Moonchild | ot7 | Twenty pt. 1

Pair: OT7  x f!reader ; endgame ??? x f!reader

Summary: Working at a coffee shop that only opened in the late hours of the night was the most exciting thing about your life, really. You never had that many friends, your love life was nonexistent, and you just couldn’t explain the feeling of not belonging that chased you no matter where you tried to find your place. It was when seven very handsome strangers came into your life that weird things started happening around you and within you. Could they be the ones to fill in what’s been missing? Or would getting involved with them and their world put you in danger?

Genre: Series, fluff, angst, smut, non idol au, ABO, werewolf au.

Chapter Warnings: Angst, fights and the plot thickens!

WC: 9.3K

“Have you lost your mind? Letting her run off into the forest, when you know–” Namjoon was about to lose his own mind, when he finally got hold of the second youngest. Correcting himself, he added: “When we don’t know who’s lurking.”

“I couldn’t hear or smell anyone else remotely close to the den!” the young wolf defended himself, throwing a hand in the air in exasperation. “I wouldn’t have put her in danger like that if I had, I might be younger than you, but I’m not stupid.”

Taehyung felt cornered, belittled.

Namjoon, Hoseok and Yoongi were just waiting for him to come downstairs to ambush him as if he was a child sneaking candy before dinner. As if he put you in great danger, as if you weren’t sleeping safe and sound in his and Jimin’s bed.

The man hated to be told what to do, he had too much of that when he lived on the farm. Most of the time he understood the pack hierarchy and respected it, too, especially when it came to Hoseok hyung’s advice and Namjoon hyung’s decisions. But he wouldn’t back down to this, not when it came to you.

Not when it was every wolf for themselves in this courting game. Every single one of them could chose how they chose to spend time with you, and if Taehyung wanted to chase you around in the woods and fuck you against a tree, he would! It wasn’t his fault that Yoongi was probably too old for that in the first place, so it was easy for Tae to aim a glare to the older alpha as he started to speak:

“It was still a stupid move.” despite Yoongi’s calm nature, his nerves were still prickling his skin. “If something happened to her, if someone had gotten her–”

“I would have ripped their throat out myself.” Taehyung bared his teeth, the mere thought of anyone out of their pack getting remotely close to you was enough to send his wolf into defense mode.

“You better not do anything like that again.” Hoseok chided, arms crossed to his chest as his jaw locked.

The usually energetic and affectionate man was tense and reprimanding, making Taehyung scoff. Jimin was standing just behind the younger wolf, placing a supportive and slightly precautionary hand on Taehyung’s arm.

“You’re just bitter because you didn’t have your turn yet.” Taehyung mumbled, but Seokjin probably heard it from the kitchen, let alone the three hyungs in the sitting room.

With the grit of his teeth, Hoseok asked: “What did you say?”

And Taehyung wasn’t one to back down, he was an alpha too! Should he duck his head down and apologize? Just because Hoseok was older? Nah, wasn’t gonna happen. Jimin knew it, too, with the way he softly called Tae’s name, the squeeze on his arm coming as a warning.

“I said you probably have blue balls, because five of us had our turn and you haven’t.” Taehyung pushed, raising an eyebrow in challenge. “So don’t take it out on us just because she won’t pick–”

“Shut the fuck up.” Hoseok’s warning came with a flash, the older man taking two steps toward Taehyung as he held a finger in his direction. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“We’ve all noticed your bad mood.” Taehyung mocked, making Jimin take a step back.

Jimin knew this was the perfect recipe for disaster. Things were escalating faster than he’d like and he wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire, not when he saw both points of view in this discussion.

He understood that the hyungs were concerned about the reckless way Taehyung took you into the woods yesterday, he was worried about you being out there himself. But he also knew how much his soulmate loved you, knew he’d keep you safe.

And on the other hand, Jimin knew Taehyung’s very core and this ambush was not the way to make him see that something could have happened. Even if, thankfully, it hadn’t.

“Taehyung, that’s enough.” Namjoon was standing to the side of Hoseok and Taehyung, and his warning was for the two of them.

“I can see you standing at her door every night.” defiant, Taehyung’s eyes flashed yellow. “Are you waiting to be invited in or too scared to be rejected–”

That’s all it took for Hoseok to snap, grabbing Taehyung by the collar and pressing the young wolf against the wall. Jimin was gasping as he stumbled back and it took Yoongi and Namjoon to pry Hoseok off of Taehyung.

Hoseok tried to launch for him again, despite Yoongi’s struggles to pull him across the sitting room. Taehyung wasn’t one to be shoved and not push back, diving after Hoseok and ready for a fight. Jimin had to put himself in front of the man, looking desperately at Namjoon for help as low, menacing growls filled the room.

“I said that is enough!” Namjoon’s voice thundered, power and stress making the scent around them sour. “Taehyung, go to your room and don’t leave unless you’re called.”

The alpha voice made Taehyung’s eyes widen and his blood ran hot with rage.

“Are you fucking grounding me?!” he bit back, every nerve, bone and muscle of his body burning as he fought the order. “I’m not a child!”

“You’re acting like one.” Namjoon was serious, gaze lowered and lighting up with fiery amber that left no space for discussion.

“Come on, Tae, I’ll stay with you.” Jimin urged him quietly, hands on his biceps. “Stop resisting, it will make you sick.”

Taehyung’s snarl was annoyed and frustrated as he allowed his body to do what it had to do, Jimin helping push him up the stairs and towards their shared bedroom. Namjoon watched both packmates disappear at the top before his shoulders finally deflated and he could run a hand over his gray hair.

