Archive of Our Own

“Don’t lean into it,” the elderly male’s voice rebukes him – again – as Taehyung corrects his hold, taking care to not put his nose into the direct path that the bowstring will snap in as soon as he lets go of the arrow he has aimed at the tree with a crude painting of a bullseye, courtesy of his daughter.

“Remind me again why Jungkook said yes to this crazy plan?” Jimin’s stiff voice comes from Taehyung’s other side, and Taehyung doesn’t take his gaze off the tree even as he blindly kicks out towards the Lupi with his left leg for the comment.

“Simple - he trusts me,” Taehyung retorts as he lets go of the arrow, all three of them watching as it flies straight and hits above the red dot, and Taehyung and Dak-Ho share a grin as he lightly bumps his fist to the older male’s at his near-perfect shot.

“See, not all is lost from when you first taught me how to hunt with these,” Taehyung teases the older male, who scoffs at his comment as he hands Taehyung another arrow.

“You worry too much,” Dak-Ho says to Jimin, making Taehyung smirk at having another person in his corner as he connects the arrow to the bowstring. “He hunted before without any of you knowing.”

“That was years ago, and this time it will be a hunting party, not a solo hunt,” Jimin explains, flustered by Dak-Ho’s remark, but still determined to make his point be known that he may have accepted the fact that Taehyung will be hunting – not a playful hunt of finding each other, but a real hunt – but he’s not letting Taehyung slacken off with the archery practise he’s been doing at Dak-Ho’s farm for the last two days.

Taehyung takes aim again with the arrow, and when no passing comment comes from Dak-Ho about his form, he lets it go faster than the previous time, not holding it for long, as he trusts in his aim.

Taehyung grins as Dak-Ho claps a hand on his shoulder as he congratulates Taehyung on the perfect bullseye as the three of them stare at it amongst the other arrows that had come so close to that middle target.

“See, you don’t need to worry, Jimin,” Taehyung coos as he wraps his arm around his best friend’s shoulders, tugging the shorter Lupi close to nuzzle affectionally against his temple to soothe the tension that has been building in the other the closer they get to the weekend.

“If you shoot like that, five more times, I may start to relax,” comes the little, but proud, remark as Jimin pushes him towards the tree to collect the arrows, his own smile betraying him because he’s seen Taehyung’s progress over the last couple of days.

“How about you have a go, too? That way you can get a stronger peace of mind that he knows what he’s doing with it?” Taehyung overhears Dak-Ho gently offer to Jimin, and Taehyung restrains from looking over his shoulder as he gives Dak-Ho the floor to offer his own reassurances of Taehyung’s capability in using a bow and arrows.

Of course, Dak-Ho trusted him easily when he called the older male about refreshing his muscle memory at the start of the week. He is the only one that knew first-hand just how much effort Taehyung initially put into learning the skill of using a bow to hunt, rather than for the recreational hobby you see in the cities as you just shoot at a stationary target.

Taehyung smiles to himself as he idly listens to the sound of movement as Dak-Ho instructs and corrects how Jimin needs to stand, how to breathe, as he holds the bow that Taehyung left behind so he could collect the arrows in front of him.

Turning around to see Jimin’s form looking stiff and uncomfortable with the bowstring drawn back as Dak-Ho keeps his hands on his arm as he forces some of that stiffness from his arm since it was causing Jimin’s inner part of his arm to jut out in the direct path of the string.

Taehyung knows that stinging pain well of the string snapping against skin because of poor form, his arm used to be marked because of it the first few days when he was learning to hunt all of those years ago.

And the hiss that Jimin makes, even whilst wearing a jacket, is enough to make Taehyung giggle as the Lupi immediately thrusts the bow at Dak-Ho who is holding back his own chuckle as he says, “I told you to relax.”

“Point made, but I still won’t rest until I can see with my own two eyes that Tae is safe with just a bow and arrows in the unlikely event that he gets separated from us,” Jimin fixes his gaze and words onto Taehyung as he returns to them, both serious and thinly veiled as a pointed reminder of the other part of the deal for Taehyung joining them on a hunt.

Taehyung pokes the not-sharp end of the arrows into Jimin’s stomach as he says, “I’m aware of the rules, this isn’t my first rodeo with you guys.”

“This won’t be the same – we’ll move fast, faster than we normally do when we play-hunt,” Jimin reminds him, still not backing down, as Dak-Ho silently stands between them, observing.

“I know, Jimin,” Taehyung gently, but firmly, reminds his best friend.

He knows that this concern is coming from the deeply rooted protective instinct that Jimin possesses despite not being an alpha, so while it can feel a bit repetitive to have this same back-and-forth with the Lupi, Taehyung knows his best friend well enough now to know how to approach the Lupi when his instinct is triggered.

Jimin, the alphas, they can’t just shut down an instinct that has flared up, they just have to let it run its course, whilst Taehyung remains firm with his reassurances.

He’s a Mundane; he isn’t fast, strong, or adaptable, like his pack-born, but he’s learnt a lot over the years to know how to reassure his family when they fear for his safety.

Jimin fears that Taehyung will get separated from them in the heat of a hunt happening, that they’ll accidentally leave him behind because instinct takes over during the rush of chasing after prey, and that he’ll be left to fend to himself without his pack there to protect him from other Lupus folk in the area, or animals that can easily harm a human.

Jimin isn’t the only one with those fears, their pack-born were clearly conflicted with the idea of Taehyung being part of a hunting party, rather than as a spectator, when they sat down at the start of the week to discuss it earnestly, rather than in a teasing manner that helped the idea come to full bloom in the first place.

It’s also why Taehyung makes sure to keep humour from his tone and expression when he falls into discussions like this.

He doesn’t want his family to think that he’s taking this - their concern, their fear of losing him in many ways - all of this lightly, because he isn’t.

“I know that I’ll fall behind at times, but I also know how to track you, so I can easily catch up,” Taehyung reminds the other of the many times during playful hunts of Taehyung getting lost whilst tracking their marks, even under their distance gazes, but he always managed to get himself back on track to finding them.

“I know how to use this to help my party,” Taehyung continues as he takes the bow from Dak-Ho as he hands all the arrows, but one, to the male, “I know the vocal calls to make to alert you all if I need help fast, I know how to use my own dominance well now, and most importantly, I know how to hide from something bigger than me.”

“Climbing trees are still off the list,” Jimin immediately denies, his gaze softening even as his body remains tense, but Taehyung can see that the Lupi is trying hard to listen to him, to hear what Taehyung is confident in doing instead of dismissing his abilities because his instinct is loud in his head.

“They’re off your list, not mine,” Taehyung grins as he turns around and hooks the arrow into place as he takes aim.

Breathing in for three beats of his calm heart, Taehyung lets go of the arrow on the fourth beat.

“Keep shooting like that and it’ll be the animals hiding from you,” Dak-Ho chuckles fondly as Taehyung grins at his handiwork.

“If he can shoot like that four more times, I may start to doubt if he’s on the right team,” Jimin’s voice is teasing again, relaxed again – for now.

Taehyung snorts at that, giving the Lupi an amused look. “I’m Team Rabbit all the way, it’s less running compared to your team.”

Jimin’s laughter echoes around the field of Dak-Ho’s property line, and it’s nice to hear it flow so effortlessly again.

Taehyung feels his cheeks burn slightly at the proud look in Dak-Ho’s gaze as he takes another arrow from him, feeling the proudness like a warm hug from the other.

And four arrows later, he’s feeling a warm, tight, hug as both Lupus and elderly Overseer squeeze Taehyung tightly in an embrace, their voices bouncing around the open space of the field.

Taehyung surrenders himself to their proudness, even if it makes his cheeks burn and ache from how hard he’s smiling, despite feeling flustered, as a hand fondly ruffles his hair, and a face is pressed against his in a very affectionate nuzzle.

It’s overwhelming, but love works like that sometimes.

“Come on, all of this practise is hungry work,” Dak-Ho announces as he hands over the arrows and bow for Taehyung to take home, ready for the hunt tomorrow afternoon, as he leads them both to his own farmhouse that is a lot bigger than Taehyung’s own, showing a history of many generations of family members coming and going with the out-of-place extensions on either side of the traditionally built house.

Feeling Jimin take the arrows from him so that they can link hands instead, Taehyung smiles as the Lupi cheekily asks if meat is on offer, his own relationship with Dak-Ho still strong too, despite the fact he and Taehyung don’t often see the elderly male nowadays.

Listening to the pair of them bicker about which meat is better, Taehyung takes in the changes he can see in Dak-Ho because he doesn’t see him so often.

The slight limp he has now in his left leg, the amount of grey in his hair and beard, making both more grey than black, the deep-set wrinkles around his eyes.

Time moves fast, and Taehyung has forgotten that also means it moves fast for the elderly male too.

The male who is like a grandfather to him, even when so many years passed as Taehyung grew up and struggled to return to Daegu, Dak-Ho welcomed him as if only a day had passed instead.

Letting go of Jimin’s hand as he wordlessly hands the bow to his friend, Taehyung lengthens his stride, quickening so that he reaches Dak-Ho just as the man taps off his boots at the side of the backdoor to remove the clumps of field dirt.

“Whoa,” Dak-Ho chuckles, startled, but amused, as Taehyung jostles the male slightly in his rush to embrace him from behind. “What’s brought this on?”

“Just wanna,” Taehyung murmurs softly, feeling like he’s a child again since this feels familiar too, as he breathes in the male’s scent of aged leather from the jacket he’s wearing and the scent of hay that makes Taehyung’s chest ache.

He feels Dak-Ho place his own hands over Taehyung’s, pausing for a moment as they both soak in the embrace.

And when Taehyung releases him, Dak-Ho sends him a warm smile over his shoulder, no question in his eyes, just understanding, and it makes Taehyung swallow thickly.

“I bought Jina a toy the other day when I was in town,” Dak-Ho says as he opens the door of his home, welcoming them both in.

“Another one?” Taehyung teases as he shuts the door behind them as Jimin places the bow and arrows onto the side table that is clear of clutter for a change, both of them used to the tiny room they’re in as all three of them take off their shoes and hang up their jackets.

Dak-Ho leads them through the door that opens up into the kitchen-dining area of the farmhouse, and Taehyung isn’t surprised to already see a huge pot on the stove, the smell of a hearty stew simmering that makes his stomach rumble.

“Help yourselves. I’ll just go get the toy,” Dak-Ho waves towards the stove as he walks through the doorway that leads to the rest of the house, and Taehyung smiles as Jimin immediately rushes to pull out three bowls from the cupboards, leaving Taehyung to gather the spoons, glasses, and water.

“It feels like he’s fattening us up,” Jimin comments affectionately as they set the table for the three of them, both of them following Lupus custom of neither one of them touching the food gifted to them as they leave the pot on the stove.

“And the pack-born, since he always makes ‘extra’,” Taehyung huffs softly, smiling in the direction the older male went in. “He’s not subtle, huh?”

“Being gifted food as rich as his - we’re spoilt,” Jimin hums in agreement as they both pull out a chair to sit as Dak-Ho returns with a paper bag.

Taehyung eyes the paper bag, curious, as Dak-Ho hands it to him. “What animal is it this time?”

“Take a peek and see for yourself,” Dak-Ho grins at him as he moves towards the stove to warm up the stew for serving.

“You’ve built up her jungle animal collection, what more is there to a-” Taehyung trails off as he holds the toy in his hand, taking in the brown glossy painting, the smooth fake hair of its black mane that darkens the top of the animal’s head between its pointed ears and neck, the same being used for its tail.

Feeling their gazes on him, Taehyung swallows tightly at the toy image of how Lily looked in her youth.

Taehyung knows that plentiful horses look Lily, but the breed of horse she was will always remind him of her, no matter what.

“I’m adopting a little Shetland pony, it’ll be here next week,” Dak-Ho’s voice drags his gaze from the toy in his hand to where the male stands, stirring the stew.

“You’ve got cows and hens, how many more animals do you want to add to your collection?” Taehyung questions, worried, since Dak-Ho lives alone now, his kids that help him with the farm have their own places in the village.

“It’s only a little pony, plus she’s old, nearing the end of her time, making her unadoptable,” Dak-Ho shrugs, not worried in the slightest. “I thought it would be a great way to introduce Jina to an animal more her size.”

Recalling the first time that Jina saw the herd of cows on the other field the older male owns, and how she refused to go anywhere near the fence, reminded Taehyung so much of how Jungkook used to act as a pup with Lily that it tore up his heart a little with mixed emotions.

“And it’ll stop her from harassing my hens,” Dak-Ho fondly huffs, making them laugh because it is true.

Taehyung has caught his daughter on more than one occasion slyly stalking the oblivious hens until the moment Jina would give herself away and cause mayhem to happen.

“It’s cute,” Taehyung defends his daughter with a grin as Dak-Ho turns off the stove and lifts the hot pot to place on the tray in the middle of the table.

“And great prey practise,” Jimin adds, joining in on the teasing, as Dak-Ho fills his bowl first, no longer hesitant as he used to be when they started sharing meals together, and sits down as Jimin takes the two remaining bowls and fills them.

