"How much longer?" Taehyung asked for the nth time that day, impatiently fiddling with the reins. Yoongi rolled his eyes in annoyance, "I've told you a million times Tae, you'll know when we get there." "Yeah, but when is that?" the younger whined, driving both of his hyungs to the brink of insanity.

"We'll be there in about an hour Taehyung. Now please stop asking us that question," Namjoon suppressed a sigh as he led his mare onwards. "Besides, you'll probably see the Village gates before we do, given your Trueblood vision and all."

"More like you'll be able to smell it," Yoongi said, "The Metal Village is the most densely populated town for miles, and has a thriving market in the middle. The scent coming from it is probably smelled by every wolf in a half mile radius."

"Huh," Taehyung muttered, closing his eyes and concentrating on the different odors in the air. Sure enough, there was a faint smell of a bustling marketplace; fish, cloth, vegetables, meat, even horses.

But no mate. He tried not to feel too disappointed. It wasn't like he had thought that his mate was going to be here. It had simply been wishful thinking.

"Look! You can see the metal gate from here," Namjoon said, pointing at something big and silver in the distance. "We're almost there. I would wager just 30 minutes more if we keep going at this pace."

About 20 minutes later (because Taehyung insisted they gallop for the last 10 minutes), they arrived at the monumental metal gate. It wasn't just solid iron, Taehyung realized. With its intricate carvings and designs, it was almost like a piece of art. Two guards positioned outside of the gate stopped them from entering.

"State your name and business." One said gruffly, hand on his spear.

"I'm Kim Taehyung, Alpha of the Half Moon Pack, and these are my companions, Min Yoongi and Kim Namjoon. We're here for the Annual Conference of the Alphas." After looking closely at Taehyung's face, the guard nodded to his partner, and the two opened the gates. "You can go out when you please, but remember to return before nightfall. There are some unpleasant creatures that roam around at night."

Nodding a 'thank you,' all three stepped into the village, and Taehyung's eyes turned wide. It was by far the largest manmade place he had ever been to, with shingled houses all lining the streets. People were bustling in and out of buildings, carrying bags or leading horses through the crowded roadways. Through the crowd, he could make out the impressive marketplace, filled with stalls and shops of various goods. The calls and yells of vendors filled the air.

He would have probably stayed there all day staring in awe, if Yoongi hadn't tapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go find a stable for the horses, and then I can show you the building you'll be going to." Taehyung nodded, still in shock at the size of the place.

Without Yoongi's directions, Taehyung probably would have gotten lost at the first turn. Namjoon looked just as confused as Yoongi led them through the winding streets and alleyways. They finally stopped in front of a three-story edifice, which boasted an impressive set of gold doors and an elaborate iron archway.

"Here's where they're going to hold the conference. Taehyung, you can go in and take a look around. Namjoon and I will go find a stable to put the horses in, and then visit the inn we'll be staying at. I know that you want time to catch up with old friends, so we'll come and see you around 4. Is that alright?"

"Yes..." Taehyung murmured, still looking amazed by the sheer size of the place. Yoongi noticed his expression and smiled. "Don't worry. It can look intimidating, but it's not that bad once you get used to it." Taehyung doubted it, but steeled himself and entered the doubleset doors.

After the great bustling outdoors, the inside of the building seemed unusually quiet. It was just as grand as the outside, if not grander. Beautiful oil paintings decorated the walls, depicting some of the leaders of the werewolf society. The high domed ceiling arched over his head, stained glass windows giving it an almost medieval look. Black and white checkered tiles clicked beneath his feet and white marble figures seemed to stare at him as he passed, which unsettled Taehyung. Turning into a long hallway, he spotted a wooden set of doors at the end, complete with a gold knocker. In quick strides, Taehyung neared the door, and took the knocker in hand.

Before he could even raise it, the door swung open, startling Taehyung. Looking in, he saw that there were at least 100 alphas in the room, all talking and laughing. His hand unconsciously went to the knife tucked in the sash of his tunic. He knew that even though this gathering was a thing to be excited about, it could also become a bloodbath if they weren't careful. Alphas were notorious for being prideful animals, and the smallest insult could make them lose their control. And Taehyung wasn't an exception. It was only with his close friends and pack members that he could joke around with so freely. If a rival Alpha called him something unfavorable, he knew that he would lash out just as fiercely.

It sometimes scared him, how ruthless he could be if he truly let himself go.

Pushing all the unsettling thoughts to the back of his mind, he looked around the room, eyes landing on an old friend.

"Bogum!" Taehyung called, waving towards a tall, chestnut-haired man wearing a green hanbok, who broke out into a big smile upon seeing Taehyung. "Taetae! Long time no see! How are you doing?" Taehyung giggled, smiling up at his old friend. "Pretty well. I'm the Alpha of Half Moon Pack now!" Bogum gasped. "That's great news Tae! Have you found a Luna yet?"

The younger's bright smile faded a bit at the question. "No... I've been looking, but my mate hasn't shown up yet. I hope he or she will come eventually," he added, deciding not to tell Bogum about the scent in the woods.

His friend nodded thoughtfully. "I found my mate when I was 24, and that's on the younger side. Don't worry Taehyung, I'm sure that they'll show up eventually. It's only a matter of time." The latter was about to reply, when a loud gong sounded, signalling the start of the meeting.

All the wolves immediately quieted down, directing their attention to the center stage, where an old white-haired Alpha was sitting, aided by two other Betas. With some difficulty, the Elder stood up and made his way to the center of the stage, nodding to some of the Alphas he passed.

