Archive of Our Own

“Don’t go too far today,” Seokjin says as soon as they run into each other on the way to the village center for breakfast. “There’s going to be a storm.”

“It’s cute how you treat me like a puppy,” Jimin flashes a wide smile, and Seokjin rolls his eyes. “Don’t worry about me, okay?”

“I have to treat you like a puppy because you act like one,” Seokjin pinches Jimin’s ass. “You’re more trouble than my baby.”

“Save your crazy maternal instincts for Heesung and leave me alone.”

They start bickering when Jimin tries to pinch one of Seokjin’s nipples, sore from nursing. “Did you know Taehyung has been teaching me a few things when he has some free time?”

Seokjin scoffs, grabbing both of Jimin’s hands. Some people in the village glance at them, but don’t comment. Now that Seokjin is a mother, he should be a bit more mature, he thinks, but wisely decides to keep it to himself.

“What has he been teaching you?” Seokjin gives up on fighting, but crosses his arms over his chest to protect himself from another attack. They start walking again. “How to pee in a straight line in the snow? Or maybe how to chase bees?”

“He’s been teaching me how to fight!” Jimin replies. “You should learn too, actually. It’s important for omegas to know how to fight.”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass,” Seokjin says, sounding bored as he gives Jimin a long look. “My alpha’s there to protect me.”

“Yoongi is smaller than you,” Jimin shoots back immediately, more teasing than anything else. “You’re more likely to be the one protecting him.”

“Hey, my alpha is—”

“—very strong and virile?” Jimin laughs, throwing his head back. “You’re so embarrassing it’s painful.”

“Don’t be a smartass.” As they approach the breakfast tables, they both sigh. It’s always warmer near the fire. “I doubt Taehyung has taught you anything useful. All you two do is mess around.”

“I take my training seriously,” Jimin deliberately chooses not to mention that yesterday afternoon they spent hours playing in the snow instead of doing any real training. “You should see me naked. I’m starting to gain some muscle.”

“I can’t imagine anything I’d want to see less.” As he speaks, Seokjin seems more interested in craning his neck to see what there is to eat. “And don’t say that kind of thing in public.”

“You’re so old,” Jimin mutters, ignoring the kick Seokjin aims at his shins.

They grab their food, and Jimin sits between Namjoon and Hoseok.

“Do you know if Yoongi can fight?” Jimin asks the two of them.

Namjoon looks confused, but Hoseok just sighs.

“I don’t think Yoongi has ever had a reason to fight,” Namjoon finally says.

“Now he does.” Seokjin sets his plate down on the table with a loud clatter. He’s always liked making dramatic entrances. “He needs to beat up Park Jimin.”

“Yoongi would never hit an omega,” Hoseok points out. Seokjin looks annoyed and shoves a piece of bread into his mouth. “I’d beat him up if he did that.”

“He needs to defend my honor,” Seokjin whines.

“And I’m the puppy?” Jimin laughs again and gets slapped by Seokjin when he tries to steal a piece of cheese from his plate. “You’re so annoying.”

“So where’s Yoongi?” Namjoon places a piece of cheese on Jimin’s plate. The omega tries not to smile but shoots Seokjin a smug look. He doesn’t even care about the kick under the table.

“He’s with the baby,” Seokjin replies after finishing his bite. “The baby likes him more than me, and I’m his mother.. That’s so unfair! I carried him for nine months.”

“That’s obviously not true—” Hoseok starts.

Jimin murmurs, “Someone actually likes you?”

“Don’t be a little brat,” Namjoon coughs and tries to take the cheese back from Jimin’s plate, who fights for it like his life depends on it. “Jimin.”

“Hyung,” Jimin whines. “Don’t be mean to me.”

“Everyone spoils you too much, that’s why you turned into such a little monster.”

Jimin tries to hold back a smile, but fails. Seokjin gives him a look, and Hoseok just seems resigned. Every morning is basically the same, anyway. Jimin just enjoys annoying Seokjin.

When they finish eating, Seokjin takes his hand. His fingers are cold against Jimin’s.

“If you go out today, don’t go too far,” Seokjin repeats. He sounds serious this time, a small furrow between his brows.

“Okay, mom,” Jimin leans in and buries his face in Seokjin’s neck, scenting him. “But save your worrying for the baby, okay?”

Seokjin sighs, looking tired and resigned, and shakes his head.

“Don’t be reckless,” he says one last time before walking away.

Jimin, feeling pleasantly full from a good meal and warmer than he’s felt all morning, sets off to find Taehyung.

Jimin would never admit it, not even under torture, but Seokjin is kind of right about his training with Taehyung.

In theory, Taehyung is supposed to teach him a few tricks so he can defend himself when necessary. It’s an arrangement they came up with when an alpha from another pack came to visit and tried to corner Jimin during a solstice festival.

But the village is, for the most part, very peaceful. Jimin rarely needs to defend himself, and even though he knows self-defense is important, he still prefers to spend his time just hanging out with Taehyung in a more secluded part of the forest.

There isn’t much to do in the winter, but they’re creative. When they get tired of building snowmen, they lie down by the edge of the frozen lake and simply spend time talking.

Taehyung is going to mate with Namjoon when summer comes around. Jimin just lies in the snow and listens to him talk about all his plans. Taehyung wants to wear red, but he also wants to move to the other side of the village for more privacy. Jimin knows that, reading between the lines, he just doesn’t want the rest of the pack to hear every time the two of them sleep together.

It’s always awkward to think about his friends having sex, so Jimin pretends he doesn’t understand what mating involves.

“You should head back,” Taehyung stands up and tries to brush the snow off his clothes. “I said I’d meet Namjoon before dinner, so I need to go.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Jimin stretches his arms over his head, lazily closing his eyes. “I’ll go in a bit.”

After Taehyung leaves, Jimin opens his eyes and watches the birds perched in the trees. It’s still early, but the sun isn’t out. The sky is covered in heavy, lead-gray clouds, and it’s a particularly bleak day. Jimin loves the sun, loves spending summers sitting by the stream, but he also likes how harsh winter is.

He wishes he were at home, close to the fire, drinking tea and curling up in the furs of his nest. Maybe he should follow Taehyung, maybe convince Hoseok to sneak some bread from the kitchen so he can dip it in strawberry jam.

Jimin closes his eyes again.

Jimin wakes with a jolt.

When he opens his eyes, he realizes there’s nothing but darkness surrounding him. He blinks, but can’t see his hand in front of his face. He doesn’t know how he didn’t freeze to death, but every muscle in his body is stiff.

He realizes he woke up because of the snow hitting his face, the only part of his body left exposed.

“No,” Jimin murmurs to himself. “The storm.”

Jimin gets to his feet.

It’s too dark, and he can’t find anything he can use to start a fire. The stones are buried beneath a thick layer of ice, and the branches are wet. Jimin groans under his breath, thinking about how stupid he is for falling asleep so close to nightfall, in the middle of the forest.

He closes his eyes and sharpens his senses, trying to listen for any sound, but the wind is especially loud tonight. What started as a light snowfall now feels like a full storm.

