MARKED BY THE MOON; SHE WHO SHINES IN BLACK

Dahlia's POV

Walking the long hallway in Northmont High had always been my nemesis. It was something I never wanted to do, but what choice do I have? As a student, I just have to, unless I would rather not attend classes. Most days, I wished they could ignore me, but they never do, and I guess that's because of my size. I mean, how could you be invisible when you always take up too much space? Apparently, subtlety wasn't built for size 16 thighs.

Northmont High wasn't a school for girls like me, Dahlia Reed. It was built for bloodlines, glowy skins, and wolves with jawlines sharp enough to cut glass. I cursed the day I set foot into this academy the same way I cursed my stepmom, who had done everything in her power to make sure I had been accepted into Northmont High. Because what better way to show love than throwing your human stepdaughter into a wolf pit with lip gloss? Now I have to walk head down and always pray that no wolf catches the scent of a weak human girl pretending to belong.

Today was one of those bully days, and I could feel it before it even began. The air was strangely awkward, and everything seemed to annoy me, even the creak of the door. Today was supposed to be one of my happiest days because I was going to clock seventeen tomorrow. Yay me. Another year older, still the same daily humiliation.

Whenever I remembered how Grandma used to prepare for my birthday celebration a day before my birthday, I was always filled with so much joy that I could forget to eat all day. Now Grandma has passed away. No longer here to cook my delicious delicacies and stock the fridge with them until my birthday, when I get to consume them all with the few friends I have. Jane and Kate. Oh, I missed them so much. I haven't spoken with them since Grandma died and I was taken in by my stepmom to live with them.

Thud! I collided with someone, and her books went flying around the hallway. I must have been so lost in thought that I didn't realize it until I heard that sound.

"Are you blind? Can't you look up straight while walking?" She spat angrily.

"Sorry girl, the hoodie girl is always walking with her head down." Another guy said, and they all burst into laughter as if they had been expecting something that would make them laugh for ages. Apparently, I'm the pre-lunch entertainment. Glad to be of service.

"I think it's from her weight. She can't control it." Another girl spat, which sent another wave of laughter right behind me. I hurriedly picked up the books, handed them to the owner, apologized, and hurried off. Welcome to Northmont High. Population: Predators. Target: Me.

As if I hadn't had enough for the day already, as I sat to eat, I heard a girl shout beside me. "Why do you have to pick this seat of all the seats here? Now you are taking up so much space that I can't even sit comfortably to enjoy my food."

I looked and discovered that there was enough space for her to sit, but why she decided to embarrass me even when I don't know her is what I don't understand. A group of students laughing on the left side of the cafeteria drew my attention, and I immediately spotted the reason for their action.

Kyren Voss, the one and only Alpha Prince of Northmont High, was sitting right there, and all this girl wanted was his attention. Must she embarrass me to get that? Even after alerting all the students because of a false accusation against me, Kyren still wasn't looking at her side. He's too proud to; he carries himself like a mini god all around, and girls with slim-fitted bodies keep flaunting themselves over him. He's got the whole brooding royalty act on lock. Even his hair looks like it was blessed by the Moon Goddess herself.

I had never taken a good look at Kyren since I was admitted into Northmont High, maybe because I was always walking with my head down and didn't want to be noticed. Not by a popular guy like him. But today I stared at him, head high, half expecting him to say something. Perhaps to bully me like others do... I don't even understand why I wanted his opinion so badly.

His tall, lean, and muscular body caught my attention, and I couldn't help but take in this beauty. His silver hair is neatly styled, his piercing blue eyes scream royalty, and I can't help but stare. Possibly I was hallucinating from cafeteria lighting and emotional distress, but that man looked carved.

"Is the fat girl now crushing on Kyren?" A student who had probably noticed the way I stared at him raised an alarm, which sent the whole cafeteria into another round of laughter. That's what I always get. Laughs, laughs, laughs. They seem to enjoy every one of my misfortunes, and they laugh at every action of mine. I should start charging for performances.

Kyren said nothing. He didn't join in the laughter either, and that gave me a kind of relief I couldn't comprehend. I was getting laughter that sounded as if thousands of people were laughing at me, but I didn't care anymore since one person wasn't. That's crazy, right? But trust me, I can't explain that either.

Kyren stood up and left the cafeteria with his entourage, students who wouldn't be anywhere he wasn't. People call them the Royal Heirs, but rumors have it that only Kyren was born into the royal family. They led almost everything in school. The baseball team, and all teams in the school, and so did their girlfriends. They led the cheer groups and all other teams that required the leadership of girls. I guess being gorgeous also gave you a free pass to a school-wide dictatorship.

You dare not cross them. They would make your life a living hell. Rumors also had it that even when Kyren was their leader, he still hadn't chosen any girl to be his partner. Maybe their Moon Goddess hasn't given him one. I bolted to my hostel room after that girl had successfully ruined my lunch.

I retreated into sketching, something I find pleasure in doing. Here I don't get judged or laughed at by anyone. I wouldn't show anyone anyway. Not like any of them cared. I suddenly got the urge to draw a sketch of him. Kyren. I don't understand why I admire his beauty so much. I was busy with this when I heard the faint voice of a woman whispering something into my ears. It came like a flash, almost like the voice wasn't there, but I was sure of what I heard.

I sneaked out of my dorm and checked to see if anyone was loitering, but it was late already; some of my dorm mates would probably be sleeping now or still awake on their beds gossiping about whatever interests them. Since I was staying alone with no roommate yet, I was able to get comfortable whenever I was in my room.

The night air welcomed me, and I took my time to savor the moment. The air felt refreshing on my skin, and the sky darkened with stars. Then something shifted, and I suddenly felt like the moon was calling me.

Did I just hear a voice from my head?

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.