The thick canopy revealed only a few slivers of the dark sky above them and even fewer stars. The fire Namjoon had built using the flint he got from the Moon village’s market burned in hues of bright yellows and oranges, the flames crackling and hissing in the quiet that was only interrupted by the occasional rustle of trees in the wind and their own breathing.

 

Seokjin stared into the fire, an image of the Royals writhing in flames nagging at the back of his mind. He wasn’t a cruel person, not really; all he wanted was to free his people and he would be satisfied if peace could be achieved by brokering some sort of truce with the Royals. But truthfully speaking, there was a small part of Seokjin that found the idea of watching the Royals who hurt his family and people burn rather appealing. It was only a very small part, though – really tiny.

 

Across from him, Namjoon sat on the other side of the flames, completely lost in thought. The revelation from a week ago was still fresh in their minds and they still haven’t been able come to a satisfactory conclusion as to how a whole race of beings had suddenly vanished into thin air. It was a strange and unnatural and left Seokjin’s gut curling with dread.

 

The alpha sighed, finally coming back from his thoughts and pulling his bag close. He pulled out the cloth that held dried meat and offered a portion to Seokjin along with one half of an apple. The prince took his share gratefully, eyeing the meager leftovers.

 

“Namjoon?” he’d taken to calling the alpha by his given name since giving the other permission to call him by the shortened version of his own. Namjoon didn’t seem to mind even if the alpha hadn’t explicitly stated that Seokjin could call him that. The alpha raised his gaze to meet his over the fire, a question in his eyes. “Is it not safe to shift yet? The food we have left is enough to get us through tomorrow at best and if we still can’t find any animals to hunt by then…”

 

He didn’t need to elaborate because they both knew what he was implying. A long trek through the forest accompanied with no food meant being too tired, starved and weak to protect themselves in case they encountered danger along the way. Their best bet was to shift into their wolf form and quickly find their way out of the forest.

 

Seokjin’s omega preened at the thought of shifting, his wolf begging to be let out so it could stretch its legs and shake out its fur. It had been too long since the last time he was able to shift freely. Half a year, maybe.

 

Namjoon seemed to contemplate his words seriously before replying. “We should wait until tomorrow. If by evening we still haven’t found any game to hunt then we shift. I reckon it would take us three days at most to get out of the forest if we run at full speed.”

 

It would save them a whole day if they could just shift in the morning instead but Seokjin did not point it out to the alpha. The other must know what he’s doing, Seokjin reasoned.

 

“How fast can we find Jimin, then? Once we reach the city?” Seokjin still had a lot of questions regarding Hoseok and his evident – unbeknownst to the prince – acquaintance with Namjoon’s cousin. And even more intriguing was the role the ever mysterious Pale King played in all this – Seokjin certainly hadn’t forgotten his best friend mentioning the omega king just before they parted ways.

 

“He is likely to either be at home or at Aelia’s healer house.” Namjoon replied making the prince recall the alpha briefly mentioning Jimin’s decision to be a healer. “But that is assuming the city hasn’t been attacked. If it was…then I have absolutely no idea on how to find him. It should probably take us another week to reach Aelia from the edge of the forest though, in wolf form.”

 

“Okay…”

 

“Mhm.”

 

There was no further conversation between them as they ate their food and even long after that. The heavy silence settled back around them once more and was only broken by Seokjin reminding the alpha to wake him up for his watch shift before the prince drifted off to sleep.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“Would you like to um…freshen up?” the alpha questioned while gesturing towards the clear water of the most recent out of the many springs they’ve encountered on their trip through the forest.

 

Seokjin looked up from where he’d been crouched by the spring, dipping his hands into the cool water. The thought of getting at least partially cleaned up was very tempting so he gave a small nod in reply.

 

“Okay then…take your time. I’ll be just further inside the tree line.” Namjoon sniffed at the air, turning around in a full circle to survey the area one last time before padding away into the trees with one last acknowledging look towards the prince.

 

Seokjin inhaled deeply, reveling in the sweetness of the air. The clearing through which the stream flowed was all green grass and saccharine flowers with a few rocks and boulders here and there. The prince sighed in relief the moment he took his shoes off and his feet came into contact with soft, moist grass.

