Chapter 17 July's Warning
Malia's POV
I’m in the middle of studying notes for a test I’ve got coming up when July barges into my room without knocking.
“We have a problem,” she announces, slightly out of breath.
I look up from my textbook. “Hello to you too.”
“I’m serious, Malia.” She closes the door behind her and leans against it. "Lydia is plotting."
My stomach sinks. “When is she not planning something?”
“This is different.” July crosses the room and takes a seat on my bed, her face serious. "The Lunar Gathering is in two weeks."
"The what?”
"The Lunar Gathering. It’s this big fancy party the school has every semester. Everybody puts on fancy clothes, there’s dancing, networking, it’s like a big showoff for rich families to show-off their perfect wolf kids."
"That sounds awful."
“It usually is. But that’s not the point.” July leans forward. “I heard Lydia in the bathroom. She has a plan to humiliate you. Publicly. In front of everyone, students, faculty, visiting pack officials.”
Ice spreads through my chest. "How?"
“I don’t have the details,” he says. but she was speaking to Dina about “putting” the hybrid in her place once and for all” and “letting” everyone see what she really is.”
"Great. Just great.”
"There's more." July's expression darkens. "She said she'd had 'help from someone with authority.' I think she’s got a faculty member or administrator in on whatever she’s plotting."
"That's not possible.They wouldn't—"
"Malia." July speaks in a gentle but authoritative tone. "Lydia's basically funding the new athletics complex. He is on the Board of Trustees. She can have it if she wants it from the faculty."
The unfairness of it crashes over me. Of course Lydia has that kind of power, of course she can weaponize the entire institution against me. And yet sometimes there’s nothing to do but wait for the malignancy to evolve.
"So what do I do?" I ask quietly. "Not go?"
“Since first-years have to go. It's part of the 'social development curriculum' or some such thing." July explains.
"Of course it is."
A knock on the door stops us.
Freddy pokes his head in. "Are we having an emergency meeting? Because I brought snacks." He’s holding up a bag of chips.
"Get in here," July says.
Freddy enters, immediately reading the tension in the room. "Okay, what happened?"
July fills him in quickly.
His face changes from relaxed to angrily. "No more. We’ll take her out first."
"Freddy—"
"I'm serious, Malia. We go on the offensive. Spreading our own rumors. Sabotage her dress. Something.”
"No," I say firmly.
"Why not?"
"Because that's exactly what she wants. She wants me to retaliate so she can play victim. So she can claim the mean hybrid is oppressing poor, defenseless Lydia."
Freddy scowls but doesn't argue.
July taps her fingers against her knee, thinking. "Okay. We have to protect if we can’t attack. Find out what she’s up to — and then do something about it."
"How?"
"Intel gathering." Freddy's eyes sparkle at the mention of spying. "I can eavesdrop on her friend group. July – you can also extract information from your Beta network now. Between us, we'll find out what she's up to."
"And then what?" I ask.
"Then we prepare you," July says matter-of-factly. "Make sure that whatever she attempts, you're prepared. You can't humiliate what you know is coming at you."
This is not a perfect plan. But at least it's something.
"Okay," I agree. "But we're defensive. No Attacking. No getting down to her level."
Freddy mutters, "You're too nice for your own good."
"No. I'm too exhausted to play games." I ran a hand through my hair. "I just want to get through this semester. Graduate. Prove I belong here. Lydia's drama is a distraction I could do without."
July's expression softens. "You do belong here, you know. Scholarship or not. Hybrid or not. You earned your place."
"Try telling that to everyone else."
"Screw everyone else," Freddy says. "The only opinions that matter are people who actually know you. Everyone else can—"
"Freddy," July warns.
"I was going to say ‘kick rocks,’ which is perfectly polite enough."
I did it all for a reason. What was two summers of bad jobs and fewer days off than I can count, when I got nothing but smiles from Seth. Despite everything, I smile.
At Mooncrest, these two have become my lifeline, my everything. The only ones who look at me and not what I symbolize.
“Thank you,” I say quietly. “Both of you. For caring.”
“That’s what friends do,” July says, squeezing my hand. “Okay, let’s plan now. We have two weeks to get ready for whatever Lydia is going to do. Step one: decide what formalwear you’re going to wear...”
—-----
We spend the next two hours planning.
July pulls up images of past Lunar Gatherings on her phone — students in beautiful dresses and sleek suits, the space lit up with silver and moonlight motifs, everything screaming of wealth and prestige.
“The dress code is formal,” she said. “Think gala, not prom? Most students rent designer dresses or have them custom made.
My stomach twists. "That’s more than I can pay."
