I had to be quick about my actions. I couldn’t wait until the next day or even later when everyone was awake. I was a terrible liar and I didn’t want anyone suspicious of my behavior or actions. I quickly went back into the house and grabbed a bag, then went to Sehun and I’s room. Sehun was snoring loudly, sprawled out on his bed. I shook my head, a small smile forming on my lips. I hoped he wouldn’t hate me too much.

I grabbed only the bare minimum when it came to clothing and soon after, I found myself at Kris’s door. What was I doing? I didn’t have time for this. Daybreak was only a few hours away and I needed all the time I could get. But . . . I needed to do this. I opened the door and walked over to Kris who was still sound asleep on the bed. I watched him for a bit.

What are you doing? My wolf asked almost desperately.

You know exactly what I’m going to do.

It’s wrong and you know it!

I need to do this.

No, you don’t. Don’t leave him. Don’t.

Why are you so against this?

. .  . you really don’t get it, do you?

I ignored her. Sometimes, I wondered if I was actually talking to my wolf . . . or just another side of me.

“I’m sorry.” I said before I leaned down and kissed Kris on the lips.

I nearly jumped out of my skin as I heard him say, “Get back in bed,” in a groggy voice. I quickly pulled back and eyed him. His eyes weren’t even open. “I’m cold . . .”

And then he was breathing evenly and I knew he was back asleep. I calmed my beating heart and as soon as I could breathe normally again, I let my eyes slide to the book Kris had been reading. I walked over and picked it up, flipping it open and flipping through some of the pages. There were markings in the pages, easily recognizable as Kris’s barely legible scrawls.

I hoped he found what he was looking for.

I placed it back down and with a final glance at Kris, I left.

“Where are you heading off too?”

I barely suppressed the scream that wanted to rip out of my throat. I whirled around and was surprised to see Sergii. He had a sandwich in hand and a smile on his face. I opened my mouth to speak, but I found I couldn’t form any words. So I ended up opening and closing my mouth like a fish out of water.

“It’s late. Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“I—”

“Did you know that some Weres, if they’ve lived for a long time—or sometimes they’re just born with it—can develop a kind of second sense or ability? Besides shifting, I mean.”

“I don’t—”

He cocked his head at me. “For example, that boy, what’s his name? The quiet, mean looking one? Tao? He just thinks he’s sensitive, but he actually has a special gift called Perception. He has the natural talent to pick up on people’s emotions and power.”

I didn’t understand what he was trying to get at and time was ticking.

“And that one Alpha, Suho? It may seem like it’s not a gift, but he has an exceptional capacity for kindness and patience—for a Were, especially an Alpha, that’s rare. Now, as for me, I have a sort of perception too. I can pick up on people’s intentions. Or something like that.” I froze and looked up at him. He locked eyes with me. “So why are you running?”

My heart started beating like crazy and I suddenly wanted to cry.

“As far as I can see, you’re loved here. And you seem pretty content as well. So why run? Or maybe . . . the better question is, where are you running to?” His eyes had turned sharp.

Anxiety gripped me and my instincts started kicking in. I felt like a cornered animal and pretty soon, I was going to lash out.

“I wouldn’t, if I were you.”

“Hyorim?”

I turned stiffly, disbelieving my incredibly bad luck. There was Kris, looking mildly concerned.

“W-why are you up?”

He blinked and then seemed confused. “I don’t know . . . I just felt so anxious and my heart started pounding, so I woke up. You weren’t next to me and I got worried . . .” then he focused in on me. “Why are you up?” His eyes slid to my bag, and his mouth went tight. “And why are you carrying a bag?”

Sergii brushed past me. “Something tells me you guys have a lot to discuss. Privately. I’ll head on back then.”

And then it was just me and Kris. Kris looked . . . I couldn’t exactly name what he looked. Disappointed? Angry? Confused? “You were . . . just going to leave? Just like that?”

I clutched the bag to me, as if it could protect me from Kris and the guilt I felt. I didn’t answer, but I didn’t need to. He could feel me, feel what I felt. And I could feel him too. This unspoken communication between us seemed to have become a permanent thing.

“You were. Why?” He demanded, barely keeping his anger in check.

I didn’t know how to answer him. I just knew what I felt, so I let him in. He seemed a bit taken aback by what he felt.

“I don’t understand . . . this is what you’re feeling?”

I nodded my head.

He shook his head. “I need you to talk to me. Please, talk to me.” He reached out his hand to me and I hesitantly took it. “Let’s go back to my room.”

As soon as he closed the door behind us, he guided us to his bed. He took the bag from me and tossed it aside. “Talk.”

Where and how did I begin? I was terrified he wouldn’t understand, and instead of being rejected from miles away, I would be rejected to my face. He grabbed my face and locked eyes with me.

“Don’t be afraid. Just . . . talk to me, xīn.”

“I want to save him.”

“What?”

