Chapter fourteen
Jungkook had witnessed all the significant highs and lows of his pack. As a little pup whose favorite game was to play pretend soldier, he used to follow his father, the head alpha of the pack, around the house with a butter knife in a scabbard hunched on his belt to emulate his father's sword. Jogging with his little legs to somehow catch up to the speed with which his father strode.
His entire disposition had bathed in essence of a warrior. Giving or witnessing the announcement of punishments was a child's play for him, something he had been accustomed to before he even learnt to count.
But things changed, and so did Jungkook. The smile on his father's face faltered with every year, the wrinkles on his face became more visible as he got older, and the silky raven strands of his hair started to turn into silvern white. However, the immense power and dominant aura remained still, even after so many years.
Jeon Jungsunk was a strong alpha, respected by his people and feared by his enemies. He had never shown his weak sides to anyone, not even to his family, until now...
When the news about that true blood reached their pack, something just snapped in him. Never in his life had Jungkook seen his father showing any signs of fear. That significant day, when they were attacked for the first time, he lost one of his most trusted soldiers.
And that was when things slowly started to change for the bad. More and more warriors died out, until they were left with barely any wolves to protect the pack and provide food for their families.
Jungkook couldn't watch his father slowly turning into a ghost, he couldn't watch him doubting his own abilities as a head alpha. So, he decided to do the second-best thing - find the legendary true blood who lived a lonely life as a rogue, lost and pack-ridden.
Things didn't turn out as he had expected them to, in fact, nothing went as he had planned. The true blood turned out to be a mateless omega, the lowest and most vulnerable rank of their kind. But he saw something in Taehyung. He wasn't like the rest of his kin - he was brave, smart, strong in many ways, and more worthy to be called a real warrior.
And Jungkook really, really hoped his father could see this in Taehyung, to look through the weak figure and low rank, because without his help, they were all goners.
***
When Jungkook neared the doors, the sentries saluted him and uncrossed their weapons, one of them dutifully stepping forward to open the doors for him and his soldiers.
Taehyung stood beside him, his expression was plain and calm, seemingly unbothered by the fact he was about to face the head alpha of the pack. Not only that, but it was Jungkook's father the one to tell what was going to happen with him. He could throw Taehyung out of the pack, refuse to believe in his words, or even kill him for spreading lies.
Let's not forget omegas weren't the most respected among them. They didn't have a word in most of the matters, not having the right to voice out their own thoughts and be considered as equal. The reality was harsh, forcing you to bear with the rules made up by those above you, but that was how things worked in their moronic caste system, and nothing could be done.
Jungkook had no idea what to expect, yet all his senses were on high alert and his hand stayed pressed on the hilt of his blade. Logically he assumed that there was no immediate threat, for otherwise the crowd would have been a lot bigger and more guards would have been present. Not to mention, he would have heard some noise from inside instead of the complete silence. However, he wanted to take no chances as he signaled for Taehyung and Jimin to follow him. Taking a breath to mask his uncertainty, he stepped into the main room.
This area was the largest and widest in the entire house - only the alpha's family and his trusted visitors were permitted to enter. In fact, it was nearly five years before he'd even been able to see the inside of it, and he still remembered how he had felt standing there at the ripe age of fifteen, astonished by the sight. No omega was allowed to enter those parts of the pack, except for the luna, because they were the second in command after the head alpha.
Sadly, Jungkook's mother passed away before he had the chance to get to know her. The only memory he had left from her was the lavender scent and pleasant feeling of comfort.
Nearly twenty tall oval windows evenly lined either side of the long room, reflecting the sunlight in different patterns onto the polished marble ground, resembling thick golden waves. Carefully crafted tapestries hung decoratively on the walls between the windows, depicting tales of the pack's beginnings, and myths surrounding the esteemed divinity of the family's bloodline.
The history of the last few decades was all etched within these four walls, whispering its stories and singing eerie tunes to any that stopped to listen. No matter how many times he'd been inside this room, it never ceased to remind him of his insignificance in comparison to the vastness of the empire's past- how a grain of sand might feel amidst the boundless desert.
At the far end of the room was a raised stone platform with two wide steps leading up to it, upon which there were three large wooden chairs. The largest of the three was the one in the middle, extravagantly carved to represent a symbol of power for the head alpha and his dynasty. In front of the platform was a large bear-skin rug that was almost the width of the entire room, every new leader adding a pelt to the collection as tradition demanded.
