rugiada

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/17108711.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: M/M
Fandom: | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Relationship: Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V
Character: Jeon Jungkook, Kim Taehyung | V, Park Jimin (BTS), Min Yoongi |
Suga
Additional Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe -
Wolves, Alpha Jeon Jungkook, Omega Kim Taehyung | V, First
Meetings, True Mates
Language: English
Collections: stories to reread over and over
Stats: Published: 2018-12-24 Words: 11057

rugiada
by narcisara

Summary

Jeongguk has never believed in destined mates, but then, he meets Taehyung, the Omega he
has to marry to unite the Busan pack and the Daegu pack.

Notes

this fic was totally inspired by the mma performance, i loved it so much that i just needed
to write something about it so here we are! it's nothing much, honestly, i've been working
on another fic since february so this was just something i started to write for fun and mostly
to take a break from writing the other, so don't expect much hahah however, i hope you like
it anyway!

vietnamese translation

russian translation

See the end of the work for more notes

Jeongguk’s ready.
He is, but he’s nervous, really nervous.

Jimin and him have been preparing this for months, since the moment their pack has agreed on an
union by marriage with the Daegu pack.

Actually, it will be by two marriages, not one. Jimin will mate and marry the Alpha older brother,
soon-to-be the Leader Alpha, while Jeongguk will mate and marry the Omega younger brother,
who will stay by his side when it will be his time to become the Leader Alpha of his own pack.

As tradition wants, the pack that welcomes the other in its territory, has to welcome it with a dance
performed by the wolf or wolves who will make the union happen.

If the wolf is an Omega, they have to dance with a big colorful fan, wear gold and black and most
importantly, be sensual, move their body fluidly, ensure that everyone’s eyes are glued on them.

His brother, Jimin, has danced for his whole life; since Jeongguk can remember, even as a child, he
was always dancing around, a song hummed under his breath, arms, legs, body not staying still for
a moment. Jeongguk knows the eyes of each person in the hall will be on his brother when it will
be his time, they’ll be so amazed they won’t even bat an eyelash not to miss any of it.

If the wolf is an Alpha, though, the dance is different. The wolf has to dance with ribbons, usually
white or red, one for each hand; wear mostly black with few golden details, but what matters the
most is that they have to be powerful with their moves. Have to show how much strength their
body holds, it’s not really about dancing, not about showing how their body moves, but about
letting everyone perceive that they’re the most powerful wolf in the room.

That’s why Jeongguk’s nervous. If it actually were just dancing, he wouldn’t; as soon as his legs
supported him, Jeongguk can’t remember a day he hasn’t danced along with his brother. Their
afternoons and evenings were always full of music, of their bodies moving until they were too tired
to even stand up. Growing up, though, that changed, their duties forcing them to leave the dance in
a corner, only for the few free moments they had.

As the Alpha brother, the one who, one day, is supposed to become the leader of their pack,
Jeongguk has always had less time to dance compared to Jimin, but it never stopped him, even
when he had just few hours to spare, instead of lazing around or doing something else he always
could be found in the dancing room.

After all, even if what he has prepared with Jimin is a dancing performance, he’s aware that who
will watch him isn’t expecting just that; they’re expecting him to show through his moves and body
that he’s fit for the role of a pack leader, that he’s the perfect Alpha for the Omega of the Daegu
pack, that his heirs will be nothing but powerful too.

Jeongguk sighs, he can’t wait for everything to be done. Jimin, by his side, smiles at him, orange
fan already held between his fingers.

The pack has arrived, they’re just waiting for each member of it to show up where the welcome
celebration will be hosted.

“You’ll do great, Gukkie,” Jimin tells him, lightly patting his hair not to ruin it. Jeongguk takes a
deep breath, closing his eyes.

“I’ve never met him, hyung,” he almost whines, leaning against the wall. “What if I mess up and
he decides I’m not good enough to be his Alpha.”

Jimin chuckles, as if Jeongguk’s just joking, he’s not, he’s not. He’s really worried he will fuck
everything up, maybe land wrongly on his feet after one of the jumps and fall, embarrassing
himself so much he’s sure he will remain on the floor, not having the courage to stand up and face
everyone else, face his future mate.

“Please, you practiced it day and night. As soon as the music will start, your body will react to it
and move on its own. You don’t need to worry, I’m sure the Omega brother will only have eyes for
you after,” Jimin tries to encourage him, but the other’s his brother, of course he would.

“You’re biased, your opinion doesn’t count,” Jeongguk says, huffing, he really can’t wait for the
moment he can stuff his face with food and forget about the performance forever.

“No, really,” Jimin argues back, hands on his hips. “I bet that after watching you, everyone will be
wet.”

Jeongguk almost chokes on his own saliva, making Jimin laugh. “Please hyung,” he actually
whines this time, “don’t say that ever again, please.”

Jimin keeps laughing, opening his fan to air himself. “I’m going to spy on the guests,” he
announces then, walking out from the back door of the room, the one that exists in the hallway.

“Don’t let the Alpha brother see you,” he tells the other, who just winks at him; Jeongguk bets
everything he owns he will do exactly that, just because he’s Jimin and doesn’t like following the
rules.

•••

Since Jeongguk was old enough to understand, his parents and his mentors have never hidden from
him that as the heir, he had to mate an Omega who would’ve brought benefits to their pack, one of
a pack that could’ve been a good ally; they have never told him that he would’ve mated out of love
and Jeongguk has accepted it long ago, when he actually realised the burden he had been born with,
the responsibility of being the heir of his pack.

Because of that, he has never dreamt about love, never thought about how it would feel like to
meet someone, slowly fall in love with them and become their mate; it’s something so out of his
reach that he can’t even say he wants it, and even if he would, he can’t have it, so it’s better this
way, it’s better he hasn’t met anyone who made him feel like giving up on his duties, on leaving
his pack behind just to love whoever he wants.

Jeongguk’s no fool, he knows that when it’s about arranged marriages, it’s difficult that the two
wolves love each other, even after mating. At the same time, though, he hopes there won’t be just
fondness or forced love between him and his mate, he hopes it will grow naturally, that he will
actually feel the love many talk about, even if not full force, even if just a bit.

The fact he has never met, not even seen, his future mate doesn’t help at all. He doesn’t know
anything, just voices arrived from Daegu that the Omega brother is loved by everyone; gorgeous,
kind, caring. Of course his people would say that, no one would dare to criticise the Leader’s son;
Jeongguk’s sure his own people talk highly of him and Jimin, too. Even so, he doesn’t expect
much, just prays the other won’t reveal himself to be the exact contrary, that he will give Jeongguk
a chance to show him who he is, that he can be a good Alpha for him, that he can be loved.

Jeongguk has been preparing for this since the signs that he was going to present as an Alpha
started to become evident; since then, he has learned how an Alpha and a Leader behaves, which
are his duties as both and as a future mate, too. He can’t say he has loved it, but he didn’t know
anything else besides that, can’t imagine himself being something else, so he can’t say he has hated
it neither.

