“Taehyung!”

Taehyung’s auburn ears prick up, head lifting from where it’s resting in the crook of Jimin’s neck, looking over his shoulder as Hoseok approaches them as they laze under the big deciduous tree near the house. Taehyung’s tail gives a slight wag when Hoseok sits next to them in the shade, one hand patting at Taehyung’s head before he flops over on top of Jimin as well, Taehyung moving over a bit to allow the elder wolf room.

Jimin gives a slight whine at the movement more than the weight, giving Hoseok a quick swipe of his tongue, huffing slightly at the way Hoseok rolls his eyes.

Looking at the pair makes a warm feeling bubble in his soul, Hoseok is so proud of the way the two are growing up and finding their mates. He’s sad because he doesn’t know what that means for his pack but still so incredibly happy for them. “Tae, sweetie, can you do me a favor?”

Taehyung moves away from Jimin, giving a slight stretch as he shifts, running a hand through his hair with a smile, “Yeah, sure, Mom. What’s up?”

Leaning forward Hoseok places a kiss between Jimin’s ears, glancing at Taehyung, “Can you and Minnie go to the studio and cover my classes for me?”

Jimin’s ears stand up, tail wagging wildly as he squirms under Hoseok, whining pathetically when their mother just laughs at him. Taehyung grins at them before pushing Hoseok over and away from Jimin, grin widening when Jimin automatically shoots out of reach, shifting with a pout as he looks at Hoseok. His, albeit low, anger doesn’t last very long before he’s hopping around them in excitement. He loves teaching Hoseok’s dance classes. With a gasp he spins around to look at Hoseok in excitement, “Can-”

“No. You can’t take Yoongi with you.” Taehyung interrupts with a smirk, leaning back on his hands to look up at Jimin smugly as Hoseok bites his bottom lip to stop the laughter from tumbling out when Jimin turns scarlet, stumbling slightly on thin air.

“I wasn’t going to ask that, Tae!” Jimin pouts, ignoring the obvious amusement coming from both of them, “I was going to ask if Jungkook could come. Because he likes to dance, too. More than Tae does! And…more than Yoongi does. I mean. Yoongi said he’s not very good at dancing and that he has no point with doing something he not good at. Why would I invite him to dance classes? Why would you think I’d invite him? I mean, not that I wouldn’t want him there or anything. I mean-”

“Sweetheart!” Hoseok laughs, spring up to pull a very red Jimin into a hug, smiling when Jimin burrows closer, “Breathe, okay? It’s okay to want him to be around or to want to be around him. It’s instinct, Minnie. We understand.”

Jimin pushes away from Hoseok, face still red, stumbling over his words, “I don’t-that’s not-what do you-I’ll meet you at the studio, Tae!”

Taehyung bites his tongue as they watch Jimin stumble while he runs into the forest towards the town, laughing out loud when he’s sure Jimin is far enough away to not hear him. Turning to a smiling Hoseok, Taehyung stands, wrapping his arms around Hoseok, nosing against the elder’s shoulder, giving a happy rumble when Hoseok pets his head gently, “What are you and Pops going to do to him?”

Hoseok doesn’t need to ask how Taehyung knows, their eldest always seems to just know, “We’re just going to speak with him. Let him know what it means to be the dominant one in a mated pair. Let him know what responsibilities fall on him if he accepts Jimin as his mate. I don’t know what it means to have a mate as a vampire but Pops and I are going to be very thorough with our explanations. Just because Jimin will no longer see Pops as his Alpha does not mean Namjoon is no longer your father.”

“And Pops will forever be over protective of his baby girl.” Taehyung teases, laughing quietly when Hoseok pinches him, “I know, I know. Don’t call him that.”

Hoseok nods, grin falling off of his face, causing Taehyung to stop laughing, “Just because he’s the submissive in his partnership doesn’t-”

“Doesn’t make him a girl. I know. I was just teasing.” Taehyung pouts, burrowing himself into Hoseok’s shoulder again, a whine escaping him at the obvious displeasure he’s caused his mother, pushing himself closer.

Hoseok pets his head once more, crooning softly, “I know. I understand that. But do you think your brother likes when you tease like that?” Taehyung shakes his head, “Do you think I like it when you tease like that? I’m a submissive, too, baby.” Taehyung tightens his grip on Hoseok, shaking his head once more. Hoseok pets him for a bit more before pulling away from him, brushing a few wayward strands from in front of his eyes, smiling softly, “What about Jungkook? Do you think he’d like you referring to him as a girl?”

