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jungkook had been raised in a decently sized pack in the middle of absolute nowhere. out of everyone in the pack, he was most familiar with pack life, but he was very reluctant to talk about what it was like. his pack knew that he had run away from home to come stay in the city and finish off high school, but he never really told them why. they respected his privacy, realizing his old pack life was probably hard to talk about. and it was.
jungkook's pack had been like most traditional packs—cabins in the woods, little amenities, lots of hunting. he'd stayed in a small two room cabin with his mother and father, who were an alpha and omega, respectively. he also had one older brother, who was a tried and true alpha. everyone in the pack had expected jungkook to be an alpha too. he had the muscly frame of an alpha, the height of an alpha, and when he was younger, the boisterous behavior of one. the older alphas in the pack would sometimes take him under their wings, teaching him the ways of an alpha and his responsibilities as one. jungkook quickly learned what was expected of him: to provide for the pack, be a leader in times of distress, and breed the omegas. jungkook enjoyed a certain level of respect from the pack before he presented, along with his older brother. they were both picture perfect examples of what alphas should have been, according to his traditional pack. everyone was nice to him—complimenting his handsome features, his sturdy frame, how any omega he ended up breeding would be very lucky. and then one day, jungkook presented.
just a few weeks before his fourteenth birthday, jungkook awoke with a twist in his gut and was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. he rolled out of bed and stumbled into his parents’ bedroom, holding his stomach and crying as he crawled into their large bed, looking for comfort. his father rubbed his back as he snuggled up closer to them, whimpering as he kicked his feet. his mother's scent suddenly spiked in disappointment, as did his father's.
jungkook was an omega.
everything changed after his first heat. the pack alphas no longer even bother to look at him, much less take him out to hunt. wolves in the pack no longer complimented his toned frame, instead sometimes hinting subtly that he should try to get rid of some of his muscle mass—sometimes telling him outright he was too large for an omega and no alpha would want him that way. his father and mother were always talking about him in hushed tones when they thought he wasn't listening about how his presentation would change a lot of the plans they had made. his brother was awkward and tense around him, but it wasn't until one night when he was fifteen that he realized just how bad things were. it was a chilly january night, and jungkook had softly stepped into he and his brother's shared room after taking a cold shower to help assuage the fever of his heat. his brother's breath hitched as he crawled into the bed and snuggled up close to him. when jungkook tried to push his head into his brother's arms, he was promptly shoved away. his brother shot up in bed, his eyes a fierce red in the darkness, anger and disgust in his scent. jungkook looked back at him with teary eyes and confusion, his heat making him more emotional than usual.
“w-why?” he questioned, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. “w-what did i do? 'm sorry.”
his brother glared and scooted away from him. “you're an omega. i'm an alpha. we can't be close like this anymore, you might try and seduce me or something.”
“b-but i've never-”
“you might,” his older brother spat. “everyone knows unmated omegas are whores during their heats. it doesn't matter that we're family, all that matters is that i'm an alpha. i'm not going to breed my brother.” with that, he grabbed jungkook by the arm and dragged him from the bed. the young omega whimpered and cried as he was roughly pulled outside of their room. when his older brother started moving to the front door of their cabin, he started kicking and screaming, yelling for his mother and father. they quickly rushed out of their room, freezing on the spot when they saw jungkook's older brother gripping his arms tightly, his nails digging into the flesh of jungkook's biceps.
“jungkook tried to force me to sleep with him,” his brother spat before he turned to look and jungkook and smirked. “he can't be trusted in this home. he's a disgusting omega with no self control. i'm taking him to healer shin's cabin.” jungkook gasped and shook his head violently, tears falling down his face.
“no, mom, please! don't let him! i didn't—”
“at least get him some clothes before you take him. it's a cold night.”
jungkook stared in disbelief at his mother, silence overcoming him and his tears coming to a halt.