There’s only one thing he’s not really happy about; Jimin will leave Busan to go to Daegu with the
Alpha brother. Probably, they will see each other often, but it will be hard going from seeing Jimin
every day to see him once in a while. They can still write each other letters, but it won’t be the
same, not at all; he’d never admit it to the other, but he’ll miss him, so much.

After what feels like hours, Jimin comes back in the room Jeongguk is waiting, a faint blush on his
cheeks that the other tries to cover with the fan.

“You let him see you,” Jeongguk says, not even bothering to ask it, he already knows the answer,
there’s not point in asking and pretending to be shocked once he hears the answer.

Jimin giggles, eyes forming crescent moons. “Nope,” he lies, and Jeongguk sighs, done with the
other. “Hyung, I told you not to let him see you.”

“He couldn’t be sure it was me he was looking at,” Jimin tells him, closing the fan with a flick of
his wrist. “And it was quick, as soon as I saw the Daegu heir ring on his hand I ran away.”

“You know that made it even more obvious it was you, right? Since you’re not supposed to let him
see you,” Jeongguk says, exasperated; he hopes the other Alpha won’t say anything about it or
Jimin will be in big trouble, it’s never good to break traditional rules. Besides, it’s said that if the
promised wolves see each other before the welcoming dance, it will bring bad luck on them.

Jimin chuckles, hitting his arm with the fan. Jeongguk protests but the other just looks at him
knowingly. “What,” he says, slightly afraid of what the other will say or do.

“I saw him,” Jimin only says then, sitting on Jeongguk’s lap since the only chair available in the
room is the one he is on.

“Yeah, Jimin, I understood,” Jeongguk replies back, trying to move him away.

“Your mate, I mean.”

Jeongguk stills, he can feel his heart beating quicker, body locking in place. “And?”

“He’s gorgeous, most beautiful Omega I’ve ever seen, your eyes will fall out. It would be so funny
if while you’re dancing you’re so stunned you stop and stand there like a fool.”

Jeongguk groans, head falling back, arms dangling by his sides. “I hate you,” he murmurs, feeling
even more nervous now; he will definitely make a fool of himself in front of his parents, his pack
and the Daegu one, in front of his apparently gorgeous future mate.

Jimin laughs, lightly hitting his chest with the end of the fan. “You’re so dramatic, Gukkie. It will
be alright, everyone will love your Alphaness.”

“Shut up, Jimin.”

“Jimin hyung, brat,” the other corrects him with a harder hit.

“Shut up, Jimin hyung.”

“You want to―”

A servant interrupts Jimin from finishing his sentence by entering the room, even if Jeongguk has
an idea of what the other was going to say anyway.

“Alpha Jeongguk, Omega Jimin, when you’ll be ready, you can come out,” he tells them, leaving
as soon as the two nod.

Jeongguk exhales, getting up from the chair, Jimin with him.

“You’ll be amazing,” Jeongguk tells his brother, who smiles and kisses his cheek. “And be sure to
make everyone fall in love with you, especially a certain Alpha.”

Jimin grins, patting his chest with the fan. “And you make everyone wet.”

Jeongguk splutters, but he doesn’t have the time to say something back because Jimin is already
opening the door of the room quietly, light off not to let anyone see him before he starts
performing. The other will be the first one to dance, lights only on him, while Jeongguk will wait
in a corner of the hall, ready to begin as soon as Jimin finishes.

Jeongguk hides in the corner on the right, doesn’t even care it’s dark because they have tried this so
many times; Jimin gets out of the room from the door hidden behind a curtain, Jeongguk follows
him in the big hall where all the guests are waiting, but instead of positioning himself in front of
the crowd, he goes in the corner, from where he’ll start his performance.

After some moments, in which not even the guests are speaking, probably already holding their
breath, the music starts and with it, a ray of light hits Jimin, who has his arm stretched up, fingers
holding the orange closed fan.

His eyes are shut, face slightly turned on the side to show his neck to everyone in the hall, but
especially to the Alpha brother; one day, it will be exactly where the Alpha will leave his mating
mark.

Then, slowly, he brings his arm down, that covers his face briefly, giving him enough time to open
his eyes. Jimin brushes the fan against his cheek, neck, collarbones, following the rhythm of the
music, each beat pointed by a movement. Once the music starts to get faster, Jimin opens his fan
with a flick of his wrist, hiding half of his face behind it.

Jeongguk quickly glances at the crowd and even if it’s dark, he hopes to find the two brothers, but
he only sees the Alpha, who’s standing directly in front of Jimin. He can’t see much, but he’s
completely different from what he imagined him to be. The wolf isn’t much tall, maybe just some
inches more than Jimin, he’s not scrawny, but not even built, uncommon traits for an Alpha,
though, as soon as his eyes lands on the other’s face, he has to take back his own thoughts; a wolf
who has the face the other has, can only be an Alpha. He’s looking at Jimin with such attention and
lust that Jeongguk has to look away before his Alpha instincts take over and make him attack the
other wolf because he shouldn’t look at his brother in that way.

Jimin is slowly fanning himself, a smirk on his plump lips, and then, while still doing it, he spins
his entire body, open fan close to his head.

No matter how many times Jeongguk has seen Jimin dance, each time is always like the first one,
the way the other moves his body is something he has never seen someone do, not even Jeongguk
is able to dance like his brother does. Jimin was born to dance and Jeongguk prays his mate will let
him keep doing it, that he won’t restrain him from doing one of the things he loves the most.

After spinning around another time, faster, Jimin closes the fan by hitting it on his other hand, then,
eyes fixed on the Alpha brother, he lets its end trail on the entirety of his body, from his slightly
open lips to his chest, covered by a thin golden shirt, and down, until it almost reaches his lower
abdomen. Jimin’s teasing the Alpha, they all know he’s indicating where the Alpha will touch him,
where his fingers will leave marks in their wake, where one day, his mouth, teeth and tongue will
be.

This time, Jimin spins with the fan closed, both arms near to his chest and then up in the air, fan
held between both hands.

It’s much more than dancing even for Omegas; Jimin has to make himself desiderable for his
future mate, has to catch his attention and not let his eyes move away from his body not even for a
second, though, from what Jeongguk has briefly seen, he’s doing that just right, maybe even better
than expected.

After, he opens again the fan and goes down on the floor, a knee supporting his body up, while he
stretches the other leg forward, moving the fan in a semicircle, from left to right. He has not even
completely stood up, that he’s already spinning again, moving the arm holding the fan up and
down, rotating it around his head.

Each move is so mesmerising by itself, but the addition of the fan makes everything magical;
Jeongguk knows the dance by heart and yet, he wishes it would never end.

With the fan closed, Jimin points first down on his left, then up on his right, until he forms an
imaginary x with the fan; each movement of his arm synchronised with the beats of the music.

The part after is Jeongguk’s favourite; at first, they both were supposed to dance with other dancers
behind, but after practicing it for a couple of times, Jimin had decided the dancers were a
distraction, people wouldn’t have focused entirely on them only to watch the performance as a
whole.

