However, he wouldn’t have to decide whether Jimin was worthy to live or not if it wasn’t for the prince’s stepmother, the Queen.
The only days he truly enjoyed were the ones when he visited the village.
However, he didn’t know the Queen was aware of these visits, or that she knew what the people said about Jimin.
Jimin felt goosebumps arise all over his skin. While he knew the Queen disliked him, he never thought she’d want to actually kill him. “W-Why?”
Jimin’s body tensed and he tried to escape once again, but the man’s strength was nothing compared to his own.
“I won’t kill you.”
“W-What?”
”I won’t kill you,” the hunter repeated, and finally let him go. Jimin’s arms ached by the force the man had held him. “But she will kill me if you come back, and so... You will have to run away, my prince.”
“B-But how– how will you trick her?”
And after saying these words, the man turned away and quickly started to walk back to the castle, not giving Jimin enough time to react.
Jimin started to run; his only plan in mind was getting away as far as he could from the castle, and as soon as possible.
His vision got blurry and he felt a sob building up on the back of his throat, but before he could start crying he heard the clear sound of footsteps and froze.
Jimin didn’t even think of running away. His heart clenched painfully and his head spun, and before either of them could move the prince fell to the ground, his vision turning completely black.
The first thing Jimin noticed when he woke up was that he was warm and comfortable.
His last memory was being in the woods, freezing as the sun set behind the trees, so he was definitely somewhere else now.
When he opened them again, he noticed he was inside a small cabin. The walls were made of wood, and there was a lit fireplace in the corner.
There were also furs hanging next to the door, which suddenly opened causing Jimin to gasp in surprise.
The door closed again and Jimin focused on a tall brown-haired man who came in carrying a bowl which smelled like good food.
Even though Jimin heard his stomach rumble at the sight, he ignored his hunger in order to try and find out where he was.
The stranger smiled. “I’m Taehyung,” he simply answered. “What about you?”
Jimin hesitated. “I’m... Jimin,” he then replied. “Where– where am I?”
“Oh, you’re in my... village?” Taehyung said. ”I’m not sure if I can call it that. It’s pretty small, you see.”
“Don’t worry, you’re safe,” Taehyung reassured him, approaching the bed to sit on its edge. He offered the bowl to Jimin with a wooden spoon. “Here. I bet you’re hungry.”
“We found you in the woods, unconscious,” Taehyung answered. He didn’t seem to mind Jimin’s questions, and the prince felt more at ease since he didn’t seem to know who he really was.
“I ran away from home,” Jimin answered quietly, looking down at the bowl. It was filled with vegetable soup. “I’m trying to find a new place to live.”
Taehyung nodded, looking quite interested.
“Thank you,” Jimin smiled faintly but gratefully before diving right in. The soup was delicious, and he couldn’t hold back a hum of appreciation.
Jimin nodded, but occupied his mouth with the spoon and more food.
Once he was done, Taehyung took the bowl from him and guided him outside. +
The cabin was located in the middle of a clearing, and there were other five small cabins surrouding it, all different from each other but about the same size.
He gasped and stood up, feeling his legs shake beneath him. “T-Taehyung, you said it w-was safe–”
“But w-what–”
“You don’t need to be scared,” he finally said, his deep voice sending shivers down Jimin’s spine. “I’m Yoongi, their leader – we’re all shifters here.”
It looked like she was wrong. Very, very wrong.
Jimin felt himself being lowered to sit on the bench he was sitting on before Yoongi appeared, and suddenly another pair of warm hands touched him on his shoulders.
He said that looking directly at Jimin’s eyes, and for some reason that made the prince believe him.
Yoongi paused for a second, but then his expression changed and he looked quite amused. “Don’t worry about that, pup,” he said, squeezing Jimin’s shoulders gently. “We still have a place for you.”
“What? The shift?”
Jimin nodded timidly. “If that’s alright.”
“But I just got dressed!”
“Just do it,” Yoongi insisted.
“It’s okay,” Yoongi gestured, holding his hands firmly as the wolf approached the both of them.
The wolf sat down right in front of Jimin, who tried to make himself as small as possible with a scared whimper. Yoongi guided his hands to touch the top of Hoseok’s head, not letting go for a second.
The wolf huffed, approaching even further to nudge at Jimin’s knee softly. The sensation was quite ticklish and Jimin felt himself giggling before he could help himself.
“Told you so,” he said.
He hesitated, hands shaking when he looked back at Yoongi again. “I ran away from the palace.”
“I w-was running away from the Queen,” he continued. “She wants me dead.”
“Jimin,” Taehyung said softly behind him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Jimin didn’t stop.
