Chapter twenty-three

For Taehyung, kissing Jungkook whenever he got that chance was like keeping a special little secret that also happened to feel really nice. Sneaky pecks stolen during meal breaks, furtive trips together to the trees after everyone had retired, and on it went. The emotional aftermath that bombarded Taehyung each time was an ever-growing monster, but he didn't think about that when his body was wrapped around Jungkook's.

This time, they were in the forest, with gentle morning sunlight filtering through the trees overhead, birdsong and the joyful bubbling of the stream they were sitting beside in the background. The nature around them was blooming and prospering as all the trees were proudly wearing their greenest leaves already and the flowers were showing them their brightest colors. Even the willow they were lying under was unusually generous, wearing its most beautiful dress today.

The birds had returned from the North by that time and their choir was happily singing the couple one of their chapels, which sounded heavenly without any exaggerations. They had their backs against a very wide tree, kissing lazily with one of Taehyung's legs thrown over Jungkook's lap.

The omega couldn't say how long they had been here, only that he felt like he didn't ever want to leave. He had his arms slung over the alpha's shoulders, one hand massaging through his hair, the other drawing circles into the powerful muscles of his upper back. Jungkook's own hands were resting comfortably on his hips, his thumbs rubbing patterns into his skin when they occasionally slipped under his tunic.

Jungkook's tongue was tickling against his own, little breathy giggles being shared between the two of them, that sounded horrifically unappealing. He pressed closer and tilted his head for a better angle, running his tongue over the alpha's bottom teeth. Taehyung knew that the alpha liked it when he bit his lip, and when he played with the hair behind his ear, or when he let himself be held in Jungkook's strong arms.

"I bet Jimin is wondering where I am, I told him I would practice with him later." Taehyung snickered, but with no intention of leaving for the other alpha. He promised him to continue with their private lessons on how to win Yoongi's heart, but he got so taken away that he didn't want to leave this place now.

Feeling adventurous, the omega moved his head to the side and nipped his teeth on Jungkook's earlobe, knowing that he enjoyed that being done to himself. The alpha pulled back then, a strange look on his face, like he had something that he didn't want to say but knew he must.

Taehyung looked at him with confusion for a moment, his hands still wrapped around his neck, but he didn't have time to ask if something was wrong before Jungkook was diving back in and kissing him, hard. If what they were doing just a moment ago was lazy and exploratory, this was aggressive, heated, and passionate.

The alpha had only kissed him like this once before, with an intentional drive behind his movements, when he snuck up on him during his patrolling shift. Despite his surprise, Taehyung liked it a lot, and it made that coil of heat that was becoming more of a common occurrence flare up in his belly. Jungkook rested a hand at the base of his throat, with just enough pressure to hold him in place so that he could press deeper into his mouth.

"Woah!" Taehyung breathed when he finally had to pull away for a breath, feeling how slick his own lips were and enjoying the shine of Jungkook's red and swollen ones. "What was that for?"

"What are you doing with Jimin?" The alpha asked bluntly, his voice unnervingly steady. Taehyung blinked at him in surprise, completely caught off guard.

"What?"

Jungkook's eyebrows crept together, and the omega felt a chill run down his spine. "I said, what are you doing with Jimin?"

Taehyung swallowed hard, noticing that the alpha's hand was still resting against his throat. His grip was loose, safe, but something about it made him feel like he should answer without delay.

"I'm not doing anything with Jimin, I don't know what you mean." Jungkook's lip twitched, and he tilted his head to one side, but it lacked any of its usual endearment. Now, it was dangerous.

"I'm not blind, Taehyung." He gulped again, and the omega's eyes helplessly rooted over the motion of his bobbing throat. "I saw him come out of your tent multiple times. I know you spend a lot of time together." His grip tightened a tiny bit, and he leaned in so that he was next to Taehyung's ear. "Tell me, can he kiss you the way that I do?"

