"I couldn't have..." Jungkook cried, running his hands up his own arms to hug himself carefully; softly feeling the silk of his robe kiss the palms of his hands. "I couldn't have done it... I couldn't have broken my promise! I tried so hard to keep him in my head and focus on him, but I let it go and harmed him!"

       "You didn't know any better, you couldn't hold on long enough and couldn't focus. Ruts can make you do the craziest things, I know it does. Blaming yourself about the past isn't going to fix what happened. If Jimin was truly marked, then you have to accept it. What are the odds of Jimin facing the same issue? It would be tough on him as well, he's engaged and he lives under his father's wing," Yoongi said, watching the king lose himself in the endless guilt that peaked around the corner.

       "Yoongi, I promised him. If he is marked as mine, he must be crying and despising every second I take breathing! I don't want my omega to hate me... I don't want a relationship my Mother and Father had, I just want someone to love me..."

        "You're overreacting. Jimin is a smart boy, I'm sure he will understand that even you couldn't handle what was done that night. When it comes to things like these, you need to take a step back and notice it, talk about it, understand it, and let it be. It's all in the process of letting things go, everything happens for a reason, Jungkook," Yoongi spoke softly. His words of guidance always had a caring tone underneath the sound of his deep and calming voice.

       Jungkook pondered the words of his head guard and processed it further. Yoongi was always there for him to guide the king into making the right decisions. Even if the king could easily have an advisor help him make these decisions, no one was as close to the king other than his personal head guard. Surely, there could be his other advisor within the royal court to guide him on making peace with other lands and demanding war if necessary, but none of them carried such valuable words and personal coaching like Yoongi did. The two were closer than any other royal court members to the king.

       As the full moon rose to its highest in the night sky, Jungkook laid in his bed with a white silk robe as his hair still remained in a topknot tie without the crown sitting over it. The window was open and his eyes met with the moon lying ahead as it had yet to reach the top. As the king looked at the moon from afar, allowing the moonlight to shine into his room, he still contemplated the silence; the thickness of the atmosphere of being alone. At times, he could recall the feeling of ecstasy with Jimin, it was written along the walls of the silent room. The way he had the omega huffing against his skin, moaning his name and gasping at every thrust. It all felt familiar, but the memory was like the wind blowing in around him; it was something he felt, but couldn't grasp with his hands.

       Once the king found himself falling asleep after exhausting himself with his constant overthinking, his eyes weighed in closed and his lashes rested over the under part of his eyes. Just then, the door to his room slid open and that alone was enough to awaken the boy before he slipped into slumber for the night. His gaze shot up to the entry as he tugged his blanket to see the familiar omega he longed to be with, Park Jimin.

      Jimin stood at the entry after sliding the door shut, gazing at the king in silence as they took a moment to allow their gaze to meet after such a long time apart. Surely it didn't take long since it was only three days, but the two were too closely bonded to believe that three days were too long to even stay away.

      Jungkook sat up with a smile over his childish gaze before he got out of bed. "Jimin!" Jungkook spoke out and watched Jimin's face carry a tale of worry as if it weighed down on him along with the weight of the world. The swan was exhausted sneaking into the palace and he was also tired deep down for holding back such a secret he couldn't bear to keep in.

      "Jungkook..." Jimin whispered softly and watched the king approach him to hug his body close. The omega closed his eyes into the gentle hug, feeling as if the constant pain in his mark was lathered with a medical infusion and wrapped around in a warm bandaid to ease his wounds. "I missed you..." Jimin whispered and inhaled the alpha's fragrant scent he craved.

     "I missed you too! What are you doing here?" Jungkook asked. Just then, his eyes opened to see Jimin's hair was let down and cut short, making the king's eyes widen at the sudden appearance of his partner. "Jimin, what happened to you?" Jungkook asked and pulled away, resting the palms of his hands over the small and plump shoulders of the omega. "Your hair... it's cut!"

       "I-I know..." Jimin whispered, moving his head aside to press the side of his cheek against the back of the alpha's hand; adoring the warm and caring touch of the alpha. Softly, Jungkook then turned his hand and cupped Jimin's face.

      "What happened?" Jungkook asked and pointed Jimin's face to his own with the same hand that was in contact with his cheek from before. "Tell me everything..."

       "Jungkook, my father and I got into an argument once I came back from the river. During the argument, I tried to leave and he pulled me by the hair, forcing me to say I belong to him... but I didn't want to say it. He pulled my hair and I had to set myself free, so I..." Jimin paused and raised his hand to run the ends of his hair back.

       "You cut it so he wouldn't hold you there longer..." Jungkook finished the omega's sentence and tilted his head to look at Jimin's short hairstyle. The omega had the brooch holding down the sides of his hair at the center while the rest was let down. "Where's your ribbon?"

      "I don't want to wear it..." Jimin whispered and turned his head to face the alpha. "I hate tying it to my hair and being labeled as an unmarried omega, it makes me feel like that's my only purpose, you know how I am, Jungkook..."

