Chapter Text
29 years earlier (from the epilogue/present day)
It's a bright, warm summer day in the forests surrounding Jungkook's territory. The breeze brushes through hair and soothes skin just right. Grass stretches green and vibrant beneath blooming flowers that dance along the wind as though it blows just for them.
It's a gorgeous day.
And yet it is still plagued with misery.
In a precious clearing among the trees, Jungkook's large wolf sits slumped over the grave of his beloved omega, his mate. His wolf groans and whimpers, letting out weak, broken cries of mourning. Every now and then, he'll sniff and paw at the dirt in pain before forcing himself to stop and lowering his head back to the ground.
Surrounding him stand four of the five children he had with his mate. In their human forms, they look down at him with pity.
His eldest child and omega, Wonhee, steps forward and sets down a tray of fish and fruit, the same recipe her father once taught her to make. It sits beside an identical tray holding withered meat and fruit that's been picked at.
She steps back and takes in the sight with a small sigh, brushing her wavy black fringe out of her face.
"He's started eating," Eunwol says.
She's their only beta child, a gentle girl with shaggy reddish hair who stands tall. Next to her stands their second-youngest child, an omega named Seolha, who watches his father silently through long eyelashes. His hair is dark and short, yet his face resembles his mother in his youth.
Wonhee nods and rests her hands on her hips, finally addressing their father directly.
"Dad, Moonhee is leaving today."
She speaks softly and delicately, handling the words with care.
"You can spare some distance from Mom's grave for a few hours to see him. It's been weeks. Please, Dad."
Jungkook's wolf only regards her with sorrowful eyes before looking away and closing them.
Wonhee sighs again at the lack of response. Before she can insist, the sound of sniffling rises behind her. The eldest turns just in time to see the youngest break into tears.
Jinju is Jungkook and Jimin's last pup, who presented as an alpha several years ago. She falls to her knees, hitting the soft grass and dirt as her blonde hair tumbles over her face in ripples.
"Jinju..." Wonhee starts, but the girl shakes her head.
When she looks up, Jungkook sees the mirrored reflection of his belated mate in her eyes.
"Daddy, please..." she sobs. "You have to get up! W-We just lost Mom, and now we'll lose Moonhee."
Seolha scoffs, finally speaking.
"It's Moonhee's decision to ascend to the heavens. He shouldn't be considered a loss, nor should he be our concern right now. Our attention should be on Dad."
"We have to say goodbye," Jinju whines.
Wonhee looks off to the side in thought.
Seolha clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. The sleeves of his white hanbok flow delicately around him.
"As if this will be the end with him," he says.
"You don't know that!" Jinju barks back.
"Guys," Eunwol speaks up.
She leaves Seolha's side and approaches Jinju, still sobbing on the ground. Stooping to her level, she rests a hand on her sister's shoulder and strokes it gently.
"Let's not cause Dad any more torment. Jinju is right. If we don't say goodbye to Moonhee, we'll regret it. It was with Grandmother's blessing that we got to say goodbye to Mother."
"Thank you..." Jinju sniffles and leans into her sister's chest, breathing in her comforting pheromones.
Wonhee sighs once more, drowning in feelings of conflict.
"We won't be able to get Dad to move. Just look at him," she says, gesturing to Jungkook's defeated form. "I think you all should just go. I'll stay and look after him."
Seolha raises an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?"
Wonhee nods slowly and lowers herself to her knees, placing a gentle hand on her father's scruff.
"At this rate, I don't even trust that he'll muster the energy to fight off a house cat," she says with a weak smile, slowly brushing through his thick dark fur.
The skin beneath her eyes is gray and worn, exhaustion written across her face from the pain of grief. The same look stretches across all her siblings' faces. The last few weeks have not been kind to their family.
Jimin lived to a remarkable age after a life filled with passion and years of devoted care from his doting mate. It was an odd experience, to say the least, watching their omega mother grow frailer and frailer as time passed while their alpha father remained steady and strong.
Jimin was a sweet old omega who cared deeply for his children for as long as his body allowed.
He prepared meals alongside Jungkook and his clones, who often only permitted him to sprinkle a garnish atop a finished plate. As the years passed, their two eldest children, Wonhee and Moonhee, moved out of the large family home in search of independence, but Jimin continued foraging for the forest's ripest fruits and vegetables and traveling alongside his mate to ensure his children were fed.
Even though they possessed clone abilities and were growing to be as capable as Jungkook, Jimin took pride in guiding them through the dance called life. He taught them the art of caring for themselves and the mental discipline required to control multiple clones at once.
Watching his children stumble while finding their own paths only put into perspective just how skilled Jungkook truly was.
Furthermore, Jimin's greatest dream was to pass leadership of the Kim pack to his eldest omega daughter, Wonhee. He spoke endlessly about how proud the Moon Goddess would be of her, and Wonhee accepted that responsibility with grace.
