Chapter 11: New girl.

Don’t stop, Damien…” Lyra whispered, her lips brushing against his.

Damien’s heart raced as her warm body pressed against his. They were both naked, the sheets tossed aside. Her fingers trailed across his chest, setting his skin on fire. He kissed her passionately, unable to pull away, lost in the heat of the moment.

But then, her kiss turned rough. Her soft lips stretched into something unnatural. Damien’s eyes widened as her face twisted, her skin peeling back to reveal glowing red eyes and jagged teeth. Her nails grew into black claws that dug into his shoulders.

“Lyra?” His voice shook.

She grinned. “You’re mine now.”

Before Damien could move, her mouth opened impossibly wide, fangs dripping, ready to tear into him.

“NO!” Damien shot up, gasping for air. Sweat soaked his shirt, he clutched his chest, hiscould feel his heart beat. The room was dark, quiet, safe. Just his messy bed, the posters on the wall, and the faint hum of the ceiling fan.

A dream. It was just a dream.

But it felt too real.

He ran a shaky hand through his hair and muttered, “What the hell was that?”

The next morning, Damien dragged himself to school. His ached as he picturd Lyra’s monster face. He found Jack leaning against a locker, sipping a can of soda like he didn’t care about anything .

“You look like crap,” Jack said, raising a brow.

“Thanks,” Damien muttered, slamming his locker shut. “I had a dream, a really weird one.”

Jack smirked. “Let me guess, flying naked through the sky? Classic stress dream.”

Damien gave him a look. “No, It was about Lyra. We were… kissing and then she turned into this monster. With claws, fangs, the whole thing. She tried to eat me.”

Jack nearly choked on his soda. “Eat you? Bro, that’s not a dream, that’s a warning.”

Damien frowned. “You think it means something?”

“Obviously. Weird dreams don’t just pop up for nothing, especially after everything we went through with the poison and the Alpha.” Jack’s voice lowered.

"How are you doing now?" Damien asked with a small smile forming on the corner of his lips.

"I'm doing great, why did you ask?" Jack muttered, sipping his soda.

" I clearly remembered your expression, you were like Damien...Damien... don't die, Damien you can't do this alone, oh....no, Damien."Damien mocked him.

Jack frowned." It's okay dude. I think I'm gonna cry."

Damien laughed." What do you think about the dream?"

" I don't know... Maybe your mind is trying to tell you something about Lyra,"he replied crushing the soda can.

Before Damien could answer, a familiar voice called out.

“You’re talking about me again, aren’t you?”

They both turned. Lyra walked up, wearing a confident smile.

Damien swallowed, he remembered the monstrous image of Lyra, her claws, her dripping fangs. He quickly shook the thought away.

“We were just, uh....” Damien started.

“....talking about how you saved my life,” he finished.

Lyra’s smile softened. “It was a nightmare, it was a risk we had to take. I remember how close we were to losing you.”

Damien looked down, his mind flashed back to the burning pain of the poison. How his body felt heavy, how every heartbeat felt like the last. He remembered Lyra holding him, refusing to let him go.

Jack cuts in. “Yeah, and let’s not forget me. I was there too, you know. You’re both alive thanks to this guy.” He pointed at himself.

Lyra rolled her eyes. “Right, you distracted the Alpha by screaming like a girl....and hiding behind a shelf.”

Jack grinned. “That's not how I saw it.”

They all laughed, but deep Damien still couldn’t shake the image of monster-Lyra.

By lunchtime, the cafeteria was buzzing with voices and clattering trays. Damien sat at a table with Jack and Lyra when a girl he’d never seen before walked in.

She was tall, with soft brown curls and bright green eyes, she carried herself with the confidence of someone who knew people were watching her.

“Who’s that?” Jack whispered, leaning forward.

“No idea, the amount of new student we are getting is crazy” Damien muttered.

The girl scanned the room and her eyes landed right on Damien. To his surprise, she walked straight over and sat down beside him like they were already friends.

“Hi,” she said warmly. “I’m Serena, you must be Damien.”

Damien blinked. “Uh… yeah. That’s me.”

"And you are?" Jack asked.

"I wasn't talking to you." She tuned back to Damien. I've heard a lot about you already.

Lyra raised a brow. “From who? He’s not exactly famous.”

"I said the same thing, this is getting weird," Jack whisperer to Lyra.

Serena ignored them, leaning a little closer to Damien. “You seem… different, not like everyone else here.”

Damien scratched the back of his neck, awkward. “Different how?”

“You just… feel strong, I like the color of your eyes, I'm sure they glow," she blinked and smiled.

Damien coughed." Gl...o...w, no they don't."

"But I know how strong you are, all these things make you special." She said softly.

" Okay, this is getting weird." Jack muttered.

Lyra's eyes narrowed. She crossed her arms, clearly not liking Serena's sudden interest.

"We were in the middle of something actually."

" Ohh sorry. What were you talking about?" She asked.

Jack frowned." Nothing that needs your attention, now scoot over. Find another table."

" Is this how you treat your new friend?"she asked, her gaze fixed on Damien.

Jack smirked." Friend....well, well, looks like someone's got a fan club now."

Damien forced a smile, he had no idea what to say. where did this chic come from?

Before the awkwardness could go any further, Maya burst into the cafeteria, her hair messy like she had run all the way. She spotted them and hurried over, her face pale.

“Guys,” she said, out of breath. “There’s trouble.”

Damien’s eyes widened. “What kind of trouble?”

Maya’s voice trembled. “The kind that doesn’t wait.”