Third person pov

They were lying on the bed now. Taehyung patiently waited for the anxious and troubled elder to speak. 

At that moment, none of them cared that they were tangled up in each other's embrace, basking in the warmth from their bodies as their heartbeats were fast and in sync. 

Jungkook glanced down at the younger who was looking up at him wide, curious and awaiting eyes. 

Yes, he had agreed to tell the younger the truth. He was going to let him know everything today but hesitated to speak because he didn't want their just formed beautiful and sweet relationship to spoil because of his past. 

After so many days, things were getting better between them. Just if something he says gets Taehyung angry or sad and the younger decides that it was better to just leave him, he would be devastated.

He wasn't going to hide the truth anymore. No matter what, he was going to tell him everything right now.

"Take your time," Taehyung said encouragingly, understanding how tough it would be for the elder to think about his past which was anything but happy and nice. "It's okay, I'll wait as long you want me to." 

Jungkook exhaled deeply, closing his eyes. He held Taehyung impossibly close to seek comfort from his warmth.

It's okay. He will understand what I tell him. 

I just need to trust him and tell him everything. Whatever his reaction is, I will accept it. Whether it be bad or good, it doesn't matter.

"Taehyung, Hyejin is not just my lover. She isn't someone I just fell for and started liking." 

He gets straight to the point, finding no reason to beat around the bush. 

Taehyung tilted his head to the side, furrowing his brows and squinting his eyes in confusion. Jungkook exhaled shakily before finally telling the boy the thing he should've known a long time ago. 

"Hyejin was my first mate." 

Taehyung's face only twisted more in uncertainty. Dread settled in him at the thought of Jungkook's words being true.

Am I not his mate then? Is that why he didn't even realize that his mate was near?

No, that can't be true. Taehyung thinks, skin crawling in fear. 

"What are you saying, Kookie? She isn't your mate, I am--" 

"She is my first mate. You aren't the only one who was fated to me." 

Taehyung's heart sank, eyes turning blank. He gulped audibly and shook his head before looking away from Jungkook. He just couldn't accept and understand the fact that whatever Jungkook said was completely true. 

It was too much to take in. He hadn't even known anything much yet. 

Two mates? Two fated ones? How can that even be possible?

"Are you hearing yourself, Jungkook? This can't be tru--" 

"It is, Tae! I'm not lying. Please listen to me completely," the trueblood said desperately as he didn't want Taehyung to misunderstand anything already.

To his luck, Taehyung immediately shut his mouth, forcing the many questions he wanted to ask down his throat. He nodded warily at Jungkook, begging him to continue.

Something so unsure and feared settled in Taehyung when he wondered whether he was really Jungkook's mate or not. He won't love somebody else, no, not at all.

 He can't love anybody except Jungkook. 

Now it doesn't matter who his mate is, he loves only and only Jungkook. 

"Do you know what second mates are, Taehyung?" Jungkook asks softly, feeling a pang of pain when Taehyung sniffled and shook his head. His hand found its way to the back of the omega's head and he patted on it softly. 

"Two people were fated to me. Both you and Hyejin are my mates--" 

"How is that possible?! That can't be possible!" Taehyung yelled, letting his distressed face bury in his palms, voice wavering. Jungkook held him tighter and gritted his teeth. 

I don't want him to be in pain. I don't want him to be sad, but I always end up hurting him myself.

"Listen to me, Tae. Let me tell you everything first."

The omega shuddered in his arms and all he could do was wonder if anything would come good out of this situation. He kept quiet for a while so Taehyung could control his anger or fear; he couldn't really tell what exactly the boy was feeling.

Taehyung was barely breathing. The world suddenly seemed really heavy to him. 

I'm not the only one for him then?  The omega thinks and the thought hurt him more. 

He stuttered out an order to him to continue speaking, and Jungkook had to follow his order without having any other choice.

"Hyejin and you share the same bond with me. You aren't my second chance, Tae, you are my second mate so the bond between us is as strong as the bond I had with Hyejin, actually, even stronger." 

I really am not his only one. 

Taehyung shook his head against him harshly and pulled away from his embrace to look at him with a pained look that broke the elder's heart.

"Why? Why did she die then? Why didn't anything happen to me?" Taehyung asks, looking up at Jungkook for a split second. His eyes teared up. Jungkook could swear that he hadn't felt this frustrated before.

