden question, looking at the omega with shock in his face.
Jimin looked uncomfortable at the sudden attention, but Jungkook barely noticed, too busy being at war with his inner alpha on whether he should show the omega the way to his tent or not. It would give Jimin an easy opening to pester him more, which Jungkook’s human side was strongly against, but his alpha was adamant on giving the fox at least a chance to come to him for help if he needed it.
Before he could really make up his mind, Jungkook already started walking towards home, the fiery redhead trailing behind him with a shyness he hadn’t displayed before. It was almost adorable. At least his alpha thought so.
Even though Jimin now knew where he lived, he didn’t show up at his home like Jungkook expected him to. Jungkook saw him trail after Rowoon instead more and more, although he did notice Jimin looking around eagerly every time his scent wafted towards him in the packgrounds.
Jungkook tried not to pay attention when Jimin was around, but it was still hard, even though the omega wasn’t seeking him out anymore. He couldn’t help but notice when the little fox walked through the camp, seeming a lot meeker when he was in the proximity of the future pack alpha.
Whether it was due to respect for the future head alpha or something else, his inner alpha always grew agitated at seeing Jimin act so differently with Rowoon.
But at least he could go after his duties comfortably now. Which was a good thing because Jungkook had a long day ahead of himself, and he really couldn’t go around picking foxy faces out of the snow if he wanted to be done with his chores before communal dinner.
The pack kitchens were helplessly overwhelmed lately, having to pick up the slack of the younger alphas just learning to hunt. The younger generation was slow in their preparations of their kills, which meant a lot of the skinning and bleeding was left to omegas working in the kitchen.
Which was where Jungkook came in, asked just this morning to bleed the deer from the hunting squad at the stoney patio behind the tent while the kitchen helps prepare their other ingredients for dinner. It was messy work, and Jungkook was not particularly fond of the smell of blood outside of his wolf form, but even so he clenched his jaw and strung up the venison by the hind legs, efficiently cutting its throat and watching buckets of blood seep between the stoney cracks.
Jungkook stood against the rocks, ears and nose strained to catch any scent or sound from any predatory animals. Bears were known to come sniffing out their food if they were desperate and starving enough.
At least that was the story behind his favorite childhood pelt, courtesy of his father so many years ago. Jungkook himself had no recollection of a winter cruel enough to make another predator so desperate as to challenge an entire wolf pack for their kills.
It only took a few minutes for all the blood to have drained into the floor, made even shorter by Jungkook’s trip down memory lane. Once the trickle had stopped, he cut the deer down with his hunting knife, watching the body fall into a heap at his feet.
He was about to get to work on skinning the animal, when footsteps and the sweet smell of lilacs alerted him to company. The scent combined with the smell of blood still clinging to the area made Jungkook freeze for a second, his alpha bristling at the sudden vision of fiery fur caked in blood, crumpled by his feet like the deer was.
“Jungkook!” Rowoon’s greeting pulled him out of those thoughts, the young alpha turning to greet his sudden guests. His eyes immediately flitted past the imposing silhouette of his friend, finding the much smaller body behind him.
Jimin didn’t meet his eyes, instead staring down at the pink-tinged snow. His nose twitched cutely, probably just as disgusted by the scent as Jungkook was.
“We’re gonna take over from you now. I want to show Jimin how to make himself useful to the pack,” the future head alpha explained, missing the short twitch of annoyance from the fox behind him. Jungkook didn’t.
“I know how to skin a deer. I was a hunter in my pack, remember?” His voice was surprisingly soft compared to the spark of defiance in the gold of his eyes.
“I will show you how to do it properly.”
Something about the exchange didn’t sit right with Jungkook, but he swallowed it down. Instead deciding to look for some other errands to fill his day now that he was unceremoniously replaced.
He didn’t have to look long, running into a very frazzled Hhealer Kang on his way to the lumber grounds. She came to a screeching halt right as she breezed past him, turning back to Jungkook with a glint in her old eyes that screamed of relief.
“Jeon boy!” she exclaimed, grasping his hands in an attempt to convey the gravity of her quest. “Dara’s twin girls have come down with a bad cough. I need you to go fetch some herbs for me.”
A very lengthy herbal explanation followed which Jungkook had all but forgotten by the time he was on his way, armed with a knife and the instructions to find the velvety green leaves growing at the stems of fir trees.
The trek up to his destination was serene, no sounds disturbing him but the soft rustle of critters skittering away and the crunch of his boots in the powdery snow.
Jungkook loved walking through serene wintry landscapes. He loved the tranquil silence that seemed to settle over the whole world, calming his otherwise often high-strung soul. Though he wasn’t adept in medicine, running errands like such always made him feel good.
