"From the ones who killed your mother."
My mother's face flashed through my mind. Not the way she looked in life, vibrant and full of secrets, but how I found her that night. Pale. Still. Dead. A crescent moon pendant clutched in her lifeless hand.
I yanked my wrist from Ash's grip, my blood beginning to boil. I had no idea who these people were and I didn't care but for them to mess with the memory of my mother like that. I couldn't forgive that.
"My mother had a heart attack." I spat venom his way, glaring at him.
"Is that what they told you?" His voice was gentle, almost pitiful. It made me want to scream.
"They didn't tell me anything. I was there." The words tasted like ashes in my mouth. "I found her." I told him, not sure why I was still discussing this with people I just met. I don't even speak about my mother with my aunt.
Something dangerous flashed in his eyes. Behind us, I heard Kai mutter a curse in what sounded like Mandarin.
"Luna," Ash stepped closer, his presence somehow both threatening and comforting. "Your mother was murdered by the Blood Moon pack. They've been hunting moon-blessed wolves for centuries, and she died protecting you. She was strong but they came in droves and..."
I laughed. A sound hollow to my ears but I laughed nonetheless, my chest aching.
"Seriously. This is the best you could come up with? Wolves? Blood Moon? Do you even hear yourself? So much for a university haze. I don't know where you got the information on my mother but you could have used something else."
Ash watched me for a moment as if grappling with the idea before he turned to the guys behind me.
"Show her," Felix piped up, bouncing on his heels. "It'll be faster than trying to explain."
"No." Ash's response was sharp enough to make Felix step back. "Not here. Too many witnesses."
"Then where?" I challenged, crossing my arms. "Because right now, you all sound completely insane and I am not going anywhere with any of you."
"The sanctuary," Kai suggested, appearing at my elbow like a shadow. "It's warded."
Ash nodded slowly, accepting Kai's suggestion.
"Tonight. After sunset. We'll meet at the sanctuary." He turned to me with that intense stare again. "Will you come?"
I should have said no. I should have run far away from these strange boys and their talk of wolves and murder but something deep inside me stirred at the word 'sanctuary' – something wild and familiar that had been sleeping ever since my mother's death. I shook my head and frowned.
"No way." I said before turning to leave but Felix blocked my path.
"Move or I will scream rape." I threatened him, my shoulders squared to go through with it.
He cocked an eyebrow at me, seemingly amused before he turned to Ash for direction. I turned to Ash too.
"Only if you say that you'll come to the sanctuary later." Ash said.
"If not, we'll show up at your room in the middle of the night." Felix added a playful look on his face.
"Fine," I heard myself say. "Whatever." I mumbled, sure that I wasn't going anywhere near them and if they did show up to my room like stalkers, my bottle of pepper spray would be ready.
"Good," Ash promised. He glanced at the sky, then at Kai. "Get her settled in. Felix, run perimeter. I'll handle the wards."
They moved instantly at his commands, like soldiers following their general. Felix saluted with his usual grin before disappearing into the crowd. Kai retrieved my boxes from where they'd been set aside. I didn't want either of them to follow me but I had an inkling that they wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Come on, Luna-tic," Kai said, ignoring my grimace at the nickname. "Let's get you moved in before sunset."
The walk to my room was silent, my mind spinning with questions I was afraid to ask. Kai somehow managed to carry all my boxes while keeping one eye on our surroundings, like he was expecting an attack at any moment.
Room 314 was at the end of a long hallway, tucked into a corner. Kai set my boxes down and produced a key from nowhere. Were you telling me that I didn't even have a key to my own room?
"We had you placed here specifically," he explained as he unlocked the door. "Corner room, reinforced walls, clear sight lines to the forest. Plus..." He stepped inside and tapped the window frame. "Mountain ash wood. They can't cross it."
"They who?" I demanded half heartedly as I looked around the nice room, but he just shook his head.
"Tonight you'll find out," he promised. "Try to rest until then. And Luna?" His playful demeanor dropped for a moment, leaving something serious in its place. "Don't let anyone else in. No matter what."
He was gone before I could respond, leaving me alone in a room. I plopped down on the bed and sighed, knowing fully well that I didn't plan on letting anyone into my living space. Especially them.
I spent the next few hours unpacking, trying to focus on normal freshman concerns. Where to put my clothes. How to arrange my art supplies. Whether my roommate would mind the string lights I brought. If I even had a roommate to begin with.
But as the sun began to set, casting long shadows across my floor, I couldn't ignore the thrumming in my veins. A pull or in other words warmth towards something out there. I couldn't place my finger on it but I felt like going out. Like leaving the four corners of this room and walking barefoot on the grass. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind, settling on the fact that I was homesick. After all, I always strolled in my backyard back home when it was nighttime. It calmed me. No more of that I guess.
A knock at my door made me jump and I took a step towards it.
"Luna?" A deep voice called. "It's Derek Stone. Remember me?"
Derek. The name sounded familiar. I remembered from my acceptance package. My RA.
"Everything okay in there?" He asked me, not giving me time to say a word.
"Yeah, everything's fine." I called back, pressing against the door but not opening it. Something felt wrong about his voice. We hadn't spoken over the phone before but I could somehow tell. Leaving this room was wrong.
"Just checking in. Mind opening up?"
My hand moved toward the handle, but Kai's warning echoed in my head. Don't let anyone else in. I froze and thought to myself. Should I really be following the advice of a nutjob I just met or actually try to make some new friends? I juggled the thought but I couldn't deny that Kai was damn serious when he told me that.
"Actually, I'm about to head out," I lied. "Meeting some friends."
A pause. Then a sound like nails scraping wood. I took a step back, not liking what I was hearing.
"No," the voice that was Derek's shifted, deepened. "You're not."
The door handle began to turn on its own.
