The Moonless Werewolf

Chapter 3: Stay Behind me

KAYDEN

I stand alone in the dark room. A faint ache lingers in my back. In my hand, the towel still holds her scent — soap and something sharp, something warm.

DAYTIME

The sun comes up. Bright and blinding. But the moon is still gone from the sky. And when the sun is up… I am nothing again.

No claws. No wings. No heightened senses. Just me. Human. Weak. Tired.

Lira makes me run. Ten laps around the entire academy grounds.

My legs burn by lap three. I fall on lap four.

She does not help me up. She stands there, hands on hips.

“Again,” she says. “Get up and run.”

I get up. And I run.

She makes me lift weights. The smallest one feels like it is made of lead. I struggle just to raise it to my chest.

Lira walks over. Picks up the heaviest one with one hand. Holds it there like it weighs nothing.

“Again,” she says. “Push yourself harder.”

I try. My arms shake. Sweat drips into my eyes.

At lunch, we sit at the very end of the cafeteria — far from everyone. But the whispers find us anyway.

“Why is she sitting with him?”

“The Moonless freak?”

“Is she crazy? He’s dangerous.”

Lira hears every word. She slams her fork down so hard the whole table rattles. The room goes quiet.

“Eat your food,” she snaps.

Every head bows. No more whispers after that. We eat in silence.

In the afternoon, she teaches me history. The old book from the headmaster’s office lies open between us. Pages yellowed with age.

She reads about the Moon Goddess. About how she split her power five hundred years ago. About the first Guardian. About wars fought in the dark.

“You were made for this, Kayden,” she says, tracing words on the page. “Even if you never asked for it. Even if you hate it.”

“I didn’t choose this,” I say. My voice feels heavy. “I never wanted any of it. I just wanted to clean floors and be left alone.”

“I know,” she says. For a second, her voice softens. Her eyes meet mine. “Neither did I.”

Then she closes the book. Hard.

“Tomorrow we start combat theory. Don’t be late.”

NIGHT 2

Night falls fast. The sun vanishes. The sky turns black again. No moon.

We return to the blackout room. But this time I do not wait for her to tell me. I close my eyes. Breathe deep.

I am Kayden. I am here. I am in control.

The bones come out slower. Less screaming. Less panic. I open my eyes — and everything shifts to black and clear. My wings spread behind me, steady and strong.

Lira watches me. Something flickers across her face. Pride, maybe.

“Good,” she says. “Again.”

We practice ten times. By the end of the night, I can shift and shift back without falling to my knees. Without screaming.

“Now we fight,” she says. She picks up a wooden sword. “I am the enemy. You stop me. But you do not kill me. Do not let the monster take over completely. Can you do that?”

“I will try,” I say.

“Try harder.”

She attacks. Fast. Fierce. I dodge. I block. My claws stop one inch from her throat. Her sword stops one inch from my chest.

She smirks. A real one this time.

“You’re learning, Moonless.”

We fight for an hour. She lands hits. I land hits. Neither holds back. Neither wins. But neither gets hurt badly.

When we finish, we collapse on the stone floor, side by side. Breathing hard. Sweat sticking our shirts to our skin. Our shoulders touch. Her hand rests on the floor — right next to mine. Fingers almost touching. She does not pull away. So neither do I.

For a few seconds, there is nothing. Just two tired people breathing the same air in the dark.

Then the alarm screams.

RED LIGHT FLASHING. ALARM BLARING.

VOIDBORN DETECTED. EAST GATE.

Lira jumps to her feet instantly. All softness gone.

“Gear up,” she barks. “Now!”

My heart slams against my ribs. It is happening again.

I stand. The shift comes automatically. Bones breaking free. Eyes turning black. This time… it does not hurt. Not really. It feels like putting on armor.

Lira looks at me — really looks at the monster I become — and does not flinch. She tosses me a dagger. Sharp. Silver.

“Stay close to me,” she says. “Watch my back. I’ll watch yours.”

She runs toward the door. And for the first time… I do not follow behind her. I run beside her.

The moon is still gone. The world is still dark. But I am not alone in it anymore.

We sprint through the halls. Students run the other way — screaming, crying, terrified. No teachers. No Alphas. The moon is gone. That means everyone is weak. Everyone but me.

We burst through the east gate. The massive metal doors are crumpled inward, bent like paper. And standing there are five Voidborn.

These are bigger than the ones before. Taller. Broader. Their skin glistens dark and wet. Limbs twist at wrong, unnatural angles. Mouths stretched too wide, lined with rows of needle-sharp teeth. The smell hits me — rot, cold, death — thick and heavy.

One of them sees us. It tilts its head, slow and curious. Points a long clawed finger straight at me.

And smiles.

“Kayden,” Lira says. Her voice drops — low, steady, grounding. “Remember what we practiced. Breathe. Focus.”

I nod.

“On my signal,” she whispers.

“Three… two… one… GO!”