#admin lottie

You told him you loved him. Why would you do that? He obviously doesn’t love you back. You’re just a nuisance to the pack, a problem that Jungkook has to handle alongside everything else. God, you’ve never felt like such a burden. You can’t even speak to your dad to numb the ache in your chest since the landline and your mate’s computer are locked away in his office, practically taunting you it’s so close yet so far. And that means no Taehyung either; granted, that’s probably the reason the door is locked, so possibly wouldn’t be a wise decision anyway.

You trudge into the kitchen sullenly, finally succumbing to the growling in your belly and scavenging for some kind of relief. It comes in the form of cornflakes a few days out of date; as the stock in your kitchen hasn’t been replenished for about a week it’ll have to do. Maybe this is just another way the world is punishing you.

As you settle with your food, the sound of a door handle rattling is brought to your attention. Your eyes widen slightly, dropping the spoon as you jump from your stool to around the corner, just in time to see your mate shutting the door behind him slowly. As he turns, you’re immediately met with purple bags looming under his eyes and a pale face making his skin look white-washed and ill. Your wolf stirs, aching to care for him, but you don’t know what to say, or what to do.

He shrugs his coat off, dropping it over the radiator by the front door, but remaining facing the wall. He stays that way for a moment, enshrouding the room in a deafening atmosphere, before whipping round to stalk stealthily in his office.

The door slams shut behind him. You let out a breath. Then he walks straight back out.

“I’m sorry,” he announces, striding over to you. As if subconsciously, you throw yourself into his arms.

“I was a jerk and angry and stressed and I’m sorry,” he mumbles into your neck, nose nuzzling against your flesh as you curl further into his chest. This was not what you were expecting – not that it hasn’t come as a welcome surprise.

“I’m sorry I ran, too,” you respond, pulling back your head to look up at him, “I should’ve stayed with Jin, I should’ve listened to you, I-“

He cuts you off by bringing his lips onto yours, and you melt into him like caramel. The sugar drips off your lips as your hands climb up his chest onto his shoulders, his own clinging to your waist desperately. He nudges you backwards as you step behind you towards the kitchen, still holding him with a newfound urgency. When your back is flush against the kitchen counter, your mate hoists you onto the surface as you push the bowl of cereal aside and he slots himself between your legs, finally pulling back to breathe.

“Don’t apologise, Y/N,” he pants with you, “It was a shitstorm and I should’ve handled things better – it was my fault for being a shitty Alpha.”

“Don’t say that,” you respond, sternly, “You’re – we’re still so young and you don’t have to do it alone – all I want to do is help you, but you always push me away when I should be being there for you.”

He frowns slightly, “No, it’s my job to protect you, Y/N.” His response leaves you grimacing, and you push him gently out of the way so you can jump off the counter.

“Jungkook, I don’t think you understand, a Luna’s role is-“

“Y/N, I know what a Luna’s role is,” he sighs, “Let’s not argue again now, please, there’s still shitloads to do-“

“Well I’m trying-“

“I know what you’re trying to do,” he sighs, holding one hand up to his nose briefly before heading to the fridge and pulling out a drink, “You’re trying to have me let you lead a pack with me when you’ve no experience whatsoever.”

You grimace at that, “I’ve got to start somewhere.”

“Can we talk about something else?” He looks at you, bum perched on the counter as he sips his drink.

Folding your arms over your chest and with the most authoritative tone you can muster up, you order: “Tell me about your father.”

Jungkook watches you as you stand there, resolute with your words. It’s fairly apparent you must be the only one who ever dares to question him or make demands of him. Other packs wouldn’t, and Jimin certainly wouldn’t, let alone the rest of the pack’s inhabitants. Only you. You think he enjoys it slightly, though, having someone give him a bit of response.

Your mate finally puts down his drink with a deep breath, “You don’t want to hear about that.”

“I do,” you insist, fumbling quickly behind him as he trudges towards the stairs, “I do, Jungkook.”

He doesn’t slow down, instead double-steps up the spiral staircase as you struggle to keep up behind him. You won’t let him close up again – not just as you’re about to get somewhere.

“Jungkook, please!” You all but yell from behind him, the distance between the two of you growing as he steps into the bedroom while you still make your way up the last few steps. 

“Just....just talk to me.” The hint of desperation in your voice causes him to stop and you nearly collide into his back. A sharp sigh leaves his lips and you’re hopeful that he’ll finally begin to open up and treat you like a mate rather than a burden... but of course, this is Jungkook you’re talking about. 

“Why are you so interested in everything that involves me? Is there nothing else to entertain you?” You’re a bit taken back by his outburst, before letting out a scoff. Had you really expected anything different? 

“Unfortunately, no. Everything I had to ‘keep me entertained’ I had to give up as soon as you decided to show up,” you spit back at him with clear disdain, the shock that settles onto his features mimicking yours from just seconds ago. 

“Excuse me?” Jungkook’s incredulous tone challenges you to keep going. You see the fire ignite in his eyes and it triggers an adrenaline rush which pushes you over the edge to take him up on the offer, fist clenching at your sides as you continue on. 

“Honestly Jungkook; one day you and your pack just show up, it turns out that we’re mates and you bring me here before I’ve fully processed what’s happening. I had to give up my pack, my family, my home to start my life anew with people I don’t know and who I’ve barely interacted with since I got here. What did you give up, huh? You, being my mate, are the one person who’s supposed to make all of this worth it and I don't know anything about you. Are you actually surprised that I’m not on cloud nine up in your segregated house where I have, as of yesterday, no friends at all?”

Although your question is rhetorical, Jungkook can’t help the physical ache it leaves in his chest to hear you say that you aren't happy being with him. He tries to convince himself that the comment hurts his own ego rather than his wolf’s bond, but the longer he stares at you, the tighter the bond feels. It’s almost as if his wolf is trying to hold on to you and keep you close to him, afraid you'll leave if he doesn’t.

The tension in the room feels suffocating as you and Jungkook remain staring at each other, waiting for the other the make the first move. You decide to break the silence, taking in a calming breath before carefully addressing him. 

“Jungkook I just... I'm not asking you to tell me everything about you. You can tell me as much or as little as you want, but just tell me something. Talk to me. I want to know my mate, not ‘Jeon Jungkook, Alpha of Red Moon’, like everyone else knows. I want to feel like we’re bonded better than that.” 

Jungkook clenches his jaw and looks away, considering your words. Another sigh leaves his lips, exhaling his anger and apprehension with it as his body finally relaxes and slouches over. Stretching out his taut muscles, your mate walks over and sits at the edge of the bed. Looking down at his feet, he pats the open space next to him. 

“There’s a lot to catch you up on so you might as well take a seat.” A small smirk graces his face and you tilt your head in wonder as your legs guide you closer to him, hesitantly sitting down.

It’s silent for a few moments as he thinks over how to begin. 

“My father… he was incredible, once. He knew the right thing to do in every single situation, how to keep the pack happy and safe and balanced… and they loved him for it. He was what made Red Moon as powerful as it is now. The loyalty of his pack made him a formidable opponent to any others, and he was admired across the world. Growing up, these incredibly powerful wolves from all over the world visited us to meet him and form alliances and friendships and to listen to him speak of his pack and his mighty prowess… not that it’s much use now.

Dad’s mate – my mother – was from an Omega family from one of the packs that visited.”

You can’t suppress the gasp that slips from your lips. An Omega? With such a powerful Alpha? An Omega is the absolute runt of the pack – there is no going lower than an Omega wolf, but usually wolves mate with those of similar rankings. You’ve never heard of such a story – and if you had anywhere else other than the horse’s mouth you aren’t sure you would’ve even believed it.

After a brief pause he continues, “My father didn’t care what ranking she was. He was utterly in love with her from the start. They were married within a few days and expecting within a few weeks.” He looks down at his lap, uncomfortably, and you gently reach out to place a caring hand on his, squeezing it softly to offer some reassurance.

He breathes in, “After I was born, they received word that there’d been some resentment bubbling within some of the lower ranks of the pack – they were angered that they were treated poorly yet this Omega from another pack was now their Luna and regarded as wolf royalty. It was jealousy. They were fucking jealous.” You see the fury rise in his eyes as you slowly rub your thumb across the veiny back of his hands.

“They’d plotted out a whole agenda. They were to wait for a viable heir for the Alpha position. They had originally planned to do it within a few weeks of my birth, but they decided to wait for an age that I no longer needed my mother. So things were good for a few years, the pack flourished under the leadership of my father and my mother cared for me at home until I started school. It was then that they deemed me capable without parents.

They lured my father out of the house with a fire one night and came in and slaughtered my mother. She’d heard them come in and thought it was an attack from another pack, so she rushed me to the saferoom, but the revolt had an Epsilon who knew the passcode in. So we were trapped and they slit her throat in front of my eyes.”

You watch as a tear slips through onto your mate’s cheek, staring blankly ahead as he involuntarily relives the moment. You shuffle closer to him and bring his hand up to your face, holding it there for warmth.

He sniffs slightly, “When father returned, he found me in the saferoom with mum’s blood all over me, trying to revive her. He immediately knew who’d killed her. Apparently he’d heard about the plotting before, but hadn’t expected anything to come of it. It was then that I saw his eyes, they – it was almost as if I could see the way the man he was slip from them. He was gone, along with her.

His sanity was questionable from that moment, let alone years later when the pack decided enough was enough and exiled him from Red Moon. He was executing masses. He blamed the pack rankings for my mother’s death and wanted to obliterate them. Starting by killing as much of his pack that he’d built over the years as he possibly could. People died for anything, and they lived in fear for too many years.

I was 17 when he finally left. Made Alpha the same day, because what’s a pack without its leader? Red Moon was fairly easily rebuilt. Word of my father’s sanity was kept within the borders, else we could’ve faced wars and conflict we couldn’t overcome without a lucid Alpha.”

It almost is too much to process. No wonder your mate is initially cold to people; his own father betrayed him and continues to attack everything he loves. The thought of it makes you miss your own father, wondering how the hell you would ever get over losing him, the way Jungkook’s lost his parents. It’s too harrowing to even consider.

“And the letter? From the box in the cupboard?” You don’t mean to pry, but for the first time he’s actually being open with you about his life.

He sighs, biting his lower lip cautiously, “He sent that to me a few months ago – well before I met you. He still believes all wolves should be equal and the rank system should be demolished. But he’s not in his right mind – without ranks there’d be anarchy, and the powerful would no longer be required to protect the weak. It would be wolf versus wolf, and there’d be massacres without consequence. The world would no longer be safe. He was trying to convince me to dismantle Red Moon and join him and the rogues in a rank-less world. But I would never yield my pack to a life like that. Never.”

You both sit in silence, both lost in your thoughts with an indistinguishable atmosphere between you. This is the story that’s made him who he is, his legacy. You feel a lump in the back of your throat when you look at him, eyes red with both grief and fury, head hung low and a forlorn look strewn across his features. 

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” you tell him, earnestly. 

He breathes out, “I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into it. Maybe having an Alpha mate isn’t worth it after all.”

You immediately take his hand in yours and lean into him, “Don’t you ever apologise, Jungkook. I know I said some things earlier, but I promise I still chose to be here with you, and I don’t regret leaving Scarlet Oak, and certainly the last thing I would ever ask for is to have a different mate. You are perfect for me, flaws and shitty family and all.”

This makes him look back at you, a slight smile just poking at the corner of his lip. He watches you for a moment, before leaning in and stealing a gentle kiss as his arms reach for your waist. As if subconsciously, you relax into him and bring yourself round to straddle his lap. 

He pulls back, “I love you, too, you know. I should’ve told you before the Rogue attack because I know how you like to overthink things, and I shouldn’t have excluded you from everything that was happening, but I do love you. Even if I don’t show it in the right way.” 

An uncontrollable grin spreads across your face as much as you try and hold it back. Your mate smiles contentedly in response, leaning in to you again.

“Wait-,” you stop him, “Say it once more?”

He finally lets out a throaty laugh and it rings like a chorus of church bells in your ears, still ringing after it’s stopped and you hope it never does, “I love you.” 

He kisses you on the forehead, “I love you.” 

Then on the bridge of your nose, “I love you.”

On your eyelid, scrunched up from the smile spread inexorably across your face, “I love you.”

And finally he looks down at your lips, “I love you.” 

__________________

After a lazy afternoon of kisses and ignorance, Jungkook excuses himself to his office to take a call from the packhouse in the town, leaving you settled on the sofa alone with your thoughts.

It would be ideal if you could reconcile with Jin – then you would have it all; your mate and your closest Red Moon friend. And that’s enough for you. And maybe a better friendship with Taehyung. You haven’t spoken to him much, but you still like him a lot. He’s intrinsically kind, from what you can tell, and that’s something you don’t often come across – particularly when speaking of pack Alphas who are traditionally cold and cut off… reminds you of a certain someone.

Thinking of Taehyung, you begin to contemplate the problem of the Rogues. Red Moon is clearly struggling, and despite Jungkook’s best efforts to protect the pack and be the best Alpha he can be, the attacks are still getting worse and more frequent. You need help, and frankly you can already expect that your mate isn’t going to be one initiating anything – especially considering him and his impenetrable pride.

He promptly finishes his call in his office, swaggering out to find you still lounging on the settee.

“Comfy?” He smiles, coming around to sit beside you, taking you by the waist and hauling your figure into his lap.

As he nestles his face into your neck, you begin to play with his large fingers, absentmindedly, “What was the call about?”

“Rogue stuff – not much progress in that department, but they’ve sealed up the well,” he responds, with a sense of finality.

You gently bite your lower lip in apprehension before speaking again, carefully deliberating over your words, “Maybe we should call Alpha Taehyung?”

Jungkook stiffens beneath you, “What?”

You nudge his face from your neck to look at him better, “I don’t mean for dinner and a show, Jungkook.”

“I should fucking hope not,” he growls.

Ignoring him, you continue: “I think we should be requesting his support if this were to reach a war we can’t handle.”

He perks up slightly at your comment, finally listening to you with half-earnest intent.

You carry on, “Taehyung is a good ally to have and he’s situated close the pack so could reach us within a couple of hours. He is actually a very kind person if you would actually give him a chance and he said we can call him whenever we need him. And I think we do need him.”

You can tell your mate is on the verge of compliance, but his jealousy still holds him back. God, this man and his hubris. You look at him, unforgivingly.

“I think you need to suck it up and be what you need to be for your pack right now.”

“You sound like a Luna.” You can tell he tries to suppress the small smirk on his face, fondness riddled through his expression.

You watch him still, seriously, “So you will call Taehyung?”

With a sigh, Jungkook throws his head back, “Fucking alright, I’ll call the bastard. Later though, we have to get down to the packhouse first for something.”

“For what?” You interrogate, suspiciously.

“You’ll just have to wait and see. I’ve had enough of you bossing me about for one day,” he squeezes your waist playfully before standing you both up to head out, enveloping your hand in his to walk over to his jeep.

The packhouse is fairly busy when you arrive; the usual people mulling about outside with Jimin handing out some clipboards to people. He holds a hand up to you in greeting from afar, and Jungkook half-smiles back before walking you by the hand into a meeting room inside.

The lights are dimmed and your mate’s skin looks soft and dewy in the darkness. He looks over you at the door, and you cannot help but lean into his neck and leave kisses gently down.

“What are you doing?” He grumbles, quiet and throatily.

You bite your lip as your hand runs down his torso, “Nothing.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you…,” he warns.

“And why not?” You smirk back, looking up at him suggestively.

He flicks his head to the door with a humorous glint in his eye.

“Hello, poppet.”

Suddenly, an alarm begins blaring through the house, ringing like sirens that blast your eardrums and you flinch at the shrill, stumbling into your mates back. He growls in response, yanking your figure round in front of him to steer you towards the front door, grip bruising your forearms as he pushes you forwards. The force he uses to coax you outside makes you shudder, breathless by the way his eyes are devoid of any comfort or love, or the intensity they were filled with yesterday. Instead they burn with fury, squinted slightly ahead of him and on high alert. You stumble forwards onto the front porch.

You smell it first. The burning. The buildings in the distance burning alight like a sea of orange flickering and a brazen heat wallowing faintly over your skin making you recoil back against the Alpha. He simply pushes past you to take your wrist and that’s the moment you spot a group of men, sprinting chaotically as Jimin screams orders at them.

“Don’t shift,” Jungkook orders, authority dripping from his tone like venom to cause your head to nod weakly. It really is your instinct to shift. To run like hell from this place and go to Taehyung’s or even back to Scarlet Oak. Somewhere safe. Somewhere not on fire.

Jimin paces over to the two of you, wetting his lips as he pants from bellowing orders across the alarms, “Alpha, they’ve infiltrated the town — he’s here. He brought them.”

Jungkook’s expression darkens, “Where’s Jin?”

“Safehouse.”

And then you’re running. You can’t understand why you can’t just shift, but your mate seems adamant to keep to the human form, so you’re stuck with your short legs wobbling pathetically as Jungkook hauls you forwards. You run down the usual dirt track, and as your eyes stray into the depths of the surrounding forest you see ominous, golden eyes staring back at you through the night, watching you. You can’t tell if it’s Red Moon’s Epsilons, or if it’s the Rogues, laughing as you run so desperately towards some kind of safety, already knowing that you aren’t safe at all.

