It was the day of the full moon, and Beacon Hills High School was set to play a football match against another high school. The team was getting ready, the air already heavy with tension.
The match began badly. By the end of the first half, their opponents were leading 2–0.
When the second half started, David found himself wide open for a pass. Instead of passing to him, his teammate took a shot and missed. The mistake immediately upset David. As he turned away in frustration, he overheard Jack walk up to the player and whisper, "Exactly—do not pass to Dunbar."
Hearing that made David furious.
He rushed back into play, moving faster and more aggressively. Soon enough, David scored his second goal, bringing the score to 3–3 and leveling the match.
With only one minute left, Alex sprinted into the opponent's penalty box, aiming to score the winning goal—but he was roughly tackled. The referee blew his whistle loudly.
Penalty.
David immediately picked up the ball, determined to take the shot. Before he could place it down, Jack shoved him aside.
"I'm the captain," Jack said coldly. "I'm taking the penalty."
David refused, and the two began arguing as the seconds ticked away. With only fifteen seconds left on the clock, David finally stepped aside and allowed Jack to take the shot.
Jack placed the ball, took a deep breath, and struck it.
The ball slammed into the crossbar and bounced high into the air.
Without hesitation, David ran forward, leapt up, and executed a fierce, perfectly timed bicycle kick. The shot was so powerful it ripped straight through the net.
Goal.
The entire stadium erupted. Students from Beacon Hills High leapt to their feet, cheering wildly. Alex ran toward David, wrapped him in a hug, and shouted, "You did it! You scored a hat trick in your first game!"
David, breathing heavily, replied, "I can't control it… the anger is too much."
Suddenly, David's eyes began to glow yellow.
Alarmed, Alex quickly escorted David to the football locker room. Sarah followed close behind, trying to calm him down, but nothing worked. David paced back and forth, his breathing uneven.
Alex turned to Sarah nervously and asked, "It's not even night yet. The full moon hasn't risen—so why is he reacting like this?"
Sarah answered quietly, "It's still the full moon. *We supernatural can feel it in the air. David's anger is intensifying it. If this continues, he might not even need the moon to rise before he transforms."
Alex's face drained of color. "Can he really do that?"
"Yes," Sarah replied. "If he's angry enough. But it takes time—and it's far more painful."
Panicking, Alex quickly grabbed a hose, connected it to the shower, and asked Sarah to hold David down. She did as told while Alex sprayed David with cold water, hoping it would calm him.
It didn't work.
Then Sarah suddenly remembered something her father had taught her. Without hesitation, she grabbed David's hand and broke it.
David screamed in pain.
"What was that for?!" Alex shouted.
Sarah replied firmly, "Pain keeps him human. And staying human keeps him from transforming."
Alex looked at David and asked, "What about your hand?"
David gritted his teeth and said, "It'll heal."
Moments later, David's glowing eyes faded back to normal, and the bones in his hand snapped back into place. He stood up, steadier now, and nodded at Sarah.
"Thank you."
"It's okay," Sarah said softly. "I just wish I could be there tonight to help you—but I can't."
"Don't worry," David replied. "Alex will be there."
Alex grinned nervously. "Yeah. Me, my jeep, and my chains."
Sarah smiled faintly before returning to her seat in the stadium, while David and Alex headed back to the field.
Coach Will congratulated David and announced that he would now be the team's new set-piece taker, replacing Jack. The team cheered and lifted David onto their shoulders, chanting his name as they headed back to the locker room.
Everyone celebrated—except Jack, who stormed off angrily.
School was dismissed for the day. As David and Alex were leaving, they spotted Mark standing outside the school gates. They walked over to him.
David asked, "What are you doing here?"
Mark replied, "Keeping an eye on you. Making sure you don't rip someone's head off—or wolf out like you almost did on the field."
David stared at him in surprise. "You were there?"
"Yeah," Mark said. "And I saw how close you were to losing control."
Alex stepped in. "We handled it."
Mark turned to Alex, his gaze sharp and intimidating. "It's one thing that I let you live. It's another thing for you to interrupt me. If I were you, I'd keep my distance."
David immediately stepped forward. "He's my friend, which means he's not going anywhere. And thanks for checking on me—but we have things under control."
Without waiting for a response, David grabbed Alex and pulled him away. They climbed into Alex's jeep and drove off, leaving Mark standing behind, watching them disappear.