Chapter Text
The screaming was the first thing he heard, they’d come into their town like a unsuspecting avalanche that rolled down the mountains, their numbers huge and their power insurmountable. They set fire to all the alpha’s dens and killed the beta’s who tried to fight back with no mercy, only the young children and the omegas were spared and if Jungkook knew anything about warlords sparing omega’s, it was that they did not do it out of the goodness of their hearts or mercy. It would have been merciful if they’d killed them all along with their alphas and betas.
Jungkook heard only whispers of their leaders name, the name everyone around the north knew, the mad conqueror, the alpha who had united all the lands in the East and called himself the King in the East. Cold, ruthless and cruel, he conquered whichever piece of land that took his fancy, giving no thought to its inhabitants who were either killed or worse, enslaved.
As he was pushed and prodded into the cart along with four other omegas of Kwan pack, Jungkook couldn’t help but fear for what was to become of him now, the other omegas who shared the cart with him looked and smelled just as distressed as he did but even amongst them, they cast pitying eyes at him. First, because he was a male omega who would not be spared any of the harsh treatment because of him being a freak of nature, and two because he was an unmated male omega, the only unmated omega in the pack right now which meant he was free game for any alpha. He couldn’t stop the tears from falling, he was already shunned and considered pretty much a disgrace ever since he was born as an omega but at least the Kwan pack members tolerated his presence, some of the omegas even allowed him to look after their pups from time to time. But now, he was going to meet a fate worse than death at the hands of the mad conqueror and his army of savages and he couldn’t help but shake in terror and cry at his cruel fate.
Jungkook had fully expected to be starved and ill treated throughout their arduous journey to the East but the next morning the omegas were ushered to the center of the camp and served hot bowls of stew and given a flask of water each. On the other side of the camp, the young children were also being given food and water, the pups on seeing their omega parents squealed and ran over to the where the omegas were being fed, despite loud warnings from the omega’s of the Kwan pack asking their children to stay put, the young pups were too terrified and excited to listen. Jungkook expected the alpha soldiers who were roaming around the camp to get agitated and reprimand the children harshly but they paid no mind as the pups latched onto their omega parents and jumped into their laps to be fed.
Minutes turned to hours and when the alphas still showed no signs of aggression, the omega’s of Kwan pack relaxed, trying to soothe their children who had many questions about what had happened to their pack and why they were travelling elsewhere.
“We should keep the children separate” an alpha grumbled a little way behind Jungkook, he heard another alpha grunt in acknowledgment but then another voice piped up saying, “You know the King’s orders, from today the children will travel with their parents.”
The alpha who had spoken first didn’t seem to be pleased with this but when he spoke it was with resignation that he bit out, “Fine, don’t know why prime alpha is so interested in this pack, I don’t think they have any unmated omegas, all of them are mated omegas with pups.”
Jungkook froze and tried to make himself as small as possible, his scent went sour with fear but he rallied himself and controlled it as much as he could, he could not reveal himself to be an unmated omega, it would spell disaster for him if the alpha’s knew, so he kept silent and ate as quietly and quickly as possible.
They were bundled up into the cart once again but this time the pups were allowed to be with their parents, Jungkook breathed a sigh of relief once he entered the cart and resolved to skip mealtimes until he was hungry enough to need some sustenance. He could not reveal himself to be an unmated omega at any cost.
Luckily for him, the omega’s of his pack took pity on him and guarded his secret as if it were their own, with so many omega’s in such close quarters, the alpha’s did not have the ability to sniff out his scent and tell that he was unmated and he always made sure to have a scarf tied around his neck whenever he went out with the other omegas during mealtimes. Their carts trundled on for seven days before they came to stop on the sandy banks of the Ilian Ocean. Jungkook had never travelled so far out of his pack lands in his entire life, so he stared at the ocean with obvious awe, even more fascinating were the huge ships with red flags hung from their mast, the insignia of a golden dragon embossed on all the flags being a stark reminder of how different the East was. It was said that the East was the most advanced place on the planet, that there were huge buildings built out of stone and mortar, temples with walls made of gold ingrained with precious gems, the East also had a full fleet of ships, war machines and artillery that gave them superiority over every other corner of the planet. The captured omegas and pups were huddled in a corner as usual and Jungkook finally got a glimpse of the famous mad conqueror. From his vantage point, Jungkook could only see the side of the alpha’s face, the alpha’s jawline was sharp and angled, he was wearing a leather vest that showed his arms bulging with muscles, his hair which was as black as midnight was tied into a knot on top of his head, a few loose strands falling down to his shoulders as the sea breeze whipped through them. The alpha was surrounded by his retinue and seemed to be asking for the master of ships before he walked away and out of his sight.
For some reason that he couldn’t discern, Jungkook felt disappointed, he had expected the mad conquerors arrival to invite more fanfare but the alphas surrounding the camp didn’t bow or prostrate on the ground to show respect to the prime alpha, if it was the prime alpha of Kwan’s pack in the mad conqueror’s shoes, the alphas who failed to show him respect would have been flogged publicly at the center of the pack lands.
They boarded the ship and Jungkook found firsthand what sea sickness was and how awful it was to travel on the seas for a prolonged time when it made you constantly want to throw up. He huddled on his small pallet in the room he shared with two other omegas and spent most of his days trying to lay as still as possible to not upset his stomach. He couldn’t keep in even the little food he did end up eating and within a week he felt tired all the time and was visibly getting emaciated.
On the third day of the second week, he fainted and lost consciousness, when he came to he found himself in unfamiliar surroundings and started to panic. Casting his eyes wildly about the room he found a man who was pulling a glass jar down from a large rack filled with glass bottles, he gulped and tried to lay as still as possible, would the man go away if he pretended to be asleep.
“There’s no use in you pretending to lay as still as a corpse when your scent is positively invading my nostrils with the tinge of fear omega.”
The man turned and Jungkook found himself looking at the most beautiful man he had ever seen in his entire life thus far, suddenly his fear evaporated and he felt himself becoming calm as a warm scent of musk and peppermint engulfed him. It took a moment for Jungkook to understand that the alpha was releasing calming pheromones, having never been comforted by an alpha in his entire life Jungkook was startled by how potent the effects of an alpha’s pheromones could be.
“You have no reason to fear me, I’m only the head healer of the Prime alpha, you were severely malnourished when we found you, so I’ve given you some liquids filled with nutrients to help your body recover, I’ve also given you some medication which will help with your seasickness.”
