Numinous

by BBQkitten

Summary:

“Clearly, our pup was keeping him alive for a reason and I’d like to find out why before we abandon it to the elements.”

“I can kill it,” Jin offered, snatching the satchel angrily. “Put it out of its misery.”

The boy whimpered, pressing his face against Hoseok’s chest desperately. He brought his hand up to rub soothingly over the boy’s head from on top of the furs, hushing his terrified noises. “What’s this one done to you?” he asked, still shielding the human’s body with his own. “It’s just a pup— it’s harmless.”

Jin snorted, turning his back towards his packmate as he made his way back into their den. “No human is harmless. They’re all monsters.”

OR

Hoseok finds an injured human in the forest and takes him home. The pack isn't exactly... welcoming... at first.

Notes:

Numinous—being both fearful and awed by what is before you

Chapter 1

Hoseok swore as another branch whipped him in the face, flicking bits of snow and ice all over him. It was bad enough that Hoseok had to be out in the first place, the shift in the air telling him that a storm was closing in fast. It was worse that he was scavenging through the barren undergrowth looking for any traces of Jimin’s purple-leafed, magic healing herb because Yoongi had gone and gotten himself in a wrestling match with a gigantic (probably mutant) bear. 

Not that Hoseok was upset with Yoongi getting into the fight, per se. Yoongi was, after all, only protecting their youngest, Taehyung, when the pup had, in a fit of excess energy, accidentally ran into a hibernating bear. His howl for help had chilled the entire pack and Hoseok’s hands were still shaking from the adrenaline. 

Yoongi was, for the moment, out of immediate danger so, as much as Hoseok hated scavenging, he had volunteered so that he could take a few moments to process the events that had transpired a few hours prior and recollect his cool so as to not stress their pack out further. 

They were a small pack— very small— and any injury was detrimental to their pending survival, especially this deep into the winter season. Yoongi, especially, was vital, as one of their main hunters and Hoseok knew that the next few weeks would be difficult with him out of commission. They were, thankfully, prepared for the storm, and as such, more than stocked on food, but Yoongi was still a staple to their safety. 

With Jimin’s herb, the wound would heal twice as fast and Hoseok was bound and determined to find the plant for his pack. A part of him, small and self-loathing, blamed himself for the accident, no matter how unrealistic his feeling may have been. He was one of the other main protectors of their pack and he should have had Yoongi’s back, but Taehyung’s pained howl had terrified him to the bone and he had only had eyes for their youngest in that moment. It wasn’t until Yoongi had released his own pained whimper that Hoseok had even realized his packmate had been injured. 

The bear, at that point, had been easy to take down and Hoseok had taken the responsibility of carrying Yoongi all the way home, Namjoon cradling a very shaken Taehyung in his own arms. 

Jimin and Jin, his poor mates, had been pacing at the den opening and pounced the second they were within range. Their young healer immediately began spouting off supplies that he needed as he examined the gash on Yoongi, trusting the pack to gather what he had needed to staunch the bleeding. They were fine until Jin opened the jar that held the purple plant and realized that, while they had enough for a small wound, they would come short for the wound that spanned the length of Yoongi’s entire abdomen. 

And, desperate to be useful in such a horrible situation, Hoseok had volunteered. Namjoon had shot him a thankful look, arms still full of a sniffling Taehyung, as he left. Now, out in the freezing cold, snuffling around in the undergrowth for a purple plant that grew sparsely this late into the winter months, Hoseok was grateful that he had taken on this responsibility, not wanting any of his packmates out in this weather. 

It started snowing as the sun began to set, the wolf still rustling through the undergrowth, now closer to the river, the soft bubbling of the water a soothing background noise to an otherwise silent hillside. It wasn’t until the wind shifted that Hoseok realized that he wasn’t completely alone. 

His hackles rose, smelling something that screamed different and foreign. He paused, tilting his head as he sniffed the air in confusion before recognizing the scent as something distinctly human, which didn’t make any sense seeing as the nearest human settlement was days away. And while there hadn’t been a storm yet, the weather was far from favorable for extended travel, especially for fragile humans, so Hoseok was quite confused by the very alive human scent that was trickling into his senses. 

Normally, his pack had the forest to themselves during the winter months, the humans’ fragile immune system much too weak to withstand that much cold for extended periods of time. In summertime, the pack migrated up the mountain to avoid the wandering humans that tended to infest their territory in the nicer weather. 

There was no way a human could survive up in these woods for long and Hoseok had half a mind to turn around and leave the human foolish enough to wander this deep into the forest’s depths to their fate. But a tightness in his chest wouldn’t let him turn away. He felt fear and a suffocating anxiousness that pulled him closer to the river— closer to the human. 

As he neared, Hoseok picked up on the scent of blood as well, faint but still fresh and he realized that the human was wounded. But unlike Yoongi, this human was alone— didn’t have anyone to tend to its wounds and would surely bleed out if the cold didn’t get to them first. 

He spotted it— him— hunched over on the riverbed, reaching a shaking hand into the icy waters as he cleaned a large gash on one of his thighs with a scrap of cloth that looked to have been torn from the human’s flimsy coat. It was clear to Hoseok right away that the human was not dressed appropriately for the weather— the cold was sure to be his demise. 

He was about to turn around— a human’s foolishness was not any of his concern unless it directly impacted his pack— when he spotted the purple herb poking out of the dirt obnoxiously right next to where the human was crouched. With a heavy sigh, Hoseok moved toward the human, keeping himself on high alert on the off chance that this whole thing was a trap. 

The wolf could hear whimpering now, soft, suppressed little cries, as the human pressed against his wound desperately. His pants were soaked from river water and blood and he reeked of distress and pain and— bear. 

The same bear that had cornered Taehyung and injured Yoongi... just up the stream. This human— this human had been there too. Taehyung’s guilty expression made much more sense now. He hadn’t been playing alone near the bear’s den. 

He had been playing with him.

The closer he got, the more of Taehyung Hoseok smelt coming off of the human. Clearly, their pup had been keeping things from them. He stepped up behind the human, standing imposingly over the boy until the little thing’s back stiffened and he turned his head up and around slowly, a whimper already dribbling from his lips. 

Hoseok stood over him for a moment, positive that his expression was something that radiated something between hot anger and disgust. The human— the boy— whimpered again, squeezing his eyes shut tightly when Hoseok leaned down over him. 

The wolf huffed, plucking the plants from the ground and stashing them safely in the little satchel he had against his hip. The human’s eyes peeked open when he didn’t immediately get eaten, watching Hoseok curiously. 

Hoseok finished what he was doing and stood up straight again, taking a closer look at the boy. It was quickly clear that the human had been living out in the forest for a while now. He was dirty and nothing but skin and bones, his clothes in tattered ruins except for a warm-looking fur pelt that Hoseok recognized as the fur that Taehyung had ‘lost’ just last week. 

The boy was shaking too, the warm fur wrapped around his torso underneath his human coat not doing anything to heat his extremities. He didn’t have the increased body heat to withstand such cold temperatures for so long and it showed in the blue, purple, and red decorating his skin. 

This human was Taehyung’s, that much was obvious. Why his packmate had thought collecting a human in the middle of winter months, especially knowing how much the older wolves hated that species, was beyond him. But Hoseok was not a cruel person, couldn’t, in good conscience now that he (sort of) knew why the human was so deep in the wilderness, leave him to die. 

With a heavy sigh, Hoseok crouched down again and scooped up the boy, frowning at how light he was. Clearly, the boy hadn’t properly stocked up his own reserves for the winter months. He ignored the human’s startled yelp, hiking him up higher against his chest as the boy wrapped his arms around Hoseok’s neck in a frantic attempt to not fall. 

He snorted, using the hand not supporting the human’s butt to shift the extra hide draped over his shoulders to cover the human’s back instead. “Hands inside,” he demanded, bouncing the boy when the human didn’t immediately obey. “Hands inside,” he said again, reaching behind him to break the boy’s flimsy  hold and move his arms between their chests. The boy was pliant enough, not fighting Hoseok as he repositioned him until he had a bundled human wrapped up in the furs against his chest. 

He moved his other hand to the back of the human’s neck, unconsciously petting the skin in a warning scruff to make him plaint like he would do to a pup. Of course, the act didn’t immediately cow the human, though he was plenty pliant enough already, the pain and cold making him unable to fight anything Hoseok did to him, but the human seemed to understand the gesture enough to know that he shouldn’t lift his head up again for the foreseeable future. 

Hoseok made his way back to the den, one hand supporting the boy’s butt with the other cradled protectively around his back with a satchel full of purple herbs. The human released a few shuddery hums that were probably supposed to be words but the cold had stolen his voice and Hoseok was thankful for that. The last thing he wanted was to have a conversation with the human.

Actually, Hoseok wasn't really sure what he was doing. Sure the human had been adopted by his packmate but he didn’t care for the little thing. And Jin and Namjoon would be furious when they smelled him. Honestly, the kid would be lucky if their pack alpha didn’t immediately snap his neck on sight. Or maybe he would be lucky if he did. There were much worse ends when confronted with a territorial and protective alpha wolf. 

Jin was at the mouth of the den when Hoseok approached. He watched as his eldest packmate’s face went from anxiously relieved to furious in seconds. 

“Why the fuck did you bring that?” he hissed, swiping at the human’s back when Hoseok neared. 

He backed out of Jin’s grasp, turning the human away from him. “He was freezing and he reeks of Taehyung,” he explained as he expertly unlatched the satchel and tossed it over to the elder. “Clearly, our pup was keeping him alive for a reason and I’d like to find out why before we abandon it to the elements.”

“I can kill it,” Jin offered, snatching the satchel angrily. “Put it out of its misery.”

The boy whimpered, pressing his face against Hoseok’s chest desperately. He brought his hand up to rub soothingly over the boy’s head from on top of the furs, hushing his terrified noises. “What’s this one done to you?” he asked, still shielding the human’s body with his own. “It’s just a pup— it’s harmless.”

Jin snorted, turning his back towards his packmate as he made his way back into their den. “No human is harmless. They’re all monsters.”

 

“Kookie!” 

Taehyung darted across the den, nearly crashing into Hoseok in his haste to get to the human still tucked against his chest. Hoseok allowed the younger wolf to untangle the human from his person, watching in fascination as Taehyung dropped to the floor with the boy in his lap, keeping the furs wrapped around his shoulders as he nuzzled into the human’s hair. 

