Dear lovely readers, I have arrived bearing a long update for the new chapter, happy vacations to all of you💜.

Many things are happening at one time, so you are advised to read slowly.

The weather has been nice tonight but please be hydrated during the day.

I hope you will enjoy the chapter💜.
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The water was still wafting huge fog because none of them bothered to turn off the furnace that was supplying hot water to the pool. The panel wall was supporting a mash of black locks that were resting there for a while now. The Alpha's chest was still heaving with the amount of pressure his lungs weigh while breathing harshly. He has no words to support his lewd actions that he performed while having the omega in his mind.

He can't get over the image of the omega standing in front of him with yearning eyes, forgetting how his flushed shoulders were inviting him to bury his face into his chest. Taehyung groaned with his eyes closed when a fresh vision spread behind his closed eyelids.

He won't survive this.

However, he knew he can't get ahead and follow these visions so soon. No, he has a lot to do. Because now he knows the roots of the fear that runs deep into the omega till it makes him morbid. Not so soon when he was the one who caused all the fears.

When the Alpha read the omega in the ground premises of Lavin, he didn't just read the happenings of the night. He read the cause of his fears, sensed it in his bones and watched it in his soul. So, no. He can't act impulsively on the visions and close proximity of the omega, no matter how painfully it twists his heart.

All of it started when deep into his feelings, he asked for omega's mark on his wrist. The fear wasn't present on that night, wasn't there during the war but its cobwebs found the omega's mind when he returned from the war. He read how the omega struggled to believe the integrity of his words when he had asked for his mark.

Why was it hard to believe?

Only he was to be blamed.

He watched the conversation he had with Nami, he sensed the anxiety it built in Omega's heart when he feared the existence of the mark could only be for his protection in war. With a lungful gasp, he was relieved that the omega doesn't believe in his fears completely. Because they weren't true. He didn't ask for the mark because of the war, he can never indulge and use his emotions like that, like a coward. He asked for it because after roaming for centuries he wanted to be bound to someone, someone who stares at him as if he is the sole reason that sun and moon exist in nature.

Out of that foggy haze, adjacent to the door of the bathhouse, Jungkook laid on the mattress supporting wild thoughts in his head. His knees were pulled up to his chest, crumbling toes curled towards his heel. His eyes were fixed on the burning fire in the furnace that was warming the whole chamber bit by bit. However, the crinkling of dry wood burning in that furnace was somehow lower than the rugged noises of his breath.

His eyes flickered to the bathhouse door before setting on the igniting fire again. His whole face supported the burning glow, hiding the remnants of redness on his body. He squeezed his eyes shut when the Alpha's words resonated once again.

Under that warm glow, there was nothing that could snatch away the big smile from his lips. He isn't happy with the acts he performed today, no, he is down right embarrassed about them all but he isn't blind to not see the care that Alpha showered on him, carrying him from the suffocating cookhouse to the bathhouse all while securing him in his arms, assuring him with words and touches that embedded into his skin.

He turned from one side to another, not opening his eyes when the cold part of the pillow touched his warm cheeks. His curled toes reach for the duvet at the edge of the mattress and hide his figure to protect himself from the upcoming scenarios when the Alpha comes out of the bathhouse. His heart raced, making his face burying more into the pillow, he can't be awake and seem desperate for those grey eyes to fall upon him.

Moving his prune fingers into his lush hairs, the Alpha straightened his back and opened his eyes to look around the dark ambiance of the bathhouse. Being unaware of how much time had passed, he moved out of the pool in steady steps. Wrapping a robe around his body was easy but taking steps towards the door was much harder, he punched his chest at the centre to regulate his heartbeats which are going haywire in the thoughts of seeing the omega again.

His head grazed the closed door at the centre of the creak as the Alpha breathed slowly. The veins of his palm spread on the closed door when he whispered, "You are the omega who have filled my barren heart with your affection. Now let me do the honours and show you how it truly feels when you are the omega of an Alpha's heart. Let me burn in the agony for the pain I have caused upon you. For such agony though I'm prepared to wait for eternity again."

The tip of his fingers dug into the woods and separated the planks apart to open the door slowly. His roaming eyes found the omega sleeping on the mattress and his pumping heart slackened in calmness as he stepped out of the bathhouse. Opening the wooden chest, he changed his clothes into some loose black shirt and cotton pants.

He fixed the furnace by adding another batch of dry wood and walked towards the door of the chamber. Before his hands could grab the planks of the door, the omega's voice called for him, "Where are you going?"

With rigid feet on the floor, Taehyung grabbed the knobs of the door and replied while looking over the shoulder, "I was..."

His words evaporated from his lips into the thin air because the omega sitting on the mattress was demanding his death with the way his eyes contracted in the softest glare he has ever accused. His hands clutched the knobs in a crushing hold and diverted his gaze from the Empress who was wrapped in the duvet while wearing his clothes.

He turned towards the door and finished his sentence, "I was closing the door, the wind has become frosty," He closed the planks but didn't put the shackles knowingly. He turned and found the omega resting under the duvet again, his feet moved towards his wooden chest and like a coward started stacking the already stacked clothes in it. He took his time with the clothes and pretended to find something in order to gain enough time so that the omega could fall asleep.

Next, he went to the furnace and removed the pile of ashes from the down pits. He doesn't need to do it as servants clear it everyday but right now he will do every activity that could sway him far from the preying eyes of the omega.

He doesn't know what he was trying to escape from, all he knows is that it's what is good for them right now. His body was moving on its own when he collected the ash in a bag and went to the bathhouse to wash his hands. He splashes the droplets on his face and sighs defeatedly, "Why are you behaving like a fool? He isn't strong like that, he will think that he must have done something wrong."

In the mirror beside him, he caught his eyes blazing red, agreeing with his angry wolf Taehyung blinked his eyes and splashed water on his face again. He flicked away the water from his chin and wiped off the excessive wetness with the hem of his shirt.

True to his assumption when the Alpha entered, the whole chamber was oozing with pungent rosemary. The omega's eyes were forcefully shut, cheek thoroughly pressed into the pillow but his rubbing toes under the duvet give away the proof of his awareness.

With slow steps, Taehyung joined the mattress and laid beside the omega. No one moved for some bated breaths till the Alpha decided to call for the omega, "Are you asleep?"

The omega replied with no movement or noise, hinting the Alpha that his avoidance had surely made the omega upset. Taehyung turned toward the omega and placed his head on his folded elbow just so he could hover above the omega's nape.

"Your toes are still moving under the duvet so I assume you are not."

The moving toes stopped abruptly as if the omega was doing that unconsciously and recently became aware of the movement but the sudden haltness again gave away the proof of his awareness so Jungkook sighed with a heavy pucker on his lips and turned on his back.

Their eyes met as the omega looked up with his wide eyes while the Alpha stared down with his soft ones, "Why were you hiding in the bathhouse?"

The straight question ignited the Alpha's fear, making his words dance in a messy jumble on his tongue. He opened his mouth only to close when he didn't find any suitable answer. But those wide eyes need an immediate answer and Taehyung only knows how to say the truth, "I was coming down from the high your scent caused me."

Their gazes fought against the lashes that were threatening to fall down and relax their pupil but none of them backed down, meant, the omega needed more words, more truth, more answers. So, Taehyung blinked in defeat and said, "I needed a release after... after you walked out."

The wide eyes become enormous, lips pressed shut as the bob of the omega's throat moves up and down. Taehyung never liked darkness around the omega where it can hide those beautiful orbs but today, he was thankful for the darkness which was helping him hide the burning tips of his ear.

"I apologise." Jungkook blinked his eyes and looked down, felt his rigid shoulders melting on the mattress, "I thought you were ignoring my presence and somehow I caused it."

The rushed fingers lifted his face to match the eyes again, "You are purely innocent here and I take full responsibility for my actions. I do not like when you apologise so eagerly without weighing the part of your mistake."

Jungkook's soft hand found the Alpha chest to spread out, "Coursing through the years, I think I have made it a habit of mine."

"Habits can be and should be changed if it affects your mate. You taught me that."

The red hue that the Alpha absolutely desired on the omega's face bloomed on his cheeks sending a breath of relief to his thumping heart, "I promise to change it then."

Taehyung straightened his elbow and let it lay flat on the surface behind the omega's head. Jungkook abandoned the cold pillow without any voice and nestled his head on the warm arm of the Alpha. His chin inclined upwards to find a place to rest on the Alpha's shoulder bone, "What were you calling me for?"

The Alpha's eyes were still staring down at the omega when he replied, "I meant to tell you some good information."

Jungkook's eyes showed excitement even before he could hear the complete words, "What is it?"

"After the court session with war detainees, we will depart for Eclipse."

The Alpha's back landed on the mattress swiftly when his chest felt the heavy shove from the omega's body and suddenly the omega was laying above him, eyes twinkling with excitement, "Is it true? We are going back to Eclipse?"

With a smile so large it splits his face into two halves, the omega did not realise that half of his body was resting above the Alpha. One of the legs reached up to the Alpha's waist that the said man had to hold in place so it wouldn't roam around.

"Yes, and yes."

The squeak Jungkook let out while burying his face in the Alpha's neck was something Taehyung would never forget. His arm circled the small back of the omega and rolled their bodies on the mattress till he hovered above the giggling soul in his neck, "Are you truly happy that we are going back?"

The omega's arms were wrapped around the Alpha's shoulder so when he pulled away from his hiding spot, their face rested closer than before, "Why not? It's my home." The same twinkles glazed the Alpha's eyes when his lips reciprocated the smile of the omega.

He raised the omega's chin and whispered, "It's not my home though." Those perfect, half parted but moist lips of the omega trembled as they shared the same breath. Their eyes gravitated to the lips hovering above each other and waited for the other to give in.

