A/N: thank you so much for 8k reads, i love you all so so much
"I'm really proud of you, you know that right?" The Luna's voice broke the calm reassuring silence that had settled around the group, after they had crossed the greenery wall. The Alpha glanced at her, from his position, crouching down on the floor next to Fai who, happy to have him back, pointed at the little bugs that were on the floor. "You took care of all of them. They all made it this far, thanks to you"
"We had anger, wrath, gruesomeness on our side... emotions that although I do not enjoy, were necessary. It was all that I had. And I, just like all those other men, would do whatever we had to, to come back to our families alive and well." Jungkook's eyes lifted from the toddler and they faced her. Dry blood tainted his face and unlike the first time they had been there, where a similar situation had happened, Hani did not shiver. Slowly, she trailed towards him. He watched her attentively, studying her, wondering why did that glow in her eyes shone so bright. "I'm proud of you, immensely. You kept all those people safe, people who could not fight... I heard from your father the risk you took. It was really brave of you. I want you to know how thankful I am for you and how incredibly proud I am of you as a Luna, as my mate."
"It's not what we do that makes us grand. It's why we do it." Hani's hands caressed Jungkook's dark locks who grew longer day by day. Gently, she crouched down next to him, and on cue, Fai waddled towards her. Naturally, he wrapped his arms around her chest and he nuzzled his face there, rubbing his nose against her shirt, so as to take in her scent. "I'm proud of you, because you always fight for what you believe is the right thing, Jungkook. And you have proven many times before that to you, the right thing will always be family. I... I became brave, similarly as how you have become strong, because I want to protect this family. What matters is that we are here and that everyone is safe."
"We were lucky that only their patrol group found us. Still, he knows. And if he didn't yet, he will know now" Standing up, the Alpha stated. Hani followed him with Fai in her arms. Jungkook sighed and he closed his eyes, as he took a deep breath. He was definitely stressed. "We need to get settled and ready before he decides to strike."
"Are you sure he knows it's us?" The girl questioned while she bounced the toddler up and down on her arms. "We didn't tell anyone that we were leaving the pack and you guys... handled it, all of them, right?"
"That's true" Jungkook wrapped his arm around Hani's waist, pulling her and alongside her, the toddler, next to his chest. "We left a mess Hani... he doesn't need a tag to know its my doing. We need to get settled and prepared as fast as we can. From now on, the clock is ticking"
They were face to face, the three of them, with the branches, full of thorns and ivy, that enter whined with one another, forced a barrier to all those who wished to cross. The gap between them, allowed Jungkook and Hani's eyes to lock with the cave. They studied it attentively, in fact, their eyes observed it differently, this time. Perhaps, that's why they were slightly hesitant, yet, eager to enter the place. They were aware of the story, the past that they had built there. A bitter one, full of longing. They took the first step forward and everyone's eyes watched them from afar, curious and intrigued with their actions. The Alpha took Fai from Hani's arms, he held her hand tightly, and determinately, he guided them through the branches. They hadn't uttered any words, neither had they given any orders or warning glances. So, unbeknownst to them, the group slowly got up and mimicking the mates' movements, they reached the other side. Jungkook continued on leading, it was natural for all of them present to follow him. Funnily enough, it even seemed that the branches made way for him and for all those who walked the same path as him. The Alpha approached the entry, but his feet rooted themselves to the ground. Above his head, ivy covered the rocks. Jungkook knew, he remembered what the ivy hid. The symbol, the sign that that cave had been his, theirs. His fingertips touched the plant, he clutched it with his fingers and instead of just moving it to the side, assertively, the ivy was ripped from the rock – exposing the carving of the wolf for all of them to see. Fai, somewhat, allured at the engraving, trailed his tiny fingers over the wolf; Jungkook and Hani shared a meaningful smile, as their eyes, shining with tenderness and relief, watched the toddler.
"There's no need to hide this place anymore" The Alpha stated and with his hand, much bigger than Fai's, he tenderly, guided the toddler's hand away from the engraving. "We're not running away. This time, we persevere... like this place, we stay"
Assertively, Hani nodded her head, letting the Alpha know that she had the same goal as him, that she had his back. Jungkook looked behind him one last time so as to make sure everyone was there. Then, he put Fai down and the toddler, already used to the couple, reached his hands high up in the air. Chuckling softly, Jungkook held his hand and Hani, smiling brightly at Fai, took his other hand in her grasp. At last, they stepped inside the cave. The humidity and the darkness of the place didn't bother them, neither did it hold them back. They still remembered each pathway, each tunnel. Therefore, it was with ease that they arrived at the spot where the first True Alpha was born, which, now, they realized it had been where Jungkook was born, for he was the first. His eyes didn't linger for long; only the wooden toys sprawled around seemed to strike a wave of curiosity in him. Nostalgia, maybe was the right word. The Alpha wasn't good with words, he lacked the ones to describe what he felt or the ones to perfectly express the thoughts that ran through his mind. A glance, most of the times, was all that it took. Hani was familiar with this tendency, this way of communicating of his. She noticed how his gaze dropped from the toys and, as if following an invisible trail, they ended up on Fai. The toddler curious with all the new things he was seeing, didn't paid any mind to the Alpha's gaze. Quickly, it faltered. Jungkook nothing said and ignoring the glance Hani was throwing at him, he guided them further inside the cave.
