World Building Fact:

Parents can verbally communicate to their children through a mental bond. While they can clearly speak to each other, the bond can be strained with distance. This likely arose from the adaptive benefit of parents being able to assess whether their pups were nearby.

While bonds do also exist between mates, it is significantly weaker, and usually, only very strong emotions can be sent across.

-

Taehyung and Jimin ground against each other, playfully nipping at each other's lips as their hips swiveled in half-hearted attempts to get friction.

They were in the last stages of pre-heat, and their want was still at a low simmer, though it wouldn't be long until it became unbearable.

They were curled around each other on a plush couch, covered in sheer silk and lace, diamonds sparkling in their ears, and glossy lipstick shining on their lips. Their tan limbs were tangled together, making it difficult to see where one started and the other ended.

The intoxicating smell of Caramel and Vanilla circled around each other, filling the space with want, Omega, please, please, please.

They seemed completely immersed in each other, their world beginning and ending in dull, warm pleasure, acting like the pampered spoiled Omegas they were. They truly didn't have anything better to do but play with each other for the rest of the afternoon, thoroughly enjoying the feeling slowly dropping into pre-heat.

However, at the sound of the front door clicking open, Taehyung fluidly slipped out of Jimin's grasp, pulled a loaded gun out from underneath the couch cushions, and clicked off the safety, sitting straight with wary eyes within seconds.

"It's probably Yoongi-oppa," Jimin whined, uncaring, tugging at Taehyung's shoulders, "Come back."

Taehyung ignored the Omega squirming underneath him, waiting for the unexpected visitor to announce themselves. He was stiff, and the gun in his hand didn't even twitch, despite Jimin's insistent squirming underneath him.

"Yoongi is at a meeting downtown. He shouldn't be home yet," Taehyung whispered, tense.

There were faint footsteps, but nothing else. The front door was too far away for Jimin or Taehyung to get a whiff of the stranger's scent, even with their noses hyper-sensitive from pre-heat. Taehyung's finger rested on the trigger, just waiting for the intruder to come into view.

"Whose home?" Jimin shouted, irritated and horny, "You mute motherfucker."

Taehyung narrowed his eyes at the beat of silence, before relaxing at the sound of a familiar raspy voice calling out an amused, "I'll excuse that because you're in heat, Jimin."

"See?" Jimin whined, forcefully jerking Taehyung back, pressing their soft chests together.

Taehyung groaned and carelessly threw the gun onto the floor, no longer giving a shit now that an Alpha with enough protective instincts to fight off a bear was home. Yoongi could deal with any intruders; all Tae had to worry about was swiveling his hips against Jimin's.

The heat coiling in his abdomen was getting stronger, becoming harder to ignore. "I wanna cum, TaeTae."

"Do you?" Yoongi questioned cockily, walking into the living room.

The Alpha leaned against a wall, crossing his arms. His lean body was accented by a black and white Armani suit; the slightest outline of a gun inside his suit jacket. His sharp, gunmetal eyes were looking them over, glancing at the forgotten pistol on the floor, before appreciating the view in front of him.

He was clearly affected by the strong scent of need in the air, but no one could ever claim that Kim Yoongi didn't have self-control.

Jimin's hips bucked up as the Omega nodded enthusiastically, stupidly thinking that the Alpha would give him what he wanted.

"I could have been a stranger, Jimin," Yoongi chided, completely ruining the atmosphere, "You completely gave Taehyung away."

Jimin rolled his eyes, "No one is getting past the damn army downstairs. And if you think it's a possibility, I'd say that's very much a you problem."

Tae glanced at Yoongi with a half shrug, "Jimin has a point."

Yoongi's eyebrow twitched, "Fair enough. I've been worried the bastards downstairs have been getting sloppy. I'll probably run a drill or two, just to check."

"There you go," Jimin answered, stretching his arms above his head and arching his back, making the diamonds in his necklace wink in the light, "I sit here and look pretty, and you keep me safe. Now are you joining us or are you just going to watch?"

