"Everyone welcome The Joker!" I hear the crowd cheer as I watch powerlessly as Hoseok enters the ring with another hybrid, both with an unnerved and tensed posture, the hyena that has a place in my heart making it beat wildly in fear.

His laughing noises have nothing to do with fun, yet when he does let out his worries, the crowd cheers even louder, The Joker chanted over and over again and making me growl, wishing I could shut them all up.

The sound of firing resounds in the room to announce the start of the battle and Hoseok's cackles reach my ears as he gets the first hit before jumping on his opponent to get in enough hits as well, knowing that if he doesn't, what he'll get behind walls will be much worse than a claw mark on his body.

Going against a powerful tiger is no easy fight for the smaller hybrid and his soon-to-be-heard howls of pain make my blood boil in rage. I try to get through the damn door separating us all from the wide open room where he is but the sound of a whip slicing through the air soon brings with it the painful feeling of skin breaking and bleeding on impact.

Still, what I'm feeling gets pushed to the back of my mind as my senses focus entirely on Hoseok and the ongoing battle that he does his best to win to avoid an additional beating once it's all over.

And as mighty as a tiger is, Hoseok is mightier, the symbol of hope as he doesn't give up and keeps throwing claws and bites at the other hybrid, both of them sad at having to hurt but both not wanting to be the one taken aside at the end only to be punished for not being strong enough.

A high-pitched howl from the hyena gives me chills and when I hear that the battle is over, my blood runs cold at seeing my family member dragged on the floor next to the winning tiger, guilty eyes falling on his opponent who put up a good fight but simply wasn't strong enough.

I growl and yowl at the jailer holding me still and hit against the barrier to reach his side but they manage to keep me away and when the barrier opens, Hoseok's unconscious form is bleeding and vulnerable.

But more is waiting for him and I can only look in fear as he is dragged across the room before I'm forcefully pushed into the show room to reach the ring, my turn having come.

And sadly for my opponent, I have anger as my closest ally right now.

My loud beating heart wakes me up first, then my alerted senses kick in and I unconsciously push Jungkook off me to scramble out of bed and out of the room, wide eyes looking around to find the hyena, needing to protect him, to keep him safe until the danger is over, ears focused on any sounds surrounding me, nose sniffing the air and tail anxiously waving behind me.

"Y/N-"

I start running down the corridor and through the kitchen to reach the other side of the building, the smallest hint of his scent guiding me and as it becomes stronger, I run faster and faster, this urge in me to keep him out of sight and out of reach until the threat is gone.

My eyes fall on his form, brain not registering his human form and seeing in him the wounded hyena who was sent for a beating in his already weak state and when I see a hand reaching to touch him, a loud whiny growl leaves my throat before I snatch him away from the limb that could do anything to him.

I don't register the way the scents spike up in alert and pull Hoseok with me quickly towards the only place I know to be safe here, one in which I went to get over my panic attacks in secret when I was alone, a place where the scent is comforting and secure.

"Y/N flower, what's wrong?" I hear Hoseok ask but I don't reply and push the door open before locking it and then find the corner hidden by two imposing furniture where I push him down to the floor urgently before shielding his body with mine, unaware of how much I'm shaking, Hoseok's scent thick and confused, sad as he comes to understand what's happening.

"Oh flower...".

I let out a whine as I can keep hearing the crowd's cheers in my ears, all of them begging for more, always more. My tail wraps around him and I make sure to hide as much from him as I can from sight, anyone managing to come in a possible danger that I need to keep him away from.

Namjoon's POV

Following Taehyung around is fun, it allows me to meet more of the hybrids officially as we get introduced while other times, I'm asked to remain outside while he goes in to talk.

It makes me more aware of our environment and of its inhabitants, something that makes me feel more in control and safe, no secret corners hidden from my eyes as I take in everything, but mostly enjoy spending time with the human who has an amount of patience that surpasses any normal limits.

So it's feeling relaxed that we walk through the corridors after meeting the last hybrid on his list, but just as I open my mouth to say something, Jungkook's scent, sweet blueberries that normally makes my heart flutter reaches my nose and I know right away that something is wrong.

I turn around to see his panicked eyes on me as he runs over, out of breath and tears clinging onto his eyelashes. I cup his cheeks once he's in front of me to try and calm him down, my more dominant scent washing over him and helping him gain back some control while Taehyung remains aside, his attention on our snake and ready to take action once he knows what's going on.

"Deep breaths, baby boy, tell me what's going on" I ask softly as I try to remain as calm as possible to not feed his worry. It's as I breathe in deeply that I notice Y/N's scent on him and realization hits me that it's not Jungkook who needs help but Y/N.

"Where is she?" I ask him, see Taehyung's head snap towards me from the corner of my eye at these words but I don't look away from the hybrid in front of me who still tries to put words on his tongue before deciding to simply lead the way, his quick feet guiding us to the other side of the dormitory to then head to the infirmary where her flowery scent is almost overpowered by pure fear and the need to protect takes over my senses as my feet hurry up to follow the trail that also includes Hoseok's scent.

