Chapter Text
Taehyung lets his sharp gaze wander over his territory. Every morning, he comes up here to watch as everyone slowly wakes up and begins their day. From this hill, he has a perfect view of most of the territory, from the small houses scattered between the trees to the training grounds where the first wolves are already beginning their morning exercises. The fresh air blows his blond hair away from his forehead, and he has to blink as the sun slowly appears on the horizon, bathing the landscape in the warm golden light of early morning.
He loves the quiet up here. Although he is someone who enjoys being around people and can only feel completely happy when he is surrounded by the ones he loves, there are moments when even he needs some time alone. Especially when you are the leader of a pack, there is hardly ever a moment when you can simply be yourself without having to think about someone else's safety, someone else's problems, or the next decision that needs to be made.
A great responsibility rests on his shoulders, and if he is honest with himself, the thought of everything he could lose scares him sometimes. The entire pack relies on him, and he doesn't know how he would continue living if he ever disappointed them. If he made the wrong decision and someone got hurt because of it, he knows he would never be able to forgive himself.
At the same time, Taehyung also knows that this fear is ultimately what made him strong. It taught him to be careful, to think ahead, and to never underestimate the people standing against him. It was this fear that pushed him to become better every single day and eventually allowed him to build one of the strongest packs in the region.
After both of his parents died during an attack by the Busan pack, he became the leader at only seventeen years old. He had barely been old enough to understand what it meant to be responsible for himself, let alone for an entire pack, but there had been no one else to take his place. His training had been hard, and his instructors had been even harder, but Taehyung had always been ambitious. Once he had decided that something was his goal, there was hardly anything anyone could do to make him give up.
Now, at twenty-eight, he knows his pack better than he knows his own body. He knows every path through the forest, every hidden clearing, every river crossing and every place where someone could enter their territory without immediately being noticed. His reputation has travelled far beyond the borders of his own pack, and most wolves know him as a strict and rather heartless leader.
Taehyung doesn't care about that.
As long as his own pack knows who he really is, the wolves outside can think whatever they want. He would do anything for his people..
“Tae!” The excited voice of his best friend makes him turn around almost instantly. Jimin is running toward him, his breathing slightly uneven from the speed at which he must have made his way up the hill. There is a serious expression on his face, one that immediately tells Taehyung that something has happened.
“What is it?” Taehyung asks, already straightening his posture.
But before Jimin can even open his mouth, Taehyung smells it himself.
His expression changes immediately.
A foreign wolf.
He looks at Jimin, silently demanding an explanation.
“An intruder,” Jimin says, still trying to catch his breath. “Yoongi and Jin are already on his trail, but we could use some help. He's pretty fast.”
Taehyung takes another breath, allowing the unfamiliar scent to settle in his senses.
“I can smell him. Where did you pick up his trail?”
“At the supplies,” Jimin answers. “He must have been really hungry if he came that close to our territory.”
Taehyung lets out a dismissive snort.
“Or he was simply incredibly stupid.”
Jimin gives him an annoyed look. “You could at least pretend to take this seriously.”
“I am taking it seriously.”
“You don't sound like it.”
Taehyung studies him for a moment, until the faintest hint of amusement flickers in his eyes. “I’m serious enough to catch him, aren’t I?”
“Tae, he’s probably from Busan,” Jimin adds, his voice turning more solemn. The words make Taehyung go completely still. “I recognized the scent.”
“Are you sure?”
Jimin nods, already turning toward the forest. Taehyung follows without another word. They need to find the wolf –and fast. It can’t be anything good if one of the Busan wolves has made it all the way to Daegu.
The panic Taehyung has spent years keeping buried whenever Busan comes up threatens to rise to the surface once more. He forces it back down. There’s no time for fear. Not now.
He has to give everything he has to finding that wolf. He is the alpha. And he will protect his pack, just as he has for more than ten years.
They don't get far before Taehyung shifts into his wolf form and rushes after him. The transformation comes naturally after years of training, and the moment his paws touch the ground, his senses sharpen considerably. The sounds of the forest become clearer, every movement between the trees catches his attention, and most importantly, the scent of the stranger becomes much easier to follow.
Except there is something strange about it.
