#ot7 x reader

You hate this case. You can't seem to find anything that will actually get you somewhere, and every lead you do uncover seems to lead straight into another dead end. You’ve worked on difficult cases before, but this one is starting to feel personal in a way you really don’t appreciate.

"Okay, that's enough."

You blink, looking up to find Sooyoung standing in your doorway, arms crossed over her chest.

"Enough what?"

"Whatever this is."

She gestures vaguely at your desk, your paperwork, and probably your entire miserable existence at this point. "You've been glaring at that folder for ten minutes."

You glance down at it. "Maybe it'll crack under pressure."

Sooyoung snorts. "Or maybe you need a break."

You open your mouth to argue, but she beats you to it. "Actually, I have a better idea. Something exciting arrived in the mail today!"

You take the thick piece of paper she holds out, brows furrowing as you quickly scan over the invitation.

"A gala?"

"It's a fundraising gala! The whole firm is invited to attend this Friday. It's only for a few hours so it won't keep you away from home for too long."

"You deserve a break," Sooyoung pouts, "And you know they're going to be serving good food there. It's the easiest way to keep people happy and willing to throw their cash at things they don't need in order to look like good samaritains." 

"I don't think–" 

"Then don't think," Sooyoung gives you a pointed look. "Just go dust off a nice dress in your closet and come have fun with me for a few hours! You'll enjoy it, I promise." 

You suppose she's right. Perhaps it would be good for you to spend some time outside of the house, meet some new people. At the very least, it could be a nice way for you to network. There has to be some people that have been scorned by Lim Enterprises there, especially considering the amount of wealthy clientele they've been scamming.

And, of course, you're never one to say no to free food. 

"Fine," You agree, "But I'm not buying anything new! If I can't find anything appropriate in my closet, I'm not going." 

"Deal!" Sooyoung grins. 

"Now, if you'll excuse me.." You sigh, gesturing toward the mountain of paperwork covering your desk, "I have some family members to track down."

You have no doubt that you have a few long days ahead of you. 

You grimace as you pull on the fabric of your dress. You swear it didn't use to be this tight. But, seeing as this is the only dress you have that's nice enough for a black tie event, it'll just have to do. 

"Come in," You call out as you hear a soft knock at your door. 

The reflection in your mirror shows a pair of gray ears pop into your room first, Jimin giving you a sheepish smile as the door opens. "I was hoping you wouldn't be–"

The cat hybrid stops dead in his tracks, his eyes widening as he takes you in. You can see the way his pupils expand, his gaze growing darker as he drinks you in from head to toe. 

"Jimin, move," Yoongi huffs as he gives his packmate a light shove, moving him away from the door. 

"Oh." 

Yoongi freezes too, his black tail immediately betraying him as it swishes excitedly behind his back.

You glance between the two of them, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious. "What?"

"Nothing." Jimin's grin only grows as his eyes sweep over you again. "You look pretty."

Yoongi hums in agreement, his gaze lingering on you. "Really pretty."

The way they look at you makes your cheeks warm. You busy yourself with brushing invisible specks of dust off your dress, suddenly too shy to look them in the eye. 

"It's just a dress."

"Doesn't matter," Yoongi says, stepping closer. His fingers find yours, giving them a gentle squeeze. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," You can't help the small smile that pulls at your lips, but your eyes still drift toward the mirror. The imperfections staring back at you are impossible to ignore. It's been a while since you've dressed up like this.

In fact, you haven't had a chance to do so ever since that horrible date many months ago. Still – something good did come out of it, didn't it? It was one of the moments that led to  you and the boys growing closer. 

Your fingers curl around the fabric at your waist.

"You're sure the dress looks okay? I don't want to make a fool of myself."

Yoongi's eyebrows shoot up. "Are you kidding?"

Jimin laughs softly. "Y/n."

He closes the distance between you slowly, the soft gray of his ears angled forward as his eyes stay fixed on yours. Jimin sports a faint smirk as he pauses just behind your back, enveloping you in the familiar fresh, citrusy scent he always seems to carry with him. 

A small shiver runs down your spine as Jimin brushes his finger – featherlight and warm – across your  shoulder. He gently sweeps away a piece of curled hair before his lips follow, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to your bare skin. 

A low purr rumbles in his chest as he moves his lips to your ear, his voice teasing and low as he says, "If you'd like, we can show you how pretty you look."

You see the way his gaze lowers, the way his tail gives lazy, suggestive flicks behind him. 

"You don't have to go,” He murmurs. "You could show off this dress just for us. I promise we’d appreciate it a lot more than those humans will. Though... I'm not sure how long it would stay on."

"Jimin!" You whine, lightly slapping the hand curled around your waist. 

The cat hybrid's lips curl into a grin, showing off his fangs. Predatory. "You'd never have to doubt that you're the prettiest woman alive after we're done with you." 

"I–" You swallow, trying your best to ignore the heat building in your stomach. You glance over at Yoongi. The alpha is biting his lip, his head tilted in a way that you know means he's finding Jimin's idea enticing. You can hear the low purrs echoing from his chest, matching Jimin's perfectly. 

Tempted as you are to take them up on the offer, you promised Sooyoung you wouldn't bail on her. 

"I can't," You shake your head, cheeks flaming as you intertwine your fingers with Jimin's. "But.. maybe we could take a rain check on that?" 

The cat hybrid pouts, resting his head on your shoulder. The soft fur of his ear tickles your neck. "I'm holding you to that," he murmurs, the mischievous glint still playing in his eyes.

You laugh softly, giving his hand a squeeze before stepping away. "I should probably touch up my makeup before I go."

"We'll meet you downstairs," Yoongi agrees, though his eyes linger on you for another moment.

You turn back toward the mirror, reaching for your makeup bag as the two cat hybrids finally make their way toward the door. You catch their reflections in the mirror as they leave, Jimin throwing you one last playful grin before Yoongi nudges him out into the hallway with a roll of his eyes.

By the time you're finally ready, the boys are waiting by the end of the staircase – and apparently not done with you. All the way down the hallway, they find reasons to pull you close: a wrinkle smoothed at your waist, a kiss pressed to your cheek, a murmured compliment that makes it very hard to remember why you're leaving in the first place. Their familiar scents cling to your skin like a second invitation.

Once you finally make it to the front door, you’re a little breathless. Namjoon is already there, and he reaches out without a word, helping you keep your balance as you slip on your heels.

"Who's hosting this thing again?"

"The invitation said the Han Foundation."

Something shifts in his expression—just slightly, the way it does when he's turning something over in his head. "The Han Foundation?"

"Yeah." You look up at him. "Why?"

"No reason."

He says it easily, but his eyes stay thoughtful for just a moment too long. You notice his gray ears have swiveled back just a tad.

You open your mouth to push further, but Seokjin's voice cuts in from somewhere behind you.

"You're going to be late."

"I know," You sigh, reaching for your bag.

You turn to give them one last look—all of them, scattered across the entryway in various states of seeing you off. Hoseok's ears are perked up, his whole body angled toward you like a sunflower. Jeongguk's gaze drops the second you catch it, the tips of his ears going pink. Taehyung, on the other hand, looks like he has something to say and, sure enough:

"Make sure to eat well!"

You laugh. "Always do."

The evening turns out to be better than you expected.

The food is good – really good – and Sooyoung is right about the networking. You trade cards with eager faces, nodding through conversations that actually feel worthwhile. For the first time in weeks, your chest unclenches, and a little hope flickers in your veins.

Then you see him.

Or rather, he zeroes in on you.

His eyes meet yours from across the room, and the smile that spreads across his face immediately sets every alarm bell in your head ringing. You find yourself clutching your glass of champagne with an iron grip as he starts making his way toward you. 

"Miss Y/n." His voice is smooth as silk.

You force your own smile, the polite mask slipping back into place. "Hajoon. Good evening."

He takes a step closer, the soft clink of his glass against yours somehow louder than it should be.

"I was hoping I'd run into you tonight."

Something about the way he says it makes your stomach twist.

"Why?"

A low laugh escapes him, easy and amused. "Straight to the point. I always liked that about you."

You don't return the smile. Instead, you cross your arms over your chest, watching him carefully. “What did you do with the information I gave you?”

Hajoon pauses. His gaze shifts, calculating, before one brow lifts and a crooked grin forms on his face.

"I put it to good use."

Your stomach drops. "What does that mean?"

He leans in, voice dropping. “I’m afraid that’s classified.”

Your jaw tightens. “Mr. Kim–”

He straightens, glass poised at his lips. “All in due time. You’ll see.”

There's something about his expression that makes your skin crawl.

You've known for weeks that something is wrong. The people whose names you gave him disappeared. Every lead you've tried to follow since then has turned into another dead end. And Hajoon has been far too quiet about what he actually did with the information you trusted him with.

Now, watching that smirk creep across his face, you realize how badly you underestimated him. 

Before you can push him any further, a chime rings through the room. 

Hajoon’s grin splits his face wider. “I should let you enjoy your evening.” 

“Wait–”

But he's already stepping away, disappearing into the sea of guests. You watch him go, unease settling like a stone in your stomach.

A voice booms through the speakers. “Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please!” 

You whirl around, following the rest of the guests as you turn your attention to the stage. 

Rich burgundy curtains part to reveal a banner: LIM ENTERPRISES. The words sear across your vision, your heart picking up speed as the realization slowly begins to dawn on you. 

You glance at Sooyoung. Her hand grips your arm; her eyes widen. “ What the hell?” She whispers.

You press your lips together, swallowing hard as the speaker continues.

“This evening’s gala would not have been possible without the generous support of Lim Enterprises. And now, we are honored to introduce a very special guest…” He clears his throat. “Many of you may not know him, as he’s spent much of his life abroad and has rarely appeared in public. Please join me in welcoming Mr. Lim Hajoon.”

Your blood runs cold. You have to take a step to steady yourself, the confirmation too much for you to process. 

