Jin POV:
Y/N and I sat on the floor outside of Sehun's office, listening to the silence on the other side. I could tell from the way she played with her fingers, with the hem of her scrubs, that she was nervous, more nervous than she was letting on. No matter what happened between the two of them, Y/N cared about him, cared about his feelings and his well-being. Cared about how well he was going to survive this whole thing, cared about how to help him get through it all. I know she tried to push her feeling aside, convince herself that she was fine, that it didn't matter, but I knew her better than that.
"I'm scared Jinnie." Y/N's voice was soft, but I could detect the underlying hint of anger, the almost invisible sound of rage that would destroy anything that threatened the love we had built. After the phone call from Yoongi, Y/N had flipped out, swearing that she was going to kill Evie for whatever she had in mind. It was one of the only times I had seen my mate like that and it was just as impressive now as it was then.
I had been only 12 years old and she had been 15 at the time. It was one of the last days of summer before school returned, along with the cooler fall weather. We had been at the park, kicking around a soccer ball. Some guys, ones that she knew from school, had shown up, threatening me and telling me I shouldn't be in places I didn't belong. Y/N had come through like an avenging angel, telling them she was going to annihilate them for scaring me like that. I hadn't thought they would listen to her, but for some reason, the apologies quickly left their mouths and they left with their proverbial tails between their legs. It was that moment right there that I knew I loved her. What kind of love? I wasn't sure, but it was definitely something deep and long lasting. A love I still felt after all this time.
"Y/N? It's been over an hour. Let me call maintenance and have them open the door, okay?" Y/N nodded at my question and I stood up, heading towards the receptionist desk and the woman seated behind it. "Delilah? Can you call maintenance to come down and unlock Sehun's office?"
Delilah's black panda ears flicked, her eyes worried. "Sure." She picked up the phone and made the call while I headed back towards my mate. I was surprised to see Annie, one of Y/N's patients seated on the floor next to my mate, her arm around her shoulders. Annie, a fox hybrid had come in about the same time as Noah. She had been terrified of anyone male and hid in her room. To see her out, just to comfort my mate was heartwarming and I was grateful to the bashful, but kind woman.
Annie looked up at my approach and I could see she wanted to bolt, but her need to take care of Y/N was even greater than her fear. "Nurse Jin? She's going to be okay, right?"
Nodding my head, I tried to reassure the fox. "Yeah. She will be. Thank you for worrying about her."
Ducking her head down, a blush spread across Annie's face. "She helped me so... I want to help her." Annie brushed a hair from Y/N's face when she looked up and I could see the softness in her eyes. "You're going to be okay."
A jingling of keys behind me had me turning to see one of the three day maintenance guys coming down the hallway. He gave me a sad smile as he approached Sehun's office and I made a quick guess that Delilah had given him a quick rundown of the situation. He quickly unlocked the door then stepped back. "Good luck. Hope he's alright."
"Yeah me too." I turned to help Y/N get to her feet, but she was already standing.
Y/N turned to Annie and gave her a quick hug. "Thanks Annie. I'll come see you in a bit, okay?" Annie nodded and with a last worried look at Y/N, headed down the hall to her room.
"Come on little mate. Let's check on our friend." Y/N nodded and I pushed the door open, unsure what to expect on the other side.
The sight in front of me surprised me. Sehun had his head buried in his arms and I could hear the muffled sobs, strangled sounds that shattered my heart. No matter what mistakes he made, no matter how he had spoken to my mate, this was the last thing I wanted to see. I never wanted to have Sehun reduced to this, but I knew I should have been expecting it. It was clear from the beginning that Evie never really wanted Sehun, never wanted him like he wanted her, but he had been so blinded by love, so caught up in his feelings that he couldn't see what we all so.
Y/N seemed hesitant to go to him and I gave her a gentle nudge, letting her know it was oaky, that he needed her, that he needed someone to be there for him, someone who was as selfless as my mate, as caring, as compassionate. Y/N stared at me for a moment, her eyes searching mine and she let out a deep breath, one that was so filled with stress and worry that I was surprised she was still standing, still functioning normal. Moving slowly to his side, Y/N placed a hand on his shoulder, the touch soft and hesitant. "Sehun?"
The distraught cat lifted his head, his face streaked with tears. He stared at Y/N for a moment as though she were a mirage, something he was afraid would disappear if he said anything, did anything. The look on his face was completely broken and I felt my heart clench in pain seeing him this way. Without a word, he reached out and yanked her into his arms, his soft sobs becoming desperate, and the sound revealing just how shattered he was. "I'm... I'm so sorry. I'm s-sorry. Pl-please for-forgive me. Pl-please." Sehun's pleas were broken, coming out in harsh pants and I could see the tears well up in Y/N's eyes.
"Oh Sehun." Y/N's words were gentle as she ran a hand over his hair, drawing him closer to her. "It's going to be okay. It is. We're going... we're going to figure this out."
Sehun let out another heartbreaking sob at the compassion in her voice and I could see the regret that was so clear in his eyes, regret for pushing aside the woman who had done everything for him, the woman who had saved him six years ago. Burying his face in her neck, Sehun continued to cry and I began to worry that he was going to make himself sick. However, after a moment he pulled back, his arms still looped around her waist, his eyes on her pretty face. "I'm so sorry Y/N. I said some terrible th-things to you, things you didn't deserve."
