Chapter Text
CHAPTER 1 - THE MATE HE NEVER SAW
The first thing Taehyung learned about being Jungkook's mate was that being chosen did not mean being loved.
The second thing he learned was that waiting for someone to notice you could slowly become its own kind of heartbreak.
Three months had passed since the bond had appeared.
Three months since the entire pack had gathered beneath the silver moon, watching the ancient markings bloom across Taehyung's wrist.
Three months since the elders had announced the words that should have changed everything.
Mate.
Jungkook's mate.
The words still sounded strange in Taehyung's head.
Jungkook was not an ordinary alpha. He was an Enigma—rare, powerful, and almost impossible to understand. His presence alone could silence an entire room. Other alphas lowered their eyes when he walked past. Omegas whispered his name with fascination.
He was the youngest leader the pack had ever known.
And somehow, impossibly, Taehyung had been chosen as his mate.
At first, Taehyung had believed that meant there was a future waiting for them.
He had been foolish.
The bedroom door opened quietly.
Taehyung immediately sat upright.
For half a second, hope fluttered inside his chest.
"Jungkook?"
Jungkook stepped inside.
His dark hair was slightly damp from the rain outside, and his black coat was still buttoned. His expression was unreadable, as it had been almost every day since they had become mates.
He didn't look at Taehyung.
He simply crossed the room and placed several folders on the desk.
"You'll be staying here tonight," Jungkook said.
Taehyung blinked.
"Here?"
"Yes."
"Are you going somewhere?"
"Pack business."
"Oh."
One word.
That was all Taehyung could manage.
Jungkook finally glanced at him.
Their eyes met for barely a second.
Something inside Taehyung ached.
He wondered if Jungkook could feel it too.
The mate bond was supposed to connect them. Supposed to let them sense each other's emotions.
But perhaps the bond had made a mistake.
Because if Jungkook could feel how lonely Taehyung was, he never showed it.
"I'll be back tomorrow," Jungkook said.
Taehyung forced a smile.
"You always say that."
Jungkook paused.
It was the first sign that his words had landed.
But instead of answering, he turned toward the door.
Taehyung's fingers tightened around the blanket.
"Jungkook."
The alpha stopped.
Taehyung swallowed.
He had practiced this conversation all afternoon.
"Can you stay for dinner?"
Silence.
"It's just dinner," Taehyung added softly. "I made something."
Jungkook looked toward the clock.
"I don't have time."
"Oh."
Taehyung lowered his eyes.
"Of course."
The door closed.
And just like that, he was alone again.
Dinner grew cold at eight.
Then nine.
Then ten.
Taehyung eventually stopped looking at the clock.
He sat at the long dining table with two plates in front of him.
One untouched.
The other barely touched.
He had cooked Jungkook's favorite food after asking one of the pack members what he liked.
He had spent almost two hours preparing it.
He had even changed his clothes.
It was embarrassing now.
Taehyung stared at the empty chair across from him.
"Stupid," he whispered.
His voice trembled.
He quickly wiped his eyes.
He hated crying.
Especially because of Jungkook.
Especially when Jungkook wasn't there to see it.
Taehyung stood and began gathering the plates.
His stomach suddenly twisted.
He froze.
A wave of nausea rolled through him so sharply that he had to grip the table.
"What's happening?"
He closed his eyes.
The feeling passed after several seconds.
Taehyung breathed slowly.
Maybe he had simply eaten too little.
He had barely been hungry for the last week.
That wasn't unusual.
He had been stressed.
That was all.
At least, that's what he told himself.
Jungkook returned just before dawn.
Taehyung was asleep on the sofa.
He had intended to wait for him.
He had failed.
The alpha stood in the doorway and stared at him.
For once, the house was quiet.
Taehyung's face looked peaceful in sleep.
His dark hair had fallen across his forehead, and one hand rested protectively over his stomach.
Jungkook's eyes lingered there.
Something strange moved through his chest.
The mate bond pulsed.
Warm.
Insistent.
Jungkook immediately looked away.
He had spent months convincing himself that the bond didn't matter.
That he didn't need it.
That Taehyung didn't need him.
But lately, something felt different.
The bond had become stronger.
More persistent.