It was a strong feeling that surged through him, a combination of many negative feelings which came when a person knew that there can be more undesirable outcomes of his actions than desirable. 

A feeling which came when everything was falling apart and there were very less chances of it turning out good. 

He couldn't give up though. 

"Is it a rule of nature for a person to have only one mate. Every one of us is born fated to only one person. You and Hyejin were both fated to me, and I... I was fated to be with you. I felt the things mate feel with Hyejin because she also shared a bond with me. My connection with you, however, is stronger than with her because the bond we are both fated to each other. I'm not making this up, Tae, you should know that we were meant to be."

Taehyung kept quiet except for the occasional sniffles or whimpers.

"I was supposed to end up with one of you, and that was always supposed to be you. H-Hyejin had to die because of that."

"T-that's so mean," Taehyung sobbed, clutching the elder's shirt. He hated how cruel and selfish it all sounded.

Suddenly, he wasn't thinking about himself anymore. Not everything was about him--his pain, his love, and himself--he needed to consider others too. 

And now, when he thought about the cruelty the universe had shown to Hyejin--by fating her with someone who wasn't supposed to end up with her, giving her only a short span of life so he could have his share of happiness, and breaking all her dreams so his own dreams could come true--he understood that his pain was nothing before hers. 

The person he hated with a strong passion until now had died just so he could stay with Jungkook and live a happy life with him.

They loved each other so much but had to get separated because their stupid fate wasn't meant to be the way they wished for it to be.

Was to die after being shown a glimpse of a beautiful life with someone she loved with a high passion all she deserved?

Would it not be better if either she or Taehyung was fated to someone else? After all, they fell in love with the same man and their love for him was similarly strong too. 

Until now he had blamed Hyejin for loving someone that didn't belong to her when Jungkook did belong to her as much as he belonged to him.

He hated Jungkook for loving not loving his mate and loving someone who wasn't supposed to be his while she was his mate and deserved to be loved by him too.

Just how complicated and perplexing it all was. The sudden change in his attitude towards her--the hatred and anger swiftly changing into sympathy, guilt and respect--made him wonder why all this had happened in the first place. 

Just if... just if things could have been simpler... 

But he wouldn't love Jungkook this hard if it weren't for the problems he faced to get closer to him. Their love wouldn't be his pure if they hadn't strived to be with each other. The burning desire in their hearts wouldn't be present too. 

The only reason they could experience all these beautiful emotions was because one strong female gave up her life for them. 

"It is cruel, I know. It was inevitable too. None of us could have done anything to stop it," Jungkook said, heaving out a breath. Until now he thought that, just in case, he had protected her and been more responsible, he could've saved her life. 

But lately, he got to know that this was meant to happen to her. In one way or the other, she would've ended up dying. 

It was her cruel fate, her harsh destiny.  

"B-but because o-of that my Hayoonie lost her mother. Because of that, so-someone had to die before fulfilling their dreams."  

Jungkook's lower lip wobbled and he closed his eyes as he nodded. He held back his urge to cry and said, "But our child also found you because of that. You aren't anything less than her mother."

"D-did you live happily with Hyejin noona?" Taehyung asks in a soft, heartbreaking tone. "Did she enjoy the time she spent with you?"

Jungkook whimpered at that and nodded immediately. His chest hurt; he held Taehyung tighter to remove the pain from his heart.

"I-I think she did. I-I was a horrible mate, but she always told me that I was the best and that she couldn't b-be any happier to have me."

Taehyung sobbed softly at that. 

Jungkook softly guided his face to his neck to let him inhale his scent. He wished to calm Taehyung down, but his scent was just too bitter as he was distressed too so it only made the omega's condition worsen.

"How w-was she like?" Taehyung asks, slightly curious to know about her. The curiosity came with a ton of guilt which made his voice quiver.

He could tell that she was someone worth loving. Someone who deserved much more than what she had got. 

"She..." Jungkook started, smiling sadly because he had to use past tense whenever he spoke about her. "She was really kind-hearted. She had long black hair, medium-sized eyes which always shone and a pointed nose. Her laugh and smile was contagious too. I--" he thinks twice to say the next words, "I think you would have loved her if you had met her when she was alive."

"I-If I would've met her... I would've apologized to her. Do you think she w-will be mad at me right now for being with someone she had rights upon?"