He might not be in his element like he was when hunting, might not connect with his wolf in the same way, but alone in the forest, Jungkook still felt incredibly close to that side of him.
He came after his mother in that way, people used to say. His mother loved to escape into the woods for a stroll when she was Jungkook’s age – before she mated his father and had him and his brother. She used to worry the whole pack when she would disappear for hours, her footprints in the snow being lost in the woods.
Soon enough, Jungkook found the trees he was looking for, and the herbs reliably nestled between the roots. Careful not to damage the plants, Jungkook cut the stems as close to the ground as possible, placing the leaves into a medicinal satchel fixed to his trousers.
His fingertips grew numb and pink after a few minutes, the alpha blowing warm air on them occasionally to keep them dextrous.
Once he deemed his harvest bountiful enough to heal the poor twins at the healer’s tent, he made his trek back home, his mind flitting back to the memories of a different patient wrapped in pelts not too long ago.
❊❊❊
Jungkook didn’t think of himself as a mean person. He normally had a vast pool of patience for the people around him as long as they were respectful in turn. Which was precisely why it not only shocked Namjoon but also himself when he lost it at Jimin that day.
He could blame it on his aching back, having hunched over a cured pelt tirelessly the whole day. He could blame it on his growling stomach that had not left him alone since he skipped lunch many hours earlier to get his work done quicker. He could blame it on Jimin, who had so foolishly crept up on Jungkook in his curiosity to see what he was working on.
But in truth he had to admit to himself that nothing warranted the growl he unleashed upon the poor fox when his knife slipped in response to the omega’s sudden presence, slicing the pelt with his knife.
“Do you have to bother me all the damn time? I’m not your fucking keeper, I don’t need you slinking around me like a bothersome pup every minute!”
Namjoon, who was sitting beside Jungkook, gasped at the venom dripping from his words. “Jungkook!” he hissed, knocking his shoulder into the younger to make him look at him. His eyes were wide with shock, a crease of disapproval between his eyebrows. He very rarely looked so disappointed in the younger.
That same look was what pulled Jungkook back out of his sudden ill-placed anger. His wide eyes flitted back to Jimin, who was standing frozen between the two men, mouth hanging open and eyes widened in horror.
His floral scent wilted and he stumbled back a step when Jungkook made eye contact with him. “I’m so very sorry,” he whimpered, hands pressing over his lips and tears welling up in his eyes.
Jungkook sprang to his feet immediately, alarmed at seeing the tears glistening in the amber of the fox’s eyes. The ruined pelt slid down to the floor silently, immediately forgotten by all three people. The only thing that mattered was apologizing to the omega he had just hurt with his careless words uttered in unreasonable anger.
But before he could, Jimin turned on his heel and ran, weaving through the tents until he was out of sight.
“What the fuck was that, Jungkook?” Namjoon’s voice didn’t hold the anger that Jungkook expected, but instead just betrayed utter confusion with his actions. It really wasn’t like Jungkook to yell at anyone. Especially over something so small as a nick in a pelt. Yes, he wouldn’t be able to sew a cloak out of it anymore, but it wasn’t like the thing was ruined completely. It was salvageable.
“I don’t know what came over me. I’m just always so agitated around him and I can’t even explain why.” Shame made the alpha’s throat constrict, his eyes and nose still tracking Jimin’s path through camp, even though he couldn’t see him anymore. “I need to go after him and apologize.”
“Yeah, you really really do,” Namjoon mumbled drily, picking up the pelt which had fallen into the snow. His hands roughly dusted the powder off it, studying the damage dealt by Jungkook’s knife.
The younger alpha didn’t stay to hear the verdict of the investigation, instead following the scent of sadness through camp and into the woods.
He found the omega quickly, cowering by a tree a few steps behind the tree line. His pants were wet and caked with snow, a clump sticking to his hair that hadn’t been there before.
“Did you fall again?” Those weren’t the first words that Jungkook wanted to utter upon catching up with him, deeming a sincere apology much more important and appropriate, but his tongue was faster than his mind once again.
Jimin looked up at his sudden words, cheeks flushed and glistening with tears. He nodded, rubbing roughly at the falling tears with the back of his right hand. Jungkook’s heart hurt at the sight.
You did this , his inner alpha growled, displeased.
“I’m so sorry for yelling at you like that,” Jungkook started, hesitantly stepping closer to the fox. When Jimin made no sign of bolting again, he advanced all the way, dropping into a crouched position in front of the omega.
“I didn’t mean to startle you and make you ruin your work” Jimin whimpered, eyes dropping down to his hands. “And I don’t mean to bother you with my presence all the time. I’ll leave you alone in the future, I promise. It was a stupid idea to come anyway. It’s just–” he swallowed hard, his eyes finally finding Jungkook’s again.
