Chapter 1
The moon had always been a problem for Cove Lunarsea.
Not because he feared it. Quite the opposite, actually.
He loved the way its silver light spilled across the ocean, turning the waves into rippling sheets of glass. He loved how the world seemed quieter beneath its glow, how even the wind softened as though the night itself were holding its breath.
But the moon had a habit of reminding Cove that he was not quite like everyone else.
Tonight was no exception.
Cove stood at the edge of Elarion University’s northern cliffs, his hands tucked into the pockets of his black hoodie. Behind him, ancient stone towers rose into the night sky, their windows glowing with enchanted lanterns. Below him, the ocean stretched endlessly into the darkness.
A sharp ache spread through his fingers.
Cove pulled his hands from his pockets.
His fingernails had lengthened into dark claws. Silver scales shimmered across his knuckles before disappearing beneath his skin.
“Oh, come on.”
He flexed his fingers until the claws retreated.
His werewolf side had always responded to the lunar cycle. The heightened senses and restless energy were manageable. His mermaid side, however, was considerably less predictable.
Sometimes the ocean called to him so strongly that he could barely concentrate on anything else.
Sometimes water moved when he was upset.
And sometimes both sides decided to be difficult at the same time.
Like tonight.
A sudden wave surged against the cliffs, rising far higher than it should have. For a moment, the shoreline glowed silver-blue.
Then everything went still.
Cove’s wolf ears emerged through his dark hair.
He tilted his head.
Beneath the crashing waves, he heard something else: a low, resonant hum that seemed to vibrate through his bones.
He had heard it once before as a child, when he had swum too far into the coastal caves near his family’s home. His mother had found him unconscious on the rocks hours later.
Neither of his parents had ever explained what happened that night.
Cove had eventually learned not to ask.
The hum faded.
“Fantastic,” he whispered. “The ocean is haunted.”
“Are you talking to the ocean?”
Cove spun around.
A small wolf stood among the rocks, watching him. It blinked before wandering away into the grass.
“Even the wildlife is judging me.”
Cove returned to his dormitory shortly afterward, determined to forget the incident.
The following morning, he attended a lecture on supernatural bloodlines and inherited magic. He chose a seat at the back of the classroom, opened his notebook, and prepared for a peaceful hour.
Then someone dropped into the chair beside him.
“Hi.”
Cove glanced sideways.
The guy had golden-blond hair, warm skin, pale gold eyes, and enormous white wings folded awkwardly behind his chair.
An angel.
Of course.
“I’m Cassian,” the stranger said.
“Okay.”
Cassian paused.
“You’re Cove, right? We’re in the same class. I saw you yesterday, which sounds strange now that I’ve said it aloud. I wasn’t watching you, I just recognised you from the student directory.”
Cove stared at him.
Cassian closed his eyes.
“I should stop talking.”
“Probably.”
Cassian laughed, revealing a small dimple in his left cheek.
Cove immediately decided that noticing this was none of his business.
The lecture began, but Cassian continued passing him little notes. Eventually, Cove wrote, Please listen to the lecture.
Cassian returned the paper.
I am listening. I’m listening to you telling me to listen.
Against his better judgement, Cove laughed.
Cassian’s entire face lit up.
By lunchtime, the angel had somehow convinced Cove to eat with him in the courtyard behind the library.
They talked about classes, university life, and the various inconveniences of supernatural society. Eventually, Cassian asked the question Cove had been expecting.
“Are you a werewolf or a mermaid?”
“Both.”
Cassian’s eyebrows rose.
“Really? That’s incredible.”
Cove stared at him. “That’s your reaction?”
“Why? What should my reaction be?”
“Most people think it’s weird.”
“Rare isn’t the same as weird.”
Cove didn’t know what to say to that.
Cassian seemed to notice his discomfort and changed the subject without pressing him.
Before they parted, he offered Cove a packet of chocolate-covered sea-salt caramels.
“I bought too many.”
“How do you buy too many chocolates?”
“I panicked at the shop.”
Cove laughed again.
That evening, he opened his notebook and added a new item to his list of problems.
Figure out what is happening to my magic.
He hesitated before writing another.
Avoid getting distracted by Cassian Solmere.
He crossed it out almost immediately.
Cassian was just a classmate.
Nothing more.
Outside, the moon climbed higher, and beneath Elarion University, something ancient stirred.
In another part of the university, Cassian stood beside his window, staring at the faint golden glow gathering around his fingertips.
His celestial magic had been reacting strangely all day.
Not to the moon.
Not to the stars.
To someone.
Someone with dark hair, ocean-blue eyes, and a smile that had appeared only once that afternoon.
Cassian pressed his fingers together.
The light faded.
“That’s new,” he whispered.
Neither boy understood what had begun.
Not yet.
