Chapter thirty-four
"Let's-" The last of Jungkook's words fell short, two strong hands coming to grip Taehyung's arms and push him aside. The omega felt the gasp tear from his lungs, shoulder hitting the grass below, but the wince never came because he glanced up from where the alpha had shoved him, eyes widening when he saw his lover knocked back into the hedges, the canopy of trees shaking their leaves when his body collided with it.
It took mere seconds for Taehyung to respond, his feet scrambling quickly to pull himself up and then he was pushing through the broken branches, paying no mind to the thorns that teared through his robes or skin.
"Jungkook!" He yelled the name of his lover, stilling at the sight of another brown wolf towering over Jungkook.
It was a fury of loud bellows, flashes of claws and the alpha grunted as the wolf's large body collided with his, its jaw widened in attack, snapping at his neck but he swung his arm in the way, letting its teeth sink into the thick leather of his wrist guards.
"Don't come closer, Taehyung!" Jungkook called out, grabbing the dagger from his side, and plunging it into the wolf's neck, its blood pouring down over his mouth, making him cough.
The animal's jaw went slack, and his teeth were no longer sinking into the leather wrapped around Jungkook's wrist. Its body fell to the ground with a loud thud, a massive, thick puddle of blood was spreading over the grass, pooling under his head, and soaking into his brown coat.
The alpha slowly lifted his head up, eyes landing on Taehyung's shocked face, seeing the grimace of pure terror and confusion. Jungkook wiped off the droplets of blood that had smeared over his chin and cheeks, raising up on his feet. He ran up to the omega, eyes surveying all over his body for any signs of trouble.
"Are you okay?" The alpha asked, one hand going up to cup the side of Taehyung's face and scrub off the dirt on his cheek.
Reluctantly, the omega nodded his head, gulping harshly the dry lump that had lodged in his throat. "A-are you?" He stammered; a wave of relief washed over his body when he saw Jungkook nodding his head in what seemed to be a positive response.
The alpha looked around their surroundings, one arm draped protectively over the omega's trembling shoulders, senses alert and inner wolf ready to attack. In the distance, the shallow screams and howls could be heard, piercing through the air like the hooting of an owl.
"We have to get back to the pack, now!" The urgence in Jungkook's voice didn't go unnoticed by the petrified omega. There was a glint of worry in the alpha's eyes, the need to be there for his comrades and pack members advising him to run in the direction of the screams.
In the next moment, they were running through the forest. Jungkook never let go of Taehyung's hand, no matter how hard it was to make his way through the web of bushes and branches. The growls and painful screams got louder, too loud for their linking. The alpha could hear panting, claws along the ground and the scent of bloodlust, proving this was more a game than actual will to win a war.
Finally, they reached the camp, freezing at the scene that was being unfolded before their wide eyes. On Taehyung's right side, two men lunged at each other again and again. It was remarkable really, the grace with which they did so, almost like a deadly dance, a push and pull of power. The omega hoped that neither man would get badly injured but looking at the fire blazing in both of their eyes, he couldn't be sure.
From this angle Jungkook could watch how the fighting escaladed. He could see Yumi and Jimin, both fighting against the rogues, yanking the throat out of werewolves that made an attempt to bite them. Could see Namjoon's black wolf and a few other warriors standing in an organized line, all fighting off rogues, biting into their necks and ripping off the skin until they fell to the ground in a heap.
"Jungkook!" The familiar voice of their friend – Jin – reached their ears. Both of them snapped out of their trance and gazed at the alpha that was getting closer and closer with each of his heavy steps. When the alpha stood before them, he took his time to calm down his ragged breathing, literally gasping for air and spitting out a mix of saliva and blood.
Jungkook placed a hand on his shoulder, patting him on the back as he helped his friend return his balance. "What's happening, Jin?" Why is everyone-"
"They are attacking us." Jin interrupted him, straightening up his posture and wiping off the sweat that had gathered up on his forehead. His words caught both Taehyung and Jungkook off guard, the color on their faces drained and the skin acquired a sickening pale shade of white. "The true blood is already in the pack house. We can barely keep the front."
Jungkook hummed in understanding, proceeding the given information. His hold around Taehyung's hand unintentionally tightened, feeling how the omega returned his squeeze with a reassuring one. That was what he needed – reassurance, encouragement, a sense of comfort. Wasn't that the moment he had been waiting for? When he would be finally able to face the enemy, stand before them with a bloodthirsty glint in the eyes and lust for slaying.
"I'm going there." Jungkook stated after a moment of short pause. His gaze locked on Jin's, sure and determined and so admirably strong. Taehyung opened his mouth to speak up, wanting to intervene in the conversation, but the alpha was quick to talk again. "Take Taehyung away from here, make sure he is safe and-"
"Don't you dare ask me to run." The omega swallowed, hard, perfecting his own stubbornness to battle the will of his wolf that bayed for protection. And oh, did it beg him. The omega so true to its foolish nature, and one he didn't care to turn to. Not when Jungkook was there, preparing himself for something he wasn't ready...and certainly close to death.
