Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s a gloomy September morning, the chill of the changing season already creeping over the capital. At the top floor of a tall stone building overlooking the capital, narrow windows stand slightly ajar, allowing the breeze to slip into the quiet meeting room.

There he was, standing with all his glory — Jungkook, the infamous leader of the Jeon Dynasty. Tales of his ruthless conquests and iron will echoed through every pack in the region.

“Why this land specifically?” Yoongi asked, furrowing his brow. He knew his brother’s greed for territory well, but this small patch of land had something else —something Jungkook couldn’t quite understand yet.

They had spent the past year circling the lands bordering their own, and with Jungkook’s goal set to make his dynasty the largest it had ever been, he was ready to cross any line to achieve it. Like Alexander the Great, conquest was in his blood. Though he hadn’t always been like that. There was a time, where all Jungkook had ever wanted was to be a good leader for his people.

“There’s something about this land, hyung. I can feel it — I need to make it mine,” Jungkook replied, eyes fixed on the map spread out before them.

Namjoon, seated across the table, nodded thoughtfully. “I know the leader. I met him during a diplomatic visit.”

“I’ve seen him too,” Jungkook smirked. “Park Hyungsik, wasn’t it? Never seen a weaker leader in my life.” He chuckled, taking a slow sip from the beer in front of him. He wasn’t much of a drinker, but tonight felt like an exception — a night worth celebrating.

Yoongi shook his head, pouring more beer into his cup. “I don’t know, Jungkook. Let’s be reasonable. Do we really need more land? We barely manage what we have.”

Jungkook’s eyes flared, his red irises locking onto his brother’s. He hated being questioned — especially when it concerned his territory.

“Don’t you glare at me like that.” Yoongi stared back, his red eyes piercing Jungkook’s.

Jungkook’s eyes diverted to his usual brown, and he took a deep breath to calm his wolf. His Alpha was at the back of his head, screaming at him to show his dominance, to show that when it came to his territory, no one had a say. And yet, he retreated. Despite Jungkook being the True Blood Alpha of the Jeon Dynasty, he still respected his older brother with his whole soul.

“I’m sorry, hyung,” Jungkook took another sip of his beer. “The past few days have been… nerve-wracking, to say the least. And with Hoseok gone to fight off the remaining of Bogum’s pack…”

“I know, Kook, I know.” Yoongi interrupted him. He stood up and patted his younger but strong brother on the back.

The past year the pack had seen nothing but endless battles—Jungkook’s military fought through hell and back to fulfill their leader’s wishes and to prove themselves worthy of him. It is no secret to anyone that Jungkook’s the best leader the dynasty has ever seen. The pack and the military are proud of the leader they have over their heads, he isn’t just the embodiment of the ideal wolf, a True Blood Alpha through and through; he’s also the kind of leader other packs envied. It’s not like land conquering is all he has in mind. Jungkook loves his pack with his entire being — they are his family, and to see his family thrive would mean a life well lived to him.

He rose from his seat, his worldly aura filling the room like a storm. The Alpha was built like no other wolf — tall enough to nearly graze the meeting room’s ceiling, his physique pressed against the white shirt he’d chosen for the day. Beneath the fabric lay rock-hard abs and a lattice of scars — each one a testament to the countless battles he had fought, proof that nothing could stop him.

His right arm was entirely cloaked in black ink, curling over his solid biceps in intricate designs that told stories of war and conquest. The largest of them all was the Dynasty’s symbol, inked boldly where no eye could miss it. At its heart, a wolf stood frozen in mid-howl, its silhouette carved from bold sweeping lines. Etched into the wolf’s chest, the triple spiral curled in perfect symmetry—three endless arms representing Omega, Beta, and Alpha. It was more than a mark of rank; it was the unshakable unity of the three that made up his pack. It was a reminder that power was nothing without the balance between them.

Another scar rested on his left cheek, one he had carried with him for years now. He had received it by the sword of his father’s enemy— a pack leader who was seeking for revenge after his father had slaughtered the entirety of his pack—Omegas included. Just like Jungkook, his late father was a fighter worth remembering, although Jungkook hadn’t always agreed with the ideologies he had.

The younger was a man of pride. In each and every battle, he made sure that the only ones affected were those who could fight to defend themselves. Omegas and pups had always remained unharmed; the weaker kind didn’t have to pay for the wrongdoings of the stronger. Where his father had never shown much care for them, he had been driven by his Alpha wolf—much colder than the one Jungkook had inherited.

Jungkook moved toward the single window in the room that opened to the sight he loved most. He slowly drew back the curtain that hid the secrets within, revealing the capital he had built. Perfectly placed atop a mountain, the view stretched out to hundreds of stone buildings, each sheltering the families of his pack. The roads below were alive with movement—markets bustling with people trying to make a living, selling everything from herbs to warm clothing made from the hides of animals they had hunted. Winters in the Jeon Dynasty were like nowhere else.

Jungkook’s gaze softened at the sight of pups darting along the rocky yet steady roads his people had carefully created. Carriages rumbled past, carrying the wealthier members of his pack. He had made sure that vibrant flowers decorated every corner of the city, their scent radiating pure hope. He wanted his people to always wake to the special scent these flowers carried—special blooms he had discovered and brought back from a newly conquered land during one of his battles.

The capital he had created was unmatchable; no other surrounding territory had one quite like the one Jungkook had built. During the diplomatic visits from the surrounding packs, the diplomats and pack leaders always left in pure awe. He wanted his entire territory to look like this, and he had been working hard to bring wealth to every corner of his dynasty. However, with all the newly conquered pieces of land and territories, it had started to become more difficult to maintain each passing day, but he wasn’t going to stop until he was satisfied.

Yoongi stood up and made slow steps toward his brother, who was too immersed in his thoughts and the sight before him. His head rested against the window as he breathed softly, his warm breath causing fog to form on the colder glass. With slow movements, he turned his brother toward him and pressed a hand to his shoulder.

“Everything will be fine. If this is truly what you want to do, you know we’ll do it,” Yoongi said, giving him a complying nod.

During moments like this, Jungkook was immensely grateful to have his brother right next to him. There wasn’t a moment where he took him for granted, and despite the little feuds they might have from time to time, in the end, it would always be the only bond that brought him back to his senses—the bond that would always keep him on his feet, and the bond that would end up saving him from his self-destruction.

The meeting had ended on a positive note for change. One of the soldiers had called Jungkook to take a look at the arrival of his new carriages and horses and at the meantime Namjoon and Yoongi retrieved to a walk at the markets.

‘’Your brother’s slowly losing it,’’ Namjoon started the conversation, while picking up apples from a vendor he always paid a visit to when at the market ‘’I’m worried Yoongi. What has gotten into him this past year? This is dangerous for him’’

Namjoon and Yoongi have been friends for years, they had attended the military together and during the service and the tough days that came with it, they created a brotherly like bond. Namjoon not being the best of soldiers became the Diplomat of the Jeon Dynasty. His skills might have not been enough to make a good fighter on the battle field, but they were more than enough to fight verbal battles which came with the role of being a diplomat.

He had refrained many times to not speak about the choices the younger had been making the past year, he thought to himself that it could be a coping mechanism for him after the death of his father. But seeing as how long the situation had stretched, he had started to grow weary.

‘’Fuck, you think I don’t see that? Do you think I like this? The military is tired, the families yearn to be reunited with their Alphas who are too busy fighting.. and for what?’’ Yoongi took a deep breath at that, ‘’It kills me that I don’t know how to help him. There has to be a logical answer to this, right? It could be him trying to prove as the strongest Alpha in the region, but would he cross such battles just to do that?’’

He noticed people looking at him in… fear. He could smell the omegas slowly growing anxious. It must be his scent burning with the anxiety he can’t hide. The entirety of the market could smell him now.

‘’Calm down,’’ Namjoon whispered ‘’Let’s go find Jimin.’’

Jimin, as in his mate.

And after arriving home, Yoongi found himself in the embrace of his most beloved, and at that moment, every internal and external battle of his suddenly made sense.

  ⋆˙⟡

Hidden at the top of the mountain stood Jungkook’s fortress. From the distance, it rose with all its glory. The stone was dark and aged, as if it had seen centuries of battles and would see centuries more. The path leading up to it was narrow and steep — with torches lighting up the way towards the entrance.

Jungkook made his way toward the double doors, made of pure gold. It was the doing of his father, as Jungkook had never been the kind of person who sought validation through wealth. Each time he was met with the entrance, it took him all his strength to force himself to actually make his way in, almost dragging his feet to do so.

He hated it.

And when he did manage to push himself to get in, he was met with pure silence. Of course, there were loyal soldiers surrounding the area and inside the actual fortress, servants ready to lay anything their Alpha wanted at his feet — but he still felt it.

The vast hallways were built wide enough for a wolf to run through, fitting for the nights he wanted to set free and be in control of his wolf form. The ceilings were high, and the stone floors stretched endlessly. On the walls hung portraits of the past pack leaders, the very last one being of his father. Every time he stood in front of it, he felt his breath halt; to him, it felt like the eyes followed him, even in death.

He shook his head and continued his way towards his room. The entirety of the stone flooring was covered in furs and hides of animals, turned into carpets — each being a reminder of the hunts he had been on at faraway destinations. He had a habit of bringing souvenirs from all the adventures he went on.

The walls, on the other hand, were lined with weapons — blades, spears, and shields, ready to be used when they would be needed.

And no matter how many torches were fixed on the wall, Jungkook could still feel the darkness creeping in. He had thought of tearing the entire place apart multiple times, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. What if the Goddess of the Moon saw it as an insult to her? What if the past pack leaders saw it as an insult to them? What if his father saw it as an insult to him?

He shook the thoughts off his head and walked steadily towards the stone staircase leading to his study — the one place he could truly unwind from the daily chaos that accompanied him. He was met with the familiar scent of wood and books, almost immediately calming him from the day’s misfortunes. Some of the books on the walls had aged for centuries, brought there by the very leaders whose portraits decorated the hallway.

A huge stone fireplace was carved into the wall on the left side of the room, ready to be lit to warm the Alpha from the almost-rainy weather. He hadn’t noticed how rainy clouds had formed in the sky — it was as if the Goddess could tell that her loyal follower was having dangerous thoughts. The wind was strong; one would think it wanted to tear down the fortress and take it into the abyss. And although he, as an Alpha, didn’t feel cold like an Omega would, he still enjoyed the feeling of being warm — hence the fireplace. In front of the door was a window taking up the entirety of the wall. The Alpha could look out and see every stretch of his land, every forest, every shadow between the hills. From here, no enemy could come unseen. And despite everything, this was where he felt safest.

A knock on the door echoed in the study.

“Come in,” he acknowledged. He figured it must be one of the soldiers bringing updates about the military’s whereabouts. He prepared himself for the worst, as he always did. It didn’t matter how sure he was about his pack and military — he always mentally prepared himself for the worst. Fortunately, he was met with the head servant, Jiwoo, instead.

Jiwoo had been serving the family of the Alpha ever since Jungkook was a pup. She was the Omega who took care of him and Yoongi the most — their mother figure, as they had tragically lost their mother during childbirth.

“Jungkook, it’s so good to see you,” she breathed softly, entering the room and caressing the younger’s long black curls, which reached the bottom of his neck — something new he was trying.

“Jiwoo,” her name fell softly from his trembling lips. He took a deep breath and embraced her tightly. He furrowed his nose close to her neck, letting himself take in the scent of lavender the woman in her sixties radiated. It immediately calmed him; that’s all he needed to… breathe again.

“Hard day? I was expecting Yoongi to come with you,” she pulled back from the embrace and looked around to make sure the latter wasn’t there. “He hardly comes home anymore.”

“He has a new home now.” Jungkook smiled softly while thinking about the happiness his brother felt with his newfound mate.

A smile — that was new.

“It doesn’t stop me from missing him,” she sighed and started moving towards the study table, placing a plate of boiled deer meat, potatoes, and a cup of beer to accompany his feast.

Jungkook took in the smell of the meat and his wolf growled in excitement — he had just remembered he hadn’t eaten the entire day. He loved Jiwoo’s cooking. It was all he had ever known. He took in the smell and made his way towards his chair, but just as he was about to have a seat, he was interrupted.

“Oh! Before I forget, this was sent here by the pack’s mailman.” She placed a letter next to the plate, sealed with red wax and a symbol engraved on it.

He took the letter into his hands and examined it. He concentrated his eyes on the red seal, trying to search his memory for which pack the symbol belonged to. And although Jungkook had never had any issues with his memory, this one symbol must have slipped from it. Realizing there was no use in trying to remember, he tore the seal open impatiently, only to find a short but satisfactory letter inside.

And that’s when he knew — it was the perfect time to start planning the attack.

⋆˙⟡

The lowlands at the foot of the eastern mountain had always been a place of life. Meadows stretched endlessly, painted with the greens of wild grass and the gold of wheat swaying with the wind. It was a land that breathed freely, far from the stone walls and rigid order of the mountain capital. However, all of that would come to change with the merciless summer that had found its way there. The sun had scorched the fields, the lively river that once went through the entirety of the village had shrunk to a sad, shallow stream, and the once-rich earth had turned brittle beneath the farmers’ hands.

A lone white wolf darted across the now-faded meadows, paws brushing over the cracked soil as it searched for anything remotely edible. The breeze ran through its fur, tugging gently at its ears, which stood tall and alert. Blue eyes scanned the ground with focus, yet there was still a certain carefree light to them. To its surprise, it spotted a small cluster of strawberries hiding beneath the dry grass. Lowering its head, the wolf inhaled the sweet, familiar scent — strawberries had always been its favorite, their fragrance blending effortlessly with its own warm trace of vanilla.

It lifted its gaze to the land before it, and a pang of longing twisted in its chest. Just months ago, these meadows had been alive — greener than anything it had ever known. Now, they lay as a hushed memory of what had been.

From the distance, a larger figure appeared — a grey wolf, almost twice its size, standing like a sentinel on the hilltop. Burning red eyes fixed on the smaller wolf, studying the scene laid out before them. Slowly, it descended the hill, until it reached the white wolf’s side. Leaning in, the grey wolf brushed its tongue against the smaller one’s ear, a silent acknowledgment, a quiet thank you. The scent of melting pine wrapped around the white wolf, warm and compelling.

“What are we going to do, Hyungsik?” a deep voice echoed into the living room they were sitting in.

“I don’t know, Taehyung. All I know is that they won’t last this winter like this,” Hyungsik replied, voice low, looking out the window at the mass of people walking through the village. The two wolves had turned back to their human forms and headed home, the white wolf—Taehyung—now in his human form, sitting on his lap.

“The river’s nearly gone. There’s no fruit, no vegetables. The animals won’t be enough to survive the winter…” He trailed off, shaking his head.

“If we had just one more rain—” the younger murmured, laying his head on Hyungsik’s shoulder, inhaling the fragrance of pine, trying to rub in some of his scent to calm the anxious Alpha beneath him.

“One more rain will not change what the sun has already burned,” Hyungsik cut in gently, letting the scent of vanilla from the younger take over his judgment. The younger male on his lap let out a sad whine, trying to nuzzle his nose deeper into Hyungsik’s neck. He felt a sense of great comfort even during the worst of times when he inhaled the familiarity of Hyungsik’s pine fragrance. He let it consume him; he couldn’t bear to think about the circumstances the pack was forced to live in.

“We need help, and we need it urgently.”

The younger’s ears perked up. He took his head off Hyungsik’s shoulder and looked at him attentively, a pout forming on his lips. Hyungsik took the moment to appreciate the male in such proximity to him.

Taehyung carried a beauty that seemed as though it had been carved by the gentlest of hands. His hair, a cascade of soft golden-blonde, fell in weightless waves that framed his face and caught the light as though each strand had been spun from sunlight itself. Scattered across his fair skin were moles—small, delicate marks where Hyungsik loved to place soft kisses.

There was a moment of silence between them. Hyungsik was too immersed in the beauty of his mate; it had been months since the two of them had made the promise of forever to each other, and yet he still found himself gazing at him.

“Hyungsik, what are you thinking of doing?” Taehyung broke the silence and asked the dreaded question.

“I’m going to contact Jeon Jungkook,” he replied, turning his gaze away from the younger’s.

There had been tales of terror going around the surrounding packs about the great leader of the Jeon Dynasty. His name rolled on their tongues with fear whenever it was spoken. So many of the surrounding packs had lost their sovereignty to Jungkook and his formidable military. Not one of the territories he was able to conquer had been able to stand a chance against him, no matter how strong their Alphas were, none of them were able to fight against him and his military. Afraid of losing to him, the surrounding territories had started giving up their lands without even putting up fights.

Taehyung got up from Hyungsik’s lap, disbelief scattered all over his expression. His gaze was no longer soft and delicate; his features stiffened, a sense of terror creeping up his spine. He almost lost his balance at the sound of Jungkook’s name.

“Jeon Jungkook? As in the True Blood Alpha terrorizing every pack in the region? You cannot be serious,” he replied in disbelief. He thought his ears must be playing tricks on him; he didn’t dare believe that Hyungsik was actually considering this.

How could anyone ask for help from the one person who had been terrorizing everyone left and right, killing every leader who dared refuse merging with him and his pack?

Hyungsik got up from the soft, furry sofa and made his way toward Taehyung, whose vanilla scent burned with fear. Jeon Jungkook’s name brought shivers down his spine; he imagined every negative scenario possible.

“Taehyung, calm down. I’m your Alpha. The Alpha of this pack; I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that.” The young Omega’s whine of anxiety filled the room. Hyungsik’s wolf stirred, protective and restless. He walked toward the shivering latter and embraced him, bringing him as close to his chest as he possibly could.

“We can get through this without anyone having to come into our pack’s business, especially that… beast. Don’t you see what he’s been doing to Bogum’s pack these past few weeks?” Taehyung pulled away from the embrace; the shivers never left him. He stepped back a few times, almost tripping on the sofa they had been cuddling on just a few seconds ago. He shook his head. “Don’t you understand that it’ll be our turn after Bogum? You want to invite him and make this all easier for him?”

Taehyung’s distressed scent was making the Alpha in front of him dizzy; his wolf was screaming at him to protect the young Omega from anything disturbing his beautiful mind.

Protect him. Do something. Do something.

He walked toward Taehyung and held his waist to help him balance. The scent of his anxiety had become unbearable for both Hyungsik and Taehyung.

“Taehyung, my love, please,” the Alpha softly murmured and brought his hands up to cup Taehyung’s cheeks. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise. Your Alpha will protect you.”

At that, Taehyung took a deep breath, resting his head in Hyungsik’s hands, who had gently been caressing his cheeks to calm him as much as it was humanly possible. Hyungsik’s emotions surged. The need to protect what was his made his wolf stir, awakening with a restless intensity. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and reopened them, his red irises locking with the distressed blue ones staring back at him.

“Do you trust me?” he asked after several minutes of soft touches and careful scenting. The mingling aromas of vanilla and pine had filled the room, weaving around them like a protective shield.

“I do. It’s just…” Hyungsik didn’t let him finish. Instead, he cut Taehyung off, pressing a short but meaningful kiss to his lips, pulling him closer from his delicate waist. Taehyung remained frozen, wordless, the tension of fear still visible in his every motion.

“I know what I’m doing, Tae. I promise you, I have a plan,” Hyungsik murmured, attempting to reassure his fragile mate, even though a small part of him wasn’t entirely certain of how it would unfold.

The rest of the night passed in silence. Taehyung retreated to their bedroom without a word of goodnight. When Hyungsik followed, he was met with a heart-wrenching sight: Taehyung, still wrapped in Hyungsik’s fur jacket, nose nuzzling the pillow as if holding onto a shred of comfort from the day. The sight made his wolf melt. The sweet scent of melted pine lingered in the room, offering a calm that would help the Omega rest. Perhaps it would ease him, even just slightly, by morning.

He knew what needed to be done — this was it, all or nothing. The pack could not survive the harsh winter on its own. He would have to lower his guard and seek aid from the strongest Alpha in the region. Perhaps Jungkook would show mercy; perhaps they could find common ground.

He seated himself at his rough-hewn table and took up a quill. He dipped it into ink and began to write, his strokes careful, his words weighed with both respect and urgency.

To His Grace, Jungkook, Alpha of the Mountain Capital

May this letter find you in health and prosperity.

I, Alpha Kim Hyungsik of the Eastern Lowlands, extend greetings and respect.

It is with a heavy heart that I write to you in these trying times. I write not only as the leader of my people, but as one who believes in the strength of the bonds we share. Our lowlands have suffered greatly under the unyielding heat of this summer. The river that has long sustained us has all but disappeared, our fields lie barren, and hunger grows heavier with each passing day.

In the spirit of unity between our packs and as allies under the bonds of the old accord, I request an audience with Your Grace, to discuss the possibility of aid and trade that may prevent this famine from consuming us entirely. I extend this invitation to meet within my lands, that you may see for yourself the state in which we now live.

