A/N: rewriting some of the chapters due to changes in my writing style
The rest of the dinner went smoothly, the boy and the girl never letting go of each other's hands for a second. It all felt too good to be true, a dream that Hani was trapped in. Her father happily and excitedly talked to the group who seemed to be having just as much fun. It had been the first time in so long, the first time in all those different business meeting and dinners with Alphas from different packs, that the cabin had a warm aura around it. The first time Hani wasn't boringly staring at the clock on the wall, desperately hoping for it to be over soon. She was so happy, so excited as she heard the boys talk about their pack. So caught up in Jungkook's warmth and the feeling of his hand around hers, that time flew past her; barely giving the girl time to realize the night was coming to an end. Her father got up, the rest of the boys too. Only her and Jungkook remained sit, their hands refusing to let go of each other. Multiple stares fell on the duo, giving them a weird and confused gaze. Panic installed in the girl's veins, flustered and fearful that her father might notice or slightly suspect something was wrong. Her body abruptly stood up, Jungkook's hand falling of her lap, like a leaf does from a tree – helplessly submitted to gravity. Hani's hands, her body, all of her existence felt cold. Freezing. When she touched her own hands, they were frozen.
Jungkook, then, got up, his face unreadable. Hani, quickly, stole a glance at him and she noticed how he dived his hands deep into the pocket of his jeans; trying to give their frozen hands some warmth now that Hani's hand wasn't next to his. His eyebrows were scrunched in confusion, his hands balled into frustrated fists inside of his jeans pocket. No matter how much he tried, the warmth he was searching for, he would only find in Hani's presence.
"Thank you, guys, for coming, it was a pleasure to meet you all" Hani's father said, reaching out his hand for Jungkook to shake. "Especially you, Alpha"
"The pleasure was all ours"
Jungkook's voice was powerful as he replied to Hani's father and shook his hand. His body leaned forward to shake her father's hands and, as he moved, his breath fanned softly her skin, teasingly creating goosebumps on the girl's skin.
"We shall go, then. Right, Alpha?"
The male called Yoongi asked, staring at Jungkook who hadn't moved an inch throughout all that time. The rest of his betas were looking at him, all waiting for his response. Hani, too, gazed at him, her heart beating in her chest anxiously to know his reply. The answer was simple, a small nod of the head and the whole group was walking towards the door.
"Hani, sweetie" Her father called out for her, making the girl turn around to face him. "Why don't you walk them to the door?"
Doing as she was told, the girl silently trailed behind the group. Her head was hanging low, her eyes staring at the boring brown floor. It reflected the amount of disappointment and defeat she was feeling, at that moment. She had just met him, just a few moments before she had found out that they were mates. Yet, she never expected to feel already so connected, so bounded, so attached to him. All her life she had heard about the unbreakable tie, link, that connects mates. Something impossible to destroy, to replace. And that if they drifted ways, that link would always pull them back to each other's arms. However, Hani seem to be feeling – the link breaking slowly, painfully, apart the more Jungkook walked away from the cabin. Hani was afraid she'd never seen him again and that, this amazingly warm feeling that was coating her being, would never be embraced by her body, again. She was scared that she was letting her one chance at happiness, slip through her fingers.
"Jungkook, are you coming?"
The question caused the girl's head to raise abruptly, a small little spark of hope twinkling in her heart. The boys were already outside the house, ready to leave. But Jungkook was still inside the cabin, his feet glued to the floor as he stared at Hani's figure – like an invisible thread was preventing him from going. Hani searched for her father with her eyes, only to find him cleaning up the kitchen, completely unaware of the unmovable Alpha. She waited for Jungkook to say something (if he had anything to say at all), his betas to say something. Hani waited for a slight movement of the head, something. Jungkook was ignoring everything around him, his eyes and existence only focusing on her. Carefully, he took a step closer and gently reached out to hold her hand, like he had done before. His index finger tenderly caressed the palm of Hani's hands, painting a warm path on her cold skin. Hani observed in confusion at how he flipped her hand, revealing the palm to him and taking a pen from his pocket, he started writing on her skin. Hani didn't pay attention to whatever he was writing. Her eyes were solely focused on him. On how he bit his bottom lip in concentration, his eyebrows scrunched in concentration, his long eyelashes and his big eyes, the feeling of his skin against hers. He let go of her hand for a brief moment, letting the cold wash over her again. Fireworks exploded in her heart, her skin lighting up and tingling like thunder trapped by the clouds, ready to fall on earth. His lips tenderly kissed her wrist, sealing the message he had left there for her to read. Hani's eyes melted at the sight of his pink lips pressing a small peck, the smallest of kisses, in her skin.
