(Y/N) POV:

After the ceremony, rather than returning back to my apartment which would've been empty for the rest of the weekend whilst Gyeomie finished the mating process with his coven, I'm shepherded back to the nest- after a long intense bout of Seokjin and JB oppa having a conversation arms gesticulating wildly and eyes flashing red, postures tall and intimidating, voices inaudible to my human ears. But the tight squeezing grip Yugyeomie has on my shoulders indicate that the conversation isn't going well.

And it is JB oppa who emerges victorious from it- though my heart pangs in sympathy for Seokjin who's eyes are filled with disappointment and his shoulders have drooped but he manages to shoot me a soft smile.

"I hope to meet you soon (Y/N)." he says softly.

I nod, trying not to show my eagerness at the prospect of meeting the whole coven, smiling back at him.

"Soon." I echo.

He steps away, congratulating Yugyeomie for his mating ceremony and shoots me a final smile- but each step he takes is lingering and unwilling, hesitant to truly leave.

And when he turns, face hopeful as it lands on mine, I smile again.

"Until next time." I promise and that sets him at ease and an excitement fills his eyes as he leaves now, eager to get to his other mates...our mates, I realise with a jolt, and the thought makes me both nervous and excited.

And now I'm standing in front of all seven of them, Gyeomie having slotted so easily between them and so eager to choose a side- smiling smugly at me from where he's cocooned between Youngjae oppa and Mark oppa.

I fidget with my hands, feeling the weight of all seven stares as something that makes me nervous, makes my skin itch with the prickly sensation- as if they're not just staring at me but boring their eyes into the depths of my soul. And I don't know what it is that they find, what it is they read off me but then Jackson oppa steps forward with a smile, breaking the weighted combination of their eyes.

"Congratulations chickie. Though I'll be here for whatever support you need...including flying at extremely powerful vampires." He whispers the last part into my ear, though everyone hears anyways given the scoffs and laughs his giggled threat induces as he crushes me towards his chest, swaying me happily from side to side.

Youngjae oppa and Bambam are also eager to rush forward and scoop me into hugs but the other four hold back slightly- hesitation in their eyes.

I hold my arms out to them, blinking in confusion when the gesture sends Jinyoung oppa rushing forward- so quick that I miss the movement and the next sensation I have is of his hands gently brushing over my hair.

"I'm worried for you but also so, so happy. You deserve to get your happy ever after too." He whispers softly, his words a gentle caress to my mind too.

"Chickie...we're all here for you. And we respect your decisions, you have the complete right to decide how you want to move forward in life." JB oppa says, albeit with a sad smile- similar to an expression of watching someone leave their nest.

And with that he and Mark oppa come to press soft kisses to my head.

But Gyeomie stays resolutely firm on the other side, arms crossed and a scowling pout. But there's a deep furrow in his brows and conflict brewing in his eyes.

"Gyeomie—" I begin softly.

"I want to say I'm happy for you, really I do. But you haven't even met the rest of the coven yet. And I don't want you getting hurt." he says petulantly but the concern drips off his voice, failed at having been masked by the seemingly angry façade he's trying to pull.

I step forward to catch his wrist and meet his eyes.

"I know Gyeomie, I'm scared too. But I can't let fear hold me back." I say, willing for him to understand.

He sighs.

"I wish I could shield you from everything." He murmurs sadly.

"But you can't. You can be there for me as you always have been though." I reply and am surprised when there's a wet sheen to his eyes. He snatches back his wrist to scrub furiously at his face, ducking his head out of my sight but everyone's seen it.

His mates rush forward to enwrap him in several pairs of arms, a hand gently cradling his jaw and lifting his face away from its downwards stoop. Jinyoung oppa tenderly takes Gyeomie's hands away and kisses his cheeks- soft and careful.

And the sheer love radiating off them all is unmissable and I gently extract myself from the huddle and step away. The weekend and tonight will be dedicated to finishing off the mating ceremony- the mating marks are always done privately- it's an intimate moment only shared between bondmates.

And that means it's my cue to leave and without further ado I slip out the door and shoot off a message to JB oppa- knowing that when they do separate from each other and the need to be with each other lessens, he'll see it. And make my way home- to an empty apartment which is soon filled with countless thoughts, scenarios, and hopeful dreams of my own. Of a future I may have one day.