Jimin was right, because after trying it by himself, Jeongguk could notice some details he didn’t
with the dancers behind; the way his head moved, following the direction of the fan or the way he
closed the fan while following the music. All small details, but after noticing them, Jeongguk knew
they had to perform alone.

After forming the x, arm down on his right side, fan still closed, Jimin slowly moves it up, rotating
his arm in a complete circle. Even without the dancers behind who should’ve opened their fans
following Jimin’s arm, that part remains the best for Jeongguk. His brother’s eyes are still fixed
into the Alpha’s, but this time, his chin is lifted, looking at the other wolf in a challenging way,
something an Omega shouldn’t ever do in front of an Alpha. It’s why Jeongguk loves it, because
Jimin is asserting his power on the Alpha, even if he’s an Omega, he’s showing him that he won’t
be submissive, won’t always say yes no matter what; he’s telling the other wolf that he is his own,
that once mated, the Alpha won’t own him.

It’s risky, Jeongguk has told him, not each Alpha is as calm as he is when someone challenges him;
the other could react badly, even attack his brother, but when Jeongguk shifts his gaze on the
Alpha, he’s just smirking, a corner of his lips lifted up. Jeongguk doesn’t know what it means, but
at least, he can relax himself, even after Jimin points the fan directly at the Alpha, other hand
placed on his hip.
The Alpha smirks even more, slowly nodding his head, which means he has accepted Jimin’s
challenge, that he’s okay with it. Jeongguk grins, knows internally, his brother is doing it too.

It’s then, when Jimin points at the Alpha two other times, that Jeongguk realises his brother is
almost done. He quickly ties the ribbons around his knuckles, pulling at them to make sure he
won’t lose them while dancing; he’s nervous again, the fact he hasn’t seen his future mate yet
makes it even worse.

Jimin opens the fan for the last time, slowly moving it fo fan himself, a piece of the robe has fallen
down on his shoulder, showing his bare skin and with a last smirk directed to the Alpha, Jimin
turns around, giving his back to everyone in the hall.

The other then, takes the white ribbon out of his waistband and throws it in the air, towards
Jeongguk.

From Jimin, the light quickly shifts on him, who immediately jumps in the air, arm up, as if he has
just caught the ribbon Jimin has thrown at him.

With two long strides, he goes where Jimin was dancing until seconds before, and once he faces
the crowd, he sees him. His future mate is where his Alpha brother was standing, maybe even
closer.

He’s beautiful, much more than he imagined. The first thing Jeongguk notices is the silver long
hair, loosely kept back, longer strands left free on his shoulders. He’s looking at him, a soft smile
on his lips, ethereal, and Jeongguk’s so stunned he almost misses his first move.

Just before it’s too late and he misses the beat of the music, Jeongguk lifts both his arms up,
shoulder-level and slowly lets the ribbons float in the air, eyes fixed into the Omega’s. Jimin was
right, it doesn’t matter that his attention is completely on the other wolf, his body just follows the
music, does what he has practiced for months until each movement has become as perfect as
possible.

He jumps again, letting his arm rotate in the air and the ribbon with it; once his feet are back on the
floor, he brings both his arms up and then down, as fast as he can, ribbons following the
movement, eyes never leaving the other.

With his arms back up in the air, he jumps another time, higher enough to lift his right leg and kick
the air. Someone gasps, it’s quiet, but Jeongguk knows it came from the Omega in front of him.

When he places his left foot on the floor, right leg still up, he spins his entire body on his leg,
ribbons circling around his torso. It’s not easy, he needs balance not to fall and enough strength to
control his body, to move it while he’s up in the air. Jeongguk has hurt himself so many times
while practicing; at the beginning, most of the times he always landed wrongly after a jump,
ending up on the floor or with twisted ankles. It has taken a while to master up the technique and
even if each time he tried, it was always better, he hasn’t stopped until he was sure he could jump
with closed eyes and land perfectly back on the ground. Now, he knows his jumps are perfect, that
his movements are exactly like they should be.

Then, once the music slows down, Jeongguk spreads his legs, lifts the ribbons above his head and
lets one of them slide between his fingers, gently, as if he’s afraid he will ruin it; eyes flashing red
for a brief moment.

Jeongguk almost misses it because of the darkness, but when he flashes his eyes red again, he can
clearly see the Omega in front of him clenching his thighs, smile disappeared from his red lips.
Jeongguk lifts a corner of his lips in a smirk, and repeats the movement. This time, he brings his
arms down, lets the ribbon slide up, until his arm is covering half of his face; it’s then that he
flashes his Alpha eyes for the last time, holding the colour in them longer.

The Omega gasps for the second time, louder enough that the people close to him turn their heads
to look at him. The other lowers his head, probably blushing and then, takes a step back, distancing
himself from Jeongguk.

It doesn’t feel right, Jeongguk’s dancing for him, not for the others in the hall, he can’t step back,
not when he reacted so strongly to his Alpha eyes; Jeongguk can’t let that happen, so he growls,
baring his teeth, eyes still red.

The Omega snaps his head up, eyes wide, and probably without even realising, he moves towards
Jeongguk, even closer than he was before.

Jeongguk smiles, eyes going back to its natural colour, and then, he spins around while jumping on
his right leg, a ribbon up in the air and the other by his waist.

There are a lot of people in the hall, so many scents all mingled together it’s difficult to pinpoint
just one in particular. Not even finding his parents’ ones is that easy, no matter how well he knows
them; though, there’s one that stands above all the others, one that’s stronger, that Jeongguk can
smell without really trying to.

It has spiked since the moment he started dancing; it has become sweeter and sweeter, sickeningly
so, especially after he has flashed his Alpha eyes. It fills his nose, as if he’s breathing flower petals,
all the other scents put aside, as if it’s the only one in the room, as if it’s just Jeongguk and the
Omega, crow disappeared.

Jeongguk moves the ribbons in the air, softly, lets them float like cherry blossoms in the wind; lets
them brush against his face, gently, like a caress coming from a loving hand. Like, one day, he
hopes his mate will touch his face, with pure love, caring, never wanting to hurt him. And like, one
day, Jeongguk will touch his mate too, with kindness, even if his hands are raw, his palms not soft,
not even causing the smallest pain.

It will end soon, the music will stop, Jeongguk’s body with it, and then, they’ll rush him back in
the room he was waiting with Jimin. They’ll tell him to rest, to refresh himself, but in reality, it’s
because both wolves are too affected by what they’ve done and seen, they can’t interact until
they’re calm again, not when it will be their first official time talking to each other.

After, once the ribbons are swinging by his sides, Jeongguk moves an arm forward, ribbon flying
towards the other wolf, but Jeongguk pulls it back before it can touch the other wolf, before it can
caress his cheek.

Then, he glances one more time at the Omega, turns around and starts rotating his arms, jumping at
the same time while he rotates his entire body in the air, too. Jeongguk closes his eyes, takes a deep
breath, flowery scent filling his nose and lungs, and once his feet are on the floor, his back to the
crowd, he exhales, letting the ribbons fall down, brushing his fingers against them for the last time.

