Chapter twenty-seven

The dull lack of any vibrations in the air that had the ability to either suffocate or free one from their worst hardship was all over the place. The same heavy, brooding silence descended on them.

"So, it's not a myth that a true blood can be killed only by another true blood." Jungsunk said with spite in his voice, a loud clamor echoing around the otherwise silent hall as he leaned forward in his chair, vigor coursing through him.

Taehyung shook his head, fists unclenching by his sides as his lids softly fluttered open. His eyes were beautiful, holding the burning flames of the hot sun in them. He wondered how many times he had to repeat one thing before it got stuck permanently in someone's mind. There was no living creature in this world that was truly the most powerful. Everyone was weak in the face of death and no soul could stay locked in their temple forever. The rank of a wolf didn't make them invincible; it just gave them more power than they should have and if it was used with bad intentions, things could go wrong.

Taehyung's mate wanted to do exactly this – hide away from the greedy thieves who desired to rule over the world. He had never wished for power, nor his pride blurred his subconscious mind with twisted thoughts. Perhaps that was why he saw a potential in any wolf despite their rank and position in society. Call him weak but for Taehyung he was the strongest alpha of all times. Just because your rank was high didn't mean everyone had to kneel before you. The power that was given to them should be used wisely, precisely, without letting the selfish ideas control you.

"No, he was a simple alpha before he killed my mate." The omega answered, remarkably calm and composed, covering up the outlashing rage with ease.

Jungsunk's expression contorted, his fruitless efforts of hiding his bewilderment betrayed him.

"That doesn't make any sense..." The head alpha mumbled under his nose, his voice was hushed and the only thing stopping the words from being overheard was the obnoxious murmurs of the audience.

Taehyung wanted to laugh at his lack of knowledge on this matter. The whole ordeal sounded so hard for understanding. True bloods were as rare as enormous and brilliantly sparkling diamonds, and it was completely normal for them to be ignorant of their nature.

"Oh, it does make sense, alpha." The omega said with so much casualness in his tone that it left the spectators speechless. The confident way in which he spoke was for instance, considering the fact he was nothing more but an omega that was currently standing in the center of the Great Hall with so many people to watch and listen. "The person who succeeds to kill a true blood inherits their power." He said and Jungsunk's jaw dropped to the ground.

Even Jungkook, who stood few steps ahead of Taehyung, looked over his shoulder to glace at him. The omega knew all this time that if he killed the true blood, Jungkook would be the one to receive his powers and be proclaimed as the next true blood alpha. He had an overwhelming urge to know, to understand. And yet it seemed the more he did know, the more tantalizing nuggets of information were drip-fed into his life, the more maddened with uncertainty and curiosity he became.

Jungkook couldn't say if he was mad at the omega or not. Suddenly, everything started to make sense to him, and his head got filled up to the brim with buzzling thoughts of endless theories and possibilities. That day in the forest, when Taehyung told him that if everyone knew how to kill a true blood the world would turn into chaos, he didn't know that he had chosen him for this job.

But Jungkook failed in killing the alpha. He couldn't stand a chance against him. The way his wolf willingly gave up on fighting the moment he caught a glimpse of those red eyes would remind him of how weak he was in the face of the enemy.

"Impossible!" Jungsunk declared, eyes wide and frantic, the abruptness of his actions making it so perfectly clear that the strong shield protecting his self-proclaimed designation of a constituted leader was on its way of crumbling down before the omega had even started explaining himself.

"But it's true!" Taehyung hadn't thought for even a moment that he would need to prove something as serious as this, but now regret held him hostage once again.

Without a warning, Jungsunk started to laugh. Laugh, first simple chuckles that only grew to become louder, and Taehyung watched in building confusion and outrage at how the man shook his head a little.

"And how can I know you're not lying, omega?" The head alpha snapped. He huffed next, face mellowing out into something almost whimsical. Clearly sarcastic, mirthful in an abhorrent way. "How can I know your words aren't simply a figment of your imagination?"

Taehyung's fingers clenched around the soft material of his thin robes, using the iron-welded grasp to tear the cloth with his nails. There was a pause, as he bit the inside of his cheek and tasted the metallic flavor of blood on the tip of his tongue, forcefully soothing his mind and body; rewinding the band that was wrapped around his patience.

The omega was gaping, dumbfounded, mouth becoming drier with every moment. "Why would I be lying?" Even now, when he was doubting his words, Taehyung wouldn't do him the courtesy of showing any emotion. The alpha had secretly wished for tears, perhaps even more resistance. He had imagined the omega on his knees, his strangely beautiful face turned up to his in desperation.

