Dahlia's POV

Something was definitely happening to me, but I couldn't figure it out yet. I mean, this wasn't my first time sneaking out at night to enjoy the fresh air, since the air was always tense during the day. But this night I felt like the moon came out brighter than it used to, and watching in a way I couldn't comprehend.

I sneaked back into my dorm room, careful not to let anyone see me. I couldn't afford another round of laughter from my jesters. They are probably on their beds now rehearsing lines for tomorrow's bully. I sat quietly on my bed, trying to convince myself that I hadn't just heard any voice or that the moon was watching me in any way. It was just an assumption. I should focus on something else, I thought, but what? I asked myself.

The time, a thought said. Focus on the time; you'll be seventeen in a few hours. Just count the ticks of the clock. I could do that; it was a great idea to escape the loneliness. I have never wished to have a roommate the way I wished this night. At least I could have someone to talk to. But I'm sure no one would want to be in the same room with me.

With my eyes fixed on the small wall clock in my room, I counted the seconds that ticked until 12 am, which was officially my birthday.

“Seventeen. Still fat. Still invisible. Happy birthday, Dahlia Reed.” I muttered. My eyes were already weak and trying hard to shut, and before I knew what was happening, I had drifted off into sleep.

My eyes opened to a bright light, which shone so brightly that I almost couldn't open them. I surveyed my surroundings, and, surprisingly, I wasn't in my room. I was still trying to figure out where I was and how I got here when a woman appeared right before me.

She looked like a fairy coming out of a fairyland. She had cute blue eyeballs, sharp jawline, her silver hair glowing the same way her silver gown glowed. It was almost blinding me with its glow. My heart raced; panic was clearly written all over my face, but I summoned courage to speak, at least to ask where I was.

I straightened, “Who are you, and where am I?”

“Welcome, Moon Blessed, your journey starts today!”

“Wait! Moon what?” I almost burst into laughter, but then she vanished before I could say a word. Did she just call me the Moon Blessed? She must be mistaken. I'm not even a wolf; how could she call me that? Oh, that must be because of my stature. I look around like a moon, though, so I wouldn't blame the poor woman for calling me that.

“But guess what?” I screamed in the air, my eyes fixed on the space she was standing in before she disappeared. “I can be round, but I'm definitely not related to a moon.” I felt better saying that out loud even if she isn't hearing.

Wait, I should get out of this strange place. I walked a few steps forward, then suddenly I was in a strange forest. Does clocking seventeen come with going to strange places? I was in the middle of the strange forest. Trees stretched tall into the sky, their branches like claws. I was scared to the bone that I suddenly wished the glowing woman had stayed.

Suddenly I began to hear voices again, like earlier, but the voices were coming out clearer. My breath hitched, and the air turned cold. I slowly turned, expecting to see the owners of the voices, but I saw nothing.

Then the voice came…louder than the rest. “You are the Moon Blessed. You are the last one. You can lead or destroy.” I gasped, my chest rising and falling wildly. Light flooded my vision, and I was back in my room, sweating profusely.

I sat upright, heart pounding so fast that I was sure my dorm roommate would have heard if I had one. It felt real at first, but then it clicked. It was all a dream. It should be, because I couldn't imagine myself being the last one of a bloodline I know nothing about.

Dreams aren't real, I said to myself. I remember when Grandma died, and I was taken in to live with my father and his wife, I had a similar dream where I saw myself in a clearing so wide that I couldn't see the end. A strange woman in that dream called me a name I couldn't quite remember. But I was sure it had to do with the moon. I had told my father about it, and he said dreams aren't real; they're just imaginations coming to life in our sleep.

But come to think of it. I never imagined anything relating to what I just saw in my dream. All I have always had in my thoughts are the questions I never got an answer to. What kind of person was my mother? I was told she died when I was still a baby, but no one ever told me the story behind it. Not even my father. I grew up wondering and begging for answers to these questions, but they never came. Wasn't that supposed to be what I should dream about? Answers?

I checked the time and noticed it was still too early to dress up for today's class so I lay back on the bed, wondering what kind of lie I could tell to avoid attending the biology class today.

