Chapter Text
He trekked through the forest, his legs feeling heavy and his injuries throbbing. He knew he was going to die. Having mixed his scent accidentally with another alpha, he was attacked as it was seen as a betrayal to his original pack. Kim Seokjin forced his body up a hill until his legs could no longer support him and he collapsed.
He had an injury from a horrible bite to his leg and side. He managed to get away, but he knew that his pack would continue to look for him in order to finish the job. He whined as he laid himself down, deciding this would be his place of death.
There's no way he would make it until morning. He was thirsty and had left a trail of blood. His distressed omega scent permeated the air. If his own pack didn't find him, a new one would and surely kill him right away because he still smelled like another alpha and like a member of another pack.
Omega's usually belonged to only one pack, and the alpha scents each member to ensure they stay in the pack. Jin had went out and made the mistake of wandering into a different pack's territory. With the other pack's alpha nearing a rut, his scent marked Jin, who carried the scent with him back home. His own pack attacked him after sensing his betrayal, and he was forced to flee.
Jin was too afraid to shift into a human, because he knew the pain would become unbearable.
As he was in deep thought, his heart continuing to pound in his chest, the cracks of twigs and the strong scent of another pack made him freeze in fear.
He sniffed and was greeted with the scent of two omegas. Why were they alone out here? An alpha can't be too far.
Jin made a pathetic whine in an attempt to ask for help. He would give up hope if they were alphas, but omegas might just help him.
One omega moved toward him, and Jin could sense he was younger. He had a light brown coat and his eyes were lit with the reflection of the moonlight. He whined once more, gently nudging the other with what was left of his strength.
He was grateful when the omega immediately started licking his wounds and he closed his eyes as he decided that this omega would help him. The other one with a darker brown coat watched silently, most likely wary of potential danger. After his wounds were cleaned, the omega made a low, questioning growl, asking him to turn back into a human. He answered with one of his own, telling the other that he couldn't.
After a moment of hesitation, the omega climbed over him and bit the back of his neck. Despite being a little smaller, the omega managed to drag him away from the spot and toward their den. The nearing scent of alphas made Jin fearful and he let out a panicked yelp.
But nothing he did made the omega release him. He wondered if this young omega knew that he could be killed.
When they made it to the den, the smell of alpha permeated the air and Jin let his ears flatten against his head, appearing submissive. There was no way he would challenge an alpha.
They entered the mouth of the den and the omega finally released him, panting from the exertion of carrying Jin all the way back. The other omega licked the other and made a questioning growl.
Jin didn't move to get up. Even as the omega who had carried him transformed back into a human. In front of him was a boy with dusty, pinkish hair. He smiled gently at Jin, who watched him wearily.
“You don't have to look so terrified. Don't worry, we'll help you.” He whispered as he ran his fingers through Jin's fur.
He huffed, highly doubting it.
The other omega turned and approached the two. He had brown hair and was significantly taller than the one currently petting him. “Jimin, I know you like to help others, but Namjoon's either just going to see him as a nuisance or a threat. He'll be killed either way!” He told the other as he knelt down to pet Jin.
The one named Jimin frowned. “You think I don't know that Tae? … I was just thinking…. That it would be nice to have another omega in the pack… Namjoon hyung can't possibly see him as a threat though? He's an omega! It's not like he'll challenge his spot as alpha.” Jimin ranted.
Tae shook his head and stared at Jin with pity.
Jin made a questioning growl, asking where the rest of the pack was. Jimin giggled and stood up. “Namjoon's patrolling his territory, Jungkook and Yoongi are hunting, and Hobi hyung was supposed to stay with us while we went to get a drink, but Tae and I lost him while we were playing-”
“...Well, we tried to lose him.” Taehyung interrupted.
“Yeah… Hobi's sometimes too overprotective.” Jimin nodded sheepishly.
Jin sighed. Now he understood why he only smelled omegas. They had been close, and the alpha had probably been in the water, masking his scent.
The scent of blood hit their noses and all three omegas were aware of the approaching food. Jin whined, terrified.
Jimin soothed him, leaning over him protectively and affectively shielding him from harm. “Don't worry, they may be alphas, but they don't call the shots around here.” He assured.
