At the end of the third day of Yoongi's rut, I was incredibly thankful that he was a cat hybrid. Cat and rabbit hybrids had the most frequent heats and ruts and because of that they were short – only lasting about three days on average.

I was worried, however, with how many times kittens were brought up while Yoongi fucked me or rested afterwards. Because of the hybrid contraceptive, there would be no kittens that came from his rut and to be honest, I was nowhere ready to be a mother anytime soon.

"How'd your first time helping Yoongi with his rut go?" Lisa asked as we caught up over brunch the day after his rut finished; for the first time, we were also joined by her mate, Joy.

Over glasses of hot mulled wine and plates of nibbles, I filled the two women in on parts of what happened over the past few days, making sure leaving out any X-rated details since they were only for Yoongi and me to know.

"So, there was a lot of talk about kittens?" the doctor asked when I'd finished.

I nodded, taking a sip of my sweet, spiced wine. The heat of the drink, plus the alcohol, helped warm me right up and soothe premenstrual cramps that had started earlier this morning. We really had picked a nice place today; inside was warm and really cosy, while the light snow falling outside painted the world around us white.

"Yeah, most waves had some mention of breeding or kittens. Is that normal?" I asked, looking at the two women. "I'm worried to bring up the fact that I was on contraception the whole time... and still am."

A soft look came over my best friend's features as she pushed her newly dyed brown hair behind her ear. "It's normal rut behaviour for male hybrids when they have either a female destined mate, seeing as they're the only ones they can conceive a baby with. Chosen mates can't breed, so they don't have that same primordial need that drives their ruts."

"What you do need to think about is how you'll prevent his post-rut funk," Joy said, reaching across the table and placing her hand on mine. The fennec fox and I had formed a quick friendship, not only thanks to her being my best friend's mate, but because of the kindness and warmth she brought.

"Post-rut funk?" I'd never heard of such a thing, not even when I was helping my brother study whilst he was in medical school.

In layman's terms, Lisa explained that basically it was the emotional crash hybrids experienced when they realised their heat or rut wasn't successful in creating young. "Usually, it happens a couple of weeks after the heat or rut, or when a human female's period comes," she said.

"Mine is due in a couple of days," I admitted. It hurt to think of Yoongi becoming depressed over the fact he didn't actually breed me successfully.

"You'll need to get a kitten surrogate," Joy instructed, grabbing her phone and pulling up images of a life-size doll, like something little girls would play with. "Usually they're made of felt, wool or cotton and they are placeholders to help male hybrids relieve the breeding hormones that they would get if their destined mate were actually pregnant."

"Where do I get one from?" As soon as the idea was suggested, I knew I had to get one for Yoongi.

"I can take you to a really good maker of them," Lisa offered, saying that once we finished our meal we could head there.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ⋆͛♡⋆͛ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

When I got home after my brunch with the girls, I cooed seeing my mate curled up in a ball on the couch, soaking up a ray of sun shining through the window. His grey fur looked so soft that as much as I tried to resist the urge to run my fingers through it, I found myself kneeling beside him and gently stroking my hand down his side.

Yoongles' loud purrs filled my ears, the sound low, melodic and incredibly calming. I considered leaving him there to sleep peacefully, but my hands moved again like they had a mind of their own. Scooping him up into my arms, I carried the sleepy kitty into our room, where I proceeded to lay on the bed with him on top of me.

Soft laughter erupted as Yoongles bunted his head against mine. It was his favourite way of saying he loved me while in cat form – well that and licking the tip of my nose.

"I missed you too, my sweet Kitty," I giggled before I interrupted myself with a big yawn. "Shall we nap?" A soft meow came in reply as hopped off my stomach and settled into the curve of my body. I rolled over carefully so I didn't squish his small body and laid close to him as the big spoon. His rumbling purrs softly vibrated against my stomach and breasts, the sound lulling me into sleep.

I was awoken to soft kisses as lips danced across my neck and collarbone. "Hi, Baby," he murmured into my skin, "did you have fun with the girls?"

I moaned an affirmative, enjoying the sensations he was stirring within me, especially when he kissed and licked the spot where his mark sat.

"You smell amazing, Kitten. Like a fruit ripe and ready for the picking." Even after the long – and sex-fuelled – three days of his rut, it seemed Yoongi still couldn't get enough of me as he relieved me of my clothes.

I was done for the moment his tongue connected with my hot folds. As Yoongi licked and sucked, bringing pleasure to my body, I was unable to do anything but moan and enjoy the ride he was sending me on.

"I love it when you get vocal like this," he spoke into my skin, the vibrations of his words and breaths driving me wild. "Show me how much you love me eating you, Baby."

I moaned his name, pleading that he would bring me to my euphoric climax. I whined in disbelief as he disconnected his mouth from my clit but sighed in relief shortly after as his fingers slid deep within me. He knew exactly what got me going, especially how he curled his fingers and located my spot instantly.

"Fuck! Don't stop. Please don't stop," I begged, not even ashamed of the pleading moans that intermingled with deep panting breaths. "You feel so good, Honey. I'm so close."

