𝐎𝐦𝐞𝐠𝐚'𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐝 [𝗄𝗈𝗈𝗄𝗏]

Chapter Twenty Eight

~~~

The forest is eerily silent.

Taehyung's breath came in ragged gasps as he ran, the cold night air stinging his lungs. He hadn't meant to go this far—hadn't even realized where his feet were taking him.

But now, as he slowed, his surroundings felt unfamiliar. The trees were thicker, the shadows darker. He had strayed too close to the forest.

The weight of the argument with Jeongguk still clings to his skin, a dull ache thrumming beneath his ribs. His footsteps slow as he rubs at his temples, exhaling sharply.

It shouldn't hurt this much.

And yet, it does.

The bond—though unspoken, unclaimed—pulls at him, an invisible thread tightening around his lungs.

The moment Jeongguk had looked at him at midnight, something in his eyes had cracked—a fissure Taehyung had wanted to reach for, to hold together before it shattered completely.

But instead, Jeongguk had left.

And now, Taehyung was here. Alone.

"Why Moon Goddess?" Taehyung whispered as he clutched his heart, trying hard to control his tears as he looked up at the sky, at the moon "Why it has to be him out of all the alphas? it's so crazy, he is fourteen years younger than me," he added as he wiped his tears away, when the wind shifts.

The scent of damp earth and pine fills his lungs—but beneath it, something else lingers. Wrong. Off.

His body tenses as he looked around "what was that? What if it's someone? What if they heard me?" He mumbled, he doesn't want anyone to know about their secret right now.

Then, a voice cut through the silence.

"Well, well... what do we have here?"

Taehyung spun around, his heart pounding.

Figures stepped out from the darkness, their silhouettes blending into the night. At least four—no, five—of them. Their scents hit him instantly, sharp and foreign. Rogues.

The one in the center, the one who had spoken, took a slow step forward. His smirk was sharp, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Luna, wandering alone? How reckless."

Taehyung's hands clenched at his sides. "What do you want?" He inquired as he looked around, if they don't use their alpha voice then Taehyung can take care of them.

The stranger tilted his head, watching him like a predator toying with its prey. "Did the little Alpha hurt your feelings?" His voice dripped with mock sympathy. "Poor thing. Maybe I should keep you company instead."

The other rogues chuckled.

Taehyung swallowed, what if they heard me? "What do you mean by little Alpha?"

The Alpha grinned "I mean you have been eye fucking him all night, did he reject you because you are too old for him?"

Taehyung snorted but couldn't stop his pounding heart, yes it's the beginning of judgment "It's none of your god damn business, how did you even entered in this pack? Who helped you?" shifting his stance. He was outnumbered. Outmatched. But he wasn't helpless. He had been trained for this.

Still, his heart pounded as the rogues slowly began to close in.

The leader chuckles. "Just some old friends." His gaze darkens. "And we have unfinished business with your pack."

"Who?" Taehyung said and stepped back, not now.

~~~

Jeongguk sat in his old room at the packhouse, shoulders stiff as he poured himself a drink.