Moonchild | ot7 | Twenty Two

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: Listen…………………… I’m sorry.

WC: 5.5K

You couldn’t sleep anymore.

No matter how hard you tried, no matter how warm the man lying naked next to you felt. As soon as the first rays of winter sun filtered through the cracks of the hut, your body was awake and restless. It felt as if a clock started ticking in your brain and at every bird chirp, every leaf falling to the ground, felt like a grain of sand in the ticking hourglass that would determine your fate.

The over twenty unanswered calls you had on your phone, all from Kimee, didn’t do much to ease your already turbulent mind, but when you tried calling her back, you realized you were way too in the middle of nowhere for your phone to have proper data coverage.

Before you could actually wake up Yoongi with your stirring, you changed into warm pants and a clean shirt, still taking his green jacket with you on your way out of the hut. It was still extremely early as you tied your boots, already standing outside, and you didn’t think any of your packmates were awake just yet. You also knew in your heart that Namjoon hadn't come back from whatever mission he’d been sent on by the elders.

You’ve been told over and over that you were allowed to explore the area, you were welcome here, among Hyejin’s pack territory, so maybe a nature walk could ease your soul.

You didn’t have a destination in mind, the whole place already looked so different from the celebrations the night before. The only thing you could hear was the crunching under your own shoes and the soft chirping of the early birds. The wind was quite strong, brushing your cheeks like a cold kiss.

You ended up reaching a small pond filled with pretty fishes and a bench facing it, a good spot to rest from your walk and try to put your mind at ease. You didn’t expect to be alone for long, if you were honest, not when some of your more sensitive pack members would notice you weren’t nearby anymore and might follow your scent in search of you.

But the person who sat next to you wasn’t part of your pack, even if you did love her dearly.

“I saw you exploring.” Hyejin smiled as she made herself comfortable next to you. “How do you like this place?”

“You have a really amazing space here, unnie.” you smiled back, but you knew it didn’t quite reach your eyes. “I think I could live here.”

“Don’t let my sister hear you say that or she might not let you leave.” the woman was shaking her head and you knew exactly who she was talking about. “I apologize, by the way. I know Moonbyul can be a lot.”

“She is, but I think that’s her charm.” you shrugged, knowing her advances whenever she flirted with you weren’t exactly serious, let alone malicious. “No need to apologize.”

“If you say so.” Hyejin was looking out into the pond and you could tell she didn’t come after you just to keep you company. The lines worrying her forehead told you as much. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you, away from your pack.”

“This is about the ritual, isn’t it?” you guessed. “Are you here to try and change my mind?”

“I’m here to warn you. Because not only do I like you, and my kids like you, I'm also quite fond of your boys.” she continued and you frowned. “So if something happens to you, it scares me to think what would become of them.”

“While I appreciate your concern, I'm not scared of the pain of turning, or failing.” you told her softly.

You didn’t want to be rude or cut her off, but you needed to do this. You needed to know–

“I know you're brave, darling, but you didn't let me finish.” Hyejin pushed on, placing a hand on your shoulder. “This ritual isn't about turning or failing.”

“Okay…”

“If you fail, you die.” her words made your heart drop to your stomach, like a cold bucket of water was just poured into your veins.

“What–” your answer was barely a whisper.

“There is a reason our elders stopped doing this ritual decades ago. These things aren't just barbaric, they are deadly.” Hyejin sounded as sorry as she was worried, like she was talking to one of her own sisters as she insisted: “The only reason they even said yes to hearing Namjoon and Hoseok was because I vouched for them. But the rituals weren't made for humans to survive.”

“Do they know?” was your first concern.

“We didn't tell them the whole truth.” she shook her head. “Do you see them letting you go through with it if they believed there was a single chance of you getting seriously injured?”

“No.” your tiny laugh was somber.

In fact, you were one hundred percent certain that the pack would drag you all the way back to Seoul if they thought there was even a slight possibility of you coming any close to that kind of consequence.

“We didn’t tell them because it should be your choice.” she answered your next unasked question. “It's your life. You know what the stakes mean to you and if it's worth a try.”