Jungkook chuckled painfully, sound not cheery at all.

"As much as I know Hyejin, she would strangle you to death if you tried to steal me away when she was alive, but I guess right now, she would be wishing you luck because you have to be with a failure like me."

Taehyung glared at him with his red teary eyes for degrading himself. All he got in return for his glare was a soft peck to his cheek.

"Are you sure that all of this is true?" Taehyung asks in a small voice after a short while. He just couldn't understand all this; it was too much to take in all at once. 

"Yeah, it is. I thought you were just my second chance at first because I met you after Hyejin's death, but it turned out to be false. I read about second mate somewhere and realized that even you are my second mate. I met Hyejin first so she's my first mate and you are my second." 

Taehyung grumbled about how complicated all this is and looked up at Jungkook. He pressed his lips in a thin line and sighed before saying, "Tell me everything, Jungkook. I want to know everything that happened." 

Jungkook nodded, slowly unravelling his arms from around Taehyung and turning to lay on his back, looking up at the ceiling. He smiled sadly as he began telling everything--from the beginning till the end--to Taehyung.

 After having enough of his abusive stepmother and annoying father, eighteen-year-old Jungkook had decided to leave his father's mansion and move to someplace where he could live all alone.  

He knew that all of his family was happy with his decision to leave. 

Sangmi always only wanted to get rid of him and Jungho didn't care about where he went because he knew that he will still have control over him. 

Jisung, Sangmi's son who had been brainwashed by Jungho and Sangmi whole life had also only wanted him to go away because as long as Jungkook was nearby, he wouldn't be considered powerful as he was just an alpha and Jungkook was a trueblood. 

Jisung's mother had always told him that she wanted him to be a trueblood too. She wanted him to be equally as powerful as Jungkook is.

As a result of all that, the once sweet boy had turned evil and terrible like she herself is. He also started finding pleasure in hurting others, including his own elder half-brother.

Jungkook didn't care about any of them too. He was only gleeful and satisfied after he left that mansion and made his own house with the help of Hoseok and Yoongi.

He wanted to shift to another pack, but he couldn't move out until he had permission from the pack's head alpha. He rather chose to stay in the same pack than talking to his father.

Keeping all that aside, he was determined to let go of his past and make a beautiful future. He was skilful and strong in nature too so the people of another pack agreed to let him train the students of the institution. 

Working in the training institution was the first step he took towards his happiness and freedom. The burning passion in him made him want to be the best so he strengthened his skills by practising sword fight the whole night.   

He wasn't lonely. Hell, he was always only weird when he had any sort of company. He loved being all alone.

He hadn't had a family until then too, but now he considers Hoseok and Yoongi family.

Until now, he refrained himself from speaking to anyone who tried to talk to him or was concerned about him. The reason was Sangmi.

But he was free of her now.

Hoseok guided him through every step he took and he was glad for it. He was financially supported, selflessly, by Hoseok while Yoongi advised him and stood by him to comfort him.

He was thankful to both of them. Though they didn't have much to give, He still loved them, genuinely. 

He was glad to have them. He considered them as the only family he has.

Jimin wasn't like Hoseok. The alpha had a lot of ego and hated being with someone who constantly ignored him, but Jungkook cared for him too. 

He was really introverted; he barely even knew what socializing felt like. Even at the institution, he had a lot of problems talking to a student or a fellow trainer properly.

He either always kept quiet, even when being asked questions, or yelled harshly and hit some of those students who were misbehaving or not listening to him. 

Even though a trainer, he wasn't any elder than the students there. The bratty students bullied him, made fun of him, but he did nothing but shoot a sharp glare which was enough for them to quit joking around. 

Those tiny problems didn't bother him much. The criticism and harshness of the people didn't hurt him because he was, in a way, immune to it. After all, rough and harsh treatment was the only thing his actual family had given him.  

He was thankful for the life he was living now. His actual family had forgotten about him, he couldn't be more glad. 

Oberon was calm too and rather always quiet now. He was proud of himself because his wolf hadn't yelled at him in a while.

 Being lonely and alone was something he loved, and he was alone most of the time nowadays.

He didn't have any work that day so he left home to go to the deeper parts of the forest. He contemplated taking his sword along to do some practice but decided against it.