The two alphas came into the mouth of the cave, each hauling a dead deer between their jaws. Taehyung whistled, impressed. “Wow! Two!? You guys have definitely outdone yourselves!” He exclaimed and ran to help haul it deeper into the cave. Once the deer was removed from his mouth, the alpha with a jet black coat peered over at Jin, and let out a threatening snarl.
Jin whined submissively in response.
Jimin turned to the alpha and shooed him away. “No! Go away Yoongi, stop being so mean!” He scolded him.
The alpha sneered and began shifting into a human. Jin watched tiredly as the now human alpha glared at the two, his mouth still bloody. “Don't talk to me that way! I'm older than you, you brat!” He crossed his arms angrily.
The other alpha who was much, much smaller than all of them and had the lightest brown coat finally dropped the kill and approached Jin, looking apprehensive.
Jimin hissed and attempted kicking at the alpha, which surprised Jin. The omegas at his other pack would never even think of standing up against an alpha.
The light brown wolf snorted and licked Jimin's hand, assuring him that he was only inspecting. Reluctantly, Jimin moved aside and let the alpha sniff at Jin. He came to his wounds and made a questioning growl.
“I don't know Kookie, we found him like that. He can't turn into a human.” Jimin answered as he moved to Jin's head and began scratching behind his ears. He turned to Jin, who was still feeling uneasy about the whole situation. "This is Jungkook. He seems scary, but really he's anything but."
Jungkook huffed and made no attempt at treating Jin's wounds. He turned and began carrying the deer deeper into the cave. As an alpha, it would be a bold move to act without the head alpha's consent.
A distant, glowing orange light appeared deeper in the cave and Jin knew it meant warmth. He was too afraid of moving though, as it would seem like he was definitely an intruder.
Jimin stayed with him, despite the two alphas and Taehyung moving deeper into the den. Not minutes later, another hybrid appeared, this one with grey fur. He froze at the mouth of the cave, staring at Jin and Jimin. He was dripping wet, and Jin knew this one must be Hoseok.
“Welcome back…?” Jimin greeted shyly. “Sorry we ran awa-”
He had no time to finish when Hoseok ran at Jin, teeth bared and snarling. Jin jolted in shock and Jimin flailed, trying to cover him. Hoseok attempted biting at Jin, but with Jimin covering him quickly, he ended up piercing the other on the arm.
Jimin cried, holding his arm as blood ran down and onto the ground. Jin whined behind him. The smell of two distressed omegas brought the head alpha back.
As the rest of the pack ran to the scene, Hoseok changed back into a human and another hybrid, bigger than all of them and with dark grey fur, appeared at the mouth of the den. He stared coldly at the scene.
Hoseok dropped to his knees immediately and held Jimin's arm. “Oh shit Jimin, I'm really sorry!” He mumbled as he fretted over the injured omega. Jimin had tears running down his cheeks, but his attention was on the large alpha watching them.
“N-Namjoon… Please don't hurt him…!” He pleaded between sobs. “What if it was me? What if I was killed?” He started crying louder and Hoseok tried harder to soothe him.
The large alpha- Namjoon- silently approached Jin, making him tense in fear.
“Alpha!” Jimin cried and reached out, only to be pulled away by Hoseok.
Jin whimpered as the large alpha hovered over him, staring down at him with glowing eyes. He leaned down and sniffed, trying to get a sense of Jin. Surely, he smelled his pack and the alpha growled. Jin expected a swift attack, and judging by Jimin's sobs, he did as well.
But the alpha instead moved to his wounds and let out a soothing growl, licking them in acceptance.
Jimin immediately stopped crying and the rest of the pack watched in shock as the head alpha continued cleaning Jin's wounds. He had been accepted into the pack.
Jin finally rested easy, whining at the dull pain of the alpha's tongue. After Namjoon finished, he bit his neck and dragged him deeper into the cave, the pack following behind closely.
Namjoon placed him near the fire and Jin let out a grateful whine. Once the alpha moved away, Jimin replaced him, placing a large bucket of water in front of him.
Jin lapped at the water, quenching his thirst and licking his hand to thank him. Jimin giggled and scratched behind his ears affectionately.
“I didn't expect you to let him in so easily.” Yoongi suddenly spoke.
