Moonchild | ot7 | Twenty Five

Pair: OT7  x f!reader ; endgame ??? x f!reader

Summary: Working at a coffee shop that only opened in the late hours of the night was the most exciting thing about your life, really. You never had that many friends, your love life was nonexistent, and you just couldn’t explain the feeling of not belonging that chased you no matter where you tried to find your place. It was when seven very handsome strangers came into your life that weird things started happening around you and within you. Could they be the ones to fill in what’s been missing? Or would getting involved with them and their world put you in danger?

Genre: Series, fluff, angst, smut, non idol au, ABO, werewolf au.

Chapter Warnings: Are you ready to find out what she is??? Only one more chapter to go!

WC: 5.9K

“Sorry it took me so long to get here,” Wheein was kicking her boots off her feet as soon as Namjoon opened the door to let her in. “I came as fast as I could.”

“It’s okay, you’re here now.” the leader assured his old friend, but his inquietude was obvious.

“Where is she?”

“She’s in her room.”

Namjoon led the way, allowing Wheein to follow him to the second floor of the house. A small part of him, his inner wolf, most likely, was uncomfortable about the fact that he’d just opened his home to someone being trained by the elders. But the pack didn’t know what to do at this point, they didn’t know how to help you.

The leader pushed the door to your bedroom open, startling the six men that refused to leave your side. He still hoped to find something different every time he walked into your room, but the scene had been the same for the past two days.

You were lying in your bed that now looked too big for you when you looked this fragile. You hadn’t been awake yet, not ever since the Southside wolf’s venom settled and you passed out in Seokjin’s lap. They had cleaned up the wound as best as they could, but Bangtan knew how werewolf venom worked, it wasn’t something that they could remove from your bloodstream.

“Oh my god–” the woman paled as soon as she saw you unresponsive. You looked pale and weak. Little droplets of sweat covering your forehead before Jimin wiped it off with a wet cloth. The fever had been the hardest to control so far. “Did you bite–”

“No, it wasn’t us.” Namjoon shook his head. “Someone has been after her for months, we don’t know how they found her but–”

“You can tell me later, right now I need to take a look at her.” Wheein placed a friendly hand on his arm, wanting to make sure: “Is that okay?”

Taehyung was laying by your feet, in wolf form as he usually did whenever life in the pack got rough –his way of dealing with his own feelings and troubles–, and he didn’t like the fact that this woman he barely knew was trying to get close to you. He bared his teeth with a warning growl that made her stop.

“I’m here to help, I promise.”

The only reason Taehyung backed down was the fact that Namjoon was vouching for this woman, but he could tell that, by the looks of caution and tense shoulders around the room, the leader was the only one that trusted her.

Jimin reluctantly got up from his spot next to you to give the woman space to kneel on your bedside, joining Yoongi, Hoseok and Seokjin on the other side of the bed. Jungkook was hard as a stone, crowding Wheein’s space as if ready to remove her from your room, should she do anything to hurt you.

If the woman noticed she wasn’t welcome here, she didn’t show.

Seokjin’s body twitched as Wheein pulled on the medical tape holding the gauze that covered your wound, a tug away from nagging at her to be careful with your bruised skin.

The smell of blood and something foul filled the bedroom as Wheein revealed your wound, the bite mark looking reddened, punctures that weren’t really healing or even closing up. It made Yoongi open the balcony door just a crack to let the fresh air filter it away.

“This looks gnarly…” she commented, a little tactless, as far as they were concerned. And then she was pulling a glass jar from her backpack, which was filled with a buttery, green substance. “It’s a good thing I brought this.”

“What is it?” Seokjin wanted to know as the smell of what reminded him of a herb garden puffed into the bedroom as she unscrewed the glass lid.

“I can’t exactly say–”

That made Hoseok laugh as he crossed his arms: “If you think we’re letting you put anything near her without knowing what it is, you have something else coming.”

“You’ll have to understand, we’re not exactly trusting of the elders’ magic right now.” Namjoon tried to explain in a diplomatic manner what they were all thinking.