Words weren't needed when the answer of then where your home is? reflected in the grey orbs without any shame. Jungkook ducked his head down but couldn't when lips latched on his loose ones to mold into a heated frenzy. When the promise of being kissed was completed, the omega lost himself into the soft sucking on his lower lip.

The bubbling of hearts couldn't be hidden when the omega's teefs peeked around their smiles. The tongue licked under the mole of his lower lip rising shivers to his brain, "You didn't believe me when I said I will scent you, why? Why such lack of trust in your Alpha's words?"

To hide the heavy blush, Jungkook had to nuzzle his face in the Alpha's neck. Just like all times, the sandalwood warmed his body in a few battered whiffs of his lungs, "In Lunar, teachers used to teach omegas to not trust anyone in a rush. She used to say 'Alphas are unpredictable.So all you have to do is be patient till you recognise their true nature."

The Alpha hummed in a low rich rumble, making the omega hold on his chest more. His shoulder was supporting the omega's head while his hand coiled around the omega's shoulder to keep him close, "What is it that you have discovered about my nature?"

The caressing of the thumb happened close to the omega's shoulder blades that made him further vulnerable in the Alpha's arms, "I'm still being patient. So far I have concluded that you are brutally honest. Even after holding the most prestigious position in the pack, you know the value of your voice. Maybe that's why you are a man of few words. It's a trait that people spend their lives trying to achieve. And you are... you like to be careful in general."

"Careful about what?"

"About people's feelings. I have read about Alphas who are notorious, too self-indulged to understand their people, their needs but you... you knew all before they could speak about them."

Taehyung sighed while securing the omega's leg on his thighs just so he could free his one hand and pulled out the hidden omega's face from his neck, "Lunar must have faced famine of good Alphas but our Eclipse is filled with them."

His eyes turned soft when he found the wide black ones, "You have given me time to flourish my emotions, enough time to seek words that can convey my apologies to you. I'm afraid you lost the last chance to torment me because I don't think I will ever let you be upset about something."

The blush reached higher on the omega's face that he had to close up by fluttering his lashes down on his cheeks. He was still able to hear the Alpha's words even if his own heart was vibrating on largest frequency, "I have taken centuries to study the patterns of people's wishes, the seasons of their demands and exhaustion. I have written everything about them in my Royal volumes. But you appeared different from all, Your wishes were written in your eyes the day I first saw you."

Those eyes stared back at him, reflecting the same need again, "Unable to recognise and validate your wishes, I had turned away from the sole hope that could lead my life from suffering to peace. In my avoidance I have made you feel insecure in my palace and I will be forever regretful for that."

Taehyung's words stuck in his throat when the roaming hand of the omega pressed its palm at the centre of his scarf pouch, "I had forgiven you long ago, don't remember the bad memories that we have faced at the beginning. Although those memories have made me understand you closely, the new ones that we create everyday are my favourite."

"We can never run away from the past, Your Grace."

The smile on the omega's lips dimmed around the edges of his pillowy lips. Under his palm, he could feel the Alpha's heart sinking down in pain. Those grey orbs were filled with mystery as always but suddenly they reflected the hidden misery that he hadn't seen before. His hand stretched to hold the Alpha's cheek, gasping softly when the Alpha closed his eyes and a warm teardrop came out from the meshed lashes.

"Alpha?"

A breath of whisper called his mate as he pushed himself closer to the Alpha. His mind runs to accept the buried guilt that surges the memories of the night where he decided to find the Alpha's past behind his back, "Alpha? I didn't mean to hurt you when I followed Ella. It wasn't my intention to remind you of your past like this," Their bodies tangled over each other beautifully when Jungkook touched the Alpha's nose with his own.

The eyes remained shut so Jungkook brought his other hand to capture Alpha's face from both sides, his body pulled back to hover on his elbow, "I accept that I had uncertain thoughts about Hwan but I didn't want to leave with Ella. But she scratched the surface of my anxiety so knowingly that it left me lying to myself."

Taehyung was breathing heavily, however, not an ounce of his words cracked when he spoke, "I'm aware of it all, Dearest. It's not your fault but I'm also aware that burning the evidence of my past mate's life won't throw him out of my surroundings. He will keep coming back to show and remind the scar of his presence."

The mentions of Hwan made Jungkook still in the Alpha's arms, his elbow dug into the mattress as he pulled away from the embrace, "I won't let him. I don't want him in your surroundings. I won't let people mention-"

At this point both of them knew that the omega had started babbling, the continuous words that left his mouth held adherent meanings making them diverse from their usual personas. The Alpha's eyes remained closed and Jungkook experienced the meaning of breathing close yet staying far away oh so surely. He sat on his knees, stumbling into the duvet to caress the Alpha's jaw, his chest hurt when the creases of the same pain appeared on those closed eyelids.

With teary eyes and hurtful throat, the omega was ready to submit his soul under a saint or satan just so he could open the Alpha's eyes and remove his sufferings. With a desperate plea, his lips parted and called, "Beloved."

His fingers didn't stop to caress the Alpha's jaw to let his mate open his eyes but what stopped was the thumping heart inside the Alpha's chest. The words continued, the slow babbling where the omega was making incoherent words to make the Alpha understand his stance.

The creases left the Alpha's eyelids through the lashes that flattered when they lifted and found the omega hovering above him. With shunned silence in his ears, Alpha pushed himself in a sitting position. His conscious part of mind could hear the sound of slap that happened far from their chamber, could hear the plopping of a boat in the river, could hear the fighting wings of two birds but no matter how harshly he concentrated, he couldn't hear any syllable of the omega's words.

His eyes kept staring at the concerned face of the omega, the Alpha's head tilted to look closely while pushing out a trapped streak of tear of his eyes. His lips parted when the stopped heart alarmed his mind and once again it raced to life when the omega wiped his cheek with his trembling hands.

"Are you aware of what you have called me?" He asked, stopping the omega's hand from sliding far. Jungkook blinked his eyes, the heavy furrow between his brows deepened as he nodded his head in affirmation.

The Alpha's parted lips stretched from the corners, desperately wanting to form an innocent smile, "Do you mean that?"

The omega's gaze diverted, lowering his face to hide away from the question. How can he not know the meaning of the one word that he carried in his heart for so long. The words that described the Alpha sitting in front of him, with his truest nature, with his unhidden stance, with his wild eyes.

He couldn't answer anything, not because his throat didn't support his words, no. It's because his knees left the support of the mattress as his body got cradled by the Alpha's arms till he gathered him in his lap. Their arms entwined in a warm embrace where the omega lost himself under the scent glands where he rested his face.

"May I hear it again?"

The request was harmless but it squeezed out Jungkook's last remnants of shyness as he brought his knees closer to his chest and curled into a ball in Alpha's lap. He didn't say it right away, weighing the weight of the word on his tongue, breath stuttering a little when a large palm covered his exposed back.

The long fingers drew slow circles on his back, melting him further in the Alpha's lap as he inhaled sharply. Taehyung held the omega in his arms, one hand caressing his back while the other was planted over the nape, the fullness of his arms boosted his chest in pride.

Oh. He loves to hold the omega like this, entirely tiny in his arms, moulding and shifting like a free puzzle on his body. His lips hovered above the omega's temple when he spoke, "The reason behind your fears and anxiety lies in my inability of showing you deserved affection, showing you the half truth that I knew. But seeing the others using these things to manipulate your fears left me stunned too."

Jungkook's arms tightened around the Alpha as he replied, "She said they wanted to protect you in the past. I don't know from what and how? But she was shielding His Imperial Majesty's decision of sending Hwan back to his realm."

"And the protection somehow left me alone for 1700 years." The deep sigh of the Royal Alpha contained the deep resentment for the people that once belonged to his family. Jungkook sensed the emotion hidden behind those words and pulled away to stare at the Alpha's unfocused eyes.

He made a wish then and there, while curling into Alpha's lap he made a wish for the time to be stopped in its axis. He wished to remain in the same position till his Alpha stops feeling alone, till he stops feeling alone. He wished to feel this proximity with his mate where they do nothing but talk, scent each other and melt into each other's arms.

Is it selfish to wish for something like that? The thought kept him mute but his eyes begged to his listener, to hear him, to see the underlying desires buried behind his thick lashes. He blinked his eyes and suddenly a hand held his cheek to remove the fallen strands of red tresses behind his ear. The warm palm mapped his cheek, fingers sliding down as the thumb traced his lower lip.

The red lips parted involuntarily at the rough touch. In the Alpha's opinion, it's inhuman to have such softness in any part of your body, the more his thumb moves, the more his skin melts on the red edges of lips. The cupid shape of the upper one sent undying yearning to his heart. His gaze diverted to the mole residing under the omega's lower lip, building a suppressed curse in his chest.

In that touch, Jungkook realised that the thing or thought that's stopping him from fulfilling his desires were his eyes because if he could raise them and looked into the Alpha he would know that he isn't the only one who had such pining for his mate.

He found those eyes boring into him, speaking loudly the unheard request that seemed to have settled under the weight of their heavy emotions. But Jungkook read that, read the unsaid words that were pleading him to call for the Alpha once.

The thumb of the Alpha hovered above the moving lips of the omega when he heard, "You are not alone anymore. I wish to keep sitting here till you see me, beloved Moose."

The fingers around his jaw pulled his face against the Alpha. Their noses brushed and with the way those charming lips of the Alpha spread into a heartfelt smile, Jungkook's mind swam to the black abyss only to return when he heard the words, "And what if you become my entire view? Won't that overwhelm you?"

"It wouldn't... it's just that... my heart beats too fast whenever you look at me like that."