“I’m so lonely,” his voice broke on the last word, his face crumpling up with so much pain Jungkook felt it physically in his chest. He reached out before he could think about it, pulling Jimin almost forcefully against his chest.
Jimin fell apart in his arms, toppling them over until Jungkook was sitting in the snow, cold and wetness seeping through his trousers but he didn’t care.
“I miss Taetae,” he wailed pitifully. “I miss my momma. Nobody likes me here, I’m useless and a nuisance and I–” his tiny hands were desperately clawing at Jungkook’s clothing, desperately seeking comfort.
“I miss home,” the last words were uttered so quietly, Jungkook almost thought he imagined them. He felt so immensely guilty for causing the tiny shifter so much pain. He had not even considered that Jimin must be longing for his home.
That he was seeking for companionship and safety. That he thought he could find that in Jungkook, the wolf who had found and rescued him. Jungkook had fucked up so bad.
“I’m so sorry, little one,” his voice was choked with emotion and regret. “I didn’t mean it. I don’t know why I was so pent up before but you didn’t deserve to be yelled at like that. I don’t fucking care about the pelt. It’s not that important,” he reassured Jimin. “I should never have gotten so angry with you.”
Jimin stilled in his arms. “You promise I didn’t ruin everything?” A cold nose shyly pressed to the collar of Jungkook’s shirt, hesitating.
Jungkook froze, hyper-aware of the sensation. He should stop it. “I promise.” He didn’t.
Jimin shifted slightly where he was cradled between Jungkook’s arms. When had he started holding him to his body this tightly?
The chilly button nose inched upwards, puffs of moist, warm air hitting Jungkook’s scent gland. He did not move.
Breaths ghosted over his neck, then a nose, getting bolder. The sweet scent of lilacs washed over Jungkook as Jimin began drinking in his scent in earnest. Seeking comfort in Jungkook.
Jungkook’s hands tightened in Jimin’s clothing. Holding him in place. He knew he shouldn’t. This was a precipice they shouldn’t cross. A plunge they shouldn’t take.
Jungkook leaned down, closing his eyes, lips trailing down the slender neck to reciprocate. Jimin whimpered, both their hands tightened. Jungkook’s pants were soaked but he didn’t even notice. All he felt, his whole being, was engulfed in spring flowers and the gentle rays of sunshine. All he knew was Jimin.
Jimin pulled away first, meeting Jungkook’s eyes. They were still rimmed in red from crying, but even more so the omega looked dazed from the scenting. Cheeks flushed and eyes glassy. His gaze zapped through Jungkook like a lightning bolt, burning hot.
Jungkook held his gaze, transfixed by the vision in his arms. He didn’t move, simply observed as Jimin’s eyes flickered down to his lips, chin tilting towards him almost imperceptibly before pulling away completely.
The omega gulped, fingers twitching in his lap. “I know I shouldn’t cling to you like this, but I can’t help it. You feel safe. Like one touch from you could right the world when it comes crashing down. You’re the warmest thing in this endless cold.”
Jungkook’s resolve squished like overcooked carrots in bone broth soup. No use trying to keep his distance now. Whatever the omega needed, his alpha would bend over backwards to provide. He was so fucked.
❊❊❊
“What are you thinking to make your face look so grumpy?” A little giggle broke through Jungkook’s memories, making the alpha turn his head to the small figure next to him. Time has passed, and that moment, in the memories he was reminiscing over, was lost.
“Nothing, what are you doing out here?” Jungkook immediately shrugged off his bear pelt, draping it over Jimin’s smaller shoulders. Jimin was already dressed warmly, yet Jungkook could never resist seeing him wear something oversized.
“I was looking for you. Namjoon said I would find you here, probably brooding again,” he nudged Jungkook jokingly, the alpha miming to fall over to make the fox-shifter laugh again.
“I’m not brooding,” he denied with a groan, his head falling back against the tree that he was sitting against, feeling the rough bark scratch his scalp. “Besides, don’t you have a mating ceremony to plan?”
At his words, Jimin fell silent, his eyes looking suddenly very far away. Jungkook immediately regretted his words, but knew he couldn’t take them back.
“Maybe, but the air has grown so thick in the head alpha’s tent and I needed to catch my breath for a minute.”
Jungkook chewed the inside of his cheek as he looked at Jimin. It had been almost 19 months since he had found Jimin on that hunting trip. He relived that day – and the consecutive ones – often in his head. Playing “what if” was his new favorite past-time. What if he hadn’t let Rowoon come with him when he had caught Jimin’s scent that day? Would they still be sitting here like this today, talking about Jimin's upcoming mating ceremony?
“When?” is all he managed to press out of his lungs at the prolonged silence, Jimin’s siren eyes finding Jungkook’s for the first time since the laughter left his lips. They were a brilliant honey, piercing into the near-black of Jungkook’s own.
