The alpha, Kim Taehyung, was used to working at home since he had brought him and his sons to SK, he had discovered that he preferred to work at home as he could be with his sons, or so that he could be with Jungkook.
Taehyung tried to concentrate on the laptop screen in front of him, he was finding it hard to concentrate on emails, this afternoon, he should be answering because he was thinking about Jungkook, his omega.
If he was then it was because of the conversation he had had with Hoseok by the pool earlier in the day when he had commented on what a good father the omega was.
"A good father and mate," had been Hoseok's exact words, "You're a lucky alpha."
He frowned, he might have seen the financially grasping side of Jungkook didn’t echo the behaviour of his mother since he had also seen him with the twins. The alpha was forced to admit that Jungkook was a loving and protective father - an omega father who gave his love willingly and generously to his sons, just as Jungkook gave himself willingly, generously, even to him.
Hoseok was a shrewd judge of character, he was surprised with the admission, his father figure approved of Jungkook.
He turned back to the computer, but it was no use, once opened, the door to his memories of that fateful night with Jungkook could not be closed.
Memories from their fateful first meeting, the memory of Jungkook had stuck in his mind like a thorn in his flesh, driven in too deeply to be easily removed, the pain activated whenever an unwary movement caused it to make its presence felt.
Taehyung had taken the omega, used as a release for his pent-up fury, telling himself that his behaviour was justified because he had sought him out while inside his head, he could hear his tyrannical grandfather’s grating voice, seeing a fist smashed down onto his desk in his rage that his only grandchild should defy him.
‘The past was here with him, invading his present and filling it with unwanted memories.’
He moved restlessly in his chair, his hands clenching, it was too late to regret recalling their final argument, the events that had followed it, he was back in that hotel room, watching Jungkook sleep curled up against him, his mobile phone started to ring in the grey light of the dawn.
The call had been from Jimin, his anxiety and shock reaching him across the miles as he informed him that they found his grandfather collapsed in his office from a second major heart attack, as it turned out his only living blood relative had died within minutes of reaching the hospital’s emergency room.
Taehyung had moved as quickly as he could, waking Jungkook and telling him brusquely that he wanted the omega out of his bed, his room, the hotel.
Jungkook had looked shocked and uncomprehending, he remembered, no doubt had hoped for rather more from him than a few brief hours in bed then tears had welled up in his eyes and had tried to cling to him.
Irritated that he wasn’t playing by the rules, he waved him off, reaching into his jacket pocket for his wallet and removing several crisp dollar notes and left.
When he reached the king’s palace, he went into the office and found the document he had been working on before he collapsed, and it was a notice to the newspapers stating the announcement of his engagement.
His guilt had evaporated but not his anger, yet despite everything Taehyung had still mourned him.
After his grandfather’s death had renewed the alpha’s vow to himself to remain alone.
How fate must have been laughing at him then, knowing that the seeds of his destiny had already been sown and had taken root.
‘Now what was he thinking? Wasn’t the truth that even though the Lycan alpha had tried to deny it to himself he had not been able to forget his omega, revealing his worst kind of weakness? What had brought all this on? Surely not a simple comment from Hoseok - ‘Jungkook is a good father and a good mate.’
