𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐍 || 𝐉𝐉𝐊✗𝐏𝐉𝐌

- 20 -

The sun sets over the wolf pack, casting long shadows over the forest and turning the colourful sky into darkness over time. The days are shorter due to winter. A season that tends to make others fall into depression. The grey days, the cold air and not to mention the shortage of food they can hunt for. When winter does come around, Jungkook has a solemn expression to it all.

Shoulders tense, and in a stooped posture, Jungkook sits on a fallen tree, sharpening a knife. As of recently, thoughts are circling in his head this evening. He has been thinking about whether what his mother had said about the legend was really true. Jungkook doesn’t really believe in soulmates—he refuses to believe it but can’t help but wonder if there’s something about it. After all, Jimin and him had been close. They were like two peas in a pod. His mother was right. They were inseparable as pups. 

So what does this mean to be soulmates? Are they meant to be together romantically? What would his family think? More importantly, what would the pack think? He shivers slightly as the thoughts of 'what if' run in his mind.

Not too long ago, he realized and decided that he needed to work on their relationship if he wanted it to improve, and now they could be soulmates suddenly? That’s like jumping in at the deep end.

If the legend is true, it would complicate their relationship while he’s trying to figure out how to improve their relationship without making it worse. He has mixed feelings about it. How the heck is he supposed to know if the legend is true or not?

'Didn't you feel particularly close to Jimin when you were pups? Like you had an inseparable friendship?'

'...Nothing could pull you apart.'

His mother's words are the first that come to his mind, brows pulling together as he tries to recall what the elders said about soulmates. Pups would gather in small groups around them at a bonfire while roasting chestnuts on sticks and listening intently to the legends and stories that were once told. 

'A soulmate is the person who is destined to be with you for the rest of your life. They are said to have the strongest emotional and physical connection. Soulmates are said to feel an intense attraction and often bump into each other. They are meant to be together and will bring out the best in each other.'

Jungkook didn’t believe those stories; he only believed in them in theory. He began to entirely doubt them as he got older, unable to see how two people could be destined to be together. Even now, it’s difficult for him to imagine, let alone believe.

'Soulmates might experience physical reactions in the form of falling in love. They blush, they feel their heart racing and they feel drawn to each other. They want to protect the other, and I have heard they may also dream of the other. There is supposed to be no fixed point in time when two wolves know they are soulmates, but I am pretty convinced that they feel it after they have presented.'

The idea of it makes him swallow hard. Jungkook begins to feel dizzy the more he thinks about it and thinks back to the past weeks. Now, he’s not so sure anymore about denying it. If he allows himself to feel and admit what he has been feeling lately, then Jungkook has to confess that he is drawn to Jimin, which isn't the case with Seoyeon. Their connection as children is also thawing again, almost like he can feel an imaginary pull towards a bond. 

Jungkook sighs, hand stopping to sharpen the knife. This feels like a massive chunk of information weighing deeply on his shoulders. Lately, he's allowed himself to be more at ease in Jimin's presence, leading him to wonder about things he didn't want to. How's Jimin? What is he doing? Is he safe? He, as well, has felt protective over him. When he smelled him in distress, he couldn't do anything other than help Jimin. His wolf, and he himself, acted protectively after the bear attack, and he wanted him to be safe. Is this feeling the same that a mate would feel towards their partner?