#werewolf!jhope

[taetaespeaks]

Speak / THV

genre : werewolf au, yandere, mythical

summary : In a world where mythical creatures and humans have been at war with each other for years, you find yourself in a mansion managed by those same dangerous entities without the possibility of fleeing, a sinister fate awaiting you at the end of your stay. Refusing to say a word for years, your silence will attract the attention of your tormentor. A romantic werewolf who will do everything to make you his forever, whether you like it or not.

warnings : angst, smut, mention of death, blood, violence, yandere, mention of depression and family issues

rate : mainly +18

"You have to talk!"

These four words you now knew by heart. You heard them every morning, every evening, louder in your ears with each passing day. When you took your shower, when you ate, when you watched TV. Always these four words that punctuated your life. It didn't provoke any reaction in you, motionless, your usual impassive expression, you watched without showing any interest the little old lady who was standing in front of you, hands on hips in an expression of pure annoyance. There was a time when you might have smiled to express your regret, but that time was over and having extended this reflection too many times, you could no longer feel guilty about your silence or even look sorry.

"Impossible!" Ms. Jeon raised her arms to the sky, letting them fall limply along her sides one second later as she turned her back to you, muttering a thousand dark words of annoyance that left you stunned behind the bar. You couldn't afford to be hurt by the old woman's lack of patience, she had always treated you as a friend, though firmly. She made you work at her family bar, even though you were not related to her and despite your categorical refusal to speak properly. Indeed, you were not speaking. No, you weren't mute. You had just decided to keep quiet one day and since then, only a few words crossed your lips and only when it was really necessary.

You felt in danger though. This job at the Jeon bar was all you had to make ends meet, and with grandson Jeon's early return from downtown at the end of the month, you didn't worry that your position as barista would be challenged and shamelessly given to the youngest member of the family. After all, it would be quite normal and logical but you couldn't help but sigh in dismay, the only sound you made today.

The end of the day came slowly but surely and soon you found yourself under the dark sky of the city of Bangtan. The capital. When you were little, you were bitterly jealous of those others who lived under the Bangtan sky, promising yourself that one day it would be your turn, that you would live a life full of madness and adventure because everything was possible there, in the capital! Now, you couldn't say that you missed the countryside, no, falling asleep every night in anguish at the idea of waking up with a demon or a ghoul over your face, no, but you weren't happy either in the safety of the high walls of the fortress in the center of the country. You even disapproved of this unequal security. The poor, like you and your family, were condemned to barricade themselves at night to protect themselves from the creatures roaming the woods while the richer ones slept with their windows open and protected by the high white walls and guards. Silly policy. You would never have imagined going home alone, unarmed, without a phone and in the middle of the night. Indeed, years ago, the government had announced the existence of the so-called myth creatures. People had obviously panicked, distrusting their neighbor, their teacher or even their brother, despite the insistence of the heads of state that being a vampire, a mermaid, a werewolf or whatever did not necessarily mean being a bloodthirsty beast. But it didn't matter, soon people who were suspected without proof were being massacred by barbarians, soon, civil wars began and even today, you can't really tell who won in theory. The humans, the creatures? In any case, neither of them mix. At least that's what they say in the capital, but where you come from there are quite a few stories about couples where one or both of the protagonists are secretly creatures. You shuddered. It doesn't matter.

"Watch out!"

You didn't have time to react when a dark mass entered your field of vision. Obviously the biggest chine you've ever been given to see was coming right at you, tipping you violently as it passed and causing you to lose your balance as your bag emptied onto the wet pavement of the street. Safe from creatures, never from careless humans who don't know how to keep their animals on a leash, you thought bitterly, but you said no less. The huge dog stopped in his tracks and took a few steps to sit on your right. With his ears perched on his head, he seemed almost proud. Although huge for a pet, the animal was beautiful, its silky brown hair bawling in the moonlight and its eyes shining with a golden glint.

"I'm so sorry miss! Let me help you!"

A young man appeared in your field of vision in turn. Like master, like dog could not have been better applied as the young man stooping to offer you his hand was of a beauty worthy of the princes in the fairy tales. Mouth agape, you let him help you without reluctance to straighten you on your feet. He was slightly taller than you, with perfectly coiffed blond hair, full lips and a charming look. A real beauty.

"Please accept my deepest apologies! He doesn't listen to anything I say despite my best efforts to keep him by my side!" The beast growled to your right as if it understood its master's words causing you to give it a puzzled look. "You are not hurt?"

For a moment you thought of answering but your mouth immediately closed in a tight line as you looked away. You didn't want to talk and this man and the beast that was his dog couldn't change that. Embarrassed, you waltzed from one foot to the other before bowing as a greeting and a thank you that you didn't think he deserved anyway. The man had not finished with you, however.

"Oh, forgive me my sweet! I couldn't know you couldn't speak! Did you have your tongue ripped out, could you never speak or worse?" He looked away in mock dismay as his dog came forward as if suddenly interested. "Have you been the victim of a curse?"

Perplexed, you shook your head from left to right quickly, letting a small indignant sound cross your lips. The reason was much simpler, much more human, much more psychological but now your surroundings had taken such a liking to your silence that the answer didn't even cross your mind.

"My poor princess, you are like the little mermaid."

You shivered uncontrollably. No one had ever referred to this tale worthy of a child's worst nightmares since mermaids began to really manifest themselves and drown sailors and bathers without remorse. This had all the makings of an insult. You frowned against your will with an expression of hurt incomprehension. Now you really wanted to end this "exchange" as soon as possible, but as you tried to bend down to pick up your things, a searing pain shot through your skull, the feeling that a cruel arrow had just broken your brain made you groan softly. Surprised and perplexed, you straightened up and put a trembling hand to the back of your head, discovering a sticky, viscous substance that you recognized as blood. Your blood. The world began to spin as the man in front of you slowly disappeared into the whirlwind that was your surroundings.

"She is tough Jeongguk. Don't be afraid to hit harder."

Jeongguk? Like Mrs. Jeon's grandson. Despite the incessant whistling in your ears, you could almost hear the blow coming. He wasn't afraid to hit harder this time.

…

"This is barbaric, Jimin! The poor little thing."

"I'm not the one that did it, Joonie!"

"But you asked him to do it."

"It's a good thing you hit her in the back Gukkie, she's such a beauty, it would have been a waste."

"What do you think, Taehyung?"

"She smells funny."

Laughter.

"Keep it down! She's waking up! Miss?"

The pain returned as soon as you regain consciousness. For a moment you thought you were back there, at your parents' house, warm in the open arms of your bed. Away from the city, from the bar where you worked, from the responsibilities, but you soon remembered that this was not an option. Your parents had kicked you out long ago.

"Speak, please!"

"She can't."

Were you dead? Maybe you were. But heaven was dark in that case. Slowly opening your eyes, you discovered the top of a four-poster bed, a few gray roses embroidered on a black background, little light in the room. You recognized the soft touch of quality sheets between your fingers that gripped the bed beneath you as a wave of pain suddenly swept over you. You could only wince in response.

"Thank God, you're alive!"

Despite the paralyzing pain, you found the strength to turn your gaze in the direction of the voice that sounded so concerned about your condition, even your own self was not so concerned. It was a man, short hair, skin tinged with a honey-tan color and a sincere smile, he was tall and muscular but not scary and surprisingly you felt reassured but you didn't know him. Where were you? Why were you there?

"Namjoon, she just woke up. Shut up."

He lost his smile as another man was caught by your frightened gaze. Smaller, with jet-black hair and a stolid look. You had never seen him before either.

"Hello Miss. I am Yoongi. I was a doctor, well, I am a doctor. You have received a strong blow to the head." He looked sternly to the side but you didn't follow his gaze, too busy focusing on his words. "Your condition is stable now. Would you like something to eat?"

"She can't talk!"

This time you looked away. He was as tall as the first one from your point of view, but of the three men, he was the one who stood out the most. His complexion was tanned, his lips were drawn, his brown hair was elegantly styled in a style that hadn't been modern for a long time, and he had beautiful golden eyes. He was handsome. The most handsome man you'd ever seen, but now that was the least of your worries.

"That's right! That's why you're here."

A cheerful voice exclaimed. Too many voices. Too many sounds. Your headache worsened as you closed your eyes and sank back into the darkness of your mind. No coherent thoughts helped you. You were lost in many ways.

…

Held by creatures. The last straw. You sat on the edge of your bed, your eyes lost in the void. How was this even possible? Kidnapped by creatures in the very heart of the capital. All to become the little werewolf's plaything of the bunch in due course. Oh no, not some sexual reference. At full moon, the wolf became particularly violent and to prevent him from hurting his comrades, what better way than to sacrifice a human who couldn't scream and therefore couldn't draw attention to their presence in Bangtan? To convince them to change their minds, all you had to do was speak, but what was the point? They would kill you anyway or worse! They would give you to the group's ghoul, Jimin, who seemed to take great pleasure in making anything that could cry suffer. You sighed.

"Don't be sad!" You gasped as a young man appeared before you. A succubus. Who would have thought that Mrs Jeon's grandson was a creature and a dangerous one at that. He was also tall and handsome. His beautiful brown eyes were like a deer's and his smile like a rabbit. You liked his tattoos and piercings but you couldn't tell him and even if you could, you wouldn't. He was the one who had spotted you and proposed the idea, he was the one who had knocked you out. Yet you weren't angry. It didn't matter. It wouldn't matter now.

"Here." He handed you a cup, it looked like tea. You drank it immediately without making a fuss. He would gain nothing by poisoning you. "I asked Jin to enchant it so that your grief and state of distress would be less hard to bear, Madam."

He called you Madam, probably because he was younger. It didn't bother you that much. Anyway, you had no way of telling him your first name. As if he could read your mind, he added.

"You can write your name down so that I can learn it!

"Jeongguk, get out of here, you have no right to seduce her!

Blushing in surprise. The young man flinched and then changed his innocent look into a more seductive and dangerous one and too lazy to protest, disappeared as quickly as he had appeared in a last fake unhappy smile worthy of a cliché movie.

This voice was the one you heard least often of all. Seokjin, a wizard, was the master of the huge castle where you were kept and from time to time he visited you, made you smile, tasted a cake with an unknown taste that soothed your pain and then went away. Yoongi, the doctor with the pale complexion, came to examine you every day, you liked him, he didn't talk much or ever a few times, and the marks around his neck allowed you to understand that he was actually dead for a long time. Hoseok, the fairy who asked you to call him Hobi, didn't come as often as Yoongi, however when he came, it wasn't to lounge around, he danced, told you about his life, almost force you to read books, and explain with passion how the disneys had soiled the image of the fairies, although it seemed to fit his character from your point of view. Namjoon, to your surprise, was as human as you were, which is why he seemed most eager to reassure you and apologize sincerely. Then came Jimin, he liked to make you jump, to smell your hair in a sensual way, hungry by his instinct of ghoul. Jeongguk was soft and endearing, but you were not stupid, the succubi know how to seduce otherwise what good would they be succubi, then came the last one who had just entered the room. The most beautiful of all and also your future assassin, Taehyung. The werewolf.

He approached the window. Hands behind his back with a serious look. You were intimidated by him without being able to express it. He had always been polite to you. Courteous and respectful. He seemed to come from another time and given the longevity of creatures of his type, you had no doubt that was the case.

"I'm sorry." He sensed your confusion. "For Jeongguk. His instinct is to act that way, just like Jimin. They don't know how to control themselves, so forgive them."

You knew that your goal was to be slaughtered by the man in front of you. Technically, he was the only one here who was going to hurt you but you were careful not to point that out to him.

"You smell funny." Were you stinking? "I have to admit, I haven't smelled many humans in my life but I'm sure your smell is different."

Golden eyes pierced you suddenly.

"I'd like to make you talk. He confessed. "But the choice is yours."

So he knew you were able to speak. Strange.

"Sleep better than the other nights this one." You looked at him with perpexlity. "I feel your restlessness at night. You walk, you think, you whisper." You blushed. "Tomorrow I will show you something to prepare you for the full moon."

And with that, he left.

to be continued…

[jimin-jungshook-over-literalbae]

Werewolf BTS Reacts to Finding Their Mate but They’re Being Abused

Hey guys! I’m still waiting on some requests to come in so I’m just writing whatever comes to mind. So, welcome to a random BTS Werewolf reaction based on the random dream I had last night. I hope you enjoy! Send me any requests you might have! I would love to bring them to life for you! Thank you!

Summary: By chance, BTS meets their mate but they quickly learn that the girl they meet has had a much rougher time then they expected.

Warnings: Mentions of physical abuse, allusions to sexual abuse (J-Hope), abusive family, abusive pack, Omega Center abuse, and S/O (not BTS) abuse.

1. Jin

The dinner had started out relatively normal. The pack had decided to go out to celebrate a new treaty that had been put in to act, one that they had been working on for years. He almost doesn’t notice the scent at first, crisp apple and spicy cinnamon. It quickly consumes his mind though as his eyes search the restaurant. Jimin quickly notices the change.

“What’s wrong?” Jimin asks him softly, trying not to draw attention to Jin’s concerned state. Jin doesn’t answer, his eyes searching the nearby tables for the source of the scent. When he finds it, his heart nearly drops.

She sits a couple tables away from him, her back to him. A man sits at the table across from her. They would almost look like they were in love if Jin couldn’t see how tightly the man was gripping her hand. He almost misses the soft whimper she lets out.

He moves before he can think, feeling his packmate’s eyes on him as he approaches the table. He can feel the moment she notices his scent, her eyes seeking him out before she can stop herself. Her lower lip trembles a little, her eyes wide and somewhat scared.

“What do you want?” The man glares at him, his garbage scent almost covering the scent of his sweet mate.

“Why don’t you remove your hand from my mate, to start?” Jin snaps, his hands settling on the table as he meets the eyes of the man head on.

“Your mate?” The man scoffs,” That’s my mate.”

“Are you sure? Because it doesn’t seem like she wants you touching her,” Jin reaches down to separate the two hands, the girl immediately cradling her hand. Jin crouches in front of her, his eyes soft,” If you want, we can leave and you’ll never have to see him again.”

“You want me?” Her voice is so soft and sad that it breaks his heart.

“Yes I do, princess,” He tucks her hair behind her ear,” I’ll always want you. You’re my mate.”

“Thank you,” Her words are a soft whisper. He smiles and helps her up. By the time he can focus on his surroundings again, Jimin and Jungkook have dragged the man out of the restaurant.

“Lets introduce you to our pack, huh?” He helps her up gently, his arm wrapping around her to keep her pressed into his side. He’ll have to keep his wolf in check, otherwise, he’s going to catch a murder charge as he notices a bruise peeking out from under the makeup on his cheek.

2. Suga

When Yoongi entered the house, he immediately felt uncomfortable. He was invited over by the pack to scent test and see if his mate resided within the pack house. If he were to find his mate in this pack, it would create a better bond, one that Namjoon could use to his advantage. He’s never heard good things about this pack. They have a strong distaste for Omegas and often treat them in degrading manners.

He doesn’t notice the scent at first. It’s faint. Most of the scents in the house make him nauseous, especially the Alpha walking beside him. His scent is too tinged with a garbage like scent, it’s almost overwhelming. He almost missed the sweet note of honey combined with sharp citrus that draws him in. He follows it without thinking, ending up outside of a door that looks different than the rest on the hall. He grabs the doorknob but it’s locked.

“Why is this door locked?” He tries to keep his tone calm but his Alpha is not amused by this situation.

“Ah, one of our Omegas is in there. She’s a runner so we have to keep her detained like this,” The Alpha takes a key from his pocket and unlocks the door. The scent is much stronger here. An Omega is curled up on a rickety twin bed with a bare frame, a chain trailing from her ankle to the metal frame. He has to stop a growl from rumbling out of him, his own Alpha quickly becoming angry by her obvious mistreatment. She hasn’t even been allowed a nest for comfort.

“Hello,” He says softly, his gummy smile taking over his face when she peeks up at him. He has to force himself to ignore the bruises littering her skin or he might actually kill the Alpha standing behind him. He crouches beside the bed she lays on, not touching her to give her time to take in and become used to her scent.

“Hi,” Her voice is soft and weak, like she doesn’t use it often. He lifts his hand slowly, keeping it in line of sight as he slowly caresses her cheek. She nuzzles into his hand, making his heart stutter.

“I would like to take you home to my pack, if that’s something you want. You’ll be safe there and no one will touch you like that again,” He leans forward slowly, his forehead pressing to hers. He can feel her nod against his forehead, her eyes filling with soft tears.

“Please,” her response is faint but he still hears it. He smiles once more before he pulls away, his face falling into his normal mask as he turns to the Alpha.

“Remove the chain,” His tone is more of a growl than he intended but he finds he doesn’t really care.

“Are you sure you want this one?” The question causes Yoongi to growl, his eyes flashing.

“If you don’t take this chain off of my mate right this moment, you’ll have a lot less limbs than you do currently,” Yoongi snaps, his eyes narrowing into a glare. The Alpha moves quickly, unlocking the chain and moving away before I decide to make good on my promise. The skin on her ankle is badly burned from the silver chain.

Yoongi scoops her up gently, her face immediately nuzzling into his neck to nudge his scent gland. A soft purr leaves him at the action, his arms holding her securely. If they think they’re going to get some deal after this, when he’s found that his mate has been abused, they’re dead wrong. Yoongi would gladly dismantle their entire pack and watch it burn to the ground.

“If you come near my mate ever again, your own death is the last thing you’ll have to worry about,” He narrows his eyes at the Alpha one last time before he carries his mate out to his waiting car,” It’s okay, baby. I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again.”

3. J-Hope

Hoseok hates the concept of Omega Centers. Most of them, while parading around with their fake good intentions, are usually abusing their Omegas. If an Omega goes into heat, some of the staff decide to take care of it themselves or they mistreat the Omegas. He didn’t want to support them, but when he felt the pull, he hand to follow. If his mate is in here, he wants them out as soon as possible.

“If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you through the displays,” The woman that speaks sounds cheerful but Hoseok finds he already hates her. It’s like the Omegas are in little cells. One wall is made of glass, the other three of bare bricks. They have a single bed and a single blanket, nothing else to break the monotony. There’s a small hole in the glass to allow their scents through. The combination of scents is almost overwhelming, even for him, but the soft scent of honeysuckle makes its way to him.

When he follows it, he peers through the glass to see an Omega curled up on the bed, her back to the glass. He doesn’t say anything, immediately going to the back where the door is and letting himself in to the room. She glances up at him and the fear that takes over his expression makes him cringe.

“I won’t hurt you,” He says softly, holding his hands up for her to see them. He can tell the moment his scent reaches her, her whole body relaxing and a soft smile taking over her face.

She sits up and turns to face him, her softness making him let out a soft coo. He walks closer slowly, not wanting to make her uncomfortable but she’s also standing, practically jumping into his arms. Her face nuzzles into his chest, her whole body practically shaking. She doesn’t have to say it, he can feel her relief at him being here. Her hands clutch him like he’s going to disappear. He holds her close, his face nuzzling into her hair and taking in her sweet scent. A throat clears behind him.

“I’m sorry sir. You didn’t give me a chance to say anything before we came in. This one has actually already been claimed,” The woman speaks behind him and Hoseok can feel his hackles raising at the thought of someone claiming what’s his.

“By who?” His voice is deceptively even. He can feel his mate grip him tighter, her whole body vibrating with her fear.

“One of the staff here has taken a liking to her. He was planning to take her home,” The woman explains it like it isn’t a big deal, like it’s normal for men to take mates that aren’t theirs.

“You guys were just going to let someone take my mate away? That’s not happening. She’s coming home with me and anyone who tries to stop me is not going to like the consequences,” Hoseok snarls, his glare settling on the women. He watches her physically flinch at his expression, feeling satisfied. He turns back to his mate, cupping her cheeks and turning her face toward his. The tips of their noses touch for a soft Eskimo kiss,” Lets go home, sweet girl.”

4. RM

Namjoon could feel his body vibrating with rage. He had seen the woman before, though he hadn’t been close enough to scent her then. The library is usually quiet during this time. He comes when he can, loving to check out new books and, if he likes them, then he’ll buy his own copy. She wandered the aisles, smiling softly as she pulls books that interest her. She’s beautiful, fascinating him in a way he’s never felt.

The second time he sees her, he actually finds the confidence to approach her. Her enticing scent is everything he’d hoped for, soft rain and a floral scent combining together to draw him in. He starts a conversation, the two of them suggesting books to each other. He doesn’t push it, doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable. He likes that they’re getting to know each other in little ways. After three meetings, he invites her to visit him at his pack home. Her subsequent discomfort makes him nervous, like he did something wrong.

“I’m sorry,” He says quickly, his teeth nibbling on his bottom lip,” I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s not that,” She says quickly, her eyes widening,” I really wish I could but m-my birth pack is really overprotective. They would be very unhappy with me if I visited another pack.”

“Would it be better if I came there with them?” He offers, placing his bookmark and giving her an inquisitive look. Something about the way she’s said this makes him very uncomfortable, like something’s wrong,” So they can learn to trust me?”

“No!” She answers too quickly, her face panicked,” No, that-that’s a very bad idea. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Do they hurt you?” Namjoon’s voice becomes soft, his eyes searching hers. He sees the answer in the way she winces, not meeting his eyes.

“They don’t mean it,” She says finally,” I’m not very good at doing what I’m told so I have to be punished sometimes. Getting to come to the library is a privilege.”

“It’s not okay for them to hurt you. It’s wrong,” Namjoon says firmly. Now that he knows, he can see the signs. The heavy bags under her eyes, her pale complexion. Her eyes are kind but her fingers tremble sometimes, like she’s ready to flinch,” You don’t have to stay with your birth pack.”

“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” She doesn’t look at him, her voice nearly a soft whisper.

“Stay with me. With my pack. We can keep you safe. No one will hurt you ever again,” He wraps his hand around hers, stopping her shaking with his firm but comforting grip. She looks down at it with wide eyes before looking up at him.

“Why me?” She searches his expression, her fingers tangling with his as she squeezes his hand.

“Because you’re my mate and I won’t let anyone else hurt you,” His thumb brushes over the back of her hand, a smile taking over his face. She smiles back, giving him a small nod.