Jimin feels his way along the trunk of a tree and starts moving in the direction of the village. It’s difficult, and every step takes forever. His feet begin to sink into a thick layer of snow, and it feels like hours before Jimin realizes that he’s not getting anywhere.

If he were heading the right way, he would have seen the torches at the entrance of the village by now, but there’s only darkness. The snowfall gets worse as he tries to change direction. He stumbles over a few stones along the way and suddenly feels like crying out in frustration.

Seokjin will worry if he doesn’t show up for dinner. If Jimin manages to get back to where he was, Taehyung will know where to look for him. Of course the alphas will come find him once they notice he’s gone.

But now he’s gone too far.

Jimin makes another turn, feeling his way along the trees, trying to get back to where he was before. But it’s like being in a maze. Everything looks exactly the same, and there’s no light or sound anywhere.

The cold is much worse at night. With his clothes soaked, the cold seeps into his bones, and he can’t even tell when he started shivering. He takes a deep breath to steady himself, but his teeth are chattering and his face feels raw.

Then, as Jimin passes another tree, he sees a house.

There’s light behind one of the windows. And if there’s light, there’s fire. Jimin lets out a soft groan of relief, his legs nearly giving out at the thought of a warm place to spend the night. Anyone in the pack is more than willing to help someone lost in a storm.

Jimin makes his way toward it.

Aside from the faint light in the window, everything else is swallowed by darkness. Jimin drags himself forward, his breath faltering, his heart racing, and trips on the doorstep. He knocks over a flower pot, and the sound of it shattering is louder than the roar of the wind.

Jimin tries to step over the broken pieces and grabs one of the porch beams. He’s about to call out for help when the front door opens.

Jimin looks up, his vision blurring, and recognizes the alpha in the doorway.

It’s Jeongguk.

With the door open, light spills across the porch floor. Jimin parts his lips to apologize, briefly considering an escape route. But the words won’t come.

His legs give out, and he collapses heavily to the ground.

Jimin’s consciousness returns in fragments.

First, there’s warmth. The heat is so intense it’s almost suffocating. He opens his eyes to a lit fireplace. The storm outside is still deafening, but the fire crackles quietly in the background.

Jimin can’t move. He’s wrapped in furs like a newborn. There’s a heavy alpha scent in the air, but he doesn’t know where it’s coming from. It’s not a scent he recognizes.

He doesn’t recognize where he is, but when he tries to move, someone’s arms are around his chest, pulling him closer, and his entire body tenses immediately.

Then Jimin remembers who he saw before he passed out.

Jeongguk doesn’t say anything, just lets out a low, questioning sound from deep in his throat. Jimin’s sweat-damp hair sticks to his face. They’re very close to the fire. As his senses return, he realizes that beneath the furs, he isn’t wearing anything.

He feels bare skin against bare skin. Jeongguk is just as naked, pressed against his back, sharing body heat.

“No,” Jimin whispers, almost in despair, his voice rough from disuse.

Jeongguk doesn’t respond. Instead, he drags his nose through Jimin’s hair as if scenting him. The alpha lets out another sound pulled from deep in his chest and rubs his nose against Jimin’s neck, huffing like a dog.

Jimin freezes. He tries to pull away again, but Jeongguk doesn’t allow it. All the alpha does is growl softly, holding him even tighter against his chest.

It’s a miracle Jimin is alive after being caught in the storm while lost in the forest, but the gods have sent him straight into the den of the village’s feral alpha.

No one approaches Jeongguk. It’s a rule.

When they took him in years ago, everyone was told to keep their distance because he was a violent wolf. Any alpha who got close ended up injured, and he was deeply resistant to living among others.

Because of this, the Pack Alpha ordered a house to be built for him at the edge of the village, far from everyone else, where he has lived ever since. The only people who go near the house are the betas who occasionally bring vegetables, but Jeongguk hunts most of his own food. He can take care of himself.

Jimin has seen Jeongguk two or three times. The last time was in the summer, when he was lying on a rock at the edge of the stream, sunbathing while Seokjin and Yoongi were playing in the water. Jeongguk had been completely naked, hunting a rabbit, his hair falling in waves down his back, damp with sweat from the summer heat.

They were too far away to be seen or smelled, but the three of them quickly left the stream. None of them wanted to risk being around Jeongguk, especially since Seokjin was carrying his first puppy.

Jimin had never imagined being this close to Jeongguk, much less inside his house.

A drop of sweat falls into his eyes, and he blinks. He takes a deep breath, and the heavy scent of an alpha fills his lungs. He doesn’t know when Jeongguk removed his clothes, but he would know if anything more had happened. Despite being naked, nothing seems out of place, no sign that anything was done to him.

He doesn’t move. Jeongguk’s scent isn’t threatening, and he hasn’t done anything to Jimin beyond holding him tight. It’s strange and uncomfortable, but manageable. Considering that Jimin nearly froze to death earlier, skin-to-skin warmth is the fastest way to warm up.

“Jeongguk,” Jimin says softly. The alpha shifts his head, but says nothing. “Thank you for helping me. I probably would’ve died out there.”

Jeongguk doesn’t react to what he says. He just lets out a sharp breath and tightens his grip on Jimin’s waist.

Jimin tries again. “Why won’t you let me go now?”

It’s as if Jeongguk doesn’t even understand him. Jimin tries to relax against him, not wanting to agitate him, letting his body go slack in his arms. He realizes that the more he tries to escape, the tighter Jeongguk holds him.

By some miracle, it works. Minutes drag on, but Jeongguk slowly loosens his grip now that Jimin isn’t trying to get away.

“So…” Jimin speaks again, unable to stand the silence any longer. Jeongguk’s scent is heavy, like earth and rain. “My name is Jimin.”

Then Jimin realizes that, actually, the alpha’s name isn’t actually Jeongguk. No one knows what his real name is.

When he first came to the village, it seemed rude to keep calling him “the stray alpha”, so the Pack Alpha, as a gesture of kindness, gave him the name Jeongguk. The name means “righteous” and “just.” Even though Jimin doesn’t understand why that fits him, he’s never thought much about it.

“Aren’t you warm?” Jimin asks, now sweating. The storm still rages outside, but Jeongguk’s body is too warm, and they’re still too close to the fire. “Because I am.”

If Jeongguk understands him, he doesn’t show it. He just keeps dragging his nose through Jimin’s hair, letting out small grunts that don’t form real words. From where they are, Jimin can’t even properly see his face.

If he’s reading this right, there’s no immediate danger. He stays relaxed against Jeongguk because he doesn’t want him to tighten his grip again, and he gives up on talking. It’s clear he won’t get a response, and Jimin doesn’t even know what else to say.

The minutes pass slowly. Jimin drifts in and out of sleep, stuck in that strange in-between haze. Outside, the storm weakens, the wind fading into a distant whisper. His eyes keep slipping closed.

Jeongguk presses his face against Jimin’s neck, breathing him in, but doesn’t do anything else. He just brushes his nose along Jimin’s skin, as if committing his scent to memory.