“What was I going to do? Do you want the smell of a depressed omega lingering for days? Jimin wasn't going to let it go.” Namjoon's human voice spoke from somewhere in the den, surprising Jin. “Besides, he's never been bred before. It'll take a lot of time, but we can re-scent him.”
Hoseok was taking the leg off of the deer with a blade, and when he was successful, he handed it to Namjoon. The head alpha was always fed first in a pack.
Namjoon took it, and motioned for the others to eat as well. Jungkook, who seemed the youngest, eagerly began tearing at the neck, eating viciously.
Jin watched weakly, not expecting to eat much more than scraps. That is, until Namjoon held the leg out to him. He stared at the alpha in surprise. Everyone else stopped and watched with wide eyes. They've never heard of an alpha giving up his portion for a lowly omega. Much less, one that didn't smell like the rest of the pack.
“You'll die if you don't eat.” Namjoon simply told him.
Jin hesitatingly took it, eating it and letting out a thankful yip.
“Namjoon, if you want… There's plenty.” Taehyung suddenly spoke.
“I'll eat later. I'm really tired. Yoongi, you're on lookout.” Namjoon ordered as he yawned and walked over to a cot made of soft grass and leaves.
“Yah, you'll catch a cold without clothes.” Hoseok scolded, pulling a blanket from a make-shift basket. He threw it over Namjoon who thanked him as he closed his eyes and quickly fell into a light sleep.
Yoongi shifted into a wolf and stalked to the mouth of the cave, laying down and keeping watch. Jimin also shifted and positioned himself over Jin, grooming him as the elder tried to sleep.
He sleepily watched Taehyung climb into the cot with Namjoon, cuddling close. Jungkook and Hoseok splashed the bloodied floor with water from the bucket Jin had drank out of, effectively cleaning the ground.
Feeling safe for the first time in hours, he fell into a deep sleep.
As the days passed, Jin fell in and out of sleep. He was only woken to be fed or given a drink of water. Namjoon groomed him and cleaned his wounds often, mostly to change his scent into that of the pack, but Jin was grateful nonetheless.
Sometimes he stayed awake long enough to watch them gather around the fire at night and bond as a pack. Sometimes as wolves, others as humans. When in wolf form, they groomed each other and play-fought. When human, they shared skin-ship and talked endlessly about whatever was on their mind. Jin had never experienced such a bonded pack and he watched contently from the sidelines.
Eventually he had healed enough to transform back into a human. The shift was painful and he screamed in agony, alerting the alphas who had left to hunt and had come barreling back into the den. When he was finished, he was sweaty and panting heavily.
Jungkook peered at him and grinned. “Holy shit.” He commented slyly.
“Kook, leave him alone, he's probably in pain.” He heard Yoongi scold.
“But Yoongi! You have to see him! He's really beautiful!”
Jin would've appreciated the compliment more if he wasn't in unbearable pain. He groaned and rolled onto his side in an attempt to alleviate it.
“Just leave him al- holy shit.” Yoongi said, stunned as he saw Jin's face.
“I wanna see!” Hobseok whined as he pushed the other two aside.
“….Namjoon made a good choice to keep him.” He commented with a grin.
The two omegas came in with Namjoon close behind them. He had been out watching the two play, probably not too far, judging by how quickly they had returned. It was apparent that they had heard Jin's cries earlier.
He shifted into a human and walked toward the commotion. “What's wrong?” He asked urgently.
Jungkook answered with a smirk. “Did you know he'd be a beautiful omega when you decided to keep him?”
“What?” Namjoon asked, confused. He looked down to inspect Jin, only to be met with the most beautiful face he'd ever seen. Jin had perfect lips and bright eyes. He looked like a healthy omega. Namjoon smiled and ran his fingers through Jin's hair gently. “You can transform now.” He stated the obvious.
Jin leaned into the touch, since it was comforting, but the pain caused him to whine helplessly. “S-sorry… It h-hurts...” He mumbled through tears.
Namjoon hummed in understanding. “Your wounds have mostly healed, you're just sore. Don't worry omega.” He soothed.
“Jin.”
“Hm?”
“It's Jin.” He told them.
Taehyung and Jimin ran over, inspecting the omega excitedly. They were getting more and more excited at the prospect of having another omega around. Jin had quickly learned the pack dynamics while he was recovering.