He raised his head, his eyes colliding with hers. A smile immediately blossomed on his face, a big toothy grin. Hani was so enchanted by the smile that she forgot to smile back, her eyes wide open in amazement as if she was watching the sunset for the first time. Jungkook walked back to his betas, his feet hesitantly walking him out of house. Hani's overwhelmingness was huge to the point she believed it was clouding her eyes, tricking her into seeing things that were not there. Even that little action that he made, that petite movement of his index finger pointing to his wrist, seemed to not be real to her. His figure disappeared as he walked deeper into the dark night, vanishing from her sight. Sighing, Hani closed the door and carried the weight of disappointment all the way back to her room. She let her body fall on the bed, the white ceiling looking more annoying to her than ever.
Hani was remembering and reliving the moments she had shared with him, trying to keep them as vividly in her mind as she could, in case she would never see him again. She raised her hand, the one he had written on. Guiding it towards the light, her eyes widened in shock when she saw the little message. A smile took over her whole face, making the girl's eyes glow with joy. There, written in the most delicate of ways, he had left a note for her – a tiny hope for her to cling to.
11pm by the lake, the one next to the daisy field. I'll be there if you wish to see me again
Her heart screamed in her chest, telling her to drop everything and go to him. Her skin tingling as it missed the way he made her feel. The moon and the sun meet once in a lifetime, to create the most beautiful of events. And like that, too, Hani believed her rendezvous with Jungkook would create something beautiful too.
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾
The clock read 10:50pm. Hani was sitting on her bed, her legs crossed and a concentrated gaze on her face. She was battling herself with the amount of calculations that she was making. In her mind, she went through all sorts of paths and scenarios, trying to figure out how much it would take her to arrive at the lake. Not too late, not too early, just at the perfect time. Truthfully, she was overanalyzing and overthinking the whole situation but, honestly, how else was she supposed to react? Hani had never felt this... excited, nervous, anxious, before. There were no guidelines, no rules for her to follow. The girl was so frustrated at herself, at her impatience and indecisiveness, that she even had given up on wearing decent clothes. She opted to go for something comfortable and warm, fitting for the cold night that was brewing outside. Sighing, Hani reached for the clock on her bedside table, checking for the millionth time what time it was. It was still rather early to leave, perhaps, but it was better than just staying in her room waiting for time to fly by.
Excitedly and, almost jumping out of the bed, the girl scanned her room making sure that she wasn't forgetting anything. She had locked the door, made sure her father was fast asleep; she had everything prepared to make sure her absence wouldn't be felt. The night's chilly breeze slipped inside her room, slightly shivering the girl. For a few seconds, she closed her eyes, enjoying the breeze that refreshened all her senses. Then, she jumped, not even once looking back or rethinking her decision.
The whole pack was quiet, everyone already drifting to sleep besides the curious and anxious girl. Only the crickets and the sounds of leaves rustling filled the air as Hani ventured deep into the forest she so well knew. Hani loved quiet uneventful nights like that one, it helped her think and reminisce and, sometimes, even feel her own existence more vividly. That night was no exception. As Hani walked, her mind led her to a daisy field, one hidden inside her memory. It was a flashback, a memory, of a summer afternoon she had spent with her mother in that place. Hani and her mother were laid down on the daisy field, the sunset's light coating their faces as Hani asked her mother all sort of questions. Questions and stories. About her mother's life, about their parents and how they met; sometimes she'd ask about the simplest of things, really. Like why does the sky change color or why the birds sing. Her mother's laugh and sweet voice would resonate through the forest, inviting the bird's singing to join her, meanwhile, Hani complained about her stories being too short. As if a life with someone would be resumed to just a few lines. Hani always wanted to know more. And after all the complaining and her mother telling her life was hard to explain and to retell, Hani would lay down next to her, in the midst of the flowers. She'd close her eyes and let her mother play with her hair, as she tried to figure out what shape the clouds were resembling, on that day.
All that felt like it had happened too long ago, too long ago for her to remember everything accurately or to be able to describe the tiniest of details that she loved so much in her mother. Hani felt that all those memories were distant from her, that her mother was distant too. Her mother was gone. Hani was supposed to forget her, we all do. There's no possible way of fighting the cruel nature of time. Forgetting made her feel guilty, no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise. Even as she scanned the daisy field that was slowly dying at the cruel hands of winter, even as she promised to herself that as long as those flowers were around, so was her mother – she knew that time would erase her mother from her mind, like winter would do to the flowers in that field.