 

He glanced towards the forest over his shoulder before disrobing and taking off his shirt. A makeshift washcloth was fashioned by tearing up a piece of one of his spare robes and he rolled up his pants to the knees before waddling into the stream, muscles relaxing as the cold enveloped his lower legs.

 

He scrubbed at his face first before proceeding to clean up his arms and the rest of his upper body as best as he could, shivering a little when a gust of wind blew by. Seokjin sat on the edge of the bank as he soaked up his feet and hands; his nails had grown, grime and dirt lodging underneath.

 

The prince looked down and to his right as a spot of red among the green caught his attention and he felt a small smile grace his lips upon realizing it was a lady bug. It was sitting on the tip of a blade of grass and crawled onto his index finger when Seokjin brought it near to the bug. He examined the insect at eye level, counting the number of dark spots on its back.

 

“What are you doing out here all by yourself, mhm? Aren’t you lonely?” Seokjin mumbled to the bug just before it spread its wings and flew away. It was the first living being he’s seen ever since setting foot inside the Whispering Woods and it made him have a little hope that perhaps they would see more life on their journey henceforth.

 

He sat like that for a while longer, just staring at the clearing on the opposite bank of the stream as the mellow warmth of the early autumn sun dried his bare chest and back. Seokjin dressed as soon as he deemed himself dry enough and trudged back into the forest. It wasn’t a long walk, just a couple dozen meters at most and the alpha’s figure came into his view the moment he stepped past the tree line.

 

Seokjin stilled in place as he observed the man. He was undeniably handsome. He’s always heard omegas gossip about the alpha – how tall he was, how smart and strong and polite. If not for his terrible personality, Namjoon would probably be considered an ideal alpha in Seokjin’s eyes what with all of his perfect traits and achievements. But alas, Namjoon’s personality nullified all the points he got in other aspects. If only he had better attitude towards omegas…

 

He thought back to his discussion with Rowon - If there truly was a good reason for Namjoon’s behavior then Seokjin wondered what it could be. He would want to know the reason at least, to sate his anger at being on the receiving end of rude comments. If only he understood the alpha’s prejudices against omegas then he would perhaps be hurt just a tad bit less.

 

There was a glint as the sun rays caught glass and Seokjin looked on as Namjoon fiddled with a hard leather binder that held clear glass vials bound with leather straps to keep them from shifting. He’d never seen the items with the alpha before and it made him curious to find out what the contents of the vials were. The ampoules were empty, all of them but one that held a yellowish liquid in it and Seokjin watched as the alpha downed the contents before stuffing the leather binder back into his satchel.

 

Seokjin’s brows furrowed in thought and he resumed his walk towards the alpha. Was it some kind of medicinal draught? Had Namjoon been sick all this time, taking medicine to ward of the illness?

 

He was about to call out to Namjoon when he smelled it. Or them, really.

 

He twisted around, walking backwards with dead leaves scrunching under his feet and Namjoon’s scent growing stronger in the air around him as the alpha must have also noticed the approaching strangers.

 

There were five of them, bare torsos and wet pants as they stepped out of the stream a little further up from where Seokjin had been until a while ago; it made perfect sense why Seokjin couldn’t smell them before if they had been travelling by water. His back his something sturdy and strong hands came up to steady him. He tilted his head to see Namjoon directly behind him, jaw clenched and a hardened expression on his face. The prince couldn’t exactly decipher his companion’s expression but it was definitely not a pleased one and Seokjin felt the same way when he saw the looks the other shifters were sending their way.

 

There weren’t many trees this near to the edge of the clearing and Namjoon moved in front of the prince, half hiding Seokjin behind him. Seokjin distantly wondered if the other would still protect him this way if Seokjin was just another omega and Namjoon wasn’t bound by alpha code to do so because of his loyalty towards the king and Hoseok’s order – his best friend’s rank being just below that of the two princes themselves because of his General status.

