Dear loveely readers, The new update is here. Please be gentle with the characters as they are already suffering with their emotions. These 21k words holds many scenes and require your attention at every sentence. Kindly read slowly.

I hope you will enjoy the chapter💜.

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Jungkook had turned around, raised his steps to walk forward when he heard the mild sound of a throat clearance. He turned around to see the woman standing in the middle of the chamber, “I wonder if I should let you take them or not but I think you should know about it if you are visiting your mate.”

“What is it?” Jungkook was impatient, eager to follow the owl that had already sprawled its wings in the sky.

“Here.” She walked to the shelf where glinting glasses, flasks and little potion bottles are placed. She touched the same blue and red one that he saw her engaging before, “These are the medicines or one can say venoms that Taehyung needs to take to survive the painful ruts.”

Jungkook's eyes zeroed at the small bottles while his entire body felt like flowing in the air because the words of the woman suddenly snatched the ground below his feet, “Venom?”

“Yes. The blue one is extracted from the oldest species of scorpions and the red one, the counter medicine for the venom which is extracted from azima plants. It's a bit dangerous but more precise as well,” the more she explains about different poisons, the more her eyes start to twinkle in interest. Legends are correct when they say about how burning passions often burns the ability of a person to think properly. Maybe she was unaware that she is talking about deadly venoms with a mirthful smile on her face.

“But why would Alpha need these poisons? Why does he have to suffer from such pain to avoid the pain of rut? Isn't he suffering enough already?” Jungkook asked with a low voice.

The smile on her lips dimmed a bit before her entire face dwelled into heavy thoughts, “Have you seen any Alpha in rut before?”

“No. Why would I?”

“I apologise. I didn't mean to say seen or the meaning it interprets. I meant to ask if you have read or heard about such experiences before?” It was thoroughly annoying how the embarrassment ran in his blood when he replied, “I have read books that express the response of an Alpha werewolf's anatomy during ruts and my hyung have explained his pain of ruts.”

“But Guard Min is a Beta. Have you heard about Alphas before?”

The mere shake of the omega's neck was enough for the woman to clasp the bottles’ lid tightly before securing them on the shelf again. She moved to her right then and jerked her wrist in the air, an entire wall covered with different books appeared from nowhere and wedged itself on the previous wall.

The flares of the skirt followed her closely as her sharp nail tapped on the back of those books till it stopped on a cover that was blazing the warmth of deep brown. She took out the book from the stack and walked forward. Before Jungkook could ask anything else, that unknown and unnamed book was placed in his receiving hands.

“You must read this book to somewhat understand Alpha species. Of course, the werewolves are more aware of their own cultural species than us witches but we have worked hard on their anatomy to understand their pain and pleasures and are reliable enough to turn their pain into reliefs. This book is an asset to my shelf and I'm presenting it down to your curious brain. However, you must hear a summarised version from me before leaving my palace tonight. Would you like to?” She asked with such politeness that Jungkook couldn't balance its weight along with the book in his hands.

He followed the woman mindlessly and couldn't hold his knee from bending and taking a seat on one of the shiny lounges. Because with each passing moment in this chamber, something vicious is swirling inside his heart as if something is not right… as if something is going afar…far away by slipping right past his clammy fingers.

He was sitting very attentively when the woman took a seat at another chair that was placed across the lounge. His toes dug into the carpet beneath his feet, ready to jump out of this soft lounge whenever these talks reduced to none. He can't help this eagerness, eagerness to search for his mate till he finds him again and sees his face.

But the woman resting on the chair seemed to be relaxing on her seat as if they sat for a talk that would take longer than Jungkook's admiration, “When an Alpha's rut hits, the first thing that they run for is isolation. Here, isolation could be received by them alone or with their mates, it depends on the couple's choice. However, there are some rules that werewolves have secured for such a situation. As an instance, unmated mates can't help each other during ruts or heats.”

Jungkook blinked his eyes and his gaze sharpened when he looked at the woman, “ I do not agree. During my heat, Alpha helped me.”

“I am talking about more intimate help, son, which further takes the shape of an offspring. During the isolation, Alphas often hid their scent so that no one could trace them. So whenever you see him tonight, be prepared that you won't be able to pick up his scent. Lastly, their conscious mind kept switching the phases of their souls, one time you could be seeing Taehyung and the next time Van would take over. This happens so that none of them are aware enough to strangle people around them, they will be as good as a wooden log during this period of time, any touch, any word will burn on their skin. Once the rut is enhanced, the pain makes them vulnerable. They can't use their powers, bone strength, even turning on the bed becomes a hassle. However, Taehyung had used his power of teleportation and even turned in his wolf form due to several circumstances. I don't know how he bore such pain but he did that to protect himself.”

Maybe the woman spoke too quickly or Jungkook's ear wasn't working because his mind was still stuck on the first thing. He was on his feet and clenching the robe from his sides as he spouted his words, “ I don't think intimacy only means or urges intercourses between mates. He is in pain, must be burning in fever right now, I could have helped to bring down that fever or fed him or protected him enough to sleep properly. But some pretentious traditions are keeping me away from all this. How awful could it be?!?”

He couldn't control his words once finding liberation in the empty chamber and sighed when he witnessed the shocking face of the woman who was looking at him as if he was speaking some language from another world.

It was astonishing to watch the omega threatening the norms of their traditions so harshly but Ella's face paled while witnessing such wrath because since the beginning… one person was enough to retaliate their tradition and doing the forbidden and ample to give her white hair but how would she balance this new person who seemed as stubborn and came out to be the fated mate of the first one? She closed her eyes and chuckled at the irony of destiny, her lips muttering in a low voice “Too much to ask for peace. How can I get caught in between them?”

Jungkook couldn't hear what the woman was mumbling, maybe it's some other spell to stop him from following the path that could lead him outside. Instead what he heard was a bit different, “I apologise. But I didn't make these rules. And maybe people from the past weren't aware that there could be other choices than being sexual with each other. Werewolves are considered as the most stimulated and aroused species among others so it's quite hard to expect such respectful measures from all the couples.”

Jungkook looked away from the woman and realised that he would get nothing by putting his words in arguments. He can't expect to change things when they have already occurred. So he clutched the book in his hands and turned around to leave the palace, “One more thing, son.”

“If you met your mate tonight, I would advise you to suppress your scent while meeting him.” It was absolutely ridiculous to stop in the middle to hear such a nuisance. Why? Why would he suppress his scent? Because it could agitate his mate to do something with him? Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting. It reflected on his face in the form of a grimace when he replied without turning around, “Please... Please forgive me but I don't think I can listen any longer. Thank you for showing me a path during my lost time.”

There was a swiftness in his steps when he started to walk away from the chamber, impatient to run out of the suffocation his lungs were suffering since he stepped inside this palace.

He knows it's not the woman's fault to warn him with her polite advice but how could everyone be reminding him constantly that he shouldn't go near his mate during his rut? How even his mere presence can cause hurt to his mate? How it's so safe to stay away from each other instead of helping him. How he is incapable of doing anything just because they haven't mated yet.

How insensitive are they to think that a mate can only help the other physically? Jungkook can scream out several ways to ease his mate's mind in such crucial moments. But he won't do that. Because he refuses to behave more adamantly against the Royal Godmother, he has already said a lot. So he drank down the nauseous bile that was swirling in his throat and walked out.

His frequent steps led him to his horse and Jungkook rested his head at the middle of the Artax's back while sighing softly. Artax folded his neck towards the Empress and engulfed his whole figure in a warm embrace. He neighed around Luna's neck when Jungkook let out the first sob.

Jungkook's one hand was clutching the book against his chest while the other was wrapped around Artax's back where it was stroking the furs to touch something that could calm his raging mind. He placed his cheek on the warm back and stared at the poor horse whose ears dropped as soon as he looked at him with glinting tears, “Do you know where your master is?”

Artax folded his neck further till he nuzzled his face into the Empress's shoulder. Their head moved upwards when the sweet coo of owl pierced through the silence of the night. He was sitting at the highest peak of the tree and gazing down at them, “We have to follow that owl to find the Royal Alpha. Would you help me?”

Artax neighed and pushed Luna's shoulder towards his back before standing in the straight posture. Jungkook wiped his cheeks and slid the book inside his robe and tucked it safely into its waistband before climbing the horse, “Follow him closely.”

The owl took his first flight in the sky and Artax raised his front legs to follow him eagerly. Jungkook grabbed the reins with one hand to balance his body on the saddle while his other hand was still tangled in the furs around the horse's neck. It was soothing the tremors of his fingers that haven't stopped shaking ever since he left the palace.

The deep forest of Gigerè passed by sooner than the Empress expected or maybe his mind wasn't on the path but drowned into the blankness of his thoughts. But when he blinked and finally realised their surroundings, they were already entering the Gates of Western Land. His eyes followed the owl in the sky and his heart picked up the beats when he flew towards the Chinra mountain.

His fist tightened around the reins and it made the horse turn around and follow the owl more fiercely. However, the wind that was striking over his face seemed reluctant; his open hair came forward to engulf his chest in different tangles. His heart squeezed in pain when the thoughts of reading such indications of nature flooded his mind. His fingers left the furs and distangled the hair before throwing them off of his shoulder and twisted his posture enough to bend down where the wind couldn't force him back from his position.

The loud thumping of hooves were resonating in the silent night when Jungkook noticed another sound that carried the sharp striking of an axe on wooden logs. His head moved instantly towards that sound and by reflex he pulled the reins, making the horse stop in the middle of the path.

His entire resolve crumbled down to his feet when he saw the soldiers still working at the shore of the river. He watched how two of the soldiers had caught the slab over the trunk and another pair of soldiers cutting it down in perfect shapes with a big smile on their faces. Many others were working on stacking these cuttings into the structure of bridges. His Majesty has already made three bases for them before leaving so that they can learn and copy for other portions.

More than thirty soldiers were working on one shore and he couldn't see the other end of the shore to figure out the counting but even if one was working, Jungkook would have to step down from the horse and tend him. His melancholic eyes moved and stared at the owl who was taking circles from one tree to another, clearly waiting for them to follow.

Suddenly the weight of the book around his waist felt like a stone that he'll have to carry around for a while.

I will be leaving the folks in your care for a few days.

The reins slipped out of his hands when Jungkook climbed down the horse defeatedly. He could only fight outsiders for so long but when his own conscious mind didn't permit him to leave his duties behind, he felt defeated in his shoes. So he stood in front of Artax, heavy gaze expecting answers, “Seems like I'll have to help our soldiers here. Would you follow scooper and find out the Alpha's location for me?”

Artax's lips flapped, nostrils flared expressing his grumbling eyes but he listened closely, “When you'll come back, I promise to go there with you. Would you take me there?” The long eyelashes of the horse cascaded down twice before he raised his head and nuzzled into Luna's stretched palms.

Jungkook bid farewell to the horse who didn't waste a moment before following the dark circular thing in the sky. The Empress walked to the shore with light steps and couldn't help but smile when all the soldiers’ eyes illuminated after catching his mere presence.

“Your Empress!” They bowed unanimously and gathered around him to greet properly.

“We have built three fully fledged bridges. Would you like to see them?” One said. All of them looked like small kids who wanted to show their work to their mentor much more quickly than others.

“His Majesty taught us by making the first one and then we tried to follow his trick and technique quite decently.” Another bragged with a prideful chest.

Jungkook acknowledged their greetings and bowed in return, later proposing with a stable voice, "How about I help with the remaining ones and when His Majesty comes back, he can check all of them together?”

The surroundings filled with the small whispers of the soldiers and before he could brush them off, one of them said, “No. We wish to live through this war, Your Empress. If His Majesty learned that we let you do the work when you haven't fully recovered from the poison, he will surely use our bones instead of these logs while making the bridges.”

