Seoul
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Taehyung hissed at the pain shooting through his spine as he tried to adjust his posture to a more comfortable one. He almost forgot that he had been injured yesterday.
"Are you okay?" Jungkook asked, looking sorry, while Yoongi chuckled into his fist across them.
They were on the train heading to Seoul. Taehyung, Jungkook, Yoongi and Taehyun. Jungkook insisted that they go in a small group so as not to make the northerners feel threatened. And Taehyung insisted that Yoongi should come too, so that there would be someone to look after Jungkook if something happened to him.
"Taehyun should come too." A sentence was said that many people besides Taehyung didn't understand until Jungkook explained it. "He's the only one who knows Seoul."
So they brought the young beta with them as a living map, although he didn't seem too pleased with the task. The poor kid looked stressed since the announcement, not even Beomgyu's encouraging hug helped him when they said goodbye.
"Don't worry, I'll look after him," Taehyung whispered into Beomgyu's ears before leaving. The other just blushed and pushed the trueblood away.
Taehyung laughed at Beomgyu's flustered state but deep inside he understood the boy completely. He was also worried because of how adamant Jungkook was about coming with him to Seoul.
After the meeting with the Bae pack, Taehyung tried to reason with Jungkook in private, but it was all in vain. The omega even showed off his fighting skills - hence the bruise on Taehyung's back. As it turned out, Jungkook secretly took self-defense lessons from Yoongi and according to the alpha, the boy was very talented. Although Taehyung did not attack Jungkook with full force, he was still surprised that the omega sent him to the ground with a single kick.
After such an ugly defeat, he really didn't have any usable argument left as to why Jungkook shouldn't tag along with them. So the four of them finally boarded the train, much to Taehyung's chagrin.
"I'm fine," he forced a smile on his face, then kicked Yoongi's shin to shut him up. The trueblood was already irritated, he didn't need Yoongi's mocking.
He looked out the window, capturing the scenery running in front of his eyes. Taehyung didn't sleep much the night before, dark clouds of worries about a losing war kept his dreams away. And of course, the fact that they were about to enter the territory of another, most likely much stronger trueblood uninvited while Jungkook was also with them. Taehyung was afraid that instead of gaining a new ally, their list of their enemies would grow by one.
"Do you also happen to know this pack, Taehyun?" Jungkook asked the omega, who barely had dared to even blink next to Yoongi. He was sitting quietly in his seat, trying to shrink himself as small as possible.
Called by his Luna, he looked up from his lap and said in a small voice. "Um... kind of. They are the reason why my previous pack fell apart."
"Oh..." Jungkook grimaced. He probably felt just as uncomfortable as Taehyung. Imagine being in Taehyun's place, being forced to return to his old city and meet the pack that destroyed his family. Taehyung felt he was too cruel to him.
"B-But it's okay!" Taehyun hurried to say. "My pack asked for it. We weren't respectful towards them. My old Head Alpha didn't take Jennie seriously, he thought she was way too young to lead a pack. We repeatedly violated her borders, and then she finally snapped. I-I mean... I'm sad, but seeing it from her perspective, I can also understand."
Kim Jennie, Taehyung thought. She sounded like a savage leader. Definitely not someone he could handle. The rest of the ride was spent in silence and as Taehyung kept staring out the window, his eyelids slowly became heavy. He finally managed to drift off the dreamland and those fleeting hours passed rather quickly. By the time he woke up, they were already in Seoul.
They learned from Taehyun that all of Seoul was now under the control of Kim Jennie, the trueblood, so they had to be extra careful once they got off the train. What they didn't count on was that Jennie probably had people not only in the city but also outside, because as soon as Taehyung's feet hit the pavement, a dozen armed wolves surrounded their small group.
"Kim Taehyung, the trueblood," one of them said, aiming her spare at him. Taehyung wasn't exactly surprised that they got busted. He probably would've been more shocked if everything went smoothly. "What business do you have here?"
The trueblood tapped the spare with his finder and slowly pushed it out of his face. Now, he could take a much better look at the young alpha. She was pretty and she seemed to be quite powerful but she was definitely not Kim Jennie.
