Part 3: Chapter 5

Luhan stumbled out of the circular room nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste to outrun the images still flitting in his mind. 

The vision had assaulted him at soon as he had stepped up to the symbol on the floor that matched the tattoo on his hand.  Every image had struck him like a blow to the gut and had left him winded and sick.  Back outside, night had fallen leaving only the moon to light the forest. 

Luhan felt sick to his stomach as he exited the temple.  His belly roiled and turned making him stumble and fall to his knees.   He groaned and lowered his forehead, folding his body in half, he rested his forehead on the cool dirt.  His stomach heaved again and the pain migrated to the rest of his body.  He screamed as his joints popped, the painful ache that gripped his bones seized his breath and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe through the pain.  His skin prickled, tiny pins pricks in every pore.  Then the pressure started in his skull.  It squeezed his brain, pulled at his nose and chin.  The pressure built and built until Luhan was sure he would explode.

And then it was gone.

Luhan lay on his side, chest heaving with his heavy breathing.  A dull ache still radiated through his body, but the residual pain was easy to bear now.  He didn’t realize how everything had changed until he opened his eyes. 

This wasn’t the first time Luhan had transformed into a wolf, so he was able to recognize the signs.  He had changed for the first time a few days after Kris had performed the ritual.  It had been the moment that Luhan had fully understood that he really didn’t understand what Kris had gotten him into.  He had changed again later, and woken up covered in blood without any memory of what had happened. 

This time was different.  For the first time, Luhan’s wolf wasn’t out of control in pain and rage.  It was calm and… happy, Luhan realized.  For the first time, his wolf was as it should be, not tied to a third party, but one with Luhan.  Also for the first time, Luhan mentally took a step back and let his wolf take control knowing that, this time, he’d be able to reestablish control whenever he needed to.

With the moonlight streaming through the trees, the wolf took off at a run, freedom lightening his steps and washing away his worries. 

‘Almost there,’ Kyungsoo’s text read.

Kai looked up from his phone to the room before him.  His friends stood joking and laughing but the atmosphere wasn’t nearly as carefree as it normally would have been.  There was a sense of anticipation that they couldn’t shake no matter how hard they tried.  It was as if they all knew that what Kai was going to tell them tonight would change things.  They didn’t know how yet, but they knew the change was inevitable. 

Kai turned to look at Sohee who sat next to him.  She stared off into space as she gently nibbled on her thumb nail.  She had taken what Kai had told her with surprising calm.  He had tried to take her home before talking to her, but she had stopped on a park bench and refused to move until he talked.  Then she had quietly insisted on coming with him to be here when he told the guys. 

Kai wished he could wait for Luhan to be done with whatever mysterious errand he was on so they could tell the