Several heads follow the nods upholding the decision as the final one while Jungkook shook his head in fondness, “I can take your concern into consideration if you all let me stay here till the pending work completes.”

The soldiers looked as if they hadn't expected such prepositions and had no words of excuse furthermore. So they pointed at each other while moving around and shouting sudden orders, “Bring out the chair and the cushions too!”

“Cushions would do nothing! Look around, the mist has covered the entire river, call out for a blanket too!”

“A hot cup of soup as well!”

It was admirable how they are forgetting that the Empress is still standing in front of them but Jungkook can't just forget how they are delaying their work for him so he announced, “I will find a place for myself while surveying the built bridges. I urge you all to go back to your respective works, we have to complete it before those excited children break through the dawn and start jumping in the river again.”

Those pups have created absolute chaos while diving and taking long swims in the river, playing hide and seek with the soldiers till they get dragged out by the literal pack wolves. There was no one who could stop those small whinings of pups when they tried to lift the axe, put their fist inside the rough patches and fix their heels into the tiny gaps present in the wood.

One by one the soldiers started to return to their positions and that gave the Empress enough space to pass by. He analysed the first bridge with overwhelming curiosity of his brain. The solid floor beneath his feet looked promising. He noticed how there were no nails supporting the structure but the built-in woods were fixed together after cutting and connecting them in different shapes.

Jungkook walked to the edge and sat down while letting his feet dangle above the water below the bridge. He stared far into the nothingness when his empty insides clinked together, creating a gloomy melody. Isn't it cruel to torment him like this? He brought his hands into his lap and stared at the edges of his fingers, light pink pores around their tips informing him that the breeze had turned much cooler than before. His gaze wandered but witnessed only the spread of mist all over the surroundings.

“Either you could burn my heart or heal it completely. How courageous of you to think that one letter will be enough to do both of them, to think that one letter will be enough for me to stay away from you. You should have tried harder.”

“Who are you talking to, Your Empress?”

Jungkook moved his head towards the voice and found the Commander standing beside him.

“Someone… who has a habit of pushing me away.”

The Commander let his formal smile slip away from his lips and looked away before staring over the river, “May I sit beside you?”

Jungkook nodded his head and soon the Commander joined him at the edge of the bridge, “I can understand the pain of sitting on the side and feeling helpless while watching my mate writhing in pain.”

“At least you were able to watch.”

“It's worse than being unaware. I haven't felt this useless before.” Both pairs of eyes were staring into the river longingly.

“Why can't they understand that now they are not alone. Their pain, sorrows, and happiness reflect on us too. Have they become so habitual to their routines that they don't realise our existence?” The Empress while pushing his fingers into a fist, he could feel the nails leaving crescent shaped moons on his palm.

Standing stoic from all day, the Commander finally let his shoulder droop and sighed slowly, “ It's a blessing that you haven't seen your mate flinching away from your touch. It felt worse than the death that dawned upon me nine years ago. Maybe the root of this fear was implanted by the narrow minded narratives of folks whose solutions for pain start from mating and end with knotting but it didn't help with the fact that his fear hurts me so much.”

This excruciatingly long day must have drained and burnt the leftover patience of the Commander or he wouldn't have talked to the Empress so openly. Jungkook knows about it too and the Commander is right, this raging anger residing in his bones emerged when Godmother Ella continuously warned him about unwanted proximity during heats and ruts.

“Why can't the folks think about other alternatives? There is so much more we can do to relieve their pain. We can massage their legs, help them fall asleep, and feed them fresh food?”

The Commander looked up and gritted his teeth in response, “I can wash his hair, wipe his tears and caress his cheeks till his lips stretch in a smile.”

“Or cause a distraction. He said I talk a lot, he could have used my conversations to divert his mind. I could have suppressed my scent to not spike something unnecessary.”

The commander nodded his head in agreement and looked at the omega, “We both are right. But they didn't choose us. Prince has always been forgetful about his needs. But I can't say the same for his Majesty.”

What?

“It only means that he purposely avoided talking to me before leaving. It's making me feel devastated.”

“It's not about us, Luna. It's about their pain. However, we both are connected to them so their avoidance while suffering from pain makes their trust on us more questionable. Maybe they are scared of these sudden changes, centuries of isolation probably gave them comfort of loneliness. It could be a possibility that they don't want to entertain our presence during their vulnerable moments.”

The words were harsh, leaving a wound deeper after each sentence. Jungkook brushed away the tears that managed to escape, “Then why were they not scared while coming close to us? Why did he care for me? Heal me? And protected me through my pain? I thought…I thoug…” He pressed his lips shut when he choked on the last word.

“They care for us. There is no second opinion on it. The question is if they would let us do the same or not. I think it's time when we embark on the importance of our presence in their lives.”

“How?” Jungkook asked, eyes scrunched in pain and fully focused on the Commander's face.

“Refusing their care is one and not spending time with them is another way.”

Jungkook chuckled through his tears at that, “Why does it sound like a punishment for us instead of them?” He raised his hand to wipe off the remnants of mist from his cheeks.

His response makes them silent for a while till the longingness of their hearts turns into a static sadness. The spread palms of the omega folded into a fist again when he remembered all the words that he had been hearing from all night, “ Would you be able to ignore the Royal omega's efforts if he tried to talk to you?”

“No. I will talk to him but with a barrier in between. If he wants to secure himself from me then I should start doing the same.” One needs an absolute courageous heart to talk like this because even hearing such words was causing incruciating pain to the Empress. He can't think about the smallest argument in between them but seems like there is no option left to try.

“What about you? Would you be able to carry yourself around without seeking Alpha's presence?” The question was heavy and it felt heavier when Jungkook thought about it. Isn't he punishing himself enough to not follow the owl instantly? How would he survive the Alpha's absence longer than this?

His chest raised when he heaved a fresh breath but the thoughts of the contorting face of the Royal Alpha twisting in pain of rut flashed in front of his eyes and the uneasement returned with full force, “He must be suffering from so much pain. How would I-”

“That's why Legend says that love is not for weaker hearts.” The high pitched voice of the woman was heard from behind and both of them twisted their necks to see the guest, which appeared to be Yunhee who was standing while crossing her hands on her chest.

She came forward and sat in between them while looking forward, “They are Royals. My husband had stayed close to them and one can assume that he had spent the same life with the same principles, values and habits during their training period. They are trained to not trust anyone. Even if we like it or not they can live without us after mourning for a period of time.”

“We? But Royal guest Sang always looked like a lace away from plucking stars for you.” The Commander commented.

She scoffed to fight off the blush from her cheeks and spoke, “ He wasn't like this from the start. He used to be an asshòle.” The loud profanity alarmed both the men and pushed them to look around to see if anyone could hear them or not.

“Do not mind me but he didn't even know how to do basic aftercare. I used to get hurt the most when he couldn't even acknowledge my sadness sometimes. Then I opted for five steps that my grandma advised and applied all of them one by one. She used to say that Alphas have thick skin so physical pain doesn't affect them much. So I used her advice and result? You all can see yourself.”

“What were those five steps?” It was comical how both of them asked the same question at the same time.Yunhee nodded her head as if she was expecting the question and ready to answer it perfectly after straightening her back and raising one finger in the air, “First one. Go back to the formal abbreviations while conversing with them. Do not show any connection with words at all.”

She stretched the second finger and pointed at them, “ Be passionate about whatever you are doing but do not show your work to them personally or expect appreciation. Let the others inform them.”

“Third one. Stop asking questions from them. Instead, find another source to satiate your curiosity.”

“Fourth one. Take full care of yourself. Do not leave a moment where they can find a chance or reason to dote on you. Be fully efficient for yourself,” She cleared her throat a bit and glanced at the other omega, “or at least pretend that you are.”

“I pretended too, you know. It happened when we both were alive and I tormented him till he abducted me from my grandma's hut and promised to learn to become a better man for me. I did not ignore him during those days, we used to talk the same as before but I reserved myself under specific boundaries. I used to cry while doing so but it was necessary.”

She looked at the Commander with a hope that maybe her words conveyed the solution but both the male were still staring at her as if she had violated some kind of pack, “What? What are you staring at?”

The Empress looked close to tears while the Commander had his jaw clenched in anger, “Nothing. I thought it should only take a day or two but your talk proves that it may take a week to stabilise my bond with the Prince if I take your advice.”

Yunhee sighed with a grimace and replied passively, “Weeks.”

Jungkook scurried to his feet and bowed a little, “Pardon me. I would like to isolate myself for a few moments.” He didn't look back when the Commander called for him. He just could not think about taking such harsh measures to show Alpha his presence, to receive his attention. No. What kind of bond is it if he needs to pretend his emotions to make things right?

Now that the Commander is here to look over the soldiers, Jungkook's feet finally opted for the path of Chinra. He doesn't know where his Alpha could be hiding in such a vast mountain but he will keep walking till his eyes find the purpose of blinking again. The mist has engulfed the path into its thick arms as if helping his mate to hide from him and this sole thought made the omega stomp on the path as he walked forward.

“Kookie…”

He called for his wolf who responded with a low voice inside him, “The sound of hooves are coming from North. Artax is coming back.”

“Thank you. I know that you heard Ella when she warned us about suppressing our scent. Please do not feel rejected by your Alpha, I know we can not help our emotions but we need to observe and be patient till we know how his pain and our scent blends together. We can not just experiment by bursting in his privacy so I request you to conceal your scent.”

“I promise to not secrete pheromones even if it hurts me to see my Alpha in pain. I won't take over. I won't respond to him till he calls me first. But take my advice Jungkook and stop yourself. We don't have to walk down this path while knowing that it will just open the gates of sorrow.”

Jungkook raised his hand to caress the horse's muzzle when he stopped right before him, “Since when did you start fearing sorrow?” He directed the horse to a fresh puddle of rain and let it drink the water after his long journey. When the wolf didn't reply to him, Jungkook asked, “Have you forgotten how he helped us during our heat? If not the same intimacy, we still make the surroundings better for his pain.”

“He helped us because we summoned him, Jungkook. Let me remind you that in his letter, he didn't ask for your presence nor did he talk about his rut. If we visited him unannounced then what little difference would be left between us and those omegas who tried to molest him during his rut.”

The low voice became silent after that. And Jungkook felt a punch in his chest when all of his scent got sucked back into his body. One can imagine a lush tree whose vines were spread all around and it suddenly contracted its vines before hiding them beneath its shadow.

The hand which was holding the reins of Artax slipped down lifelessly. Jungkook's knees crumbled as he fell on the wet ground with a sharp thud. What was he about to do? His stubborn mind failed to notice how his presence at the Alphas door would look like? An intrusion. A forced attack on his vulnerability. Jungkook gasped when thick tears started to trail down to his cheeks. He choked on his next breath when he realised how insensitive he was towards his mate's sufferings.

He didn't ask for your presence.

True. Everything his wolf said was true. He shouldn't go where he isn't invited or expected. No. He shouldn't feel upset about this, how selfish he can be? It's not about his own pain, his hurtings, his emotions, it's all about him. His mate. Jungkook blinked his eyes when he felt a wet tongue nudged on his cheek. Artax was standing close to him and pushing his face once in a while to get his eyes on him.

Jungkook grabbed the reins once again and lifted himself enough to cling to the horse's back, “Would you take me to him? I won't invade his hideout. I'll look from afar. Please?”

Artax seemed to have tilted his head in confusion because wasn't he supposed to do the same? but the horse straightened his back and neighed loudly to ease the omega's mind. Jungkook climbed on his back and sat there numbly. His body swayed with Artax's back instead of sitting in a good posture. His back was folded, eyes staring into nothingness and hands just holding the reins instead of capturing the control.