The human, Kookie, melted at Taehyung’s affections, pressing shaking fingers into the wolf’s skin as he tried to cling onto the larger male in return. 

“You’re alive,” Taehyung mumbled, rubbing his cheek against Kookie’s dirty hair. “I thought you were—”

“ ‘m— ‘m okay,” the human croaked, fingers creeping up to cup Taehyung’s cheeks as he tried to desperately ensure the wolf was alright. “Y— you?”

Taehyung nodded, tugging Kookie’s limbs back to his chest as he bundled the human up once more.

“He’s bleeding,” Hoseok disclosed, moving to crouch down next to the two. “Smells like the bear got him too.”

His pup grew frantic, pushing Kookie back into Hoseok’s chest so that he could find the injury. Once spotted, Taehyung hissed and clambered up, running over to Jimin’s medical supplies to gather what he needed to bandage the wound. Before he could move back towards the human, however, he was stopped by one hand on his chest and another plucking the supplies from his grasp. 

“You are not wasting our resources on some human scum,” Jin declared, stepping around Taehyung easily to return the bandages. “And even if you did, the pathetic thing wouldn’t last the night anyways.”

Taehyung swallowed, moving to stand between Jin and the shelf, tilting his head in submission as he pleaded with the elder. “Jin— please. He’s just a cub and it’s— it’s my fault he was out there in the first place. Please— he doesn’t deserve to die.”

“All humans deserve to die,” Jin declared, turning to glare at the human laying limply in Hoseok’s arms. 

“Not this one,” Taehyung hissed, pushing against Jin’s chest in a rare bout of anger, startling the elder. “Jungkook is good and sweet and everything that you taught me humans were not. He’s alone. All he has is me and I’m not— not going to let him die because I wanted to move his den for the storm. It’s— everything is my fault; Yoongi getting hurt and Jungkookie and— please don’t punish him for my mistakes. He’s innocent, Jinnie.”

Jin frowned, letting his youngest’s words sink in. “How long have you... been in contact with it?”

Taehyung huffed at the elder’s complete disregard for Jungkook's being. “Since the changing of the leaves,” he admitted. “I found him scavenging for food and I helped him and he— he shared it with me. And I knew that— that he was mine. Jin— Jin, he refused to take it all for himself even though he was starving. He’s not like the humans in your stories, Jin.” 

The elder swallowed, glancing back at the shivering human before looking over towards Namjoon standing protectively over Yoongi and Jimin. The pack’s alpha nodded his head to the elder, leaving Jungkook’s fate in his hands. Whatever happened was in Jin’s hands. 

With a heavy sigh, Jin turned back to Taehyung and reached behind him to return the bandages. 

“Jin— please!”

The wolf nudged Taehyung out of the way, ignoring his cries as he dug through their storage until he found what he was looking for. Jin collected the proper bandages and ointments for the human’s wound before limping surely over to the pathetic little thing. Taehyung trailed after him, his pleas having tapered off when he realized what the elder had grabbed, crouching down next to Jin as the wolf tugged the human into a horizontal position with his head on Hoseok’s lap. 

Said wolf looked mildly alarmed by having the little human cradled on him but dutifully started combing his fingers through Jungkook’s hair to keep the boy calm while Jin made quick work of stripping the human naked. Jin directed Taehyung into grabbing some of the extra furs piled up near their bed and wrapping them around the human’s chest and waist while he cleaned the wound. Once it was bandaged, Taehyung moved to wrap another blanket around the boy’s legs before collecting him in his arms. 

“He won’t warm up like that,” Yoongi rasped, cracking one eye open to examine the little thing swaddled in their extra furs. “Bring him over here,” he commanded tiredly, shifting in the bed with Jimin’s help to make room for the rest of the wolves and the human. 

“But he’s stopped shivering,” Taehyung replied in confusion, dutifully laying Jungkook in the middle of the bed. He side-eyed Jin and Namjoon, careful to gauge their reactions of having a human in their bed and ready to pluck him from their territory the moment either of them turned aggressive. 

Yoongi sighed, rolling his eyes exasperatedly. “Because his body is focusing on preserving warmth around his organs. It doesn’t care about his extremities any more. You need to raise his core temperature if you want any chance at saving the pup.”

Taehyung frowned, caressing Jungkook’s cold cheek. At some point, the human had passed out and while he looked quite pretty sleeping, his lack of reactions made the youngest wolf anxious. “How do I do that?”

“Contact,” Namjoon sighed, tugging off his shirt. “Skin contact.” He laid down next to Jungkook and tugged the furs away, only to replace them to cover the both of them. Namjoon pulled the boy against his chest, pressing Jungkook’s cold nose and cheek against his pec and tucking his hands between his legs to get as much warmth to his extremities as possible. “Someone should get his feet and someone should be at his back.”

Their youngest mate moved down to Jungkook’s feet, taking the extremities and tucking them under his chin. The cold skin made him flinch before he just hugged the boy harder, desperately wanting the poor kid to be okay. 

Before Hoseok could move to the kid’s back, Jin stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder. “I’ll do it,” he said reluctantly. “We need someone who can protect the den at the edge of the nest.”

Hoseok nodded, glancing down to where he knew the scars laid hidden under the elder’s clothes. Jin skillfully avoided the younger’s eyes and moved to lay down on Jungkook’s back next to Yoongi. The second oldest reached out to grab Jin’s wrist for a quick, supportive squeeze before tucking himself back into Jimin’s arms. 

Jin undressed and crowded in against the boy’s bony back, flinching when he was met with cold skin. “He can stay through the storm if he survives,” he grumbled, nose unconsciously tucking into the human’s dirty locks. “But after that he’s gone.”

 

Jungkook survived the night. And the next. And the next. He was bedbound, like Yoongi, and had slowly migrated to cuddling against the wolf during the day when the rest of the pack stretched their legs in the rest of the cave. The second oldest hated humans almost as much as Jin did, having been present the last time they had encountered the violent species, but Jungkook wormed his way into the small wolf’s heart without even trying and Yoongi found himself reaching for the little pup whenever he wasn’t within arms reach. 

He didn’t say much, preferring to communicate through soft touches and little gestures that the wolves were quickly becoming more than a bit endeared with. Jungkook was quiet and polite and caring and everything a human wasn’t. 

Hoseok was the first to warm up to the little human fully, tucking the boy into his lap one morning as he kept Jungkook completely swaddled in the furs that had become his over the last few days. They had whispered conversations at the mouth of the cave at dawn as they watched the snow fall in heavy sheets just outside of the den, only coming back when Jin called for them. 

Jimin was an easy second, the healer being more invested in the welfare of his patient than his species. Jungkook was easy to talk to, too; all bright smiles and curious eyes that always watched what Jimin was doing in rapt fascination. More than once, Jungkook reached out with curious fingers before thinking better of it and snatching his hand back. After a few times of doing this, Jimin had caught on to the little action and started explaining what he was doing as he cleaned and rebandaged both Jungkook’s and Yoongi’s wounds. 

Yoongi, of course, fell after that. His bedmate was a comforting presence and they enjoyed the ability to just exist in one another’s space without the need to fill the silences. Yoongi thrived on physical contact, got to know his packmates through touch and so he learned to adore Jungkook in the same fashion. 

It started with interlacing their pinkies as they laid next to each other during the day which quickly turned into hand holding and then Jungkook’s cheek was resting against Yoongi’s shoulder and he... didn’t hate it. The pup’s scent was rather nice for a human’s, too— warm and sweet and reminding the elder of warm summer months. He found his nose curling into Jungkook’s hair on more than one occasion which always made the pup giggle when he felt the warm puffs of air tickling his scalp. 

Surprisingly, Jin warmed up to the human before Namjoon did. Jin huffed one day, stomping over to the bed and plucking Jungkook from his relative safety with ease. He cradled him in his own arms before aiming to venture deeper into the den. 

Namjoon, of course, stopped him and took the human into his own arms before gesturing for Jin to lead the way, following the elder’s slow steps to the hotspring. 

“He stinks,” Jin declared, chucking off his clothes before sliding into the water and gesturing for Namjoon to lower the boy. He did, setting him on the rocky ledge of the spring before tugging off Jungkook’s furs and ignoring the human’s feeble protests. 

Once he had the boy undressed, he carefully undid the bandage around Jungkook’s thigh and lowered him into the water and into Jin’s waiting arms. The older wolf huffed when Jungkook tried to move to his own seat, tucking him further into his chest. “Pups behave,” he growled in warning, scooping some sand off of the floor of the hotspring as he started gently scrubbing at Jungkook’s skin. 

The boy sat frozen in Jin’s hold, receiving an approving growl when he slowly relaxed back against the elder. Namjoon watched all of this from the edge of the pool, handing Jin soap when he stretched his hand out for it. 

By the end of the bath, Jungkook was putty in the elder’s lap, leaning against Jin’s chest as he blinked heavily. One hand laid limply in his own lap while the other floated in the water, sometimes brushing against Jin’s thigh. He hummed in confusion when he felt raised skin under his fingertips, brushing against it more forcefully. 

Jin growled threateningly, shifting Jungkook so that they were facing one another as he raised his leg out of the water. The skin was scarred and disfigured, traveling from his ankle to nearly his hip. Some parts of his leg were missing full chunks and Jungkook flinched, feeling nauseous just looking at it. 

“Your species did this to me,” he hissed, shaking Jungkook’s shoulders slightly. 

The boy, surprisingly, didn’t lash out at the elder, like Jin and Namjoon expected him to. Instead, Jungkook nodded, eyes still on Jin’s leg, as he raised his hand out of the water so that he could trace the scars that decorated his own shoulder and trailed down his back. “Yeah,” he agreed solemnly. “My species can be cruel.”

Jin eyed the mutilated skin carefully, noting that the wounds had come from something thin— whip-like— and were probably no more than a year old. The scars on his shoulder were the deepest and explained some of Jungkook’s awkward movements when he reached for things. He probably didn’t have full mobility and that saddened Jin because he knew intimately what it was like to feel helpless in your own body. 

He tucked Jungkook against his chest, releasing a soft, low rumble that was usually used to soothe pups to sleep. It seemed to work on the human too, Jungkook slipping back into that pliant, floppy state as he sank down into Jin’s hold further. After a while, Namjoon reached forward to pluck Jungkook from Jin’s lap, wrapping him up in a thinner fur to keep him warm on their way back up to the main living space. 

