Chapter Text
There was something wrong. My mother had been nervous for days, speaking on the phone in a low tone, always ending the call as soon as I entered the room. This time, however, she seemed distracted enough not to notice that I was listening behind the door.
"Is this really necessary?" she said, her voice tenser than usual.
I felt my stomach twist. Who was she talking to?
"Of course not, but she's just a teenager. She hasn't even transformed yet."
I froze. They were talking about me.
"I understand, but it's not necessary. We’re not important."
My mother was trying to convince someone that we weren’t a problem, but why? I pressed closer to the door, trying to hear better.
"That's very kind of you, we appreciate your concern. But there are no wolfbloods within a 100-mile radius. I'm sure we are safe."
Wolfbloods. Of course, this had to do with what we are. I knew they did everything they could to keep this a secret, but it seemed that, this time, it wasn’t enough.
"We've only been bothered by a Hunter’s Dawn agent many years ago. And back then, we didn’t even have a pup."
My breath caught. I didn’t know much about the Hunter’s Dawn, but from my mother’s tone, they weren’t people we’d want to deal with again.
The moment a floorboard creaked under my weight, I knew I had been caught.
The door opened slightly, and my mother appeared, her eyes narrowed in a mix of surprise and frustration.
"What are you doing here, Maddy?"
Before I could come up with an excuse, she sighed and motioned for me to come in. I sat on the couch, not knowing what to expect.
"They want to send an agent from the Moonwatch Division to watch over us," she said, returning to the phone.
I blinked, confused. Moonwatch Division? This was the first time I’d heard that name.
"Yes, yes, sorry. I didn’t know they were listening... protect."
She slammed the phone down as if trying to control her anger.
"Mom, what’s going on?" I asked, my voice louder than I intended. "Why do they want to send someone to ‘protect’ us?"
She looked at me, visibly exhausted.
"It’s just a precaution," she said, choosing her words carefully. "The Moonwatch Division wants to make sure we’re safe. That’s all."
"But safe from who?"
She hesitated, her eyes drifting away for a moment.
"From the Hunter’s Dawn," she finally said. "They are hunters, Maddy. They believe wolfbloods like us are dangerous."
"Dangerous—?!" I stopped, feeling my throat tighten. "But they don’t know I haven’t even transformed yet! They can’t consider me a threat!"
My mother put her hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down.
"I know. And that’s why the Moonwatch Division wants to monitor. They won’t let anything happen."
I wasn’t sure if that was supposed to reassure me or if it was something she needed to hear herself.
The next morning, the house was filled with a tension I couldn’t understand. My mother seemed even more nervous than usual, and I could tell she was trying to stay calm, but something was about to happen. I went to the living room, where I heard her murmuring softly on the phone.
"Yes, yes, I understand... but is this really necessary?" she said, and I could tell she was talking to someone from the Moonwatch Division.
I quietly moved closer, trying not to make a sound, but I could catch part of the conversation.
"They’ve been bothering me for weeks to send me a pup?" Emma said, with a mix of frustration and disbelief. "I don’t need a 16-year-old boy to ensure our safety. He’s barely older than Maddy!"
I stood there, trying to understand what was going on. What did she mean by "pup"?
The conversation continued, but I couldn’t catch more, as she quickly hung up the phone and returned to the living room, trying to hide the discomfort on her face.
She looked at me with a forced smile and then said, as if she were justifying herself:
"This is Rhydian, he’ll be staying with us for a while."
Before I could respond or ask more questions, Rhydian walked into the room. He looked older than me, but still had an aura of seriousness that seemed mismatched with his age. His eyes were alert, taking in every detail around the house, as if ready to react to any situation.
Emma appeared in the kitchen doorway, still wearing the expression of someone who wasn’t happy with the situation. She looked at Rhydian with a critical expression.
"So, you’re the ‘pup’ they sent here?" Emma said with a tone of disdain.
Rhydian didn’t seem bothered. He looked directly at her with a calm, but firm smile.
