JOON POV:

I don't know what to say that could possibly reach through hyung's anger and hurt and help him calm down. I didn't know what to say when Jin hyung confronted her, but he was right- there was the unmistakeable tug towards her. Reeling me in.

When she came to the coven- she had been wearing her own clothes, and therefore her scent had come in unrestrained in thick potent waves- enthralling to my sense and pushing my vampire instincts into overdrive- the intoxicating scent of her blood urging me to get close, and when it intertwined with the recognition, the call that this was our mate- it became a tempting desire to mate her.

From the moment she stepped in, I tried to breathe shallowly- trying to keep my instincts at bay, fingers tightly fisting into the fabric of my trousers- knuckles whitening in my restraint.

And when she had spoken, voice filled with ire and strength- I realised that it had been the girl from my lessons- voice now filled with a low simmering rage, the softness still the same but the emotions different- it showed a different sort of strength in her, the fight for herself- the will to not let her race undermine her. And I was both fascinated by it and respected her for it.

But that didn't mean I didn't feel shame in not having intervened, to have stopped hurtful words from being flung into the silent room carelessly, I saw the flinch, saw the hurt flashing in her eyes as she brushed past. And I did nothing. Not only had I failed Jin hyung but also failed our new mate.

And the knowledge of that stung.

And the distress and anger rolling off Jin hyung made his end of the bond heavy and burdened- as if he was struggling to cope with the brunt of his words himself, and he was silently hurting too- from his own actions.

And it doesn't help at all that Yoongi hyung is already waiting at the door- ever the perceptive empath but his eyes are wary and examining- trying to assess the situation before deciding how he needs to interject himself. Mind made up, he slots an arm around hyung's waist taking him with him to the small greenhouse on the terrace- deciding that he needs some time to calm down, and I realise that it'll keep hyung occupied, able to vent his pent-up emotions through gardening rather than unfairly letting it out onto the others. And I watch them leave with a torn heart- mind confused as to how and where we go from here. Even though hyung has taken him away, there's no doubt that questions will be asked, questions I don't know if any of them are ready to hear the answer to. And that now one more person knows that something is up, I don't want to deceive the maknaes- but I'd rather keep them in the dark until the mess is sorted out.

Jiminie gestures to me from the sofa, arms stretched wide for me to slide into, nestling my head onto his lap- his fingers immediately start combing through my hair- a gentle scrape of his fingers against my scalp, and I try to resist the urge to arch my head further into it.

He smiles down at me, eyes crinkled slightly as he leans down to press a kiss to my cheek.

"Cheer up hyung, whatever it is, time will solve." He says softly, an empathetic look in his eyes.

We sit in companionable silence, silence that gives me the window to speak if I wanted to, but I choose to remain silent, curling my head towards his stomach instead, fingers sliding up the back of his tee to rest against his skin.

The touch of skin contact instantly soothing me- Jimin exudes natural allure, something magnetic that demands your attention and reels you in. And with the bond between us humming contentedly, I allow myself to lie there and let his comforting presence lull me into sleep- brain wanting to escape from the whirlwind of thoughts still troubling it.

And the sinking feeling that hadn't left since we had been at the Ims nest- the knowledge that she had left without her coat and scarf; lying there morosely, abandoned when she had rushed out.

TAE POV:

I tug Kookie's hand eagerly guiding him into the café I loved frequenting, the warmth is toasty- not overbearingly stifling, the scent that had always enticed me still drifting through the air. Something so appealing about the scent that demanded all of my attention and commandeered all my senses and guided me in further into the warm ambience.

Something in the bond shifts- a tension bleeding out from Kookie as he takes in the atmosphere, drinks it down in large thirsty gulps- eyes darting around and taking in the sight of humans and vampires interacting, at the low constant hum of chatter.

And after we order- the tray handed to us by a worried, distracted looking young vampire, I turn to scan for any good seats when my eyes land on a familiar figure swaddled into a thick blanket, body curved towards the radiator.

(Y/N).

I don't know if this was a coincidence or if fate was bringing us to meet each other time and time again, but the sight of her lit up a spark of curiosity in me.

And I approached, despite Kookie's sharp inhale of breath behind me, feet stumbling behind me with all the grace of a baby foal. Even as he mumbled behind me that we shouldn't intrude, that it isn't polite, that she won't respond well to strangers.

And when I get close enough my eyes catch onto the extremely vulnerable, lost look on her face- eyes vacant and unfocused as she stares off into space, fingers clutching tightly at a mug which is still completely full, and the chalky pallor to her complexion. Her lips and cheeks looking wan, bloodless- cold.

And the sight makes something inside me shift uneasily- as if my body is revolting against the wrongness of the sight, as if screaming that something has happened, and a deep instinct guiding me further towards her- whispering that she shouldn't be left alone to her thoughts.

It's in those moments after all that gives way to fears and insecurities to rise and build.

She sighs, and the sound is so forlorn, so adamantly yanking at my heartstrings that the words slip out of my mouth, unconsciously responding to her distress.

"(Y/N). Do you mind if we sit here?" and her head raises to look at me, recognition in her eyes.

At least I didn't come across as a stranger approaching her and knowing that she recognises me sends a jolt of happiness through me- though I don't know why.

Kookie peeks over my shoulder, I see her eyes land on the two of us but it takes her only seconds to nod. I sink down into the armchair closer to hers, allowing Kookie to sit with a bit of distance, not wanting my mate to feel uncomfortable.

But when he does, her voice comes out- slightly quiet.

