Chapter Text
Jungkook let out a sharp breath as he watched Jimin hesitate.
The court must have noticed it too, because someone asked again, "Park Jimin, is all of this true? Did they do it to save your life?"
"It's..." Jimin stopped for a moment before raising his voice. "It's true. I was on the verge of death when Jaejoon hyung found me. I was in so much pain, and I was about to take my last breath. I guess... that was the only way to save me."
Jungkook fixed his gaze on Jimin, trying to make him look at him, trying to reach him somehow and make him understand what he was doing.
But no.
The blond had completely shut him out.
He wasn't looking at him, and Jungkook couldn't feel him through the bond either.
Jungkook forced himself to stay calm despite the heat rising in his chest.
Okay.
He could understand this.
For most of his life, Jaejoon had been all Jimin knew. And until the truth came out, he had been kind to him. He had taken care of him.
And Jimin had... loved him.
It couldn't be easy to condeming him to decay.
So Jungkook swallowed the ache in his chest as the court continued.
"After you turned, how did they treat you? What was your life with them like?"
Jimin blinked. Then a faint, ghostlike smile appeared on his lips.
"Actually, after the transformation was complete, Jaejoon hyung taught me everything. Baby steps. How to hunt. How to adjust to being a vampire. He took care of me. He loved me."
Jungkook's chest tightened painfully.
His alpha was restless. Unhappy.
Several members of the court exchanged glances before one of the wolves spoke.
"But he changed your nature. He turned you into the opposite of what you were born to be."
Jimin nodded.
"Yes. But I only remember my life as a vampire. I can only connect to the vampire version of myself. And I don't think that's wrong. It's who I am now."
One of the vampires leaned forward.
"I know the wolves won't understand this, but being a vampire isn't what they think it is. We act more rationally. More true to ourselves than to others." His gaze settled on Jimin. "So let me ask you this, Park Jimin. Do you want to return to being a wolf? Because if you don't, you can remain a vampire. The choice is yours."
Murmurs immediately broke out among the wolves.
Jungkook frowned as he watched confusion flicker across Jimin's face.
His eyes drifted toward Jaejoon, searching for an answer there.
To Jungkook, the choice seemed as clear as daylight.
Apparently, for Jimin, it wasn't.
Jimin cleared his throat.
"I... I want to be alive again. And..." His voice faltered. "I have a true mate who will die if I don't complete the bond."
Jungkook couldn't believe his ears.
Jimin was making it sound like an obligation.
Like a responsibility.
Not a choice.
The vampire who had asked the question simply shrugged.
"It's not your obligation to save him," he said. "I'm asking what you want, Jimin."
"I-I do want to mate him," Jimin answered in a weak voice.
The uncertainty in his tone made something inside Jungkook twist painfully. Even through the fever burning in his body, his alpha grew more restless.
One of the wolves shot the vampire a glare before turning back to Jimin.
"I think the real question is this: if you were the one deciding their punishment, what would you do?"
Jungkook sensed the answer before Jimin even opened his mouth.
His alpha let out a pained growl inside him.
"I can't condemn him to death just because he saved my life," Jimin said quietly. "I think there's something this court doesn't understand. Love can make people do things that look wrong. Maybe what they did was wrong, but there's one thing I'm certain of—and that's the love Jaejoon hyung has for me."
Jungkook saw the look on Jaejoon's face.
As if he had known all along that this would be Jimin's answer.
As if he had never doubted it for a second.
Then those red eyes shifted toward Jungkook.
And Jaejoon smirked.
Jungkook's skin crawled.
For a brief moment, it felt less like a smile and more like a victory.
Then Jimin finally looked at him.
For the first time since the hearing had begun.
The blond's eyes were apologetic.
And somehow that hurt far more than if he had looked away.
Jungkook couldn't breathe.
The court announced a fifteen-minute recess.
The moment they were dismissed, Jungkook pushed himself to his feet and headed outside in search of air.