“mom? dad?” he whispered softly, his arm relaxing in his brother's hold. his father opened his mouth as if to say something, but then looked at his mother and shut his mouth. his brother left him in the living room by the door as he went around their room, opening and shutting cabinets and closet doors, filling a small bag of jungkook's clothes. his mother stared at him briefly before a strange look came upon her face, and jungkook's heart cracked just a little bit more. she looked as if she had been expecting that to happen—that deep down, in her heart of hearts, she knew jungkook would be overcome by his biology and ask for any and every alpha. she promptly turned and went back to bed, leaving the room with only jungkook and his father.
“dad?” he asked tentatively. “please don't let him take me. i didn't try to—to-” his dad gave him a small smile.
“don't worry, okay? you're a strong boy. you'll be able to handle this. and-and healer shin—he’s better equipped to take care of you. he can train you to become the perfect omega. so don't cry, yeah? we would have sent you to him someday anyway.”
jungkook nodded in between sobs as his brother returned with his small bag of things. he moved to grab jungkook's arm, but jungkook shook his head and said he would just follow along. his older brother nodded firmly at his father, who hesitated for a minute before turning to go to his room. “this isn't goodbye, jungkook,” he said, before his footsteps softly thumped down the hall.
“come on then, it's late.”
jungkook followed his brother at a few paces behind, his fluffy golden ears pressed down flat against his head. they were about halfway to healer shin's cabin when his older brother suddenly stopped and turned around to face him. jungkook cowered under the dark look in his eyes.
“i-i'm taking you because—because i can't stand your scent, kookie.” jungkook looked up at his brother's confession with tears in his eyes—yet another confirmation he was failing as an omega. his scent wasn't even pleasing to be around. “kookie,” his brother moved closer to him, hooking a finger under his chin. “kookie, you smell so good. i-i can't—you’re my brother.” jungkook stumbled back and his brother's footsteps followed him. “y-you're my brother, my blood brother, a-and i shouldn't be having these thoughts about you—it’s not like we're wild wolves. we're in a pack—we’re civilized, so i shouldn't be thinking about you.” jungkook felt a large hand wrap itself around his waist and he began to panic, uncomfortable as his brother leaned into his neck. “i shouldn't be dreaming about you under me, or claiming you, or you taking my knot-” jungkook shuddered at his brother's tone pushing against him and crying as he tried to get out of reach.
“please, hyung, i don't want this,” he pleaded, fists pushing against his brother's chest. his brother backed away and sucked in a deep breath of air before turning and looking at jungkook.
“i know you don't, kookie. which is why i'm taking you away. i can't control myself around you for much longer.” he sighed. “you're not a slut omega, kookie.”
jungkook nodded and followed his brother to healer shin's cabin, the leaves crunching under their feet being the only thing breaking the uncomfortable silence that had settled around them. his brother rapped on the cabin door with his knuckles a few times before healer shin came to the door, a lantern in hand. he quickly explain to healer shin that jungkook could no longer live with his family, and that he needed to start his omega training. jungkook stared at the ground as healer shin's eyes raked his form, and then he was gently tugged into the cabin by the alpha's strong form. his brother didn't even look at him as he went inside.
“don't worry, jungkook, you're perfectly safe here,” healer shin began, leading the omega to a small room in the back of his cabin. “every omega in the pack comes to me eventually, and i teach them all they need to know about their responsibilities in the pack and their duties to alphas.” jungkook sniffled as he sat on the bed, watching as healer shin placed the lantern on the bed side table. “have you ever had an alpha take care of your heat for you? do you need someone?” jungkook shook his head and curled up into the scratchy blankets—he definitely preferred the ones back in his home. healer shin nodded and sighed. “alright then. tomorrow we'll get you started, and you'll begin training, hmm?” jungkook's form nodded under the covers and he barely registered the alpha's footsteps leave the room before he drifted off to sleep.
the next morning, jungkook was violently jarred awake by alpha pheromones signaling an emergency. on sleepy legs, he stumbled out of bed, rushing into the spacious living room area of the cabin to see what was going on. “healer shin? w-what's going on?” he murmured sleepily, his stomach still churning a little from his slowly ending heat. the alpha was seated at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of the green herbal tea that was popular among the pack. he raised an eyebrow and jungkook before returning to his beverage. “h-healer shin?”