It leads us to Jimin's office, the door closed and Yoongi's worried face greets us, his hands trying to turn a knob that doesn't cooperate. Seeing us come by is a relief to the lion who lets go of the door to pull us closer to come up with a way to open it faster.

"Y/N suddenly came by and took Hoseok away when I was about to touch his arm, it was as if she saw me as a threat but she wasn't focused on anything else but him. I think she dreamed of a moment where he got hurt, that would explain the clear need to protect him I saw in her eyes" he says, brain having quickly analyzed the situation, something that helps us understand more.

"Move aside, I have a spare key" Taehyung says gently, his scent calming down and unconsciously helping us do the same, his calm telling our instincts that he understands, that Y/N will be in good hands.

"Snowy, I'm coming in" he warns with a soft voice before opening the door, a look sent to the three of us to advise us to come in only if we can remain calm. Yoongi takes Jungkook's shaking body in his arms and slides a hand on mine before squeezing, a request to take good care of her before he takes our snake away.

I take in a deep breath, her anxiousness everywhere in the room and hitting me with strength, the source strong and raw with fear, with anger.

I step in at the sound of a low growl, the sound weak but still threatening, she doesn't want anyone getting closer and what I find breaks my heart. Hoseok's eyes filled with tears as he gazes at our lovely girl crouched in front of him, her small body covering as much of his as she can, pupils dilated, her breath ragged and senses ready to take in any sign of danger.

Taehyung is crouched in front of her, his body trying to appear smaller than he is to show that he is no threat, hands within sight, which Y/N is staring at intently, knowing that hands can get things that hurt and she doesn't want that.

"Dearest, it's okay, take in a deep breath and scent the air for me, can you do that? Scent Hoseok, let your mind process carefully how he feels right now" he asks her with so much gentleness that her posture almost relaxes instantly before tensing again, confusion taking place in her eyes and in her frame.

I push out my scent to be as strong as possible to overpower hers and Hoseok attempts to do the same, to let her process that he is safe, not in danger. No one is in danger and no one here is dangerous either.

I can see that she's still between reality and the world in which her dream threw her, lost and not knowing what to believe but when she starts sniffing the air, unconsciously at first when she notices my scent before becoming more intent and longer, her eyes clear up slightly and she looks up to see me standing up behind Taehyung.

At having her finally acknowledge my presence, I take slow steps towards her, a reassuring smile meant for Hoseok, his hands holding onto Y/N to try and calm himself and her by the same occasion, and where she was too focused on keeping safe to notice anything, she now starts relaxing, body slumping into his hold as her brain registers that there is no threat.

"Like that, dear girl, softly" Taehyung murmurs when she lets her nose find Hoseok's throat, when she scents him, in search of pain but only finding love and sadness, the latter slowly but surely turning into relief as she relaxes even more in the hyena's arms.

"Safe" she whispers, eyes closing as her own scent loses its panicked edge, softens to its regular tone.

I crouch in front of them and take both in my arms, my bigger frame enough to shield the two and make them feel protected, in security. Hoseok nuzzles my cheek in thanks, his own body now feeling allowed to lose its tension.

"Safe" I echo her words, a kiss pressed to her forehead to support my claim.

Taehyung's POV

I observe the trio as they self-soothe each other and sigh in relief.

I'm definitely going to have a talk with her about what just happened, but for now, to see her calming down in their arms is all I can ask for.

It hurts so much, a burning feeling that ravages my self-control to a crisp to know that she was like that because of what they went through.

I remember hearing Sunoo talk to Jimin once, his voice confused when he said Y/N's scent was in his office instead of being in her room. Said there was something weird to it but that he couldn't be sure because the air gets filtered really quickly to avoid overwhelming hybrid's senses, most of it had been gone when he'd come in.

Watching her in this corner right now, it makes more sense. Our soulmate goes through these attacks on her own, something that will have to change. Where she's ready to get through anything to keep her pack safe, she also needs to let others make her feel safe and doing that by scent alone is not enough. Jimin might spend a lot of time in here, but it can't be strong enough to soothe the way a body can.

The simple thought of her wanting to be near his scent when she's scared makes me want to cry. She could search for him instead, but she chooses to use leftovers. A blanket filled with holes. You want it to keep you warm, but the cold goes in just as easily as when it did before you covered yourself.

I take notes of this behavior of hers and promise myself to work on that at a slow pace, to teach her that it's okay to depend on us, to not be afraid to ask for help, for comfort, for safety. It's going to be our pleasure to give it all to her.

We'd give her the world, the moon and all the stars in the universe if we could. She only needs to ask.

Hoseok's eyes falling on me in worry is sign enough that I'm letting my emotions take control and I breathe in, push down the emotions that can't serve right now before smiling at him, a smile I want as comforting, but his lips purse and I observe with confused eyes as he pulls himself out of the hug after kissing the young female's neck and cheek, sweet words whispered to her before he leaves her in Namjoon's embrace and then makes his way to me, the sweet hybrid much more sensitive to others' emotions than I thought.