For now, it’s harmless enough.

Jimin lets himself sink into blessed unconsciousness.

When he wakes up, Jeongguk is no longer holding him.

Jimin moves slowly, still wrapped in the furs. The fire still crackles, but without the warm body behind him, the cold starts creeping back in.

He looks around, but the house is almost empty. There are a few wooden chairs, furs scattered around, and nothing beyond the essentials. There’s barely any furniture, no decoration at all. The walls are bare, marked by rough patches in the wood, even the ceiling. Despite that, everything seems clean.

Jimin gets to his feet on shaky legs and starts searching for his clothes, but he can’t find them anywhere. In fact, there isn’t a single piece of clothing in the house. Jimin rummages through the furs folded over the chairs, checks the only other room in the house, which is just as empty, but comes back empty-handed.

He looks out the window and sees nothing but snow as far as he can see. Jimin doesn’t want to leave the cabin without any clothes in the middle of winter, but at least it’s stopped snowing.

Jimin wraps himself in the largest pelt he can find, but before he can open the door, Jeongguk comes back carrying a piece of roasted rabbit.

“Oh,” Jimin instinctively takes a step back. Jeongguk is just as naked as the night before. “You’re back.”

Jeongguk smells just like before. Strong and thick, but Jimin can’t pick up any anger or aggression. It’s the first time Jimin really notices how young he looks, especially when his expression isn’t twisted in anger.

The alpha looks Jimin up and down, wrinkles his nose slightly, and pulls the fur Jimin is using to cover himself. The omega lets out a small protest, but Jeongguk doesn’t seem to care.

“Where did you put my clothes?” Jimin asks once he’s naked again. His face flushes with embarrassment, and he instinctively covers himself with his hands.

Jeongguk doesn’t respond, of course he doesn’t. He simply sets the food down on the wooden table and starts folding the fur. He places it carefully on top of one of the chairs.

Trying something else, Jimin gestures to himself with one hand and mimics putting on a shirt. Jeongguk watches him in silence, a slight crease between his brows. He huffs and points at the fire.

“What?” Jimin stares at him, stunned. “You burned my clothes?”

Jeongguk neither confirms nor denies it, but he doesn’t make any other gesture or give any sign that he understood. Jimin licks his dry lips and takes a deep breath. Jeongguk has already seen him naked while he was unconscious, so there’s no point in trying to be modest now.

“I need to go,” Once again, Jimin tries to communicate through gestures. He points to himself and then to the door.

This time, Jeongguk growls. A sharp shiver runs down Jimin’s spine, and he instinctively takes another step back. Before he can move away, Jeongguk pulls him back against him and presses him against his chest.

Jimin goes still, too terrified to move, and Jeongguk drags his nose through his hair again, scenting him, letting out soft, meaningless grunts. The alpha’s hands slide along his back, moving down until they settle on his hips.

It’s impossible to ignore the fact that they’re both naked.

“I can’t stay here, my friends are worried about me,” Jimin says, even though he knows Jeongguk can’t understand him. “Seokjin is going to kill me if I don’t go back soon.”

Jeongguk’s chest trembles as he lets out another low, almost inhuman sound. He rubs Jimin’s hips, scents his forehead and cheek.

The contact feels endless. When Jeongguk finally pulls away, he keeps one hand on Jimin’s arm and pushes him toward the table.

When Jimin doesn’t start eating, Jeongguk makes another sound and picks up a piece of meat with his fingers. It’s greasy, staining his skin.

Jeongguk brings the meat up to Jimin’s mouth, a strange look on his face.

“I don’t—” Jimin starts to say, but Jeongguk pushes the food between his lips and uses his fingers to push the meat inside.

With no other choice, he swallows. He hasn’t eaten anything since breakfast the day before, and if he wants to get back to his friends, he needs to eat to regain his strength. If he has to fight Jeongguk, he can’t stay exhausted and starving.

Before Jeongguk can make him eat again, Jimin takes the seat at the table and starts eating. Jeongguk stays by his side the whole time, watching him closely, with a slight furrow between his brows.

“My friends will come looking for me now that the storm has passed,” Jimin explains after swallowing. “They’ll end up here eventually.”

Jeongguk doesn’t understand. Jimin sighs again.

When he stops eating, Jeongguk pushes the meat closer to him. He doesn’t need words to make it clear he wants Jimin to eat everything.

“That’s enough,” Jimin says.

Jeongguk lets out another growl, but it’s not as bad as before.

Jimin places a hand over his stomach, trying to show he’s full. Jeongguk watches, frowning, and tries to feed him again.

This time, Jimin keeps his mouth closed and turns his head away, refusing to eat. He hears the low sound in Jeongguk’s chest, but eventually the alpha gives up.

“You can’t just do whatever you want,” Jimin murmurs. “I’m leaving soon.”

Jeongguk eats the rest of the meat. Jimin watches him eat, noting his lack of manners, the way he chews with his mouth open, and lets his gaze drift over the alpha’s body. He has many scars, and one on his abdomen stands out.

Jimin spends a lot of time caring for the sick in the village and has treated many of the hunters’ injuries. With a wound like that, it’s a miracle he survived. The scar looks old, from many years ago, and Jimin wonders what Jeongguk went through before he arrived at the pack.

The Pack Alpha has always been lenient with him. In a normal situation, an alpha like him would be killed, because he represents a threat to the village.

“But you only attacked people who bothered you,” Jimin recalls out loud. He already knows Jeongguk won’t be able to understand him. “You never attacked anyone unless it was to defend yourself, right? So why are people afraid of you?”

Jimin used to be afraid of him. He still is. He’s not sure anymore.

Jimin treated one of the alphas Jeongguk injured years ago, and he knows what he’s capable of.

But now, watching him eat, Jeongguk almost looks harmless.

Eventually, night falls.

Jimin makes no move to leave again and spends most of the day wrapped in the furs near the fire. Everything that happened in the snow the night before left him exhausted, and that exhaustion clings to his bones.

In the moments he’s awake, he hears Jeongguk moving around the house.

The alpha keeps the fire going, feeding it dry wood from time to time, but spends much of his time butchering an animal he hunted in the forest.

Jimin watches him work, drifting somewhere between sleep and consciousness, and notices he’s good at it. In the village, it’s usually the omegas who prepare the meat.

Jeongguk keeps an eye on him. He works, all the while glancing at Jimin, as if making sure Jimin is still there.

The spot by the fire is warm, and Jimin falls asleep again.

He wakes to the feeling of the fur being lifted off his body.

Jeongguk settles behind him, pulling him into a very intimate embrace, just like the first night.

Jimin instinctively tries to pull away. Jeongguk lets out a displeased sound and tightens his hold.

“You can’t force an omega to sleep with you,” Jimin says, his voice rough with sleep, when he finally stops struggling. He’s still far too exhausted. “That kind of behavior isn’t acceptable.”

Jeongguk noses behind Jimin’s ear, his damp lips finding Jimin’s neck again.