       "Don't wear it if you don't want to, but I also don't want you to get into any trouble or have your reputation ruined over such little things that could be avoided."

        "Let it be ruined!" Jimin cried and turned his face away from the alpha before pacing away and hiding his tears. "It's already going to be as bad as it is..."

       "What do you mean, Jimin?"

      "I came here tonight... because I couldn't stay away from you any longer. It was killing me, Jungkook," Jimin whispered and hugged himself as he imagined themselves under the moon shining over them in the night sky; surrounded by darkness with only itself as a source of light. "It kills me to be far from my alpha..."

       "My... al...pha?" Jungkook repeated to himself as his eyes finally blew wide. Finally noting what the head guard spoke of, was the real answer to his dire thoughts. "Jimin.."

       There, the omega pulled the red ribbon to his purple upper coat and slowly removed it. Dropping the top of his coat to rest over his elbows as his upper back was revealed to the king, as well as the mark he had over his neck. The omega hesitated as he then turned around to face the young alpha and finally revealed his mark.

      "Look at me..." Jimin whispered and couldn't even dare to look at the alpha in the eyes himself, fearing what words he could say. But then, silence ensued, drowning the two in the loud stillness that suffocated them both in the process. "Why aren't you saying anything?" whispered Jimin in a soft and shaky voice, looking at the alpha after holding back. "Say something..."

       "Jimin..." Jungkook spoke out, not knowing what to say at the sight of his swan revealing his mark. The king approached the beautiful man as he then grabbed his smaller hands into his own. Feeling every soft end to Jimin's fingers slowly interlocking with his. "I'm sorry..."

       "Y-You promised me," Jimin spoke up and looked at his alpha in tears. He trembled as his eyes remained locked onto the king, but no further words came out but his endless cries that pushed him to press his head against Jeon Jungkook's chest. "You promised me!" Jimin cried. Removing his hands from the alpha's grasps and clinging his clutches onto the king's silk robe tightly. "You promised me, Jungkook!" He continued to cry as he grew upset at himself every moment he cried to his alpha, Jimin was only confused and deep down, he blamed himself each time he yelled at his alpha.

        "Jimin, please!" Jungkook said, running his hand up Jimin's bare arms and holding his wrists gently. "I had no idea... I couldn't hold on and I couldn't focus, you know I wouldn't do this to you when I promised you will marry me at your word."

        "J-Jungkook..."

        "I'm sorry... I'm sorry," the king whispered into Jimin's ear softly and hugged him close. "I wish you never came to me that night, so I wouldn't have harmed you. Hurting you was the last thing I ever wanted to do, Jimin,"

       Jimin listened to the king and acknowledged that it wasn't his fault. It was no one's fault at all! But deep down, Jimin wanted to blame someone, he wanted to blame someone for the pain of his own decisions that lead him to this. But blaming the alpha? He couldn't even dare to pull through with something like that when the king was innocent, Jimin was innocent, no one was to blame and that was what made the omega so confused. He wanted the luxury of demanding things and letting them take action upon his words, once that was stripped away from him, he was left back to square one. Longing for a chance to prove that he wasn't just any omega that could be taken for granted like he was just a rare jewel put up for sale.

       "If you hate me... I understand. But, no matter what you say or do, you would never find a moment apart from me now. I took away your voice and words cannot explain how much pain I feel inside me for doing this to you, I-"

       "I don't hate you, Jungkook... even if the moment took my choice away from me, you matter more to me than anything. Jungkook, I don't know what to feel, but I know that holding this against you isn't fair. You're innocent, but oh, how upset do I feel about not having a say in things, we'll have eternity together either way... but, can I still have the words to say when?" Jimin asked and raised his hands up to cup the alpha's face carefully. "It's stupid, it has no purpose, but just the feeling of you trusting in me, giving me such a powerful decision has made me so happy... being with you is what causes the grin on my face to glow."

       "If you still want a say when to marry me, take it. Do what you please, I can't help but to think your choice was finalized without even thinking about it. The omega that belonged to no one, belongs to the King now... how terrifying is that? I couldn't imagine it. But, to me, you do not belong to me, you are your own omega by my side, understood? I don't want you to hate what we have here because you never had the choice. If one day you wake up and decide to never marry me, I'll marry another and you'll be within the palace court, so pain wouldn't haunt you then." Jungkook whispered and watched the tear in Jimin's eyes escape and run down his pale skin.

      "The fact that you would do anything for me... makes me feel as if this is where my heart truly remains. Thank you, Jungkook..." Jimin whispered. Letting out an exhale as Jungkook's hands buried in the ends of Jimin's short hair.

      They pressed their foreheads together and took a moment in silence once more to accept the way that things were. They were bound together in eternity, locking the two together in a steel room with no windows or doors. But, Jungkook made sure he was able to find a way out in case the omega wanted to leave what they had here. He didn't want his swan to suffocate in the room with no windows in case he wanted to leave, so as much as it hurt the king, he made sure Jimin would have a way out if he was to ever choose that path.