The adhering smile of the Alpha gets supported by the dark gaze of his eyes when his lips brush past his own, "I'll be always here to calm you then."

The omega's curled feet dug into his thighs when he covered those swollen lips with his own. He didn't rush or make an attempt to suck the fallen breaths of the omega, he let their lips move together slowly ignoring the toe nails printing their dents into his skin. He held the omega by his waist and kept the fingers over his jaw to maintain the motions of their lips.

How come the nectar always tastes sweet when it rests above the omega's tongue? He swiped his tongue on the omega's upper lip and parted their lips enough to latch onto one another. He sucked the lower one to send the message that this skin is made to be mold against his own, so there should be no hurry to slurp that taste.

Instead of drawing the air out of his lungs, the Alpha was providing him enough exposure by exhaling into his mouth. It made the omega feel more liberated, his tongue lolled out to swipe over the Alpha's teeth. His head was elevated by his own strength, making his hands bunched around the Alpha's shirt in urgency to hold himself up.

Jungkook doesn't have any right or any shame when his eyes open to witness the hovering lips forging on its own. It's almost sinful the way Alpha's lips latched against his own to drag the kiss deeper. His heart burnt and bloomed in one passing breath, mind too occupied by the teeth that chewed his upper lip.

His unguarded, defenseless body flinched when he felt a palm covering his nape, holding him securely by gliding long fingers over the back of his head. His dizzy eyes fell closed when the tongue grazed deeper and slid beside his own. His mouth opened around an unwilling gasp that could be taken as a soft moan with the way his throat responded afterwards.

Whenever the heat starts to coil in the omega's stomach, the Alpha gives him enough air to survive the wave of pleasure. He kept his needs at bay and let the omega's pretty toes dance on his right thigh, ignoring how they were rubbing close to his crotch.

The Alpha made no attempt to stop the innocent omega, instead he cradled his waist to kiss him more. The memories of the night were heavy on the omega's account and after conquering the battlefield, he wanted the omega to only have pleasant thoughts on the last night of their stay in Western land.

The scent of pines was turning sweeter, almost addicting to the Alpha's tongue that kept surging deep into the omega's mouth. The lousy fingers of the omega were fidgeting around the Alpha's collars in short pushing and pulling, making the Alpha smile into the kiss.

Oh how easy it is to feel such stretch of his lips around the omega, "Do you want me to remove it?"

The hushed question made Jungkook's dizzy eyes shoot up in alarm. He would have bolted away to the bathhouse if not the fingers in his hair calmed his nerves so deliciously. He sneaked upon the roughened up collars of the shirt and blushed heavily, "I just wanted to hold something. I didn't mean to ruin the shirt."

The amused grey orbs watches the omega speaking while biting his swollen lips. He decided to play along by lowering the omega on the mattress and leaning over by placing his hips beside him, "I must banish such ruined shirts to the floor. Wouldn't you say, your Grace?"

The Empress was in no position to form a reply for such question so he kept staring at the Alpha who took off his shirt swiftly by grabbing it by the collars. The Alpha pulled away to sit on his knees as he discarded the shirt on the floor, he was aware of the omega's eyes boring holes on his chest.

The little hue of fire burning in the furnace, the silent movement of curtains on the window and his panting breaths all vanished into the thin air when Jungkook watched the bare, honey-dripping skin of the Alpha. The stoic ridges around his sculpted chest and the fine muscles beneath made his hands curl onto the mattress, his fingers finding the mushed duvet to dig into just so he wouldn't appear a clingy mate to the Alpha.

However, the Alpha had ulterior motives planned in his head. He poised himself above the omega's chest and caught the roaming hands from the mattress. The omega inhaled sharply when the Alpha dragged his hands and placed them on his chest to let them flatten across his toned stomach, "The journey of Eclipse is a day long, make sure my Luna scent me nicely. Eclipsers should be aware of whose mark I carry on my wrist."

The words spun omega's head resting on the heightened pillow, his fingers moving hesitantly to feel the sharp muscles under his palm when he asked, "How can I do that? I only know nuzzling and rubbing my scent glands on yours, would that be enough?"

"There are ways that include licks, bites or marks of mate to show the claim by scenting with their pheromones. It depends what the Empress chooses for me to wear in front of people. I will oblige to any or all."

The omega's soft pad runs on the crafted chest of the Alpha. His eyes stuck at the fading mark which was resting on the Alpha's collarbones and the urge to make it prominent intensified in his blood.

His neck arched to lift his head till his parted lips got a hold of the bone. His nails drew a straight pattern of scratch that started from the Alpha's ribcage and moved down to the sculpted bumps on his stomach. His tongue peaked to wet the area to let his canines slip till it found the sensitive nerve to strike on.

The Alpha's thighs dipped on the mattress with a light groan, as he tilted his neck to let the playful canine carve its painting on his skin. His hands were occupied with the omega's waist and nape so he didn't let his heart divert from the desires of his mind. Because if he let his heart wander around freely like the omega's hands on his waist... they wouldn't make it to the court session tomorrow.

His nose dived into the sweet pine when it rubbed over the fullness of omega's shoulder. His hovering hips joined the mattress when the dragging nails of the omega slipped down to the stark adonis belt of his abdomen.

His hold tightened on the omega's nape and warned, "Do not awake it." His one warning was enough for the omega to scurry his slippery hands and encircle them around the Alpha's neck.

The chamber was turning cold as the diminishing fire of the furnace turned into ashes. But who would need such virtual fire when the actual one burns inside their skin, igniting fur by fur with every touch and mark they left on each other.

~

The walls of the palace trapped the cold air of the night that was moving in between the bare feet of the omega. The soft footfalls of the Royal omega racing one side to another were constantly forming a striking headache in Ella's conscious body. Her closed eyelids snapped at the omega upholding a sharp glare, "I do not support this manner of disturbing your elders in their sleep, Jimin."

The Royal omega halted in his step and faced the witch with an equally glaring gaze, "And somehow you support tormenting the youths with your power? In which category such manners falls into, mother?"

The witch flared her perfectly manicured hands on the silk sheets and groaned as if not understanding the nuisance spoken by the omega. She raised herself in a sitting position while craning her neck in an absolute odd angle just to swipe a handful of hair out of her face, "I am too resentful to entertain your little anger, son. I need my sour potion to heal this brain before I think of attending you."

Her intoxicated but tired eyes run across the empty halls of the palace, "Where these servants have hidden at this hour? Solka! Aikan! Jwatshi!?"

Jimin bit his lips in anger and crossed his arms as he stepped beside the bed, "Perhaps they died when their Princess went to play against the Royal Alpha's mate. Or perhaps they are tending each other's wounds because tonight they faced the consequences of letting their Princess drink in the open."

"Son, they have been my servants for centuries. My father made them my attendees when I was a child. They can't get injured let alone die." Ella replied passively while reaching for the flask on her bedside table.

However, when she lifted the glass it slipped out of her grip as his mind recalled certain someone's strength. Her mouth opened around a horrific gasp, "Taehyung!" Her scared eyes blurred with the vision of Royal omega, "Tell me it's not true, Jimin. Tell me he didn't kill them."

The Royal omega sighed when he saw the senses dawning in his Godmother's mind, "He didn't. But he will surely kill you."

The jumbled head of the witch ran a mile in sheer headache till her body went stoic, body falling on pillow with a loud thud. Her wide eyes stared at the ceiling as if watching her dear deeds of the night. She curled her hands on her chest, head shaking repeatedly, "Killing me might prove the easiest punishment, Jimin-ah. Your brother is going to chase me out of all four realms for this."

"Oh? I'm glad that you are well aware of your actions and its consequences. Your poor servants took the Royal Alpha's wrath on themselves, you must see them yourself."

"They deserved it for not stopping me from drinking and behaving like a maniac. You know what had happened when I pulled such stunt in the past."

Jimin raised his hands in urgency, "I do not want to recall what you had done with innocent elder Chunghee in your drunken form, I wonder if it was intentional."

Ella rolled her eyes at the word innocent and gripped her head only to turn into the pillow to muffle her scream, "I regret the happenings of last night. I would have never forced Jungkook if I were in my right state of mind. It's making my mouth sour to even imagine how I would have looked in front of you all."

"Well then gulp that sourness and clear your mind, mother. Because you need to leave immediately, if Tae sees you again-"

"I know. But... alright maybe I would have to travel solo on my journey to Eclipse but my visit remains necessary."

Jimin didn't oppose the words of the Godmother after sensing the desperation of her voice. He sat on the edge of the bed and poured another glass for her, "Here, drink some."

Ella hauled her deshevelled self up and chugged down the entire glass. Her eyes turned misty as she caressed Jimin's cheek, "Even when I offended you all, I knew my little prince would look after me."

"I disliked you the most when you made Jungkookie cry. How come you turned so desperate that you ignored his anxious state? You triggered his panic and reminded him of that one person who tortured him all his life, his mother."

Ella covered her face in sheer embarrassment and grunted into her palms, "I so deserve this headache, I promise to dissolve it with my spells. Each striking nerve should make me recall what I have done to that soft soul."

She pulled and messed up her hair as she peaked over the omega, "I promise to apologise generously when I see him next."

"No. You rather not see him for the time being." Jimin's eyes turned away from the witch and stared into the empty hall, "It took me two years of unfolding and facilitating Jungkook in Eclipse where he governs the rule with authority and lives happily in the pack. I don't want you to appear and taint his safe place."

The words were meant to hurt and they lived up to the bar when Ella's eyes glistened with pain, "You can't stop me."

"I won't but you know who will."

Ella sighed exasperatedly, "I don't know what had happened to me! All I wanted was to disperse happiness for all my children. But I wasn't aware that I would lose my patience like this and turn into monstrous enough to scare Taehyung's omega."

