It is hard enough for Jungkook to continuously witness his peers finding their mates when he had been waiting for years to have his own. It is even harder when his eyes fall to someone who he may not even be allowed to pay attention to, much less to...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
At the end of the same week, Jungkook finds himself sitting inside the small cottage that Beta Seokjin and his mate have been living in ever since they both moved into the pack. It was said that the pair had designed and built this cottage themselves, choosing to create the place as a replica of the old home that they used to reside in back in the North, where they had met and finally consummated their mating bond.
Sitting right beside him is Yoongi, who seems just as calm and collected as he always has been and is always hard to read. No matter how hard Jungkook is trying to stay calm and act like he is holding himself back from running out the door, there is no doubt that everyone can see from the look on his face just how uneasy he is about this. He envies Yoongi for being able to mask his feelings the way he does, wishing that he can sit as still as the fox as they wait for Mage Kim to come out of the sunroom at the back where she is just finishing her morning ritual.
Mage Kim, that is how she prefers to be called ever since she arrived in the pack, saying that it would be easier for people to address her that way and to make it easier for her to explain her role in the pack. Except that there are also rumours that she had refused to use her real name simply because she is hiding, and for her to be able to live anonymously in the pack without her past chasing her all the way here. Jungkook had never thought much about it, as he had never once come across the mage until today. But waiting does a lot of things to an idle mind, and he cannot help but wonder about too many things—about who the mage really is, where she came from, what secrets she may have, and how much she can truly help to solve their problems.
After sharing a long, uncomfortable silence, Yoongi is the one to break it first. At least, he is about to, when he opens his mouth and turns to Jungkook to speak, only for the Mage to come out of her room. "I'm so sorry it took me so long. I had to consult the Elders—I mean, my Elders, about something," she says as she breezily moves into the living room, taking the empty armchair right across from the pair and sitting down gently.
As she raises her head, looking at the pair of shifters sitting right before her, both males grow stiff. There is a different kind of energy flowing around her. Even if it may not be as intimidating as their Alpha's powers or even the power of the Elders combined, it feels so odd and unfamiliar that both shifters can feel the weight of her powers. The air instantly trickles with tension, while the Mage still appears calm as she regards her guests.
"Now," she starts to speak while resting her entwined hands on her lap. "What can I help you with, gentlemen?"
Yoongi throws a quick glance at Jungkook, silently questioning his 'mate' if he should proceed. Jungkook looks a bit unsure himself, but nods anyway, reminding the two of them of the reason why they had come here in the first place. With a deep breath, Yoongi takes over, starting the conversation with—