He wondered if he could blame the color on those two, plus their maknae trouble triplet. At least Jungkook was still upstairs and wasn’t part of any of this.

Looking at the two wolves still remaining in the sitting room, he called:

“Hobah.”

“What? Gonna send me to my room, too?” Hoseok wasn’t being held back by Yoongi anymore, but the elder was still close by just in case.

“No, hyung.” Namjoon shook his head, hoping that the use of the honorific would lower his walls. “But there is something going on with you, and I don’t want to assume–”

“Then don’t.”

“But you need to do something about this.” the leader continued as calmly and centered as he could manage. “You’re not one to lash out, not on pack.”

Hoseok didn’t look like he was ready for a fight anymore, but every sign of his body language showed discomfort. From tense shoulders to eyes that avoided contact. Hoseok walked to the side window, watching the glass as it was frosted in certain spots from the cold of the morning, turning his back on the two still left.

I got this. Yoongi spoke so only Namjoon could hear, assuring him it was okay to leave.

Once it was only Hoseok and Yoongi in the room, the latter walked a little closer, but still kept a respectful distance. Yoongi let his best friend gather his thoughts, let the adrenaline of the outburst dwindle.

“Whatever is going on with you, you don’t have to talk to me about it.” Yoongi started, not an ounce of judgment in him.  “But if it’s what I’m thinking, you should tell her.”

“What? You think I want pity points?” ever the stubborn wolf, Hoseok scoffed and tapped his forehead against the glass, watching condensation stain it.

“No. I don’t believe she’d see it like that, either.” Yoongi assured, resting against the back of the couch. “But she wants to get to know us, she needs to know us, if she’s making a choice. She should know about it.”

“I don’t see the point in telling her.” his walls were crumbling down, as much as Hoseok tried to keep building them up.

“Then that’s your call to make. But as your best friend, let me give you a piece of advice.” Yoongi walked closer to Hoseok, giving his shoulder a final squeeze before saying his parting words: “Not talking about it won’t change what happened. And it might drive the two of you apart.”

Falling asleep snuggled between Taehyung and Jimin, you knew it would be hard to get up and get the day started the next morning. You were already sleeping more than usual in the first place –your body needed to recover, apparently, from all of your newest pack activities–, and to find the strength to leave the bed? When Tae was stuck to your back and half of your body was laying on top of Jimin? Impossible!

But the universe had other plans for you, and when the room got way too bright and much too warm, you realized you were alone on the bed. Sitting up, face scrunched up from sleep, body sore as if you’ve just been to the gym, you considered making the purchase of black out curtains and covering every window of the den with it.

Christmas must be coming up soon, it could be your gift for the pack.

It was hard to tell the day, in a place like Dalju. Kind of like when you’re a kid on vacation from school and you start to mistake weekends from weekdays because they all just look the same.

That wasn’t to say you were ever bored, however, especially not lately. Not when every day you seemed to spend some quality time with a different pack member. You were tired, yes, and you might need a couple days to recover once the week came to an end, but you still had two more to go.

Hoseok and Yoongi.

You weren’t the one choosing the order in which you slept with any of the men, you justified to yourself as you felt your body heating up even further under the sheets. Things were just… Happening. And you weren’t about to stop it now.

You weren’t about to force anything either, but as you got up and walked out of the bedroom, you wouldn’t mind bumping into either of the wolves you were still to have sex with.

The second floor was deserted, sadly, but you did hear voices coming from downstairs, from the sitting room just to the left of the bottom of the stairs. You wanted nothing more than to join your pack, but you were positively needing a shower. Besides, you had plans for this morning, so running into Yoongi or Hoseok and dragging either of them into their bedrooms would have to wait a little longer.

Slipping into your bedroom, you made sure to plug your phone into its charger before undressing and walking into the Jack and Jill style bathroom you shared with Jungkook. The room was empty when you used the toilet, brushed your teeth and walked into the shower.

Your body was so hot that you went for a lower temperature this time, hoping to cool down not only your skin, but the ache between your legs.

“Stop complaining about being empty!” you hushed as you looked down at your body, feeling silly and sexually frustrated in the same breath. “How can you still be so hungry? Calm yourself.”

“Who are you talking to, noona?” Jungkook’s voice made you jump and turn around, covering your breasts out of instinct.

You didn’t hear the boy coming in, with his light steps and the noise of the water pouring over your head. It wasn’t Jungkook’s first attempts at catching you in the shower, more often than not you’d see him turning the doorknob on his side of the bathroom, and then you’d hear his annoyed whines upon finding it locked from the inside.

Today, locking both doors completely slipped your mind. Or maybe it was your very subconscious leaving it open on purpose, in hopes that the clingy, tall, muscular wolf would offer to join you.

“Just… Thinking out loud.” you mumbled, too entranced as the man started to undress just outside of the shower stall. “Excuse me, w-what are you doing?”

“I’m going out, so I need to shower.” he explained, making your heart do a stupid thing, because a pack member was about to leave the den? The wolf grinned as he obviously felt your worry as he reassured you: “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll be safe. Just need to deliver a message to a pack nearby. Namjoon hyung’s request.”

“Can’t you use a phone?” you took a step back as Jungkook invited himself into the shower with you. “Or write a letter?”

“No can do, it has to be done in person.”

Jungkook stepped under the shower head, making you one step closer to losing your mind. He was naked. Very, very naked. And he didn’t look any less enticing now that he wasn’t going through a rut anymore. The water falling damped his long hair right away, cascading down his perfect body, making you groan in annoyance as you turned around to finish your own shower.