5. Jimin

“Can you add some candy to the list? Please, please, please? I’ll pay you back for it, I’m just really craving some sweets right now,” Jimin rolls his eyes as he holds his phone to his ear, pushing the cart with his other hand. He knew Taehyung would definitely forget to pay him back but he’s not worried about it. Taehyung is his best friend, of course he’ll get him what he asked for. He never asks for much.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Just shoot me a text of what you want. I’m already here so make it quick,” The call ends quickly after that as Jimin goes about picking up the groceries for the pack house. Usually, Jin or Yoongi would go but Jimin had the day off and they were both busy. He doesn’t mind going. He likes to pick up a few treats for his pack members anyway, little things that he knows they like. He hears the sound as he’s picking up a bag of tangerines for Yoongi.

A whimpering sound reaches his ears. He looks up to see a woman cowering on the ground as another woman stands over her, obviously berating her. The woman on the floor is obviously an Omega, soft whimpers leaving her as the woman brings her hand down to slap her. He moves before he can think, catching the blow before it lands.

“Abusing Omegas is illegal,” Jimin says lowly, glaring at the angry woman. She scoffs, rolling her eyes.

“I can treat my daughter however I want, thank you very much,” Jimin’s chest grumbles at her words, a warning growl leaving him. Her eyes widen a little with fear. It’s only then that the scent hits him. The soft scents of sunlight mixed with the scent of wisteria.

The woman on the floor must have recognized his own scent first. She lifts herself off the floor, practically molding herself to his back. Her arms wrap around his stomach, her shaky breath hitting his back. He lets the other woman go, turning in his mate’s arms to card his fingers through her hair. The silky strands fall through his fingers as he glares at the woman who raised their hand to his mate.

“Go, while I still have patience. You’re never going to see her again,” Jimin’s voice is dark, his other arm pulling his mate further into his chest. Her whole body relaxes into him. The angry woman pales further, quickly disappearing to the front of the store. Jimin breaths in his mate’s comforting scent,” Come on, baby. Lets get you home.”

6. V

Taehyung has always loved thrills. Though heights make him nervous, once he pushes past that initial nervousness, he has fun. It was easy to convince Jungkook and Jimin to come with him. Jimin freaks out at the rides, often just waiting for the two of them to finish, but he likes getting to spend time with them.

The scent could almost be misplaced as one of the food stands if the fruity scent didn’t feel out of place. Peach with a hint of jasmine. That’s when he sees the woman, her looks drawing him in further. He and Jungkook stand toward the front of the coaster, ready to enter the front seats. The girl is being dragged onto the ride by a much larger man.

She’s obviously scared, her entire body cowering away from the man. She can’t seem to free her hand, soft whimpers and whines leaving her. She’s pleading with him, begging him to let her go, but no one seems to care. Taehyung moves quickly, his hand closing around the man’s wrist in a tight grip, squeezing.

“She told you to let her go, I suggest you listen,” Taehyung’s deep voice is more intimidating when he’s angry. He can feel Jungkook behind him, his glare also set on the man.

“I suggest,” The man growls, his eyes focused on Taehyung,” That you don’t tell me how to treat my bitch.”

Before Taehyung can react, his growl leaving him quickly, the man is already on the ground. His nose gushes blood from the punch that Jungkook threw. Taehyung turns his attention to the girl as Jungkook handles the trash.

“Are you okay?” He asks her softly, resisting the urge to reach out and touch her.

“Thank you for helping me,” Her tear filled eyes meet his and he can feel his heart stutter. Mate. She’s his mate. Someone put their hands on his mate.

“Always. I’ll always help you,” Taehyung can’t help his smile, eyes softening. She look up at him with wide eyes that affect his very soul. Unconsciously, she leans into him, her hand resting on his shoulder. Her soft touch makes a happy purr pour out of him as she looks at him in wonder. No one would hurt what’s his ever again.

7. Jungkook

Jungkook has decided that this entire situation feels like torture. In the years the two had known each other, she had never noticed that the two of you were mates. Jungkook noticed the day he met her, the day her soft scent of cotton and sunshine filled his nostrils. He learned later that she didn’t know about mates. She was raised without the concept.

He bided his time, waiting for her to notice him. He thought he would be fine until she announced that she had a boyfriend. It felt like his whole being had deflated. They had dated for close to a year now and he tried his best to continue to be a part of her life. Slowly, he saw less and less of her and his wolf was practically berating him for it. Until tonight, when she showed up at his door, blood dripping from a wound on her forehead.

“What happened?” He has to keep the hard edge from his voice as he gently doctors the wound. Once he gets it bandaged, he checks her for other wounds. He notices the bruises then. Some old, one much newer. Some still forming. He nearly chokes on his own tears, though the rage is there two.

“He hit me,” Her voice is small,” I thought I could deal with it, that I loved him, but I can’t do it anymore Jungkook. I didn’t know who else to go to.”

“I’ll kill him,” Jungkook’s voice is an unrestrained growl, the idea of someone laying their hands on his precious mate too much to bear.

“Don’t,” Her voice is soft,” I’m not worth the trouble.”

“You’re worth every bit of that and more,” Jungkook’s fingers wrap around her chin, lifting her eyes to meet his,” You’re my mate. No one should touch you like that. Ever. I’ll kill anyone who does. I love you.”

“You love me?” Her eyes widen, tears filling them. He smiles, leaning forward to press the softest kiss to her lips.

“It’s always been you,” He whispers, his breath dancing along her lips. For the first time, she smiles, the soft glow he loves so much filling her eyes. Her sun warmed scent wraps around him, easing his fear at losing her. No one is ever going to take his mate away from him, not ever again.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Send me any requests you might have!

[phancybunny]

𝖇𝖙𝖘 ─── ･✧༺♥༻∞. ─── ʕ•⩊•ʔ 𝖍𝖎.

✧*̥˚ ❝ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʀᴀɪɴᴅʀᴏᴘꜱ ꜰᴇʟʟ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴋʏ ❞ *̥˚✧

─── *ೃ༄ 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒˚◞♡ ⃗

➳❥💀 𝐨𝐨𝐢. 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄. [ bts masterlist ]

𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒.

𝖘𝖚𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖞 ੈ♡˳❥💀 ─── ❝ 𝘈𝘕𝘚𝘞𝘌𝘙𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘑𝘜𝘚𝘛 𝘔𝘐𝘎𝘏𝘛 𝘚𝘈𝘝𝘌 𝘚𝘖𝘔𝘌𝘖𝘕𝘌𝘚 𝘓𝘐𝘍𝘌...... Jungkook was just a pizza delivery boy, these things don’t happen to normal people like him. Things that can’t be explained, things that only happens books and TV. These things that had quickly became his reality in just a couple of days…. I guess dying just does that to you. ❞ ✧ ೃ༄ 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒 ✧ ༄ ─── 𝐕𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐗 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 ╰┈➤ ❝ [tba] ❞

𝖎 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖘𝖔𝖚𝖑 𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖗.

❝ all content unless stated otherwise belongs to phancybunny 2023. do not modify or translate without permission. ❞

[telephaaty]

Exiled: What is she?

✧Chapter 4✧

(Photos retrieved from Pinterest. Credit to whom it may belong. Edit made by me.)

Previous < Masterlist > Next

Genres: Fantasy, Supernatural, Werewolf! AU, angst, hurt, fluff

Series rating: Mature

Summary: I have spent half my life in exile. I woke up in the middle of the forest with no memories. I don't know who I am, how I ended up like this, I don't know if someone is looking for me or even if I have a family. The only thing I know for sure is that I must hide and that when the full moon is at its highest, disaster begins.

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Author's note: Hello everyone! How are you? I'm sorry I've been missing for so long. Last year was a difficult year. Adult life is complicated 🥴

Here I leave the promised chapter, we are still in the introduction of the story so you can probably find it boring but it will improve as the chapters go by (I hope so🤭).

I don't remember if I already mentioned it but all the data that appears in the story as potions or scientific data are not exact, many are inventions and others I tried to investigate to make the story more reliable, but as I mention in this chapter if you are not involved on the subject, it is very difficult to understand.

I hope you enjoy it!

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"I told you! I told you! I told you!” Joohyuk kept repeating to me over and over again as he paced back and forth. "Or didn't I tell her?" he looked at Jisung, who was coming down from the first floor with a bag.

Joohyuk's house wasn't fancy, but it was comfortable and homey. It was a two-story cabin, with two bedrooms, a dining room and a kitchen, it also had a garage where he kept tools and supplies. The cabin was located near the lake and had a small bridge that took you to it. I loved spending time at Joohyuk's house, especially on rainy days like today, where I could sit on the porch with a cup of coffee and watch the rain fall. But, now I'm looking at it from the inside, sitting bored on the couch, listening to the scolding of the half-vampire. I had arrived an hour ago, totally soaked, although we had already agreed that we would meet here, I should have taken the most direct route and arrived much earlier, but let's say that Mr Mafia sent his lackeys to follow me, so I had to deviate and mislead them.

"Yes hyung," the omega rolled his eyes. "We already understood that you told her, calm down."

“Calm down?!! You must be kidding, Jisung!! It goes straight to his death,” Hyuk said pointing at me.

“The other option was a direct kill,” I told him, looking at him tiredly, “at least this will give me a little more time to plan an escape plan. Anyway, you didn't want me to get a pack for Jisung? … There it is, the best pack that an omega can be in, a real luxury,” I said ironically, moving my hands exaggeratedly to make my point.

"Yes, but I didn't ask you to crawl after him."

"Oh! Yeah! Thanks for getting rid of me,” Jisung said despondently looking at us sideways.

“No one is getting rid of you on their own, little guy,” Hyunk proceeded to sit in the single sofa next to the fireplace. “If you continue to live in the cave with Girl…” Jisung intended to interrupt him, but Joohyuk stopped him and continued. "Or, if you live here with us, you will die", the sad omega looked down at his feet. “As I very well explained to you, wolves are destined to live in packs, they become crazy and wild if they are alone, which leads them to be eliminated or die of sadness and anguish. You are lucky to find someone like your noona, he even managed to be with you in that pack.”

“When you go into annoying mode,” I told him as I threw the towel off his head, “you're unbearable. Well," now looking at Jisung, "we must agree on our stories so as not to make mistakes if they come to interrogate us, we don't have much time and we must hurry if we don't want them to come to find us."

“That is not important now. What are you going to do with your…with your medicine?” Hyuk made a quotation mark with his hands when mentioning the said medicine.

“I will not have this discussion again. I already told you that I don't need it, it won't be a problem.”

“Don't be stubborn, you know you will weaken. It's dangerous, too."

I sighed. I was tired of always arguing for the same thing, he was not going to understand and I was not going to agree. It was preferable not to answer him and settle the story with Jisung. I needed to prepare him and reassure him so they wouldn't suspect anything, my life now depended on how convincing Jisung was to the royal pack.

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It was already night and the rain had stopped a while ago, but we had to leave the cabin even when it was raining, we took the long way to dispel any trace of Joohyuk's scent. We didn't have many belongings, a medium bag where we had our clothes, many of which we shared, and my backpack where I had a couple of books, my notebook, my mortar and my herbs. While we were walking, we were reviewing what we should say. Obviously, we agreed to hide that we knew Joohyuk and that the things we had, we got from the surrounding villages.

I knew that the one at a disadvantage in this situation was me. Jisung was a weak omega who would instinctively be protected by this pack, instead, I was a strange orphan girl who, apparently, due to the attitude of suspicion and resentment they showed me, was considered a threat. I looked at Jisung who was walking a few steps behind, he was tired and shivering from the cold, if we didn't hurry up, he would get sick. I took Jisung's bag to ease his tiredness so he could walk faster.

We were reaching the border of the pack, I could slightly hear some murmurs, they were already waiting for us. Instinctively, I touched my pants pocket where I had the box that Joohyuk gave me before we left and which I had to keep hidden. It was very likely that they would go through our things, so he had told me that I should keep it with me until I found a safe place to hide it.

As we came into view, the wolves that were waiting for us turned and urged us to hurry up as we were already late. The one who seems to be the leader of the wolf guard warned us that from now on we should use the main entrance and stay away from the borders and that if we wanted to go out into the city or the forest it must be in the company of an alpha. I had to bite my tongue to avoid getting a curse word out about his last comment, I looked at Jisung who was doing everything possible not to appear nervous and was listening carefully to what the alpha was saying. He would adapt easily, I on the other hand was sure that things were going to go south at any moment.

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Here we are, in the office of the alpha of the pack. There were a lot of people here, some I didn't know. I looked at Jisung who was with his head down trying not to look anyone in the eye, I could feel his nervousness and I could also feel the calming pheromones that the alphas in the room were producing to reassure my friend.

“Your name is Jisung, right?” Prince Namjoon asked, and Jisung nodded without looking up. “Taehyung told us something about you, but I would like to hear it from you, what pack did you belong to and how did you get into this situation?” he concluded the alpha looking at me.

“Umm…well, I'm…I was from the Dawn Pack. I was banished for mating with someone I shouldn't and he disgraced me by breaking the mating mark. My family despised me, and the only thing I remember was arriving at one of the human villages near the pack and I fainted, I woke up a few days later and Girl was by my side, she took care of me and let me stay with her,” he concluded holding my hand looking for support.

Prince Namjoon looked at our joined hands and then looked at me raising an eyebrow, then he turned his gaze to Jisung and smiled saying, “Don't worry, you'll be safe here. We'll give you a new identity if you want or can keep your name, but you'll officially belong to the royal pack. And you,” he looked at me seriously, “you will also have a temporary identity until you find out who you really are or until the alpha king decides what to do with you. Well, I'll make the formal introductions. They are the two oldest princes in the family; Crown Prince Seokjin and Prince Yoongi," he said pointing to where they were standing to his left, "alpha prince Hoseok and well, you know prince Taehyung," they were to his right, "and he's our omega Prince Jungkook," he concluded pointing to one of the people who were a few steps behind us.

With Jisung we turned around to see who it was. The guy standing behind us gave us a brief nod, he was the same guy I had crossed earlier. Now, he was dressed in white shorts and a beige long-sleeved shirt, our eyes met again, but he quickly diverted it. Now that he knew he was omega he could make out a trace of a sweet scent, however, the smell of the alphas prevented me from identifying his scent.

“And then we have Mrs Park, the housekeeper, and Miss Choi, one of the employees who work inside the castle,” the prince continued. Both women curtsied to us and smiled at us. “So, tomorrow you will have an appointment with the royal doctor for a general check-up and we will talk about your studies. After they settle in and shower, Prince SeokJin, who has studied medicine, will briefly check on them and ask them a few questions. Mrs Park shows them their rooms, please.”

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Mrs Park gave us a brief tour of the ground floor of the mansion, showing us the living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room, and places where we could not enter without permission such as her majesty's office, the laboratory and the basement. Then, she led us to a large white marble staircase with gold details that branched off into two other large stairs. It was located in the centre of a room with a different entrance than the one we had entered. In the centre of the wall that divided the stairs, there was a carved shield of the head of a black wolf about to bite surrounded, on one side, by a crescent, where there were some rare symbols and, on the other hand, some golden figures similar to elongated diamonds that apparently formed the rays of the sun. In turn, he was surrounded by a strange and perfect braid.

"Good. That door you see over there,” I point to the door across from us and diagonally towards the stairs, “is the front door for pack members and guests. It is through that door that you technically have to enter. The entrance through which they passed is only for royalty, even they avoid using these stairs so as not to bother the omegas. Through that large sliding window that you see there,” we both follow the gesture that she made towards the place, “you go out into the garden that is connected to the training ground.”

“By the way, omegas are not allowed to be in the training place. It's for security,” adds Miss Choi, who was accompanying us on the tour.

“What do you mean 'not to bother the omegas'?” I asked Mrs Park as we walked up the stairs.

“As I said, it's a place that members of the pack frequent. The staircase on the right leads to the castle annexe where many of the members live, including underage omegas who lost their families or those who came seeking refuge or protection from other packs. There are also alphas and betas that belong to the royal guard, but many of them use the entrance connected to the training ground. They avoid making the omegas nervous, they don't want them to feel uncomfortable and insecure."

“So, is in the annexe where we'll stay?” Jisung speaks for the first time since he started the tour.

"No. You will stay in the main wing,” she said as we went up the stairs of the left, “on the first floor together with the youngest princes who are not here at the moment. On the second floor of this wing, are the rooms of Prince Namjoon, Hoseok and Jungkook. Also on that floor is the library that is shared with the annexe. On the third floor are the kings' rooms, those of princes Seokjin, Yoongi and Taehyung. I recommend that you don't go peeping around, Prince Yoongi is too territorial.

While she was explaining everything, she was trying to memorize all the way we are walking to our rooms. There were many corridors and doors, not just the rooms she had mentioned earlier. We arrived at a gloomy corridor, there was no light and a strange energy was felt an indescribable sadness; we share an uneasy look with Jisung. Mrs Park flipped the switch on the wall to her right and excused herself by saying that it wasn't a very busy place. She asked Miss Choi to show Jisung his room while she led me down the hallway. We stopped in front of a double white door, it had gold details as I saw on other doors, with the difference that this one had a letter 'M' in a very beautiful and elegant calligraphy made with some type of shiny stone. When she opened the doors, I was amazed, the room was decorated in white, beige and pink tones, in the middle of it there was a large double bed tucked into a slight arch-shaped opening that was illuminated. On both sides of the bed, there were two long shelves, there was a hanging round ceiling lamp that simulated a flower crown, on one side there was a window with two medium-sized armchairs on the sides with a round table; in front was a mirror with a shelf and chair and next to the door was an empty desk.

“This is where you will sleep,” Mrs Park said as she opened the large window, “this is the balcony and over there”, she pointed towards a corridor with two doors, “is the bathroom and the wardrobe.”

I followed her to both doors, she stopped at the door that was on the side of the hall and opened it. It was the closet. Well, calling it a closet was a way of saying it, it looked more like another connected room. It was a two-story room in the shape of a completely white semicircle, it had an old pink carpet that covered the entire floor, and there were many shelves and mirrors in between. It also had a central table that contained many drawers and doors, the upper part was transparent and you could see how it was divided into sections.

"This is a bit much, don't you think?" I said as I walked around the room.

“I would say it's a standard wardrobe. You have to see the ones with Princes Taehyung and Seokjin, those are a bit exaggerated.”

"Even this shelf here is too much for my few clothes."

“Believe me, it will be full in no time,” Mrs Park said in a whisper. "Speaking of clothes, I need you to give me your clothes to wash them."

"It's clean," I said a little indignant.

"Don't get me wrong, please. The princes requested it because they are sensitive to odours outside the pack. You come from the forest,” I was about to refute how stupid that sounded, but she beat me to it, “I know what you are thinking 'it doesn't make sense', but it's hard to explain. Although they are wolves and technically surrounded by forest, she will later realize that each pack has a particular scent. This is why they detect so quickly if someone who is not from the pack enters the territory. All your clothes, although I don't doubt that it's clean, still have a strange smell, so I need to wash them with special products.”

I kept thinking about the words I use to explain, was she trying to get me to give myself away?

“I don't know how I'll find out later if I don't have the developed super sense of smell that werewolves have, but well if it's really necessary. Jisung has the clothes in the bag he has with him. A lot of the clothes, we share.”

“And what about that backpack?” she said, pointing to my back.

“There are only personal things like notebooks and books, no clothes,” I said as I left the wardrobe.

“Okay, then I'll ask Jisung. I suppose you know how to use the bathroom, don't you?", she question pointing towards the last door that was at the end of the small corridor.

"Of course. How wild do I think I am?"

“I just wanted to make sure, I wasn't trying to offend you. When you finish taking a bath, you will find clothes on the bed. I'll tell one of the employees to bring you a change of clothes,” she concluded going to the door of the room.

"If it's not too much to ask, I'd prefer it not be pink at all," I said as she gave the room another disgusted look, "I already have enough pink to burn my eyes."

Mrs Choi laughed at my comment, nodded her head and left, closing the door. I gave a sigh of resignation, took the box that Joohyuk had given me from my pocket and I headed towards the bathroom. I had to find a safe place to hide it.

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Was it so hard to have a normal shower? I almost drowned in there. The bathroom was another room, there was even a jacuzzi in it. When I came out of the bathroom wrapped in a robe and drying my hair, I saw a pile of clothes on the end of the bed. The clothes were neutral and cold colours, mainly black and gray, it had a light scent of vanilla that was comforting. I grab a long-sleeved black t-shirt and matching cargo pants.

After changing and finding a temporary hiding place for my backpack, I headed downstairs to look for Jisung, since I didn't feel his presence. On the way, I met Miss Choi, who was surprised to see my outfit. She wondered me why I was wearing those clothes and I told her that someone had left them on the bed, that Mrs Park asked for a new outfit for me. She explained to me that these were not the clothes that she ordered her to give me, she had even just found the clothes and was about to take it to me. She told me to go see Prince Seokjin who was waiting for me in the lab and after that I change my clothes immediately.

When I got to the entrance hall, I stayed for a while thinking in which direction the laboratory was until I heard someone approach.

"Jungkookie, have you seen my-" I think it was Prince Hoseok who was approaching looking at his cell phone and when he looked up he looked at me confused. "What are you doing with those clothes?" he asked with a frown.

"Um... someone left it on the bed", I said while I was looking at the clothes, what was wrong with it?

"Just change it if you don't want Namjoon to be in a bad mood," he determined, paying attention to his phone again.

"No," before my denial he raised his head suddenly, he was about to lash out, but I interrupted him. “I like it, it's comfortable and the smell of it is comforting, so I won't change it. If you'll excuse me, Prince Seokjin is waiting for me."

I left, leaving him stunned by my answer. I hated that they wanted to boss me around, much less without arguments. It's going to be hard living with alphas, they weren't used to humans or omegas rebelling against them and I wasn't used to them demanding authority over me.

After a few minutes, he had finally found the laboratory. I opened the big metal doors and the first thing I saw was Jisung putting on his shirt and getting off the stretcher. He barely saw me, he smiled at me and spoke to me through the link.

-Noona, don't worry just he i-

-Has he seen the mark?

"Oh! You're here," Prince Seokjin said as he finished arranging some jars on the table, “Take a seat on the stretcher, I'm done with Jisung”.

-No, I covered it with the makeup that Joohyuk gave me, I nodded and walked towards the stretcher. Remember to hide your eyes, he'll check them, Jisung concluded. We cut the mental link and he walked out the door.

I sat where the prince told me, he turned around observing for the first time the clothes I was wearing. He looked at it for a few more seconds and looked at me seriously, then he gave a forced smile and told me to raise the sleeve of my shirt. He tied an elastic band to my arm and prepared a syringe, when I saw what he was trying to do I jumped and pulled my arm back.

"Wh-what are you going to do?" I asked.

He laughed softly. "Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you. I just need a blood sample,” seeing my look of suspicion, he continued. “It's for the pack's database. So if something happens, we can act quickly. It won't hurt, it'll just be a prick."

