Late bloomer

Feast

By the time Jimin reached his quarters, he was panting heavily. When his nerves calmed down, his bravery was replaced by fear. Had he overreacted? Was he too furious and disrespectful? “Never be hostile to your mated Alpha; it will only make things difficult for you,” the voice of the grand master echoed in his head. It was the first lesson taught to him in his Omega training session, and he had just done the exact opposite.

“Why did I get so furious? Was I mad at Jungkook for touching me like that, or...?” Jimin just had a vision of Jungkook’s chiselled face, with high cheekbones, big dark doe eyes, a sharp jawline, and fine jet black hair put into a ponytail. Anyone with eyes wouldn’t deny that the Alpha was indeed very handsome, and to add to that, he had the physique of a Greek god. “No, no, no, I don’t find him attractive. Am I going insane to feel attracted to that savage? He’s just a beast with no decency.”

Jimin shook his head violently, trying to shake the thoughts of the Alpha from his head. He felt exhausted, confused, and irritated. He had clearly offended his future mate now. It wasn’t only about Jimin anymore, but his whole clan. Their fate was in his hands. He should have been more careful about the previous encounter. Will Jungkook break the treaty and declare war? Will he go that far? No, that would hurt his pride as an Alpha. Anyways, Jimin vowed to himself to control himself and avoid the Alpha at all costs, at least until they left his clan’s territory.

So Jimin did just that: he avoided the Alpha as much as possible. Jungkook also didn’t talk or try to approach him again. Two weeks flew by with Jimin busy with his omega training and other arrangements. The rest of the time was spent with his family. None of them dared to bring up the fact that it was Jimin’s last few days with them. When Jimin was sitting with his siblings and his beloved father, having breakfast and talking about the most random things, he didn’t feel the dreadful fate that awaited him was real. Jimin knew that they were all masking their feelings because every morning Jin had red, fluffy eyes – an obvious sign that he had been crying the previous night. Jimin guessed Jin felt guilty since he was the one set to mate Jungkook. Taehyung, on the other hand, appeared restless, but he put up his usual mischievous face and kept making fun of Jimin, annoying him like he always did. His father also didn’t show any change; he constantly talked about how he felt when he held Jimin in his arms for the first time. It was a very difficult birth for Jimin’s mom, and they all thought Jimin was born as a dead baby because he didn’t cry or open his eyes. But when his father took off his pelt and held him close to his chest, only then did he come to life. Jimin, too, cried every night without anyone noticing for the past two weeks. But during the day, he put on a brave face because he didn’t want to be weak in front of the Alders, and he also didn’t want to hurt his family any more than they already were hurting.

Jimin’s father and warlord Jeon signed a treaty. Jimin’s clan pledged fealty to The Black Alders. Jimin was more like a hostage than a mate to keep the loyalty of Silver Moon’s in check. The Alders were headed back to their original mountain territory, returning victorious and rich with all the looted wealth of the defeated clans. It was a long journey. Once they passed the territory of Silver Moon, they would enter the great plains of the west county. The Alders planned on trading their slaves, so they would have to go down to the port of Scalloway by the Black Sea, where the sacred temple of the Goddess was located. Then they would have to re-enter the plains before passing through the dark woods and finally reaching the Smokey Mountains, where the Alders lived surrounded by naturally built rock fortresses. Jimin didn’t know the exact living conditions inside those fortresses, but he was sure they would be a hundred times worse than his current living conditions.

The Silver Moons had nicely built cabins throughout their territory that were very cosy and comfortable. They also had mansions, like the one he and his family lived in. Jimin had his own room with all the comforts he wished for. His room was clad with satin curtains and bedsheets, and his mattress and pillows were made of the finest swan feathers. The Silver Moons were famous for their production of satin; it was one of their main trades. Jimin’s room also smelled like fresh herbs because he was learning to become an omega healer and had a collection of dried herbs he found during his expeditions in the jungle with the kind head healer of Silver Moon’s. She was a widowed omega who lived a secluded life in her cabin. They both enjoyed each other’s company, and Jimin would spend countless hours there assisting her. He loved every minute of his studies, and he had a very secure and cosy life right before him until the recent drastic change of his future. Even if he didn’t present or never found a mate, he would have become an amazing healer. He would be safe under his father, the head alpha, and then his brother Taehyung, who would take after the position after their father. No matter how hard he tried, he still couldn’t picture himself mated to Jungkook, living a hundred thousand miles from here.