Jeongguk lets out another sound, but this time it doesn’t seem frightening. It sounds like contentment, like a puppy happy to curl up somewhere warm by the fire. The alpha’s nose settles into the curve of his neck, and stays there, unmoving.

Jimin doesn’t know how to react, but he doesn’t have much choice.

They fall asleep like that.

Once they’ve eaten, Jimin tries to explain to Jeongguk that he wants to take a bath.

He mimics washing himself, running his hands over his body, and points to the water in the jug. Time drags on as Jeongguk watches, brow furrowed, until he finally seems to understand.

Jeongguk leaves the house and comes back a few seconds later with a bucket full of snow. He sets it near the fire to melt, and Jimin walks to the only other room in the house, where there’s a small bathtub.

“Don’t the betas leave you soap or anything?” Jimin murmurs to himself when he finds nothing useful. “And you could really use a haircut too.”

It’s not common for alphas to keep their hair that long, but it’s likely no one in the village bothers with Jeongguk’s hygiene. And Jimin doubts anyone would come near him with a blade, offering to cut his hair.

Jeongguk has to refill the bucket several times before there’s enough water in the tub. Jimin tests the temperature. It’s not as hot as he likes, but it’s enough.

He steps into the bath and immediately feels his body relax. He dips his head under the water, wanting to wash the dirt out of his hair, and scrubs his arms and neck with a wet sponge. His whole body reeks of Jeongguk, and it feels good to smell like himself again, clean and unobstructed.

When Jimin opens his eyes, he notices Jeongguk standing by the doorway, watching him with dark, heavy eyes. He scents the air, inhaling deeply, and steps a little closer.

Jeongguk doesn’t wear clothes. The three times Jimin has seen him before, he’s always been naked. It seems like a habit, but it makes Jimin notice immediately when the alpha’s body reacts. It’s startling enough to leave him momentarily speechless.

“What are you doing?” Jimin asks when Jeongguk kneels at the edge of the tub. “Jeongguk?”

Jeongguk moves closer and presses his nose to Jimin’s neck, breathing him in audibly. Jimin squirms slightly, trying to pull away, but Jeongguk grips his arm tightly.

“Jeongguk,” Jimin says again, but it doesn’t help.

Jeongguk opens his mouth and drags his tongue over Jimin’s scent gland. Jimin twists in the tub with a startled gasp, his abdomen tightening, a shiver running up his spine—he’s never been touched this intimately by an alpha before.

“Alpha,” Jimin tries again, but Jeongguk doesn’t react.

All Jeongguk does is breathe Jimin in as if he’s starving. He drags his mouth along Jimin’s ear and licks at his damp skin with clear intent.

When Jeongguk lets his teeth graze his scent gland, Jimin finally reacts, shoving him hard, rising from the bath.

“No.” Jimin’s voice is firm now, louder. “No, Jeongguk. No.”

At first, Jeongguk looks confused, then his expression darkens. Jimin fights down the shivers and ignores the slick gathering between his thighs as he steps out of the bath and wraps himself in one of the furs.

Jeongguk growls. He’s already made it clear he doesn’t like that, but this time Jimin resists when the alpha tries to pull the fur away again.

“No,” Jimin repeats, in the same firm tone. “I’m staying covered now, and you’re not going to stop me.”

Jeongguk doesn’t understand what Jimin says, but he seems to understand the tone. Even with a crease in his brow and his lips pressed into a thin line, he doesn’t try to approach him again.

Jimin sits near the fire to warm up and dry himself, and listens to Jeongguk bathing in the other room. He tries not to think about what happened a few minutes ago, even though his body is still tingling.

It’s already the second day he’s been stuck in Jeongguk’s house.

Seokjin must be beside himself with worry. Hoseok and Namjoon are definitely looking for him now that the snow’s started to melt. Soon, they should show up, and Jimin will be able to leave. It’s only a matter of hours. A few days at most.

Jeongguk comes out of the bath still damp and glances in Jimin’s direction. He’s no longer aroused, so Jimin feels confident enough to meet his eyes. The alpha still wears an irritated expression, but Jimin refuses to feel bad about setting boundaries.

Without anyone to talk to, it gets lonely very quickly. Jeongguk clearly doesn’t understand anything Jimin says, and communicating through gestures is exhausting. Jimin doesn’t know how much the alpha actually understands, but decides to try again to bring up leaving.

It’s early afternoon now, and with the snow starting to melt, it would be easy to find his way back on his own. Even when Jeongguk goes out to fetch water or hunt, he never goes far. He’s been tolerant so far, but that doesn’t mean he’ll stay that way if Jimin tries to run. Running might trigger his fighting instincts, and he doesn’t want to risk it.

But Jeongguk could let him leave, right? He doesn’t seem completely unreasonable.

When lunch is ready, Jimin eats until he’s full.

“Jeongguk,” Jimin starts, his voice low. He points to himself, makes a sad face, then gestures toward the door. “I need to leave. I can’t stay here forever.”

Jeongguk’s expression hardens immediately. He doesn’t respond, just shoots him a sharp look, jaw clenched, and goes back to eating.

“Stop acting like a child,” Jimin sighs, getting to his feet. “I’m leaving.”

Jimin heads straight for the door, the fur cloak pulled tight around his shoulders, but Jeongguk immediately steps in front of him.

“Move,” Jimin demands. He tries to push the alpha aside, but he’s all muscle and doesn’t budge an inch. “Come on, Jeongguk. I want to leave!”

Jeongguk growls and pulls Jimin into an embrace, burying his face in his neck. This time, he doesn’t use his tongue. He just scents him roughly and tries to tug the fur off him again.

“I already said no,” Jimin snaps, pulling away. He points at the fur over his shoulders and says slowly, “MINE.”

Jeongguk, jaw tight and eyes dark, tries to approach again. He looks at the improvised clothing with irritation, and Jimin points to the fur again and repeats, “This fur is MINE, got it?”

Jeongguk bares his teeth, still displeased. Jimin keeps repeating “mine” and pointing at the fur, making it clear he’s going to stay covered. It’s not his fault Jeongguk burned his clothes.

When he realizes he won’t be able to leave, Jimin sits down by the fire again. Jeongguk, unlike the previous day, when he kept himself busy, sits close to him.

“I.” Jimin points to himself. “Omega. Jimin.”

Jeongguk just stares at him. He doesn’t say anything—he simply grabs one of the omega’s ankles, as if he needs the contact, and Jimin tolerates it, resisting the urge to kick him.

“You.” Jimin points to Jeongguk. “Alpha. Jeongguk.”

Then he repeats the same things over and over again. The alpha never tries to repeat the words, but Jimin is patient and has nothing better to do in that tiny house.

He tries to teach him other words. Chair, table, rabbit, meat, fire, snow. Jeongguk just watches him in silence, his fingers sliding along Jimin’s ankle, massaging the sore muscles in his feet.

Jimin doesn’t know how Jeongguk has survived like this for so long, in that house, far from the village, living the same days over and over again. There isn’t much to do in the winter, and wolves are meant to live in a pack.

