Dedicated to: iamvipbabe

You already have an older chapter, but you always leave such a sweet and funny comment that I always look forward to reading~

Also to ilovebts7 for kindly upvoting my story~

T W E L E V E

B O R E A L: relating to the north wind (see: Oregon beaches)

Rather than Burger King, we ended up sitting in a booth across from each other at a tiny McDonald's halfway down the coast of Oregon. Not that I was complaining, Jungkook woke me up a quarter to four rather than the normal lunch time, so I was starving and desperately craving a McChicken.

“Don't choke, love,” Jungkook watches in amusement as I devour my sixth or seventh sandwich. I shoot him a look from over my food. I was trying to eat as fast as humanly possible and not choke, he was so not helping. The shifter in front of me works on his third Big Mac, holding the burger in one hand and dropping his arm onto the back of the seat next to him. Only Jungkook could manage to eat a artery clogging burger like that and make it look y.

Frustrating.

I swallowed my last bite and, noticing some ketchup on my fingers, wiped my hands on a napkin, “I wasn't going to choke.” I argue, leaning back against the seat. I rub my hand on my sated stomach, “My belly is happy.” I say with a large grin. Jungkook smiles at me, his eyelashes dropping so he can gaze at me through them.

“For informational purposes, because I am still seriously in the dark,” Jungkook starts, “Why am I bringing you to California.” My hand stilled on my stomach and fell to my side. I looked away, focusing my eyes on a couple who sat snuggling in the booth opposite to ours.

I figured the question was coming, he still had no clue as to why I needed to be in California or why Jaron had a fit about it.

I opened my mouth, hesitating for a moment. Jungkook did deserve to know why, he hadn't even blinked when Jaron asked him to come with me and even when I told him that he didn't have to come he still wanted to. The shifter had only known my for two weeks tops and he had blindly accepted some wild goose chase down to LA with me for some unknown reason.

And he was my mate. If I wanted Jungkook in my life, an idea that I was warming up to, he needed to know things.

But still. This secret, the connection between my pack and the Four pack was probably the most shamefully kept piece of information that I owned. It defined me as an Alpha and marked the downfall of my father's humanity.

“Are you going to say something?' Jungkook asked, shaking me out of my thoughts, “Or are you just going to sit there with your mouth open in that rather foolish manner?” I snapped my slightly parted mouth shut and wrinkled my nose at him.

“Whatever Jungkook,” I muttered. He chuckled, low and in his throat.

“You know,” he glanced outside the window, “We're close to the ocean right now, why not take a look?” I looked up at him in surprise. I didn't have to change the subject, he had done it himself. One look in his eyes and I could tell he knew how uncomfortable I was when he'd asked the question. Jungkook raised an eyebrow.

“So, yes or no?” He asked. In that moment, my wolf and I came to a mutual agreement about Jungkook Lee. The bastard as actually perfect. And I kind of hated him for it. His lips rose into a smirk, like he could tell what I was thinking.

“The beach?” I asked, thinking about how much I loved the ocean, “Okay. I'd like that.”

★ ★ ★

Beaches in Oregon are kind of the worst. It was cold, the wind made it freezing and it was overcast, threatening to rain.

“Holy ing , it's cold up in this ,” my teeth chattered as I wrapped Jungkook's parka tighter around my body to keep out the sneaking winds. The parka, however, did nothing for my exposed legs. I deeply regretted wearing shorts.

I felt Jungkook come up from behind me after parking the car. He pulled the hood of the parka up to cover most of my face. The faux white fur tickled my skin, but I felt thankful for the thick insulated fabric wrapped around me. I turned around to look at Jungkook, who immediately laughed and claimed I looked like a seal.

“Shut up,” I ordered, hopping a long to keep warm as we began down towards the ocean, “It's super freaking cold.” Jungkook shoves his hands into the thin black wind breaker he put on. “How come you're not freezing your off?” I demanded to know.

“I'm just a warm person,” he grins at me. Werewolf blood ran warm, but not that warm. “And what kind of idiot wears shorts in winter in Oregon?” Jungkook shifts slightly in front of me, getting hit by the brunt of the wind from the ocean. I resist the urge to latch onto his arm.

“The kind of idiot who's going through Oregon to get to California.” I remind him, shivering as another gust of wind blasts at us. We're closer to the ocean now, but it only get colder. No one else is on the beach with us, I guess even the locals know when to stay at home.

I keep my eyes locked on the rolling waves of the Pacific ocean, “I've only been to an actually beach once in my life,” I find the words spilling out of the my mouth, “On the east coast, and the beach was littered with dead birds.”

Jungkook glances at me from over his shoulder, but I don't turn to look at him, “What do you think about our beaches, love?”

I stretch a little onto my toes, to see better of his shoulder, “It's cold as .” I murmur, Jungkook's shoulders shake slightly in laughter, “But definitely prettier.” I finish. And cleaner.

The dead birds were disgusting. My wolf recalls with a lash of her tail.

For once, I agree with her.

“You've seriously only seen the ocean twice?” Jungkook asks curiously, trudging past a clump of washed up seaweed.

“Yep,” I sigh, “I'm from ia.”

Jungkook laughs through his nose, “Well, I guess we'll have to take the scenic route down the west coast. Beaches in California are sick. The water isn't as cold and there's sun.”

“You've been?”

“Only a few times,” He says, his voice taking affectionate tones, “Once with my brother and sister, and then a couple times with