As soon the lights go out, everyone in the hall starts clapping, but Jeongguk is already halfway in
the room, door shut behind his back. Jimin is nowhere to be seen, surely has used the hallway door
to sneak out, which is what Jeongguk does, too.

The hallway connects the room where the guests are to the back of the palace gardens. Breath still
laboured, Jeongguk quickly walks towards the gardens, where he knows he won’t find anyone and
where he will be able to breathe, to subside the flowery scent that has clogged up his nose.

His mother directly takes care of the gardens; she chooses the flowers and the plants, their
positions, never letting someone else decide for herself, not even Jimin. Jeongguk’s favourite spot
is under a weeping willow that has been there in the gardens, near a small pond since he can
remember. The tree’s branches almost reach the grass and Jeongguk loves that because when he
doesn’t want to be found, he can just hide underneath them.

Though, now he’s not there to hide, he just needs some minutes to himself, to calm down his
heartbeat, to clear his lungs and nose from the Omega’s scent.

He closes his eyes, takes a long deep breath, but exactly the contrary of what he needed happens;
his nose gets even more clogged up with the same sweet scent, almost makes him choke.

It can’t be possible, the Omega should be inside with the other guests, with his pack, meeting
Jeongguk’s parents first; he shouldn’t be there in the gardens, not when Jeongguk’s there too, not
when his scent is affecting him so much.

Jeongguk opens his eyes, the scent is too strong, meaning the other’s really close. His eyes fall on
the weeping willow, knows he’ll see the Omega only if he’s attentive enough. It’s a small
movement that makes him understand the other’s there, and like Jeongguk sensed his presence,
he’s sure the Omega knows he’s there, too.

Slowly, Jeongguk walks towards the tree, and once in front of it, he moves some of the branches by
the side to reveal what, and who, is under them.

The Omega is seated down on the grass, back leaned against the trunk. He looks up at him, and
even if it’s almost dark, Jeongguk can see there’s a tiny smile on the other’s lips.

“Good evening, Alpha of the Busan pack,” the Omega greets him, though, he doesn’t lower his
head or shows his neck like he should do, like manners require, he just keeps looking at him.

Jeongguk takes a step forward, letting the branches close behind his back, as if they were a curtain.

“I’m the Omega brother, Kim Taehyung of the Daegu pack,” then, he introduces himself. “It’s a
pleasure meeting you, my Alpha.”

The last two words light a flame inside Jeongguk’s core. Everyone calls him my Alpha, but to hear
it coming from his future mate’s mouth is so different, unfamiliar. One day, he will actually be his
Alpha, won’t be just a pleasantry.

“The pleasure is all mine, my Omega.”

The other’s a Leader’s son first, then it comes his rank; Jeongguk has to address him with those
words. They are equals, but he can’t just call him by his name, it doesn’t matter that they will be
mates.

“You should be inside, why are you here? If I can ask,” Jeongguk adds, still standing up.

“I needed fresh air,” the other replies, getting up with all the calmness in the world, as if there’s not
someone who is surely looking for him among all the guests.

Jeongguk clicks his tongue, a small smirk adorning his lips. “Why’s that? Were you not feeling
well?”

Jeongguk knows why Taehyung needed fresh air; if the way he reacted to his Alpha eyes wasn’t
already enough to explain it, then, his scent becoming too sweet that even Jeongguk has been
strongly affected by it can answer his question.

Taehyung smiles back at him, but it’s not a smirk, could be almost confused with a shy and
innocent smile. “You don’t need to ask, my Alpha. We both know the reason why, no need to
explain it further.”

Jeongguk scoffs, a corner of his lips lifts even more, then, slowly, he shakes his head. Jeongguk
wasn’t expecting the Omega to be like this, but he can’t say he’s disappointed.

“Should we go inside? I’m sure many are looking for us.”

Taehyung nods, dusting the back of his robes, meanwhile Jeongguk holds the branches open to let
the other pass, who thanks him with a small movement of his head.

“What do you think our packs will say when they see us together, my Alpha?” Taehyung asks him,
walking by his side, fingers gently brushing against his, and even if it could be totally casual,
Jeongguk feels like it isn’t.

“Nothing,” Jeongguk replies, a bit out of breath. He’s trying to breathe with his mouth, trying his
best not to let the other notice, but the closeness doesn’t help, he can feel the scent even in his
mouth, heavy on his tongue, filling up his throat with invisible flower petals. “I’ll use the back
door of the room I was waiting in before the performance.”

Jeongguk doesn’t know if it’s just him or if Taehyung’s scent is actually so strong, doesn’t know if
the other wolves will sense it on him. Probably, even if they won’t show up together, the guests
will know anyway.

Taehyung doesn’t say anything, and not to make it too obvious Jeongguk’s looking at him while
walking, with the tail of his eye, he watches the other fix a loose strand behind his ear adorned by
various dangly earrings.

Then, even if it will do more bad than good, Jeongguk takes a deep breath with his nose, filling it
with the other’s scent. He wants it to go away, but at the same time, he doesn’t, he wants to keep
breathing it in, to fill his lungs with it, until it will feel like actually flowers have grown inside
them.

After another deep breath that gets stuck in the back of his throat, Jeongguk speaks. “Why is your
scent so strong? It’s driving me fucking crazy.”

Taehyung halts in his steps, looking at him with a surprised expression, surely not expecting the
question at all.

“I— I don’t know,” Taehyung says in a whispers, hand flying up to his neck, where his scent gland
is. Jeongguk’s aware that just because he’s covering the skin with his hand, it doesn’t mean it will
block the scent. Jeongguk’s also aware wolves can’t speak about scents if they’re not close to each
other, not matter how much a scent affects or disgusts you. Scents are something intimate, talking
about someone else’s without being close to them can be perceived as an insult, even if what was
said wasn’t bad. He knows this, has learned not to comment on someone’s scent since he was a
child, but for the first time, he couldn’t stop himself, couldn’t control his tongue.

“I’m truly sorry for what I’ve said, my Omega,” Jeongguk says, head bowed, hands clasped on his
front, ready to kneel down if necessary. “Please, forgive my lack of manners and my improper way
of speaking.”

From all the things the other could have done, reaching out and gently lifting Jeongguk’s head with
two fingers under his chin wasn’t one, not even remotely.

There’s a genuine smile on Taehyung’s lips, a silver strand falls on the side of his eye and for a
second, Jeongguk thinks that he really wants to see his wolf form, see if his fur is the same shade of
his hair.

“No need to apologise,” Taehyung tells him, a gentleness in his voice that erases all of Jeongguk’s
worries about having spoken about his scent. “Yours has the same effect on me, but I wasn’t brave
enough to voice it out. I’m really glad it’s the same for you.”

Speechless, Jeongguk just nods, wishes the warm fingers won’t leave his skin, but they do, and
then, Taehyung speaks again. “I need to go back inside, it has been too long I’m missing.”

Don’t go, please, Jeongguk wants to say, but the words remain in his throat, stuck.

“I’ll see you later, my Alpha,” Taehyung whispers and then, he turns around, walking away.

