Chapter Text
Light filters in through his eyelids as Jimin slowly returns to consciousness, making him blink sleepily, eyes still completely unfocused.
For a moment he has no idea where he is or what day it even is: he just knows that his body feels really heavy and languid, as if he just slept for 24 hours straight, and that Yoongi's scent is everywhere. That alone must mean he's safe, which is a wonderful feeling, and it's only strengthened by how he notices that there's an arm slung over his side from the back, soft puffs of air hitting his nape.
The sensations are soothing and comfy enough that Jimin spends some time lazily floating in between sleep and consciousness, his body clearly reluctant to properly wake up, but then a sudden overwhelming thirst wakes him up further, prompting him to put some proper effort into getting the room around him into focus, hoping that there'll be water somewhere close.
Ah, they're in Yoongi's childhood bedroom, he realises. That makes sense. And there is indeed a glass of water standing on the bedside table, so, before his brain boots up further to process why he's in Yoongi's childhood bedroom in the first place and what might have happened the day before, he reaches out for the water.
Only to groan deeply and see his arm limply dropping back onto the mattress.
Holy fuck, he's really sore.
Sore to the point that he spends some moments trying to remember what the hell could have even happened to make his body ache literally everywhere, as if he competed in a frigging triathlon – he's sure they couldn't have had that weird sex last night –, and that's when it hits him.
He was a wolf.
A very hyperactive wolf, as far as he remembers.
Holy shit.
That realisation is enough to make him completely forget about this thirst for a moment, carefully turning his sore body onto his back instead and letting his mind go back to the day before.
Or wait, days before.
It's interesting how he can actually remember everything: he had kind of thought his wolf side would be separate enough from his human side that his time spent as a wolf would just be a black hole in his mind.
But no, he remembers it all: the first joy that had come with seeing his white paws, the ecstasy that he'd felt being with Yoongi and his friends and being accepted and groomed by them, the excitement of playing, running, hunting.
Well, if you can call his playful and clumsy failed attempts at catching forest animals hunting.
He smiles as he remembers himself running through the forest like an over-excited puppy, at how completely awed he had been by literally everything.
It's cute.
He's cute, he corrects himself, because it was him, however unlikely and crazy that might feel.
He's an actual werewolf.
Which he knew, of course, but he had never really felt it before. Sure, he has gone through a heat, and he has experienced lots of weird new drives and needs and such over the past couple of months, but Jimin only realises now that it had never felt properly real.
Not real in the way that having actual memories of running around as a wolf feels.
Suddenly he's giggling to himself, lifting one hand to his mouth in an effort to muffle his sounds as not to wake Yoongi.
He's an actual supernatural creature, an entity that he has read about in books, has seen in TV shows and movies in his youth, having never in his wildest fantasies imagined that he might be one.
He's a creature of myths, of fairy tales, and the whole world would be shocked if they found out about him. There would literally be international upheaval about him, that's how special he is.
And while at first Jimin had mostly seen the negative sides of that, or at least the scary sides, now, for the first time, he fully sees how absolutely frigging awesome it is.
He can just casually walk into the forest as a man only to change into a powerful white wolf a second later, can choose whichever of his forms he prefers at that moment. Can run faster, hear better, get pregnant even though he's a man, can do things almost no other people in the whole wide world can.
Maybe it's weird or childish, but he suddenly feels so proud.
Proud of his own body, of his abilities, of his heritage. Of this magical community, hidden in plain sight, that he is now a part of.
Fully a part of, for the first time, now that he has actually shifted into his wolf form. He remembers the pack run, how incredibly connected he had felt to all those other wolves after the first nerves had passed. How the feeling was unlike any feeling he has ever felt as a human: so much deeper, fuller, purer in a way.
Because now that he thinks of it, that's the way he would describe being in wolf form: purity.
No thoughts, worries or anxieties to distract from the here and now, none of the constant self-reflection, comparing oneself to others, thinking about how to act to be socially acceptable and liked that come with being human.
Just you and the world around you, interacting with your environment without any barriers between your sensations and your reactions.
God, it had been so peaceful.
