Marked (BTS Taehyung)

Chapter Seventeen: Hyung?

The rest of the pack had regrouped at Dinah's apartment, and only Jade, Namjoon, Dinah, and Jin were missing. Yoongi was trying to understand how to hold a baby, and with a lot of google and a little help from you he was managing to keep Min-Jae from crying.

Actually, after passing Min-Jae around for a few minutes, he had snuggled down into Jungkook's arms and fell asleep. The maknae looked a little uncomfortable as he delicately held Min-Jae, but Min-Jae had already realized that he held the power when it came to who held him, and was using that power very liberally.

You and Taehyung were sitting next to each other on one of Dinah's armchairs. He had decidedly put an arm around you, and while you would love to focus on only that, you were worried about Jade. She had taken a dart meant for all of the mates, not just her, and had gone down with it. Jade was also the closest thing you had to a friend when it came to the werewolves, and it had been disconcerting to see her laying on the ground as though she was dead.

Jimin and Hoseok were resolutely quiet, something you had never really experienced. It was honestly very alarming to see the members the way they were now, eyes flicking from the door to their phones and back again.

Even Yoongi seemed to be a loss for words. He had been glued to his phone since they had all begun showing up at Dinah's apartment. You were sitting among instructions for cribs and changing tables, a few tools still out on the floor, bubble wrap and packing peanuts strewn about the furniture. It was funny to think that only about five hours ago, Jade and Namjoon had been here.

The door opened, and everyone's heads snapped up to see which of the missing members it was. You found yourself hoping against hopes that Jade and Namjoon would both walk through the door, perfectly unharmed.

You only got about half of your wish, however. Namjoon slumped into the room, allowing Dinah to push past him and rejoin her family.

"Hyung?" Jungkook said cautiously.

"She's unconscious. She's unconscious and I can't do a fucking thing about it," he took a shaky breath, picking up steam, "They said she probably won't wake up. That we're going to lose the child. That I'm going to lose her."

Energy suddenly spent, he drooped to the floor, sitting down in an exhausted heap, eyes vacant as they stared at a spot of nothing on the carpet, and did not speak again.

The door creaking open cautiously yet again caught the attention of everyone in the room, and Jin poked his head through. He and Namjoon looked at each other for a moment, having a silent conversation, before Jin nodded and let someone else into the apartment.

In an instant, all of the members of Bangtan tensed, sensing something that you and Dinah couldn't. Taehyung protectively tightened his grip around your waist, almost imperceptibly pulling you closer to him.

She stepped into the room, head down and avoiding making eye contact. Namjoon groaned and put his head against the wall.

"Guys," Jin began, "This is Jane. She's, um, she's my bond mate."

The silence in the room was deafening. One day it may seem cliché to you, after some time had passed, and the shock of Jade's condition had worn off. But for now, there was a roaring silence that should have been filled with Jade making a joke, or offering advice, or at the very least teasing Jin. Instead, there was silence.

"You were with the other pack," Jungkook said, holding Min-Jae, which seemed to be keeping him calm enough to not attack her.

She only nodded, having the decency, at least, to gaze at the ground and look slightly ashamed of herself.

You and Dinah looked at each other, both realizing that you would have to get along with her, that you would have to befriend her. After everything that had happened to Jade, you would have to treat this girl, this werewolf that had brought tragedy upon the pack, as a friend. As your family.

"Did you lead them to us?" Jimin accused, and Hoseok had to put his arms around the smaller male to keep him back.

Another nod.

And now it was Jimin holding Hoseok back from attacking Jin's mate.

Her and Jin's bond marks were clearly visible; the small purple arrows on their necks noticeable to everyone in their placement.

The room was a tense circle of people holding other people back from attacking the outsider, and while you knew that you could not harm her with physical blows, any verbal assault would strike her as hard as a physical hit. It was a tense room of eyes meeting eyes, silent conversations taking place, and a wall being built between Jin and the rest of the pack; he stood with his bond mate, and the rest of the pack stood with Namjoon and Jade, pseudo-parents and alphas of the pack.

You couldn't pretend that Jane was going to be instantly accepted into the pack like you had, hell, you wouldn't even entertain the idea that Jane would be accepted into the pack at all; her path would be far rockier. She would have to earn the trust of the entire pack, member by member, excluding Jin, until they all felt that she had made atonement for her sins. And honestly, the way that Namjoon looked, it seemed that she would never completely atone for her sins in his eyes.

Had Jade not been gone, her acceptance to the pack would have been much quicker and much more seamless, welcomed and warmed with a joke and few teasing remarks from the pack's alpha female.

Had Jade not been gone, there would have been no awkward silence in the room, no creation of alliances and enemies.

Had Jade been there, Namjoon wouldn't have been sitting on the floor, staring vacantly into the middle-distance, not paying any attention to the conversation going on a few feet from him.