CRAVE || TAEKOOK

*.✧ 3 ✧.*

Taehyung had slept in the forest all night.

It would have been risky to even think about going back to the head alpha's home where he lived, and where his mate would be. That episode was the most intense sign of an upcoming rut he'd ever had, and knowing he wasn't getting with his mate anytime soon, he was afraid of even going near the guy.

As Taehyung trudged through the pack grounds, covered in dirt from head to toe due to tossing and turning on the ground in an effort to get a good night's rest, he felt disappointment loom over him.

Is this how it's supposed to be? Was this his destiny, and he wasn't accomplishing anything by avoiding it?

Questions without answers flowed through his mind, and when he finally opened the door to his home, he stopped in his tracks right in the doorway.

There he was, standing in the kitchen with his brother and Alpha Yoongi and his mate, his body facing the counter but his head turned in the direction of the door. He must have sensed Taehyung coming because he was already looking at him as soon as he opened the door, but Taehyung couldn't have even known his mate was in here due to his whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.

Without thinking, Taehyung took a minute to take him in. Somehow, it was different this time. 

In this moment, there were no alpha instincts between them. They simply looked at each other without fear and without confusion. It was clear who they would be to each other and for the first time in nearly forty-eight hours, Taehyung's wolf had settled, content in taking in his mate.

He was as handsome as ever, and his hair was wavy and long, covering a bit of his nearly black eyes that sucked Taehyung into a trance at the mystery. Since their first meeting ended so abruptly, Taehyung never got to assess the rest of him, and he was so glad he finally got the chance.

It was evident his mate was fit, his muscles bulging out of his black t-shirt and jeans, and his extremely thin waist line, spoke for themselves. He didn't look much bigger than Taehyung, but definitely had a different frame. All in all, he couldn't help but wonder what he'd look like with his clothes off.

Maybe it was intuition, but Taehyung was beginning to think his mate was going through the same mental processes. It was easy to tell that he was tense, and not in a threatening way, in a way that said he was nervous or that he was stressed.

What Taehyung almost missed was the way his chest pumped up and down, taking in labored breaths that were barely noticable as his mouth opened slightly. The rest of his body was perfectly still, almost rigidly, but his eyes wandered.

"Taehyung!" Namjoon broke his trance and walked towards him. "Where have you been? I went to wake you up, but you weren't in your room." He paused, looking over Taehyung's appearance with a grimace and picking out a twig from his hair. 

"And why are you covered in dirt?"

"Uh… Early morning run."

Namjoon furrowed his brows. "In your pajamas?"

Taehyung looked down to see that he was, indeed, in his pajamas. The plaid set was all tattered and dirty; the bottom of the pants that hung low on his hips, exposing some of his underwear, looked like they'd been soaked in mud and the long-sleeve shirt was completely unbuttoned, leaving his top half exposed.

"Ah," The alpha warrior chuckled nervously, his arms dangling at his sides and playing with his unbuttoned shirt. He shrugged. "Couldn't wait."

Namjoon hummed with a strange look on his face. "Well, since you're here, why don't you formally meet Alpha Yoongi? You don't exactly look presentable, but they haven't had a chance since you left yesterday." As he buttoned up his brother's nightshirt, he presented a wry smile that had Taehyung straightening himself up instantly.