Whenever Jungkook was away, he could feel a faint pull toward home.
Toward Taehyung.
He had ignored it.
Until now.
Jungkook walked closer.
Taehyung stirred.
His eyes opened slowly.
For a moment, he looked confused.
Then he saw Jungkook.
"You came back."
There was no accusation in his voice.
That somehow made it worse.
Jungkook nodded.
Taehyung sat up.
"Did you eat?"
"No."
"I can make something."
"It's fine."
Taehyung looked at him.
There was something different in his expression.
Not anger.
Not sadness.
Something quieter.
Acceptance.
"I won't wait next time," Taehyung said.
Jungkook frowned.
"What?"
Taehyung stood.
"I said I won't wait next time."
He walked past him.
Jungkook turned.
"Taehyung."
The omega stopped.
It was the first time in weeks Jungkook had called his name without needing something.
Taehyung looked over his shoulder.
"Yes?"
Jungkook didn't know what to say.
He had expected Taehyung to always be there.
Always waiting.
Always smiling.
Always forgiving.
But for the first time, he wondered what would happen if Taehyung stopped.
"I'll see you later," Jungkook finally said.
Taehyung smiled faintly.
"No."
Jungkook's brows drew together.
"No?"
Taehyung looked at him for a long moment.
"I don't think you will."
Then he walked away.
Jungkook remained standing in the hallway.
For the first time since the bond appeared, an unfamiliar feeling settled over him.
Fear.
Not fear of enemies.
Not fear of losing control.
Something much worse.
The fear that the person who had spent months waiting for him...
might finally stop.
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Taehyung woke before sunrise.
For several seconds, he didn't remember where he was.
Then the unfamiliar ceiling came into focus.
Jungkook's house.
His mate's house.
A place that was supposed to feel like home.
Instead, it felt like a beautifully decorated waiting room.
Taehyung slowly sat up.
The conversation from the night before returned to him.
I don't think you will.
He had said it without thinking.
Or perhaps he had been thinking about it for months.
He was tired.
Tired of preparing meals that went cold.
Tired of listening for footsteps that rarely came.
Tired of telling himself that Jungkook was simply busy.
Most of all, he was tired of feeling grateful for scraps of attention.
Taehyung pressed a hand against his chest.
The mate bond was still there.
Warm.
Steady.
But it no longer felt like a promise.
It felt like a question.
How long are you going to keep waiting?
Taehyung had no answer.
He climbed out of bed and walked toward the bathroom.
Halfway there, his stomach twisted again.
He stopped.
His face drained of color.
Not again.
He hurried into the bathroom and closed the door.
When the nausea finally passed, Taehyung leaned against the wall, breathing hard.
"This is ridiculous."
He splashed cold water over his face.
Maybe he was sick.
Maybe he had caught something.
He stared at his reflection.
His face looked paler than usual.
There were faint shadows beneath his eyes.
He hadn't been sleeping properly.
He hadn't been eating properly.
Stress could do strange things to the body.
That had to be it.
It had to be.
By breakfast, Jungkook was already gone.
Taehyung stared at the empty chair.
There was a folded note beside his plate.
He picked it up.
Pack meeting. Don't wait for me.
Four words.
No greeting.
No explanation.
No promise.
Taehyung laughed quietly.
It wasn't a happy sound.
"Don't worry," he whispered to the empty room.
"I won't."
He crumpled the note.
Then he stopped.
Slowly, he smoothed it out again.
He didn't know why.
Perhaps because some foolish part of him still wanted proof that Jungkook had thought of him.
Even if it was only enough to leave a note.
Taehyung hated that part of himself.
That afternoon, he went into town.
He hadn't told anyone where he was going.
For the first time since becoming Jungkook's mate, he wanted to spend a few hours somewhere Jungkook couldn't reach him simply by opening a door.
The town was busy.
Children ran between shops.
Pack members greeted one another.
A few people noticed Taehyung and smiled.
"Good afternoon, Luna."
Taehyung smiled politely.
"Good afternoon."
Being called Luna still felt strange.
He wasn't sure he deserved it.
He stopped outside a small medical clinic.
He had come here without planning to.
His hand rested against the door.
Then his stomach turned again.
Taehyung's eyes widened.