The Alpha rolled his eyes, but immediately started stripping, slipping out of his suit jacket and loosening his tie. No matter how much he joked, Yoongi wasn't going to let the Omegas suffer in discomfort while he was around. Even the thought of them simmering on the precipice of pre-heat alone all morning was enough to make his heart pang a little in sympathy.

The pack usually dealt with Jimin's and Taehyung's heats together, from pre-heat to post-heat; running them warm baths before, fucking them into oblivion during, and giving them gentle massages afterwards.

It was a tad disconcerting to return home and be slapped with their scents without any prior notice or planning.

"You're a few days early," Yoongi commented, unbuttoning his shirt.

Blushing slightly, Tae mumbled, "That's probably my fault, you know I've been reacting weirdly to the birth control."

"It's not like it couldn't be Jimin's fault, Taehyungie. I wouldn't put it past him to move your heat up by sheer neediness."

"Hey!" Jimin whined, "Don't be mean."

The Alpha gave them a gummy smile, moving to press a kiss on their cheeks, "Never."

—

An hour later, Seokjin walked into the flat, sauntering past the trio lazing in the living room.

He was just back from an exclusive banquet luncheon, having spent practically all afternoon manipulating a pharmaceutical tycoon to sell Seokjin the rights to a drug he wanted. It might have taken a while, but Seokjin had managed it in the end.

After all- Alphas were pathetically easy to bring to heel.

He passed by the three of them, only to pause.

His nose wrinkled at the strong scent of pre-heat coming from Jimin and Taehyung. They were early. It was a disappointing, Seokjin had to admit.

Tae and Jimin's heats were usually the only time the entire pack spent whole days week together.

To miss a day of pack cuddles and bonding was irritating, but Seokjin had enough sense to swallow the frustration, leaving only a soft smile in his place. They'd still have the next few days to enjoy, even if Seokjin missed getting to coo over the slow flushing of his mates' skin.

The clicks of his heels woke up Yoongi, who blinked blearily, before smiling slightly at Seokjin. He was entangled between the dozing pair, both Omegas clinging to his sides.

While Yoongi looked exhausted, the Omegas seemed content, with deep, even breaths and mussed hair.

They were still in pre-heat, so Seokjin doubted there had been any actual sex, but he had no doubt that the Omegas had absolutely put Yoongi through the wringer with their constant demands for pampering and cuddles.

He'd have to tell Namjoon and Hoseok to come home sooner, Seokjin thought, knowing that the moment Jimin and Taehyung slipped into genuine heat, they'd need all dicks on deck.

"You look stressed, Noona," Yoongi commented, voice rough from sleep, "Need help?"

Seokjin rolled his eyes, watching the Alpha's eyes trace down the tight silhouette of the dress Seokjin was wearing. Even though Seokjin wrapped himself in conservative long-sleeves and high turtle-necks, his mates never failed to salivate over as if they were starving.

"I doubt you could keep me company, let alone properly open your eyes," Seokjin retorted.

Yoongi blinked, and then fell back onto the couch, "Thank god. I was hoping you'd say no. I just wanted to be polite."

The older Omega huffed a laugh, "You could have called me, and informed me they were early. I would have come home to help."

With a sheepish smile, the Alpha blushed, "You had the luncheon. Besides, I thought I could handle it alone. But they were even worse than normal. I think it was because they were early."

Seokjin rolled his eyes, "As if they need an excuse to be needy brats. Regardless, you did well. I'm proud of you. They look calm, content, and sated." Seokjin's words became warm at the end, emphasizing his praise to make sure Yoongi recognized it.

In the end, Yoongi had done an admirable job trying to wrangle two Omegas for a few hours, especially Omegas that are as needy for attention as Jimin and Tae. His intentions were sweet, desiring only not to bother his other mates.

The Alpha blushed slightly, cheeks pinkening, as he looked away. "Thank you, noona."

"Did they not nest?" Seokjin asked.

