Chapter 11 Discovered His Soft Side
Evelyn's POV
The classroom atmosphere grew somewhat quiet, and the tense standoff between the two paused for a moment.
In the end, Ambrose was the first to back down. Breaking eye contact with Kane, and continued with the next topic.
Ambrose's remarks didn't just make me angry—they had left me with a bone-deep chill.
I instinctively clenched my hands under the desk, my knuckles turning white from the pressure.
Right now, I didn't even know what kind of shapeshifter I was. Ambrose's words circled in my mind like a curse. I really hated this feeling of not knowing—It wasn't just frustrating anymore; it was terrifying.
Having spent my entire life in the human world, so I knew almost nothing about shapeshifters.
What could I turn into? How long would I actually live? Am I destined for a violent end simply because I’m some ‘low-level’ shapeshifter?
Kane must have noticed my emotional shift. He leaned toward me, his voice a low, grounding murmur. "Don't be afraid."
I looked into his deep golden eyes. Behind the intense confidence that he could protect me, and genuine concern for me.
"I..." I opened my mouth but didn't know what to say. I was afraid of myself. I feared I might be something even more "unstable" or "dangerous" than the Magpies Ambrose had used as a warning.
Kane didn't press for an answer. He just kept his gaze fixed on mine, his steady presence acting as an anchor until my racing heart finally slowed.
At the front of the room, Ambrose’s voice became background noise. He continued droning on, occasionally saying things to provoke Kane, but Kane never looked away from me. The panic in my heart slowly faded. After taking a deep breath, I spoke again, "I'm okay."
My voice was still low, but my mood was clearly much better.
The bell rang. I shook off the messy thoughts lingering in my head. Forcing a smile, I looked at Kane. "Let's get out of here. I'm starving"
Kane nodded, falling into step behind me as we exited the classroom.
The cafeteria was its usual chaotic self—a wall of heat and shouting voices. As soon as we crossed the threshold, countless eyes turned toward us. Some even pointed at us and whispered. Neither of us gave them the satisfaction of a reaction.
Kane didn't say anything, didn't even change his expression, but I noticed he shifted his body slightly, using his broad shoulders to create a physical barrier between me and the prying stares of the room.
We set our trays down on the table, and Kane suddenly spoke. His voice was quiet, but held the weight of a vow. "As long as you consider me a friend, I'll be right here."
His tone was calm, not even particularly gentle, but it carried an unquestionable certainty.
In that moment, the last lingering knot of worry in my chest finally unraveled. I flashed him a grin. "Good to know. I’m holding you to that. I'll need someone to have my back from now on."
Kane didn't offer a verbal reply. He just kept his head downand went back to his soup. But I felt like he was different from usual, though I couldn't quite put my finger on how.
After lunch, we made our way to our afternoon class—Magical Healing and First Aid 101.
The classroom smelled of herbs and clinical disinfectant. I looked around and saw a very serious-looking woman walk in. She gave off the vibe of a doctor.
"Hello everyone, I'm Professor Vicky Gonzalez. Today we're covering basic Hemostasis Charms and wound suturing." Vicky pushed up her glasses and scanned the class. "I don't want to see anyone screaming or making a scene."
Students murmured among themselves. Soon Vicky had everyone break into small groups for the practical.
History repeated itself again—no one approached Kane or me. We remained an island in the middle of the room.
"Don't sweat it, Kane. We'll just work together." I said with a careless shrug and picked up the practice dummy on the table.
Kane nodded and stood beside me. He placed our group's small tray in front of me. On it were a small knife, suture thread, and other tools.
"The Hemostasis Charm just needs practice. I want to try the suturing first. But I'm a bit worried I don't know enough about muscle structure, and I'm afraid my hands might shake."
I traced the "wound" on the dummy's arm. "This looks like the real challenge."
My eyes were full of curiosity and interest in wound suturing, and I became more talkative.
Kane seemed surprised that I'd be interested in this. He looked at me with surprise but still said calmly, "I'll help you."
I took a deep breath and picked up the scalpel, trying to focus on the "wound" on the dummy in front of me. Following Vicky's earlier demonstration, I precisely cut open the "wound" on the dummy's arm, then began threading the needle.
My hands, which had been a bit nervous, became surprisingly steady the moment I gripped the knife handle.
I even got so absorbed that I forgot I was in a crowded classroom. I kept muttering to myself: "The muscle fibers here run diagonally. To avoid leaving a scar, I need to suture along the grain. Yes, just like that."
"So, you actually enjoy this?" Kane's voice pulled me out of my focus.
I looked up and realized he'd been watching me the whole time. So he must have seen my fingers nimbly tying knots and pulling thread, and just how lost I’d become in the world of suturing.
And, of course, he’d heard me talking to myself.
"Yes, this feeling is amazing. "Fixing something broken with your own hands, knowing you could actually save someone—it looks really cool." I leaned back down to secure the final knot with a practiced flick of my wrist.
Kane watched me silently, his eyes showing complicated emotions I couldn't read.
"Very well done." It was Vicky's voice.
Neither Kane nor I had noticed when she'd walked up beside us. Since she said that, she must have been watching our work the whole time, and seen me focused on suturing the wound.
I saw surprise and approval in her eyes, then heard her continue, "Evelyn, you have real talent for understanding body structure," she continued. "Your suture spacing is even, the tension is just right, and even the final knots are beautifully tied with precision."
Before Kane or I could feel happy about Vicky's words, we felt the stares from around us again, and heard whispered discussions.
"Thank you, Professor Gonzalez. I just... really like it, and I find the logic of it really fascinating." It seemed that since coming here, aside from Kane, I'd rarely received such genuine praise and completely unbiased comments.
"Interesting?" A hint of a smile actually appeared on Vicky's stern face. "I hope when you face real blood and gore, you'll still be fearless and complete the treatment perfectly."
I watched her turn and walk toward other students. She left behind a quiet word of encouragement: "Keep it up, Ms. Gray."
I felt a small glow of pride and turned to share the moment with Kane, only to find his gaze still fixed intently on me. "Kane, what's wrong?"