“If I fail…”

“They will lose their minds–”

“If I die,” you continued, taking her hand in yours and meeting her eyes. “You tell them you didn't know. You don't tell them about this conversation and you look after them. Promise me you'll make sure they stay together and they’ll be okay.”

“Darling…” Hyejin’s eyes started to shimmer and the lump on your throat felt like a tennis ball.

“Please promise me. I can't do this if you don't promise me that.” you insisted, squeezing her hand. “If not for me, then for them.”

“I promise.” she agreed, which wasn’t enough to remove the cold grasp around your heart, but was close enough. “You love them, don't you?”

“I am in love with all of them, yes.”

Hyejin’s smile was sad, almost as though she felt sorry for you. “Do they know?”

“I've never told them, but most of the time I don't think I have to.” you shook your head, letting go of her hand in order to pull the sleeves of Yoongi’s jacket to cover yours. “I know they are in love with me too.”

“Yeah, I think we can all see that.” the new smile to grace her pretty features was a little happier this time. “It's the reason Moonbyul likes to hit on you so much.”

“Are you saying I’m not that irresistible?” you joked with a laugh, hoping to lighten up the rest of your conversation.

“I could answer that honestly, but I don’t want to get in trouble with your alpha.” Hyejin’s answer left you confused, but then she nodded to a spot behind you.

You looked in that direction, over your shoulder, and you recognized the large frame of your pack leader, heart leaping to your throat as Namjoon was finally back. You’d apologize for being rude later, too concerned in getting up and running to him to think about saying goodbye to your friend.

The man opened his arms for you as he waited for you to reach him, stumbling backwards as your bodies collided. Your feet were off the floor as he raised you enough to hide his face on your neck, breathing you in as if he thought he’d never see you again.

“When did you get back?” you were asking as you were placed back down, taking a step back to check on him. “You don’t look too good–”

“Don’t worry, little wolf, I’m okay.” he assured you with a tired smile and you knew he hadn’t slept all night.

“Your hands–”

You took them both in yours, turning his palms up and over to inspect the small, disappearing scratches and scraping the chunks of dry dirt from his skin.

“I had to dig.” Namjoon explained with a grimace. “I was sent to find this really rare root that the elders needed.”

“Did you find it?” your thumbs caressed the back of his hands before he brought them up to hold your face.

“Of course I did. Do you think I’d let you down?”

Namjoon’s lips pressed against your forehead and you hugged him, choosing to hide your face in his chest so he wouldn’t see the effect of the weight of your conversation with Hyejin in your eyes.

If something happened to you tonight, you knew the leader would blame himself the most. Even though he was against you doing this ritual from the beginning, he was the one sent to gather one of the ingredients that could potentially kill you.

But you refused to believe this was how you died. You refused to believe you’d fail.

If the Moon Goddess could bless a fallen prince, maybe she could bless you, too.

“Do I really have to wear this?” you were tired of swallowing your huffs as Solar stood behind you and pulled on the string wrapped tightly around your waist.

“Lighten up, buttercup.” the girl smiled at you through the mirror you were standing in front of, giving the string another pull. “The elders tend to be dramatic and they hardly have a chance these days. Give them this one thing.”

The clothes they put you on for the ritual tonight was… Too much. To say the very least. A full set of a white traditional hanbok, nothing like the modern twist you wore the night before. The sleeves were a lot, the chima was long enough to make you trip if you walked too fast, and now the strings keeping you tied up were making it hard to breathe.

“Alright, I guess.” you whined one last time, catching Moonbyul’s stare from the corner of the mirror. “What about you? Won't you say I look pretty or comment that you can see my nipples through this?”

“This is such a waste.” was her reply instead.

The woman rolled her eyes and left her sister’s bedroom, stomping away like a scolded child, making you turn around to face the empty entrance of the bedroom.

“Did I say something wrong?” you asked Solar with a whisper, fully expecting her to day that you did. “I was just trying to lighten up the mood.,,”

“It's not you, I promise.” Solar assured you, guiding you to her dresser to make you sit so she could do your hair. “She’s not the biggest fan of our elders.”

“No?”

Solar’s dresser was just like the rest of her room; big, detailed and filled with things. When you first stepped into the room, after Hyejin asked her sisters to help you get ready, you thought you were brought to the set of a historical drama. From the bed to the wardrobe, the arches and architecture, you felt like you were inside royal chambers.