"I'm still ceasing to understand what you claim to hide, that you are so confident that once it's revealed, everything will fall into place." Jimin retrieved the glass from the bed and placed it back on the table.

"I am not confident, just hopeful to see you all together once again." She smiled sadly to herself and grabbed her hair when the pain struck again, "Ugh.. I pledge to not drink anymore. I accumulate that's how the moon goddess punishes me for my sins."

~

On the shore of Lavin, Scooper was resting beneath the heaviest branch of palm tree. His circular eyes were staring at the moonlight without blinking, body relaxed on his small two feet. His neck twisted behind him when he saw one of the apprentices of Godmother run towards the river.

The wizard didn't stop even when his running feet crossed the shore. He fell on his knees, hands frantically working on his skirt as if washing something or trying to remove the stain that somehow destroyed his clothes.

Nami wasn't looking around when his feet slipped and landed into the stream of Lavin. The level of water splashed around his hips but he didn't stop and started to work for which he ran out of the healing chamber.

His hand caught the red part of the skirt and scrubbed it harshly till his fingers turned prune. However, the red hue of blood didn't leave his white skirt, even now tainted his palms too. His shoulders shook when he suppressed heavy cries in his throat, with a muted voice he muffled his cries into the rushing water of the river.

"What does he think of himself?" He thrashes the bloody hands into water, recalling how one of his patients pointed at his blood-smeared skirt. He is not a fool, he knows what it means in the traditions of werewolves. Moreover, it doesn't happen for the first time, this is the fourteenth time his skirt bears the weight of enemies blood that Kenji shed in the war.

Nami knows the ritual that their pack carried from centuries but why? Why does he always face this agony of carrying such honor while being a nobody! He played ignorant for so long, used all his willpower and penance to endure these meaningless activities around him.

But either he has lost his self-discipline or his heart has finally recognised this pain that bursts in his chest whenever he sees the Alpha.

Mate.

His cries turned into laughs when his own shadow reflected in the water. Oh how miserable one can become in someone's love? Is there any limit? Any constraints that he can use to bound his soul with?

He knows the reason behind such pain, it's been a week that he hadn't practiced his silence, hadn't regulated his mind with continuous spells, it could be only why he is feeling such misery of his soul.

His hand kept scrubbing the skirt, unaware of the presence that was closing the distance behind him. He had deliberately chosen this part of the shore which was stranded from any soldiers' deployment, away from bridge posts so it was ordinary for him to be scared when large arms wound around his shoulders.

He jerked away from the touch, pushing the heavy body his skirt circled on the surface of water as he turned around to face the intruder. Kenji stood there with his arms hovering around the wizard's waist, not touching, just assuring for sudden falls.

"How dare you touch me! Stay where you are!" Nami shouted while taking a step towards the river. However, the sea bed beneath his feet caved deeper, sinking his feet drastically. Kenji caught him by his waist, securing the hold before lifting his body to place somewhere safer.

Nami writhed in Kenji's arms, pushing his hands on the Alpha's chest, "I warned you to stay away!"

An angry frown pasted on Kenji's temple when he groaned, "Are you drunk too? How come everyone gets drinks except me? Or is it any of your tricks to accomplish some spells?"

When the wizard became violent in his movements, Kenji made him stand beside the closest palm tree, not knowing the sudden burst of the wizard, "Whatever it is! You shouldn't poke your nose into it." The anger of the wizard kept rising when Kenji replied something, "Why are you so bitter all of a sudden? Spare this man a reason before shouting my ears off!"

His face bucked to the left when a sharp slap rang on his cheek. The wizard was panting with excessive anger when the furious gaze of the Alpha landed on him. His hands coiled in a fist beside him but soon got raised and pinned to the trunk when Kenji roared above his face, "Don't leave your hands so free around me, Nami. I'm not your crystal with which you can play. What has happened to you?"

The wizard wasn't afraid of that gaze so he scoffed on the Alpha's face, "You want to know what had happened? You oblivious Alpha!! You are the one who has been playing with me since the start. You have made me crazy!"

Nami struggled in Alpha's hold and had to use his shoulders to push him away and free his hand, "Oh? You don't know?" He adapted the same expressions as the Alpha to mock him, "Then tell me what is the meaning of wiping your bloody hands on my skirt?!? How dare you stain my clothes without my permission!"

Nami scooped the wet but still red part of the skirt and shoved it into the Alpha's hands, "What is this? Don't run your mind to spew any lies, I know it's yours. It's not the first time I'm bearing this. You have all but one chance to elaborate your intentions."

With the weight of high pressure on his lungs, Nami was shaking against the trunk as he accused the Alpha. Kenji went stoic in his position, eyes casting down to see the fading hue of his blood on the wizard's skirt. His fingers twitched when it tightened his hold on the fabric, the oozing water spreading into his palms.

"It happened by mistake. I'll ask the attendants to make this skirt as clear as before."

His feet staggered back when Nami pushed his chest with both his hands, "Coward! I said it's your last chance, don't force me to convert you into a pest for infinity."

Kenji captured those strong hands and pulled the wizard towards him, "What do you want from me?!" Their furious eyes held pain, fear and crushed madness that either could burst through their bodies like a volcano or melt into the river like the shedding blood from the wizard's skirt.

"Truth."

"I want truth, raw and real."

"You know the truth, don't you?"

"No. Please enlighten me why you wiped the blood of your warrior wounds on my skirt? What and who am I to carry such honor? Elaborate in your words why after rejecting me centuries ago you perform such dramatics with me!"

Bare.

Absolute bare.

That's how the Alpha felt when he faced the wizard again. Everything got closed off on the shore of Lavin, the flowing air of the night halted to witness the empty breaths falling out of the Alpha's lips, the heavy clouds rolled in the sky till the holy moonlight gathered the loose ends of illumination and hid them behind. What didn't stop... was the stream of water that was still flowing in between their bodies.

"I had to do so. It's inscripted in our pack's text that you must share your war wounds with... with your mate."

Had to.

The sniffles of the wizard were loud but what fell out his trembling lips was a laugh, "Do your texts also say to reject your mate? Or says to humiliate him for years just to do the honor of such tradition. Isn't it diabolical to pick and drop the words of your texts as one please?!"

The wizard's spine collided with the trunk in defeat, "What was my fault? I wasn't a werewolf like you but when His Majesty brought me in Eclipse, my soul knows you. It knew that there is someone I feel connected with. I didn't know about mate bonds! Scents! Courtings! Chasings! Nests! Ruts! yet I knew that you are someone my heart gravitated to. A wizard's heart that had steeled itself in penance of spiritual glory but when I saw you, I fell apart. Everything... everything got ruined."

The more he squeezed his palms across the bark, the sharp edges of it dug deeper into him, "I learnt your traditions and like a fool started to court you. You knew then that I'm- I was your mate but you never accepted my approach. You rejected me but you made me feel utterly worthless when you started to take omegas in your chamber. The rank that I can never achieve, a deficiency that my body and soul never overcome. I crossed the edge of madness when I decided to sacrifice myself to Ella. I had hoped that it would free me from the burden of seeing you. I hoped to be far from you but even after seventeen centuries, I'm tied to your presence. Why?!"

His dripping eyes shut forcefully, "Why this feeling never dies, why I had to always choke them inside. Have you seen any wizards using their spells on themselves? I do! I use the luminary aegis to hypnotize myself to sit in one position so that I won't wander around you. I use abyssal nocturne to cast the darkness in my soul so it won't feel your presence. I use nepenthe draught to forget my past memories that carried your bits but whenever I open my eyes, you keep standing in front of me like a stone that seems too big for me to kick aside. And you dare to define your rituals before my very eyes! How can someone be so cruel?"

It wasn't the words but the poisonous lava that was bubbling inside him for so long. He knows when the anger, the resentment, the frustration he suppressed in his body may ooze one day, it will destroy everything around him. But mayhaps, he no longer desires to like the word of calmness. Each word that fell out of his lips was meant to slice through the Alpha.

And it did. With the way Kenji's face crumbled in pain, jaw clenching hard to keep his shame down the throat, it burnt his lungs. But no pain compared to the shattering of his heart as he watched the wizard standing defeated against the trunk. The confession and contempt happened at once, snatching the shore right below his feet.

He lowered his knees, eyes following the route of the wizard's closed ones. He believed that no one could accept the explanation of his heinous deeds but the river endorsed his stance, giving him enough soil to bury his knees into.

Nami heaved a deep hiccup, sighing away the pain as he opened his eyes only to find the river flowing naturally, nothing changed around him, even after his fire he disgorged he didn't find any disaster upholding him as the cause. The dam of tears broke once again when he saw the Alpha kneeling in the river. His head turned away, not able to witness the sight where the once careless soul looked withered in soil.

Both of the Alpha's hands were curled in tight fists on his knees. He braced himself under the ignorance of the wizard and said, "The evidence of my deeds died away with time. There is no one that I can bring to deliver the clearance for me but I must carry all your accusations as a part of my failure. I didn't know that you will be aware-"

"That I'm your mate? How would I not? You vomited blood for a month after rejecting me. The Royal physicians came to me asking for the cure," Nami chuckled dimly as if reliving the same moment, "While preparing the remedy, I found its cause. That day I realised how the mate bonds remain null against the will of a person who doesn't love the other. It made me calm, erased the memories where you once looked at me as if my existence makes you happier than before."

"The reason behind my rejection wasn't the absence of love." The words were heavy on the Alpha's tongue but if he didn't push them out tonight, he is afraid he won't be able to stand on his feet again, "The Eclipse of that time was surely under the Imperial Majesty but the society was completely under great Imperial's hands. His rules, his traditions, his folklores were embedded in people's minds. H-how could I take you under my courting when they burn the thoughts of-"

"A wizard? I heard the people used to hunt witches at night but His Majesty Taehyung had promised me that no one would be able to reach the walls of the palace let alone touch me. I faced no such hazards in his army."