TAE POV:

Once Jin hyung returns there's a noticeable difference in him. Whilst his face bear the proof of recent tears having been shed- there's also a constant smile tugging at his lips, eyes twinkling with unshared knowledge and he's practically vibrating with barely repressed energy. He quickly gathers us all up, eagerly bustling us out of the hall and into our large car, and there's such an incredible shift from the Jin hyung we'd been seeing from the past few weeks that suddenly it doesn't matter why he was meeting (Y/N). Whatever had traversed between the two had made him happy and that instantly boosts and elevates her to an even higher level of respect and admiration I had for her.

I find myself getting excited too, hyung's emotions are infectious- bubbling through the bond; light and airy and rouses similar feelings in me and Hobi hyung, Kookie and Joon hyung are the same- bright smiles adorning their beautiful faces and suddenly it feels like everything will be alright. Order will be restored back to our own world- hyung is happy, it's all going to be okay.

And the thought makes me giddy, drunk on that knowledge.

But Yoongi hyung is an impassive statue, curled into Jiminie's hunched over state and the two of them bask in a companionable and frozen silence.

And hyung almost bounds out of the driver seat, rushing out to open the door and herding us all in, dropping sweet kisses to our heads as we pass him by. Everyone piles onto the sofas save for Jin hyung, he stands in the centre of the room shooting us all a soft bright smile.

"My loves I have something to tell you." he says, words fond. The others lean in, as if his words are pulling and reeling us in.

I lean forward, the bubble of excitement growing and growing.

"I met our final mate." He confesses and the bubble in me bursts- unable to hold the extent of emotion back anymore.

The words sink in rapidly. He met our final mate. He met our final mate.

But then the image of (Y/N) flashes through my mind, hyung had just met her though.

And quickly the puzzle pieces slide into place- making the picture much clearer and comprehensible.

(Y/N) is our final mate?

And the thought doesn't perturb me, it sits in my heart with all the weight and comfort of holding something treasured, something valuable close.

All this time it was her?

I don't realise I'm smiling, don't realise that a few happy tears have slipped out of my eyes and down my face- temporarily blurring my vision.

And it's Kookie's soft voice that breaks the stunned silence.

"Our final mate is (Y/N)?" he asks, his sweet voice shattering the silence.

And with that question, the room erupts.

JIMIN POV:

When Kookie says those five words, I feel my world come crashing down. Everything I thought I knew, the ease with which I had discarded her words, the way I had shunned her, every act, every tiny thing- my behaviour, the tone I used, the words I spat at her, the very blatant distance I maintained. All of it floods me, drowning me with the horrifying knowledge and clarity that I had met our final mate and never known.

But then through that flood of thoughts, comes something else.

How did Kookie know her?

But it's not only me who turns in surprise, it's everyone save for Tae- Tae who's sitting there smiling with tears running down her cheeks.

And in that moment I wondered whether we had truly been open with each other recently. If we had been withholding things.

"How do you know (Y/N)? Hobi hyung asks, curiosity in his posture and tone.

And then heads swivel to him- he knew her too? Clearly Jin hyung and Namjoon hyung didn't know that- and Yoongi hyung's scowl only deepens.

It appears as if somehow, each one of us have met her, know her. and the thought alone is enough to send me spiralling into a panic had it not been for the fact that her name had brought sharp razors of pain shooting through my body, tearing at my soul.

It looks like we've got a lot to talk about, and it all revolves around one human. Who had somehow slipped into our lives and turned it into a rollercoaster.

----

When the shock of Kookie's question has worn off, our baby now nestled securely in Tae's arms, his legs forming a protective cage around him- there's a few beats of stilted silence. And then Joon hyung speaks, voice coming out in a deep sigh.

"It looks like we need to start right at the beginning. And everyone needs to say their side of this story." He says, taking lead of this very jumbled mess.

