"Appa.." Jungkook's head tilted to the side a little as he called out for his father once again, tears spilled down his cheeks, uncontrollably, as his father—the Alpha who should have protected him—accused him of something so degrading, something he could never even imagine doing.
The cold evening air bit at Jungkook's skin as he stood in front of the house—and everyone who were the reasons he couldn't get in. The reality of it hit him all at once. It wasn't much, just a small, unremarkable place, but it used to mean something to him. Now, it felt distant, like something he no longer belonged to.
His father stood between his home and him, arms crossed, his eyes cold and hard, as if he was not looking at his son, but a stranger. Jungkook's chest tightened as memories of warmth and safety seemed to slip through his fingers. He used to be able to walk through that door without a second thought. But now, it felt like the door would never open for him again.
The words that had been building up in his chest were choking him now, and yet, he couldn't stop. He had to try. He had to make his father see the truth. His hand trembled as it hovered by his side, his bleeding knukles curling and uncurling, unsure whether to reach out or retreat.
He tried to wet his chapped lips, feeling suddenly parched, as he struggled to speak. "Appa, please…" He tried once more, voice shaking. "Please, you have to believe me…" He had never begged like this before—never needed to. But this time, there was no other choice.
His father didn't speak, didn't move—just stared at him with that unblinking gaze, the one he used whenever he was preparing to pass judgment.
"Please believe me. I didn't do anything. Taehyung—he just helped me. He's not at fault, Appa, I swear. Please trust me. You have to trust me." He begged once again.
"Yeah? That's why you reek of him?" Jeon Hyun spat the words out like poison, his gaze flicking between his son and the stranger with disgust. "And if he's such a nice alpha, then why wouldn't he accept you?" Jungkook wasn't expecting any kindness, but the accusation was still venomous. There was a deliberate cruelty in the way he addressed them, as though he were trying to break Jungkook down further, to strip away whatever dignity the young omega had left.
"how can I make you beleive?" Jungkook cried out to his father, voice cracking with emotion. "It's not his fault.. It's my fault, not his. Please, don't punish him… punish me if you have to."
"Fine... then." Hyun shrugged, his voice loud for the onlookers who had gathered to watch the omega's disgrace. And that's exactly how Jungkook felt—like a spectacle. But his father didn't care, he continued the judgment as if eager to get it over with.
"As per society's rules, any omega who spends the night outside with an alpha without being claimed is punishable by death. Both the omega and the alpha will meet the same fate unless the alpha mates with the omega, thereby marking them as his own." Despite the heat of shame running through his body, his father's next words burned like ice. "your punishment is death…" He pointed sharply at Taehyung, the hatered evident in his voice. "And this stranger who had tainted my family."
Jungkook froze, heart racing. He looked toward Taehyung, but Taehyung... Taehyung didn't say a word. Standing by the car, the young alpha seemed almost out of place in this chaotic scene, like a rock amidst a storm. The faint glint of the streetlights caught the edges of his sharp jaw, casting shadows that only added to his unapproachable, elegant demeanor. There was something magnetic about him, an unspoken confidence that radiated from him without any effort. Taehyung didn't belong here he was only there because of him.. he saved him.. and now he had to give up his own life..
Jungkook felt the ground beneath him tilt, but he couldn't move away from his father. The anger and disgust in his father's eyes cut deeper than any punishment.
"APPA..." Jungkook's voice broke through the suffocating tension, raw and unrecognizable. How could he make his father understand that nothing had happened? That Taehyung was a stranger to him, that he had done nothing wrong? The words felt like they were getting stuck in his throat, but he couldn't let his father believe the lies his stepmother had planted.
His eyes found Taehyung almost instinctively. The alpha stood just a few feet away, unlike Jungkook, who could hardly keep his composure, Taehyung seemed impervious to the harsh words, the crowd, the pressure mounting around them. He was everything Jungkook was not—unbothered, confident, and distant—like he was untouchable by the petty concerns of the street, or by society's rules. He didn't have to speak; he didn't need to prove anything. His very existence was a quiet challenge to the authority of everyone around him.
