Atychiphobia

- 1 -

The fire crackled in the fire pit, the heat from it radiating in waves. Taehyung, Jimin and Jin huddled closer to each other, trying to keep each other warm from the biting autumn wind. In a few days, they'll be welcoming winter and Jin knew, deep inside, that if they didn't find asylum soon, they'll die from the cold. Jin was the eldest out of the three omegas and he felt the most responsibility in their wellbeing. Jimin shivered, his teeth chattering. Taehyung was already on his way to sleep, slipping into the dreamless slumber eventhough the cold made it harder to breathe.

After some time, Jimin fell asleep, hugging Taehyung with everything he had. Jin stood up, stretching himself after staying on the ground for so long.

The three omegas had escaped from the Bernulf pack a couple of days ago. The Bernulf pack were made of very traditional and narrow-minded minds. The Alphas were what ruled the pack, the betas were treated as workers and the omegas were just there for the alphas to please themselves and to breed. Or in simple words, the omegas were slaves. Nobody with a right mind dare fight against the powerful alphas and had stayed suppressed for all their lives.

But Taehyung wasn't someone who could follow society's norms, no matter how safe an option it might be. He'd talk back sometimes, and get punished for that. Jimin, his best friend, could only warn him and then watch him suffer. Jin was Taehyung's brother that had brought up Taehyung on his own when both their parents died from diseases a long time ago. He wanted a better life for his brother that he loved more than his own life.

-- a few weeks ago –

Jin's POV

I was peeling the onions, one by one, layer by layer. It was just another day at the kitchens, and the head chef had just returned from the market after buying supplies for a week. All the other omegas surrounded the table, doing their work while listening to what the head chef was saying. Bernulf was pretty much secluded from the other packs and nobody dared go outside of the pack for the fear of the unknown. The head chef was one of the few people who went out and came back with stories. I shuffled closer as the head chef started talking about another pack.

"There's this pack called the Ostrythe pack, it's about a few days walk and takes two nights to reach by horseback. It's towards the east and people say that the wolves there lead good lives. Omegas there are not made slaves and all the wolves live happily." she said. I looked up at her in hope. A pack where omegas are not treated as slaves? Sounds like heaven already.

"Now, don't you let that get in your head now, Who would be crazy enough to walk all the way there when you don't even know where it exactly is?" she said, letting the young omegas know again of how hopeless their situations are. The older omegas have already made themselves used to the lifestyle but the young ones like me always had hope for a better future.

After completing my work for today, I slowly made my way back home. Home wasn't much. It was a small hut with a bed that both Taehyung and I slept in. It was enough to get by with. As soon as I reached home, Taehyung ran up to me and pulled me in towards the small kitchen. Jimin was flipping something on the pan.

"Hyung, hyung! Jiminie and me made dinner today, we made flatbread with a potato side hehe," Taehyung said, all excited and smiling. "Aw, how nice of you guys to cook something up for dinner, I was dying of hunger. Jimin, Taehyung helped didn't he?" I asked Jimin who was obviously the one who did most of the cooking. "Of course I did hyung!" Taehyung said defensively. "Don't worry hyung, Taehyung did help me," Jimin replied, laughing.

The three of us sat around the table and had our dinner. Jimin was one of the head alpha's many children that he had through the many omegas he had. Jimin's mother died because of the rough treatment that the head alpha put her through. Jimin was then just given enough to live because of his status as the head alpha's child. But in all truth, he was as good as an orphan, the head alpha didn't really care for his children.

"Hey hyung, Jiminie's birthday is coming up in a few more days, we gotta do something special for him," Taehyung said to me that night as he cuddled up to me in the bed we shared. "He's turning 18. It has to be the best he's ever had," he continued. I hummed in response while patting his back lightly in a slow rhythm.

Jimin's turning 18. Taehyung would turn 18 soon too. 18 was when they would know whether they were alpha, omega or beta. That's also when all wolves will be assigned jobs according to their ranks. Jimin might get something closer to his home but I know Taehyung didn't stand such luck. He has always been a softie and I know that he'll just come out an omega. And with his behaviour, he'd have to suffer more.

I was worried for myself too. Soon enough I'll turn 21. I'd be another candidate for the alphas to marry. I wouldn't have a say in it. The alpha would use me as they like, and I won't be able to do anything. Taehyung sensed my distress and soon enough the room was filled with his vanilla-cinnamon scent. I inhaled his pheromones and let myself soothe down.

"Don't worry about it, hyung. Jimin would do fine," Taehyung tried to calm me down. My sweet brother, he didn't know that I was worrying for him and for my future. That was when I made a decision. I had to escape. There's no other way. I would never bear to see Taehyung go through all of that when he turns 21 later.

-- back to current time –

And that's what I did. I gathered supplies over a few weeks and planned our escape and we made it. Jimin wasn't in the plan but Taehyung had insisted and knowing how much Jimin meant to him, I'd just included Jimin. I set out with the hope of finding another pack, walking out east, hoping we might find the Ostrythe pack that the head chef was talking about. I had nothing to direct me except for the sun that rose in the east and set in the west.

We travelled in the day and rest in the night. It was taking more time than I had planned. We hadn't come across any settlements and the supplies, along with my hope, is slowly starting to run out. I returned back with the firewood I just gathered and saw Taehyung shudder a little in his sleep. I walked over to him after adding the firewood to the fire and lowered myself to the ground. I slept beside him, trapping Taehyung between Jimin and me.

I can't give up yet. As long as I'm alive I'll make sure that Taehyung will always stay happy. Tomorrow, we'll have to find Ostrythe. 

We will.