“Taejoon. I want to save him.” Kris was silent as he let go of my face. I think he wanted me to elaborate. “It’s stupid but . . . I’m connected to him, Kris. And I—”

“We’ve talked about this. You aren’t responsible—”

“For his actions, I know. I know that. But . . . Suho, Sumi, Sehun . . . you. You saved me. Saved me from myself. So why can’t I try and save him too?”

Kris was silent then heaved a sigh. “It’s not the same. You weren’t some maniac running around, kidnapping girls and attacking people with Ferals or creating dangerous things. To do that, there has to be an evilness inside. There isn’t anything like that inside you, Hyorim. But there is in Taejoon. He can’t be saved.”

I was so angry all of a sudden. I shot to my feet. “Who are you to say that? Who are you to condemn a man to death?” He gently grabbed my wrist and pulled me back down to sit. “You weren’t there when I was talking with him in the woods. He . . . he . . . I don’t know, he seemed different before the attack. I saw something . . .”

Kris rubbed his face and looked at the wall across from us, thinking. Then he turned to me. “You love him, don’t you?”

“What?” then I thought about it. Hard. I couldn’t deny there were some lingering feelings that had come to light both from our unexpected—or maybe it wasn’t unexpected on his part—meetings and the recent dreams I had. I remembered when he had kissed me those few times, and how he spoke to me about his life. Even if he was trying to manipulate me, there had also been something very true when he spoke to me. “I-I do love him.”

Kris visibly looked pain and it washed over me, making me wince. Before I could say anything, Kris said, “Then why are you here? Why are you with me? Why make us both suffer?”

Kris got up to stand, but I quickly latched onto his arm and stood up with him. “N-no! You don’t understand. It’s different. The way I feel about you and the way I feel about him are different!” Kris turned to look at me. “I love him, but not like I love you. Kris, I just . . .” Tears that I had been fighting back the entire time slid out of my eyes. “It’s different. I just want to save him, give him a chance like you gave me. Don’t you see? I could have turned into him if you hadn’t come along. I want to be what you were to me for him.”

“You really think that? That you would have turned into him?” I nodded my head. “I don’t think so. You have Sehun, even if I wasn’t around.”

“But he doesn’t.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say or do, Hyorim.” Kris confessed, his shoulders slumping. “You want me to be okay with this, but I’m not. Both as an Alpha and as your lover.”

“I just want a chance, one chance.”

“And what? Just go out by yourself into a den full of Ferals and unhinged Weres just so you can try and save one man who isn’t stable? Do understand how that sounds?”

I did and I winced. I sounded crazy and maybe to Kris, I also sounded like I was in love with another man and was willing to put my life on the line for him. I felt utterly defeated on all accounts and sat back down, burying my face in my hands, sobbing. “This isn’t fair.” I cried.

The bed dipped as Kris sat down next to me, wrapping his arms around me. “I know.” He said quietly. For a while, it was just me crying while Kris soothed me. When my sobbing died down, he turned me around to face him and cupped my cheeks, wiping away any remaining tears with his thumb. He kissed me gently on the forehead.

“You are a very complex and delicate creature, you know that?” I scoffed, but it came out more as a hiccup. “You contradict yourself all the time. You act tough and callous, but here you are, crying your eyes out because you want to help someone who has injured you. Sometimes, I just don’t know how to handle you.”

I shrugged, exhausted from my crying fit. I wrapped my arms around him, needing the physical comfort he was offering. He laid his chin on the top of my head and rubbed soothing circles on my back.

“The best I can offer you is a chance to confront him when we go to attack in a couple of days.”

“Thank you.” It wasn’t much, but it was something and at this point, something was better than nothing. “And I'm sorry for what I tried to do.”

“I know.” He said and kissed the top of my head. “You were just doing what you thought was best, even if it was reckless and stupid."

I pushed away and glared at him, but I doubt it looked intimidating with my red and watery eyes. I probably looked more like a sulking child. 

"But that's one of the things I love about you. You do what you think is best and to hell with everyone else. But you know . . . that can also land people you love in danger. You do realize, pack with or without me, I would have gone after you?"

I looked wide-eyed at him. He chuckled at my surprise and leaned forward to give me a kiss.

"I would have found you and dragged you back and been so mad, I'm not sure what I would have done." He leaned in and hugged me again. "You belong to me and I belong to you."

"I love you." I whispered.

"I know. And I love you too." 

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Yay! Update!

So! Just so ya'll know, I edited 31: Let Me Show You. You'll be able to tell where I've added in a scene (Hint, there's a bunch of red and a Warning.) I felt I needed to add it in, even though it was freaking embarrasing to write. Have fun~

ALSO! I posted something I found in my documents under fanfics and you can check it out. It's . . . pretty mature. Like I was surprised I had even written it. But I kind of also like the concept. So, check it out and let me know what you think.
Tangled Strings.