"I met (Y/N) with Jin hyung for the first time at the Ims' nest- that day after the exhibition." Joon hyung starts off, voice soft and he shifts slightly but doesn't duck his head down, meeting all our gazes even if his part of the bond floods with fear- fear of how we'll respond, his exterior is calm and collected- ever the face of the person who always unfailingly steps up, always there to push his feelings aside for us.

Jin hyung reaches over to squeeze his hand, a show of solidarity.

And then Tae speaks up.

"I saw her in a book café, I'd always been drawn to it time and time again, there was always this intoxicating allure, this scent that was so soothing but so tempting and now I realise it must've been her. The call of our mate. And at first I was hesitant, the very first instance I met her but she was defending a vampire child from me, putting herself between and taking care of her as if she was one of her own." He says, deep voice filled with wonder as he divulges the details of how he met her.

And then we're surprised when he continues to speak.

"And then I saw her again at the opening night of the exhibition. She ran out crying and at first I was just curious, but then I saw her comforting a full-blooded vampire teenager- reassuring him it'll be okay, that he can grow and survive and be a good person regardless of who he is." He adds, a softness creeping into his voice as his eyes shine- clearly recollecting the night.

And his words strike at me. Of the image of (Y/N) who had helped vampires, of the (Y/N) who'd unhesitatingly placed herself in between, of who had comforted a stranger and treated one like her own. Of the words that depict her as an illusion, a mirage in a dry scorching desert- that gulp of fresh air, the sip of cold water- so different, so refreshing after the endless years filled with only mistreatment from humans. It sounds too good to be true. But a part of me, a big part of me, desperately wishes that it's not the case. That she truly is like that.

"I saw her when I went to the mall with Yoongi hyung. She was shopping for matching pyjama sets- is that not just adorable?! And then...and then..." he starts of excitedly but then tails off, eyes darting to Yoongi hyung.

"And then I confronted her for being the person who'd hurt Jiminie's feelings, who had made him feel like an outcast." He adds monotonously.

And his words disrupt the happy giddiness that had begun to build in our nest, had begun to mount with fizzing hope and it vanishes and sizzles out.

There's shock and hurt in red-tinged irises that turn to me, waiting for me to share.

"She was in the same group as me for History, and at first I thought she was a vampire. She reeked of the Im coven's scent so I thought she was their new nestling. I thought she'd be on my side but then she sided with the humans' ideas- and it hurt okay? It hurt and I didn't know why. Didn't know why I was so bothered by it. Kept telling myself it shouldn't hurt, shouldn't sting. And know I know why." I say, hurt seeping back into my words, the conversation having reopened the wound that had started to close.

The sparks in their eyes lessens slightly. And I think, this is it. This is where they all realise that we can't be mates- even if that thought leaves an oddly bitter taste in my mouth.

But that declaration never comes.

Because my mouth opens.

"I met her again. She was at the exhibition during the holidays and asked if we could talk. And when she explained, it made sense- but a part of me still hurts, still is wary and hesitant. And I've pushed it too far for her to accept me, I've ruined it for us all." I whisper and when cold tears splash across my cheeks, I don't know what to do moving forward. Because my soul aches for her whilst my mind screams at the threat she represents.

And it feels like this inner turmoil is shredding me apart.

(AHHHHH! CAN YOU HEAR MY SCREAMS? PLEASE TELL ME YOU CAN- COS MY THROAT ACHES, THOUGH IN REALITY THAT'S COS I JUST GOT OFF FROM TUTORING, AND NO! WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?? WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NOW? THOUGHTS? THEORIES? ANYONE YOU WANNA HUG? AND WHILST THE GUYS ALL KNOW NOW...(Y/N) DOESN'T! AND WHAT'LL HAPPEN WHEN SHE DOES! I'M SCREECHING! AND THAT'S ALSO COS WE'RE STILL AT NUMBER ONE?? AND 23K READS? THAT'S A HUGE JUMP- THANK YOU S MUCH MY PRECIOUS LOVELIES! STAY SAFE!)

Everyone's way of thinking is special, unique and beautiful. We may find beauty in the most hidden places, what we see as normal- is something someone somewhere is in awe of. Be grateful for what we have and colour your lives with precious moments. Think....and where will your beautiful minds take you? The possibilities are endless.

Borahae! 💜💜💜

PurpleQueenie <3