Then in the midst of your turmoil, you feel it – Hajoon’s eyes on you again, from the far edge of the crowd. He gives you a small, almost mocking nod before stepping onto the stage. That smug smile still plastered on his lips.

Hajoon steps up to the microphone, adjusting his cufflinks as the applause swells around him.

"Good evening." He smiles out at the crowd. "Thank you all for being here."

"It's a pleasure to see so many people gathered here tonight for such an important cause. Events like this are a reminder of what can happen when people are willing to come together and invest in something bigger than themselves."

Polite applause ripples through the room.

You barely hear it over the blood rushing through your veins.

"Lim Enterprises has always believed that success comes with a responsibility to give back. That's why we're proud to support organizations like this one and the work they do for our community."

Hajoon pauses for another round of applause, his gaze sweeping across the room. They stop on you.

"Of course, none of that would be possible without people who are willing to put their trust in others."

Your stomach twists.

He looks away again, his expression perfectly composed.

"Trust is a valuable thing. And when that trust is given freely, it can accomplish more than we sometimes realize."

Your fingers tighten around your glass.

He's doing this on purpose.

"I think that's something worth remembering. Sometimes, the people who believe they're working against you can end up doing more for you than they ever intended."

The words leave a sour taste in your mouth. It might seem like a perfectly fine speech to thank the donors of tonight's gala, but you know what he's really trying to say. 

He's thanking you. For handing the most valuable information you had over on a silver platter – for making his job easier.

Hajoon raises his glass toward the audience.

"So, tonight, I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed to making this evening possible. Your generosity, your trust, and your willingness to help others truly make a difference."

The crowd applauds again. You can't make out what Sooyoung is trying to say, your attention is fixed on that ever so arrogant smile. 

You feel delirious, a thousand thoughts spinning around in your head all at once. All the hours you spent pouring over your case, all the effort you had put in, in hopes of doing something good – all wasted.

And now Lim Hajoon is standing on a stage, beneath the name of the company you've been investigating, thanking you for ruining your own case.

Your vision becomes spotty, the flashes of the camera near the stage making you feel woozy.

You need to get out of here.

Before you do something that'll jeopardize your case even further.

Sooyoung sends you off in a taxi. Concern weighs heavily on her features as she waves you off with a promise to inform your boss about what transpired tonight. You suppose it's lucky he wasn't here in person this evening – you're not sure anyone would've left the building in one piece.

You can't even begin to describe how you're feeling. You feel too much and too empty all at once. But you do know that you're furious. And that you won't let Hajoon get away with what he's done. 

He clearly has something to do with your witnesses going off the grid. You'd already suspected as much, but now you finally understand why he came to you in the first place.

Hajoon needed those names.

He knew something was happening inside Lim Enterprises – employees suddenly starting to embezzle money just as the company was coming under scrutiny. It must have been suspicious. And if those employees were planning to disappear once everything came to light, Hajoon would need to know who they were.

But he couldn't find them himself without drawing too much attention. So, he asked you for help. And if those witnesses disappeared afterward – well, what better way to cover his tracks than to make it look like their disappearance was connected to your investigation?

You suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise that a Lim didn't need to get his own hands dirty. He just needed someone to do the work for him, and, well, that someone turned out to be you. 

He set you up.

You grit your teeth as you dig your nails into your thigh. 

Fuck.

What are you going to do now? 

By the time you get home, the anger has settled into something heavier.

The boys immediately notice something is wrong. They must smell the distress clinging to you like a second skin. 

You don't tell them everything. Not yet. You can't involve them in this – not with the hybrid fighting rings, not when Hoseok's past is still so raw. The less they know, the safer they are.

You keep your explanation vague, telling them that the case has taken an unexpected turn and that things have become a lot more complicated than you initially thought.

It's enough to make them worry.

You can see it in the way Namjoon's ears swivel toward you the moment you walk through the door. In the way Taehyung's tail, usually so restless when you're home, goes completely still. Even Jeongguk's usual bright expression has faded, his ears drooping slightly as he watches you. 

"Are you okay?" Jimin asks.

You force a smile. "I'm fine."

You can tell no one believes you.

You sink down onto the couch with a frustrated sigh, rubbing your temples as you try to make sense of everything that's happened tonight.

Hoseok settles beside you, his knee brushing yours. His hand finds yours almost immediately, his thumb rubbing slowly over your knuckles. His golden ears are pulled back, and he lets out a low whine as he notices the redness in your eyes. 

"Hey," Namjoon says softly.

You look up.

Seven pairs of eyes are fixed on you, all of them carrying varying degrees of concern. It makes the bitter taste in your mouth lessen just a bit.

"We'll figure it out," The wolf hybrid assures you, a determined furrow between his brows.

You give him a tired smile. "I hope so."

Seokjin clears his throat, his voice calm and grounding as he says, “How about a movie? Something light. To get your mind off things?” He turns to you. “We can get it set up while you get changed into something more comfortable.”

You nod numbly and shuffle toward your room. You make quick work of getting your dress and makeup off, desperate to feel a little more like yourself again. By the time you return after changing into something more comfortable, your living room is almost unrecognizable.

Blankets have appeared from seemingly nowhere. Pillows cover every available surface, layered into a soft mountain that stretches across the entire couch and spills onto the floor.

You stop halfway into the room.

"What..."

Seven pairs of eyes immediately snap toward you.

Taehyung's fluffy tail immediately begins moving behind him, his ears standing proudly atop his head.

"Surprise?"

You blink.

Your gaze travels from the pile of blankets to the seven hybrids scattered around it. Something in your chest loosens as you realize what it is. 

"Did you build me a nest?"

An unusual silence settles over the room.

Jimin suddenly becomes very interested in fluffing a pillow that's already perfectly arranged. Jeongguk shifts his weight from one foot to the other, his bunny ears twitching nervously.

"We thought it might help," Namjoon says carefully, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. His ears have angled slightly backward, his uncertainty obvious.

Hoseok's tail swishes anxiously behind him as he studies your expression.

"You don't have to use it if you don't want to."

You let out a soft breath, feeling the tension in your shoulders ease up a bit.

"I love it. Thank you for doing this for me."

The boys immediately perk up, their tails wagging and moving excitedly behind their backs. 

"Told you she would like it," Jimin says smugly. The cat hybrid gently grabs your hand, leading you to the coziest spot in the centre of the nest. 

You lower yourself onto the mountain of blankets, sinking deeper than you expect as the cushions shift beneath you. It's nicer than you expected.

One by one, they settle around you.

Jimin claims his spot immediately, curling against your left side with absolutely no hesitation. One arm slips around your waist as a deep, content purr vibrates through his chest.

Jeongguk drops down on your right a second later, close enough that his knee presses against yours beneath the blankets. One of his hands immediately finds yours, his fingers intertwining with yours as though it's the most natural thing in the world.

Taehyung kneels behind you, carefully tucking another pillow between your back and the couch. His fingers linger on your shoulder for a moment before he finally seems satisfied with his work, his tail swishing proudly behind him.

Hoseok settles just beneath Jimin, folding himself against your legs without a second thought. His chin comes to rest on your knee, his tail lazily draping itself across your ankles.

Behind you, Namjoon shifts closer until you can feel the warmth of his chest at your back. One large hand settles against your shoulder, grounding and steady.

The sensation of someone gently playing with your hair makes you tilt your head back. You find Yoongi stretched comfortably across the couch, leaning on the armrest, gazing down at you with a soft expression. 

"Comfortable?" He asks.

Before you can answer, Seokjin drops down beside Jeongguk with a dramatic sigh, immediately pulling his packmate back against his chest.

"Move over. You're hogging the blanket, bun."

"I'm not!"

"You absolutely are," Seokjin deadpans. The hamster hybrid's attempt at a wrestling match is short-lived, Jeongguk winning easily as he flips them over and plants himself on his alpha's back.

You let out a stifled giggle as someone dims the lights and the TV turns on, drowning out Seokjin's complaints. 

The movie doesn't do much to settle the argument. Every few minutes, another indignant protest rises from somewhere beneath Jeongguk, only to be ignored by the bunny hybrid as he stretches out even more comfortably across his alpha's back.

Meanwhile, Taehyung seems more interested in the snacks than the actual movie, insisting that everyone try whatever he's currently holding before immediately reaching for something else.

Beside you, Jimin's purring never falters. You shift a little deeper beneath the blankets, relaxing into the warmth surrounding you as Yoongi's fingers continue their slow movements through your hair.

Maybe this was exactly what you needed.

The case isn't going anywhere. Neither is Hajoon. But tonight, wrapped in warmth and surrounded by the seven people you care about most, you feel like you can finally breathe again. 

Tomorrow… Tomorrow can wait just a little longer. 

a/n: i hope you've all had a lovely summer!! i didn't get to write as much as i had planned to, but i'm really happy i was able to get at least two chapters out there for you guys 💖

things are really heating up for the mc now with her case and who knows... maybe the next chapter will have things heating up in a slightly different way too? 👀

Alpha is coming!

Your thighs were burning as you climbed the steps to the second floor, almost tripping once or twice and hearing a hiss right behind you. 

The fact you couldn’t see any other pack member, even with all the ruckus, told you that Namjoon had given them some type of warning. 

You could not hold back the scream that left your throat when you were at the last steps of the stairs and Namjoon’s heavy breathing was right behind you. If he wanted to, he could grab you right now and end this game of cat and mouse. 

More like wolf and deer. 

If only this wasn’t as fun for him as it was for you; dipping into his instincts like this, letting his alpha take all the shots. 

Once you were inside your bedroom, you rushed the last few steps until your bare feet stepped on the soft materials that made up your nest.

“Stop!” you told Namjoon before he caught you. “You can’t come into my nest until I say so!” 

You were standing face to face with a heavy breathing, yellow eyed alpha. At this moment, Namjoon was more beast than man. The veins coming up his arm were popping off, muscles straining against his clothes. 