I trust in your wisdom and in the strength of the bond between our lands.

With highest regard,

Hyungsik of the Eastern Lowlands

Hyungsik set the quill aside, reading over the letter once more before sealing it with red wax. He pressed his signet ring into the warm seal, the mark of the Eastern Lowlands imprinting deep into the red.

He only hoped Jungkook’s answer would come swiftly.      

Taehyung hadn’t slept. The scent of Hyungsik’s fur jacket clung to him like a promise he no longer believed in. The moon had passed its peak, and still, no words had been shared. Only silence and the quiet scratch of quill on parchment from the other room.

Something was coming. He could feel it in the marrow of his bones.

But whether it would save them—or destroy them—was still unknown.

Chapter Text

The meeting room was dimly lit, sunlight creeping in through the covered windows. A map lay spread across the long oak table, its corners pinned down by obsidian daggers. Jungkook stood at the head, arms crossed, eyes locked on the southern border. There it was again — that same land they’d been discussing yesterday. Only this time, it was time to curate a plan.

Namjoon spoke first, his fingers trailing over the paper Jungkook had passed him. “The circumstances must be really bad if he had no choice but to contact you, of all people.”

Yoongi scoffed, leaning back in his chair with an air of disinterest. “He’s a lowland Alpha barely holding his pack together. Winter’s coming, and he’s already bleeding resources. We could take them by force, Jungkook.”

Jungkook took the letter from Namjoon’s hands, rereading it for what must have been the tenth time. “We could,” Jungkook agreed, his voice calm but edged with danger, “but we won’t.”

Yoongi turned toward his brother, visibly baffled. This wasn’t like him. The Jungkook from the past year would already be at the border, sword drawn, ready to conquer anyone in his path. As if sensing Yoongi’s gaze, Jungkook chuckled knowingly.

“I want this one to be different,” he said. “Let’s play with him a little.”

Namjoon furrowed his brows. “Play with him? In what way?”

The younger Alpha leaned back in his chair with pride, eyes closed, letting his mind wander through the possibilities. So many ways to manipulate a desperate Alpha.

Something about this land was pulling him in — an unexplainable draw he couldn’t yet name. But he knew it wouldn’t take long to figure out. This visit had to be impactful. He needed to see for himself just how dire the situation was — what made Hyungsik, of all Alphas, reach out to someone as feared and untrusted as him.

Because really, who puts their faith in the Alpha who now controls almost the entirety of the mountainous region?

How bad must it be for Hyungsik to risk everything?

A slow smirk curved Jungkook’s lips as a perfect plan took shape in his mind. He leaned forward to examine the map. Most of the region was marked in red ink — the territories he had already claimed. He was ready to add another. But something told him this land required a different approach.

Namjoon and Yoongi exchanged a glance, waiting for their leader to elaborate. They didn’t dare push him. Instead, silence filled the room, thick and heavy. Jungkook stood, pacing around the room, deep in thought. The curved smirk never left his face. He opened his mouth to speak—to reveal the plan—when a soft knock interrupted him. All three Alphas snapped to attention, they looked at each other, nodding in mutual understanding—if there was any threat they’d be prepared to fight it off.

The door creaked open without waiting for a response. A tall, slender figure stepped into the room — a woman in her twenties, long blonde locks cascading over porcelain skin. The sweet scent of caramel followed her inside.

An Omega.

“Jungkook?” she called softly, fluttering her eyelashes as she leaned against the doorframe. “I thought I’d never see you again. I was going crazy.”

Namjoon covered his mouth with a hand to hide the amused smile forming on his lips. Yoongi chuckled and turned toward the window, darting his eyes towards the window looking down to the capital.

Jungkook stared at her in disbelief. Who had allowed her to barge into his meeting? His scent — burned sandalwood — filled the room in waves, intense and unforgiving. Not even her Omega sweetness could calm the storm rising in him, and to say the least, his scent affected everyone in the room. Most of all, the Omega leaning on the doorframe, eyes turning blue from the sight of Jungkook whom she’d been craving like an Omega mate craves her Alpha mate.

The Omega must have felt the disdain in his scent, she stepped closer with airy steps on the old, creaking wooden floor of the room, reaching out a hand. Jungkook caught her by the wrist, his grip firm enough to sting.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he growled, voice low and threatening. “Who do you think you are, barging into my meeting room, disturbing my team?”

His eyes began to glow — that deep, terrifying crimson that could hypnotize anyone in fear.

“Get out. Now.”

He released her wrist and waited, standing there, unmoving. To his disbelief, she didn’t flinch. Instead, she stepped forward and took his hand, pressing it to her chest. Her heartbeat morbid under her ribcage, signaling to him the depth of her feelings, the depth of longing she must had been feeling. She wanted the Alpha to feel how she longed for his touch, and she became breathless by the proximity of his hand.

“Jungkook, I missed you.” She said, breathlessly. Her eyes locked with his, waiting for a positive look, a change of scent, anything that could potentially mean that the feeling of longing was mutual.

She was hurt — clearly. In her mind, a bond had formed. The few nights they had spent together had meant something to her.

No, not something. They had meant everything to her.

Jungkook would come every day after his hard-fought battles, spending time with the younger Omega and releasing his tension through her. And although Jungkook was never one to share whatever was bothering his mind, he would listen to her babbling about the littlest of problems she’d faced during her uneventful days.

She’d tell him about the Alphas of the capital staring at her lustfully, waiting for a reaction from the True Blood Alpha — anything that could mean he was jealous or overprotective of her. Instead, he’d sweetly tell her to be careful and that if anything more serious were to happen, she could always contact the soldiers in close proximity. She’d never receive the reactions she was looking for, but that didn’t stop her from dreaming of a life with the Alpha.

Jungkook had never courted her. He wouldn’t bring her any of the food he’d caught during his hunts, not the fur from the animals he’d slaughtered, not wood for her fireplace, no jewelry from the kingdoms he’d conquered… Nothing that might be mistaken for affection. He was cautious not to give her the wrong impression, and yet the plan hadn’t seemed to work. But even after he cut contact, once he sensed her feelings were no longer casual, she remained — standing at his doorstep, hoping.

He hadn’t visited her in over a month, hadn’t sent a letter to explain his whereabouts. He’d avoid her gaze whenever they crossed paths on the vast roads of the capital — and her patience had worn thin.

“Sohee,” he warned, his voice sharper this time, “for the last time. Get out.”

She had tried to push her scent onto him, to reignite whatever fleeting warmth she thought had once existed between them — but it was no use. He pulled his hand away, unmoved by the plea in her eyes or the sugary scent lingering between them. His wolf was unfazed by her presence. It had never been serious for him. He had never done anything to leave the impression that it was more than it really was — and so he didn’t feel responsible for the heartbroken, blue eyes filling up with tears in front of him.

To him, it was just sex. Pleasant, but meaningless sex.

When he didn’t return her gaze, his expression remaining cold and unreadable, she finally turned and walked out, closing the door behind her. Her sniffles and quite sobs echoed as she descended the stone staircase of the dark building they were concluding the meeting in.

Only once the front door shut behind her did Namjoon exhale, long and wheezing. It didn’t take long for Yoongi to burst out laughing. They were used to the endless admirers the younger had. Every Omega in the region — from the capital and even the newly conquered lands he had collected like seashells from the beach — had their lustful eyes on him. They were burning with hunger for him, each of them anticipating for his arrival at their cities and villages, at their neighborhoods and shops. They all wished to be acknowledged by the most desired bachelor Alpha the region had ever seen.

The young Alpha who was stronger than any other. With looks that reminded them of ancient gods carved by the Moon Goddess. The Alpha who had the ideology of a great leader who wanted to do good for his people. The Alpha who would slaughter anyone who stood in the way of his great plans — but would never harm the vulnerable Omegas, even when he brought chaos with him. Instead, he stood as their protector and never allowed any of his men lay a finger on them, his protective Alpha instincts echoing in his heart and mind.

But they could admire from a distance.

Because no matter how sweet they smelled, how soft they looked…

Jungkook’s heart had never been claimed, and he held no hope for the future.

Perhaps becoming a great leader was what the Gods had intended for him when they placed the True Alpha gene within him.

Jungkook turned toward his brother, whose gummy smile had taken over his face. He looked so content like that—so content it made Jungkook laugh as well. He laughed with his whole being. He hadn’t laughed like that in a very long time. Imagining the situation and the state he was in through the eyes of Namjoon and Yoongi was enough to send him into uncontrollable laughter. His laughter was contagious. The room quickly filled with it, lifting the heavy mood that had been suffocating them just moments before.

Jungkook wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, one born from the sheer hilarity of the moment. The tears had been streaming freely now, grazing the scar on his cheek as they fell.

Namjoon spoke first, coughing to clear his throat from the knot that had formed after all the laughter. “Jungkookie, you little shit, how many more hearts are you going to break?”

Jungkookie was the nickname only a few people were allowed to call him. It made him appear more human—because Jungkook wasn’t just a warrior. He was human. A great one at that. A great friend and leader, time and time again.

“I didn’t do anything this time, hyung. I promise,” Jungkook replied, resting his head on the palm of his hand as he leaned back in his chair. “You sleep with them a few times and suddenly they think you’re courting them.”

Yoongi listened carefully. He knew how much his brother hated the idea of love—of finding someone to accompany him through the highs and lows. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why, but he knew Jungkook despised the mere thought of affection.

And as if Jungkook could hear his thoughts, he spoke. “No, I’m not courting her, Yoongi.”

“I didn’t say you were,” Yoongi replied, gulping as he scratched the back of his head and squinted his eyes. He was trying not to let his thoughts overpower him, but he couldn’t contain himself.

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea though,” he muttered—quietly, but loud enough for Jungkook to hear.

“Yoongi. I’ve told you—I don’t care about finding a mate. It’s the least of my worries. Matter of fact, we have a plan to curate.”

He snapped out of his cheerful state, slipping back into his usual concentrated expression. Yoongi sighed and didn’t press further; the mood had already shifted.

“Namjoon,” Jungkook began, his tone sharp again, “as the Diplomat of this Dynasty, I want you to start planning a diplomatic meeting with Hyungsik. It will take place in two days, at the lowlands.”

He began writing out his plan — a habit he'd picked up due to how overwhelmed his mind had become in the past few months. If before he could form strategies without needing to jot them down, now the details would slip through the cracks. Not completely — just hazy enough to risk mistakes, and he couldn’t afford to forget.

Namjoon nodded in acknowledgment, pulling out a pen and paper to record the Alpha’s commands.

“Yoongi, as second-in-command, you’re coming with us. I want you to prepare gifts for the pack. Let’s win them over, shall we?”

It was worth noting that even if Yoongi hadn’t been second-in-command, he still would’ve joined the mission. Jungkook couldn’t imagine standing without having his brother on his right side with him.

“Jungkookie, if you don’t mind me asking,” Namjoon said, putting his pen down, “what exactly are you planning to do?”

“Yeah, this is so unlike you. We could’ve just hit them at their weakest spot and taken over in no time,” Yoongi added.

And deep down, Jungkook knew he was right. But still, something in his chest told him this time needed to be different.

A different approach had never killed anyone.

Or so he thought.

“So,” Namjoon summarized, “the diplomatic meeting takes place. What next? We hand over some gifts and go, ‘oh, by the way, you now belong to us’?”

Jungkook chuckled at that, his index finger brushing over his bottom lip as he smirked at the irony in Namjoon’s tone.

“The diplomatic meeting takes place. We give them the offerings—gifts of gratitude for hosting us. We promise aid and pity in the name of the Moon Goddess. We assess how bad things really are. We take mental notes. And right when we’re about to leave, after carrying out everything I just said…”

Jungkook paused, taking a breath, preparing them for what was next.

“If it’s beyond repair, we burn the surrounding forests down. Hyungsik will have no choice but to beg for my help—and in return, I’ll tell him to surrender. Because that land will belong solely to me.”

He licked his lips after the long sentence, breathless from laying out his plan, and then waited—watching carefully—for the reactions of his most trusted Alphas.

The room fell into silence.

Namjoon clicked his tongue, leaning back in his chair as he tapped his pen against the paper. “That’s cold, even for you.” Yoongi nodded in agreemented.

Jungkook shrugged, unfazed. “We’ve done worse, at least we’re giving them a choice now.”

Yoongi didn’t speak. He stared at his younger brother for a long moment, trying to read between the lines. “You think they’ll really beg?” he asked, trying to crack Jungkook’s mind.

Jungkook’s lips curled into a ghost of a smile. “They will if their pups are starving.”

There it was again — the sharpness behind his strategy. Still, it wasn't the cruelty that made Yoongi uneasy — it was the way Jungkook spoke without blinking. Like it was nothing. He knew his brother cared, Jungkook wouldn’t let innocent pups pay with their lives. No, he knew Jungkook would save them no matter what, but the sudden coldness in his expression made him wondering just a little bit.

“And if they don’t?” Namjoon asked, arms crossed now. “What if Hyungsik doesn’t kneel?”

“Then he dies with his pride intact,” Jungkook said simply. “As for the rest of the pack…”

His voice lowered. “…they’ll follow whoever feeds them.”

Yoongi exhaled through his nose, shifting in his seat. “You know you’re playing with… fire, right?”

“I’m the True Alpha, hyung,” Jungkook said. “Fire obeys me.”

There was a beat of silence. Then Namjoon whistled under his breath. “Remind me never to piss you off.”

Jungkook allowed himself the faintest smile, then stood from his chair.

“We leave at dawn in two days. We’ll have enough time to prepare the gifts, meat, fur, fruits and vegetables, blankets… anything that could be useful to their current circumastances.”

He crossed the room, stopping by the open window. The sun had begun its slow descent, bleeding amber and rose into the sky. In the distance, the mountain range that separated their land from Hyungsik’s stood quiet, ancient and watching.

Jungkook’s gaze hardened. He wasn’t just going there to conquer.

He was going there to confirm something.

Something he hadn’t spoken aloud.

Not even to himself.

A pull.

A dream, maybe.

A whisper that had haunted him for months now — wild and soft and maddening.

He’d know soon enough, he figured.

⋆˙⟡

Two days flew by without anything particularly special happening in the highlands of the Jeon Dynasty. The pack had been working relentlessly, preparing gifts for the lowland pack. The hunters ventured deep into the forests, constantly hunting for fresh meat, while the seamstresses worked tirelessly with the pelts, crafting fur coats, blankets, and carpets in preparation for the approaching winter. Everything was carefully packed into boxes and loaded onto the carriage that Jungkook, Yoongi, and Namjoon would use to travel to the lowlands.

Two soldiers would accompany them—not because the three Alphas needed help, but because the risk of a lone wolf planning an attack on Jungkook had reached an all-time high. They couldn’t afford to take any chances. Not with Jungkook.

The three Alphas made their way toward the carriage, their feet grazing the stone road of the capital’s main square. A crowd had gathered to wave their great leader goodbye as he set out on his new endeavors. Jungkook was beloved by his people. They knew he always put them first, and despite the constant fights and battles their army had faced, the pack had never once complained. He had won their hearts with his strong will, his kind nature, and his deeply family-oriented ways.

Jungkook passed by the carriage door and instead approached the horse that would be pulling them through the entirety of their journey — a magnificent black stallion, his luscious mane flowing down to his ankles. Jungkook respected animals; his inner wolf was a reminder of how closely he was tied to the earth and everything that came with it.

The young Alpha gently placed a hand on the horse’s head, a respectful acknowledgment of the path they were about to cross together. He wanted the animal to feel his gratitude. The stallion responded by leaning into his touch, letting out a soft neigh — much like a cat’s purr in contentment.

Satisfied with the exchange, Jungkook made his way to the carriage. He waved to the crowd, and among them stood Sohee, her eyes locked on the Alpha, waiting — hoping — for his gaze to meet hers. But it didn’t. The moment Jungkook felt her stare, he stepped into the soft seat of the carriage and shut the door swiftly behind him.

He leaned back, placing a hand gently on Yoongi’s thigh beside him. Namjoon sat across from them, staring out the window, waving goodbye to Seokjin — his mate, long used to the travels his Alpha had to make.

“Safe travels, Alpha Jungkook!”

“You can do this, Alpha Jungkook!”

“Goodbye, Alpha Jungkook!”

Words of encouragement and farewell echoed from the crowd as the horse began to pull the carriage out of the square. A soft smile settled on Jungkook’s face, and if one looked closely, a faint rosy pink could be seen blooming across his cheeks. Despite knowing how powerful he was, he remained humble. His character had never changed, even under the weight of his harshest responsibilities.

And maybe… that’s what made him so special.

The carriage rolled forward, its wooden wheels creaking softly against the stone-paved road as the mountain capital slowly disappeared behind them. The farther they traveled, the quieter the world became — the noise of the city replaced by the serene hush of the highlands.

Ancient trees lined the road, their trunks thick and gnarled. Moss clung to the bark in dark green patches, and every so often, a soft breeze rustled the leaves. Wildflowers dotted the edges of the path — splashes of lavender, pale yellow, and deep blue blooming, eagles soared overhead, their cries echoing from cliff to cliff, as if warning the mountains themselves that their True Blook Alpha was passing through.

The scent of pine was sharp and comforting, and the breezy air filled their lungs with every breath. Far below them, there was a river flowing through the valleys, guiding them towards their final destination, it was fed by waterfalls that tumbled from the rocks above.

As the carriage descended, the terrain began to shift. The sharp cliffs gave way to rolling hills, the stone road turning to packed earth. The trees grew thinner, letting more sunlight in, and the chill in the air began to ease — slowly replaced by the warmer breeze of the lowlands.

Birdsong replaced the hush of the wind. The scent of pine gave way to the sweeter notes of wild herbs and damp soil. In the distance, the borders of Hyungsik’s land began to come into view — marked by wooden totems and tall stone lanterns.

Jungkook straightened in his seat, his expression unreadable, his eyes focused ahead. His wolf stirred restlessly beneath his skin, sensing the shift in territory — the unfamiliar pulse of a different pack’s land.

He pulled aside the linen curtain, his dark eyes narrowing at the sight. What he saw made his expression tense.

He took notice to the fields laid before his eyes.

Where lush grain should have grown, there was only patchy, yellowing land. Crops sat wilted under the unforgiving sun, most too short, too dry to bear fruit. Soil that should have been rich and dark was instead a pale, cracked brown — thirsting for rain that hadn’t come. Here and there, attempts at farming clung to life: a row of carrots, some strawberries barely peeking through, a few bean plants, but it was clear that nothing here thrived.

The scent of cooked roots and boiled herbs drifted faintly through the air — a poor replacement for meat or fresh bread.

Jungkook said nothing. But inside, something curled in his chest — not pity, not yet anger — but something dangerously close to both.

Yoongi leaned forward and looked through the other side, brows furrowed. Namjoon stayed silent, but Jungkook could feel the weight of his gaze.

This land is tired, Jungkook thought. It’s been starving for too long.

And just as the thought passed, a scent suddenly pierced through the dryness in the air — soft, rich, and maddeningly sweet. It hit him like a gust of wind, twisting his insides, stirring every part of his being like a whirlwind.

He froze.

His eyes shut tight, the scent crawling into every inch of his senses, wrapping around his soul like a spider’s silk — delicate, but inescapable. His breath caught. His chest rose sharply.

God, what’s this scent?

And more importantly — who’s scent is this?

“Stop the carriage,” Jungkook said sharply, eyes snapping open.

They were no longer brown.

A deep crimson glow overtook his irises, fire flashing across them as the bond inside him began to awaken. His heart thundered against his ribs, desperate to break free, like a cannonball waiting to launch.

“I said, stop the carriage. Now,” he growled, voice lowering, trembling with something primal.

Yoongi turned, alarm flashing in his eyes as he took in the sight of his brother. Jungkook — usually composed, regal even — now looked like a man on the edge of losing control.

And then… he spoke it.

Vanilla.

Yoongi blinked. “What?”

But the rider hadn’t heard them, or perhaps he didn’t understand the urgency. Jungkook didn’t wait. With a sharp snarl, he tore the door open with one swift movement and leapt out, boots sinking into the brittle soil.

He stumbled.

The moment his feet hit the ground, the scent intensified. It wrapped around his throat and settled in his lungs. His knees buckled slightly as he fell into a crouch, hands gripping the earth beneath him.

It was unlike anything he’d ever felt before.

Intoxicating. All-consuming. Almost unbearable.

He closed his eyes again, nose twitching, desperately pulling the scent deeper into his lungs. It calmed and agitated him all at once — the wolf inside scratching, growling, begging to be let out.

“Jungkook?” Yoongi called, alarmed, already out of the carriage and at his side.

He knelt beside him, placing a hand on his trembling back. “What’s happening?”

But Jungkook didn’t answer. Couldn’t.