"I'm here to speak with you leader." He saw how the wolves looked at each other in confusion. Of course, they won't let just anyone into their domain just because he says he has to talk to the Head Alpha. However, Taehyung was a bit of a special case, which is why Bae Hyungsik sent him - because he was a trueblood himself. They didn't dare attack him. "In piece."
"Our leader does not wish to mix with the Southerns," the female alpha from before said. Her gaze moved away from Taehyung and settled on Jungkook. "But the Luna is quite eager to meet you so I guess we can make an exception."
At first, Taehyung thought it was only strange to him, but later in the car, Yoongi also mentioned the admiration with which Jungkook was treated. Growing up in the Jeon pack, they weren't used to this, although in the rest of the world, it was common for omegas to be treated as treasures. Especially male omegas, who were even rarer than truebloods.
The wolves loaded them one by one into a car and drove them across town to their pack house. Unlike Taehyung's pack house, which was a simple wooden building in a secluded spot in the forest, Jennie chose a much flashier headquarters in the middle of the city. Taehyung was speechless at the sight of the huge palace.
"Changgyeonggung palace. It used to belong to the Joseon Kings," the female alpha said. She sounded rather proud with a faint smile on her lips.
"This Jennie knows how to choose a house," Yoongi whistled in respect, also amazed by the architecture.
Once they got out of the cars, they were led to the main building. The palace was huge, and Taehyung temporarily forgot that they were in enemy territory. Luckily, Jungkook was there with him and kept an eye on the wolves around them, who led their small group straight to a hall that might once have been the king's throne room.
Sitting there was Kim Jennie, the Head Alpha of the North.
Arriving in the room, Taehyung's attention was redirected back to the right path, the pheromones emanating from Jennie immediately guarded his brain.
Jennie was menacing as she sprawled on her golden throne before them, looking very amused. A sick grin decorated her oval face as she squished her already narrow eyes into one line.
"You actually came." She didn't speak loudly, yet her voice filled the entire space, Taehyung saw from the corner of his eye that Taehyun shivered.
Taehyung wasn't sure what she meant by that, but he didn't really care. He came here for a reason, and he was about to bring it up when another figure appeared next to Jennie.
Another taller alpha jumped out from behind the throne, Taehyung hadn't noticed until now, which was almost unbelievable due to the girl's strange aura. Not only her appearance but also her atmosphere felt somehow different. There was something maniac about her.
She was tall and thin. Her shoulder-length silver hair was somewhat similar to Jungkook's hair color. But the strangest were her eyes. Her milky white irises made her seem blind, yet she smiled cheerfully and heaped towards Jungkook without any hindrance.
Taehyung almost reflexively stepped in front of Jungkook, protecting the boy from the approaching alpha with his whole body.
"An omega," the girl beamed at them. She stopped in front of Taehyung and stood on her tiptoes to see over the trueblood's shoulders. Coming up close, she looked harmless. She did not try to push Taehyung away. She didn't even try to invade their personal space. She just looked like they were some endangered species from a zoo.
"Lisa!" Jennie's voice roared through the whole ballroom. "Don't disturb our guests!"
The blonde alpha - Lisa - took one last glance at Jungkook before turning around and jogging back to Jennie. She sat on the other's lap, looking like an obedient puppy.
"I love omegas," Lisa said absent-mindedly to Jennie who just hummed.
"What is wrong with her?" Yoongi whispered into Taehyung's ear. Apparently he wasn't the only one found Lisa rather weird. She looked like she was living in a completely different world.
Instead of Taehyung, Jennie spoke up again. Her voice sounded a bit annoyed. "There's nothing wrong with Lisa. And if I were you, I wouldn't disrespect the Luna of the pack you want to make an alliance with."
So Lisa was the Lune who wanted to meet Jungkook so badly.
"So you're aware," Taehyung said. He wasn't surprised that they knew about their arrival, but the fact that they also knew the reason was a bit disturbing. Just how much did she spy on them and for how long?
"Of course." Jennie's words were dripping with egoism. "I will avoid the unnecessary chit-chat if you let me and get straight to the point so you could return to your home too. I have no intention of helping. There is finally peace in the north, I don't want to put my people in danger again."
