Jimin POV:
"Okay kids. Great job today." I turned to my modern dance class, giving them a bright smile. "Two more weeks until the festival. Are you excited?" I let out a laugh at the chorus of 'yes' that flowed through the room. Watching their hard work made me so happy and I knew they were eager to show their families their talent, show off the effort they had been putting into the dance. It also made me so proud to know that they would be willing to work so hard for me, to put their all into what we were working on.
As the kids left the room, excited chatter following them, the smile dropped from my face. Even though the class had been a good distraction, as soon as it was over, my mind went back to my heartbroken mate. I wanted to kill the doctor for the way he had spoken to her, the way he had acted with her, but I knew it wouldn't help anything. We just needed to be there for her in any way she needed. What that was, we didn't know yet, but I knew I would do this for my mate, for the beautiful woman who had let me into her heart and gave me the love I was craving.
Moving towards the stereo, I switched it off and grabbed my bag, eager to get home to my mates. Shutting off the lights in my studio, I crossed the hall to Hoseok's. He was just packing up his stuff and when I entered the room, he turned and gave me a grin. "Hey Jiminie. You ready to head home?"
Nodding my head, I attached myself to his back, laying my head on his shoulder. "Yeah. And I'm so tired."
Hoseok turned in my arms and gave me a hug, rubbing his face along my neck. "Me too. It's been a long day. How did the class go today?"
Feeling soothed by his touch, I felt a small smile turn up the corners of my lips. "It was good. I can't... I can't believe that the Festival is in two weeks. The time has gone by so damn fast." As I spoke, I couldn't believe how true my words were. It felt like Halloween was just around the corner and now we were already into the New Year and approaching February. It felt like life was moving so fast and part of me wished it would slow down, slow down and let me enjoy this time with my mates, with the people I loved more than anything in the world.
Hoseok nodded and I could feel the vibration from his laugh. "It sure has." Leaning back, Hoseok kissed my nose. "How are things going with Yoongi? It seems like things are getting better with the two of you."
At the sound of my tiger mate's name, I couldn't help but smile. "Yeah. It really is. I was... wasn't sure if he was ever going to forgive me, ever going to let me in, but it seems like things are going to be okay with us now."
"I'm happy to hear that. All I want is for my mates to be happy."
I could hear the sincerity in Hoseok's words and knew he was telling the truth. It was what he had wanted from the beginning, for all of us to be together, to be a proper mate group. For a while, I wasn't sure if it was ever going to happen, but things seemed to be on the right track. I knew Y/N had forgiven me, really forgiven me, but for so long, Yoongi wouldn't let me in. I knew he was worried that I was going to hurt Y/N again and nothing I had done was able to change his mind. However, over the last two weeks, things had changed. We even shared our first kiss. It was sweet and gentle and it made me feel that much closer to him.
Taking Hoseok's hand, we headed out of the studio, calling goodbye to Alex. He was standing at the counter with a girl with long black hair and bunny ears. When she turned, I wanted to run out of the studio. Her smile grew as she caught sight of me and she waved her fingers at me. "Hey cutie. I didn't know you worked here." Melanie's voice was bright as she spoke and I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.
"Do you know each other?" Alex's voice was filled with curiosity and when he caught my eye, he could instantly tell something was wrong. "Is... is everything okay?"
"No we don't know each other. She was the waitress at a restaurant we went to a couple of weeks ago." Hoseok's voice was stiff as he spoke and from the way his hand tightened around my own, I could tell he wasn't going to let the girl step over any lines.
Melanie didn't seem to catch the frostiness in Hoseok's voice because she turned her attention to me, the grin still on her face. "I just signed up for some dance classes. Is there anyway I can get a private tutor? Maybe with you cutie?"
I shook my head instantly. "No. I don't teach private classes and I only teach kids."
Her lips turned down in a pout and Melanie gave me a look that I was sure was meant to convince me. "Aww... you can't make an exception for me?"
Before I could say anything, Alex spoke up. "Sorry. Jimin is right. He doesn't teach private classes and all his slots are full right now anyways." from the look Alex gave me, I could tell he was going to shield me from the overeager hybrid. "If you're looking for a private tutor, I can recommend Samantha. She's one of our private instructors."
Melanie went to protest, but seemed to change her mind. "Okay. That works for me." She turned back to Alex to sign up for the classes, but then looked over at me. "If you change your mind cutie, I would love for you to give me some private attention."
Done with being polite, I stood up straight. "Look. I told you at the restaurant that I am not interested in whatever you have to offer. I have mates, several of them, and I am happy with them. I. AM. NOT. INTERESTED!"
