If Jungkook thought he could claim him so easily—thought that this marriage meant Taehyung would just submit to him without a fight—then he was wrong. "My Alpha, huh," he said bitterly. His jaw tightened as irritation flared in his chest, a slow-burning flame growing

stronger with every second. Straightening up, he turned on his heel and pushed open the bathroom door.

— As Taehyung walked out of the bathroom, he saw Jungkook standing by the bed, looking around at the room's decorations. The second he saw Taehyung, his face broke into a big smile, and he took a step forward like he was about to say something.

But Taehyung raised a hand, stopping him in his tracks. "What are you doing here?" Jungkook paused, blinking in confusion. "Huh?" "I said, what are you doing here?" Taehyung repeated, his voice sharper now, his glare unwavering. He didn't know where this sudden confidence came

from, but he wasn't about to let Jungkook act the way he always did. Jungkook's smile faltered, then disappeared completely. His brows furrowed, annoyance flickering in his expression. "What do you mean, what am I doing here?" he said, tilting his head slightly.

"This is my room. Where else am I supposed to sleep?" Taehyung's hands clenched into fists at his sides. His heart was pounding, but he refused to back down. "Anywhere else," he snapped. "I don't care where, just not here."

Jungkook's jaw tightened, his dark eyes narrowing. "This is my room. From this day on, it's yours too. And we'll both be sleeping here." Taehyung scoffed, refusing to submit to Jungkook's dominance. "I don't remember agreeing to share a room." He lifted his chin.

"Since we never talked about it, I'll be sleeping here alone. You can figure something else out." Jungkook let out a slow breath, clearly trying to keep his patience. His eyes darkened, his annoyance creeping in, but Taehyung didn't care.

"You're my mate," Jungkook gritted out. "That means I have every right to stay in the same room as you." Taehyung's lips curled in disdain as he lifted a finger, pointing at Jungkook. "We're only married, not mated, Jungkook. So don't ever call me your mate—because I'm not."

Jungkook just stared at him for a second before letting out a low chuckle. "Should I just mark you then?" Taehyung froze. His whole body tensed, but Jungkook kept going. "Just one mark," Jungkook murmured, his voice laced with quiet menace. "And you won't ever be able to say

that again." The way Jungkook said it, so sure of himself, sent a chill down Taehyung's spine. His fingers curled into fists at his sides. Was Jungkook really the kind of alpha who would force him? He had to hear it straight from him.

"Are you saying you'd force me?" Taehyung asked, his voice flat. Whatever Jungkook was saying was getting into his head in the worst way possible, making him even angrier. Jungkook's smirk disappeared in an instant. His brows pulled together, and his whole body tensed as he

replayed his own words in his mind. When it clicked, his eyes widened slightly, and he quickly shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that—" "You meant exactly that," Taehyung snapped, anger flaring in his chest. "Just hours ago, you stood in front of everyone and promised

to protect me. And now what? You're tossing out threats like this to put me in my place?" Jungkook exhaled slowly, clearly frustrated—but not at Taehyung. At himself. "I meant what I said when I vowed to protect you," he muttered. "And as for your place, I would never try to

control you, Taehyung. If anything… you can control me however you want. I'd do whatever for you." Taehyung let out a hollow laugh, shaking his head. "I'm supposed to believe that?" he scoffed. "After you just threw out a very clear threat to mark me without my consent?

You really think I'll trust a single word you say?" He was done holding back, letting out everything that had been building inside him—anger, frustration, everything. Jungkook ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "Okay, fuck," he muttered under his breath.

He felt like shit. He knew he should've thought before speaking, and now he'd only made things worse between them. He sighed, glancing at Taehyung, who was still glaring at him with anger burning in his eyes. Jungkook wanted to fix this—at least a little. "Fine," he said,

voice calmer now. "You wanted to sleep alone in here, right? Then okay. Take the room." Taehyung blinked, surprised. His anger was still there, but before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "Wait… really?" Jungkook let out a dry chuckle. “Yeah. Really. I don't want to

make things worse between us." He stepped back slightly, scanning Taehyung's face like he was trying to read his mind. "So, I'll just sleep somewhere else." Taehyung just stared, dumbfounded, as Jungkook turned and walked toward the door. But right before opening it,

Jungkook paused. Without looking back, he said, "I'll let you have this one tonight, but don't get used to it. I'm not backing down tomorrow. So maybe try being a good omega and compromise a little." And then he was gone, and Taehyung's mouth fell open in disbelief.