“Now who is the one trying to fatten me up?” Taehyung states, watching the spoon return back to his bowl.

“It’s getting cold, you need the extra layer,” Jimin retorts as he places the bowl in front of Taehyung.

Ignoring Dak-Ho’s snort as he eats his own serving, Taehyung says, “thermals exist for a reason.”

“Never a dull moment with you two around,” Dak-Ho comments affectionately, cutting off Jimin’s no doubt sassy retort.

“You should drop by more often so you can experience the full package,” Taehyung subtly hints as he blows on his spoon of broth.

Dak-Ho’s gaze is knowing, hearing his hint loud and clear, as he smiles at Taehyung. “I’ll try to pop round more.”

Feeling that swell of emotion return, Taehyung says, “our door is always open to family.”

“Always,” Jimin echoes warmly from beside Taehyung, both of their attention onto the flustered male.

“Ease up on the affection, my old ticker can only beat so fast,” Dak-Ho laughs as he looks down at his food, his cheeks pink.

“Well, considering you bought Jina another toy and you’re going to introduce a new animal friend, your fridge door is going to be blessed with another painting from her,” Taehyung points out, and all three of them look to the fridge where hand-drawn pictures of Dak-Ho and his animals are fixed to it.

“A little artist in the making, that one. I wonder where she gets it,” Dak-Ho fondly says, his gaze meeting Taehyung’s, reminding him of his own childhood at the farmhouse where his grandmother would display all of his drawings, no matter the quality of them.

It saddens him, the fact that Jina never got the chance to meet the person responsible for bringing her fathers, her uncles, together.

But, Dak-Ho’s presence in her life reflects part of Taehyung’s childhood memories.

Dak-Ho was there when his grandmother first taught Taehyung how to sit comfortably on a horse, he praised Taehyung’s drawings just like he does with Jina’s, and even attempted to teach Taehyung about the different birds that would flock to the forest.

Dak-Ho’s presence, meaning, in Taehyung’s life goes beyond the fact that he was his grandmother’s closest friend.

Dak-Ho was there to help his return to Daegu, to help with the memories that time pushed aside, and has remained by Taehyung’s side ever since.

He’s just as much as Taehyung’s friend as he was his grandmother’s.

“Wow, is the broth that good that it’s causing you to cry?” Dak-Ho rushes out, causing Taehyung to laugh wetly as he dips his head to catch the stray tears running down his cheek.

Feeling Jimin press against his side, Taehyung shoves his embarrassment aside as he reassures his friend that he’s fine as Dak-Ho retrieves a kitchen tissue from the roll on the counter.

“Sorry, just…got sucked into my head a little,” Taehyung tells them both as he uses the tissue to dry his cheeks.

“It happens, you don’t need to explain yourself, son,” Dak-Ho assures him gently, smiling at him, as Jimin rubs his hand up and down Taehyung’s back.

“I’m just…grateful that…” Taehyung sucks in a breath as his eyes burn with fresh tears causing him to press the tissue to his eyes, “okay, never mind, I’m just going to shut up.”

“Come here,” Dak-Ho murmurs, the sound of his chair moving again, and before Taehyung can pull the tissue from his eyes, Jimin’s hand vanishes from his back as Dak-Ho’s arms close around him.

Taehyung gives up with trying to stop himself from crying and just sags into the male’s hold.

“You never have to thank me for anything, Taehyung. I watched you grow up, and now I get the honour of watching your little girl grow up too,” Dak-Ho’s tells him gently, but firmly, making the tears run faster down his cheeks.

“Okay, I don’t think my heart can handle this level of affection,” Taehyung gross sobs out in a laugh.

“Tough. You started this,” Dak-Ho chuckles as his hold around Taehyung loosens, but doesn’t fall away, “just know that what you feel, I feel too.”

Taehyung wraps his arm around the male and squeezes him, sniffling all the while.

Dak-Ho pulls back, and their embrace, their moment, naturally lightens as Jimin wordlessly hands Taehyung the entire kitchen roll as he silently sits back in his chair beside Taehyung, making them laugh.

“Me crying doesn’t mean that I’m not fit to go hunting,” Taehyung warns the Lupi playfully as he takes the tissues from Jimin’s concerned, but understanding, gaze.

“A deal is a deal, unfortunately,” Jimin huffs out, and just like that, the air lightens and the swell of emotion that brought all of this on slinks away back to where it came from.

Sometimes, the reminder to show your love comes out a bit too strongly, but the ease it brings afterwards is cathartic in the wake of the tears shed.

“You wanna talk about it?” Jimin asks him gently as soon as they’re alone, driving back to the den.

Looking down at the paper bag on his lap, Taehyung inhales deeply as he says, “it’s too easy at how fast time moves, and the reminder of that hit me today.”

“He reminds me so much of her. Family all grown-up and distant, and a big, empty, house with too much land to maintain. The reminder of how time moves for me, compared to them…it just hit hard today,” Taehyung admits as he glances to his best friend who is focused on the road, but listening, as Jimin hums softly.

“You can’t slow time, but you can choose how to spend it,” Jimin says lightly, quickly glancing at him before looking back at the road. “We’ll make an effort to see him more often, whilst being mindful of his own time.”

Hint heard, Taehyung nods in agreement. “I know. We have our own lives to live, but I just don’t want history to repeat.”

“It won’t, Taehyung,” Jimin reassures him, his tone sure and gentle. “For starters, you’re here now, instead of in Seoul.”

“God, just imagine how different life would be if I never came back, if I just….stayed in Seoul and sold the farmhouse from there,” Taehyung whispers, thinking about it, as he looks at the road ahead of them. “It….I can’t even picture it.”

“It doesn’t need picturing; you came back, and we found each other again.”

Reaching out for Jimin’s hand that rests on the gears, Taehyung lightly squeezes the Lupi’s hand as their gazes briefly meet.

“Just how I’ll find you this weekend,” Taehyung cheekily declares, causing Jimin to snort as he begins to smile.

“And if you don’t find me, you can bet that I will nag you for the rest of the year about it.”

“Eh, the year is almost ov-Ow!” Taehyung laughs, clutching his hand that Jimin had just smacked, watching as the Lupi shifts gears as they approach their home.

“Are you going to tell Jina about Lily?” Jimin asks lightly as the private gates of their den opens up with a click of the remote on the dashboard.

Glancing back down at the paper bag, Taehyung says, “she knows of her because of the statue, and my paintings and pictures.”

Jina has never asked deep questions, but her gaze that is so much older than she actually is always tells Taehyung that she knows that it’s a painful subject for him, despite Lily being just a horse and not a person.

“She’s always curious to learn about you, Tae,” Jimin reminds him gently, making Taehyung smile because it’s so true.

Jina will ask him the most random questions about his childhood where it will cause him to sit and think, and even then, he can’t always answer it because memories fade.

“And, you never know, she may bond with the Shetland like how you bonded with Lily,” Jimin continues as he parks the jeep, and before the engine is even turned off, the front door is sliding open to reveal his grinning daughter.

“She’s not wearing socks again,” Jimin groans as Jina proceeds to rush down the steps in bare feet.

“Jimin is going to nag you, run!” Taehyung hollers to his daughter as he opens the jeep door, ignoring the hiss of his name, as he bends just in time to catch Jina’s body as he launches herself at him.

“You’re meant to run away,” Taehyung teases her, hiking her up because her recent growth spurt is making her too lanky to carry in this form.

“I am, but from dad,” Jina declares just as the mentioned Lupi appears in the doorway, winded.

“You good?” Taehyung calls to Jungkook with a raise of his eyebrow, using his foot to shut the jeep door as Jimin’s own slams shut.

“Blanket fort,” is all Jungkook states, his clothes ruffled and his brown little ponytail no longer high up but a mess now that Taehyung is noticing, and it makes Taehyung grin at their daughter for the smart plan of escape.

“You need to start wearing socks, missy,” Jimin reminds her, poking her in her side with his free hand since his other arm is carrying the bow and arrows, making her giggle, as he passes them.

“So, other than luring your dad into a blanket fort as he chased you, what else have you been doing this afternoon?” Taehyung asks his daughter as they trail in behind Jimin.

“Maths,” Jina grunts, her hatred for the subject loud and clear in her tone and across her face.

“You’re getting better,” Jungkook reassures her, and closes the door behind them as Taehyung sets Jina down onto the wooden floor of the living area of the den.

“I’m not,” Jina denies, huffing slightly, as Jungkook wraps himself around Taehyung instead.

Taehyung is so used to it, from being either jumped on by his daughter for hugs, or clung to by his mate, that he just sinks into the strong embrace from behind.

“We managed to finish half a sheet today, that is something to celebrate,” Jungkook tells their daughter softly, making Taehyung smile, as Jina looks torn with believing in the praise or to pout further.

“And speaking of celebrating – Dak-Ho has another gift for you,” Taehyung says, holding out the paper bag to Jina.

Immediately Jina’s entire attitude shifts as she gently takes the bag from Taehyung and cradles the bag to her chest as she looks up and says, “can I say thank you?”

“In an hour, you can. He’ll still be on the fields seeing to the cows,” Taehyung promises her, and slowly slips from Jungkook’s hold to kneel on the floor so that he’s the same height as her.

Jina’s mannerisms towards gifts often breaks Taehyung’s heart, to see a pup look so touched to be given anything reminds him all too much of how different Jina is, and that simple actions like this mean the world to her.

Feeling Jungkook crouch down too, Taehyung says, “go on, you can open it.”

And you would think the paper bag was wrapping paper with how gingerly Jina peels it open, so careful with her little fingers as she reaches into the bag without looking, savouring the gift until the very end as the toy is revealed to her.

“It’s a horse!” Jina squeals, delighted, her gaze fixed to the animal as her fingers lightly stroke over the glossy brown paint.

“Dak-Ho wants to help you build a new animal collection – farm animals,” Taehyung tells her, smiling softly, as Jina turns the horse in her hands, inspecting the details.

“I need another shelf, jungle animals can’t be with farm animals, right?”

“Right,” Jungkook agrees, grinning, as he fixes his ponytail again. “You should ask Yoonie to help you add another toy shelf, and we can build a barn too for the animals to sleep in.”

Jina nods in rapid agreement, her gaze finally lifting from the toy.

“Is this how Lily looked?” Jina carefully asks, taking both of them by surprise. “Your paintings look like this.”

Feeling Jungkook’s gaze on him, Taehyung holds out his hand for the toy, and Jina carefully gives him it.

“Lily was this type of horse, yes. Your grandma liked all horses, but Lily was her favourite,” Taehyung shares with his daughter, ignoring the deep ache that awakens in his chest. “When your dad was a pup, he saw Lily like this, didn’t you?”

Meeting his mate’s supportive gaze, Jungkook nods, a smile touching his lips as he looks down at the toy in Taehyung’s hand.

“She was bigger than me, but she looked just like this,” Jungkook says softly as he lightly taps the toy horse’s mane. “Though, she would’ve never let me touch her like this until we were both much much older.”

“Why?” Jina asks as she lowers herself to sit down on the floor too.

Taehyung bites back the laugh at the memory as Jungkook says, “because I’m an alpha, and Lily had a big personality, so it meant she had a lot of natural dominance even though she was just a horse.”

“Animals can have dominance too, just like Mundanes,” Jina recites knowingly with a little nod, making Taehyung’s heart melt. “So, she was an alpha horse?”

“Sort-of. She liked Jimin, but every time I came to play, she would cause trouble.”

“Trouble is putting it lightly,” Taehyung huffs out in a laugh, making Jina grin as she imagines it. “Your dad and Lily became friends – she saw that he is a big softie at heart.”

“Very,” Jina giggles, making Jungkook bark out a laugh.

“Lily was the last horse your grandma kept. She stayed with grandma until…until she passed away,” Taehyung explains, even though Jina knows the gist of this, just not the details. “And so, Lily was my last connection to grandma.”

Jina slowly nods, her brown eyes searching his, as she quietly says, “is that why you sound so sad?”

Feeling Jungkook’s arm snake around his back, even without shifting closer, Taehyung nods at his daughter.

“I miss them both, so sometimes, my sadness is strong,” he tries to put his grief into words that she can understand simply, “and sometimes, my sadness isn’t strong, and I can laugh and tell stories about them both.”

“I don’t like seeing you sad,” Jina says, scooting up onto her knees so she can wrap her arms around his neck to hug him.

Taehyung hugs his daughter with one arm whilst his other reaches to gently squeeze Jungkook’s thigh to reassure him because he felt his mate tense up, can feel his concern coming from him.

“My sadness comes from missing them, but I have a lot of happy memories that help with the sadness,” Taehyung reassures her, nuzzling her temple gently, feeling her tighten her hold around him. “So, even when I sound or look sad when I talk about grandma or Lily, I have a lot of happiness behind it.”

“Kinda how the clouds cover the sun – the sky becomes dark for a few seconds and then becomes bright again when the clouds go away,” Jina murmurs from where she’s pressing her face into his neck.

Taehyung tightens his grip around his daughter at her accurate description. “Just like that, sweetie. Today, the sun is peeking through the clouds because I have something exciting to tell you.”

Jina pulls back enough to show her curiosity. “Is this about the hunt?”

