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There is a boy in the woods.
Taehyung generally wouldn't care enough to notice this, but once he catches a whiff of him, it becomes awfully important for Taehyung to find him.
Honestly, Taehyung doesn't know who would be stupid enough to willingly stumble into the woods after a string of animal attacks being publicized in the nearest town, but maybe he should count himself lucky for it.
The boy is his mate.
Taehyung never thought he would be lucky enough to meet his mate. His own alpha, Jimin, had met his mate, a bright and sunny man named Hoseok, then acquainted himself with his mate's husband, Yoongi. He was a firsthand witness to most of their hurdles at the beginning of their relationship, so he knows how determined his alpha was to make things work between the three of them and how rewarding it has been since then but he never thought he would ever cross paths with his own mate.
From what he has gleaned from records and word of mouth in other packs, many werewolves don't find their mate. One of ten weres rarely meet their intended and Taehyung had honestly assumed that Jimin was the one and Taehyung was part of the other nine.
Now though, with his mate's scent invading his senses and teasing him into treading deeper and deeper into the forest, he can't help but feel excited.
Excited and wary.
A bit terrified too, now that he really thinks about it.
There's a feral alpha encroaching on their territory, killing the locals and wildlife, and evading all their attempts of hunting it down. It's vicious and unhinged, that much Taehyung can tell from the dead bodies left in its wake. He is confused about why it hasn't bitten and turned anyone yet, but considering that the alpha's victims are never left alive, maybe it shouldn't be as surprising as it is.
More importantly, though, there is a feral alpha roaming the very same woods Taehyung's mate is in right now.
Aw, shit. Taehyung's mate just had to be one of those guys, didn't he?
Taehyung shoots a text addressed to Jimin before he takes off running, following his mate by scent alone. The woods are quiet, animals doing their best to makes themselves unnoticeable. Leaves do not rustle as he passes by, the stillness of the usually ever-bustling forest leaves Taehyung feeling cautious. He strains his senses hoping to gain a few precious seconds when something might jump out at him, poised to kill.
His senses do not pick up anything until he is approaching the east river.
Footsteps, light and steady, move towards the river. Taehyung can hear two heartbeats, one calm and the other spiked with anticipation. He can tell that the first one belongs to his mate, but the less steady of the two heartbeats is accompanied by a scent so sour that Taehyung is certain the body it resides within is already festering and cocooned in decay.
That must be the alpha then. Taehyung can smell the blood the alpha probably bathed in when the wind begins to pick up. Taehyung steadies his breath, his pace slowing as he continues to move towards the river. He can't mask his scent or heartbeat, not without the help of magic - which he doesn't have access to at the moment - but he can silence his movements, hoping with all his might that the feral alpha is too focused on what it thinks is its next victim to pay attention to Taehyung's approach.
Not like Taehyung is ever going to let anybody hurt his mate. Over his dead body, in fact.
Taehyung lies low, using the trees to keep him hidden as he moves. The river's gurgling cry rings in his ears as the branches begin to pull away from each other in the darkness, revealing a strange sight.
His mate is crouched by the riverbed, hands in the water as he mumbles to himself. Taehyung barely manages to catch the telltale scent of burnt sugar before he realizes his mate is performing a spell, which makes him a witch. He hunkers down when his mate swivels around to peer into the dense shrubbery ringing the river, warm brown eyes gazing out at the night behind a pair of clunky black glasses.
He's beautiful. Thick lips, a wide face, and blonde hair falling artfully over his forehead without much effort. Taehyung's wolf aches to present himself to his mate, to hunt and provide for his mate, but then the alpha tenses on the other side of the river and flies out of its hiding spot, heading straight for him.
Taehyung beats him there, barely startled enough to fully shift before he clashes with the red-eyed wolf.
Distantly, Taehyung is aware that his mate has startled back, yelling as he stumbles into the treeline to hide. He is also aware of the fact that his mate is terrified and running away, but what Taehyung is focusing on is tearing this feral alpha apart for even thinking about harming his mate.
In the end, Taehyung ends up with a broken arm, a deep gash on his side, and victory singing in his veins.
He also ends up with red eyes and the power of an alpha that he decidedly does not want.
His mate is gone by the time Taehyung has enough sense to call his own alpha though and he tries his best to forget about it while Jimin panics over the phone. He can hear Jimin rushing on his end of the line, but his body is in pain and all Taehyung wants to do is curl up somewhere and lick his wounds for a few days.
Taehyung passes out as soon as his alpha has his hands on him and sleeps for two days as his body heals. He gives Jimin the alpha power he won once he can stay awake for longer than five minutes at a time and the more serious of his injuries have healed. Hoseok and Yoongi never leave his side as he sleeps, but Jimin comes and goes, bringing food and other times just laying beside him for comfort.
He tells them about his mate after giving up the alpha power and tries not to feel bad for himself as their cooing levels increase from mildly worried to overprotective. Hoseok fluffs his pillows relentlessly and Yoongi plays with his hair while Jimin rumbles low in his chest, the sound soothing Taehyung's frayed nerves. They hover until it starts to feel suffocating, but Taehyung never tells them to leave him alone. This is just one of the perks of being in a close-knit pack, after all.
He can deal. He defended his mate and killed in his name and that's enough for now.
❧
A week after Taehyung's bedrest period has ended, his mate is in the woods again.
Taehyung does his best to not run after his smell like an overeager puppy but ultimately fails as he approaches the same river as before.
This time though, he doesn't silence his movements and makes his presence known. He slows down as he draws forward, breaking through the treeline and stopping as his mate appraises him.
"Did you kill the alpha?" his mate asks.