He doesn't know where the horse was taking him but he sat there silently, letting his vile thoughts consume him whole. He doesn't know with what authority he decided to find the Alpha. Does being someone's mate make him enough authoritative to claim the designated care he wants to do?

It doesn't.

When Artax took a long jump, Jungkook stumbled on his back but balanced himself properly. He looked around the surroundings and this path was quite familiar. The loud rolling of thunder captured his attention to the sky, heavy clouds running over his head to burst out the raindrops. But the downpour hasn't started yet, resting at bay as if waiting to let the fire reach the omega's heart before extinguishing it.

In that sliver moment of silence, when Artax ran to take another turn, what Jungkook saw made his jaw hanging apart. He recognised the ropes of this bridge all too well and eyes spilled out the draining tears when the horse crossed the bridge and took a high jump to the patio that leads him to the Hanok that Jungkook once built with all of his heart, brain and soul.

His fingers were trembling terribly as he gazed down the closed door of the Hanok. Even after surviving an earthquake, it was still standing proudly in the middle of the mountain. And he couldn't comprehend why the Royal Alpha had chosen this Hanok for spending his days of rut but an odd kind of relief washed over the omega when he found his mate so close to him. He is thankful that he hadn't chosen any far destination.

He wiped his face thoroughly and tucked some handful of tresses behind his ear to look less disoriented. However, when his aching feet landed on the ground, he felt the weight of his decision in his chest. He won't go inside, he knows, but knowing that his mate is inside and doesn't have anyone to tend to, his pain broke a part of him.

No matter how hard he tries to inhale the spread air around him, his nostrils couldn't get a whiff of sandalwood scent. His awaiting eyes became passive when he walked closer to the Hanok and landed on one of the stairs helplessly. He eyed the several trays that were lined up at the door, covered with tight lids on top. The Royal Alpha haven't accepted the medicine yet.

The rain came afterwards, bringing the chaos that the omega needed to break out from his silent thoughts. He focused his gaze on the horse who walked closer till it towered over his head to save him from the wild torrents. Jungkook didn't say anything and felt grateful when his head rested on Artax's chest.

The horse was warm and Jungkook closed his eyes when that same warmth reached his body. He had never thought that a day would come where he would be closer… but would be far…far away from his mate like this.

Since the very start of his life, Jungkook has taken comfort from the people around him. His Ajumma used to shower him with sweets, hot soups and a warm embrace whenever the queen had scolded him. After her, Yoongi replaced her and became the source of his comfort. Then comes the Royal omega, Hoseok hyungnim, his mate and other family members. Maybe his habit of taking comfort from others reflected badly on his image. Maybe that's the reason why people『his mate』around him sets the narrative that maybe he wouldn't know how to nurture someone's sufferings or how to give comfort at the first place.

He doesn't remember himself being a source of comfort for anyone. But he can learn how to be better at it. Yes. He can learn anything and everything that can ease this ache of his heart.

According to the Imperial highness, Alpha wanted to have a selfish mate. Does Jungkook want the same for himself? Yes. But did he get the same? No. The Alpha isn't selfish for him and he proved that after thinking about him before his own pain. He didn't get a selfish mate for himself. So maybe a bit differently but isn't the history repeating itself now? He wants to worship his mate as well but how can he do that when the latter doesn't let him!

The omega's emotions were all over the place. His mind was playing different scenarios and at the end of each, his heart felt broken more than before. He exhausted himself to the point, his brain stopped picturising the words or people or the shape of his mate's face and pushed him to the brink of slumber, the lone solution for his overthinking mind.

Far from the touch of that downpour, In her palace, Ella chuckled while feeding lizards to the owl that was resting on her arm, “One is waiting outside the door and another is dying inside the door. Is it the door that keeps them apart or the brewing young love? The answer is not hard, my child.”

~

The first wave of pain struck Taehyung's body when he came out of the river after completing the base of the second bridge. He knew that his rut would strike at its perfect time because one thing that remained constant in his life along all centuries is this pain.

He needs to leave.

He handed over the work to the Commander and informed him briefly about his sudden hiatus. However, he knew that this time he can't just leave for isolation without the omega's permission. So he decided to visit their pavilion as the omega didn't return after changing his clothes as he said he would do.

A fond stretch of his lips happened when he found the omega snoring softly into the sheets. The second wave hit his chest when the scent of pines wrapped his body into a tight grip. He was already wearing the veil, so he couldn't risk the proximity of his pheromones to cover much of the enlarged area of the pavilion or it would have heightened the chances of triggering the delayed heat of the omega.

And it can't happen when both of them are surrounded by huge responsibilities.

So instead of disturbing the comfort of the omega, Taehyung decided to write to him. He walked to his chest and took out a parchment roll with a black ink and a small brush. He used the ottoman of the dressing table to sit and rolled out the first paper to write.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

And five more times Taehyung had to tear apart the papers from the roll but none of them felt right for the omega to read. The crumbling balls of paper beneath the table started to increase but Taehyung paid no attention as he struggled to find the right words. This has never happened before where he has a brush in his hand but not the words.

When the third wave of his rut aligned with the painful whimper of the omega, he knew he needed to leave soon. So with incoherent thoughts, the Royal Alpha completed the letter and placed it on the table. He cleaned the mess of papers behind him before leaving the chamber. He wished to greet the omega but he doesn't trust his pheromones enough to go near him right now.

Disappearing from one place to another, Taehyung staggered on his feet when the pain engulfed his muscles before striking the bones. He groaned loudly and inspected the area one last time before entering the Hanok and closing the door behind him. He closed the window and stretched out all the curtains to make sure that not even an ounce of his scent could escape from his hideout.

When his body touched the mattress, the Alpha's eyes were squeezed shut in pain. He felt himself burning in heat, the veil of the omega was sticking to his chest due to excessive sweat but he couldn't move to bring it down his body.

Every fibre of his skin was emitting fire and all of his bones felt melting beneath. His fingers, wrist, elbow, arm, shoulder, toes, bridge, heel, ankle, calve, knees, thighs, he couldn't move anything at all. And everything in between remained numb. He couldn't move at all because if he did then his pheromones would consume him whole and he wouldn't be able to stop himself from wanting, needing and desiring the things that he should not. So he braced himself with a shaky breath and burrowed his nose under the veil. It could help him sleep off his rut just the way it knocked out his senses for the first time, right?

Right.

He won't be needing the needles of Ella or her poisons, four more days and he will apologise to the omega for leaving so suddenly. He will apologise for causing the fear that he promised to not provoke after that dark night in the library. He couldn't keep his promise due to the circumstances but it's not an excuse to the truth that he failed.

~

Jungkook's head lulled forward when the warm chest pulled away from him. He looked up and groaned when his neck cracked due to sleeping at odd angles. He stretched lazily and a new dawn welcomed his eyes when he opened them and looked around. He found Artax reaching the shed of the Hanok to nibble the hay and moving around to catch another mouthful.

He was about to stand up from his position when Artax pulled at a fixed bundle of hay and dragged it down to the ground, “You must be hungry, aren't you?” Of course he is. The poor soul has travelled for so long without any food. Jungkook let the horse eat his food but frowned when he noticed a white ball under that bundle of hay.

“One moment?”

He tried to stop the horse who neighed but moved his head to chew another mouthful of hay when the Empress scrunched down and moved the small sticks away. He gasped when he found a small rabbit folding itself in the shape of a ball. Was it hiding inside that bundle?

The rabbit was so small that when Jungkook scooped up his body from the ground, his entire being got engulfed inside his palms, “Oh you poor rabbit. What are you doing here?” He asked in a hushed voice.

The rabbit was fast asleep or fainted by the rain because his wet body was shivering and it coarsed a fuzzy alarm in Jungkook's mind, “We need to leave, Artax. She will die if we don't provide immediate aid.”

The horse retrieved his hooves from the front stairs and dragged another mouthful of hay and started to chew while standing straight. Jungkook opened his robe and tucked the shivering body of the rabbit inside to let it absorb his body's heat. Before climbing the horse, his eyes wandered to the closed door once again. The absence of those lined up trays tugged his heart strings but he moved his head away before the thoughts of being useless could ingest him whole.

Artax was quick to cover the distance between Chinra and western land but when he was about to turn towards the Lavin, Jungkook flicked the reins towards the healing chambers. He shouldn't disturb the Royal Omega at such early hours. Moreover, Nami can provide the aid that will be required for the cure of the creature who was trembling against his chest.

He pointed at one soldier, who looked towards the Empress when the horse entered the healing chambers, and called him closer. When Artax stopped, Jungkook climbed down and ordered, “Take Artax to his shed and make sure to provide food. I'll walk from here onwards.”

“Your Empress.” The soldier bowed and took the reins in control and guided the horse by walking beside it.

Luna's hurried steps took him to the second chamber when he talked to the wizard yesterday and much to his peace, He found Nami there who was inspecting one of the omegas. The omega was sleeping, Jungkook included due to the heavy pheromones blended with high medications and Nami was trying to apply some of the herbal paste on her feet.

“Nami.” He called.

“Luna?” While standing up from where he was scrunched down at the end of the mattress, Nami bowed down.

“I apologise for the disturbance but I need your help for a moment.”

Nami stared at the Empress with confused eyes but turned towards the wall when Jungkook flicked open the first knot of the robe. However, he heightened his listening power and frowned when he heard tiny mewls along with tethering gums.

“Here, I found this rabbit around Chinra mountain. It seems like she soaked up too much rain but her stale body is burning right now.”

Nami turned around and wiped his hands before spreading his combined palms beneath Jungkook's hands and cooed embarrassingly, “This is so tiny. Is this truly a rabbit or a squirrel? Oh…” He noticed the cotton button under his fingers and smiled, “ Indeed a rabbit.”

Nami took her towards the fireplace and started to pump our excessive water from his swollen stomach while pressing his two fingers repeatedly on the body carefully, "Thank you for bringing her to me. I will take care of her. She will be fine by dusk.”

He moved his head towards Luna only to feel his heart melting at the sight of the Empress who was now scrunching beside the mattress and applying the paste on the sick omega's feet wordlessly. But Nami noticed the tired features of the Empress and felt guilty, “Luna, I will apply the paste after some moments. You have just arrived from your journey, I request you to rest for a while.”

“All I'm doing is sitting and using my hands.  And I think I have taken plenty of rest. The clouds of war are scattered on our heads, don't you think you should teach me some basic medications for survival that I could use for an emergency instead of running towards you or other healers?” Jungkook asked while scooping another little paste in his fingers and spreading it over the injured omega's sole.

“Who am I to teach you when you are the brother in law of the most powerful healer? His highness won't forgive me if he becomes acquainted with this conversation.”

“But Jimin hyungnim isn't feeling well. The commander said he might take time to recover from the poison.” The Empress expressed.

“Oh? Luna doesn't know?”

“What?”

“His Highness is recovering nicely, it must be Mother Ella's doing and I'm glad that her medicines always work like boons on us.” Nami wrapped the rabbit in a thick towel and wiped her body carefully. Meanwhile, Jungkook decided to pay a visit to His highness to ask for his well-being. He hasn't met him since the night of the autumn moon festival.

He wiped his hands and then washed them before approaching Nami who was feeding something to the faint rabbit. His raging mind was exploding with vicious thoughts and the only cure was to divert his thoughts elsewhere… far from the Hanok, far from the thoughts of his mate and the hurt these thoughts bring all along. So he searched for the thoughts that could lead him out of his loop that got stuck around the concern for the Royal Alpha and when he found one, Jungkook latched onto it desperately, “Would you mind If I ask some questions?”