Namjoon was head alpha. He had no mate, but Jin knew he had made multiple attempts at breeding Jimin and Tae. Yoongi was the second in command, another alpha who was allowed to breed the only two omegas. Technically they all were allowed, but these two were given priority.
Hoseok was an alpha who was in charge of caring for the two omegas. When everyone was away, it was his job to defend the den and the pack, an important job that made him a highly respected alpha. Jungkook was the youngest, but was the best hunter.
Since Jimin had been the eldest omega, it was his position to be Namjoon's first pick for breeding. Now that Jin was eldest, he knew Namjoon would now be prioritizing him. Not that he minded much. Namjoon's scent was attractive.
Usually a head alpha had first pick at the omegas in a pack, but until they found a mate, it was their job to ensure the omegas, especially the eldest, were bred. Once he found a mate, only he was allowed to breed that omega. The second in command alpha would then take on the role of breeding the remaining omegas until he too found a mate. Then the warrior, or in this case, Hobi, would breed the remaining omegas and so on.
Jimin pouted as he inspected Jin's face. “He's really pretty! But I'm sad… Because now I can't groom him like usual… He'll need a regular, human bath.”
Namjoon nodded and sniffed the air lightly. “Who's rut is coming?” He asked to the other alphas.
Jungkook raised his hand sheepishly. “In another week.” He responded.
Taehyung shot his hand up immediately. “I'll help!~” He volunteered.
Namjoon rolled his eyes, but nodded. “Fine. Just make sure you're both prepared…. And this time, make sure to knot him properly.” He scolded wearily.
Jungkook blushed and the rest laughed. “T-that was-! I swear he moved away!” He accused Taehyung.
Yoongi slapped his back and snorted. “Kid, an omega smelling a rut would never move away from a knot, are you insane?” The den erupted into laughter once more.
Jin loved watching these interactions. In his old pack, if a low ranked alpha went into rut, he wasn't allowed to breed with an omega since they were mostly considered the head and second alpha's property. The low ranked alpha would have to use a beta. The chances of breeding were less successful with a beta.
Which brought another question…
“If you breed so often, why haven't they had pups?” He asked in honest curiosity.
The room quieted and Namjoon turned to him. “Well, sure they're omegas, but even you must know it's a 50/50 chance, especially if they're not in heat.” He answered softly.
Jin continued staring, intrigued. “But it should be the same result with an alpha's rut, right?”
It was Yoongi who spoke next. “Namjoon refuses to breed either of them when in rut because he's afraid he might mark them. Literally only Hoseok and I breed them in rut. Jungkook's still inexperienced, he's probably still considered a pup in most packs and he hasn't even successfully knotted.”
“Oh.” Jin let out softly. This was new to him.
“What about you? I smelled another pack, but never a particular alpha's scent. Haven't you ever been bred?” Namjoon asked him suddenly.
Jin blushed and shook his head shyly. "I was the pack alpha's son and it made it harder for other alphas to be worthy enough to breed me.”
Namjoon's eyes widened. “You were the son of a pack alpha?” He asked in disbelief.
Hoseok cut in. “What happened with your old pack? If you're that important, why did we find you injured and alone?”
Jin moved to lay on his back uncomfortably, feeling all eyes on him. “… I accidentally ran into another pack… I didn't mean to. I was only exploring and I had to get away from the alpha watching me. He was so protective that it was almost suffocating.”
Jungkook scoffed, but Jin continued.
“A-anyway, I wandered too far, out of my pack's territory and into another's. They smelled a young, unmated omega and ended up fighting over me. I returned after running away from their advances, but when I returned, their scent stuck and my pack saw it as a betrayal.”
“They were trying to kill you.” Namjoon finished for him.
Jin felt tears form in the corners of his eyes and he nodded.
“...They'll come for you. They won't stop until they finish the job.” Yoongi murmured.
Jin nodded again and started to fully cry. Jimin moved to cuddle him, trying to comfort the fellow omega.
“We'll protect you.” Namjoon stated. Everyone turned to him, surprised at the determination in his words. “You pretty much smell like a member of the pack now, and you're valuable. A healthy, beautiful, and unmated omega? Who would give that up?” He joked, smiling kindly at Jin.
Jin laughed and wiped his tears, letting Jimin push his hands away so he could do it for him.