The dorm room was still half-organized, with duffel bags flopped open on the floor and half-unpacked boxes lining the shelves.
Moonshine College had assigned Lily and Maya a cozy two-bed room on the second floor of Luna Hall, a sleek, modern building that housed most of the female shifters on campus. The sun had dipped below the horizon hours ago, but the soft amber glow of their desk lamps lit up the space as the two girls sat cross-legged on their respective beds, laptops perched in front of them. "Okay, she's calling now," Maya said, her voice filled with excitement as the screen flickered and Lexa's familiar face appeared on the video call. Lexa was lounging on a beach chair, palm trees swaying behind her and the sound of ocean waves crashing faintly in the background. She wore oversized sunglasses and her long hair was braided loosely over one shoulder, a drink with a tiny umbrella in one hand. "Finally," Lexa drawled. "I was beginning to think you two forgot about me." "Lexa!" Lily beamed. "You look so good! And that view—where are you again?" "Turks and Caicos," Lexa said casually, taking a long sip of her drink. "Lucian needed a break. So did I, to be honest. Rebuilding a pack from the ground up? Not as glamorous as it sounds." Maya chuckled, leaning closer to the screen. "We didn’t forget about you, Miss World Traveler. Some of us are still settling into campus life." Lexa smirked. "Campus life. I remember those days. Well, not really. I skipped that part and went straight into the chaos. But I’m glad you two are finally living it. Especially you, Lily." Lily smiled, a soft blush coloring her cheeks. "It feels surreal, honestly. Even though it’s sophomore year, this is my first time really experiencing it. Last year was just... homeschooling, Luna training, and more Luna training with Ariel." Lexa lifted her sunglasses and narrowed her eyes. "So? How are the Alpha twins? Still attached to your hip?" Maya burst out laughing. "Attached is an understatement. They're glued to her." Lily rolled her eyes, though her smile didn’t fade. "They just want to make sure I'm okay. You know how they are. I told them I didn’t want bodyguards following me around campus, so now they're playing tour guides." Lexa snorted. "Of course they are. Typical Alpha overprotectiveness. Don’t let them smother you. Remember, you’re the Luna, not some fragile flower." Lily laughed. "Yes, Mom." Maya grinned. "You should’ve seen her earlier. She was nearly run over by a car." Lexa’s drink halted mid-air. Her expression turned stone cold. "What?" "Maya," Lily groaned. "It wasn’t that serious." "You almost got run over and you're calling that not serious?" Lexa snapped. "Who was it? Give me a license plate number, the car make and model. I'll track them down myself." Lucian's voice was faint in the background. "Is she plotting a hit again?" He asked. "Shush, Lucian," Lexa called over her shoulder before turning back to the screen. "Lily, I’m serious. You’re the Luna of our pack. You can’t be careless." Lily sighed, touched by Lexa’s concern. "I promise I’ll be careful. Someone saved me just in time. A girl named Lena." Lexa arched an eyebrow. "Lena?" "Yeah," Maya chimed in. "She pulled Lily back right before the car sped by." Lexa leaned back, her gaze thoughtful. "Well, thank her for me. But still, be on guard. Weird things happen around Lunas, especially ones that shine as bright as you do." Lily smiled, a little warmth in her chest. "Thanks, Lexa. I appreciate you both looking out for me." "Always," Maya said, nudging Lily with her foot. Just then, there was a soft knock at the door. Lily frowned. "Who could that be this late?" Maya shrugged. "Maybe Lucas and Liam wanting to interrupt girl time?" "Send them away, I'm still talking" Lexa said before taking another sip of her drink. Lily got off the bed and walked over, adjusting her oversized hoodie. She opened the door and blinked in surprise. "Lena?" Lena stood there, a sweet smile on her face, holding a pastel pink box tied with a silver ribbon. Her dark hair was pinned up in a loose bun, and her eyes sparkled under the corridor lights. "Hi, Lily," she said warmly. "Sorry if this is too late. I just wanted to officially welcome you to campus." Lily smiled, pleasantly surprised. "That’s so thoughtful. Thank you." "Cupcakes," Lena said, holding up the box. "My roommate is a baker and we had some extras. I thought you and your roommate might like a sweet treat." Lily took the box, the faint scent of vanilla and strawberries coming from it. "That's really sweet of you. Come in! We were just on a video call with a friend." Lena shook her head. "Oh, I don’t want to intrude. I just wanted to drop this off and say hi. I’ve heard a lot about you. Luna Lily, right?" Lily chuckled. "You can just call me Lily." Lena smiled wider. "Well, Lily, I hope we can be friends. I'm really glad I got to meet you today." Lily felt a spark of genuine happiness. "I hope so too. Here, let me give you my number." They exchanged contacts quickly, and Lena turned to go. "Have a good night," she said with a wave. "You too," Lily replied, watching her walk down the hall before gently closing the door. When she turned back around, Maya was already hovering over the cupcake box. "Who was it?" Lexa’s voice rang out from the laptop. "Lena," Lily said, returning to her bed. "She brought cupcakes. Can you believe that?" Lexa raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Be careful. Kindness is lovely, but not everyone is what they seem." Lily nodded, her gaze drifting toward the door. "I know. But she seems really sweet." Unbeknownst to her, down the hall and out of view, Lena paused at the stairwell. Her smile remained, but her eyes glinted with something darker as she pulled out her phone and sent a text. "She took the bait. All according to plan." She hit send and disappeared down the stairs.The small, sterile room in the campus security building smelled faintly of bleach and stale air. Harsh fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting cold beams on the faces of Lucas and Liam as they sat slumped on the narrow metal bench of the holding cell. Graham sat beside them, his posture tense, eyes flicking between the twins and the two girls standing just outside the bars. Lily stood closest to the cell. Her usual aura of poise was gone, replaced by barely-contained fury. Behind her, Maya hovered like a storm cloud, arms crossed, lips pressed into a bitter line.