Chapter 43
1562 Words
Into the Wild
Hailey
The gates of Bloodmoon disappear in the rear-view mirror.
I watch them until the fortress becomes nothing more than a dark shape against the mountains.
Then even that disappears.
For several moments, nobody speaks.
The SUV hums steadily beneath us as we travel deeper into the wilderness.
Towering pine forests stretch endlessly along both sides of the road while snow-capped mountains rise against the horizon.
The ancient world and the modern one collide out here.
Cell towers stand hidden amongst forests that have existed for thousands of years.
Old clan markers appear beside asphalt roads.
Ruins older than recorded history hide beyond hiking trails and logging routes.
The world has moved forward.
The old magic never did.
I sit in the middle row of the SUV.
Rider drives.
Naturally.
Apparently nobody trusts anyone else behind the wheel.
Kael sits in the passenger seat studying the route displayed on a tablet.
Asher occupies the seat beside me, reviewing maps spread across his lap.
And Zane
Zane is asleep.
Again.
His head rests against the window.
Mouth slightly open.
Completely unconscious.
I stare.
"How is he sleeping?"
Asher doesn't even look up.
"Years of practice."
"I can hear you."
All three of us turn.
Zane's eyes remain closed.
The vehicle erupts into laughter.
Even Kael smiles.
Barely.
But it counts.
For the first time since leaving Bloodmoon, some of the tension eases.
The journey no longer feels like the beginning of a war.
It feels like an adventure.
Which is probably dangerous.
Because adventures in stories usually end with someone almost dying.
I settle back into my seat and glance out the window again.
The scenery changes gradually as we leave Bloodmoon territory behind.
The roads become narrower.
The forests denser.
The mountains larger.
Everything feels wilder.
Untouched.
As though civilization simply gave up trying to tame this part of the world.
My fingers brush against the silver bracelet around my wrist.
Lila's bracelet.
The one she gave me before we left.
The tiny clan symbols catch the sunlight streaming through the window.
A strange warmth settles in my chest.
For most of my life, I never truly belonged anywhere.
I had friends.
A job.
An apartment.
A routine.
But belonging?
That was different.
Belonging meant people choosing you.
Claiming you.
Fighting for you.
And somehow, in the span of a few weeks, Bloodmoon had become exactly that.
The realization makes my chest ache.
Because now I have something to lose.
Something worth protecting.
Something worth fighting for.
The thought lingers long after the laughter fades.
Rider
Hailey grows quiet.
I notice immediately.
Not because she's speaking less.
Because I've learned her silences.
There are different kinds.
The comfortable ones.
The thoughtful ones.
The sad ones.
This one feels reflective.
I glance at her through the rear-view mirror.
She's staring out the window.
Lost in thought.
The bracelet on her wrist glints in the sunlight.
Lila's gift.
Good.
She needed that friendship.
The bond between mates is powerful.
But friendship is different.
Just as important.
Maybe more.
The road curves sharply around the side of a mountain.
The SUV climbs steadily higher.
Below us, valleys stretch for miles.
Ancient forests blanket the landscape.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
Untouched.
The farther we travel, the stronger the feeling becomes.
A pull.
A pressure.
Something beneath the surface of reality.
I've felt it since we crossed the outer boundary of Bloodmoon territory.
At first I thought it was nerves.
Now I'm not so sure.
The air itself feels different.
Charged.
Heavy.
As though we're approaching something that has been waiting a very long time.
"You feel it too?"
Kael's voice breaks the silence.
I glance toward him.
His eyes remain fixed on the road ahead.
I nod.
"Yeah."
Asher lowers his maps.
"So it's not just me."
That gets Hailey's attention.
She looks between us.
"What are you talking about?"
For a moment, nobody answers.
Because none of us really know.
Finally Kael speaks.
"The closer we get to the Crescent Vault, the stronger the energy becomes."
Hailey frowns.
"Magic?"
"Maybe."
Asher shrugs.
"Or whatever existed before magic."
That statement settles heavily inside the vehicle.
Because nobody knows what came before.
The Moon Mother.
The Veil.
The witches.
The ancient clans.
Everything traces back to stories so old they've become myths.
And somehow we're driving straight toward the center of them.
Hailey
Hours pass.
The road eventually gives way to rough terrain.
The SUV handles it easily.
Apparently Bloodmoon vehicles are built for surviving the apocalypse.
Or mountain roads.
Possibly both.
The brothers take turns explaining pieces of clan history as we travel.
Some stories are fascinating.
Others are ridiculous.
One involves a warrior challenging a bear to a wrestling match.