Taehyung snorts a laugh as he shakes his head. “Nope.”

Jina glances to Jungkook, then back at Taehyung.  “Pups are coming to the farmhouse?”

“Not yet, we still have to find them,” Jungkook softly reminds their daughter, making disappointment flicker through her expression before the curiosity returns.

“Dak-Ho is adopting a little horse,” Taehyung reveals, watching as surprise and excitement hits Jina. “That means you get to play with a horse when we visit.”

“Will it be smaller than the cows?” Jina asks warily, and grins when Taehyung nods. “Will I be able to pet it?”

“Dak-Ho is going to teach you what grandma taught me when I was your age. Only, your horse is going to be your height, whereas my horse was this tall!” Taehyung exaggerates the height with his arms, causing her to laugh.

But then her excitement cuts off as nervousness makes her shrink a little, and Jungkook is already there, pulling their daughter against his chest with a comforting sound leaving him, as she says, “what if the horse hates me like Lily hated dad?”

Taehyung sags with relief at the innocent question as Jungkook confidently says, “then we will win the horse’s heart, just like how I won Lily’s.”

Jina studies Jungkook’s honest, determined, expression, and nods in agreement, her nervousness vanishing in the wake of the same fiery determination that is currently burning in Jungkook’s gaze.

“I need a horse book, dad. I need to know everything about horses.”

Taehyung smiles fondly as Jungkook lifts up their daughter effortlessly as he stands up, leaving Taehyung to heave himself up gracelessly.

“Who needs books when we can steal Joonie’s computer?” Jungkook whispers mischievously, already heading for the stairs down into the basement level of the den where the playroom, Namjoon’s bedroom and office, and Jin’s bedroom lie.

“Do not say that around Namjoon, you know how he gets!” Taehyung hollers after them both, endeared as two sets of giggles answer him.

Taking his jacket off and hanging it up, knowing that Jimin is keeping the bow and arrows until the weekend so that they’re out of harms way from a certain curious pup, Taehyung heads downstairs too to tidy up the mess his mate and daughter have left behind in the wake of Taehyung’s return home.

“Oh, I was coming down to do just that,” Taehyung says, spying Jin in the process of folding a dozen blankets that used to be a fort in the middle of the playroom.

“Namjoon was helping me until he heard the two terrors coming down here and raced into the office to prove a point,” Jin says with an amused smile plastered to his face.

Taehyung glances through the open doorway of the office as he passes, and sees Jina sitting on Namjoon’s lap whilst Jungkook is bracketing the Lupi from behind, all three of them staring intently at the computer monitor.

“Do I dare ask?” Taehyung questions as he joins Jin in piling the pillows alongside the pile of blankets.

“I think he may have managed to load Kyobo, but didn’t get the chance to place an order,” Jin sniggers, glancing at the office door. “But, if a delivery comes in the next few days, we know what it is.”

“Speaking of orders – are you serious about the one you pinned to the fridge this morning?” Taehyung demands, flopping the pillows on top of each other.

“The den is in desperate need of a make-over, and your room is not being left out,” Jin hums, completely brazen with the fact he is ordering them all to pack-up their stuff because the Lupi is on a mission to revamp the entirety of the den.

“Bedrooms are private, personal to the individuals.”

“If we’re really going to be politically correct, family pockets in dens are not personal, though they are private.”

“We live in a converted barn, there isn’t a lot we can do,” Taehyung laughs, hitting the older Lupi with the pillow in his hands.

“You have my eyes, and three experienced Lupis who are used to renovating almost daily. The make-over is happening, Taehyung. I cannot have our den looking so meh any longer,” Jin argues back just as playfully as he hits Taehyung with the blanket he’s just folded.

“The whole point of you designing strangers’ homes is to deter you from touching your own!”

“It’s because I design how strangers’ homes look that I need to change ours!”

“Your taste is expensive!” Taehyung cackles, running behind the sofa to avoid the hit.

“We all earn enough to have a nice home!” Jin retorts as he climbs over the sofa, lunging to hit Taehyung’s cackling form.

“But I like our rustic vibe!” Taehyung shouts, evading Jin as they begin to run in circles around the playroom.

“It’s dated!” Jin shouts back before Taehyung manages to comically throw a pillow at his face.

Taehyung doesn’t get a chance to laugh at the startled look on Jin’s face because arms are wrapping around his waist and he’s suddenly being lifted and spun around as he’s yanked down onto the sofa with a startled yelp.

Staring down at a pleased-looking mate, Taehyung finds his balance on top of the Lupi and heaves out, “cheat.”

“You were distracted, not my fault I caught you so easily,” Jungkook grins up at him.

Before Taehyung can answer back, a blanket is dumped on top of them, curtaining them from view.

“There is a pup present, you animals,” Jin’s amused voice moves from them as both Taehyung and Jungkook claw at the blanket until both of their heads pop free from it.

Seeing no sign of Jina, only hearing her and Namjoon’s excited conversation from the office, Taehyung throws one of the sofa’s cushions at Jin’s open bedroom door, watching it flop in the doorway as his final act of rebellion to their previous discussion.

“I was fighting for our bedroom, you know,” Taehyung states as he pokes Jungkook’s sternum.

“To be honest, our bedroom really does need a make-over,” Jungkook huffs, smiling up at him as Taehyung gawps down at him.

“There is nothing wrong with it!”

“We lack storage space,” Jungkook reminds him of their clothing situation, the boxes under their bed because they both own too many bulky layers.

“That is easily fixed, give me another point,” Taehyung argues as he folds his arms across his chest.

Jungkook steadies his movement with his hands on Taehyung’s hips.

“When we built the den, I was a bachelor, and therefore did not bother to decorate my room.”

Recalling his first memory of seeing Jungkook’s bedroom brings fond nostalgia to his chest.

“I liked it when I first saw it, and I still like it now. It’s lived-in,” Taehyung reassures Jungkook, stroking his fingers through the Lupi’s long, coarse, hair as he removes the hairtie since the ponytail didn’t surivive another round with a blanket. “The den feels like a den because of that feeling.”

“Realistically, Jin can’t change much – you’re right, we live in a converted barn,” Jungkook chuckles softly, leaning up into the touch, his eyes fluttering shut as Taehyung continues to play with his hair. “But, we can add plasterboard and insulation to make the den warmer during the winter, that will allow Jin to paint and wallpaper the walls as often as he wants since he currently can’t do that upstairs because of the wood.”

Taehyung frowns. “But then it will feel like a Mundane’s house, not a den.”

Jungkook peeks his eyes open at that. “You really don’t want him to change the den, do you?”

Taehyung shakes his head, knowing that Jin can hear him, and chooses his words carefully so that he doesn’t upset the Lupi.

“I just worry too much about you guys being smothered by Mundane living standards that you can’t express yours,” Taehyung admits his worry, watching Jungkook’s expression. “You guys are losing natural dens, after all. I don’t want you to lose the closest example of a natural den by painting it fancy colours.”

Jungkook wraps his arms around Taehyung’s lower back as he slowly sits up, keeping him secure, as he gives Taehyung his full attention.

“And I’m not saying that is what Jin is doing, but I just worry that in his need to revamp the den that we’ll lose the den-feeling, but I feel like I can’t say that because I’m not a Lupus, so how do I know the true feeling?”

“You live here, you’re entitled to a say in how the den looks. But…it won’t hurt for us to talk about this as a pack – right, Jin?” Jungkook calls the latter part, and Taehyung’s heart launches itself into his throat as they both look to the Lupi’s bedroom door to see Jin’s shadow approach before he himself appears.

“I’ll even draw my ideas, just so I can reassure that I’m not going to go nuts with paint,” Jin smiles softly at them both, no offence taken, just pure understanding in his eyes. “I have an elaborate taste with my clients that I take full advantage of because now they know I’m not a mere Mundane, but with you guys, it is different, even though I like to tease otherwise.”

“Let’s schedule the meeting for after the weekend since it is already exciting enough with the hunt, and whilst we’re away out west searching for foster packs, Jin can be in his element here,” Jungkook suggests, and when Jin nods, Taehyung nods in agreement too.

“Okay, now that is settled-” Jungkook’s hold around Taehyung vanishes as he reaches for the blanket and yanks it back over their heads, much to Taehyung’s bemusement and Jin’s amusement.

“What are you doing, you big pup,” Taehyung huffs affectionately, his hair in his eyes from how the blanket was dragged over their heads, feeling Jungkook’s arms return to his lower back.

A gentle kiss is pressed to his lips in answer.

“Hi,” Jungkook whispers softly, nuzzling their noses lightly.

Taehyung returns the gentle affection as he cups his mate’s jaw so he can kiss Jungkook this time.

“How was your day?” Taehyung whispers, enjoying this rare moment of some-what privacy.

“The usual. How was practise?” Jungkook murmurs, inhaling Taehyung’s scent deeply, and letting out a contented sigh as he hugs Taehyung closer.

“Proved to Jimin that I am capable of hunting this weekend, so win-win. Also had a minor embarrassing, emotional, moment in Dak-Ho’s kitchen because it hit me how fast time is moving and how little of it I’ve spent with him,” Taehyung ends up rushing out the last part, clinging to his mate, almost.

“To be fair to you, you have been busy juggling life as a famous Overseer – don’t growl at me, you know I say it with pride,” Jungkook chuckles affectionately, kissing the pout off Taehyung’s lips so accurately it makes Taehyung smile, “and you’re a father too. Time will move fast, that way.”

“Time needs to calm down for once.”

“You can’t control time. If we could, we would’ve reunited way before we did.”

“That is another thing I’ve found myself doing – imagining how life would’ve been if I never did come back. I think I’m having a quarter-life crisis about how shit could’ve gone if I never came back,” Taehyung shares, feeling safe to admit that his brain is on a path of mentally torturing him with ‘what-ifs’.

“A what?” Jungkook asks, and just that alone makes Taehyung’s perspective shift.

He’s being your typical Mundane – worrying about shit that you can’t control or even need to control.

Whereas, for Lupus folk, the worry they have is about surviving.

Even Taehyung, after all of these years, is still finding moments of learning too, even as small as this one.

“Nothing, just Mundane fixation of trying to control what can’t be controlled,” Taehyung explains to his mate, feeling silly about being stuck in that mental loop.

“You sound and still feel stressed by whatever the crisis is,” Jungkook says, concern thick in his tone. “I mean, I can understand you picturing how life may have gone if we never met again because I too do that sometimes, but I think that is natural, yes? To wonder how something could’ve gone, making you treasure what you have now.”

“It is,” Taehyung reassures softly. “But, I was beginning to fixate on it, I think. I think that is why I’m so aware of time, I keep looking back instead of forward, and what I look back at reminds me of how little time I’ve spent in other places.”

“You can’t do everything, Taehyung. Something gives when you look elsewhere.”

“I know,” Taehyung whines, still feeling silly for being caught up in this mental spin, but needing to talk about it with his mate. “I’m being silly, I know.”

“No, you’re not. You’re just…a Mundane – and I mean that nicely,” Jungkook rushes out, making Taehyung smile as he reassures his mate that he understands his point. “Anxiety is common for you, whereas for Lupus folk, it isn’t. Yeah, we suffer from stress, and our own type of depression depending on the circumstance behind it, but general anxiety? It’s not something we routinely suffer from unless instinct is behind it.”

“I don’t think it was anxiety – yet – but it could’ve gone that way if I kept this to myself, worrying over ‘what-ifs’ is just toxicity for your mental health, as Namjoon would declare,” Taehyung huffs softly, thinking of the Lupi and his fascination with Mundane psychology.

“You’re still tense,” Jungkook points out lightly as he hugs him as best as he can with a blanket draped over them.

“Residue from overthinking,” Taehyung reassures, meaning it, as he nuzzles his nose against Jungkook’s. “I’m fine, truly. Today was just an emotional one.”

“I’m the overthinker, remember?” Jungkook fondly teases. “Let me do it for us both.”

“Never,” Taehyung huffs as he lightly kisses Jungkook, feeling the Lupi smile against his lips.

Taehyung will always try to help his mate with the weight that comes with being an alpha, even if it is just like this where he softly reminds the other that just because Jungkook is an alpha, that doesn’t mean he has to carry all the weight.

And, Taehyung hopes, in the future, the burden that all alphas carry in Lupus society will become balanced, instead of how it has been.

“Okay, I’ve said this fifty times but once more won’t hurt,” Jin claps his hands for them all to look his way, butt-naked, and not even flinching from the cold air.

“Your team has already shifted, we know the rules,” Hoseok retorts, also butt-naked, as he slams the door of the jeep after dumping his clothes inside it, and Taehyung locks it after doing a quick body check for lingering articles of clothing.

“We all know he’s repeating this for my ears,” Taehyung states as he checks the straps of his arrow case that is fastened around his back, the material of his hiking jacket and trousers crinkling as he moves.

“Exactly,” Jin confirms with a grin, ignoring the huffs and annoyed growls coming from the rest of their pack-born that are already in their natural forms. “So, Taehyung, hit me with the rules.”

“For the love of-” Taehyung cuts off his whining as Jimin’s fluffy body nudges him to answer, his tail and posture stiff with lingering anxiety now that they’re here in the forest.