"I wish he would be available all the time but the presence of Hwan took that away. His visits to Ella's village became longer so I had to divert people's mind, engaging them in the scandals of my life was the only thing I could think at that time. If I had accepted you, their curiosity of knowing you would break the walls of the palace. I didn't-" The Alpha's voice cracked in the middle to take a breathable pause, "I didn't want to lose you so I rejected you instead. I thought once we will be back from the hunt of five gems, I will confess my guilt and leave Eclipse with you. But-"

"But death came before your confession, didn't it?"

What stopped you after that? What stopped you in these centuries where we existed together? The wizard wanted to ask but the sentence didn't leave his sealed lips in the fear of emptiness. Maybe the Alpha's emotions died in that fire with their bodies then why does his own remain the same?

His face yanked towards the Alpha when Kenji replied to Nami's hesitancy, "When Ella resurrected our soul in new bodies, I lost my wolf part. I lost the scents, links but along with all I lost your attention too. With your increased hate, I concluded that maybe it's my wolf part that you were confiding into, that was bringing you the calmness to stay around me..."

The wizard's hands slid on the rough bark when his body slipped against the trunk, he landed on the wet soil and remained rooted in the water. The splash around him navigated the Alpha's gaze till it fell on him steadily, "During the wars, the light appearances in between, when we started to bicker around, it was enough for me to live again. I could see you, feel you and hear your words of wisdom, I woven my routines around yours. The phase of love fell behind when I started to look at you and feel the abundance of passion. I started to live peacefully after my death."

The wizard was looking down in his lap, the dried tears were contracting his skin, "So you become selfish because you got satisfied with my presence. But I am not!" His voice held the gravelled anger when he spoke, "You felt abundance because you didn't have memories of me humiliating you in the crowd, haven't seen me indulging in the arms of others and truly didn't feel the futility of your own identity. But I lived through it all, even bearing its burden after my death. So don't, don't enhance it by performing your meaningless, nonsensical rituals."

When the wizard stood with the help of the trunk, his feet slipped twice making the Alpha go rigid in his position but the raised hand of Nami stopped his advances in that same position. The wizard looked completely despondent when he stepped out of the shore of Lavin. He didn't wait for the Alpha's reply, any argument or explanation that he held in between his clenched jaw and walked to his chamber.

Kenji stumbled on his knees, falling backwards when his hands supported his back in the waterbed, "I felt satisfied because before, I didn't even have this. Days would go by without seeing you and I would yearn just to catch a single glimpse of you. How could I dare to want more?"

He has never seen Nami crying like this which seemed harder than conquering all the battles of his life. Is it possible to wither away with the flow of water? If so then he wants to pick all those tears that fell in water before turning into pearls. The flowing cold water was making his body numb. When his hands gave up the strength, he laid on the shore wishing the numbness to spread in his entire body.

~

When Jimin appeared from behind the curtains, a layer of silk robe was wrapped around his body. His tired eyes fell on the sleeping Commander in the middle of the mattress and walked towards him after freeing his bind hairs that were tied in a high bun to keep them dry.

He sat on the edge of the mattress and checked the temperature of the Beta's skin by pressing the back of his palm on his cheek. It's the alcohol that turned his body warm to touch, it seems like the Commander didn't leave any glass unturned tonight. Jimin picked up the hand fan of feathers and waved the cool air towards the sleeping Commander. He wiped the sweat that collected under his closed eyes, and across the temple.

The weather was naturally cold so it didn't take long for the body of the Commander to cool down and ease into deep sleep. When Jimin rested the fan, the door of the chamber opened and the red haired Beta walked through. The omega's tired face smiled and greeted his mate.

"Are you done with the deployment of the night?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Is he feeling better now?" His eyes pointed towards the Commander.

"We will know in the morning but for now he is sleeping comfortably."

"Will we be able to leave for Eclipse if he doesn't wake up in the morning?" The red haired Beta walked to their closet and opened the gates to discard his clothes behind its covering edges.

Jimin looked down at the sleeping form of the Commander to give the red haired Beta some privacy, "He will. Only if the alcohol doesn't tune out his wolf."

The heavy but controlled footfalls of the red haired Beta announced his presence again when he sat on the second mattress that was adjusted beside the Commanders', "How was your visit with Ella? Was everything alright, is she awake?"

The omega hummed while caressing the Commander's hair out of his temple, "She regrets the alcohol and her outrage towards Luna. But I eagerly made her realise what he shouldn't have done. She decided to leave for Eclipse separately till Taehyung's anger dilutes. But I'm afraid that won't happen at all."

"As it shouldn't." Yoongi answered as he unfolded one of the duvets and covered the Commander's body. The Royal omega helped spread the duvet evenly and found himself looking at the red haired Beta in affirmation, agreeing with his words. The Beta has changed into some comfortable cotton pants and a tank top which has a layer of white robe around it.

"How's Jungkookie now?"

"The last I received from the Majesty was the message to look for the night deployment of the soldiers. He said the Empress is a bit disturbed but the shaking has worn off, so he is better I suppose." He said and invited the omega on his mattress by tapping it gently.

Jimin stood to move towards the other mattress and the red haired Beta saw the unusual slump in his shoulders. The omega looked tired and there was something that's weighing him down, "Is there something you feel low about? You look tired, Angel."

The omega sat on the mattress but his form was far from relaxing, "Nothing, it's just... we are departing for Eclipse tomorrow." He glanced at the sleeping form of the Commander before looking towards the red haired Beta again, "I wanted to tell you both together but... usually I don't like to travel."

"You aren't happy to leave for Eclipse?" Yoongi asked softly, a confused frown settling on his upper lip.

"I do. Occasionally when I had to leave the premises of Eclipse, I used to wear my brother's cloak. But this time, I travelled with you both and I liked it more." The hesitant eyes of the omega, made the Beta concerned enough to shift his body to sit beside him. He found the omega gazing down in shame, lips biting harshly in embarrassment.

"I liked it too. We travelled in our wolf forms, we can do it again if it makes you feel better during the trip." Yoongi assured the omega and patted his clenched fists.

"I can't." Jimin whispered out.

Yoongi was stunned for a moment before he collected himself and asked, "Why? Is Chim alright? Are you able to feel him?"

"Yes. But I can't change into my wolf form." The Royal omega pulled himself to his feet and replied, "Wait a moment."

The red haired Beta eyed the moving omega who opened one of his healing kits and pulled out a small wooden box. The Royal omega presented the box to his mate and Yoongi opened it when the omega sat beside him once again.

The box opened to uncover small pouches of mixed herbs that were tied with different ribbons, a few yellow and a few green, "What am I holding?"

The omega wasn't looking at the Beta when he replied, "They are my.... suppressants. I have been taking them for some time." Two years exactly, the time frame he spent with their mates, "But now I... don't want to take them anymore."

The confession turned the Beta's hands a bit shaky, he was grateful of his willpower that didn't let the box fall off his hold and saved his honour. He decided to remain quiet till the omega completed his talk. Oh he can turn into a mute too.

"My heat is due in a week and changing forms become painful during this time. So I can't travel as before."

Yoongi closed the box and placed it on the ground before tending the omega, "You don't have to change into your wolf form. One of us will make sure to accompany you during the trip, whether on horse or carriage whatever suits your comfort, we will travel beside you."

Jimin looked up in urgency, as if he had uprooted some kind of trouble for his mates, "I can-" not trouble you like that. I can use some of your clothes. He chewed the words in between his molars when he saw the determined honour swirling in the Beta's eyes. He continued, "- accept that. I hope it would not be burdensome in the middle of the troops."

"It won't, Angel." Yoongi held the omega's face in between his palms and voiced out, "I'm truly grateful that you have decided to share this with us and trusted us to be at your cure during the trip. I'll prepare everything for your comfort, you don't have to be worried about it."

Jimin's slumped shoulders melted into comfort when he forged his face into the Beta's neck, whispering the melodious words, "Thank you."

Yoongi's chest spasm with dignity, pride blooming on his face when he ducked his chin above the omega's head, "You are accepting us into your little habits, making room for us in your chores, I should be the grateful one."

~

The chamber was filled with the aroma of something delicious, something familiarly sweet and drool dropping so when it reached the omega's nose, his mouth twitched into a smile. Jungkook opened his eyes to an empty bed but instead of dimming his smiling face, his eyes sparkled with brightness. No one can make him feel otherwise today because they are soon to depart to Eclipse, his home, his people.

But the happiness intensifies when he turns to plant his feet on the ground and finds a container sitting at the centre table of the chamber. The aroma was coming out from this exact container so Jungkook didn't delay to approach the table. He gasped when he found a letter and a scroll placed neatly beside the container. Both of them were tied with a golden ribbon, he eyed the knots that fell apart in his hands when he tugged at one edge.

He started to read the letter with his tongue bitten in between his teeth. The first words stretched his lips creating a silly expression on his face. However, when he reached the second paragraph his eyes widened, thumb hovered above the writing to caress the word courtship. His heart took a leap into his empty stomach along with the butterflies that swirls in lower diaphragm.

With shy eyes he started to read the last paragraph and chuckled when he imagined the misery of the chefs. How would they have left the cookhouse when it's His Majesty working inside. The abbreviation at the end made the omega blush furiously, he didn't want to utter something so loony but it happened so suddenly as if his heart knew what to say.

Accept my offering only if your heart mirrors my own devotion...

