Amanda💫

While this city never felt like home before, a place you belonged to, things had changed somewhere down the line. Or maybe you were the one who changed… Maybe home wasn’t a place at all. 

You were about to see your pack again and even if a week and a few days didn’t sound like much, it felt like years had passed. Enough to make you go a little crazy. 

Yoongi was driving the two of you and you couldn’t help but notice how he kept taking weird turns, making the GPS of his car constantly recalculate its route. 

“Are you taking the longest way to get there because one week alone with me wasn’t enough?” you teased, but there was a small concern hidden in there. 

“Not exactly.” Yoongi laughed at your eagerness and continued to drive with one hand while placing his right one on your thigh. “We’re in Seoul now, sweetheart. It’s safer for me to stay inside North territory or grey areas.” 

“Oh, right.” you had been so happy to see the boys that you didn’t think about the territory ramifications, or the fact Bangtan was back. “I guess I have a lot to learn now.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll teach you everything you need to know. And we’ll keep you safe.” the fingers on your thigh tightened their hold, possessive, but not overbearing. “I’m sure Namjoon has checked with our allies by now, let them know we’re back in town.”

“And the southside wolves that were after me are dead now, so I should be okay, right?” you nibbled on your bottom lip. You were tired of hiding, you wanted to get your life back, or at least be able to live your new one to the fullest. 

“You’re ours now, you’re pack.” Yoongi spoke with so much certainty that it sent your fears away. “Those low life wolves are gone and buried, but if others even think about trying anything, they’ll have more trouble than they can handle. So I doubt they would even try.” 

That somehow sounded too good to be true, but you didn’t want to spoil the mood by worrying about things before you actually needed to. Instead, you decided to relax on the car seat and look out the window trying to memorize which streets and neighborhoods belonged to your pack’s territory. 

You didn’t remember their house –well, your house now– to be this far away from the city center, sitting up straighter when small roads opened to larger ones and tall buildings gave space to smaller family homes. 

“We live by Bukhansan.” Yoongi informed you and you laughed softly. 

“Of course.” 

Bukhansan National Park was the biggest nature reserve that was part of Seoul, taking up the northern area of the capital. You’ve only been there a couple of times since moving here, but its sheer size and nature impressed you every time. It was surreal to have mountains and so much green in the middle of a metropolis like Seoul. 

It wouldn’t come close to Dalju, the small city was in the middle of a forest and hidden between mountains, but this was still impressive. 

“Kimee always pestered me to go hiking there.” you told your mate while coming closer to the front windshield to look at the mountain as it appeared on the horizon. 

“Your friend Kimee?” Yoongi asked with a raised eyebrow. “Your werewolf friend, Kimee?” 

“Oh–” you let out another laugh, because of course Kimee would be into nature and hiking. 

A somewhat sour scent hit your nose, making you wince. As you looked at Yoongi, about to ask him if he could smell it too, you noticed his tense jaw and how the vein in his arm was popping as he squeezed the steering wheel. 

“Are you… Jealous of Kimee?” 

“No.” he grumbled and you giggled happily. “Hajima, no I’m not.”

“Mhmm, very convincing.” you reached for his nape, dragging your nails against his skin. “You know you don’t have to worry, right?” 

“I don’t, but we’re still wary of her.” Yoongi huffed. “When she came to Dalju she said you were her pack.” 

“Awww, really?” you pouted, emotional by that declaration from your friend. 

Yoongi’s chest puffed with a growl that made you watch your reactions. 

“I am excited to get closer to Kimee again, I really missed her while we were in Dalju.” you scratched the back of Yoongi’s head as you spoke, keeping him calm. “But I’m not hers. And I’ll never leave Bangtan for any other pack.” 

Your promise seemed to reach its desired effect when Yoongi relaxed against his seat. 

He drove you in silence the rest of the way, letting you look around at the neighborhood that you now belonged to, until tall iron gates appeared at the end of the one way street. 

The gate held a symbol right in the middle and somehow you knew it was the Bangtan crest; two symmetrical trapezoids facing away from each other. They started to part as Yoongi pressed a small remote control he kept in the gloves compartment of the car, driving into the property. 

The house sat on a small hill, so the terrain it was built on was a little uneasy, which gave it personality. You’ve been so out of sorts the last time you’ve been here that you barely paid attention to how beautiful it was; three stories tall and with just as many glass walls as the den in Dalju. Most were covered by light colored curtains for privacy, but the fact you could see lights were on inside the house made you excited. 

Your boys were there. 

You were home. 

Yoongi parked the car next to the ones already there and pressed a button to pop the trunk open so you could get your bags. You both rushed out of the car and you met the man behind the vehicle. 

“Do you need help bringing those inside?” you asked politely, energy fluttering inside you. 

“You can go ahead, sweetheart.” Yoongi was smiling at how excited you were. “Wait–”

You barely let him finish talking before you turned around, which had him reaching for you with his werewolf speed, grabbing you with an arm around your waist. Your back hit the side of the car as Yoongi towered over you as he caged you in between his body and the vehicle. 

Your breath left you in a small puff as he leaned down to claim your lips with his. You sighed against his mouth, hands on his shoulders as you let him kiss you hard and possessively, barely able to keep up with the flicks of his tongue against yours. 

Yoongi was about to pull back when you chased his lips and your hands moved to his neck to keep him there a little longer. 

When you needed more air, you stepped back down and found yellow gold eyes staring at you. You couldn’t help but grin in response. 

“This is so you don’t forget who your mate is.” the words came from Yoongi’s alpha, you were sure of it. While you knew he didn’t mind sharing you or letting you love his members, at the end of the day, it was his mark that you wore. 

Your moonchild had picked him, even if every other part of you could never choose.

Oh, did I? 

You shook your head slightly.

“I don’t know, I might just forget it if this is how you remind me.” you smiled lovingly at the man, kissing under his jaw before lightly pushing his chest so you could uncage yourself. “Don’t take long to come in.” 