“This is nothing like the poison root, I promise.” she insisted, but none of them seemed too convinced. “Listen, I can give you the full list of herbs and you can Google-search what each of them mean, but while you do that, we could be losing precious time.”

“Do it.” Yoongi was the one to agree, stoic expression revealing nothing. “But if something happens to her, the same will happen to you.”

With an incredulous scorn from the indirect threat, Wheein turned to Namjoon: “Do they all need to be here for this? I need space to work.”

“We’re not leaving her.” Jungkook stated in a matter of factly tone.

“Guys, please–”

“I’m not fucking listening to you anymore.” Jungkook snapped, interrupting the leader. “You’re the one who keeps putting her in danger, you’re the one who keeps fucking up.”

“Kookie.” Jimin always tried to be the voice of reason.

“No, Jimin, let him speak.” Namjoon’s gaze was on the maknae and perhaps it was a masochist side of him that wanted Jungkook to push his buttons. He knew the young wolf would only be saying what they were all thinking.

“You’re the one who gave her that root, you’re the one who didn’t let her be part of the meeting.” Jungkook accused and Namjoon basked on the pain that his words caused; at least he could feel something other than fear. “You’re the one who is still not accepting her as part of the pack.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, all I’m doing is trying to protect her.” Namjoon didn’t have any fight in him as he defended himself, guilt eating him alive.

“Hey, if you’re gonna fight, do it outside.” Seokjin was stressing, this was not the time, nor the place–

“I think she can hear you.” Wheein’s voice made everyone stop and stare at your form.

And surely enough, they could all hear the spike on your heartbeat that had been steady and calm before. But as soon as the room got quiet again, Namjoon and Jungkook’s discussion being cut short, your heart got back to its normal rate.

“You can bite your heads off later, but please. For her. Let’s not do this now.” Seokjin pleaded, watching as Wheein continued to spread the green oil on your wound. “We’ll take turns watching over her, Namjoon and I will be the first and two of you can come back in an hour.”

“Not fucking fair.” Jungkook didn’t want to agree to it, but the others saw it was the better option.

“Come on, Kookie, we can stay in your room, so we can listen if anything happens.” Jimin offered, bringing Taehyung along as he walked to the Maknae to pull him away.

Slowly, and with pouts and glares, the men left your bedroom. Both Seokjin and Namjoon stayed and knew that none of the others would go too far.

It’s not as though they believed any of them could just move along with their lives while you were like this. For the past two days none of them slept, they barely ate, any tiny stir or groan that came from you made them panic. You’ve been stable for the past few hours, despite the fever that didn’t seem to lower, but they knew that all of this could take a turn in a second and the worst could happen like the blink of an eye.

“You really think she can hear us?” Seokjin asked as Wheein covered your wound back up.

“Come here.” the woman got up and placed the closed jar on your nightstand, giving Seokjin space to replace her. “Try to talk to her.”

The pack eldest sat on the bed, careful not to jolt you or spook you in any way as he held your frail hand in his. For a moment he thought your bones might break if he added any pressure. Instead of feeling awkward or shy, Seokjin really fucking wished you could hear them.

“Hi, baby. You’re doing really well for us.” he started quietly, hearing your heartbeat quicken again. It made him swallow a sob as his eyes brimmed with water. “Just keep fighting for us, okay? We’re all here waiting for you to wake up.”

“That’s a good sign, right?” Namjoon asked Wheein, or Seokjin, maybe even the universe.

Wheein had a look in her eyes, one Namjoon recognized instantly. It was the look of someone who knew hope was a fickle thing, someone who had seen and experienced more than they did. Someone who knew things weren’t looking too good for them.

“I have to be honest with you guys.” she started and both men felt their blood run cold.

“Don’t say it.” Namjoon didn’t beg many times in his lifetime, but he would if he had to.

“The bite looks bad. It’s heavily infected.” she continued regardless. “I’m not sure she can fight it, not when her body is still recovering from the ritual.”

“What do we do? How do we save her?” Seokjin wouldn’t just give up, not on you.

