Chapter 39 - The silent treatment

“I don’t give two s about Wonbin, she’s not allowed to use magic anymore.” Kai’s voice wakes Ara up, and she winces, slowly opening her eyes.

The sun is shining in through the window, and the material she’s lying on is too soft to be grass. Kai’s face is hovering over her head in a flash, and Ara feels her heart palpitating at the fury in his eyes.

“You’re scaring her.” It’s Yunho, and he’s next to Ara now, gently sitting down on the bed. Kai steps away, his jaw clenched in anger, and Yunho helps Ara sit up on the bed. She watches Kai leave the room, banging the door after him, and then Yunho sighs loudly. “He’s just worried.”

“But no one got hurt." Ara frowns, looking up at Yunho. The druid gives her a weak smile before leaning closer to her arm, and Ara realizes the cold feeling on her skin was a pale blue salve Yunho had put there.

“No one got hurt, except from you.” Yunho shakes his head in disappointment, murmuring something under his breath, and then the salve turns aquamarine, and Ara gasps when her skin suddenly drops in temperature. “It’s healing your wounds, you were lucky Kai found the cloak in time or you’d suffer third degree burns. I’d be able to heal them, but it’d definitely take more time, not to mention the pain.”

Yunho turns to the salve on both her legs, and Ara bites her lip, thinking back to the events of last night. She had completely lost control of her magic, almost hurting the boys in the process. What kind of Luna puts her own packmates in danger?

“I-I agree with Kai,” Ara whispers, frowning at Yunho. “I should stop using my magic.”

“Now is the time you’re supposed to use it more often,” Yunho disagrees, activating the magic in the salve on her shins. “There are gonna be times when you lose control over your magic, it’s inevitable, but that’s the entire process of learning and getting stronger.”

“But I don’t want that if it means the boys will risk getting hurt.” Ara doesn’t want anyone to get hurt because of her inexperience when it comes to magic. Yunho clearly disagrees.

“Listen, you and your pack are in danger of a possible attack from a creature we’re yet not sure what is,” he starts, leaning back so he can stare Ara directly in the eyes. “If you don’t prepare yourself, you’re not the only one that will get hurt, and believe me, I’m not talking about mere fire. This is a creature that has managed to lurk around on Kai’s territory without him noticing, and in addition, your father also felt threatened by him.” 

Ara bites her lip, eyebrows furrowing, and Yunho sighs, squeezing her shoulder. “Your father’s journal ends after that final warning, and then, two weeks later he’s found dead in a wrecked car; Wonbin is more dangerous than we can imagine.”

“I know that, but what if I hurt the boys? What if someone innocent is hurt or killed because of me?” Ara feels guilt gnawing at her heart, and she sniffles when tears gather in her eyes. “This is too much responsibility for me, I can’t do this, Yunho, I’m not ready for this, I don’t want to be their Lun-“

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, calm down,” Yunho interrupts when Ara’s murmurs turn into cries, and he pulls her closer so she’s resting her head on his shoulder. “This is exactly what I felt when my parents told me about my powers, I even contemplated ending everything.” At that, Ara shivers, and Yunho rubs her back soothingly. “But I didn’t, you know why? I met Kai’s father, and he was fresh out of university, ready to conquer the business world when he found out about his impending role as the alpha of his father’s pack. Both of us were in a similar situation, and after becoming friends we decided to work together and here we are, twenty years later, still running strong.”

“That makes it sound like you’re in a relationship,” Ara mumbles into Yunho’s neck, making him chuckle.

“We could think of it that way; he’d be dead if I didn’t save his every time went down.” Ara leans back and wipes away her tears, and Yunho sighs. “Point is, you have an entire pack with you – you’re not alone, no matter how hopeless it feels, they’re always here for you. And also, I’m kinda a phone call away.”

Ara huffs out a laugh and Yunho smiles, poking her nose playfully. “Now, I understand that Kai will be a little conflicted, but just give him time and ignore him if he tries to stop you from practicing your magic. If anything, the events from last night are proof that you should continue practicing more.”

“You’re right,” Ara mumbles, closing her eyes as she leans back against the headboard. “I’m gonna do my best now, I promise.” Yunho grins and stands up.

“I came here as soon as I could last night, so I gotta get going now before I’m late for work,” he says, and Ara pops an eye open.

“What’s the time?” Yunho shrugs on his coat and checks his phone.

“Ten in the morning, you’ve slept