“Team Deer, you are to hunt and bring a deer,” Taehyung recites as he crouches to nuzzle his best friend’s muzzle, before straightening up as he continues, “Team Rabbit, you are to hunt two rabbits to keep the hunt length fair.”

“And?” Jin waves for him to add the last rule that Taehyung kept out.

“Taehyung is not allowed to climb trees but he will anyway because who will stop me?”

Immediately Jimin is arguing with him, and Yoongi lifts a paw and just swipes it down onto his mate’s snout, causing the Lupi to snort.

And Jungkook is looking every bit as amused as a Lupus can in natural form as his tail wags as Jina sits beside him, her much smaller form comical but adorable to see around the others bigger forms.

Jin glances down at where Namjoon is sitting beside Taehyung. “You better stop him.”

Namjoon’s wagging tail brushing over the dry, dead, grass answers in response, making Taehyung smirk as he affectionately scratches through the Lupi’s black fur.

“You’re just worried that we will finish before you, that is the only reason why you don’t want me up high,” Taehyung goads the other, competitiveness kicking in, as Team Deer huddles together as Jin drops to his hands and knees.

“There is a reason why rabbits are the bane of Lupus hunting in winter,” Jin smirks up at him, and Taehyung looks away to give the Lupi privacy as he shifts forms, turning to look at the team he is part of as Mina and Hoseok flank him now that Jimin has left his side.

“We got this,” Taehyung hypes, watching each Lupus around him practically shake with excitement, the thrill of a true hunt that they barely do nowadays.  

And when Jin barks, Taehyung turns to see Yoongi, Jungkook, Jin, and Jina, also raring to go too.

Jimin is still looking severely conflicted with leaving Taehyung to hunt, but when Namjoon howls for the hunt to start, Jimin still runs after his team.

Taehyung waits, and when he can’t really hear the other team, he glances at his own and grins down at them.

“Marco,” Taehyung says, and Namjoon, Hoseok, and Mina reply back with the Lupus version of ‘Polo’.

No bells.

No spying.

This hunt isn’t for play.

Taehyung runs after his team, his pack, through the densely packed trees of the forest they’re hunting in.

This hunt is real.

Patience. That is the key requirement when hunting.

You have to have a lot of it if you want to catch anything.

Taehyung moves slowly and calmly, feeling Namjoon mimic his pace behind him, as they both inch through the dry vegetation, both of them looking for any hint of movement in the slightly skeletal overgrowth of dead bushes.

Mina and Hoseok are hunting together, and the plan is that either duo will flush a rabbit into either direction, doubling the chances of catching one.

So far, Hoseok has only managed to flush out one before he and Mina lost it before they could flush it their way, which has eased the worry of not finding any rabbits, but the very distant sounds of Team Deer communicating as they track their prey is like fire to their determination to win the hunt first.

Namjoon chuffs softly, and Taehyung’s body stills in response, glancing to his side as Namjoon paws at the dirt and leaves, sniffing loudly.

Taehyung has the bow in hand, but not armed, so when Namjoon lifts his head and looks in the opposite direction they had been sneaking in, Taehyung points the bow, double-checking the direction, as Namjoon dips his head before they head in that direction.

The afternoon’s sun is still high but its warmth can be barely felt because of how fucking cold the air is as it gently blows through the trees, distorting scents for his team, and chilling his cheeks and hands for him.

Taehyung knows it is harder for Lupus folk to hunt during winter, it’s why it is a key exile season because it forces you to adapt to the limitations that winter brings.

Small prey animals are less likely to be outside their burrows when the temperature drops, making it hard to pick up scents amongst the strong scent of dead leaves and grass.

But, Taehyung is confident that they can do this.

Rabbits are here, Hoseok’s and Mina’s excited calls proved that.

They just have to be patient.

Taehyung is running out of patience.

Hoseok and Mina haven’t called in a long while, too focused on trying to find rabbits to flush out to keep Namjoon in the loop of whereabouts they are.

“You can still catch their scent, right?” Taehyung whispers, crouched low, the bow on his lap, as he soothes the Lupi, running his hand through the thickness of Namjoon’s black fur along his spine.

The tension in Namjoon’s body remains even as he lifts his snout to deeply inhale the air, a low whine coming from him.

Taehyung frowns, looking around the trees, straining his ears for a sign of their teammates.

He hasn’t heard Team Deer for a while either, no joyous howls of celebration, no communication barks.

It’s like it is just himself and Namjoon in the entire forest.

“Okay, hear me out – I’ll camp in that tree while you go track and round-up Mina and Hoseok,” Taehyung whispers, using the bow to point to the tree that looks sturdy enough for his weight.

Namjoon growls, a sharp shake of his head reiterating his disagreement of leaving Taehyung alone.

“I won’t leave it, promise,” Taehyung argues back, still listening for any sounds from Hoseok and Mina, as Namjoon stares him down. “It was a bad plan splitting up, we’ve learnt that now.”

Namjoon huffs with a sharp shake of his head again, still tense, and not backing down.

“You can watch me climb it and get settled,” Taehyung bargains instead. “Come on, Joon, we need to find them if we stand any chance of winning.”

Conflicted. Namjoon looks it as he looks at the tree Taehyung pointed to, and in the direction that they last heard the couple be in.

“No other Lupus have recently been through here, yes?” Taehyung checks, and Namjoon dips his head in answer. “Okay, so the only thing that we have to fear is being separated which will only be for a little while. Me being up high is just extra security in case a boar tries to mow me down.”

Namjoon snorts at that, the Lupus equivalent of a laugh, as he looks back to the tree.

Taehyung waits, because Namjoon is his Leader, even though he’s just a Mundane. Namjoon’s and Jin’s voices as Leader and Chief of their pack-born exist to keep everyone grounded and equal.

So, if Namjoon says no, then Taehyung will follow the Lupi, even if it means slowing him down.

Namjoon moves towards the tree, his decision made, and Taehyung hooks the bow over his head to rest against his back as he begins to warm up his arms for the climb.

Taehyung is only mildly sweating by the time he’s perched on a branch not that far up from the ground, and waves down at Namjoon, not wanting to spook any prey by shouting down at the Lupi.

Namjoon circles the tree three times, his gaze searching for weak spots, before he races off into the direction that he can scent their teammates come from.

Resting his shoulder against the tree trunk, his feet dangling heavily from the pull of gravity, Taehyung listens to the forest, testing his ears to see if he can track Namjoon with every subtle snap of a branch being snapped, or the sound of bushes being brushed against.

“Fuck, it’s freezing up here,” Taehyung grumbles, stuffing his hands in between his thighs in case he needs to quickly grab for purchase if the branch betrays his ass.

It could be a while before Namjoon can round-up Hoseok and Mina, so Taehyung scans the forest floor around him, trying to fill in the time as he waits.

This is his first time in this forest, so the change of scenery from the forests around the den and the farmhouse is nice.

Though, no forest looks welcoming after autumn has had its way with it, and winter is creeping in to cement the bareness of trees, making them frail-looking.

Looking up at the grey sky, Taehyung really hopes that the hunt ends before those dark rain clouds come any closer.

Hearing the undergrowth below rustle, Taehyung scans the area for signs of one of his pack members coming.

Only, nothing comes.

Taehyung frowns, because he can see the bushes ahead shift from actual movement and not from the wind.

A rabbit tentatively hops from the bush, its ears perked high, before it takes another careful hop towards the bushes close by.

Taehyung doesn’t even breathe as he moves as quickly as he dares to unhook the bow from over his head, and reaches for one of the arrows too.

It’s so alike the first time I hunted a rabbit for Jungkook that he can’t shake off the nostalgia as he takes in a slow inhale as he draws the bow back, aiming the arrow for where he expects the rabbit to hop next.

And on his exhale, his fingers let go of the string.

A sickening squeal punctures the air and Taehyung’s nostalgic memory shatters as horror fills him fast as the rabbit runs away with the arrow stuck in its hind leg.

“Oh no, oh no no no no,” Taehyung rushes out, panicking, as adrenaline shoves him down the tree fast, not even caring about himself as he drops and lands with a pained grunt as he runs after the poor animal.

The last rabbit he killed died painlessly, that was how he was taught.

But, he fucked up, and now the rabbit is screaming in pain as he tracks it, causing it to panic further.

Tears keep blurring his vision, his stomach keeps rushing up towards his lungs with every deep nauseated roll of guilt, as he desperately tracks the bright spots of blood against the dead grass and dry dirt.

He needs to end its pain, he can’t let it just die like this, he can’t-he should’ve waited, watched to see where it ended up hopping to so he could lead his team to it.

The screaming stops, and he finds the poor rabbit twitching against a pile of dead leaves, blood soaking its lower body, the arrow grossly sticking up from it.

Taehyung is shaking so hard as he aims at the rabbit’s head with another arrow that when he fires he thinks he’s missed because he squeezed his eyes shut at the very last second.

When he forces his eyes shut, the animal is dead.

Taehyung turns and vomits over a dead bramble bush.

He’s not a hunter. He can’t do this. He’s not that type of Mundane, the guilt is eating him alive as he stumbles from the carcass, from his mistake.

He was too eager, too impatient, and now he feels like a monster as he walks back the way he came, trying to calm down his erratic breathing, the stray tears that still run down his cheeks.

He has a newfound respect for Lupus folk.

They have to kill their prey with their claws and teeth. They have to feel it, they have to smell it.

Taehyung shakes his head, denying his brain the chance to fixate on it.

He knows that this is natural; prey versus predator, prey dying, predator winning.

He’s just never caused an animal pain before, that is why he can’t see logically, only emotionally.

Taehyung pauses, his guilt-trip pausing too as he stares at the trickle of a stream ahead of him.

Slowly pivoting, a new type of horror fills his stomach as he fails to recognise the area he’s in.

He didn’t even know a stream was so close by, never even heard it, and Namjoon never warned him away from a certain direction to indict it either.

“Oh shit,” Taehyung breathes out heavily, looking back at the stream.

Taehyung has hunted with his pack-born many times, mainly for play than for food, but he knows what to do and what he shouldn't do (like, climb trees, but he still does).

Taehyung knows to stick close.

He knows.

And now, he's all alone.

“Shit. Shit!” Taehyung hisses, his guilt vanishing in the wake of panic.

He’s in so much trouble.

Jimin is going to beat his ass so hard if Jungkook doesn’t beat him to it.

“Okay, calm down, freaking out isn’t going to solve shit,” Taehyung scolds himself, his grip on the bow tight and grounding, as he looks around for a possible direction that could be familiar.

Nothing is familiar, so Taehyung gives up on that idea fast as he looks back the way he came, noticing that his boots have barely left any imprints in the forest floor because it is so saturated with dead leaves and twigs.

“Marco!” Taehyung hollers as loudly as he can, scanning the trees, straining to hear the response barks.

No barks come.

“Marco!” Taehyung shouts again, cupping his hands and almost smacking himself in the face with the bow in the process as it slides down his arm.

Ten seconds of still silence pass.

“Marco!” Taehyung shouts louder, his voice echoing far from his cupped hands.

Only the sound of the stream calmly trickling by answers him.

“Okay. Okay.” Taehyung says, his grip back onto the bow as he scans around him.

He can do one of two plans.

Plan A, try and trace his steps without anything to track to see if he can find the rabbit since the scent of its blood will hopefully draw his pack’s attention and his link to it.

Plan B, stay put and wait to be found.

Glancing at the stream, Taehyung lets out a heavy sigh as he moves to sit on a cluster of stones near its edge.

As long as he doesn’t go in it, Taehyung will have to wait for time to pass until he can hear any calls for him as his family searches for him.

Hopefully, he’ll be found before the forecasted rain arrives too.

The very last thing he needs is for his scent to be completely taken from him.

“We’ve lost,” Hoseok whines, not bothering to mask his presence any longer since he and Mina have had no luck with finding another rabbit now that it is starting to rain, meaning their chances of gaining anything has diminished with every cold drop that lands on their fur.

“It’s great practise for Jina to properly learn how to hunt,” Mina comforts, nuzzling along Hoseok’s body, as the three of them walk to the area Namjoon left Taehyung.

“I agree. Plus, it’s-” Namjoon cuts himself off, his gaze frozen on the empty tree he can see from this distance.

Namjoon sprints ahead, inhaling deeply, ignoring the startled barks behind him, as he scents rabbit blood alongside Taehyung’s scent, the rain already starting to dilute both scents.

“He’s hunting,” Namjoon barks, frantically, as he’s flanked on either side, and immediately Mina is taking the lead, her alpha instinct kicking in, as she tracks both scents, leading the way.

“Should we call?” Hoseok pants as they run, glancing at Namjoon, his worry loud and clear.

Namjoon answers in one loud howling cry, his running faltering so he can sing the urgent call louder for their pack to hear him.

If this was anyone but Taehyung, he wouldn’t use that call.

Namjoon repeats the call, Hoseok echoing him.

And in the far far distance, they hear it.

Jungkook’s howl is louder than all of the others, sending shivers down Namjoon’s spine as he rushes to catch up to Hoseok and Mina.

The hunt is no longer for food.