Still, Jeongguk watches the Omega’s back until it disappears, until it’s only him in the gardens,
exactly what he wanted. Though, now, he just wants Taehyung’s scent close to him, filling his
entire body, letting flowers blossom all over him, wants his fingers gently brushing against his
skin, warming it.

•••

As soon as Jeongguk puts a foot back inside, at least four servants are on him, distressed
expressions and almost looking like they could pass out at any moment.

“Alpha Jeongguk!” one exclaims when her eyes land on him. “We were looking for you! We need
to hurry!”

Jeongguk follow them without even complaining, he knows it will be vain and if necessary, they
could even be able to drag him back to the celebration hall. Luckily, they don’t make him enter
through the main door, but from one of the back doors, silently, trying not to catch anyone’s
attention. After a servant closes the door behind his back, Jeongguk’s sucked into the crowd; he
can see his parents talking to someone on the other side of the hall, and slowly, he walks towards
them, greeting back the guests who greet him.

Only when Jeongguk has almost reached his parents, he realises they’re talking to Taehyung’s
parents, both sons by their side. Jeongguk takes a deep breath, all kinds of scent are mixed together,
but even then, just like he was expecting, Taehyung’s stands above all of them.

His mother is the first one to notice him, and even if she tries to hide it, Jeongguk can clearly see
she’s relieved, surely, a servant let her know he was missing, nowhere to be found. Jeongguk
smiles at her, apologetic and then, closes the distance with a long stride.

“Good evening,” Jeongguk greets everyone, bowing his head; he tries not to let his gaze linger on
Taehyung for more than few seconds, not to raise any suspicion, but it’s not easy, not at all.

“Good evening to you, Alpha Jeongguk,” Taehyung’s father greets him back, a kind smile on his
lips. “Your performance, just like your brother’s, was truly amazing.”

Jeongguk bows his head again, showing thankfulness. “I’m glad you appreciated it, Alpha Leader.
Thank you for your words.”

The Alpha pats his shoulder, and then gestures to his older son. “This is my son, Yoongi.”

Jeongguk looks at the other in the eyes, holding his gaze, then, after some seconds, they both lower
their heads.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope we’ll get along,” Jeongguk tells the other Alpha; even if it
could just seem all pleasantries, he actually means what he said, the other will be Jimin’s mate and
husband, he doesn’t want them to be like strangers.

“Likewise.”

Taehyung’s father grins, and then, finally, he gestures to Taehyung himself. “And this is your
future mate, Taehyung.”

Jeongguk has to use all the willpower he holds in his body not to smile or say something that could
give away they were together in the gardens just some minutes earlier. Not to say he knows already
the other’s name, that his scent drives him crazy like any ever did.

Jeongguk doesn’t really know if it’s an old tradition or just a customary thing, but when future
mates meet for the first time, one of them has to kneel down and show their respect; it doesn’t
matter who does it, but usually, it’s always the one with a lower rank. Before Taehyung can do it,
Jeongguk is already on his knees, head lowered, chin glued to his chest. He can’t see the others’
faces, but surely, no one was expecting this.

To show back their respect, the other mate should kneel down, too, and then, the two wolves have
to get up together.

Jeongguk has his eyes closed, but as soon as he feels a warm touch on his left cheek, he snaps them
open.

Taehyung has knelt down in front of him like he actually is supposed to do, but the hand stroking
his cheek shouldn’t be there.

“My Alpha,” Taehyung whispers, words meant only for the both of them. “You should’ve let me
kneel down first.”

Jeongguk shakes his head, slowly, afraid Taehyung will take his hand away from his cheek.

“I want you to know that no matter what, I will always respect you, from this moment until my
death,” Jeongguk whispers back, wishing he could hold the other’s hand for just a second.
Taehyung nods, a tiny smile appearing on his red lips. “Get up, please. No Alpha as strong and
powerful as you should kneel down.”

“Only for his future mate,” Jeongguk says, gently lifting his hand and taking Taehyung’s, fingers
even warmer against his. Then, he gets up, helping the other to do so, too.

Once up, Taehyung bows his head and even if Jeongguk would do anything but letting the other’s
hand go, he does it, knowing they already did much more than what they were supposed to do.

After, his mother is the first one to speak, and Jeongguk actually thinks about kneeling down again
just to thank her for saving him from the embarrassment to face Taehyung’s parents and brother.

“Should we move to the food?” she asks, clapping her hands. Everyone quickly agrees, already
walking towards the side of the hall where the food has been placed on various tables, leaving
Jeongguk behind.

Though, before Taehyung walks away, Jeongguk softly grips his wrist to stop him. The other turns
around, and even if there’s nothing wrong with them just talking, it feels like everyone’s eyes are
on them.

“Did someone notice?” Jeongguk asks, words whispered; it’s noisy, but someone near could hear
them anyway.

Taehyung shakes his head, discreetly looking around. “All the scents masked it, but maybe hyung
did, I’m not sure.”

“Did he say something?”

“No, he didn’t, but even if he noticed, he wouldn’t say anything to anyone.”

Jeongguk exhales, glad, the last thing he wants to do is explaining why he smells so strongly of
Taehyung.

“Meet me in the gardens when everyone will be asleep,” Jeongguk, then, tells him under his
breath. They can’t meet like that, not when they have just met formally, but Jeongguk doesn’t care,
he wants to know Taehyung better. The other must think the same because he quickly nods,
smiling at him.

Jeongguk wants to be close to the other, to breathe in his scent, to intoxicate himself with it, but he
can’t, so he lets his wrist go, shifts his gaze towards Taehyung’s brother, Yoongi, who is waiting
for him few steps back. Taehyung told him that maybe his brother noticed, but with just a glance,
Jeongguk is sure that the other knows, that he has sensed Jeongguk on his brother. The two Alphas
share a look, and even if brief, Jeongguk doesn’t need much to understand what the other is
conveying with his eyes.

Hurt him and you’re dead.

Jeongguk nods, slowly, the other imitates him, and after, both brothers disappear inside the crowd.

He doesn’t even have a second to relax, because as soon as he turns around to move somewhere
quieter, Jimin appears by his side, a sick smile on his lips.

Jeongguk groans noisily, earning himself a slap on his bicep by the other.

“You were following mom just a moment ago,” Jeongguk whines, right now, Jimin is the last
person he wants to talk with.

“Not true,” Jimin lies, then, grips his wrist and drags him towards a less crowded part of the hall.

“You need to tell me something?” the other says, and Jeongguk already knows he can’t escape, not
until Jimin gets all the answers he wants.

“What?” Jeongguk asks back, another groan ready to leave his throat. Jimin grins even more, hands
on his hips.

“Everyone saw what you pulled out and you even have the courage to say that,” Jimin deadpans,
getting even closer to him. “Don’t make me get the words out of your mouth with the force.”

Jeongguk sighs, resigned. “For fuck’s sake,” he curses under his breath. “You know I disappeared
earlier, right?” Jeongguk starts, looking around themselves, he doesn’t want anyone to eavesdrop.

