35 ⋆ Scent

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Jungkook's POV

It had been two days since Jimin went silent and we were currently attempting to sniff the way to Jimin, our only option. We looked like complete idiots, our muzzles to the snow trying to get any trace of direction.

I sat at a tree stump in the middle of the forest, a large map of our territory and Donghae's spread out across the wooden surface. The corners flopped flimsily off the edges. My advisors looked over my shoulder, their cold breaths steaming around me as the cold wind carried the gentle fog into the grey sky.

I twiddled my middle finger and thumb, staring emotionlessly at nothing in particular far off in the forest. I could sense him breathing, feel the pulse of his heart in my brain, but I couldn't hear or see him, only feel.

My blood had turned cold days ago, meaning he was freezing and alone and the thought of it sent shivers down my spine; werewolves don't shiver. I growled lowly at the feeling and pulled my eyes away, looking at the map.

"His main pack is here, so Jimin could be anywhere in a radius from here... to here. Donghae would want to stay close to both him and his pack while keeping Jimin isolated." I listened as Taehyung talked and pointed at the rather small area around Donghae's pack, an area where Jimin could be held. I nodded slowly and sighed, leaning forward in my chair, resting my head in my hands.

"Pack up. We're moving out."

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Jimin's POV

I woke up slowly, feeling groggy and pained, unsure of what they had done to me. The world around me swirled as if I had had too much to drink and my vision had become distorted. My shaking hands slowly pushed me off of the straw floor of the shed they were keeping me in and I managed to sit up and look around with sore eyes.

Tears pooled in my eyes as I realized I was in Donghae's territory and Jungkook was miles away. Help was nowhere close.

I scooted up to one of the wooden walls, the cold of the outside hitting my bare skin through the cracks in the wood. I dropped my head in my arms which were crossed over my knees and cried pitifully as the eery silence of the outside filled my ears.

I closed my eyes tightly, desperately searching for Her, but I only see the black spots inside my eyes and a jumble of frantic and scared thoughts swirling like a tornado inside my head.

Jungkook was right, maybe the moon goddess, despite her being a goddess, cannot be trusted.

The wind howled painfully outside, a sign that it was snowing and blowing harshly.

The door unlocked, and two men stepped inside, assuming positions at either side of the door before the evil Alpha himself walked in with a stern face.

I kept my head low and prayed to the moon goddess herself or whatever other person was above that I would live through this.

He waved at the men to leave, and the two filed out behind him, shutting the door to leave Donghae and I alone.

I shook in my spot, glaring up at the man before me.

He slowly walked forward and squatted down beside me. I shuddered and turned my head away, curling in on myself and trying to get as far away from him as possible. Donghae tilted his head, still emotionless as his eyes scanned over me.

Donghae reached out and dragged the back of his index finger over my turned cheek, dragging it down slowly, making me whimper at the feeling.

Abruptly, he stood and turned away from me. "In the animal kingdom, the cheetahs hunt zebras, right?" He asked. I gave no answer, making him turn and look at me over his shoulder as if he was expecting me to say yes.

He pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow, turning back to pace more. He continued, "Well, when zebras sense a cheetah coming to hunt them, they run. It's instinct, you know? Same with a lamb and a wolf, or a rat and a cat. The cheetahs eventually outrun one of the zebra and take it down. They target one zebra and work together as a team to hunt it and eventually have it as dinner."

"Do you know what zebra they target?" He asked, looking at me once more. I remained quiet and looked away.

"Answer me!" He screamed, his face suddenly red as veins bulged from the side of his neck. I flinched and let out a loud whimper as he raised a hand, only to run the hand through his hair.

I sobbed and closed my eyes tight, shaking my head to show I didn't know why. He ran an anxious hand through his hair once more and sighed.

"They target the weak ones. Babies, elders, sick ones. You. You're the zebra, Jimin. And I am the cheetah. You're weak and easy to take down. You're my only chance at getting what I want. I want what your pitiful mate has- Alpha Jungkook... I want it all. I want every goddamn inch of the land he lives and breathes and fucks on." I finally looked up at him and glared, shaking my head at his filthy words.