“you're better than a lot of the other omegas i've trained. probably one of the few that i didn't have to practically drag out of bed.” jungkook must have had a confused look on his face, because the alpha nonchalantly placed his cup down and looked at jungkook. “lesson number one: waking up when instructed. eventually i'll teach you to become sensitive enough to pheromones that you don't need distress signals, and then we'll get you to the point where you can wake up before your alpha and start preparing your home. but baby steps. you did pretty well for your first lesson. come eat breakfast.” jungkook nodded and pulled up a chair at the table, about to put a spoon of warm oats in his mouth when it was abruptly snatched from his hand from healer shin. “do you just eat without saying anything? think hard, i'm sure you've heard your father say this to your mother before meals countless times.” jungkook's face flushed a deep red and he bowed his head in the alpha's direction.
“thank you for providing, alpha.”
healer shin gave him a pleased smile and handed his spoon back him before ruffling his fluffy golden brown locks. “you're most welcome, my omega.” jungkook ignored healer shin's gaze and the nervousness in his stomach that made him wanted to vomit every spoonful he swallowed. he also tried to ignore the way his omega preened at the mention of his status, but he couldn't seem to stop his content pheromones from lightly scenting the air. healer shin chuckled and sat back in his seat. “i think you'll do just fine here, jungkook. by the time i'm done with you, you won't have any problems finding an alpha.”
jungkook spent the next couple of years with healer shin, learning from him the way to run a home, how to cook, and most importantly, what behaviors pleased or displeased an alpha. as he developed, so did his scent, and it matured into a homely, warm honey and milk, with a potent sweetness that pack alphas claimed they could smell for miles. his tail hadn't grown out much at all though—so much so that the pack had gotten around to calling him a little bunny. alphas still commented negatively on his alpha-like figure sometimes, but he had his fair share of admirers that would come around healer shin's cabin. there was always somebody to snake an arm around his waist or nuzzle a nose into the spot near his scent glands in his neck. he never really cared much for the alphas—after all, most of them were his old childhood friends who only came around because they thought he would be desperate for a knot. healer shin was very strict about how much time jungkook spent around other alphas. when he came home one day smelling of cinnamon—minho’s scent, which he thought smelled like home—healer shin nearly tore his head off.
“don't forget, jungkook, that while you are here, i am your alpha,” healer shin had said angrily. “as such, i don't appreciate you running around with other alphas.”
“alpha shin, i didn't—”
“yes, yes, i'm sure you didn't. but you will eventually, so stay away from him. minho is only looking for a good omega mate, which i've trained you to be, but he's not right for you. we'll figure that out later.” jungkook nodded meekly and watched the alpha exit the cabin. he stood in place for a moment, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he thought about what healer shin had said. no matter how many times he proved himself to be a receptive pupil, healer shin always seemed to find a way to remind him that he was still a slave to his biology and without the watchful eye of an alpha, would ruin everything for everyone.
healer shin often bragged to everyone that despite his bulky figure, jungkook was the perfect omega. anytime he was dragged along to pack events by the alpha, he would be paraded around like a show pony while the alphas discussed whether or not he would make a good mate. he always felt uncomfortable and angry when they talked about him like he was a piece of property.
“he's got a pretty face, i'll give him that.”
“he's spent a lot of time learning. healer shin insists he's one of the best he's ever trained.”
“his waist is so slim.”
“his hips aren't wide enough for my taste. breeding him might come with a lot of problems.”