Jungkook folded the letter carefully and uncovered the lead of the container, "Daifuku?" He giggled in the open and pressed his hand on his lips to not create commotion in the morning. He moved his head to navigate any presence around him, meanwhile his hand already picked one piece from the container.

When the sweet taste touched Jungkook's palate he couldn't control the heavy humming his throat vibrated with, he pressed his hand more strongly on his lips but the taste was phenomenal. He doesn't know how the Alpha achieves this level of taste but he can eat them all in one sitting.

He chewed the sweet with closed eyes, head shaking left and right in amusement. He gained energy from the sweet that channelised in his body only to pick another piece from the container when he saw the scroll laid on the paper.

He quickly finished the second piece and wiped his hand before opening the scroll; it contained the Royal emblems on the boundary. Jungkook swallowed the sweet thickly when he read the first words, it was an official letter from the Royal decree.

His back straightened immediately when he read about the duties that fell under his accountancy. His toes clenched in excitement to finish the work as soon as possible. He kept eyeing the ink even after reading the letter two times, because it's really happening, they will soon depart for their pack, together.

Jungkook curled off the scroll and packed the container carefully. With steady hands he fixed its position in his half empty closet just so he won't forget to take them along. When he closed his closet, his hands were occupied with a hanfu that reflected lilacs in the chamber. He clapped his hands twice and two soldiers entered the chamber with bowing heads.

"Summon the detainees to the court at earliest, all of them. Make sure to segregate the crowd of detainees according to their age, a consecutive five year difference should make an age group. Not all ministers but General Dae's presence will be required in the court."

"As per your order, Your Empress."

"Moreover, bring out the maid that stayed together with lady Pyuhani and his daughter. I shall be there in a few moments." After the death of the mother and daughter, he remembers one of their supporters is still alive.

The soldiers bowed once again and walked out of the chamber without looking up. Jungkook decided to not take a bath as his whole being was soaked in sandalwood and he prefers to stay like that through the journey to Eclipse. He changed his attire and combed his hair into a loose bun, his scalp can't bear tight holds after the war, maybe he tightened them excessively that day.

One by one he started to bundle up his clothes in one chest, separating the sections of jewellery altogether. For such trivial matters, he can summon the attendants but he needs to direct the buzzing energy of his bones into something. So he decided to do everything by himself till the summon from court arrives.

~

Jimin was walking towards the healing chambers to conclude the work of medicines when he saw the crowd gathering around the cookhouse. His curious little feet took him to the cookhouse only to find the crowd eating breakfast and the chefs sitting on the stairs of the chamber, all empty handed. Watching the Royal omega approaching from afar, all of them stood to greet his presence.

"How come the cookhouse started breakfast so early? Haven't you taken some rest after the feast of the previous night?" Jimin asked, feeling sad seeing the tiring faces of the chefs.

"Who dares to take a rest when His Majesty knocks on the cookhouse at night." One of them mumbled but got silenced by an elbow in his waist.

"Your highness, it's a pleasure for us to serve our people. So we are accustomed to it."

Jimin eyed the crowd, the food was a lot as if they had prepared it without a blink of sleep, "Whatever you are hiding, it isn't worth lying in front of me. Maybe I should summon some of my servants to give you a full rest."

Two of the chefs bowed immediately, "Your Highness, we apologise. His Majesty arrived at the cookhouse at night. He seems to be in need of something so we obliged. However, he had advised us to leave the kitchen and take rest but-"

"But how shameful it may be if we left His Majesty to work alone."

"We didn't help him either."

"That's because His Majesty denied our help."

"So we thought it would be better if we work along with His Majesty and make preparations for breakfast."

"I chopped all night till my fingers quivered while holding the knife."

"But His Majesty was so humble, Your Highness. Didn't disturbed us at all."

"Once in a while he growls at us."

"Not on us, at the stove ofcourse. The new woods carried moisture due to the unannounced weather these days." The head chef kept wiping his face while glaring at his subordinates.

The Royal omega kept eyeing one chef or other to listen to all their quiet mutterings and smiled to himself, "If you worked with His Majesty all night, you must have known what craving he nurtured at that time."

"He didn't give a peak, tasting it was far from looking."

"It appeared to be something sweet, Your Highness."

"So sweet that my scent spiked."

"Liar. Your scent spiked because you saw him being too indulgent in his work."

"Who won't. He prepares everything alone."

"I'm tired. That thumping of mortar is still ringing in my head."

"You were the first one who voted for working all night."

Before his smile could bubble into a full fledged laugh, he addressed the chefs, "You have done a lot of work indeed. But I advise you all to go to the resthouse and seek comfort in exhaustion," His smile turned mischievous when he said, "Or you can accompany me to the healing chambers, we may need more hands in stacking the stocks for the folks of Western land."

In a single manner, their backs bent in low bows before leaving the cookhouse in servants' hands. Jimin laughed behind his hand as he turned to walk away. His heart found happiness when he imagined his brother working to make something for his omega. Seeing his brother's starving habits, the only possibility is that he entered the cookhouse because of his mate.

When he reached the healing chambers, he found Nami working along with other attendants. He greeted the wizard so seemed to bow mutely before indulging in his work again. It felt quite absurd but the Royal omega understood the gravity of time they had in their hands, so he hurriedly opened the lockers and started stacking the medicines one by one.

The local healers were present to learn how a medicine will affect one's body and how it depends on its intended therapeutic effect. The Royal omega explained all effects of all potions that they brought from Eclipse and decided to leave them here for the folks.

Infrequently, his eyes caught Nami working in the corner. It wasn't the lack of words that he found bizarre, it's the way Nami carried himself. Heaven knows, he knows, the wizard is the cleanest person among all so seeing him wearing a hanfu with torn off skirt raised his suspicion.

Has something happened? He wondered while wiping the last glass bottle. Deciding to not make the wizard feel conscious of his stares, he diverted his mind towards the servants that were sorting out the potions that had turned awful with time.

The court house was buzzing with folks including the detainees who were standing with their heads down, when the Empress stepped inside the courtroom, the falling silence announced his presence loudly. He sat on the throne in a definite posture and General General Dae to start the court.

The General presented the segregated rows of people from child to aged ones, it won't be easy to navigate their calls and wants but the Empress denied to give them a separate land, he can't take risk to develop another land of Strays, "All of you must remain on the Western land, General Dae will decide what age group is suitable to help in what activity but till he specify your motives to leave you free, you will work under him. One... one mistake, one crime and I order the General to send them to the dead sea. You are here because your ancestors used innocent people so till you prove your individuality you must repay."

The young and adults were chosen for the field work while the aged ones will do the knitting and sewing for the winter season. The children above ten got involved in cattle keeping and the below ones sent to the rank disciples. The row of detainees left one by one, vacating the crowd and that's when the folks saw Mooshin. The girl looked half recognisable with the weight of shackles over her body, her weight seemed to drop scarily.

She bowed on her knees and started to cry when General Dae read her crimes to the court. The folks despised her face, throwing profanities whenever she dared to look at the Empress. Jungkook was noticing it all and when his mind conquered his heart, he announced the verdict, "You will live in your house from this day forward. You are banned from leaving this land and occupying another."

Mooshin cried heavily and rubbed her hands together while begging for mercy, "Your Empress, please have mercy. I do not wish to live any longer. How could I be able to live here? These people will tarnish me everyday, I will rot day by day. Please show kindness."

"You alone dawned this fate on yourself, Gyuri was phased by her obsession but you had mind. You chose to be by her side in all of her crimes, chose to dream about a reputation that was promised to you once you injured countless omegas, you deserve no mercy. You are entitled to their hate, their insulting words but General Dae will be your safeguard. He will ensure that you live through the insult, have enough food to survive but curse the moment you supported Gyuri."

He gestured to the soldiers who made the girl stand and dragged her back to her house. The folks chanted praises for the Empress, hollering with happiness when Jungkook decided to extend the court to listen to the worries of folks. It may take a while but he doesn't want to leave them feeling unheard in the final moments of their stay.

Far from the court session, Yoongi was grooming four horses in a row. A white carriage was getting clean behind him when a sharp voice called for him, "You know when to use someone's charm, don't you Beta?"

Yoongi tilted his head to look above his shoulder and lowered the pressure of the hose when he found the ×omega× ex-omega standing behind him. Yunhee had her hands settled on her hips as she pointed at the carriage, "It's clean now but I can't stack the clothes in your nest, dear friend. Even if I do not carry any scent anymore, omegas usually pick the tiniest scent that doesn't belong to their mate and absolutely hates its presence in their nest."

"I'm aware. But I invited you to guide me through its making, not even once I mentioned to you to do the cleaning."

"Woah," Yunhee scoffed harshly, had she finally gone mad? Her angry expressions proved that the red haired Beta was right, he didn't ask for her hand in cleanliness, she started everything herself.

"Aren't you a bit grateful about it?" She exclaimed.

"I am." Yoongi bowed in gratitude, "Thank you for your services."

Yunhee waved off her hand and turned to the splarking carriage, " Have you brought enough clothes to fill it all? It appears a bit bigger to me."

Yoongi turned off the hose and bound the horses under a tree to let their furs dry, "I have brought three chests full of our clothes, I think that would be enough. I didn't plan to fill the carriage with all the clothes, I meant to ask if there is something that omegas find comforting to lay into. Any soft material or sheet that they like or helps them during the pain."

"His heat isn't due for a week right?" Yunhee asked.

"Yes, that's what he shared with me." Yoongi doesn't remember how his feet went to the chamber of the Byung couple to request Yunhee for her help but he is glad that he asked for it because his little brother seems too busy in the courthouse and he doesn't know how to make a satisfactory nest for an omega.

"Then the pain will be subtle till it spikes for the worst. You can use sea cotton, it feels cool, fluid and fuzzy under the skin instead of the stench that silk provides." Yunhee advised as she pulled the chests closer to the carriage.