Jungsunk smiled inwardly, somewhat similar to a crafty fox, all fire-blazed fur and upturned eyes. "Perhaps you're working for the enemy." It was a song, of sorts, an annoyingly catchy song, which reverberated against the walls of Taehyung's mind.

The omega felt himself sweat as little unpleasant tingles ran up his spine. His heartbeat rapidly hasted as he realized what was happening. The boy was being accused of such an unimaginable thing that he could barely register his own actions.

Anger curled so deeply in his stomach, breaths slowly becoming erratic for more reasons than one alone.

There was a glint in Jungsunk's dull eyes. Taehyung wanted to slash the amused quirk of his lips right off his face with his nails alone. Or better yet, his wolf's claws. The omega was aware of the fact this man held grudges against him, considering the odd ways he had been spoken to (with immense hostility and rancor), but calling him a predator was just the top of the cake. If Jeon Jungsunk wanted him as his enemy, he would gladly accept the invitation and become one.

The irises of Taehyung's eyes acquired a brilliant blue color and impulsively without being able to stop any following actions of his, he was running in the direction of the assertively standing alpha, whose intense eyes were burning with mischief. Thankfully, Jungkook was quick to react and grab him by the waist as gently as he could, successfully preventing the omega from challenging the alpha and causing another scandalous scene. He tried his best to hold Taehyung back from trudging any closer.

"Stop, Taehyung." Jungkook whispered against the shell of his ear, the propositions of his face were scrunched up in a tortured grimace. He had his arm draped over Taehyung's torso, using his other hand to hold him by the wrist.

Very slowly, Jungkook fixed his gaze on his father. The alpha felt his spine straighten, wary. Jungsunk lounged on the throne, smile pleased and predatory, as though he had won a battle Jungkook was unaware he was fighting. It made him more uneasy, trepidation creeping up his spine. His entire body was on edge, fingers itching to retrieve his mien, senses on alert. Something was wrong, something was terribly wrong.

"I will never help this bastard!" Taehyung roared, his pupils nearly taking up the entire eye, leaving only a blue ring on the outer edges that looked so intense. But, as captivating as the color of his eyes may be, it was the surprising fierceness behind them that truly had the head alpha unprepared. A startling contradiction; the appearance of a docile omega, but the eyes of a brutal warrior.

"You're very unpredictable, omega." Jungsunk trailed off, scanning the omega from head to toes, lids narrowed over his pupils as he observed him carefully. The audience watched the scene that was being unfolded before them. Some of the onlookers admired Taehyung for his bravery, others just wished for the omega to shut his mouth up and learn his place. "First you don't submit, then you dare to ask me if you can train my army, and now you're trying to attack me! We have a name for defects like you, people who go against their nature. Frea-"

"Don't" Jungkook bit out, words rough and firm and they made Jungsunk's mouth fall open. Silence befell everything, and the young alpha could hear his ragged breathing louder than it had ever been before. Even Taehyung stopped shuffling in his arms, taken aback from the raging tone he used on his father. "Don't try to finish what you have for saying."

Jungsunk didn't utter a single word, blood slowly draining from his face, the last vestiges of his smirk were long gone. Fists balled up tight enough to impinge the skin, he stood up forthwith, visibly attempting to get a hold of his anger not to burst from the disrespect.

Ever so slowly, Jungkook released Taehyung and took a step forward, gazing at the muted audience. His friends were there, the most trusted warriors of their pack attended the meeting, too. Despite the big number of people, the Great Hall was quiet like a church mouse.

"If we want to win this war, we have to ignore our imperfections and act like equal." Jungkook spoke up, loud and clear for everyone in the room to hear him, voice bouncing off the marmoreal walls of the hallway. "It doesn't matter if you're an alpha, a beta or even an omega. Everyone must have the chance to stand for themselves! We stay close, we stick together, we get through this..." He made a short pause, adding more dramatism to his speech. "We fight to protect, or we die trying."

Much to his surprise, no one took a chance to argue with him. Instead of bursting out in a jumble of protests, the warriors bowed their heads deeply at Jungkook. Yumi couldn't suppress the proud smile that crept out on her beautiful face and lowered her body to the ground as well, hand placed over her heart as she willingly knelt before him.

Jungkook pried his eyes off the crowd and skidded them to the far end of the room where his father stood on the stone platform, speechless. The young alpha fisted his hands by his sides, locking his cold eyes on Jungsunk's, and for several seconds they just stared at each other in what seemed to be a silent argument between a son and his father. The eye that had lost the ability to show real and deep love, to be a gateway to their own soul, was dead.

