The cafeteria was buzzing by the time Ryan arrived. The sound hit him like a wall—trays clattering, voices overlapping, laughter that rang just a little too loud. The air smelled of fried plantains and pepper stew, sharp enough to make his stomach rumble.
For once, it felt like normal student life. No system alerts, no shadows curling in the corners, no monsters waiting to leap out of nowhere. Just food, noise, and people living like the world wasn't holding its breath.
Ryan balanced a tray in both hands, scanning the room. He spotted Ethan before anything else—mostly because Ethan was already waving him over with both arms, nearly smacking into a girl walking by with juice. She glared. Ethan gave a sheepish grin, but kept waving anyway.
Maya sat across from him, chin resting on her palm. She looked unimpressed by the chaos but hadn't moved to stop it either.
"Ryan!" Ethan shouted across the room like he owned it. "Over here! True Alpha of the Omelet Line!"
Ryan fought the urge to bury his face in his tray as heads turned. He muttered under his breath as he slid into the seat beside Ethan, "You're going to get me killed."
Ethan shoved a bowl of stew across the table at him, grinning like he hadn't just embarrassed them both. "Relax. Nobody here suspects you're secretly—" He leaned close, dropping his voice to a dramatic whisper. "—a chosen wolf messiah."
Ryan gave him a flat look. "That's not even subtle."
"Subtlety isn't his strength," Maya said, rolling her eyes. But the faint smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.
Ryan stabbed at his food, trying not to laugh. He didn't want to, not really—but the warmth of their banter chipped away at the heaviness that had been sitting on his chest since the trial.
The resonance stirred faintly inside him. A low hum in his core, like invisible threads stretching outward. Ethan's grin widened, brighter than before. Maya's shoulders loosened as she took a small bite of her food.
Ryan froze. Was that… him?
The system's voice flickered in his head.
[Bond Strengthened.]
[Trust Level: 18%.]
He flinched. He hadn't done anything but eat breakfast.
"Hey," Maya's voice pulled him back. She was watching him carefully. "You okay?"
Ryan forced a quick nod. "Yeah. Just… thinking."
"Don't think too hard," Ethan said around a mouthful of bread. "You'll scare the brain cells away."
Ryan meant to glare at him, but the laugh slipped out first. And it felt good—light, real.
By afternoon, Aria had dragged Ryan to the training field. The rain from yesterday had left the grass damp and slick, sticking to the soles of his sneakers. A soft breeze tugged at the ends of his hoodie.
Aria twirled her blade once before pointing it at him. Her face was as unreadable as always, but there was something sharp in her tone. "Today, you don't hold back. The mark won't wait for you to feel ready."
Ryan flexed his fingers. His claws slid free with a metallic scrape. His chest tightened—not with fear, but with the strange weight that every lesson mattered now.
Aria didn't give him time to prepare. She lunged first, blade flashing in a blur of silver. Ryan barely ducked in time, claws slashing upward. Sparks lit between steel and claw.
"You're hesitating again," she barked, pushing harder.
"I'm not!" he snapped back, parrying with a swing that nearly caught her side.
She smirked, her steps unyielding. "Then prove it."
The fight blurred into instinct—claws meeting steel, breath burning his lungs, sweat dripping down his neck. Each time doubt whispered in his head, the resonance pulsed steadier, pushing back. Reminding him he wasn't just some kid flailing in battles he couldn't win.
Finally, Ryan caught her wrist mid-swing. His claws trembled against her blade, but he held his ground. Their eyes locked—hers sharp, testing; his burning with defiance.
For a long heartbeat, neither moved.
Then Aria lowered her blade. Her lips quirked, the faintest hint of approval. "Better," she murmured. "You're starting to trust yourself."
Ryan exhaled shakily. "Or maybe you're just going easy on me."
Her smile sharpened. "Don't flatter yourself."
But as she turned away, Ryan caught it—something softer in her eyes. Not pity, not cold assessment. Something closer to trust.
The library was busier than usual. Students crammed into every corner, exam season looming over them like storm clouds. The air smelled of dust, ink, and faintly of instant noodles someone had smuggled in.
Ryan, Ethan, and Maya managed to claim a table in the corner. Books sprawled across it in a mess of pages, half-open notebooks, and Ethan's scattered doodles of wolves that looked more like angry cats.
"Okay, serious question," Ethan announced, tapping his pencil dramatically. "If Ryan was a wolf, what breed would he be? I call husky."
Ryan groaned. "We are not doing this again."
"Come on, it's important," Ethan said. "Spirit animal stuff."
"Maya?"
Maya glanced up from her notes. Her voice was calm, almost too calm. "A lone wolf."
The words hit Ryan harder than expected. A sharp pang in his chest. His throat felt tight.
But then she added, softer, "For now."
Their eyes met. Something in the quiet weight of her words settled deep in his chest. The resonance stirred again, warm and steady, weaving between them like an invisible thread.
The system chimed faintly in his mind.
[Bond Strengthened: Maya.]
[Status: Potential Pack Member—Developing.]
Ryan swallowed. His pulse was unsteady. This wasn't just about friendship anymore. The system was watching—measuring every laugh, every glance, every bond.
And that thought terrified him.
By nightfall, the courtyard glowed. Students had lit dozens of small lanterns, setting them along the stone paths, balancing them on walls, sending them drifting up into the dark. It was tradition after a heavy rain—a way of thanking the sky for clearing.
Ryan stood at the edge of the crowd with Ethan, Maya, and Aria. The warm glow painted their faces in shifting light. Sparks floated upward like golden fireflies.
Ethan, true to form, juggled two lanterns until Maya smacked his arm.
"Careful," she scolded. "You'll set yourself on fire."
"Worth it for the drama," he replied, puffing out his chest.
Ryan shook his head, smiling despite himself. Something about this moment—the laughter, the soft glow, the way Maya hid her smile and Aria just stood quietly watching—it shifted something inside him.
For the first time, it didn't feel like he was waiting for doom to strike. It felt… alive.
The resonance pulsed stronger, stretching outward. Ryan could feel it weaving invisible threads between them—Ethan's humor, Maya's quiet strength, Aria's steady presence.
The system's voice slipped into his mind again.
[Objective Progress: Gather Your Pack.]
[Current Pack Bonds: 3.]
Ryan's breath caught. Three.
Not just numbers. Not just system text. People.
Ethan. Maya. Aria.
Bonds that were fragile, imperfect, but real.
He tilted his head back, staring at the lanterns drifting higher, their glow fading into the night sky. For the first time since the Blood Moon Festival, he felt something close to hope.
Not because the prophecy promised victory. Not because the system demanded it.
But because he wasn't standing alone anymore.