Ms. Hale. I never liked that teacher since the first time I attended her class, and I don't know why. Maybe because of the way she gazed strangely at me. I couldn't find a better excuse to avoid her class because I wouldn't want to fail her subject.

What kind of a mother enrolls her human child into a wolf school anyway? This has been the question that has been on my mind for my stepmom. On the outside, Northmont High looks like a school for normal people, but there was no way she didn't know it was a school for the wolves during the registration process.

My stepmother had always been so caring that she never gave me the benefit of the doubt. I never for once doubted her love for me until she made sure I was accepted into this academy, even when they said they only admit one human student per year.

She did everything possible for me to be that one human. A headache snatched me from my thoughts, or I would say snatched my thoughts from me. The pain hit fast. Like a lightning bolt to the brain. I clutched my head, rolling on the bed like some dramatic soap opera patient. I prayed for it to stop. Bargained with the universe. Promised never to skip dinner again. Swore off sugar. But all that was a lie. It kept on taking control of my head as if it owned it.

Then, just as I thought my brain was going to eject itself-

> [SYSTEM ONLINE. USER IDENTIFIED: MOON‑BLESSED. STATUS: AWAKENING LOCKED POWERS...]

...And that's when I knew. My life had just gone from tragic to extra. Because what the fuck is that?

Dahlia’s POV

What the fuck was wrong with me? The same way people from movies jerk up with wide eyes from a bad dream or when the cops are about to raid a criminal's house was the way I jerked up after hearing that voice. The only difference was that it wasn’t a movie, and I wasn’t the cute, skinny girl with a mysterious past. I was just… me. Fat, lonely, and completely losing it.

I heard that voice again.

[SYSTEM ONLINE. USER IDENTIFIED: MOON-BLESSED. STATUS: AWAKENING LOCKED POWERS…]

Was I supposed to feel honored? Blessed? Enlightened? Because all I felt was mildly constipated and deeply confused. Did I just awaken a system we were taught about in science class? That couldn't be real, could it?

I clutched my pillow like it was the only thing keeping me from going into a mental breakdown. A voice in my head? And as if that wasn't scary enough, it spoke about powers like I was the chosen one from some fantasy novel. I almost expected a fairy with a clipboard to show up and hand me a mission.

I blinked at the ceiling. “Okay. What the actual hell?”

Maybe I was dreaming, or possibly I was in a kind of sleep so deep that it broke the rules of logic. But then my fingers tingled, and my heart beat like it had heard a war drum. The air vibrated. Or that was me vibrating.

Something was definitely happening. And it had started since I clocked seventeen. The weird moonlight dream, a glowing woman who dressed like she got lost on her way to a royal wedding in a galaxy far, far away.

All of this wasn't normal. I thought of calling Dad, but I decided against it. He was going to say I imagined it anyway. There was no point in calling him. I would have called my stepmom, but I thought we were close until she enrolled me in this school. Apparently, that's a no too.

I slid out of bed like a criminal escaping a crime scene. My feet touched the floor, and the cold bit me.

I glanced at the clock. "Fuck".

Biology class was starting in a few minutes. I should get to class before Ms. Hale does.

Ms. Hale was one of those teachers who would make you sleep with one eye open. And the way she smiled at me made my skin itch. As if she knew something about me that I don't know.

I rushed to my dresser. Not that I had anything cute to wear. Fashion and I have a complicated relationship. It offers me tents… or stretchy lies. But today I had no time to worry about that. I grabbed my black leggings—the ones that held me like a grudge—and a dark green hoodie that said, “Don’t talk to me unless you’re a snack.”

Hair? Fluffy curls, tied into a messy bun. Edges? Don’t ask. Lip gloss? Always.

If I were losing my mind, which I believe is already happening, I wasn't going to be caught dead without shiny lips even though my head was going to be down while I walked.

I carried myself as fast as I could down the hall to the class. Today wasn't one of the days to notice bullies around. I had to get to the class before Ms. Hale. Just another day in Northmont, the academy where wolves ruled, secrets walked, and I, the lonely human, tried to survive without becoming lunch.