As his fingers rubbed me perfectly and with a particularly hard suck on my clit, I came, flooding his mouth with juices. Yoongi slurped and licked up everything I gave him, making me moan out his name with how good he felt.

I felt empty as his fingers slid out of me and straight into his waiting mouth. "Fuck, Baby. You taste even sweeter than normal," he moaned, savouring my flavour on his tongue. When he kissed me, I could taste myself.

"I might have to do that all over again when we get home," Yoongi mused, lying beside me and pulling me into his arms.

"Get home? Are we going somewhere?" I was confused, I couldn't remember having plans for tonight apart from curling up on the couch with my mate.

"I'm taking my beautiful... sexy... gorgeous... insanely wonderful woman out on a date," he answered, kissing me between words. It was safe to say that my self-confidence levels had increased over the weeks that Yoongi had come into my life, his compliments helped shape the way I saw myself into a much nicer light.

"Date night?" I asked, sinking into the warmth of his embrace. "I couldn't imagine anything better than being with you. What should I wear?" I smiled at how he said that I always look beautiful, so to surprise him.

Yoongi and I showered together, enjoying washing each other. As much as I would have loved to have gotten dirty again, the spank to my bum let me know it wasn't the right time.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ⋆͛♡⋆͛ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

The restaurant Yoongi had chosen was quaint and shrouded in darkness. Lanterns and candles lit at each of the tables helped create the romantic ambiance of the place. We sat side-by-side in the leather-bound booth. Holding hands, we enjoyed being in each other's company as we pondered what we each wanted to order.

After placing our orders and toasting with our glasses of red wine, Yoongi and I fell into one of our favourite pastimes: chatting endlessly with each other. With a heavy heart, I told him about the news Lisa and Joy had shared today: that there'd been another five hybrids brought into Sanctuary with fresh scars indicating they'd had surgery; when the doctors had investigated and treated their wounds, signs pointed to them being victims in this organ harvesting ring.

"Bang Chan and Taemin did such a good job holding down the fort while I was off," I praised, proud of the two men who'd stepped up while I was indisposed with Yoongi's rut. "I'm so thankful for hiring Taemin, he was the one coordinating with police so I could be home with you."

Yoongi asked lots of questions, showing that he was actively engaged. It felt nice to have someone I could talk to; of course I had my friends and family, but the kisses that Yoongi gave me, coupled with his loving words, felt so much more special.

"Hobi and Joon are coming over tomorrow," he said between bites of his lobster risotto.

I was pleasantly surprised when had I tasted his dish – I wasn't a fan of crab or lobster, but the creamy, cheesy rice dotted with sweet, buttery lobster had my mouth watering. As good as it was though, I still preferred my cranberry and brie stuffed chicken, which was also a winner in Yoongi's book.

"Yeah? It will be good to see them again. I'm glad you're getting along with them all." It touched me how my loved ones had welcomed Yoongi into their lives.

"We're going to write a song together," he admitted, a pretty pink flush colouring his cheeks. "I-I've been writing songs for my album and there's one that I think would be better as a trio rather than just me alone."

It still amazed me that my mate was the elusive Suga, the insanely talented hip-hop act that never showed his face. Only a few people knew his identity, which now included my loved ones and I. I'd been a fan of Suga for years. I loved the raw honesty that flowed through his lyrics and the powerful beats that just made you want to move.

"That's awesome, Honey," I gushed, placing my hand in his and moving them both onto my thigh. "I can't wait to hear them when the songs are ready."

Yoongi knew I was his #1 fan and the gummy grin he gave me made my heart flutter. "It's going to be a different album to what people are used to from me," he said, stealing more of my chicken. "I've been inspired lately to write from a different perspective. My muse has shown me what it feels like to love and be loved in return."

My mouth dropped open as my heart rapidly beat in my chest. Did Yoongi just say I was his muse? I, Cara Randall, an ordinary, overweight woman was the muse to Suga – the biggest name in hip hop?

"Baby, you're not ordinary and I won't allow you to call yourself fat." I blushed, not realising that I'd said that out loud. "I love everything about you, especially your soft belly, voluptuous hips and these juicy, thick thighs."

"Honey, if you keep complimenting me like that," I whispered so only he could hear, "I'll take no responsibility for jumping on top of you and fucking you in front of all these people."

I felt the deep rumbling chuckle against my neck as Yoongi whispered that I could ride him any time. Thankfully for my heart's sake, and my panties, the rest of our dinner was more loving and less lustful.

Not being able to decide what I wanted between the decadent sounding chocolate mousse cake and the vanilla bean crème brûlée on the menu, Yoongi suggested we get both and share. I had to admit as good as the desserts were, my favourite flavour was when I kissed him and tasted his strawberry flavour mixed with the creamy chocolate.

"Mmm, you taste wonderful, Kitty," I sighed after we parted from another kiss.

"I beg to differ, Baby," he countered with a smirk forming. "We'd better hurry up and head home. I have an appointment booked for a private dessert tasting in between your thighs."