After analyzing it a bit, I held out my arm. He drew the blood sample and began filling the tubes with it. He continued to listen to my heart and my lungs, he measured and weighed me, checked my eyes with a small flashlight and asked me to follow the light. Luckily, I put on the special contact lenses that Joohyuk had given me, I no longer had the strength to hide them myself.

The prince began to make me medical questions, which had the answers the same, 'I don't know'. He gave me a pitying look and told me that we were done, he asked me to go eat something and then go to sleep because tomorrow was going to be a long day.

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Seokjin' POV.

It was already quite late in the early morning and I didn't know if what I was seeing was correct or if I was too tired to see clearly. I had never seen anything like it and the fact that it was now in our pack I didn't know if I should be relieved to find something like this before others or worry if it was a threat.

The door opened startling me, I didn't realize Namjoon was getting closer.

“Here I am,” he said, stopping near the desk where he was analyzing the results. "What do you have?"

"I called you an hour ago, where were you?"

"I'm sorry, hyung. I was wit-”

“It doesn't matter anymore. Look, I found something weird,” I transferred what I was seeing on the computer screen to the large TV on the wall. "That you see there is Marian's DNA and it-"

"Marian? Are you so comfortable already with her to you call her that?” he questioned crossing her arms.

"Please, not now. focus. Now, as I was saying, this is the girl's DNA, it's super weird, I've never seen anything like it. The gene is different from an average human, even from a werewolf,” I added two more images: one of human DNA and Jisung's then got up and walked over to the TV to give Namjoon a good explanation of what he was seeing. “This second image is of a human and the third of Jisung, an omega werewolf. The difference between the two is that in the first, the nuclear genome is smaller than the mitochondrial genes present in werewolves. Furthermore, werewolves do not have the same nucleotide base pairs as humans. But if we look closely at Marian's and zoom in a little more we can see that instead of being a double helix DNA, it is a triple helix. The nucleotide bases are the same as humans but it has others that I cannot identify at this time. This will definitely go into my thesis.”

When I looked at Namjoon he was looking at the screen thoughtfully. He is very intelligent but this could be too much for someone who is not dedicated to this. I was about to explain it again in other words, when he decided to speak.

"So you're telling me that she's not human, but you can't tell what kind of being she is either?"

“Exactly,” at least he got the point.

"Can you find out that is she?"

“Yes, but it will take me a while. I cannot promise a specific time, there are many new things that I have never seen."

"We must keep her in our custody in the meantime."

"Do you think we are doing the right thing to let her stay in the pack?" I was the crown prince, I should know well what is good for my people, but since it is something we had no information about, it is not something to be taken lightly. I needed more opinions.

Namjoon knew my internal conflicts very well and understood them. This was our agreement, to consult the decisions of the pack together, we would both be the leaders in the future and if we disagree it would bring problems.

"Don't worry, hyung. I will take care of moulding her and if she becomes a threat, I will eliminate her with my own hands.”

©2023 Telephaaty. All rights reserved

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If you want to be part of the tag list, let me know😊

I hope you have started the year well and I know it is late but I wish you much success this year.

Feel free to comment or ask me anything 😊 See you soon!👋

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🌕 Taglist 🌕

@zae007live

@mayla548

[btsxarmyforever]

My human mate - Meet Someone (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/1300441830-my-human-mate-meet-someone?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_reading&wp_uname=myhope_bts_7&wp_originator=WyMLA3lzwL9%2FGqvqnk7YtM%2F1vM0%2FimKweKNdkdrgKMQZTybgjctIytb%2FsMrEdrCsoDTN76gO8y92k6HP%2BzIit2gfi59uBPNVONWld2%2FzuR1NKT%2Bw5GbH7rVVauh9T5j2 strawberry fragrance..... Tiny body.... and long hair. I don't even look at any other girl for her. She will find me I just need to wait..... Will he get his mate? What will happen?

[nightswithkookmin]

HBYE SHOULD HAVE PRODUCED MORE OF RM's MUSIC💀💀💀💀

They fucked up giving us permission to dance over wildflower and still life💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀

Nanananananana

Nananananana

We don't need anymore high-school musical 🎶 😤

I hope RM gets the recognition he deserves

I hope they don't try to take credit for his work cos that would be diabolic.

I compared RM to the likes of JayZ and Kanye- forget the part that he is crazy that man is a musical genius- I stand by my words. WHAT AN ARTIST.

He puts the art back in artist.

And it's satisfying to see him placed on a world stage instead of a regional stage to cater to a predominantly Korean audience. I get why they took the other route for JHope bit I think this is the kind of publicity we all expected and hoped JHope would have-

I'm just gonna put it out there in the universe that if Jimin does not get similar publicity and pushed into a global stage I will hex the fuxk out of hybe with my new found black magic- don't play with me🔪

When i tell you I've never been more alive!!!!

I feel like a werewolf running through the woods under a full moon🌝

Arrrrooooooooooooooooooooooo

Namjoon is our pack leader and I'm sired to him from now on

Namjoon is a prodigy

[keeper-of-books]

G'day, welcome, hello, you have found me

• what you can call me: Kaden/Kade, Evan, keeper, faggot, whatever you want (except girl/woman etc.), hot

• he/him + they/them + it

• I was born in march 2005, if you wanna find out how old I am, do the math (or just look at the little info box at the top of this blog)

• 175cm is this relevant?!

• english is not my first language, like you might have already guessed, so please excuse mistakes/errors, or maybe correct me !nicely! since:

• I am not good with confrontation and will cry myself to sleep when yelled at, which most likely (hopefully) won't happen here

• shows:

Death Note, Assassination classroom, Big Mouth, Human Resources, Disenchantment, Aggretsuko, Vox Machina, Castlevania, Arcane, Q Force, The Imperfects, The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance, Orange is the new black, AJ and the Queen, Matrjoschka, Dr House, Sandman, Hilda

• movies:

The Dark Crystal, Coraline, Nimona, Suicide Squad, Deadpool, Chicken Run, Howl's moving castle, Charlie and the chocolate factory

• books:

Have read: Hell followed with us, Frankenstein, The meet cute diary, Aristotle and Dante, The midnight library, The cat who saved books, Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Cleopatra and Frankenstein, Punk 57, Skulduggery pleasant, If we were villains, Under the whispering door, Arthur and Teddy are coming out, Pan's Labyrinth, If cat's disappeared from the world, Dracula, The picture of Dorian Gray, Gwen & Art are not in love, Near the Bones, Paul takes the form of a mortal girl, I wish you all the best, The marriage portrait, Carmilla, Der frühe Tod

Reading: Gay Bored Werewolf

Going to read: The Scottish boy, The Spirit Bares it's teeth

• games (Just games I like, doesn't mean I played them. I mainly watched the let's plays):

Sally Face, Little Misfortune, Little nightmares, Fran Bow, L.A. Noire, Beyond two souls

• music/artists:

Mika, Tx2, TJ beastboy, Eminem, Doja cat, Ashnikko, Noahfinnce, K.Flay, Delilah Bon, Lin Manuel Miranda, ÉASY, Gorillaz, mother mother, Imagine Dragons, poor man's poison, Harry Styles, Jhope, Pink, Shuba, and several who I only know about one song from, (K-pop groups/bands I know because of my friend: NCT, Straykids, Ateez, Xdinary heroes)

I'm still figuring out the whole Tumblr thing so if anyone has some tips, I greatly appreciate it.

[justkpopstuffinmyhead]

Hoseok - We are the only true lovers♥ [Part 1]

Member: BTS member Jung Hoseok / J-Hope

Pairing: ColorblindSoulmate!AU with Werewolf!Hoseok [colorblindSoulmate!Au with Supernatural!BTS]

Genre: Fluff + Some Angst

Words: 1,092

Summary: You live in a world were you are unable to see color until you meet the one person you were basically born for - but maybe they are not at all what you expected them to be.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

A/N I’M back! Well, at least somewhat. I have not been in the mood to write. The response from others motivates me a lot and unfortunately the Tumblr changes made my stuff not show up on ppls dashboards :(

You have always been aware of the fact that you are pretty. When you were a child, old women would walk up to you, complimenting how cute your cheeks were, how the color of your eyes stands out compared to your skin. But whenever you looked into the mirror, they were grey. Just like your hair, your clothes, your room, the sky.

Now you’re a young adult, the chubby cheeks are gone and you have to agree that you are not too bad looking. You have high cheekbones and healthy hair, but all of that doesn’t really help you since your world is still dull and colorless. You are now attending a university that is miles and miles away and you get along with most of the people in your courses. Except the “supernaturals” as people call them. They are not human. Shapeshifters, werewolfes, vampires and many other beings. Your parents told you that about 40 years ago the government allowed them to reveal themselves without punishment. They are still outcasts and many people are telling the government to lock them away, that they are too dangerous to the public. You think that they are dangerous and should have stricter laws applied to them. Your parents told you all those true stories of supernaturals killing or hurting innocent people because they could not control themselves. You were lucky enough to be able to avoid most of the supernaturals in your hometown and you parents made you attend a private school where all those “special members of society” are not allowed at. Now that you are attending university it is not possible anymore for your parents to keep you away from them, but you are trying to do your best to do that on your own – and you are quite successful! With one exception – Jung Hoseok. He’s part of most of your classes and for some reason you always end up sitting close to him, debating in class with him and today – “Y/N. You will do the presentation with Jung Hoseok.” You gasp lightly and look at your teacher in shock. You told her in the beginning that you would prefer it if she wouldn’t team you up with any of THEM. She said that she’d to her best and stayed true to that for most of the year. But now she’s teaming you up with them for your most important exam. “But Mrs. . .” She just motions for you to shut up and dismisses your protest. You look at the boy on the other side of the room and you have to admit that he, in fact, is handsome and the others are always talking about how nice and cheery he is. As far as you know, Hoseok is a werewolf – a handsome one – but he’s one of them. “Hey, Y/N?” Hoseok is reaching out to touch your shoulder but you flinch away, avoiding his touch successfully. “Yes?” You answer and look up at him. Class has ended without you noticing and you are now alone with him. “Where would you like to meet up? Somewhere public? A café? The library?” He doesn’t show you that your reaction hurt him quite a bit and keeps his smile up. “Library sounds good. Today at 6?” You pack your bags and he just mumbles “Yeah” and leaves you alone. You fall back into your chair, your hands shaking and your heart beating rapidly. “Oh god.” You mumble to yourself and leave the room.

Hoseok POV

“And then we take each other’s hands and bow.” I bow down and smile at her. She’s beautiful and probably really nice if she isn’t scared of the person in front of her. I can smell it. Her smell is usually light and rosy but whenever she’s close to me I can smell the fear. “Why do we have to make a presentation on human and supernatural soulmates?” She says disappointedly and I feel my heart sink. I’ve been crushing on her for a few weeks now but due to her dislike of supernatural people, I never dared to even look at her, meet her gaze. “I know you don’t like the situation, but we’ll have to go with it.  I really need the good grade.” I admit. I would like to become a therapist and need to get good results. She looks up in surprise, but doesn’t say anything about it. “I guess this presentation is really good. I’ll look over it once more, send you a mail and then we should meet up and practice once more – no touching hands for the bowing of course!” I quickly tell her and the look on her face almost resembles shame. “Okay. Have a good day. Bye” She leaves the library, leaving behind the numbing sent of fear.

~presentation day~

I look up at the teacher as she calls our names. “Y/N. Jung Hoseok.” We walk to the front of the room and I set everything up, avoiding Y/Ns gaze, trying to ignore her scent. We both dressed up for the presentation – instead of sweatpants I wear dark skinny jeans and a dress shirts, she’s dressed in black skinny jeans and a blazer. We are subconsciously matching and I think she notices the same because she’s blushing like a tomato. We start the presentation with smiles on our face. Instead of fear I can now feel determination radiate off her. “Now, that supernatural beings are allowed to go to public schools and work along with humans, it is way more common, that humans and supernaturals are each other’s soulmate and actually find each other.” Her voice calmly states and I jump in. “There are, however, still problems with families not accepting the soulmate of one of their family members. Many humans with supernatural soulmates report that they had to cut off the contact to their family because they were telling them to decide between their soulmates or their family.” I took a quick look at my cue cards. “5% of supernatural beings reportedly gave up their soulmate, because they didn’t want to make them choose between love and their family.”  I feel my heart ache because I’m scared that my soulmate might hate me and that I will need to take that step in the future. We finish our presentations, take each other’s hands and want to bow down when suddenly the entire room is colored in and I look over at her in shock and am met by her shocked gaze – apparently she sees the color as well.

[mrcleanheichou]

Wolves are (NOT) Scary Chapter 11

Pairing: Werewolf!BTS X Female human reader

Genre: Fluff, smut, angst

Warnings: Talks about slipping a substance into another person’s drink unknowingly. I do feel bad about that being a major plot point and it that it’s really not ok so I’m very sorry if it may be triggering.

Word count:  1,233

Summary: All Y/N wants to do is find her creativity and motivation but she finds 7 werewolves instead.

Author note: Hi guys! This is where the story is going to actually start getting to the plot. It’s all uphill from here!! Both in the past and present setting.

Chapter 10 // Chapter 11 // Chapter 12

Taglist: @dustyinkpages @thickemadame @moonlitehunter @thedarkwinterrose @momoriki @iistrangers @openup-yourmind @sinceritythatcouldntbedelivered @lovelyseokjinnie @scuzmunkie @bjoriis @maddypool31 @tfkp0p @blubearxy @stealth-liberal @potaetopic

Chapter 10 // Chapter 11 // Chapter 12

~3 years ago~

Ryujin’s party was gonna start in 20 minutes and the bakery was bustling with nervous energy. Yuna was nicer than most witches but she still can be petty. Petty in the sense that she may decide against helping them if they’re late. Especially if her easily irritated familiar had any say on the matter.

It was all hand’s on deck putting boxes of cupcakes into the back of Jungkook’s truck and into the trunk of Hobi and Jin’s cars. Jin took the lead making sure all the flavors were labeled correctly and grouped together. He did not allow Namjoon to help pack them in because they could not afford for their clumsy alpha to potentially screw things up.

“Knock it off, you’re gonna drop those trays.” Hobi said sternly to the two youngest wolves who were both pretending to be waiters at a fancy restaurant and balancing trays with one hand. Jungkook balanced one in both of his hands.

Tae pouted and gave his tray to Jin as Jungkook grumbled under his breath, “We weren’t going to drop them.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finding parking on the street for three vehicles was difficult, the whole normally quiet block was packed with cars.

“Hmm, I thought witches traveled on brooms.” Yoongi wondered a loud touching his chin. Jin laughed his windshield wiper laugh behind him as he popped his car’s trunk.

Namjoon also stared at the cars pondering the conundrum, “Would a broom closest count as a parking lot?”

“I’ve found that leather seats are much more comfortable.” An amused sounding voice sounded right in Namjoon’s ear causing him to jump. She was definitely not there a second ago.

“What the hell?” Jimin said clutching a hand to his chest staring at the strange woman cloaked in a blood red lace corset dress who just smiled sweetly back at him. “Why can’t you witches be normal?”

“Who said you mutts were normal?” A woman with brown bunny ears wearing only a light blue collar snarked back to the silver haired man. He was going to come up with another comeback but he was having trouble when he noticed the woman’s lack of clothing.

“Do you people not own clothes? Why are your familiars always naked?” Taehyung piped up getting out of the passenger seat of Hobi’s car.

“My eye’s are up here, Fido” She smirked at Jimin when she noticed him staring at her breasts before he growled and turned his head as if he wasn’t looking.

“Where’s Yuna?” Namjoon interrupted.

“She’s busy. My name’s Jihyo and this is Nayeon.” The witch said before telling everyone to step back. When the wolves reluctantly stepped away from their cars Jihyo snapped her fingers and two trolley carts ,that looked like old fancy hotel carts that bellhops would use, appeared out of thin air. Then with a flick of her wrist all the boxes from inside Jin’s trunk started floating up and stacking themselves perfectly onto one of them. Then Hobi’s trunk opened when she pointed at it and the same thing happened again. Like clockwork all of the boxes from Jungkook’s truck and the box that he was holding floated to join the others. The sudden force yanking the box from his hands surprised him causing him to yelp.

The whole pack stood there in awe at the magic show they just witnessed until Yoongi piped up breaking the trance they were all in. “Wow, you didn’t even have to say Wingardium Leviosa.”

“Keep it up and I won’t give you the potion.” Jihyo frowned at him.

“The potion? Yuna told us that she needed to go get supplies to make it and it needed to ferment.” Hobi stated cocking his head like a confused puppy.

“Yes, that is true but luckily for you I happened to have left overs of one of the potions she promised you.”  Jihyo once again snapped her fingers and with a magical poof of blue smoke a small glass bottle appeared. “This is ‘accept me’ potion.”

“You could give this to someone and tell them the sky was green and they’d accept that without arguing.” Nayeon pointed at the floating bottle.

Jihyo moved her hand in a ‘shooing’ motion and the bottle moved to Namjoon. The bright green liquid sloshed around with a wine bottle-esque cork to keep it inside. He reached out to grab it but Yoongi got it before he could.

“You need to make sure you use it all at once, in a beverage is the best option. Once you give it you have 24 hours to use it to it’s strongest ability. After that it starts to weaken and you have less of a chance of being able to relay the information you seek to give. You can always use another batch if you mess up but if you already told your little girlfriend what you are and she runs away you can’t magically make her forget her fear and simply erase the memory. So be smart and use it wisely.”

~Present Day~

The most noticeable thing of this train station was the huge gold water fountain that greeted you as soon as you walked up the stairs from the boarding platform. It was of a beautiful woman sitting on the edge of a waterfall surrounded by wolves at the bottom. You knew immediately that it was to pay tribute to the Lunar Goddess, the deity all werewolves pay respect to. Things like this were usually only seen at temples deep in the woods where humans don’t go. The existence of werewolves is still very much a myth in the normal world and will remain to be until the end of time if the council has any say. Only a small amount of humans know and it’s because they’re fated to be pack mates. So seeing that so out in the open cemented the fact that you’re now in a completely different world, making this nightmare feel so much more real.

In your reverie you failed to notice the atmosphere change at first when two huge black wolves approached. A thick feeling of authority that felt much stronger than anytime Namjoon flexed his alpha power wrapped itself around you. You normally couldn’t feel it when he did that but this feeling managed to be so strong even your mere human senses could feel the danger radiating off them.

One of them made it a point to stare you in the eyes with it’s almost glowing ice blue eyes. It’s easy to remember that there’s a person behind a wolf’s eyes whenever you’re around your pack members but these eye’s only gave off pure predatory nature that gave off no sense of humanness.

“Yes this is them.” one of the guards said behind you. You thought you could hear a slight uneasiness in his voice as he addressed the wolves. Hearing that slight wobble you looked around him and noticed the other werewolves just trying to get to their destinations were actively giving the five of you a wide berth.

A push forward and a harsh whisper of ‘Go!’ made Jungkook grab your hand tightly as you were pressured into following the wolves past the fountain towards the unknown. The feeling of being a sacrificial lamb being led to the slaughter did not escape you as you made eye contact with the golden face of the goddess.

[secret-kpoplibrary]

Unexpected Pt. 1

Pairing: Jimin x Reader, Hoseok x Reader & Jungkook x Reader

Word Count: 2.4k

Warnings: underground fighting- mentions of injuries and blood but nothing too descript and no described violence

Genre: angst

Summary: Working as a medic for the police you've seen your fair share of interesting situations, to say the least. So when you find yourself tasked with helping 3 omegas following an underground fighting ring bust you absolutely don't think any of them would get attached to you, let alone all three. But now that they've decided you're their alpha it seems you've got a few changes to make.

***

You love your job. It's not the easiest and sometimes you see some pretty terrible things but overall you get to help people and that's why you love your job. You're a  doctor- but you primarily work as an on-call medic for the FBI.

You let out a breath as your leg bounces anxiously. You watch the entrance of the warehouse intently from the passenger seat of the ambulance.

"You have got to calm down dude." Your friend, and coworker, Jaehyun, says from the driver's seat.

"Jae, are you seeing the number of guys they're bringing out? This shit was huge." You look at him, you counted dozens of men in handcuffs being brought out of the building and placed in large transfer busses.

Tonight was a large underground fighting ring bust. Unfortunately, in your work as a medic for the city's Special Task Force, you'd seen too many of them. At least two teams of Medics are always required, in case of injury to officers and to help anyone seriously injured. You learned pretty early on that there were always a handful of fighters that needed medical attention specifically for underground ring busts.

You, along with three other medics, a beta named Jin, an alpha named Taehyung, and another beta named Mark, are currently waiting for news on anyone that might need assistance. Luckily, the raid happened right before the first fight of the night so no one seemed to have any serious injuries tonight so far. Any fighters with non-threatening, pre-existing wounds would be seen by doctors on stand-by at a secondary location after transport.

Out of habit, you unconsciously reapplied your scent-blocking gel to the inside of your nose.

As an alpha, your senses would go haywire if you were to step foot in the building without using it. During the fights omega heat pheromones were released inside the building to rile up the alpha fighters, in order to make the fights more brutal. Most ringmasters used clothes or rags drenched in the scent, passing it around the fighters in the pit. However, you've also seen ringmasters just have omegas in heat on hand during the fights for the same purpose, with the promise of a night of fun for the victor. It makes you sick to your stomach whenever you think about it. Knowing that those poor omegas were treated that way for the entertainment of people that view them as lesser. You were raised to believe that omegas were to be treasured. Your mother had been an omega, and your alpha father had always worshipped the ground she walked on. In fact, your father was never one to treat wolves according to rank. He was fair and just and kind to everyone who deserved it- regardless of their status.

Growing up your parents had told you many times that when you found a mate of your own, be they beta, omega, or even another alpha, it would be the best thing to ever happen to you, and they were to be cherished forever. That they would cherish you just the same. When you were little, you'd always dreamed of the day you would meet your mate. Wondered what they would be like and how you would meet them.

Now, though, at the age of 23, you've learned the harsh reality of being a female alpha; your options are few and far between. You had an urge to protect and care for your significant other that was too strong to hold back, somewhat in the same way male alphas have. It usually doesn't fare you too well when it comes to dating.

Alpha males want someone submissive to them, an omega or a beta. They typically don't take well to your dominant side and it's too difficult for you to fit into the role of submissive mate to another alpha outside of the bedroom.

Female betas and omegas usually don't want you because you can't impregnate them. For most of them, their instincts demand that they carry any young the two of you might possibly want to have, and they know you can't give them that. You've dated a couple but nothing promising.