Y/N sighed and from the look on her face, I could tell she was thinking about the last couple of weeks. "It's alright. You were right though. I was interfering with something that wasn't my business."
Shaking his head, Sehun pulled her closer. "No! You were just trying to protect me and I pushed you away. I'm just... just a dumb hybrid."
"Stop it Sehunnie. You're not a dumb hybrid. You... you were caught up in your pull to Evie. And she made it seem like she was sincere, that she really did want you back." The disgusted tone in Y/N's voice was clear as she spoke about the other woman.
Sehun sighed, but was silent for a moment. "I missed... missed you calling me that."
A small smile on her face, Y/N reached up a hand and brushed his hair back, rubbing one ear. "Well I missed my best friend."
Knowing there were things they needed to talk about, I moved closer and put a hand on Y/N's shoulder. "Little mate? I'm going to give you two some privacy. If there is anything you need, let me now. Okay?" Y/N nodded and I could see from the relieved look in Sehun's eyes, he was grateful that I wasn't going to snatch her away too quickly. It was clear from his labored breathing, the tears on his face, and the way he clung to Y/N, that she was what he needed right now, that her gentle touch and soothing words would be the best balm to his aching heart, that my sweet mate would help him heal. Even though it would take time.
Pecking her cheek, I rubbed Sehun's shoulder then left the room, closing the door behind me. I knew most hybrids thought I was crazy for the way I would let my mate be so close to Sehun, to someone who was mated to her, even if platonically. However, I trusted my mate and I trusted Sehun. After working with them for so long, spending so much time with them, I could see that their relationship was strictly platonic, something that was built on mutual love and respect, something stronger than most relationships. If Y/N is what he needed right now then so be it.
Running a hand through my hair, I tried to wrap my mind around everything that had happened. I couldn't say I was surprised about what had happened with Evie. To be completely honest, I had been expecting it. It was clear she had a severe dislike for hybrids and even though I knew Sehun wanted to believe that she had changed, it was obvious that she hadn't and to be completely honest? She never would. Her dislike for hybrids was too strong, to set in and I hated that Sehun had to suffer through it all, had to deal with it all.
"Dr. Jin?" A voice pulled me from my thoughts and I looked up to see Jay, the Amur leopard hybrid that had been so smitten with Y/N. After being released from the patient side of the sanctuary, he had decided to stay until he figured out what he wanted to do with his life, what was going to happen with everything. "Is everything okay? I heard some of the nurses talking about what happened with Dr. Sehun."
Touched by his concern, I shrugged, not entirely sure how to answer that question. "I don't... I don't really know. Y/N is in there with him right now. If anyone can help him, it's going to be her."
"You've got a good mate there Nurse Jin. I hope you know that." Jay's words were stern and I could tell from the tight set of his lips that if I fucked up, he would be one in a long line to beat my ass.
"Yeah. I sure do."
Namjoon POV:
"Here you go miss and thank you for coming in." Ignoring the interested look on the woman's face, I handed her coffee, a polite smile on her face. The woman studied me for a moment longer, but when she realized she would get nothing from me, she let out a disappointed huff and let the shop. An amused giggle had me turning to see Taehyung standing there, a grin on his face. "What's so funny?"
Taehyung shook his head, the smile getting bigger. "Nothing. It's just hilarious to watch all these women fawn over you and you ignoring them. It's cute to watch."
Grabbing a towel, I swatted him with it. "Haha. But seriously, why would I focus on them when I have such amazing mates already?"
Moving out of my reach, Taehyung nodded. "Good answer." He was silent for a moment before speaking again. "Can you believe how good things went last night and this morning? With Noah? He just... blended in like he was always supposed to be there."
Thinking about the time with Noah, I couldn't help but agree. Dinner last night had gone so well. Noah had scarfed down the chicken strips that Yoongi made, claiming they were the best food he ever tasted and when he ate his brownie, the look of absolute delight in his eyes made us all laugh. It was the same this morning. He clearly enjoyed the pancakes that Y/N had made him and when we all left for work this morning, leaving him with Jungkook, he had hugged us all goodbye.
"I wonder how Jungkook is doing with him." I knew our otter had been nervous about spending the day with Noah, but we had all reassured him that things would work out beautifully. It would give the two of them some time to bond.
Taehyung grinned. "Let's find out." He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text and in minutes was holding it out to me. Jungkook had sent a photo of him and Noah. They were cuddled on the couch and our little koala was asleep by his side, snuggled under Jungkook's favorite blanket. The sight made my heart melt and I knew it was all going to be okay.
I went to comment on the photo, but the happy look dropped from Taehyung's face and a look of hatred passed through his eyes before he put on his 'I don't want to be nice but you are a customer so I will' smile. Turning, I tried to hold in the groan of frustration as a familiar woman came in. Evie was standing with an older man, one who had the same dark hair and dark eyes and I could only assume it was her father, the man who had tried to buy Sehun. "Good afternoon. How can I help you today?" Taehyung's voice was painfully polite, almost cold.
