"Cara, I have a Detective Park here at reception for you," I heard through the phone from one of the hospital receptionists. As I asked that he be sent up to my office, I wondered why he was here – and alone – especially since it had been three days since our meeting with Taehyung.

"Detective Park," I exclaimed as he walked through my door. He looked even better than he did when I first met him; his hair was styled back with a couple of tendrils brushing his forehead. I realised looking at him now that I wasn't imagining that he had heterochromia, where one eye was an unusual golden-greenish colour, while the other was a deeper blue. His eyes, though unique in their colourings, were bright and welcoming.

"Please, Jimin is okay," he replied with a kind smile that made his plump lips look even more alluring. "I wanted to talk to you earlier. But with what Taehyung told us, I couldn't get away."

"Oh? Is everything okay with the case?" I asked in surprise, wondering why he wanted to speak to me again. "Do you have more questions to ask?"

"Actually, I'm not here about the case," Jimin admitted shyly, the blush adorable on his chubby cheeks as he moved his weight from one foot to the other.

I offered him a seat in one of the chairs at the seating area to the side of my desk, while I took the couch so I could be opposite him. The few seconds waiting for the hybrid to speak felt like an eternity.

"I- You–" he started, pausing to release a big sigh. "There's no easy way to say this."

Fuck, has something happened to Yoongi? To Jin, Felix or one of my friends?

"Cara, you're my mate," Jimin blurted suddenly, sighing and looking relieved afterwards.

"Huh? What?" It felt like it was my turn to have my brain malfunction.

There's no way he said he's my mate... is there?

"I'm sorry to just spring this on you," the Arctic fox said quietly, "especially because you already have a mate."

Shit, what's Yoongi going to say? And is he also Jimin's mate too?

I nodded slowly, not knowing what to say. A thought ran through my head, and I was unable to stop it from slipping out.

"Do you even want me as a mate?"

I hesitated to look at the hybrid, but when I did, I was met with a horrified look.

"How- how can you even ask that?" Jimin exclaimed, clearly offended. The way his bushy white tail hung limply to his side, instead of the way it was wagging happily as he had entered, showed me how much I hurt his feelings with that comment.

"But I already have a mate. What about Yoongi? He's also my destined mate and I'm not leaving him," I said quietly, but I knew because of his hybrid hearing that Jimin would be able to hear every word.

Jimin moved to sit beside me reaching and clutching my clammy hand in his own soft one. His voice and facial expression softened after he sniffed deeply. "Cara, you're my destined mate too. I'd never, ever, dream of asking you to choose between us or to leave him."

A million thoughts were zooming through my head like race cars on a track, but there was one main one that kept popping up more than the others. "B-but look at you... shouldn't you want someone who isn't like...me?" I whispered the last part quietly. I felt self-conscious because once again, fate had assigned my fat ass' soul to another hybrid – one who looked like the Greek Gods had very carefully sculpted him from the finest marble.

I didn't realise tears were falling until Jimin knelt in front of me and used his cute, chubby thumbs to wipe my cheeks. "Cara, you are beautiful and absolutely perfect for me."

"I- I need to talk to Yoongi," I said nervously, my entire body beginning to tremble uncontrollably. When Jimin asked if I was scared to tell my mate because he was violent, I shook my head rapidly. "Yoongi's one of the sweetest people I know," I told him. "I'm scared he's going to leave me."

"You're his mate. That's a very important thing to hybrids and we wouldn't leave our mates unless it was for a very, very good reason."

I understood this, but in the back of my mind were questions that were looming like an ominous and menacing storm that was coming to rain down on my happy life. How would Yoongi react hearing I have another mate? Would he accept Jimin into our lives? What if Jimin and Yoongi aren't mates?

What happens then?

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ⋆͛♡⋆͛ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

"Baby?" Yoongi kneeled in front of me as I sat on the couch. I didn't remember much about the rest of the day after Jimin left, and I had no idea how – or when – I got home.

"Hmm?" I hummed, slowly forcing my eyes to focus on the handsome face that looked upon me with concern and worry etched into its features. It saddened me to see his ears flat and his beautiful, fluffy tail hanging limply.

That's two hybrids I've made look this way today. I'm a terrible mate.

"Baby, what's wrong? Did you lose another patient today?"

I could tell I was worrying Yoongi, but I had no idea how I was going to break the news to him. I didn't have the faintest idea what his reaction would be, or if he would even want to be with me anymore. I didn't know whether I wanted to rip the proverbial band-aid off, or if ignorance would be more blissful.

How do you tell someone that you love with every fibre of your being that it might not be only you two in your relationship from now on?

"No, just got a lot on my mind," I answered finally when I remembered that he'd asked me a question.