Which is funny given how he very clearly remembers how he was acting anything but peacefully, constantly running around, making noise, going wild, but it had still felt peaceful.
He can totally understand why Yoongi had described it as being one of the best experiences you can have, because it is. Jimin is barely back to human form for a night and can barely move from the muscle ache but he already can't wait to shift again, to feel that way again.
For a while he just revels in going through his memories, absentmindedly caressing Yoongi's arm where it's still lying limply across his belly.
Then his mind is brought back to the present again by his thirst though, and this time he's mindful of his muscle ache as he carefully reaches for the glass of water, downing it all in one go before gently laying himself back down.
As he settles back in, it's as if the cool water made him more lucid, more aware of his current sensations, because suddenly his attention shifts to how he's currently feeling instead of how shifting had felt.
And what he finds is that he feels different.
He's not sure in what way, but somehow his mind feels different, more… Unified? Calm?
It takes some moments of just closing his eyes and feeling, but then he feels tears gathering in his eyes as he realises: he feels whole.
In the previous months there had always been some sensation of restlessness within him, of nervous energy and sometimes even conflict, but now… Now it's like his wolf side has merged with his human side, like there aren't two opposing forces within him anymore that are constantly battling and fighting for dominance: there's just him.
Wolf and human in one, his two parts as two sides of the same coin.
Yoongi had told him something like this would happen, that he'd feel more at peace after shifting, but Jimin hadn't imagined that it would feel quite like this.
It's like his wolf side is finally settled, has had its needs met to the point of being satisfied and confident now, instead of constantly raging within him to make him listen to what it needs, what it craves.
It feels great.
It makes him wonder what else may feel different from now on, in what ways his new-found inner peace will affect his life.
Well, for one, he thinks as a smile grows on his face, he might actually stop trying to mate Yoongi whenever he's really aroused? That would certainly be helpful…
Thinking of sex inevitably brings Jimin's thoughts to Yoongi, and he very carefully shifts to his side to face him.
The alpha is somehow still fast asleep – Jimin must have tired him out pretty badly, something that makes him grin –, curled up on his side and mostly hidden under the blanket, only his face sticking out.
He looks very peaceful like this too, features all relaxed and rosy, lips pouted cutely while strands of his dark hair obscure part of his face.
He's so beautiful, and Jimin is once more hit with how lucky he is to have him. It was complete coincidence how they met, it could have just have easily been another werewolf that Jimin first came across, but god is he glad it was Yoongi.
The past few months have been one big adventure, with many, many ups and downs, and through it all Yoongi has been such a steady presence, such a comforting, accepting and patient constant, never once giving up on him or making him feel like he was being too dramatic, too slow in learning or too recalcitrant to be worth the effort.
And now they've finally reached what they had been working towards all those months, have gotten Jimin to learn and adapt in so many ways, to accept his true self, to become one with his wolf side.
It's enough to make Jimin feel all emotional, and he feels a lump growing in his throat as he carefully reaches out a hand, oh-so-gently smoothing the hair from Yoongi's face, tucking it behind his ear.
Then he can't help but caress further though, tracing Yoongi's face with the gentlest of touches, following his hair line down to his jaw, caressing over his cheek, touching the corner of his lips.
The mix of emotions within him is overwhelming, his heart bursting with love and fondness, but at the same time he realises: also this indeed feels different.
Jimin only realises now that there had always been a hint of desperation underlying each of his feelings and actions towards Yoongi, a deep insecurity and need for approval. He had known Yoongi loved him, of course, but something in him – his wolf side, most likely – had never fully been able to believe it, had always been anxious about doing something wrong, disappointing Yoongi, fucking things up somehow.
Now though, as he's looking at his boyfriend, Jimin feels completely at ease. All the positive feelings are still there, are maybe even stronger, but there's no anxiety left: just love.
His wolf finally understands that he's truly accepted, truly part of the pack and loved just the way he is. He doesn't have to feel afraid of being abandoned or rejected anymore: he now knows that won't happen, feels it in his bones instead of just hoping for the best and fearing for the worst.