 

The first thing that registered in Seokjin’s mind was the fact that all the five strangers were alphas – tall, bulky and scarred; unquestionably experienced fighters. It sent a shiver of fear along the prince’s spine because the alphas were definitely not there to make friends. Seokjin could hold his ground against one for a while if he was lucky but that is only if he were in his wolf form instead of the human one. Like this he was practically useless in physical encounters. He was sure Namjoon was fairly strong but even he wouldn’t be able to hold against five alphas of their stature.

 

“Well, well, what do we have here?” One of the alphas leered, eyes raking across what he could glimpse of Seokjin as Namjoon shifted in front of the prince. “A stray omega? Oh, and an unmated one too!” the alphas’ faces split into grins and Seokjin gulped.

 

He was already travelling with an alpha who possessed a attitude but at least Namjoon wasn’t the crazed, lecherous type that was of the opinion that omegas belonged to alphas and made solely to cater to their needs. Now there were five such alphas right in front of the prince and his hands trembled at his sides with apprehension.

 

This was definitely not going to end well.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

The five shifters didn’t stop advancing until they were only a few feet away from Seokjin and Namjoon and the prince could practically feel the anger and tension radiating from the latter.

 

The alpha kept his voice steady as he spoke. “I don’t think you should address my companion that way.” Seokjin did not expect this. Sure, he was certain Namjoon would protect him from any physical threats, but from emotional attacks too? It was a nice little surprise, momentarily distracting the prince from the situation at hand.

 

The alpha in the center, who Seokjin assumed might be the leader judging by how the other four stayed just a step behind him, snorted at Namjoon’s statement while one of the others chimed in, “Protective of your little ?”

 

The five of them laughed, deep voices rumbling in their chests as their scents spiked with dominance. Seokjin’s jaw clenched at the comment, the small hairs at his nape standing to attention from the intrusive smells. One smelled of spicy cinnamon which should’ve calmed him because it resembled Hoseok’s scent, but instead of being rich and warm like his best friend’s, this one was harsh and demanding, making Seokjin’s nostrils burn from the pheromones. The other four scents were quite common too, nothing appealing – wet bark, pine, earth and leather.

 

Apart from these, however, Seokjin detected another scent. It wasn’t strong, almost non-existent actually, but it drew him in nonetheless just like it did all the times prior. Sun, warm sand and a fresh but salty breeze, something that Seokjin associated with beaches and the sea even if he’d never actually been to the sea before.  

 

The prince blinked, eyes clearing of the slight daze just to find his face and nose incredibly close to Namjoon’s neck and by extension, the alpha’s scent gland. It took him a moment to realize that the dizzying scent was actually coming from Namjoon. It was there, mellow and faint underneath that pungent seaweed smell that Seokjin’s omega was coming to hate with a vengeance, but still there. It confused Seokjin to bits and at the same time made his omega keen at finally getting a proper lungful of that scent, his cheeks heating up when he realized that if this was the same scent he’d smelt that day as he eavesdropped upon his father’s council meeting then it meant that it was Namjoon’s scent that had sped up his symptoms and sent him into an early heat.

 

Seokjin took a couple steps back, trying to get away from Namjoon’s neck but it was a mistake because it drew the attention of the other alphas. The prince watched Namjoon draw his sword as two of them advanced. They were rogues, Seokjin concluded; it was the only explanation why five alphas who didn’t smell like they belonged to the same pack were roaming around together. Lone wolves weren’t rare – it was becoming very common nowadays as more and more shifters who’d come of age started to off alone, adamant on being independent and take on the world in their own little ways.

 

Most loners were pretty harmless, actually.

 

And then there were rogues – wolves who were violent and aggressive, wolves who didn’t follow rules and had absolutely no sense of honor and camaraderie. They were mostly alphas, though few betas and even fewer omegas were also involved in the mix, who thought of themselves us too entitled and perfect to submit to the rules of a pack and pack alphas. 

 

“Stay back!” Namjoon growled low in his throat. It didn’t deter the advancing alphas, however.

 

Both Seokjin and Namjoon realized a tad bit too late that bringing a sword to a fight with rogue werewolves wasn’t the brightest idea. The sword was long and heavy, which meant Namjoon’s movements were restricted when compared to the others. By the time Namjoon decided to forgo his sword in favor of hand to hand combat, another had joined the previous two, completely surrounding Namjoon and leaving Seokjin to fend for himself as the leader and the last alpha approached him. He received a harsh blow to his gut when his head swiveled around for just a moment to assess the situation Seokjin was in. The alpha’s eyes widened in alarm when he saw the other two cornering Seokjin, gasping when the breath was knocked out of him.