Alex's eyes widened at my sudden outburst then narrowed as he looked at the bunny in front of him. "On second thought, I don't think we can help you here. I don't want someone here that is going to harass my instructors. If you've already been told that he is unavailable and insist on pursuing it then I am going to have to ask you to leave."
Melanie went to protest, but Alex shook his head and pointed towards the door, his intentions clear. Huffing once, Melanie flipped her hair over her shoulder and stalked out of the building, letting the door slam behind her. "I'm... I'm sorry Alex." I felt bad knowing I just cost him another client, one that would bring in more money.
Alex shook his head. "No. Don't apologize for that. You should be able to go to your place of employment without being harassed. You are a good instructor and if losing one client will help me keep you here then it's worth it."
Touched by his words, I gave him a grateful smile. "Thank... thank you for that. I appreciate it."
Waving off my words, Alex once again pointed towards the door. "Don't mention it. Now go home and enjoy your mates."
Giving him a final wave, Hoseok and I exited the studio, feeling a little bit lighter than before. Seeing the way he stuck up for me made me feel as though I had done the right thing by speaking up for myself. The last thing I wanted to see was my mates hurt because someone couldn't get the picture that I was taken, that I was not available, that I wanted nothing to do with her. Part of me wanted to feel bad at the hurt look on her face, but the other part of me insisted that I had done the right thing. It would have been worse if I would have let it go, or even worse, encouraged her by being nice, by being kind. I never wanted to be seen as a rude and nasty hybrid since I had done that enough already, but there were times when it was necessary. Luckily, this one didn't have to go too far.
Getting in the passenger seat of Hoseok's car, I grinned when he reached out a hand for mine, lacing his long fingers with mine. "Alex is right. Don't feel bad about what happened. That bitch just didn't get the point." Hoseok turned to me, a mischievous smirk on his face. "I kind of wish Alex would have let her take the class. Then we could have invited Y/N in and watched our female mate take her out."
I couldn't stop the snort of laughter that left me. "Hobi! That's terrible! Y/N would have beaten her ass!"
"I know!"
Shoving his shoulder, I tried not to continue laughing at his suggestion. I had seen my mate show her jealousy once before, when Melanie had touched my shoulder at the restaurant. My Y/N clearly showed that she was not going to let someone come in between us, let someone be inappropriate with me. It made me feel better than I had expected, feel loved and appreciated, needed and wanted, a feeling I had wanted all along.
The drive home was quick and when we pulled into the driveway, I could see Jin's car already there, meaning him and Y/N were home. After the incident with Sehun, she had taken the following day off and when she returned to work, she surprised us all by asking to be transferred to the Labor and Delivery department. I knew she loved working in the Emergency department, but she had explained that it was too hard to work with Sehun, especially since Sehun's human mate was back to working at the sanctuary. From the way Taehyung had spoke about his short interaction with her, it was clear the woman hated hybrids. Taehyung and Namjoon had said the look of disgust on her face was clear, but Sehun was just too blinded by love to see it, to notice it. For everyone's sake, I hoped Sehun would notice it before it was too late, before he was hurt by the woman that was bound to break him again.
Jungkook POV:
After a boisterous and happy dinner, Jin called us all into the living room. Sitting next to Y/N, I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to my side. Jimin was seated between Hoseok and Taehyung, his head resting on Hoseok's shoulder and I could see the sleepiness in his eyes. Yoongi was sprawled out on Namjoon's lap and when Jin came in, he sat on the other side of Y/N. From the look on his face, I could see there was something he wanted to ask us all, something he wanted to bring up, but from the way he chewed on his bottom lip, I knew it would take him a moment to get his thoughts together.
Not wanting to rush him, I sat back and looked around at my mates. After what had happened so many months ago, I was afraid that things would never get better, but I could see that our mate group was finally working out like it was supposed to, like I had hoped for so long now. Things between Y/N and me had gotten better than ever and I was so happy with it all. I would still climb into her bed at night and she would still be gentle and soothing with me, never pushing me away, never seeming annoyed with me, just giving me the love I wanted all along.
Taking a deep breath, Jin cleared his throat grabbing all of our attention and I knew he was ready. From the look of curiosity on Y/N's face, I could tell she didn't know what was going on either. It was clear he hadn't even spoken to her about what was on his mind. "So... there is something I've been thinking about and I want... want to bring it up to you all first. I need you to be completely honest with me and if you don't want to do it, please tell me."
I couldn't help but feel nervous with his words, but from the soft look in his eyes, it didn't seem like it was anything bad. "Jin? Just tell us. What's... what's going on?"