His pulse pounded in his ears, his thoughts scattered like dust. All he could think about was the smell.

The warmth. The calling. The ache.

His wolf wanted to run. To find. To claim.

Sweet vanilla.

Soft… familiar… his?

‘’Don’t follow me.’’ he growled and his feet started dragging him through the trees surrounding him, he heard Yoongi’s footsteps behind him. He turned around, growled ‘’I said, don’t follow me.’’ He snapped, and like a madman continued his way, feet stumbling every now and then as he ran through the trees.

The wind shifted — just slightly — and with it, the scent sharpened. Jungkook’s head snapped up, chest heaving, eyes wild as they locked onto something — someone — standing just beyond the sparse trees near the hill’s slope.

And there he was.

For a moment, Jungkook forgot how to breathe.

He stood still, almost like a mirage, framed by the amber light of the late afternoon sun. His long soft golden-blonde hair flowed down in soft waves, some strands dancing lightly with the wind, the rest spilling over his shoulders like ink on silk. His skin, kissed with golden warmth, glowed softly against the earth-toned fabric that wrapped his slender frame — robes loose but elegant, worn and simple, yet somehow regal.

Jungkook’s eyes wandered helplessly, drinking in every detail like a starved man. The gentle curve of his jaw, the softness of his lips, the small mole resting just beneath one of his luminous, almond eyes. He was beautiful — not in a polished, princely way — but in a way that felt… untouched. Untamed.

Ethereal.

The kind of beauty that could never be replicated. Only born, once, as if the Goddess of the Moon had carved him out with her most delicate hands.

The boy — no, the man — stood there, barefoot on the cracked ground, holding a wicker basket filled with strawberries. His fingers looked soft, stained faintly with dirt from the harvest. His gaze wasn’t directed at him, not yet.

And yet Jungkook could feel him.

He could feel the pull, the spark, the sudden burning need.

The air around him thickened. His chest tightened. The Alpha inside him roared — not just with desire, but with recognition. Mine. It was instinctual. Inescapable. As if the earth, sky, and wind had all stopped just to declare:

There he is.

The one Jungkook was never supposed to find.

The one he didn’t even believe existed.

And the only one he could never walk away from now.

Jungkook’s feet trembled, suddenly losing balance, and as he tried to steady himself, he felt the gaze of the younger looking directly at him — almond eyes piercing through his own red irises.

And as if the younger could sense the tension in Jungkook’s scent, he took a few steps back, cautiously looking behind him to avoid falling.

No, no, no. Don’t be scared.

“Who… who are you?” the younger asked, his voice faltering with concern — making his usually deep tone sound weaker than ever.

He could feel the tension rising; the sweet vanilla scent from before had started to shift, turning uncertain. Frightened. Jungkook immediately released his pheromones into the air, subtly — coaxing, comforting, wordlessly promising he meant no harm.

The change was almost instant. The shift in the younger’s scent told Jungkook he was no longer scared. Or at least, not enough to run.

“I’m asking you again — who are you?” the younger repeated, voice now deeper than the vast oceans Jungkook had crossed in his travels.

Jungkook stood frozen, awestruck. He couldn’t think. Couldn’t even understand what was happening. He was too busy listening to that siren-like voice — the voice of the ethereal man standing before him. He tilted his head, while taking in the sight in front of him.

An Omega. Slightly younger than him.

“Alpha,” the younger muttered, “who are you?” he asked again, this time firmly, eyebrows furrowed as he took in the sight of the clearly shaken Alpha before him — Jungkook, who looked as if he might collapse where he stood.

There were still a few meters of space between them, and yet Jungkook felt like he was worlds away. He wanted — needed — to close the distance. But he didn’t. He held back, unwilling to startle the Omega again.

“I’ll be whoever you want me to be,” he whispered, slowly, breathlessly — as if these might be the last words he’d ever speak.

The younger’s eyes widened. The words were almost comical. It had been so long since an Alpha had dared say such a thing to him — especially one like this, overly attractive and visibly unbalanced by his presence. It was… satisfying.

He tried to hide the smile tugging at his lips, but Jungkook noticed it — along with the blush now blooming across the Omega’s cheeks, pink painting over already sculpted features.

Jungkook didn’t wait for a reply. He couldn’t. He needed to know everything about the Omega standing in front of him.

Where have you been all my life? he thought.

“What’s your name?” he asked, almost gasping the words, drunk on the scent that had so easily taken him under — that damn sweet vanilla.

“You’re in my land,” the younger replied. “You’re supposed to tell me first.” He was avoiding Jungkook’s gaze now, clearly enjoying the sight of the flushed Alpha a little too much. And if he claimed the creeping sandalwood wasn’t doing something to him, he’d be lying.

“You know…” Jungkook began, slowly regaining his composure, straightening up, “it’s dangerous for an Omega like you to be out here alone.”

“Oh yeah?” the younger replied, bending to pick a stray strawberry he’d missed before the Alpha’s arrival. “What’s dangerous about that?”

“I could have killed you, for all you know,” Jungkook said with a smirk. His Alpha was now fully in control — but gentler than usual. Calmer. Softer.

“But you won’t,” the younger answered confidently, a small smile playing on his lips.

“And how do you know that?” Jungkook asked, taking a cautious step forward.

“Your scent,” he replied. “I can feel it.”

Silence.

Neither of them needed to say more.

Something was there. Something ancient. Invisible.

Fate, if he wasn’t mistaken.

“Omega,” Jungkook said, voice gentler now, “what’s your name?”

His patience was wearing thin, but he didn’t let it show. He had to stay calm — for the Omega. A stranger like him… he could’ve easily been mistaken for a lone wolf — a threat — creeping through the woods to hunt down prey like him.

But Jungkook would never hurt him.

This vanilla-scented beauty — beauty so profound, he felt his human and wolf instincts colliding, tangled and confused.

The younger in front of him completely disregarded his question once again. Instead, he spoke, “You’re not from around here.”

His eyes wandered to their surroundings. The trees stood like brittle bones over cracked soil, and the strawberries in his basket were barely red — more pale than sweet.

“You’re right. I’m not,” Jungkook replied softly.

His gaze, usually sharp and commanding, had softened in a way he couldn’t quite explain. That sweet vanilla scent had transformed something in him. Still, his stance remained firm, dominance evident in the way he stood tall — chin high, tone steady. He stepped closer, releasing more pheromones in a quiet attempt to soothe the Omega.

“Where did you come from?” the Omega asked, discomfort flickering in his eyes as he noticed just how tall the Alpha really was up close. The size difference felt more real now, more present.

“Actually, I came from—”

He was cut off suddenly by a familiar voice calling out behind him.

“There you are!” Yoongi jogged the last few steps and stopped beside him, breath catching. “You scared me back there.”

Jungkook didn’t look away from the Omega, but Yoongi’s eyes followed his line of sight — and the moment he caught a whiff of Jungkook’s scent, he understood something. He didn’t speak on it, but the awareness was there, sharp and heavy.

“You know I can protect myself, hyung,” Jungkook muttered, his eyes still locked with the stranger’s.

“Let’s go. We’re already late.”

Yoongi’s hand gripped his brother’s arm, tugging gently but firmly. Jungkook turned to him with a look — a silent plea. Not yet. Please. But when he turned back—

The Omega was gone.

His chest dropped. His wolf clawed at him, restless and panicked.

I lost him.

Gone. Just like that.

When did he leave? How did I not notice?

Yoongi’s voice came again, this time more forceful. “Do you mind explaining what’s going on?” he growled, shoving Jungkook lightly by the shoulder.

But Jungkook ignored him. He lifted his chin and inhaled deeply, desperate to catch even the faintest trail of that scent again.

Vanilla.

But it was gone. Faded into the dry wind.

I didn’t catch his name.

Chapter Text

Taehyung had left the house early that morning. Two days had passed since he had last spoken to Hyungsik, and he had promised himself he wouldn’t seek him out — not for comfort, not even for the faint brush of a hand. Not for the sake of being scented.

As his Alpha.

As his mate.

But avoidance came at a price. Already, Hyungsik’s pine had faded from his skin, leaving only the barest trace mingling with his own vanilla. He would catch himself tugging at his collar, pressing his nose against the hollow of his throat, desperate to catch even a ghost of it. He’d grown used to carrying that scent — carrying him — as though it might anchor him.

It had only been a few months since the sacred ritual that had bound them. Hyungsik, strong and revered, had claimed him before the pack’s eyes. Taehyung had been told he was lucky. He was reminded often that every Omega dreamed of such a bond, dreamt to be cherished and loved like he was by Hyungsik.

But luck was not what he felt. At least not at once.

He had been watched since the moment he presented, every step shadowed by hungry eyes. There hadn’t been an Omega as striking in years, they said, with beauty so sweet it was a temptation, with a voice so soft and deep at the same time it stirred hearts. But beauty had never fed a starving grandmother. It had never rebuilt a crumbling stone house.

He’d grown up alone but for her — the only family left after his father abandoned them and his mother vanished into silence after her beloved mate’s departure. It had been too much for her to bare; she couldn’t take care of a pup whose eyes only reminded her of him. And so she found it best to leave him, forever. His grandmother had never let him feel unwanted. Taehyung had worked to repay her devotion since he was fourteen, laboring in the farms until his hands blistered, dreaming of the day he might awaken as an Alpha.

An Alpha could provide. An Alpha could protect. An Alpha could save them.

Instead, the heat had come and he felt what came with it. Slow and suffocating, curling in his chest until it burned away every dream he had ever clung to.

The Goddess had not given him teeth and strength. She had made him an Omega.

And a beautiful one, they said.

The kind who was destined to be taken.

He had cried that day.

Even though he had known his fate since he was young, when the heat first clawed into him, the truth struck like a drumbeat: there would be no escape.

It had been an ordinary morning, sunlight spilling through the cracks of the old window. Birds chirped in the branches beyond, pups tumbled in the grass, their laughter rising and clashing with the songs of the sparrows. For one fragile moment, it had felt like peace.

Until the knock.

They had not been expecting visitors. Taehyung had learned long ago that unannounced knocks never carried good news. Behind every one stood an Alpha — sometimes a Beta — demanding his grandmother’s permission to court him.

It had been five years since he’d bloomed into an Omega, the kind whose name drifted from mouth to mouth, a rumor sweetened with envy. Alphas from across the region spoke of the flower hidden deep in the meadows, the beauty that would bring honor to whichever Alpha won him.

But Taehyung had never been tempted.

He found flaws in each of them, and clung to those flaws as if they were shields.

Too arrogant.

Too sensitive.

Too violent.

Too smitten.

Too careless.

A murderer.

A cheater.

He would not bend simply for the promise of an Alpha’s care. He would not throw away his dignity for someone who saw him only as a prize.

And always, in the back of his mind, lingered the shadow of his mother. He had hated her once, for leaving him in the ruins of her heartbreak. But as he grew older, he understood: she had been betrayed by the one person she trusted. And Taehyung feared he might walk the same path if he was not careful. And he didn’t want that, he wouldn’t allow himself to be swept from the empty promises that came with each Alpha.

And then, there was Hyungsik, the leader of the pack.

The knock that morning had been softer than the others. Not arrogant. Not rushed. Almost… patient. When Taehyung opened the door, Hyungsik had stood there with a smile so steady, so calm, that for the first time Taehyung did not immediately search for a flaw.

He was handsome in the way Alphas were expected to be — broad shoulders, sharp jaw, the quiet confidence of someone who knew he could command a room without raising his voice. His scent hit first: pine needles after rain, threaded with something warm and grounding. It curled into Taehyung’s lungs before he could stop it, clashing and yet strangely complementing his own vanilla sweetness.

Unlike the others, Hyungsik did not rush forward with empty promises. He asked for nothing but tea, bowing politely to his grandmother, speaking gently to Taehyung as if he were more than just a prize to be won.

For weeks, Hyungsik lingered on the edges of his life — never demanding, never pressing too far. Compared to the parade of arrogant Alphas before him, Hyungsik seemed like safety. Like inevitability. And Taehyung, tired of pushing everyone away, weary of the whispers that followed him through the pack, began to lower his guard.

Perhaps this Alpha was different.

Perhaps this was the one flaw he could not find.

It was months later, under the weight of his pack’s expectant gazes and his grandmother’s quiet relief, that Taehyung allowed himself to be scented, to be claimed. The sacred ritual bound them in ways he had once dreamed of sharing with someone he truly loved.

But as time passed, he realized inevitability was not the same as love.

Being mated to the Alpha of the pack had its blessings. Hyungsik was beloved by everyone — a leader who hunted alongside his people, harvested with them, travelled with them, carried their burdens as if they were his own. And by extension, Taehyung, now their Luna, was cherished as well. Only the sharp eyes of envious Omegas lingered on him with bitterness, dreaming of being in Taehyung’s shoes, dreaming of having Hyungsik all to themselves.

Taehyung told himself he would grow to love him. And one day, he did, in his own way. Hyungsik was soft with him, patient, never forcing more than Taehyung could give. He provided for him, never once forgetting his grandmother, who grew frailer by the day.

It was hard not to admire him — the way he worked relentlessly for his pack, clinging to the small land left to him by centuries of Alphas before, desperate to keep it alive for his people. Taehyung had seen that devotion in Hyungsik’s eyes a thousand times, and he had wanted to match it.

But the land betrayed them.

The fields that once bloomed with flowers and fruit stood barren, an emptiness that seemed to seep into Taehyung’s own chest. The hunts grew smaller, rabbits and scraps of meat barely enough for two full-grown wolves. And though Taehyung’s stomach ached, he ate less so Hyungsik could remain strong. Because that was what an Alpha needed more than an Omega — strength to endure when the world gave them nothing.

Taehyung had brought a basket with him to collect any remaining fruit he could find, the meadows used to be filled with strawberry crops, and strawberries were his favorites. He looked relentlessly on the crippling soil beneath his feet, trying to find them thinking that some of them could be hidden under the leaves that had lost their strength and fallen down.

And he was right, he managed to find some strawberries left behind to burn under the scorching September sun, they had been left under it for so long they had started to lose their red color, their juice and had become tinier than ever. Taehyung held them in his hands before putting them into the basket, inspecting if they were worth even taking or not.

He had been digging through the soil, lost in thought, and didn’t notice until too late that his fingers were stained with dirt. With a quiet sigh, he bent down to reach for the small flask of water he had packed beforehand. Every drop mattered now — their river was nothing more than a trickle, and the nearest one lay high up the mountain. Spilling even a mouthful would be unforgivable.

That was when he felt it.

A presence.

His breath caught as an unfamiliar scent threaded its way into the air around him, subtle at first, then all at once suffocating.

Sandalwood.

Taehyung’s head snapped up, eyes darting frantically across the empty fields. The scent wasn’t near, and yet… it was everywhere. It pressed against his skin, seeped into his bones, as if the owner stood close enough to whisper into his ear.

This wasn’t possible. There was no wind, no reason the air should carry it to him like this. And yet—

His Omega wolf stirred, restless under his skin, purring at the sudden intrusion of that scent. The reaction was immediate, instinctive, and utterly out of his control.

Taehyung’s chest tightened. He refused to let his body betray him, refused to lean into something that wasn’t his.

But his wolf wouldn’t listen. With every breath, sandalwood wrapped tighter around him, curling like smoke, demanding he give in.

Why? Why was his wolf leaning into it, aching for more?

He looked around, wandering, until suddenly his gaze caught on someone. An Alpha — he could tell by the way he stood tall, broad even through the shadows of the trees. And yet, there was something different about him. Something that made the hair at the back of Taehyung’s neck rise.

Strange. The Alpha looked… unsettled. His body almost trembled, though the air was still, the weather neither cold nor harsh. Why would an Alpha tremble? Taehyung’s senses sharpened, catching the subtle shift in his scent — sandalwood, rich and burning. Burning with what? Desire? Anger? Pain? He couldn’t place it. Perhaps he was sick.

Or perhaps… he was a lone wolf. There hadn’t been any sightings around their territory for moons, but that didn’t mean they had vanished.

Taehyung instinctively took a step back. Then another. Careful, cautious. His gaze flicked behind him to steady his footing, but maybe his unease betrayed him — because the Alpha’s eyes faltered, locking onto him with an intensity that made Taehyung’s pulse spike. The Alpha’s chest rose and fell in deep, deliberate breaths, as if dragging in Taehyung’s scent.

“Who… who are you?” Taehyung mumbled, his voice unsteady, betraying the concern he felt. The words nearly caught in his throat, broken by a gulp. His usually deep timbre was reduced to something thin, uncertain.

The tension in his chest coiled tighter, twisting with every breath. His vanilla scent, soft and sweet, wavered — now tinged with unease. Fright.

Then the air shifted. The Alpha released pheromones, subtle but undeniable, washing over him like a low tide. Coaxing. Calming. Wordlessly promising no harm.

Taehyung froze. His instincts warred inside him, but the change in the air soothed the sharp edges of his fear. Not enough to trust — but enough to keep him rooted. Enough to keep him from running.

“I’ll ask you again,” Taehyung said, his voice lower now, steady as stone, his Omega wolf bristling with pride. “Who are you?”

Taehyung never received a reply from the visibly shaken Alpha, and he couldn’t understand what was happening. The man suddenly tilted his head, staring right through him, and to say Taehyung wasn’t affected by the piercing gaze would be a lie. His chest tightened under those eyes—dark, sharp, yet glimmering with something fragile.

His Omega wolf purred again, restless, clawing at his insides. The Alpha before him looked like no one Taehyung had ever seen—broad shoulders framed by the trees, jawline tense, lips parted as if he was searching for air. His posture screamed strength, but his trembling betrayed him. What was wrong with him?

“Alpha,” Taehyung muttered once more, testing the word on his tongue, “who are you?” His voice came out firmer this time, brows knitting together as he tried to steady the unease stirring inside him.

“I’ll be whoever you want me to be,” the stranger whispered, low and breathless—like the words themselves hurt to leave his lips.

Taehyung’s eyes widened. The response was absurd—almost laughable. It had been so long since an Alpha had dared speak to him like that. And yet, this one… this one wasn’t mocking him. His voice was too raw, too desperate, too sincere. Against his will, Taehyung felt his mouth twitch upward, a small smile threatening to betray him. He quickly looked away, but not before heat crept across his cheeks.

“What’s your name?” the Alpha asked suddenly, nearly gasping the words, as if he was drunk on something only he could sense.

“You’re in my land,” Taehyung replied, forcing calm into his tone. “You should tell me yours first.” He avoided the Alpha’s gaze, not wanting him to see the effect he was having. But he couldn’t ignore the way sandalwood thickened in the air between them—warm, burning, almost suffocating. Why did it make his lungs ache in the most addictive way?

“You know…” the Alpha said, straightening slightly, his composure returning, “it’s dangerous for an Omega like you to be out here alone.”

“Oh yeah?” Taehyung replied casually, bending down to pluck a stray strawberry from the ground, feigning nonchalance. “What’s dangerous about that?”

“I could have killed you, for all you know,” the Alpha smirked, but there was no cruelty behind it. His voice was softer than the words implied, almost gentle.

“But you won’t,” Taehyung countered, confident despite the rapid beat of his heart.

“And how do you know that?” The Alpha took a careful step closer, testing boundaries.

“Your scent,” Taehyung replied simply. “I can feel it.”

Taehyung had never felt a scent like he felt this Alpha’s. There was something different about it, something that made the entirety of his body tingle, he felt as if he was drunk from the sandalwood that was threatening to change everything hes ever known. He couldn’t let that happen, he needed to shake those feelings way.

It must be from the hunger, he thought.

Silence followed. Neither needed to say more. Something unspeakable passed between them, carried in the stillness of the forest.

The Alpha’s eyes softened. “Omega,” he murmured, voice gentler than before, “what’s your name?”

But Taehyung ignored the question again, focusing instead on the unease curling in his stomach. “You’re not from around here.”

“You’re right. I’m not,” the Alpha admitted quietly, his tone so soft it almost unsettled Taehyung further.

“Where did you come from?” he pressed, though his own nerves betrayed him. The Alpha was taller than he had realized up close—towering over him in a way that made his size difference suddenly, uncomfortably real.

“Actually, I came from—”

A voice cut him off.

“There you are!” Another Alpha jogged into view, stopping beside him, panting slightly. “You scared me back there.”

The first Alpha didn’t look away from Taehyung. His gaze clung to him stubbornly, and the second Alpha followed it, eyes narrowing as they landed on Taehyung. The air thickened instantly, and Taehyung’s chest tightened. Two Alphas. Too close. Too dangerous.

“You know I can protect myself, hyung,” the first one muttered without breaking eye contact with Taehyung.

“Let’s go. We’re already late,” the second Alpha insisted, his hand gripping the other’s arm, tugging him with quiet force.

Their silent push and pull gave Taehyung the perfect opportunity to slip away. His instincts screamed at him to run, and he listened.

