The following morning, Ryan woke to a campus buzzing with life. The lanterns from last night's gathering were still strung up along the courtyard, swaying gently in the breeze like glowing fruit. Students shuffled past in clusters, their voices blending into a patchwork of conversations—complaints about homework, reminders about exams, weekend plans being hatched.
For a moment, it felt like he'd slipped into someone else's life. A normal life. A life where his biggest worry was failing a test, not surviving a prophecy.
He sat on the edge of his bed, stretching until his shoulders popped. The resonance thrummed faintly in his chest, steady and soft. He could almost pretend it was just nerves. Almost.
The cafeteria was already alive with noise when Ryan walked in. The clatter of trays, chairs scraping across the floor, bursts of laughter echoing above it all. The air was thick with the smell of fried plantains and eggs, the kind of scent that made you hungrier than you realized.
At their usual table, Ethan was mid-story, arms slicing through the air as Maya watched him with the kind of look that said she was half-amused, half-concerned.
"—and then Carla told me it wasn't even her cat!" Ethan slapped the table for emphasis. "A whole week, Maya. I was feeding some random stray like it was my child. And the cat didn't even blink. Betrayal. Pure betrayal."
Maya shook her head, lips twitching. "The cat probably liked you better."
"Of course it did." Ethan puffed out his chest. "I have irresistible charm. Even cats know it."
Ryan slid his tray down beside them, raising a brow. "Pretty sure the cat was just hungry."
Ethan gasped, clutching his chest like Ryan had stabbed him. "Et tu, Ryan?"
Maya took a sip from her cup to hide the smile breaking across her face. "You make it too easy."
Ryan didn't laugh out loud, but warmth tugged at his lips. The heaviness that usually clung to him seemed lighter here, at this table, in this noise. The resonance hummed faintly in his chest, like it was agreeing with him. He felt it reach outward, brushing against Ethan's dramatics and Maya's reluctant smile, knitting them together.
The system whispered quietly in the back of his mind:
[Bond Strengthened.][Trust Level: 21%.]
Ryan froze for half a heartbeat, fork pausing mid-air. But then he forced himself to keep eating, pretending nothing had happened. He didn't fully understand how these bonds worked, but he knew one thing: they weren't just numbers.
They were people.
By late morning, Aria had him back on the training field. The grass was still damp from last night's rain, soaking into his sneakers, but she didn't seem to notice.
"Again," she said flatly, circling him with her blade drawn.
Ryan wiped sweat from his brow, exasperated. "You know most people take breaks, right?"
"You're not most people." Without warning, she lunged.
Claws slid from Ryan's fingers with a metallic scrape as he barely blocked her strike. Sparks flared where steel met silver.
This time, though, he didn't hold back as much. He let instinct take the reins. The resonance pulsed steady in his chest, guiding his movements, quieting the doubts that usually slowed him down. For once, he didn't overthink. He just… moved.
Aria's eyes flickered as she pressed him harder, testing him. "Better," she murmured when he countered quick enough to force her back a step. "You're not hesitating as much."
Ryan panted, sweat stinging his eyes. "You're saying that like you're proud of me."
"Don't flatter yourself." She smirked, but the brief softness in her gaze gave her away before she turned it sharp again.
By the time she finally called for a stop, Ryan's shirt clung to him like a second skin, and his arms felt like lead. Yet beneath the exhaustion, a spark of confidence flickered. Small. Fragile. But real.
As they walked off the field, Ryan asked, "Why push me this hard? You could've killed me back there."
"Because you're still hesitating," she said simply. "A True Alpha can't afford doubt. People will follow your lead. If you stumble, they stumble. If you break, they break."
Ryan frowned, her words digging deeper than her blade ever could. But he didn't argue.
Because he knew she was right.
By afternoon, the library became their refuge. Ethan sprawled across a chair like he was allergic to proper posture, Maya had her bowstring tools spread neatly across the table, and Ryan… well, Ryan actually tried to focus on the book Aria had shoved at him earlier.
It lasted about five minutes.
"Serious question," Ethan said suddenly, tapping his pencil against his notebook like it was a drum. "If Ryan was a dog breed, what would he be?"
Ryan groaned. "Not this again."
Maya tilted her head, pretending to think it over. "German Shepherd. Loyal. Overly serious. Probably scowls at squirrels."
Ethan grinned like Christmas had come early. "Perfect. I was going to say chihuahua—tiny, angry, lots of barking."
Ryan shut his book with a sharp thunk and gave him a flat stare. "You're insufferable."
Maya chuckled softly. Ethan threw his arms wide like he'd just won a championship.
Ryan sighed, but warmth tugged at him anyway. The resonance stirred again, threading through the laughter, weaving something unseen but tangible.
He didn't need the system to tell him what was happening. He could feel it. Bonds forming—not because of prophecy, not because of some glowing mark on his hand, but because of dumb jokes in a library and afternoons spent doing nothing together.
For once, he leaned back in his chair and let himself just… belong.
That night, the lanterns from yesterday's storm ritual still glowed faintly across the courtyard, their soft light swaying with the breeze. Students gathered in little clusters—some with guitars, some with snacks, some just talking and laughing into the night.
Ryan sat on the stone steps with Ethan sprawled beside him, Maya perched cross-legged with her bow resting at her side, and Aria standing just close enough to watch but not hover. The glow painted their faces warm, and the air carried the faint smell of damp grass and roasted corn from somewhere nearby.
Ethan waved his hands dramatically at the scene. "I say we make this our official hangout. Every night, lanterns and snacks. Democracy at work."
Maya shook her head, rolling her eyes. "You just want an excuse to avoid homework."
"Exactly." Ethan leaned back, looking smug.
Ryan found himself smiling again, quietly this time. Watching them bicker, laugh, and tease each other, it almost felt like the weight he carried wasn't crushing him for once.
The resonance pulsed harder, stretching outward, linking them together in invisible threads.
The system chimed softly in his mind:
[Objective Progress: Gather Your Pack.][Current Pack Bonds: 3.]
Ryan's chest tightened. Three.
Not numbers. People.
Ethan, with his endless humor. Maya, with her quiet, steady strength. Aria, with her sharp resolve and hidden warmth.
They weren't just allies. They weren't just system prompts. They were becoming something else. Something the system had already named: a pack.
Ryan stared at the lanterns drifting up into the dark sky, his reflection flickering in their glow. For the first time since the Blood Moon Festival, he felt something close to hope.
Not the kind born of prophecy. Not the kind forced by a system's commands.
But the kind born of shared meals, sparring matches, and laughter under lantern light.
And as that realization settled in his chest, Ryan knew something had shifted.
He didn't just want to survive the Blood Moon anymore.
He wanted to protect this—this fragile, messy, stubborn little circle of people who somehow made him feel human again.
Author's Note:Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to vote, leave a comment, add the book to your collection, or drop a small gift—it really means a lot and helps this story grow. Your support keeps me writing more!