In our darkest moments...(TAEKOOK 18+ A/B/O) COMPLETE

Chapter 1

The tender flesh of Taehyung's wrists was red raw from the harsh rope cutting into it, the pain only made worse by his futile struggles for freedom.

The Black Alpha King's guards ignored him when he said he'd go willingly. Perhaps it was their orders to restrain him or perhaps they just knew better than to trust someone in his position -either way, Taehyung's desperate pleads to go without his mother seeing him struggle were ignored, despite the promise he had already made to the King.

To the guards it wasn't enough to tie his hands behind his back, they also insisted on binding his ankles before a sack was thrown over his head.

Taehyung could hear his mother's quiet cries and sniffles in the background while he was being bundled up tightly.

"Don't worry Mother, everything will be just fine. I promise. Please don't cry." Taehyung's muffled voice called though the fabric when the men threw him onto the back of the carriage like a sack of potatoes.

"Don't try any funny shifting business little Omega or you'll end up strangling yourself...these are no ordinary ropes." The guard spoke in a dismissive tone over his shoulder when they set off, sounding like he couldn't give a rat's ass if Taehyung choked himself to death while turning.

The sharp jolts of the wagon on the uneven, rocky road made Taehyung jostle on the hard splintery wood and he winced in pain every time his elbows bumped against the sharp edges of the clutter surrounding him.

Taehyung's despair over his inescapable situation spread like a wave of nausea over his body, making his limbs heavy and his mind dark. He wondered if he'd ever see his mother or his siblings again. Vowing to stay strong for their sake, he refused to let the burning tears at the back of his eyelids fall. He was unwilling to admit defeat, telling himself over and over again that he would find a way out and a way to save his family.

The sack over his head smelled bad but it wasn't thick enough to stop Taehyung seeing the equally smelly guards sitting at the front driving nor the outlines of the majestic landscape spreading in front of them.

They were already further from his home than Taehyung had ever travelled in his whole life and had he not been so ruthlessly torn away from his family, he would have enjoyed the adventure and the chance to see new places.

Alas, this was one adventure Taehyung had hoped never to go on.

The dark path curving treacherously up the mountain side lead to the only place that existed up there among the clouds... the very place that Taehyung already knew was going to be his destination: The Royal Castle.

Even though Taehyung had always dreamt of travelling, this was one destination that would never have gotten on his dream list of places because he knew that the ruthless, selfish and cruel King alone lived there -all the good people having long since been evicted or escaped the King's unpredictable wrath. Taehyung had never heard of a single nice thing being said about the man who was obsessed with power and collecting beautiful things.

Even the mere thought of him made Taehyung shudder in disgust because he knew the King was going to be there, waiting for him -just for him. He tried not to give the billowing terror inside him any room, instead he focused on everything else around him, trying to remind himself that he would find a way out. He would escape, even if it were the last thing he'd ever do. He would not let the King touch him, whatever happened -he hadn't saved himself this long just to have some brute have his wicked way with him against his wishes.

The problem was, however, Taehyung's promise to the King. It complicated matters significantly. He had said on his word that he would come to the King if he promised to leave his family alone and assure their safety in Taehyung's absence.

At the time of the promise, agreeing to marry the King had seemed like a small price to pay for his family's safety but now that Taehyung was about to experience what that promise actually meant and what he would have to do and with whom...he felt bile rise in his throat at the notion of surrendering himself to that... monster... the whole idea was making him gag with disgust. He was never going to be able to go through with his promise, Taehyung knew that much by now.

His reaction was fuelled by the rumours of other beautiful omegas, none who'd lived to tell their tale of happily ever after with the King -yet another reason why the King was not marriage material... his brides never stayed alive long enough.