honeysuckle among the grasses

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/15083702.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: M/M
Fandom: | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Relationship: Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V, Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin, Kim
Namjoon/Kim Seokjin/Jung Hoseok
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Shapeshifting, Alternate Universe -
Shapeshifters, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Non-Traditional
Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Kim Taehyung | V, Alpha Jeon
Jungkook, Omega Park Jimin, Alpha Min Yoongi | Suga, Omega Kim
Seokjin | Jin, Alpha Kim Namjoon | RM, Beta Jung Hoseok | J-Hope,
Wilderness, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Protective Min Yoongi |
Suga, i just wanted to try an a/b/o fic, aiming for fluffy but knowing me
there'll be some angst, Happy Ending, Ambiguous/Open Ending
Language: English
Collections: Finished Fics, BTS Fanfics, Kookv Masterpieces
Stats: Published: 2018-06-28 Completed: 2018-07-07 Chapters: 5/5 Words:
20903

honeysuckle among the grasses

by shadowsinsounds

Summary

Kim Taehyung loved being an omega.

Scratch that.

He loved being an omega when he wasn’t surrounded by asshole alphas. And therein lay
the problem.

When change strikes his life, leads him to a new pack, a new family, Jeon Jungkook is
given the chance to change Taehyung's mind about alphas.

Will he?

Notes

here i go again ! jeez...

i'm thinking this one will be shorter than my other multi-chaps. i wanted to try my hand at
an a/b/o fic and i want fluff but i mean, its me, so count on a lil angst. so go easy on me !
 the comments on black & blue are absolutely destroying me - can't believe ppl are enjoying
my stories ! thanks to each and every one of you for your love & support & enjoying my
work, it makes me smile <3

hope everyone is happy & healthy ! have a wonderful day/night ! and feel free to come say
hey on tumblr !

See the end of the work for more notes

 Chapter 1

Taehyung loved being an omega.

Scratch that.

He loved being an omega when he wasn’t surrounded by asshole alphas. And therein lay the
problem.

Tae wasn’t sure what had gone wrong with alpha wiring, but he was so done with it. Since when
did being protective warrant being controlling? Since when did providing a safe space become
bullying and hoarding an omega away from all others?

Since when did love become poison?

Taehyung wasn’t ashamed of being an omega, like many of his friends in the pack, who latched
onto the first alpha to treat them halfway decent and realized a few years later they were attached at
the hip for life to an asshole.

Taehyung wasn’t ashamed to admit he enjoyed being taken care of. He liked being looked after,
praised. He liked the idea of having someone be there for him over anyone else. But no alpha in his
pack were worthy of his attention.

Which led to Taehyung turning twenty, still unmated and suffering through his heats with just his
omegan best friend Jimin helping him, while most alphas and omegas in the pack were mated by
eighteen.

Taehyung sighed bitterly and kicked his feet in the cold water of the stream, perched on his
favorite boulder that caught the late afternoon autumn sunlight just right, warming his cheeks and
shoulders. His hair was a unique silvery grey that glinted in the sun, his skin darker than his
packmates due to his penchant for wandering through the territory during long, lonely days. His
leather vest and breeches, worn and comfortable, fit his leanly muscled frame well.

“Knew I’d find you out here,” came a voice from over his shoulder.

Taehyung didn’t bother to look around, bringing his knees to his chest and hugging them. “Go
away, Jiminie.”

A snort was the only reply.

A warm body settled beside his, pressed shoulder to shoulder. Despite himself, Taehyung leaned
into the contact with a halfhearted sigh, resting his cheek on his knee to look at his best friend.

“What are you doing out here? Yoongi will be looking for you.”

“No, he won’t, because Yoongi doesn’t keep me on a leash,” replied Jimin dryly, stroking a
soothing hand through Taehyung’s hair. Tae’s best friend looked as pretty as ever, his light pink
hair groomed neatly back from his forehead. Endearingly chubby cheeks, short muscled frame. His
mating bite was a beautiful scar on the left side of his neck. “I’m proud of you, you know.”

Taehyung laughed, but there was no amusement in the sound. “For disobeying and not servicing
that nasty forty-year-old alpha during his rut? The head alpha’s going to kick my ass. Or exile me.”
“No, he won’t,” shot back Jimin, raising his chin stubbornly. “Yoongi won’t let that happen.” As
chief hunter, Yoongi held quite a bit of sway in the alpha’s council. “Besides, everyone loves you.
Head alpha would be facing a rebellion if he punished you.”

“I just couldn’t do it.” Taehyung’s voice was soft, so soft, and trembled at the edges. “I didn’t want
to do it, I didn’t want to help with his rut, I don’t like him—”

“Shh,” murmured Jimin, bundling his best friend close. Taehyung buried his face in his shoulder
and sniffed back tears, refusing to cry.

Taehyung loved being an omega.

Just not all the time.

When the pair of omegas returned to the heart of their territory, to the huts lining the village
square, Taehyung stumbled a little.

“Taehyung?” Jimin caught him, concerned. Then he felt Tae’s forehead in a motherly way.
“You’re burning up. Shit, your heat.”

“It’s not due for another two weeks,” whined Taehyung, but he felt the burning warmth start
coiling low in his belly.

“It’s okay, you’ll be okay.” Jimin bundled him close, wrapped a comforting arm around Tae’s
waist as he turned them north. “Let’s get you to a heat hut. I can break out the new toys I made?”

Despite the heat crawling in his bones, his cock stirring in his breeches, Taehyung managed to
laugh breathlessly. “You always treat me so well.”

“Ride or die.” They locked pinkies together and took turns kissing them, renewing the promise
they had made as pups.

A distant voice hailed them. They looked around, Tae struggling to focus. The head alpha
approached at the head of half a dozen others, Yoongi trailing them. Jimin’s mate looked angry, his
mouth a thin line, face tense beneath his blonde hair as he scowled.

The head alpha was a towering male, enormous muscles bulging beneath his leathers, scarred from
years of fights and territorial disputes. Long flowing grey hair framed his grizzled face.

“Omega Taehyung,” he barked. “Hold.”

Tae and Jimin froze, terrified to disobey.

“You disobeyed my orders and refused to serve Alpha Ankor during his rut,” their leader growled,
pausing within a foot of the frozen omegas. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“Sir, he’s in preheat, he’s not able—” Jimin whined.

“Silence,” he hissed, half-raising a hand. Jimin and Taehyung both flinched and Yoongi released a
rumbling growl.

“You will not raise a hand to my mate,” growled Yoongi, stepping forward. The other alphas stared
at him in astonishment as he went toe to toe with their leader. Challenging the head alpha simply
wasn’t done.
The head alpha stared Yoongi down. Then he snarled, his outburst silencing the camp. Yoongi
bore the full brunt of his alpha voice, sending him to his knees with a grimace of pain as his
instincts forced him to obey.

“Yoongi!” cried Jimin, terrified. He had never seen his mate forced to submit.

The head alpha strode for the omegas and bared his teeth at Jimin, who immediately backed away
so furiously he fell to the grass. Then he grabbed Taehyung by the neck. “I will not have
disobedient omegas in my pack,” he hissed, gripping Tae so hard he choked, hands scrabbling and
scratching at his wrists.

Taehyung was dragged into a heat hut by the neck, struggling to breathe, struggling to think
through the haze of his heat. He felt completely helpless as he was stripped bare, as he was thrown
down to the cold dirt, no blankets put beneath him for comfort.

As the alphas tied his wrists to posts in the wall.

“No,” cried Taehyung, tears streaming down his face. Slick had just started to flow from him, and
he felt empty, so empty. So lost. “No, no, no, please.”

“You will endure your heat alone,” the head alpha commanded, as the others streamed out of the
hut. “Alone, without help. This is punishment for your disobedience. The next time I order you to
help one of my alphas with his rut, you will obey, you pathetic excuse for an omega.”

The wood door slammed shut behind him.

Taehyung cried, writhing on the floor. His wrists were tied higher to the wall than was
comfortable, his arms stretched to their breaking point, but he couldn’t stand up and alleviate the
stretch, his legs wouldn’t support him. His slick flowed onto the floor as he sobbed desperately to
be filled, unable to use even his own fingers to soothe the pain. His cock lay erect against his
stomach, aching in the air, throbbing and painful.

Taehyung had never felt so alone. Taehyung had never felt such pain.

Three days.

For three days Taehyung lay chained to the wall, deprived of any touch to soothe his pain,
deprived of food and water, deprived of all company. In his more lucid moments he worried
desperately for Yoongi and Jimin.

The rest of the pack could go to hell for all he cared.

His uncontrollable writhing on that floor had made the bindings around his wrist cut deep into his
skin, blood flowing down his arms. As his heat broke just before dawn on the third day, his sanity
returned, and his eyes dried of tears. A hard look came over his face as he looked up at his tied
wrists, and began to yank and twist them. The pain was unbearable but practically nothing in the
wake of the agony he had suffered. The blood made his hands slippery, just enough that he was
able to slip one hand loose. It throbbed as blood flow returned when he yanked and struggled with
the other knots.

Soon he was free.

He scrambled to his feet, falling more than once before his weakened, starved body would support
his weight. He slid out of the hut, noting the pair of alphas sitting nearby with their backs to the hut
as if guarding him. Or preventing his escape, preventing Jimin and Yoongi from getting to him.

Pathetic excuses for alphas, the both of them. To leave an omega tied up and alone in that
condition…

Taehyung cut off that train of thought and slipped away towards the trees, his scent obscured by
the thick musk of his heat in the air. He slipped through the trees just on the edge of the forest like
a wraith, dodging pockets of dying moonlight, listening to the birds beginning their morning songs.

Emerging from the trees behind Yoongi and Jimin’s cabin, set a ways away from the village
square as Yoongi hated the rest of the pack with a fervor that rivaled the pair of omega’s, Tae
scented the air. Both Yoongi and Jimin were inside, with no others around.

Taehyung hastened for the front door and opened it barely wide enough to slip inside. He tiptoed to
the side of the enormous hay-stuffed pallet that served as the mated pair’s bed, and poked at
Jimin’s shoulder.

“Jiminie,” he whispered.

Jimin rolled over from his position curled up against Yoongi, blinking up at Taehyung. Yoongi
was already awake, eyes peering at Tae in the predawn darkness without the faintest hint of
surprise.

There were tear tracks drying on Jiminie’s face. Tae’s heart clenched.

“Oh, Jiminie.”

“Taehyung? Oh my god.” Jimin scrambled up to hug him, seizing him desperately around the neck
and stifling sobs in his neck. “I’m so sorry, we tried to stop them…”

“Shh, shh, I’m okay,” lied Taehyung through his teeth, hugging his friend hard. “I just came to say
goodbye.”

Jimin drew back, eyes wide. “Taehyung—”

“I’m leaving,” he cut him off firmly, decision made. “I don’t care how dangerous it may be out
there, anything’s better than here. I just wanted to tell you goodbye first.”

Jimin stared at him. Then suddenly rolled his eyes. “You idiot. First you get yourself out of there
without letting us rescue us then you just announce you’re heading off on your own—”

Yoongi rolled to his feet while his mate was speaking, and snatched up two leather satchels from
where they’d been stored in a hole beneath one of the stones ringing their fire pit. He drew on clean
leathers then similarly dressed his mate, who was still berating an open-mouthed Taehyung.

Yoongi glanced at a stunned Taehyung. “We’re going with you, kid,” he announced gruffly, as he
and Jimin both shouldered a pack.

Jimin stomped over and dumped a bucket of chilled water over Taehyung’s head without
ceremony, ignoring Taehyung’s yelp as he began furiously scrubbing him down with clean cloths.

“You think you can just show up here in the middle of the night—”

“It’s almost dawn, actually,” drawled Yoongi, peering out the window.
“Semantics,” his mate shot back, toweling a cowed Taehyung down. “And think you can leave,
just like that, head off on your own with no idea where to go, on your own with no protection?”

“Um.” Taehyung cowered under Jimin’s fierce glare. “Yes?”

“We’re going with you,” repeated Yoongi. He glanced at Taehyung and smirked. “We were going
to come get you soon as dawn rose and your heat broke but, well. Looks like you beat us to it.”

Jimin continued muttering under his breath, but his hands were infinitely gentle as they bandaged
Tae’s wounded wrists then dressed him in fresh leathers. Then Taehyung was pulled into a
suffocating hug.

“Scared me,” muttered Jimin into his ear, shaking a little. “Seriously scared me.”

“I’m okay,” Tae murmured back, and this time, he meant it. “We’ll be okay.”

“Let’s go,” encouraged Yoongi, striding for the door. “We have to beat the morning patrol.”

“The night patrol will be coming back, though.” Taehyung followed his friends out into the cool
morning air, body protesting weakly but he ignored it.

“That’s why we’re giving them a distraction.” Yoongi reached out and eased Jimin against him,
murmuring something in his ear before kissing him, soft and sweet. Then the alpha withdrew a
stone and flint and crouched at the corner of their hut, where a pile of kindling had been laid.

Jimin moved to curl into Taehyung’s side, sniffling as Yoongi struck the flint and sparked the
match, the kindling catching quickly. As flames rose to lick against the wall, Taehyung shook his
head.

“Jiminie, your home…”

Yoongi had built it for them, three years ago, when Jimin turned seventeen and accepted his
proposal after two years of courting. They had been destined for each other, it seemed to Taehyung.
Both Tae and Jimin were orphans, parents lost in a deadly vampire attack when they were still
young pups. Yoongi, a little older, had taken them under his wing,
even as they grew older and it became clear that Tae and Jimin would present as lowly omegas.
But even as a pup, Taehyung recognized the look in Yoongi’s eye when he looked at the pink-
haired omega. And he recognized the importance when Jimin presented, and the omega began to
look back.

And now they were watching their home burn.

“Jimin,” Taehyung whispered, eyes round with emotion as he glanced from Jimin, to Yoongi.
“Yoongi. You didn’t have to do this. This is your home.”

Yoongi put an arm around Jimin’s waist, then suddenly slung his other around Taehyung’s neck
and pulled him close. He shook them both a bit. “No, this is my family. And no one lays hands on
my family.” He let them go, hitched up the bag on his shoulder. “We’ll find a better home.”

