“We are going to be fine, Taehyungie.” Jimin sits down beside him and wraps an arm around Tae’s waist, pulling him closer to his side. Tae leans his head on Jimin’s shoulder and continues observing all the people running around.

“With the size of the Royal army that’s coming for us, Jimin, it is not realistically possible for everyone to be fine at the end of it all.”

“There is nothing we can do but try our best, though.” Jimin says soothingly. The alpha had been Tae’s pillar of support and singular source of comfort for years now and a small part of Taehyung regrets not telling Jimin everything about himself.

The alpha had been a little grouchy about it but after a day had passed everything between them had gone back to normal. It’s just another thing he loves about Jimin – he never hates, never holds grudges, only ever tries his best to spread love and healing. He thinks that Jimin’s too innocent for this world, honestly.

Taehyung buries his nose in Jimin’s neck, the cold tip brushing against the blonde alpha’s scent gland, making Jimin’s breath hitch, his hold around Taehyung’s waist tighten.

Tae inhales the alpha’s scent deep, relishing in it. A little more daring, he angles his head and his tongue darts out, swiping a wet line over the gland. He just nuzzles deeper into Jimin’s neck when he feels a low, warning growl building in the alpha’s throat.

Jimin stands so suddenly that Taehyung almost falls. But Jimin would never let Tae fall. He pulls the younger up, grip a little stronger than Tae is usually used to.

“Come with me…” Jimin says and though his tone is tentative, his eyes hold something that makes Taehyung’s heart beat faster. It’s rare for Jimin to give in to his alpha and Tae always gets excited when it happens. He loves this side of the blonde. He loves everything about Jimin, but this side of him is a little special in Taehyung’s heart because it’s so rare to be able to witness it.

Tae has lived in these hills for most of his life, and though Jimin hasn’t spent nearly as much time here as Tae did, they both knew this place like the backs of their hands.

They stumble through the throngs of people mulling about. He knows they are on the brink of a war with a very powerful enemy, but he is also sure that he would never give up a single moment with Jimin, no matter how stupid it might all seem – chasing kisses and body warmth when one should be getting ready to fight and fend for their life and countless others’.

When they reach the small, hidden cave, far enough from the other shifters that now took up residence in Taehyung’s home, Jimin is on him in the blink of an eye.

The alpha cages him against the wall, musky scent filling tae’s nostrils, making his normally dormant omega scratch at the surface, demanding more, craving more, because like Taehyung, his omega also knows that it might take many more months of teasing for the alpha to crack and give in to his desires again. Taehyung knows it isn’t fair to Jimin, teasing and testing the limits of the alpha’s self control and patience when Jimin only has his safety and best interests in mind. But he can’t help it, he loves moments like this one too much.

Jimin attacks his lips, biting and nipping and kissing hotly and Taehyung responds with fervor, relishing in the feel of hard muscle as Jimin’s whole body is pressed up against his own, pushing him back into the rough stone of the cave.

His hands tangle in Jimin’s sun-bleached locks, tugging him closer and closer even though there’s no space between them already. Jimin disconnects their lips and tugs Tae’s robes off of one shoulder, exposing smooth, beautifully tan skin. His legs tremble and feel boneless as Jimin dips his head and the alpha’s teeth graze his scent gland.

“J-Jimin~” he whimpers. He tries not to move because he knows the alpha won’t go further than a few desperate kisses but Taehyung’s hips still buck up, providing a moment of delicious friction. As expected, Jimin freezes, fingers digging sharply into Taehyung’s skin as the alpha tries to calm his racing heart and growing arousal.

“Taehyungie…you know we-“

“I know.” Taehyung cuts him off softly. “I know you want to wait, for me to be sure about this.” He continues, placing a lingering peck on the alpha’s jaw – so unlike their messy kissing earlier – “But Jiminie, I’ve never been surer about anything in my life than I am about this –us.”

Jimin growls softly, his wolf pleased with the admission. However, as always, Jimin is just too ing good at controlling his wolf and after a few more open-mouthed kisses down the line of Taehyung’s shoulder the alpha just buries his nose in his neck and hugs him tight. Tae sighs, just a tiny bit disappointed, but he still hugs him back, arms winding around Jimin’s body.

“I love you so much, Tae.” Jimin whispers into his neck and Taehyung’s pout melts into a soft smile.

“I love you, my softie alpha.”

Jimin scoffs at the remark but doesn’t move from his position. They stay like that, relishing in each other’s warmth, until they hear Seokjin’s voice in the distance, calling out their names.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

“I’m surprised they haven’t attacked yet.” Yoongi drawls, “Given their nature, one would assume they wouldn’t follow the rules of war.”

