winter of orphic love | ot7 poly |

Chapter 13 The Burden of Fear

This chapter contains heavy smut in the second half of the chapter. It goes from 0 to 100 quickly. This smut warning is sponsored by Rubber Duckies filled with Holy Water. 

With one day separating them from tomorrow's meeting with the Nightwalkers, Yoongi feels the tension building in the home's atmosphere. There is a tanginess to each scent, an underlying thrum of fear coming from each pack member and it is reaching its peak.

The unspoken emotions of the pack cause anxiety to build within his chest. He isn't sure who would break first but he knows somebody was going to snap. The restraint of happiness in the home is beginning to dull their smiles.

Yoongi feels like he has to do something so he wakes up early and starts on breakfast.

He searches through the kitchen cabinets with deft hands, eager to surprise the other members with a fresh, warm breakfast. He decides on making omelets to help them start their day with energy. He turns on the stove to let it heat up while he works. He grabs a large bowl from the cabinet and a carton of eggs from the small refrigerator.

The eggs are fresh. The chickens have been laying well these past few weeks.

Jungkook and Jin are usually in charge of looking after the chicken coup. They have done an excellent job with upkeep and making sure the chickens and rooster are well-fed and happy.

Yoongi works quietly, cracking open the eggs and tossing the shells into the small box for compost and food waste. His fingers are slick with egg yolk, beginning to feel sticky as he touches the smooth, cold shells. He cracks another egg open and two yolks fall out.

He quirks an eyebrow at the odd sight then he smiles.

It'll be a lucky day.

Yoongi moves on and whisks the eggs together. He adds a splash of milk from the glass container for a boost of flavor. He continues working but his mind is elsewhere, far from the current moment of making omelets.

The nagging feeling in the back of his mind hasn't gone away. He has a bad feeling about this meeting with Nik. There's no denying that it could be a trap.

The Nightwalkers are a violent pack, they've forced other packs to leave their territory in the past. There is no reason for their territory acquirements. Some of the territories are fundamentally worthless. But that's how violent packs work.

All they want is power. They give themselves over to greed and warp their thoughts into believing they deserve every piece of land they come across.

Nik's pack is not only aggressive towards others, their pack relationships are screwed up to the point of dysfunction. Most of their members are egotistical wolves on a power trip, others are Alphas who are forced to repress their need to lead and submit to Nik. Or Alphas secretly plotting Nik's demise. At the center of the dysfunction lies Nik, the Beta, and their Luna.

Nikolas Stone has been the Nightwalker Alpha for a few years. It is rumored that he killed the previous Alpha in cold blood. He is power-hungry, ruthless, and frustratingly arrogant. He uses the power of his Alpha biology to rule others and force them into submission.

The Beta, whose name is Xander, is also a born-Alpha. Namjoon noted that he often acts as if he were in charge. Whenever Nik gave Xander an order, he would change the orders slightly and work on his own behalf. He also has a group of wolves who follow him around obsessively. They are most likely his lackeys or wolves who yearn to take his place beside Nik. It was difficult for Namjoon to decipher.

The final member of the inner circle is their Luna, Rose. Yoongi feels a twinge of sympathy for the poor girl. Namjoon told them that their pack treats her as if she were their property. There was a complete lack of respect for Rose; she was often interrupted or told to stay in her room. She wasn't allowed to meet Namjoon but he caught glimpses of her during the meeting.