You would have insisted on helping Yoongi bring your suitcases inside, but you couldn’t be another second away from your pack. Rushing to the front door, you debated whether or not you should ring the doorbell or make yourself at home and open it by yourself. Would it be locked? Did they have a set of spare keys set aside for you to keep? 

You didn’t need to debate on it for very long, because as soon as you stepped close enough to it, the tall, wooden door was being pulled open.

“There’s my little human.” 

You were so happy to see Namjoon that you could cry! In fact, you did a little once you threw yourself into his chest. Your alpha leader held you with a hand around your back as the other scooped you up with little to no effort. Your arms were around his neck as your legs locked around his waist. 

Namjoon felt a little different somehow… Bigger. 

Was that even possible? 

You squeezed his biceps and shoulders, studying the tops of his pecs, the base of his neck. Well, if you knew how to growl, you’d be doing that right about now. The smirk playing on Namjoon’s full lips told you he noticed just how happy you were to see him, making your cheeks feel hotter and you were suddenly shy. 

“Missed me?” he went straight for your neck, on the opposite side of where Yoongi’s mark rested, dragging his nose up and down your throat. 

“Have you been working out?” were the words that came out of your mouth as you nodded in agreement. “And did you cut your hair?” 

Namjoon’s hair was still the usual grey color, but the strands looked shorter on the sides, giving him a hint of an undercut, while the back of his hair was longer; not many men would be able to pull a mullet off like he did. 

“I had a lot of time in my hands while you were gone.” Namjoon shrugged as he carried you into the home and past the small foyer. “Welcome home, baby.” 

“Thank you.” you smiled as he put you back down and your feet touched the floor; your shoes had been kicked off when you passed the entrance. 

Namjoon’s arm was still around your middle, his hand gently caressing your lower back. Leaning down enough that his neck might hurt –and making you feel tiny in the process–, his nose bumped against yours. 

“Is it okay if I kiss you?” 

Your eyes fluttered closed as you felt the ghosting of his lips against yours. 

You raised your body on the tip of your toes as you bowed your back and kissed him. 

Good little wolf. Namjoon’s alpha crooned as you licked between his lips and started the kiss. I told you she missed us. 

Namjoon let out a low gruff, as if telling his own alpha to shut up. You wanted to laugh, but an expert flick of Namjoon’s tongue against yours had you moaning instead. 

“Yeah, I really missed this.” the leader admitted against your lips before pulling away. “So glad you’re back.” 

“Glad to be back.” you were breathing hard, inhaling Namjoon’s walnut and wet grass scent. “But why did you ask if you could kiss me?”

Namjoon looked a little embarrassed to answer, but you still gave him a little nudge. 

“I wasn’t sure if things would still be the same.” he shrugged, looking more like a boy than a powerful alpha. “If you’d still…”

If you’d still want them, too. 

You laughed at the irony, at how you both had the same type of worry. You were scared the pack might not want you anymore, and here they were, craving your return while wondering the same thing. 

What’s taking her so loooong? A whine was coming from somewhere in the house. We can smell sakura. 

“Tae.” you whispered to yourself, watching Namjoon roll his eyes. 

Namjoon hyung, stop hogging her! You promised. That was Jimin and you knew he and Tae were together. 

Yeah, yeah, and I regret every second of it. Namjoon told the boys before telling you: “Go see them, they did a lot of work putting your surprise together.” 

“My surprise?” you repeated and Namjoon nodded upstairs, telling you which way to go. 

Right as you entered the house, after passing by the foyer where coats and shoes were neatly placed, the home opened into a living room. You could see the entrance to the kitchen further ahead, as well as a glass door that would lead into a backyard. In between the living room and kitchen area was a large set of U shaped stairs that led both upstairs and downstairs.

We have a downstairs!

You’ve been on the second floor before, and you’d remember where Jungkook’s bedroom was, as he was the one to house you when you spent the night almost six months ago. But besides that, you didn’t know much about the house. 

The boys must’ve heard you coming up the stairs, as you could feel their happiness mingling with yours. 

Where are you? You asked whoever was close enough to hear you. 

First door to the left, doll. Taehyung answered. 

As soon as you landed on the second floor of the house, you could either turn left, right, or keep going up to the third floor. On the left side there was only one door.

You opened it to find a bedroom, but before you could notice anything about it, two men were on you. 

Jimin and Taehyung bumped against each other when trying to reach you first, enveloping you into the world’s most unpolished double hug. Your arms went around each of the men’s shoulders, making you bend a little awkwardly because of their height difference. 

But you didn’t care about any of that when they both hugged you just as close, each of their faces nuzzling into both sides of your neck. It felt like you were basically breathing a freshly baked batch of cookies, with Jimin’s cotton and brown sugar scent mixed with Taehyung’s cocoa powder and dark musk. 

“I’m in heaven right now.” you thought out loud, causing both boys to laugh and step away so they could look at you. 

It’s like they couldn’t believe you were really here. 

Taehyung looked taller somehow, shoulders wider. His hair was still a mess of dark curls, just as soft as you remembered. Jimin’s blond locks were a little less unkempt, more straight, but just as shiny. 

Both were forming a wall between you and the rest of the bedroom and you felt like their cornered prey. 

Not that you minded. 

“Dove.” Jimin called, tilting his head to the side. “Care to answer why you’ve been home for five minutes and you already look like that?”

“Like– how?” your voice came out like a squeak and you blinked hard. 

Taehyung stepped forward and it took a lot of effort for you to stay put. His right hand reached your face and his thumb dragged your bottom lip down. Your lips were probably swollen from kissing Yoongi and Namjoon in such a short interval, which made it pretty obvious to them. 

“I guess Namjoon missed me.” you lifted a shoulder, wanting to challenge them into showing you the same. 

Both men looked at each other then, with mirth in their eyes. When they spoke again, you knew they wanted to be heard by the leader when they used the bond channel: 

So hyung tells us to take it easy with our moonchild, but he can’t hold himself back, huh? Jimin spoke and you could see Namjoon telling the rest of the pack to not overwhelm you as soon as you returned to them. 