Taehyung's fingers rolled up into a fist as he looked up at the girl's smug face. She looked superior, sure, but her words were naïve. "Jeon is not only dangerous for the Southerners, but also for the whole country! Do you think that if he defeated us, he would be satisfied with Busan only? He will want to expand. And sooner or later he will need Seoul too. Do you really want to bow to his ideologies?"
"I don't share that old man's outdated thinking. If it turns out that way and the time comes, I will fight with him. But until he gives me a reason, I do not want to do anything."
Jennie's appearance screamed that she thought she was better than everyone. Even though Taehyung could feel the dominance and power emanating from her, he doubted that she knew how much of a threat Jeon was.
"The time is now," he gritted between his teeth. "We have to defeat him now before he gets too strong."
"Are you sure?" Lisa's twinkling voice broke their conversation. She knocked her head to the side as she looked at them questioningly. "Do you consider the time of child blessing the ideal time for a war?"
A few gasps were heard after Lisa's question but nothing more. Taehyung and his small team stood in front of the couple completely bewildered. They had no idea what she was talking about.
Taehyung looked behind his back at Jungkook, but he was just as surprised he was.
"Child blessing?" Jennie glanced at Lisa. The Luna nodded her head eagerly before looking at Jungkook again.
"It's still very early, just a couple of days, but I can definitely feel it. It's going to be a baby girl." Her gaze was fixed on Jungkook's tummy which was now secured by the omega's protective hands.
"It's impossible," Taehyung mumbled.
"Our Lisa's never wrong," Jennie stroked her Luna's silver locks. "You know, she can see, hear and feel things we, mere mortals cannot. Why else do you think I already knew you were coming here with that ridiculous idea in mind? Lisa foresaw everything."
"Are you saying she's a medium?"
"Something like that. She was chosen by the Moon Goddess to guide her will on Earth. She's one of the apostles."
"The chosen one?" Yoongi laughed. "Do you believe in that fairy tale?"
"It's not a fairy tale," Lisa said in her usual twinkling voice. "You should know that better than anyone."
The Luna's eyes were fixed on Jungkook again - or maybe she never moved them from the omega.
Jungkook also felt her gaze because he uncertainly pointed at himself and asked. "Me?"
Lisa just nodded again.
"I don't understand," Jungkook babbled. "I've never even-"
But he never got to finish his sentence as Lisa slowly raised her body from the throne and walked down to them again. She stopped right in front of Jungkook and tapped her finger on the omega's forehead. "I can see the Moon's mark on you. You've been kissed by the Goddess as well. Didn't you know?"
Everyone was speechless. Taehyung was long lost and Yoongi seemed shocked too. Only Jungkook was still functioning, looking very confusedly into Lisa's blind eyes.
"I think you're mistaken. I don't-"
"If you don't believe us, you can go to the hospital wing and make all the necessary examination to make sure Lisa's right or not. But as I already said, she's never wrong." Jennie stood up as well with a smile on her face.
She slowly walked down the stares and settled next to her Luna, right in front of Taehyung. She put her hand on Lisa's shoulder and said. "Please escort Jungkook to our doctor."
"Hey, I haven't agreed to-" Taehyung tried to interfere but Jennie stopped him.
"We can discuss military matters in the meantime." As if that could win him over. Taehyung didn't care a bit about the war if Jungkook wasn't by his side. Even now, he was much more interested in the fact that a stranger wanted to tear him away from him.
"It's okay, Taehyung," Jungkook gently tapped his arm. He looked up at the trueblood with such tenderness in his eyes that even Taehyung - who was in guard ever since their train arrive - suddenly felt at ease. "I don't think they mean any harm. And I want to be sure."
This scenario was all too familiar. Only this time, Jungkook wasn't unconscious. But again, they were in the center of an enemy pack and they were about to examine his mate. What if something terrible was to happen again like last time?
"O-Okay," Taehyung sighed, knowing he couldn't say no to Jungkook even if he wanted to. "But Yoongi will go with you too."