The hunt is for their family member.

“Fucking rain, you couldn’t fucking wait, could you?!” Taehyung seethes as he walks along the edge of the stream, searching for any sort of shelter amongst the bare trees.

The rain is destroying his plan, his chances of being found, and Taehyung wishes he stayed fucking put in the tree instead of being greedy to win.

His hiking coat doesn’t have a hood, he didn’t think to bring gloves, or his usual backpack that holds his usual essentials when they have playful hunts, Taehyung is completely unprepared to be lost in the rain.

Pushing back his hair, feeling it stick to his skull from the rain plastering down on him, Taehyung squints at the out-of-place bridge that lies over the widest part of the stream that is beginning to fill from the rain.

It’s not a proper bridge, it’s literally branches fastened together with rope, but the fact that it exists is making Taehyung’s curiosity spark.

Hikers wouldn’t bother to build such a thing, it seems a bit odd for them to do so for a stream, and Taehyung doesn’t recognise any evidence of this being part of a hiking trail, no worn-in pathway, nothing.

So…that could mean a Lupus pack may have made it, and if so, that means a den has to be nearby.

Tapping his boot on top of the ‘bridge’, feeling it to be sturdy instead of flimsy, just strengthens his gut feeling that a pack was behind this.

If pups are part of the pack, then it makes sense for the bridge to keep their little paws out of freezing water during this time of the year.

Taehyung quickly hurries over it, not fully trusting in it because he has no idea how long this has been here.

It’s a risky plan, but it’s one that can help his family locate him if he can try to prove to the unknown pack that he’s not a threat to them.

A Lupus’s howl is much louder than his own, after all.

And his gut instinct proves to be correct as pawprints in the wet mud from the stream’s slight embankment greets him as he steps off the ‘bridge’.

“Okay, put the bow away, and keep yourself open to read, but not weak,” Taehyung murmurs the little reminders as he walks, searching for more prints, as he prepares himself now that he’s in Lupus territory.

He doesn’t want to scare them, but nor does he want to make himself weak and vulnerable.

He has to move confidently. Show that he can hold his ground.

Taehyung scans around him as he walks, seeing only distorted prints in the dirt as the rain begins to make the forest floor loose and for puddles to begin to appear in the mud and leaves, and he can’t truly tell if they are Lupus-related or not.

The sky darkens further, the rain fast incoming as it grows heavier, colder, causing his teeth to chatter, and for him to hurry towards the only hope of shelter.

It could just be a tiny cave.

Or it could be a den entrance.

Unzipping his pocket for his phone, Taehyung’s wet thumb slides down the notification bar and taps for the ‘torch’ option, a beam of bright light hitting the entrance, but not allowing him to tell if it is deep or shallow because of how narrow it is.

“Fuck it,” Taehyung whispers, not giving himself time to overthink, and hurries from the rain, hunching himself through the gap.

Pausing in the shelter of the entrance, Taehyung slowly pans his light around, searching the floor for signs that it is a den, and feels nerves blister through him at the tuffs of fur that has been shed as they gather in the crevices of the cave walls and embedded into the dirt ground.

Their own den often looks like this when vacuuming day is due.

Taehyung makes a soft questioning sound from the back of his throat as he inches further in, mimicking as best as he can a Lupus vocalisation.

Nothing answers him. The air is stale, nothing fresh but the rain pouring in from behind him.

Seeing old animal bones in the corner of the tiny cave, Taehyung frowns, wondering if this is just a halfway spot, a place to rest, or it could be a lookout spot for the pack’s territory.

There are so many reasons why this could be here, but right now, he’s torn with being relieved of finding it empty and also frustrated that it is empty.

Sitting down on the dirt floor, Taehyung shakes his head to try and remove as much as the rain he can from his hair before huddling his knees close so he can try to lock in his limited warmth as the frigid rainwater continues to chill him, seeping down his neck and into the layers under the jacket.

Keeping the torch on, Taehyung tries to build a picture of when this little cave was last used.

It helps to keep his mind focused on something other than the dropping temperature and his building worry that he may be out here for a lot longer than he first anticipated as the rain continues to dance heavily outside.

And as the sky darkens as the afternoon ends, Taehyung’s worry escalates, as does his shaking and the slight numbness to his limbs as he tries to keep himself warm.

“They’ll find me,” Taehyung chants, keeping his torchlight focused on the entrance, hoping it can be seen from outside it. “They’ll find me. They’ll find me.”

The chanting becomes an endless mantra as Taehyung watches the beam of the torchlight grow stronger as darkness seeps in.

The entire forest is a symphony of distressed calls.

Every desperate call to find Taehyung as the unrelenting rain and darkness of winter night creeps in.

His fur is caked in mud, plastering his pelt against his body as much as the rain does.

But, no matter how deeply he sniffs the air, the ground, he can’t catch his mate’s scent.

The only thing saving Jungkook’s sanity is that he can still smell Taehyung’s scent coming from his fur, grounding him, keeping him from spiralling, as he desperately searches the forest for his mate.

Jungkook will find Taehyung.

He’ll find his mate.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Taehyung croaks, watching the growing puddle come towards him as the rain begins to seep into the cave, drenching the dirt ground, making it thick and muddy.

His phone beeps with the warning about his battery being five percent as he struggles to his feet, his body so tight from being so cold that it hurts to move.

Sweeping the beam of the torch around outside the entrance, immediately soaked again and causing his skin to shrink further over his bones, Taehyung spies the stream that is no longer calm, but fast and flooding, but the bridge remains intact, thankfully.

Shoving his phone into the sleeve of his jacket, only letting the light of the torch be uncovered, Taehyung hurries for the bridge, his boots sinking into the thick mud as he goes.

On the other side of the raging stream, Taehyung waves the torchlight around the dark, silent, forest as he shouts, “Marco!”

He should’ve stayed on the rock. His pack may have already been and gone whilst he was hiding.

Taehyung squints through the downpour, his grip over his panic thinning with every unanswered call he screams into the still forest.

He knows they wouldn’t leave him. He knows they’re still out there, somewhere.

But, on his seventh call as Taehyung wanders through bushes and trees that are beginning to feel like they’re trying to keep him caged, forever lost in the forest, he loses grip of his panic.

The burn of unadulterated fear forces his legs to move faster, to run, as he cries one word, and one word only.

“Jungkook!”

The torch beam bounces everywhere, disorientating, terrifying, as shapes and shadows blur as he sprints through the forest, calling for his mate.

Tears and rain blend down his cheeks.

“Jungkook!” Taehyung screams, his throat burning as his voice croaks at the end of his call.

Choking on rain, on fear, Taehyung can’t breathe, his lungs feeling like they too have shrunk from the cold that is deep in his bones.

But, over the sound of the downpour, over his erratic breathing, he hears it.

Cries.

Distressed cries.

They’re distant, but that isn’t stopping him as he stumbles towards the direction, hope bursting through him as he calls towards the cries of his family searching for him, waving his light wide and fast, hoping it can be seen from wherever they are.

Their cries grow louder, as if they’ve heard his own.

Taehyung doesn’t get another name past his lips as he slips, his right ankle twisting with a sharp, hot, blast of agony, making him shout as he falls onto his side, his hands reaching for his ankle that is throbbing with every frantic beat of his heart.

“No, no, no,” Taehyung whimpers, trying to get up, his phone dropping into the mud as he tries to convince his legs to get under him, to push himself up onto his uninjured leg, but the ground is so slippery with mud and wet leaves that he’s just sliding with nothing near him to use as a crutch.

He can still hear those distressed calls, the barks of his name, but he can’t fucking see, or get his shaking body up.

“Jungkook!” Taehyung calls as loud as he can, his throat so sore the pain bleeds into the pain burning up from his ankle.

Lifting his phone from the mud, his hands caked in it, Taehyung waves it up to the dark sky, ignoring the rain pouring down on him, and chokes on the rain as he calls Jungkook’s name once more.

Sounds explode from his left, the fast sound of something running straight for him, and Taehyung’s heart swells with hope instead of fear as he shines the torch in the area it sounds as if something is literally bulldozing its way to him.

A mass is all he sees before he’s being slammed into, a familiar yelp greeting his ears as Jungkook skids across the mud into him.

The relief is so fast and sudden, Taehyung just sinks against his mate’s soaked fur, the light buried against his body, as he sobs Jungkook’s name as Jungkook lets out a one, long, howl, almost deafening Taehyung with it.

The cries in the distance escalate, the message delivered, but Taehyung can’t focus on that for long because Jungkook starts to shake, his body jerking from his hold, as pained grunts leave him.

“Jungkook? What’s wrong, are you-” Taehyung cuts himself off as he sees skin, not fur, in front of him, so distorted that it has nothing to do with the way the light bounces around them as Taehyung moves to give the Lupi space as he clenches his eyes shut as Jungkook continues to shift right in front of him.

He’s only ever seen one Lupus shift and that was the asshole Opposer that nearly killed him, and Taehyung only watched to prove his point that Opposers actions robbed Lupus folk their ability to blend in.

“Jungkook, what the fuck are you doing, you’re going to be naked and this isn’t the place to be fucking naked!”

Jungkook’s breathing changes, becoming more human-like, as his grunts become louder, strangled, his bones snapping into place again, as he rushes his shift into his survival form.

Taehyung can already feel the heat generating off Jungkook’s skin from the shift, and without giving Taehyung a heads-up, Jungkook’s hands are on him, wrenching the bow and arrows strap over his head and shoving both over his own.

Before he can get a word out, Jungkook’s arms are worming under and around him, lifting Taehyung with a startled yelp.

“Hold on,” is all his mate says to him, his voice rough and deep, barely catching his breath from shoving himself through his shift, as he tightens his hold under Taehyung’s knees and around his back.

Taehyung barely gets an arm around his mate’s neck before Jungkook is sprinting in the direction of their calling family.

“J-Jungkook.” Being so close to Jungkook’s extra body heat is making Taehyung struggle with keeping his eyes open as his body sags into the warmth, the burn painful but welcoming to his hands, his face, as he clings tighter to his mate.

Through the battle of remaining conscious, Taehyung’s phone dies, plunging them into darkness, as Jungkook runs through the forest without hitting anything, unlike how Taehyung constantly smacked into a bush or a branch before he slipped and twisted his ankle.

And he must lose the battle of being awake, because one second he’s straining to see in the dark, and the next he’s being blinded by light, the cries no longer distant, but around them.

“Huh?” Taehyung croaks out, squinting through the bright light, his body aching, but so warm, he wants to sink back into the dark warmth.

But, something hot and heavy is on his chest, on his jacket, and as he lifts his head up to see what it is, Jina’s crying grows as she licks at his face, nuzzling him with her wet fur, the sound of his jacket being punctured with claws as she clings to him.

“He’s okay, just keep him warm, sweetie,” Jimin’s voice floats from somewhere in the light, and it takes a few more blinks for Taehyung to realise that the light is the interior light of the jeep.

The warmth he’s immersed in tightens around him as Taehyung notes that he’s lying across the backseat, the bow and arrows leaning against the door, the clothes of his pack thrown all over him despite how filthy he is, and watches as a familiar hand gently strokes over Jina’s head, calming her.

“Sleep, Tae. We’re almost home,” Jungkook’s voice is deep, coaxing, from behind him, and Taehyung is helpless to the order as Jungkook’s hand moves from their daughter’s head to his eyes, blocking out the light.

Taehyung hasn’t got the energy in him, so he sinks back into the addictive weightless of slumber.

“He’s still shaking,” Jungkook calls, tightening his hold around his vulnerable mate, looking at the front of the jeep where Yoongi is driving as fast as he can in the downpour, and Jimin leans and turns the heater up higher, both only wearing a shirt to avoid suspicion from those that drive past, but their bodies are still caked in dry dirt from the shift back into their survival forms.

“We can’t get him fully warm and dry because of his clothes, that is why he’s still shaking,” Jimin explains as he turns in his seat to check back at them again, his pack-brother’s training in first aid is the only thing keeping Jungkook grounded.

“We’re almost there, the den will be ready for him,” Yoongi reassures too, not taking his attention from the road.

Jungkook knows that, he knows their family will have reached home by now because they don’t need to abide by the speed limit on drenched roads.

“He was out there for hours, completely vulnerable. I should’ve been able to find him before it got dark,” Jungkook murmurs, hating that he’s failed to protect his mate – again.

What kind of fucking mate is he if he constantly fails to be there when Taehyung needs him the most?

He wasn’t there when Lily was killed.

He wasn’t there when Opposers attacked Taehyung the first time.

He wasn’t there when an Opposer almost killed Taehyung if his mate didn’t fight to get away and get help.

“I keep failing him,” Jungkook whimpers, pressing a kiss to Taehyung’s slightly warm forehead, tears burning down his cheeks.

“Stop it, you haven’t failed him, Jungkook. None of us could catch his scent, not even I could,” Jimin sharply corrects him, sounding close to tears too.

“Both of you stop it – the rain prevented us from finding him,” Yoongi’s corrects both of them, his tone firm and calm.

It’s why the alpha refused to leave them, to let Jin drive them home.