He can’t even imagine not curling up and sharing scents with Seokjin, or not rolling around in the snow with Taehyung. He can’t imagine himself without lazy afternoons reading with Namjoon, or without dancing with Hoseok beneath the stars.

Jeongguk was left there and forgotten.

That night, Jeongguk wraps his arms around him from behind and buries his face in Jimin’s hair, scenting him. The alpha pulls the fur cloak off his shoulders so he can rub his nose against Jimin’s neck, letting out a soft, satisfied growl.

Jimin lets him. He’s already used to it. Heat spreads through his body when he feels Jeongguk’s near his scent gland, and he ignores the shiver that runs down his spine when Jeongguk breathes against the sensitive spot behind his ear.

They stay like that for several long minutes.

When Jeongguk tries to pull his clothes aside once more, Jimin gives up resisting. Skin against skin, Jeongguk holds him and lets out a deep, rumbling growl of pure satisfaction.

“Mine,” Jeongguk says, like a child speaking his first words.

Jimin wakes to Jeongguk stroking his bare hip, tracing slow circles against his skin.

He must have fed the fire in the hearth, because the flames are still crackling brightly, casting shadows along the walls. It’s the first time Jimin wakes up with Jeongguk still there, even with the sun rising outside.

“What is it?” Jimin asks lazily, his voice rough with sleep.

Jeongguk, of course, doesn’t answer with words. He keeps stroking Jimin’s hip, pulling him closer with a firm arm around his waist, and buries his nose in Jimin’s hair.

Ah.

Jeongguk, once again, is aroused. Jimin feels him, thick and hard, pressed against his back, brushing along the curve of his spine.

It’s so unexpected that Jimin freezes for a second, his heart racing. If something like this had happened on the first night, he would’ve been terrified. Now, though, warmth spreads through his body, and shivers run up his arms, making his skin prickle.

“Mine,” Jeongguk repeats, more like a low grunt, his deep voice vibrating against Jimin’s neck. It’s hard to understand; his pronunciation is clumsy, but it’s one of the words Jimin taught him the day before.

“I’m not yours,” Jimin replies patiently, his voice still drowsy. “I don’t have an alpha.”

Jeongguk moves his hips, seeking friction against the soft skin of his back. His cock slides up and down, leaving a damp trail of pre-cum.

Jimin instinctively tries to pull away, but quickly realizes it only makes Jeongguk hold him tighter, his arms tightening like iron.

They both sigh at the same time, but for different reasons.

“I,” Jeongguk whispers, nearly unintelligible, his warm breath against Jimin’s ear. “Omega. Jimin.”

Jimin manages to turn around in his arms to face him, and the movement makes the alpha’s cock brush against his thigh. They look into each other’s eyes. The expression on Jeongguk’s face is strangely calm, his dark eyes half-lidded, but there’s something in them that makes Jimin shiver.

“You,” Jimin says, pointing a finger at him as he traces the outline of his broad chest. “Alpha. Jeongguk.”

Jeongguk doesn’t repeat the words this time. He just leans in and rubs his nose against Jimin’s cheek, marking him with his scent. As they face each other, Jimin feels the hard length of him pressing against his stomach and Jimin closes his eyes. It’s too warm under the furs, but neither of them makes any move to leave that stifling cocoon.

“Alpha. Jeongguk,” Jimin says again, his voice dropping to a murmur as he watches the alpha lean closer.

Jeongguk runs his tongue along Jimin’s chin and thrusts his hips upward, rubbing his cock against the smooth plane of his abdomen. He licks, bites, and scents him all at once, leaving a messy trail of saliva behind, his teeth grazing without breaking the skin.

Arousal tightens low in Jimin’s belly, slick slowly begins to gather between his thighs. He bites his lip hard, shivers running up his spine, and lets out a soft sound when Jeongguk trails light bites down his neck and reaches one of his nipples.

Jeongguk licks the hardened peak, circling the areola with the tip of his tongue before sucking firmly. Sharp canines graze the flushed skin, sending shocks of pleasure through Jimin’s body as he falls back onto the soft furs, his legs spreading involuntarily.

He notices the moment Jeongguk catches the scent of his slick, because the alpha goes still for a few seconds, his whole body freezing as he scents the air like a wolf tracking prey.

Without hesitation, he moves down Jimin’s body, broad shoulders forcing his thighs further apart.

“Jeongguk,” Jimin grips Jeongguk’s hair, fingers tangling in the damp strands as his legs are pushed apart. Jeongguk buries his face between Jimin’s thighs, breathing him in deeply, his lips brushing against sensitive, wet skin, inhaling the sweet, musky scent.

“Alpha,” Jimin moans, his voice breaking.

Jimin doesn’t even try to stop him.

Jeongguk seems ravenous, out of control, his eyes glassy. He presses his tongue against the most sensitive part of Jimin’s body, sucking eagerly enough to make him tremble with overstimulation. His tongue presses deeper, licking along soaked folds, drinking in the slick that keeps spilling out.

Jeongguk’s nose nudges against the swollen clit, pressing firmly with each movement, and Jimin trembles, his whole body shaking, his toes curling against the furs.

Jeongguk pulls back for a moment to breathe, his face wet with saliva and slick, cheeks flushed and lips swollen, before returning almost immediately, licking even more hungrily.

“Fuck, alpha,” Jimin grips Jeongguk’s hair tighter, pushing his head down against his body, hips lifting to meet that hungry mouth. “Yes, yes. That’s so—”

Jeongguk sucks directly on the clit, pulling with enough pressure that makes stars burst behind Jimin’s eyelids. Jimin presses his head down harder, forcing him to stay on that sensitive spot.

Jeongguk doesn’t stop. He alternates between firm suction and flat licks, his tongue circling quickly, while one hand slides up to grip Jimin’s thigh, nails digging lightly into his skin.

Jimin’s body arches. He’s never felt pleasure like that and doesn’t know what to do with his hands. One stays tangled in Jeongguk’s hair while the other clutches at the furs beneath him, searching for something to hold onto.

“More,” Jimin cries.

Jeongguk answers with a guttural sound, the sound vibrating against his skin, and pushes two thick fingers inside him, curling them to hit the spot that makes him see white.

That’s all it takes for Jimin to come. His whole body tightens, clenching hard around Jeongguk’s fingers, trembling uncontrollably.

Jeongguk tries to keep going, but the hypersensitivity makes Jimin shudder and tug at his hair, trying to pull him away.

“No,” Jimin says.

Maybe Jeongguk has already learned what that word means, because he pulls back from between Jimin’s legs, his face flushed and wet, licking his lips as if trying to gather every last trace of Jimin’s taste.

Jimin still feels small aftershocks pulsing through his clit and faint tremors in his thighs, but he looks at Jeongguk, still aroused, and guides him down beside him on the makeshift bed.

“I’ll help you with that, okay?” Jimin catches his own scent on Jeongguk’s face and flushes, but slides his hand down, wrapping his fingers around the hard length.

