Three summers later...

The open dining room in the packhouse is rather crowded for dinner time tonight.

While this seems to be a normal occurrence in the packhouse during this time of the night, with more than half of the pack members enjoying the buffet that has been served by the kitchen's staff while some are still nursing their sore muscles after dealing with the rigorous training or from working hard all day to keep the pack running, there is something different with all the bustling happening in the room.

For once, the conversation shared around the tables have nothing to do with the meal or how hard Alpha Namjoon and Beta Seokjin had pushed them all through today's training. There is a mixture of excitement and agitation shared in the murmuring conversation, while the males seem to be sizing each other up, as if each one is looking for some competition. But hints of concern are also there, the uncertainty that the members of the pack are feeling is written in their eyes and in the way they seem to be treading carefully among each other as if something is about to break.

Judging by the tension that keeps brewing among everyone, it wouldn't be surprising if one of these days, Jungkook would find someone or something actually falling apart. And it will not only happen within the pack but also with the entire community of shifters that is currently in the middle of turmoil.

Within the past month, everything seems to have shifted within the community of shifters in general, and it has somehow affected the Wolf Moon Pack in the process quite directly. It had all started from the attack against the Alpha and Luna of the Supreme Wolf Pack, the biggest and the most legendary werewolf pack that has been one of the most consequential supporters and alliances for the Wolf Moon Pack. Followed by the discord and rebellion happening within the Supreme Wolf Pack which—according to the whispered rumours—was led by the Alpha's own firstborn daughter and the banishment of the Alpha's second daughter who has since gone missing.

As a consequence of the event that had happened, Alpha Namjoon, who was arranged to take the first daughter of Alpha Woosung, the Alpha from the Supreme Wolf Pack, as his second chance mate, has made the decision to call everything off and had even announced his position to take Alpha Woosung's side. He had also sent out Beta Taehyung on a mission to intercede on behalf of the pack as an alliance while helping to investigate the entire situation before getting involved any further. The Beta has been on leave since, especially since he was also sent out to search for Alpha Woosung's second daughter, the Warrior Princess, to bring her back to safety and to reunite her with her parents in the wake of her sister's mutiny.

With the changes going on around the pack and the dire situation that is currently happening among the shifters community, the pack members have been restless. And everything simply heightens further due to the fact that the next assessment trial is coming soon, especially with what the trial is aiming to gain in regards to the situation.

The Enforcers of Wolf Moon Pack have been known throughout the continent as the best warriors and guardians ever exist. After everything that Alpha Namjoon has owed to their alliance, he knows that he would need to put this fact into good use. On the next assessment trial, he would not only be looking to find new recruits for the pack's guards, but to form a whole squad of warriors that he would later send out to defend the pack in case the situation would eventually grow worse. It is something that the Alpha has been preparing for a while, ever since the rumours of war have been rising since the moment the mighty Supreme Wolf Pack experienced the divide, and he would later lead this army himself if need be.

"Something big is about to happen. It's best to be prepared."

This was the message that Mage Cian had given to Alpha Namjoon three years ago, before there was even a sign of any incident happening. It was the message which had led Namjoon into reaching out and proposing Seokjin to join the pack as his Beta and to have his mate taking over Mage Cian's position as the pack's advisor. It was also the same message which had prompted Namjoon into increasing the security of their homeland and to reach out to as many packs as they could to form strong alliances and gain more support before more and more divide and chaos begin to happen.

Nobody had ever suspected that the warnings would actually come true. It had caught everyone completely off guard when the shoe finally dropped and a messenger was sent to them to inform them about what had happened to Alpha Woosung and his mate. And then the Wolf Moon Pack was suddenly put in a difficult position when the entire community seems to be divided into various sides, from those who are siding with the rebels and the ones who are still loyal to Alpha Woosung, to those who had wanted nothing to do with the situation and had chosen to turn a blind eye to what is happening or what is about to happen. The latter packs have not even make a move to intercept or to offer an aid when rebellion and chaos are starting to rise all over the East region with the divide, as peace treaties and alliances are breaking apart, trust and loyalty are tested, and everyone becomes suspicious to one another.

