Shadows of the Past// Taekook

Part 13

📢 I changed it a little.

Jungkook POV

Taehyung's kiss takes me by surprise. Is he feeling jealous? I brush it off, thinking it makes no difference. The damage is done. With all my strength I push him back and slap him as hard as I can.

Taehyung feels his now-red face after receiving a slap from Jungkook. Saying, "I'm sorry," Taehyung looked into my teary eyes.

"Kim Taehyung, you've already done all you could to hurt me. What more are you looking for? I have nothing left to give," I gaze at Yomogi's body and angrily say, "I'm dead, you raped and mistreated me, so what more do you want?" Is Yomogi dead? Isn't he already dead?

As he looks at my lips, Taehyung whispers, "I never wanted to hurt you. I am so sorry for what I did to you." What the heck is going on here, with everyone staring at my lips? He tentatively lifts his arm in my direction. However, he withdraws it as he watches me flinch.

The memory of Taehyung taking pleasure from my pain and using my body was still very clear. I was keeping my attention on the topic at hand and effectively ignoring those memories. Taehyung only needed to kiss me for everything to come crashing down. I am the object of his every exploitation. I will never be able to forgive him.

I foolishly thought that I could still win Taehyung over. I'm positive he will never be Alpha, so I won't be calling him that anymore. Most likely, he doesn't care either.

Why then should I care? The mate bond is what makes me so submissive to him, just because he's, my mate. How was I ever going to forgive my rapist? My hand fumbles to stop the sob that tries to escape my lips, so I turn my back on Taehyung, so he won't have the pleasure of seeing my suffering.

How come Moon Goddess? What did I ever do wrong? Is Jungguk's deceit genuinely causing me to suffer? It's unfair.

I give him a sarcastic glance before turning to see Yomogi's corpse. "You know, before I met you, I had dreams and hopes. I wanted a taste of happiness after all that I had experienced. I now understand that promises and hope are the same thing. They're meaningless," I say, taking a long breath before moving on to my next inquiry. Remain resilient, I tell myself. My heart is racing, and I'm afraid. What if he injures me once more? My weakness and sad state make me believe that the Moon Goddess made a poor decision in picking me to help save this world.

"Jungguk killed me, as I mentioned, Jimin is really Park Jimee, and I believe you are or were under a spell. Yomogi filled me in on all of the previous events. I have one question for you, but know this, I will never forgive you for what you did to me. Now, is your mind clear? Was it clear when you performed that disgusting act on me?" When I'm done talking, I glance up at my "mate," who is not even giving me a sidelong look. We definitely are not meant to be together, not in this life. Stupid, stupid heart, making excuses to get me to forgive him. Why can't I truly hate him?

Taehyung turns to face me, his eyes heavy with tears. "I am to blame for everything. It's true that I never truly wanted you, even though I wouldn't hurt you. I attempted to kill you when I first met you. If my brother hadn't stopped me, I was prepared to reject you. When we first met, it was Jungguk—not you, Jungkook—that I saw. You say that I was being possessed by Yomogi's fated mate, and I was starting to believe that I was going insane, but this makes a lot of sense."

He's speaking gently to me for the first time. He was polite, but not disrespectful, even after their meeting. Then things started getting progressively terrible.

"The high Priestess who wedded us set off my rut, to answer your second question. Once I realized what I had done to you, my head had begun to clear, and I felt like killing myself. I was baffled as to why I had committed so many horrible acts. Something, though, kept telling me that you deserved it at the same time. You are innocent in all of this, I can guarantee you that after I sexually abused you, I was no longer entirely under his control, Jungkook. I may have been experiencing a side effect from the spell, but I knew what I was doing."