A breach of light cascaded inside the dark tunnel. The mates' footsteps became illuminated as they walked. And as the light progressively won over the darkness of the cave, as the warmth of sun melted the humidity of the place; Jungkook, Hani and Fai reached another area of the cave. The boulder was still in the same place where Jungkook had left it, no longer did it forbid the passage to those who wished to enter. The walls of the cave extended to the sides, forming a circular fortress, whose sole exit was the entry towards the mates' little sacred place. The Luna's eyes shone with excitement, amazement, once she spotted the colourful tones of the vegetation in the distance. The sound of the water running coated her ears, melting her body, making her feel at... home. They stopped for a bit, at the centre. Their heartbeat accelerated; it seemed at they were finally accepting the condition that they were in and the questions that came with it. It made them nervous, restless, anxious to continue on the journey, yet, their perception shifted. They weren't on the losing hand, neither were they blind. They had everything at their display to win, to understand fully what had happened to them; all that they had do was turn around.
Hand in hand with the toddler, the mates faced the engravings on the wall once more. Each panel to them was familiar, bitter. It told their story and yet, a story that they couldn't remember as theirs. All that they had were the things that had been told to them by their wolves, Jinsang, Hani's mother and their hearts. They stared at the beginning when, distracting them from their task, Fai impatiently tugged at Jungkook's jeans. Both of them on cue locked their gaze with his, Fai facing the Alpha directly lifted his arms in the air and his hands opened and closed repeatedly, signalling to Jungkook that he wanted to be held.
"Oh, right. You must be tired from all that walking. Here, Pa will carry you, okay?" Jungkook took him in his arms before he stared at the engravings again, desperate to understand completely what each panel said. The toddler, noticing how both Hani and Jungkook seemed to be so intrigued by it, mimicked them. Excitedly, his hand rested on the first scene; the beginning of the circular story that covered the walls of that cave. Giggling, he patted the full moon, surrounded by the tiny stars who gave it company, refuge. Hani and Jungkook's eyes found their way back to one another, they smiled. The Alpha's hand joined the toddler who noticing it, turned around to glance at Jungkook. "This, over here, tells the story of Pa and Ma. Here, it tells how Pa was born. Under a full moon, filled with bright stars. Then, Pa stayed here, in this cave by himself. But luckily, for me, Ma came into my life."
Jungkook trailed along the engravings with Hani, and calmly, detailly, he told the story, the meaning behind every panel to Fai who, needless to stay, paid an upmost attention to everything. Behind the trio, the group listened as well. They followed them as they moved, their mouths hanged open in amazement at the engravings and their eyes agape showed the shock that washed over them, upon such revelation – that their Alpha and their Luna, had lived and died.
"Ma and Pa built a pack here. Many, many other wolves joined us. We did a lot of things together, see? We hunted, talked around the bonfire, won battles, grew our territory, had adventures..." The Alpha spoke cheerfully, the words spilled from his lips excitedly and the toddler's eyes, much like his and Hani's, shone with amazement at the images depicted on the wall. Until, the hardest part of the story arrived. Swallowing dryly, Jungkook debated about what to tell Fai; if lying was the best way to finish the story. However, they were alive. Things were different, they had a new opportunity. Jungkook interpreted the gory scenes as a lesson, as a new chance at hope, a future. "Some time after, bad wolves found out about this place. They hurt Ma first and... Pa just... Pa gave up. The pack was hurt too and one by one, everyone left."
"But the story doesn't end there" Chiming in, Hani stated interrupting the sadness that threatened to settle in the air. Fai's eyes, once somber, glowed with excitement, hope; glad to know that the story hadn't ended yet. In fact, there was still one panel left. This one, like the first, shared the same sky – full moon, starry skies – however, two wolves stood under it. A black wolf, a white wolf, Hani and Jungkook. "Many years went by and just when everyone thought the story was over, Ma and Pa came back. And now, we're here, at home."
