THE HALF-BLOOD LUNA

Chapter 10

Morning came softly. Not like the violent dreams that usually pulled me awake.

This time, it was gentle. Almost respectful.

A knock sounded at my door before I could fully sit up.

“My lady?”

One of the maids.

I cleared my throat. “Come in.”

The door opened, and they entered in their usual rhythm.

“You slept longer than usual,” Selene said.

“I almost didn’t wake you,” Vexa added quickly, as though it were a confession.

I frowned slightly. “That sounds concerning.”

“It wasn’t intentional!” she rushed.

That earned a soft laugh from the others.

It was strange how quickly they had become familiar.

At first, they barely looked at me.

Now they spoke like I was… normal.

Not a title.Not a burden.Just someone they served every morning.

Sara leaned closer as she helped me sit upright.

“There’s gossip in the kitchen today,” she whispered.

I raised a brow. “Already?”

“Oh yes,” Vexa said eagerly. “Apparently, one of the guards claims he saw Lord Nikolai arguing with a messenger from the capital.”

“I heard it was about missing supplies,” Sara corrected.

“No, no,” the first insisted, “it was about a woman.”

They all turned to me expectantly, as though I would somehow confirm it.

I blinked. “Why are you looking at me?”

“You know him,” Vexa said simply.

I paused.

“…Barely.”

That only made them more excited.

I sighed. “I don’t think I’m useful for gossip.”

“That’s what makes it more interesting,” Sara said brightly.

“ I also heard someone said a woman was looking for you yesterday evening; her description matches you,” Vexa explained

“Rumours spread like wildfire around here, so don't bother,” Selene said

“I don't think this is a rumor, though.” Sara joined

“Where is this woman?” I asked

“Around the castle, I guess”

They dressed me carefully.

The gown today was deep forest green, with thin silver embroidery along the sleeves.

Simple.Elegant.

Not heavy like royal wear, but still too refined to be casual.

My hair was arranged loosely today, half braided, half left to fall over my shoulders.

One of the maids adjusted a small clasp at the back.

“You look softer like this,” Selene said.

I glanced at my reflection.

Softer didn’t feel like the right word.

Uncertainty fits better.

I left my chambers shortly after.

The corridors were quieter than usual.

As I turned a corner, I nearly collided with someone.

Kira.

She stopped just before crashing into me.

“Watch where you’re going.”

“You were the one walking too fast,” I replied.

Kira rolled her eyes.

“Sure.”

For a moment, neither of us moved.

The silence wasn’t comfortable.

It never was.

Kira crossed her arms.

“You’ve been avoiding people.”

I frowned. “I haven’t.”

“You have.”

“You don’t know what I’m doing.”

“No,” Kira said flatly. “I just keep hearing that you’re wandering around alone.”

I stared at her.

“And why does that matter to you?”

Something flickered across her face.

Annoyance.

Maybe surprise.

“Because if you’re going to stay here, people notice things.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question.”

Kira’s jaw tightened.

For a second, it looked like she might argue.

Instead, she looked away.

“You always make everything difficult.”

I let out a quiet breath.

“And you always act as if everyone should listen to you.”

Her gaze snapped back to mine.

There it was.

The tension that always sat beneath every conversation.

Neither friendship nor trust.

Just two people forced into the same space.

Kira laughed once, humorless.

“Good. At least we’re being honest now.”

“I wasn’t aware we were pretending before.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then Kira stepped aside.

“Whatever.”

She started walking past me.

I turned slightly.

“Kira.”

She paused but didn’t look back.

“What?”

“I’m not your friend.”

The words came out calmer than I expected.

Not cruel.

Just true.

Kira was silent for a second.

Then she shrugged.

“I know.”

And with that, she walked away.

Leaving me alone in the corridor.

Later, I found myself in the training courtyard. That was where I found Nikolai. He was already there.

Standing with Lucien.

Not facing him like a subordinate.

But like someone who had long stopped needing permission to speak.

They weren’t speaking loudly.

In fact, it almost looked like a conversation they’d had many times before.

Familiar.

Easy.

Nikolai crossed his arms. “You’re avoiding the capital again.”

Lucien didn’t look up from the blade he was inspecting. “I’m not avoiding it.”

“You are.”

“I’m prioritizing stability here.”

Nikolai scoffed lightly. “That’s what you call avoiding it.”

Lucien finally looked at him.

A calm stare.

Not anger.

Just certainty.

“And you would handle it differently?”

Nikolai paused.

Then exhaled through his nose. “No.”