Guess all rules are off now. Taehyung was already stalking you and pressing your back against a hard surface. “What do you say, doll?” 

You wanted everyone to hear, so you said: No rules. 

Jimin’s amused laugh was all you heard before your eyes closed shut and Taehyung kissed you at once. He was holding onto your jaw, dragging the tip of his tongue over your bottom lip before pushing it in deeper. Both of your hands tangled into his hair and you tugged in the way you knew he liked. 

Taehyung pushed away from you too fast for your own liking, so you opened your eyes to see Jimin was the one to drag him away so he could replace Tae’s mouth with his own. Jimin’s lips were softer and fuller, his kiss was less desperate and more gentle; slow enough to make you lose your mind. 

This I missed most, you realized, feeling your brain grow fuzzy as you let their pheromones do their thing and make you lightheaded and warm inside. 

Enough. The leader’s command made Jimin step away, despite how much he obviously wanted to keep going.  

The fog lifted as you licked your lips and breathed hard to catch your bearings again. 

“Was that my surprise?” 

At your question, Jimin and Taehyung looked at each other again, a hundred things silently passing between the two of them. Taehyung shook his head as a reply as Jimin answered:

“This is your surprise, dove.” the blonde man looked around and you finally noticed you were inside the most beautiful bedroom you’ve ever seen. “This is your room.” 

Jimin and Taehyung allowed you to walk past them so you could see the space and your smile only grew. 

The room itself was a decent size, complete with a bed in the middle of the center wall, a desk and chair in a corner, a wardrobe with four, mirrored sliding doors. The floor was made of light wood and the walls were painted an off-white tone that was comfortable in the eyes. 

“Did you bring these from Dalju?” you asked them when you noticed the bed frame and nightstands on each side. 

“We wanted you to have something familiar when you got here.” Jimin nodded a confirmation and you were thankful for how thoughtful it was. “All the rest is new.” 

The duvet covering the bed was peach colored and looked soft to the touch. There was a cloud-looking rug on the side of the bed, a nice chair in front of your desk. 

“Your clothes are inside the wardrobe,” Tae informed you with a little grin. “The new ones you’ve been buying too.” 

“Oh, thank you.” you smiled, thinking about all of the online shopping you did before even coming here; not that living off of your pack’s clothes wasn’t fun, but you wanted something of your own. “And what’s that?” 

I hope you know we’ll still live in pack’s clothes.

You pointed to the furthest side of your bedroom, where a floor to ceiling curtain was covering something. Windows, maybe? 

You could tell Jimin and Taehyung were both very excited about that, you could not only feel it in your bones, but also hear chirps and rumbles coming from their alphas. Their reactions only piqued your own interest. 

“That’s the best part.” Jimin walked ahead of you, finding where the curtains opened in the middle. 

He waited for you to come closer to pull them open, revealing a little nook on the wall. The space was cozy and secluded, especially with the addition of the sheer curtains. The whole floor space was made of large mattresses arranged together, completed with soft blankets, extra pillows and soft looking cushions. 

Something inside you was sighing happily as you saw what might become your favorite spot in the whole house. You could smell the pack in there, wondering if they took turns laying there to cover it in their scents. The faintest scent was Yoongi’s but since he was with you this whole time, the boys had probably just used his clothes to try and add his scent to the nook. 

The pillows were all in the wrong spots, which would bother you until you were able to fix it yourself, but besides that, it looked amazing. You were already picturing fairy lights in the corners of the ceiling, maybe you could add a small shelf to put candles and to keep a book to read. 

“Mhmmm, smells so sweet.” Taehyung’s arms were wrapping around you as he hugged your back, nosing the back of your head. Omega likes her new nest, Minie. 

You gasped as the realization hit you. 

“This is a nest?” you repeated. “For me?” 

“For us.” Jimin had to be the one to answer as Tae was much too busy covering you in his scent. You knew he was talking about the eight of you, and you were positive you could make them all fit in there. “If you’ll have us.” 

“I want you all in there every hour of every day.” you laughed with a slight exaggeration. But only slight. “How did you make all of this in a week?” 

“This used to be Namjoon hyung’s bedroom.” Jimin explained. “It’s the biggest one in the house and this nook was his private library. We just had to take his things out and put yours in.” 

“You kicked Namjoon out of his bedroom for me?” your eyes were wide. 

“He offered.” Tae said once he noticed your worry. With an annoyed gruff, he added: “Hyung built a hanok in the yard for himself.” 

“A hanok?” you blinked hard, moving from Tae’s hard lock to make sure you had every wit about you to confirm. “Namjoon built a hanok? In ten days?” 

No wonder the man was jacked! It was really impressive, even if you didn’t see the building yet. A traditional Korean house was exactly the type of place you could see Namjoon living in, but you just hoped it wasn’t too far away from the main house. 

You needed your pack close. 

I could build a hanok too. The whine made your heart start to race all over again. 

“Jungkook?” you looked from Tae to Jimin, hoping they could tell you where the maknae was. 

“Oh, this is gonna be so good.” Jimin laughed and Tae agreed.

You left your bedroom in hopes of finding the younger man and quite literally bumped into the large, black mass that was so clearly eavesdropping behind the door. 

“There you are!” you smiled at Jungkook despite the surprise from him being turned. You hoped to keep your streak going and kiss the hell out of the boy. 

I’m so glad you’re home, noona. Jungkook’s mouth was open and his tongue was droopy between powerful jaws, almost as if he was smiling. 

His cold snout bumped against your hip and you scratched his head with your nails. Jungkook’s fur was always so soft and dark as night. You leaned down to kiss between his temples, rubbing your forehead against his as you heard him purr. 

“Why don’t you turn so I can get a good look at you?” you pleaded, crouching down so you could be at his level. 