“Sorry, am I getting in the way? Do you need the water?” he asked simply, as if the two of you showering together was a common occurrence.

“In fact, you are.” you told him over your shoulder as you picked your bar soap. “You’re very distracting, Kook.”

The little bite on your tone made him laugh boyishly, which your heart loved and so did your pussy, apparently. You felt his presence crowding your back, a gentle hand pushing your hair out of your neck so he could kiss it.

And, for crying out loud, the cold shower was doing nothing for your hot skin as you trembled as soon as his lips met your neck. To make matter worse, the demon sounded dangerously alluring when he said:

“Let me do it, then.” his hand traced your arm from the top of your shoulder and all the way to your palm, taking the soap from your hold. “This way I can be helpful instead of distracting.”

“Jungkook…” you whined with a pout, a little voice inside your head yelling at you to shut up, shut up, shut up! “This isn’t fair.”

“What isn’t fair, noona?” the boy wet the bar soap enough to lather his hands with it and brought both to your skin, dragging them up and down your back. “You feel so warm. Are you doing okay?”

You waved off his last question as you turned around, regretting it almost instantly as you saw his cock was no longer soft.

“Y-you–” you took a deep breath as all air was knocked out of you when you saw Jungkook wet from head to toe. “You can’t have another go. We can’t fuck again before everyone has had a turn.”

“That’s not a rule!” he pouted, real intentions finally showing. His hands went to your neck and shoulders as he continued to wash you, and you made no move to push him off.

“Yes it is, I just created it.” and you hated yourself for doing so.

But you knew that if you and Jungkook had sex again, before Hoseok and Yoongi had the chance to, it could send a message that you weren’t interested in them. It could make everyone else think you were making a choice.

And while you weren’t sure you weren’t going to pick the youngest of them, you weren’t sure that you would.

Your body and your brain were two completely separate entities right now, as you could feel yourself getting wetter by the second. And to see Jungkook’s cock twitching as it filled up wasn’t helping your case.

“You’re really giving me mixed signals here, baby.” Jungkook crowded your space, making your back hit the cold tiles and for once they felt soothing against your skin.

Jungkook’s hands moved down your chest, soapy fingers finding your pebbled nipples, and he could no doubt smell the mess between your legs. He could obviously tell how your body was reacting to his presence, how much you wanted him. But Jungkook was also able to read your distress, bringing your hands to hold your face with gentleness to make you look at him.

“Say the word and I’ll stop.” he pressed a kiss to your temple. “I don’t want to get in trouble with the hyungs either, but it’s just so hard to resist you…”

“It’s hard for me, too.” you groaned and it became a giggle as his cock poked your lower stomach. “Not as hard as that, but–”

“Shhh.” Jungkook laughed, bringing his lips to yours to help shut you up. “What will it be?”

You allowed him to kiss your lips a few more times, holding him close to you by his shoulders. You slipped your fingers into his hair as he slipped his tongue into your mouth. And it would be so easy to get lost on him. To let him fuck you dumb, like you knew he could.

But–

“Soon, okay?” you pulled away from his lips and if you had an inner wolf, she’d be biting your head off. “I promise.”

“Oh, I’m not worried.” he smiled, hands dropping to your hips for one last squeeze before peeling himself from you. “Once you pick me, I’ll get to fuck you everyday.”

“So confident.” you giggled, walking under the water stream to wash yourself. “Wait– everyday?”

“Seven days a week, baby.” Jungkook mirrored your laugh, watching you slip a hand between your legs to clean and rinse the mess he caused. “Uh… Okay, are you almost done?”

“Oh, so I’m distracting you now?” you asked with an incredulous tut.

“No,” he pouted; a huge contrast to how his hand wrapped around his cock. “But I need to fix this. You can stay and watch, if you want.”

You were ready to go.

You were also late by now and Jimin would likely tease you, but after Jungkook invaded your shower, you had to spend at least thirty minutes on your bed to take care of yourself. Usually it didn’t take you that long to get off, even without your toys, but this time around, you had seven equally sexy men to think about. And your body just wanted to keep going and going until a little bit of shame took over you and made you stop.

The shower must’ve worked better than you thought, as you didn’t feel so hot anymore, able to bundle up in jeans and a long sleeve shirt, knowing you could wear your pink teddy coat. Your hair was brushed and you just had to grab your phone–

Oh, you had a lot of notifications.

Some from your parents, wishing you well and asking for news; some emails with sales and deals from brands and stores from Seoul you loved to shop at; social media updates you didn’t really care about; and, of course, a couple dozens of texts from your best friend.

The last ones read:

Kimee: Girl, you better be having your insides rearranged, or I’ll never forgive you for this radio silence!!!

It’s been days. Hello??

I’m doing terrible, thank you for asking.

Babe, seriously… I know you’re with your suitors or whatever, but I really need to talk to you.

Please call me as soon as you get this.

You loved your best friend and you missed her terribly, but damn could she be a little dramatic. And you were feeling a little guilty about forgetting to update her on your livelihood, so you sent her a quick text and promised to call her tonight so you could catch up.

You waited a couple of minutes for a reply, but you guessed she was either at work or resting, so you put your phone away inside your purse and left your bedroom.

The walk to Jimin and Tae’s shared bedroom only took a few second and just as you knocked, the blonde wolf was opening the door just enough to see who it was.

“I’m ready to go! Sorry I’m late.” you smiled sheepishly, but frowned as you watched the surprise in Jimin’s face morph into something bitter.