Yoongi shrugged, wryly, "They wanted to wait for you."

Seokjin's heart fluttered a little at the words.

"Well, I'm here now, so how about you go get some rest in an actual bed, and I'll take over for you when they wake up?" Seokjin offered.

Relief was clear on Yoongi's face, and he made no moves to hide it. "That sounds fucking amazing. Thank you."

Seokjin laughed. "You're welcome. I'll go change and then I'll play with Kookie until their next wave of heat hits."

At the sound of the pack pup's name, Yoongi sighed softly, "Where is he? I didn't hear the pup come in with you."

Seokjin blinked, long lashes flicking, "He was home. With Taehyung and Jimin."

Yoongi shook his head, looking at Seokjin with a frown. He slowly started pulling away from the dozing Omegas on the couch. "He wasn't here. We thought Kookie was with you."

Seokjin mentally called out to the pup through their bond.

Kookie, sweetheart? Bunny? Pup? Where are you?

But his words never ended up reaching a destination, just echoing in an empty space, the bond too thin, stretched too far, to make it to Kookie. It was clear that his pup wasn't in the building.

"He's not responding," Seokjin said, voice rising, "Where's our pup, Yoongi?"

Yoongi tore himself from Jimin and Tae, quickly moving towards Seokjin, as the smell of distress filled the air.

A dim sense of panic started to nip at Seokjin's skin.

His little Kookie. Just where was his pup?

The Omega felt nauseous, stirring the beginnings of anxiety.

He always knew where Jungkook was, always. The unfamiliar feeling of not-knowing twisted in his stomach, making his legs feel weak and his hands feel cold.

Yoongi placed a soothing, heavy hand on Seokjin's neck, thumbing at the Omega's mating bite, making little bursts of protected, safe, home bloom in Seokjin's mind. It helped a little; it numbed the panic, but it didn't reassure him.

Seokjin's eyes flickered between black and crimson, making his vision go red around the edges, and almost immediately, Yoongi pulled Seokjin's face into the crook of his neck, leading Seokjin's nose to the Alpha's scent gland.

Where could he be? He had to be here, there was no reason he shouldn't be home, what if he was lost, or worse-

Then, the overwhelming scent of smoky sandalwood, warm and heavy, circled around both of them, temporarily blinding Seokjin to anything that wasn't Yoongi's voice. His panic was entirely smothered by Yoongi, Alpha, safe, content, warm, family.

Underneath all of that, was the thin note of fear, and Seokjin knew that it wasn't for Kookie, but because of Seokjin.

Yoongi was scared of him, of what would happen if he didn't get Seokjin under control before his fear bubbled into something far more destructive.

Seokjin knew that Kookie was missing, but he couldn't feel anything but an all-encompassing fake warmth. It cleared his head and stopped him from tumbling into Omega-space- which was something everyone wanted to avoid- but it made him feel rather hollow.

"I'm sure it's fine, noona. You go get changed, and I'll call Namjoon and Hoseok. They probably took Kookie. We're probably worried for nothing," Yoongi reassured, softly petting Seokjin's hair, "I'll take care of it. I promise."

The omega pulled away. A part of him was grateful for Yoongi stopping him from slipping, but another part, the one that would gut a man for getting his coffee order wrong, was annoyed, irritated at Yoongi's interference.

Either way, he was unable to do anything about it, much too docile from Yoongi's scent to argue. Straightening to his full height, Seokjin narrowed his eyes at the Alpha.

"You had better," Seokjin snarled, "We both don't want me getting involved."

A brief flicker of fright flashed on Yoongi's face, before it disappeared into the Alpha's warm, confident expression. "I'll find him, noona," the Alpha answered, wane smile on his face.

The Omega walked away, hoping the Alpha would fix the situation, but having the barest hint of dread that said he wouldn't.

-
Namjoon checked the sheet of paper. 500 million won short. Again.