“Jungkookie is stuck like that permanently.” Taehyung sounded smug from his spot inside your bedroom and the news made you gasp as your stomach dropped.

“What happened?” you asked the youngest, who whined as feeling your own worries in his bones. “Are you okay?” 

I’m not stuck like this, noona, hyung is lying. The wolf grumbled, but he wasn’t so convincing. 

“Then why don’t you turn and let her see you, then?” Jimin pushed. 

You didn’t know what was going on, but you didn’t quite like it. Jimin and Taehyung weren’t strangers to a good ol’ teasing, and you were used to their banter. But something was obviously worrying Jungkook, you could feel and smell the stress coming from his thick skin.  

“Will one of you just tell me what’s going on?” you were so serious as you stood up that even Namjoon showed up at the bottom of the stairs. 

“What’s going on up there? Why is Yn upset?” the leader asked from the first step, but not really coming up. He took one look at Jungkook and sighed. “Kook… You’re still like that?” 

The youngest one had his face turned to the floor, tail between his legs. 

“You said you knew what you were doing, now own up to it.” was Namjoon’s final word before turning back around with a tired sigh. 

Jimin started to speak before being interrupted by a menacing growl. “Jungkookie got–”

Okay, okay, I’ll tell her! The wolf bared his teeth to Jimin and Taehyung, sitting on his hind legs and shaking his head. I got… I got tattoos. 

“Okay…” you frowned. “Wait, is it even possible for werewolves to get tattoos? Don’t you heal really fast?”

“Technically there are werewolf tattoo artists who know they need to go really deep on the skin for it to stay.” Taehyung explained, hands in his shorts pockets. 

You looked at Jungkook again. “So you got tattoos?”

He nodded. In my defense, I always wanted them! I just hadn’t gotten them before because what if my mate doesn’t like tattoos, you know? Jungkook explained and it made a lot of sense. But now I don’t care about a mate, or what she might think, because I have you, noona. 

“That’s sweet, Kook…” you swallowed the lump in your throat as you thought about the very possibility that their mates might still be out there, ready to waltz into your lives at any given day. “Why are you like this, then? You don’t want me to see them?”

Jungkook shook his head again. What if you don’t like tattoos? What if you don’t like my tattoos? Then you’ll just be the hyungs’ girlfriend and not my girlfriend… Why is your heart racing? Oh my god, you hate tattoos, don’t you? 

The wolf started to howl a pitiful sound that distracted you from the fact he called you their girlfriend. Is that what you were? You knew you were pack omega–well, pack moonchild, in your case. But did that mean you were in a relationship with all of them? Like you would if you were all human? 

“Who put that idea in your–” you didn’t need to finish your question before looking at Jimin and Taehyung to find the culprits. Rubbing Jungkook’s chin, you said: “I like tattoos, Kook. I sometimes wanted to get one myself.” 

Really? He perked up at that, tail swishing against the floor. Do you want to see mine, then? 

“Of course I do.” 

Jungkook’s tail whipped against your legs as he rushed into your bedroom, kicking the door shut before you could join them. You waited patiently in the hall while the man turned back, ignoring the grunts of pain and what sounded a lot like bones breaking. 

To distract yourself, you looked around the hallway and to the stairs leading to the third floor, wondering where Seokjin and Hoseok were. 

They must’ve heard you by now, right? 

The door opened again and Jimin and Taehyung rushed out while complaining about seeing Jungkook naked. 

You were mid-laugh when you choked on air. 

Jungkook had a wool blanket around his hips –very very low–, holding the whole thing in place with one hand. His upper body was completely bare, dark nipples pointing forward, muscular chest and those damn abs that were one, two, three… Eight! Eight bumps you wanted to trace with your tongue. 

And then his arm–

Holy shit, his arm! 

You walked closer to him to inspect the masterpiece that was drawn and immortalized on his skin. It must’ve taken painful hours for the pieces to be done; the tattoos started on his knuckles and climbed all the way to his shoulder. It was pure art, a mixture of seemingly independent drawings that complimented each other and his tan skin. 

“Do you like them?” Jungkook asked, still nervous despite the very sweet smell that you knew would be coming out of you right now. 

Your mouth opened and closed a few times, but you had no damn words. None. Not a single one! 

Show him how much you like them.

You threw your arms around his neck and kissed him like you hadn’t seen him in years. Jungkook stumbled backwards with surprise, holding onto your ribs with both hands. The blanket fell between your feet and it only made you kiss him harder. 

“Damn, maybe we should have gotten tattoos, too.” Jimin’s voice sounded far and away. 

Any day now you would start to grow fur all over your body and your teeth would get pointy and you would feel the pull of the full moon.  

At least that’s what you thought, despite Namjoon telling you it would be impossible; all while laughing a pretty sound that both soothed you and annoyed you greatly. 

Being a Moonchild didn’t mean you were turning into one of them, the pack had explained, it didn’t mean you had dormant wolf genes or anything of the sort. You were still human by nature, but you had moon magic in your blood. 

You were a direct descendant of the Lost Princess and the centuries between you caused that same magic to grow muffled until you met Bangtan. 

Until you met Yoongi. 

Funny how just the thought of him made your insides chirp happily, how the simple soft opening of the door behind you made your whole body flush with excitement from being in his presence. 

You didn’t turn around when you heard him come in, you stayed where you were, staring out the window to the beautiful backyard below. You could see Yoongi’s mother running around to fix the tables and chairs and the staff she hired was bringing out food. 

“What’s wrong, princess?” Yoongi’s voice was a low rumble at your back as his arms wrapped around your middle. The new pet name felt familiar as if you’ve been hearing it your whole life, but Yoongi had just started calling you that. At least in this reality. 

“Nothing is wrong.” you sighed as you melted into his embrace. 

“You forgot that I can feel what you feel?” he laughed with what was a slight exaggeration. 

Yoongi couldn’t exactly feel your every feeling, but thanks to the mark on the side of your neck –the one Yoongi was skimming his lips over at this very moment–, he was a lot more in tune with your emotions, being able to read you like a book. There was also something about your scent that changed with certain sentiments.

