Settling in the Dorms

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.