Yoongi knows how both Jungkook and Jimin get when it comes to Taehyung, the alpha is the only one that can keep some level of control over them if one of them were to spiral.

“This lesson isn’t for us, but for him,” Yoongi continues, and Jungkook swallows down the instinctive response to growl at the alpha for the tone he’s using, but he knows Yoongi is only being honest.

This lesson isn’t for them, but for Taehyung.

He left the spot he was in when he told Namjoon that he wouldn’t.

Taehyung…this is his lesson, a reminder that he is vulnerable, still at risk in the forests, despite all of the training he has if he goes against safety boundaries in place to keep him safe.

Though, even though it is a lesson for Taehyung to learn from, Jungkook isn’t letting his mate go on another hunt for a long, long, time.

He was confident in his mate’s ability to hunt alongside his family, it’s why he agreed to be on the opposite team.

Jungkook never once thought that tonight would happen, that they would lose Taehyung and struggle to find him as they did.

He’s not letting his mate step a toe into the forest again without him at his side.

“Here, use this to keep out the draft,” Hoseok says, bumping hips with Namjoon at the bedroom window, as he rolls one of Jungkook’s t-shirts and places it at the bottom of the wooden windowsill to further insulate the room.

Namjoon turns and grabs another t-shirt from the railing of the couple’s clothing and adds it to the one Hoseok set down.

His anxiety has considerably lessened since Jungkook reunited them with an unconscious Taehyung, and he knows that the Mundane is on route home, but Namjoon still can’t stop his hands from shaking now and then as he tries to bury the guilt of letting this happen in the first place.

He’s their Leader. He should’ve brought Taehyung with him. He should’ve said no.

If he did, none of this would’ve happened, and he, Hoseok, Mina, and Jin wouldn’t be rushing around the den trying to make it as warm as fast as they can.

“Hey…he’s going to be okay,” Hoseok whispers, and Namjoon’s jars slightly from his thoughts to see that he’s just….holding his hands to the windowsill.

“This was my fault, I should-”

“This is on Taehyung, Joon. He knows better than to rush off as he did in an area that isn’t familiar,” Hoseok gently cuts him off, running his hand up and down Namjoon’s bare back.

“I’m a Leader, I’m responsible for-”

Hoseok’s scent hits his nose as he’s dragged into a tight embrace by the Lupi, the combined scent of pack and the forest still heavily on them because they have yet to shower.

“We found him, Joon, that is all that matters. We found him, he’s coming home, and we can make sure that this doesn’t happen again by drilling it into Taehyung’s head that some rules aren’t meant to be broken.”

Namjoon huffs softly at the latter remark, already picturing Hoseok’s and Jimin’s method of ‘drilling’ the reminder into Taehyung’s head.

The poor Mundane is going to probably regret ever leaving the tree once the nagging by them all is complete.

“Towels and change of clothes are ready for them, and the bathroom is humid now, so keep this door shut,” Mina’s voice calls from the bathroom, the door clicking shut, as they both part from the comforting hug.

“I’m going to bring in more blankets, I don’t think Jimin will be letting Tae out of his sight, and by default Yoongi won’t be letting Jimin out of his sight,” Hoseok says as the three of them look around the bedroom floor that is covered with pillows and spare blankets to keep it as insulated as possible as the electric heater does the hard work of blowing hot air into the room.

“I’ll go see how Jin is coping,” Namjoon says, moving to leave first, as Mina pulls out a trash bag from her sweat pants pocket and hooks it on the bathroom door, ready for Taehyung’s mud-caked clothes and boots.

Following the scent of food being cooked, Namjoon can already tell that Jin has been crying because of the dried tear marks creating a clean line down his cheeks as he approaches the male who is also half-dressed like them.

“It was the onions,” Jin immediately states before Namjoon can even ask how the Lupi is doing as he looks up from island countertop he’s cleaning, the sink full, and a huge pot of meaty broth bubbling on the stovetop.

“You’re a terrible liar,” Namjoon huffs affectionately, watching the Lupi clean.

“No, you just know me too damn well.”

“That too,” Namjoon murmurs, stepping around the island, his intention clear that Jin throws the cloth smelling of cleaning product at his chest.

“Don’t you dare, if you hug me I will-”

“I need to cry and I don’t wanna do it alone,” Namjoon whispers into the dyed black locks of Jin’s hair that smell of earth, clinging to the broad, slender, Lupi as his throat tightens around the lump in it.

Jin returns the clinging embrace with a shaky exhale as Namjoon’s tears fall first.

“Jerk, I have only just stopped crying,” Jin sniffles, tears clogging his throat.

“Tough. Crying in this form is a thousand times better compared to our natural one.”

Jin doesn’t answer vocally, but the light slap to his back makes Namjoon laugh through his tears that are a mix of lingering guilt, fear, and relief.

Nuzzling the side of Jin’s temples, soaking in the comfort, the relief, that their pack-born is whole, safe, again, Namjoon feels that tightness in his chest finally begins to loosen.

If he was a true failure like he thinks he is, Jin would’ve wiped the floor with him by now for his mistake of leaving Taehyung behind.

But, the Chief hasn’t, and that helps tune out the guilt that he was slowly being suffocated from.

“As soon as he’s coherent enough, we’re issuing pack-born law – he is banned from all hunts until winter is over with,” Jin mumbles against Namjoon’s ear as he returns the comfort-seeking nuzzles.

Normally, Namjoon has deep-rooted issues with actual pack-born laws being implemented because of how his father used to use them in his birth one, always worried that he may mimic what he saw growing up in the form of his own leadership.

But, this law?

Namjoon can definitely get behind if it means that they never have to go through another night like this one.

It’s all such a manic rush as soon as they arrive at the den that Jungkook can only focus on scents of his pack than actual glimpses as he’s aided inside to den without having to deal with any doors, or obstacles, as everyone assists him in getting Taehyung from the jeep and straight into the humid bathroom where he begins to strip Taehyung out of his hiking clothes.

“Come on, sweetie, we need to get you clean and dry so you can help your dads,” he hears Mina coax from behind, hears his daughter’s cry of denial before the pup is taken away, leaving him alone in the bathroom as the door is shut behind them.

Taehyung tries to help, his movements sluggish, but the more layers Jungkook strips off him, the more he begins to shake as his body readjusts again.

“I’ve got you,” Jungkook whispers, holding Taehyung close, as he all but scoots them across the floor and into the shower where the detachable shower head is trickling hot water into the drain, keeping the tiled floor warm and the room humid.

Starting with Taehyung’s feet first so that the water doesn’t shock him further, Jungkook’s holds his mate tightly, kissing, nuzzling, every inch of skin he can reach as he makes comforting sounds as he moves the water across both of their bodies.

“F-fuck,” Taehyung hisses, shuddering still, as dirty water swills around the floor and into the drain.

“Your ankle - can you try rotating it for me?” Jungkook requests, eyeing up the swelling now that the ankle is no longer restricted by a sock and boot.

It’s Taehyung’s weakest ankle, considering the amount of trauma it has had over the years, so Jungkook is hoping that his mate hasn’t broken it this time.

Hissing in discomfort, Taehyung still manages to rotate his ankle, making relief flood through Jungkook at it just being a sprain and not a break.

Rinsing his mate’s hair and running his fingers through to get as much as the mud free since he can’t reach any soap to fully remove it, Jungkook’s instinct thumps less and less the more Taehyung’s body turns pink, flushed from the heat, no longer shaking in his embrace, as he tries to rub Jungkook’s skin clean too.

“Stop, you’re too exhausted,” Jungkook murmurs, running the shower head once more over his mate’s skin.

“I’ve just changed the bedding,” Taehyung retorts tiredly, his voice hoarse from shouting, his body languid against Jungkook’s, as Jungkook places the showerhead on the drain so that it doesn’t spray up, and carefully pushes himself into a crouch as he picks up Taehyung, rising slowly, so that he doesn’t slip on the wet tiles as he steps out of the shower.

Taehyung only shudders slightly from the change of wet warmth to warm humid air as Jungkook sits Taehyung onto the towel covering the countertop, before leaning back into the shower to turn it off.

“Taehyung, I can-” Jungkook’s worried complaint gets cut off as Taehyung drags the towel over Jungkook’s hair as soon as he’s in reach, drying his hair.

“I feel a hundred times better now that I’m warm, so I can dry my mate’s hair,” Taehyung murmurs stubbornly as Jungkook blindly grasps for the other towel that had been on the counter space and begins to dry Taehyung’s body.

“I need to dry yours; you can’t go to bed with damp hair,” Jungkook argues back, tilting his head back so that Taehyung is forced to pull the towel from out of Jungkook’s face.

“Here, we both can dry each other now,” Taehyung says, adjusting his placement as the towel returns to Jungkook’s hair, allowing him to see this time as he gently rubs the towel up Taehyung’s body, before carefully rubbing his brown hair dry.

“How is your side?” Jungkook questions, since Taehyung’s right side also hasn’t been the same since his assault, over a year ago.

Taehyung often becomes winded more in that side, not as flexible as he used to be, the damage done because of the stress of running and fighting a Lupus with a healing punctured lung and three broken ribs.

“Aching, but so is the rest of my body,” Taehyung answers honestly, using his towel to finish drying off Jungkook’s already drying skin.

“I’ll grab you some Tylenol,” Jungkook promises, feeling with his fingers if Taehyung’s hair is dry enough for him to be taken to bed and is satisfied that it is.

Taking both of their towels and dumping them into the sink, Jungkook reaches for the clothes that were beside the pile of towels, dressing Taehyung first in the baggy t-shirt he prefers to sleep in because it’s Jungkook’s.

Jungkook shoves on his underwear, since he only sleeps in that, before reaching for his mate who wraps his legs around his waist as Jungkook lifts him off the counter.

“I could’ve limped to bed, but I’ll never say no to being carried,” Taehyung teases, yawning in the process, as he leans and opens the door for Jungkook.

The warmth of their bedroom slams into them, totally different from the warmth in the bathroom, and Jungkook only then notices all the blankets and pillows on the floor that smell so strongly of their family, and the portable heater they use during the coldest winter nights.

“This t-shirt is coming off, there is no way I will be able to sleep with it on,” Taehyung comments as Jungkook carefully makes his way to their bed that already has the duvet pulled back.

“Get comfortable, I’ll grab you a drink and some Tylenol,” Jungkook says as he gently eases Taehyung onto their bed, not moving until Taehyung is propped up against the headboard.

“And Jina?” Taehyung requests softly as Jungkook hurries to the door which opens just before Jungkook reaches it as Mina slips in with Jina already worming out of her arms to get to the bed faster as she cries for Taehyung.

It’s only because of Mina being in the bedroom that Jungkook’s instinct allows him to slip through the gap and sprint across the den, startling Jin as he comes up from the stairs.

“What’s wrong?” The older Lupi asks urgently, right on Jungkook’s heels.

“Just need water and Tylenol,” Jungkook explains, moving fast around the kitchen, making enough noise than really necessary as he fills a glass of water, whilst Jin opens up the designated kitchen drawer full of Mundane medicines and hands Jungkook a sleeve of Tylenol.

“I’ll bring in some food, it’s almost ready!” Jin calls as Jungkook walks as fast as he dares without spilling the water back to his bedroom.

“We’re next door if you need us,” Mina tells him as he comes back, a trash bag in her arms that wasn’t there when she came in, respecting his own instinctive needs to be the one to care for his mate, and both he and Taehyung softly call goodnight to the Lupa as she shuts the door.

“Two, right?” Jungkook checks, pausing before popping the two pills from the sleeve, and Taehyung nods as he holds the water whilst his free hand continues to rub the inside of his wrist over their daughter’s fur, calming her with his scent, as she burrows against his stomach.

“Jin is bringing food, so you’re not sleeping until you have something in your stomach,” Jungkook warns firmly, watching Taehyung throw back the pills and quickly gulp water to chase them down.

Jungkook is up off the bed as his mate drains the glass, reaching for it as soon as he’s finished.

“Jungkook, sit down, I can go without water for five-Jungkook!” Taehyung growls his name, causing him to freeze as he glances at his mate that is pointing to space beside him. “Sit.”

“You need-”

“I don’t, I would ask for more. What I’m asking is for my mate to sit beside me and breathe,” Taehyung softly, but firmly, rebukes him as he cradles their daughter to his chest who barks in agreement.

Jungkook is torn because Taehyung is asking for him to stay, but he also knows his mate needs to stay hydrated because he’s bound to be slightly dehydrated if he was running around like Jungkook was.

“Get yourself a drink, and sit with us,” Taehyung orders, his gaze and tone final, and Jungkook pushes aside his instinct and listens to Taehyung as he heads into the still humid bathroom to fill up the glass, noting that Taehyung’s boots and clothes have been taken, removing the physical reminder of what happened tonight.

Curling against Taehyung as he quietly takes a sip of the water, Jungkook doesn’t stop inhaling it, draining the glass just as fast as Taehyung had under the concerned gaze of his mate.

“Get another, you drank that way too fast to assure me that is all you need.”

Jungkook shakes his head. “I’ll drink some more when you’re asleep.”

