Chapter Text
Moodboard by@7timesSana
"When time comes, the summer wind will change everything," the elders of the Kim pack often say, "and when it does, it will not ask for permission."
But the summer wind hasn't arrived… yet.
🌑
Today, the two Kim pack wolves, Jimin and Taehyung, sit lazily at the river Geum. Their pack land follows the curve of this slow, silver river, stretching from the sun-warmed meadows in the south to the dense pinewoods in the north. With their feet plunged into the water, both wolves enjoy the fresh stream underneath the burning summer sun. The river moves slowly beside them and neither does care about anything else than their personal comfort.
"It was so awful," Taehyung groans. The handsome omega with his sun-kissed skin and bright smile, which is currently curved into a frown, is Jimin's best friend and the reason Jimin hasn't lost his mind yet. They have known each other since they were pups as they were born in the same year.
Sighing, Taehyung blows some sticky strands of brown hair from his face. "I hate heats. Everyone acts as if it's supposed to be wonderful, but alone, it just felt wrong. I felt like I was presenting again."
Jimin hums in bored agreement. Despite being raised like an omega by two omegan parents, he never presented as one. To tell the truth, he never presented as anything. He is neither an omega, like Taehyung for example, nor an alpha. For him, eighteen springs, the typical age to present, had come and gone in humiliating silence. Even when everyone else he knew presented, he stayed the same.
"I'm serious," Taehyung insists and continues to weave his fingers through the shallow water. "It was too much. At some point, I wanted to pull out my hair."
Usually, presenting changes a wolf over night, for example their scent glands finally fully develop and hormones reach their peak. In Jimin's case, though, there was no heat, he didn't produce slick, and didn't live through delirious hours in which he would demand and demand.
That's why he doesn't know what the pull and the feverish sweetness feels like and if it feels right or wrong. And to be honest, after seeing twenty-eight winters, he has lost every hope that he will ever do.
"The first night was the worst. I couldn't sleep because it was just too hot and every little sound was too loud. Horrible. Simply horrible. Never want that again," Taehyung sighs, "I mean, you know I love being an omega and all, but I could definitely live without heats."
In their culture, or more particularly in the Kim pack, being an omega is wonderful. Even the younger wolves always praise the many advantages of being an omega. Their voices are full of excitement or envy when they compare the different subgenders in front of the fireplace. Omegas are said to be the emotional spine of every pack body. They are the negotiators and the ones whose pheromones can even calm a feral alpha.
"I wish I could just lie in my nest all the time and sleep. That would be awesome, wouldn't it, Jimin-ah?"
Both of Jimin's parents are omegas and they always end their disputes with nothing but their scents and soft words. Jimin has always admired them for it. Almost proudly, he walked around the pack territory when he was coming of age, waiting every second to get his first heat and be like his parents, but nothing happened. He didn't present that spring, nor the next, or the one after. In truth, he never presented. The saying that his 'time will come' is a blatant lie in his humble opinion.
"And I swear I smelled those stinky alphas who have to patrol around the huts, more than usual." Still, Taehyung hasn't stopped his monologue.
A faint chuckle leaves Jimin's lips. It's like he's almost amused about everything, but he's not, not really. He plucks a blade of grass and twirls it between his fingers. Alpha pheromones have never changed anything for him either. The healer recommended at some point that Jimin should be close to a rutting alpha to see if he got triggered, but still, he didn't experience a heat, also no rut, and nothing in between. It never worked on him.
"I didn't even eat. Nothing. That's why I am so hungry at the moment. I could eat half a deer myself," Taehyung still rambles.
The only thing that gets a reaction out of Jimin is the scent of other omegas. He doesn't like it one bit. Especially when the omegas are fresh out of heat and smell like sticky honey. His best friend Taehyung is the only one he can tolerate, as Taehyung smells more like unruly wildflowers than sweet nectar.
"I think I even talked to myself at one point," Taehyung admits with a sheepish grin. "Out loud. And you know what I said? To behave. Yup. I told my body to behave and finally get over this shit."
The pack's oldest healer once whispered that perhaps Jimin's body is simply refusing to present, and that sometimes nature produces anomalies, but Jimin doesn't want to be an anomaly. To be fair, who wants to be an anomaly?