Branches whipped past him as he darted through the woods, his mind a mess. What was he doing? Talking to an Alpha he’d never seen before, blushing at his words like some naive pup? That’s all Alphas needed to do to charm an Omega—say something sweet, look devastatingly handsome, and leave them unsteady?

Then why… why was this Alpha different? Why did his scent cling to Taehyung’s lungs, make his chest ache with the urge to breathe in more? Why was he still sniffing the air, desperately trying to find even the faintest trace of burning sandalwood as he ran?

⋆˙⟡

Jungkook was baffled by the sudden break in proximity with possibly the most beautiful stranger he had ever seen. His wolf clawed at the inside of his chest, urging him to give chase, to let the Omega know there was no need to run. But that wasn’t the only instinct burning through him.

Frantically, Jungkook tore Yoongi’s grip from his arm, low growls spilling past quivering lips. His hands trembled, fists clenching and unclenching as if he didn’t know whether to strike or to hold. He couldn’t understand the surge of emotions overtaking him—only that he wanted to rip Yoongi apart for making the young beauty flee.

“I told you not to follow me.” His voice cracked with fury, clicking his tongue harshly over the word not as he stepped away, chest heaving. He sniffed the air desperately, chasing after any lingering thread of that vanilla sweetness, anything to soothe his frantic Alpha. His foot caught on something, halting him.

The basket.

It lay fallen on the ground, strawberries scattered like spilled jewels across the dirt. Jungkook bent down, hands shaking as he scooped it up, holding it tightly against his chest as if it were something sacred.

Yoongi didn’t dare speak at first. From the way Jungkook’s eyes blazed, he knew exactly what had taken hold of him. The Omega’s scent clung to the soil, sharp and intoxicating, unlike anything he had ever encountered.

“Jungkook,” Yoongi finally said, voice even, cautious. “Namjoon’s in the carriage. Waiting.”

Jungkook’s eyes snapped to him, dark and wild, a furious glare burning so deep Yoongi almost faltered. Without a word, Jungkook turned, retracing his steps with urgent precision, back toward the place he’d watched the boy disappear.

Yoongi exhaled through his nose, following. His gaze flickered once to the faint outline of the village in the distance. Conquering such a crumbling land would have been easy—if only Jungkook weren’t so intent on letting an Omega unravel him. Still, Yoongi’s instincts whispered that this wasn’t just infatuation.

And beneath the layers of sandalwood and vanilla, something else lingered in the air. A faint, foreign trace that Jungkook, blinded by his frenzy, hadn’t noticed.

⋆˙⟡

The carriage rumbled across the cracked, unforgiving soil of the lowlands, each jolt a reminder of how barren this place had become. Through the window, Jungkook watched the woods thin out until the trees gave way to fields of yellowed grass, their roots barely clinging to life. They passed a river along the way—if it could still be called one. The water ran so shallow it reflected more stone than stream. Jungkook guessed this was the same river Hyungsik had written of in his letter, the one he claimed no longer sustained his people.

Jungkook said nothing. He hadn’t spoken since leaving the forest. His jaw was locked, his mind circling elsewhere—on the coming meeting with an Alpha he despised, despite having seen him only once. Weakness disgusted him. A leader who bent beneath hardship didn’t deserve to lead. Storms, famine, drought—those were trials that tested strength. True Alphas endured them. Conquered them. Jungkook’s lips pressed into a thin line. Hyungsik’s pleas for help had already told him everything he needed to know.

And yet, the weakness played to his advantage. Jungkook had plans for this land. If the Alpha faltered, then stripping him of power and claiming it for himself would be all too easy.

The carriage creaked over the parched earth, the wheels groaning as dust rose in little clouds with each turn. Jungkook’s gaze never strayed from the window. The fields lay withered, their crops shriveled and gray, bowing low as though already defeated. Even the soil looked brittle, like bone left too long in the sun.

He inhaled slowly. The air was dry, sharp on the tongue—yet beneath it clung the faintest trace of something sweeter. The Omega’s scent still lingered in his senses, no matter how he tried to force it away. It coiled deep within him, urging, distracting, refusing to be forgotten. His hand dropped to the basket in his lap—the same one the young Omega had left behind. It had remained untouched since he’d taken it, lying across his knees like an accusation.

But this wasn’t the time. The meeting came first. He would control the distraction, the ache, the gnawing pull. He would.

When the carriage finally slowed, the wheels sinking slightly into the cracked ground, Jungkook stirred. His sharp eyes swept the land outside before the door creaked open. He stepped down, his boots crunching against brittle soil that broke like ash beneath his weight.

The settlement stretched before him—small, meager, its strength sapped by hunger and drought. Stone houses patched with straw and mud leaned against one another, some crumbling, some barely standing. The air was heavy with silence until murmurs stirred. A crowd had gathered to watch.

They stood at a distance, eyes fixed on the figure emerging from the Highland carriage. Their gazes held equal measures of awe, fear, and fragile hope.

Jeon Jungkook.

They had heard the name, carried in whispers across lands. Stories of cruelty, of iron rule, of a True Blood Alpha who struck fear into rivals. But what they saw was not what they expected. He was young—unreasonably so. Too young, they thought, to command such power. And yet, the aura radiating from him erased any doubt. It pressed over the crowd like a storm front—magnetic, commanding, dangerous.

He was devastatingly beautiful. Terrifyingly untouchable.

Every glance followed him, every breath caught, as though the lowland wolves themselves could not decide if they should bow—or run.

Behind him, Yoongi and Namjoon descended from the carriage in silence, their steady presence shadowing his advance.

“Namjoon is in position,” Yoongi’s voice broke through the quiet, steady as ever. “We’ll follow your lead, as always.”

Jungkook nodded, the corners of his lips twitching into a faint smirk. He adjusted his coat, fingers brushing over the leather straps across his chest.

At the center of the gathering, a lone figure emerged—Hyungsik, the Alpha of this struggling pack. Tension clung to his shoulders, his hands trembling as he forced composure. He was young, ambitious, and shorter than Jungkook, which only made the contrast in dominance sharper. Even with Alphas and Betas filling the crowd, none could rival the power Jungkook carried. With every deliberate step forward, Namjoon and Yoongi flanked him at either side, while soldiers trailed close behind.

Jungkook’s lips curved into a slow, predatory smile. He didn’t rush; he let the silence stretch, savoring Hyungsik’s unease. Let him feel what it meant to stand before someone who could crush—or save—him.

Their hands met. Hyungsik’s grip trembled, but it held enough strength to show his effort. A Beta quickly stepped forward, ushering them toward the stone building looming in the background. Inside, Jungkook, Namjoon, and Yoongi settled around a circular table. Hyungsik sat at the center, two guards with swords stationed on either side.

“True Blood Alpha, Jeon Jungkook, I welcome you to my land,” Hyungsik said, his voice straining against the weight of the moment. Omegas hurried to prepare the feast, laying out roasted deer and pouring rich, red wine into their cups.

“You called for me,” Jungkook’s voice cut the air—low, sharp, unhurried. “I came.” He lifted the cup, taking a measured sip before setting it down.

Hyungsik swallowed, his throat dry. He mirrored Jungkook’s actions, though his hands shook faintly. His scent flickered with unease. “Alpha Jungkook, yes. I didn’t… I didn’t know who else to turn to. My pack… we are struggling. We are in need.” His words trembled like his grip, and he knew the risk of summoning the most feared Alpha in the region.

Maybe Taehyung had been right. Maybe he shouldn’t have called Jungkook.

Hyungsik’s chest tightened at the thought of his mate. They hadn’t spoken in days, and right now, the need for him ached sharper than ever.

“I can see that,” Jungkook said softly, his tone almost teasing as he glanced around the modest hall. It was nothing like the grandeur of his own world, but Jungkook didn’t scorn it. That alone marked him different from his late father.

“Hyungsik, allow me to introduce myself as well,” Namjoon said, breaking the taut silence he wanted to break the tension Jungkook had created with his stance “I am Kim Namjoon, Diplomat of the Highlands.”

“I’m Jeon Yoongi, second-in-command of the Jeon Dynasty—Jungkook’s brother,” Yoongi added, already carving into the venison. They hadn’t eaten properly in days, and he knew he would need his strength for what was to come.

Hyungsik’s pine-like scent lingered in the air. Yoongi couldn’t recall exactly when he’d caught it, but it clung faintly, unsettling.

“Thank you for coming, Yoongi and Namjoon. Your presence is deeply appreciated—by me, and by my pack,” Hyungsik said, though his eyes flicked nervously toward the doorway.

Because beneath the scents of venison, wine, and pine… another fragrance had begun to drift through the room.

Sweet vanilla.

 “Tell me, Hyungsik… how long could your pack have survived without asking for help?” Jungkook spoke once more, trying to feed his ego with the Alpha in front of him.

Yoongi’s eyes widened at the question, Jungkook was playing with fire, he knew his brother well enough and he shouldn’t have been shocked at the way he spoke with the leader, while also standing on the leader’s land. He didn’t want Jungkook to look ungrateful nor disrespectful.

Hyungsik hesitated, disliking the arrogance the True Alpha was flaunting, but there wasn’t much he could say. “Not long… the river is nearly dry… our food stores… it’s not enough.”

A faint click of Jungkook’s tongue was the only sound in the room for a while. His crimson eyes seemed to pierce through the Alpha’s soul, stripping him bare. “I see. And yet… you sent your letter to me. Why not to one of your neighbors?” Jungkook leaned back into his chair, tilting his head ever so slightly, almost as if toying with him.

“Because… because you are… you are…” Hyungsik faltered, the words choking in his throat. “Feared. Powerful. You’ve conquered more than any other Alpha in the mountains. You… you can help us.”

Jungkook’s smirk widened, the arrogance curling at his lips like smoke.

But the expression didn’t last long.

Taehyung had been lingering close to the back door of the meeting hall, hidden in shadow. He knew this gathering would take place today, and he was determined to see with his own eyes who Jeon Jungkook truly was—the monster who had been terrorizing lands and packs for over a year. And though he and Hyungsik hadn’t exchanged words in days, he could not abandon his mate in such a moment.

From the moment the doors had closed, Taehyung had been listening, every arrogant syllable dripping from Jungkook’s tongue feeding the fire under his skin. He heard the way Hyungsik’s voice faltered, the way fear clung to each of his words, and rage twisted inside him.

He hated it.

Hated how this Alpha fed his ego by cornering Hyungsik, making him sound so small, so fragile.

His jaw clenched. His blood simmered.

And then he realized—he couldn’t stand it.

He wouldn’t stand it.

And just as Jungkook was about to open his mouth to request a tour of the village—to better acquaint himself with its layout and the pack he might one day claim—a scent cut through the air, striking him like a lightning bolt. The same intoxicating aroma he had encountered only an hour ago… yet now it hit him with double the force. His entire body froze, breath catching in his chest, and for a moment, the world narrowed to nothing but that single, overwhelming presence. Even the faintest trace of it was enough to unravel him completely.

Yoongi felt his brother shift instantly. The burning sandalwood that clung to Jungkook was spilling into the room, heavy and suffocating. The tremor in him was all too familiar—Yoongi had seen it just an hour ago, back in the woods.

Jungkook was restless, eyes darting frantically, trying to pinpoint the source of the sweet, intoxicating aroma that made his instincts flare. It didn’t take long.

The young Omega had slipped into the room, searching for his mate, hoping to steady him with his scent—to grant him courage against the Alpha who cornered him so cruelly. But his eyes met another pair entirely. Eyes that pierced him like needles through fabric. And that look alone made him stop in his tracks, regret flooding him for ever stepping into the room.

Jungkook felt as if the ground beneath him had vanished, swallowed by an endless abyss. The Omega standing behind Hyungsik’s chair was the same one he had seen in the woods—the same Omega who had shattered his focus, who had made him forget why he had even come here. He couldn’t let anyone sense the effect this man was having on him, but it was becoming unbearable. He couldn’t stay seated a moment longer; he needed to act.

A firm hand clamped onto his thigh. Jungkook’s gaze dropped to Yoongi, who gave the slightest shake of his head, voice low, sharp, warning: Not now. Not here.

Yoongi already knew. He had pieced it together, and he didn’t know what Jungkook would do—but he knew it wouldn’t be calm.

Hyungsik noticed the shift in the air, felt it like static against his skin. He turned, following the intensity of Jungkook’s stare… and his eyes fell on his mate, frozen as if pinned to the floor by invisible needles..

Rising from his seat, Hyungsik moved toward the Omega, calm and deliberate. Jungkook mirrored him instinctively, springing to his feet faster than he could recall ever doing, nearly stumbling as the finished cup of red wine slipped from his grasp, shattering on the concrete.

A Beta crouched to retrieve it, but Jungkook didn’t even glance down to acknowledge him. His eyes were fixed on the Omega. And when Hyungsik’s hand touched the Omega’s waist, guiding him closer—something dark flared inside Jungkook.

He didn’t like it.

“Jungkook,” Yoongi’s voice cut through, low and firm, shifting from his thigh to grip Jungkook’s arm. “Sit down.”

But Jungkook couldn’t move. His gaze was locked, confused. Why was Hyungsik holding him that way? Why was he leading him forward? The Alpha’s mouth was moving, words spilling out, but Jungkook couldn’t hear. He only heard the roaring of his own pulse—only smelled the intoxicating vanilla threading through the air until it drowned everything else.

Hyungsik felt the tension radiating off Jungkook but dismissed it, assuming it was nothing more than nerves.

Taehyung, however, was barely holding upright. The sandalwood scent coiled around him like fire and smoke, burning through every inch of his body. Without Hyungsik’s steadying hands, his knees would have given way the moment their touch left him.

Sandalwood.

Vanilla.

The familiar pine scent of his mate, usually a balm, offered no comfort. Instead, the air seemed to twist inside him, pleasure and pain intertwined. The sandalwood ignited a longing so sharp it ached, while the vanilla teased, pulling him into a storm of helpless desire. Hyungsik’s pheromones thickened, protective and steady, trying to shield the bond between them from the strangers in the room—but Taehyung knew better. His unrest wasn’t because of the other Alphas. It was because of the one sitting across the table, silent but suffocating.

So this was Jeon Jungkook?

The same gentle Alpha he had met in the woods—the same Alpha who had left an imprint on his mind—was the same one terrorizing packs and nations, cornering Hyungsik with that terrifying presence.

Hyungsik guided Taehyung closer to the table where the Alphas were seated. Seeing Jungkook stand upright, his gaze never leaving the Omega, made something twitch inside him. The sight was sharp, almost painful, and it didn’t help that Taehyung stood beside him, equally restless, equally unaware of what storm was brewing between them.

Neither Taehyung nor Jungkook could fully understand what it was about their scents that stirred their wolves so violently.

Hyungsik’s hand settled firmly on Taehyung’s waist, grounding, possessive. But instead of reassurance, the touch only deepened the ache. Jungkook growled, a sound dragged raw from his chest, too primal to be contained. His wolf strained forward, desperate to rip through Hyungsik and seize the Omega for himself.

“Gentlemen,” Hyungsik said, his voice cutting through the tension, steady, precise, deliberate, “I’d like you all to meet Kim Taehyung.”

Kim Taehyung.

Kim… Taehyung.

The words clung to Jungkook like a fire and a balm all at once. His wolf howled the name inside him, echoing it back, over and over, clawing against his skin. Nothing he had ever heard compared—the gentleness, the pull, the way the sound melted through his body and pooled hot in his heart. His instincts screamed, every fiber of his being responded—the scent, the presence, the name—it all coiled inside him, both unbearable and irresistible. His wolf whimpered, desperate, yearning, trembling against his ribs.

Taehyung felt it too—the way the air shifted, the way his body betrayed him. His wolf trembled at the sound of Jungkook’s growl, ears straining for more. He should have leaned into Hyungsik’s hold, should have felt safe in that familiar pine. But instead, sandalwood tangled with vanilla until his own scent wavered, unsure, aching for something it didn’t understand.

Yoongi’s grip tightened around Jungkook’s shoulder, sensing the spiraling storm inside his Alpha, anchoring him before he lost control.

Hyungsik, unaware of the devastation unfolding between them, delivered the final blow.

“My mate.”

The world cracked.

Jungkook’s vision blurred, his breath tearing ragged through his chest. His hands shook violently, every muscle tensed as his wolf ripped against its cage, howling in frustration, in ache. The words sliced him open, raw, unbearable. Instinct demanded he fight, demanded he claim, demanded he crush the space between them—but his body betrayed him, frozen under the sheer force of the bond.

My mate?

How can he be YOUR mate?

Every thought fractured. Mission, pride, dominance—none of it mattered anymore. All that remained was the scent, the sight, the name, coiled like fire in his chest. Helplessness swallowed him whole, thick and suffocating. The strongest Alpha in the mountains, undone in an instant, powerless before the Omega he could never touch.

Taehyung’s heart hammered, his chest aching with confusion. Hyungsik’s hold tightened, steady and firm, but it felt foreign, distant, almost wrong.

Jungkook staggered, knees threatening to give in under the weight of longing and despair. His wolf howled in his ribs, clawing, pleading, breaking him apart from the inside out. Nothing in his life—no victory, no conquest, no blood spilled—had ever felt like this.  The world had narrowed to this one moment, to this one name, to this one Omega.

And he was utterly, hopelessly undone.

And he knew, deep in the core of himself, that nothing would ever be the same again.

Chapter Text

To say Jungkook was dumbfounded would be an understatement. He stood frozen, unsure if what he was living was even reality anymore. Thoughts ran wild, clawing through him, agonizing him. He couldn’t name what was tearing him apart, he couldn’t understand either. He could only feel that his wolf was desperate to burst through his ribcage and rip the entire building down. Even the air felt wrong in his lungs. Too thin. Not enough.

“Hyungsik.” a voice broke the agonizing silence of the room, sweet, melodic, too sweet—called the name Jungkook loathed most in that instant. “I feel unwell.”

Jungkook didn’t feel well either.

Hyungsik’s arm tightened around Taehyung’s waist and Jungkook’s stomach plummeted at the sight, his gaze burning through the Alpha’s bones. Hyungsik turned, his focus landing on his mate, the one that had already consumed Jungkook’s mind.

Taehyung.

Taehyung.

Taehyung.

His new favorite name. His new favorite prayer. And Jungkook wasn’t religious, but he swears he would pray in the name of Kim Taehyung.

Goddess of the Moon, what’s going on with me?

Hyungsik let go of Taehyung’s waist only to lift his hands, cupping Taehyung’s face, looking at him with worry dripping from his eyes.There’s no doubt that Hyungsik worshipped the ground Taehyung walked on, anyone in the room could notice that. The younger wolf flinched at the sudden intimacy, and when Hyungsik nuzzled him, Taehyung turned away. His eyes trying to look anywhere but him, helplessly searching in the room, and they landed on Jungkook instead.

The world dropped out beneath his feet.

Don’t look at me.

Don’t.

The air in the room was growing thicker by the second, and the two seated Alphas shifted restlessly in their seats. Namjoon rose slowly, each step measured as he closed the distance to Jungkook. He didn’t understand exactly what was happening—but he understood enough. Jungkook had to leave. Now. To give Hyungsik and Taehyung the space to sort out what had just passed between them.

But Jungkook’s boots might as well have been carved from stone. He wasn’t going anywhere.

“Alpha Hyungsik, we’ll give you and your mate space to… continue your conversation,” Namjoon said, his voice and stance respectful. No matter the rivalry between the lowlands and Jungkook, Namjoon couldn’t let tension drag him away from diplomacy and protocol.

Taehyung’s eyes widened at the words. “No, no. Please, I didn’t want to disturb your meeting.” His voice was hurried, desperate. He hadn’t meant to cause trouble. All he had wanted was to stand beside his mate. But the intoxicating aroma of sandalwood made it impossible for him to steady himself. Impossible to look at Hyungsik, though he was right there, mere inches from him. Hyungsik’s presence didn’t even matter—Taehyung’s world was filled with something else.

“Please, Alphas, remain seated, I’ll find my way to the herbalist.” His voice cracked as he spoke again, and he moved towards the exit where the Alphas had entered before. His steps wobbled, knees weak, and the closer he drew to the door, the more his legs betrayed him.

Because blocking the way stood the tallest Alpha he had ever seen.

Jungkook.

He towered over him, broad shoulders casting a shadow that seemed to stretch across the entire room. His chest rose and fell heavily, each breath carrying a low growl that vibrated in the air like a warning. Even standing still, he radiated strength, his presence pressing down on Taehyung’s senses until it felt like the room itself had shrunk around him.

And those eyes—dark, unblinking, piercing—cut straight through him, pinning him in place. Taehyung felt as though his very bones might splinter under that gaze. Passing Jungkook was no simple act of walking by; it was like stepping too close to a storm, like daring to brush against the edge of something wild and uncontrollable.