Nami smiled knowingly and gestured for the Empress to sit on the lounge that was placed beside the window, “I do not hold the wisdom of His Majesty but I will put all my efforts to answer your questions.”

More often whenever the Royal guests mentions the Royal Alpha around Jungkook, he used to reply to their teasing with a humble smile but today when he tried to raise his lips, his eyes brimmed with tears that he blinked away rapidly before asking, “How is Ella? I mean, as a person. Does her personality hold the heights of conceit or her sharp eyes, vile tongue is a mere curtain to procure her self esteem?”

Nami looked stunned as he quite did not expect such a question but his eyes turned fearful when the Empress said further, “I met her yesterday night. She was nice to me but there was something with the way she was stopping and kept giving warnings when I asked her about His Majesty.”

“Does Royal Alpha know that you met her?”

“No. Why?” Jungkook said while looking down and gulping the saliva that gathered in his mouth after licking his dry lips.

Nami shook his head and laid the rabbit in the corner of a basket. He kept his hand on top of her hand and replied while caressing the wet furs, “From the past experiences, I can say that both of them hated each other's powers.”

“Powers?”

“Yes.” He glanced around the injured omega who was still asleep and decided to unveil further, “But before that, you should know about what Ella's powers hold in themselves.”

“She comes from the last village of witches that harbours the powers of communicating with the dimensions of other realms. Her ancestors were the chosen ones that were used by Moon Goddess to spread her words, values and morals in the werewolf civilization. They used to travel from one village to another while preaching the words of her guidance, wisdom, faith and spirituality. Ella was the youngest in between her sisters who got chosen by the moon goddess. In her early days of childhood, she used to see the portals of other realms that encouraged her to study them more.”

Luna's astonishing eyes didn't move from Nami's face when he asked, “Realms. Does it mean the places that reside outside of this planet?”

“Something like that. When she met her mate, she decided to stop her journey to consume her heir but the great grandfather of Royal Alpha rejected her.” By the focused vision of the Empress, Nami concluded that he may already know about this much so he continued, “She decided to walk on the path of spirituality where she learnt and substantiated many powers. Later, leaving the hope of conceiving her own heir, she decided to take disciples under her care and started to educate them for a controlled society.”

“Hwan…”

Their eyes met and Jungkook could see the hesitation of Nami which informs that this conversation will touch many buried patches of the past, “I know about him, do not pause on my accord.”

Nami sighed softly and continued, “Hwan was the moon goddess's child. He used to come to our realm often but Ella never let him cross the boundary of her estate. One day he escaped to roam around the village and that was the day when he met…His Majesty.”

Jungkook was in need of water, his throat was all parched and cold but the bubbling bile of the words was balancing his need perfectly. He gazed down at Nami's hand and then the rabbit who wasn't squeaking and shivering anymore just lying numb in the basket.

“When His Majesty got to know about Hwan's identity, a different kind of battle started between him and mother Ella. He used to persuade her so he could meet Hwan but Ella never fell into his trap and denied his every excess to the village. But…”

“He found another way, didn't he?” Jungkook stated.

“Hm. He created a different portal with his combined powers and reached out for Hwan which was absolute madness because only the chosen ones like Ella were eligible and responsible for such intrusion. She was confronted by the Elders and destroyed each and every portal that His Majesty ignited. In the end, she agreed to let them meet on the land of her village and His Majesty finally stopped. But when the separation happened… when everything got destroyed, His Majesty listened to no one. He fought with Ella that had taken weeks before he injured her enough to cross the portal only to get returned with much more injuries. Everything fell apart and it was truthful to hold Ella for such an account because who other than her would have helped Hwan to return back to his home?”

“In other words, she betrayed His Majesty along with the former Royal Alpha and after that I never saw them talking to each other. However, we all opposed her actions, She still took care of us when we lost our bodies to the sword. They never reconciled but they know that they need to coexist for the betterment of the people. Ella was, is and would always be a mystery for us. But I assure you that once she takes someone under her wings, she never stops looking after them.”

Jungkook left the lounge in hurry and crossed the chamber till he found the pot and whisk out a flask to fill with water. He drank the water slowly to wash down his throat properly but the more gulps he took, the more his eyes started to brim with tears. Whenever he thought that he has accomplished and developed enough emotions to stabilise his heart with the truth that the Royal Alpha had a mate before him, a new storm takes away all of his peace and leaves him behind with agony, tears and a thundering force in his fingers that always bring these cold tremors back to him.

But he has no one to blame but his own mind that thinks too much for his own wishful heart. He drank one more glass and quieted down the emotions by forming more questions, “Weren't you one of her disciples? How come you chose His Majesty over Ella?”

Nami smiled at that and lifted himself off the ground as he dragged the basket closer to the fireplace, “I think Luna is asking the wrong question here. To navigate the answer of this question we must discover how I met His Majesty and how we became friends.”

“How?”

“That should be reserved and uncovered during another tale time, Your Empress. It may take a while to word it out for me.” The wizard can hold this conversation right this instant but the solitude of the Empress standing in the middle of the chamber never seemed this feeble before. So he decided to adjourn it immediately.

“I have plenty of time before breakfast and after that I will return to my duties.”

“Then maybe you should take that time to change your clothes that are leaving streaks of water all over the chamber. I apologise but I do not have fresh clothes here, Your Empress. I advise you to change your clothes before the weather catches up with you.”

Jungkook can see when his presence is not wanted in a region and he didn't take the words to his heart because his clothes were indeed dripping out moisture. So with a parched and painful throat he hummed before speaking, “I hope you don't dwell much on the thought that I asked such questions.”

“No. I would be pleased to tell you later.”

Jungkook wasn't aware when he left that chamber, crossed the entire path of Lavin and entered the western Gates. Neither he realised when he stepped inside his pavilion nor when he took a bath. His blurry vision returned to focus when those same sad eyes stared back at him through the mirror, his disheveled hair falling all over his shoulder, the shirt sticking to his chest and the pants yet to be buttoned up.

It's presentable how he wished to just lay down on the mattress and stare into nothingness till his breath gave away to not do it's work anymore, how he wished he could turn this pavilion into a tunnel and keep walking till he reached the end of the world or just… disappear. But none of it suits the Empress of Eclipse, none of it is justifiable to the duties that adorn his shoulder as his precious pride.

So he did something that he despises usually, he summoned the maids. Those who accompanied them from Eclipse, he would request them to get him ready because if not them then there is no one who could help him to regain his posture because he has no desire to use comb in his hair, no desire to clear out the creases of his shirt and absolutely no desire to look presentable at all. However, he forced himself to puff out a sigh and buttoned up his pants when the door of his pavilion suddenly opened, “You Empress, we are here.”

From their panting breaths, two of them looked like they had made a run to his pavilion. Their eyes buzzing with excitement crashed out when they saw their Luna sitting on the ottoman with barely open eyes, “Luna? Are you alright?” Their eyes skimmed around the pavilion and felt confused to find everything in a similar manner to how they left it after the cleaning yesterday.

“I'm doing good, healthier than before.” Both of them glanced at each other before looking down in concern. Jungkook gestured towards the mattress and requested, “I need to wear practice gears. Would you help me today?”

No words needed anymore when the maids scattered into the room, one going for the clothes while the other went to the bathhouse to obtain a hot towel to crease out the shirt. They worked simultaneously over Jungkook, who didn't pay enough mind to know what they were doing. He just closed his eyes to manifest the passing of this time much sooner.

One of the maids nudged the other and only moved her lips to form words without any noise, what happened? The other shrugged wide and pointed his eyes to the mattress, “He didn't sleep.” But that doesn't define Luna's sullen behaviour so the first one asked again, “Alpha? Where is he?” Her friend shrugged again and hissed when she received a pinch on his elbow for it.

Jungkook opened his eyes at the noise to which they scrambled a new excuse, “How should we do the hair, Luna?”

“Tie them tightly. A bun or braid, brush them back entirely.” Before they could frustrate the Empress more, the maids started to work silently. The ambiance of the pavilion was heavy and it encouraged them to move their fingers rapidly just so they could vacate this place as quickly as possible, which has never happened before. Goddess, they literally fought with others to come here because they waited for their turn to get summoned patiently but maybe the Empress had a rough night.

When Jungkook walked out of his pavilion, his body was adorned with a black waist coat combined with a silver cape over his shoulders. Behind him the maids followed him closely as he hadn't given him permission to leave yet.

Together they turned towards the cookhouse and chaos spread between the chefs and servants when they saw the Empress walking towards them. The spoons fell down the tables, bowls of batters slipped out and the whispers of panic took over the entire place.

“Has breakfast been served to the Royal Highness?” Jungkook asked and he hadn't had enough energy to mask his angry frown so when the head chef came forward, his head was bending towards his knees in fear, “No, Your Empress. If you bless us for a few moments, We will thoroughly pack the thick and deliver by ourselves.”

Luna looked over his shoulder and demanded, “Bring out the food and set the table in Royal Omega's chamber. We will be eating together. Make sure to not add excessive spices or meat in his food.”
His eyes wandered over the place and felt bad when he found people still bowing to him, “Be at ease. You are doing good work.”

When the Empress left the palace, the head chef held his heart and breathed heavily, “What? What have we done to receive such glare from Luna?What was that? What happened?”

The two maids who were retrieving some utensils out of the storage grumbled together, “Nothing.”

“Nothing? Nothing?!? My heart was about to slip out of my asscheeks and you are saying it's nothing?” He wrapped his hand around his lips when he realised what prude language he just used.

One of the maids started to pour a dish into the bowl and said while not paying attention to the chef's words, “Don't press it further. Just pray for Alpha's swift return.” But would his arrival bring peace to Luna's wrath or ignite it deeper, the unanswered question hanging on her tongue.

~

Yoongi opened the door when Jungkook knocked on it and welcomed him inside wordlessly but instead of coming along with him, the red-haired Beta started to walk out of the door, “Where are you going, Hyung?”

“General Dae has requested me to the court. I will come back shortly after visiting him.” His voice was smooth but something heavy laid in his eyes as he looked over his shoulder towards the sleeping Royal omega.

“It's not like him to sleep this late.” Jungkook whispered.

“He was actually awakened a few moments ago and took a bath as well but as soon as his body found the comfort of the mattress again, he slipped into slumber.” Yoongi smiled at Jungkook while patting his shoulder in understanding. The red-haired Beta could see his brother's tired eyes. Maybe he found the Royal Alpha yesterday and something has happened but he chose not to ask questions because sometimes it's easier for the listener to wait than the teller to word out their sadness.

“I'll be leaving him in your care then.”

Jungkook didn't look back when he was left alone in the chamber, well, alone with the sleeping Royal Omega that must be awakened before the maids arrive with breakfast. So he walked to the mattress and sat at its edge while stretching his hand towards the omega's forehead to check his temperature, “Hyungnim?”

Even before the Royal Omega could open his eyes, a smile appeared on his lips, “And here I was planning to send you a letter that your hyungnim is alive that you perhaps have forgotten about.”

Jungkook helped the Royal Omega to rest against the headboard while shaking his head, “ I didn’t forget, just truly occupied with the duties, though I must apologise.”

“Jungkookie…” Jimin extended his hand and clasped the omega's warm one, “Do not apologise for being a faithful Luna for us. The entire western land looks towards you in the absence of their Emperor and I can only imagine how you had dealt with everything alone.”

So he knows.

Jungkook took a shaky breath and smiled that he prayed, prayed and prayed to look genuine but then his teeth clamped together to stop his vibrating lips. He shouldn't be crying and he wouldn't. So he looked towards the door which is still clasped shut, “We will be having our breakfast together. The more you eat to gain your energy, the better.”