“Everyone was looking for you,” Jimin says, smile gone, and Jeongguk goes immediately back to
talk before the other can lecture him.

“I went out in the gardens to breathe fresh air, here is filled with scents and they were starting to
get to my head,” he explains, half-lying, that’s not the exact reason why he disappeared, but Jimin
doesn’t really need to know. “The Omega brother was there. We spoke a bit.”

At his last words, Jimin almost shrieks, hand flying up to his mouth probably to prevent himself
from screaming.

“It was nothing much. We just introduced ourselves to each other.”

That’s not actually the way it went, but Jimin doesn’t need to know this, too. If he did, he’d bother
him for the rest of his days.

“Really? Only that?” Jimin asks, brows furrowed, he doesn’t look really convinced. “Then why
your scent is so weird?”

Jeongguk shrugs his shoulders. “I greeted too many wolves, their scents stuck to me.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Jimin replies, looking pensive, as if he’s trying to find a better explanation.
Jeongguk doesn’t want the other to keep digging in, doesn’t want to risk revealing too much and
since Jimin is giving his back to the room, he finds an excuse to walk away.

“I think I just saw mom waving at me to go there,” he lies through his teeth, even if he can’t even
see her.

Jimin turns around, scanning the hall. “Where? I can’t see her.”

“Because you’re small,” Jeongguk retorts back, and then, he flies, a Jeon Jeongguk, you’re dead!
thrown at him.

Jeongguk chuckles, walking until he’s hidden from Jimin. It’s only then that he exhales, relieved.
For now, it’s better to keep what happened a secret.

•••
The night of the celebration, there’s not just the welcome dance performed for the guest pack; to
show thankfulness towards their future mate, the wolf of the guest pack has to gift something to
their future mate. Usually, Alphas tend to gift furs, made from animals they’ve personally hunted;
Omegas, instead, gift something they’ve made with their own hands, it can be a necklace, a
bracelet, or whatever else the wolf is able to create.

Jeongguk doesn’t know what Taehyung is going to gift him, can’t even imagine it, a bracelet or a
necklace doesn’t seem something the other would gift, so when his father announces that it has
come the time for the gifts, Jeongguk starts to get nervous again, not like he was earlier before the
performance, but almost.

The first to give his gift is Yoongi, who gets down on one knee in front of Jimin and offers him a
fur, very different from everything Jeongguk has ever seen. It’s white with darker striations, and
even if Jeongguk is a hunter, it’s the first time he sees that kind of fur, can’t understand the animal
it comes from.

When he hears someone gasps, Jeongguk dives his attention on the crowd, all watching Jimin
accepting the gift. Someone is even covering their mouth with a hand and Jeongguk really doesn’t
get why, until his brother speaks.

“I don’t mean to be rude, Alpha Yoongi,” Jimin says, fur held to his chest. “But I’d like to know
which animal it is.”

Yoongi gets up, a small smirk on his lips. “You’re not rude at all, my Omega,” he replies, slowly,
words pondered. “It’s a white tiger.”

There’s a general gasps raising from the crowd, that Jeongguk can’t help not joining.

Tigers are sacred animals, no one kills or hunts them; doing it is considered a sin, it brings bad
luck, nevertheless, the Alpha didn’t just kill a tiger, he killed a white tiger, an animal so rare that
you’re blessed if you see it once in your life.

Jeongguk watches Jimin’s eyes getting bigger, lips parting, fingers clutching the fur tight. The
other isn’t one to believe in those things, but yet, it’s not like he’s used to own white tiger furs.

“Your performance was beautiful, I don’t think the fur can be compared to it, not even the
slightest, but I hope it is of your liking anyway,” Yoongi, then, adds, bowing his head, as if he just
gifted a deer or bear fur.

Jimin breaks out of his shocked state and nods, frenetically. “Yes, my Alpha. I will cherish this gift
with all my heart.”

The Alpha smiles, satisfied and after a last glance at Jimin, he walks to the side, where his parents
and Taehyung are standing, surely the only ones in the room not shocked by Yoongi’s gift.

Jimin does the same, walking towards Jeongguk, and once by his side, he nudges him to walk
towards the center of the hall, where the other was moments before.

Jeongguk slowly walks there, heart beating so fast he’s afraid everyone can hear it. Taehyung’s not
holding anything in his hands, which worries him even more, heart beating faster.
It doesn’t matter how much he tries to prepare himself for it, because when Taehyung lifts his
hands towards the necklace placed around his neck, Jeongguk almost passes out.

Among the many traditions, there’s one that all Omegas must respect. Since presenting, they are
gifted a necklace that represents their virginity and unmated status. Of course, they have to always
wear it, even around their family; if they don’t, it means that the Omega is not a virgin anymore, or
that they’re mated, or both. If any of the two is true and the Omega doesn’t wear the necklace, in
the eyes of everyone, they are a sinner. Maybe even more than someone who kills a tiger.

That’s the reason why Jeongguk watches the other while holding his breath; Taehyung won’t take
his necklace off and give it to him as a gift, right? No Omega would do it, a sane one, at least.

It’s when Taehyung’s hands move behind his neck that Jeongguk knows the other is taking it off
for real. At this point, Jeongguk doesn’t even know what to do; his body is locked on the spot,
maybe he’s not even breathing anymore.

Meanwhile, Taehyung seems so calm, a smile on his lips, as if he’s not doing something totally
wrong.

Each Omega has their own necklace; unique in its own way, never similar to another. Taehyung’s
has a simple design, but it’s one of the most beautiful Jeongguk has ever seen. It’s formed by a thin
golden chain from which a light purple opal hangs, thin golden string wrapped around it to connect
it to the chain; the stone is big, not a perfect shape, catching the light of the room and changing
colour with every movement. Jeongguk wouldn’t mind wearing it, but not now, not when he hasn’t
mated Taehyung yet.

Once the necklace is separated from Taehyung’s skin, everyone in the hall gasps, loudly, Jeongguk
sends a glance to the other’s parents and finds them both pale, eyes wide and mouths open, which
tells Jeongguk they didn’t know about this, too.

Necklace held delicately between his fingers, Taehyung takes two steps towards him, feet almost
touching, and Jeongguk fixes his eyes into the other’s.

“My gift for you, my Alpha,” Taehyung says, loud enough to let everyone hear.

Jeongguk almost gapes, knows the right thing to do would be taking the necklace and putting it
back around Taehyung’s neck. The other is metaphorically giving him his virginity, and even if
one day, it will actually happen, Jeongguk really shouldn’t accept the gift. At the same time, if he
doesn’t, he will humiliate Taehyung, it will mean he doesn’t want him, that he doesn’t want
Taehyung to be his mate. So Jeongguk decides between the two options, and even if probably he
picks the wrong one, he doesn’t care someone will say it’s a vile action.

“I will take good care of it,” Jeongguk tells the other, lowering his head to let Taehyung put the
necklace on him easily.

Taehyung gets closer to him, chest almost against Jeongguk’s face; who has to restrain himself
from inhaling as deep as possible just to breathe the other’s scent in. Gently, Taehyung lets the
necklace slide around his neck, warm fingers brushing against his skin, closing the clasp behind it.

