The final shackle clicked shut.
The sound echoed sharply against the damp stone walls.
Luna straightened slowly after fastening the restraint around Adam's left wrist, the metal chain pulling taut as she stepped back to inspect her work.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The dungeon beneath the northern mansion was quiet in a way that felt almost unnatural. The thick stone walls swallowed sound, leaving only the faint drip of water somewhere deeper in the corridors and the distant groan of old wood shifting overhead.
Adam knelt at the center of the room.
Two heavy iron chains extended from opposite sides of the floor, bolted deep into the stone foundation. They ran across the ground before rising up to meet the shackles locked firmly around each of his wrists.
The position forced him into a kneeling posture.
Not painful.
But immovable.
He tested the tension slightly.
The chains rattled.
Solid.
Very solid.
Luna glanced down at her watch.
The dim light of the dungeon lamp caught the glass face as she checked the time.
9:36 PM.
She let out a small breath before lowering her wrist again.
Adam shifted slightly, the chains clinking again as he adjusted his weight.
"So," he said after a moment, trying to sound casual. "This isn't actually that bad."
Luna raised an eyebrow.
Adam rolled his shoulders a little as best he could in the restraints.
"I mean… yeah, I'm chained to a dungeon floor," he continued. "But honestly?"
He shifted again.
"Kind of comfortable."
Luna stared at him.
Then she exhaled through her nose.
"This isn't even the worst part yet."
Her voice carried that familiar dry edge.
Adam chuckled nervously.
The sound bounced off the walls and died quickly.
Now that she had stepped back, Adam found himself actually looking at her properly for the first time since they had come down here.
And honestly…
He had to admit something.
She looked insanely cool.
The gothic outfit she had worn earlier in the courtyard seemed even more striking in the dim dungeon lighting.
The dark crop top hugged her torso closely, the fabric catching faint highlights from the lantern glow as she moved. The short black jacket hung loosely over her shoulders, its red stitching barely visible but giving the entire piece a subtle sharpness that fit her perfectly.
The black shorts sat low against her hips, fastened with those small belts and metal rings that glinted whenever she shifted her stance.
The stockings traced the length of her legs smoothly before disappearing into those tall black boots.
Everything about the look felt deliberate.
Edgy.
Confident.
Dangerously cool.
Adam tilted his head slightly as he studied her.
Yeah.
That's a really cool outfit.
Also…
Really hot.
He quickly cleared his throat.
Luna noticed the stare immediately.
"What?"
Adam blinked.
"…nothing."
She narrowed her eyes.
But decided not to press it.
Instead she leaned her shoulder casually against the stone wall near the dungeon door.
"You're already feeling it," she said flatly.
Adam frowned. "Feeling what?"
"The moon."
She tilted her head slightly toward the narrow barred window near the ceiling. A faint beam of pale silver light spilled through it, cutting across the stone floor.
"The effects started a while ago."
Adam sat there for a moment.
Thinking.
Then he shrugged slightly.
"I feel normal."
Luna let out a small, unimpressed sound.
"You wouldn't notice yet."
She crossed her arms loosely.
"But it's happening."
Adam glanced toward the window.
The full moon had fully risen now.
Bright.
Unavoidable.
He swallowed quietly.
Luna continued.
"You're lucky, though."
Her voice carried that same casual indifference she always used when talking about serious things.
"The early symptoms are nothing compared to what's coming."
Adam looked back at her.
"…are you trying to scare me on purpose?"
She shrugged.
"Just telling you how it works."
She pushed off the wall and walked a few steps toward him before stopping again.
"From around ten o'clock," she explained, "you'll start feeling a warm sensation spreading through your body."
Adam raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds nice."
She ignored the comment.
"Your bones will start shifting. Muscles will tighten. Skin stretches."
Her tone remained flat.
"Slow process. 'bout a minute."
She paused.
"Maybe more. Maybe less. Depends how much energy your body throws into it."
Adam stared at her.
"…you're really not sugarcoating this."
Luna shrugged again.
"Why would I?"
Then she added almost casually,
"Just don't die here."
Adam blinked.
"That would be a shame for you... And clean up would be a mess."
He stared at her. "…wow."
She turned and pointed toward a large cooler sitting beside the dungeon door.
Adam followed the gesture.
The lid sat slightly open.
Inside…
He saw raw meat.
Stacks of it.
Lean cuts packed tightly together inside ice.
Luna nodded toward it.
"Your dinner."
Adam grimaced.
"You're kidding."
"The principal insisted," Luna said. "First full moon is important."
She leaned back against the wall again.
"The hunt."
Adam frowned.
"The what?"
"The dream hunt."
Her voice softened slightly, though the bluntness remained.
"First transformation. You won't be conscious and you sure as hell won't remember anything in the morning."
Adam blinked slowly.
"That's… comforting."
Luna gestured toward the cooler again.
"She figured if you're going to be locked in chains all night, you might as well have something to tear apart... Y'know instead of munching on other people since we are a little short on prey animals."
Adam stared at the cooler.
Then back at Luna.
"Raw meat."
"Yep."
"Great."
He sighed heavily.
Luna continued watching him quietly.
"The shackles should hold you."
She tapped one of the chains lightly with her boot.
The metal rang with a dull, heavy sound.
"Reinforced steel."
Adam tugged lightly at the restraints again.
Yeah.
He believed it.
Luna crossed her arms.
"I'll stay here with you tonight."
She said it like someone announcing they had to sit through a long meeting.
Adam looked up at her.
"You make it sound like a chore."
"It is."
He chuckled softly.
The sound faded quickly in the quiet dungeon.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Adam's expression shifted slightly.
"Hey."
Luna glanced down at him.
"What?"
"You promised something yesturday."
Her eyes narrowed faintly.
"I promise a lot of things."
"You said you'd tell me why you care about me like this."
Luna's response came instantly.
"I don't."
Adam stared at her.
She stared back.
Silence stretched between them.
Adam exhaled slowly.
"Okay," he said. "Let me rephrase that."
He shifted slightly against the chains.
"You promised you'd tell me why you're helping me."
That…
Actually stopped her.
Luna looked away.
Her eyes drifted toward the dungeon floor as she thought.
For a moment the confident sarcasm faded from her expression.
Adam noticed.
And waited.
Several seconds passed.
Finally she sighed.
"…right."
Her voice sounded quieter now.
More thoughtful.
She pushed herself off the wall and walked a few slow steps across the dungeon floor before stopping near the cooler.
For a moment she simply stood there.
Thinking.
Then she spoke.
"…it started a long time ago."
Her gaze drifted somewhere distant.
The dungeon seemed to grow quieter somehow.
As if the past itself was about to step into the room.
And just like that…
The memory began to surface.