When Seokjin awakes, he is terribly groggy and disoriented.

He shifts around slightly, finding the surface beneath him to be soft and warm unlike the cold, hard floor of the ballroom he last remembered being curled upon. He’s in bed, somewhere in one of the many rooms in Yule’s castle, and he feels the presence of several other wolves in the same room.

“How are you feeling?” Namjoon’s voice comes from his left and Jin’s eyes pry open to spy the alpha settled on a settee by the bed, looking exhausted but still greatly concerned.

“Like someone just tore up my insides, beat them to mush and stuffed them back inside.” He replies, mouth dry and tone devoid of any mirth.

It’s difficult to move his limbs at first, each attempt sending sparks of pain through his body and along his nerves. Everything hurts - inside and out.

The alpha lets out a dejected sigh and Seokjin manages to turn his head to look at Namjoon. The blonde has his face in his hands, shoulders slumped. His scent is a little sour, filled with worry that Seokjin realizes is for him. Namjoon was worried for him.

“You shouldn’t have to feel bad, Namjoon.” He says, trying to lift some of that worry. Namjoon doesn’t need to blame himself for this. “I was the one who asked you to do it. In the end, your Command worked and I’m okay – that’s all that matters.”

“You could’ve died, you know.” Namjoon grumbles, not looking at the prince. “This has never been attempted before. It was dangerous and reckless and I shouldn’t have done it even if you asked me to. I could’ve been the one that killed you, Jin.”

“Quit that already!” Hoseok whisper yells from the other side of the room and Seokjin turns his head in the other direction. “Even if you didn’t use your Alpha Voice on him, he would’ve still found a way around it. Would’ve stumbled through the Whispering Woods in search of Taehyung even while still in heat if he had to. By now, we both must already know that that’s just the kind of person Seokjin is.” He hears Namjoon let out another sigh at that.

“How is he?” Seokjin simply asks, not commenting anything regarding his best friend’s statement because he knows that it was entirely true.

The room they were in is huge. A high window with curtains partially blocking out the light was just behind Hoseok, making his silhouette almost glow. Also, there was the larger than king-sized bed that currently held one alpha and two omegas.

Jimin is in the center, propped with a multitude of pillows against the headboard. He’s from the waist up with bandages criss-crossing his torso. He smiles at the prince kindly, inclining his head. On the other side of the bed is Yoongi, paler than Seokjin’s ever seen him and in a poison-induced sleep. Hoseok gently holds one of Yoongi’s hands in his, never letting go as he speaks.

“The same.” Hoseok’s voice trembles just the slightest bit, filled with longing and anguish for his intended. Seokjin can’t imagine how Hoseok must be feeling now, wouldn’t have been able to be as composed as the alpha is right then if it were his own mate in Yoongi’s place. “Jimin had a look at him and…” the alpha clenches his teeth, the sentence cut-off.

“His body will start shutting down soon.” Jimin continues in Hoseok’s stead since the other alpha clearly didn’t seem in the mood to iterate all the horrible things that would soon be happening to his beloved. “It will be the six senses first, followed by his organs - if he’s lucky, and with the help of supplements, he might last for a week.”

“How long will it take to reach where Taehyung is?” he asks. A week wasn’t a lot of time and Yoongi’s chances of survival depended solely on how fast Seokjin and Namjoon would be able to find Taehyung and make him aware of the situation so he could prepare the necessary medicines.

“A day and a half in wolf-form, with minimal rest.” Jimin replies after a brief pause, calculating the time required in his mind. Seokjin nods in acknowledgement just as there is a loud creak and the door opens, admitting Jungkook and Jiwoo into the room.

The younger runs to his brother as soon as he realizes Seokjin is awake. “Jiiiin!” The prince almost laughs at the whine; it reminds him so much of an even younger version of Jungkook who would always tag along behind him like a tail, whining that Seokjin should join him and his friends to play. “When did you wake up? You should’ve sent someone to inform me!” The young alpha sends Namjoon a betrayed kind of look and Seokjin wonders when the two had gotten close enough for the shy Jungkook to act so freely around the elder alpha.

“Yah!” Seokjin finally sits up and drags Jungkook towards him, pinching his cheek. “Since when did you start speaking in that tone to your elders?” he admonishes the younger playfully. Jungkook just sticks his tongue out at his brother and plops onto Seokjin, making the elder gasp in surprise at the sudden hug Jungkook envelopes him in.

Seokjin doesn’t speak, just hugs his brother tightly and finds comfort in the warm embrace because as much as he tried to reassure Namjoon that it was alright, Jin had still been afraid.

 

 

 

***

 

 

They were gathered at the castle’s main entrance, the handy changing rooms just a few feet behind them.

Namjoon stood some distance away, seemingly conversing with Soobin and Jimin, the latter was leaning heavily against the younger alpha’s side for stability. Jiwoo was also there, clutching onto supply bags for Namjoon and Seokjin while she waited for the eldest prince to finish speaking with her mate.

Hoseok had refused to leave Yoongi’s side, so Seokjin had waited until everyone else had left the room to go make arrangements for the trip before approaching his best friend.

