•Chapter thirty•

It won't go on like this forever.

When three whole months had passed, Taehyung knew things cannot continue being as peaceful and good as it was with his secret being hidden from everyone.

His bump grew more, not visible externally but enough for him to remember every moment that passed that he was pregnant.

It was overwhelming. It made him unconditionally happy and filled him up with heart warming feelings.

Did he like it? There was no end to his happiness at all. His heart did these weirdly satisfying flips whenever he held his tummy and when it dawned on him that the tiny creature in him was growing.

It had become an habit for him to caress, hold, or pat his tummy. He unconditionally loved every moment he spent thinking about his baby and wondering what it's gender and second gender would be.

He loved his child and was slowly starting to understand what his mom would've felt when she had to choose between living and killing her child.

It wasn't easy. Once a mother starts developing this lovely relation with their baby, they couldn't just think about letting their child go. This relation doesn't start when the child is born but much before, since the time it was in the mother's tummy, giving mothers the loveliest moments of their life.

Taehyung found a new companion too. He was lonely because he couldn't share many things to others, but he would spend a long time speaking to his baby or just hugging his stomach.

He was a mother now...

God, it was so beautiful.

But, however beautiful all this was, it still came with a lot of drawbacks. One of them were his craving for the food from the palace which he missed oh, so much. He couldn't get them, and it made him much sadder than it actually should.

It was because of his mood swings.

It was hell whenever someone didn't give him what he wants. He wished to throw stupid, immature tantrums but was forced to keep it in to not seem suspicious. He would end up crying when left alone, in darkness, almost every night.

Chohee took care of him without knowing his situation, thinking that he just missed his family which was making him cranky and upset at little things.

To a limit, she was correct.

Taehyung wouldn't have felt these overwhelming emotions if his alpha stayed near him and took care of him.

Things would have been a whole lot different if Jungkook was here beside him, holding him and whispering soft words to him.

Even at this very moment as he sniffled and wailed, he thought about Jungkook. He doesn't know anything about Jungkook. It was so upsetting.

These moments made him even more lonelier. When he had no one who could actually give him the comfort he desires, he feels even worse.

"Are you crying again?" Hyeon asked, huffing rather sadly than in frustration.

Why was he in here, in his room?

Well, Taehyung just couldn't do any more work now. His health deteriorated, the bond taking a toll on him.

It had been a week since Jungkook's clothes which Taehyung had been using--to keep the bond from hindering him from living away from Jungkook--lost their scent entirely. They were just clothes that reminded him of Jungkook now, nothing more.

With the scent of his alpha gone, Taehyung was vulnerable and weak. The bond was taking it's effect rather quickly than expected.

He was bed ridden all of a sudden. He couldn't walk nor felt anything more than the urge to cry and beg for his alpha to come back even though Jungkook wasn't the one who caused this distance between them.

Hyeon was trying his best to do something, and it was pretty clear. The alpha even came here during midnights to help Chohee take care of him.

But he couldn't do anything more than increase problems because another alpha being near heightened his need to get back to his own alpha.

Chohee is the only one who could help him now.

"Taehyung," Hyeon called, coming closer to Taehyung. His weary eyes ran through the omega's weak form as he thought about the possible outcomes of the symptoms Taehyung showed.

He gently placed his index finger on Taehyung's head and rubbed his scalp.

"Are you on heat?" He asked with greatly careful, knowing that it was a sensitive matter to omegas. He just wanted to do something to help Taehyung and had no other intention.

He flinched when Taehyung just pushed his hand away from him and curled into a ball.

He felt hurt. It made him sad because the omega didn't react like this to Chohee when she comes near.

Why him then? Did he still not manage to prove his good intentions to the omega?

"Get away!" Taehyung hissed rudely. "Don't touch me!"

Unfortunately for him, Hyeon's alpha pheromones and scent affected Taehyung a lot. The boy was trying his best to not be hurtful to Hyeon, but it was difficulties when he felt his body burn when he was touched by him.

He didn't want anyone around.

