Claimed

a hoan déag

I woke up in Jimin's room. I knew it was Jimin's because of the silk sheets. My head was pounding and my body was sore and stiff but I stumbled out bed, knocking things off his bedside locker. I stumbled outside the room, using the wall for support. I all but fell down the stairs before I was in the living room. They were all sitting there, gruesome faces and it made me think, for just a moment, that I was dead and this was a dream. But Jimin must've have seen me because he looked up, tackling me into a hug before I had the chance to breathe.

"Its been a week! Do you know how scared we were?" He dropped his voice lower. "How scared I was?"

"How do you feel, Rinmi?" Namjoon asked, guiding me to a seat. I was too dazed to speak. I opened my mouth but the thousands of things I could've said were all mumbling together and I couldn't form words and my head was sore and-

Jimin's hand found mine and my thoughts scattered. Every ache and pain disappeared and I only realised I was shaking then.

"Like shit." My voice was coarse and it ached to speak with my throat raw. I saw Yoongi crack a small grin.

"I knew one of your first words would be a curse," He said, resulting in a few of the others to smile, all ignoring Jin's look of disapproval.

"What... what happens now?" There was silence. No one really knew. I wasn't the same person I was before all of this. I felt different. I didn't feel as helpless, but I also didn't feel as careless. Now, I had so many thoughts in my head. Things about leading, about being an alpha. Thoughts about Jimin I didn't have before. He was a beta, and I was an alpha. My head was still sore and m throat ached but I forced myself to speak. "I think... I think I have to lead a pack." I could tell by the looks on their faces that they knew this would happen. "But..." A few of them gave me looks of confusion. "I don't want to do this alone. I don't want to the pack to be like it was before. I want to change it. I want to welcome strays." I let out a shaky breath. "I want to pay you guys back for what you did for me." Another shaky breath. "So... Come with me. You don't... you don't have to abandon your life here. We can work with them to bring them into society, give them a chance to make a life for themselves. We could-" Jin's hand on mine and his smiling face stopped me.

"You had us from the start. We aren't gonna just leave you," he said.

"He's right. You've helped us, and we're gonna help you," Taehyung said, and I noticed he was holding Chaegi's hand, who was smiling at me and nodding.

"We're a family," Hoseok said. "we stick together." I let the pent-up tears fall, a big goofy grin on my face.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

---

The nine of us were standing by the edge of forests for less than five minutes before the wolves began to come out. I stood in the front.

'alpha alpha alpha' they chanted mentally.

"Your old alpha, my father, is dead." A few recoiled. "He threw me away as a child because I was not male. I was raised by strays before I found a home with these people. I don't want this pack to be stuck in the past when the present holds so much opportunity." I had their attention. "I am willing to work with you to make our pack the greatest, but I cannot do this alone. I am not your ruler, I am your alpha. I want to protect and help the pack grow. from now on we will not discriminate. We will welcome all those who ask for our help and we will be a pack that helps all." A few of them stepped back in shock. "I understand if you want to leave. If you leave, you are always welcome back." I waited for some to leave. No one moved. A man shifted into human form before walking towards me.

"We trust you, alpha."

"I will not let you down. We will be strong but kind, brave but kind." A few more shifted into human form and stepped forward, joining me. "I will give my life to you and help this pack grow and flourish. I will never forsake you. I am not your leader, I am your friend." The whole back stood in front of me.

"Yes, friend." The said. I felt Jimin take my hand.

"You've won them over."

"No. They trust me to make a start. To build a future," I said, taking a deep breath. "And that means so much more."