“Right, the bond.” you rolled your eyes playfully, which he could see from the reflection in the glass in front of you. “How could I forget?”

Yoongi was grinning when you turned around to face him. 

“Is it because of the party tonight? ‘Cause I can call the whole thing off.” he offered, which had you scoffing out loud. 

“I know you’re dying to find an excuse to do that, but it won’t be me who gives it to you.” you were shaking your head as you walked away from him to sit on the edge of the guest bed you were currently sharing. “Your mother worked hard to put it together, and I’m still getting into her good graces.”

It’s been a month since you woke up from a crazy series of dreams that felt too vivid to be fragments of your imagination. A month since Yoongi saved your life by claiming you as his mate. And one week since you both came to Yoongi’s family town so you could be introduced to them. 

You knew that coming here was done partly because your pack felt like you needed some time alone with Yoongi, so the two of you could strengthen your bond. Secondly, it was part of wolf tradition that you needed to be formally introduced to Yoongi’s familial pack as his mate. 

The party that was being assembled right now was Mrs. Min’s idea, so you’d be officially introduced to the rest of the Min clan. Yoongi had told you it was also an excuse to show you off, which woke the protective side of him. 

Yoongi huffed. “What is it, then?” 

“I miss the pack.” you whined. Then your eyes widened and you tried to make it sound better: “Not that being with you isn’t enough… You’re my mate.” 

“But you love the others too, I know.” Yoongi was standing in front of you, and the same way he could share your emotions, you could pick up on his, too. If he was upset, you’d be able to tell. “You know I’m okay with that.” 

Everything was still very new to you, you were still learning how to navigate the whole ‘pack moonchild’ thing. The last thing you wanted was to hurt Yoongi or make him think that he wasn’t enough. You just couldn’t deny how being away from your pack for a whole week was starting to mess with you. 

It felt like something was constantly missing in your soul. 

It was kinda reassuring, you supposed, how you would be able to tell if Yoongi was jealous or bothered by the relationship you wanted to build with the others. 

“What else?” 

You nibbled on your bottom lip before admitting: “I want nothing more than to go back, but I’m also terrified.” 

“I know it’s going to be weird, but we’ll keep you safe.” Yoongi promised. It took you a few seconds for you to understand where his own concerns lay. He thought you were scared about going back to Seoul. “I’ll never let the southsiders get close to you again.”

You felt a little silly now, as you obviously had a lot more concerns than what was actually bothering you. You were about to go back home, your real home, you would no longer return to Dalju. 

The pack had a lot of things to settle in Seoul, they could no longer run from their problems, from their territory. And since the Southside wolves that were chasing you were now dead, you could all breathe easier in hopes that you would no longer have any problems with the South. 

“That’s not what I’m scared of.” you played with the end of the crimson colored band that was tied around your waist. “What if the pack suddenly resents me for picking you? What if they don’t want me anymore?” 

Yoongi laughed out loud, deep from his chest, complete with shoulders shaking. 

“Hey!” 

“Sorry, I thought it was a joke.” Yoongi replaced his laughing with a soft smile, kneeling on the floor in front of you. “Them not wanting you is impossible. I’m your true mate–”

“Try not sounding so smug about that–”

“–but you bonded with them, too. You know this.” the way Yoongi was talking to you made you feel like a child, but maybe that’s just what you needed. “They love you. And I know for a fact they can’t wait for us to be back at the den.” 

You desperately wanted to take Yoongi’s words into your heart.

“I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.” despite the anxiety for what you might find once you got back home, the excitement you felt about seeing your pack was a lot stronger.

“We could get there tonight if we–”

“We are not skipping the party.” you interrupted before he could get any ideas. 

Yoongi’s nose scrunched and he got up from the floor with a warning: “Just know you might regret this before the night is through.” 

You understood, to a degree, why Yoongi was feeling slightly put off by this event. You could tell he loved his parents and brother to death, but it should be weird for him to be so close to his old pack again. You didn’t quite grasp all of the rules and pack laws just yet, but Yoongi was loyal to Bangtan, to his leader. You didn’t know what would happen tonight, if it came down to challenges and wanting Yoongi back. 

Mr. and Mrs. Min had been nothing but welcoming to you, despite your human condition, but they did mention wishing their son would live closer, that he’d come back to visit more often. As a dinner subject landed on having kids –because of course it did– Mrs. Min sounded really upset about the fact she wouldn’t be close enough to the nest to see them grow up.  

“Are you ready?” Yoongi asked you after his head tilted slightly towards the entrance of the room; a telltale sign that he was hearing something or someone approach. 

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” you accepted Yoongi’s stretched hand and used your free one to smooth the skirt of your outfit. 

It was the second time in your life you ever wore a hanbok; the first time being during the birthday celebration of Sol and Luna just two months ago. It didn’t surprise you that this was the attire chosen by Yoongi’s parents, as not only was their pack close to Hyejin's territory –as well as the sacred cave–, Yoongi’s family was a lot more on the traditional side than modern. 

Yoongi’s hanbok was a very dark blue with silver details; he’d borrowed it from his brother, so it was a little tight on his shoulders. Yours had been borrowed from Mrs. Min, as the dress code was told to you in such short notice that neither of you had any time to buy any new ones. 

Yoongi let go of a long breath and closed his eyes as he waited for–

“Oh, there you are!” Mrs. Min opened the door to the bedroom without knocking and you understood Yoongi’s aggravation. You had learned by now that she was the ‘my den, my rules’ kind of person. “The pack is starting to arrive, you should be downstairs to greet them.” 

“We were just on our way down, eomma.” your mate sounded tired, running a hand through his light hair. 

“You look so pretty, darling.” Mrs. Min ignored her son’s chastised tone to turn to you. With a harsh tug, she adjusted the red band around your waist so it would sit properly around your middle. “Just like I did when I married his father.” 