“I don’t think there is a way to save her.” Wheein sounded apologetic, but it wasn’t enough. “It’s best if you just… Keep her as comfortable as possible. You should say your goodbyes while she can still hear you.”

You knew you shouldn’t be here.

It was too dangerous for you to come so close to the borders of your pack’s territory, too close to the palace. But curiosity usually got the best of you and you could never stay away too long, not when you knew you could get a glimpse of what your life could have been if your fate were to be a little different.

And, on days like today, you knew you could see him.

It’s not like you never came here before, not like you’ve never gotten even closer when you were craving different types of food other than animal meat, fruits and vegetables your pack managed to grow and fetch. And with the dress your mate snatched from a Gungnyeo, if you just so happened to run into any humans from the kingdom, you guessed you could find your way out of the situation.

So many years of watching them from afar meant you picked up on certain mannerisms, you knew people used to bow their heads and bodies to show respect, much like the wolves did, and you knew the meaning of a few words you heard here and there.

You were perched on a branch of a tall tree, sitting with your back against its trunk with your legs dangling in the air, as you strained your eyes to see better what was happening down the hill from you. Every now and then you’d hear cheers of celebration, laughter and teasing jitters whenever one of the men training missed or reached their target.

You were so distracted by watching the training of the soldiers that you almost missed the steps approaching your tree.

Almost.

You better not be tearing holes into that dress, I had a lot of trouble stealing it. The voice speaking into your mind was a familiar one, making butterflies erupt in your tummy.

With a laugh, you looked beneath you to see the handsome wolf that caught your heart so many years ago, standing on his own two feet and wearing human clothes he’d also stolen. Don't worry, I'm being careful.

What are you looking at? Your mate wanted to know, climbing on the tree with a lot more ease than you ever could. You’ve been a human for a lot longer than he had, and yet his climbing skills, strength and speed still remained greater than yours; no matter what physical form he chose to take.

I like how they shoot arrows. You nodded with your head to where a group of boys aimed long sticks of wood and shot them with a bow made of bamboo and strings to hit a target made of hay.

Mhmm, and just who are you watching? The man didn’t sit next to you on the branch, but found balance at an intersection where the tree trunk split into a V.

You could try to lie, but your lover was never one you could lie to: My brother.

Again? Princess. You didn’t need to look at him to know he was glaring at you.

I know. I know I can't meet him, I'm not thinking about that anymore. Although you had wished to meet with your brother in the past, to get to know your real family, you understood now that by doing so, you could be putting yourself and your pack at risk. I just... Like to watch him grow into a man. I think he’ll make a good king one day.

Should I worry? Your mate asked and you had to roll your eyes at his jealousy.

Ew. He's my brother. You groaned, turning to the man to see him staring at you with loving eyes.

So am I.

Stop that, it's different. Just because we were raised by the same mother, doesn't mean we are related. You chided, twisting your nose as you continued: We're not even the same species.

I know. He gloated with a shrug. I'm a lot more awesome than you because I get to turn back and forth.

Why am I in love with you? You crossed your arms, suddenly a lot more interested in your lover than watching the training.

No idea, you better ask the Moon about that one.

I can't believe out of the whole pack I'm stuck with your annoying ass for the rest of my life.

Come on, princess. Stop living in the past, it's not safe for you. He asked and you knew it hurt your mate to catch you watching a life that didn’t belong to you. A life that wouldn’t include him or the pack, had your fate been any different. You never meant to upset him, you’d never choose to change your past. You were just… Curious. But he continued: Let's go for a run.

For you to cheat and turn mid race and win again? No, thank you! You crossed your arms, which was your first mistake. I think I'll stay right here and watch the cute royal men sword fight.

No you won’t.

Before you could even blink, the man was lunging towards you, arms around your waist and pushing you off the branch. You were used to his rough playfulness, it was part of his wolf nature, but you still held onto him for dear life and squealed with a dozen giggles as the two of you fell and rolled down the soft grass underneath.