None of the children, nor Jungkook himself, expected the seemingly healthy and sprightly ninety-year-old omega to become bedridden overnight and pass away only a few days later.
It broke Jungkook in a way they had never seen their demigod father break before.
They watched him cry, sob, and wail like a pup over Jimin's lifeless body lying in their shared nest. He cried until his eyes turned red, and when they buried Jimin in the forest, he remained by his mate's side ever since.
His children visited him regularly, with Wonhee staying the longest to ensure he was fed and safe, defending the area around him with her clones. She respected her father's desire to grieve.
But now Moonhee, their second-born son and alpha, has decided that with his mother gone, he is finally free to leave his family behind in the mortal realm and ascend to the heavens.
Jungkook's children must now convince their father to take action.
Each child whips their head around at the faint rustle of leaves in the forest behind them. All except Seolha, who merely looks elsewhere as though he had been expecting the disturbance.
A massive black wolf, nearly identical to Jungkook's, stalks into view. His silver eyes sweep over his siblings before he shifts into his human form.
"Oppa!" Jinju sniffles, wiping at her tear-filled eyes as she looks up at him.
Moonhee ignores her completely and continues forward until he stands beside Wonhee, glaring down at Jungkook's limp form.
His eyes are round and hold an intense, cold stare. Shaggy dark hair sits atop his head, and his tall frame is marked with dark tattoos trailing down one arm. A silver lip ring rests in his lower lip. If one weren't paying close attention, he could easily be mistaken for a clone of his father.
"What are you doing here?" Wonhee asks in a demanding tone that leaves little room for warmth.
Moonhee's eyes flick to her before returning to their father.
"M-Moonhee, weren't you attempting the ritual already?" Eunwol asks softly. "Why are you here?"
"To see whether he'd truly miss the opportunity to watch me fulfill my full potential as a god and ascend to my throne," Moonhee replies sternly.
His lips twitch at the corners, and his nostrils flare as he briefly looks away.
"Yet I realized I need his help. I'm not strong enough yet."
Quiet gasps sound behind him, and his jaw clenches.
Wonhee's brows immediately draw together.
"Then please wait a little longer, brother." She gestures toward Jungkook's frail wolf. "Don't you see Dad is in no condition to help you do something like that?"
Moonhee snaps instantly, causing Wonhee's peach scent to sour.
"He should get over it!"
Wonhee jolts back in surprise.
Eunwol's eyes widen. Jinju begins sobbing into her hands once more.
Only Seolha remains silent.
Moonhee continues, "He knew what he signed up for when he mated with Mother. He is a god, yet he allows himself to be consumed by mortal emotions. Mother is already somewhere in the world, reborn as a newborn and living happily, yet he lies here behaving like one."
He turns and looks down at Jungkook with disgust.
"He should get up and move on with his life so the rest of you no longer have to listen to his pitiful crying. The twenty years he'll have to wait will feel like nothing more than five minutes."
Wonhee steps directly in front of her brother. Her peach scent sours further until it burns with rage.
Wonhee holds her ground nonetheless.
"Do you hear yourself? Father is experiencing the physical death of their bond. He is in pain, and you could speak of him with more care!" She then presses a finger against Moonhee's hard chest. "You decided to wait until right after Mother died to leave us! Don't you realize how selfish you are?"
Moonhee's plumwood scent spikes.
"You call me selfish? I wanted to ascend since I was a pup, and Mother begged me to stay. Now I have the freedom to live my life, and you speak of me as some kind of villain."
He grabs Wonhee's hand and snatches it off his chest.
"I don't care if you resent me, but don't you dare call me that word."
Wonhee growls and balls her fists.
"You are every bit as selfish, walking in here looking down on Father and thinking you're better than everyone else because you'll become some kind of true god. You're still a pup. Grow up."
Moonhee steps closer until they're chest to chest. He stands taller than her and looks down at his older sister with darkened eyes.
"Don't pretend it wasn't also your dream to visit the heavens, noona. Mother burdened you with the Kim pack. You abandoned your dream to live out his."
Wonhee shakes her head and points a finger at him again.
"I am proud to lead the Kim pack, and I would live my life no other way. You have nothing going for you here, so you chose to escape to the heavens and exert power. Don't confuse me with your childishness."
"Guys, stop!" Eunwol finally shouts. She's heard enough. "Wonhee, just leave him alone!"
But things only grow more heated between Wonhee and Moonhee. They're now growling and baring their teeth at one another, their scents burning through the clearing and filling the space with distress. Jinju cries harder, her young voice breaking into high-pitched whines and sobs while Eunwol tries to hold her tighter.
Wonhee knows she can't win against Moonhee, but she stands her ground anyway.