It wasn’t as easy as that.

The September weather was perfect for traveling, not too hot during the day, brisk at night, but
Taehyung’s body hadn’t recovered from his heat. He felt weak, muscles shaky, and though Jimin
and Yoongi were supportive and traveled at his pace, he felt like he was holding them back. They
couldn’t risk slowing down, not when the head alpha would be sending patrols after them. Omegas
were too valuable to lose, even mated ones.

So Taehyung pushed, and pushed, and pushed, traveling miles each day through the forest towards
the distant mountains. Things got easier when he recovered enough from his injuries and heat
exhaustion and was able to shift. His silvery white wolf covered miles more easily, strength
flowing through his four paws. He jogged in formation behind his friends, Jimin keeping his fluffy
butterscotch coat constantly pressed to Yoongi’s grey and white fur, their satchels slung over their
backs and resting between their shoulder blades.
One night seven days into their journey, Yoongi brought them to an exhausted halt at the foot of a
monstrous oak tree, the dirt beneath it eroded away from the autumn rains, forming a decently
sized burrow beneath the exposed roots. Jimin slid into it and collapsed on his side in the dirt,
panting hard. Yoongi sat beside him and licked him between the ears, whining a little.

Taehyung took it upon himself to shift, every muscle in his body aching and throbbing as he
straightened up on two legs with a wince. He snapped some loose bark off a nearby tree and went
to the side of the tiny creek nearby. It was choked with leaves and branches but Taehyung was able
to fill the makeshift bowl. He slaked his thirst before his body could collapse, panting gratefully,
then refilled it and took it to his friends. Yoongi head-butted him in an affectionate thanks before
pushing his exhausted mate towards it. Taehyung made the trip four times before his friends’ thirst
was slaked, then shifted back, more comfortable in wolf form.

He curled up in a ball outside the makeshift den, allowing his friends some privacy, signaling to
Yoongi with a low bark that he would take first watch. So far there had been no signs of them
being followed but Yoongi wanted them to make it clear to the mountains, far away from their old
pack, before they relaxed their vigilance.
Taehyung huffed out a long breath, allowing his muscles to relax, but kept his tired eyes open and
scanning the trees around them as he listened to his friends sleep.

Another two weeks passed, two weeks of never-ending trees and bathing in streams and eating
berries and the last of the dried meat Yoongi had packed. There was no time to hunt or lay traps,
not at their pace. They lost weight, all three of them, Jimin more than the others. The pink-haired
omega had been taken care of for the past five years by Yoongi, tucked safely in their beautiful hut
by the tree line with constant food and water provided by his vigilant mate. Taehyung was a little
more used to roughing it, living on the outskirts of the village, caring for himself.

Jimin’s paw pads began to crack and bleed late in that third week of their journey. The next day his
fur began to thin, and the others could clearly see his rib cage. They were all gaunt and exhausted,
and they couldn’t go on much longer. Yoongi was beside himself, never straying from Jimin’s
side, constantly whining and nuzzling at him, urging him on as best he could.

And Taehyung felt like the worst person in the world, for allowing his friends to leave their home
for him.

Wracked with guilt, Taehyung barely noticed when the ground beneath their feet began to climb,
only realizing when they broke into a clearing in the woods and realized they had made it to the
foothills of the mountain range.

Then Jimin collapsed.

Yoongi and Taehyung were at his side almost before he hit the ground, watching as Jimin shivered
and panted, shivers wracking his malnourished frame. Yoongi whined and cried, mouthing at
Jimin’s neck, distraught. Taehyung swiveled around, looking desperately for shelter, tree roots, a
cave, anything to shelter his exhausted friend and allow them to recuperate.

But he caught a familiar scent upon the air.

And then all hell broke loose.

 Chapter 2
Chapter Notes

thanks for the love ! hope everyone's had a great week ! <3

Five alphas crept through the trees, nothing distinguishing about their bland coats of browns and
greys. They all were from the old pack. And from the snarls they released as they completely
circled the three friends, they weren’t there to fetch them back.

This was an execution.

Taehyung quickly licked at Jimin’s ear, then Yoongi’s, then stood braced over Jimin’s collapsed
body, snarling back at the invaders as best he could despite the overwhelming alpha scents that
threatened to send him cowering. He withstood the scents as best he could, as Yoongi likewise
guarded Jimin, and the alphas leapt at them.

Immediately Taehyung was tackled away from his friends by an alpha three times his size, the pair
of them rolling furiously towards the trees, a wrath of flying fur and snapping teeth. Taehyung bit
the alpha’s foreleg and doubled down, refusing to let go even as he felt the alpha’s snarl and teeth
rip his left ear into shreds, cranking down until his teeth met bone. Another alpha piled on top of
them and bit into Taehyung’s scruff, dragging him off the other like Tae was a recalcitrant pup.

Taehyung heard Yoongi howl, a long drawn out sound of desperation and fury, and he heard Jimin
yelping weakly.

This can’t be the end, thought Tae desperately, howling back to his friend.

Moments later the weight of the two alphas were torn from Taehyung. He rolled onto his belly,
panting, his left ear in agony, and watched with wide eyes as a new arrival took on the pair of
assailants with a fierce snarl that reverberated in Taehyung’s ears.

The new wolf was an alpha from his scent, but not as harsh on Tae’s nose as the others. He smelled
like the trees after a crisp rain, leaves and fresh grass and running water. His coat was a pure inky
black, legs long and body thick with firm muscles, his muzzle narrower than most. It ran with
blood now as he bit fiercely into his opponent’s neck.

Both alphas ran off into the trees with their tails tucked between their legs.

Taehyung had already run shakily towards his friends, legs threatening to give out, dizzy with
blood loss. One other newcomer had already begun to aid Yoongi, and the three alphas from their
old pack soon took off after the others.

Yoongi circled Jimin’s limp body, barking and crying at his mate. He paused to nuzzle Taehyung
for a moment, reassured the omega was relatively okay, then returned to Jimin.

Jimin’s body was crisscrossed with thick gashes, eking blood into the dirt. His breaths were thin
and raspy, tongue lolling out of his mouth, his eyes closed and nonreactive to Yoongi’s worry. And
that wasn’t right, that wasn’t Jimin. Jimin would never lie there and allow Yoongi to fear for him
if he could help it. Yoongi licked at the worst of his injuries, trying to speed the healing, but Jimin
looked exhausted to the point of unconsciousness, his skin not knitting back together as it should.

One of the two new arrivals stepped forward, the tallest one, who had striking red fur along his
back and a beautiful white underbelly. Taehyung spun to face him and tried to growl, protecting his
friends at his back. But the red and white wolf was an alpha, and even though he was merely
watching Taehyung respectively with his head inquisitively cocked, his pheromones threatened to
send Taehyung to the ground.

The black wolf stepped forward, seeming to nod in deference to his red and white packmate before
approaching Taehyung. Tae held his ground before the alpha, legs trembling, his tail tucked, but he
refused to drop his head.

These two strangers had helped them against their attackers, but who was to say they wouldn’t turn
on them now?

Then the black wolf began to rumble, deep in his chest, a sound that was lighter than a growl and,
despite Taehyung’s instincts, infinitely reassuring. Almost like a purr. Taehyung couldn’t help but
relax a little, and he allowed the wolf to come closer. They touched noses cautiously, Tae watching
the beautiful amber eyes likewise staring back at him. At this proximity, the alpha’s fresh scent
threatened to overwhelm him. But it didn’t send him cowering like other alphas.

Taehyung felt reassured.

But a moment later he heard a terrifying snarl rip from Yoongi, as the red and white wolf had
circled around Taehyung to Jimin’s side. Yoongi stood in a low crouch beside his mate, his grey
fur bristling, making him look two times his usually petite size. His mouth was open as he snarled,
saliva dripping from his canines.

Taehyung had never seen Yoongi like this, and he whimpered in fear, pressing his belly to the
bloodied grass. The black wolf stepped closer, the rumbling in his chest growing louder, his scent
thickening in the air.

As if he were reacting to Taehyung’s distress.

The red and white wolf stared at Yoongi for a long moment, then turned his back in a clear lack of
challenge and padded towards the trees. The black wolf immediately followed and Tae held in
another whimper at the loss of his heat. Then both alphas paused at the edge of the clearing and
looked back.

Did they want Taehyung and his friends to follow?

It seemed so, for the two strangers repeated the movement half a dozen times, circling from the
wolves to the trees and back again, both rumbling reassuringly now.
Taehyung nudged Yoongi with his nose. The small alpha had stopped snarling but still watched the
others with clear mistrust. Tae knew if the strangers had wished them harm, they wouldn’t have
intervened in the first place. And it seemed like they wanted to help. Not for the first time
Taehyung wished shapeshifters could communicate in their animal forms but he didn’t dare risk
transforming to his weaker human form, not when he couldn’t be positive they were safe.

Yoongi watched the others for another long moment, eyes half-narrowed in deep thought. But a
weak whine from Jimin stirred him. He licked his mate again, nuzzling into his cheek, and Jimin
stirred enough strength to lick him back before collapsing again. Yoongi gently bit into the scruff
of his omega’s neck and started to half drag, half carry him towards the others. Taehyung walked
on the opposite side of them, supporting Jimin’s weight as best he could, but it seemed Yoongi was
determined to do all the work.

Taehyung wasn’t sure how far they walked. He noticed they were ascending deeper into the
mountains, trees getting sparser, rocks cropping up in their way. But the two strangers knew their
way through, choosing paths through the growing mists that Taehyung could barely see. They
stopped to rest often, the two alphas working together to fetch them deep leaves filled with water,
always allowing the omegas to drink until they were sated before they dared take a sip. In this way,
Yoongi cooperated with them.

As night fell, the sun disappearing behind the mountains, a chilly rain began to fall, refreshing their
overheated bodies but making footing treacherous. They threaded their way single file down a
narrow path bordered by the mountain on one side and a chasm on the other. The red wolf led the
way, with Yoongi carefully dragging Jimin right behind him. Taehyung padded directly behind
them, eyes on his best friend, with the black wolf heading up the rear.

Taehyung saw it happen as if it was in slow motion. Yoongi slipped, one of his forelimbs skidding
on the wet stone. Jimin cried out, flailing as he unbalanced and began falling towards the edge.
Taehyung leapt forward and sank his teeth into the base of Jimin’s spine, ignoring his friend’s
high-pitched yelp, and jerked his neck to the side, throwing his friend towards the cliff and safety.
Yoongi bundled his mate to his side, licking him desperately around the ears.

But Taehyung lost his balance once he released Jimin, and one of his hind legs fell off the path into
air. Yelping, he scratched his front legs furiously on the stone, his hind end disappearing over the
edge.

The black wolf lunged forward and sank his teeth into Taehyung’s scruff. The pain was sharp but
Tae inwardly sobbed with relief as the alpha gave a mighty tug and dragged him to safety.
Taehyung pressed his belly to the path, shaking hard, ears flat as he whimpered despite the
enormous pain in his tattered left ear. The black wolf whined at him.

And then he licked Tae on the top of the head.

It was ridiculous, how quickly Taehyung’s panic receded. He instantly felt safe, and his body
relaxed into the ground. The black wolf bent to nuzzle his cheek for a long moment, making
Taehyung hum in his throat, before gently pushing him to his feet. They rejoined the others at the
end of the path and Taehyung stopped dead as he saw the enormous waterfall before them,
cascading over the side of the mountain and ending in a wide pool acres below that fed into the
river disappearing towards the distant forest. It was beautiful, and Taehyung had never seen
anything like it.

When the red wolf began following the narrow path directly towards the raging waterfall,
Taehyung and Yoongi balked, panicked at coming closer to that beautiful death trap. But the alpha
behind him rumbled reassuringly, and Jimin’s breaths were becoming more and more shallow. Tae
and Yoongi had no choice. They hesitantly followed. To their surprise, the path led behind the
falls, mist from the falls sluicing their coats already soaked from the rains.

The path opened up further once they were behind the water, until the five wolves stood in a giant
cave. Stalagmites and stalactites caught the traces of moonlight and reflected it back, making the
whole cave glow. They relieved their ever-desperate thirst in the pools of water gathered on the
floor. The two alphas waited patiently for them to finish before leading on.

They exited the cave and came to a halt on a wide grassy bluff that looked down into an enormous
valley surrounded on all sides by mountain peaks, as if a giant had reached down out of the sky and
tore a chasm out of the mountain.
Lining up on the edge, they stared down in awe.

The valley floor was obscured in a flourishing forest of oak trees, their leaves shining in beautiful
shades of yellow and red and orange befitting autumn. Taehyung could catch the scents of deer and
boar, raccoons and squirrels, foxes and birds and mice, as though the valley housed an entire forest
ecosystem in its grasp. A wide river ran through the trees, likely a branch of the one on the other
side of the peak they stood on.

The two alphas lifted their tails, wagging them slightly, and led the others on with cheerful yips
that alerted Taehyung to the knowledge that they had reached these alphas’ home. Indeed, they
passed several scent marks that smelled of the alpha pair.

They padded on another hour or so, Jimin growing weaker and weaker as they went. Yoongi and
Taehyung now padded on either side of the omega, half carrying him, with the black wolf leaning
in a comforting way against Tae’s free side. They reached the banks of the river, drinking once
more before pushing on, following the bank upriver.

They broke through the trees into an enormous clearing. Taehyung panted wearily, catching the
smell of wood smoke first. He lifted his exhausted head, and stared.

Five huts, walled in neat oak planks and roofed in thick leafy branches, lay spread a decent
distance apart from one another, loosely arranged around a large central fire pit ringed in river
stones where a fire crackled homily. A wild boar was roasting atop it, looking freshly caught and
skinned, the scent of cooking meat causing all five to drool. The clearing smelled distinctly of one
pack, with several individual scents, and more that were extremely faded by time and weather.

The red and white wolf bounded forward with a loud cheerful bark. A smaller wolf, entirely russet
with white facial markings, ran around the side of one of the huts and skidded to a stop comically
in front of the alpha, dancing and barking in circles around him. He was a beta, from the weak
scent that reached Taehyung’s nose.

