"I don't know what you're talking about."
Adam didn't turn around when he said it.
He stood there at the door, one hand still resting on the handle, shoulders slightly tense beneath the dim spill of light from Bryce's phone. The beam cut across his back, sharp and intrusive, casting long shadows that stretched across the floor like something reaching for him.
Stay calm. Deny it. Keep it simple.
Behind him, Bryce didn't move immediately.
Then a quiet exhale.
"Yeah," Bryce said, almost to himself, his tone flat, unsurprised. "I figured you'd say that."
Adam's grip on the handle tightened just slightly.
Of course he did.
"I didn't want to bring it up without proof," Bryce continued, his voice steady now, analytical, stripped of its usual warmth. "Didn't want this to turn into a 'he said, he said' situation."
The light shifted as Bryce lowered his phone a little, then turned away, walking back toward his bed with an unhurried pace. The mattress creaked softly as he sat down, the glow of the screen now illuminating his face from below, casting sharp angles across his features.
"Close the door," he added casually. "And come sit."
Adam hesitated.
Only for a second.
Then the door clicked shut behind him.
The room fell quieter.
Darker.
He turned, moving slowly, each step measured as he crossed the space and sat down on his own bed, facing Bryce. The distance between them wasn't far, but it felt… heavier now.
Different.
"…What are you talking about?" Adam asked, keeping his tone level, though his chest felt tight.
Bryce looked at him.
Really looked at him.
Not like a friend.
Like a problem being solved.
"I'm your roommate," Bryce said simply. "I notice things."
A pause.
"I pay attention."
Adam said nothing.
His pulse ticked just a little faster.
"You've gained a lot of muscle in the past month," Bryce continued, matter-of-fact. "Not gradual either. Sudden. Noticeable."
His eyes flicked over Adam's frame briefly.
"You don't strike me as the type to use steroids," he added. "And I didn't find any evidence that you were."
Adam's jaw shifted slightly.
He checked?
"Your personality changed too," Bryce went on. "Subtle, but enough. More… restrained in some ways. More intense in others."
The words were clinical and detached.
Like he was listing data points.
"That got me thinking," Bryce said, leaning back slightly, resting one arm behind him. "So I tested it."
Adam's stomach tightened.
"…Tested what?"
Bryce reached over to his bedside table, fingers brushing against something unseen before pulling back.
"The silver necklace," he said.
Adam's breath hitched almost imperceptibly.
Shit.
"I gave it to you casually," Bryce continued. "Played it off like it was nothing. Just a gift."
A faint shrug.
"You didn't keep it."
Adam didn't respond.
"You wore it for a bit," Bryce added, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Then suddenly… it disappeared."
A beat.
"You said it was uncomfortable. That it irritated your neck and gave you a rash."
The room felt smaller.
Hotter.
"That was enough to raise a flag," Bryce said. "But not enough to confirm anything."
He shifted slightly, leaning forward now, elbows resting on his knees.
"Then there is the spike in your athletic performance."
Adam swallowed.
"I've been keeping track," Bryce admitted, almost casually. "Your speed, your endurance, your recovery time. It's not normal."
A small pause.
"Some might say it's not even human... Of course most people never truly look outwards beyond themselves so no one would ever really notice, humans are such simple creatures." He paused, looking at Adam almost reassuringly, "So you don't have to worry about whether anybody else noticed, your safe on that front I'm sure."
Adam's fingers curled slightly against the edge of the mattress.
He's been watching all of this…
"And then there was the island," Bryce continued, his voice lowering just a fraction.
Adam's chest tightened instantly.
"You disappeared the night of the full moon," Bryce said. "Completely off the grid."
Images flickered through Adam's mind, recalling the encounter with his mother within the depths of his consciousness. He couldn't clearly remember what had actually occurred in the real world, leaving him only to speculate about the events. Fragments of memory persisted: blood, the glint of claws, and the overwhelming sensation of losing control.
"You came back the next morning," Bryce added, his tone steady, unshaken. "Passed out. Naked. No explanation."
Silence. Adam didn't move. Didn't breathe properly.
"And before we left," Bryce went on, "I took a walk. North of the castle."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"There were tracks."
A pause.
"Not human."
Adam's heartbeat pounded louder now.
"Large paw prints," Bryce said. "Deep. Heavy. Along with damage to the surrounding area that couldn't have been done by anything normal." he paused again in recollection, "Although i saw alot of things, your footprint was just one of the things i saw. But i made sure nobody else saw it."
He leaned back again, exhaling softly.
"So yeah," he muttered. "That was… interesting."
Adam's mind raced.
Searching.
Grasping.
Deny it. There's still gaps. There's still—
"Even if you try to explain all that away," Bryce cut in, as if reading the thought before it fully formed, "there's one more thing."