“This is your wedding hanbok?” you asked and sent a look of panic towards Yoongi.  

“Eomma, what are you up to–”

“Nothing at all.” the woman shrugged, taking a step back so she could look at the two of you at the same time. “But since we are on the subject, I do have a gift.”

Before Yoongi could protest, and his lips parted as he was about to, the woman lifted her left hand and took off the ring on her middle finger. It was thick and circular, made of moonstone with gold details all around. 

It was a beautiful piece of jewelry, like the kind you would see in the museums that exposed pieces from the Joseon era, but it wasn’t your style. Still, if Yoongi’s mother wanted to give you a gift, you wouldn’t reject it. Not when you knew how much offerings meant to their kind. 

“Eomma, Yn and I aren’t there yet.” Yoongi spoke before Mrs. Min could give you the small object. 

The few lines his mother had between her brows were more prominent when she frowned. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean we’re not getting married.” Yoongi’s answer had you understanding how that wasn’t just a ring, but what should be a family heirloom; an engagement ring. “We just got together, eomma, I brought her here so you could meet my mate, not so you could marry us.” 

“I’m confused.” the woman was clearly deflating and you didn’t like how Yoongi’s agitation rattled in your bones. 

“Yn wasn’t raised within our culture, I told you this.” he kept going and you couldn’t help but fidget on the spot. You were thankful he was standing up for the two of you, as marriage had never crossed your mind, but you didn’t like the feeling of letting his mother down. “Humans do things differently. We’ll take our time and then when we’re ready, I promise we’ll let you know.” 

“She’s wearing your mark, I don’t understand why she can’t wear your ring.” 

Yoongi, it’s okay. It took you a couple of tries to channel your mind-chat, but you were getting better. 

No, I warned her not to pull this shit. His reply came a lot smoother.  

Yes, but do you really want to get into this right now? You were already so different from them, definitely not the daughter in law Mrs. Min wished for her son. You knew there was a lot at stake here. 

“It would be an honor, Mrs. Min.” you told the older lady, who beamed and relaxed her shoulders. Trying to placate Yoongi, you said: I’ll just wear it for tonight. 

“Wonderful!” Mrs. Min handed you the ring like it was her most precious belonging and you couldn’t help but indulge in the prestige that it was to be gifted such a thing. You took it as acceptance, rather than the societal ties that came from a marriage. “Now come come, everyone is looking forward to meeting you.” 

You placed the ring on your finger, which sat a little too tight, but at least you wouldn’t have to worry about it falling and getting lost. When Mrs. Min turned around to lead the way out of the bedroom, you turned to Yoongi and slipped your hand into his. 

Thank you, sweetheart. He sounded a lot more relaxed just from your touch alone. I’m surprised at how good you are at handling her. 

What can I say? You tried to muffle your laugh as you both walked behind Mrs. Min, hoping not to tip her on the fact you were both having a conversation behind her back. Apparently parents love me.

Good luck when meeting Namjoon’s. 

You gasped and Yoongi laughed. You gave his chest a little slap: Now why would you say that? 

Yoongi just shrugged and scratched the tip of his nose as Mrs. Min looked over her shoulder to the two of you. You let the subject die as you reached the bottom of the stairs. 

The big foyer was completely different from the last time you’ve been here in the morning; filled with flower arrangements, thick candles and a fancy cloth on the floor that went from the front entrance all the way to the backyard. The house was a little drafty, thanks to the open doors, but being close to Yoongi meant you could take advantage of his unnatural warmth. 

You spent the next twenty minutes being introduced to people you wouldn’t remember the name of, making small talk with strangers and being on the receiving end of different reactions. 

The guests invited by Yoongi’s parents were either related to them by blood or by pack and it was easy for you to pick up on it from the different reactions you read from Yoongi. With family members, especially the younger ones, Yoongi was warm and wistful. But when he grew tense and standoff-ish, you knew they were his pack mates from before he left to join Namjoon. 

You tried your best not to catch too much attention to yourself, but you still stood out like a sore thumb. 

While Yoongi’s immediate family had been warned about your human nature and told about what you were –which you guessed was the only reason why you were accepted by them–, Yoongi had asked his parents not to tell anyone else about you being a Moonchild. Yoongi didn’t trust everyone from his old pack to keep that information secured and your pack was still learning about it themselves. 

It wouldn’t be safe for you if word got out that a different version of the legend was true, that there were still moon-children roaming around earth. You didn’t know if it would put a target on your back, if you’d be seen as a threat. 

So, at least for now, they wanted to keep it a secret. Just to keep you safe. 

Which meant you weren’t immune to the surprised looks and odd reactions when people realized that you weren’t a werewolf. No one was brave enough to say anything to your face and all it took was a couple polite words and the chance to smell your scent for them to settle. 

Much like it happened at the mating ceremony, no one was put off by your presence. If anything, a couple guests here and there lingered around you a little too much for comfort. 

When the social interaction became too much for the two of you, you escaped into the backyard for some fresh air. 

That’s where the party was happening, but everyone was a lot more interested in mingling and eating, rather than paying attention to you and Yoongi. 

The Min’s home was in the middle of a suburban area, away from other neighbors and with a beautiful small forest around it. Yoongi had taken you into it when you first arrived, just to show you the secret hiding spots where he and his brother used to play when they were growing up. 

“I’m going to miss this. All this nature.” you thought out loud when it was just you and Yoongi in a corner. “I don’t know how you guys live without it.”

“We miss it, too, but we have our ways.”  

You raised an eyebrow. “What ways?” 

“You’ll see.” Yoongi chuckled as if he was into an inside joke that you weren’t. 

“Well, at least I am excited about seeing your house.” which Yoongi could notice by the quick beating of your heart as you told him.  

“It’s your house now, too, sweetheart.” he corrected, and it was your turn to feel his excitement. “And you’ve been there before.” 

You scoffed, shaking your head. I’ve been there once, in the middle of the night after Kook, Tae and Chim smuggled me in after I was attacked by the southsiders.”