Yet, the fact that you knew he would never disrespect your nest by coming in uninvited made you feel like you held all the power. 

Invite me in.

“Not until you calm down.” 

It’s not like you thought Namjoon or his alpha would ever hurt you. You were more worried about them at this point. 

You’ve never seen him shake like this, breathing as if he was hyperventilating. It made you panic that maybe you read this all wrong.  

“You’re getting her scent all over our nest.” Namjoon gritted out through a locked jaw and it felt like a stab to your chest. 

Your nest… The one your alphas put together with so much love and care, the one they spent however many hours covering in their scent. You were bringing a new scent to it, of someone who didn’t belong in your pack. 

Goddess, you were so stupid. 

You just took this play chase a step too far. 

It felt like you were about to cry, something inside you screaming for you to fix it.  

Fix it. You can fix it, fix it now! 

You held the bottom of your shirt and pulled it over your head, careful not to let the fabric touch any part of your nest, not even the parted curtains that secluded it. You threw the piece of clothing away and saw it slide against the floor. 

Kimee didn’t exactly scent you the way your boys did, all she did was give you her jacket for you to rub over your clothes, so you knew you wouldn’t smell so strongly of her when you took your clothes off.

The next to go were your pants and you did the same thing as your shirt, sending it far and away with a throw. 

Nothing of your friend’s scent would be even close to your underwear, but it seemed that you couldn’t stop undressing. Not when Namjoon was looking at you like this, not when you wanted to show him how vulnerable you could be for him. 

When you dropped the two last pieces to the ground at his feet, Namjoon’s eyes were no longer golden.  

“There… Is that better?” you held your own hands in front of you, head slightly tilted down in shame.  

Namjoon took a step forward, but stopped right before the tips of his toes even touched the base of your nest. Even after all of this, he was still respecting it.  

“Alpha… Come here.” you whispered softly. “Come into our nest. Please.” 

It was like Namjoon could release something painful he was holding, stepping one foot inside the nest, and then another. 

“Your scent is all wrong.” he huffed, towering over you. 

“Fix it, alpha.” you didn’t dare touch him, even if all you wanted was to lose yourself in his body. “Make me smell like you.”

The man’s chest rumbled as he nodded. Lay down, little human. 

You did so right away, stepping backwards and lowering yourself onto the soft and plush surface of the nest. You still weren’t quite satisfied with it just yet, but you’d have to let it bother you some other time. 

Namjoon watched you from above, taking off his own shirt and throwing it somewhere into the room. You were so right when you thought he’d been working out harder –or maybe it was all the effort to build his new room–, but Namjoon was stronger than before, with huge biceps, pectorals that surpassed even Jungkook’s, bumps and lines on his stomach that were making you squirm. 

His alpha was basking in the attention, in the way your eyes were appreciating every side of him. As his stress and outrage left him, your own chest felt lighter and you could breathe easily. 

At least until Namjoon reached for his belt buckle and opened it like you tried to do in the car. He unzipped his pants and pushed them down his legs, stepping out of them. His thighs were like two oak logs, so strong that you knew you could bounce a coin off of them, making your mouth water. 

Already smelling so sweet. The alpha crooned, placing a hand over his cock to palm it over his black boxers. I like this much better. 

“Only smell like this for you, alpha.” you were writhing on the spot, gasping as Namjoon dropped to his knees. 

“You can’t touch me until I say otherwise,” as soon as the words came out of his mouth you were squeezing the sheet underneath you to try and hold back the impulse to reach for him. “Understood?”

“Yes, alpha.” 

You sucked in a much needed breath as he pushed your legs apart to fit in between them by your knees. Namjoon held one of your ankles and lifted it up to be at level with his face. His dragon eyes were holding yours when he pressed a kiss to the inside of your ankle.

He started the world’s slowest torture as he kissed down your leg; lips dragging against your calf, under and over your knee, your thigh. He kept coming closer and closer to your center breathing heavily against your skin and covering you in heat each time his tongue joined his lips and he dragged it against your skin. 

By the time you could feel his warm breath over your center, your fingers were tingling from how hard you were squeezing the sheets. Your eyes were about to roll back when your lips worried your bottom lip and he finally–

Placed your right leg back down and took hold of your other ankle. 

Your eyes opened to see him studying you while lifting your other leg and beginning the same torturous teasing. 

Namjoon was just as throughout as he kissed your other calf, your shins, over your knee. His plush and meaty lips dragged over the front of your thigh again, dipping lower and lower until his tongue was coming out to lick the soft part of your inner thigh. 

That’s why you couldn’t touch him, because otherwise you’d be pulling his hair to bring him to where you needed him most. 

His nose gave your pubic bone the lightest brush before gently placing your leg back down and straightening out his back. 

“Namjoon, please.” you whimpered, bottom lip trembling. 

He tskd. “You played your game, little human. Now let me play mine.” 

You could see the leaking tent he had inside his boxers, there was no way this was fun for him. But instead of saying so, when you knew this was punishment for something you had started, you willed your body to relax and be at his mercy. 

Namjoon made a noise of appreciation, scooting forward and moving his thigh over one of yours. It was almost too much to bear, the heavy weight of his cock pressing against your leg as he reached for your left arm. 

The man had to pry your iron grip off the sheets to hold your arm up. 

He kissed every single one of your fingers, down to every knuckle, the back of your hand, your palm. Namjoon paid special attention to the inside of your wrist before coming up your arm, the inside of your elbow, your biceps, and finishing on your shoulder. 

Despite the painful throbs between your legs from how much all this teasing was affecting you, despite the emptiness you were clenching around… Another part of you was delighted with all of this. How Namjoon didn’t leave one spot of your skin untouched. 

It felt like he was loving every inch of your body, even the ones you didn’t like. 

He repeated exactly the same action with your other arm before settling between your legs again, pushing yours even wider apart so he could fit there. Namjoon stood over you on his knees, with his palms bracing his weight on each side of your shoulders. 

You watched him with shallow breaths as he kissed your forehead, your cheeks, the tip of your nose and your chin. His lips found your jaw, the left side of your neck, your collarbones. Your chest was moving up and down when he reached it, dipping his face down to kiss the valley between your breasts. 

Your back arched off the mattress, pushing closer to his face. Namjoon groaned before kissing one of your breasts, circling your nipple before popping it into his mouth. The wet feel of his mouth around your hard nub made you cry out in pleasure. Namjoon worked his beautiful lips over your nipple, pinching and sucking it into his mouth before moving his attention to your other breast. 

He repeated the same movements, adding a couple flicks of his tongue whenever he wanted you to moan louder. 

“Joon…” you whined with a quivering sob. “Let me touch you, please let me touch you.” 

“Touch me.” 

Your hands were all over him in a second; touching his arms, his muscular shoulders, his neck. Your fingers got lost in his hair, down the back of his neck so your nails could sink deliciously into the smooth and taut skin of his back. 

Your touches only spurred Namjoon to carry on, bringing his kisses down your navel, covering every inch of your stomach, playfully licking your belly button. When he didn’t stop the path he was making down your body, you spread your legs impossibly wide in invitation. 

Pack omega smells right, now. His alpha commemorated as Namjoon’s lips were kissing your bare pubic mound. 

“You did such a good job, alpha,” you praised as your back arched off the mattress again. “I’ll be smelling like you for days–” 

Namjoon’s hands held your hips in place so you’d stop squirming so much. “Now it’s time my tongue tastes like you, too.” 

That was all the warning he gave you before burying his head between your legs. 

Namjoon’s wide tongue licked a bold stripe between your folds; you were so wet and slippery that you heard him fucking swallow before circling your swollen clit with the tip of his tongue. Your hand went back to his head as Namjoon threw your legs over his shoulders, hands slipping under your ass to squeeze and keep your pussy flush against his face. 

You were squirming and rolling your lips against his face, tugging at his hair as your mewls grew louder and needier. 

Namjoon interspersed between flicking your clit with his tongue like it was one of the buttons of his Game Boy and teasing your fluttering hole. 

“Alpha–” you cried out, about to beg when he plunged his tongue inside your pussy. “Oh, fuck, yes!” 

The man was groaning between your legs, his own hips bucking against the mattress underneath him as if he couldn’t control himself after tasting you. His tongue was moving in and out of you with the kind of speed and pressure that couldn’t be normal, while his nose kept bumping against your clit. 

“I’m gonna cum–” you cried, eyes rolling back as you felt your lower stomach tense. 

That’s it, let the whole pack hear you. 

“Oh, shit.” you cursed at the realization that all six others were probably listening right now, but instead of making you feel embarrassed, it only extended your arousal to new heights. 

Namjoon worked his whole mouth against your cunt, not letting up until your thighs were clamping around his head and you were twitching almost violently with the force of your orgasm. You were moaning and babbling incoherencies, toes curling as your whole body tensed with your release. 

The wolf kept lapping at your pussy life he’d been starving for it, until the abuse on your clit became too much and you winced in pain. Namjoon stopped immediately and kissed the inside of your thigh instead. 

“Thank you–” you mumbled as your eyes felt heavy and your head felt light. 

The sound of Namjoon’s laugh made your heart flutter; whatever happened that bothered him or that he didn’t like had passed and he was back to being your gorgeous, tanned, clumsy wolf. 

The mass of his body toppled beside you and you were very happy that your nest was large enough for you both to move freely and comfortably. Namjoon laid on his back and pulled you into his chest; you didn’t know who needed this more, you or him. 

He reached for one of the many blankets lying around and pulled it over your body as you sighed against his chest. 

You were quiet for a while before you asked: “Do you really think the pack heard me?” 

Yes we did, dove. 

You’re lucky hyung said we couldn’t come in. 

I need the wet wipes, hang on–

You giggled as you hid your face in the crook of Namjoon’s neck. 

“At least that was just the second floor.”

Well, I’m on the third floor and I heard it. 

Oh, yeah, no way we couldn’t. 

