My Vindicators

Chapter 29-Hwa

The room hung in tense silence as the reality of what had just been confirmed settled over everyone. The balance between the covens was about to shift in ways none of them had fully anticipated. Yoongi wrapped his arms tighter around me, his chin resting on the top of my head.

"This changes things, doesn't it?" I whispered.

He kissed the crown of my head. "Yes, but it doesn't change us. You're still ours. And now, apparently, theirs too," he said with a chuckle, but I could feel the underlying tension in his body.

This wasn't going to be an easy transition, no matter how resolved we were about it now. Across the room, Joong and Joon were speaking in hushed tones, their conversation too low for me to hear. The rest of the Ateez coven sat quietly, each processing the new dynamic that had just been introduced. San caught my eye and gave me a small smile, one that was reassuring but also filled with curiosity. I wasn't sure how to feel. Could I really handle being bonded to not just one coven but two? My emotions were all over the place, excitement blending with fear, and underneath it all, an undeniable pull toward Ateez that I had fought so hard to ignore.

"I'm proud of you for making this choice," Jimin said, breaking the silence. His voice was soft, but there was an edge of sadness there, too. "It's not easy to open yourself up to something like this, especially when it changes everything."

"I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt any of you," I said, my voice shaking slightly as tears rushed to my eyes. "This doesn't change how I feel about you guys. You're still my mates, my first, my forever."

Jimin reached over and took my hand, squeezing it. "We know, love. You have nothing to be sorry for; we'll figure this out together."

Hobi spoke up, his voice unusually firm. "We're a family, and this just means our family is getting bigger. It might take some time to adjust, but we'll make it work."

Jin nodded. "Agreed. It's going to be chaotic, but I think we're all stronger for it."

I sighed in relief, feeling the weight on my chest lift a little. At least they were all in this with me. But I knew the next step was going to be the hardest: the mate bites with Ateez. I had gone through it once with Bangtan, and it had nearly torn them apart with the intensity of the bond. Doing it again, with an entirely new coven? That would be a test of everyone's limits.

The others rejoined us, and Joong addressed the room. "We'll need to be strategic about the bites. One at a time, and we'll space them out to avoid overwhelming her again—or any of us," he said, glancing toward Joon, who nodded in agreement.

"Right," Joon added. "This isn't something we rush. We've seen what can happen when we're not careful. Now that we know how it affects the others, we can try our best to come up with a plan to keep everyone safe."

A shiver ran down my spine at the memory. The first time I had been bitten by all of my mates in quick succession had left me nearly catatonic. I wasn't sure I could handle that kind of intensity again, especially with eight new mates waiting to claim me.

"Let's start with just one," Joong suggested, his gaze falling on me. "If you're ready, that is."

I swallowed hard. Was I ready? I wasn't sure, but I nodded anyway. If I was going to do this, I needed to trust in the process. Hwa stood from his seat, his movements slow and deliberate. "I'll go first," he said, his voice low but filled with certainty."We need to keep the strongest of us for last to help contain the others."

He walked over to where I sat on Yoongi's lap and knelt in front of me, his eyes searching mine for any hesitation.

"Only if you're ready," he murmured, his hand reaching out to brush a strand of hair away from my face.