Exclamations

The army hospital smelled of antiseptic, stress, and a faint, barely perceptible note of something sweet. Only one person in this gray-green unit, reeking of sweat and gunpowder, could smell that sweet.

Captain Kim Taehyung, the only omega medic among hundreds of alphas and betas, leaned over the broken arm of a young private. His fingers, long and surprisingly gentle for a military doctor, applied the splint with surgical precision. He spoke to the soldier in a quiet, velvety voice, and the man, mesmerized, felt almost no pain.

"Just bear with it a little longer, that's all," Taehyung whispered, and his scent—lily and jasmine—became slightly thicker, soothing.

Suddenly, the air in the ward thickened, as if before a storm. Without even turning around, everyone knew who had entered. General Jeon Jungkook.

He stood in the doorway, as if carved from granite. His broad chest, adorned with medals, was the perfect embodiment of strength. His gaze, dark and piercing, swept across the ward, forcing even the toughest soldiers to lower their eyes. The alpha was blunt, cold, and ruthless. He was feared. He was respected. But no one could say they knew him.

His eyes lingered for a moment on Taehyung's back as he leaned over the patient. Something flickered in the stone mask of his face. Tenderness? No, too strong a word. Rather, an instantaneous, almost animalistic check: was everything alright.

Taehyung, feeling that gaze, shuddered slightly but did not turn around. He was used to it.

As soon as the procedure was finished and the soldier left the ward with gratitude, Taehyung finally looked up. Jungkook stood a few steps away from him, arms crossed over his chest.

"Doctor Kim," the general's voice was low and muffled, but it lacked the icy steel everyone was accustomed to. Instead, there was a barely perceptible tremor.

"General," Taehyung nodded, putting away the medical instruments. His fingers trembled slightly. He was always nervous around Jungkook.

"The report on the condition of the recruits from the morning drills," Jungkook handed over a tablet. Their fingers barely touched, and a slight shiver ran down Taehyung's spine. The general noticed. He always noticed everything,