“Well, it works in our favor so I’m not going to question it.” Seokjin whispers from his position.

Taehyung sighs. “They aren’t attacking because they are mocking us.” He says, “That’s not even half of their army. They know they outnumber us greatly and will be the victors.”

“We will see about that.” Seokjin says tersely. He’s been a little on edge since Claw returned with another message from Soobin and Jungkook, reporting the casualty count in the first attack on Yule.

Personally, Taehyung feels Jungkook and Soobin must be well proficient in strategy since they managed to withstand the Fey army. But Jungkook was Seokjin’s little brother and it was only reasonable for him to be worried even if they did manage to successfully fend off the Royals for now.

Everyone was anxious, even a few of the shifters who Hoseok had assigned to lead separate units as per their plan seemed to be all over the place since they got their first look at the Royal army. Seokjin, in contrast, seemed scarily calm and collected in all matters except those pertaining to his brother.

“We should go back now.” Namjoon says from behind them – their for this scouting session. The alphas had refused to send the three of them alone despite knowing that they were more than capable of protecting themselves. Seeing them being over-protective was cute but it was a tad bit too much. “They might not attack us as a whole but nothing is stopping them from going after you three since their King is out to kill you. Especially you, Taehyung.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have told everybody.” He mumbles.

“Agreed.” Yoongi chimes in, “Telling Seokjin and me would’ve been enough.”

“And what? The three of you would form a three-man army and march on the Royals?” Namjoon raises a brow, narrows his eyes when Jin responds with a “I like the sound of that.”

The alpha pulls Jin back by the collar and with a resigned huff and a last look at the vast expanse of dead land with the Royal army camped out on the far side, he turns to follow the alpha. Yoongi and Taehyung trail after the pair.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

He’s helping Jimin with arranging and cataloging all the herbs that would be used for treating injuries later on when Seokjin approaches him.

“Can I have a word, Tae?” he requests, avoiding Jimin’s inquisitive gaze. Taehyung sees Yoongi watching the interaction from the shadows and immediately senses that the two omegas are likely planning something without the alphas’ knowledge.

“Sure. I’ll be right there.” He replies and Seokjin walks away, joining Yoongi just as Taehyung had expected. He puts down the small journal he’d been using to note down things for Jimin and pecks the alpha on the cheek. “Be right back…?” he says sweetly, ending on a question when he notices the suspicious look Jimin’s eyeing him with. Geez, it was pretty hard to act nonchalant and casual around someone who knows you so well.

“Just make sure to not go too far on your own.” The alpha says, eyes drifting toward where Yoongi and Seokjin now stand together. “The Fey have been quiet for now – don’t provoke them.”

“Whatever you say, alpha” Taehyung replies and sprints away before Jimin can reply.

When they see him coming towards them, Seokjin and Yoongi turn towards the stone staircase, gesturing for Tae to follow.

“So, what is it?” he enquires when he catches up with them.

Yoongi shushes him. “Hold your horses until we get a bit further away. Don’t want anyone to overhear and tattle on us.”

“Ah…nice.” Taehyung grins. “Here I was, afraid that you two would actually listen to them and not do anything until tomorrow.”

“Wouldn’t that be awfully boring?” Jin chuckles.

“So, what is it?” he tries again when the other two omegas seem like they are finally satisfied with how far away they were from any prying eyes and ears.

The older two exchange a conspiratorial look before Seokjin asks, “Have you ever tried going back there? The Royal library?”

“Like…you mean teleporting?” the two nod. Taehyung scratches the back of his head. “I did – once. But as you know, I can’t really control most of the elements that well, especially teleportation magic. I tried going back a few days after the first time but instead I just got teleported to the nearest entrance.”

“Entrance to the Fey Kingdom?” Yoongi asks, “Like the fabled one that’s underground?”

“Uhuh.” Yoongi and Seokjin exchange another look and Taehyung feels like he knows exactly where this conversation is going. “You…want me to try and teleport us there, don’t you?”

“If possible, yes.” Yoongi confirms.

Taehyung thinks it over. When he’d first teleported near the King’s throne room, he’d been lucky. His magic had been too suppressed and faint for the faeries to notice. But if he did so right now they would surely be discovered within a few minutes. He conveys the same thoughts to the elder omegas and they sigh in defeat.

“What would we have done anyway? Assuming we could’ve actually teleported there?”

