Hoseok's POV

I don't know why I'm so anxious today, I just can't seem to focus on anything, no matter what my tasks are. Why do I feel like something bad happened today?

"Do you feel it too, hyung? This bad feeling? It's been following me all day" Jimin asks me as we get on our way back home, his voice laced with worry and one look at his face and it feels like I'm staring into my reflection.

I nod, the sight of the house easing my nerves slightly, especially when I see that Yoongi and Jin are already at home, they must have left early today, I'm not going to complain about that. A hug from them would be amazing right now.

Jimin turns the engine off and together, we step out of the car to head inside, shoes removed before we get further in to find Jin sat in the living room, Yoongi heard from the kitchen. He must have been tasked with taking care of dinner, or he offered, it does happen sometimes.

Jin turns around as our magic intertwine together, but his smile drops when he starts processing how uneasy we both feel, souls upset and worried.

"What has my babies so sad? Come here, you two" he coos softly as he opens his arms for us and without waiting a single second, Jimin and I both rush around the couch and into his arms on either side of him, faces going to hide in his neck as he hugs us tightly.

Yoongi's magic comes peeking in sneakily, a small touch to find out how we feel, he must have heard Jin, so when he does come to find us in person, it's with warm cups of tea in hands, the kind that soothes the heart, something we definitely need.

I smile at him and accept the cup he hands me, Jimin doing the same and we take a few sips, the warmth so comforting as it flows down our throat before I sigh, Jin's question remaining unanswered still, the both of them patiently waiting as Yoongi sits nearby.

"We've been having a bad feeling all day. I don't know why, hyung, I don't know what it is, but I just have this feeling that something bad took place today" I tell him, to which Jimin nods to confirm my words.

That has Jin and Yoongi frowning, concern taking place in their eyes.

"Could something have been different today? Is it because Jungkook started that new job? Maybe you're feeling like that because you're worried about him? Did you try calling him?" Yoongi asks and I shake my head, although his words make sense. Maybe it is just that.

"I didn't want to distract him, he must be really busy getting used to everything, the new people there as well, I felt it was better to wait until he gets here to hear about his day. Do you really think it might be just that? Him starting his job?" I ask him, eyes looking up to his but Jimin lets out a denying noise, face looking unconvinced.

"It's not that, I'm sure of it. Do you think it could have anything to do with Y/N? Did something happen to her today? What if her state got really bad? The last time I saw her..." he shakes his head, not wishing to get back into that, but his eyes show how scared he is that this might have to do with her.

We stay silent at his words, not surprised that his thoughts would take him to her right away, he has been worrying over her to the point of getting sick a few times these past weeks, he really doesn't handle not seeing her that well.

I remember when he came back to work after driving her home, he was really upset, on the verge of a panic attack and it had taken me everything to calm him down, yet he wouldn't open up about what had happened to her, he didn't want me to worry even more.

As if that would help. Him saying that made me do just that, worry even more, I could only make myself scenarios of what could've taken place over there, scenarios that could somehow explain how white and nervous she was right before she left the coffee shop that day.

It must have to do with her collar, there's no doubt about that, but to what extent? I hate not knowing, I hate that all I can do is imagine, because my imagination is creative and harsh, it gives me images that I don't want to see, images that always concern Y/N being in pain, I hate that.

Watching our soulmate group fall into disrupted routines, all of us unable to function as we used to anymore, the way she's been avoiding every single one of us, the calls from Namjoon she's been ignoring, no matter how many times he tries, it hurts so much.

I thought we were close, I thought we were friends, did we not show her enough that we don't care about her collar? That she can always come to us, that we'll help her, smile at her, arms wide open at all time, did we not do enough to make her see us as a safe place?

Every morning, I wake up wondering if today's the day we're going to see her enter the shop, a sheepish look on her face because of her disappearance without warning, and every day I come back home feeling more upset than the last.

Is she never going to come back? My only comfort nowadays has been knowing about her getting escorted to and from work, which means she's safe, and Bo-young coming by from time to time to get a coffee for her.

Jimin and I always take turns doing hers, we wish it would cheer her up, we want to let her know that we still care about her, that we wish for her to be healthy, to be well, for her to come back to us.

We miss her so dearly.

