Chapter 4

Dorm assignments.

Werewolf students live in the main tower — floor-to-ceiling windows, private bathrooms.

Human students live in the basement — water dripping from the ceiling, the smell of mold in the air.

“Helen Conner.” The dorm manager reads my name. “A converted storage room.”

“Wait.” Zoe leans against the wall. “Isn‘t Conner the cleaner’s daughter? She should live in the cleaner‘s dorm — with her own kind.”

Laughter.

The dorm manager’s eyelid twitches. “Miss Zoe is right. The cleaner’s dorm is outside campus, next to the Forbidden Forest. An extra twenty-minute walk.”

I don’t argue. I grab my backpack and turn toward the east exit.

Zoe‘s voice floats after me. “Let’s see how long she lasts.”

My phone buzzes. Campus forum. Pinned post:

【Full Moon Festival Eve Alert: After moonrise tonight, werewolf students may roam the campus freely】

Top comment: “Full Moon Festival night = hunting season. Twelve humans got clawed last year.”

Abigail catches up to me. The old scar on her arm turns pale in the setting sun.

“Tonight is the eve of the Full Moon. Tomorrow night is the Moonlight Hunt. You have to hide —”

The intercom crackles: “All human students must return to their dorms immediately.”

The footsteps in the hallway grow heavier. Denser.

Around the corner, Zoe leans against the wall. A baseball bat in her hand. Raised. Aimed at my knees.

“Well, well. Two humans. Heading back to your dorm?”

Her pupils turn gold.

“I can walk you there.”