Taehyung jerks back in Hoseok’s hold, looking around quickly, face red when Hoseok just tightens his grip, “I-I-that’s not….no, no I don’t he would…” Taehyung admits when Hoseok just raises an eyebrow at him.

Hoseok nods, smiling brightly again, “Exactly. So, stop calling your brother a girl. Now. Go, shoo. Find Jungkook so you three can go the dance studio and Pops and I can interrogate Yoongi.”

-----

Yoongi sits up, eyes snapping open and looking around with a curiously suspicious glance, one hand coming up to rest on his chest as his eyebrows furrow at the feeling he believes has pulled his conscious to the surface. It’s a weird feeling and Yoongi likens it to the tension of that one industrial rubber band Jungkook was curious about a decade or so ago, but not quite the same. Similar, yes. But Yoongi is actually uncomfortably aware of this tension, where the rubber band was just an oddity. Just like with Jungkook’s toy, though, Yoongi wants the feeling to go away.

“Yoongi?”

Yoongi startles, eyes blinking in confusion as they zeroing in on the werewolf below him, frowning when he realizes he hasn’t heard him coming. He can’t stay annoyed, though, Yoongi realizes with slight amusement. Not when he has a bright smile thrown his way. Shaking his head Yoongi drops to the floor in front of the wolf, tilting his head in curiosity, outside of the pack-bonding(and Yoongi cringes whenever he thinks about this but then remembers how Jimin smiles so brightly with obvious happiness that the pack-bonding now includes the two vampires and Yoongi can’t help but be pleased at Jimin’s happiness)Hoseok doesn’t go out of his way to speak with Yoongi. Jungkook, yes. But, other than Jimin, the pack leaves Yoongi to do as he pleases.

“Helloooooo? Are you ignoring me, Yoongi?” Hoseok laughs, poking the once more startled vampire on the shoulder.

“What? No. Just…thinking.” Yoongi shakes his head again, giving Hoseok a tight half-smile, moving away from the offending fingers. “What do you need?”

“Namjoon and I would like to speak with you.” Hoseok smiles again, staring at the vampire as he raises an eyebrow in question.

“About?” Yoongi doesn’t get curious very often, only just recently finding amusement in other’s existence at all. He knows Namjoon doesn’t particularly like him or Jungkook, so he’s not sure what he can possibly need to speak to Yoongi about.

“Jimin.”

Oh. Oh. Yes. Well, there is that.

Yoongi is sudden very glad he’s incapable of blushing because this feeling of wanting to look anywhere but at Hoseok’s amused smile and eyes would definitely equate to turning as red as Jimin does when Yoongi smiles at him, he’s sure of that, at least.

Yoongi clears his throat slightly, internally cringing when he realizes he’s let Hoseok know he’s flustered. He looks Hoseok in the eye, raising an eyebrow, “What about Jimin?”

Hoseok bites his lip to stop his laughing, amused greatly at how flustered the vampire gets with just the thought of their youngest. It’s so damn cute and Hoseok honestly feels safe in the knowledge that, even after Namjoon goes over Yoongi’s duties as Jimin’s Alpha, Yoongi will treat Jimin the way he deserves. Shaking his head at his thoughts Hoseok smiles at the now embarrassed Yoongi glaring at him, waving his hand in a “follow-me” motion, “C’mon. We’ll go back to the house to speak.”

Yoongi follows after a moment of hesitance, hand going once more to his chest where the uncomfortable feeling is still present, before sighing and choosing to ignore the way Hoseok smiles softly at him, the werewolf’s eyes on the hand Yoongi is holding to his chest.

Namjoon is lounging on the couch when they arrive, fiddling with a notebook Yoongi immediately zeroes in on, Jimin’s name on the bottom right corner garnering his attention. Namjoon looks up as Hoseok plops down on top of him, letting out a low rumble as Hoseok makes himself comfortable, splaying out and smiling widely at the sound, nuzzling into Namjoon’s neck, sighing at the smell of his mate, going completely limp when Namjoon wraps one arm around him securely.

Yoongi fights the urge to look away, feeling like he’s intruding on a private moment between the two when Namjoon rumbles low again, nuzzling Hoseok back with a press of lips to Hoseok’s neck, knowing vaguely the different sounds the werewolves make, courtesy of Taehyung.(If Yoongi’s being completely honest with himself, he’ll willingly admit adored it when Jimin taught him the howl or call or whatever equivalent of his name.)

