The Rejected |Taekook|

Chapter 1🪷

The Obsidian Pack was more than just a collection of werewolves; it was a legend whispered across the lands, a testament to the Moon Goddess's favor. Their territory pulsed with life, a vibrant tapestry of boundless fertility. Crops of every conceivable kind burst from the rich soil, yielding harvests that sustained them through the harshest winters. The ancient forest, a verdant cathedral of thick, sturdy trees, provided an endless supply of timber for their grand, interwoven homes and formidable defense structures. Hunters, swift and keen, never returned empty-handed, for the dense undergrowth teemed with a kaleidoscope of wildlife.

But the true source of the Obsidian Pack's unparalleled strength wasn't just its verdant land or its skilled warriors; it was the ceaseless, joyous chorus of new life. Pups. Dozens were conceived, and born, every single day. Each tiny, mewling bundle was a promise, a future warrior, a cunning hunter, a gentle caretaker. A pack with triple the members of any other was simply unassailable. Who would dare challenge such a formidable force?

This reverence for new life flowed directly to the omegas, the sacred vessels who brought forth these precious future members. They were held in esteem second only to the Moon Goddess herself. When an omega conceived, the entire pack erupted in celebration. The Head Alpha and his Luna spared no expense, throwing a grand feast where perfectly cooked meats, golden pastries, and expensive wines flowed freely. And when a pup finally arrived, the festivities became even more extravagant. Beyond another lavish feast, the new parents – be they mother or father – were rewarded with either gleaming gold pieces or a generous parcel of fertile land, a tangible token of the pack's gratitude.

It was this tradition that blessed Taehyung's family with their comfortable life. His parents had been showered with both gold and land for bringing five beautiful pups into the world. Taehyung was the youngest of these five, a male omega like two of his elder brothers. His family was a living testament to the pack’s core value: fertility.

His oldest omega brother, Daehwi, had already found his fated mate and gifted the pack with twin pups, their laughter a constant song in their home. His elder sister, Duri, a female omega, was equally prolific with three healthy pups already toddling about. Jae-hwa, another male omega sibling, had met his fated mate only five months ago, and the hushed whispers of impending celebration already followed them, a clear indication that pups were on the horizon.

Of the five, only Taehyung and his sister, Yongsun, remained unmated. Yongsun, at nineteen, still awaited the touch of her fated mate, a patient hope in her eyes. Taehyung, however, felt a different kind of anticipation, a knot of dread tightening in his stomach. In just a month, he would turn eighteen, the age where he would finally be able to recognize his fated mate. He heaved a deep, shuddering sigh, his gaze falling to the dreaded barren tree mark that marred his perfectly sun-kissed skin. The mark that kept him awake at night, a constant, gnawing worry. The mark that, he feared, could drive away even his fated mate.

He wondered, often, why the Moon Goddess had dealt him such a cruel hand. The barren tree, a symbol of infertility, was profoundly rare. It was said that only one in a thousand werewolves bore such a mark, and almost exclusively, it appeared on female alphas, whose role was to lead and protect, not necessarily to bear pups themselves. But Taehyung was an omega, meant to be a nurturer of new life, a source of the pack's future. He was the only omega in recorded history to carry such a shameful mark, a stark, visible contradiction to his very being.

Yet, despite the crushing weight of this reality, Taehyung clung to a fragile hope. He hoped with every fiber of his being that his fated mate would not reject him. He prayed that they would see beyond the barren tree, that they would value their sacred bond, their shared destiny, and accept him for who he was, even if they could never have a pup. They would be happy, he told himself, as long as they were together. That had to be enough. It simply had to be.