Yoongi shrugs. “Don’t know. Search the library for any manuscripts on how to kill the bloody Fey King?”

“Or for any records of the prophecy.” Seokjin adds, “Would be nice to know the full thing, even if it seems to be useless right now when the armies are marching tomorrow. “

In the end, the three go off on their own, mulling over things and trying to come up with another reckless plan.

Deep in the night, Taehyung sneaks away from the main cave and the safety of Jimin’s arms, wandering into the forest. He sits cross-legged on the ground, snow scrunching below him and tries to teleport.

It’s almost dawn when a huge boxy smile overtakes his features.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Taehyung can’t help but chuckle at how disoriented and shaky Yoongi and Seokjin look as the magic spits the three of them out.

It’s not the throne room or the Royal library but Taehyung is still proud that he was able to teleport them here – to one of the entrances to the Fey Realms; a new one he supposes, since he hadn’t previously known of its existence despite the proximity to his home. The new entrance must be how the Fey army had gotten there so quick without any of them noticing until the numbers were already too huge for them to attack without a perfect strategy.

“I’m never doing that again!” Yoongi grits out through clenched teeth, leaning against Jin’s side who seems to be handling it marginally better than the eldest.

Taehyung himself feels a little lightheaded but it’s nothing he can’t handle. “We should get going.” He says, heading towards the entrance – a swirling pool of magic that is barely visible to the eye unless one is looking for it.

“Let’s pray to Luna that no one is waiting on the other side.” Seokjin says, reaching for Taehyung’s hand.

“That would . For them – once Hobi finds out they tried to capture me.” Yoongi quips, a smirk playing at his lips as he holds onto Seokjin’s other hand.

Seokjin and Taehyung laugh lightly but it hardly does anything to dissolve the tense air around them. “You say you won’t ever use a portal again but the entrance is also a portal.” Tae reminds Yoongi offhandedly.

They take a deep breath and Taehyung steps forward. The magic entrance does the rest, the portal pulling him in– and by extension Jin and Yoongi – like gravity, their bodies feeling weightless, minds a swirling mess of mush for a couple of seconds until they land on unsteady legs and collapse in a tangle of limbs.

Taehyung blinks, eyelids fluttering open onto a view that is both familiar and not alike.

Vines and glowing mushrooms cover the walls and floor of the cave they are in and he hears Jin in a breath.

“Holy Luna, it’s pretty.” Jin whispers and Yoongi hums in agreement.

“Well, let me warn you that the mushrooms are poisonous.” He says and cackles at Seokjin’s pale face as the omega withdraws his hand from where he’d been about to touch one of the glowing fungi. His laughter dies down quickly though when he notices Yoongi’s expression and remembers that the eldest omega had almost dies just a few days ago – due to poison.

“Was it made from these?” Yoongi questions, eyeing the mushrooms warily; He is obviously referring to the poison that had been mixed in with his wine at the banquet in Yule castle.

“No,” he shakes his head. “That was a much stronger poison. These mushrooms would put you to sleep for a day at most, two if one has particularly low resistance.” Yoongi nods but Taehyung still notices how the eldest avoids even the tiniest contact with the fungi as they head down the tunnel.

“Namjoon is going to be so mad when he wakes up.” Jin casually says sometime later. The end of the tunnel is still out of sight, the single underground path winding and curling but not ending.

“Awee…” Taehyung pouts, “I can’t believe I’m missing a chance to see an angry Jimin.” He says and rolls his eyes when the two look at him a little weird. “What? Jimin’s hot when he’s angry.”

Seokjin is about to say something but stumbles to a stop and squints. “Just perfect!” he cries. As Taehyung focuses on the air in front of them he can barely make out a five-way fork in the tunnel a few feet ahead.

“Now which way?” Yoongi asks, annoyed, when they get to the fork. The eldest paces from one tunnel to the next, peeking into the cave entrances with a thoughtful look on his face. Yoongi turns to face them, mouth parting as though he’s about to say something but the omega pauses, his lips parted as he stares at something behind Taehyung. The youngest stumbles backward when he looks behind and sees Seokjin, eyes vacant and blue. “J-Jin? Is something wrong?” the whispered words are incredibly loud in the eerily quiet tunnels and Seokjin’s eyes remain distant, the omega unresponsive.

Yoongi looks at Taehyung with a question in his eyes and the youngest shakes his head, clueless.

“Jin, wait!” the eldest whisper-shouts when Seokjin starts moving, slowly walking forward with a hand against the cave wall, small steps leading him down one of the forks in the tunnel. A possibility strikes Taehyung then and he pulls Yoongi back just as the red-haired was about to touch Seokjin’s shoulder.