He shifted to his wolf form when he reached a certain point in the forest as his wolf was stirring in him and asking him to set him free. 

Oberon trotted down through the paths of the forests, looking around for finding some animal to hunt. He held the clothes between his teeth, ignoring the Jungkook who was scolding him for making holes on his clothes by biting down on them. 

The huge animal just growled at everything visible and bustled into deeper parts of the forests. He stopped running around only when hours had passed and the sun was close to setting. His legs had grown heavy in tiredness. 

He lay down on the grass, tail between his hind limbs as he used the paws of his forelimbs to dig tiny holes on the ground. Even though he had a huge body, he looked nothing more than a puppy when laying down and cutely digging the ground. 

The soil was damp because of rain so it got stuck between his nails and skin. He nudged his nails with his nose and licked them to clean them. 

He bared his teeth down at the ants which were climbing up his paw. He growled, annoyed when they began biting him. He raised his left paw up and smashed it down on the ground to get rid of the ants.

His annoyance was visible in his fierce eyes which glared at the tiny shits which were disappearing in his thick, black fur. 

He seemed exceedingly harsh and angry even though he was only dealing with ants.

He continued to throw his limbs up in the air and then smashing them down on the ground for a while. Not so long after, he found himself rolling on the ground as he felt the stinging pain of ant bites from all over his back. 

'Oberon, stop!' Jungkook yelled at him, voice heard in his head, sounding slightly flustered. The wolf completely ignored him. 

He whined and growled as he rolled on the floor, dirtying himself and hit the ground with his limbs to kill the ants. He grunted out whenever it hurt too much. 

It seemed like he was determined to kill every ant which was guilty of causing him pain. No one--literally no one--could get away so easily after hurting him. 

'Oberon, stop! Someone is looking at us!' 

The wolf's ears perked up and he snarled, yapping as he shot to his feet, looking around to search for the one who was looking at him, ready to pounce at them and break their bones. 

Who dared to stare at him?

Was that person trying to attack him?

Oh, he was going to give that person the worst kind of pain for planning something against him.

When his eyes landed on light blue ones of a frail-looking omega, he froze. His protective stance crumbled down within seconds and his eyes grew wide and shocked, the fire in his intimidating red eyes dying down.

'Who's it?' Jungkook asks curiously, surprised at the fact that Oberon hadn't attacked the other wolf yet.

He didn't seem to recognize the other beautiful white wolf which only made him even more curious. 

'I-I don't know...' The wolf said, voice cracking. He stiffly and slowly let his ass fall on the ground, in a complete daze, as the delicate wolf in front of him made a tiny noise,--seemingly in pleasure--and sniffed the air. 

Oberon sat like a statue, not making any moments. He hoped that the female omega would just go away because, somehow, he could not find the courage to attack the omega.

Opposite to what he wanted, the omega got to her feet and took a step towards him. He let out a broken growl at the back of his throat to warn her to not get any closer; the growl sounded more like a whine.

The daring omega took a step forward and he cowardly scrambled back on his butt. 

With her step she took, he wiggled his butt to move back, away from the female, but he froze when she shot him a hurt look. 

He sat still then and she cheerfully came closer. She sat before him, looking at him with cute puppy eyes, examining him. She took another daring step by reaching her head forward and licking his lower jaw. 

He pushed her away with his face, doing it extra softly. She whimpered in hurt which made him freeze again. 

'Mate...' She mindlinked him, and both Jungkook and Oberon grew confused. She reached forward and nudged his jaw. His eyes grew wide when he felt tiny tingles in his skin. 

A spark rose through the trueblood which made him gasp.

'Mate,' He mindlinked back, feeling the bond and connection between them. 

"How did you feel the bond if she wasn't your mate?" Taehyung asks, curiously, listening to Jungkook intently. 

"It was because she was also my mate I guess..."

"But you're fated to me, right? Then how can you feel the bond?" Taehyung asks with a frown.  

"I am fated to you, but she was fated to me too. Both of us felt half the power of the mate bond, but we didn't know that it was only half. Well, we didn't know how exactly mate bond feels anyway so the small tingles and connection made us believe that we were fated to each other." 

"Why won't Oberon accept me?" Taehyung asks in a small voice. He didn't want the wolf to love him but wanted Jungkook to feel the mate bond. He wanted Jungkook to experience the heartbeat rise and other such things.