Once there, Namjoon laid Jungkook down and helped Jimin re-bandage the human’s thigh, noting that he was healing much slower than any wound he had ever seen before.

“Humans don’t heal as fast,” Taehyung mumbled sleepily, shifting to wrap an arm around Jungkook’s waist and pull him against his chest once Jimin had pulled away. “Shoulda seen his arm when I found ‘im. Was— was mangled for moons. Didn’t think it’d ever heal.”

“Told you it would,” Jungkook grumbled, nuzzling into Taehyung’s chest as Namjoon tucked their thickest fur around the human’s body. “Just takes time. I’ll be able to walk on this soon though. Won’t hurt too bad.”

Jin blanched, climbing into the bed on Jungkook’s free side before shifting to hover over top of the youngest and glaring at him. “Won’t hurt ‘too bad?’” he hissed, cupping Jungkook’s cheeks. “But it’ll still hurt? Why would you walk on it if it hurts?”

Jungkook frowned. “Because the storm’s gonna break soon? And I can only stay until the storm’s passed. That’s what you said.”

The eldest wolf growled, scooping Jungkook up and into his arms before laying back down with his human burrito against his chest. “You’ll do no such thing,” he snipped. “We didn’t put in all this effort to keep you alive only for you to collapse ten feet down the hill. You’ll stay until you’re healed— fully.”

Taehyung grinned blindingly, pressing in closely to give Jin a fierce kiss over Jungkook’s shoulder. Jin brushed off his gratitude, pointedly ignoring the rest of his pack as he made sure all of Jungkook’s limbs were tucked securely in the furs before closing his eyes in mock-sleep. 

The pack let him have the out, just grateful that he had finally found a way to warm up to the sweet little human. 

Over the following weeks, life for the pack got back to normal, but with the added bonus of having Jungkook limping around their home. At first, the wolves had been horrified at his slow gait, scooping him up every time they caught him until he explained that he needed to move or his muscles would only make it more difficult for him to walk later. That, understandably, horrified the wolves to the point that they made sure Jungkook got up and walked around the den a few times each day (under their carefully guiding hands, of course). 

Jin enjoyed the company in the den, having taken to keeping Jungkook within his sights at all times as he went about his daily tasks when the others went out hunting or collecting herbs or patroling. 

“Why don’t you ever join them?” Jungkook asked one morning, having watched Jin’s melancholy gaze follow his pack as they disappeared into the trees. 

The elder pointed to his leg morosely. “I’m den-bound— permanently. The last time we encountered humans, they set a trap for us. I got caught in it—this... prickly wire that wrapped around my leg and then they hung me from it. I can’t run anymore— even walking is difficult at times.”

Jungkook hummed sadly, gently reaching out to thread their fingers together as he led the elder back inside. “That’s horrible,” he murmured, tucking his face into Jin’s chest. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”

Jin huffed, breathing in the sweet scent of Jungkook’s hair. “At least I’m not den-bound alone anymore,” he mused, shifting his head down to nuzzle into Jungkook’s neck. “I have my little pup to keep me company.”

The human giggled. “You know I’m not a pup, Jin,” he chided playfully. “I’m not a wolf.”

“You’re my pup,” the elder argued before tugging Jungkook over to the large pot in the cooking section of their den, ending the discussion as he set the youngest to cutting vegetables. 

 

Spring came and the snow melted. Jungkook’s wound had been fully healed for weeks and none of the wolves had yet to kick him out. He was jittery and anxious and he just wanted them to do it already. And sure, they had seemed to have grown more fond of him over the last few months but he was still a human and half of them despised all humans on sight. 

And besides, he wasn’t pack.

Jungkook decided to take his fate into his own hands one night. He had managed for months before Hoseok had found him and he could manage on his own again. The boy waited until all of the wolves were asleep before slipping out of the bed. 

Namjoon grunted, opening one eye in question when he spotted Jungkook. 

“Bathroom,” he explained, keeping his voice as soft as possible to avoid waking any of the others up. “Go back to sleep.” 

The alpha grunted again, eyes fluttering closed as he trusted Jungkook to be alright on his own in the den. 

Jungkook did go to the bathroom, wanting to make sure the wolf was truly asleep before making his way to the mouth of the den. He could have confronted them— asked them when he needed to leave— but he figured a part of them were just secretly hoping he’d catch a clue and leave on his own like this so that they wouldn’t have to have that awkward conversation about Jungkook having overstayed his welcome. 

He made his way down the hill blindly with only a thin strand of moonlight to guide his path as he tried to remember the way back to the first cave he had holed up in months ago. He hoped that he could find it and that his stuff was still there. He didn’t want to have to think about the possibility of not having that thin, worn fur Taehyung had gifted him the second time they had ever met. 

He was just nearing the river when suddenly there were strong arms wrapping around his waist and lifting him up off the ground. He yelped, struggling fruitlessly until all of the fight left him almost as quickly as it had come. 

“Jungkook,” Namjoon breathed, setting the human down just long enough to turn him around so that he could cradle him against his chest. “What are you doing out here? Don’t you know how dangerous it is at night?” He turned back towards the den taking quick strides in order to get out of the forest faster. 

Jungkook just held on, feeling more than a little confused by the elder’s actions. Wasn’t this what they wanted? He wasn’t so sure anymore. Namjoon kept dropping little kisses to his hair, as if reassuring himself that the human hadn’t spontaneously disappeared in his arms. He melted into Namjoon’s arms tiredly as the wolf entered the den.

Most of the pack was awake, sitting up anxiously in their nest as Namjoon approached with Jungkook. “Found him,” he declared proudly, taking quick steps to reach the bed before depositing Jungkook in a fretful Jin’s lap. 

The eldest cooed endlessly, nuzzling into his neck possessively. “Were you sleepwalking, pup?”

Jungkook was... confused, but relaxed his neck to the side anyway to give Jin more room to press in. The wolf growled approvingly, kissing his skin in thanks. 

“Pup?” Namjoon crooned, kneeling down on the furs in front of the two as he cupped Jungkook’s cheeks. “Baby, why were you out there?”

The human huffed, feeling a small well of irritation bubble up in his chest. Why were they pretending like they didn’t know what he was doing? Was this all a game to them? Why did they want to hurt him? “Because I was leaving,” he grumbled, words muffled slightly by Namjoon’s hands. 

“Leaving?” Jin gasped, his arms tightening around the human’s waist as if to hold him in place. “Why would you— why would you leave?”

“Because I— I overstayed my welcome,” Jungkook stuttered out, feeling more than seeing the way the pack all stiffened around him. 

“Overstay— Jungkook, you’re— why would you think that?” Jimin breathed, crawling across the furs to press into the human’s side that wasn’t against Jin’s chest. 

Jungkook shrugged, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. “Because— because I was... was only supposed to stay until I was healed and— and I’ve been healed for weeks? And... the snow is gone and there’s— there’s really no reason for me to stay anymore and... I don’t understand why you haven’t kicked me out yet. So.... you know— I thought— thought I’d just... save you the trouble?”

Jin growled, low and fierce as he balled Jungkook up against his chest as tightly as he could. “You aren’t going anywhere,” he snarled, dragging his canines over the meat of Jungkook’s neck in a possessive hold. 

“Pup,” Namjoon started, a sad lilt to his tone that startled Jungkook even more than Jin’s possessive biting. “We aren’t going to kick you out. You’re our pup— our baby.” He sighed, reaching forward to gently comb his fingers through Jungkook’s hair, careful to keep away from Jin’s teeth as he did. “It may have started out with you staying here being temporary but not anymore. You’re part of the pack, Jungkookie. We don’t want you to leave— ever.”

“I can stay?” Jungkook asked, vision getting blurry. “I don’t— don’t have to— to be alone again?” 

The oldest wolf growled again, pulling his teeth away from Jungkook’s neck. “Never,” he huffed out, tracing the shell of the human’s ear with his nose. “You’re staying right here.”

“Forever.”

 

Notes:

I hope you all enjoyed this little oneshot. :) I needed a fluff break from the ~~angst~~ I have brewing in my drafts hehe. Thank you to the wonderful preciousbirdie for editing this (she's lovely and you 100% need to check her out if you somehow haven't heard of her yet).

Please feel free to let me know what you thought of this by leaving a comment or kudo if you'd like to do so. You can also follow me on twitter to keep up with what I'm posting and for sneak previews. :D

Chapter 2: BONUS

Summary:

Snip-its of the pack's first summer together.

“Why do we have to leave?” Jungkook whined petulantly, flopping back onto the furs of their den’s nest. 

Jin sighed exasperatedly, sitting down next to the human’s head so that he could comb his fingers through the younger’s hair. Jungkook shuffled, settling his head on the wolf’s lap so that Jin didn’t have to reach as far to pet him. “We’ve been over this, pup,” the elder chided gently, scratching at Jungkook’s scalp lightly. “We travel north in the summer to avoid encounters with humans. You’ll like our summer den, baby.”

“But I like this den,” he whined, pressing his face into Jin’s stomach. “It won’t be the same, Jinnie. This one is our home.”

“We’ll be back, pup,” Yoongi cooed, coming over to add his own pets to their youngest’s hair. “It’s only for the summer months. When the leaves change we come back down the mountain again.” 

Jin nodded, tugging Jungkook up until he had the human in his lap. “It’s gonna be alright, pup. Our summer cave will feel like home before you know it. But we aren’t staying here.” He brought his hand up to cup the back of Jungkook’s neck and squeezed it lightly, making the human giggle at the gentle scruffing. “Brat,” he mumbled fondly, giving him another fond squeeze before flopping backwards and taking the boy with him. 

Yoongi growled playfully, following them down as he wrapped his arms around Jungkook’s waist and tugged him to his own chest despite Jin’s hold on him. “Hey, now,” he chided, nosing against Jungkook’s neck. “We’re supposed to be packing up. Cuddles can wait until we get to the summer den.”

The eldest wolf huffed, tugging fruitlessly at their human in an attempt to get the boy back despite Yoongi prying Jungkook away from him and flipping him over his body to settle him on the furs on his other side. “But it’s going to be late,” he whined. 