Hyungsik remained unmoving, honoring his mate’s decision to leave the room and grant the Alphas the space to continue their discussion about the land dispute. He never argued with Taehyung, never pushed him, never forced him into anything his heart didn’t want. Hyungsik had never wished for Taehyung to feel as though he were just another Alpha commanding an Omega into obedience. Instead, he listened, he respected, he gave him the space and love he deserved.

But Jungkook despised it.

He despised the way Hyungsik simply stood there, doing nothing. His mate—no, Taehyung—had just told him he was unwell, and instead of moving, instead of demanding answers, instead of tearing apart the air itself to find what was hurting him, Hyungsik only stood still. Weak. Passive. Silent.

Jungkook loathed him for it. Loathed the softness, the restraint, the calm that looked more like cowardice than care. To Jungkook, Hyungsik was weaker than any Alpha he had ever seen.

And the thought that such a wolf dared call Taehyung his made Jungkook’s blood burn.

Taehyung was moving closer with every trembling step, and Jungkook could no longer contain the beast clawing at his chest. His wolf demanded release—demanded to be heard.

“Omega. Stop right there.”

The command rolled out of him like thunder, deep and ruthless. The authority in his voice left no room for disobedience, and Taehyung’s body obeyed before his mind could resist. He halted at Jungkook’s boots, his knees threatening to buckle from the sheer weight of sandalwood pressing down on him. Standing so close, the friction between them was unbearable—like something inside him had stumbled and couldn’t find its balance again.

Hyungsik’s eyes widened at the sound of it—Jungkook’s voice, his tone, spoken to his mate. A tone that froze Taehyung to the floor and forced his gaze down, unable to lift his head against the dominance that chained him in place. Rage boiled in Hyungsik’s chest, hot and immediate, his irises flashing crimson with fury.

Yoongi rose from his seat at once. The sight before him was a disaster waiting to happen. Whatever Jungkook was doing, it was reckless—dangerous. If Hyungsik’s temper exploded now, every delicate plan for the lowlands would shatter into dust. What was his brother thinking, commanding another Alpha’s mate like this?

Jungkook tilted his head, just enough to catch the trembling figure beside him. Taehyung could barely stand, the sweet, dizzying scent of vanilla pouring off him in waves, invading Jungkook’s senses until it was all he could breathe.

“I can help you,” Jungkook said, low and commanding, his voice threaded with raw certainty. He released his pheromones into the air, letting them coil around Taehyung like a promise, like a vow—that the True Blood Alpha would protect him, guide him, take away whatever hurt had made him falter.

Jungkook had no idea how he could help the younger Omega, but desperate times needed desperate moves, and Jungkook was desperate. He’d never felt as desperate as he was at that very moment, in a room filled with Alphas and an Omega that had made his way into his heart in unexplainable ways.

But Taehyung was far from helpless. He felt the Alpha’s pull, felt the storm of sandalwood digging into his skin, and he fought it. He shook his head violently, refusing to let the haze swallow him. His wolf clawed at him, begging him to just sink into the warmth, to surrender, to let the Alpha shoulder the weight of his trembling body. But every fiber of his being screamed louder: No. Not him. Never him.

He drew in a shaky breath, the sweet rush of sandalwood burning down his lungs, poisoning him with longing he refused to acknowledge. He couldn’t do this. He didn’t know what had gotten into him, but he wouldn’t let it consume him.

He despised this Alpha. With every breath.

Whatever had happened in the woods—that gentle moment with soft words and gentler eyes—that hadn’t been real. This was the real Jungkook. Ruthless. Overbearing. A tyrant who bent everyone around him until they broke.

“I don’t need your help,” Taehyung answered, his lips trembled, but his words came out firm—low and bitten through his teeth.  It was steady enough to hold the storm inside him at bay. He didn’t lift his head. He didn’t dare meet those merciless eyes. His wolf clawed at him to submit, to fold beneath the Alpha’s command, but he resisted with every fiber of his being.

He wouldn’t give in.

He couldn’t give in.

And for a fleeting moment, the room seemed to tilt on its axis—caught between war and something neither of them could name.

“Jungkook. Let the Omega go.”

Yoongi’s voice cracked through the air like a whip, low but searing, threaded with authority that dared no argument. His jaw was tense, his eyes burning with restrained fury. He was barely holding himself together, barely stopping his temper from spilling over at the sight of his brother humiliating them both in front of Hyungsik and his entire pack.

Slowly, Jungkook turned toward him. Yoongi’s expression told him everything—disappointment, anger, disbelief. His brother was not impressed, not proud. Only furious.

For the first time since he had stepped into the hall, Jungkook felt the weight of his own actions pressing down on him. Maybe he had gone too far. Maybe his wolf had pushed him to cross a line at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Defeated after the firm rejection of the Omega, and tormented by the fact that his wolf had started claiming someone already bound—Jungkook forced himself to step back. Every part of him screamed to hold on, to fight, but his mind clawed desperately for control. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and with a restrained gesture of his hand, he signaled towards the door, showcasing the Omega was free to go.

Taehyung didn’t hesitate. The moment he saw the Alpha’s hand shift away, freedom flooded his senses, and his body moved faster than his thoughts. His feet carried him out of the room, away from the suffocating heat that threatened to tear his chest apart. And he ran, like he ran from the woods.

Silence fell heavy in his absence. For the first time in years, Jungkook didn’t know what to do. He was always decisive, eloquent, every move calculated—yet now he felt caught in a spider’s web, every thread tugging him deeper, every twitch threatening to destroy him. Everything seemed fetal now.

He cleared his throat, the sound echoing too loud against the stone walls, amplifying the suffocation that pressed down on them. He wouldn’t apologize, not to the leader of this pack, not to anyone here. Jungkook doesn’t do apologies. If there was anyone he owed these words to, it was the young Omega whose struggle mirrored his own in ways neither of them understood.

Turning to Yoongi, Jungkook gave a small obedient and controlled nod, assuring his brother that he had regained himself. With a tilt of his head, he urged them back to the table. Pulling his chair, the scrape against stone was harsh, and when his boot crushed a shard of forgotten glass beneath it, the sharp crack rang like an omen.

He raked his curls back with one hand, inhaled deeply, and forced steadiness into his voice. “Shall we continue, gentlemen?”

He knew that Hyungsik was furious after the interaction he had just had with mate. His fury was palpable—his mate had just been cornered and rattled before his very eyes. Yet he could do nothing. Hyungsik needed Jungkook, not the other way around.

He had called Jungkook here, and without him, the land might crumble to dust.

And still, Jungkook found he could no longer care about the land. His mind was elsewhere, spinning, restless, consumed. His mind was busy. Busier than usual, but he needed to contain himself. With every passing second he reminded himself, he needed control.

He needed to do things right.

And just as Jungkook had expected, Hyungsik didn’t bring up the interaction between Jungkook and his mate during the entirety of their meeting.

 ⋆˙⟡

As always, Namjoon had led the meeting perfectly, following every diplomatic protocol between the packs of the region. Each issue had been discussed thoroughly, though Hyungsik had grown less enthusiastic and more withdrawn as time went on. Where at first he had spoken boldly, now his head remained bowed, his eyes fixed on the table as if he feared to look up—especially at Jungkook. He avoided the True Blood Alpha’s gaze like a deer avoids the wolf in the shadows.

Jungkook had savored the sight. Every second of Hyungsik’s silence felt like victory. And he knew he would win; he always did. All he needed was time to execute his plan carefully, and Yoongi’s cooperation. Because while his brother had restrained himself during the meeting, Jungkook could feel the fury simmering beneath his calm exterior.

No matter the circumstances—be it a battlefield, a council hall, or any gathering of wolves—an Alpha did not command another Alpha’s mate. Not when that Alpha was right there to witness it. And yet Jungkook had done just that.

When the meeting finally ended, Hyungsik suggested they tour his land, so the Alphas could see with their own eyes the problems he had spoken of. Namjoon and Yoongi agreed, and Jungkook simply gave a silent nod, rising to follow them.

The air outside was heavy, thicker than it should have been for land that once thrived. The Alphas walked in silence as Hyungsik guided them through the narrow paths of the village, their boots crunching against dry, cracked earth.

The first thing they came upon were the crops. What once must have been fertile fields now lay in dusty and brittle, yellowed, bending under the weight of nothing. Farmers trying to save whatever was left looked up only briefly before bowing their heads to their guests, their hollow eyes betraying their sadness.

Further along, they reached the stream Hyungsik had mentioned. It had withered to a shallow trickle, stones jutting from its muddy bed. Pups crouched at the banks, scooping what little water they could into wooden bowls to take back home to. This sight had made Jungkook furious for must be the 100^th time that day, he had a weakness for pups, and seeing them in such conditions made it even more important to him to claim this land and help it thrive again.

Yoongi’s jaw tightened, though he remained silent. Namjoon murmured low observations, pointing out the erosion along the banks, the broken bridges, the absence of patrols where guards should have been.

The homes they passed stood no better than their crops, walls cracked and roofs patched with straw and cloth. And yet, in every doorway, Jungkook felt the weight of their stares. Alphas, Betas, Omegas and pups—they all looked at him with the same mixture of fear and hope. They knew what he was. What he could do. And though they feared him, they also seemed to cling to him as though he were their last chance.

Hyungsik walked ahead, his shoulders tense with shame, though there was nothing he could do. The summer had been too harsh on them this year, and with the weakening economy of the pack there was nothing more than what had already done. He spoke of wolves too weak to defend their land, mates considering moving and leaving the pack and each word fell heavier than the last until silence pressed down on them once more.

Jungkook inhaled slowly, he knew that taking whatever was left of Hyungsik’s land would be like stealing candy from a pup. Victory was written all over his face, he walked proudly on the dusty stone road, barely listening to what Hyungsik was saying. His observations were enough for him to have an idea of what the pack like.

Beneath it all, vanilla still lingered faintly, clinging stubbornly to him like a ghost he could not shake.

He had come here for power—for territory. But what stretched before him was not a prize. It was ruin.

Hyungsik suggested they move toward the guesthouse the pack had prepared for the three Alphas. Their luggage still remained at the carriage, and Jungkook offered to fetch it himself. The soldiers he had brought along immediately stepped forward, insisting they could handle the task instead. But Jungkook refused. He dismissed them with a shake of his head, remarking that his bags held fragile things that only he could be trusted with.

There was nothing fragile in those bags. Jungkook had barely brought clothing at all because he hadn’t intended to stay long. He knew exactly what needed to be done here, and he would act accordingly. What he truly wanted was a moment away from Hyungsik’s droning voice, away from the formalities of protocol, so he could breathe the land’s air and clear his mind from it all.

As he walked, wolves lingered along the paths, parting instinctively to give him space to walk by them. His entire presence proclaimed what he was the one and only True Blood Alpha of the Highlands. His gaze was cold, steady, a thing that invited both fear and reverence. He carried himself as though the land already belonged to him, each step deliberate, heavy with unshakable authority.

Whispers rose around him like wind in the tall grass. The villagers spoke his name with awe, their eyes following the young Alpha who commanded nearly all of the mountain and its lower valleys. They had expected someone older, perhaps, someone hardened by years of war. Instead, they saw a man in the prime of youth. He was sharp, untouchable, and terrifyingly certain of himself.

A few Omegas had already begun to trail after him, drawn by instinct, their scents timid and eager in the air. But Jungkook paid them no mind. He was long past being flattered by the attention; if anything, he despised it. The coy glances, the subtle gestures, the desperate hope clinging to their movements... it all reeked of weakness to him.

His mind was far from them now. His senses were attuned to only one thing, one scent that refused to leave him in peace.

It was for this reason that, when he finally reached the carriage, he didn’t stop to gather the luggage at all. His hand lingered on the polished wood for only a breath before he moved past it, his boots striking the stones with purpose. The luggage could wait. His steps carried him forward, driven by that familiar fragrance, the scent that had haunted him from the very instant his carriage had touched the stones of this land.

He needed to figure it all out, and he would. Because when Jungkook puts something on his mind, it has been proven several times that he tends to get it.

The narrow roads unfolded before him, twisting between rows of modest homes. Pups ran barefoot through the dust until they caught sight of him, their laughter faltering into silence. Mothers pulled them close, bowing their heads with hurried reverence as he passed.

Everywhere he went, the world seemed to hold its breath. Wolves froze mid-step, their gazes heavy on his back, their whispers sharp with awe and unease. His presence demanded submission.

But Jungkook was blind to their fear. His focus was pulled elsewhere, narrowed to a single, intoxicating thread of scent. It cut through the dirt and any surrounding aromas, weaving itself into his lungs until it was all he could breathe. Sweet. Warm. Fragile.

Vanilla.

The path narrowed, carrying him away from the crowded center of the village, past weathered fences and fields that sloped into quieter ground. The houses here were older, their paint chipped, their gardens overgrown with wildflowers and herbs.

And then he saw it.

A modest house at the edge of the land, its wooden beams aged. It wasn’t Hyungsik’s home, he could tell. No—this place held a different kind of weight.

Jungkook’s chest tightened as realization struck. This was not the house of an Alpha. This was where the Omega had gone. Where Taehyung had sought refuge, not with his mate, but in the walls of another home. Perhaps his home.

And Jungkook had followed him here, uninvited.

He stood outside, unaware of the pair of eyes watching him from the window—the same window Taehyung used to sit by as a newly presented Omega, staring out in despair when Alphas came to court him. Now, years later, the sight unsettled him. His wolf clawed inside him, howling at the vision of the Alpha waiting at his doorstep, begging him to open the door and let him in.

But Taehyung didn’t move. He wouldn’t submit.

Something must have been wrong with him. Why did he feel this way? Why did this Alpha make his chest burn and his resolve shake?

This is not his mate, not someone he likes. In fact, it’s someone he hates with a burning passion. Is this perhaps the True Blood Alpha gene of his that’s having the effect on him? Did the other Omegas also feel like this in Jungkook’s presence?

Jungkook’s boots shifted against the steps as he approached, climbing slowly toward the door. Taehyung stiffened. He would not allow this Alpha into his grandmother’s house, especially while she lay inside, recovering from a cold she had caught.

The Omega rushed from his room towards the doorknob, he grabbed it with force before a knock would be heard and he threw the door open before Jungkook’s knuckles could meet the wood. The closeness startled him. Jungkook’s hand was frozen midair, his dark eyes widening as they collided with Taehyung’s furious gaze.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Jungkook had come all the way there, had followed the scent but he had prepared no words, no excuse for following him here, and faced with Taehyung in the doorway, his thoughts scattered even more.

Taehyung’s anger broke first. The air thickened, laced with the sharp sting of vanilla burning at the edges, and Jungkook inhaled it greedily. Instead of being repelled by the Omega’s fury, something in him twisted with delight. His lips curled. A chuckle slipped free.

“What are you laughing at?” Taehyung’s voice came lower than he’d intended, gravelly with restrained emotion. His throat tightened as he swallowed hard, glaring at the Alpha who dared to laugh at him. But Jungkook didn’t look away. His chuckles softened, he was amused by the sight of the furious Omega.

If it had been any other Omega, even an Alpha at that matter, Jungkook would have snapped their necks for the way they had spoken to him so disrespectfully. But this time, everything was different.

Jungkook finally stepped back from the porch, eyes never leaving Taehyung’s face, waiting—expecting—the Omega to follow. And he did.

Taehyung shut the door behind him carefully, mindful not to wake his grandmother. His arms folded over his chest, a shield between him and the pull of sandalwood that clawed at his senses. He decided not to go down the stairs, he didn’t want to be close to the Alpha. Instead, he stood on the porch.

“Alpha, why are you here?” His words came out hot with anger, his head shaking in disbelief. “In fact, how did you even find me? God—what are you doing here?”

Jungkook wasn’t surprised by the outburst. He had expected it. Any Omega would be furious if a stranger Alpha, and especially him, had trailed them to their home. His reputation had reached even here; he could see it in Taehyung’s eyes. Whatever the Omega had heard of him, it wasn’t good.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he stood in silence, drinking in the sound of Taehyung’s quickened breaths. He could hear the wild thrum of his heart beneath that thin white shirt, as if it might burst free at any second.

“This doesn’t look like the herbalist you said you were going to visit.” Jungkook’s voice finally cut through the air, smooth and steady—but edged with command. “So why are you here?”

And more importantly—why did he care? Why had he followed, why had he allowed himself to be dragged here by a scent, by an impulse he couldn’t name? The questions clawed at him, but no answers came. He only knew he couldn’t leave. Not yet.

“That’s none of your business,” Taehyung snapped, his voice firmer now, stripped of the tremble it had carried before.

“Taehyung.”

Jungkook finally breathed out the name he had been waiting to mutter all day. He had walked past crumbling houses, followed a river that barely lived anymore, crossed paths with countless Omegas, inhaled every kind of scent imaginable… yet it all came down to this one.

Vanilla.

At that moment, he didn’t care that Taehyung was already claimed. He didn’t care that sooner or later he would tear Hyungsik’s pack apart. None of it mattered. He needed to be here. His wolf demanded answers, and Jungkook told himself he would leave once he had them. But for now, for this moment, he only wanted to remain.

“Don’t say my name, you filthy beast.”

The harshness of Taehyung’s voice struck him like a whip. Jungkook froze, baffled, as the Omega’s fury spilled out.

“Why are you doing this? I knew you’d bring nothing but trouble the moment Hyungsik mentioned sending you that letter.” Taehyung’s words tumbled from him like venom, sharper with every breath. Then, suddenly, his arms dropped from his chest, his posture shifting, voice breaking into something darker:

“Are you here to kill me?”

Jungkook blinked, stunned.

“Are you here to kill me and dance upon my dead body just to hurt Hyungsik?” Taehyung’s words cut deeper than claws, and Jungkook felt them lodge in his chest.

“Ouch.” He muttered softly, placing his hand over his heart as though a blade had pierced it. His eyes closed, head shaking slowly as his tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth.

“What? Did I uncover your great plan?” Taehyung snapped again. Each syllable hit Jungkook like steel bolts, and for the first time in years, he felt something he couldn’t fight against. Hurt. His wolf howled inside him, demanding the Omega stop—stop tearing into him with words sharper than any weapon.

“You really think that low of me?” Jungkook finally spoke, his voice quiet, almost disbelieving. He didn’t even know what answer he was expecting.

“Low?” Taehyung’s laugh was humorless. “There isn’t a word in the entire English vocabulary that could describe how low I think of you. You’re beneath the ground. You’re an arrogant, egotistical lunatic of an Alpha who finds pride in tearing apart packs and stealing lands that never belonged to you.”

Even Taehyung seemed startled by the venom that had slipped past his lips. His chest heaved with each breath, and for a brief, dangerous moment, he realized exactly whom he was speaking to: Jeon Jungkook. The Alpha of the Highlands. The True Blood who could crush his throat with one flick of his wrist.

And Jungkook… stepped back.

As if he had felt the Omega’s sudden fear, he gave himself space, retreating, trying to gather thoughts that scattered like leaves in the wind. What could he say? Was Taehyung wrong?

“You’ve got nothing to defend yourself with, huh?” Taehyung pressed on, his steps forward mirroring Jungkook’s retreat.

“The way you spoke to Hyungsik earlier—like the pack already belonged to you, like he already belonged to you.” His finger jabbed the air in accusation, his words sharp enough to slice flesh.

“This isn’t yours to take. Do you understand me?” He flung his arm out, gesturing at the land around them, his voice raw with rage. “None of this belongs to you.”

Taehyung didn’t stop stepping forward; he hadn’t finished yet. Words had piled up inside him, thick and suffocating, like a storm he could no longer hold back. The brief, fleeting encounter in the woods suddenly felt like it had never happened. The moment he realized the Alpha before him was Jeon Jungkook, his mind spiraled, every cruel act Jungkook had done—or could do—rushing through him. Wolves lost, packs shattered, lives ended by his hands alone.

“You’re not here to help us, are you?” His finger jabbed forward, trembling slightly from the intensity of his rage. If he took even three more steps, he would come face to face with Jungkook’s chest and it would pierce right through it. Rage blinded him, swallowing reason. He was so blinded that nothing matter to him anymore, not the height nor the power difference, even fear—everything was irrelevant at that very moment.. All that matter to him was for him to get everything out of his chest. And if it meant that he would die in theprocess, he preferred to die knowing that at least Jungkook had heard from him about what a horrible human being he was.

Not even a human being.

A monster.

Taehyung loathed the ground Jungkook walked on.

Jungkook, in turn, worshipped the ground Taehyung walked on.

Taehyung was in a frenzy, because even though his mind was telling him that he despises Jungkook with his entire being, the wolf locked inside of him felt differently. The contradiction twisted inside Taehyung, confusing and maddening. His mind screamed hatred, but his wolf howled for restraint, begging him to stop.

“You’re here to kill us all.” He took two more steps, closing the distance between them, and he could faintly feel Jungkook’s warm breath brushing past him, the air thick and heavy with that Alpha presence.

