Luna stood outside of the hardware store as the frosty wind blew around her. The almost icy air was tingling her skin, but that wasn't the only thing. Something was approaching her - she could sense it from a mile off. The hairs on the back of her neck were even standing straight to attention, but she tried to ignore it.

But then her nerves got the best of her. She turned around, but as soon as she spun, she bumped straight into someone.

"Oh…sorry," the figure spluttered awkwardly. Luna pushed her hair out of her eyes and stared up at them, immediately completely transfixed by everything about them. It was a man, who couldn't have been much older than her. His jawline was sharp, his cheekbones were prominent and his eyes seemed to stare straight past her physical body and deep into her soul.

There was also a giant open gash on his cheek, which slightly distracted her from his beauty.

"No, it was my fault," she mumbled slowly. The guy gave her another awkward apologetic smile before leaving her standing there, carrying on with his errands. "Wait!" she suddenly called after him before he went into the shop. He turned his head slightly, barely glancing over his shoulder. "A-are you okay? Your cheek…" she gestured to the bleeding wound vaguely. The guy's eyebrows rose up in surprise.

He wasn't expecting that – no one exactly cared before.

"I'm fine," was all he muttered. He paused for a further split second, about to carry on speaking, but thought better of it and walked into the store, leaving Luna to inhale the scent he left behind in wonder.

…

Luna skidded into the classroom the day after, having just finished her induction lessons with Danny, a kind kid from her class. She was making her way to the canteen and had only just spotted Scott slip into a room with a beautiful brunette a little further down the hallway. Naturally, she had to go and tell him that she knew what he was, because frankly, she wanted to understand if Stiles knew too - and if so, how he took it.

Without even thinking, she poked her head around the door to see Scott and the brunette making out vigorously against the furthest classroom wall, barely having noticed that someone had entered in being them. "Oh!" Luna blurted out in surprise, causing them both to spring apart awkwardly. "I am so sorry! I…can catch you a little later if you want?"

"No, you're all good," Scott spluttered out hurriedly as the dark haired girl's cheeks flushed red. "I…uh…have you two met before?"

"No! No, I don't think we have," the girl was the first to smile as she stepped forward with her hand outstretched. "I'm Allison."

"Hi, I'm Luna - I'm one of Stiles' childhood friends, nice to meet you," she smiled back, shaking her hand confidently. "I literally just moved over here yesterday."

"Oh, then welcome!" Allison beamed. "You are incredibly beautiful by the way - your hair…I've never seen a colour like that before," Luna's eyes widened in surprise and she placed two hands on her chest, clearly flattered.

"Thank you! You're super pretty too, like…what a face!" she smiled back.

"Um Luna, are you looking for Stiles?" Scott guessed lightly, trying to ignore the secondhand tingling that he was feeling from her presence once again.

"No actually, Scott - I was looking for you," Luna blinked back as if it were obvious. Allison's perfectly-shaped brows shot up and she took a step back.

"I…um…Scott, I'll catch you after class?" she suggested lightly, clearly wanting to let them have their space. Scott blinked a few times but nodded briskly.

"Yeah, sure," he eventually smiled back at her, giving her one last kiss before letting her go. Luna took it upon herself to shut the door behind Allison before clearing her throat, whilst Scott took a deep breath. "So…what exactly did you wanna-"

"I know what you are," Luna blurted out without so much as letting him finish his sentence.

Scott's eyes flickered slightly and he shook his head.

"I…I'm sorry?"

"I know what you are, Scott," Luna repeated quietly, taking a step closer to him. She noticed that Scott clenched his jaw and take a steady step back. "And I'm guessing by your surprise that you have been desperately trying to figure me out too? But that…you just can't do it? You can't place my scent?" Scott took a few chance glances around them before lowering his voice and stepping closer to her once again.

"Yes, I have - like crazy!" he finally hissed as discreetly as possible. Luna raised a fair brow and nodded.

"I get that a lot."