“Shit, I forgot–” Jimin opened the door a little wider, letting you see the big, brown wolf laying on their bed. Taehyung had his back to you, but you knew he could hear you. The fact that he didn’t rush to you like a big puppy was a telltale that something wasn’t right.

“Is everything okay?” you asked with concern.

Jimin took a step out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him, doing nothing to calm your nerves. Tae wasn’t mad at you when you went to bed, you hoped you hadn’t done something to upset him. Maybe if he heard Jungkook walking into the shower–

“Taehyungie and Hoseok hyung had a misunderstanding.” Jimin told you and to say you were shocked would be an understatement. “Namjoon hyung put him in time out.”

“He’s grounded?” you whispered. If Tae was upset about it, he didn’t need to hear you talk about it too. “How bad was this misunderstanding?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, dove.” he lied, eyes trembling as he pushed your hair behind your ear. “But I’m sorry, I don’t want to leave him alone like this.”

“No, I get it, it’s fine.” you told him with a sincere, albeit small, smile. “Take care of him, please.”

“I will. Will you ask one of the others to drive you into town?” he suggested and you nodded, even if just to soothe his worries.

“I’ll be okay. I’m more worried about him.” you nibbled on your bottom lip, faraway gaze searching for the stairs. “Is Hoseok grounded, too?”

“No, Namjoon promised not to use his alpha voice on him anymore, since–” the boy cut himself off like the pack did when they talked too much about something you shouldn’t know about.

“Okay.” you swallowed your annoyance, it wasn’t the time to be bothered about that. “I’ll see you guys later, then.”

You forced a smile onto your lips as you raised yourself on your toes to give Jimin a kiss on the cheek. You could tell he noticed it wasn’t completely real as you turned around to walk away from him. You weren’t exactly upset, but you knew there were so many pack related things that they didn’t tell you, subjects you weren’t included in. While you respected it, it just felt like there was always this wedge between you and the rest of them.

Sometimes it made you wonder if they meant it when they said you were part of the pack now.

Something else making you wonder was the fact that you were obviously having small mood swings, from being so relaxed and happy after your shower, to the wave of annoyance prickling under your skin. Maybe you were getting your period soon, you had to check your app for that later.

As you made it to the first floor of the house, you didn’t run into anybody.

Depending on how much Jimin downplayed this fight between Hoseok and Taehyung, the pack’s mood might be as fragile as yours was, so you didn’t feel like bothering anybody by asking them to drive you to where you needed to go.

Hell, you were a perfectly capable, independent adult. You didn’t need a babysitter when you were just going to look for a birthday present for the twins. A small part of you wanted to at least give Namjoon a heads up, as the alpha of the pack, but the petty side of you, the one that didn’t feel all that included in pack related subjects, stopped you from looking for him.

You had everything you needed when you put your shoes on and picked up your coat, zipping it up all the way to your chin. The outside was crisp and cool, strong winds making you wince and squint your eyes as you walked down the steps that led you to the gravel floor.

Your fingers felt a little cold as you picked up your phone to request a ride from the app. You walked quite a bit, following the dirt path to the main road, hoping that having a strange car to pick you up a little further away from the house wouldn’t set off any of the protective wolves.

You were only going to be gone for an hour, you promised yourself. You didn’t want to worry anybody. Or maybe you did. Did you? You couldn’t make up your mind, which was driving you a little crazy.

This was, officially, your first outing alone ever since you joined the pack. And while you felt a tug on your heart and an uncomfortable tingle under your skin from being separated from the pack, you were happy to be doing something on your own.

Things were still a little up in the air, you didn’t know if you were safe or if the Southside was still after you. You didn’t know if the boys had any leads on their whereabouts or if they were completely in the dark. But you couldn’t simply stop your life because of that, and if they didn’t want to include you in the matter… Then maybe your only option was to be a little reckless.

Well.

One hour turned into two.

You realized that being late made you hungry, so you stopped for brunch at the bakery Seokjin brought you to when he kissed you for the first time. Instead of Halloween decorations and pumpkins all around, the small town center was filled with winter decor and colorful lights.

It was easy to get distracted just walking around, looking at all of the pretty store fronts, the wreaths on front doors of tiny houses, all of the smells of gingerbread, cinnamon and hot chocolate.

Finding a gift for the wolf pups was also a little harder to do now that you were left to your own devices. At least if Jimin had come with you, he could have pointed you in the right direction. You felt silly by considering chew toys, but dolls or a plastic tea set wasn’t exactly what you were looking for either.

You were walking aimlessly until you passed by a tiny store that looked to be nothing but a small room filled with trinkets and little unique things you’ve never seen before. That’s where you found what you swore was the cutest little gift for the twins.

By the time you walked out, with the paper gift bag hanging from your elbow and your lukewarm hot chocolate in hand, it’s been three hours already and you knew you were in trouble. The boys would definitely know you weren’t home by now and were probably worrying about your whereabouts.

The lack of texts and calls on your phone was already concerning, so you had to assume Jimin must’ve guessed you decided to buy the twins’ gifts on your own and now they would all give you the silent treatment. You’ve been through it before, when you were in trouble with Namjoon for disobeying his orders and sleeping with Kook.

At least you could say no one ever explicitly said you weren’t allowed to leave the den on your own!

You were walking by the flower shop when you peeked through the glass wall, out of curiosity, finding Felix sitting behind his counter; looking lonely and bored. And then an idea popped into your head. Maybe you could put together an apology arrangement of flowers to bring back to the pack and start soothing their moods.

