POV: Aira Moonstone
The cafeteria buzzed with chatter, the sharp clink of trays and scraping of chairs filling the air. Aira sat at her usual corner table, her lunch untouched. Lila dropped her tray beside her with dramatic flair, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Okay, okay, listen. I already have my bikini picked. Bright red. It's going to pop so hard under the moonlight pool lights. You better not show up in some oversized hoodie, Aira. I'm warning you."
Aira blinked up from her sandwich. "What?"
Lila scoffed, flicking a pea at her. "The pool party. Tomorrow. You are going, right?"
"I… I guess," Aira said softly. "If I have time."
Lila's eyes narrowed. "Nope. Not acceptable. You are going. I will drag you there if I have to."
"I'm just not sure I'll fit in," Aira mumbled.
Lila rolled her eyes. "You'll fit in because I say so. You're going, and I'm picking your outfit. No arguments. You might even get to meet your mystery note-giver, huh?" she added with a teasing wink.
Aira's face flushed as she looked down, her fingers brushing the edge of her tray. She hadn't told Lila, but her wolf, Nina, had been restless ever since that note. The roses too. Something deep inside stirred uneasily.
This feels off, Nina whispered in her mind. Too easy. Too sudden.
Aira frowned subtly. Her wolf's instincts had never been wrong before.
But Lila's joy was infectious, and Aira didn't want to dampen her friend's excitement. So she nodded and gave a small smile. "Okay. You pick the dress."
"Yes!" Lila squealed. "This is going to be so much fun!"
After lunch, their final class was Advanced Werewolf Biology—a mandatory course for all senior wolves. Aira enjoyed this one. Science, at least, made sense. It had rules. Logic.
They filed into the lab, where beakers lined the long black countertops. Their teacher, Mrs. Romania, stood at the front, her sharp voice slicing through the hum of conversation.
"Today's topic: Wolfsbane. A toxic herb to both turned and born werewolves. Even the smallest amount can paralyze your inner wolf if absorbed into the bloodstream."
She held up a vial of violet liquid.
"It can slow healing, cloud your senses, and in high doses… kill. This is why it is used in rogue traps. Never underestimate it."
Aira jotted notes neatly, her mind sharpening with focus. Her lab partner, Zach, slid into the seat beside her. Tall and lean, with pale skin and dark, intelligent eyes behind wire-framed glasses, Zach was one of the few students who never bothered her.
They worked in silence, recording observations from a preserved wolfsbane root under the microscope.
"You're quiet today," Zach murmured, his eyes still on the specimen.
"Just thinking," Aira replied softly.
"About the party?" he asked, tone unreadable.
Aira's head lifted. "You're going?"
"Maybe," Zach said, glancing sideways at her. "Are you?"
"If I have time."
Zach gave her a faint smile—one that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Then maybe I'll see you there," he said, before slipping away into the stream of students as the bell rang.
Aira watched him go, unsettled.
Zach was polite. Mysterious. But not unkind.
Still, as she slung her bag over her shoulder and stepped into the hallway, Nina stirred again.
Careful, her wolf whispered. Not everyone who sees you… wants you.