A dragon stalking around the kitchen was not the best way to start the morning. It was even worse when Tao noticed Minseok and Joonmyun talking quietly.

 

“Where are they?” Kris snapped.

 

“I’m sure they’re close by. Kora wouldn’t…” Daimen tried to answer but Kris stopped him.

 

“You say that but I don’t know her let alone trust her. You say you trust her but to be honest I don’t have a whole lot of trust in you after all this.” He didn’t mean for the words to come out so icy and the pained look on Daimen’s face almost made Kris feel guilty. Almost. He took a deep breath before continuing “Putting all of this other stuff aside, Jongdae is still an idol. Can you imagine what would happen if someone caught him staying out all night with some foreign girl?” Daimen opened his mouth but was silenced by the door being thrown open.

 

“I don’t get caught.” Kora said heading straight for the fridge. Jongdae followed closely behind, eyes full of hunger. 

 

He took a seat next to Minseok “Good morning” moving his eyes briefly to them before focusing back on the refrigerator. All but Daimen stared in shock as Kora laid raw meat in front of Jongdae.

 

She handed him silverware “Don’t forget to chew.” He nodded before attacking the raw steak.

 

“But that’s not cooked.” Tao said unable to look away.

 

Jongdae smiled “Trust me, its better this way.” He almost chocked laughing at Minseok’s horrified expression and thought Tao might actually throw up.

 

Kora turned to where Kris and Daimen stood. “I put a lot of thought into planning to make sure that I don’t get caught. Putting aside the fact that he is an idol the repercussions of him being found out as a supernatural creature are enough to warrant your trust in me. Not getting caught is pretty high on my priority list, Jongdae or not. Does that put you at ease?” She asked, slightly cocking her head to one side. 

 

Kris cleared his throat before answering. “It does, but we didn’t know where he was and it made us worry.”

 

“I’m sorry, I should have told you. I’ll make sure to do so in the future.” 

 

Her apology surprised Kris; he had expected more of a fight out of her. “Thanks.”

 

“Are we finished?” she asked.

 

“Um yeah we’re good.”

 

She turned to Daimen “I need to talk to you.” and motioned to the door. Looking back at Jongdae she added, “When you finish eating go take a shower, I’ll come grab you after I’m finished.” 

 

“Wait what about practice?” Jongdae asked.

 

“It’ll be safe to stay home one more day but any more then that will probably cause suspicion, but if you keep progressing like you have I think you can go back to your normal routine soon.” With a quick smile she ushered Daimen outside. They walked to the far end of the small yard which would keep them from any curious ears.

 

“Are you sure he doesn’t need more time? It could be a terrible mistake if he loses control in a crowd of people.” Daimen looked around nervous.

 

“He’s not like me. All he did was watch me change once and then he got it. He had barely changed before running past me and leading the rest of the night. I’ll make sure that he’s ready today.” 

 

“I’m just not sure…I know I can buy you more time.” Kora raised her hand, stopping him from going any further.

 

“We don’t have any more time. Whoever did this is going to find out he isn’t dead. Our smartest option is to just go on like nothing happened and force them to make a move.”

 

“What about Jongdae?” He asked quietly, not sure if he should have.

 

“What are you getting at Daimen?” Her cold demeanor was easily replaced with her usual fire. Daimen swore he was the only one who could make her switch between fire and ice so fast.

 

“I just thought it was nice for you to have someone...” 

 

“This is a pointless conversation, from now on we need to focus on what’s happening now and what we need to do for the future.” 

 

Daimen smiled widely, “You two must get along pretty well, I thought you would have gone home as soon as you could.” Kora’s face went red, but probably more out of anger then embarrassment.

 

 

    “Well? Can you hear anything?” Joonmyun asked. Tao shook his head and pressed his ear close to the window. A huff to his right told Tao that Kris was frustrated that he didn’t know what was going on but was trying to pretend that he didn’t care. Really though, Minseok could cut Tao some slack but Joonmyun and Kris too? Shaking his head Minseok took the empty seat next to Jongdae. There was a fierce look of concentration on his face as he forced 

himself to chew slowly.

 

“So how are you feeling today?” he asked trying not to be heard by the three idiots at the window.

 

“My body is really tired. We spent all night running around plus the whole changing into a wolf thing. It takes a lot out of you.” He finally looked up from his plate and the bright clarity of his eyes startled Minseok, “I was so worried and scared and just angry about what happened to me but after last night...It was amazing Minseok. I can’t say I’m happy it happened but it’s not so bad I think.” 

