Chapter 3: Rumors and Red Moons
1003 Words
Chapter 3: Rumors and Red Moons
Celeste Monroe had never felt more exposed.
Monday morning brought with it a vicious energy—like the whole school had tasted blood and was out for more. Students whispered before she entered a room, then fell into a hush when she passed. Some girls stared. Some glared. A few outright laughed.
She didn’t need to guess why.
Someone had started a rumor.
A brutal, detailed, completely false rumor.
Apparently, she’d spent the weekend in Kael Hart’s room.
Naked.
She couldn’t even look at her reflection without hearing the whispers.
“She seduced him.”
“I heard she’s obsessed with him.”
“She climbed into his bed.”
“She’s trying to trap him. He’s an Alpha, right? She wants that power.”
The words hit harder than they should’ve. She’d faced bullying before—but this felt different. This wasn’t just teasing or exclusion. This was targeted. Deliberate.
And Kael?
Nowhere to be seen.
She felt abandoned.
Until lunch.
---
The cafeteria was its usual chaos. Celeste found an empty table near the back and tried to disappear into her tray of fries.
Then a shadow fell over her.
“Move.”
She looked up.
Kael Hart.
His storm-gray eyes were flat. Emotionless. Behind him, the room fell silent.
“I said move,” he repeated.
Celeste blinked. “What?”
He slid into the seat across from her.
Girls were watching. Guys were whispering. The tension built like pressure under glass.
Kael didn’t care. He sat there like the rumors didn’t exist.
“You didn’t eat breakfast again,” he said.
“Maybe I didn’t feel like it,” she muttered.
He leaned in. “Don’t let them win.”
She flinched. “They already have.”
His jaw flexed. Then he stood, grabbed her tray, and held out his hand.
“Come with me.”
Every pair of eyes followed them as Kael walked her out of the cafeteria, hand tight around hers. He led her through the halls, past classrooms, up the stairs—until they reached the rooftop.
It was locked.
Or at least, it had been.
Kael pulled a small key from his pocket and opened the door like it was nothing.
The rooftop was quiet, breezy, untouched.
“You have a key?” she asked.
“I have everything.”
He set the tray down and sat beside her.
Celeste didn’t speak.
Until she did.
“You’re the reason they’re talking.”
Kael didn’t deny it.
“I told you I didn’t want this,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll let them tear you apart.”
“Then stop pretending I don’t exist when it’s convenient.”
That made him pause.
“I’m not trying to hurt you.”
“Then what are you doing?” she asked, voice shaking. “One minute you’re cold, the next you’re protective. You say I’m your mate, then act like I’m a burden. Pick a side.”
“I can’t,” he said. “Because both sides are true.”
The wind tugged at her hair. The air smelled like rain.
Kael stood.
“I want to protect you, Celeste. But you don’t know what that means in my world.”
“Then show me.”
He looked at her, something fierce and wild in his eyes.
“You’re not ready.”
---
After school, Kael didn’t walk her home.
She didn’t expect him to.
Instead, she walked alone—head down, ignoring the looks and laughter. Her body ached. Her heart ached worse.
When she reached the house, her mother wasn’t home. Kael’s car wasn’t in the driveway.
For the first time, she was completely alone in the mansion.
She went upstairs and locked her door.
Then she cried.
For the first time since she got here, she let the tears fall. No one to hear. No one to judge. Just her, the silence, and the ache.
---
She woke to the sound of the door creaking open.
The room was dark.
She hadn’t turned on the lights.
“Who’s there?” she asked, voice hoarse.
No answer.
Then—
“Celeste.”
Kael.
His voice was ragged.
She sat up. “What are you doing in my room?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
She turned on the lamp.
Kael stood in the doorway, shirtless again, eyes glowing faintly gold. His chest heaved like he’d been running.
“I tried to stay away,” he said. “I really did.”
She stood too. “Kael—”
“I can hear your heartbeat. I can smell your tears.”
She didn’t move.
“Something’s coming,” he said. “Something bad. I can feel it. The full moon is getting closer, and the pack... they're starting to ask questions.”
“About me?”
He nodded. “They know I’ve changed. They know it’s because of someone. And they’re going to come looking.”
Celeste’s blood ran cold.
“You need to be ready,” Kael said. “You need to be strong.”
“I’m not like you.”
He stepped closer.
“No,” he whispered. “You’re something else.”
“What am I, Kael?”
He stared at her. “I don’t know. But I swear I’ll protect you until we find out.”
Then, without asking, he touched her cheek.
His hand was warm. Grounding. Dangerous.
Celeste leaned into it.
“Why do I feel this way around you?” she asked.
“Because we’re bonded. Soul to soul. Body to body. Even fate wants us together.”
“And you?”
He hesitated.
“I want you too. More than I should.”
She closed her eyes.
Then whispered, “Stay.”
Kael did.
He stayed until she fell asleep.
And even after.
Outside, the moon turned blood-red.
And far in the distance, something howled.
Not just a wolf.
Something darker.
Something old.
Something waking up.
[End of chapter.]
- Writer
