Accepted | Jikook

25

Jimin, heat suppressants aren't supposed to be red... they're white.

The words fell heavy in the silence of the upstairs room, all four wolves tensing at the implication of what had happened. If Jimin had been given red pills instead of white, Lukas had intentionally swapped his heat suppressants for something else, something potentially dangerous.

The omega felt rather than heard the growl coming from Jungkook. The alpha's heart was beating wildly in his chest, his body trembling with a flurry of emotions. His arms were holding onto Jimin too tight, pressing into the omega's skin with a bruising strength, but his mind was lost to the action as he drowned in self sorrow and bullying thoughts.

If only he had been there. If only he had been the support Jimin needed, he could have prevented all of this. Jimin wouldn't have felt like he needed suppressants at all, Lukas wouldn't have had the opportunity to switch his medicine, Jungkook could have stayed home and protected his omega instead of leaving him vulnerable for capture.

Jungkook felt like a horrible mate. But that was the irony of it all. He couldn't even call himself Jimin's mate anymore.

Someone was trying to talk to him, but the words sounded like they were underwater--thick, floaty, unclear. The only thing that got through to him was the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs followed by the scent of an alpha. Before Jungkook could register that he knew whose scent it was, he was out of the bed, and when the door opened, Jungkook was standing there with blazing eyes of molten gold, barricading the entrance with his body and preventing anyone from coming in.

Namjoon stood on the other side, his hands lifted in shocked surrender. It took a solid 30 seconds of standing with bated breath for Jungkook to realize he was not an enemy. The register was clear in the ways that the young alpha's eyes flickered back to their normal brown and his body was released of tension so quickly that he almost buckled under his weight. Once Jungkook realized what he'd done, he stepped aside, bowing his head and apologizing frantically without making eye contact.

"It's okay, Jungkook," the leader murmured. He rested his hands on the younger's shoulders, pulling him up into a standing position and engulfing him in a hug. "I get it, really. Stop apologizing."

Over the younger's shoulder, Namjoon could see one of the elders and nodded his head in acknowledgment while his arms were still wrapped around the shaking alpha. His eyes travelled further into the room, finding his mate holding onto his brother's hands with a sorrowful look in his eyes and Jimin sitting on the bed, folded into himself like the blankets surrounding him weren't warm enough. Jimin's face was gaunt with tiredness and every time he shifted, he winced in pain. Namjoon could smell vomit in the room, having to bite back a disgusted scowl upon seeing it on the floor.

The pack leader didn't release the hug until Jungkook did, and only then did he allow himself to move, directing the younger to sit on the edge of the bed. He hated seeing everyone this way. He hated how distraught the mates looked, the lack of warmth in their faces leaving them ghostly and pale. He hated how Taehyung was biting his lip, teetering between wanting to shout in anger and cry in hopelessness. Even the elder looked full of remorse, sitting in the corner of the room with downturned eyes.

Namjoon hated it, and it only solidified his decision.

"Lukas Flint's execution is scheduled for sunset."

Jimin and Jungkook immediately perked up, the latter staring at Namjoon with a look of wild rage.

"You can't do that!" Jungkook shouted. "You'll kill Jimin-hyung! Why the hell--"

"Jungkook-ah, calm down," Namjoon ordered, pursing his lips. "You know I would never do that. Killing Lukas is not going to harm Jimin in any way, I promise you. The idea that you die when your mate does is just a myth, you can ask the elders. I'm going to give Lukas some hemlock to ensure that Jimin won't feel a thing when it happens. You two will wake up tomorrow morning, and Lukas Flint will no longer be a threat in anyone's life."