“He’s having a…a vision.” He tells Yoongi. The other looks at him wide-eyed and then turns to study Seokjin who’s still moving ahead, not waiting for them.

“Right now?” Yoongi asks.

“Um, being inside the Fey domain must be amplifying the faerie blood in his veins. Assuming that our deduction of the Kim Royal line being descendants of Fey hybrids is correct.”

“So we follow him?”

“Yes, for now we follow Jin.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Taehyung sees the exact moment Seokjin comes to his senses.

The elder omega blinks and stumbles when he realizes he’s not at the same place as he was when his supposed vision started. He can see Seokjin let out a breath of relief when he notices that both Taehyung and Yoongi are with him.

“Okay…what just happened?” he asks, voice breathy and posture on-guard.

“That’s what we want to know, Jin.” Yoongi quips unhelpfully.

“You had a vision of sorts…  I think?” Tae says, phrasing it like a question because he’s not sure.

Jin considers it. His eyes flit back and forth, scanning the area they were in and then he nods, slowly. “Yeah…I think I had a vision. , I had a vision! Holy Luna!”

Yoongi snorts. “Are you seriously using Luna’s name in the same sentence as a cuss word?”

“Those were separate sentences though.” he says.

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” Seokjin supplies with a shrug. “Now, can someone please tell me - where the heck are we?”

“You tell us.” Yoongi mumbles. “You are the one who brought us here.”

Taehyung feels a bit amused at how snarky the normally serious and diplomatic Yoongi gets when he’s tensed. He does a three-sixty in place, scanning the tunnel for anything he might’ve missed. There’s nothing though, apart from more glowing mushrooms. The straight tunnel stops a bit in front of them, curving towards the right, the stone of the sharp turn obscuring their vision of whatever is further up ahead.

He steps up to Seokjin and places a hand on his arm, drawing the elder’s attention. “Can you remember anything from your vision? “ Seokjin shakes his head.

“It wasn’t like the previous ones I had.” Jin explains, head tilted towards the ceiling as he thinks. He closes his eyes. “At first…I heard crying and screaming. Then suddenly there was nothing – just this weird pull that was calling me, beckoning me to come after it. I don’t even recall moving my feet to get here.”

“Okay. Let us ju-“ A sharp noise interrupts him, making them all flinch a bit. Yoongi, as the eldest and always protective despite his own streak for rebelliousness, moves to stand in front of Taehyung and Seokjin.

“Tell me you heard that.” The red-haired king says.

“I heard that.” He and Seokjin reply in unison.

Seokjin in a breath. “Dungeons.” He says, “It’s like something or someone is hitting the bars. The secret passageway I had to take to reach the training grounds was just behind the castle dungeons and I would always hear this type of noise.”

In front of Taehyung, Yoongi’s whole body goes stiff, teeth clenched, eyes shut.

The red-haired trembles slightly, almost invisible in the faint light coming from the glowing mushrooms.

It’s like Yoongi relives his several weeks in captivity in the few moments his eyes stay closed.

The eldest jumps slightly in surprise when Seokjin envelopes him in a hug. “Shhh…we are here with you now. No one is going to put you in a cage ever again.”

Yoongi stays like that for only another moment before nodding and moving back. He straightens his back, expression holding a hint of anger. “I hate dungeons.” He says on an exhale, “Even back in Yule it’s always either Hobi or Soobin who take care of the prisoners.”

They wait a bit more for Yoongi to calm down completely and after a glance at each other, they round the corner of the tunnel.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

They should have expected it, in all honesty. But Seokjin and Taehyung were more worried about Yoongi’s mental state than the fact that they were now in enemy territory.

That is why they were late to notice the fey knights.

There were four of them, clad in light armor and having skin of various tints.

Unlike Seokjin and Taehyung, the fey were on alert and saw the intruders immediately, surging forward to attack. Taehyung, having little to almost non-existent experience in combat and none in handling surprise attacks, panicked and fumbled. Seokjin too, could not draw his sword in time.

Thankfully, Yoongi had been vigilant.

A cry of pain pierces the air as the red-headed king slashes the first fey knight across the chest, the gash deep and oozing shimmery blood as the knight collapses onto his knees.

Yoongi drives his sharp claws into the knight’s neck, severing the head. It falls to the ground, blood pooling around the body as it too strikes the floor of the cave.