As soon as Taehyung takes a step back, Jeongguk lifts his head up, the chain is cold against his
skin, stone heavy, pressed against his chest.

“How do I look?” Jeongguk asks, he doesn’t wear necklaces often, so it will take a while to get
used to see himself with it.
“Lovely, my Alpha,” Taehyung answers, a faint blush on his cheeks. Jeongguk can’t even imagine
how the other is feeling, how it feels seeing someone wear your necklace before they are your
mate. Jeongguk hopes it is a good sight, anyway.

“Thank you,” Jeongguk whispers, brushing one of Taehyung’s strands away from the side of his
face. “I will be forever grateful for this gift.”

Taehyung smiles, big, and automatically, Jeongguk does, too.

“You have to promise me you won’t ever take it off,” Taehyung says then, under his breath.

“I promise.”

Taehyung nods, and then, kisses his cheek; it’s gentle, a hand on his shoulder to lean on him and
lips brushing against his skin like silk.

Unconsciously, Jeongguk’s hand goes on Taehyung’s hip to steady him; his Alpha instincts beg
him to tighten the grip, to really feel Taehyung’s flesh under his fingers, but Jeongguk doesn’t
relent, he’s stronger than his wolf, he won’t let his instincts take over. The touch remains just a
touch, gentle, almost not there, moving his hand away as soon as Taehyung moves his from his
shoulder.

The other smiles at him, shy, cheeks dusted pink and Jeongguk can’t help himself thinking he
loves the sight of a flustered Taehyung, hopes it won’t be the last time.

“I’ll see you later,” Jeongguk whispers really low, they can’t risk someone finding out.

Taehyung nods, taking a step back. “When there will be dew on the grass,” he tells him.

“Dew on the grass,” Jeongguk repeats, nodding, too.

Then, Taehyung turns around and walks towards his parents; Jeongguk watches his back and
wonders if he’s lucky Taehyung will be his mate, or if he’s cursed, because without a doubt, the
other will make him go crazy.

•••

After the gifts are given and all the guests are feed and drunk enough, finally, they start to leave,
emptying the hall, and Jeongguk uses the excuse to be tired to retire to his rooms. His mom kisses
his cheek, a small smile on her delicate face. Jeongguk almost feels bad to lie to her, but then, he
glances at Taehyung, talking to his brother, and the guilt just disappears.

It’s with a last glance towards the Omega that he leaves, a sigh escaping his lips once he’s out in
the quiet hallway. Immediately, his fingers go up, gently wrapping around the necklace; he still
can’t believe Taehyung gifted him his necklace, he couldn’t have ever imagined it, not even in his
wildest dreams.
Probably, from now on, Taehyung will be known as the Omega who gave his necklace as gift to
his future mate, so Jeongguk prays he won’t receive backlash because of it, even if it’s foolish
thinking that. There will be always conservative and traditional wolves who comment on these acts
with pure hatred, just because they’re too closed-minded to understand not everything has to follow
the tradition.

Jeongguk sighs again, chain still cold against his skin, and even if maybe it’s just his mind playing
tricks on him, Jeongguk can sense the other’s scent coming from the stone, even if faint. Then, he
closes his eyes, halts his step in the middle of the hallway, and thinks that maybe, he didn’t
completely lie. He must be really tired if he thinks he can sense Taehyung’s scent coming from
a stone.

Though, once in his bedroom, he knows he can’t sleep, not even nap because he’ll risk to oversleep
and leave Taehyung in the gardens waiting for him, which is the last thing Jeongguk wants to
happen, he’d prefer dying rather than hurting Taehyung like that.

Slowly, since there’s still time until the dew will be on the grass, he undresses himself and takes a
long hot bath to erase all the soreness from his muscles, shutting his brain off for a bit. Only after
the water has gone cold and he can’t feel his fingers anymore, Jeongguk gets out, wearing
something more comfortable and totally black, so the darkness of the night will hide him easily.

Once out of the bathroom, his eyes land on the bed; as usual, on it, there’s one of the many furs
made from animals Jeongguk has hunted in the years. It’s a bear one, big, dark thick fur, one of his
favourite, maybe his favourite of all, and even if he doesn’t have furs made from rare animals, he
decides to throw it on his shoulders anyway, aware that when he’ll come back to his bedroom, it
won’t be on them anymore.

After a last glance to the necklace through the mirror, Jeongguk leaves, as quiet as he can.

Just like he thought, no one is still up at this hour of the night, besides few servants who are
cleaning the hall where the celebration was, and some other wolves, but after living twenty years in
the palace, he knows how to avoid each one of them. Jeongguk’s more worried about Taehyung,
who doesn’t know the palace and at the same time while trying not to let anyone see him, he has to
find the right way to the gardens.

His worries, though, are pointless because to his surprise, once Jeongguk sets foot outside, eyes
going to the weeping willow, Taehyung is already there, silver hair reflecting the moon light.

Quickly, Jeongguk walks towards the tree, getting under its long branches with a swift move. “I’m
sorry for making you wait,” he tells Taehyung, sitting by his side, back against the trunk.

Taehyung shakes his head, a smile directed at him. “I just got here, too. I had to wait for my
brother to sleep really heavily.”

Taehyung changed his clothes in dark ones, too, a small black fur is on his shoulders, but it doesn’t
seem doing enough with keeping him warm, since it looks like he’s trying to stop his teeth from
chattering. Gently, Jeongguk takes his own from his shoulders and with care, he places it on the
other’s.

“My Alpha!” Taehyung whispers-shout, hands flying up to the fur to give it back to him, but
Jeongguk doesn’t let him. “You’ll get cold,” Taehyung tells him, what seems like a small pout on
his lips.
Jeongguk smiles, touched by the other’s concern. “I’m alright, my robes are thick and I’m used to
this cold and humid weather.”

Taehyung doesn’t look entirely convinced, studies him until he sees with his own eyes that
Jeongguk doesn’t shiver or give away other signs of him feeling cold. Only then, he nods, hands
falling back on his lap.

“Thank you, my Alpha. It’s really a lovely and warm fur,” Taehyung comments, which makes
Jeongguk proud of himself.

“I hope you’ll sleep with it, too. Dream about me,” Jeongguk blurts out, regretting what he said a
second after the words are spoken.

Taehyung chuckles, and Jeongguk can feel his cheeks getting warm, hopes it’s dark enough so the
other won’t see he’s blushing.

“I will, my Alpha,” Taehyung says, tucking a loose strand behind his ear. Jeongguk sighs, wonders
if Taehyung does it on purpose, if he calls him my Alpha because he noticed the way Jeongguk
reacts to it, if he touches his hair so delicately because he caught Jeongguk staring at it. Jeongguk
really doesn’t know, but maybe it’s because they just met, maybe in a while he won’t even mind
these things.