"I will ask Sung-kyung when Y/N is home, alright? She's the one picking her up at work, she can tell us about her then, how's that?" Jin tries and we both turn to him with hopeful eyes.

"That would be nice, please".

The front door opens suddenly and we all look behind us to see Jungkook come in followed by Namjoon and Taehyung, something that surprises all of us. Wasn't Namjoon supposed to come back much later?

There's a somber look to their face that has us all sitting up straight, magic sensing that something happened today and it starts making sense to Jimin and I, it must have had something to do with them, the way we felt all day.

Jin and Yoongi seem to process the same thing because soon, Yoongi is motioning them over, lips into a frown, eyes worried as we all take in their posture, Jungkook and Namjoon especially, they look exhausted while Taehyung seems to be there to help them make it to one of the couches.

"Did something happen?" Jimin is first to break the silence, and that has the mood getting even heavier as Jungkook's magic curls around himself, heavy and sad, to which Namjoon's quickly wraps around him to comfort him, like a warm blanket, it has all of us reaching out to do the same, the sight of our upset soulmate not one we like to see.

Did work go bad for him? Is it not a good place? Was he bullied? Should I have called him after all? I would've gone to pick him up in a heartbeat if he'd told me that he wasn't treated the right way.

"We..." Namjoon starts, head tilting sideways because he doesn't know how to start, it makes me hesitant on what to believe, that he's in the same state as Jungkook, is it something different that took place?

We all stare with bated breath, hating that all we can do is wait for them to open up, to share with us their day, what happened to put them both in that state? They look as if they heard that the world is about to end soon.

"I work with Y/N" Jungkook is first to blurt the truth out and my eyes widen, body straightening up and out of Jin's hold to stare at him, because out of all of us present in the room, he's the only one who was lucky enough to see her in person.

"How is she? What was she like? Was she okay? Did she say anything about me? About Jimin and I?" I ask right away, impatient to hear everything he could possibly have to say about her, even what outfit she was wearing would soothe me at this point, but seeing the way his gaze lowers, guilt eating at him, my heart pounds nervously in my chest, mind once more going in the worst direction possible.

"She... erm... well when I first saw her, she... she didn't look well hyung, not at all, it was like she was constantly in pain, she probably was... no... because of me..." he tries to answer, but his own thoughts are all jumbled together and Namjoon rests a hand on his thigh just as Jimin lets out a distressed sob, face hiding within Jin's hold who shushes him softly, his eyes seeing a truth that I can't see, even Yoongi's jaw is clenched tightly, his eyes shut in defeat.

"Hyungs, it's time we let them know, Jungkook found out today, I don't think it's fair to keep the truth from them, especially not with what took place today, they need to know to understand" Namjoon says to them and I look between my soulmates, the way Taehyung also nods at them, does that mean Jimin and I are the only ones in the dark right now?

"It was never meant to be a secret to begin with, you have to understand that, Hobi hyung, Jiminie, we just didn't want to give you more reasons to panic, we were hoping the discovery could be sweet at least for you" our observant soulmate explains when noticing the shift in our expression.

Sweet for us? Because it wasn't for them? I don't think anything could be sweet at the moment, not with how bitter my soul is turning out to be the more worried it gets, the less it knows about Y/N.

Lovesick, that's what I'm becoming, as crazy as it is.

"What are you talking about Tae? What's going on? What did Jungkook find out today?" Jimin asks, his eyes wet with tears and to that, Namjoon sighs deeply before answering.

"Y/N is our soulmate. She's part of us, she always has been".

My soul disconnects from my body, the revelation shocking me to a point that I could never have seen coming, not with how often I'd dreamed of that being the truth, not with how much I fantasized over her being mine, ours.

"W-w-what?" Jimin stutters out, just as shocked, he can't believe it either, doesn't dare to.

This was our secret, the early hours in the night when we would talk about a reality that wasn't ours, one in which Y/N could be with us, smiling and laughing freely with hearts in her eyes when she would gaze at us.

And now, they're saying that from the very beginning, we had a soulmate within our grasp, and we didn't even know?

I think back to all the times when she told us that she couldn't be with her soulmates, that it couldn't be possible, not with her magic.

She had known, all along, yet she kept coming back, she kept going to the coffee shop to see us and we just didn't know how hard it was for her, could never acknowledge how hard it must have been for her because we were too damn focused on ourselves.

