The annual moon festival would start on Friday, drawing Jungkook and his parents to his grandparents' pack for their annual visit. Jungkook's parents had been expelled from pack life before he was born, given permission to visit only once a year on the most important of holidays. It started when his mother met his father. After a year of courting in secret they decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Jungkook's grandparents on his mothers side were entirely opposed to her mating with the wolf she had fallen in love with. They were wealthy, her father was the pack elder and part of the council. Jungkook's father worked as a car mechanic and came from a no-name family. He simply didn't align with their vision for their daughter. In an act of defiance the two wed and in an act of punishment her father forbade them from living on pack lands, using his authority as a pack elder to ensure the punishment was enforced no matter which pack they begged to join. They would be permitted to visit her husband's family only once a year during the annual moon festival. This banishment was incredibly cruel, removing them from their extended pack and family and having to readapt to life in a human construct.
While it wasn't required, given the choice nearly all werewolves live on pack lands, small cities and towns that were on land set aside for the descendents of those original shapeshifters. A human might integrate themselves into werewolf towns now and again but generally packs were pretty insular, their whole structure designed around knowing who was in and who was out. It was exceptionally rare for werewolves to move to bigger human cities. Their entire DNA called for being in a pack structure, surrounded by others with the same biology and customs.
Like every parent, Jungkook's mother and father initially hoped for their firstborn to be an alpha or beta. Alphas and betas could get a good job and experienced far fewer hardships in life. Omegas often faced terrible discrimination and their small stature made them a target for harassment. Omegas were often relegated to unpaid work, dependent on an alpha or beta to care for them. Recognizing their lack of power, omegas could only hope to mate with a good alpha or beta in light of the fact that they had almost no legal rights. As soon as they were mated even their parents' ability to protect them was limited. An omega could not inherit property so being mated was the only way to keep them safe and provided for as they grew older. While it was hard to be an omega, a good alpha or beta would treasure them as a soft landing place for their family, fiercely protecting their mate. It was simply how it had always been and how it always would be.
It seemed the moon goddess didn't hear Jungkook's parents please and they were given an omega. Try though they might to build a larger family that could become their own little pack, no other children followed.
Jungkook loved going back to the pack. In the city he was so alone, removed from a pack, friends, large family, and any hopes of meeting a mate. He had reached mating age and on each visit to the pack he hoped he might catch the eye of a good alpha or beta. Mating offered him a possibility to return to the larger pack and his wolf roots. So far his search had been fruitless. A few wolves seemed interested but he never thought they were the right fit for him so he politely declined their advances.
After their long drive Jungkook settled into a small guest bedroom at his father's parents' house. He could hear his grandfather once again telling his parents that when they went back to the city Jungkook should be left behind creating more opportunities to find a mate. This was a perennial discussion but at least his parents were kind enough to ask Jungkook his opinion on the subject. He'd never wanted to stay before. While he was attracted to pack life, much of it was foreign to him and he feared he'd never quite fit in if he needed to find his own way without a mate or his parents beside him. This visit was the first time he'd even seriously entertained the idea. Maybe it would be good to stay. Try something different. His heart pulled him this way and that, and by the time he'd finished unpacking his bag he felt like he needed a walk to clear his mind.
Omegas were discouraged from going out walking alone, fears for their safety trumping any independence, so Jungkook quietly snuck out the back door and headed for the tree line. If he walked through the small town he'd undoubtedly be noticed and returned to his grandparents, likely to receive a scolding. He needed to stick to areas he'd be less likely to be seen.
Being away from the city, being in nature surrounded by other wolves brought a certain sense of peacefulness to Jungkook. He always felt unsettled in the city, his DNA calling to be surrounded by a pack, by the wilderness. A different lifestyle. At the same time he feared returning to a pack, afraid to be on his own as an omega lacking a strong grasp on the key social norms, at risk of being taken advantage of by a malicious alpha or a selfish beta. He felt truly trapped, equally uncomfortable in both worlds. He had a lot to think about.
His walk on the trails around the town brought him to some beautiful meadows, across small streams, and near large piles of boulders. Each step seemed to quiet his wolf, relaxing in a more natural habitat with the weight of the world behind him. He knew his parents would assume he'd gone for a walk. They would allow him the quiet peaceful time recognizing the strain he was under. Nonetheless, it was time to turn back before his grandparents missed him. They would be slightly less accommodating to his interest in time away from it all without a chaperone.
He successfully snuck back into the house unnoticed, returning to his room to grab a book so he could curl up by the fireplace in the main room. Fall was just beginning to settle in, a slight crisp in the air. It would be several hours until dinner, plenty of time to get further in his reading. After dinner there would be a community gathering in the main town square, then tomorrow the festival would start in earnest. Everyone would have a large breakfast at home and then gather in the square again to spend the day socializing, trading gifts, and watching the younger generation mingle in the hopes that some of them may match up. Jungkook knew he wanted to look his best tomorrow, he really had so few opportunities to meet unmated wolves that might be a good partner.
The evening bonfire was the first opportunity for unmated wolves to get a sense of who may also be available. Unmated wolves wore special ribbons tied around their arms, an indicator of who could be considered for courting. Jungkook's ribbon was firmly affixed to his arm but he largely stayed close to his parents. He didn't have any friends or siblings to circulate with, omegas were discouraged from mingling on their own. His cousins were either all mated or too young to wear a ribbon, leaving him watching from the sidelines once again. Perhaps tomorrow someone might consider approaching him but by the time the bonfire was put out for the evening Jungkook had talked to only his parents and grandparents, resigned to another year being single.
While Jungkook remained largely oblivious, his parents and grandparents didn't miss how many unmated wolves had their eye on Jungkook. Unfortunately, a quick scan of potentially interested suitors mostly turned up wolves with bad reputations who were likely to take advantage of his innocence. None of them were the type of match that would serve Jungkook well.
Jungkook was a bit dark at breakfast the next morning, discouraged about what the day might bring, preparing for another year alone. He realized that he was a risky match for an alpha or a beta. He wasn't well connected to the pack, he wasn't even up on current trends in the wolf community. While his soul yearned to connect to his wolf side he was simply inexperienced in how to do that. He would be fully dependent on a hopefully patient alpha or beta to explain everything from scenting to norms related to ruts and heats. He hadn't learned to cook classic dishes, hadn't had younger siblings around to care for, and was entirely out of touch with traditional customs and power structures in the community. Altogether he was an unknown and he knew it. He went to the festival the next day resigned to his likely fate. Another day of watching and hoping, another day of standing on the sidelines. It seemed he'd be on the sidelines forever.
YOU ARE READING
Necessary (BTS X JJK)
FanfictionCOMPLETE: They have been searching for the final member of their pack for years, their omega. Only when they are fully mated will their powers be complete. The situation is becoming desperate, but is Jungkook really prepared to be the omega they ne...
