Chapter twenty-two

Jungkook stepped out of his tent, his feet stunk into the spongy earth, the chilly air hit him in the face with full force. He looked up at the sky, seeing the pale crescent moon shine like a silvery claw in the night sky. Humid spring days seemed to melt into even more humid spring nights with air so thick it pressed upon one's skin. Hundreds of fireflies all aglow lifted off the dewy grasses and tiny shoots of corn flying so slowly it seemed they struggled against the weight of moisture hanging heavily in the night air.

There, in the middle of the open field where a campfire was set up, Taehyung sat in the grass. He had his legs crossed together, eyes locked on the dying embers of the fire, face scrunched up in a thoughtful grimace. A thick layer of blanket was thrown over his small shoulders and the orangish glow of the flames illuminated his ethereal features in a beautiful spectrum of colors.

Jungkook found himself fascinated by the breathtaking sight, wondering what had made the omega so preoccupied with thoughts. It was already late at night and most of the warriors were fast asleep, snuggled up in the comfort of their warm bunks.

With slow steps, Jungkook made his way over him and when he was close enough to the omega, he gently patted him on the shoulder with two fingers to catch his attention.

Taehyung heard grunting and the rustling of footsteps behind him. His breath hitched in his throat and he curled his fingers around the small knife he always carried around, but after craning his neck a bit, he saw that there was no need to pull it out.

"Gosh, why do you always try to scare me?" He grumbled in annoyance, releasing a gust of air.

His deeply tanned skin glistened with a sheen of sweat, glowing in the moonlight. His blonde hair flowed gently over his ears and kissed the nape of his neck, and Jungkook could swear it had an ethereal silver shine to it. Must be the moonlight again.

Mischief danced in the alpha's eyes, his baby pink lips were tilted up in a humorous smile and Taehyung couldn't help but stare at it, entranced by the view. Jungkook was the spitting image of a bunny - with his blown-out pupils and pouty lips.

"I don't know. Perhaps you're too jumpy." The alpha teased, slowly sitting down on the mossy ground next to Taehyung, sweeping up the dust of his palm in the light material of his tunic.

The omega rolled his eyes at the statement and averted his gaze to the other side, purposely avoiding the alpha's satisfied grin, feigning offence. "Or you find scaring me funny." He conferred, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip to stop it from darting upwards.

"Let's say both." Jungkook said in response, winning himself a slap on the arm from the disgruntled omega.

"Asshole." Taehyung mumbled under his breath, wrapping the blanket tighter around his slightly shivering stance. The night breeze was still chilly, and it caused shivers to run the entire length of his spine, very unpleasant of the fact his omega wolf couldn't provide him with the warmth alphas had.

He could feel the warmth radiating off Jungkook and for a second he considered the idea of moving closer to him, but that would be so weird and uncommon. Yes, they tended to be very intimate and playful (mainly Jungkook who found the smallest opportunity to get close to him and scent him with his smell). But Taehyung wasn't the type of a person to make the first step. He had never been that type of a person, even with his previous mate.

"Do you want to go for a run?" Jungkook's voice suddenly bounced off from one ear to another, causing the omega to raise a brow and gaze at him questioningly.

"You know I can't shift..." Taehyung trailed off, swallowing down the dry lump that had magically lodged in his throat. He would do everything to shift in his wolf form and run into the woods. The simplicity of running to freedom made his stomach churn unpleasantly. It had been so long since the last time he felt this way.

Memories from the time when Jungkook had to carry him all the way from the cottage to the pack appeared in his head, so vivid and clear, and he found himself longing for the past. Longing for those events to repeat themselves. It was in every wolf's nature to crave for the independence, this incredible feeling of power and strength.

"You can never know before you try." Jungkook affirmed, a hint of encouragement lacing his tone, and his hands itched to cup the side of Taehyung's face and take another glimpse of his beautiful eyes.

