Chapter 37 Fallout
Luna’s POV
They didn’t let us go back to class.
They didn’t let us go back to the hallway. They barely let us go anywhere at all.
By the time the ambulance doors slammed shut on Tyler and the last of the students were herded away, Crescent Valley High no longer felt like a school.
It felt like a crime scene pretending to be normal.
And everyone knew something was wrong.
Kai stayed close to me as we were escorted out through a side entrance, his hand never leaving my back. Not possessive, but protective. Like if he loosened his grip for even a second, someone would take me.
Maybe they would have.
The parking lot buzzed with police cars, flashing lights washing everything in red and blue. Parents were already arriving, voices raised, and questions flying.
Phones were everywhere.
I kept my head down, but I could feel it…the weight of their stares, and the whispers following me like ghosts.
“That’s her.” “She did something.” “My cousin sent me a video…” “Is that Kai Blackthorne?”
My power stirred uneasily, reacting to the attention. I clenched my fists, focusing on breathing, on staying present.
Grandma moved with purpose, cutting through the chaos as she ownedas
She signed forms, and spoke quietly with officers, gave answers that somehow satisfied without revealing anything real.
Kai watched her with a mixture of suspicion and grudging respect.
“She’s good,” he muttered under his breath.
I huffed weakly. “You should hear her when she’s mad.”
That almost earned me a smile.
Almost.
We were halfway to her car when someone stepped into our path.
Ethan.
He looked untouched by the chaos. Jacket neat. Hair perfect. Hands in his pockets like this was just another Friday night.
Rage flared so hot in my chest it made my vision swim.
Kai reacted instantly, stepping in front of me again.
“You have some nerve,” he growled.
Ethan lifted his hands slowly. “Relax. I’m not here to fight.”
“Liar,” I spat, my voice shaking.
Ethan’s gaze slid past Kai and locked onto me, softening in that familiar way that used to make me feel safe.
“Are you okay?” he asked gently.
The audacity almost knocked the breath from my lungs.
Grandma stepped forward, her eyes cold. “You should leave.”
Ethan glanced at her, curious. “So you’re the grandmother.”
She didn’t blink. “And you’re the problem.”
A flicker of amusement crossed his face. “That’s a matter of perspective.”
Kai’s growl vibrated through his chest. “Say what you came to say.”
Ethan sighed, as if put out. Then he looked back at me.
“They’re already talking, Luna,” he said quietly. “Videos are spreading. Rumors are mutating faster than the truth ever could.”
My stomach dropped.
“By morning,” he continued, “you won’t just be the weird girl with silver hair. You’ll be something else entirely.”
“A monster,” Kai snapped.
Ethan shrugged. “To some. A miracle to others.”
My skin prickled.
“That’s why I wanted to warn you,” Ethan said softly. “Things are about to get very complicated.”
Grandma took my arm firmly. “We’re done here.”
Ethan didn’t stop us as we walked past him.
But as I reached the car, his voice followed me, low and intimate.
“Prom’s still on, by the way.”
I froze.
Kai stiffened beside me.
Ethan smiled faintly. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
The drive home was silent. Not the comfortable kind.
The kind where words pressed against my throat and nowhere felt safe enough to let them out.
My head still throbbed, a dull ache behind my eyes that pulsed every time I thought too hard. The shadows outside the car windows felt closer than usual, stretching, and listening.
Kai noticed.
“You’re spiraling,” he said quietly.
“I’m fine,” I lied.
He didn’t argue. He just reached over and laced his fingers through mine, grounding me.
Grandma glanced at us in the rearview mirror but said nothing.
When we finally pulled into the driveway, my legs nearly gave out when I stood. Kai caught me easily, lifting some of my weight like it was nothing.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured.
For a second, I let myself lean into him.
Then Grandma cleared her throat.
“Kai,” she said carefully, “you can’t stay.”
The words landed like a slap.
Kai straightened slowly. “What?”
“It’s not safe,” she continued. “For her. Or for you.”
My heart slammed. “No. Absolutely not.”
Grandma met my gaze, her expression firm but not unkind. “Luna, listen to me.”
“No,” I repeated, panic rising. “You can’t just send him away.”
Kai’s jaw tightened, but he stayed silent.
“They’re watching,” Grandma said. “Human authorities. Supernatural ones. And after tonight, Kai Blackthorne is a liability.”
Kai exhaled sharply. “I’ll leave town.”
The thought hollowed my chest.
“What?” I whispered.
“I won’t be the reason they come after you,” he said steadily. “I’ll go back to the pack. Lay low.”
My throat burned. “You can’t.”
“I can,” he replied. “And I will. If it keeps you safe.”
I grabbed his jacket, my fingers curling into the fabric. “You’re not the danger.”
Kai’s eyes softened painfully. “That’s not how they see it.”
Grandma stepped closer. “This is temporary.”
I laughed weakly. “That’s what people say when they don’t know if it’s a lie.”
Kai cupped my face, his thumb touching under my eye.
“Look at me,” he said.
I did.
“I will come back,” he promised. “No matter what it takes.”
Tears finally spilled, hot and unstoppable.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” I whispered.
His forehead rested against mine. “I already broke that rule when I met you.”
He kissed me then.
Not rushed and not desperate.
A promise pressed into my mouth, slow and aching and real.
When he pulled away, I was shaking.
Kai stepped back before I could cling to him again.
“I’ll be in touch,” he said to Grandma. “If anything happens….”
“I’ll handle it,” she replied.
Kai hesitated, then turned and walked away.
I didn’t watch him go.
I couldn’t.
That night, I lay awake in my bed, staring at the ceiling while shadows crept along the corners of my room.
My phone buzzed nonstop.
Messages, mentions and videos.
,
I didn’t open them.
Instead, I stared at one new text.
Ethan:
I told you things were just beginning.
Another message followed.
See you tomorrow night, Luna.
Prom’s going to be unforgettable.
The shadows in my room thickened, responding to my fear.
I swallowed hard.
Because for the
first time since everything began, Kai wasn’t here.
And Ethan was no longer hiding.
Whatever was coming next…
I was going to have to face it without my protector.
And that terrified me more than the darkness ever had….