♤36
(Jungkook's pov)
We settled for some tea and cupcakes because granny thinks coffee is unhealthy. Sipping on the hot liquid, I looked up at mom and granny who sat across me, on the other side of the table. The leather couch got warmer as I placed my hands on either side of my thighs, to scoot backwards and lean into the cushions.
"What did it feel like?" Gran asked, grinning wide.
"What did, what feel like?" I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Turning into a dog" She laughed.
"Wolf..I'm a wolf" I corrected.
"Yeah that.." She rolled her eyes.
I'd almost forgotten that she could literally see everything with those 'visions' that she has..something that wasn't passed on. She had learnt it from one of her mysterious neighbors when she was young.
"It's painful. I'm still not accustomed to all the bone breaking and muscles stretching." I answered.
"I don't have much advice to give on that.." She smiled, "You're the first wolf boy in our family ".
I nodded, smirking to myself proudly. Indeed I was the first one. If there were any others, I could tell, just by smelling things out.
"We are here to talk about Kookie's mate" Mom cut in, getting to the point.
"Ah yes.." Granny smiled, "the pretty little girl!".
That made me smile shyly.
"This is all I have" I passed the notebook from my pocket to gran.
She reached out for her spectacles that were placed on the side table. Putting them on, she flipped through a few pages. Looking through some of Chae's pictures I'd taken the time to print out and stick it in the book and a few irrelevant points below written by me, along with the relevant and significant ones.. she nodded to herself.
"There's this book.."She looked up at me and I shifted to the edge of my seat, ready to stand up, "It is in my room. Grey cover with a seal..ugh you won't find it " She groaned, standing up herself before walking towards her room.
I checked my watch every few seconds, almost wanting to follow the old woman and look for her book with her, but I restrained myself. She expected a lot of privacy in certain matters and her books were one of those.
"Here you are! " I heard the familiar old voice call out from her room, followed by footsteps towards the living room where mother and I were seated.
Instead of moving back to the couch where she had sat with mum, she approached me. Plopping down beside my tensed figure, she hunched down to turn pages and squint a little in an attempt to absorb the text printed in black ink on a brownish parchment page.
"This.." She pointed to a picture, it was tattoo similar to mine. Hell, it was the same one.
"That's the one I have " I said quickly, shrugging my jacket off to tug at the collar of my shirt to reveal the tattoo on my neck.
"Yes yes, good" She nodded knowingly and I relaxed slowly, watching her turn to the book again to flip through a few more pages.
"This?" She pointed at another image, a darker one. It was a star, drawn on the floor with something that looked like charcoal.
A small baby was placed at the center of the pentacle, unrecognizable symbols drawn around in blood? I assumed. It looked like some ritual. Dark magic perhaps? I wasn't sure.
"I don't know.." I mumbled, making the old woman nod again.
I glanced at mother, who only sat calmly on the other couch, watching us patiently. She gave me a nod of assurance, as if it'd be alright.
"How about this?" Granny looked up at me, this time..pushing her book onto my lap.
"I've seen it!" I exclaimed, a feeling of worry and relief washing over me..unsure of what to feel.
"Where? Chae's upper arm?" She asked.
"No, lower back" I responded quickly..recalling the dark Cresent moon on her skin.
"Dear God.." She shook her head, rubbing the tips of her fingers over her forehead for a few seconds, as if in frustration.
"Is something wrong? She is my mate, right?" I panicked.
"Yes yes, she is.." Granny sighed.
"That's all I wanted to know.." I grinned, shutting the book on my lap.
"You don't want to know why your tattoo doesn't glow?" She snapped as I stood up to place the book back on her lap.
"Does it matter? I know it won't glow for anyone else.." I smiled.
"It won't..but you need to know. This is unusual and important " Granny argued.
"I don't care, really " I shrugged, grabbing another cupcake.
"It will get you killed!" She yelled, her voice cracking a bit as it bounced off the walls.
"What?" Mom leaned forward.
