Judas
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The Head Alpha's office was just as tidy and impeccable as it lived in Taehyung's memories. The books lined up side by side with ruler precision on the bookshelf, not a single dust ruining the perfect sight.
The huge oak table, which was located in the middle and occupied pretty much almost the entire room, shone brightly from sanitation. The items were placed on it just like they used to. Nothing has changed in the dark office except its owner.
Those eight long years were visible on the pack leader, weaving silver threads into his ebony hair and gathering wrinkles in the corners of his dark eyes. His skin also sagged and as he leaned back in his huge black leather chair, intertwining his hands, Taehyung noticed some tiny liver dots on his skin. Time has changed the man and not the beautiful way.
The man's sharp eyes didn't leave Taehyung for a single second, leaving a nervous feeling inside the boy.
After leaving Jimin and Yoongi behind to start looking for the omega, he noted in amazement that the one he was looking for was none other than Jungkook. And everyone except him seemed to be aware of that.
Taehyung was unable to comprehend. Jungkook came from a purebred alpha family, with only alphas among their ancestors for decades. How did he become an omega?
Sadly, he didn't get a chance to ask him because as soon as the Head Alpha noticed him, he took Taehyung by the arm and dragged him to his office.
And here he was, face to face with a man who didn't seem to be pleased to see him again. If Taehyung wanted to be honest he imagined his return completely differently. With less shocking surprises and more welcoming friends. The Head Alpha looked rather pissed than happy.
"So Taehyung," he finally spoke up, his voice deep and crackling just like in his memories. He reached out to a pile of papers and pulled out a white envelope. Taehyung recognized his own messy handwriting immediately. "I got your letter about coming home but I didn't expect you to arrive so soon."
There was something about the way he spoke that left an unpleasant taste in Taehyung's mouth. It was as if he wasn't happy to see him again. Though Taehyung remembered clearly when they separated, the man cried.
Then, when Taehyung almost thought that he was mad at him, the corner of his mouth twitched into a wide grin. It deepened the wrinkles around his eyes. "I'm glad you got back safely. How was your training? Bang Sihyuk said that your performance was outstanding and you progressed pretty quickly. How are you feeling?"
The sudden change of mood took the boy by surprise. He blinked a couple of times before he hesitantly smiled back. "Great...?"
The Head Alpha nodded. "So it was worth it."
Taehyung was not so sure about that. When at the age of 12 he was examined - like every other werewolf - and turned out to be one of the handfuls of alphas so strong that they are referred to as truebloods, he would not have thought that it would also involve sending him to the middle of nowhere to live with an old hermit.
He trained with him for 8 years. It wasn't that bad at first. Although he missed his friends and the pack, he knew it would benefit him. At least that's what everyone told him, including the Head Alpha and the weird hermit, with whom he eventually spent his entire teens locked up. But doesn't matter how many times he was told he needs this, those eight years, to put it mildly, was an exaggeration.
He successfully mastered controlling his powers in the first two or three years. He didn't learn anything new for the rest of the time but Bang Sihyun insisted that it was necessary for him to stay. So he stayed.
"Now that you're back, I'd like to hear about your intentions." The man leaned forward, resting his elbows on the surface of his huge desk. He looked at Taehyung over his hands, his piercing gaze causing shivers to run down the boy's spine. There it was again. That weird, unwelcomed feeling. He didn't do or say anything but Taehyung felt like he was threatened.
He gulped loudly at the sudden tension that surrounded them. "Excuse me?"
The Head Alpha smiled, though his smile didn't reach his eyes this time. "You're turning 20 soon. In two months if I'm right. I'm curious what your plans are after your birthday," he said casually before glaring at Taehyung again. "Are you ready to vow perennial loyalty to me and Hoseok?"
It was strange to hear Hoseok's name, though he was already aware that by marrying Jungkook, Hoseok would be the next Head Alpha. He didn't question Hoseok's eligibility for the post. If he had to, he would have given his life for his leader, be it Jungkook, Junghyun, or even Hoseok.
Without thinking about it twice, he nodded. "Of course, Sir."
He stretched his arm out for the Head Alpha for a handshake to show him he meant it. There might have been one or two things that were suspicious for Taehyung, but he would never have questioned the faith in his leaders and their successors. These wolves took him in when he had no one. They gave him home and food. They gave him a family. Whatever was in the background, Taehyung knew he wanted to belong here. Officially.