Jungkook was confused, he didn’t remember having taken any medication or having been fed, at his confusion the alpha healer leaned back on a table set close to the shelf and said “I injected you with the medication and gave you the liquids through something similar to that. Our….uhm…healing is a lot different to what you may have been used to in the North.”
Jungkook still couldn’t understand much but when he leaned on his hands to sit up, he found a bandage that was wrapped around his hands and there was a slight twinge of pain as he leaned his weight on his hands. Now that he was coherent and as calm as he could be thanks to the alpha’s pheromones, he realized that there was no way that the alpha didn’t know that he was unmated.
Swallowing down his fear as much as possible, he asked “Does everyone know?”
The alpha took a sharp breath but didn’t deny nor try to prevaricate, instead he gave a slow nod and Jungkook’s world crumbled.
“What’s to become of me?” he asked unable to hide how shaky he sounded, his fear was leeching out even through the calming effects of the alpha’s pheromones.
The alpha looked almost guilty, his eyes were filled with pity as he looked at Jungkook, “Prime alpha hasn’t made a decision yet, you are to meet him tonight at the dinner hall.”
Jungkook started tearing up, “Wha…what happens…what d…what does he usually do to unmated omegas like me?”
The healer cast his gaze away from the omega who was going into full-blown panic very quickly, “Let’s not talk about that right now, you need to calm down….you are weak from the lack of food.”
“Please…..please I beg you, please tell me!”
The alpha sighed before finally giving the omega a straight answer, “Most likely, he will arrange for you to be mated to someone in the pack.”
Jungkook’s started to cry in earnest now, “I don’t….I’m a male omega and I don’t….don’t want to mate.”
The alpha just tried to placate him unsuccessfully before giving a resigned sigh and just sitting down next to the omega.
After awhile Jungkook who’d calmed down a little queried in a small voice, “Who am I to be mated to?”
“I have no idea omega.”
Jungkook swallowed noisily before he turned his head to look at the handsome alpha, “Do I….can I choose?”
The alpha sighed again and shook his head to indicate that he couldn’t.
“Only alpha’s have the right to choose and they will bid for you to the Prime Alpha, ultimately it’s the Prime Alpha’s choice.”
Jungkook couldn’t believe the unfairness of it all, sure he’d been treated like a vermin in his own pack, considered a male omega, a freak of nature who shouldn’t exist and could not be mated to anyone. But at least then he was free and wasn’t forced to mate an alpha he didn’t want to mate.
Jungkook cast his eyes towards the handsome alpha again, he really was the most handsome man Jungkook had ever seen in his life and so far he had proved himself to be kind too, he hadn’t yelled at him when he panicked or even when he openly stated that he didn’t want to mate anyone.
“Can…can you bid for me?”
The alpha’s eyes widened in shock before settling over Jungkook who found it difficult to meet his gaze after his daring proposition, when he finally deigned to look the alpha’s eyes were apologetic as he pulled down his shirt collar to reveal a mating mark right on top of his scent gland.
Jungkook felt mortified and mumbled apologies to the alpha saying that he’d only asked because he seemed like a kind person.
The alpha smiled, a boxy grin overtaking his face and making him look quite rakish as he revealed, “It’s fine Jungkook, you’re a fine omega, if I weren’t mated to someone I love dearly I’d have said yes in a heartbeat.”
Jungkook was stunned to say the least and he shook his head as he protested, “I’m a male omega…I’m….not a suitable mate to anyone.”
The alpha tutted, “None of that now, if I know the prime alpha, I’m sure things are going to be very interesting tonight indeed.”
The omega was confused, “What do you mean?”
The alpha just smiled at him with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes before he said, “You’re a very beautiful omega, I expect to see quite the number of bids for you tonight.”
Jungkook blushed furiously and the alpha chuckled silently again before quietly walking towards the table to fish out a jar of what looked like a tonic.
“This is a tonic that will restore your strength, now” the healer measured a precise amount into a small glass bottle before he turned around, “I have to warn you, this does taste horrible but you should drink it all up.”
The alpha was still releasing calming pheromones into the air to comfort Jungkook and the omega who was touched by a stranger’s kindness didn’t protest as he swallowed the tonic without complaint.
Even though he had regained his strength after Taehyung, the healer alpha had made him eat a filling bowl of stew, Jungkook was trembling in fear as he entered the dinner hall of the ship in its upper decks where he’d never entered before.
He gasped mildly at the grandeur of the dinner hall, an elevated dais stood at the end of the hall, a massive marble stone table standing upon it, behind which there was a row of seats, the center of which was no doubt the place of the prime alpha. There were four elongated tables with chairs on either side below the dais and as Jungkook walked forward, he could already feel several alpha’s eyes on him. The healer was still with him and he directed them both to a table at the end, close to the dais and sat himself down patting the seat next to him and directing the omega to sit.
Jungkook fidgeted as he sat, his nerves not giving him a moment of respite as he wondered what was to become of him tonight. He hated the thought of having to mate any of the alpha’s here, despite how they’d treated him Kwan pack was his home and he loathed the thought of being mated against his will to his enemy. Everything he had heard about the Easterners also did not paint them in a good light, they were known to be savages and Jungkook dreaded the thought of being made to submit to an alpha without any choice in the matter.
As the minutes passed, more and more alphas and betas entered the dining hall and took their places, some maids began to trickle in and serve dinner, Jungkook was surprised to note that it was a relatively plain fare, a simple stew of meat and vegetables with a pinch of herbs and seasoning. It was the same bowl of stew he had been served prior to presenting himself at the dinner hall and he wondered why the cream layer of the Eastern military was being served such plain fare, if anything he’d expected there to be a huge feast everyday for all the alphas to celebrate trodding and trampling upon yet another pack far out of the reaches of their borders.
He'd already eaten prior to coming here, so Jungkook didn’t quite know what to do with himself amidst the strange alphas and betas of the East, he did notice that there were no omega’s in the dinner hall but he couldn’t question Taehyung regarding it because the prime Alpha finally made his appearance in the dining hall. Everyone went quiet for a moment and then stood up, Taehyung tapped his thighs to indicate that he should stand too and so Jungkook did, keeping his eyes lowered towards the table, his fear was a palpable thing inside his chest now, he had hoped to avoid being noticed by anyone until he reached the East at least, but now to have to present himself to the prime alpha in the midst of a hall full of Eastern soldiers did nothing to calm his nerves, he clasped his shaking hands together, nails pinching into the skin of his hands as he tried to control his fear.
