Studying became much easier after they filled their stomachs with delicious pizza and pasta for lunch. Suddenly, everyone was on top of their game, taking turns leading on each subject. Kira had a good grasp of history and was quick to respond with facts when they did a quiz bee. Janina was at her best in English, checking on their essay writing. Matt then impressed everyone with his knowledge of chemistry.

Chemistry was the subject everyone was dreading, especially Morgan. The sciences had always been his weakness. But for the others... It seems that Sara was the one who excelled in the science subjects, and they usually rely on her to prepare the practice quizzes to help them study. There was a change in the atmosphere after Sara's name came up. Janina teared up a little, which she hid by shouting in aggressive denial when her brother caught and teased her about it. Surprisingly, Matt was able to hold off the contempt that drew on his face every time Sara's name was mentioned, only rolling his eyes when he looked away from the others. He could be warming up to having these new friends around after all.

Dark clouds were still cast over the town, threatening a downpour at a moment's notice when the sibling left by the afternoon. They would need to go back home and prepare for a family dinner. Once a month, the Suicos will drive down to Tagaytay City by the lakeside for a fancy dinner. Rich people have traditions, apparently. They left, leaving a dust cloud with Cedric in a hurry. Morgan and Kira waved them goodbye, standing on the porch of the manor.

Matt did not get to see them off, as he was sprawled on the living room carpet, flat on his stomach, and snoring like a truck. The exhaustion has finally caught up to him since he has been awake, running on energy drink fuel the entire night to around after he was done discussing chemistry with them.

Kira had decided to stay around just a little longer, at least after the full moon comes up. With Matt fast asleep, they would need another person to perform the spell that would ensure Morgan did not rampage across the Franco Manor.

"That part really confuses me," Morgan said. "From what I know, he is not supposed to be able to use any magic, right? So how come Matt is still able to participate in casting the protection spell?"

They returned to the kitchen and started heating up water for another cup of hot chocolate.

"His active magic is dormant. Technically, Matt is still a witch." Kira leaned on the counter, tucking her hands under her arms to warm up. "He won't be able to do magic on his own, but other witches can still channel his dormant magic. Hence, he could stand in for the spell. Do you hang out here a lot?"

"Yeah, sort of," Morgan said with trickling giggles. Kira must have noticed how comfortably he opened the drawers and cabinets to get clean mugs and spoons. "I practically live here, I guess. They already gave me another room, but it's much easier to sleep on an extra mattress we put down in Matt's room. Makes me feel less like I am intruding too much."

"Really? I don't think even Mr. Luke would mind."

She was right. Doc had even given Morgan his own key to the manor and said that he was available to drop by at any time. It started to drizzle again outside, bringing with it strong winds that started to swing the windows. Morgan had to lock them in place, but the drizzling stopped right after, just as the kettle whistled.

"You look exactly how you do it at the Cafe," Kira said, a bright, wide smile on her face, while Morgan prepared hot chocolate for the both of them. Morgan could not help and got flustered, quickly offering Kira a sweet dessert they could snack on, just to change the subject.

Kira was in disbelief after Morgan opened the refrigerator to find it stocked with slices of various cakes. Morgan, on the other hand, was quite displeased.

"What's wrong?" Kira asked.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"He already ate through almost half of it," Morgan said, scratching his head. "I just gave these two days ago. That idiot seriously needs an intervention when it comes to caffeine and sugar."

Kira laughed. "If you're gonna do that, can you do one for my grandpa as well?"

"I'd be happy to. I saw your grandpa eat through a whole cake in one sitting sometime before," Morgan said. Kira claimed she knew what he was talking about, but apparently they were referring to two different occasions. Morgan had seen him eat through a chocolate cake, and Kira had seen him devour a mango chiffon. "That's only one of the interventions Matt's gonna need."

"Still deep into magic?" Kira tried to take more sips from her mug, but it was still too warm. "Sometimes, even I'm scared when he pulls out a spell book in the middle of the cafeteria."

"Tell me about it. Now he wants to go back to the Beacon Lodge to check for books and artifacts that may still be there even after the fire."

Mentioning the Beacon Lodge was a terrible idea. Kira's eyes widened, and her smile faded into worry. "Don't. It will be best not to go there. At least for now."

"Yeah, I think you don't know Matt well enough to know that you can't stop him from sneaking off into places where he shouldn't be," Morgan said, trying to make a joke out of it, but Kira did not even laugh a little. "I will try to deter him. I think I can do that."

Kira sighed in relief. "Just... It will be safer for him." It didn't seem like Kira was about to tell him a reason why she asked him about that just now, and Morgan did not want to ask further. "You know what? Everything's gonna be fine, and I think it'd be better if we could take these back in the living room and study some more."

Never in Morgan's wildest dreams did he imagine that he would actually get to sit down with Kira and spend a cold afternoon cozying over a warm drink. Setting aside the fact that he was too shy to even try to talk to her in the first place, her circle of friends were not the kind of people Morgan wanted to hang out with. But a lot of things have changed starting with the start of this school year, and now they are laughing over silly things like the chocolate froths they have on their mouths from dipping deep into the cup of chocolate.

Morgan received a text message from Doc alerting him that the full moon was about to come up soon and that it was time for them to head to the greenhouse to prepare for tonight.

"You really don't have to do this," Morgan said, closing the zipper of his backpack. They made their way through the backdoor, across a cobblestone pathway that led to the greenhouse. The rain has subsided once again, but it should be back in a couple of minutes.

"No, it's fine. And Matt is still snoring in the living room." Kira smiled as she walked alongside Morgan. It was already dark outside because of the rain clouds, but the fairy lights that guided the cobblestone pathway at least made it easier for them. "Mr. Luke could use an extra witch to cast the protection spell. How about you? You feeling well?"

She must have heard him sigh—a very deep one. Although Morgan was already getting used to coming up here for three nights every month, he still could not shake the nervous feeling he gets when he knows he will be transforming into a... well, a monster again. No longer a human, but not exactly a werewolf either. Somewhere in between those two creatures. Monster is the best way to describe it.

"Do you ever feel like you will end up hurting people with your magic?" Morgan said as they entered the greenhouse.

"Is being a werewolf that terrifying for you?" Kira asked.

"I don't know. The powers that come with it... it makes my life easier. But there is this voice in my head, growing louder and wilder. And sometimes, it is all that I can hear. It makes me uneasy, as if I'd want to tear into anything or anyone in my way. I'm scared I might hurt my father or Grey. Matt or Doc. You guys."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Kira said, even though she did not have to. She had nothing to do with him becoming a werewolf after all. "But I don't think you're capable of hurting anyone."

They walked through the utility shed, and Morgan still cannot believe how clean and organized the shed now looks after they installed new light fixtures and arranged all the gardening tools and items. This was after years of letting everything sit idly as time passed. Even the plants inside the greenhouse itself now look more like a garden than an overgrown jungle. However, there was a heavy feeling that came down on Morgan as soon as he entered. There was no need to wonder what caused it. It's the wolfsbane, which is highly essential for the protection spell.

Morgan winced as the essence of wolfsbane in the air continued to press on him. "I may not be, but I am not sure about the monster in me." What Morgan dreads the most is that one day, there is no one to cast a protection circle for him during a full moon, and the monster hiding within him takes over, only for him to wake up the next morning to find his life ruined.

Kira paused, and with a somber look on her face, she answered, "I'm a liar and I may have already hurt a lot of people I care about."