An omega with the scent of aloe and herbs emerged from inside the hut. He was a tall human male
with beautiful features and broad shoulders, wearing a soft woven blue tunic that fell to his knees.
He seemed to freeze upon seeing the new arrivals, then he rushed forward with a joyous expression
on his face.

“Joonie!” he cried, sprinting past the beta and throwing himself at the red and white wolf, who
shapeshifted at the last second to catch the omega in his arms.

The red and white wolf, as a human, was scarcely taller than the omega he embraced, with spiky
blonde hair and deep, deep dimples that shone as he laughed and danced kisses over the omega’s
face. The pair had matching mating marks on their left shoulders.

The beta transformed next, into a male of medium height and build with a round face and a riot of
orange-red curls that danced as he laughed, continuing to bounce in joyous circles around the
reunited pair.

But Taehyung was distracted by Jimin releasing a shaky whine and collapsing to the grass once
more. Taehyung and Yoongi both cried out loud and Yoongi licked desperately at his unconscious
mate’s cheek.

The alpha beside Taehyung, still in wolf form for some reason, looked over at the human omega
and let out a sound that was half-growl, half-bark. The mated pair broke apart and the omega
looked their way with a gasp of concern.
“Oh, Joonie, what happened? Who are they?”

“We’re not sure,” said the red and white alpha—Joonie?—grimly as they rushed over, the alpha
pulling a similar tunic over his bare body, this one a deep red. “We found them being ambushed by
a pack of alphas many leagues from here. We were able to help fight them off but the omegas were
injured.”

“The alphas attacked the omegas?” gasped the man, and a look of fury crossed his face. “I hope
you killed them.”

“We ran them off. From the looks of it, they won’t be back to try again. The rain and mountains
will have covered our tracks. We couldn’t just leave them out there, Jin.”

“Of course not,” said Jin indignantly. He had reached Jimin’s side, and surprised them all by
bowing a perfect ninety degrees to the growling Yoongi, exposing the back of his neck in a show
of submission. “I’m a healer. May I see to your mate?”

Yoongi eyed the omega mistrustfully, but he didn’t dare accuse an omega of false intentions
towards a fellow omega. It simply wasn’t done. Taehyung nuzzled into Yoongi’s flank, still
terrified out of his mind, but it seemed like this new strange pack could help. They had brought the
three of them there, after all.

Yoongi finally bowed his head stiffly in acquiescence, and he transformed back. In human form,
Yoongi looked more exhausted than anything else, his blonde hair ruffled and multiple bruises and
gashes covering his body. The curly-headed beta offered him a black tunic with a small grin of
reassurance, Yoongi pulling it on without a second look before squatting to pick Jimin up in his
arms. His muscles trembled but he didn’t drop his mate as he followed Jin and the beta towards
one of the huts.

Taehyung tried to transform to help, but when he reached into his mind for the power that was the
seat of their two forms, nothing was there.

He flailed a little, near burrowing into the grass as he panicked. He had heard of it happening
before, of shifters becoming stuck in one form due to exhaustion, and the ability to shift returning
once rested, but Taehyung was too exhausted and panicked to be logical.

“It’s okay,” came Joonie’s quiet words, approaching Tae with hands gently outstretched to show he
meant no harm. “Just calm, omega. Calm down.”

Taehyung appreciated what the alpha was trying to do but it wouldn’t work, he couldn’t listen, he
couldn’t reel in the panic.

Then the black wolf walked to his side, bent down and nosed at his cheek. Taehyung whimpered
deep in his throat and the alpha licked him gently, first his cheek, then between his ears. The alpha
lay down at his side, moving slow and calm so as not to startle Taehyung, and continued to groom
him, all along his scruff and down his neck. Taehyung leaned in to bury his entire face in the
alpha’s flank, all but bathing in his scent, as his racing mind began to calm.

Before he could summon the energy to worry about Jimin and Yoongi, Taehyung passed out.

In the hut, warmed by its proximity to the cook fire, Yoongi followed the beta’s gentle directions
and laid Jimin down on a hand-woven mattress stuffed with grass and leaves. The human omega
followed them in but immediately busied himself at a nearby counter, grinding herbs into a small
bowl and mixing them with water.

“Try to get him to drink this, it’s poppies and chamomile. It will help with the pain and allow him
to rest easy,” the omega said, offering the bowl respectfully to Yoongi.

Yoongi simply followed directions, too worried for his mate to be concerned about the strangers
surrounding him. He kept his guard up, wary of a threat, but no one made any move except to help.
He couldn’t help but relax a little as Jimin drowsily lapped a few mouthfuls and almost
immediately fell into a restful sleep.

With his mate finally no longer in pain, curled into a ball around Yoongi with his head cradled in
Yoongi’s lap, his hands playing with the fur of his scruff, the beta and omega walked over and
began applying poultices that smelled strongly of herbs to Jimin’s many injuries. Within a few
minutes, Yoongi could see the gashes beginning to close, the blood stopping its flow. He heaved an
enormous sigh and bent to kiss and nuzzle his mate’s ears in relief.

“You guys are adorable,” the beta cooed quietly from nearby.

Yoongi glanced over to see the beta sitting there neatly, legs crossed, as he carded a thick bundle of
wool into yarn. He grinned at Yoongi in a friendly way and bobbed his head in greeting.

“My name is Hoseok, but my pack calls me Hobi,” the beta said. “Welcome to Bangtan Pack.”

“Bangtan?” repeated Yoongi warily.

Hobi nodded, happiness all but radiating from his pores. “Yep. There’s me, your friendly
neighborhood beta.” He winked when Yoongi snorted. “Our healer is Seokjin but call him Jin, he
hates his full name.” Jin waved from where he still stood at the counter, building more poultices.
“He’s mated to Namjoon, our head alpha.”

“The red and white wolf?”

“Yeah, that’s him! And the black one is our little Jungkookie.”

“Call him Jungkook,” called Jin exasperatedly. “Hobi, he hates that nickname and you know it.”

“Yeah, but that’s what makes it fun.” Hobi rolled his eyes. “Anyway, you guys are welcome here.
You won’t come to any harm while you’re with Bangtan, we’re the only pack in the valley and no
one can navigate their way behind the falls to find us.”

“What happened to the rest of your pack?” Yoongi had noticed it, the stale scents around the
clearing. It seemed like the pack was bigger than just the four of them at one point.

“A few years ago, some of our packmates decided they didn’t like living so isolated, alone here in
the valley and rarely venturing outside," said Hobi. "We’re safe here, and we like it, but…guess it
wasn’t for everyone.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” offered Yoongi gruffly. He was a stranger to familial packs but even he
could read the obvious affection and closeness between the four wolves.

“Why were you three on your own?” asked Hobi in return. His brows suddenly drew together, his
wool ignored for the moment. “Because if we’re harboring runaways or you guys did something
wrong—”

“Come on, Hobi, use your nose,” came Namjoon’s sudden voice. He walked into the hut carrying
an enormous basin of freshwater, muscles bulging in his taut forearms but the water hardly
splashed. He placed it at Yoongi’s side with a nod of greeting. “These three aren’t fugitives. An
alpha protecting two exhausted omegas, one fresh out of heat, and the other his mate? There’s no
way.”

Hobi bowed his head sheepishly but Yoongi wasn’t offended. If this was his pack he would have
done a lot more than just ask the interlopers some questions.

So thinking, he looked up at Namjoon. “Thank you,” he said gravely, swallowing the lump in his
throat. “For my mate and my friend, I thank you. I don’t know what would have happened to us if
you hadn’t come along.”

“They definitely were trying to kill you,” remarked Namjoon in a casual way, sitting beside Hobi
and helping him sort the tangled wool. Yoongi blinked at that. No alphas beside himself in their
old pack had ever lowered themselves to help a beta, or even an omega unless it was during a heat.

“I don’t hold with alphas hurting omegas,” continued Namjoon. His eyes darkened when they
looked at Yoongi. “We’re charged with their care and protection, and we are given their care and
the honor of pups in return. If I thought you were anything like those alphas we helped you fight
off, you wouldn’t be sitting here right now. There’s plenty of cliff edges pocketing our mountain
trails.”

Yoongi inclined his head grimly, acknowledging and respecting the threat.

“However, you and your omegas do smell like those alphas. Pack dispute?”

Yoongi sighed. “It’s a little more involved than that.”

Namjoon made himself comfortable as Jin came around to refresh Jimin’s poultices. “We got
nothing but time,” drawled Namjoon.

Taehyung blinked awake drowsily, feeling warm and clean and dry. The rain had stopped, he
noticed first. He lay in a cozy ball beside the roaring fire, the scent of roasting meat instantly
arousing his senses. He let out a loud yawn and stretched his forelegs out in front of him, finishing
his stretch with the little jerk of his head that he’d done ever since he was a pup. He sniffed at
himself briefly and realized someone had cleaned his fur. It was freshly brushed, with no trace of
dirt, blood or gore. His wounds were healing nicely, and his left ear throbbed but the agonizing
pain had stopped.

He realized he wasn’t alone as soon as he looked around. The black wolf sat nearby, close but still
at a respectful distance, head cocked as he watched Taehyung awaken. Tae froze, self-conscious,
then eased himself up cautiously to sit on his haunches as well, dislodging several dried poultices
as he moved.

He didn’t know how long he had slept. The sun was high in the sky but the day remained cool
courtesy of a lively breeze, sending leaves dancing across the clearing. He felt refreshed, and more
awake than he had been in days.

Jin padded out of the hut everyone had disappeared into, brushing his hands off against his tunic.
“You’re awake,” he called with a friendly grin, trotting up to check on the meat. “Perfect timing,
we’re just about to eat. You’ll have to shift back, though. We eat our meals as humans, so there’s
no communication barrier.”
Taehyung lay his ears flat, and whined a little. He was scared to try again, worried that he wouldn’t
be able to find his human form. But the alpha padded over, nuzzling his cheek in a way that
already felt like habit. Soothed, Taehyung huffed out a breath, and closed his eyes.

Moments later he was sitting there in human form. He winced as he straightened, bones popping,
muscles burning. He accepted the deep blue tunic Namjoon offered to him with a shaky “Thanks,”
and pulled the warm cloth over his clean body with relief.

Frowning, he felt for his left ear and noticed that half of the curve of his cartilage had been torn
away. His lower lip trembled.

The black wolf whined, pawing at his leg, and Jin patted his arm. Tae sighed and shook off his
hurts. He wasn’t important.

“How’s Jimin?” he asked urgently, voice rusty with disuse. “My best friend, the omega—”

“We know,” said Jin gently. “Yoongi told us all about you guys, don’t worry. He’s doing well.
He’s been resting just as long as you have, it’s been three days since you arrived.”
Tae’s eyes widened. He’d never slept that long in his life.

“Your friend is extremely malnourished and was exhausted to the point of collapse, that's why his
injuries were slow to heal. But he's recovering now. He'll be okay,” reassured Jin, still gentle. “You
guys are all safe here.”

A blur of motion in the open doorway of the hut behind them made Taehyung spin around. The
bouncy beta emerged first, hands outstretched as if ready to catch, as Yoongi slowly escorted Jimin
out into the air.

Taehyung let out a sob and hurtled across the clearing. The beta supported Jimin with an indulgent
smile as Yoongi leapt forward and grabbed Taehyung in an embrace. Tae wrapped his arms around
his friend and cried into his neck from the overpowering relief. They scented each other, rubbing
cheeks against shoulders, as Yoongi stroked a hand reassuringly between his shoulder blades.

“We’re okay, Tae,” he murmured soothingly. “Everything’s okay.”

Taehyung heard a sniffle from nearby and reared back. Jimin looked himself, his pink hair shining
in the sun, but his skin was torn and scratched all over, most of his body obscured by the white
tunic he wore. He was thin, his muscles all but wasted away, his body having not fared their
journey well. But he was smiling at Taehyung through his tears, his chubby cheeks turning his
eyes to thin crescents and causing tears to spill over.

“You’re okay,” crooned Taehyung with staggering, knee-shaking relief as he pulled Jiminie into
his arms. “Oh my god, you’re actually okay.”

“We’re okay,” whispered Jimin, just like his mate. He and Taehyung rested their foreheads against
one another, bodies pressed close, as Yoongi came over and wrapped his arms around the both of
them.

There, encircled in the arms of his friends, his family, his pack, Taehyung felt completely safe.

All three of them eased back after a few minutes, laughing a little as they swept away tears. The
rest of the wolves had gathered near the fire, Jin starting to carve the boar up into chunks.

“Come on, I’ll formally introduce you both,” encouraged Yoongi, leading the two omegas over,
though he kept a secure arm around Jimin’s waist.
“Jimin, Taehyung,” he began when they reached the others around the fire. “This is Jin, the pack
healer and sole omega.” Jin grinned at them all, still carving. “He’s mated to the head alpha,
Namjoon.” Namjoon was standing behind Jin with his arms around his mate’s waist, sneaking bits
of meat behind his back. From the twinkle in Jin’s eyes, he was well aware of what his alpha was
doing. “And that’s Hoseok, or Hobi. Beta.”

Jimin ducked his head and angled his body behind his mate, as he always did when he was the
center of attention. “Hi,” he murmured shyly, blushing a bit as he buried his face in Yoongi’s
shoulder. Yoongi reached back to stroke a thumb along his hip soothingly.

Hobi leaned in to coo at Jimin. “You are the cutest dang thing now that you’re back on your feet,
oh my gosh,” he gushed, voice high and squealing.

It made Jimin giggle, the sound like music to both Yoongi and Taehyung.

“Can he sit by me? Can he, can he, can he?” begged Hobi, racing over to Namjoon’s side and
seizing his arm in a playful tug. “Please, please?”

“Relax, Hobi,” said Namjoon with a chuckle, ruffling the beta’s hair. “Let’s make our guests
comfortable, okay?”

But Taehyung hesitated as Yoongi helped Jimin down to the soft grass, leaning their backs against
the enormous hewn logs that encircled the fire and served as seats. Someone was missing.

The black wolf had disappeared.

Taehyung whined before he realized what he was doing.