A soft and melodious voice commanded everyone to sit and Jungkook flinched at hearing the prime alpha speak for the first time, his voice was as deceiving as his appearance, if he didn’t know what he was capable of, Jungkook would be hard pressed to believe that this was the alpha everyone in the North feared.
For a while everyone returned to eating dinner in relative silence but as the minutes rolled by Jungkook became more and more tense, he was as tense as a taut bowstring when the prime alpha spoke at long last.
“Taehyung, I hear you found a rare Northern treasure today”
Jungkook’s doe eyes widened and he sat as still as a stone as Taehyung squeezed his thighs under the table again before answering the commander of the Eastern pack, “Yes prime alpha…..” the healer cleared his throat before he spoke again, “It’s a male omega from the Kwan pack.”
“Interesting, I wonder how such a treasure has been hiding away undetected for so long” the alpha mused before the commanding note was back in his voice, “Present yourself before me omega”
Jungkook flinched visibly before looking to Taehyung with pleading eyes, the healer shook his head minutely to indicate that there was nothing he could do and Jungkook slowly rose up from the table and turned around, keeping his eyes downcast as he did.
Jungkook couldn’t see it because his eyes were on the floor but the usually calm and composed visage of the prime alpha faltered for a moment, his eyes widened visibly for a moment before he quickly schooled his expression into one of casual disinterest again. Right then, the omega was so scared that his distressed pheromones were leaking into the air and making every alpha in the room feel on edge.
“You don’t have to be so scared little dove, no harm will befall you here because you belong to the Eastern pack now and as such you are under my protection.”
Jimin wasn’t one to speak so softly or offer reassurances to unknown strangers but something about the omega’s scent made his alpha growl inside his chest to protect him at all costs. Jimin couldn’t let anyone know how discomfited he himself was because his alpha’s reaction was very strange to say the least and he himself was having trouble processing his reaction to the omega.
Still, his peculiar behaviour wasn’t unnoticed by his soldiers, some of whom eyed him with open shock when he continued speaking softly to the omega, “What is your name?”
Jungkook didn’t look up, his arms had started to break into goose pimples from the enormity of his fear and he stuttered even to say his name to the prime alpha, “Ja…Jungkook”
“Jungkook” the alpha spoke the name with a touch of reverence in his tone, his alpha was utterly enchanted, and Jimin for the life of him could not understand what was happening or why he was reacting so strongly to an unknown captive from the Northern pack, “How old are you Jungkook?”
“Twenty-five”
The hall erupted into chatter at that, it was very unusual for omegas to remain unmated for so long, the buzz around him made Jungkook feel even more uneasy but internally he thought, if everyone considered him too old to be mated, then at least he would be spared of having to mate someone from the Eastern pack.
The prime alpha however didn’t pay any mind to the sudden chatter around him, Jimin’s eyes were boring into the omega trying to figure out why his alpha was so agitated, “I am certain that Taehyung has explained what custom dictates has to be done under these circumstances, you are an unmated omega and a member of the Eastern pack now, it is my duty to find you a suitable match within the pack.”
Jungkook finally looked up at the prime alpha at that and Jimin had to clench his hands into fists to not get up from the table and pounce on the omega, despite his age Jungkook still looked so young and dainty, it invoked all of his protective urges and as Jimin observed the number of interested glances the omega received from around the room, he had to fight the urge to growl loudly and threateningly at all his soldiers who deigned to look at the omega with lust heavy in their stares.
“I….I don’t….” the omega stuttered for a long minute before he rallied himself and tilted his chin up, “I don’t want to mate and I’m not a member of your pack just because you abducted me.”
The entire hall froze in silence, the Eastern soldiers couldn’t believe the gumption of the omega to speak like that to the prime alpha.
Jimin however was silent for a moment before his face broke into a wide grin and he started to laugh loudly, the soldiers who were tense all around their commander relaxed and started to smile too as they looked between the prime alpha and the plucky omega.
The prime alpha was smirking as he said “Well at least you have a backbone, and let me be plain about your situation here, I conquered your lands, and you and all the other omegas I spared in the attack are essentially war spoils. Now, not a lot of pack leaders are keen on assimilating omegas taken as war spoils into their pack and giving them a dignified position in society, but I do not believe in treating omegas or young children as slaves just because I conquered their lands. I believe in giving every subject under my rule a position in the Eastern pack in which they can contribute meaningfully to the pack, if you were a mated omega with a pup you would have gone to the rehabilitation center with all the other omegas and learned a useful trade which would help you become a productive member of the Eastern pack, since you are unmated and technically taken as war spoils, my soldiers have the right to bid for you to be their mate.”
Jungkook’s scent got progressively sour as the alpha spoke and he couldn’t contain his anger as he lashed out, “Why don’t you just call it what it is then? Since I am an unmated omega, you want to give me to your soldiers to be their whore!”
Jimin’s eyes narrowed sharply and all around them his soldiers turned their eyes away from the commander knowing that it never boded well for anyone when the commander got that steely and stern expression, “My soldiers are honorable men, I have no intention of making you anyone’s whore.”
“Why should I believe you? You’re the man who ruthlessly killed our alpha’s and burned our houses before you forcibly took us captive! We never wanted to be conquered nor taken to the Eastern pack, why would I ever want to mate someone from a pack who had killed and obliterated my pack in cold blood?”
“You may choose to believe whatever you want omega, and you will mate one of my soldiers, I cannot have an unmated omega with obvious ill feelings towards the Eastern pack run around and cause mutiny in the future.”
“So your honorable proposal is just a way to force my submission to you and your pack because you’re afraid of people banding together and rioting against your tyrannical rule. Where’s the honor in forcing me to mate one of your soldiers? The very men who killed our pack alphas like they were animals for the slaughter?”
Jimin rolled his eyes at the mouthy omega, “You defending your pack alphas like they were all such honorable men is ridiculous, I killed them like animals for slaughter because they were lesser than animals for slaughter.”
Jungkook flinched back at the force with which the alpha made the declaration, there wasn’t a hint of remorse on his face and the omega found himself becoming absolutely furious as he declared, “If you mate me to one of your soldiers against my will, I will slit their throats while they sleep!”