Making the pack proud, sweetheart. 

“Oh, god, shut up all of you.” you had to giggle, despite your own embarrassment. 

“You love it.” Namjoon grinned against the top of your head, warm hand rubbing up and down your back. 

You didn’t want to ruin this moment, but you wouldn’t be able to fully relax before you explained yourself. If only to make sure there were no misunderstandings. 

“Joonie, it really was just a stupid joke, you know?” you started quietly, feeling him tense under your body. “I was telling Kimee about how we hadn’t… And she thought this could be a way to trigger something into happening.”

And she was clearly right, but now you could see how there were probably better ways to do it.  

“Cub.” Namjoon sighed and you raised your upper body so you could look at him. “If you want something to happen, you only need to say so. Not one of us would deny you.” 

“No, I know…” you lowered your head in embarrassment.  

“I understand she’s your friend and you don’t have secrets with her.” he spoke again, lifting your chin to meet your eyes. “But letting her meddle in the pack like this?”

“Kimee wasn’t meddling…” you defended her, but it was weak. Was she?

“What you did tonight was dangerous. We just got you back, and this whole shared mate thing is still too new for all of us.” Namjoon’s scolding made you feel small. Not because you didn’t deserve it, but because you realized how it looked from his point of view. 

“Yes, yes, I know, if she asks me to leave Bangtan, I need to say no.” you rolled your eyes, removing your seatbelt. “Tae already gave me the run down before we left.” 

Namjoon’s laugh was decorated by his beautiful dimples. 

“Good, but that’s not what I’m talking about.” the fact you couldn’t smell jealousy on him made you stop. “Look here.” 

Your lover leaned forward, pointing to the GPS screen on the panel of the car. He used the touch screen to distance the map so you could see more streets. 

“You see where Moonlight is located?” he asked, pointing to the red arrow marking the spot. 

“Yes, Joon, I worked there.” 

“Okay, smartass, did you know that the next street over is considered southside?”  

“Oh.” that shut you up very fast. “Well, I knew it was close, I just didn’t know it was that close…”

“It’s right at the border.” Namjoon explained while drawing an invisible line on the screen with his finger. “So if you get out of the café, you can go up, but you shouldn’t go down that way.” 

“Okay…” your throat felt dry.

“You don’t have to be scared, we’d burn this city to the ground to get you back if something happened.” he said with a deep tone that made you want to cross your legs tighter. “We just want to try to avoid that.” 

“Thank you, Joon. I promise I’ll be careful.” you were a lot less eager to leave the car now. “Anything else?” 

“Just one thing.” 

Namjoon took off his own seatbelt and pulled the lever beside his bench, sending it flying backwards and away from the steering wheel. 

“What are you–”

“Come here.” 

He didn’t need to call you twice, that was for damn sure. 

Your bag dropped to the floor of the car in your haste to climb Namjoon’s lap. Strong hand maneuvered you until you were safely seated on his thighs. You had to bend forward slightly so your head wouldn’t hit the roof of the car, but you fixed that right away when you ducked for his mouth. 

Much to your surprise, Namjoon avoided your lips as he pulled all your hair back and away from your shoulders, mouth going straight to your neck. Once again he was avoiding the side where your mate mark was, but you didn’t have the brains to ask him about it when you felt his mouth open and his tongue lick your skin in a bold stripe. 

Your hands were resting on his chest as you bent your head to the opposite side to let him kiss up and down your throat as much as he wanted to. Your eyes fluttered closed as your lips parted and a tiny moan escaped you when he nuzzled the spot under your ear. 

You knew what he was doing. You were about to meet with another werewolf, another alpha at that. It didn’t matter that it was your best friend, it didn’t matter Kimee didn’t feel attraction to you. Namjoon’s instincts were to mark you with his scent to send a message. 

And you let him because it was hot as fuck. 

“Alpha–” you moaned harder at the tug on your hair, while his other hand held the dip of your hip. 

“Fuck, little human, if you keep making those damn noises–” his hips bucked once in warning and all you did was roll your hips and press down onto him. “You’re really going to be late.” 

“You started it.” 

With a hand at the base of Namjoon’s neck, you caught his mouth when he pulled away from your neck. You kissed him like he was a huge glass of cold water and you had been wandering in the desert for days. You knew he could smell your arousal coming from between your legs, and it didn’t help that he felt harder every time you pressed your pussy against his crotch. 

Namjoon licked your mouth, flicking his tongue against yours, and your hand started to go down his taut body, reaching his belt buckle–

Your head was pulled backwards, neck arching as you stared at the grey colored roof. Namjoon’s hot breath was on your ear as he warned:

“If you touch me right now, I won’t let you leave this car.” his breathing was heavy and labored against your heated skin. “Not before I drag you into the back seat and fuck you like you’re asking for.” 

And then his alpha added: Not that the idea of letting you walk into that café with my cum dripping down your legs isn’t tempting. 

“I’m trying to be a gentleman here and let you have a nice day with your best friend.” Namjoon gently let go of your hair and all the roughness in which he was treating you went out the window and he ran his hands up and down your arms. “Call me when you need me to pick you up?” 

You were staring at him, incredulous. How could he let you go right now, after this intense makeout session? When you could see the tent in his jeans, when he could smell how wet you were? 

Maybe this is why he was the one to offer to give you a ride, you doubted any of the others would have the same self-control. The moon goddess knew yours was slipping. 

“Go on, now.” he encouraged you when you didn’t move. “I’d walk you to the door, but I might get arrested for public indecency.”

“Right.” you laughed, leaning down for one last, long kiss. “Thank you for bringing me.”

You turned around to bend and reach for your discarded bag, opening the door on Namjoon’s side of the car. As you maneuvered around him to get out, you made sure to rub yourself on him just for good measure. Before you could walk away, you leaned into the open door of the car and said:

“Don’t even think about jerking off.” you raised an eyebrow as if you could give an alpha any orders. “If I have to stay needy and wet, so do you.” 

Before Namjoon could complain or say otherwise, you closed the car door and turned around to walk away. 

The fact that you knew he was watching you and probably wouldn’t leave until you were safely inside the coffee shop made you feel safer. Realistically, you knew that the wolves that harmed you were gone and Seokjin and Hoseok assured you that their pack wouldn’t retaliate. But being back here after what happened the last time felt heavy. 

This place meant so much to you, it was because of Moonlight Café that you met your lovers and your life was changed forever. But it was also here that you’ve been terrified, where you were attacked, stalked and threatened. 

The front of the shop was almost the same: glass walls, warm lighting and a neon sign with the name of the place in beautiful blinking cursive. As soon as you walked in, you were hit in the nose with the scent of grounded coffee, vanilla beans, overused marble mugs and something that was so familiar that this felt like coming home.

A high pitched screech pulled you out from your nostalgia trance, and you knew exactly who it belonged to. 

“I can’t believe you’re here–” Kimee slipped out of the booth where she’d been waiting for you, arms open to hug you before she froze. “Jesus Christ, did you just have a quickie in the car?! Girl, ew!” 

“No, I– shhh!” you waved her down, an absolutely mortifying shiver as you realized she could smell you. “I didn’t do anything, I swear! Namjoon was just… Heavy scenting me.” 

“Marking his territory, eh?” Kimee cackled, but refrained from hugging you. “He’s right to be worried.” 

“Don’t let him hear you say that, or I might never be able to see you again.” you rolled your eyes playfully.  

“I’d like to see them try.” your best friend laughed, waving you closer to her booth. “Come, I got your favorite. I hope it’s not too melted, but you took a while to get here.” 

“I’m sorry I’m late.” you dropped your bag onto the empty side of the booth before sliding in.  

“It’s okay, you have to deal with seven alphas, that can’t be easy.” she pushed your cup towards you; a hazelnut frappe. 

“I’m not sure… I wouldn’t say it’s easy, but I don’t mind a single part of it.” you took a sip of the drink to refrain from sighing too dreamily. “I’ve never been this happy, Kims.” 

“I know. I can see it in your face. Which, in return, makes me really happy.” 

You couldn’t avoid the wave of nostalgia that kept coming back. This seat where you were sitting right now was the same one where Yoongi sat when he first came into your life. This table was the same one you pretended to wipe a thousand times when you knew one of the others was watching you from the glass.  

“The last time we both sat here, you were just gushing to me about the seven men who kept coming by to see you.” as if reading your mind, Kimee looked around. “Can you believe that?” 

“I know!” you laughed. “Back then I didn’t even think they knew each other. I didn’t know what they were. I didn’t know what you were either.” 

She grimaced, hiding behind her own iced coffee. “I said I was sorry about that.” 

“You knew what I was, didn’t you? Before the others.” it was something you always wondered about. Lowering your voice, you added: “You knew about moonchildren.” 

“I couldn't be completely sure back then, but I did, yeah.” the confirmation didn’t feel like a surprise. “For starters, you’re the only human I ever felt connected to. So I knew you couldn’t be just any human.”

“That’s just because you’re not very patient.” you teased.  

“Fuck you, you know?” 

Kimee flipped you off, which made you laugh harder and honestly, so did she. You were sipping your watered frappe –which was not as good as the one you made– when your friend looked at something behind you, just in time for the little bell above the door to ring. 

“Oh shit, there’s something else you should know–”

Before Kimee could finish talking, another warm and familiar voice rang into the almost empty salon: 

“Do my eyes deceive me?!” 

You turned around to see Mrs. Narae, the owner of Moonlight, your old boss. 

“Darling girl, you’re really here!” 

“Mrs. Narae! It’s been so long, I’m so happy to see you!” you were out of your seat in a flash, hoping that your scent had settled back to normal by now. “I was so happy when Kimee said this place was still running.”

“Oh yes, we couldn’t stay closed for too long, this place is my life, you know?” the old woman squeezed you tight.  

“Yeah… I’m so sorry…”

You were already expecting the guilt. Afterall, you just up and left one night, leaving a huge mess in the kitchen. You knew it was too dangerous for you to stay, but you wished you could have helped more. It broke your heart when you heard they closed down indefinitely. 

