Chapter Text
But deep down, she knew that her powers had to stem from somewhere. And that scared her. The truth scared her. The way the Court treated her scared her. This meant that Edmund had not been lying. That his words had been true.
Taehyung growled. “An Eros soul mark is sacred.” He brandished his hands outwards, eyes flashing as he towered over his people with blooming turquoise tails. “The people of 6 can attest that, as the land of love, we cannot be fooled by tricks of the mind. An Eros will always know the difference between a bond and a lie. And I know she is mine.”
“And what do you think a parasite does, young emperor?” another ex-ruler cut in, spitting the words out as if incensed. They held little respect for the seven. “It convinces the host to call it love. That is the very definition of the thrall. Your passion is proof against you.”
Taehyung’s growl shook the chamber. But it was useless. Every word he spoke fed their arguments.
Another senator stood then, a man from 7. “Emperor Taehyung, your treatment towards our Emperor Jimin is widely known to be less than ideal. You deny even your own Aphrodite for this girl.” His words spiked almost mockingly, and the gasps echoed. Jimin seemed to shrink into his seat. “Is it truly not a sign of your befuddled mind?”
“I am not the only one to bear her mark,” Taehyung’s growl sharpened into a snap. “Rue, is the true mate of our pack—”
A senator’s staff struck the floor. “The bond must be severed. For the safety of the galaxy, your ties to the parasite must be destroyed.”
Parasite. Her mark burned. The crowd roared as Taehyung seemed to grow, tails boiling into a vibrant cyan with his rage. Namjoon raised a hand, and the noise bled into silence. Even Taehyung begrudgingly sat down, tails wilting back down. When Namjoon spoke, it was deliberate and smooth as if nothing had transpired, a coldness etched into his voice. He was being clinical.
“What is being done to ensure the removal of these bonds?”
Rue’s stomach dropped. Removal? The mere thought was like cutting out her own spine. She could almost feel her Omega twisting in agony, wailing from the suggestion. Her body ran cold. It was his fucking fault, and now she had to pay the consequences. Rue could barely keep down the sneer.
Fuck him.
“It cannot be undone.” The words came from Seokjin. For once, his composure cracked, voice tight, every syllable sharp. He stood, gaze sweeping the chamber like a sword, sharp fury flashing in his voice. “You’re speaking of something you don’t understand. The mating bond has already begun its integration. Your bodies are no longer separate systems. You tear one apart, you kill the other. I’ve foreseen it; it is as deeply woven as a real claim, fake or not.” His eyes were filled with sorrow. “You cannot sever the bonds or you risk death.”
A hush swept through the room.
“What about the soul marks on Emperor Taehyung and Jimin?” a sovereign asked. Taehyung snarled, and Jimin seemed almost horrified; their faces were grim at the mere thought.
“Removing them will be imperative to their health; it would hurt their Alphas,” Seokjin answered. “It would not improve the situation.”
“Then what do you propose, Emperor Seokjin?” a councillor hissed. “Let her stay in your bedchambers? Let her spread her corruption through seven empires until nothing remains?” His insinuations continued. “You would even dare sully our bloodlines with her spawn?” There were small coughs, almost like laughter.
“She is not corrupt.” Seokjin’s words were clipped, breaking only when his eyes found Rue. “She may have abilities beyond our understanding, but she has never been a danger to us.”
The councillor sneered, but a deep voice cut in. “Her powers are already taking hold of even your waters, clouding them. We all know the difficulty you have when it comes to this Omega.”
The Council’s leader rose at last, his robes glittering with authority. Older than empires, words heavy with the weight of law. A look at his face, at his features, and Rue understood. He was Namjoon’s father. Her eyes swept over the Court; they were all relatives, grandfathers, fathers and uncles.
It was no wonder that respect was lacking here. It was a family reunion. And none of her boys had good relationships with their families. In fact, she was pretty damn sure they hated each other.
Namjoon’s father was stern. “If she cannot be unbound, she must be contained.”
Rue’s breath hitched.
“Our records do not hold enough information. So, she will be studied, her nature examined until a cure for the Lonely’s poison is found or until she expires. For the safety of the galaxy, she will be sent to the most isolated facility we possess. Guarded. Inescapable. We will use her to understand how these creatures have evolved and changed over the years.” The word settled over the chamber like ash.
“No,” Hoseok rasped, his voice fraying, the lights flickered. “You can’t just—”
Namjoon’s father interrupted him then. “Planet 1 has the most records of the Elder Gods. Emperor Hoseok, you do not understand the destruction they can bring, the ability they have to break packs apart. Even now, the alliance of the seven planets has weakened.” His eyes gleamed as he turned to Namjoon. Mockery. “If I understand correctly, your pack challenges your rule over this...” His sneer grew, eyes sliding to her. “Omega.”
He looked at her like she was garbage.
“It is under my control,” Namjoon snapped. Finally, there was rage colouring his voice. “I’ve always had the final say. You have no right to question my ways.”
His father laughed. “Your focus for weeks has been purely on the Elder God, I hear that you’ve all spent billions searching for her,” he chided.
Hoseok was scandalised. “She was kidnapped by the enemy. Rue is also a great asset to our cause. It was necessary for us to find her and the stronghold—”
“And truly, we now understand the reasons for her strength in guiding,” the council leader chuckled, easily waving Hoseok off as if he were a child. “For our success in culling the Lonely, we must understand their species.”
Yoongi rose, flames twisting from his hair, eyes glowing like embers. His gaze swept the chamber once, then lowered to Rue’s. His mouth was a thin, angry line. “If you insist on caging her,” he said, voice flat, “then cage her where I can watch her. My dominion. My realm. I will not let her vanish into their hands. It will be easy to study her there.”