Every shifter in that clearing reacted. Tae blinked and Yoongi was instantly at his side, hands
stroking his waist, Namjoon hovering nearby with flashing eyes. Jin laid a comforting hand on his
shoulder and Hobi nuzzled his cheek against Tae’s back. Jimin whined from his seat beside the
fire, but it was in a comforting way, not distress of his own.

Taehyung had spent the entire twenty years of his life living amongst a pack of wolves who
sneered at him every time he walked by, who pushed and shoved him out of the queue for food,
who left him alone to suffer through heats. If not for Jimin, and by extension Yoongi, Taehyung
would have never known the skinship of other shifters. His parents had died when he was too
young for him to remember.

Overwhelmed, Taehyung froze, the scent of his distress growing thicker.

“Guys, we’re not used to skinship,” called Jimin, struggling to rise to his feet but he had such little
strength. He watched how the others all but swarmed Tae in response to his distress but it wasn’t
what his best friend needed. “Guys!”

A growl shocked them all back to their senses. As a one, every shifter snapped back to themselves
and stepped away from Taehyung, Yoongi lingering the longest, waiting until Taehyung squeezed
his hand reassuringly before dropping his grip on the omega.
Taehyung gasped for breath, feeling winded. Then he looked around.

The black wolf stood nearby, fur slicked down as if he’d cleaned himself in the river before
coming back. He padded towards Taehyung, nuzzling against his leg in a comforting way, and Tae
smiled a little, relieved, as he trailed his fingers through the damp fur. Then the wolf stepped back,
and lifted onto his hind legs. Halfway through the motion, he shifted.
As a human, the alpha was stunning. Narrow-boned face and a sharp jawline. Tall, though not as
tall as Namjoon or Jin, with broad shoulders that flowed to a trim waist and long powerful thighs.
Taehyung pointedly avoided looking between the alpha’s legs but even a peripheral glance was
impressive. Tae continued to blush as the alpha pulled on a long red tunic, disheveling his shaggy
black hair.

He came up to Taehyung and offered a shy grin, exposing a cute overbite. “Hi. I’m Jungkook.”

Jungkook.

Taehyung finally had a name to match his black wolf.

Well, not his, his, just, the alpha, the one who had his back the entire way, who saved him from his
old pack.

Oh boy.

He blinked, finally shaking himself and realizing he had been gaping, open-mouthed, at the now
hesitant Jungkook. “Taehyung,” he blurted, raising a hand and shyly waving before burying his
hands at his throat and curling in on himself in embarrassment. “Um, hi.”

Jungkook grinned softly. “It’s really nice to meet you, Taehyung.”

Nearby, Jin laughed out loud and called out, “All right, everyone, come get some food!”

It was like their bubble had broken. Both Tae and Jungkook looked towards the others sitting
neatly around the fire, then Tae looked back at the alpha and almost cooed at the sight of the faint
redness lining Jungkook’s cheekbones.

“Come on,” encouraged Jungkook, and he seemed to steel himself before offering Taehyung a
hand. Darkness began to settle in around them as night fell, as Taehyung stared in awe at the
beautiful alpha waiting on him. Not barking at him, not pushing him, not ordering him around.

Simply standing there, waiting on Taehyung. Tae had the feeling if he didn’t want to take
Jungkook’s hand, the alpha wouldn’t press the matter.

But he wanted to. He wanted to see if he felt the same warmth, the same tingling in his blood that
he felt when their wolf forms touched.

So Taehyung laid his hand on Jungkook’s.

And oh. It felt exactly the same.

 Chapter 3
Chapter Notes

i wasn't planning on updating yet but to be honest i had an awful day and editing and
posting a new chapter made me happy.

its tough being a medical professional. seriously tough. i got yelled at today by a
patient who was unhappy with me and it just...hurt? like rly hurt. all i want to do is
help and people can be kinda mean.

i was just trying to do my job, trying to help. hopefully tomorrow is better.

anywayz, sorry for blathering on. i still find writing very cathartic so i'm not going
anywhere anytime soon guys <3 god bless my friend who dared me to post my stories
and god bless the shots of whiskey that helped me do it

love you all. hope everyone's happy & healthy & doing what they love most in the
world <3

enjoy our OT7 getting to know one another !

Taehyung felt warm and safe as Jungkook curled his fingers around his, as Jungkook smiled shyly
at him before leading the way to the fire. The others watched the pair with ill-disguised glee as
Jungkook helped Tae ease himself down to sit beside Jimin, his body still sore. The seven of them
ended up in a circle beside the calmly snapping fire.

Jungkook then fetched a platter of meat and placed it directly in front of Taehyung.

Tae stared at it, frozen, and he and Jimin shared a quick glance, then looked around as Namjoon
likewise placed meat in front of Jin and Hobi cheerfully served himself. Yoongi had placed food in
front of Jimin like he always did but, similarly to the other alphas, did not start eating himself,
which he used to do in their old pack.

Tae glanced at Jimin again, unnerved and nervous. “I-I don’t understand…”

Jungkook reached out, reacting to Tae’s nervousness, gently stroking the tips of his fingers over the
nape of Tae’s neck. Instantly Taehyung wanted to stretch and purr beneath the caress.

“Omegas eat first,” said Namjoon calmly.

Taehyung and Jimin gawked, staring at each other again.

“Was your pack not like that?” asked Jin with concern, leaning forward.

“Yoongi always fed Jimin since they’re mates,” said Taehyung quietly with a look of apology at
his friends. Yoongi reached over Jimin to stroke his hair reassuringly. “B-but the others wouldn’t
let him serve me t-too.”

“Tae got scraps,” whispered Jimin furiously. “I tried to share my food but they barely let Yoongi
get enough to feed both me and him, let alone for three.”

“Jiminie,” murmured Taehyung, ashamed as the others stared at them in frank astonishment. “I
managed.”

“I don’t understand,” confessed Jin, eyes worried. He glanced around at his own pack, then at Tae
again. “All shifters worship omegas, especially male ones.”

Tae knew what he was referring to. Male omegas were just as fertile as their female counterparts,
but it was widely known that they also birthed more alphas than any other designation. Some weird
quirk to their biology, maybe. It was accepted fact.

Which made it all the more difficult to explain how it was that Taehyung, as one of only four male
omegas in his old pack, was so ill treated.

Jimin saw the look in his eyes. “Tae, you don’t have to.” He reached out but Taehyung dodged his
grip, curling in on himself.

“It’s okay, they should know,” he said dully. Tae prepared himself for the inevitable rejection,
absorbed the warmth of Jungkook’s hand on the back of his neck for as long as he could. “Both my
parents and Jimin’s parents died in a vampire attack when we were pups.”

Every shifter winced. Vampires were cold, merciless, and, at least in this part of the world, their
covens far outnumbered shifter packs. The two species had been at war for as long as anyone’s
ancestors could remember. Rumor held that shapeshifter blood was more potent, more delicious,
more sustaining to vampires than mere mortal blood.

“They came in the night, a coven far larger than our pack,” continued Jimin, huddled into Yoongi’s
side. “They slaughtered the night guards, and the head alpha and his mate, before an alarm could
even be sounded.”

“How?” Namjoon’s voice was soft as a whisper. “Vampires can’t get the drop on us, they reek
something awful. Shifters always know when they’re coming.”

“Unless the coven was given knowledge in advance. Knowledge about the layout of the camp, the
head alpha’s hut, where the guards would be patrolling. All of our weaknesses.” Tae took a deep
breath. “My mother told them everything.”

Hobi recoiled, huddling into the ground. Taehyung fought hard not to feel hurt over it. The others
looked equally shocked.

“Why?” Jin’s voice was full of horror, his eyes the size of saucers. He clutched Namjoon’s hand
hard enough to white their knuckles. “How could she—”

“She fell in love with one. She’d been sneaking out to see him, to court. But the head alpha
commanded she mate my father. She resented the pairing, hated my father. Hated me,” whispered
Tae. “No one realized quite how much until her vampire beloved’s coven showed up to slaughter
us. But my father realized what she had done, and slaughtered her himself while the fighting was
thickest. Her beloved vampire slaughtered my father in return and the vampires fled. The role of
head alpha went to the previous head alpha’s brother.”

“No,” murmured Jungkook, the sound almost startling to Tae. The omega refused to look up,
continued to stare mindlessly at the fire. “Tell me he didn’t blame—”

“Me,” interrupted Tae. “He hated me. Most of the pack did. I was a living breathing reminder of
my mother’s disgrace. No one wanted anything to do with me. Except Jiminie and Yoongi hyung.”

“Because you’re not your mother,” said Yoongi bitingly. He looked pissed, and sad, and frustrated.
“You were a pup, damn it. You’re not to blame for your mother’s actions and never have been.”

“Hear, hear,” sounded Hobi. He reached up, squeezed Taehyung’s knee.

Jin hyung walked around to hug Tae fiercely around the neck.

Shocked, fighting tears, Tae buried his face in his shoulder, sniffling a little.

“You aren’t your mother,” said Jin fiercely. He drew back, looked Tae sternly in the eyes.
“Anyone who can’t see that is a fucking moron.”

That surprised a wet laugh out of Taehyung, chuckles echoing around the circle.

Namjoon cleared his throat, redirecting their intense focus from Tae, who closed his eyes and
sagged in overpowering relief. He knew this pack was different.

Jungkook’s hand, the strength of his grip on the nape of Tae’s neck, hadn’t wavered one iota. Tae
couldn’t help but look over.

He nearly shook at the anger in Jungkook’s eyes. But it didn’t scare him. Because he knew, he
knew as strongly as anything, that the alpha wasn’t angry at him. Jungkook was angry for him.
And Taehyung reveled in it.

“Well. Forget your old pack. Omegas eat first here,” Namjoon said simply, as if Taehyung hadn’t
just confessed to being the pup of a female who engineered genocide, and waved them on to eat.

They truly like me for me, thought Tae with awe.

Well that was new.

When Jungkook nudged his food closer to him, concern again showing in the wrinkle of his brow,
Taehyung took a hesitant bite, nervous still under the attention. Instantly he closed his eyes, letting
out a near moan as the meat all but melted on his tongue. The others began to eat as well, though
Jungkook stared at Tae a minute longer before digging in.

“We alphas haven’t done our job if we haven’t hunted enough food to feed our omegas, then
ourselves,” commented Namjoon.

“Omega,” corrected Jin, chuckling a laugh that sounded like a dying frog and made Taehyung’s
lips twitch. “Thank god you guys came along, I was getting fat from all the food these two have
piled on me.”

Yoongi, Jimin and Taehyung all seemed to blink, pausing their meal to look at one another.
Jungkook stopped eating immediately, frowning at Taehyung in concern.

“Y-you want us to stay?” asked Taehyung in an awed voice.

The Bangtan pack all widened their eyes. Then Hobi and Jin, as one, leapt on Namjoon. Namjoon
yelped and fell back under the onslaught, falling to his back on the grass as Jin straddled his waist
and began slapping him playfully around the head and Hobi mercilessly tickled his sides. Jungkook
remained seated, reclined lazily next to Taehyung, a fond smile on his face as he watched his
packmates.
“Stop, stop,” shrieked Namjoon, choking with laughter, rolling around and trying to dislodge his
attackers.

“You silly alpha,” scolded Jin, pinning him down, though it was obvious Namjoon was letting
him. “You were supposed to extend them the invite! Bad alpha!”

“Um,” drawled Yoongi, drawing their attention. “Mind clueing us in?”

Namjoon easily rolled up to sit, shaking the others off like puppies. He scrubbed a hand through
his hair sheepishly, then squared his shoulders and cleared his throat.

“As head alpha,” he began, ignoring Hobi’s snort and Jin rolling his eyes. “Shut it, you two. As
head alpha, I’d like to invite the three of you to live with us, for the foreseeable future, at least.
With the hope that, if everything goes well and you like it here, maybe after some time has passed
you would like to join our pack.”

The three sat in silence, stunned.

“You want us?” whispered Jimin. “You really want us?” He gripped Yoongi’s hand hard.

“It gets lonely sometimes, with just the four of us, since the rest of our pack split from us ten years
ago,” admitted Jin, cuddling into Namjoon’s side.

Namjoon smiled kindly at the three wolves. “So, yeah. I guess we’re all hoping you three will want
to make a home here.”

Jimin’s eyes started to water. “Yoongi..”

“Shh,” murmured Yoongi, drawing his mate in close. His own eyes were damp. “I know, baby, I
know. Namjoon?” He waited until the head alpha looked over at him. “Thank you. We’d be
honored to stay, to one day name ourselves as members of your pack.”

Namjoon nodded in reply, then Yoongi got to his feet, bundling a crying Jimin to his side and
turning them towards the hut that Jin had turned over to them. “I think we’re going to turn in,
goodnight everyone.”

Taehyung watched them go with watery eyes.

“Is everything okay?” asked Jin quietly. His eyes were apologetic in the glow of the fire as he
looked at Tae. “I don’t mean to pry.”

“They want pups,” whispered Taehyung, emotional. “Jimin has wanted them for nearly three years,
basically since they mated, but Yoongi was worried. With a pack like ours, with the way the
subspecies are divided and treated…it’s not how they wanted to raise their pups. Now it feels like
they have a second chance.”

“You all do,” Namjoon told him. Tae glanced up to see Jin quietly crying. “You’re good shifters,
good wolves. We want you guys here, with us.” Namjoon waited until Tae met his eyes. “You
didn’t deserve what they put you through, Taehyung.”

Taehyung flinched at the reminder. He hadn’t thought of that heat during the weeks they had been
on the run, preoccupied with worrying about Jimin and escaping the reaches of their old pack. But
then his wrists began to itch, as if feeling the ghost of the bonds, and he shivered. Jungkook
shushed him gently, easing him closer.
“We’re going to turn in, too.” Jin helped Namjoon to his feet then leaned over and pressed a kiss to
a surprised Taehyung’s cheek. “Welcome to Bangtan, Taehyung.”

Namjoon nodded at them and followed Jin into the cabin that smelled of the pair. Hobi scampered
over and ruffled both Tae and Jungkook’s hair before skipping off, leaving the pair in content
silence. Tae tensed for a minute, wondering if Jungkook wanted to leave as well, but the alpha
beneath his cheek didn’t move, and Tae relaxed as he stared into the dancing flames, absorbing the
warmth.