He always made sure to keep you out of harm’s way, supporting your head and back so his stronger body took the hit and not your much more fragile one.

Stopppp, alpha! You squealed, trying to push him off of you.

Mhmm, omega. His head hid in your neck as his lips met your skin.

Despite melting from his kisses, the term of endearment was a bitter one for you. Don't call me that, it's not what I am.

Sorry, little human.

That pet name… You were sure your mate had never called you that before. But it still evoked a feeling of dejavú, as if you’ve heard it before, in a distant memory, maybe a faraway dream. You couldn’t quite explain why it made you freeze, why you got a tingly finger on your fingertips.

Your lover didn’t notice it, smacking a kiss on your cheek as he got up and offered you a hand so you could do the same.

Come on, princess. Let's go home before mother comes looking and drags us back to the cave by our ankles.

The incessant knocking at the front door of the den is what woke Namjoon up. He hadn’t even realized he’d fallen asleep, not when it’d be his turn to look after you soon. He could only guess that the tiredness of not sleeping right –or at all– for days was finally catching up to him.

With heavy steps and rubbing his eyes to get rid of the sleepiness, he walked the few steps from the sitting room to the main entrance, where the knock knock knock was still going on as if a woodpecker decided to make home there.

Namjoon had no patience to look through the peephole, opening the door all at once to find…

A girl?

“Who the hell are you?” he asked, politeness being forgotten as this person thought it was a good idea to come knocking on his door at five am.

“You must be Namjoon?” she pushed the hoodie off her head before introducing herself: “I'm Kimee.”

“Kimee?” the leader was gobsmacked, standing confused. “Yn's friend Kimee?”

“In the flesh. Now please let me talk to her, I need to warn her.” the girl was small and quick on her feet, sliding underneath Namjoon's arm and welcoming herself into the house. “Warn all of you, I guess–”

“Sure, come on in, why not.”

“Babes?” the woman called, not minding the tone of her voice as she kicked her shoes across the entrance. The commotion made Seokjin and Taehyung show up with frowns and bags under their eyes. Upon seeing them, the girl asked: “Where is she?”

“Will you stop that yelling and tell us what's going on?” Seokjin was just as shocked at the new presence as Namjoon was, and the leader only raised his arms to show he knew as much as the others did.

“The Southside is after Yn. They know she's in Dalju, I–” the girl choked on her own words, bringing a hand to her throat as she tried to compose herself. “I held them back for as long as I could, but they tortured me.”

“You know about the Southside?” Taehyung’s face was all scrunched up; he’d heard of you talk about your best friend from Seoul countless of times, but you never mention that she was a–

“Yes. I'm sure you can tell already, but I'm a werewolf too.” Kimee all but read their minds.

“That’s impossible, Yn didn't know werewolves existed before she met us.” Seokjin wasn’t convinced in the slightest, and he didn’t like how this mouse of a woman thought she could invade their space like that.

“Just because she didn't know about our kind, doesn't mean she hasn't been near us all her life.” she pointed out with a hand on her hip.

Granted, this girl had a point. Most humans crossed paths with werewolves everyday and had no idea; at the supermarket, at school, at the workplace.

“This makes no sense.” Taehyung grumbled, chewing on an imaginary gum from how tired he was.

“You haven't figured it out yet, have you? What she is?” Kimee’s tone wasn’t teasing, but her words were annoying them. It felt as if she was dangling the answer they all craved for months right in front of their noses, without really telling them what it was. “Why she's always attracting the attention of unmated wolves? Enough for the Southside to be so obsessed with her?”

“We don't have time for riddles–” Seokjin pressed with red ears.

With that the woman seemed to agree, pushing past the three wolves as she followed your scent down the hall. “We don't. I sent them off track, but if it took me a day to find your den, then they shouldn’t be far behind–”

“You're too late.” Namjoon spoke loud enough for her to pause.

“What do you mean?” when she turned around again, panic was written all over her face.

“They got to her already.” Seokjin was a little more delicate when telling your friend the news.