Hani's heart jumped in her chest, a wave of adrenaline almost making the girl trip on her own feet. Her hands were shaking due to the nerves. The lake was right in front of her, just a few meters away. Excitement and nervousness were hard to separate and identity one from another, probably because they revealed themselves to beings in similar ways. Hani could not point out which of those two were winning over her heart. The nervousness of meeting him in a secluded and intimate place, although they had just met; mixed with the excitement of seeing him and feeling his presence around her again – her whole body was an emotional mess. A big brown box were all emotions clashed and fought for dominance.
The moonlight smeared its light on the lake, giving the water a shimmering glow that only some sort of mystical place could encompass. Hani looked at the sky, wondering what was about that night that made the familiar forest around her, appear magical and foreign. The night sky was incredibly intense and crowded, so astronomically intense. Filled with stars of different glimmers and shapes. It was as if all of the stars, the whole universe, had gotten together to watch Jungkook and Hani meet. As if it was a big event, like an eclipse, that they all had to see. Hani chuckled at her own thoughts, her imagination sometimes stole her from all rationally and reason. Her eyes filled with excitement as she scanned the surrounding environment, searching for a small hint of Jungkook's presence.
Only her, the lake, the moon and the stars seemed to be there. No sight of Jungkook at all. Hani's heart started to drop to her feet, assuming that her potential lover had not bothered to show up. Her back defeatedly turned towards the lake, her right foot already ready to start walking back home. At that instant, Hani heard something fall, the leaves rustling. Quickly, her body faced the sound, thinking that maybe she wasn't alone after all. It was just a blurry shape when she first laid eyes on it. The moonlight, soon, dripped onto him, revealing the person she so desperately wanted to see.
"I'm sorry. I have been here for a while and I saw you arriving but I..." Unlike moments before, Jungkook's hair was messily styled. Hani noticed the numbers of tiny little curls that sprung into multiple directions. "I just wanted to see if you were going to stay or leave, if you would regret coming here. I thought it would be foolish of me to disturb you. You looked breathtaking with the moonlight lighting up your features. Who am I to interrupt such a sight?"
Jungkook was dressed much more comfortably, with some black shirt and olive-green sweatpants. Hani was thankful she hadn't dressed up as she planned. He looked... cuddly, not like the intimidating self that he brought with him, when he met her father. The girl had been so caught up in him, that the words spilled from her lips escaping from where she kept them – at the bottom of her stomach.
"It's okay. Just make sure you don't wait too much. I might leave" Hani giggled softly, a bring pink blush covering her cheeks. "I have been told I look prettier up close"
Hani never meant to sound flirty or to say the things exactly as she thought of them. Wasn't it too bold of her to say those things? Despite her efforts, Jungkook noticed the subtle flirty tone of her voice and wasted no time, in following her actions.
"Say no more"
Jungkook's voice was sharp and confident like his feet that marched proudly towards her. His breath fanned softly over her lips, his eyes looking even more pretty now that Hani was diving right into them. The air around them was electrifying, buzzing with adrenaline and some sort of lingering magic that Hani couldn't quite describe.
"You really do" Jungkook replied breathlessly, after staring at her for what felt like an eternity. "You really are a lot prettier than what people picture you to be"
A feverishly blush painted her cheeks at the sudden compliment, Hani felt that her head was going to explode at any moment – that her whole self was going to explode like a balloon with confetti inside. A victorious smile took over Jungkook's face when he noticed the bright red color that decorated the girl's cheeks. Overwhelmed and flustered at the Alpha, the girl mumbled a small "shut up" unable to form a proper witty response to him. Hurriedly, her steps walked fast towards the silver lake, sitting down on the grass that surrounded it. That troublemaker of a mind of hers was still pestering her with thoughts about him, although he was still standing incredulous at the girl's reaction. Her fingertips had a fire of their own, burning brightly and vividly, remembering the way Jungkook's broad chest felt under them – even with a small touch.
The scent of forest and fire became stronger, letting Hani know that Jungkook was inching closer to her too. He sat down, next to her, his hand rested on the grass, being the only think that separated them from each other. Hani stole a glance at his hand, silently praying that he wouldn't notice it. It was, slightly, very lightly, annoying her. She wanted to be closer to him, but with his hand in the way, acting as a wall, she lost all courage to go after her instincts.