“Don’t mention it. It wasn’t on you, I knew those wolves were up to no good when they kept coming back looking for you.” Mrs. Narae sounded somber as she spoke, but your heart started racing for a different reason. “I haven’t seen them in a while, so I hope they got the hint. If not, I got a baseball bat behind the counter and I'm not against using it.” 

“Those wolves– you knew?” you looked at your old employer and then to your best friend, finding guilt written all over her face.

“Oh, darling, most of our patrons are werewolves.” Mrs. Narae admitted and you almost fell back down into the booth. “This place is called Moonlight for a reason.” 

You were absolutely speechless. How did you never notice? But then again, once you did know that werewolves were real, you left town without looking back. 

“Besides, we do have security cameras, so I saw what they did to my kitchen. What they did to you.” the older woman continued, making you want to smack yourself. “If it wasn’t for those three young men showing up when they did– Are you still in contact with them?”

You nodded, throat dry. “Yes, they are my pack now.” 

“How marvelous! You deserve to be looked after.” Mrs. Narae beamed, looking at the young woman behind the counter. “Excuse me now, girls, I need to get ready for my shift!”

“Your shift? You’re working here now?” you frowned. As far as you knew, she had retired long ago.

“After you left, I couldn’t really find a replacement to work our odd hours.” she explained, looking at the girl at the counter again. “My niece has been a great help, but she’s in college so I can’t ask her to stay late every night.”

“Ahh, I see…” there it was, the guilt again. 

“If you ever want your job back, just know it’s here for you.” 

And with that, Mrs. Narae walked away and left you and Kimee alone again. 

Now that you watched her, the woman did walk a little too fast for a woman her age, reflexes still too agile. 

“She’s a werewolf?!” you repeated, sitting back down and facing Kimee. “I thought you should be a minority in Seoul, but it seems that everyone I know is secretly a wolf!” 

“We are, there’s quite literally not that many of us.” she answered with amusement. “It’s you, babes. You attract werewolves like you’re a full moon. Bright and magical in a dark sky.” 

You were suddenly understanding why the boys were scared about the thought of you being out there on your own. At this point, you were starting to be concerned too. 

“I guess it just sucks that everyone seems to always know more than I do.” you grumbled, bringing your cup closer to you. “I don’t even really know what I am.” 

“You’re a moonchild, babes. That’s a very special thing.” 

“I know that, but what am I supposed to do with this knowledge?” you huffed a puff of air, about to get deep and honest. “I keep expecting there to be a great thing I need to do. Like I was brought to this life again to have a greater purpose.”

With lines between her perfect, dark brows, she wanted to know: “What do you mean you were brought into this life again?” 

You weren’t sure you were ready to talk about your visions just yet, in case she thought you were crazy. You weren’t quite convinced otherwise yourself. 

“I don’t know, I’m just thinking out loud.” 

“Listen, I don’t know if you have a grand responsibility or not, but what you are is not a curse. It’s a blessing.” Kimee reached across the table to hold one of your hands. “You are allowed to see it as such, you are allowed to feel special.” 

Catching the hearts of seven incredible men did make you feel special, if you stopped to think about it. Which you also weren’t going to say out loud, because you didn’t know what kind of pack situation Kimee had going on. You didn’t want to ask her about it in case it was a sore subject, trusting that she would tell you herself when she felt comfortable.  

But what you could ask–

“When were you going to tell me you’re an alpha?!” 

“I thought it was obvious!” she shrugged. 

“Not to me it’s not.” you whined.  

“Don’t get discouraged, it’s not so easy to spot sometimes.” she assured you easily. “Mrs. Narae, for instance. What would you say she is?” 

“Well. She always acts like a mother, so I would guess she’s an omega.” you said after giving it a quick thought. But then Kimee twisted her nose. “Is she not?” 

“I know omegas tend to be the most nurturing of us, but that’s not always the case.” she explained patiently, making you eat your previous statement. “Omegas aren’t always soft and sweet, and alphas aren’t always brave and strong either.”  

“Great, you just made it harder on me.” 

“It’s mostly about instinct. You’re thinking with your brain.” she comically tapped her own head. “You need to think with your wolf.” 

“I don’t have a bloody wolf.” you hissed with your voice down, just in case there were eavesdroppers. 

“With your ‘moonchild’, then.” Kimee only mouthed the word this time, which you appreciated. “No matter what you call it, you have something inside you that can help you with that.” 

“If you say so.” 

“I’m serious.” the girl leaned closer, arms on the table to give her support as she told you: “If there’s one thing I know about your kind is that you can adapt. Whatever you need to do so your pack’s necessities are met… Your body will transform.” 

You were ready to refute her when you stopped to really think about what she was saying. Because was that not what was happening from the start? Was your human body not changing itself constantly?

Hell, you could hear voices inside your head now. You were healing faster than ever before, your sense of smell was never this good, you were able to take a knot, for crying out loud! Not to mention the weird gland that had formed into your most private parts and then completely disappeared after Hoseok took care of it. 

“If you had a wolf, you would definitely be an omega.” Kimee decided.

“The boys keep saying that.” you agreed. “They keep calling me pack omega.” 

“Of coooourse they do.” she sang with a loud laugh.  

“What’s so funny?” 

“I mean, a pack omega is every alpha’s wet dream, so I can only guess how it feels for a full alpha pack.” she shrugged. “And you’re right, you’re not a wolf, you are a moonchild. That’s like… An omega on crack.” 

“I hadn’t thought of it like that…” tonight was full of epiphanies, you guessed.  

“It’s a miracle they let you out of the house, if I’m honest.” 

“I mean they haven’t– we haven’t…” 

“Damn, those boys are more well behaved than I thought.” Kimee sounded impressed, but you weren’t sure it was a good thing. “They must love and care for you a lot.” 

“Well, they can love me and rail me in equal measures for all I care.” you admitted despite the flush on your neck. You really missed being able to speak this crass. 

“Maybe I can help you change that…” 

“Did she text you yet?”

Hoseok’s voice was what pulled Namjoon’s attention from the book he was reading. 

It was a lovely night out, perfect for sitting on the porch of his hanok; the same one he built in hopes of impressing you. 

Namjoon would be lying if he said he didn’t choose to build it a few meters into the backyard, just so that whenever you came over or chose to sleep in his quarters, it would feel like your own little house. 

Namjoon would be able to pretend, even if just for a few moments, that it was just the two of you. That he’d be your first choice. 

It was a silly thought, he knew that, one he was deeply ashamed of whenever it crossed his mind.  

“Not since an hour ago.” Namjoon had his phone on ringing and vibrating mode, so even though it was tucked into his jeans’ pocket right now, he would have heard it if there was a notification from you.  

Hoseok was crossing the few steps that it took from the back of the mansion to get to Namjoon’s little home. “How can you be so calm about this?” 

“You know Moonlight only closes at dawn.” the leader reasoned, trying to keep his tone leveled. “I’m sure they have a lot to catch up on.” 

“That’s not what I mean.” Hoseok was able to lower his voice once he reached Namjoon’s reading area, pulling out the big cushion that served as a spare chair; one he bought thinking of you. “Aren’t you worried about that girl, Joon-ah?” 

“We need to be a little more rational here, you know as well as I do that Yn wouldn’t leave us for Kimee.” there went Namjoon’s reading mood. He closed the book after placing the piece of napkin he used as a bookmark inside the page where he left off. “Or for anyone for that matter. She’s ours. She needs us just as much as we need her.” 

“That’s not what I’m saying, I trust Yn.” the older man ran a hand through his face, something was bothering him deeply. “It’s the other one I don’t trust.” 

“We don’t even know her.” 

“Exactly.” Hoseok stood up again, too filled with energy to stay put. “How do we know we can trust her?” 

Namjoon didn’t know. But he couldn’t just say that, not when his pack came to him looking for words of reassurance. “She wouldn’t harm Yn.” 

“How do you know?” 

“She saved her, hyung. Whether we like it or not, if Kimee hadn’t told us about the princess and moonchildren–”

“We would have figured it out on our own.” 

Namjoon sighed. “She was tortured by the southside to protect her.” 

“Yet she didn’t leave them.” Hoseok’s voice was firm in his deliverance. “She’s still southside.” 

“She’s from the south, but she’s not from the same pack as the ones who wanted to take Yn.” Namjoon argued.  

“And do we know which pack she does belong to?” 

Namjoon didn’t like how Hoseok brought good arguments into the discussion. The man always had a good voice of reason, being the one Namjoon trusted most when it came to guessing the next steps of their opposition. Up until this moment, Namjoon didn’t have a reason to mistrust or suspect that your friend had any ill intentions towards you, but he couldn’t deny that hearing Hoseok’s worries planted a small seed of doubt into his brain. 

“Alphas, I’m homeeee.” 

Your chirpy voice caught them both off guard, making relief wash over Namjoon now that you were home and unharmed, at the same time as confusion and worry over how you got there settled.

“How did you get here?” Namjoon got up from his reading chair, letting his book drop onto it. “I thought you were letting me know to come pick you up.” 

Innocently, you waved him off. “I know, but Kimee has a car now and it was just easier for her to drop me off.” 

And now she knows where we live. Hoseok rang inside Namjoon’s mind. You should make sure she didn’t get a copy of the key.  

Namjoon ignored it as he walked closer, meeting you in the middle of the lawn. You were clearly relaxed and in a happy state after seeing your friend, he didn’t want to sour that by bothering you with things he wasn’t sure he believed in the first place.  

“Did you have a good–” Namjoon froze when the draft coming in from the house behind you changed the direction of the wind and filled his lungs with something awful. 

Pomegranate and mint were coming off of you so strongly that he could barely smell your sakura and vanilla. His own scent was completely gone, covered and replaced by whatever it was that managed to get so close to you.  