Your legs are weak, you haven’t been trained for something like this — you’ve never been particularly fit in your human form, so you want to collapse. You want everything to disappear, and for you to collapse into your mate’s arms in your bed together, but instead you’re still dragged and dragged along the cobblestone paths as you reach the town, now littered with ash and strewn rubbish from the havoc wreaked, some sultry smell of burning sheathing you with the smoke.

You’re nearly suffocating by the time you approach the packhouse and it’s burning like a wildfire lighting up the night, barren of people now, bar the Rogues. You’ve never seen a Rogue before. You don’t know what you expected them to look like, but frankly they look the same as any other wolf. Mostly brown fur, dark eyes, predominantly male that have been well trained from their muscular sizes. There’s also a few men in human form, laughing as they continue to batter at the once beautiful little town. You’re completely outnumbered, so your mate rapidly yanks you behind a wall, one hand on your belly holding you to his chest where you finally breathe and take a moment to calm down.

“Are you okay?” Jungkook asks you quietly, head leaning down to your ear so you can distinguish the words better.

You nod in response, panting slightly, “I’m just unfit.”

He gives you a gentle squeeze against him, “It’s alright, the safehouse is just round the back here.”

You’re thankful he, even if momentarily, drops the Alpha attitude, moving from behind you to take you by the hand and slowly creep around the side of the building. The entrance to the safehouse comes in the form of a wooden hatch into the ground, scattered with mud and leaves to conceal it from an inattentive eye.

Jungkook crouches down, knocking rhythmically against the oak. Its pretty quickly flung open from the inside, and a familiar head of dark hair emerges from the trap, eyes darting about in anxiety.

“Y/N?” Jin breathes as he sees you, pushing the door the whole way back so he can scramble past your mate and towards you. You see the anger flash in Jungkook’s eyes as Jin lunges forwards and wraps his arms around you in relief, enveloping your head in his arms to hold you near his chest.

“God, I thought they’d have gone to your house first,” Jin mumbles, breathing heavily into your neck. It only takes a second for Jungkook to interfere, pushing his arms between the two of you and wrenching you apart with anger-fuelled strength.

“Know your place, Epsilon,” the Alpha snarls, nostrils flared as he presses one hand to Jin’s chest, the other firmly holding you against him.

It’s eerily silent for a second, before Jungkook continues, “Keep her safe and keep your hands off.” His instruction is brutally clear, and Jin is fast to return to his ranking’s appropriate demeanour; head down, eyes on the floor, hands by his sides. You used to hate being scolded by Alpha Marcus more than anything — it’s humiliating, and you used to mull over it for days afterwards in embarrassment and shame. You can’t imagine how Jin feels.

“You’re leaving?” You sputter all of a sudden, wondering why Jungkook is telling Jin to look after you.

“I’m Alpha, Y/N, and there are Rogues literally just around this corner, so you need to get into the safehouse,” he demands, before his eyes soften slightly, “Don’t do anything stupid, because I need you here for me to get back to. You’re the only thing that keeps me running these days, okay?”

He holds you by your waist, and you wet your lips with a nod, “Don’t fight them, just take care of the pack members and wait till they leave.” You don’t much agree with your words, and you already feel the biting need to stay near him rather than stay tucked away in some cushty saferoom. Can’t he understand you need him just as much as he needs you?

He ignores your request, “You stay here, Y/N. Okay?”

Then the words just roll from your tongue before you can stop them.

“I love you,” you tell him, and the moment stills fleetingly. His gaze freezes over yours, hands hardening on your waist as he holds you tighter, and then he squeezes his eyes shut before nodding with an indecipherable expression, taking off back towards the burning.

Was that a mistake? Jin’s hauling you backwards into the safehouse before you can overthink it.

The place is crammed full of families and pack members, but you’re surprised at how large a space it is. A part of you regrets saying no to officialization at this point, however, considering you’re surrounded by the members that have only been able to make assumptions of your place in the pack and with the Alpha. So it’s safe to say your presence attracts a fair amount of attention, especially with Jin solemnly by your side, steering you to another room with less crowding

“In here,” he tells you, opening up a door into a tiny room with a bunk in it, “It’s not much, but it’s specifically for the Luna.”

“It’s more than what they have,” you counter, referring to the numerous families quaking in the main area of the safehouse, “How did you get everyone down here so fast?”

You slump onto the springy mattress, Jin choosing to remain stood across from you, an oddly far distance than usual, “One of them must’ve screwed up, because we saw a light flashing at the Southern Border, only for a few seconds, but we had the feeling it could’ve been them co-ordinating their attack. So, we got everyone down here, and thank God we did.”

You nod, somewhat disturbed, “Is it a bad attack?”

“You must’ve seen.”

“Yeah, but is it really bad? Are they gonna-,” you swallow back the apprehension, “Is Red Moon gonna be okay?”

Jin smiles reassuringly, softening his gaze as he approaches you slowly, “Red Moon is one of the strongest packs on the continent. We’ll be fine, Y/N. Alpha is a truly capable leader.”

You bite your lip slightly, “What about Taehyung? We could call Taehyung and ask for backup?”

Jin leans down in front of you, squatting as he cautiously takes your hands in his, “I think Alpha Taehyung would be more of a distraction than an ally at this moment in time.”

He speaks the truth, but it’d still calm you down a bit if you know your mate has some kind of back up. You immediately become restless, legs bouncing up and down as you consider every possible scenario of Jungkook going out to fight and coming back injured or, worse, dead. You wonder where he’s at right now, who he’s with, if he’s alone, if he’s fighting, if he’s bleeding, if he’s calling out for you. What if he’s calling out for you? You’re his mate, it’s your duty to be by his side.

You begin to pick at your fingernails nervously as Jin encourages you to try and sleep for a bit, considering it’s the middle of the night, but you know you couldn’t sleep. You just want to get out and find him. The Rogues looked brutal and savage, and to just allow your mate to leave you like that? The guilt is eating at you from the inside out, throwing intolerable thoughts at you and making you lightheaded.

“Do you love him, then?” Jin asks, throwing you off all of a sudden.

“Sorry?” You stammer.

He exhales, manoeuvring on the bed to face you, “You told him you loved him.”

Oh, right, that. “I kinda just said it. I didn’t really think.”

Your admission silences him for a minute, “He loves you back.”

He may never have the chance to tell you after this, however, “I know.”

Why is Jin so kind? Why does he have to be so nice? It would make ‘disobedience’ a hell of a lot easier. But, you can’t just sit here. It’s impossible. The wolf inside of you is howling and scratching and biting and you feel all those primitive urges violently chastising your unusually passive behaviour.  

You don’t want to do it. You really don’t want Jin to suffer again.

But, unfortunately, you aren’t so compliant.

“I-,” you finally speak again, Jin’s ears piquing in interest, “Could you get me some water? I need- I feel a bit dizzy.”

“Yeah, of course. You should really sleep,” he says, leaning over to squeeze your hand before blindly jogging out of the room.

You don’t think about your actions, or the repercussions (as per). You just do it.

Flying out of the door, not looking out for your guard because it’s inevitable he’ll figure it out momentarily anyway, your feet launch you to the main room where you push past the crowds of people with unwavering haste. Full-blown action movie style you slide and squeeze between confused faces towards the exit, to lead you back into the heart of the brawl where your mate could already by laying bleeding.  

There are limbs everywhere; you feel them catch on your skin as you fling past in desperation. You underestimated how many bodies there really were in here, and they seem to have multiplied since the brief few minutes you spent in the Luna’s room. Maybe you should stop. Maybe Jin hasn’t noticed.

An agitated scream of your name falling from the Epsilon’s lips informs you otherwise.

It’s too late to stop when you reach the hatch, jumping to push up as you feel the crowds separating to allow Jin through. You feel your toes curling as you plant your hands on the base of the outside, fingernails sinking into the mud to get a better a grip and haul yourself onto your stomach, Jin’s hand grazing over your ankle just as soon as you slide forwards slightly.

You waste no time with hesitation. There’s a latch on the outside and you instinctively slam the hatch shut and slide the bar across, Jin’s face flashing with anger just before as he begins banging on the other side, screaming at you through the wood.

“Y/N! Y/N, no! Y/N!” He bellows, rattling the small wooden hatch, but you’re already darting away. The fear of everything that could happen to Jungkook motivates your body to ignore the burning in your legs and chest and to keep running until you find him and see that he’s alright.

As you run, you already feel the guilt filling you, remembering the last time you betrayed Jin. You were lucky he forgave you and trusted you again as quick as he did, and you aren’t sure things will be the same after this. But you’re Luna. You shouldn’t just sit around and wait for the men to sort their squabbling like this. You know first-hand that Jungkook can be impulsive and angry and surely it’s the Luna’s duty to prevent that? Besides, you aren’t even officially Luna yet. You don’t have to stick by those rules.

The town isn’t particularly large, and the Rogues seem to have vacated to one particular area; the plain you’d seen pack members having a barbeque on only recently. Now it was home to a huge bonfire with- you nearly gag.

You turn away, unable to process the sight and feeling bile burn at the back of your throat.

The smell of burning flesh fills the air, and you try to tuck your head into your jumper, but it still seeps through and clings to you, inescapably so.

You nuzzle further into your top, quickly crouching behind a small bricked off path next to the field to look over. It at least brings a little comfort to see Jungkook is fine, angrier than you’ve ever seen him before, but he’s safe at least. There doesn’t seem to be much actual fighting other than the men trying to save the wolf already burned alive on the stake just above the bonfire.

Your mate is seething, black eyes and red skin as he helps the men save the burning wolf. He pushes a whole swarm of Rogues to the ground at once, face illuminated by the orange glow as he reaches over to aggressively tug at the knots holding the man in place.

A Rogue is running towards your mate. He’s running a full speed and Jungkook’s busy with the knots. Oh God. You knees falter for a second, before you spring up only a second before Jimin does, tackling the oncoming wolf to the ground with generous force as the Alpha doesn’t even flinch. You snap down back to your place. Maybe they’re alright after all.

The wolf tied above the bonfire falls all of a sudden to the muddy ground, the bottoms of his trousers singed and his arms bubbling with burns. He screams and screams and screams as he’s carried away by four or so other men, leaving your mate again to deal with the rest.

Most seem to be retreating, all looking rather smug and victorious as though they’ve done what they intended to. But they didn’t even take over Red Moon? What sort of a victory is that? You begin to mull over why on earth they’d just cause chaos. Maybe they’re just here for fun, to wreak havoc and mayhem just for a little excitement. Or maybe it’s part of something bigger. All these questions and no answers.

You suddenly see a flash of blonde hair emerge from behind the bonfire. The man you recognise as Yoongi. June’s Yoongi. Yoongi as in seen with Hoseok. What the fuck is he doing here? It doesn’t help as suddenly Jungkook’s father walks out behind him. Your gaze snaps to your mate. He’s heaving with fury.

“Jungkook,” His father smiles. It scares you the way his lips curl so viciously. You never knew a smile to be so blood-curdling, “It’s good to see you, kid.”

Your mate doesn’t respond, instead he snarls at the man as the remaining Rogues begin running back under Yoongi’s orders yelling over the prickling fire. Everyone’s leaving. You can finally breathe.

Suddenly, Jungkook’s running forwards to his father. Just a blur of his clothing as he darts forwards, but Jimin uses himself as a brace to stop him, and the two tumble to the floor. Your mate’s father simply laughs before jogging away smugly. What the hell happened between those two? What is wrong with his dad? More unanswered questions.

You’re just thankful they’re leaving.

As the men are beginning to make amends to the burning meadow and some of the town, observing the damage instigated by the mass of Rogues during the invasion, you spot something in your peripheral. A light, it seems. A reflection of a light. And you turn to see a masked being, only eyes to be realised through the black material, and you instantly know who it is. You would know, you would always know.

The figure is only there for a moment, before it retreats away into the forestry, into the labyrinth of tree trunks. You follow, you can’t help but feel as though they wanted you to see them. They want you to follow them. And perhaps that’s a mistake, but you’re already on your feet away from your little hiding place behind the wall chasing after. You call out a name, but it’s swallowed by the sound of the wind and the fire and the wolves all racing about to get away; it carries only a few metres, not enough for it to reach their ears.

You realise it’s a bad idea to run after the enemy, but you aren’t exactly thinking clearly. The trees seem to become denser the further you run, having to weave stealthily in and out of them following the figure gradually decreasing in size as you comprehend you’re much, much slower.

You lurch yourself forwards, urging your legs to keep going before they cave in and collapse to the ground when you lose him. The dark figure is gone, and you’re left alone in the woods, with only the distant sound of whistling and shouting in the air.

You frantically turn on the balls of your feet, snapping your head left and right to look into the distance but you can’t see anybody, not a Rogue or a Red Moon pack member. That’s until another flash of light to the right of you, the same you saw earlier. You take off again.

The light disappears seconds later, along with its creator. And as you approach the area, a well comes into view. It’s a bit battered and obviously hasn’t been used in a long, long time, but you immediately hear the echoing of footsteps coming from it. You press your palms onto the brick edge and lean over to peer down into it. It’s mostly dark inside, not helped by the lack of moonlight due to the overhead trees, but there’s a darker part near the left wall at the bottom. A tunnel.  

You exhale softly, frowning at the sheer idiocy of your mate. This is how they’ve been getting in and out.  It must lead out to beyond Red Moon borders. How has nobody found this before?

A twig breaks behind you and you freeze.

“Y/N? Is it?” The same voice from earlier, the voice you’d seen talking to Jungkook. Who you believe to be his father.

You slowly turn on your heel to face him, “I’m- I’m-“ You feel stupid but you can’t get the words out. Not even your wolf stirs. You’re completely immobile.

He takes a step towards you, “I see you’ve found our little getaway hatch.” He smiles sadistically, walking past you and sitting on the edge of the brick well, “It’s alright. We won’t be needing it much longer.”

He leans forward to touch your face, but you quickly jolt backwards, “Such a pretty thing. I wish we could’ve met under better circumstances. Take care of my son.”

You remain frozen as he smirks again, swinging his legs over to shift mid air as he drops into the tunnel, howling before racing into the darkness.

Not the way you expected to meet your boyfriend’s parent.

You just want to get out of here now. You just want your mate to hold you. You aren’t even sure you know the way back.

Thankfully, not all the flames have been put out yet, so you’re able to follow the only source of light in this awful night. You know Jungkook will be angry too; you just want everything to be okay again. You just want him to kiss you till you forget you’re here to be anything other than Jungkook’s mate, loving him, pleasuring him, caring for him.

When you return back to the saferoom behind the packhouse, you’re desperate to tell someone of your findings and seeing Jungkook’s father to finally be back with your mate. You spot Jimin first, who’s shouting about orders and ordering people back to their homes looking beyond stressed when you call his name. He turns to look at you, expression riddled with shock.

“Y/N?” He stutters slightly, “Y/N, where have you been?”

You run forwards towards him, “I followed a Rogue.” You’re panting a bit from all the running, and you’re careful not to let the name slip, “I saw how they got in and out and Jungkook’s father-.”

Jimin looks at you incredulously, ignoring the revelation, “You- you followed a Rogue? Y/N, Alpha’s going out of his mind- wait, you spoke to his father? Oh God, look, look, go back home, we’ll say there was a misunderstanding, and nothing ever happened, and you’d been home the whole time. We’ll get Jin in on it too, and we can pretend-“

Then you see him emerge from the packhouse, pushing Jin forcefully aside as he sees you.

“Where the fuck have you been!” Jungkook roars, silencing most of the wolves around you. Jimin takes a step back, lowering his head and leaving you defenceless to your furious mate, stalking urgently closer.

You freeze for a second, “I was scared for you and then I saw-,“ you swallow back the fear from the inevitable oncoming stream of anger, “I saw a Rogue and I followed him and I saw-“

“You followed him,” he lets out a humourless laugh before stopping to throw his fist against a brick wall, making part of it shatter, “Of course you fucking did. Will you ever learn?! You’re-”

“I spoke-“

“Don’t fucking interrupting me!” He whips round, holding his hand at you. Nobody moves, everyone’s silent. This is worse than any times Alpha Marcus scolded you in front of pack members. Jungkook is too blinded by his own rage to acknowledge the small gathering of people, all listening in to his fury. They all just watch on, watch you.

“I gave you direct orders, and you fucking disobeyed them! I’m the Alpha!” His words irk you finally enough to retort.

“I’m not just another of your pack members, Jungkook!” You yell back in his face, making a vein in his neck protrude even redder, eyes bulging and pupils blown out making him look on the verge of madness.

“You-,” he exhales, jaw clenched and lips pursed, “Go home.”

“You aren’t listening to me! I saw where-“

He interrupts and screams, “I said go home!” He shakes with anger, and you can see the end of his claws breaking through his nails and making his palms bleed as he attempts to hold back his wolf, “Go home now, Y/N. You’ve brought enough shame to this pack as it is.”