A wide grin covered the man's face as he squeezed the boy's hand tightly. His white teeth flashed and his eyes disappeared into little crescents. "Happy to hear that. Welcome to the family, son."
Warmth flowed through Taehyung's chest at the sound of these few simple words. Oh, how he longed for someone to finally tell him this. He finally returned home. It took him eight long years, but he was finally home again. With his family.
He was incredibly happy, but the bliss was overshadowed by the plethora of questions that had not allowed him to calm down ever since he arrived.
"What about Junghyun?" he suddenly asked what troubled him the most.
The Head Alpha froze. The smile dropped from his face and at the same time, a chilly atmosphere settled over the room. The man's dark gaze dug into Taehyung like a knife, scaring him to death. He had always been kind to Taehyung, but now the boy finally understood why so many were afraid of him. The man was scary.
Not really acknowledging Taehyung's question, the alpha started rummaging through the plenty of papers lying on his desk. "I assigned you to a new room since your old roommate moved together with his husband. Room 359 will be yours. As for your duties, ask Namjoon! He will tell you what to do."
His voice was calm but Taehyung could hear he was mad. Did he do something wrong perhaps?
Taehyung just sat there and watched the man search for his file. Junghyun was his firstborn son. The rightful heir. Taehyung didn't understand why he didn't have to vow him too. Speaking of which, he also didn't understand why he wasn't there at Jungkook and Hoseok's engagement party.
"We already carried your belongings to your room," the man continued as if nothing has happened but his eyes avoided Taehyung's. He kept his gaze glued to his desk as he dismissed the boy. "You may leave now."
Taehyung was smart enough to know this was his clue to leave. He didn't want to upset the leader any more, and since he wasn't really sure of what he was doing wrong now, there was a good chance he could make the situation worse with any of his questions. So he just nodded silently and turned around.
When he was already half a foot out of the room, the man spoke up again. His hoarse voice froze the blood in the boy's veins.
"We only share with our own," was all he said but Taehyung understood nonetheless. He felt his heart sunk at the realization. He knew that the man was trying to say that he wasn't a member of his pack yet. Not until he vowed.
Whatever happened to Junghyun, it was something only official members were allowed to know. And Taehyung was none of them.
He just nodded and left the room with an unpleasant feeling lingering in his cores. He was disappointed that his return wasn't as friendly as he would have liked and he was ashamed of himself for being disrespectful to his leader.
He couldn't help the feeling that something was fishy in the pack. Jimin was trash-talking about Jungkook, Hoseok became the next Head Alpha, Yoongi got an ugly scar and Junghyun seemed to be disappeared from Earth. No one but Taehyung was bothered that he wasn't there for his own brother's engagement party and apparently no one wanted to talk about it.
Something was wrong but Taehyung tried to push that suspicious feeling into the back of his mind. Maybe there was a good reason for all of this. He convinced himself that this was just a side effect of Bang Sihyuk's paranoia. He had lived with the man for quite some time in a tiny cabin in the depth of the woods, it was inevitable that some of the man's unwanted habits would stick to Taehyung as well. And the boy had never met a figure more paranoid than the hermit.
He shrugged it off and started to walk to his room, feeling super tired. He dragged himself up to the third floor and tried to find his own room between the endless rows of doors.
The Jeon pack ruled almost all of Busan, having only the Bae pack as their rivals in strength and population. It was understandable that there were plenty of rooms for werewolves in the huge packhouse.
Taehyung had a hard time finding his own room. Eventually, after about 20 minutes of continuous search, he found it. He was tired not only physically but also mentally, he didn't even think about taking a look at the names engraved in the door. With noble simplicity, he just pushed the door open, completely frightening the boy inside.
The muffled scream that emitted from the boy also scared Taehyung. They stared at each other in horror, both taking rapid breaths, trying to regain their normal heartbeat.
After Taehyung considered himself to be calm enough, he took a more profound look at the guy. He could tell at first glance that the boy was definitely younger than him. Spotted patches that could hardly be called facial hair on his face and oily, pimpled skin were clear signs of puberty. Oh, how Taehyung didn't want to go back to those times.
The boy was sitting on one of the two beds in the room, with an electric guitar on his lap. His black suit jacket carelessly laid on the floor and he pulled up the sleeves of his white shirt until his elbows. Judging by his clothes, he was also at the party.
