The fluorescent lights of Moon High's library buzzed overhead as Jessica slumped in her chair, rubbing her tired eyes. Stacks of dusty books towered around their usual study table, creating a fortress of ancient knowledge that smelled like mothballs and forgotten secrets. The late afternoon sun slanted through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the worn carpet.

"I can't believe we're spending our free period doing actual research," Jessica groaned, stretching her arms overhead. "In the actual library." Her muscles ached from last night's encounter with the cat monster, making the hard wooden chair feel uncomfortable.

Kevin glanced up from behind a history textbook, his dark curls falling across his forehead. "As opposed to our usual monster hunting?" His dark eyes twinkled with amusement. "Besides, this beats your cheerleading practice." He shifted in his seat, and Jessica noticed the barely healed scratch marks on his forearm from their encounter at the museum last night.

"Actually..." Jessica started, but Salina's sharp intake of breath cut her off. The sound echoed in the nearly empty library, drawing a sharp look from Mrs. Phelps at the circulation desk.

"Guys," Salina whispered, her black-painted fingernails tracing lines of text in an ancient-looking book. The silver rings on her fingers caught the light as she moved. "I think I found something."

Jessica and Kevin leaned forward as Salina turned the book around, their heads nearly touching as they crowded over the text. The yellowed pages crackled beneath her touch, revealing elaborate illustrations of a cat-headed woman wearing royal Egyptian regalia. The figure's golden eyes seemed to pierce through the centuries, making Jessica's wolf side bristle instinctively.

"This is a myth about Queen Aziza," Salina read, her voice dropping even lower. A strand of purple-streaked black hair fell across her face as she bent closer to the text. "It says here she started as a runaway slave who fled into the desert."

Jessica squinted at the faded text, wishing her enhanced vision worked as well on ancient writing as it did in the dark. "What happened to her?"

"Something attacked her out there." Salina's finger traced the hieroglyphics alongside the illustration, her chipped nail polish a stark contrast against the aged parchment. "The text is vague, but whatever it was, it turned her into a werecat. The transformation happened during a lunar eclipse, when the barriers between our world and the spirit realm were thinnest. Back then, they believed there was a spirit realm.”

"A werecat?" Jessica felt her wolf side stir at the word, a low growl building in her throat that she quickly suppressed. "I didn't even know those were real."

"Says the werewolf," Kevin quipped, earning a playful swat from Jessica. But she noticed how his hand trembled slightly as he turned another page, the paper crinkling beneath his nervous fingers.

"There's more." Salina flipped the page, revealing darker illustrations of bodies lying in pools of black ink that looked disturbingly like blood. The artistic style was crude, almost frantic, as if the recording images had horrified the ancient scribe. "She used her powers to climb the ranks in Egyptian society. Started as a servant, became a concubine, then married the pharaoh himself."

"Let me guess," Jessica said, trying to keep her tone light despite the growing knot in her stomach. "The pharaoh met with an unfortunate accident?"

Salina nodded grimly. "Mysterious death. Aziza became queen, but that wasn't enough. She took multiple consorts, but her favorite was Prince Kekara." She paused, glancing at Kevin. "The text describes him as a scholar, someone who preferred books and astronomy to warfare. Sound familiar?"

Kevin's face went pale, the few freckles scattered across his nose standing out in sharp relief. "Kekara? That's the name from the voice I heard. It must be her." His hand unconsciously went to his throat, where bruises from Aziza's grip were still fading.

The trio fell silent as the implications sank in. Jessica felt her protective instincts flare, her wolf side bristling at the thought of anyone threatening Kevin. She had to force back the urge to shift right there in the library, to let her wolf form stand guard over her friends.

"She thinks you're him," Salina said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The reincarnation of her lost love." A distant roll of thunder punctuated her words, though the sky outside remained deceptively clear.

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"But why now?" Jessica asked, leaning back in her chair to stretch her tense shoulders. "Why wake up after all these years?"

Salina turned another page, revealing an illustration of angry villagers surrounding a sarcophagus. The gold leaf on the coffin's surface had flaked away in places, leaving dark spots like wounds against the ancient paint. "Because she didn't go quietly. When her people discovered what she was, they rebelled. But they couldn't kill her–she was too powerful, and they didn’t know her weakness yet. So they did the next best thing."

"They mummified her," Kevin finished, his voice hollow. He pushed his glasses up his nose with a shaking hand. "Alive."

Jessica suppressed a shudder, imaging what it would be like trapped inside a claustrophobic dark space for decades. "That's horrible. Even if she was evil."

"Evil doesn't cover it." Salina tapped another illustration showing the cat-woman standing over shriveled corpses. The victims' faces were drawn in excruciating detail, their expressions frozen in eternal terror. "Werecats like Aziza aren't just shape-shifters. They're soul-suckers. Each victim strengthens them. The text says she could drain a person's life force with just a touch, leaving nothing but a dried husk behind."