He needed only his alpha.

Keeping aside his pride and the rejection he felt, Hyeon scooted farther away to calm the raging omega down and then sighed deeply.

It isn't time for you to be hurt. He said to himself.

But he was really hurt by Taehyung's behavior towards him.

"Your state is really... Really concerning, Taehyung. We don't have doctors in this village, and looking at you like this makes me want to go bring one from some other village because you're in such a bad state."

"There's no n-need for that." The omega managed to say. Nothing other than proximity with Jungkook could help him out anyway. He didn't even know how to explain things to the worried boy who was looking at him with warm and compassionate eyes.

Taehyung felt disgusted. He didn't wish to be like this, but it just wasn't in his hands.

He wouldn't willingly hurt his friend. The situation was not in his hands.

"Could you please call noona for me?" he managed to say, not seething but still not having a soft tone. 

"Sure!" Hyeon jumped to his feet, wearing his slippers quickly. Maybe it was the fact that he couldn't stand Taehyung's state or that he wished to stop being looked at like that by Taehyung that made him react so quickly.

It was unbearable to see Taehyung like this.

Whenever Hyeon came here in the past week to be with him and take care of him, he would go back with a hurt expression because of the way the omega cries and pushes him away when he tried to help.

Even though he wished to, he couldn't help Taehyung out.

They were friends now, and every loyal alpha would hate being of no use to the people they are close to. What was the point of his alpha self if he couldn't help Taehyung, his closest friend?

They spent hours of the days of the past three months together, but none of those moments seemed to have made Taehyung to accept him.

Even though they didn't speak much, they sympathized and liked each other a lot, and Hyeon just couldn't get rid of the strong bond he made with this closed off omega.

With his departure, Taehyung was left all alone. It was the best time for him to cry his heart out like he suddenly wished to do, but he had more problems coming his way.

As of now, the biggest problem was that he needed to let Chohee know everything. And by everything, he meant everything, including the imprinting bond and the man who is the father of his child.

She was the only one who could bring him out of this state by going to the palace again and bringing him more of Jungkook's clothes which were scented by his alpha.

And he intended to hide it for no longer than now. It was too late already.

The others, including Hyeon, would know of all these things only when he was comfortable with letting them know. 

He was just too hesitant and uncomfortable to say anything to them now. He had been called a slut all life and just didn't want these people to make such low opinions of him too because they did mean a lot to him. 

They were narrow minded, illiterate. If they find out that Taehyung is pregnant but not living with his mate, the will conclude that he is impregnated by a one night stand or something like that. 

Taehyung wanted to be independent, but he didn't want to lose the people who are close to him to leave like everyone else did. 

He already missed his parents, his brothers, his caretaker and his mate. 

He didn't want these people to start disliking him now.   

They knew and loved his parents a lot. The stories they tell him about his mother and father had made him respect them a lot too as they genuinely did seem to love them. 

They needed to trust him and love him enough before he gave them such information.

They needed to know that he wasn't just someone who slept around and only wished to have sex because that isn't how he was. 

Chohee was so close to him that it was hurting him to not let her know about anything. He had to make a risk and let her know now. 

"Tae!" Chohee dashed through the door, panting for breath with Hyeon behind her, in the same breathless state as she is. They had ran all the way here.

"Noona..." Taehyung whispered, reaching his hands out towards her. She strode to him, crouched down and first checked his temperature to see if he was alright. She ran her eyes all over his face and studied him. 

"I was so scared, Tae! What happened? Do you not feel well again? Do you have a fever?"

"Noona," Taehyung interrupted and held her hand, pulling it away from his face. "I have something very important to tell you."

Chohee looked at him with attentive eyes, expecting him to speak and tell her what it is, but he just nervously glanced at Hyeon who was still standing at the door.

"Alone..."

Though just a whisper, Hyeon heard Taehyung and nodded, turning around to leave.

It's okay. Hyeon told his heart which felt heavy as he closed the door behind his back. It's not like he trusts you enough for telling anything important to you. He never has done it until now, so why do you even feel this bad? 

