MINE || JIKOOK ✅

13.

JIMIN POV

Breakfast service was bustling when I entered the dining room.

A quick glance around showed everyone seemed to be at their same table from the night before and the seat I'd occupied was empty and waiting.

A buffet table, laden with eggs, bacon sausage, pancakes, toast, fruit, and a big pot of steaming hot cereal, occupied one wall,
so I headed that way and filled
a plate with enough scrambled eggs and bacon to keep me energized until lunchtime.

After piling a couple of toast triangles on top, I moved toward the table where the guys were shoveling in food almost as loudly as they were grumbling about their punishment.

I wanted to take my breakfast outside to eat it, in fact took a couple of steps in that direction before my logical self otherwise known as my bear gave a
growl that reminded me of an important fact.

If I was going to stay here, I couldn't hide forever.

I'd have to give them a chance
to express their displeasure.

Or give me a good punch.

But to my shock, when I joined them, they were deep in a discussion and rather than treat me like a pariah, they were
quick to include me.

"Sit down Jimin, We're making plans for tonight."

A blond, I thought his name was Grier, said, sweeping a pile of dirty plates away from my place.

"We don't have to go to Jagger's." a youngish bear
named Arnie was saying.

"If we head in the other direction there's that dive on the highway outside of the next town."

"Yeah." another one, Greg,
spoke up.

"It's called The No-Tell, isn't it?"

Arnie snorted.

"Something like that and I don't think a place like that would
call our alpha to tattle on us."

He turned toward me.

"Did the bar owners up where you come from ever do that?"

"Not that I recall."

Mainly because I hadn't gone with the guys likely to act up
that much but I was too grateful they didn't hate me to say so.

"Of course, they didn't."

"We're adults who don't need
a babysitter."

I knew now Arnie was the ring leader but the others weren't protesting the ideas.

"And we don't need permission
to go out on the town."

I pushed my food around on my plate, the savory aromas and flavors no longer appealing despite the calories I'd
already burned.

They made plans to go out well after dinner, maybe around ten or eleven when fewer of the alphas and betas would be around to notice.

Were they crazy?

Weren't they in enough trouble from the night before?

Perhaps they'd done this
often enough they knew the punishments would be light.

Or maybe they just didn't
care, considered their fun
worth any repercussions.

I listened, forcing myself to eat, one bite after another shoveled in my mouth, chewed and swallowed, while all the others
at the table discussed what
they had in mind.

There were some omegas there who could be had for a night.

I couldn't tell if they were actually selling themselves or just letting anyone who bought them beer fuck them but there was little difference in my mind.

And it didn't sound like fun
to me at all.

I studied one face after another as they got more and more excited and their voices were
not low enough to keep those at neighboring tables from hearing them but I saw only one or two heads even turn in our direction.

Apparently, I had chosen the table of troublemakers yesterday.

Were they determined to ruin
the pack's reputation in all directions of the compass?

"So, Jimin, you in?"

Holy hells, what to say.

I wanted friends but if it means defying the alpha and bringing shame on the pack, I'd have to accept that my stint here would be spent alone.

If you had no respect for your alpha, why would you stay?

I'd made the decision to leave my pack because I did not feel the new leadership had the group's best interests at heart.

I did not believe that to be
true of Jungkook.

His reaction to the scene the night before was measured and intended to allow the miscreants to have time to consider their behavior but was by no
means cruel.

If these bears had met the
alpha of my former pack, they'd understand and appreciate Jungkook.

It had wrenched my heart to leave and I'd be damned before
I betrayed Jungkook's kindness.

My welcome here could be withdrawn at any time but it would not be because I
behaved in a disloyal way.

No.

Never that.

"Jimin?" Arnie was watching me, a suspicious glint in his eye.

"Are you coming with us?"

I forced a smile.

"I appreciate the invite but
the alpha wants that huge pile
of wood cut and I am sure I won't be able to move by sundown." I stood and stretched.

"Speaking of which, I'd better
get back to it."

"I like it here and if I don't pull my weight, I'll be out on my ass."

Arnie grabbed my arm.

"That's fine but you won't mention this to anyone, will you?"

He tipped his head toward the front of the hall where the alpha was speaking to a couple of betas.

"No."

I wasn't going with them but neither was I going to be the
guy who finked on others who made bad choices.

I was responsible for just myself and that took up my whole day.

"No and I hope you have a nice evening but I'll see you all at lunch."

With that, I left them, to work and hopefully prove myself worthy of staying here at least until I could find another home.

If leaving my last pack was hard, leaving Jungkook would tear
me in half.