“I don’t r-really know where I’m going, but I would be forever thankful if I could stay for a while,” he said, looking down again.
Eventually the leader had to go after answering some other questions of his, leaving behind some valuable information for the prince.
Taehyung told him to come with him right after Yoongi left, and they headed towards the largest of the six cabins.
“Oh. That’s Yoongi’s,” Taehyung explained.
Jimin paused, and felt himself blush. “What? Why was I sleeping there? Didn’t he–”
“R-Really?”
Jimin hummed, starting to put the pieces of his journey so far together. “Jungkook... is he that boy you introduced to me? Your...?”
Jimin frowned and sat down on his bed; none of the words made any sense to him. “Your... alpha?”
“Alphas are usually protective, possessive... stronger, too,” Taehyung told him. “That’s why they’re our pack leaders.”
“So... Yoongi’s an alpha?”
Jimin nodded slowly, taking in the information. It seemed like there was a whole new world in front of him, and he knew nothing about it. “I see.”
Jimin surely hoped so.
Jimin had brought his plate to the smallest of the cabins where he found out was where Seokjin and two other omegas prepared the meals, and when he stepped out he found the alpha standing there, waiting for him.
“Yes, I really like it. Thank you.”
Yoongi nodded, looking pleased. He then had a look at Jimin’s clothes, and for a second he seemed a bit upset. “Seokjin gave you his clothes?”
“You’ll need more for the next days,” Yoongi suddenly said, gesturing towards his own cabin. “Come with me.”
He held the door open to Jimin once they got there, gesturing him to enter first.
“Thank you,” Jimin murmured, biting back a smile.
“Oh, a-are you sure? Aren’t there too–”
He walked to the furs hanging next to the door Jimin had spotted that morning, and after a few moments looking at them he grabbed two of a dark brown color.
The prince looked between the pile of clothes on his arms and the thick furs Yoongi was offering him. “I- um, I don’t think I can carry them all,” he chuckled nervously.
Jimin could feel his face burning at the gesture. “Oh wait– isn’t this heavy? I can help.”
“O-Oh, in that case,” Jimin nodded, still feeling a bit uneasy at letting him do all the work.
When they step inside the room and Jimin pointed to Yoongi his bed, the alpha put all the clothes and furs on top of it carefully.
Yoongi was giving him that warm stare again, making Jimin’s skin arise in goosebumps.
Jimin nodded. “Is it... because of the Queen?”
Yoongi seemed to be taken back by the question. “The Queen? Why?”
The alpha’s expression suddenly hardened, and Jimin wondered if touching the topic was a good idea.
Jimin tilted his head to the side, confused. “What do you mean?”
“Oh... alright,” Jimin said, understanding Yoongi didn’t want to talk about it but still rather confused.
The alpha finally showed him a little smile, and he walked towards the door.
“Goodnight, pup,” he said before stepping out, closing the door behind him.
Taehyung woke him up the next day, asking if Jimin wanted to go bathe in the river nearby before breakfast.
Jimin agreed with enthusiasm, eager to scrub the dirt off his body from his adventures through the woods the previous day.
They walked through a path into the woods behind the cabins, and a few minutes later they arrived at the river.
While Taehyung played around, the prince rubbed his skin with the handmade soap they had brought with them, making sure not to forget his hair.
Jimin spotted Yoongi talking to Hoseok and Namjoon next to his cabin, the three alphas – as Taehyung had informed him – sporting serious expressions.
Jimin listened with interest. “Are you going?”
“Are you okay?” Seokjin suddenly asked.
Jimin startled. “Uh– yes.”
"Are you alright?”
“Y-Yes, don’t worry,” he replied, but neither shifter seemed convinced.
“Are these comfortable?”
“Oh, yes,” Jimin nodded, wrapping his arms around his body with a smile. “They’re really warm and soft.”
“It’s just the boots that are a problem,” Jimin chuckled, looking down at his feet. “I half walk, half trip whenever I want to go somewhere.”
Yoongi stared at them, too. “I’ll make sure to get you a smaller pair as soon as I can.”
“It’s not a problem at all,” Yoongi shook his head, reassuring him. “It’s better than having you tripping and hurting yourself by accident.”
“We’ll go hunting soon,” he told Jimin.
“Y-Yes,” Jimin nodded, a bit overwhelmed by Yoongi’s care for him. Did he treat all his guests like this?
“Alright,” Yoongi said, standing up but not taking his eyes off Jimin just yet. “It will– well, it’ll probably take the entire day. You’ll still be here, right?”
“Oh,” he said, blinking up at the alpha. He then smiled gently. “Of course I will.”