The other knights are startled for moment, maybe surprised to see how efficiently and swiftly an omega had disposed of one of their friends, or more likely at the fact that there was a wolf in partial shift standing before them, fierce and eyes blazing.

The brief moment of delay in the fey knights’ response also gives enough time for Taehyung to collect himself and for Seokjin to finally draw his sword.

There are voices coming from up ahead now - cries for help, the prisoners shouting and banging against the bars of their cells.

Seokjin and Yoongi attack while Taehyung tries to restrain the guards with the help of vines. However, one of the knights is apparently a fire elemental and burns through the restraints, rendering them useless. Fortunately, the knight seems vary to use more of his magic in a tight space such as this where he could easily cause harm to his own men. The hesitation gives the three omegas an immense advantage.

Taehyung ducks and dodges swords and Yoongi’s claws as he tries to get closer to one of the other knights. He smiles, making a mental note to thank Jimin for his self defense lessons once they get back to camp.

He sidesteps as his target reaches out to grab him and instead wraps his arms around the fae’s neck, holding the guard in a chokehold.

At various stages of his life, Taehyung had gained some level of control over all the elemental types of magic that faeries have been known to possess. The power he has over the different elements varies according to the time he’s possessed them and the experience he’s gotten from actually using them. But there were three elements he considered himself to be an expert in – water, fire and flora.

As he holds the man in place, he wills fire to manifest on his skin. It doesn’t harm Taehyung, only feeling like a warm blanket, but the knight in his hold screams in agony as his skin chars black and hair catches fire, as even his armor starts to melt a little from the searing heat. Meanwhile, Taehyung enjoys watching his friends in action.

Seokjin might be exceptional with a bow, but he’s no master with a sword. However, he’s been practicing diligently with Namjoon during their free time and has gotten incredibly good even though he’s only started training fairly recently. He was clearly a very fast learner.

He parries a heavy strike from a knight twice his size and height, holds the position for a bit, making the knight apply more force and then suddenly pulls back and dodges side-ways. The knight stumbles forward from the force of his own sword and Jin uses the chance to slice a wide cut across the fae’s back, making the larger fae hiss.

Yoongi seems to be having a little fun himself as he taunts his opponent, making snarky and rude remarks.

Taehyung chuckles. “Leave the poor soul some of his dignity, Yoongi.” He calls and the red-head snorts in reply before diving in for another attack. The body in his own arms slumps against him lifelessly and Taehyung drops the charred fae to the ground, grimacing at the sight.  

Taehyung turns Yoongi’s opponent’s distraction to his benefit. He concentrates on the vines in the cave and wills them to move, making them wrap around the fire-wielder’s ankles and arms. Yoongi clicks his tongue unappreciatively at the help but Taehyung stands his ground as the redhead goes in for the kill – normally, Taehyung could stand there and watch his friends toy with the fey knights forever but the sooner they got this over with, the better. After all, they had a whole war for them to fight in today.

He lets the vines unwrap when the knight’s eyes turn empty and a croak from behind prompts him to turn around, just in time to see Seokjin drive his sword through the last knight’s heart.

Maybe it was their luck that only one of the four knights had been an elemental, the duds mostly being charged with odd jobs like prison guards. However, this fight had made all three of them more confident in their abilities and their chances of successfully fending off opponents in the real fight – the one waiting for them in the dead lands up above.

“Ughh! Maybe I should just let Namjoon clean this later.” Seokjin grimaces, looking at his sword stained in gooey, shimmery faerie blood. “Tae, you said you were more fae than wolf – does this mean your blood is also like this? So sticky…”

“It isn’t.” Taehyung replies, watching Yoongi shift back into a human. It was a little awesome, if you ask him – an omega who had the ability of partial shift, a fabled seer and a hybrid who had control over all the elements, all gathered in one place, together fighting against a common enemy. “Only full-blooded fey have the shimmery blood.”

The three of them turn in tandem towards the curtain of vines that separated this tunnel and the one where the noises were coming from.

“Now, let’s go and free some shifters, shall we?” Seokjin announces and moves to push the veil aside, revealing rows upon rows of stone cells, sturdy metal bars holding back miserable-looking shifters, some in human and others in wolf form.

Yoongi walks up to one cell and Seokjin to one on the opposite side and in unison they strike the locks on the door, Yoongi with his claws and Jin with his bloody sword. The broken locks tumble to the ground with a thud and the doors creak open, the occupants of the cells storming out and collapsing just outside the cells, whimpers and cries of thank you, thank you so much falling from their chapped lips.

Seokjin and Yoongi glance down the long stretch of the tunnel and then at each other before beckoning Taehyung closer.