That's why he doesn't think about the topic more than he should. It just upsets him.
Uninterested, he pulls his feet from the water and stretches out on the grass with his hands folded behind his head. The grass is cool and tickles his damp skin. His brown eyes are half-closed and hidden behind his shiny silvery hair when he takes a deep breath to get rid of the tight feeling in his chest.
"Don't pretend like you wouldn't have laughed if you had seen me, because you absolutely would have."
A dragonfly flies low over the river Geum, its wings reflecting the sunlight in rainbow colours. Taehyung nudges Jimin's ankle with his elbow, the kind of touch only old friends can give without words.
"You're doing that thing again, Jimin."
"What thing?" Jimin doesn't open his eyes.
"Where you pretend you don't care about all this cycle stuff."
Jimin snorts softly. "I don't care."
Taehyung turns his head to look at him fully now. Heat still lingers faintly in his scent, making Jimin breathe a little more shallowly again.
"You used to care, though."
Jimin lets the silence stretch. Somewhere upstream, a fish breaks the surface with a splash.
"I did when I was a pup," he says at last. "Pups care about all kinds of things."
"That wasn't a pup thing."
Jimin finally opens his eyes. The sky above them is painfully blue and almost blinds him the first second.
"It doesn't matter."
Maybe it does matter, but Jimin won't admit it. Years of unheard prayers, useless herbal teas, and whispered rumours made him a tad bit jaded.
Taehyung sits up, water dripping from his calves as he pulls his feet out the river, too.
"Did you hear about the council's meeting tonight?"
"No, I didn't." Jimin welcomes the fact that Taehyung has changed the subject. "But it's no surprise. They meet every week."
"Not like this."
Of course not like this. The atmosphere in the pack has been different in the past few weeks Patrols have doubled along the Southern border and their hunters have returned earlier than usual.
Jimin pushes himself upright, grass sticking to his damp skin. He pushes a strand of his silvery hair from his face, revealing his cute little nose with the tiny bump on the bridge and the soft and thick lips.
"Do you think it's about the bear again?"
"Don't know. I just know from Yoongi hyung that they found fresh tracks near the border. Big ones."
A bear wandering too close to the pack lands is no small matter. In late summer they are unpredictable. One wrong encounter could leave a wolf gutted or crushed beneath a single, brutal swipe. Even alphas think twice before challenging one alone.
"Anyway, I should go," Taehyung says after a long quiet moment in which the river murmurs softly.
Jimin turns his head. "Already?"
"Halmeoni asked me to help her sort the drying herbs before sunset. She wants everything stored properly. You know that she always says that tension makes wolves careless, and scared wolves are the worst. She needs enough herbs when the healers are running out their stashes."
That sounds exactly like Taehyung's grandmother. She is tough and respected enough that even the pack leader listens when she speaks. It stems from a saying that elders always feel the shift in wind before the rest of them do.
Jimin nudges Taehyung's side lightly with his elbow. "Don't stay out too long, and be careful when you get home afterwards."
"Says the one who lives closer to the border than anyone else."
"Taehyung."
"I will."
"Promise?"
"Always." Taehyung rises to his feet and stretches. "Same goes for you, okay?"
Jimin lives at the farthest edge of the pack grounds, very close to the Southern border. His hut is the only one in that area and he wouldn't change that for anything.
He smiles and waves Taehyung off. "What could ever happen to me?"
🌒
He hears the first howl when the moon is high up in the sky.
It's nothing to be afraid of or worried as their pack's hunters always communicate with howls. Short howls are meant to signal each wolf's position and longer ones are used when they want to announce a successful hunt. Still, for a second, Jimin is confused as the sound doesn't quite resemble anyone he knows. Their leading hunter, Yoongi, has a rough howl with a particular edge to it, and Namjoon's would have been deeper and more powerful, as he is the pack leader's son. The others barely use it, but maybe it's different today.
"You're overthinking again," he whispers. "Like always."
There could be many reasons like wind or distorting sounds coming from the trees and the river.
"Maybe just a fox or a wind-twisted branch," he thinks loudly.
