Scentless

NOT EVEN A ?

"Are you really okay? I answered, no, I'm so scared. But, holding six flowers tightly in my hands, I'm only walking, I said." Awake - BTS

If, as a pup, one had asked Seokjin what his life would be like, he would have given you the standard answer for a gypsy beta. He would likely be mated to a female beta, and they would, if they were lucky, produce more beta pups. He would spend his days helping guide his pack unseen through the world. For that was what made gypsy betas, rare as they were, so special. While all gypsies were born with prophetic ability, only betas could call the dark to do their bidding.

But Seokjin's life had not ended up like that. It started the day he learned to shift, for that was when his kind had their first taste of the Sight. Only, he hadn't. He'd seen nothing through his wolf eyes that his human eyes could not already see. No shadows pooled in his paw steps, and no haze blurred his form. His fathers, a mated alpha and omega pair, had insisted that he still make his first pilgrimage to the elder council. They were convinced his powers would manifest if only he saw the homeland of their ancestors.

He'd made the arduous journey, guided by an elder, with two other pups who'd had their first shift the same month he did. He never learned their names. They were from the same clan, but not part of his pack, and they had all been forbidden to speak during their pilgrimage.

Their homeland was a depressing place. Once a lush valley, teeming with life, all that remained were salted fields and uprooted forests. It served as a bitter reminder of their heritage. A reminder to every pup the reason they must live in the shadows, never settling in one place.

He remembers seeing the tears in the eyes of the other pups when they saw what every pup saw on their pilgrimage. Images, phantoms of their ancestors, slaughtered as they fled their homes. Yet still, he saw nothing. For the first time, he was grateful he was not allowed to speak until they returned home. What would he even say?

When he returned home, he told his fathers. His dam had held him close as his sire paced angrily outside the wagon their family used as a home, cursing the gods for giving them a defective beta. A small crowd grew as his dam defended Seokjin, but the omega didn't have the ability to refuse when his sire wrenched him from his arms, shoving him into the wagon with instructions to pack his belongings.

His older brother, an omega like their dam, watched with tear filled eyes as he gathered the things most precious to a child. His favorite toys and a stuffed alpaca took up more space than the few outfits he shoved into his pack. He sat huddled in the corner, frightened as he waited for his sire to return. His brother curled up next to him and, though he was the younger of the two, Seokjin pulled the omega into his lap, rocking them both as he fought back tears.

What's going to happen to me? Where am I supposed to go?

Looking back, he supposed the answer was better than it could have been. The gypsies had ties with the wind nomads, and to them he was sent. He was taken in by an elderly beta female, never mated and very lonely, and she did her best to raise and protect him. Nevertheless, while none of the nomads ever did him harm, he never quite fit in. When it came time for his age group to be placed into breeding groups, he was not surprised that nobody put in a bid for him. It hurt, but not as much as being abandoned by his family. At least here, he could still live out his days with the larger pack. And he did so happily enough, until his foster mother passed away.

He found himself drifting after that. It was dangerous, but the gypsies had taught him to move unseen and the nomads had taught him to defend himself. He made enough money to survive by offering his cooking skills for festivals and events as he traveled, and eventually he earned himself enough of a reputation that he would often be sent invitations to such events.