He stared at the closed door, Jungkook's words echoing in his head and he scoffed, shaking his head. "Unbelievable," he muttered under his breath. Like a good omega? Was he serious right now? His fists clenched as irritation flared up again. He wasn't going to compromise

—not at all. With that thought, he climbed into bed, trying to push everything out of his mind. But as he settled in, he couldn't ignore the scent lingering in the room—stormy rain and oakmoss. Jungkook's scent. It was everywhere. And despite how much he hated to admit it,

it was oddly comforting. But he didn't want to find comfort in anything that belonged to Jungkook—not his words, not his presence, and definitely not his scent. Taehyung turned onto his side, yanking the duvet over himself as if that could shut it out. But it was useless.

The room smelled like Jungkook, and no matter how much he wanted to ignore it, it wrapped around him, sinking into his skin like it belonged with him—like it was meant to be there. The thought made his chest tighten, and he shook his head, trying to push it away.

He didn't ask for this. Didn't want it. Yet, no matter how much he denied it, his body still held onto the warmth in the air. And just like that, he slept—frustrated, exhausted, and surrounded by a scent he didn't want to get used to.

— The loud ringing yanked Jungkook out of sleep, and he groaned. Damn, can't even get a decent night's sleep in this house. It stopped, but five minutes later, the same sound blared again. Annoyed, he finally cracked his eyes open, ready to scold whoever was responsible for

ruining his sleep—until his brain stalled for a second. This wasn't his room. He blinked at the old wooden table in front of him,his mind still foggy. Then it clicked. Shit. He sat up fast, grabbing his phone, which was still ringing. He stared at the screen. "Fucking alarm!"

His phone screen showed 5 AM—way too early. He sighed, slipping it into his pocket. He needed to get back to his room before anyone saw him like this. Still in his damn wedding suit. Not in his own bed. And definitely not with his wedded omega.

He huffed, slipping his phone into his pocket. He didn't even bother looking in the mirror. Need to change. Without another thought, he pushed open the door and stepped out. The house was still silent. Good. No one was awake yet. If he was quick, he could get back to his room

before anyone saw him like this—like a damn runaway omega. Jungkook scoffed at his own thought, shaking his head. What a joke. But still, the reality wasn't far off. First night of marriage, and he didn't even sleep in his own damn bed. Still in his wedding suit,

Still smelling like expensive cologne but not exactly like a newly wedded alpha, Jungkook shook his head and made his way to his room. What a mess. All he wanted right now was a hot shower and to crash in his own damn bed—where he was actually supposed to sleep last night.

— The loud banging jolted Taehyung awake so suddenly that his chest tightened. His heart pounded as he blinked into the darkness, momentarily disoriented. This wasn't his room. The air smelled different—richer, heavier. Warmer.

A scent that clung to the sheets and lingered around him. Jungkook. It hit him a second later. Right. Married. New room. New life.

He let out a slow breath, running a hand through his messy hair. The sheets smelled like Jungkook, and the scent clung to his skin, surrounding him. It was everywhere, on his skin, in the fabric, in the air he breathed. It was suffocating. His eyes flicked toward the window.

The sky was still dark, the world outside quiet except for the persistent thudding in his chest. The clock on the wall read five in the morning. Too early. Way too early. But then again, would he have been able to go back to sleep anyway? Then The knocking came again—louder

this time, more impatient. "Taehyung, open the door!" Jungkook's voice was muffled but sharp with impatience. Taehyung groaned, shoving the blanket off. His body still felt heavy with sleep, but irritation bubbled up fast. Seriously? It wasn't even morning yet, and

Jungkook was already acting like this? Another loud bang. Taehyung flinched. Not out of fear, exactly—just... everything felt off. The room wasn’t his. The bed smelled like someone else. The air was heavier, unfamiliar. It was too much. Too new.

"Are you seriously locking me out of my own room?" Jungkook snapped. "Open the door before I break it down." That did it. Taehyung huffed, running a hand through his messy hair before stomping over to the door. He was ready to tell Jungkook off, but the second he swung it open,

all his built-up confidence cracked. Jungkook stood in the dim hallway, hair a mess, still in his wedding suit. Except now it was wrinkled and tired, like he’d been through hell in it. His face was unreadable, but his presence was enough to make Taehyung’s stomach twist.

This wasn't the alpha he had imagined—Sweet, composed, reassuring. Jungkook wasn't any of those things right now. And that unsettled him more than he wanted to admit. It made Taehyung's heart ache, but still— Still, he refused to act like a pained omega. So he opened his mouth