Another somehow includes stolen moonshine and an accidental explosion.
By the time Asher finishes telling it, I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts.
"That cannot be real."
"It absolutely happened."
"No."
"There's a statue."
"There is not."
"There is."
I look toward Kael.
"Please tell me he's lying."
Kael doesn't even glance up from his tablet.
"There's a statue."
I groan.
The brothers laugh.
The sound fills the SUV.
Warm.
Easy.
Normal.
For a little while, I almost forget why we're here.
Almost forget the prophecy.
The witches.
The war.
Then my gaze drifts toward the mountains again.
And reality returns.
Somewhere out there lies the Crescent Vault.
The place hidden for centuries.
The place the prophecy specifically mentioned.
The place connected to me.
The thought sends a chill down my spine.
Because every road I've followed lately seems to lead back to one question.
Who am I?
Not Silvermoon.
Not the prophecy.
Not the Moon Mother's chosen.
Just me.
Hailey.
The girl who grew up believing she was ordinary.
The girl who spent years wondering why she never quite fit anywhere.
The girl whose entire life turned out to be built on secrets.
I don't know if the Crescent Vault holds answers.
But I know one thing.
I'm tired of living in the dark.
Asher
By late afternoon, we're deep inside the national forest.
Cell service vanished nearly an hour ago.
The roads have become little more than dirt tracks winding through endless trees.
Exactly as expected.
The old maps indicate we're close.
Very close.
I compare the digital route with the ancient records stored on my tablet.
The similarities are impossible to ignore.
The Crescent Vault wasn't hidden randomly.
It was hidden deliberately.
Protected by geography.
Distance.
Isolation.
And likely magic.
The realization sends a thrill through me.
For years I've studied myths.
Legends.
Forgotten histories.
Now we're about to walk directly into one.
I glance toward Hailey.
She's watching the forest.
Quiet again.
Thoughtful.
The bond between her and the others hums steadily.
Strong.
Healthy.
Yet beneath it all, I sense her uncertainty.
Understandable.
Every answer we've uncovered has changed her life.
The next one might change everything.
Hailey
Three hours later we stop at an abandoned fuel station near the edge of the national forest.
The building looks untouched for years.
Nature has reclaimed most of it.
Vines climb the walls.
Trees push through broken concrete.
Even the old fuel pumps are rusting.
The place feels eerie.
Like a forgotten relic from another era.
The forest surrounds it on all sides.
Dense.
Silent.
Watching.
I step out of the SUV and stretch.
The cool mountain air fills my lungs.
For a moment, everything seems peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Asher studies his tablet.
"We're close."
The words immediately grab everyone's attention.
Close.
Close to the ruins.
Close to answers.
Close to whatever the Crescent Vault truly is.
The excitement should make me happy.
Instead it makes me nervous.
Because every answer we've uncovered so far has changed my life.
What happens when we finally find them all?
What if I don't like what I discover?
What if the truth is worse than the mystery?
A sudden vibration ripples through my chest.
The bond.
Not from the brothers.
From Selene.
My wolf rises instantly.
Alert.
Listening.
Every hair on my arms stands upright.
Something is wrong.
Very wrong.
The feeling crashes through me without warning.
Danger.
Ancient.
Predatory.
Watching.
I freeze.
The brothers notice immediately.
Their expressions sharpen.
"What is it?" Rider asks.
I don't answer.
Because I don't know.
I turn slowly toward the forest.
The trees stand perfectly still.
No wind.
No birds.
No movement.
The silence feels unnatural.
Wrong.
As though the entire forest is holding its breath.
Waiting.
My pulse begins to race.
Then I see it.
A figure.
Far beyond the treeline.
Standing between the shadows.
Watching us.
Tall.
Motionless.
Human-shaped.
Yet somehow not.
The distance makes it impossible to identify.
But I know one thing with absolute certainty.
It's looking directly at me.
The moment our eyes meet
it disappears.
Gone.
As though it was never there.
My pulse spikes.
Fear coils through my stomach.
Not panic.
Instinct.
The kind that warns prey a predator is nearby.
"Guys."
Every brother turns immediately.
I point toward the trees.
My voice barely above a whisper.
"We're not alone."
The atmosphere changes instantly.
Laughter vanishes.
Relaxation disappears.
Four wolves become warriors.
Kael's hand moves toward the weapon at his side.
Rider steps closer to me.
Asher scans the treeline.
Even Zane is suddenly wide awake.
The forest remains silent.
Watching.
Waiting.
And somewhere beyond the shadows, something watches us back.
- Writer