That hurts you. That really hurts you. Enough so that you’re already shifting before you can cry, and racing back to the house, only able to feel as though you’ve failed.

“Breakfast is ready,” Jungkook chimes, walking over to the bed and hesitantly sitting on the edge of it, next to where you’re lying, “And I- I just wanted to say sorry, about last night. I didn’t mean to scare you I just-,” he sighs and looks at you, shuffling your body up to sit against the headboard to look at him better. “I can feel my wolf more than ever. It’s getting more and more difficult to restrain myself, especially when you talk about that other wolf.” This is the first time Jungkook has referred to Hoseok in a non-demeaning kind of way, and you respect him that tiny bit more.

“I am trying. I’m fighting my basic nature to be here with you like this and not take you the way I want to,” he admits, “but there’s only so much I can do. I will continue to hold myself back, but I just- you can’t just say you’ll find someone else; I won’t be able to control myself if you do.” You suddenly feel a little ashamed yourself; you shouldn’t have provoked him last night the way you did, even if it wasn’t completely intentional. Especially after knowing Hoseok confessed to you that he wanted you to be his mate, but Jungkook doesn’t need to know that. It does make you a bit nervous though, thinking that you haven’t really experienced Jungkook’s true nature first-hand, only this thing he is trying to be for you. You push your mouth to the side, and perhaps against your better judgement, reach over to take Jungkook’s hand in your own.

“Y’know,” you breathe, “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have said anything like I did last night. I know we need to talk about me leaving Scarlet Oak, but it’s all- it’s a lot. I never intended to aggravate you like that…,” you trail off, and he smiles back at you, squeezing your hand.

“Why do I feel like that’s not the only time you’re going to aggravate me?” He jokes, and for the first time you seem to be actually enjoying each other’s presence, even briefly. You grin at him warmly, leaning forward and pressing your forehead to his shoulder. The action feels so natural and intimate; you can’t help but feel excited of your future with your mate, and the happiness you could bring to one another. You lean back and look him in the eyes.

“Did you sleep well?” Jungkook asks, slightly massaging the back of your hand with his thumb. Suddenly, you feel a little alarmed as you turn to look at the empty space in the bed next to you; you go to open your mouth but are interrupted by Jungkook’s laugh.

“I slept on the chair.”

“You did?” You frown slightly, a little concerned that you made him uncomfortable.

“Yeah,” he scratches the back of his neck with his free hand, “I don’t think I could’ve slept in the same bed with you, and not- not,” he stammers and you bite your lip, a little awkwardly.

“Right,” you speak, before gulping and continuing, “So shall we go to breakfast?”

Jungkook meets you downstairs after leaving you alone to change into some blue jean shorts and a grey jumper.  You sit at the breakfast bar with the pack Luna, bowing your head slightly in respect to greet her.

“Sleep well?” She smiles, invitingly.

You eye the food, responding with a nod, “Perfectly.” After that, the polite conversation is initiated between Jungkook, yourself and the Luna- and Marcus is quick to join you too, scoffing down pancake after pancake it seems. The Luna makes a joke that he needs to slow down, but Marcus simply insists it’s an Alpha thing, even turning to Jungkook for back up. Your mate, however, isn’t the man he was just earlier this morning and briefly last night. He’s back into his Alpha-mode. Curt responses, minute movements, and no affection towards you whatsoever bar making sure that you eat a lot for the day (which is hardly a great display of affection at that).

After breakfast, Marcus agrees to meet you back in the pack house to resume yesterday’s meetings in an hour or so, so he has a chance to speak to Jimin beforehand about the attacks. Jungkook thanks Marcus and dismisses you both, and you awkwardly return back upstairs. Reaching the guestroom you stayed in, Jungkook rubs his chin with his hands and shuts his eyes with a sigh.

“Y/N, this meeting… I can’t leave you now,” Jungkook admits, clamping down his teeth on his lower lip. You sit on the edge of the bed and let your eyes fall back onto the faceless fisherman in his rowboat, looking keenly for a distraction.

“You can’t ignore this,” he reminds you, regretfully.

“I know,” you sigh, now watching your feet trace patterns on the floor. You think back to the story your father told you about your mother; about how she couldn’t leave him no matter how much she missed her family and you can suddenly empathise a lot more with her. Now you’ve spent nearly a day with Jungkook, you feel so… attached- even if all you have done is argue. His scent soothes you constantly and you can sense his presence a mile off, you swear. You don’t want to be apart from him.

“I promise- I promise if you come with me,” he moves over to the bed and sits down, a comfortable distance from you, “I will do my absolute best to be a good mate to you. Yes, I can be a little impulsive and protective, but that comes hand in hand with being an Alpha; just know that I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. You’re my mate, Y/N.”

You look from the floor back up to him, submitting to his gaze, “If- if I were to come,” his ears suddenly perk up a bit and you can see him holding back a smile, “I’d be able to come back and visit my dad? My friends?” Jungkook falters for a second, and you can see him fighting his primitive urges to say no to seeing Hoseok, but he successfully holds back as he nods decisively.

“Of course,” you can see him supressing the desire to shuffle even closer to you, visibly expressed through his curving lips.

“And I’d be able to continue with school work?” You push your mouth to the side.

“Alongside your Luna duties, definitely- I’d encourage it,” he allows his smile to fully slip through as he observes you become more and more comfortable with the idea of going away with him.

“And you’d promise to be a good mate?”

“I’d do anything to protect you,” he watches you, resolutely.

“Well,” you exhale, “then okay.” It doesn’t take more than a second before Jungkook grapples you into a hug with enough force you’re sent flying back into the bed with a gasp, flailing your arms and legs, laughing at his sudden excitement. If anyone else could see the ‘mighty Alpha’ now they wouldn’t believe their eyes. Jungkook’s nose nuzzles into your neck, and you don’t feel at all alarmed at the fact his canines are incredibly close to your flesh, instead your stomach turns with exhilaration and your eyes flitter closed.

“Y/N,” he speaks into your neck, “I really, really want to mark you.” His admission sends your wolf into a frenzy as she revels in his desires, but you’re soon disheartened as he pulls away, a little guiltily.

“But I can’t- not before we’ve even had a meeting to finalise everything,” he notices your, unintentionally, disappointed expression, before quickly adding, “I do want to mark you- I want to be with you in every possible way, but for now I think we must get going. The faster this meeting is over, the faster we can get back to Red Moon; my pack needs their Alpha- and now their Luna.” He caresses the side of your face gently as you nod in understanding, then offering you a hand up from the bed.

The meeting progresses smoothly, this time with much less interruption. After spending the night together- well, a moment of it at least- you feel scarily comfortable with Jungkook, and although he doesn’t express it as much, you know he does too with his sideward glances to you and small smirks when he thinks nobody is looking. After the meeting, Jimin even pulls you aside and jokes that you might prove to be the Alpha’s greatest distraction to which you shrug in response; somewhat enjoying that Jungkook could ever be preoccupied with thoughts of you rather than doing his work.

The meeting concludes that you will leave Scarlet Oak and join Red Moon as their Luna, alongside Jungkook. Jungkook will send a Theta bloodline to join your former pack after your departure and, after a little persuasion on your part, the two Alphas are convinced to sign a treaty that binds the packs as allies if ever a war were to break out among the supernatural world. It’s encouraging to think Scarlet Oak will always have Red Moon’s protection; your father and Hoseok and June and Alpha Marcus, they’ll all be safe and secure. And you’re also a bit excited that that might’ve been your first ever Luna-like act.

As you exit the pack house one final time, your father walks side by side with you. You’re doing everything you can to remember all you can about him; his voice, his eyes, his nose, his mouth, his inability to supress a smile whenever you make eye contact. You want to remember everything. You don’t want to forget when you’re up at Red Moon without him there.

“You alright, poppet?” He asks you, as you walk along the muddy path out of the meeting, following behind Alpha Marcus conversing with Jungkook and Jimin.

“Yeah, I think I am actually,” you respond with a small laugh of disbelief. You both watch your mate as he glances back at you with a warm smile, before continuing with his conversation as he marches onwards. Suddenly, a thought dawns on you that could prove diabolically heart-breaking and your breath hitches slightly, slowing you down in your tracks.

“Y/N?” Your dad stops you, looking at you like the concerned father he is, only serving as a reminder that’s probably the last time you will see that look for a long time.

“Dad,” you gulp, “Do- do you like him?” Your question, although vague, is clear as daylight to him. You can visibly see the relief on his face that you aren’t ill nor hurt, just worried, which makes him laugh a bit. You slow down a lot now, increasing the distance between you and the three men ahead of you, so you can quietly converse.

“Y/N, if he was an omega with no skills or money I’d still like him,” he declares, “if he makes you happy then he’s perfect, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Tears sting at your eyes suddenly as he confesses- he’s so brilliant. And you won’t see him for months and months.

“Poppet, don’t cry,” he brings you into a hug, rubbing your back with a gentle touch, “You’re going to have the best life I could ever have asked for you.” You sob harder into him, breathing jaggedly as he consoles you with his tender caressing.

Pulling back, he rubs away your tears with his thumbs caringly, “You’re just upset now, but once you’re out there you’ll forget all about me.”

“I could never forget about you,” you swallow back the rest of the tears, pursing your lips as your father watches your expression.

“Like you couldn’t forget about that hamster which died because you didn’t feed it?” He jokes, and through the tears you let out a shocked laugh, nudging him with your hand.

“I was 10, that wasn’t the same,” you chuckle, smiling up at him wistfully.

“Ah, there’s that smile,” he teases, pinching your cheek, “Let’s get you to your mate.”

Packing your things sends you into a storm of emotion: excitement, sorrow, apprehension, anticipation, anxiety. You can tell, however, a lot of these are a result of meeting your mate and staying unmarked, despite the significant amount of time that has passed. You distract yourself though, making a checklist of all the different things to bring. Firstly, your entire wardrobe. Because God knows you get through a lot of clothes, especially when you shift unexpectedly and shred them; a way in which you’ve lost many decent tops. Wolf cons. Next, all of your books and stationery and school stuff that could prove useful in Red Mood- Jungkook insists that he has all the supplies you could ever need, but you still want to use your own things. You pack a few photos from growing up here- for memory’s sake- and a few more sentimental objects in the form of a bracelet that belonged to your mother and a scrapbook Hoseok made you a couple of years ago. Other than that, you try to leave your room looking as close to how it looks before you leave to how it does afterwards. You aren’t entirely sure why you do this, but you still make an effort to do so.

Downstairs, everyone is waiting. June, Hoseok, Dad, Alpha Marcus and a fair few others from the pack all squashed into your small living room. Your eyes glisten at the sight of them all waiting to say goodbye to you. You approach June first, stood with her dad, holding a small box tied with a ribbon smelling incredible.

“Y/N,” she whimpers a little, “this is from the bakery,” she hands you the package, “They’re macarons- all raspberry because I know that’s the only flavour you really like.” Her breath is audible amongst her sobbing as she urgently pulls you into a hug, crushing the small package between your bodies.

“June,” you let out a small laugh at her urgency, manoeuvring the box behind her and encasing her right back.

She snuggles further into your neck with her eyes squeezed shut, “I’m gonna miss you so much.” You hold her tighter as her arms snake harder around the back of your neck.

“I’ll miss you too.”

“You’ll call me all the time, right?” She sniffles, and you only nod in response.

“I don’t know what I’ll do without you.”

“Well, don’t go running off to him,” you tell her, in a quiet enough voice only she can hear.

“Y/N,” she sighs.

“Just wait for your mate, okay?” You retreat from her grip and look her in the eyes, clutching the small package in your hand.

“I love you, J,” you tell her.

“I love you too.” Alpha Marcus takes her out of the house as she begins sobbing even more, bidding you farewell as he takes her under his arm, dropping his usual Alpha exterior and adopting the less-visible caring father.

You spend the next twenty minutes or so saying goodbye to various other members of the pack. Your old schoolmates, your boss from the little café you’d work at on the weekends, a few wolves you’d normally run with after school. You manage to keep yourself together until you finally reach Hoseok and your father, standing solidly by the sofa as they wait their turn.

“Hobi…,” you shut your eyes, dejectedly. He is one of the few people you undoubtedly want to stay in contact with and see as much of as you can, but you just have this gut feeling you will never have that chance with Jungkook’s jealousy he has already established.

“I’ll meet you outside, poppet,” your dad interrupts the moment of silence, leaving you alone in the living room, perhaps for the last time ever.

As soon as your father is out of the door, Hobi has his arms around you keeping you so tight against his chest you feel suffocated. On any other occasion, you would find your wolf unsettled being in the arms of a male other than your mate- especially one that’s unmated and directly expressed his interest in you-, but she accepts Hoseok. He’s been good to you.

“Y/N I don’t want you to go,” he whispers, pressing his chin to your shoulder.

“I know,” you sigh in agreement, taking your lip between your teeth as you nuzzle into him.

“I wanted things to stay like this forever. I hoped we’d both never find our mates so we could live together.” His confession breaks your heart, but also takes you away from your grief for a second as you pull away from him and look him in the eye.

“Hobi, you’re just saying these things because you’re sad. You don’t mean them- the second you find your mate you’ll feel different.”

“But I want you to be my mate.”

“Not as much as you’d want your real mate.” His eyes darken for a second, until he realises he’s blemishing your last few moments together, so instead closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath.

“God, I love you. I love you so much,” he declares, and regardless of the announcement being in a friendly or romantic way, you still reciprocate his words.

“I’ll miss you, Hobi. I’ll call you all the time, I promise.” You manage to force a fleeting smile and he takes your hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Well then,” he sighs, “guess I ought to let you go to the bastard then, eh?” He laughs slightly and you grin at him, ignoring your wolf’s minor stirring at his slandering of your mate.

Together, you walk out to your father, waiting in front of a sleek, black vehicle with Jimin sat in the front, but no Jungkook. After finding out he is speaking with his pack members and informing them of the meeting’s conclusions, you give both Hoseok and your father a final, long hug, inhaling both their scents deeply to keep them lingering as long as physically possible. After saying your final goodbyes and Jimin loading your suitcases into the back of the car, you slide into the front seat. Seconds later, the car is moving, and all you can see in the reflection of the wing mirrors is your father and Hobi’s figures, diminishing as you roll further and further away.

You reach the pack borders swiftly, making small conversation in the car with Jimin about the journey ahead as he sprays an unnatural amount of perfume over his wrists and neck. He tells you it’ll take about 36 hours of solid driving with only petrol stops and alternating drivers, and some of the stronger pack members are choosing to run which might take up to a week. The thought of making the journey on foot baffles you, but Red Moon haven’t gained their reputation over nothing.

As you leave your pack land, you see Jungkook conversing what appears to be rather tensely with a man of smaller stature, practically cowering under his gaze. As the car rolls up to the side of the road, however, Jungkook turns and calms himself.

You slide out of the car and smile at your mate, “Hey.” You greet awkwardly, waving your hand a little stiffly. Jungkook, still clearly quite tense, strides over to you and envelopes you into a sudden hug, burrowing his head into your neck to inhale your scent as a way to soothe his wolf. You initially stiffen at the contact he’s making, particularly in front of a few pack members, but your instincts take over as you find your arms snaking around his neck and pulling him closer to you.

“We need to start making tracks, Alpha,” Jimin speaks up after a few moments you’ve barely realised have passed, “It’ll be dark in a few hours and I’ve already heard word of unsettlement back at Red Moon.” Jungkook takes another breath in as he reluctantly moves his head away from your neck to look you in the eyes, and you can still sense his wolf’s presence overriding his control.

“I’ll drive with Y/N alone.,” Jungkook announces, adamantly. You find yourself scowling at his statement, along with Jimin.

“But, Alpha,” Jimin clambers to find a non-provocative tone, “I think it’d be wise to drive with other wolves so you can rest between-“

“I’ll drive with Y/N- alone. Don’t challenge me, Beta.” Jungkook’s Alpha tone yields silence at the side of the small country road, and by using Jimin’s rank he somewhat belittles him- at least in comparison to Jungkook’s Alpha status. Jimin nods in defeat which your mate takes as a signal to drag you over to his car by your hand, not even allowing you to say goodbye to Jimin before the journey.

You’re practically shoved into the passenger seat of the car and Jungkook fumbles with the seatbelt, leaning over you and snapping it over your body till he’s satisfied you’re strapped in tightly enough to go around to the driver’s seat and allow you to set off. The car is eerily quiet, when you go to turn on the radio Jungkook turns it straight off again without a word. Why’s he so grumpy all of a sudden.

“I thought you were going to be in a good mood since I chose to come with you,” you grumble, slumping into the leather seat and gazing out the window dejectedly.

“I was.” His curt response harvests another uncomfortable quiet looming over you like a blanket. Was? Right, so now you’ve left your family and your friends for a miserable mate.