“I won't mind eating with my favourite person. But would you answer my one question, Jungkookie? How are you?”

The Empress laughed at that, “You have stolen my words, Hyungnim. I came here to ask about your well-being. It shouldn't be directed the other way around.”

However, Jimin understands that he doesn't want to touch the topic and was glad that he didn't press on it any longer because the door opened soon and the entire chamber filled with the aroma of fresh food. When the table was set, Jimin joined Jungkook with a warm smile on his face.

“I met Yoongi hyung at the door but haven't seen the commander. Where is he?” Jungkook asked as he served the Royal omega a piece of fresh bread along with a bowl of thick soup.

Jimin stared at the food rather longingly and watched himself picking a spoon but his mind swayed away in thoughts of his mate, “He hasn't come to the chamber since yesterday morning. I think the work has weighed down his time to rest.”

“Have you summoned him?” Jungkook started his meal with a thick piece of meat, lathering it with salad and rice.

When Jimin shook his head in guilt, Jungkook had so many words to say to him but he kept his voice to himself and took the first bite. Afraid of choking due to his parched throat, he decided to wash down the bite with guava milk and heard, “I think I have made him upset.”

“How?” Jungkook asked while chewing slowly.

“I… In the morning, we had a disagreement about my condition to take a rest and get looked over by them. I was insisting that other people can look over me as their presence is important for the soldiers and folks outside.”

Jungkook nodded his head but didn't look at him, “You weren't wrong though.”

“I think he misunderstood me and took my words as if I was pushing them away. I don't know how to correct myself now.”

“In the end what you said was the truth, Hyungnim. The things you wanted from them or the things that they should be doing instead of sitting around you, should include people's interest more than their mate, right?”

Jimin's fingers clutched around the spoon as his back stiffed when Jungkook looked right at him. Those eyes weren't soft or tired but held a flame when he talked further, “What you said was true. So you don't have to feel guilty about it. They will learn their worth this way.”

“Jungkook?” Jimin's wide eyes showed the offence and bewilderment when the words left the omega's mouth.

“Why? They should know by now that their life should revolve around the folks only. They should know that anything that indulges their worries or affection towards their mate or the bond, is absolutely worthless.”

“No.” The chair screeched on the floor when Jimin stood up abruptly and turned away from the food table, “I can't imagine you are saying this to me.”

“I happen to learn a few truths around me, Hyungnim. It includes my worth too.” He wiped off his face and pushed out his plate but didn't move from his chair.

“I admire them both equally and have expressed my devotion many times. How can my thoughts of dwelling over other's well-being, other's pain decide their worth in my life? Isn't it what a Royal should be doing when they are upfront to a battle?”

“It is. I'm not saying you are wrong. I am supporting you, Hyungnim. And the main reason behind such disputes in our thoughts is that we aren't born royals. I think our morals lay much lower than your levels. But I'm happy that we are learning. Day by day, I'm learning what I should be thinking, doing and feeling to be a better Empress.”

The weight of those words kept Jimin rigid in his steps, “I know that I was wrong to push them away. After talking to Ella, I realised my mistake of not using correct words.”

“You didn't push them, Hyungnim. You threw them inside a pit of self recession. And now the walls of that pit seem too high to climb out.”

Jimin's heart crumbled inside his chest when he saw those tear-filled eyes staring at him with barely holding the emotions at bay. But the Empress still continued strongly, “Isn't it hilarious how you brothers hover on our heads when one of us, Goddess forbid, even nicked our fingers but don't ever recognise or seek our presence when it's you who suffer. Suddenly, the values of being a Royal, being a designated entity controls everything. And all we expected to do is to stand in front of a closed door and listen to the painful groans of our mate.”

Jimin couldn't control his body that sagged and landed on the chair once again, “Stop… please. I can't… can't hear anymore.” Jungkook smiled and looked upwards to sucked back the moisture to his eyes, “But all I'm doing is praising you, Hyungnim. Now I know why folks make shrines and worship Royals. I wish to become like you one day.”

“I will apologise. I'll repent all of my mistakes. It wasn't easy for me, Jungkookie but I'll not find excuses to push them anymore. I understand what you are implying, I'll-” He sobbed into his palms and Jungkook had to leave the chair to comfort the crying omega. His trembling hand caressed Jimin's head and accepted the hug when the omega's arms wrapped around his middle with words mumbling out of his mouth, “ I'm  sorry. Forgive your hyungnim, Jungkookie. I, selfishly, decided to take a pledge and they… they accepted my words without any arguments. Never asked more of me. How could I deny their affection and push them away when all they wanted was to comfort me, cure my pain? I will correct it with all my heart but please… Please do not talk to me like this. I won't survive..” hicked up strongly before continuing, “ such derision in your voice.”

“I'm not upset but was indeed disappointed. Do not let your past preach your future, Hyungnim.” He pulled away from the hug and sat on the closest chair to pick the bowl of soup. Jimin sniffled while wiping his cheeks and let the awaiting spoonful of soup calm his contorting throat when Jungkook said, “Talk to them before the war. A warrior's mindset decides his actions that result in bravery or blunder at the end.”

“Can I ask for the same chance of forgiveness for my brother as well?” Jimin hinted while blinking his eyes innocently.

“Do you again want me to express how he isn't at fault? How is he doing the most rightful thing?” Both of them chuckled thickly at his words of sarcasm.

“You should eat too.” Jimin brought Jungkook's palate closer to him, “It takes energy to build such words that are harmful than any other sword.”

~

When Jungkook reached the shore of Lavin, his chest felt lighter than before and he used the space to adapt the works to engage with the soldiers instead of feeding bashful thoughts to his free mind.

He discarded his cape and watched the soldiers pulling at two ends of a rope to make a thick log stand and fix in between the voids where the bridge would be made. They are preparing the base for a new one and need several such logs which could be installed at the shore so that a platform could be made.

Jungkook grabbed one of the ropes from the very end and listened to the Commander's shout from the front, “At the count of three!” The other side was led by the Royal guest Kenji and a few soldiers were gathered in between them.

One.

The Empress wrapped the rope around his wrist, turned around and waited to pull together with full force.

Two.

Three!

All of them pulled together while Kenji shouted, “Once more!” and with a swift motion, the log which was tied by the ropes that slid over a metal pole, got fixed when they loosened up their hold and let it fall into the void.

One by one they pulled twelve more and made a quite impressive base with wide trunks. Now comes the part to lay the floor by cutting the wood in perfect shapes. Sang came bearing the solution in the form of a bundle of axes in his hands. And one of them got assigned to Jungkook as well who learnt quickly about the shape and sizes of the pieces of wood that will be arranged in a specific pattern.

None of them talked until they embarked on their victory by cutting a bunch of shapes ready to be arranged. However, there was no one who could stop Kenji's loud rambles, “ Is this how you use an axe to cut wood in shapes!? We need squares not sticks to burn in the furnace!” He barked over a bunch of soldiers.

“Absolute menace you all! Why don't use that axe on my head instead, huh? At least my eyes will be saved to see such embarrassment.”

“What? Need food? Need betas or omegas? Need a hole? Just tell me what you need to get your head in force?”

Sang laughed while calling those soldiers who couldn't pick up the technique to load and lay the pieces instead, “Slow down, Kenji. We still have enough time.”

Kenji scoffed while hammering down his axe on the huge trunk, “Before a defeat, everyone thinks like that. You are reeking of cowardice, Man. Excuses have never been prideful for us.”

“Fuçk whoever chewed on your mind so early in the morning but the Empress is here, the least you can do is to choose your words wisely.”

Kenji just grumbled under his breath and turned away from Jungkook's hearing before sputtering the nonsense again.

The day turned into dusk and when the next batch of soldiers joined them for their shift they were down with two new bridges. Five more and the whole area of Lavin will be secured for the battle and their work will be completed.

Jungkook wiped his face with his elbow and sat on the trunk that was lying in front of him to drink some water. However, he choked on the water and spitted it out when he saw the Royal omega walking towards the brink of the bridge where the commander was tying a rope around the headposts to make a boundary that would further help them to stand steadily.

It wasn't shocking to see His Highness walking out and seeking for his mate but he didn't have to look so beautiful while doing that. He was looking so gorgeous while walking with nervous steps. The orange skirt of hanfu swipes the floor when the omega called, “Commander Hoseok.”

The Commander turned around in reflex and Jungkook had to shut his eyes when the ropes slipped out of the commander's hands, making the headposts tumble down in Lavin, “Would you take a walk with me?” Jimin asked.

Kenji tsk-ed beside him and muttered, “Here, the toughest soldier dies for the day. Cause of death? His mate's beauty. Extending my sorrows.”

And It was the first time when Jungkook laughed at something that left Kenji's mouth since the morning.

~

Later when the night approaches, they separate the duties to work efficiently. Sang and Kenji demanded to work with building force while Jungkook accepted the work of cutting wood for the flooring. Each of them gets assigned with a few soldiers and the work begins.

By midnight, Jungkook and his soldiers had built four tall pyramids by stacking the chopped wood one over another. These four pyramids stood tall like a wall in four different directions, bearing a large space between them which soldiers named the Pyramid room. They stored their axes in the corners of that room and stepped outside.

They took farewell after bowing to the Empress one by one. However, When the turn occurred for the last two soldiers they noticed the eyes of the Empress which kept switching the colours in between blue and black.

“Luna? Your wolf…”

He stiffened in his steps when blazing blue eyes glared at him. Jungkook sniffed the air around him and marched towards the west wordlessly. The soldiers followed him without any command directed to them. They can survive the punishment later but leaving the Empress alone in the dense forest can't be their best choice till they are alive and breathing.

Jungkook pulled out the dagger from where it was tied around his belt loops. His ears picked up the noise of running hooves and bolted towards the same direction. The scent of the invader was mixed with intoxication and his misleading hooves proved that it seems to enter in the wrong territory, be it intentionally or unintentionally, “Time to hunt.” He whispered to his wolf as he pushed a foot against a tree to climb it and used his hand to secure a place on the branch he chose to sit upon so that he could look over the forest closely.

His panting breaths get caught in his throat when he finds a wild boar running towards the gates of Western land. Just beneath the branch two wolves howled and crossed the tree before following the boar. Jungkook flipped down to the ground and ran towards another direction so that the boar would be entrapped by two sides.

They communicated through mindlinks and led the boar to a denser place, where no one would be able to hear its howl and witness the hell descending down the earth for it.

The wolves snarled and moved faster to catch the boar by his back but they weren't prepared for the sudden jerk they felt when the boar stopped abruptly.

A glimmer of a whimper spreads out and soon the wild boar plummets to the ground. When the clouds of dust dissipated, a huge white wolf appeared beside the wailing body of the beast.

One of the wolves nudged the other and both of them bowed because the wolf who had blood dripping down its canine could be none but the Empress of Eclipse. His blue eyes moved from the dead meat to stare far into the forest. His eyes were empty unlike the black ones which have always glimmered and shone against light.

And such aura sent the shivers to the wolves who ducked their heads to the side only to get stunned once again. Because behind them, half a mile away, groups of wild boars were coming towards them.

They heard the building snarl from Luna and stanced themselves sideways to let the Empress pass by to look closer at the intruders. They felt relief flooded through his veins when the wolf of Commander burst out through the bushes along with the Royal guests Sang and Kenji, soon a plethora of soldiers arrived in their wolf forms and surrounded the denser area of the forest.

