Love Is Not Possession

9: Heat

"The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most, are those that are absurd - The longing for impossible things, precisely because they are impossible; nostalgia for what never was; the desire for what could have been; regret over not being someone else; dissatisfaction with the world's existence. All these half-tones of the soul's consciousness create in us a painful landscape, an eternal sunset of what we are."

― Fernando Pessoa

The wind was blowing harder, kicking up wispy clouds of the powder-like snow around them. Seokjin's muscles remained tense against Jungkook, his body intently focused on self-control as the Omega laid against his back, collapsed forward into unconsciousness. A low whine formed deep in his throat as he felt the slick of Jungkook's heat soaking against his belly, and he started to pant, attempting to lessen the effects the heat was having on his body. He had to wait for Namjoon and the others to come. He knew that they would be there any minute now. But it was dangerous for him to continue being so close to Jungkook while in wolf form, as much as Jungkook needed the extra warmth he was providing. His Scent was intoxicating, and his touch tingled and swept waves beneath his skin.

He whined, trying not to shift and disturb Jungkook, carefully laying his head down between his paws. He sniffed at Taehyung's still form to distract himself, and the wolf finally seemed to be waking up, his ears twitching and his legs kicking out in little bursts as he tried to lift his head. The Beta whimpered, looking over at Seokjin, then shuffling awkwardly on the three legs he had available until he was close enough to press his nose up against his older brother. Seokjin blinked heavily, letting his eyes flutter closed as he tried to concentrate on not moving, to focus on his breathing. Taehyung let out little whines, licking at Seokjin's face frantically, causing irritation and gratefulness to swirl awkwardly in his belly. He opened his eyes, seeing the apologetic look on Taehyung's face, and he nudged his nose underneath the Beta's chin, playfully pushing his head up and away. The Beta's tail had been drooping, but it gave the slightest wave back and forth, dragging through the snow as he laid down against Seokjin's paws. The whimper in Seokjin's throat grew from a whine to a warning growl, and he shifted a bit on Jungkook's lap, feeling a slight pull from where Jungkook's fist clenched around a thick tuft of his fur even in his sleep.

The sound of someone approaching made both Seokjin and Taehyung lift their heads up in alarm, only to see Namjoon, Jimin and Yoongi gallop over to the oak tree, all of them visibly thrown back at the scent of Jungkook. Jimin buried his nose into the snow, snuffling in shock and desperation, trying to tone down the smell. Yoongi was the first to recover, shifting back into human form and stepping forward.

"Holy shit..." he breathed, running a hand across his face as he stared at the unconscious Jungkook in disbelief.

Namjoon sniffed at the battleground, pawing at the bloodied snow and trying to identify all the different scents involved. Jimin was hovering worriedly over Taehyung, letting out little whimpers as he licked at Taehyung's face and neck. Taehyung lifted his head and returned the licks in a slower manner, trying to be reassuring even as he couldn't move.

Yoongi shifted forward on his knees to reach for Jungkook's head, to see if he was conscious, and suddenly Seokjin's enormous form twisted halfway around, and he snapped his jaws toward Yoongi's reaching hands, narrowly missing them. Yoongi jerked backwards on instinct, more vulnerable to attack while in human form. He blinked at Seokjin with a perplexed expression.

"What the fuck, Seokjin?" he snapped. "We have to move him, he can't stay here."

Seokjin just growled in response, teeth bared at the dumbfounded Omega. Namjoon was instantly at Yoongi's side, bracing his legs and growling back at Seokjin in warning. A voice echoing in Seokjin's mind was telling him to stop, to 'not do anything stupid,' as Namjoon had warned him. But the smell of Jungkook had washed over him heavily, and seeing him so vulnerably at the mercy of Jae had made him paranoid. The instincts overwhelming his wolf body were making him tremble, forcing him to give up control. Namjoon was not Namjoon right now, but another Alpha. A threat. A possible danger to Jungkook, who was in heat and hurting, who needed Seokjin to protect him. The next thing Seokjin knew there was a flurry of teeth and snarls, and the fleshy, thick skin near Namjoon's neck was being torn at by Seokjin's maw, and Yoongi was yelling, covering Taehyung up and swearing at them in fear. Jimin leapt in, jumping back and forth with his teeth bared ferociously, despite the size difference between him and the other two Alphas, and he managed to slip in between the two of them and snap at Seokjin's back leg, knocking him over. Jungkook, still lost to the world, tumbled quietly off Seokjin's back and into a little crumpled pile in the snow. With Jimin and Namjoon both snarling at him, teeth clenched carefully around his skin, drool coating his fur as if in preparation to mingle with the bloodshed, Seokjin finally stopped. The overwhelming power of their two Alpha Scents made him pause long enough for his eyes to focus again, and he instantly shifted back, tears in his eyes as within moments multiple hands were reaching around him, patting him reassuringly. Jimin whimpered, even though he was now in human form, and he leaned down into Seokjin's vision, tilting his head in question with the most heartbroken look on his face. Namjoon knelt, panting in the snow, one hand dropped to Seokjin's shoulder, tiny droplets of blood sliding down Namjoon's neck and down onto his chest from the small puncture wounds Seokjin's teeth had left.