 

Minseok could see his gaze turn to the others in the room and he leaned in close to Jongdae to say “If you want we can talk more later when no one’s around” 

 

“Thanks Minseok.” Jongdae reddened slightly. Minseok rubbed the back of Jongdae’s neck and smiled. He hadn’t been sure how Jongdae would cope, his life had been devoid of any real hardship and then to get hit with something this big. The fear that he would crack and crumble had replaced the fear that he would turn into some raging monster. Now that he didn’t have to worry about either a new thought crossed his mind. Like a poison it seeped in but he refused to acknowledge its presence. 

 

“Hey don’t forget our room is trashed and I’m not taking care of it.” Minseok got up as Jongdae nodded and headed past the three bumbling idiots who were still trying to listen through the window. He had something else he needed to do but as his hand touched the doorknob he heard Jongdae start choking behind him. Spinning around he saw Jongdae’s face redden as he coughed.

 

Joonmyun left his post at the window and slapped him on the back. “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah I’m fine” he said after spitting a big chunk of steak back onto the plate “but Daimen’s not going to be. I can’t believe he said that to her.” All four guys looked at each other, then looked at the window where Tao and Kris still stood and then to Jongdae at the opposite end of the room.

 

“You can hear them?” Kris asked.

 

“Well only bits and pieces since you guys were making so much noise.”

 

Tao scrunched up his face “Hey if you could hear them why didn’t you say anything?”

 

Jongdae laughed loudly. It was a laugh that said I didn’t do anything bad but I’m definitely up to no good. “What and miss watching you three crawl all over each other trying to listen? I don’t think so.” Minseok laughed and Kris stepped forward ready to punch Jongdae when Kora came barreling into the kitchen. 

 

“You. Get in the shower. Now” She pointed at Jongdae.

 

“Will he live?” Jongdae asked, grin still in place.

 

She glared at the door, “For today.” Daimen came through the door with a small look of triumph on his face. “But only because I need him alive.” 

 

“Alright I’ll go get in the shower.” Jongdae chuckled before leaving the room. Daimen joined Kris, Joonmyun and Tao and started making plans for the day. Kora picked up the dishes and Minseok met her at the sink.

 

“I want to talk to you before we leave.” 

 

“Your bedroom, I’ll be up in two minutes.” Minseok nodded and left first passing by a sleepy Baekhyun being pestered by an energetic Chanyeol as they made their way into the kitchen. 

 

“Daimen what are you doing here so early?” Chanyeol asked draping himself over Kris and Tao. 

 

“Oh your manager got sick so I offered to help with his duties. I’ll be taking you guys to practice today.”

 

“Cool! It’s really fun with you around.” Chanyeol extended his arm to include him in his group hug.

 

“How touching…” the sarcasm barely covering her irritation. 

 

“Well at least someone likes having me around.”

 

Kora threw the towel back into the sink, “Good, he can keep you then.” Without waiting for him to say something in return Kora left to meet Minseok. Insulting him was the easiest way to keep Daimen from asking questions it wasn’t the nicest way but after being teased she felt defensive. That bothered her; she considered what could possibly make her feel that way when she entered the room to find Minseok, arms full of clothes, softly cursing at “that lazy 

kid”.

 

“Would you like some help?” The room was trashed and clothes were everywhere still. Minseok visibly stiffened which was usually the normal response that she got. It might be the whole not being human thing but something about her just made people uncomfortable. 

 

“Sure. They’re all clean so they just need to be folded and put away.” Finding a clear spot on the floor Kora sat down and started. After dropping his armload Minseok sat on his bed to fold. They stayed like this, letting the silence fill the room. 

 

Clearing his throat he started, “Sorry I’m not really sure what I want to say or how to say it.”

 

“Just ask.” It had no emotion to it, she had wanted to put him at ease so he could ask her anything comfortably but somewhere between her brain and things went wrong.

 

“How long are you going to be here?” Now it was her turn to stiffen. He looked up from the clothes at her, her golden eyes clear and vibrant. It was her eyes that bothered him; it felt as though they stripped him bare. With eyes like windows she could easily peer out at others. They were pools of glittering gold, where it would be easy to drown and lose sight of why you were even there to begin with. 

 

Kora broke their eye contact and returned to folding “As long as I need to be.”

 

“What if how long you think you should be here is different from how long Jongdae wants you too? I’m sure you’ve noticed but he hides his pain and frustration behind laughter. He doesn’t say what needs to be said and decides things on his own which can lead to him being hurt and disappointed with others. I don’t want him to be hurt when you decide to leave.” It felt good to say it out loud, he’d been afraid that it would make her angry but he was more afraid of Jongdae becoming attached and his devastation when she left him.