The entire hall froze in silence once again before an alpha seated at one of the tables on the far right shouted, “Perhaps we should treat him like a true war spoil prime alpha, see if he’ll remain this mouthy once the entire army has had their way with him.”
Jungkook’s scent clouded with fear again and his eyes filled with unshed tears, he’d just gone and made things so much worse for him now, why had he even defended the Kwan pack alpha’s so fiercely when all of them had treated him like shit throughout his life? Why did he have to open his stupid mouth and get himself into the worst kind of trouble? He was sure that the prime alpha was going to abandon him to a fate much worse than being a soldier’s mate now.
The alpha’s sentiments were echoed around the room by the others as they started hurling insults and abuse, “This one deserves to be taught a lesson prime alpha, he refused your kindness and threatened to kill one of your soldiers, this is treason!”
“He should be made the army’s whore like he himself insinuated, that ought to teach him!”
Jimin himself was feeling so conflicted, on the one hand he understood why the bratty omega’s comments had incited his soldiers, and on the other hand he couldn’t stand the distressed scent of the omega as the chatter and insults erupted around him, his alpha was beating against his chest to make everyone stop this moment, the omega was visibly upset, barely holding in his tears and his alpha wanted to kill everyone who threatened the omega even if they were his own soldiers.
“SILENCE!” Jimin roared into the hall when tears started flowing freely from the omega’s eyes and down to his cheeks.
Jimin knew that he had gotten himself into a fine conundrum, after the way in which the omega had brazenly threatened to kill anyone he was forced to mate with, there was no way any of his soldiers would want him, and even if they did, it wouldn’t bode well for the omega. He couldn’t leave the omega unmated because the boy wouldn’t be able to even walk back to his cabin in the ship before someone jumped him and showed him the meaning of being a war spoil, also even if he were to just let it happen, his alpha was feeling so overprotective and jumpy right now and just wanted to take the omega away to a safe place where he was tucked away from all the hungry gazes of the alpha’s surrounding him.
There was only one way for Jimin to truly ensure the boys protection now, “Well….I can’t in good conscience let you mate one of my soldiers now.”
The omega gasped and started to cry harder, sobs wracking his delicate frame as his scent positively wilted around him.
Jimin struggled to control his alpha and not just jump out and draw the omega into his lap to soothe him of all his fears, he couldn’t show weakness in front of his soldiers, he couldn’t.
Jimin cast his eyes around the room and already he could see the triumphant smirks of his soldiers eyeing the omega like he was a piece of meat, unbidden a loud growl forced its way out of his throat and everyone’s gaze turned to him in surprise, “You will be my mate omega, you will bear my mark and my pups, you will come to me and present for me whenever I call you and you will live knowing that you are an instrument of the Easter’s packs continued reign and superiority over all the world, you will live knowing you gave me the son’s and daughters who will carry my legacy into the future.”
“No….no,no, no…..please just kill me, please” the omega begged in hysterics now as he openly sobbed in front of everyone.
Jimin felt the omega’s pain in his chest as if it were his own, he couldn’t stand to sit there and do nothing any longer, thankfully, he had convinced everyone in the room that he was punishing the omega by taking him as his mate but it couldn’t be farther from the truth, he extended his hand and beckoned impatiently, “Come here omega, do not test my patience.”
Jungkook stepped back with a loud sniffle, “No!”
Even with his face red with tears and snot dripping down his nose, the omega still looked so beautiful and stubborn.
And Jimin hated what he had to do next but he had to show everyone that he meant it, that the omega was his, it was the only way to stop someone from thinking that the omega was free game for any alpha.
“I said come here omega”
There was pin drop silence in the dinner hall now, everyone’s eyes were wide with shock because Jimin had never ever used his voice on an omega before. Despite his reputation for being ruthless and cold, the prime alpha never treated any omegas or children badly, for him to use his voice meant that the omega had really pushed his limits today.
Jungkook could so nothing but obey, the force of the command settled into his very being and he moved forward even though all he wanted to do was run away. Once he was up on the platform, he came to stand opposite to the alpha with the marble stone table in between them. The alpha looked right into his eyes before he raised his left hand and crooked his fingers in a come hither motion, Jungkook swallowed and tried to resist but the alpha’s command made him obey as he walked around the table and came to stand just behind the alpha’s chair. The alpha turned his face to look at him, and this close to the alpha Jungkook could clearly smell his rainy earthy scent, despite himself his omega sniffed the air curiously and before he could even think to step back, the alpha grabbed his hand and pulled Jungkook into his lap.
The omega squirmed in his position, not used to being in such close proximity to an alpha ever before in his life. He felt fingers carding through his hair surprisingly gently before the alpha tugged his head back to expose the smooth column of his neck and nosed down his neck before settling in on his scent glands.
What happened next made Jungkook feel boneless in the alpha’s lap, the alpha scented him for everyone to see, sending out a clear message to his generals and soldiers, ‘this omega is mine.’
The rainy scent of petrichor and ozone settled into Jungkook’s skin and the omega having never been scented by an alpha previously, got scent drunk on the alpha’s scent which was addictive and calming to his omega. He bared his neck more for the alpha and whined low in his throat and only stopped to take stock of what he was doing when he heard everyone’s laughter.
“Seems like he won’t need much convincing to spread his legs for you prime alpha.”
Someone from the crowd shouted and others hooted in response making Jungkook flush as he looked anywhere but at the alpha.
“That’s my mate you’re talking about Hanseok, the next time I hear you disrespect my omega, I will cut out your tongue and feed it to my dogs.”
That silenced everyone effectively and within minutes everyone returned to their business, Jimin took stock of the omega sitting very still in his lap, for better or worse he had just saddled himself with the burden of taking care of this omega for the rest of his life and he was still trying to find what his wolf saw in this unruly and mouthy brat of an omega.
His alpha however was growling proudly in his chest and couldn’t wait to plunge their teeth into the smooth unmarked neck of the omega and show the entire world that the omega belonged to them and them only.
***
“You could have gone easier on him” Taehyung accused with a reprimanding glare directed at Jimin.
Jimin sighed in response, “I couldn’t have, the only reason his pretty little head is still attached to his body is because everyone believes that I’m punishing him by mating him.”
“Yes but he believes you are punishing him too now”
“What does it matter?”