"Is the war really coming?" Jungkook has heard this question thrown at him for the past week during the pack's training sessions, as the pack members seem to be preparing themselves mentally for the worst-case scenario waiting for them in the near future. Even if he has been keeping up with the situation while assisting his superiors, it is still hard for him to give a solid answer to ease their minds when he has yet to figure it out himself.

"Everyone seems to be getting ready for something to blow up," Yoongi mutters from across the table where they have been eating together, as if reading his thoughts. Glancing up at him, Jungkook finds the fox looking around the room with an intrigued look on his face that makes Jungkook slightly uncomfortable. He doesn't understand the reason why until moments later, when Yoongi meets his gaze and says, "I'm going to challenge the Delta position."

Jungkook raises his eyebrows. "You want to join the trial and challenge for the third in command? Why?"

Yoongi's eyes turn hard. "Yes. Would that be so wrong?"

There is nothing wrong with wanting to claim a rank. Especially for Yoongi, whose family used to hold a rank within their old pack, which had become the reason why he was appointed as one of the warriors. But the thought of Yoongi challenging for the Delta rank makes him feel uneasy.

It is not so much about him holding on to a ranked position in the pack, because Jungkook would support him if Yoongi truly has his mind on it—even if he has to do it silently. It is the fact that challenging the rank would require him to defeat the other contenders who might equally be just as determined as he is, especially with the current condition when they are in dire need of interim leaders in the off chance that their Alpha would be required to get himself involved in the situation happening around them. And also the fact that Jungkook always hates watching Yoongi going through the trials, when watching the fox at the center of the battlefield has always made Jungkook feel completely powerless. It doesn't matter if Yoongi knows how to fight well by now and how to defend himself. It simply hurts his pride to see his 'mate' battling his own fight and for him to not have been able to do anything to help.

"Who are the other candidates challenging the position?" Hoseok suddenly asks from the other side of the table. The Head Enforcer had joined the other two for dinner tonight and has been silent ever since, acting like their silent companion as he has his mind busy somewhere else.

Until now.

Yoongi glances away from Hoseok, meeting Jungkook's eyes for a brief moment before answering, "I believe Donghun would be one of them. The lions have to place one of their members in the higher rank so they would have someone on the Alpha's side representing the shifters residing in the South border, and Donghun is currently one of their best fighters who seems eligible to take on the challenge."

Jungkook doesn't need to be reminded of what Donghun can or cannot do, and he certainly does not need a reminder of what had happened the last time Yoongi had to spar against Donghun at the battle training ground. Even if it had been three years since that day, the image of Yoongi on the battlefield and getting all wounded while he could only stand on the sidelines continue to appear in his head. The memory feels so vivid in his head that he cannot stop himself from blurting out, "Y-you can't. You won't be able to defeat Donghun."

Rolling his eyes, Yoongi crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in his seat. "Are you looking down on me because I'm a fox? Because I haven't been sparring openly in the battle training?"

Jungkook clenches his jaw tight, holding back from responding immediately in fear that he would only end up saying the wrong things. He tries to level his emotions and try to speak more calmly, "No, of course not. All I'm saying is that perhaps you should wait until you have enough experience to battle against the Lions before you challenge the next assessment trial. No matter what rank you are aiming for."

After taking one quick glance around to make sure that nobody is listening in, despite the fact that the lion shifters rarely spend time in the packhouse, Jungkook quickly adds, "The lions have always been preparing themselves for this. They've been waiting for the moment when they could contribute to the pack other than acting as guards for the South borders and they have been training years for it, so you can be sure that the lions will be dominating the trial this month. They are ready to go to war, and there is no doubt that they wouldn't hold back on the assessment trial no matter what. Whatever you had to face three years ago with Donghun will only escalate now. Not to mention with the younger generation of lions finally coming to the age to fight, you might be dealing with a lot more competitors than you would have in a regular trial."