The white wolf howled, a warning before attack, and the pack followed his howl with prideful chest. They growled together, bumping snouts and wiggling their backs as if they were getting ready to stretch and train in open grounds. The excitement ran in their bloods when they received the same mindlink from the Empress, “ Craved a feast for a while.”

They struck head on and ran past each other to catch their prey first. Pity, failure or death nothing comes but the absolute victory was glinting in the dust behind them. In their race of catching hunt, won the axe of Sang which tore apart the head of the front boar.

And the fierce beginning resulted in the wolves’ canines and claws burying deep into the boars. Their drenched veins and pounding heart beats became the marching parade for the wolves. It wasn't an attack but a dance of death where the wolves didn't skip a beat or a posture.

The white wolf bit over one of the boar's thighs and dragged it back till his claws ruptured the thick skin of its neck. He channeled his energy to his paws and pulled out his entire head by its jaw. The blood painted across his chest felt thrilling with the way his furs absorbed it with greediness.

The amusement they created around the boars was threatening enough that they reacted and trips by each snarl. The gleaming eyes of the wolves envisioned their path clearly in the dark night so when one of them strangles one boar the other tears apart its flesh easily.

The ending came along with the end of the boars but something in their scent wasn't settling well for the white wolf. He squeezed himself out of the crowd when the last boar's head fell into his paws. His heavy breaths navigated the path to the dead ones and when he sniffed their necks, his nostrils flared with anger.

“Cedar and thujone. Someone has intoxicated them and driven them here.”

The Commander was beside him immediately and snouted the blooded flesh, “Cedar is more prominent and thujone… isn't it extracted by herbs of wormwood?”

“It does.” Another soldier replied.

“Those fuçking headless omegas, Gyuri and her mother. Only their family knows about the proper usage of those herbs.” A wolf snarled from behind.

“But they are in dungeons.” Stated the commander.

“Someone is trying to help them escape.” The white wolf growled.

“And we failed their attempt or whatsoever it was. There is no way they can escape now.”

“There is always a way. And it's possible that we may have walked right into the trap because if all of us are here then who is guarding the gates of Chinra and western land?” The Commander picked up the trance.

“I had ordered Guard Min and General Dae to attain their guard posts till we arrive back unless you called all of the soldiers here, we are secure.” The white wolf pointed his snout at the Commander.

“No, Your Empress. The soldiers among us are the same ones who are working with us. I didn’t summon anyone else.” 

“Okay. Whatever you dogs are talking about while bearing your canines should be translated to us as well, don't you think Sang?” Kenji grumbled while throwing his axe to the ground with a thud. His frustration has reached to a point where he can eat a walking wolf, he just doesn't care anymore.

Half of the wolves shifted back to their human forms and engaged with the dead bodies to bury them before the rotten smell spread in the entire ambiance. The commander shifted back to converse with the Royal guests while the white wolf turned around and marched towards the gates of Western land along with wolves.

The scene that welcomed them when they reached was quite astonishing because the red-haired Beta was walking back and forth around a group of black wolves. They were certainly dead and didn't belong to their pack folks.

He was right. It was a plan to escape.

The Royal omega was standing a bit away from the scenery with a bunch of clothes in his hands and Jungkook bit at those before snatching them away from his hold. He shifted back to his wolf form and waited till the pain of his bones subsided by the willingness of punishing the culprits.

The crowd of folks, soldiers and wolves was already gathered around the dead wolves by the time Jungkook came out. He watched with a glare when Yunhee dragged out Gyuri by her hair and threw her on the ground, a terrified Pyuhani following them with tears in her eyes.

In the span of two full days, their faces have changed tremendously. Gone was the shine of their eyes and redness of their lips where only the darkness of truth appeared now. The Royal Omega had to cover his nose when the foul smell of their dirty clothes reached his nostrils.

“Who could be it that wants to protect such a shameless creature like you? Is it your mate?” Yunhee asked with a maniac smile.

“I-I do not have any mate! I have always considered His M-” the kick she felt on her back was another reward from Yunhee who had had enough of her fake tears and songs of devoted love.

“Then who made this plan to intoxicate a bunch of wild boars? And there is no way that you wouldn't know about it.”

The soldiers captured Pyuhani and made her kneel in front of the Empress. She was trembling with the fear already but when she saw blood stains on the Empress's skin, her entire face turned pale, “It-t could be some well-wisher of my late husband. We have accepted our crime, Your Empress. Why would we increase the brutality of our punishment like this?”

Jungkook knows they won't open their mouths but he can't ignore the truth that there is someone outside or inside this pack that desperately wants to save these women which can't happen under his watch. He took a deep breath and looked towards Kenji who moved with a sinister smile on his face. The axe still accompanied him and will now taste the delicate skin of those omegas.

“Uh nuh uh,” Yunhee waved her finger and snatched away that axe swiftly, “Let me do the honor of those who have already satiated your fair share of hunger.”

“The folks are ordered to go back to their houses and close their doors. Do not let their rotten blood touch your sacred soul.” The commander said and the crowd started to return back to their house by the soldier's watch.

“No. Do not leave!!! See the end of me!! See the end of loving someone unconditionally!! See and despise this omega who exclaims to love his mate but doesn't know the depth of devotion!?! You! who spends his nights taking stroll in between sweaty soldiers and folks, what do you know about the longingness of waiting for a glimpse of my love. There wasn't a moment where I didn’t burn for him, wasn't a moment where my tears didn’t carry his memory. In the mask of the Empress, in such civilness, you barely know how to-tggchh” Her eyes bulged out with a mouthful of gasp when the axe penetrated her chest entirely. Tears slipped out of her eyes but her gaze remained on the Empress's passive face who didn't even blink when she fell on the floor.

Jungkook turned around after that but not before ordering the guard Min, “Spread the news that wild boars attacked western land and we lost many lives, make sure to tell the talers that the damage was intense. And along with these lines, leak the whispers of these omega's absence.”

“Your highness, prepare a feast in honour of our soldiers, Royal guests and the injured omegas who'll leave the healing chambers tomorrow. The work should be done in your care as people without a nose wouldn't know the difference between kale and kailan.” Jungkook bowed to the Royal omega, ignoring the arguments that were thrown towards him.

“Did he just call me pug-nosed?” Kenji shouted, “And what? Aren't those the different names of the same cabbage? Yunhee!! Do not cut her hands! Start with the legs, you fool!”

~

The closing door of the pavilion liberated Jungkook from all of his unbearable thoughts that clouded his vision throughout the walk. He unclasped the knots of his waist coat and let it fall on the floor with a soft plop. Next comes the shirt that has soaked the blood off of his skin and now bears a big stain in the middle.

One of those days when they will be free from the scorching waves of battles, Jungkook will remind himself to reward his maids and servants for taking care of him so unconditionally. Because only he knows how his body sagged in relief when entered the bathhouse and found the tub filled with cloudy water. Discarding his clothes, without even a single thought in his mind, he moved numbly and drowned himself in the hot water.

The slightest moan that peeped out of his lips when the warm water hugged his aching body shouldn't be noticed by any. He didn't brush down his hands or chest or thighs or legs , just found a mere moment of solace as he closed his eyes when the back rested along the support of the wall.

One would say that nobody could notice the hot trails that swarmed beneath those closed eyelids as they mixed into the water unseparably but far from the bathhouse, someone's heart noticed it. Noticed the way his own started to clutch against his ribcage.

Luna…

This is why… this is the exact reason why Jungkook had occupied himself with work since the morning because he knew whenever his mind will find enough rest, it will start reminding him about a certain someone that he so wants to do not think about.

Why should he think about him?

He should not.

He should not think about if the Alpha had taken enough rest in that cold hanok? if his rut subsided a little? If not food then does he have enough water with him? Why is his mind thinking such bizarre outcomes when all he could do is nothing about these worries? He should be avoiding him, his mind should be plotting the ideas that he would use as a tormentation against his mate when he finally decides to show his face. But here it is, his own traitor, that's filling all the voids of his chest with the words that have always stayed close to him.

Luna…

Warm. He felt warm, his face felt the touch of those warm hands and leaned into it eagerly. He tried to inhale the scent that he kept deprived off, as a greedy soul who wished for nothing but his Alpha's presence, but he found none. Neither the scent nor the air.

Jungkook.

His eyes flushed open and pushed himself up to the surface of the water. His face has turned bleeding red due to lack of air as he pants heavily while looking around, “Did I fall asleep?”

“Yes. I have been calling you for a while now.” Kookie said, voice calm but words snappy.

Jungkook apologised briefly and started to scrub off the blood from his body when he heard, “Aren't you going to read the book that Ella provided?” Kookie asked.

“And what's the use of it?” Jungkook didn't mean to sound so haughty but the words of his wolf at the path of Chinra is still fresh like a bleeding wound in his chest.

“Maybe it can offer us some remedies that we can deliver to hanok.”

An innocent smile graced his lips when Jungkook replied to his wolf, “ Let's not behave as a desperate mate, Kookie. Or should I ask if you have taken your Alpha's permission to send those things that you are talking about? Because as per your theories, we can do all but barely move a step without his permission.”

“My theories? Isn't it what we have learnt from his talks where your human expressed his thoughts about that incident. He clearly mentioned his disgust about those omegas who tried to barge into his room unannounced.”

“No respectful Alpha would demand a group of omegas on his threshold when he would be going through his vulnerable moments. But do I seem like some stranger to you?”

“But Ella said we are not mated yet.”

“Well, I rather expected more from you than thinking I will latch onto his body the moment I walk through the door.”

The silence spread in the bathhouse as Jungkook kept scrubbing his body till the warm water started to burn on the open pores, “I did not think like that. I apologise if my words reflected such meaning. Ever since the moment Alpha have closed the bond, I have become hyperware of every word, thing and people around me. I didn’t want to cause you hurt.”

The fight drained out of his body when Jungkook heard the softest sniffles of his wolf that he rarely hears, “Closing the bond couldn't be a choice for him, Kookie. He must be as restless as us in that hanok. And we can't comprehend the pain his body mayhaps suffering through.”

“But this emptiness is eating me alive, Jungkook. Inside you, I have always felt his presence through the bond, like he is standing behind me and watching my every move but now it's just a barren shadow of me.”

“Doesn't it mean our bond has become stronger than before?”

“Hm.” The wolf squeaks.

“We must merge ourselves in the courtroom as the bridge work seems to be completed by tomorrow.”

“But the courtroom always confuses me.”

“Have faith in your human then.”

“I always have.”

Jungkook walked out after wearing his night robe and hissed when he opened his tightly bound hair, “Eh? What are you doing here?” He asked the miniature rabbit who was trying to nibble on the edges of the parchment roll. Her feet swayed in the air when Luna scooped her in his palms and hugged to his chest, “ You seem to do alright now, munching on the papers and thumping on my chest.”

He kneeled down to the floor and nuzzled the rabbit under her neck, “Oh you smell delicious. Should I eat you?”

The rabbit's ear perked up and the thumping rate of her paws increased on Jungkook's chest. His chest rumbled with a giggle, “If you want to be alive, I should not witness you chewing my thing. Yes?”

The rabbit pushed her paws and wiggle around till she hopped out of his palms after fluttering her long eyelashes.

The Empress tore that chewed edge of the paper and was about to throw it in the trash barrel when he noticed plenty of papers crowding and flooding out of its opening.

He opened one paper, smoothening the creases he recognised the writing of the Alpha with a gasp.

H

e moved his head away as if the lone presence of that letter was offending him after getting tortured throughout the day. But his hand, his treacherous hand, found a spring in its wrist and pulled out another one. He moved his one eye only and peeked inside that crumbled letter.

Y

es. Apology is what he should be doing and keep doing till his tongue falls off. He brushed off the letter from his lap and stood up huffingly, “These words won't work anymore.” He thumped towards the bed laid on it.