"Would it be available in Western land?"

The sudden glint in the Beta's eyes, made Yunhee turn her head in annoyance. Young love. She pointed towards the wooden chests and proposed, "If you make the boundaries of the nest ready, I can visit the vendors in the meantime."

"You would do that?"

Yunhee clenched her jaw and raised her hand into a fist, "Stop looking at me with these eyes, I will pull your teeth out." She huffed while shaking her head, "Well, he is our Royal Highness, ofcourse I would do that for him."

Yoongi shrugged with a smile when Yunhee ran towards the arena of sellers, "Well, now you know how everyone feels when you simply walk beside Alpha Sang." He whispered to himself and unloaded the clothes in the carriage.

~

The Royal Alpha closed the last crate of weapons after leaving the essentials behind for the Western land army. The soldiers came forward and tied the crate with thick ropes, the next row of soldiers pulled the ropes and dragged them out to load them on horses in short batches. Some of them will be carried by their wolves while a few will find a place on the back of soldiers.

The Alpha approached the table where the map of Europe was displayed with suitable notations and ink. He studied the path of all three routes that lead to Eclipse, the route of Lavin seemed unstable due to the rainy weather and the entire troops couldn't pass the forest of Gregré without disturbing the residing animals. So the suitable route still remains the same that they used while coming to the Western land.

The footsteps of Commander held him captive to look away from the map when the beta greeted, "Your Majesty, the troops had packed their loads and have been sent to ready for the departure. The food storage has been teemed with meat and vegetables, the barrels of water have been kept for the journey as well," the Commander informed as he straightened from his bowing position.

Hoseok gulped when a trail of sweat started to travel from his nape to the back. In his peripheral vision he could see the Alpha's eyes raking his form in detail. He clasped his hands behind his back in a tied form, praying to all the souls of heaven to bless him the memories of the previous night. Because his dizzy mind doesn't remember an ounce of behaviour he showed last night or perhaps he slept through it all.

A shudder left past his spine when the Alpha opened his mouth to speak, "Very well then. Come forward and look at the map and tell us what route we should follow."

The Commander stepped ahead after collecting himself together, he followed the notations with a frown on his lips, "In my opinion we should lead the troops from gates of Chinra, the one we used while arriving. The mountains are surely a bit ragged but they will be far from the slippery mud of the forest."

The Alpha nodded his head impressively and was about to add his detail when the Royal Omega entered with Nami, "Your Majesty, the healing of omega's have been completed and the healers have sent them to their homes. We have stacked the new infirmary for Western land and updated the usage to the local healers."

Taehyung frowned when he watched the wizard bowing his shoulder and standing behind the Royal omega. The same confusion reflecting on his brother's face proved that Jimin isn't aware of its cause as well. To prove his point, the Royal omega shook his head slowly as if he had already asked what the Royal Alpha wanted to ask from the wizard and received no response.

The Royal Alpha's attention averted to the window sill, outside which a small group of people were approaching the armoury. The centre was secured with the Empress who was parenthesised by the red haired Beta and Yunhee, Sang walking behind his mate. Taehyung recognised that swift bounce in the Empress toes, as they reached closer to the armoury.

The door opened to all of three bowing to the Emperor, Yoongi stepped forward and informed, "The horses are well fed for the journey, Your Majesty. All of them have leather sheds on their back to escape from cold chills. The court session went satisfactory under Luna's supervision and the verdicts were announced for the detainees."

"The borders are secured as well. Kenji and I have deployed the Western army in all the important posts. There are no chances of any dispute but to remain secure the bridge posts are aligned to shut off," Sang informed.

"I shall provide my gratitude to you all. Kenji is yet to arrive, we must wait for him before planning the final route." Royal Alpha said as all of them surrounded the mapping table. The Empress was about to stand beside the Royal omega when the Alpha stretched his hand to invite him closer.

Jungkook turned on his toes and his feet didn't stop till that stretched hand found a place on his small back. The Alpha picked a baton to highlight the placed notations,"Due to rain, the water level of Salva river can create hazards so it's better if we retain the same path when we arrive. Starting from Chinra, we must cross the great goddess wall of mountains. After crossing the forests of the Blue Moon pack, we will enter the dunes of Apex." His trailing baton stopped at the mounds of soil and looked up at Yunhee.

She was smiling sadly while looking at Sang who held her closer to his chest. Maybe their time to rest under those cold dunes has arrived after all. However, Nami remained unphased with his back supported by the wall.

"I have decided to keep the Royal sword in Eclipse for a while so all the Royal guests must accompany me to Eclipse." Taehyung announced and as he expected Yunhee's eyes twinkled with surprise, her feet swept off the ground when Sang bundled her into a tight embrace.

Jungkook stepped closer to the Alpha unconsciously, all the present eyes were watching the Byung couple celebrating the sudden invitation to Eclipse but his own witness the soft smile of the Royal Alpha. His stoic shoulders that he attained to show the posture of an Empress in court loosened when he inhaled the calm sandalwood.

However, he wasn't prepared when the Alpha moved his head and looked towards him with the same soft smile. The thumb moves to caress his small back, alluring his eyes to widen at the rough touch.

"Does that mean we would get to meet the Imperial Highness? He is still in Eclipse, right?" Yunhee asked, successfully driving the attention towards her once again.

"Yes and he planned to stay till the healing festival. In his words, talks are never enough the more the merrier." The Royal Omega shared the information with others to which Yunhee agreed the foremost.

None of them was aware when the arrival of Kenji finally happened, their smiles dimmed when they noticed the Alpha walking into the chamber with dripping clothes creating trails on the floor. The wet clothes weren't the problem, it could happen while sealing off the bridge posts in Lavin but the red rimmed eyes of the Alpha concerned all the people present in the armoury except one who was still looking down at the map.

Taehyung's confused eyes found Sang, eyebrow pointing towards Kenji in worry. Sang inhaled defeatedly in reply and shook his head. Both of them glanced at Nami who didn't lift his head once from the map displayed on the table.

The Alpha pressed his hand on the Empress' back in assurance before leaving the spot. He stood before Kenji whose eyes were looking everywhere but him."Commander Hoseok," The Alpha addressed, "We will be leaving in an hour. Tell the soldiers to stand in troops after packing their belongings. You will be leading the front tiers and I will stay at the back ones."

He looked over his shoulder and announced in one breath, "Disperse."

One by one the armoury emptied and the only ones remaining in the room were the Royal Alpha, Kenji and Sang. When the door closed, Sang chugged a glass of water before muttering out, "He has been like this since the morning. I had to shout on his face to convey my words, I think they fought."

Sang brought the chair and the Royal Alpha removed his cloak to wipe away the mud from Kenji's cheek, "Kenji, Shutting down won't solve anything. If something is bothering you, let us know. Nami did something?"

Sang scoffed in disbelief, "What could that poor guy have possibly done? He is the one that always picks on him. I won't be surprised if he planted a few punches on his face."

"Sang. Not now."

"Kenji? You know you can't survive without talking to him and if you keep your thoughts away we won't be able to help you." The Royal Alpha tried last time and when nothing but the sound of breathing filled the silence, he rested his hand on his shoulder.

His face contracted when he focused on the memories of Kenji through that touch. His heart became heavy when his eyes witnessed their conversation of the previous night. Sang remained silent as he paced back and forth behind Kenji's chair. His alarming eyes followed Alpha's gaze when Taehyung removed his hand.

"So?" Sang asked.

Taehyung looked at Sang in hesitation and stepped back when Kenji slumped down the chair to kneel on the floor, "He knew... Nami knows he was my mate."

"Was?"

"He thinks that my rejection was real, Tae. How could it be real if I didn't die by separation! I had fallen so deep, my face would have been planted in the grave if I rejected him fully."

"You sound selfish, Kenji."

"Because I am selfish. I wanted to keep him alive so I didn't accept him but I didn't want to leave him either. So I revolved around him. I rejected his proposal but I didn't let my wolf do the same. I loved him so much, I wanted to always stay around him, no matter in which form! In which place! I wanted to be connected with him."

"Then you should have left Eclipse when Taehyung asked you to. Why didn't you move to Ella's village when you had enough sorcery skills. No one would have objected to the mating of a werewolf and a wizard in her village." Sang's angry voice bloomed in the armoury, quenching the thirst of feeding suitable thoughts in that stubborn head.

Taehyung scrunched down in front of him and hauled him up to the chair again, "Listen to me, you can't bring those moments back where you did something that you shouldn't-"

"I don't regret it. I will never regret choosing you, our friendship remains above everything. But I regret how I hurt him by spreading rumours about me, about tainting my honor with omegas around me. I didn't want him to compare himself with other omegas. But I sowed that seed in his soul of not being enough, not being an omega. Unknowingly."

"Does he think you rejected him because he wasn't an omega?" Sang asked.

"As he should have believed. It's not like Kenji had clarified the reasons behind his rejection. He hinted enough with his words It won't be acceptable for the people as well while rejecting his proposal." Taehyung said as he flipped out another chair to sit upon.

"Kenji, Nami isn't a person that will look at you twice if he doesn't feel for you yet he stays beside us for centuries so what does it imply? That his emotions didn't die with time just like yours." Sang interjected while standing behind him.

"When I met Nami for the first time-"

"I know how you found him but that-" The slap at the back of his head resonated on the empty shelves of the armoury, "Don't cut him off in the middle," Sang scolded Kenji.

The Royal Alpha leaned forward, elbows placed on his knees and hands clasped in between, "You only know how I found him during my very first battle. No one knows how I had to visit him eight times to persuade him to come to Ella's village. Only after I promised him revenge on his village I was privileged to be his friend."