You haven't told him things too. He has every right to hide things. 

"What is it?" Chohee was desperate to know what the matter was because she knew it was related to his deteriorating health. Her eyes were fixed on the boy curled at her chest as soon as Hyeon left, waiting for him to voice his thoughts. 

"Quickly, tell me. I just want to find a way to make you healthy again, and it seems like you know what to do for that--"

"First..." He sighed. "Promise me that you'll hear all the things I have to tell you."

She nodded, sitting down before him and pushing him away from her embrace to see him properly.

All that was left to do was to muster courage and just spurt out the things he keeps hidden in himself.

He had to be brave. He was sure that his noona would support and take care of him and his secret; there was absolutely no need to feel anxious.

But he was anxious.

She was the first person will find out about his pregnancy by him. It's so wrong because the father of the child doesn't know about it too.

"Chohee noona, you remember how Jungkook had looked all scared when he came to you and asked you to follow me?"

"Yeah, he seemed really worried."

Taehyung pressed his lips together, looking at her with shiny eyes. He felt warm to know that Jungkook cared for him, even though this wasn't the first time he's discovering Jungkook's concern for him.

"What is it? Does this situation have anything to do with..."

She gasped before finishing her sentence and shot to her feet. She walked to the bundle of clothes kept in one corner of the house and pulled out one of the king's coat.

He was a beta and found it difficult to understand if the clothes still smelled of Jungkook or not, but the reason she was given these clothes slowly got more clear in her mind.

"So his highness didn't give you these because you didn't bring warm clothes along? He gave you these for keeping you close to his scent?!"

She came back to the startled boy and held his shoulder. "What is Atlas' king to you? Tell me! Why was he so worried? Why did he send these clothes to you after scenting them? Why was so scared after you left?! Why did you leave in the first place! Is your departure related to him too?"

"N-noona..."

Chohee scanned his face to find her answers when he didn't speak willingly.

All this while, she thought that Jungkook saw Taehyung as a close family member and did everything to help him flee just as a courteous man would do.

But that wasn't correct.

It was more than just plain courteous actions, more than just a stranger's sweet actions to someone.

Jungkook wasn't a stranger to Taehyung. Then... What was he?

"What relationship did-- or do you have with him?" She tried again, more sternly and strongly this time, attempting to seem calm because the boy before her was fidgeting and gulping in fear. 

She wanted an answer. 

With the little information she had, the conclusions she was coming up with was not good or safe at all. even when Jungkook was a very nice person, he still was a king who shouldn't care about  more than his fame and power. 

"H-he... Please don't think I'm the one who forced this on him, noona! We both did this, so we're both equally wrong--"

"First tell me what the matter is! What did you do? What wrong did his highness do?! You better not be in bad terms with the king, Tae!"

The male omega shook his head and hugged his waist, pout on his face. "No, I didn't do anything against the king."

"Then what is the matter?!"

"He... Imprinted me." 

There, he had told the words that had been on his lips since a long time but come out. 

He could see the confusion in the girl's face and understood that one of the hardest task wasn't over yet because she didn't understand what he meant. 

"What is that? I-imprint? You're making me nervous now. What does imprinting mean?!" She asked, grabbing his face to make him look at her.

"Noona!" Taehyung pushed her to a sitting position when she kept towering him and bombarding him with questions. "I will only speak if you calm down first!" 

Taehyung noticed how he wasn't feeling any negative emotions with her being around other than anxiousness due to the number of questions he has to answer. 

So there was certainly a way this bond worked. 

He was so harsh to an alpha friend while not so reactive to Chohee. It was surely not the ranks of the people that triggered his rough reactions but something more. 

Keeping that matter for later, Taehyung stared at Chohee until she finally pushed herself away from him. 

When she finally just sat down and looked at him carefully, he explained to her what the bond is and what are the effects it has on him. When she asked him if Jungkook felt it too, he told her that the bond couldn't cause any difference to him but might let him know partially of Taehyung's state. 