Adam's eyes flicked up.
Bryce held his gaze.
"There's a theory," he said, his voice quiet now, almost conversational. "About werewolves you see."
A pause.
"When they use enhanced vision at night… their eyes reflect light if you catch them off guard."
The words settled slowly. Deliberately.
"Like dogs," Bryce added. "Or there I say it. wolves."
Adam felt it then.
That creeping realization.
His stomach dropped.
No…
"That's why I shined the flashlight on you," Bryce said, lifting his phone slightly, the beam dim now but still present.
"And you know what I saw?"
Silence hung in the air.
Adam didn't respond, he couldn't. Bryce observed him for a moment longer, eyes narrowing in quiet assessment. Then, something changed. The tension in the air, the cold and calculated edge that had defined the moment, fractured and gave way.
And just like that, Bryce leaned back, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, the sharpness in his eyes softening as if someone had flipped a switch.
"Relax, man," he said, his tone suddenly lighter, familiar again. "You look like you're about to pass out."
Adam blinked clearly thrown off. "What?"
"I'm serious," Bryce chuckled lightly, running a hand through his hair. "You've got nothing to worry about."
The shift was so abrupt it almost didn't feel real.
"…What?"
"I just hate secrets," Bryce said with a small shrug. "That's it. Didn't like not knowing what was going on with you."
He tilted his head slightly.
"But now I do." A pause. "And we're good."
Adam stared at him, his eyes scanning every detail of his expression. He searched intently, hoping to find some trace of emotion or a clue to his thoughts. Anything that might reveal the truth.
Is this guy really serious?
"…That's it?" Adam asked, his voice quieter now, still tense.
"That's it," Bryce nodded. "You're still you."
A faint grin tugged at his lips.
"Just… hairier on full moons, I guess."
Adam exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, the release shaky and uneven. A small laugh escaped him, soft and brief, born more from relief than anything else.
"…I'm sorry man," Adam said after a moment, rubbing the back of his neck. "I should've told you."
Bryce waved it off immediately.
"Yeah, you probably should've," he said, smirking. "But I get it."
Adam hesitated.
Then added, more seriously, "I thought… you'd hate me."
Bryce's expression shifted slightly.
Not cold.
Not sharp.
Just… real.
"Why would I hate you?"
Adam looked down briefly.
"…Because of your mom."
The room went quiet again.
But this time, it wasn't suffocating.
Just… still.
"I know a werewolf killed her," Adam continued, his voice lower. "I figured… you'd connect the dots and—"
"I don't hate all werewolves."
Adam looked up.
Bryce met his gaze directly.
"I hate the one that killed my mom," he said simply. "That's it."
A pause.
"Big difference."
Adam blinked.
Processing.
"Even if I did hate werewolves," Bryce added, a small smirk forming again, "what, you think I'd just lump you in with that?"
He shook his head slightly.
"Man, what do you take me for?"
Adam let out a quiet laugh.
Relief finally settling properly in his chest. "Guess I underestimated you."
"Yeah, you did," Bryce grinned. "Don't make a habit of it."
The tension that had filled the room minutes ago felt distant now.
Gone.
Replaced by something lighter, familiar and safe.
"…We good?" Adam asked.
"Obviously." Bryce snorted. "Now are you gonna tell me where you were sneaking off to at one in the morning," he added, raising a brow, "or is that still classified?"
Adam hesitated for a second.
Then shook his head with a small smile.
"…It's kinda personal."
Bryce held his gaze for a moment.
Then shrugged, flopping back onto his bed.
"Fair enough," he said. "I don't snoop."
He pulled his blanket up slightly.
"Good luck with… whatever it is."
Adam nodded.
"Thanks."
The room settled again as Bryce turned off his phone light, plunging them back into darkness.
Adam stood, moving toward the door once more.
This time…
Lighter.
The door opened quietly.
Closed just as softly behind him.
And the moment it clicked shut, Adam exhaled deeply, the tension finally leaving his body in a rush.
"…Damn."
A faint, disbelieving smile tugged at his lips as he leaned back against the door for a second.
That could've gone so much worse.
He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head slightly.
"Bryce can be scary as hell…"
And smart. Way too smart for his own good.
Adam pushed off the door, straightening, his expression shifting as his focus returned.
The night stretched ahead of him.
Quiet.
Waiting.
One less secret.
The thought settled within him, carrying less weight than he had anticipated. It wasn't gone, not entirely, but it was undeniably lighter.
With measured, silent steps, he moved down the hallway, his pace steady and deliberate. His direction was clear...
The library.
Toward the answers he had been seeking. And in that moment, for the first time since the beginning of it all...
He felt ready.