 

“What should I do then? I want him to be ready to deal with his life but I don’t want my presence to cause any other issues.” Her attention was still on the clothes and it was hard to see her face but her voice didn’t give way to any fluctuation in emotion. Minseok had hoped that Kora’s iciness was an act but now felt that it was just how she was.

 

“You need to tell him your plan. Tell him that you will teach him to control himself and to hide it from others. Tell him that you are going to leave. He will depend on you being here too much and it will only hurt him more when you leave.” Shouting could be heard from downstairs, Luhan was surprisingly the loudest.

 

“You should go. I’ll discuss things with Jongdae so he understands the situation. We’ll have this finished before you get home, I’ll make sure.” She smiled slightly but it looked forced. 

 

Standing to leave he felt some of his worry dissipate. 

 

“Thanks Kora.” And he left her.

 

 

 

    The hot water washed over him and all of the tension left his body. This had to have been the best shower that Jongdae had ever taken. Alone in the shower Jongdae started to think back on this morning. He knew Kora wouldn’t want him to dwell on it and he believed her when she said it wasn’t a big deal. The warmth still burned across his body, it may be easy to push back the thoughts but it would be far harder for his body to forget. He shook his head freeing himself of the heavy droplets running through his hair and the unnecessary thoughts running through his mind. It couldn’t be that big of a problem, really though how often would he wake up next to Kora anyways? 

 

The water started to cool and Jongdae took that as a cue to finish up, there was something he wanted to do before Kora came looking for him. Using an abandoned towel he wiped the mirror clear of condensation. After a quick check that the door was locked he shifted into his wolf form. Even though he was sure it looked the same as when Kora shifted he still wanted to see it himself but his eyesight became hazy making it hard to see anything. It shifted back into focus and he saw that he had become a fairly large wolf with a smoky gray coat with black markings. Deep down he had known then but it was still kind of a shock to see the wolf he had fought that night staring back at him from the mirror. He moved, admiring his new body. The way his fur ruffled as he crouched low. Prancing around in front of the mirror he knew Kora was right, he was gorgeous. Other than his senses being different and his obvious physical change his mind was still the same. It was him just shorter and hairier. A knock on the door startled him back into his human form.

 

“The guys are leaving soon. Finish up so you can see them before they go.” It was Kora but she sounded…off.

 

“Yeah, just a minute.” He yelled back but she was already gone. Rushing to finish up he joined them by the door. They were restless, ready to get to practice. 

 

It was Sehun that spotted him first and groaned. “Jongdae’s not even ready yet.”

 

“He’s not going with us today. There are still some things he needs to learn before going back to work.” Daimen answered for him. Jongdae looked around but didn’t see Kora. She must not have come down.

 

“Won’t he get in trouble?” Kyungsoo asked.

 

“No I took care of it. I told them he has really bad diarrhea and can’t leave the toilet for more than 5 minutes.” The room immediately erupted in laughter.

 

“Yah!” Jongdae yelled. He loved dishing it out but he didn’t take it very well.

 

Jongin stepped forward and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Hyung…”

 

The laughter quieted down. “Yeah”

 

“Don’t forget to turn the fan on okay?” His face broke into a giant grin and he crouched low to dodge Jongdae’s fists. Chanyeol dropped to the floor and Luhan and Baekhyun held onto each other as they all laughed even harder.

 

“I don’t really have diarrhea!” He shouted and continued slapping the younger boy. 

 

Jongin doubled over finally escaping the assault. Obviously trying to hold back his laughter Daimen ushered them out the door. Letting out a few quiet curses, Jongdae headed upstairs to find Kora. The smell of soap filled the hallway and steam still lingered around the bathroom door. He wondered how the water had reheated so quickly when he entered his bedroom to find Kora bent over rummaging through a duffle bag. Hair still wet, it hung loosely around her shoulders obscuring her view of anything but the bag. She looked so small and delicate when she wasn’t staring you down like a wild animal. 

 

It felt too weird to see her looking somewhat vulnerable, he cleared his throat letting her know he was in the room. “What are you looking for?” he asked. Kora looked up from the bag and her lips widened into an evil grin. Jongdae gulped as he looked over the items; he could see various knives, some robe, what looked like a whip, candles and a worn looking book.

 

“What’s all that for?” He asked, his voice giving way to his obvious discomfort.

 

Her voice oozing with sticky sweetness, she answered. “It’s for your training of course.”