Taehyung lay still, his bare back resting against the silk sheets as he stared at the ceiling. The golden morning sunlight seeped through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the room. Beside him, Jungkook slept soundly, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. His dark lashes fanned over his cheeks, lips slightly parted, looking utterly serene—completely unaware of the storm raging within Taehyung's mind.
Memories flooded in, crashing over him like relentless waves. Vante. The past. Their love. Their war. The blood. The loss.
He could see it all now. The first time he had laid eyes on Jungkook, the way their souls had intertwined even before they truly knew each other. The stolen touches, the whispered promises, the battles fought side by side. The pain of their separation, the helplessness of watching Jungkook suffer under the tyranny of the trueblood alpha. The last moments of his past life—protecting his mate, sealing him away, swearing that he would return.
And now, he had.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
Yet, despite the flood of memories, there was something missing. His wolf.
He could remember everything—his power, his purpose, his mate—but he couldn't feel his wolf stirring within him. It was as if a part of him was still locked away, waiting, resisting.
Taehyung's gaze shifted to Jungkook, observing him in the golden morning light. His mate, his Luna. His to claim, his to tame.
Jungkook had changed. The once shy and obedient omega he knew was now cunning, challenging, daring. Taehyung chuckled quietly, his fingers tracing lazy patterns along Jungkook's exposed shoulder. This new side of Jungkook fascinated him, ignited something deep within him.
They had finished at dawn, the clock now reading close to eight in the morning, yet exhaustion was nowhere to be found in Taehyung's body. His instincts were restless, his mind buzzing with thoughts.
He had been the one in control last night, allowing Jungkook to push him to the edge, letting his instincts consume him. But Jungkook should know better. Alphas don't get tamed. They do the taming.
"Oh, Jungkook," Taehyung whispered, brushing a strand of hair from his mate's forehead. "You're going to be so much fun."
His smirk deepened as he envisioned the battles yet to come—not against their enemies, but against each other. The push and pull, the fight for dominance, the slow unraveling of whatever game Jungkook thought he was playing.
Because Taehyung would win. He always did.
And by the time he was done, Jungkook wouldn't just be his Luna—he'd be begging to be his.
But before that, he had something else to take care of. He had already decided—once his empire in the human world was fully settled, he would leave it behind. The business, the crime syndicate, all of it. He would reclaim what was rightfully his, return to the world he was truly meant to rule.
A world where he was not just a king of men but a king of beasts.
His hand tightened slightly around Jungkook's waist. Soon.