Jeongguk groans, dark eyes fixed on Jimin’s face. The alpha lets him touch him however he pleases, and Jimin explores. He’s never touched anyone like this before, and he hadn’t imagined that cocks would feel so soft. He runs his fingers over the damp head and pulls back the foreskin to get a better look at the flushed tip, fascinated by how hard and warm Jeongguk feels in his hand.

“No alpha will want to mate with me after this,” Jimin whispers, mostly because he knows Jeongguk won’t understand. “Even if nothing had happened between us, who would believe that?”

Jimin moves his hand up and down. Jeongguk follows the motion, thrusting his hips into his grip.

“Spending days in an alpha’s house,” Jimin continues. Jeongguk grows slicker by the second. “What are they going to think we did?”

Jimin tightens his grip, and Jeongguk groans and comes so abruptly that the omega doesn’t have time to react, warm spurts spilling between their bodies and onto the furs beneath them.

“Damn,” Jimin murmurs, but keeps stroking him until the last drop. “Messy alpha.”

They stay in bed for a few more minutes. Jimin is still trembling a little, and this time it’s easier to get Jeongguk to understand when he says he needs a bath.

When Jeongguk leaves to look for an animal, Jimin follows close behind him.

Jeongguk turns immediately, just a few steps from the house, and stares at Jimin with furrowed brows and a tight jaw.

“I need fresh air,” Jimin says defensively. “I need to breathe. I can’t stand being inside anymore.”

Jeongguk, even though he doesn’t understand, lets Jimin sit on the porch step. It’s obvious he doesn’t trust the omega, he stays on edge the whole time, watching him as if expecting him to run at any moment.

The alpha checks his traps and returns to Jimin as if he can’t stand being away for long. He ties up the rabbits he caught so they can bleed out, and the two of them go back inside.

Jimin doesn’t say out loud that he saw Jaehyuk, one of the village alphas, watching them from a distance.

It feels like hours before voices rise outside Jeongguk’s house.

The alpha immediately goes still, instantly alert. The first thing he does is look out the window, and Jimin feels his heart leap in his chest when he catches a glimpse of Namjoon’s hair.

“It’s them,” Jimin whispers.

For the first time, Jeongguk’s scent thickens, turning heavy in the air. It’s something Jimin has never felt before, pure anger. It makes him want to bare his neck in submission, makes him want to soothe him somehow.

He hears Hoseok’s voice outside. Thank the gods, it seems Seokjin isn’t there.

“Jeongguk,” Jimin hears Namjoon say. “No one needs to get hurt. We just want you to give him back.”

Jeongguk growls. It’s nothing like the sounds he made before. It’s terrifying, bone-chilling. Jimin’s knees nearly give out.

Jeongguk doesn’t open the door. He just moves toward Jimin and pulls him into his arms, holding him closer to the fire. He turns his back to the door, keeping Jimin hidden against his chest.

“Alpha,” Jimin whispers. “Jeongguk. I need to go.”

Jeongguk says nothing.

There’s a sudden silence outside, and then—

Jimin startles when someone kicks the door in. He tries to lift his head, but Jeongguk growls in warning and pushes him against his chest, holding him in an iron grip.

“Mine,” Jeongguk says, his voice rough and heavy.

Jimin can’t see what’s happening, but he lets out a cry when hands grab at Jeongguk. The alpha resists, but there are too many people in the house, most of them bigger than him.

Jimin catches sight of Hoseok and Yoongi holding Jeongguk’s arms, and Jaehyuk wraps an arm around his neck. Jeongguk is dragged to the other side of the house.

“Mine,” Jeongguk keeps saying, over and over. He tries to fight them and manages to strike one of them, who drops to the ground from the impact, but someone else restrains him immediately.

“No—” Jimin tries to say.

“Run,” Namjoon orders. Jimin has never heard that tone from him before. “You need to leave now, Jimin. Run. Seokjin is waiting for you near the stream.”

Jimin hesitates.

Jeongguk’s eyes are red, bloodshot, looking at Jimin in a way that… he wouldn’t be able to put into words. No one has ever looked at him like that.

“Don’t hurt him,” Jimin pleads. “Don’t—”

“Go,” Yoongi says. He’s still holding Jeongguk, who struggles to break free. “Now.”

Jimin’s chest aches. He manages to get to his feet and move toward the door.. There’s still dirt on the porch floor, the shards of the broken pot are still there.

Jimin steps outside, his bare feet sinking into the snow.

Then he runs.

Seokjin hugs him so tightly that Jimin can barely breathe.

“Ah, Jimin,” Seokjin says. There are tears in his eyes, and the relief on his face is almost overwhelming. “I thought you were dead. Do you have any idea how worried you made me?”

Seokjin looks like he doesn’t know whether he wants to scold him or kiss him. They hug again, and Seokjin wraps him in his own fur coat when he notices how close to naked Jimin is. “Are you okay?”

Jimin doesn’t know what expression he’s making, but he can’t stop thinking about the look Jeongguk had when the alpha was restrained. The way he looked at him… he can’t stop thinking about it.

“I don’t know,” he answers honestly. “I don’t know.”

Something sad crosses Seokjin’s face. He lowers his voice and gently cups Jimin’s cheek, brushing his hair back.

“Did he hurt you?”

“No,” Jimin answers without hesitation. “I think I hurt him.”

It’s all Jimin can say, and the two of them walk back to the village.

That night, another snowstorm rolls in.

Jimin can’t face the village right now, so he stays home.

He sits in his favorite chair, the one he keeps by the window, and watches the snow fall outside while listening to the crackle of the fire in the hearth.

When Namjoon arrives, his hair dusted with snow, he brings bread, meat, and cheese. He sets everything on the table near the fire and takes a seat beside Jimin.

“I don’t remember the last time I saw you this sad,” Namjoon comments, breaking the silence.

Jimin doesn’t either. He doesn’t really know what sadness feels like, he’s had few reasons to be unhappy. It’s a strange, new, unexpected feeling.

“What happened after I left?”

“Jaehyuk pressed down on his neck until he passed out,” Namjoon explains, not softening the truth. “We laid him on a fur pelt. Yoongi stayed for a few minutes to make sure he was alive and okay. When he started to come to, we left.”

“Ah,” Jimin says, a shiver running through him. His chest aches in a strange way, and he presses a hand there, as if he could feel something wrong beneath his skin. “Ah.”

Jeongguk, Jimin thinks.

Alpha. Jeongguk.

Namjoon watches him closely and places a hand on his knee.

“Did he hurt you in any way?”

Jimin thinks about how Jeongguk warmed him with his own body, how he kept the fire going, how he hunted and cooked, how he held him every night before they went to sleep. He thinks about how Jeongguk learned a new word. He thinks about how Jeongguk pulled him close, protecting him, when the other alphas broke in.

He thinks about the last look Jeongguk gave him.

It had been a look of desperation. Of fear. Jimin feels that pain everywhere, but he doesn’t even consider sharing any of it with the others.

Did Jeongguk hurt Jimin?

Yes. “No,” he answers.

Namjoon nods, but there’s still a trace of concern on his face.

When he asks the next question, his voice is much softer, more careful: “Is there any chance you might be carrying a pup?”