“oh, that won't be a problem after he carries his first pup. they'll rest naturally on his hips after his first couple of births.”
his face would always flush in anger as he willed himself to calm down, trying to keep his scent even and calm as they discussed him like a piece of meat. he didn't want to carry their pups, didn't want to stay at home and raise a litter and cook and be a warm hole for an alpha during their ruts. he wanted to do something with his life. he missed the taste of freedom he'd gotten as a young child when everyone thought he was going to be an alpha. he wanted to leave the pack.
“i think he's perfect for breeding,” a warm voice said softly. “and mating. the home would be secure, and the pups would be strong.” jungkook's head turned in the direction of the voice, and his eyes widened when he saw it was minho. “he's the perfect omega.”
i should hate this, jungkook thought as he listened to minho praise his status. i should be angry at minho. i don't want to be some good omega. i don't want to carry his pups. but when minho's fingers grazed over the side of his neck, he found himself turning his head to the side to expose more of it to him.
“see?” the alpha smirked, his fingers lightly pressing at the base of his neck. “he's the perfect, obedient omega.”
walking back to healer shin's cabin that night, jungkook muttered to himself as he kicked rocks in his path. “stupid minho,” he murmured as a small cream colored pebble flew in front of him. “me, carrying his dumb pups. my stupid omega too. so embarrassing.”
“i didn't think it was embarrassing at all. in fact, you looked quite cute.”
jungkook let out a tiny shriek at the voice, and minho laughed as he stepped out from behind a tree. his arms wrapped around jungkook's form, and the omega weakly tried to push him away. “stop,” he whined, but didn't resist when minho nuzzled his cheek.
“i know you don't like it when we talk about you like that,” the alpha murmured into the side of his face. “your face gets all red. the others think it's just because you're embarrassed, but i can tell.” jungkook hummed in his arms as minho swayed them from side to side.
“i don't want that stuff,” the omega admitted softly. “i don't want to carry pups and run a home. but at the same time i do—i wanna be pampered and fed and have an alpha tell me what a good job i'm doing when he-” jungkook stopped, suddenly self conscious.
“when he what?” minho questioned, an eyebrow raised in a playful arch.
“i wanna get my tummy rubbed and get foot baths and have people tell me how pretty i look with a big belly 'cause i'm carrying pups,” jungkook said with a sigh, ignoring minho's question. “i just don't want that kind of stuff with jongin or chanyeol or taemin.” minho's nose wrinkled as he turned jungkook around in his arms.
“if i'm being honest, i wouldn't want to be any of those guys’ mates if i was an omega. they rub me the wrong way. i don't think you'd get tummy rubs or foot baths from them either,” he chuckled. jungkook sighed as he rubbed their noses together.
“healer shin doesn't like you,” jungkook murmured as minho cupped his face and pressed soft kisses on his forehead.
“healer shin doesn't like me because he wants to mate you,” minho growled. “he's got eyes all over you. makes my skin crawl.” jungkook laughed.
“he's very nice to me,” the omega said innocently. “maybe i should present for him tonight.” minho gripped his hips tightly and jungkook whimpered, trying to squirm out of the tight grasp.
“don't say things like that,” the alpha said lowly. “it's not funny.” jungkook nodded, and minho let go of him and began to walk him back to healer shin's cabin.
“i wasn't serious,” jungkook offered in way of an apology, although he didn't exactly know why he was apologizing.
“i know,” minho said quietly.
they stopped just outside the front of the cabin. jungkook stared at the ground in front of him as he played with minho's hands.
“i should-”
“i want to-”
minho laughed as jungkook looked up at him. “you can go first,” the omega whispered.
the alpha sucked in a deep breath. “i really like you, jungkook. i've known you since we were pups. you're kind, you're strong, and you're really good with your house duties—at least from what healer shin says.” jungkook hummed as he nodded his head, his focus on tracing the lines in minho's hands. “i want you to be my mate.” jungkook froze and looked up at minho, disbelief in his eyes. “i know it's a bit sudden, but you're just about of age now, and i've had eyes on you since you presented.” tears welled up in the corner of jungkook's eyes and minho smiled as he thumbed them away. “i want to you accept. please.”