Taehyung felt like he could burst out laughing, but somehow that seemed like an inappropriate response in this situation, even for something as ridiculous as what he had just heard. "I wouldn't know, actually, considering that we have never kissed and have absolutely zero intention of doing so." The alpha looked surprised, maybe even a little bit embarrassed, so Taehyung took advantage and peeled his hand from his throat as he leaned forward and whispered against his lips.

"Even if we did, I'm sure that no one could kiss me like you do."

The alpha groaned and surged forward, capturing Taehyung's plump lips in another kiss, this one hungrier than any before. "Say it again." He demanded softly, nipping at the omega's bottom lip.

"No one can kiss me like you do." Taehyung repeated with a sigh as Jungkook moved down and mouthed at his jaw, right above the faint mate mark. He hadn't done that before (except when he was scenting him), and the sensation made the omega shiver and have to bite down a whine. He tangled his fingers in Jungkook's hair as he kissed along his jaw, under his ear, and down his neck. The heat was stronger now, burning beneath his spine and in his gut, insistent and taking over his attention.

Every moment they shared together became a whole new infinity for them. Jungkook made the omega forget about everything whenever he was with him as if Jungkook were the most talented thief, judging from how shamelessly he stole all of Taehyung's attention each time. By his side, the omega turned into an ordinary man, who was simply overwhelmed with his love and who didn't want anything else but to share every single day with him until he gave out his last breath.

It was the best he had felt in so, so long, and Taehyung took everything he could, gasped a little when Jungkook's hands moved down, snaking under his tunic until warm skin pressing against his own sent shivers down his spine, their lips still locked as the omega didn't let him move. No, he cupped Jungkook's face and kept him there, his focus solely on this and only this.

Only this—until the popping sound of a twig caught his attention. Taehyung jumped, lips detaching; the alpha's lips hit his chin before his eyes opened languidly. The omega tried to look past his body toward the woods, willing his panting breaths to slow down.

"Wait," Taehyung placed his hand flat on Jungkook's hard chest, feeling the erratic beating of his excited heart under the fingertips. "I think I heard something..." He trailed off, brows furrowed together in a thoughtful grimace as he strained his ears to hear something.

"Just a little more." The alpha whispered, such a simple request before he was biting gently at Taehyung's swollen lips again, surely turned a deep red now, as deep as the color in his cheeks. The omega could hardly keep his eyes open, much too aware of Jungkook's hands brushing over his chest, skin exposed to the air and the way his pants were starting to feel a little restricting.

"I said stop!" This time it wasn't a request but a demand. The omega's eyes were shining in this icy blue color that never failed to put Jungkook's wolf at ease and made him forget about the dominant behavior.

He still wondered how Taehyung was able of making an alpha submit to him. Perhaps he had this effect only on Jungkook, considering the fact he hadn't seen him using his voice on another wolf or alpha.

Order or not, Jungkook was unable to say no to anything that came from his mouth. Whether it was requests or kisses, the alpha was just as weak to them both as he was when they first met. It was probably a problem that he still felt in the courting period with Taehyung, even after they had established that during the past few days, but to him, the courting period was characterized by overwhelming happiness and being so in love that you couldn't think straight.

"Look who we found, Areum. The most famous couple in the pack!" A very familiar voice rang in the air, causing both wolves to freeze on an instant.

Jungkook snapped his head to the direction of the voice, releasing an unsatisfied groan. "Fuck off, Yumi!" He snarled at the other alpha, his grip around Taehyung's tiny waist tightening almost possessively, making the omega's cheeks flush.

The same alpha came into view, her gorgeous red hair fell loosely over her shoulders, which was actually beginning to grow quite long, currently looking like an untrimmed hedge; Taehyung had seen it in a ponytail, back when they first met.

"You fuck off, this is our place." Yumi replied in a bitterly sarcastic bite of syllables, giving him a bloodthirsty glare, a fearless and rather impertinent expression dousing her attractive features.

"Your?" Taehyung couldn't help but intervene in the conversation, his brows darting upwards on their own volition, feigning bewilderment.

Yumi rolled her eyes and stepped aside to reveal a pretty female omega with long blonde hair and snow-white skin. Taehyung instantly recognized her as the girl who came to him that evening to announce that Jungkook had been waiting for him by the river.

