Adam had been scrolling for so long that his thumb felt numb, the kind of numb that only came from a blend of boredom, exhaustion, and a stomach that had been growling so loudly it felt like his ribs were rattling. The dorm room was drowned in the soft bluish haze coming from Bryce's desk lamp, a lone sentinel of light left on across the room. The rest of their shared space was swallowed in shadows that stretched across every surface like lazy, defeated creatures. Midnight had drifted past without Adam noticing. By the time the digital clock on his nightstand struck 1 a.m., he finally surrendered and placed his phone on the charger.
His stomach complained again, louder this time.
He groaned into his blanket.
"Bro, shut up," he muttered at his own abdomen, half amused and half irritated. "I fed you today. A lot."
He had fed himself indeed. The new student cafe above the cafeteria had been his downfall. One innocent visit had turned into a gluttonous expedition. The bill had been an astronomical betrayal. He had walked away both satisfied and financially devastated.
So now there he was, lying in bed with a stomach that was still painfully empty.
He shut his eyes and exhaled slowly. Sleep. That was the plan. Sleep would keep him from thinking about food and Abigail and Luna and the fact that he might spontaneously transform into a werewolf one day like a late-night horror movie protagonist who ignored all the warning signs.
But then his phone buzzed.
He ignored it.
He promised himself he would.
He was strong.
He would be disciplined.
His phone buzzed again.
Then again.
Then again, like a small frantic creature tapping at the inside of a glass jar.
He opened one eye and glared at the glowing rectangle on the nightstand.
"Oh come on," he whispered.
The buzzing persisted. Whoever it was, they had absolutely no respect for sleep, sanity, or the unspoken 1 a.m. social etiquette that required strong justification.
Adam sighed dramatically, rolled onto his back, and stretched an arm toward the edge of the nightstand. His fingers brushed the phone. He pulled it into his hand and squinted at the screen.
Unknown number.
Oh wonderful. Just what he needed.
Spam?
A wrong number?
Some desperate club committee trying to recruit members at ungodly hours?
He tapped the message open.
Unknown Number:Are you awake?
Adam frowned. He typed back.
Adam:Who is this and why are you texting me at 1 a.m.
The reply came within seconds, almost like the sender had been waiting for his response with breath drawn tight.
Unknown Number:Luna.
Adam shot upright so fast the top of his head nearly collided with the wooden bedpost. He clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle the startled sound that tried to leap out of him. His heart began pounding with a rapid, chaotic rhythm, almost like a drummer testing out different beats without settling on one.
Luna?.
Luna Luna?
The girl who had seen him unconscious.
The girl Abi claimed had tried to kill him.
The girl who had supposedly worked with the nurse.
The girl with the eerie eyes and the snow white hair and the reputation of being beautiful in a way that felt supernatural.
Adam whipped his head toward Bryce's bed.
His roommate was sprawled across his mattress, one leg dangling off the edge, mouth slightly open, breathing softly like a dinosaur in hibernation. He was fully asleep.
Good.
Adam grabbed his phone and typed quickly.
Adam:Why are you texting me.
Her reply was immediate.
Luna:Come to the roof.
Adam froze. His breath shortened. A strange heaviness settled in his chest, as if something invisible had wrapped around his ribs and squeezed slowly.
Adam:No. If you have something to say, say it here.
This time the response came after a three second pause. He counted each second, feeling the tension coil in his stomach.
Luna:If you don't come to the roof, I'll tell Bryce you are a werewolf.
Adam's jaw dropped open.
He typed back furiously.
Adam:You're bluffing.
Luna:You willing to find out?
There it was. The line. The unspoken threat wrapped in a deceptively calm sentence. A sinking feeling spread through his abdomen, heavier than hunger and sharper than fear.
This could not be real.
She would not actually tell Bryce.
Right?
His wolf senses, weak as they were, prickled in the back of his mind. Instinct whispered something to him, something that sounded like: She absolutely would.
Adam ran a hand over his face, groaned, and slid out of bed.
If Luna wanted to talk, she clearly had no intention of doing it through text.
And if she wanted to expose him, she clearly had the tools to do so.
Fine.
He would go.
He would be quick.
He would be cautious.
He slipped into sweatpants and a hoodie, shoved his feet into sneakers, and quietly grabbed a bottle of water from his desk. He glanced once more at Bryce, who continued to snooze through the world like a blissfully ignorant storm cloud.
"Please do not wake up," Adam whispered to him.
With careful steps, Adam exited the dorm room and made his way down the hallway. The building felt unnervingly silent. At night, Moonstone Academy always took on a strange, tunneled quality, as if the air thickened and the shadows deepened intentionally. The hall lights flickered every now and then, not enough to be concerning, but enough to create unease in a place already known for unsettling secrets.
He reached the stairwell and pushed the heavy door open.
The stairwell was colder than the hallway.
Much colder.
He climbed.
The metal steps vibrated under his feet with each soft footfall. The sound echoed up the shaft in a quiet, rhythmic pattern that reminded him that he was alone in a tall vertical corridor with no reason to trust whoever had summoned him.
By the time he reached the top, his pulse was racing again.
The rooftop door stood in front of him, old and dented but sturdy, a rectangular slab of metal that separated him from whatever, or whoever, waited outside.
He swallowed hard, pushed it open, and stepped out.
A gust of cold wind greeted him instantly, brushing across his face like icy fingertips. The rooftop was wide, flat, and open. A few tall metal ventilation units hummed near the center, their vibrations resonating through the concrete beneath him. Beyond them lay the distant skyline of Moonstone Academy, lit by faint lanterns embedded along pathways and building corners.
He scanned the area.
No Luna.
