Jin came back with a huge mug in his hands. Namjoon gently went to adjust her out of his lap, but she didn't want to move and gripped his shirt in protest. He looked surprised for a minute and then he just chuckled and settled on keeping her in his lap. Jin bent down and handed Namjoon the mug, and then he handed it to Jae. "Be careful baby girl, it's hot." Jin said, as he focused on her, wanting her to take a sip.
She nodded and took a small gulp. It was perfect, and it felt really nice going down. She smelled the honey in the tea and smelled it deeply. "This smells just like my mate..." she mumbled. It tumbled out and she paused, processing what she had just said.
Both Jin and Namjoon glanced at each other. Namjoon looked pissed and so did Jin, but he also looked guilty. Still, he forced a little smile as he touched the back of her head and got up. "I'll go get them." he muttered, and when Jae saw him leaving, she felt an ache in her chest.
She reached out for Jin, and he didn't see it, but Namjoon did, and his eyes softened. She felt tears brewing in the back of her eyes. Were they mad at her about what she did with Yoongi and Jimin? Speaking of them, where were they? Where was everyone else?
She hadn't even noticed her wrist was burning too. She heard the sound of footsteps walking, and then they turned into a run. She could smell the two hybrids before she could see them. The smell of coffee and honey hit her nose and then shortly after she could see Yoongi and Jimin both sprinting toward her. Jimin was wearing socks so he slid a little bit on the wood but it didn't deter him in the slightest.
Before Jae could even think she leapt out of Namjoon's arms and jumped into Jimin's, who had his open for her. He held her tightly, like they were reunited after a long time. The burning on her arm became much less intense, and she felt Yoongi close too, running his slender fingers through her hair. She saw Jin stiffen out of her peripherals, and she tried to break away from Jimin, but he wouldn't loosen his grip.
"Jimin.." she mumbled into his chest. He sighed and kissed her hair. He let her go, but he stood close by, as if he were guarding her. Yoongi hadn't moved an inch. Him and Namjoon were staring at each other, both looking disgruntled. "You know we can't help it right now, so stop looking at us like you want to kill us." Yoongi said.
Namjoon crossed his arms, "Yes, I'm well aware. But then again, you didn't have to mate her yet. You could have had some self control. Oh wait, I forgot, you both have no self control. It must be safe to assume you both aren't fighting over her anymore?"
Tae, Jungkook, and Hobi appeared in the room. Jae wasn't sure how long they had been there, but they were looking back and forth between her and Jimin, who was hovering over her.
She noticed Jungkook's intense stare was lingering at her neck the most. She put her hand over one side, and the sore feeling she felt confirmed that the marks they had left were still very much visible.
Jimin clutched Jae's waist a little tighter, "It's not fair what you did to us." he mumbled, giving the side eye to Namjoon. Namjoon narrowed his eyes for a second and then Yoongi stepped forward, "You knew exactly what you were doing. I don't know if you decided to have her sleep with Jin, or he did-"
"Um...I decided." Jae interjected. Her voice seemed much smaller compared to theirs. Yoongi and Jimin looked at her with confused eyes. "I..well, it seemed like a good idea to get my first time out of the way before I was with you both...I didn't want you to feel guilty if you ended up hurting me."
She glanced at Jin, "I never meant to hurt anyone's feelings, or go behind anyone's back." She felt tears in her eyes. "I love you all. I really do." She noticed movement from everyone, but Yoongi got to her first and gently rubbed her back.
She heard Jimin ask, "Why didn't you mark her?" She looked up to see that he was asking Jin, whose ears were red. Now that she thought about it, she was wondering the same thing. It just didn't come to mind till now, and now that it had, she was feeling a sort of rejection. "I...I didn't want to go too fast or do anything she didn't want." His eyes met hers, "I didn't want to scare you away." he said directly to her.
Loud silence filled the room, and was eventually broken by Namjoon's deep sigh. "Look. If we want this to work, we have to be honest with each other. I'm sorry for not doing my part and communicating with you all. I won't do anything like that again. That one's on me." he said with furrowed brows.
"We're all in this together. Even if our situation is...unique...we can make it work, because it's us. We're soulmates. We were meant to be. That's just how it is. We wouldn't have found each other otherwise." Jae's heart felt warm at the wise leader's words.
"He's right." Hobi chimed in, with an encouraging smile. "I think it's safe to say that we all easily agree on one thing: you're very precious to us. We want to make you happy. Your happiness is our happiness." Jae nodded, as she felt the same and couldn't agree more.
"So...that being said, at least until Jae is used to us completely, we should make it clear if we are going into heat." Namjoon said, "That's the best way to avoid any kind of further misunderstandings or any...accidents."
He said the last part cautiously, but Jae knew he was talking about Jimin and Yoongi's fight. She didn't miss the way their ears cowered, and how Jimin glanced at her still healing wound on her arm.
"But what if we're not sure..?" Tae asked hesitantly. She remembered that he, as well as Jungkook, and Hobi had never had theirs before. She would need to learn the warning signs for everyone, but especially them moving forward. "Tae's right, I mean how do we-" Hobi interrupted his own sentence by sneezing.