Male betas, you find also have quite the issue submitting to a woman. Many of them have never met a female alpha as they're not common and they're not sure how to handle it.

Male omegas are the most likely to accept you. They usually don't have any problems with your more dominant behavior in the relationship, except perhaps during their heat. Unfortunately, they are rare, so much so that finding one is next to impossible.

All in all, you've learned enough to kind of give up hope on having a mate. You'd actually considered that if you ever decided to have children, you'd either adopt or get artificially inseminated. Perhaps you'll settle down with a human one day.

Resigning to the fact that you'd likely be mateless doesn't mean you don't get lonely, of course. You often feel like the third wheel around your friends and their mates but you've accepted that it's just part of the hand you've been dealt.

The sudden shout of your name snaps you out of your melancholic thoughts. Jumping into action, you and Jin throw open the ambulance doors and leap to the ground.

Looking towards the entrance, you see Yoongi, a fellow alpha, the Chief of Police, and the leader of tonight's bust- runs up to you.

What's wrong?" You ask as soon as he stops in front of you and Jin.

"We've cleared the building, but Namjoon found three omegas in heat in one of the back rooms. They're roughed up pretty bad. My guess is they were tonight's trophies." He explains, face twisting in disgust.

"Those poor wolves." Jin gasps.

"Alright, bring them out. Jin and I will take care of them. Taehyung and Mark should be able to handle things here since it doesn't seem like you'll be getting much else on the medical side of things." You say. You'd really prefer to go in yourselves, but medics aren't allowed to enter the building unless there's a life-threatening medical emergency. "Good. They should be on their way out soon." Yoongi nods, turning away from you two, to re-enter the building. Just then, Namjoon, Yoongi's second in command, comes rushing out of the building looking pale. Immediately, you go into high alert at the distressed look on his face. A quick glance at Yoongi tells you that he's alert as well.

"Chief, we've got- a bit of a problem." He huffs.

"What is it? What happened?" Yoongi asks.

"It's the omegas. They're putting up a fight. They won't let us take them out of the room. They've barricaded the door shut so we can't enter. All of us have tried releasing calming pheromones, but it's not working. If anything they seem to be getting more agitated." Namjoon explains. Yoongi lets out a curse under his breath.

"They must not be too far into their heats then if they're still lucid enough to be able to fight back. I really don't want to have to give them a command to get them outta there. Those poor guys must be terrified right now." Yoongi runs a hand through his hair as he blows out a breath.

So what do we do?" Namjoon asks.

"Let me try." You suggest.

"You know I don't like sending you guys in there but- we're running out of options with these guys. Go. Namjoon take her in." Yoongi says after a beat.

You're really hoping to coax them out without having to give them any commands but they've gotta come out of there one way or another.

"Here- you might need this." Jin says handing you the med bag he'd grabbed before jumping out of the ambulance.

"Thanks." You nod before following Namjoon into the building.

"I really hope you have better luck than us." Namjoon says when you arrive at the door the omegas are behind.

"Namjoon- you can stay but can you ask the others to clear out? This many people will probably only further intimidate them." You frown.

"You heard her- secure the perimeter and keep your distance." Namjoon orders the other officers in the room. You knock on the door gently before you speak.

"Hello, my name is y/n. I'm a medic. I heard you guys are pretty banged up. If you open the door I can help. I know you're scared. And look I dunno what they did to you- but, I know you guys would be better off coming out and getting some help." You say softly through the door. You're not sure if they'll respond well to you but you have to start somewhere.

"Go away." You hear a voice growl weakly. You can hear someone's breathing- unsteady and shallow but you're pretty sure it's a different person.

"I can't do that okay? At least one of you needs serious medical attention right? Don't let stubbornness kill you." You say.

"We'd rather stubbornness kill us than you guys do it." The same voice says.

"You don't have to die at all. Look the people that hurt you are gone okay? The police took them away. I'm just here to help you but you need to open this door. I don't want to force you but I will if I have to because at least one of you definitely needs medical attention." You keep your voice kind but make it firmer to make sure they understand. There's an extended pause followed by a bunch of movement and eventually, the door swings open. One of them is standing at the door and you just barely see two more behind him. One of them is laying on the ground and the other is kneeling beside him.

"You swear nothing bad will happen?" The one in front of you looks down at you.

"I swear. This is Namjoon, he's part of the police force. The other medics outside are Jin, Taehyung, and Mark- and my ambulance is driven by a man named Jaehyun." You say.

"I'm Hoseok." He says moving out of the doorway so you can see the other two. The one laying down is tall with dark hair, one arm is draped over his midsection and the other holds the hand of the third omega. His features are softer and his hair is blonde. The dark-haired one is clearly in the worst shape. His clothes have bloody tears, he's covered in bruises but it looks like most of his injuries are internal.

"Joon help get him onto the ambulance." You tell him but when he moves to come into the room Hoseok blocks his path.

"Hoseok, this boy needs to get to a medical facility, I can't treat him here." You say.

"We have to go with him." Hoseok demands.

"Fine, but you're both injured I don't want to agitate any of those injuries so let Namjoon carry him out of here. Please." You say.

"Hoseok-" the blonde says softly and Hoseok moves for Namjoon to come in.

"Be careful with him Joon." You warn as he lifts the dark haired man gently. The blonde keeps pace with Namjoon, still holding the other's hand while Hoseok follows with you. Namjoon sets the dark haired one onto the gurney in the ambulance.

"You'll be alright from here?" Namjoon asks.

"Yes Joon, thanks." You nod as he swings the doors clothes.

"Okay this is Jin, he's another medic. Jin this is Hoseok, please check his injuries while I try to stabilize this one."

"On it. Hi Hoseok, nice to meet you." Jin says.

"Hoseok play nice." You say when he growls at Jin. He lets out a protesting whine but settles enough for Jin to check him out.

"Uh- hi, I know your friend is worse off so I won't ask him anything for now but- can you tell me his name? And your yours?" You ask the blonde who's just been quietly watching everything going on.

"I- I'm Jimin and he's Jungkook. Can you help him?" Jimin blinks up at you from his seat.

"I'll do everything I can for him Jimin. I promise." You say looking at him sincerely.

"Okay." He nods.

"How are you doing though? I can get another medic to check you out before we leave if-"

"No. I can wait. Please just take care of Jungkook." Jimin shakes his head.

"Jin or I will tend to you soon okay hon?" You turn your attention back to Jungkook to properly prepare him for the trip to the medical facility. There's not much you can do for him in the ambulance but you check for anything that needs to be immediately tended to. By the time you're done Jin has started checking Jimin out and you slide up into the front seat with Jaehyun.

"How we doing?" Jaehyun asks.

"We can go. They'll be fine til we get there." You tell him.

"Got it." Jaehyun nods.

When you get to the medical facility Jin and Jaehyun carry Jungkook in while Hoseok and Jimin walk in with you.

"Play nice. Please. These people are here to help you. You'll be safe with them." You tell Hoseok and Jimin when nurses surround them to whisk them off to exam rooms.

"Hey- where are the others?" Jin asks.

"Nurses got them in exam rooms. I should-"

"Go home." Jin cuts you off and grabs your shoulders before you can go towards the rooms.

"What? No. I can't go home. I mean bringing them here-"

"Was more than enough on your part. They're in good hands here, you know that. Plus you've been on call for the past what? 48 hours and you're no use to anyone if you pass out frrom exhaustion. You need rest." Jin says.

"Jin- they're flighty I don't know if-"

"If it makes you feel better I'll personally stay here the rest of the night but you seriously need to go to sleep. As your coworker and friend, I'm asking you to please go home. You can check in with them in the morning it'll be fine." Jin assures you.

"I hate you." You glare at him.

"Love you too, sleep well, see you tomorrow!" He says practically shoving you towards the elevator to the garage. You know you could fight him on it but as they say you catch more bees with honey and your coworkers like you better when you don't use your alpha status for little battles. Tonight you'll sleep, tomorrow you'll worry about the omegas- if you need to.

***

Part 1/???

Tagged Users: @wickedblue34

[junghelioseok]

covenant.

↳ your best friend’s engagement forces you to reevaluate your own feelings.

◇ hoseok x reader ◇ smut | angst | werewolf!au | f2l!au ◇ 16.4k [1/1]

⇢ arguably also an arranged marriage!au, ft. kinda sorta dumbasses to lovers? a very, very late bday fic for the most beautiful man in the universe and my favorite funky lil dancer. ♡

notes: i started this in my drafts well over three months ago and all it said was “this ain’t gonna be on time for hobi’s bday i can feel it” and damn if past!me wasn’t right on the money!!! this has undergone three edits, going from 14.6k to 16.4k somehow, and i am going to lose my whole damn mind if i don’t just post it so here it is! hope you enjoy!

warnings: dom!hobi, alpha!hobi, bit of dirty talk, oral (f receiving), some grinding against hobi’s thigh, knotting, hobi’s got a big dick idk, also he’s in heat!!! but things eventually get really soft bc i love him and am a Soft Bitch™ 🤷🏻‍♀️

It’s going to rain.

You can smell it in the air and feel the damp chill against your skin, permeating through every layer of your clothing. The surrounding forest and all its occupants seem to be collectively holding their breath, waiting for the first drops to come. Even your footsteps, soft as they are against the loamy earth, sound much too loud in the hush that’s fallen. Dark clouds gather overhead, looming like an omen, and you silently reach into your purse to check that the umbrella you’d stowed this morning is still there. Vaguely, you wonder if it’s big enough for two.

Around you, the trees slowly begin to dwindle, until there’s only open sky above your head and a wide grassy expanse beneath your feet. A certain heaviness lingers in the air here—a low thrum of energy, born from the ancient magic that sleeps in the gnarled roots of the tree that sits in the center of the clearing. You can feel it prickling along your skin, raising gooseflesh and igniting your veins, and the closer you get, the stronger the feeling becomes.

At the far end of the clearing, you spot a small crowd of people, all clad in black. Your best friend—and your entire reason for venturing out today—stands amongst them in a tailored suit, his black tie snug at his throat and laid atop a charcoal gray shirt. He’s chatting with his father and a few other family members, seemingly calm and collected, but you can tell from the sloppy knot of his tie and the way he fidgets with the hem of his jacket that he is anything but. After all your years of friendship, you can read Jung Hoseok like a book. His auburn hair is disheveled as if he’s been incessantly raking his fingers through it, and even at a distance, you can sense the turmoil in his aura, haloing him like the stormy clouds overhead.

Sensing your approach, Hoseok’s gaze flickers up to meet yours. He raises a hand in greeting and bids farewell to the people he’d been chatting with, picking his way over to you with a wan smile.

“Hey. You made it.”

“I wouldn’t miss this,” you reply, reaching out to take his hand. It’s warm and strong as always, but you don’t miss the slight tremor in his grip. “How are you holding up?”

He shrugs half-heartedly, a sigh escaping his lips and dissipating into mist in the wintry air. “As well as can be expected, I guess. It just��� it all happened so fast.”

“I know,” you murmur, twining your fingers together in quiet reassurance. “I’m so sorry, Hobi.”

“Thanks.”

Slowly, his gaze flits to the center of the clearing where the ancient tree sits, traversing from the leafy canopy all the way down to where the gnarled roots disappear into the dirt. In its shadow sits a polished wooden casket, and you squeeze Hoseok’s hand gently as he walks closer, his eyes beginning to glisten.

“I still can’t believe he’s gone, you know,” he mumbles. “All these years of war, of negotiations and peace talks, finally seeing the Accords pass and the company flourish… and now he’s gone. Cancer. Just like that.”

His voice cracks on the last sentence, and you clasp his hand a little tighter. You know as well as he does that a healthy werewolf can live for well over a century, if not for the human genetics that remain susceptible to human weaknesses and disease. True immortality afflicts only the faeries and the vampires of your world—and even then, there are still ways that those folk can die.

“He lived a long life,” you say after a moment’s hesitation, grasping onto any semblance of comfort you can offer. Together, you and Hoseok come to a stop in the shadow of the tree, peering at the closed casket where his grandfather lays. “And it was a good, just life. Not all of us can say that.”

A lone, wet droplet falls onto the polished mahogany, and Hoseok hastily wipes his eyes, tilting his head skyward. “Not long enough,” he whispers. “He still had so much to do. I… I still have so much I wanted to do—to say. And now I’ll never be able to.”

You caress a thumb across his knuckles, the motion soft and tender. “I know. And I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do.”

Hoseok glances down at that, a glimmer of something manic and desperate swimming in his amber-flecked irises. “You could,” he says, grabbing both your hands and clutching them to his chest like a lifeline. “You could bring him back. You know how, don’t you?”

You shake your head sadly, hating the way his frown deepens as you free yourself from his grasp. “That’s forbidden magic, Hobi. That’s necromancy. You know I can’t do that.”

Hoseok’s entire body sags, his shoulders slumping as he lets out a heavy sigh. Instinctively, you step forward to wrap him in a hug, and he loops his arms around your waist automatically, pulling you flush against him. “I know,” he mumbles into your hair. Then he huffs out a dry chuckle, humorless and deprecating. “Fuck. I’m a mess, huh?”

You don’t answer. You don’t need to. Instead, you hold him a little tighter, rubbing his back soothingly in long, slow motions—the same way his mother used to do during bedtime. His heart thuds erratically in his chest, fast and frenzied like a caged bird, but lulls as you continue your ministrations, settling into an even rhythm once more.

“Thank you,” he murmurs after a few moments, his warm breath caressing your cheek. “For coming today. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“You can do anything, Hobi,” you reassure, running a thumb along the sharp line of his jaw when he raises his head to look at you. “With or without me. But… you’re welcome, all the same.”

Your presence at this funeral is unusual, and both you and Hoseok know it. Werewolf packs tend to keep their rites and ceremonies private, and the Gwangju pack is no different. Led by Hoseok’s father, and his late grandfather before him, the werewolves of the city have rapidly risen to prominence and power, aided in large part by the founding of JungTech. The company, started by Hoseok’s grandfather, began as a small operation in a battered old warehouse, but quickly grew to become one of Gwangju’s biggest corporations after the signing of the Accords twenty years ago. The peace treaty marked the start of a tenuous coexistence between humankind and Shadowfolk, and, together with your fellow witches—along with the werewolves, vampires, and the few fair folk who decided to leave their homes deep in the forests—you migrated into cities all over the country to forge new lives.

It’s proven easier for some. While the wolves of the city have found tolerance—acceptance, even—you have not fared quite as well. Humans, you have found, tend to fear the ancient magic that runs through your veins. Though nothing you’ve faced comes remotely close to what your ancestors faced in centuries past, you remain wary of those who take a little too much interest in your abilities.

You’re a bit paranoid, your familiar, Bast, has remarked on more than one occasion. But it’s justified, so I suppose it’s all right.

As if sensing that your thoughts have turned to him, Bast stirs in the back of your mind. You feel him yawn and stretch lazily before there’s a tug on the soles of your feet, as if the force of gravity has suddenly, inexplicably doubled. Then he’s materializing—morphing out of the spot where your shadow would be if the sun were shining, taking the form of an inky black cat with sharp, golden eyes. Hoseok perks up when Bast loops between his ankles, and immediately squats down to scratch behind his ears, a small smile settling across his face as a low, content purr rumbles up from beneath his fingertips. From elsewhere in the clearing, a single howl rises up into the air, forlorn and wavering.

It’s starting, Bast says in your head. At the same time, Hoseok straightens to his full height, fiddling with the hem of his black jacket and looking over at you tentatively.

“Sounds like they’re getting started,” he says.

You nod. “I should go.”

Hoseok opens his mouth as if to protest—as if to say no, stay—but you know better and cut him off with a single raised finger.

“I’ll go,” you murmur. “This is a private rite, and I don’t want to break centuries of tradition by overstaying my welcome. Go join your pack, Hobi.”

“Will I see you later?”

“Without a doubt.”

Your parting gesture is to reach out and grab his hand, tucking a little drawstring bag into his palm and closing his fingers over it. “Valerian root and chamomile,” you tell him gently, taking in his rumpled collar and the dark bags beneath his eyes. “Make some tea tonight. It’ll help.”

Hoseok swallows and nods, his features softening as he gazes down at his hand cupped in your smaller ones. He looks like he wants to say something, but another howl interrupts, disrupting whatever thoughts he may have had. Instead, he nods again, murmuring a soft goodbye before turning on his heel to join the rest of the pack gathering around the raised casket. You turn as well, leaving behind the ancient clearing with Bast trotting by your side.

Up above, the heavens finally open, drenching the dirt path beneath your feet with rain. And behind you, the single howl is joined by dozens more, echoing mournfully up into the weeping sky.

///

You’re in the middle of straightening out a display of dittany when the kettle begins to boil, emitting three short, shrill whistles accompanied by a long stream of whirling steam. When silence falls over the shop once more, you wander over to where the kettle sits—atop a small wooden end table next to an old wardrobe. It’s an old relic that’s been passed down through generations of witches in your family, wrought out of silvery metal and suspended in an iron frame above a single lit candle. The flame is glowing pink, flickering in a nonexistent gust of wind, and you smile. Quietly, you grab two teacups from a nearby shelf.

Not two seconds later, the door of the old wardrobe creaks open, revealing the familiar face of Kim Seokjin behind it. A fellow witch and a good friend of yours, Jin has made a name for himself as a baker, running a café in Seoul that offers all sorts of confections—both with magical properties and without. His hair is dyed a muted dusty rose—a stark contrast to the casual black hoodie and jeans he’s wearing—and you reach out to push a stray lock back from his forehead in lieu of a greeting.

“Your hair’s pink again,” you remark. “I like it.”

Jin grins, his plush lips pulling back to reveal perfect teeth. “Thanks.” Carefully, he steps out of the wardrobe and shuts the door behind him. A beat of silence passes, and you take the opportunity to select a canister of tea leaves. You don’t miss the flicker of solemnity that settles into Jin’s features, though, listening as he clears his throat before voicing the question that is undoubtedly the reason behind his unexpected visit.

“So. How’s Hoseok holding up?”

Jin has never been one to mince his words. You suppose you appreciate that about him.

Quietly, you lift the kettle out of its stand and beckon for him to join you at the little wooden table at the front of your shop. It’s tucked neatly into the nook carved out by one of the two bay windows on either side of the front door, flanked by two well-worn, mismatched chairs. Atop it sits a pile of books—everything from ancient remedies to common household spells.

One book in particular always sits open—a detailed list of all the herbs and plants you carry in your shop, along with the various concoctions you’ve created with them. Hellebore, the spine of the book reads, and it’s the same word that graces your storefront in flowing, golden text. An apothecary of sorts, you spend your days dealing out potions and remedies to those in need, both human and Shadowfolk. You do your best to help, for all the times modern medicine has come up short and left someone wanting.

“Honestly? I don’t think he’s been sleeping.” You set the teacups down onto the table and fill them both before handing one over to Jin. “I saw him this morning, at the funeral. He looked exhausted.”

Jin’s brows disappear behind his pink hair. “You went to the funeral?”

“I didn’t stay,” you clarify, taking a sip of your tea. “Just wanted to drop by, say hello, and pay my respects.”

“Werewolves are a private bunch,” Jin remarks. “I’m surprised.”

You shrug. “Hoseok wanted me to be there. So I went.”

“I see.” He doesn’t say anything further, and neither do you, lapsing instead into a comfortable silence that’s broken only by the occasional sip of tea and the clinking of china. Your gaze wanders, drifting over to the front door of your shop, painted a cheerful green and set with a flowery stained glass window that throws kaleidoscopic rainbows across the cream walls and dark wooden floor. Sunlight streams through the wide bay windows, illuminating the interior in warm, hazy gold. On the other side of the room, Bast is curled up, fast asleep on his favorite plush bench beside the glass door that leads to the greenhouse, perfectly haloed by the sun.

“Must be nice being able to fall asleep anywhere,” you mutter, almost to yourself.

Jin hears you anyway, a chuckle escaping his lips. “You sound jealous.”

“Maybe I am,” you reply, laughing with him. “Speaking of which, where’s Adam? Did he stay home?”

Jin nods, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the wardrobe. “Yeah, he’s keeping an eye on the café. Told me to say hi to you for him, though.”

You giggle at the thought of Jin’s familiar, a long-haired sheepdog with a stubborn streak the size of the Nile and blatant disdain for following orders—especially those that come from Jin himself. “Keeping watch, or trashing the place?” you tease.

“With my luck, probably both,” Jin admits with a sigh. “I should probably get back there soon. He ate all the egg tarts last time.”

“Bring him with you next time,” you advise. “Bast will keep him entertained.”

He grins. “I don’t doubt it.”

Finishing off the last of his tea, he stands up and taps the rim of his cup, murmuring a soft cleaning spell under his breath. You smile gratefully as he replaces it back onto the shelf with the others, and stand to walk him back over to the wardrobe. Opening up the creaky door, you watch him clamber inside, standing amongst the hanging coats and the single pair of shoes on the bottom shelf.

“See you later,” you murmur. “Give Adam my best.”

Jin nods. “See you.”

He shuts the door, and you watch the flame of the candle once again turn a soft, roseate pink. It flickers briefly, dancing in an invisible breeze, before reverting back to the color of regular fire, signaling Jin’s departure. Quietly, you clean your own teacup and return it to the shelf.

The remainder of the afternoon passes with few customers, so you opt to close down early and head to your apartment, located up a short flight of stairs on the second floor of the shop. You’re rifling through the refrigerator for dinner ingredients and humming softly under your breath when your phone suddenly rings, Hoseok’s name lighting up the screen in bright white text. “Hey, Hobi,” you say, swiping across the glass to answer. “What’s up?”

On the other end of the line, Hoseok exhales shakily. “Can you come over?”

You blink, glancing at the darkening sky outside. “Now?”

“Yeah. Fuck, sorry. I know it’s late, but I really… I really need to talk to someone. I—” His voice cracks, and your heart sinks. “I need you.”

“Say no more.” Straightening up, you shut the refrigerator door and tug off your apron. “I’ll be there in half an hour. Have you eaten yet?”

Hoseok sighs. “No.”

“I’ll bring takeout,” you decide, already glancing around for your purse. “See you soon, okay?”

Bidding him farewell, you don your coat and head out the door, locking up behind you. Hoseok lives downtown in a sleek, modern penthouse that’s normally a twenty-minute walk away from Hellebore, but after stopping by the restaurant on the corner for food, you opt to catch the bus instead. Fifteen minutes after you hang up the phone, you are rapping the bronze knocker on Hoseok’s front door, a paper bag and a bottle of wine in hand.