“I had a great time, yeah, you’ll never believe–”

Why do you smell like that. It was a sentence more than a question and the tone his alpha used made you falter. 

“Oh.” you gasped, taking a good look at Namjoon and stopping in his eyes. 

Why do I smell another alpha all over you. Namjoon’s jaw was clenched, just as his fingers were flexing in fists at his sides. He took a deep breath of the air around you, head tilting menacingly as his eyelids lowered. It seems like our omega has been up to no good. 

“Joon, you’re scaring me…” your body didn’t agree with your words. While your heart was racing, Namjoon was too in tune with it to know it wasn’t fear you were feeling. It was excitement. “It was just a stupid joke–”

“A joke?” he repeated in a low timber that had you sucking up air. So you wanna play, huh? 

“I–” you stuttered, starting to squirm on the spot. 

Hoseok took a step closer, but Namjoon warned: Don’t.

“What was the great joke? To get home smelling of someone else to get us to react?” Namjoon had to laugh at the stupidity, knowing damn well it couldn’t have come from you. “In a house full of alphas?”

“Now that I think about it yeah, it was pretty dumb–”

Run. 

You almost mewled. “What?” 

“You wanna play.” Again, it wasn’t a question. “Let’s play.” 

At that, you turned around and dashed into the house. 

The moment you were moving away, your heart buzzing deliciously in his ears, your excited chirps muffled as you tried to cover with your hands, Namjoon let go. He let go of the tight reigns he kept his alpha in and let him come to the front. 

“Namjoon-ah–” 

Now that feeling of belonging, of being where you were supposed to be, you knew was thanks to the pack. Despite still missing two men who you were yet to see. 

It was after dinner when you excused yourself to your bedroom to unpack and open all of the parcels that had been delivered while you were away; the very same ones that did some damage to your bank account and made you realize that it was way past time for you to find a job. 

You passed out just before midnight, curled into a pillow you picked from your nest; the one piece that smelled the strongest of your seven alphas. 

You couldn’t remember the last time you had a dream that didn’t involve a royal palace, a cave and werewolves, so you started to stir when the pictures conjured up by your mind started to morph into mandarin fields. 

Green mandarin trees were all around you, as far as the eye could see, and you were sitting under a big cedar. You were protected by its shade as the breeze kissed your skin and filled your lungs with the scent that reminded you exactly of–

Alpha!

Hi, pretty girl.

You gasped softly as you fussed awake, opening your eyes in the semi darkness of your bedroom and looking over your shoulder. 

Your lips parted for you to yelp with excitement when Hoseok’s hand covered your lips. You frowned as you turned around to lay on your back. 

You need to be quiet for me, yeah? Hoseok slipped under your covers to lay beside you and you nodded your head so he could move his hand away. I’ve received orders to not come see you until morning. Something about you needing your rest, if you’re gonna act like our pack omega. 

Is that what the boys were saying behind your back? Did you need your rest to be able to handle the seven of them like a real omega would? What exactly did that entail? Your neck felt hot as you thought about the possibilities your half-asleep brain was conjuring up. 

“Well, I’m glad you don’t follow all of Namjoon’s orders.” you mumbled. 

While you could try to use your mind voice, you still didn’t master closing it enough so that only a specific werewolf could hear you, so the chances of you being heard by the whole house were bigger than if you whispered.

When it comes to you? Not anymore. Hoseok’s arm wrapped around your waist, flipping you over so you turned to lay on your side as you faced him. 

You smiled and let him press his warm body to yours. You couldn’t help but throw your leg over his hip, hearing a tiny groan of joy as his hand rested on your hip. 

“What time is it?” you asked softly as you placed your head under his, lips skimming what little skin peaked out from the collar of his shirt. 

A little past four am. Hoseok nosed the top of your head. We just got back. 

As far as they told you, both Hoseok and Seokjin had been out of town on Namjoon’s orders. Now that the pack was back in Seoul, they needed to visit the neighboring packs to make sure everything was under control and to see where their loyalties still remained. 

They didn’t go too far, only on the other side of the mountain up north, but got held up a little longer than planned, which meant they weren’t home when you arrived. 

“And Jin?” you mumbled while peppering kisses against his collarbones. 

Hyung is back, too. Hoseok replied and you couldn’t help but squeeze him a little tighter. You got your whole pack home, sweet girl. 

A wave of happiness took over you, everyone was home. You were home. You felt an indescribable type of relief, the cogs in your brain stopped turning so frantically and you could breathe easier now. You could relax. 

Hoseok could tell as much as he breathed you in, telling you in a tiny voice:

“You can sleep now.” his lips pressed against your temple. 

“You stay?” you yawned, fighting sleep now that your body was so relaxed would be impossible. 

“I have to leave before anyone catches me here, but I’ll stay a little longer.” 

“Mhmm, okay.” you nodded with heavy eyelids drooping. “Thank you for coming back to me.”

I’ll always come back for you, cub. 

Two fingers lifted your chin and you didn’t need to open your eyes back up to know what was coming. Hoseok pressed his lips against yours, soft and gentle, as if feeling you like this was enough for him 

It wasn’t enough for you, which had you chasing more of his mouth and licking his bottom lip. The hand still resting on your hip flexed and you allowed a tiny mewl to escape your lips; which Hoseok promptly swallowed with a certain kind of hunger that you hoped would bless your dreams. 

One of the –many– perks of being inherited Namjoon’s old bedroom was the fact that now you had your own bathroom. One you were excited to fill with your favorite makeup brands and a shower that would soon be packed with all different kinds of shower gels and body washes; mostly unscented, of course. 

While you were sad to no longer share a bathroom with Jungkook like you did in Dalju, you knew there would be plenty of opportunities for you to run into him. 

Your bedroom wasn’t the only one on the second floor of the den, Jimin and Taehyung’s shared bedroom was the closest to yours –just like in Dalju, the wolves shared a bedroom, but unlike in the cabin, here they each had their own separate beds. Jungkook’s room was right at the end of the hall, next to what you were told to be an office space that usually held pack meetings. 

The third floor was reserved for the three oldest members of the pack. 

While you were surprised that your own room ended up being so far away from Yoongi’s, it made you happy to know that just because his mark was on your neck, you didn’t need to be stuck to him. You could have your own space, and you could freely move in between bedrooms. 

You didn’t know what time it was when you left the bathroom after brushing your teeth and making yourself presentable, not even stopping to change out of your pajamas. You were on a mission to find Seokjin and you knew exactly where you were going to find him. 

You could hear laughs coming out of the room next to yours and as tempting as it would be to walk in there to find out what the fuss was all about, you rushed down the stairs and took a left. 

Seokjin was standing in the kitchen, with his back to you as he did something on the counter. In nothing but a white shirt that hugged his wide shoulders and a comfortable pair of grey sweatpants, your oldest lover looked like a husband. 

His hair was much fuller than when you first met him, with curled tips that practically covered his ears. 

You highly doubted that it would reduce his supernatural hearing abilities, but you still stood on the tip of your toes as you made your way to him. You were about to jump him when you heard:

Look at her trying to sneak up on us like a baby cub. The alpha cooed, making you scrunch your nose in defeat. 

But you didn’t even care, not when you were so close to Seokjin, not when your pack was finally reunited again, all of you under one expensive roof. You wrapped your arms around his middle, smooshing your face against his back. 

Oh, how I missed his fig leaves and coconut scent. 

“I missed you too, little doe.” Seokjin held your wrists to loosen up your hold so he could bring you to his front. “It’s so good to see you.” 

“Took you long enough.” you huffed a small complaint, nuzzling into his chest and tightening your hold around him. 

“Sorry, Hoseok and I got held back during our last pack visit.” Jin justified it, cradling the back of your head and kissing the top of your hair. “I would tell you where he is, but something tells me you’ve already seen him?” 

You hid your smile, because of course Seokjin was smelling Hoseok’s scent all over you. “He came to see me as soon as you got home.” 

“Is that so?” Jin’s eyes were squinting when you lifted your chin to look at his face. “Even though we had express orders not to wake you?” 

You shrugged. “Maybe he just loves me more.” 

“Yah, don’t be a brat now.” the vein on Seokjin’s neck was popping and as much as you had fun riling him up, because you knew first hand how his brat tamer side could very well come out to play, you didn’t want to cause bickering inside the pack. 

“What did you make me for breakfast?” you asked with a small smile as you tried to see over your shoulder. 

“How do you know it’s for you?” Seokjin challenged, but you knew him too well. His wolf agreed: Let her, she’s cute when she’s cocky. 

“Are those strawberries?” you gasped, turning your body slightly to the side as you rested your body against the counter behind you. “How did you know I was craving them?” 

You could feel the pride coming from Seokjin, his genuine happiness at providing you with food, at guessing something you were craving. Of course by now you knew he thrived on praise, especially if as a result of caring for you specifically, so you did it more often than not. 

You really know how to play with hyung, don’t you? Yoongi was nearby somewhere, you could feel his amusement, too. 

It’s not playing if it’s true, you wanted to tell him, but stopped yourself when Seokjin reached for the small bowl behind you and his long fingers took a small piece of cut up berries. 

“They are not as fresh as Taehyung’s, but I hope they are still sweet.” Seokjin offered you the piece of fruit to try and you brought your lips to his fingers to catch the strawberry with your teeth. Mhmm, I like feeding her. 

You chewed and swallowed before adding: “Someone is chatty today.”

“You’ll have to forgive him, he really missed you.” Seokjin rolled his eyes and if you could see his ears right now, you could bet they were red from embarrassment. 

While the boys’ inner alphas were an extension of themselves and their natural personalities, Jin’s wolf was… A lot more forward and headstrong than Seokjin himself. You didn’t know if that was because on the outside Jin had to act proper –because of the way he was raised– and think about the pack before he thought of himself –he was the oldest afterall– and so his wolf was the real, unabashed version of himself. 

Either way, you were happy that you got to experience the two sides of him. 

