The air inside the infirmary is heavy with the smell of herbs and antiseptic. Dim light from the moon filters through the high windows. The painting in the room glows in silver shadows. Leon lies motionless on the bed, his chest rising and falling slowly, with a bandage across his shoulder where the rogue's claws had torn.
Mia sits beside him. She has not move since he was brought. Her fingers twist in her lap, yearning to feel his body. She hesitated, but then reached for his hand. She stops herself at the last second, afraid of crossing a line. But her body doesn't listen. Her fingertips brush against his knuckles, and a spark dances up her arm, warm and sharp.
"Why do you make it so hard to stay away?" she whispers, barely breathing the words.
Leon stirs faintly, caught in a half-sleep. His lips move, forming a single word, broken and quiet.
"Mia…"
Her heart stutters. Did he just—? She leans closer with her eyes wide, but his lashes rest heavy and his face slack in unconsciousness. He looks younger like this, stripped of his cold mask.
Mia presses her lips together, torn between leaving and staying. She should have followed her mom home, since she can't stay in the dormitory as a scholarship student. The school authorities were against that. But something inside her roots her here.
Rachel slams her door shut so hard the walls tremble. Eliose flinches, hovering near the bed.
"Rachel, you need to calm down—"
"Calm down?" Rachel replied sharply, almost breaking. She begins to pace back and forth, hitting her left palm with her right fist. Her heels clicking against the polished floor. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were burning with something dark. Fury, disappointment and confusion all messing up with her mind.
"I watched her. That human—no, that thing—stood against rogues like they were nothing. Do you think that's normal?" She finally said.
Eliose swallows. "Maybe… maybe Leon was helping her and you didn't see it properly—"
"No!" Rachel snaps, turning on her. "I know what I saw. She's not ordinary. There was even a cresent mark on her shoulder that glowed. She didn't even physically attack any of them. It's like she thought in her mind and the next thing is, it is executed. She's hiding something."
Eliose lowers her voice. "So what will you do? You can't just accuse her without proof—"
Rachel's lips curl into a bitter smile. "Oh, I don't need proof. I just need to plant the right seed. The school authorities are strict about forbidden practices. If I say Mia is using witchcraft… if I make them see her as a threat… then she's finished."
Eliose stiffens. "Rachel, that's dangerous. If Leon finds out you started this—"
Rachel steps closer, eyes glittering with fury. "Then let him find out. I don't care. I won't lose him to that strange stray girl. Even if she's powerful, she does not belong to a noble society. Moreover, Leon will not have any woman apart from me as his Luna. I'll burn her reputation to ashes if I have to."
Eliose looks away, guilt flickering across her face. But Rachel doesn't notice. She's already decided.
Laura sits alone by the window, her hands clutching the edge of her shawl. The night feels colder than usual, and her heart could not rest. She remembers the way Mia had hugged her earlier, trembling, and the brief glimpse she had caught—the faint glow under her daughter's skin, the crescent mark shining like a whisper from the past.
Laura closes her eyes, her chest tight.
"It's starting. The blood she carries… the power of the Scarlet Moon. I swore I would keep her hidden, swore no one would ever know."
She thoughts, grips the shawl tighter and rocking gently.
"If they find out who she truly is… they will eliminate her like they did to her father and his entire lineage. I have to find a way to protect Mia. She is all I have. I can't lose her. If they find out…., that will be the end of it."
Laura's fear is not of Mia's strength, but of the truth unraveling before she can protect her daughter from it. Her eyes that were welled up with tears started flowing as she broke down into a painful sob.
Rachel couldn't stay in her room. She couldn't find peace knowing well that Mia was in the infirmary with Leon, when it was supposed to be her. Rage drives her steps as she storms down the corridor, her heels clattering on the marble. Eliose trailed behind her whispering anxiously.
"Rachel, please… don't. You're not thinking straight. You need to calm down and rest, and maybe go for a check up later. You were also hurt."
But Rachel doesn't slow down. "I just want to see if Leon is awake, and who is there with him. And if that witch is there with him—" she bites off the rest of the sentence, her nails digging into her palm.
Eliose sighs, half in despair, but had no other choice than to follow.
Mia was leaning against the chair, exhaustion claiming her. Her head drifts to Leon's bedside. The position and the atmosphere was peaceful that she drifted away into a relaxing sleep. Not until she started sweating profusely.
She found herself in a dream painted in red and shadow. Flames licked the walls of a palace she does not recognize, though her heart aches like it belongs to her. There were Screams echoing from different directions. Figures run through smoke, their faces lost in blur. And then, in the heart of the fire, a voice calls her name.
Mia…
She spins, but instead of safety, a faceless enemy stepped forward, cloaked in darkness and eyes glowing like blood. She feels hunted, powerless and a blade of terror pressing at her throat.
She runs, stumbling and heart pounding. Just as she falls, a figure appears—a man, tall, blurred by light, his hand reaching out. He pulls her into his chest, shielding her from the shadows.
His voice is muffled, but the feeling is strong: I will protect you.
Then the world shatters.
Mia jolts awake, her body trembling, sweat beading her forehead. Her shoulder burns faintly. She looks down—her crescent mark glows soft and silver, alive beneath her skin.
Before panic can rise, a hand touches hers. She lifts her gaze.
Leon's eyes are open, steady and watching her with intensity.
"You were dreaming," he says quietly. His voice is rough, tired, but unusually warm.
Mia blinks, unable to speak. Her lip trembles, and before she can stop herself, she collapses against him. His arms catch her instantly, strong even in weakness.
Her breath hitches, the closeness was unbearable. Leon tilts her face up, his thumb brushing away a tear. For a heartbeat, they just look at each other—wolf and human, prince and nobody, bound by something neither of them can deny.
Then his lips meet hers.
It is soft, hesitant at first, but the spark between them flares into something undeniable. Mia's chest fills with heat, her pulse racing as the world fades away. For once, there is no rejection or denial. Only them.
Just then, the door creaks.
Mia jerks back, eyes wide.
Rachel stands in the doorway frozen. Her face pale with shock and fury. Eliose hovers just behind her, whispering nervously.
Rachel's eyes narrow, the anger in her multiplying. Her body was shaking as she finally caught her voice.
" You witch."