He had put a hand on his best friend’s shoulder, giving a little reassuring squeeze. “It will be okay, Hobi. I’ll make sure that Taehyung is ready with everything by the time you get there with Yoongi. He’s a strong person and will get better in no time at all.” 

Hoseok gave him a wry, tight-lipped smile but didn’t say anything. Seokjin took a moment to study both Hoseok and Yoongi and then turned around to leave. It’s only just as he was about to close the door behind himself that he hears the alpha’s voice.

“I’m sorry, Jin.” The prince had stopped in the midst of pulling the door shut to look at Hoseok through the half open door.

“What for?”

“For choosing Yoongi over you…” the alpha said and Seokjin was confused for a moment until Hoseok’s next words make it clear. “Jungkook told me – he didn’t mean to, but…I know how you used to feel.”

Prior to that particular moment, Seokjin had always dreaded the possibility of this confrontation, of Hoseok finding out that once upon a time he’d been in love with the alpha. He imagined what he would feel like in this exact moment –nervous, embarrassed, tongue-tied. But surprisingly, he doesn’t feel that way. Instead he feels lighthearted. A small smile crept onto his face as he nodded.

“Please don’t apologize for that - ever.” He’d said with conviction. “On no account would I ever begrudge either you or Yoongi happiness. You two are perfect for each other and you and I were just never meant to be. It was an experience I needed to have and when I think back, I always feel that a romantic relationship between us would’ve never worked anyway. Omega instincts and all that , you know.” Seokjin looked down the corridor as he’d said it. He felt Namjoon nearby, probably waiting for him around the corner of the corridor. When he’d turned back to face Hoseok, the other looked a bit more relaxed than before.

At present, Jungkook stands in front of him, jittery and slightly bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Seokjin lets out an exasperated sigh probably for the hundredth time in the last hour. “Jungkookie, you know you can do it! You helped father manage court affairs all the time. Have confidence in yourself.”

“Uhuh…”Jungkook says, mind out of focus. He stops rocking back and forth but still wrings his hands. His brother is a ball of energy right now – a mixture of nervousness and excitement at being finally given something to do so he could prove himself.

Seokjin shakes his head and raises his hand to ruffle the younger’s hair, finally gaining Jungkook’s attention as the younger jerks back from Seokjin’s touch to avoid getting his hair messed up. “You will do great - just follow your heart. I’ve never known you to make a bad decision.”

“But that’s because I’ve always had you and father to guide me…,” Jungkook trails off, his eyes flitting to the ground.

“And now you have Jiwoo, Yeonjun and the other boys to help you.” Jin tries to reassure him. “We both know that Jiwoo is smart and capable, and the four boys have been helping Yoongi and Hoseok for years. But most of all, I believe in your own abilities. You worked hard for almost half your life managing court affairs and there is no one among us who is more suitable for taking care of Yule in Yoongi and Jimin’s absence.”

Jungkook takes in a deep breath and squares his shoulders. “I will do my best to make you proud, brother.” The younger prince says looking into Seokjin’s eyes.

“I’ve always been proud of you, my little Jungkookie.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“We should stop.” Namjoon says for the third time in the last half an hour. “You can’t keep going this way.”

“I can and I will, Namjoon.” Seokjin answers the alpha through their mind link. “We can’t lose time - I’m already slowing us down.” He perseveres, weaving through the curving roots and swaying branches of the trees, his limbs shaky and breathing labored.

The after-effects of interrupting the natural flow of the heat cycle had been faint at first, becoming more prominent and noticeable with time. It was night now, several hours since they’d shifted into their wolf forms and started their journey north, towards the borders of the lands of Fey and Lupus. If Jin were to be honest, his body hurt, he felt as though someone were crushing his bones, ripping his flesh. He felt weak and his vision blurred occasionally. He’d ignored it at first, thinking it would go away after sometime but it never did – only got worse and worse, making Namjoon’s scent turn sour with worry. The alpha smelled like dead fish to him and Seokjin hated it, wanted the fresh breezy scent of him back. But no amount of reassurances on his part seemed to be enough to assuage the alpha’s concerns.

He knew Namjoon had purposefully slowed his pace for Jin’s sake and they were only able to cover half the distance they originally estimated they would by the current hour and it made him feel guilty for slowing them down. He’d been selfish in asking Namjoon to use his Alpha Voice on him to stop his heat just so he would be able to be by Namjoon’s side, but by doing so, he was clearly holding back the black wolf.

Seokjin tried his best to keep up but the next time he stumbles Namjoon does’t even bother to listen to any more of his reassurances. The alpha just stops in his tracks and sits down on the ground, not budging an inch until Seokjin huffed and acquiesced, walking behind some shrubbery to shift and get dressed. The black wolf had apparently gotten up from his sitting position and the alpha lingered by the prince’s side until Seokjin had safely settled down before disappearing briefly to shift too.

