Collision

Chapter 71

Jeongguk had missed running with Taehyung and Jimin. Their presence was a weight that he didn't even know he had, knowing that they were safe, they were okay, and they were finally mated.

Their combined scents are glorious in Jeongguk's nose. A gentle tease that he inhaled every chance he got because finally after all this time, they were together in the way he had always wanted them to be.

The snow only spurred them on, Jeongguk's body vibrating at the sheer delight at having part of his pack back. A piece of himself that had been missing, but now was put in place.

Taehyung was practically flying. He looked majestic, the way he always does, with his earth colored fur and coarse fur that glimmered beautifully in the morning sunlight that broke through the barren trees.

Jimin, forever his lovely counterpart, was satin. His orange fur seemed to shine, his small legs keeping him partly behind the two larger wolves, but he was nothing to be written off with. He was like a sprite with how graceful he was, when he wasn't falling off of things or tripping on something.

Jeongguk always considered Jimin like a river. Movements like water in a bend, flowing so perfectly that you could never tell he had moved at all. Taehyung was like earth, gentle as the plants that stretched towards the sun, or relied on the river's water to survive. Grounding.

Together, they were unstoppable.

Bounding over the snow, Jeongguk was leading them in the direction of the creek. It was his favorite place, though he wasn't really sure why, but it tended to bring a sense of serenity.

Jimin, however, suddenly stopped. Snow flew from where his paws skidded, and the orange fur was heaving in tie with Jimin's heavy breathes. His ears flickered forwards, then backwards, and Taehyung approached quietly.

"Jiminie? What do you smell?" the beta questions, head cocking to the side as Jeongguk slithers next to him, his own nose inhaling sharply.

Hidden under the crisp water scent of the snow was peppermint and fern. It was faint, but it was lingering along one of the plants, and Jeongguk feels his heart start to pound faster within his ribcage.

It was the Beta, and basing on the wideness of Jimin's eyes, the Omega senses him too. Can smell him abiding.

"There is another wolf here," Jimin says, ears flicking in slight irritation. Taehyung put his nose to the ground, but Jeongguk couldn't find himself to try and tell him it was pointless. His eyes scan the surrounding trees.

The faint scents told Jeongguk that the Beta probably wasn't there but he also knew that the Beta was working hard to attempt to keep himself from being found. Which means he wasn't far, either, and that was something his instincts couldn't ignore.

Without a word to Taehyung or Jimin, Jeongguk breaks out into a sprint. He follows the familiar trail, dodging whatever is in his way, and scaring some poor rabbit that was meandering around.

The scent was steadily getting stronger, and Jeongguk pushes himself faster until he breaks through some foliage and into a small area just above the creek. It was lined with heavier trees, some rocks breaking through the soil and ground, and creating what appears to be a small overhang.

Beneath the overhang, where there was not a lick of snow, was the cinnamon colored Beta. He was lying against the ground, tail tucked beneath his legs, clothes strewn beneath his body.

At Jeongguk's paws breaking the top layer of snow, the Beta's head jerked up and his golden eyes widened. Jeongguk didn't growl, just completely froze as they stared one another down.

The Beta was thinner than the last time they had seen one another; rib cage more prominent, and legs losing some of their definition. His fur was thick with winter, but there were still patches missing.

"You've been following us. Watching us. Why?"

The Beta slowly got to his feet. Each movement was careful, deliberate. A well-oiled machine that spoke of knowing his body and how to use it. A brief flash of fear lingered in Jeongguk's gut, but he kept himself completely still, tail lowered in a passive way.

It was almost eerie how robotic the movement was, precise and careful. Jimin was liquid, all smooth and flowing to where you couldn't tell he moved at all. This cinnamon Beta was sharp; all curved edges and perfection.

The cinnamon wolf barely moved an inch. "I am not hurting anyone."

Jeongguk's lips peeled back, a rumble going through his chest. "You're around my den. My pack. What purpose do you have here?"

The Beta's eyes flickers behind Jeongguk's frame, nose wiggling subtlety that told Jeongguk that the Beta was scenting the air. He could probably smell Taehyung and Jimin on him. He knows that Jeongguk isn't alone.

The Beta steps back, and Jeongguk snarls. His fur bristles, standing puffed out on his body, and the wolf freezes, his own lips peeling back as his ears pin to the back of his skull. Golden eyes survey Jeongguk's pierced ears.

Recognition flashes in his gaze, surprise clear in the sudden loosening of his muscles as he stares at Jeongguk as if he saw a ghost.

"It's you."

Jeongguk blinked, breath catching in his throat at the Beta's bewildered words. "What? Do you know me?"

The Beta didn't answer. Paws crunching against snow broke through the tense silence, breaking the stand off, and before Jeongguk could move, the Beta darted off into the forest.

Jeongguk didn't know what to do. His legs refused to move, locked within their stance, as he stared at the clothes that the Beta had left. The thick scent of peppermint and fern was deeply infused in the worn out clothing that have definitely seen better days.

Taehyung was suddenly next to him. "Gukkie? Are you okay?" His nose wrinkles, shaggy head turning towards the Beta's clothing still lying across the dirt and melted snow. "The Beta was here?"

"Yeah," Jeongguk mutters, stepping forwards and sniffing at the grimy clothes. Forest loam, fragments of sewage and too much perfume of a city lingered on the clothing beneath the dirt and sweat.

Jimin has joined Taehyung, tail swaying uneasily behind him as he scans the area. Jeongguk raised his head to look back towards Taehyung, who was guarding Jimin basing purely on his strong stance in front of the Omega.

"Jimin, do you recognize the scent?" Jeongguk questions, meeting his golden gaze evenly. "Like, was he ever pack?"

Jimin instantly shook his furry head. "No. I have never smelled this scent before. He wasn't a part of the family pack."

Taehyung eyes Jeongguk's posture, taking in the stiff tail and ruffled fur. Even his pine and morning dew scent had turned sour; pine turning to a bitter lemongrass, and the morning dew wilting into mildew.

"Are you okay?"

"He said 'it's you', and looked as if he was staring at the Moon Goddess in all her glory," Jeongguk growls, the sound of it breaking from the connection to Taehyung and Jimin's mind, and actually being voiced in the forest around him. "He looked... he looked completely bewildered. I don't get it. It was like he knew me, somehow."

None of the wolves speak. They all stare distantly at the surrounding forest, listening to the birds and the sounds of critters pawing around in the cold. Jeongguk wonders absently if the Beta truly left, or is wandering around, waiting.

"Come on," Jimin speaks up, stepping back in the direction of the cabin. "Let's get back."

Jeongguk doesn't even try to fight it. He feels Taehyung press his flank against him, supporting him and to lead him, and he goes. They have a steady jog back to the cabin, where the scents even out and become familiar again.

Twitter: JamlessAnna

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Cover Art: @RealJams