Part 3: Chapter 10

“I owe you a thank you, Sohee,” Luhan said quietly.  “It’s only because of you that my wolf was able to settle.  Do you remember what happened?”

Sohee looked away and her lips subconsciously.  “I was upset,” she said.  “You had gotten hurt trying to save me when it was my own fault I’d been kidnapped in the first place.  I was crying.  I don’t really know what happened, but one of my tears landed on your tattoo and it… vanished.”

Luhan nodded.  “And that cut my connection to Kris, allowing my wolf to settle and reestablish its connection to me the way it was supposed to be.  Like a restart button,” he added with a small smile. 

“So all my dreams,” Sohee said in a small voice.  “They’re real?  All the headaches and the bad feelings…  I’m not just going crazy?” 

“Of course you’re not going crazy, Sohee,” Kai reassured her.  Drawn by the sadness in her voice, Kai went to her and sat beside her on the bench, one arm resting on the table behind her.  “Well, not any more than the rest of us are for thinking we’ll be going furry in a couple weeks.”

“What exactly is a shaman priestess?”  Kyungsoo asked.  “I mean, Sohee’s always had dreams and bad feelings.  And now she helped settle your wolf.  But…”  He trailed off, struggling to find the words.

“All the Old Man said is that ‘where there’s wolf men, there’s a shaman priestess,’” Luhan said.  “And it’s more than that.  Sohee,” Luhan crouched down in front of her and gazed up at her face.  “I think you can heal.  You healed my wolf, but earlier, after the first fight.  My injuries weren’t healing.  But after you took care of me and fed me soup, I healed quicker than I ever had before.”

“All of us feel more comfortable when Sohee is with us,” Kyungsoo added, pensive.  “And our injuries heal better when Sohee is around after a fight, not necessarily quicker, but they don’t bother us as much.  I always thought it was because Sohee railing at Kai for fighting was amusing enough to help us forget about the pain.  But maybe it was more than that.”

Luhan covered Sohee’s clenched fists with a hand.  “Talk to us, Sohee.  What are your thoughts on this?”

Sohee met his gaze and shook her head.  “I don’t know.  I guess it’s just a lot to take in at one time.”

“Look,” Kai said when she didn’t continue.  He lifted the arm he’d put on the table behind her and laid his hand at the base of her neck.  He needed the touch for his own comfort, but he also hoped it would help ground her.  He looked at Luhan who met his gaze.  “This shaman thing explains a lot, but I’m not letting her get any more involved in this than she already is if it means putting her in more danger.”

“I’m already involved, Kai,” Sohee said, her voice quiet but confident.  “You can’t keep me out of the picture when all of you are in danger.”

“And I refuse to put you in more danger,” Kai said.  He stood and his hand dropped from her skin.  “Do you have any idea what it felt like when I realized Jinwook had you?  My heart nearly stopped.  If something were to happen to you, Sohee, my heart would stop.”

Sohee met his gaze for a moment and the emotion that passed between them was strong enough for Kyungsoo to look away.  Luhan’s gaze jumped between them, his brow furrowed, his head tilted at an angle that suggested thought. 

“You don’t think I feel the same why every time you’re injured, Kai?”  Sohee asked.  She continued before he could answer.  “You don’t think it hurts me every time you’re hurt, knowing how much worse your injuries could have been?  Whatever is going on, it’s not going to be easy for any of us.  We’re all in danger right now.  More so because of our ignorance.  Neither of us are going to get what we want in this situation so you’re going to have to it up.  I already agreed I’d take more safety precautions.  I don’t go anywhere alone.  I don’t go anywhere at night.  The only time you haven’t been with me these last few days have been at school or at home.  You’re n