“Oh no, we’re both sleeping, and you two need to rehydrate after a shift just as much as you need a large portion of food,” Taehyung argues, gesturing to their daughter and Jungkook. “I’m home. I’m safe. You both need to look after yourselves now.”

“I’ve already had water,” Jina barks softly, rolling onto her back to show off her rounded belly. “See?”

“You still need food,” Jungkook tells her, filling in the gap for Taehyung as Taehyung gently strokes his fingers over her tummy.

“Go get some more water,” Taehyung says with a nod to the bathroom. “Don’t come back until you have drunk enough.”

“Speaking of food,” Jungkook says, smelling the rich scent of broth coming close, and stands up to open the bedroom door as Jin approaches with a tray that holds two deep bowls of broth and a shallower one for Jina to eat out of since she’s still in her natural form.

“Water, Jungkook,” Taehyung reminds him, stopping him from taking the tray from Jin.

“Do as you’re told, pup,” Jin smiles as he carefully steps over the pillows and blankets towards the bed.

Jungkook doesn’t leave the bathroom until he no longer feels the dry clench of thirst at the back of his throat, joining the three that sit on the bed as Jin oversees Taehyung eating his food.

“Jimin told me to tell you that he’s sleeping in here, he’s just cleaning up,” Jin informs him, holding the bowl Jina is eating from to keep it steady for her, as Jungkook picks up his own bowl.

“I know that I’m in deep shit with you all, but I really do have a valid reason why I left the tree,” Taehyung says behind his spoon, his gaze flickering back and forth between Jin and Jungkook.

“Later, not tonight,” Jin says with a shake of his head. “Though, you’re right, you’re in serious trouble, mister.”

Taehyung nods at their Chief’s serious tone, wincing at it, as he spoons more food into his mouth.

“Just leave the tray outside the door, I’ll come for it later,” Jin says as Jina finishes her food first, her pup appetite working in her favour as she eagerly jumps back onto Taehyung’s lap as he lifts his bowl higher to avoid her head colliding with it.

“You say I’m not going to get scolded until later, but any bet that Jimin beats you to it,” Taehyung huffs into his bowl, his body curling in, as Jin pauses at their bedroom door.

“Knowing Jimin? Probably,” Jin says with a small, pitying, smile as Taehyung groans into his food.

“I’ll tell him not to. He can wait like the rest of us,” Jungkook reassures his mate as he finishes his bowl, placing Jina’s onto his empty one on the tray.

“I deserve it, I know, but I really do have a good reason,” Taehyung defends himself as Jin leaves them, the door shut, keeping in the warmth.

“And we have a good reason too,” Jungkook answers back gently, but firmly, as Jina huffs in agreement as she looks up at Taehyung who continues to slowly eat.

Taehyung needs to understand how….how terrified they all had been tonight because of the rain making it impossible for them to find him.

So, even though it physically pains Jungkook to say it, to scold his mate, he must so that he can prevent this from ever happening again in the future.

And watching his mate and daughter sleep, the heater’s warm light allowing him to see the true shadows of exhaustion in Taehyung’s face, Jungkook doesn’t have to lift his head when the bedroom door cracks open to greet his pack-brother and his mate.

“Did you elevate his ankle?” Jimin whispers quietly, too low for Taehyung’s hearing to pick up, from where Jungkook listens to both Lupi settle on the blankets and pillows on the floor.

“I did,” Jungkook whispers back, watching Jina’s ears slightly twitch as their voices disturb her sleep.

The room returns back to its soft silence as Jungkook listens to the couple’s breathing, their scents no longer spiked with their fear, but calm.

He isn’t alone by not falling asleep for a few hours, the three of them just listening to Taehyung’s soft breathing as he slumbers, just…treasuring such a simple thing.

Taehyung feels rough as fuck when he wakes up, sweating from the combined heat of the room and the two personal heaters on and next to him, and his mouth tastes foul because he didn’t scrub his teeth after eating Jin’s delicious hearty broth.

And he needs to severely pee, but with his pup half over his stomach and his mate pressed close, Taehyung is stuck as he blearily blinks up at the ceiling as the curtains mask the full brightness of day.

Gently lifting Jina from off his stomach, finding that it massively helps with his desperate need to piss, he ignores her sleepy fussing as he places her in his spot next to Jungkook, and eases his swollen ankle off the pillow.

“Easy,” Jimin’s sleepy voice almost scares his bladder empty if the Lupi didn’t pop his head up from where he’s getting up from the floor.

With Jimin’s help, Taehyung hobbles over the blankets and pillows, spying Yoongi’s passed out form as they slip past him, as gravity yanks hard on his bladder in the process.

“I’ll pee sitting, you don’t need to hold me,” Taehyung whispers, his throat tender, painfully aware of how sensitive to sounds the three sleeping Lupus in the bedroom are.

“Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve helped you pee,” Jimin whispers back, keeping his hold strong on Taehyung as he supports him as Taehyung begins to pee, almost sagging against Jimin with the sweet relief it brings.

The flush of the toilet and the noise of the sink as he washes his hands and cools off his flushed face as he scrubs his teeth with Jimin’s support are way too loud, making him cringe, as they return back to the bedroom.

“Can we turn off the heater? I’m naked and I still feel like it isn’t enough,” Taehyung asks as they pass the portable heater, noticing that Yoongi is sitting up now, rubbing at his eyes, his blonde hair a complete mess from how it dried during his sleep.

“For a little bit,” Jimin agrees, helping him back to bed as Yoongi crawls over the blankets to turn it off.

Seeing Jungkook and his daughter completely passed out that the sounds in the bathroom couldn’t rouse them enough to wake up makes guilt fester in his stomach as he eases his throbbing ankle back onto the pillow that was keeping it elevated.

“Do you need more Tylenol?” Jimin asks as Yoongi stumbles and wobbles to his feet behind the Lupi, drawing both of their attention as the alpha grunts softly as he corrects his balance.

“I dunno if I’m due yet, and I’m not waking him to ask,” Taehyung whispers, glancing worriedly at his exhausted mate.

“Sit down, you’re like a pup learning to walk for the first time,” Jimin hisses affectionately to his mate, causing Taehyung to look back as the alpha scrubs at his eyes, trying to wake up properly.

“I need to pee,” Yoongi murmurs, heading for the bedroom door instead of the bathroom one.

Squeezing through the tiny gap Yoongi makes as he exits, Taehyung lightly fans at his overheated skin, drawing Jimin’s attention from his mate’s silent exit.

“I’m fine,” Taehyung whispers as the back of Jimin’s hand presses against his forehead.

Jimin frowns, unsure if he really has a temperature or not.

“I just feel achy, not stuffy,” Taehyung reassures softly. “This room is like a sauna.”

“You were exposed to wet, cold, weather for hours. The room is staying as such until we feel certain you’re not going to develop a cold.”

Memories of the last time he was sick springs to mind, making him lightly squeeze Jimin’s hand.

His pack have gotten better when he’s fallen prey to Mundane sicknesses, they have a well-established routine for when Taehyung develops the sniffles, or has a brush with a stomach bug.

The kitchen drawer is packed with medicines that would put a pharmacy to shame.

“Sleep,” Taehyung whispers, letting go of Jimin’s hand. “I’ll try to knock out again once I cool down.”

“You sure you’re just feeling achy? No blocked senses? Headache?” Jimin lists, worry pinching his exhausted face.

“Just achy,” Taehyung confirms as he eases himself on his back. “Seriously, I’m fine. Please sleep, you need it more than I do.”

Jimin shakes his head in denial as he makes Taehyung’s ankle pillow sturdier for him by squishing it.

“You can chew me out when we’re all well-rested, I deserve it, I know I’m in the wrong, so just-” Taehyung gestures to the blankets and pillows on the floor, “just lie down, you look no better than your mate does.”

And speaking of Yoongi, the bedroom door eases open again in a tiny crack as the Lupi squeezes himself through it with a bottle of water in his hands.

“Jin said you’re due for more Tylenol,” Yoongi whispers, and Jimin is already silently moving around to Jungkook’s side of the bed to retrieve the silver sleeve from the bedside table, popping two pills from it, before returning back to Taehyung’s side as Yoongi supports Taehyung as he sits up with a grimace, his right side killing him.

Tylenol swallowed, and the refreshing coldness of the water helping with feeling less like he’s burning inside his own skin, Taehyung finally gets his wish of Jimin resting as Yoongi all but drags him down as silently as he can onto the blankets.

“Thank you,” Taehyung whispers to both of them, so lucky, grateful, that he’s loved so strongly by them, the ones in bed with him, and the others outside in the den.

He’s so fucking lucky, and he almost lost them because of his greed, his lack of awareness when he raced after the rabbit.

Taehyung deserves the verbal lashing waiting for him, he broke his promise to Namjoon, and forgot his training that Hoseok and Jimin have spent years engraining into him.

Taehyung knows last night terrified his family, because it terrified him too.

He’s big enough to admit that he’s in the wrong.

He’s big enough to take whatever punishment, training, his pack decides.

Jungkook jars awake, his instinct shoving him through the heavy layers of exhaustion, as he squints at the bodies of his mate and daughter next to him.

Jimin and Yoongi are still here, their breaths even and deep with sleep.

Disorintated, Jungkook lifts his head, searching for the source of why his gut is churning, his instinct pricking him to focus.

The den is quiet, everyone recovering from yesterday still, and he can’t hear anything-

Jungkook’s gaze snaps to his mate, fear robbing him of air.

He waits, his hearing focusing only on his mate.

The eerie, soft, rattle comes again as Taehyung shallowly breathes in his sleep.

Lifting Jina to his chest to he can press his ear to Taehyung’s hot chest, disturbing both of them because of his erratic movements, he ignores both of their sleepy sounds as he hears it clearly, the sound of Taehyung’s lungs crinkling almost, which is not how healthy lungs should function.

He’s heard this sound before.

Bong-Cha.

She sounded just like this towards the end.

Jina yelps in pain, waking the bedroom, as Jungkook accidentally squishes his daughter as he gathers Taehyung in his arms, trembling with fear as he obsessively begins sniffing his mate’s skin, searching for the scent he doesn’t want to find.

“Kook?” Taehyung croaks, his alarm hindered by it, as Jina worms herself free just as Jimin’s and Yoongi’s heads pop up from the floor.

“Get Namjoon,” Jungkook orders, fear lacing some of his dominance into it that makes Jina and Jimin freeze from it.

Yoongi is up on his feet and out of the room before Jimin shakes himself free from the brief appearance of his dominance, lunging to the bed as Taehyung keeps calling Jungkook’s name, worry bleeding into his voice.

“W-what do you smell?” Jimin demands, shaking, as he grabs Jina from climbing onto Taehyung as Jungkook continues to sniff the most prominent areas for the scent of death to appear.

“Smell? Why would I smell?” Taehyung demands, not moving in Jungkook’s tight grip, as Jungkook’s fear struggles to ease, or rise, the longer he struggles to find the scent he’s terrified of finding.

Namjoon bursts into the room with Jin and Yoongi hot on his heels, and Hoseok’s and Mina’s scent soon follow as they appear at the doorway too.

“Get a Mundane doctor here, now,” Jungkook demands, knowing Namjoon has an extensive contact list for such. “Taehyung’s lungs are crackling.”

No one breathes, only Mina and Taehyung.

Mina catches Hoseok as the Lupi turns away from the room, his scent spiking loud and fast with his fear as he muffles the sound he makes, the scent of tears filling the air, as Mina worries after him.

Namjoon runs from the room, Jin and Yoongi moving quickly out of his path as Jin says, “are you sure?”

“I can’t smell it, but her lungs crackled just like this too,” Jungkook rushes out as Jimin struggles with soothing Jina’s confused cries as he holds back his own as he leans down and presses his ear to Taehyung’s chest too.

Jin nods tersely, their Chief’s expression completely locked down, as he heads for the bedroom door as he announces too calmly, “I’ll be gathering the roots and herbs, I’ll be right back.”

Yoongi glances after Jin, shaking, but the alpha is trying hard not to show it, as he says, “Jimin?”

Jimin meets Jungkook’s gaze, the terror in his eyes the same as Jungkook’s own.

“It’s the same,” Jimin croaks out emotionally, and Yoongi jerks like he’s been slapped, but reaches for his mate at the same time, taking Jina from Jimin to soothe her as Jimin collapses to his knees, his hands not letting go of Taehyung’s.

“Someone tell me what the fuck is going on and why you all look like I’m dying,” Taehyung snaps, completely spooked, and Jungkook just curls his arms tighter around his mate.

“Dying?!” Jina yelps, her scent spiking with fear now, and Yoongi almost loses his grip on her as she tries to lunge from him to the bed.

“Your lungs are making a sound that is connected to chest infections,” Jungkook tries to explain clearly through the screaming instinct pounding his temples. “It’s…It’s a sound that Bong-Cha had.”

Taehyung stops breathing at that, tension filling his mate’s body fast.

“Taehyung?” Jimin whimpers, noticing it too.

“She died of pneumonia,” Taehyung eerily states, too calm, too collected, that it makes them all nervous.

“I’m not sick like that, and I need you all to hear me - because now I understand - but I need you all to listen,” Taehyung continues, and Jungkook can’t see his mate’s expression but he doesn’t need to for how firm his voice is, his own natural dominance bleeding through.