“I settled for high-summer, maybe I can even have some flowers then, as is my family’s tradition.” What if Jungkook had taken it upon himself to integrate Jimin into the pack? Would Jimin still sound so joyless when talking about his upcoming mating?
Jungkook nodded, calculating another 6 months until Jimin would be another alpha’s forever.
“I’ll find you some, I promise,” his voice was soft, fingers reaching out on their own accord to tug a strand of auburn hair behind the omega’s ear. It shimmered like fire at noon, when the sun was hitting it just right.
“Thank you, Jungkookie,” Jimin whispered, his rosy lips splitting into a soft grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes but was genuine nonetheless. He reached out with soft fingers as well, flicking the strand of black hair that was dangling in front of the alpha’s eyes.
“You should get a haircut. The ponytail isn’t gonna cut it for much longer in this cold,” he mumbled.
When Jungkook had met Jimin, the omega was wearing his hair down to his collarbones, but he quickly had learned that long hair was not ideal in the harshness of the mountain, snowballs clumping his hair like the fur on his fox’s underbelly, the daily melting and detangling of hair just not worth it.
Now he was wearing it short, curling at his nape just like most of the others in the pack. Even still he never stopped braiding tiny plaits into it, which Jungkook adored to tug at gently when he wasn’t getting enough attention from the smaller. It was crazy to think how far Jungkook had come in their relationship. From barely tolerating to protecting.
“I’ll cut it tomorrow. Will you help me with the sides again?”
“Only if you let me shave a design into the sides,” Jimin grinned devilishly.
Jungkook shook his head, an amused smile on his face as he got up. Now that Jimin was wearing his pelt, it was getting a little too cold to sit out here. “Not a chance. Last time I let you do that, the whole hunting party was laughing at me for a week, making jokes at my expense and calling me Whiskers.”
Jimin giggled, tripping behind Jungkook, the pelt dragging in the snow. His clumsiness didn’t change. “I won’t draw a kitten this time I swear! I was thinking about doing a bunny this time, actually.”
“Jimin, I am the leader of the hunting party. I should commandeer respect, not walk around as your personal sketchbook of cuteness.”
“A big bad wolf, then?”
“Forget it, little forest fire.”
❊❊❊
There was a huge outcry of shock when Rowoon announced his intention to court Jimin to the pack. Often Jungkook was approached by curious pack members about the topic. It seemed to have been the general consensus that if anyone had taken interest in pursuing the outsider as a mate, it would have been him, since Jimin and Jungkook would often hang out alone, talking about anything and everything. When Jimin had no one, stranded in a pack of wolf shifters in a biome that didn’t suit him, it was Jungkook who had eventually stepped up to play the role of protector.
When the last snow melted after that first winter in the pack, and Jimin had failed to find his way back home after countless accompanied trips, it became apparent that Jimin was not just a short-time visitor to the wolf pack. Jungkook talked to him about the traditions and unspoken rules that Jimin would have to learn to adhere to if he wanted to stay, and he told him stories of his childhood as a pup in this pack.
About how his father used to take Jungkook on as many of his trips as he could as long as it wasn’t too dangerous. About his first successful hunting trip with his father and older brother Namjoon, and the first bunny he ever caught. The way his mother’s eyes had lit up when he brought it home, and how she made the most delicious stew Jungkook had ever tasted with it.
That was where his passion for hunting had begun – with the feeling of pride that had taken over his whole body when he could provide for the people that he loved.
When his parents had died in a disastrous avalanche that wiped out almost half the pack, Jungkook had lost that spark of passion, but Jimin’s presence had started rekindling that part of him. Due to his colorful coat, Jimin rarely caught any prey when he tried to hunt his own food, so providing for his friend made Jungkook regain that lost purpose.
Even burning muscles and minor injuries paled to Jimin’s smile when he brought the game to him, the little skips of happiness the omega did as he stowed it away, making Jungkook’s heart bloom with his old passions.
Jimin was the sweetest soul, brimming with warmth and positivity, in a pack that was cold and pragmatic, but it seemed like only Jungkook was able to see it. To appreciate it. Well, Jungkook and Rowoon.
Jungkook will never forget the day he found Jimin at the edges of their territory as he was patrolling. It was a harsh winter day and Jungkook had shifted to keep up his body heat in the cold, his fur insulating better against the harsh cold than his pelts could.
Jimin was sitting against a tree, clutching his pelt with his blueing fingers, miserable sobs and shivers wracking his body.
Jungkook had never turned back into a human faster than at that moment, not caring about the cold at all as he embraced the miserable omega in his arms. Jimin had let out a high keen of relief when he noticed him, his arms opening like flower petals in summer to invite Jungkook’s body heat in.