“Can you tell him I like feeding him, too?” you looked at Jin through your lashes; he was just so much taller than you, so much larger. 

Seokjin only nodded, because his alpha already knew. His eyes flashed yellow as he looked back to the bowl of berries sitting next to your hip, watching as you reached for a juicy piece of fruit with your fingers. 

You brought it up to his face, watching Jin part his lips and chase for the piece when you pulled your arm back. The dangerous warning came in the form of a low growl; how dare you tease an alpha? 

You brought the piece to your own lips, but instead of eating it right away, you held it between your teeth. 

Seokjin held your jaw in place, lowering himself dangerously close. You were having a hard time breathing through your nose, body thrumming in excitement. Your eyelids drooped when you felt his breath ghosting your face, the tip of his tongue coming out to play to give your lower lip the lightest lick. 

Both of your hands were now resting on the counter behind you as you held yourself, trying not to melt into this man. His chest pressed against yours, letting you feel every single vibration coming from him. 

Seokjin’s plush lips wrapped around the piece of strawberry as he sucked it into his mouth. Instead of chewing on the fruit, Jin took a single bite, enough for juice to come out of it, and then he kissed you. Hard. 

His tongue pushed into your mouth as the hold in your jaw softened and slipped to the back of your neck. Your lips parted as you tasted the strawberry and followed along to the firm swirls of Jin’s tongue. 

Your ear barely picked up on the new set of steps coming, body melting with the possessive way Seokjin held you then, body covering you from view as if he was saying ‘mine’. 

Hoseok’s laugh was too unique for you not to guess it was him. 

Seokjin pulled his mouth from yours when the moment was broken, but not before nibbling on your bottom lip.

“You know, nothing says ‘you’re home’ better than walking into the kitchen in the morning and seeing this.” Hoseok has his arms crossed and a tilted head when you took a peak at him over Seokjin’s shoulder. “Whatever you’re doing, it smells devine.”

He’s not talking about the food.

“I, for one, am happy to be home.” you would be grinning if the way your voice sounded didn’t make heat burn behind your cheeks. 

Seokjin moved off of you to continue plating your food; a hefty bowl of greek yogurt, granola flakes, strawberries and a drizzle of honey. 

“So am I.” Hoseok pushed off the wall to come closer. “Jin hyung didn’t cook this well when you were away.” 

Hoseok reached for a piece of berry just to have his hand whacked away in the process. Not for you. 

Seokjin took a golden spoon and the bowl and gently placed the items in your hands.

“Thank you, alpha.” you smiled and stood on your tiptoes to kiss Jin’s warm cheek. 

You walked past the two of them to sit on the long table that perfectly fit eight people comfortably; making you wonder if they added one more chair just for you.

You had questions you wanted to ask, things you needed to know in order to stay relaxed. Pack things. Ones you hoped the boys wouldn’t hide from you now that you were officially one of them. But you knew that you’d get nowhere unless you made them happy first. And you’d accomplish that by eating the meal the oldest pack member made for you. 

Not that it was a hard task, the yogurt bowl tasted delicious. 

Feeding Hoseok behind Jin’s back was the hard part, as the younger man kept opening his lips for you to share it with him. 

“You were visiting ally packs, right?” you started as your bowl was only half full. 

“We already met with everyone in Seoul before you got back, but Namjoon-ah wanted us to check out the ones higher north.” Seokjin answered you in a heartbeat, which you appreciated. 

You hoped hiding things from you was in the past now.  

You swallowed another spoonful of breakfast. “And everything’s okay?” 

“We already knew we didn’t have to worry much about them,” Hoseok started, placing his hand on your thigh under the table to soothe your worries. “Those packs are so far away from the south that they barely get into anything.”

“And what about the south south?” 

You knew your question brought up a delicate subject, the memories of your attack were still too fresh for all of you. You would understand if the two of them didn’t want to talk about it, but you were glad Hoseok seemed to:

“The pack those wolves belonged to… They know what happened. They know we killed two of their members.” the way he said it brought chills down your spine. “But they also know that those two went rogue and they were obsessed with you. When we had clearly laid our claim.” 

Seokjin agreed with the sentiment behind Hoseok’s words. “They wouldn’t be crazy to try and mess with us, not in the name of revenge for those low level werewolves.”

As far as you knew, Bangtan was the most powerful pack in Seoul; made out of seven pure blooded alphas, bigger in numbers when it came to their allies. The Southside pack of the wolves that stalked you likely didn’t care about that loss, especially not enough to make a move against your pack.  

“Do they know what I am?” you asked quietly, as if speaking of a secret.  

“No. And the ones who went after you didn’t either.” Seokjin shook his head and sent a look to Hoseok that spoke louder than words. “We want to keep it that way.” 

Hoseok agreed, and the message was clear: 

“While we learn everything there is to know about you, and what the rise of the moonchildren could mean for our kind, we want to keep it between us.” 

You: Hey, giiiirl, I'm back in town!! 

Kimee: Finallyyyyyyyyy, I thought that Yoongi dude would have ran away with you by now 

You: That Yoongi dude? 🤨

Kimee: I know he's your mate, but he's still on probation. I don't know him well enough to tell if I approve of him or not.

You: Lol seeing you two hang out would be fun

You: In a murderous way, but still 

Kimee: He knows he needs to watch out 😜 

The giggle that came out of you made the three boys that were laying on your legs huff and puff a complaint, making you stop moving. 

It was a little past sundown and the eight of you were in the living room of the den while watching something on the TV. It was a variety show that the boys apparently really liked, and you didn’t mind it if you got to hang out with them all at once. 

The living room here was even bigger than the one in Dalju, with a couch twice as comfortable –especially after you fixed all the cushions the way they were supposed to be–. The couch itself was U shaped and had expandable pieces that you could move around to up the comfort. 

You were laying on the middle of the couch, legs stretched onto one of the movable pieces. Jungkook was lying between your legs, hugging one of them as if it was a pillow. Jimin and Taehyung were on either side of you, with their heads on your lap while facing the television. 

Texting your friend with one hand was a challenge, but you had to master it thanks to the three needy wolf-men who wanted you to keep scratching their heads as they watched their show. 

You: When can I see you? I miss your annoying ass

Kimee: 🍑 It misses you too 

Kimee: Wanna meet tomorrow after my shift?

Kimee: I'm out at six 

You: Yeah, I'll meet you at the store? 

Kimee: Babes, you can’t come to where I work anymore. 

Kimee: It's in the south.

You: Oh. Right. 

You: Wait, so how can we meet?? 

Kimee: We can go to Moonlight

You: Are they still running??

Kimee: It just recently opened, check their Instagram!

You: Wowwwww they have an instagram and everything?? Guess life goes on

You: But wait, isn't that north? Will it be okay for you to be there?

Kimee: Never stopped me before 😉

Kimee: Besides, it's so close to the border that it won't be a problem, I promise! 

You: Okay!

You: Just gotta figure out how to get there, hang on

“Hey, guys.” it was a little comical how every single one of them turned their heads your way. “Is there a subway station nearby?”

“Why do you need a subway station?” Jimin frowned as if you were asking why the sky was green. 

“We can drive you, if you need to go somewhere.” Yoongi was the one to offer, sitting to your left, just beside Taehyung’s sprawled body.  

“No, that’s ridiculous.” you chuckled at the absurdity. “I don’t mind public transportation.” 

“I know, but we would feel better if we drove you.” Namjoon was on the opposite end of the couch; instead of watching the TV like the others, he was playing an old fashioned Game Boy that looked far too small for his hands.  

“So I can't go anywhere by myself anymore?” you stopped caressing the boys’ heads, fixing yourself to sit up. “Because that sounds toxic.” 

“No, of course not.” the leader fixed his own posture, affected by your affliction. “You can do whatever you want, if that's what you wish.” 

Taehyung turned around to look at you, without lifting his head from your lap: “It will just drive us a little crazy in the process.” 

“The world is big and scary.” Jungkook agreed. 

“We'd feel better if one of us was with you.” Jimin finished.

You wanted to get mad, to tell them that it didn’t matter if you were their pack moonchild now, because you were still your own person. Your own independent being who would never depend on a man to do something. But picking up that fight was hard to do when you could feel their fear. 

This wasn’t a possessive, toxic trait. It wasn’t a red flag that they wanted to control you. They were genuinely scared for your safety, even if their fears were irrational. 

“Guys…”

“Little doe, we’re not trying to stifle you.” Seokjin called and you turned your head his way. “But we thought we lost you, twice, less than two months ago. Forgive us if we’re all still on edge about being away from you.” 

You could taste the sourness in the air from how thick their stress was. You weren't ready to be stripped of your independence, and you knew that if you stood your ground they would let you. But you understood where they were coming from, so maybe all of you needed some time to let everything heal. Baby steps and all that. 

“Can one of you drive me to Moonlight Café tomorrow?” you relented. “I'm meeting with Kimee so we can catch up.” 

You imagined that at least four of them would offer to drive you right away, especially between the three younger ones who would love to have you all to themselves for a few hours. But all you were met with was silence and the sour smell turned into something tangy, like vinegar. 

You sighed. “What is it now?” 

“Nothing, we're happy you're meeting with your friend.” Namjoon spoke to break the silence. “It will be good for you.” 

“Try saying that again without clenching your jaw so much.” you chuckled, remembering Yoongi’s reaction to mentioning your friend the last time. “Is it because she's from the south?”

Yoongi himself replied: “It's because she's an alpha.” 

“Kimee is an alpha???” your jaw dropped from how much you didn’t know about your own friend. You also needed to get better at identifying werewolf genes. Shaking your head to get back on track you said: “Listen, I'm okay with you guys driving me everywhere if that will make you feel better, but if you think you get to decide who I can or cannot hang out with, I'll be really upset.” 

No, don’t make omega upset. Seokjin’s wolf was about to howl.

