I, Werewolf

Mrs. Valerie now stood at the front of the hall she wore a plain navy jumpsuit, sleek and practical, with combat boots and fingerless gloves that bore the school's crest. Her posture was firm, confident, like she didn't need flash to command attention.

"Good morning, class," she said, her voice sharp but smooth, like a blade unsheathing.

"Let's get down to business. This isn't your average gym session. We're here to teach you how to survive.. with grace, with grit, and with a little flair."

Jayden blinked as the students straightened up around him. Mrs. Valerie walked to a rack by the stage and picked up a long silver spear with blue lining carved along its length. She gave it a twir.. effortless, and then snapped her fingers.

A sphere of shimmering blue water appeared midair and formed into a sleek blade at the tip of the spear.

"As some of you may know, I have the ability to control water." She spun the weapon again, and this time the liquid lashed out toward one of the training dummies, slicing clean through it in a spiral of motion.

Murmurs of awe swept through the hall.

Jayden watched closely, his jaw tight. His fingernails were already pressing deep into his palms, pain flaring softly beneath the blazer he refused to remove.

Valora continued. "What's important here is not just having power.. but knowing how to use it. Control it. Pair it with precision."

She moved like a dancer... twisting, ducking, kicking, while water danced around her like it was alive. Her strikes were smooth and devastating, her movements tied into the rhythm of her abilities. As she moved, she narrated:

"When combining your innate ability with weapons or martial technique, focus not just on raw strength.. but on timing, distance, energy conservation, and execution. Raw power without balance is a one-way ticket to the hospital bed... Or worse."

Jayden wasn't listening. Not really. His body was in that hall, but his mind was somewhere else. The low buzz of whispers, the damp air from the summoned water, the heat of his own anger.. it was all too much.

His teeth were grinding. His fingernails were digging. His breath was getting louder.

But he held it all in, enduring and struggling with his own will. And after a long while of lectures, he managed to pull through for the first half of the day.

The bell rang for recess.

And Jayden didn't waste a single second, he bolted.

Jessica, who had been standing nearby, blinked in surprise. "Jayden?"

But he didn't stop. He was already halfway out the hall, his blazer flapping as he stormed off.

Jayden reached his locker, exhaling heavily. The corridor was quieter here, the school hum muted. He raised his hand to input the code—but accidentally slammed it.

CLANG!

The locker door bent inwards with a painful creak, the panel crushed in under his palm like it was made of cardboard.

"Damn it," Jayden muttered. "I can't even control my strength anymore,"

He yanked the door open anyway, the hinges groaning in protest. Then, with a quiet sigh, he finally pulled his bloodied hands from his blazer pockets.

His palms were torn, red and raw. Thin, sharp claw marks sliced across them, self-inflicted. Crimson lined his fingers, still trickling faintly.

He had done it back in the hall. His rage had built to the edge of losing control, and his fingers had already begun shifting... stretching into those dangerous claws again. So, without hesitation, he stabbed them into his own palm. A desperate bid for pain. For control.

And It worked. Temporarily.

But the anger hadn't faded. It was still there. Boiling. And it terrified him.

"I can't hold it, Luna," he muttered. "I'm losing control. I barely made it through that class without snapping. If Jessica had touched me again, if someone bumped into me... I don't know what I would've done."

Luna was silent for a second. Too silent.

"Luna?"

[...I think I know why] she finally said, voice slow and calculating.

Jayden blinked. "What?"

[Your senses. Your emotions. That insane spike in strength. Jayden… it might be because today is a full moon]

Jayden froze. "What?"

He turned to the narrow window in the hall, where soft sunlight was filtering in.

"The moon…" he whispered.

[Yes] Luna replied. [It's my hypothesis]

Jayden stood still for a moment, hand pressed lightly against the locker door, the dried blood on his palm hidden beneath his clenched fist. Luna's voice still echoed in his head.

[It might be the full moon, Jayden… your emotions have been gradually heightening as we've been getting closer to it]

He bit his lip, brows furrowed. "What the hell does the moon have to do with anything?" he muttered. "Why would it even be considered an hypothesis?"