Wolves and their symbolisms. You were still learning about those, but Felix would absolutely be able to help you.

You pushed the door of the flower shop open, hearing the little bell announcing your presence. The blonde man behind the counter perked up at the new client arriving and his smile made his eyes almost disappear as he saw it was you.

“Hello, little red.” he beamed. “What brings you all the way here?”

“I came to pick up some things.” you lifted your arm as you walked deeper into the store, showing him the shopping bag. “And thought I'd stop by and say hello.”

“What a polite little one.” Felix leaned over the glass counter, leaning forward and looking over your shoulder. “Are you alone?”

“Should I be offended that you don't think I'm capable of going somewhere on my own?” you replied back, bringing your cocoa cup to your lips.

“No need to growl at me, just didn't think your alphas would so willingly leave you unattended.” the man giggled, leaning his face into his hand as he watched you curiously. “This is still a wolfkin town.”

“They know I'm not looking for another pack.” you answered with a small shrug, adding: “Or another alpha.”

“Shame.” Felix fixed his posture as he linked his hands on top of the counter, not giving you the chance to ask for the flowers you needed by engaging into another subject faster than you could. “How have you been?”

“Very well, thank you for asking–”

“How's Jungkookie?” another question, one that made you pause.

The last time you saw Felix –and met the rest of his pack– was at the ceremony a little while back. The same day and place that Chan, Felix’s pack alpha, had challenged Jungkook to a physical fight that triggered his rut.

“Oh, you can tell your alpha that he shouldn't have challenged Jungkook!” you frowned, placing your chocolate cup and shopping bag on top of the counter. You already felt the need to open your coat, as the temperatures inside the flower shop were a lot higher than outside. “That was uncalled for, I thought they were supposed to be friends.”

“It's a wolf thing, little red. There's no hard feelings between them.” the pixie-like-wolf assured you while waving the air. “Besides, we shouldn't let silly boy things get in between us.”

“In between us?” you raised a single eyebrow, ridding yourself of your coat.

“Yes! It's so dull, being here all the time. Nothing exciting ever happens in Dalju.” Felix groaned and you could relate to that, in a very minimal way. “Until you showed up.”

“Me?”

“Yeah! I'd like to be your friend.” he nodded enthusiastically. “Stay for a bit. Have tea with me.”

“I'm not sure I should…”

You were definitely feeling too hot for tea, and you didn’t need to look at the clock to know it was ticking for you. But the boys were always talking about showing allegiance to other packs and the importance of being social. After Jungkook and Chan’s fight, you didn’t know where Bangtan stood with their pack, so if you became closer to Felix, then maybe you could build a bridge between them again.

Besides, you needed a friend.

A friend outside of your pack, someone you could ask questions and that would have a neutral ground when it came to your lovers. You considered Hyejin a friend, no doubt. But you also knew she was already closer to your alphas, so you weren’t sure she could ever give you an unbiased opinion on them.

“Okay, I suppose there's no harm.” you ended up agreeing.

“Perfect! Come to the back, we can sit and chat.”

You picked up your things from the counter and followed Felix to the very back of the room, passing by rows of pretty flowers. The smell inside the shop was a little overwhelming, as none of the plants had that artificial ‘plant smell’ you were used to sniffing in Seoul. Instead, each flower, plant and herb had their own scent.

It was likely done on purpose, as Felix so nicely put it, this was a wolfkin town. And werewolves took scents and smells very seriously.

Your new friend guided you to a small table that didn’t fit more than two people, wiping away the dried leaves and tiny pieces of ribbon; you guessed this was where he put together the bouquets and arrangements for clients. You draped your coat at the back of your chair and placed your bags right beside it on the floor.

“How's the courting going?” he asked as you sat down.

“It's going good…” you answered as you watched him take your –now empty– hot chocolate cup away to throw it out. “If we’re going to be friends that means I can tell you things, right?”

“Obviously.”

You were quiet with your thoughts for a while, gathering your words, thinking about ways to phrase what you were feeling. You felt like you had so much you wanted to talk about, so many doubts, guilts and questions you wanted to make. The same ones you wished to be able to discuss with Kimee, but she’d never understand. And Felix could.

Felix poured two glasses before coming back to sit in front of you and you were thankful to find out that it was iced tea, and not the scalding, hot tea one would expect during winter.

“Well. Sometimes I feel a little guilty... They do so much for me.” you started, taking the first sip of the lemon flavored iced tea. “And in the end, I'm going to pick one of them. So what? The rest of them still spoiled me rotten for months.”

“Do you show them your appreciation?” was his reply, and you nodded.

“I always thank them and accept their gifts–” you stopped talking when Felix’s lips were pressed into a thin line, as if you had done something wrong. “What?”

“Oh, baby girl, no one told you you can court them back?” he spoke delicately, as a parent would explain to a child that the sky is blue.

“What–”

“Yeah! There are ways for you to show appreciation for all they do for you.” he started again, a little laugh that was aimed at your innocence. Or your ignorance when it came to werewolf matters. “You can show them you’re just as interested. It can level up the playing field a little bit.”

“Oh my god, all this time I thought accepting their courting was enough–”

“For our human part, it is. But one thing you should know is that werewolves are double beings. There's us, what you see when we're like this–” he motioned to himself, the human version of who he was. “And there's also what you don't really see... What is inside of us. Talking inside our heads and amongst each other. The more primal part of us that likes a good chase or playing in the rain, running through the woods and hunting wildlife.”

