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The next time Jungkook has to go on patrol he has already regained all his strength. His wounds have healed and he feels in top shape in this respect. He has already resumed normal tasks like chopping wood, which need his strength. Jungkook had noticed how limited he was before, but this was no longer an issue.

Today, the patrol goes along the river in the forest and the lake, which is further away from the houses of the pack members. In the summer he particularly enjoys going swimming there and feeling the cool temperatures of the water against his warm skin. It is refreshing and gives him new strength in hot temperatures.

Nevertheless, he doesn't seem to be the only one who thinks so. There appeared to be someone else enjoying the cool water, and in autumn, at a colder time of the year, when they have a bathhouse in town. He is more than surprised about this, as he has rarely seen anyone bathing at the time he was on patrol. A mix of lavender and peonies is the first thing he smells and he stops perplexed. There's no way that-

Jungkook continues walking with the other wolves behind him, trying to make out exactly where the smell is coming from. With his muzzle in the air, he stalks straight after the scent until a second scent joins it and they mix slightly in the air. The smells lead him close to the lake and the closer he gets, the more clearly he can hear joyful voices. Jungkook doesn't care if they stray a little from the usual route. His curiosity has won the upper hand over him.

Stepping through the dense trees and bushes, he gets a clear view of the blue lake. Jungkook suddenly stops with a tense pose so that Insu runs into him. However, he barely notices this as his eyes are focused on something else entirely, a fidgety feeling spreading through his abdominal region. Jungkook subconsciously signals to the others that they can go on, which they do– hesitantly. Jungkook, on the other hand, cannot move from the spot.

With a mix of shock and annoyance, he watches as Jimin and an alpha he has often seen close with Jimin and who owns the ocean aloe vera smell, splashes each other topless with water in the lake. Jungkook huffs as he sees how much fun they are having together.

Is Jimin being courted?

Is that where Jimin has been for the last few days?

Jungkook realises that this is the first time in a long time that he has seen Jimin laughing so carefree. It makes him shift from one paw to the other before Taewoo nudges his shoulder and puts his thoughts into words so quietly that only Jungkook hears them, "Seems like there really is something between them."

Jungkook remains quiet and wants to ask how he knows but is just able to restrain himself. Even if he did, what business should it be of his? Jimin can go and do what he wants. With one last look at the two pack members in the water, Jungkook walks on, trying to forget what he just saw with the task at hand. Because just the thought he might be right makes him feel uncomfortable.

For the next few hours, it also seemed to work perfectly. He was completely focused on the patrol and not distracted in the slightest. Jungkook didn't think anything of it either when they walked along the lake again later in the day. The familiar scent rises up through his nose again, only this time he cannot detect a second scent. Somehow the smell manages to slow Jungkook's steps again and he finally stops close enough to the lake where he can catch a glimpse of Jimin—of him bathing alone in the lake.

As before, Jungkook lets the others know not to wait for him and waits patiently until the other wolves have disappeared to linger here a little longer. He hides slightly behind a bush of berries that cover most of his own scent and doesn't tell Jimin that Jungkook is there—the latter doesn't know why it makes him uncomfortable to just keep walking, so he doesn't for a few minutes. It is then that a strong gust of wind whirls through his fur, continuing to rush past him and whirling Jimin's clothes into the lake.

Jungkook immediately gets down on all fours but realises that it won't be easy to fish them out if he stays in wolf form. So he runs unnoticed to the pile of clothing he has hidden nearby under a bush. He eagerly grabs them, shifts and gets dressed to run back to the spot by the lake.

The clothes are still floating on the edge of the lake, soaking wet and Jungkook could care less. He could walk past it and not be bothered by it, which in turn bothers him. Jungkook unceremoniously makes the decision to get over it and put the clothes on dry ground or hang them on a branch.