“No,” Jimin answers without hesitation this time. “No.”

“Okay.” Jimin pretends not to notice the relief on Namjoon’s face. “We’ve stationed alphas near Jeongguk’s house. He won’t be able to come after you.”

Jimin just nods, but he isn’t afraid of that. Maybe Jeongguk is more afraid of them than the other way around.

“I want to be alone now,” Jimin says.

Namjoon hugs him, something he never does, before leaving.

It snows for three days.

Everyone stays indoors for the most part. Jimin’s friends take turns bringing him food, and they all stay for a while, but Jimin doesn’t feel much like talking.

Jimin doesn’t know how to deal with sadness.

He usually sits in the chair by the window to eat. He bathes before going to sleep. He starts preparing some medicines with the herbs he has stored, and when he feels up to it, he walks to the infirmary and helps however he can. It’s common for pups to get sick at this time of year.

The snow begins to melt when the sun finally appears.

Jimin visits Seokjin and plays with the baby. He’s small and chubby. Jimin loves the baby so much that it makes his chest ache. He smothers him with affection for hours, and Seokjin says Jimin should have his own pups instead of trying to steal his.

Jimin thinks he’s right.

There are no more alphas stationed near Jeongguk’s house. That’s good. It means they’ve given up waiting for retaliation.

Jimin prepares a basket for Jeongguk. It has the best fruit he could find, vegetables, a bathing sponge, and soap. He considers adding some medicine, but Jeongguk probably wouldn’t know what to do with it.

Along with everything else, he leaves a scented pelt. Jimin takes it straight from his nest and places it at the bottom, beneath everything else. It’s presumptuous, but Jimin thinks Jeongguk might like it.

Jimin leaves the basket a few steps from the house, near where Jeongguk sets his traps, and walks away.

It becomes a habit.

Before he realizes it, Jimin starts passing by Jeongguk’s cabin every day.

The alpha has cleaned the porch. The dirt and broken pot are gone, and now there’s a new arrangement of flowers in its place, where Jimin broke the last one.

Jeongguk is alive. Jimin can see the signs everywhere. There’s the smell of roasted meat, trampled snow, and the animals missing from the traps. It makes Jimin feel better.

Back in the village, an alpha approaches Jimin and says he’s “willing to mate with him, even after what happened.” He doesn’t mind that Jimin isn’t a virgin anymore. It’s the same alpha who always keeps himself entertained with a widowed omega in the village, and Jimin almost smiles at the irony as he refuses the offer.

Jimin goes back to training with Taehyung, and this time he truly commits. They manage to set a schedule, and all of Jimin’s muscles ache when he wakes up the next morning.

Hoseok teaches Jimin a new dance. It’s more sensual than what Jimin is used to, something that would scandalize the village, but it’s good. It makes Jimin feel sexy for the first time in a long time.

Yoongi and Seokjin leave him with the baby almost every day. They say they need time alone, but he suspects they just want to make Jimin happy with the most perfect pup in the world.

He tries to teach the baby words when he starts babbling.

Snow. Jimin. Papa. Mama. Seokjin. Yoongi. Me. You. Omega. Alpha.

The baby doesn’t repeat any of the words, but Jimin smiles anyway.

He loves him.

On a rare sunny day, when there’s no snow left on the ground, Jimin wears a light tunic and lies on one of the rocks by the stream.

He lifts the fabric to expose his legs, feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin. 

He only opens his eyes when he hears branches crunching underfoot, and an alpha steps out from behind a tree.

“Jeongguk,” Jimin greets him.

As always, Jeongguk isn’t wearing any clothes. He’s paler than the last time Jimin saw him, but otherwise exactly the same. His eyes are narrowed against the sunlight, and his scent is pure happiness.

Jimin catches that heavy, earthy scent, and his chest aches in a strange way. He’d imagined Jeongguk might be angry with him, sad, disappointed. He never thought that, upon seeing him again, Jeongguk would smell like a child discovering a new toy.

The alpha approaches, and Jimin gets up from the rock, closing the distance between them.

“You can’t think I belong only to you,” Jimin says softly, out of pure habit, as they draw close. Jeongguk tilts his head, listening, but wraps an arm tightly around Jimin’s waist and buries his face against him—his forehead, his hair, his ear, his cheek. The alpha lets out a sound of satisfaction, almost like a purr. Jimin feels the rumble of his chest against his skin. “I have friends, and I need to help Seokjin raise the baby.”

As expected, Jeongguk doesn’t respond.

His scent is so overwhelming it makes Jimin dizzy. Jeongguk presses his nose into his neck, breathing him in deeply, and tugs Jimin’s tunic up.

“We can’t be naked out here,” Jimin explains, but he indulges him and doesn’t stop him. “Messy alpha.”

When Jimin’s tunic falls to the ground, Jeongguk lets out another satisfied sound. He presses their bodies together, holding him close, scenting, growling, licking, biting.

“Mine,” Jeongguk murmurs.

Jeongguk braces Jimin against a tree, and the two of them look at each other.

“Of all the words, why did I have to teach you that one first?”

Gently, Jimin brushes Jeongguk’s long hair away from his face.

“I.” Jimin points to himself. “Omega. Jimin.”

Jeongguk drags his nose across Jimin’s lips, and Jimin pulls back with a laugh.

“You.” He points at Jeongguk, pressing a finger against his chest. “Alpha. Jeongguk.”

Until that moment, there’s been a dull ache in Jimin’s chest. It isn’t something he’s ever felt before. When he’d mentioned it to Namjoon, he gave Jimin a word for that feeling: a broken heart.

Could feelings really cause that kind of physical pain? Even though he’s trying to teach the alpha something, Jimin is the one who has learned something new from Jeongguk.

“You need to learn a new word,” Jimin insists. “I refuse to give up now that I know you’re capable.”

If Jeongguk never developed speech, it probably means he was never around other people.

Jimin doesn’t want him to remain alone.

He cups the alpha’s face, then slides his hand down to his neck before tracing the scar along his abdomen. Even fully healed, it must have been serious. Jimin doesn’t want to think about Jeongguk’s past, but he smiles anyway.

What a blessing, Jimin thinks, that you’re alive.

When Jimin realizes it will be night soon, he tries to pull away from Jeongguk.

“I need to go,” he says. He points to himself and then toward the village.

Jeongguk shakes his head and pulls Jimin close again. His scent, which had been calm and content until then, turns bitter.

Jimin already expects it will be difficult to leave, and he sighs. He lets Jeongguk scent him a little longer, mark him with his scent, and waits a few seconds before speaking again.

“I’ll come back,” Jimin promises.

He tries to think of some gesture to show what he means, but can’t come up with anything.

How can he make Jeongguk understand that he’ll return? That they’ll be able to see each other again?

“Here.” He points to the ground beneath them. “Tomorrow.”

Jeongguk doesn’t show that he understands. He lets out a low, aching sound that twists something deep inside Jimin.

“I can’t stay. My friends will worry.”

Jeongguk tries to pull him toward his house, but Jimin shakes his head.