Jungkook, for his part, remained motionless. No words, no growls, no attempt to calm the Omega—just wide, unblinking eyes and the faint trace of pheromones, subtle but potent, trying and failing to steady Taehyung. He could command submission with a single word, a single gesture. He could make Taehyung tremble beneath him. But he didn’t.

What he wanted, he couldn’t even name.

Taehyung’s anger intensified, sharpened by the Alpha’s silence. All he needed was one word—a single word to prove he wasn’t here to destroy them. Just one word. But none came.

“You were so full of yourself back in the meeting room,” Taehyung continued, voice breaking slightly with frustration. He stepped closer, nearly closing the last inch of space between them. “God, why aren’t you speaking?” His finger jabbed into Jungkook’s chest, and the heat from the contact burned all the way through him.

Taehyung’s legs threatened to give way under him, betraying him, as the intoxicating scent of sandalwood engulfed him, thick and heady. He closed his eyes, taking deep, deliberate breaths to steady himself, but the aroma clawed at his chest, pulling at him in ways that terrified and confused him.

Jungkook wasn’t faring any better. His wolf howled from within, demanding dominance, possession, claiming. But he forced himself to restrain it, inhaling Taehyung’s scent—pure vanilla, clinging to him, intoxicating in its innocence. He needed to remember that Taehyung had a mate. He would never belong to him.

Yet as the thought echoed in his mind, a dissonance struck him. Why didn’t Taehyung smell like his mate? He could see the faint mating mark on the Omega’s neck, but the scent—the expected, tethering scent—was absent, replaced entirely by vanilla.

He didn’t mind it of course, he loathed Hyungsik with his entire being.

“You don’t smell like your mate,” Jungkook said, voice low, his head bending slightly to study the small figure so close to him, so achingly close that the instinct to reach out and claim burned in his chest.

Taehyung flinched at the words, each syllable slicing into him, sharp as a knife. His knees weakened, his heart hammered. He couldn’t meet Jungkook’s towering gaze, couldn’t allow himself to step back or forward, trapped between fear and frustration.

“Does he not scent you?” Jungkook continued, tilting his head slightly, as if trying to see past the small figure frozen before him. The question was soft, almost uncertain, yet it carried the weight of his Alpha presence, undeniable and consuming.

Neither of them moved. Neither spoke. Time seemed to stretch, thick and suffocating, holding them in a fragile, tense standoff. Their instincts battled their reason, desire clashed with restraint.

Had they been fighting? Jungkook wondered silently. He needed to know.

He needed to know everything regarding the beautiful Omega standing so close to him.

“How…” Taehyung’s voice cracked, trembling like a fragile thread ready to snap. His chest heaved as if each breath cost him, words catching in his throat. “How dare you…” he hissed, the phrase barely more than a strangled growl, raw with fury, disbelief, and a shattering sense of helplessness.

Taehyung broke the proximity, he couldn’t contain himself and he pushed Jungkook away from hi, trying to get rid of every inch of sandalwood in the air.

“Stay away from me,” he said, moving toward the staircase, each step deliberate, slow but firm. “And most importantly… stay away from my mate.” With a sharp slam, the door of his house shut behind him, and he vanished from sight.

My mate, Jungkook scoffed at that.

Your mate is a weakling.

Jungkook stayed rooted to the spot for a few minutes, trying to process everything that had just happened. Nothing had gone according to plan; he had arrived with a clear mindset, expecting a reaction—but certainly not this.

This was beyond anything he had anticipated.

And he hadn’t expected that there wouldn’t be even a trace of Hyungsik’s scent on the Omega.

Jungkook could tell the Omega was hurt from the question, the wound was still fresh, and the lingering sweetness of vanilla on his shirt only made it more unbearable. He finally turned back toward the carriage, doing what he had come to do all along.

But his mind wouldn’t let him rest.

He didn’t care about the harsh words the Omega has spitted out towards him, none of that mattered.

Taehyung… didn’t carry Hyungsik’s scent.

Chapter Text

Night had already settled deep over the land by the time Jungkook returned to the guesthouse. Though the day had been stiflingly hot, the weather had shifted in the span of a few hours; the air outside was now sharp and cool. But the moment he pushed open the heavy wooden door, warmth spilled over him at once.

The chamber Hyungsik’s pack had prepared was clearly meant to impress, a show of hospitality veined with calculation. All three Alphas would share the guesthouse, though each had been given a separate chamber. Jungkook noted that Yoongi and Namjoon had already disappeared into theirs and he felt relief stirring in him because after the fiasco he had pulled during the meeting, he wasn’t looking forward to face either of them.

The guesthouse room was nothing short of grand, built to impress the Alphas it would shelter. Heavy stone walls enclosed the space, their cold edges blurred by the golden glow of fire and candlelight. A fire burned fiercely in the hearth, flames clawing at the chimney, casting restless shadows along the walls. As if that light wasn’t enough, candles flickered on every surface, brightening the chamber to a degree that felt almost excessive.

The bed dominated the room — a carved oak frame draped in thick furs, warm and inviting. It was the kind of bed designed for a king, not for a wolf who had just been reminded of his own restraint slipping. The pelts promised peace, but his chest remained wound tight, his thoughts still heavy with what had passed only hours before.

A wrought-iron chandelier dangled from the ceiling, each candle burning steadily, illuminating the chamber in a regal amber hue. The rug beneath his boots, the chairs lined with fur, the polished table set with goblets — all chosen carefully to impress. Hyungsik’s pack had made sure of that. And while it was beautiful, Jungkook couldn’t shake the sense that this was no simple act of hospitality.

Hyungsik’s pack wanted to impress.

The room was warm. Almost too warm. And yet Jungkook felt only cold, a hollowness spreading through him that no fire could touch.

His thoughts were all over the place as he stripped off his sweat-soaked white shirt, tugging it over his head. His hair fell messily back against his temple, damp from the stifling heat of the room. He tossed the shirt onto one of the chairs set in the chamber, then lingered there, motionless for a moment, letting the warmth press into his skin. His wolf reveled in the heat wrapping around him, yet it still wasn’t enough. His chest remained tight, his thoughts too restless to settle on the matter at hand.

They had come here with the purpose to tear down Hyungsik but that purpose was now blurring, overshadowed by something far more dangerous. He couldn’t shake the vanilla scent clinging stubbornly to him, couldn’t shake the memory of the wolf who carried it. No matter how he tried, his mind kept straying back.

He needed a bath. To strip the scent from his skin, wash away the distraction. Maybe then he could force himself to think clearly, to decide on his next move.

But clarity didn’t come easily. His thoughts turned conflicting, circling endlessly. He had arrived here ready to dismantle Hyungsik’s power, yet now he found himself worrying about the young wolf bound to him. Bound, yet unmarked. There wasn’t even the faintest trace of Hyungsik’s scent on him.

Just as Jungkook grabbed a towel to take with him to the bathroom, ready to finally wash the day off his skin, a knock came at his door. His head snapped toward the sound, and with a heavy sigh, he tipped his head back in annoyance. The last thing he wanted right now was company. He had a conquest to plan, emotions to shove into place, and, above all, he needed rest after the long, draining day.

Still, he forced his legs to move, padding across the chamber. He didn’t bother reaching for a shirt; his bare torso was slick with the remnants of sweat, his body carrying the hard lines of endless training. With a low growl under his breath, he set his hand on the doorframe and pulled the door open.

Yoongi stood there. His expression was unreadable, and yet Jungkook could read enough to know this would not be a pleasant conversation.

“Hyung, this isn’t a good time,” Jungkook said, breaking the silence first. His voice was flat, already tired. “I was preparing to shower and go to bed.” He tossed the towel over his shoulders, letting it hang across the breadth of his frame.

Yoongi didn’t answer. He didn’t even acknowledge the words. Instead, he stepped forward, brushing past Jungkook as though he hadn’t spoken at all. His shoulder slammed deliberately into Jungkook’s on the way in.

Jungkook stilled.

His wolf bristled at once, rising hot and furious beneath his skin. The contact felt like a spark struck against kindling, and before he could rein it back, his control slipped. His jaw tightened, his chest rumbled low, and his vision bled red as his eyes shifted, anger burning through him.

“What’s your problem?” Jungkook growled under his breath, slamming the wooden door shut behind them. The echo rattled through the chamber, sealing the argument away from the rest of the guesthouse.

“My problem?” Yoongi’s head snapped back, disbelief flashing across his face. He strode to the center of the room, boots grinding into the edge of the carefully woven carpet, before turning to face his brother. His voice was sharp. “What is your problem, Jungkook?”

He stared at him, expectant, desperate for an answer that might explain everything. However, he was unaware that Jungkook himself couldn’t piece together the storm inside his head.

But Yoongi wasn’t done. His chest was tight with words he’d been choking back ever since he saw his True Blood Alpha brother in the woods, speaking to that Omega.

“Jungkook,” his tone deepened, his eyes burning red with anger, “we’ve done everything for you since the day you took the throne after Father’s death. Our pack stood by your side. We fought for every useless piece of land you claimed.” His voice cracked, low but heavy with rage. “We ran for you, we bled for you, we died for you. And we’re still here…because I believed there was more behind all of this.”

He drew in a shaky breath, his anger now seeping into every word. “And now? Now, in the middle of another mission you dragged us into, instead of leading us, you’re losing your mind over an Omega who’s already mated?”

Yoongi’s body moved before he could stop himself—he shoved Jungkook hard, palms flat against his chest, as if the force of it could shake sense back into him.

Jungkook’s chest heaved as Yoongi’s shove rattled through him. For a heartbeat he stood still, his jaw tight, eyes blazing red. Then his wolf surged and he shoved Yoongi back with the same force, sending him stumbling a step.

Yoongi didn’t flinch for long. He straightened, fury twisting his features as he shoved right back into Jungkook’s chest, harder this time.

“That Omega reeks of Hyungsik’s scent,” he spat, the words cutting like claws. “How are you even able to think about talking to him?”

The blow of those words landed heavier than the shove. Jungkook stiffened, his body freezing in place, his wolf thrashing under his skin.

What do you mean?

There’s not a trace of scent of Hyungsik’s on Taehyung.

“Then I guess you need to get your nostrils checked,” Jungkook growled, voice low but sharp, “because there’s no trace of Hyungsik’s on him.”

Yoongi’s eyes narrowed, the corner of his mouth twitching into something close to a victorious sneer.

“So then, this really is about that Omega?” he spat, his words striking with precision.

The trap had worked. Jungkook’s own tongue had betrayed him.

Yoongi could barely process it. His younger brother, the ruthless True Blood Alpha, the unchallenged conqueror of the mountain region, the one who had never bowed to sentiment, never courted, never whispered vows to an Omega, never even hinted at wanting pups—was unraveling over a stranger. An Omega he had only met once, briefly, in the woods.

“Jungkook, he’s mated.” Yoongi growled, emphasizing the word mated, hoping somehow it might pierce the fog clouding his brother’s mind.

“You think I don’t know that, Yoongi?” Jungkook snapped back to his brother, shaking his head and walking towards the oak bed frame taking the majority of the space in the room.

“I know he’s mated,” he added finally, softer this time, time while taking a seat on his bed. His hand traced the carved frame, fingers gripping lightly. His crimson eyes no longer burned with anger, instead if Yoongi looked close enough, he’d see sadness in them. Something he had only noticed a year ago, when his brother claimed the pack’s throne.

“Then what are you doing, Jungkook?” Yoongi asked, pulling a chair close to the little table, arranging it so that he faced his brother squarely. He sat, leaning back slightly, his hands draped casually, but his gaze remained fixed, unflinching.

No one could understand the hurricane tearing through Jungkook’s mind. He knew Taehyung was mated, but the surge of emotions his wolf felt whenever the faintest trace of Taehyung’s scent brushed against his senses was beyond comprehension. He didn’t ask for this. He didn’t want it. He had come here with one goal: to take what was rightfully his. And yet, everything had narrowed into a single, impossible thought.

One name.

“Jungkook… you can talk to me,” Yoongi said softly, resting a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

The Jeon brothers may clash endlessly, but at the end of the day, they were bound by something unshakable. Their bond was unbreakable, one of a kind. If needed, they would die for one another, both of them knew it. Arguments like this, trivial in comparison, never truly mattered.

Jungkook closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly. He crouched, arms resting on his knees, and buried his face in his hands. His scent filled the chamber—a melted, heavy sandalwood that carried no warmth, no comfort. Yoongi hadn’t smelled that on his brother in years.

“I… I didn’t mean for it to happen, hyung,” Jungkook whispered, his voice rougher, deeper, the words muffled against his palms. “It just… happened.” He drew a shuddering breath, trying to steady himself, but the storm within him showed no mercy.

“I was in the carriage, and the scent came through my nostrils by force,” he continued, hands still covering his face, voice thick and muffled. “It consumed me like nothing has ever done before. I don’t even know how it reached me inside the carriage.” He shook his head, unable to meet Yoongi’s eyes, his legs beginning to tremble under the strain of such vulnerability.

Jungkook had never spoken to his brother about Omegas before—never about love, either. In the thirty years he had lived, he had never once felt even a droplet of affection for any Omega. It had always been Yoongi who carried that torch, smitten with Jimin from the very moment he presented. And Jungkook had cherished those conversations, listening to his brother talk about his mate, about the happiness he had found. It had been beautiful to witness his hyung fulfilling his Alpha nature—protecting, loving, building a family.

But Jungkook himself had never fallen in love. He had always assumed it was the curse of the True Blood Alpha—his bloodline too tainted, too consumed with conquest and power, to ever allow him such softness.

“Hyung, whenever we’re in the same room, I can’t control it.” His head snapped up suddenly, eyes burning, searching Yoongi’s. His older brother was watching him closely, arms crossed but face softened with concern, caught between disbelief and worry.

“You smelled him from the carriage?” Yoongi repeated, stunned. His eyes widened as he caught the sharp tang of stress bleeding from Jungkook’s scent. “How..?”

“I wish I knew. I can’t shake it, hyung.” Jungkook rose abruptly from the bed and began pacing the length of the room, his restless wolf clawing at his insides. The cold of his turmoil sank into his skin, making him shiver despite the fire, until he finally crouched before the hearth, feeding wood into the flames. Sparks rose and danced around him, flickering across his troubled face.

“Is this how you felt when you saw Jimin for the first time?” His voice cracked slightly, raw and searching.

Jungkook’s mind betrayed him, it pulled him back to a memory he hadn’t visited in years, back to the day his brother first found Jimin.

He remembered it as if it were etched into his skin. Yoongi had been serving in the pack’s military at the time, and every morning, without fail, he and the others went on runs through the dense woods of the highlands. His brother wasn’t known for speed, he was faster than the Betas, of course, and quicker than the Omegas, but when compared to other Alphas… Yoongi always fell behind. It had been a sore point once, but Jungkook had never seen his brother truly mind. Yoongi carried other strengths.

That day, they we running at the edge of the woods, where the trees broke open to a small stretch of road. And there—there stood an Omega.

Jungkook could still picture it as Yoongi had once described it to him: an Omega with delicate hands arranging blossoms on a wooden stand, each flower laid out with care, colors balanced so the display looked pleasing to the eyes of any passerby.

Jimin.

He had grown those flowers himself in his own garden and brought them to sell, his small stand a humble but beautiful thing on the roadside.

Yoongi hadn’t needed flowers, he was in the middle of his service, running with his unit, his clothes still damp with sweat from exertion. But the sight of the Omega had stopped him in his tracks. His wolf had surged forward, captivated by him. Yoongi had approached with awkward determination and bought a bundle of flowers. And then, before Jimin could even ask what he wanted them for, Yoongi had gifted them back to him right there on the spot.

Jungkook remembered the way his brother had told it, a rare softness in his voice: how Jimin’s shy smile had been brighter than any bloom on that stand, how the fragrance of petals had been nothing compared to the scent clinging to the Omega himself. From that day on, Yoongi had begun his courtship. It hadn’t been easy because Jimin hadn’t accepted right away. It had taken time a lot of time and persistence. But Yoongi had never once wavered. Eventually, Jimin had said yes, and their bond had bloomed as steadily as the flowers Jimin sold.

It was a love story Jungkook had admired from the shadows, a tale he had cherished in the quiet of his own heart. He had often wondered if that was what it meant to find a mate, if that sudden pull, that unstoppable force of nature, was what Yoongi had felt that morning at the roadside.

He needed to hear that what he was feeling was normal.

And now, as the firelight flickered across his own trembling hands, Jungkook couldn’t help but wonder if the storm raging inside him over Taehyung was the same. If the desperate, suffocating need clawing at his chest was what his brother had felt when his eyes first landed on Jimin.

Yoongi blinked, momentarily pulled away from the heaviness of his brother’s confession. His lips curved into a faint smile as his memory carried him back. “Well…” he began slowly, “I did feel drawn to his scent. But it didn’t reach me from meters away, Jungkook.” His voice firmed as the memory faded, his eyes hardening again. “What you’re describing…it’s impossible.”

But Jungkook wasn’t letting go. His gaze stayed on the fire, flames reflecting in his eyes, restless hands pressed against his chest as if to cage the wild thrum of his heart. “My wolf is screaming at me to go find him again, hyung,” he admitted, his voice breaking. He laid his palm flat over his heart, desperate to show the sincerity in his words, desperate to make Yoongi understand. “I can’t think of anything else. I can’t breathe when I’m away from him.”

And yet—Jungkook couldn’t shake the thought that Taehyung was already mated. Those words had cut deeper than any blade.

Behind him, the chair scraped sharply against the floorboards as Yoongi rose. The sound made Jungkook flinch, his wolf already wound too tight. His brother stepped closer, standing over him by the fire.

“What about Hyungsik’s scent on him?” Yoongi pressed, his voice low, weighted with suspicion. “Does it not bother you?”

The moment the question left his lips, he felt Jungkook stiffen. His younger brother froze by the fire, the flames crackling loud in the silence that followed, the tension between them stretching until it was almost unbearable.

Jungkook couldn’t understand what scent Yoongi was talking about, since he hadn’t smelt anything other than vanilla, and if there had been anything else, knowing him and his wolf, he would have definitely noticed the stench of Hyungsik all over his precious Omega.

His?

Hyungsik’s Omega.

Jungkook didn’t like even having to think about the possibility of Taehyung smelling like Hyungsik. His stomach twisted at the thought. He shook his head sharply, as if the motion alone could chase the image out of his mind. He was glad Taehyung didn’t smell like him, grateful even.

“Yoongi, I told you, there’s no trace of Hyungsik’s scent on him,” he replied firmly, turning back to look at his brother who now stood just a few steps behind him, arms folded tight across his chest.

Yoongi scoffed at that, his expression hardening. He couldn’t tell if Jungkook was being sarcastic or if he was actually trying to convince himself. The older Alpha’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as if replaying the faint trace of pine he swore he had caught in the air back in the woods.

“Jungkook, I get that you’re trying to cope, but you can’t deny his scent on him,” he said, his voice harsher this time, cutting through the silence of the night like a blade.

“He is marked. Mated.”

The words rang painfully in Jungkook’s ears, each syllable like claws tearing through his chest. His wolf snarled inside him, hating the very sound of the Omega being bound to another.

“I may have been acting like a lunatic before,” Jungkook shot back, his voice low but strained, “but I’m telling you. All I can smell on him is his scent.” His fists clenched at his sides, nails biting into his palms.

“There’s a faint scent of pine on him,” Yoongi insisted, his tone unyielding. “Hyungsik must have scented him a few days ago and it may have faded now. But it’s there, and there’s no denying it.”

Jungkook’s head snapped toward him, eyes narrowing. “Are you being honest right now?”

Yoongi’s gaze didn’t falter. “Are you?”

“Hyung, I’m telling you,” Jungkook pressed, his voice breaking at the edges. “I can’t smell a hint of it.” His chest rose and fell with uneven breaths, his wolf pacing, restless, refusing to accept Yoongi’s words.

Yoongi exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair before muttering, “I’ll talk to Namjoon. I’ll tell him we’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

Yoongi believed that if they stayed, they would lose everything they had at stake. Jungkook was already in a fragile state of mind, his judgment clouded and his wolf restless. Having him here, circling around Taehyung like a starving predator, was bound to make them lose and not just the land or their claim, but lives in the process. Yoongi wasn’t even sure if Jungkook truly wanted Hyungsik’s territory anymore. He couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud, not when it was painfully clear that his brother was struggling just to hold himself together.

Jungkook’s eyes widened at the sound of leaving, his pupils sharpening, his voice dropping into a dangerous growl. “What do you mean leave? We’re not going anywhere until I get my answers.”

Jungkook wasn’t going anywhere.

He didn’t care that the Omega was mated.

He didn’t care that there was another Alpha waiting for him at home.