The toddler's eyes shifted from Hani to the engraving. He analysed attentively the two wolves in silence and confused, Hani and Jungkook watched him. Fai had his lips pursed together in thought, it seemed that he was searching for something in the engravings as if something was missing in them. Abruptly, the boy's face lighted up in happiness and leaping towards the drawing, he placed both his hands on the wall. One hand on top of the white wolf, one hand on top of the black wolf. Bursting into a fit of giggles, Fai glanced at the mates and proudly, he said.
"Bu!" Hani and Jungkook scrunched their eyebrows in confusion. The syllable was new to them, it was the first time they were hearing it. They didn't know what it meant, neither what Fai was trying to show them. Fai took notice of it and hastily, he removed his hands from the wall; instead, he rested the hand on his chest, before motioning it back to the wall both of his hands, that covered the wolves. "Bu!"
"Buddy?" Hani inquired at him, assuming that 'Bu' was actually Fai trying to say the nickname the mates had given to him. The toddler locked his eyes with her and sternly, he mimicked the same sequence of actions again. "Yeah, you're buddy. Ma and Pa's little buddy."
That was the message that Fai was trying to deliver to the mates, that he was theirs and that he knew. The toddler, radiant, bright, excited, giggled as he leapt towards Jungkook's arms. His petit arms wrapped themselves around the Alpha's neck and, against his skin, Fai's giggles increased. A furious blush took over the Alpha's cheeks, painting his whole face in red. His eyes widened in surprise at the toddler, overwhelmed with how strongly affectionate Fai was with him. Hani joined the toddler's laughter with her own and, at that moment, Jungkook noticed how similar it was; detailly, it was the same. The Luna's hands tickled the toddler in Jungkook's arms and eagerly, she pressed kisses on Fai's cheeks; the toddler playful and mischievous as always, nuzzled his face deeper into Jungkook's chest, protecting his cheeks from the furious attack of kisses. Yet, his eyes would glance at her, once the Luna stopped briefly; he'd wonder, he'd scan her. Blossoming into a trickster smile, he'd lean towards her, challenging her and Hani, squinting her eyes, would wait for the right time to steal a kiss from Fai's cheeks. This all happened in front of the flustered and frozen Alpha whose heart was in a frenzy of emotions. It was hazy, cloudy, drunk on everything it was feeling. Hani's warm hands caressed his cheek – Jungkook's heart skipped a beat, a dangerous one that resembled when one misses a step on the stairs. Like that, he's heart was on an edge, ready to fall into whatever was waiting for him at the end of that uncharted hole. Gently, she kissed him; softly, slowly, her lips moved against his. The Alpha was bewildered, overwhelmed. Hani smiled at him before sealing the kiss with another one, smaller, tender.
"C'mon buddy, Ma needs to show you the best part" The girl cooed at the toddler that, on cue, reached his arms forward so that Hani could hold him. A quick, strong smooch was pressed on Fai's chubby cheeks, causing a grin to take over his lips. Lovingly, she ruffled his head and glancing at the starstruck Alpha, Hani motioned with her head for him to follow them. "There's a lake for you to play in down there. Thousands of bugs waiting to be your friends. There are many flowers, a big, big tree with apples. When Ma and Pa first came here, it was almost winter and we found out that it tends to snow here. Do you like snow? You can make snowmans with Pa and eat hot choco next to the fire..."
The Luna walked further away from the Alpha as she made her way towards the place where their old cabin stayed at. Jungkook was too... emotional to even move. He watched their figures in the distance vanish and his feet refused to move. There was too much on his mind. He felt as if he was suffocating. The scent was hovering above his head and once more, the Alpha didn't know where it came from. And as if that wasn't enough to conquer his heart, in his eyes he replayed the scene: Fai's hands on the wall, his reaction to Hani's assumption, her and the boy, the words she had just told him... The way she spoke of the lake, of the snow, of the plants.... wasn't that... wasn't that the conversation they had had, months ago, on that same place? When the full moon shined above their head, when Hani woke up in the middle of the night because she wanted to stargaze, when they talked about their future and their plans? When Jungkook bravely told her he wanted a family with her someday? How they should come back to that same place that they loved; they'd settle there, start a family of their own. Why did he feel like all those promises he had made to her, all those plans they had created, were finally coming true?
He wouldn't even dare to say it, but he thought about it. He thought about it every day harder than the one before: was he, at last, achieving the life he had always wanted? Had he... gotten the family he had always desired for?