“Why are you out here by yourself?” Jungkook’s voice was harsher than he intended due to his worry, but Jimin didn’t recoil. He never did again after that one day Jungkook had lost his temper on him.
“I-I got lost, and Hwayoung told me the pack was t-this way but I c-couldn’t find it,” he stuttered through his chattering teeth. Rage warmed Jungkook’s heart all the way back to the pack, his arm protectively slung over Jimin’s smaller frame as he guided him directly into the pack alpha’s tent.
Looking back, Jungkook often wondered if Jimin would still be betrothed today if he didn’t do what he did that day. What ifs and regrets lurked at every corner of their history together.
“If you don’t do something about how Jimin is treated by this pack, I will, and it’s gonna get messy!” He remembered his outburst and words very clearly. He should’ve protected Jimin himself. He shouldn’t have gone to Rowoon for solutions...
“Jungkookie?” Jimin sounded unsure as he approached Jungkook a week later, his eyes wide and unhappy as he looked up at the taller wolf.
Something felt very very off. “What is it, Min?”
“I’m gonna get mated. To Rowoon.”
Jungkook’s whole world came crashing down around him. Jimin’s voice was muted and warped as if he was speaking to him from underwater. “He told me that if I became the head alpha’s mate, the pack would be forced to accept me and treat me with respect. He told me it was the only way for the bullying to stop, so I accepted.”
No. I could’ve protected you too. You had options, Jimin. I would’ve treated you so well.
“Congratulations. You will look great together.”
His protests died in his throat. He imagined Jimin’s face falling in disappointment.
❊❊❊
“Why now? Why Jimin?”
Rowoon looked up at Jungkook, surprised to see him in his tent.
“I don’t think I know what you mean,” he chuckled.
Jungkook wasn’t feeling like laughing. “Why do you want to mate Jimin?”
Rowoon’s face grew tense, eyes mustering Jungkook pensively. “The bullying has gone out of hand. Knocking his food out of his hands during dinner or misplacing his pelts after he had gone to get them fixed are one thing. But intentionally giving him wrong directions to the pack to the point he almost freezes to death once again, is something else entirely. Wouldn’t you agree, Jungkook? He is your friend after all. Wasn’t it you who demanded that I do something about it?”
Jungkook’s alpha was pacing and growling, yearning to burst out of his chest and show just how displeased he was by Rowoon’s solution.
“Why mate him? You could have simply threatened them to stop as their future head alpha. Why take Jimin as your mate?”
Rowoon shrugged, grinning again. “He is beautiful, isn’t he? Exotic. How couldn’t I be attracted to him and want him to be mine?”
❊❊❊
Jungkook drowned himself in work. He did it all, hunted until his legs gave out and he could barely pull his kills back to camp. Went on patrols as often as he was allowed to, only relenting when he was quite literally ordered to rest. But if he could, Jungkook always took to the herbal quests from Healer Kang, feeling like he only truly could get away from everything when he was traipsing through the forest, scanning the ground for medicine.
Those were the assignments that Jungkook’s alpha was the least involved in, which was good since Jungkook’s alpha really wasn’t coping too well with losing his purpose of protecting Jimin.
“Hari came by asking for you. Again.” Namjoon was stoking the fire in their shared tent, the thick smoke from the moist logs escaping through the tent flaps in the ceiling. Jungkook walked right past him to his own bed, partitioned off behind a tapestry which their mother had made for him the year before she died. He was exhausted.
The tents were still a rather new relic of the wolf pack’s former nomadic lifestyle, moving after the prey animals through the seasons. Ever since Rowoon had become pack alpha after his father’s death, he had declared the pack would stay right here permanently, though.
The pack hadn’t taken that change all too gracefully. Especially the older members of the pack had protested – and continued to protest – loudly over that change. The prey would run away and the hunting patrols would have to go further and further from the grounds to find the migrating herds. They would deplete the natural resources too fast. It would be detrimental, they said.
Instead of listening to their wise opinions and rethinking his decision, Rowoon instead began to hold council meetings to figure out a sustainable hunting plan. If that would quell their fears was still up to the stars.
“I told her you were hanging out with Jimin, and she rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation,” Namjoon continued.
Jungkook threw himself on his bed with a whoosh. “She needs to mind her own business,” he spoke through the tapestry, fingers picking at the bear pelt he was laying on.
A few seconds later, Namjoon was standing by the foot of his bed, arms crossed and lips pursed in disapproval. Jungkook already knew what his brother would say before he even opened his mouth. He wasn’t saying much else ever since the mating announcement.
“Jungkook, you need to stop pining after the little fox and start paying attention to the omegas around you. The ones like Hari, who actually want you to be their alpha and aren’t promised to our pack leader.”