That was the end of it.

A strange kind of understanding passed between them.

Not agreement.Trust.

Something earned over time, not spoken aloud.

Nikolai glanced toward the castle. “She’s settling in.”

Lucien’s hand paused.

Just for a moment.

Then continued sharpening the blade.

“Yes,” he said quietly.

“That’s not what I meant,” Nikolai added.

Lucien didn’t respond immediately.

Then: “I know.”

Silence again.

But this time, heavier.

“I don’t think she remembers anything,” Nikolai said.

“That’s intentional,” Lucien replied.

Nikolai frowned slightly. “By whom?”

Lucien’s eyes lifted toward the castle windows.

“I don’t know yet.”

That answer did not satisfy Nikolai.

But he didn’t press further.

Instead, he simply said, “Then be careful.”

Lucien’s expression didn’t change.

But his voice softened.

“I always am.”

THIRD PERSON POV

The day before…………

The Nighthowl Castle stood beneath a sky that never seemed to brighten.

Its black stone walls rose from the mountainside like the bones of something long dead. Even during daylight, shadows clung to the towers. The banners hanging from the battlements were dark crimson, their edges worn by years of harsh winds.

Unlike Moonveil, there was no warmth here.

No laughter.

No life.

The people moved through the castle grounds with their heads lowered. Servants hurried through corridors without speaking. Guards watched every movement with cold eyes.

Fear ruled this place.

And fear had a name.

Veyron Blackthorne.

The Alpha of Nighthowl sat upon a throne carved from obsidian stone. One arm rested lazily against the armrest while his fingers tapped an uneven rhythm.

His silver eyes stared down at the kneeling man before him.

The spy trembled.

Not because he had failed.

Because he had succeeded.

And Veyron was often more dangerous when pleased.

“You crossed into Moonveil territory personally?” Veyron asked.

“Y-yes, Alpha.”

“And no one recognized you?”

“No, Alpha.”

Silence.

The spy swallowed hard.

Beside the throne stood Morris.

The Beta of Nighthowl.

Tall and unnaturally thin, he looked more like a shadow than a man. Dark robes covered his frame, and strange black markings curled along his neck beneath his collar.

His eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.

A side effect of years spent practicing forbidden magic.

Morris folded his hands behind his back.

“Continue.”

The spy quickly nodded.

“The rumors are true. There is a human girl living inside Moonveil Castle.”

Veyron’s fingers stopped tapping.

The room became still.

“A human?” Morris asked quietly.

“Yes.”

The spy lowered his gaze.

“She arrived several weeks ago. No one knows where she came from. Some say she was found unconscious near the border.”

Veyron leaned forward.

For the first time, genuine interest appeared on his face.

“And Lucien allows her to remain there?”

“Not only remain, Alpha. She’s under his protection.”

That earned a dark smile.

A very dark smile.

“Interesting.”

Morris watched carefully.

“Do they know who she is?”

“No.”

The spy shook his head.

“According to what I’ve heard, she remembers nothing.”

The smile disappeared.

Veyron’s eyes narrowed.

“Nothing?”

“No, Alpha.”

A long silence followed.

Morris was the first to speak.

“Memory loss.”

Veyron nodded slowly.

“Not natural.”

“No.”

The Beta’s expression grew thoughtful.

“Someone wanted her forgotten.”

The possibility hung heavily in the room.

Veyron rose from his throne.

The spy immediately lowered himself further toward the floor.

The Alpha walked toward the tall windows overlooking the village below.

Tiny figures moved through the snow-covered streets.

People who feared him.

People who obeyed him.

People who belonged to him.

Yet none of them interested him now.

Only one person did.

A girl with no past.

Protected by Lucien.

A girl important enough to be hidden.

Important enough that questions were already spreading beyond Moonveil.

Veyron smiled.

“I want to meet her.”

Morris stepped closer.

“That will not be easy. Lucien guards his territory carefully.”

“Then we won’t take her by force.”

The Beta’s eyebrow lifted slightly.

Veyron turned.

A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.

“We’ll give her a reason to come willingly.”

Understanding immediately appeared on Morris’s face.

“You want to use her curiosity.”

“Exactly.”

The Alpha returned to his throne.

“Find someone suitable.”

“A warrior?”

“No.”

Veyron shook his head.

“Someone harmless.”

The smile returned.

“Someone who claims to know her.”

The spy looked up in surprise.

Morris remained silent.

Listening.

Thinking.

“If she truly has no memories,” Veyron continued, “then all we need is a thread.”

His gaze darkened.