“Then cuddle him on the way,” Yoongi said, shrugging before standing up and gently pulling the elder up with him. Jin huffed but allowed himself to be manhandled. “Kookie, you need to help Tae with gathering the furs,” he directed. “Jin, we need the rest of the perishables packed.”

With a heavy sigh, Jin moved back to their food storage area where he had been working before Jungkook had thrown his tantrum. 

Yoongi raised an eyebrow at Jungkook who was still pouting on their bed. “Go on, then, pup,” he chided. “We need to leave by midday if we want to get there before nightfall.”

Jungkook grumbled, rolling off of the furs before crawling over to where Taehyung was dutifully rolling their bedding into tight bundles that they could carry on their backs. The youngest wolf giggled when Jungkook draped himself over his shoulders, hooking his chin over Taehyung’s collarbone and rubbing his cheek against his neck in a scenting move he had picked up in his time with the pack. 

Taehyung tilted his head to drop a kiss on Jungkook’s temple before returning to his task despite the human hanging off of him. Jungkook hung on him for a few more seconds before climbing off of him and helping him with his task. He received another kiss for his troubles which made him giggle happily. 

Before he knew it, their den was packed away and the things they were taking with them were sitting by the mouth of the cave ready to go. 

Jin limped over to Jungkook, wrapping an arm around his waist as he guided him out of the den. “We get the job of strapping down the boys,” he declared gleefully. 

“Strapping... them?” Jungkook asked, looking mildly alarmed at the elder’s statement.

“He means tying our bundles to our backs,” Jimin deadpanned, dropping a rucksack of medical supplies on the ground next to their feet. 

“Why can’t you do it yourself?” 

Jimin giggled, breaking his annoyed facade. “It’s kinda hard to do with paws, Kookie,” he teased, reaching out to cup Jungkook’s cheeks and squeeze them together. 

Jungkook’s eyes widened, limply allowing Jimin to play with his face as he stared at the elder in rapidly growing excitement. “You’re going to shift?” he asked, grinning awkwardly around Jimin’s stubby fingers. He had been with the pack for quite a few months now, but he had yet to see any of them shift beyond the glimpses he caught of them before they shifted back into their human forms when they came back from running their perimeter. 

“Yes, pup,” he cooed. “Are you nervous?”

The human shook his head as best he could, still grinning widely. “No— excited. Want to see,” he said. Jungkook paused, brows furrowing as he examined the elder. “Are you?”

Jimin swallowed, forcing a smile on his lips as he released Jungkook’s cheeks. “A little? It’s... different and— and I don’t want you to be scared of me— of us.”

“I won’t,” he stated, reaching out to cup Jimin’s cheeks instead. “I love you guys,” he confessed. “The fact that you can sprout fur and walk on all fours isn’t going to change that. I can’t wait to get to know all of you.”

Jimin’s lips dropped open into a soft “oh” before it morphed into a blinding grin and he scooped Jungkook up into his arms in a tight hug. The wolf giggled, pressing his nose into Jungkook’s neck. “Our pup is the sweetest,” he cooed, dropping a kiss to the skin in front of him. “Our sweet, baby Kookie.”

Jungkook wiggled in his grasp, giggling infectiously as Jimin continued to drop little kisses onto the younger’s skin. 

“Ready to go?” Namjoon asked, interrupting their playful tickles as he approached them. Their human wiggled out of Jimin’s grasp to collide with Namjoon’s chest. The alpha wolf picked him up easily, rubbing their cheeks together in greeting. “Hi, pup,” he greeted. “All set?”

Jungkook pouted, playfulness sobering as he pulled away and nodded his head sullenly. “Are you sure we can’t stay here?”

“You know we can’t,” he chided, dropping a kiss to the tip of the human’s nose. “I think you’ll like the summer den, baby. Give it a chance, yeah?”

“Yeah, Joonie,” he grumbled. “I will. I just... really like this place too. It’s where I met you guys.”

Hoseok cooed, stepping over to their little group and tugging Jungkook into his own hug. “Aish, what a cutie,” he teased. The wolf dropped a wet kiss to Jungkook’s cheek, making the younger boy whine. 

“Seokie,” he whined, wiggling in the wolf’s hold uselessly. “Seokie, stop.”  

Hoseok chuckled, peppering his face with even more kisses until Jungkook was a giggling mess in his arms. He grinned blindingly, finally stopping in his assault when the human sagged limply in his arms. “Love you, pup,” he cooed, dropping a final kiss to the tip of Jungkook’s nose before handing him back over to Jin. 

The elder wolf accepted his human noodle exasperatedly, giving Hoseok a playful glare. “Look at this,” he griped, the teasing smile on his face negating the harsh tone his words took. “Now you’ve tired the poor pup out. I’m going to have to swaddle him for the journey.”

“No,” Jungkook exclaimed, popping his head up from where he had been faking dead on Jin’s shoulder. “I’m fine. Can hold myself up, Jin.”

Jin smirked, nosing the shell of Jungkook’s ear gently. “How excellent, baby,” he teased. “Maybe I should swaddle you anyways— just to be safe.”

Jungkook pulled back, hitting the elder with his strongest pout. “But Jinnie...”

“Enough teasing the baby,” Namjoon cut in fondly. “It’s time to go. Tae, Min— you first. Let’s get you strapped up.”

Jimin and Taehyung yipped gleefully, ripping their clothes off with little regard to who was watching them. Since joining the pack, Jungkook had learned to do away with most of his modesty regarding nudity. The wolves had no such inhibitions and had quickly desensitized Jungkook to the human body to the point that he didn’t even think twice about it when Taehyung’s furs landed at his feet. 

Instead, he watched on his rapt fascination as the two boys hunched over, slowly contorting until there were two very large wolves standing in their place. 

“Wow,” he breathed, wiggling out of Jin’s hold to cautiously tiptoe over to the two of them. Jimin and Taehyung made sure to stay completely still, careful not to startle their human as Jungkook’s hand tentatively stretched out until it made contact with Taehyung’s honey brown fur. He giggled, pressing his hand in a bit more firmly as he started to pet the elder. “You’re so soft, Taetae,” he cooed, moving to scratch behind the wolf’s ear much to Taehyung’s delight. 

The wolf yipped, butting his head into Jungkook’s hand to encourage the attention until Jimin, thoroughly put out at being ignored, huffed irritatedly and nosed his way between them.

Jungkook giggled, moving his hand to Jimin’s soft white fur. “You’re so pretty, Jiminie,” he murmured. 

Jimin huffed proudly, turning his head so that he could lick over Jungkook’s palm in thanks. 

“Alright, enough of the preening,” Namjoon huffed fondly, coming over to scratch Jimin’s head as he wrapped an arm around Jungkook’s waist. “Let’s get you ready to go.” 

Namjoon walked the human through how to tie down their packs to Jimin and Taehyung who stood patiently as Jungkook fumbled with the straps, licking his hand in approval once he had finished. Yoongi and Hoseok were next, and Jungkook found it much easier the second time around, especially with Jin and Namjoon at his side. 

After he was done, Jungkook turned to the remaining wolves, glancing around for the packs he was supposed to strap to them only to come up empty. “Is there... nothing else?” he asked in uncertainty. 

The pack alpha chuckled, ruffling Jungkook’s hair fondly. “The two of you are my luggage,” he stated proudly. 

Seokjin snorted, reaching over Jungkook’s head to pinch Namjoon’s cheek. “This one takes way too much pleasure in being a chariot.”

Namjoon just rolled his eyes, collecting Seokjin into a tight hug and rubbing their cheeks together. The elder wolf returned the gesture, pulling back only to run his nose up the column of Namjoon’s neck before stepping away. Namjoon was quick to collect Jungkook in his arms once they were free, picking their pup entirely up off of the ground as he nuzzled into the human’s neck.

Jungkook whined playfully, wriggling helplessly in the pack alpha’s arms before inevitably giving in and tilting his head further to the side to give Namjoon full access to his neck. The wolf growled in approval, kissing Jungkook’s skin and pressing his cheek against the younger’s neck just a little bit harder before pulling back and setting him down in front of Jin. He kept a hold of Jungkook until he felt Jin’s arms wrap around his waist. 

“Be a good pup for our Jinnie,” Namjoon ordered fondly, chucking Jungkook under the chin before stepping back and shifting into his wolf form. 

He was larger than all of the other wolves and pure white, Jungkook could only imagine how camouflaged he was in the dead of winter. He gaped at Namjoon, unable to contain the breathy “wow” that escaped from his lips which earned a fond chuff from the pack alpha. 

Namjoon lumbered back over to them, laying down on the grass so that his back came up to just above their waists. “Up you get, pup,” Jin commanded, motioning for Jungkook to climb up on the wolf. 

“But,” Jungkook mumbled, eyes flitting between Jin and Namjoon. “Don’t you want to get on first? You can hold onto me to get your leg over.”

The whole pack released soft, startled noises near-simultaneously at his offer. 

“Oh,” Jin breathed, staring at Jungkook in awe. “I always just— just hold onto one of the others. I— yes. Yes, Kookie that’d— that’s very sweet of you. Thank you, pup.”

Jungkook grinned blindingly, immediately moving to wrap a supportive arm around Jin’s waist instead as he helped the eldest climb up onto Namjoon. Jin breathed a sigh of relief once he was sitting on Namjoon’s back, shooting Jungkook a fond smile. 

“Thank you, baby,” he cooed, reaching over to brush his fingers down Jungkook’s cheek. “That was a lot easier than trying to balance on my puppies.”

The youngest giggled, leaning into the caress. “I like helping you, Jinnie,” he said. “Glad I could.”

Jin huffed, tugging Jungkook closer by the stretched collar of his shirt. “Get up here, pup,” he demanded. “Gotta cuddle my baby the whole way as a reward for being so thoughtful.”

This made Jungkook giggle again, clambering up Namjoon himself with a little nudge on the butt from Yoongi. Jin made sure that Jungkook was perched comfortably in front of him before wrapping his arms tightly around their human’s waist and digging his nose into his neck.

“We’re ready, Joon,” he said. “Let’s get a move on, slow poke.”

Namjoon huffed. Jungkook could practically feel the eyeroll he knew the pack alpha was doing. Regardless, the alpha started up the mountain and Jungkook couldn’t help but look back at the cave as it started to disappear through the trees.

“We’ll be back, love,” Jin murmured, his lips tickling the younger’s ear. “This isn’t goodbye for forever.”