Tae didn’t realize he was furiously scratching one wrist with his other hand, hard enough to leave
red marks, until Jungkook sat up beneath him and seized Tae’s hands in his own.

“Easy, Tae,” he crooned softly, Taehyung shivering at the sound of his nickname on the alpha’s
lips.

But still Taehyung could feel the pain of the ties, could feel the agony of his heat, of being so
empty, so desperate to be filled, to be taken care of. He was left tied up in the dark, alone, like an
animal, to cry and scream as all his supposed packmates in hearing distance ignored him.

“Want to talk about it?” murmured Jungkook, and it was like the lock inside Taehyung snapped.

He started to cry, powerful streams of endless tears, pouring out of his eyes and cascading over his
cheeks.

“Th-they left me alone,” he whispered brokenly, gasping for air. “I d-didn’t help the mean alpha
with his r-rut because he gave a black eye to the last omega who helped him, so the h-head alpha,
he took m-me during my preheat and locked me in a room alone and tied my wrists s-so I couldn’t
do anything. And I was so empty, and it h-hurt…it hurt…”

Taehyung choked on a sob and his hid face in his fists as he felt Jungkook’s arms come around
him, strong and warm and firm as he pulled Tae into his lap. The alpha rested his back against the
log, bent his knees slightly to cradle Taehyung completely. The omega pressed his face to
Jungkook’s chest, soaking his shirt with tears but Jungkook couldn’t care less.

There is no hell deep enough for them, thought Jungkook, muscles vibrating with the need to tear
Tae's old pack apart.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jungkook saw Jin poke his head out, sympathy on his face as he
watched them. Jin cocked his head questioningly, pointing a finger between himself and Tae, but
Jungkook shook his head. Had Taehyung showed the slightest ounce of hesitation or tension in his
arms, in an alpha’s arms, Jungkook would have handed him over to Jin, no question. But Taehyung
only clung to him and cried as Jin vanished again.

Inside, Jungkook burned hot with rage, but he buried it, funneled it deep inside him, so that not as
much of a tremor shook his frame. He stayed calm. For Taehyung.

It took a while for Tae to calm down. When he finally emerged from the despair, he was still
curled warmly in Jungkook’s arms, the warmth of the fire unable to compete with the alpha’s body
heat. Tae felt safe. For the first time in his life, outside the company of Yoongi and Jimin, he felt
overwhelmingly safe.

“Thank you,” he murmured in a rusty voice.

Jungkook stroked a hand along his back. “You don’t need to thank me, Tae. I’m so, so sorry that
happened to you. They had no right.”
Tae nodded a little. “I like being an omega.” He lifted his eyes to Jungkook’s, so close to his right
then. “I do. I feel like alphas have the scarier life. I like the idea of being looked after, and caring
for someone in return.” His eyes grew damp again. “But that alpha they wanted me to service, he
didn’t want to look after me, he d-didn’t care for me. He had hurt omegas in the past so I said no
and ran when the head alpha said to serve him during his rut. Why couldn’t I just have the choice?
How could my head alpha hate me that much? Because my mother was a traitor?”

Jungkook felt powerless at the despair in the omega’s voice. He could think of nothing to say, no
words to help alleviate the horror of what Taehyung had suffered. So he did the only things he
could think of. He pressed kisses to Tae’s hair, he strengthened his scent in hoping it would
comfort, he purred deep in his chest, stroked his back. Anything he could think of to help.

Tae’s tears slowed down again, and he sniffled a couple of times, trying to calm himself down. He
grabbed Jungkook’s hand that had been stroking his hair and hugged his arm, curling up around it.
He no longer felt ashamed at wanting the skinship.

“What do you like to do?”

Taehyung blinked. “What?”

“What are some things you like to do? We’ll take some time to show you around the valley and fix
up the huts the way you’d like, but what would you like to do?”

Tae blinked again. He spent a lot of his free time in his old pack hiding and dodging the derisive
attention of others, not enjoying hobbies. “I like to track,” he said slowly, still thinking.
“Sometimes Yoongi would let me come with him on hunting trips because he says I can smell and
see the tracks better than anyone else. I love to swim. I like to build, like furniture and stuff. And I
love to pick flowers.”

Taehyung blushed a bit. What a useful skill, picking flowers.

But Jungkook perked up a little. “Would you pick me some for my den?”

“Seriously?”

He pouted. “Of course.”

Taehyung giggled at the expression. “Okay,” he agreed, and Jungkook’s eyes crinkled when he
smiled, making Tae giggle again.

The sound was like music to Jungkook’s ears.

“What’s your favorite?” wondered Taehyung.

“Honeysuckle,” said Jungkook without thinking, then blinked, because prior to this conversation,
he had always loved wild violets.

“Why?”

The alpha’s lips twitched as he chuckled at himself, and he bent to nuzzle into Taehyung’s hair
again. “Probably because you smell of elderberries and honeysuckle. I can’t get it out of my head.”

Tae shivered, and bit his lip. He wanted to show his appreciation to the alpha, for holding him, for
listening, but how?
He summoned his courage, and pulled away a little bit to stretch up and press a gentle kiss to
Jungkook’s cheek.

But immediately Jungkook tensed. And his eyes, when Taehyung looked, were wide and near feral
in the glow of the dying fire.

Jungkook shot to his feet so abruptly that Taehyung was flung aside, landing in the grass with a
surprised huff.

"S-sorry," stammered Jungkook, backing away quickly with his palms outstretched. "I-I'm so sorry,
I have to go--"

Taehyung stared in astonishment as Jungkook sprinted into the woods.

He didn’t come back.

Taehyung went into the hut that Namjoon and Jin had turned over to him, arms wrapped tight
around himself. He had waited until dawn for Jungkook to come back but he never had, and now
Tae was terrified he had made a mistake. Had he been too forward, kissing the alpha’s cheek? Had
he crossed some sort of invisible boundary, read Jungkook wrong all that time?

Taehyung didn’t know how to socialize with alphas other than Yoongi.

The thought of Yoongi made Tae tremble, and he wanted more than anything to go to his friends’
hut, but he knew better. He knew Jimin was feeling emotional and needed his mate that night. They
wouldn’t turn Taehyung away, but all three would know he was intruding. Taehyung wished there
was someone else, that he had someone else, besides the lovingly mated pair. But he didn’t. So he
had to suck it up.

He would apologize to Jungkook the next time he saw him.

Jin had left him a pile of soft blankets and a generous mattress that thankfully smelled of no wolf in
particular. Tae stared at the offerings in awe for a long time before tentatively touching one of the
fabrics. Almost instantly he bundled them all up and began making a nest.

Taehyung had never made a nest before. He had lived in a larger hut in the old pack and shared it
with the rest of the unmated omegas, most of whom had lost mates to vampire attacks and were
unwilling to tolerate a stubbornly single omega and son of a traitor in their midst. He had made do
with a single tattered blanket.

But now his instincts kicked in, like they had always been there, waiting for him. He spread the
thickest of blankets atop the mattress, circling it a few times on his hands and knees, near purring
as they absorbed his scent. He dispersed the others in a coil like a circular barrier around him, and
he curled into a ball on his side clutching a bundle of fabric to his chest, sighing heavily. He closed
his eyes and yearned for sleep.

But sleep took a very long time to come.

 Chapter 4
Chapter Notes

i'm speechless at all of the lovely comments you readers have left me, pls forgive me
if i don't respond to them all, nice words kinda overwhelm me and i get all speechless
and squirmy. anxiety, yay!

seriously. plus b&b just hit 1k kudos which is just so huge to me, you guys are the best
<3 <3

hope you continue to enjoy my lil story ! hope everyone is happy & healthy & loving
life <3

Taehyung woke suddenly, disoriented, instantly soothed by the scent of the shifter who crawled
into his nest and joined him. The shifter wrapped his arms around Tae and pulled his back snugly
against a warm chest, cuddling him, their heat a welcome relief to Tae’s chilled body.

“Taetae,” crooned Jimin, nuzzling his cheek against Tae’s throat. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Jiminie,” murmured Taehyung, wondering why disappointment filled his chest at his friend’s
voice. Ignoring the strange feeling, he wiggled around to face his friend and buried his face against
his chest. “Missed you.”

Jimin’s arms tightened around him. “Missed you too. You could have joined us last night.”

“You and Yoongi needed some time. It’s okay, Jiminie. I finally got to make a nest.”

Jimin kissed his forehead when Tae’s eyes went watery. “It’s a beautiful nest. The comfiest of
them all. They should crown you king of all nests—”

Taehyung poked him in the ribs and Jimin flinched, giggling. But his giggles were infectious and
soon Taehyung was laughing himself, overwhelmed with joy that the three of them had arrived
somewhere safely, that they had a chance at having a home. Somewhere safe. Somewhere they
could be themselves without fear of retribution.

A part of Taehyung was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“I’m surprised Jungkook wasn’t in here with you,” remarked Jimin.

Taehyung made an uninterested noise.

“You guys seemed quite cozy by the fire last night. Did everything go okay after we left?” asked
Jimin, curiosity roused when his friend stayed silent. “Taehyungie?”

“Jiminie.” Tae hesitated. “How did you know?”

“Know what?”

“Yoongi hyung. How did you know? That you wanted to be together, that you wanted to—”
Taehyung blushed furiously and stopped talking.

Jimin, thankfully, didn’t laugh. His lips pursed as he considered Tae’s words.

“Honestly I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want Yoongi hyung. He was always just there,
you know? Ever since we were pups. When we were little I remembered feeling safe when he was
there. And as we got older, I realized he was really handsome, and he always paid attention to me.
He listened. And then he presented, and then I presented, and it was like I felt a click. And then it
was just, us. It was everything I wanted.”

Taehyung considered his words. He likewise remembered Yoongi looking out for them when they
were little. So then why did Taehyung look at the alpha as an older brother, and Jimin looked at
him as the love of his life? How did that happen?

Taehyung thought he liked Jungkook. Jungkook listened to him, watched out for him, made him
feel safe and stirred emotions in Tae’s chest that he had never felt before. It was scary but
exhilarating. But his feelings must not be returned, so he had to leash them. He would hate to cause
any of the wolves of Bangtan any discomfort, not when they had saved the trio from all but certain
death.

With newfound determination, Tae blew out a breath and shoved those warm fuzzy feelings down,
hiding them deep where they wouldn’t stir him up and make Jungkook uncomfortable.

Someone pushed aside the cloth obscuring the doorway and darted in, piling in on top of the
omegas with a contented sigh even as the pair grumbled and complained in loud voices. Yoongi
chuckled and ruffled both of their hair, adding a kiss to Jimin’s pouting lips.

“Enough, my lazy omegas,” he drawled. “Chitchat another time. Come get some food, then
Namjoon is taking us around the territory.”

“We’re going to explore our new home?” squealed Jimin, eyes wide. He immediately rolled to his
feet and pulled them both up. “Let’s go, let’s go.”

Taehyung splashed his face with water from the full basin, then drew on a clean tunic from the
stack Jin had left for him, again comfortingly unscented. He ran damp hands through his silver hair
and shook out his muscles, then stumbled as Jimin pushed him towards the door.

“Alright, Jiminie, alright,” called Taehyung, laughing slightly at his friend’s exuberance, but with a
final enthusiastic shove, Tae went careening out of his door.

He collided with someone and fell hard, collapsing to the grass with a whoosh of breath. Chuckling
sheepishly, he glanced up. His laughter died.

Jungkook looked down at him with a curious expression, head cocked.

“Sorry,” muttered Taehyung, ignoring the alpha’s outstretched hand and climbing to his feet. He
dusted himself off and lectured himself viciously as he felt the warmth rise to his cheeks. “Wasn’t
looking where I was going.”

“Taehyung—” began Jungkook hesitantly.

“Tae’s dead clumsy,” announced Jimin, striding out of the den with Yoongi hyung right behind
him. “Seriously, he trips just walking across a flat field of grass, it’s a unique skill.”

“Traitor.” Tae reached out to Jimin in retaliation as he heard chuckles from the rest of the shifters
gathered around the small fire, but Jimin dodged, resulting in a game of chase that had the pair of
omegas growling playfully as they sprinted in circles around the clearing, their laughter startling
the birds from the trees.

It ended when Yoongi sidled in and caught Taehyung in a headlock, wrestling him playfully to the
grass. “Got ya, omega.”

“Hyung,” whined Tae, sitting up and brushing leaves from his hair. “No fair. That’s cheating!”

“I win,” crowed Jimin smugly, plopping down next to Hobi on a log by the fire, preening.

Muttering dire threats under his breath, Taehyung accepted Yoongi’s help to his feet and trudged
towards everyone else. Namjoon nudged him to sit next to Jin, the older omega plucking a last leaf
from his hair with that growingly familiar croak of a laugh, then served them both with little
fanfare. Yoongi likewise served Jimin and the omegas dug in to the last of the boar meat, just as
delicious as the previous night, with the addition of tiny green apples that were tart and refreshing.
Tae couldn’t help but glance at Jungkook every so often, sitting opposite from him in the circle, but
the alpha was frowning at his own food, seemingly lost in thought.

Namjoon got to his feet and stretched. “Okay, you three. I’m going to take you on a tour of the
valley.”

“Can I come too?” asked Hobi eagerly, bouncing up and down.

Grinning fondly, Namjoon shook his head. “No, Jin wanted to do some washing today, he’ll need
your help.” Hobi nodded understandingly and jogged over to help Jin as the omega began tossing
soiled blankets and tunics out of the huts into a pile to take to the river and scrub.

“And me?” Jungkook’s voice was quiet.

“I’d like you to hunt. There’s seven of us now, we need to hunt more often.”

Taehyung felt guilty. He didn’t want to be a burden.

“But you’re taking two omegas out of camp,” argued Jungkook, gesturing around him at the square
of grass bordered by their huts, the heart of their territory. “It’s risky.”

“Risky?” Jimin looked at Namjoon apprehensively and huddled into Yoongi’s side. “Should we
not go?”