“I’m not pining, Namjoon. And neither me nor my alpha are looking for a mate right now so I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t be on the search for us either. We are not interested in Hari, so I will just stay right as I am, making sure that Jimin has the best mating ceremony that he possibly can in this frigid hellhole.” Jungkook smiled at Namjoon, a veiled grimace laced with venom.
The ground was thawing, soon the meager white flowers that grew up in the mountains would spring from the ground and Jungkook would set out to gather some for Jimin’s hair and various other decorations for his mating ceremony.
He was running out of time with Jimin. Not that Jungkook believed there was anything he could do to change the outcome of the dreaded day when it would finally be unacceptable for him – an unmated alpha – to be close with a mated omega. Jimin had agreed to become Rowoon’s mate for life. He never dared to ask if he loved him. He didn’t know if he could bear either option any more than the other.
Jungkook had grown so attached to Jimin. He feared his alpha would never recover if they were expected to become basically strangers soon. It seemed like Namjoon feared the same thing, judging by his sudden pallor after his words. He sat down by Jungkook’s feet without waiting for an invitation, putting one placating hand on his younger brother’s knee.
“I know you keep thinking about all the things you could’ve done differently no matter how much you try to deny it. But this is only torturing you, Kook. You can’t change the past but you can shape the future. Please at least try to spend some time with and thoughts on the other omegas in our pack. Hari is a nice girl, her mother was friends with our mother. She would be a good mate to you.”
Jungkook’s alpha was bristling at Namjoon’s words, but outwardly Jungkook didn’t give his emotions away. “I’ll try,” he muttered in resignation, not sure if he was lying to the other yet.
And Jungkook did try. He did make an effort to visit Hari at the weaver tent after his hunts on some days, sitting next to her and engaging in conversation while she went after her own work.
She was a very nice girl. She was kind and understanding, she shared Jungkook’s humor and her laugh was the right mixture of pleasant and funny – sometimes a little snort would escape her that Jungkook found endearing.
Hari was quite beautiful as well. She had a round face with rosy cheeks and dark doe eyes. Her hair was falling right below her chin, dark and glossy. She was quite the opposite to Jimin in appearance, and even though Jungkook tried not to notice, his alpha was quite loud about it, staying steadfast in his strange infatuation with the little fox.
So, yes, Jungkook tried. And for a bit he seemed to be succeeding a little. For a good two weeks and some odd days, he spent the designated “Jimin time” with Hari instead to try to tickle a positive reaction out of his sulking inner alpha. Until one wet, rainy spring day, when Jimin entered Jungkook’s tent unannounced, his lilac scent sweet with happiness.
His scent immediately penetrated every inch of the alpha’s tent, nesting into the space like the fox had into the owner’s heart. His fiery hair was a little longer than he wore it in the winter.
His hair was wavy and falling into his eyes, his usual little braids holding the tiny white spring flowers native to the mountain. He looked like an angel, glowing with beauty and happiness as he pirouetted in front of the alpha, so he could admire the new hairstyle.
“What do you think? Don’t they look so pretty in the hair like this?”
Despite Jungkook’s better judgment, his hand reached out to touch one of the little braids on the side of Jimin’s head, his thumb stroking a white petal with reverence. Like he would trace Jimin’s soft skin if it was his business to do so.
Like he did with his lips that day in the woods, when he scented Jimin for comfort. The only time they ever crossed that boundary.
“They look very pretty, little forest fire,” his tongue almost resisted the words from leaving his lips. They came out strained. Pained almost. Jimin regarded him curiously.
There was an uncertainty in the crease of his mouth that Jungkook wasn’t sure how to read. It felt like déjà vu when his honeyed gaze flickered down to Jungkook’s lips. His face moved closer almost imperceptibly, as if trying to close the distance between them, but he reeled himself in quickly that time too.
Jungkook dropped the braid and it bounced against Jimin’s cheek, resting there like a lover’s lips would. Dangerous. This was dangerous territory.
“I came by yesterday,” he finally started, his piercing eyes boring into Jungkook’s, flitting from his right eye to his left and then back again. It was very unlike Jimin to skirt around a topic. “You weren’t there and Namjoon told me you were with Hari.”
Jungkook flinched, throat bobbing and eyes darting everywhere but at Jimin’s face. His gaze landed and stuck to the unadorned column of his neck. He knew how it felt to trail his mouth there. His lips tingled with the ghost of that memory. He licked them to dispel the feeling. “Don’t do this, Jimin.”
Jimin stepped back, eyebrows furrowed. “Do what?” his voice was soft, barely above a whisper, as if he himself knew that this topic should stay undiscussed.
Jungkook stayed silent, chewing on the inside of his cheek. His alpha was pacing and howling inside him, begging for Jungkook to step forward, cup Jimin’s delicate face and make him his. He was so loud in Jungkook’s brain.