He dips his cloth back into the bucket and wrings it out. The water drips between his fingers as he hums a simple melody. He washes the sweat and dust from his skin, wipes along the neck and his collarbones. Goosebumps spread over his back when the cold cloth glides down his shoulders and across his chest.
Suddenly, there is another howl. This one is longer this time, making Jimin still again in his movements. Something is tugging beneath his ribs. For a moment, he thinks of the bear and their pack's hunters, but in the end he knows that it can't be one of their own. The first howl would have been answered immediately by others if it were a call for help. The whole pack would probably be on alert in seconds.
"Don't be stupid," he whispers sharply to himself. "It's… nothing."
If there's no chaos inside, there surely is no danger. He exhales through his nose to force the tightness in his chest to ease. Inside of the hut, it's quiet, and the darkness on the other side of his window looks peaceful and deceptively ordinary.
He starts drying himself and dresses in loose sleeping clothes made out of linen. The soft summer wind that comes through the window opening ruffles the fabric. Fingers running through still-damp hair, Jimin moves to the small wooden table and blows out the little candle. The soft smell of beeswax gets replaced by stingy smoke.
"Good. Done."
He walks to his nest. Yes, he has a nest. It is one of the many omegan things he learned from his parents, and one of the few things he still does without actually being an omega himself. All because he likes it. His heart rate rises when he sees the carefully folded and rolled furs lying in the corner of the room, lined with woollen blankets. He kneels beside it and brushes a hand over the soft piles. It's his safe space, his home.
"It's okay. I'm okay."
He lies down and curls into his favourite woollen blanket. The warmth seeps through him instantly and his eyelids grow heavy. His breathing goes slower and when he is almost there, almost sleeping, there is a sharp scratch at the door.
It cuts through the quiet and Jimin freezes. It can't be a branch or a bird. Then, there's another sound. Jimin sits upright. His breath is catching and goosebumps prick along his arms and neck.
Fuck, he thinks sharply. What's that?
The next noise sounds like a thump, as if something is moving right by his door.
"Taehyung?" His voice is small, trembling slightly. "Eomma? Appa?"
He hopes it's one of them and not… the bear. But none of them answers.
Fuck, fuck, fuck,…
He jumps up. He knows he lives very close to the tree line, probably a bit too close when a bear is roaming around their territory, but he hoped it wouldn't come so close.
"Is anybody there?" he tries again.
No answer. He swallows hard. His instincts scream escape through one of the back windows, but something deeper in him pulls him toward the front door. It's stronger than he wants to, as if fate is helping to pull. With trembling limbs and a racing heartbeat, he walks to the door.
Picking up a candle from a little stool, he tries one last time, "I'm coming. Who's there?"
Step by step, he moves toward the door, and then, he smells it: fresh forest scent. It swirls around him and grips his chest. He takes a deep breath. The scent reminds him of wet pine needles that get crushed beneath paws.
This is no bear. It can't be. He knows how bears smell. Their scent is musky and thick, but this smell is different. It presses against him like the hottest summer sun but also makes the hairs on his arms stand on end like in the coldest winter. With every step, it gets stronger until it wraps around him with a strength he has never known. It is earthy, cool, and a tiny bit sweet, but also powerful.
His breath comes faster and he leans forward to get more of it. His fingers itch. Meanwhile, his skin prickles as if it's hot and alive. The scent is intoxicating, but his lungs crave it. He doesn't even realise that he has long had his hand on the door bolt and is just about to pull it open, although every scary story he heard as a pup warned of something like this.
Don't. Don't open it. Don't… The voice in his head is tiny and barely there. It's too easy to ignore the warnings.
The door creaks when Jimin opens it and before he can fully process it, a dark figure bursts inside and slams him into the wall.
"What?!" Jimin shouts when he tries to stay on his feet.
There is a wolf in his hut, or rather, a man, an alpha.
"Who are you?!" Jimin asks.
The man is huge and imposing, with his muscles visibly straining under torn clothing. Blood paints the fabric across his entire left shoulder.
Still in shock, Jimin can't move. "I asked who you are?"
The stranger moves quickly, maybe even desperately, brushing aside the few belongings Jimin has in his hut.