"I'm a good listener, Kitten," he coaxed, moving to cradle me in his strong arms. I relaxed feeling the warmth of his chest along my back but then again I also felt insanely guilty in feeling his comfort when I might break his heart soon. "You can use me as your sounding board."

I took a deep, stabilising breath as my fingers wound into the fur on his tail as he draped it over my lap. If it was a different circumstance, I would have giggled by the way it jumped under my touch, as if it were playing a mischievous game of catch with my fingers.

"So, you know the new detective on the case?" I asked, feeling Yoongi's head nod on my shoulder. "Well, he came in to see me today."

"Has he got some information about who Taehyung's owners were?"

"We didn't actually talk about the case," I murmured, nervous over the next piece of news. "He came for a personal reason."

"Oh no, is he sick? He's what, an Arctic fox hybrid, right? They can suffer from the heat and it has been a hot summer so far." Yoongi really was a good man, and it showed with how concerned he was over the health of another hybrid that he'd never met before.

"He's okay as far as I know," I replied, taking one last deep breath before I ripped the proverbial band-aid off. "Yoongi, he says he's also my destined mate."

I felt the man I love stiffen behind me as he took in the bomb I'd just dropped on him. As much as I wanted to turn around and look into his eyes, I couldn't bear to in case there was hurt, anger or sadness in them. I was a coward.

"My mate..." he whispered in a tone I couldn't quite comprehend, "has another mate and he's a FUCKING DOG?!?"

This was what I didn't want... what I was scared would happen.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ⋆͛♡⋆͛ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

"He what?" Jin screeched down the phone line so loud that I had to pull it away from my ear.

Not long after I told Yoongi about Jimin, my mate had fled the house. After two hours of letting him cool off, I was starting to worry. It wasn't like Yoongi to run away like this, even if he'd just had his heart crushed. My mate was the one who always wanted to sort out our disagreements at the time, while I was the one who just wanted to run away and forget about them until later.

Blowing my nose and wiping my cheeks, I'd picked up my phone and called my brother. I needed to see if he was there.

After Jin's outburst, I could hear a range of emotions on the other side of the call; high-pitched whines from Jungkook when he heard Yoongi had run away, and Jin flying off the handle saying he couldn't believe my mate would do that to me.

"I don't blame him though," I admitted in between sniffles. "I'd probably need some space too if Yoongi came home and said he had another mate that I'd have to share him with."

"So are Jimin and Yoongi mates?" Jungkook asked, a hopeful tinge seeping into his voice.

The feline and Arctic fox hybrids had never met, so I told the married couple as much. "Well, there's only one way you'll know – you need to get them to meet," Jin suggested as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

I vaguely listened as the two men told me what to do and what to avoid. I was to have the meeting in a neutral place so one's scent wasn't overwhelming for the other. I was also not to push things if they weren't mates.

Both Jin and Jungkook asked if I wanted them to be nearby just in case we needed them for anything. I thanked them for the offer but declined because their new mate was coming home the next day and they needed to be with him; Taehyung's infection had responded well to treatment and had been given the all-clear to be discharged after one final night of observation.

"I have to go," I said quickly, hearing the lock of the front door unlatching. "Yoongi's home. I love you, Jinnie, and hope tomorrow goes well for you both and Tae."

Just as I hang up, I feel the couch beside me move. "I'm so sorry, Honey," I said, placing my phone beside me and turning to look at my mate.

Yoongi looked awful; his usually upright, fluffy ears were plastered to his wet hair. His tail hung damp, draping down to the floor with droplets pooling underneath it. But what hurt most were his usually bright golden eyes, which were now red-rimmed and puffy.

"No, Baby, it's me who should apologise. I shouldn't have gotten angry or left like that." His deep voice sounded rough and hoarse, like he'd been screaming, or crying, for hours. "I got jealous and instead of looking at this objectively for what it is, I thought only of myself and reacted badly."

I didn't blame Yoongi for his outburst; in fact, I probably would have done the same if I was in his position.

"Yoongi, let's get you washed up, I said softly. "You're soaking wet, and I don't want you getting sick."

I could tell he wanted to talk, to clear everything up. "I'm not angry, disappointed, or sad, my sweet Kitty. I understand why you reacted that way and I forgive you," I said, kissing his nose so he'd know I meant it. "Let me help warm you up and then we can talk and cuddle in bed, yeah?"

I took his larger hand in mine after he nodded, leading the way to the bathroom. I had spoken honestly with him just before. I wasn't angry, sad or disappointed that he left; I'd been worried and concerned, both for his safety and that he'd not want me anymore. By coming home and admitting why he left, he'd taken responsibility for his actions and showed me he was fighting for us. It was all I'd wanted, for him to stay and fight for our relationship.

I was thankful that when we hopped into bed a bit later, Yoongi declared that he'd never let go of me, nor the love we shared.