He wasn't sure whether his burning eyes were from the fever, the anger, or the hurt lodged inside his chest.
Maybe all three.
"Jungkook!"
He turned sharply at the sound of his name.
Jimin was hurrying after him.
Jungkook stopped, every muscle in his body tense.
The apologetic look was still there.
And it only made something inside him snap tighter.
"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice low and restrained.
Jimin looked at him sadly.
"Jungkook, I..." He swallowed. "You have to understand me. I can't let him decay."
Maybe in a different situation, Jungkook could have understood.
Maybe if Jimin wasn't standing in front of him fidgeting like that. Maybe if his eyes didn't look so empty.
But right now, with the pain in his neck from the half-formed bond and everything he was feeling in the moment, he couldn't.
"Why?" he asked.
Jimin blinked.
"He saved my life, Jungkook. If we're standing here today, it's thanks to him."
Jungkook scoffed.
"Do you even hear yourself? If he was really trying to save you, he would have taken you to a healer, not cursed you like that."
Jimin sighed.
"He did it because of love."
Jungkook was growing more irritated with every second.
"He saw something beautiful that he wanted to have and acted on his selfish desire. That's not love," he said through clenched teeth.
Jimin’s eyes turned sharp. “I cheated on him with you. I hurt him incredibly badly. Now on top of that, you want me to end his life because he saved me? You think your love is valid because your instincts want me, but his isn’t because he wants me the same way?”
Jungkook took a step back, panting in frustration and hurt. “Jimin, you are my mate. My true mate. You belong with me. How can you compare him to me? It’s not the same thing!”
“And I’m staying with you, right?” Jimin raised his voice, equally frustrated. “At least let him exist somewhere. Let me know he’s okay—somewhere.”
Jungkook stared at him for a moment, unable to recognize the blond in front of him. For a second, it felt like he didn’t know Jimin at all.
They had only known each other for a few weeks and knew almost nothing about one another. For a wolf, that would normally be enough—an immediate bond was all the confirmation they needed. But apparently, for Jimin, it wasn’t that simple.
“Do you… still have feelings for him?” Jungkook asked, the question pained. It was eating him alive.
Jimin’s eyes widened. “I… I am… it’s not like that. It’s…” He stammered, then his eyes turned glossy. “I know what we have is a great bond. Something right out of a fairytale. But, Jungkook… when the wolves kidnapped me, I was still in love with him. Then this bond created something between us—this pull, this desire—but I… we have so much history. I just can’t let go of everything because of the fact that he lied to me like that. Feelings don’t disappear like that.”
Jungkook felt his alpha growl low inside him, an urge to go after Jaejoon burning beneath his skin. But he forced himself to stay focused on Jimin—who was now looking at him coldly, which tightened something painfully in his chest. His neck throbbed with dull pain.
A call to continue the court interrupted them. Jimin studied his face. “Let’s talk about this later. Just… please don’t dwell on this too much,” he said, then ran back to the court.
Jungkook stood there, dumbfounded. The fever running through his body blurred his thoughts, but something deeper felt wrong—like everything had shifted without him noticing.
As he walked back toward the court, he thought this day would not end like this. He felt as if he was losing a war he didn’t even know he was fighting.
The verdict was clear—lighter and simpler than expected. Jaejoon and Myung were exiled from the Lee clan, forced to live on their own in uncharted territory. Even Myung was not stripped of his powers, because according to the vampires, although they had violated the laws of nature too severely, they had also saved the life of a natural enemy.
Jungkook looked up just in time to see Jimin smiling at Jaejoon.
Jaejoon, in return, looked at him with quiet gratitude.
***
Jaejoon and Myung were back in the dungeons once again. Namjoon insisted they stay one more night to prepare the necessary documents. In truth, Jungkook could tell the head alpha was still trying to turn the situation around, clearly shocked at how the verdict had ended up this way.