I hide my face in my hands, chin wobbling as tears threaten to flow out, so many things come to make sense, the way she would look wary when coming in, the times when she would wince as soon as our magic would go her way, we've been hurting her for a year now.

Just pure pain, her magic fighting against her collar to get to us because obviously, it wouldn't understand why she would refuse the bond, why she would refuse to bond with her soulmates, with us.

"T-then... what happened when you met, Jungkook-ah? What happened to Y/N? Why are you all looking like this? What happened to her?" I ask, needing to know as I wipe my cheeks, just how bad it really is for her.

Jungkook turns to Namjoon at that, and that can only mean this is above what he can comprehend himself, so we all turn our attention to our doctor as he bites on his cheek, mind trying to find where to begin.

"I won't go the long way around, so let me just explain before you panic. Right now? Y/N is well, probably much better than she has been for years, but that is her physical state. Mentally? She's not going to be happy" he starts and I frown, not quite understanding where he's going with that.

"Having Jungkook near her at work, it pushed her to her limit, her collar almost broke, but the Last resort magic services agents took care of the problem, they brought her somewhere to let out most of the impact of her magic before bringing her to the hospital.

Starting from today, she has a floor to herself with a whole team watching over her and assuring the hospital's security. She will be forced to bond with her magic" he concludes and I rest my back into the cushions behind me, mind buzzing with all the information flooding in my mind while Jin and Yoongi let out a relieved groan.

"Thank fuck, I was going crazy thinking that it was something bad but it's fucking good, you should've started with that, Namjoon-ah, you would've avoided me losing years of my life" Yoongi curses and Jin hisses at him, although it's obvious he feels the same way with the way his arms around Jimin seem more relaxed.

The latter seems to try hard to process what was just said, his eyes falling on Namjoon as if he could answer the questions he doesn't know how to voice out, this is all so much and sudden for us, to be dropped such a bomb as her being ours only to be followed with a terrible information that ends up leading to something good, it's a roller-coaster that I was not expecting when I set foot in the house.

Namjoon smiles at Jimin while rubbing Jungkook's arm softly, our youngest also looking like he's struggling, he clearly saw things he wished he didn't.

He must have seen her collapse before the agents took her, we'll have to take care of him well, I don't want him believing it was his fault because it was just a whole lot of coincidences that weren't in our control.

"She's going to be okay, Jimin-ah. You know Jinjin, my colleague? He was put in charge of watching over her, he's really gentle so I know he will take care of her well" Namjoon says to reassure him, but that has Jimin frowning in confusion.

"Why can't you be the one watching over her? You would've been a much better choice, she's our soulmate!" he exclaims and Jin nuzzles his cheek softly with his nose, arms tight around him while I remain still, mind absorbing everything that is being said, but no energy left to react to it all.

"I wish it could've been me, Jimin-ah, I really do, but because I'm her soulmate, since they had to remove her collar, we would bond right away and it's not recommended, not for now. They want her to get closer to her magic first, they need them both to become more comfortable with one another and meeting me would only stress her out, it would get in the way of her recovery" he explains calmly, but we can all see in his eyes how hard it is for him to acknowledge that at the moment, his presence near her would harm her more than anything else.

Taehyung scoots over to the big man and slides an arm around his back to soothe him before turning to us.

"I will be allowed to go see her, so it's not all completely lost. I already wear a collar and since she doesn't know me, I can act as a psychologist while also taking care of her as a soulmate, for now, this is the best that can be done. I will do my best, I promise you, she will get better, I'll help her reach that point".

I close my eyes at his words, a gift falling from the sky is what it is.

"Can you really? The agents will allow it?" Yoongi asks, surprised, his tone of voice higher than normal, this is really getting to him too, and Taehyung nods with a smile, proud that he can offer us that bridge that will connect us to her.

He's honestly the best choice for her right now, especially considering how she wanted nothing to do with her magic. Maybe he can help her see things differently, or at least accompany her through this new chapter of her life that will definitely be hard for her.

"We'll be counting on you then, Taehyung-ah, take care of her for us, will you? We need her to get close to her magic if we want her to be open to the idea of being with us, it's going to be long but if we're patient..." Jin lets out, voice soft and filled with hope, to which Yoongi nods, his own eyes bright with more joy than I've seen in them in a long time now.