“You need to teleport back to camp, Tae.” Seokjin says.

“What? No! I should stay and help. There are a lot of captives here, judging by the number of cells.”

“And that is exactly why you should go back, Taehyung.” Yoongi stresses. “There are too many shifters here, weak and unable to defend themselves. Even if we manage to get them safely above-ground the large crowd would immediately attract the fey’s attention unlike our group of three earlier. If we want to get them back to camp unharmed then we need someone on the outside, waiting to help us defend them.”

It was true, Taehyung acquiesces. This rescue wouldn’t matter if most of them got killed by faeries on the way back. But there was a small problem. “I can’t teleport many people at once though. Even us three was really though.”

Jin’s jaw clenches as he thinks of a solution. “Get Yeonjun and the boys.” He says at last. “Good fighters, less strain on you to teleport, less explaining to do. Just make sure that neither Namjoon, Hoseok or Jimin get wind of this because if they do, they would insist on coming and right now they cannot leave their posts. They are the commanders of this war and they need to be there to lead their units and Jimin has to be on standby in the healers den if these people are to be treated.”

“Okay, get Yeonjun and the gang, avoid our alphas. Sounds easy.” He huffs, “They must already be aware that we are missing by now. It’s been almost three hours since we left before dawn.”

Yoongi pats him on the shoulder. “Be quick.” He says before scurrying off to break more locks. Seokjin smiles at him and waits until Taehyung shimmers and disappears, trying his best to teleport himself as near to camp as he can and in a discrete place so as to not be seen by the three over-protective alphas.

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

“I can’t believe you three thought it was a good idea to sneak off!” Hobi says harshly, looking at Yoongi but directing the words to all three omegas. “Do you not see the massive fey army waiting to rip you to pieces?”

Yoongi rolls his eyes, arms folded over his chest. “And the fact that I took down a whole kingdom by myself doesn’t matter. Not to brag or anything.” He shoots his intended a pointed glare.

“Now you’re just being ridiculous.” Hoseok huffs and grabs Yoongi by the arm, dragging the protesting omega towards the main cave.

Some distance away Taehyung sees Namjoon and Jin, both exasperated as they argue.

Meanwhile, he himself ignores every word being said to him by an angry and worried Jimin. The only thing that actually registers with Tae is the fact that Jimin actually got angry twice in just a couple of days.

“Everything is just fine, isn’t it though?” Tae mumbles, “We came back unharmed and managed to free hundreds of our people who might’ve been harmed otherwise.”

Jimin sighs and places his hands over Taehyung’s shoulders.

“Tae, yes, you did well. I won’t tell you otherwise when you’ve saved the lives of so many. But it’s the way you three went about it, Taehyungie.”

“Well, obviously we had no other choice since we all know you wouldn’t have let us go if we asked.”

“Tae-“

“Sir Park, the injured are waiting for you at the healing den. We made a list of the patients’ names according to the seriousness of the injury.”

Jimin’s hands clench, nails slightly digging into Taehyung’s robes as he eyes one of the shifters who’d volunteered to help with the healing.

“Go, Jimin.” He says softly. “I’m safe and they need you.”

Jimin shuts his eyes for a moment and then turns and nods at the omega who’d come to fetch him. “I’ll be there in a moment.” He says and the young girl scurries away.

He shifts his attention to Taehyung then, biting his lip to hold back the reprimands. He sighs and leans down, catching Taehyung by surprise when he kisses him once, deeply. “Just let me come with the next time you run off to do something so reckless again.” He says, voice still holding just a smudge of anger.

“You will have plenty of chances then.” Taehyung responds with a grin, making the alpha roll his eyes.

“I don’t doubt it.” He huffs exasperatedly and with a quick peck, jogs away.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

As it happens, the Fey weren’t trying to observe rules of war by waiting for sunrise before attacking.

The Royal army had been stalling, waiting for something to happen and when it did they attacked with neither warning nor preamble.

The shifters were just starting to get ready to march out but with the sudden attack everything was thrown into chaos as they scrambled for armor and weapons. Those who couldn’t get to their weapons in time shifted and fought as wolves, coats glistening in the morning sun for a few brief moments before eventually, being stained with dirt and blood.

Fortunately, Taehyung had been in proximity to both Seokjin and Jimin and they stayed close together as they fought, Jimin’s blonde wolf the same color as his hair.

“Jimin, you have to head back to the healing den!” he shouts, torching another fey with his flames.

