Chapter seven
"Run, Taehyung!"
Taehyung startled awake, the screams of his mate still ringing in his head. For a moment, he was disoriented, expecting to still be in the middle of the woods, lying on the mossy ground with bugs crawling all over him but he was in his home, stretched out on his king-sized bed. His bed felt too big for just one person, the absence of another body pressed against his was painful, squeezing at his throat.
The omega looked around his surroundings, his eyes cut to the window, seeing the starry dark sky. It was probably few hours past midnight, the silence had stretched out until it was the only thing you could hear inside the quiet room.
Taehyung heaved out a sigh and brought his hand up to wipe off the sweat on his forehead, pushing back the blonde curls. He was a little bit shaken up from the dream, the memories were still fresh and vivid, repeating in his head. He couldn't go back to sleep, because his mind was going to be occupied with thoughts for the rest of the night. Instead of lying back down in the bed, he threw the blankets off himself and carefully stood up on his legs.
His bare feet hit the cold surface of the wooden floor, causing him to wince slightly. Taehyung reached out for his robe that was hanging on the wardrobe and wrapped it tightly around his small frame, making himself comfortable as he exited the bedroom. He saw how the door of Jungkook's room was a bit opened, a spark of curiosity built up inside his chest and he got closer to sneak a peek, only to find out the alpha was nowhere to be seen.
Taehyung's eyebrows raised up in a surprised grimace and he started to wander around the cabin. The alpha wasn't in the kitchen nor the bathroom, leaving him the only person remaining in the house. He tried to follow the scent of musk and rain, which led him outside of the cabin. There he saw the same raven-haired male he was looking for, standing a few meters away from him.
The alpha was doing some push-ups. His strong arms were pushing him up, over and over again, heavy pants leaving his parted baby pink lips. Sweat trickled down the sides of his face, the droplets rolling down his pale skin and falling onto the green grass beneath him.
"Oh my," Taehyung breathed, cutting into the middle of whatever the alpha was doing, but he didn't notice nor care, because in front of him stood the most astounding thing he'd ever seen.
Jungkook was shirtless.
The alpha was godly. His shoulders were broad, with sharp collar bones sloping gracefully over them. His torso and sides rippled with taut muscle at each slight movement, making Taehyung bite his lip to keep in a whine. The pants he was wearing didn't hang particularly low, but defined v-lines could be seen peeking over the waistband. His skin was smooth and pale, marred with little constellations of white scars, and his wavy black hair was pulled back into a small bun at the back of his head.
Jungkook forced himself up, arms weak and feeling like a jelly as he stood on his feet, wiping off the sweat from his forehead with a towel he had grabbed from the ground beside his water bottle. His breathing had slowed a little bit, but not enough to feel energized and ready for more training.
"I didn't expect to see you awake." His groggy voice snapped Taehyung out of his reverie, effectively making the faintest pink blush adore his chubby cheeks. Though he couldn't quite see it, the alpha swore something spiced up in Taehyung's scent.
The omega swallowed thickly the lump lodged in his throat, skidding his eyes away as he tried not to glance in the direction of the alpha.
"I couldn't sleep." He murmured quietly, slowly lowering his body to sit down on the porch.
"Did I wake you up?" Jungkook asked, a small hint of debt-ridden concern lacing his tone. He leaned with his back against the railing, eyeing the omega. The pale moon lit up the starry night sky as a gentle, chilling breeze brushed by, causing his dark bangs to fall in front of his eyes. He was wearing only a pair of beige trousers rolled up to his calves.
Taehyung gave him a timid shake of his head, feeling a searing flush creep from his cheekbones to the tips of his ears, but his spine tingled at the smooth timbre of the alpha's hoarse voice.
"I woke up on my own, don't worry." He tried to assure him. Even if he wasn't lying, the slightest hint of nervousness could be sensed in his melodious voice. Taehyung might be everything but a liar. He could spill accusations and be as bold as a brass, but when it came to hiding something or lying, he became tongue-tied.
Jungkook quirked an unconvinced eyebrow but nonetheless nodded his head and dropped off the topic.
With a soft sigh leaving his lips, Taehyung wrapped his white robe a little tighter around himself and very slowly lifted his head up to face the alpha.
"Why are you up? Isn't it too late for training?" his question was followed by a chuckle from Jungkook's side. The sound of it was disgustingly sweet and Taehyung hated himself for liking it so much.
"I couldn't sleep." He answered, running his calloused fingers through the jet-black hair, removing the raven locks from his face. A sweaty forehead and a pair of thick eyebrows were put on display, making him look ten times sexier than he already was. "And tossing around in bed wasn't an option."
The corners of Taehyung's lips curled up in a smile. He took his time to part his eyes from the godly sight and instead roam forward into the forest. The illumination from the starts that twinkled above them made everything so unreal that if there was a shooting star above them, they'd only wish for the time to stop.
"We are both fucked up, huh?" The omega asked, a stealthy playful tingie lingered in his tone, causing both of them to burst in a fit of laughter.
"Yeah, you could say that." Jungkook agreed with a hum and gingerly sat down on the porch next to Taehyung.