[I'm not entirely sure yet… But something about your connection to lunar energy, something old.. is responding. And I think it's unlocking parts of you the system doesn't have access to yet]

[I didn't want to mention this before but... I think you have a deep connection with the moon] Luna added. [Remember I told you the system was modified due to something in your body... well I think this is it]

"What is?" Jayden asked softly

Luna sighed. [I'm sorry, Jayden. But I can't give you an accurate answer. But In the past few days, I've been studying the thing in your body that modified the system. And it turns out that it was somehow compatible with the system and therefore merged easily]

[The changes in the system weren't exactly changes or modifications. They were... protocols, ones that would automatically activate, if the host was a...] Luna paused

Jayden raised a brow. "Was a what?" he asked sharply

[I'm sorry, but I don't know. The information seems to be classified... like a firewall preventing me from telling you. But I think you can figure this out by yourself with this little I've given you]

Jayden sighed. He didn't speak. He just turned.. quickly, his footsteps echoing off the corridor tiles as he made his way to the school library. There was no time to waste.

The hallways were buzzing with students, but he tuned them out, the sound muffled behind a veil of focus and discomfort.

His fists remained jammed in his pockets. He didn't want anyone to see the blood. Or the trembling.

The library was quiet. Dim. A sharp contrast to the chaotic noise building up inside his head.

Jayden strode in and made a beeline for the old-school research terminals near the far wall. Unlike his personal holo-tab which was even currently in the hands of Jessica, these desktops were chunky, institutional, but powerful enough for deep data searches. And right now, Jayden needed answers.

He dropped into the chair, tapped the powerpad, and the screen blinked to life.

Fingers flying over the keys, he typed:

"Symptoms of Full Moon on humans"

Search results loaded in seconds.

Blog posts. Scientific journals. Superstitious articles.

He clicked through a few.

"Restlessness."

"Sleep disturbances."

"Shifts in mood."

"Increased aggression."

Jayden frowned. Mood shifts? Sure. But none of them mentioned superhuman hearing, or teeth-clenching rage, or breaking lockers with your palm.

He gritted his teeth. "Useless…"

Next, he typed:

"Full moon and rage"

Dozens of hits.

"Aggressive behavior in animals during lunar phases."

"One article from 1993 about higher hospital admissions on full moons."

Still… nothing definitive.

He leaned back in the chair, rubbing his temple.

"This is stupid. I need real answers. I'm just..." He froze.

His breath hitched.

"Wait,"

His eyes flicked back to the keyboard.

Heightened senses. Explosive emotions. Random surges in physical stats. Painful transformations.

He thought back to the movies he'd watched over the years. Twilight. Underworld. Even Van Helsing.

There was one word they all shared.

One creature.

Jayden's eyes widened as his fingers flew to the keyboard. Then he inputted the word:

"LYCANTHROPE"

Enter.

The screen blinked.

And then it appeared.

An image. That was the first result:

A massive, snarling, humanoid beast. Muscles bulging. Fangs bared. Eyes glowing. Covered in fur, with claws the length of daggers. Standing on two legs like a man, but with the fury of a beast.

"Lycanthrope," the heading read.

"Also known as a werewolf. A cursed or born individual who undergoes a physical transformation during lunar phases, especially the full moon. Known for enhanced strength, speed, senses, and uncontrollable bloodlust. In some cases, the transformation becomes more frequent as the individual ages or is emotionally triggered."

Jayden stared at the screen.

The more he read, the colder his blood became.

Images filled the page.. scenes from ancient texts, carvings of wolves under the moon, even archaic diagrams of transformation stages.

He scrolled further.

"Symptoms of Lycanthropy:"

[Supernatural hearing

Heightened sense of smell

Aggression and mood swings

Physical transformations triggered by anger or the full moon

Loss of control

Rapid physical stat growth during lunar phases]

Jayden's pulse thudded. His ears rang. He looked down at his still-bloodied hands.

"No... No way," he shuddered. "I couldn't, could I?"

[Jayden…?] Luna's voice returned, quiet, hesitant now. [What are you thinking?]

Jayden didn't answer, his hand hovered over the keyboard, still trembling slightly. The screen before him glowed, casting a faint blue hue over his face. The image of the lycan stared back.. wild, primal, familiar.

He swallowed.

"But why does it feel like I've seen this before... in real life?"

And then...

FLASH.

A memory crashed into him like a wave slamming into shore.

Blood.

Screams.

His mother's trembling voice telling him to run away with his sister.

He had taken a glance at her before running out the door... he could still remember the whole scenario vividly.

Her arms had contorted. Claws.. actual claws, burst from her fingertips like twisted daggers. Her fangs lengthened in real time, and her once-gentle eyes.. those loving eyes, had glowed golden with something unearthly. Something beastly.

