Chapter 3

My cheeks burned. Even my fingertips went cold from the embarrassment.

Their laughter was still ringing. I kept my head down, not knowing where to look.

Charles finally seemed to realize the joke had gone too far. He set his glass down hard on the table.

"Enough."

He frowned at the group. "We grew up together. We're close friends. Stop making it into something it's not."

"Oh, just friends." Kevin dragged the words out on purpose. More laughter.

Annie jumped in to smooth things over.

"Come on, quit it. My family's always said no dating until I'm officially in college."

She probably meant to deflect, but it only made them more excited.

"Perfect timing then. You're about to graduate."

"Charles, you've been holding this in for years. You're really gonna keep pretending?"

"Tonight's your last shot. Miss this and who knows when you'll get another chance."

The group got louder. Charles didn't take the bait.

I sat there trying to look normal, but my heart was pounding harder and harder.

Then someone turned to me.

"Lilith, how come you're not laughing?"

"If Charles and Annie really got together, you wouldn't be upset, would you?"

My mind went completely blank.

Before I could figure out what to say, a girl next to Annie was already smiling.

"A real friend would be happy for her best friend, right?"

"Lilith, don't you think?"

Every eye in the room landed on me.

I gripped the hem of my shirt. In the end, I pulled out a smile.

"Of course."

"If they really like each other, I'd be happy for them."

The second those words left my mouth, the air around me felt heavier.

Charles glanced at me. His expression went strangely dark.

"I'm not going to talk about this here."

His voice was stiff.

"Besides, there's nothing between me and Annie."

A flicker of hurt crossed Annie's eyes, but she recovered quickly and smiled.

"Okay, okay, drop it."

She picked up the menu from the table and redirected the conversation.

"It's graduation dinner. Order whatever you want."

The menu made its way around. When it reached me, I barely touched it before Annie pulled it from my hands.

"I'll handle it."

She smiled at me.

"You take forever picking. By the time you decide, everyone will have starved."

Then she tilted the menu toward Charles.

"Let's look together. I remember Lilith used to love the moon-pepper roast."

Charles nodded.

"And a silver moonberry wine."

"Plus the wolfroot stew."

The moment I heard those last two words, my smile froze.

That used to be my favorite dish.

But I hadn't had it in a long time.

Because two months ago, after a wolf spirit episode, I had a severe reaction. The academy healer told me very clearly that I couldn't touch wolfroot for a while. It could trigger another destabilization.

Charles knew. He'd been there when the healer said it. He'd even walked me to the treatment room himself.

But now he'd ordered it without a second thought.

"That should do it."

He closed the menu, ready to pass it on.

I looked at his profile and my mind drifted back to that day.

My wolf spirit had suddenly gone haywire. The pain was so bad I could barely stand. I'd wanted Charles to come with me to the healer.

But I was a little slow getting downstairs.

By the time I made it to the academy's back gate, he and Annie had already driven off.

When I asked him later why he didn't wait, he'd looked at me like I was being ridiculous.

"You could still walk, couldn't you?"

"If it was really that serious, you would've come down sooner."

He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I stood there that day, and for the first time, I didn't know how to tell him.

Sometimes it's not that I don't need you.

It's that I'm so scared of being a burden that I keep telling myself I can hold on a little longer.

"Oh my God!"

A shout yanked me back to the present.

A classmate nearby had pulled up the academy forum on his phone, buzzing with excitement over something just posted.

"Check it out! The last two VIP seats for tonight's Moon Festival just got claimed!"

"Who got them?"

"Charles and Annie!"

The table erupted.

I looked up without thinking.

On the screen, two VIP medallions engraved with the moon crest were displayed side by side.

In that moment, I went completely still.

Because just a few days ago, Charles had promised me that before graduation, he'd take me to my first Moon Festival.