Chapter Text
| Prologue |
17 Years Ago
RYU OKGYUN, HEAD ALPHA OF the Black Mountain Pack, walked hastily down the village road. The light of his lieutenant's torch reflected off the rough dark stone underfoot.
It was the dead of night, and Okgyun had been roused from sleep only minutes ago with the news that two rogues had been caught trespassing in pack territory and were now being detained at the village gates.
The alpha gripped the hilt of his sword anxiously. It was rare for rogues to venture this far up into the mountains, where the landscape was so cold and inhospitable. Surely rogues could find greener pastures and easier prey in the valleys and plains below. In fact, tales of attacks in the valleys had become more and more common in recent years. Enough that any rogue presence was now cause for fear.
Could these be spies for a larger group? Could this be a diversion? A trick? These questions raced through his mind.
As Okgyun and his lieutenant approached the gates, the warriors on duty quickly swung the enormous wooden doors open, revealing the scene beyond.
About a dozen pack warriors carrying torches and brandishing weapons stood around two rogue wolves who knelt on the ground, huddle to one another.
The larger of the two was a male alpha, and the smaller one trembling in his arms appeared to be a female beta. Okgyun could tell by their scents that they were mates.
And to Okgyun's surprise, these two did not appear uncivilized or feral like all other rogues he had encountered or heard about. Their clothes were worn and threadbare in places, but they were clean and relatively well groomed. They smelled of dew and wheat fields, and something mildly sweet which Okgyun couldn't identify. Clean scents.
As the warriors made way for Okgyun, the kneeling man looked up, eyes wary and filled with mistrust as he regarded the pack Alpha.
Okgyun brows drew together when the man did not lower his gaze, showing no respect toward his rank, but before he could speak the captain of the guard, Kim Ryun, stepped forward and bowed, presenting Okgyun with the hilt of a simple single edged sword saying, "This is the only weapon he had, my lord."
He accepted the weapon, inspecting the rather dull blade for a moment before dismissively handing it back.
"You have knowingly trespassed onto our pack's territory," Okgyun said to the rogue alpha. "Tell me why I shouldn't have you both executed?"
The man tightened his arms around his shivering mate, "We mean no harm to you or your pack. We would not have come all this way if we were not desperate."
Okgyun frowned. "We do not give aid to rogues."
"I only seek help for our pup. He is sick--"
"My answer stands," Okgyun said grimly, "We offer no aid to rogues. You made a mistake by coming here. Captain--"
"No! Please!" cried the small beta female, looking up for the first time with teary eyes. "Please save our pup! He is sick. Dying," she explained as she drew a large wrapped bundle out from her coat and pulled back enough cloth to reveal the face of a young pup, a baby.
"He has been sick for many days ... my lord," the alpha reluctantly gritted out Okgyun's title, "We have done everything we can but now he is burning with fever and will not wake. Is there anything your healers can do? I ... I have nothing to pay you but I can hunt, I can work or--"
"Enough," Okgyun raised a hand and the man fell silent, finally lowering his gaze.
The gathered warriors shuffled uncomfortably. On many of their faces, Okgyun could see outright hostility. He knew that these rogues would not be welcome or safe in his village. Only Kim Ryun appeared conflicted, his gaze fixed on the child.
The pup appeared unconscious, as his parents had said, his breath coming out in tiny laboured puffs. A small shock of jet black hair peaked out above his forehead.
The slight sweet scent that Okgyun had detected earlier was growing stronger. It was like honey, and wild clover, and ... he realized in surprise that it was coming from the pup.
"An omega?" Okgyun asked. The rogue alpha met his gaze nervously and nodded.
'He is dying,' she had said.
"A male omega? Okgyun asked again, and a ripple of murmurs and exclamations rose up.
The beta quickly drew the pup back into her coat, holding him close and safe from curious eyes. "W-we were t-told that this pack does not mistreat or sell omegas," she whispered, and with that Okgyun realized how truly desperate this couple must be.