You reach the first checkpoint promptly- after about half an hour of yourself and your mate’s silent journey you chose to plug your earphones in and listen to some chilled music, take a nap. You weren’t going to make an effort if Jungkook wasn’t either. He just gripped the steering wheel the whole time with a cold expression, driving always at least 15mph over the speed limit; not that you minded, the quicker you get to Red Moon the better it seems.

You get out at the petrol station to use the loo. After washing your hands, and giving yourself a brief pep talk in the mirror- along the lines of ‘you can do this, he’s probably just horny’-, you walk out to see Jimin and Jungkook seemingly arguing at an ATM outside. You want to go out there, to calm him down the way only one’s mate can, but you resist against your urges and begin browsing through the various aisles of food as a distraction. You don’t think Jungkook really deserves your comfort right now.

You pay for a few bits: a pot of fruit, some crisps, some kind of nut bar that you don’t entirely trust. Back outside, Jimin and Jungkook are still going at it so you walk straight past them towards the car with your bag of food, only for your mate to suddenly appear behind you and yank you back towards him.

“Where are you going?” Jungkook snarls, glowering at you through the fringe of his dark curls.

You adopt a suspicious expression as you pull back your wrist, “The car. Where else?” Your tone is sarcastic and a little cruel, but he’s been so distant this whole journey.

“You’re driving with Jimin now.” His declaration is curt, blunt.

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

“That’s not a reason.”

“Yes- it is.”

“You don’t just get to ‘say so’, give me a reason.”

“Hey,” he growls, employing an authoritative tone even you cannot overpower, “Watch your attitude. I’m your Alpha now.”

“Does the Luna get no say in anything?”

“You’re not the Luna yet.” Ouch. Tears prick at your eyes as you hold your breath in your throat. Literally this morning he was a completely different person. You try to disregard this as something his wolf is making him do, but deep down you believe otherwise. Jungkook is too powerful a personality to let his wolf be dictating him all the time.

As you, slightly embarrassed after being scolded by your mate, get into Jimin’s car, you hang your head a little lower than usual, your wolf feeling the urge to submit to authority after Jungkook went all Alpha on you. Jimin looks at you pitifully as you watch Jungkook’s car whizzing out of the service station onto the main road at lightning speed.

“So,” you strap the seatbelt around yourself after slamming the door shut, “What’s going on with him?”

Jimin wets his lip as you set off at a much slower pace to your mate, joining the main road carefully. You can tell Jimin is apprehensive to speak to you about his Alpha so personally, especially with some pack members carelessly chatting in the backseat, but your gaze is unforgiving and persistent.

“He’s just a little… stressed.” Jimin readjusts his grip awkwardly against the steering wheel as you bring your feet up onto the edge of the chair and rest your chin between your knees.

“Stressed?” You cry, in awe, “I just chose to leave my pack and my family and my friends for the man I barely know- who’s now ignoring me- and he’s stressed? I’m moving hundreds of miles away from my home, for fuck’s sake, and he didn’t even look at me the entire fucking journey.” You can feel your volume involuntarily increasing, but you don’t stop or quiet down, despite Jimin’s hushing you as the members in the back become a little alarmed at your outburst.

“He was so nice to me last night and this morning, but- but was that all a façade? An act to get me to come with him? A little trick to get me to willingly leave my pack so he’d have someone to carry his pups in the future? That little-“

“Y/N!” Jimin yells all of a sudden, ceasing any kind of noise in the car sans the low hum of the engine and whispers from the radio, “Y/N,” He breathes and lowers his voice significantly, “I suggest you stop slandering our Alpha’s name. It isn’t right.”

You suppose maybe it is a bad idea to insult an Alpha behind his back in front of his own Beta and pack members, but that doesn’t prevent the frown etching into your forehead. You purse your lips and flare your nostrils as Jimin stares ahead, a little less angry than you, but nonetheless particularly irritated.

“I saw him yelling at you too, I don’t know why you’re defending him,” you scoff, feeling yourself become a little petty and childish perhaps. You allow yourself these moments, however, because sometimes a girl just needs to be a little trivial.

“I was defending you, Y/N,” Jimin grumbles, “if you must know.” What? A pit falls in your stomach at his statement and the confusion smears across your face in the form of deeper scowling. You place your legs back down slowly and watch Jimin’s unreadable expression focused wholly on the road ahead.

“Me? Why were you defending me?” You interrogate, “What even did I do?”

“You must have noticed all the cologne I was using in the car before we left your pack, surely?” You had noticed actually, and even questioned him about it. He’d told you he liked to have a ‘musky scent’ which you just disregarded as a man-thing.

“I thought you just liked to use a lot of perfume,” you remark, sarcastically adding, “Sorry for not looking further into it.”

Jimin rolls his eyes at you, “I did it to try and cover up your scent. All you smelled of was that friend you have- the Hosak guy- whatever his name is.”

“Hoseok.”

“Right, him,” he dismisses, “You reeked of him. And I thought it’d be better if you smelled like my cologne to hide his scent after being in a car with me, but then Jungkook argued with a pack member and used your scent to calm him down and,” he sighs, “the cologne wasn’t going to cover up that wolf’s scent when he’s breathing down your damn neck.”  

Fuck. You didn’t even think. Guilt washes over you. You finally made amends with Jungkook and was ready to start afresh still smelling of the man he is perpetually jealous of. You slump into your seat and your head rolls back with a groan at the realisation of the situation, bringing your hands up to rub your eyes in frustration.

“So that’s why he got all aggy with me in the car, then?” you groan, “Can he not just talk to me?”

“He’s an Alpha. And from the way you smelled that wolf must’ve been all over you. He was close to driving back to Scarlet Oak to rip that boy apart. I convinced him that wouldn’t be the best thing to do right now, but he said he couldn’t stay in the car with you any longer smelling the way you do. I think he thought if you were alone in the car with him, he’d feel a lot calmer, but it just riled him up even more.”

The journey fades into a haze of greenery blurring past the car window, and those moments of sleep inertia between naps with your head rested against the seatbelt strapped over your shoulder. Jimin’s revelation makes you want to sleep, to just forget about your Alpha mate probably already at the pack at the speed he was going. As awful as it is, a part of you- a more wolf-dominated part of you- feels glad that Hoseok won’t be around to aggravate Jungkook any further. God knows he doesn’t need that.

When Jimin announces you are about an hour away after many a pit stop and hours passed in this increasingly cramped vehicle, you begin to notice the scenery slowly manipulating into a flurry of forests and lakes and mud paths, much like that you’d see in a serene outdoor holiday company leaflet. Apparently, you reached Red Moon territory a couple of hours back, but it’s so vast it reaches from the town all the way up to the north into the mountains where the main pack housing is situated; it’s far easier to stay defended and safe when you can see any approaching enemy from the height of a mountain.

Your wolf is practically howling at the sight of such beautiful landscapes where you could run for miles without running out of land. Back at Scarlet Oak, June and yourself were only ever able to run to the beach and back if you wanted a long run, there was never any variation, but here there seems to be endless designated routes to let your wolf loose on. The land epitomises splendour, but a pack member that has been driving for the past couple of hours, Ralph, tells you about all the rogue attacks that have managed to somehow infiltrate the heavily guarded land, much to Jungkook’s dismay.

“It’s been a difficult few months. The attacks are becoming more frequent and lately some of our wolves have been getting seriously injured fending them off,” he explains quietly, so not to disturb the others sleeping soundly in the back seats.

“How are they even approaching the land without being seen?”

“We don’t know. They leave no footprints, no tracks; their approaches are faultless.”

“But we will find out how they are getting in,” Jimin suddenly chirps up from the backseat, leaning forward between you, “They aren’t magic, Ralph.” The Beta’s tone seems somewhat scolding, probably for releasing a bit much information to you than he should’ve, but you’re all distracted quickly by your passing through some large, steel gates towering over you intimidatingly. Red Moon.

previous / next / masterlist

“I need to talk with my mate,” Jungkook glowers, analysing every moment in abundant detail as he takes very deliberate breaths, clearly trying to sniff out how much of Jin’s scent lingers in his bedroom.

“Of course, Alpha,” Jin hurriedly gathers the rest of the food, struggling with it in his arms as he scurries to the door. He turns to you under the arch, nodding curtly, “Luna.” He finally gives a small smile before leaving, with the sound of clattering some moments later.

You sigh, avoiding Jungkook’s eyes, “I should help him.” But before you’re able to reach the door, your mate steps into the way to stop you.

“He’ll be fine,” he insists, “Won’t you talk to me?”

You curl your lips in an irritated manner, “You seem to do as you please no matter what I say, Alpha.” Jungkook winces at the memory, clearly trying to maintain control over his wolf despite your provoking; he’s determined not to yield to those primitive instincts biting at his tongue, telling him to tower over and intimidate you into submission. But he won’t do that- he won’t allow his actions to be governed by nature this time, this time he’ll think.

“Y/N,” He looks at you wholeheartedly, with a sense of sincerity that cannot be feigned, “Y/N, I’m so unbelievably sorry for what happened that night; just- I cannot even think about the way you were crying and trying to stop me and-“ He cuts himself off, trying to find a way to phrase it that doesn’t sound so entirely morbid.

You stay standing a good metres distance from him as he slumps on the foot of the bed, head held in his hands as they rub over his cheeks, “I hate myself for getting out of control the way I did,” he continues, “It was wrong and I admit that I honestly would do anything to undo it.”

“You can’t undo it,” you bite back, desperate not to look at him else you have a feeling you could cave.

“I know it’s unforgivable. And I know if we were human and not mated then I would have no chance on earth of you ever being able to look at me lovingly or caringly and be able to forgive me fully ever again, but we’re mates and I- I can’t lose you I-,“ When his voice breaks your heart lurches enough to make your stomach churn. He exhales deeply to level out his breathing, “I understand if you hate me right now. I also understand if you’re overwhelmed from going from Theta to Luna, I-“

“I’m not,” you interrupt, cautiously, “I’m not overwhelmed by it.”

He lets a small smile slip through in admiration, wondering how in hell’s name he could ever hurt you the way he did, “It’s okay if you are. And it’s okay if you-,” He pauses, trying to form the words with profound difficulty, “It’s okay if you want to be separate from me for a while. If that means living separately, or- or not seeing each other so you can have some space then that’s okay.”

It’s an automatic response that your brows are raised and lips part slightly in shock. Are you hearing this right? You watch as his body tenses, head falling back to face the ceiling with his eyes squeezed shut, trying to contain his emotions.

When he looks at you again, you feel his pain, “When you ran, when Jin came running to tell me, I’ve never felt so out of control. I have control over everything; my pack, my life, my money, my land, my- my anything. But you’re the one thing that I can’t control and- and I want to give you more freedom, even though you’ve got to know my wolf is telling me not to. And especially after finding you with Taehyung I just couldn’t even control- I mean, I couldn’t stand you being with another wolf, let alone another Alpha, so- so, I’m shit at this.” He shakes his head, scolding himself.  “I’m just trying to say that I’m fighting everything I am to try and make this work, so please, please, will you just understand?”

The room falls quiet with contemplation from the both of you, trying to piece together the shattered pieces of your relationship with some desperation. You’ve never seen an Alpha this way, so vulnerable and open. By nature, they’re inclined to keep their emotions reserved and at bay, and you’ve no doubt it was his Beta to coax him into doing this, but nonetheless he’s opened up to you, and that in itself is an achievement; a step forwards.

Forgiving him may be a stupid idea. Maybe this is all an act, just a way to coverup his lack of control and manipulate you into forgiveness till he does something worse. But he’s also your mate, the only man on this earth that could ever make you truly happy, and you’ve really nothing but the option to give him the benefit of the doubt.

You gulp, breathing heavily, slowly deliberating your actions, “I- I want some days to myself.”

His head snaps towards you, “What?”

“I- ,” You drag your lower lip between your teeth, “When I want time to myself I want you to give it to me. I want my own space too.”

“Like your own room?” He near chokes out with reluctance, and you have to stop yourself from rolling your eyes in response.

You sigh, “Not exactly, just some place that is only mine. But if I were to want my own room then-“

“Then you’d get it.” Your mate stands up, a small smile poking at the corner of his lips.

As he takes a step towards you, you aren’t even sure what to do, where to go. You hate feeling this nervous around your mate, but simultaneously there’s the wolf part of you that just wants to forgive him at this point- to just launch yourself into his arms and embrace him with the love of newlyweds. You’ve never felt so conflicted in your life. And you’ve no more time to think as he approaches you hesitantly, head bowed slightly with a nervous posture.

“So-,” he stammers slightly, “Is- I don’t mean to pressure you, I just-“ His difficulty to ask for forgiveness prompts you enough to speak up, not really thinking.

You interrupt him rapidly, quick to justify yourself, “It’s your only chance of a fresh start. I’m not going to go through that again. I want my mate, not an Alpha that I’m scared of being with. And if you do then I’ll-”

“I’ll never hurt you.” He finally gives into his instincts, bringing you into his arms and squeezing you against his chest tightly. You forgot how good he smelled, wafting up your nose like the aroma of a fresh bakery, and sprigs of lavender in the summer. You’re already intoxicated.

It’s muffled, but you hear him mumble into your shoulder, “Please don’t run again. I can’t handle that. Anything but that.”

It feels so incredible to be close to your mate again, and you too feel the pull of your wolf aching to hold him, so you hesitantly bring your arms up to snake around his waist, feeling the muscle ripple beneath your touch. He responsively curls closer into you, bringing your bodies as close as humanly possible, clinging desperately like magnets.

He pulls back briefly to rest his forehead against yours, igniting your whole body alight with warmth and security; worlds away from after that night.

“I want to take you away. I want to go somewhere it’s just you and me and there’s no Rogues, nor packs to worry about, and no damn Epsilons getting in the way.”

You let out a small laugh, looking up at him with a tender glint in your eye, “I’d like that.”  

“You would?” He seems taken aback, and you subconsciously lean into him as his doe eyes glimmer at you with surprise, revelling in the effect you have on him. What you don’t expect, however, is him to take your movement as an opportunity to lean in and kiss you. The moment his lips press to yours, you snap back, equally as shocked.

He sucks in a shallow breath, stuttering for a second, “Fuck, sorry, I- that wasn’t-“

You swiftly lean back into him, pulling his lips back against yours with fervent desire, fuelled by his hands instinctively falling to your waist and holding you against him. You back up slowly against the force of his kiss, desperately savouring the taste after he so nearly lost you. The strength of the wall offers a brace for you to push harder against your mate, the feel of his tongue softly gliding across your lower lip sending you and your wolf into a frenzy as your hands run up his back and into the strands of his hair, clutching onto the dark locks.

A moan slips through your lips when he rolls his hips into you, and you fleetingly open your eyes to look at each other to see your mate’s usual chocolate orbs have turned a lustful black, shining with desire. He rapidly darts into your neck, pressing his lips to the outline of your mark and a shot of adrenaline pulses through you like bullets, making you weak in the legs enough so that his hands slip under your shirt to hold you up.

The feel of your bare skin under his touch urges him to bring the fabric up higher till his hands are able to reach up to the wire of your bra, tracing the outline of your breast when suddenly the door clicks open.

“Get out!” Jungkook roars, immediately pulling back and instinctively pressing himself against you to cover your hitched up shirt, hands slammed against either side of your head.

“Oh-“ The door slams shut, and Jin retreats back into the hall at the speed of light, although you’re somewhat thankful of his intrusion. You’ve no idea what would’ve happened had he not.

Jungkook looks at you, realising his position and moving back to allow you to pull your shirt back down and step away from the wall.

“I’m sorry,” he coughs, rubbing at his eyes and you try to look anywhere but the intimidating tent that has formed in the crotch of his trousers.

You attempt to obscure a laugh as he ‘adjusts’ himself, “It’s okay.”

He notices your concealment, tilting his head with a humorous glint, “Something funny?”

“No.” You close your eyes, unsuccessful in refraining from smiling widely, entirely entertained by the situation.

“Oh, really?” He challenges, approaching you again with his hands curled as you retreat back with profuse apologies. However, he doesn’t acknowledge them, instead pouncing forwards to begin pinching at yours sides and your belly, making you squirm and squeal beneath him through bouts of laughter.

“No, no, no!” You cry, laughing loudly when Jimin comes bursting through the door, glancing around frantically as if he were on a police raid. When he processes the two of you, however, he falls timid, lowering his gaze to the floor and bowing his head.

“Alpha, Luna, I- I’m sorry, I thought- I thought something else had…,” he trails off, immediately dampening the mood as Jungkook removes his hands from you, everyone thoroughly uncomfortable, bar Jin who stands behind Jimin in the corridor, unenlightened on the situation.

“I’m sorry for intruding,” Jimin reasserts himself, “But there’s a code green down at the South border; it’s Rogues, Alpha.”

Jungkook mutters a curse under his breath, dismissing the two wolves hastily and turning to you with an apologetic look, and you already know what he’s going to say; expect it, even.

“It’s okay.” You stop him, giving him a pitiful smile, “You have Alpha things to do.”

“I’ll be back later, I promise.” He kisses you gently on the forehead and squeezes your hand before making a prompt exit, and you’re left alone again.