The head Alpha of the Kim clan was leaning against a desk, dressed casually in dark slacks and a white button-down with the sleeves rolled up. He didn't have to do much, but stand there, intelligent eyes glowing in the dim room.

The sharp scent of Peppermint and Strong, Alpha, Danger, Danger, Danger, Danger clouding around him was usually enough to demand obedience; the smell burned in other Alphas' noses, making their eyes water and their lungs ache.

It was hard to argue, when you were fighting back tears.

But, sometimes, people didn't heed the warnings, taking Namjoon's soft smiles and kindness as weakness. And then, those poor souls learn exactly what that burning peppermint was foreshadowing.

"Do you think we're idiots?" Namjoon questioned, cocking his head.

"W-what? Mr. Kim?" the man whispered, clearly caught off guard.

Namjoon sighed, rather disappointed, "I let it go for a month. An entire month, I let my money drain out. I let myself bleed. I figured, maybe it was a mistake. Maybe money was tight. I'm an understanding man, you know? But this is the fifth time this has happened. Five times sounds like a pattern to me."

In a fluid motion, Hoseok pulled out his gun, aiming it at the drug lord's head, clicking off the safety.

"Pl-please," the man begged, tears streaking down his face, though Namjoon couldn't tell if it was from the stinging peppermint scent or if the man was just a pussy, "I can get you the money. I can give you double."

Hoseok rolled his eyes, before stepping forward, fisting the man's hair and jerking his head back. "We don't want double, silly. We just wanted to be friends. You broke our hearts, you know?" Hoseok chuckled, tracing the gun muzzle down the man's neck.

The man looked into Hoseok's chronically amber eyes and whimpered. People usually responded to Hoseok's eyes like that. It was disconcerting to say the least, to look into yellow eyes, the sign of raging Alphas, and have those Amber eyes crinkle in a casual smile.

People just had to look into Hoseok's eyes to feel unsettled.

It was a reminder of Hoseok's past occupation, of the invisible blood dripping from Hoseok's hands.

"Sunshine, Pl-please."

With a bit of a laugh, Hoseok pulled the pistol away from the man's skin to twirl it in his hand, "Oh, please. You're about to die- you can call me Hoseok."

Namjoon hummed, "We stopped getting our hands dirty. Our Omegas think it's pathetic to have to this type of thing ourselves, and, well, we're obedient Alpha's if nothing else."

"But, for the man running our entire Japanese operation, well... I think they would understand us making a personal call," Hoseok smiled.

Barking a laugh, Namjoon shook his head, "Come on, hyung, Noona would rip the man's throat out with his teeth if he was here."

Hoseok had to agree. Their eldest mate was known for being particularly ruthless, well, that and, having a tendency to take a bite out of his victims.

BRING BRING.
"Hold that thought," Hoseok held up a finger, before pulling out his phone, and glancing at the screen "Its Yoongi-hyung."

Namjoon raised an eyebrow curiously, but held out his hand for his gun.

Handing his gun off to Namjoon, Hoseok sat on top of the desk, gracefully crossing his legs, as he answered the phone.

"Yoongi-hyung!" Hoseok greeted with a bright smile.

"Is Kookie with you?" The words were fast and clipped, and Hoseok couldn't catch them fast enough.

"What?"

"Is. Kookie. With. You," the words were hard, like it was paining Yoongi to say them.

"No? We're making rounds, and Kookie thinks it's boring. Pretty sure he's home with Jimin and Tae."

Yoongi exhaled loudly. "Well, we have a problem then. Because he wasn't with me, or noona, or at home. And he's not with you or Namjoon, either. So, where the hell is he?"

"Are you sure you didn't just miss him? Maybe he's napping in the lobby? The pup has a habit of waiting for us downstairs," Hoseok asked, not wanting to jump to conclusions.

"We can't call out to him through the bond. He's anywhere near here," Yoongi answered, "Look, please just, send off some look-out parties while you're in the city, put a price on Kookie's head, and then come home. We'll regroup from here."

Hoseok nodded, answered a quick, "Okay, be there in fifteen," before hanging up.