She was terrified towards the end because it wasn't just anyone they were talking about, it was a king of a huge empire. 

And she just couldn't understand what the bond had to do with the way Jungkook got worried for Taehyung. 

When Jungkook didn't get affected by the bond, why stay with Taehyung and take care of him? Chohee knew how the royals were. They would do just any deed in the world to stay in power, 

Jungkook couldn't stay uncorrupted of all these things after becoming a king. If he didn't willingly behave like that then his mother would make sure he does so just because that is how they should be. 

"Did he ask you to leave the palace?" she asked in a small voice, corners of her lips drooped down. "He must've told you to go because he didn't want his name to--"

"No!" Taehyung quickly stated as her thoughts were completely wrong. Jungkook could never do such things.

"I left because I wanted to, and he supported me with my decisions. You might think that he just acts to be good and is cruel on the inside--just like I did because I couldn't believe that a person can be as good as him--but he is genuinely an angel." 

"He is?" Chohee mumbled with a frown. "Then why are you here and not with him? Why did he marry her highness?" 

Don't remind me of that. Taehyung's heart raged against his chest in anger. I don't fucking know why and how all the things ended up like this. It was my immaturity, inexperience and Mira's obsession that should be blamed. 

It is of no point to think about all that anyway. we just need to get rid of Mira--or better, make her get rid of her obsession and then let me stay with my mate. 

Everything will be alright then. 

"It just happened with no control of ours in the situation, noona. But we love each other. H-He loves me for way longer than the bond was formed, and I loved him after this bond was formed." 

She caressed his cheeks, wiping away the tears that formed in the corner of his eyes as he thought about the million times he had taken Jungkook's emotions lightly. 

The million times he had hurt Jungkook. 

The many times when Jungkook let himself get hurt because he thought that Taehyung felt happy after hurting him. 

All along, Jungkook loved him, cared for him and trusted that he wasn't just worthless and pathetic. He was very careless and rude back then, but Jungkook still loved him. 

Jungkook was just too pure for this corrupted world. 

"Now?" her eyes were sympathetic. She knew that the tears he shed were of longing towards Jungkook. 

She never knew that Taehyung in this difficult situation. 

"Does he know you love him?" 

Taehyung just sighed in response and thought back to the time he told Jungkook that he liked him back. Now, he was sure that he loved Jungkook but had absolutely no way to tell this to him. 

He left the question unanswered. 

"There's another thing..." Taehyung gulped harshly, not ready to see how the elder was going to react this. "I'm pregnant." 

"What?!" Chohee's eyes burst wide open. She was back to holding to his shoulders and coming close to him, but Taehyung didn't speak against her actions because he knew she was shocked. "What did you just say?! You're pregnant?!" 

"Y-yes," Taehyung admitted. "Three months through." 

"Who is the father?" There was utter shock in her face. She seemed terrified. "The king, right? Don't tell me it's someone else--" 

"No!" Taehyung quickly dismissed. "Jungkook is the father. H-he doesn't know about it." 

"I don't understand what you're doing!" Chohee yelled now, feeling vexation at the things he is telling her. It just didn't make sense to her. "Why haven't you told his highness?" 

"The queen ordered me not to. The reason I have the child is because of a few things that cruel woman wanted. I ran away from the palace after I fought with ex-queen so I can safeguard this child. I cannot let Jungkook know even when Mira wishes to take this child from me because she poses a threat to my brothers." 

It was too much information for another orphan, inexperienced girl to understand.  

Chohee just nodded, hurt that she could do nothing to help him out even when she was here just to help him. 

But this miserable state of hers ended when Taehyung suddenly asked her to do something for him. She immediately grabbed the opportunity of doing something for him to reduce her own feelings of uselessness. 

"What should I do?" 

"Could you please go back to the royal palace and bring Jungkook's clothes for me? Make sure to ask him to scent them strongly so the smell doesn't fade."

she was already moving, removing her dirty robe and muddy long dress to wear other clothes. 