Almost instantly, the door is flung open. Hoseok stands in the threshold as if he’s been waiting there, his auburn hair wild and his eyes even wilder. His aura is turbulent, and when he speaks, his voice is hoarse. “Hey.”

“Hey.” You raise the bag. “I brought dinner.”

“You’re the best,” he sighs, stepping aside to let you in.

Hoseok’s apartment toes the line between modern and cozy in a way that only Hoseok’s apartment could—with lush green plants and plushy, earth-toned furniture to offset the cold impersonality of the floor-to-ceiling windows and the stainless steel kitchen. Flicking on the kitchen light, you set the food down on the granite countertop and grab two wine glasses out of the cabinet. Hoseok sidles over as you pour a generous helping into each glass, rifling through the silverware drawer for utensils.

“Smells good,” he murmurs, popping a box open. “I’m starving. Thanks for bringing dinner.”

You brush off his gratitude and hand him a glass, raising yours so you can clink it gently against his. Quietly, the two of you fall into a comfortable routine, with Hoseok grabbing the food and you grabbing the bottle of wine to bring into the living room. You help him clear off the coffee table and arrange the food, then settle onto the couch beside him, sipping your drink in silence and patiently waiting for him to gather his thoughts. Years of friendship have taught you that he’ll talk when he’s ready, and you’re content to wait as long as he needs.

Sighing, Hoseok tips the rest of his wine back into his mouth before setting the empty glass down with a soft plink. “So,” he begins, not quite looking you in the eye. “My dad and I had lunch today.”

You stay quiet, waiting for him to continue. He takes several more seconds to muster up the words, and when he finally finds them, they’re exhaled in a tumbling rush. “He told me that he’s pleased with how I’m running JungTech. It’s been over a year, and things are going well… so he wants to expedite my takeover of the pack. In two months, he wants me to take over as the alpha. And…” He swallows. “He wants me to settle down.”

Perturbed, you blink. “What?”

Hoseok finally looks at you, his expression frighteningly devoid of emotion. “He wants me to get married, {Name}.”

Comprehension doesn’t settle in right away. But when it does, your jaw drops to the floor, landing somewhere alongside the ornamental persian carpet and a stray sock that has no doubt jumped ship from Hoseok’s laundry.

“W-what?” you manage after a few long seconds of gaping at him. “Why? Why now? That’s so… that’s completely out of the blue.”

Hoseok shakes his head, a few shaggy strands of auburn hair falling across his forehead and into his eyes. “It’s not, actually. He’s been talking about it for a long time—trying to arrange something with one of the other pack families. It’s tradition, you know? Mating within the pack, keeping the bloodlines pure through marriage. The difference is that Pops always talked him out of it. Always said I was too young, that there was no rush, that I should wait for someone I love, my true mate...” He sighs, heavily. “But he’s gone now. And Dad’s decided that he’s done waiting.”

You shouldn’t ask. You shouldn’t, because you know it’ll hurt, but the question comes regardless—leaving your lips in a near whisper. “Who?”

Hoseok takes a deep breath, his shoulders slumping as he exhales. “Do you remember Im Nayeon?”

You do. You’ve known Nayeon almost as long as you’ve known Hoseok—the three of you having attended the same schools starting from elementary all the way up until Hoseok left to attend university in Seoul. Admittedly, you were never close—and if you were completely honest, you always found her to be a bit disingenuous for your tastes. Nevertheless, you often found yourself at the same events—parties and gatherings you attended at Hoseok’s request, and that she was privy to due to her family’s high-ranking status within the Gwangju pack.

“I remember,” you tell him, your bottom lip finding its way between your teeth. “Does… does she know yet? Have you met up with her?”

Hoseok nods. “She was there this morning, at the funeral. We talked a little bit and got coffee after, but… this is all happening so fast.” Slowly, he tilts his head back to stare at the ceiling, a sigh escaping his parted lips. “But there’s nothing I can do, right? It’s enough that Dad’s somehow talked Mom into the whole thing, but now he’s gotten the Council on board too. Did you know that Nayeon has an uncle on the Council? It’s insane, right?”

“Insane,” you agree in a whisper, doing your best to ignore the way your heart is splintering at the edges.

“You know, I always thought my Dad pressuring me was bad.” Hoseok buries his face in his hands, peering at you from between his splayed fingers when you hum in acknowledgment. “But this? The entire Council on my back? This is way worse.”

“I’m sorry.” You don’t know what else there is to say. Your ribcage feels like it’s been split open and filled with burning coals, weighing hot and heavy on your insides.

Hoseok has dated in the past, of course. You both have—chasing that elusive, fluttery feeling called love and never quite being able to catch it and hold on. Hoseok’s last relationship fizzled long before he graduated from university, having lasted only about six months. You distinctly remember meeting the girl during one of your frequent visits to Seoul, at a small party hosted by Hoseok and his friends. By your next visit, however, things had already ended. He never really told you why the breakup occurred either—only that the relationship never would have lasted in the long run.

Perhaps foolishly, you chose not to pry.

“Is there anything I can do?” you ask softly. Reaching out, you take ahold of his hand and tug it into your lap, threading your fingers into the gaps between his. The gesture is familiar and comforting, like cocoa in front of a lit fireplace, and you can’t even begin to fathom the idea of another person sitting here and holding his hand in your stead.

“Just talk to me,” Hoseok entreaties, squeezing your fingers. “Distract me. What’s going on with you?”

You hum, swallowing down the lump in your throat and letting your head fall onto his shoulder as you pick through the events of the past week for the most interesting tidbits. “Bast has been bringing me dead rats lately,” you finally say, nose scrunching at the memory. “You should see the size of them—they’re almost bigger than he is. And they smell like the sewers, because I’m ninety-nine percent sure that’s where he’s getting them from. It’s horrid.”

Hoseok huffs out a stilted laugh. “Sewer rats? Gross.”

“It’s not all bad, to be honest,” you tell him, nestling a little closer to the warmth of his body. Hoseok keeps his apartment chillier than you’re accustomed to, and you’re beyond grateful for the furnace-like heat he gives off naturally. “The bones are pretty useful. The tails too, provided you don’t tell people what they actually are.”

His laugh is much more genuine this time. “Tricky little minx,” he says, amusement lacing his tone. “I’ve always liked that about you.”

You ignore the uptick in your heart rate at his approval, grateful that he can’t see your face as a pulse of heat flushes your cheeks. Instead, you burrow into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent. Hoseok smells like the forest—fresh and woodsy, with a slight floral undercurrent from his fabric softener. It smells like home, and you smile when his arm comes up to wrap around your shoulders.

“Jin came by today,” you murmur.

“Yeah?” The monosyllabic response rumbles through his chest.

“Yeah. He asked about you, too. You should probably text him later.”

Hoseok hums a confirmation, and, satisfied, you cuddle a little closer to him. You pull at the afghan he keeps laid over the back of the couch, laying it comfortably over your lap as he rests his head gently atop yours, his ear pressed to your crown. Your eyes fall shut as you listen to the rhythmic thud of his pulse—solid and steady, backed by the soft hum of the refrigerator and distant traffic on the street far below.

It’s comfortable, sitting with him like this. Comfortable, stroking his arm with your fingertips, in time with the drumbeat of his heart. Ever so gradually, Hoseok’s breathing evens out, and you briefly think that you could stay like this—encapsulated in this delicate, iridescent bubble of contentment—for the rest of your life.

You know the thing about bubbles, though? Bast remarks dryly in your head. They burst.

I know, you sigh.

I know.

///

There’s something soothing about taking inventory—something calming in the repetition of walking down the aisles of Hellebore and restocking the shelves one by one. You’d woken this morning to an apologetic Hoseok making pancakes in the kitchen, his residual heat and woodsy scent lingering on the blanket tucked around your body. After a harried breakfast and a promise to text you later, Hoseok rushed off to the office.

You, in turn, returned to your shop, where you grabbed every ounce of cleaning supplies you possess and scrubbed the place from top to bottom, foregoing all of your usual dishwashing charms and dust-clearing jinxes. The physical labor is a welcome distraction from the events and revelations of last night, and you’ve thrown yourself wholeheartedly into all the chores you need to complete.

“Almost out of rosehip oil,” you mutter, eyeing the half-empty vial and making a note to extract more from one of several plants in your greenhouse. “Low on valerian too, hmm…”

The bell over the front door jingles merrily, diverting your attention away from your task. “{Name}?” a voice calls softly. A moment later, a familiar head of coppery red hair pops around the edge of the shelves, choppy bangs framing a soft, warm face. “Hey, there you are. You busy?”

You shake your head and shut your inventory book, setting it down on the nearest shelf. “Not terribly, no. What brings you here today, Lisa?”

Lisa’s answering smile is sheepish. “Got something to return,” she says, holding up a little glass jar full of lavender colored pills that you immediately recognize. “I’m guessing you’ve already heard the news. Looks like I won’t be needing these anymore, right?”

Your laugh sounds brittle, even to your own ears. “Right. Yeah. Not anymore.”

For just over ten years, Lisa has been the wolf assigned to help Hoseok through his heat. Between his family’s status and his longtime designation as the next alpha of the Gwangju pack, it’s imperative for Hoseok to avoid anything that might be perceived as scandalous. Torrid sex stories splashed across tabloid covers is the last thing a man like Hoseok needs, and that’s where Lisa comes in. Once a year, for three days, she goes to him, and no one is none the wiser. Her job is one that calls for the utmost discretion, and as the daughter of a high-ranking Council official, no one understood that better than she did. You’d only found out because of your role as one of the few witches in the country who makes and stocks the proper contraceptives for such wolves—the dosage much stronger than the human equivalent.

And when Lisa had first approached you to purchase the pills, you’d dropped two jars and nearly set fire to a third. Your stomach had fallen to somewhere around your toes, right alongside the shattered glass and little lavender tablets.

You’d chalked the accident up to surprise. Hoseok hadn’t mentioned anything to you, after all, and you’d known very little about the intricacies of werewolf heats back then, having just opened your shop at age eighteen. But surprise doesn’t explain the snaking jealousy that bubbles up in your tummy every time Lisa comes in to restock her supply of pills, nor does it explain the overwhelming sense of relief you feel now as she presses the unopened jar into your hands.

“I still can’t believe he’s going to be the most powerful man in Gwangju soon.” Lisa steps back, tucking her hair behind her ear and letting out a soft sigh. “And now he’s engaged, too. It’s pretty crazy, huh?”

“Crazy,” you agree tonelessly, turning to replace the jar onto the appropriate shelf.

Lisa, however, is nothing if not perceptive. A gentle hand lands on your shoulder, stopping you in your tracks. “Hey,” she begins, soft and slow. “You know you can talk to me, right? Are you—?”

But the sound of the bell drowns out the rest of her question, metallic and bright in the quiet of your shop. “Hello? Anyone home?” a cheery voice asks.

“Be right there,” you say immediately, shrugging off Lisa’s hand and stepping out from amongst the shelves. There’s a young woman standing at the checkout counter, rifling through the collection of seeds on display, and you cringe as she replaces a few packets in the wrong spots. “How can I help you?”

At the sound of your voice, the woman turns gracefully on her heel, her expression a perfectly crafted amalgamation of surprise and delight. “{Name}!” she exclaims, stepping forward with an outstretched arm. “Long time no see!”

“N-Nayeon,” you stammer, the shock of seeing her face freezing you in place. “What… what brings you here?”

The dark-haired woman steps forward to pull you into a hug, enveloping you in her fruity perfume. “Would you believe me if I said I wanted to catch up with an old friend?” she asks playfully.

We were never friends, you want to say. In your head, Bast lets out a derisive snort of agreement. Lisa, you notice, has conveniently melted away somewhere amidst the organized chaos of your shop, disappearing into the myriad shelves and knickknacks.

“Plus, I really wanted to look at some flowers,” Nayeon continues, betraying her true purpose at last. “You’ve heard, haven’t you? About my engagement? I’m sure Hoseok—I mean, my fiancé—has mentioned it to you, of all people. You are his best friend, after all.”

The inside of the shop is beginning to feel stifling. Perspiration trickles down your neck and you tug at your collar, loosening the material from where it’s plastered against your skin. “Sure,” you manage, once you feel like you can breathe again. “Right. Sure. The flowers are right this way, if you want to follow me.”

I’d forgotten how much I don’t like her, your familiar remarks dryly in your head.

Shut up, Bast.

Mercifully, he does. There’s a tug on your feet, and you glance down just in time to see him morph out of the shadow you cast against the sun-drenched floor. Ghostly and amorphous at first, he quickly solidifies into the feline figure you’ve grown accustomed to, and slinks protectively around your ankles before darting off to perch in the cushioned bay window seat.

Conveniently, that’s also where the flower display is. Colorful blooms and trailing leaves adorn the wooden shelves and tables in this particular corner of the shop, and you force yourself to shift back into professional mode as you come to a stop in front of an assortment of honeysuckle. “So, what kind of flowers are you looking for?” you ask, brushing your fingers along the pale yellow petals.

Nayeon hums thoughtfully and picks up a potted rosebush, examining it from all angles. “Roses, maybe. Are roses too clichéd now?” She brings the crimson buds closer and inhales, eyes fluttering shut. “No matter. I’ve always liked them.”

“They’re beautiful,” you agree, turning your attention to the selection of roses lining the topmost shelf. “Do you have a color preferen—?”

“Or maybe these would be better,” Nayeon interrupts, plucking up a pale pink calla lily from the bouquet you keep in a table display. “Or that one—what is it?”

You follow the trajectory of her gaze to a bunch of little white flowers with golden centers, stark against the dark dirt and surrounding green foliage. “That would be bloodroot,” you answer. “One of my personal favorites—it’s both ornamental and medicinal. It would look lovely in a bouquet.”

Nayeon pulls a face and shakes her head. “No, no—I don’t want anything with such a horrible name. What about these?” she asks, reaching up to take a closer look at a larger bloom. “Peonies, right?”

By the time Nayeon makes it back to the checkout counter with a few sample rose cuttings in hand, you’re fairly certain that several eternities have passed. “Is there anything else you need?” you ask as you ring her up and wrap the flowers neatly in paper.

“A discount for an old friend?” she queries, shooting you a playful wink. When you don’t answer right away, she giggles. “I’m kidding! Obviously, I’ll pay. It’s not like I’m pressed for money—I mean, you’ve seen who my fiancé is, right? Now gosh, where did I put my wallet?”

Your cheeks are beginning to feel far too hot. Nayeon is still rummaging in her purse, and you quickly duck beneath the counter under the pretense of looking for some ribbon to tie off the bouquet. Fanning your face, you take a few deep breaths, listening as she continues chattering away.

“We’re having dinner tonight, actually, Hoseok and I. It’ll be our second real date, and… wait!” She gasps, and you peer up just in time to see her slap a hand over her perfectly lacquered mouth. “You should come! Bring someone, if you can—it’ll be like a double date!”

If you can? Bast snipes. Curse her.

You sigh inwardly and straighten back up, ribbon in hand. Shut up, Bast.

If you won’t, I will.

You’ll do no such thing.

Mustering up your best, most earnest smile, you hand over the wrapped flowers along with her change. “That sounds like fun,” you tell her, ignoring the way your insides lurch at the lie. “When and where?”

Nayeon beams and rattles off the address of an unfamiliar restaurant. “Don’t be late!” she calls as she heads for the door. The bell jangles cheerily as she departs, and as soon as the door shuts behind her, Lisa pokes her head around a nearby bookshelf.

“Finally,” she sighs, walking over to join you. “I thought she’d never leave.”

Ordinarily, you wouldn’t dare speak ill of a customer, but you’re willing to make an exception today. “You and me both,” you reply, watching as Bast slinks over like a shadow and hops onto the counter beside you. He nuzzles his face into the crook of your elbow in silent solidarity, and you mindlessly begin scratching behind his ears as Lisa speaks again.

“Are you really going to go to that dinner tonight?”

You meet her gaze, shrugging. “I already said I would. Do I really have a choice?”

There isn’t much else to say, and both you and she know it. Pushing off from where she’s leaning against the countertop, Lisa flips her coppery hair over her shoulder and shoots you a look, brown eyes full of sympathy. “Good luck,” she says sincerely. You get the feeling that she wants to say something else, but decides against it at the last minute. Instead, she bids you goodbye and walks out with a wave and another chime of the bell. Silence settles over the shop once more, and you allow yourself a few moments to breathe—slow and deep, in and out—before picking up your phone and opening up the most recent text messages. It doesn’t take long to find the name you’re looking for, but you still pause, thumbs hovering over the keyboard, before you begin to type.

[4:21pm] You: how would you like to join me for a very awkward dinner date?

[4:21pm] Jin: consider me intrigued.

///

You and Jin arrive at the restaurant first. It’s an ornate, palatial place with tuxedoed waitstaff and a coat room, and despite giving the name ‘Jung’ at the door, you’re certain that Hoseok played no part in the venue selection. The host ushers you to a booth tucked in the back, the cushioned seats a velvety burgundy and a chandelier glittering overhead, throwing refracted, iridescent light across the veined marble table. All of a sudden, the simple black dress you’re wearing feels painfully inadequate. Glancing down at your feet, you wonder if you should have worn heels instead.

Beside you, Jin cuts a striking figure in a creamy silk shirt with ribbons that tie into a bow at his throat, the material loose and flowy up until where it tucks into fitted black slacks. His pink hair complements the elegant outfit perfectly, parted and swept off his forehead to reveal his dark brows.

As if reading your mind, he lays a gentle hand on your shoulder. “You look beautiful,” he says, before gesturing at the booth. “Now, do you want the inside or outside? Think you’ll need to make a quick getaway at some point?”

“Probably,” you sigh. Jin nods and sits down first, and you watch him slide across the seat cushion before settling in beside him. “I still can’t believe you volunteered to be here,” you murmur, plucking up one of the folded cloth napkins and fiddling with the crisp white edges. “You’re a saint, I swear.”

Jin chuckles and plucks the napkin from your clasped hands, laying it across your lap instead. “Not a saint,” he says, matching your soft tone. “Just someone who cares about you.”

Your cheeks warm at his sudden proximity. “Thank you,” you tell him, for what must be the umpteenth time. “I can’t even imagine what I’d do without you.”

“Good thing you don’t have to, then,” he replies with a grin. “Now, chin up. They just walked in.”

You can’t help the groan that escapes you. “Is it too late to run?”

“Afraid so,” he answers honestly.

And then Nayeon is slipping into the cushioned seat opposite you, syrupy smile in place on her berry lacquered lips. “Hi!” she chirps, laying a hand on Hoseok’s arm as he sits down beside her. “Sorry we’re late. We, um…” She pauses and shoots Hoseok a conspiratorial look, giggling. “... lost track of the time.”

Your magic flares, hot and bright in your veins, and you know Jin feels it too when he lays a cautionary hand on your knee beneath the table. “We weren’t waiting long,” he says, offering the two a genial smile. He’s perfectly polite as he and Nayeon exchange quick introductions, and gestures toward the assortment of menus on the table as soon as everyone has settled down. “Why don’t we order some wine to start?”

“Oh, that’s a splendid idea! Isn’t that a splendid idea, Hoseok?” Nayeon turns to the auburn-haired man beside her, and you do the same, gaze landing on Hoseok for the first time tonight. He’s in an all black ensemble, sharp jacket layered over a silky black shirt, the top buttons loosened to bare a tantalizing sliver of golden skin. His auburn hair is parted, a stray lock falling across his forehead, and you shiver when you realize he’s staring right back at you with dark, unreadable eyes.

At the sound of Nayeon’s voice, Hoseok seems to snap out of his trance, his expression smoothing out as he plasters on a smile. “Take a look at the menu,” he says, picking up the leather-bound book and offering it to her. “Dinner’s on me.”

You blink. “We can’t let you do that, Hobi.”

“Let me pick up at least part of the tab,” Jin adds, already reaching for his wallet. “I’m no corporate bigshot, but I do well enough for myself.”

“No need to be modest,” you chime in, nudging him playfully. “Weren’t you just telling me about your new restaurant opening on the way over? Next week, right?”

Jin’s ears redden as all the attention is turned onto him. “Next week, yeah.”

“That’s amazing!” Nayeon chirps, pressing closer to Hoseok. “We’ll have to check it out sometime. Maybe a date night, right, darling?”

Hoseok busies himself with rearranging his cutlery, swapping the knife and fork around. “Right—sure. If we ever make it up to Seoul, we’ll, uh… we’ll definitely stop by. Congratulations, man.”

The conversation continues. A server stops by to take your wine order, and Jin decides on a moderately priced bottle of cabernet sauvignon. Glasses are brought over, and wine is poured. Hoseok finishes his quickly and pours himself another, and though his wolf metabolism prevents him from getting drunk off of regular wine, you know that he’s a bit of a lightweight and tends to avoid drinking heavily no matter what the beverage. He’s drinking with a purpose tonight, and you’re beyond grateful when Jin pipes up with yet another story when the conversation lulls.

“And then I found out that the oven was on the whole time! Adam would probably let the entire apartment go up in flames just to spite me—I should watch my back.”

“Or, you know, just watch the oven more closely,” you tease. “I’ve seen your place, Jin—it’s a complete fire hazard. It’s a wonder it hasn’t burned to the ground already.”

Jin sniffs. “You’re exaggerating. Stop making me look bad.”

“You make yourself look bad,” you retort, laughing when his lower lip juts out into a pout.

Across the table, Hoseok clears his throat. “Speaking of fire hazards—did I ever tell you about the time {Name} set me on fire?”

“I did no such thing!” you protest, reaching over to slap his arm. “I mean, okay, maybe a little bit, but that was one time! And you were barely singed!”

Hoseok snorts out a laugh. “Barely singed? I couldn’t sit properly for a week.”

“Oh please, that’s a lie and you know it!”

Nayeon interrupts your conversation with a loud huff, setting her wineglass down with enough force to thud against the veined marble tabletop. “Do one of you maybe want to fill us in on the joke here?”

Abashed, you glance back at Hoseok, watching as his smile slowly fades back into the careful, neutral expression he’s worn all evening. “Sorry,” you murmur. “It’s an old story from when we were kids—when we first met, actually. We were seven years old, and it was the second day of school. I didn’t have a very good handle on my magic yet, and accidentally set Hoseok’s tail on fire during recess.”

“I preferred to run around in my wolf form back then,” Hoseok further elaborates. “There was a big field out behind the school—remember that, {Name}?”

You nod. “Of course. It went right up to the very edge of the woods. And if you kept going and went far enough, you reached the old wooden bridge.”