If Taehyung left now, he knew that would be it.
Enough had been taken from him.
He wasn't going to run now when he was literally that close to his happy ending, not when his friends were right there, risking their lives in a battle that was most likely to be lost because of the empowering army of the enemy's side.
Taehyung wasn't going to let Jungkook have the same cruel fate as his mate.
They were all quiet when the alpha met his icy-blue eyes. He just kept his gaze, and though Jungkook's fingers itched to take Taehyung's shaking ones, he didn't know how he would take it.
For the first time, he was worried about soothing the omega, and it hurt. Hurt badly seeing how glazed Taehyung's eyes were from this angle, irises dipping into brilliant blue.
"Taehyung-ah, he has a valid point. Only Jungkook is trained to kill the true blood. We can try to protect the rest of the wolves and evacuate the majority of the-"
"I'm not leaving Jungkook's side." Taehyung breathed, but it suddenly broke into a sob that had Jungkook unprepared, heart shattering painfully in his chest when he saw tears spill and trail down the omega's cheeks.
"Pup." The alpha whispered, reaching out to cup Taehyung's face in his calloused hands. The omega was crying, chest heaving with sobs that tumbled out of his lips as he looked at him, unable to keep his eyes open.
Jungkook's mind was splitting into two different scenarios as he stared down at Taehyung. In the first one he saw himself laying on the floor, dead. The omega's agonizing screams and cries ringing in his head on an endless record as he held his corpse closely to his chest. The idea of leaving Taehyung alone hurt him more than having his own life taken away from the enemy's hand.
In the second one he saw the omega's lifeless body, bloody and mutilated beyond recognition. Both images brought him incredible amount of pain, wincing at the measly thought of it.
"I'm not...I'm not leaving you." Taehyung was saying between shuddering breaths, feeling the coolness of the grass beneath his feet, his slippers long gone in all their haste.
"Taehyung, you have to go." The alpha whispered against his lips when, yet another yell of pain sliced through his ears.
"No, no! I won't-" The omega shook his head in protest, trashing around in Jungkook's hold, trying to grasp at the straps of his armor. His whole body wracked with an onslaught of sobs and tears which the alpha wiped away so tenderly.
"Taehyung-"
"I love you!"
He couldn't blame Jungkook for the shock he showed at the sudden confession. In truth, Taehyung didn't even know why it was the first thing that came to his lips, but he didn't regret it. Those few words were the only thing he could muster at the moment, felt it deeply enough to mention it. Maybe it was gratitude towards the alpha for being by his side, maybe it was the fresh taste of loss in his heart that gave way to letting Jungkook simply know he couldn't lose him, too. Either way, he was happy he said it.
Even when Jungkook's brow furrowed, hand reaching up to cup his cheek and caress the dirt or dried blood away, Taehyung still didn't regret it. Probably never would. He found that he leaned into the touch, closing his eyes, and breathing in the air around them. It was tough, when you felt so much burdening your chest, but he managed. Inhaled slowly, exhaled sharply, it was a pattern he took up until Jungkook was pulling him into his arms, lips brushing the side of his forehead, a whispered 'I love you too' as their scents mingled together.
Taehyung could only grip his armor harder, afraid to let go now, felt so much of the day beginning to roll off him, made easier to break by the reemergence of his lover near him. Taehyung gave himself the moment to embrace him, pull him close until it was physically impossible to do anymore. He let the tip of his nose run down the alpha's neck, breathed in the wet roses that were strong there, now incensed with a small dose of strawberries.
And it was hard. Hard to let him go, even when more pressing matters built up. But Taehyung knew they couldn't stay like this forever.
"Jungkook, we have to go, now!" Jin urged, his heart broke at the sight of the two lovers who so desperately held onto one another, not ready to let go. Not now, not ever.
Not yet.
Taehyung dug his nails deeper into the leather chest guard, knowing there was logic in what Jungkook proposed to them. It was what they wanted and fought for, after all but then his mind wandered to their friends who fought so bravely for the prosperity of their pack. The omega in him urging to go there and protect, to create a safer environment, to find his friends.
To give them all something better than his silent gratitude.
There was frustration in the way Jungkook cupped his cheeks and pulled him in for a kiss, lips willful, but tender in their meaning.
Taehyung gave him a smile, warm, desperate and the way he kissed him was no less the same. There was an odd sense of freedom to the affection but filled with a promise to have something to hold onto. And even though his friends remained a dark thought in the back of his mind, he let himself feel ease from those words. He reached for his lover's neck, tugging the alpha closer, only peeling their lips apart when oxygen became too demanding and even then Jungkook stole just another from him; quick and eager.
Taehyung wished to be like this for longer, to memorize the fine details of the alpha's features, kiss them all, to just take that extra precaution and remind himself Jungkook was here, right here.