All he cared about was the way Taehyung faltered in his presence, the way his composure cracked just enough for Jungkook to notice. It was the same way Jungkook’s chest burned and twisted whenever he stood too close to him.

And that couldn’t be a coincidence.

Jungkook refused to see it as a coincidence.

He stepped closer to Yoongi, tension sparking off of him like static, his wolf clawing at his skin, pressing against the surface. His chest rose with heavy breaths, his tone low and unyielding. “I need to go see him, hyung. I need to know if there’s scent on him.”

“Jungkook!” Yoongi’s voice ripped through the chamber, sharp and desperate, but it was already too late.

The younger Alpha had given in.

In the blink of an eye, Jungkook’s body shifted, bones snapping and fur bristling as his wolf tore its way out. His huge frame loomed in the dim light, sleek black fur gleaming, muscles tense, and those glowing red irises locked straight onto his brother with feral intensity.

“Jungkook!” Yoongi shouted again, but his words could no longer reach him.

The wolf’s chest heaved with heavy breaths, claws digging into the wooden floor for only a second before he launched forward. With a powerful bound, Jungkook crashed through the window, shards scattering like rain, and vanished into the dark embrace of the woods, leaving only the echo of broken glass and Yoongi’s voice ringing in the empty chamber.

The night air rushed against his fur as he ran, paws pounding the earth with crushing force. Branches snapped under his weight, leaves tore in his wake, but nothing slowed him down. His wolf’s senses were wild, every sound in the forest magnified, the hoot of an owl, the rustle of critters scattering, the distant hum of water flowing down the mountain.

But none of it mattered.

There was only one thing pulling him forward.

Vanilla.

That sweet, maddening scent that lingered on the edge of his mind, digging into his wolf like claws. His chest burned with the need to reach it, to confirm what his brother had said, to prove him wrong.

He didn’t stop, not once, until the woods broke open and the small, humble house came into view, the same place where he had seen the Omega before. Taehyung’s grandmother’s home sat quiet under the pale glow of the moon, its walls worn, the porch empty, the garden swaying softly in the night breeze.

Jungkook’s massive form stood at the edge of the clearing, his chest rising and falling heavily as he stared at the house, red irises glowing in the darkness. His wolf clawed to get closer, to find him, to breathe him in.

And yet, for the first time since he shifted, Jungkook froze.

⋆˙⟡

Taehyung hadn’t spent the rest of his day any better. After slamming the door on Jungkook’s face, thoughts had been scampering endlessly around his mind, colliding and tangling until he could barely breathe. He couldn’t believe he had spoken to him like that—him, of all people. The Alpha whose very name sent tremors through packs, reduced to standing on his doorstep while Taehyung barked at him to leave.

And yet the words had left his lips before he could stop them.

What if Jungkook truly had come with good intentions? What if he had considered helping Hyungsik secure the pack’s future, only to reconsider after Taehyung’s reckless outburst? The thought made his chest ache. If Jungkook returned to his own land, if he withdrew entirely, their pack would continue to wither and die. The responsibility would fall squarely on Taehyung’s shoulders. To say he was worried would be an understatement.

Hyungsik hadn’t returned either. But that absence hardly mattered, and it made Taehyung feel sick. They hadn’t been on speaking terms in days. Still, Jungkook’s words echoed mercilessly in his mind: I can’t smell him on you.

Had Hyungsik’s scent truly faded? Could the scenting weaken so quickly, disappear within days? Was that even possible?

Taehyung tried to focus, tried to find the familiar thread of pine that had always clung to him like a second skin, but he couldn’t. There was only emptiness.

Emptiness, and sandalwood.

Jungkook’s scent haunted him like smoke after fire, stubborn and consuming. It filled his lungs when he tried to breathe, clung to his skin when he tried to sleep, pressed into him so deeply it left him restless, raw. The cruel irony was that it didn’t weaken when Jungkook left, instead it only grew stronger, leaving Taehyung fatigued.

He had never experienced anything like it before.

Yes, many Alphas carried alluring scents. Even Hyungsik’s pine was sharp and grounding in its way, enough to turn heads. But none of them—not one—had ever made his toes curl inside his shoes, made his chest clench the way Jungkook’s sandalwood did.

It was unbearable.

By the time his grandmother had drifted into her evening rest, Taehyung couldn’t take it anymore. He slipped into the bath, sinking into the warm water with trembling hands. He scrubbed at his skin, dragging the cloth over his slender frame until it turned red, desperate to rid himself of the suffocating sandalwood. They had stood so close earlier, so dangerously close, that Taehyung was certain anyone who brushed past him would catch it, the Alpha’s essence clinging to him in defiance.

But no matter how hard he scrubbed, he couldn’t shake it.

The scent wasn’t on his skin anymore. It was in his head, in his lungs, burrowed deep into the part of him he couldn’t wash clean.

Later, as he prepared tea, the quiet of the house pressed down on him. Then he heard it: a faint rustling outside. The lowlands had always been safe, the pack never seeing the need to guard the leader’s or Taehyung’s childhood home.

Nothing bad ever happened at the lowlands.

And yet, his heart leapt, his conscience was telling him that it wasn’t just his mind playing games on him. The soft scratch of fallen leaves, footsteps too deliberate to be accidental, scraped against his nerves. He turned his head from the burning kettle, swallowing hard, dry throat clinging to the fear forming in his chest. The noise continued and it had changed into scratching on the wooden porch.

There was no denying it. Someone was outside.

Alone, unprotected, terrified, he froze.

Perhaps it was Hyungsik, checking on him. Perhaps. Taehyung tried to steady himself, to breathe, to convince himself of that simple, safe thought—but the dread pooling in his chest refused to be calmed.

As he was about to rush toward his grandmother’s room, to wake her and prepare her to flee in case of an emergency, a low, mournful howl cut through the night. It was soft, trembling, pained and unbearably demanding.

Taehyung’s wolf stirred instantly at the sound, ears pricking, instincts flaring. The howl carried a fragility that tugged at him, pulling him toward the door, compelling him to see who was outside. His chest tightened, every nerve alert, every sense on edge.

It was needy. It was vulnerable. And it called to something deep inside him, impossible to ignore.

Taehyung, barefoot, crept toward the door. His breath came in heavy, uneven pulls as he placed his hand on the doorknob, pressing it down to slowly open the door. Even before it swung fully, a scent that had become too familiar for his liking hit him like a hurricane, so impossibly close, that his chest tightened despite himself.

When the door finally opened, he froze. There, on the porch of his house, stood the largest black wolf he had ever seen. Pride radiated from every line of its form, and Taehyung’s breath caught at the sight. The sandalwood scent—the same one he had worked so hard to wash away—was back, bold and unrelenting. And though he would never admit it aloud, a strange sense of comfort curled through him.

The wolf—Jungkook—was immense, almost reaching Taehyung’s entire torso. His crimson eyes locked onto Taehyung’s, piercing him through to the core. In that instant, the world outside vanished; the only beings that mattered, the only presence he could feel, were the two of them.

And Taehyung was angry.

Angry at himself for even feeling the slightest bit of comfort at the sight of the Alpha.

“What are you doing back here?” Taehyung asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared down at the Alpha. He knew, with a pang of dread, that if Jungkook wanted to, he could tear him apart right there on the porch. Yet, somehow, he felt certain he wouldn’t.

And he hated the certainty.

“How many times am I going to have to see you in one day?” Taehyung continued, sliding into his furry slippers and closing the door behind him to avoid waking his grandmother.

He needed to know why Jungkook had returned in the middle of the night. Out of all places, why here? Why now?

“Shift, Alpha,” Taehyung commanded, hugging himself as a chill ran through the night air. The warm days were ending, and the first hints of winter had already begun to creep in. He didn’t know whether Jungkook would help them, or even stay for that matter after the stunt he had pulled only hours ago, but a weight in his chest told him he needed to apologize for the harsh words he had thrown at the him.

He noticed Jungkook had left his clothes on the wooden porch. Perhaps the Alpha was back to punish and torment him in his own way.

Give him a taste of his own medicine.

The wolf carefully retrieved his garments with his sharp teeth and retreated behind a tree to shift, putting the clothes back on. Taehyung couldn’t help but appreciate Jungkook’s demeanor—he could have shifted right there, right in front of him like any other careless Alpha would do. It had happened before a few times. But Jungkook didn’t do that, and it made Taehyung see him in a different light.

When Jungkook emerged from behind the tree, his black hair fell loosely around his face which was less arrogant than it had seemed in the meeting room, less harsh than during their earlier… conversation.

If one could name it a conversation.

It was more of a monologue between Taehyung and… Taehyung.

Taehyung studied him as he stepped forward. Jungkook couldn’t meet his eyes, and something twisted deep in Taehyung’s stomach. He couldn’t name it.

“So?” Taehyung started, his voice edged with impatience. His arms hugged himself tightly, moving up and down along his sides as he tried to warm against the chill. Jungkook must have noticed because he shrugged off his fur coat and stepped closer, holding it out toward him.

Taehyung’s eyes widened, and he scoffed, turning his head away so he wouldn’t have to meet the Alpha’s gaze.

“I don’t need your coat,” he spat, his voice sharp. Jungkook’s eyes narrowed, and his jaw tightened.

“Taehyung, take the coat for the Goddess’ sake,” Jungkook growled, the edge of his wolf creeping into his voice. He hated it when his words went unheeded.

Taehyung’s temper flared at the commanding tone, his chest tightening. He hated being spoken to like that, especially by an Alpha. “You think that just because you tell me to take it, I’ll have no choice?” he snapped back, voice defiant.

A sudden breeze swept over them, carrying a trace of Jungkook’s lingering scent. Taehyung froze, his breath hitching. That same weakness he had felt earlier, standing so close to him, surged again, stirring a tension he couldn’t fight.

“Taehyung.”

The sound of his name, low and deliberate from Jungkook’s lips, sent shivers through him. His wolf stirred violently, a deep, insistent pull that made his chest tighten and his knees weaken. Panic flared, he was terrified Jungkook might sense the shift in his scent. He didn’t understand why his body reacted this way, why his wolf howled with such intensity at just the sound of his name. And yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t calm himself.

Goosebumps prickled over his skin. Was it the chill of the night, or was it Jungkook, standing impossibly close, igniting sensations he didn’t know how to contain? He told himself he needed the coat, he couldn’t risk catching a cold and making  his grandmother sicker than she already was, but even as he reached for it, his pulse betrayed him, hammering erratically against his ribs.

It wasn’t as simple as taking a coat. He couldn’t retreat inside and pretend this hadn’t happened. He couldn’t escape the effect Jungkook had over him, nor the pull of that scent, lingering in the air, in his hair, and in every part of him that knew restraint.

“Fine.”

His voice sounded smaller than he intended, and as his hands brushed against Jungkook’s to take the coat, a jolt ran through him. His wolf howled carelessly from within, reckless and hungry, and he had to close his eyes and draw in a deep, shaky breath to steady himself. He wrapped the fur coat tightly around his shoulders, trying to ground himself.

“Only… because I can’t risk making my grandmother sicker,” he muttered, though the words sounded hollow even to his own ears.

Jungkook’s head tilted, eyes narrowing at the mention of his grandmother.

Why did he have to look so impossibly sweet… when in reality he was a monster? Why did every instinct in him pull toward Jungkook, even when reason screamed otherwise? His wolf didn’t care about logic. It didn’t care that Jungkook was an Alpha who could crush him without effort, that he was mated, or that every shred of sense in his mind was telling him to step back.

And yet, standing there in the fur coat, wrapped against the cold but not against the storm inside him, Taehyung realized that retreat wasn’t an option. Not tonight. Not ever—if his wolf had anything to say about it.

‘’I’m not as bad as you think I am.’’ A shy smirk grew on Jungkook’s face, respectfully still maintaining the distance between the two of them, and yet seeing Taehyung wearing his coat brought a different kind of satisfaction inside him.

Taehyung laughed at that sarcastically, did Jungkook really view himself as a saint of an Alpha? ‘’So you mean to tell me that you’re not a ruthless True Blood Alpha whose mere purpose in life is to kill and conquer?’’ he replied jokingly, while pulling the coat closer to him. He was engulfed in the coat with Jungkook’s sweet aroma surrounding it, and the closer he brought it the closer his wolf wanted it to be.

“I’m not, and I can prove it.” Jungkook dared, a playful smile tugging at his lips, the faintest glimmer of mischief in his crimson eyes.

“I don’t need you to prove anything. You, your coat, and your fake care can leave me alone.” Taehyung replied, hugging the fur coat tighter around his shoulders. Despite his words, his hands lingered on the fabric, trying desperately to hold onto the lingering traces of sandalwood clinging to it.

Pathetic, he thought bitterly. He didn’t want Jungkook to leave. He didn’t want the scent, the warmth, the presence that pressed against him, to vanish.

Jungkook’s gaze didn’t waver. He noticed every tremor in Taehyung’s stance, every hesitant flicker in his eyes, every subtle flush across his cheeks. And the realization that Taehyung’s wolf was as restless as his own made a slow, knowing smile spread across his face.

He moved toward the porch steps, seating himself deliberately. “Oh, c’mon. Take a chance, Taehyung,” he said, his eyes tracing the contours of the Omega’s figure with a patience that made Taehyung’s chest tighten.

The sight made Taehyung laugh, though it came out as a scoff tinged with disbelief. He hated that he did, hated that even in anger, his body betrayed him.

Jungkook leaned slightly forward, a subtle warmth radiating from him. “C’mon. Get to know me,” he said, gesturing to the empty space beside him on the step. The moonlight caught the red in his eyes, making them gleam with something both dangerous and inviting.

And in that moment, Taehyung didn’t think of Hyungsik. Not once.

“I dare you,” Jungkook said finally, his voice low, calm, but edged with a promise that sent shivers along Taehyung’s spine. The coat in Jungkook’s hands brushed gently against Taehyung’s arm, and it was enough to make him inhale sharply, his wolf stirring uncontrollably beneath his skin.

“Fine,” Taehyung whispered, almost breathless.

He slid down the step, settling beside Jungkook. The air around them was cold, yet the space between their bodies seemed to hum with heat. The breeze carried the scent of the Alpha, lingering, intoxicating, threading its way through the folds of the coat and into Taehyung’s lungs. His own scent, vanilla and anxious, tangled with it, and neither of them moved to separate it.

Their conversation began cautiously, words clipped at first, testing boundaries. But soon, laughter slipped in, soft and surprising, warming the chill of the night. The brush of shoulders, the close proximity of bodies, the shared glances—all of it threaded an invisible line between them, one neither could ignore.

Every shift in the breeze brought Jungkook’s scent closer, wrapping around Taehyung, pulling him in. And with every word, every laugh, the distance between them shrank further.

The world outside ceased to exist. The dark woods, the rustling leaves, the sleeping pack—none of it mattered. Only the heat of their bodies, the mingled scent of sandalwood and vanilla, and the slow, inexorable pull of two wolves recognizing what they couldn’t resist.

As dawn’s first light brushed the horizon, Taehyung realized something dangerous: in the warmth of that conversation, the soft teasing, and the gentle closeness of the Alpha beside him, he was utterly lost. And he didn’t want to be found.

Chapter Text

Jungkook hadn’t slept a single moment that night. He had come back from Taehyung’s grandmother’s house, and although he had thrown himself onto the bed, hours slipping into dawn, sleep refused to claim him. The first rays of the sun were already prying their way into the room, seeping through the cracks in the curtains until they landed directly against his closed lids, forcing him to rub at his eyes in annoyance. But even the light wasn’t strong enough to burn away the night before, nor the words that had been exchanged.

Every fragment of their conversation replayed in his head with merciless clarity. Jungkook couldn’t stop the curve of a smile tugging at his lips as each moment surfaced, as if every syllable Taehyung had spoken was carved into him.

He had always been careful with his words, with his thoughts, with his control. He rarely remembered the spark in another’s eyes. He never bothered to count the pauses between their breaths, never cared for the rise and fall of their chests, or the way their lips curled into fleeting smiles.

But Taehyung… Taehyung was different.

Jungkook remembered everything. The light that flickered stubbornly in his gaze, the sharp edges of his words that somehow softened as they left his mouth, the way his breath caught when he was flustered. Even now, Jungkook could almost feel it again — as if the scent that clung to him had embedded itself into his very skin, haunting him like a dream he wasn’t ready to wake from.

And he went back once again, and at that point he couldn’t recall how many times he had relived their conversations.

“I’m not as bad as you think I am.” A smirk tugged at Jungkook’s lips as he spoke, light but edged with something daring. He kept his distance, careful not to close in on the younger wolf, but the sight of Taehyung draped in his coat sent a quiet satisfaction rippling through him. The fur on his shoulders, heavy with the sandalwood of his scent, looked like it belonged there. Right on Taehyung. And Jungkook’s wolf cheered at the sight of that.

Taehyung laughed. Sharp and sarcastic, but Jungkook caught the faintest crack in it. “So you mean to tell me that you’re not a ruthless True Blood Alpha whose mere purpose in life is to kill and conquer?” he shot back, pulling the coat tighter against his body.

The motion didn’t go unnoticed. Jungkook’s wolf hummed in satisfaction at the sight, watching Taehyung burrow deeper into the scent that wrapped him. He was amused over the fact that the younger thought so low of him, and yet with every bit of breeze that passed through them, he would pull the coat tighter on his body.

He didn’t mind it though; he didn’t mind the younger telling him the harshest of things. Because as long as he spoke to him, no matter the circumstances, Jungkook was satisfied.

The Omega’s fingers gripped the fabric as though letting go would cost him more than he wanted to admit.

“I’m not,” Jungkook replied softly, his lips curling into a smile that carried both mischief and truth. “And I can prove it.”

Taehyung’s voice came sharp, defensive. “I don’t need you to prove anything. You, your coat, and your fake care can leave me alone.”

But his actions betrayed him. His hands lingered on the fur, clinging to it, holding the sandalwood closer as though he hated and craved it all at once. Jungkook’s gaze sharpened, every detail seared into his mind, the faint tremor in Taehyung’s stance, the hesitation flickering behind his eyes, the flush that refused to leave his cheeks. His wolf stirred violently. Taehyung’s wolf was restless too. He could feel it.

The realization sent a smile ghosting across Jungkook’s face, slow and knowing.

He stepped forward and lowered himself onto the porch steps, deliberately calm. “Oh, c’mon. Take a chance, Taehyung,” he said, his tone casual but his eyes tracing the Omega’s form with intent. Patience coated his words, though inside, his wolf clawed at him to pull Taehyung closer.

Taehyung scoffed again, but Jungkook heard the falter in it. His laugh was too thin, too forced. His body betrayed him.

Leaning forward slightly, Jungkook let his warmth bleed into the space between them. “C’mon. Get to know me,” he murmured, gesturing toward the step beside him. The moonlight slipped over his shoulders, catching the crimson in his eyes, painting him in something both dangerous and inviting.

For a heartbeat, Jungkook watched him. The Omega’s lips parted as though to argue, but he didn’t dare say anything.

“I dare you,” Jungkook said finally, voice low and threaded with a quiet promise. He let the coat in his hands brush against Taehyung’s arm, just lightly, enough to make the younger wolf stiffen. The sharp inhale that followed sent Jungkook’s pulse spiking.

He saw it then, plain as day. Taehyung’s wolf stirring, unraveling, breaking against his control.

And when the whispered “Fine” slipped from Taehyung’s lips, Jungkook’s smirk deepened, because it wasn’t victory. It was inevitability.

Taehyung’s feet dragged him toward the step where Jungkook sat, every movement reluctant yet inevitable. He crouched down, clutching the coat tighter to keep it from slipping off his shoulders. The sight made Jungkook’s wolf stir violently inside him. When Taehyung settled beside him, the warmth of his body brushing faintly against his own, Jungkook turned his head—and for a split second, the world stilled.

As if the Goddess of the Moon herself wanted to test him, a breeze passed through, tousling Taehyung’s golden curls. The soft caress of the wind on that hair nearly drove Jungkook mad. His wolf burned under his skin, claws threatening to tear through, and yet he forced himself to turn away, to look at the moon above them instead. The pale light glared back, as though it were questioning every choice he had made.

He was the only True Blood Alpha in the world. And yet here he was, seated beside an Omega he had known for barely a day—an Omega whose vanilla scent had ensnared every sense he had.

Jungkook inhaled deeply, steadying himself. His wolf pressed hard, desperate to release the anxious sandalwood scent threatening to spill from him, but he clenched his jaw and kept it back. He wouldn’t let Taehyung catch even a hint of his unrest. He wouldn’t risk making the younger wolf anxious.

“So,” Taehyung said finally, his voice softer than he intended it to be, “what do you want to talk about?”

“I want to talk about you.” Jungkook blurted out, he didn’t get to contain the words falling from his mouth and without even realizing the speed with which he chose to say the sentence. He looked at Taehyung, who’s eyes widened at the sudden bluntness.