“No. No no no no, did they take her?!” Kimee started running her hands through her hair, walking in circles as she mumbled things like ‘I should have been faster, why didn’t she pick up my calls’. And then she turned to the wolves with newfound fire in her eyes. “What are you doing here then, why aren't you looking for her–”

“She's here.” Namjoon sighed, heart breaking for you all over again. “They didn't take her.”

“We don't have to worry about the Southsiders anymore, either.” Taehyung stated coldly.

“Did you find them? The two wolves that kept pestering her?” Kimee wanted to know, hand holding her own throat again out of instinct.

“If you want, I can show you where I buried their bodies.” Taehyung was proud of it, too, which unnerved Seokjin to death, but he wasn’t about to defend the two dead men after what they did to you. “We couldn't let them live after they…”

“What? Where is she?” Kimee insisted, stomping her foot in a way that made them think of you. The three wolves looked at each other then, as if to assess if they should really trust this girl. “She might be your pack now, but she was mine first.”

Something in the way she said it made them break. All of Bangtan knew how much you cared about this girl. How guilty you were for not telling her the truth about what was going on with you and them. But they hadn’t stop to think about how much Kimee must be missing you. And if she knew the whole truth just like she hinted to, she must’ve been worried sick about you.

It was easy to put themselves in her shoes, when they would do whatever it took to find you. To make sure you were alright.

“We’ll take you to her.” Namjoon stated, walking past her to lead the right way to go. His last words were more to himself than anybody else as he mumbled: “What else do we have to lose?”

Both Seokjin and Taehyung followed after Kimee and Namjoon up the stairs to the second floor. Jungkook was sitting outside your door and jumped to his feet at the new person following their leader; he hadn’t left that spot ever since changing shifts with Yoongi and Jimin, who were inside your bedroom right now.

We’re coming in and have company. Namjoon let the rest of them know, even if he guessed the rest of the pack had already listened to the interaction downstairs. This is Kimee. Yn’s best friend.

Namjoon opened the door of your room quietly and carefully, trying to keep the peace and –if you could really hear them like they thought you did– wanting to avoid disturbing you in any way.

Unlike when Wheein came over two days ago, none of the wolves glared at Kimee or showed their teeth when she approached your bed. They could all smell the worry oozing off of Kimee, the careful and delicate way she pushed your hair out of her forehead and how soft spoken she was when she talked to you.

“Babes… Oh, my silly, lovestruck friend. What did you get yourself into?” she whispered with a sniffle, not even trying to pretend she wasn’t tearing up. “I'm so sorry I couldn't keep them away from you.”

“It was a series of misfortunate events, that's not on you.” Namjoon tried to console her, a kindness he didn’t allow for himself.

“I know. I feel like they would follow her to the end of the world if they had to.” her smile was sad when Jimin offered her a tissue; he carried a pack of it in his pocket nowadays. “This is more than North versus South. It's much bigger than all of us.”

“It was never about territory, was it?” Hoseok was sitting in the loveseat in the corner of the bedroom, not denying Jungkook’s hug when the maknae joined him.

“Not quite.” Kimee shook her head, accepting a chair when Yoongi offered his chair for her. “You're Yoongi, right? She told me about you. About all of you.”

“What did she say?” Yoongi wanted to know, moving to sit on the floor by Jimin’s legs when the other blonde man settled on top of your dresser.

“She told me about the courting. About how she had to choose one of you, but couldn't.” Kimee’s eyes sparkled with gentle mischief as she ran a gentle thumb on your cheek. “She didn't know I actually knew what she meant, even when she didn't tell me the whole truth.”

“She really didn’t know you are a werewolf?” Namjoon asked and the girl snorted.

“I like to think I was more careful than you lot ever were.”

“Thanks.” Jimin rolled his eyes, but there was no bite behind it.

“But I can't be unfair to you, she wouldn’t be awakened by me. I'm not her mate.” Kimee added, and they all perked up at that.

“Wait, so you really know what she is?” Taehyung asked with interest and surprise.