“Jimin” Taehyung’s eyes bored into the other alpha’s and Jimin rubbed his temples in annoyance before he snapped “What? What do you want me to do? Go to him and offer him courting gifts? Beg for his forgiveness?”
“Jimin, he’s going to be your mate, your omega, its bad enough that he has no real choice in this whatsoever but it’s worse if he thinks he’s marrying an alpha whose sole intention for mating him is to punish him.”
“I’m not going to punish him Taehyung”
“I know that but he doesn’t!”
“Fine, I will speak to him before the ceremony, now leave me alone.”
“But Jimin…”
“Not now Taehyung, I’ve just heard word that the Gadoran's are moving soldiers to the frontlines that separate our borders from theirs, I have more things to worry about now that the feelings of a mouthy little brat who doesn’t realize that I saved his life by burdening myself with a mate.”
Taehyung scoffed and didn’t hesitate to call out Jimin’s bullshit, “As if! You want him, you can fool anyone else but not me, you haven’t burdened yourself with anything, you want him.”
“I do not, I was ready to offer him to one of my soldiers.”
“Yes but you jumped on the opportunity to claim him for yourself, you’ve never been interested in having a mate but you went out of your way to claim him publicly when there were numerous other solutions to this.”
“Solutions that would have ended with him bleeding and battered or thrown off this ship with an anchor attached to his legs!”
“Jimin……listen to me, you cannot handle him the way you do your dalliances, he’s going to be your mate and it is in your best interest to make sure he feels favorably towards you.”
Jimin rolled his eyes at the other alpha, “I killed his packmates and conquered their lands, he will never see me in a favorable light.”
“You should tell him what the Northern alphas had planned for their pack!”
“You think he will believe me?”
Taehyung supposed Jimin did have a point, “I don’t know but you need to be kind to him Jimin, I don’t think he’s been treated all that well in his pack and he believes himself to be unworthy of being mated because he is a male omega, if you want him to be your mate, if you truly want him to love you and come to respect you, you need to be kind to him.”
“I don’t need his love, I just need him to give me heirs.”
“Jimin…”
“Enough Taehyung…..let me be.”
The healer sighed in consternation before he turned around and left, slamming the door on his way out to show his frustration with the prime alpha.
***
In a weeks’ time they reached the Eastern pack lands and Jungkook couldn’t quite believe the fate that had befallen him until he set his foot down the Eastern pack’s main city, throughout the weeks journey on the ship, he had been guarded every minute of every day. His room was devoid of anything that he could harm himself with and he had a couple of maidservants who in addition to bathing him, dressing him and making sure he looked presentable were also constantly in the room where he was kept, he could only go to the toilet privately without their ever present gaze trained on him and once they were off the ship, he was immediately made to sit inside a palanquin as soldiers carried him across the streets of the Easter pack lands until they reached the main city where the King and prime alpha’s palace was located.
Jungkook’s head was raised in awe at the white marble building in front of him, it was tall, taller than any building he’d ever seen in his life, it had arched doorways and domed ceilings complete with turrets and battlements, Jungkook didn’t even know how some of the structures in the building even stood together, the Northern pack didn’t have such elaborately constructed buildings, in truth they constructed cabins only to protect themselves from the elements and only the head alpha’s den was made out of stone and concrete.
A drawbridge led to the main entrance of the castle surrounded by two towers on either side and Jungkook gulped as the sinking feeling finally registered in his brain, he was going to have to live here as the prime alpha’s mate, he would be expected to service the alpha with his body anytime he was called for and give birth to the alpha’s pups who would rule over this castle and all the other lands the alpha vanquished under his heel. Suddenly the magnificent stone structure felt nothing more than like a gilded prison as Jungkook slowly walked towards the drawbridge, a retinue of maids following him silently and leading him into the place where he would be imprisoned for life.
He was taken to his chambers by his five maids who surrounded him and started to titter excitedly as soon as the door closed behind them, “Ohh! I can’t believe prime alpha is finally taking a mate!”
“Indeed, we all thought he was going to die a libertine!”
“Look at his face, no wonder he wanted to claim this omega all for himself”
“And his body too, I’ve never seen such a tiny little waist on any omega before”
“His ass looks plump and plush too, prime alpha has a good taste”
Jungkook felt self-conscious as the maids chirped excitedly all around him, his scent revealed his embarrassment, back in Kwan pack no one had ever offered him a compliment on his looks simply because as a male omega he was naturally considered undesirable in every way.
The maids stopped when they noticed his flushed cheeks, “Ohh, are you the shy kind prime omega?”
“We’re sorry if we were too forward, it’s only that prime alpha has never shown an interest in mating any omega before you.”
“You must be really special!”
“I’m not…..he’s….” Jungkook’s breath hitched as tears clouded his vision, “He’s mating me to punish me.”
“Punish you? Punish you for what?”
Jungkook blinked, he didn’t know how much he could reveal to his maids, he didn’t know if he could trust them but this past week he hadn’t had much in the way of human contact or conversation and he blurted everything out past his reservations.
“I threatened to kill any soldier I had to mate…..so prime alpha announced he’d mate me to…to punish me.”
“Oh you poor thing, I’m sure it isn’t so, prime alpha must like you if he wanted to mate you, and besides alpha Jimin is very kind once you’ve broken past his icy exterior.”
“Indeed! As his mate, you would have everything your heart desires and his protection.”
“Also he’s way too good between the sheets!” another maid revealed with a wink thrown his way which caused Jungkook to duck his head and turn even redder.
“Mhmmm, trust me, once your omega gets a taste of that alpha’s knot, you will want it forever!”
“And since you’re his mate, you get to actually have him again and again!”
“Oh how I wish I were in your position omega!”
“Every omega in the country I bet!”
The envy in their voices was obvious, Jungkook didn’t know what to do with this information, so he ducked his head and bit his lip, nervousness bleeding out of his pores and into his scent.
The maids paused to coo at him before one asked very bluntly, “You’re flushing too much, are you pure?”
“Don’t be ridiculous Ha-Yoon, prime omega is twenty-five summers old!”
“And look at him, he’s so beautiful, you think his pack alpha’s wouldn’t have tupped him into their bed?”
Something about that didn’t sit right with Jungkook so he quipped, “My pack alpha’s never….I’m a male omega” he said by way of explanation.