A low growl escaped between Yoongi’s lips, no doubt coming from his alpha. Yoongi’s cheeks turned slightly pink as if embarrassed about his own reaction, but you enjoyed it quite a lot.  

“I’m excited to see our home. Our den.” you changed your words, trying to distract the alpha from bad memories. And just to tease, you whispered: “I’m going to make it nice and cozy.” 

Yoongi’s lids lowered as his eyes flashed yellow. The new rumble from his alpha was a lot more exciting and it had your heart picking up its pace. 

Don’t threaten me with your nesting right now, or I’ll throw you over my shoulder and take you upstairs. It was Yoongi’s inner wolf warning you, you just knew it. 

You leaned closer, lips ghosting Yoongi’s ear as you pretended you were just innocently kissing your mate’s cheek: “Then you shouldn't threaten me with a good time either.” 

One of Yoongi’s arms wrapped possessively around your waist and you realized you missed this. Being close to his family meant Yoongi had to behave, so he kept his wolf in check most of the time. 

If only he knew how much you craved their wild side. 

“Yoonie!” a voice was coming from behind Yoongi, so his hold on you loosened until his arm dropped from you. 

You saw a tiny woman that looked a lot like Yoongi himself, but his nose was more round and his lips were more petal shaped. Your mate recognized her right away, with a contagious happiness that had you smiling for no reason. 

“Imo!” Yoongi greeted her while opening his arms. 

It was his aunt, you realized. 

“Oh, it is so good to see you home.” the woman almost disappeared in Yoongi’s embrace. 

You froze. 

Your whole body flushed with an inexplicable cold sweat because there was someone else with Yoongi’s aunt, someone you hadn’t seen before she moved out of the way. You didn’t mean to stare at the older woman sitting on the wheelchair, gaze glossy and lost as if she wasn’t even here. 

“How are you? How’s aunt Yesoo?” Yoongi kept talking to his aunt, you could barely hear what they were saying at this point. 

“We’re so good. She’s doing really well lately, which makes me happy.” the woman turned around to motion to her sister. Yesoo. “This must be your lovely mate.” 

“This is Yn.” Yoongi’s touch on your back broke you out of your stupor, his eyes were concerned and you could tell the fine hairs in his arm were standing up as if he was on high alert. “Sweetheart, these are my aunts Ji-in and Yesoo.” 

“Hi, it’s so nice to meet the two of you.” you hoped they didn’t notice the tremble in your voice as you politely bowed to them in greeting.  

As if triggered by your voice, the older woman in the wheelchair moved her eyes and settled them on you. You knew right there that she was recognizing you, too. She sucked in a breath and her lips parted as if she wanted to speak. Out of instinct, you held onto Yoongi’s arm as your breath got caught in your throat. 

Yesoo let out a strangled cry, upper body twitching and catching her sister’s attention. The woman rushed to soothe her, looking at you and Yoongi apologetically. 

“Excuse us, she’s probably hungry.” Ji-in informed you while rushing to the back of the wheelchair. “We’ll talk to you later, pups.” 

You stared at the green grass below your feet as you bowed again, not wanting to upset Yesoo any further. As soon as they were out of sight and you were alone with Yoongi again, you emptied your lungs and filled them back with a gasp. 

“Yoongi–”

“I probably should have warned you, but I didn’t think they would be here.” Yoongi rushed to explain in a quiet tone. “They are my mom’s sisters, and aunt Yesoo is the oldest.” 

“Did you ever show me pictures of her? Of Mrs. Yesoo?” you knew you sounded frenzied and Yoongi could damn well hear your heart in your throat.  

“No, I don’t think I even have any.” Yoongi was standing in front of you now, protectively shielding you from the rest of the backyard. “Why? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“A ghost from my past, maybe.” a delirious laugh left your lips as you tried to make sense of what was going on. “I’ve seen her before, Yoon. I’ve met her before, I’m sure of it.” 

His hand held the side of your face as he searched your eyes. “How would that even be possible?” 

“My dreams… She’s been in them.” you spoke only above a whisper, waiting a few seconds for Yoongi to understand which dreams you were talking about. “Your aunt… She was one of the wolves in your pack. I mean, your pack from the past–”

How could this be happening right now? For a second there, you thought that it might just be an impression, that maybe you were mistaking her for someone your imagination conjured up. 

But that didn’t explain how Yesoo recognized you, too. 

“Are you sure my brother shares you with his pack?” 

The voice came from almost nowhere and startled you. Looking to your right, hand frozen in the air from picking up your lemonade cup from the table, you noticed Yoongi’s older brother. 

“He does.” you brought the cup to your lips, needing a sip even more now that Jae’s question had your throat drying out. “Why?” 

“He’s been staring daggers into anyone who looks at you for longer than five seconds.” the man chuckled and you found yourself doing the same, looking for Yoongi in the crowd and finding him talking to his father a few meters away. 

“Well, our pack is pretty peaceful.” you told him with a chest full of pride. “They bickered a little during courting, but it was all in good fun.”

Jae nodded like he understood, but his eyes were still studying you. Almost as if judging something you couldn’t exactly point out. As far as you could tell, Yoongi’s relationship with his older brother was a close one. The fact your mate told him about the sharing was enough proof of that. 

“They are all alphas, correct?” he asked and you nodded. “Interesting.” 

You didn’t mean to sound indelicate, but your curiosity was bigger than that when you asked: “What are you?”

“You can’t guess?” 

You took another sip of the refreshing beverage before placing it back down on the table to look at your future brother in law with your full attention. Jae was a pretty laid back guy, as far as you knew him, someone easy to talk to. He wasn’t intimidating like the alphas you’ve met, but he also wasn’t as soft edged as other omegas. 

You opened your mouth to speak a couple of times, but stopped short in doubt. 

Taking pity on your inner turmoil, he said: 

“I’m a beta, dear sister.” 