They were sitting nearby each other, not touching but still close enough to feel the other’s body heat. Seokjin couldn’t help but glance around in worry, hoping nothing would jump out of the shadows – there was no fire tonight lest it should attract any unwanted guests. The weather was chilly so it was no surprise when a sudden gust of icy wind made him shiver bodily. He felt the alpha’s eyes on him for a few moments and then Namjoon cleared his throat and spoke in a soft voice, almost a whisper so as to not alert anyone or anything nearby.

“Would it be okay if I moved over to your side?” the alpha asked tentatively, and then added to it as if he needed to explain himself, “Being closer would help with the cold.”

Seokjin nodded slightly, and then replied out loud, not sure if the other was able to see his nod in the darkness of the night. “Sure, you can come closer, Namjoon.” He said. However, he knew that Namjoon was not only worried about him being cold. Strangely enough, he’s been able to feel the bond between their wolves ever since that moment during his heat, just before he’d rushed out of his chambers and towards the chaos of the ballroom. He can feel Namjoon’s emotions as if they were a part of his own and, in the moment, he says as much to the other. “I can feel you,” he confesses, placing a hand over his heart. He doesn’t want to hide this from Namjoon, not after having hated the alpha for so many years because of a misunderstanding. “The bond – I can finally feel it. I don’t know how or why, but it was what told me that all of you were in danger that day. I could sense your panic.”

Namjoon had already shuffled towards him by now, their shoulders and thighs brushing slightly. The contact sent another involuntary shiver through him, his inner wolf that was deprived of the heat was clawing at his insides, striving to reach out for the alpha. For a brief moment, Seokjin prayed for Namjoon to simply take the shiver as him still being cold but it was only wishful thinking on his part because Namjoon could clearly feel Seokjin’s emotions too.  

The alpha tenses beside him but then every single worry seems to leave his body as he sighs and leans back. Seokjin thinks he could almost make out a tiny smile gracing Namjoon’s lips.

“You know, I was starting to think I was going crazy or something.” Namjoon says after a minute. “When my wolf formed such a strong bond to yours but you didn’t feel anything…In the beginning, I thought that I was being delusional, that it was just my childish infatuation acting up.” Seokjin hums, feeling just a little bit flustered. He recollects how the alpha fondly spoke to him of the stories the blonde’s father had shared throughout the years.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me? About the bond…” Seokjin asks. “I know I didn’t exactly make myself approachable to you during your first stay at the castle, but after that…” The prince huffs in annoyance, not at anybody but himself. He couldn’t exactly ask Namjoon why the alpha hadn’t tried harder to clear the air between them when he’d obviously been squashing the other’s every attempt.

Namjoon goes quiet again for a long time and the prince almost wants to apologize for his behavior all these years, but he stops himself, because despite the clear misunderstanding between them, it was still a fact that Namjoon wasn’t exactly omega-friendly.

He is still a little befuddled when Namjoon seems to read his mind again, just like the night before his heat, but he feels like it makes sense now that he feels the bond between them.

“It’s not just because you made it hard to have an actual, amicable conversation with you.” The alpha starts, “And it’s also true that…I haven’t exactly made the best of first impressions and my words have hurt you on several occasions, but…it’s hard for me too. Let’s just say I trust omegas just about as much as you trust alphas.”

Seokjin willed away the internal pain he was feeling and tried to focus on Namjoon and his words. The alpha finally seemed to be opening up to him a bit and he wouldn’t want to miss out on anything – even if his body was screaming in pain.

“I trusted my father and General Song. I trusted your  father and I trust Jungkook and Hobi. Soobin and the boys, too. They are all alphas, aren’t they? And…I trust you too.” Seokjin says, and only after the words are out does he realize just how few alphas he actually trusts.

The blonde tilts his head to the side then, studies the prince briefly before his gaze drifts down towards the prince’s hands. Namjoon hesitates only momentarily before gently taking one of Seokjin’s hands in his and turning it over to brush their wrists together in a weak scenting. Surprisingly – and thankfully – the action eases some of Seokjin’s pain. Usually, the prince would’ve pulled away from such sudden and unannounced skin-to-skin contact but right then he just took comfort in the alpha’s presence and scent that calmed his inner turmoil. Namjoon doesn’t remove his hand, just lowers Seokjin’s to let it lay across their adjoined thighs, the alpha’s hand splayed gently over the prince’s outer wrist, warming the omega’s skin.

“And I trusted Yoongi. He was all that was holding me together basically, right until the moment he supposedly died.” Namjoon chuckles a little darkly, almost mirthless. “And just when I find him alive and well, he ends up on his deathbed again. 

It’s a purely instinctual action when Seokjin moves his hand to hold Namjoon’s. The alpha’s palm is rough against his own, calloused from several years of handling weapons and horse reigns, unlike Seokjin’s softer ones that only had mild calluses from the bow and the most recent ones from training with Namjoon. The alpha sends him a questioning glance but only squeezes his hand tighter.

“It wasn’t your fault the first time and it isn’t this time around either. I’m sure Yoongi would say the same right now if he could.”

“I know he would.” Namjoon confirms and Jin patiently waits for him to continue, to articulate the words he wants to let out. “He’s changed. A lot.” The blonde states looking into the distance. “He’s finally the person he’s always wanted to be and I don’t want him to lose himself – I don’t want to lose him again.”

