The Spirit Luna: Fragmented Soul

Cadence I hadn’t planned on going to the student bar that night. It was Friday, a long week of lectures, lab work, and late nights at the library. It was my first few weeks at Uni and although I didn't really have time for friends, or the money for this, I needed the break, even if I was stubbornly independent — and tired of crowds. I know, a complete contradiction. Still, curiosity and the faint buzz of a few classmates convinced me to step inside. The low hum of conversation, the smell of spiced beer, and the warm amber lighting immediately set me on edge. Crowds were chaotic. I had just ordered a drink when I felt him — a presence nearby, confident, attentive, but not overwhelming. I glanced up and saw a man leaning against the bar, dark hair catching the dim light, sharp but not harsh features, his gaze curious but polite. “Hi,” he said smoothly, a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes but was… pleasant. “I’m Graham. Mind if I join you?” I hesitated, but there was something unthreatening in his posture. “Uh… sure.” He ordered a drink and sat beside me, conversational but unobtrusive. “I noticed you taking notes earlier in class,” he said, nodding toward my folder. “Forensics? That’s impressive.” I relaxed slightly, surprised by his attentiveness. “Yeah, I… like to really understand things. Crime scenes, evidence… it fascinates me.” He leaned in a little, listening genuinely. “I can respect that. You seem… smart. Focused. Not like the usual crowd here.” I smiled faintly, feeling unusually flattered. “Thanks. I appreciate that.” For a while, the conversation flowed easily. He was charming, clever, attentive — even considerate. I found myself laughing quietly. Then came the inevitable question. “So,” he said casually, tone easy but carrying intent, “would you like to go out sometime? Dinner, maybe? Just the two of us?” I stiffened slightly, taken aback.“I… I’m not really looking to date right now,” I said carefully. His smile faltered, but he masked it with a polite nod. “Oh… I understand. That’s fine. No pressure.” But the air between us subtly shifted. He stayed for a few more minutes, conversation polite, but that initial warmth had dimmed. By the time I left, he waved, but there was a faint edge in his eyes. I shrugged it off at the time. ...... Snapping my headphones over my ears, I drowned out all the noise around me, and hopefully any untoward advances from people making small talk. It wasn't that I was trying to be unsociable. Well, I was, I guess, but more that it was already one of those mornings that was about to be one of those days. Sometimes... I felt...uneasy too, like I was being watched. I shook my head. Paranoid much? I had rolled out of bed late, didn't have time for a shower, my toast burnt...and now, looking in the mirror I could see my usually average face naked of make up, staring back at me with sunken eyes, as I'd stayed up half the night writing my essay assignment for university due in the next four hours. I pulled my brown curly hair in a messy bun, dabbed lip balm on my pink lips, and smothered some cream under my Hazel eyes in the hope of looking somewhat passable today. I sighed. Come on, Cadence, you got this. I picked up my rucksack and left my dorm room into the shared kitchen. Head down, I hoped to avoid anyone. This floor had 16 rooms, a huge shared kitchen in the centre that acted as the hub where everyone socialised, and had several communal shower rooms. I was on the tenth floor of the 16-floor tower. This was pretty cool as it had really awesome views of the campus and town. It was beautiful at sunset or sunrise (if like me you stayed up to panic write essay assignments). The only drawback was it was rarely empty. Lots of late night drinking and hanging out happened here. So far, I have avoided most of my fellow students because I was busy either working or attendending classes. I didn't really have time for socialising. I was exhausted from surviving day to day. Like sure, I'd say hi and knew a few names, but I wasn't going out of my way to make friends. Did this bother me? A little. I was sometimes lonely, but I had a goal. I needed to finish my degree and major in Forensic Science. I wanted to be a crime scene analyst. I'd always wanted to be like like a female, Sherlock Holmes. But getting here hadn't been easy. I was an orphan. My parents had been killed in a car accident when I was 12, and my grandma raised me. She's not wealthy, and at 70,with a bad heart, I never wanted to burden her. She'd done so much for me that I had to make my own way and make her proud.So, so what if I was lonely now? I had time for the rest later. "Hey," a husky voice grabbed my attention. Me head snapped up. My headphones were not on; they were more