Chapter nine

"I-I can't shift" Taehyung stuttered. Jungkook had never heard him at a loss like this before, choked up over what he was trying to say.

There was a short pause. The two alphas were staring at him in confusion while he kept his head low, purposely avoiding any sort of eye contact. Jungkook's thoughts and words came to a halt, his mouth falling open in a blank gape.

Never in his whole life had he heard of a wolf who couldn't shift. Yeah, little pups were the only exception because they were in the process of learning, but Taehyung was a grown omega. He must've shifted in his other form thousands of times by now.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Jimin's exasperated sigh bounced off the concentrate walls of the cabin, and the omega pinched his brows together, regarding the latter with a puzzled expression.

"Calm down." Jungkook tried to say, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder to stop him from standing up, but Jimin was already on his feet, walking in circles around the small room.

"Calm down?" He asked, looking at the other alpha with wide open eyes, as if his pupils were going to pop off. "Not only the fact he is an omega, but a crippled one at that!" he exclaimed loudly for everyone in the cabin to hear him.

Upon hearing these words, Taehyung lifted his head up and glared at the short boy, giving him the most dangerous look Jungkook had ever witnessed to see.

"What did you just call me?" he flared back, a low growl getting stuck in his throat.

Jimin raised an eyebrow at the aggressive growl, his own inner wolf accepting it as a challenge. It wasn't like he would get into an actual fight with the omega, but he really wanted to put him in his place and shut that pretty mouth of his.

Jungkook wrapped his slender fingers gently around Taehyung's thin wrist, catching his attention almost immediately. The alpha didn't give him the grudgeful look he expected to receive, but a soft, caring one.

"Is it true that you can't shift?" he asked in a quiet tone, running his thumb over Taehyung's palm in a soothing manner to show him that everything was alright.

The omega rolled his lips to wet them a bit, slowly pulling his hand away to place it back in his lap. He gave Jungkook a short nod of his head, eyes back down on his lap, as if he were ashamed of himself and his disability. Something that was particularly true.

"After Soojin passed away I lost connection with my wolf." The sound of Taehyung's voice rang in Jungkook's ears. He had sounded so quiet, his words coming out in a soft whisper, but it resonated like a siren in the alpha's head, everything Taehyung did affected him way more than it should.

It was Jungkook's first time hearing the alpha's name. It didn't sound familiar, not even the slightest bit of memory crossed his mind. Jimin hadn't heard it either, judging by the quizzical look he had written on his face. He didn't really respond; he didn't even know what to say.

Just now something clicked in his head, as if someone had flicked a switch. He remembered how during one of their training sessions he asked the omega to shift so they could show off their fighting skills. Taehyung dismissed his idea almost instantly, saying that he should be focusing more on his human form rather than the second one. Back then Jungkook didn't understand his words, but now he had a clearer notion.

"And now you can't shift? At all?" Jimin asked, looking at him in disbelief as he tried to contemplate with the given information.

Taehyung snorted, then rolled his eyes and pushed his shoulders backwards to straighten his position. "What is so hard to understand?" his expression went from dead to judgmental, and finally landed on disgust.

They stare at one another, caught between the earth's heartbeats for a fraction of a moment. Then the alpha gave a snort of disbelief.

"No one will accept an omega who can't even shift. The head alpha will throw you out of the pack before – "

"My father won't lay a finger on him." Jungkook's irises blazed a fiery yellow, his eyes so saturated it almost looked like they were made completely from gold as he turned his gaze towards Jimin.

The short boy wanted to fight back, wanted to challenge the younger, but he couldn't bring himself to speak up, to stand up to Jungkook. Despite them being of the same rank the younger had always had a natural advantage over other alphas, blessed with the innate trait of being a natural born leader, capable of a bit more than the typical wolf.

And Jimin could sense this now, so he turned his gaze down, unwillingly submitting to the younger.

Even Taehyung, who was usually the most composed and hard to tame, was a bit shaken up from the sudden wave of dominance that washed over him.

"Jungkook." The omega's voice broke through the blind rage clouding Jungkook's mind, his soft tone helping to get through to him for once. The nervousness hidden behind the syllables of his tone snapped the logical side of Jungkook awake, realizing he had just lost control of himself over a simple jab.

The alpha ran a frustrated hand through his jet-black hair, pushing his bangs off his face and screwing his eyelids shut, releasing a gruffy hum. "Sorry." He muttered out.

A heavy silence rested in the air, squeezing at their throats.

Jungkook dragged his sight away from the smooth expense of silky robe and up to Taehyung's face to meet a pair of deep blue bedroom eyes giving him a similar once-over. "But if there were a chance for you to come, would you do it?" he decided to push his luck a little further, past the borders.

Taehyung was struck speechless for a few moments as the alpha watched him expectantly. "I might – "he began carefully. "But then I'll want you to bring me back here."

Jungkook nodded his head curtly, charging his gaze across the room and stopping on Jimin. "How long is it going to take to reach the pack by foot?"