"What the fuck do you want?" Jimin asks one last time.
Nothing. The man still doesn't answer. His hands are fast. He searches under the small wooden table, under the few buckets, in the two cupboards, and when he finds nothing, he turns to Jimin's nest.
But Jimin snaps and jumps into action.
"Hey! Stop! Who–what… are you…"
The man freezes mid-reach. His breathing is hard, and now, Jimin finally sees that he has one hand pressed to a bleeding gash on his left side.
"What–"
Their gazes meet. Golden eyes are looking at Jimin and it feels like the world opens up beneath his feet. Heat fills his entire body until his core is burning. It's involuntarily and sinks deep into him.
"A rogue," Jimin breathes.
Rogues do not enter pack territory without reason, but this alpha is clearly one. Jimin can see it, feel it, and smell it. The scent that has wrapped around him outside slowly gets suffocating inside the small hut. It's an alpha, and on top, purely a pureblooded one. An alpha who carries an alpha's essence in every cell of their body.
Jimin's knees almost buckle. His heartbeat slams violently against his ribs as his instincts tell him to run or to hide… or to bare his throat.
The rogue's golden eyes darken slightly as he studies Jimin, who takes a cautious step back. He doesn't want to provoke the strange man.
"Hey, beta."
The word lands wrong. That's not what Jimin expected at all. It doesn't insult him, but it feels like it offends him in a certain way.
"What?" The word comes out breathless, almost offended. "Beta?"
The rogue's head tilts again. He definitely looks more wolfish than human. Nothing like anyone in the pack would. He uncontrolled as if he is not holding back, or as if he doesn't want to waste time explaining his thoughts.
Instead, he says. "Bandage."
"I… What?!" Jimin frowns.
Blood slips between the rogue's fingers when he presses it harder against his side in frustration. Some drops are already dripping onto the wooden floor.
"I said," the alpha growls. His deep voice is rough and fraying at the edges. "I need a bandage… to cover this."
Jimin's gaze drops to the wound. The gash is deep and looks like a claw mark. The bear. The fabric is torn open and soaked through. It must have been the bear they were talking about earlier.
"Hey! Are you listening?" the rogue barks again. "I need bandages!"
This pulls Jimin back from whatever thoughts he had. "What? What are you doing here?!"
"Getting help," the alpha bites out. His lips peel back slightly. It's almost a full snarl and enough to make the air crackle. His hand slips from the wound for half a second and fresh blood runs freely down his side. "Obviously."
He sways and Jimin's stomach drops.
"But you… you can't just break into someone's house…"
The rogue laughs. It's humourless and filled with pain. "I knocked."
"You broke in."
"You opened it yourself."
"Maybe, but it still doesn't mean that–"
"Fuck, either help me," the alpha's words sound harsh but are spoken with less bite than before as he is now on one knee, palm pressing against the floor, "or drag me back outside and let that fucking bear finish the job."
That shuts Jimin up. This is not good. The man is a stranger, a rogue. He could be dangerous or even kill Jimin, and yet, the words have an impact on Jimin, or maybe it's the alpha himself. All these different emotions, such as fear, fascination, and confusion, all wrestle inside his body.
"Beta–"
"Don't call me that." The protest comes out sharper than Jimin intended. You don't taunt an injured predator, but Jimin doesn't like to be called beta.
The rogue's brows pull together, but Jimin doesn't give him more time to think about it. He moves before he can think better of it. He crouches in front of the man and grabs his wrist to pull the dirty hand away from the bleeding wound.
"You are making it worse."
The contact jolts through him like lightning. The skin under his fingers is hot and he feels as if he has been burned, but the heat doesn't fade even when he pulls back. It lingers in his palm, then spreads up his arm, settling in his belly. Alphas usually run hot, but this is something else. Best word to describe it would be 'wilder', maybe even 'untamed', just like the man himself.
"You're losing too much blood," Jimin says quickly and tries not to breathe in more of the wolf's overwhelming scent. It's even worse now that they are so close. "Hold still."
"I am holding still," the rogue presses through clenched teeth. "And I'm not the one who's been wasting all this time either."