“As you can tell, our elders are old fashioned.” Solar continued, motioning your very outfit. “Moon-ie was in love with a girl once and the elders were against it.”

“Because she was a woman?” you gasped, but not because you had strands of your hair yanked back as she started to brush it.

“Ah, no. It wasn't so much a gay thing,” she shook her head and you didn’t know if you felt better or worse when she added: “It was a human thing.”

“Oh.”

“But her human wasn't like you. They had a secret relationship for a couple of years before the elders found out, and she couldn't hear Moonbyul's thoughts like you can.” Solar kept going and you were too curious to be mindful of the fact that this wasn’t her story to tell.

“What happened when they found out?” you asked with a tiny wince, sending a glare to the girl so she’d be more careful with the brush.

“They made Moonbyul break up with her.” Solar’s lips formed a tiny side pout as she started to braid your hair behind you. “They used their alpha voice, so she couldn't refuse.”

“That's..... incredibly invasive.”

“Yeah. After that, she vowed to never have anything to do with our elders again, so I can tell you she thinks this ritual is stupid.” Solar explanation of her sister’s outburst made perfect sense.

Before you could say anything else, the woman in question surprised you by coming back into the room and adding her piece to the conversation:

“I don't just think it's stupid, I also don't think the elders would agree to this if they didn't have something to gain.” Moonbyul’s tone was bitter, but it was clearly not aimed at you. “They aren't doing this for you, there's something more at play for them. And I hope we never get to find out what it is.”

“You don't think I should trust them?” you turned your legs to the side so you could better face the woman, making Solar whine that you were messing up her work.

“I don't think you have a choice at this point. But I wouldn't get too comfortable around them if I were you.” she was honest, and you believed her.

“Okay. I trust you.”

“Good.” her smile reminded you a lot of Kimee’s for some reason. “You should wear this.”

Moonbyul opened her hands to show you the old fashioned hairpin in the shape of a full moon, between two crescent halves and what looked like small branches of rosemary leaves. The moons were made of moonstone gems and the rosemary was made out of mother of pearl. It was dainty and delicate enough to go with your outfit and you knew the meaning behind the materials.

“It's not a courting gift, don't worry.” Moonbyul laughed softly as you hesitated to take it.

“No, I know, just,” you looked from the piece of jewelry to her expectant eyes. “I can tell it's important to you.”

“I was going to give this to Sana.” she admitted and you had to guess that Sana was her human lover. And then she threw a look at Solar as she grumbled: “I’m guessing since my sister already told you about my villain origin story, I don't have to.”

“It's very nice.” you took the hairpin to inspect it closer.

“It won't change your fate, but I still think you should get as much protection as you can.” Moonbyul placed gentle fingers under your chin to get you to look at her. “And all the luck.”

“It means a lot.” you swallowed hard from the intensity of her stare. “Thank you.”

The woman smiled and gave you a little bow before taking her leave. Solar got the hairpin from you once the single braid was done and resting against your back, pinning it carefully into your hair.

Not a minute after you were done, there was a knock on the wood of the open door. Your heart tried to leap through your chest and escape from your ribs as you saw Hyejin waiting for you.

“The elders are here.” she told you somberly. “They're ready to take you now.”

You only nodded, mouth too dry to say anything.

Solar hugged you tightly, which was surprising enough, and wished you good luck. Despite your differences, while she clearly tried to flirt with Yoongi in front of you, she did help you get ready and, hair tugs aside, she did a good job. Hyejin waited for you to come over to her to do the same, and this time you were able to hug her back just as much.

The pack leader walked you through the many corridors of her enormous house and the closer you got to the entrance, the more nervous you got. You hadn’t seen many elders in your time with the pack, so the images in your head had shifted into a mold covered wolf with a pitchfork.

The group waiting for you was made up of four innocent looking old ladies, all in clothes that looked a lot like yours, but made of darker colors like browns and moss green. The elder closer to the entrance wasn’t carrying a pitchfork, but a long cane-like stick with an intricate crescent moon carved at the edge she held it from.

“This is our wolf mother, Sindeok.” Hyejin introduced you to the woman and you could tell she was the most important one out of the four. “She’s our spiritual leader.”

“Nice to meet you.” you faked a smile and forced a bow.

“She'll be the one responsible for doing the ritual tonight.” Hyejin told you with a gentle squeeze to your arm that should tell you more than her words did. “You should go with her now.”

“Wait, where are the others?” you panicked, not seeing a single one of the boys anywhere near. You looked at your friend with fear stricken eyes in a plea that she wouldn’t send you away with this stranger. “I'm not leaving without my pack.”

“They're already waiting for you there, darling.” she assured you, but it did little to ease your worried.

“And you?”

“I can't go with you, but we'll be praying for your safe return.” Hyejin held your face and you could tell she was holding back tears.

You nodded, despite your trembling hands. In a final whisper, you begged: “Remember your promise.”

“I will.” she mirrored you. “But stay alive.”

You’d do your very best to do so, but as of right now, you didn’t feel all that confident. Which you didn’t want the elders to know, even if they could hear your erratic heartbeat miles away.

If Moonbyul was right, you didn’t think you could trust the elders. Even if Sindeok looked like a nice grandma and not a witch you read about in stories when you were a child. So showing any signs of weakness right now was out of question.

The three women started walking ahead of you and the supposedly spiritual leader stayed back to walk side by side with you. You tried your hardest not to look back, not to change your mind. Deep down you had hope, and you still wanted to do this, you understood that you had no other choice at this point.

But the self preserving side of you was… Scared. And you knew you’d be really stupid if you weren’t at least a little afraid.

You kept your head down as you were led into the woods, not caring that your white dress would get muddy and dry leaves were already starting to stick to its bottom. You would only speak when you were spoken to, and it happened a little faster than you expected when the elder keeping close to you asked:

“I trust that Hyejin told you the risks of doing this?” her tone wasn’t as concerned for you, as much as trying to get rid of her own liabilities.

“She has warned me of the possible outcomes, yes.” you kept your head facing forward, trying not to trip and fall from uneven terrain that you didn’t know.

“Very well.” she nodded from the corner of your eyes, watching you like a hawk. “And you're still going through it at your own free will?”

“I am.”

“Others have tried this and failed.” the old woman warned.

“So I've been told.”

“I don't say this often,” Sindeok started quietly, but she could mumble and the other elders would still hear her. “But I have a good feeling about you.”

“Is that good for you, or good for me?” you finally looked at her then, more questions in your mind than you thought you were allowed to voice.

“I guess we'll find out.” her grin was yellow and unnerving.

It felt like you were walking forever, your feet were starting to hurt. The more you ventured into the woods, the darker it got. You could hear bigger animals strolling nearby and nocturnal beings starting to wake up, chilling you to the bones. The sun was hiding behind the thickest part of the trees, having started it’s descent in the horizon.

You couldn’t even say you enjoyed what could possibly be your last sunset.

“How does the ritual work?” you heard yourself asking when the hooting of an owl was was you heard for a little too long. “What is it I have to do?”

“You'll consume poison.”

Your steps halted as if you walked into quicksand and couldn’t move forward anymore. The three elders walking ahead and the one next to you stopped in perfect sync, as if they were one single being. You felt sick to your stomach as pins and needles prickled the tips of your singers.

When your lungs started to burn, you sucked in a harsh breath.

“If you really are one of us, the poison will awaken the beast that will fight for you to live.” Sindeok continued as if nothing was wrong. “Your wolf will take over and save your life by making you turn. It will complete the awakening.”

“I see.”

“If there's nothing inside you to be awakened…” she trailed off, a small tug at one corner of her lips.

“Yeah, I get it.”

Swallowing the lump lodged in your throat was harder than to force your feet to start moving again. You didn’t have any more questions, nor did any of the women try to talk to you again. Once or twice you saw the ones walking ahead of you exchanging glances and it didn’t take a genius to figure out they were probably talking about you in their heads.

If they were speaking ill of you or wishing for your success, you couldn’t tell.

Hyung, I think I can smell her. You heard Taehyung’s sweet baritone in your mind, as soon as you were close enough to pick up on the inner communication you were privy to.

You were close to your pack.

That knowledge was enough to make your shoulders drop and for you to walk a little faster with them in mind.

I can hear her, too. Jimin whined from somewhere in the forest.

You’re doing well, little wolf. Namjoon spoke directly to you, knowing you could hear them.

Keep going. Seokjin encouraged. Come to us.

You’re so close now. Hoseok continued and you felt like you could cry.

Come on, we’re right here. Yoongi coaxed.

Just a little more. Jungkook was the first one you saw as you pushed past the line of trees that separated you from them.

You only realized you had walked away from the elders when the maknae’s arms wrapped around you and he hugged you protectively. The other six men were around you a second later, making sure you were alright. You had to bite the inside of your cheek to force yourself not to cry when arms wrapped around you and lips pressed against your head.

“Sorry you had to walk this far.” Yoongi whispered from somewhere behind you. “It was faster when we came with the car.”

“What do you mean?” you blinked heavily as the boys gave you enough space to breathe and you could look around. “Oh.”

It made sense, actually, that this was the place the elders picked to do your ritual. The wolf cave Yoongi brought you to, the sacred space for their kind –your kind?– sounded like the perfect spot for you to die or come alive. The very place where a human had turned into a werewolf for the very first time; at least according to their legends.

“We’re sorry we couldn’t come get you.” Jungkook whined, still not letting go of you.

“It’s okay, Kook.” you offered him a tiny smile that didn’t hide your nerves. “You’re here now, all of you.”

“And we’re not leaving you from this point on.” Namjoon assured you, sending a look at the elders and you could guess their presence here had been emphatically discussed.

“This is all very nice, but we should get going.” Sindeok didn’t spare any of you a second glance as she marched toward the entrance of the cave, being followed by her quiet companions. “The blue moon is almost at its peak.”

The four elders walked inside the cave and your pack was waiting for you to take the lead. You knew they were waiting for you to be ready, neither of them would force you or rush you into this, blue moon be damned, and you were extremely thankful for that.

You weren’t sure if you wanted to get this over with or take your time, but you were certain of one thing.

“I need to tell you something.” you turned around to face all of them. The seven werewolves looked at you expectantly, with all kinds of concerned looks and worried faces.

She’s not picking one of us now of all times, right– Jungkook whined, making you bite back a smile.

“I’m not.” you shook your head, watching as his cheeks grew pink and his round eyes grew wider; something told you you weren’t meant to hear that.

“Go ahead.” the leader encouraged you, but you didn’t know how to say what you wanted to say without it sounding like a goodbye.

“This is not how I wanted to tell you this,” but it might be your only chance. Your eyes met each one of theirs before fluttering closed as you whispered: “I love you.”

The groans and whines you heard made you smile and your spirits lift. You heard chirps and purrs and the seven of them started to talk over each other, out loud and in your minds. It had you chuckling, the way they all faltered, as if it was surprising for them. Because they knew you meant all of them, you didn’t need to specify.

“Now we can go.” you quieted their chaos before they could say it back to you.

But it was okay, you didn’t need them to say it when you felt it in your soul.

The inside of the wolf cave was a lot more somber during the night time, you realized as you stepped into it. All of the torches placed strategically to illuminate the inside area were casting a yellow glow over the walls and the paintings looked as if they were about to come alive.

Wolf heads and human faces were staring right back at you, from carvings and paintings on the high walls, as if wondering if you were one of them or not, as if ready to mock your foolishness or applaud you for your bravery. You believed this place carried magic within their walls and dirt floor. If a miracle had happened here once before, if a blessing had been given, you believed it could be done again.

You had to.

Again, your expectations came up short; there was no stage for you to step onto, no runes drawn in the dirt, no flower arrangements marking the spot you had to stand in. But there was a beam of blue light coming from a hole in the ceiling, the shadows of the blue moon as it climbed higher in the sky.

The four older women were standing in a way that made you think of a wind rose, each one in one of its corners. You didn’t need to be told to know you should stand under the filtering light.

“Kim Namjoon.” your heart went all the way up to your throat as Sindeok called your alpha up front. “I trust you found what we asked you for?”

“Yes.” Namjoon nodded, pulling a purple cloth from his pocket. You could tell his hands were shaking and it broke your heart as he stepped closer.

“Give it to her.”

Two things came to you at that moment in time.

Firstly, Sindeok was a cruel woman.

Secondly… Your blood would be in Namjoon’s hand, if you failed.

He had been the one entrusted to search for the poison that would either make you reborn into a whole new life, or take it away from you altogether. He’d blame himself, the whole pack would blame themselves for walking into your life and being your doom.

Suddenly you wished you had told them more; you wanted to thank them for making you feel like you finally belonged somewhere, that you knew what real love felt like for the first time because of them, you wanted to tell them that you’d do it all over again if it meant you’d get to spend more time next to each of them.

But as Namjoon unfolded the cloth to reveal the white and twisted root, it looked harmless enough. Trying not to give anything away with your shaky breath, you took the delicate plant from his hand and offered him an encouraging smile.

“Thank you.” was all you managed to say.

You got this, little wolf.

You wished you had as much confidence as he did.

You didn’t have the heart to look at Namjoon or the rest of the pack as they watched you from afar. You didn’t even look at the elders as Sindeok spoke:

“Eat it, child.”

With a heavy heart, you pushed the root past your lips and begged the Moon Goddess for this to work.

The texture reminded you of a raw potato as you started to chew, crunchy and hard; the taste turned really bitter, really fast, but it wasn’t exactly unpleasant. Not at first. The aftertaste made you think of a bad onion, causing you to scrunch your nose as you swallowed. The burning was the worst of it, like swallowing a ghost pepper.

Your eyes instantly filled with water as you covered your mouth to stop a cough, but they just kept coming and it was suddenly too hard to breathe. The more air you let out of your lungs, the harder it was to bring more in. Your hands shot up to your throat as you felt it constrict, the burning that was settling in your chest started to spread through your limbs and take over every inch of you.

Your knees hit the dirt floor, soothed by the many layers of your hanbok skirt, but the rest of you felt on fire. You knew you were screaming, you could feel the aching of your throat, but your hearing was muffled by an annoying buzz as oxygen seized from reaching your brain.

You started clawing at the fabric around your waist, trying to fight your way through your clothes so your ribs had more space to expand and fill your chest with air, but it was futile.

It was as if shards of glass were cutting through your veins, slicing you open from the inside out. You’ve never felt physical pain like this, making you see white. You felt like throwing up, the bad taste of iron staining your mouth as a harsh cough made you spit out crimson red.

“What the fuck is going on?!” Namjoon took a step forward, desperately wanting to get to you as your body collapsed on the floor and blood dripped from your parted lips.

“Stand back, all of you.” the elder’s order was too strong for the seven alphas to ignore. “Don’t you dare interfere.”

The werewolves fell on their knees, one by one, howling and screaming for you, like a piece of their own souls was being torn into pieces. The more they tried to fight the elder’s alpha voice, the more painful it got.

“Stop this now!” Jimin whined, fear written all over his face. “Can’t you see it’s hurting her?!”

“One does not simply stop this ritual.” Sindeok hit her cane against the floor, making the youngest wolves contort in pain as if it directly hit their spines. “Trust me–”

“How can we trust you when she’s dying right in front of us?!” Yoongi roared in response, clawing at the floor as if ready to pounce.

“Come on, child, prove me right.” the old woman mumbled alongside other words too low for even their inhuman hearing to pick up on.

Your screams were maddening and painful, echoing against the cavern walls. Your eyes were losing all their color, losing the essence of life and none of them could do anything to stop it. Your body started twitching as it shut down. You should be turning, you should be–

“She’s failing.” Sindeok stated the obvious, but she sounded indifferent.

“You did this!” Namjoon spit, eyes bright red, bones starting to break as his wolf fought his way out. “You–”

“Me?!” the woman had enough of his petulance, turning her face to see the man get pinned to the floor. “You're an educated man, Kim Namjoon. Did you not see that you were gathering poison?”

“Hyung!” Jungkook had tears streaming down his face as he begged. “Please, save her–”

“You shouldn’t be praying to him, you stupid boy.” the elder twisted her nose as she watched your body go limp. “Only the Moon can save her now.”