"Take him, Jin." The alpha suddenly said, breaking the short pause of euphoria. His hands fell to his sides and he took a step back, causing the frown on Taehyung's face to increase.
There was an angry, desperate look in his eyes and Jin would've refused him, but he knew the younger would never forgive him for not fulfilling his wish. Perhaps, he wouldn't forgive himself either for not fulfilling it. So, he nodded, powerless but oddly determined and when he wrapped his arm around Taehyung's waist the omega cried out to let him go, screamed at the top of his lungs as the rogues began to grow closer, their growls ringing out through the battlefield.
"No, Jungkook, stay! Don't go there – Jin, release me! I beg you!"
It was difficult to ignore his lover's cries. Jin held him tighter, trying to offer comfort in his arms but Taehyung still gripped at his wrists, attempting to tear them away and even when he managed to free half of himself, Jungkook was pushing him back into his hold.
"Go, Jin!" The alpha's voice grew hoarse and the lump in his throat got thicker, making it harder to contain the wave of emotions that swirled within him. His head snapped towards the rogues, tensing when he saw two wolves meeting his gaze, their eyes glowing a bright yellow when they landed on his. Their snouts curled back into one conjoined growl, steps graceful, filled with violent intent.
The horror written on Taehyung's face deepened as he watched Jungkook growing further and further away from him.
It was that space between the last view of someone and the chaos that followed; the hollow sort of drum in your chest that told you the ending of that story. Taehyung had lived a relatively short life in comparison to most, but in his world, anguish was a constant companion. He had learned to house it well, to become its friend as easily as its enemy, and yet being held so soundly in Jin's arms, whisked away from the person he was most afraid to lose....
He had come to learn that anguish had many faces, and not all were as perfectly amicable as the last.
"Jin, let me go back to him, please." His voice was weak, but he still heard its echo in the forest, felt it rush through his lungs as his waist was crushed in a secure grip, and he knew it was protective. He felt the way Jin soothed as well as demanded his compliance, and maybe he should be wiser; should be sympathetic to their cause but he had only just begun to let that crack between lovers mend. Losing Jungkook now, Taehyung found that thought hurt far more than he ever consented to. "Please, please, Jin. Just wait a moment and listen to me."
There were tears, the omega felt them trail down his cheeks, the way they dried so casually along his mucked-up skin, the illusion of bravery long gone and buried beneath the ascension of their uprising. Yet even when the alpha paused in their haste, pulled them out the narrowed path of woods and into a small clearing, hedges and trees creating a safer canopy, Jin still proceeded to regard him with a heavy sense of duty and desire.
Fingertips slipped from his waist, hovering close by as if they were hesitant to release him completely, always at the ready. But Taehyung covered them with his own, trying to soothe the alpha's worry away. "It will take only a second, Jin." He spoke up, releasing a breath as he brought his gaze to their surroundings, the slight wind brushing the tears away in cold drafts. And he could feel the way Jin watched him, a quiet sort of understanding, sympathetic but no less urgent when let go of the omega's waist.
Taehyung felt his feet safely plant against the ground, the blades of grass felt like the only serenity as they slipped between his toes, and he wiggled them just to feel more grounded. Even when he peered down at them, seeing the blood smeared along their tops and close to his ankles, he couldn't help but feel better out here than in that damn battlefield.
The omega inhaled a deep breath and then went ranting on. "I understand that you care about Jungkook and want to be a good friend but holding me back will make it worse. I can't leave him alone, Jin. He is the only person that makes me happy, and I don't know what will happen if I lose him."
Jin studied him for a few seconds, his eyes clouded with indecision and then he sighed. "He is doing it for your own safety, Taehyung. The best thing we can do is to listen to him and-"
"I'm sick of listening to other people!" The omega hadn't meant to yell, but his voice ended up raising few octaves higher, powerful and lacing with dangerous determination. "All my life it was expected from me to listen to higher ranks because of my weak nature! And what happened? I lost my one and only source of happiness!"
His mind travelled back to the day when he lost Soojin. The terrible feeling of their mate bond crushing was still so present and vivid. The grief, the horrible nightmares, the taunting ideas that crept in his mind and left him restless.
He wouldn't forgive himself if the same thing happened to Jungkook. This time he wouldn't be able to bear with the pain.
"I'll fight with you if I have to. I'll take down every wolf who stands in my way." The omega released a low growl, glaring at the alpha whose face remained stoic and calm even after his little speech.
Jin's hands clenched by his sides, an exasperated sigh escaping his mouth and forcing him to speak up, to show some reaction instead of simply listening to the omega and not doing anything.
"He will kill me if he sees me now." The alpha murmured to himself, pulling out a dagger from his boot and handing it to Taehyung. "Make sure Jungkook will be all right. Both of you stay safe." He said, the friendly concern that laced his tone was easy to catch, warming up the omega's heart.
Confident in his decision, Taehyung took the dagger from Jin's hands and smiled at him, giving him a curt nod of his head. "I give you my word, Jin." He promised, sparing the alpha one last glance before running into the woods.