“Do you like her?”
“Stop, Jimin.”
“Why?”
“Because –” he trailed off for a moment. Jungkook was panicking. “I’m not asking you if you like Rowoon either. It’s just something we don’t talk about.”
For some reason, Jimin obeyed. Why the fuck did he listen to Jungkook? Jimin stepped back out of Jungkook’s space, his eyes studying the floor with pensive focus. He slowly made his way back to the tent entrance, Jungkook trailing behind because he simply couldn’t stop himself.
Jimin stopped again, his toes gracing the tent flap. Jungkook stared down at his smaller feet, quite literally towing the line of something they both knew better than to cross.
“Why have you never asked me if I loved him?” Neither of them moved to look at the other. The moment felt too fragile. As if the air might shatter into glass if it was disturbed by more than a whisper.
Jungkook cracked, worn thin by all the emotions he had been keeping to himself. “Because I am afraid of the answer.”
There was no use kidding himself any longer. No use purposefully misreading his inner wolf’s desires. Jungkook had stopped looking at Jimin platonically since his little nose had sought comfort in his neck. After that day, there was no room in his heart for Hari or any other omega who might try to take Jimin’s place.
His heart and soul was Jimin’s, and Jimin’s would never be his.
Jimin opened the tent flaps, a soft breeze messing his hair. A white petal fell down his cheek. It came to rest just inside the confines of the alpha’s home. “I’m not. And I don’t, by the way. If it counts for anything.”
And then he was gone, leaving Jungkook’s heart beating out of rhythm, a single white flower petal, and his scent behind.
And I don’t, by the way. If it counts for anything.
Jungkook’s alpha howled in his chest. It counts for everything.
❊❊❊
For the next week, Jimin and Jungkook continued on as if their conversation in Jungkook’s tent hadn’t happened at all. Outwardly, nobody could tell the difference in their demeanors, but they recognized that glint of something dangerous in their own eyes. There was calculation in both of their gazes when they looked at each other. Calculation of risk and reward.
Jimin didn’t love Rowoon. It was knowledge that Jungkook was always too afraid to seek out and completely crippled him with uncertainty and hope now that he had it.
The weather was getting increasingly warmer and Jungkook felt time running out. It was like Jimin was getting further and further away from him, even though he was sitting right next to Jungkook, weaving blades of grass into a bracelet.
“What’s the mating ritual like for wolves?” Jimin measured the weaved bracelet against his wrist before continuing the repetitive motion of putting the blades together.
“Well, it’s a pack affair. Normally the pack leader guides the ceremony, but in your case it is going to be elder omega Wonyoung, Rowoon’s mother. You’re going to swear your loyalty and love to each other, the officiant is going to wrap your joined hands with the ceremonial rope, and speak blessings over you both. The pack is going to see you to your shared tent, and we’re going to eat a predatory animal that was hunted for the occasion, while you two will be expected to consummate your mating. He’s going to bite you.” Jungkook felt sick as he lived through the process, imagining his Jimin in the arms of Rowoon. Imagining having to watch him go into the tent, losing him forever. Before he ever even had him.
He ripped up more blades of grass, handing them to Jimin after a second of deliberation. They were too short to efficiently weave with. Plucked carelessly out of frustration, yet Jimin used them without a word. His hands were shaking.
“Will it hurt?”
Jungkook looked at Jimin, scanning his side profile since the fox refused to look at him.
“Well, I don’t know. I haven’t been mated, Jimin. I don’t know how the bite will feel, but I can’t imagine it to be too painful when souls intertwine that way.” He swallowed hard. Jimin stopped weaving.
“I wasn’t talking about the bite.”
Jungkook froze. Surely Jimin couldn’t mean – The omega turned to him expectantly, eyes huge and vulnerable. Jungkook couldn’t believe he was about to discuss knots with him.
“I– Probably a little bit. We wolves are –” he struggled for words, swallowed hard, “you know we are built – larger than foxes. So it might hurt a bit more than you’re used to if we –” he couldn’t bring himself to say the word “knot”.
“Used to…?” Jimin seemed positively nervous now. “With my people it’s tradition to wait – you know, for your future mate. I haven’t lain with anyone before,” the words were whispered, eyes cast down to the floor. Jimin was gripping the bracelet so hard Jungkook feared it would snap into pieces.
Jungkook tried hard not to think about what Jimin just revealed.
“You– you don’t wait?” Jimin asked.
Jungkook shook his head. “It’s normal to spend your rut or heat with someone as soon as you’re of age.”
Jimin measured his crumpled bracelet against his wrist again. It fit this time and he shakily knotted it closed, hiding his hands under his thighs afterwards. “It’s so different to what I’ve imagined my mating ceremony to be as a pup.”