“I do. It took me a while to figure it out, and I didn't think it was possible.” Kimee nodded, looking at your weakened form and to the rest of the pack. “I always thought it was nothing but stories my grandma told me to put me to sleep.”

“What kind of stories?” Yoongi barely had a voice as he asked her.

“Stories of a human that walked amongst wolves.” Kimee smiled, surprising most of them when she said:  “Stories of a princess blessed by the Moon Goddess.”

“Sindeok was right.” Namjoon thought out loud, spoken under his breath, but enough for his member to hear.

Hyung, what's going on? Jungkook whined, no longer angry with Namjoon when they all barely had any energy left to stay upright.

“You've heard of the story?” Kimee’s head tilted.

“What story?!” Taehyung huffed, impatient.

“It's a version of the legend…” Namjoon waved a tired hand. “I don’t know all the details about it.”

“Kimee-ssi?” the second youngest turned to her.

This woman had a way of making them feel at ease. That’s how they knew they could trust her. She obviously cared a great deal about you, and from the healing marks around her neck and wrists that she kept trying to hide with the sleeves of her sweater, they knew she fought a good fight while trying to keep the Southsiders from finding you; and when she couldn’t reach you by phone, she traveled all the way to Dalju in hopes of getting to you first.

Once they were all settled, and comfortable as they could be under this conditions, the woman started to tell:

“As this version of the legend says, the twin baby that was sent to die by the king was a girl. It was a princess that was taken by the wolves, nursed and fed by the wolf-mother until she was seven.” as she spoke, some of the wolves knew they'd heard something similar to that at some point in their lives, others were hearing it for the very first time. “They made her one of them. The princess could speak to them, hear them in her mind, she could heal a lot faster than she should, she wasn't a normal human anymore. And she also taught the wolves to use the pack to their advantage, to hunt better, to make traps. In each other they found strength.

“The queen found her daughter in the woods, after decades of searching, but she was far too gone to come back home now, and it would never be safe for her; not as long as the king saw her as a threat.

“But taking pity on her daughter, knowing she would never know true love, she would never have children of her own living among wolves, the queen prayed to the Moon Goddess, asking for mercy on her child. The Goddess gifted the wolves with the power of turning into humans.”

This version of the story was much too similar to the one they grew up listening to. The one that their families, even Yoongi’s, swore by. The main difference was that, instead of the Moon Goddess allowing the Lost Prince to become a wolf, and his offspring became the werewolves as they knew today… The Moon Goddess allowed her wolves to turn into humans instead, so the Lost Princess wouldn’t be lonely.

This version was particularly more believable, now that they stopped to think about it. It was a lot easier to think that wolves all over the world were graced with that ability to shift, rather than believing that their birth was the result of one single lineage of wolves. “What does any of that have to do with her?” Jimin broke the silence as it stretched for too long.

“Isn't it obvious?” Kimee didn’t sound condescending, if anything she was patient and kind as she explained: “With the blessings from the Moon, the lost princess was able to find her mate, to fall in love. It is believed that her children weren't wolves, but they weren't completely human either.”

“They were something in between.” Namjoon guessed. “Like her.”

“Like her.” the girl nodded, proudly adding: “She is what we call a Moonchild.”

The room was quiet as they let everything they heard sink in. Many of the members still had questions, some of them –especially the youngest ones– had never heard of anything like that. It didn’t take the woman by surprise when Jungkook asked:

“What exactly is a moonchild?”

“A direct descendant from the princess' lineage.” Kimee explained in simple terms. “A human that the Moon allowed to live with her wolves, to be part of a pack.”

“That's why she can hear us, why she keeps taking on wolf traits, but is still human in nature.” Hoseok guessed and they all agreed. “Why she didn't die during the ritual–”

“What ritual–” Kimee’s neck made a small cracking sound with how fast it turned to look at the man speaking.

“Not important–”

The girl wasn’t so convinced, but she obviously wasn’t done laying important information on them as she carried on: “I believe it's why she keeps getting so much unwanted attention. Why she's so irresistible to werewolves.” there were a few grumbles of agreement in the room, and Kimee didn’t even know half of it. “You see, humans and werewolves lived together since the beginning, the separation came later with modern society. But that's not what nature wanted, it needs balance. I believe that's why there's so much clashing between both of our kinds; the wolf hunts, the human attacks, the need for revenge. Everyone wants to be on top, but we should all live together.”