Running a hand through his hair, Jin let out a sigh. "There's... there's a patient at the sanctuary that is going... going to be released soon and he... he doesn't have anywhere to go." At the word he, I wanted to immediately reject the idea because there was no way I was going to let an unmated male hybrid live here, especially around my female human mate. I went to speak, but Jin held up a hand. "Hold on. Let me finish. His... his name is Noah and he's seven years old."
My protest died instantly and my mouth dropped open in surprise. It took a moment but I finally understood what Jin was asking. Before I could say anything, Y/N's eyes widened. "A child? He has... he doesn't have any family?" Jin shook his head and from the way Y/N's face filled with sadness, I could tell right away that she wanted to take the little guy in, but she would go with whatever we chose to do.
"What kind of hybrid and where did he come from?" Yoongi's question was curious and he sat up from his spot on Namjoon's lap and leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
Jin gave Yoongi a small smile. "He's a koala hybrid and he escaped from the zoo that was shut down, the same zoo that Y/N's Chase came from." The name Chase rang a bell and I remembered that it was the lion hybrid that had adored my mate, like every other hybrid that came in contact with her.
"Didn't that zoo get shut down a while ago?" Y/N's voice was worried and I knew she was already imagining the hell that the little boy had been through.
"Yeah. He escaped through a hole in the enclosure and was on the run for several weeks. He found... found an older hybrid woman who was taking care of him, but one morning she left to get more food and never returned. When he went to go look for her, he... he was picked up by the police and brought to the sanctuary." Jin sighed again and looked down at his hands. "It happened the same day all the shit with Evie and Sehun went down, but I wanted... wanted to give you a chance to deal with that first before springing this on us all."
Hugging him tightly, Y/N grinned. "I love you my Jinnie. So much. I love your soft caring heart and the way you always try to take care of us all."
Jin kissed the top of her head then turned to the rest of us. "I know it's a big decision, but... but he doesn't have anyone and I don't know where he would go. He could always stay in the sanctuary, but a kid like that all alone?" He shook his head and I knew he was thinking of his own childhood, one that could have turned out so differently.
"I say we take him in." Hoseok's voice was the first one to speak up and I couldn't say I was surprised. "We... we have the space and we have plenty of love to give to him between us all."
Namjoon nodded his head. "I agree. If the sanctuary will let us then I agree with Hobi. He needs a home and to experience the things that all kids should get."
"Joon's right." Yoongi gave Jin a reassuring smile. "I know what... what it's like to not have a family so if we can give this kid one then we should do it."
Jin looked over towards Jimin and Taehyung. "What... what do you guys think?"
Taehyung nodded his head eagerly. "I love kids so it's a yes for me."
"Me too." Jimin's voice was soft, gentle, and from the excitement in his eyes, I could see he was already thinking about having a kid in the house, something I knew he always wanted.
"I'm in." I reached over and squeezed Jin's hand. "But you should have known that."
Jin squeezed my hand back then turned to Y/N. "What about you little mate?" His eyes were worried as though he was afraid she was going to say no, but her smile grew wider and she nodded.
"Of course I will say yes. My parents made the best decision by brining you to me so if I can do the same for someone else then I absolutely agree." Y/N ran a hand through Jin's hair, rubbing his soft ears. "I will always say yes to you Jinnie."
The sound of relief that came from Jin made us all laugh. "All right. Well I guess we're going to be parents."
Fuck! We're going to be parents!
***
We're going to be parents. We're going to be parents. The words kept ringing in my ears as I lay in bed that night next to a sleeping Jin. Shit! Am I going to be a good dad? Will this kid hate me? Or will he like me? Will he let me get close to him or did he have such a bad experience that he won't want anything to do with me? I tried to push the thoughts from my mind and think positively, but I couldn't. I didn't have much experience with kids, not like Jimin and Hoseok. What if this kid really hated me and my mates decided that if kids hate me then I'm not a good mate. What if Y/N decided not to have kids with me after all?
"Kook? Stop overthinking things." I turned to see Jin's eyes open and focused on me. "I could feel the tension coming from you in waves. And on top of that, you're talking out loud." Pulling me close, Jin kissed my forehead. "It's going to be alright. I promise you that."
"How do you know? What if he doesn't like me?" I couldn't stop the question that spilled from my lips, the one that had been worrying me for the rest of the day.
Shaking his head, Jin nuzzled his nose against mine. "Noah will like you. He's just a sad, scared little boy who is in need of love, someone to show him that things will be okay, that someone is going to take care of him."
Although I could tell Jin's words were meant to soothe, I couldn't help but still feel nervous. "What if...?" My words were cut off when Jin pressed his lips to mine, effectively silencing me.
He kissed me for a moment, his tongue sweeping over my lips before slipping between them. Pulling back, I tried to catch my breath and I narrowed my eyes when he gave me a smug smile. "There. Much better. Now how about this? After work tomorrow, come to the sanctuary and meet Noah. It will help appease your fears. How's that sound?"
