Chapter 28 Dreams of Miguel
POV: LUNA
Luna couldn't shut her brain off.
She lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Nova's soft breathing from across the room. The clock glowing 2:47 AM.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw threats. Darius smirking. The creature with burning eyes. That mysterious woman dissolving into smoke. Jasmine's dead sister. The figure in the tree.
And Miguel. Always Miguel. His face bloody in that vision weeks ago. His phone going straight to voicemail. Those texts that didn't sound like him.
Luna rolled over. Pulled the blanket tighter. Forced her eyes closed.
Sleep. She needed sleep. Six days until the challenge. She couldn't fight exhausted.
Slowly, finally, darkness pulled her under.
The transition was strange. One moment she was in her dorm. The next, she stood somewhere else entirely.
Not the forest. Not campus. Somewhere in between. A place that felt real but wasn't.
The high school parking lot. Her old school. Before the mark. Before everything changed.
Luna looked down. She wore her old clothes. Jeans. Band t-shirt. Converse sneakers. No training gear. No mud or scratches.
"Luna."
She spun. Miguel stood ten feet away. Exactly as she remembered. Dark hair slightly messy. Kind eyes. That smile that always made her feel safe.
"Miguel?"
"Hey." He stepped closer. "It's really you. I wasn't sure this would work."
"What's happening? Is this real?"
"Dream-link. I've been trying to reach you for weeks. Finally broke through tonight."
Luna's heart hammered. "Are you okay? I saw you bleeding. Your face. And the texts. Those weren't from you, were they?"
"No. Someone's been blocking my calls. Intercepting messages. Trying to keep us separated."
"Who? Why?"
Miguel's expression darkened. "I don't know who. But I know why. Because they want you isolated. Vulnerable. Easier to control."
He gestured around them. The parking lot. The familiar school building. "This was easier. Your old life. Before all the supernatural stuff. When things made sense."
"Nothing makes sense anymore."
"I know. I can feel it. Through whatever connection we still have. You're scared. Overwhelmed. Fighting things you don't understand."
Luna's throat tightened. "I miss you. I miss normal. I miss when my biggest problem was algebra tests."
"Me too." Miguel moved closer. Reached for her hand. His touch felt real. Warm. Solid. "But you can't go back. You know that, right? The mark chose you. Changed you. There's no reversing it."
"I don't want to reverse it. I just want to not feel like I'm drowning all the time."
"You're stronger than you think. I've always known that. Even before the mark."
"I don't feel strong. I feel terrified."
"Good. Fear keeps you sharp. Keeps you careful. The second you stop being afraid is when you get careless. When you die."
Luna pulled her hand back. "Is that what happened? Did you get careless? Is that why I saw you bleeding?"
Miguel's face went carefully blank. "That vision wasn't showing the past. It was showing a possible future. One path things could take if you're not careful."
"So you're in danger."
"We're all in danger. You. Me. Everyone you care about. That's what happens when you're marked. When you're powerful. Threats find you."
"Then come here. To Silverwood. Where it's protected. Where faculty can help."
"I can't. Humans aren't allowed on campus unless they're changing. And I'm not marked. I'm just... me. Normal. Powerless."
The word landed heavy. Bitter.
"You're not powerless."
"Compared to what you're becoming? Yeah, I am. And we both know it."
Luna wanted to argue. To tell him he mattered just as much. But she couldn't lie. Not to him.
In her new world, humans were vulnerable. Weak. Liabilities.
The parking lot flickered. Like a bad TV signal. Miguel noticed.
"We don't have much time. The dream-link is unstable. I need you to listen carefully."
"Okay."
"That mark on your wrist. It's more than just a symbol. It's connected to something ancient. Something that was buried for a reason. And there are people who want to control it. Who want to control you."
"The creature that attacked campus. Is it connected?"
"I think so. But I don't know how. I've been researching. Old legends. Myths about Eclipse wolves. Most of it's been erased from history. Destroyed. But I found fragments. References to guardians. To keys that open doors between worlds."