Jungkook already felt all of that; he just didn't know about it yet.

"Tae, Hyejin meant a lot to Oberon. He had concluded that she was the only one for him, and he had wholeheartedly accepted her as his mate. He was deeply in love with her, probably still is, and that's why he's suffering from the disease," Jungkook muttered in a small voice. 

"Disease? What disease?" 

He stirred softly, scooting closer to Jungkook and obtaining a more comfortable position. 

"The disease which happens to truebloods who lose their mate. In my case, Hyejin wasn't my actual mate, but she had created such a strong connection between us that it led to her becoming as close as real mates are. When she died, my wolf was devastated. As days passed, he fell ill. The numerous times you saw him hurt himself, he wasn't threatening to hurt you but was totally out of his own mind. He's done that many times." 

Taehyung took in the information, processing all of it slowly to understand every syllable that left his lips.

"He did hit me a few times..."

"That day--" Jungkook sighed. "I locked you out of the room so you wouldn't trigger him, but you came back in. I don't remember what exactly happened, but I do know that this mindless, brokenhearted wolf has hurt all those people who came close to him and tried to stop him at the time he was having panic attacks."

"He kept trying to push me away," Taehyung said sadly. "I was only trying to help him out."

"He's too dumb. He only likes to hit himself to make the pain in his heart to vanish. And after all these stupid events of the past, he's scared to be shown affection. It just pushes him off the edge when someone genuinely cares for him, like Hoseok and Yoongi too has been hit by him several times."

"And me being his mate?"

"He can't stay away for too long. You started healing him without doing anything, and soon, he will be at your feet, begging you to love him."

Ignoring the pang of disbelief and somewhat hope that this doesn't happen, Taehyung asked another question.

"So if I fall for someone else who isn't my mate and something happens to that person... then will I also suffer?"

Jungkook growled lowly, not liking the thought of his omega loving someone else, and held him tightly, making Taehyung blush. 

He felt bad somewhere deep down because he had been doing the same thing--loving someone else--all this while.

He had been thinking that Hyejin was his mate. Also, he didn't even know about Taehyung being his mate.

Was it still all his fault? Will his actions be forgiven now? He could get answers only from his Taehyung. 

"I said if," Taehyung clarified and giggled when Jungkook huffed out in relief. 

"I don't really know. I shared half bond with her so maybe that was also the reason I suffered but I'm healing, unlike what usually happens to a trueblood who lost his or her mate, because I met my actual mate now." 

Taehyung nodded understandingly. 

"I'm your remedy?" Taehyung asks, grinning. Jungkook chuckled and nodded at him.

"What happened after you met her? Tell me everything," The younger said in a whiny tone. Jungkook was glad that he was listening and trying to understand him. He had expected him to just push him away, yell at him, or even throw something at him in anger.

Taehyung was really an angel that he may, or may not deserve to have.

"Hyejin moved into my house. Her parents disapproved of our relationship so she just left them and decided to not meet them until they accept me, which never happened. Well... They blamed me for her death and I guess it is justifiable. Sana, her sister, continued to keep in touch with her though." 

"How is it your fault?" Taehyung asks, rolling his eyes. "You don't need to take the blame for everything." 

Jungkook shrugged at that and said, "If my daughter's mate wasn't responsible enough then I would kill him after making him reject my baby--"

"And I would kill you after that. You don't get to choose who stays with my daughter, alright? She'd be all grown then," his irritated voice grew softer. "She would probably look like a fairy when she is grown older." 

Jungkook nodded proudly at that. 

"Also... did you just say that Hyejin left her family for you? That's so sweet," He said in a soft voice.

 Jungkook nodded, pecking his forehead; he couldn't miss any chance of pecking and kissing Taehyung. 

"What we did was always heartwarming and sweet. Maybe it was because of the crazy love that we had for each other or the that we couldn't stay away for long that we never fought. It was a soft relationship," the adoration in his voice pained Taehyung. 

Why did that have to happen to her? Even though I love Jungkook and am his mate, it was wrong for me to think so bad about her. She died so we can be together... 

It hurts to think about how much pain Jungkook must've gone through.

"We made love only once--" Jungkook cut himself off when he realized what he was saying. He coughed awkwardly and looked away, ignoring the curious eyes looking up at him. 