“You won’t.” The prince gives his hand a squeeze. “Would you tell me about him? How he was before all this?”

Seokjin wasn’t actually expecting Namjoon to acquiesce, seeing as he’s remained fairly mum about his connections to Yoongi all this while, so he’s pleasantly surprised when Namjoon hums out an affirmative. It’s strange – how they’ve unconsciously become so comfortable in speaking of such personal topics since the night of their talk, just before Jin’s heat had hit.

“Do you remember Jimin telling you that our mothers were close during their younger years?”

“I do.” Seokjin acknowledges. “That was how he first introduced you to me.”

“Well, he was too excited to meet you that day that he forgot one little detail.” The prince waits for Namjoon to continue, watching as the alpha draws in a deep breath. “The woman your mother – the late Queen – knew and the woman I called as my mother were two completely different characters. My mother…the years changed her into someone unrecognizable. Until today, no one knows exactly what prompted this drastic, sudden change but as years went by she drifted farther and farther away from the sweet, caring mother I knew as a child. In the end, she…left. She had an affair, broke her mating bond with my father and left us.”

Seokjin gasped, leaping into a kneeling position by Namjoon’s side at the words broke her mating bond. He stared at the alpha, his mouth slightly gaping but no words escaping. A broken bond was such a horrible thing – a taboo. Seokjin’s heart hurts, but now the pain is less because of his physical situation and more because of the piercing sadness he feels for all the hurt Namjoon and his father must have experienced due to the woman’s actions.

“Bet that wasn’t what you were expecting, right?”

Seokjin grimaced. Of course it hadn’t been. “Namjoon…”

The alpha waved him off. “You don’t have to feel bad for me. Like you just said – it isn’t your fault. My mother was responsible for her own ing decisions.”

Seokjin has seen the faded mating mark on Namjoon’s father a couple of times but just like everyone else did, he too had assumed that Namjoon’s mother had passed. The late elder Kim had always worn a smile on his face, always tried to make others feel happy. Seokjin doesn’t ponder over how the elder alpha must have been truly feeling inside because even just thinking about it was making Jin’s eyes sting a little. He doesn’t want to cry right now, not in front of Namjoon. Because if he were to burst into tears right now Namjoon would surely put his own emotions aside and try to comfort him, and in other circumstances it wouldn’t be so bad to be comforted by the alpha but this moment was about Namjoon, about letting the alpha vent for a change without having to put up a strong, impenetrable font in front of others.

Despite Seokjin’s sudden movement their hands were still clasped and the alpha pulls him back to his side, both of them unaware of just how much closer together they were now sitting. The prince holds the blonde’s hand a bit tighter and Namjoon runs the pad of his thumb over the top of Seokjin’s hand. It calms the both of them.

“I was ten when she left us.” Namjoon draws in a deep breath, “Everyone back home used to stare at me and abeoji with so much pity in their eyes, saying how sorry they were that mother was so irresponsible and a horrible person. It made things worse – you can’t get over something like that, something so bad, when everyone’s eyes and words remind you of it every single day. But even then, it didn’t end there – she didn’t stay with the man she left my father for for very long before moving on to another and then another. Right now…I don’t even know if she’s dead or alive.

“Yoongi was there for me then, like a silent pillar of support that didn’t allow me to collapse no matter how much I wanted to. A ten year old isn’t exactly equipped for handling things like that, you know.”

Of course. No child should ever have to face something so traumatizing.

Seulgi’s words now finally make complete sense to the prince. Namjoon didn’t despise all omegas – he just had trouble with letting them into his life after what his mother had done in the past. The alpha’s harsh words were nothing but a defense mechanism to protect himself from any possible, impending hurt.

Seokjin startles a bit when Namjoon lets out a short laugh that tapers off into an amused chuckle, piquing the omega’s interest.

“We were the best of friends since the time we were young pups, Yoongi and I. Yoongi used to be so meek and quiet – the epitome of a traditional omega. He followed the rules without a word and always did as he was told by his family. The first time he ever talked back to them was the week after I presented as an alpha – they had prohibited us from spending any time alone with each other and cut off all contact between us since we were alpha and omega and it would have apparently damaged Yoongi’s reputation or something. He’d locked himself in his room for two whole days after that before managing to sneak out and come by my house. It continued like that for years – him sneaking into my place or me into his room. My father knew, of course, but he just let us do our own stuff. Yoongi’s family, on the other hand, were oblivious to the fact that their son wasn’t in his room most of the nights and on top of that was taking lessons meant for alphas alongside me.”

Seokjin tries to form a picture of a younger Yoongi and Namjoon, huddled over math and military art textbooks, It comes naturally – a picture of them bickering and arguing over a particular idea they had. It’s far more natural than the image of a shy Yoongi because the Pale King Seokjin’s had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with was anything but that – the omega king was determined, intelligent, outspoken, and resolute with a snarky sense of humor.

The prince’s heart clenches tightly at Namjoon’s next words, “We got engaged when he was seventeen and I, fifteen.”