Taehyung has never smelled anything quite like it before.
The scent is unusually strong, almost overpowering, and the longer he follows it, the more difficult it becomes to focus on anything else. It feels as though his entire body is instinctively concentrating on finding this one particular wolf.
He probably hasn't washed in weeks, Taehyung thinks, slightly disgusted as the scent fills his nose again. Who smells this strongly?
He lets out a short howl, signaling the others and showing them which direction they need to take. From this point on, he takes the lead, and Jimin follows close behind him.
The bright fur of his best friend flashes between the trees as they continue deeper into the forest. A few minutes later, another wolf joins them from the left, his gray fur almost blending into the shadows of the trees.
Yoongi.
His eyes remain fixed straight ahead as he follows the trail, and Taehyung has to suppress an eye roll. Of course Yoongi is taking the mission so seriously that he won't even risk looking to the side for a second. Taehyung has never been entirely sure whether he admires this quality or simply finds it amusing, but knowing Yoongi, he would probably get offended if Taehyung told him the latter.
A sudden crack from the right makes Taehyung turn his head just in time to see Jin racing through the trees. The brown wolf nearly crashes into him before slowing down enough to bump his shoulder against Taehyung's and let out a short howl.
Unlike Yoongi, Jin has never had a problem making his opinion about a situation very obvious, and judging by the sound of his howl, he is clearly not impressed with having to run through half the forest first thing in the morning.
Taehyung ignores him and focuses on the scent again.
They are getting closer.
He can feel it.
The scent becomes stronger with every step, until suddenly it is so intense that Taehyung almost loses his concentration completely. He slows down without meaning to, his paws stumbling slightly over the uneven ground as his vision suddenly becomes blurry.
He blinks several times, trying to clear his head, but the strange sensation doesn't disappear.
Instead, the scent seems to become even stronger.
Taehyung stops for a moment, breathing heavily as he tries to understand what is happening to him. His ears twitch at every sound around him, but somehow all of them seem distant, as though his senses have narrowed down to one single thing.
The stranger.
Whoever he is, he is close.
Much closer than Taehyung had expected.
His eyes wander over the dense forest until they finally settle on a dark opening hidden behind thick green bushes. A cave. It is almost impossible to see from where they are standing, and Taehyung immediately realizes that it is the perfect place for someone to hide.
He confidently starts walking toward it, the others following closely behind him. The scent becomes stronger with every step they take, and when it suddenly becomes almost overwhelming, Taehyung knows that they have finally found him. His body tenses, and a low growl escapes his throat as he approaches the entrance of the cave.
He steps inside without hesitation, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. He can barely make out the shapes of the rocks around him when something suddenly moves in front of him. Before he has the chance to react, the stranger throws himself at him with incredible force, and Taehyung feels sharp teeth sink into the side of his neck.
A howl escapes him as he crashes to the ground, his paws instinctively trying to push the other wolf away. The pain shoots through his body, burning hot beneath his fur, and for a moment he can do nothing but struggle against the attacker. Then the stranger lets go and disappears back into the darkness of the forest.
That bastard bit him in the neck.
Taehyung's anger immediately replaces the pain. He pushes himself back onto his feet, shakes his head once and follows after the others, who are already chasing the stranger through the forest. He doesn't care that his neck is still burning or that he can feel warm blood running down his fur. There is absolutely no way he is going to let this spy get away after such a cowardly attack. If anything, the injury only makes him more determined to catch him.
A low growl rumbles through his chest as he increases his speed, easily overtaking the others. His paws hit the ground faster and faster as he follows the scent, his anger pushing him forward even though every movement makes the wound on his neck sting. He can hear Jimin and Jin somewhere behind him, while Yoongi keeps close enough for Taehyung to sense his presence, but he doesn't turn around to check on them. Right now, there is only one thing that matters.
Something suddenly flashes between the trees ahead of him, moving so quickly that Taehyung almost misses it. The wolf is like a shadow, slipping between the trees with an agility that makes him difficult to follow, but fortunately for Taehyung, the stranger suddenly runs directly into a patch of sunlight.
For the first time, Taehyung gets a clear look at him.
Midnight-black fur.