Jungkook sat in Namjoon’s quarters with Namjoon, Yoongi, Hoseok, and Jimin. They were all silent—no one quite knowing how to act after the verdict.
Then Jimin broke the silence. Clearing his throat, he looked at them hesitantly.
“I know you’re all angry at me. I know this wasn’t what you wanted, but… I had my reasons.”
Yoongi studied him with a frown, while Namjoon asked calmly, “What are those reasons? I told you, you have nothing to be afraid of.”
Jimin locked eyes with him. “I wasn’t afraid. To be honest… he promised me something I couldn’t refuse.”
Jungkook jolted slightly. The idea of a deal he hadn’t been aware of made him even more tense. “What are you talking about?” he asked sharply.
Jimin glanced at him, suddenly shy. “He promised me that if I saved him, he would tell me where my family is.”
Jungkook’s frown deepened, and Namjoon repeated, “Your family?”
Jimin nodded. “He said I have a family. He knows where they are, and not even wolves can find them. Only he knows. I thought there was no harm in letting him go and letting him live his life. I mean… he did save my life, and he promised not to come after Jungkook. He just wants to exist.”
Jungkook couldn’t believe his ears. Nothing about this felt believable. “And you trusted him? After everything? He’s a manipulator. He’s been manipulating you for years. He’ll come after you,” he said firmly.
Jimin turned to him, closing his eyes for a moment. “I understand your concern, but I know him, okay? I know he loves me. He won’t hurt me.”
Jungkook stood up in anger. “That’s not love!” he shouted.
Jimin looked at him like he had lost his mind. “Can you be more logical about this? You’re reacting too much. I’ve lived on my own and made my own decisions all my life. I know what I’m doing.”
Jungkook was breathing heavily, his back damp with sweat from the fever burning through him. “You didn’t even talk to me about this,” he muttered.
Jimin frowned. “I can decide the most important thing in my life by myself.”
Hoseok stepped closer to Jungkook. “You look bad.”
Jungkook shook his head. “I’m fine.”
Jimin studied him for a moment. “How much time is left… to complete the bond?” he asked softly, clearly asking how long Jungkook had left to live.
Jungkook answered before anyone else could. “Months.” The lie came easily—too easily.
Hoseok shot him a sharp look, and Namjoon turned back to Jimin. “So… are you sure this is what you want? To let them go?”
Jimin nodded firmly. “Yes. Above everything… I can’t let people who became like a family to me be destroyed like this.”
Jungkook was losing his mind. His alpha was growling, thrashing inside him—pressing against his control, urging him to grab the blond and bite him right there. But Jungkook was not someone like that. Not now. Jimin was clearly confused, and apparently still had feelings for that vampire.
Hoseok studied Jimin carefully before asking, “So what’s your plan? You’ll learn your family’s location from him, then?”
Jimin looked at him, hesitating. He bit his lip. “He said he can show me the place. Since Jungkook isn’t feeling well, it would be better if I go with him. He’ll be traveling anyway for exile. Then once I find my family, I’ll come back for the mating. Is that okay?” he asked, now looking directly at Jungkook.
The alpha forgot how to breathe.
He just stared into the hopeful red eyes of the vampire.
Did he not understand wolf nature at all? Jimin was completely a vampire now, right? Otherwise he would never ask such a question.
Jungkook turned abruptly and ran out the door, desperate for air. The oxygen burned his lungs. Tears stung at his eyes. His alpha was on the brink of losing control. How had everything changed so quickly?
Hoseok followed him immediately. “Jungkook, are you okay?”
“Of course not,” he hissed, even though Hoseok wasn’t at fault. “How? I don’t understand! I was willing to let him go—if that was what he wanted, I was ready to let him go even if it meant losing my life. But… he said he wanted to stay. He told that vampire he belongs to me. We are true mates, for God’s sake! So why does he want to go with him?”