Male omegas were incredibly rare, even more so than female omegas. A large pack might only see one male omega in four or five generations. They were considered good omens, bringing good fortune and health to the pack and, like the females of their subgender, they gave birth to the strongest pups, usually alphas. Because of this, male omegas were considered extremely valuable. Some packs would trade for them, go to war for them, or even steal them to keep as mates or to sell off to other wealthy or powerful alphas.
For two rogue wolves to give birth to an omega, especially a male, was extremely unfortunate. They could never hope to protect the pup until he was grown. And to risk coming to a pack for help, a pack that might kill them just to steal the child...
Okgyun's heart clenched as he thought of his own son, only four years old, who now slept safe with his mother in the palace. He thought of what risks he would be willing to take for his one and only pup.
The soft sound of weeping made Okgyun realize he had been silent for too long. He had not answered the mother's question regarding the treatment of omegas and now her scent was filled with fear and despair.
"We do not," he said gently. "Our omegas are allowed to have mates just like any others in our pack."
The beta nodded, sniffling, and Okgyun sighed, knowing what he must do.
"If it was possible for us to aid you, we would. However I cannot permit you to stay, even for a day. No rogue has ever stepped foot within these walls and it is too great a risk to the safety of this pack. One I am not willing to take. You must leave," Okgyun said, and many of his warriors growled in ascent. "You should have been killed for entering our territory but for your pup's sake I am sparing your lives."
"B-but he will die..." the beta wept.
"Perhaps death would be a mercy," Okgyun's lieutenant murmured. The father fixed him with a murderous glare, at which the lieutenant just shrugged, adding, "You must know he will never be safe."
The rogue alpha looked to his mate with a pained expression, then to his pup. His shoulders hunched in sorrow. "Let's go," he said gently into his mate's ear, caressing her shoulders, "They are letting us leave their territory unharmed. We tried my love."
To Okgyun's surprise, the beta female addressed him again, "Then, my lord ... please ... take our pup."
"My love, no!" Her mate protested but she silenced him with a surprisingly sharp look.
Reluctantly, the father released her from his protective embrace and she rose to her feet. With trembling hands she held her precious bundle out to Okgyun, pleading, "Please, take him. Try to save him."
There was a tense moment of silence as Okgyun stared in shock at the pup and then at the two rogues. "Once you leave our territory you will not be permitted to return. If you leave him now you will never see him again."
"It doesn't matter," the beta insisted, "I cannot bear to watch him die, please..."
"We understand," the father conceded, looking defeated.
Perhaps fate had led these rogues here for a reason, Okgyun mused.
Okgyun's mate, a beta, had only given him one child. Thankfully the child, Seungwoo, was a male alpha. But the elders were not satisfied. One heir hardly guaranteed a smooth succession. A proper pack Alpha should have a palace full of children. The more young alphas the better.
Despite his mate's apparent barrenness, Okgyun refused to cast her aside and take another woman, as past Alpha's had done in these situations. He loved her and their son too much to even consider it.
But now Okgyun saw a new way to ensure his family's future and please the elders. A male omega, the perfect age to raise into a suitable mate for Okgyun's son.
Was this child a gift from the Goddess, literally brought to his pack's doorstep? If so, he would be a fool to let such a treasure slip through his fingers.
"Very well," Okgyun nodded, "We will do everything we can to save him. If he lives, he will be raised as one of the pack."
Relief and hope flooded the beta's face.
Okgyun gestured for his lieutenant to take the child, which was carefully handed over by the beta.
"You will be escorted south by my warriors for two days," Okgyun informed the rogues. "That will take you well beyond our borders. Heed my warning and do not return."
"Thank you, my lord," the beta replied, head bowed. Her mate met Okgyun's gaze once more and nodded.
"Ryun," Okgyun called to the warrior, "You will escort them. Choose two others to take with you and leave at once."
Before the rogue pair could be herded away, Okgyun asked the mother, "Does your pup have a name?"
"Jimin," she wept softly. "His name ... is Jimin."
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