That realisation has Jimin smiling widely, and he can't help it, he needs to be closer to Yoongi, shifting so that he's close enough to softly brush their noses together.
That's what finally wakes Yoongi up, his eyes blinking sleepily while a soft rumble sounds from his throat, and Jimin thinks he must look silly with how he's smiling at him with hearts in his eyes, unable to contain his happiness.
"Hi", he whispers, touching his nose to Yoongi's once more.
Yoongi's voice is all croaky from sleep when he answers with an own "Hi", and the alpha blinks a few times more and clears his throat before following it up with an amused but fond: "What has got you so happy? You feeling okay?"
Jimin nods while giggling.
"Yeah, sore as fuck but very okay. I was a wolf, Yoongi!"
That has Yoongi's hand finding its way from under the blanket to the side of Jimin's head, caressing him softly as Yoongi says: "I know… You were so pretty and cute, you wooed the whole pack…"
"Yeah?"
Jimin can't help the excitement in his voice, feeling his wolf side preen at the compliment.
"Yeah", Yoongi just answers, leaning in to press a soft kiss on his lips. "So proud of you, you were amazing…"
Then, making his voice more playful: "And god, I'm so happy you were still clumsy with running because I've never ran so much in my life trying to keep up with you, you're going to outrun all of us with a bit more practice… Except for Jungkook maybe, but I can see you two getting all competitive about it and leaving the rest of us far behind…"
That makes Jimin giggle again, one of his hands finding Yoongi's waist to squeeze it gently as he says: "Well I'm so sorry for putting you through all that physical exercise, you poor thing… Your muscles won't know what hit them, suddenly actually having to work instead of just slouching over a desk in your studio the whole time…"
He said it to taunt Yoongi and he's not disappointed by the response, Yoongi growling playfully while he rolls himself on top of Jimin, nipping at his neck before saying: "Hey, I exercise! I'm stronger than you even, so watch what you're saying…"
"Uhuh", Jimin directly answers, "only because you're an alpha, if you were an omega too I'd kick your ass for sure!"
They play around for a while longer, half play-fighting, half teasing and taunting each other, only to slowly wind down and cuddle up close again, just talking through their experiences of the past few days.
And it's only when they've pretty much recapped Jimin's whole time as a wolf that Jimin finally says, turning his voice suggestive: "So, I clearly remember you promising me sex if I shifted yesterday, but you haven't delivered yet… Should I just shift right back never to trust you again or are you going to finally hold true to your promise?"
He smiles at how Yoongi's voice directly drops too when he replies with a "Oh, I think I can keep that promise…", and it ends up being hours later that they finally leave bed, both rosy-cheeked and slightly shaky on their legs.
And yes, Jimin is happy to find that he indeed actually didn't have any problems controlling himself this time: the urge to mate Yoongi is still there when they have sex, but it's manageable, definitely controllable enough to make it bearable to wait until they at some point decide that they're properly ready for it.
While there's still a part of Jimin that wants to shift right back into wolf form and explore some more it's also really nice to spend lunch with Yoongi's moms, properly getting to know each other and laughing together.
Plus, Jimin has to admit that his body might really need some more rest before he goes all out again, so they spend the rest of the day walking hand in hand through the village and surrounding nature, Yoongi pointing out his favourite places and introducing him to the pack members that they encounter.
It's really lovely actually.
Everyone is incredibly friendly – although they do all tease him about the silly things he did as a wolf, but all laced with fondness and compliments about how pretty his coat was and how adorable he was –, and it's also simply wonderful to enjoy the beautiful surroundings as a human.
He has never really been in nature like he is here, has never smelled the crispy clean air, seen the untamed forest or the wide views without any human-made structures in sight.
It's wonderful, and Jimin can't help but think of a possible future here, after they've finished their studies. He can picture a cosy little house like Yoongi's family's, can imagine working in the garden, going for day-long hikes or runs, maybe even raising his own pups in this little paradise.
Sure, it's still way too early to plan anything like that, but the future he envisions looks incredible, and merely the idea that it might actually unfold at some point, that he might become a permanent part of this wonderful, tight-knit community, has his insides swirling in excitement.