"Father." The word came out as cold and harsh from Jungkook's mouth without a trace of happiness or warmth in his tone. He walked to the center of the room, then knelt on one knee and bowed his head in respect as the law required.
"Better start explaining why there is an omega with you. And be careful with what you're about to say because I'm not feeling merciful today, Jungkook." The deep baritone resonated around the hall, causing everyone to tense slightly, some of the warriors that were posted on each side of the room cowered in submission.
Jungkook felt how his palms started to get clammy. He was an alpha by nature but being under the presence of his father was an intimidation he couldn't shake at times. Especially in the fury of the head alpha, shrouded in a gray mist of rage that would soon be directed towards a naïve son who only ever wished for salvation and peace.
Jimin had his head bowed down, too. But Taehyung seemed to be as stoic as ever, completely unaffected by the leader of the Silver Moon pack. He refused to bow his head at him, stubbornly glaring back with the same mischievous fire dancing in his blue orbs.
"He is the reason why I was away for so long. The true blood I told you about - "Jungsung raised his palm towards his son, effectively silencing Jungkook and keeping his stern stare on him.
"This is not a true blood, but an omega." he retorted, as if they weren't aware of this fact.
Now disappointment was something that could crumble Jungkook's knees. He expected such a reaction, after all he promised to bring a true blood, not an omega. But guess what, he wasn't mentally prepared for this conversation.
The young alpha bit his lip, shrinking beneath that austere gaze, clenching his fingers together, letting his nerves be at peace in his palms. A breath. He exhaled a breath, felt the heat dance between them, before he allowed words to bounce off the concentrate walls. "Believe me, father, he is much more than that."
Jungsung scoffed at this, the puzzled glint in his eyes dispersing instantaneously, as his gaze mutated into one of great disagreement. "Much more than a true blood? Are you hearing yourself? I didn't wait for so long only for you to bring me an omega." He paused and narrowed his eyes into perplexed slits, his tongue darting across his lips. The head alpha fixed his stare over Jimin with a cold undertone. "Park, don't tell me you agree with my son."
Said boy visibly flinched at the mention of his name. Startled, he peered up at the sound of the voice, swallowing down the lump lodged in his throat. "I-I..." It was a whisper, desperate and uncertain, and the emotions curled in Jimin's chest like feral cats scratching to be let out. He weighed his next words carefully, rolling them around like a candy on his tongue, and before they got bitter, he let them free out. "I don't know, alpha."
"Very well." The sarcasm in Jungsung's mocking tone didn't go unnoticed by the three wolves, leaving a pregnant silence to fall about the room, enabling Taehyung's focus to be solely on the new, glacial eyes affixed to him, yelling at his heart to speed up. Silent moments, which hung in the air like icicles, were hastily abolished, as the alpha released a hyperbolic sigh, shaking his head in mind transgression. "Why aren't you on your knees, omega? Don't you know who you're speaking to?"
Instead of cowering in fear like the rest of the wolves (who were also alphas) the omega lifted his chin higher and opened his mouth to speak up, round lips hitting all right syllables. "Your son had told me about you, but I have no intentions in bowing my head at someone who isn't my alpha."
Jungkook's pupils swelled up in size and he instantly snapped his head in the direction of the omega, scanning him from head to toes, wondering if the boy knew who he was exactly talking to. It was as if his nervous system would be sent into overdrive and he would find it less arduous a task to speak, in fact, the aura Taehyung gave off was almost the complete opposite of his own, it was as if the blonde-haired boy had too much to say and would continue to challenge his father to silent arguments till his heart's content.
"And who is your alpha?" Jungsung questioned, a line appeared between his brows and the corners of his eyes crinkled, lids narrowing so much to the point nothing was left to be seen from the chocolate brown orbs.
Taehyung visibly stiffened by the question. His heart was beating out of rhythm now.
"I don't have one." He said with a heavy heart on his chest, pushing away any sort of disturbing thoughts and masking his pain with tranquility.
Jungsung struggled to conceal his shock, one eyebrow moving up on its own volution. No one could decipher the expression on his face. It wasn't an angry one, nor surprised. He was staying silent, as if waiting for the right words to form in his head and split from his mouth, while three pairs of curios eyes laid on him.
"Tell me, omega, what do you have that we lack of." His voice was monotone and cutting on this side of the wall. On the other, his stare on the omega was ruthless.