"Talk to me, or Jimin then. Even if you feel the slightest bit different." Namjoon said, glancing at him. Jimin nodded. It made sense, since Jimin probably knew the most about the subject matter out of everyone. Jae felt herself starting to sway a little.
"Guys...I'm starting this new communication thing now...I feel a little dizzy." she said, rubbing her head. She plopped down on the couch as she felt all seven pairs of eyes watch her carefully to make sure she was alright.
She took another sip of the tea Jin had made, which was still pretty warm. "I think this is my new favorite drink." she smiled, and all seven eyes seemed to soften.
"What else do you need from us right now?" Yoongi asked, bending down and placing a hand on her thigh. "All I need is you." she blushed, and she looked around at everyone, "All of you. Right here."
Yoongi smiled and went to sit next to her. Jimin grabbed the remote from the other end of the long couch and turned the large flat screen on, searching for something intently.
She hadn't even noticed Tae had run out of the room, only to fetch her the warmest blanket he could find. He draped it over her and kissed her forehead, then sat on the other side of Yoongi. Jungkook shifted and jumped into her lap, letting out little squeaks as he settled on her thighs. Jin watched the whole thing, and she could tell he wanted to do the same, and when her eyes met his, she tilted her head, motioning for him to do it.
He grinned and the little white stoat also jumped in her lap, while snuggling next to Jungkook. The two must have found a comfortable position, because they didn't move after that except for their little chests going up and down.
Jimin had finally settled on the other side of her, encouraging her to lean into him to rest, while Namjoon had elected to sit on the floor, just so he could lay his head against her legs. Hobi had also shifted, and was settled on the top part of the couch, in between her and Yoongi.
Something started to play on the tv, whatever Jimin had selected. She knew it was going to be background noise as she settled into Jimin more.
The two warm hybrids already sleeping in her lap, Namjoon's soft hair that she was lazily running her fingers through, while Jimin did the same to her, Tae's gentle touch on her ankles just to let her know he was there, Yoongi holding her other hand and brushing it slightly with his thumb, and Hobi's long bushy tail resting on her arm. It wasn't long before the tv turned quiet, and her heavy eyes closed.
The deep, distant sound of a growl made her eyes snap open. It was dark in the living room now. She felt disoriented, and wondered how much time had passed. The moonlight was barely shining through the glass sliding doors and windows. Something felt a little strange, and she rubbed her eyes so she could fully wake up.
Her lap felt lighter and noticed that the two hybrids had moved while she was sleeping. Jungkook was now in Yoongi's lap, along with Hobi, and Jin was perched around Namjoon's shoulders, who was stretched out on the floor, snoring away.
She chuckled, but then her smile slowly faded as she realized Tae was missing. As carefully and slowly as she could without waking the others, she tiptoed to where she thought the sound was, which was coming from the front door, which she just now realized was slightly ajar.
A cold gust of wind hit her face and she shivered as she poked her head out. It was just starting to snow. She saw a huge tiger at the bottom of the steps, his tail flicking back and forth, as he seemed to be fixated on something in the distant trees.
"Tae?" she asked, her voice sounding a little rough from sleep. His ears flicked at her voice, but he didn't turn to look at her. Her heart started beating faster. What was wrong?
She stepped outside, and Tae growled and she heard his voice in her head: If you can hear me, go back inside. She froze. He sounded uneasy. She tried to see what he was looking at from where she was standing, but she couldn't. The balcony railing was blocking her view.
"Tae, what do you see-"
Please Jae, just go back inside, you'll catch a cold out here. Everything's-
His tail stopped. He stopped speaking and was completely still, eyes still fixated on the snow topped trees in the distance. Then he growled. Low, and scary, like he was trying to tell something to stay away.
She couldn't help but get closer to get a better look at what he was seeing. She was glad she had better vision at this moment, otherwise she wouldn't have seen the flash of brown and orange in the distance, slowly disappearing now behind the brushes.
It was a fox.
Tae wouldn't be bothering to be this threatening towards a regular old fox. She knew in an instant that it was a hybrid. A hybrid that they had already met once before. A loud noise made her almost jump out of her skin. It sounded like a mix of a scream and a bark, and she knew the sound was unique to foxes. If she wasn't already standing in the snow, the ominous sound would have made her blood run cold.
What does he want? How did he even find them? Did he want to hurt them? Did he still have a grudge against her? Did he think the fire that set ablaze the whole camp was her fault? Was he here for revenge? Were his other lackeys here too? Were they going to try to get in the house?
"Jae!" She saw Tae, standing in front of her now, looking right into her eyes. He still looked uneasy, and now worried. "Did you see him?" he asked her. She slowly nodded, trying not to let her questions completely consume her mind. He pulled her into a hug, still glancing toward the forest, "You always disassociate when your mind is racing." She gripped him tightly. "We're going to keep you safe. I promise. Whatever it takes."
They both knew they had to go tell the others, wake them up with horrible news, but the two of them stayed like that in each other's arms as long as they could, before they had to break the peace.
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Hello💜I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who is still here with my inconsistent updates I feel like I need to say sorry every time. I have a solid story line all thought out it's just a matter of typing it all down. I'm moving AGAIN sometime next week, but I really really will try to not let a month go by this time. Thank you so much for all the comments and votes and follows as always. You guys make everything worth it💕💕💕See you in the next update.