In the Capital✨

The streets boiled with unrest.

Pack members screamed outside the palace gates, demanding answers.

Nobles whispered betrayal behind gold-lined doors. The High Priests burned offerings to the Moon Goddess, begging for "purity to be restored."

"An abomination," one elder spat. "A Alpha king bound to an equal? Its Madness!"

"Not equal," another hissed. "He's a rogue. A stray. A danger."

"But he's marked," the Priest muttered. "And the King bleeds for him."

---

In the Mountains ✨

Jungkook barely had time to move before the guards arrived.

Not Taehyung's men.

The Council's enforcers.😒

Dressed in black, they circled him like wolves scenting prey.

"By order of the Court," the leader barked, "you are to return to the palace. Alive or dead."

Jungkook bared his teeth. "Try it."

He took down three before they even touched him.

But they were trained. Brutal. And too many.

It took silver cuffs and blood loss to bring him down.

Dragged in chains, collar tight around his throat, Jungkook didn't scream.

He smirked.

Because if they thought binding him would make him bow... they hadn't learned a damn thing.

---

The Palace - Throne Hall✨

Taehyung stood, fists clenched, as Jungkook was thrown to his feet....bleeding, bruised, but still smirking like a devil.

"Your Majesty," spat Elder Shin, "you owe us an explanation."

"The rogue Alpha," snarled another, "bears your scent. Your mark! Do you deny it?"

Taehyung's eyes were steel. "I don't."

Gasps exploded through the hall. Jungkook rolled his eyes. "Such a Cute drama I'm Missing popcorn...though."

A whip cracked across his back in lightning fast.

Taehyung's voice BOOMED.

"Touch him again, and I'll rip your spine out."

Silence.

Jungkook lifted his head slowly. Blood running down his jaw. "You always were good with speeches," he muttered. "Less so with decisions."

"We need the Ritual," the High Priest croaked. "To test the bond. To see if this union is true or a cursed mistake."

Taehyung's eyes found Jungkook's. "Will you fight with me?"

Jungkook spat blood at the floor. "I'll fight...But not for you."

Taehyung smirked. "Good. Then let's show them what fire really looks like."

--------
Meanwhile - In the Shadows✨

Jaehwan watched from the tower, lips curled.

"They'll burn each other down," he whispered. "And when they do, the crown will fall into my hands."

"Let the Ritual begin."

-----

They called it The Trial Ritual.😴

A test not just of the bond, but of worth. Of strength. Of loyalty.

And in the heart of the Palace's sacred arena, before Elders, High Priests, Nobles, and traitors hiding behind silk masks, two alphas stood side by side.

Marked. Shackled by fate. Daring the world to rip them apart.

Taehyung. The crowned Alpha King.

Jungkook. The rogue-blooded, marked mate.

Enemies. Lovers. Now forced to fight together.

---

"Let the Ritual begin," the Priest intoned, voice echoing across the blood-stained floor.

From the gates, enemies surged forward handpicked warriors, some half-beasts, some loyal to the High Council, and one or two clearly bought by Jaehwan's gold.

Steel rang out. Fangs flashed. Power exploded.

Jungkook moved like a storm.
He snapped a wolf's neck with one kick, then lunged into a blur of claws, dragging three men down like shadows hunting prey.

"Stay on my left!" Taehyung barked.

"I'm not one of your soldiers!" Jungkook snarled, but moved into position anyway.

Back to back, they fought deadly, beautiful, a blur of blood and smoke.

The audience watched in stunned horror.

No bond should be this powerful. No union this unnatural.

And yet... they didn't falter.
Every step was like dance.
Every blow was trust.

Until.......BOOM.

The arena exploded in fire.

The traitor had arrived.

Jaehwan, draped in black and smiling like sin itself, stepped through the smoke.

"Touching," he mocked, clapping. "Two cursed beasts dancing in defiance. But the only throne that matters... is the one built from ashes."

Flames erupted behind him.

Dozens of his soldiers stormed the stands. The ritual was forgotten. The court was under attack.
---------

Taehyung's growl was pure fury. "You dare bring blood into my Rite?"

"This kingdom is already bleeding," Jaehwan sneered. "I'm just finishing the cut."

Jungkook shoved a blade through one of Jaehwan's guards and kicked another into the fire.

"Shut the hell up and fight, coward."

Jaehwan lunged toward him fangs out, claws bared.

But Taehyung got there first.

And the two alphas tore into the traitor together.

The air cracked with power.

Alpha dominance clashed like thunder.

Jaehwan fought like a man possessed.

But Taehyung's rage was ancient And Jungkook's fury? Divine.
------

In the end, it was Jungkook who struck the final blow
A blade through Jaehwan's stomach, whispering,
"That was for underestimating me, puppy."

And it was Taehyung who burned his body to ash.

Silence followed.
Not the calm kind.
The terrified kind.✨

Because the court had just watched two Alphas bonded, bloody, breathless destroyed a rebellion together.

And somehow...
They were still standing.
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