The truth
×××
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Taehyung debated whether to open the door or not. He didn't know who might have been on the other side but if the Jeon pack came to ask questions (knowing the relationship between Taehyung and Bang Sihyuk), he didn't want to open it.
And it was quite probable that it was Jeon pack as his master had no friends who would just casually come over for an afternoon tea.
"Tae," Jungkook meowled silently, clutching onto Taehyung's shirt. He looked so endearing with his round eyes all widened and his tiny fists gripping the trueblood's clothes for a sense of comfort. If they were in any other situation, Taehyung would have cooed at his cuteness. But at the moment, he was distracted by the fear that those three simple knocks brought.
He looked around the place, searching for some kind of weapon he could use when a voice coming from outside spoke up. "Open the goddamned door, damn it! We know you're inside."
It was muffled but Taehyung could still easily identify it. Glancing at Jungkook, who let go of his sleeve and stumbled back, he knew the omega recognized it too.
He ran to the door and ripped it open.
Three anguished boys stood on the porch, with random leaves in their tangled hairs, dark circles under their eyes, ripped clothes hanging from their wounded bodies, and mud covering them all over.
Taehyung just stared at them for a couple of seconds, before gathering his thoughts to finally stutter out something. "Jimin... Yoongi... and- "
"Hobi!" Jungkook pushed him aside and basically threw himself on the exhausted alpha. Hoseok was fast to catch the younger, hugging him tightly. His lips pulled into a small smile as he stroked Jungkook's golden hair out of his shining doe eyes.
Taehyung ignored the sharp pang in his heart and turned to the other two instead.
"What are you doing here?" He didn't mean to sound offensive but he really didn't know why they were here. Did the Jeon pack send them to take Taehyung and Jungkook back with them?
"After you left we grabbed Hoseok and came right after you," Jimin said. "We are here in peace, don't worry. We don't have a pack anymore."
Taehyung had to admit they really looked weaker and sicker than they did a couple of hours ago. Their faces fell and they no longer had that confident strength surrounding them. They looked like rogues, as they were.
He stepped aside and motioned them to get inside. He knew his master wouldn't be happy to have so many guests over but he decided to deal with that grumpy hermit later. He herded everyone inside the small cottage, grimacing when he saw Jungkook pulling Hoseok down to sit next to him on the couch. The omega cuddled up to him and smiled contently. It annoyed Taehyung.
"How did you found us?" he turned to Jimin and Yoongi because they weren't irritating.
"Your dumbass forgot to hide your traces," Yoongi snapped with a blank face. He settled himself next to the window, leaning his back against the wall as he kept glancing outside, probably looking for unpleasant guests. "We could easily follow you through the whole forest. You and Jungkook have some strong scents, you know. You should have been more careful."
Taehyung gulped. He didn't think of that.
"But we took care of that," Jimin said in a calm voice. Then, he looked at the couple snuggling on the sofa. "We figured we can't leave Hoseok there. Not in that state. It was chaos. The Head Alpha passed out and the Luna was raging. She locked up everyone who had anything to do with you."
Taehuyng's face fell at that information, thinking back at his friends in the pack. Jin, Namjoon, Beomgyu...
"We could escape due to the hassle that was going on," Yoongi explained further, seeing Taehyung's sour expression. "But Jin and Namjoon couldn't make it."
"Fuck," the trueblood muttered under his breath. "I'm so sorry, guys, I-"
"Don't be sorry!" Jimin interrupted. "It was our decision to leave. We didn't want to stay there after seeing what the Head Alpha had pulled. Just tell us what the fuck was going on. I don't understand anything!"
Taehyung gaped. "I-I..."
To be honest, he had no clue either. He glanced at the young omega, his body tightly pressed another alpha.
Jungkook probably sensed all the attention moving on him and raised his head up, blinking his eyes so innocently. Though, Taehyung knew he wasn't as innocent as he looked like.
Finally, what seemed like an eternity, he parted his lips and said in a tiny voice. "He wanted to kill us."
