Reflection

Thirty-Four

"As touching as this is, we need to get inside before anyone spots us and we are fucked even harder than we already are." Yoongi's words may have been harsh, but there was a smile on his face from the sight of them. Tears still glistened in Jimin's eyes and not knowing what else to do Namjoon leaned down and gave him a peck on the lips, a sweet blush covering his cheeks at the action.

"We will figure it out, now let's get inside," Jimin nodded shyly and Namjoon took his hand and led him inside after Yoongi. There was a lot they needed to discuss.

"Now that that crisis is averted," Yoongi sat down heavily on the cot he had woken up on earlier and ran a tired hand down his face, "Can someone please explain to me what happened out there. I don't need extreme details, just shorten it so that we can figure out what we need to do next."

Taking a seat next to Jimin on the other cot, Namjoon began to explain, "I'm not sure what happened before I arrived on the scene but before hand my heat had died down enough for me to feel Taehyung suddenly go down and that he was in a lot of pain. I left right away and Jimin was not far behind me. Like at the compound I had transformed and when I found him he was unconscious and injured but he was alone. I could smell you not that far away so I went back and grabbed Jimin, dropped him off with Taehyung, then went to help you. I allowed the humans to live, but I took the arm off of the man that was trying to take off your head. Grabbed you, and that was when I found Jimin bleeding out and alone where Taehyung should have been. He was dying," He swallowed, the fear from that moment still very fresh in his mind, "I panicked and started trying to feed him my blood since it was supposed to be able to heal wounds, at least I thought it was, but it didn't work and I ended up biting him out of instinct. I wasn't thinking when I did it, but somehow Jimin's wounds started to heal and he transformed like me but quickly went back to his human form not long after. It happened within seconds. Jimin then bit me and he led me here so that I could get us all to safety."

He left out the small breakdown that Jimin had, not sure if his mate wanted him to share that piece of information just yet or not. The whole time he had been speaking Yoongi was nodding along, listening intently as he spoke, hands linked together in concentration. "It sounds like what you did to Jimin was what the werewolves used to call 'Linking'. 'Linking' hasn't been done in a long time, only packs that follow the old laws tend to use it because it is something primal and in a lot of cases risky to both parties involved."

"What's 'Linking'?" Jimin squeezed Namjoon's hand that he still hadn't let go of since they walked into the cave and sat down.

"It's where one party gives part of their life force or soul to another that is at death's door. This does not always work, because the person has to literally be almost dead for it to even be successful, but what it does is essentially forces a mating mark on the two parties involved, which is why you instantly bit Namjoon as well, and makes you into whatever the person who initiated the 'Linking' is. In a lot of ways it is stronger than even an imprint because while imprints can be broken depending on the species as well as be non-romantic in nature, this is a way for packs to survive by expanding their numbers. Especially during times of war or harsh winters. This is also very dangerous for the person initiating because it takes part of your own health and gives it to the dying person. So say, Namjoon was severely injured as well, and he did this, not only could it have not worked, but it could have given you his entire life force. You may have lived, but he would have died in the process."

Jimin grimaced, "You said that its a way for packs to survive and expand their numbers... Why is that?"

"Pack life is harsh, especially for those that live in the mountains and are secluded in the old ways, which means illness, famine, and pack wars are common and the norm. So say an omega or beta were to get sick and are on death's door, their family members or even the pack alpha would force them into a 'Linking' with an alpha so that the pack will be able to survive and they would still be able to be bred."