"Yes, that’s me," he replied, his voice steady. "Don’t worry, I’m fully capable."
Emma made a face, clearly unconvinced. She turned and went back to the kitchen without saying another word, leaving the air heavy with tension. Rhydian, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease, as if nothing were wrong.
He looked at me with an enigmatic smile.
"You’ll get used to it," he said, his voice low, as if it were a promise.
I didn’t know what to think. He was here to "monitor" our safety, but why was my mother so upset? Why had such a young agent been sent, someone who seemed more like a student than a professional?
My mother spent the rest of the day trying to make things seem normal. But every time she looked at Rhydian, something in her face changed. It was almost like she was watching him closely, waiting for him to do something wrong.
The next morning, the tension at home seemed to have eased a bit, but I could still feel my mother’s watchful eyes on Rhydian. He, on the other hand, seemed completely relaxed as he finished tying the laces on his boots.
"Ready for school?" he asked casually.
I nodded, grabbing my backpack and heading out the door. Rhydian walked beside me, adjusting the weight of his own bag as we followed the forest trail leading to school. The morning was cold, and the mist still clung to the ground, making the path even quieter than usual. The only sounds were our footsteps on the damp earth and the occasional rustle of leaves as small animals scurried out of sight.
After a few minutes of walking in silence, Rhydian finally spoke. "So, what are your human friends like?"
I smiled, thinking about Shannon and Tom. "They're amazing. Shannon is really smart—she loves science and anything to do with discovering new things. Tom is more laid-back, but he's always there when we need him."
"Do they know about you?" Rhydian asked, his tone shifting to something more serious.
I hesitated. "No. I mean, Shannon suspects, but... I've never told them."
Rhydian let out a sigh. "That's for the best. The human world doesn’t really understand what we are. Trusting the wrong person can be dangerous."
His words sent a chill down my spine, though I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or the warning hidden in his voice. We continued walking in silence, but his comment stayed with me, gnawing at the edges of my thoughts.
As we neared the school grounds, the familiar sight of students milling about helped ease some of my tension. The quiet of the forest gave way to the usual morning chaos—friends greeting each other, groups laughing, and the occasional sound of a soccer ball being kicked around in the courtyard.
"There they are," I told Rhydian, pointing toward Shannon and Tom, who were sitting near the main entrance. Shannon noticed us first, her sharp eyes locking onto Rhydian immediately. She stood up, her body language screaming curiosity, while Tom followed, looking more relaxed.
"And who’s this?" Shannon asked as she approached, her tone friendly but laced with suspicion.
"This is Rhydian," I introduced, keeping my tone neutral. "He’s... a distant cousin. He’s staying with us for a while."
Shannon raised an eyebrow. "Right... distant cousin." She clearly wasn’t buying it.
Tom, thankfully, was less skeptical. He grinned and extended a hand to Rhydian. "Nice to meet you, man. Hope you like it here."
Rhydian shook his hand and returned the smile, but I could tell he was keeping his guard up. Shannon, however, wasn’t done analyzing him.
"You don’t really look like Maddy," she pointed out. "Where exactly are you from?"
"Wales," Rhydian answered smoothly. "Small town, not much to talk about."
"Right," Shannon said, narrowing her eyes. "And what made you decide to move here?"
"Family arrangements," he replied with a casual shrug. "Thought it’d be a good change of pace."
Tom, sensing the tension, nudged Shannon playfully. "Come on, don’t interrogate him. Let the guy breathe."
Shannon huffed, clearly not satisfied but willing to let it go for now. "Fine. But I’m watching you."
I rolled my eyes, hoping Rhydian wouldn’t take her too seriously. "Come on, let’s get to class."
As we made our way inside, Rhydian leaned in slightly. "Your friend is relentless."
"Tell me about it," I muttered. "She’s like a detective when she gets suspicious."
"I’ll be careful," he promised. But something about the way he said it made me uneasy—like he wasn’t just talking about Shannon anymore.