"What? What did you say?" Taehyung asks as he had missed whatever Jungkook just told him.

"Nothing. It was nothing," Jungkook said instantly.

"No, tell me what you said!" Taehyung's eyes sparkled when he saw Jungkook's flustered face. He nudged his chest with his elbow teasingly, and Jungkook could only groan at that. 

"What was it? I need to know. You promised to tell me everything." Taehyung wasn't letting it go. He nudged Jungkook and whined, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. 

"S-shut up, Tae," Jungkook groaned, holding Taehyung in place. "Alright, I'll tell you!" 

Taehyung's actions halted and he stared at him with wide awaiting eyes. Jungkook sighed and repeated himself, "We made love--had sex--only once." 

Taehyung's jaw fell open. He blinked several times in shock. 

"Once? But you are a trueblood!"

Taehyung knew how difficult it is for alphas to keep their dicks to themselves, so it was unbelievable that Jungkook had done the deed only once.

Truebloods usually feel emotions in an extreme manner--may it be joy sadness or lust--and for a trueblood who was living with someone he loved, it was impossible for him to not feel those sort of emotions.

That's why he hasn't ever advanced in such a way? I'm sure he loves me way to much to resist... so his pure and innocent self could be the only reason he isn't thinking about me in a not so innocent way.

If only he knew that it was especially hard for the elder to keep his eyes and hands off him, he would think otherwise.

Jungkook grew slightly more sheepish when Taehyung kept quiet.

"The only time we did have sex was when I was on a rut," Jungkook said and took a deep breath before explaining further. "I didn't know what to do anyway. She had to guide every step of mine; it was so embarrassing." 

"She had experience?" Taehyung asks, a sweet blush on his face because of what they were talking about. Jungkook grinned and pecked his cherry red cheeks making him whine. 

The younger was getting shyer than Jungkook now, and it gave the trueblood some sort of confidence. 

He wasn't embarrassed anymore and felt the need to see Taehyung blush deeper.

"Yeah, she had experience. She had dated many people too but wasn't so into any of them. She even dated a friend of hers for a while, but they broke up just so they could continue being friends." 

"That's... crazy." 

"I know," Jungkook shrugged. "Well, she had a lot of experience and I didn't even know anything back then. She assured me it would be fine so I did it. After the first round, I got pretty good at it and--"

"I-I don't need to know so much!" Taehyung whined, hiding his red face in his chest. Jungkook laughed heartily. 

It did sting a little to listen about Jungkook doing someone else, but the  fact that he was talking about a dead half-mate remained in his mind, reminding him that even though Jungkook had loved someone else, he was the only one he loves now. 

"You wished to know everything," Jungkook teased, smirking at him. The hot smirk made Taehyung shiver.

"Tell me only the required part," Taehyung said sternly and looked up with a from, whining when Jungkook laughed at his red face. 

"All of this wasn't required in the first place. Anyway, Hyejin got pregnant then because I had knotted her in my rut. It was such a beautiful moment for me when she told me that she was holding our pup. I can remember it like yesterday. Both of us had cried too," Jungkook's voice cracked a little, and Taehyung patted his shoulder to calm him down. 

"Nine months had passed by before I could even know, and our Hayoonie was born. Hayoon looked completely like me back then and was always stuck to Hyejin in the few months they spent together," Jungkook smiled sadly, tearing up at his memories.

"She would choose Hyejin over me always. She seemed always happy with her. I always wondered, after Hyejin's death, whether it would've been better if it was I who died and not Hyejin. H-Hayoon would've been happier, probably." 

Taehyung shook his head in denial and rubbed away the tears which escaped the elder's eyelids. "You're wrong, Jungkook. She loves you a lot." 

He knew. He knew how much his daughter loved her father.

He'd not only seen the love in her eyes but had also heard from her, about a million times, that she missed and loved Jungkook.

"She's always loved her moms more, Tae. I can tell that she loves you more than me," he said and chuckles, not sounding sad now. 

He loved the fact that his daughter's choices and likes were similar to his own.

Keeping that aside, he loved to see the sweet interaction between the mother-daughter duo. 

He loved both of them.

"You don't know something, Jungkook. Earlier, when you used to leave us at home, she would always think and talk about you. She couldn't get enough of talking about you." 