“Oh!” you couldn’t help but gasp, eyebrows shooting to your hairline. “I never met a beta before.” 

“It’s a pleasure to be your first.” Jae winked. 

The way the man laughed and looked over your shoulder, straight to your mate, made you wonder if Yoongi was cursing him out for the obvious innuendo. You didn’t feel any type of way about it, not even offended as you knew Jae was only trying to get a rise out of his younger brother. 

“But that doesn’t surprise me, we’re a lot smaller in number than alphas and omegas.” he continued. “While alphas are usually headstrong and possessive, and omegas are caring and nurturing, betas are the mediators.” 

“Mediators.” you repeated, wanting to hear more. 

“We can act as the managers of a pack. Help omegas raise their kids, be the voice of calm to rampage alphas.” Jae waved the air with a flourish. 

“That sounds super important, how come every pack doesn’t have one?” 

“To put it simply, there aren’t that many of us around. We are a rare gene,” despite his relaxed disposition, you noticed the small scratch to the tip of his nose; a nervous tick you recognized from Yoongi. You understood why when he revealed: “Betas are sterile.” 

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s okay, just means eomma won’t be bugging me for grandchildren.” Jae didn’t even give you time for the meaning of his words to settle before he added: “But I guess, between the two of us, you’re the real rarity, aren’t you, moonchild?” 

You didn’t know how to answer that, but thankfully you didn’t have to as Yoongi joined you with a rough bump against Jae’s shoulder. 

“Excuse us, sweetheart,” Yoongi held his brother by the back of his neck, much like you’ve seen Seokjin and Hoseok do to the youngest ones of your pack. Glaring at Jae, he warned: “Appa wants to talk to us both.” 

“I’m sure he does.” Jae laughed as if he didn’t buy it for a second. “I was just having a harmless conversation with your mate. It’s important she bonds with your family–”

Yoongi’s warning growl even made you a little concerned. Jae, however, threw his hand back in a laugh before lifting his hands up in surrender and walking away in the direction of the main house. 

“Sometimes I think I’m the older one.” Yoongi was shaking his head in disbelief, lips pressing into a thin line when you giggled. “I’ll be back in a minute, okay?”

“Don’t worry about me.” you offered him a smile before taking a step closer to him kiss the corner of his mouth. “But don’t be gone too long, or someone less related to you might want to keep me company.” 

You better watch it, little human. The alpha warned, exactly who you’ve been aiming to rile up. 

“Or what?” 

Yoongi didn’t answer you with words, reaching for the back of your neck to hold you in place when he fixed the angle and pressed his mouth to yours. You grinned because he was falling into your trap, gasping as you felt his bite to your lower lip. 

Behave. 

I promise. You scrunched your nose cutely. 

That was Yoongi’s cue to walk in the direction his brother had just gone, leaving you alone again. 

All things considered, this party could be a lot worse, you decided. While the older members of Yoongi’s familial pack continuously threw cautionary looks your way, you learned to ignore them. The only thing that bothered you was the chills at the back of your neck that you would get every now and then, as if you were being watched. 

Everytime that happened, you knew exactly where it was coming from. 

As if on cue, you turned slightly to your left, to where you had seen Yoongi’s aunt last, and there she–

Oh. 

Shit. 

Aunt Yesoo’s wheelchair was sitting empty on the spot closer to the porch where she’d been all day. You couldn’t help but to be filled with dread as alarm bells rang inside your head. This gathering had been going for hours and you hadn’t seen the old lady move much or even say a word, looking more like a wax figure than a real person. 

You started to look around, maybe aunt Ji-in had helped her to the toilet or another family member was caring for the lady, but you couldn’t see her anywhere. Your panic started to rise when you found Mrs. Min laughing with Ji-in and no sign of their older sister. 

The forest. 

You couldn’t see anything past the line of trees that led into the backyard’s forest, but you knew. Your intuition was screaming at you that aunt Yesoo was in there somewhere and what could you do? Call someone else to go look and risk acting crazy if you were wrong? Or ignore your gut feeling and risk her getting lost or hurt if you were right? 

Yoongi. 

You called, but your mind was too fuzzy for you to properly reach your mate. You could never use the bond communication in long range situations before, you didn’t think you could do it now. 

Just go, it will be fine. 

The voice in your head felt a lot like your own, so you decided to follow it. 

You didn’t know where you were going when you broke the clearing and stepped into the forest, hoping that the sun stayed in the sky a little longer so you wouldn’t find yourself lost in the darkness. 

Your mate will find you. They’ll always find you. 

You kept telling yourself that, Yoongi could track you down in a minute, by your scent alone. As soon as felt something was wrong, his protective ass would come running after you. Yeah. You’d be okay. 

Just a little more. 

Your feet were leading you based on intuitiveness alone. Birds were chirping high up in the trees and leaves were crunching beneath your feet as you rushed. 

There! 

Aunt Yesoo was standing in a gap between trees, her frail and fragile body trembling as if it took her great effort to have walked this far. If she wasn’t a wolf you didn’t think she’d make it. 

“Hello?” you called and Aunt Yesoo obviously heard you when she started to turn around. 

It would be like a scene from a horror movie if this wasn’t someone you already knew. Even if you couldn’t know her. 

“Can you come with me?” you offered in a small voice as you approached her in soft steps. “Let’s get you back home–”

“It’s you. Isn’t it?” her voice was coarse and thick with lack of use, eyes filled with unshed tears. “Did you see them? Did you see my babies?”

Your heart broke in tiny pieces as the pain behind her questions. You had to swallow the lump in your throat as you gave her a nod.  

“Bring them to me!” it was like a switch had been flipped and the woman became hysterical. “Bring them to me! Bring them to me!”

Out of self preservation and instinct alone you flinched and took several steps back when Aunt Yesoo rushed towards you. Her body started to contort itself as if she was about to turn and you panicked. 

You might be a moonchild, but you’d never outrun a wolf! Debilitated or not. 

In a blink the woman was on you.