“That sounds too good to be true.” ever the skeptic, Yoongi needed a little more than a picture perfect ideology to settle with that point of view.

“Most packs used to have a Moonchild. That one special human that just fits in so well with everyone.” Kimee insisted. “It's why I believe Yn is so desired. It's part of our nature to crave that balance. Every pack that comes in contact with her, will feel that pull, will want her. It's easy to mistake it by physical attraction or fondness. But it's actually the wolf part of our soul, as double beings. Our wolves know it a lot more easily than we do.”

“That's all very loving and hopeful, but if that's all true, then why wasn't she kidnapped by a pack when she was younger or something? If she'll be wanted by any pack that comes across her, why was she still living peacefully?” Yoongi asked, and Jimin nodded vehemently behind him.

“Why didn't the Southside take her when they had plenty of chances to do so?” the third youngest added to the hyung’s questions.

“She wasn't awakened yet.” the reply was simple. “That only happened when she met her mate. When one of you walked into that coffee shop and that did it.”

The seven pack members looked at each other then.

If Kimee was right, –and as far as making sense and pieces of the puzzle fitting together perfectly, she was– then this was all the confirmation they needed that one of them… One of the seven of them was truly your mate. It wasn’t just wishful thinking anymore.

The pack didn’t need to read minds to know what they were all thinking.

They all remembered the order in which they met you; starting with Yoongi and ending with Namjoon. But all of the meetings were so close to each other that they didn’t notice any difference back then. Not that they would even know what to look for. How would they know you were destined to belong to their pack? That you were a gift for them, from the Moon herself? They just thought you were a pretty human that smelled insanely good.

The irony of it all was that now it was too late. What could they do with this information when you were laying motionless in your bed, feverish and in pain, suffering from a fatal wound, just waiting for it to finally take you?

“She’ll be in danger for the rest of her life, unless she's claimed.” Kimee broke them out of their thoughts. “Unless she finds her mate and completes the bond.”

“I'm sorry, I find that a little hard to believe when she's laying in bed right now.” Namjoon didn’t mean to be rude, but the more she spoke, the more it hurt all of them. “When she's dying from a bite.”

“I thought you were supposed to be the smart one.” Kimee squinted and that made Namjoon’s jaw clench.

“I can still make you leave.”

“I'd like to see you try.” she defied the leader, clearly ready to stay by your side for as long as she needed to.

“Stop it.” Seokjin used the hyung tone of voice, the one that even Namjoon listened to. “Please, Kimee, continue.”

“She's not dying. She's not fighting the mate bite.” the girl stated and it felt like a bulldozer had been lifted from their backs. “She's rejecting it.”

“Because it wasn't her mate that bit her.” Hoseok connected the final dots and Jungkook –who had been stuck to his back all this time– whined and squeezed him a little harder.

“Precisely.” Kimee nodded. “You can still save her.”

“One of us has to claim her.” Taehyung’s whine was almost as pitiful as Jungkook’s.

“But who?” Yoongi was all but chewing on his nail bed.

Every single one of them would volunteer to be the one to claim you, every single one of them believed you were their mate. Now they knew that the initial attraction they all felt towards you was because of your Moonchild nature, maybe that’s why they couldn’t give you up at first… But that turned into love.

And now they were all in love with you, and you were in love with them; you’ve said it yourself, right before the damned ritual. So they couldn’t think clearly, they couldn’t be rational about any of this.

And that was dangerous.

Your body was already pretty weakened by the root, you were already rejecting one wrongful mate mark. You couldn’t reject a second one. They couldn’t rock-paper-scissors their way out of this one.

“We only have one chance.” Seokjin could cry out of frustration.

“She needs to choose.” Kimee must be thinking the same thing they were. “Or you're going to have to risk it.”