“I can’t leave you two by yourselves.” Jimin replies through the mind-link. Seokjin hears the wolf too, all seven of them having scented lightly earlier that morning - just after the three omegas got back - so that the mind-link would open up. “We need to get you two closer to Namjoon or Hoseok. Can you see either of them?” Jimin says as he clamps his jaw over a fae’s arm, lifting the knight off his feet and throwing him to the side, arm now disconnected from torso.

Seokjin and Taehyung scan the haphazard crowd, looking for the familiar faces of their friends. Tae sees Beomgyu and Yeonjun fighting in the distance and a series of piercing screams leads his eyes to Yoongi, skin and clothes as bright red as his blazing hair, soaked in shimmery blood of the enemy.

“I see Yoongi, but Hoseok isn’t with him!” he shouts to the other two over all the noise of fighting – swords clanging, teeth and claws ripping flesh, arrows whooshing through the air, spears impaling bodies with a loud thunk.

“We should go to him for now.” Seokjin shouts back and Jimin supplies them with a mental hum.

They fight their way through the lines of fey knights surrounding them, bodies tumbling to the ground one after the other, some bleeding, some charred or strangled with thick, thorny vines.

Yoongi is handling his own share of enemies exceptionally well - the fey surrounding the omega king even look at the red-head with a hint of fear in their eyes. He acknowledges them with a “Have you seen Hobi?” when the three get close enough for the mind-link to work.

“We were searching for him and Namjoon when we saw you.” Taehyung answers, dodging to barely avoid a sword swinging at his head.

The four of them fight side by side, scanning the mob for faces of their loved ones.

“He is okay…” he hears Jin whisper softly, mostly to himself. Chancing a quick glance in the direction the elder is looking Taehyung sees Namjoon, out of earshot but unharmed.

They try to clear a way towards Seokjin’s alpha but it is futile, the number of faerie knights surrounding them tripling as though they were the big prize.

But you are! Taehyung’s brain supplies and of course, he’s been so preoccupied with not getting killed that he’d forgotten that the three of them were the biggest targets on this field of dead bodies.

A shiver runs down his spine as he thinks about what he’ll have to ultimately do – fight the Fey King by himself in single combat because that is how the Fey law works. One cannot displace the current king without a challenge and the Fey army will not stop unless the King is dead.

There were two rules for a challenge to be issued against the Fey king. One was having knowledge of the King’s name, which they now thankfully know due to Sylvie, Taehyung’s adoptive fae mother who Yoongi had found locked up in one of the prisons, recognizing her as the woman he and Hoseok had seen a long time ago, the one who’d given them their first glimpse at the prophecy of the King, the Seer and the Warrior.

The other was having control over equal or greater number of elements as the current king – which Taehyung obviously had no problem with.

The one thing Taehyung didn’t have was experience. The Fey King had lived for hundreds of years, had killed shifters and his own people alike. He was ruthless and mercy-less whereas Tae was afraid of giving in to his fae side, of letting the fae blood take over so he too can kill without batting an eye at the loss of life.

The battle halts as dirt and soil erupt in the middle of the field, a large cocoon of vines rising up from the ground and then withdrawing to reveal a tall black throne of polished obsidian, King Rian looking haughty despite his sickly pallor.

Well, at least Taehyung would have the advantage of being in full health, unlike Rian, who has to depend on the blood of his own progeny to survive another day.

Rian looks out over the crowd, tired yet sharp eyes scanning the faces. “Bring the omegas of the prophecy and my impudent son to me!” his voce booms, ordering the fey who double their effort as the fighting resumes.

“Oh no you don’t!” Seokjin growls as a fae tries to grab Taehyung while he is busy fighting off another. “He’s not your son if you didn’t raise him, you old fool! Do you even know his name? I think not!” Jin taunts Rian, voice loud and jeering and the king’s face turns blotchy with anger.

“How dare you address me as such! Insolence!” Rian warns, his eyes finally landing on Taehyung’s elven ears and smirk growing as he realizes that the trio of omegas huddled together must be the omegas of the prophecy. “Bring the filthy hybrid boy to me. He is an abomination! Hybrids must not exist.” He points towards Taehyung and the hybrid gulps, feeling the eyes of every fae on the battlefield trained on him.

Seokjin is not having any of it, however. The faeries would readily kill them at a moment’s distraction so the Kim Prince too doesn’t hesitate in the least, driving his sword in and slashing at fey knights who were too focused on Taehyung and their king’s orders. “An abomination? Then what are you? Feeding on your own children because you are too consumed with greed for power and can’t give it up! We know all your secrets, Rian.” Jin spits out and obviously they don’t  know all of the Fey King’s secrets but Seokjin daring to use the King’s name so blatantly makes the field erupt in noises of surprise and astonishment as the fey-folk gasp.