The library's air conditioning kicked on with a rattle, making them all jump. Jessica caught the scent of old books, dust, and beneath it all, her friends' fear–sharp and metallic on her enhanced senses.

"Great." Jessica ran a hand through her hair, fighting the urge to pace. Movement always helped her think, but it would draw too much attention. "So how do we stop an immortal, soul-sucking werecat queen?"

"Gold." Salina's black lips curved into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's their weakness. Like silver for werewolves, but more potent. A single touch can weaken them. A fatal wound from a golden weapon..."

"Will kill them permanently," Kevin finished. His face had regained some color, but his hands trembled slightly as he closed the book in front of him. The sound echoed like a gunshot in the quiet library. "So we have a weakness. Now we just need a plan."

Jessica reached across the table and squeezed his hand, feeling the rapid flutter of his pulse beneath her fingers. "We'll figure something out. I won't let her hurt you." The wolf in her chest rumbled in agreement, already seeing Kevin as part of her pack, someone to protect at all costs.

"Actually..." Salina's eyes gleamed with that dangerous light that usually preceded one of her more questionable ideas. She pulled out her notebook, the pages covered in cramped handwriting and occult symbols. "I think I know how we can use this to our advantage. Kevin, how do you feel about playing bait?"

Kevin swallowed hard, but Jessica saw the determination in his eyes, the same look he'd had when they faced down the ghost in the old factory last spring. "If it means stopping her from hurting anyone else? I'll do it."

"No way," Jessica protested, her voice coming out as more of a growl than she intended. Mrs. Phelps shot them another warning look. "It's too dangerous."

"Think about it," Salina pressed, sketching rapidly in her notebook. "She wants Kevin. We know that. We can use it to lure her into a trap. My research suggests the next lunar eclipse is in three days. She'll be at her strongest then, but also her most desperate to claim him."

Jessica's wolf side growled at the thought of putting Kevin in danger, but the rational part of her mind saw the logic. They needed to end this before Aziza claimed more victims. "We'd need a perfect plan. Multiple backup plans. And enough gold to make sure we don't miss our shot."

"My grandmother’s jewelry shop," Salina offered, her eyes lighting up. "She has tons of gold pieces. Nothing museum-quality, but definitely enough to make a weapon. I can get us in after hours."

Kevin squared his shoulders, looking more confident than Jessica had seen him since the museum attack. The sunlight caught his dark eyes, making them flash with determination. "It's our best chance. I can do this."

Jessica looked between her two best friends–the goth girl with the brilliant tactical mind and the boy she'd do anything to protect. Her wolf side still bristled at the risk, but she knew they were right. The longer they waited, the stronger Aziza would become.

"Fine," she conceded, keeping her voice low. "But we plan this down to the smallest detail. No improvising, no heroics, and Kevin stays within my reach at all times."

"Deal." Salina began gathering the books, her silver rings clicking against the covers. "We should start preparations tonight. The longer we wait, the more victims she'll claim."

As they packed up their research materials, Jessica caught Kevin staring at the illustration of Queen Aziza. His expression was distant, troubled as if trying to remember something just beyond his grasp.

"Hey," she whispered, touching his arm. "We won't let her get you."

Kevin managed a weak smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I know. It's just... weird, you know? To think I might be connected to someone from ancient Egypt. I know my grandparents came from Africa, but they never told me where exactly. Maybe..." He trailed off, gesturing at the illustration of the shriveled corpses. "Sometimes I dream about it. About her. The dreams started before we even went to the museum."

"You're not him," Jessica said firmly, meeting his gaze. "Whatever Aziza thinks, you're Kevin Lebowski–tech genius, supernatural investigator, and all-around nerd." She bumped his shoulder playfully. "And my best friend."

His smile grew more genuine, some shadows leaving his eyes. "Thanks, Jessica."

"If you two are done with the heartwarming moment," Salina called from the checkout desk, her voice carrying more anxiety than sarcasm, "we've got a trap to plan and some gold weapons to forge."

Jessica linked her arm through Kevin's as they joined Salina. Despite her confident words, worry gnawed at her gut. They were about to take on an ancient, immortal being with nothing but some borrowed gold and a half-formed plan.

But as she looked at her friends–Salina already sketching the weapon design in her notebook, Kevin's shoulders set with determination despite his fear–Jessica felt her resolve strengthen. They'd faced supernatural threats before. They'd overcome impossible odds.

They would stop Queen Aziza.

They had to.

The library doors swung shut behind them with a heavy thud, leaving the ancient books and their dark revelations behind. But as they stepped into the sunlit hallway, Jessica couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere in Moon Valley, a pair of golden eyes was watching, waiting, hungry for the soul of the boy who walked beside her. Her wolf side stirred restlessly, sensing the coming battle.