“I wanted to apologise,” Taehyung speaks, not looking at him, playing with the grass by his sides.
“I shouldn’t have gifted you my necklace. I can’t even imagine how much I have embarrassed you.
I’m really, really sorry, I don’t know what passed through my mind, it was really dumb of—”

“Taehyung,” Jeongguk says, stopping the other from rambling even more. Taehyung looks up at
him, lips parted, words died on his tongue.

“You’re not dumb, please, don’t ever consider yourself that,” Jeongguk tells him, wonders what his
parents have told him once they were alone, not so good and encouraging words if Taehyung is
apologising.

“You don’t need to be sorry because it didn’t embarrass me the slightest, not even for a second.
I’m honoured you decided to gift me your necklace, that you exposed yourself so much. You were
really brave, so you shouldn’t even think you need to apologise, no matter what others have told
you.”

Taehyung nods, looking down at his hands, now fiddling with the hem of the fur. “My parents got
so angry, but in that moment I felt it was the only right gift I could give you,” he whispers, and
Jeongguk hates his tone of voice, can feel the guilt his parents put onto him.

“It is, my Omega. I will wear it proudly every day, showing everyone I’m happy you gifted it to
me.”

Taehyung looks back at him, a very tiny smile on his lips and a thank you whispered.

For a bit, no matter how much Jeongguk wants to speak, to know the other better, he just remains
silent, giving Taehyung the time he needs to understand that what he did isn’t wrong, that if it was
the right gift for him, then it really is, even if others say the contrary.

“Actually,” Taehyung says under his breath after a while, getting Jeongguk’s attention back on
him. “The gift I prepared was another,” he says, and then, Jeongguk watches him lift his hands to
his hair and untie it, letting his long strands fall on his shoulders. Jeongguk can’t help himself
thinking he loves the contrast between the colour of his hair and the black fur.

“This was the gift I wanted to give you before coming here,” he tells him, showing him a purple
string, the one that he used to tie his hair. Gently, Taehyung takes his hand, places it into his lap
and ties the string around his wrist, wrapping around it two times.

“After meeting you, I knew this couldn’t be the right gift, even if I had thought it was.”

“It would’ve been enough,” Jeongguk reassures him, ready to move his hand away, but Taehyung
blocks him, placing it back where it was.

“Maybe to you, but not to me.”

Jeongguk looks down at the string around his wrist, it’s nothing much, but the fact it’s Taehyung’s
would’ve really made it enough for him; he would’ve been happy with whatever, even the smallest
thing, so getting his necklace as gift means a lot for him. It means Taehyung’s trusting him with
their future, he really wants them to work, to be together for real, not because they just have to.

Even if they’re close and Jeongguk’s already breathing Taehyung’s scent, he can sense that it’s
spiking, that’s getting stronger with each second passing and Jeongguk doesn’t know what to do,
only knows that his own is responding to it, that it’s spiking, too.

Taehyung clears his throat, and then, he speaks. “I haven’t told you earlier, but I know why our
scents are so responsive to each other and why they are so strong.”

The other shouldn’t talk about this, they can’t speak about each other’s scents, but it doesn’t seem
like the other cares, so neither does Jeongguk. In the end, they shouldn’t even be there in the first
place, and yet.

“Our wolves have already accepted each other the moment you flashed your Alpha eyes at me. My
wolf knew you were the one, and so did yours.”

Jeongguk knows what the other isn’t saying, so he does it for him. “Are you implying we are
destined mates?”

Taehyung takes a while to reply, as if he’s not sure it’s what he wanted to say, but it’s the only
explanation.

“I don’t even know if they exist, but if they do, then maybe yes.”

Jeongguk doesn’t know if he believes in destined mates, until now, it was a concept so far from
him, from the fact that one day he would’ve mated someone because he had to, not because he
loved them, always made him think that he couldn’t believe in destined mates, because if he did,
then he would’ve hoped to meet his, one day. He would’ve fooled and hurt himself.

“My grandma used to say that if they exist and you find yours, you just know,” Taehyung
whispers, looking ahead of him, at the long branches slightly moved by a soft wind. “A glance is
enough.”

“Did she had hers?” Jeongguk asks; usually, no one talks about destined mates, many don’t believe
in them, and who does keeps it for themselves.
Taehyung sighs, eyes going back on Jeongguk, who has never stopped looking at him. “She never
told me, but I don’t think hers was my grandfather, maybe someone else she met before getting
married.”

“Do you believe in them?”

Taehyung takes some time to answer to his question, but Jeongguk understands; it’s hard saying
that you do for sure, destined mates are used to explain to pups what true love is, but in the end, it’s
just tales, fruit of imagination.

“I don’t know, but if I will love you, I want it to happen because of myself, not because we could
be destined,” Taehyung replies, words completely different from what Jeongguk expected.
Taehyung’s talking about love, something Jeongguk thought he would’ve never felt, a feeling
buried deep down in his core, left there forgotten.

“I want that, too. I want you to feel happy and loved, my Omega,” Jeongguk whispers, unsure, he
doesn’t really know how to love, but he wants to, he wants Taehyung to feel loved, to feel happy
when they’re together, to love him back.

“You too, my Alpha, everyone deserves happiness and love.”

After Taehyung’s words are spoken, both of them stay silent for a while. Jeongguk isn’t sure if he
believes in destined mates, it’s not something he can start to believe to so easily, not when he has
lived for twenty years and not even once, thought they could be real.

Maybe, they really are, their wolves were fated to be together, their souls are one divided in two
and put in different bodies, Jeongguk can’t know, won’t ever know because no one will go to him
and tell him Taehyung is his true mate; or maybe, they’re not, their wolves are just very compatible
with each other, but even so, wouldn’t it mean that in a way, their wolves are connected? Wouldn’t
it mean that they were made for each other? Jeongguk really doesn’t know and perhaps, never will.

Jeongguk takes a deep breath; Taehyung’s scent is still so strong, it still clogs his nose and throat
with flowers. “We should go back inside, the temperature is dropping really quickly.”

Maybe, it will even start to snow in a bit.

After Taehyung nods, Jeongguk gets up, helping the other. They don’t move from under the tree,
both knowing they need to say their goodbyes there, they can’t risk being together inside the
palace.

“Sleep well, my Omega,” Jeongguk whispers, eyes fixed into the other’s. It’s dark, but he can
clearly see how bright Taehyung’s eyes are, how beautiful they are.

“Your scented fur will make that happen, my Alpha,” Taehyung says under his breath, and then, he
kisses his cheek, gently, always so gently, just like in the hall during the celebration; lips brushing
against his skin, almost not even touching it.

Jeongguk, instead, tucks a silver strand behind his hair, wishing he could stroke Taehyung’s hair,
could feel its softness. One day you will, he tells himself.

Taehyung smiles at him, fingers going to touch the necklace around Jeongguk’s neck. It’s brief,
fingers brushing up against the stone, and then, he leaves, branches closing behind his back,
bringing a tiny piece of Jeongguk’s heart with him.

Jeongguk doesn’t mind, knows that one day, no matter that they could be destined mates,
 Taehyung will hold his entire heart in his hands, gently, always so gently, just like his kisses.

End Notes

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