Felix was patient with how he explained it to you, but you still felt like a kid learning a new thing that was obvious to everyone else. It’s not like you didn’t know all of that! You’ve been chased around more than once, you enjoyed their primal sides just as much as the human side. Hell, you could hear their wolves inside your head; but this part you wouldn’t tell Felix about.

“While you do things that make your men happy on the outside, there's more you can do for the one in here–” he pointed to his own head and heart and you knew what he meant.

“Is fucking their brains out now enough?” you groaned, feeling like you were failing their wolves, like you weren’t doing what you should be doing.

Felix was taking a sip of his iced tea when it went down the wrong pipe, coughing and hitting his chest to recover.

“Damn! I guess that's a pretty good start.” his whole face was red, but you didn’t really feel embarrassed about it. “Do they... share you like that?”

“Not at the same time–” you shook your head. And then remembered Tae and Jimin. “I mean once, but mostly one on one–”

“That’s not–” Felix giggled, eyes wide as he took another sip to cool down. “I mean... alphas are territorial. If they want you, if they are courting you, they shouldn't be okay with passing you around. They should be biting their heads off. Maybe Bangtan is more united than we thought.”

“Maybe.” you held the glass between your hands, thinking back to the fight Hoseok and Taehyung apparently had this morning.

Could it have been about you?

Before letting your brain even more scrambled than it already was, you asked: “So if I wanted to do something for them... to court them back. What can I do?”

“You could try nesting.” he offered an easy one, making you chirp.

“Oh! I already do that!” you didn’t feel like it was enough, however. “Okay, what else?”

“Can you catch a rabbit and cook it?”

“Absolutely not.”

“You could make them something! Like... homemade jewelry!” the man stood up at once, as if he had the best idea ever. You weren’t sure if you should follow him when he walked back to the counter. “Oh, that's good! Even someone as uncultured as you could do that!”

“Hey!”

“Lucky for you, I have plenty of supplies!”

“Hey, hyung.” Jimin hated walking on eggs, so he wasn’t really acting sheepish when he found the member he was looking for. “Got a minute?”

“If you’re coming here to ask me to go apologize to Taehyung–” Hoseok didn’t lift his eyes from his phone, so he didn’t see Jimin shaking his head.

“No, no, not at all–”

“You’re also not apologizing on his behalf.” the older man stated dryly.

“While that is something I would do, I’m not.” Jimin assured him, which made the other member lift his head. “This has nothing to do with the fight.”

Hoseok was laying down on one end of the couch in the living room, knowing Jimin wouldn’t let this go if it was really important. The older man could feel the first waves of stress coming from the blonde one, deciding that his own internal sulking could be paused for an hour or so.

He might not be the pack leader like Joon, or the responsible for the wellbeing of the den like Jin hyung, but Hoseok did feel like he raised the three younglings in a way. He was the one that, Jimin especially, went to when they needed life advice.

Sitting up and patting the spot on the couch next to him, Hoseok offered: “Okay, what’s concerning you?”

“I was just wondering if you could answer a couple of questions for me.” Jimin asked, sitting on the recommended spot and pulling his legs to rest on the couch. “It’s about a subject that I don’t have a lot of experience in, but I know you do.”

“Alright.”

“Say… If a female omega wolf is about to go through heat.” he went straight to the point and no matter what Hoseok was thinking about, this was not something he ever guessed he’d hear. “What are the symptoms one should expect?”

“Why are you asking me this, Jiminah?” Hoseok’s phone was locked and pushed to the center table. “Did Yoongi hyung put you up to this?”

“Why would hyung put me up to this?” Jimin’s brows knitted together in confusion. “I’ll tell you after, just, please– This could be important.”

Hoseok found that request to be very weird, Jimin had never shown any interest in any female omegas, he wouldn’t start now of all times. But the young wolf still looked tense and concerned, and Jimin was right. Hoseok did have experience on the matter.

“Alright, fine. Well, if a female wolf, –an omega– is going through heat, then you can expect things pretty much like what happens with us, in a way.” he started, not really getting anywhere. “But opposite.”

“Not helpful.” Jimin groaned, getting impatient.

“Not one wolf is like the other, Jiminah. But the general signs are like this… If the alpha male starts to hoard food, if they build a mating platform or a den, then his omega mate will hibernate to prepare.” Hoseok was a little more clear, body turning to face Jimin fully. “They can become more nurturing, more protective, or even possessive. Obviously they start to ovulate, so their scent changes to attract a mate.”

Footsteps coming down the small hall made the two of them look at the new man joining them. Yoongi didn’t say anything, but sat on the furthest end of the couch with a mug of coffee. The wolves could smell the cinnamon and vanilla drops on it.

“Go on.” Jimin urged.

Hoseok’s attention returned to the subject at hand as he said: “Of course, there are more common signs, like hot flashes, mood swings, insatiable sex drive–”

“What on earth are you two talking about?” Yoongi asked over his mug, receiving a shushing sign from Jimin.

“That’s pretty much it,” Hoseok shrugged, but Jimin didn’t seem satisfied. “I don’t know what else you want me to say?”

“We might be in trouble.” Jimin made a little noise from his throat, hand pushing his hair away from his eyes. “I think Yn could be going through something like that.”

“Don’t start.” Yoongi interjected, mug resting on top of his knee. “I want her to be one of us just as much as you do, but that’s pushing it.”

“Is it? Hear me out,” Jimin turned around so he could sit in a position that allowed him to look at both hyungs as he spoke. “Yesterday morning, when Tae and I found her in Jin hyung’s bed, she had a fever. I don’t think Tae noticed, he was too drunk on her scent to pay attention. You know how impulsive he is.”

