After dinner, Otto was walking back to Northwind Hall with a lightness in his step that he hadn't felt since arriving at Moonrise Academy. The successful pack coordination exercise, combined with Desi's public support and the genuine friendships he seemed to be developing, had given him hope that maybe he could find his place among the supernatural elite after all.

He was so absorbed in reflecting on the day's positive developments that he almost didn't notice the figure stepping out of the ...