He stepped further out, cautious, alert, gripping the water bottle at his side like a makeshift weapon. The rooftop smelled faintly like asphalt and something metallic. And something else. Something savory. Something strong.
Meat.
But hunger had tricked him before.
He turned in a slow circle.
Still no Luna.
"Okay," he whispered to the night. "If this is some prank, very funny, ten out of ten, I'm going back to bed."
A soft sound appeared behind him.
Not footsteps.
More like air shifting.
Like someone moving without disturbing anything.
He spun around.
"Boo."
Luna's face was inches from his.
Adam screamed like a toddler startled by a birthday balloon.
Luna burst into laughter. Real laughter. Sharp and musical and absurdly genuine. Her head tilted back slightly, revealing the delicate curve of her neck, and her shoulders shook from the force of her amusement.
"You scare like a baby," she choked out between breaths. "I expected something else. Maybe a flinch. Or a growl. But this was better. Much better."
Adam clutched his chest.
His heart was beating so wildly it felt like it was trying to break free.
"Don't sneak up on people like that," he hissed.
Luna smirked. "I thought you would sense me coming. Guess not."
"It's a work in progress," he muttered.
Only now did he truly notice her.
She looked unreal under the rooftop lights. She wore a black crop top that hugged her body so tightly it almost seemed crafted to her shape. The fabric clung to every curve, revealing the strength in her arms and the soft definition of her waist. Her skin was pale, not sickly pale but luminous, almost glowing in the cold air. Her black leather shorts contrasted strongly against her complexion, framing her hips and legs in a way that felt far too intentional.
Her long snow white hair had been braided into a thick rope that draped over her left shoulder, falling forward along her collarbone. The braid shimmered subtly, catching the faint rooftop lights as if the strands had absorbed moonlight during the day. Her makeup, if she wore any, was minimal, highlighting the sharp slant of her eyes and the natural fullness of her lips. She looked like a gothic painting brought to life.
Beautiful in a way that felt dangerous.
Alluring in a way that felt unfair.
And deeply unsettling for someone like Adam.
He stepped back.
Immediately.
Luna noticed.
Of course she did.
Her expression shifted, but only slightly. Curiosity flickered through her eyes and disappeared behind an unreadable calm. "Relax," she said. "If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't be standing."
"That does not help," Adam said.
She held up the canvas bag she had slung over her shoulder. "I brought food."
The savory smell hit him again.
Stronger.
Real this time.
"Why do you have a large steak," he asked. "At one in the morning. Why would you even think that is normal."
"It's not normal," Luna said. "It's necessary."
He hesitated.
"You've poisoned it, haven't you?"
Luna's face twisted. "If you think I poisoned it, say it. Grow some balls for once."
The way she said it made his ears burn. He shifted uncomfortably before muttering, "Abi told me you tried to kill me."
Luna blinked.
Then blinked again.
She stepped closer. "I what."
"She said you wanted to kill me. And that you worked with the nurse."
"I saved you, you fucking idiot."
He stared at her.
"No. Abi saved me from you."
Luna scoffed so loudly it nearly drowned out the hum of the ventilation units.
"What exactly do you think happened," she said. "You were unconscious. Floating in and out. You barely knew your own name. And now you think you remember enough to blame me for attempted murder."
She walked past him, agitation radiating from every movement. She sat down on the edge of the ventilation unit and opened the bag. Inside, nestled in foil, was a massive steak that looked freshly seared, still steaming gently in the cold night.
"The nurse tried to kill you," Luna said. "I stopped her. I dragged you away. The triplets found us later. They took you because they don't trust me. I didn't argue."
Adam tried to process all of that at once. The truth tasted bitter in his mind. Abigail might have misunderstood the scene. Luna might have been misinterpreted. He didn't know. He did not trust either explanation entirely.
"You don't have to believe me," Luna said. "You just have to eat. Before it gets cold."
His stomach growled violently at the smell.
That was answer enough.
He sat next to her, took the fork she offered, and dug in. The first bite tasted like salvation. His wolf instincts surged, greedy and primal. His entire body felt starved for protein, for something hearty and bloody and rich. Fuck the fork, his hands would suffice
While he ate, Luna explained his condition.
"The transformation takes time," she said. "Your body is building energy for the first shift. That is why you are hungry all the time. If you don't eat enough, you won't survive the transformation."
Adam froze mid bite. "What."
"You'll die," Luna said, in the most casual tone possible.
He stared at her, horrified.
She shrugged. "You wanted honesty."
Something softened in her expression. Barely. Almost invisible.
"I won't let that happen," she said.
The words sounded rough, not gentle. The tone suited her.
"Do you trust me," Luna asked.
Adam considered nodding, but before he could, she grabbed his chin between her fingers and held him still.
"Wrong answer," she said. "Rule one. Never trust anyone. Not ever. Everyone puts themselves first. You need to do the same."
She released him and stood.
"I'll teach you what you need to know before Halloween. Eat. Clean up. Rest. I have things to prepare."
Before he could ask what she meant, she walked to the edge of the dorm roof and jumped.
Just like that.
A five story drop as if gravity was optional.
Adam scrambled to the ledge, heart pounding. He peered over the edge.
She was gone.
No trace.
No sound.
Nothing.
Wait, could he do that?
The night swallowed every hint of her.
When he finally sank back, steak still steaming beside him, Adam realized two things.
His life had changed forever.
And Luna was going to be a very, very big part of that change.
The rooftop air felt colder.
The sky felt larger.
His hunger felt sharper.
And for the first time since his transformation, Adam felt the beginning of something he could not name.
Fear.
Curiosity.
Possibility.
All tangled together under the silver moon.
And the night whispered a promise.