At first, Yoongi simply returns Jungkook's gaze with a hard look. There is a subtle hint that shows how Yoongi becomes hyperaware of how close they are with Jungkook leaning over the table to talk to him, but he hides his expression well, remaining calm as he listens to Jungkook until the wolf is done talking.

While Jungkook feels the urgency of stopping Yoongi from hurting himself, the fox only gives him a sly grin. "Are you worried about me, Kookie?" he taunts the wolf, making Jungkook tense. He hates the fact that he actually is worried for Yoongi's sake, and he hates that the damn fox is not taking him seriously. "I know what I'm up against and I want to show everyone that a fox like me can do just what everyone else could. In fact, I know that I can do even better. Don't worry, I have my own tricks up my sleeves."

Jungkook looks at Hoseok for help, but the sly older wolf only gives him an amused smile instead of helping him to at least try and change Yoongi's mind. Yoongi leans back in his seat, completely unaware of their silent exchange. Before Jungkook or Hoseok can say anything else, he picks up his empty plate and rises up from his seat. "Anyway, it's been fun sharing this with you," he says with a sneer. "I'm afraid it's my time to go."

"Where are you going?" Jungkook questions him before he can stop himself.

"Beta Taehyung's house. He is still away on the mission he was sent to by his father and the Alpha, and I need to oversee the shift change for the guards that have been chosen to watch over his mate," Yoongi calmly answers him, the sneer that he had put on is long gone, replaced with the softness in his voice that he always carries whenever he talks about Taehyung's human mate. "I also promised the Beta's mate that I'll come to stay with her tonight, just in case she's in the mood for another movie night."

Hoseok chuckles. "You seem to be enjoying your new duty of babysitting the Beta's mate."

"She's is pretty cool," Yoongi shrugs a little before grinning. "And she shares her ice cream with me. You know how pregnant women can be with their cravings. Which reminds me, I should probably stop by at my Mom's bakery shop to grab some of those oatmeal cookies she was craving for this morning."

And with that, Yoongi simply walks away without so much of a glance at the wolves he is leaving behind at the table. Jungkook keeps his eyes on him for a moment then turns to his companion, and he is surprised to see the expression that Head Enforcer is wearing right before their eyes meet. There is a curious look in his gaze when Hoseok follows Yoongi's retracting back with his eyes, and the look remains when he turns back to Jungkook. "You're mates."

Jungkook's eyes grow wide. "I don't know what you are—" he begins to stutter, ready to defend himself, to deny everything, before he only sighs in defeat. "We're not sure."

"What do you mean?" Hoseok asks him, and it takes a moment of contemplating it before Jungkook begins spilling his secrets—his and Yoongi's—once most of the pack members hovering around them begin to leave the room.

He starts from the beginning, starting from how he had sensed Yoongi's arrival to the day they finally recognised each other as mates, and he continued to tell him about their decision to deny and ignore the bond without breaking them, knowing what it would do to them once the mating bond is severed on purpose, before adding the part which has become the biggest question of all. "Why would the moon pair up two straight males together?" he asks, leaving out the fact that they had come close to give in, only to confirm that it wouldn't work between them. Nor the fact that each of them had already tried to start a relationship with other shifters—female shifters—only to end up feeling like traitors who had defiled the sacred bond given by the moon.

"Why don't you ask the Oracle?" Hoseok asks after he is done listening to Jungkook's story, referring to one of the Elders who is also a part shaman and someone who has been around for long enough to be able to give advices to those in need. "I know that you can't go to the Elders because they'll end up telling you to take any chosen female as your mates," he adds, to which Jungkook responds with a grunt. "Or, if you're uncomfortable with him, go to Mage Kim. You know, Beta Jin's mate. She's a clairvoyant and was said to have the ability to talk to our ancestors through her rituals. Perhaps she can help find better answers that way."

Right at that instance, Jungkook's mind retreats back to the day Beta Jin arrived in the pack. The day when Jungkook stood in the Alpha's office and exchanged glances with the Beta's mate. He had almost erased that day from his thoughts. But there are times like today when he would remember the feeling he had that day, when he was standing there under the witch's perusing gaze, and how he felt as if she was unfolding his secrets silently, peeling layer after layer of his mask to reveal his deepest and darkest secret.

