Chapter Text
The sun was setting gently, the late summer chill slowly ebbing the heat away, giving place to the cold to take shape too.
Jeongguk was looking at the horizon trying to smell the air, in vain.
His sense of smell was gone, just like everything else that was good about him.
Of all the things he lost, he missed the sense of smell the most, especially because losing it made his inner alpha hide in the depths of his consciousness. Leaving him feeling even more alone than ever.
It was bad enough the whole kingdom turned their back on him, calling him a traitor, but losing part of himself that was his core was the hardest.
It wasn't always like that. He used to be loved. By the king, by the council, by the people. Which was very uncommon for his position. Mages were human and untrustworthy. So him being a hybrid of the two species that loathed themselves wasn't something that was met with love and celebration, but for some reason no matter where he used to go, he was cherished. His powers were not something that people hated.
Now he didn't even have them. When he was captured the soldiers put a necklace on him that rendered him powerless, down to his scent. The very core of what he was.
It would have been better if they would have just killed him, but they didn't. They kept him as the most priced possession, making sure he was alive and well.. As a strong reminder for anyone that dared defy the crown. That even the most powerful mage would meet their downfall if they tried anything against the crown.
“You haven't touched your food,” he suddenly was brought out of his thoughts by a deep voice laced with judgement. He didn't need to turn around to know who the other person was. It was his guard. The one he was appointed. Not to keep him safe like before. No. But to make sure he doesn't escape, not even through death.
“I didn't realize the food arrived,” he said, not caring to turn around.
“I will take it back to the kitchen, they need the plates back,” the guard started picking up the tray on which the untouched food was resting.
“Do as you wish,” the disgraced mage shrugged.
“Is this some kind of a silent protest?” the guard then said, keeping the tray firmly in his hands.
“Excuse me?” Jeongguk was taken aback.
“Do you think anyone cares if you skip a meal?” the guard asked, his voice filled with malice. Just like anyone else.
“I genuinely didn't notice the food was here,” Jeongguk answered, even though he was tired of it all.
The guard then set the tray on the table and took a chunk of meat that didn't look good or well made, not like other times. He marched towards Jeongguk, meat in hand and put the meat into his mouth, his other hand coming to hold his nose, making him open the mouth wider.
Jeongguk had no choice but to open more, and chew the meat.
The guard, Taehyung, was not someone to mess with. He was the meanest of everyone that came to his chamber. And not many came often.
Just as Jeongguk finished chewing the food, Taehyung took the somewhat stale bread and marched once more, but the mage moved away instantly, now knowing his intentions, “I don't want bread!” He yelled, small pieces of meat that stubbornly made place between his teeth poking out.
“Why?” he asked.
“It looks stale.”
The guard took a look at the bread he was holding and how some small pieces were already separating from the bread. His nose took air in and he looked as if he was tasting the smell of the bread. He then slowly moved away and took it back to the tray. This made Jeongguk realize that it wasn't him that must have brought his meal. It must have been that beta that occasionally shows up. She always brought him bad food.
The guard looked at the mage once more and in an instant he was gone.
When Jeongguk was left alone, he noticed the guard didn't take the water so he went to drink it, until some was left that he sloshed it, so he could try to pry the small pieces of meat from between his teeth.
He tried not to think about how the guard's nose flared, how he used his sense of smell to check if the bread was stale.
He couldn't even do that. It drove him mad. They can feed him poison and he wouldn't be able to smell it.
…෴…
It was late in the night, the moon was high in the sky, and the stars sprayed all over the black canvas. For some reason he was half asleep, his body unmovable, while his mind was wide open.
As he felt how his mind was slowly drifting further away a noise made him open his eyes wide, and when he did he saw his guard with his weapon pulled and a bewildered look on his face.
“Is it you?” He pointed his sword to Jeongguk.
“What?” The mage got up slowly, despite his fast beating heart, “what are you talking about?”
“What's that smell?” Taehyung asked, worry painted all over his face.
Jeongguk was wondering if he truly smelled bad, if he had let out some sour scent into the air. But that was impossible, with his wolf gone, he didn't have a scent either. He didn't have any wolf features. He wasn't even getting his rut. So he kept looking all confused at Taehyung, looking for answers.
“It's not you?” Taehyung asked, lowering his weapon, but not his gaze.
Just as the other was about to confirm, thunder was heard. A thunder that sounded as if had happened within the castle.
Jeongguk was already on alert, looking around the room, his instincts telling him he should run away from there, but Taehyung was faster, he looked around in the room more frantically, pulling some stuff that Jeongguk was allowed to have, but most of the stuff was useless.
He then used his alpha strength and pulled Jeongguk’s hand firmly, and dragged him until they were in the room next to them.