“She what?” You smile down the landline at your father, curling your arms around your knees to bring them in closer to your chest.

“She thought I was cheating, she was trying to test me,” he explains, chuckling throatily at the same time.

“Did you pass?”

“Only just,” he teases, and you can feel him smiling through the phone, “You sound much happier, poppet.”

You sigh somewhat contentedly, “I certainly feel better.”

“I told you, love, it takes time.”

You glance at the clock on the wall, processing the time and exhaling deeply, “Dad, it’s late. You should get some sleep.”

“Are you implying that I’m old?” He counters, jokily.

“Dad!” You whine, “I’m gonna hang up now. You need to sleep.”

“Alright, poppet. I’ll talk to you soon. Wish my best to Jungkook?”

“I will. I love you.”

“You too.” You place the landline back on the hub in Jungkook’s office, sighing fondly at the voice of your father still ringing in your ears. You miss him immensely. More than you could ever have imagined when leaving Scarlet Oak. You worry every day whether he’s eating properly, sleeping well, going out often rather than staying inside all the time studying his books and treating his patients. He’s often too compassionate, placing others before himself when really he should be taking more care and focusing on his own health. If only he wasn’t so stubborn, maybe he would be down one bad back and up a few friends. You exhale, you can dream.

You turn to leave when a slightly wedged open drawer catches your eye and you make a double take. You don’t even think as you open it a little more, pulling back the mahogany to reveal another picture frame, the glass shattered into thousands of pieces littering the bottom of the wood. You carefully lean down to shake off the various sharp segments, picking up the image to get a better look.

The man. Jungkook’s father. It shows the two of them in the pack house, looking over some documents on a desk, rather seriously. His father, however, looks immeasurably proud, an arm over the back of his son gripping onto a pencil as he writes on one of the forms. They look happy. So what on earth happened? You don’t risk lurking around any further, placing everything back the way you found it and trudging out of the office.

“Y/N-“ Jin’s voice startles you enough you jump back, eyes wide and chest heaving with fright, “Shit, sorry, I was looking for you.”

“Why didn’t you call for me first?” You heave.

He shrugs, nonchalantly, “Alpha’s waiting for you.”

You frown in response, but after some questioning it’s clear he hasn’t a clue what it’s about, thus the two of you bundle into his jeep, chatting aimlessly about things, both actively ignoring the somewhat compromising position you and your mate were caught in earlier.

“What happened with the Rogue attack?” You ask, igniting a conversation as you fiddle cautiously with the belt strapped over your chest and ignoring the awkward atmosphere.

“It was only a few; nothing we couldn’t handle. Most of them retreated, too,” he explains, and you nod in response.

“Did you fight?”

“Nah, I only fight in the difficult stuff.” He looks over at you and raises his eyebrows jokily, and you subconsciously reach out your arm to hit him, making the car swerve across the road.

“Y/N!” He gasps, “I’m driving!”

“Oops,” you deadpan, highly entertained by his outraged expression and slack jaw.

“You’re mad,” he tuts, exhaling to calm himself, “I don’t need to get into any more trouble.”

When you reach the town you head straight into the pack house, Jin glued to your side after the previous time you were here, not wanting to repeat history. You ignore his proximity, however, instead your attention is drawn to the crowd of wolves outside, just lingering as they talk amongst themselves, clearly out of place.

“What are they doing here?” You ask, but Jin just shrugs in response, ushering you through the door somewhat frantically.

Once inside, you are guided down a hallway ridden with pictures of previous Alphas and pack members, and various achievements on Newspaper cut-outs or medals or trophies. It’s odd, though, how you don’t see a single memoir or photo of the man you assume to be Jungkook’s father, the previous Alpha. You’re distracted as you near the room at the end, a certain familiar smell enveloping you warmly.

Jin opens the door for you, allowing you inside before shutting it behind and leaving you to the lone presence of your mate.

“Y/N,” Jungkook grins, walking over to you to encase you in his arms; baffling the hell out of you. Why is it so weird to see him affectionate? Then you realise the room has been emptied by him, hence all the wolves stood loitering outside.

“Hey…” Babe? Love? Gorgeous? Mate? “Alpha…” Fuck.

He frowns down at you, “Don’t call me Alpha.” His tone is cold and demanding, bringing his hands up to cup your face, “Call me handsome.” His tone changes entirely and the wink that follows makes you laugh, and you come to the conclusion you thoroughly enjoy this side of him, and you’ll enjoy it for as long as it lasts.  

“What do you want?” You grin, pushing at his shoulder to look at the array of documents strewn across the table, catching your eye.

“Yes, right,” he refocuses himself, placing his palm on your lower back to guide you to the files and sucking in a breath through his teeth. “These are the official documents regarding your Luna duties, and your official welcoming into the pack.” He squeezes at your waist and rests his chin on your shoulder as you pick up one of the certificates, thumbing the corner as you scan it meticulously.

“They’re going to begin readying for your introduction tomorrow; it’ll be sorted by next week.” He turns you to face him and take your attention from the form, grin still firm on his lips, “It’s always a great time for the pack, especially with all the shit with those Rogues, it’ll be a welcomed distraction. I’ll take you into the town to get a dress tailored tomorrow. I think you’ll look gorgeous in green…” His head begins leaning down towards you when you turn rapidly away, moving from his grip and back to the documents on the table.

“I thought we were going to do this slowly, Jungkook,” you say, back facing him as you nervously graze over the papers.

“I thought you weren’t overwhelmed about being Luna?”

You begin tripping over your words in regret, “No, I- It’s not that I’m overwhelmed, I just- making it official?” You turn to face him, “Already?”

His face falls slightly, hurt by your refusal, “I thought you forgave me.”

You sigh, “I have. But, the official Luna? That’s so- it’s so- final. I don’t know, maybe it is a bit daunting. I don’t know.”

You slump down onto one of the chairs with a huff, one arm resting on the wood and the other raking through your hair, pushing it out of your face to get a better look at the various contracts and duties you’ll need to fulfil. A lot is required of a real Luna; a certain way you should act, look, be. Alphas are raised for their rank, they’re groomed to be the perfect Alphas. A Luna has to learn from the moment she’s mated, and so much more is expected of the female regarding socialising with the pack members and keeping the peace. Maybe you’ve been in denial the whole time, you conclude.

Jungkook ambles over to you carefully, watching the anxiety ripple into you in waves, “You don’t want to be officialised yet?” He sits across from you, cautiously leaning over to rub one of your hands, and you allow the comfort, calming your nerves as he gently caresses the flesh.

“You said you would give me space, and I could do what I want, when I want. And this is what I want to do.” Your tone is firm, riddled with finality, and it pleases you to see your mate accept it. Granted, he isn’t very good at concealing his disappointment- every wolf yearns to show off their mate to the public- he still grants you this though, and that’s quite the improvement.

He lets out a deep breath, releasing your hand and running his own up and down his thighs, “Well then, let’s get home. I’m exhausted after today. Have you eaten yet?”

The house feels bizarre with Jungkook downstairs cooking as you sit in your bedroom, landline in your hands and thoughts racing through your head like hell-hounds. He won’t answer. He won’t talk to you. The feeling of rejection bites at your pride, but you can’t let that stop you. You won’t let it stop you.

If Jungkook is making an effort with you, surely you must be inclined to make an effort with your best friend, that you knew long before your mate. You should at least try.

“Hey… Hobi. It’s Y/N. I- I just wanted to say that I don’t care what you and June do, or what you don’t do- I just want to let you know that I love you, and you can talk to me. And I’d love a friend. I miss you so much it hurts, and the second you get this please call me back. I’ll keep calling until you do. I’ll see you soon, Hobi. I love you.”

previous / next / masterlist

Jimin escorts you to the millionth car of the past couple of days where you are able to briefly see the actual inhabitants of Red Moon, just leading their daily lives. It’s bizarre seeing all these people greet one another with hugs, kisses, gifts, smiles, laughter. Knowing you will have an important role in all of these people’s lives dawns on you rather scarily, but you still feel a grin poking at the corner of your lips when one man launches into his mate’s arms at full speed, swooping her into a loving kiss so passionate you feel as if you’re intruding on it just watching from the car where they cannot even see you. You feel a little jealous at the sight, considering Jungkook has barely touched you, let alone kissed you, nor marked you, nor… anything else, but you shove those thoughts aside, after today you probably shouldn’t get your hopes up.

You drive for a further 20 minutes, down a couple of miles long dirt path towards your new home. When you finally drive past all the hordes of evergreen trees your jaw drops. The house is so open and light, covered in vast floor-to-ceiling windows that scope around the expanse of the wooden exterior. Your eyes flit up to the chimney roaring upwards and you can’t help the smile that etches into your expression. Ever since being a little kid, you always wanted a fireplace to get all cosy by in those bite-y winter evenings, but your house was always too little to accommodate one, so the thought you’ve finally got one to yourself enlivens you immensely. The whole house is raised on a platform, with a wooden staircase looking rather inviting trailing up to the grand front door, gazing at you with its huge mahogany slates cascading metres high.

“Wow,” you gulp, as Jimin swerves the car around so your side is closer to the house.

He watches you, amused, “Our Alpha knows how to build a good house, eh?”

“He built it?” You gasp.

“With the help of a few other wolves before he became Alpha. His parents originally asked him to build a treehouse to develop his practical skills, for a good Alpha should be well-rounded, but it turned out he had quite the knack for building things, and ended up planning out and building a whole damn house,” Jimin explains, as you look back at the building, admiring all of the deep brown planks blanketing the exposed walls above and below the enormous windows.

A thought slithers its way into your head as Jimin speaks of Jungkook, “Is he here?” You question, a little unsure of what exactly you want the answer to be.

“Well his car is. But he might be out on a run, or back at the town. Ironically, he’s a lot harder to track on his own land than he is anywhere else in the whole country,” Jimin chuckles, lightening the mood.

You hesitantly step out of the car and haul your luggage from the boot, Jimin waving you off and wishing you luck before you slam the backdoor shut and he drives off down the dirt road into the distance. You turn to face the house, and before you can comprehend the situation your feet are taking you up the steps towards the door, which has been left unlocked.

As you step inside, you’re greeted by just as magnificent an interior as you expect. The ceiling stands two floors high and balls of light hang down the centre of the room where a small seating area has been carved into the floor with a TV and a coffee table. The kitchen to the left is all open plan too; expensive looking granite slating the countertops gleams like a freshly polished antique, and the remainder of the space is covered with plants, artwork, books. The place is beautiful.

You turn the corner and are greeted with two doors, one leading to a bathroom, the other to an office. Clearly Jungkook’s office. Part of you wants to step past the door that’s been left open, revealing only a teasing glint of a rosewood desk and silver screen, but you refrain from doing so. You don’t think he’d appreciate you raiding his things at this particular moment.

You move towards the spiral staircase in the final corner of the room, heading up warily to find a king-size bed facing a wall-width window with a view of the treetops, as if you’re floating in the air. You move to the window and press your palm against the glass, peering down into the ambush of greenery beaming at you. At the back of the room lays another bathroom with a ‘his-and-hers’ sink, and bath overlooking yet another view of the evergreen forest you’re hidden in.

As you still feel yourself attempting to process everything, the clanging of suitcases downstairs alerts you of a new presence. Jungkook. He must be carrying in your bags. A smile pricks at your lips as you dart back to the spiral stairs, whizzing down them, only to be greeted by an entirely different face. In fact, two different faces.

“Um,” you splutter, “excuse me?” The man faffing with your luggage suddenly snaps his head up, looking rather alarmed you’ve caught him clearly struggling.

“Fuck, God, I mean- no, sorry- shit- I was just-,” he cuts himself off with a sigh, closing his eyes dramatically, “I’m Seokjin. Jin, I mean, you can call me Jin. I’ve been assigned as your guard. Alpha Jungkook told me to bring in your luggage and get you anything you need.” Your new guard gulps as you stand awkwardly three steps up from the landing, gripping the bannister with a nervous hand.

“Oh, right,” you speak up, a little disheartened it wasn’t Jungkook to sort out your earlier falling out. If it even was a falling out. He should’ve talked to you, so technically it isn’t your fault. If he’d spoken to you, you could’ve explained that you were just saying goodbye and it didn’t mean-

“Y/N?” Jin brings you back to reality after a fleeting distraction of your mate.

“Sorry?”

“Would you like your bags upstairs?” He offers, picking up one of the duffel bags.

You nod fervently, “Yes, right, sorry, of course.” You jump down the rest of the steps and move aside so he’s able to haul your things up into the new room.

As he’s moving all of your stuff, you quickly head into the kitchen, calling out to him if he would like a drink while you’re there.

“Just a water, please!” He yells back, before cursing as he must’ve dropped something which makes you wince momentarily, but you don’t think you have anything particularly expensive in those bags, which is relieving.

Jin jogs back down the stairs and over to the kitchen where he sits across from you at the counter, and you lean back against the other side, watching him silently.

“So, you’re the new Luna then,” Jin smiles, initiating a conversation. You look down, flustered after Jungkook’s words and unsure what answer to give.

“I guess,” you mumble, fingering the glass pressed against your stomach.

Jin’s brows furrow at your response, “You guess?”

You shrug, dismissively, looking back up at him in a desperate plea to change the subject. You wet your lips before asking, “So, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s your position in the pack?”

“I don’t mind at all,” he insists, with a chuckle, “My father is an Epsilon, so Alpha Jungkook said this would be a good opportunity for me to get some training in as a guard… but a part of me thinks it’s far more to do with keeping you safe and, well, under wraps to say the least.” Being an Epsilon at Red Moon must be a demanding job at this time, as they work as guardians; they’re the patrollers and have to give up most of their time to protecting the pack. But you guess it’s what they’re genetically suited to, although that doesn’t always mean they like to spend their time that way.

“Oh, so how old are you?” You inquire, curiously.

“24, but only as of very recently,” he announces, “And yourself? If it’s no intrusion?” Your hesitance around each other is almost amusing, but you only let a polite smile slip through as you bow your head a little.

“Certainly not, I’m 19.” Your revelation causes him to raise his eyebrows in shock.

“19? You’re so young. You must be one of the youngest Lunas alive,” he gapes.

“Well suited to one of the youngest Alphas then, too,” you joke, and he laughs at your comment, taking another sip of his water.

“Perfectly.”

You continue chatting like this for a while, till nightfall even. You talk mostly about each other, but also about the pack and all the ‘gossip’ that’s been going round lately. You’re glad Jin has been assigned to be your guard, he’s kind and easy to talk to. The closest thing you’ll probably get to a Red Moon version of Hoseok. Speaking of-

“Oh!” You gasp, suddenly reaching for your phone as Jin stands up with his ears pricking in alertness. His widened eyes watch you frantically as you swiftly scroll through your contacts until you find Hobi’s name at the bottom. You press the call button and bring it up to your ear, only now noticing Jin’s ‘are-you-kidding’ look.

Shrugging at Jin with a cheeky smile, Hoseok finally answers, “Y/N?” His voice is raspy over the phone, raspier than usual.

“Hoseok,” you frown, “Were you asleep?”

“Just took a nap,” he groans, and you can hear shuffling at his end of the line. In fact, you can hear quite a lot of shuffling.

“Hobi?” You ask, apprehensively, “Are you with someone?”

“No, of course not,” he insists, “Who would I be with?”

You can hear his feet carrying him away as you hear a female voice mumbling his name. But this isn’t just any female.

“Hoseok,” you feel your stomach drop to your feet, “That wasn’t- that isn’t-“ The line is silent on the other end, which confirms all that you think.

“Oh my fucking God Hobi you did not- this better not be what I think it is.” You feel nauseous. Jin begins to look worried as you move over to the window, clutching the arm holding the phone up to your ear with your free hand.

“She isn’t mated,” he defends, after a few moments.

You laugh emotionlessly at his answer, “She’s Alpha Marcus’ daughter. And my friend,” you spit, “Since when did you and June become all chummy then?” You don’t know how you feel exactly about this situation, but it sure as hell isn’t nice.

“We’ve been friends for a while,” he counters.

You roll your eyes, “You know how much trouble you’ll be in if Alpha Marcus finds out. Why on Earth would you do something so stupid!”

“I was sad and she was sad. It just happened.”

You pause for a moment. “What, because I left?” You inquire, shocked.

“For fucks sake, Y/N, not everything is about you!” Hobi’s voice increases in volume down the line and you flinch away from the phone, “I was fucking sad that’s it, and she broke it off with Yoongi or whatever his name is. Why do you have to be the centre of everything all the fucking time?”

Hoseok’s spiteful words hit you. Hard. After all the time you’ve spent arguing with Jungkook over him, defending his honour, and now he’s spitting abuse at you as easily as he breathes. You can’t say anything; you’re too shocked at his sudden change of personality to even utter a word.

“Whatever, Y/N. Call me another time. I’m not in the mood to listen to your shit anymore. You aren’t here to rub it in my face now, anyway.” And then the phone silences.