However, this backfires when he leans down to grab the soaked garments, balancing himself with a hand on a branch. Jungkook played it extra safe and made sure several times that Jimin would not look if he squatted down. Unfortunately for him, he almost lands in the water himself when he nearly gets a heart attack from a shrill voice.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Jimin's voice suddenly sounds closer than Jungkook had suspected. His voice sounds gruff and reproachful, which Jungkook can only guess what he means as he pointedly looks at his wet clothes in Jungkook's hand.

"What do you mean? I only wanted to help." Jungkook furrows his brows and picks up the clothes to let some of the water drop down, willing to show him the opposite of what Jimin thinks he's doing.

"Yeah, sure. By dumping my clothes in the lake."

"I did no such thing," Jungkook defends himself, crossing his arms in front of his chest. It irks him and irritation begins to bubble in his chest. His facial expression morphs into something similar to a snarl.

"Did you see it?"

"See what?" Both body postures are tense and their scents waft with sourness. Jungkook doesn't need to look at Jimin to see that the distance between them has closed. The ripples forming in the water from Jimin's movement that have caught his attention are obvious to see.

Unfortunately, he also realises how hard it is not to let his eyes glide down to Jimin's upper naked body, which is revealed to him in time.

"That I threw them in?"

There is an awkward silence lingering in the air for a moment. Jungkook doesn't know why he remains there, impatiently waiting for the answer Jimin is currently searching in his head. He certainly won't have changed his mind.

"I don't need to see it to know it was you," Jimin grits between his teeth and imitates Jungkooks body posture. "After all, you hate me as much as I hate you. By now, you have done things that make me question your honesty."

Like leaving me for others.

At these words, something similar to anger starts to form under Jungkook's skin and he would like to let out his claws and snap. Not only does it irk him how Jimin says he hates him, but also does not trust him. To his regret, it occurs to him, is there any reason or indication at all that Jungkook can trust him? The truth bores through his back like a knife.

Unsatisfied by what the other has said, he steps closer to the edge of the lake, ready to give him a piece of his mind when the tips of his feet are touching the cool water.

"Oh, shut up. For once I just wanted to help you but I can see that I shouldn't have done that. It was not appreciated."

"You're right. Why would it? I don't need fucking 'help' from someone who threw my belongings into the lake. Also you can never admit when you're wrong! Just grow up once and for all and become mature." Jimin breathes heavily and throws his arms over his head in anger, something Jungkook witnesses for the first time. Jungkook wonders how they would talk to each other if whatever is between them were resolved, but he guesses it will never come to that.

"Mature?" Jungkook huffs and contemplates what to say next, words of revenge lay on his tongue, "Is it mature for you to be all lovey-dovey with another alpha where everyone can see you?"

Too deep in their discussion, neither of them notices how both are only getting angrier, unwilling to let the other have the last word. After all, that would be a sign that they have to give up and in that sense, both are too stubborn and competitive to do so.

"What are you saying?"

Jungkook raises an eyebrow, questioning if Jimin is just pretending not to know what he's talking about or if he really doesn't. He suppresses a grunt, caused from tightening his fingers around his upper arm at the scene that appears in his mind. He sneers, "You? And your alpha friend... you were in the lake earlier. Are you together?"

Jimin's lips are pinched together before a devilish grin graces his lips and he runs a hand through his brown hair. Jungkook hasn't acted any weirder in all these years than he does today. "Wouldn't you like to know? Jealous?"

"Jealous?" Jungkook huffs in horror and stretches out his chest with confidence. "I'm not jealous! Why would I be? It just seems like what Taewoo told me is true after all. That's what it looked like, to me at least."

"Oh, is it now? Please," Jimin scoffs. "You really do seem to believe all sorts of things about me rather than doing your own research. Open your eyes already!"

"I can see clearly, you fool."

"Then you would have already realised that there is nothing going on between Jinho and me!"

That makes Jungkook throw his head back and laugh. "It didn't look like that to me. You were all lovey-dovey with him where everyone could see you."