 

Seokjin had half a mind to run but he didn’t want to get separated from Namjoon and even more so, even with all the animosity between the two, Seokjin didn’t want Namjoon to get hurt. So he stayed.

 

His omega screeched at the dominance, at the wrongness it felt radiating from them and Seokjin heard himself hiss at the two who were calmly walking towards him, looking relaxed and nonchalant. The last person Seokjin had hissed at had been Hoseok’s father.

 

The omegas territorial hiss just made them more amused.

 

“Ohh! I think this one’s a feisty little thing. Isn’t he, Jaewook?”

 

The second alpha – Jaewook – gave a pleased chuckle. “Better for us then. The feisty ones always bring in more money.”

 

Seokjin stilled, his receding footsteps halting as he realized what the alphas had in mind for him. They were slave traders. Omega slave traders.

 

 

The prince had heard stories of omegas being snatched up on the roads, sold for pleasure or entertainment or both. Sometimes they were sold to humans as little experimental specimens; human males couldn’t get pregnant and the human society wanted to know what it is that made male omegas tick. It was had made Seokjin sick to the core and he’d refused to believe that any of the stories were true because how could they do that? Sell off they own kin to humans who’ve been trying to take over their land for decades?

 

He’d started believing the stories only after one of the omega maids that had come to work at the palace during the prince’s eighteenth year had confided in him about almost being captured by a nomad pack that apparently specialized in slave trade. The existence of such packs and wolves had been cemented by Hyejin, who confirmed the stories of such atrocities taking place. Gods, he missed Hyejin. At least he had full belief that the older beta got herself to safety since she too knew of the secret tunnels in the palace.

 

To Seokjin, death was a much better option than ending up in the clutches of these men.

 

“They do!” Jaewook’s friend grinned like an excited child, a child that was an incarnation of all evil. “His size might not be too appealing since he’s so tall but the pretty face should be enough to make up for it. I’m sure he would get a decent number of bids.” Seokjin slapped away the alpha’s hand when the other reached out to touch his face. The alpha’s smirk morphed into an angry frown. “Behave yourself, omega.” He grit out, once again reaching out for the prince.

 

Seokjin’s vision tinted, his eyes most likely turning to a bright shade of blue as anger and disgust surged through him. Before the alpha could even lay a hand on him the prince was already grabbing his wrist and twisting his arm with as much force as he could muster. A satisfying crunch and an angry howl follow as the alpha jumps back, cradling his now obviously broken arm as he glares at the prince. Seokjin smiles wickedly at the two without any real mirth to it but also with just a little hint of pride at managing to deal such damage to the alpha.

 

In his glee, Seokjin angles his head to look at Namjoon, hoping to catch the alpha’s eye and make him notice his achievement so he wouldn’t think of him as totally useless.

 

His glee is quickly replaced by utter horror as he watches Namjoon fight two alphas. But the thing that alarmed the prince was the sight of the third alpha who’d turned into his wolf form, silently creeping up behind Namjoon.

 

“Namjoon, behind you!” the prince called, but he was already too late. Before Namjoon could react the wolves teeth were sinking into the muscle of the alpha’s thigh, tearing a painful cry out of Namjoon’s throat as he staggered and fell to one knee with one of the human alpha’s coming behind him to hold Namjoon’s hands behind his back.

 

Seokjin, momentarily forgetting his own proximity to two of their enemies, watched Namjoon’s jaw clench and his eyes harden as he reached to a decision. The alpha’s head jerked towards the prince as he shouted, “Jin, run! It’s okay, just run. I will find you.”

 

He wanted to protest, to argue about running and leaving the alpha in an obviously and dangerously disadvantageous position. But Seokjin saw it in Namjoon’s eyes, the pleading for the prince to listen to the alpha. The prince made a split second decision – Namjoon couldn’t protect himself in his current condition if he had to protect Seokjin too. Seokjin turned and ran.

