A Pack's Price

Chapter 78: Together, once again

With that, I hope you enjoy this chapter, I'm sorry it couldn't be longer ^^; I'm having a sort of writers block. I'm anxiously waiting for all of my packages to arrive from Korea. I haven't heard anything since I left. Some people ordered LY Tear from me and I wasn't able to ship it in Korea so I shipped it with all of my belongings. I feel really bad because none of my things have arrived...

Namjoon may be an alpha, but he often let his guard down when he slept. For the past week, Jin would slip out for a few brief minutes, always staying just at the entrance of the den. He squinted his eyes as he stepped out into the sunlight. It was mid afternoon, and it seemed like the snow this year would not fall as much as previous years. There were big puddles gathering at the mouth of the den, products of the fast melting icicles and snow.

He quietly stepped into the puddle, taking small steps until he was on the other side. Namjoon may let his guard down, but his nose and ears were sharp, and he didn't want the alpha to wake just yet.

Once on the other side, he sat down and brought his knees up to his chest. The air was still a little chilly, but he decided he'd be fine. He never stayed out too long. He watched as the drops falling from the icicles landed into the water, creating clear ripples in the growing puddles. The water and snow glimmered from the sunlight.

Jin had very nearly left all of this behind, especially Namjoon, and their pups. It's been a week, and he's had a lot of time to think about it alone. In fact, he and Namjoon hadn't talked about the incident since.

His feet were at the edge of the puddle, and he dipped his toes in every now and then. It was still true that Junho had claimed him in a different way. His fingers traced over the old scars on his skin, not remembering exactly which instance he'd received half of them from. It didn't matter either way. He bore Namjoon's mating bite now. He was Namjoon's mate, and they had a full mating bond. Cool wind blew gently, and lightly tousled his hair.

They felt each other's emotions. Jin could feel the alpha's immense love for him and their pups, each and every time leaving him breathless and at the same time, overjoyed.

But he tried not to show too much of his lingering pain through their bond. He's put his mate through enough. Namjoon saved him countless times, he's loved Jin despite his past. So much so, that Jin felt as if it was wrong to still be in pain, to still feel the way he did.

He wasn't going to hurt himself again. After his attempt, it both haunted and terrified him to remember the worried ghost-white faces of Namjoon, Hoseok, Yoongi, and Jimin. Jin didn't have it in his heart to put them through that.

Jin breathed in the pleasant clean air. It didn't quite smell like home yet, but that was because Namjoon hadn't established his territory yet. Jin supposed he didn't need to. Not a lot of packs would take the effort to come up the foot of the mountains unless they were desperate like they had been. Perhaps that's why Namjoon was delaying the task.

His gaze dropped to his arms. There were marks, old cuts and gashes delivered by Junho. It was true, even in death, Junho still lingered. He clasped a hand over a particularly big scar.

In some sick, twisted way, Jin had been uncomfortable with Namjoon, and the rest of the pack's kindness. When he had first been taken in, he'd waited, maybe even anticipated an order or punishment from the alphas, but it never came.

Now, Jin felt a strange sense of longing, and it churned his gut because he knew it was downright crazy to miss something like his old pack. He loved Namjoon's gentleness. No other alpha has ever treated him with such kindness.

But Jin wasn't dumb. He was beginning to think that Junho had messed him up to the point where he relied on the structure of a strict pack.

He thought back to when Hoseok had his rut, and he had offered to help. He had acted much like a pup, testing how far he could push until he was reprimanded or punished. Namjoon had gotten angry, and it backfired. Maybe he wanted something similar to his old pack, but Namjoon telling him to stop spreading his legs for every alpha that asked, had hurt. He had slapped Namjoon, but ever the cool, level-headed alpha that he was, had apologized instead.