The maids gasped, “Oh my God, you are pure!”
“See! I told you he’s flushing too much!”
“You must reveal it to alpha Jimin too, I’m sure he’d be kind enough to take it easy on you for awhile before you get accustomed to his…..ehh….vigor.”
Suddenly understanding dawned on him and he lifted his head to look at the gossipy maids, “Has he….have you….how…..”
“Are you asking if he’s bedded any of us?” Ha-Yoon took pity on him and spoke up.
Jungkook nodded and Ha-Yoon turned her eyes to the two maids standing beside her, pointing to herself and the other two she said “We all have but these two haven’t because they’re happily mated to their alphas.”
Jungkook’s scent soured, and his omega wilted inside him a little too at that, so in addition to being forced to marry a man who had brought ruin upon his birth pack, the alpha he was to mate was also a womanizer.
“Oh don’t be so sad dear omega, he has never favored or fancied any of us enough to mate us, and once you’re mated alpha Jimin would be entirely loyal to you.”
Jungkook couldn’t quite believe it and even if he did, he didn’t want to mate the alpha.
The maids continued to titter around him, telling him about the court proceedings, which alpha’s were nice, which ones were not, which families to avoid and which families to trust and so on and so forth, they continued to coo at him and call him beautiful as they gave him a bath and they brought him the most sumptuous dinner he had ever eaten in his life. Jungkook slept like a baby on the downy mattress which felt like he was laying on clouds, back home he’d only had an uncomfortable pallet to sleep on.
The next week passed in a flurry and by the second week in the castle, Jungkook’s maids had made sure to educate him on a number of things about the palace and the people who frequented it. The omega had almost forgotten about his doomed fate to marry the ruthless leader of the Eastern pack when suddenly on the third week of his stay at the castle, the doors of his chamber opened abruptly and in entered the alpha he was to mate.
Jungkook jumped, he was standing in front of the dressing table and his maids were just finished with cinching a silk blouse that left most of midsection bare, he was supposed to wear a translucent jacket on top which would cover some of the skin but as he was now, he was dressed just in a pair of white trousers and a white blouse with a deep neck that ended right above his waist.
Ha-Yoon who Jungkook had discovered as being the cheeky one among his maids greeted the alpha with a slight reprimand, “Alpha Jimin, you must knock before entering your betrothed’s chambers, what if prime omega were naked as you barged in unannounced?”
The alpha himself was dressed in a traditional Korean Hanbok that had a deep neck that showed off his muscled chest, unlike their previous encounter, the alpha seemed to be in much better spirits now as he smirked and quipped, “I have the right to see my omega naked, do I not?”
Ha-Yoon was about to answer but Jungkook turned around and beat her to it, “No you don’t, I’m not your omega.”
The maids gasped and their faces were painted with varying degrees of shock as they directed their eyes towards Jimin who despite the omega’s rejection looked calm and slightly amused.
“Not yet little dove” Jimin intoned his eyes darkening with intent as it roved over the exposed skin of Jungkook’s midriff.
Jungkook took a step back, as if to preserve himself from the alpha’s hungry gaze but this only made Jimin stand up and come closer as he silently dismissed the maids who surrounded Jungkook like a shield.
“Go easy on him alpha Jimin, your omega is completely inexperienced when it comes to carnal relations with brutish alphas like you.”
Ha-Yoon revealed before closing the door behind her and Jimin’s eyes widened in shock, “You’re chaste?”
Jungkook tilted his chin up defiantly and snapped, “That’s none of your business.”
“So you are chaste…….wow……” Jimin muttered to himself and Jungkook turned around to face the mirror only to be confronted with his bare midriff, he hastily threw on the flimsy jacket and sat down to avoid being so exposed in front of the alpha.
“Why are you here?” Jungkook asked when the alpha just crossed his arms and kept looking at him without saying why he’d suddenly decided to barge into his chambers.
“Why should I not be? This is my castle, these chambers are provided to you at my behest, and you are my omega.”
“Not yet!” Jungkook bristled, “And even if I were, I don’t want you to come here uninvited.”
Jimin’s eyes widened and Jungkook was sure the alpha was going to lash out but instead the alpha seemed amused and this only riled Jungkook up more.
“Oh, do I need a handwritten note of invitation from you for me to enter your bedchamber every time omega?”
“Yes!”
Jimin laughed and clapped his hands together before his eyes twinkled with mischief, “Perhaps I should have you moved to my chambers, that way I can come uninvited any time I want because it would be our chambers and not yours.”
“No!” Jungkook’s eyes widened in alarm, “I would like to have my own chambers and I don’t want to move to yours.”
“Hmmm”
Jimin remained silent as he just stood there and observed the omega, he still couldn’t quite understand why his alpha was so enchanted with this omega, he’d needed this time away from the omega to understand the gravity of just what he’d committed himself to, but now that he was back in the omega’s presence again, all his alpha could feel was unadulterated joy.
For better or worse, he was going to mate this omega and he remembered Taehyung’s lecture, once he was back in the castle Jin had given him a piece of his mind too and Yoongi was so angry that he hadn’t even deigned to talk to him yet.
So he swallowed his pride and spoke, “I came here to apologize.”
The omega’s head perked up, “I….uhh….I shouldn’t have treated you so poorly in front of my soldiers but to be fair, I was only doing it to protect you from harm.”
“To protect me? You used your voice on me and scented me without my consent!” Jungkook’s voice rose as he spoke and by the end he was screaming at the alpha.
Jimin had the good grace to look sheepish, “I know and I am sorry, if I hadn’t done that, I’d have had to give you as a war spoil to my men, if I had stopped with claiming you with just my words and not backed it up with my actions, my men would still have considered you a target. I needed everyone to know I was serious about taking you as my mate.”
“I don’t want to be your mate.”
“I know”
“So let me go!”
Jimin sighed, “It doesn’t work like that Jungkook”
“Why not? I could run away from here and no one would be the wiser”
Jimin shook his head, “And what will you do if you run away? All my men know who you are and what you look like, you can’t go a step out of this palace without being recognized.”
“So help me run away unnoticed! I don’t want to mate you!”
“I’m sorry Jungkook but…..I can’t do that”
“But why? If you only did it to protect me from your soldiers, why do you want….” Jungkook stopped and took in a sharp breath as realization slammed into him, “you….you want to mate me.”