Hoseok looked at him with pity. “Jungkook, he’s a vampire now. He doesn’t know or feel wolf emotions. He doesn’t understand what he’s doing. I can understand why he’s confused, and why he wants to see his family. So tell him the truth—you don’t have months. At most, two weeks. Tell him to reconsider.”
Jungkook shook his head sharply. “Never. You’re right—he is confused, everything with me, the bond, the instincts… it’s all confusing him. But now he’s hesitating. This family topic is his weakness. He wants to go with him.”
“You’re not okay, Jungkook. You can’t think clearly. Please, at least let me talk to him,” Hoseok said.
“Don’t you dare,” Jungkook growled.
Then, after a tense breath, he said, “Take me to Jaejoon.”
“What?” Hoseok frowned.
“I want to talk to him,” Jungkook said firmly.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” the beta refused.
Jungkook’s eyes darkened. “Fine. I’ll go myself.”
He started walking toward the dungeons.
Hoseok hurried after him. “Okay, okay—let’s go together.”
***
They stared at each other through the bars between them. Myung sat in the shadows, barely visible, while Jaejoon remained in full view.
Jungkook stood tall despite his weakened state, while Hoseok stayed right behind him, ready to catch him if necessary.
“Came to say goodbye?” Jaejoon asked finally.
His voice grated against Jungkook’s ears. Right now, there was no one he hated more than this man.
“What’s your goal?” Jungkook asked sharply.
Jaejoon frowned. “What?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know,” Jungkook hissed. “What are you trying to do with Jimin? This family deal—what is it?”
Jaejoon nodded slowly, as if it clicked. “Ah… so you’re doubting my motives. Don’t worry. All I want is to exist. I promised Jimin I wouldn’t hurt you.”
Jungkook scoffed. As if that mattered.
“I can see you’re manipulating Jimin again to take him with you,” he said coldly. “But I won’t allow it. Not like this. If he truly wanted to go with you, I would stay silent—but not this way.”
Jaejoon let out a quiet laugh, genuinely amused. “Manipulating him? Really? You think that? Why? What makes you so sure Jimin is doing this out of obligation and not because he wants to?”
Jungkook’s glare deepened. “Because Jimin wouldn’t do something like this otherwise.”
Jaejoon’s smile widened. “Jimin wouldn’t… and how do you know that? Do you really know him? He cheated on me with you. What makes you think he’ll stay loyal to you?”
Jungkook stepped back slightly, his alpha straining against control. “I am his true mate,” he said low and firm.
Jaejoon nodded. “So? Jimin is still a vampire. Yes, you confused him—but that’s it. Can’t you see? God, you wolves are too emotional.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“Do you think you’re the first? Didn’t you ever wonder why Jimin was so certain I would kill you if I found out about you? Because this wasn’t the first time he cheated on me. Jimin is like that—he likes pushing things to the edge. Yes, this is different, what you two have is different—but Jimin isn’t built to understand it. He’ll fall back into his pattern. You can already see it—he’s hesitating.”
His smile sharpened.
“I didn’t force him to come with me to find his family. He agreed on his own. Because he’s trying to find an excuse not to mate you and to come with me instead. Despite everything.”
He spoke with unsettling confidence.
“And look at you,” Jaejoon continued as Jungkook stayed silent. “On the verge of death. Do you really think Jimin doesn’t see that? He’s ignoring the fact that you’re about to die. He’s curious, confused—yes. The bond, the chance to feel alive again, all of it is clouding him. But you’re ignoring everything else: what he was as a vampire, the comfort of immortality, his attachment to me. You’re ignoring years of history. I didn’t build what we had in a day—I worked for it.”
Hoseok grabbed Jungkook’s arm.
“Jungkook, don’t listen to this leech. Let’s go. He’s talking nonsense.”
Jungkook nodded faintly. He didn’t even have the strength to argue. It already hurt too much.
***
Jungkook found Jimin sitting on the chair when he entered the cottage. The blond stood up immediately upon seeing him.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice full of concern.