"if you want to kill someone.." jungkook finally spoke, looking back at his father, "than it should be me. Please kill me." he fell to the ground as he rubbed his palms together, his knees scrapping but he didn't felt the sting as he hiccuped, " just kill me please.. dying is so much better than being the reason of disgrace.. to hell with this life where my own father who gave birth to me and raised me won't believe me.. just because of someone whispered a few meaningless words." His big tear-filled eyes flickered to his stepmother, who was standing off to the side, watching with her usual indifference, rolling her eyes as if this scene were nothing more than an inconvenient nuisance... there was nothing—no trace of recognition, no flicker of understanding.
"If you have an ounce of love for me... kill me. Please, Appa, I can't bear this anymore." Jungkook sobbed, trembling as he bowed lower, his forehead pressing to the cold earth beneath him. He wasn't even looking at his father anymore; the weight of his shame and desperation was too much. "Let him go. Please, Appa, let him go... and kill me instead. Let me pay for my sins. Don't make him do this." His voice was barely a whisper, barely audible, yet it carried the weight of years of silent suffering.
He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, the sting of humiliation as his father's eyes bored into him, but it was nothing compared to the shame he felt in front of Taehyung. He wasn't just a stranger; he was a man of power, someone who didn't belong in this dirty street with him. And now, Jungkook's father was accusing him, dragging him into something this shameful. Completely ignoring the fact that this alpha helped him... they wanted his life.
"Show some dignity, omega," his father's voice sliced through the air, dismissive, cruel. "How dare you beg for a stranger alpha. You would rather beg for him than for your own life?" The sneer in his voice was unmistakable, every word dripping with disgust.
"Appa.. this man saved my life.." jungkook said in a hoarse voice. The words barely left his lips. He knew it was pointless. His father had already made up his mind, had already chosen the path he would follow.
"The rules are simple," Jeon Hyun's voice was cold, detached. "This alpha has dirtied you. His very presence taints you." The finality of his words hung in the air like a judgment. It wasn't just an accusation—it was a death sentence. Jungkook's heart dropped into his stomach.
"And now..." Jeon hyun's eyes flicked toward the stranger alpha. "He must mate you... or pay the price."Jungkook's world seemed to spin, his stomach churning. The word mate felt like a weight, like a violation that had nothing to do with him, nothing to do with Taehyung. It was just another rule, another law of a broken society that they could never escape.
Jungkook couldn't breathe, couldn't think. The words "mate" echoed in his mind like a haunting lullaby, twisting the reality he had once known. And then, without thinking, his trembling hand shot into his hoodie pocket, fingers brushing the cold steel of the small dagger he had carried with him—the one he had kept for his own protection.
He pulled it out, holding it out toward his father, his arm shaking, the blade glinting in the dim light of the street. "Kill me," he whispered, voice almost inaudible now. "Please... just kill me, Appa. I don't want to live like this." His eyes were wide, heavy with tears, but he kept looking at his father through his wet lashes. "If you won't believe me... then just end it. But please, let this man go."
His father glanced down at the dagger. There was no pity, no hesitation. Just that same cold, indifferent look. Jungkook's heart shattered, piece by piece…. The decision was made…
Before jeon hyun could reach out for the dagger, Jungkook felt a warm hand close over his dagger holding hand, the familiar scent of soft rain wrapping around him, bringing a strange sense of comfort in the storm of emotions.
"i'll do it.." The voice was low but deep, almost cold, but the words carried a weight that reverberated through the stillness of the street. His grip tightened around the hilt of the dagger, his fingers pale against its dark steel.
Jungkook's breath hitched. His eyes darted from the steady hand to his father's face, but before he could process what was happening, the words were repeated again.
"I'll do it,"
The silence was deafening. All eyes turned toward the stranger—an alpha. There was a subtle power to his presence, a confidence that radiated from his tall, broad-shouldered frame. It was a subtle thing, but the shift in the air was undeniable.
"i'll mate him."
The alpha didn't bother to look up from his crouched position, his soft, almond eyes focused solely on Jungkook.