Hoseok is smiling again, soft and fond. “That thing was a death trap.”

“But the teachers could never keep us away,” you say, grinning at him.

“All right,” Nayeon interrupts again, sniffing disdainfully. “Enough about the old days—I think it’s time to talk about the present. And more importantly, the future.” She sighs happily and props her chin up in her palm, ensuring that the delicate golden band on her ring finger is on full display, the metal glimmering in the warm light. “You’re both invited to the wedding, of course. And I never did properly thank you for the flowers today, {Name}!”

Her words seem to come as a surprise to Hoseok, who straightens up in his seat. “Flowers? You visited Hellebore today?”

“Of course I did!” Nayeon hides a giggle behind a manicured hand. “I wouldn’t even think of trusting anyone else with my bouquet.”

Hoseok’s gaze skitters over to you, awash with concern and tinged with apology, but you ignore him in favor of forcing your expression into something that’s meant to be a smile. Yet no matter how much you strain your cheeks and stretch your lips, it feels—and looks, you’re sure—far more like a grimace.

“I’m happy to do it,” you lie, your teeth gritted and tight. “I don’t mind it one bit.”

///

“So. That was just as awkward as promised.”

You and Jin are walking back to Hellebore, leaving behind the bustling downtown area for the darker, quieter streets of your neighborhood. Your companion’s hair is tinged orange in the glow from the streetlamps, and you can only chuckle humorlessly when he turns to you and raises his eyebrows.

“Can’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I was duly warned,” Jin agrees.

A car drives by, the headlights throwing Jin’s profile into stark relief. His expression is solemn but he doesn’t say anything else and neither do you. The remainder of the walk passes in silence, broken only by the occasional strain of conversation from passersby and the low drone of late night traffic. You reach Hellebore with no incidents, and you muffle a yawn as Jin steps into the wardrobe to go back to Seoul.

Just before he shuts the door behind him, he shoots you a meaningful glance over his shoulder. “You should tell him how you feel, you know. He deserves to know. And you… you deserve to be happy.”

He doesn’t elaborate, and you don’t need him to. Long after he’s gone, his remark echoes in your head, and no matter what, you simply cannot seem to shake it.

///

It’s been years since you’ve last gone to the old bridge, but after last night’s conversation you find yourself pulled back, lured by the promise of memories of a kinder time. The forest beyond the field hasn’t changed much since your school days, and neither, you realize, has the bridge itself. It still stands tall, proudly spanning the steep ravine that your teachers warned you about, the rickety wood splitting apart at the seams and overgrown with lichen and climbing ivy. Far below, the white-capped river rushes by on its long, turbulent journey to the sea.

Carefully, you step onto the bridge—first one foot, then the other. The energy in the air shifts as soon as your feet leave the loamy earth, finding traction instead on hewn wood, and you sigh as your fingertips brush against the railing. The magic here is an old magic—different from the ancient magic that dwells in places like the werewolves’ clearing and the realms of the fae. The low thrum of it fills the air and seeps into your veins, quickening your pulse and prickling your skin.

“I thought you might be here.” The voice comes from your left, barely audible over the rush of the river.

“You thought right,” you reply, stepping forward until you’re toeing the railing and leaning over to stare down into the swirling, eddying waters below.

Hoseok joins you at the edge. His profile is stark against the leafy green backdrop, and for a few moments, all is still. Then: “I’m really sorry about last night.”

The apology hangs in the silence for a few moments before fading into the sound of churning water and wind whistling through the trees. You suck in a deep breath, oxygen swelling your lungs until you can hold it in no longer, before letting it escape in a resigned sigh.

“You don’t have to apologize to me, Hoseok.”

“Maybe not. But I want to.” He shoots you a sidelong glance. “Will you let me make it up to you?”

You raise a brow. “Make it up to me? And how exactly do you plan on doing that?”

“Anything you want.” Hoseok smiles crookedly, but you can’t quell the tumult brewing in your belly.

“What do you want, Hobi?”

His smile fades. “I—” He stops and shakes his head, auburn hair flying. “It doesn’t matter what I want. This is about you.”

You gaze up at him, taking in the sharp cut of his jawline and the straight angle of his nose. Your eyes trail along the smooth slope of his rounded cheeks and the soft curve of his mouth, lingering on the little mole atop his upper lip.

And then you reach out and take his hand, savoring the way his fingers immediately, comfortably settle into the spaces between your own. “Why don’t we head down to the river?” you ask. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been, and I’ve missed it.”

Hoseok’s expression softens, a glimmer of something bright shining in his amber-flecked irises. Gently, he tugs on your hand, taking the lead as you leave the bridge behind and head north in search of the sloping path that will take you down and into the ravine that houses the riverbed. You chance a few glances over the treacherous edge, watching the water froth and tumble over the rocks.

“You know, this seems a lot more dangerous now than it did back then,” you muse. “I see why our teachers were always trying to keep us away.”

“We were kids back then,” Hoseok says, grinning. “We thought we were invincible. Nothing could touch us.”

“Simpler times,” you agree with a laugh. “I set your tail on fire, you cried—”

“—and then we became lifelong friends,” Hoseok finishes, joining in your mirth. “Easy-peasy.”

Together, you locate the path down to the ravine. The descent is easier than it was back then, your longer limbs extending your reach, but you’re grateful for Hoseok’s steadying hand all the same. He carefully guides you around the biggest rocks and tree roots, pulling you closer when you lose your footing near the bottom. His fingers remain twined with yours even after you’ve safely arrived at the riverbed, stepping across stones that have been worn smooth and warmed by the sun. You slip off your shoes, letting them dangle from your free hand, and Hoseok does the same.

Sunlight glitters off the water, throwing a thousand refractive diamonds across the surface, but when you dip your toes in you find that it’s cold as a mountain spring in autumn. That doesn’t stop Hoseok from bending down to splash you though, and you shriek in surprise before retaliating with a silent spell that sends icy water splattering across the faded denim of his jeans.

“That’s not fair!” he protests. “You can’t use magic!”

“I’m just using every resource available to me,” you reply with a sly grin, sending a swelling wave of water toward him with a lazy twist of your hand.

From beneath his drenched hair, Hoseok raises a challenging brow in your direction. “Oh yeah?”

Before you can even blink, he’s shrugging off his jacket and pulling his shirt over his head, baring a taut, honeyed abdomen and toned arms. Tossing the discarded clothes onto the bank, he unfastens his belt and lets that drop as well, fixing you with a crooked little smirk all the while. The muscles in his torso ripple.

And then he’s shifting—limbs elongating and reddish-brown fur sprouting from his skin. His remaining clothing rips under the strain of the transformation, floating downstream in tattered shreds, but you don’t pay them any mind. No matter how many times you’ve watched Hoseok shift, you’ll never quite get used to it. He hunches over, more beast than man at this point, his chest rumbling. And before you know it—before you can even pinpoint exactly when the transformation is complete—he’s standing before you as a massive russet wolf, baring ferociously sharp teeth that you know could easily tear a man limb from limb.

His eyes, however, remain the same—warm, molten brown flecked with amber and gold, a devilish twinkle lurking in their depths. You cock your head to the side in a silent challenge, and swear that the wolf in front of you grins before pouncing forward, landing in the river with an enormous splash that leaves you thoroughly drenched.

“Now we’re both soaked!” you cry in between giggles, watching as Hoseok emerges from the water, his fur dampened black and dripping. “How is this a win for you?”

Hoseok rears back and lets loose a triumphant howl, shaking himself out and further drenching you with the spray of water from his coat. You squeal and back up several steps, batting him away, but Hoseok just presses closer and nuzzles his wet face into the crook of your neck. His body heaves with every breath, flaring hot against your skin, and for a few long moments, you simply stand there, your arms coming up to wrap around his neck as icy water rushes past your ankles.

After what feels like an eternity, you step back, releasing Hoseok and staring up into his face. Even in his wolf form, he towers over you, and you reach up to stroke his muzzle tenderly before bopping him on the nose. “Come on,” you murmur. “Let’s dry off.”

Hoseok lets out a low rumble of agreement, and together, you make your way back to shore. You fold up his discarded clothing while he trots off to locate his shredded jeans, quickly finding them caught between some rocks and carrying the denim tatters back over to you in his teeth. Shaking your head, you add it to the growing pile and lay a hand atop it. Heat concentrates in your fingertips, mingling with the magic running through your veins. Stitch by stitch, his jeans repair themselves, drying in the process. Hoseok bumps your cheek with his nose in gratitude and darts off to change, and you dry your own clothes while you wait.

When Hoseok returns, he’s reverted to his human form, fully dressed and raking a hand through his damp hair. “Thanks for drying these off,” he says, flashing you a sheepish grin. “And for fixing my pants. Again.”

“Mending charms are easy,” you reply, and it’s the truth. Over the many years you’ve known Hoseok, you’ve mended his clothing countless times—from the accidental transformations in his early years, before he could control it, to the calculated ones as he got older. Hoseok doesn’t shift terribly often nowadays, but on occasion he still goes out to stretch his muscles and hunt with his pack. His grandfather, in particular, always made the time to take him hunting at least once a month. You wonder if he’s gone since he passed, but decide not to ask.

“Should we go see the Towers?” you ask instead.

“Lead the way,” he agrees, falling into step beside you as you head downstream. The ravine walls are higher here, decorated with gnarled roots and rocky outcrops that obscure the periwinkle sky and cast long shadows across the ground. Cairns begin to crop up on both sides of the river—each tower of stones carefully and deliberately stacked. They’re small and scattered at first, but gradually become taller and more frequent until you’re nearly surrounded by a forest of stone. The air grows noticeably heavier—the magic more potent. It almost feels as if electricity is dancing across your skin, the sparks sinking into your pores and melding with your soul.

Hoseok feels it too, if the look of awe in his eyes is any indication. “I can’t believe I’d nearly forgotten about this place,” he marvels, running a finger across one of the stacked stones. “Do you feel that? The magic?” Then he chuckles. “Wait, of course you do. What am I talking about?”

You smile softly, tracing the path his fingertips leave behind. “Yeah, Hobi. I feel it.”

The topmost stones are almost out of your reach now. Reaching into your pocket, you pull out a gray pebble about the size of your palm—a near perfect disc veined with white. Gently, you place it atop the cairn closest to you, watching it glint in the sunlight for a moment before turning to your companion.

“Well?”

Ancient legend dictates that as long as an offering is left, one may take a stone from the Towers. You and Hoseok have each acquired a rather sizable collection during your childhood years, lured by the promise that the stones will bring about good fortune and happiness.

“I forgot to bring something,” Hoseok admits, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. “But I can pick one out for you. Hang on…” He hums thoughtfully as he scans the towering pillars, tapping his chin until he alights on one in particular, plucking up a stone that’s been worn smooth, burnished orange and marbled with ivory and copper. “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful,” you reply, admiring the way the marbled surface glitters in the sun.

Hoseok takes your hand and places the stone gently in your palm. “It’s yours.”

Then he’s off—stepping over a fallen log to admire another tower, brushing a curious finger across a moss-covered rock before glancing over his shoulder at you. “Coming?”

You nod, tucking his gift away safely in your pocket. Together, you carve out a path amongst the towering cairns, clambering over river rocks and brushing aside the dense undergrowth. The path opens up again gradually, revealing the burbling water to your left and the steep ravine wall to your right. The river is calmer here—clear enough to see all the way to the bottom where shimmering, silvery fish dart about. A low, flat rock juts out into the water a short ways away, and Hoseok strides over to plop atop it, gesturing for you to join him.

“This is nice,” he sighs once you’ve made yourself comfortable by his side. “The fresh air is doing me a world of good. I’ve been cooped up at the office for so long, I swear I almost forgot what trees smell like.”

“You’re more than welcome to sniff around the shop if you ever need a reminder,” you tell him, nudging his shoulder playfully. “Better yet, I’ll bring you a plant for your office. Spruce up the place a little bit.”

“That sounds great, actually,” he admits with a chuckle. “I don’t have your green thumb, though. I’ll probably end up accidentally killing it.”

“Something low maintenance, then,” you promise. “A succulent, maybe. When should I bring it by?”

Hoseok’s expression sombers. “You can always stop by tomorrow after the hearing.”

Your heart plummets into your stomach. The Ministry—the overarching government body that dictates all Shadowfolk affairs—summons every pack alpha for a confirmation hearing when they first come into power. “They’re holding the hearing? Already?”

He nods. “The Ministry’s summoned me for tomorrow morning. First item on their schedule, I’m pretty sure.” A resigned sigh escapes his lips, dissipating into mist on the air. “And there’s a party at JungTech HQ afterward. You know. So my dad can officially hand the reins over.”

“The most powerful man in Gwangju,” you murmur, thinking back to Lisa’s words.

Hoseok lets out a derisive snort. “Yeah, right. The most powerful man, beholden to his dad, the Council, and the entire fucking Ministry. It doesn’t matter what I want to do. Never has.”

It’s the second time he’s dismissed his feelings, and as much as you want to ask what it is he truly wants, you find that the words are stuck in your throat, your mouth suddenly as dry as the desert on a cloudless day. Instead, you lay a silent hand over his, feeling his warmth seep up into your palm.

“Hey.” Hoseok doesn’t tear his gaze away from the sky, watching a flock of birds fly overhead. “Yesterday, when Nayeon said she’d stopped by… did she say anything to you?”

The sound of her name leaving his lips leaves a sour taste on your tongue, but you swallow it down. “Not really,” you tell him. “She looked at some flowers and invited me to dinner. Simple as that.”

Hoseok nods slowly, lips pursed. “Was Jin already there when she came?”

You blink. “Jin? Oh, no—no, he wasn’t. I texted him after Nayeon left.”

“Ah.”

“I’m glad he was free, though.” You stare down into the water, where a curious fish swims in and out of the shadow you cast. “I’m honestly not sure who I could’ve invited if he hadn’t been available. Plus, it’s been ages since I’ve had dinner with him, and it’s been a few months since you’ve seen him too, right? I’m really happy it worked out.” You’re rambling now, but you can’t stop yourself. Hoseok has become eerily still, lost in introspection, and you feel obligated to fill the silence.

“You two make sense, you know.” Hoseok’s voice comes suddenly. “As a couple. Both witches—it makes a lot of sense.”

You peer over at him, eyes widening at his assumption. “We—we’re not actually together, Jin and I. We’re just friends.”

Hoseok straightens at that, his gaze flitting down to meet yours. “Really?”

“Really.”

A beat of silence. Hoseok looks like he wants to say something else, but a quiet buzz from his pocket stops him in his tracks. His mouth clamps shut as he checks his phone, teeth clicking together, and you can tell from the sudden tension in his jaw that it isn’t good news.

“Do you have to head back?”

He nods stiffly, silent apology written all over his face. “Work calls.”

You offer him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry about me. Go on. I’ll see you tomorrow after your hearing.”

He nods again and turns to leave. Before he can take too many steps, though, you call him back, reaching into your pocket to pull out the stone he’d gifted you earlier.

“Take this,” you murmur, pressing it into his hands. “I’m pretty sure you need it more than I do right now.”

Hoseok’s fingers curl protectively around the stone, holding on like it’s his only remaining lifeline. “Thanks.”

///

Downtown Gwangju is a monochrome forest of towering glass and steel, clamorous and unchecked by nature, proudly defiant in the face of the earth mother herself. The sidewalks are awash with people rushing back from their lunch break, forcing you to dodge around several businessmen too absorbed in their phones. Just as you are finding your footing again, a hapless intern carrying a tray of coffee cups rushes past, nearly crashing into you.

“Oh, shi—sorry! Sorry, oh, jeez. Are you okay?”

You wave off his apology with a smile, taking in the ill fit of his suit and the messy knot of his tie. “Don’t worry about it,” you tell him, reaching out to help him steady the tray in his hands. A stabilizing spell—silently cast, the magic pulsing through your fingertips—should be enough to get him back to his office with no additional mishaps. You wonder if he’ll notice that his tray is suddenly more well-balanced, or that his hands have steadied.

But then again, you suppose it doesn’t really matter whether he does or not.

Somehow, someway, you make it to JungTech without running into anyone else. The receptionist recognizes you immediately and points you toward the elevator with a smile, and you thank her as you press the up button. It doesn’t take long to arrive, and you take a deep breath as you step inside, staring at your reflection in the mirrored walls.

All right? Bast queries, stirring awake in your mind.

You release the breath that you’d been holding in a long whoosh. Yeah. I’m all right.

The doors open on the top floor, and straight away, you are assailed by a cacophony of sounds. Scattered conversations and laughter intermingle with the clinking of champagne flutes. There are at least fifty people scattered around the open space that lies between the elevator and the glass-fronted CEO’s office at the very back—the office that bears Hoseok’s name on the door. There’s no sign of the man himself, but you have no doubt that he’s nearby. This entire party is a celebration for him, after all.

The elevator doors begin to close, and you quickly reach out to stop them, stepping out before it can protest at your dawdling. A young man in a pristine white shirt materializes on your right with a tray full of champagne flutes, and you pluck one off with a murmur of thanks. Sipping slowly, you wander around the perimeters of the party, listening to the lively chatter. Across the room, you spot Lisa, returning her friendly wave with one of your own.

“Hello, {Name}.”

The deep, familiar voice has you whirling around in an instant, head bowing in automatic deference. “Mr. Jung,” you murmur, not quite daring to look him in the eye. “It’s been a while.”

Hoseok’s father inclines his head in acknowledgment, salt-and-pepper hair gleaming beneath the fluorescent lights. No doubt he was a handsome man in his younger days, but the salt in his hair has steadily overtaken the pepper in the last few years, the stern lines around his mouth deepening.

“I didn’t know you would be joining us today,” he says cordially. “But then again, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised after all these years. Have you been here long?”

“Not long. Five minutes, maybe.” Beneath his piercing gaze, you feel like a small child again. Quickly, you scramble for something else to say, gesturing around the sleek glass interior of the office. “This is a lovely party. You must be so proud.”

Another nod. “I wasn’t sure that Hoseok was going to step up,” he admits. “I had my reservations about whether or not he would accept his duties as a Jung, but he has, and I’m pleased that he did. It’s no easy feat, running this company and leading the city’s pack. But I’ve served my time, just as my father did before me.” His gaze flits down to meet yours suddenly, and you find that you can’t read the emotion swimming in them. “I believe I spotted you at his funeral the other day, did I not?”

You nod, resisting the urge to take a sip from your nearly empty champagne glass as your cheeks warm under the scrutiny. “I was, yes. I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to pay my respects. He was a great man.”

“That, he was,” Mr. Jung agrees. “Hoseok takes after him in many ways. My father—as great as he was—always had a soft spot for the boy. Coddled him a bit too much.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Jung, I think that’s a grandfather’s job,” you reply with a smile.

That earns you a smile in return, the lines around his mouth easing. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Hoseok’s father excuses himself to talk to the other guests, and you set off in search of Hoseok himself. You can feel his aura somewhere nearby, strong and steady, but the room is large enough that you cannot pinpoint his exact location. Not for the first time, you curse the fact that you don’t have a werewolf’s sharp sense of smell. No doubt it could easily be as cumbersome as it is helpful, but it would certainly help you right now.

Turning a corner, you are about to continue lamenting your average olfactory system when you suddenly catch a glimpse of familiar auburn hair, afloat in a sea of black suits. Dodging around a sharply dressed businesswoman and ducking beneath a waiter’s serving tray clears your path to Hoseok, and you’re milliseconds away from stepping forward to greet him when you feel it.

There’s an energy emanating from Hoseok, the likes of which you’ve never felt from him before. It’s heavy and commanding and so potent that the air is laden with it, and a cursory glance at the people surrounding him reveals that they feel it too—their gazes lowered, voices hushed and respectful. In his fitted black suit and emerald green shirt, he looks every bit the alpha he is, and you are quickly realizing that you’re not immune to the power radiating off of him. The Hoseok standing before you isn’t the same Hoseok whose tail you set on fire all those years ago. Far from it. The revelation is somehow simultaneously terrifying and thrilling, and your heart leaps into your throat when you notice that he’s waving you over.

As if compelled, you comply, striding forward until you’re standing before him. “Hi,” your murmur, suddenly feeling shy.

Hoseok’s face splits into a smile. “Hi yourself,” he says, and you would have laughed if your insides didn’t feel like they were about to burst.

“I, um. I brought you your succulent,” you tell him, reaching into your bag. There’s a tiny potted jade plant inside, packaged neatly into a box that you open up and present to him. “It’s jade. Easy to keep alive, and easy to propagate too, if you’re inclined.”

Hoseok accepts your gift, his smile growing as he admires the plump green leaves. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

You shrug and wave off his gratitude, fiddling to clasp your bag shut. “So,” you start, glancing around and gnawing on your bottom lip, completely missing the way Hoseok’s eyes darken as he follows the movement. “It looks like everything went well at the Ministry. Your dad is pleased.”

Hoseok hums, low in his throat. “You talked to him?”

“Yeah, just now.”

“I see.”

He looks like he wants to say something more, but he’s interrupted by a blur of motion and a shrill cry of his name. A moment later, Nayeon is at his side, latching onto his arm and batting her lashes, adorned in a form-fitting red dress and golden jewelry.

“Hoseok! There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you!” Then her gaze alights on you, eyes going wide as if she’s only just noticed your presence. “{Name}, oh my goodness. I almost didn’t see you there, hi!”

“Hello, Nayeon,” you grit out, unable to hide your scowl. You wonder if she spotted it before you hid it behind a large sip of champagne.

Luckily, she doesn’t seem to notice. Her attention refocuses onto a spot behind you, and you watch as her expression lights up, delight etching across her features. “Mr. Jung!” she exclaims. “There’s my favorite future father-in-law. Come and join us—it’s not a party without you.”

Hoseok’s father chuckles lightly, coming forward to stand beside you. “Long time no see,” he jokes, nodding in your direction. “And Nayeon—hello. How are you enjoying the party?”

“Oh, I’m having the loveliest time,” she chirps, simpering up at Hoseok. “How could I not be, when my fiancé is here with me?” Then she smiles—her lips painted the same shade of red as her dress. “But I’m sure I’m nowhere near as happy as you are. You must be beyond excited to spend some quality time with your wife after being busy for so long.”

“I am,” Mr. Jung admits. The severity in his features softens as he seeks out his wife, standing across the room surrounded by friends and extended family. “I’m a very lucky man to have a woman like her.”

Nayeon giggles. “And I’m a lucky woman to have a man like your son. Isn’t that right, darling?”

