As Namjoon walked into the kitchen for breakfast, he noticed a familiar figure towering over you.
"Y/N, I missed you," a stuffy nosed, Taehyung had told you while hugging you tightly and scenting you.
"I took care of you this whole time. I saw you every day," you told him while cutting up pieces of fruits.
"Yeah, but I couldn't hug you or else you'd get sick and I was asleep the whole time," he whined.
"Glad you're feeling better, Tae," Namjoon let his presence be known to the feline hybrid and stood right beside you.
"Hey hyung," Taehyung sniffled.
"Do you mind lending me, Y/N for a couple of minutes?" Namjoon ruffled the younger hybrid's hair.
"Do I have to?" Taehyung pouted.
"It's pretty important."
"Fine, but I want a kiss first," Taehyung let you go and pointed at his cheek. You willingly obliged before handing him a plate of food. The feline hybrid grinned, took the plate, and rushed to the dining area to brag about his kiss to Jimin and Jungkook.
"You really shouldn't indulge him like that," Namjoon said while leaning down to kiss you himself. As he got close to your lips, he noticed the baked sweet potato smell that strongly emanated from you. The wolf hybrid inhaled deeply as his tail wagged contentedly. He hadn't smelled Taehyung on you for a while and it was refreshing to detect his scent on you again.
"What do you need me for?" you asked while leaning forward to meet Namjoon's lips. You gave him a couple of quick pecks.
"Hm? Oh uh...yeah I was wondering if you wanted to meet my old pack today." Namjoon pulled back and stood up straight.
"Today? Do you think they're ready?"
"Most of them are awake and recovering well. I think I should start soon. I don't wanna prolong it and make it awkward when I tell them I want to leave."
"Should we get everyone?"
"No, just you for now. I don't want to overwhelm them. Announcing a six person inter-pack is kind of a big deal."
"Ah, right...okay, yeah sure, right now?"
"Yeah, we could bring them breakfast together."
"Oh good idea, that can soften the blow. I'm almost done making breakfast. Can you grab the juice from the fridge and put it on the cart?"
"Sure," Namjoon helped (as much as you let him) with the finishing touches of the breakfast and got ready to wheel the cart to the clinic. Just as you two began to walk towards the bridge, you stopped in your tracks and stared at your clothes.
They were fine for cooking and hanging out with the pack, but you were about to meet some important people from Namjoon's past. With this in mind, you ran towards the stairs.
"Little red? Where are you going?"
"I need to change into nicer clothes!" you called up while half-way up the steps.
"Why?"
"I need to make a good first impression!"
Namjoon shook his head, "What you're wearing is fi—ah it's too late..."
The wolf hybrid sighed and sat on the steps to wait. When you finally came down, the two of you hurried towards the clinic to make up for the time you spent changing. As Namjoon reached for the door knob, you quickly grabbed his hand.
"Wait, do I look okay?"
"You look perfect, little red," he kissed your forehead before opening the door and strolling in with you behind him.
When you walked in, you noticed a total of four beds. On one bed was a girl with beautiful, dark long hair. Her face was small and bright and she had a beautiful little beauty mark located on just below the corner of her left eye. She was a little thin but clearly on the way to recovering. She sat up and excitedly looked at Namjoon.
Right beside her, was a younger wolf hybrid who seemed to be cuddling with her. He looked scarily thin and it made your heart ache to see just how sunken his face was. Because of how malnourished he was, it was hard to tell his age. The young hybrid sat up as soon as Namjoon entered the room like the girl beside him. On the bed next to the girl's was a man that seemed to be around Namjoon's age. Although he was awake, he didn't sit up. You figured he was still too weak to move. And across the man was an elder hybrid who was still asleep.
"Joon-ah," she greeted him with a smile but then it disappeared the minute she noticed you, "Who is this?"
"Hi!" you immediately spoke up and raised your hand. Your heart was beating so fast and you just felt the need to move and release all the nervous energy in your body. So you began waving your hand a little too excitedly until Namjoon grabbed your shoulder to make you stop.
"Uhm, I'm Y/N, I'm in charge of the safe house," you spoke a little too quickly. You suddenly felt warm and... wait a minute...was there sweat dripping down your back? When did that happen?
"Oh I see...Namjoon has mentioned you once, I think," she smiled in a friendly manner although her eyes were filled with annoyance.
"I wanted to introduce myself. Namjoon says that you guys are recovering very well. So you'll all probably move into the main house soon. AndIdidn'twantus tobestrangersandmakeitawkwardwhenyoumovedinsohereIam. Hi, hello. I'm Y/N."