“You will pay with your life for running your mouth, omega. Kill him, capture the other two alive!” Rian’s voice sweeps over the field.

The battle had been going rather well, with their side sustaining few casualties despite the enormous difference in numbers. But with Rian’s orders, it turns into a fight of four against an army.

Seokjin, Yoongi, Taehyung and Jimin are surrounded by faeries on all sides, only a few straggling shifters here and there. The fey form concentric circles around the four, closing in and preventing any of the others from coming to help.

“Hold on, Yoongi. We’ll be right!” Taehyung finally sees Hoseok, fighting side by side with Namjoon, Yeonjun and Lady Jiwon, hacking at the crowd of fey to get to them.

Jimin’s scent reeks of rage and rot, the blonde wolf growls terrifyingly, daring the fey to pass him. But it’s tough to deal with a whole army.

Yoongi and Seokjin defend them valiantly, not faltering even in such an adverse situation. It makes Taehyung’s chest swell with pride – having friends and family who are so good and strong.

Taehyung himself tries to burn and strangle as many of the fey knights as he can, even making the earth under their feet cave in, faeries falling into pits only to be held down by vines and drowned when Taehyung wills the pits to fill with water.

But he is so tired. His response becomes slower, movements lethargic. Using so much magic at once is incredibly draining. It leaves him lightheaded, making him sway on his feet.

He thinks he should let up for a while and shift into wolf form but he’s not really sure if he could even finish the shift in his present state.

Taehyung registers only the screeching screams of his friends and a loud growl as he stumbles, falling to his knees, palms barely holding him up from collapsing onto the ground. A shadow looms above him and then Seokjin is there, fending off the fey until he cries out, blood streaming in rivulets from a deep wound in his shoulder. But even then, injured and in pain, all Seokjin does is angle his body in such a way that he’s protecting Taehyung instead of himself.

“J-Jin…don’t.” Taehyung gasps against Seokjin’s back, eyes going wide as he lifts his head and sees the spear descend on them, aiming for Seokjin’s heart.

But then a blob of blonde topples them over, covering both Seokjin and Taehyung, a howl ripping out of the wolf as the spear lodges itself within its body.

Taehyung blinks and stares into the wolf’s eyes, filled with pain and a profound sadness. Above him, Seokjin gapes, breath hitching. “Oh Luna! Jimin!”

Taehyung feels numb.

Somehow he’s aware that Yoongi is still fighting, defending the vulnerable trio. Hoseok, Namjoon and Yeonjun get there too, but a bit too late.

Seokjin manages to slip from under the heavy, motionless wolf and helps Taehyung. The only indication that the blonde wolf was still alive is the rapid rise and fall of the beast’s chest.

Taehyung crawls towards the wolf’s head, cradling it in his arms. “Jimin, J-Jiminie…” he sobs into the fur, fingers smoothing down the soft coat. “Stay with me, love. We will get you to the healers.” He says, tears starting to stream down his cheeks. There’s a jumble of incomprehensible jargon in his head and a moment later he cries out in alarm as Jimin shifts into his human form, more blood pooling around the spear in his chest. “No, don’t!”

“Mind-link…t-too we-weak.” Jimin manages, blood starting to bubble in his mouth.

“No, shift back, please. You will heal quicker in wolf form.” Taehyung begs. “We can talk later.” He pleads, not wanting this to be their last conversation. Jimin shakes his head weakly.

“It’s okay, Tae-taehyungie.” The alpha says, slowly moving his hand to hold Taehyung’s. “I’m s-sorry for not being able to mate you as p-promised.”

Taehyung shakes his head rapidly, locks of wildly curling blue hair fling into his eyes. “No! You didn’t break your promise. You will mate me, Jiminie. You will get better and you will mate me and we can adopt one or two of the orphan pups like we’ve always wanted.”

Jimin closes his eyes, a faint smile on his lips as he recalls their shared conversations of a perfect future as they cuddled in bed, cozy and warm.

“Jimin? Jiminie?” the alpha’s eyes stay closed, chest rising slower with each stuttering breath.

Taehyung doesn’t remember what he does next, only hears a terrible ringing in his ears as his vision tints green.

Below their feet the ground quakes as Seokjin watches on in fear as the sweet boy with the boxy smiles has nothing but rage in his glowing green eyes.

 

 

 

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