Unfortunately or fortunately, Ms. Hale had somehow gotten there before me. By the time I reached the biology lab, my nerves were fried and my soul was halfway to heaven. To tell you how fast I ran.

I saw her standing, head down in the textbook before her, with her perfect posture, ice-blonde hair, and lipstick red like fresh blood. She wasn't looking up when I quietly entered, but I knew she smelled me. Her nostrils flared slightly, like a predator catching a new scent in the wind. That's what wolves do. They perceive you even before you're close, and funny enough, I wish I was one. If not for anything, but for that ability.

“Take your seat, Miss Reed,” she instructed without turning. “Today’s lesson will be… enlightening.”

Great. That wasn’t suspicious at all. She didn't notice I came late, or she pretended not to.

I sneaked into my seat, trying to become one with the chair. My desk neighbor, a guy with sideburns that looked like they had their gym routine, scooted slightly away from me. I was used to that. My body took up space people would rather not share. It was fine, normal, and expected.

“Today,” Ms. Hale began, marker in hand, “we’re discussing lunar influence on blood resonance in hybrid wolves.”

Of course. Why not start the day with something that sounded like a dark spell?

She turned to the board and began sketching a diagram of a wolf under a full moon. “As you all know, the moon does not simply affect our shifts. It speaks to our blood—activating dormant traits, enhancing aggression, and in rare cases… unlocking ancestral power.”

Unlocking? My ears perked up.

Ms. Hale’s eyes flicked to me. Just a glance. But it felt like she’d licked my soul.

I shivered.

She continued. “Hybrid wolves—especially those with divine lineage—are more sensitive to moon resonance. Their systems may activate under emotional stress, physical challenge, or age milestones.”

Seventeen.

I swallowed.

Age milestone, huh?

I took out my notebook and started pretending to take notes, but really I was scribbling moon resonance.? Ancestral blood? System = real? Like a maniac.

The class went on. Students raised their hands. Questions flew, but I stayed quiet. But something was rising inside me. A weird warmth. Like my body had turned into a ticking clock, and it was counting down to something I didn’t understand.

And then… I felt it.

[SYSTEM ALERT: POTENTIAL ATTACK DETECTED. EVASIVE MANEUVER ADVISED.]

I blinked and looked up.

Three desks behind me, I saw Chloe, Brigg, and the twin. The usual suspects. Known for being rich, ruthless, and allergic to the idea of a fat girl being smarter than they were.

They were staring at me.

I felt it in my spine before anything happened.

Chloe leaned toward her desk. Her fingers twitched.

Brigg adjusted something under his sleeve.

One of the twins whispered, smirking.

HOSTILE ACTION INCOMING. 3… 2… 1…]

I ducked.

A little glittery object—like a perfume bottle—flew over my head and smashed into the wall.

The room went silent.

Ms. Hale turned slowly, her gaze burning holes into the floor.

“What,” she said in a voice so calm it made me want to hide, “was that?”

No one answered.

I sat still, breathing hard, trying to figure out how I knew. How I moved. How I wasn’t covered in whatever that stuff was.

[SYSTEM NOTE: USER INSTINCT RESPONSE – ACTIVATED. LEVEL: 1.]

Holy hell. The system was real. It was helping me. I didn’t know whether to scream or cry.

Something inside me had woken up.

Dahlia's POV

There I was—sitting in class, my heart pounding still replaying what just happened in my head. Did I just escape bully with the help of a system? I gazed back to meet the stare of the furious faces of my bullies. Their disappointed faces gave me a kind of relief. Students chuckled from all angles of the class as no one dared laugh aloud in Ms Hale's class. Once she turned from the board, everything went silent.

[SYSTEM NOTE: USER INSTINCT RESPONSE – ACTIVATED. LEVEL: 1.]

Oh sure, System, no big deal. I just dodged a glitter bomb mid-class like some plus-sized ninja. That's totally normal. It happens every day, right?

By the time Ms Hale resumed her creepy lecture, I was no longer hearing her words. My head was buzzing, but not in a cute, romantic way. More like a horror movie sound effect before the killer shows up. A lot was going on in my brain, each time she mentioned the bloodline, something shifted in me. Something I couldn't explain, and I was sure it wasn't the newfound system.