 

He heard shouting and growling behind him but the prince did not turn look back, he only hoped Namjoon would be able to escape and find him. The line of thought ended up being quite futile though, because not even a full minute into his sprint Seokjin’s body stilled at a voice from behind him.

 

“Stop right there, omega!” Jaewook’s voice echoed in the forest devoid of any life besides the seven wolves. The rogue had used his Alpha Voice on the prince.

 

In reality, the Alpha Voice had no effect on the prince. Seokjin felt no urge to submit to Jaewook and follow his commands. But Seokjin’s eyes glazed over, body going still and lax for a moment. He’d trained himself into this state over the years, to pretend to be under the influence of the command whenever an alpha used their Voice on him just so he could avoid anyone finding out that the Voice had absolutely no effect on him. With time, it had become a reflex to slip into this faux state of total oblivion and submission whenever an Alpha Voice was involved.

 

“No! Let him go!” Namjoon’s voice was what caused the bubble to pop. “Jin!” The reflex to remain still subsided as soon as it took over and his eyes cleared. It was only a moment, but that brief period of hesitation was enough and before Seokjin’s feet could once again spring into motion there were harsh hands on his shoulders.

 

Seokjin remained where he was; mouth shut as he stared ahead into the trees and tried to filter out the sounds of Namjoon’s shouts and struggles against the other alphas.

 

Jaewook led him back to the others, hands firm and fingers digging painfully into Seokjin’s shoulders. “Good omega.” He whispered, his breath hot in the prince’s ear. Seokjin tried his damn best not to move or twitch, or even puke - nothing to give out his conscious state. It’s okay, it’s just like all the other times, Seokjin told himself in his mind as he was made to stand directly in front of the alpha, facing Namjoon whose eyes looked a little lost and a whole lot guilty; guilt at being unable to perform his duty of protecting the prince.

 

The wolf and the two alphas who had been fighting Namjoon were completely focused on trying to restrain the alpha who was trashing around violently, striving to free himself as he still screamed for Jaewook to let go of the prince. The rogue with the broken arm came up and kicked him right on his injured thigh, prompting Namjoon to lose balance as his knees scraped against the dirt of the forest floor.

 

“Keep struggling if you want this one dead.” The alpha with the now useless arm spit, pointing his good hand in Seokjin’s direction and Namjoon’s body went taught as a wire as all movement from the alpha ceased. With a grin that made Seokjin want to retch, the rogue diverted his attention to the prince. “Not so disobedient now, are we? You will have to pay for my arm, though. I would just love to have some fun with you first, before we send you to the market.” The alpha was extremely close, body almost pressed to Seokjin’s as he leaned in towards the omega’s neck and gave a over the skin, just shy of Seokjin’s scent gland. “Mhm…You smell really good too.” Seokjin willed himself not to react.

 

“How about we put on a little show for your friend, here?” the alpha’s hand reached for the neckline of the prince’s shirt, palm gliding down against the material until it reached the shirt’s sash and tugged. The other rogues were cackling, eyes screwed shut with mirth. The wolf was focused on Namjoon; Jaewook couldn’t see Seokjin’s face and the other had his face buried in the prince’s neck.

 

Seokjin saw his chance. His eyes focused on Namjoon as he mouthed, “Turn, now!” His companion seemed dumbstruck for an instant, probably wondering how in the world was Seokjin out from under the influence of the Voice so soon – usually it would take around twenty minutes at the least for the effects of an Alpha command to wear off if the alpha was as strong as these rogues. Namjoon composed himself quickly, however, and gave the prince the minutest of nods.

 

The other alpha’s tongue darted out, giving a to the skin at Seokjin’s now exposed collarbone. Seokjin felt immense disgust bloom in his chest at the action.

 

“You do not just me like that, you brute. I can have your head for that.” The prince stated coolly, surprising all the alpha’s including the one in wolf form whose head snapped back to look at the prince. The alpha in front of him jerked back to look at his face and Seokjin graced him with a brief but smug grin, turning into wolf before anyone could react.