And then… one of the agents

Jayden could still remember her voice echoing in the chaos:

"she was a humanoid beast...

...she became a full wolf"

Jayden's breath caught in his throat. "Oh my God…" he muttered. "It was real. She was like this. She was…"

He looked down at his bloodied hands.

The claws that had pierced his palms earlier weren't just weapons... they were echoes. Echoes of himself. His nature.

His partial transformations… the sharp nails, the aching jaws, the glowing golden eyes—he'd never seen what he looked like during those moments. But now…

Now he knew.

It had always been right in front of him.

[Jayden…] Luna's voice piped up, softer now. [Okay, let's not jump to conclusions. That article might just be... y'know, internet crap. Fiction. Myth. Urban legends wrapped in digital glitter]

Jayden didn't respond. His gaze was still locked on the screen, now scrolling as he devoured every word like scripture. He wanted to know more.

[Look, sure, your mom had some weird power stuff going on. And maybe you've got some weird power stuff going on too—but that doesn't mean you're some… fairy tale moon-dog] Luna kept urging

Jayden chuckled bitterly. "Then tell me why the more I read this, the more everything clicks. The rage. The senses. The claws. The fangs and... "

"...The Moon!"

He paused, eyes narrowing as another passage caught his attention.

[The full moon is traditionally linked to forced transformations in lycanthropes. During this time, control is lost, the beast takes over, and many describe it as a battle between man and monster]

Jayden stared at the words.

Forced transformation.

Loss of control.

He leaned back slowly, heart pounding in his chest like a drum. Was this what was happening to him?

Was the full moon slowly tugging at something ancient inside him? Not just his stats. Not just his senses. But… his very nature?

He closed his eyes.

He remembered how much he wanted to tear Carl apart during the sparring. How effortless it had felt to tear into the Wolverine Stalker, to sink his claws in and shred.

And even though he wasn't in control, he could remember the feeling. It had felt good.

Too good.

"I'm not just angry," he whispered to himself. "I'm changing."

[Okay, look... maybe there's a connection, maybe not. But even if you were some kind of... lycan or hybrid or whatever, that doesn't mean you're doomed, okay?] Luna said, voice trying to be calm. [You're still you. Jayden Starrk. Not some bloodthirsty creature of the night]

"But what if I'm both?" he whispered. "What if... I'm a werewolf?"

And then another thought stabbed through him... What happens when the moon is full tonight?

A bead of cold sweat rolled down his temple.

Was he going to lose control?

Was he going to transform into something he couldn't reverse?

Was he going to hurt someone?

Jessica.

Tasha.

Jacob. Harleen. Anyone.

Jayden's hand clenched into a fist so tight, the dried blood on his palm cracked.

He had to know more. He had to prepare.

This wasn't some fairytale anymore. It was real. It was coming. And it had fangs.

[You don't seriously believe that, do you?] Luna asked

Jayden exhaled. "Like you always say... it's the only possible hypothesis," he replied

"And you were the one who said I was connected to the moon," he added. "So think about it, why else... what else could I be?"

Luna sighed. Even she knew that everything that Jayden was going through was linked to only one possible explanation. One that the internet had weirdly accurate info about.

She knew that he was a Lycan, she always did. Afterall she was an advanced Ai, it wasn't hard for her to figure it out after his first partial transformation. But she didn't want to add to his problems, so she let him figure it out himself... after giving him a tiny hint.

But Jayden didn't seem bugged about being a werewolf, what concerned him was what would happen when the full moon was out.

[Sigh* You're right, it's the only possible explanation] Luna agreed. [So let's say you're a werewolf... and your mother was as well. How did she always behave on the full moon?]

Jayden furrowed his brows, trying to recollect past memories. "She... she was always with me and Jasmine. And always seemed normal," he replied

[Hmm, so maybe there's no forced transformation.. or losing control] Luna stated. [Maybe you're reacting to the full moon because of something else entirely]

Jayden shook his head. "No, it has to be this. Mom always told me about how we were nature's greatest hunters. I never understood what that meant... but now I do," he said

"And somehow, it feels like I subconsciously accept what I am," he continued. "But what I don't get is why now? I've seen many full moons in my life and nothing weird has happened. Why now all of a sudden?"

[Maybe it has something to do with your coma] Luna said

Jayden blinked, then widened his eyes in realization. "Yes, the curse!" he exclaimed

Luna was confused. [The what?]