His eyes narrow as he recognizes the direction the wolf is taking, and he huffs amused. He knows exactly where the stranger is running.
And that means he is practically finished.
Taehyung pushes himself even harder, and the others quickly follow him as they race through the forest. The trees begin to thin out until suddenly they break through the last line of them and reach the edge of a steep cliff. Taehyung immediately slows down, while the black wolf comes to an abrupt stop a few meters in front of them.
There is nowhere left for him to go.
The cliff stretches behind him, and the forest surrounds him from every other direction. For a moment, the stranger simply stands there, breathing heavily as he looks around, clearly trying to find some kind of escape route. When he realizes there isn't one, he slowly turns around and faces Taehyung.
A deep growl rises from his chest as he bares his sharp teeth, his eyes fixed angrily on Taehyung.
Taehyung watches him with an amused expression.
He has to admit that the wolf is impressive. Even though he is surrounded and clearly knows that he has been cornered, he doesn't lower his head or show any obvious sign of submission. His body remains tense, his muscles ready to react at any moment, and there is something almost wild in the way his dark eyes stare back at Taehyung.
But Taehyung has seen plenty of impressive wolves in his life.
This one isn't going to scare him.
The black wolf looks nervously to the left and then to the right as the others finally emerge from the forest behind Taehyung. His eyes widen slightly when he realizes that there are now four of them, and Taehyung notices the subtle change in his posture immediately.
Yoongi is the first to react.
The gray wolf lowers his body, preparing to launch himself forward, but Taehyung moves one paw in front of him and stops him before he can attack.
Yoongi looks at him with obvious annoyance.
What? his expression seems to say.
Taehyung keeps his eyes on the stranger. Not yet.
Yoongi lets out a low growl, clearly unhappy with the decision, but Taehyung doesn't even look at him.
He turns his attention back toward the black wolf, who is still watching them carefully. Suddenly the stranger launches himself forward.
This time, however, Taehyung is prepared.
The two wolves collide with a vicious snarl, claws scraping against fur as they wrestle for control. Taehyung snaps at the black wolf’s neck, but the other wolf twists away just in time, sinking his teeth into Taehyung’s shoulder instead.
A sharp growl tears from Taehyung’s throat. He jerks free and lunges forward again, slamming his weight into the black wolf and forcing him several steps backward. The wolf retaliates, snapping at Taehyung’s face, but Taehyung ducks beneath the attack and rakes his claws across the wolf’s side.
The black wolf stumbles, but quickly regains his footing and charges again.
Taehyung braces himself.
At the last second, he sidesteps the attack, grabs the wolf with his powerful jaws, and uses his momentum against him. With a fierce growl, Taehyung twists and throws him aside before driving his front legs into the wolf’s chest.
The black wolf is sent flying backward, crashing hard against the trunk of a nearby tree.
A painful whine escapes him as his body slides down the bark before finally collapsing onto the ground.
For a moment, he simply lies there.
Then his eyes suddenly widen, and Taehyung watches as he desperately tries to get back onto his feet. His front legs push against the ground, but his body is no longer cooperating. He manages to lift himself slightly before his legs give out beneath him again, forcing him back onto the ground. His breathing becomes faster and more desperate as he tries again, but the injuries he has sustained make it impossible for him to stand properly.
Taehyung slowly approaches him.
The black wolf notices immediately and tries to crawl backward, desperately attempting to put some distance between them, but there is nowhere left for him to go. Taehyung follows him with slow, deliberate steps, watching as the stranger's eyes move nervously between him and the others.
When Taehyung is finally close enough, the black wolf suddenly snaps at him again, trying to catch him between his teeth.
This time, Taehyung doesn't even have to react.
Jin moves faster.
The brown wolf grabs the stranger firmly by the back of his neck and forces him back down with a powerful bite. The black wolf lets out a sharp yelp and struggles desperately, trying to turn around and get free, but Jin's grip remains firm.
That is exactly why Jin is one of the best hunters in the pack. Once he has something in his grip, it is almost impossible to get away from him.
Taehyung watches the struggle for another moment before shifting back into his human form. He straightens slowly, one hand instinctively moving toward the wound on his neck and shoulder, where he can still feel the warm blood beneath his fingers.