"We'll have her with us one day, right here, it will happen, at all cost" Namjoon answers firmly, words that are filled with confidence, with belief, with trust.

We all smile, eyes shining at the prospect of having this amazing woman, of her one day being happy with us, without the worry of her magic constantly on her mind, without her believing that she's not allowed to be with us, I wish so dearly for this to be possible.

"It will happen, definitely".

Your POV

I wake up feeling... free.

My soul and body so light, as if years of tension and weight suddenly disappeared off my shoulders, as if they never existed to begin with, a state I never thought I could ever get to experience again.

Heck, I can't even remember the last time I felt like that, no pain, no emotions in a complete and insufferable mess, soul constantly fighting against a magic that even when being locked away, never truly stops trying to break free to flow out into the world once more.

It feels good, really good. I feel like I can relax for once, like I can finally rest, body and mind so exhausted, I could sleep forever like that, no pressure making breathing difficult, around my neck, against my ribcage, this is what I missed so dearly.

Out of reflex, I bring a hand to my neck, the feeling of freshness on an otherwise covered skin seeming weird to my mind, my brain needs to make sense of it, but when my fingers touch skin and no collar, I pause.

Eyes opening instantly, a knot starting to form in my stomach as realization starts crawling in, I bring my other hand to my neck to make sure of it, the discovery that I'm currently not wearing my collar shocking me deeply.

"No no no, where is it? Where's my damn collar, who the fuck took it off me?!" I exclaim in panic as I sit up, eyes noticing where I am and not liking it one bit, especially not when I grow aware of my magic flooding the room, calm and deadly, just like a predator on the hunt.

I can't believe they put me in a fucking hospital without my collar on, this is suicide, why did they do that?!

I look around me, on every surfaces, if only I could find it somewhere in this room, I'd put it on right away, but it's nowhere to be seen, the only thing I can focus on the way my magic fills every single inch of the space surrounding me.

I don't trust it, this is all so wrong. Something so powerful could flick a finger and this building would disappear from the map along with everything inside, yet here it is, freely wandering the room.

It makes me feel sick, a dizzy buzz slithering under my skin all over my body, that sense of danger, that something terrible might happen once more, as if the past wasn't enough on my conscience already.

I try to ignore the way it crowds around me as soon as I move on the bed, the contact of it so near my skin, yet not touching, as if anxious of what might happen if it does.

My mind doesn't know how to process this, stuck between anger and disgust as I squirm away from it every time it feels too close.

I can't stay here, this seems like the same hospital from last time, which means Namjoon might be close right now. Does he know I'm here? If so, he would definitely come over as if his ass was on fire, I've been ignoring him for so long, he must be incredibly mad at me.

As if things aren't bad enough at the moment, the door suddenly opens and my first thought is - fuck, he's already here - body tensed and throat locking up on me because this is a nightmare, but I get flooded with relief when I instead see a total stranger enter inside the room, a handsome doctor with a gentle smile, I've never seen him before.

"I see you're awake" he muses when his eyes fall on me as he steps closer to take a look at my vitals through the monitor, a satisfied hum leaving him at what he sees.

"Your health has increased significantly in the last twelve hours, that's very good, how do you feel? Any discomfort anywhere?" he asks me, as if this whole situation is perfectly fine, as if him being here isn't putting him in danger.

Me feeling better is NOT good, it's terrible! My magic wrapping around him and analyzing him is not okay, fucking damn it!

"Where's my collar? I need to wear it, where is it?" I ignore his question, no time for such useless conversation when my mind is entirely focusing on security, I need to keep everyone safe, I can't have my magic free like that, I can't cause another catastrophe, danger, danger, danger, my mind keeps screaming at me.

The man sighs and sits down by the bed at my feet, a good distance away, as if that would change anything for his safety, he doesn't know what he's doing, he should be running away from me, staying as far as possible, he should be calling me a monster.

"You won't be needing it for your stay here, miss Ahn, you are safe, we are safe" he answers, voice soft and meant to be appeasing but it only causes my heartbeat to spike up like crazy.