“i-i don't know what to say,” jungkook said softly. “y-you really want me? it's not a joke?” minho's gaze hardened as he cupped jungkook's face.
“i know what everyone else has said about you, but you're perfect to me. i'm not joking.” jungkook smiled at minho's confession, nodding as tears trickled down his face.
“i accept, minho.”
the alpha breathed out an exaggerated sigh of relief. “i'm glad you did. i had half a mind to just drag you back to my cabin with me if you said no.” jungkook laughed as minho pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, their noses rubbing together as jungkook gripped the bottom of minho's scratchy shirt while he inhaled the alpha's scent in deep gulps. “you really like my smell, huh?” minho murmured, a hand ruffling through his golden brown hair. the omega nodded as minho slowly pulled away.
“you smell like home,” he admitted, and minho raised an eyebrow. “not like my family home, but just home.” minho's face flushed as he scratched the back of his neck.
“i'll be back in the morning, to, uh, talk to healer shin.” jungkook nodded. “do you want me to go to your family too?” the omega shook his head.
“i'm not really speaking to them—actually, it's more like they're not speaking to me. they'll find out eventually, though, it's a small pack.” minho's lips curled down and jungkook gave off his best calming pheromones. “don't worry about me, okay? go get some sleep.” minho nodded and walked off back into the woods towards his cabin.
the next morning, jungkook could hardly contain his excitement and nervousness as he prepared breakfast. healer shin was having one of his moods—jungkook noticed he was quite prone to having moods and leaving work for jungkook. as he placed the dishes on the table, a series of hard knocks was heard from the cabin's door. jungkook bit his lip excitedly as he bounced from foot to foot, looking expectantly at healer shin before asking him if he wanted him to answer the door. jungkook nearly flew across the room when he had been granted permission and let the cinnamon scent into the cabin. he ignored the way healer shin's scent spiked in irritation, focusing on the assortment of wild flowers tied in a ribbon minho had brought him.
“healer shin,” minho said curtly before rubbing his thumb across jungkook's scent gland, eliciting a tiny mewl from him.
“minho,” the older alpha replied. “i assume you intend to eat with us?”
“i do. is there room for me?”
healer shin sighed and jerked his head in jungkook's direction. “jungkook, set a plate for minho.”
“yes, alpha shin.” minho winked at jungkook when they were all finally seated at the table, who giggled as he pulled his chair up to the table. “thank you for providing, alpha.” healer shin muttered something under his breath and began to eat. minho's brow furrowed and he squeezed jungkook's knee under the table, causing the omega to mouth “he's always like this” at him. jungkook spooned some of the beans onto his rice and was about to eat when he turned to look at minho. “are you eating, alpha choi?” minho's grip on his knee tightened and jungkook winced.
“yeah, i am,” he said, eyes raking jungkook's eager form. the trio ate in near silence, the occasional small talk between the two alphas breaking into the air. as soon as minho spooned the last of his food into his mouth, he cleared his throat and sat up stiffly in his chair, shooting jungkook a quick glance.
"i've come to tell you that i'm claiming jungkook as my mate," he said matter-of-factly. "he'll be leaving with me to my cabin today." healer shin's eyes widened slightly before he quickly composed himself, and jungkook fought back a snort.
"but jungkook hasn't completed his—"
"he's sufficiently trained enough for me," minho interrupted. "if he lacks training in any area, it's only in the things that his mate can teach him." minho paused, a warning look in his eyes. "and you are not his mate." healer shin's jaw tightened and jungkook fidgeted nervously. what if healer shin didn't let him leave? what if they argued? or fought? what if—
"jungkook, get your things. you heard your alpha." jungkook nodded and scrambled out of his chair to his room, grabbing his backpack and stuffing it with all of his clothes. he swiped a hand underneath his bed and grabbed the few books he had managed to get and hide from healer shin, who had prevented him from going to the pack's small educational house to finish his meager education. he gave the room one final glance before hurrying down the hall to minho. the alpha smiled at him and grabbed his bag before wrapping an arm around his waist.