“I’ll attest to that.” Hoseok scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

“Yeah, well. Her skin was way too hot, she wasn’t really responding normally. Then we–” Jimin stopped himself, swallowing hard before: “We got her off and she seemed to wake up just fine.”

“Is that it?” Hoseok still needed more to be convinced.

But Jimin didn’t know how to give him more, not with words; he’d have to be there to see it for himself. Besides, the whole pack already knew something must be going on with you, nothing about you was normal. You weren’t one of them, but you weren’t not one of them. And the stakes were getting higher, the dangers were more real by the day.

If you really were showing heat-like symptoms, like Jimin believed you were, to have a werewolf –Southside or not– roaming their woods could pose a very big threat.

“I don’t know. I can’t be certain, but something’s not right.” Jimin insisted, letting out a frustrated noise. “Think about it, hyungs! I’m sorry, but she took on five healthy alphas so far. Back to back. She took our knots–”

Hoseok and Yoongi were both grumbling, both had to hear you have sex with some of the others and were still waiting for their turns. In the kitchen, Seokjin must’ve picked up on Jimin’s last words, as the eldest also made a sound that the three of them could hear.

“For a regular omega that might already be too much. For a human–” Jimin made a wheezing noise before letting out a puff of air. “Hell, Joon hyung was right, she shouldn’t have survived Kook’s rut.”

“So you’re saying that she’s going into heat,” Hoseok didn’t sound convinced at all. “So your conclusion is that she really can’t be human?”

“I’m saying I don’t know what is going on and this is driving me crazy.” the younger wolf got up from the couch with an effortless jump, starting to walk from one side to the other.

Yoongi held his breath every time Jimin came a little closer to him, not sure if he could handle getting a stronger whiff of you on Jimin’s skin without losing his own mind.

“And if we don’t know what’s going on, we can’t protect her.” Yoongi concluded, worry clear in his tone. “It puts her in even more danger.”

“Shouldn’t the others be here for this?” Jimin asked with an exasperated sigh before whining: “Jin hyung! Joon hyung!”

Jin showed up in a few seconds, drying his hands with a tea towel as his load  of dish washing had clearly been interrupted. Jimin hoped that Namjoon might let Tae out of punishment, but the leader came out on his own.

“Can we go two days without a pack meeting?” Namjoon sighed, noticing all of the expectant eyes as he joined them in the living room. “What’s going on now?”

“Tell him, Jimin-ah.” Hoseok instructed, and Namjoon knew it was best if he sat down for this.

But Jimin didn’t need to go very much in depth about his finding, Namjoon had noticed new things about you, too. He had tasted you, first hand, he saw you turn pliant and how you presented yourself for him.

To learn you were coming out with a fever and your body temperature was higher than normal also shouldn’t have been so surprising, when he saw what you were wearing yesterday; the sundress you wore for your date with Taehyung, in the middle of winter.

“Fuck.” was the leader’s reply as Jimin was done making his point again.

“Yeah, that sounds correct.” Yoongi was nibbling on the corner of his thumb, eyes never settling in one fixed spot.

“We need to know, hyung.” Jimin spoke softly, sitting on the white rug by the fireplace that smelled heavily of you. “And I’m sorry for being the one to say this, but we’re all thinking it. We’re all tired of wondering. You know she is tired, too.”

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what Jimin was hinting at, but apparently Namjoon was the first one. “Absolutely not.”

The quick way Namjoon shot down Jimin’s idea made the others’ attention perk up. Jimin deflated, bottom lip slightly pushed out as he drew patterns on the rug with the tip of his finger.

“What are you talking about?” Yoongi urged anyone to speak a little clearer.

“There’s a way to test–” Jimin started again, faintly.

“It’s barbaric.” Namjoon cut him off again.

“It’s a way to get answers.” Seokjin joined the discussion, body dropping to the couch as if he was exhausted. “I’m not happy about this idea either, but if Jimin is right, if our doubts are all pointing to something…”

“We can’t do that to her.” Namjoon had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Every day that passed, every day that there was something new going on with you, he felt as though he was letting you down. As if he was failing his job as the pack leader. But this…

Joonah. Yoongi called, obviously lost in their back and forth.

“There is a test. Something that was done a very long time ago by our elders, to prove that an individual could be a dormant werewolf.” Namjoon explained to the hyung.

“Is that even still a thing?” Hoseok sounded pained as his body leaned forward and his elbows rested on his knees. “We haven't heard of inert lycanthrope genes in ages.”

“We’ve never heard of someone like her, either.” Jimin sounded small and regretful, as if he didn’t want to be the one to insist on this.

The living room was silent for a while, every single one of them thinking about what it could mean for you. What it could mean for the pack, depending on the results of the test. It was a dangerous thing to go through and if done in the wrong conditions, it could lead to terrible consequences.

Hoseok was right in his indignation, in this day and age, when their kind was so strong and inserted within the human society, it was hardly a plausible possibility for a werewolf to be so sheltered that the gene that made them mythical could stay asleep.

But here you were.

Not really showing palpable signs of having those genes, yet you presented more coincidences than they were able to justify,

“We can let her decide for herself.” Jimin was still staring at the floor.

“You can’t be serious.” Namjoon was irreducible, looking to Seokjin for support. “Hyung?”

“The test can be dangerous, but so can this.” Seokjin didn’t sound so happy about this either, but he was trying to think rationally. “She’s living with us, we’re obviously triggering things inside her ever since we met her. Say she is a wolf… And being with us is her late awakening. Imagine what would happen if she just turned one day?”

