JUNGKOOK POV
Two days with my house
guests passed quickly.
We hung out around the house, visited with Jin and the baby, wandered the woods a bit, at least Dalsu and I did.
His dad needed that rest for his leg and his head and everything else he'd managed to damage.
I made sure he was settled on the couch with a drink close at hand, a few snacks and my tablet to watch things on
while we went out and
learned the lay of the land.
I'd cooked breakfast about
as often as I thought I could reasonably pull off for morning and nighttime meals but Jimin swore he was a good cook
and I told him that if he
agreed to sit at the counter
and give me instructions,
we'd try something new.
On the morning of the third
day, I was called to Joon's
office to discuss what, I had no idea but as soon as I hit the waiting area, he called me in.
"Sit down, Jungkook."
"We need to make some
plans for Dalsu."
"Okay...what kind of plans?"
Was he going to insist I not let him or him and his dad leave?
"I've already been spending
time with him talking about
what it means to be a wolf."
"That's very good and I'm glad they're still at your house."
"But they can't stay there and never leave, either."
I scratched my head.
"You told me to get them
there but I get it, Jimin is champing at the bit to get
back to his job."
"The bar he works for is
about to be sold."
"Wait, you know the place
right?"
"Jin's bar, Right."
"I did know that was where
they became friends."
"The boss is selling it, huh? Interesting." He tapped a
pencil on the desk.
"Anyway, with Jimin ready to return to work soon, he'll
want Dalsu in school."
"I propose he goes to the
private academy instead of returning to his regular class."
"Get him signed up right away."
He dropped his focus to a
stack of pages in front of him and made a mark with the
pencil, dismissing me from his attention but I had some thoughts on the subject.
"Uh, alpha?"
"Hmm?" He didn't look up.
"Are you still here, Jungkook?"
He knew I was.
But I hadn't taken the hint
not to be there.
"You know I am, alpha."
"I was curious what to do if
Jimin says he doesn't want to move his son to an unfamiliar school, Dalsu loves that place
so much."
"He got me to play some of
the songs he learned in music class on the guitar and is learning the chords."
"And he has friends, at least I thought he did."
"Come to think of it he'd never mentioned anyone but his teachers."
"He'll have friends here." Joon said, setting the pencil down
and giving me his full
attention again.
"And at the academy."
"Friends who won't completely lose their shit when he shifts
into a wolf cub."
"I'm working with him on that, teaching him how to control his shifts." But my protests were falling on deaf ears.
Not only would Joon not change his mind once he'd given an order, he was right.
No matter how much training I gave him, he'd have to grow
into his shifts.
No cub was perfect that young.
It could be an emotional response from something as simple as another kid taking
a ball he wanted on the playground.
Or protecting a friend.
Or his wolf deciding to
make an appearance.
Joon remained quiet, probably fully aware of my thought process.
Damn alpha was so smart.
Finally he picked up the pencil again.
"So, you'll take care of it?"
"Yes, alpha."
So, his being right and the
boss of me made his will about
to be done.
But I pushed open the door of my house without a clue how to convince Jimin to send his son
to a strange school with kids
he'd never met.
The human was very protective of his only child, I'd watched it while they were at my home.
Anytime we left the house, he wanted to know where we
were going, who we'd see
and when we'd be back.
And I was pretty sure he
trusted me.
I found him in the kitchen, stirring a pot of oatmeal.
A very large pot of oatmeal.
"Hey, Jungkook."
"Just in time."
"Sit down and I'll bring you
a bowl."
"I hope you like blueberries."
"Trenton left a quart when he was here checking me out."
"Oh yeah, sure." I started to
sit then jumped up again.
"But you did the cooking."
"Let me serve you instead." I grabbed three bowls from
the cupboard.
"No, just the two of us."
"Trenton took Dalsu with him
for a while."
I set one back and filled the other two.
"Blueberries."
"That's a treat."
I sprinkled them liberally on
both servings then looked
from the pot to the bowls.
"If Dalsu isn't here, why so
much oatmeal?"
He flushed. "I'm just trying to stay ahead of the game."
"When he comes back hungry,
I figure a trough of oatmeal
will tide him over until we
can make more food."
"Makes sense."
I set the bowls on the table
and pulled out a chair.
"Sit down, Let's eat while
there's food available to us."
He chuckled. "A dad likes his
kid to eat well but the past couple of days have been a
new experience."
I pushed the chair in for him
and sat across the table.
"This looks great."
"You'll have to give me the recipe." I dusted it with sugar and scooped up a big bite.
Jimin stared.
"It's oatmeal and water."
"Cooked for five minutes on
the stove."
"Uh, yeah." So much for my attempt to put off the conversation with culinary discussions.
"Anyway, I bet you're
wondering what Joon wanted
this morning."
"Not really, I'm planning to
go home this afternoon."
"Your pack business has
nothing to do with me."
"Great blueberries, huh?"
"Good, yes but I think you
will want to know what we discussed because it related
to you."
"Me?" He held a spoonful of oatmeal almost to his mouth.
"Sure he's ready for us to go
and get out his hair." He ate
the bit and scooped up another.
"He doesn't feel that way at
all, He wanted me to extend a very valuable invitation for Dalsu."
He frowned, set the spoon
down.
"Quit beating around the
bush."
"I need to get packed up so I
can get home and be at work
on time, What invitation?"
He was not making it easy
on me.
"Shifter kids don't usually go
to regular school."
"They attend a special academy where they not only get an excellent education in all the regular subjects but learn how
to handle what is special
about them."
"Turning into a wolf without warning."
I nodded.
"I thought you were helping
him control that?"
"I am but it isn't an over
night process."
"Alpha reminded me that
part of the control is just
growing up."
"It takes time and patience."
"Oh great, so we could be walking down the aisle at the supermarket and bam wolf cub
is padding along beside me?"
I couldn't help grinning at
the image.
"Well, probably he'd be leaping into the meat case and
devouring half their stock."
Jimin did not get the humor.
"You're kidding me."
"A little but while you're
probably fine in the store as
long as you carry snacks and
I'm not kidding about that, at school where he's not under
your or my immediate supervision, he's more likely
to encounter situations that trigger it."
"Like rough play at recess?"
"Yes or bullying of a friend."
"Wolf cubs are very loyal creatures and you don't
mess with their friends."
He stared at his oatmeal as if
it might become something
else if he looked hard enough.
"So what am I supposed to
tell the school about pulling
him out mid-term?"
I mulled a moment.
"I think you take the moral
high ground, Play the outraged father of a child who was misplaced on a field trip."
"I am outraged they lost
him on a field trip, although I suppose if he'd turned into
a wolf, it might not be
entirely their fault."
Sensing him soften, I went
in to close the deal.
"Right."
"But at least somewhat."
"So use that anger and
withdraw him right away."
"If you're not comfortable
with moving beyond that
right away, he can maybe
have a little break."
Jimin stood and took his full
bowl to the sink.
"I can't afford a babysitter
every hour I am at work."
"I'm on day shifts now too
and my regular sitter can't always do those hours."
"Then he can hang out with Uncle Jin for a bit while you consider your options."
"And he can at least take
music from me and learn
more about being a shifter."
"He could just change at any time, huh? Go all wolfie in
the cafeteria."
"Yeah." I nodded, knowing
I'd won.
"And wouldn't that cause a
fuss."
He turned to me, his face a
study in misery.
"What does the academy
cost?"