"You'll never get it. Any of it. I know my Alpha and he'll defend all of Seoul until the very last drop of blood in his body. He'd never give anything to you. You are the Zebra, the weak one." I whispered out the last bit as tears continued to stream down my face.

Donghae's smirk slowly sunk into a scowl as his eyes went dark and eyebrows grew low and menacing. He charged forward, making my eyebrows widen as he grabbed my face harshly, making me cry out.

"I will have all of it!" Donghae screamed, spit flying onto my skin as my jaw ached, feeling as if it was about to break under his pressure. He slapped my face hard, sending me tumbling to the ground as he turned and walked out the shed, a harsh locking sound coming soon after.

I cried on the floor, holding myself as the straw pricked underneath me and the cold bit my skin and my jaw felt as if it had been shattered.

A fuzzy but soft, Jimin? slowly rang in my mind, making me sniffle and wipe my tears.

"Jungkook?" I whispered out loud, hoping he was nearby, and not just in my head.

Jimin, I've been trying to get ahold of you for two days. I felt pain, are you okay? he asked frantically. I began to cry a little bit more, the pain in my jaw feeling more and more intense.

He's using me to get your land. Don't give him anything, Jungkook. No matter what he does, don't give it to him. I said.

Did he do something to you? Jungkook asked.

He grabbed my jaw and hit me. I'm okay. I think I hear someone coming again, I whispered mentally and closed my eyes.

The door unlocked once more and a very little girl brought in a plate of food and water, looking at me cautiously as I lazily looked up at her.

"Hi," I said weakly, wondering why they let someone so young come in to deal with me.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you." She said, standing and staring at me, the tray of food resting in her hands.

"I know," I whispered and closed my eyes again, feeling her eyes still on me. I opened one eye and met hers as she continued to look at me.

"What's your name?" I asked softly, carefully pushing myself off of the floor once more.

"Diana." I smiled and rubbed my sore jaw.

"That's very pretty. I like your name."

"Why are you locked up out here?" She questioned.

I shook my head and looked at her. "I'm your enemy Jeon pack's Luna. My name is Jimin. I'm mated to Alpha Jeon Jungkook." I told her and looked down, his face running through my mind and making me sad.

"Alpha Donghae says the Jeon pack's Alpha will come and rapes all of the women and kills all the children."

I raised an eyebrow at her strong words and shook my head, chuckling at the absurdity. "That's going to be hard considering he's gay and he's very kind." I looked up at her, an unexpected emotionless face staring back at me. I swallowed and looked down, realizing this was going nowhere.

"I'm not hungry. You should take that back with you and go before they can hurt you for talking to me." I slowly lay back down on the straw and turned on my side, my back facing her. The door closed and locked moments later, the sound of my stomach growling filling the air.

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Jungkook's POV

My black fur shines from the reflected light from the snow. My jaw ached as if I had been hit straight across the jaw. I groaned and shook my head lightly, his pain lingering within me.

We padded through the thick and heavy snow, my eyes trained on my giant black paws below me as the cold snow clung to the fur. Each step I took was closer to Jimin. I looked up finally at the group of wolves around me, all of us wadding slowly and quietly through the foot deep icy snow.

The pain in my jaw came again and I almost whimpered, wondering what they were doing to him. I let out a steaming breath of stress into the air, the fog drifting up through the forest. I slowed and eventually stopped as the rest of the group continued to walk around me.

With my head lifted to the sky, I shifted back into my human form, naked in the freezing cold, feeling nothing but the pain in my jaw and in my heart.

I squatted down and grabbed a handful of snow, running it through my fingers before lifting it to my nose and identifying the faint, but present, scent of him.

I closed my eyes and held onto the smell of him for as long as I could before the snow gradually melted between my fingers. My eyes opened to a wet hand and an even lesser abundance of his scent.

I shifted back into my wolf a few moments after and promised to myself I'd bring him home soon.

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