Instead of indulging in his embarrassment, he seats himself on small two-seater he and Jimin have squeezed onto during pack movies.(It started with Yoongi and Jungkook until Jungkook had taken to lounging on the floor under the table with Taehyung.)

Namjoon looks at Yoongi with narrowed eyes, sighing in defeat when Hoseok frowns at him with a jab to his ribs. Pushing Hoseok off of himself gently, Namjoon sits up, shaking his head with a smile when Hoseok shifts to press lightly against Namjoon’s side. Looking at Hoseok, Namjoon addresses Yoongi, startling the vampire briefly, “The feeling doesn’t go away. Not entirely and not at all this early on.”

Yoongi frowns, not understanding and not liking the feeling of not knowing what the hell Namjoon is going on about. Before he can even open his mouth to question him, however, Namjoon is looking at him, Yoongi narrowing his eyes at the blue directed at him.

“In your chest. The tension you’re feeling? We weren’t sure if you’d get that, to be honest, seeing as you don’t actually have a heart. Not to be rude about that, just factual. I know you can feel emotions without a heart-we’re Lycan. We know feelings and emotions and all of that-those things are soul based, not heart based. We hoped-yes, myself included-that you would get it, though.” Namjoon smiles bitterly at his own words at first before giving a smile Yoongi can clearly see is relief filled. Namjoon nods in Yoongi’s direction, “It’s because Jimin’s not here.”

Yoongi, whose eyes were focusing on the smile curiously, immediately locks gazes with Namjoon, narrowing slightly, “What? Where is-”

Hoseok giggles, pulling his legs up to rest his head on his knees, hiding his smile. Eyes once more dancing with amusement at Yoongi’s expense. “I love that you want to know where Jiminnie is and not why it’s because of where Jiminnie is.”

Yoongi pauses, reforcing himself to breathe properly, not realizing he’d stopped before looking at the pair with slightly aggravated confusion, “Okay; then why?”

Namjoon gives him a light smirk, “Come on, Yoongi. As much as it pains me to say this, you know why. Because Jimin is yours.”

A warm rush of happiness flutters within Yoongi and, as much as Yoongi wants to deny it, it feels amazing having the obvious said out loud. Yes, he and Jimin had come to an understanding a few days prior, in the forest when Yoongi had overheard him. But, this. This spoken acknowledgement, spoken by Jimin’s Alpha no less, means more to Yoongi than he thought it would.

“The feeling, the tension, is letting you know your mate is too far away from you to protect.” Namjoon tells Yoongi softly but firmly, eyes narrowing on the vampire. “The tension is letting you know to find them, be aware of them. I realize that with your speed and hearing being better than ours in this form makes it easier for you to get to your mate quicker but the fact remains; the light tension means they’re too far from you. It’s usually not something to worry too much about, as I said it never goes away.”

Yoongi nods hesitantly, hand going to his chest once more, wondering if the feeling would intensify if he did have a working heart. Briefly he thinks of this as an informative gathering for Yoongi specifically, though he doesn’t quite get why.

“It’s the crippling, body numbing tension you do have to worry about, though. That’s the tension letting you know your mate is in trouble, in danger. That, wherever they are, they need you. I pray to the gods and goddesses, absent and present, that you never feel that.” Namjoon looks away from Yoongi to Hoseok, pulling him in closer to his side, absently running his hand down Hoseok’s side as Hoseok nuzzles into him, lowering his voice and Yoongi can feel his pain, “It’s not pleasant in the slightest.”

Yoongi suppresses the curiosity that ignites at the look the two older werewolves are sharing, wondering if that’s ever happened to them but knowing it’s not his place. Namjoon clears his throat, looking at Yoongi once more, eyes a bit softer at the concern pouring from Yoongi’s red eyes, wondering if the vampire knows he’s lit up.