Namjoon was looking at him curiously, "What was that about? Everything okay?"

Anxiety was bubbling in Hoseok's chest, and he could feel his fingers start to twitch against his thighs. The scent of concerned, distressed, angry Alpha was starting to come off of him in waves, making his bitter scent almost unbearable.

Hoseok shook his head, distracted. "Just kill him, Namjoon. We have more important things to do."

Namjoon frowned, but didn't argue. Without a second thought, Namjoon shot the drug lord in the forehead, before setting the hot gun down on his desk. The accompanying mess (both the body and the blood splatters) would be dealt with by the team of cleaners they keep on hand.

Trying to comfort him, Namjoon pulled him into a hug, warm arms pulling Hoseok against his chest. A motion that from any other Alpha would have been confining, but from Namjoon, his little Alpha mate, it made Hoseok melt, leaning against him for comfort.

Namjoon nosed at his scent gland, breathing in the scent of distress, ignoring the way it made his nose twitch, so that he could bring Hoseok the comfort of intimacy.

Namjoon's breath was warm against Hoseok's skin, and Hoseok did his best to breathe, to center himself around the sweet, soft smell of Peppermint under his nose.

"What's wrong? I'm sure we can fix it," Namjoon reassured, calmly rubbing his hands up and down his hyung's arms, "I'll fix it."

"Kookie," he whispered.

"What about him?"

"He's missing."

"Fuck."

-

The little pup squirmed in his chair. It was a hard, uncomfy chair, but his arms were tied behind his back in hand cuffs. He couldn't move his legs either, but he couldn't see why.

He didn't know where he was. It was dark and dirty. Cold, too. Not cold enough to hurt, but enough to make his nose twitch. He tried calling out to his pack through the bond.

Mommies? Daddies? Mommy? Mama? Eomma, AppaDaddyPapa? Please? I'm scared.

But it didn't work. He was too far away.

He was too far away from his parents.

Kookie whimpered, knowing he should never be this far away. He broke a rule. He's broken so many rules.

Strangers were circling around him. Big, tall, nasty Alphas. He couldn't recognize any of their scents.

Mama always said to hide if he saw strange Alphas he saw.

But all the Alphas were looking at him.

Mommy always said to run away if he saw strange Alphas.

But Kookie couldn't move.

Eomma always said to call his parents if he saw strange Alphas.

But Kookie was too far away to use the bond.

He couldn't do any of it. His Mommies were going to be so mad at him. Kookie sniffed, feeling tears well up in his eyes.

All he wanted was to be a strong boy for his parents, and make his mommy happy. But he got it wrong. He got it so wrong. He's in so much trouble.

He might not go home ever again, because he was dumb and weak and stupid. "Aw, look at the little brat, he's crying," one of them mocked, laughing.

Kookie whimpered, wanting to curl away, but he couldn't move because of the way his hands and feet were tied.

"So much for Bangtan's golden bullet, hm?" Another Alpha jeered.

"This is Bangtan's pup? Looks more like a bitch than a pup to me," the tallest Alpha spat, walking towards Kookie.

Kookie leaned back. He didn't want the Alpha to get close to him. He was scary with sharp teeth. But, the Alpha kept getting closer and closer, and Kookie couldn't run anywhere.

The Alpha smelled nasty, like really brown bananas or squishy apples... Rotten, he smelled rotten, and it hurt his nose.

"You're in a lot of trouble," the pup whispered, his voice weak and small, "My Mommies are going to be really mad."

The leader, the tallest Alpha, squatted down in front of Jungkook, baring teeth. Something inside Kookie cringed away, curling up and making him whine at the Alpha.

"See, now I know you're a dumbass. I don't know who the fuck your mothers are. It's Namjoon that's the pain in my ass."

Tears fell down Jungkook's cheeks. He didn't understand what the stranger said, but he knew it was mean.

He wanted to be home. He wanted his pack.

He wanted his Mommies.