"I was having fun as friends, something you clearly don't have with as pent up as you are, you idiot! I don't know why you trust everyone more than your own eyes but it really seems to me like you're jealous that I found someone else to be my friend than you."

Jungkook scrunches his nose in uneasiness, feeling a wave of discomfort coming down on him. Of course, Jungkook is a little envious of this. After all, he's still left in the dark about his childhood friendship. Jungkook can't deny that it doesn't leave him cold.

He's about to form the next words into a sentence that's quite heavy. As he does so, he glimpses at the water until his eyes land on Jimin again, and they widen in shock.

Jimin shivers.

As seconds pass, Jungkook realises that it is not the wind but the water that gives Jimin goosebumps. Dissatisfied, he bites his lips and looks down at the still soaking wet clothes in his hand. Before he realises what he is doing, he hangs Jimin's garments over a nearby branch and strips his own off his upper body, holding them out to Jimin.

"Take these while your clothes are drying."

"Don't try to play the good Samaritan," Jimin frowns and tries to stop himself from shivering even more by tensing up, refusing to take what Jungkook offers him. To his dismay, a cold breeze runs down his spine and he starts shivering again. He curses mentally and looks at Jungkook with a piercing gaze. How he despises that they are in the current situation. "I don't want to smell like you."

Jungkook smells Jimin's acidic pheromones of peonies and slightly contorts his face in distaste. He hates this smell, preferring his usual scent. "Can you stop being so fucking stubborn and just take it, so I can go? Or you want to get sick again?"

"Don't you get it?" Jimin laughs dryly and throws his head back. "You have Seoyeon. How will people react when they smell you on me?" Jimin says, glimpsing at Jungkook and seemingly contemplating for a moment. In seconds he grabs Jungkook's garment and slips it on, trying to ignore the intense scent of sandalwood that invades his nose and almost knocks him out. He does this just to spite him, he reminds himself. "You know what? I'll wear it. I don't know why I said what I said nor why I should care. It's what you deserve."

Jungkook's hands clench into fists next to his body and he grits his teeth. He feels more than unfairly treated and thinks he should at least know the reason behind it all.

"Do you think I care about what she thinks when I see a pack member shiver and when I can prevent them from getting sick again?" He tries to play it down, but knows innerly that this has become an issue he has tried to bury deep inside of him recently.

"I really don't know what to say. You should care. It's your mate after all. Unbelievable. No wonder why she must be desperate for attention if you're talking like that. Glad I'm not your mate."

"Good. I wouldn't want you to be my mate. I'd rather eat dirt."

Silence follows, and Jungkook doesn't know what to make out of it when Jimin's gaze drops, shoulders falling and his hardened gaze wavers to the floor. Something shifts drastically in the atmosphere and Jungkook is clueless as to what at first. "I think it's time for you to leave so I can get out of the water. I'll be discreet when giving you your clothes back."

Jimin's sour scent intensifies and it makes it difficult for Jungkook to keep standing there. Is it something he said? Jungkook finds his wolf howling and scratching on the inside, anything but pleased with the way Jimin is behaving right now.

"Fine."

Jungkook hates how right Jimin is. It's not how Jungkook should behave when he has a mate. He should care. He wouldn't just lend his clothes to someone else, knowing it carries his scent and might be rubbing into the other person. When it comes to Seoyeon he has become uncertain, questioning if that's how he is supposed to feel. Shouldn't he be more possessive? Jungkook doesn't know how he never really did some soul-searching before or thought thoroughly about how he feels. Jungkook suspects that some of this has happened unconsciously lately since he has seen a different side of Jimin.

Without another word, he turns his back on Jimin and disappears in the direction of his hut. For the rest of the day, Jungkook does not hear from Jimin or see his clothes again. Seoyeon, however, decides to visit him in the afternoon and they have a lengthy conversation in which they reconcile and are almost ready to forgive for the fiasco in his hut on the condition that it will not happen again.