 

“What the-!” Jaewook’s voice came from behind him but Seokjin paid no attention - he was too busy sinking his teeth into the greasy alpha’s neck. Amidst ripping the alpha’s head off of his neck, the prince was only distantly aware that Namjoon had heeded his words and turned too, with Jaewook and the other two rogues following suit.

 

The blood in Seokjin’s mouth tasted bitter and coppery and he spit it out along with remains of flesh of the rogue he’d just killed, body dropping to the ground with a dull thud.

 

Namjoon was fighting against three and Seokjin pivoted around to see Jaewook still behind him, a big wolf with ratty grey fur. The alpha looked wary of Seokjin and the prince grew even smugger than he’d been before as he advanced on the rogue.

 

 

Jaewook pounced first, trying to get in the first blow but Seokjin was faster, jumping to the side and crouching low as he bit into the alpha’s front leg, prompting a growl from the other.

 

Everything around them had tuned out and all Seokjin could see was Jaewook. He did not know where the other three rogues were or even if Namjoon was winning or losing the fight. He hoped Namjoon was winning, though.

 

The two wolves stalked around each other, Jaewook’s grey versus the prince’s white, Seokjin’s wolf only a little smaller than the rogue alpha’s. They snapped and bit at each other, Seokjin managing to avoid Jaewook’s teeth each and every time because he was faster and had an advantage over the other since the beginning of the fight due to Jaewook’s injured leg.

 

Ten minutes into the fight the rogue was panting for breath, chest heaving as the wolf limped from side to side to avoid Seokjin. The omega growled low in his throat, proud over its victory over an alpha and Seokjin could only huff out something resembling a laugh at his inner omega’s antics before going in for the kill.

 

Jaewook’s body hit the forest floor only a few feet away from the alpha Seokjin had killed earlier and the prince shifted his attention towards Namjoon.

 

His companion was fairing pretty well against three rogues despite the injury to his thigh he’d sustained earlier. Seokjin watched, his vision tinted blue, as Namjoon’s regal, obsidian black wolf tore at one of the rogues, the other two circling him.

 

 

Seokjin wasted no time as he pounced on one of the remaining two, effectively pinning down the wolf with his weight and giving Namjoon the perfect opportunity to attack. The prince’s head snapped up when he sensed movement and Seokjin watched as the last wolf – the one who had turned first and bit Namjoon – sprinted away. But before Seokjin could react Namjoon’s wolf took after him, both alphas running at incredible speed.

 

Seokjin wanted to call out to Namjoon, to tell him to let the other wolf go and come back. He cursed when he realized he couldn’t do it since his mind link with Namjoon hadn’t been established yet.

 

The prince disentangled himself from the dead wolf beneath him, freeing one of his legs that had been trapped under the alpha. It was only a minute before the white wolf took off after Namjoon, hoping to stop the other before they made too much a detour from their original destination. They would have to go back for their satchels too.

 

Seokjin ran following Namjoon’s scent. Not seaweed but the warm smell of the beach and the sea which was now more prominent – aggression and dominance from the fight making it bloom. He lost the two wolves for a few minutes and when he’d found them again the two were a tangle of fur and limbs in the dirt - teeth snapping as their claws sought out to slash any part of the other.

 

The rogue sprinted away again when he got the chance and Seokjin clamped his teeth lightly over Namjoon’s hind leg before the alpha could chase any further. Namjoon’s head snapped back, a vicious snarl escaping his muzzle before he realized it was Seokjin.

 

 

The prince let go of the alpha’s leg slowly and took a few steps back. Namjoon’s wolf watched him for a moment before padding to stand in front of the white wolf. The alpha’s front legs lowered to the ground, his head resting on them as he looked straight into Seokjin’s omega blue eyes. He was asking for permission.

 

Seokjin’s wolf gave a small nod and the alpha was at his side the next instant. The omega watched him as his snout came closer to Seokjin’s neck, nuzzling against the fur there and then softly gliding along his side half way down the prince’s back. Namjoon nudged him with his head and Seokjin mimicked the alpha’s action, scenting him. He felt it when the link formed, Namjoon’s voice immediately seeping into his mind.

 

“Are you alright, Your Highness?”