Jin steps towards you as a tear rolls down your cheek and you drop your phone to the floor. He looks rather conflicted as whether to comfort you closely, or keep his distance, after all Jungkook has proved his dislike for other males touching you already. He decides on the latter, instead offering you a seat on the couch and asking if you need him to stay, if you want to talk about it. You shake your head no, allowing him to leave, but first he clears up the mess your shattered phone has made on the floor. At least you won’t feel tempted to make any calls now.

“If you need anything, just use the landline,” Jin tells you, sat beside you on the couch, “I’ll alert the Alpha that I’ve left.” He smiles one last time before leaving fretfully, upset with himself that he’s unable to cheer you up.

Once the door clicks shut, you take a minute to head upstairs, straight out of your clothes into an oversized t-shirt and curling up into the double bed, adorned in a dark grey duvet. You feel a little numb. You cannot process still the way Hoseok talked to you, why he talked to you that way, why he slept with June, what is going through his head. All these questions keep you stirring and whimpering in your sleep, still slightly awake no matter how hard you try to shut everything out.

DIVIDE

“Y/N,” you hear a voice slur from the bedroom door, flicking on the light. You wince at the sudden brightness bombarding the space, revealing Jungkook with dark, bloodshot eyes and a bottle of whiskey in his hand.

“Jungkook?” You rasp, wiping away the stains the tears left on your cheeks, “What time is it?” You glance outside, and it’s pitch black still- must be at least 2am.

“The time doesn’t matter,” he places the bottle, a little clumsily, on the dresser, and slowly begins to stalk over to you with a predatory gaze.

“Jungkook,” you gulp, “What are you doing?”

His strides are slow and steady, quite impressive for his clear drunken state, and you retreat back against the headboard with every step he takes.

“You need to stay still,” he orders, and your eyes widen as he reaches the bed, kneeling on the edge and grabbing your ankles tightly, pulling you down before you can scramble away.

“Jungkook, no,” you begin to weep as he yanks you further till you’re beneath his body, unable to move under his Alpha strength and his head is nearing your neck.

For a brief second, you make a conscious effort to try and enjoy yourself. To try and think ‘wow, this is the man you want to spend your life with’, but all those thoughts are clouded by the vision of him forcing his canines into your neck and clamping down with unnecessary force as he claims you, despite your thrashing and screaming out for him not to.

DIVIDE

You must’ve passed out after Jungkook bit you, because you wake up to a guilty looking Alpha sat across from you on the bed with his head in his hands, restlessly tapping his leg. You go to move, to lift yourself up, but your whole body aches from your thrashing out last night- particularly your neck which is stiff and throbbing. Your arm rapidly moves up towards the mark where you can feel the blood that has crusted over your flesh and the still soft marks where Jungkook installed his claim. How dare he.

“Y/N,” he notices your struggle and moves over to help you, but he’s quick to stop in his tracks when you begin sobbing hysterically. You can’t help it- the tears just won’t stop and, although your head is telling you not to, you’re soon clambering into your mate’s arms seeking a comfort only he can provide. You know it’s just your racing hormones governing your actions, but that doesn’t make them any less powerful. He cradles you gently, clearly trying to forbear his own tears when he sees you in such pain, while also thankful you’re still yearning for his security.

You don’t know how long you stay like this. You, weeping like a hurt child in his arms, continue to cling onto his shirt as the fabric soaks with your confused tears, rubbing a little uncomfortably against his skin. He finally pulls up your face to rub his thumb along your cheeks as you hold your breath momentarily, finding some relief as you begin to calm down the more he touches you, holds you.

“Y/N I’m so sorry,” he mutters, still caressing your face, “I don’t know what came over me.”

His defence is futile, but you’re too frail and emotional yourself to argue with him right now. From your aching physical state to your drained mentality, you just cannot fight with him today. So you simply nod in response, wordlessly burying yourself back into his neck to calm your wolf and envelope yourself in his scent- an unrivalled aroma that brings you an scary amount of repose.

All day you’re in bed. Jungkook leaves a couple of hours later, stroking your head and apologising again before leaving to attend to pack duties. Jin arrives a little under ten minutes later. And he was rather shocked, to say the least, finding you bawling in the bedroom, barely even functioning enough to be classified as a living being.

You’re glad he was here yesterday, it means he thinks you’re still hung up on Hoseok and June’s little ‘rendezvous’ rather than your mate’s forceful claiming. God, you wish you could talk to them. But you can’t call them. You can’t talk to them. You feel this sense of- betrayal? Perhaps- that dawdles in your mind and prevents you from picking up the landline to call home.

Their newly-acquired… friendship, however, doesn’t affect you swiftly phoning your father.

“Dad,” you hum down the phone, careful to dismantle any residual dejection on your tongue, “I miss you.”

His laugh sparks a glint of warmth in you, that you haven’t felt since you were last with him, “Hello to you too. I miss you, poppet.”

“How’ve you been?” You put the phone on loudspeaker and rest it on your knees over the duvet as you curl up, clutching onto your mug of tea as the steam wafts up and dampens your skin.

“You’ve only been gone a few days,” you can practically hear his smile, “I’ve just been catching up on some reading. It’s unusually quiet without you here, and I haven’t seen Hoseok since you left.”

You falter, fleetingly, “Oh, weird,” you dismiss, taking a sip from your cup, “I made a new friend here. Well- ‘friend’, he’s been assigned as my guard, but he’s lovely.” You imagine Jin can hear your flattery from downstairs with his wolf-like hearing, but you enjoy the notion of him fully understanding your appreciation of his presence here. As it stands, he’s the only normal pack wolf you know in Red Moon.

“That’s great, Y/N- you deserve to have someone close by when Jungkook isn’t around,” you gulp at his name, “How is he, by the way?” And once again, your façade oscillates as you choke a sob, but you conceal it by holding your palm over your mouth, letting it linger there for a few moments. “Y/N?”

“Good,” you stammer, “He’s fine. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.” Idiot.

The silence on your father’s end of the line is proof enough he’s picked up on your poor skills at acting inconspicuously, “Y/N,” he breathes, “Did something happen?”

You swallow, placing down your mug on the bedside table, “I just- feel- a little… emotional, is all. I’m just a little drained.”

“Have you been fighting?”

“No, no,” you lie, partially, “I- he marked me.”

You can hear him clap and laugh down the phone in absolute joy, “Y/N, that’s fantastic! Now your bond will truly kickstart- no wonder you’re emotional!”

Your heart sinks to your stomach as you realise you cannot tell him either of your problems. You cannot tell anyone.

“You’re right,” you’re not surprised you’re crying again, “I think it probably is just the mark. I should go. He’ll be back soon.”

“Alright, poppet. Be sure to say hello to him for me.”

“I will.”

“Alright, then. I’ll talk to you soon. Love you, poppet.”

“Love you more.”

After hanging up the phone, you decide to head downstairs, obdurate not to allow yourself to become a recluse after these past couple of days. You precariously make your way down each step, clinging onto the bannister as your only support before sluggishly dragging your feet along the landing towards the living area, where Jin is sat not paying attention to some generic action movie on the tv while he engages with a seemingly more interesting game on his phone. You sigh, finally letting a smile slip through at the sight of some normalcy amongst all your frenetic thoughts.

When you appear from the side of the sofa, he does a double take, practically launching his phone onto the pillows in fright as he clutches on to his heart, scrambling against the armrest.

“My god,” he pants, holding a palm to one of his eyes, “God, you scared me.”

You smile, perhaps reluctantly, but a smile nonetheless, “Sorry.”

“It’s alright, Luna,” Jin’s use of your rank reminds you of your place at Red Moon, and is what initiates your desire to get out of the house.

In fact, as you begin to think more about it, you become increasingly distressed about staying here, with the image of Jungkook forcefully claiming you haunting your visions of the house. You have Jin, you know, but you’ve barely known him a day and he’s loyal to his Alpha. You have nobody here, really. Nobody at home and nobody here.

But if you were to get away- to leave, just leave by yourself without anyone’s knowledge. You could just hide away for a bit, gather your thoughts and try and think about everything that’s going on, as well as try and forget the image of Jungkook pinning you down. You know, as an Alpha, he wouldn’t allow you if you asked that of him, and your father would never approve of you leaving a pack to fend for yourself, for even just a little while. If only.

“Can we go visit the town for a bit?” You request, concealing your true intentions with a curious tone.

Jin looks at you cautiously, hesitating a bit, “I don’t know,” he stumbles, “I wasn’t told if you’re allowed out.”

“Allowed out?” You inquire, “Surely the Alpha wouldn’t want you to keep me cooped up in here.” You know it’s a petty retort, but it’s a necessary advance.

“Maybe I should call him first?” He suggests, going to reach for the phone he launched into the sofa before you groan in protest, pulling on an entirely new front as you pout your lips ever so slightly.

“Please don’t. Just- let’s go out, just for a bit. My wolf hasn’t been let out in such a long time, so just going out would benefit her.” You walk towards him, clenching your toes beneath you in hope as he looks torn between his Alpha and his Luna, and which orders he should be following- one of the most impossible tasks for any wolf.

He exhales, “Just for an hour or so- then we’re straight back.”

You smile at him thankfully, clenching your fists faux excitedly as you hastily make your way back upstairs. You’re quick to change into something warm, and grab a small bag- something that won’t look conspicuous- and shove in some thinner articles of clothing, a toothbrush and some money. You don’t know if you will even have the chance to get away with Jin tracking your every move, but you promise yourself to be prepared if the opportunity does arise. As a final action before retreating back to your guard, you trail your fingers up to your neck where the claim still stands strong. You’re surprised Jin hasn’t mentioned anything- you must reek of Jungkook. Anyone within a five mile radius could probably smell him on you. And it just serves as a reminder of what he did, what he could do.

Back downstairs, Jin smiles at you, a little nervously, gesturing for you to go outside first. You humbly oblige, abstaining from looking back at the house. Because it’s a beautiful home- a home you would’ve only ever dreamed of living in. And here you are, doing your best to escape it.

You both clamber into Jin’s jeep where he reaffirms that you shall only be gone an hour, and only to visit the town- just to get a ‘feel for it’, as he puts it. You nod, now eager to get moving if you have any chance of finding a way out of this place, so you’ll need all the time you can get. As you drive down the road separating the Alpha’s domain from the rest of pack territory, you look out for an opening, some area of sparsely littered trees that would aid you in your navigation through the acres of forests partitioning you from your way out of here. There. It’s fleeting, and at least a mile from the town, but you spot some kind of path amongst the saplings that could take you somewhere. Anywhere. Anywhere that isn’t here.

When you reach the town, Jin decides to take you into the bakery, but you’re swift to tell him you don’t want to introduce yourself to any pack members yet- the more wolves that know of your presence in the town right now the more eyes that will be watching you. You tell him it’s too soon- that Jungkook should be here when you do meet the wolves you are supposed to lead.

“Right, of course,” Jin sighs. Prodding at the hope of you finding a distraction, you question the look of disappointment strewn over his face.

“Nothing, it’s nothing.” You saunter down some path through various chalets occupying Red Moon families.

“Nothing?” You poke a little more.

“I just-,” he pauses, “There’s a girl in there.”

There you go. “A girl you like, I assume?”

“She isn’t my mate or anything. I haven’t got a mate yet. But, she’s really nice. And I promised her, when I’m able, to always visit her in the bakery. She told me that Mrs Lee- the owner- isn’t particularly kind to her, but when customers come in she cheers up and all I want to do is-“

“Say no more. You go in, I’ll just wait outside.”

He looks beyond apprehensive which dampens your confidence, “I don’t think that’s wise.”

You scoff at him, “What’s going to happen? I’ll stand right in front of the shop.”

“Well what if the Alpha sees you standing there and gets angry with me.”

“Then I’ll tell him I’m to blame,” you sigh, further encouraging his desire to see said ‘girl’, “Just go. The quicker you’re in, the quicker you’re out. You can get me a pastry to make up for it.”

He smiles, giving in so easy Jungkook would be fuming to see, “I’ll be super quick. Five minutes. Then we can go back to seeing the town.”

“Jin, go,” you laugh, pushing at his shoulder as he begins jogging towards the glass door. He gives you one final nod of assurance before swaggering in, clearly ‘ready to impress’.

You feel awful. You feel like you just manipulated him, just because he’s a little inexperienced and naïve- despite being older than you- which makes you feel sick to your stomach, and now he will probably be the dupe of Jungkook’s wraith. But you’ve no time to be upset or contrite; you have more important matters to address.

As soon as you can see Jin preoccupied with flirting, you’re away. Your feet carry you faster than you thought was even possible. The trees blur into some oil painting as you move so rapidly past them, as if running away from a predator. And that’s the moment you decide to shift.

Holding your bag in your mouth, you bid your clothes farewell as they rip to shreds beneath cracking bones and sharpening claws, only the remains littering the path provide any kind of evidence you’ve been there. You know it’s a mistake to leave them there, where Jungkook can find them and use them to track you, but your head isn’t in that kind of place right now. You’re surprised your wolf is actually allowing this to take place, that she isn’t fighting to run back to Jin and act like this never even happened, but even she knows Jungkook was wrong to mark you the way he did; drunk and without your consent. There are no excuses for it, and if you stay here your mind will end up conceding to him, the way genetics have moulded you to. And that is why both your wolf and yourself are in full agreement you must leave. You will certainly come back, but for now you need space away from Red Moon and away from Jungkook.

In wolf form you’re much faster to reach the opening in the forest, where you’re led through a labyrinth of evergreens that whistle as you race past them. Although fast, you’re gentle on your feet, careful not to leave such obvious tracks after the torn articles of clothing you’ve left just outside the town. The crackling of foliage and twigs indicate you’re leaving some sort of a tracking device, though, which only stimulates you further to keep running.

You finally reach the pack border, after at an hour of running at your fastest speed. This succours your knowledge that Jin will definitely be aware of your departure by now, probably even have informed Jungkook in a frenzy. And the thought is only assisted by the frantic looking wolves on guard, sat breathing heavily as they lookout onto the surrounding land.

Your footsteps are light, quiet, stealthy. You’ve always been good at that. Back at Scarlet Oak, when you were little, you and Hobi would play hide and seek in wolf form all the time, which allowed you both to become rather talented at staying completely silent as you moved. And those years of practice finally benefit you as you’re able to slip over the border, and swiftly behind some rocks that lead out onto more forestry and open land in which your wolf can run freely and far. And you do. And you don’t look back.

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“Y/N, I can’t believe it,” you can hear him trying to hold back his whimpers as he buries his face in your neck, “I can’t believe you’re going to leave.” He sniffles slightly and you completely disregard the fact you are wearing nothing but a towel, instead focusing on comfortingly rubbing his back as he tries to keep himself together.

“Hobi I’m never leaving you,” you promise him. You know it’s one you inevitably cannot keep, and you think he knows it too, but the words are still music to his ears. He pulls back from the hug and you sit next to each other on your bed, somewhat down-heartedly.

“I can’t believe the Alpha is your mate,” he chokes out, disbelievingly, “I always thought you would end up with another Theta, or even a Gamma, someone kind and caring.” You’ve never seen Hobi look so disheartened as the tears gather at his eyes and you have to hold back your sobs.

“Well, you never know, he might be like that,” you purse your lips together as a tear falls at your best friend’s broken look.

“Y/N, don’t play dumb, we both know he’s a cold-hearted killer,” he growls suddenly. You hate that he speaks the truth; you know all the stories of your new mate slaughtering masses.

“Hobi there must be some reason we are bound together,” you insist, in a lousy attempt to be hopeful.

“Y/N, you were supposed to be my mate,” he suddenly begins sobbing, “I- I always thought it was just a delayed reaction or something I- ah fuck who am I kidding,” he sniffs, “I was always in denial.” Hoseok’s confession makes you feel sick to your stomach and an overwhelming sense of guilt pools in your eyes as another tear falls. He’s never said he wants you out loud. He sees and reaches up to wipe it away and you lean your cheek into his hand. It frustratingly doesn’t feel as comforting as before you found Jungkook, but nonetheless the gesture warms both your heart and your wolf, and you feel saddened by Hoseok’s weeping.

“I wish you were my mate,” he whispers, swallowing back the tears then screwing his eyes shut, holding back from crying any further, “I’ll let you get ready.” He gulps again and swiftly exits the room, leaving you feeling more broken than ever.

After recomposing yourself for a good half hour you finally feel ready to now face your father, sat gloomily on the settee. Hoseok must’ve left, after spilling out his heart to you which immediately reignites the burning in your eyes as you think about what he must be doing now; probably in the local bar that serves underage wolves drowning himself in all sorts of liquor and beer. You push down the thoughts as your father’s face comes into sight, buried in his hands. It’s heart-breaking. You never imagined the finding of your mate to be so damn tragic.

“Dad?” You mumble, awkwardly stood next to the sofa. He looks up from his hands at you and smiles sadly, shuffling over a bit and lifting his arm so you can curl into his side like you did as a child. After your mum died, he would hold you like this and stroke your hair comfortingly as he told you the story of how the two of them met. You would never get bored of the tales he told of the two of them, deeply, madly in love.

