Hope & Perseverance | ym

VIII

The sun had just set a few days later when the pack saw Taemin again. "It's time~" The alpha had said before anyone could speak. "I was gonna wait a couple of days to be safe, but they're gathering everyone for the official announcement of who will get Seokjin." Namjoon growled. "We have to do it tonight. Most of the pack will be far away from where they're being kept, and the guards that will still be there, I've already given them something to knock them out. We'll need to get in and out within the next couple of hours."

Namjoon and Hoseok sprung into action. "Okay, remember, you two have to stay here." The pack alpha informed Taehyung and Jungkook, the omega cuddling Soyoung into his chest as she snoozed. He could tell Jungkook was about to argue back, so Namjoon placed his hand on the young alpha's shoulder. "I'm counting on you to protect them." Jungkook took a deep breath and nodded, putting his hand on Namjoon's arm and squeezing, a silent way of asking him to be careful, before turning back to Taehyung and Soyoung.

Namjoon and Hoseok approached Taemin, informing the other omega they were ready to get going. "Follow me~" Taemin stated, shifting into his wolf and taking off towards the pack, the other alphas following closely behind.

~*~

Jimin had his head back against the wall, lightly hitting it repeatedly against the stone. Hyunjin had kindly informed him that the choosing of Seokjin's mate would be taking place that night, and now the omega was silently praying for any kind of miracle to happen and prevent his best friend from being taken away from him forever. He could feel the tears starting to fall, but then a movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention.

Or a lack of movement you could say.

He looked over at Seokjin to see that the omega was no longer trembling, his body completely still. "S-seokjin?" Jimin stammered, worried that something was really wrong. The older omega made a sound, but Jimin couldn't tell what it was. "What?"

"Namjoon~" The omega mumbled again, this time loud enough that Jimin could make it out.

"Namjoon?" Jimin furrowed his eyebrows only for his eyes to widen mere seconds later when he heard a faint growl coming from outside their cell. He sat up straight, watching the door expectantly.

Sure enough, the door opened, revealing their pack alpha who ran straight for the omega lying on the ground. The second he was in Namjoon's arms, Seokjin starting crying, loud sobs escaping him as he buried his face in the alpha's neck. "I'm here, baby, it's gonna be okay!"

Jimin kept watching expectantly as Hoseok entered next, coming towards him with the keys to his chains. "Soyoung?" He heard Seokjin ask through his sobs as Hoseok made quick work of unlocking him.

"She's with Jungkook and Taehyung." Namjoon assured the omega, catching the keys as Hoseok threw them to him. "She's okay, baby~"

"Hobi~" Jimin finally breathed out as the alpha picked him up.

"We gotta hurry." Hoseok said. "Taemin's tricks didn't work on one of the guards. Can't risk one of the other pack members having heard what happened and coming to check it out." Hoseok rushed out of the cell, Namjoon close behind with Seokjin in his arms.

"Where's Yoongi?" Jimin asked as they met up with Taemin, the group running towards the forest.

Jimin felt Hoseok's steps falter slightly, his smile already falling as he realized. "I'm so sorry, Jimin~" The omega felt his blood run cold at the confirmation, falling silent as they continued on their way to Jungkook, Taehyung, and Soyoung.

~*~

Seokjin cried silently as he looked down at his sleeping pup, not even fully believing that he was actually back with his family. "I told you she's okay." Namjoon said softly, gently rubbing the omega's back.

He turned away from his pup, burying his face in Namjoon's neck once more, nuzzling almost violently as he tried to take in as much of the alpha's scent as possible. "You don't know how happy I am to be back with you."

"Probably as happy as I am to have you back." Namjoon whispered, nuzzling his mate back.

Seokjin suddenly held onto the alpha tighter, holding Namjoon's face in the crook of his neck. "I need you to mate me, right now."

Namjoon pulled back from Seokjin, heart breaking at the omega's whine. "I can't right now." The omega's bottom lip began to tremble. "You're not in heat, and I'm not in rut-"

"I don't care about that!" Seokjin exclaimed, tears slipping out of his eyes. "What happens if they attack again and I somehow get stuck with them again? It would just be a repeat of what I went through back there! If I'm claimed, then they can't touch me! Please, mate me~"

Namjoon opened his mouth to say how the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Seokjin, but then he realized that the omega was already hurting. That thought brought tears to his eyes, that his mate was hurting so badly that he was literally begging to be put into some of the most excruciating physical pain he would ever experience. And with that, Namjoon closed his mouth, nodding that he would do what Seokjin asked.

He buried his face in Seokjin's neck again, gently running his nose along the omega's skin before licking at it. He felt Seokjin shivering at the prepping, the omega tensing slightly as he prepared for what was to come. When Namjoon was sure that he would back out if he waited in longer, he sunk his teeth in, feeling his heart break at the blood curdling scream that came out of Seokjin.

~*~

Taehyung and Jungkook turned to the cave they had found for a campground for the next couple of nights once everyone was reunited, eyes full of worry. "Don't~" Jimin said monotonously. "Seokjin probably convinced Namjoon to mate, that's all it is."

The rest of the pack turned their gaze on the omega, as that had been the first time he'd spoken since the alphas had broken him out of the cell. Ever since they got to their camp for the night, he'd just stared silently into the fire, his hand resting on his stomach. "Jimin, are you-"

"I'm fine~" Jimin cut off Taemin's question, brining his other hand up to wipe away the stray tear that had slipped out of the corner of his eye. "Of course I am, I should have seen this coming. Or at least considered it a possibility. Hell, I saw how Hyunjin dragged him off."

Taehyung moved to sit next to Jimin, resting his head on his shoulder. "You are allowed to be sad, you know~"

"I know," Jimin nodded. "But I still need to be here for you guys, I'm your alpha omega." Taemin's eyebrows furrowed, and Hoseok whispered that he would explain it to him later. "Plus, it's not like he's fully gone. I still have a part of him." Jimin looked down at his stomach, rubbing his hand over it lovingly.

"You're gonna have the cutest pup." Taehyung said, hoping to cheer his friend up a bit.

Jimin managed to let out a chuckle while thanking him, then he stood up. "I'm tired, I'm gonna try to get some sleep." He hobbled towards the cave on his now bandaged up ankle, hoping that whatever Namjoon and Seokjin were getting up to wouldn't prevent him from getting a well-deserved night's sleep.

"Okay, now what's this about an 'alpha omega'?" Taemin asked.

Hoseok opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by a sudden scream of pain from Jimin. Everyone turned to see the omega on the ground, face scrunched in pain as he held his stomach. "Jimin? What's wrong?" Jungkook was the first to reach him, inspecting him thoroughly to try to find the source of the problem. He stopped when a metallic scent burned his nostrils, causing him to slowly part Jimin's legs to look between them. "He's bleeding~"

Hoseok's eyes widened. "That can't be good." The group looked at each other, completely helpless as they had no idea what to do to help their omega.