"It's you!" He gasped in shock, causing the girl to chuckle softly at his funny reaction.

"It's nice to see you again, Taehyung-ssi!" Areum greeted, waving her hand at the two wolves who were still tangled together on the grassy ground.

Yumi produced a disheartened sigh and reached out to wrap her arm around the omega's sweet supple waist, which seemed to ask you to encircle it with your hand, there was only the odious scarlet sash, aggressive symbol of chastity.

"I see the courting worked, Jungkook. I didn't expect you to be better than Jimin at it, though." The red-haired alpha's lip started to pull up in that wicked, devilish smirk, that always made a chill run the back of Jungkook's spine. To some people it might had looked like she was trying to do a sexy crooked smile, but he knew better than trusting his eyes.

"You were courting me?" Taehyung asked next to him, his eyes were nebulas as they gazed up at Jungkook, the younger male though he saw a galaxy being harvested in them. The alpha believed he could descry hailstorms and torrid afternoons, he supposed he could even see the sun's ultimate obedience to earth. Alas, he was sure, despite the overwhelming predicaments in the omega's eyes, he was sure he could still be able to hear his voice. So why wasn't he speaking?

"You haven't told him yet?" Yumi's arm stilled on the omega's waist as she scanned Jungkook from head to toes, representing confusion.

Jungkook was unsure of how to respond, but it felt as if he didn't have the option to opt out, as both had expectance issuing from their eyes, a long trail of prompts beckoning forth an urge to speak. "I did court you, yes." He said through the cover of an exhale, observing how Taehyung simultaneously smiled in delighted surprise. The omega didn't respond though, and Jungkook was partially glad, because he hated how the words bounced off the woods and he wanted to add substance to his acclamations. "But I'm not trying to mate you or something...just to see if I can have a chance with you. And I'm willing to continue with the whole ordeal if that means you'll accept me..."

The alpha found his lips covered in an instant, the sensation of a warm pout pressed delicately against him. He held back his gasp, fingertips curling into the smooth expanse of Taehyung's tunic. It didn't last long, but it left Jungkook breathless, nonetheless.

"I've already made my decision, Jungkook." Taehyung's tone was serious, underlying sweetness making the alpha preen inwardly.

Looking at the omega with a soft gaze, giving his slender hips a squeeze, in a gentle voice, Jungkook asked once more, "What about your previous mate? Do you really want to – "

"I want to move on." Taehyung dismissed his words, brushing some raven strands from the alpha's forehead, fingers stubbornly hovering over beautiful features, the need to touch growing. "I want to be happy again and you're the only person who can help me do it."

Jungkook appeared to have a hitch within his breath as his moribund eyes locked onto Taehyung's gaze and he had to rile up some sort of composure and self-restraint to stop himself from kissing the hell out of the omega.

"You're so sweet that I want to throw up." Yumi scrunched up her nose in a disgusted grimace, causing her mate to release a breathy laugh.

"Let's go, love, I'm sure they need this place more than us." Areum said with a kind smile plastered on her pretty face, gently tracing her fingers over the stripe of Yumi's armor.

The red-haired alpha wanted to retort, but the press of Areum's soft lips against hers prevented her from doing so. With a grumpy huff escaping from her mouth and tightly narrowed lids over the eyes, Yumi sent Jungkook a murderous glare before taking the omega's hand and walking away.

"So..." Taehyung's voice broke the silence, causing the alpha to look back at him with highly perched brows. He chuckled softly and wrapped his hands tightly around Jungkook's nape, playing with the curls of his black hair. "Courting, huh?" He asked in a teasing tone, snickering with brilliant teeth at show.

Jungkook scoffed, interrupting him, taking the omega's face in his hands and using Taehyung's favorite method of halting conversation against him. Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last.

Really, Taehyung should've broken away as soon as the alpha's lips had touched his, since he was clearly being kissed so he could stop talking, but he couldn't restrain himself from returning the kiss with the same passion Jungkook had.

It was more than wonderful.

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Cute