And so he's practically bouncing in excitement – not unlike how he was in his wolf form, he realises – as they make their way around, visiting their friends' houses, exploring the many pretty sights, and swinging their hands in between them as they trudge through the snow, chatting and laughing and teasing each other like they do.
As Jimin falls asleep that night he smiles as he thinks: he can really see himself finding a home here.
The next days pass by quickly, days filled with social activities that involve lots of cooking together, playing board games and laughing interspersed with days in which they shift and run, Yoongi and the others teaching him all about the lay of the land as well as lots of tips and tricks about their wolf forms.
Jimin feels proud to see himself making lots of progress, both in terms of ease with shifting – Yoongi soon doesn't actually have to bribe him with the promise of sex for him to shift back to human form – and in his stamina and skill as wolf, in terms of his knowledge on how to scent animal trails, recognize their territory boundaries, and interact with other werewolves.
They make Jimin's parents squeal in wonder when Taehyung video calls them while Jimin is in wolf form, his control now good enough to actually pay attention to speech whenever he's in wolf form so that he can interact with them somewhat.
They ask the approval of Yoongi's mom to mate – not that they want to do it right now, but just so they don't have to worry about that anymore once the time comes –, and directly get a feast organised for them by the whole village to celebrate their upcoming mating, which leaves Jimin completely flustered but beaming.
And then, before they even know it, Jimin wakes up to Yoongi smelling really good, and it's only when they're grinding against each other desperately, almost tearing each other's clothes off in their haste to get closer, that they realise: Yoongi's rut has arrived.
Not that that stops them from grinding against each other, the thought of having to tell someone about this and making arrangements feeling quite a bit less important than getting each other naked at the moment.
Yoongi just smells so good, and as Jimin inhales against Yoongi's scent gland until his lungs almost explode, time and again until he grows dizzy with it, dizzy with want, he realises that there's no way he could stop himself from having sex with Yoongi, making him ask in a daze: "How the hell did you even manage to not jump me when I went into heat, even though I wanted it so badly? You smell so fucking good – like, so fucking good…"
Only to have Yoongi chuckle gruffly, leaning even more of his weight on Jimin and desperately scenting him as he replies, voice almost a growl: "No fucking clue, drove me fucking mad, you smelled so good, so sweet –"
They don't say anything else as they rid themselves of their last pieces of clothing, and soon Yoongi is thrusting into him, making Jimin cry out and throw his arms around Yoongi's neck to pull him even closer.
It's wild, and uncoordinated, and ridiculously sexy, which also means that it takes no time before they both reach their climax, breathing heavily in each other's arms as they come down from their high.
It's then that Yoongi chuckles, moving to lean on his elbows to hover over Jimin and kiss him deeply before saying: "Okay, that didn't exactly go as planned, my pre-rut must have passed while we were sleeping… Things don't normally start out this intensely".
Which is rather confusing because Jimin very clearly remembers his own heat being more intense, but Yoongi speaks on before he can voice that.
"Let's contact my moms as soon as my knot goes down, okay? We need to make sure that we get all the stuff we need…"
It turns out to be a bit of a fuss to actually notify Yoongi's moms though because Jimin can't quite get himself to leave Yoongi's side, the way Yoongi's pheromones are already intensifying again making him feel surprisingly protective and possessive, and in the end Jimin just calls them, only leaving their bed to quickly open the door and pull all their provisions for the coming days inside.
Luckily the werewolves' houses are designed smartly, with an en suite bathroom and doors that can be locked from the outside to make sure wolves in heat or rut don't go wondering around. So while they make their way back to the bed, Yoongi having helped with filling the little fridge in the corner, Jimin is happy to know that they'll be safe and undisturbed the coming days, the fear and helplessness of his own heat still very salient.
Which is funny because he soon finds out that they're really not nearly as sex-crazed and gone as he had expected. Yes, they spend the next hour or so having sex again, revelling in the intense pheromones and heightened sensitivity and arousal that come with Yoongi's rut, but after they've both come a few times things actually settle down.