For a second no one dared to speak up, bird song blended with the babbling laughter of a nearby stream, creating the living melody unique only to the woods.
With the corners of his eyelids, Taehyung sneaked a peek of the alpha that sat besides him, finding the sight of his abdominal muscles for very distracting. He decided to blame his inner wolf for that, the long absence of another alpha had made him desperate. Sometimes his omega side could choose not to be a bitch.
"Can I ask you a question?" Jungkook's voice suddenly rang in his ears, startling him.
"You already did it." Taehyung said with a soft chuckle slipping from his lips. "But sure, go ahead."
The alpha bit the inside of his cheek, tugging the meat between his teeth. His mouth opened and closed in wordless argument with himself. His mind grappled in the midst of turmoil. One side, is curiosity-killed-the-cat side, telling him to speak up – and the other saying no, stupid, he'll probably get mad at you.
Both had a valid point.
With a final apprehensive glance to the dark sky, he released a content sigh and gathered the courage to ask him this question that had eaten him up for far too long.
"Can you tell me more about your mate?" Jungkook blurted out the question, his guts twisting into knots.
Instead of receiving a denial, he got a smile. It was a closed-lip smile, though it was easy, loose. It filled his cheeks, lifted them to his eyes until they seemed smaller, curving in downward grins to greet his mouth.
"Well..." Taehyung started, fixing his attire a bit, daydream blue eyes and crystal lashes were hidden behind the soft bangs of his ash blonde hair that acquired the color grey under the silver moonlight. "You might think of my mate as a typical true blood alpha. Dominant, strong, possessive...he was all of that, yes, but somehow he never showed it."
Jungkook's eyes followed the lines of Taehyung's face as he spoke. His breath was coming into soft, evasive gasps. His features had softened, the line between his brows diminished. "He taught me how to stand for myself, took care of me when I was at my lowest point. For him It didn't matter how high his rank was."
His eyes were bright as he gazed at the stars, his expression soft, vulnerable. "I remember the first time he showed me how to hold a sword. He always let me win." Taehyung bit his bottom lip, his hand going up to cup the faint mate mark on his neck, squeezing tightly. It didn't bring him the calmness he was seeking for. A mate mark loses its purpose and meaning after your significant one dies. "God, I wish he was here."
Jungkook hesitantly placed a hand on Taehyung's knee, rubbing his thumb gently over the material of his sweatpants. He wasn't sure if he should voice the question that he wanted to ask.
What happened to him?
He opened his mouth, hesitated but then Taehyung spoke as if he had heard the question telepathically.
"He was killed." Taehyung's lips parted as he breathed, his tongue sneaking briefly between them. When they sealed again, the smile was gone from his face and his eyes. He straightened, tapped his palm loud at the railing before he moved back. "Dead and buried" he said.
Jungkook's thumb stilled on Taehyung's knee and he glanced up at him, but the omega's gaze was still fixed on the sky, looking at it but not really seeing it.
"I remember－" he stopped, took a deep breath and then went on. "I remember when he told me to run. I tried to tell him that I'm not going anywhere, but I couldn't resist his order." He sniffled and scrubbed an impatient hand over his lids. "I left him die because I couldn't ignore a simple command."
Something in Jungkook's chest clenched as he remembered what Taehyung had said the day they met.
Who said I need an alpha to tell me what to do?
God, if he had only known. He would have never opened his mouth.
A tear slipped down Taehyung's face and he pressed his lips together, blinking rapidly. "It was my fault," he gasped out. "I was his mate, I should have stayed, I should have been there to help him." He continued to spill multitudes of pain into the soil.
"Oh, pup, no." Jungkook gently pulled Taehyung forward so that his head was resting between the conjunction of his neck and shoulder. "It wasn't your fault."
"Yes, it was!" The omega heaved in a shuddering breath, clutching at Jungkook's shoulders. He didn't mind the proximity of their bodies, finding the radiating warmth Jungkook provided for quite comforting. "If I didn't run away, if I fought back-"
"How could you have helped him, pup?" The alpha said softly, brushing a lock of hair away from Taehyung's beautiful face. "He did it to protect you. It was his decision, not yours. You can't take responsibility for that."
Jungkook's own eyes began to sting and God knows he hasn't cried in years. A decade, to be specific. Taehyung's tears hurt, sure. But him blaming himself through his tears - bruises.
The omega shook his head vehemently, more tears spilling out of his eyes. "It was my fault," he sobbed. "He saved my life, why couldn't I save his?"
"Shh, pup, none of this is your fault."
Taehyung buried his face in Jungkook's chest, his entire body wracked with sobs and all Jungkook could do was hold onto him, murmur soothing words, and press the occasional kiss to the top of his head. He wanted to take Taehyung's pain away, make it his own so Taehyung wouldn't have to feel it anymore. But he knew that this was impossible so he just held onto him and when Taehyung was all cried out and had fallen asleep against his chest, Jungkook stayed there with him, cradling him in his arms and looking around the forest, silently vowing to never use his alpha voice on Taehyung.
Not ever.
"It takes ten times longer to put yourself back together than it does to fall apart." - The Hunger Games