Short update, but why not?

So from this point on, the story will sometimes split into Taehyung POV and Jeongguk POV. Enjoy!

Jeongguk POV

I thought I was going to hate sleeping with another person.

I was never the type of wolf to accept other people's touches, so I was prepared to be tossing and turning all night, regretting my life decisions.

But no.

To be completely honest, I actually liked it when my mate hugged me tightly in his sleep, arms wrapped securely around my waist. And I hated myself for it. Since I ran away from the Solar Pack, I never allowed people to touch me, much less cuddle with me. I had lived by that for more than 13 years.

And now here I was, getting my face squished against a hard chest, and not even complaining about it. In fact, I snuggled deeper into my mate's arms, seeking out the warmth and comfort I had missed out on for most of my life. Taehyung seemed to comply in his sleep, as he tightened his arms around me, bringing me deeper into his embrace. I inhaled his scent - strawberry with a hint of sage - and felt something I hadn't felt in a long while: Safety. Maybe, just maybe, having a mate wasn't going to be as bad as I thought it would be. And with that in mind, drifted off to sleep, feeling safe in Taehyung's strong arms.

Taehyung POV

I woke up in the middle of the night, blinking a few times to get used to the darkness. The first thing I noticed was that Jeongguk had snuggled deep into my arms, his face buried in the crook of my neck and was snoring lightly.

Cute.

Trying not to wake him, I retracted my arms and silently stood up, my feet feeling cold on the bare rock despite the shoes I was wearing. Jeongguk whined in his sleep, feeling the loss of warmth, but otherwise made no movement. Smiling at his cuteness, I made my way to the opening of the cave, and sat down, looking up at the moon.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice came from above, and I turned my head to see the large white she-wolf with golden eyes sitting on the jutting slab of rock on top of the opening: Lupa. I nodded, shifting my focus back to the full moon.

"It seems that Jeongguk finally warmed up to you," she said, licking her front paw in a bored manner. "And I'm glad to see it. He's an Omega after all. I've raised him as my own son for 13 years and I can clearly see that he is deprived of human affection. Jeongguk needs care and love, something that the wild can't give him." Lupa looked at me pointedly. My mouth went dry. "You mean..." my mind filled with thoughts I could have done very much without. Lupa rolled her eyes and sighed. "No, I mean take him with you to your pack, though I do suppose that sex is unavoidable with mates these days."

My cheeks turned a bright shade of red and I looked down at the stony ground, mumbling some incoherent words. "You still haven't answered my question." Lupa said. "Will you take Jeongguk with you or not?" I thought about it for a minute before saying the answer out loud. "I would love it if he came, and I know that the pack will be thrilled to have a Luna... but I also don't want to force him into making a decision. Like you said, he's been living in the forest for 13 years. If he doesn't want to come, I'll respect it."

Lupa nodded her head. "Well spoken. I can see how you would make a good pack leader." I blushed at the compliment, giving her my boxy smile. Lupa flicked her tail and laid back down on the rock. "So, when will you be setting off?"

"Well, it takes only one day by horse to get back to Half Moon Pack, so I'll probably leave about two days from now. My business at the Metal Village is over anyways." Lupa nodded her head, blinking her gold eyes once or twice. "Then I suggest that you get some sleep, tomorrow seems to be a long day for you."

I nodded, twirling a dead leaf between my fingers. "But Lupa?" The white wolf hummed in response, busy cleaning her fur with her tongue. "If you don't mind me asking... why was Jeongguk expelled from the Solar Pack?"

Lupa stopped her licking, and stared at me with those golden yellow eyes. "He was never expelled, Taehyung. He chose to leave. There's a difference."

"Of course," I agreed, shocked but not surprised at the same time. If the Solar Pack was half as bad as everyone said, no wonder Jeongguk wanted to run away. I had only known him for one day, and I could already see that he was a headstrong Omega, not following any rules unless he thought they were fair and just. That was one of the things I liked about him.

"He came into these woods 13 years ago, half starved and tired to the bone," Lupa continued. "He was lucky that he was even alive at all, based on the infected lashing wounds on his back. And so many of them too. Someone had treated him very badly before he escaped, I can say that for certain. Poor child... and he was only seven at the time."

I gritted my teeth, hating to even think about what tortures someone had put my mate through when he was only a child. The next time I saw the self-centered face of the Solar Pack Alpha, I would make sure he was dead in seconds. No, I decided. First torture him, then kill him. He didn't deserve an easy death. His death would be as long and painful as I could make it.

Suddenly, I felt a fluffy tail run along the length of my arm, jerking me from my thoughts. Lupa had jumped down from her rock, and was sitting next to me."Peace, young one," Lupa said, removing her tail when she saw that I was calm. "There is time for revenge later, but right now is time for sleep." She flicked her tail towards the cave entrance. "Go back, Jeongguk needs you."

As if on cue, I yawned and Lupa gave a deep chuckle, standing up and jumping onto her rock with graceful ease. I got to my feet, and after bowing once to Lupa, made my way back to where Jeongguk slept. As soon as I entered the makeshift bed, Jeongguk again hid his face in the crook of my neck, snuggling up to me. I smiled at his actions, instinctively wrapping my arms around his petite body and inhaling his addictive scent - cinnamon and clove. I couldn't believe that anyone would want to hurt someone as pure and beautiful as Jeongguk... just because he was an Omega. My hand clenched into fists when I remembered what kinds of tortures my mate had endured, but forced myself to remain calm. There is time for revenge later, Lupa had said. And I would wait. Wait until the perfect time to make everyone pay who had ever hurt the boy in my arms.

But one question still bothered me: What if he chose not to come? How would I be able to live life knowing that my mate would never be by my side? It hurt my head and heart to think such thoughts, so I forcefully pushed them away, concentrating only on the small body that was currently wrapped in my arms. The only thing that mattered to me at this moment was that Jeongguk was safe and content.

And whether he chose to stay or come, he would always be in my heart.