“I was out in the rain, it would be odd if I didn’t have some repercussions. But, I am not dying. At most, I will have a bad cough, which is common for Mundanes and its something you guys have heard from me before.”

“You all have been exposed to a very extreme Mundane sickness that sounds like how my lungs may sound right now, but it is very easily treated. My grandma didn’t seek the help she should’ve because of how stubborn she was about her health,” Taehyung gently reminds them, shifting in Jungkook’s hold, so that he can sit up properly without Jungkook supporting him.

Taehyung glances at them all, no sign of fear, worry, about his health, just confident that he’s not on the same sickness path his grandmother had been on.

Sometimes, his mate is too alike Bong-Cha, and right now, he’s sounding so like her.

“I need you all to trust me, and to not see my grandma in me,” Taehyung finishes, meeting their quiet gazes as he looks to and from them. “If I do develop a cough it’s going to sound bad, sound differently, to the ones I’ve had in the past, but it’s nothing sinister because we have every form of cold medicine to help with that.”

“You sound too confident, how can you be so sure it won’t…it won’t-” Jimin cuts himself off unable to get the words out as Yoongi sinks to his knees beside his mate, allowing Jina to run for Taehyung and Jungkook, as he cradles Jimin instead.

“Because I’m going to listen to the doctor and do as they say,” Taehyung vows, croaking slightly, the soreness evident in how scratchy his mate’s voice is, as he nuzzles their shaking daughter.

Jungkook can’t feel that confidence as he continues to search for the scent of death manifesting in Taehyung’s scent.

He’s not going to be able to stop searching for it until that rattling sound in Taehyung’s chest vanishes.

“Breathe in,” the doctor requests, the cold touch of his stethoscope pressed to Taehyung’s back as he does as he’s told.

Everyone is in the bedroom, his pack members all huddled around the bed, as Taehyung covers his modesty with the duvet as the doctor continues his checks.

“No prior symptoms?” the male asks, and Taehyung shakes his head, inhaling deeply again as the front of his chest is listened to.

“I have a sore throat from screaming in a forest, a twisted ankle which is nothing new for that ankle, and general aches from running for hours,” Taehyung lists what he feels, watching the Mundane’s expression as he observes Taehyung’s breathing.

“My grandmother had pneumonia, so my pack associate crackling lungs to that,” Taehyung explains, and understanding shows on the male’s face as he meets Taehyung’s gaze.

“Well, from what I can hear, it just sounds like your lungs are a little congested, but that is to be expected from the conditions Namjoon told me of,” the doctor begins, removing the tool from Taehyung’s chest as he straightens to look at the huddle of Lupus on the other side of the bed, giving the doctor all the space he needs to examine Taehyung.

“I recommend some vapor rub to help open up your airways, but this room is too dry which will only aggravate your chest if-”

“On it,” Hoseok rushes out, accidentally cutting off the doctor, as he races from the room with Mina hot on his heels as she says, “call if you need anything else from the store!”

“I’m surprised we don’t have that one in the drawer,” Taehyung comments, surprised, in the wake of the couple’s hasty exit.

“So, because it’s just mild congestion, it shouldn’t escalate, yes?” Namjoon asks the doctor.

“It shouldn’t,” the doctor nods, and Taehyung sends his family a comforting smile, watching the tension ease slightly in their bodies, “but, if Taehyung has been exposed to a cold virus beforehand, then the stress of yesterday could manifest it suddenly which can affect the condition of his lungs.”

Taehyung’s comforting smile drops as the tension in the room skyrockets.

“Okay – before any of you fret - I haven’t been around anyone who has been sick, so that is not going to happen,” Taehyung reassures his family’s stricken faces and quickly looks back at the doctor, “so, what you recommend is vapor rub – which is going to burn your noses, sorry, guys – and bowls of water to keep the air moist, yes?”

“And rest, naturally,” the doctor smiles, still a touch nervous of being in a den, but the male has gotten a lot better about being comfortable since he is the most local doctor that Namjoon trusts when it comes to Taehyung’s health in general.

“Don’t worry, he’s not leaving this bed,” Jungkook vows, moving back into Taehyung’s space now that the doctor has finished examining him, his arms circling him as he nuzzles and slyly inhales Taehyung’s scent.

Taehyung won’t stop his mate from his checks, he knows how hard Jungkook’s instinct rides him when it comes to his health, and if this is the only way to appease that instinct, then Taehyung doesn’t mind that he’s being sniffed every other minute.

This just comes with the territory when you are mated to an alpha.

Watching as Namjoon and Jin lead the doctor out, Taehyung turns to see Jimin and Yoongi huddled together with Jina between them, his daughter’s expression so tight with her own anxiety as she holds both of their hands that it reminds him that this going to be her first time experiencing this, him on the cusp of sickness.

“It’s okay, sweetie. Mundanes get sick from silly things all the time, but it’s really nothing to fret over,” he reassures her, opening his arms out and waits as she climbs over Jungkook’s legs to sit on Taehyung’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck as she burrows close.

“I’m scared,” Jina whispers into the crook of his neck, and Taehyung sends his pack members a helpless look, searching for the right words to say to her, as he rubs her back.

The first time he was ever sick with a stomach bug in front of the pack, they all panicked and feared the worst.

But, that time was different. They were just a social pack with no pups around that are extremely sensitive to the mood in a den, and their family members.

And Jina is still becoming used to her instinct as an alpha, so that too is going to be causing his daughter some unease.

“There’s nothing to be scared, sweetie. The doctor wasn’t concerned, so we shouldn’t be either,” he comforts his daughter, hoping that the three Lupi in the room are reading between his words.

His pack have an emotional trauma caused by his grandmother’s passing and what caused it, he understands that, and he always tries to ground his pack whenever his health is concerned.

But, Jina has no experience with Mundane sickness, and he doesn’t want her to form a traumatic reaction because of the adults around her.

His pack have been able to learn, to understand, what it means for a Mundane to be sick, and he wants Jina to have the same chance without developing a fear alongside it.

“We’ll start boiling some water to make the room less dry,” Jimin announces, and Taehyung gives his best friend a big, thankful, smile, feeling proud that the Lupi is actually willingly leaving Taehyung’s side after how their morning has been so far.

“Don’t go overboard, only a few bowls will do,” he teases fondly, watching as the couple stiffly move towards the door.

Yoongi lingers in the doorway, and Taehyung smiles softly at the alpha that pins him with such a worried gaze.

“I’m really okay, Yoongi. Just keep an eye on your mate,” Taehyung reassures the Lupi gently as Jungkook tenderly nuzzles the side of his face with a heavy sigh.

Yoongi doesn’t move for a full twenty seconds as he scents the air too, doing what he needs to do to calm his own alpha instinct, his personal worry, before he returns the soft smile that Taehyung sent him first as he leaves.

“If it wasn’t for that sound, we all wouldn’t have-”

“I get it,” Taehyung softly cuts off his mate’s whispering, turning his face to lightly return the affection-seeking nuzzle.

“But, I wasn’t lying about how this vapour rub is going to burn your noses, that shit is so strong even for Mundane noses.”

Jungkook laughs softly as he wraps his arms around both of them, moving to nuzzle their daughter’s hair.

“I think it’s fair to say that we all will gladly deal with having no sense of smell for a few hours if it means that sound goes away.”

Taehyung can only smile at his mate at.

“Oh, babe. If only you knew just how strong this stuff is.”

The entire den stinks of menthol vapor rub – coming from himself because Jungkook went overboard with it when he applied it to the front and back of his chest, and also from the bowls dotted around the room as it melts and evaporates into the air that is no longer dry.

The good news is that Taehyung’s throat is no longer scratchy, and his chest feels like it has been stretched open, allowing him to breathe so deeply.

The bad news is that his pack members can barely tolerate being close to him because of how overpowering the medicinal scent is.

Only Mina, Namjoon, and Jin seem to be the ones most at ease, and that is purely because of the years they spent in Seoul.

“You smell worse now than you did in all the years you worked at the hotel,” Jimin says from where he sits in the corner of the room, his hand permanently pinched over his nose, making him nasally whenever he speaks.

“So why sit there and suffer?” Taehyung laughs, watching as Jungkook returns with the wooden clothing peg still clipped to his nose, reminding Taehyung so much of the early days of their relationship where the Lupi purposely blocked his nose as they played a game of hide and seek to give Taehyung a chance to hide.

Now? That wooden peg is the only thing that allows Jungkook to be on the same bed as him, even Jina’s nose can’t stand the scent and only runs in and out of the bedroom as she holds her breath when she needs a quick, comforting, cuddle from him.

“How the fuck can you stand that thing on your nose?” Jimin demands, still pinching his own, as Jungkook readjusts the pillow propping up Taehyung’s ankle.

“You get used to it,” Jungkook answers, sounding comically adorable, as he smiles at Taehyung, “and I’ve had a little practise with it too.”

“Round three - where is my patient?” Jin singsongs from the hallway, and Taehyung can’t even run for the bathroom because of his ankle and the way Jungkook ensnares him in his hold with a laugh as their Chief appears with another glass of foul-tasting juice.

“All that is going to do is give my intestines a thorough cleaning,” Taehyung points out, and Jin ignores his whining as he hands the glass to him with a metal straw poking out of the…thick liquid.

“Every little bit helps, and it’s all natural, so even better for you,” Jin states as he waits for Taehyung to drink the concoction that the Lupi keeps making him.

“Bottoms up, babe,” Jungkook encourages, tapping the bottom of the glass, and even though his mate is trying his hardest to bury his anxiety for the sake of Jina, Taehyung can still see it through his smile.

So, Taehyung drinks the juice.

He talks to the doctor through video chat whenever Namjoon comes with the laptop to make sure that Taehyung hasn’t developed further symptoms, which both he and the doctor reassure that he hasn’t.

And he submits himself to his pack’s scolding and lecturing the next day when Taehyung’s chest is no longer crackling, causing a massive release of tension to flood throughout the den.

Though, that lecture comes from the bedroom doorway, since the bedroom and the bed itself still stinks despite the fact the window is wide open to air out the strength of the vapor rub.

“Wait, this means I can’t go west this week?” Taehyung questions in the wake of the new pack law officially being named – he’s banned from all hunts during the winter, which is a fair punishment - remembering this week’s initial plan before he fucked up at the weekend.

“Nope,” come eight firm answers, making him pout.

“Even if we said yes, your ankle is still fucked up, so that too,” Jimin points to the compression wrap currently on Taehyung’s ankle now that the worst of the swelling has settled down.

“You get to stay here with me, Mina, and the pup,” Jin grins, pleased.

Jina looks just as huffy as Taehyung feels as she grumbles, “I’m a pup, the other pups might like us better if they see me.”

“Safety first, little one,” Yoongi chuckles fondly as he plays with her ponytail since she’s currently attached to his hip. “We need to find them first, after all.”

“And, this gives us ample time to argue about the den, since you all have agreed that the den does need ‘some’ updating,” Jin quotes with his fingers.

“You touch our den and I will piss all over your room,” Jimin warns their Chief heatedly, the familiar argument between the two igniting in the wake of the pack agreeing that the den is looking a bit rundown.

“I can paint the outside, though, right?”

“Everything you own, I will piss on. Are we clear?”

“That is a no, I think,” Hoseok cackles, completely enjoying the argument.

“You can do what you like to the room we no longer use downstairs, but if you rile up my mate, you’re on your own,” Yoongi says, biting back the grin he so clearly wants to let free.

“Oh thank fuck, that room has been driving me nuts for months now!”

“Err, it’s more filled with yours and Namjoon’s crap from the apartment you guys stopped renting,” Jimin reminds the older Lupi, poking to strengthen his point.

Taehyung holds his hand up as he says, “guilty - my shit is cluttered in that room too from the farmhouse and uni.”

“And this is why this den needs a severe makeover, we have too much shit and too little space,” Jin exclaims dramatically, making them laugh.

Okay, so maybe staying at the den won’t be so bad if it means he can deter Jin from going overboard with the renovating.

It’ll be nice to bond with Jin since Taehyung very rarely gets a lot of one-on-one time with Jin, or Namjoon, really.

Even if it means that bonding comes in the form of them bickering back and forth over the aesthetic of the den.

Taehyung knows for a fact the foam mats out in the living area are number one on Jin’s hitlist to banish from the den, and even though they were inexpensive to buy, Taehyung is still going to fight for them.

It’s just fun to tease the Lupi about them.

“Oh, Dak-Ho is at the gate,” Namjoon announces, looking down at his phone as the security system notifies him, and Jina immediately is rushing from them with Jimin running after her as he screams, “socks!”

Though, Taehyung’s brief amusement drains from him as he realises that Dak-Ho has no idea what happened at the weekend.

“Oh shit,” Taehyung groans, hiding his face under the neckline of the hoody he’s wearing, drawing bemused questions from his pack.

Though, Jungkook is cackling as he rubs Taehyung’s back in sympathy.

Dak-Ho hasn’t scolded him in years, but Taehyung has a feeling he’s going to get a refresher today.

The elderly male is like a grandfather to him, after all.