“Jin, let him go,” he says calmly. “That's enough.”
Jin looks at him for a moment before reluctantly loosening his grip and stepping away.
The black wolf immediately lifts his head, his breathing heavy as his dark eyes remain fixed on Taehyung. He doesn't take his eyes off him even when Taehyung moves closer.
“And now you,” Taehyung says, gesturing toward him. “Shift.”
The wolf doesn't move.
Taehyung waits for several seconds, but the stranger makes no attempt to obey. He simply continues staring at him, his eyes filled with the same stubborn defiance as before.
Taehyung rolls his eyes.
Of course he has to make this difficult.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he explains, shrugging slightly. “It's entirely up to you.”
The black wolf's ears twitch, but he still refuses to move.
Taehyung sighs and tilts his head slightly as he studies him. “So, what are you choosing?”
The stranger doesn't answer, obviously, but his eyes remain fixed on Taehyung with an intensity that almost makes him smile.
Now that he has the opportunity to look at him properly, Taehyung notices something he hadn't paid attention to before. The wolf is young. Much younger than he had initially assumed, probably somewhere in his mid-twenties at most. His eyes give him away, despite the strength of his body and the way he carries himself. There is still something youthful about him that Taehyung can't quite explain.
At the same time, there is no denying that he is well-trained.
His body is strong and muscular, and Taehyung can tell from the way he moves that he probably spends a considerable amount of time in his wolf form. No one could move that quickly through an unfamiliar forest without having plenty of experience. He had known exactly how to use the trees to his advantage, how to disappear between them and how to change direction without losing speed.
Taehyung finds himself wondering where someone like him came from.
Then his gaze falls back to the stranger's injuries.
“Fine,” he finally says, his patience slowly running out. “You're leaving us no other choice. Jin, hold him.”
Jin doesn't need to be told twice.
Within seconds, he is back on the black wolf, his jaws closing firmly around the back of his neck and forcing him down. The stranger immediately tries to fight back, pushing against the ground with his front legs and attempting to lift his body, but his injuries make it impossible. His movements become weaker with every attempt, and eventually he is left lying on the ground, breathing heavily while Jin barely has to use any strength to keep him there.
Jimin approaches them a moment later, already in his human form. In one hand, he is holding a syringe, but he keeps it hidden from the black wolf's view, making sure that the stranger doesn't notice what he is carrying.
Yoongi approaches from the other side, his expression hard and his low growl making his intentions very clear. He doesn't have to say anything for the stranger to understand that he only needs to make one wrong move before Yoongi will tear into him.
Jimin moves behind the black wolf and carefully positions himself so that the stranger cannot see what he is doing. The moment the wolf notices movement behind him, he panics and instinctively tries to snap backward, but Jin has him firmly under control.
“Don't move,” Jimin warns quietly.
The stranger ignores him and struggles again, but Jin's grip tightens.
With one quick movement, Jimin drives the syringe into the back of the wolf's thigh.
The black wolf lets out a startled yelp, his entire body jerking at the sudden pain. His dark eyes immediately search for the person responsible before finally landing on Taehyung.
For a brief moment, Taehyung simply stares back at him.
There is something different in the wolf's expression now. The anger is still there, but underneath it, Taehyung notices something else.
The black wolf's eyes begin to lose focus as the drug takes effect, his breathing becoming slower and heavier. His eyelids flutter several times before finally closing, and his body becomes completely limp beneath Jin's grip.
Taehyung watches him for another moment before finally turning toward the others.
“Put him on my back.”
Jimin and Jin exchange a brief look before carefully lifting the unconscious wolf. Taehyung shifts back into his wolf form, lowering himself slightly so they can place the stranger securely across his back.
The black wolf's body rests heavily against him, his dark fur brushing against Taehyung's golden fur as he adjusts his stance to make sure he won't fall.
Taehyung glances back once.
He still doesn't know who this wolf is, why he came into their territory, or why something about his scent has been bothering him so much.
But he will find out.
For now, there is nothing left to do but return to the pack.
Without another word, Taehyung turns around and starts walking, the others following closely behind as they disappear back into the forest.