Jeez, why were you so nervous?
"Right..." Namjoon looked at you weirdly especially since no where in your sentence did you mention that you were his mate.
"Well it's nice to meet you, I'm Yoo-jung, I'm the alpha female of the pack. This is Si-yul, our little puppy," she said while kissing his head and hugging him tightly. The young hybrid only beamed up and giggled and she squeezed him.
"He's not actually ours," Namjoon corrected the minute he saw your eyebrows rise up in shock, "I'm not his dad, he's just the youngest and the puppy of the pack. He's not my biological child."
"Yeah..." Yoo-jung gave him a confused look then gestured to the man beside her that's Shin-young and the one who is still asleep is Sun Kyun, the original alpha. He gave the title to Namjoon two years ago."
"Ah, well, Namjoon is a pretty good alpha," you complimented your mate making him blush and smile.
"Don't I know it?" Yoo-jung giggled then casually slipped in, "He's a great heat partner too,"
"Was. We aren't heat partners anymore," Namjoon corrected once more.
Sensing a little arrogance from the girl, you decided to ask, "Heat partner? Is that like a mate or something?"
You smiled innocently, trying to look as clueless as possible. Oh how good it was going to feel when she said no and then BAM you would tell her you're the actual mate.
"I mean basically, yeah," she claimed which annoyed you even more. How dare she lie to you about this?
"No, it's not," Namjoon rectified then looked at you to reassure you, "It's not the same as mates."
"It's close enough, all that's missing is the mark, which I marked Namjoon already. He was going to give me one too, but we got separated."
You clenched your jaw at her wild allegation. Marked him without consent which means it's not a real mark, you grumbled in your head. Bitch.
"That mark was an accident Yoo-jung and you know it," Namjoon said.
"Namjoon...why are you being like this?" she looked at him in concern.
"You're telling Y/N lies about me. I never planned on marking you. We were heat partners and not mates. We weren't anywhere close to being mates." Namjoon then pulled you close to him and wrapped his arm around your shoulder, "Y/N is my actual mate."
The confused look on Yoo-jung's face quickly dropped to an angry one, "You're kidding me, right?"
"No, it's true. Y/N is my mate and has been for almost nine months now,"
"A human, Namjoon? Are you serious?" she said, her voice laced with abhorrence, "After all they've done to us?"
Your heart beat picked up. Not this narrative again. You thought you wouldn't be hearing that sentiment again. Afterall, Jimin and Taehyung didn't bat an eyelash when they found out you were mated to four hybrids. So when you heard the disgust in Yoo-jung's voice, your stomach immediately churned. You grabbed Namjoon's arm and he looked at you with worry.
"What's wrong little red? You feeling okay?" he asked, noticing how pale you had gotten.
"Oh my—you're serious." Yoo-jung commented then exhaled in disbelief. Namjoon let out a low growl but kept his attention to you.
"I'm gonna go, wolfie," you told him, "Unless you really need me here?"
"It's okay, you don't have to be here if you don't want to," Namjoon assured you.
"Okay, I'm gonna go then," you began to walk away when Namjoon grabbed your wrist and pulled you back towards him. He kissed you,
"I'll see you later. I love you,"
"I love you too," you smiled and then left the room making sure to shut the door on your way out. From the clinic you made a beeline for the outdoors. You figured that the cold and fresh air would be the best way to interrupt the oncoming anxiety attack that was looming.
Unfortunately, you couldn't really feel the cold as you stood outside. You leaned back against the wall and rubbed your chest trying to calm yourself down. You closed your eyes and tried to talk yourself down the anxiety ledge.
You weren't a bad mate for Namjoon. All your hybrid mates loved being with you. All your hybrid mates didn't mind that you were human. Your hybrid mates wanted you. Other hybrids' opinions didn't matter in your relationship. You were all happy. Jimin, Taehyung and Jieun didn't mind. Your inter-pack was fine. You weren't a bad decision as a mate.
"Y/N, are you crazy?" Jimin exited the house and immediately scolded you.
"I just needed some air," you explained while opening your eyes and standing up.
"That's fine, but at least wear the proper clothes. What did I say last time?" Jimin opened his coat and pulled you towards him. He then wrapped his arms and coat around you.
"I just...I needed to be outside, Minnie," you tried not to let your voice shake.
"What's this one about?" he asked as a puff of white clouds came from his mouth.
"This one?" you snuggled closer to Jimin. Although you wanted the cold to snap you out of your panic, you found that Jimin's warmth worked just as well.