Seokjin looks at him from the corner of his eye, caught completely off-guard. When he’d watched Namjoon collapse into fits of sobbing upon seeing Yoongi he’d realized that they must have some history between them, but apparently, his mind had never even conjured that the history in question might be of such nature. Beside him, Namjoon tugs at his hand to pull him even closer, his other hand coming up to hold their clasped ones. As the blonde begins to iterate the events leading up to their engagement, Seokjin can feel the alpha’s apprehension through their bond – Namjoon was unsure if telling the prince of his previous attachments to Yoongi would affect the fragile relationship between them that was only recently starting to heal and improve.

However, the alpha takes another deep breath and goes on to explain how at first, their engagement was just supposed to be a temporary ruse to stop Yoongi’s marriage to some dickhead, entitled alpha that the red head’s father was practically selling off his son to.

Yoongi had greatly rebelled against the marriage and as a result, the omega was constantly being punished for disobeying his father. Namjoon couldn’t just sit and watch his best friend suffer. It had been on a mere impulse to keep his best friend safe and happy when he’d paid an unannounced visit to the Min’s main manor and declared his intention of marrying Yoongi.

The omega had been surprised but hadn’t shown it until Namjoon and he had been alone. Yoongi had even contemplated on running away from home to escape the marriage without involving Namjoon but the alpha wouldn’t stand to lose his best friend that way.

Yoongi’s family had finally accepted the proposal only after Namjoon had asked his father for help and the late alpha Kim sat the Mins down for a lengthy discussion.

Seokjin listened to each and every word without interrupting the alpha’s flow lest Namjoon might stop. The prince held Namjoon’s hand in his throughout the narration – not that the alpha was about to let go of Seokjin’s hand any time soon anyway.

The alpha spoke of the several months that passed by after their engagement and how the relationship between the friends had begun changing minutely, bit by bit.

“We knew that we would have to mate on the night of our marriage if we wanted Yoongi’s father to take the marriage seriously. If we didn’t mate then there was nothing stopping the man from dissolving the marriage and giving Yoongi away to that other alpha.

“After what happened with my mother, both Yoongi and I knew fully well that I wouldn’t be able to stand to break the bond if we ever mated – even if all of it was just a ruse to keep Yoongi from being sent away. But I also hated the idea of Yoongi having to spend his whole life with someone he didn’t love. I mean yes, we loved each other very much already, but it was a platonic friendship kind of love. I had already mostly given up on the idea of love by then but I didn’t want Yoongi to end up the same way.

“So I asked for his permission to court him.”

Seokjin knew what kind of person Yoongi was; someone easy to love and admire. Falling for someone like that would’ve been almost effortless if one would give it a chance and Namjoon confirms Seokjin’s opinions.

The alpha tells him how he slowly started growing attached to Yoongi in a romantic way despite Yoongi only ever seeing him as his best friend. He also tells him how the two would argue over Namjoon’s decision, how Yoongi would constantly plead with him to break off the engagement between them – that he would find a different way for them both to be free. Yoongi couldn’t stand the way Namjoon’s slowly growing feelings were starting to wear the alpha down.

“Why would he think that?” Seokjin asks when Namjoon gives a pause to breathe and collect himself. “I understand that Yoongi wasn’t exactly in favor of the whole engagement thing but he wasn’t against being with you either right? And you were beginning to develop real romantic feelings for each other, so why would he think it was hurting you in any way?”

Namjoon’s eyes graze over Seokjin’s features as the alpha leans in and cups the side of Seokjin’s face.

“Because of you.” The alpha states firmly.

“M-me?” The prince felt pinned by the serious look in Namjoon’s eyes. The stare made it harder to breath

“Yes, you.” Namjoon reaffirms. “Having feelings for Yoongi hurt. Because whenever I would find myself alone I would think about you: I wonder how prince Seokjin is today? Were the court advisors still giving him trouble? Wonder what he looks like now, all grown up…. I wanted to see you at least once before having to marry Yoongi. That was when I realized that my childish fondness probably wasn’t simple infatuation and apparently Yoongi had noticed it all along, which gave him all the more reason to be against us getting married and mated.

“And years later - after Yoongi’s supposed death - when I had finally laid eyes on you and smelled your scent; when I heard the sound of your voice as you firmly stood up for all your fellow omegas… I just knew you were different from the likes of the woman I had called my mother – the circumstances made you powerless but you were still dignified and never lost your voice and opinions, never fell prey to the cliché stupid rules of society. You – wait…why are crying?” Namjoon’s other hand also came up to hold the prince’s face as he gently wiped away the tears Seokjin didn’t even realize were rolling down his cheeks.

“I do-don’t know!” Seokjin whined, his voice cracking with raw emotion. Honestly, he truly didn’t know or understand the reason for his sudden outburst. He just felt like he wanted to curl up somewhere warm and safe.

The prince squeaks when Namjoon’s strong hand curls around his waist and the alpha lifts him up only to place Jin in his lap. The position is so intimate that Seokjin might have blushed but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway because his face was already blotched red from crying.