Hesitating for a moment, I nodded. I knew this was a perfect solution to my worries. It could help clear up my anxieties and give me some peace of mind. "Okay. Sounds good."
Jin snuggled close to me again. "Good. Now get some sleep my little mate. You need to make sure you're getting enough since we're going to be parents."
Fuck! We're going to be parents!
***
The next afternoon, I pulled my car into the sanctuary parking lot. Today was the day. This was the day I was going to meet the little boy that was going to become part of our family. Taking a deep breath, I climbed out of the car and straightened my shirt. After locking my car, I headed into the sanctuary, nervous about how all of this was going to play out. When I stepped through the doors, I automatically felt a sense of relaxation come over me as Jin's soft peppermint scent flooded my nose. The feeling of contentment instantly vanished when I caught sight of Sehun. He was standing by the nurse's station talking to a pretty girl with long brown hair. She had on a pair of black scrubs and when she looked up and caught my eye, I didn't miss the flash of disgust before she plastered on a smile that could only be described as artificial.
"Jungkook? I didn't... I didn't know you were going to be here." Sehun's voice was surprised and even though the doctor had helped me, helped most of my mates, I couldn't help but feel agitated with him for the way he had spoke to Y/N.
"Yes. I'm here to see Seokjin." My words were polite and I didn't miss the sigh of disappointment.
"Um... this is my mate Evie. Evie love? This is Jungkook. He's one Y/N's mates and was a patient of mine." Sehun turned to the pretty girl and I could see the adoration in his face as he looked at her.
"One of them? She has more than one?" Evie's voice came out surprised and I could see the way she shuddered, as though the very idea was horrifying.
"Yes. There are eight of us total." Right away, I could see why Jin and Y/N hated her so much. Her dislike of hybrids was so clear that I was stunned that Sehun didn't see it.
"Are you all hy-hybrids?" Evie stuttered over the word and I narrowed my eyes.
"Yes."
Evie shook her head. "Poor Y/N. I can't even imagine having..." Her words trailed off as she realized what she was saying. "I mean... it must be hard to... she must feel like she doesn't have enough time or love for so many."
Although I wanted to rip her hair out, I just pasted my own fake smile on my face. "My mate, my Y/N, definitely has enough love to give us all and she's surrounded by mates who adore her with everything they have. I'm extremely fortunate to have her in my life. She's the best mate I could have asked for."
I could see the way Sehun's shoulders dropped at my obvious claim over her and knew he must be feeling the mate bond pull himself to her. "How is Y/N? I haven't... haven't seen her in a while."
Not wanting to give too much information, but wanting him to know that she was doing fine without him, I grinned happily. "She's doing great. She loves the Labor and Delivery floor and is so happy that she transferred there. It was such a good decision for her."
Sehun sighed and went to say something else, but was interrupted by Jin appearing at my side. "Hey Kook." Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, he pulled me close. "I'm so happy to see you." Turning to Sehun, Jin nodded his head respectfully. "If you'll excuse us doctor, I need to speak with my mate." Sehun said nothing, but I could see the hurt in his face.
Jin led me down the hall and stopped outside of a room. He went to open the door and I stopped him. "It's... it's going to be okay, right?"
Nodding his head, Jin hugged me tightly. "It will be." I gestured for him to proceed and he pushed open the door. A small little boy was sitting up in the bed, crayons and a coloring book in his lap. "Noah? This is my mate, Kook. Do you mind if he comes in? I promise you that you will be safe."
Noah studied me for a moment, taking in my ears and tail then nodded. I looked over at Jin and he nodded, giving me a slight push. I made my way towards the bed and stopped a few feet away. "Hi Noah. My name is Jungkook, but my friends call me Kook. It's nice to meet you. Jin has told us a lot about you."
Giving me a small smile, Noah nodded. "I like Nurse Jin. He's always so nice to me." I could see the boy was nervous, but Jin's presence was making him feel more comfortable. Looking at his coloring book, I noticed it was superheroes.
"Do you like superheroes?" Noah nodded and I pointed to the picture he was coloring. "So do I. Iron Man is my favorite."
Looking up at me in surprise, Noah's eyes widened. "Really?" I nodded and he pushed the book closer to me. "Want to help me color him?"
"Sure." Sitting down on the edge of the bed, I was surprised when the little boy climbed into my lap and put the book on the table next to him and pulled it close. As he snuggled into me, I tried to stop the tears from leaking down my cheeks. Jin was right. All Noah wanted was love and a family, something I wanted so badly to give him. I looked up at Jin and he grinned at the sight.
Fuck! We're going to be parents!