"You...." she starts, head tilted as she looks at him.

Kookie shifts uncomfortably and I'm just about to intervene, introduce him before it gets awkward when a small smile tugs at her lips.

"You're the boy from the café! I'm sorry I didn't get to ask that day, that I rushed out without checking if you were fine, I was running late you see...but anyways, are you okay?" she asks, cutting her small rambling off with an intent look at him, leaning forward to stare at Kookie.

My head whips around to look at Kookie, unaware that he had met her before. Why didn't he say anything?

Kookie's face becomes slightly sheepish as well as startled, as if he hadn't been expecting her to remember him.

"I'm okay." He reassures before his eyes dart to mine.

"Hyung, this is the girl that helped me at the café." He says softly, and then it clicks.

The day Kookie had been so vacant, so disturbed.

The incident at the café was with (Y/N)? She had been the one to interject herself in between the two.

And it's like seeing her through fresher eyes, a newer appreciation for her- for helping someone without taking into consideration their race, any consequences it'd have on her.

She had readily intervened and gotten hurt. For someone she had never met. For someone who wasn't even like her.

And just like that, my respect for her grows and she adds yet another reason to my understanding that humans aren't always bad. She proves the stereotypes and the horror stories wrong.

Humans can be kind. (Y/N) is.

KOOKIE POV:

The last person I'd ever thought Tae hyung was talking about would be the girl from the café incident. The human who'd helped and gotten injured for it.

And my reaction at the time sears through me with embarrassment- that I hadn't thanked her, that I hadn't even acknowledged her for it.

And I didn't expect her to ask me if I was fine, to enquire if I had gotten over it- no-one really ever did that. Humans had never showed a gentler side to me, and it made me wonder if I had somehow had the misfortune of only ever living with the tainted part of humanity- the monsters who hid in their skin and pretended they weren't the predators. Who preyed on the weak without shame or hesitance.

Because she's different. Her eyes are soft and caring as they look at me, even though moments earlier she had sat there lost and dazed- as if she wasn't really present.

Whatever had been bother her, she had pushed aside to focus on us two. As if we mattered more than whatever turmoil she was experiencing.

And just like that, she managed to spark and instil a small ember of hope and faith- that all humans weren't bad, that there was some sort of goodness that existed.

(Y/N) POV:

The two of them are a bit guarded, but soon the barriers and hesitance slowly starts to dissipate as Taehyung starts a conversation, questions directed at me – eyes sparking curiously as he asks about human traditions, telling me that it's been a long while since he's so casually and openly talked to a human. But surprise coats his features when he finds that there isn't many differences between us- in fact, its vampire traditions that are fascinating and intriguing- I lean forward unconsciously towards him as he speaks, regaling me with tales of the things he's seen, places he travels to.

I notice that Jungkook, I learn the boy's name is, looks fondly and tenderly at Taehyung whenever he speaks, a constant smile on his face, body gravitating towards his, easily intertwining their hands and pressing them to his cheek, pushing Taehyung's drink into his hands and gesturing for him to drink. There's a blatantly apparent spark between the two of them, both of their bodies unconsciously shifting to each other, eyes that speak of a shared history, and when Jungkook leans forward to wipe the corner of Tae's mouth, the loose white t-shirt he's wearing shifts slightly to reveal a mating mark.

And it makes sense. The way the two of them orbit each other, shift closer and closer by instinct- the magnetism that is practically visible, sparks flying off them when they touch, hold each other's gaze, and communicate silently.

And then Taehyung's eyes catch onto where my gaze has stopped.

"He's one of my mates. That's not my mating mark." He confides, face lit with an inner radiance as he mentions his mates briefly.

And my heart aches and yearns for something like that. This...this is what I had dreamed of, wished for. This sort of natural and easy love flowing between me and who I was tethered to- it's bittersweet, because my heart is overjoyed for the two of them, for the bubble of happiness they exist in- a love so pure and untouched by anyone else, and simultaneously wish for a love like that.

For my soulmate to look at me the way Taehyung looks at Jungkook.

But the stare directed to me had been repulsed and fearful. Horrified.

My soulmate's lips hadn't curved into a smile, they'd frowned, turning downwards.

Their body hadn't leaned towards me, it had jolted away.

And I can't help the way my heart sinks, my eyes fall away from the sight of the two of them- as if I'd witnessed a happiness I wasn't privy to, wasn't entitled to. Simply because I was born as someone they couldn't accept. And considered me as someone who'd betrayed the bond because of the bloodbond mark Gyeomie had placed on my wrist.

They hadn't listened, just flung words at me. Pushing me away, inflicting pain on me so I wouldn't want him.

But why did my soul weep for a bond it never had? For a bond I couldn't have?

(SIGH...JIN YOU BETTER FIX UP OR I WON'T BE THE ONLY ONE GOING AFTER YOU TO DEMAND YOU MAKE AMENDS AND PRONTO! HOW WAS IT? LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AS USUAL LOVES! I'M SO EXCITED TO WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER EVEN THOUGH I'VE JUST FINISHED THIS ONE! AND THAT'S COS IT'S GETTING THE SUPPORT AND EXCITEMENT THAT I FEEL FOR IT! 12K READS- THANK YOU LOVES! STAY SAFE!)

You are the one who will build your future, the one who can carve a path where one doesn't exist. You have the power to control and shape your journey there- to find solutions to the obstacles the world throws at you. You can control your destiny- you hold the power to do so, so don't give it up!

Borahae! 💜💜💜

PurpleQueenie <3