"You must need fresh air for a reason, so what is it? Meeting Namjoon's old pack not go very well?" Jimin started rubbing your arms to bring you more warmth.
"It's the girl," you explained.
"Did she attack you? I'll kill her," Jimin growled.
"N-no, she...I mean she...she was disgusted that I'm human and Joon chose to mate with me."
"Well that's rude. There's nothing wrong with humans and hybrids being together, Y/N. Usually it's humans that don't approve, though." Jimin rubbed his tail against your legs.
"I know...Yoongi helped me through a lot of bad thoughts back then. And I stopped having them for a while but this girl...Maybe it's because she used to be close with Namjoon and I got to thinking...what if everyone would've been better off with a hybrid mate?"
"Nonsense, human mates are just as good as hybrid mates," Jimin kissed your forehead and that made him pause. When did he get so intimate with you? But that wasn't important right now. Right now, one of his favorite people in the world was in distress and he needed to help. Wait when did you become of his favor—no, not important at the moment.
"Yes, I know...I've been told. I'm just as good..." you reminded yourself and slowly reciprocated the fox hybrid's hug, "Thanks Minnie. You've been really great to me lately,"
"I've always got your back, Y/N," he kissed your forehead once more. He really needed to stop but he couldn't help himself. His lips felt tingly every time he did. It was like a shot of serotonin every time his lips made contact with your skin. He wondered how much more delightful it would've been if he kissed you on the lips.
But Jimin soon pushed those thoughts out of his head. Why would he ever kiss your lips? So what if almost every hybrid in the house seemed to be addicted to them? That's because they were mated to you and he was not. And he was never going to be a mate. This fact made his heart sink. So Jimin kissed your forehead again to make himself feel better.
You smiled and let Jimin's warmth engulf you. When the fox hybrid held you like that, you couldn't help but feel happy and full. And with every kiss, you felt even more joy blooming in your chest. Even though it was cold outside, being with Jimin made it feel like you were in bed, swaddled in a warm blanket.
*~*~*~*
"You're unbelievable," Yoo-jung almost yelled at Namjoon, "After all we've been through?"
"You don't know her. She's different." he protested.
"That's garbage! How could you do this? How can you just choose a human?"
"She's my natural mate, Yoo-jung," he explained.
"There's no such thing as natural mates anymore Joon."
"That's not true! Natural mates do exist! I felt it, I feel the pull to her."
Yoo-jung scoffed and forced Si-yul to leave her bed. She couldn't risk him getting hurt with the amount of anger coursing through her veins.
"I'm sorry but I never felt it towards you. I never felt anything romantic towards you," Namjoon told her while keeping his distance.
"They really fucked with your head. I bet you they did this on purpose! They wanted you to fall in love with a human."
"Why would those people want me to be mates with a human?"
"To better control you!" Yoo-jung almost screeched, "How could you be so naïve? You're smarter than this, Namjoon,"
"How would they have made it so that I fell in love with Y/N? She isn't a part of their organization. If you haven't noticed she's a part of the organization that's saving hybrids."
"What if this is all a front? What if they're secretly trafficking hybrids to the labs? Oh my god you marked her. Maybe we can reverse it...It's not a real marking because you were brainwashed."
"Yoo-jung, stop. I'm not brainwashed."
"How can you be so sure? You don't remember all the times they returned you to your caged passed out, do you?"
"What?" Namjoon looked at her confused.
"That's what I thought. There were times they took you out for some reason and put you back in, passed out Joon. I bet this was the reason." Yoo-jung explained, "It's gonna be okay, though. We'll find a way through this. Maybe it'll be okay if you reject her because you were brainwashed."
Brainwashed? Namjoon didn't speak as Yoo-jung continued her mini crisis. Namjoon tried to think back to the dark times he tried so hard to forget. There were a lot of injections, that he could remember. There were injections and a lot of physical training. He became really tired from training, but he never remembered passing out.
Namjoon cupped his head in his hands as he tried to remember. There were hallways...a lot of yelling, people in lab coats...people in dark suits...bright light...injections...and...electroshocking?
Suddenly, a sharp pain cut through the base of Namjoon's skull. He scrunched his face in reaction to it. He remembered being strapped down. Then something was placed in his head...it was heavy and he remembered trying to fight it before they injected him with something. He then remembered the feeling of electricity coursing through his body.
Namjoon grunted and ran out the room. His head began to throb painfully. It was like his brain was trying to burst through his skull. He applied pressure to his head to deal with the agony. Namjoon then crouched down to the ground as he heard a high pitched sound that drowned out all his senses.
"Namjoon! Namjoon!" a voice cut through.