Jungkook nodded. He tried once again, desperately, to reach the bond—but there was nothing. Jimin was completely shut off.
“Is this really what you want?” he asked, exhausted.
Jimin sighed. “I want to find my family.”
Jungkook shook his head. “No, Jimin. That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking if you really want to go with him. You know I can come with you. I’ll search for your family with you.”
Jimin averted his gaze. “You’re not well, Jungkook. I don’t want to burden you with this. Rest. I’ll come back once I find them.”
Jungkook frowned again, anger rising once more. His alpha stretched painfully inside him.
“Jimin…” he started, wanting to ask why the hell he was being pushed aside like this—but he stopped.
How could he stop him when this was clearly what the vampire wanted?
Jimin stood there, looking at him with empty, unreadable eyes.
Jungkook swallowed hard.
He had to let him go. If Jimin came back in time, maybe they still had a future. If not…
“…Okay,” he said quietly. “If that’s what you want. Go.”
Jimin’s eyes brightened slightly. “Then I’ll leave with them tomorrow morning.”
Jungkook nodded. “How are you going to feed?”
Jimin shrugged. “I can find humans on the road. Don’t worry.”
And with that, he turned and walked upstairs, leaving Jungkook alone.
Jungkook stared after him in shock.
Then he collapsed into the chair, completely drained.
His alpha was screaming at him to lock the blond in the basement again and wait until he came to his senses. But Jungkook couldn’t do it.
He couldn’t force him.
It was true—they barely knew anything about each other. But Jimin was his true mate.
And maybe, if he wasn’t standing on the edge of death, if he could think clearly, he would find a solution.
But right now, all he wanted… was for the pain to stop.
***
In a couple of hours, Jimin returned, looking hesitant. Jungkook stared at him immediately.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
Jimin shook his head. “No, it’s just… is it okay if I go see Jaejoon hyung now?”
Jungkook took a slow, painful breath. “Why? You’ll be going with him in the morning.”
Jimin fidgeted slightly. “There’s something I need to confirm.”
Jungkook nodded stiffly. “You can go. Ask Hoseok hyung.”
Jimin smiled excitedly. “I’ll be quick.”
And with that, he practically skipped out the door.
Jungkook sat there for a moment, a strange feeling tightening in his chest. Something was off. Too many things were off.
Maybe Hoseok was right. Maybe he should have told Jimin that when he returned, he might no longer be here. Maybe then the blond would act differently—not out of pity, but fear of losing him. Maybe Jimin was simply confused, and he had every right to be. He had gone through too much in such a short time.
Maybe he just needed confirmation.
Maybe Jungkook was the one overreacting.
He stood up.
He was going to follow him.
If he talked to them together, things would become clearer. He could see Jimin’s emotions for that vampire directly. He could understand his real intentions.
He walked in a haze toward the dungeons.
At the door, he asked one of the guards, “Is Jimin here?”
The guard gave him a blank look. Jungkook exhaled sharply.
“The blond vampire,” he clarified.
The guard nodded. “He’s inside.”
Jungkook took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever he might see.
But nothing could have prepared him for what waited inside.
Because there was no room left for doubt.
Jimin was leaning against the bars—kissing the older vampire through them.
Jungkook’s alpha snapped violently to the surface, a low, feral growl ripping from his throat as he stepped forward.
Jimin jolted and turned, shock flooding his face.
Jungkook felt like his mind was shattering.
His mate—his true mate—was kissing someone else in front of him.
His entire body burned. His chest felt like it was being torn open from the inside. His alpha went wild, growling nonstop, fighting to break free, barely held back from shifting completely.
Jimin looked at him, guilt and panic flashing in his eyes.
But Jaejoon remained calm.
Smiling.
As if to say: What did you expect?
Jungkook’s last remaining sanity snapped as he turned and walked into the dark forest, trying not to break anything, not to destroy anything, not to do something he could never take back.
He was barely holding himself together.
“Jungkook!”
He turned sharply and saw Jimin running after him, tears in his eyes.