"You want to send a letter with me or something? I'm going there anyway, and you would have a lot to say to your lover after staying away for so long..." 

Taehyung blushed at the words, wanting to cover his reddening face but being noticed already. Chohee laughed, rolling her eyes while tying the strings of her new robe. 

"Write a letter to him?" She suggested. 

"No," Taehyung came back to the reality,  away from his thoughts of being Jungkook's lover. "It's too dangerous. Though I want to talk to Jungkook, it is very impulsive if I would send a letter or other such things with you." 

"Hmm..." Chohee was so proud of the intelligent boy. 

She didn't waste time and just grabbed a cloth bag. she walked out to a sad boy--oblivious of his disappointed state-- and asked Hyeon to stay with Taehyung until she comes back, and leaves. 

She wished to see how Jungkook would react to when he sees her. If he was as good as Taehyung described, he would also bombard questions about Taehyung. 

If not that, he would at least look worried. 

If none of that was there, it was inevitable for her to feel suspicious of the king. 

*-*-*-*

It was midnight when Chohee approached the gates of the palace, exhausted from the ride but still wishing to quickly finish the work and go back to Taehyung. 

For some reason, she didn't like leaving behind Taehyung alone with Hyeon when all the villagers were hell bent on trying to get them together. She hoped Hyeon would handle all of them just the way he was doing. 

Until now, she had also thought that it would be great if Taehyung and Hyeon loved each other. 

All the villagers also wanted was to make sure Taehyung settles with a good man and lives happily. None of them would even try anything like this if they knew that they're making a poor boy a rival of the king. 

The king... 

God, it all seems like a dream even to her. She didn't understand how Taehyung was so calm.

Maybe they did love each other a lot?

The guards didn't question the girl a lot. 

They asked why she's back and where she had gone. She just told them that she came back because she wanted to meet the king. They sent word to the king, telling him that she wanted to meet him, and when the king immediately told them to let her in, they let her go. 

She didn't waste any time. Though she missed the place, she didn't have anyone she was living with or someone she might want to meet.

She made her way to the King's chamber quickly, hoping to not meet Mira in the way. After Taehyung told her how Mira actually was, she stopped seeing her as a angelic and sweet girl. 

She did make it safely to the king who had a serious and solemn face, not reacting much or speaking a lot but calmly just holding a lot of clothes close to himself to scent them strongly, already knowing the reason of her arrival.

Her encounter with Jungkook was rather confusing than satisfying. His actions didn't quite confirm his love for Taehyung.

He didn't look at Chohee, didn't speak to her or even acknowledge her even when there was no one other than the two of them in the room. 

He didn't seem interested in knowing anything. He looked... so lifeless, careless and stripped of the ever staying smile. 

Speaking of smile, Chohee noticed that there was a huge difference in this man before her. The cold, uninviting aura and eyes... this wasn't how the Jungkook she knows was. 

Jungkook came to her--she held her breath in--and extended his arm to slowly take the bag from her hand and went back to his initial position, stuffing the clothes into the bag. 

Chohee wasn't going to stay here for very long. If she left now, Jungkook would have no way to find out about Taehyung's wellbeing for the next months. 

She couldn't see how desperate he was at the moment. She couldn't see how he was close to showing proper emotions other than just anger and coldness for the past emotions. 

Now that Jungkook was reminded of Taehyung, his harsh facade was slowly wearing off. 

He hated it, but there was no way he wouldn't feel overwhelmed after being reminded of Taehyung. 

Before it was too late though, Chohee managed to see the way his hands were shivering. He wasn't calm on the within, and he was managing to keep his facial expressions in place, not showing his vulnerability.

That was really unlike him.

This wasn't the person she recognized as the king.

Why is he pretending to not be concerned of Taehyung? Just what has made him like this? He isn't the one to act rude and tough. 

She couldn't keep it in anymore. She just had to know what was going on and what had happened behind her back because nothing small could cause such a great change to Jungkook.