It wasn’t a question and Jimin didn’t answer, Jungkook’s eyes were full of betrayal as he directed them at Jimin with pleading, “Why?”
“I wish I knew” Jimin stated cryptically before he backed away from the omega, unable to see the anger and pain in the omega’s eyes for even a moment longer, he turned and walked away until he reached the door, “We’ll be handfasted next week and I will have to give you the bite right after, otherwise our union can be annulled in the eyes of the court.”
“Jimin-shi, please…..I’m begging you, please let me go, I am not from the Eastern pack, I’m a male omega and I’m hardly worthy of being your omega….”
Jimin gripped the door handle hardly enough to break it right off, his back was tense but when he turned around, all traces of his earlier kindness and amusement had vanished, “I can’t omega…..my alpha…..my alpha is imprinted on you.”
The last thing Jimin wanted to do when he came here was to reveal this and give the omega every leverage in their mateship but he couldn’t hold back anymore, seeing the omega in person again after he’d struggled to stay away for the past two weeks put everything in perspective for him, his alpha wanted the omega so much, he needed the omega and he wasn’t above being selfish and taking what he wanted.
All chances of escaping his fate vanished right before his eyes and Jungkook realized finally that there was no going back, he was getting mated to this alpha whether he wanted it or not.
His scent withered and Jimin growled low in his throat before he turned back around and marched forward, in a flash he was kneeling down beside where Jungkook was seated and he squeezed the omega’s knees gently before insinuating a finger under his chin and telling him with a voice that brokered no argument, “And don’t you ever doubt your worth to me, right now you are the most precious person to me in the entire world and when we’re mated, I’ll show you how you deserve to be worshipped every single day until I earn your forgiveness.”
“I won’t….I won’t forgive you” Jungkook said with a stubborn moue and Jimin gave a pained smile in return.
“Then I will have to live with it and it will be my burden Jungkook-ah”
***
After that day the alpha didn’t come to visit him until the day they were officially handfasted in front of the entirety of the Eastern pack the following week.
The ceremony was grand and Jungkook found himself feeling entirely out of place in his ceremonial hanbok and the thousand gold chains and ornaments that covered his entire body, he had heard from the maids that even the threads in his ceremonial robe were made of gold, the Eastern pack liked to display their wealth and as the prime omega his alpha would be expected to exhibit beyond a doubt that he was completely capable of providing for every one of his omega’s needs and caprices. The officiator tied their hands together and blessed them with a fruitful mating before Jimin and Jungkook were allowed to finally sit before a huge bonfire where a boar was being roasted to perfection.
The fire made the already heavy robe and jewelry he wore stick to his skin as Jungkook started to sweat, he huffed in discomfort and Jimin immediately seemed to catch on and whispered, “It’s only for a little while omega, we can go once I’ve fed you the first cut of the meat.”
Jungkook pouted in utter discontent and the alpha laughed before laying a small kiss on his cheek, “You can get rid of that ghastly robe soon enough, stop pouting.”
“I look ghastly?” asked Jungkook as he looked down self-consciously.
“Of course not, you look good enough to eat” Jimin whispered conspiratorially, only the innuendo just seemed to completely pass over Jungkook’s head.
“You can’t eat me Jimin-shi, I’m not an edible plant or animal.”
Jimin cleared his throat and Yoongi who was seated just behind them with his mate Taehyung laughed loudly.
Jungkook looked around and on seeing Taehyung behind him his entire face brightened, “Ohh Taehyung-shi, how are you?”
“I’m well Jungkook, how are you?”
“I’m….’ Jungkook cast a look at Jimin before saying, “as well as can be expected.”
“This is my mate Yoongi” Taehyung introduced and Jungkook turned and bowed slightly to the other omega.
“Good to meet you Jungkook and I must warn you, alpha’s can and do eat an omega so you need to prepared when your alpha gets hungry and wants to eat you.”
“Yoongi-ah!” Taehyung admonished while Jimin growled lowly in warning too and Jungkook being the sweet little bean that he was, was utterly confused and scared.
He turned to Jimin and asked, “What does he mean by you’ll want to eat me? I’m not an eatable!”
Unfortunately, Jungkook’s voice because of his panic was shrill and echoed around the clearing where nearly all of Jimin’s close family, friends, generals and soldiers were seated around the fire and Jimin flushed on hearing everyone guffawing before he turned to see that Jungkook was growing more anxious, while throwing an accusatory glare at Yoongi, he placated Jungkook, “It’s nothing, Yoongi is just being a mean little bi”
“Don’t finish that sentence Jimin-ah!” Taehyung warned from behind and Jimin sighed before trying to offer soothing words to his omega again.
Before he could open his mouth though, someone from behind loudly shouted, “What he meant was that your alpha would be hungry to taste your flower omega!”
And Jungkook finally understood what Yoongi meant, his eyes widened in utter shock, cheeks flushing red, he quickly looked away from the alpha who bit his lip and chastised everyone who were laughing behind him, “You all should stop, I don’t want you heathens to scare away my precious omega!”
“If anyone among us is a heathen it is you Park Jimin! We’re just trying to forewarn your omega!”
“That’s it!” Jimin declared, “I’m not allowing you lot to poison my omega against me!” so saying he put his hand on Jungkook’s ear and covered them but the omega could still hear the suggestive jokes that passed around the camp. Thankfully, most people were teasing the alpha and taking a piss out of him, finally a maid brought the first cut of the meat with a variety of other food on a platter and handed it to Jimin.
On seeing that everyone else was being served but him, Jungkook started to look aghast, the alpha was cutting the bore meat into small squares and everyone else was being handed a plate too, when he was sure that no one was going to hand him a platter, Jungkook asked the prime alpha, “Don’t I get to eat?”
Jimin who was finally done cutting the meat into smaller bite sized pieces turned to the omega and said “Of course you do” picking up a piece of meat from the platter and dipping it into a little herb sauce, the alpha brought the meat to the omega’s mouth, “It’s tradition for Eastern pack alpha’s to hunt for their omega and hand feed them after the handfasting.”
Jungkook wanted to be surly and refuse but when he looked around, all the people’s eyes were on them, he didn’t want to cause a scene publicly so he opened his mouth and allowed the alpha to feed him.