They're both clearly clingier than normal, especially Yoongi, who is often growling with possessiveness and fights to accompany Jimin if he as much as goes to fetch some more water from the bathroom, but they also just relax together in between sex, talking and laughing and not actually feeling that different than normally.
It's really lovely actually, and part of Jimin is sad when they wake up a few days later to find Yoongi's scent back to normal again.
Being together like this had just felt so intimate, so special, that he can't wait for it to happen again, a thought he would have never believed he would ever have after his first horrendous experience with his heat.
Time flies by after that.
Before they know it it's time for them to travel back to Jimin's house to spend the last week of the holidays with Jimin's parents, and it's with pain in his heart that Jimin says goodbye to Yoongi's moms, promising them to come visit again as soon as they can.
Still, it's also really nice to be home again, to share all that he has learned and discovered during the few weeks he spent at the pack.
They also choose this visit to drop the bomb about Jimin being able to conceive, and Jimin spends a good few hours crying and hugging and being amazed together with his parents, so happy that he gets to share this with them, that he doesn't have to hide anything about himself anymore.
And then it's already time for Jimin's second semester to start, the change to living in a huge city on a noisy campus coming as an immense culture shock.
It's not that he would want to move to the pack grounds right now, but he does feel even less at home in the city than before, constantly yearning for some peace and quiet, for some more trees and flowers around him and some less concrete and noisy cars.
Which is why it's great that he gets to join their city pack on their monthly visits to the pack, each visit feeling like being able to breathe again for the first time in a while.
It also makes it an easy choice when Seokjin at some point jokes during dinner that Taehyung and Jimin are at the pack house so often that they might as well move in: the pack house might not be in real nature but it's at least quieter than the dorms, has a garden and nearby parks.
Plus, as Taehyung happily squeals, they'll be able to use Yoongi as their personal chauffeur, so they don't even have to actually go through more fuss to get to campus – something that gets Yoongi to grumble in protest, although they all know that that's exactly how it will go.
Of course, there's a tiny part of Jimin's mind that tells him it might be a bit soon to move in with his boyfriend, that they've barely known each other for half a year.
But there's a larger part of him, a more confident part of him, that realises: yeah, it might be soon for a human to move in with his boyfriend after half a year of dating, which also shows in the fact that Taehyung and Jungkook have decided that Taehyung will get his own room in the house and that they'll only sleep over in each other's room when they both feel like it.
However, Jimin is not a human.
He's a werewolf.
And as he has learned from the very moment his wolf instincts first awakened, werewolves work quite differently than humans.
Yoongi is not just his boyfriend: he's his intended mate.
Jimin doesn't just like being with Yoongi, but his wolf craves it, needs its alpha's scent close to feel safe and at home.
And so Jimin doesn't care what people might think about it, whether or not his human friends would approve. He knows it's the right thing for Yoongi and him both, the path that feels right, and that's all that matters.
It's halfway May, far later than expected, when Jimin looks at himself in the studio mirror and realises: huh, he's sweating through his shirt. And now that he thinks about it, he's been feeling slightly woozy ever since his first lecture of the day.
The symptoms are still subtle, way less intense and sudden than his first heat, but it's undeniable: he's going into heat again.
It's funny how half a year ago he still thought he would be happy if his heat would be far later than expected, but Jimin had actually ended up feeling quite disappointed when it hadn't showed up at the half-year mark in April.
Yoongi had directly reassured him that it's totally normal for it to take some time for a rut or heat cycle to settle, but Jimin had still felt sad: he wanted to go into heat.
Yoongi's rut had been so much fun, had left him on such a high, that he couldn't wait to experience something like that again, but no, his heat had stayed away.
Until now, apparently.
While Jimin makes his way to the showers after class, he can't help but admit though: this is actually pretty awesome timing of his body. They're still far away enough from their finals that taking some days off won't bring too much stress, plus: it's a Friday. Which is far better than last time's Tuesday, since they'll hardly miss any classes this way.
It makes him feel giddier and giddier as he quickly rinses his body, this time actually enjoying the way he feels his body starting to heat up, the way the cold water feels so incredibly refreshing against his skin.