"So, you're the blushing type? That's surprising" Jungkook's soft voice captured her attention, stealing her mind and focus from whatever the world had to offer. "I'd never expected you to come"
"I wasn't blushing" The girl denied, despite knowing he knew the truth. "Why wouldn't I come?"
"I clearly saw you blushing" Jungkook chuckled, blossoming a flower inside Hani's chest. "I saw it very, very, clearly"
Jungkook's chuckle faltered, being replaced by a nervous look on his face. Awkwardly, he scratched the back of his neck. The girl gazed at him confused, not familiar with seeing that side of him. It made her feel nervous too, as if she had said something wrong.
"I just... Well, I didn't think.... I didn't think you would come... well..." He started by explaining, tripping on his own words and thoughts. "I thought you would be scared of me? Because of the things they say about me, the stories they tell... the weight my name carries"
Jungkook's reputation... for moments, Hani had forgotten about it. Well, perhaps not forgotten. There was still a lingering nervousness and intimidation that she felt towards him because of who people said he was. Simply, she had pushed it behind her. Stuffed it under the carpet. And instead, had only been focusing on who he was presenting himself to be her, or who he was supposed to be to her. Reputation did not matter, not at that moment. As soon as she felt that four lettered word in her heart, that all became secondary, some sort of accessory. Honestly, how could she even know if the stories they told were true or not? They could be just an exaggeration, product of their imagination. It did not made sense. It didn't make sense to her as a little girl, why would it make sense now that she was grown?
"What about your reputation?"
The girl asked, causing panic to wash over the Alpha. His eyes were wide open, staring at her in disbelief.
"Do you k-"
"I know. Every wolf knows" Hani cut him off, noticing the little tint of fear that glowed in his eyes. "I was told by my mother, like any other wolf was. I tell it, too. A version of it."
Jungkook seemed to be overwhelmed at the information. His mouth opened and closed, not knowing what to say to the girl. Hani wondered if people really did run and hide, every time he arrived at a pack. If they feared him and treated him like the monster everyone thought him to be. All of the sudden, she felt... awful that she was contributing to that unconsciously. She never expected him to be like this, to be gentle and sweet and... human just like her.
"Honestly, Jungkook. Neither me or my mother believed it to be true. When she told me, neither of us believed a single word, a single line. None of it made sense to us. And I'm sure a lot of people feel like that too." The Alpha glanced at her, his heart slowly relaxing in his chest as she talked. "I tell it because.... I never expected to see you, to meet you, to... see that you were real. And when I do tell it, I make sure that the kids meet someone fictional. I tell it like a fairy tale because I do not believe it to be true. The kids do not think what happened on that day was real too. Just like me, they question how could people believe a wolf could fit a child inside his stomach. It's ridiculous."
"Did you really say that?" Jungkook asked amused, a soft smile lighting up his face. "Did you really say to your mother that it was ridiculous that a wolf ate another one?"
"I mean..." Hani started by explaining, chuckling in amusement. "Thinking about it rationality, there's no way it can fit. At least not... whole? I don't remember it accurately, but my mother always pointed it out that I read too much and that I could distinguish a good story from a bad one. And the one they told about you, failed in a lot of aspects. I'm sure, you know? I'm sure that, now that I have the chance of meeting you, that whatever they say about you... is far from the truth."
His body inched closer to Hani's, his shoulder right next to hers, touching her lightly. Jungkook continued on staring at the girl as she spoke, listening to the honesty and the words that spilled from her lips.
"I... I'm sure" Hani continued on ranting, growing more and more flustered at the things she was about to say. "How can that be you... When you are this gentle, this sweet, this tender with me.... It cannot be, right?"
By now, the feeling of his hand wrapped around hers should be familiar. Yet, the same electricity, the same intensity, the same warmth hit her just as violently as the first time. The girl's eyes widened at the touch, her heart beating, as it usually did when he was around, fast and hard. Jungkook lifted their intertwined hands, placing them on his lap. His thumb drew small nervous circles on her hands. Jungkook sighed, heavily. Then, he opened his mouth, letting out his worries and nerves come thru.
"There are some stories that carry truth in them" Jungkook's words were heavy, painful. "Like that story they tell about me. I want to tell you, myself. What happened on that day, how I became a True Alpha and how, as much as you might try to close your eyes to it, there's some truths in stories that we cannot unsee"