MARKED BY THE MOON; SHE WHO SHINES IN BLACK

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.