One glance from the little witch, and Jungkook felt completely exposed under her eyes. Stripped from the mask he was wearing. And then, when the witch smiled to him before the pair of them left to rest for the evening, it had almost seemed like she had uncovered the truth, that she knew he was hiding something.

Something big.

Something like having a mate that he couldn't possibly talk to other people about to gain advice.

He has no idea if there is anyone in the pack who had noticed his secrets, for he has yet to share this matter with anyone else. Not even the Alpha. As he is afraid of what the others would think if anyone would find out. No matter how progressive the pack has grown over the years, and how the pack members have learned to welcome quite a few same-sex shifters coupling into the pack, he still has no clue just how they would take the news when they find out that there are two straight male shifters who have been paired together by the Moon Goddess.

Glancing away towards where Yoongi had disappeared to a while ago, Jungkook's mind wanders off to the only other person who had found out about their little secret.

Yoongi had somehow gotten close to Beta Taehyung's human mate over the years. Seeing that both of them had entered the pack almost at the same time and they were then initiated into the pack together at the same night, Jungkook could understand why. The human has a high awareness of her surroundings and the people around her, something that was to be expected as the daughter of the Village Chief from Rivermouth Hills village.

They had grown so close that Beta Taehyung had even grown to trust Yoongi to watch over his mate from time to time, since the Lycan hybrid had always taken up some important jobs from the Alpha to deal with—like the one he is dealing with today. So it wasn't too surprising when it had turned out that Yoongi had confided in the human about their predicament. And since the human herself enjoys helping others, it wasn't quite a surprise when she finally lend a hand to help them find answers.

It was during last winter when Yoongi appeared at Jungkook's cabin after months of being away on duty, inviting him suddenly for a walk through the woods, only to end up meeting the female human not too far away. The Beta's mate was kind enough to take them on a little trip, to take them to visit the newly mated couple who have been residing close to the South borders, right at the part of the land which was way more secluded and was perfect enough for anyone in need for solitude.

Meeting the mated couple had opened both Yoongi and Jungkook's eyes, letting them know that there was indeed something different about their bond. Not only because unlike them, but the two mated males that they had come to meet that day had also been bisexuals, which had meant that their pairing had been reasonable, and less painful to deal with. They had even admitted that both males had been attracted to each other even before they recognised each other as their fated mates, even if they had different partners or lovers before the day happened when the sparks between them came to rise, how it felt so explosive that both males felt like the world around them would burn if they had come together.

"The moon doesn't make a mistake," said Yeongwon, one of the pair who was a lion shifter and, apparently, a newly appointed Enforcer guarding the South border. "But the moon is never honest with its intention either. It keeps its secret tightly, never once revealing the master plan behind the pairings of all fated mates. But the moon is always generous about its gift, and the mating bond is the moon's greatest gift of all."

Jungkook remembers how he had come home that night feeling just as lost as he did before he got there, and how Yoongi was feeling the same thing that he had come up to Jungkook's cabin that night and Jungkook had let him in so both males could sulk together in his tiny living room. Though they had to do it while keeping their distance from one another, since they couldn't trust themselves to not repeat the same old mistakes as the last time they were confined together in Jungkook's cabin.

Pinching his nose, Jungkook tries to snap himself out of it and focus on the present. Thinking about what Hoseok had said to him, Jungkook realises that the Head Enforcer may have a point. While Jungkook doesn't see any option of turning to the Elders or the intimidating Oracle for help, he may have a bigger chance of finding answers by turning to the kind witch instead.

"You're right, perhaps Mage Kim would have some clues on what to do," Jungkook muses, though he still feels uncertain about turning to the witch about this matter. But he is tired of questioning everything, of doubting the Moon Goddess and even himself. Finding the answers would not only be liberating, but it would be able to give them a way out of this instead of spending their long days skirting around each other without knowing what to do. "I'll try to talk to her, and I'm going to convince Yoongi to come with me too."