Chapter twelve

The four wolves marched up the winding maze of paths towards the front massive doors of the pack house where two guards were posted on each side of the entrance. Taehyung passed only a few people along the way, some of whom gave him curious glances, although no one intervened.

Upon seeing the face of their soon-to-be head alpha, the sentries immediately bowed their heads in respect and reached over to tug the handles, opening the doors.

Taehyung remained silent for the rest of the trip up, becoming more and more worried as the minutes increased. He knew if he didn't keep his emotions for himself the three alphas would be able to smell the distress in his scent. It was a damn labyrinth in here, with numerous doors and stairways and twists and turns. Finally, Jungkook opened one last door and the warm air engulfed his body in its tight embrace.

The omega stood behind him for most of the time, gazing at everything his curious eyes could lay on. There, in the center of the room, stood a tall man with cute dimples on each side of his face.

Jungkook casually walked across the marble floor towards the tall male, puffing his chest a little more authoritatively.

"Ah, Jungkook, it's been so long!" The stranger exclaimed. He had a bright smile, chocolate brown eyes and chestnut hair. His shoulders were broad and under the uniform with the pack's logo embroidered on it was hidden a muscular body. Surprisingly, he didn't have a scent, which led to the conclusion he was a beta.

Jungkook released a soft chuckle, the youthful smile appeared on his handsome face yet again and Taehyung found himself entranced by the sight of it. The sound was disgustingly warm and left increments of goo within the omega's butterfly-infiltrated stomach.

"It's good to see you, too, Namjoon hyung." He responded, a faux shyness adulterating his nonpareil configuration of facial features, his eyes lightly salted with happiness, while shielding the intense ambiguity within.

"I see you aren't alone. Who is the new guy?" And Taehyung made the mistake of looking up, his eyes graced with the sight of the joyful beta, with pixies consuming the irises of his eyes, crawling amongst the residue of rapture within. His ravishing face was attacked by marching bands of beatitude, while streamers of glace ran across his honeyed skin, a gorgeous smile besotting his plump lips, redolent of Adonis himself.

"Yeah...Taehyung is my friend. You'll have the time to get to know each other soon." Jungkook was wholeheartedly aware of the impact of this statement, the impact of any statement he made, in fact.

Four pairs of eyes were staring at the speechless omega. Namjoon was looking at him with so much affection, eyes seeming to glitter as he ran his gaze over Taehyung's entire body. The omega recoiled slightly, his hand was almost going to slip from Jungkook's hold, but the alpha was quick to squeeze it softly, reminding him that everything was alright.

It was in that moment the blonde registered Jungkook hadn't let go of his hand, and it was causing a frenzy of sparkles against his skin and the bones beneath.

"A new member of the pack! We don't get to meet other wolves very often. It's a pleasure to have you here, Taehyung." Namjoon's smile only broadened and the omega couldn't decide if it was real or fake.

Instantly, an inane sinking feeling began to grasp at Taehyung's heart, his body shrinking further behind Jungkook as if it would somehow coax away his existence. Perfervid claws of guilt clamped themselves to his palpitating organ of iron, attempting to drag it downward, toward the pits of his stomach. The fact everyone thought of him as a new member of the pack made him feel like a traitor, because he was everything but their friend. He didn't know why he was here in the first place, surrounded by friendly smiles and fond-consuming eyes.

"Thanks." Though Taehyung believed his voice was loud enough, he could see Namjoon straining to hear him slightly, which made him feel significantly worse.

"Well, let's get inside. I'm sure you're all exhausted from the long journey." The beta clapped his hands enthusiastically, appearing as jubilant as always.

As they walked into the dining room, Taehyung found it strangely familiar. He just couldn't put his finger on where he saw it from. The décor seemed expensive. A large wooden table spanned across most of the room, with lit candles upon it and a chandelier hanging from above. On the other side of the wall, a large painting of wolves and other creatures had been hung. Taehyung didn't fail to see the irony of it.

There was also another room connected to the dining room which looked to be the living area. In there, a fireplace currently crackling and burning with life, more elegant paintings, a large wool rug, and a black piano. Taehyung didn't have much time to look into the living room before a chair was being pulled out for him.

"Here, let me help you." Jin tried to take off the burlap pack Taehyung carried slung over his shoulders.

