3.

Karl Martha walked into the room, her steps light but deliberate, as if she was sneaking up on me.

"When did you start being a night walker?" I asked, my voice low, my tone edged with annoyance. 

She smirked, leaning against the doorframe like she owned the place. "I wanted to check on you. You know, at first, I thought you'd stay in the library. Or maybe you'd sleep there since you’re still the same scaredy-cat who can’t handle even the slightest mockery." Her smile widened, sharp and teasing.

I rolled my eyes, grabbing the cloth from my bed and wrapping it around my shoulders. "Seems like you missed me so much you can’t stay in your own lane—especially at night, Miss Karl."

"Miss you? Don’t flatter yourself, Olivia," she said, walking further into the room, her gaze briefly wandering toward my wardrobe. "I was just making sure you were safe. With all the noise I heard outside the dorm, I thought it was your scream. It was too human to be an animal's."

I stiffened for a moment before shaking it off. "Well, Martha," I said, walking to the door and opening it wide, "I need to sleep. Can you please leave? I don’t want any distractions tonight."

Her lips curled into a mischievous smile, but she walked past me without protest. "I don’t even like your room. It stinks," she said over her shoulder as she stepped out.

As soon as the door clicked shut, I heard the wardrobe creak open. Ethan Felix emerged, his expression cautious. "Is she gone?" he asked in a whisper.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I sat on my bed, grabbing my phone. A notification blinked on the screen—a text message from my mom. 

**"Happy birthday, Olivia. Whatever you’re feeling right now, that’s what you truly are."**

My fingers tightened around the phone as I reread the message. What did she mean by that? Whatever I’m feeling now?

The night stretched on, heavy and restless. It wasn’t just because Ethan Felix was lurking in my room—though that was a problem. It was everything. The noise Martha mentioned. The strange events I couldn’t piece together. And the biggest question of all: **why didn’t Arden Krayon translocate with us?**

I stared out of the window, the moonlight casting long, eerie shadows across the room. My thoughts spiraled.

"Olivia Trevor, why aren’t you sleeping?" Ethan asked suddenly, his voice breaking the silence. His wide eyes glinted in the dim light as he moved closer to me.

I didn’t answer immediately. I was still piecing together the chaos in my mind. Ethan reached out gently. "You should rest, Olivia. You’ll need to cultivate your strength."

I turned to face him, my voice sharper than I intended. "Ethan, why aren’t you worried about Arden? What if something happened to him?"

Ethan’s expression didn’t waver. "Arden is capable of defending himself. He’ll be fine," he said, his tone calm but distant. He moved back toward the bed, sitting with a casualness that irritated me.

"Get out of my room," I said, my words coming out more as a command than a request.

He raised his brows, feigning innocence. "At this time of night? What if something happens to me?"

"You’re a wolf, Ethan. You can defend yourself," I shot back, using his own words against him. His disbelief was almost comical, but I didn’t care. "And don’t use the door," I added. "The window is more fitting for you."

His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t argue. Without another word, he jumped out of the window, landing gracefully before vanishing into the woods. 

I closed the window immediately, locking it tight. The room fell silent again, and I crawled into bed. As soon as my eyes shut, the darkness swallowed me, and I found myself somewhere else entirely.

---

I was home. The familiar sight of my family sitting outside, enjoying the cool evening air, warmed me for a moment. But then, the moon turned a deep, bloody red, and everything shifted. Flames erupted around us, consuming everything in their path. The world burned.

"Mom! Dad!" I screamed, my voice hoarse as I tried to reach them. But the fire was everywhere, separating us, choking me with its heat.

"This is happening because of you." My mother’s voice rang out, sharp and venomous. Her eyes burned with hatred as she turned toward me. "It’s all your fault, Olivia. You deserve this. I hate you. I regret the day I gave birth to you."

Her words tore through me, more painful than the flames. "What did I do wrong?" I cried, my voice barely audible over the roaring fire.

"Olivia!" My father’s voice cut through the chaos. He was trying to reach me, but the flames held him back. "Don’t panic, darling. Daddy will save you!" He grabbed a bucket of soapy water and threw it at the fire, but it was useless. The flames were too strong.

Before I could respond, I felt something shift inside me. My body convulsed, twisting and changing. A monstrous growl tore from my throat. I had transformed into something I couldn’t recognize. My vision blurred, and when it cleared, I was outside the fire—but not as myself.

I turned to my father, who looked at me with a mixture of fear and heartbreak. And then I attacked him.

I didn’t stop, even as he fell. Even as his blood stained my claws. I heard my mother’s screams, but I didn’t care. I turned to her next, advancing with an unrelenting hunger. But when I reached out, I didn’t grab her. I grabbed someone else.

Ethan.

The world shifted again, and I was suddenly underwater. I couldn’t breathe. I was drowning, flailing, trying to break free. 

"What’s happening to me?" I gasped, my voice muffled by the water. 

"Olivia!" A voice called out to me, faint but growing louder. "Olivia! Open your eyes!"

---

I jolted awake, gasping for air. The sunlight streaming through the window felt like needles piercing my skin. My body was drenched in sweat, my heart pounding violently in my chest. 

"Olivia! What’s wrong with you?" Lisa Maxwell’s voice brought me back to reality. She was sitting on my bed, her face pale with concern. She reached out and gently slapped my cheek. "You’re sweating like crazy. Are you okay?"

I blinked, disoriented. "Lisa?"

"You called me earlier this morning. Why? What’s going on?" she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

I hesitated, the memory of the dream—or was it a vision?—still fresh in my mind. "I... I heard a scream last night," I lied. "It scared me, that’s all."

Lisa didn’t look convinced, but she let it go. "Weird," she muttered, standing up. "Anyway, shouldn’t you be getting ready? We’ll be late."

I nodded, trying to shake off the lingering unease. I walked to the bathroom and took a quick shower. But when I came back to change into my uniform, it was gone. Nowhere to be found.

The memory of last night hit me again, sharp and cold.

"Do you have an extra Friday uniform? Mine’s... ruined," I said, scratching my head awkwardly.

Lisa gave me a strange look but left the room. She returned a few minutes later with a spare uniform. It was a bit tight, but it fit well enough.

As I adjusted the buttons, I caught my reflection in the mirror. For a moment, I didn’t recognize myself. My eyes looked darker, almost feral. A shiver ran down my spine.

And then I heard it—a low growl, faint but unmistakable, coming from somewhere deep within the woods, I turned to look at Lisa who was staring at me confused to why the sudden gaze.