“Hyung, control your mate.” Taehyung gave Yoongi’s leg a little kick, as if he was supposed to do something to make you behave. 

You were about to get really offended when Jungkook turned around with his hands and knees on the couch. 

I can control her. 

The youngest man quite literally crawled over you, messy, long hair that was already touching his shoulders, practically obscuring his face like a curtain. You couldn’t blink or breathe when his nose bumped against yours and he went for your lips. 

You were so out of sorts and needy for them, that your only reaction was to part your lips and let him lick into your mouth. 

Hey. We’re upset, remember? 

You blinked the fuzzy feeling away, gently pushing Jungkook’s chest so he’d give you space. “Stop, that's not fair.”

“Kook, back off.” something in Namjoon’s tone left nothing up for discussion. “You're right. I can drive you to Moonlight tomorrow, okay? Just tell me when you need to be there and we'll go.” 

“Thank you.”

You: All good! We can meet there at six thirty!

Kimee: Whose dick did you have to suck to make that happen? Lmao 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Of course.” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Are you… Jealous of Kimee?” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Your boys were there. 

You were home. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oh, did I? 

You shook your head slightly.

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

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

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

“There’s my little human.” 

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

Namjoon felt a little different somehow… Bigger. 

Was that even possible? 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Is it okay if I kiss you?” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you’d still want them, too. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We have a downstairs!

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

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

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

First door to the left, doll. Taehyung answered. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not that you minded. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Was that my surprise?” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You gasped as the realization hit you. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You needed your pack close. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Of course I do.” 

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

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

They must’ve heard you by now, right? 

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

You were mid-laugh when you choked on air. 

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

And then his arm–

Holy shit, his arm! 

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

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

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

Show him how much you like them.

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

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

You bowed and greeted members of your pack as you passed by them, offering an older wolf to find a new blanket for his nest, as well as helping a younger woman to pick up edible berries in the forest the next morning. 

Growing up in the cave and being raised by the wolves had installed in you a sense of community that you knew the humans lacked. You couldn’t see yourself going back out there to live with your kind, no matter how many times your brother promised you he’d keep you safe if you returned to the palace. 

You could never leave your pack and you would rather die than to leave your mate behind. 

“Hello?” you called softly as you approached a familiar cave-hole. “Mr. Sihuk-nim?”

“Come on in, princess!” it was a female voice that invited you, Mrs. Yesoo looking confused to see you, but glad nonetheless. “What brings you here?”

The woman was sitting on a floor mat that had seen better days, but you knew she refused to get rid of it. The five wolf pups that were laying on it next to her jolted up and rushed towards you as soon as they saw you in their home, chirping and letting out high pitched howls of excitement. 

“Mr. Sihuk asked me to watch over the babies tonight.” you explained as you crouched down to pet and tickle the cubs. 

“Oh, I’m sure he’s mistaken–” the wolf mother started to speak, but her husband appeared from one of the inner halls of their cave.

“No mistake has been made, yeobo,” the grey haired man smiled at his wife and bowed to you to say hello. “It’s our mating anniversary. I want to take you to the lake for us to celebrate… Without five flea-bags being in the way.” 

Appa! Who are you calling a flea bag?! Soobin, the second oldest, huffed. 

“No one.” the man laughed at his son’s attitude and turned to his mate again. “So what do you say?” 

Yesoo was smiling from ear to ear, standing up and nodding. But it took one look at her babies sitting by your feet to make her question herself. Then she looked at you for confirmation:

“Are you sure you can watch them?” 

“Of course!” you waved off her concerns. “I promise to take good care of your babies.” 

It wasn’t your first time looking after them, and you had been the one to find Kai and save him from the palace hunters that time he ran away to catch fireflies on his own. You loved these five boys, so it would be no trouble at all to spend a couple of hours with them to let the parents have some alone time. 

Yesoo was reluctant, but agreed after a few words exchanged with her husband. 

Can we go play in the hot springs? Beomgyu suggested once it was only you and his brothers inside their home. 

Yuck, I don’t like the water. Yeonjun, the eldest little alpha, shook his little furry body as if the thought of going to the springs gave him shivers. 

Taehyun sniffed Yeonjun’s pointy ear and snickered: We can tell you don’t like water. 

It caused his other brothers to laugh and you had to muffle a chuckle as you sat down on the dirt floor to watch them play. Yeonjun barked a complaint and jumped on top of Taehyun, being joined by Soobin and Beomgyu who wanted to be a part of the roughhousing fun. 

The five wolves were the same color of grey, white and a few darker spots of black fur; all in different patterns, which made it easier for you to tell them apart. Yeonjun was the biggest one out of them, being the eldest, but Soobin was shaping up to beat him in height. 

You felt a cold nose pressing against your forearm, looking down to see Kai bumping his head against you as if asking for pets. The wolf still had a couple of years before his gene presented itself, but it wouldn’t surprise you if he was an omega from how sweet he was. 

Moving your arm away, you allowed him to jump into your lap and settle happily on your legs. You scratched behind his ears, hearing him growl a tiny sound and turn around with his belly up, trying to hold your fingers with his paws and nibble on them. 

“What do you guys want to play?” you asked them when the puppy fighting was getting too much. 

Can you tell us a story, noona? Kai asked from your lap, which caught the attention of the others. 

Yeah! Tell us what the palace is like! Soobin suggested; the biggest fan of your adventures to steal food and objects from the palace nearby. 

Yeonjun sat down with his tail whooshing from side to side as he asked: Can you tell us how you got that scar? 

Is it true you got it while running away from monsters? Taehyun wanted to know. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll tell you…”

You sucked in a deep breath, as if you were just breaking the surface after plunging into cold, dark water. You expected to find a hard ground, a dark cave, wolves everywhere. 

As you opened your eyes your heart was in your throat and your mouth felt as dry as if you had swallowed sand. 

Yoongi was with you in a flash, hand taking yours and eyes searching for yours as if to see if you were really there. His own relief washed over you and settled in your chest, making your own body let go of the alert state you found yourself in. 

It happened again. You passed out and fell into a dream. 

“Yoongi?” you tested your voice as his lips pressed against the back of your hand and he inhaled your scent. “What happened?” 

“You still like scaring me, huh?” his eyes were closed when he brought his nose to the inside of your wrist and you let him scent you as much as he needed. “How do you feel?” 

“Like I just had a fun night of drinking.” your stomach was turning uncomfortably, the right side of your forehead was throbbing and your mouth was dry. “Minus the fun part.” 

Yoongi helped you sit up and you realized you were in the guest room bed, your scent and his were mixed in the sheets and pillows behind you. He picked up the water bottle that you kept in the nightstand and gave it to you so you could drink from it.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked softly, as if trying to not overwhelm you.  

“Your aunt.” you said before coming back to a new chug of the water. After you were done, you let Yoongi take the bottle from you and you told him: “She was gone and I just knew she went into the forest, so I followed... She talked to me, Yoongi.” 

Yoongi nodded as if it didn’t surprise him. “Aunt Yesoo hadn’t said a word in years.” 

“She wasn’t always like that, was she?” you whispered and he shook his head. “What happened?” 

“Aunt Yesoo was the first of my mother’s sisters to find her mate.” Yoongi sat up a little straighter, shoulders slumped as if talking about this made him uncomfortable. “She was also the first one to lose them. Her husband passed away under weird circumstances only a few years after they met.”

“That’s what put her in that state?” your own voice was choked as a deep sense of longing settled in your chest, of fear. You didn’t know if it was yours or if it was coming from Yoongi. “I couldn’t imagine how she must've felt…”

“After uncle died, imo swore she wouldn't be with anyone else.” Yoongi kept going. “A few months later Sindeok showed up.” 

“The elder, Sindeok?!” 

You already felt nauseated, but the thought of the elder that was responsible for your almost death by poisoning made you want to throw up. 

“Sindeok offered to train my aunt to become one of them.” Yoongi explained with a lock on his jaw. “It was a great opportunity for her to find purpose in her life, everyone in our pack thought so.”

“Why do I have a feeling that it didn't end well?”  

“That’s when imo lost her mind. Literally.” Yoongi was having a hard time getting the next parts out, so you reached for his hand and cradled it between yours. It was a family matter and you wouldn’t pry if you didn’t need to know more. “The training… She couldn’t handle it. Aunt Yesoo got lost in her own mind, like she was trapped there, no longer talking, barely moving. The elders explained that she started having visions, but we didn’t believe them back then.” 

“Visions?” your heart started buzzing in your ears. “Yoongi, that sounds like…”

“Like your dreams, I know.” that was one of the few times where you saw panic in Yoongi’s eyes.  

“In the forest, she– she said I’ve seen her babies.” you recalled your encounter before you passed out. “She looked at me like she knew me, and I think she does. The same way I know her.” 

You let it all sink in. 

If Yoongi’s aunt had the same visions as you did, if she saw her dead husband alive and well and the babies she would never be able to have in this life… It would have been so easy for Yesoo to get lost in that fantasy. 

She got stuck inside the dreams, inside the visions of a life she once had. And you were pretty sure she chose to. 

“I sound insane, don’t I?”

“Cub… If what you’re saying is true–” Yoongi sighed, resting his head against your shoulder. His nose was running along the mark on your neck, his way to ground himself and to think straight. “Are you sure?” 

“Yes, Yoongi, I swear.” you needed to hold him just as bad, sinking your hands into his hair. “I know this is crazy, but I’m sure.” 

“Maybe your dreams aren’t dreams at all.” he whispered, as if scared to say those words out loud. “Maybe they are visions from the past.” 

“You’re saying I’m having glimpses of my past life now?” you chuckled, but it honestly didn’t feel as crazy as the rest of your life. “That I’m the actual lost princess?” 

“I don’t know what this means, but if you’re having the same visions as aunt Yesoo, then maybe we have bigger worries than that.” Yoongi lifted his head to press his forehead against yours. “If the same happens to you–”

“It wont.” 

“You can’t know that.”