"What I imply here is that Nami is a true wizard. He needed ordination to polish his skills not to acquire them. He sees past people's behaviour with his inner strength but your ability to always lay in the lap of omegas doesn't help with your inner sincerity."

Sang crossed his arms over his chest and nodded along the Royal Alpha's words, "It makes you less of a man of discipline and integrity. Now the society thrives under Taehyung's governance with more acceptance so why don't you pursue him again."

Kenji rubbed his face with his hands before pushing his hair at the back of his nape, "Saying it simply won't make it possible, Sangie. The wounds are too deep, I don't know I could repent them all."

"Why? You hurt him for so long and he reverted back one time to leave you this devastated, what does it say about the length of your love and his?" Taehyung doesn't want Kenji to feel this devastation without even trying, he despises when one assumes the end when it could be a beginning of something new, something better.

"Do you feel affection towards him?" Sang asked.

"What kind of question is this?! Ofcourse I do" Kenji exclaimed.

"Then what's stopping you from going and declaring your love to him? What are you so afraid of?" Sang can never expect such level of stupidity from people, if they love someone deeply then why don't grab that person before something else comes in between.

Even if the falling tears don't belong to his body but the emotions behind it does when he looks at his friends, "I'm afraid of not seeing him again, not protecting him when he went deep into meditation in the middle of nowhere. What if he disappears one day due to my constant botherings because he simply won't believe them."

Taehyung's back thumped on the backrest of the chair when he fell behind in dejection, "And you assumed all this instead of actually pursuing him. Brother, if you want to keep hurting him, do it, I will plainly protect him from your jabs. And don't look miserable when he stands against you. However, if you wish to make a bond with him then start to act like it."

"If Nami wanted to leave the dunes or you, he would have done it so long ago. It's not Nami that needs to prove his stance in love, it's you Kenji." Sang grabbed Kenji by his shoulders and pressed him into the chair securely.

"He won't believe me." Kenji whispered, mind swirling in exhaustion.

"Then keep trying till he does. The worst that can happen is when you will get cursed by him and the best..." The Royal Alpha's eyes matched with Sang who completed his words without any hesitation, "The best can make you see heaven on Earth."

Kenji fell silent for moments, weighing the weight of words on his muddy palms. What is there to lose? Nothing that he ever acquired before. What is there to gain? Something that wasn't there before. His shoulder raised with inhalation and for the first time since the previous night, his eyes found purpose to see around himself, "You both are right. Either people will see my demise or I will make them die of jealousy."

Sang hauled Kenji by his arms and made him stand in between them, "Kaito would have flipped out seeing his human gone this crazy. Gather yourself, brother. We are going to find a solution together."

Kenji hurled himself over Sang's shoulder in a tight hug, muttering a row of gratitude towards his hyung. Sang patted his back and eyed Taehyung who sighed while pointing at his neck. And then suddenly Sang realised, that absolute fuçker wasn't hugging him but wiping his drippy nose on his shirt, "Yunhee doesn't like dirt on my clothes, you brainless wretch!"

"Leave the chamber and get ready for the departure. You both will balance the sides of troops. Make sure no one stays behind, the soldiers who have been serving here for the past four months include them too." The Royal Alpha dismissed the two fighting fools and walked to the displayed map once again.

~

Jungkook's concerned eyes looked at the door umpteenth time as he folded the clothes of Royal Alpha. He had successfully packed all of their belongings in three chests, the servants had swept the chamber to not leave any important things behind. The mattress got folded into the corners, the furnace got cleaned diminishing its warmth.

He secured the dagger around his waist and ordered servants to load the chests on carriages. He made a run to the bathhouse one last time and when he walked out, the Alpha was standing at the threshold of their chamber, holding off the curtains for the servants who took away the last wooden chest.

"What is the matter with Kenji and Nami? Is everything alright?" Jungkook asked the Royal Alpha when he stepped inside the chamber.

"They had some arguments last night but are running on the right path, you must not worry." The wandering eyes of the Alpha observed the nearly empty chamber, "Have you packed my belongings too?" He asked because no one has ever been allowed to touch his possessions.

But whoever he was making a fool didn't attain the root because when the omega's eyes twinkled after pulling all the empty space inside them, Taehyung knew he was defeated all along, "Yes, You were occupied with Brother-in-law Kenji and the soldiers were loading the chests in carriages, so I thought to make haste."

The Alpha was standing close to the omega when his eyes fell on the drop of syrup frozen at bay of his red lips, "I appreciate the goodness, Your Grace. I hope at the earliest morning, my token of affection brought a smile to your face."

The omega looked down at his hands that fumbled with knots of norigae, "Every effort that Alpha makes for me feels like a beautiful gift, Thank you. The sweets were delicious."

"Have you saved some pieces for me?" The Alpha teased just to see the bulging eyes of the omega staring widely at him as if he had asked a part of his personal land. When the omega remained frozen on his feet, the tease became a smile that spread on Alpha's lips evenly, "What? Have you finished them all?"

Jungkook shook his head urgently and raised two fingers in the air, "I had two in the morning and two before the court session. I was about to walk to the armoury when I met Yoongi hyung and Sister-in-law Yunhee, they asked for fresh washcloths so I brought them here and had two more. And I was worried when I came back from the armoury so I don't know how many I had but I'm sure two still remain in the container." Jungkook's eyes kept widening, heart palpitating as the Alpha's smile kept increasing with each sentence.

"What a relief that you have some for me. I wish to taste something sweet before the departure."

The omega's eyes filled with sudden fear, "But I stacked them in my bento box and ordered to keep them in Artax's saddle. I should hurry to bring it back." With a hand grabbing the hem of his skirt, Jungkook moved towards the door.

Conversely, his body swirled around as his back landed perfectly against the closed door. One of the Alpha's hands supported the omega's head during the collision while the other spread around his petite waist, "No need for such trouble."

There are only a few moments where Alpha has approached the omega so intimately during the day, so bare for their eyes and whenever it happens it made Jungkook feel rubescent in the Alpha's arms. Their eyes were communicating without any words and when the grey orbs fell down to his lips, the omega stuttered out, "I can summon the hostler to bring the box."

"Or you can present another form of sweet."
Alpha suggested, hand reaching to swipe below the omega's lips.

"There is a drop of syrup resting on your lower lip. If His Grace allows, May I satisfy my sweet tooth?"

The omega's eyes were focused on the moving lips of the Alpha until they stopped moving and lowered to part against his own. His own hands were digging into the black silk that was sprawled on Alpha's chest. He felt the weight of that drop on his lip when Alpha's breath fell over it.

The syrup will indeed be sweet but it will leave the omega sour if the Alpha only picked off the drop. So to invite those hovering lips inside his mouth, Jungkook pushed his tongue to caress back the remaining drop. However, the stubborn drop didn't budge from its position, holding the reins steadily on his lower lip.

The Alpha pressed his thumb right above the sparkling mole, reverting the tongue back to his mouth, "This greed has to end somewhere," the sound of the Alpha's lips vibrated on the omega's skin, shuddering him against the door.

He let his thumb move to the right, stretching the red layer of lip till the drop detached from the skin. The Alpha lapped his tongue from the mole to the exact same spot where he hummed after rolling the drop in his mouth. He felt the fingers digging roughly into his chest and the short mewl of the omega when he started to pull away.

The Alpha would have walked away, would have silenced his soaring heart but the omega had to look at him with his warm doe eyes, growing large in plead as he bit the same spot with his teeth as if missing the caresses, remembering the touch so soon.

"I have always asked for your consent rather than touching you out of the blue. I'm your Alpha, shouldn't you do the same?"

The small, extremely compact sized part of the omega's brain that was still working through the fog of sandalwood, listened to those words and interpreted his own, "I want your smile on my lips again, want to learn its shape, May I?"

The Alpha went ruthless when their hovering lips touched together, gone was the sweetness that the omega experienced in the softness of his bed as he welcomed the tremors of their tongue wrapping around each other. Their heartbeats entwined in a single tune when the kiss surged deeper.

Taehyung gulped the sweet remnants straight off the omega's tongue and licked on the upper palate. The omega whimpered when the lungs contracted against the minimal reach of air, in sudden noise, his body flinched when someone knocked the door from behind.

The Royal Alpha slammed his palm on the door, sending the intruder back to his detour but didn't let the omega part away from his lips. Their jaws moved in fervour to suckle on each other's lips, forcing the omega to stand on his toes. Their chests crashed together, blocking the omega's ribcage to occupy much space to breathe.

Jungkook ducked his head away when his brain was about to lose contact with consciousness and panted while looking back at the dripping lips of the Alpha. Meanwhile, the Alpha's fingers engraved a symbol of control in the wooden door. The omega witnessed the hunger that bubbled deep in his abdomen and the burning eyes of the Alpha held the flames for its ignition.

"We should leave," He heard the Alpha say and nodded naturally to his words. His mate gave him enough space to collect himself together as he opened the door for departure. But Jungkook's hands were still trembling so no matter how quickly he tried to hide them behind his back, Alpha's curious gaze caught him red handed.

"Shall we?"

The Alpha's stretched hand waited for the Empress to hold and the omega entwined their fingers to stop the tremors. Together, they walked out of the chamber and met the rows of people standing on both sides of the road. Their bowing bodies conveyed the gratitude of folks and somehow Jungkook felt the seed of happiness taking root, growing wild and green as if a quiet spark of joy matured into a thriving vine. He wished the same for the people, after all this venture to Western land will forever be etched into his mind as a beautiful memory.

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Next chapter will start from the night of Apex dunes and the celebrations of arriving Eclipse will follow, there are so much to unfold.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter💜.

Good night, lovely readers.

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜.