A warm hand wraps around my wrist, and pulls me up. I don't have time to think, I can only follow Jeongguk's guide. My brain feels fuzzy, light. I am dizzy and blurry with confusion.

"Quick!" He urges, pushing me into the safe room where other initiates are. My vision is blurry and everything feels uncertain. They make way for Jeongguk and me, one of them drags me to the back of the room.

"Taehyung, are you crazy?" He shouts. That voice sounds familiar. I take a while to realise Jimin is right in front of me, but even so, I can't think and see straight.

"Jimin?" I say, looking around us. We're completely isolated from the crowd. The stench of sweat oozing from the equipments we use during physical training is so strong and foul-smelling, I have to plug my nose, and breathe through my mouth slowly.

"You would've died if Jeongguk didn't pull you away from the attacker. Do you realise how serious this is?" He scolds.

I stay silent, too tired to argue.

"You know you're meeting your mate weeks away from now. You wouldn't want to die before meeting the one you've been waiting for, would you?"

"No." The word comes out squeezed and croaky.

"You should really thank Jeongguk for saving you. Or you wouldn't be able to meet your future mate," He tells me. Just then, I see Jeongguk eyeing us, his forehead glistening with sweat.

"And before that," Jimin coughs. "Sort out your feelings for Jeongguk before your seventeenth birthday."

+++

At night, I continue to toss and turn in bed. I had been fortuitous enough to stay alive when death draws by. I've not found time to think Jeongguk since he seems to be avoiding me. I don't know why, but my heart pangs with sadness.

Sort out your feelings for Jeongguk. Jimin's words ring in my head.

"Sort out my feelings for Jeongguk? What's that suppose to—" I get cut short by a loud cry coming from Jeongguk's room.

My body reacts almost immediately. Though our rooms are not that far from each other, I've managed to clumsily stumble over my steps a few times before finally reaching the door of Jeongguk's room.

I walk into his room and sit on the floor as I stare at his face.

A sheen layer of sweat covers his face and he has a frown on his face, forming lines between his eyebrows.

I caress his cheeks with my hands and leave them there, hoping it'll bring him some sort of comfort. Jeongguk wakes up with a start. His body jerks forward and his eyes shoots open, scaring me for a moment.

"Hey," I whisper. Jeongguk turns around to face me and his lips tug up to form a small smile. He lies back down in bed and asks, "Couldn't sleep?"

"Couldn't sleep." I comb the hair sticking to his wet forehead back and smile tenderly. What I do next surprises Jeongguk and me, and I know how wrong and selfish this is but right now, I don't care, and I don't I ever will. I lean over and connect my lips with Jeongguk's.

Jeongguk hesitates for a moment before responding, his lips moving magically against mine. Even though I was the one who initiated this kiss, kissing jeongguk makes it harder to catch up with him because of how experienced his lips move. The kiss was short and simple, but I feel myself wanting more.

Maybe this was what Jimin meant when he mentioned my feelings for Jeongguk. How blind I've been.

"I'll go fetch you some water," I say after pulling away from the kiss, reluctantly.

"Here," I hand him the cup and he empties it before handing it back to me. I set it down on the nightstand beside his bed before crawling under the sheets to cuddle with him.

This feels like I'm cheating on my future mate, but I can't help it. I can't control myself when I'm with Jeongguk, and my hormones are like a ticking bomb when I'm with him.

Jeongguk's arms encloses itself around my waist and surrounds me with warmth and comfort. I inhale jeongguk's scent that smells of something musky, masculine, have and distinctly sweet. His mate will be so lucky to have him for the rest of their lifetime.

"What was your nightmare about? If it's not too much of a sensitive topic." I ask, snuggling closer to his body, in desperation for more warmth and comfort.

"The attack that happened today triggered a part of my memory that I tried so hard to keep locked away. " When he talks, his chest vibrates. I press my ear against his chest, wanting to hear his heartbeat. It is steady, and strong, just like him.

"Sorry," I mumble, feeling as though I was the one who caused him to have a nightmare. "It's not your fault." He rubs circles on the small of my back. His scent is too overwhelming for me, I find myself trapped in it.

The stable beating of his heart lulls me to sleep, making me feel drowsy. Then, I hear him say:

"Thank you."

√a.n.

I've been feeling as though I've slacked too much and lost my writing skills. Also sorry for being inactive, I'm having my tests and have been preparing for celebration.
I hope this chapter wasn't too rushed, though I've planned this since the beginning .