There's no need to actually notify Yoongi because they'd meet up outside of the dance department anyway, and Jimin practically skips his way over, a broad smile on his face as he imagines the look on Yoongi's face when he realises what's going on.
And Yoongi doesn't disappoint one bit when he leans in to chastely kiss him, pulling away only to double back and head straight for his scent gland, his hands coming up to squeeze Jimin's hips.
"Hey, you –"
"Are going into heat, I know!", Jimin replies cheerfully, laughing as Yoongi refuses to pull back from his neck, just pulling him closer and inhaling deeply against his scent gland. It feels amazing, and Jimin feels shivers running down his spine, heat pooling in his belly already, but he also just feels so happy that it's easier than expected not to focus on his heat symptoms for now.
Which might be for the best, that with them being at campus and all.
It's getting harder to not lose himself to the sensations though when Yoongi just keeps nipping and licking over his scent gland, and Jimin's voice comes out husky when he asks: "Aren't you going to take me home, alpha?"
The deep growl he gets in response makes him gasp, both in delight and arousal, and Jimin only realises that he's already releasing slick when Yoongi draws back, kisses him deeply for a second, and then says with heavily blown pupils: "Yes. Yes, let's get the fuck out of here… Sorry, got distracted for a second…"
Jimin giggles as Yoongi proceeds to take his hand and drag him along, casting one last glance to where they had just been standing.
It had been the exact same spot where they had properly met a bit more than half a year ago, the spot where Yoongi had found out Jimin was in heat, had called Taehyung, had somehow gotten him off campus and into the safety of his home.
It feels like a lifetime ago already, almost as if it wasn't really him that it happened to: he feels like such a different person now, Yoongi feels like such a different person now, that it's hard to believe that things actually went down that way.
There's a tinge of sympathy running through Jimin at the thought of his old self, being so confused and anxious, so lost, but at the same time remembering that heat makes him feel so proud at where he is now, so happy with his current life and confident in who he is.
And so it's with a huge smile that he closes the last distance between him and Yoongi, playfully clinging to the alpha's back as they cross the last distance to the car, overcome with fondness and nostalgia.
It gets harder and harder to ignore the urges his heat is awakening in him as they sit in the car, Yoongi's scent everywhere around him and the heat in his belly only growing, and as they arrive home they race through getting enough water and food from the kitchen to last them at least a few hours, until the others are home.
Jimin is really excited by now, barely able to still think clearly enough to be of any help and just ending up hovering around Yoongi while the alpha grabs stuff, clinging onto him and almost making them trip.
Because, okay, it's not only his heat Jimin is looking forward to. It had taken a lot of discussion and deliberation, but they had decided to mate during Jimin's next heat, and the idea that he'll have a mating mark on his neck soon, that they'll be bonded in every way they can be, is enough to increase Jimin's excitement tenfold.
He's therefore getting properly whiny and impatient when Yoongi leaves the heat room once more to grab a bunch of worn clothing, making Yoongi laugh with how horribly unhelpful he's being, and when Yoongi dumps the clothing on the bed and walks out again, just to check if they forgot anything, Jimin can't take it anymore.
He calls out Yoongi's name, and then doesn't even wait for him to turn around properly before he's jumping into his arms, the force of it slamming them into the opposite wall.
"Yoongi", he practically growls, "Bed. Now".
Apparently that approach works because the next moment Yoongi is finally grabbing onto him, one hand supporting his ass while the other cups his nape, crashing their lips together as he walks them back into the room.
Jimin can only barely remind himself to kick the door shut behind them, and as Yoongi throws him on the bed, making Jimin squeal and laugh for a moment by poking his sides in retribution for Jimin being so impatient only to catch his lips in a deep kiss directly afterwards, Jimin is in heaven.
Yes, the past year might have brought him things he could have never expected, huge, scary things that have forced him to re-evaluate everything that he thought he knew and to make a mountain of adjustments that he didn't feel ready for at all, but he can't deny: he wouldn't change a single thing.
With Yoongi in his arms like this, he's sure his future is bright.
THE END