A small break followed in which everyone intensely stared at the young boy. Then, Jimin snapped. "Really? No fuck, Sherlock!"
"No, I mean-" Jungkook licked his bottom lip, untangling himself from Hoseok's embrace, hugging himself instead. "That was his plan all along. He has always wanted to kill us."
He looked at Taehyung. "Ever since you came back, he was thinking of ways to get rid of you. He never wanted you back. You were too strong and independent for his taste. My father loves wolves who blindly follow all his instructions, never question him. Who he can control. But you are a trueblood, he could never have controlled you. He thought he would keep you nearby and when you turn 20, he will end you. He never wanted you to make that vow."
His voice silenced, his gaze falling down to the floor before continuing. "Killing a trueblood isn't easy, my dad was aware of that too. He didn't know how to- you know, until you told him we are fated... that solved his problem. Marrying me off to Hoseok would basically mean a rejection which you wouldn't have survived."
"But..." Taehyung tried to gather his fuzzy thoughts in order. "But that would have killed you too!"
Jungkook let out a dry chuckle. It wasn't a light one, it was pained. "Yeah, two in one. He wanted to kill me too. Though he didn't intend it to happen so soon, but since I was already dying he thought I could be of no use anymore."
He shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing but everyone else's jaw dropped to the floor in the room. Even Hoseok's. So he didn't know about this either.
"My dad hates omegas," Jungkook reminded them. "I wouldn't even be here today if it wasn't for Junghyun."
"Junghyun?" Jimin asked in confusion. "What does he has to do with anything?"
Jungkook sighed, probably tired of all the explanations but he still carried on. "Junghyun... he saved me."
The omega's gaze stared into emptiness, deeply lost in his own memories. "My dad brought me home with the hope that his genes are strong enough to produce another Jeon alpha. I was a male so it was unlikely for me to become an omega. He wanted to strengthen his legacy with me. But I was born as an omega. He was furious-"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Jimin raised his hands up. "What do you mean by 'brought you home'?"
Jungkook blinked at him a couple of times, not understanding his question. "I mean exactly what I said."
"Yeah, yeah, but you're saying this like you weren't born at home."
"Yes, because I wasn't," Jungkook said, matter-of-factly. "I was born in Ulsan."
"What?!" All the four wolves yelled at the same time, startling the omega. Jungkook flinched at the sudden volume.
"Why Ulsan?" Hoseok spoke up for the first time.
Jungkook spared a short glance at him before looking back at the others. "Well, obviously because my mother lived there."
"No, wait," Yoongi said, massaging the bridge of his nose. "So you're saying you're not-" he didn't finish his sentence but by the look on his face, Taehyung could tell he pieced the story together.
Jungkook nodded. "I'm not the Luna's son. My mom was an omega. As far as I know, she and my dad met during one of dad's business trips but they never mated. He was already married and a dad by then. But he did impregnate her and after I was born, he killed her."
Then again, everyone was shocked but Jungkook went on like he was talking about the weather. "My dad hates omegas. The fact that he gave in to one only made his hatred bigger. But he appreciated alphas and with the hope that I would be one, he took me in. Unfortunately, not everything turned out the way he planned."
"You became an omega," Taehyung whispered, earning a nod from Jungkook.
"Yeah," he sighed out. "When it was announced, he wanted to kill me then and there. I was so sure I would die."
"What happened?" Jimin asked in a much gentler voice than before.
A bittersweet smile appeared on Jungkook's lips. He looked down, his fingers nervously playing with each other. "Junghyun stepped in. He protected me with his own body. He died instead of me."
"D-Died?" Yoongi echoed, horror written all over his pale face.
"Yeah. The story everyone knows is a made-up bullshit. My dad started the spread that rumor so no one would ever look for Jungyhun. It worked. You hated him so much, never actually thought of finding him." There was a hint of loathing in the omega's voice but no one dared to pinpoint it. They all knew they deserved it.
As sudden as the hatred came, it went away as he stretched. "After he killed his heir, he didn't have much choice left. He kept me alive. But only to provide him a truthful successor."