"thank you, healer shin," jungkook said, a beaming smile on his face. the alpha muttered and walked the couple to the door.
"don't disgrace your family, jungkook. remember your training, and don't fail your alpha." the omega nodded and snuggled closer into minho as they exited the cabin and walked to minho's. jungkook wriggled out of his arms and grabbed hold of the hand that wasn't holding onto his bag. minho rumbled low in his chest and looked down at jungkook, eyes crinkling as he smiled down at him.
"my cabin's not fancy," minho admitted. jungkook hummed and swung minho's arm. "i mean, it's pretty big for a single alpha, but it's not really decorated or anything like that," he muttered.
"minho, if you want me to decorate, you can just tell me," jungkook laughed. "i don't mind." the alpha blushed lightly and squeezed jungkook's hand.
"yeah, i'd like that."
when they arrived at the cabin, jungkook gasped as he inhaled, minho's cinnamon scent permeating everything. "wow, it's," he started. minho pulled him into a hug from behind, nosing into his scent glands.
"it's perfect."
minho smiled and pulled him towards the bedroom, placing his bag by the door. "you can put your stuff away. i'll go by your parents and get the rest of your stuff for you." the omega nodded as he sat down on the large bed, warm furs spread out on the mattress. he felt himself relax as he settled into them, rubbing his face on a particularly soft bear. he sighed as he felt himself relax. "going out to help alpha park, do you want to come along?"
"hmm?"
"i'm going out—" minho paused to chuckle at the omega, swallowed up in the bed by furs. "i gotta help alpha park and the others with this new pavilion. wanna come?" jungkook shook his head.
"'m gonna stay here. gonna fix things up," he murmured.
"there's food and stuff. in the icebox. if you get hungry."
jungkook smiled as he walked out. "be safe, alpha." minho grinned before shutting the door. jungkook hummed as he stretched out. this is it, he thought. things are gonna be better now, forever.
after the news of jungkook being claimed by minho got out, people stopped staring at him and making comments about him under hushed breaths. the pack omegas invited him to gatherings and picnics, where he could indulge in idle chatter about the idiosyncrasies of his alpha (his biggest pet peeve was minho's habit of putting on one sock, and then one shoe) and learned useful information about mated life (sohee told him all the ways to keep his energy up as much as possible during a rut). he saw his father more often, conversation more free and pleasant. things with minho were reaching another level of excitement, as his heat was expected soon.
it had been tradition in the pack that alphas didn't mate or mark their omegas until their first heats. minho and jungkook had spent several frustrated weeks filled with aggressive petting and deep love bites that just barely didn't make the cut off for being claim marks. minho seemed to get impossibly clingy as the days without hint of a heat from jungkook passed by.
"geez, you're like a little kid!" jungkook had complained when minho insisted on wrapping his whole body around him as he tried to cook one night. "i have to make food, we gotta eat." minho grabbed him tighter, making jungkook whimper. "ow, my lungs. let go."
"this is practice," the alpha muttered.
"practice for what?"
"practice for when you have a pup," he whined, curling his body around jungkook's. the omega laughed and swatted at minho's hands. "they'll be clingy."
"i've taken care of pups before, you know. they're never minho clingy."
minho huffed before loosening his grip to allow jungkook to grab some powdered ginger out of the cabinet. "well, i'm their dad. so they're gonna be minho clingy." jungkook went back to stirring the soup before he suddenly gasped and turned around.
"minnie!"
"what?"
"i feel so...warm,” he whined, before pressing an arm to his forehead. “almost like i'm in heat.” minho pushed away from him, a sour edge to his scent and he nearly fell over laughing at the scowl etched into the alpha's forehead.
“not funny,” he growled.
