The Rules of Courting | nj

Eight

Namjoon looked at the three of them in shock and confusion before turning to Seokjin. "Wait, your grandfather and my grandmother..." He trailed off as Seokjin nodded. "He's holding a grudge against me because my grandmother left him? How petty can he be?"

"It was a pretty big scandal." Jimin said as Yoongi pulled him to sit on the armchair across from the other couple, making himself comfortable on the alpha's lap. "Because it wasn't just that she broke off the engagement, she was having an affair and left him for the other man."

Namjoon shook his head almost immediately. "No, my grandmother is a good woman. She'd never cheat on someone."

"Yeah, don't make her sound like she did something wrong." Yoongi lightly nudged Jimin's side. "It technically doesn't count as an affair because she was never really into the pack alpha from what my parents told me."

Namjoon furrowed his eyebrows, so Seokjin groaned and jumped. "Okay, y'all are just confusing him, let me take over from here." He shifted on the couch so he could face Namjoon while still cuddling the alpha. "So arranged courtships and betrothals are still a thing in this pack, and that's what it was for my grandfather and your grandmother. They had been arranged into a courtship after they'd both presented, and everyone was just waiting for the moment your grandmother would either decide she was in love with him or just simply was ready to mate and have pups. Well during that waiting period, the elders were corresponding with a small branch of the Jiluhan government as a way of trying to integrate our cultures."

"Wait, so there are people who know about our kind?" Namjoon asked.

"They've probably all died by now, but there were at one time." Yoongi replied.

Seokjin continued with his story. "So, a Jiluhan came to stay with our pack for a few months, and then we were planning to send one of our own to the Jiluhan world and slowly integrate from there."

After a beat, Namjoon asked a question. "So, what happened then? Why didn't we integrate?"

Seokjin gave the alpha a soft smile. "Because your grandmother fell in love with the Jiluhan and they ran away together."

Namjoon's eyes widened yet again. "My grandfather?" Seokjin gave a small nod and shrug. "They told me they met at the store! My entire life is a lie!"

"I mean technically they didn't lie to you." Yoongi said. "Remember how I said my family is in charge of relations between the different races of humanity? Yeah, your grandfather stayed with my family during his time here, and my grandfather had taken him to the market one day and they ran into your grandmother there. So, they did meet at the store."

Namjoon continued to pout over his grandparents lying to him about the way they met, and Seokjin couldn't help but giggle quietly at how cute he looked. "Anyway, my grandfather decided that the Jiluhan couldn't be trusted, so when he took over the pack, he shut down all of the plans to integrate."

Silence fell over the group as Namjoon took in the information. Once everything was processed, he looked back at Seokjin. "Be honest...is there any chance that we can actually be together?"

Seokjin ran his hand through Namjoon's hair. "Namjoon, I've never given a single shit about what my grandfather says, so yes, we can actually be together."

"And disregarding Seokjin's rebellious nature," Jimin chimed in, interrupting the kiss that was about to happen between the couple, "if a couple is ever turned down by the pack alpha, they can challenge it by going to the council. It's not a very well-known law as it's not a common thing to be turned down, but it is there."

"But to get the council to overrule the pack alpha's decision, Namjoon would have to prove that he's the prime choice for the next pack alpha." Yoongi added on.

"So basically, I have to really get serious about learning all of the customs and laws and everything." Namjoon said. He looked around at his friends, his gaze softening as it fell on the omega at his side. "I think I got this." Seokjin smiled at him as Namjoon pulled him closer.

"You mean we got this." Yoongi said. "We're all gonna help you, us, Hoseok, even Taehyung and Jungkook I'm sure."

Namjoon's chest grew warm at the display of friendship. "Thanks guys~"

"Oh, don't thank them." Seokjin said, snuggling into Namjoon's side. "It's only because you're the only alpha I'm willing to mate, and they don't want to lose that."

From then on, Namjoon spent every free moment reading the textbooks, making flashcards, and even having his friends quiz him. Seokjin became poutier and clingier as Namjoon chose to fill their dates with studying and not paying attention to him, but quickly became satisfied when Namjoon suggested a game of getting a kiss from Seokjin every time he got an answer right.

Seokjin's grandfather became aware of Namjoon's efforts, and was nowhere near happy about them, but he opted to stay back, assuming that his grandson would eventually reject him as he did every alpha.

One particular day, Seokjin was even clingier and needier than normal as Namjoon read through a book about mating rituals and laws in their special place. "I have to learn this stuff!" Namjoon playfully whined as Seokjin wormed his way onto the alpha's lap, pressing kisses to his cheek.

"I'm not stopping you!" Seokjin defended himself, squirming around until he was comfortable.

Once the omega stopped shifting, Namjoon returned his attention to the passage about legal punishments for alphas who physically abused their omegas. As his eyes flitted over a section about familial abuse, he felt Seokjin move again, tensing when the omega's breath hit his scent gland. "You smell good~" Seokjin mumbled, pressing his nose against the sensitive spot. "Like cinnamon~"

Namjoon felt himself relax as the omega nuzzled into his neck, moving to rub his cheek along Namjoon's jaw. "I do?" Namjoon asked, as no one had ever told him what his scent was before.

Seokjin nodded, now pressing kisses along the alpha's neck, paying extra attention to his scent gland. He even dared to gently lick at the area, making the alpha shiver beneath him. "What do I smell like to you?" The omega asked, pulling back from the alpha a bit and tilting his head, exposing his scent gland.

Namjoon was already rubbing his nose along the omega's neck as he answered. "Like vanilla~" He pressed a few kisses to Seokjin's scent gland, feeling a rumble in his chest when the tiniest of moans slipped out of the omega. "Pure vanilla, not the processed shit people cook with." Seokjin giggled at that, hands slipping to the back of Namjoon's head and fingers threading themselves through his hair as he guided the alpha to move along his jaw and neck.

Once he was satisfied, he pulled Namjoon's head out of his neck and pressed his lips to his. Namjoon attempted to deepen the kiss, prodding his tongue against the omega's bottom lip, but Seokjin pulled away. "I have to head home." He was pouting, and Namjoon wanted nothing more than to insist he stay, just to make his omega smile again. Instead, Namjoon nodded, giving Seokjin another kiss before helping him to his feet. "Study hard~" Seokjin said after Namjoon lead them out of their clearing.

"I will~" He promised, giving Seokjin one more kiss before letting the omega head home. Namjoon went to his own cabin, seeing Yoongi and Hoseok joking and laughing as they made dinner. "Hey~" He greeted, joining them in the kitchen. His roommates' moods shifted immediately, both staring at the alpha in disbelief, and Namjoon swore there was a bite of anger to Yoongi's sandalwood scent. "What?"

"You have got to be shitting me!" Yoongi exclaimed. "After all those warnings, you still went and let Seokjin scent you?"

Namjoon furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you talking about? I'm still not even sure what scenting is." The alpha hadn't yet gotten to the chapter about scenting and mating traditions in the book he was carrying.

"You know how Jimin and Yoongi have their faces shoved in each other's necks half the time?" Hoseok asked. "Kissing and nuzzling and rubbing and stuff? That's scenting. Did Seokjin do that to you?" Namjoon's eyes widened as he started to understand, nodding slightly that Seokjin did, in fact, do that to him. "Did you do it back?" Namjoon nodded again.

Yoongi cursed loudly. "Did you pass by anyone on the way home?" Namjoon shook his head. "Good, you better pray to every god in existence that no one notices Seokjin, especially not his grandfather. Otherwise you can kiss your life in this pack goodbye."