Luna remembered the mysterious woman. Your mark is not a curse. It's a key.
"What kind of doors?"
"The kind that should stay closed. Between life and death. Light and dark. The living world and the otherworld."
"That sounds bad."
"It is bad. If someone figures out how to use your mark to open those doors, they could unleash things that were locked away centuries ago. Things that make that demon creature look tame."
The parking lot flickered again. Harder this time. Miguel's form wavered.
"No. Not yet. I need more time."
"Miguel, what can I do? How do I stop this?"
"Learn control. Master your powers. Don't let anyone manipulate you into using the mark before you're ready. And most importantly, don't trust anyone who claims they know what's best for you."
"Not even faculty?"
"Especially not faculty. Some of them have agendas you can't see. Political. Personal. They'll use you if given the chance."
"This is insane. I'm sixteen. I should be worrying about homework and prom. Not ancient prophecies and demon wolves."
Miguel smiled. Sad but genuine. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry you were chosen for this. That you can't just be normal anymore."
"Don't apologize. It's not your fault."
"Still. I wish I could protect you. But I can't even protect myself right now."
The dream world cracked. Literally. Like glass spiderwebbing across reality.
"What's happening?"
"Someone's trying to break the link. Force us apart." Miguel grabbed her shoulders. Desperate. "Luna, listen. Six days from now. The full moon. Something big is coming. A convergence. The creature. The challenge from Darius. Something else I can't see clearly. You need to be ready. For all of it."
"How? I barely know what I'm doing."
"Trust your instincts. Trust your friends. And if it comes down to it, trust the mark. Even if you don't understand it. Your bloodline chose you for a reason."
The cracks widened. The parking lot dissolving into fragments.
"Miguel, don't go."
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be here. Somewhere. Even if we can't reach each other."
"Promise me you'll be careful. That you'll stay safe."
"I'll try. You do the same."
His form shattered. The dream world collapsed. Luna fell through darkness.
She woke gasping. Sitting bolt upright in bed. Sweat soaking her shirt. Heart racing.
Nova stirred. "Luna? You okay?"
"Dream. Just a dream."
"About what?"
"Miguel. He reached me through the dream-link. Warned me about the full moon."
Nova sat up. Rubbed her eyes. "What did he say?"
Luna started to answer. Then stopped.
Because outside their window, in the distance, a howl split the night.
Not campus wolves. Not faculty doing patrols. Something else. Something wrong.
The howl was pain. Terror. Calling for help.
And it sounded almost human.
Nova heard it too. She went pale. "What was that?"
Luna's mark burned. Hot. Urgent. Screaming danger.
The howl came again. Closer this time. More desperate.
"That's not one of ours," Nova whispered.
"No. It's not."
Luna grabbed her phone. Checked for messages from Miguel. Nothing. Still silent.
The howl echoed a third time. Different now. Like whatever made it was moving. Circling campus.
Nova moved to the window. Peered out carefully. "I don't see anything. But that sound..."
"I know."
"You don't think..."
Luna's stomach twisted. The dream. Miguel's warning. Something big is coming. The creature. The challenge. Something else I can't see clearly.
And now this howl. Inhuman but somehow familiar. Close enough to reach their window. Close enough to be heard clearly.
What if Miguel hadn't been warning her from safety? What if he'd been warning her because he was already in danger? Already being hunted?
"We should tell someone," Nova said.
"And say what? We heard a howl? Faculty will just say it's part of the increased security. Another drill."
"What if it's not a drill?"
Luna stared out the window. At the dark forest. At the moon hanging low and almost full.
Six days. Miguel said six days until everything converged.
But what if he was wrong? What if it was starting now?
The howl didn't come again. Just silence. Watching. Waiting.
And Luna couldn't shake the feeling that whatever made that sound was connected to Miguel somehow. That he was in trouble and she was too far away to help.