"Dude!" he called after a bit of silence. He had a deep frown on his child-like face, making him look like a baby having a tantrum. "Have you ever heard of knocking? And who are you?"
Taehyung took a deep breath before opening the door again and checking the number on it. Well, it was indeed his room. And his bags were already here, nicely arranged around the empty bed, just like the Head Alpha said.
"Your new roommate, apparently," he answered as he walked up to his bed and plopped down on it. As his weight pressed on the bed, Taehyung found it as a pleasant surprise that the bed did not squeak painfully underneath his weight as it did at Bang Sihyuk's home. He ran his palms across the sheets and couldn't stop the smile creeping on his face as his skin came in contact with the soft material. It had a silky feeling and a rinsing scent.
"No, wait!" The guy, who Taehyung momentarily forgot about, threw his guitar on the bed and stood up. He walked closer to Taehyung and looked at his face more carefully. "You're the guy who attacked Jungkook!"
Taehyung grimaced at that. He did not attack Jungkook. Maybe he approached him a little fiercely because he thought there was an intruder between them, but as soon as he realized that Jungkook was the omega he smelled, he did nothing. He didn't even touch him.
"I didn't-"
"I heard you're a returner," the boy said, not giving Taehyung a chance to say anything. The words just flowed from him after he visibly hyped up from recognizing Taehyung. "Kim Taehyung, right? They say you're a trueblood. Is that true? One of my friends told me that you were brought up here but were sent away to train. Bang Sihyuk must have been a great master. He's a legend! If I were you, I would've stayed with him. He must have been so cool. I heard that he beat an entire pack on his own because they killed one of his deers or something. Anyway, why did you come back?"
It took Taehyung a few seconds before he realized he was asked. The boy's intense stare brought a soft chuckle out of him. "You seem to know a lot."
The boy giggled before saying. "Yeah, I like to be informed. My name is Choi Beomgyu, by the way."
Taehyung thought for a second before opening his mouth again. He had only returned to the Jeon pack a few hours ago, yet his new roommate already knew all about him. Perhaps he has extensive knowledge in other fields as well.
"Hey, Beomgyu!" he called, stopping the boy who was already heading back to his side of the room. He turned around and looked at Taehyung, indicating that he was listening. "Do you also know where Junghyun is? I'd like to say hi to him but I didn't see him anywhere."
Not that Taehyung was looking for him very much. But even if he did, he had a feeling he wouldn't have found him.
Beomgyu's confused face was just another piece of evidence. The mischievous smile and happy enthusiasm soon disappeared from his face and was replaced by something dark. His eyebrows narrowed slightly as he looked away from Taehyung.
"Are you talking about Jungkook's brother?" he asked finally and Taehyung nodded. "I heard that the Head Alpha had two sons but I've never met anyone other than Jungkook."
Taehyung's attention did not miss by the past tense Beomgyu used. Getting more and more curious, he leaned forward a little, not taking his eyes off the boy in front of him.
"I wasn't born here, came just about four years ago so I don't know much about the situation, especially because the adults are super secretive about it but I know that this guy's name is banned in the pack."
Taehyung couldn't help the small gasp followed by Beomgyu's statement. If even his name was banned in the pack, it only meant one thing: he must have committed some serious crime.
If that happened, it explained pretty much everything. Exclusion or escape cases were explicitly topics that the pack was willing to share only with sworn members, sometimes not even with everyone but strictly with the innermost circle. It would have explained why Taehyung hadn't seen Junghyun at his own younger brother's engagement party. Taehyung knew if someone was whipped for Jungkook then it was the older Jeon brother. It also explained why no one talked about him, why it wasn't strange to anyone. Because it was forbidden to even mention the man's name.
Taehyung was not particularly close to Junghyun, he had always seen unreachable adults in him, although when Taehyung left the pack, Junghyun was only 18 years old. But he saw how devoted he was to Jungkook and how much everyone loved him. He was considered a good leader, many eagerly waiting for the day when he takes his father's place as the next Head Alpha. The betrayal somehow felt strange linked with his name.
Of course, Taehyung can never know who someone really is. He also didn't think Yoongi and Jimin would ever think badly of Jungkook, just as he never imagined Jungkook would be an omega. Life was full of surprises. And sometimes they didn't come from the nice kind.