"Look, if you don't wanna tell me what you are then I don't even care - but should I be concerned for Stiles' safety?"

"No!" Luna scoffed, seemingly almost offended as she crossed her arms.

But then she took a deep breath and sighed.

"Scott, I'm a Lunarlynx. It's not exactly the biggest secret-"

Scott blinked a few times.

"A what?"

"A…I have the tendencies of a wild cat and take my strength from the moon. I also have to keep balance amongst all beings ruled by the moon to ensure that harmony remains amongst all," Luna broke it down easily, shuffling her shoulders uncomfortably as if she was embarrassed. But Scott simply looked lost. "It's…a thing."

"Oh. So…do you transform?" Scott frowned, clearly still not fully understanding.

"No. I mean I can squat like a cat, my eyes get slanted and I have the odd energy burst but that's it - look, does Stiles know?"

"About you or about me?" Scott blinked.

"Both!"

"He doesn't know about you because I didn't know about you - but yeah he knows about me," Scott nodded with a slight shrug. "He was the first person to know, in fact."

"And…did he freak out when you told him?" Luna continued to ask, now lowering her voice.

"Oh boy, did he," Scott winced back, scratching the back of his neck. "Does he….does he know, like, anything about you?"

"Nope, and if it's up to me he literally never will," Luna murmured in a threatening tone, causing Scott to roll his eyes.

"Luna, I don't know if you know this - but a lotttt of supernatural stuff happens over here. Stiles can handle more than you think, and I know he'd be okay with whatever you are," he muttered quietly. "There's…there's actually one amongst us as we speak. Another one."

"Another Lunarlynx?" Luna gasped. She hadn't ever met another one in person before.

"No, another wolf," Scott whispered as quietly as he could. Luna's eyes shot open in surprise. "A newly turned one, and tonight's a full moon, so…"

"Got it," Luna sighed, zipping up her coat as if that made it final. "I wish you the best of luck there but I'll be staying indoors tonight - well, unless something goes wrong, of course."

That night, true to her word, Luna sat in her comfortable bed, staring up at her skylight where the moon was starting to rise. She thought about what was happening across town tonight, unable to wrap her head around what Scott had revealed to her earlier regarding there being another wolf in her school, and the confirmation of Scott being an actual wolf himself. She had only been in this area for a few days and it was already piling on top of her - not to mention that she couldn't help but feel awful for not telling Stiles the truth herself.

She flipped her hair over her shoulders as she felt her strength growing slowly within. She had missed the warmth of the moon so much - and a full moon just constantly ensured that she was at her absolute peak of strength. She rolled her head from side to side and hummed to herself as she heard a brief knock at her bedroom door. "Come in?" she called brightly.

Her mother opened the door and poked her head around it inquisitively.

"How are you doing my sweet? Feeling lunarlicious?" Elsa smiled cheekily, causing Luna to roll her eyes and slip onto her back to finally fall asleep.

"You're so weird, Ma - but yes, feeling strong as ever. I do love the full moon - you know this by now," she yawned, making her mother smile over at her and tiptoe back out of her room again, shutting her door behind her.

…

The next day, Luna was feeling even more bright and refreshed as she skipped into school, her hair in a long ponytail with a wispy fringe falling in front of her face. She was eager to speak to Scott to see if it had all gone okay with the full moon beforehand. "Luna!" Stiles beamed as soon as he lay eyes on her in the hallway.

"Stilesy," Luna swooned back, as they had one of their famous super tight hugs.

She really did find herself missing him when he wasn't around her. She didn't know what that meant for her, but she also didn't want to question it too much, in case it made her feel weird.

She just put it down to him being a great friend.

"How are you doing?"

"Oh you know…pretty well," Stiles straight up lied as Scott shot Luna a little knowing look from behind him. "…you?"

"Also pretty well," Luna lied back smoothly as Scott swiftly rolled his eyes. He could see how the two of them were fully lying to each other and it was already annoying him - he didn't know how long he'd be able to put up with it for.