When her brother smacks her hand away after she pushes him back, he follows it with a sharp slap across her cheek. Her head whips to the side, and she instantly summons two clones. They shove Moonhee backward until he stumbles into the dirt.
"Stop!" Eunwol and Jinju scream while Seolha smirks at the entertainment.
Moonhee roars and summons twice as many clones. They force Wonhee onto the ground and advance on her with thundering kicks. Wonhee shields herself, covering her face with her elbows while her clones struggle to fight off Moonhee's long enough to stop the assault.
Moonhee blasts through them with ease, punching through their bodies until they dissolve into dust, and Wonhee wails in pain.
Moonhee squares his shoulders, his eyes boring down into hers with dominance.
He saunters toward her, ready to kick her in the ribs when a large hand on his shoulder stops him in his tracks.
"Stop."
Moonhee doesn't even need to look up to recognize that voice.
Still, he lifts his gaze and glares directly into Jungkook's eyes. His father has shifted back into his human form, his cherrywood scent shadowed by grief.
"Look who decided to show up," Moonhee grits out.
Jungkook removes his hand but positions himself between his son and daughter lying on the ground.
"You do not hurt each other. Especially not at a time like this."
Behind them, Eunwol abandons Jinju's hold and rushes over to check on Wonhee's limp form. Seolha moves to Jinju's side instead, gently stroking her hair.
"At a time like this?" Moonhee mocks.
His eyes drag over Jungkook from head to toe, disgust written plainly across his face.
"You're supposed to be a god. I'm the only one here with the strength to move on."
"Leave," Jungkook says.
Moonhee sucks in a sharp breath. "I need your help. You promised me."
Jungkook remains silent for a moment. He looks away before his gaze settles back on Moonhee.
He hates how much looking at him feels like staring into a mirror.
"You're not ready to be a god."
The way Moonhee's eyebrows knit together is terrifying.
His plumwood scent blazes through the clearing, and the clones surrounding them glare at Jungkook as though their father is a threat.
"What!?" he shrieks. "You're going back on your word?"
Jungkook looks at him sadly.
"Jimin would be disappointed in your behavior. I... can't do it in good conscience."
Moonhee lets out another furious cry and shoves Jungkook hard in the chest.
Jungkook doesn't budge.
"Mother never wanted me to ascend! You're a coward using him as an excuse!" Moonhee growls, clenching his fists. "Am I the only one who remembers he's alive and well!?"
The clones surrounding them step closer until Jungkook is trapped in the center.
Jungkook only spares them a brief side glance, one eyebrow lifting, while his other children scream at Moonhee to stop.
"You think you know me? You don't know me!" Moonhee yells, breathing heavily. "I'm worthy! I would be a better god than you! I'm a better alpha than you!"
The clones press harder, and Jungkook glares at his son.
"Prove it."
Moonhee pants, fists clenched so tightly they tremble and split skin until blood beads at his knuckles. His nostrils flare, veins rising in his neck as he stands against an older alpha—his father.
And yet, the action never comes.
His head drops between his shoulders, and he dismisses his clones.
Jungkook watches him with something close to pity before turning his back and returning to sit at Jimin's grave.
"I hate you. I don't need you. I'll figure it out on my own," Moonhee shouts, then turns to leave.
He stops when he reaches Jinju, still sobbing on the ground, and shoves her head forcefully.
"Stop crying," he sneers. "You're an alpha. Start acting like one."
Jinju whines, holding her head.
Moonhee shifts and darts off into the forest without another word.
Seolha glares after where he disappeared, then turns his attention back to Jinju, soothing her with a gentle stroke through her hair once more.
By the time Wonhee returns to her feet with Eunwol’s careful support, Moonhee is gone. She stares after him from a distance, jaw tight.
"What an asshole," she says under her breath, stomping a foot into the ground.
Eunwol shakes her head, grief heavy in her voice.
"It's too much. I... I need to go home now."
She looks at Jungkook, still seated with his back against Jimin's headstone.
"Dad, do you need anything else?"
"Believe it or not," he says quietly, "your brother is grieving in his own way."
Wonhee shakes her head. "He is behaving like a pup. He needs to grow up."
Jungkook sighs, but his response is cut off when Jinju breaks free from Seolha’s grasp and sprints into his arms, burying her face in his chest and breaking into a fresh wave of tears.
"I miss Mommy," Jinju weeps.
Jungkook pulls her close, scenting her mussed blonde hair.
"Please... you have to find him again so you won't be sad."
"I will," Jungkook promises weakly.
Jinju looks up at him, eyes sharp through her tears.
"And you have to make him immortal like us so he won't leave again and make us sad! You have to make him love us again! Won't you please, Daddy?"
"Jinju..." Eunwol says, eyes wide.
Jungkook closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
When he opens them again, he looks at his youngest with soft, tender eyes.
"Anything for you, my pup."