“I know. That’s why I’m lending you one of mine.” She scrolls through her phone. “I got three from last year—my mom goes overboard. You can pick whichever fits.”
“July, I can't—”
“Yes, you can. There are no negotiations.” Her tone brooks no argument. “We’re approximately the same size. It’ll work.”
Freddy is lying flat on the ground of throwing chips in his mouth. “What about a date? Going alone or…?”
“Me alone,” I say quickly.
“They like you more than they like me,” July says casually.
My cheeks heat. “He won’t.”
“He totally will. He’s been moon-eyed over you for weeks.”
“He has not—”
My phone buzzes.
All three of us stop dead in our tracks. I slowly catch up.
Rowan: Hey. Heard some rumors floating around about the Lunar Gathering. You okay? My heart does a weird flip.
“Is that him?” July demands to know.
“Maybe.” I find myself smiling.
“Let me see—”
“No!” I press the phone against my chest.
Freddy grins. “Definitely him.”
I read the message again, and I feel warmth flooding my chest. Rowan had heard the rumors and checked on me immediately.
Not that he wants gossip. Because he’s really worried.
I type back:
Me: I'm okay. Lydia being Lydia. Thanks for checking in.
His response is nearly immediate:
Rowan: Anything you need — and I mean anything — you let me know. I'm serious.
Me: I will. Promise.
Rowan: Good. Also, random question: are you going to the Lunar Gathering?"
My breath catches.
July is practically vibrating with curiosity. “What’s he saying?”
“He asked if I’m going to the gathering.”
“OH MY GOD. He is going to ask you to be his date. This is happening.”
“Shh!” I stare at her, fingers flying across the keyboard:
Me: Yes, first-years have to attend, so yes.
Three dots appear immediately.
Then:
Rowan: Would you want to go together? As friends, no pressure. Just thought it might be easier to navigate with someone you know.
“As friends,” I say aloud.“Translation: he wants it to be a date but doesn’t want to scare you off,” July says confidently.
Freddy nods. “Classic Rowan move. Gentle approach.”
My thumbs are poised over the keyboard. Part of me wants to say yes immediately.
Rowan is kind, thoughtful, easy to be around.
Going with him would make the evening less terrifying.
But another part of me hesitates.
Because if I go with Rowan—a Moonfall heir—I’m just going to be painting an even bigger target on my back. Will provide Lydia with more tools to use. Will just make things more difficult with Aiden.
“What am I supposed to say?” I whisper.
July’s expression softens. “What do you mean?”
I think about Rowan in the conservatory, confiding his own mistakes to me in a bid to make me feel less isolated. About his hand on mine after the disastrous trial shift. About how he considers me a person, not a problem.
“I want to say yes,” I say truthfully.
“Then say yes,” says Freddy simply. “Don’t overthink it.”
I exhale and type:
Me: I'd like that. Thank you.
Rowan: Perfect. I’ll pick you up at 7?
Me: Sounds good.
I put the phone down, my heartbeat racing.
July squeals and hugs me. “You have a date with Rowan Moonfall!”
“It’s not a date. He said as friends.”
“Honey,” Freddy drawls, “nobody goes to a formal 'as friends.' That’s a date.”
Maybe. But even if it is, I'm trying not to think too hard about what it means. Or how Aiden will respond.
Later that night, after July and Freddy leave, I lie in bed staring at the ceiling. It is dark in the room. Aiden still has not come back yet—he is vanishing more frequently, returning late with the scent of forest and cold air. I should be relieved that he’s gone. Instead, I’m anxious.
Because after all—his cruelty, his walls, his impossible contradictions—I can’t stop thinking about what Cian said:
Aiden's cruelty isn't hatred. It is fear.
And I can't stop playing in my head Aiden identity has just dropped: You make everything more complicated. This pull that won’t stop.
My phone buzzes again.
I expect Rowan, maybe to follow up about the gathering.
It is a number that is not in my contacts:
Unknown: “Be on your guard at the Lunar Gathering. Not All of Them Want You to Win.”
I feel a chill down my spine.
Me: Who is this?
No response. I am looking at the message with pounding heart. I took a screenshot and sent it to July.
Her response is immediate:
July: That’s creepy as hell. Call campus security?
Me: And say what? Somebody sends me a cryptic text? They won’t do anything.
July: Then we stay extra vigilant. I won’t let anything happen to you.
I'm grateful for her protectiveness.
But as I set my phone down beneath the window and draw my blanket around me full circle, I can’t get the crooked feeling that whatever’s coming at the Lunar Gathering, vigilance might not be enough.