“We have no enemies in this valley, save for snakes, rough parts of the river and loose rocks that
tumble down from the peaks,” said Namjoon in a reassuring way. The trio nodded, understanding.
The head alpha then cocked his head at Jungkook. “Yoongi and I can handle it, Jungkook. The
omegas need to be fed, as well.”

The younger alpha looked away, jaw tense. But after a moment he nodded obediently, and began to
pad towards the trees.

“Come on, let’s go,” said Namjoon cheerfully, leading the three in the opposite direction.

“Sorry, Namjoon, could I have a second?” blurted Tae, waiting for the bemused alpha to nod
before he jogged after Jungkook, catching him before he disappeared into the forest.

“Jungkook?” Tae swallowed as the alpha’s eyes met his. Jungkook seemed wary of him, and Tae’s
heart sank. He missed the skinship they had, his fingertips all but tingling with the need to reach
out. But Jungkook didn’t motion to touch him so Tae abstained. “I-I just wanted to say sorry, for
last night. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’ll try not to let it happen again.”

Courage spent, Tae turned on a heel and all but ran to the others, half expecting Jungkook to call
him back. But he didn’t, and when Tae glanced a look over his shoulder, Jungkook had
disappeared.

The others stood waiting, already in their wolf forms, and Tae stripped off his tunic with a forced
grin and shifted, falling to four paws and stretching comfortably. Namjoon led them out with a
gentle yip, the omegas instinctively falling into step behind him with Yoongi at the rear.

Namjoon led them north, the midmorning sun shining over the tops of the trees and dappling their
coats through the leaves. Jimin and Taehyung shoved at one another playfully, tails wagging,
happy and comfortable in the presence of alphas. After a while they emerged from the trees,
standing in the shadow of one of the cliff faces.

Namjoon shifted, straightening easily, and he gestured towards three decent-sized caves pocketing
the mountain. “We use these caves as a second home,” he explained. “Winters can be harsh here.
The wind howls down from the peaks and brings snow with it, burying our huts. So we shelter in
the caves until spring, avoiding the river while it floods.”

The three wolves nodded their understanding, sniffing around the caves curiously. They smelled
comfortingly of Bangtan, but stale and faded. Each of the three caves were connected by a series of
tunnels, Tae and Jimin darting down them with barks of excitement, chasing and playing tag.
Namjoon, back in his red and white wolf form, lay in the grass outside beside Yoongi, listening to
the omegas play, and panting in the sun.

After a while Namjoon sat up and barked, gathering them together again. They plunged beneath
the trees again, taking a circular route through the valley. They passed through a small grove of
apple trees, which explained the source of their breakfast that morning, then a small meadow that
housed a rabbit warren from the smell. As they trotted closer to the river, Tae caught a familiar
scent upon the air.

His tail couldn’t help but wag as he spied Jungkook stalking through the trees.

A buck stood upwind, grazing delicately on a tall bundle of grass between two large oak trees. It
was young by the look of the immature antlers rising a few inches over its head. The four wolves
paused to prevent making noise and startling the prey as Jungkook crept closer, muscles taut, eyes
narrowed in concentration.

Taehyung saw what would happen before it did. One of Jungkook’s paws came down on a dead
leaf, a loud crackle spreading through the still air. All the wolves froze and the buck’s head came
flying up. It spotted Jungkook and took off in the other direction, white tail bobbing, but Taehyung
had already circled around and stood in its way. He snarled, head low, and the buck shied, veering
to the side. But Jungkook was there, leaping and taking the deer down with a clean bite to the neck.
It died quick and mercifully, Jungkook’s teeth in its’ throat, the harsh smell of blood pervading the
air.

Taehyung danced on all four paws, spinning in a quick delirious circle. What a bite! Jungkook had
looked so powerful, taking the prey down with almost little effort. The buck was large enough to
feed all seven for a few days, at least.

Tae pranced to him, intending to give him a congratulatory nuzzle despite his vow to keep his
distance. Excitement and pride in the alpha’s skill overpowered his thinking.
When he came within a foot of the kill, Jungkook spun on a dime.

And growled at him.

Taehyung scrambled back in shock, tucking his tail between his legs and ducking low to the
ground. He whined, shaking.

What did he do wrong?

Jungkook didn’t want Taehyung near him.

He never should have kissed the alpha’s cheek.

Distraught, he could only cower, staring at the ground to avoid angering Jungkook further.

Namjoon was on Jungkook in the next second, wrestling him to the ground and biting his neck, not
hard enough to puncture, but enough of a severe warning that Jungkook silenced himself and
scurried away. Through a series of growls and barks Namjoon berated the younger alpha, sending
Jungkook off with a final nip to the tail, Jungkook hauling the carcass with him.

Shaking, Taehyung ignored the attentions of Yoongi and Jimin, simply falling into step behind
Namjoon as the tensed wolf led them on. His mind was a chaos of frustration and regret. He didn’t
understand what he had done wrong. He had grown up watching Yoongi and Jimin hunt together,
had watched Jimin congratulate his alpha hunt after hunt. Tae had always believed an alpha
enjoyed such attention. He knew he would, if the positions were reversed.

But Taehyung was an omega. And apparently an unwanted one, at that.

Still. Still unwanted.

Jimin kept sidling in to lick his cheek and whine at him, but Taehyung trudged on through the
woods with his head and tail both held low, eyes on the ground. He had lost his appreciation for
their new home. He wanted nothing more than to be alone back in his nest.

Taehyung perked up when he realized he could smell camp again, and trotted forward with dreams
of his nest. Instead Hobi collared him as soon as he shifted, asked for his help combing through a
rough tangle of wool. Pleased to be useful, Taehyung joined him.

When the pack gathered for supper, Taehyung watched his friends with fondness. Jimin and
Yoongi were so clearly happy to be here, happy to be safe and warm and well-fed, amongst their
new friends. It made Tae sad to realize how uncomfortable they must have been in their old pack,
mated but not truly free.

The meal wound down as dusk settled over the valley, Taehyung comforted by the snaps and
crackles of the fire. The air smelled comfortingly of the mix of wolves in that clearing, all of them
already familiar to Taehyung, including the scent of fresh grass emanating from the silent alpha
sitting opposite Tae on the other side of the fire. Jungkook had remained silent since they returned
from his misadventure.

It hurt, to smell him so close, but remember his anger. Tae allowed himself a moment to yearn for
the skinship they had the night before, then stifled the feeling.

“I’m turning in,” he announced, wanting his new nest to ease the ache in his muscles from the long
hike today. “Good night everyone. Thanks for today, Namjoon.”
Everyone kissed his cheek or ruffled his hair, Namjoon tugging gently on his ear with great
affection. “I feel like we’ll be having a lot more adventures with you in our midst, Taehyung.”

Tae blushed and ducked his head, nuzzling Namjoon’s palm briefly before slowly getting to his
feet. A growl echoed from across the fire and he stumbled in shock, Namjoon barely supporting
him in time before he collapsed.

Once Taehyung was steady, Namjoon whipped around and dove at Jungkook, wrestling the angry
young alpha to the grass. He pinned him there, firmly but not hurting him.

“Get a hold of yourself,” snapped Namjoon with clear frustration. “I’m tired of your attitude.”

“You didn’t have to rub up against him like that,” Jungkook shot back.

Namjoon blinked, while Jin, for reasons no one could really tell, sniggered. “Jungkook, I’m a
mated wolf,” he growled, nonplussed. “Jin is the only wolf I want. I show affection to all the
wolves in this pack because it’s what we do. How I treat Taehyung is no different from how I treat
Jimin and Hobi.”

Jungkook wrenched his head to the side, glaring off into the trees.

“Get a hold of your jealousy before you do something you regret,” ordered Namjoon sternly,
releasing the younger alpha now that he was calm.

Taehyung still stood there, staring, poleaxed.

Jealous? Jungkook was jealous? Of what?

Not him, surely? Jungkook didn’t like him, he had made that clear.

Confused, and somehow sad, Taehyung started walking off again. He was angry at himself for
causing disruption in the pack. It was no way to treat the wolves who had taken him in to their
family.

He didn’t realize Jin followed him until the older omega paused him in the doorway of his hut.

“A moment, Taehyung?”

“Of course, hyung. Are you okay?”

Jin rolled his eyes. “If I had a rabbit for every time Jungkook recklessly spoke out of turn and
Namjoon scolded him for it, I’d be an incredibly fat and lazy omega. None of that was your fault.
If it wasn’t Namjoon nuzzling you, they’d bicker over something else.”

It was Tae’s fault, though. It was him who made Jungkook uncomfortable, who made Jungkook
angry.

“Please apologize to them for me,” blurted Taehyung, too anxious to read the surprise on Jin’s
face. “I didn’t mean to make Jungkook hate me, I’ll do better to avoid him in the future so he won’t
get mad and fight Joonie hyung any more, I promise.”

“Taehyung—”

Not wanting to hear Jin confirm his worries, Taehyung blurted, “Good night, hyung, thanks for
dinner,” and hastened into his cabin. The length of fabric that served as his door swept into place
behind him and hushed the little room into silence.
Taehyung scurried into his nest and curled up with overwhelming relief. It took his body a while to
stop shaking, before he fell into a restful sleep.

Outside the hut, Jin stood blinking in shock for several minutes, piecing together Taehyung’s
words. His eyes widened and he turned, all but sprinting back to the fire, where the rest of the
wolves still sat in easy company despite Jungkook sulking with his back to the flames.

“Jungkook,” snapped Jin, silencing everyone immediately. Rarely did Jin get angry. “Did you lash
out at Taehyung today?”

Jungkook bristled. “Omega—”

“Watch it.” Jin cut him off with an angry wave of his hand. “I all but raised you, pup. Don’t you
dare call rank on me. I want to know why the hell that sweet little omega is terrified that you hate
him.”

“Terrified?” Jimin and Yoongi snapped to attention, Jimin looking towards Tae’s hut.

“He’s asleep now, he’s all right,” Jin soothed, then returned to glaring at Jungkook, who was
slowly standing up. “Explain yourself.”

“I don’t answer to you.”

“But you do answer to me.” Namjoon didn’t bother to stand, yet every shifter tensed at the
absolute authority in his voice. “What is my mate talking about, Jungkook?”

Jungkook stayed stubbornly silent.

“I saw you growl at him during your hunt.” Namjoon rose slowly, muscles tense. “I attributed it to
your adrenaline being up. You weren’t in control. You apologized and explained yourself to
Taehyung, correct?”

“He put himself in danger,” Jungkook suddenly snapped. Both Namjoon and Jin looked surprised.
“He just jumped in to face that buck, face to face with those antlers that could have easily killed
him, then pranced over to me all happy like he expected me to be overjoyed at the fact that he put
himself in harm’s way—”

“To help you,” Namjoon cut in smoothly. “If I remember right, you wouldn’t have landed that
buck without his help.”

“That’s beside the point.”

“No it’s not, not if your pride is wounded by not taking out the deer singlehandedly and you took it
out on him.”

Jungkook’s eyes simmered. He seemed at a loss for words.

“Why would you even care?” Namjoon watched him steadily. “Maybe Taehyung has a reckless
streak, maybe not. What’s it to you?”

“Because he—” Jungkook shut his mouth.

“Does it have anything to do with why you disappeared last night? Like I didn’t notice you
crawling in here at dawn.”
Jungkook remained silent. His eyes were wide and unhappy as he stared down at the grass,
ignoring their stares.

“You have no right to hurt Taehyung, judge him or make him feel as scared as he does. In case you
forgot, Taehyung just escaped from alphas like that.”

“I would never treat Taehyung like those alphas did,” hissed Jungkook, fists bunching. “I would
never tie him up and leave him to suffer a heat alone—”

“We know that.” Namjoon finally put a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder, squeezing in an effort to
calm his packmate. “We know, Jungkook. But Tae and Jimin both spent a lot of years being
terrified of alphas. Here they have a chance to see our subspecies differently. We need to show
them what a true alpha is like. And growling and getting angry at Taehyung for helping you hunt is
not being a good alpha.”

Jungkook flinched.

Jin watched him sadly, remembering Jungkook as a pup, how he ran circles around Hobi and Jin,
proclaiming at the top of his lungs that he would one day present as an alpha, that he would grow
to be the strongest, toughest alpha in the pack, that he would forever care about them and hunt for
them and keep them safe.

Jin could see Jungkook facing the repercussions of lashing out in fear. The omega stepped forward
and hugged a shaking Jungkook, comforting him now as Jungkook’s tough demeanor fell apart.

“It’s okay, Kook,” murmured Jin. “You’re a good alpha. We know you are. You just need to show
Taehyung.”

Jungkook closed his eyes, realizing just how badly he had behaved, starting with the previous night
when Taehyung kissed his cheek. It had set off a chain reaction in his chest, a fire roaring to life,
his instincts howling at him to kiss the omega, to roll him beneath him and let his hands wander,
make the omega feel good, feel cherished, feel protected.

It had scared Jungkook, the rush of feelings. He had run away out of confusion, out of fear that he
would hurt Taehyung, or scare him. He spent the rest of the night pacing the woods nearest Tae’s
hut, his heart hurting every time he hurt Tae sniffle or turn restlessly in his nest.

He had wanted to apologize that morning but couldn’t find the chance, Tae avoiding him so
successfully. Then he had been terrified of Tae being hurt by the buck, the terror manifesting as
anger. He had lashed out.

Taehyung deserved better.

And Jungkook was going to be better for him.

Tae woke early the next morning. The air was cool within his hut and he toyed with the idea of
lighting a fire in the stone-ringed pit, but then he whined lazily to himself a little and simply buried
under his comfy blankets, warm and toasty. Only after the scarcest of dawn light eked through his
window did he rise.

The camp was cool and dim and peaceful. He seemed to be the only one awake, the clearing
deserted, entirely silent but for the songbirds trilling from the nearby trees. His head fell back on
his shoulders as he closed his eyes and breathed, enjoying the quiet.
He moved forward and almost stepped on a tidy bundle of fabric laying outside his door.