"Greetings fellow wolves, and welcome to the 536th annual meeting of the Alphas." Cue the cheering from the crowd. "For some, this may be the first time attending, so I will be explaining the procedures in a moment. For others, this must be a yearly ritual and to that I say, thank you for participating once again. You will find that the inn we use every year is already set up with individual rooms for each and every one of you. I hope that your stay in the Metal Village will be highly enjoyable."

"The procedure we use is unchanging: the first day will begin with briefings from all the senior packs members as well as addressing concerns or potential threats to the werewolf society. The next day we will discuss territory issues that may have come up during this one year period, and any new packs which have formed. The third day will be a time for all Alphas to mingle with one another; establish trade deals, alliances, whatever is on your mind. I expect you all to be on your best behavior, and we shall tolerate no fighting in this hall." The Elder stared hard at several Alphas in particular as he said the last sentence, all of them staring meekly down at the floor. Taehyung was surprised to see that Bogum was one of them. "Very well. Let the discussion begin!"

All the wolves broke out into little groups, Bogum dragging Tae to the nearest table. "Come on Taetae, we can sit over here while we listen. The first day isn't that important; all you have to do is listen to some Elders speak and discuss threats. The news is almost always about humans; small, weak creatures," Bogum huffed. "The second and third days are the most important ones, discussing territory and whatnot."

Taehyung nodded, getting comfortable on his embroidered cushion and crossing his legs. It soon turned out that Bogum was right, as the meeting solely consisted of the Elders lecturing them on the importance of staying hidden from humans, and other rules to follow. After about one hour, Taehyung's mind began wandering and he ended up thinking about his mate again. He wished that this mate thing didn't affect him so much, and that he could live life happily without his soulmate.

But that wasn't the case.

Only after a whiff of that alluring scent, he was committed to finding his partner. No other wolf could ever take that place. The only person that Taehyung wanted to mate with was his soulmate and nobody else.

He was in love with a Phantom.

A pat on his shoulder brought him back to the present. Blinking his eyes to clear them, he turned and looked at Bogum, who seemed concerned.

"Tae, are you okay? You blanked out for a bit there," his friend gave a nervous chuckle but his eyes betrayed his worry. "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry." Taehyung apologized, mentally pushing all thoughts of his mate into a box titled, "Deal with when alone."

"Don't worry about it. Anyways, since the meeting is over, do you want to go visit the marketplace before we go to our rooms? The Metal Village is famous for its food." Bogum licked his lips, like the very thought of food made him hungry.

Taehyung stood up, wincing at the soreness in his feet from sitting on them for too long. "Actually, I think I want to go on a run for a little while. I need to stretch out the numbness in my feet." Bogum nodded, checking the wooden clock on the wall. "That's fine. Do you want to meet at the village gates in 30 minutes? I'll go visit the horses, yours is Asterium right? "

"Yes, that would be great, thanks." As soon as they got out of the building, they bid goodbye and Taehyung walked towards the gates while Bogum went to the stables.

Once out of the gates, Taehyung inhaled the crisp mountain air, sighing in content. Changing into his huge black wolf form, he ran into the wilderness, enjoying the feeling of wind on his fur. It had been a long time since he felt this free, as he had been caught up in Pack Alpha duties for most of the winter. Most Alphas had a Luna to rule with them, but Taehyung did everything alone. It definitely made the workload much larger. At least the soldiers and commanders of the pack could carry out his orders well. He knew that his bubbly demeanor could be misleading, but he was still a vicious and possessive as fuck Trueblood Alpha. He just hadn't found anyone to use that attitude towards yet.

Just then, a new scent came up in the air, one that Taehyung instantly recognized. He emitted a low growl, eyes turning crimson. There it was. The smell which had haunted his dreams for days. Turning on his heels, he raced back into the forest, intent on following the alluring scent... and found himself again in the middle of a vast clearing.

Except this time, he wasn't alone.

There was another wolf, a much smaller pure white wolf with blue eyes, who was drinking from a stream at the edge of the glade. He turned his head immediately when he heard Taehyung coming, his muzzle still dripping with crystal clear water drops. Their eyes locked: Cobalt Blue ones to Blood Red.

"Mate," V, Taehyung's wolf, growled as he advanced upon the small white wolf in the clearing. The white wolf looked surprised for a moment, doubt crossing its beautiful blue eyes before he snarled and bared his teeth.

V stopped, surprised at his mate's behavior. Wasn't his mate happy to see him? When Yoongi and Jimin found out they were mates, Jimin literally leaped across a table in the common room to jump into Yoongi's arms. And the Namjin couple had been just as excited to find each other. So why was his mate acting so hostile towards him?

All Taehyung wanted was to hug his mate and pepper him with kisses, but from the looks of it, his mate wasn't going to let him.

Confused, V took another step towards the white wolf, only to be stopped by a ferocious bark.

'Maybe he doesn't know that we're mates,' V thought, and tried to mindlink the wolf. 'Don't worry, I'm your mate! I don't want to hurt you!'

This seemed to agitate the white wolf even more, as his fur stood on end, and was snarling aggressively. Suddenly, a torrent of words crashed into Taehyung's head, each laced with hatred.

'Look, I don't want anybody as my mate. Not you, not anyone. Get away from here as quickly as you can, because I don't want to see your face ever again. I have a nice life here, and I'm not giving it up just because of some pathetic mate bond that the moon goddess created. Next time I see you stepping foot in my territory, I won't hesitate to kill you.'

And with that, the white wolf growled threateningly one last time before turning, and bounding back into the bushes, leaving Taehyung wondering whatever he did wrong to have his mate hate him so strongly. It broke his heart.