"Shut up," Jimin says, and contrary to expectations, the rogue stops talking. He obeys.
The obedience startles Jimin a bit to be honest. Rogues are known for their temper and their refusal to submit to anyone. The fact that this one listens is weird. He must be extremely weak. Perhaps he had a vicious fight with the bear before he came here.
The silence that follows is thick. The only thing that can be heard is the alpha's strained breathing.
"Fuck, where should I put you…"
The floor would be an option, but it's neither comfortable nor appropriate for an injured wolf. The table is too small, and he would never get the man up there without making everything worse. They need something practical, something safe…
Then, Jimin's gaze lands on his nest. The thick layers would definitely provide enough cushioning and the warm wool would keep the rogue warm. He flinches when he realises that he just wanted to put an alpha in his nest, an unknown one on top of that. His nest is his safe space. He learned how to build it from his parents, and even though he might not be an omega, he knows he needs it for his own comfort.
Under Jimin's hands, the rogue shifts on his knees until his forehead touches the floor. He drags in another sharp breath through clenched teeth.
Jimin looks back at the wound. Blood keeps seeping through the man's fingers, dripping steadily onto the wood. It is too much. If he stays there much longer, he will pass out. If he passes out, he might not wake up.
It's just a nest, he tells himself, just furs. He can wash it, or replace it.
"It would be perfect…"
This is no longer a question of whether Jimin will move him, but rather of how much blood he will lose before Jimin stops hesitating.
"You need to lie down," he says at last.
The alpha's golden eyes flick toward him. They are still sharp despite the pain. "I know."
"Shut up," Jimin repeats automatically. He forces himself to move to end this conversation once and for all. He nods toward the corner. "Over there. You need to move. I won't let you bleed out on my floor."
The rogue follows his gaze to the nest, and for a second, something unreadable flashes across his face, but Jimin ignores it. It's better when they don't discuss this topic.
"Can you stand?" he asks, already sliding an arm under the rogue's uninjured side. Solid muscles flex under his touch and Jimin has to keep himself from shivering. Would he be an omega, he would start to purr. What is forming in his throat instead, however, is not far off.
"Yes." The rogue pushes himself up with a quiet grunt. He's heavier than Jimin expected, but what did he expect from in the first place? Once they have the man on his feet, they sway together, chest to chest.
Jimin's heart slams in his chest. Don't think about it, he tells himself.
"Don't pass out," he says out loud. A little huff of breath ghosts against his neck and Jimin swears he is close to fainting himself. His throat is too exposed to an alpha who doesn't belong to his pack.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
They take one step, then another. It feels much longer than the few paces it actually is. The rogue leans heavily against Jimin, hot breath still touching Jimin's throat. After the fifth step, the man growls lowly when a step is a bit too clumsy from Jimin's side.
"Careful, small beta," the rogue presses, it's not aggressive though. It almost sounds like a habit. Again, this wolf has no pack and certainly does not have to pay attention to good manners otherwise.
"I am not–" Jimin cuts himself off. This is not the time. They have to reach the nest.
Up close, it feels even more intimate than Jimin thought. "Down. Slowly."
The furs are still slightly warm from earlier. And they carry his scent the most. Sure, his scent is not as intense as the other wolves', but it's deeply soaked into the furs.
"Sit."
No arguing. The rogue lowers himself carefully, but halfway down his strength falters, and Jimin has to brace both arms around the man's exceptionally small waist. For a moment, both seem to forget to breathe. They are in each other's arms, even closer than before.
Jimin pulls back first, his head swimming. "Lay down while I get bandages, and don't move around too much or else you will bleed even more, and I swear–"
"You talk too much," the rogue complains weakly. His eyes are closed now.
"Too bad for you. Deal with it. You came to my house. Not the other way around."
That earns him the faintest curve of a smile before it disappears again behind tension. The rogue tries to lower himself properly into the nest, but his arms give out and his body tilts sideways, paired with a loud groan.
"Hey!" Jimin lunges forward and catches the alpha's head before it hits the wooden wall. "I told you to lie down. Not kill yourself."
The rogue opens one eye, but Jimin gives him a look that stops every other argument that waits on the alpha's tongue.