He crouched down and poked at it, curious. It was revealed to be a blanket, made of infinitely soft
wool that Tae surmised came from the sheep kept in a pen a few yards from camp. It was dyed a
deep blue that reminded him of the waterfall that guarded the entrance to the valley. He cradled it
to his chest, inhaling once. The blanket was entirely scentless but for the tease of fresh grass.

Why would Jungkook leave him a blanket? Didn't he hate Taehyung?

Still, the omega was grateful. He still marveled and reveled in the fact that he had a proper nest
now, one heaped with blankets and pillows that smelled of nothing and no one but him and him
alone. No older cranky omegas, no self-righteous overbearing alphas. No scents but the ones
Taehyung invited in.

Being given a new blanket made his heart melt.

What did it mean?

If Taehyung didn't know any better he would think it a courting gift. After all, Jungkook was not
mated. Not that Tae knew of, anyway, but he doubted it. Mates were inseparable. It caused
physical pain to be separated, and from what Yoongi said, it was infinitely unbearable for alphas in
particular. He couldn't be separated from Jimin for more than twelve hours before the pain became
crippling.

This couldn't be a mating gift. It didn't fit. But perhaps, Tae realized, it was a peace offering.

Taehyung cuddled the precious blanket to his chest and returned inside, taking special care to place
it in a distinct place at the head of his nest. He fiddled and arranged and rearranged it until he was
satisfied.

He stepped outside once again and startled so badly he nearly fell backwards. Warm hands shot out
to cradle his elbows and ease him back upright, Tae blinking at the sight of Jungkook.

The alpha looked uncharacteristically hesitant. Tae already knew the boy was shy,
uncharacteristically so for an alpha, but now he stood there biting his bottom lip between his big
front teeth, scuffing a bare foot in the dirt as he glanced down, then up at Tae, then down again.

"Jungkook?" ventured Tae after nearly thirty seconds of uncomfortable silence. The alpha jolted
when he spoke. "Did you want something?"

"Did you get my gift?" was the returned question.

Taehyung blushed, clasping his hands together nervously. It seemed childish, now, the way he had
so enthusiastically and immediately added the gift to his nest.

"Yes," whispered Taehyung, insecure. "It's beautiful, Jungkook. I love it."

The reassurance seemed to soothe the alpha. He perked up a little, cocking his head. "I'm really
glad. Taehyung, I wanted to apologize to you."

Tae's heart sank. The present was just an apology.

"Okay," said Tae. But he was confused. "Apologize for what?"

The alpha looked indecisive, nibbling at his lower lip. He hesitated, then plunged. “Taehyung, I’m
so sorry for how I acted yesterday. I never should have growled at you, I had no right to be mean
like that. You didn’t deserve that.”

Tae blinked, caught off guard. “Really?”

Gods, Jungkook had messed up so bad. He steeled himself, met Taehyung’s surprised and hurting
expression square on. “Taehyung. You did nothing wrong. I...”

"Yeah?"

Jungkook seemed to take a deep breath. “Taehyung, I growled at you because I was scared. I was
scared the buck would hurt you. I pictured you hurt, and I just…I couldn’t handle it.”

Tae’s eyes widened. Jungkook hadn’t been angry because Tae was a stupid omega, but because he
could have gotten hurt?

“Oh,” said Tae softly. Just like that, everything within him settled.

Jungkook cared.

“You care about me,” said Taehyung, with such awe.

Jungkook stared at him, staggered. Why did the omega sound so surprised?

“Yes,” he admitted. “Yeah, Tae, I do. I ran away from you that night by the fire because I was
worried I couldn’t control myself. I’ve never lost control before. It scared me.” Jungkook hesitated,
then went all in. He shrugged a little and confessed, “You scare me.”

Taehyung raised his hands, bundled them into tiny fists to rub at his teary eyes, a sight so
endearing that Jungkook’s heart pounded, hard, and fell with an audible thud.

“You scare me, too.” Taehyung sniffled a bit, tried to laugh at himself. “I’m sorry, I’m a mess.”

“Can I hug you?”

In response, Taehyung surged forward, curled against Jungkook’s chest, hands fisted in his tunic.
He buried his forehead against the junction between the alpha’s shoulder and neck, one of
Jungkook’s arms wrapping around his waist while one hand stroked up his back to play with the
dusky silver hair at the nape of his neck.

Chest to chest, Tae could hear the pounding of Jungkook’s heart. The speed of it matched
Taehyung’s. This close, the smell of fresh grass threatened to drown Taehyung and he thought
there would be no better way to go.

“I never thanked you for helping me bring down that buck,” commented Jungkook casually, mouth
against his hair. “I set aside the hide, to let it tan in the sun. When it’s finished curing, is it okay if I
give it to you? For your home?”

Taehyung smiled against the alpha’s chest. “Another apology.”

“No.” Jungkook cleared his throat, eased back. He put a hand beneath the omega’s chin, tilted his
face to his. He wanted to make himself clear, avoid making any more messes. “Actually, I’d like it
to be a courting gift. If you’ll accept me, that is.”

For the second time, Tae was entirely, utterly taken aback. It was one thing to learn Jungkook
didn’t hate him, that the alpha cared about him.
But this was another thing entirely.

Taehyung took a step back.

It tore something in his chest to see the hurt expression on Jungkook’s face. To soothe them both,
Tae took both his hands in his, squeezing hard.

“I’m not saying no,” said Tae hurriedly. “I-I just…” He bit his lip, frustrated with himself.

“Hey, hey.” Jungkook released one of his hands to cup his cheek, stroke a thumb along his cheek.
“It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere, take your time.”

Tae nuzzled into his palm, unable to help it. He craved the comfort, the warmth, the scent. But
still…

“A-alphas scare me a little,” admitted Taehyung when he had collected his thoughts. He gripped
Jungkook’s wrist when the alpha immediately tried to pull away. “Not like that, I mean, I’m not
scared right now, I like being close to you.”

“Okay. Tae, it’s all right—”

“It’s not all right, because I want you to court me. I liked being close to you the other night, I want
to get to know you more. But the moment I picture you in my n-nest…”

Even the thought had him tensing. He remembered the alphas from his old pack, the ones who
assumed Taehyung was there to simply serve them, to exist to please them and have no life of his
own. He knew Jungkook wasn’t like that. Yoongi hyung wasn’t like that, neither was Namjoon
hyung. Tae knew better. He trusted his instincts.

But he couldn’t stop the way his body froze and trembled at the idea of welcoming an alpha into
his nest. Yoongi was one thing. Yoongi was family, both Yoongi and Jimin were like brothers to
him.

How could he ever hope to grow closer to Jungkook if it scared him to think of the alpha in his
nest? Courting led to mating, to helping one another through ruts and heats. What if Tae couldn’t
do it? Ever? Was it fair to string Jungkook along in the meantime?

“Taehyung. Hey, Tae,” came Jungkook’s distant voice.

Tae blinked, returned to himself to see the alpha hadn’t moved. “Sorry, I…”

“Taehyung?”

“I need time,” whispered Taehyung.

He couldn’t do it. Not right away, at least. He liked being close to Jungkook. But the alpha made
him nervous.

What if Jungkook got angry at him again?

“It’s okay.” Jungkook’s eyes were sad, but full of infinite understanding.

Jungkook still had a hand on Tae’s cheek, with the omega gripping his wrist in both hands. He
began to retract his hand but Taehyung didn’t release him.

“I…” Frustrated, Tae tried to assemble his thoughts. “It’s not like I hate you. I like being close to
you, I just—”

“Don’t trust me. Maybe you did, in the beginning. But I let you down,” murmured Jungkook.

Taehyung’s heart ached. Because the statement had a kernel of truth. He opened his mouth but
Jungkook shook his head, eyes tender.

“It’s okay.” Jungkook stroked his thumb across his cheek once more before dropping his hand. For
the first time a hint of his usual cockiness came back in his expression. “I plan on winning you
back.”

Tae rolled his eyes. “Jungkook—”

“Seriously. Whatever you want, I’m there. Until you decide to let me court you.” Then he
blanched. “I mean, unless you say no, I didn’t mean to make it sound like you didn’t have a say in
this, consent is a thing—”

Tae giggled a little, then stretched up on his toes to kiss the alpha’s cheek, flustering him into
silence.

“I, for one, plan on picking flowers today,” announced Tae over a shoulder as he winked at Yoongi
and strolled towards the fire. He’d been dying to explore the territory for the best flowers for his
hut.

“Would you like some company?” The question sounded shy, as was the accompanying sheepish
smile that wrinkled his eyes.

“Maybe,” teased Taehyung, and he dodged Jungkook’s pinch at his waist.

So wrapped up in their own little bubble, they didn’t hear the whistles and catcalls from across the
clearing until they had already begun walking toward the fire. Tae stopped, whining a little, hating
the attention, and Jungkook used his eyes to ask him if it was okay to touch. Tae buried his face in
Jungkook’s shoulder as a response.

When Tae was calmer, they stumbled forward. Jungkook pushed him into a seat before fetching
him breakfast.

Hobi leaned forward, pinched Tae’s cheek as he cooed, “You’re all red, little omega! Something
you wish to share with the class?”

Taehyung whined again, ducked to curl his knees to his chest and hide his face behind them. Jimin
slid in to the seat beside him and laid his arm across his shoulders.

“Hobi, don’t tease,” he said, but his voice was delighted, not scolding. “After all, we know how
much Taetae hates being the center of attention so we wouldn’t want to continue embarrassing
him. Something major obviously just happened.”

“They’re courting, Jiminie,” exclaimed Hoseok, near wriggling with joy.

Tae glanced at Jungkook, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable. The alpha was crouched nearby,
scrubbing at the clay dishes in the wash basin. He merely looked over and said, “We’re not
courting. I’ve got some things to make up to Tae, first.”

“Jungkookie. Look at our baby alpha being all grown up,” crowed Hobi, and suddenly Jimin and
the beta were piled on top of the loudly protesting alpha, rolling in a giddy tangle beside the fire.
Taehyung sniggered as Jungkook failed to evade the attention. Yoongi plopped down at his side,
casually leaned forward and collared his mate around the neck, dragging Jimin out of the pile to
recline between his legs. Yoongi bent forward and nuzzled into his mate’s neck with a sleepy sigh.
Jimin reached up to pet his hair, twisted sideways to peer at Taehyung.

You okay? he mouthed.

Relieved his friend wasn’t making a spectacle of it, Tae reached out and chucked his chin, and
grinned a little. He nodded.

Jin walked out of the woods, a basket on his hip half-filled with fresh eggs from the chickens they
kept nearby. He clucked his tongue when he saw Hobi and Jungkook, the alpha now grinning
gleefully as he pinned the beta in a headlock.

“All right, enough,” called Jin indulgently. “Hobi, stop teasing him.”

“It’s my right as his hyung,” said Hoseok loftily. He slipped out of the headlock, crouched and
grabbed Jungkook’s knees, lifting with a grunt and sending the other boy tumbling to the ground.

In answer, Jungkook grabbed his feet, sweeping them out from under him and sending Hoseok
sprawling back in the grass. “And that’s my right as alpha.”

Laughs swept the clearing as Hoseok sat up, spitting out grass. He ruffled Jungkook’s hair and both
of them got to their feet in time to help Jin transfer the eggs to a bowl of clean water for scrubbing.

Jin straightened from the task, face flushed. He frowned a little, then stumbled as he tried to step
back. Hobi was there gripping his waist in an instant.

“Jinnie?”

Jin chuckled breathlessly, then winced as he straightened. “Guess all the change recently has
shifted my heat schedule.”

To Taehyung’s surprise, Hoseok didn’t budge. Actually he cuddled closer, leaned in to hook his
chin on Jin’s shoulder and wrap his arms more firmly around his waist.

“Joonie,” the beta called without moving away. Namjoon emerged from the hut he shared with Jin,
jogging over, hair soaked as if he’d been cleaning up. His nose immediately went into the air and
he likewise went straight to the omega, cupping his face in his hands.

“Someone’s in preheat,” observed Namjoon warmly.

Jin whined, chased after his alpha when he leaned away, turning to Hobi with a pout when
Namjoon wouldn’t give him a kiss. The beta grinned gently and pressed his lips to Jin’s, both of
them sinking in, Hobi humming low in his throat.

A small grin of delight spread on Taehyung’s face. He hadn’t realized the mated pair was actually
a triad.

The three of them quickly headed for the trees in the direction of the caves, Hobi’s arms piled high
with blankets while Namjoon carried his mate, calling a haphazard, “Yoongi, Jungkook, take care
of the omegas. We’ll be back in three days.”

“We’ll bring you food and water,” called Jimin cheerfully. The four original members of Bangtan
stared at him in surprise, and Taehyung realized that with Jin being the only omega amongst them,
there were no other omegas to aid those occupied in heats or ruts. Jimin and Tae could help.

It pleased Taehyung enormously.

Namjoon sent them a nod, a little shaky and emotional, and the three disappeared into the forest.
 Chapter 5
Chapter Notes

hi hi !! hope everyone reads the tags and isn't disappointed by the fact there's no smut
in this story. sorry !!

also, i'm marking this fic as complete because i feel comfortable at this stopping point.
i have the feeling i'll be adding more chapters in the future but for now i have another
project i'm interested in developing further, so this is it for honeysuckle among the
grasses ! figured i'd mark it as complete rather than leave an indefinite question mark
and have ppl wondering when it'll be finished. so yes, finished for now, but mightttt
add some added chapters in the future, we'll have to see !

love you all, can't thank you enough for the wonderful comments. i try to reply to as
many as i can and if i miss some, i apologize ! just know that i read every one and am
very very appreciative <3

look forward to my next multichap, coming soon :)

Things were quieter around the camp without the other three, Hobi in particular. They spent the
rest of that day hunting for meat and gathering fruit, stocking up to supply Jin and the others as
well as themselves. Tae’s trip to see the flowers was postponed for the moment and he acquiesced
gladly, near humming as he set about skinning the hares Jungkook had caught. He was so happy to
be useful, to fulfill a typical omega’s role in aiding fellow omegas during their heats, to
redistributing the work so that the pack continued on as strong as ever. He was rewarded by
Jungkook and Yoongi’s effusive compliments that night as they devoured the stew Tae had made,
and he went to sleep satisfied, falling asleep almost instantly for the first time since he arrived.