Surely two best friends shouldn't be keeping things from one another?

"STILINSKI," came the sudden yell of their teacher from down the hallway. Luna and Scott couldn't help but smirk at each other as Stiles' eyes widened and he bolted away before he could get caught, leaving his two best friends with each other once more.

"Scott, how was the full moon last night? It all felt in order from where I was, I didn't get a twinge of odd behaviour," Luna spoke quietly.

"It could've been better. Derek…the Alpha down here…is building a pack. He's been targeting the vulnerable kids in our school and so far he's two names down," Scott hissed, taking her to one side. Luna's usually friendly eyes grew dark.

"Derek Hale? Yeah, I'm familiar with the family name - who has he recruited so far…?" she whispered anxiously.

"Erica, Isaac-"

"Isaac?" Luna blinked back, her head shooting back up at him in surprise. "I know Erica, she's in my Math class, but I don't know him-"

"You do! He's the pretty guy who just lost his dad?" Scott whispered with eyes bleeding of sincerity. "You now, the guy that's constantly walking around bruised." Luna's mouth hung open in surprise.

The kid from the hardware store.

"Why the hell would Derek go for them?" Luna frowned, running her fingers through her hair in exasperation. "They hardly make werewolf material in my eyes."

"That's exactly why, Luna. It's because they have nothing to lose," Scott muttered back. Luna's jaw tightened and she nodded.

"Got it."

...

Luna slipped into the ice rink with her cardigan sleeves stretched over her palms, standing there stiffly as she allowed the senses to take over. She needed to point out where Derek was. She knew that he was around, because everything within her felt off, but she just couldn't spot where.

However, it certainly didn't take long for him to find her.

"Who are you?" he asked out loud, startling her slightly as her eyes fell into suspicious slits she nibbled on the inside of her lip.

Then she pulled herself together.

"I'm…my name is Luna," she answered confidently, crossing her arms. "No need for backwards courtesy introductions, Derek Hale - I know who you are."

"Oh. Oh of course - you're a Lunalynx. It took the Moon Council long enough to finally send someone down to spy on us," Derek growled back, finally fully emerging from the shadows, his piercing eyes going straight through her own.

Luna clenched her jaw and said nothing.

"You look a little young to be one, though."

"They take all shapes and sizes these days - I'm guessing you wouldn't exactly know that because you haven't ever had to physically meet one of us before," Luna sighed as she crossed her slender arms across her chest.

"So then why do I owe the pleasure of meeting you now?" Derek rolled his eyes. "I haven't done anything."

"I beg to differ! You need to stop hiring the emotionally vulnerable to be apart of your little pack. It's disgusting, it's grooming and you know it," Luna stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, taking a bold step towards him as her eyes glinted a dangerous silver. "You know it's wrong and that these guys don't know what they're getting into! It's not FAIR, Derek, and I doubt you're giving them the full read through of the terms and conditions-"

"Oh and let me guess - you're friends with Scott," Derek scoffed under his breath, now clearly annoyed, "and he told you I was recruiting his friends. Made it sound like it was all against their will-"

"He didn't have to make it sound like it was anything," Luna snapped back before he could finish. "I already clocked your game plan, and now I'm here to warn you - what you're doing is unethical and you'll have to deal with consequences of it. You are going to kill those kids and nobody, not a single soul from the Moon Council or worlds beyond will be able to save them. Whether you want to listen to us or not is no longer our concern - these are the Moon's words."

And with that, Luna spun around on her heel and walked off - without knowing that Stiles was right behind her, his face a ghostly pale and his hands clenched but quivering seemingly uncontrollably.

"Oh shit," she murmured uneasily, unsure of how to react or how much of it he even heard. "Stiles-"

"No, don't…just don't bother. I'll…I'll see you in school, Loo," Stiles muttered back, spinning on his own heel and walking off before she could even try and explain herself. Luna let out a shaky breath of regret and ran her fingers through her locks, knowing that this one was going to be an issue no matter what she did to try and rectify it.

Great.