"After that lightening struck me and the system screen appeared to me, I saw something about a curse," Jayden explained. "And isn't that what lycanthrope is... A curse?"

[Yeah, that makes sense] Luna replied.

Jayden nodded. "That's why I never felt any real connection to the moon all this years... My curse was never activated,"

[So the lightening didn't just activate the system, it activated your lycan curse] Luna said in excitement

"Yes," Jayden muttered. "Afterall you said the system merged easily with something I was during the integration... something not human. So maybe it was the werewolf genes which were already activated,"

[Hm, it all makes sense now] Luna muttered. [And that's what modified... No, activated the protocol. A protocol that is meant for a werewolf]

Jayden exhaled, it was all a lot to take in. But yet, there was a lot of questions he needed answering to. A lot.

But the most important thing was finding out if the forced transformation and primal overdrive were true.

"Then if it's all true, and I'm a Lycan. Then would I really become this thing tonight?" Jayden pondered, staring at the image displayed in his eyes.

[We don't know for sure] Luna replied. [But you still have to be careful. Afterall you did transform into something when your heart rate hit 200]

Jayden gulped. "Yes... and I lost complete control as well. Which means, for now I have to believe what this info says,"

"I have to accept the fact that tonight, I might turn into a lycan and lose control of myself,"

Jayden's head was spinning, his gaze still locked on that window. Somewhere beyond the clouds, the moon waited.

And it wasn't even fully out yet.

Jayden exhaled. "I'll need to be extra careful tonight… I don't even know how this works or if it might even happen. But... I have to stay somewhere far away from people,"

[Yes. Stay sharp. We might need to prepare for a trigger event. You're walking into uncharted territory] Luna said. [I'll advice you go deep into the forest and find a cave to stay cooped up in]

Jayden nodded solemnly, he was still trying to keep his rage at bay. But he knew for sure that something would happen.

He didn't know how his mother did it or why she never even told him. But in every werewolf movie he had seen, there is always a forced transformation and loss of humanity. He had to be prepared for that.

Outside, the school bell rang again, jolting Jayden from his thoughts. It was time for the next half of the day.

And Jayden had no idea if he'd make it to sundown without losing himself completely. Everything he had learnt so far had only made his heart rate increase, and it was only getting worse by every passing minute.

He shut off the library terminal and stood quickly, stuffing his hands into his blazer pockets to hide the faint traces of dried blood. The image of the lycan still burned behind his eyes, but he shoved it down for now. He didn't have time to process.. combat class was waiting.

Back in the combat hall, the air buzzed with chatter as students filtered back in. The instructor... Mrs. Valerie was already standing near the front, adjusting her gloves and inspecting the rows of metallic dummies lined up like silent sentinels.

Jayden entered quietly, weaving through the crowd until he found Jessica and Tasha again. He stood between them, eyes low, trying not to wince every time someone moved or whispered. His senses were still flaring, especially his hearing.. he could hear someone chewing gum metres away and it sounded like gunfire.

Jessica glanced at him with concern. "You okay?"

He nodded quickly. "Yeah. Still a bit... hungry, that's all,"

Jessica blinked. "O...Okay. We'll get something to eat after the class," she muttered softly. She wasn't convinced but she decided to let it go. She just kept observing him.

Jayden nodded with a smile and went back to his thoughts. He was thinking of how he would get through the day... and the night.

Suddenly, Mrs. Valerie clapped twice, drawing all attention to the front.

She spoke confidently, her voice ringing clear. "Just like earlier, I'll use my abilities. But this time, without the help of ready-made weapons. I'll make mine instead,"

Then with practiced elegance, She summoned long whips of liquid that coiled around her arms and extended into sleek blades, slashing through titanium dummies with precise, clean cuts. She showed how to weave abilities into movement, how to dance with your power instead of just attacking blindly. And how to make your abilities your trusted weapon.

The students watched, mesmerized.

"Now…" she said after a while, scanning the class. "I need someone to demonstrate what they've learned."

Eyes darted. Some students looked away, others tried to look busy.

Then her gaze landed on Jayden.

He wasn't even looking up. His eyes were fixed on the floor, lost in thought again.

She frowned. "You. Over there."

Jayden jerked up, her voice was like loud speakers in his ears. But in reality, she had called out softly.

He blinked up, eyes wide, posture stiffening. "Me?"

"Yes. You." She nodded toward him, arms crossed.