“It’s your job to protect him, Yoongi. Once you’ve excepted Jimin as your mate, as your submissive, his life is essentially in your hands. You will be his Alpha. He’ll no longer respond to my commands, my orders, my rules. It’ll be your responsibility to keep him happy, safe, wanted. We’re not sure what Jimin is, rank-wise in a pack. Ironically, we were waiting to see what his mate was. Submissive beta only have alphas as they’re mates but upsilon have whatever rank makes them happy. We’re going to assume you’re a vampiric version of an alpha, though. So you’ll be treated as such. You will be his protector, the person he can-and will-turn to when he’s scared. You will be the guide he’ll need when he’s unsure of himself, his place next to you. You will be his reassurance that everything is okay and that you will love him unconditionally. You will be the warm stability he’ll want in an Alpha. He will be yours, Yoongi but you will be his.”

Yoongi sits back in his seat, staring at the other male blankly, processing what was just said to him. He wants Jimin, wants everything he used to scoff at his maker for believing in, wants to be able to hold Jimin when he’s sad or upset and have his mere presence soothe the younger’s frayed nerves. He understands that Namjoon is handing Jimin’s wellbeing and happiness over to Yoongi with the expectation and trust in Yoongi’s ability to provide for his youngest. Yoongi raises his head, red eyes meeting Namjoon’s blue with a determination born of affection for, and the desire to protect, the smaller black haired wolf.

Namjoon smiles tightly, a feeling of sadness creeping up his spine at the knowledge he’s most likely going to lose both of his children. But he wants them happy and if leaving the pack to be with their mates makes them happy than he’s not going to stop them.

“May I ask something of you, though?” Yoongi’s voice surprises Namjoon though Namjoon only nods at the vampire. Yoongi smiles faintly, “Vampires are nomadic by nature. I’m surprised Jungkook and I have stayed so long here, but I guess that makes sense. Since we don’t feed from people, would we be able to stay here?”

Hoseok sits up with a soft gasp, eyes lighting up and filling with tears, “You want to stay? Here? As…as a-”

Yoongi smiles a little brighter, “A pack? If that’s okay with the two of you, yes. I may not follow your command, Namjoon, but I do respect you as an equal of sorts.”

“Why?” Namjoon whispers, he’s not against the idea. No, he’s thrilled with the idea of not losing his youngest.

“I can’t speak for Taehyung or even for Jungkook, but you want me to make Jimin happy. I want Jimin happy and while I know it’s in a wolf’s nature to follow their Alpha without question I know he’ll be happiest if he had the choice of the two of us staying here, with you.”

Namjoon stares at Yoongi, analyzing the truth in the vampires gaze before giving him a relieved smile, “Yes. You have the express permission of the territories Alpha to stay within with your mate.”

Hoseok doesn’t bother restraining himself as he shoots off the couch and throws his arms around a frozen, startled Yoongi, “Thank you…”

Namjoon watches as the vampire awkwardly pats Hoseok’s back in panicked confusion. Namjoon doesn’t want to admit it but he knows Yoongi will make Jimin happy. Knows that the one vampire from years ago is nothing like the two that have been a semi-permanent residents in the pack for the past three, almost four, months. He has realized that the way his children look at the vampires like they’ve hung the moon and the vampires them is nothing to brush aside. He knows, without question, that Yoongi will never hurt Jimin. Taehyung and Jungkook are another thing altogether. Taehyung knows what’s expected of him as an alpha to his mate, knows the way a mate should be treated. Hoseok will have no problem reminding their eldest if it ever came down to it. Sighing Namjoon stands, pulling a still vaguely emotional Hoseok off of the mildly distraught Yoongi, smirk lifting at the look of relief on Yoongi’s face, “Let’s go let Jimin and the other two know we haven’t scared you off. No doubt Taehyung will have let them know by now our ulterior motives to sending them into town.”

Yoongi stands, a smile on his lips at the thought of Jimin, not bothering to hide the fact that he’s excited to see him, not when he knows Namjoon understands the feeling. Vampires don’t technically have mates designed for them but he’s more than happy to except the werewolf way of things if it means Jimin can be his. Yoongi follows Namjoon and Hoseok to the door, shutting it behind him as they leave. He barely makes one step before he’s crumbling to the floor, curling in on himself and pressing both of his hands to his chest, glad he can’t breathe because the action would be extremely difficult to maintain right now. He hears Hoseok’s concerned voice through the sounds pounding into his head. His whole body hurts. He feels like he’s on fire but submerged in a tank of dry-ice. He’s clawing through his shirt, he knows, can feel his nails against his skin. But it doesn’t matter. None of this matters to Yoongi. Because his hearing has zeroed in on the only thing that matters. A spine-chilling, desperate, terror-filled howl of his name.

“Yoongi!”