The Hybrid House

I'm free?

The sound of beeping machines greeted the bunny when he started to become aware of his surroundings. He didn't open his eyes at first because he didn't want to see where that evil man had sent him this time. A panicky feeling started to build.

"It's okay. You're safe now." A soft, warm voice whispered in his ear. A flutter in his chest and a sense that this voice was safe helped to calm him and he settled down and he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a pair of warm, brown eyes filled with concern. Wolf ears surrounded by dark, fluffy hair caused a quick moment of alarm, but the knowledge that he was looking at a mate calmed him in the next moment. The flutter of his heart was welcome, but the hospital room he found himself in was not.

"Where am I?" he whispered.

"You are in the hospital. Your wounds have been stitched up, and you are no longer owned by that monster." The wolf told him while holding his hand, giving the bunny a reassuring pat.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Bang Chan, your mate." The wolf gave him a warm smile.

The bunny relaxed and closed his eyes again, drifting back to sleep, feeling safe. The next time he awoke, he was no longer hooked up to so many machines, and the room was quiet. The wolf wasn't around, but that didn't alarm the bunny because the room was too nice and private. Wherever he was, it wasn't the slummy hybrid store he was prostituted from. They would have never put him in a place this nice.

A human nurse walked in and smiled, "Oh, you're awake. I'll inform Doctor Kim that you're awake, and he'll be in to see how you're doing." She turned around, left for a minute, and then returned with a water bottle that had a straw. "Here's some water. I imagine you're very thirsty since you've been mostly asleep this whole time." The bunny happily drank the water bottle as the nurse kept talking. "We sent your mates to go eat because they have barely left your side, and they were neglecting themselves. But I assured them that I'd be watching over you. Your wounds are healing nicely, but I'll let Doctor Kim tell you about that." She checked his vitals and wrote in his chart, and then left the room.

The bunny was amazed to be treated so nicely by a regular human. But that amazement was nothing compared to the shock he felt when his doctor arrived. The tall swan in a white coat walked in. His gentle smile lit up his brown eyes, and his black feathers rustled as he moved toward the bed. The bunny could only stare.

"Well, how's our patient doing? I'm Kim Seokjin, but you can call me Jin. We have a name for you, but I wanted to ask you what name do you like to be called?" the swan asked.

"You can call me Lino," he replied softly.

"Lino... I like it. I'm so glad to see you're awake. It was touch and go there for a bit, but I hoped with your mates nearby, you'd pull through. Let me take a look at your bandages." The doctor pulled away his blankets, and Lino got his first look at his body. He had stitches everywhere that bastard cut him. The bandages were cleaner than he expected. He must have been asleep for a long time.

"Your wounds look good. No sign of infection. Another week and we should be able to move you to the Center so your mates can take care of you." Jin commented.

"The Center?" Lino asked apprehensively.

"The Hybrid Center. They are technically your new owner, although it's in name only. They are a safe house for Hybrids, helping them find their mates and families. Miss Kay takes care of us. You are in safe hands now. Nobody will be selling you ever again." Jin informed him.

"So I'm free of that awful place. I'll never go back?" Lino asked him.

"Yes, no one will ever sell you to be abused again." The swan reassured him with a smile.