“A name.”

“A place.”

“A promise.”

The room felt colder.

“And once she starts searching for answers…”

Morris finished the thought.

“She’ll follow them.”

Veyron’s smile widened.

“Straight to us.”

The Alpha settled back into his throne.

Satisfied.

Outside, the wind howled against the castle walls.

Below, the people of Nighthowl hurried through another miserable day beneath the rule of a ruthless Alpha.

Inside, plans were already being set into motion.

And far away in Moonveil Castle…

Nyra had no idea someone had just begun hunting her.

NYRA POV

After a few hours of wandering, I decided to go back inside.

Then I stumbled upon them.

And immediately stopped.

Lucien was there.

So was Nikolai.

Talia stood beside one of the windows, a book tucked beneath her arm, while Kira leaned against the wall, looking thoroughly unimpressed by whatever conversation had been happening before Nyra arrived.

For a moment, all five of them simply stared at each other.

Kira was the first to break the silence.

“Well.”

I sighed.

Nikolai snorted.

Talia hid a smile.

Lucien merely inclined his head.

“Nyra.”

Something about hearing my name in his voice still caught me off guard.

Before I could respond, Kira crossed her arms.

“What are you doing wandering around alone this time?”

“I was outside.”

“For three hours?”

“Maybe.”

“That’s concerning.”

“It really isn’t.”

“It is if you’ve forgotten meals again.”

I blinked.

Then frowned.

“How do you know I forgot lunch?”

Kira immediately looked away.

“…Lucky guess.”

“That wasn’t a lucky guess.”

“It absolutely was.”

Nikolai laughed.

A genuine laugh.

Rare enough to make Talia glance at him in surprise.

“You’re both exhausting.”

“Nobody asked you,” Kira shot back.

“Yet here I am.”

The argument was already beginning.

I could feel it.

“How are you feeling, Nyra?” Talia asked

Then hurried footsteps echoed from further down the corridor.

Everyone turned except Lucien; he seemed uninterested in whatever.

A castle servant appeared around the corner.

Breathless.

Nervous.

“My Lord.”

The young man bowed quickly toward Lucien.

The humor instantly vanished from the corridor.

Lucien’s expression sharpened.

“What is it?”

“There’s a visitor at the front hall.”

Nikolai frowned.

“A visitor?”

“We weren’t expecting anyone today.”

“We weren’t, Lord Nikolai.”

The servant hesitated.

His eyes briefly flickered toward me.

And that single glance made Lucien notice.

Immediately.

The atmosphere changed.

Subtly.

But noticeably.

“What kind of visitor?” Lucien asked.

The servant swallowed.

“A woman.”

Nobody spoke.

The servant shifted nervously.

“She says she traveled from the Northern Territories.”

Nikolai’s frown deepened.

“And?”

The servant looked directly at me.

“She asked for the human girl.”

Silence.

Complete silence.

I felt every gaze in the corridor shift toward me.

Even Kira looked surprised.

“What?” I asked.

The servant licked his lips.

“She claims she knows you.”

The words landed heavily.

I stared.

“I’ve never met her.”

“That’s what I thought too,” the servant admitted.

“Then why would she….”

“She knew your name.”

The corridor became still.

Dangerously still.

Lucien’s expression didn’t change.

But I noticed the slight tightening of his jaw.

Nikolai noticed it too and exchanged a brief look with him.

A silent conversation.

One that neither I nor the others could understand.

Talia slowly lowered her book.

“Did she say anything else?”

The servant nodded.

“Only that she once served a family connected to Lady Nyra.”

My pulse skipped.

Connected.

Not knew.

Connected.

The difference shouldn’t have mattered.

Yet somehow it did.

A strange feeling twisted in my chest.

Hope.

Fear.

Curiosity.

All at once.

Lucien noticed.

Of course, he did.

His gaze settled on me.

Steady.

Careful.

Watching.

The way someone watched a cliff edge before stepping too close.

“Where is she now?” he asked.

“The front hall, Your Grace.”

Another silence followed.

Then Lucien spoke.

“Take us to her.”

The servant immediately nodded.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

As everyone began moving, I remained frozen for half a second longer.

Someone knew my name.

Someone had come all this way looking for me.

For the first time since arriving at Moonveil…

The possibility of answers felt real.

I didn’t notice the brief look that passed between Lucien and Nikolai.

Or the way concern settled across Talia’s face.

Or how Kira’s expression had suddenly changed, but not because she cared.

Because all I could think was one thing.

Someone knows who I am………………..