"Is that so?" Jungkook asks softly and smiles cheekily when Taehyung nodded. 

"My baby loves both her parents." 

"She does." Taehyung smiled, but his smile soon faltered when he remembered that Jungkook hadn't told him something important yet. "How did Hyejin die, Kookie? I've wanted to ask you this from the time you told me that she's dead." 

"She was murdered," Taehyung's loud gasp was heard as soon as he said those words. "She was burnt to death by my half-brother, Jisung."

"Why?!" 

"He was manipulated since he was young. Sangmi only taught him to be rude and harsh to me, while Jungho, even though paid no attention to him, made him power greedy. He couldn't stand the fact that he was a normal alpha while I was a trueblood." 

Taehyung scoffed in disgust, looking to the side. 

"When he found out about me and Hyejin being mated, he took it as a chance for him to hurt me by killing her. I was in my institution, working, when I felt fear through the bond." He stopped for a second, taking a deep breath.

Past memories came to his mind, pain bubbled in him. It hurt to think about those days. Somehow, the pain was slightly lesser because he had moved on and stopped loving Hyejin and because he was telling his story to the one he loves. 

But he still wanted to cry. Those days, those painful memories which were so vivid and clear in his mind, those screams, the dark and hurtful night, everything hurt. 

"The half bond wasn't strong enough to assure me that something was wrong."

Taehyung gasped again, face turning red. He teared up again and pressed the back of his palm on his mouth.

"I rushed back home after a long time just to find..." He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth, throat clogging shut.   

"...to find Hyejin on the floor while her body was set on fire. S-she was screaming for help, but I was too late to save her. B-before I could even get to her, she d-died. She d-died right in front of me, I couldn't do a-anything at all." 

He couldn't hold back his cries anymore. Taehyung pulled him by his nape and brought him down to his chest, patting his back sympathetically.

He was crying too, just be thinking of the pain his mate would've felt. 

If he would've seen Jungkook in that state, he would kill himself. Right then and there.

He respected how strong Jungkook has been to continue living; he respected Jungkook because he was a great father who continued living just for his daughter.

"S-she died right before me! I c-couldn't even do anything! I c-couldn't--" 

"Jungkook, calm down!" Taehyung said worriedly, holding him tightly to assure him that it's alright. It broke his heart to hear the painful sobs of the elder. 

His face was pressed on his chest which constricted because Jungkook was shivering and crying.

"M-my baby, my Hayoon was crying too. She was screaming and calling for her dead mother a-and, a-and--" 

"Take deep breaths Jungkookie," he said, concerned. "I want you to calm down first." 

But Jungkook wasn't in the state to calm down.

That horrible day has been haunting him all this time and it hurt so much to think about it. Hyejin was on the floor, body burning into ash while his daughter screamed and cried while trashing around in Jisung's harsh hold. 

"I-I lost all control over myself. M-my wolf took over a-and killed Jisung. Right there, I felt like I lost all reason to live, Tae. I lost all reasons to remain sane. I l-lost everything I had." 

The elder sobbed, clutching Taehyung's shirt and burying his head further into his chest. It was so painful to listen to all of this. 

"I-I lost everything," Jungkook cried, body shaking. "S-she died before me, and I couldn't e-even do anything!" 

"K-kookie..." 

"I became a monster after that Taehyung. My wolf went around and hurt every person. Hoseok and Yoongi were hurt several times by Oberon. E-even Hayoon--" He cut himself off. Taehyung gasped when he realized that he had even hurt his own daughter. 

So much pain. I-it feels like he's only ever been given pain and hurt.

No words which the omega said were comforting the distressed alpha.

The forest wood scent had become so bitter now; it was unbearably suffocating. It smelt like poisonous smoke.

"I pushed Hayoon away because that was all I could do back then. I sent her away with her aunt. She cried and always tried to come back, but I couldn't let her. I was scared that I would hurt  her, but I also feared her forgetting me." 

"You did the right thing, Jungkook," The younger sobbed. "You did the right thing by sending her away.." 

The broken-hearted older sobbed again.

He hated those days. He could still feel the pain whenever he thought about it..

He couldn't even wish for happy days. Happiness? Had his happiness ever stayed forever? Had he not lost everything he had at the end of the day?

Those hurtful memories had been embedded into his heart and he couldn't do anything to make himself feel better.