“You absolute idiots!” Lily’s voice cracked like a whip, cutting through the cold, stale air. Her words reverberated off the concrete walls. “You told me you didn’t lay a hand on Ethan. You lied to my face. Do you know how stupid you’ve made me look? How humiliated I feel right now?”Lucas’s bruised face crumpled. “Lily, we—”“Don’t you dare start,” she snapped, pointing a shaking finger at him. Her voice was low but
The silence in Lena’s dorm room felt like it could swallow her whole.Today’s exams had been nothing short of a nightmare. She had barely been able to read the questions, much less answer them. Every time she tried to focus, Ethan’s face swam into her mind—pale, bruised, lost—and she was left wondering if he was even still alive.She felt so damn angry. Angry at all of them.Lena stood by the window, hugging herself as if that might keep her from falling apart.“I hate them all,” she whispered into the empty room. Her voice shook with rage. “I wish I could just… destroy them.”A sudden knock on the door startled her out of her dark thoughts.She frowned, wiping at her eyes before stalking to the door. She flung it open—and there stood Aiden, looking like he had just stepped out of a magazine photoshoot with his disheveled dark hair and soft eyes. He held a pizza box in his hands, and his tentative smile faded a little when he saw the storm raging in her eyes.“Hey, Lena,” he said,
The college cafeteria was alive with its usual midday clamor: the chatter of students at crowded tables, the metallic clink of cutlery on plates, the occasional whoosh of a blender behind the café counter. In the far corner, tucked away from the largest crowds, Lily sat with Lucas, Liam, Graham, and Maya, a half-eaten plate of fries between them.Lily slumped forward, her cheek nearly touching her coffee cup. “I swear, I’m going to fail that exam,” she groaned, rubbing her temples.Maya leaned forward, her eyes wide with sympathy. “It couldn’t have been that bad.”“It was worse,” Lily moaned. “I thought I had prepared enough, but every question looked like it was written in a different language. I’m done for. Alpha Dean is going to kill me if I don’t pass. You know how he is.”Lucas let out a low whistle. “My dad doesn’t care about your exam scores that much,” he said, trying to soothe her.Lily’s eyes snapped up. “Yes, he does! I’m the mate of his sons. That means I can’t be the
The hallway lights flickered above Lena’s head as she stepped out of Lily and Maya’s dorm room. Her legs felt like lead, her mind clouded by exhaustion and seething irritation. The evening had been spent in the presence of people whose mere voices scraped against her patience like sandpaper. She exhaled a slow, trembling breath as the door clicked shut behind her.Lena pressed her phone to her ear, pacing a few steps toward her room. Ethan’s name glowed on her screen. The dial tone buzzed on and on until it cut to voicemail. She hung up before it could connect. Her thumb hovered above the call icon, but she let out a frustrated sigh instead of redialing.“Pick up, damn it,” she muttered under her breath, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. The icy knot in her chest tightened. She needed his voice. She needed something to ground her, but he was nowhere to be found.She slipped her phone into the pocket of her pants. Just one more hallway and she wod reach the sanctuar
The dorm room was silent when Lena stepped inside with Graham and the Alpha twins. Lily’s bed was unmade, a stack of textbooks scattered across the desk. Maya was perched on a beanbag chair, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Eliza sat on the edge of Lily’s bed, worry etched into every line of her face. Lily’s eyes, normally bright with mischief, were dark and stormy. “Lena,” she said sharply, “where have you been all day? We’ve been trying to reach you since morning!” Maya added, her voice tight with frustration, “You had us worried sick! We thought Ethan might have done something to you.” Lena froze in the doorway, every instinct screaming to run — but she couldn’t. Not now. She forced herself to look apologetic, letting her shoulders slump and her eyes drop to the floor. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, voice trembling just enough. “I…I didn’t mean to worry you all. My phone died and…I panicked. I didn’t know what to do.” Lily’s glare softened only slightly.
"Oh no," Lena thought, panic surging through her. "They can’t see me with Ethan… they’ll think I’m working with him. They’ll never trust me again."She forced her breathing to slow, trying to hide her trembling hands. Her mind raced for a solution as Lucas’s voice thundered across the lot, echoing like a storm.“Lena!” Lucas called, his tone between worried and enraged.Liam’s eyes darted from Lena to Ethan, his jaw tensing. “What the hell is going on here?”Before Lena could answer, Ethan stepped forward, the smirk on his face confident, almost amused. “Well, well, well. Look who decided to join us,” Ethan drawled, folding his arms across his chest. “The mighty Alpha twins… and their lapdog.”Graham’s eyes darkened like a thundercloud. “Watch your mouth,” he growled.Lucas advanced until he stood a few feet from Ethan, the scent of his fury sharp in the air. “What the hell are you doing with Lena? First Lily, now her friend? You just can’t keep your pathetic hands off what does