"It's a curse.." Granny got onto her feet and I reached forward to lend a hand, "probably passed on from her mother..".
"I don't get it" I shook my head.
"Her mother, grandmother or some woman in that lineage is cursed and that is what's passed down to Chae.."
"Okay..but what does it do? Keeps my tattoo from glowing?" I raised my voice.
"No, it will kill you.." She added.
There was silence in the house. Staring at the white haired woman, I stood rooted to the spot until mum had, had enough.
"Jungkook! Sit down. Ma, explain everything..starting from the scratch"
Granny sighed as I plopped down on the sofa.
"Its a curse, passed down from a mother to her daughter, to her daughter and so on.." She paused, flipping a page and turning the book over, to show us something, "you see, it's simple" She pointed at a triangle. A moon, a female and male bodies were drawn at the three vertices of that triangle.
"Wolves are made in pairs. You grow up and find your counterpart..thats what you call, 'finding your mate'. It's a natural process, that always happens so smoothly, you barely notice a hindrance. It is only when this process is cut off or when something goes wrong..." She took a deep breath, "everything you know, falls apart".
I eyed her skeptically, absorbing every word she uttered as best as I could.
"A wolf can't love someone else more than their mate.. What do you think would happen if they did?" She raised a brow at mum.
"I don't know. You said wolves were made in pairs. So if one of them chose someone else, then the other would be heartbroken..angry even.." mother shrugged.
"Angry. Yes. What happens when a wolf gets angry, Kookie?" Granny turned to me.
"Uh- I don't know.."
"What would you do if Chae fell in love with another man?" She smirked.
"I would kill him, no doubt"
"easy!" She exclaimed, "and if she truly loved him more than you, she'd be driven insane by the death of her lover, wouldn't she?"
I nodded.
"..and she would kill you.."
"I'm her mate! She wouldn't kill me!"I snapped.
"I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about mates in general, using you two as an example.." She shook her head.
The room fell silent for a few more seconds, "so yeah where was I?"
"She kills her mate" I prompted.
"Yeah, right! And that, my child, would disrupt the natural order. What happens now?"
"I really don't know, grandma"
"A curse would befall on her and her daughters and granddaughters to come.." She spoke calmly.
"So, a lady killed her mate and acquired a curse. Why would it affect the entire generation?" I groaned.
"Your grandpa made a lot of money. It is now passed down to you, isn't it?" She wiggled her brows at me, "this works the same way".
"What does the curse entail, anyway?" I rose a brow.
"It isn't very complicated. It is just that, none of the women in that genetic line will ever live with their mates"
"So you're telling me Chae's ancestral line is cursed? And her mother and grandmother are wolves?" I questioned.
"Yes.." She nodded.
"Um, that explains the mild scent I always get when I go into her room. I never mentioned it to her though.." I paused, "Talking about mates, her parents' marriage is as stable as ever" I argued.
"You only see what they show.." Granny smiled, "talk to Chae's mother again. Ask her about herself and you will find out" She finished.
"The curse.. What do you mean they can't live with their mate? Jungkook is in love with Chae, and I'm sure they'll be happy together." Mother cut in.
"Happy? Oh dear-" Granny laughed, "your son will die the moment he marks her. And she will loose her mate forever, just like all her ancestors did "
I swallowed hard, trying to maintain my composure, "and the mark on her lower back..?"
"Its a seal.." She flipped a few pages in the book to get to the page with the image of a baby in the middle of a pentacle, the one she had shown me earlier , "this is a ritual, performed to keep the baby's future mate's tattoo from glowing. That way, she will never find her man, and he will never find her. It prevents death".
"So Chae is cursed.. And I will die the moment I mark her?" I questioned.
"Yes"
And with that, I could feel myself shatter into bits and pieces. Pain, confusion and fear overtaking me at once, making me look out for a ray of non-existent hope.
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AN-
I tried to write it as well as I could. I hope it isn't too confusing 🙈
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