"Hi. It's Tae, right?" Evie's voice was filled with sweetness and her smile was bright.
"Taehyung."
"Right. Sorry." Evie giggled and I couldn't help but flinch at the sound. "Can I get a large iced latte? Oat milk instead of regular and no whipped cream please."
Taehyung was silent for a moment and I could see he was wondering the same thing I was. What the hell is she up to? "Yes. And for you sir?" Taehyung turned to the human male, who eyed Taehyung's golden wings, the ones that he folded up behind him, putting almost out of sight.
"A large coffee. Two sugars, no cream." The man's voice was frosty and when his eyes darted over to me, I didn't miss the look of disgust in them.
As Taehyung rang them up, I hovered closely, ready to step in if necessary. I could see Owen from the corner of my eye and he had a serious look on his face, one that said if they crossed a line, he would step in.
"Taehyung? I've been trying to get in touch with Y/N, but I can't get a hold of her number. Would you please give her this and ask her to call me?" Evie held out a slip of paper, a bright pink one that had a number scrawled across it. "I'd really like to meet with her."
Taehyung hesitated but took the slip of paper and shoved it in his pocket. "I will give it to her, but we have a lot going on right now. I don't know when she will have time."
Evie frowned, but then the look disappeared and a smile was back on her face. "Are you going to the Fine Arts Festival tonight?"
My eyebrows rose in confusion, surprised that she knew about it. "Yes." I could see from Taehyung's face that he didn't want to give her too much information, but she was being really nice and he didn't want to come across as an asshole. "Two of our mates' dance classes are performing, along with one of our mates having a performance of his own."
"The piano playing tiger, right?" The man spoke up for the first time since ordering his drink and there was something about his words that made me uneasy.
"Yes." I kept the information short, feeling weird about the whole situation. He was asking too many questions, bringing up too many things that he didn't need to know about and shouldn't know about.
Taehyung handed over the coffees and Evie turned on the smile again. "Well maybe we will see you there. Have a good rest of your day." With a little wave, they exited the coffee shop and I couldn't stop the shudder than ran through me.
I watched them walk over to fancy black car and climb in, my thoughts racing through my head. "There was something strange about that."
Taehyung nodded. "I agree. She... she seemed so nice, but she was definitely not like that before. When she came in with Dr. Sehun, you could see she didn't want to be here, didn't like us. But this time? Why the fuck was she so friendly? I don't... I don't trust her."
"Me either. I'm going to call Y/N and see what she says." I knew that if anyone knew what to do about the situation, it would be my sweet human mate. Pulling out my phone, I clicked on Y/N's contact name then put the phone on speaker. The phone rang several times before going to voicemail and I looked down at it strangely. "That's weird." I called her again, but it was the same results.
"Try calling Jin," Taehyung suggested and I nodded in agreement.
I clicked on Jin's name and the phone rang twice before the voice of my marten mate filled the line. I could tell just from his hello that there was something going on. "Jin? It's Joon. Tae and I were just trying to call Y/N, but there was no answer. Is everything all right?"
There was a harsh sounding laugh from the other side of the line. "Is everything okay? No. She's currently in the office with Sehun who is sobbing because his mate is a fucking bitch." The venom in Jin's voice made my mouth drop open.
"Evie? What happened? She was just in here with an older man. She... she seemed so nice, but it put Tae and me on edge." I turned to look at Taehyung, who had the same surprised look on his face.
"Evie was in the coffee shop? What the fuck did she want? What did she say to you?" Jin's questions flew out and I could sense the urgency in his words.
Not sure what was going on, I explained what happened. "She ordered coffee and was asking about the festival tonight. She was kind and polite and it was... was just weird."
"Because she's a manipulative, deceitful waste of fucking space." Jin paused then continued. "Sehun was trying to apologize to Y/N and Evie walked in to it. Flipped out on Y/N and basically admitted that she didn't want Sehun, that it was all a ruse."
My heart broke for the cat. Regardless of how he had been with my human mate, I knew he was overall a good guy, one that was given a shitty mate and had made some shitty decisions. One who was now suffering the consequences of those decisions. "She probably figured we didn't know about what happened."
I could hear sounds of confirmation on the other side. "Did she or the guy with her say anything out of the ordinary?"
I could feel the prickles of fear start to climb up my spine as I thought of one of our mates: his beautiful silver hair, his winter white ears and tail, a rare breed of tiger. "Yeah. The man with her mentioned Yoongi." There was something off about this whole thing, something wrong and I was beginning to see what it was.
"Fuck!" Jin's curse was audible and he let out a deep sigh, one that sounded tired. "I can't stand that woman. She's so fucking deceitful and manipulative."
"Yeah. I know. She seemed so sincere, but it was weird. She was too nice." My mind flashed back to the conversation with her. "She was asking too many questions."
"If she comes in again, don't tell her anything." Jin's voice was stern. "She insinuated that there's something she wants even more than Sehun." My stomach dropped to my feet at his words and my breath hitched in my throat at his words. From the tightness of his words, I knew Jin had realized I understood. "Yeah. She wants Yoongi."