“I know,” Jungkook said, finally turning away and making eye contact with a concerned Taehyung to the left of them. “I’m just... sentimental. I’m sure I’ll do the same thing when we leave the summer den to come back to this one in the fall.”

Jin snorted, kissing Jungkook’s cheek fondly as they settled in for the journey together.

 

It was nearing nightfall when they arrived. The sun was just dipping under the horizon, painting the sky in bright reds, oranges, and purples and glittering off of the lake they had stopped at. There was a pretty waterfall and a small jutting cliff that looked like it would be perfect for jumping off of and a clearing with the remains of a fire pit surrounded by large worn logs that looked perfect for curling up against late at night with a crackling campfire. 

He slid off of Namjoon in awe, helping Jin down as well even as he stared around in fascination. 

“Do we— are we living outside?” he asked in confusion. “What happens when it rains?”

Jin chuckled, nudging Jungkook over to where Jimin and Taehyung were waiting impatiently to be relieved of their packs. “Of course not, pup,” he teased. “Let’s get our boys unhooked and we’ll show you, yeah?”

The human nodded dutifully, fingers fumbling over the straps of Jimin’s packs as he unstrapped the elder. Jimin grinned wolfishly, licking up the side of Jungkook’s face the second he was free in thanks. 

“Jiminie!” he exclaimed in disgust. “Why?”

He heard Namjoon snort, the pack alpha coming up behind him to wrap his arms around his waist. “He missed you, pup,” the elder explained. “Besides, it’s fun to tease you.” Namjoon released Jungkook, chuckling at the human’s half-hearted indignant huff. “Better unhook Tae,” he warned, already walking away again. “Pup is antsy.”

Jungkook did as he was told and released the straps holding the rucksacks to Taehyung’s back. The second the youngest wolf was free, he forcefully nudged Jungkook down onto the soft grass before climbing up on top of him. He was careful not to put any weight on the human while simultaneously pinning him down with his much larger body. Jungkook whined, already sensing what was about to happen but unable to stop it as Taehyung licked a strip from Jungkook’s neck all the way to his hairline.

“Taetae,” he griped, trying to turn his head away as the wolf made another pass across his face. “Tae— stop— I love you too but— gross!”

The wolf chuffed out an amused huff, giving Jungkook a few more good licks before finally allowing the human to wiggle away from him. Jimin was already back in his human form, one of the bags shucked over his shoulder, standing a few feet away with poorly concealed laughter brimming in his eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Jungkook grumbled, stomping over to Jin and wrapping his arms around the elder’s waist so that he could bury his face in the other’s chest. “See if you get any cuddles tonight.”

Jin chuckled, returning the hug easily as one of his hands came up to hold Jungkook’s head to his chest. “Ah... I guess I get to keep my Kookie all to myself,” he teased, chuckling when he caught sight of the affronted looks on both Jimin and Taehyung’s faces. 

“You’ll have to share with us, at least, Jin,” Yoongi called, stepping over to rest a gentle hand on Jungkook’s lower back, effectively sandwiching him between the two eldest wolves. “You can’t hog our baby all to yourself. You did get to cuddle him the entire way here.”

“I suppose,” Jin sighed dramatically, gently tipping Jungkook back until he was being back-hugged by Yoongi instead of clinging onto him. “I can let you cuddle him just this once. My baby deserves all of the love and affection in the world, after all,” he cooed, using his new freedom to cup Jungkook’s cheeks and squish them so that the younger’s lips were puckered awkwardly before dropping a gentle kiss onto them. 

The human giggled, sinking back into Yoongi’s hold easily. “Do I get any say in this?” he asked playfully. 

“Of course not,” Yoongi scoffed fondly, nuzzling his hair. “Cuddles will come for you whether you want them or not.”

Taehyung cackled, wrapping his arm around Jimin’s waist as they gathered their bags. “Ha! Just you wait until bed, pup,” he hollered, tugging the older wolf towards the waterfall. “You won’t be able to escape our cuddles.”

Jungkook scrunched his nose, sticking his tongue out at the youngest wolf even as Taehyung turned away from him. He sunk back against Yoongi’s chest, tilting his head up to look at the elder. “You’ll never give me a tongue bath right, Yoongi?” he asked, eyes pleading with the wolf.

Yoongi chuckled, tilting his head forward to kiss the tip of Jungkook’s nose. “I would one hundred percent give you a tongue bath, Kookie,” he replied. “It’s the best way to get clean.”

The youngest scrunched his nose in disgust, wiggling out of Yoongi’s arms as he made a break for Hoseok who had just gathered a few of the bags still on the grass. “Hoseokie,” he cried, wrapping his arms around the elder’s waist. “Save me! I don’t want a dog bath.”

The wolf rolled his eyes fondly. “Dog baths are inevitable in a pack, Kook,” he replied, curling his arm around Jungkook to hold the human close. “Best get used to it.”

Jungkook huffed, pouting up at Hoseok.

Hoseok smiled in return, gently pulling Jungkook closer to the waterfall where Jimin and Taehyung had just disappeared instead of further engaging the boy, knowing that it was getting much too late for their youngest’s antics— they could always revisit the subject in the morning.

There was a small opening between the rocky wall of the cliff and the waterfall that opened up into a cave— a den. It was a large room with a series of twisting tunnels that made their way up to the top of the mountain and down into the depths of the earth. The light from outside rippled across the floor as it reflected through the waterfall, shining a rainbow of colors around the den. 

“Wow,” he breathed, eyes roaming excitedly over the space. “Behind a waterfall too? That’s so cool! It’s like a— a secret home! No one would even know we’re here!”

“That’s the point, pup,” Hoseok chuckled, squeezing the human’s waist before he gently nudged him in the direction of a large bare spot where Jin was already unrolling their sleeping furs. “Help Jin get the nest ready?” he asked. “Joon, Yoongi, and I need to go scout the area and make sure we’re safe for the night.” He tilted his head to press a fond kiss to Jungkook’s cheek before parting from the youngest to head back to the entrance where the other two older wolves were waiting for him. 

Jungkook could see Jimin and Taehyung unpacking some of their other belongings onto the carved out ledges of the walls on the other side of the cave. He made his way over to Jin, hovering above him for a second before smirking and flopping down on the freshly unrolled fur dramatically. Jin huffed, swatting at the human playfully before grabbing the edge of the blanket and quickly rolling Jungkook up in it until he was a human burrito, reminiscent of the first night he had spent in the cave with the pack. 

He whined, wiggling uselessly in his blanket prison as Jin continued to set up their bed. “If you’re not going to be helpful, you might as well go to bed,” Jin chided, the smirk on his lips a dead giveaway to the playfulness behind his actions. “The best way to calm a rowdy pup is by wrapping up their wayward limbs so they can’t create any more energy.”

“Jinnie,” Jungkook huffed, wiggling his arms around as he tried to get them through the neck hole. “That’s not fair! I was barely even doing anything. And— and I’m supposed to be helping you! How am I supposed to help when you’ve tied me up?”

The elder chuckled, pausing just long enough to ruffle Jungkook’s bangs fondly. “Are you going to actually help if I let you up?” he asked, his wide smile showcasing his amusement. “Or are you going to be a pesty pup?” Jin accentuated his question by reaching out and tickling Jungkook’s sides through the blanket, taking great pleasure in the younger’s helplessness as the human pleaded for mercy through his giggles. 

“Jin,” Jimin whined, making his way across the den with Taehyung. “We aren’t going to be able to go to bed until the sun rises at this rate! Taetae and I will help with the bed and you can play with Kookie in the morning, okay? Can we finish the nest so we can go to sleep, please?”

Jin turned to face Jimin, opening his arms for the younger wolf to fall into him tiredly. “It’s been a busy day, hasn’t it, pup? Don’t worry, baby, you don’t need to help. This section is done so you can curl up there while Kookie and I finish this half. We’re done playing now. You can sleep, Jiminie. You’ve worked hard today.”

Jimin hummed contentedly, nosing against Jin’s clavicle while Taehyung pulled back some of the furs before accepting Jimin into his own arms and helping to situate him among the bedding. Jin helped Jungkook unwind from the blankets and the two of them quietly finished setting up the pack’s bed while the youngest two wolves quickly drifted off into dreamland. 

Namjoon came up behind them, wrapping his arms around Jin’s waist and tucking the elder against his chest. “The den is secure,” he reported, dropping his nose to Jin’s neck as he breathed in the elder’s scent. “Ready for bed?” 

“More than ready,” Jin replied, leaning into the pack alpha. “Where are Hobi and Yoongi?”

“Right behind me,” he murmured, nudging Jin towards the bed. “Come on, pup. Bedtime.”

Jungkook pouted, standing off to the side as he watched Namjoon tuck Jin under the covers. “But I want to explore the den,” he pleaded, blinking wide doe-eyes up at Namjoon in an attempt to get the elder to allow him to roam.

“In the morning,” Yoongi rasped, startling Jungkook as he stepped up behind the human. “It’s been a long day and until you know the layout, none of us want you wandering around in the dark. Besides, Hoseokie and I haven’t gotten any time with you all day— we missed you.”

The human melted into Yoongi’s hold after that, unable to deny any of the pack cuddles. The wolf pressed his smug smile into the back of Jungkook’s neck before shuffling him over to the bed, laying down and pulling his pup to rest on his chest. Hoseok crawled in behind, taking up the outermost position in their nest as he nuzzled into Jungkook’s shoulder, one of his hands creeping up to wrap around the younger’s waist. 

Without even meaning to, Jungkook fell asleep in the safety of his pack’s embrace.

 

The next morning, Jungkook was the first one up, wiggling out of Hoseok and Yoongi’s combined hold to slip out of the den in the early morning light. Despite not wanting to move from their original den, Jungkoook couldn’t help but admire the beauty of their new home. He perched himself on one of the large rocks near the entrance of their den, knowing by now not to stray too far from the wolves, as he watched the sun slowly rise above the horizon, the light seeping through the trees in warm reds and oranges and glittering magically across the lake. 

He pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his left arm around his legs while he kept the other one tucked safely against his stomach. The early mornings were still cool where the sun’s rays hadn’t yet touched, making Jungkook shiver even as the world slowly grew lighter around him. He knew that he should just return to the den bed, tuck himself between Jin and Namjoon, press his cold toes to the pack alpha’s shins and relish in the elder’s surprised squeal. But he also didn’t want to let go of this moment, too entranced by the way the light danced through the magic of the forest and the soothing constant of the rushing of the waterfall to his left. 