His wide awake eyes stared at the ceiling and body shifted away from those crumbled paper before closing his eyes tightly.

He will fall asleep.

Sleep will come to him.

*crunch*

*chew*

*crunch*

*slurp*

*crunch*

“I told you to not eat them!?” He sprung out of the mattress and marched towards the rabbit, tucked her in his left armpit while collecting all the letters in his robe. He brought them all to the bed and opened them one by one. The rabbit tried to wiggle out but Jungkook only let her nose and tiffs peek out while keeping her under crushing hold, he read.

“Snore? I do not snore!” His flushed face and clenched jaw looked down in fury and presented the paper to the rabbit's sharp teeth, “Eat.” Without even looking, the rabbit opened her tiffy tooth and started nibbling on the paper. He reached for the flask of water resting on the side table and gulped it before opening the other letter.

W

ant him to do what?

“Even his unattended letters holds mystery.” He grumbled but instead of giving the paper to the rabbit he hid it under his knee. There is one more letter in his lap, crushed to the last bit of its existence. Jungkook unfolded it slowly and laid it on his thigh to smoothen out its ridges before reading.

B

efore the first tear could fall on the letter, Jungkook abandoned the mattress and ran out of the door. He avoided the stares of soldiers and ran towards the stables where Artax raised his front legs in the air while neighing as he saw the Empress running towards him.

None of them could be able to understand when Artax passed the crowd with an unimaginable speed. Some soldiers tried to follow, taking it as an alarm of urgency but the Royal Highness moved his hand and halted their horses in hooves, “Do not follow him.”

“Was that a rabbit on his shoulder?” Kenji squinted his eyes as he looked afar.

“I do not know, Kenji. But I know one thing that if we don't clean this blood sooner, talks of their death will spread around the town.”

Jungkook wiped his cheeks with one hand as his lips sucked the fallen tears off. One branch became two trees and two trees became four lanes with the way Artax covered the distance by his long legs. Jungkook didn't let his thoughts crowd his mind anymore and focused on the path till the familiar bridge came into the vision.

His tresses waved along the air and caressed above the back of the horse when they took a sharp turn and the stairs of the hanok arrived into the scenery. The Empress slipped down at once and felt a weight roll down his hand. He didn't pay attention and skipped the first two stairs before his body latched on the closed door of the hanok hopelessly.

His palms slapped the wood repeatedly, “You need to listen to my answer, Alpha. Open the door, please.” His cries intensified when no response came for his knocking. He pushed the door and used his strength, “I want a selfish mate too.” His trembling lips whispered out, “I must have been the worst to convey my wishes but I can't live longer while talking to myself. You need to hear me.”

He forced his shoulder against the door and felt the shackles loosening after receiving the sudden jerk, “You need to hear that I am not one of those omegas who will pretend to take care of you just for a designation, power and position beside you. Trust your mate once, please. I promise to keep you safe.”

The eternity of their lives have talked about the omega's fear for the past two years but none comes across the Alpha's fright even after he described the incident many times. But those letters, those brushed out words, showed the immense fear of the Alpha who seemed afraid to even disclose his endangered condition to the omega.

The ruined shackles plopped down to the floor and the door opened when Jungkook pushed it one last time. The Empress got welcomed by the long black curtains at first which were surrounded all around the chambers. Cautiously he stepped inside while clutching his chima with one hand. He looked down to see the shackle, with a bitten lower lip he turned around and sighed when he found the top lock still intact in his position. So he used it and closed the door once again.

“Alpha?” He called out, voice unsteady due to the thick emotions swirling in his throat.

He moved one curtain, another, one more till he came across the mattress laid in the middle. His hands pressed his mouth in silence when he saw the Alpha sprawled at the centre of the bed with his veil wrapped around his torso. His shoulders cowered when a fresh bundle of hiccups shook him to the core.

His golden skin had reduced to a yellow hue, not a particle of sandalwood in the air, Jungkook doesn't know how the Alpha was breathing at this point. He felt envious of the veil which was eligible enough to accompany his mate while he stood at the shore.

His own scent was minimal, maybe that's why the Alpha couldn't recognise his presence. He stepped closer to the Royal Alpha only to halt in his feet when a loud growl rumbled in the chamber. A sharp canine peered out beneath the upper lip before those golden pairs of eyes stared back at him.

“A-alpha.”

The loud snarl in response pushed Jungkook two steps back and broke his building heart to the bits of pieces. His swollen eyes watched how the Alpha hugged his upper body and inhaled enough air to overcome the pain before another snarl roared out of his lips.

The omega raised his open hands in the air and shook his head rapidly, “I mean no harm, Van. Do you not recognise me?” He tilted his head and asked brokenly.

The wolf's eyes stared blankly at him, sharp canine losing saliva that further dribbled down to his chin. The Alpha kept laying on the mattress, not able to move due to the sweltering pain channeling in his veins.

Jungkook looked down in pain, parched throat leaving him gasping for air. He took another step back but instead of rushing out of the door, his feet stumbled on the floor, making him kneel down and the absolute fibre of his sense broke out.

The omega's elbow covered his face when the sobs turned into wails of choked whimpers. The Royal Alpha's head fell on the pillow when another wave of pain crushed his core, the golden eyes rolling with a sorrowful howl. His contracted chest spasmed over excessive air and eased out the pain while breathing heavily when Taehyung heard it.

The loud cries, awfully similar to his omega. Another play of his memories seemed to have dawned upon him. This time when the Alpha's eyes opened, the grey colour blazed out. He noticed the wailing omega sitting close to his mattress and took a moment to recognise him when he couldn't pick up the familiar scent of pines in the air.

But destiny mayhaps rule out of its play because who could be this omega if not the Empress who cries while hiding his face in his elbow? There is no omega other than Luna who can reflect the pain of his body into his own. No omega, who can keep such respectful distance seeing him after two days. No omega, who has such red tresses that comforts their owner by wrapping around his waist. No omega, who bruises his cheeks to keep himself presentable. No omega, who is as stubborn as him to find out his whereabouts.

But the question is… Is it true?

“Luna…” He pushed out the words with an unbearably weak voice.

The omega heard it and the sudden halt in the wails proved the Alpha right. The elbow came down and Taehyung's gaze weakened even more, “What have you done to yourself?” The red eyelids looked close to bleeding when Jungkook scrambled on the floor to move closer to the Alpha.

“Van he-”

“Your scent is weak, your Grace.” His jaw clenched over the other wave but the need of soothing the hurt of omega's eyes became the necessity of his moment, “Is it another dream of mine where you have found me?” Against all of his discomfort, Taehyung raised his hand to caress the bruising cheeks of the omega.

Jungkook breathed out but choked on his tears when the Alpha's burning hand covered his cheek entirely, he pushed his face into that fiery heat and grabbed the raising wrist with both of his hands.

The omega shook his head in answer, “I'm here with you.” His thick voice calmed down as he kept nuzzling into those fingers who didn't emit the vines of sandalwood but the touch was the same, “I came yesterday too but my conscience stopped me from barging inside.”

The Alpha's eyes fell closed in tiredness and it built a suppressed whine into the omega mouth.

“Aren't you upset?” Alpha asked.

“I am but I can't do anything about it when you are burning in flames. I read not one but all of your letters. You should have taken my hand and locked me here with you to save us from the misery of the past two days.”

Grey orbs opened in sheer emergency, “I would never do that.” As if telling him that he doesn't deserve anything more than being worshipped.

“I do not want to talk about that right now. I came here to answer your question. The one you asked in your last letter.”

The hazy mind of the Alpha could only hear and see the omega talking while sitting close to him, there was nothing that he could comprehend other than those lips moving and eyes looking at him, “Which one?”

“The one where you asked if you called my name, would I come to you or not? The answer is yes, Alpha. Where else I could be? Can't I for once protect my mate when he needs it?”

The pain in the Alpha's chest deflated at that and his eyes blinked slowly while moving his thumb under the omega's red eyes, “Only you can.”

Jungkook's whole body spasmed in relief and pressed his lips to the Alpha's palm before he requested with his wide beautiful eyes, “Can I make a nest for you?”

The Royal Alpha’s barely parted vision enlarged enormously, gaze so innocent that Jungkook had to press down his knees to the floor so that he would not throw himself on the Alpha’s sprawled torso in an embrace, “For me? My nest?” 

The omega smiled warmly, pressing tokens of love over his knuckles repeatedly, “Yes, your own nest. I promise to make it beautiful. But If I misplaced something that you do not wish in your nest, would you tell me?”

“Can I?” Taehyung didn't realise how far his heart leaped when the omega promised a nest to him. He has never seen let alone made one. So the swellings of his eyes became unresistable when the pain of his veins constricted him to ask again and again.

“Yes. You can.” The omega hovered above his head and moved down to brush his lips over his brimmed eyes, “The things that you won't like, I will keep them away. Nothing awful will enter your nest and ruin it. To achieve that would you keep your eyes on me?” The request was utterly selfish because it was impossible for the Alpha to not dwell into the crushing pain of his rut. It was ruthless the way his grey eyes softened, “They are always watching you.”

Jungkook moved while smiling widely, it may have looked horrible on his wet face but he doesn't care. His face could be as flat as the rug on the floor for all he cares because there is much more important responsibility on his shoulders. His heart still hadn't started working properly where it froze after looking into the Alpha's wide innocent eyes. Oh moon goddess, the man has never seemed to make a nest for himself.

With his dizzy eyesight, Taehyung watched the omega roaming into the chamber from one closet to another. The flambeaus were burning dimly and soon would get diminished if no one oiled their crocks. However, the light was enough for him to dictate the shadow of the omega dropping a bunch of clothes beside the mattress.

Jungkook was grateful for the eruption of the earthquake because their clothes from Eclipse were still stored in the closet in perfect shape. He spread all the clothes one above another, carefully choosing the colours and weaving one shirt's cuff into the lapels of his hanfu. He started to build the nest from the Alpha's right side and put the braided clothes on the periphery of the mattress.

It was exceptionally brave of him to think that Alpha would like both of their blended clothes woven into each other's scent as the base of his nest. But when the Alpha watched him closely and didn't express his disagreement, his body started to adapt to the flames of the person lying beside him and red got painted all across his face.

The tremors of his fingers converted into tingles when he completed the first circle. Jungkook comes back bearing a load of clothes in his arms to build the second circle on top of the first one when he finds the Alpha resting his eyes in a close stance. Jungkook bit his lips in hesitancy but decided to not wake him as he sat on the floor and weaved the second layer by crossing the spaces in the first one.

However, he didn't expect the grumble of discomfort erupting from the Alpha's chest when he picked up his new hanfu to interlace, “You do not like it?” Jungkook asked with a soft voice, a sad frown appearing on his lips.

“Violet doesn't go with the colour palate you choose for the base.”

The omega gasped and looked at the colours in the first circle. A mixed combination of brown, creamè, golden, black, yellow, grey, mustard laid in a beautiful scenery so he threw the violet hanfu away as if it burned his fingers and picked up a pastel orange and honeydew with a big smile, “What about them?”

Taehyung closed his eyes again before mumbling something under his breath and the only word Jungkook heard was, “Beautiful.”

So his expert hands moved quickly and didn't stop till he finished the second circle. The nest has become big enough to reach his knees and he wanted to ask if should add another layer or will it be enough. His misery gets cured when Taehyung looks around and demands for more.

The bounce on the omega's feet didn't hide from the Alpha's blurry vision as the Empress collected more clothes from the closet with a hand on his lips, fingers pointed strictly towards the hanging clothes, accepting and rejecting them loudly.