“You know once,” he starts, “once your mother left me.” What. Your head shoots up to look at him. He’s never told you this one before. He nods sagely before carrying on as you tuck yourself back under his arm.

“She told me she missed her family. She wanted to be close to her sisters,” he pauses, “it was difficult for her to be apart from them; we lived hours away down here in the south, whereas their pack was way up north. She tried to convince them to come and join this pack, but the north was their home, they had a life and their own families there.” You begin playing at the buttons of your father’s shirt childishly as he gently rubs your arm.

“After a few months of being together, one night, I came home from my med classes to find her bags packed and a mind set she was returning home. She said she was unsure if she could come back, and no matter how much I tried to convince her to stay she got the first night bus out of here. She took all her things, all of our photos and even the bloody cutlery,” he chuckles slightly and the vibrations from his chest reverberate through you, and you continue listening contentedly.

“God that woman was stubborn,” he sighs fondly, “I remember when I was trying to persuade her to stay she threw a kettle at my head. A kettle!” You laugh along with him while smiling.

“Did she have good aim?” You grin.

“It was your mother- of course she bloody did!” He chuckles, “Anyway, a few days went by and my wolf was going crazy, for the first time in my life I can honestly say I was not in control of myself. I was drinking, I was getting into fights; I was even approached by our old Alpha telling me to get a grip. He was a little less understanding than Alpha Marcus.” He moves back a bit to look at you, rubbing his thumb over your cheek.

“Eventually, one night, I heard a banging on my door. I ran downstairs only to find your mother on my doorstep, soaked to the skin with her bags in her hands. She’d ran miles and miles and miles, she practically collapsed into my arms.” Your eyes widen as he grins at your reaction.

“In the end, she’d found she couldn’t stay away from me. We couldn’t be apart. We were bound to each other for a reason. Although you may not know that reason right now, Y/N, I can guarantee you that there is one. Jungkook and yourself-,” he sighs, “you’re made for each other. You may not be able to see that right now, but you and him are going to be bound to each other- for life.” You squeeze your eyes shut and bury your face into his slide, clutching onto him for dear life.

“Poppet, I know you don’t want to leave Hoseok or June or myself, but just because we won’t be physically with you, doesn’t mean you won’t have our full support at all times; we will always be right there when you need us.” He wraps his arms around you, snuggling you further into his chest. You’re gonna miss him so much.

Leaving your dad is one of the hardest things you have ever done, even though it’s only for a night, this will be the first night with your mate. You cannot help but feel torn now between Jungkook, as much of an arse as he is, and your life here. Jungkook’s main pack is the highest north you can go, up in the mountains and hidden from any urban cities, it’ll take days to reach, and you will hardly get to see your dad or your friends. You’ll have to start completely new.

Reaching Marcus’ house, you knock hesitantly on the door. Your Luna opens it and smiles welcomingly at you, ushering you inside.

“Hello dear, come on in,” she smiles, leading you through to the kitchen. It’s bizarre to find Alpha Marcus sat at the breakfast bar reading a newspaper while scoffing down his dinner; it’s weird seeing your Alpha carrying out such a mundane thing when you’re so used to seeing him acting all powerful and leader-like. He takes a sip of water when he sees you, quickly swallowing down his mouthful of food.

“Ah, Y/N, welcome,” he grins, “Jungkook’s upstairs already. I think he’s talking with Beta Jimin. You’re welcome to stay down here for a bit, or you can just head straight up.” You ponder for a moment before reaching a conclusion.

“I think I’ll go straight up,” you announce, “I think him and I have a bit of talking to do.”

Marcus smiles knowingly, “Of course. It’s the first door on the left at the top of the stairs.”

You tread up the stairs carefully, each step burning with trepidation. You reach the door to the room Jungkook is in swiftly; assured it is the right door by the wafting scent lingering near it that you only get in close proximity to your mate. Apparently, Jungkook sense this too, as seconds after approaching the door he swings it open, sighing with relief at the sight of you.

“Y/N,” he breathes. You can see Jimin stood in the room shifting his weight awkwardly between his feet as Jungkook looks you over, “do you want me to take that?” He points to your small bag of clothing and toiletries and you nod politely, handing it over to him, now more certain to form a better starting point with your mate after hearing your father’s story.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Jimin declares suddenly, quietly slipping past yourself and Jungkook stood in the doorway. For a moment, it’s a bit awkward, just stood under the doorframe uselessly. Jungkook quickly reasserts himself, though, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Coming in?” he smiles, stepping against the door to let you through. The door shuts behind him and you both move further into the room. Alone.

As anticipated, Marcus’ guestroom is beyond satisfactory; the crisp, white sheets highlighted with pastel blue decorative cushions that lay invitingly on a four-post bed. The windows have been left open, bringing in a slight draught pushing the silky curtains into the room as a mellow breeze nips teasingly at your bare arms. You respond to the current of air circling the room by bringing your hands up to rub your arms gently; Jungkook immediately responds by darting over to the windows and pulling them shut. You almost wish he didn’t do that, though, because now the room feels much smaller and enclosed, and there’s no single way of escaping.

The walls are coated in a cream, white colour and accentuated by various blue canvases painting the empty spaces. You’re drawn to one particular piece; a painting of a rowboat. The wood of the boat is white, and a small faceless fisherman sits emptily near the bow with his fishing rod hooked onto the gunwale. You tilt your head as you try to look closer, searching for an expression from the featureless painted man.

“So,” Jungkook startles you from your oblivious state, “are you tired?” You can tell he is feeling awkward and torn. The last time you spoke you argued, and you solidified your discontent in leaving Scarlet Oak.

“A little,” you shrug, returning to admire the little painting. You hear Jungkook shuffle behind you, closing the distance between you, but as you tense when you feel his proximity, he stops himself. You swiftly turn around to look at him and he’s a lot closer than you anticipate; close enough that you can hear his small pants of breath.

“Y/N…,” he watches you intently, “I- my- my wolf- he…,” Jungkook trails off and you can sense the inner conflict he’s battling which pains you. Your wolf wants him too. Although, you shan’t act on it. You can feel your wolf rejoicing in your mate’s closeness, but you don’t want to let him in so easily. You want to know him first. You take a step back from him and bite your lip.

“Shall we, err, sit down?” You ask, with a little laugh to lighten the mood. He nods, clearly a little hurt by your indirect rejection, then joins you to sit at the bottom of the bed, while you sit on the side situating one of the bed posts between the two of you; just to be safe.

“So, you’re a Theta?” Jungkook starts. 

When you don’t respond, he continues, “I’ve always been interested in the medical fields.” Lies. You can feel he’s lying, and you think he knows that you know, but you choose to ignore those thoughts and engage with his small talk.

“Well I was raised solely by my father, and he studied medicine- still does... occasionally. He taught me a lot growing up,” you breathe, trailing your fingers along the silky feeling sheets, “I wanted to be just like him. He has always been my idol.” Jungkook looks a little solemn when you look over to be greeted with the muscles of his back, tensing through his dark top.

“I wish I could say the same,” he mutters.

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” Jungkook sighs and pushes his tongue into the side of his cheek, clearly thinking something over. You look at him with a frown, edging a little closer to his end of the bed.

“You know we’re mates now right?” You exclaim, “We’re going to find out everything about each other eventually.” Jungkook bites his lip and fiddles nervously with his thumbs. It’s ridiculously bizarre seeing him this way; the mighty Alpha of the Red Moon pack nervous talking to a girl? It’s just unheard of. Yet here you are; here he is, unable to even look you in the eye.

“Jungkook?”

“Let’s save it for another day yeah,” he whips his head up, “so what do you do? At school- I mean- do you- Christ- what do you study?” You edge another bit closer, wetting your lower lip with your tongue.

“Well I study English solely, but I like to dabble in other subjects too occasionally- just extra-curricular stuff.”

“Right… you know, at Red Moon you wouldn’t have to stop learning,” Jungkook slides in and you sigh at his diversion, “I could even get you personal tutors- you could study anything you want-“

“Let’s just- let’s not talk about that right now.”

“But we need to.”

“You got a free ticket out about your dad, why don’t I get one?” The room falls silent again as the tensions have risen. Are you ever going to be able to talk to this man without bickering? You clear your throat while running your fingers along the fabric of your jeans, moving them up and down. The material feels incredibly tight as the humidity in the room peaks beneath the tension sheathing you both.

You notice the door to the bathroom a moment later, and you suddenly have an escape route. Although only temporary, anything to save you from this situation is cherished. You clear your throat again, standing up slowly.

“I am going to take a bath,”you announce rather formally, unintentionally making it even more awkward. Jungkook suddenly stands up too, getting a bit closer to you.

“Are you sure? We were talking?” You can sense his futile attempts to subdue his short temper, but you still move to pick up your bag from where Jungkook placed it on a chair in the corner of the room.

“We were sat in silence,” you laugh, taking your bag.

“Well you were disrespecting me.” Your laughs cease at his accusation and you turn to him with an incredulous kind of look.

You look at him for a moment in disbelief, “Disrespecting? I’m not one of your pack members, Jungkook, I’m your mate. I think you need to re-evaluate the way you’re talking to me because if you were planning on ever seeing me leave Scarlet Oak for you, and I promise you this, you’re going the wrong way about it. Now I’m going to go and take a bath, and you’re going to stay in here and try to understand the concept of empathy before I decide to find someone better for me; even if fate doesn’t agree.” After your little rant, you go to turn around, but not before Jungkook snaps you back and forces you backwards till you’re against the wall with his body’s pressed against yours, his eyes almost black as his wolf struggles for dominance.

“What do you mean find someone else better- nobody else will fucking touch you, you never get to leave me,” Jungkook snarls, pushing his head into your neck. Your stomach does somersaults in both anxiety and some excitement that’s genetically forced upon you at the closeness of your mate, but you continue to glare at him, still determined to prove your point.

“I can smell him all over you, you know,” Jungkook lifts his head back up and stares directly into your eyes and your indignation falters momentarily, “that stupid little wolf-pup you love so much.”

“His name is Hoseok-,”

“I don’t care what his name is; he shouldn’t have touched you. He shouldn’t ever touch you, only I can touch you. You’re mine,” Jungkook moves close enough that you can feel his breath fanning your lips as his eyes flicker from them, back up to your own.

“Jungkook, stop,” your voice wavers beneath the Alpha’s penetrating stare making you squirm slightly as you try to manoeuvre yourself away from his hands above your shoulders against the wall, “You’re scaring me.” You gulp.

Jungkook instantly seems to gain control of himself as his eyes widen and he throws himself practically across the room to run his hand through his hair, resting the other on his hip. You stand still against the wall, breathing much heavier and closing your eyes in an attempt to calm yourself down.

“I’m sorry,” Jungkook breathes, “I’m sorry, you should- I mean, you can have your bath.” You nod your head with your gaze down at the floor and don’t dare look up till your feet have frantically carried you into the bathroom, concealed from Jungkook’s view. You bring your hand up to your heart and you can feel it beating out of your chest, hard enough that you feel a bit faint. 

You draw a hot bath as quickly as possible, drowning out Jungkook’s seemingly eternal pacing in the bedroom you can hear stomping against the wooden flooring. As you pour in some bubble bath under the running water, the door slams shut. Guess he will be back later. You strip down out of your clothes and dip the tip of your foot into the water, slowly savouring the warmth as you step in and place yourself down to lean your head against the wall. You’re not normally a bath-type of person, but after a shower earlier you feel much more inclined to enjoy the warmth and indulge in a brief escape from the new drama that’s your life.

Your head lulls back after watching the water ripple beneath the lavender scented clouds of soap blanketing your limbs. Your eyes slither shut, relishing the serenity of Marcus’ soundproof walls that keep out the stress, the noise, the chaos; you’re left in tranquillity as you begin to fantasise of yourself sat in a lagoon somewhere, underneath the piercing gaze of the hot sun. 

The truth of your reality seeps in though, indicated by your knocking of the shower gel onto the floor accidentally.

“Shit,” you mutter, leaning over to pick the bottle back up and place it on the side again.

“You okay?” A voice startles you from outside and you yelp slightly, insisting that you’re fine.

“Yeah- yeah, I just dropped something,” you call back, nervously. The voice laughs, and you immediately recognise Alpha Marcus’ deep chortle.

“Okay, Jungkook has gone out for a bit- he asked me to tell you,” Marcus announces through the wood of the door. Out?

“Oh, okay, thank you,” you respond a little wearily. Your wolf becomes a little uneasy at this, and your legs become restless, rippling the bathwater even more so. You sense Marcus leaving which prompts you to get up and out of the bath, but suddenly he’s back outside the door again.

“And Y/N?” Marcus’ voice is a little quieter this time.

“Yeah?”

“He seemed angry,” you gulp at Marcus’ revelation, “did- did anything happen?” You wrap a towel around your body from the towel rack and slowly tuck in one end under your arm before taking a breath and responding.

“We just disagreed a little, it’ll blow over, there’s nothing to worry about, Alpha,” you promise, but you can sense Marcus’ apprehension before he leaves properly this time.

You return back into the bedroom and hastily redress into your night clothes, just in case of Jungkook coming back to find you half naked, which probably would not be the best situation. You slide into the left side of the bed and curl up against the pillow, finally allowing all of the day’s events to catch up with you and cease your wolf’s inner turmoil through the sedation of sleep. You’re exhausted.

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You stir slightly in your sleep, turning around to face him and nuzzle into his bare chest and his arm tightens around your form, gently running his fingertips along the skin of your arm. All he wants to do is protect you. He couldn’t bear seeing you hurt; it might nearly kill him. Even worse, the thought of you being in another man’s arms, kissing him, caring for him, loving him. He subconsciously curls around you closer. He can’t think about that.

In fact, he doesn’t want to find the Hoseok boy from your old pack; he doesn’t want to know anything about the little shit, but he’ll do it for you. If it at least stops you from contacting that damn unmated Alpha Taehyung from Crimson Lake then he’ll do anything. And he truly does want to see you happy- something he isn’t entirely sure he’s experienced much of since you got here, so, despite being angry finding you on the phone to that imbecile Alpha, he’ll do it. Stupid fuckin’ Taehyung.

He presses a chaste kiss to your forehead before slipping from your grip and the security of the duvet and staggering over to the cupboard to yank a jumper from the hanger, but not before he notices a broken piece of cardboard that flies to his feet. He leans down and takes it between his thumb and forefinger, glancing at your sleeping form briefly to check you’re still dead asleep, then brings out the rest of the box.

“Shit,” he mutters quietly to himself. The lid is broken. The lid has been broken by someone, and that someone would never be Jin, he wouldn’t have the nerve, nor Jimin- he knows all about Jungkook’s history already. It has to have been you. He swallows down the bile biting at his throat when he sees a glimpse of himself and his father many years ago; a brief slice of history sized down into a tiny polaroid, coated now in a thin layer of dust. He swiftly places the broken top back on, shoving the whole thing back into the cupboard and retrieving a jumper, deftly ignorant to the reality.

It’s a good few hours later that you wake up, still feeling Jungkook’s phantom touch across your skin, lingering like twilight hues. His scent is smothered over the bed sheets, so you bury your face into the fabric and just inhale deeply, already missing his arms around, holding you protectively. How can he go from being such a gorgeous, affectionate mate to some crazy, possessive Alpha overnight? He’s not the only one suffering from migraines at the hands of this relationship.

Reluctant to leave the aroma, you groan to get up, clicking your neck back and sliding from the cushioned mattress to your feet, barely awake as you meander into the bathroom to wet your face and brush your teeth.

“Y/N?” Jin’s voice echoes from outside your room. You hum loudly in response, prompting his entrance.

“You look well-slept,” he smiles slightly from the doorframe, watching you brush your teeth with hooded eyes.

You try to mumble a retort with a mouthful of foaming water, but the most you come out with is an indistinguishable grunt with bits of toothpaste spattering on the floor.

“Red Moon’s Luna everyone,” Jin applauds sarcastically, eyes glossing with amusement.

You spit into the sink, “Funny.”

“I like to think I am.”

You pat your mouth dry with the towel, wiping away the excess on your lips before sighing, “So what’s the plan for today?”

Jin slumps against the side of the door, crossing his arms over, “Well, Alpha gave me this phone and told me-“

“He gave you your own phone?” Your eyes swell with jealousy, focusing in on the small device your guard pulls from his pocket.

He softly retreats, “Yes… he did… he told me that I should wait for his text, and in the meantime there are some board games in the cupboard in his office…”

Your eyes are still glazing over his pocket, holding the small cell, “But your own phone…”

“Why is that such a big deal?” He laughs, but you can see he’s a tad unnerved by your obsession.

You sigh, despondently, “I wish he trusted me that much.”

Jin laughs at your misery, ushering you to get ready, “I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Jin wins four rounds of monopoly, but you’re sure he’s stealing from the bank. Then he beats you at Scrabble too, and cards. Cheat, rummy, sevens, trumps. You aren’t particularly good at those types of things anyhow, never have been. And Jin seems to be some kind of a professional, with all of his fancy shuffling and smug moves. You nearly want to strangle him.