Sleepless nights, horrible days and a wounded, angry wolf was too much to handle. Every once in a while, when he felt better, the image of his burning lover's body would come to his mind, and almost instantly, he would be pushed to his worst state.

He had started having panic attacks and hallucinations of his dead lover.

Those hallucinations made him feel alive again, made him believe that his lover hadn't left. He was living in a lie.

He had become mad. The situation was so scary and creepy to Hoseok and Yoongi, especially when the elder spoke to no one in particular or ran around while calling for Hyejin.

Oberon at the same time was always angry when he saw the hallucination because he knew it wasn't true. More than Jungkook, it was Oberon who had suffered.

The alpha and beta couple struggled to keep him sane. They began living with him and never left even when Jungkook spat at them and told them to leave.

They even forgot about themselves just so they could look after the trueblood.

They had hired a full-time psychiatrist to look after Jungkook. There was no improvement in the boy's mental health for a long time.

None of anything they did work. For days and days, Jungkook screamed and yelled in pain, crying and sobbing to decrease the burning feeling in his chest and trying to kill himself to get rid of it all

It wasn't something any of them would like to think about again.

Those months of pure torture haunted Jungkook to the present day.

"Tae-Taehyung, I lost all connection with my wolf after that. I wouldn't know when he took over, what he did after taking control, or any other thing related to him. I couldn't even speak to him." 

"W-was that why... you didn't know I was your mate?" When Jungkook nodded, Taehyung broke out into sobs. 

"I've been blaming you for everything when you didn't do anything! You didn't deserve all this, Kookie! I'm so sorry!" He yelled in a broken voice, and Jungkook sniffled. 

"I did. I did many things too, Tae. I always ignored you and hurt you with my selfish and harsh words. I-I also sexually assaulted you," Jungkook cried harder.

How was he supposed to apologize for all this?

How will Taehyung forgive him when he himself--not in his wolf form-- and done so many wrong things to the omega.

"It did hurt, Jungkook, but the only reason it did hurt was because you were treating me harshly when I was your mate. You didn't know I was your mate back then, did you?"

Jungkook nodded as an answer, his actions being extremely soft. He was cuddled up against Taehyung's chest, looking like a scare child who was in desperate need of comfort.

"Speaking to me harshly and ignoring people was how you behaved back then. It wasn't easy for you to digest the fact that someone who you didn't know was going to live with you so you behaved in the way you did; how can that be wrong?"

Taehyung laid a peck on his hair, stroking on the strands softly. He whimpered ever so often because the story Jungkook had just told him had made his heart shatter.

"And you never raped me. If anything, it was the other way round. You were drunk and weren't in the right state of mind, but I was completely okay. I should've stopped you but I didn't because I wanted whatever you were doing. I forced myself to accept what you were doing, but you didn't force yourself on me.."

"I'm s-still very sorry," the broken alpha apologized.

"Stop taking the blame for the things you never did," the omega said sternly, repeating the same things again and again.

A comfortable silence settled between them. Taehyung continued to pat Jungkook's back and pecking the crown of his head ever so often.

It just felt so right and nice. They hadn't ever felt this light before.

Maybe... It was because they had finally decided to sort things out between them.

The omega surely had forgiven him, wholeheartedly too, and a strong belief that they will be in much better terms from now.

The hatred he had in him for Jungkook and Hyejin had completely vanished and he was ready to forget all about both of their past.

He wasn't going to voice out the fact that he was forgiving Oberon until the wolf asked for forgiveness. He didn't have the wish to love the wolf who still loves Hyejin. 

Jungkook had suffered along with his wolf, but loving a certain red-eyed wolf seemed impossible considering the fact that it still scared him, still made him shiver in fear. 

But nothing will stop him from loving Jungkook now. Also, it was highly important to unite with Jungkook first to finish one particular bitch who was supposed to die long ago.
 
"I love you, Kookie," he chuckled when the elder froze at his words.  

"I won't ask you to tell that back to me. I know what your heart wants anyway," He said and placed his hand on Jungkook's chest, loving the fast pace of his heart.

Though he doesn't feel the bond, I still have a huge impact on him. Taehyung thinks.

"Taehyung..." 

I love you too. Jungkook kept those words in, hesitant to say it just yet. 

"I love you, Jungkook." 

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

7000 words I--