She tilts her head to look up at Hoseok, who blinks twice in rapid succession, his throat bobbing. “Right,” he says, his voice raspy. “The luckiest.”

And as you turn to engage Mr. Jung in conversation once more, you miss the way his gaze lingers on you.

///

Tuesdays at Hellebore are for brewing. You save bottling for Thursdays—giving your potions and other concoctions ample time to simmer and set—but today, you are hunched over the stove with all four burners turned to different temperature settings, watching over your pots so that they don’t boil over.

A cursory glance out the window tells you that it’s well into the afternoon, the pastel blue sky littered with trailing clouds lit hazy and golden in the sun. You’ve been in the kitchen since early morning, and, desperate for a breath of fresh air, you crack the window open and inhale deeply. Then you turn back to the stove, giving one pot a stir and adding a pinch of burdock root to another.

Wandering downstairs, you head to the greenhouse. The sunlight is brighter here, the air more humid. Inhaling deeply, you breathe in the scent of the hundreds of plants growing inside, before heading for the laburnum tree in the far corner. Carefully, you brush aside the cascading golden flowers, about to gather the dried ones that have fallen to the dirt when there’s a knock on the front door.

“I’m sorry, we’re close—” you say, stopping when you recognize the head of coppery red hair in the window. “Lisa?” Confused, you open the door and let her inside. “What brings you here today?”

“You need to go to Hoseok, now,” she says, foregoing any preambles. “He’s… well, you’ll see. Nayeon’s there right now, but she’s not helping the situation, and...” She sighs. “I’m pretty sure you’re the only one who can help him now.”

All at once, your stomach drops to your toes. “What’s wrong with Hoseok?” you demand. “Is he hurt?”

Lisa shakes her head, red hair flying. “No, he’s fine. I don’t know how much longer that’ll last, though.”

The cryptic response sends your heart into overdrive, pounding against your ribcage like a doomsday drum. Striding over to the bay window, you wake Bast from his nap in a slanted ray of sunlight, scratching behind his black ears and watching as his golden eyes flicker open, pupils going wide when he senses your turmoil.

What is it?

Hoseok, you reply shortly. Beneath your touch, Bast’s ears perk up.

What do you need?

You swallow, hard, and suck in a deep breath. I’m going to open a portal.

It’s a dangerous feat, and both you and Bast know it. Opening a portal requires an immense amount of energy, and maintaining one long enough to travel through is a risk to even the most experienced witches. You’ve heard horror stories of spliced limbs and paralysis, and in some cases, even death.

But for Hoseok, you’re willing to risk it all.

“Lisa,” you say, grabbing your purse and striding back to the front door of the shop. “Can you lock up once I’m gone?”

She nods nervously. “Of course.”

You incline your head in silent thanks. At your feet, Bast is slinking continuous figure-eights around your ankles, betraying his worry at the task ahead. Your own heart feels ready to spring out from your ribcage and onto the sun-drenched floor, but you swallow down your nerves and look down at your familiar once more. Ready? you ask.

Ready, Bast confirms. Be careful.

I will.

Closing your eyes, you begin to visualize Hoseok’s front door, focusing on every little detail you can remember. There’s the scuff in the black paint from when he first moved in and accidentally scraped a table leg against it. There’s the bronze knocker that always hangs slightly askew. The image builds slowly in your mind, coming together like the broken pieces of a puzzle.

The air around you is suddenly much warmer than before, an invisible force sapping away at your strength and weakening your legs. Bast’s energy melds with yours, but it’s barely enough to keep you on your feet. Exhaustion seeps into your bones and steals the oxygen from your lungs. You gasp, chest heaving.

I don’t think it’s going to work. Bast’s voice is a faint whisper in the back of your mind.

It will, you hiss. It has to.

The front door of your shop is beginning to glow white, becoming hazy and amorphous as the edges begin to blur. You spot a splash of black paint coming through the fog, followed by a bronze knocker. A matching handle appears a moment later, growing out of tendrils of mist and solidifying before your eyes.

Sucking in a deep breath, you reach forward to grab it. Slowly, you turn until you can turn no longer.

And then you step through.

The first thing you hear is a low, cavernous rumble—deep enough that you feel it reverberating through your very bones. Then your surroundings begin to come into focus. You’re in Hoseok’s entryway, all your limbs thankfully intact. The relief you feel at your success is quickly eclipsed by worry though, when you see Hoseok himself on the far side of the living room. The look in his brown eyes is nothing short of wild, his white shirt unbuttoned to nearly his navel and his auburn hair sweaty and disheveled.

“H-Hobi?” Your voice is no more than a breath, dissipating in the open air.

“Hoseok.” The new voice has you whirling. Nayeon is pressed against the wall opposite him, her expression harried. “Hoseok, please—“

“Get out,” Hoseok growls, his voice dangerously low. He’s bristling with the same energy as before, the same energy you felt back at JungTech—but this time it’s enough to fill the room and spill out the opened door and into the hallway. You can feel it pulsing against your skin, hot and electric, and know that Nayeon is even more affected from the way her shoulders slouch, her eyes dropping to the floor when he snarls. “Get out, now.”

She does. Nayeon turns on her heel and dashes out, slamming the door behind her and leaving you alone with Hoseok. His eyes are alight with something more wolf than man, his chest heaving with uneven breaths, and it’s all you can do not to shrink back when he turns his full attention onto you. Even from across the room, you can smell the liquor spilled across the coffee table in a dark ooze of fluid, cloying and bitter.

“What are you doing here?” Hoseok asks, his voice cracking on the last syllable. “You shouldn’t be here right now, {Name}.”

“Lisa told me to come,” you whisper. “You’ve been pushing yourself too much, Hoseok.”

Hoseok shakes his head and rakes a frazzled hand through his hair. “You need to leave,” he grunts. Shakily, he reaches out to right the overturned liquor bottle, the pad of his thumb skimming across the shattered edge.

“Let me do that,” you tell him, making to step forward, but Hoseok stops you with a raised hand and a low growl that stops you in your tracks.

“Don’t,” he hisses. “Don’t you dare come any closer to me.”

You shake your head. “Hobi, it’s obvious you’ve been drinking. Let me help you.”

“No!” he snarls, flinching back when you take a step forward. “You need to leave. It’s… it’s dangerous for you here.”

“Dangerous?” Your voice is reduced to a whisper at the severity of his reaction, the energy in the air intensifying until it’s almost unbearable. “Why?”

“Because I’m in heat!” Hoseok spits. He sucks in a deep breath, the air whistling between his teeth, before he lets out an agonized moan and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m in heat,” he repeats, reticence dripping from every syllable. “I can’t even fucking think straight, and I’m afraid I’m going to hurt you if you stay. So please, {Name}. Please go.”

“But Nayeon…” you begin, wavering when his eyes flash darkly at the mention of her name. “Or Lisa… I can call her, maybe—”

“No!”

You jump, startled at the volume of his shout.

“No,” Hoseok repeats, softer this time. “Don’t. I don’t want them. I’m—I’m fine.”

The sticky humidity and the pulsating energy flowing through the room tell you otherwise. “You’re clearly not,” you tell him gently, taking another step toward him. “Let me call Lisa. Or maybe one of the other girls in the pack, I’m sure someone can help y—”

“I don’t want Lisa.” Defeat suffuses his tone, his eyes fluttering shut. “I don’t want any of them. I want—fuck.” Hoseok groans and lets his head fall back against the wall, the dull thunk echoing in the stillness. “It doesn’t fucking matter what I want. You need to leave, {Name}. You’re only going to be in danger if you stay.”

For the second time that afternoon, only one word springs to mind. “Why?”

Hoseok groans again. “Because I’m weak,” he mutters hoarsely. “Because I’m weak, and I’m not thinking straight, and if you come any closer to me, I won’t be able to stop myself from pinning you against that wall right there and having my way with you.”

Your breath hitches in your throat. The rippling energy in the air is almost oppressive in its strength, and only grows when Hoseok’s gaze finally lands on you, his pupils blown out and blacker than the night.

“Go,” he entreaties, dragging a frazzled hand through his hair. “Please, {Name}.”

You suck in a deep breath, your lungs swelling and expanding with the newfound oxygen. Then, ever so slowly, you let your gaze flicker up to meet his. “What if I don’t want to?”

Hoseok freezes. Time comes to a standstill, and even the overwhelming energy emanating from him seems to falter. The room is near silent, broken only by your companion’s ragged breathing, his chest heaving beneath the thin white fabric of his shirt. Even from across the room, you can see the sheen of sweat coating his honeyed skin, shining in the light of the setting sun.

“You don’t mean that,” he says at last. “You can’t mean that.”

“I can,” you whisper. “And I do.”

For three agonizingly long seconds, Hoseok remains rooted firmly in place, his throat bobbing harshly. Then, before you can even blink, he’s striding forward—a blur of motion almost too quick for your eyes to follow. He comes to a stop a hair’s breadth from you, one hand reaching up to cup your face delicately, as if you’re made of glass.

“You,” he rasps, “have no idea what you’ve just done.” His thumb traces the swell of your cheek just below your eye, the motion surprisingly tender. Your heart stutters in your chest.

And then he leans down and crushes his mouth to yours.

The rest of the world falls away, dissolving into nothing. Your eyes flutter shut as Hoseok’s hands slide down your sides to curl around your hips, your body melting against his taut frame. He is all you can feel and all you can taste, and you keen helplessly when he grinds against you, his cock hot and hard against your stomach.

The sound seems to awaken something in Hoseok, a cavernous groan erupting from his throat. Pulling away from your mouth, he descends upon the delicate skin of your neck, teeth and tongue blossoming bruises in their wake. Shaky hands find the collar of your shirt, questioning eyes seeking out yours for permission that you happily give. He tugs the garment off almost delicately, his ravenous gaze roving across each bit of newly revealed flesh, and once it’s freed from your head he tosses it aside and sets about doing the same to the rest of your clothing.

Maybe it should feel odd, watching through lidded eyes as Hoseok drops to his knees to pull your jeans down and off your ankles. Maybe you should feel embarrassed, seeing your best friend bury his nose between your legs, delirious bliss etching across his features as he inhales, his strong fingers curling around your thighs to spread you wider. But instead, it feels completely and utterly natural—as if this was always meant to be.

“You smell divine,” Hoseok breathes, slotting himself between your spread thighs and running a fingertip along your lace-covered slit, collecting the considerable slick there and bringing it to his nose. “Fuck, {Name}. Just one whiff, and I can tell that you’re primed and ready for me.”

“Take me, then,” you breathe back shakily, rolling your hips when he slips past the lacy barrier of your panties to find your clit, circling around the sensitive nub until you’re gasping his name.

Hoseok’s gaze darkens to obsidian, his pupils swallowing up the amber-flecked brown of his irises. In one smooth motion, he’s on his feet again, straightening up to his full height as his hands find purchase on your hips. He twirls you around until you’re facing the wall, your palms pressed flat against the woven tapestry hanging there.

“Gorgeous.” A single word, laced with unmistakable awe. Then he’s fumbling with his belt buckle, the metallic clink and tug of a zipper reaching your ears, before he presses against you, clothed chest molding against your bare back. Even through the thin layer of fabric, you can feel the sweltering heat emanating from him, his sweat soaking through the cotton and sticking to your skin. His mouth finds its way to the junction of your neck and shoulder again—teasing at the flesh until you’re quivering—before he begins laying a trail of hot kisses down your spine.

“Wanna fuck you,” Hoseok rasps, tearing your panties away once his lips reach the waistband, the flimsy lace ripped to shreds in his desperate grip. “Want you on your front, want you on your back, want you on my tongue—” His voice drops, rumbling through his chest and sending shivers through your entire body. “Want you. Wanted you for so long.”

And as if to reinforce his words, the velvety head of his cock nestles against the cleft of your backside, hot and slick.

Wordlessly, you arch your back, presenting him with the tempting swell of your rear. A glance over your shoulder reveals the strained clench of his jaw and the bob of his throat, his biceps tensed and his gaze unwavering. His control is undoubtedly dangling by a single thread at this point—a delicate, gossamer thread that’s on the verge of snapping. The delirium of his heat is overtaking his senses, his grip tightening on your hips, and ever so slowly, he begins to press forward until the tip of his thick cock is just beginning to part your walls. Already, the fit borders on excruciating, and your body tenses at the intrusion, stretched to the limit around his thick girth.

Hoseok exhales shakily, his primal instincts warring with his desire to ensure your comfort. Soft lips drop kiss after kiss onto your bare shoulders, your back, your neck—wherever he can reach as he whispers tender praises into your skin. “Breathe, princess,” he encourages lowly. “You can take it—I know you can. You were made for me.”

Obediently, you inhale, focusing on the way your lungs expand and contract as you draw air into them. The pain ebbs away with each breath you take, until all that is left is a low throb of pleasure. Your hips rock back against him, and Hoseok takes it as a sign to push forward once more, parting your walls until he’s fully seated inside you, your body stretched to the limit as you mold around him.

There’s no pain now—only an aching desire for more, more, more. He’s deep enough to reach parts of you that you’ve never been able to explore before—either alone or with other partners—and you moan brokenly when he rolls his hips experimentally. “More, Hoseok,” you whimper. “Please.”

He obliges. One thrust leads into another, the punishing pace he sets fueled by his heady desperation for relief. The full, heavy weight of his cock dragging along your walls ignites every nerve ending in your body, sizzling electricity blazing through your veins. It’s all you can do to plant your palms flat against the tapestried wall, fingers twitching at the woven fabric as Hoseok grabs your hips with enough force to bruise and pulls you back against him in time with his thrusts.

“Look at you,” he says hoarsely. “Love the way you feel, clenching around me like that. My perfect, pretty girl, taking my cock so well. I always knew you were made for me.” He grunts, forehead falling against your back, damp hair matting against your skin as he continues rutting against you. “Always—fuck—knew you were my mate.”

The particularly harsh thrust that follows his raspy declaration sends all coherent thought flying out of your head, taking your surprise along with it. All you can manage is a shuddery whine that vaguely resembles his name, the sound intermingling with the obscene smack of flesh against flesh and the continuous stream of praises Hoseok whispers into your skin.

There’s something building inside you—a dull, throbbing pressure at the point where your body joins with his. He’s still rolling up into you, but each subsequent thrust grows more and more shallow. The realization dawns on your dazed mind all at once, as you feel the growing swell at the base of his cock. Hoseok is rendered near immobile as he finally reaches his high, the entirety of his length sheathed firmly inside your pussy as he spills ropes of white against your fluttering walls. The swelling continues, filling you until you feel fit to burst.

“H-Hoseok,” you gasp. “I can’t. I can’t—you’re going to rip me in half.”

Soothing hands smooth along your sides, warm lips littering kisses onto your bare shoulders. “You can,” he murmurs tenderly. “You were made for me, and I for you. You can take it, princess. I know you can.”

The gentle repetition of his fingertips trailing nonsensical patterns into your skin eases your labored panting somewhat. Beneath his touch, you slowly relax, the pressure in your abdomen abating as his knot begins to subside.

“You did so well.” His voice is no more than a mumble, almost lost in the sweat and slick coating your skin.

You sag against the wall, taking a few moments to catch your breath before slowly easing off of him, the sudden loss leaving your core empty and aching. Gingerly, you turn around to face him, acutely aware of the way your combined juices immediately begin dribbling down your thighs.

“You said I was your mate,” you whisper, almost afraid that the sentiment will disappear if voiced aloud. “Did… did you mean that?”

“Every word,” Hoseok replies, equally soft. “Is that okay?”

A smile blooms across your face. Rising up to your tiptoes, you kiss him again—a soft, reassuring peck that he immediately leans into, seeking out your touch like a flower in the sun. “More than okay,” you breathe, feeling the way his lips stretch upward against yours. “I’m glad, Hobi.”

Hoseok sighs into your mouth, a slow smile settling across his features. “Now it’s your turn,” he says, and in an instant, he’s swept you off your feet, one arm beneath your bent knees and the other around your back. “And I’m planning to take my time with you, princess. You’re not leaving here until I say so.”

You wrap your arms around his neck, crossing your hands at his nape. “Fine by me,” you tell him, earning yourself a wide grin. His lips seek out yours again as he carries you down the darkened hallway and into the shadowy depths of his bedroom, pausing only to nudge the lightswitch on with his elbow. Golden light suffuses the room as he steps forward to lay you on his bed, your back sinking into the plush mattress and dipping further when he joins you. He hovers over you with an arm on either side of your head, and you reach up to trace the vein that lines his biceps with a gentle fingertip, giggling when he gives your bottom lip a punishing nip.

The kiss deepens from there. Hoseok parts your lips and seeks out your tongue with his own, subduing it into compliance. By the time you pull apart, all the oxygen has left your lungs, leaving you flushed and gasping. Hoseok chortles breathlessly and trails down to press a kiss to your navel, before traveling downward until he’s reached your clit. Gently, he wraps his lips around the sensitive nub, rumbling with laughter when you buck against him.

“So needy,” he murmurs. To your displeasure, he straightens back up to kneel between your spread thighs, but your complaint quickly dissolves into thin air when he edges forward until his knee is pressed against your aching clit. Desperate for more friction, you grind against him, your wetness soaking through his jeans in a matter of seconds.

It doesn’t take long for pressure to build up in your belly again, winding tight as a coiled spring. Hoseok is staring down at you, transfixed, and his undivided attention only serves to bring you closer to the edge, teetering on the very brink.

“Look at you.” His voice could almost be described as a purr, if he weren’t so utterly canine in mannerisms and appearance. “Such a greedy little thing, all desperate to get off. You’re making a mess of my new jeans, princess.”

You’re too far gone to care about the teasing lilt that colors his tone. The edge is rapidly approaching, and one last roll of your hips is enough to send you over, your walls convulsing around nothing as you ride out your high.

Hoseok doesn’t wait. In an instant, he’s back between your legs, having moved so quickly you didn’t even see when he’d started or stopped. His tongue darts out to lave at your folds, a growl rumbling through his chest when your hips jump on instinct. Immediately, he tightens his grip, strong arms winding around your thighs and anchoring at your waist to render you helpless in his grasp, only able to take what he sees fit to give.

“How is it that you taste even better than you smell?” Hoseok muses as he leans down to suck your clit into his mouth, lips curling up into a pleased smirk when you gasp out his name. “Cute,” he says, releasing the nub in favor of descending to your drenched entrance instead, flicking his tongue shallowly inside before withdrawing with a chuckle.

“Hoseok—” you begin, only to dissolve into a moan when he sheaths two fingers inside you without any warning, curling them up and in until you’re shaking in his grasp.

“Come for me,” he commands softly. “Go on, let me hear you.”

And you do, chanting his name like a mantra as a wave of pleasure overtakes you. Hoseok’s thumb circles your clit in just the right way to prolong your orgasm, and it isn’t until you’re cringing from overstimulation that he finally relents, descending down to mold his mouth to yours in a searing kiss. His lips part yours, tongue dipping out to explore as he sheds his shirt and shucks off his ruined jeans. His skin, when he presses against you, burns hot as a furnace wherever it touches. Against your stomach, his cock stirs back to life.

He’s gentler this time. Every movement is slow and deliberate and tender as he breaches you, murmuring your name reverentially as he fills you again. Your body bows to his willingly, stretching to accommodate him, and the spike of pleasure that lances through you when he bottoms out is almost enough to send your oversensitive body over the edge again, your walls fluttering around him.

There’s an unmistakable shift in the air when Hoseok starts up a slow rhythm, leaning down to kiss you again. His lips move against yours, soft and tender, before moving past your jugular and down to the crook of your neck, elongated canines scraping against the delicate skin in a silent question. You wind your arms around his neck and nod, giving him his answer. There’s no need for words.

And then his teeth are sinking into the spot he’s so lovingly scoped out, breaking the skin. Your body collapses into a searing orgasm, and the pleasure intermingles with the pain of the bite until you are delirious, rendered boneless in his grasp. Hoseok’s hips stutter, his pace growing erratic as he soothes the wound over with his tongue.

You’re prepared for the swelling this time, but the fullness still manages to knock all the air out of your lungs, bordering on painful as his knot grows. Hoseok quells your whimpers with tender kisses, the instinct to comfort his mate paramount even as he paints your walls with ropes of creamy white. He traces a path from your lips down to where he’s marked and claimed you as his, imbuing your skin with a litany of praises that warm you from the inside out.

“My mate,” he murmurs, reverent. “Finally.”

You lean into his touch with a tired smile. “Finally? How long have you wanted this?”

His lips curl into a smile against your clavicle. “Ages. If I’m honest, I think I fell in love with you the day you set my tail on fire when we were kids. It’s always been you, {Name}. Only you.”

You can’t help it—you need to hear it from his mouth again. “You love me?”

Hoseok chuckles. “Of course I do. My tricky little minx—my perfect, pretty mate. I love you more than anything.” One hand reaches up to caress your cheek, running along the tender skin beneath your eye before cupping the back of your head so he can mold his mouth to yours. “Love you more than I can even explain,” he breathes, punctuating each word with a kiss. His hands blaze trails down the slopes of your body until he finally anchors below the crook of your legs. “So why don’t you let me show you instead?”

And he does. Over and over that night, and in the two days of his heat that follow, he shows you exactly how he feels. Propriety is forgotten, left by the wayside with his scorned fiancé and marriage. He is yours, and you are his.

Consequences be damned.

⇢ aftermath.

also set in this universe:

[myg]

[taetaejinniebear]

Whistle in the Dark - Trailer

"This is to inform that we have found another body with their heart carved out, lying in the corner of the Haneul Street. Residents are requested to stay at home. Thankyou"

Mr. Park switches off the radio.

He has been depressed lately about how the situations have come through. The poor man thought he would live a peaceful life with his family in his old age. But now his old age has become the only reason for his loneliness. With his family being killed in a similar way, he has to lost all his hope, and now as he patiently waits for his time, he observes through the window, the grey clouds which seemingly represent the situation in his city.

Elsa observes the old man from the window early in the morning after hearing the same news on the radio. She knows the old man's past and almost feels sorry for him.

In the midst of losing in her own thoughts, there was someone from the outer world sitting near yet far from her in the woods, who kept staring and observing every moment of her.

Hello everyone!! I am releasing my first book called "Home Sweet Home" BTS Yoongi fanfic. Give it a read and share it if you like my story.  Thankyouu ..<3

[btsxarmyforever]

My human mate - Date (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/1306566575-my-human-mate-date?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_reading&wp_uname=myhope_bts_7&wp_originator=DrOfPwsxD%2BRozz1t%2B4%2Bueg0AqKJ%2FqBkYHq6%2FSeCgILaokjekYPSngsnPKeTxOKoEMuiHhBV%2BgLGeE1Xzt5%2FpwxEHfFPbNE8nTWoS%2B%2FPLjKWRSl3wbistjTaGgqcF1Ugu strawberry fragrance..... Tiny body.... and long hair. I don't even look at any other girl for her. She will find me I just need to wait..... Will he get his mate? What will happen?