Before the omega could start thinking and doubting, Jungkook didn't waste any more time, just like a skillful soldier, and attacked first. He took Taehyung's smaller hand like he picked up a sword and pulled the boy up with him to his feet before dragging him down the hill into the woods.

"Wait! Where are we going?" The omega felt anxiously thrilled and too safe while following the alpha so willingly.

"To find a better place where we can shift." Jungkook said with a joyful laugh slipping past his lips, so enthralled by the short moment of recklessness that he hardly bothered of looking down at his feet.

When they had managed to find a private part of the outdoor training grounds, a section of trees with a small clearing, the alpha ceased his pace abruptly and turned around to face him. "Come on, strip out of your clothes." He instructed, letting go of Taehyung's hand and preparing to get undressed.

The omega's pupils swelled up in size almost comically and he eyed Jungkook as if he were a lunatic or something of that sort. "I told you already! There's no chance it'll work." He continued ever so stubbornly.

Jungkook let out an exasperated sigh and took the omega's fingers in his hand to give them an assuring squeeze, looking him in the eyes with this childish glint that shimmered in his irises.

"I know you can, Taehyung. It's in your blood!" The alpha said, causing Taehyung's heart to stutter in his chest, stomach making drastic swifts and turns.

"How can you be so sure?" The omega asked in a weak tone, the words barely came out as a whisper. He had his head downcast, feeling somehow small under Jungkook's determined gaze.

"You've done so many things for such a short amount of time. You left your own home, conquered more than one alpha." He released a soft laugh at the memory of Taehyung attacking Jin on his first day here. Not only that, but he also treated to speak up in front of the head alpha of the pack without cowering in fear like most would do. "And now you're leading a whole army of soldiers. You've changed so much during the time we've been together, Taehyung. And I'm more than sure you'll be able to shift back in your wolf without a single failure."

Jungkook was always soft spoken, that was nothing new. What was indeed surprisingly new was how facile it was this time. The sugar coated words were not for a con, they were in fact for no selfish motive at all. They were simply there, effortlessly.

Taehyung was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected feeling of being relieved and glad that Jungkook was there to give him a hand in order to make him feel better about himself. Ever since his mate died, he lost that little spark of light that kept him going. It was absolute exhaustion. Every movement needed to be carefully considered and relayed to your body and yet even the act of thinking was exhausting. It felt like wading through treacle with no end in sight, just as endless ocean of thick treacle with no visible landmarks and no place to stop and rest.

Feeling hollow but heavy and dead on the inside, unable to remember what it was like to feel the warmth of an emotional connection with another person.

Taking a deep breath to calm down the erratic beating of his heart and conceal his emotions, Taehyung slowly looked up, only to be met with the sight of Jungkook's beautiful brown eyes. The last time someone had tried to prove him his worth was so long ago, and he had a similar once-over.

"Alright." He finally agreed after a short pause, trying to smile at Jungkook, a sudden rush of adrenaline washed over him.

The alpha's grin reached all the way up to his ears and he patted Taehyung on the shoulder for his courage. "That's the spirit!" He exclaimed with so much energy in his voice, causing the omega to chuckle at his youth self. "Now undress." Jungkook then said, catching Taehyung off guard.

The omega's enthusiasm vanished with a flick of two fingers.

"What?" He asked, taken aback by his request. It was close to the mind he had to strip out of his clothes if he wanted to shift but saying it out loud was low-key embarrassing.

Jungkook didn't seem to mind as he reached for his own tunic and pulled it off over his head, not even bothering to untie it. Taehyung had to resist the desire to run his fingers over the dips of muscle shaping the alpha's torso, and feel the little goosebumps dotting his skin from the chill.

"Tae, how many times do I have to see you naked before you finally get comfortable around me?" The alpha quirked up an eyebrow, throwing his tunic on the dirty ground, ready to slide down his pants as well.

