Inside Of You

The Courting

"I don't know where he lives Mom. The hostess sat me at his table because he was the only person there eating alone. I don't even know his last name."

Jungkook paced his apartment over the gym. He'd walked around the neighborhood aimlessly for hours before he headed home, and instantly called his parents for advice.

"Well, what do you know about him, Son?" his dad asked.

"He's a Tiger, he has an older brother, and they both work for the Snake."

"Jung Hoseok, THE Snake?" His mom's voice was shocked.

"What kind of man is this, Jungkook? You barely touched, I mean" his dad sounded troubled, "are you sure he's your mate?"

Jungkook slumped into his favorite chair, running his hand through his shoulder length hair. "Yeah, I'm sure, Dad. It was just like you always told me. There was something pulling me toward him when I met him, and when we touched it was instant recognition. He's my mate."

He heard twin sighs through the speaker of the phone.

"He's a bouncer, he said. Taehyung  isn't in the same line of 'work' that the Snake is in."

"As far as you know."

His head slumped back against the cool leather. "I won't know anything more about him if I can't talk to him. What am I supposed to do? I can't just show up at his work; from his behavior at dinner, it would only freak him out. I don't want my mate to be afraid of me."

Jungkook's mom spoke, "You're going to have to learn more about him. Woo him; court him until he comes to you. It's what your father did when I was reluctant to mate him."

"This isn't quite the same thing, Mom. It's not a clan rivalry issue, I know that much."

"It doesn't matter what the issue is," his dad's voice was confident, "because you have a link between you as mates. Now that you have found each other you'll begin to crave that bond; crave your mate's presence and touch. It would take a male stronger than I think your Tiger is to resist it."

Jungkook closed his eyes, seeing in his mind the resolved look in Taehyung 's eyes when he'd said he didn't want a mate.

"I hope you're right," he whispered.

"Try finding out more about him; start with where he works. If the bar is only a few blocks away and he was eating dinner on Valentine's Day instead of hiding in his apartment it's likely that he lives close by. Everyone likes thoughtful gifts. Show that you want to get to know him, that he's important to you."

"Either that or he's going to call Seokjin to tell him I'm a stalker and get me thrown out of his territory."

His dad chuckled a little. "I've met Namjoon. I'll give the Falcon's mate a call if it comes to that."

Oh Matras, that's the last thing Jungkook would want to have happen. His dad calling the local head of the clans and telling him all about his mate's rejection.

"I can handle it, Dad. There's no need for you to do that."

There was whispering across the line and Jungkook heard his mother sigh, the sound completely exasperated. It was a sound Jungkook had heard a lot as he grew up.

"Oh," the lion cleared his throat after the whispering stopped, "I'll, uh, let you handle the situation, Son."

Jungkook smiled. Obviously his mother, a master at navigating personal matters and delicate situations, had informed his dad exactly how embarrassed he'd be if he did anything of the sort. It made Jungkook think about where she learned that; wondering if her clan had always been as elitist as Taehyung  had made them sound. He knew how nasty they were after she mated his father.