Jungkook hissed, signaling him to stop right there. He didn’t want him close—not even a step nearer. Even his wolf demanded distance, too wounded by the betrayal. For wolves, especially true mates, something like this could not be undone. Not after seeing it. Not after witnessing something like that.
“Just go, Jimin,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
“I’m sorry,” Jimin said weakly. “I’m so sorry. Jungkook, I swear I didn’t want it to happen like this.”
“Shut up,” Jungkook growled. “Just go! You don’t understand how hard it is for me to control myself right now!”
Jimin stepped back, staring at him in fear.
“Jungkook… I feel the bond between us, and I do want this, but I can’t control my heart. I was in love with him when they captured me. We never really broke up—it just… happened. And then this bond came, and I got confused. I’m still confused.”
His voice broke.
“Despite everything… despite this bond pulling at me and hurting me for doing this to you… I can’t help it. I still long for Jaejoon hyung.”
Jungkook felt a single tear slip from his right eye. The pain in his chest was unlike anything he had ever known—raw, consuming, like it was tearing him apart from the inside. For a moment, he genuinely wanted to disappear. To stop feeling altogether.
There was no reason left. No justification. Not for what Jimin had done, not for what he was, not for anything that had led them here.
He forced himself to breathe through the burning in his lungs and took a slow step forward, then another. His movements were controlled only by sheer restraint—by the effort not to destroy everything around him.
He stopped at a careful distance from the blond vampire.
Jimin flinched slightly and took a step back. Fear flickered in his eyes.
Jungkook stared at him. Really stared. But there was nothing there anymore. No warmth. No recognition of what they had been.
Only emptiness.
“Don’t ever come back here,” he said, his voice low and restrained, every word held together by force.
Jimin swallowed, eyes glassy. “I… I don’t want you to die.”
Jungkook’s jaw tightened.
Of course. Even now.
“That’s not your concern,” he said coldly. “Do you think I’d die for you? For someone without a soul?” His voice cracked slightly, but he didn’t stop. “I’ll replace the mark. I’ll find someone else. Someone who actually has a heart.”
The words tasted like poison even as he said them.
Jimin’s expression broke further.
“I had a heart once too,” he whispered. His voice was barely audible now. “Maybe… if we had met before all of this, we could’ve had that fairytale you think exists.”
A sad, broken smile appeared on his lips.
“But you see… I’m part of a horror story now.”
Jungkook’s breath caught.
Jimin’s gaze lingered on him one last time, trembling with something like apology, something like goodbye.
“Goodbye, Jungkook,” he said softly. “I know it doesn’t mean the same for you… but I’m glad I met you.”
He turned.
And walked away.
Out of Jungkook’s life completely.
***
As dawn slowly broke, awareness began to settle over him in heavy waves.
Jungkook was sitting in the same spot in the forest. He hadn’t moved since Jimin left.
If the half-bond hadn’t been draining him so badly, he would have already stood up, destroyed everything in his path, and followed his doom somewhere far away from the mountains. But now… he didn’t even have the strength for that.
He heard footsteps approaching. A familiar scent—Namjoon.
The head alpha sighed when he saw him. “Jungkook! Where were you?”
Jungkook lifted bloodshot eyes. “What?”
Namjoon frowned. “Did something happen?”
Jungkook looked away. “Nothing more than what already happened.”
Namjoon hesitated, then spoke carefully. “Jimin is leaving.”
Jungkook clenched his teeth. “I know.”
“Jaejoon and Myung are being released too,” Namjoon continued. “Maybe you want to see Jimin before he goes.”
“I don’t,” Jungkook said flatly.
Namjoon swallowed. “You’ll never see him again.”
Jungkook closed his eyes in pain. Something inside him cracked again.
“I don’t want to,” he said quietly.
Namjoon sighed. “Then at least go back to your cottage. Don’t sit here alone.”
Jungkook stood up and followed him, moving like a ghost—present, but not really there.