Jungkook was surprised how after so many years it still made him uncomfortable. It seemed to evolve with time. When he was a child, it was terrifying. When he was a teenager, it was accusatory. Now, it was demeaning. The whole time it was hurtful. He could only imagine what Taehyung was going through in this heated situation.
"I know more about true bloods than anyone else." The omega said, gathering up the courage to take a step closer, noticing right after how the guards took positions for attacking, ready to protect their head alpha from the smallest threat. Taehyung charged his warry eyes across the wolves, before setting them back on Jungsung. "What's more, I can teach you how to kill one, too."
Jungkook's father scoffed, brows scrunching together, like someone squeezing excessively upon a lemon, drenching the sour juice across his immensely perturbed expression. "What do you propose, omega? Lead my army to a highly probable death?"
Taehyung, no matter how offended he felt by the harsh statement, continued to appear composed and calm in front of the head alpha. Meanwhile Jungkook was all sweating, panic surged through his body as his terror mounted with every spoken word. Expect the unexpected, they say. Fucking bullshit.
"I'm not proposing anything. Your son reached out to me. I'm only helping him win this war." The omega stated out, emphasizing the word 'son'.
"How? You can't kill a true blood." Jungsung's expression metamorphosed into something more pained by the second, as if this whole conversation was of some great disruption in his abundantly gleeful day.
Taehyung was close to scoffing, his head ablaze with vexation; he was always taught that he shouldn't be talking back to a head alpha, but the man's constant belittling tone paired with his critical tongue was becoming somewhat of an irritation. He felt as if his mind was serrated, abnormal compared to his usual tone of calm, but truly he didn't care; he was aware of his own idiosyncrasy, and yet if felt so nice to have a change in emotions. His whole sense of feeling was skewered, and he didn't mind one bit.
"Indeed, I can't. That's why I'm teaching Jungkook how to do it. If you give me a chance to - ". Before he had the opportunity to finish his sentence, Jungsung's hand was in the air, motioning for him to keep his mouth shut.
"Enough. You're just wasting my time." He exclaimed loudly so everyone in the room would hear him. His voice echoed in the large room, painted in vibrations along the concave of the walls but he never took his eyes off the omega. The old alpha raised up on his feet, appearing much taller and massive. No matter how old he was, the leader of the pack remained powerful and gracious. He shifted his gaze from Taehyung to Jungkook, looking at his son with a very disappointed glint in his eyes. "And you! How can you be so naïve to believe an omega? You're an alpha seeking help from lower ranks!"
"Dad, please." Jungkook stood up on his feet as well, stepping forward to take the empty space right next to Taehyung. It was one of those rare times in which he would stand up against his father. He didn't have the slightest bit of idea from where the sudden spark of confidence came, but he was glad to have the ability to even look his father in the eyes without shivering in fear like a little pup. "If you don't believe in Taehyung, believe in me instead."
Jungsung was both surprised and impressed by his son's strong will. He didn't say anything at first, deciding to keep quiet. His dry lips were pressed in a thin line, eyes skidding across the two wolves. Even Jimin, who was the quietest and most shy of them all, looked up out of pure curiosity.
"Do you really trust this omega? Are you ready to risk the lives of hundreds for him?" The head alpha asked, staying still, not ready to leave the room yet.
Taehyung snapped his head in Jungkook's direction, gaze wandering all over his face to see his reaction. A giddy feeling coursed through his body at the thought of the younger standing up for him and taking his side. In this moment, he felt happy to have him as his alley.
A simple hum and nod of his head was what the young alpha responded with, an indifferent reaction which gave way more answers than he had preferred it to. "From the bottom of my heart, yes." Jungkook said, determination lacing his tone.
"Fine...he can teach my people." Jungsung eventually said. The three wolves had their mouths wide open, proceeding his words in their buzzling heads. But before anyone had the chance to burst out in happy cheers and much craved relief, the alpha spoke up again. "But he isn't allowed to fight." He added, folding his fingers behind his back, watching how the glimmer of hope faltered and slowly faded away from the omega's face.
"I - "Taehyung tried to intervene in the conversation but was cut off right before he could voice out his disapproval.
"Don't make me rethink my decisions!" The head alpha warned, the irises of his blown-out eyes flickered between dark brown and rich yellow.
And the omega, as much as he would love to argue about this specific rule, decided to keep his thoughts for himself and not get in another heated dispute with the leader of the pack.