Taehyung startles before remembers what his mate is and nods, eyes downcast.
"Good," his mate says and then turns around to focus on the river. "Are you hungry?"
"No," Taehyung mumbles, chancing a step forward and then continuing to make his way towards his mate when he garners no negative response.
"Too bad," his mate says, hands glowing as they hover over the water. "Because I am starving. Wanna get something to eat once I'm done here?"
Taehyung stares, pushing his hands into his pockets before he starts to fidget. "Sure, but what are you doing exactly?"
"Purifying the river. There's too much litter and I'm making sure all of it gets washed out before it can harm the environment."
"Do you do that often?" Taehyung asks, shifting from one foot to the other as his mate continues to crouch over the river.
"At least once a week," his mate replies then sits back with a satisfied sigh. "What are you fancying right now?"
Taehyung wants to say, you, but what he ends up saying instead is, "Strawberry shakes."
His mate stands, brushing the dirt off his pants once he has gotten to his feet. "A man after my own heart. Or should I say, a werewolf after my own heart."
"Does that bother you?" Taehyung manages to ask, waiting until his mate has set off into the forest before following after him.
"That you're not exactly human? No," his mate responds. "I'm not exactly human either and considering that you killed a feral alpha to save me, you can't be all bad."
"Thanks, I think."
"Don't mention it, um?" his mate trails off, one brow raised as he looks over his shoulder to meet Taehyung's gaze.
"Taehyung," he offers. "I'm Kim Taehyung."
His mate smiles. "Kim Namjoon. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," Taehyung echoes, his smile spread wide across his face.
They continue their trek out of the forest in silence, only stopping once they have reached a trail marker and the dusty parking lot a few feet away from it. Namjoon offers him a kind smile before he digs his keys out of the pocket of his pants and walks off towards a silver sedan.
"How comfortable are you behind the wheel?" Namjoon asks once he is sure Taehyung is following him again.
"Very. Why?"
Namjoon tosses him the keys, grinning with delight when Taehyung's quick reflexes manage to pluck them out of the air. "Perfect. You're driving. I suck at it."
Taehyung stares at the keys in his hand before his gaze swivels back to an expectant Namjoon. "Are you sure that's a good idea? We don't actually know each other."
"If you wanted to kill me, you would have done so the other night or right now in the forest. What you have done for me instead is save my life, so let me at least treat you to a meal," Namjoon says, his smile never faltering.
Taehyung shuffles on the spot. "If you're sure..."
"I'm sure."
"Okay."
❧
Taehyung starts to meet his mate in the woods like clockwork after that.
After the third time, he begins to bring gifts, deciding that he's going to shoot his shot and court his mate like any respectful werewolf would in his position.
Namjoon accepts them, his grin growing brighter and brighter with each passing day. He eats the food Taehyung brings, stuffs the stones Taehyung presents to him into his pockets, and wreathes the flowers Taehyung gives him into crowns that he can wear.
Taehyung would be lying if he said he wasn't already a little bit in love with his mate after a month of courting him. He's also pretty sure that Namjoon understands what is happening and why but doesn't say anything about it out of courtesy.
At least until Namjoon asks him out on a date and panics when Taehyung goes silent.
"It's cool if you don't want to date me, man, just say so. I'm a big boy, I can handle rejection," Namjoon says, his hands twisting together nervously.
Taehyung startles, stepping forward then freezing when Namjoon's eyes land on him. "Rejection? You think I'm rejecting you?"
Namjoon tilts his head to the side in confusion. "Aren't you?"
"No," Taehyung scoffs. "God, no. You're my mate. I would never reject you. Why would you even consider that as a possibility?"
"Mate!" Namjoon shouts, scrambling backward and almost tripping on his own two feet as he does. "You never said anything about us being mates!"
Taehyung blinks at him, just as confused. "I've been courting you for over a month. That's what wolves do once they've met their mate. What did you think all the gifts were for?"
"Courting!" Namjoon sputters. "I thought you were just being nice! I didn't know it was part of some werewolf mating ritual!"
"Courting isn't really a part of the mating ritual," Taehyung bites out, wincing when Namjoon's wide eyes do not relax. "Courting is meant to show your mate that you can provide for them and keep them happy. I thought you were aware of what was going on... Sorry."
Namjoon bites his lip, stepping forward when Taehyung scratches his neck nervously. "So, I'm your mate and you've been courting me."
Taehyung nods even though Namjoon didn't phrase that like a question. Namjoon takes another step forward, nervousness fading away as he begins to move confidently again.
"You could have just asked me out on a date like a normal person, you know," Namjoon points out. "Not that I'm complaining. It just would have saved us a lot of confusion."
"I'm not really a normal person though," Taehyung responds, "not normal at all."
"Neither am I," Namjoon allows after a moment has passed. "But still. It's the principle of the thing."
Taehyung only shrugs, not sure where they stand now.
Namjoon sighs and surges forward into Taehyung's space until he can wrap his arms around Taehyung's neck and pulls him close enough that their chests bump against one another. "This okay?"
"Yeah, s'fine," Taehyung croaks, wincing at the sound of his voice then freezing when he chances a glance up and finds Namjoon's warm gaze on him.
Everything is pretty warm right now actually. Namjoon's body, his hands, and his breaths that Taehyung can feel fanning against his own lips. He's almost too scared to move, not wanting to disrupt the moment. Namjoon's mouth is slanted with amusement though and something magical dances in his eyes, robbing Taehyung of his breath.
God, Namjoon is so beautiful. Taehyung doesn't understand how he could be so lucky to have a mate like him, but lucky he is.
"Good," Namjoon says right before he leans down and kisses him, the magic in him bursting to life between them.