Jeongguk was never allowed outside of his room. So he was shocked to see that the room next to his had all the magical items he used to possess.
While he was taking it all in, Taehyung was filling items into a pouch, searching for more, up until his eyes turned wide and he took an object that was actually a long chain that Jeongguk had possessed.
By the time Jeongguk’s mind processed what was happening, his awe of the items in front of him not allowing the shouts and noises from the outside penetrate his consciousness, Taehyung had done the unthinkable. He chained him and then himself with each end of the silver chain.
“No!” He yelled.
“Tell me what else to take, because we might need to fight the resistance!” Taehyung pulled the chain to get the mage close to him.
The mage was still confused, but still he looked around, now not with awe, but pure urgency. He pointed to a small bag and a worn book, both looking useless, and then to a golden necklace.
Taehyung collected them all and pulled the mage close once more, “what else?”
“With the things you collected,” Jeongguk answered, “all of it will be enough for us to be able to defeat anyone.”
“Okay,” he then pulled on the chain, making Jeongguk yelp, as he dragged both out of that room too.
Suddenly they were in the corridors, quietly moving through.
“Wait,” Jeongguk stopped, pulled on the chain, his alpha strength gone, but he still had it in himself to stop Taehyung for just a bit.
“We don't have time,” the guard growled, “I can't have the resistance to get you!” he tried to push forward, but with less strength.
“I know some secret passages,” Jeongguk said slowly looking elsewhere, still unsure if he should have shared that with someone who was his enemy, when he could have just run towards the resistance. But he wasn't sure that their intentions were. He didn't know them.
Taehyung was a known enemy.
“Why are you willing to help me?” The guard asked, turning around carefully, while pulling both of them with their backs to the wall.
“I don't know who's the one attacking,” Jeongguk shrugged, “and I know you.”
“Alright,” the guard closed his eyes momentarily, breathing out, “you lead.”
Jeongguk took a breath in himself before he slid his left hand to push a squared rock that was built in the wall on which they had their backs on.
Slowly the wall creaked and Jeongguk pushed so that the wall moved and a passage was revealed.
Taehyung pushed both of them to the other side and closed the passage.
It was absolute darkness, so Jeongguk slid his fingers on the guard's torso.
“What are you doing,” the guard whispered, his hands landing on Jeongguk's waist.
“I'm getting that necklace you took,” Jeongguk answered, voice low, and then pulled the golden chain out of Taehyung’s small pocket. He then pulled it up and clicked on the circle, making it turn into small circles that rotated, but also shined.
“Ah,” Taehyung said, looking as if enchanted by the necklace.
Jeongguk moved and put the necklace on Taehyung’s neck, “it's better if there's a place for it, and if I put it on me, it would subdue.”
Taehyung was silent for a beat, and then he spoke, his voice sounding rough, “because of the necklace that subdues your powers?”
“Yeah,” Jeongguk’s voice was thin.
“Yeah,” the alpha guard echoed, “will you guide us?”
“I can do that,” Jeongguk swallowed and then turned to the left, making the guard follow him.
They walked in silence, the silver chain connecting them.
Jeongguk wondered if the alpha knew what he was doing when he connected them both with that silver chain.
It wasn't an ordinary one, that's for sure. It was an enchanted one. One that connected two souls physically in a very brutal way.
Because it wasn't just a normal connection. The moment two people were wearing it, their lives would become connected. And if one of them died, the other would follow too.
The only way to prevent that would be for the chain to be removed. But that was the worst part.
The only way the chain could be removed was if the chain wanted to be removed.
So there was no weapon or magic in the world that could make that happen.
The secret corridor that Jeongguk guided them through came to an end, and they were finally able to breathe in the air from the outside.
The secret corridors were made in a way that whoever was using them could end up a bit further away from the castle. Even outside the city walls. The person designing them made sure that when they escaped they would be able to do so thoroughly.
Even the shouts and screams were hardly auditable.
“You didn't cross me,” Taehyung said as soon as he took a look to see where they ended up.
“I'm not suicidal,” Jeongguk rolled his eyes.
“You could have fooled me,” Taehyung pulled on the chain to make the mage follow him.
“Do you know how the chain works?”
“So far so good,” Taehyung said, not stopping for a moment, making the mage walk fast, “although I might need to get a bigger one, if I want to make sure you won't cut through it.”
“So you don't,” Jeongguk breathed out through his nose.
“And how does it work?” The alpha’s tone was sharp.
“It's magical, not even my necklace can subdue it, and if one of us dies, the other one does too.”
“Well,” the alpha stopped walking, making the other stumble into him, “I guess it will make my life easier.”
Jeongguk was going to die young.