[iris-apples]

Mine JJK ff

(on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/story/294055759-mine-jjk-ff?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_myworks&wp_uname=Iris_apples&wp_originator=PhKBbw13URvNS%2BsYnmKzxbslD27kbhJOHcqORR3%2FOcZeNjguXttmkn1dWXXTElEKVM8PQiAkoQVdc%2Fat%2F454lwfUBTn%2BL4IWx611tPEf7OzFnFxIM7GB3L9GCnmN8y3W

Most powerful pack...

strongest alpha

an omega... 

fate...

love...

 hidden secrets... 

betrayal...

 and most of all...possession

 A JJK FF

by Iris_apples

[therealmintedmango]

Cerberus - Part Two

Summary: “Good morning, little bird.” The prince named Hoseok’s smile widens as he gazes down upon me. I swear his eyes spark with a bright light behind them, but I think a lot of things this morning it seems. I almost forget my manners and do a simple polite curtsy, trying to be as fluid as I can this morning. Hoseok chuckles as he gives a dramatic sweeping bow, responding to my royal mannerisms. “May I have the honor of escorting you into the great hall this morning?”

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Genre: Werewolf/ Shifter AU; Medieval AU; Strangers-To-Lovers AU; Heavy Angst; Soulmate AU; Eventual romance/ smut

Beta Read By: @justanothergirlfromeurope Thank you so much my darling for helping me with this! You are wonderful! Thank you! 💖You are the best I swear!

Rating: NC 18+, Explicit

Words: 4,449

Pairings: (Eventually) ot7 BTS x Human Female Reader

Warnings: Dark themes; Possible Yandere Vibes in the future; Death; Gore; Murder/ Killing; Implied Incest (nothing happens - I promise); Mentions of being naked/ being seen naked; I think that’s it.

Tag List: (Please notify me if you wish to be added/ no longer want to be apart of the tag list!) @openup-yourmind, @deeepvibes, @heoniebaby, @xxsunny-side-upxx​ 

I wake from my slumber, by two kind-looking women who are plucking the bloody bed sheet from my sore body.

“Come now, deary,” a small, plump woman shakes me awake. I rub the sleep from my eyes as she and another woman direct me to a washtub. I do as I am told, remembering that I was saved by several handsome prince-like men last night. My legs feel like jello and I still don’t think I could say anything to these two ladies who are stripping me naked in the middle of the unfamiliar room. “Have to get you all pretty before breakfast.”

I open my mouth to speak but I cannot find the strength to summon a query or whisper as to where I am and who these ladies with kind smiles are. I am tired and my muscles ache. The last thoughts of my brothers weigh heavily upon me, sinking me like a heavy anchor into a deep ocean of worry.

One of the women seems to notice the struggle of my jaw opening and closing like a voiceless puppet. “Don’t fret, darling. You seem like you’ve had a rough night.”

A small sliver of a smile graces my lips as I give a small nod. I admire the power these women have, being able to speak so freely to me. The maids and butlers and even guards back in my kingdom would have their tongues cut if they so dared whisper to the royal children. “It’s very early, I know you’d rather be sleeping.” The smaller one winks to me as they practically drag me across a grand room. There are ornate couches and furniture and wolves carved into the edges of wood on every surface. It must be the chosen animal for the clan’s crest.

“That’s right! Master Seokjin demanded you be attended to bright and early!” The taller of the two nods, helping me into the basin of the warm water that smells of lilac. The floral scent relaxes me instantly, making me sigh when the warmth of the liquid invades my senses. This is much nicer than the baths I had drawn at home. This basin actually is big enough for me, not the toddler-sized one I was sitting in only hours ago. “Said you were gonna freeze to death in the middle of the wood, he did.”

“The bog is a dangerous place to be at night, love.” The short one tells me as I find myself transfixed with the trinkets in the room around me while the ladies scrub the blood and thorns from my body.

This room is simple, yet elaborate at the same time with candlesticks, shelves of books, and tapestries lining the walls. There are several maps of the world, a steaming pot of something that smells like tea on an organized table. A detailed, embroidered dress hangs from a curtain dropping at the foot of the bed. I presume that’s for me then? I think as I drink in the lavish sights with my eyes.

The fire crackles in the hearth and I revel in the flames of warmth radiating from behind me.

My eyes wander about the room letting the two middle-aged women comb the tangles from my hair and remove the dirt from my fingernails. They scrub and talk to me, though I zone them out, too mesmerized by everything around me to voice back my thoughts. I see a tall, detailed portrait of the seven boys from yesterday on the west wall. The water soothes my aching muscles while my weary orbs trace over the faces I remember from yesterday.

Some of the boys I recognize: the boy with the mole under his mouth, the tan boy with the very deep voice, and I could never forget the dark-haired, prince-like, puffy-lipped man with the soft voice. Only two or three of them are smiling, standing behind what appear to be their parents. All their eyes seem to sparkle like an amber, like the color of sunlight filtering in through white curtains.

Still unable to speak, I raise my arm and point to the picture causing both ladies to halt their activities upon my body, following my arm with their gaze.

“Ah, yes!” The taller one quips giggling as she resumes untangling my locks. “Your saviors!” I tilt my head in confusion.

“Your saviors are the beloved princes of Bangtan, deary.” The stout one chuckles softly next to me.

Ah. So they are princes then. I study their handsome faces in the painting. The art does them no justice. They are far more attractive in person, I wish to say but can only create the thought.

I feel like I’ve heard a few things about the kingdom next to mine in the north. Bangtan is the kingdom's name and they are clad in purple and gold. They were said to be pompous and ill-fit to rule their kingdom because of their mysterious coming up into the realms according to my king. I shake my head at the thought of his poisonous words. I see that father’s words mean nothing to me now as I never meant anything to him.

My mind flashes to my brothers again… All thirteen of them… were they okay? Would they make it out of the situation I put them in? Would the kingdom crumble or would Seungcheol step up to rule over the throne? My mind races then. Worry clouding my mind as I tremble in the washtub, the concern rolling through my body. My mind tells me that it’s possible they could all be rotting in a pool of their own blood while I am bathing in warm, lilac water.

“I know you’ve had a rough night, love,” the shorter woman helps me stand from the fragrant water, patting my tired body dry with soft linen in sync with the taller one, “but know that you are in no better hands than the princes of Bangtan.” I choke on my tears, knowing that I am in no position to wail in front of these nice ladies.

I realize that I bought my freedom, but the cost for the rest of my family might be too high of a coin to pay.

They place a white silk slip on my body. I look down to the small cuts on my arms and legs where the thorns sliced my skin last night. The tiny wounds that I was sure were littered all over my body are almost healed. Was I going crazy or was this some sort of witchcraft? I could have been overwhelmed yesterday and exaggerated the damage that I thought was occurring to my body.

That was probably it.

“Lacy is right.” The tall one coos at me, sitting me down at the small vanity in the corner of the room to start plaiting my damp hair. “They invited you to stay in the castle as their guest.”

My eyes widen as I look at my reflection in the gold-trimmed mirror, topped with a mighty wolf head. The ladies rotate their fingers over and over each other but I can’t help but focus on the split in my lip. My mind remembers the blow my father inflicted upon me before I murdered him. I raise my hand to ghost my fingertips over the dried blood upon my mouth, but the one named Lacy softly lowers my arm, shaking her head at my action.

I listen and obey her.

“And just in time, right? Dear sister, Sophia...” They twist and pin my braids to my scalp, placing everything just right, like this was a mundane routine for them. One applies a salve to the cut in my lip, the other sprays me with a perfume of sorts. It doesn’t tickle or sting my nose like the ones the men of court wear so I am delighted to wear a light fragrance. “The harvest moon ball is only in a few days' time...”

They sit me up, parading me to the bed, to dress me in the beautiful, ornate garment. The fabric is soft and does not scratch me like the gowns I am used to wearing. They place matching slippers upon my feet, making the shiver I had dissipate. They fit me with lilac-colored gloves that match my gown and I nearly swoon, feeling like a proper lady once more. I can actually move in this clothing, I think with a smile when the ladies move from me, stepping back to admire their work.

“Yes, I’m sure the princes will surely invite you.” Lacy nods her head in agreement, her wrinkled eyes trailing over me as I spin on my heel with glee in the shiny outfit.

“Thank you,” I whisper, though my voice is rough from little use, looking up to them, speaking for the first time to the nice ladies.

They just smile and nod as they usher me out of the room.

I notice that the castle I find myself in is quite different than the one I used to reside in. My home was cold, the windows shut a lot of the time, happiness not really present in the walls beside the time spent with my dear brothers. The sunshine spilling through the curtains was a welcomed sign, warmth, and life filling the halls as the staff of the castle run back and forth in the early morning. A light melody of a piano is heard, teasing my ears with the soft sound. Who plays with such emotion? I ask myself as I smell cured meats and foreign spices wafting from a different side of the house. Smiles and bows greet me as the older ladies fluff and pander to me, leading me down several detailed, highly decorated corridors. There are paintings, portraits, and vases with bright flowers lining the walls and the halls I am escorted through. I can’t help but muster a smile, looking at all the interesting things that line the walls. Even the wolves etched into the finest materials smile when they loom over the heads of the humans who flit and flutter about.

Everything is so beautiful here, so kept up with, no hair out of the braid descending from my head. Even though this is my first time being here, I don’t feel out of place at all.

“Breakfast is being served in the great hall.” Sophia nods as they continue to lead me this way and that. “I hope you like blueberry scones; all the princes love them.”

“Prince Seokjin’s secret recipe is to die for.” Lacy winks at me as they bring me to the foot of a grand marble staircase. “Oh-!” I startle as the prince with the tall, lithe frame looks up at me, descending the steps with a wide smile upon his lips. His hair is the color of a cherry, so bright and brilliant, a hard candy could hold no flame to the vivid strands upon his head. He stands confident with his hands clasped behind his back in his royal purple get-up, the color so rich and pretty next to his fiery locks. His amber-like eyes follow my every move, trained on me and only me. I cannot help but flush under his weighty stare. I’ve never meant anyone with such an intense gaze that wasn’t intimidating to me. This prince has the confidence of ten warlords, oozing from all his being and I know he must be like a lethal predator. But am I the prey? His amber irises don’t frighten me, his eyes tracing the outline of my figure in his. “Prince Hoseok, good morning!” The sisters bow behind me and I can’t help but follow suit.

“Good morning, Lacy, Sophia. Thank you.” He nods to them, raising one hand to shoo them away from his presence. They bow once more and take their leave, winking at me with knowing grins upon their faces. “Good morning, little bird.” The prince named Hoseok’s smile widens as he gazes down upon me. I swear his eyes spark with a bright light behind them, but I think a lot of things this morning it seems. I almost forget my manners and do a simple polite curtsy, trying to be as fluid as I can this morning. Hoseok chuckles as he gives a dramatic sweeping bow, responding to my royal mannerisms. “May I have the honor of escorting you into the great hall this morning?”

“Please.” Is all I can choke out, voice still scratching and aching from lack of use. He smiles so lovelily then, his pearly canines on display as he holds out his elbow clad in the finest of materials colored in rich purples out to me. I take his elbow and try to match his bright simper, though he is like the sun and I am but a rock floating about in space to his brilliant light.

Along the way to the great hall where we are said to dine, Hoseok calmly points out rooms, servants’ doors, and other small halls around the castle. I admire his presence for some odd reason. The prince greets all of his staff all by name if they catch his eye, pausing the tour to greet them warmly. Being glued to his elbow as the staff all flounce about really make the castle feel like a hive of bees, all dancing along with their platters and cleaning supplies.

The piano music that tickled my ears when I first exited my room grows louder as we reach the end of a long, tall hallway with windows on the other side of the route. Beyond the glass I see that a light covering of snow has dusted over the land, rooftops and tree branches looking like a painting of beautiful untouched scenery. If the princes had found me any later, I would have been frozen in the bog, left to rot with the fallen leaves. I feel a little bad my focus has drifted from the kind prince to wondering about my brothers once more.

Were they all right? Would my brothers stand their ground? Most of them know how to fight, but the younger ones who are not much older than I? How will they fair? Will they be victorious?

“Little bird,” Hoseok pauses before he takes me into the room where the ivory keys were being played inside. I fear he might have noticed my waning interest in his detailed explanation of the origins of the castle. “I don’t mean to pry or be rude in any form, but it does appear to me that you have been... mistreated in some way.” My gaze lowers to my feet. I’m unaware that his amber eyes are watching me from the sides of his sockets. “Would you like to speak to a doctor about your… lip?” He muses softly, speaking to me gently to calm my nerves.

My mind flashes to the nasty split in my lip in my mouth. I bet it is hard to gaze upon me like this, in this place of light and beauty and happiness. I don’t want to taint the scene or add to burden my saviors any more than I already have. I nod twice.

“I shall arrange a time sometime soon, little bird. Do not worry.” Prince Hoseok practically purrs as he wastes no time knocking on the door with his free hand. “Yoongi,” he says at a normal volume. “Time for breakfast!” The pretty music stops abruptly, the sound of patting footsteps takes place of the emotional melody that was gliding through the morning air.

The door containing prince Yoongi opens to reveal the shorter, white-haired brother. His brightly colored irises are the same as Hoseok’s though, intense, vibrant, and unyielding. He gives me a wide, gummy-smile once he spots me attached to his brother's arm. “Good morning Hobi, little bird.” I do a tight cursty, still attached to Hoseok’s limb. Prince Yoongi closes the door behind himself, holding out his elbow for me to take.

A giggle finds itself in my throat at the gesture. It reminds me of Soonyoung, Seungkwan, and Seokmin all fighting over who would escort me on walks around the castle grounds. I miss the way their nostrils flare and eyes dilate with the noise I make.

Delighted by the two princes, I am led down the long hallway and into the giant dining hall. I see why they call it the “great hall”. It is one of the biggest, grandest places I have ever found myself in. Not that I ever got the opportunity to leave my castle or kingdom, but this architecture and sculpting of the pretty and ornate design of the hall makes my head spin.

My eyes don’t know where to look first! I am awestruck by the magnitude of luxury and grandeur surrounding me.

There are paintings of Greek gods and goddesses on the ceiling, all hailing canines around their shimmering bodies, outlined in sparkling gold leaf paint. There are two three-headed dogs surrounding one golden-eyed canine in the middle of the painting, looking calm as the beasts are lavished with treats and presents by what appear to be mere mortals. Vases that are taller than any human I know are placed along the walls, perfectly containing flowers that I’ve never seen before. The table in the center of the room stretches across the marble flooring with seats on each side, covered in a beautiful purple cloth that shines in the morning sun from outside.

On top of the silkened fabric sit golden candelabra with candles burning slowly perched inside the holders, and placed around the golden items is every breakfast item I know and so many more I do not know the names of. The variety includes various cured meats, soft breads, delicate and soft cheeses, fruits of the land and beyond contained in little glass jars, pastries with honey and nectar drizzled on top of the gooey items, clear containers with various colored liquids sit in them, waiting for me to drink and eat them. My mouth waters at the sight, the scent making me nearly drool at such divine dishes on golden platters, practically forgetting that there are princes at the end of the long table I have yet to properly meet yet.

“Little bird!” Exclaims the very handsome, well-spoken prince I remember meeting in the thicket. He gets up from his seat at the head of the table as I enter the room, his lush smile making my cheeks heat as I untangle from the princes’ arms I had the pleasure of holding onto and give a polite bow with my dress. “I am delighted to see you so bright and early.” His brothers seated around him stand promptly, shifting their attention to me.

I feel as if I’ve stumbled into a pack of hungry wolves as the men’s gazes linger upon my face.

They all smile and I feel like I am putting a damper on their lively spirits. I remember the split in my lip and I am so embarrassed that they’ve seen me in such a dreadful state. Though I am most grateful I have been washed and presented neatly, I wonder if they will think of me as the foulest of creature? These princes are so uniquely different and handsome it is unfair they should share their space with the likes of myself...

“Good morning!” Comes the deep voice I distinctly recall, pulling me from my thoughts.

“G-Good morning.” I echo his words and he seems rather pleased that I meet his gaze. A boxy, wide smile graces his lips, the amber-colored eyes all the princes have been blessed with glimmer at me from under thick-rimmed glasses frames.

“Are you feeling well enough to attend breakfast, little bird?” The tallest one with the coiffed hair the color of honey simpers. A chair is pulled out for me to sit next to himself and the prince that carried me but a few mere hours ago.

I give a slight nod and bow as I take my place at the table. “I am. I thank you, your graces.” I say with a sincere smile upon my face before the prince at the head of the table sits once more.

“Please indulge in whatever you’d like.” He winks under his dark fringe at me. A fresh flush blooms onto my face as the princes direct their hardworking staff to put their favorite foods upon my golden plate.

The princes talk and laugh amongst themselves, including me in almost every conversation and I do my best to keep up and participate, though I fear I am not giving them enough of my attention. I am trying as much as one can understand. This whole setting feels oddly familiar, the sitting with many siblings, sharing inside conversations about such frivolous things and it makes me miss my brothers dearly. I hope they are well and healthy. I ache for the loud shouting and screeching across the table and perhaps long for the princes to gaggle and squabble about, having sword fights at the table with their knives like my older brothers all did when we all sat and ate. They are much more refined than my kin, it would appear, or they are holding back because they are in the presence of a lady.

Speaking of ladies and their likeness...

After I have turned my golden fork over on my plate, I realize I ate more than anyone at the table and I am rather embarrassed of myself.

“No need to be shy about breakfast.” The head of the table states after a drink of his orange liquid. “We always have a light breakfast before we go for a long ride, lunch and dinners are more for the heavier palettes.”

“Forgive me, your grace.” I smile with my words, dawning a thought I've had in my brain since they first found me. “It might be silly to ask all of you now but, may I request names of the princes who all saved me from the bog?”

“Oh, little bird, I am dreadfully sorry we didn’t introduce ourselves properly to you.” The head of the table stands and approaches me. I go to stand but he shakes his head at me so I refrain and sit facing his direction.

“Speak for yourself.” Prince Hoseok chuckles as I give a small giggle myself.

“I am prince Seokjin, head of the house and the table,” I laugh at his little joke he threw into his monologue, “and I am the top dog of Bangtan.” He bows to his knees and kisses the top of my gloved hand. “Anything you shall need, I am more than happy to provide it for you.”

“Thank you, your grace.” I muse with a flush upon my face.

I have never been courted or know what it feels like but I can only assume it feels like burning torches in one’s gut, mixed with fluttering wings of insects.

“You may remember my brother Yoongi from your escort down the music hall?” Prince Seokjin introduces his white-haired brother behind him as he stands with another wink and fluffy smile.

A chuckle finds my lips again as Yoongi bows in front of me, mirroring exactly what Seokjin had just performed himself.

“We have met, your grace.” I simper to the prince on his knees before me. Amber eyes linger on my own and I wish I knew what he was trying to communicate to me silently.

“You’ll have to hear me play my favorites sometime soon. I’m afraid I was merely just tapping the keys.” The second-born prince smirks as he is replaced by prince Hoseok.

“And you know Hoseok already.” Prince Seokjin smiles fondly as the wild brother bows and dramatically takes the spot on the ground before me.

“I believe I have, your grace.” My smile is sincere as Hoseok’s grin is wide as he moves to the side so the prince I was sitting next to could get to introduce himself to me.

“Namjoon is our worldly scholar and recent college graduate.” Seokjin proudly introduces the fourth eldest.

“Congratulations on your accomplishments, prince Namjoon.” I praise him, though I’ve never been to college myself, I can imagine such a thing is hard, even for a man.

“You both flatter me.” Prince Namjoon’s voice is so clear and direct as he stands with a soft smile on his sharp face.

“Our prettiest flower in our family garden, Jimin.” Seokjin pulls the brother forward with rounded cheeks and eyes that form little crescent moons as he smiles with delicious-looking pillow lips.

He says nothing, seemingly too shy to say anything as he hastily - yet rather gracefully - takes his position at my feet. But, I feel it rude if I don’t give him a word from my lips.

“If you do have gardens, I’d love for you to show me around.” I glimmer at him and I note the twinkle in his eye.

“I will show you!” Says the deep-voiced glasses-wearing brother, moving into the spotlight as Jimin moves back into the fray.

“Little bird, this is Taehyung, our artist of the family.” Seokjin coos at his younger kin as said prince chuckles a snort in response.

“Do you like art?” The bass almost vibrates through the gloves as he asks me, breath hot on my clothed skin. “What is your favorite?”

I laugh outwardly. “I like the world of art, but not as much as yourself I presume your grace.” I smile brightly. “I enjoy sketching.”

“Then we must hold an afternoon of tea and a still-life together.” Taehyung beams a boxy grin at me as he is replaced with the final prince. The one that held me so tight to his chest and a smile upon his soft face.

“And this is our puppy, Jungkook.” Seokjin pats the youngest of the seven upon his head. Prince Jungkook bows deeply, keeping the intense eye-contact I’ve come to know from this family.

“It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance,” I say as he lightly kisses the top of my gloved hand.

“The pleasure is all mine.” Prince Jungkook muses as he stands and falls in line with the rest of his brothers, amber gazes glaring down upon me.

“Now,” Prince Seokjin says as he extends his hand to me, smiling warmly, “what is your name, little bird?”

“Princess Y/N,” I say looking at each of their individual faces.

“Welcome to Bangtan, princess.” Seokjin simpers a strikingly handsome smirk at me. “We are delighted to have you here with us.”

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PART ONE l PART TWO AND A HALF

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A/N: Thank you for waiting for this! Sorry, there's not much merit to this chapter, just setting up and introducing characters, as well as other things going on in this story.

[chimtaesty]

salvation Part One TEASER

plot: werewolves and vampires can't get along, can they? A story about truce, loyalty and hardships.

warnings: angst, violence, anxiety, strong language, trauma, mentions of blood, fluff, drama

masterlist

teaser:

“They killed someone I liked very much.” That’s everything you were going to tell them. They didn’t need to know who you were talking about.

That’s all the information you could force yourself to reveal without breaking. “Someone you liked? Who-”I’m not going to talk about it any further. They took something from me.” you paused for a moment.

Jungkook looked at you with wide eyes. “So it’s only fair to take revenge.”