I survived the rest of the class pretending to take notes but really just scribbling "WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO ME" a dozen different ways in the margins of my notebook. The bell rang, and the rest of the students filed out like they'd been freed from prison. I walked more slowly and carefully, as though the floor might fall out from under me.

Back in my room, I slammed the door, locked it, and threw my backpack across the bed. Then I stood in front of the mirror. Just stood and stared at my reflection, with the hope of seeing who I was gradually turning into.

And then I saw a faint flicker of black glow in my body. This wasn't my usual under-eye circles or the normal shadow of forgotten joy that had clung to me since I lost my Grandmother. It was a soft black shimmer under my skin. Like my bones were glowing. It was like something was moving under my flesh, and didn’t care if I was scared. It remained on my skin like it was sent there.

“What the hell…” I whispered.

I leaned closer and rubbed my eyes. Maybe they aren't seeing properly again. I mean, a lot had happened since I clocked seventeen. I might have also lost the ability to see well. But the glow was still there.

[SYSTEM ONLINE. MOON-BLESSED CONFIRMED. BLOOD ACTIVATION IN PROGRESS.]

“Oh come on,” I groaned. “What does that even mean? Blood activation? I’m not a damn iPhone.”

I slapped my cheeks, but there I was, still glowing.

The mirror stared back at me as it knew too much, and I stared harder.

Was this what the students who had bullied me earlier in class saw? Was that why they threw that perfume bottle? Maybe my black glow scent was disturbing their nostrils. They're wolves and good with scents.

I stepped away and began pacing. My hoodie because too hot, my skin tingled like I was about to burst out of it. I pulled it off, and the glow danced across my forearms, like moonlight trying to sneak out of my pores.

I did what any rational girl would do. I ran to the bathroom, shut the lights, and locked the door like I was about to perform a ritual. In the darkness, the glow got stronger.

Faint black veins shimmered beneath my skin, weaving patterns up my arms like vines. My body didn’t feel like mine anymore. It felt ancient. Like someone had lived in it before me.

I sank to the floor.

“What are you turning me into?” I asked the empty room.

[SYSTEM RESPONSE: UNLOCKING HERITAGE MEMORIES. STANDBY.]

“Yeah, well, I didn’t consent to any of this,” I muttered. “So go ahead and keep your creepy blood stories to yourself.”

Suddenly, my vision swirled. I was no longer in the bathroom.

I saw flashes—memories, maybe. Or hallucinations. A giant black wolf running through a silver forest. A woman with glowing eyes whispering my name. A burning castle. And moonlight—everywhere.

I came back to the bathroom floor, gasping as I had just drowned in myth.

“Okay,” I whispered. “I’m either the chosen one or I need very strong meds.”

Still buzzing, I dragged myself back to my bed. I lay down like someone who just escaped a cult meeting. I promised I was never going to skip meals again, but right now it's not looking like I was ready to keep that promise. There was no way I would go out this way.

The System was quiet now. But my skin wasn’t. It hummed like it was waiting for what I didn’t know.

There was a knock on my door.

I sat upright. My heart nearly exploded. Who the hell would knock on my door? No one ever knocked on my door. People avoided me like I was contagious. I hope the knock wasn't coming from my head again.

I tiptoed to the door, peeked through the peephole, but all I saw was an empty hallway.

Another knock came, and this time it was from the window.

I turned slowly. Then I saw a note stuck to the glass. I opened the window and grabbed it.

"We saw what happened in class. Don’t think you’re safe now."

There was no name or signature on the note, but I didn't need anyone to tell me who they were. The twin. Brigg. Chloe. The Royal Rejects of course.

My fingers trembled with full power, but not with fear. This would be the first time since I was admitted to Northmont High that I wasn't feeling helpless, thanks to my newfound system.

I shoved the note into my drawer and shut it.

I went back to the mirror. The glow was still there. Like it had always been inside me, waiting.

"I dare them," I muttered.

And the System responded:

[SYSTEM MODE: READY. USER STATUS: AWAKE.]