“We’ve heard of stories like that, orphan werewolves raised by humans that didn’t know any better.” the youngest wolf present lamented. “Once they turn without assistance, they lose their minds. Most get stuck as a wolf forever because they don’t know how to turn back or even what is going on.”

“She’s not an orphan werewolf, she knows about our kind, she wouldn’t lose her mind–” Yoongi fought back, clearly on Namjoon’s side when it came to this.

“My exemple might have been an exaggeration, but would you really let her go through that? Knowing it could be avoided if we just… Tested it?” Jimin made it sound so simple, so easy.

Namjoon didn’t know if the young man was being naive, or if he was just so confident that you would have this incredible awakening that would solve every single one of their problems. In a perfect world, you would go through the test, they would be there for you for support and you’d pass it.

They would have the final proof that you were one of them. It’s what they wished for. It’s what you clearly wanted.

None of the five wolves in the living room were even thinking about the courting at this point, but they were thinking of you. Of how much easier it would be for everyone involved if you were proven, once and for all, to be a wolf. Bangtan could go back to Seoul with you as an official pack member and it would force the Southside to back off.

They would have no business in coming after you ever again if you were equals and if you were part of a pack.

It could mean your safety.

“How would we even do that?” Hoseok must’ve gotten to the same conclusion as he broke the eerie silence.

“It’s a blue moon this weekend.” Jimin added the last proof that he’d been thinking about this for a while. “We can ask Hyejin noona for help, we’re going over there for the birthday anyway.”

“Because she knows how to do it?” Yoongi let out a scoff, shaking his head.

“Her pack has close contact with the elders.” Seokjin read where Jimin was going with this. “We can talk to them, tell them everything that’s been going on. If they deny helping us, then we drop this. If they say yes…”

“We ask her first. Explain everything, what could happen, how it works.” Jimin insisted, looking at the others for some backup.

Truth was, they weren’t the ones that should make this decision. At the end of the day, it was your life. Everything that was happening, was happening to you. They would always vow to protect you, guide you and keep you safe, no matter what. But the pack couldn’t forget that you were your own independent being, who made your own decisions and had your own opinions.

So that’s what they agreed to do. They would tell you about this option, would present you with the pros and cons and move forward accordingly to your decision. Jimin would likely update Taehyung and Jungkook of this discussion, since none of them had been present for it.

“Where is she?” Seokjin asked the pack, as he hadn’t seen you since last night during dinner.

“She’s out with Kook.” Jimin seemed to have all of the answers today. “They went into town so she could get a gift for the twins.”

“Jungkook didn’t go into town, I asked him to deliver a message.” Namjoon felt his stomach drop and his blood ran cold. “He went over to see Jaesang-nim.”

“What–” Hoseok’s neck turned so fast that it snapped.

Jimin’s eyes were wide as his brain started connecting things. “Fuck, she must’ve gone on her own–”

“We have a possible omega wolf going into heat, alone in a town full of werewolves?!” Hoseok barked.

That’s all it took for chaos to install itself in the living room. All five were on their feet at once, yelling over each other in a frustrated attempt to get more information out of Jimin. Seokjin and Hoseok both pulled out their phones to call and text you to get a hold of you.

Upstairs, Taehyung was howling as he had to be feeling the rest of the pack’s fear, maybe he could even hear the brawl. Yoongi wasn’t about to sit and wait around for you to answer your phone and Namjoon followed him to the door, picking up car keys on the way.

“What’s going on?” you were standing outside with your fist raised as if you were about to knock.

Cheeks flushed, flowery smell so strong it felt like spring. Your pink winter coat was thrown over your arm and your lips smelled of lemon and cinnamon.

“Are you okay?” Yoongi was the first to ask as he rushed you inside the den. Namjoon stayed out there for a while longer, looking around to make sure nothing was out of place. “Where were you?”

“I stayed at the flower shop after getting a gift for the twins.” you explained, letting Namjoon take the coat from you and showing them the couple of shopping bags you had with you.

You knew you were in trouble, but you didn’t expect Seokjin, Jimin and Hoseok to be talking over each other and throwing way too many questions in your direction, all at once.

“What are they doing?” you asked Yoongi, feeling a little too dazed to make sense of so much sensory overload.

“Ignore them, are you okay?” Yoongi held your face in his hands, searching for something in your eyes that you couldn’t decipher. “Did anyone follow you?”

“Why would anyone follow me?” you let out a tiny, nervous laugh, blinking slowly as you fought the tiredness of your body. “Alpha, I’m sorry about not letting you know where I was going, but I made you something.”

“You made me something?” Yoongi’s tone was as dreamy as you felt; or at least that’s how your mind captured it.

There were so many smells when you walked inside the home that they hit you like a ton of bricks, making you airy and dazed. You were so happy to be home, with your pack, that you almost forgot about your earlier concerns and worries. Seokjin, Hoseok and Jimin were nothing but a blur, voices molding together as you had to find balance on Yoongi’s chest.

“Yeah, I… I made courting gifts for all of you.” you managed to croak out.

“That’s great, baby, you can give them to us once you’re up from your nap, okay?” Namjoon was telling you as he balanced you with an arm around your waist.

“Mhmm, I do feel a little tired.” you agreed with a nod, rubbing your eyes with the back of your hand, no idea where your shopping bags had gone.

“Come on, sweetheart, let’s get you into bed.” Yoongi stated and you agreed, letting him take you away.