Moon's influence
1573 Words
Aria Vale left the library with more questions than answers—and a feeling she couldn’t shake.
It clung to her.
Followed her.
Settled somewhere deep beneath her skin like a quiet warning waiting to become something louder.
Her grip tightened slightly around her books as she walked down the corridor, her mind replaying everything she had just read.
Extinct bloodline.
No scent.
Unpredictable.
Her chest tightened again.
That same dull ache.
It hadn’t gone away.
If anything—
It had gotten worse.
Aria slowed slightly, her brows pulling together.
“…Okay, this is getting annoying,” she muttered under her breath.
She adjusted her grip on the books, rolling her shoulders slightly as if that would ease the tension.
It didn’t.
Instead, a faint pressure spread through her chest.
Not sharp.
Not painful.
Just… there.
Persistent.
Like something pressing outward from within.
She exhaled slowly and kept walking.
Students passed her in the hallway, their conversations blending into a low hum.
Normal.
Everything looked normal.
But it didn’t feel normal.
Not anymore.
A group of students passed by her, their voices drifting just enough for her to catch a few words.
“…tonight’s going to be rough.”
“Yeah, the moon’s already affecting some of them.”
“First cycle this term, right?”
“Yeah.”
Aria’s steps faltered.
The moon.
Her gaze lifted slightly toward the windows lining the corridor.
The sky beyond them was still pale—daylight lingering—but something about the light felt… off.
Different.
Her chest tightened again.
Stronger this time.
“…That’s not a coincidence,” she murmured.
Her fingers curled slightly against the books.
Everything that had been happening—
The dream.
The forest.
The book.
Now this?
Her pulse quickened.
Aria pushed the thought aside and continued toward her next class.
She just needed to get through the day.
One step at a time.
—
The classroom felt warmer than usual.
Too warm.
Aria shifted slightly in her seat, her fingers tapping lightly against the desk as she tried to focus on the lecture.
It wasn’t working.
Her attention kept drifting.
Her body felt… restless.
Unsettled.
Her skin prickled faintly, like static electricity dancing just beneath the surface.
She inhaled slowly.
The air felt sharper.
Clearer.
She could hear things she hadn’t noticed before.
The faint scratch of a pen across paper two rows ahead.
The quiet tapping of a foot somewhere behind her.
The subtle shift of fabric as someone adjusted in their seat.
Aria froze.
“…What?”
Her brows furrowed.
That wasn’t normal.
Her hearing had never been that sharp.
She swallowed slowly, her pulse picking up.
Her gaze flicked toward the front of the room.
The instructor’s voice sounded… louder.
Clearer.
Like it was right next to her ear instead of across the room.
Aria pressed her lips together.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
She shifted again, her hand brushing lightly against the desk—
And she flinched.
The texture felt different.
Too detailed.
Too real.
Her fingers curled slightly.
Her breathing became uneven.
What is happening to me?
The pressure in her chest spiked suddenly.
Sharp.
Aria sucked in a breath, her hand instinctively moving to her chest.
A wave of heat rushed through her body.
Her vision blurred for a split second.
“Aria?”
She blinked.
The voice snapped her back.
The instructor was looking at her now.
So was everyone else.
Her chest rose and fell unevenly.
“…I’m fine,” she said quickly.
But her voice didn’t sound convincing.
A few students exchanged glances.
Whispers started again.
“She looks pale.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“That’s weird…”
Aria clenched her jaw.
“I said I’m fine.”
The instructor studied her for a moment.
Then nodded slowly.
“Take a moment if you need it.”
Aria didn’t wait for permission.
She stood abruptly.
The chair scraped loudly against the floor.
Her head spun slightly.
The room felt too small.
Too loud.
Too much.
“I need air,” she muttered.
And then she walked out.
—
The hallway wasn’t better.
If anything, it was worse.
Aria leaned against the wall, her breathing uneven as she tried to steady herself.
Her heart pounded violently against her ribs.
Her senses were still heightened.
Every sound.
Every movement.
Every presence.
It was overwhelming.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Okay… calm down,” she whispered.
But her body didn’t listen.
The pressure in her chest built again.
Stronger this time.
Like something inside her was pushing—
Straining—
Trying to break free.
Aria gasped, her hand pressing harder against her chest.
“No…”
A sudden surge of energy shot through her.
Wild.