"Your highness, are you doing alright? Wouldn't you want to know how Taehyung is doing--"

"How is he?" Chohee could see how he was slowly being pushed to show his vulnerability. His eyes flashed in sadness before the initial blank look came back, and he looked away.

What was happening?

"He was doing well until now but fell sick. I just found out about the imprinting bond."

Jungkook's face dropped when she mentioned about Taehyung's ill state. He does care. 

Jungkook had a lot to say, a lot to ask. He could smell Taehyung faintly from Chohee and it pushed him such a state that he just wanted to cry. He missed his omega so much.

But he kept those emotions aside and asked Chohee another question that has been troubling him. 

"And? The villagers..."

"They?" Chohee just didn't have the wish to say him that they were all so worried of him that they're trying to set him up with another boy. "They all accepted him since the first day. He doesn't look like he's sad, but he's been missing you a lot since the past days."

"He is?" Chohee's eyes dimmed, heart hammering against her ribs just by the tone of the king.

Unlike the rudeness and sternness from earlier, he was opening up now and being his real, angelic self.

"Does he cry?" There was no need to give an answer. Jungkook already seemed to know the answer.

"Please, take care of him."

Chohee nodded at him. She felt so sad suddenly, knowing that there was no need to be suspicious of Jungkook any longer. The long did care for her friend, and nothing more was required.

She thought that it was wrong for him to not know that he's going to be a father soon. She wanted to tell him.

But she knew that Taehyung's decision of not telling him was taken because of some very strong reason. She didn't want to spoil everything.

She quietly took the clothes, smiling when she noticed the tiny letter in the pile of clothes as she walked down the corridors and left. She did notice the several changes in the place from before, the most prominent one being that there weren't any ministers or the king's workmen around.

Overall, the place had lost its life and looked suffocating and dull. She wanted to find the queen and the ex-queen and see how they were, but it was better not to do so.

She left, hoping Taehyung was alright.

*-*-*-*

"Do something, okay? Just show him that you care for him because he's just too oblivious to not see it otherwise. He's sick, and having an alpha around will help him--but no doing anything more than hugging or talking!"

Hyeon was actually tired of their ridiculous talks now. He had been with Taehyung the whole evening and had come out just to bring some food to the exhausted boy.

He was met with these people wanting to act like catalysts to boost the speed of their "relationship".

It was amusing, honestly, how they wished for him to get close to the omega but not touch him or go too far. But all that amusement was just to a point.

Right now, he was getting annoyed. It would be so much better if these people would just think of Taehyung's sickness rather than all these things, it would be much better.

He couldn't blame them though. They were all so used to falling ill, sometimes very sick, but still staying strong and doing all their work. They didn't see sickness as anything to be worried about.

But he was dead concerned. Taehyung looked nothing close to alright. It was just getting worse. 

His arm hurt after being harshly pushed away from Taehyung and falling on a table. 

Taehyung was behaving very weirdly. He would push him away, yell at him, look disgusted when he was close, and he went far, he would cry and apologize to him and do things to force him to go closer again. 

He was tired. 

He still had to take care of the omega, and he would do it even if he gets more injuries like the one in his hand. 

After handling all the excited people who were suggesting him the million things he can do to prove his worth to Taehyung, Hyeon made his way back to Taehyung's hut. 

"Tae?" he called, slowly placing the plate of food on the table before looking around the dark room to find the boy. "Where are you? I brought food--" 

He was cut off by his own startled gasp when he felt hands wrap around from behind. He jumped in his position and snapped his body around to see who it was. 

In the dark, he couldn't quite understand who it was by looking at the tiny figure against him, but by the strong scent of forest and wet mud, he knew who it was. He was holding his breath in, heart thumping his chest, 

"Taehyung..." he called, and he almost gasped when Taehyung looked up with his yellow eyes shining more than ever before. 

The changes in eye color only happened when a person feels exceedingly strong emotions. Taehyung's normal brown-yellow eyes were now completely yellow and Hyeon didn't know whether the omega was in heat or was just angry. 