"I'll get the bandages," he says quickly, as if reminding both of them why they're here. He goes to the little cupboard across the room.
While he goes, he asks himself, Why am I not calling for the healer?
The thought comes suddenly. It would be easy. One shout or a howl from him and the patrol would be in front of his door in seconds. They would drag this rogue out or probably kill him where he lies. That is what happens to lone alphas who trespass, especially pureblooded ones who could be a real threat to their head alpha.
The thought comes and goes, or rather gets pushed aside. Instead, Jimin grabs a bucket with cold water and a jar of crushed resin and ssuk, a plant that is used for inflammation and healing wounds. The sharp and bitter scent of it rises instantly.
Behind him, the fur rustles as if offended by the immediate stench.
"Still conscious?" Jimin asks without turning.
"Unfortunately."
Jimin exhales through his nose. He grabs clean linen strips and crosses the small space back to the nest. The sight makes his stomach clench again, not in a bad way though. The rogue looks big in it, filling the entire space. His eyes are closed and his dark, wild hair is spread over Jimin's carefully arranged blankets. But in some strange way, he fits.
Jimin shoves the thought away immediately. "I'm going to treat your wound. It will surely hurt. If you snap at me, I will hit you."
A faint smirk runs over the rogue's mouth. "Bet you hit like a pup."
Jimin dips a cloth into water first and presses it against the wound. The reaction is instant.
"Fuck!" The rogue's body tenses hard, back arching forward as he claws into the furs beneath. "That was on purpose!"
"Hold still."
Jimin wipes away the blood carefully, revealing the full extent of the claw marks. Four deep slashes, angry and swollen at the edges.
"You're lucky."
"Don't think so."
Once the worst of the blood is cleared, Jimin scoops a small amount of the crushed ssuk and resin mixture onto his fingers.
"This will sting."
"It already did befo–"
Jimin presses it into the wound. Somehow, he might develop a tiny bit of enjoyment in doing so. The rogue's back arches slightly and his hand shoots out again. This time grabs a fistful of Jimin's sleeve instead of pushing him away.
Now, it's Jimin who wants to scream and bend. Heat floods through the touch.
"Almost done," he says with a cracked voice and spreads the last bit of mixture carefully along the last slash.
"You're strange," the rogue says quietly.
"So I've heard."
He has. Too often. And it hurts. The rogue didn't mean it like that. Jimin knows it, but it doesn't stop him from being upset. Quickly, he places a folded cloth over the treated gashes and begins wrapping it around the man's torso.
"Thank you. I won't forget this."
The words are unexpected. Jimin looks up.
"You're welcome, I think."
The rogue watches him for a second longer until his eyes drop close again. Jimin finishes the knot and presses his palm flat against the wrapped cloth. The blood only seeps faintly now.
"Good. It's holding," he says to himself. "You should rest."
"You say that like I have a choice." The rogue scoffs, but he is exhausted. He shifts to the side, probably to test the bandage, and then, sinks deeper into the furs.
For a heartbeat, his hand still remains in Jimin's sleeve before it falls down. The breathing evens out and Jimin knows he is asleep. Finally.
"Good night."
Jimin kneels next to him longer than necessary. He tells himself it's to watch the falling and sinking of the broad chest. But it's not it. There is a rogue in his nest and that's what keeps his gaze. The man has an undeniable presence. His shoulders, arms, and legs are thick with power. His sharp cheekbones frame his square jaw and his prominent nose. There is a little scar running down his left cheek, and moles are scattered across his skin, catching in the candlelight.
Jimin drags a hand over his face, and his palm comes away damp. A fine sheen of sweat gathers at his temples and along the back of his neck. Helping a rogue is reckless and keeping him here is most likely worse. But despite all that, Jimin finds himself lowering his guard instead of raising it.
"This is not good", he mutters quietly to himself. "Fuck."
He suddenly becomes aware of how tight the tunic feels around his neck. His next breath trembles on the way out. He has to swallow hard. There is a dangerous, wounded rogue in his nest… and he doesn't hate it. It's actually the other way around. For the first time in twenty-eight springs, he feels like everything is slipping into place.
🌓