Their chests pressed closer together as Namjoon hugged him with everything he had and Seokjin indeed felt that warmth and serenity he was currently craving.

Seokjin could only burrow his face into Namjoon’s neck as the alpha comforted him and placed loving kisses to the crown of Jin’s head.

At the back of his mind, Seokjin was still in a dilemma as to whether these emotions were his own or his wolf’s. But the prince also knew that he wanted this forever.

He wanted the feeling of being safe in Namjoon’s arms, enveloped by the alpha’s warmth and surrounded by his scent with soft, reassuring words being whispered into his ear.

He wanted Namjoon, in every sense of the word.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

The vast barren planes of rotting soil and plants seemed to last forever. The first glimpse of even more dying land apart from that one swampy patch outside Yule’s city walls was definitely nothing they had expected to see on their way to the border. The forest had just parted one moment and there it was – an abandoned terrain permeated with the foul stench of death.

They ended up shifting into their human form because the poisoned soil stung and burned the soft pads of their legs in wolf form while the human shoes offered at least a semblance of protection to their feet, seeing as they were made from a tough leather material.

“I still don’t understand how the prophecy is of any importance. Judging from all this devastation,” the prince gestures around them, “the Fae King is dying anyway. So even if – as the prophecy dictates – we do somehow manage to kill their king, it would just mean that he s dying a couple years earlier than he was originally meant to. So the question is - why? Why does he choose to take so many lives in return for a mere few years of his own; he is going to die anyway.”

“Things are never as simple as that, Jin.” Namjoon states, swatting at the flies that just keep buzzing around them, attracted by the murky waters of the swamp and the sweet stench of rot. “There must be more. We don’t even know what the full prophecy is.” 

“Yeah…you’re right.”

The only way they had of knowing the original prophecy was if they could find the Royal seer’s apprentice.

Seokjin hears the Claw first, before he actually sees the creature soar in the sky above them. The falcon is close and that meant Hoseok and their entourage were close as well. He hoped Yoongi was faring well along the journey - that his condition hadn’t worsened, at least.

When the river that separates the Lands of Fey and Lupus finally comes into view, Seokjin can’t help but gasp in amazement at the sight before him.

After his visit to Aelia, he had believed he wouldn’t see a place more beautiful than Namjoon’s hometown. But Seokjin had been proved wrong the day he set his eyes on the city of Yule and Yoongi’s castle. Now, once again, he is speechless as he gazes along the river bank and then across the body of water, towards the opposite shore.

It’s such a startling juxtaposition to the blackened land behind them which makes it all the more lovely on the eyes.

Soft golden sand gives way to colorful pebbles, softened and shaped at the hands of the river and time. The water is pure, providing a mesmerizing view of the river bed and the collection of corals and water-plants that thrived beneath the water. An assortment of different species of fish and other creatures dart abpout in the water – all sleekness and shiny scales.

Despite the crystal clear waters, the river is tinged a little green as it reflects the color of the lotus and water-lily pods that float atop the surface.

Unlike their side, the other shore is full of greenery and vibrantly colored flowering plants; the chirping of birds was so lively compared to the lifeless stillness of the barren lands at their back.

“Beautiful”

“It is, isn’t it?” Seokjin nods his head in agreement.

The alpha, however, hadn’t been commenting on the nature. What had Namjoon transfixed was the sparkles in Seokjin’s eyes, the way the omega’s lips were a little parted on a mesmerized ‘oh’, the softness of his profile as Jin gazed in front of him, oblivious to Namjoon’s eyes on him. But the bond between them meant that it was impossible for Seokjin to remain oblivious for long and as a sudden warmth flooded his chest, the prince realized the current subject of Namjoon’s admiration was himself and not the nature.

The prince’s mouth snaps shut and he bites his lip, trying his best not to appear flustered even if he knew Namjoon could feel it. His emotions and feelings towards the alpha are still a conundrum to him – he knows now for sure, that not all of it is his inner omega’s affection but the realization of the true extent of his own feelings is still rather new and definitely a little scary.

“I’m guessing we’ll have to take that across the river.” Jin says, indicating the small wooden row-boat that was tied to a peg embedded in the sand.

“Mhm…we should get going. The sun is starting to set and it would be a lot more difficult searching for Taehyung’s hideout in the dark, especially in Fae territory.” The alpha replies; the tension that had somehow started to build between them in the short silence sizzles, doesn’t seem to go away completely even as they settle into the boat and Namjoon starts rowing, completely ignoring the prince when Seokjin demands to be given one of the oars so he could help.

Jin sighs and sits back. He turns sideways and tilts his head to look at the opposite shore, watching the drooping branches of the huge but elegant willows sway with the wind. He thinks he can see a few people sneak between the trees and hopes it’s just some friendly fruit fairies and nymphs. He wouldn’t want an encounter with any of the Royal knights in his currently weakened state.

It’s not long before he finds his gaze unknowingly flit towards Namjoon. The alpha’s sleeves are rolled up as he rows and the prince studies the spidery veins of his hands and forearms, eyes travelling up his arms, over a thick strong neck and at last the alpha’s handsome face.