During one game of Cluedo, you fake going to the bathroom, to hide around the corner and peer out into the lounge to see him swiftly peeking at the result cards. You huff quietly, grimacing acutely at the sight in front of you.

“I knew you were cheating!” You jump out.

Jin’s head snaps up towards you, hands frantically recoiling from small pack of cards centre of the board, “What? Luna-“

“Don’t Luna me!”

“I didn’t cheat!”

“I watched you!”

“You were in the toilet!”

You continue to bicker like this what feels like endlessly, countering each other with even the pettiest of retorts, but you’re stubborn and he’s too proud. You, however, are also immensely lazy and can’t be arsed to fight with him for hours on end.

“Whatever, I’m sick of board games anyway,” you grumble, surrendering and taking a seat on the sofa behind him curled up on the floor in front of the coffee table.

“We could watch some TV?” He suggests, clambering to his feet.

“I wanna go for a run,” you announce, making him still, “My wolf has been cooped up for quite a while now.”

You’re aware it’s awkward, bringing this up after last time. But truly your wolf hasn’t gone for a run for nearly a couple of weeks now, and back at Scarlet Oak you were out all the time with Hobi or your father, or pack runs. Do they even have those here?

“Luna, we should wait for Alpha Jungkook’s text.” His voice is firm and official, and you hate how he’s so compliant to his Alpha’s commands, unlike you. You guess if you were at the butt of Jungkook’s wraith you might feel the same though.

You exhale deliberately loud, throwing your head back to look up into the spherical chandelier bulbs, “Well we’ve got to do something because I’ll go out of my mind if I have to play with a cheater any longer.”

Jin frowns, “So… TV then?”

“I wanna eat something.”

“I can do food,” he nods mostly to himself, turning gently on his heel and striding towards the kitchen. You immediately rise to your feet, taking a blanket from the sofa and wrapping it round your shoulders to pad behind him, trailing over to the breakfast bar.

You slide onto one of the stools, settling your elbows on the surface and placing your head in your hands, eyes scrutinising his every move like a hawk surveying its prey. It’s instantly clear cooking isn’t something new to the man, the way he glides from one ingredient to the next, effortlessly bringing about a scent that could nearly beat the one of your mate, lingering in your bedsheets.

You wait for some time in silence, watching him throw ingredients into a pot and slowly begin to stir.

“Do you like to cook?” The corner of your lips poke upwards into your cheeks slightly, blossoming beneath your eyes.

He shrugs, looking over his shoulder at you, “My mother showed me how. Said she doesn’t want my mate to be stuck with someone that can’t cook, like my dad.” You smile brighter in response, lying down your arms and placing your cheek to rest on the back of your hand.

“What are your family like?”

Jin continues to stir in the stainless steel pot bubbling on the stove, “Well, my dad’s obviously an Epsilon, like I am. And my mother was just a normal pack wolf, whose rank was raised ever so slightly by my dad. They pester each other a lot, but they love each other.”

“Any siblings?” You poke further into his personal life, enjoying the ability to pry freely, unlike your meddling into Jungkook’s family life.

“Nope, just me. I was a nightmare child apparently- enough to put my parents off having another,” he admits, and your teeth clamp over your lip as you let out a laugh.

“God, I couldn’t picture that,” you tease, tapping your nails against the marble counter.

“Shut up and eat your food,” he shakes his head, bringing over the pot and placing it between the two of you on the table then retrieving two bowls from one of the cupboards. “Hope you like soup.”

You shrug teasingly, before smiling at his grimacing expression and taking a mouthful. Your father says that soup is good for the soul, soothing for it. Then he’d make a joke about how it’s the sweat or tears of some chicken God which you used to pray to as a kid, thinking you’d be blessed with more chicken. It was a long shot, you always knew, but you still liked the idea.

You were always very prone to outside influences, picking up different habits and concepts from those around you. Hobi you took a lot from; the two of you think the same way. After years spent alongside each other, nearly joined at the hip, you became alarmingly similar, from everything down to the position you sleep in. It unsettles the food digesting to think about him though, where he is, what state he’s in. You focus back on Jin, who’s pulled out the cell-phone from his pocket to glaze over the screen.

“What is it?” You ask, bringing another spoonful of broth to your lips, “Is it Jungkook?”

Jin nods, taking a mouthful himself, “He says we should go down to him as soon as possible.”

“Really?”

“Yep.” And he begins speeding up with his food.

It’s mid-afternoon by the time you finish and clean up everything, bundling into Jin’s jeep with profound haste. You miss your mate already, his scent only lingering faintly around the house leaving you with just enough to want more. You’re trying hard not to become completely dependent on him, his love- if anything were to happen to him, you don’t want to be left empty and lonely, or just be too co-dependent either way. You value your individualism, and don’t want to be clouded by your wolf’s constant yearning for her mate, but it seems that’s easier said than done.

The town is quiet, as usual. Just a few pack wolves about a strip of greenery, hosting a BBQ for their families. It’s so unbelievably mundane you envy the whole carefree atmosphere, with some of the older wolves shifted and racing across the turf at top speed, whirring by like a blur. You sigh, resting your head against the doorframe of the jeep and running your teeth over your lower lip. You aren’t sure if life will ever be that same level of easiness again.

Reaching a meeting room in the pack house, Jungkook and Jimin are sat across from each other at a large oak table, conversing tensely over something you’re uninformed of. Jungkook spots you immediately, but he doesn’t smile, he looks concerned, agitated, and your stomach starts to churn.

“What is it?” You ask, blatantly. You can already see something’s wrong, and you don’t want to beat around the bush like he does with every other uncomfortable subject. Him and his Beta exchange a knowing look, your mate rising to his feet seconds later to come and greet you with a hand to your waist.

“Did you have a good day?” He asks, ignorantly.

You frown in response, looking past him at Jimin, “What is it?”

The Beta freezes under your glare, glancing to his lap as Jungkook sighs, pulling you closer, “We looked into the Hoseok case,” he reveals, holding you against him to soften the blow of anxiety that drains you of any other emotion.

Your skin pales, “Hobi? You’ve found him?” You swallow back the apprehension nipping at your mind, “You- Is he…” You try not to think the worst, but the whole situation speaks otherwise.

Jungkook brings you to sit down at the table, gently caressing your side, “He’s not dead.”

You can finally breathe at the words, exhaling and closing your eyes to restore your shattering heart at the thought of your best friend’s death.

Then Jungkook speaks again, “But he was seen by an Epsilon near Red Moon, with a man identified as Min Yoongi.” What?

It doesn’t make any sense. Yoongi with Hobi? You never even met Yoongi, let alone Hobi. Why on earth were they together near Red Moon? Why the hell is Hobi even near Red Moon? The last time you saw him was with your father in Scarlet Oak, perhaps upset you were leaving, but nothing insinuated he would follow you all the way here. Is that what he’s doing? Following you? But then why wouldn’t he answer his phone? Your head spins.

“With Yoongi? Yoongi as in June’s…,” you struggle to label the relationship, “June’s- June’s ex?” But June slept with Hobi, so why would the two of them get all buddy-buddy?

“We confirmed it over the phone with her today,” Jimin tells you from the other side of the table, pushing across his phone to show a text image to June. The picture isn’t of Hobi, but for the first time you see Yoongi. He’s handsome, of course. You expect nothing less of a boyfriend of June’s. But something about him looks so deadly sinister, his jaw clenched and lips pursed into a tight line as he leans against a tree, eyeing the landscape cautiously.

“What’s he doing?” You mutter, reaching for the device, but before you’re able to, Jungkook draws your attention.

“We haven’t made any correlations yet, but I have certain theories,” he mumbles, looking off to the side with a subtle anger burning behind his eyes.

You turn towards him, “Theories?”

“We’ll look into it more for you, and as soon as we have some definite answers you’ll be the first to know, okay?”

You nod slowly, numbly, unable to look him in the eye, enveloped in a hurricane of anxiety and panic.

“Jin, you can go home. I’ll drive Y/N back.”

Your mate guides you towards his car, but it all seems like a dream, the tension and confusion leaving you lost. He opens the door for you and you slide in, swallowing back the concern as you buckle yourself into the seat.

Maybe Yoongi is mad at Hobi for sleeping with June? Is Hobi safe? What if Yoongi dragged Hobi over to Red Moon so that Jungkook would deal with him? But, Jungkook wouldn’t do that, would he? Not after everything that’s happened- he wouldn’t do that, surely-

“You okay?” The voice brings you from your spiralling thoughts, like a soothing velvet to your ears. You look over at him, suddenly unsure how you feel about the situation – aside from sheer anxiety – and you don’t know if he’s telling you the full truth.

“I guess so,” you announce, exhaling deeply, “But it doesn’t make sense, why would they both be here? Why wouldn’t Hobi tell me anything? He didn’t even know Yoongi!” You know better than to expect a straightforward response, so the Alpha’s silence is what you settle for. You’re irritated and stressed, yes, but you don’t want to argue with him now. Not after today.

Soon enough, the car is pulling up in front of the house and you hesitantly open the door and follow an awaiting Jungkook.

“Is there anything you need?” The uncertainty in his tone depicts his own worries; that if he doesn’t divulge all his secrets that you’ll drift away again, and that gaping void that lingers in your past will break through again and pull you apart. You surprise him when you simply walk over to him however, and wrap your arms around his waist, his scent relaxing you as it always does, bringing you a much needed escape from the hauntings in your head. Your body begins to regain feeling, and you realise just how exhausted you are from the stress. You fall into his arms, and he’s quick to keep you up and steady.

“Do you want to take a nap or something?” He mumbles into your hair, but you press against him harder instead of responding, moulding your body into his and holding the front of his top in knuckled hands.

“I actually have something for you.”

He separates away from your body with a slight smile, jogging round to his desk to pull open one of the drawers and pull out a small box. You rips back the tape and pulls the top apart to reveal a little camera inside, with a long cable draping out the back.

“Here, I bought a webcam, so you can call your dad on the office computer,” he offers, looking at you hopefully.

You can’t help but smile, nearly distracted by the thought of seeing your father’s face again after so long. You speak on the phone with him everyday but it’s not the same as a face to face conversation, and you miss the way his eyes wrinkle when he smiles, and the lines on his forehead from frowning at books he doesn’t agree with. You can’t wait for whenever he’ll next visit you in Red Moon.

You eagerly sit in Jungkook’s office chair in front of the computer as the screen buffers and loads, till the screen pops up and your dad’s face is frozen.

“Dad,” you smile, seeing him in the lounge frowning down at his laptop like the old man struggling with technology that he is.

“Is it working?” He mumbles, faffing with the angle.

“Yes, it is,” you laugh slightly, looking up at your mate with an appreciative grin.  

Your dad squints at the screen, grazing over your form, “Is Alpha Jungkook there?” Jungkook comes into the frame, leaning down beside you.

Your mate slides his hand onto your thigh and you place yours over it, “You can call him Jungkook, I’m sure he won’t care.” Full well knowing he would care, he squeezes your leg making you squirm with a small giggle, staring you down.

“Oh, of course, Jungkook,” your father’s voice resonates through the speakers.

“He loves it.” You tell him, Jungkook’s eyes still trained on the side of your head.

About an hour later and you still haven’t run out of things to talk about with your dad. You aren’t sure that you ever will. After hanging up you still don’t feel fully satisfied, but your thankful your mate stayed and talked to him too the whole time. When you were younger, you used to go to a school with human children, and as you grew up they all started dating and your friends getting boyfriends and girlfriends, and one thing that was always incredibly important to them was their parent’s blessing. It’s slightly different in the wolf world- you only ever have one mate and so for the parents to dislike them would be unimportant anyway, you aren’t finding anyone different. It still makes you happy, though, that your father seems to like him, that they converse over the recent football game and speak casually to each other. You crave your dad’s blessing, the same way those human kids did too.

You kiss your mate hard on the mouth once your father’s face is off the screen, holding him there by his shirt till you feel contented with the thank you. He leans in again as you pull back, feeling his hot breath against your cheek.

“Thank you for that,” you tell him, “And thank you for finding out about Hobi.”

He brings you to your feet to pull your waist against him, pressing into his groin, “I’ll do anything for you.” He kisses you on the lips again, then slowly travelling to your cheeks and down your jaw along to your neck.

You become entranced in the way he feels, legs nearly failing if he wasn’t holding you up with an arm now curled possessively around your back. He gently suckles on the skin by your collarbone, flattening out his tongue against the flesh every now and then to soothe the irritation, blooming into a deep purple flower on your chest. It's at this moment that everything comes flooding back you were briefly distracted from; Hobi, Yoongi, Red Moon, Rogues- everything.

“Do you think you’ll find him?” You pant, raking your fingers through your mates hair, still firmly attached to your neck. “I just don’t want him to be hurt and it’s difficult for-“

“Stop worrying.” He pulls back momentarily to mumble at you, then going back to the mark on your neck and grazing his teeth over the bite to send a rush of endorphins pulse through you, straight down to your centre. You instinctively convulse against him, releasing a choked moan as he outlines the small indentations of the scar.

“Let me calm you down,” he mutters, running his nose up your jaw and cupping your chin to press hard against your mouth, gently caressing your lips with the silk of his own. Jungkook’s heart rate picks up when you don’t protest, and you’re slowly guided to the sofa in the lounge, pushed over the arm rest onto your back, watching as he deliberately climbs on top you.

He wantonly kisses down your chest, his hands slithering up beneath your top to your waist where his touch burns like fire on the flesh. You can barely breathe as the fabric is hitched up to your bra, and Jungkook rims your navel with the tip of his tongue, sensually rotating his jaw to mark the revealed skin. It feels foreign to have someone so close to your core, gliding down so leisurely to savour every taste of you like one would a Michelin star meal, the excitement pools in your stomach and leaves you churning for more. The wet, underside of his lips falls down your stomach to the top of your jeans and he gently pulls open the button, the zip down.

You moan softly as you push up your hips to allow for the jeans to roll over your legs, your mate falling lower with them to slide the material from your ankles and you hastily kick them away. He smirks at your eagerness, but doesn’t make any teasing comment like you’d expect. He’s far too turned on for that, engrossed in your body’s ministrations as he explores your every pleasure.

There’s a moment when he looks at you from between your legs, a silent inquiry to pull down the white thong concealing your sex, and you respond by exhaling, lulling your head back and shutting your eyes to drown in his intoxicating touch. The small strip of fabric effortlessly grazes down your thighs to rest on your knees, revealing your core and you suddenly feel incredibly vulnerable, revealed, embarrassed. You attempt to squeeze them together, but the Alpha growls and spreads them apart again with his palms.

“Don’t,” he grunts, eyes burning with a fervent lust you’ve never seen before- you thought you never would see. You never believed someone could ever look so crazy for you, driven so primitive and animalistic by a hunger for your body’s reactions.

He suddenly delves into your cleft, tongue parting the sensitive tissues and plunging into your centre. Your hips jolt at the impact, an arm slamming against the back of the couch to grip onto the pillow as you struggle away, but his hold doesn’t relent, face still buried shamelessly in your centre.

“Stop moving,” he growls again, diving into the slick flesh with his velvet tongue gently pulsing against your clit to make your back arch and hips churn. Your body yields to his every touch, rocking parallel to his movements as his hand descends to your inner thigh, and one digit gently presses into your core. You can’t think of anything but how good it feels for him to touch you, taste you, eat you  like his last meal. You could cry in pleasure, lost entirely to his silky touch, fundamentally possessive as he brings you closer to him.

“God,” you whine, teeth clamping over your lip to stop your squirming, your free hand now clutching the back of your mate’s hair to encourage his lubricious attention to your dripping centre. The finger gliding in and out of you with his sinful rocking makes you jerk suddenly, as it curls upwards to graze euphoria and the coil snaps in your stomach.

The waves of your climax rush over you in a scream-inducing, toe-curling orgasm that leaves you quaking violently, trembling as he continues to lap up your writhing cleft, tongue still thrusting against you and one finger stroking the sensitive bundle of flesh. It seems to drag on for an eternity, rolling through you relentlessly and vibrating you both as the tears spill unwilling from your eyes down your temples.

“Enough, enough,” you whimper, pushing his head back with your hands as he thankfully retreats, leaving the pink, swollen core bare and exposed to him; he’s never seen something so fucking salacious in his life, and if he could he’d carry on eating you till you physically couldn’t take anymore, unable to stand and sore the next morning. He wants to devour you.

As he pulls your pants back up your legs, you begin to come around, catching your breath and wetting your lips to see the raging boner beneath his jeans, looking somewhat painful to endure. You still feel a little high from your climax, and with a gentle pursing of your lips you lean forwards to the belt of hi jeans, but he stops you immediately. You frown, a little muddled as to why you can’t touch him.

“But- but,” you fumble over the words, “You- I didn’t-“

He smiles and interrupts you with another kiss, hands curling possessively around you bare waist to hold your form beneath him, “Baby, the second you put your hands on me like that I’ll lose it. And seeing you like that was enough for me to remember for later.” He winks and you bring your hands up to cover your face with an embarrassed groan, curling into his chest, vibrating with laughter. You’re crazy for him.

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