Taehyung studies the details of the nest closely. The clothes were arranged in a perfect manner, not a single thread peeking out its line and woven neatly into the voids. His chest thwacked with the thoughts that there is an omega around him, his mate to be exact, who is building a nest to cure his pain of rut. A nest. His shoulders swelled in pride when he found its nest so demandedly colourful and clean.

The faint aroma of their scent soothes the burning pouch in the middle of his chest. His fingers itched to help the omega when Jungkook came closer and started to add another layer on top with more greys, browns and golden.

When he couldn't move his hand without wincing in pain, he decided to use his mouth instead, “You are doing good, your Grace.” Listening to the compliment the omega tripped on his knees but balanced himself by holding onto the second layer for his life.

“Thankyou,” His meek voice raised the Alpha's lips in an attempt of a smile.

Finishing the third layer made Jungkook slow in his notions. He chose three different comforters and laid them over the walls of the nest, spreading the soft material over the top to secure the scent beneath it. Two more pillows joined the nest and his sweating fingers rebuffed the cottons before placing it beside the Alpha.

“It's finished now.”

Until Royal Alpha’s gaze spread around all the corners and came back to him, Jungkook was sure he didn't breathe at all. And all of his senses knocked off of his feet when the Alpha requested, “Your veil. Spread it over the blankets.”

It was hard of a task to approach the Alpha and pull off the veil from his chest. But the Empress moved the blankets a little and fisted the hem of the veil till it trailed down to the Alpha's body and came out of the nest entirely. After draping the blankets in their previous position, Jungkook spread the veil on top, casting the nest in a golden hue.

“Won't you come inside?” Taehyung asked while his gaze remained focused on the omega.

Jungkook looked up in confusion as if the Alpha had said something forbidden. He blinked his eyes slowly to recognize how utter honour it is to get invited in your mate's nest. Every other day when he didn't feel like disappearing, or wouldn't feel like an object that could be left behind, or wouldn't feel like a protector of the person inside it, He would have dived into the chance with the face first and melted under the weight of such soft blankets but tonight he can't do that.

The omega walked closer to the nest and hope bloomed inside the Alpha's chest when he traced his steps with his eyes only to be crushed when instead of stepping inside, Jungkook sat outside of the nest's periphery.

“I can't.”

The words were painful to the Royal Alpha, a sudden rejection that he hadn't expected and it was visible on his face which contracted while asking again, “Why?”

“I can't step inside a nest which does not welcome me with my Alpha's scent, my wolf and I… won't permit it.” The weak scent of the Alpha was now slicing his body into two parts. He has not felt so deprived of sandalwood for a long time but it's tremendous that his body was still willing to hold himself together.

“Is that why you are hiding your scent from me?” Taehyung accuses.

“I had to. Ella said my scent can make your rut more painful.”

“You met Ella?” His lips twisted in a deafening snarl, clearly the Alpha doesn't like that name.

“I wouldn't have found you otherwise when you broke the bond and hid your scent before locking yourself away from me.” The argument won't find a solution as they both kept disagreeing with one another.

Taehyung closed his eyes entirely but didn't move his head away from the omega, “She must have told you many other things as well.”

“Hm. She told me to stay away but when she couldn't persuade me, she sent Scooper to show the path. She even gave me a book to understand an Alpha's autonomy which I didn't read because I know that I do not need a book to navigate my mate out of his pain.”

“And how could that happen?” The clutch of Alpha's fist on the mattress happened involuntarily, he didn't want to sound upset at all.

Those melancholy eyes of the omega turned fiery when he replied with a restricted voice,“It can happen if you squash out the walls that you have built in between you and me. The threads of our bond that hang loosely around each other, tie them again. You will fall down at once, it's the fate of the bond. Those walls will definitely break at one point but the question remains that when they break you want me beneath the abyss to catch your fall or you want to push me out first and then fall leaving no security behind both of us.”

Taehyung knows what the omega is trying to say but if he ties the bond then his scent will go feral and the rut will intensify to the point that they won't be able to control its consequences so he denied, “Not possible. It's dangerous. It can agitate your heat.”

“It will not.”

Lie.

Jungkook isn't sure if his body will conceive the heat or not. And an unsure truth equals lying so he corrects himself, "Let's assume my heat gets triggered. Then what?”

The Alpha looked at the omega, bewilderment swaying in those grey orbs, “Did you forget that we have a battle on our heads.”

“I won't be the first one to fight it during my heat.”

“No. I won't allow it.You can't participate in any battle and become the first target due to the vulnerability it comes with.”

“Why? Is it because you think so cowardly of me that I won’t be able to tuck aside the pain and fight for my people?

No.

“Or it's the incompetency of my alpha that doesn't have faith in his powers to protect me.”

“I need no powers to protect my mate. I am enough.”

“So during the battles even if the worst happens to me. Wouldn't I expect you to save me?” Jungkook's shoulder sagged as his arms came forward to hug the walls of the nest.

“I will save you, your Grace.” Before the tear could fall again, Taehyung reached out to wipe it off of the omega's face. The sudden movement, made his body spasm with another wave of rut that he had to clench his jaw to soak the hurt.

“Then do not hold this pain inside your body. Aren't you tired of getting yourself absorbed like this? You can't even move your hands properly. Why don't we empty our fears in our nest and work on them together?”

He held the Alpha's hand once again and brought it down till it rested on the surface of blankets. His fingers moved from knuckles to nodes as he said, “I know you have spent centuries in this pain, have consumed an unimaginable amount of sorrow that I can't even try to comprehend an inch. But now you are not alone, Alpha. You have helped me through the situations that I didn't know bear solutions as well but you had grabbed my hand just like this and dragged me out of that space. Meanwhile, all I did was put my trust in you, accepting the change that came my way while living beside you. I mayhaps be immature in comparison, perhaps not seen or felt enough life experiences yet but none of my acts would have ever hurt you and it will continue till I become an omega where my mate can put his trust into.”

His open hair swayed to the left when Jungkook rested his face on the wall, longing eyes looking at those combined hands, “I trust you, my starlight.” His eyelids tilted and stretched his gaze till he found the Alpha's face closer to him.

The omega felt a slight tug on his hand but it did nothing as his fearful stare matched with the fears of the Alpha. With an unabated breath Taehyung waited till his stretched hand pulled the omega enough to lure him inside. The wave of sandalwood seemed to alarm the omega as he lifted his face and stared a bit dumbly at him.

“I want… to trust you,” Taehyung knew he said it but he didn't hear his voice while saying it because his eyes were busy witnessing the misery of the omega who didn't know if he should smile or stop his trembling lips from breaking out a sob. The sob came out naturally when Jungkook raised his one knee and entered the nest with an overwhelming heart that nearly collapsed out of his chest when he felt the Alpha's scent wafting in the air.

“I am afraid you may have to hold me through it.” Taehyung proposed and Jungkook didn't wait till his body slipped inside the blanket and moved beside the Alpha. His elbow was positioned behind the Alpha's head as he hovered above his face while looking down with pure devotion dripping out of his eyes, “Can I hold you like this?”

His hand covered the span of the Alpha's chest before gripping the shoulder in a soft hold, while the elbow bent and allowed his other hand to embrace the Alpha's head against his chest. Taehyung didn't respond verbally but groaned in pain when he turned his weight towards the omega before burying his head right into his chest.

Jungkook gasped in surprise when a tight hand expanded over his waist and pulled his body closer till it got flushed against the burning body of the Alpha. His groans were painful but the omega's heart translated all the ramblings of its vibrations and woven his fingers into the thick locks of the Alpha to remind his body that there is someone who is listening to his whimpers.

Taehyung's lips parted when the omega released his suppressed pheromones,his scent blended with the thick vines of sandalwood and the whole chamber became denser with the amount of essence it held inside.

Alpha's barely opened eyes were lost in those dark tresses and his raging mind dived into the thoughts of gratefulness when instead of the suffocation his chest expanded to inhale more of the pines. His grip must have turned bruising on the omega's hips with the way his body leaned into him but there is no way, no path, no direction that he could follow and loosen his hold.

Centuries of tiredness, the soreness of his bones melted in the omega's arms like the dewdrops in summer. The countless nights of slumber that he held on his eyelids to keep himself awake finally… finally crumbled down in between their inseparable bodies. His other hand reached the omega's nape and moved his neck till it hovered above his face. His open lips grunted against the scent glands of the omega when he inhaled the whiffs of pines closely.

Jungkook's hand slipped down to the Alpha's shoulder and expanded on the broad back with a circulated caress, his thumb kept a constant pressure in between the Alpha's shoulder blades while exposing his neck more and more to his mate.

His nostrils sniffed the sandalwood right above the Alpha's hair and couldn't stop himself to press his lips over the scattered lock. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply to witness the door of their bond opening and entwining around their wolves. His fingers tightened around the Alpha's hair and felt his whole body shaking along the grunt that he heard under his neck.

Misty eyes fluctuating between golden and grey came into his view when Jungkook used his hold to pull the Alpha away from his neck. The omega's thumb caresses over his dark eyebrows then down to his cheeks before surging forward and planting soft kisses all around his face.

Tingles.

Tingles spread all around the Alpha's body when his whole face gets showered by the innocent attack of the omega, “Dare not to push me away again, I won't be able to survive it.” Before he could reply and apologise, he was again buried under the tight hug of the omega. Taehyung snuggled closely and pulled the blankets over their bodies when the waist in his hold shivered, “I will accept the punishments. All of them.”

The flimsy fabric of the omega's robe was rushing the Alpha's hold in a slippery notion which pulled an aggressive groan from his lips before his hand snatched away the knots and opened it completely. The inner clothes against the omega's chest was the only thing that's stopping his torso from getting exposed entirely, “Stop me right this instant, your Grace. Dignified omegas do not let their mates touch them without permission.”

Jungkook moaned over the Alpha head when the hand touched his bare waist and pulled him closer, “And Brave Alphas do not let their omegas stop them from showing affection.”

“Would you be able to breathe for me?”

“I can only try…”

He grabbed the omega's thigh and stretched it till it rested above his hips and lounged forward to embrace the awaiting lips into a warm kiss. Jungkook melted against those plush lips when the heat of the Alpha's tongue surpassed the walls of his lips and entwined with his own. His fingers left remarks on its wake as they trailed down the Alpha's back with each flick of their lips.

It wasn't enough, wasn't enough as the Alpha moved and cupped the omega's jaw to keep his lips parted as he licked deeper and sucked over the unmoving tongue of the omega.

He felt the shakiness in the omega's breaths but instead of pulling away and letting the poor soul breathe, Taehyung stopped his breathing by lowering the omega's thigh against his hips. The fresh aroma of pines spread in the air and the Alpha pulled himself reluctantly when he didn't feel the movement of lips against his own.

His eyes softened when a smile spread over his lips as he watched the omega knocked off under him, “I must teach you how to breathe in between the caresses of our lips. Because your taste is addicting, your Grace. And I don't think I can wait till you wake up.”

His thumb traced the omega's lower lip and dragged it open by pressing over the torturous mole beneath it, “I must apologise for this sin.” His mouth moved before he could finish the sentence and engulfed the omega's lips in another battle that he will surely fail before starting once again.

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜.

~

In the long time of his life Alpha have adapted a way to deal with his rut that makes his suffering less and it's the way when he locks down the pain inside his body instead of releasing it in the ambiance around him. Not a physical release but pheromones too. Due to this habit of going in numb state during his rut, it makes his body more vulnerable to the lingering suitors.

Grateful for your love and patience towards my work. I hope you enjoyed the chapter 💜.

And do not worry, Luna will revenge his every tear in his own way.

Good night, lovely readers.

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜.