The Rules of Courting | nj

Three

As Yoongi led Namjoon into their cabin, the newly presented alpha was automatically overwhelmed with a new scent. He had thankfully gotten used to Yoongi's sandalwood scent after being around him constantly since arriving in the village, but he would still get dizzy every time a new scent entered his nose. Except for that vanilla scent that he couldn't get out of his mind.

This new scent was somewhat salty, similar to what one would smell when visiting the ocean. The suddenness of it hitting him made him nauseous at first, but within a few seconds it calmed him and brought on nostalgic memories of family trips to Jeju when he was younger. "Hoseok, get down here and meet our new roommate!"

"I didn't realize we were getting a new roommate!" Hoseok yelled back as he bounded down the stairs, smiling brightly at Namjoon. "Hi, I'm Hoseok! It's nice to meet you!"

"I'm Namjoon, nice to meet you too!" Namjoon responded, adjusting his grip on his backpack.

Yoongi took over the introductions from that point. "Namjoon here is looking to join our pack. He's, uh, Jung Soomin's grandson." Yoongi's voice lowered to a whisper at the mention of Namjoon's grandmother's name, making Namjoon wonder once again what the big deal was.

Hoseok's eyes widened at the information. "Are you serious?" He looked at Namjoon in awe. "You're related to the Jung Soomin?" Namjoon nodded, mumbling a confirmation. "That's awesome! I bet she's amazing!"

"Yeah, she really is~" Namjoon agreed, suddenly really missing his grandmother.

Yoongi smiled slightly, glad that his roommates were getting along well, since he would have hated it if there was any tension between them. "Well, it's getting kind of late. I guess I'll show you your room so you can get unpacked before dinner. We all eat together as a pack for dinner." Namjoon noticed the slight frown on Hoseok's face at Yoongi's words but opted not to point it out as he followed Yoongi across the open living room kitchen and passed the staircase where three doors were, one right by the stairs and two along the back wall. "Hoseok and I took the bedrooms upstairs so you can have this one." Yoongi opened the door next to the staircase to reveal a plainly decorated bedroom, furnished with a bed, armchair, dresser, and two bedside tables. "The bathroom is right next door and the last door leads outside." Yoongi explained as Namjoon stepped inside, growing accustomed to the room that now belonged to him.

"This is a really nice place~" Namjoon said, setting his backpack on the bed.

"I'm glad you like it." Yoongi responded. "So, get unpacked, make yourself at home, and I'll let you know when it's time to go to the dinner."

"Yes, enjoy your veal and freshly steamed veggies." Hoseok said with a joking tone, although anyone could hear the sadness in his voice. "I'll just stay home, crying into my bowl of ramen like always."

Namjoon cocked his head, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "I thought you said you eat together as a pack."

Yoongi looked down at the ground almost shamefully as Hoseok replied, a mixture of sadness and anger in his expression. "Betas aren't allowed to join during mating season."

~*~

"Mating season?" Namjoon asked once he and Yoongi had left the cabin, although he had to force himself to as he wanted to stay behind with Hoseok and comfort him. "That's actually a thing?"

"Not in the way you're probably thinking." Yoongi answered. "We can mate at any time of year we wish, but the first four months of the year, our instincts go crazy trying to find a mate, and also push us to procreate. We still refer to it as mating season because there are higher rates of courtships and mating ceremonies during this time of year."