The other alpha looked at him through his thick eyelashes, he was deeply skeptical about the idea of going back to the pack by foot. "Weeks, Jungkook. It'll take weeks before we get back there." He informed, causing the hopeful smile on Jungkook's face to drop completely.

"Then I'll just have to carry Taehyung to the pack." The youngest of them all said with a casual shrug of his shoulders, the omega's eyes widening comically.

"O-on your back?" Taehyung scanned him from head to toes, seriously doubting the idea.

"We'll take breaks, of course." Jungkook added, though he didn't seem to be very convincing because the suspicious look remained on their faces.

The omega snagged his bottom lip between his teeth, rubbing the flesh with the sharp point of his canine, wearing a thoughtful grimace. He switched his eyes from Jungkook to Jimin, searching for a second opinion. "Do you think it's a good idea?" he asked, observing the latter's reaction.

"He'll be the one to carry you, not me." Jimin exhaled sharply and sat back down, lowering his lids to let his eyes rest for a bit. "Well, if everything is settled, I think tomorrow morning we can go."

Both Jungkook and Taehyung hummed in agreement, but deep down they had buried their insecurities, hoping for everything to go well.

***

The sky was blue with wispy clouds drifting about. It was an early hour in the morning, before the birds had started to chirp their happy songs. The cozy cabin was quiet, the faint sound of footsteps could be heard around the rooms. Taehyung was still caught wandering around the cottage, an unfamiliar heaviness rested on his chest, causing his heart to clench painfully.

Jungkook and Jimin were waiting outside for him, giving the omega some time to say goodbye to his home before they had to leave.

He continued to dart around the common and dining areas, eyes scanning every surface he saw. The sun shined brightly enough to make the shapes in the rooms clear, reflecting a nice yellow color over the furniture.

A howl was heard from the distance, causing the omega to snap out of his daydream and remember that they were running out of time. Taehyung inhaled a shaky breath and rolled his neck, there was no going back. He would do this. He would not be afraid and weak in the face of fear.

Or at least he would try his damned best.

He went in the corridor and pushed the front door open. Dusty, early-morning sunlight filtered through the canopy and spilled down on him, illuminating the small burlap pack he carried slung over his shoulders. The pack was old and well-worn; years of heavy use had rubbed frayed holes in its sides and dirt settled deep in the stitches of the fabric, but Taehyung carried it with care all the same.

He shifted it up higher onto his shoulder as he swirled on his tiptoes to glance at the two wolves.

The one with the jet-black fur was Jungkook, and the second one with the silver coat was Jimin. They both bored their hazel eyes at him, patiently waiting for the omega to get closer.

Taehyung heaved a sigh and glanced one more time at the house.

The cottage stood alone in a large clearing, surrounded by flowers of every color, sending pollen up into the spring sunshine. The thatch roof blended into nature the way he loved, the way which made him feel like he was part of something bigger. Small stained-glass windows peaked through the vine-covered walls, and at night you could see candles lining the windowsills, illuminating the night garden with dancing colors.

The omega gasped in surprise when something soft touched his palm, looking down to see how Jungkook was sniffling his hand. A small smile reached all the way up to his eyes, making his honey blond hair skim just below the eyebrows.

Tentatively, he combed his slender fingers through the raven fur right behind Jungkook's ears, massaging one of his favorite spots gently. The alpha wiggled his tail in a happy motion, rubbing his snout at Taehyung's side, granting himself a melodious giggle.

A loud bark torn through the air, causing both of them to stop in their halt and look at the silver wolf. Jungkook let out a huff of displeasure while Taehyung simply chuckled.

"Fine, I get it. Stop being so grumpy." The omega rolled his eyes and then shifted his gaze to the other alpha who lowered his body to the ground so he could climb on top of him.

Very carefully Taehyung threw his leg over Jungkook's back, grabbing a fistful of his fur. He practically fell onto the wolf, who took the extra weight without flinching. Legs came to grip at the heaving flanks, and he wrapped his arms around the thick hide, face pressing into soft fur.

The omega yelped in surprise when the alpha suddenly stood on his four feet, not giving him the much-needed time to adjust in his seat.

"You did it on purpose." He exclaimed, catching the glimpse of playfulness that danced in Jungkook's eyes.

He huffed out another grumpy remark and tried to get as comfortable as possible on the wolf's back, not wanting to fall off and make himself a fool in front of the two alphas.

A growl rippled through them as Jungkook prepared to move, something which could very well have been a message.

'Hold on tight.'

And it broke into a run. Wild, powerful. Muscles rippled under Taehyung's hands.

The omega held tightly onto him, narrowing his eyes as the cold wind hit his body with full force, causing his orbs to wet. He missed the feeling of sprinting off into the woods, the way his sharp claws crunched the withered leaves beneath his paws, the occasional howls he would let out due to the happiness that came from this very action.

The laugh that left his lungs felt therapeutic in a way. He was aware he had no idea what was waiting ahead of them, but being on the road, fresh air in his lungs and riding a wolf into the unknown—he couldn't keep the smile from his face. Especially being with these two—he wanted to enjoy it as much as he could, this simple sense of freedom.