Jungkook startled when a large furry snout appeared next to his head, the wolf resting his head on the younger’s shoulder. “Hi, Jiminie,” he greeted, pausing to clear his throat when he heard how raspy his morning voice sounded. “I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

Jimin huffed, turning his head to press his cold nose into Jungkook’s neck gently, a silent ‘no’ that made the younger giggle. 

“Are you here to watch the sunrise with me?” 

At that, Jimin released a little puff of air, pulling away from Jungkook to lay down in a patch of grass just far enough away from the waterfall to not be constantly wet. He stared pointedly until Jungkook caught on to his silent command and climbed off of his rock to sit down with the elder. Jimin immediately used his big head to nudge Jungkook around until he had the human where he wanted him. 

Jungkook giggled, nuzzling further into Jimin’s thick, soft fur while the elder used his paws to trap his human against him. He was instantly much warmer laying against Jimin as he continued to watch the sunrise and he hummed appreciatively until Jimin started nosing into his hair. 

Jungkook groaned, already anticipating what the wolf was about to do and unable to stop him from his pinned position. Jimin started with his hair, licking thick strips up the back of the human’s head as he meticulously cleaned the youngest. He slowly made his way down Jungkook, shifting to hold the human in place as he cleaned the younger’s limbs despite Jungkook’s feeble protests. 

“Jiminie,” he whined, wiggling uselessly when Jimin nosed his way under his shirt to get to his stomach. “Jiminie, I can take a bath. I don’t— I don’t need your help.”

“The summer moon brings out our animal instincts,” Namjoon explained, startling the two as he appeared in the doorway. “Don’t be surprised when our wolves want to care for you more than we have in the past.”

Jungkook nodded, finally able to wiggle away from Jimin. He took refuge behind his pack alpha, grabbing at Namjoon’s waist as he peeked around the elder to stick his tongue out at Jimin. “Well, I don't need tongue baths,” he huffed. “I’m all wet and sticky now.”

“You’ll dry,” Jimin replied arily, practically dancing past the human and his pack alpha on two legs as he returned to the den. “Now you smell like me.”

The youngest grumbled in irritation, pressing his cheek to Namjoon’s back. “Joonie,” he whined. 

“After breakfast,” the elder soothed, tugging Jungkook until the human was pressed against his chest in a warm hug instead. “I’ll help you get cleaned up afterwards. But let Jiminie’s wolf have a few moments with you claimed, alright?” 

Jungkook just huffed, pressing his nose to Namjoon’s clavicle. “Yeah, yeah, possessive wolves are possessive. I get it.”

The pack alpha chuckled, scooping Jungkook up under his butt, making the younger frantically grasp at his back to keep himself upright as Namjoon made his way back into the den. Jungkook was deposited in Jimin’s lap, the wolf practically preening as he wrapped his arms around the younger’s waist. He grabbed a slice of still sizzling meat from the pile Jin had just finished cooking and held it up to Jungkook’s lips, blowing on it to cool it down over his shoulder. 

Jungkook accepted the food, tilting his head to press a kiss to Jimin’s cheek in gratitude when he had finished chewing, knowing that the wolf thrived off of kisses and cuddles. 

Throughout breakfast, Jimin had to be reminded by the older wolves to feed himself as well as Jungkook, the wolf laser-focused on their pup. Jimin did so reluctantly, chewing moodily any time he had to eat. 

“Is this— is this also the summer moon?” Jungkook asked, wiggling in the wolf’s lap which earned him a warning growl to get him to stay still. 

Namjoon chuckled, nodding his head as he plucked the human from a disgruntled Jimin. He passed Jungkook to Hoseok’s waiting arms while Yoongi took his place, perching himself in Jimin’s lap proudly as the younger nosed against him. 

“We got to the den just in time,” Hoseok explained, setting Jungkook down before lacing their fingers together and leading him further into the maze of tunnels that made up their den. “The summer moon will be at its peak in the coming week. We’re going to be much closer to our wolves than you’ve ever seen us before.” He glanced over at Jungkook, shooting the younger a reassuring smile. “You’re still safe with us, baby. We won’t lose our minds or anything. We’re just going to be more touchy than usual and we’ll want to keep you close. And we’re going to be shifted more often than not— at least until the moon wanes.”

Jungkook squeezed their interlocked hands. “I always feel safe with you, Hoseok.” 

The wolf’s smile was blinding as he paused to pull Jungkook into a tight hug, his nose making a home in the younger’s neck as he kissed the skin. 

“And I like your wolf forms,” he admitted. “You guys— you can— I mean, you don’t have to stay human for my benefit or anything. If—if you wanted to shift, that is. I love all of you, not just the human bits.”

Hoseok released a soft, soothing growl, vibrating against Jungkook’s neck. “We love you too, Jungkookie,” he mumbled. “And we like being human with you but I’m happy to know you like our wolves too.”

With that, he pulled away from their embrace and reconnected their hands to continue leading Jungkook down to the natural spring. The cave walls were dark but dry with the exception of the steady stream of water that trickled through a crack and flowed down into a sandy pool. Jungkook released a soft chirp of delight as he looked around the cave, noticing the light trickling through a natural hole in the ceiling that must have led all the way to the top of the mountain. He could only imagine how pretty the cave would be at night when it was moonlight reflecting off of the water and dancing around the stone walls. 

He stripped quickly, eager to get into the water and happy to note that it was just on the right side of cool— perfect for the warm summer air. 

Hoseok joined him, tugging the human to his side as he helped wash away any remnants of Jimin’s slobber from Jungkook’s hair. 

“Thanks, Hobi,” the younger hummed, his head lulling boneless under Hoseok’s ministrations. He received a kiss on his temple in reply, the wolf more than happy to take care of his pup. 

 

They eventually made it back up to the main room where Taehyung immediately tugged Jungkook out of the den to ‘go explore.’ They made their way further up the mountain, Taehyung’s hand securely around Jungkook’s waist the entire time. Somehow, they ended up at a small spring bubbling from the cliffside in the middle of a gorgeous meadow filled to the brim with wildflowers. 

“Jiminie comes up here to get herbs,” Taehyung explained, pointing to a patch where a small natural garden was in full bloom. “And Joon likes to come up here for quiet.” He paused, pulling Jungkook down into the middle of the flowerbed and tucking the human between his legs before plucking a few flowers from the ground. “And I come here to make flower crowns.”

Jungkook giggled, accepting the yellow blossom gleefully. “Will you teach me?” he asked, plucking a purple wildflower from the ground and handing it to the elder. 

Taehyung nodded, accepting the flower before gently taking the yellow one from Jungkook’s fingers and entwining them together. They worked in a quiet tandem, the human’s cheek sitting heavily on Taehyung’s shoulder as he plucked flowers one by one to hand to the elder. Together, they made a crown that Taehyung then nestled gently on top of Jungkook’s curly locks. 

The youngest giggled, one hand coming up to gently pet the delicate petals. He smiled at Taehyung blindingly, pecking his cheek before turning back to the flower field and setting off to make a crown on his own. 

Some time later, the sun now high above them, Jungkook held up a large, slightly wilted crown. 

“I think that’s a bit too big for my head, pup,” Taehyung chuckled, cupping Jungkook’s cheeks so that he could press a soft kiss to the younger’s lips. “But it’s beautiful.”

“It’s for your wolf,” he explained, rolling his eyes as though the answer was obvious. 

“For my wolf?” he asked, staring at the younger in awe. “Even though— even though last time I annoyed you?”

“You didn’t annoy me,” Jungkook said. He shifted to gently place the crown on the grass next to them before turning and kneeling between Taehyung’s legs so that he could cup the elder’s cheeks. “I like to whine and, yeah, the licking is kind of gross but I don’t mind it because it’s you and the pack. Besides, you guys are super soft. I hope you know that I’m going to require a massive amount of cuddles in the winter months.”

Taehyung grinned, his smile contorted by Jungkook’s hands squishing his cheeks. “So I can shift?” he asked, words muffled slightly. “You don’t mind?”

“Let me see my puppy Taetae,” the human demanded, putting on a pout for extra emphasis. 

The wolf giggled, wiggling out of Jungkook’s grasp to give himself space enough to shift. The second he was on four legs, Taehyung dropped to the ground and rolled around in the flowers like an actual dog. 

Jungkook flopped onto his back, giggling as Taehyung snuffed around in the dirt before finally settling down next to him. The giant wolf huffed, wriggling around until he had his head in Jungkook’s lap, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he looked up at his human. The younger smiled, reaching behind him to grab his flower crown and perch it delicately on top of Taehyung’s furry head. 

He fit it between Taehyung’s ears, scratching under his chin when the wolf stayed still for him to adjust the crown to his liking. “Perfect,” he cooed, bending forward to boop their noses together. “Now we match, Taetae!”

The wolf yipped happily in agreement, settling back down onto Jungkook’s lap content to rest against his pup while Jungkook painstakingly wove together flower crowns for each of the wolves further down the mountain. 

 

When they returned, flower crowns in hand and Taehyung back on two legs, they were greeted by a very exuberant Hoseok in his wolf form. He practically bounced around the two of them, nosing into the flower crowns until Jungkook, giggling, nestled a crown made out of bright yellows and oranges into the russet fur on Hoseok’s head. 

He received a lick to the cheek in thanks before Hobi bounded off again, most likely to show the rest of the pack what he got from their pup. 

Taehyung chuckled, rolling his eyes at his packmate before linking his arms with Jungkook’s and leading the younger the rest of the way in the den. Hoseok was rolling around on the floor with Jimin’s wolf while Namjoon and Yoongi were sitting cross legged on the nest with a wolf that Jungkook didn’t recognize, half hidden behind Namjoon’s bulky frame, that he assumed must have been Jin. 

Jungkook made his way over to them, pausing by Jimin and Hoseok to give the younger wolf his purple and blue flower crown.

“Hi,” he breathed, kneeling down on the furs across from the wolves. Taehyung quickly shifted into his own wolf form again before tackling Hoseok and began play-fighting. “I— we— We made you guys ah— uh, flower crowns,” he explained, ducking his head in embarrassment once the words were out of his mouth. 

