Chapter 9: The Moon’s Hunger
605 Words
Luca couldn’t sleep.
The cabin walls groaned with the wind, and moonlight poured through the broken slats like liquid silver. But it wasn’t the cold that kept him awake.
It was the heat.
His skin buzzed. His heart beat too fast. His claws had only partially retracted. Something inside him wouldn’t rest.
He paced the floor, bare feet silent on splintered wood. The fire had gone out hours ago, but his blood still burned.
Outside, the moon was waning — but it still called to him.
Hunger.
He clenched his fists. This isn’t normal.
Across the room, Raine slept curled on the couch beneath his jacket. Her hair spilled across the pillow, her breathing soft. Even in sleep, she looked tense, like she was bracing for something.
Luca’s chest tightened. She’s afraid of me now, isn’t she?
He stepped outside, hoping the cold would calm him.
But the night only fed it.
The woods felt alive beneath his skin — every root, every whisper of wind, every heartbeat of an animal nearby.
He wanted to run. To hunt. To tear something apart.
He didn’t recognize this version of himself. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to.
He dropped to his knees in the snow, claws digging into frozen dirt.
“Control it,” he growled. “Don’t let it take you.”
But then he heard it.
A scream.
Raine.
He was on his feet in seconds, crashing back into the cabin. She thrashed in her sleep, face twisted in pain, sweat beading on her skin.
“Raine!” he rushed to her side. “Wake up—”
Her eyes flew open — and they weren’t silver.
They were pitch black.
Her body seized. A growl burst from her throat, deep and feral. Her fingers twisted into claws.
“Raine!” he shook her gently. “It’s me!”
She snapped her head toward him. But for a heartbeat, she didn’t see him.
She saw prey.
Then the black faded. Her pupils shrank. She gasped — and shoved him back, breathing hard.
“What happened?” he asked, still stunned.
She wiped sweat from her brow, avoiding his gaze.
“Nothing. Just… a dream.”
“That wasn’t a dream,” he said. “That was something else. Raine, what’s happening to you?”
She stood slowly, arms wrapped around herself. “It’s the bond. It’s too deep. We’re connected now, Luca. What you feel… I feel. And what’s inside you—this hunger—it’s spilling into me.”
Luca’s heart dropped. “I’m hurting you?”
She looked up. “Not on purpose. But your bloodline—your power—it’s not just strong. It’s contagious. It’s changing me.”
He reached out, but she backed away.
“I’m scared,” she whispered. “Not of you. Of what I’ll become if I stay.”
Luca clenched his fists. “Then run.”
She stared at him, wounded.
“I won’t stop you,” he said, voice low. “But if you leave, they’ll find me alone. And I don’t know if I’ll be the one who walks away.”
A long silence.
Then Raine stepped forward and placed her hand over his heart.
“I’m not leaving.”
He caught her wrist, holding her there.
“I don’t want to lose myself.”
“Then don’t,” she said softly. “Let me help you stay you.”
They stood there, breathing together — one heartbeat between them, one bond tying them tighter than either of them could bear.
But outside, the wind howled again.
And this time… it answered back.
- Writer