The shape of Namjoon’s face is endearing but the sharp jaw-line gives him a fierce look. Jin remembers that the heart shape of the alpha’s face was one of the first things he’d noticed about the other during their first encounter.

Namjoon’s lips look both soft and firm at the same time and Seokjin briefly wonders how it would feel to kiss the alpha. He shakes his head, taken aback by his thoughts. It’s like his mind and heart had given him a huge green signal in regards to Namjoon the moment all his misunderstandings and doubts regarding the alpha had been satisfactorily addressed and now Jin’s instincts were working overtime to try and compensate for all the lost time between them by prompting sudden bouts of longing and lust.

He watches Namjoon’s tongue dart out to wet his lips and feels a blush creep up his neck and face when he lifts his eyes and finds Namjoon watching him. Seokjin hastily averts his gaze and tries to concentrate on their current task by recollecting and going over all of Jimin’s directions on how to find Taehyung. But his mind still conjures up memories of the alpha taking care of him on their journey from Mircea, of facing fae knights and rogue wolves, and of strong arms holding him close when they woke up huddled together in bed.

The boat docks and unsurprisingly, Namjoon helps him get down first.

The air smells sweet and nectary, winter seemingly having no influence over the climate here. Seokjin feels the raw, vibrant energy emanating from every living thing around them – everything possessed a bit of magic in it.

“I can see the hills from here. It’s not too far.” Namjoon says as he slowly starts to head in the direction of said hills.

“Hope Jimin’s description is good enough for us to be ale to find the cave entrance. The others are not that far behind.” Jin muses, looking at the sky to see Claw make a few rounds above them and then fly away in the direction of its master.

“We should ask this Taehyung if there is any other way across.” The blonde eyes the river apprehensively. “It’s going to be difficult to maneuver an unconscious Yoongi to the boat.

Seokjin hums in agreement and follows after the alpha.

 

 

 

***

 

 

Finding Taehyung’s hideout proved to be the easiest quest ever.

It’s not that the cave was badly hidden – it would have been impossible to find if it were only Namjoon and Seokjin and their combined minds trying to figure out the location. But Jimin seems to have memorized the layout of the place by heart, the placement of every boulder, of every strangely shaped tree and every mark made by hand. Jimin’s directions were so precise that they managed to find the cave mere minutes after reaching the lush green hills.

The entrance was a narrow opening among a cluster of boulders and rocks, the mouth of the cave covered with an overgrowth of bush and vines. Namjoon pulled the vines aside and entered, darkness enveloping the alpha. Seokjin didn’t dawdle, conscious of the curious and inquisitive eyes of the forest fae. Taehyung’s hideout would no longer remain unknown to others after this and the prince felt bad about compromising the hybrid’s safe haven.

“Be careful, there are stairs.” The alpha’s voice came from somewhere I front of him just as Jin stepped into the cave.

“Are we going downwards?”

“Yeah, they lead deeper into the earth.”

Seokjin gave an acknowledging hum as he stood still for a moment, waiting as his eyes adjusted to the dark. He hoped there were torches or at least candles further down, because not even wolf vision seemed to fare well in such an all-encompassing darkness.

With one hand against the wall, he slowly descended the steps, feeling Namjoon’s presence nearby. The elder would occasionally call back to him to make sure he was okay and Seokjin found it hard not to smile. In all the weeks since Seokjin lost his home and spent his days by Namjoon’s side he’s come to know many different sides to the blonde, but among everything else what endeared him most was how gentle of an alpha Namjoon actually was despite all the physical strength.

He almost fell forward on reaching the bottom of the stairs but thankfully Namjoon had been waiting and steadied Jin with warm hands on the omega’s shoulders.

“I wonder if Taehyung has better eyesight than normal shifters. How can there not be even a single torch along the way!”

Namjoon laughs softly, but even that seems to resound eerily inside the sort of room they were apparently in right now. It reminded the prince of the secret room he used to study in back in Mircea.

“There should be some flint or something else we can start a fire with around here. Where is the kid though?”

“Yah! He’s seventeen. Jungkook is eighteen and he’s mated already and don’t forget – you were already engaged at fifteen. I don’t think he will take kindly to-“

“JIN, DUCK!!”

Seokjin does, his words lost to the darkness as he feels a sword stab the air where his chest would have been moments earlier. It’s only as his legs give and he falls back on his does he realize two things.

Namjoon had used the alpha voice on him without permission.

Namjoon had used the alpha voice on him to save his life.

He feels more than he sees as Namjoon jumps between him and the other presence in the cave, swords clashing even in the darkness. Seokjin scrambles backwards until his back hits a wall and he uses it as leverage to stand up, wondering how they could parry each other’s strikes with such precision even while deprived of proper vision.

Namjoon’s scent fills the room, a strong musk of aggression mixing in with the soft breezy undertones.

“What the heck, how did they manage to sneak up on us?!” Seokjin curses, hears the clang of swords against one another and springs into action. He doesn’t have a weapon himself but there is a lot of stuff around so he just decides to wing it and throw anything he could find at the enemy.