“it was to me.”
jungkook's rut didn't come until a week after that, the omega thrashing uncomfortably in his sleep until his alpha woke up. “jungkook, baby, what's—” minho's eyes widened as he suddenly jerked awake, taking in jungkook's scent.
“p-please, alpha, hurts so much,” jungkook whined, rutting up against the mattress. minho carefully rolled on top of him, relishing the way jungkook let out airy breaths with the slightest touch.
“okay, baby, i'll take care of you,” minho cooed, slipping jungkook's shorts down his legs. his eyes darkened at the sight of jungkook's thighs, which were glistening in the faint moonlight that peeked past their bedroom curtains. he swiped a finger down the inside of his toned leg and jungkook's back arched into the mattress, a faint whine escaping him as he tried to grab for minho.
“minho, p-please,” his voice a faint plea. “i need you. inside.” jungkook's face bloomed in red and minho couldn't decide if it was from the waves of warmth that were pulsing over him or from the embarrassment of asking minho to help with his heat.
“i've got you baby, don't worry.” minho began to prep him and jungkook found his release before he had finished, tiny labored breaths escaping him. “ready?” jungkook nodded, steeling himself for the sensation, surprised when the slide was mostly easy and comfortable, and not painful like when he had experimented on himself before. minho grinned at the sigh of relief that escaped his lips, leaning down to pepper his face in little kisses as he rocked into him. jungkook grabbed onto minho as he bit down hard into his neck and loud sobs filled the room as minho sealed the bite with a quick swipe of his tongue. “you're mine,” the alpha growled as he helped jungkook to his release.
they went for three more rounds that night before jungkook was finally calmed down enough to be knotted. minho had flipped him over sometime during the night, and now he was on face first into the bed, arms pinned behind him as minho filled him up, soothing hands rubbing at his sides as his stomach stretched to accommodate minho’s come. “you're gonna look so pretty with my pups in your tummy,” minho muttered as he sucked a bruise into jungkook's nape. “the prettiest belly. you're gonna fill out so nice, carrying my pups. and you'd have that glow.” jungkook whined, barely coherent enough to follow minho's words. “you were so good for me, letting me breed, yeah?” he tapped jungkook's swollen stomach, feeling the sloshing fluid inside of him. “in a few months, i'll be feeling pups in here.”
but a few months came and went, and there were no pups. jungkook pretended like it didn't bother him, simply suggested he and minho try again, so they did during minho's rut. but there were still no pups. others told them to stop trying so hard, so they forgot about having pups and tried to focus on building their relationship. heats and ruts passed, and there were still only two wolves in the cabin. minho started to withdraw from jungkook, loving and cuddling interactions turning into quick pecks on the cheek in the morning turning into minho falling asleep on the couch most nights. jungkook was convinced he could fix everything if he could just get pregnant.
one day, he finally did. he glanced in disbelief at sohee after she'd taken a whiff of his scent and declared minho a father. he could hardly wait to tell minho and observe the shock on his face as he realized jungkook was pregnant. he practically flew down the path to their cabin, excitedly throwing the door open. he charged into the master bedroom, grinning proudly as he stepped into the room. “minho! i'm pre—”
jungkook's world came crashing down around him as he realized minho's body was curled around an omega he didn't recognize. the alpha scrambled to his feet, hissing in pain as he tried to detach his knot from the omega, a small and petite boy who cried out faintly. “jungkook, i-i—”
he didn't acknowledge him, didn't even look at him as he walked out of the cabin and into the woods behind his house. he walked for hours, tears forming salty streaks on his cheeks as the sun slowly began to set. jungkook didn't know where or why he was going—why he didn't just sit back and let minho apologize, tell him about the baby, let minho back into his arms and his bed like he was supposed to.
but when he reached the city and his feet found themselves in front of the emergency room, he began to understand. when he checked himself in and explained his situation, he began to realize where everything went wrong. he told hospital staff he'd been mated against his will, and he needed to reverse it. the nurses looked at him with pity in their eyes as they began to prep him for the procedure. he stared dumbly at the wall.