"No one is safe without my collar, no one, please, just let me wear it, I can't stay here otherwise, you need to give it to me" I plead as my magic softly wraps around me, as if trying to calm me but where my whole soul relaxes in it, my mind feels disgusted, that something so dangerous tries to act so sweet.

Like a wolf in sheep disguise.

"We have wards installed, barriers, we are ready should anything happen, but it won't, trust me. Your magic needed to be freed, it was becoming incredibly unstable, keeping the collar on would have been dangerous both for you and for everyone around you. You want to keep us safe? Let us take care of this, we know what we're doing, I promise you" he keeps trying to reassure me gently and I let my eyes fix on him, try to look as deep as I can into his orbs to see what's really going on in his mind.

He should be hesitant about all this, the stats must have warned him of my magic, of its strength, yet all I find is confidence and I can't tell if it's a good or a bad thing.

Confident people always end up dead first because they step out of the safety zone, whereas cowards remain hidden in corners, far from sight.

My body shivers with disgust when my magic curls around me at my rising anxiousness, the feeling of it against my skin... I hate it, it makes me freak out of my mind, I can't do this shit.

"Still, you should leave a collar on the table, just in case. I won't wear it unless it's urgent" I try again, the simple fact of not having one near me right now causing me to feel distressed, I've never had to face not wearing it since that day, so much can go wrong, if only they could see that.

"Would it make you feel better?" he asks, lips pursed as he stares at me, hesitant, but I jump on that like a moth to the light.

"It would, incredibly so" I plead, head nodding eagerly, bottom lip between my teeth as I await his verdict, afraid that he might refuse. Please don't refuse, anything but that.

He sighs. "Alright, I will arrange for one to be sent here soon, but you have to promise that it won't serve. Not even if you feel like you need it. If you feel that way, you call for us, okay? It's going to be there visually, but it can't serve. If you can't follow that condition, I'm afraid I'll have to take it back".

My jaw falls and I stare at the man in disbelief. "You can't be serious. I'm not saying that because wearing a collar is a hobby of mine, it's to avoid causing fucking casualties!" I shout, mind burning with panic that causes my wind to flare up around me, a cooling freshness to it that cools my skin, but not my fear.

"Look at it! You see how it does whatever it wants? You want that thing free, out in the open just like that?" I continue, my pitch too high for comfort, but how can I remain calm when my fire appears only to be lighted out by water while my wind keeps wrapping me in a soft breeze, nervous ripples against my skin because of my words.

The man smiles at me, not looking bothered in the least that I'm screaming at him, begging for him to understand.

"What I see, miss Ahn, is a magic trying to help you. Your fire seems hot-headed, that much is true, but the wards aren't reacting, which means there's no bad intentions coming from it. Your magic is eager to bond with you and you should accept it, running away as you have done for the last thirteen years will only delay the inevitable, I'm afraid. The two of you are one, linked and inseparable, you can't run forever".

I want to snarl at his words, I want to laugh and cry all at once, that he really believes what he just said.

Fate is really messing me up, it's stepping all over me with a fucking smirk, it must really hate me for always putting me in these situations.

"Please think about it, Ahn Y/N, take the time to observe your magic, see how it is. It is not dangerous, far from it. With that said, I'll be back soon with some food for you, please don't do anything reckless in the meantime, I'll be quick" he adds before giving me a tight-lipped smile, then steps out of the room to leave me alone with it.

I huff, disbelief all over my face.

So what? They're going to keep me here until I become best friend with my magic? They're really going to force me to accept it?

I look away from the door, anger filling my heart at this shitty setting I'm currently stuck into. I'm not having that happen, never. I'm not going to do what they expect of me.

The way my wind keeps caressing my skin makes me grow annoyed and I groan, a hand waving through it to make it stop, yet it doesn't and that causes tears to burn at my eyes, because nothing is going my way, I'm so fucking tired of everything.

"Enough" I growl out, angry that the only way for it too listen to me is if I voice out my request, but at least it works when my wind comes to a stop before fading away from me, my fire and water also disappearing to give me space, the small sparkles that follow from a distance looking almost like a complain at the way I'm treating them.

I try to ignore the sadness that fills me at knowing that even when free, I'm still rejecting it, because this is for the best.

I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing this for everyone else around me.

I am not bonding with my magic. Never.