for noise cancellation. I almost cursed at my reaction. Normally, I would have pretended not to hear, but his voice was strangely enticing, so much so, that I felt a tightening between my thighs. Piercing blue eyes stared straight at me. This guy was hot. So hot. I felt my mouth gape open slightly and quickly closed it. Through his t shirt, I could see he was well defined. My gaze scanned lower until I remembered my manners and pulled my headphones off with a slight embarrassed cough. His eyes looked back at me, amused and somehow satisfied. "What's your name?" He smiled encouragingly. This is when I realised I really needed to answer before this got any more awkward than it already was. I could feel a blush rising in my usually porcelain skin. "C- Cadence, and you are?" I stammered out. If I could have face palmed, I would have. "Regan, lovely to meet you, Cadence." The way he said my name felt like a caress. My body started to heat up and clench. I had never had this reaction to someone before. I mean, I'd never really been interested in anyone either. "Do you live here?" I needed to know if I'd have to see him again, frequently, accidently at night would be...dangerous... "No, just waiting for my friend, Jar - he has class in 15, and he's taking forever to get ready." He rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. "Oh, yeah, I know, Jar..." I did. He was a sports science major, very buff, but we had only exchanged polite small talk every now and then. I could see them being friends. Jar was good-looking, too - just not my type. Apparently, Regan was. I needed to leave before the sound of his voice did anything else to me. "Well, nice to meet you, I'm going to be late! I have my forensic assignment to hand in.." Before he could say another word, I darted out and went straight for the elevator to the ground floor. He had seemed surprised at my sudden exit and a little disappointed. No, I must have read that wrong. Why would someone that hot be interested in me? I shook my head and snapped my headphones back on to head to class. Maybe the day was on the up. Regan POV I had to fight myself to not get up and chase after her. Mate. Mate. Mate. My wolf was howling in my head. Cadence. A beautiful name for my beautiful mate. Everything about her attracted me to her. I wanted to pull down that wild, curly hair and run my fingers through it. Her hazel eyes set against her porcelain skin made her all the more bewitching. She was curvey, and the way her hips swayed and full breasts bounced as she moved had given me an immediate hard on. The only issue - I didn't sense her wolf. Where was it? Werewolves only mated with other supernatural beings. Humans might as well be another species. Which makes sense as a human woman couldn't give birth to a litter. They'd never survive. Witches and other supernaturals could, but it was rare that there were ever crossovers. The goddess chose our mates. They were destined. Maybe she hasn't awoken yet? My wolf Teag reasoned. That would be rather late. Sixteen is when most wolves change. She had to be eighteen. It was not unheard of, but it was late. The only reason I held myself back from claiming her was because you had to mark each other, human part and wolf, to be mated. Without her wolf, it wouldn't work. Also, she didn't look like she was from our pack. Was she studying far from home? That would be really unusually, we tend to stay close to our packs and attend university in the same territory. As this packs next Alpha, it was my job to know all my pack members. I'd never seen Cadence before. I'd have to ask Jar about her. I let her go, knowing she'd be easy to find. After all, I knew where she lived. Cadence POV I handed in my essay and spent the next two hours listening to lectures. Well, trying to listen. My mind kept wandering back to those piercing blue eyes, and I'd get all hot again. Afterwards, I headed off campus, and I walked to save money to one of my many part-time jobs. Another 6 hour shift at the mall, folding clothes and manning the dressing room. Once that was finished, I headed to my second part-time job, back to campus, behind the bar at the nightclub. Today was a Friday, I usually did double shifts like this over the weekend so I could spend the week going to class, revising, and studying in the library. It paid good money behind the bar, and since my social life was basically non-existent, I could get the experience of going 'out' without actually going out. The last time I'd gone out was the first few weeks of Uni, and that had been months ago. Drinking had lost it's appeal after getting this bar job - the amount of vomiting I'd seen will haunt me for a lifetime. Pulling my hundredth pint that evening, all was normal, until I felt a pair of blue eyes watching me.