And the next day, Jungkook took him by the hand after breakfast, after Yoongi and Jimin had
departed to see the other three, and brought him to a field near the grove of apple trees. The alpha
hung back, a small smile on his face as Taehyung wandered forward, eyes wide.

Knee high grasses, soft as a wolf’s fur against his bare legs, swished in the gentle breeze. The
fronds were dotted with wild violets, casting a purple haze in the air where birds chittered and flew,
swooping low to grab loose grass to take for their nests in the nearby trees. A low drone of
honeybees accompanied the sound of their flapping wings.

A large boulder erupted out of the grass in the very center of the meadow, at a slant, as if it had
once stood upright but time and wind and weather had worn it down. Tae grinned and jogged
forward, resting his palm flat against the dark granite. It was warm from the sun’s rays and Tae
quickly ascended it, sprawling out on his back with a happy squeal and tilting his face to the sun.

Nearby, he heard Jungkook chuckle.

“Don’t you dare mock me,” called Taehyung lazily, too content to even bother opening his eyes.
He felt Jungkook trail fingers through his hair, blinking his eyes open sleepily once the movement
stopped. A tiny clusters of violets had been twined through the hair over his left ear.
“Not as pretty as you, but they’ll do.” Jungkook crawled up beside him, but lay on his side with his
head propped on one hand to study the omega.

“Is this what I’m in for? Cheesy compliments and romantic getaways?”

“Depends. Is it working?”

Taehyung hid a smile behind a palm. Not wanting to stroke the alpha’s ego any further, he rolled
over, sprawled on his belly across the heated stone. He hummed, rested his head on his folded
arms, thinking he could slide into a nap with little effort. He felt a hand come to rest between his
shoulder blades, stroke down to the small of his back, then up again. Tae hummed again, heard the
echoing pleased noise low in Jungkook’s throat.
Infinitely relaxed, Taehyung drifted into a nap.

Jungkook roused him when the sunlight began to fade into twilight, pressing his lips to Tae’s
forehead. Half-asleep, Tae rolled over and reached out, made grabby hands until Jungkook grinned
and lowered himself to rest on top of him, weight braced on his forearms. Sighing happily,
Taehyung wrapped his arms around his waist, buried his face against the broad chest, snuggling
contentedly.

“Taehyung.” The voice rumbled against Tae’s ear. “You’re destroying me, you know that.”

“Deal with it, alpha,” retorted Tae lazily, scent-marking Jungkook, rubbing his cheek against them
until their scents were a mix of honeysuckle and grass upon the cool air.

Jungkook made a dissatisfied sound, leaned his body away despite the weak protests of the omega
beneath him. He kissed his temple soothingly. “Tae. It’s our turn to get some food to Jin and the
others.” He pulled back, smirked a little. “Unless you’ll allow me to court you because then by all
means, we aren’t going anywhere.”

Rolling his eyes, Tae gently pushed him aside. “You wish.”

“Yes. I do.”

Taehyung wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing. He thought about it as they fetched dried meat
and fruits from camp and headed towards the caves. Jungkook had apologized, sincerely, for
scaring him. The alpha had only done so because he was terrified at the thought of Taehyung being
hurt. Tae had never been cared for so fiercely.

Was the fear over Jungkook getting angry, enough for the omega to continue to keep him at arm’s
length?

Jungkook kissed his temple again before stopping a healthy distance from the caves, to avoid
Namjoon sensing him and getting upset. Taehyung continued on alone, still thoughtful.

He emerged into the clearing that courted the caves, pausing a healthy distance away. He didn’t
need to announce his presence. Namjoon came padding out moments later, entirely naked, skin
slicked with sweat and hickeys and scratches. He looked well, and well-satisfied. For a moment he
glared, territorial vibes rolling off of him in waves. Then his nostrils flared and he relaxed.
“Taehyungie,” Namjoon greeted, voice tired but eyes glittering with pleased satisfaction. “Tell me
that food is for us.”

Tae passed over the basket, grinning. He could hear Jin’s pleased moans, Hoseok’s rhythmic
grunts. The cave was all but emanating heat. He shivered at the thought of having two wolves
service him during a heat.

Jin hyung was one lucky omega.

Namjoon accepted the offerings and surprisingly said, “Wait here.” He went inside, the echoing
noises coming to a stop as the alpha inevitably forced his partners to take a break and eat. Namjoon
returned a moment later. “Is everything okay back at camp?”

“Yeah, we’re good! Totally fine.”

“Taehyung.”

“Well, Jimin may have lit some of the grass on fire but it’s fine, Yoongi hyung put it out. And I
may have left the sheep pen open and we had to go round them up but it’s cool, we got them all
back.”

Namjoon blinked. “Okay then.” He cast a glance over the omega’s pensive expression.
“Everything okay, Taehyung?”

“Yeah, I just said—”

“Not with the pack, I mean. With you.”

Tae blinked. “With me?”

“Yes, you seem upset about something.”

“No, no,” Tae was quick to reassure. He didn’t want Namjoon thinking he regretted any part of his
new life here. “No, everything is wonderful, Namjoon, I promise.”

“You can talk to me, you know? Even if it’s about Jungkook.”

He blanched. Was he that transparent?

“Namjoon, I—”

“It’s okay,” said Namjoon, and his voice was gentle. He continued to lean against a nearby
boulder, expression patient and kind. He kept one ear turned towards his partners in the cave but
otherwise gave Taehyung his full attention. “I know that alphas were different where you came
from. I’m sure it’s a lot to adjust to.”

“Alphas in our old pack broke their word all the time,” admitted Taehyung, crouching down on his
heels to hug his knees and poke moodily at a stray dandelion. “All the time. From silly things to
monumental things, it just didn’t seem to matter to them whether they kept their promises.
Especially to omegas. Especially to me.”

“Have we broken our word so far to you?” countered Namjoon, and his tone wasn’t combative. It
remained gentle, merely reflective, as if the head alpha had all the time in the world to have this
conversation for as long as Taehyung needed, as if he didn’t have two partners nearby who needed
him.
“No.” Taehyung felt zero hesitations about that. Namjoon hyung and Jungkook had treated him
just like Yoongi hyung always did, with respect and care, and infinitely calm and gentle. Except for
Jungkook’s outburst during the incident with the stag.

But he apologized and vowed he would never turn on Tae like that again. And that counted as
giving his word.

“No, all of you have always kept your word,” continued Taehyung, thoughtful now as he plucked
the dandelion, idly spun it so that a few of the stalks fell to the ground.

“We’re not perfect.” Namjoon shrugged a shoulder. “I think it’s one of the fallacies perpetuated by
our culture, actually, that alphas are strong and tough and protective and always make the right
decisions, the right calls. The truth is we struggle just as much as the omegas and betas, but we
also have more to lose if we fail.”

Taehyung didn’t answer for a minute, seemingly absorbed with the dandelion.

“Have you tried thinking from Jungkook’s perspective?” wondered Namjoon, again so gently that
Taehyung couldn’t bring himself to be irritated.

The answer was no. To humor his new head alpha, Tae sighed and closed his eyes, thought back to
that day. But he pictured himself as the one stalking the stag, instead. He imagined the adrenaline,
the confidence, the willingness to go head to head with the sharp antlers to feed the waiting mouths
back at camp. To feed the one he hoped to court. How impressed his omega would be, if he
returned with such a prize.

Then Tae pictured making a silly mistake. Stepping on a dry leaf, the crackle startling his prey,
sprinting after it in desperation as it fled only to see the omega he held such affection for putting
himself in harm’s way to help him, because he hadn’t been skilled enough to do it alone. Seeing
the omega celebrate as if nothing was wrong, as if there was never any chance of him being in
danger because the alpha had it handled but the alpha had just made a mistake, put him in harm’s
way in the first place.

Taehyung shook his head violently, dispelling the image. Oh.

Jungkook cared about him. And Taehyung had scared the alpha badly.

“Are you all right?”

Taehyung sensed Namjoon stepping closer, heaved a sigh when the alpha squeezed his shoulder in
a friendly fashion before helping him to his feet.

“Yeah,” said Tae softly. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Whatever you decide, it’s your choice to make. No one else’s.” Namjoon’s voice grew firm.
“Take all the time you need.”

“I’m already twenty,” protested Tae, knowing perfectly well that omegas usually mated by
eighteen.

“Jin didn’t accept me as his mate until last year, after his twenty-third birthday.”

Taehyung marveled at that. Where he came from, Jin would have faced unsurmountable pressure
to be mated by eighteen. Sometimes Tae wondered if that pressure had contributed to Yoongi and
Jimin mating so soon, though Tae knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the two belonged
together, and would be, always.

Namjoon squeezed his shoulder. Tae knew instinctively that the alpha would be nuzzling to
comfort him but not with Jin in heat, not with Hobi in the cave, both of them awaiting his return
and inevitably growing more irritable the longer his absence grew. It wouldn’t help to carry Tae’s
scent with him, however harmless omega scents were.

“Thank you,” whispered Taehyung when Namjoon had turned back to the cave. “For everything.”

The alpha turned and walked backwards, shooting him a wink. “For what?”

He disappeared inside. Taehyung watched after him, listened for a moment to the sudden excited
cries, the pleased sighs that greeted his entrance.

“Everything,” he whispered, and turned to retrace his steps back to camp.

Jungkook met him on the trail, stepping out from the shadow of a tree with a gentle smile. “How
are they?”

“Jin hyung is a lucky wolf,” commented Tae, still hung up on the triad. He had heard it being done
before but never in his old pack. He loved it. He loved how happy they all were, and berated
himself for not noticing immediately. Perhaps they had toned it down to avoid making the
newcomers uncomfortable but Tae wished they hadn’t.

“I thought maybe something was wrong,” admitted Jungkook, stepping closer and offering a hand.
He waited until Taehyung laid his on his palm before squeezing it, and reached up to tug a loose
lock of Tae’s hair affectionately. “You were gone for quite some time.”

“I was talking to Namjoon hyung.”

“Is everything okay?”

Taehyung thought about that for a moment. “Yeah,” he said finally. “Yeah, everything is great.”

“In that case, mind if I escort you back to camp? It’s getting late.”

Tae nodded and the pair walked on, bare feet scuffing through the grass.

“Thank you for not pushing me,” said Taehyung out of the blue. He glanced at the alpha then
looked straight ahead when Jungkook cocked his head inquisitively. “You announced you wanted
to court me, then backed off when I demurred, and now you refuse to push me, to demand your
answer. So thank you.”

Jungkook snorted. “Some answer it would be, if I had to coerce it out of you. We have nothing but
time, Taehyung. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I know. I know that.” Taehyung stopped, drew his hand away. He watched Jungkook immediately
pause beside him, moonlight in his hair and the stars in his eyes. “Jungkook?”

“Taehyung?”

“I’d like you to court me,” he admitted shyly, scuffing his toes a little in the damp grass. “If you
still want to.”

For a heartbeat, Jungkook only stared. Then his arms were around Tae’s waist and the omega was
being lifted into the air, squealing helplessly in laughter as Jungkook spun them in circles beneath
the moon. Jungkook brought him down to earth, and kissed him.

For a moment Tae froze.

Then it all came rushing in. He heard the whisper of the river splashing over rocks, the creaking of
trees, the rustle of leaves in the wind. He heard the catch in Jungkook’s throat as their lips pressed
warmly together.

Tae had a moment to panic, to wonder if he was doing it right. A first kiss was considered special
and here Taehyung was, completely bumbling everything.

But then Jungkook pulled him just a little closer. And Tae hesitantly leaned in, let the alpha bear
the brunt of his weight, as he moved his lips in a seemingly instinctual pattern. Jungkook’s teeth
snagged lightly on his lower lip and Tae shivered, releasing a sound that was halfway between a
groan and a laugh, so damn content to be in Jungkook’s arms.

They broke apart, gasping for breath.

“Yes,” whispered Jungkook, eyes soft and warm. “Yes, I’d be honored if you would allow me to
court you.”

Taehyung’s knees went weak.

For a different reason altogether.

He eased back a little, chuckled self-deprecatingly.

“Good,” he said breathlessly, as heat hit his belly like a fist. “Because I think Jin hyung’s heat
triggered mine.”

Sheer panic crossed Jungkook’s face. “You just had yours before you arrived—”

“Stress, different environment, being around another omega in heat,” rattled off Taehyung, too
busy calming his breathing to ease Jungkook into it. “Will you help me?”

Jungkook’s eyes went to flint. “Are you sure? That’s not something you can take back, Tae.”

“I know.” Taehyung summoned his courage, leaned forward to kiss him. “I want you, Jungkook. I
want you to help me. I only want you to help me.”

Jungkook growled, and this time Taehyung wasn’t afraid. He was exhilarated. Jungkook plucked
him off his feet and carried him bridal-style towards camp, breath hitching in his throat as Tae
enthusiastically and shamelessly began burying his face in the alpha’s neck, nuzzling and licking at
the warm skin.

Jimin sat by the fire, humming a tune as he stared into the flames. He shot to his feet to face Tae,
surprised. “Taehyung? What—”

“Heat.” Tae’s voice was already weak and thready. “Jungkook is going to help me.”

Jimin’s eyes went wide as saucers. “Jungkook?”

“We’re courting,” Taehyung told his best friend, and saw the tears swarm into Jimin’s eyes before
his friend sniffled and rubbed at his face, waving them off with a wordless cry of support and
pleasure. Tae vowed to cuddle his best friend the moment his heat broke.
 Jungkook strode for his hut and hesitated at the door, body vibrating as he scented the arousal
pooling in Tae’s body. Warmed by the consideration, Tae reached out a trembling hand and gently
drew the curtain aside.

“Please, alpha?” he added in a soft tone, looking up into Jungkook’s eyes. “Please come inside. To
my nest.”

Jungkook lowered his head, pressed kisses to Tae’s hair, temple, cheeks and finally his lips,
sinking in with a pleased hum. “Yes,” he whispered between caresses. “Yes, Taehyung.”

He carried the omega inside and let the curtain fall closed behind them.

End Notes

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