“How have you imagined your happy day?” Jungkook couldn’t help from asking.
A small smile stole itself onto Jimin’s face, his eyes glazing over, as if he was miles away in a different and happier time.
“The first time I went to a mating ceremony was my cousin’s when I was just 5 years old. I’ve been dreaming about my own ever since.”
“Tell me about it,” Jungkook whispered before he could stop himself.
“It’s tradition in my pack that the family of the mated pair is involved with the ceremony. The alpha’s mother is going to sew the mating robe of the omega to welcome them into the new family, and the omega’s family usually is in charge of the feast, as a sort of gesture of goodwill and parting,” he began.
“During the ceremony – which the pack leader officiates – he will speak blessings over the pair and then they will speak their vows to each other and then seal their mating with a kiss. With that, the mating is already considered as consummated in the eyes of our pantheon. The mating bite is usually given during the first shared rut or heat cycle and is proudly worn by both alpha and omega.”
Jimin began weaving another bracelet as he spoke. Jungkook stared down at his nimble fingers as he listened. “So the newly mated pair celebrates and feasts together with the rest of the pack. It’s a celebration of love that continues well into the night. I’ve always pictured myself laughing and dancing into the night, feeding my mate berries and kissing the juice off of his lips. It hurts a little to let go of the dream that I have held onto for so long.”
“It does sound like a warm and beautiful affair,” Jungkook whispered. Jimin turned, eyes flickering around Jungkook’s face in uncertainty.
“I always imagined myself to get mated down by the river in spring. I used to bathe in it as a pup. The scent of running water always refreshed and comforted me. I associate that smell with home.” Jimin was gathering his thoughts and Jungkook was holding his breath in anticipation of what would fall from his lips next. There was a sudden gravity in the air, as if the world itself was holding its breath in anticipation.
“Y-you smell like that river to me. You smell like home, Jungkook. I–” Whatever Jimin was going to say next was cut short by the alpha’s lips smashing down on the pillowy softness of the fox’s.
Jungkook couldn’t explain why his brain short-circuited and made him give in to his desires, but in the moment, he didn’t care. He had Jimin right where he wanted him for the first time and his alpha was adamant to keep him right there – tucked into his side – forever.
It took a second for Jimin to react to Jungkook’s sudden kiss, but when he did, he let out a soft whine, hands coming up to grab at Jungkook’s arms that were framing his face. He was the first to move his lips to properly kiss back. There was a desperation in both of their movements, kiss searing into their souls and branding their hearts with the others’ initial.
When they pulled away, Jimin’s cheeks were wet with tears that Jungkook wiped away reverently. “I shouldn’t have done that, should I?” the alpha whispered softly, a small and sad smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Jimin sniffled, shaking his head. He was still holding onto Jungkook as if he was afraid he would sink into the ground, never to be pulled free again. “You have made things so complicated now,” he whimpered. “I always wanted you to kiss me, and now that I have gotten a taste of what I’m losing, I don’t know how I will survive the day I’ll mate someone else.”
Jungkook’s heart stopped in his chest, before restarting twice as fast as before. He had somehow deluded himself that the obvious reciprocation of feelings would solve the dilemma they have found themselves in. But the undeniable, unfair truth was that even if – even though he wanted to, Jimin could never be his.
“I never wanted anything more than for you to be mine,” the alpha sighed, thumb caressing the soft jut of Jimin’s cheekbone. “I couldn’t admit it to myself for the longest time but I can’t delude myself anymore, Jimin. Not when my heart has never sung and never again will sing a name that isn’t yours.”
“I want you to be my alpha, but we can’t. It’s too late, only death can set me free from the commitment I’ve agreed to. Rowoon is prideful. He is the pack leader who needs to command respect. He won’t let me leave him,” Jimin cried.
Although Jungkook didn’t want to accept that, he also knew in his heart that it was true. Rowoon had already caused quite a bit of outrage when he announced to mate the “outsider” and make Jimin the head omega of their pack. If Jimin now decided to call off the mating, it would undermine his authority beyond repair. Something that he couldn’t let happen even if he hadn’t the heart to separate Jimin and Jungkook.
He had to let Jimin go. They had no future together that wouldn’t end in heartbreak and devastation. They had to sever the ties before Jungkook’s wolf could imprint even further. Before it was too late for him to ever find happiness with someone else.
“Then be mine until you have to leave me. Be mine and maybe the memories can keep us warm at night when we inevitably have to part.” He shouldn’t. He was dooming himself. Dooming them both.
“Okay,” Jimin’s eyes betrayed the same awareness. He too knew the devastating consequences for his inner omega. Their lips found each other again, and Jungkook was holding his omega tight.