“unmating's a risky procedure when you're pregnant—are you sure you want this?” a kind young woman had asked him, her touches soft as she disinfected his arm for the iv insertion.
“yeah, i wanna do this.” it's the only thing i've ever been really sure of my entire life, he thought to himself. she looked at him with understanding in her eyes as she picked up the needle.
“i had an unmating procedure before,” she murmured softly, and jungkook's eyes snapped up to look at her. “i was pregnant. but i didn't know.”
“i'm sorry,” he whispered. she smiled, a real one that reached her eyes.
“don't be. he was a bad mate and he would have been an even worse father. and i wasted eight years on that jerk.” she paused as she threw the needle into the biohazard waste bin. “if you don't mind me asking, how long have you been together?”
“about a year,” he said softly, voice cracking a little as tears threatened to spill out of his eyes.
“glad you found out his true nature before it was seriously too late.” jungkook nodded and watched her exit the room, sleep suddenly overcoming him.
when he awoke, jungkook knew. there was a tiny scar over where his claim mark used to be and an emptiness in his stomach. he was discharged two days later, after he had been introduced to a social service worker who helped him get into a government subsidized apartment and a part time job. he felt like everything was moving so fast that he could hardly breathe, and he was deathly terrified of screwing up. but every day that passed was proof that he was making it, that maybe he had made the right decision.
that thought was solidified by taehyung, a straightforward young alpha who came into the coffee shop that he worked at each day. he pretended not to notice him staring at him while he cleaned the counters, pretended not to notice the pet names he would give him, pretended not to care when the other employees would tell him about how taehyung had asked after him that day. as the months went on, taehyung and his odd pack—who had a tendency to be very loud and very messy—got to know him beyond the person who took their drink orders, and he got to know them as constants in his life.
“how can i help you today, sir?” jungkook beamed, a bright customer service smile on his face as taehyung marched up to the counter one chilly autumn day.
“i want you to join my pack,” he said, matter of factly.
“what?”
jungkook could hardly keep himself from laughing as he listened to taehyung earnestly explain himself, about how everyone loved him and that even though they didn't really interact outside of the coffee shop they really felt like they knew him and—
“i accept,” jungkook said, a grin on his face.
“and you don't have to if you don't want to, we—wait, what?”
jungkook laughed as he took in taehyung's shocked expression. the alpha nearly knocked his chair over as he shot up in his seat, letting out a loud squeal. the rest of his pack suddenly emerged out of nowhere, wrapping their arms around jungkook. he smiled as he took in their scents, warmth settling in his stomach. they felt like the right people.
and jungkook was right. several months after he moved in with them, seokjin's rut started and yoongi was away. testing the waters, jungkook told him and the rest of the pack that he didn't feel comfortable with helping seokjin just yet, and they let him be, understanding as they decided that namjoon would help instead. later, he decided that that was unnecessary, and that he would help his pack alpha anyway. when taehyung expressed feelings of wanting to claim him, he shook his head and firmly said that he would never be claimed again, that he wasn't ready for it in this lifetime. the alpha had held his hand and smiled at him before letting him know he understood completely and that that was okay. a few weeks later, jungkook changed his mind. years later, when the pack started talking about children, he blurted out that he would never ever want to carry pups, and like all other times they had respected his decision. a few months later, he changed his mind and spent an unprotected rut with taehyung.
now, a heavily pregnant jungkook waddles everywhere around their home, needing assistance for everything. he's spoiled rotten by hoseok and yoongi, who haven't let him lift a finger since they saw the pregnancy test jungkook tried to hide from the pack, wanting to announce it as a special occasion. namjoon forces him into piles of soft, cushy pillows, and seokjin feeds him whatever his heart desires. taehyung always makes sure to rub his swollen belly before bed, telling him how grateful he is to have him in his life before they drop off to sleep, and jungkook sighs in contentment.
after all this time, he finally got his home, his family, and most importantly, his tummy rubs.