Uncontrolled.
Her fingers twitched.
Her muscles tensed.
Her entire body reacted as if something was about to happen—
Something she couldn’t stop.
Footsteps approached.
Aria’s head snapped up.
Two students rounded the corner—
And she reacted.
Too fast.
Too sharp.
She stepped back instinctively, her movement abrupt enough to knock into one of them.
The girl stumbled.
“Hey—watch it!”
Aria froze.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
“I—I didn’t mean—”
She stopped.
The girl was staring at her.
Not angry.
Not exactly.
More… unsettled.
“That was fast,” the other student muttered.
“Yeah…”
Aria swallowed.
Her hands trembled slightly.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly.
Then she turned—
And walked away before they could say anything else.
She needed to get out.
Now.
—
The academy grounds stretched out before her.
Open.
Quiet.
Empty.
Aria didn’t stop walking until she reached the far edge.
Until the buildings were behind her.
Until the air felt slightly less suffocating.
Her breathing slowed—but only slightly.
The feeling hadn’t left.
If anything—
It had followed her.
She looked up.
The sky had darkened.
And there it was.
The moon.
Bright.
Full.
Unavoidable.
Her breath caught.
The moment her eyes landed on it—
The pressure in her chest exploded.
Aria gasped, her body doubling over slightly as pain shot through her.
Sharp.
Intense.
Her fingers dug into her sides.
“What—what is—”
Her voice broke.
The energy surged again.
Stronger.
Wilder.
Her entire body tensed.
It felt like something was rising within her—
Clawing—
Fighting to break through.
Her breath came in ragged gasps.
“This isn’t—this isn’t normal—”
The moonlight spilled over her.
Cold.
Bright.
Unforgiving.
And her body responded.
Every nerve.
Every muscle.
Every inch of her felt like it was being pulled in two different directions.
Aria cried out softly, dropping to her knees.
The pain intensified.
Her chest burned.
Her spine arched slightly as another wave hit.
Her hands clenched into fists.
“It hurts—”
Her voice cracked.
Her heart pounded uncontrollably.
This was it.
This had to be it.
The shift.
But—
Nothing happened.
No transformation.
No release.
Just pain.
Just pressure.
Just something building without breaking.
Aria shook her head weakly.
“No… something’s wrong…”
This wasn’t how it was supposed to feel.
Was it?
Her thoughts blurred.
Her body trembled.
And then—
A presence.
Aria froze.
Even through the pain—
She felt it.
Familiar.
Strong.
Controlled.
She lifted her head slowly.
And there he was.
Kael Draven.
Standing a few feet away.
Watching her.
His expression was unreadable.
But his eyes—
Sharp.
Focused.
Concern flickered there.
Just for a second.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked.
His voice was low.
Controlled.
Aria let out a weak breath.
“I could ask you the same thing…”
He didn’t respond to that.
Instead, his gaze moved over her.
Taking in everything.
Her posture.
Her breathing.
The way she was clearly not okay.
“This isn’t normal,” he said.
Aria let out a strained laugh.
“Yeah, no kidding.”
Another wave of pain hit.
She winced, her grip tightening against the ground.
Kael’s expression shifted.
Slightly.
“What are you feeling?” he asked.
She hesitated.
Then answered.
“Everything,” she said weakly. “It’s like… something’s trying to—”
Her voice broke.
“Trying to what?”
“Come out,” she whispered.
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Tense.
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“That’s not a normal reaction to the moon,” he said.
Aria let out a shaky breath.
“I figured.”
Her gaze lifted slightly to meet his.
“So what does that mean?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
And that told her everything.
He knew.
Or at least—
He suspected.
But he wasn’t saying it.
Not yet.
Another wave hit.
Weaker this time.
But still there.
Aria’s breathing slowly began to steady.
The intensity started to fade.
Little by little.
The pressure eased.
The energy settled.
Leaving behind only exhaustion.
And confusion.
She sat there for a moment, her body still trembling slightly.
Her chest rising and falling unevenly.
Then she looked up at him again.
Her voice quieter now.
But sharper.
More certain.
“If I don’t have a wolf…” she said slowly.
Her fingers curled slightly against the ground.
“…then what is reacting to the moon?”
Kael didn’t answer.
But his silence—
Was louder than anything he could have said.
And that scared her more than the pain ever could.
- Writer
