The Hanes Enigma

Chapter Seventeen - Pack Rules

Kim Taehyung

"You miss her, don't you?.." Jungkook grimaces sympathetically.

"It feels like I had my best friend back but now she's gone again.." I hang my head in shame, it was my fault we stopped talking originally.

"I get it, man. He's been a dick lately, but I miss Jimin..."

I nod and wrap my arms around the boy's broad shoulders. "We'll both get our friends back soon, Kook. I know it."

Jungkook visibly relaxes slightly and nods his head hopefully.

"Boys, if you could leave the PDA for outside of the classroom I'd very much appreciate it.." The substitute teacher drones at us from across the room of now curious eyes. I was quite disappointed when I heard Hoseok still wasn't back teaching lessons. Yoongi's back in Vinder now, I thought maybe that meant Hobi would be back teaching... Jungkook quickly shoves me off him and back into my chair making vague denials and apologies.

I begrudgingly pick up my pen and roll it around in my hand, hoping that the action will somehow allow my brain to come up with a topic to write on. Currently, all I can think about is how annoyingly blank the paper in front of me looks, and wondering why magick institute's refuse to let their students use laptops. It's even slightly unusual for a supernatural to have a phone unless, like me, they lived among humans for a long period of time.

My phone vibrates in my pocket and Jungkook's head darts up. "Is that her?"

"Jesus, Kook, settle down. Probably.. She said she'd text when her plane lands." I shrug, turning my attention back to the paper we were supposed to be writing, pen hovering hesitantly.

"Well? Check it.." The werewolf frowns, clearly uncertain as to why I had not immediately whipped my phone out under my desk.

"Oh my god, Jungkook, she's my best friend; why do you miss her so much?" I laugh, question not seeming that consequential until I see the expression on the werewolf's face as he blinks at me. Does it seem panicked? Vulnerable? Frantic, even?

Jungkook immediately looks away. "I don't. It's nothing."

"Tell me.." I lean forward, intrigued.

"I.. I really don't know... Maybe it's some kind of werewolf intuition I never knew I had? But for some reason, she already feels like she's part of my pack.." He nibbles at the inside of his cheek nervously and I can't help but think he looks a little adorable.

"Right, alpha stuff.." Werewolves have this trait that other beings don't, at least not of such noticeable proportion. They have three options for the basis of their personality: alpha, beta and omega. The alphas, like Jungkook, are the pack leaders. Unlike the actual wild they don't get kicked out by their original pack until they are ready to leave and can even start preparing their own beforehand. They tend to be possessive, viscerally impulsive, and take every pack member's woes as their own. Omegas are the exact opposite, the bottom of the food chain, as it were. An omega is a beta without a pack - a very dangerous position to be in. Betas are a happy medium and tend to bulk out the majority of the traditional pack. Nowadays werewolves don't feel the need to stay as strict in terms of species, though. For centuries dedicated witches and warlocks have been allowed as pack members, but in the past few decades, it has become more and more likely for the whole pack to be rather 50/50 in terms of werewolf and not. In fact, the only species you are incredibly unlikely to see present are humans and demons. But in terms of actual biological differences, no one is quite sure what effect these social roles have. An alpha is able to make most anyone obey them if they speak in the right tone, and often have the ability to feel the emotions of other pack members after a long history with them. Due to it being purely psychological this confuses most warlocks and they tend to just put it down to 'werewolf stuff', so no one really has any clue quite what a werewolf's real capabilities are. If there are some, there are surely others. "Maybe you should ask your dad? I know less about your.. alphaness than you do."

"But it's not just that I gained another pack member, it's different.. It's like she was already there but I couldn't see when I didn't know her... And there are only two other people in my pack: Jimin and you. Not even Laila is! And it took you two months to feel like that... It's weird..." He frowns, thinking but quickly shakes himself out of it. "It's probably nothing. It's probably just because you two are so close and you're part of the pack."

"But we're about as close Jimin and Laila are..." I frown, not buying the lack of importance.

"But what else could it be? I barely know her." We both look at each other, thinking hard, but neither comes up with an answer.

After a while, we've both written a good page and a bit and the teacher informs us that the lesson is over. I immediately get my phone out and chuckle at Jungkook's eagerness as he leans over my shoulder to read the message simultaneously.

Brynn: 03:47

Plane landed. Now want to collapse into pile of fluffy cushions. Instead I have customs. x

I grin and quickly type out a response.

Tae: 04:22

Glad you're safe. Are you fluent in Welsh yet? <3

Jungkook clears his throat very obviously and I roll my eyes.

Tae: 04:23

Also Jungkook says hi

"Don't send that! Jesus, Tae.. Do you even know how to be subtle?" He groans.

"Never heard of her, sorry." I grin and pack my things away.

Brynn: 04:25

Man casglu bagiau.

I blink at my phone screen, wondering if my best friend is having a stoke.

Tae: 04:26

The duck does that mean?

Brynn: 04:26

No clue, copied off a sign. Welsh tho!

Brynn: 04:27

Tell Jungkook hi back. x

"Oo Kookie, you got a hi back and a kiss. Well, the kiss might actually be for me.. Hard to tell... Probably for me, that is normally how she ends conversations. But it's usualy with two... Did you get a negative kiss? Ouch..." I cock my head and shrug.

Jungkook blinks at me, expression unreadable. "Tell me if she finds her aunt, yeah? And how it goes."

I nod, vaguely concerned that I can't tell what he's thinking for pretty much the first time since I met him.