In this significant moment, when the little kid had finally outgrown his childhood and now stood as a noble man in front of his parent, Jungsunk knew his words would no longer have an affect on him.

Jungkook swallowed heavily, blinking back the sudden onslaught of emotion as he pried his eyes off him and started to search for Taehyung, only to realize the omega was nowhere to be seen. He gazed at the slightly opened doors of the hall, his heart was beating rapidly in a mix of nerves and feelings he didn't want to recognize. Feelings which demanded him to return to Taehyung and forget about all these people who swore their hearts to him.

"Go." He heard Yumi's encouraging voice and looked down at the smiling alpha.

Nodding his head in a simple bow, Jungkook left the room without another word, body feeling hot and cold at the same time as emotion after emotion had his limbs in a vice grip, circulating through his system and leaving him dizzy with far too much vigor thrown in the mix.

"Taehyung!" Jungkook called out the omega's name, seeing him running down the long corridors of the pack house. He broke into a jog, not quite a run because of the short yet seemingly huge distance between them.

"Please, not now." Taehyung offered him a mere smile. However, only a buffoon would miss the wobbling chin he was trying his best to curb. "What you said back there was great and all. Now, please, leave me alone."

"Tae, talk to me." Jungkook said as softly as he could, and without thinking, he found himself reaching out to grab one of Taehyung's hands, lacing their fingers together. It made him suck in a breath, suddenly unable to talk while he looked back and forth between their hands and the omega's eyes, his amazing ocean eyes. Everything in him was a storm, raging in different directions until he felt like he was being lifted into the night sky off his feet.

"There is nothing to talk about, Jungkook." Taehyung swallowed down the dislodging lump in his throat, sounding vulnerable, although he squeezed Jungkook's hand. The alpha's arm felt drenched in cold rain, bones frozen in place when the omega's thumb brushed over the white knuckles.

"Is it because of my father?" He paused for a moment, his clever mind racing to catch up as he answered his own question. "Or is it because of the true blood?"

Jungkook blew out a gust of air, shaking his head weakly as he tried to find the right words, to sooth the omega and show him that he wasn't alone. "Look, Tae, I'm deeply sorry for your loss. If I could-"

"You can't!" Taehyung yelled, causing the alpha to flinch violently, totally unexpecting the sudden outburst of emotions. He allowed his beautiful orbs to brim with tears, causing Jungkook's chest to hurt at the site. "The damage is already done. They killed me when I wanted to live. Cut off my wings, threw it somewhere I cannot retrieve." He lost his restrain at this, letting the tears fall liberally, abundantly making himself a sobbing mess. "The life I lived felt like a fleeting dream. The life I'm living in, feels nothing but just make belief. The tears I cried while I'm unable to sleep, will be for all the things I'm unable to keep."

Taehyung waited for the sadness to hit him. The grief that he had read about and been waiting for and been suffering through. But instead, he felt something else, something terrible. He felt a sort of joy. Angry, defiant, exuberant joy. Survivor's joy. And it swept through him like a wave, lifting him up, filling his lungs with laugher and limbs with an overwhelming urge to kick and punch and lash out with wild relief.

The omega burst in a spitting laughter and it was such a hideous sight Jungkook had to look away. He didn't know why he was so sickened by it though he had just got this awful wave of nausea gnawing away at his innards.

"Life is funny, isn't it?" Taehyung asked in between his hysterical cries, wiping off the tears from his face. "Just when you think you've got it all figured out, just when you finally begin to plan something, get excited about something, and feel like you know what direction you're heading in, the paths change, the signs change, the wind blows the other way, north is suddenly south, and east is west, and you're lost." He clutched his stomach, laughing while not a single millimetre of his cheeks wasn't covered in glistening, salty tears.

Every single word that came out of his mouth dropped dead drenched in venom, the venom Jungkook in this moment wouldn't mind quaffing down in one go.

Sadness came as a painful cleanse. It was a chance to detox and reassess what was helping and what was hurting, a chance to make new choices and inform others that you had boundaries, needs and vulnerabilities.

The sadness drained through Taehyung rather than skating over his skin. It travelled through every cell to reach the ground. The omega filtered it yet strangely enough, he kept what was pure and it was the dirt that left.

One who nurtured needed love. One who led needed solace. One with a brave heart needed a champion of their own, a protector to have faith in them when darkness was at their door.

But Taehyung? He lost his love, lost his solace, lost his champion, the protector who lightened his path at night wasn't there to gather up the missing pieces of his damaged soul.