When they stepped into the open area, he felt eyes on him.
They were there, signing documents. The final decisions were being made.
Jaejoon looked up and smiled at him calmly, as if nothing had happened. Myung stood behind him in silence, half-hidden beneath his cloak.
And Jimin…
Jimin was there.
Too close to Jaejoon.
His eyes were puffy, his red gaze distant. He looked at Jungkook like he was a stranger.
Like they had never shared that bond between them.
Jungkook’s chest tightened painfully.
Yes.
That was what they were now.
Nothing.
“Tell him to stay,” Namjoon whispered.
Jungkook gave a weak, bitter smirk. The head alpha still didn’t understand. Still hoped.
But last night had already killed hope.
Still… Jungkook walked forward.
Straight toward them.
Jaejoon raised a brow when he saw him. Jimin’s eyes widened for a brief second—then quickly fell back into emptiness.
He stood right in front of them, Namjoon just behind him.
His wolf was completely silent now—no longer growling, no longer fighting. Only a hollow desperation remained, trying to catch Jimin’s scent one last time. But even that failed him. Nothing reached him anymore, and that absence only made everything worse.
Jungkook’s gaze locked onto the blond.
“I can understand,” he said, voice low and controlled, “how blinded he was by your beauty. How he turned you into a monster just to have you.”
Jimin didn’t react.
“But you’ll never understand what it feels like,” Jungkook continued, his voice tightening, “to be alive and loved by me.”
His breath hitched slightly.
“You would’ve been even more beautiful than this,” he said, eyes burning now. “But I guess this is what you want. To be dead… and to rot together with him.”
A bitter laugh escaped him.
“Actually,” he added, voice turning colder, sharper, “I understand your choice now. I almost agree with it.”
Jimin’s fingers curled tightly at his sides. His jaw tensed, his eyes turning watery—trembling as if he was fighting something inside himself—but he didn’t speak.
Jungkook’s eyes narrowed.
“We would never have worked,” he said. “Maybe before all of this, maybe if we met differently… but not like this.”
His voice dropped lower.
“You’ve become everything I stand against.”
A pause.
“There’s no going back.”
For a brief second, something flickered in Jimin’s expression—pain, raw and real. For a moment, Jungkook thought he saw the Jimin from the beginning again.
But it vanished just as quickly.
His face went blank.
“Glad you understand,” he whispered.
Then he reached out and took Jaejoon’s hand firmly.
Jungkook froze.
He watched them.
Hand in hand.
Together.
Jaejoon and Jimin turned away and walked, Myung following behind them in silence.
Something inside Jungkook broke cleanly this time—quiet, final.
His alpha went completely silent.
No rage. No fight. No instinct left to follow.
Just emptiness.
He turned slightly toward Namjoon, voice hollow.
“I’d like to be alone,” he said.
And without waiting for a response, he walked past him—back toward his cottage.
To wait for his end alone.
***
Jimin woke up gasping in the darkness.
He lay there for a moment, panting, disoriented, before a sharp ache spread through his chest—so intense it stole his breath. It didn’t feel like physical pain. It felt like something had been torn out of him.
A figure immediately moved beside him, taking his hands in cold ones.
His eyes, now adjusted to the dark, recognized him.
“My moonshine,” Jaejoon said softly, worried. “Are you okay? You were asleep for hours.”
Something in Jimin cracked.
He suddenly broke into tears.
It wasn’t quiet. It wasn’t controlled. It came out as a raw, broken sound—like something inside him had shattered completely. He curled forward, sobbing into the darkness, overwhelmed by a pain he couldn’t name but somehow understood.
Loss.
Longing.
Something he could never reach again.
Cold arms wrapped around him.
“Shh,” Jaejoon whispered, holding him closer. “It will pass. Everything will be okay, my moonshine. I promise… you won’t regret choosing me. I’ll make you forget him. Everything will go back to how it was before. I swear to you.”