“Having magic and no scent comes in handy for sneaky bastards like you, doesn’t it?” Namjoon’s deep voice echoes, breathy from how fast the alpha is moving around.

“How dare you come to our Lands and try to demean us, filthy wolves!” the fae knight calls back – a male, judging by the voice.

“Don’t be so dramatic!” Seokjin calls back, throwing a couple of fist-sized pots he’d found at the fae. He hears a pained grunt and smirks to himself, searching for something else to throw besides what is, clearly, stems of dried herbs. “You are the ones who are attacking our homes!”

“Ah, !” Namjoon cries, barely stumbling back in time as a sudden burst of light fills the cave. The body of the fae catches fire and the knight writhes and screams in agony as he runs around the cave, not giving either of the two shifters even a chance to see the fae’s face. A couple sparks separate from the burning silhouette and fly through the air, three torches affixed to the walls lighting up in a low flame and illuminating the cave and its occupants.

“You shouldn’t try to kill my guests in my own home while I’m away!” A deep voice calls from the stairs and Seokjin looks to see a robed figure with flames dancing on his palms, slowly dying out as the fae knight’s screams fade and the burned body crumples into ash.

The prince’s breath gets caught up in his throat as he catches a glimpse of blue eyes from under the hood – a piercing icy blue that he was coming to associate with bad things happening.

Namjoon recovers from the sudden shock and the appearance of another stranger much faster than Seokjin.

“Who are you?”

A deep, amused chuckle comes from under the hood as the male descends the remaining few stairs and stops a paces in front of Seokjin and the alpha. That’s when the hood falls back to reveal a face that is both strange and familiar to Seokjin. He’s seen the young boy before – just not in real life.

Those large, startling blue eyes and sharp features; the golden skin and boxy smile. The boy is the kid from his dream – the one who’d been sitting beside Jimin. The combination of slightly pointed elven ears and the scent of a wolf further give the hybrid away.

“You are Taehyung, aren’t you?” Seokjin says, just to confirm even though he pretty much knows he’s right.

Taehyung smiles and bows a little. “A pleasure to finally meet you, Your Highness.” He then stands upright and turns towards the alpha, inclining his head in a greeting. “And you must be Sir Kim…Namjoon, is it?”

“I am Namjoon, yes.” The blonde acknowledges, now calmer since he’d established that Taehyung wasn’t an impending threat.

“I don’t see Jiminie, though?” Taehyung looks around the small space of the room, a little excited. “Is he somewhere outside?”

“Actually, we’ve come on his behalf.” Jin says and Taehyung’s head whips around towards him, the playfulness no longer in his eyes as they narrow at the prince.

“Don’t t-tell me some-something happened to him…?” the youngest of the group asks in an uncertain tone and Seokjin quickly shakes his head to reassure the other.

“No!” Jin exclaims, “Well, something did happen but Jimin’s okay. He’s healing and that’s why he couldn’t make it here so soon. The problem is…Yoongi. He’s been poisoned. He’s dying and Jimin says if anyone would be able to heal him - it’s you.” He clarifies, pulling out a piece of folded parchment that Jimin had given him and handing it to the hybrid.

Taehyung takes the paper without hesitation, unfolds it quickly and skims over the contents, brows furrowing slightly.

“How long do we have to gather all this?”

“They are just behind us. Probably would take them until tomorrow evening to reach the river.” Namjoon supplies.

Taehyung thinks for a few minutes and then Seokjin can see the hybrid nod to himself. “First things first then – we need to build a bridge. Moving Yoongi around too much would just worsen the internal damage.”

“A bridge?” The prince is taken aback, and so is Namjoon, judging from his confused expression. “How are we supposed to build a bridge that long in a day?” he asks incredulously. Was Taehyung just pulling his leg or was the hybrid actually serious?

“Yes, Your Highness – a bridge.” Taehyung grins at him. “It’s much less of a chore that you might think it is because you see…” the boy holds out his hands in front of him, palms up. “I don’t just control fire as you’ve seen earlier. I control all of the elements.”

At that moment, the nature responds to Taehyung’s summons – the torches on the walls burn brighter, the water in the pitcher levitates into the air, a sudden gust of wind rushes into the cave from outside bringing the smell of freshly bloomed flowers with it. The ground shakes a little as tiny sprouts and roots erupt from beneath the soil and then molten metal seeps in through the cracks like magma and burns those saplings to ashes.

And then everything goes back to how it was just moments prior – the fire dies down, the water splashes onto the dirt, the molten metal cools and hardens and the air stills with the absence of wind.

Seokjin and Namjoon stand transfixed, a bit stupefied by what they had just born witness to. If Jimin had known of the full extent of Taehyung’s power then he’d done a marvelous job of keeping it all under wraps.

If Taehyung was one of the three omegas of the prophecy then Seokjin wonders just what kind of role the unbelievably gifted and powerful hybrid would play.

“Well, come on then.” Taehyung is still grinning, clearly amused by their astounded reactions. “We’ll need to make haste if we are to be ready by the time Jiminie gets here with the Pale King.”

And who are Namjoon and Seokjin to say no to a being that had such power at his whims?

 

***