Taehyung bit his lip anxiously, looking around to check if anyone was there, but the forest was pitch black. The beautiful stars that shone in the sky, although not as brilliant as the sun, weren't as clear as the moon, but they sprinkled the dreamy light into the world, turning the earth into a strange world, inducing people to explore the starry sky.

"I know, but...ugh! Fine!" Taehyung sighed before starting to take his clothes off, stripping out of them in no time, leaving only the briefs on. This was the farthest he had ever gone, and he certainly didn't want Jungkook to be met with the view of his private parts. God, he wondered where the blanket had gone. Perhaps he had lost a grip of it on their way and now it was laying somewhere in the grass.

"There is one more thing left." Jungkook's melodious voice rang in the air, stating out the obvious.

"I'm aware..." Taehyung mumbled under his nose. With a little more convincing and promises from Jungkook 'not to stare at anything below the waist', he gathered up some courage and very slowly took off the last layer of clothing, leaving completely naked to the alpha's eyes.

At least Jungkook wasn't looking in his direction, something Taehyung was very grateful for, because he wanted to save himself the embarrassment.

"Now what?" The omega's weak voice reached Jungkook's ears. Thankfully, the forest was too dark and there was barely any light peeking in through the thick leaves of the trees, because it was his only method of hiding the red blush that had gotten in his cheeks.

"Well..." The alpha combed a hand through his raven hair, doing his best not to glance at Taehyung, urging his very own will to stop his inner wolf from taking control over him. He was tempted by the idea of sneaking a peak, but he knew better than breaking up a promise. "You know the basics. It should come to you naturally. Just think about changing into a wolf and your body will do it."

"Very helpful." Taehyung said, sarcasm evident in the syllables of his tone. He closed his eyes in an attempt to focus, putting his every thought into willing himself to change, but nothing seemed to happen. No goosebumps, no sparkly feeling under his nails or bubbly sensations.

The omega sighed in frustration before shaking his limbs out, trying once again to think hard about shifting, to no avail.

"You're trying too hard." Jungkook pointed out, causing Taehyung to snap his eyes open and glare angrily at him.

"What do you mean by 'you're trying too hard?"

"You have to let it out naturally, you can't force it." The alpha simply shrugged his shoulders, his gaze on Taehyung was continuous and sure and so frustratingly normal.

The omega released a cranky huff, lowering his lids over his eyes once again and trying to concentrate. He repeated Jungkook's words in his mind and decided to trust his body to do what he was willing it to without forcing anything. He grew a little annoyed when nothing happened at first but after a minute or so he felt a very familiar sensation simmering inside him.

"We can always do it another time if it doesn't work now." Jungkook said, looking up at the dark sky, weight shifting from one foot to another. When he didn't receive a response from the omega, he tried to call out for him. "Tae?"

After a moment of silence, he turned around, only to see that Taehyung wasn't standing there. Well, not in human form anyway.

Instead, there sat a beautiful pure white wolf with those sparkling icy blue eyes that every omega had. Jungkook noticed that his right eye was surrounded by black, like a small ring of dark fur. Some would convey it ruined the pristine coat, but the alpha found himself liking the small imperfection of his wolf. He stared at Taehyung in awe, call him biased but Jungkook swore he had never seen a wolf so mesmerizing in his entire life.

The omega stared back at him curiously, cocking his head to the side as if willing Jungkook to do something other than gape at him.

"You're beautiful." Jungkook blurted out the words shamelessly, causing Taehyung to dip his head slightly to show the comment had made him flustered.

At that, the alpha got a little more daring. He lifted his hands and started stroking the hair behind his ears, scratching above his neck. The wolf seemed to like it. Taehyung let out a happy huff, his white tail wagging from side to side.

After a little while, the omega got impatient and started to rub his snout against Jungkook's side, urging him to shift, too. He couldn't believe he was in his wolf form. His senses were ten times sharper; he could identify the location of the hooting owl without a problem and his body felt so much better in its skin. The connection he believed to be lost had never been stronger.