Taehyung thought back to the time when he was sitting in the Luna's garden with Jungkook. He didn't understand at that time and found the omega's fear a little bit silly.
Jungkook then linked pregnancy to death and Taehyung finally understood what the younger meant by saying the baby would never become his.
"He wanted to murder you after the baby was born," Taehyung gasped at the realization. Everyone went silent too, pitying the young omega.
"Why didn't you do anything? Or-or why didn't you say anything? To us..." Jimin was desperate as he couldn't understand Jungkook's reasoning. Taehyung was the same.
There were so many ways out of that situation but Jungkook stayed. For what? Taehyung faintly remembered Jungkook mentioning once how he had something that attached him to the Jeon pack. Now, he knew that it certainly wasn't his blood.
The youngest smiled at Jimin. It wasn't a genuine one, it looked more like he was mocking him. "We aren't friends, did you forget?"
Jungkook shook his head. "It's not like I didn't try to go against him. I tried. Several times. But he was my dad, he knew me well. He knew my biggest weakness and he used it against me."
Yoongi knitted his brows together in confusion. "What is that?"
"Not what. Who," the younger corrected him. "It was you, guys. My friends. He said he would eliminate each one of you if I don't do what he says. I saw him stabbing Junghyun, I knew he would do it. So to be free, I distanced myself from you. I made you hate me so I can run away one day."
He turned and shot a sharp glance at Hoseok. "But somebody just couldn't leave me alone."
The alpha rubbed his nape awkwardly, looking away. "I'm sorry?"
"He kept me there with you. Every time he wanted something he used you to blackmail me."
Hoseok bit his lip, looking regretful. "I really am sorry, Koo."
"It's okay," Jungkook pulled a weak smile and bumped his shoulder into Hoseok's side. "As time passed by, I realized I really needed you. You were the only person who kept me sane at that place."
"I'm sorry I never listened to you. You asked me to run away so many times and I never tried to understand you." The alpha shook his head. "I could've saved you."
Taehyung watched his mate moving his hand over his tummy, clenching it slightly. "You wouldn't have believed me."
Jungkook looked exhausted from all the explanations. His pale face became waxy, tiny sweat droplets forming on his forehead. He could barely keep his eyes open, and Taehyung noticed that.
Jimin still had many questions to ask but the trueblood didn't let him speak. "I think we should let Jungkook rest."
Upon hearing these words, the others also noticed how worn-out the omega was. Hoseok immediately jumped up from the couch to provide enough space for the boy to lie down. But Jungkook didn't budge. One hand on his tummy was paired with the other as he leaned forward, forcing his body into a fetal pose. His face twitched painfully, soft grunts slipping through his bitten lips.
Taehyung didn't hesitate; the next second he was already next to his mate, pushing Hoseok away.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, trying to sound calm even though he was panicking inside. He thought Jungkook was fine.
He was certainly wrong because the younger couldn't even muster out a single word due to the increasing pain in his stomach. He whined and grabbed Taehyung's hand for support.
As if the old trueblood had some kind of superpower to smell omegas in trouble, the door slammed open and Bang Sihyuk ran in. He had two dead rabbits in his hands which he immediately threw into the next corner as he saw Jungkook's condition.
Taehyung only noticed the iron scent after it was spoken.
"I smelled blood," Bang Sihyuk announced and only then Taehyung saw the red patch forming on Jungkook's pants.
"What-?" he wanted to ask but Jungkook's collapsing figure distracted him. The omega fell off the couch, unconscious yet again.
"What is going on?" Jimin finally worded out Taehyung's thoughts as well. His hysterical tone didn't go unnoticed by the trueblood who was on the verge of getting a panic attack as well.
Bang Sihyuk was the only one who still had a clear mind. Hoseok and Yoongi froze down while Jimin and Taehyung were having a mental breakdown. Only the hermit had enough control over his body to kneel down beside Jungkook and get a closer look.
"He needs treatment," the man said after some time. He glanced back at the four boys in the living room. "I know a place."