BLOOD MOON

Chapter 6

Haliya

I should’ve been sulking in my room after everything I saw yesterday—after the chains, the blood, the way Kieran dismissed my pain like it was nothing.

But instead… I got up.

I couldn’t sit still and wait for answers to magically appear. I had to find them myself. And if that meant digging into this stone cage one hallway at a time, so be it.

I half-expected the guards to bar the door when I tried to leave again.

Surprisingly… they didn’t.

They followed me, of course, always a few steps behind but they didn’t stop me. No warnings. No commands. Just silent shadows, trailing me like trained hounds.

I walked slowly this time, trying not to draw attention, letting my eyes wander to things I hadn’t noticed yesterday. Etchings on the walls. Small vents. Torches that flickered oddly.

Is there another way out? A hidden path? Anything I can use?

The silence was heavy again, but I decided to break it.

"Why is this place so cold?” I asked aloud. My fingers brushed the stone wall, still icy to the touch. “Are we still in the East?”

I didn’t expect an answer.

But one came.

“Yes, Miss Haliya,” the shorter guard replied behind me.

I blinked.

East.

So I’m not that far from home.

But… then why didn’t anything feel familiar?

I’d visited almost every major territory in the East with my father. We’d celebrated moon festivals with allied packs, trained with warriors near the Northern border, even passed through rogue-patrolled zones during treaty runs. I knew the East like the back of my hand.

But this place?

This place felt like it didn’t exist on any map I’d seen.

I slowed my steps, trying to sound casual.

“What’s the name of your pack?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder.

Another beat of hesitation.

“You can ask Sir Kieran about that, Miss Haliya,” the darker man finally replied.

Kieran again.

Always Kieran.

As if that man would suddenly wake up and decide to hand me the truth on a silver platter.

I scoffed under my breath. If the guards weren’t allowed to speak, what made them think I believed Kieran would?

He doesn’t exactly scream trustworthy.

He lies with a straight face and smiles while doing it. How could I believe a single thing he said, especially after seeing what I saw yesterday?

“Miss Haliya,” the shorter one cut in, his voice firmer than before, “you should go back to your room.”

I didn’t stop.

I kept walking.

Their footsteps stayed close, but neither reached for me.

This hallway was unfamiliar unlike the ones I’d wandered before. The torches were different here, glowing with a bluish flame instead of the usual orange. Their soft hum gave off a strange feeling… like the walls themselves were holding their breath.

The bricks were older, too. Worn. Carved with faint symbols I didn’t recognize. Was this an older part of the structure?

I slowed, brushing my fingertips along the wall. This place wasn’t just large. It was massive. Maybe even bigger than my own pack’s territory.

Could it be a fortress? A lost territory? Or… a kingdom?

I took a turn. Then another. And that’s when it hit me. Not once have I seen another soul here. No workers. No warriors. No pack elders or omegas sweeping the halls. Nothing. Just me, and the guards who shadowed my every move. The place looked clean… but too quiet.

Empty.

Like everyone either fled or were never allowed to leave their rooms. My gut twisted with unease.

“Where is everyone?” I asked without looking back.

No one answered. Of course. The silence had become a language here one that screamed more than words ever could. I inhaled sharply and stared down the corridor.

What kind of place has walls but no people?

I was about to take the turn when suddenly, one of the doors to my left creaked open. I tensed on instinct, preparing for another impact but this time, I stopped just in time.

A woman stepped out.

She held a long whip lazily in one hand, like it was nothing more than a ribbon. Her clothes were clean, sharply tailored, hugging her figure in all the right ways. Her dark hair was braided down her back in an elegant twist. Her lips were tinted with the faintest red. Her boots clicked with authority against the stone floor.

And most notably, she wasn’t hurt. Not a bruise. Not a scratch. No fear in her eyes. No weariness in her step.

She raised a brow at me, gaze sharp, icy. Then she looked at my guards, her glare turning much more intense.

“Why is she here?” she snapped. “Didn’t my brother tell you to keep her in her cell?”

My blood ran cold.

Brother?

I blinked, trying to keep my face neutral.

Her brother... is Kieran?

It could be. I didn’t know anything about him, not where he came from, not who his family was, not what power he held here.

But the way the guards flinched told me enough.

They were scared of her and the whip she carried wasn’t for show. She wasn’t a servant. She was someone with authority. Maybe… someone used to being obeyed.

“I’m sorry, Miss Amara,” the shorter guard said quickly. He reached for me, gripping my wrist. “We’ll bring Miss Haliya back to her room now.”

So quick to obey.

Their tone with her was different, lower, more nervous. They feared her. More than they feared Kieran, even. And that said a lot.

I glanced at Amara again, and she stared at me like I was filth walking into her hallway uninvited.

But I didn’t look away. I met her gaze head-on. Intense. Quiet. Unyielding. She wasn’t the only one who could burn with a stare.

Still, questions flooded my head and as the guards began pulling me back, I caught one last look at Amara’s smirk. And it wasn’t kind. It was a warning.

“Is she Kieran’s sister?” I asked quietly as we approached my room once again, my wrist still lightly gripped by the shorter guard.

“Yes, Miss Haliya,” he replied without hesitation. “She’s the youngest sister of Sir Kieran.”

I nodded slowly. So I was right. Amara is Kieran’s sister. Then why did she look at me like that?

Her eyes weren’t just angry, they were familiar, like she recognized something in me that she already hated. But I didn’t know her. I was sure of it.

I hadn’t seen her face during any celebrations, alliances, or council visits. And I definitely hadn’t crossed paths with her in my pack or anyone else’s.

Then why… why did she glare at me like I had personally destroyed something she loved? Like I was the problem? What have I really gotten myself into?

This place… these people… they knew me. Or they knew of me. But I knew nothing about them. And that scared me.

When we reached my door, the taller guard opened it. The shorter one gently released my wrist, almost hesitant.

“Miss Haliya,” he said, avoiding my eyes. “We advise you to stay in your room… at least for now.”

I turned to him, confused. “Why?”

He hesitated.

“If Miss Amara sees you again wandering around… she might hurt you.”

My chest tightened.

What?

“Why would she hurt me?” I asked. “What did I ever do to her?”

Neither of them answered.

The taller one gave a small, almost pitiful bow, and the door clicked shut behind me. I stood frozen in the middle of the room, the silence pressing down on me again.

Why would she hurt me?

What reason could she possibly have? I’d only just met her. I’d never spoken to her. Never even heard of her.

Yet her glare was full of hate. And I couldn't shake the feeling…that this hatred wasn’t new. It had been there. Long before I arrived.