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾
Hani's eyes stared agape, surprised at the scenery that surrounded her; Jungkook, jogging up to catch up with her, carried the same look in his face. Surely, nature has an incredible, magical way of regenerating itself; still, the sight was odd, unlikeable. The mates remembered perfectly how that place had been destroyed, tainted with blood and gore on the day they were forced to leave. The water of the lake was dark red, the tree leaves were painted with red circular shapes, even their trunks had marks of death in them. Then, what had happened while they were away, for the place that, right in front of their eyes, resembled exactly how it looked like on the day they first arrived there? Its colourful vibrant tones had returned even brighter, even more magical, due to the presence of summer. The waterfall ran strongly, the lake's water was crystal clear, reflecting the light blue sky above their heads. Plants of multiple colours, trees of all shapes and sizes, lively and healthy, decorated the place. It seemed that no battle had taken place there before. Jungkook and Hani were overwhelmed, a bundle of emotions ran through them. Whenever they blinked their eyes, a scene replayed and, oddly enough, they couldn't distinguish which ones were from their past, and which ones were from their present. That place was, or so it seemed, the connecting point, the interconnecting location, of their timeline. Past, Present, met there. And the Alpha, pulsating with so much adrenaline, felt himself wishing with all his heart, that he'd be able to create a Future there.
Breaking free from Hani's grasp, Fai, eager to discover the new place, dashed forward. The Luna called out for the toddler, telling him to stop; yet, Fai, giggling as he ran, only kept on moving. It seemed that he was aiming for the waterfall – it was the first time he was seeing one. Sensing the danger, Hani ran after him and Jungkook followed her. Swiftly, the toddler was swept from the ground. Cheerfully, he chuckled as Jungkook gently threw him into the air before catching him again; and watching them, unable to contain the tender smile on her lips, Hani tried to scold Fai. From where they stood, Jungkook could take a glance inside the throne room. He was pulled by an invisible thread towards it, like he had always been. Yet, this time it was slightly different. It wasn't curiosity that guided him, it was confirmation. Confirmation of what? He didn't necessarily know. Perhaps it was the names, the hands he had seen on the wall; perhaps it was the stone throne itself. Something, certainly, there was his or a remnant of what used to be his.
Determinately, he marched, bringing alongside him Hani who held tightly his hands and Fai that clutched onto his shirt as he bounced up and down in his arms. However, as their feet stepped inside, they stopped, abruptly. Someone was already there. They stared at the wall in silence; their back faced the mates, making it unable for them to see who it was. Fear threatened to settle in their hearts. The Alpha, immediately, gave Fai to Hani and protectively, he hid both of them behind him. His eyes sharpened while he studied the mysterious or so figure. It appeared that they hadn't noticed the Alpha's presence yet, so Jungkook, bravely, decided to speak. However, once the figure turned around, exposing their face to the sunlight that cascaded inside; confusion, caused Jungkook's and Hani's body to freeze.
"Alpha, at last" It spoke calmly, steadily. Hani hesitantly revealed her presence to the person and their eyes, on cue, smiled gently at her. "We have been anxiously waiting for your arrival."
"What the f*ck are you doing here?" The Alpha harshly demanded for an answer, the tone in his voice was threatening, menacing. Still, like the first time they had met, the older man was not even slightly affected by it. "How do you know of this place? Is this where you ran off to?"
"Jinsang" The girl stepped forward, cautiously, she inched closer to him. The toddler eyed him suspiciously, definitely not pleased with the way he was being studied and analysed by his eyes. "What is going on? You left, you ran away. You can't just... show up like this."
"I did not run away. I was preparing myself, everyone."
"For what?!"
"War" Jinsang's response to the Alpha's burning tongue was short, simple. "As soon as I realized that things were repeating themselves again, I knew I had to take action. I can not let the same fate play itself out. I won't allow it. So I came here, I want to help you, Alpha. I want to... make sure none of you die this time."
"You know?" Intrigued, Jungkook's anger faltered from his voice. Both him and Hani shared a glance between one another, finding Jinsang's words rather peculiar. In fact, no one was supposed to know about their pasts besides the ones they had told. Yet, still, how did the old man even know so much about the lineage, the separation trauma? "How did you find this place?"
"I know it all" He stated and, with his hands behind his back, comfortably he trailed towards the trio. Face to face with them, for the first time, Hani saw an emotion settle in Jinsang's face – determination. "I found this place because this is where I used to live. I know of your death because I was right there when it happened, both of them. And I am here, because I know what awaits you both. I was... hopeful that I wouldn't have to go through this, once more. I thought that, this time, in this life... you two wouldn't have to face it. But, unfortunately, I believe it is necessary, more than ever, that you two know everything. Your past, your present, your parent's role, the prophecy, Ulric, your duty.... you need to know it all, if you wish to survive. That's what I came here to prepare. A rebirth."