“No,” Jimin says, standing firm. “No.”

Jeongguk already knows what no means, and he probably hates that word. Every time Jimin uses it, it’s to stop him from doing something he wants.

It worked before, and surprisingly, it works again.

The alpha’s brows knit together, his jaw tight, his scent tinged with distress, but he doesn’t try to drag Jimin anymore.

“I’ll come back,” Jimin promises once more.

Jimin takes a few steps back after putting his tunic on, watching Jeongguk. The alpha stares at him with dark, stormy eyes, but doesn’t try to stop him. Only then does Jimin turn his back and walk away.

“Didn’t you sleep here?” Jimin asks when he returns the next day and finds Jeongguk crouched in the same spot.

Jeongguk immediately wraps him in his arms. He scents every inch of him he can reach and pulls him deeper into the forest, where they’re hidden beneath tall trees, before tugging his tunic off and leaving him just as naked as before.

“You really hate clothes, huh?” Jimin grips the hair at the nape of Jeongguk’s neck and lets out a soft sound of pleasure when Jeongguk lightly bites his sensitive scent gland. A small surge of arousal coils low in his stomach. “You love biting, don’t you, puppy?”

This time, Jimin comes prepared. He brought a basket with bread, cheese, and roasted meat. He knows Jeongguk will spend as much time as possible with him, and he doesn’t want either of them going hungry.

Jeongguk settles in a flat clearing and pulls Jimin onto his lap while they eat. The alpha keeps bringing food to Jimin’s lips, and Jimin simply lets him. It feels good to be taken care of, to be wanted.

When Jeongguk brings the last piece of cheese to his mouth, Jimin lightly sucks on the alpha’s finger.

Jeongguk’s eyes darken instantly, and the heavy alpha scent thickens in the air, making Jimin shift slightly in his lap.

Jeongguk responds with a low, rumbling sound.

Large hands slide along Jimin’s thighs, squeezing the soft flesh possessively. Even without words, it’s obvious what Jeongguk wants. Jimin should be afraid, but he isn’t.

He wants it.

Slowly, but with instinctive urgency, Jeongguk turns Jimin in his lap, positioning him to face him directly. Their chests press together. Dark eyes lock onto Jimin’s, heavy with arousal.

“Jeongguk…” Jimin whispers, his voice breaking. His hands slide down the alpha’s torso, tracing defined muscles. When he looks down, he realizes how aroused Jeongguk already is. “You get so big.”

Jimin shifts onto his knees and lifts himself just enough for his cunt to brush against Jeongguk’s cock.

His face flushes as he starts moving his hips, almost desperate, but Jeongguk seems out of control now. With a smooth motion, he lifts his hips, pressing the tip against Jimin’s wet entrance.

“Jeongguk,” Jimin repeats, breathless. “I’ve never—”

Jimin lowers himself slowly, feeling the gradual stretch, the thick length pushing him open inch by inch.

“So fucking thick,” Jimin gasps, nails digging into the alpha’s shoulders, his face twisting with a mix of pain and intense pleasure.

Jeongguk stares at him with wide, shining eyes, as if he can’t quite believe it. He grips the omega’s thighs, guiding him down until Jimin is fully seated, the length buried to the hilt, filling him completely.

Jimin stills for a moment, panting, adjusting to the overwhelming fullness. His swollen, sensitive clit presses against Jeongguk’s pelvis, sending uncontrollable tremors through his body.

He thinks about what the people in the village would say if they knew, an omega, straddling the cock of a rogue alpha, riding him like he might die without it.

Tears gather at the corners of Jimin’s eyes, but he doesn’t stop.

He’s wanted it so badly he hasn’t been able to think about anything else for weeks.

Jeongguk matches his rhythm, thrusting upward with precise movements, hitting that sensitive spot deep inside Jimin with every motion. The sound of skin slapping against skin echoes through the forest. It’s messy, and they’re acting like animals.

Jimin is losing his virginity in the middle of the forest, of all places.

Jeongguk licks his neck, scents his skin, keeps pulling him closer by the hips as if he can’t stand even an inch of distance between them.

It feels so good it borders on overwhelming. Jimin has always heard whispers about sex, but he never imagined it could be like this. His knees ache, pressed against the ground, but even that doesn’t make him slow the punishing pace he sets.

Jeongguk responds by tilting his head and taking one of Jimin’s nipples into his warm, wet mouth. Feeling the alpha’s sharp teeth against his skin makes him shudder.

The alpha’s hands slide up Jimin’s back, one tangling in his soft hair to tug lightly, exposing his neck. He leans in and licks the gland again, as if obsessed with that spot, and sucks at the skin until it turns red and swollen.

Jimin arches, his body clenching around him in spasms.

Like a beast unleashed, Jeongguk suddenly rises, still buried inside him, strong legs supporting both their weight. He takes a few steps toward a wide tree trunk and presses Jimin against it.

The omega wraps his legs around his waist, heels digging into firm muscle to pull him closer. Jeongguk moves again, with deep, rough thrusts that make Jimin’s body bounce.

“Jeongguk,” Jimin cries. “Alpha, it feels so good.”

Jeongguk answers with a low, guttural sound.

The noise of their bodies colliding is so loud everything else fades away. Jeongguk keeps that relentless rhythm, driving into him with reckless abandon. It feels so good. Jimin moves with him, wanting more.

Jimin knows when he’s getting close, but it’s different from anything he’s ever felt. He’s never come like this, never felt something so deeply overwhelming.

Jeongguk doesn’t slow down, thrusting through Jimin’s orgasm, stretching out the contractions until Jimin goes soft and sensitive, whimpering from the overstimulation.

The alpha comes with a groan, his hips faltering.

Jimin, trembling and sensitive, wraps his arms around his shoulders and pulls him closer. He can feel the heat inside. When Jeongguk moves one last time, it feels like he’s being flooded from the inside.

They stay like that for long minutes, locked together, panting and slick with sweat.

“Thank you,” Jimin murmurs, dazed with satisfaction. “That was incredible.”

Jeongguk pulls out carefully. Something drips down Jimin’s thighs, and he knows it’s Jeongguk’s release, thick and white. His body aches, his clit still twitching faintly.

Jeongguk kneels between his legs and laps up everything that spills out. Jimin doesn’t have the strength to stop him, so he lets him.

Their meetings continue, and Jimin’s friends know what’s happening. Jeongguk scents him so often and so thoroughly that the entire village must know by now.

Jimin tries to teach Jeongguk new words while they sit naked by the stream.

Water. Light. Warmth. Tree. Flower. Scent. Kiss. Pregnancy. Puppy.

Eventually, Jeongguk starts murmuring some of the words.

Jimin doesn’t know if Jeongguk understands them, but he knows the alpha is fully aware of what’s coming as he strokes Jimin’s growing belly.

Puppy. Jeongguk. Jimin. Alpha. Omega.

Love. He repeats it over and over.

Mine remains Jeongguk’s favorite word, until he learns the name of the puppy.

What a blessing, Jimin thinks again, that Jeongguk will never be alone again.