 

Seokjin huffed out a breath. “I am. And it’s Jin.” The prince corrected him. “You should have let the last one go. Now we have to retrace the path. I don’t even remember the exact way!”

 

“Sorry…I wasn’t thinking.”

 

The white wolf snorted at that, softening when his eyes landed on Namjoon’s injured leg. “Are you alright? You are bleeding.”

 

Namjoon shook his head, black fur falling around the wolf’s ears and eyes. “It isn’t anything serious. Though now I won’t be able to run as fast as I could.”

 

“We should get the wound treated at the next village we come across.”

 

Namjoon agreed, nodding as they slowly retraced their steps - following their own scents and the stench of fresh blood. “That was some quick thinking on your part though, Jin. You saved our necks back there but I do have to ask…”

 

Seokjin immediately picked up on Namjoon’s apprehensiveness. The prince decided to let the cat out of the bag. “Do you mean the thing with the Alpha Voice?” he supplied, receiving an affirmative grunt from the black wolf.  “It doesn’t work on me.”

 

“Holy Luna!” the surprise was evident. “I’ve heard of maybe…one or two omegas with that ability - never had the chance to personally meet any, though. It’s very impressive and what you did back there is too.”

 

Seokjin grinned wide, wolf teeth that were still coated in blood showing. “Thank you very much. I am dead set on disproving every one of your opinions and assumptions regarding omegas so I reckon today has been a very good start.”

 

The prince watched Namjoon’s wolf roll it’s eyes.

 

 

 

***

 

 

  

They had cleaned up in the river once they reached their camp, not even bothering to change into their human form.

 

Clean and dry, they sprinted away in the direction Namjoon pointed to, satchels clutched between teeth as they ran as fast they could without putting too much strain on Namjoon’s injured leg.

 

Seokjin made light conversation with the alpha for the first time during their journey, making full use of their mind link to ask Namjoon’s opinions about rogue wolves and slave traders. They talked some about the humans too and how they were becoming increasingly notorious and almost as much of a pain as the Royals were.

 

It was nice for a while and Seokjin almost forgot that he hated the alpha’s guts. Until the alpha had suddenly snapped at him, that is.

 

It had come out of nowhere, startling Seokjin who had just asked the other a simple question. The alpha had growled at him without provocation, an annoyed voice echoing through the mind link as it all but screamed at Seokjin to stop pestering.

 

It made the white wolf stop in his tracks. Namjoon had apologized though, almost immediately. But Seokjin noticed that the alpha’s eyes had gone wide and a little alarmed, something like fear passing through them.

 

The alpha had remained evasive since then, trudging a good distance in front of Seokjin’s wolf and not bothering to answer any more of the prince’s questions.

 

The behavior irked him but Seokjin didn’t question further. The alpha seemed to be immersed in his own thoughts and Seokjin didn’t want to get into another heated argument that would only damage the little semblance of camaraderie they’d built up between them over the last few hours of running through the woods.

 

However, as time passed Seokjin began to feel that something was wrong.

 

Namjoon’s sprint had slowed down into a mere jog, the alpha’s breaths coming in increasingly heavy pants. The black wolf even stumbled a few times here and there and Seokjin prayed that the alpha’s leg hadn’t gotten infected or something. It would explain the exhaustion. When Seokjin approached the other to ask, the alpha growled loudly again and the prince left it at that, not knowing what else he could do to help if the alpha wouldn’t tell him what it is that was wrong with him.

 

It was not until they had finally stumbled out of the Whispering Woods that Seokjin realized the cause of the alpha’s extreme behavior.

 

As soon as they had breached the tree line of the forest, Namjoon all but collapsed. The prince had been too startled to remember the earlier snappish attitude but the white wolf stopped in its tracks mid way across the short distance between him and Namjoon.

 

The alpha’s scent was raging and the prince could feel the heat radiating off the other wolf even from this distance. There was no danger around them, no reason for the spike in aggressive scent.

 

 

The beach and the sea weren’t fresh anymore. The scent was heady and it made Seokjin’s omega yip with joy.

 

The prince’s eyes shot wide open as he took a step back. He was an omega, alone in an open space with a snappish, aggressive alpha.

 

An alpha who was about to go into a full-blown rut.