The omega knew he didn't have any bad intentions and simply wanted to help him get more comfortable, but he couldn't stop himself. He reacted on an instinct, swiftly pulling out the silver dagger from his garter belt and holding it against the alpha's neck, pressing down dangerously close to the jugular.

"Don't. Touch. Me." Taehyung's voice was threateningly deep, his pupils nearly taking up his entire eye, leaving only a blue ring on the outer edges that looked so intense.

A heavy silence rested in the air. Everyone had their eyes laid on them, utterly speechless by the omega's unexpected actions. Jungkook stood frozen in his place, and so were the two other wolves who gaped at the boy with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Careful, omega." Jin warned. Something in his gaze switched, his eyes somehow succumbing to convolution and obscurity, a frosty look which made all prior comfort within Taehyung shred itself within the metaphorical shredder of his mind. Perhaps he wasn't so genuine after all.

"Don't call me that." Taehyung hissed, as impotently furious as a trapped snake, pressing the silver dagger more into the alpha's neck, threatening to break through the thin layer of skin. His heart was hammering loudly in his ribcage, the blood in his veins was circulating in a faster motion. If he didn't have a proper reason to accuse Jin before, he had one now.

Considering the odd ways Taehyung had been spoken to recently (with immense kindness), he needed something normal, something he was used to. God, he was so mad at himself for letting his guard down and trusting an alpha. Sooner or later, they all show off their real colors. Talk back to them and see how quickly they will try to put you in your place.

"This little brat..." Jimin muttered under his breath, daring to move forward an inch or two before Jungkook held his wrist and kept him safely back. Jin granted them both a knowing look, one Taehyung didn't appear to catch as he growled softly up at the alpha.

"Jungkook, who exactly is Taehyung?" Jin regarded Jungkook with a quizzical look, tone trembling ever so slightly with something similarly close to rage. 

The young alpha stopped his thoughts before they could flood from the damns of his lips, his head not having considered every prospect of this subject matter; having been spontaneously speaking through proper feeling rather than petty ideology. "He is..." he grumbled, thinking through how to convey his point without appearing weak in his opposition's eyes.

"He is the true blood's mate." Jimin snapped back quickly, as if he had been anticipating such a remark, the words seething like venom just ripened from his tongue. "The same true blood Jungkook was searching for."

Taehyung's grip tightened around the leather handle of the dagger, trying to mask the fact he was struggling with the sudden swelling of his throat, as it became unforgivably dry; his heart splattered against his ribcage, a spur of guts and gore dripping down from his ensemble of star-woven bones, at the mention of that name.

He barely even registered how Jungkook inched closer and gently wrapped his slender fingers around his thin wrist, carefully lowering the same hand in which he was gripping the silver weapon.

"Stop, Taehyung. No one wants to hurt you." The alpha whispered quietly in his ear, pushing the boy flush against his chest. He could feel Jungkook behind him (could feel his cataclysmic skin, which burnt with his own selfish martyrdom) and though he wasn't that much taller than Taehyung (only few inches), he still seemed to tower over him.

Taehyung so desperately wanted to allow the allure to wash over him and bathe him in natural grace, yet he couldn't. He forced himself to look into Jungkook's eyes, and he would be lying if he said he didn't almost fall into the clutches of those treacle-glazed buttons of sweetness and glory. He had to gulp down slithers of saliva, nodding quaintly as he let his body sink further into Jungkook's.

His eyes glued to the floor and were beginning to coat with tears, and he didn't even know why. He was sure it was just the worrisome tension in the air and the embarrassment of those grudgeful eyes on him. The omega didn't know why he was so fearful but perhaps that was what made it worse.

"Continue without us. I'll come back in a minute." Jungkook said to the rest of the members, sounding rather snappily.

His hand elegantly slid down to Taehyung's lower back, gently encouraging him to move forward, as if that was something he was greatly in need of: encouragement.

The omega decided he wasn't keen on his current position. He felt like the last scrap of meat at a family dinner, something for people to fight over. He felt as if he were a mere object that was made to be tossed around, used in whatever method deemed necessary in order to seek an irritant's passage beneath someone's skin. And this sudden feeling made his curious as to why him. Why did these boys simultaneously decide he was the best scrap of meat?

As terrible as it seemed, Jungkook was the only person he had right now.