Not knowing what to expect, my eyes widen when the beautiful hybrid with the smile in the shape of a heart kneels in front of me to take me in his arms, the embrace strong and loving.

My heart both melts and constricts, my emotions wanting to let go but also needing to remain grounded, I need to remain a pillar for the three hybrids but when Hoseok starts humming softly, his hands gently rubbing up and down my back, I realize that right now, Hoseok is the pillar to my wrecked emotional state.

I sniffle and hide my face in his neck, not wanting to worry them but when his hold around me tightens, my body starts shaking as sobs leave me, so much pain I feel for my poor soulmates, for what they went through.

It's one thing to be of help to hybrids, I knew what I was getting into when I chose this job, when I started studying for years, I knew what I was getting into but to see hybrids break down in trauma and to see your soulmate break down in trauma is very different.

One makes me want to help and soothe gently, the other makes me want to hunt down whoever did that to them, to move mountains and to part oceans to make their journey easier, devoid of pain.

I've been trying to remain strong, for the hybrids, for Jin and Jimin but a single hug from Hoseok and I crumble in his hold.

An additional touch to my body has me freezing in surprise and when I look up, tears running down my cheeks endlessly and making my surroundings blurry, I still manage to see Y/N, her own eyes filled with tears on me before she wraps her arms around my waist, Hoseok moving an arm behind her to let her in the hug before bigger arms envelop the three of us, the tiger having joined us too.

"Please don't be sad" Y/N murmurs, her face going to rest in my neck where I feel her tears fall on my skin, but their hold feels so loving that I can't help but fall into heavy crying, their sniffles joining mine and filling the room around us.

I want so much to see them out of this place, free, strong, happy and right now, I can't help but see just how much work is awaiting us and it breaks my heart.

But where I hurt, their love makes it better, fills me with hope, belief that we can and will make it there stronger than anything else.

Jin's POV

Moonbin, Eunwoo and I make our way to the meeting room to join the others so we can have a brief of what's awaiting us tomorrow.

All of us expect this to be about the breeding farm where the small group of hybrids Jimin is currently taking care of are from. Namjoon relayed to us what he heard when they were kidnapped and after researching every single fact, the tech team reported a few buildings that don't show anywhere on the maps but are clearly visible from the satellite view.

It gave us hope because that means we have an advantage now, a tool we never thought of using before now available to us.

We had to call the higher ups to report the situation and to ask them to get new centers ready for the possible arrival of new hybrids because our center is now overloaded, we can't get in any more if we want to be able to offer help to our hybrids properly. We're a good team, but there's only so much we can do.

We enter the meeting room where the fighter division is already seated and waiting for us. We bow in apology for being slightly late and when we reach our seat, the cougar hybrid, Jinjin clears his throat to get our attention.

As the director of the center, he's the one to send us on missions and also the one making sure that everything remains in control. He worked hard recently to go through every single workers to find out what happened to allow in the guys who kidnapped my soulmates and after making sure that it wasn't done on purpose and truly was a mistake, one that could've ended badly, he started working on a new security system with the tech team, one that has yet to be approved.

We've all had our hands full to say the least and it's only just beginning, something we're ready to face but we also need help. Luckily, the government was quick to grant our request and opened two additional rehabilitation centers, although not as advanced as ours since the hybrids about to be rescued haven't gone through trauma, they're simply underdeveloped, academically and mentally.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, let's start the meeting. Tomorrow, you will all go to Sacheon, we located three breeding farms around the area that sell hybrids to sources we can't trace, which leads us to believe that they deal with the people behind the circuses. You're going to separate in three teams, three rescuers along with four fighters for each team. We're going to get help from Japan's own elites for this, they'll be sticking around for a while and also take on jobs when you aren't because there's a lot of ground to cover now and Korea's elites are all busy at the moment" he starts, information that has us on the edge of our seat.

Japan is going to work alongside us? That is really relieving. They're highly skilled so this mission is already a success before it even started.

It is quite humiliating though to know that we have so much to take care of, so much corruption that we're in over our heads and need to ask help of our neighbors, but I'm thankful for the help. It makes me less nervous and I'm sure I will get to learn a lot working with them. As I look around the room, I can tell that I'm not alone in thinking that way.

"The teams will go as follow, Jin, Sanha, Jake. Eunwoo, Niki, Jay. Moonbin, Rocky. The missing roles will be filled in with the other squads, we're meeting up at the official elite base tomorrow early morning so I want everyone in bed early tonight, rest as much as you can and let's show them that Korea's elite is not to be taken lightly" Jinjin claims and we all cheer at that before continuing with the important information about the locations.

The more we hear, the more I find myself to be excited about tomorrow. We're going to be busy, but so many hybrids will be saved.