“Jungkook…” Taehyung muttered under his breath, he stared at his feet curling up from the anxiousness Jungkook gave him.

Jungkook loved the way his name fell from the lips of the younger, he wanted to hear him call out his name for centuries to go.

Centuries wouldn’t be enough.

He needed more.

“I want to know about your hopes. Your dreams.” Jungkook couldn’t believe the softness that had so suddenly found him, he couldn’t understand how he could be so relaxed and yet so curious, so at ease and peace and so anxious at the same time. “Everything you want in life.”

Taehyung’s lips parted, his voice steady though his hands clutched the coat tighter. “I already have everything I’ve ever dreamt of.”

“Oh, yeah?” Jungkook asked, curiosity edging his tone. “And what’s that?”

Jungkook hoped he wouldn’t hear Taehyung talking about the Alpha that makes every fiber of his born burn with anger.

“I have a mate who loves me, a pack that respects me, and a land I can call my own.”

Jungkook couldn’t help it—he scoffed, the sound breaking the fragile silence between them. He wanted to erase Hyungsik’s existence.

Taehyung frowned. “What are you laughing about?”

“Taehyung,” Jungkook said, turning his gaze to him, “is there not anything more you want in life, other than this?”

“What more could I want?”

Jungkook’s voice dropped, carrying both awe and conviction. “There are lands that go beyond your imagination—beaches with waters clearer than the air we’re breathing, jungles filled with animals you’ve never seen before, cities with architecture so intricate you’d think the Goddess herself carved them.”

Taehyung’s eyes narrowed. “You mean the ones you conquered and took from their leaders?”

“No,” Jungkook replied evenly. “I mean the ones I saved from crumbling.”

Taehyung blinked, confusion flashing across his face. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, yes,” Jungkook admitted without flinching, “I did take them. But they bloomed after becoming part of what I’ve been building for the past year.”

“And what does that look like?”

Jungkook’s lips curved slightly, though his eyes glinted with seriousness. “I’ve saved lands and cities from Alpha leaders who didn’t care about the Omegas and Betas living among them. I’ve rebuilt towns rotting in poverty. I’ve stopped entire bloodlines from dying out. I’ve saved places drowning under illness and neglect, places that would’ve disappeared within years.”

Taehyung hesitated, his breath catching. “Why do you do it?”

Jungkook’s throat tightened. He opened his mouth, then shut it again. The question clawed at him.

“Because…” he started, then faltered.

“Because?” Taehyung pressed, his voice quieter now.

Jungkook exhaled, finally meeting Taehyung’s eyes. “Because it’s what a good leader is supposed to do.”

Silence.

The reply hung heavy in the night air, sinking deep into the Omega’s chest. Taehyung stared at him, his breath uneven, as though the words had struck harder than they should have. Never—not once—had he expected to hear this from the ruthless Alpha of the Highlands, the monster whispered about in fireside tales. And yet here he was, seated beside him, confessing truths that shook Taehyung like a tremor.

Jungkook felt Taehyung’s scent shift. The vanilla was usually soft, calming, like a balm against his restless wolf. But now—now it deepened, grew warmer, more tender, as though a piece of the Omega’s soul had been laid bare. Jungkook’s wolf inhaled greedily, not willing to waste a single drop of it, his chest tightening with every breath.

When he turned, the sight nearly undid him. Taehyung sat curled into his coat like a small bear, swallowed whole by the fur, his golden curls brushing the collar. Something in Jungkook’s chest melted, a dangerous heat unfurling inside him.

This shouldn’t be happening.

He shouldn’t let this escalate.

Taehyung had a mate.

It’s friendly, Jungkook forced himself to think. This is just… friendly.

“What’s wrong with your grandmother?” he asked, his voice low. He remembered Taehyung’s earlier words, about not wanting her to grow sicker because of him. The question slipped out before he could stop it.

He hadn’t expected the reaction it stirred.

At once, Taehyung’s ears perked, his body going rigid. His head snapped toward the door, as if checking to see whether she had emerged—or if her scent, distressed, had carried on the breeze strongly enough for Jungkook to catch.

“Taehyung,” Jungkook murmured, his own chest tightening at the way the Omega tensed. He lifted his hand almost without thinking, resting it carefully on Taehyung’s shoulder. Heat burned beneath his fingertips, the friction of the touch searing him more than it should have. He opened his mouth to speak, to soothe, but no words came. Instead, he simply held him there, steady, grounding.

And then it came—Taehyung’s scent shifting once again.

Vanilla, still. But sharper. Burning. Distressed.

“Taehyung, calm down,” Jungkook said softly. He lowered his head, dipping close enough that his shadow brushed over the Omega’s form. A faint smile—gentle, unguarded—slipped onto his lips despite the storm raging inside him.

Taehyung swallowed hard, his eyes locked stubbornly on the doorway. He refused to turn, to face the Alpha crouched so close now that every exhale from Jungkook’s lungs fanned across his skin.

“Hey.”

Jungkook released his shoulder and, with a careful motion, lifted his hand to cup Taehyung’s cheek. His touch was feather-light, the barest brush of warmth, enough to reassure but not enough to overwhelm.

Taehyung flinched at the contact, at the heat that bloomed across his skin where Jungkook’s palm rested. His chest rose sharply, a shallow breath catching.

Slowly, with steady insistence, Jungkook tilted Taehyung’s face toward him.

And when their eyes met—Jungkook’s irises flaring crimson in the dim light, Taehyung’s gaze trembling but unbroken—his wolf nearly tore free.

It was too much.

Too close.

Too vulnerable.

“It’s okay,” Jungkook whispered, his voice as much a plea as a promise. His thumb ghosted across the curve of Taehyung’s cheek. “She’s okay.”

Taehyung’s gaze locked with Jungkook’s crimson eyes, his own heart pounding harder with every passing second. And then, with a trembling inhale, he closed his eyes—drawing in a deep breath, enough to clear his lungs of the distress clawing at him. When he opened them again, his irises had shifted into a vivid blue, like the depths of ocean waves meeting Jungkook’s burning red.

The emotions tangled between them were unbearable, heightened by the sheer weight of Jungkook’s palm resting against his cheek. He knew he shouldn’t feel this way. He knew he shouldn’t want to stay, shouldn’t want to lean into the warmth that wasn’t his to take. And yet—he couldn’t tear himself away. Couldn’t understand why he couldn’t breathe without those ocean-blue eyes pulling him deeper. Couldn’t understand why the sweetness of vanilla drowned him, holding him in a spell no words could describe.

Maybe I’m sick, Jungkook thought.

Maybe this is punishment for every sin I’ve committed.

Maybe this is the price—falling in love with someone I can never have, a punishment for every soul I’ve taken.

“Alpha?”

The soft murmur tore him out of the spiral. Taehyung’s voice, barely above a whisper, brought him back to the step they sat on, to the closeness he hadn’t realized had suffocated the world around them.

“You can let go of my cheek now,” Taehyung said, almost shyly, the words coming out more like a breath than speech.

Jungkook blinked, startled, as if only now realizing that his hand was still cupping Taehyung’s face. His wolf resisted, furious at the loss, but Jungkook forced himself to obey. His crimson irises dimmed back to their usual shade, his scent settling as well.

Vanilla, steady once more.

Taehyung was calm.

“Your scent…” Taehyung began softly, hesitating before forcing the words out. “It helped me.”

The admission hung heavy between them, unspoken and dangerous. Neither of them understood it, and yet neither of them could deny it. The pull of their wolves was undeniable, an invisible bond weaving through their scents, tugging at their hearts. But what bond was it? Why did they feel peace only in each other’s presence?

Taehyung couldn’t admit it, not even to himself—that Jungkook’s sandalwood had grounded him, pulled him back from the storm, whispered that everything was okay.

Jungkook’s hand retreated slowly, as if moving too fast would shatter the fragile Omega before him. He laid it on his thigh, his chest tight with restraint. “I’m glad,” he said simply, the words almost too fragile to hold the weight behind them.

A moment of silence stretched, but Taehyung broke it with a truth of his own.

“My grandmother… she’s not well.”

The words were soft, but steady, and Jungkook felt a strange relief. Taehyung hadn’t withdrawn, hadn’t pulled away from him even after what had just passed. Instead, he trusted him enough to keep speaking.

“She’s suffering from weakened wolf spirit syndrome,” Taehyung admitted at last, his voice lowering to almost a whisper. “She has been like this for a while, but lately… it’s gotten worse.”

He wasn’t sure why the words spilled so easily in Jungkook’s presence. No one else knew about his grandmother’s condition except Hyungsik. Not even his closest friends dared whisper about it.

It wasn’t safe.

Because wolves sought out those with weakened spirits. If one managed to kill them, the remnants of the fading wolf’s power would bleed into the killer, strengthening their own. It was an ancient, vicious law of nature that no elder could rewrite.

And Taehyung had just given that knowledge to him.

The realization struck him like a blade to the chest. His breath quickened, panic flooding his veins as he looked up at Jungkook, horror etched across his face.

How could he be so careless? How could he tell his nemesis, the one wolf whose name alone made packs tremble, about the one secret that could destroy everything?

And Jungkook realized that Taehyung’s scent had switched once again. He quickly picked up on the fact that the Omega was one to panic very frequently, and something inside him stirred at the thought. He didn’t want Taehyung to ever have a reason to panic—not when he was around.

“Taehyung, you have nothing to worry about,” he reassured, his Alpha tone creeping into his words when he realized the younger had started questioning his honesty, his ability to be vulnerable with him. “I won’t ever tell a single wolf,” he continued, letting soothing pheromones slip into the air so Taehyung could feel at ease. “I promise you.”

And he meant it. Jungkook never made promises he couldn’t keep.

But Taehyung was too far gone in his panic to hear him. His thoughts spun in circles, chaotic and sharp, until they drowned out Jungkook’s words. He started scratching at his head with the one hand free of Jungkook’s coat, the other buried beneath it. The weight of his distressed demeanor was already suffocating, but what made it worse was being wrapped in Jungkook’s scent. It clung to him, draped over him, pressing in from all directions until he couldn’t breathe.

“Goddess, how can I be so stupid and careless?” he muttered, voice cracking as he hit his head with his hand. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t forgive himself for letting the truth slip. His chest tightened with the thought that maybe Jungkook’s intoxicating scent had bewitched him, made his mind go blank. Or worse—maybe it had cast some unseen spell over him, coaxing secrets from his lips that could prove fatal to him and everyone he cared about.

“Taehyung.”

The Alpha suddenly rose from the step beside him. In a few strides, Jungkook moved down the last step and crouched before the panicked Omega. His head tilted upward, peeking under Taehyung’s bowed one until his dark eyes caught the other’s.

“Do I need to touch your cheek every time you start panicking like this?” he asked with a sly smile tugging at his lips, daring the Omega to react.

He had grown to love the way Taehyung bristled at his teasing.

And just as he expected, Taehyung’s eyes snapped up and burned at the sight of that infuriating smile. Anger surged through him, hot and sudden. He shot to his feet, nearly knocking Jungkook off balance from his crouch. The abruptness startled the Alpha, though he didn’t let it show.

“I knew I shouldn’t have come out here to talk to you,” Taehyung blurted, though his actions betrayed him. He didn’t leave. He stood there, the heavy coat still draped across his shoulders. The sight nearly drove Jungkook’s wolf mad—the pouty Omega glaring at him while wrapped in his scent.

Jungkook straightened slowly, rising step by step with a steadiness that spoke of quiet dominance. His hands slipped into his pockets as the cold bit into his skin, but he hardly noticed. Taehyung’s scent had been keeping him warm all this time.

“Taehyung,” he muttered once he reached him again, standing tall in front of the younger wolf. Taehyung immediately turned his face away, refusing to meet his eyes.

“I told you, your secret is safe with me,” Jungkook said, his voice low, almost reverent. “I won’t ever let anything happen to her.” As he spoke, his hand brushed gently over the fur of the coat still wrapped around Taehyung.

Taehyung shook his head in refusal, his chest rising with sharp breaths. He couldn’t understand why this Alpha, who stood so close that every inhale filled his lungs with him, cared about his family. Why he cared about him at all. It was maddening, trying to crack a code his fragile wolf brain couldn’t solve.

“Why?” His voice wavered, breaking under the weight of it. “Why do you care?”

Jungkook didn’t know how to answer. All he knew was that he did care—and far more than he should. When he promised nothing would happen to her, or to anyone Taehyung held dear, he meant it. Even Hyungsik.

Because no matter how much Jungkook despised that wolf, he would never let harm touch him. Not when Hyungsik mattered to Taehyung.

“Taehyung, I’m not a monster,” Jungkook reassured him once again. He knew his reputation wasn’t clean—darkened by blood and ruthless ambition—but never would he imagine anyone thinking him capable of hurting an elderly woman.

And deep down, Taehyung knew it. His wolf knew it. And his wolf’s instinct was never wrong when it came to trusting, or not trusting, an Alpha.

“Will you help Hyungsik?” Taehyung asked suddenly, his voice breaking the heavy silence. He still didn’t turn his head to face him.

“Taehy—”

“Will you?” His tone was sharper this time, impatient, desperate. He needed to know. Needed to believe that Jungkook was here to protect them, not destroy them. That his grandmother could spend her final years in peace, undisturbed, safe. Could he trust him?

Jungkook faltered. He knew the truth: he hadn’t come here to help them. His intent was to strip the lowlands from Hyungsik, to claim them as his own. But something had shifted, deep and irreversible. He couldn’t treat this land like all the others. Because this wasn’t just another conquest.

Taehyung lived here.

“I’m here to help,” Jungkook said at last. It was a lie, but one that burned on his tongue as if it wanted to be true. And even though he hadn’t come to help them, deep down he knew another truth, one far more dangerous—he knew with certainty that he wouldn’t do anything to harm Taehyung—or his grandmother.

Even if it meant losing everything else.

Silence crept between them for a while. They stood there, close enough to touch, yet worlds apart in their minds. Jungkook knew Taehyung had every right to feel this way toward him. He knew he had to prove himself to the younger.

Jungkook craved his trust.

And yet, he kept questioning himself—why did he need it so badly? Why did it matter so much that Taehyung believed him? Jungkook had never cared for the opinions of others, never once sought to prove himself in their eyes. And still, here he was, yearning for Taehyung’s faith, desperate for it.

Without even realizing it, Jungkook had become loyal to him. And somewhere deep down, he knew this was the beginning of the end—or perhaps the end of the beginning.

But for now, it didn’t matter. He’d deal with the consequences later.

Taehyung’s deep breath suddenly broke the silence. “Hyungsik has worked so hard for this,” he exclaimed, turning his head toward the trees that framed his humble home.

“For what?” Jungkook asked, a mocking edge slipping into his tone. There was no proof, nothing that showed Hyungsik had worked hard to save these lands. How could he have let things fall apart like this? How could he not have had a plan to shield his crumbling territory? Even now, Jungkook remained baffled that out of all the Alphas in the world, Hyungsik had called specifically for him.

Taehyung caught the mockery, but chose not to address it. He swallowed it down.

“For this land. For his people.” His gaze stayed fixed on the fields stretched endlessly before them. His voice carried weight, sincerity, and something unshakably tethered to the soil beneath his feet. There was no denying Taehyung’s love for the lowlands. Despite every painful memory rooted in them, this place was his home. And now that he had become Luna of the pack, his connection to it—and to its people—was deeper than ever.

“I won’t let anything stand in the way of that,” he continued. At last, his gaze shifted, meeting Jungkook’s eyes head-on. “Even you.”

The words left harsher than he intended, a bite to them, and regret stabbed at him the moment they slipped free. Still, he didn’t let it show.

“Oh, yeah?” Jungkook dared, leaning into the challenge. Normally, he wouldn’t tolerate anyone speaking to him like that. But Taehyung was different. He admired the way the Omega carried himself around him—unflinching, unbowed. Fearless, in Jungkook’s eyes. Though he didn’t notice the way Taehyung’s legs trembled whenever he spoke.

“Yes, Jungkook,” Taehyung admitted firmly. “So if you’re here to play a twisted game, it’s a bad idea. I won’t let you do anything to harm us.” His voice rang steady, his stance unwavering. This was his home. His pack. The place he imagined himself growing old, the place he felt safest. He hadn’t seen much of the world, but even so, he knew—there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

Jungkook faltered. He didn’t know how to make the younger trust him, didn’t know what words would be enough. But he had to try. He had to do something. Yoongi would’ve laughed at the sight—at how his brother, the True Alpha feared by many, was now brought to his knees by the mercy of an Omega he barely knew.

“Why do you still think so low of me?” Jungkook asked quietly.

Taehyung’s breath caught. He didn’t miss the way Jungkook’s eyes widened, softening with something almost pleading. For the first time, Taehyung noticed how doe-like they were, how vulnerable, like a deer caught in the open.

How was this the fearless Alpha? The one with the brutal reputation and unshakable audacity that made Taehyung’s blood boil? He didn’t look or sound anything like he had imagined.

Of course, Taehyung didn’t see the hurricane storming inside Jungkook. He didn’t realize the tales were true—that Jungkook was every bit the fearsome Alpha they described. He didn’t know that Jungkook was the one under a spell now, bewitched by him.

“You have a reputation. You know you do,” Taehyung pressed.

“My reputation precedes me.” A small smile curved Jungkook’s lips, though it felt fragile, almost self-deprecating. He clasped his hands behind his back, the posture making him seem smaller than usual. “Hopefully it won’t be all bad for long…” he murmured. And he meant it. He would make sure of it.

Taehyung laughed softly at that, and to Jungkook, the sound rang like bells from the human churches.

“Well,” Taehyung tilted his head, giggling in quiet amusement. Jungkook soaked in every note of the sound, inhaled every shift of his scent. His wolf couldn’t remember the last time it had felt so content, so at peace. “A little bad. Mostly repulsive and careless.”

He looked toward the horizon then, where the first rays of sun had begun spilling across the sky. Was it truly morning already? Had the hours passed so quickly, spent out here with the True Alpha?

“I’ll prove it to you,” Jungkook said firmly. “I promise.”

And he meant it. He didn’t know how, but he knew he would do whatever it took to earn Taehyung’s trust. To become someone he could lean on. Someone he could find comfort in.

But Jungkook had to remind himself—Taehyung was mated. He repeated it like a mantra, clinging to it even as the Omega’s vanilla scent wrapped around him, bewitching his body and soul.

It didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter.

And yet, despite everything, Jungkook already knew.

He was all in.

⋆˙⟡

Taehyung had a hard time sleeping as well. After dawn came and Jungkook finally left his house, he had stayed in bed, reliving every single word they had exchanged. Every look. Every pause. Why was he doing this? Why would he let himself speak so freely to an Alpha he barely knew?

He tossed and turned in his small childhood bed, sheets twisting around him as though they, too, refused to let him rest. His body was exhausted, but his mind—and his wolf—refused to shut down.

Jungkook’s coat was still in his room. He had forgotten to give it back, and Jungkook hadn’t asked for it, hadn’t even reminded him. It lingered there on the chair beside his bed, draped carelessly, and yet Taehyung could still feel its weight on his shoulders, smell the Alpha’s scent clinging stubbornly to the fur.

After making his promise, Jungkook had shifted back into his wolf form and left, but not before watching Taehyung return safely inside. He’d waited until he heard the door lock before he turned away.

What Taehyung didn’t know was that Jungkook hadn’t left right away. He had lingered. For an hour he stayed, hidden behind the wide trunk of a tree at the edge of the yard, curled up on the damp grass with the cold air biting at his skin. He waited, watching the small house, his red eyes softened to their usual dark hue as his wolf listened carefully.

Every shift of the wind carried the faintest trace of vanilla, and Jungkook’s ears twitched instinctively, alert for danger. His wolf was restless, prowling inside him, every instinct whispering stay. Protect. Guard. Wait until the pup is safe.

Pup?

Oh Jungkook.

Jungkook told himself it was only precaution. That he was making sure the younger wolf wouldn’t act recklessly again, wouldn’t try to run off into the night when no one was watching. That was all.

But deep down he knew it wasn’t true. He knew he could have left the moment Taehyung locked the door. He knew he should have left. Instead, he dug his claws into the earth and lowered his head to the cold ground, his eyes never leaving the faint glow of the little house.

His wolf growled quietly, not in threat but in unease. Why him? Why this one? Jungkook had never lingered for anyone. Never watched over another this way. Not when he was a child, not even when his own blood cried after him. He was an Alpha, a killer, a monster with too much blood on his hands to ever believe he was capable of gentleness.

And yet, he was here. Waiting for the rhythm of Taehyung’s scent to shift, to soften, to fall into the steady calm of sleep.

Only when the vanilla grew quiet, carried out of the window like a lullaby on the early morning air, did Jungkook finally rise from the grass. His wolf gave one last reluctant look back at the house before disappearing into the forest shadows.