Necessary (BTS X JJK)

Chapter 21

They wandered from tree to tree selecting the best apples to bring back to the house to share with their mates and the staff. Taehyung pointed out the difference between types of apples, letting Jungkook have a bite of each kind so he could compare them. The omega shied away from being given so many delicious treats, worried it might be considered wasteful, but the alpha continued to encourage him until he bit into each crispy juicy orb.

After they both had filled their baskets, Taehyung grabbed the larger heavy basket while Jungkook took a smaller basket. Taehyung would have gladly carried both baskets himself but Jungkook's eyes seemed to light up when he was able to help and he wanted to see the omega's look of pride when he presented the fruits to their mates.

Taehyung tangled his fingers with Jungkook's for the walk back to the house.

"Can I ask you about...um...if you want to tell me...about how you joined the pack?" Jungkook was a bit nervous making the request. What if this wasn't an appropriate question to ask? He'd enjoyed hearing Yoongi and Jimin's stories and he couldn't help but wonder about the rest of the pack.

"Absolutely pup, anything you want to know, you just ask."

With a warm smile Taehyung began his story.  "I grew up in a smaller pack that largely did farming. I know I told you my parents were farmers so I spent most of my free time working on the farm after I finished my school work. Because it was a small pack all of the families were very close. There were only about 20 wolves my age in the entire pack so we all knew each other well."

"Only 20? Isn't that kind of small?" Jungkook didn't know much about packs, but from what he had gathered usually they were much much larger.

"It's very small, but there are some advantages to living in a little pack. It is an extremely tight knit community. And in some respects that pack was huge compared to our little pack of seven we have now." Taehyung laughed a bit at the comparison while giving Jungkook's hand a squeeze.

"I was one of the last to join our pack here, just before Jimin. Before I shifted I was working out in the field on the weekend, I don't even really remember what I was doing, maybe pulling weeds. It was a pretty hot day and I started to feel a little funny. I thought maybe I hadn't had enough to drink but while I was still thinking about getting some water I shifted. It was shocking. I want you to know that you aren't alone in being surprised at your first shift. I think all of us would say it was an incredible surprise that sent our hearts racing and our minds reeling."

"There were people around that saw me shift so of course they immediately tried to help me get back home to show my parents. I was still in my wolf form. I'm sure the people in the village pack must have been so confused on what to do with me. Should they talk to me? Put a leash on me? Remembering it now I think it would have been very funny to see."

"My parents brought me to the village elder even before I'd shifted back to my human form. I don't remember much about what happened then, they just needed to wait for me to shift back before they could take me to the elder council and settle me in with the rest of the pack. From what my parents told me it took a while. Maybe two or three days? I sat curled up in a corner on the cool tile floor and they gave me water and dog food to eat. I still remember that dog food, it was terrible." Taehyung let out a laugh while Jungkook offered a smile in return.

"Well, I eventually got here and settled in with the pack. All of the guys made me feel so welcome when I joined, I really appreciated that."

Jungkook nodded in agreement thinking of how hard the pack had worked to welcome him and make him feel comfortable. He could envision a future, although still far away, where he too felt fully comfortable as a fully integrated member of the pack.

"Even though everyone was nice to me I was really homesick. A lot. I had grown up in this very small and tight community. My grandparents were nearby. My family and my old pack were just really bonded together. It was a hard transition."

"I tried to go home as often as I could to see them. At least at first. It only took a few visits to figure out that even though I still viewed all of my old packmates the same, they were starting to view me very differently. I felt like I was still the same Taehyung they knew and grew up with but they viewed me only as a supreme alpha now. My friends became distant, even older wolves began speaking to me in respectful language. I just wanted to go with my friends and hang out at the lake, splashing and swimming, but they no longer invited me. I think it just felt awkward to them."

"That was really hard for me to adjust to. I know I had our pack here but I wasn't quite ready to leave my old pack. They offered something really important that I needed. A feeling of comfort and being at home. I know you didn't have a pack in the same way but I imagine you must feel that way about your parents."

Jungkook nodded. Everything had been so overwhelming he'd barely had time to think about anything else. Now that he thought about it he did miss his parents. It would be nice to have a conversation with someone who knew him not as the omega of the supreme pack but as Jungkook. Maybe they could give him some advice.

Taehyung could see the longing in Jungkook's eyes. "Hopefully we can see them soon, pup. Normally we wouldn't meet them in person for six months while we bond but the situation is so different this time around. Maybe they would like to visit us here? They can see where you are living?"

Pulling to a sudden stop Jungkook began to bite his lip nervously. He hadn't told any of his alphas that his parents were forbidden to be on wolf territory except once a year for the holiday. They wouldn't be permitted to visit here if this was on pack lands. He was also anxious about his mates discovering the reality of his situation. It was one thing to decide to grow up in a city, it was another to be banished, essentially turned into rogues, rejected by all wolves everywhere. What would they think of him? Of his family?

Trying to keep things light Taehyung offered him a beaming smile and a small tug at his hand as they walked up the steps to the back of the house. "Don't worry about it pup, if you want we can find a way to see them soon. We don't have to figure it out today."