He pushed the door open.
An hour later, he sat alone in a small examination room.
The doctor studied the results.
Then looked at him.
Then looked at the results again.
Taehyung's heartbeat became louder.
"Is something wrong?"
The doctor smiled gently.
"Nothing is wrong."
Taehyung blinked.
"Then why did you look like that?"
"I was surprised."
"Why?"
The doctor turned the paper around.
"Because you're pregnant."
The world stopped.
Taehyung stared at the page.
Pregnant.
The word didn't make sense.
He looked down at his stomach.
It was completely flat.
"But..."
His voice cracked.
"Are you sure?"
The doctor nodded.
"Very sure."
Taehyung couldn't breathe.
Pregnant.
He was carrying Jungkook's child.
Their child.
A tiny life existed inside him.
His hand moved instinctively to his stomach.
For the first time in months, something inside Taehyung felt warm.
Not the mate bond.
Something different.
Something entirely his.
A baby.
His baby.
Jungkook's baby.
A smile appeared on his face before he could stop it.
Then the smile disappeared.
Because reality returned.
Jungkook didn't even come home for dinner.
How would he react to this?
Would he be happy?
Would he see the baby as another responsibility?
Would he finally look at Taehyung?
Or would he simply become more distant?
Taehyung closed his eyes.
He wanted to believe Jungkook would change.
He wanted to believe that hearing about their child would make the alpha understand what he had been throwing away.
But hope had hurt him before.
The doctor noticed his expression.
"Does the father know?"
Taehyung shook his head.
"No."
"Would you like someone to accompany you?"
Taehyung looked down.
"No."
The answer came too quickly.
He didn't know whether that was because he wanted to protect Jungkook from the responsibility...
or because he wanted to protect himself from another disappointment.
Jungkook returned home that evening.
Taehyung was sitting beside the window.
He had been waiting.
But not for Jungkook.
For courage.
The alpha entered the room and loosened his tie.
"You went out?"
Taehyung nodded.
"Yes."
"Where?"
"Town."
Jungkook's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Taehyung almost laughed.
"When would I have told you?"
Jungkook went silent.
Taehyung looked away.
"I need to tell you something."
Jungkook's attention sharpened.
"What?"
Taehyung's fingers tightened together.
"I'm..."
The word wouldn't come.
His courage disappeared.
Jungkook waited.
Taehyung looked at him.
Really looked at him.
The man he had loved from the moment he discovered the bond.
The man who had never once said he loved him back.
Taehyung's hand moved unconsciously toward his stomach.
"I'm tired," he whispered.
Jungkook frowned.
"Of what?"
"Waiting."
Jungkook didn't answer.
Taehyung stood.
"I think I need some time away."
"Why?"
"Because I can't keep doing this."
Jungkook's expression hardened.
"Doing what?"
"Being your mate alone."
The words struck harder than Taehyung expected.
Jungkook stared at him.
For the first time, he looked genuinely affected.
"You aren't alone."
Taehyung's eyes filled with tears.
"Then why have I felt alone every day?"
Jungkook had no answer.
Taehyung wiped his cheek.
"I need to go."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
Jungkook took one step toward him.
"Taehyung."
The omega stopped.
Jungkook's voice softened.
"Don't leave."
Taehyung closed his eyes.
Those three words were everything he had wanted to hear.
And somehow, they came too late.
He turned around.
"I wish you'd said that sooner."
Then he walked upstairs.
Jungkook remained in the hallway.
He didn't understand why his chest hurt.
He didn't understand why the mate bond suddenly felt like it was pulling tight around his heart.
And he certainly didn't understand why the thought of Taehyung leaving terrified him.
Upstairs, Taehyung stood inside the bedroom.
He placed both hands over his stomach.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"Your father doesn't know about you yet."
A tear slipped down his cheek.
"But I promise I'll protect you."
Outside the bedroom, Jungkook stopped.
He had heard something.
A whisper.
A word.
He reached for the door.
Then paused.
For the first time in his life, the Enigma alpha was afraid of what he might discover.
And inside the room, Taehyung made a decision.
He would give Jungkook one final chance.
But if Jungkook failed him again...
Taehyung would disappear.
And this time, he wouldn't come back alone.