In any way, he just wished to push Taehyung away. 

"What's happening? Are you alright?" Hyeon kept his guard up, knowing that there were many chances of him being hit or pushed by the tiny yet strong boy before him. 

"Hyeon," Taehyung slurred out. The self-conscious alpha just pulled back more, chest rumbling when Taehyung tightened his arms around him, not letting him escape from him. 

It was so tight that Hyeon couldn't breathe. 

"T-Tae," he called. The omega's pheromones proved to Hyeon that he was just plain angry and not in heat or any other such thing. 

"Touch me," Taehyung ordered, looking up at the man who gulped at the order, frowning deeply at the request. He isn't in heat, right? Hyeon wondered. It doesn't smell like it. Why does he want me to do such a ridiculous thing? 

"Didn't you hear me?" 

For a moment, Hyeon just wished to follow as Taehyung said just to satisfy him and remove his anger from him. 

But he couldn't. His body was all frozen as Taehyung pushed away and made a good and safe space between them. Even with the proximity gone, Hyeon couldn't breathe freely because of how Taehyung's sharp eyes were looking at him. 

"Do what you want to do with me," Taehyung muttered, looking straight into his soul. Hyon felt bile rise up his throat at those words. 

What he wants to do with him? 

"What do you mean?" 

Taehyung hugged himself. "I'm just asking you to do what you want to do with me. Do you not like me submitting to you?" 

Hyeon's eyebrows furrowed even more. "Why would I like that?" 

Taehyung's eyes shone for a second--looking rather hopeful than irritated--before he growled at him. "Are you trying to say that you don't want to touch me?! Do you not want to do such--" 

"I don't fucking want to do anything like that!" Hyeon yelled, having enough of all the things going on. He couldn't even understand what was happening. 

"You don't love me?" 

"I don't!" His answer was worded strongly, as he harshly gave Taehyung the answer he was in dire need of. Finally, the omega let out a deep breath. 

Hyeon was then met with a warmer hug than before, Taehyung's eyes brown again. "Shit, Shit, I'm so fucking sorry, Hyeon. I-I just had to do all that. I couldn't stand hurting you for any longer. I'm sorry for all that!" 

Taehyung was so relieved that he was right. 

The working of the bond and the protectiveness he felt when certain people were around were only because he wasn't fully convinced that they mean no harm to him. 

Hyeon was one of them only because Taehyung wasn't sure if he held any romantic feelings for him or not. 

But it turns out that Hyeon was purely innocent and didn't want to do anything wrong with him. 

Taehyung was just so tired of hurting Hyeon all day that he had to do something to put a stop to all this. He would surely not let Hyeon touch him in any case because he belonged only to his alpha, but this had to be done to build his trust on Hyeon. 

He embraced Hyeon tightly, sobbing in guilt for the nth time that day. "I'm so sorry! Forgive me! I didn't mean any of that. It--it's just that the villagers kept wanting to make us come together so I was doubting you--" 

"Shh," the alpha dismissed, hugging him back with his shaky, hesitant arms "I-it's okay. There's no need to explain anything. You were wrong for just coming so close, but I understand why you did all this." 

Taehyung continued apologizing to the embarrassed, suddenly shy alpha for a long time. Now the bond didn't stop the omega from coming close to Hyeon, so he stayed in his embrace while muttering "sorry" repeatedly. 

Hyeon was just so shy because this was the first time he was hugging Taehyung properly. 

It felt so good that his heart skipped a few beats. He forgot about how Taehyung had been harsh to him and just enjoyed having Taehyung wrapped around him. 

Later, when Taehyung was going to fall asleep on his mattress after eating food--an hour or so after the incident that took place--Hyeon also meekly joined him, keeping an arm length distance between them but wishing that Taehyung would just embrace him like earlier. 

They didn't speak after what happened, one too shy and other too guilty to speak. 

Hyeon's wish partially did come true when Taehyung scooted closer and let their arms touch slightly. 

Hyeon was just so happy that his friend was finally trusting him. 

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