Yoongi cooed, tugged Jungkook into his side and examined the three crowns being cradled in Jungkook’s arms. “Which one is mine, pup?” he asked, one of his fingers petting the soft petals gently. 

Jungkook, abashedly, handed Yoongi the one made out of dark purples and yellows and received a kiss in thanks before the wolf buried his nose in Jungkook’s neck. 

“Don’t hog the pup,” Namjoon scolded playfully. “Jin and I want our presents too.”

The wolf growled, nosing further into Jungkook’s neck insistently. “My pup,” he grumbled.

“Ours, Yoongi,” the pack alpha chided fondly. “He’s our pup. And our pup wants to say hello to Jin and I too.”

Yoongi stayed stubbornly still for another few moments before huffing and pulling away, grumbling incoherently. Jungkook just giggled, scooting closer to Namjoon and Jin, who was still tucked behind the younger wolf. “These are for you,” he said, thrusting one of the flower crowns into Namjoon’s hands while he held the one for Jin out for the eldest to inspect. 

Jin wiggled forward, nosing his head out from behind Namjoon and settling his chin on the younger wolf’s thigh. 

“I made yours pink,” Jungkook explained to Jin, showing him the crown. “Because— because it reminded me of you. Because it’s— it’s... pretty.”

Namjoon chuckled, reaching out to ruffle Jungkook’s hair. “You should put it on him,” he suggested. “Jin’s favorite color is pink.”

Jungkook nodded, gently fixing the flowers in Jin’s dark fur before petting underneath the elder’s chin, making Jin release an approving growl. “You’re— You’re really pretty as a wolf too, Jin,” Jungkook whispered. 

Jin preened, wiggling out from behind Namjoon some more to get more affection from the youngest. They stayed like that until Jin shifted away, giving Jungkook a final lick before he crawled out from behind Namjoon and out of the nest, heading towards the entrance of their den slowly. 

“Jin?” Jungkook breathed, something broken in his voice that alerted the rest of the pack to his distress. They all turned to him in alarm, horrified to see the tears quickly building up in his eyes as he stared at the eldest wolf. 

“Kookie?” Yoongi asked worriedly. “What’s wrong?”

Jungkook shook his head, crawling out of the nest to make his way over to Jin. “Jinnie, your— your leg...” His words choked off as tears escaped his eyes, arms coming up to wrap around Jin’s large neck. “I— I didn’t know—”

“It doesn’t hurt him anymore,” Yoongi murmured, coming over to rub Jungkook’s back as the rest of the pack decided to make themselves scarce. “It’s just... damaged now. We couldn’t get all of the... stuff out of his leg so he was never able to fully heal.”

Jungkook couldn’t take his eyes off of Jin’s hind leg where it laid limply on the floor behind him. “How—” he gasped out, feeling Jin nose against him to try to comfort him. “I— you never said...”

“It was a human trap,” Yoongi whispered. “Back when it was just Joon, Jin, and I. We were running in our wolf forms and he stepped in it. The trap pulled him up in the air and the metal holding him dug into his skin the more he struggled. Jin shifted back to try to escape but... it just embedded the metal into his leg more.”

The human hummed worriedly, his hands carding through Jin’s fur as he listened to Yoongi’s story. 

“The humans— they almost caught us. We couldn’t get Jin down and once we did, we couldn’t get the trap off of him. It’s why we disliked humans so much. Especially since this wasn’t our first run-in with human traps. It was just the first time they actually permanently hurt one of us.”

Jungkook nodded. “I would hate humans too. Fuck— it— it really doesn’t hurt him though? You’re not— not in pain, right Jin?” he asked. 

Jin shook his head, licking Jungkook’s palm when he brought his hand up.

“It looks bad,” Yoongi reassured. “But it’s been years. He can’t walk— will never be able to— but it doesn’t hurt him anymore.”

The human nodded, pressing his face into the fur of Jin’s neck. 

Yoongi chuckled, reaching forward to pat Jin’s head. “I’ll get you some water, Jin. You just get the pup back to the nest, yeah?” 

Jin released a soft huff of agreement, nosing against Jungkook until the human started to move where he wanted him to, fretting over Jin the whole time. The second he was in the nest, Jungkook curled up against Jin’s side, pressing his wet cheek into the elder’s fur. They stayed like that for the rest of the day, Jin giving Jungkook comforting licks every once in a while to reassure the human that he was alright. 

When Jin finally shifted back, he pulled Jungkook into his lap and nuzzled him close. “I love you, pup,” he whispered. “I’m alright. Thank you for worrying about me.”

Jungkook fell asleep against the elder’s chest, a murmured “love you too” on his lips. 

 

Jungkook learned a lot about the wolves’ animal forms in the following days. They were much more playful on four legs and more likely to forget about Jungkook’s fragile, squishy human nature. More than once, Yoongi had stepped in and plucked the human from a wriggling mass of overgrown puppies before one of them accidentally crushed him. He wished, on more than one occasion, that he could be a wolf with them so that he could play as hard as they did. 

As it was, he did receive more than enough cuddles from his wolves to make up for it. 

The night of the summer moon dawned bright and clear and Namjoon had made a large fire in the clearing next to the lake for them all to flock to throughout the night before shifting with the rest of the boys. Jungkook was stuck sitting on one of the carved out logs watching as the rest of the pack jumped around and play-fought. At his side, however, was Jin. 

With the eldest’s limited mobility, Jin chose to spend his summer moon teasing Jungkook. The youngest took it in stride, giggling every time Jin’s large head knocked him off balance and sent him sideways into the grass below. It was still hard for Jungkook to see Jin’s stilted movements when he moved around as a wolf, the dead leg that he dragged behind himself looked horribly painful no matter how many times the pack reassured him that Jin didn’t feel any pain with it anymore. 

It was when Jin had fallen asleep next to him and the rest of the pack had wandered off into the surrounding forest to burn off some pent up energy that Jungkook got the brilliant idea to climb up onto one of the rocky outcrops that jutted out of the face of the waterfall. He had wanted to get a better view of their territory and thought that the higher elevation would help him see and maybe he could even spot his wolves running amidst the trees if the moonlight was right. 

Getting up was a lot easier than he had anticipated. He had only needed one hand to pull himself up and his legs could do the rest of the work, the climb being more of a steep staircase and less of a sheer drop.  

Once he was up there, sitting on the edge with his legs dangling over the side, Jungkook was thrilled to learn that his hopes had been true and that the view was magnificent. 

He managed to hang out up there, undisturbed, for probably close to an hour before Jin woke up and noticed his disappearance. The eldest spotted him quickly, crawling over to the base of the cliff and releasing a warning growl. The ‘Get down here right now’ was clear in his tone and Jungkook laughed nervously.

“Hi, Jinnie,” he called, waving down to the wolf below.

Jin growled again, pushing himself up so that he was seated and had a better view of Jungkook. He released a loud, angry bark, making Jungkook shift uneasily. Before he could say anything, however, Namjoon had joined Jin below him. 

The pack alpha growled, loud and deep, making the trees shiver with the sound. 

Jungkook gulped, shooting Namjoon a shaky smile. “Ah— Hi, Namjoonie?” He pointed down to the ground where the two were standing. “I’ll, uh— just come down now?”

Namjoon growled again, motioning with his head towards the ground as if saying, “yes, get your ass down here, now.”

"Yup," Jungkook yelped, wiggling backwards towards the mountain to get back to where he had climbed up. "Coming down, alpha!"

Namjoon yipped, both saying "good pup" and "be careful". Jungkook threw him a thumbs up before sliding over the side. 

Getting down, as Jungkook quickly learned, was not as easy as getting up. He needed two hands to climb down, the slope too steep to not use his hands to ease his way down. And his shoulder was starting to act out after the climb up. It was okay though, painful but manageable, until he got to a spot where he needed to backtrack and couldn’t pull himself back up again. 

He stood there on the ledge, gripping onto a root, and looked down at the wolves where Hoseok and Jimin had joined them. Jungkook swallowed, glancing back up to where he needed to get. 

"Um, problem," he called down to them, trying to keep the shakiness out of his voice at his predicament. "I seem to be... stuck." He reached up, trying to grab hold of the ledge again like he did when he had climbed up in the first place, but the angle was different and he couldn't get a good enough grip with only one arm. “I can get it. Just— just gimmie a sec. Don’t worry!”

He nearly lost his grip, barely saving himself before he completely slipped off of the cliff. Below him the wolves yelped in alarm.

"I'm okay," he yelled shakily. 

"Don't move!" Namjoon called urgently. 

Jungkook flinched, his head whipping down towards where he knew the wolves were. Namjoon had explicitly told him that they couldn’t shift into their human forms on the night of the full summer moon but there he was, grimacing and shaking in his effort to hold his human form. 

“Stay there,” he growled. “Don’t try to get down. I’m coming to get you.”

Jungkook did as he was told, scared in equal parts by both Namjoon’s angry tone and by the sheer drop-off he found himself stuck on. Before he could worry too much, Namjoon appeared above him and lifted him up by grabbing under his armpits and hoisting him up. 

“What were you thinking, Jungkook?” he scolded, setting Jungkook on the ground so that he could glare at him full force. “Why would you— Get on my back,” he growled, turning around. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold this form.”

Jungkook climbed onto Namjoon’s back, not willing to test the enraged alpha any further than he already had. The wolf made sure that he was secure before deftly scaling down the side of the mountain. Instead of heading back to the log that Jungkook had been sitting on before his little adventure, Namjoon headed straight back into the den and deposited the human onto their nest bed. 

“Stay,” he growled. “I’ll deal with you in the morning.” With that, Namjoon stormed out of the cave, already half-shifted by the time he reached the entrance. 

Jungkook shifted uneasily. He’d never seen Namjoon like that before and it scared him. A part of him wanted to go and hide so that way he didn’t have to face the elder’s ire come morning but a larger part of him was more terrified of the repercussions should he choose to avoid Namjoon more. 

Instead, he curled up in their nest of furs, pillowing his head on the pack alpha’s fur as he tried to get some sleep. Sleep, however, refused to come, his brain too wired to turn off. Right before the sun came up, Jin crawled into the den and made his way over to Jungkook. The wolf curled up against him, licking away the tears that had collected on his cheeks. 

Jungkook leaned into the comfort, pressing himself against Jin’s side. They stayed like that until the sun was well over the horizon and the rest of the pack shuffled in, on two feet and exhausted, falling onto one another in the nest around Jungkook and Jin. 