Namjoon opened his eyes and saw Jieun, standing in front of him. Her hand was on his shoulder and she looked terrified.
"Ji-Jieun?" Namjoon managed to speak.
"Hey are you okay? Do you need some pain killers?"
"N-no..." Namjoon responded. As quickly as the memory and pain came, it disappeared. He slowly stood up and as he wobbled, Jieun grabbed his arm to help. She guided him to a seat before running off to get him a glass of water.
Namjoon stared at the ground in fear. What if Yoo-jung was right? What if he did get brainwashed? What if he was wrong about natural mates?
"Drink this," Jieun returned and handed Namjoon water. He drank it quickly and felt a little better.
"Are you sure you don't need pain killers?" she asked.
"I'm f-fine...just uhm...got lightheaded since I skipped breakfast." he lied and slowly stood up, "I'm gonna...go eat."
"Yeah, good idea, do you need help walking?"
"No, I got it," Namjoon soon regained his composure and left.
He couldn't be completely wrong about you being his mate right? The signs were there...your scent attracted him and he felt like he was going to be incomplete if he wasn't with you. That was usually a sign of a mating pull. And besides, he had other hybrid mates so obviously there was no bias towards humans. Right...Yoo-jung was jealous and the experiments performed on him...well he never knew why they experimented in the first place so it would just be another mystery.
"Namjoon hyung?" this time, Jimin's voice caught his attention, "Are you okay? You look...sick...oh no, you didn't catch what Taehyung had did you?"
"Hm? No, I'm fine, I'm just hungry,"
"Ah, thank goodness," Jimin sighed, "I was worried.
Namjoon ruffled Jimin's hair before he trotted to the kitchen where he was met by Jin and Yoongi while the fox continued to the dining room.
"Breakfast is on the table," Yoongi announced then narrowed his eyes at Namjoon, "You look...pale."
"I just told my old pack that Y/N is my mate,"
"You didn't tell them about the rest of us?" Jin raised an eyebrow.
"I thought it would be too much of a shock,"
"Yeah, inter-packs aren't as common as we think. Especially a pack our size," Yoongi supported Namjoon which made Jin acknowledge their point,
"I guess you're right. Anyway, come have breakfast in there with the rest of us. Unless you're planning on going back to the clinic?"
"No, I'll have breakfast with you." Namjoon almost ran to the dining room.
As soon as he entered, Namjoon watched as Taehyung opened his mouth to have you feed him. Jungkook grabbed your hand that had the food and put it in his own mouth, taunting the feline hybrid. Namjoon watched as you scolded the bunny before turning to comfort the newly recovered hybrid. His heart melted at how every one seemed to be vying for your attention and affection. They loved you, all of them. And he did too.
He couldn't have been wrong about being natural mates with you. The pull was too strong. And even if it was a fluke, he was still glad he chose you. Like had always claimed, he would choose you over and over again if he could. With renewed conviction, Namjoon moved to sit at the table to join you all.
"How'd the rest of the talk go?" you asked him while rubbing Jungkook's back.
"Not great but I didn't expect it to go smoothly...Especially since..."
"Especially since she would get jealous of noona?" Jungkook finished the sentence for Namjoon.
"Who's jealous of noona?" Taehyung asked.
"Hyung's ex-girlfriend," Jungkook whispered.
"Hyung's ex-girlfriend? You didn't tell me she was an ex girlfriend, Y/N! I wanna meet her!" Jimin sat up and clapped his hands in excitement.
"Me too!" Taehyung added.
"We can go later, she's in the clinic," Jungkook told the other two, "I wanna see what she looks like,"
"Do not go into the clinic. They're not ready to meet everyone," Hobi told the younger hyrbids, then said, "But I bet Y/N is a thousand times prettier anyway."
"Hobi!" you said in a warning tone.
"What? Can't I be proud of my mate?"
"Don't brag about Y/N to them, Seokah, it's not nice to kick a person while they're down," Jin said right before stuffing some rice in his mouth.
"Who cares? She bit Namjoon without permission," Yoongi shrugged, "I say we tell her off,"
"Guys, that's enough. Leave her alone. Leave the pack alone. They're already losing an alpha. Jin is right, you can't kick a person when they're down." you said.
"Fiiine," Jungkook groaned before leaning back in his chair. At the same time, Taehyung also leaned back making you look at both of them. When they saw you paying attention to their antics, the two hybrids sat back up,
"Let's watch a movie after this. I miss the TV," Taehyung announced, pretending that they weren't just doing something suspicious.
*~*~*~*