December's Moon

19| DECEMBER

| DECEMBER |

December tapped his fingers nervously on the side of his seat. Where had Aurora gone? Leaving in the middle of a meeting like this before Dean Vallin dismissed the students was crazy.

"Where did she go?" Luca whispered next to him. His shoulder pressed against December as he leaned in.

"No idea," December replied. "She said she'd be right back."

"Any students caught breaking the lock down will be expelled immediately," Dean Vallin's voice boomed as he reiterated for the thousandth time the severity of the situation. "No questions asked. No exceptions."

Rage boiled in December's mind, and he clenched his hands into fists. Something wasn't right. Dean Vallin said the faculty didn't know what the danger was and what had happened to Malcom, Kevin and Peter, yet they were so convinced it was something dangerous. December got the feeling Dean Vallin knew more than he was letting on. The way he spoke—repeating himself like he was trying to convince the students of it—didn't feel genuine.

Was it possible the faculty knew what was going on and were keeping the students in the dark? But why? If Luca's father and the board had been involved in it, was it possible other members of the pack were involved as well?

December thought back to his conversation with Professor Conri after combat class that week. He knew about the existence of monsters that could take away the ability to shift. Was it possible he knew what was going on, too?

"You are dismissed." Dean Vallin's voice startled December from his thoughts.

"Let's get out of here," Luca said, tapping December on his shoulder.

December nodded and got up. He listened to the crowd of other students as he followed their voices and footsteps out through the doors of the lecture hall.

Luca touched him on the side of his arm. "Hold up." He tugged, pulling December off to the side at the back of the room.

"What are you thinking?" December asked calmly. The voices and footsteps of his classmates faded away as the last of them passed and exited.

"Do you think we should wait for Aurora to come back?" Luca asked.

December crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall. Something about the way she left felt off. It was so sudden, like something else was controlling her. The last thing she'd said to him right before darting out didn't sound like her.

"I don't know if she's coming back," December said.

"Maybe she just went to meet us in the library," Luca suggested.

December chewed on his bottom lip. Thinking about her put a sour taste in his mouth. He didn't know how to feel about what Luca had told him. He believed Luca—Luca had no reason to lie about something like that—but the connection December had with her over the past few days felt so real. Despite the stress of everything else going on, being with her had made him feel happy. It gave him a sense of control of his own life, like he was moving in the direction he wanted too, not being directed by someone else and their plans for him.

The idea that she'd just been doing it to distract him from that stupid fucking tournament made him want to slam his fist into a wall. Silver daggers stabbed at his chest from the inside out, slicing at the back of his ribs. His heart pulled at the rest of his body like a great black hole trying to swallow up everything in its presence.