Jimin fed him slowly until the entire platter was gone and there was no more food left, the last item was a dessert made of coconut, it was a little runny and some of the dessert was sticking to the alpha’s fingers after he fed him, Jungkook rather liked it a little too much, so when the alpha was done feeling the last bite to him, he leaned forward and licked the remaining off of the alpha’s fingers, not understanding the weight of his actions as Jimin’s hand paused mid air and remained suspended there as Jungkook leaned back after licking every last bit of the dessert from the alpha’s hands.
A loud growl enough to raise the hairs on his back erupted from Jimin’s mouth and Jungkook scrambled back a little as Jimin’s eyes pinned him with an intensity that made him shiver.
“For a little inexperienced pup, he sure knows how to tease, doesn’t he?”
Everyone laughed again and Jungkook just realized that he’d done something inappropriate, though he couldn’t understand what it was.
Either way he didn’t appreciate being the laughingstock of the entire Eastern pack, so he turned to Jimin and asked, “Alpha….can we leave? I’m….sweaty!”
“Leaving already?!”
“So eager to have your alpha all to yourself omega?”
“Well where you’re going, you’re just going to get more sweaty pup!”
Jungkook actually had a vague inkling of what this might mean, so he stayed quiet grumbling out a small, “I’m not a pup!”
Jimin got up bringing Jungkook with him, there was no stopping the catcalls and the hooting as they left but the alpha tried to shield Jungkook as much as he possibly could before directing Jungkook to the new chambers inside the palace.
“This isn’t my chambers!” Jungkook exclaimed as soon as he saw the grand double metal doors that led to an expansive sitting room.
“Those were just your temporary chambers, we’re mated now, so you will be staying here.”
“I want my own chambers! I told you!”
Jimin turned Jungkook around by grabbing his shoulders and pointed to a door on the left side of the sitting room, “And you have your own chambers, its just that mine will be right opposite to yours”
Jimin pointed to the door on the right side of the sitting room that led into his own room, Jungkook started to protest, “I want my previous chambers, I don’t want to stay right opposite to yours!”
“Now you’re just being a brat, don’t you at least want to see what your new chambers look like before writing it off as unsuitable for you?”
“It’s closer to yours so of course it’s unsuitable” Jungkook retorted and Jimin looked up at the ceiling and wished for a fount of patience before looking back at the omega.
“I have to give you the bite”
Jungkook’s entire stance radiated his discomfiture, and he took several steps away from the alpha, “No!”
“Jungkook….it has to be done.”
Jungkook’s scent wilted and he cast his eyes around the room like a rabbit trying to escape the clutches of a predator.
“Now normally I’d give you the bite when you’re too immersed in the throes of pleasure to notice the pain but I think I’m correct in assuming you don’t want to consummate our union today.”
Jungkook nodded mutely but he couldn’t help the thrill that ran over his spine at the alpha mentioning everything else a mated couple tended to do on their wedding night.
The alpha walked to one of the ornate tables in the sitting room and pulled out a drawer and procured a small vial out of it, he brought it back to Jungkook and uncapped the lid, “Drink this, it’s a numbing potion and can take away some of the pain when I give you the bite.”
Jungkook looked at the vial with eyes filled with suspicion, “How can I trust you? How do I know this isn’t something else like poison or a heat inducer?”
Jimin’s fount of patience dried out and he snapped, “If I wanted to kill you there are quicker and better ways that going the coward’s route of using poison, I’m not a coward.”
Jungkook faltered and took a step back but the alpha was far from done, “And I don’t touch anyone without their consent.”
“I don’t need you to be in heat and mad with arousal to get you into my bed omega, I can seduce you and get you to submit to me all without the help of your biological compulsion to seek me out during your heat.”
“Aren’t you a bit too arrogant Jimin-shi? I’m never going to let you touch me willingly, so the only way you’ll get to lie with me is if you take me by force.”
Jungkook had fully expected the alpha to force him into their marital bed too but Jimin only smirked as he stepped away from Jungkook, “Is that a challenge omega?”
The omega tilted his chin up and bit out, “It’s a fact! You’re a dishonorable man who made me mate you when I didn’t want it, I don’t think you wouldn’t do the same and bed me even if I will never want to be bedded by you.”
Jimin capped the vial and crossed his arms in front of him, “You know…..I was going to go easy on you my omega, but now you’ve really done it. So here’s what I’m going to do, I won’t touch you until I drive you to a point where you will beg me on your knees to touch you. I will make you cry, plead and get desperate for my touch before I will ever lay a finger on your sex. And when you finally beg me with your little untouched flower dripping and burning with desire, when I’ve decided that you’ve appeased my alpha enough, I’ll show you exactly how much of a dishonorable man I can be.”
Jungkook’s stomach dropped and his omega let out a loud howl inside him, yipping in excitement and sweetening his scent for the alpha who caught it immediately and smirked.
“Now drink this, I’ll give you the bite and you can retire to your chambers to rest.”
Jungkook started to feel woozy about ten minutes after he drank the potion, and he felt himself lolling like a doll in Jimin’s arms and barely felt anything when the alpha bit the smooth column of his neck, he yelped in surprise before a draft of calming pheromones engulfed his entire being like a warm blanket and before he knew it, he was fast asleep.
When Jungkook woke up in the morning, he found himself tucked safely into a bed which was even comfier than the one he was used to. He sat up and rubbed his eyes and looked around only to be confronted with a grandeur he hadn’t ever experienced inside the palace. His new chambers were spacious and about two times the size of his previous chambers, the furniture all had gold trimmings and the ceilings and walls were also embossed with gold and precious gems that caught the sunlight and filled the chambers with their multihued glow. Jungkook turned and found himself being confronted with a big bouquet of white lilies and a note that simply said, ‘Your first courting gift omega, before you came into my life I never liked the scent of flowers, but now it’s all I can do to not ask the gardeners to cut every single lily that blooms in the East and bring it to my chambers so I’m surrounded by your scent every minute of every day.’
Jungkook told himself to not be affected by the alpha’s gestures, he needed to stay vigilant, the alpha was probably doing all of this to ensure that Jungkook would eventually be seduced by petty gifts and agree to be bedded by the alpha. In all honesty, he had half expected Jimin to demand his marital rights on their wedding night but now the alpha had sworn to make him beg to be touched and Jungkook resolved to never ever let that happen, the alpha maybe imprinted on him but he wasn’t imprinted on the alpha, so he would deny the alpha his bed and heart until Jimin snapped and showed his true colors to him.