Rue’s stomach lurched. Yoongi. Even he was conceding. Not fighting for her freedom, but just choosing the goddamn prison. Her pulse roared in her ears. The court murmured, discussing quickly.
“Emperor Yoongi,” a general from Planet 4 spoke then. “She is not safe for you even in your realm. And the Lonely will come for her. Do you not see what this is? It’s a gift. We cannot waste this opportunity. Those beasts will search for her; I say we must lay a trap. If their leader is as enthralled by her presence as you say, then he will try to find her. There, we can end them all.” Murmurs of agreement. A tide turning.
“He might have kidnapped her once,” Yoongi answered, a touch of irritation on his brow. “But I fear he will choose to kill her for his own purposes. Rue was heavily poisoned when she escaped their hold. It was only my fire that saved her.”
“But he allowed you to take her back,” the general said with a shrug. “Who is to say that that very poison could have spread plague upon our people? That she could have been a carrier of a deadly disease that would not have harmed her?”
“My fire tells me everything I need to know,” Yoongi snapped. “It was the same ink that we’re all familiar with, the one we can find in a Lonely’s hive. It would have killed her from its potency. They do not care for her as much as you think they do.”
“And it might not have done anything to the people of her kind, it might have been used to hurt you,” the general stated. “As we all know, it is merely a chemical that speeds up the Rampage in Alphas.”
“No Omega has touched the ink,” Yoongi snapped. “It was injected into her fucking veins. How can you say that she will be fine without evidence? I am telling you that it hurt her, and it fucking did.” His rage grew then, shadows growing in the room. “So shut the fuck up before I rip open your fucking spine!”
The general seemed indignant, spinning to the crowd. “The emperors are already under her thrall! We cannot delay.” The crowd jostled, and Yoongi sat down with a growl, eyes smoking with fire.
A spark of electricity from Namjoon was enough to silence them.
“We will hold her hostage on a planet that is not under Bangtan’s control,” Namjoon agreed. “A planet on intergalactic waters, with the combined jurisdiction of the Court. Protected enough to keep her in to be researched on, and yet open enough for them to find her. We will ambush those Titans and capture one alive.” His crown caught the light, glinting sharply. His voice was calm, so calm it terrified her. “If bait is what you want, bait is what you shall have. And when they come?” His eyes darkened then. “We will be ready.”
The Council roared with approval. Their staffs slammed to the ground in rhythm, like the sound of bones breaking. Seokjin sat rigid, his composure cracked. His voice was tight when he spoke, cutting through the din.
“You do not understand what you risk. This is dangerous for us, for her.” His gaze slid toward Namjoon, lingering. “Do you truly want this, Alpha?”
The word Alpha hung in the chamber like smoke. But Namjoon didn’t move. His jaw clenched. His silence was answer enough. And it was odd that the Council did not speak. Rue’s eyes swept over the room, and she understood immediately.
Namjoon was using his aura, forcing them to their knees, forcing them all to be quiet. Some had even collapsed into their seat, wetting their pants. Even his mates were struggling, sweat beading on their brows, faces pale. And just as before, it did not affect Rue. A fact that had Namjoon levelling his gaze upon her.
He could not see her; she knew that. But the small smile that quirked at the corner of his lips seemed as if he could. A scoff curling from his tongue.
“I am merely suggesting we should be careful,” Seokjin grimaced through clenched teeth. “You did not have to show me your will.”
“I know. But do not,” Namjoon affirmed, easily commandeering, voice dropping in baritone, “question my rule.” His Alpha was revealing itself, power twisting from his pitch, burning through the air.
Seokjin sighed, dropping to his seat. “As you wish.”
Jungkook made a sound then, a low, broken breath that barely reached her. His eyes were glassy, his fingers knuckles white against the rail. He opened his mouth once, twice, but no words came; only the beginning of tears.
And Jimin. He still couldn’t even look at her. His gaze stayed pinned to the marble beneath his feet, lashes trembling, lips pressed tight. His shoulders remained curled in, as if he could make himself disappear. Rue’s heart twisted until it hurt.
Seven emperors. Her pack. Two mates. And not one of them could help her.
The air seemed to break as Namjoon’s aura lifted. The Court panted through their recovery, fear dripping from their skin as they stared at Namjoon with piteous looks. Terror dripped from them, and Rue was sure that if she could smell the Chamber, it would be thick with ammonia from piss.
But Namjoon merely watched them, eyes just as hard, just as heavy. He did not seem to give a fuck that his Court was breaking from his command. It was odd that her Omega felt pleased, thrilled that her Alpha was protecting her. An odd warmth coiled in her belly.
Protecting her?
Impossible.
This was the man intent on sending her to jail.
This was the man who’d she’d rejected as her Alpha.
This was the man who could not even see her.
The Council leader raised his hand, and the chamber fell silent. “Then it is decided. She will be contained. Studied. Weaponised if possible. And if not,” his gaze swept over Rue, merciless. “, then erased.” His eyes flashed to Namjoon, rising then to his feet with a hard glare at his son. “Court is adjourned.”
The decision was a hammer, and Rue felt the weight of it driving her to the floor.
The soldiers yanked Rue to her feet. Her knees buckled. She wanted to scream, wanted to fight, but her voice was smothered by a new gag, her body restrained in chains that cut into her skin. She looked up and found herself unable to find the seven in the sea of bodies, darkness welling up over her as the box closed once more.
And then she was taken away like an animal, captured once again.