Taehyung claimed Jungkook’s back, gently tugging him to his chest in order to give Jin enough room to shift back. 

“You really gave our alpha a scare,” Taehyung chided softly in his ear. 

“Didn’t mean to,” Jungkook mumbled miserably, turning to press his face into the crook of the youngest wolf’s neck. “Just wanted to— to see everything— you. Thought I’d be able to climb down on my own.”

Taehyung kissed his hair. “No one’s mad, pup,” he murmured. “Scared and upset— yes— but not mad. Never mad.”

Jimin chuckled, nosing into their cuddle. “You’re going to have to give Alpha lots of cuddles to soothe his wolf after your little adventure,” he whispered. “Never seen Namjoon suppress his wolf before. Shows how much he loves you.”

Jungkook snuffled unhappily. “Just wanted to see you all running around. Would’ve been fine if my stupid shoulder woulda cooperated,” he grumbled. “It was fine when I climbed up but... coming down...”

“It’s okay to have limits, Jungkookie,” Jin murmured from deeper in the cave. “Needing help isn’t a bad thing. But you need to know when something is too much— preferably before you get yourself stuck on a cliffside while we’re all trapped in our wolf forms.”

“Yes, that would be ideal,” Namjoon stated, stepping into the den. He made his way over to the bed with long purposeful strides. The second he was within reach, he plucked Jungkook from his packmates and settled him in his lap so that he could bury his nose in the younger’s neck. “Please don’t scare me like that again, Jungkook. You’re too precious to me to lose.”

Jungkook nodded, wrapping his arms around the pack alpha’s neck. “I’m sorry, Joonie,” he mumbled. “I wasn’t thinking and that wasn’t fair to any of you. I promise I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Namjoon smiled against the human’s skin, kissing him gently to let him know that all was forgiven. 

 

Jin and Jungkook were sitting on a little rocky outcropping overlooking the lake, their feet dangling over the edge and bumping against one another every once in a while as they kicked their legs back and forth. “I never thought I’d care for a human,” Jin admitted, so softly that Jungkook barely heard him over the light chatter of the pack in the water below them. “Let alone love one so much that they became a part of my pack.” He paused, taking a deep, shuddering breath as he nudged his shoulder against the younger’s. “I’m glad Taehyung saved you,” he said. “And Hobi. And that they were so determined to keep you alive— away from me. I... can’t imagine my life without you.”

Jungkook smiled, shifting to rest his head on Jin’s shoulder, cautiously reaching over to snake their fingers together. “I’m glad you didn’t kill me too, Jinnie,” he murmured. 

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry— for wanting to kill you and making you feel so unwelcome when you first came into our den. You are— you’re my pup and I feel so guilty for treating you so cruelly in the beginning.”

The human shook his head, shifting just enough to press a kiss into the skin of the elder’s shoulder. “I don’t blame you, you know,” he whispered, squeezing their joined hands slightly. Below them, Taehyung was cackling as Namjoon manhandled him in the water, throwing him around as though he weighed nothing and creating large splashes that hit the other wolves in their faces. “For wanting to kill me. You didn’t know me and— and from what you’ve said, your previous experiences with humans haven’t been very positive.” He chuckled humorlessly, closing his eyes. “Trust me, if I wasn’t human, I'd hate all humans too.”

Jin hummed, nosing into Jungkook’s hair. “It doesn’t make me feel any less guilty for wanting to kill my baby.”

“Well,” the younger huffed petulantly, pressing another kiss into Jin’s skin. “I don’t blame you. You’re my pack too.”

The wolf huffed, releasing their hands in order to wrap his arm around Jungkook’s back. “Sap,” he teased, nuzzling Jungkook’s hair before pulling his head back and raising his voice so that the rest of the pack knew that he was talking to them. “Incoming!” he yelled, pushing Jungkook off of the ledge despite the younger’s startled yelp and frantic limbs as he slipped over the edge. 

Jungkook fell, splashing into the water in the space the wolves had created for his flailing body. Before he could even try to kick back up the surface, a pair of small hands took a hold of him around his waist and pulled him up, keeping him steady against a firm chest. 

“Have a nice fall, Jungkookie?” Jimin teased, kissing Jungkook’s cheek as he held the human against him and floated above the gentle waves. “Quite the entrance, baby.”

The younger huffed, shuffling away to go pout at Taehyung, the youngest wolf immediately embracing him, unable to deny Jungkook any affection.

They continued to play in the water, Jin having eventually wandered down to join them in the shallower area of the lake where Yoongi was sunbathing on his back. He was interrupted by a gentle hand on his shoulder, prompting him to crack open an eye in question.

Jin didn’t say anything, instead he just pointed to where Jungkook was slowly sinking down in the deeper part of the lake, obviously starting to tire, while the rest of the pack were distracted with a game of water tag. 

Yoongi nodded, immediately kicking away to go collect Jungkook. He flipped himself onto his back again once he had the human, situating their youngest on his chest before gently floating over to Jin. 

“You alright, baby?” Jin asked once they were close enough, reaching out to cup the back of Jungkook’s neck in worry when he noticed the heavy blinks of the younger’s eyes. 

“Yeah,” he mumbled, his cheek pressed against Yoongi’s chest as he trusted the elder to keep him afloat. “Legs are tired,” he admitted. “Can’t use my arm much to keep myself up though.”

Yoongi couldn’t stop the hum of concern from bubbling up in his chest. “What happened to it anyways, pup? You’ve never told us and it’s clearly not nothing,” he asked, one hand coming up to wrap around the human’s back, his long fingers crawling up Jungkook’s spine until they reached the criss-crossed scars that decorated his skin. 

Jungkook shivered, shaking his head hesitantly. “Later?” he pleaded. “When we’re all— wanna be in the nest for that story.”

The two eldest wolves nodded, Yoongi gently paddling over to the shore with Jin following slowly behind him. He kept Jungkook in his arms even as they exited the water, shifting to cradle him against his chest as they made their way to one of the large flat rocks that decorated the shore. It was the perfect place, Jungkook had discovered, for suntanning or drying off after swimming before returning to the den. 

The three of them settled down on the rock, Yoongi and Jin keeping Jungkook between them as they let the sun dry them. Their other four packmates were still in the water, though Namjoon kept glancing over at the three of them, like the protective alpha he was, until Jin shot him a thumbs up to reassure him that they were alright and that they’d explain later. 

Once everyone was back in the nest, bellies full from dinner and eyes heavy after a long day of play, Namjoon gently plucked their human from the mess of limbs to settle him in his lap, wrapping his large muscled arms around Jungkook’s waist and nosing against the shell of his ear. “Kookie?” he murmured, kissing the younger’s neck gently. 

“Yeah,” he sighed, sinking back into the alpha’s hold. “I know you’ve all noticed that I don’t have a lot of movement in my arm,” he started reluctantly.

“You were hurt,” Taehyung stated, reaching out to thread their fingers together in a silent show of support. “By humans— like Jin.”

Jungkook nodded, “Yeah— kind of. But— I wasn’t— I wasn’t caught in a trap like Jin. I was... I was whipped.” 

The pack hissed in near unison, Namjoon’s angry growl reverberating in his chest as he tucked their youngest closer to him. 

“I was ten when my family died,” Jungkook continued, closing his eyes so that he didn’t have to face the sympathy swimming in his packmates faces. “Our house caught on fire in the middle of the night and I was the only one that woke up to it. I have— I have burn scars on the bottoms of my feet from running across the embers trying to wake them up but... I couldn’t and— and when I gave up and ran out of the house, half of the village was outside, watching, and— I was declared a witch for surviving when the rest of my family died.”

“What the fuck,” Hoseok hissed, startling Jungkook with the intensity of the usually happy wolf’s ire. “How does surviving a tragedy equate to being a witch? Humans are so stupid,” he growled, crawling over to Jungkook and nosing against his cheek. 

Jungkook nodded in agreement. “I was an outcast after that,” he continued. “Forced to live on the edge of the village by myself. I got harassed constantly but there weren’t any villages close enough for me to move to that I knew the way to and no one in the village was going to show me the way themselves. Most of the villagers were scared of me but there was this— this group of men who liked to attack me whenever they spotted me. I was— was okay until one day they must have decided that they’d had enough of me. Grabbed me and dragged me to the town square and hung me up by my wrists and whipped me until they got bored and left me to die there.”

Another series of growls reverberated through the den, the whole pack shifting to cuddle closer to Jungkook. “I’ll kill them,” Jin snarled. “Every last one of them. No one hurts my pup and gets away with it.”

Jimin crawled over to Jungkook, nudging Hoseok back so that he could shift the human in Namjoon’s lap. He pulled Jungkook’s shirt over his head, the younger letting the healer do his thing, knowing that Jimin was a stubborn wolf who wouldn’t rest until he saw with his own two eyes that Jungkook was alright, regardless of how long ago his injury was. 

“How did you get away?” Yoongi asked softly, the most composed of the pack as he frowned. “If they left you strung up like a wild animal, how did you get free?”

“An old woman cut me down,” Jungkook mumbled, his cheek squished against Namjoon’s shoulder awkwardly as Jimin’s fingers trailed up and down the youngest’s scars with feather light touches. “Told me to run and I did. I ran until I collapsed and that’s when Taetae found me.”

Taehyung huffed, nuzzling their noses together. “Thank god I did too. I can’t imagine this pack without you in it.”

The rest of the pack hummed their agreement, Namjoon nudging Jungkook down until he was laying on Jin’s chest. Everyone else filled in the spaces around them, pressing as close as they could to their human. “Thank you for telling us, Jungkookie,” Namjoon murmured. “We’re never going to let anything hurt you ever again.”

“I know,” he whispered, nuzzling further into the eldest. “I’m always safe with you.”

When the leaves began to brown and the nights grew chilly, the pack got ready to once again move back down the mountain for the winter just after they celebrated the autumn moon. Jungkook huffed, flopping back onto their nest of furs petulantly as he prevented Jin from rolling them up. “But I don’t want to leave. I like this den.”

Notes:

Thank you all so much for all of the love you have given this fic. The amount of people who left such sweet comments and kudos were overwhelming in the best of ways. So much so, that I couldn't not give you a little bonus chapter to show my gratitude. :D

I appreciate each and every one of you, thank you for reading!!! 💜🥰