"Someone is impatient, huh?" Jungkook teased him for his enthusiasm to run, laughing when the omega nearly tackled him down on the ground. "I'm only teasing you, Tae, don't get mad at me."

The alpha was quick to strip out of his clothes, not missing the way Taehyung tried to steal sneaky glances when he thought the latter wasn't looking. In no time Jungkook had shifted in his wolf form as well. He ran off to Taehyung and didn't miss the opportunity to nuzzle against his white fur.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The omega mind-linked, chanting the same words over and over in his head like a mantra. He couldn't express his gratitude with words, nor could he make Jungkook feel how fast his heartbeat was.

Jungkook nuzzled against him once again, loving the size difference between the two of them. Taehyung's wolf was much smaller than his own, giving him a more delicate look. "No problem, pup." The words rang in the omega's head, and if he wasn't in his other form right now, he would be blushing madly at the cute nickname he was being called.

"Let's run now, please!" Taehyung's whiny voice echoed in Jungkook's mind, and who was he to disagree?

"Catch me if you can!" The alpha challenged, wagging his black tail at the boy before sprinting into the woods.

The couple ran for ages, weaving in and out of the trees whilst chasing each other, both feeling more connected to the nature than they ever had before. The scent of strawberries filled up Jungkook's nostrils, Taehyung's melodious giggles were like a symphony to his ears. They ran at a brisk pace for what he could only guess was about twenty minutes on a hard packed path through the trees, thick foliage matted like a canopy overhead. The trees suddenly stopped, and they were in a huge expanse of gentle hills and fields, the moon shining intensely overhead.

Eventually, they both ceased their pace and ended up shifting back in human form. Jungkook caged Taehyung between his arms as the omega laid with his back on the grassy ground. They stared into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity.

A lock of hair fell over Jungkook's forehead and the omega couldn't help but reach out and tuck it back behind his ear, his fingertips brushing warm skin as he did. The alpha's eyes held his own, unwavering, and so, so intense.

Taehyung couldn't help but study his facial features. Everything about Jungkook felt soft at the edges yet steady, sharp, and powerful within. There was a strength to him that could sometimes be overshadowed by his kindness, but, somehow, even at the cusps of night, Taehyung could see it now.

The omega didn't quite know how to form the words to express how grateful he was for the alpha, how warm he made him feel, how he made him believe he could be himself, could be more than what he thought he was. How important Jeon Jungkook was to him.

"Kiss me." Taehyung whispered against his lips.

Jungkook thought it was a joke at first. It was probably half a joke. Well, joke or not...Jungkook still kissed him. It was wonderful.

Taehyung's lips moved delicately but firmly against his in what felt like the most innocent sin, the purest heaven. A million stars exploded in his mind, shooting through his entire body, warming his skin, his blood, every cell in his being. It was as if he had been locked away in a dark cave for his entire life only to make his way outside and the press of Taehyung's soft mouth against him was like feeling the sunlight on his skin for the very first time.

They didn't care about their nudity, didn't care if someone was about to search for them now when they saw the empty bunks. It was a pure bliss. Kissing Taehyung, feeling Taehyung, longing for Taehyung in so many different ways. The omega grabbed a fistful of Jungkook's raven locks and pulled him closer towards himself, chest to chest, heart to heart. He was more persistent, and all the tension drained from the omega's body as he allowed himself to fall against Jungkook's lips, to reciprocate, and sighed without actually meaning to, the only thing he was really aware of being the warm mouth moving against his own, still slow and careful but also determined.

They wanted to capture the moment and make it last forever.

This is so cute uwu

Also, my book was taking the sixth place under the tag for taekook books. Thank you, watermelons! I can't think of a better way to express my gratitude! Just few days ago no one knew of my book and to have it moved up so quickly between one of the trendiest stories is a whole wonder!