Luna felt watched.
The feeling followed her all day, crawling beneath her skin like an itch she could not scratch. It did not matter where she went. The cafeteria. The library. The crowded hallway outside the lecture hall. The sensation stayed.
Eyes on her.
She tried to tell herself it was paranoia. After everything she had been through, it made sense that her nerves were fried.
But deep down, she knew better.
By afternoon, clouds rolled in, dark and heavy, blocking out the sun. The air thickened, charged with something sharp and restless. Luna hugged her jacket closer as she crossed the quad.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: Do not go home alone tonight.
Her steps slowed.
She stared at the screen, heart pounding. Slowly, she typed back.
Luna: Who is this?
The reply came instantly.
Unknown Number: Someone who knows what you are.
Her breath caught.
She glanced around. Students walked past her, laughing, talking, unaware that her world was cracking open again.
Luna: Is this Kael?
Three dots appeared. Then vanished.
Unknown Number: No.
A chill slid down her spine.
Luna: Then stop texting me.
She shoved the phone into her pocket and hurried toward her dorm.
The moment she stepped inside the building, the pressure eased slightly. Familiar smells and sounds wrapped around her, grounding her. She forced herself to breathe.
Control.
She reached her floor when a scream ripped through the hallway.
Luna froze.
It came again, sharp and terrified.
Without thinking, she ran.
A crowd was already forming near the end of the corridor. Someone was crying. Someone else was shouting for help.
Luna pushed through just as campus security arrived.
Blood smeared the floor outside the communal bathroom.
Her stomach lurched.
A body lay crumpled near the sinks. A girl from her chemistry class. Luna recognized her shoes instantly.
Dead.
The silver mark beneath Luna's skin burned.
Whispers flooded her mind, frantic and overlapping.
Moon-touched.
Chosen.
Danger.
She staggered back, gasping.
Strong hands caught her shoulders.
"Luna."
Kael's voice cut through the chaos.
She looked up at him, eyes wide. "It's happening again."
"I know," he said quietly. "That's why I'm here."
Security began ushering students away. Sirens wailed outside.
Kael leaned close, his voice low. "You need to leave."
"I can't," Luna whispered. "They'll ask questions."
"Then answer them," he said. "But tonight, you're not sleeping alone."
She stiffened. "I told you—"
"I don't care," Kael interrupted softly. "Someone is hunting on campus. And you are the center of it."
Her phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number: I warned you.
Luna's hands shook as she showed Kael the screen.
His jaw tightened. "That's not pack work."
"Then whose is it?" she asked.
Before he could answer, the air around them dropped several degrees.
The lights flickered.
A tall figure stepped out of the stairwell shadows.
Black coat. Pale skin. Eyes like frozen silver.
Adrian Nocturne smiled slowly.
"Hello, Luna," he said smoothly. "I see the moon still clings to you."
Kael moved instantly, placing himself between them.
"You shouldn't be here," Kael growled.
Adrian's smile widened. "And yet, here I am."
Students walked past without noticing him, like their eyes slid right over his presence.
Luna's heart hammered. "They can't see you."
"Not unless I want them to," Adrian replied, his gaze never leaving her. "You're learning quickly."
Kael's voice was sharp. "Say what you came to say and leave."
"Oh, Alpha," Adrian said lazily. "Always so territorial."
His eyes flicked back to Luna. "The murders will continue. They must."
Luna felt sick. "Why?"
"Because something ancient is waking," Adrian said. "And you are the key."
Kael snarled, eyes flashing gold. "Get out."
Adrian sighed. "Soon, Luna. You will come to me on your own."
He stepped back, melting into the shadows like smoke.
The lights steadied.
The hallway felt normal again.
Too normal.
Luna exhaled shakily. "He scares me more than the wolves."
Kael looked at her, expression grim. "He should."
She swallowed. "What happens now?"
Kael took her hand, firm and grounding. "Now, we stop pretending."
Outside, thunder rolled.
And somewhere beyond the clouds, the moon waited.